《The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 I am going to die. The cool night breeze, the light from the half moon peeking out, and my senses from having lived an assassin all whispered the same words. I shall soon die. I looked around at my surroundings. There were many paths in the garden, between the shrubs that looked as soft as wool. But there was no path to life. There was only the path that reeked of death. ¡°Raon.¡± I raised my head upon hearing a voice, one that weighed heavily on my heart. A middle-aged man with what looked like white frostbed into long silvery hair stepped into view. It was him. Derus Robert. Like a morass of death, the enormous garden billowed death into the air due to the presence of a single man¡ªthe head of House Robert. ¡°Yes.¡± I swallowed hard and opened my mouth. ¡°You have shown apetence that befits your title as the leader of the Shadows. The family has grown even faster thanks to you moving behind the scenes.¡± ¡°I merely did my job.¡± I did not pretend to be happy or otherwise. I bowed my head like an emotionless wooden doll. ¡°But Raon¡­¡± He began softly. ¡°Do you think that a Shadow needs freedom?¡± Derus reached out his hand. His shadow extended its hand across the ground as well. ¡°It is enough for a Shadow to follow its master¡¯s orders. Thoughts, emotions, feelings are unnecessary.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Why did you act on your own, even though you knew that?¡± Derus¡¯ voice sharpened, bing cold, and tightened around my heart. ¡°And you even broke your indoctrination.¡± Goosebumps formed along my spine. I bit down on my tongue to hide my surprise. What? I had not spoken or acted differently than before, and I had not the slightest idea how he found out that the indoctrination had lost its effect. ¡°Speak. When, and how, did you break the indoctrination?¡± At that point, it was clear that he already knew everything if he was acting like that. ¡°How did you find out?¡± I bit my lip and raised my head. Indoctrination. It was how House Robert controlled the assassination team called ¡®Shadow¡¯. They abducted or bought young children and, after killing off their emotions, indoctrinated them and used them as assassins for the rest of their lives. I too was indoctrinated, but was able to get rid of the dreadful shackles in a strange turn of fate. ¡°Because you were preparing to escape the n.¡± Derus continued leisurely. ¡°I put two leashes on all of the assassins of Shadow, including you. The first one is indoctrination, and the second¡­.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± A scream burst from me before I even registered the extreme pain. It was as if my lungs and heart were being sawed through. ¡°Rage Worm. The insect ced in your body is gouging your heart out at mymand.¡± ¡°R-rage Worm¡­.¡± Rage Worm was the worst ck magic, the type that could even discern a ve¡¯s emotions. It seemed as if Derus had used the Rage Worm to be aware of my n to escape House Robert. ¡°I-it¡¯s not enough to put on a facade of justice, you even went so far as to have fed me Rage Worm? You disgusting bastard!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not disgusting. It¡¯s called being thorough. And you did actually break the indoctrination.¡± Derus smiled, the warm gaze that he showed in public on his face. ¡°There is a saying that every human lives while wearing a mask. It¡¯s just that my mask is a little thicker and more special whenpared to others.¡± ¡°Derus Robert¡­¡­¡± I clenched my teeth. I raised my body, stifling the heart-splitting pain. I could not die without doing something. I was abducted at an age that I do not even remember properly, and was raised to be an underground hunting dog and assassin for House Robert. I had lived, forgetting all emotion and feeling, and only coincidently managed to break free from the indoctrination. I had thought that I could finally live ording to my own will, but it was not the key to my prison but the shackles of death that met me. What sort of sin had Imitted that forced me to live like a dog, I do not know. Damn it! A reddish water filled up the dried-off well of emotions. It was a rage that I had never felt before. ¡°You can stand in that state?¡± Derus¡¯ expression wavered a little. ¡°I will not meet my end in disgrace.¡± I grasped the sword at my waist. My senses, which had detected my death, had not changed since I stepped into the garden. I will die here. If I was meant to die anyway, I would not go down without a fight. At the very least, his arm¡­ No, I would at least create a wound and die. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± I unsheathed my sword, the concentrated aura exploding. At that moment¡­ The de stretching out broke in half. Click. I heard the sound of the ne around my neck falling to the ground. The world spun as Derus¡¯ cold eyes and the moon flipped upside down. Ah¡­ That¡¯s when I knew. My head had been cut off by Derus¡¯ sword. However, the assassin¡¯s sword is not all that meets the eye. The frightening aura hidden behind the broken de flew towards Derus¡¯ face. ¡°How vulgar.¡± Derus waved his hand as if annoyed. The final attack went out like a me at the light gesture, as if he were swatting away a fly. As expected¡­ Derus was a warrior said to be the strongest in the continent. It was expected that I would be unable to win. For he was strong, and I was weak. It could not be helped. Yes¡­ It¡­ can! The rage that had begun to spread from the bottom of my heart boiled up likeva. It was unfair that my entire life had been toyed with by Derus, and it was a painful shame that I could notplete the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ that I had obtained by fate. I could not die that way. God, or even the Devil was fine. As the rage¡ªthe desire to tear Derus¡¯ mask off and slit his throat at any cost¡ªengulfed my whole body, my world ceased in red. * * * * * * ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Derus Robert brought his right hand up and frowned. ¡®I definitely blocked that.¡¯ There was a small wound on the back of his hand, even though he had perfectly cut off the final sword attack from that piece of trash. It has been years since hest had an injury that drew blood. ¡®Ridiculous.¡¯ That man had broken from the indoctrination on his own, endured the torture of the Rage Worm, and had even left an injury on Derus¡¯ body. It was disconcerting, wondering what happened to the hunting dog raised to be an expendable object. ¡®Only¡­¡¯ Raon was now dead. Though he went againstmon sense, there was no need to bother with him any longer. ¡°Clean it.¡± Soldiers hidden in the shadows of the garden rushed out and moved towards Raon¡¯s body the moment Derus turned his back. Blink. Raon¡¯s ne, sunk deep in red blood, emitted a bluish light, but there was none who could see it. You have been chosen by . will descend upon your body¡­ Your body has died! Error¡­ * * * Reincarnation. A fantastical notion that many believed to exist, but at the same time many did not believe in. Raon did not believe in rebirth either. He had been indoctrinated his whole life, and when he broke free from it he was busy with preparations to escape House Robert. As such, he did not even consider such absurd thoughts. He thought that death was the end. However¡­ ¡°Sunshine, look here!¡± A beautifuldy, with red eyes and soft golden locks that flowed down over her shoulder, shook the blue-coloured baby rattle. ¡°There is also a red one!¡± She held out a red-coloured one in her left hand as well. Rattle! Though he wrinkled his face at the sound of the rattles hitting each other, the blondedy did not stop her shaking. ¡°Aboo.¡± Raon gave a soft sigh and reached out for the baby rattle. ¡°Yes! Come this way!¡± The blondedy breamed broadly and shook the baby rattle more excitedly. There were two things in his field of view. A pair of arms, chubby like sausages, and ady shaking the baby rattle. ¡®I still can¡¯t get used to this. These arms are my arms, and thatdy is my mother¡­¡¯ Thedy¡¯s name was Sylvia. Though it was still pretty unbelievable, he had reincarnated into thatdy¡¯s child whilst retaining the memories of his past life as an assassin. He had naturally regarded it as a dream at first. He thought that everything would be over after he got some sleep, but he never seemed to awaken from this strange dream, no matter how much he slept. And so the days had dubiously passed to be one hundred days, and it was only then that Raon epted the fact that he had, in fact, reincarnated. ¡°Sunshine! Over here!¡± ¡°A-woo!¡± When he slowly crawled towards the baby rattle, Sylvia stepped back little by little. ¡°Yes! A little more!¡± Raon followed Sylvia as he crawled and reached his hand out towards the rattle. ¡°Aboo¡­¡± But his body could not endure the weight of his heavy head and started leaning towards the right. ¡°Oh!¡± Sylvia flung the baby rattle away and threw her body towards Raon, embracing him in her arms. ¡®She¡¯s quick.¡¯ Her body was very fast. Though he could not detect aura, it seemed that she had acquainted herself with some appropriate martial arts. ¡°Were you surprised? It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s fine.¡± Sylvia patted Raon¡¯s back. ¡°Ooh.¡± Raon shook his hand. Her patting did not stop although he showed that he was not at all surprised and all right. ¡°My Sunshine, shall we go see the flowers?¡± Sylvia walked over to the window and opened the curtains whilst carrying him. The warm sunlight shone gently, like a soft cotton nket. ¡®How can she still call me Sunshine¡­?¡¯ ¡®Sunshine¡¯, as Sylvia called him, was not his actual name. It was a baby bump name. It was the head of house who had toe and choose his name, but he appeared to be terribly busy and Raon had yet to see a sign of him. Thus, there was no choice but to be called by the baby bump name ¡®Sunshine¡¯, even after more than a hundred days had passed. ¡®Whew¡­¡¯ Raon looked about, still in Sylvia¡¯s arms. The room was wide enough to be able to run around in, the walls had a luxurious sea-coloured wallpaper, and there was magic lighting hanging from the ceiling that lit up, even at night. He could not determine much, for his body was a baby¡¯s and slept more than twenty hours a day, but one thing was certain. This was a wealthy family, and one with quite the reputation at that. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ A rich or powerful family was preferable over a normal one in any case, now that he had been reborn. ¡®I need to take revenge.¡¯ The horrifying feeling of having his neck chopped off by Derus was still vivid in his mind. He had thought that all his feelings had been worn away while being raised as an assassin. His memory before death must have been intense, for his rage and thirst for revenge clearly remained. ¡®But I should not be impatient.¡¯ Raon breathed deeply and calmed his emotions. He knew nothing about where he was, or what his position was, as he lived exclusively within this room. It would not be toote to make preparations for revenge after getting a grasp of the situation. The most important virtue for an assassin was patience, and he had once been the best of the assassins. He could rein in his feelings and thirst for revenge any time. ¡®Also¡­¡¯ He had obtained the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ in his past life through some fate, which was said to be the most powerful skill that could be attained by a swordsman one thousand years ago. If he were to master the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, it might be possible for him to kill Derus Robert not by assassination, but even by facing him head-on. He would have to endure and endure again for that day toe. ¡®Anyway, I am starting to feel a little sleepy again¡­¡¯ He felt drowsy in Sylvia¡¯s arms, under the warm sunlight. A baby¡¯s body was inconvenient in many ways. He really had not spent a long time thinking, yet he was already falling asleep. ¡°You sleepy, Sunshine? Let¡¯s go to bed, then.¡± Sylvia slowed her patting on his back with a smile. It was just as he was dozing off and his neck was falling backwards that¡­ ¡°Lady Sylvia!¡± The door opened without a knock, and Sylvia¡¯s maid entered the room. ¡°The-the head of house is on his way!¡± ¡°My father?¡± Sylvia widened her eyes in shock at the maid¡¯s words. ¡®Father?¡¯ It appeared that the head of house was not his father, but his grandfather, since she called him father. ¡°I-I shall have to get ready¡­¡± ¡°It is toote! He is already outside!¡± ¡°Oh dear!¡± Sylvia and the maids became very flustered, tapping their feet repeatedly. Clomp. There was the sound of footsteps outside the half-open door, which sounded stiff enough to make one¡¯s body shrink. ¡®Who is the head of house?¡¯ Raon stealthily opened his eyes and turned his head towards the door. An old man with red eyes and radiant blonde hair smoothed over his forehead approached. Sylvia and the maid trembled at the sound of his overbearing footsteps. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ The passage of time slowed down the moment he saw the old man¡¯s eyes. It almost felt as if his surroundings were blurred by his overbearing presence. ¡°F-father.¡± ¡°Is this the child?¡± The old man stopped in front of Sylvia and pointed with his chin, frost in his gaze. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Sylvia nodded her head heavily and held Raon out to him. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s round eyes grew wider. As he looked right into his face, he felt as if he had seen him before. ¡®Blonde with red eyes. An old man with cold features, as if surrounding himself with a sheet of ice¡­ Oh!¡¯ A thunderbolt struck his small head. Glenn Zieghart, the Destructive King of the North! The family was referred to as the apex of the continent, and its leader was looking down at him. A small gasp of surprise escaped his small mouth on its own. It seemed that he was reborn into the most powerful family in the continent. Chapter 2 In the continent, there were six who dwelled within the light and five within the darkness. The six powers, who rose up to be the radiant suns of the continent, were called the Six Kings. Those who lurked within the underground, who spread defeat and fear, were called the Five Demons. House Zeighart was one of the Six Kings, and ruled over the North. ¡°Ah-ooh.¡± Raon made eye contact with the head of House Zieghart and widened his round mouth. ¡®Is this a good thing¡­?¡¯ Zieghart didn¡¯t lose out in any way to House Robert, the ce that had exploited and killed him in his past life. His day of revenge could be brought forward if he built up his strength in that environment. ¡°He is blonde and has red eyes, just like you and me, Father.¡± Sylvia smiled gently and stroked Raon¡¯s hair while he agonized over how to act from then on. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn maintained his overwhelming pressure over the others, even as he held Raon up. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Raon¡¯s body shuddered. It was because a warm and gentle energy entered through his wrist the moment Glenn picked him up. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± At the feel of aura, which he had not felt in a long time, he let out a noise before he even realized it. ¡®What sort of aura¡­¡¯ Glenn¡¯s aura was not only warm. It also contained an enormously high level of purity, like it came straight from nature. ¡®It¡¯s warming up my body.¡¯ Raon was much more sensitive to the cold after his reincarnation. At first, he assumed it was because his body was that of a young child. Instead, there was actually a major problem with his constitution. But the moment he received Glenn¡¯s aura, his whole body became warmer¡ªas if sunlight had entered his bloodstream. Glenn used his aura to check through Raon¡¯s body inch by inch, returning him to Sylvia afterwards. ¡®What?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. There was no way that a warrior like Glenn did not know there was an issue with his body, yet there was no change in his expression. He could not understand why he maintained that expression, even after finding out his grandson was not normal. ¡°Sylvia.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The child¡¯s name shall be Raon.¡± ¡°Raon? F-Father. The name Raon means¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s eyebrows furrowed heavily. ¡°It literally means that. Quiet like a shadow. It means to live without standing out.¡± Unlike his gentle use of aura, Glenn¡¯s voice was cold as frost. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Was it fate or something? His name was the same as in his past life, and the meaning was also the same. Augh forced its way out at the absurdity of the situation. He knew that Glenn was a cold-hearted person, but he did not know that Glenn would have no interest in his sick grandson. ¡°That is all.¡± Glenn brushed off his dark red coat and turned his body away, as if not wanting to be there any longer. ¡°Wait! Father! Another name, at least¡­¡± Sylvia followed him while carrying Raon, but Glenn did not turn back. He promptly left the mansion. It seemed more urate to say that they were strangers, not father and daughter. ¡°Ooh-woo!¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled. He wanted to stay quiet, but a moan escaped his lips at the chilly wind blowing in from outside. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Sylvia hugged Raon close and buried her face in his body. It appeared she was barely holding back tears. ¡®There is something here. But I¡¯m too sleepy. I can¡¯t think.¡¯ Raon slowly closed his eyes, feeling both the cold wind and Sylvia¡¯s warmth skim over his entire body. ¡®A child¡¯s body really is very inconvenient¡­¡¯ * * * The moon was floating in the middle of the sky. Raon, who was lying down on the crib, cautiously opened his eyes. ¡®She¡¯s asleep.¡¯ He turned his head to the side. Sylvia was sleeping on the bed right beside him. Knock. It appeared she was sound asleep, since she did not wake up even when he tapped on the crib. ¡®Whew¡­¡¯ He let out a small sigh. The past hundred days had been extremely suffocating. He became terribly drowsy all the time, and he could not use mana nor train because he was with Sylvia whenever he was awake. He couldn¡¯t do anything, as there could be a problem if he were to be even gently nudged during his practice. But his chance had finally arrived. ¡®Crib.¡¯ He got to sleep separately in the warm crib from that day onward, once Helen¡ªthe head maid of the bedchambers¡ªoffered her advice. Though she was right beside him, there was no way Sylvia would wake up. It was the perfect time to begin his practice. ¡®Let¡¯s get started¡­¡¯ Raon slowly exhaled. ¡®With the cultivation of the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯.¡¯ The method of the practice, implemented in the continent, was about umting aura in the abdomen by taking in mana from nature via breathing. But the practice for the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, which he had obtained by fate in his past life, was different. By rotating the spherical ring around one¡¯s heart, as if one were a sorcerer making a magic circle, one¡¯s physical strength and body would improve. At the same time, it also increased one¡¯s willpower and sensitivity to mana. Which meant that, though it could not create aura, the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was a cultivation technique that could help improve the mind and body¡ªthe perfect conditions for bing a soldier. ¡®That is not the only advantage.¡¯ The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was a practice that followed the flow of nature exactly. Even a soldier at the highest level would not be able to determine that he had practiced the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. Even Derus Robert, referred to as the greatest swordsman in the continent, did not know that Raon had acquired the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. However, there was a very big issue with Raon¡¯s body. ¡®Coldness.¡¯ The mana circuit, where mana flowed through like blood in his veins, was blocked by the extreme coldness in his body. It was not long ago that he first discovered that fact. He had tried to use his mana for a brief moment, whilst acting as if he were asleep, but almost shrieked upon feeling the coldness blocking his mana circuit. Raon slowly took in a breath of air until his lungs ached, and felt the mana spread out in the air. ¡®It¡¯s being dispersed.¡¯ Perhaps it was because his basic mana affinity was poor, but he could not feel mana that well, unlike his past self. He only barely managed to take in the mana, and settled it in his mana circuit after quite some time. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon suddenly stopped before he was to start practicing the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ with the absorbed mana. ¡®I feel it, as expected.¡¯ The mana circuit at his shoulder was half blocked by the coldness. ¡®No wonder I am constantly drowsy, and so cold.¡¯ The reason he has been sleeping more than twenty hours, and feeling the severe chilliness, was due to this coldness. ¡®Is it in nine ces?¡¯ He released some mana to scan through his entire body. There were nine ces in the mana circuit that were blocked by the cold. ¡®This is severe¡­¡¯ Unlike that of an adult, a baby¡¯s mana circuit was wide open. Since the coldness filled it halfway, even while in that state, the entire mana circuit could be blocked as he grew older. Should that momente, he would experience cold and pain that would be iparable to what he experienced currently¡ªor worse, die. He had to remove the coldness, no matter what, before that happened. ¡®I should try to pierce through the coldness in my mana circuit, using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯.¡¯ Though his practice with the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ would be considerably dyed, the priority for the moment was to survive. Raon slowly absorbed the mana as he took a deep breath. The absorbed mana cut into thin, sharp, awl-like pieces and pierced the coldness blocking his mana circuit. Screech! As if it was a frozen waterfall chipped away at by a fork, a tiny bit of the coldness dropped off. ¡®Wait. Can¡¯t I make use of this?¡¯ He could release the coldness as it was, but it seemed a waste¡ªespecially considering the high purity of it. Raon guided the coldness with the natural mana, following the flow of the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. The natural mana and the coldness that was blocking the mana circuit bonded together as one to circte through the mana circuit throughout his body. ¡®I did it!¡¯ Raon clenched his fist. It was at a much slower speed whenpared to in his past life, but he could use mana via the flow of the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ without issue. He felt the cold air drawn forth by the mana settling in his body. ¡®It must be because it¡¯s a child¡¯s body.¡¯ It was somewhat fortunate, as he would not have been able to circte mana at all because of the coldness if it wasn¡¯t a child¡¯s wide-open mana circuit. ¡®Next I should¡­ Huh? Already?¡¯ As if his body was saying it was tired after using its brain and strength a little, he started to feel sleepy. His eyelids lowered like curtains,pletely against his will. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Raon groaned angrily and closed his eyes. As he fell asleep, and the moon hung in the sky moved to just about three fingers-width apart, a figure appeared outside the door. The person who entered without opening the door was the head of House Zieghart, Glenn. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn gazed at Raon, who was asleep, and reached out his hand. A light as pale as the sunset bloomed out of his clenched hand. Raon¡¯s forehead, which was crumpled due to the coldness in his mana circuit, smoothed out like velvet. * * * * * * ¡°A-bu-bu.¡± Raon gave a soft sigh. ¡®As expected, it isn¡¯t easy.¡¯ There was no time to work on the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ since his waking hours were short. Even then, he was mostly around other people. But considering the progress was dyed by the short, one- to two-hour practice time and the coldness, the oue was surprisingly decent. It was as if someone was helping him. ¡°Raon, shall we move a bit more today?¡± Sylvia bent over and shook the baby rattle. It appeared as though she thought he liked the rattle, as he continuously reacted to it. ¡®ying with her is tiring.¡¯ Frankly speaking, it was more tiring having to y with Sylvia or the maids than it was tolerating the coldness. Though, it couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, his was an adult¡¯s consciousness inside a child¡¯s body. ¡°Aah-ooh.¡± It was just as Raon bobbed his head and was about to crawl towards Sylvia¡­ Click. The door opened smoothly and an unfamiliar old man with silver hair entered the room. He was wearing frayed and shabby clothes, but his eyes were as clear as the river. ¡°Oh? Uncle!¡± Sylvia ran to the door with a bright smile on her face, as if she recognised the old man. ¡°It has been a long time.¡± ¡°No, no. Saint¡­¡± ¡°Aah-woong.¡± Raon babbled in surprise before he realized it. He recognized the old man from the title of Saint, and because of his beggar-like clothes. ¡®The Ragged Saint!¡¯ The Ragged Saint Patrick was one of the most famous healers in the continent. Though his holy powers and medical experience extended beyond the sky, he was a vagabond and difficult to find¡ªeven when one searched for him. ¡°Not Saint. Just call me ¡®Uncle¡¯, like before.¡± Patrick chuckled and approached the bed Raon was lying on. ¡°I heard that you had a child, and popped over on my way by. Is this the child?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Oho! Blonde with red eyes? Is he not the first since you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t he beautiful?¡± Sylvia stroked Raon¡¯s hair and beamed. ¡°That¡¯s what I mean. He is not even a year old and looks pretty. Completely different from a wild guy like Glenn.¡± Patrick chuckled and wagged his finger in front of Raon. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Raon¡­¡± ¡°Raon?¡± His face wrinkled up at the name. ¡°His name can¡¯t mean ¡®shadow¡¯?¡± ¡°It does¡­¡± ¡°Whatever is Glenn thinking, naming the child ¡®shadow¡¯?¡± Patrick referred to House Zieghart¡¯s head as just ¡®Glenn¡¯. ¡®So the rumor that Glenn Zieghart and the Ragged Saint are friends is true, then.¡¯ Raon smacked his lips as he looked at the broom that was Patrick¡¯s hair. Having lived as an assassin, he did have quite a bit of information regarding the affairs of the world. It seemed that the information regarding the considerable closeness of Glenn Zieghart and the Ragged Saint was true. ¡°Raon, allow this old man to look at you for a bit.¡± Patrick gently massaged Raon¡¯s shoulders and arms, legs and chest area. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He chewed on his lips with a grave expression on his face, and finally spread out a white light. Upon basking in that light, a burning energy filled up his body¡ªif he had entered a hot spring. ¡°Phew.¡± Patrick turned his body after a low sigh. ¡°How is he? He is more sensitive to the cold, and grows slowlypared to the other children¡­¡± Sylvia walked towards Patrick, her hands sped together. ¡°It is the Curse of the Frost.¡± Patrick knit his brows. ¡°C-curse? What do you mean by that?!¡± ¡°It is not an actual curse. It is the constitution where an intense coldness blocks the mana circuit.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°It is a constitution rarely seen, typically among young girls. It is my first time seeing a young boy born with the Curse of the Frost.¡± He surveyed Raon¡¯s body with an odd look in his eyes. ¡°There should be no major problems as his mana circuit is open, but he may experience serious chill and pain when the mana circuit starts to close up¡ªthat is, once he reaches four years of age.¡± ¡°Th-that¡­¡± Sylvia chewed her lips uneasily. ¡®I can fix it on my own, so don¡¯t worry.¡¯ Raon shook his head slightly. Though it would take some time, he would be able to remove the coldness by using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. There was no actual need to get treated. ¡°There are a total of nine chunks of coldness blocking the mana circuit. That is a number that even I have not seen in the young girls that I have treated before. And as each of the chunks of coldness are very potent, there is a possibility of mental slowness should a forceful attempt to drill through it be made.¡± ¡°Wh-what about the method to cure it?!¡± Sylvia grabbed onto Patrick¡¯s sleeve, looking as if she might faint at any minute. ¡°Let him drink diluted elixir, containing the properties of fire, once a day. Let him bask under the sunlight for two hours at noon, when the sun is at its highest.¡± ¡°Will he recover if we do that?¡± ¡°As I have said, this is not an illness. It is a matter of constitution. He shall not return to heaven¡¯s bosom at a young age, at the very least, if you follow my directions. However¡­¡± When Patrick cut his words short, everyone swallowed hard as he took his time answering. ¡°Because the coldness will eat at the child¡¯s constitution and strength, it will be difficult for him to be a swordsman, even after treatment.¡± ¡°That does not matter.¡± Sylvia fiercely shook her head, as if to say that it was all fine, as long as he did not die. ¡°It is a relief that you think that way. Anyway, this child should¡­¡± Knock, knock. Just as Patrick was about to give additional advice, the door opened with a knock. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± A middle-aged man wearing posh formal attire entered the room and bowed his head. ¡°My lord is looking for the Saint.¡± ¡°Let him know that I will find himter.¡± ¡°He has said toe find him immediately.¡± ¡°Hah. He has such bad timing.¡± Patrick clicked his tongue, and turned his head. ¡°Sylvia. I shalle by againter.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Patrick left the room with the middle-aged man after gazing at Raon for a moment longer. ¡®The Curse of Frost¡­¡¯ Raon rubbed his fingers. ¡®I finally know.¡¯ The identity of the coldness that had tormented him had been revealed. Only, nothing would really change. He would cure the Curse of Frost and develop an iparably outstanding physical body and affinity for mana before he became an adult, and he would do it by continuing to practice the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and removing the coldness at the same time. ¡°Raon.¡± The moment the door shut, Sylvia hugged Raon and scrubbed at her face. It was how she acted when anxious. ¡°Mommy promises to save you. Whatever it takes.¡± Her eyes, which were always smiling, filled up with tears. ¡®What¡¯s this¡­?¡¯ As Sylvia¡¯s trembling was conveyed to him, his heart felt suffocated. It felt as if a rough wire was scratching his heart. Though he did not know what the emotion was, he did not want to continue feeling that tingling sensation. Which was why¡ª ¡°A-bu-bu.¡± With his small hands, Raon wiped away the tears welled up in Sylvia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Young Master!¡± ¡°My-my goodness¡­¡± Sylvia narrowed her eyes, and the maids gave a short shriek. ¡°Raon¡­¡± She lowered her head and caressed Raon¡¯s hand, wet with her tears, for some time. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet. ¡°I must go find my father.¡± The hesitation on Sylvia¡¯s face was gone. * * * For the first time since Raon was born, Sylvia made her way to the ce where the head of House Zieghart resided. The way there was wide open, as the Saint had passed by earlier. ¡°M-Madam Sylvia!¡± ¡°The head of house is currently with¡­¡± ¡°Move aside!¡± She forcefully pushed past the attendants and maids blocking her way and knocked on the door of the audience chamber. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! The enormous door started to open after five punch-like knocks. ¡°What is it?¡± Glenn, who was sitting opposite Patrick and having tea, frowned. ¡°I beg you.¡± Sylvia clenched her teeth hard and knelt. ¡°Please save Raon!¡± Though there were attendants behind her, she lowered her head to the ground as if she were a ve submitting to her master. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn watched Sylvia bow her head without batting an eye. ¡°You must have heard, yes? That it will be difficult for him to live as a soldier, even if his constitution were to be treated.¡± Glenn knew of Raon¡¯s condition, as if he had already heard of it. ¡°It will be fine if we do not raise him as a soldier!¡± ¡°For one with the name of Zieghart to not be a soldier? Why should I give help to a child without any value?¡± ¡°Because he is your grandson.¡± ¡°That grandson is the child you brought back after leaving the family, after saying that you were going to cut all ties with us.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s trembling eyes were fixed to the floor. ¡°The only thing I can do for the child is give him the name of Zieghart. Once is enough for any act of foolishness.¡± Glenn¡¯s face was cold, as if covered by a sheet of ice. ¡°Zieghart is a ce where only the strongest survive. It is better to not have such a weak grandson. And won¡¯t you be able to obtain the elixir yourself?¡± ¡°The elixir in the family repository would be much more effective than obtaining it from outside¡­¡± ¡°Those are for the ones that improve the family name. There is nothing for a child who does nothing, even if he is my grandson. Get out, now.¡± ¡°Father! Please!¡± Sylvia dug her fingers into her palm as if to draw blood, and hit her head against the floor again. ¡®I cannot back down!¡¯ If she were alone, she would have returned. She would have left without turning back before, due to her pride. But she now had a child she had to protect. She had to hang on until the end, for Raon. ¡°Drag her out.¡± Soldiers in ck stepped out from behind the pir at Glenn¡¯s stern orders. They grabbed onto both of Sylvia¡¯s arms and dragged her to the door. ¡°P-please! Raon!¡± Sylvia screamed Raon¡¯s name until the end, but Glenn turned his head away as if he wasn¡¯t interested. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Patrick, who was observing everything, let out a sigh. ¡°Your acting is good, considering you were the one who called for me to check on your grandson¡¯s condition. Is it that hard to treat her honestly?¡± ¡°You¡¯re being unnecessarily noisy. Just speak of his state, in detail.¡± ¡°As I have said, the coldness is blocking the mana circuit in nine ces. Although it is fine now, it will be more dangerous as he grows older.¡± Patrick sipped his tea and continued. ¡°But I do not think there will be a major issue, thanks to you pushing away the coldness with your aura.¡± Glenn and Patrick did not know that Raon was practicing the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, even though they had personally checked his body. The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was a method from a thousand years ago, and did not make use of the lower abdomen. It was difficult to identify the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, even if one could be said to have absolute abilities. ¡°Young girls with the symptoms of the Curse of Frost make use of coldness of the highest purity and can be excellent sorcerers or swordsmen, but it is different for young boys with warmer energies. As I said, it is close to impossible for your youngest grandson to be a soldier.¡± ¡°It does not matter if he does not be a soldier. As long as he lives.¡± ¡°You browbeat Sylvia, and now you say it does not matter? Even the Destructive King of the North must love his grandson.¡± Patrick chuckled heartily. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn ignored Patrick and drew his finger in the air. Buzz¡­ As the space cracked open in a cross(Ê®) shape, a golden dimension opened up. Three wooden boxes popped out of the fiery space. ¡°I assume you know how to do it?¡± He spoke as he passed the boxes over to Patrick. ¡°Ah¡­ This is why I do not bother with things like Houses.¡± Patrick sighed and epted the wooden boxes. ¡°Take care of him.¡± Glenn¡¯s sharp voice rang low, to a strange extent. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, but why did you name the child Raon? There are much better names out there, and out of everything it is ¡®shadow¡¯¡­¡± ¡°¡®Shadow¡¯ is not the only meaning of the name ¡®Raon¡¯.¡± He shook his head and watched the golden sun, floating high up in the sky. ¡°A thousand years ago, it meant something entirely opposite.¡± Chapter 3 ¡°Here it is, mdy.¡± The head maid of the bedchambers, Helen, passed a steaming white bowl over to Sylvia. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sylvia cooled the hot elixir as she looked at Raon, who was fast asleep. ¡°Do you think it will be difficult to feed him?¡± ¡°Children detest bitter things, mdy. You disliked bitter medicine when you were young, as well.¡± ¡°I did?¡± ¡°You may not remember. There was a time that you even ran away, saying that you did not wish to take it.¡± ¡°Hey, Raon¡¯s listening.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± They both giggled as they nced down at Raon, who was snoring quietly. ¡°Indeed, no child likes medicine. Raon is so young, too. He will hate it even more.¡± ¡°But mdy¡­¡± ¡°I know. He must take it.¡± Sylvia nodded her head in determination. ¡®This is an elixir from Uncle. I cannot let a single drop go to waste.¡¯ As if her pleading with Father had troubled him, Patrick hade by the annex again and given her three good-quality elixirs with fire properties. Since she was diluting the Elixirs as she used them, they would be able tost for quite some time. In the meantime, she could look for other elixirs elsewhere. It was fortunate that he hade. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia gently smoothed down Raon¡¯s hair, not wanting to upset him. ¡°Nghh¡­¡± Raon flexed his fingers as he opened his eyes. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Ah-ooh-nghh.¡± ¡°There is something you must do from today onwards, Raon. You must drink all of this.¡± Sylvia scooped the medicine up with a small wooden spoon and brought it to Raon¡¯s lips. ¡®He will drink it, but will probably cry right after.¡¯ Though it was a child¡¯s instinct to consume the medicine, it was certain that he would throw a fit and spit it out immediately. ¡°Now, let¡¯s drink.¡± Sylvia poured the elixir into Raon¡¯s mouth, tensing as she made sure that the elixir did not trickle out. ¡°Ooh-aah¡­¡± She watched Raon scrunch up his face. She grimaced as she waited for his tears to start. But there were no tears. ¡°Huh?¡± When she cautiously opened her eyes, Raon was waving his small hands in the air. It was as if he was telling her to give him more. ¡°Helen. This¡­¡± ¡°Y-young master seems to be asking for more?¡± ¡°Right? Is that correct?¡± Sylvia widened her eyes and picked the spoon up again. This time, she scooped arger amount than before and poured it into Raon¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ooh-ooh!¡± Raon¡¯s eyebrows shot up to form a mountain¡­ But he still did not cry. He jerked his hands faster. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s lips parted. ¡°Do you think Raon understood my intentions?¡± ¡°Definitely! It seems that the young master recognizes your intentions and is enduring it.¡± It was obvious from his scrunched-up expression that he found it bitter. But as he was asking for more, it was clear that he understood and was going to endure the ordeal. ¡°Raon!¡± Sylvia couldn¡¯t help but hug Raon tightly. * * * ¡®Just give me more of the medicine. Faster.¡¯ Raon waved his hand as he tapped on Sylvia¡¯s shoulder. ¡®Even if it is a little bitter, this is nothing. I cannot miss this opportunity.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just any normal medicine. What he needed the most was an elixir with fire properties. Though it was bitter and hot, to the point that his tongue felt numb, he had to finish it all. ¡°Look at Raon! Don¡¯t you think he eats like such a sweetheart?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Raon did not let what Sylvia and Helen were saying bother him, swallowing the elixir the moment it passed his lips. ¡®Though I don¡¯t know what it is, the effects are insane.¡¯ The moment he drank the elixir, a fiery energy started burning in his stomach¡ªas if starting a st furnace. The heat flowed through the mana circuit and started to drive out the coldness. ¡®The effect and concentration of the medicine is just right.¡¯ A strong elixir could actually be poison for a child¡¯s weak body. It seemed that Sylvia and Helen had ensured that the concentration of the elixir was suitable for absorption. Blerp. Raon gave a small burp after licking off the remaining elixir on the spoon. He closed his eyes. ¡°Mdy.¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s leave him to sleep.¡± Sylvia and Helen watched him, evidently moved as their eyes shone, before leaving. ¡°Whew.¡± Raon opened his eyes immediately after they had left. ¡®I don¡¯t think they will return for some time.¡¯ And even if they did, they would not bother him. Since he already had both food and medicine, there was no way either Sylvia or Helen would wake him. Therefore, it was the best moment to practice. Raon brought the warm energy filling up his body forward and began his practice with the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡®It will be faster to create the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and melt the coldness, thanks to the elixir.¡¯ A grin appeared on his lips without him realizing it. *** Time flew by. It had already been two and a half years since Raon began to practice his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. His daily routine had be very simple. He woke up in the morning and yed with Sylvia and Helen. After lunch and the elixir, he pretended to fall asleep and trained the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ during this nap time. After dinner, he would go to sleep early and wake up at around midnight. That was when he would begin his second round of practice, as everyone else was asleep. Above all else, he was confident that whenpared to all the other three-year-olds in the continent, he was the one who had lived life to the fullest. ¡®If all goes well, I think I can attain one-star for the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ today.¡¯ There was steady progress, even if his training time was short, thanks to the elixir. It seemed like he could practice the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ter, as long as he secured the right timing and focus. ¡®By the way, it seems he really doesn¡¯t care at all.¡¯ Glenn Zieghart had not shown his face since he had given Raon his name. It seemed that he had no interest in not just Raon, but his daughter Sylvia as well. ¡®Well, doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ There was no need for him to bother if the other party did not make an effort. As he had nned before, he would leave the n after taking what he needed, and that was that. ¡®But it is a little¡­¡¯ It was just that Sylvia, Helen, and the other maids remaining behind weighed heavily on his mind. It seemed that, after being with them for three years, tiny feelings had begun to sprout in his heart. ¡°Raon. Call me ¡®Mommy¡¯!¡± While Raon was fidgeting with his fingers and thinking of the future, Sylvia giggled and held him up. ¡°Maam!¡± ¡°Ah! One more time!¡± ¡°Mama!¡± ¡°Aaah!¡± When he forced himself to mumble and call her ¡®Mama¡¯, Sylvia¡¯s face brightened up. Her eyes melted in happiness. ¡°Raon. Just once more!¡± ¡°Mama!¡± ¡°Mdy, I¡¯ve brought the medicine.¡± As he yed with Sylvia with a slightly tired look on his face, Helen brought over the heated elixir. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Sylvia epted the bowl of elixir from Helen. ¡°Here, Raon.¡± She cooled the hot elixir a little and scooped it for him. ¡°Ah-mmf!¡± Raon¡¯s small mouth came forward to meet the spoon. ¡°Look at you!¡± Sylvia and Helen smiled as they watched Raon swallow the elixir, even two and a half yearster. ¡°Sleepy¡­¡± After finishing the elixir, Raon blinked his eyes heavily, as if he were sleepy. ¡°Since we finished the medicine, shall we go for a nap?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Alright. Go to sleep.¡± Sylvia put Raon down on the bed facing the window and patted his stomach. ¡°Mmmm¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes and acted as if he was falling asleep. He heard Sylvia and Helen leaving the room not long after. They took a break while he pretended to be asleep. ¡®I guess I can begin now.¡¯ Raon recited the passage for the practice of the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He let the mana, which was sucked in from nature with his inhale, flow through his entire body. ¡®The flow of mana is smooth.¡¯ The mana flowed more smoothly, though his breathing was the same as usual. He felt as if was going to achieve something. ¡®Calm down.¡¯ He calmly exhaled and connected the line of mana flowing in the mana circuit. The tips of his fingers trembled, as his lungs were small and he quickly went out of breath, but he endured. Using the hot energy from the elixir and mana from nature, he cut down the coldness inside the mana circuit. He then circted it within his whole body. * * * * * * Crackle. He felt the energy from the elixir and mana permeate his bones, muscles, and skin. He maintained his sharp focus, which was being sharpened like the edge of a knife, and continued with his cultivation of the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. After some time had passed¡­ sh! A burning sensation, as if a fireball cutting across his heart, resounded in his chest. A warm energy whirled around in his heart like a hoop. He had finally finished the Ring of Fire. ¡®It¡¯s finally¡­¡± Just as he was about to open his eyes and cheer, there was a sh of gold light. Ding! The first has been obtained. The first achievement has been obtained. Special Trait Wh-what¡¯s this?¡¯ Just like when a magic circle would appear before sorcerers when they used magic, a light floated in front of his eyes. Your body has be a little stronger with the effect of . Strength, Agility, and Stamina have increased with the effect of the . Special Trait has been created. Other information popped up after the message stating that he had acquired the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Raon pursed his lips. ¡®What is this information¡­?¡¯ He felt his body be lighter the instant the messages appeared. Though there was not a massive difference, as it was a child¡¯s body, it was clear that there were changes. ¡®The pain has also subsided a little.¡¯ The pain from the coldness blocking his mana circuit had decreased, as well. ¡®Did the Ring of Fire have this capability?¡¯ While the Ring of Fire was correctly referred to as a legendary method of practice, the effectiveness was not remarkable until three rings had formed, and only after four rings did it take effect. He had not experienced feeling a difference from merely achieving One-Star in his past life. ¡®Is it because of the elixir, or because it is a child¡¯s body?¡¯ He tried to consider it from different angles but had no answer. ¡®Or is it because of this message¡­?¡¯ Raon read the message floating in front of him again. Though there were some differences between the present and his previous life, the biggest one seemed to be this message. ¡°Young master! You¡¯re already awake.¡± He heard Helen¡¯s voice from above his head. She seemed to have entered the room again while he was practicing. ¡°Hewen! Wook at tis!¡± Raon pointed at the message, which resembled a magic circle. ¡°Yes? The Bed?¡± As Helen did not seem to see it, the message appeared to be only visible to him. Please check the to confirm the changes. ¡®Status Window? Huh?¡¯ He repeated it mentally without knowing what it was, and a window with the same light as the message appeared. Name: Raon Zieghart Title: None State: Curse of Frost (Nine Strands), Poor Stamina, Cold Body, Decline in Athletic Ability, Decline in Mana Affinity. *Additional Abilities have not been unlocked. He slowly examined the ¡®status window¡¯ in front of him. ¡®Curse of Frost, Poor Stamina, Cold Body, Decline in Athletic Ability, and Decline in Mana Affinity¡­¡¯ The information seemed to point towards his current state. ¡®As expected, my body is poor in many ways.¡¯ Apart from the Curse of Frost, he even had a cold body and poor stamina. That was the reason he tired quickly after moving even a little. ¡®But it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ Raon closed his mouth. He was not at all worried, even if his constitution was bad. He was named the best assassin in his previous life, and he knew the best practice¡ªthe ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. If hepleted the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ based on his experiences from his past life, it would be the same as not having those ws. ¡®Furthermore, this is Zieghart.¡¯ It waspletely feasible to behead Derus Robert if he could master the swordsmanship techniques secretly documented within the Zieghart n. ¡®And I am only three years old.¡¯ Derus was one of the strongest on the continent. He would not be able to hold out if he got worked up over his revenge already. There is barely anyone who can kill him, anyway. Roan had to grow his strength and finish it off at one go the moment he had the chance, slowly but steadily. Raon balled his fists, as if making a pledge to himself, and looked at the status window again. ¡®So, really¡­ What is this message?¡¯ He had no idea why he was suddenly seeing the message and the status window. He could only tell from his instincts as an assassin that it was not going to hurt him. ¡®It probably has something to do with my reincarnation.¡¯ He vaguely assumed that there was a connection between the message and the reason he was reborn with memories from his past life. It seemed he had to figure it out slowly, just as he had to do on his quest for Derus Robert¡¯s head. ¡®Let¡¯s not be impatient and take it slow.¡¯ *** The second has been obtained. Your soul has be a little stronger with the effect of the . Mana Affinity, Willpower, and Energy have increased with the effect of the . Raon grinned widely after checking the message window. ¡®I finally did it.¡¯ The second ring had formed upon consistent cultivation for thest two and a half years, starting after the first one had been obtained. The first ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was spinning around his heart horizontally, while the second ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, which had just formed, was spinning vertically. Perhaps it was due to the message that his affinity had increased, but he did feel more sensitive towards the mana drifting in the room. It was clear that the message was giving him a special benefit. ¡®To think that I managed to create two rings of fire by the age of five.¡¯ It would be a first in the history of the continent for a child of the young age of five to have picked up the legendary practice of the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. His heart swelled with pride. ¡®I don¡¯t want to cause them any harm.¡¯ Sylvia, Helen, and the other maids had only showered him with kindness. Though he was going to leave and could not provide help, he did not want to abuse their kindness. ¡°Phew.¡± The door burst open just as Raon was about to begin his practice again. ¡°My son!¡± Sylvia entered. While she was smiling, her face looked pale. ¡°Mother?¡± He had to call her mother properly now that he had passed five years of age. Though, he could not help the natural lisps in his pronunciation. ¡°Do you remember that I said there was somewhere you had to go with Mommy?¡± She spoke as she ced the dark red attire that she had brought with her on the bed and pulled off his sleepwear. ¡®Come to think of it¡­¡¯ She had said a few days prior that they were going to assemble the children from both lineal and coteral lines to check something. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will end quickly.¡± Sylvia smiled brightly, as ifforting him. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°How is my darling son so kind and good looking?!¡± Sylvia paused in the middle of helping him change and rubbed her cheek against his face. ¡®Err, please¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s hands shook, unable to do anything. It was Helen who stopped Sylvia, who had brought Raon into a long embrace even after having finished helping him change. ¡°Mdy, now is not the time. The ¡®Judgment Ceremony¡¯ will begin soon!¡± Chapter 4 Held in Sylvia¡¯s arms, Raon left the annex building for the first time and went towards anotherrge building on Zieghartnd. ¡®That must be the main building.¡¯ The building came into view. Its height almost seemed to reach the sky, and the width left his field of vision even from such a distance. It would not have been at all strange for a building of that size to be called a castle, rather than a house. ¡®Suits the ruler of the North.¡¯ Though Zieghart was just a noble family, they possessed more territory and military force than the kingdom. They were not a part of the Six Kings for nothing. ¡®So, everyone lives there?¡¯ Helen had said that, excluding Sylvia and himself, the rest of the direct line family members resided near the main building¡ªclose to the head of house. While there must be a reason that Sylvia lived apart from the annex building, he was not told what it was. ¡®They really do all sorts of things.¡¯ A child¡¯s skull, initially bared open towards the sky, started closing when they reached four years of age. It was said that a child¡¯s aptitude for mana would not change afterwards. The event that gathered the children with closed skulls, and checked their ability with mana, was the Judgment Ceremony being held that day. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter, whatever I am.¡¯ Even if his ability was of lowly status, the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ would raise his body and affinity for mana to its best condition. Gifted aptitude or the like were unimportant to him. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia held him up slightly just as he began to slowly spin the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. He nced to the side, noticing that they had already reached the entrance of the main building. ¡°Whatever Raon does, Mommy will not mind. You just have to grow healthily.¡± ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± He smiled like a child who knew nothing. ¡°My son is really the cutest!¡± She rubbed her face against his cheek again. He would be unable to move for five minutes if that kept up. ¡°Ahem. Mdy.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Sylvia came to her senses as Helen cleared her throat. It was a relief that she hade with them. ¡°Let us go in. We may have been a littlete.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She entered the Lord¡¯s manor while holding onto Raon. ¡®The standards are high.¡¯ Perhaps it was because it was the main building, and the Lord¡¯s manor at that. There wasn¡¯t a single normal person inside. There was a bright twinkle in the eyes of not just the soldiers, but the attendants and maids as well. ¡°We will arrive soon. Hang in there.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Together with Sylvia, Raon passed the central corridor of the first floor. An iron gate,rge enough for a giant to walk through, stood at the end of it. It was the entrance to the audience chamber where the Judgment Ceremony would be held. ¡°Sylvia Zieghart, Raon Zieghart, Helen Carvin. Verified.¡± The soldier guarding the audience chamber turned on his heel and opened the door. Cre-ak! Following the dull sound of metal being twisted, a whole new world opened up. A brilliant light poured down from the ceiling, and on there were ornaments¡ªof which the worth could not possibly be fathomed¡ªlining the gold-coloured wall. That room, which made one instinctively think of money, was the audience chamber to meet the head of House Zieghart, Glenn. Boom! With the sound of the door closing, the attention of the people in the room pierced Raon like an arrow. ¡°Sylvia? Then that child is Sylvia¡¯s?¡± ¡°What young child has the looks, to such a¡­¡± ¡°Blonde, with red eyes.¡± ¡°He¡¯s small. I heard he had an illness, is that true?¡± ¡°Must be, since he inherited the blood of a loser.¡± ¡°It should be referred to as a failure, not a loser.¡± People whom he had never seen before all paid close attention to Raon. Of course, it was not of the positive sort. Because he was so young, Raon was able to feel the underlying emotions shot at him directly. ¡°To even let a guy like him enter.¡± ¡°Is there a need to progress with the Judgment Ceremony for a failure¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Exactly. This is lowering the standards.¡± Though he did not know who the ¡®loser¡¯ or ¡®failure¡¯ they referenced was, they were very obviously condemning both Sylvia and him. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon wriggled his fists. While he waspletely indifferent to being referred to as small, his chest felt tight. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Raon. Just look at me.¡± Sylvia gave him a smile, even after hearing words like ¡®failure¡¯ and ¡®ouw¡¯ bandied about. ¡®She¡¯s strong, as expected.¡¯ Sylvia was a person with a strong mind. At her gentle voice, the throbbing of his heart settled down. ¡®They must be from the coteral line.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes, which skimmed the interior of the audience chamber once he regained hisposure, stopped at the top of the tform. Seven people were sitting on red chairs. They surrounded themselves with an aura on a different levelpared to those below and were looking down on the others. ¡®They are in a different league.¡¯ If the coteral line below were foxes and wolves, then the direct line on the tform already gave off the presence of a dragon soaring through the sky. While they did not open their mouths like the coteral rtives, they looked down at him and Sylvia as if gazing upon trash. ¡®Seems they are all enemies.¡¯ He had just reached the conclusion that it was a broken family when Sylvia headed not towards the top of the tform, but the bottom. And she went straight to the end of it. ¡®It¡¯s strange.¡¯ He had many questions. There is, usually, a wall between the direct and coteral lineage that could not be ovee. If it were the direct line, it would not be as strange as the coteral line very obviously provoking a fight. Furthermore, Sylvia lived separately, and could not head up the tform. It was obvious that she was being discriminated against for some reason, even if she was of the direct line. ¡®What¡¯s the reason?¡¯ It might be from being called an ouw and a loser, or because she lost a spar or a war. ng! As he was considering the reason for the discrimination Sylvia was facing, the soldiers standing outside the door of the audience chamber brought down their spears. ¡°The head of House Zieghart, ruler of the North. Lord Glenn Zieghart has arrived!¡± With that, therge iron doors of the audience chamber opened wide. Glenn Zieghart revealed himself with a domineering shock that rang through the air, at which the very atmosphere seemed to tremble. Gravity seemed to be heavier, and it became difficult to breathe from his arrival alone. A suffocating tension ran through Raon¡¯s spine. ¡°Lord Zieghart!¡± The dragons looking down from the top of the tform, as well as the wolves who bared their teeth from below, all knelt at the same time. Thump. The sound of his footsteps. With the same hard sound of his footsteps as five years ago, Glenn Zieghart entered. He spread his absolute presence, which weighed down the entirety of the audience chamber, as he sat down on the golden throne in the middle of the tform. ¡°Let us begin.¡± The moment he flicked his fingers, a sword burst from the middle of the audience chamber. It was an enormous stone sword, which seemed like it would be difficult for even giants to hold up. ¡®That must be the Sword of Judgment.¡¯ The sword, an object from a thousand years ago, was said to be able to identify a person¡¯s aptitude for mana when they put their hands on it. The Judgment Ceremony utilized the stone sword to determine the children¡¯s aptitudes. ¡°First, Burren Zieghart.¡± * * * * * * Upon hearing his name called, a boy with blue hair¡ªsitting in the second row on the tform and looking to be around six years old¡ªstood. ¡°Please put your hand on the sword.¡± When he came down to the tform, the master of the ceremony pointed at the stone sword. Burren nodded his head and ced his hand on it. A green light blossomed from the Burren¡¯s fingertips and enveloped the entire sword, and a thick air bloomed from the hilt. ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Wind! It¡¯s Wind!¡± ¡°Seeing as the entire sword lit up, the quality of his mana is also top ss!¡± ¡°It is truly a talent befitting the child of Lord Karoon!¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± The coterals standing below the tform sent apuse and cheers towards the middle-aged man that had been sitting next to Burren. ¡°It is an attribute well-suited to a swordsman. Concentrate on feeling the wind from now on.¡± ¡°Yes, I will!¡± Glenn nodded, and Burren beamed as brightly as a sunflower facing the sun, before returning to his seat. ¡°Next, from the vassal family of Sullion, Runaan Sullion.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A silver-haired girl, who was sitting at the right end of the tform, stood up quietly. Like the nobility serving the King, the vassal families serving Zieghart were great families in the North. Sullion appeared to be on the tform with the direct lineage, as they were the representatives of the vassal families. The girl named Runaan approached the stone sword with calm eyes and ced her hand on it. Cling! The moment her hand touched the sword, a silvery light that looked as if the moon had melted burst out of the blunt sword tip. The light that burst out did not stop at filling up the swordpletely, instead traveling up the sword hilt and creating a silver frost around the entire sword. ¡°Frost? And around the whole sword, at that!¡± ¡°Is it the same level of aptitude as Lord Burren¡­¡± ¡°Sullion is definitely something.¡± ¡°Yet another genius from the Sullion family.¡± However, the sounds of apuse and cheers were not as loud as when it was with Burren. It seemed there was apetitive rtionship between the vassal families and the coteral line. ¡°You have a good attribute. If it can be sharpened like the edge of a knife, it will be able to pierce through anything.¡± Glenn Zieghart nodded his head at Runaan as well. ¡°Thank you.¡± Runaan bowed her head without a significant change in her expression, and jumped down with the grace of a cat, before returning to her seat. There were two more children from the direct line, coterals and vassals all put their hands atop the stone sword, but there was no one who had aptitudeparable to Burren or Runaan. ¡®Now I know.¡¯ Raon flicked his fingers. As he witnessed the others¡¯ Judgment Ceremony, he could determine what was good and what was bad. ¡®For mana purity, it is how far the light from the de of the sword travels. As for the mana attribute, it shows from the tip of the hilt.¡¯ In the case where the quality of mana was outstanding, the entire sword shone like it did for Runaan or Burren, and the special attributes of mana could be determined through the hilt of the sword. ¡°Lastly, Raon Zieghart. Pleasee forward.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Raon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± When he nodded his head, Sylvia smiled sweetly and held him up. ¡°You saw the others do it, right? You just do the same.¡± Sylvia brought him down in front of the stone sword and held out her own hand as if giving a demonstration. ¡°Okay.¡± He answered shortly and looked at the stone sword. ¡®It probably won¡¯t be good.¡¯ Though the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was Two-Star, the coldness in his mana crcuit remained at a shocking level. Considering his current condition, he would not be able to spread as brilliant a light as the other children. ¡°Phew.¡± He slowly breathed out and stretched his hand towards the stone sword. The moment his hand touched the stone sword, a wave broke out in his heart as if a pebble had dropped into a pond. A small whistle extended from his chest and rang through his entire body. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Just as he was about to remove his hand because of the strange sensation, something shed in front of his eyes. He saw a blonde man d in silver armor. There was an uncountable number of monsters crashing towards him, like a wave. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ Even though it was obviously an illusion, the sensation felt so real that he broke out in a cold sweat. He was unable to breathe properly, hand trembling, when the man picked up the sword. A gold me burned over the dazzlingly beautiful sword edge. He drew down the sword engulfed by mes like a thunderbolt. At that moment¡­ A golden me shot out from the earth and covered the entire world. He averted his eyes from the golden mes filling his entire field of vision and shut his eyes. When he opened them again, the world had changed again and there was a message in front of him You are cultivating the . You have not acquired ???. Not enough achievement. When he tilted his head at the indecipherable message, a light burst from the stone sword. The light that had started traveling up violently, lost its strength and stopped at the middle of the sword. There was no special ability or high purity like the others. He was of the aptitude that fell short of even the coteral line, let alone the direct lineage. ¡°Done already?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t even reach the middle?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Isn¡¯t it the first time we¡¯re seeing something so little?¡± ¡°The quality of mana is bad, and it is white, so there¡¯s no ability either.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing other than his looks.¡± ¡°Seems like the God of War doesn¡¯t look over the child of an ouw, as expected.¡± Those of the direct line that witnessed the Judgment Ceremony scrunched up their faces, while those of the coteral line openly sneered. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn, who had provided short advice to the direct and coteral lineage, did not open his mouth either. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Raon let out a soft sigh. He was used to being disregarded. It had already been a long time since he threw away his emotions. He had been raised as not a human, but a dog, and was indoctrinated further. He could ept criticisms or insults any time. He was going to take what he could and leave anyway. He did not want to care about what would happen. Though Sylvia and the maids treated him as real family, that sentiment did not change. But at that very moment, he was in a strangely subdued mood. Seeing them ridiculing not just him, but also Sylvia and Helen as well, his heart throbbed as if electrocuted. ¡®Alright.¡¯ Raon clenched his teeth. Sylvia and the maids were the first people to ever treat him as a human being. He pledged to show the direct and coteral lines that sneered at him that bestowed talent was insignificant. ¡°I participate in the Judgment Ceremony all the time, but this is my first time seeing that kind of level.¡± ¡°Is he really a Zieghart?¡± ¡°So, the talent that Sylvia had has gone to waste. There¡¯s nothing in him other than the fact that he is blonde with red eyes, like the head of house.¡± He remembered each and every one of their faces, those that babbled on unthinkingly. ¡°Stop.¡± The entire audience chamber froze at that single word from Glenn. ¡°This is the end of the Judgment Ceremony. Everyone is to leave.¡± ¡°My lord?¡± ¡°Do I have to repeat myself?¡± ¡°All of you are dismissed.¡± When Karoon Zieghart¡ªGlenn¡¯s second son¡ªstood up, the others furtively nced around before leaving the audience chamber. All while quietly mumbling a curse at Raon and Sylvia, of course. Less than five minutester, the only people remaining in the audience chamber were Glenn Zieghart, who was the owner of the room, and his Chief Butler, Roenn. ¡°It cannot be helped.¡± Glenn calmly nodded as he stared at the Sword of Judgment set in the middle of the room. ¡°Lord Zieghart¡­.¡± Just as Roenn was about to approach him¡­ Crackle! A light burst from the bottom of the Sword of Judgment, traveling beyond the sword edge to the end of the hilt. The light was of a golden color, as saturated as the sun, and a zing fire was burning at the end of the sword hilt. ¡°Golden mes?¡± A storm raged in Glenn¡¯s eyes for the first time. Chapter 5 Snap! The moment Glenn flicked his fingers, the audience chamber shook a little. The flow of mana, which used to resemble a calmke, rapidly became choppy waves and a gigantic iron door rose from the floor. The majestic iron door wasrge enough to almost reach the ceiling, and it was burning with golden mes. ¡°M-my lord?¡± Roenn strained his eyes. That door was the Zieghart repository, which could only be summoned by the Lord of the House. It was the first time in ten years that Glenn had summoned that door. ¡°I shall returnter.¡± As Glenn raised his hand, the golden iron door opened smoothly. He turned around to check the golden mes burning over the sword once more, before entering the repository. The repository was heaped with innumerable treasures. Elixirs and weapons of the highest level, gems that could buy a whole castle, and various books. They were treasures that could incite war throughout the continent should they be exposed. Neither weapons nor gemstones, nor the neatly stacked elixirs that fervently revealed themselves attracted Glenn¡¯s attention. He went straight towards therge bookcase, deep within the repository. The cylindrical bookcase shot up at the end of the repository as if it were a World Tree, and there were various books of all sorts on every shelf. Tap. When Glenn lightly kicked the floor, his body began to rise into the air. He stepped through the air and headed towards the first shelf of the bookcase. The first shelf was unlike the others, and only had two books. He tried to grab and take the old and yellow book in front of him. However, the book was unmovable, as if pinned down by a boulder. ¡°It doesn¡¯t move, as expected.¡± Glenn clicked his tongue and took the red book right next to it. The second book fell out smoothly, unlike the first one, and there was no problem reading it as it was preserved very well. Tap tap. Glenn was flipping through the book when his hands suddenly stopped. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He frowned as he read the words on the page. ¡°The aura of the first leader of Zieghart had a golden color like the sun, and its tremendous firepower was capable of melting devildom¡¯s mes¡­¡± Glenn closed his eyes, recalling the golden me that Raon summoned. ¡°Golden mana, golden me.¡± Yellow aura wasn¡¯t umon. But there was only one urrence of mana with a dark gold color throughout the history of Zieghart. ¡°Raon, what on earth¡­?¡± *** ¡°Mommy is sorry.¡± As soon as Sylvia entered the annex building, she hugged Raon tighter than usual¡ªto the point that it was difficult to breathe. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Noticing Sylvia¡¯s back trembling, Raon patted her shoulders. ¡®I¡¯m not sure yet.¡¯ In his previous life, he didn¡¯t know what emotions were. He killed if he was asked to kill, he kidnapped if he was asked to kidnap, he stole if he was asked to steal. There were only rtionships of order and obedience, a handler and a dog. However, it was different now. Sylvia, Helen, and the maids gave to him unconditionally, without anything in return. It was the first life where he only received, so he couldn¡¯t exin what type of emotion the tingling sensation that he was experiencing in his chest was. But there was one thing he knew. He didn¡¯t want Sylvia or the maids to cry. Even if they couldn¡¯t always smile, he didn¡¯t want them to be sad. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have felt anything if they hadughed at me, instead.¡¯ However, the people at lord¡¯s manorughed at Sylvia. The coterals under the tform tantly cackled, and the direct line on the tform frowned as if they were observing a hateful bug. ¡®I will show them.¡¯ Everyone whoughed at Sylvia would be taught a lesson. Their nasty behavior would be returned in full. *** It was a sunny afternoon. A young boy was sitting on the grass in the garden. With his dark blonde hair fluttering in the wind, his facial features had a nearly perfect proportion, despite looking childlike. If there was one w, it would¡¯ve been the way his pale face suggested his poor health. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± The boy, who had stayed seated for a long time with his eyes closed, finally opened his eyes. ¡®I¡¯m about to have three rings of fire.¡¯ Raon smiled slightly. He had already grown enough to be called a young boy, rather than a child. ¡®It has already been seven years.¡¯ Seven years had passed since the first Judgment Ceremony, and he was now twelve years old. Thanks to his regr training, the two rings of fire were about to be three. ¡®It¡¯s a bit sad.¡¯ If the coldness wasn¡¯t spread throughout his body, he would¡¯ve already gotten three stars. But training alongside the coldness inevitably slowed down his progress. Still, it wasn¡¯t all in vain. ¡®Status window.¡¯ He thought the now-familiar words to himself. Name: Raon Zieghart Title: None State: Curse of Frost (Nine Strands), Poor Stamina, Decline in Athletic Ability, Decline in Mana Affinity Trait: ???, Ring of Fire (Two-Star), Water Resistance (Two-Star) *Additional Abilities have not been unlocked. His water resistance had reached two stars, and the symptoms of his hand and feet bing stiff had vanished once the ¡®Cold Body¡¯ disappeared from ¡®state¡¯. It was still difficult to move his body because of his other constitutions, but the problem would be solved naturally once the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ reached a higher star rating. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon closed the status window and stood up on the grass. ¡®I need to start physical training now¡­¡¯ Sylvia and the maids worried less now since he didn¡¯t get cold as easily, but they would always stop him whenever he tried to move his body. Since physical training was necessary to reach the higher star of ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, he needed to find a way to train without hiding. ¡®Is there any way that I can train openly?¡¯ He could force it, but it was difficult to go against Sylvia. Even though she didn¡¯t give him any orders, he had no choice but to obey her. ¡°Young master!¡± * * * * * * While he was pondering what to do, Helen came running out of the annex building. ¡°What are you doing? We must participate in the Judgment Ceremony! You are just like mdy.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Except for those who were outside or were on a mission, everyone had to participate in the Judgment Ceremony, so he wasn¡¯t an exception. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to see those annoying stuffed-shirts again.¡± He was tantlyughed at again at the second Judgment Ceremony a few years before. It was obvious that they would spout iprehensible nonsense about ¡®cowards¡¯ or ¡®fugitives¡¯ again. ¡°Y-young master, please keep your voice down¡­¡± Helen put her finger to her lip while looking around. ¡°Because there might be other people listening?¡± ¡°The eyes and ears are already open inside this household.¡± ¡°You worry too much, but alright.¡± With a tut, Raon went back inside the annex building, where Sylvia was waiting in full dress. ¡°You can rest in the room if you¡¯re tired. Mommy can go on her own.¡± Sylvia, who had a bit more wrinkles around her eyes, stroked his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon shook his head and went into the room. ¡®I need to check how the people whoughed at us have changed.¡¯ For an assassin, observing one¡¯s target¡¯s changes was the top-most priority. Raon dly decided to participate in the Judgment Ceremony. *** Along with Sylvia and Helen, Raon entered the audience chamber where the Judgment Ceremony was held. ¡°He¡¯s still short.¡± ¡°He¡¯s so skinny. If you didn¡¯t see his golden hair and red eyes, you¡¯d believe that he¡¯s from another family.¡± ¡°That handsome appearance is the only thing he has that befits Zieghart.¡± ¡°His pale face doesn¡¯t look that handsome, though?¡± It was as expected. Just as always, those of the direct line ignored him as if they had no interest in him, and the coterals were whispering sarcastically. ¡®It¡¯s a relief.¡¯ They were stillughing at him and Sylvia. He felt rather satisfied at their unchanging attitude. ¡®Joanna, Henry, Denier¡­¡¯ Looking around from top to bottom of the tform, he reiterated the names of direct line and coterals. Lord Glenn Zieghart entered after about thirty minutes of waiting, sitting at the backmost seat under the tform. He was as dignified as seven years ago. No, he was even more dignified than before. Glenn went to the tform and began the Judgment Ceremony. Because there were only children from coterals and vassals who went through the Judgment Ceremony this time, the ceremony didn¡¯t evenst three hours. He ignored the mocking words that he heard,paring him with the coteral children with high mana purity. ¡°Today¡¯s Judgment Ceremony is now over. Thank you for¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Glenn raised his hand to interrupt the moderator, who was about to announce the end of the ceremony. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± The gaze directed at Raon for the first time was that of an absolute being, one who sat on the throne to overlook the world. The room fell silent, and everyone¡¯s attention fixated on him. ¡®Me?¡¯ Raon swallowed. He was confused because he didn¡¯t think he was going to be called. ¡°My¡­ My lord?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sylvia shook her head in panic, and Helen held her hand tightly. ¡°You must¡¯ve received the order to participate in the basic training, as a member of the family. Why have you not responded when it¡¯s already been a month?¡± ¡®Participating in the basic training?¡¯ He had never received such a thing. When he looked next to him, he saw Sylvia biting her lips. She must have known. ¡°My¡­ My lord. Raon is different from other children. He still has coldness in his body¡­¡± ¡°There is no exception nor refusal for one who has received the name of Zieghart.¡± ¡°He has difficulties walking normally. He won¡¯t be able to handle the training.¡± Sylvia firmly shook her head. ¡°If you can¡¯t walk, then crawl and train. That is Zieghart.¡± Resting his chin on his right hand, Glenn closed his eyes. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t ept it. No, please give me some time¡­¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t ept it, are you going to run away once again? Along with that child?¡± ¡°Th-that''s¡­¡± He could feel Sylvia¡¯s hand getting wet, as she was grabbing his right hand. ¡°In thisnd, you can only live as a Zieghart. If you don¡¯t like it, then get out.¡± Glenn¡¯s voice was cold, as if they weren¡¯t rted by blood. ¡°Isn¡¯t she going to run away again at this rate?¡± ¡°That''s going to be amusing, but she doesn¡¯t have an energy center nor a mana circuit to break anymore.¡± ¡°To think such a person is from the direct line, tut tut.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Observing Sylvia, Glenn, and everyone in the room, Raon calmed down his re. ¡®I get it now.¡¯ He could understand the reason Sylvia received this kind of treatment, despite being from the direct line. The reason that she was looked down upon by not only the direct line but also the coteral¡­ ¡®It¡¯s because she left the household.¡¯ She didn¡¯t have an aura, despite having learned martial arts. That meant that she had either broken her energy center, or had never learned to use aura, and the former appeared to be the case. She must have broken her energy center and her mana circuit and left the household, where she met Father and married him. ¡®And she must have returned reluctantly because father died after she got pregnant with me.¡¯ It was understandable. Because she threw away her position in the direct line and came back, she received inferior treatment than a member of the coteral line. ¡®However.¡¯ That was other people¡¯s point of view, and their circumstances. As Sylvia¡¯s son, Raon couldn¡¯t bear her treatment. Tap. Raon released Sylvia¡¯s hand and took a step forward. ¡°Y-young master!¡± ¡°Raon, Mommy will take care of it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± After shaking his head at them, he stood in front of Glenn. ¡°My lord, I will participate in the training starting next month, as you havemanded.¡± Facing his gaze, which looked like he was looking at a bug rather than his grandson, Raon lowered his head. ¡°But you didn¡¯t even know that there was training.¡± Glenn¡¯s third son, Uncle Denier Zieghart, spoke. He was the only person among the direct line who looked apologetic. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Despite what it is called, basic training isn¡¯t on a level that a patient can manage. You should withdraw for now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Raon looked at Glenn, instead of Denier. ¡°I¡¯ve received the name Zieghart, so I shall pay for it. I will participate in training.¡± Because his resolute voice wasn¡¯t befitting a child, people¡¯s gazes changed. They seemed to recognize him as a small pebble, but that was enough for now. He had the experience of bing the greatest assassin, starting as a hunting dog at the rock bottom, and he could use the legendary ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. Bing the best in the household wasn¡¯t an impossible feat, not if he made use of his abilities. His revenge would be dyed? No. This way could end up being quicker. Raon clenched his small fist. ¡®I will show you how hard the pebble that you look down on is.¡¯ Chapter 6 ¡°Do you understand how serious it is to mention the name Zieghart?¡± Glenn Zieghart employed a small amount of pressure into his gaze. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon bit his lip so hard that it nearly bled. ¡®It feels like my flesh is being crushed.¡¯ The pressure that Glenn was exerting was a small amount, a cup of water against the vast ocean. However, it felt as though his heart was being squeezed. He could feel his clothes be sticky because of the cold sweat he broke into. If he hadn¡¯t practiced the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, he might have fainted already. ¡®Is this the warrior, the Destructive King of the North¡­?¡¯ Considering his gaze alone held such pressure, his prowess surpassed Derus Robert. It was impossible to raise his head. ¡°Try saying it again. Can you take responsibility for what you¡¯ve just said?¡± ¡°My¡­ my lord! Raon is still young. He doesn¡¯t know what he is talking about.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! Raon has lived in the annex building all this time, so he doesn¡¯t know about the name of Zieghart¡­¡± Sylvia and Helen ran next to him and knelt. ¡°My lord, he is just a child who doesn¡¯t know anything. Please withdraw your pressure.¡± Denier Zieghart stood up and defended them against the pressure. ¡°Sir Denier!¡± ¡°As expected of Sir Denier, he would even care for an insolent kid like him.¡± ¡°The broadness of his mind is even greater than his might.¡± The coterals praised Denier¡¯s behavior. ¡°I am speaking right now.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Denier and Sylvia both stepped back at once, hearing Glenn¡¯s mighty voice. They didn¡¯t move on their own; Glenn pushed them back with his voice alone. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry.¡± Denier lowered his head, but Sylvia was different. ¡°F-father¡­¡± She approached Glenn, enduring his pressure with her frail body, which didn¡¯t even possess aura. ¡°Raon is not yet ready to train¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s eyes reflected that she was solely worried about him. It pulled at Raon¡¯s heartstrings. ¡®I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ He was choked up, but he couldn¡¯t tell if that emotion meantpassion, or worry, or something else. He just wished that she would always smile happily, instead of being in that state. ¡®I was an assassin.¡¯ An assassin was a being that lived in the darkness. Being closer to death than life, they would never show themselves. ¡®However, I no longer am one.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not going to live as an assassin anymore.¡¯ As Raon Zieghart, and not as Raon the assassin, he resolved that he would return Sylvia to her original ce. Crash! At that moment, he could hear a sound simr to one of the chains around his neck falling. ¡°I do not know.¡± Raon forced himself to raise his head, facing Glenn¡¯s overbearing gaze directly. Suppressing the urge to close his eyes, he continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been raised in the annex building, and not in the main building. I don¡¯t know how high and mighty Zieghart is.¡± ¡°R-Raon!¡± Sylvia desperately called for him, but he didn¡¯t look back. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to see for myself what kind of ce is Zieghart, by participating in training.¡± Once Raon finished talking, everyone held their breath and looked at Glenn. ¡°¡­¡± One of Glenn¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly. ¡°Do you mean that you will judge Zieghart from basic training?¡± ¡°That is the only way I can learn about Zieghart right now.¡± ¡°Then I will have to make sure that the instructor is fully prepared, so that you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡± The room of audience became as quiet as a mouse, as Glenn¡¯s red eyes zed. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Being unable to withstand it any further, Raon finally bowed his head. He was only twelve years old, a child who couldn¡¯t endure a thousandth of Glenn¡¯s pressure. Yet he didn¡¯t give in. If he kept cultivating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, and learned an efficient way of handling aura, he would be able to properly stand in front of him one day. Deciding that he would show that with action instead of word, he clenched his teeth. ¡®One day.¡¯ *** Once everyone had left, only Glenn and his butler Roenn remained in the silent audience chamber. ¡°Did you see?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw it clearly.¡± Roenn nodded his head firmly in response to Glenn¡¯s question. ¡°That boy sure is something.¡± The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth lifted. ¡°A twelve-year-old child that confidently talks back while withstanding my pressure. I have never seen something like that.¡± ¡°It''s my first time seeing it, as well.¡± Roenn smiled, tidying his hair. ¡°Not only his appearance, but his spirit is also just like my lord¡¯s in his childhood.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say strange things.¡± Glenn snorted, as if telling him to stop spouting nonsense, but the corners of his mouth lifted even more¡ªlike a leaf blowing in the wind. ¡°Are you going to increase the difficulty of basic training?¡± ¡°I shall, because many people have heard.¡± ¡°Can young master Raon really pass?¡± ¡°Participating would already be difficult.¡± Glenn shook his head without hesitation. ¡°His condition is better thanks to the elixir, but neither his constitution nor his health is good enough. Maybe he can once he recovers a bit more, but it¡¯s impossible for now.¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already mentioned it. There are no exceptions for those inheriting the name of Zieghart.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Roen licked his lips. ¡®He is still not honest.¡¯ He could tell, as he had been with him for several dozen years. The reason Glenn called for Raon wasn¡¯t to pressure him, but to protect him by showing others that he didn¡¯t discriminate against him. Once Raon failed the training, he would probably give him an elixir and pretend to spare the rod and spoil the child. Although even Glenn shouldn¡¯t have expected Raon toe forth. ¡°I like young master Raon¡¯s personality, but one thing worries me.¡± ¡°It must be about the coteral and direct line¡¯s children.¡± ¡°Yes. They won¡¯t have a considerable reaction, but he will be noticed in a way he hasn¡¯t been before. He withstood my lord¡¯s pressure, albeit a small amount. Measures should be¡­¡± ¡°There is no need to provoke them. Just watch over him.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Roenn nodded immediately, despite his opinion being different, because Glenn was like a god to him. ¡°My lord, may I ask a question?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°If, by some chance, Raon manages to pass the basic training¡­ What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Pass?¡± Resting his chin on his hand, Glenn recalled the Judgment Ceremony from seven years ago. ¡®Golden me.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a coincidence or an ident, but Raon set aze the golden me that only the first head of Zieghart could use. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. However, if there is a one in ten thousandth chance that it could happen¡­¡± He smirked and stood from the throne. ¡°I will have to reward him ordingly.¡± * * * * * * Upon entering the annex building, Raon was immediately dragged into Sylvia¡¯s room. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia firmly grasped Raon¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Zieghart¡¯s training doesn¡¯t go easy on children. Your current health won¡¯t be able to handle it. You will just get hurt.¡± Sylvia¡¯s voice was faint. Her worries for him made her hands tremble. ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what emotion made me act like that.¡± Raon closed his eyes. It was true. Despite living with Sylvia and Helen for twelve years, his emotions were still light, like a pastel blue color. ¡°But my chest tightens whenever Mom gets scorned in the main building. That¡¯s why I wanted to say something.¡± Because he didn¡¯t want to lie to Sylvia and Helen, Raon replied honestly. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Young master Raon.¡± Sylvia¡¯s lips parted, and Helen¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°Sigh.¡± Sylvia released his shoulders and slowly closed, then opened, her eyes. ¡°Raon, thank you for your consideration. However, you are still young. You don¡¯t need to be so thoughtful, not when you are at an age where you should be pampered.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°You might not know, but Mommy is pretty strong. I can endure a lot more.¡± Sylvia bit her tongue to stop her tears from spilling over. ¡®To such a child¡­¡¯ Raon was too kind to her. As if he noticed the atmosphere in the household, he didn¡¯t act like a spoiled child. He endured by himself, even while sick. Because he was such a kind and considerate child, she couldn¡¯t let him bring hardship upon himself. ¡°Mommy will talk to Grandfather. If I ask him to postpone the training for just a single year, even he would¡­¡± ¡°I will try¡­ No, I can do it.¡± Raon shook his head. He did stand up for Sylvia, but there was also another reason. Basic training was an opportunity for him to train without being considerate to Sylvia and Helen. It would¡¯ve been absurd to throw away this chance. ¡°It¡¯s true. I can do it, so trust me.¡± ¡°Whether you can do it or not isn¡¯t important! The problem is that your health can get worse.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, seeing Sylvia¡¯s worried gaze. ¡®That¡¯s what she meant.¡¯ Their point of view was different. He was talking about being able to handle the training, and Sylvia was worrying about his health. Because only the results were important when he was an assassin, he didn¡¯t understand Sylvia¡¯s heart. ¡°Then I will give up as soon as my health bes worse.¡± In order to lessen Sylvia¡¯s worries, he gave her a new answer. ¡°You don¡¯t even say anything when you are sick. How am I supposed to trust you?¡± ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡± Sylvia grabbed her head and sighed. ¡°Lady Sylvia, how about trying to believe in young master Raon for once?¡± ¡°Helen, you should also know what kind of child Raon is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that the training is harsh, but the current head instructor has the best insight in Zieghart. He should be aware of the young master¡¯s condition, so he will stop him before it gets any worse.¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡± Sylvia sighed at Helen¡¯s words, and gently looked down at him. ¡°Raon, can you really promise? You must tell me as soon as anything feels weird in your body, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Raon nodded firmly. ¡°I will believe you this once.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°However, I can¡¯t sit here doing nothing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll visit the fifth training ground. I need to give them a warning, at least.¡± After saying that, she ran from the room. ¡°Young master Raon.¡± Once Sylvia left, Helen knelt and met his eyes. ¡°Never, never push yourself! If it bes difficult, you must give up immediately. Do you understand me?¡± ¡°I understand. You¡¯ve already said it multiple times.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t enough, even if I say several thousands of times, let alone multiple times. Young master must remember that you are weaker than other children and abandon your overconfidence.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Because Helen was just as worried as Sylvia, he simply nodded. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m never going to be the one to give up first.¡¯ Even if he died from his lungs exploding, he wasn¡¯t going to stop. The higher the difficulty, the higher the level the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ would grow. It would make both his mind and body stronger. *** Raon headed to the small garden behind the annex building. ¡°It feels so empty after visiting the main building.¡± Unlike the main building, which had multiple facilities¡ªincluding an expansive training ground and a fashionable garden¡ªthe annex building only had a small garden and ake. It was so small that it was impossible to train without being noticed by Sylvia, but it was still an elegant ce. Raon sat down on the chair in the garden. ¡®The training should be quite difficult.¡¯ Just as Sylvia and Helen worried, his body was still not perfect. Coldness remained in his mana circuit, his development was slow, and his stamina wascking. Considering how widespread the notorious Zieghart training was, it was safe to assume that even a child¡¯s basic training was going to be difficult. However, he had the memories from his past life, where he went through a hell worse than that. With that memory, he was never going to crumble. ¡®This is the real beginning.¡¯ If learning the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was the preparation of thend, then the training he¡¯d begin next month was the foundation work to build a house. In order to construct a tall buildingter, the foundation needed to be solid. ¡°I will show them.¡± ¡®I will aplish a greater achievement than anyone else from the direct line, so that everyone whoughed at us will shut their mouth.¡¯ ¡®And that bastard, Derus Robert.¡¯ His revenge would be dyed a little, but his real objective was Derus Robert, the Sky Sword Saint. Until the day he unmasked him and cut his throat, he would never stop. ¡°Haaaah¡­¡± After looking at the golden sun setting down to the western mountain, he closed his eyes and took the mana into his body. The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ surrounding his heart started spinning violently. Chapter 7 Every single one of them were first-rate organizations, but if asked ¡°which one is the most gant of them all?¡±, five people out of ten would answer the Striding Steeds. That Striding Steeds¡¯ division leader Karoon Zieghart, who was also the second son of Lord Glenn, tutted with a frown. Zieghart owned multiple powerful armed organizations, befitting their reputation as ruler of the north. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he was a patient, one who can¡¯t even move properly?¡± ¡°Many maids heard the conversation between the Ragged Saint and my lord. He is suffering from a severe illness, for sure.¡± ¡°I have heard that as well. Just like thest time I saw him, his body wasn¡¯t normal today, either. However¡­¡± Karoon Zieghart tapped the desk, which caused not only the desk, but also the whole office, to tremble. ¡°He withstood Father¡¯s pressure.¡± The pressure that Glenn had emitted at the ceremony could bepared to a firefly, while his full pressure was like the sun. However, a twelve-year-old, and a sickly one at that, managed to withstand it. It was an unbelievable sight, despite seeing it with his own eyes. ¡°Would Burren have been able to withstand it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was no response, as Karoon seemed to be talking to himself. ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t.¡± Burren was his son, who had started to train at the age of seven, and he had frequently fed him high quality elixirs. And even with such an upbringing, Burren wouldn¡¯t have withstood his father¡¯s pressure. So the fact that Raon did kept bothering him. ¡°Sylvia was also very talented, more than anyone.¡± She was disabled because of her energy center and mana circuit breaking, but her talent was undisputable. ¡°Is it possible to send someone to the annex building?¡± ¡°It will take some time, but it¡¯s possible.¡± The butler, who was waiting in front of the door, nodded. ¡°Then do it.¡± Karoon turned away with sparkling eyes. ¡°Report everything that happens there.¡± *** Raon left his room before morning light. After a quick warm up in the garden, he started running near the annex building. He had said that he would work out in preparation for the training, so no one should¡¯ve bothered him. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Although he hadn¡¯t been running for a long time, he was already out of breath. His body was much weaker than in his previous life. ¡°Haah.¡± He held his breath as he got short of breath. He handled the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ while focusing on the simple action of inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. Nature''s mana was entwined in each breath that passed his lips. The mana particles, which were fluttering like pollen, ran through his mana circuits to give vitality to his body and suppress the emerging coldness. ¡®It¡¯s a good flow.¡¯ Raon nodded. The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was most effective whenbined with physical activities. That was why he was able to handle the mana at a level and purity much more superior than usual. ¡°Huuu¡­¡± His clothes were wet with sweat, and he felt burnt out. However, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling from the vitality the ¡®Ring of Fire'' was generating. ¡°Raon!¡± While he was trying to focus more on the bliss of training that stimted his whole body, Sylvia¡¯s head poked out of the window that burst open. ¡°Why are you overdoing it from the first day?¡± ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­¡± Raon slowed his steps and started panting. ¡°You¡¯re sweating so much! That was way too much!¡± ¡°It¡­ It just started.¡± Breathing heavily, he lowered his head. ¡®It wasn¡¯t a bother. She did well stopping me.¡¯ Sylvia was correct this time. He was more like a patient, so he would¡¯ve gotten sick if he kept running, despite the vitality from the ¡®Ring of Fire''. ¡®I still have plenty of time.¡¯ There was still a month before the start of basic training. It was enough time to raise the two-star ¡®Ring of Fire'' up to three-star, so he needed to proceed slowly, without haste. ¡°I¡¯m going to rest in my room.¡± ¡°How is your body? Does it feel bad anywhere?¡± He shook his head at Sylvia, who was looking around his body with concerned eyes. ¡°No. I think I need to stop for today and rest.¡± ¡°If you overdo it again tomorrow, I¡¯m going to forbid you from training.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon smiled lightly and went to his room. ¡®Now, I shall practice with the vertical ring.¡¯ The ¡®Ring of Fire'' that rotated horizontally developed the body, while the ¡®Ring of Fire'' that rotated vertically developed the mind. He had been practicing with the horizontal ¡®Ring of Fire'' up to that point, so it was time to practice with the vertical one. Raon closed his eyes while sitting on the floor. He took in nature¡¯s mana with a greater mental focus than when he was running. Bzzt! A flimsy shadow started to form next to the two rings of fire that were rotating around his heart. *** Glenn Zieghart left the lord¡¯s manor and headed to the fifth training ground, alone. Upon entering, he could see the instructors strengthening the yellow ground that hundreds of trainees would use. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± Glenn waved his hand to the instructors¡¯ greetings and entered the head instructor¡¯s room, located on the periphery of the training ground. There was a rocking chair in the middle of the messy room, and a man was lying on top of it as if he was dead, a straw hat covering his face. ¡°Stop pretending to sleep and get up.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The man on the rocking chair took off his straw hat with a cloudy voice. The handsome man, appearing to be about twenty years old, got up while yawning. His red hair was loose around his face. His ears, which pointed up like des of grass, were different from a humans¡¯. His mysterious appearance seemed otherworldly. With a beautiful appearance and pointy ears, the head instructor of the fifth training ground wasn¡¯t a human, but an elf¡ªthe race of nature. ¡°My lord is the only person against whom my sleeping technique doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°The other instructors are busy hardening the ground, yet the head instructor¡­¡± ¡°They are merely following my orders. I¡¯m working with my brain, and they are working with their body, so it¡¯s fair.¡¯ ¡°Rimmer, it¡¯s been fifty years, but you are still so childish.¡± ¡°Like the saying goes, humans never change. Oops, I¡¯m an elf.¡± The elf named Rimmer stood from his chair, giggling. ¡°Why did you bestow your presence upon me today? Is it because of your youngest grandson, by any chance?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Without responding, Glenn stared at Rimmer. Asrades in arms, they seemed to understand what each other was thinking just from meeting each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Sylvia came to beg, but I didn¡¯t expect my lord to alsoe.¡± ¡°Did Sylvia?¡± ¡°She asked me to take care of Raon, so that he won¡¯t get hurt. If my lord also came to make such a request, then you¡¯ve wasted your time.¡± Rimmer¡¯s yful green eyes became dispirited. ¡°My lord said that, even as the head of the house, you wouldn¡¯t interfere with this training ground. I¡¯m not going to make any exceptions, even if he is your youngest grandson.¡± ¡°Then so be it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped as Glenn nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t lower the training¡¯s intensity, and raise it as much as you want instead, so that a weakling would drop out.¡± ¡°You want me to increase the intensity, instead of decreasing it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then your grandson will fail¡­ ah!¡± Rimmer pped his hands and smiled. ¡°Wow, it looks like you love your grandson more than I thought. The love that you couldn¡¯t give to Sylvia is now going to that child¡­¡± ¡°If you weren¡¯t myrade in arms, your head would be flying right now.¡± ¡°Uhuhu!¡± With a creepy grin, he touched his neck. ¡°Clearly discriminate gems from pebbles, so that only those who deserve it can receive your training.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to do a selection test?¡± ¡°Use whatever method you prefer.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Glenn left the ce as Rimmer saluted. The instructors were still strengthening the ground as he left. ¡°¡­¡± Glenn looked in the western direction where the annex building was located, then turned around to walk towards the lord¡¯s manor. His steps looked heavier than usual. * * * * * * Raon was sitting in his room with his closed eyes. Golden smoke started to rise from his shoulders, which had remained immobile for more than three hours. The third has been obtained. The has reached Three-Star. Your body and soul have be a little stronger with the effect of the . Strength, Agility, and Stamina have increased with the effect of the . Mana Affinity, Willpower and Energy have increased with the effect of the . has reached Three-Star. One strand of the Curse of Frost has disappeared. ¡°I did it.¡± Raon clenched his fist, looking at the translucent message that appeared in front of him. Name: Raon Zieghart Title: None State: Curse of Frost (Eight Strands), Poor Stamina, Decline in Athletic Ability, Decline in Mana Affinity Trait: ???, Ring of Fire (Three-Star), Water Resistance (Three-Star) *Additional Abilities have not been unlocked. ¡®Three-star is on a whole different level.¡¯ His body became more perceptive, as if his entire body had been swept up by the refreshing mana, and his mind had be clearer. With his mana circuit bing broader, the coldness was less painful and the muscles in his arms and legs had started to take form. ¡®This is certainly more effective now that it¡¯s past the novice stage.¡¯ ¡®Ring of Fire'' was at its apprentice stage now that it had reached three stars. Even though he had barely reached that stage, he could feel the huge improvement in his mind and body. ¡®The status window must have yed a crucial role as well.¡¯ The magical message and status window were probably helping the ¡®Ring of Fire'' be way more effective than in his previous life. ¡®One strand of the Curse of Frost has disappeared, as well.¡¯ He stood and casually moved his body. Feeling as light as a feather, he was confident that he could handle basic training, no matter how difficult it was. ¡®No, it¡¯s more than that.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just about handling the training. He felt like he wouldn¡¯t even lose to the so-called genius children of Zieghart. ¡°Hm?¡± While he was so thrilled about it, his stomach rumbled. He realized that he had skipped both lunch and dinner. ¡®Shall I go eat?¡¯ He left the room and made his way to the dining room. Inside the dimly lit dining room, Sylvia was sitting at the table. ¡°Why is mom here at this hour¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting so I can eat with my son.¡± Sylvia smiled and patted the chair next to her. ¡°But it¡¯ste.¡± Although it was way past dinnertime, since he had been forming his third ring of fire, Sylvia pulled out the chair while smiling. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Sit down, quick.¡± Raon sat down next to Sylvia with an awkward expression on his face. ¡°Helen.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Helen¡¯s voice could be heard from the kitchen. Soon after, the maids brought out the food, all of which were his favorites. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia smiled awkwardly, all while pushing dishes towards him. ¡°Mommy has something to tell you today.¡± ¡°Something to tell me?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She nodded and stayed silent for a while. ¡°Because Raon is smart, you must¡¯ve thought it was weird. Why do we live separately, and why do others insult us?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Raon put down the fork he was holding. It looked like Sylvia wanted to tell him about the past before training began. Even though he had a rough idea of what it was, he pretended that he didn¡¯t. ¡°Mommy is a criminal. Despite running away from her responsibilities, she returned and begged for her life.¡± The start of Sylvia¡¯s story was heavier than he thought. She fell in love with his father, who she happened to meet during her mission. In order to be with him, an average knight, she ran away from the household after breaking her mana circuit and energy center. ¡°Actually, you had a big sister. She was two years older than you and was named Shia.¡± ¡°Then, my big sister is¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Her voice became more subdued, like flowing water at the bottom floor of an underground cavern. ¡°A cadre from ¡®Eden¡¯ recognized my face and attacked us. There was nothing we could do, as your father wasn¡¯t that strong, and I was pregnant with you.¡± Eden was one of the Five Demons that opposed the Six Kings, where Zieghart belongs. Despite its warm name, it was a monstrous organization with lots of strong people, even more than the kingdom itself. ¡°Then how did Mom return?¡± ¡°My father had secretly assigned a guard for me. Because they stayed away from us, they only managed to arrive after your father and sister were killed.¡± ¡°Grandfather did?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t have imagined that the cold-blooded Glenn would have assigned a guard. ¡°That¡¯s why Mommy is a criminal in this household. I really have no excuse for your grandfather.¡¯ Sylvia lowered her head, and Helen and the maids clenched their fists. ¡°¡­¡± Raon gently looked at Sylvia. ¡®Selfish.¡¯ Sylvia was selfish. She ran away from her household¡¯s responsibility for her own happiness and came back to beg for her life. It was understandable why both the direct and coteral lines treated her so harshly. ¡®However¡­¡¯ She was the one who gave him a new life, and a love that he had never felt before. Even if everyone else called her selfish, she was the only mother he had ever known¡ªthroughout two lives. ¡°Mom.¡± Sylvia raised her head as Raon called her name. ¡°Do you regret it?¡¯ ¡°Regret?¡± ¡°Do you want to return to before you left the household?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t regret it.¡± Sylvia firmly shook her head. She said that she lived like a human for the first time after meeting father and my sister, contrary to how she had lived like an invisible person in her household. ¡°But I¡¯m sorry for what I did to you. Because your mom is such a bad person¡­¡± ¡°Were you happy?¡± ¡°Yes. I was happy back then, and I¡¯m also happy now.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Ra-Raon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Raon smiled and grabbed the fork once again. ¡®It¡¯s okay to be selfish.¡¯ It was fine if others called her selfish. Even if they called her a runaway, a coward, it was okay if she got insulted. ¡®But I¡¯m going to take it all back.¡¯ The position of Zieghart¡¯s direct line, which she had lost. He decided that he would first get that position back to her, before finishing the revenge that he nned to get. Sylvia sobbed. ¡°Young master Raon¡­¡± As a teardrop fell from Sylvia¡¯s big eyes, Helen and other maids who standing next to them also started to silently cry. Rattle. Inside the annex building¡¯s dining room, the rattling of tableware and sniffing sounds formed an unusual harmony. *** After sending Sylvia and the maids back with puffy eyes, Raon returned to his room. ¡®I should check before going to sleep.¡¯ It seemed to be a good idea to clean his mind and body with the ¡®Ring of Fire'', which had be three-star, before sleeping. Whir. The rings surrounding his heart rotated and throbbed, as if they were alive. It certainly looked like the three stars made the rings rotate faster, and the effects on his body and mind were further enhanced. ¡®This is good.¡¯ Three stars were so effective, despite being the start of the apprentice stage, so it was worth looking forward to how impressive the intermediate stage was going to be. Raon rotated the rings of fire five times, then went to bed. Just as he was about to close his eyes, after turning off the lights, messages that he had never seen before appeared. Trait has been activated. Trait has been created. awakens. Chapter 8 ¡®Wrath?¡¯ Raon swallowed hard and looked around. ¡®There is somebody here¡­¡¯ Although it wasn¡¯t visible or audible, a presence had appeared in the room where he used to be alone. It must have been the from the message. sh. A blue me ignited before his eyes as he stayed vignt. From the fist-sized me, a terrifying wave emerged, resembling the eminence of a volcanic eruption. Finally. From the inside of the blue me, a chilly voice sounded. It sent shivers down his spine. A madness that could explode at any moment was contained in the voice. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± He had a considerable amount of knowledge due to his previous life, but he had never heard nor seen a talking me. The wrath that you have nurtured has reached the King of Essence. Under the name of the second monarch of devildom, Wrath, I will grant your revenge. Offer your mind and body¡­ Hmm? The blue me that introduced himself as Wrath, the monarch of devildom, dropped its jaws after looking him up and down. A child? Why is a child¡­? ¡°What are you?¡± Who are you? The wrath that reached me wasn¡¯t an emotion that a child still wet behind his ears could possess. Wrath¡¯s voice was low but contained turbulent feelings. ¡°Wrath?¡± Raon frowned. He might have felt it in his previous life, but he had never been infuriated in his current life. ¡®Hold on, previous life?¡¯ When he thought about it, he had obtained the mysterious ability called status window after being reincarnated with the memories of his previous life. That had urred after he had died. He came to the realization that it could¡¯ve been Wrath that gave him those special abilities. ¡°Was it you who gave me the status window?¡± Status window? You can use it? ¡°Yes.¡± Nonsense! Hmm? The blue me surrounding Wrath convulsed. The¡­ The connection was lost! Why¡­ ¡°Who are you, and why did you show up here?¡± You are the one who called the King of Essence. ¡°I called you?¡± You zed out in anger. You said you would kill someone at any cost. The advent of the King of Essence was to grant your wish. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He remembered swearing he would kill Derus Robert at any cost. From what he said, it looked like the me had appeared in front of him because of his anger back then. ¡®But it¡¯s toote.¡¯ There was two years of timepse between his previous and current life, and it had been twelve years since he was born. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do, being fourteen yearste. ¡°Did you say you would grant me revenge?¡± Indeed. ¡°What is the cost?¡± Passionate mes ignited in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Nothing is free in the world. From what you said earlier¡­ Are you going to take my body and soul?¡± If you crave your revenge, it is only natural to offer your paltry mind and body. ¡°¡­¡± He patiently looked down at Wrath. Something could be seen, confined inside the blue me. An inhuman existence was giving a wicked smile. ¡®Did this happen because I was reincarnated?¡¯ If he had to guess, it must¡¯ve been because he had died in his previous life¡ªbefore Wrath could take over his body. ¡°Revenge is meaningless if not achieved by me.¡± He had been yed by Derus his entire life, but finally got a new chance after dying. He couldn¡¯t ept somebody else granting him revenge. ¡®I have to do it myself.¡¯ No matter how difficult it was, he was going to cut off Derus¡¯ head by himself. He had no intention of leaving it to others. Excuse me. You¡¯re right. Wrath red at him with eyes hidden inside the blue me. You are hiding a deep and dark wrath at the bottom of your heart. He smiled with his teeth. I don¡¯t care what happened. The King of Essence has already decided, so you just have to offer your body. As anger burned up from Wrath¡¯s voice, the blue me struck him. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon grabbed his chest, bending at the waist. It was cold. Not only his body, but his mind was also frozen. Wrath¡¯s affinity wasn¡¯t fire, but ice. Think of him and increase your anger. The King of Essence will kill him for you, even if he is a god. His heart was pounding because of Wrath¡¯s creepy voice. It felt as if his heart was pierced by an icicle. Water Resistance (Three-Star) is activating. ¡®Water Resistance!¡¯ The water resistance that he had obtained from absorbing the coldness was reducing the pain from Wrath¡¯s icy power. However, Wrath¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t just ice. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon moaned painfully. He remembered Derus¡¯ face, the way heughed while looking down on him like a bug, making him gasp. Leave your body to the King of Essence. I will break his skull and chew on his flesh. Raon gasped for breath. As Wrath¡¯s voice incited his emotions, Raon wanted to explode with his anger towards Derus. ¡®Absolutely not¡­¡¯ Raon bit back his emotions as hard as he could. If he left his body to Wrath, he could do terrible things to Sylvia and the maids. Even if he were to die there, he couldn¡¯t give him his body. ¡®I have to endure.¡¯ He clenched his fist to bleed. He was an assassin, and the best one at that. Patience and emotionlessness were the qualities of an assassin. You are enduring better than I thought, but for how long? No one can win against the icy power of the King of Essence. As if Wrath was mocking him, he released an icy power capable of freezing his mind and body. ¡°Huff¡­¡± It was a relief. It was going to be difficult to hold on if he kept inciting his emotions, but he chose to enhance his icy power instead. Raon caught his breath and withstood the icy power prating to his bones. A mere human dares! Wrath¡¯s burning voice was irritated and angry. I wanted to avoid harming the body that the King of Essence was going to use, but it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m going to devour you alive. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. As his me grew bigger, the intensity of the icy wave assailing his mind and body increased immensely. ¡°Kuh!¡± Unable to withstand it, Raon groaned. His lip parted as he felt the pain of his flesh being torn apart and organs being severed. Raise your anger and ept the King of Essence. Are you nning to die? ¡°I¡¯d rather die than give my body to someone like you.¡± He bit his tongue toe to his senses. The moment he resolved to die rather than giving Wrath his body, he had an idea. ¡®Wait. If ¡®Water Resistance¡¯ can block his icy power¡­¡¯ Then the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ might be able to lower the pain in both his body and mind. Even if it didn¡¯t, he had to give it a try. Raon forcefully calmed his mind and started rotating the rings of fire. The three rings of fire around his heart started to spin violently. is greatly reducing the damage to your mind and body. It went as expected. The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was a cultivation technique that could develop and protect the mind and body. Therefore, it was also effective at enduring external stimtion. The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ rotated rapidly, bringing vitality to his body and mind. The emotions that were about to explode started to subside. The willpower that he had built up from his previous life, the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, and ¡®Water Resistance¡¯bined, greatly reducing the pain and stimulus that Wrath was inflicting. Wh-what are you¡­ Wrath¡¯s voice was astonished. Woosh. His barrage of icy power gradually became weaker. It looked like he couldn¡¯t stick to him if he didn¡¯t increase his anger. How did a mere human child?! ¡°I am a human, but I am not a child.¡± Casting off the subsiding icy power, Raon responded calmly. This doesn¡¯t make any sense. Not at all! Wrath came away from his body while screaming furiously. His lips were shaking like a scared colt. Even though it hasn¡¯t been long since I woke up, for the King of Essence to be pushed back by a mere human! ¡°Haaaah¡­¡± * * * * * * Raon exhaled and red at Wrath. His me wavered like amp in the wind. ¡°Revenge is mine to take. I¡¯m not leaving my body to a minor demon.¡± Minor demon? You dare call a monarch of devildom a minor demon! ¡°You can¡¯t even deal with me, and yet call yourself a monarch of devildom. I guess all the other monarchs are dead.¡± You! Are you for real¡­?! Wrath amplified his me once again, but only the size increased. The icy power was a lot weaker than before. ¡®He said he just woke up.¡¯ Waking up from a sleep, or a seal¡­ Either way it looked like he couldn¡¯t use his full force. As Raon shook it off violently, Wrath¡¯s fire was thrown off, fluttering away like a paper. The sound of Wrath grinding his teeth could be heard from the inside of the blue me. Im-impossible! How are you controlling your emotions?! ¡°There is no need to tell you. Now disappear.¡± You took the power of the King of Essence! How can you ask me to leave?! Wrath red at him with rage and hate. And the King of Essence has already decided. Before you died, I couldn¡¯t separate from you even if I wanted to. Ah! Raon aimed a punch at the mumbling Wrath. Although the me dispersed, he couldn¡¯t feel the blow¡ªit was as if he¡¯d punched empty space. ¡°Then¡­¡± He gathered mana on his fingertips. It was lousypared to aura, but still better than nothing. Swoosh! He shed with the mana enhanced hand-knife, but Wrath just revived like a candlelight that had managed to withstand the wind. Wh-what are you doing?! ¡°Tsk, this won¡¯t work, either.¡± Wrath was like a soul and didn¡¯t have a physical body. Because of that, it didn¡¯t seem like he would disappear even if he used an aura. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Even though Wrath let out his intense power, the swordsmen who were guarding the annex building didn¡¯t barge in. It must¡¯ve been because Raon was the only one who could see or feel him. ¡°How do I make you disappear?¡¯ Give your body to the King of Essence. Then¡­ ¡°You must be crazy.¡± As Raon sneered, a message popped up. Ding! An additional ability has been unlocked. ¡°An additional ability?¡± Raon immediately opened the status window. Name: Raon Zieghart Title: None State: Curse of Frost (Eight Strands), Poor Stamina, Decline in Athletic Ability, Decline in Mana Affinity Trait: Wrath, Ring of Fire (Three-Star), Water Resistance (Three-Star) The question marks that upied the first slot of the trait were reced by Wrath. But that wasn¡¯t the important part. There was new information under the status window. Strength: 13 Agility: 13 Stamina: 12 Energy: 12 Perception: 40 The abilities, such as strength and agility, were evaluated with numbers. Y-you¡¯ve really got the status window! Cold frost spilled from Wrath¡¯s mouth. It seemed that he couldn¡¯t see the contents of the status window, as he murmured that he could only see the silhouette. ¡°What is this status window and the message?¡± ¡­ It¡¯s a system that the King of Essence created. ¡°System? For what?¡± I have no reason to tell you. ¡°To elerate growth?" How¡­ How did you¡­?! ¡°I knew it.¡± Like a reflex, he responded as soon as he felt him out. Just like his name suggested, Wrath couldn¡¯t hide his feelings. ¡®It¡¯s as I expected.¡¯ Raon nodded. He thought it was weird that the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was more efficient than in his previous life, and it was because of the system. Give it back. Your body, my power, give them all back! Wrath started to throw a tantrum. He looked like a baby sitting on a massive throne. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to give them back, nor do I have any intention to do so.¡± He obtained the ability to grow faster, to a higher peak. There was no reason to give it back to the madman that tried to take his body. It¡¯s not yours! ¡°And you tried to take my body, which is not yours.¡± Th-the King of Essence heard your wishes¡­ ¡°I did desire revenge, but that is something I must do myself. It¡¯s meaningless if I realize it by giving up my body to something I don¡¯t understand¡ªlike you.¡± Kuh¡­ Wrath ground his teeth but couldn¡¯t open his mouth, as he had nothing to say. ¡°Go away, now.¡± Raon turned away as he finished the conversation. I can¡¯t go. I won¡¯t leave until you give me back my power! Wrath screeched and assaulted Raon. The moment Raon clenched his fist, thinking he would cope with it as much as he wanted, Wrath¡¯s body started to shine blue. The blue me flowed like water to wind around his wrist. Raon prepared for the iing pain, but it didn¡¯t hurt at all. Zoom. The blue me around his wrist disappeared and a bracelet appeared. It was a flowery bracelet made from ice. I¡¯m going to stick with you until the day you die! Wrath provoked him by shaking the flower hanging on the bracelet. It hasn¡¯t been long since I woke up, but my power will soon return. When that happens, you won¡¯t be able to stop me, no matter what you do. ¡°Sure.¡± Raon tried to take off the bracelet, but just like when he tried to touch the me, it just dispersed instead of being caught. Hmm¡­ But it didn¡¯t lookpletely ineffective as the bracelet vibrated, and Wrath stopped talking each time he touched it. Kuh, it¡¯s useless. The King of Essence will never be chased away! ¡°Let¡¯s try it, then.¡± He tried to scratch, pull, rub it against the wall, and trample on the bracelet. However, Wrath didn¡¯t disappear. He was very tenacious. ¡°Tsk.¡± He tutted. The flowery bracelet didn¡¯t disappear, no matter what he did. ¡®Even though I do want to remove it¡­¡¯ It might be better to just leave it be. The system could disappear if he forcefully took it off, and there was a chance that the demon would transfer to Sylvia or Helen. Like the saying goes, keep your friends close, and enemies closer. It would be better to keep him nearby, instead of having him plotting somewhere unseen. Counting on the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and ¡®Water Resistance¡¯ to keep growing, he decided to keep Wrath under control. ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to get off, then change your appearance at least. A bracelet with flowers doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± Raon frowned. He could at least understand if it were a skull, but he didn¡¯t want to wear a flowery bracelet. Respect my taste. ¡°Haaah¡­¡± He was at a loss for words at how the taste of this violent and impatient guy was a flowery bracelet. The King of Essence has never let go of his prey. Your body and mind are mine. ¡°I¡¯d better ignore it.¡± Kuh! You damn brat! Raon blocked his hearing and went to bed. Wrath whimpered, but he ignored him. ¡®But if Wrath is the system¡¯s owner, and doesn¡¯t know that I was reincarnated, then who reincarnated me?¡¯ Raon murmured the new question and closed his eyes. *** Creak. Wrath ground his teeth, looking at the sleeping Raon. ¡®How can a human like this exist?¡¯ Even though he wasn¡¯t at full power, he had never thought a human could stop his possession, let alone a ten-year-old child.* ¡®It doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡¯ Although he was from a different age, he had seen countless humans. Among them was a hero that founded a country with his sword, and a viin that made the whole continent tremble in fear. But it was the first time seeing a human like him. It was as irritating as if he was looking at ¡®that guy¡¯. Just you wait. The day the King of Essence¡¯s power returns, I¡¯m going to devour your soul. Wrath dered, unable to hold in his rage. ¡°That won¡¯t happen, stop dreaming.¡± The young human shook his hand, as if he was driving away flies. The King of Essence never gives up¡­ ¡°I said it won¡¯t.¡± T/N: Raon is small for his age, and Wrath doesn¡¯t seem to actually know much about him, or how much time has passed. Otherwise, he¡¯d realize that he hadn¡¯t been a child when he ¡®summoned¡¯ him. Chapter 9 The day dawned. Raon left the annex building with the luggage he had prepared beforehand. Sylvia and the maids were lined up in the garden, waiting for him. ¡°See youter.¡± Sylvia got dewy eyed as Raon waved his hand under their worried gaze. ¡®I¡¯m d that I¡¯m going alone.¡¯ If Sylvia tagged along, he wouldn¡¯t have reached the training ground. It was a relief that only trainees were allowed on the training ground. ¡°Lady Sylvia, are you going to part with the young master with that expression?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s expression loosened up at Helen¡¯s remark. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia fidgeted as she stood in front of Raon. She was still worried, but she couldn¡¯t tell him to give up anymore. ¡®Because I saw what kind of child he is.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t skip training for a single day over the past month, even as he withstood the coldnessing from his mana circuit. He ran over and over, every day, while breathing out that painfully cold breath. She couldn¡¯t send off a child who strived so earnestly with a sad look. ¡°Good luck, Raon.¡± Sylvia smiled, trying to control her wavering mind and her worries. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded, then turned back. Without dy, he started walking towards the fifth training ground. ¡°Is he going to be alright?¡± ¡°He got a lot better. He might even pass the training at this rate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even wishing for that. I just want him toe back safe and sound.¡± ¡°That would be for the best.¡± Sylvia and Helen didn¡¯t stop looking at Raon¡¯s back, which got farther and farther away. They prayed for his safe return, regardless of the result. *** The fifth training ground looked like a long box, as tall walls preventing the view from the outside formed a rectangle around the area. To the right side of the entrance there was an outdoor gymnasium, covered in fine soil. And to the left side there was an indoor gymnasium with a roof. Raon looked around the training ground, then looked at the children lined up at the center. ¡®Just like I¡¯ve heard, there are a lot of them.¡¯ Despite it being still early, over a hundred children were warming up all around the training ground. He had heard that there were that many people every time because there were children rmended from the outside or vassal families, on top of Zieghart¡¯s direct line and the coterals. ¡®They said there were more people than usual this time.¡¯ Helen had told him that the sixth training ground could also be used that year because of how many people there were. Crunch. He turned around at the snapping sound. A round-faced child with green hair was eating crackers. ¡°Do you want some?¡± As Raon stared at him, he took more crackers from his pocket and held them out. ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He nodded, then put his hand back to his pocket. This time, he took out a piece of rectangr bread. As Raon was about to warm up, thinking that it was interesting, he heard a cold voice speak. ¡°That¡¯s him, right? Look at those frail limbs. They look like they¡¯ll break if you touch them. Can he really train?¡± ¡°A patient should take it easy and give up. I don¡¯t understand why he is being so annoying.¡± ¡°I closed my eyes when I saw him arguing with the n leader. It looks like he thinks he is from the direct line. He really doesn¡¯t know his ce.¡± Coteral children were loudly criticizing him. It looked like the rumor had already spread, since many children were ring at him. ¡°Look at that bracelet?¡± ¡°A flowery bracelet?¡± ¡°What is he, a baby?¡± Coterals giggled, looking at the bracelet on Raon¡¯s wrist. It seemed like the bracelet could be seen by the others. Are they perhaps speaking about the King of Essence? Wrath shuddered, after having been quiet up to that point, as if asleep. ¡®That¡¯s why I told you to change the way the bracelet looks.¡¯ They are trash with no taste. What are you doing? Smash their skulls already. Wrath¡¯s voice was boiling with anger. ¡®For what?¡¯ They aren¡¯t only mocking the King of Essence, but also picking a fight with you. Are you saying that you are tolerating them? ¡®You don¡¯t even know what happened.¡¯ I don¡¯t care! If they looked straight at the King of Essence, that¡¯s enough reason to pluck their eyes out¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not crazy like you.¡¯ He was relieved that he didn¡¯t give his body to that madman. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon turned around and looked at the coterals, who were still running their mouths. Although they flinched a little, they provocatively stuck their chins out. ¡®I would¡¯ve ignored it in my previous life.¡¯ Since an assassin shouldn¡¯t draw any attention, he would¡¯ve turned away, pretending that he hadn¡¯t heard anything. However, he had decided to live his current life as Raon Zieghart, not as an assassin. There was no reason to ignore them. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Raon menacingly approached the children. They looked flustered, as they hadn¡¯t expected him toe up to them. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you saying¡­?¡± ¡°Stop buzzing like a mosquito and speak clearly.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Th-that is¡­¡± The children from the coteral line didn¡¯t know what to do, so they awkwardly looked at each other. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Those children were just repeating what their parents said. It was the kind of situation that didn¡¯t even need a proper solution. ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned not to talk about people behind their back if you cannot speak to their faces?¡± ¡°Sh-shut up!¡± ¡°How dare you, when you were ruined and forced to live in the annex building!¡± ¡°You are coteral, not of the direct line!¡± ¡°You are also coteral. The word ¡®dare¡¯ is used when you are talking to someone in a lower position than you. You don¡¯t have the right to say that to me.¡± Raon¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, nor quiet, as he was simply stating the facts. ¡°Kuh!¡± The three coterals spread their feet and clenched their fists, as if they were going to strike at any time. Snap. Raon stretched his fingers. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea to warm up and attract some attention before the training started. ¡°Screw you¡­¡± ¡°Stop!¡± When the coterals were about to charge, a stern scolding was heard. It was from a handsome, blue-haired boy in his early teens. Who does he think he is to get in the way? Break his skull. ¡®Is that Burren?¡¯ He was of the direct line, the one who had the best talent at the Judgment Ceremony. ¡°What are you all doing when the training is about to start? Are you nning to cken the name of Zieghart in front of outsiders?¡± He¡¯d expected he would take the three brats¡¯ side, but he scolded everyone instead. ¡°Bu-Burren!¡± ¡°I apologize!¡± A single word from Burren was enough to make the coterals bow like mice in front of a cat, despite how they were about to charge at Raon. ¡°And you still don¡¯t know your ce.¡± After getting the apology from the coterals, Burren approached Raon. ¡°You are like dust that can be removed at any time. If you don¡¯t want to be cast out of the annex building as well, then stay as quiet as a mouse.¡± Burren frowned with obvious contempt. ¡®Good for nothing!¡¯ The foolish guy in front of him had taken the undivided attention of the head of house a month before, using the circumstances instead of his own abilities. Ipetence was what he hated the most, and arrogance that doesn¡¯t know its ce was second to that. And Raon Zieghart had them both. He was a loser that was going to drop out from the training, and the fact that he had drawn the head of house¡¯s attention made him irritated. ¡°If you aren¡¯t nning to participate in the training, then get out of here. No, just get out of my sight, since there is no way you will manage to pass the training.¡± As Burren admonished him, the coterals sneered. When they were about to return with satisfied expressions, Raon took a step ahead. ¡°That¡¯s such a boorish way of talking rubbish.¡± Raon inclined his chin. With a tilted gaze, he looked straight at Burren. ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are of the direct line, but you don¡¯t have any rank. You¡¯re going to cast me out of the annex building? Do you think you can do that when you aren¡¯t even a trainee yet? Oh, I guess you might have a chance if you cry to your father.¡± ¡°How dare you, coteral¡­¡± Green wind covered Burren¡¯s fist. When he approached Raon with bloodthirsty eyes, the door to the training ground cracked open. m! * * * * * * A red-haired man walked past the door, which was still vibrating. With pointy ears and heavenly appearance, he had both a mysterious and cheerful atmosphere around him. ¡°Are you fighting already? You have a lot of guts, I guess it¡¯s because you¡¯re still young. Too young, actually.¡± He grinned and moved to the center of the training ground. ¡®That guy works here?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know him, since he was Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light, the elf swordsman Rimmer, who was extremely famous. ¡®I heard he had retired¡­¡¯ There was news that he was injured in a dungeon and ended up retiring, so he hadn¡¯t expected to meet him there. ¡°Hmph!¡± Rimmer nced at Raon and Burren, then went to the tform that allowed him to look down on the whole training ground. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Burren bit his lips and turned around. His expression seemed to imply that he would forgive Raon this time, but that he should be careful next time. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Rimmer smiled from the tform. ¡°I¡¯m the head instructor Rimmer, who is going to oversee your training.¡± His voice was bright, not in a frivolous way, but cheerful. Keeping aid-back smile, he continued. ¡°There are a hundred sixty trainees, but only eight instructors. As you must also be thinking that there are too many trainees, let¡¯s reduce that number. A quarter would be ideal.¡± Rimmer¡¯sid-back smile became slightly mischievous. ¡°Re-reduce?¡± ¡°To a quarter?¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± The children¡¯s faces went ashy pale. It was the first time they¡¯d heard of trainees being weeded out before basic training. ¡°We will distinguish between gems and pebbles, quite literally. I¡¯d rather train some quality swordsmen over quantity. ¡° Rimmer waved his finger at the children, as if he were choosing products. ¡°Eh? I came here because I was told to¡­¡± The green haired child who held out a cracker earlier dropped the bread he was holding. ¡°I¡¯m a Zieghart coteral! It''s nonsense to weed me out before bing a trainee!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! We were all ordered to participate by the family!¡± ¡°Ah. I¡¯m dumb, so I don¡¯t know about the direct line or coteral lines.¡± Rimmer frowned while picking his ear with his pinky finger. ¡°I¡¯m thew on this training ground. If you aren¡¯t happy about it,in to the lord who made me thew.¡± Despite looking like a ruffian rather than a head instructor, his good-looking appearance still managed to make him look cool. ¡®Weeding out¡­¡¯ Raon scratched his chin. He heard that Rimmer was extremely talented at feeling his opponent¡¯s spirit and potential. It seemed that he was going to use that to make a selection. Who is that arrogant guy? ¡®What?¡¯ He dares to look down on me! I don¡¯t like it. Pluck off that elf¡¯s ears. ¡®Is there even anyone that you do like?¡¯ As his name suggested, Wrath was angry at everything. It didn¡¯t seem like he liked anything at all. Back in the devildom, nobody could see my eyes. As the true monarch that every demon admired¡­ Y-you! ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Because Wrath started to talk for too long, he tapped the bracelet. ¡°Then let¡¯s start the test.¡± Rimmer blew away the earwax on his pinky finger. ¡°What do you think the most important thing is when learning martial arts?¡± ¡°It¡¯s talent!¡± ¡°It''s a strong and flexible body!¡± ¡°A steady energy center!¡± ¡°The way of training for swordsmanship and aura is the most important!¡± The children seemed to think that the test had already started, as they shouted what they thought was the most important with their hands raised. ¡°Talent, body, energy center, swordsmanship, those are all correct. However, those are just the walls and roof. There is a groundwork that needs to beid under them. It¡¯s stamina and willpower.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± The children lowered their hands and nodded, believing that he was right. ¡°Some of you have already learned martial arts, and others haven¡¯t. As such, I¡¯m going to use the simplest, yet the most certain, method to evaluate you.¡± Rimmer¡¯s finger, which had been pointed at the children, moved to towards the outdoor gymnasium. ¡°Runps in the gymnasium until I tell you to stop. At full speed!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, two people moved. It was Burren¡ªfrom the direct line¡ªwho was at the Judgment Ceremony with Raon, and Runaan, from the vassal family Sullion. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Let¡­ Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Run!¡± The other children followed the two and started running in the gymnasium. Don¡¯t move. Nobody is allowed to order the King of Essence¡­ Raon ignored Wrath and filled his lungs with fresh air. He kicked the ground, following the children running in front of him. ¡®They are indeed different.¡¯ Runaan and Burren were running way ahead already. Despite looking like they were casually running, they were at a speed that nobody else could catch up to. It wasn¡¯t because of their aura being high quality or having a special attribute, but simply because they had trained their minds and bodies from an early age. Ahem. If you have started running, then go to the front. Why are you at the very back? ¡®I don¡¯t even know what you want anymore.¡¯ I just don¡¯t want to lose. ¡®This is not apetition.¡¯ Raon looked at Rimmer, who was whistling on the tform. He probed others'' potential and spirit. What was visible to the eyes wasn''t going to be the only criteria. ¡°Huu¡­¡± Raon exhaled with shining eyes. ¡®The winner of this test is whoeversts the longest.¡¯ And that was something that he was confident about, more than anyone in the continent. *** ¡°Lord Burren and Lady Runaan are clearly peerless.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just their speed, but they are also stable. They aren¡¯t at their full speed, so they should be able to run for hours like that. To be so aplished at that age, I¡¯m afraid of what they will be. It¡¯s scary.¡± The two instructors standing under the tform were chatting while looking at the running children. ¡°The coterals this year are also quite capable. They must¡¯ve been well educated.¡± ¡°Same goes for the rmended trainees. There are manypetent ones. It looks like they have been picked carefully.¡± They didn¡¯t only look at Burren and Runaan. They evaluated every single child, including those running at the back. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The instructors that were observing every child frowned as they looked at Raon, running among the group in the back. ¡°As expected, he can¡¯t catch up.¡± ¡°He is a patient. That much is already amazing.¡± ¡°Hm, he looks tired already. He is going to drop out soon.¡± The instructors calmly looked away to other children, as they had already expected. However, Rimmer, who was humming behind them, had his eyes fixated on Raon. ¡®How curious.¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s green eyes shone brightly. ¡®It¡¯s my first time seeing someone like him.¡¯ He had received a blessing of nature brighter than any other race, and he was excellent at discerning others¡¯ condition and potential. He thought the only people he couldn¡¯t analyze with his talent were the continent¡¯s strongest. ¡®However¡­¡¯ He had to change his mind for the first time. Neither Runaan and Burren, who were running at the front, nor the coteral and rmended trainees who were running behind them, could go beyond his insight. He could see how they would grow, and how much stronger they would be. Except for one person. Raon Zieghart. ¡®Why can¡¯t I see it?¡¯ As if hidden behind a cloud, he couldn¡¯t see his future, nor his potential. Because he had no potential? It wasn¡¯t something like that. It meant that he was outside of his perception, like when he was looking at those stronger than himself. ¡°This is funny.¡± Rimmer smiled. A really interesting human had appeared in such a boring era. *** ¡°Look at that.¡± ¡°Is he really inst ce after acting all cocky?¡¯ ¡°You can¡¯t even call himst ce, since he will drop out soon.¡± The coterals smirked, looking at Raon running among the slowest group. ¡°There''s no way a guy who grew upfortably in an annex building can run properly.¡± ¡°Look at his face, he¡¯s so flustered.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t even going tost ten minutes.¡± Children other than the three coterals also startedughing. But Raon didn¡¯t have a serious expression because of being worn out. ¡®Are they really only going to run when it''s training?¡¯ In his previous life, hungry beasts were released behind them when they were training their stamina. Just running until their stamina ran out was too easy to be true inparison. It was too easy. Chapter 10 One hour had passed since the children started running around the gymnasium. Burren and Runaan were still running at the front, and the coterals, vassal children, and rmended children were neck-in-neck behind them. Of course, not all one hundred sixty of them were running anymore. Those whocked stamina had already given up and were resting in a corner, and the number of quitters kept increasing even now. ¡°Haaaah.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes quickly moved left and right, despite lying down on the tform and yawning. ¡®The sixty-first guy gave up earlier than his stamina couldst, and the sixty-second onested longer.¡¯ He was grasping all one hundred sixty children at a nce with sleepy eyes. However, stamina wasn¡¯t the only thing Rimmer was analyzing. ¡®There is no point in just checking their stamina.¡¯ How much stamina children had depended on how they grew up. Honestly, they were all simr except for the two direct lines and the roughly twenty best children. Even if their stamina was simr, some children gave up as soon as they were out of breath, and some kept running until the end, while their sides pinched or they cried. ¡®That difference is the most important thing here.¡¯ Just like there were people who gave up easily, there are also people who never gave up. That difference in willpower that looked small at present would grow to be tremendous in the future. Stamina could be increased, and talents could be nurtured. However, it was extremely difficult to develop perseverance. Children who never gave up wouldn¡¯t give up in the future either, and children who gave up easily would grow up to be adults who did the same. Of course, there were exceptions, as some would realize and change their way. However, that was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. Looking for a child who already had the perseverance and the willpower was the easiest way. ¡®This is pretty much set in stone now.¡¯ Rimmer smiled. Over half of the children had already given up, and the rest were getting slower as they tired. As Rimmer was preparing to end the exam, the golden-haired child running in the back group crossed his sight. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ He was the only child who had exceeded his expectations. Rimmer¡¯s eyes shone like stars. ¡®I don¡¯t understand it.¡¯ Raon had run out of stamina a long time ago. He shouldn¡¯t have been able to stand, because of the coldness pressing upon his body and shortening his breath. However, he kept moving his feet relentlessly, without breaking his posture. ¡®This can¡¯t even be called perseverance anymore. This is obstinacy.¡¯ He had seen many brilliant talents, throughout countless battlefields. Among them, there were swordsmen who would stand at the top of the continent with their swords, and magicians who would change the standard of the world with their magic. But none of them had as much persistence as Raon. He kept running even after running out of stamina, especially when he was a twelve-year-old child who was born with a terrible constitution. That wasn¡¯t possible without having gone through dozens of life-or-death battles. He couldn¡¯t figure out just how a sheltered child possibly ended up with such obstinacy. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ He looked around the entire gymnasium. Runaan and Burren, who were staying at the top despite saving their power, were amazing. However, that was nothingpared to Raon, who was still running with no stamina. The coterals and the children of vassal families who made fun of Raon were drooling as they ran, as if they didn¡¯t want to lose to him. ¡°Haha.¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips bent into a smooth arc. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fun teaching them.¡± *** ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren Zieghart kept turning back, as he couldn¡¯t focus on running. And each time, he had to frown. ¡®Why? Why is that guy still running?!¡¯ Raon Zieghart. He was an insolent child who talked back to the head of house, and he was unexpectedly still going. He was slow, but he kept running at a constant speed until the end. ¡®He shouldn¡¯t be in a condition to run right now¡­¡¯ He already knew Raon¡¯s condition. He was born with coldness, which not only made him incapable of moving his body properly, but also slowed down his growth. And when he saw him for the first time, he looked even more pathetic. He was short, and he didn¡¯t have the slightest sign of having trained. ¡®And yet¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t give up. The coterals, children of vassal families, and the rmended children whose talents had been acknowledged were already giving up. And yet, he was still running despite, panting like he was going to die. ¡®And the person next to me, they¡¯re also annoying.¡¯ Runaan, who was the only person who kept up with him, and Raon, who should¡¯ve dropped out already, were both irritating. ¡®Alright. I¡¯ll show you the clear difference.¡¯ Deciding that he would discourage both Runaan and Raon, he fiercely kicked the ground. Swoosh! Using aura, he amplified the muscles in his thighs and calves. Running at a speed that could create tunnel vision, he looked back. ¡®Those brats?!¡¯ Neither Runaan, who he thought of as a rival, nor Raon were showing any kind of reaction. They were both running at their own pace, and it was the coterals and the children from vassal families who were carelessly following him. ¡°Tsk!¡± Burren clicked his tongue and increased his speed. He was now far ahead of Runaan, who used to run next to him, and he had already run past Raon a long time ago. However, Runaan and Raon¡¯s speed didn¡¯t change. It was like they were telling him that they weren¡¯t interested in him. ¡®Kuh!¡¯ Realizing that he was ignored by those inferior to him, anger simmered inside him. ¡®Let¡¯s see until when you can keep up that act.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Huff!¡± Raon smiled, exhaling vigorously. ¡®Power keeps flowing in.¡¯ His stamina pool had gone empty, resembling a dried-up well a long time ago. His head was spinning so hard that he felt like he would faint, but he managed to withstand it thanks to the vitality the three starred ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ provided him. ¡®This is heavenpared to back then.¡¯ In his previous life, wild dogs chased him when he was younger. He¡¯d run down the mountain while grabbing a heart that felt like it would explode. There were also times when the wild dog had caught him in the end, resulting in a fight to the death. Compared to that hellish life, what he was doing right now was child¡¯s y. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon looked forward while panting. The coterals and the rmended children, who were still running at full speed, were certainly exceptionally talented. However, Runaan and Burren were different from them; they were steadily running from the beginning, at a constant speed. Just as he thought that they weren¡¯t called geniuses for nothing, Burren suddenly sped up. He ran past Runaan and became the front runner. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Lo¡­ Lord Burren?¡± ¡°Run! Don¡¯t fall behind!¡± The coterals and rmended children who saw him forcibly increased their speed. ¡°Hmph!¡± As if telling them to catch up, Burren peered at Runaan and Raon. What are you doing right now? Are you going to do nothing when you are provoked? Catch up to him and crush those eyes. Wrath ground his teeth, ring at Burren, but Raon didn¡¯t react. ¡®I told you before. This isn¡¯t apetition.¡¯ The run was a test to show how much stamina and willpower everyone had, not apetition. And there was one more person who knew that fact. ¡®Runaan Sullion.¡¯ The silver-haired girl running in second ce kept her pace, as if she didn¡¯t have a speck of interest in Burren. ¡®She is actually one step ahead of him.¡¯ He¡¯d thought that they were simr, but it looked like Runaan was mentally superior to Burren. Burren was pretending to be an adult, but he was acting ording to his age. If he went onto the battlefield as he was, he would¡¯ve died quickly. ¡®That¡¯s not something I should care about.¡¯ Raon kept running in the gymnasium, following Runaan¡¯s back instead of Burren¡¯s. ¡°Ra¡­ Raon?¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°He¡­ he was still running?¡± The coterals who exhausted themself running after Burren fell behind. They were the ones who were mocking him before the exam had started. ¡°Huff, huff! Wh¡­ what did you do?¡± ¡°Kuh, there¡¯s no way¡­¡± As Raon ran past them, the coterals that were panting slowed their steps and sat down on the ground. Raon kept running, using their astonished gaze as a driving force. ¡®Pathetic.¡¯ It¡¯s a fact that those who couldn¡¯t stop talking no matter where they went were actually worthless. Since he wasn¡¯t interested in them to begin with, he forgot about them and kept running. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon kept rotating his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ through slow breaths. ¡®The ring is developing rapidly.¡¯ Even though he hadn¡¯t run for a long time, the cultivation of the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was progressing quickly. After all, the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was a cultivation technique that showed its true value upon going all out. ¡®It¡¯s still incredibly difficult, though.¡¯ The rotating ring of fires didn¡¯t make the pain disappear. He felt like his heart and lungs were being crushed, and his side hurt as if it was stabbed by a dagger. How pathetic. Wrath clicked his tongue as he kept running full out. I can¡¯t ept defeat from you whose body will be mine. Give your body to me right now. I will catch up andpletely freeze that blue haired brat right now. ¡®Shut up.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a test to catch up. It was a fight against himself. I can¡¯t ept defeat as long as The King of Essence has his eyes open. ¡®Then close your eyes. It¡¯s a miracle that I¡¯m still running like this.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a lie. Even though he had Wrath¡¯s system, he still couldn¡¯t get rid of the coldness inside his mana circuits. The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was a miracle that allowed him to keep running. Then give your body to me. Wrath transformed into the blue me that he had seen the day before. His anger made him nauseated as it stimted his emotions. ¡®Not now, of all times¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip. Wrath¡¯s stimtion felt twice as painful than the day before because of how tired he was. ¡®It¡¯s pointless, so go back to sleep already.¡¯ He kept his calm expression using his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ at full force. He kept moving his legs, pretending he wasn¡¯t affected. Kuh! Why does The King of Essence¡¯s power not work on you?! Wrath kept stimting the angry emotion relentlessly. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon withstood Wrath¡¯s mental attack with his already empty stamina. ¡®I¡¯m dying¡­¡¯ Cold sweat ran down his back. He felt like he would faint at any moment. Thanks to the bnce between the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and the experience of his previous life¡ªone of countless life or death situations¡ªhe barely managed to hold on. You stubborn brat! ¡®Give up and piss off!¡¯ ¡°Haa!¡± While Raon was pushing back Wrath¡¯s power, Rimmer, who was lying on the tform suddenly stood up. ¡°Everyone, stop!¡± The children who were running in the gymnasium stopped as they heard his clear voice. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Aww!¡± The children could hardly keep their eyes open as they panted, sitting on the ground or holding their knees. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon looked like he would die as he panted heavily. What a monster. Wrath grinded his teeth and went back to the bracelet. ¡®I told you, you can¡¯t.¡¯ He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. The test was difficult, but withstanding Wrath¡¯s attack was even more so. If he¡¯d kept running, he could¡¯ve really died. ¡®This life isn¡¯t normal either¡­ Hmm?¡¯ A new message popped up while he was drinking. Ding! An extreme stamina-surpassing action was performed. Ability points have increased. Chapter 11 Strength, Agility, and Stamina have increased by 2. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon gasped. ¡®That¡¯s actually true.¡¯ His muscles twitched, starting from his forearm then down his entire body. When he clenched his fist, he could feel that his grasping power had be a bit stronger than before. Tap. His body was light, as if he got rid of a small lump of metal from his body, as he tried jumping in ce. ¡®So the actual body changes when the stats increase, huh?¡¯ Did you think the system made by the King of Essence was fake? ¡®This is crazy.¡¯ Raon was speechless. It didn¡¯t make any sense that his physical abilities would improve as a reward for training past his limits. He was about to say that the system was too overpowered, when the second set of messages appeared. Sessfully withstood ¡¯s interruption. Ability points have increased further. Agility, Stamina, and Energy have increased by 1. They were messages announcing an additional increase in abilities from withstanding Wrath¡¯s disruption. What is that? ¡®¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes shone as he stayed silent, feeling the euphoria rush through his body. Wh-what is this? Howe it gives you extra stats for withstanding my disruption?! ¡®Did you not know about it either?¡¯ Of course! The system has never been stolen from me before, and the King of Essence had never failed to take over a human¡¯s body! Wrath transformed into a blue me and flew around in front of his eyes. He looked flustered as he acted like a bee. ¡®I guess so.¡¯ When Raon nodded, a thumping sound could be heard from above the tform. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡± Rimmer, who had stomped the ground, was smiling as he pped his hands. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± To his cheerful smile, the children who gave up frowned and lowered their heads. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°I barely made it.¡± ¡°I thought I would die.¡± On the other hand, those who managed to hold on until the end smiled in satisfaction, despite their tired expressions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won''t fail you out yet.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Children opened their eyes at Rimmer¡¯s lighthearted voice. ¡°I said you were going to be tested, but I didn¡¯t say that the decision would be made today.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Is¡­ Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes. However, if you keep training like today, then most of you will fail out.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°Wh-what does that mean¡­?¡± The children stared at Rimmer in disbelief. Since there were over fifty people who managed to run until the end, it was difficult to believe that most of them were going to fail. ¡°I clearly mentioned that you should run at full speed, but you saved your strength while running. Among the one hundred sixty of you, there was only one person who ran at full speed the entire time.¡± Rimmer looked at Raon for a very short moment. ¡°Except for him, everyone else preserved their strength as they ran. It¡¯s pathetic that some of you ended up giving up despite that.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Th-that is¡­¡± As the children were exposed, they couldn¡¯t find their embarrassment and their faces turned red. ¡°In addition, the sly ones that used their aura in order to not fall behind should reflect on their actions.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± As Rimmer finished his sentence, several trainees, including Burren, bit their lips. ¡°Well, I actually don¡¯t really care about what you do. The ones who take the test are you, not me.¡± Rimmer grinned. It was a mysterious smile that was serious and crafty at the same time. ¡°Your status will be ¡®Temporary Trainee¡¯ from now on. I will remove the ¡®temporary¡¯ from it if you manage to pass the test that will take ce in six months.¡± ¡°Wh-what is that test?¡± The green-eyed child who wanted to give Raon a cracker earlier raised his hand with blurry eyes. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fun if I told you about it. There won¡¯t be a ranking, but there will be a first ce, so do your best.¡± ¡°How hard do we have to train?¡± ¡°I will give you a simple but straightforward hint.¡± Cracking his neck, he looked down at the children. Everyone¡¯s eyes were shining with expectations. ¡°For six months,plete all the training that I give you. If you just follow my instructions, without involving your personal opinions, then you will pass your test for sure.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Is¡­ Is that true?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound too simple?¡± The children¡¯s expressions brightened, as if they were facing the sun, when they heard that following instructions was enough. ¡°I don¡¯t lie. If you follow my instructions, you will pass. However¡­¡± The corners of Rimmer¡¯s lips lifted. ¡°That won¡¯t be easy. I¡¯m just going to give you the instructions and let you train however you want. If you follow them the way you did today, then everyone will fail without exception.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± The expressions on the faces of the twelve- to thirteen-year-old children were filled with urgency, as they couldn¡¯t go back home without any results. However, there were people who stayed calm, as if they weren¡¯t concerned. They were Raon and Runaan. They didn¡¯t show any reaction, despite hearing what Rimmer said. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± On the other hand, Burren, who had finished first, didn¡¯t look good. He didn¡¯t say any names, but Rimmer reproached him andplimented Raon. Despite running faster than anyone, he felt like he had lost to that trash coteral. ¡®What insolence!¡¯ Burren kept ring at the back of Raon¡¯s head instead of listening to Rimmer¡¯s exnation on the test. ¡°You will live in the fifth training ground¡¯s dormitory from now on. It has the best facilities and treatments, so enjoy yourselves for six months.¡± Rimmer pointed at the dormitory, which could be seen behind the training ground. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the dormitory¡­?¡± The children¡¯s expressions didn¡¯t get better, despite hearing that it had the best treatment. That was because they knew those benefits were only temporary. ¡°Since this is the first day, I¡¯ll finish here. You can go rest or keep training here however you want. There is also an indoor gymnasium on the left side, so feel free to use it.¡± Rimmer went down the tform as he finished his speech. However, when he was halfway down the stairs, he turned his head and grinned. ¡°Oh, one more thing. Social standing doesn¡¯t exist here. Whether you are a king, amoner, or a ve, you are all equals. Make sure to get along with your fellow trainees.¡± He waved his hand, showing he really had nothing else to say now, and left the training ground. Half the instructors followed him and left, while the other half looked over the children with their backs against the wall. That rude, pointy-eared¡­ ¡®What do you dislike about him so much?¡¯ Raon showed his confusion as he looked down on Wrath. I don¡¯t like his face. He dares to look down on the King of Essence, thinking he has everything in his grasp. Ten thousand years of imprisonment in ice won¡¯t be enough punishment for such insolence. ¡®¡­¡¯ He exined, but Raon still couldn¡¯t understand it. It looked like Wrath was just a psychopath. ¡®I¡¯d better ignore him.¡¯ Shaking his head slightly, he rxed his tired body and mind using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡®I should check out the gymnasium.¡¯ Ignoring the murmuring Wrath, Raon entered the indoor gymnasium that Rimmer mentioned. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± * * * * * * ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Just how did you even run?¡± The coterals and children of vassal families couldn¡¯t take their eyes off Raon¡¯s back as he entered the indoor gymnasium. There was too big of a difference between what they saw earlier, and what they had heard of him before. They still couldn¡¯t believe that he managed to hold out for longer than they had, despite them constantly training their stamina. ¡°It must be thanks to the elixir.¡± Krein Zieghart frowned. He was the coteral who first picked a fight with Raon. ¡°E-elixir?¡± ¡°But those living in the annex building were abandoned by the direct line.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And he is the worst among the coterals. How could he have gotten an elixir?¡± ¡°Even if he got an elixir, it shouldn¡¯t have been a good one.¡± ¡°I heard that the Ragged Saint gave it to him, not the family.¡± Krein exined the situations to the coterals, who were all wondering. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°The Saint did!¡± ¡°In the end, he managed to run thanks to the power of the elixir, not on his own.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s so proud!¡± Hearing that he¡¯d taken an elixir given to him by the Ragged Saint, the children looked disgusted. ¡°Tsk!¡± ¡°What a lucky guy!¡± ¡°He got a lucky elixir despite being a mere coteral, there is really nothing likable about him.¡± Krein smiled, as the coteral children expressed their resentment. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying,¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we teach him a small lesson?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Apparently, he talked back to Lord Burren as well.¡± ¡°I guess we need to show him what¡¯s up.¡± ¡°Then when he goes back to the dormitory today¡­¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± When the coterals were about to n their assault, a low voice was heard from beside them. ¡°L-Lord Burren?¡± ¡°You will dirty the name of Zieghart.¡± Burren gave a cold nce at the coterals. ¡®How pathetic.¡¯ He didn¡¯t like Raon Zieghart either, but oppressing him using group violence was disgraceful. He couldn¡¯t let them n such a thing as someone who¡¯d received the name of Zieghart. ¡°He is a mere insect that will drop out soon enough. Just ignore him and focus on your training.¡± Narrowing his eyes at their unsightly behavior, he left the training ground. ¡°Ah, hmm¡­¡± ¡°He¡­ He told us to stop.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Are you really that stupid?¡± Krein clicked his tongue, seeing the discouraged coteral children. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He is actually telling us to do it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He was saying that he didn¡¯t want to get his own hands dirty, so we should proceed with it. Did you really not get it?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Is¡­ Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course. Finish preparing already. If we give Raon a proper lesson, Lord Burren will also be satisfied.¡± The four trainees gathered in a circle and started to n how they would discipline Raon. And after that¡­ Runaan Sullion, who hadn¡¯t looked at anyone so far, focused her gaze on a certain location. It wasn¡¯t Burren who finished first ce, nor the coteral or the children from vassal families, nor Rimmer, who was called the Sword of Light of Zieghart. Raon Zieghart. Her gaze was fixated on Raon¡¯s back, whose performance had been less than average during the test. And then, she murmured one word. ¡°Weird.¡± *** Rimmer left the training ground and climbed up the North Grave Mountain, located behind the main building. Reaching the tiger-shaped rock at the mountainside, he lifted his head. ¡°There is a guest at my napping site.¡± When he spoke to the rock, the golden-haired old man standing on top of it inclined his head. It was Glenn Zieghart. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point in asking me that question.¡± Rimmer smiled bitterly while leaning his back against the rock. ¡°As you already know, I have a good eye for people. And yet¡­ I couldn¡¯t see through Raon. I couldn¡¯t analyze his condition at all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it waspletely empty. It was as dry as a dry mop that had been squeezed out countless times. I don¡¯t understand at all how he could run until the end.¡± Curiosity and astonishment dwelled inside Rimmer¡¯s smiling eyes. ¡°Burren and Runaan have the best talent, and the other children aren¡¯t bad, either. They can certainly be the pirs that will support the family in the future. However¡­¡± ¡°You were unable to judge Raon.¡± Glenn gaze went past Rimmer, towards the fifth training ground. ¡°You are correct. His talents, potential, future, and tendencies¡ªnone of them could be seen. It¡¯s my first time being in the dark like this since I met you, my lord.¡± Rimmer giggled. ¡°It has been boring ever since my energy center became ragged, but this looks fun for once.¡± ¡°Your job isn¡¯t to look for fun. It¡¯s to raise the children into warriors befitting the name of Zieghart.¡± ¡°Of course. I know that. Am I not Zieghart¡¯s the most loyal subject?¡± Rimmer nodded like a hoodlum. ¡°If you weren¡¯t a patient and arade in war, your head would be flying right now.¡± ¡°Wow, I guess having wounded my energy center was helpful for once!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Glenn looked at Rimmer¡¯s energy center and around his heart, then turned his head away. ¡°You asked for the position of head instructor, so focus on your job instead of getting distracted.¡± ¡°Of course. I feel like one of the trainees this year will be someone worthy of entrusting my future.¡± Rimmer turned his gaze towards the training ground, where Glenn was looking. ¡°Do you mean Burren or Runaan?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, but it could be one of the rmended children, or an obstinatemoner, or a child that has been abandoned by the family.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a coincidence. That child can hardly be a warrior.¡± Glenn walked down the North Grave Mountain after saying that. Rimmer stared at the back of his most esteemed warrior, and grinned. ¡°You already know it isn¡¯t.¡± *** Raon walked outside of the indoor gymnasium after checking the different equipment. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ The training equipment was thetest and the best, just like Rimmer had said. The training ground certainly looked like it would raise the trainees to be the best if they could follow directions. Since he had started to train in the afternoon, the sky was already getting dark. He went out of the training ground, and was about to head over to the dormitory¡­ ¡°Hey.¡± From the alleyway to the right side, a low voice could be heard. When he turned his head, the four coterals who picked a fight that morning were ring at him with intimidating expressions. ¡°I heard you ingested an elixir before your first birthday.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s how you became so cocky?¡± ¡°If I consumed an elixir like you, I would¡¯ve been way better than you. I¡¯d be right behind Lord Burren already.¡± The four children seemed to believe that they were speaking with authority as they approached. Are you really being looked down on by children? I want to end my life now. ¡®Don¡¯t worry.¡¯ The me in Raon¡¯s eyes was ignited. ¡®You will be able to see what you want this time.¡¯ Chapter 12 ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon¡¯s hands trembled, despite his calm mind. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so nervous. We just want to talk.¡± The long-haired coteral at the front approached him. Raon knew his name already. Krein Zieghart. He was the guy who picked a fight with him that morning, and he had also shown a rather brilliant talent during the Judgment Ceremony. ¡°Hey.¡± The three children who were next to Krein stuck themselves to Raon¡¯s sides and his back, when Krein pointed with his chin. ¡°Talk? What kind of talk do you want?¡± He wanted to step back, but it was impossible to retreat with three people blocking his way. ¡°You¡¯ll know once we get there.¡± ¡°Follow quietly.¡± Krein gestured with a grin, and the two guys next to him started to push him with their shoulders. Since Raon was small for his age, while the coterals were rather big, it looked like adults taking away a kid. ¡°Wa-wait a second. How about we talk here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been so arrogant.¡± As Raon shrugged and lowered his gaze, the coteral children giggled and put their arms under his armpit. You told me you would show me what I wanted to see, but what are you doing now? ¡®Simmering the rice takes time. This is the same, so wait a little.¡¯ ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon was thrown to the wall after being dragged helplessly to the training ground¡¯s vicinity. It was a dark and secluded ce, with no one in sight. ¡°Wh-why are you doing this?¡± ¡°You elixir-boosted punk.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You got abandoned by the direct line, but you dare to boast with the power of a lucky elixir?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even have been able to run today if it wasn¡¯t for the elixir you got from the Saint.¡± ¡°You wimp!¡± The coterals¡¯ expressions became fierce, like savage beasts who presented with their prey. ¡®For that ridiculous reason¡­¡¯ The childish and shabby reason seemed to prove that they were still kids. ¡®And they don¡¯t seem to think that they might lose, not at all.¡¯ Raon sneered. ¡®I guess that¡¯s normal.¡¯ Unlike him, who was twelve years old, the coterals were thirteen years old, and their bodies were also a lot bigger. Since they had been training for a long time, they didn¡¯t even consider the possibility of losing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will make it unnoticeable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve done this, after all.¡± ¡°Just like what the instructor said, we are going to just have a chat between fellow trainees.¡± The coterals approached while swinging their fists. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Raon raised his head and smiled. ¡°Damn right.¡± The fear and confusion in his eyes could no longer be seen. ¡°You bastard!¡± The one with the bowl cut at the right side of him punched him. After twisting his shoulder to dodge the fist, Raon used his right elbow to strike his chest. ¡°Gack!¡± The bowl head quacked with his head on the ground, unable to breathe. He kept scratching the ground, trying to respire. ¡°Wh-what happened!¡± The narrow-eyed one to his left kicked at him. Whack! Raon fended off against it using his left hand. Then he approached him and struck his sr plexus using his fist. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The narrow-eyed child tumbled on the ground, grabbing his stomach as his eyes turned white. Wham! The guy from behind mmed down with his two fists clenched together. Raon deflected it with his palm and kicked his abdomen. ¡°Huff!¡± The biggest guy gasped, copsing on the ground. ¡°Wh-what are you all doing? Why are you losing to that bastard?!¡± Krein, who was thest one standing, stepped back. His hands were shaking as he stuttered. ¡°We are having a talk between fellow trainees, just as you said.¡¯ Raon approached Krein, matching his steps to his retreat. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer!¡¯ Krein swung his left fist as he shouted, followed by his right fist. It was a well-trained, consecutive attack. However, the one on the receiving end wasn¡¯t a normal twelve-year-old child. Crack! Raon¡¯s hand twisted up like a poisonous snake. He grabbed Krein¡¯s left arm and twisted it to the right. ¡°Kuah!¡± Krein shrieked, unable to finish swing his right fist due to the arm-breaking pain. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Using his left hand like a de, he chopped across Krein¡¯s right waist. ¡°Kak! Kuaah!¡± Krein rolled on the ground while screaming as if he was facing hisst moment. That¡¯s a marvelous scream. But his skull is still intact. Break it right now. ¡®Always the skull¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head and looked at the four coterals, who were squirming on the ground. ¡°What shall I do?¡± Raon turned his head and approached the coteral children with killing intent in his eyes. ¡°Waa!¡± ¡°Uhhh!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­¡± The coterals shivered in anguish. Their expressions weren¡¯t just confused, but terrified. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Krein¡¯s teeth chattered, as if he were cold. ¡®What is this guy¡­?¡¯ It was a spirit that couldn¡¯t be felt from Burren, nor from the older children of the direct line. From Raon they felt something other than aura, something darker than that. ¡®It¡¯s like facing an adult¡­¡¯ And it wasn¡¯t just any adult. It was the same chilly feeling as meeting the eyes of one of the leading figures of the family. ¡°The deeper the talk, the better.¡± ¡°Uugh!¡± ¡°Pl-please!¡¯ As Raon approached with a smile, the coterals¡¯ teeth chattered as if they were looking at a god of death. * * * * * * Smack! Smaaack! Unable to even scream, the coterals rolled up like maggots as he kept punching them. This is refreshing for once. It¡¯s the first time that I took a liking to you. ¡®Thank you, I guess.¡¯ Raon kept beating up the coterals, so much that Wrath apuded. Moreover, he was hitting where it hurt the most, although it didn¡¯t look obvious. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Uwaa¡­¡± The coterals couldn¡¯t even meet Raon¡¯s eyes anymore. They were just curling up like shrimps, fresh out of water. ¡°Pl-please, stop¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Raon taught them a clear lesson. They shouldn¡¯t even look at his toes. ¡°What we had today was a talk between fellow trainees, right?¡± ¡°Eh, yes!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Am I right to assume that you won¡¯t tell anyone about our talk?¡± ¡°Of¡­ of course!¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± Since Krein and the coterals wanted to stop getting beaten up, they nodded their heads. ¡°Then let¡¯s get the finishing touch before ending our conversation.¡± ¡°Fi-finishing touch?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Who convinced you to do this? Was it Burren?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Sorry? N-no, that¡¯s not the case.¡± The coterals shook their heads. ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°Lo-Lord Burren never ordered us to do th-this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He actually told us to stop. It was just that we¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon sneered. Judging from their frantic expressions, they weren¡¯t lying. Burren really must not have been involved. ¡®He isn¡¯tpletely rotten.¡¯ Burren clearly wasn¡¯t favorable to him, and had a foul mouth, but he didn¡¯t seem to beplete garbage. ¡°You¡¯d better behave if you don¡¯t want to have another talk tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Certainly!¡± ¡°We won¡¯t even step on your shadow!¡± Raon turned around, hearing the coterals¡¯ responses. When he was about to leave the alley, a notification tone could be heard. Ding! *** Tap. In the alley that Raon and the coterals left, Rimmer stepped down. ¡°Hmm!¡± Looking at the coterals, who were helpless as they left, he licked his lips. ¡®That was an entertaining sight.¡¯ He was just wasting his time like always, but he ended up watching something great. ¡®I get more curious the more I watch him.¡¯ The Raon that he saw today wasn¡¯t the pathetic patient that Glenn and Sylvia had mentioned. ¡®Is he a genius?¡¯ Raon had never been taught martial arts. He had never hit anyone, nor was he ever hit by anyone. However, the movements that he had shown proved otherwise. He avoided the first fist with the least movement possible and struck back immediately after. He finished his second and third opponents before they could even grasp the situation with a single strike on their vitals. It was a bit rough, but his punches weren¡¯t at the level that a first timer could have pulled off. He¡¯d thought that he just had excellent willpower, but it also looked like he was talented in martial arts. ¡®I guess he isn¡¯t a Zieghart for nothing.¡¯ Rimmer grinned, remembering how Raon beat up the coterals and threatened them. It reminded him of the Glenn that he had met back in the days when he had thought he was the strongest. He didn¡¯t look exceptional at first, but he was more extraordinary than anyone when he acted. He had even managed to impress Rimmer, who used to despise humans. Needless to say, that was the type of man he was. ¡®On top of that¡­¡¯ The way Raon threatened the coterals using their own words was even more like Glenn. ¡°A mysterious talent among the best talents¡­¡± Rimmer cheerfully rolled on the ground. ¡°My heart is racing.¡± The corners of lips twisted up smoothly. *** Raon entered room 405, following the number on the key that the instructor gave him in front of the dormitory. It was a wide room, not much different from his room in the annex building. The bed lookedfortable, and there was enough space to train the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡®Then¡­¡¯ After quickly looking around the room, he sat on the bed and brought up the message from earlier. is satisfied with your actions. Agility has increased by 1. It was a message telling him that his agility had increased, along with a message saying that Wrath was satisfied. ¡®I can increase my stats like this?¡¯ Apparently, satisfying Wrath gave him points, just as withstanding his intervention did. However¡­ roars. It¡¯s a mistake! The King of Essence isn¡¯t satisfied! It¡¯s still not enough! You should have at least cut their heads off! Since Wrath was making a fuss, he got it regardless of Wrath¡¯s intentions. Those stats that you¡¯ve been getting! Where do they evene from?! Apparently, Wrath didn¡¯t know where the stats came from either. ¡®Do you not know either? It¡¯s your own ability, yet you know nothing.¡¯ This all happened because you stole it from the King of Essence! ¡°Well, the fact still remains that you don¡¯t know.¡± Kuh¡­ Wrath¡¯s voice trembled, as if all his pleasure from earlier had vanished. Alright, I¡¯ll check on it. Wait for me. With that, Wrath¡¯s presence disappeared. The bracelet was still there, but his soul seemed to be gone. Raon tried swinging his hand, but nothing happened. ¡°It¡¯s silent for once.¡± Raon lowered his hand. Thinking that he would use this opportunity to take a bath, he headed to the bathroom on the fourth floor. After taking a quick bath, he returned to the room. Without even drying his hair, he sat down on the ground. ¡®He is actually a goose thatys golden eggs.¡¯ He grinned, looking at the flowery bracelet on his wrist. Gaining stats for being acknowledged, or withstanding his interruption, was as good as getting them for free. Since he had the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and ¡®Water Resistance¡¯, he wasn¡¯t going to lose to Wrath, either. Only benefits existed. ¡®Shall I train before hees back?¡¯ Satisfied, he closed his eyes to practice the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. It was as he was about to start the training that he heard it. Kuh! ¡°Are you back already?¡± When he opened his eyes, clicking his tongue, Wrath was on his wrist and shivering. You thief! ¡°Thief?¡± You were stealing the power that the King of Essence had left in the main body! ¡®Main body?¡¯ When he thought about it, Wrath had said he was the king somewhere, calling himself the King of Essence. He didn¡¯t remember because it wasn¡¯t important. It¡¯s devildom! I was the monarch of the devildom! ¡®I see.¡¯ He nodded slightly, since he wasn¡¯t interested. Crack! He could hear Wrath grinding his teeth. What¡¯s that answer?! You are just a dung fly, stealing the power of the King of Essence! You should kneel and worship me! ¡°You aren¡¯t giving it to me because you want to, so is there any reason why I should be thankful?¡± Kuh¡­ Wrath just groaned, as he couldn¡¯t say anything about it. Your arrogance truly reaches heaven. ¡°Not really.¡± Raon shook his head. He never thought about anything like that. Wrath was just too used to being worshiped, to the point that he couldn¡¯t handle direct answers. The body of the King of Essence is currently linked to you. That¡¯s why the status window has been passed on to you. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ So, I have a suggestion. ¡°Suggestion?¡± Let¡¯s make a bet. If you win, I¡¯ll give you the stat points. But if you lose, you shall take my wrath. Wrath¡¯s voice contained anger and resentment, just like when he¡¯d met him the first time. has proposed a bet with you. Chapter 13 ¡°A bet?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡°What kind of bet are you talking about?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand why Wrath suddenly wanted to make a bet. You don¡¯t need to be nervous. The King of Essence doesn¡¯t lie, nor try to deceive you. I will show you myself. A new message appeared as soon as he said that. proposes the first bet. Condition: Pass the test for official trainees first in the list. Upon sess: All stats +2, a random trait. Upon failure: Creation of 10 points of emotion in . He could understand what he meant upon reading the message. It looked like Wrath intended to hand over his own abilities if Raon managed to win the bet. ¡°Are you talking about ending up first in the test to be an official trainee that Rimmer mentioned?¡± That¡¯s right. He said that there will be a first ce, so the result will be clear. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He still had a few questions. ¡°What do you mean, a random trait?¡± One of the traits that The King of Essence possesses will be granted to you. Of course, its level will be downgraded to match your mediocrity. ¡°A trait¡­¡± Raon looked at Wrath, who was burning as if fuel had been added. He had always called himself a monarch of devildom. He couldn¡¯t trust him on that, but it was obvious that he was a special existence. That meant that his random trait was most likely going to be a useful ability. ¡°One more thing. This is the most important part. What do you mean by creating ten points of emotion in wrath upon failure?¡± It means what it says. You will gain the emotion of wrath, which the King of Essence possesses. ¡°Are you saying that you are capable of controlling my feelings?¡± It¡¯s not that much. I will be giving you a very small amount of wrath. It really is a little bit. However¡­ Wrath¡¯s voice contained an obvious expectation. Just like the saying goes, many a little makes a mickle.* If you keep taking in the King of Essence¡¯s wrath, you won¡¯t be able to control your emotions anymore¡­ No matter how strong your willpower is. ¡°Was that your goal all along?¡± Raon looked down on Wrath coldly. It seemed that he was trying to slowly take over his body, giving up on doing it at once. You should¡¯ve realized that your body changes ording to the stats in the status window by now. If you partake in this bet, you will be one step closer to your revenge. Wrath calmly worked to convince him to ept his suggestion, despite being the King of Essence. Raon felt frustrated by him for the first time. ¡®Why is he making a bet like this?¡¯ Since his main body existed still, he could¡¯ve just used that to conquer his mind. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he had to use such an borate method instead. As I¡¯ve already said, the abilities of the main body of the King of Essence are connected to you. If I could use that power, I would¡¯ve taken over your body already. Wrath responded as if he read his mind. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no lie?¡± The King of Essence is a monarch of devildom. And a monarch of devildom doesn¡¯t lie. ¡°Haaah¡­¡± Raon sighed lightly. Wrath was certainly a psychopath, but he had never lied about anything when he answered him. ¡°Do I have no choice but to eat this poisonous apple?¡± He couldn¡¯t refuse, not when the reward was two points in all stats and a new special ability. On the other hand, the risk upon failure was rtively small¡ªif dangerous when umted. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± There were many outstanding children in the fifth training ground. Not just Runaan and Burren, but the coterals and the rmended children also had special talents. An average child couldn¡¯t ever dream of being first ce. However, he had been reincarnated. Whatever the test was, no matter how talented the children were, he was confident he wouldn¡¯t lose if he made use of his previous life. ¡°Alright, I ept.¡± A wise decision. You have epted the bet with . Raon looked into Wrath¡¯s eyes through the message. He was smiling, confident that he would win. So he smiled back. ¡®It won¡¯t go the way you think it will.¡¯ *** The Next Day, Before Dawn. Burren opened the door to the training ground and entered. Despite being so early that the sun hadn¡¯t even risen yet, his hair was properly brushed, and his training uniform was ironed out. He was indeed an exemry noble. ¡°Hmm?¡± Krein and a few other coterals, who used to greet him excessively, looked away after bowing awkwardly. ¡®Why are they doing that?¡¯ He remembered the incident from the day before as he wondered. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Did they harass him?¡¯ Burren frowned. He didn¡¯t like Raon either, but harassing him personally was an act that would stain the name of Zieghart. ¡®Pathetic bastards.¡¯ Just as he was about to approach the idiots to scold them, the door opened and Raon entered. ¡°Hmm?¡± He waspletely fine. There were no injuries nor bruises, so it didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d been hit. Instead, he looked even more confident than the day before. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Hie!¡± On the other hand, Krein and the coterals hid in the corner like dogs as soon as they saw Raon. ¡®What? Just what happened?¡¯ Burren swallowed. He couldn¡¯t understand what kind of situation this was. ¡°Hey.¡± He couldn¡¯t stop himself from approaching the trembling coterals. ¡°Lo-Lord Burren!¡± Krein and the other coterals lowered their heads with gaping mouths. ¡°Why are you trembling like that?¡± ¡°Th-That is¡­¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± The coterals closed their mouths upon seeing Raon, not Burren. Fear could be seen in their eyes. ¡®They are afraid of Raon, instead of me?¡¯ Just what did Raon do to them, for them to be so afraid? ¡°No, nothing happened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Nothing really happened.¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± The coterals scratched their heads with awkward expressions. ¡®Did they get beaten up instead?¡¯ That was the only possibility. The coterals must¡¯ve been beaten up instead when they tried to teach him a lesson. Burren turned around to look at Raon. Just like the day before he was just standing silently, as if he wasn¡¯t interested. ¡®So he was hiding his abilities.¡¯ It wasughable that a talentless patient would hide their puny level of skills. ¡®Struggle as much as you want.¡¯ No matter what he did, he was going to remain at the bottom. * * * * * * While stretching his neck, Raon met the eyes of the coterals that he¡¯d had a ¡®talk¡¯ with the day before. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Kuu!¡± The coteral children let out strange sounds and backed away. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The coterals, who were openly insulting him the day before, were taken aback. The sight made the other trainees wonder about the situation. Raon turned his head at the scornfulughter. Burren was clearly jeering at him. ¡®I bet he¡¯s thinking that it doesn¡¯t matter, no matter what I do.¡¯ Whatever Burren was thinking was as clear as day. He must¡¯ve been thinking that it was meaningless, no matter how much a talentless boy struggled. ¡®That¡¯s a huge mistake.¡¯ Since Raon had the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, talent was meaningless. By the time he graduated from being a temporary trainee, he would be way ahead of Burren. That snake¡¯s eyes are annoying. Pluck them out. ¡®Not again.¡¯ Back in the devildom, whoever dared to move their eyes would all¡­ ¡®Please shut up.¡¯ Raon tapped his bracelet. With a zapping sound, Wrath went silent. Y-you bastard! ¡®You talk too much.¡¯ The door to the training ground opened as he tried practicing with the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, ignoring Wrath. Stomp! Past the creaking door, Rimmer and the trainers entered. Unlike the trainers, who were properly lined up, Rimmer ran up to the tform with a skip to his steps. ¡°Good morning.¡± Rimmer smiled as he looked down at them. ¡°Yes!¡± The temporary trainees responded loud and strong, despite it being so early in the morning. ¡°Yesterday must¡¯ve been difficult since you ran at full speed¡ªeven if you¡¯ve been training your stamina. So¡­¡± Rimmer nodded his head and smiled. ¡°Today you¡¯ll run again. At full speed!¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°A-again?¡± ¡°The limit of a human''s stamina increases each time it is exhausted. So, sprint until I tell you to stop.¡± While the children were frowning, two people kicked the ground. It was Runaan and Burren. Pang! Unlike the day before, where they had been saving their stamina, they ran with everything they had. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°It''s a sprint again!¡± The children who thought that they were going to learn something that day started running, all whileining. Are you running again? This is boring. You can be stronger without something like this. If you kill an enemy¡­ ¡®I¡¯m fine with this.¡¯ Raon cut Wrath off. He kicked the ground after inhaling deeply. Really? Do you enjoy endlessly running and eating dust? ¡®I can be stronger by running.¡¯ You idiot! If you leave your body to the King of Essence, you could be the strongest within a year¡­ ¡®But there¡¯s no point if I¡¯m not myself anymore.¡¯ Stopping Wrath from talking any more nonsense, he kept moving his feet. ¡®I¡¯m faster than yesterday.¡¯ Thanks to his increased agility and stamina, he could run faster than before. He could run as fast as some of the coterals and rmended children, who he could only catch up to at the end of the test the day before. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Ra-Raon?¡± The eyes of children in the middle-lower group widened as they saw him. It looked like they couldn¡¯t understand how Raon was running alongside them. ¡®I¡¯m growing fast, for sure.¡¯ Raon smiled lightly and ran with them. Having stat points on top of the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was making his growth unbelievably fast. However, despite running in full force, Burren and Runaan were getting farther and farther away. It looked like their talents and the amount that they had trained weren¡¯t at a level he could catch up to. Yet. ¡®It¡¯s not an unpleasant environment.¡¯ They made him go all out, and there were many children to catch up to. It was the perfect environment to improve himself. Raon looked at Rimmer, who was dozing off on the tform. He was a frivolous guy, but his training method was reliable. ¡®Your training¡­ I¡¯ll make good use of it.¡¯ *** ¡°Stop!¡± The sprint that began before dawn only ended after the sun finished rising. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°Haah!¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Without exception, the children were panting and lying on the ground. Barely anyone was standing, as most of them had run at full speed. ¡°This is the end of daybreak training.¡± ¡°Day¡­ daybreak¡­¡± ¡°Not even morning, but daybreak¡­¡± The children shook their heads when they heard that daybreak training had ended. ¡°The air is fresh at daybreak, and you can feel the mana more easily. You¡¯d better get used to it, since you will keep doing this even after you be an official trainee.¡± Rimmer spun his finger. It was a gesture describing how the children were going to run endlessly. ¡°Now, go get your breakfast.¡± ¡°After running so much, how can we have breakfast¡­?¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t eat!¡± ¡°No way I can swallow!¡± The childrenined, still lying on the ground. ¡°You¡¯d better eat, even if it¡¯s difficult. Since training will continue, you won¡¯t be able to handle it without eating. Although, like always, the choice is yours.¡± With that, Rimmer left. It was as if he was telling them to do whatever they wanted. ¡®To tell us to eat after running so much¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I think I should eat. Even if I throw it upter¡­¡± The children staggered as they went to the dining room. The food was light, not at all greasy. It seemed they had considered the intensity of daybreak training. Warm soup, soft bread, lean meat, and a few kinds of vegetables were the entirety of the menu. ¡°The food is really terrible.¡± ¡°I think I can eat this.¡± The coterals looked at Raon who was just staring at the food on his te. ¡°Look at him.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t eating.¡± ¡°I guess he can¡¯t eat that since he grew up sheltered in the annex building.¡± ¡°True. Despite being the worst in rank, he must¡¯ve always gotten the better treatment as a patient.¡± Despite the other children giggling as they mocked him, Raon was thinking about somethingpletely different from their expectations. ¡®They give food?¡¯ He would¡¯ve understood it if it was after training ended. However, he had never been given food during training in his previous life. Since he had eaten grass or hunted animals on his own to appease his hunger, even when he was younger than his current age, he had never imagined that they would feed him. ¡®This ce is really the best!¡¯ T/N: ¡®Many a little makes a mickle¡¯ is a saying that means many little things add up into arge number of things, or arger piece. Chapter 14 After breakfast, Raon returned to the training ground. The food tasted terrible. If such food were brought to me back in devildom, the King of Essence would have smashed the chef¡¯s head in. ¡®Huh? Did you taste it?¡¯ The King of Essence can indirectly share your senses, especially your sense of taste. The King of Essence has been a well-known gourmet, back in devildom¡­ ¡®You really talk too much. You could¡¯ve simply said you could taste it because we share senses.¡¯ Silence! The King of Essence is famous for his reticence¡­ ugh! ¡®Stop talking for a bit. You are making it difficult for me to digest my food.¡¯ Raon stopped Wrath from talking by tapping on his bracelet, then looked up on the tform. Rimmer was lying on the tform as if he was napping. He didn¡¯t show the slightest movement, as if he had be a statue. Just looking at him irritates me. I want to pluck off his pointy ears. Wrath was billowing ice from his mouth. It looked like he was boiling with anger whenever he saw Rimmer. ¡®The Sword of Light of Zieghart, huh¡­¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s prowess must¡¯ve been excellent, since he was called the Sword of Light of Zieghart. However, rumors said that his personality wasn¡¯t just light, but frivolous. Raon had thought that was bullshit. But looking at Rimmer, he realized it was incredibly urate. ¡®But there¡¯s no openings.¡¯ Despite his careless appearance, he wasn¡¯t showing any weakness. He¡¯d heard Rimmer had retired because of a severe injury, but apparently a master¡¯s prowess hadn¡¯t disappearedpletely. The moment the King of Essence takes over your body, those ears will be plucked. ¡®Whatever.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t happen, though. Yawning, Rimmerzily stretched long after all the temporary trainees had finished gathering. ¡°Have you finished eating?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since the children¡¯s stamina didn¡¯t recoverpletely, their voices were more exhausted than at daybreak. ¡°Then we will start the next part of your training immediately.¡± Rimmer grinned. When he looked at the wooden swords ced on a side of the training ground, the children¡¯s expressions brightened. ¡°You don¡¯t need a sword, just mimic my posture.¡± As if he was teasing them, he stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, then bent his knees. ¡°Are¡­ are we not going to learn how to use a sword?¡± One of the coterals shouted, raising his hand. ¡°We aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°We thought we were going to learn with swords¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. Sir Sword of Light is famous for his swordsmanship, so why¡­?¡± ¡°Sword? That¡¯s all good, but can you run before learning how to walk?¡± Rimmer¡¯s corner of lips twisted up. His cool smile seemed to blow a chilly wind towards them. ¡°You don¡¯t have enough stamina or willpower, nor do you have the proper posture yet. Do you think you can really learn how to handle a sword properly?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said this already, but you don¡¯t need to follow my instructions. Since the consequences are yours to manage, anyway.¡± It was a yful voice, but the training ground fell silent. ¡°Follow me if you want. Those who wish to do other training should move over to the right.¡± Naturally, nobody moved. Everyone stood still and looked at Rimmer. ¡°Then let¡¯s start over. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then, bend your knees with your thighs parallel to the ground.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The children followed the posture without difficulty. ¡°This posture is called the riding position. It¡¯s how you ride a horse, and it¡¯s also a basic posture for every martial art¡ªincluding sword, spear, and fist. Keep the riding position until I tell you to stop.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The children raised their arms after answering loud and clear. Since it was one of the basic postures, nobody failed to follow it. Humans really are inferior, to train their bodies in such an awkward position. ¡®And you failed to take over such a human¡¯s body.¡¯ Kuh! That¡¯s different¡­ ¡®I have to focus, so hush.¡¯ Raon hit the flowery bracelet and closed his eyes. ¡®This is an important moment.¡¯ Even in that kind of basic training, he could gain a lot by using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. He could make his training way more efficient than the other children. ¡°I¡¯m gonna take a nap.¡± Rimmerid down and started to doze off again, and the riding position continued forever. ¡°Groan¡­¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°H-How long do we have to keep this up?!¡± The children¡¯s limbs trembled, as if there was an earthquake. Despite the riding position being a basic posture, it was their first time maintaining it for such a long time. There was an exception, though. The upper tier children, including Runaan and Burren, kept their proper posture. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong with that guy?¡± ¡°How is he able to hold on!¡± ¡°He¡­ He was supposed to have the worst constitution!¡¯ ¡°I heard he was a patient¡­¡± Raon kept his posture while sweating heavily. The posture¡¯s uracy alone was better than anyone in the training ground. ¡°Gaaaah!¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t lose to him.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll stop when he is holding on like that!¡± The children from the lower tier were about to give up. Upon seeing Raon still holding on, they kept their posture and grit their teeth. However, Raon still had enough stamina to spare, despite how he looked. ¡®This is easy.¡¯ In his previous life, he trained the riding posture while carrying rocks on his back and thighs. He was even younger then than he was now. The current training was nothingpared to that time. Of course, the coldness spreading throughout his tired body was creating unbearable pain. He felt like his flesh was being torn apart, and his bone was being frozen, but it was an opportunity for him to be stronger. Whir. Raon took in the coldness in his body by rotating the rings of fire, all while keeping the riding position. As painful as it was, he could absorb a considerable amount of coldness, and the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ progressed further. At the rate he was going, he felt like he could easily win the bet against Wrath, although he must¡¯ve been unaware of it. When Raon was so focused that he almost forgot it was a training on the riding position, a pping sound could be heard from above the tform. ¡°Stop!¡± When he came to, Rimmer stood up and nodded. The other children were sitting down massaging their thighs like they were dough. How long are you going to ignore the King of Essence! ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I missed it.¡¯ You inferior bastard¡­ Wrath swore at Raon, who only stared in response. It looked like he¡¯d been mumbling all along. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Ignoring Wrath, Raon kept rxing his thigh and waist muscles with a refreshing breath. * * * * * * Ding! An extreme stamina-surpassing action was performed. Stamina has increased. A message announcing an increase in stamina appeared once again. Feeling his vitality return to his trembling thighs, he stretched from his waist. ¡°Just like yesterday, some of you held on until the end while others gave up.¡± Looking at those who were still standing, Rimmer wagged his finger. ¡°Let me repeat. I¡¯m just giving you the instructions. I won¡¯t directly interfere with your training. Break through your limits by yourselves. Give your mind a hard smack when it starts saying you did enough. That¡¯s how you will pass the test in six months.¡± He continued, maintaining his tricky smile. ¡°I won¡¯t repeat this again. From now on, I won¡¯t care whether you give up or hold on until the end anymore.¡± After telling them to loosen up their thighs in preparation for the next day¡¯s training, Rimmer left. A mere pointy-eared bastard who believes in the nature god is talking about idealism. How ridiculous. And willpower is nothing in front of overwhelming power. ¡®That¡¯s not true.¡¯ What do you mean? ¡®You do need willpower.¡¯ Raon shook his head while loosening up his legs. You believe that because you are a weakling that has never felt an overwhelming power. If you felt the power of the King of Essence, you would be worshiping me right now¡­ ¡®I managed to withstand your attack with willpower.¡¯ That¡­ That¡¯s because the King of Essence hasn''t recovered the original power yet! ¡®And I¡¯m just a kid.¡¯ Th-that is¡­ Wrath¡¯s voice dropped powerlessly. ¡®Of course, willpower isn¡¯t meaningless.¡¯ Willpower was simr to stamina and strength. There was a limit, but it got stronger the more it was used. He had been in many pinches in his previous life, and he had managed to survive because of his extreme stamina and willpower. ¡®Then let¡¯s get going.¡¯ After loosening his thigh and hip muscles, he entered the indoor gymnasium. There were many training tools to help increase his strength and agility. Are you training again? ¡®Yes, I am.¡¯ He nodded. The stats increased when they were pushed to the limit, like squeezing a dry mop trying to get water out of it. Raon didn¡¯t think of the extra training as something painful or boring. It was something to look forward to. He started with basic training, including pushups and nks. This is so annoying. It¡¯s like watching a caterpir hanging on a tree. ¡®A caterpir that can only crawl will one day be a butterfly and fly away.¡¯ The only way for you to be a butterfly is to hand over your body to the King of Essence. ¡®That¡¯s not a butterfly. It¡¯s a poisoned moth. Stop daydreaming.¡¯ Raon shook his hand and bent his arms once again. For push-ups, the number wasn¡¯t the important part. He slowly bent and stretched his arms in a way that would stimte his muscles the most. He felt like his chest muscles were going to snap, but he weed that pain. It would be his stats and stamina. After push-ups, he started to exercise his abdominal muscles. That was when the other children started to enter the gymnasium. After throwing him a nce, they separated to start their own training. Runaan and Burren also entered and checked out the different equipment. Runaan isted herself and got herself a tool, and Burren walked out after ring at Raon for a bit. Burren went to where the wooden swords were ced and grabbed one to start swinging it. Woosh! The coteral children who usually followed Burren got themselves a wooden sword as well, and began to practice the swordsmanship that they had trained in. He grabbed a sword. ¡®He did.¡¯ Aren¡¯t you going to do the same? ¡®I don¡¯t need it yet.¡¯ What Raon needed wasn¡¯t a sword, but the stamina, strength, and agility to serve as a base. Burren and other children¡¯s swordsmanship wasn¡¯t even at a beginner level. For novices, training with swords without an instructor was just a waste of time. Without caring for what the others were doing, Raon continued the boring yet difficult training, only wishing to achieve more progress the next day. *** Runaan Sullion wasn¡¯t interested in others. That didn¡¯t mean that she looked down on others due to her outstanding talents. It was because she had locked the door to her heart the day she had been terribly disappointed by the one she trusted. However, there was one person who had caught her eye recently. It wasn¡¯t Rimmer, the Sword of Light, nor Burren Zieghart, who everyone said was her rival. Raon Zieghart. Sylvia¡¯s son, who was kicked out of the direct line to be a coteral, kept attracting her attention. ¡®Why do I keep paying attention to him?¡¯ It was the first time she was interested in someone or felt familiar with someone. ¡®Is it because of the coldness?¡¯ Rumors said that Raon¡¯s mana circuit bore an extreme amount of coldness. It was possible that her frost ability was making her feel familiar with his coldness. ¡®That must be it.¡¯ Since she realized the reason, she tried to stop paying attention to him. However, no matter how much she tried she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him. ¡®He is growing quickly.¡¯ Raon¡¯s growth was abnormally fast. When she had seen him a month ago in the audience room, he had been a skinny boy with no muscles. However, he had gained some muscles since then. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ He was at the lowest tier the other day, but he had managed to catch up with the middle-lower tier. Everyone said Runaan herself was born with a heavenly talent, but she thought it was impossible for her to progress that quickly. It just didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°Huff!¡± Comfortably lifting a 60kg weight, she kept stealing a nce at Raon. ¡°It¡¯s really strange.¡± Chapter 15 Unlike the other children panting on the ground, copsed from their training, Raon sat on the equipment for training the chest muscles after exhaling lightly. ¡®This isn¡¯t called a legendary cultivation technique for nothing.¡¯ Although his body was extremely tired, the rings of fire rotating around his chest recovered his stamina and willpower. He had just exhausted his stamina from training, but he became capable of going all out once again. There was a good reason that it was called one of the most valuable treasures of the continents. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Setting the weight to 5kg heavier than the day before, Raon lifted the weight. He slowly moved in a way to maximize the range of motion of his pectoral muscles, to stimte it as much as possible. Tap. When he got up after finishing six sets, he heard someone sitting down at the equipment next to him. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ The only person who woulde near him was the green-haired weirdo with a pocket on his belly. Raon thought it was strange and turned around. ¡®Runaan?¡¯ The person sitting next to him was Runaan Sullion, with her long silver hair flowing down. Runaan set her weight to be a lot heavier than Raon¡¯s and started to use the equipment. ¡°Hup!¡± Her weightlifting posture was remarkably simr to Raon¡¯s. She didn¡¯t care about the lifting count nor the weight but focused on stimting her muscles. What was that? ¡®I don¡¯t know, either.¡¯ After watching her for a bit, Raon left. In order to stimte his muscles more thoroughly, he sat on other training equipment. ¡°Hup!¡± After setting the load to exceed his maximum capacity, he lifted the weight while rotating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡°Huff!¡± He normally should¡¯ve subtracted 10kg from that weight, but the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ allowed him to handle that much, and more often. He could hear someone sitting next to him again. He put the weight down after training until his arms and chest trembled. ¡®Really?¡¯ He turned his head without getting up. As expected, Runaan was there. She set a weight higher than him once again and started to lift. ¡®Why is she doing this?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. Runaan didn¡¯t pay any attention to Rimmer, let alone other trainees. He couldn¡¯t understand why she was copying him, by lifting weights the exact same way he did. ¡®I must be mistaken.¡¯ When he thought about it, it was normal to train the smaller muscles after training bigger muscles. Raon got up, thinking that it was just a matter of coincidence. However, he headed to the equipment to train shoulder muscles just to be sure. Creak! After setting the weight, he lifted it while feeling the stimtion to his shoulders. When he finished a set, Runaan appeared in front of him. After staring at him for a bit, she sat down next to him and set her weight. It was a heavier one, once again. ¡°Huff!¡± She casually started lifting the equipment while looking in front of her. Are you really going to do nothing after being provoked like this? How long are you going to hide like a rat! ¡®A provocation¡­¡¯ Raon turned his head to look at her. Runaan just kept lifting, as if she wasn¡¯t interested in him. ¡®What is she thinking?¡¯ The first and second times could¡¯ve been coincidences. However, her copying his shoulder training couldn¡¯t have been one. Yet, he couldn¡¯t understand what she was thinking. Her eyes were as cold as ice, yet they were also blurry, making it impossible to grasp her intentions. You don¡¯t understand, huh? She is clearly provoking you by acting as if she is better than you. Punch her in the face, right now! Whether it was a child, an adult, or a woman didn¡¯t matter to Wrath. He was angry at everything, just like his name suggested. ¡®Please stop. For just a moment, just stop.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath¡¯s anger and left the equipment to start squatting. As expected, Runaan followed him and bent her thighs with a heavier weight. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Why are those two together?¡± ¡°Why is Lady Runaan paying attention to that loser?¡± The children in the gymnasium opened their mouths wide, watching Runaan training right next to Raon. Screech. Burren, who came back to the gymnasium after swordsmanship training with the coterals, grit his teeth. ¡°Uhhh¡­!¡± ¡°Why is Runaan there¡­?¡± The coterals saw Runaan training next to Raon and red at them. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon looked at Runaan, who attracted everyone¡¯s attention. With silver hair shining like moonlight, fair skin as white as snow, and thin and sharp facial features, she was an ethereal beauty. Except her eyes, which looked senseless, like she had a piece missing. ¡°Do you have something to say to me?¡± When Runaan finished a set, he approached her. ¡°¡­¡± Upon hearing his question, she stared at him for a while, as if he was a curious creature. ¡°No.¡± After responding, she started to lift her equipment once again, with more weight this time. ¡®I don¡¯t know, either.¡¯ Raon shrugged and got up from his equipment. Since she was going to lose interest soon anyway, he decided to just ignore her. As he was thinking about what to do since his routine was suddenly changed, he heard small stepping sounds behind him. When he turned around, he could see Runaan scanning different parts of his body with her purple eyes. ¡°If you have something to say, say it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Without responding, Runaan met his eyes. Her eyes looked like a cat that had just finished its nap. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed quietly and walked over to another piece of training equipment. Runaan followed right after him and used the same equipment. * * * * * * One week had passed since Runaan Sullion began observing Raon Zieghart. ¡°Hmm.¡± She looked for Raon as soon as she entered the indoor gymnasium. Like always, he was lifting weights before anyone else. ¡®It¡¯s heavier than yesterday.¡¯ Raon¡¯s weight was 5kg heavier than the day before, which wasn¡¯t actually that strange. It wasn¡¯t strange to increase weight if you worked out hard enough. However, what if that weight increased every day? That wouldn¡¯t be normal. ¡®How is he doing that?¡¯ Most people didn¡¯t realize it, but Raon Zieghart had increased the weight of his equipment by over 10kgst week. Even considering that growth was faster for a child, the number was ridiculous. ¡®He was supposed to be a patient¡­¡¯ His face was pale, and his limbs were as weak as twigs. However, he could withstand better than anyone in the training ground. ¡®Is it thanks to the posture?¡¯ The posture Raon used to lift his weights was a bit different from the others. She thought his absurd speed of growth might have been thanks to that posture. With that conclusion in mind, Runaan sat on the equipment next to Raon, who was training his chest. She started to lift the weights the same way Raon did. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ It didn¡¯t feel much different from usual. Only her muscles felt slightly more stimted. ¡®It¡¯s not a big deal.¡¯ Thinking that it was meaningless, she was about to go back to her usual posture. ¡®Huh?¡¯ When she inhaled a cool and mysterious fragranceing from Raon, her weight became as light as a feather. ¡®What happened?¡¯ She felt like her strength and agility had suddenly increased. The weight that should¡¯ve been difficult to raise had be so light. However, once Raon¡ªwho was watching her for a while¡ªleft, that strange sensation immediately disappeared as well. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Missing the sensation, Runaan stared at Raon¡¯s back as he headed to the next piece of equipment. ¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯ Runaan followed Raon and moved next to him. She set her weight to be heavier than usual and lifted. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± It looked like it was too much since it was too difficult to lift it. However, once Raon started to exercise, the cool airing from him made her weight be lighter once again. ¡®That was it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t her imagination. She was capable of lifting a weight 10kg heavier than usual, as if her abilities really were enhanced. ¡°Huff!¡± Despite lifting more than she could handle, it didn¡¯t seem to overload her shoulders nor arms at all. Once she cheerfully finished her exercise, Raon was standing in front of her. ¡°Do you have something to say to me?¡± Blond hair and red eyes, the boy with the proof of his Zieghart heritage spoke. ¡°No.¡± Runaan shook her head, and Raon moved on to the next piece of equipment after staring at her for a moment. ¡®I should try following him around.¡¯ Eyes shining like a cat¡¯s, she followed Raon. She liked that she could train with heavier weights, but she was even more attracted to the cool fragranceing from him. *** Rimmer climbed the mountain behind the main building in Zieghart. ¡°Tsk.¡± He shook his head and clicked his tongue as he was about to climb up the t rock at the mountainside. ¡°You must be really worried about your grandson, to visit my napping rock every day.¡± From the top of the rock, an old man who gave the impression of a sharp sword came down. It was Glenn Zieghart. ¡°¡­¡± Without saying anything, Glenn stared at the barely visible mountain ridge. ¡°Hmph.¡± Rimmer snorted and leaned back against the rock. The two of them watched the setting sun for a long time, not saying a word. ¡°Haaah¡­ You should just ask instead of acting so dignified.¡± Rimmer sighed and jumped up on the rock where Glenn was sitting. ¡°The children are doing great. They are training so hard that they are honestly exceeding my expectations.¡± ¡°Exceeding your expectations?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve let them train on their own ord.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± ¡°Honestly, a twelve- or thirteen-year-old child doesn¡¯t have much willpower. I thought most of them would start cking after a week. However!¡± He wasn¡¯t exaggerating. When he nned his training, his intention was to pick about twenty people out of the one hundred sixty. ¡°More of them are going to pass than I thought, thanks to my lord¡¯s grandson.¡± ¡°My grandson? Are you talking about Burren?¡± ¡°Stop pretending when you already know I¡¯m talking about Raon.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened on the training ground. You told me to not mind it, since you would take care of it.¡± ¡°Hah, seriously?¡± Rimmer scratched his red hair. It was annoying that this old man, who had been waiting for him because he was worried about his grandson, was pretending he didn¡¯t know anything. ¡°That guy, he is different from what my lord and Sylvia believe.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes were the same, but his voice was clearly different. ¡°You wanted him to drop out as soon as possible to avoid getting hurt, since he was weak both mentally and physically.¡± ¡°I never said that. I just told you to not discriminate.¡± ¡°Anyway, I also tried to fail him out as fast as possible.¡± Rimmer¡¯s blue eyes shone. ¡°He¡¯s a monster. His willpower isn¡¯t anywhere near normal. It¡¯s even better than a warrior who has gone through tens or hundreds of battlefields.¡± Rimmer had seen plenty of talents throughout his life, and even among them, Raon was exceptional. It was difficult to believe how much he had grown, that he had to look at him twice every morning. ¡°When the training started, Raon was one of the worst among the one hundred sixty people. Only three weekster, he¡¯s in the middle tier. Do you think that should be possible?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I once thought that Raon wasn¡¯t actually a patient and was just hiding his strength. However, that isn¡¯t possible. His body still has a brutal coldness running through it.¡± Recently, he kept paying attention to Raon during training, as he really went all out on every moment. ¡°I¡¯m considering singling him out to give him personal training.¡± Since he did his best in the training that he had prepared, Rimmer couldn¡¯t help but feel more affection for Raon than the others. ¡°You would go that far?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t stop, even if his body bes frosty like a winter tree. The other children are training hard because they are stimted by him. He is the fifth training ground¡¯s stimnt.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn scratched his chin with an expressionless face, but he couldn¡¯t hide his slight rise to the corner of his lips. ¡°It looks like a lot more children will end up passing than I expected.¡± Despite murmuring it was bothersome, his eyes were smiling. ¡°Isn¡¯t it overloading Raon¡¯s body?¡± Glenn finally spoke. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer secretly gulped. ¡®It¡¯s more than I thought.¡¯ He already knew that Glenn had a special affection for Raon, but he didn¡¯t think he would specifically ask that. It looked like the affection he couldn¡¯t give to his youngest daughter was transferred to Raon. ¡°Well, that part is a bit strange. He is certainly overworking himself, but he recovers so quickly that it¡¯s mysterious.¡± ¡°Is it impossible to figure out, even for you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. It¡¯s the first time my eyes can¡¯t grasp someone after the Ten Heavens of the Continent.¡± Rimmer tilted his head as he answered. He was better than anyone at analyzing others¡¯ potential or condition, but Raon was different. Honestly, Raon was more mysterious than Glenn, who rose to the rank of the continent¡¯s strongest. ¡°Rimmer.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t Raon¡¯s personal instructor, but the head instructor of the fifth training ground. Pay attention to everyone who will be the family¡¯s strength, instead of only thinking about Raon.¡± Glenn walked down the mountain after saying that with a lot of dignity. ¡°Hah.¡± Rimmer snorted to that ridiculousness. ¡°What the hell is he saying when he came to listen to Raon¡¯s story?¡± Chapter 16 Inside the lord¡¯s manor, which resembled a gigantic sword in its sharp atmosphere, its owner¡ªGlenn Zieghart¡ªwas sitting on the throne with narrow eyes. ¡®Come to think of it¡­¡¯ There was something that the bum called the Ragged Saint had said. ¡®There are cases of them having exceptional talent.¡¯ Patrick had mentioned that there were cases of children born with the Curse of Frost being exceptionally talented. ¡®Did that talent manifest?¡¯ If that wasn¡¯t the case, then there was no way Raon would still be taking the elixir. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn groaned. It wasn¡¯t a demeanor he could show to the others as the Destructive King of the North. ¡®It was a mistake, a huge mistake.¡¯ There was a time when his emotions were as dry as the desert¡¯s sands, from breaking through his martial arts realm. Sylvia was born at that time. He didn¡¯t give her any love, unlike the other children. He was more like a trainer than a father, as he just raised her by giving her tasks. As such, Sylvia didn¡¯t get any love from her father nor her mother, and she didn¡¯t get any affection from her siblings, either. She ended up living like a creaking marite and left the family with a man she met from the outside. ¡®I really didn¡¯t feel anything back then.¡¯ Glenn knew that her siblings¡¯ nder and the subordinates¡¯ revolt were among the reasons why she left, but he didn¡¯t really care. That was because it didn¡¯t matter to him what happened to Sylvia. Back then, his only concern was bing more powerful and making the family bigger and stronger. And five years after that, he finally realized it after regaining his human emotions when he broke through another hellish wall of martial arts. The fact that he had made a huge mistake that couldn¡¯t be reversed. Sending the bodyguards after her, he managed to save Sylvia¡ªand Raon inside her womb¡ªbut his son-inw and the granddaughter he hadn¡¯t even met were mere pools of blood. ¡®How pathetic.¡¯ He bit his lips from his embarrassing past. Zieghart¡¯s head of house, the Destructive King of the North, the Sword Emperor. He was called by different names, but none of them could reverse his past mistake. He was on extremely bad terms with Sylvia, and it was impossible to recover. ¡®Raon.¡¯ That¡¯s why he resolved to protect his youngest grandson no matter what, even if that would make him hated by Sylvia and Raon as a result. Knock knock. When he was steeling his resolution, he heard someone knock on the door. ¡°Haaah¡­¡± Wiping the exhaustion from his expression, he opened his mouth with cold dignity. ¡°Enter.¡± *** Raon entered the indoor gymnasium, excitement pulsing through his veins. ¡®I finally feel warmed up.¡¯ Thanks to the two weeks of constant training, he managed to get up to the level of the middle-tier group. At that rate, it looked like he would catch up to Burren and Runaan¡¯s level before the test. ¡®Let¡¯s start today¡¯s training.¡¯ When he lifted the shoulder equipment, Runaan approached to his left. ¡°Huff!¡± She started lifting a weight way heavier than his with a zed expression, as if she were going to start drooling. The dumb looking girl is here again. ¡®Let her be.¡¯ Since she wasn¡¯t bothering him, he ignored her and kept working. This time around, he could hear someone sitting down on his right side. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Am I bothering you?¡± The green-haired trainee with a pocket on his belly was scratching his head. He was the only one who would speak to him. ¡®His name was Dorian.¡¯ He got scared by Rimmer¡¯s instructions each time, but he was fast-footed and tenacious. ¡°Do you want some?¡¯ Dorian offered him round crackers from his belly pocket again. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon unintentionally took it. When he was about to give it back, he could feel a powerful gaze from his side. Runaan¡¯s purple eyes were sparkling like a snow field. It¡¯s my first time seeing that dumb girl with that expression. ¡®Does she like crackers?¡¯ Her eyes were fixated on the cracker. ¡°Do you want it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Raon extended the hand holding the cracker towards her. After thinking about it for a bit, moving her finger like a wild cat, she took the cracker. ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡± Showing her appreciation to Raon and Dorian, she bit the cracker like a rabbit nibbling a leaf. Her lips drew a soft arc, looking like she enjoyed the cracker. She was like a cat when she took it, and a rabbit when she ate it, and an idle puppy at other times. She was peculiar in many ways. ¡°Erm¡­ Sir Raon?¡± Dorian turned his head, after putting the rest of his crackers back to his pocket. ¡°Can I also train next to you?¡± He said he wanted to learn the posture as well. ¡°If you want.¡± Raon nodded. His quick progress was thanks to the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and his experience from his previous life. Copying his posture was not an issue. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Waving his hand at Dorian¡¯s expression, he focused on his lifting once again. Creak! When he was stimting his muscles as much as possible, he could hear Dorian¡¯s equipment moving at the same speed and range, and the same could be heard from his left side, where Runaan was located. ¡®They¡¯re weirdos.¡¯ The King of Essence likes the guy that looks like a green racoon. ¡®Why?¡¯ He bowed to the King of Essence. This is the first respect I¡¯ve received since I woke up. ¡®¡­¡¯ Raon wanted to tell him that it wasn¡¯t directed at him, but since it would be annoying, he didn¡¯t say it. ¡®There are two children around me.¡¯ *** Five Weeks In. Raon passed the middle-tier in the daybreak sprint and caught up to the middle-upper tier. During that evening¡¯s training, another person was added to his group, on top of Runaan and Dorian. Ten Weeks In. Raon was the fastest among the middle-upper tier, and one more trainee was added to his group that evening. Fifteen Weeks In. Raon caught up to the highest tier. The six people next to him also improved drastically. * * * Four months had passed since the fifth training ground¡¯s temporary training had begun. Rimmer kept instructing various kinds of training, and the difficulty kept increasing as well. Training began before daybreak and continued into the evening, and even the children from the upper-tier, who had excellent stamina, were starting to show their exhaustion. Of course, the training was fundamentally the same. Everything was up to the trainee¡¯s decision, including the daybreak and afternoon training that Rimmer instructed, and the independent training that happened in the evening. Rimmer and the instructors never scolded anyone for giving up or skipping the independent training. If trainees asked for a posture or advice, they thoroughly taught them, but that was it. They never told them to work harder, nor to work out more regrly. At that point, they seemed more like observers rather than instructors. Leaving twelve- to thirteen-year-old children to decide everything was an innovative way of teaching. In fact, the coteral and rmended children, who were proud of their abilities, didn¡¯t do their best. Theypletely skipped the independent training. They seemed to believe that they could be official trainees without going through all that. However, there was one person who made them change their mind. Raon Zieghart. The infamous boy started to change the fifth training ground for the better. When training first began, Raon¡¯s stamina was at the lower-tier. He managed to run until the end of the first sprint, but he couldn¡¯t catch up to the middle-tier, and his face had be as pale as a dying man. But he kept running. He managed to withstand training that made even those with better stamina give up. When it came to the independent training, he was the first to start and thest to leave. He wasn¡¯t just panting but breathing out white steam as he trained, and he showed results the next day. His stamina, strength and agility all improved drastically, that he had gone from the lower-tier to tenth among the one hundred sixty trainees in ranking. The children that saw it happening right in front of their eyes were speechless. The coterals, the children from vassal families, and the rmended children didn¡¯t take it easy anymore. They started to do their best and didn¡¯t skip independent training. Raon, who was aughingstock, had be their rival. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case for everyone. Burren and the coterals that followed him still believed that training their stamina to that extent was unnecessary and practiced the sword and fist that their families had taught them. And time passed, with everyone doing their best in their own way. * * * * * * ¡°Huff!¡± Raon exhaled violently while sprinting during daybreak. His stamina and agility had increased a lot, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that running at full force exhausted him. ¡®But something did change.¡¯ The countless children that were running ahead of him weren¡¯t there anymore. Thanks to his improved stats and the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, there were less than ten trainees ahead of him. Pathetic. It¡¯s been so long, yet you still have so many insects ahead of you. ¡®You should say that it¡¯s amazing how fast I¡¯ve improved.¡¯ Wrath was the same as always. He was alwaysining, asking him to hand over his body. ¡®I thought I could catch up to them soon enough, but those two are certainly different.¡¯ Raon caught the sight of Runaan and Burren running the farthest away. He knew it already, but they were on a whole different level from the other children. They were born with the best talents, had a strong willpower, and were properly educated by their family to never bezy. There was a twisted side, but it wasn¡¯t strange considering they were just twelve-year-old children. ¡®Shall I run a bit more today?¡¯ Raon kicked the ground, making the best of his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. He felt like his lungs were being torn apart like paper, but he used the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ to support himself and kept running. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°Shit!¡± The highest tier children red at him as Raon outran them. Swoosh! Burren and Runaan looked back, hearing the winding from behind them. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Burren frowned deeply, and Runaan¡¯s eyes sparkled like a cat having found a jewel. They turned back and started running again, as if telling him to try following them. ¡®They are certainly different. However¡­¡¯ Raon lifted his corner of lips as he watched their backs. ¡®The remaining time should be enough.¡¯ Considering the rate at which he had been growing, he estimated that he would pass them in stamina, strength and agility before the test urred. Although, if they used their aura, it would¡¯ve been a different story. ¡®Aura¡­¡¯ The children from the direct line, the coteral line, and the vassal families¡ªincluding Runaan and Burren¡ªhad all learned how to train their aura. On the other hand, despite cultivating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, Raon didn¡¯t have a single speck of aura inside him. ¡®I do need to learn it¡­¡¯ When he thought about learning aura, he was perplexed. ¡®The one I used before isn¡¯t too bad.¡¯ The cultivation technique of the shadow aura that he had learned in his previous life was pretty decent. It could be learned quickly, it was deceitful, and it was so sharp that it was excellent at assassination and fighting people. ¡®However¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t be the best with the shadow aura. Since he decided to live as a warrior instead of an assassin, he had to learn a better cultivation technique for his aura. ¡®And I¡¯ll need aplishments for that.¡¯ The Glenn he¡¯d seen and the Glenn he¡¯d heard of were the exact same. A cold-blooded person who only thought of his family, he was strict with rewards and punishments. If he graduated first ce in basic training, he was certainly going to reward him ordingly. ¡®My goal is clear.¡¯ In order to return Sylvia to where she belonged, to learn a better cultivation technique, he had to train harder. What are you doing? Stop being satisfied with outrunning those insects and catch up to those two. I can¡¯t bear to see them running ahead of the King of Essence. Wrath¡¯s turbulent anger agitated his emotions. A new message appeared as Raon kept running and withstanding it. Sessfully withstood ¡¯s interruption. Stamina has increased. Hmph. Again?! Raon nodded as Wrath boiled with his anger. ¡®And I should make effective use of him, too.¡¯ *** ¡°That¡¯s it for today¡¯s training. Do your independent training now if you want.¡± Rimmer left as soon as the afternoon training ended. He was humming and murmuring that he was going to drink. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Burren exhaled in irritation, watching his back. ¡®I really don¡¯t like him.¡¯ He knew Rimmer was called the Sword of Light, but he behaved like a good-for-nothing. He was just lying down watching when he was supposed to instruct, and he wasn¡¯t interested in the independent training, either. Despite that, he was going to evaluate Burren to see if he could be an official trainee. He looked like a grasshopper that only knew how to jump around. ¡°Lord Burren, aren¡¯t you going to do your independent training today?¡± While he was frowning at Rimmer¡¯s back, Krein and the other coteral children approached him. They had be rather close by now. ¡°I¡¯m going to.¡± Burren nodded and grabbed his wooden sword. The pleasant weight in his hand made him smile. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Burren and the other coteral children spread out and started to train their swordsmanship. Because he was so focused on it, Burren only stopped once the sun hadpletely set. ¡®I feel the mostfortable when I¡¯m training with a sword.¡¯ His irritation died down when he trained the swordsmanship his father had taught him. ¡°That¡¯s it for today.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Thank you for your effort.¡± At Burren¡¯smand, the children bowed respectfully. Despite being the youngest of them all, he naturally became their leader with his position as a part of the direct line and his amazing talent. ¡°Follow me if you want to train further.¡± After putting down his wooden sword, he entered the indoor gymnasium and frowned. ¡®That guy.¡¯ Raon was training his strength with equipment, and a few trainees¡ªincluding Runaan¡ªwere next to him. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Burren breathed out his boiling anger. What annoyed him the most wasn¡¯t actually Rimmer or the other instructors. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ That boy, who he hadn¡¯t been paying attention to because he was of the lowest rank, was bing increasingly irritating. ¡®Why is she next to him?¡¯ Runaan was as talented as he was, and was a daughter of Sullion, the strongest vassal family. He couldn¡¯t understand why she would stick to Raon. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ He¡¯d thought of her as his rival, yet she was just following Raon around. That fact was making him boil with anger. Moreover, some of the rmended children that he¡¯d thought well of were also following Raon around, which annoyed him even more. ¡°Please don¡¯t mind them. They are just impaired birds flocking together.¡± ¡°Even the best vassal family is just a vassal family, after all.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t even do anything together.¡± The coterals sneered at Raon and Runaan, but Burren didn¡¯tugh. It was a fact that Runaan was way more talented than the coterals behind him. ¡°Tsk.¡± Burren clicked his tongue and entered the gymnasium. Sitting next to Raon and Runaan, who were training their lower bodies, he started lifting a weight heavier than they were. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Amazing, Lord Burren!¡± ¡°How is he lifting that much¡­¡± Everyone in the gymnasium eximed and pped their hands. Despite receiving gazes filled with admiration and amazement, Burren¡¯s expression stiffened like the bark of a tree. ¡®Those bastards!¡¯ Raon and Runaan kept training without even taking a nce at him. Thud! Burren dropped down the weight violently and stood up, but the two didn¡¯t even turn their heads. As if they werepeting with each other, they were only focused on their own equipment. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Burren¡¯s face grew as red as an apple. He mmed the door open and left the gymnasium. ¡®Let¡¯s see if you can still make that face after I end up in first ce by an overwhelming difference!¡¯ Chapter 17 After washing his face, Raon stared at the sun rising outside the window with damp eyes. ¡°Today is the day.¡± Six months had passed, and it was the morning of the fifth training ground¡¯s official trainee selection test. If it was any other day, he would¡¯ve been swallowing dust as he ran in the training grounds. However, since it was the day of the test, he was still rxing. Raon Zieghart. As he was getting dressed after wiping his face, Wrath spoke to him. ¡°What?¡± Do you remember your bet with the King of Essence? ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded, putting on his training uniform. He obviously didn¡¯t forget that Wrath offered to give things out for free. I admit that your progress was rather fast for a human, but you didn¡¯t manage to catch up to those two. Are you prepared to take in the King of Essence¡¯s wrath? Wrath wasn¡¯t wrong. Despite running for three months, he didn¡¯t manage to run past Runaan or Burren. However, the test was a different story. It didn¡¯t matter whether he had to spar with them or had to show how much stamina he had umted. He was confident that he would win if he used the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and his experience from his previous life. ¡°The proof of pudding is in the eating.¡± There is no point in bluffing. The King of Essence is soon going to take over your soul and body. ¡®Then tell me about it when that happens.¡¯ I¡¯m looking forward to the day your confidence crumbles. ¡®That won¡¯t happen.¡¯ Raon waved his hand. ¡®It¡¯s difficult to live with an enemy.¡¯ Wrath trying to interfere with his emotions wasn¡¯t a big deal, but his talkativeness was rather annoying. He couldn¡¯t understand how one that called himself a monarch of devildom could talk so much. ¡®It does have its merits, though.¡¯ Wrath''s interruption ended up granting him a fair number of stats. It was a bit painful, but Wrath was like the goose thatid golden eggs. Name: Raon Zieghart. Title: None. State: Curse of Frost (Eight Strands), Poor Stamina, Decline in Athletic Ability, Decline in Mana Affinity Trait: Wrath, Ring of Fire (Three-Star), Water Resistance (Three-Star) Strength: 25 Agility: 24 Stamina: 23 Energy: 15 Perception: 44 It wasn¡¯t just the numbers. His body¡¯s actual abilities had improved drastically, to the point that his movements couldn¡¯t evenpare to how they used to be. Kuh! The status window of the King of Essence¡­ Despite Wrath¡¯s groan, Raon smiled in satisfaction and walked out into the lobby. They look like they are facing death. ¡®You¡¯re right.¡¯ The children gathered in the lobby looked extremely worried, like soldiers being dragged into a war. ¡®It must be because of the test.¡¯ Rimmer didn¡¯t exin anything about the kind of test it was going to be, nor its difficulty or how many people were going to pass. He only said that they could pass if they did their best, so it was just a matter of course that the children were worried. Raon thought that he would¡¯ve been making the same expression if he hadn¡¯t been reincarnated, or if he didn¡¯t have the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. How pathetic of them to look like a defeated chicken before the real war even begins. ¡®They are still children.¡¯ Raon looked around the depressed children, then walked outside. You are a child as well. ¡®I¡¯m different.¡¯ Hmph, humans like to believe they are special. ¡®¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t respond to Wrath¡¯s provocation, since there was no need to confess that he had been reincarnated. Swoosh. As he was walking towards the fifth training ground next to the dormitory, light steps could be heard. And here shees again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes and looked back. A purple eyed girl with silver hair flowing down her shoulders was following him. ¡°Runaan.¡± It was Runaan Sullion. After sticking to him during independent training, she was also following him from the dormitory. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Runaan turned her head with a mindless expression. With her hands behind her back, she looked away awkwardly. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Raon sighed and turned back. Runaan was always like that. She¡¯d silently walk up to him and copy his training while spacing out. ¡®I don¡¯t know why she follows me.¡¯ From what could be seen, Burren¡¯s abilities were better than his. He possessed splendid swordsmanship, excellent physical abilities, and pretty decent leadership. However, Runaan didn¡¯t seem interested in him at all. She just followed Raon around, resembling a stray cat that would follow the person that fed them around. ¡®But I didn¡¯t even feed her.¡¯ He did give her a cracker before, but it was Dorian¡¯s. He didn¡¯t actually do anything for her, so he couldn¡¯t understand why she would follow him like a duckling followed its mother. ¡®She¡¯s entric.¡¯ Raon shook his head and made for the training ground. When he arrived, a green-haired boy waved at him. ¡°Y-young master¡­¡± It was Dorian, who was the second person to start following him. His hands and legs were trembling, as if he were cold. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? Are you sick?¡± ¡°N-no, I¡¯m not. There¡¯s a test today, and I didn¡¯t manage to get any sleep, because I was too worried. Ugh.¡± The bags under Dorian¡¯s eyes were as ck as coal. Those bags clearly showed his exhaustion. ¡°You should pass without any problem, though.¡± Raon nced past him. Dorian was always scared, but the number of trainees who could best him in terms of talent and tenacity could be counted on ten fingers. There was no way he would fail as long as he showed his abilities. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what the test is, and I¡¯m super weak! There is nothing I can do!¡± Dorian dry heaved and bit his nails with trembling lips. It didn¡¯t look like he was acting, as he seemed really scared. He is the bona fide insect among all the insects I¡¯ve seen. Crush his head already. ¡®You¡¯ve said before that you liked him.¡¯ The King of Essence doesn¡¯t need a coward. ¡°It will be fine.¡± Instead of encouraging him, Raon told him it as a fact and walked past him. Despite his timid personality, throwing up didn¡¯t stop him from training. No matter what the test was, he was certainly going to manage. ¡°S-Sir Rimmer keeps his word. He said he would discern gems from pebbles, so a pebble like me will fail for sure.¡± ¡°Then go ahead and fail.¡± ¡°Eek! Young master Raon!¡± Raon waved his hand without looking back. He was just a stranger to him, so he didn¡¯t need to give more advice than it was necessary. Talking to him was starting to make him feel depressed as well. ¡°Hmm.¡± As he was about to enter the training ground, he met Burren¡¯s eyes. He was walking towards him from the side. Upon seeing Raon, Runaan, and Dorian, his eyes burned with anger, as if he were looking at his archenemy. ¡°Haah.¡± Raon sighed heavily. ¡®There isn¡¯t a single normal person around me.¡¯ In his previous life, he was surrounded by madmen. It looked like his current life wasn¡¯t much different. Pluck out his eyeballs. ¡®Including him¡­¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master Raon!¡± As Raon was warming up inside the training ground, a familiar voice was heard from his right side. ¡°Mom? Helen?¡± Sylvia, Helen, and the maids from the annex building were running towards him. ¡°Raon!¡± Upon reaching him, Sylvia hugged him tightly¡ªlike a bird embracing its egg. ¡°Oh my god! Your face has be so skinny! It must¡¯ve been hard, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Tears welled up in her narrowed eyes. Despite what she said, Raon had gotten thicker with muscles, and by no means was skinny. ¡°No Mom, I¡­¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard! Going through so many hardships¡­ Sniff.¡± Despite six months having passed, Sylvia was still the same. She didn¡¯t listen to him at all, and just worried about his body. Even you look like a child in front of your mother. ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Wrath chuckled, pleased that he saw something interesting. ¡°Young master. You¡¯ve done well.¡± Helen bowed, smiling lightly. The maids behind her also smiled, telling him that he was amazing. ¡°I didn¡¯t even pass the test yet, though.¡± Raon scratched his face. The embarrassment from being praised for nothing was making him itchy. ¡°You held on for six months.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the amazing part!¡± ¡°Yes. You really did great.¡± Helen and the other maids keptplimenting him nonstop. It was a natural reaction since they¡¯d expected him to fail and return right away. ¡°How did you get here?¡± Raon pushed back Sylvia, who was rubbing her cheeks against his, and turned his head to Helen. ¡°The guardians are allowed to witness the test today. It¡¯s not only us, but others are also here.¡± He looked around following Helen¡¯s gesture. Just as she said, children were greeting their parents all over the training ground. ¡°But who is she¡­?¡± Sylvia¡¯s eyes widened as she spotted Runaan standing behind Raon. Runaan bowed to Sylvia. ¡®This girl is amazing.¡¯ Runaan didn¡¯t stop following Raon, despite Sylvia and Helening to see him. That personality of hers was more amazing than her talents. ¡°Runaan!¡± While Runaan and Sylvia were looking at each other, a thick voice could be heard from the left side. It was a middle-aged man with slicked back silver hair. ¡®Rokan Sullion.¡¯ He was Rokan Sullion, the head of the vassal family Sullion, and Runaan¡¯s father. That dumb girl¡¯s face doesn¡¯t change, even at the end. Like Wrath said, Runaan¡¯s eyes stayed hazy as she looked at her father for the first time in six months. ¡°Father?¡± ¡°What are you doing here? Let¡¯s go!¡± After ring at Raon and Sylvia, he grabbed her hand and dragged her away. ¡­ I¡¯ve seen many humans before, but that one is really¡­ special. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ He smirked bitterly at Runaan, who kept looking at him while being dragged away. ¡°Runaan is the youngest daughter of the Sullion family, right? The one who was at the Judgment Ceremony with you.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You two became friends, right?¡± Sylvia smiled. Asking him how they became friends, she looked at him closely. ¡°We aren¡¯t friends.¡± Raon shook his head firmly. ¡°You aren¡¯t friends? Then what are you?¡± ¡°I wonder¡­¡± He honestly wasn¡¯t sure about his rtionship with Runaan. He didn¡¯t even know what a friend was in the first ce. ¡°My son, if people approach you, you should be friendly to them instead of pushing them away.¡± Sylvia pouted. ¡°I¡¯ve never done that.¡± He just didn¡¯t care whether they approached him or not. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that! Bring her to the annex building next time. Mommy will prepare delicious food for you.¡± ¡°I already told you we aren¡¯t friends.¡± ¡°Aww, I¡¯m really dying¡­ Ah? Aren¡¯t you¡­ Young master Raon¡¯s mother?¡± While Raon was giving an evasive answer, Dorian¡ªwho had been retching¡ªwalked up to them with round eyes. ¡°Yes. And who are you?¡± ¡°My¡­ My name is Dorian! The young master has been taking care of me! Please ept my greetings!¡± Dorian bowed until his head almost hit the ground. ¡°Oh my!¡± ¡°Oh, young master!¡± Sylvia and Helen smiled widely. The fact that Raon had been helping someone was making them happy. ¡°I was wondering why young master Raon was so handsome, but it was thanks to you! You¡¯re really beautiful!¡± Dorian took out a flower from his belly pocket and handed it to Sylvia. He couldn¡¯t talk at all when he was scared, yet his speech and actions didn¡¯t show a speck of hesitation. Raon wondered what the hell was wrong with him. ¡°Ohoho! Thank you.¡± Sylvia smiled, epting the flower. She seemed to really appreciate it from the way she was looking at them. ¡°Go away now.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Raon tapped Dorian, trying to push him away, but Sylvia interrupted. ¡°Dorian, can you tell me about how Raon has been doing?¡± ¡°Of¡­ of course! Young master Raon has gone up from the lowest tier to the highest tier, making history in the fifth training ground! Everyone watching him has been moved to tears¡­¡± ¡°Hoo!¡± Dorian kept talking as if he were trying to ovee his nervousness with chatter. The test hadn¡¯t even started yet, but Raon felt already exhausted. It¡¯s outrageous how much that human talks. ¡®Still not as much as you.¡¯ ¡°¡­And just like that, thanks to young master Raon teaching us his posture, me and the other rmended children in the lower-tier managed to climb to the middle-upper tier. As for everything else, I¡¯ll tell youter! I''m in a bit of a hurry right now!¡± Dorian bowed to her, then ran towards the toilet. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°Young master Raon!¡± Helen and the other maids were moved to tears as they put their hands together. If they had listened any longer, they might have really started to cry. ¡°Helping others is nice and all, but how about you? You still get cold easily. Is the dormitory warm enough? Are you sick at all?¡± But Sylvia¡¯s eyes seemed more worried than moved. She was as true to her emotions, as always. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon tapped his chest with a confident smile. But it wasn¡¯t enough to make all the worries disappear from Sylvia¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to repeat myself, but you can stop whenever it¡¯s difficult. Don¡¯t mind the others, just follow your heart. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He nodded and Sylvia¡¯s worries seemed to fade away a little. She was still the same, she has always been the mother who worried about her son¡¯s well-being. ¡°By the way, Helen.¡± Sylvia slightly turned her head with a mischievous look. ¡°Yes, Lady Sylvia?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think Raon has gotten cuter in the time he¡¯s been away?¡± ¡°Certainly. As expected of mdy''s son.¡± ¡°Right? Raon! Let Mommy hug you one more time¡­¡± ¡°Ugh! W-wait!¡± When Raon tried to step back from the approaching Sylvia, pressure appeared at the entrance of the training ground. ¡®This power¡­¡¯ Raon clenched his teeth and stared at the main entrance. Frightening pressure could be felt from beyond the brown door. Wham! When the door to the training ground opened wide, a man that he¡¯d thought would nevere appeared. ¡°Gr-greetings, my lord!¡± ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± It was Glenn. Everyone who faced the head of House Zieghart knelt. ¡®Why is he here?¡¯ ¡°Father?¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Sylvia and Helen also knelt and bowed. So, he was the owner of the power I felt from afar. To think that someone like that exists in this era¡­ Wrath spoke with admiration for the first time since waking up. It seemed like Glenn¡¯s prowess was impressive, even for him. His power is on a whole different level. He broke through the extremity and transcendence. But he might not have much time left. ¡®Time? What are you talking about?¡¯ ¡­ Without responding, Wrath stared at Glenn. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon turned his eyes to Glenn once more. After slowly looking around at the children and their parents, Glenn walked up on the tform and sat on the chair Rimmer usually sat on. ¡°Eek?¡± Rimmer, who was entering over the wall, opened his mouth wide upon seeing him. ¡°Why is my lord here¡­?¡± Glenn red at Rimmer, unsatisfied about something. ¡°This is an event selecting the family¡¯s future. Why shouldn¡¯t I be here?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess you¡¯re wee here.¡± Rimmer jumped over the wall while smiling awkwardly. Bowing to Glenn, he trotted up on the tform. ¡°I wanted to take my time. Since my lord is here, I can¡¯t do that anymore. Let¡¯s start the trainee selection test immediately.¡± Scratching the back of his head, he instructed the parents to move back. The parents told their children to do their best and moved away. ¡°Raon.¡± Raon turned back at Sylvia calling him. ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡°Young master, please don¡¯t strain yourself.¡± Instead of telling him to do his best, Sylvia and Helen worried about him and left. They are so weak, not suitable for you. Raon nodded. They¡¯ve never wanted him to be excellent, and all they wanted was for him to stay healthy. ¡®I still can¡¯t get used to it.¡¯ His trainers in his previous life had only wanted results. The stark difference between them made it difficult for him to get used to. He turned his head back after staring at the two of them walking away, and Rimmer was grinning at him. ¡°Then everyone, the details of the trainee selection test that everyone has been curious about will be revealed.¡± Rimmer shook his hand from the tform. His expression was as light as always, but the small pressure emanating from him expanded its colossal wings. Wham! Albeit weaker than Glenn Zieghart¡¯s, the powerful pressure surrounding the entire training ground made the parents frown, and the children shrink down. Tap! With light yet majestic steps, Rimmer walked towards the center of the training ground. ¡°Pierce through my pressure.¡± Looking down on the children in front of him, a chill light radiated from his eyes. ¡°That is my test.¡± Chapter 18 ¡°Pressure?¡± Raon frowned. ¡®I thought he would test my stamina and willpower.¡¯ Considering the training that Rimmer had been instructing them on so far, he should¡¯ve tested his stamina and willpower, and yet he chose pressure. ¡°Pressure?¡± ¡°Is he really testing pressure on the children¡­?¡± ¡°He really is going too far.¡± The parents spoke up, as they didn¡¯t expect the content of the test either. ¡°I¡¯m the instructor, so please be silent.¡± Rimmer snorted and waved his hand. ¡°Pressure is an integral aspect of a warrior. I¡¯m evaluating such an important ability, so why are youining so much?¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. Pressure was the harmony between the spirit and expertise of a warrior. A powerful pressure could often make the enemies lose their will to fight, without actually fighting. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since the children learned aura. Testing pressure is unreasonable.¡± ¡°And some children didn¡¯t even learn aura.¡± ¡°The test ispletely unfair!¡± ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t aware of it. Pressure isn¡¯t just a manifestation of aura.¡± Rimmer swung his long finger left and right. ¡°True pressure is thebination of a warrior¡¯s achievements. It¡¯s a warrior¡¯s testimony, which can be manifested without an aura.¡± A chill and rusty wind surrounded the training ground alongside his firm voice. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. Rimmer had just expanded his pressure without using aura, as if he were proving what he was saying. ¡°If you still want toin, then ask the head of house.¡± Rimmer turned around. Smirking, as if he had never been serious, he bowed to Glenn. ¡°My esteemed lord, is a warrior¡¯s pressure created from aura?¡± ¡®Hah.¡¯ Raon huffed. Rimmer was really an unexpected man, or elf, for him to suddenly involve the head of house. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. Even those who never learned aura end up developing pressure, depending on how they¡¯ve been living.¡± ¡°Wow! As expected of my lord!¡± Rimmer turned around and pped his hands. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°If my lord says so¡­¡± Since Glenn himself had said it, nobody could question it any longer¡ªdirect line and coteral alike. That pointy-eared bastard just said something to my liking for the first time ever. Pressures created from something like mana, demonic energy or aura are all fake. A pressure stemming from the achievements of the soul is the only real one. Wrath nodded in agreement. It reminds me of back in the days in devildom. When insignificant demons started to run rampant, the King of Essence used a mighty pressure to make those fakes surrender¡­ ugh! Since it looked like he was going to keep talking, Raon tapped his bracelet. ¡°For the past six months, thanks to my detailed training, the children kept surpassing their limits¡­¡± ¡°Stop lying.¡¯ Karoon Zieghart, the second son of Glenn¡ªand Burren¡¯s father¡ªstood up while ring at him. ¡°There are many witnesses of your lying down napping during the regr training sessions. Did you even train them properly?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it as well, that he¡¯d only show up without giving them any attention.¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯d always sleep and let the children train on their own!¡± ¡°Oh, you are well aware.¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t panic. He nodded instead,plimenting their intelligence capabilities. ¡°That¡¯s also part of my training.¡± ¡°How was that training?¡± ¡°Which one do you think will result in more achievement? Doing their best on their own ord? Or doing their best following someone else¡¯s instruction?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obviously the former.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. What I wanted from the children was that willpower. Stamina and skills can be taught, but improving willpower is difficult. I wanted to select the children with the best willpower and train them.¡± Rimmer¡¯s voice was the same as always, but his words were filled with wisdom. ¡°The children who surpassed their limits on their own managed to develop their own expertise, which will help them tremendously in the future.¡± The others couldn¡¯t protest his confident voice anymore. Their eyes shone with the expectation of their children¡¯s growth as they followed such training. ¡°Since everyone understands, let¡¯s start the test¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to ask onest question.¡± Karoon didn¡¯t withdraw. His eyes were still filled with distrust. ¡°Despite having received the same training, the expertise of the children are on different levels. How are you nning to evaluate that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check how much they have grownpared to their temperament at the beginning of the training. And the temporary trainee that has grown the most will be first ce.¡± ¡°Does ¡®beginning¡¯ mean six months ago? Are you implying that you remember the temperaments of all one hundred sixty children?¡± ¡°I¡¯d have to quit being an instructor if I couldn¡¯t even remember that.¡± Rimmer grinned, and Karoon¡¯s expression stiffened even more. ¡°Well, now that every troublemaker¡ªI mean, every parent is convinced, let¡¯s begin. Runaan, stand in front of me. The rest of you stay back.¡± Runaan nodded lightly and stood in front of Rimmer, while other children stepped away. ¡°Runaan Sullion. The pressure I¡¯ll be emitting is on the level that you can withstand if you¡¯ve been doing your best.¡± Smiling lightly, Rimmer continued. ¡°You pass if you touch me through my pressure.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Runaan quietly responded and nodded. ¡°Then, I¡¯m starting.¡± Rimmer closed his eyes, then opened them. As a green light sparked from his eyes, a powerful pressure emerged. Rumble! The oppressive pressure that suddenly emerged crushed Runaan¡¯sposure. ¡°Ugh!¡± Biting her lip, she curled up like a shrimp. ¡°You fail if you use aura. Use the willpower that you¡¯ve been using to withstand your training until now.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Getting rid of the aura she was about to use, she stepped forward. Cold sweat rained down her forehead, but she took step after a step, while enduring it until the end. Tap. Slowly but precisely, Runaan extended her hand and grabbed Rimmer¡¯s sleeve. ¡°You easily passed. I can see that you have been doing your best.¡± Rimmer grinned, and patted Runaan¡¯s head. ¡°Haah!¡± Exhaling violently, Runaan stepped to the side. * * * * * * ¡°Next is Dorian.¡± ¡°Ah, me? Already? Is it really my turn?¡± Dorian, who was hiding behind Raon, trembled as he peeked out. He kept anxiously fiddling with his belly pocket. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s up with this order¡­¡± ¡°I made it. Come out already.¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± Dorian walked up with tears in his eyes. He looked like he was going to a ughterhouse. He started to retch again. ¡°You saw what Runaan did. Pierce through my wall of pressure using the willpower you¡¯ve umted through training.¡± ¡°Ca-can I do it? Everyone knows I have no willpower¡­¡± ¡°You fail if you can¡¯t.¡± Rimmer expanded his second pressure. It was clearly weaker than the one towards Runaan, confirming that he was going to adjust his pressure to the trainee. ¡°Uhee!¡± Making a weird noise like a racoon, Dorian stepped back. ¡°You fail if you step back any further.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to give you onest piece of advice. You are scared easily, but you¡¯ve always been serious about your training. Trust yourself and walk forth.¡± ¡°A-alright.¡± Dorian closed his mouth hearing Rimmer¡¯s calm voice. Then he slowly stepped forward. He faltered like a baby walking for the first time, but he didn¡¯t fall. Slowly but surely, he moved forward and extended his hand. Tap. Dorian¡¯s hand reached Rimmer¡¯s waist. ¡°You pass. Youck confidencepared to your capability. From now on, be more¡­¡± ¡°Kueh!¡± Sadly, Dorian was too busy vomiting, so he couldn¡¯t listen. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s continue.¡± Rimmer immediately designated the next person. *** By the time the sun started setting in the western sky, most of the children had finished their tests. There were a decent number of children who managed to pass, but several times more of them failed and started to cry. It was interesting that most of the children that were stimted by Raon and trained next to him managed to pass. However, more than half of those who trained their sword or fist while following Burren failed. As the test continued, Burren¡¯s expression stiffened. His turn finally came with only Raon left after him. ¡°Burren Zieghart. Come forth.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Burren walked heavily up to Rimmer. His frown was obvious to anyone''s eyes. ¡®But of course.¡¯ Raon snickered. His pride must have been hurt because half of his training partners failed. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡± With a smile, Rimmer expanded his pressure. The pressure, simr to what Runaan had withstood, became a green wind and crushed against Burren. Wham! Burren bit his lip until it bled, facing the tornado of pressure. ¡®D-did she really walk through this?¡¯ Facing the pressure waspletely different from watching from the sidelines. Runaan was just a coward that gave up onpeting with him. He couldn¡¯t believe she managed to pierce through the pressure. ¡°Kuh!¡± His feet didn¡¯t move, no matter how much he steeled himself. It was too difficult. ¡®Maybe he is making it more difficult for me?¡¯ As doubt surfaced, he looked back at his father. But he was just standing there with a stiff expression, which meant that there was nothing wrong with the test. ¡°Your talent is special. Among the one hundred sixty talented trainees, those who can catch up to you can be counted on one hand. However.¡± Rimmer smiled and continued. ¡°You wasted your time, along with those that followed you. You should¡¯ve trained your stamina and willpower, instead of practicing swordsmanship that you don¡¯t fully understand the meaning of.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± Burren grit his teeth and walked forward. He instinctively started pulling out the aura in his energy center. ¡°You¡¯ve always used your aura whenever you faced difficulty. You will fail as soon as you use that aura.¡± ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t use it.¡± Forcing down the emerging aura, he stepped forward. Each step felt as painful as walking onva. ¡®Huff!¡¯ He could feel a cold gaze from behind him. It was his father¡¯s. ¡®I will be abandoned if I don¡¯t hold out¡­¡¯ He remembered his two older brother¡¯s faces when they were abandoned because they weren¡¯t to the father¡¯s liking. He couldn¡¯t be a loser like them. ¡°Arghhh!¡± Burren stepped forward¡ªno, he almost crawled forward with an ugly expression and voice, one that someone from the direct line shouldn¡¯t show. With all his desperation, he managed to grab Rimmer¡¯s clothes. ¡°You pass.¡± Rimmer snickered and erased his pressure. ¡°Huaa!¡± Burren kept exhaling violently, lying down on the ground. It was an appearance he had never shown before. ¡°You are still twelve years old. Stop pretending to be an adult and train like the child you are. If you keep looking up while walking, stepping on a twig will make you trip.¡± Rimmer gave his advice to Burren, then turned his head. The smile on his face widened. ¡°Andstly, Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon stepped forward. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡± Rimmer¡¯s pressure exploded. A pressure more powerful than the one directed at Runaan and Burren became a storm crushing Raon. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master Raon!¡± Sylvia and Helen¡¯s cries could be heard from behind. ¡°Are you sure this is my test?¡± Raon frowned. When he had first entered the training ground, his expertise was way lower than the middle-lower tier children, let alone Runaan or Burren. Taking that into ount, Rimmer¡¯s pressure was far too powerful. ¡°I wonder?¡± Rimmer shrugged and continued. ¡°The talent I saw in you is better than Runaan or Burren. Try withstanding this.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Red me ignited in Raon¡¯s eyes, engulfed by green wind. ¡°Then I shall meet your expectations.¡± Chapter 19 Step. Raon took a step forward. The more he approached Rimmer, the stronger his pressure became. Not just the other children, it was difficult for even Burren or Runaan to pierce through such pressure. Yet, Raon could onlyugh. ¡®He¡¯s setting it up for me.¡¯ He didn¡¯t need to hide his abilities now that he had decided to live as Raon Zieghart. The stage to show off his talent was set, his abilities had opened, so he only needed to y his part on the stage. ¡°How is it? Tell me if it¡¯s too difficult¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon smiled lightly and moved his feet. ¡®It¡¯s too much for my current expertise.¡¯ Expertise followed the soul, not the body. That¡¯s why Raon didn¡¯t only have the expertise of Raon Zieghart, but also that of the greatest assassin Raon. Woosh! On top of Raon Zieghart¡¯s small yet sturdy pressure, the expertise of the assassin Raon, who had never failed before, stood at attention. Step. The sound of his footsteps walking on the training ground¡¯s sand changed. Raon¡¯s expertise, carried on his shoulder, expressed its serene intent. Rip! Pressure as sharp as a de ripped Rimmer¡¯s green wind pressure in half. ¡°What are you¡­?¡± Rimmer red. Panic appeared in his green eyes, which had always been easy going. Whir! Raon walked forward without responding. Cutting through the turbulent wind, he took five steps, and stood in front of Rimmer. Tap. He casually extended his hand and tapped Rimmer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is the test over?¡± ¡°Eh? Yes¡­¡± To his confident yetposed voice, Rimmer just nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lowering his hand, he erased the expertise of the assassin that he had called. It looked like he had strained himself, as his mind was in a daze. ¡°¡­¡± Rimmer''s mouth was still open wide, unable to hide his surprise. You! What the hell are you? Wrath¡¯s voice also sounded surprised. It was rare for him to show any emotion other than anger. ¡°Hmm.¡± While waiting for Rimmer¡¯s reaction, Raon looked around the silent training ground. The children from vassal families and coterals that had jeered at him, the children who had trained with him and were rooting for him, and even the parents remained silent. ¡°Wh-what? He pierced it? That brat?¡± ¡°No, just how did this¡­?¡± ¡°He is just a patient that hasn¡¯t even learned aura! It¡¯s impossible!¡± The trainees'' parents muttered with nk expressions. ¡°Raon! How is your body?¡± ¡°Young master, you must have strained yourself.¡± Sylvia and Helen teared up. They looked impressed, but their words spoke only of worry for his body. However, Glenn Zieghart¡¯s expressions didn¡¯t change. He looked as cold as always, as if ayer of ice covered his face. ¡®That one¡¯s a real deal.¡¯ Raon shook his head, looking at Glenn. *** ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Rimmer expressed his amazement looking at the calm Raon. ¡°You¡¯ve been watching me for the sixst months. I am Raon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you because you surpassed it. I emitted a pressure that you couldn''t withstand with your current ability. It was just a joke, and I didn¡¯t even imagine that you would pierce through it.¡± In order to discover the ability that Raon had been hiding, he gave off a pressure too powerful for him to withstand. He was certain that Raon couldn¡¯t pierce it, no matter how much power he had been hiding, yet Raon single handedly ripped through his pressure. Honestly, he still couldn¡¯t believe what had happened. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer took a nce at people behind Raon. ¡®Well, I do like that.¡¯ Their noisy mouths were shut tight, just like his own. The entirety of the training ground was at a loss because of what Raon had just done. ¡°Ahem. I was a bit distracted, despite being the head instructor.¡± Rimmer went back to the tform, riding the green wind. ¡°With Raon Zieghart as thest participant, the selection test for official trainees has ended. However, one more important event remains.¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze was focused on him as he mentioned an important event. ¡°It is the announcement of the first ce trainee, the representative of the trainees.¡± Since there was a high chance that the first ce trainee would be the family¡¯s head, greed dwelled in everyone¡¯s eyes¡ªchildren and parents alike. ¡®It went ording to the n, but the situation is different from expected.¡¯ It was actually decided that first ce would go to Raon Zieghart. He had shown the most progress as a temporary trainee, so it fit the test¡¯s purpose. Although, he didn¡¯t expect him to pass so easily. ¡®Thanks to that, the ident that I¡¯d prepared for might not happen.¡¯ Rimmer snickered and nced through the trainees. Looking past Runaan and Burren, his eyes stopped on Raon. ¡°Raon Zieghart. From today onward, you are the top trainee of the fifth training ground. Please do your best in the future.¡± ¡°Oh! Young master Raon!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Dorian pped his hands, and Runaan pped exactly three times, a strange expression on her face. ¡°Y-young master Raon is the top trainee!¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± ¡°Lady Sylvia!¡± Helen grabbed his head, and hugged Sylvia who was falling down. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Re-really?¡± ¡°That child is really in first ce? I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± ¡°Raon was the one who withstood the most powerful pressure.¡± ¡°But he is Sylvia¡¯s son! The runaway Sylvia!¡± ¡°That has no rtion to the child¡¯s abilities.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a scam that Rimmer had nned all along? He definitely could¡¯ve done it!¡± The others started arguing, iming that it was unbelievable. ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s a lie!¡± Burren stood up with trembling lips. ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡± ¡°What is a lie, and what can¡¯t be?¡± Rimmer looked back at Burren, uninterested. ¡°Raon is worse than me in terms of stamina, strength, and talent! I can¡¯t ept such a person getting first ce!¡± ¡°You saw it, too. Raon easily broke through pressure way more powerful than the one you barely managed to pass. He deserves first ce.¡± ¡°He must have used a trick!¡± ¡°Burren Zieghart, are you doubting my decision?¡± Rimmer¡¯s smile remained the same, but the atmosphere changed. It felt like a sharpness was added to the cool wind. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not what I mean! I¡¯m saying that he cheated! Raon couldn¡¯t even follow me yesterday, so it makes no sense that he pierced through such a powerful pressure!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Even the instructor couldn¡¯t believe it, right?¡± The coterals that followed Burren stood next to him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer scratched his chin. He certainly didn¡¯t expect Raon to pierce through his pressure so easily, so he could understand their im. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°How can he do that when he is suffering from the Curse of Frost?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t even have aura.¡± When he looked around, not only the children but also the adults were mumbling. They started to doubt the test, despite having seen it with their own eyes. ¡°Well, I do understand your doubts. I was surprised as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Burren¡¯s eyes opened wide at the glimpse of hope. ¡°We are a family of warriors, Zieghart. A duel should determine the first ce, rather than a test like this!¡± ¡°Do you want the first ce so much that you are suggesting a duel against Raon?¡± ¡°I mean, a duel with anyone. It doesn¡¯t have to be me¡­¡± ¡°Your eyes are full of desire; you don¡¯t need to lie.¡± Rimmer snickered and waved his hand. Burren blushed like an apple, but he didn¡¯t refute it. ¡°But the test is already over. My lord, what shall we do with this situation?¡± ¡°Burren Zieghart.¡± Glenn looked between Raon and Burren, then slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You need to pay the price if you want to change the verdict. Are you sure you are ready for it?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Burren immediately answered without giving it a thought. He was confident he would win against Raon, no matter what. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± This time, Glenn called Raon¡¯s name. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon saluted. ¡°The others cannot ept the result. Do you have any intention ofpeting with Burren?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± * * * * * * Raon firmly shook his head. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eeeh¡­¡± ¡°Is¡­ Is he crazy!¡± Since nobody expected him to immediately refuse, everyone¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°The test is over, and the results are out. Without gaining anything in return, there is no reason for me topete.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°After you bbered about the direct line, honor, and matters like that, I didn¡¯t expect that you wouldn¡¯t even ept the results.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± Burren¡¯s flush darkened as he heard Raon¡¯s sarcasm. ¡°Then do it like this.¡± Everyone looked at Glenn, whose voice sounded like a lump of iron was pressing down on it. ¡°Duel with the title of first ce on the line. If you win, I¡¯ll issue you a bronze tablet.¡± ¡®Bronze tablet!¡¯ Zieghart issued gold, silver, or bronze tablets, depending on their aplishments. Despite it being just a bronze tablet, one issued directly by the head of house would earn him some decent rewards. ¡®That¡¯s an unexpected piece of good luck.¡¯ He¡¯d already won the bet with Wrath by ending up with first ce, and now Glenn would give him a bronze tablet. His reward had just doubled. It looked like Glenn wished for Burren, from the direct line, to tag first ce. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t going to satisfy him. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Ra-Raon!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± As soon as he nodded, Sylvia ran up to him. He smiled at his worrying mother. ¡°Thank you for trusting me! My lord, I won¡¯t disappoint you!¡± Burren bowed to Glenn, overwhelmed by his emotions. ¡°That¡¯s enough, now begin the duel.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Springing to his feet, Burren walked up to Raon. ¡°To be facing me in a duel, your luck ends here.¡± He continued while grinning. ¡°I didn¡¯t like you from the very first time I saw you. I will show you the difference between the direct line and an abandoned insect.¡± ¡°Wow. The boy who couldn¡¯t ept the results talks so much.¡¯ Raon snickered and turned his wrist. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± ¡°Save the fight for the duel.¡± Rimmer stood between them, shaking his head. ¡°The duel will be one round. You are disqualified if you use a weapon or aura. Fight with nothing but your body.¡¯ ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, then¡­¡± Rimmer raised the hand that was blocking Raon and Burren¡¯s vision of each other and stepped back. ¡°Begin!¡± ¡°Haap!¡± Before the word ¡®begin¡¯ could reach his ears, Burren dashed. He thrust his fist sharply at Raon¡¯s sr plexus. Tap! Raon turned the back of his hand to fend off his fist. The fist¡¯s fierce rotation numbed his wrist. ¡°That¡¯s not enough to stop my fist!¡± Burrenughed coldly and thrust his fist a second time, this time at his stomach. Pow! He fended off the blow with his hand, but the impact sent pain up his forearm. ¡°This is the Void Tiger Fist that my father taught me personally. There was no rule against using a fist technique, so this isn¡¯t against the rules.¡± ¡°Void Tiger Fist¡­¡± Void Tiger Fist was Zieghart¡¯s fist technique, consisting in rotating a fist to break through the enemy¡¯s defense. ¡®What shall I do¡­?¡¯ It was powerful, but sloppy. He could easily beat him down. ¡®It would be a waste to simply win.¡¯ Since the stage was set, he wanted to use the opportunity to prove his ability to everyone. ¡°Where are you looking?!¡± Burren swung his fist. Leaning back, he avoided fist and stepped backward. ¡°This is the difference in talent!¡± He kept swinging his fist while using a stepping technique. Both his fist and steps were sloppy, but he was somewhat threatening thanks to his excellent physical abilities. ¡®Talent, huh?¡¯ Raon stepped sideways with glittering eyes. He considered the way to best deliver a blow to the idiots of Zieghart, who thought only of talent. Martial arts study. As expected of members of a military family, they consider a talent in martial arts study the most valuable. ¡®And I have something great.¡¯ Raon used his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ at full force. The moment the three rings began to rotate furiously, Burren¡¯s movement became slower, and the flow of his fist technique could be seen. ¡°Did you give up?¡± Burren thrusted his fist straight. A brutal wind brushed past his ear. ¡°Of course not.¡± Raon¡¯s hand moved in a half moon shape. Burren¡¯s fist bounced back upon touching that rotation. It was the same rotation as his Void Tiger Fist, but the direction was reversed. ¡°Eek!¡± Burren¡¯s expression wavered as he bounced back. But he grit his teeth and dashed at him again. Tap! Fending off his fist, Raon pushed him with his shoulder. With a m, Burren stepped back. Pow! Raon kicked the ground and dashed into the panicking Burren¡¯s chest. ¡°You bastard!¡± Despite being in panic, he tried hitting his chin with his left fist. However, Raon had already finished analyzing his fist technique. Pow! Rotating in the other direction, he pushed Burren''s fist back and struck at his stomach. ¡°Kugh!¡± Burren knelt, foaming at the mouth. ¡°How¡­ how are you using the Void Tiger Fist¡­?¡± He drooled, mouth wide open at the unexpectedness of the situation. ¡°Wh-what happened just now?¡± ¡°How did he use the Void Tiger Fist¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way Sylvia or Rimmer would¡¯ve taught him that!¡± ¡°What just happened¡­?¡± Everyone watching the duel widened their eyes in astonishment. ¡°You just showed me.¡± Raon dusted off his hands, looking down on Burren coldly. ¡°I just copied your fist technique.¡± Chapter 20 ¡°Hah¡­¡± Rimmer reflexively covered his mouth with his hand, but he couldn¡¯t hide his wide-open mouth. ¡®What¡¯s this now?¡¯ The duel between Raon and Burren was something he had originally nned. He expected that Burren would object when Raon took first ce, which would be solved with their duel. Rimmer wanted to teach the overconfident Burren a lesson, and disy Raon¡¯s excellence to everyone. However, Raon had changed everything. In fact, the outline was the same, but the details were too shocking. Instead of using his strength, agility, and skill to defeat Burren, he sent him flying using the essence of Void Tiger Art. ¡®This doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡¯ Despite not using any aura, Burren¡¯s Void Tiger Art was by no means weak, thanks to his talent. However, Raon saw through the flow of Burren¡¯s fist and reversed its flow right back at him. If a drunkard imed a child that had never learned martial arts was capable of such a thing, he would¡¯ve been pped across the face for spouting such nonsense. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer swallowed and looked around. Just like him, everyone around them was shocked as they stared nkly at them. ¡®Even the head of house is surprised.¡¯ Glenn, who had been as expressionless as a statue, was now frowning in surprise. ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer swallowed again and approached Raon. ¡°Yes, instructor?¡± ¡°What did you just do?¡± There were many meanings to that simple question. He was asking whether he really copied the Void Tiger First from watching it, or if he learned it from somebody, or if it was apletely different technique. ¡°I saw the rotation of Burren¡¯s fist. It was spiraling like a tornado.¡± That was true, since the Void Tiger Fist¡¯s particrity is the spiral rotation. ¡°The rotation was fast enough to push back my defense, hand and fist alike. So, I figured I shouldn¡¯t keep fighting normally.¡± Rimmer nodded. He¡¯d nned the duel because he wanted to see how he would ovee that, so he obviously realized that. ¡°Since I¡¯m confident in my stamina, I considered running around. But as I watched Burren¡¯s fist, I could feel something.¡± ¡°You could feel?¡± ¡°Yes. The flow created by his fist was clearly visible. It somehow felt like I could do the same thing, so I reversed the rotation to cancel out Burren¡¯s.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Rimmer unconsciously eximed. ¡®This guy is the real deal!¡¯ His heart pounded like a drum. Someone capable of understanding the flow of a martial art just by observing was clearly a genius. However, Raon was even more excellent. He managed to use the opponent¡¯s flow as if it were his own. It was an endless talent that he had never seen before. ¡°Bullshit!¡± Burren¡¯s father¡ªGlenn¡¯s second son¡ªKaroon Zieghart stood up. Dark me was burning in his eyes. ¡°No matter how sloppy Burren is, it¡¯s not humanly possible to understand the Void Tiger Fist at a nce!¡± ¡°But he did.¡± Rimmer shrugged, pointing at Raon. ¡°He must have learned it from peeping at Burren¡¯s training! That, or he was taught by someone else!¡± Karoon¡¯s savage gaze turned towards Sylvia and Raon. ¡°Well, I¡¯m toozy to teach something like that, and who would¡¯ve bothered going to the annex building to teach him the Void Tiger Fist? It doesn¡¯t really make any sense. And Burren isn¡¯t the type of person to let others steal his technique.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He notably grimaced. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t, as Glenn was watching. ¡°So, is there anyone else who wants to challenge Raon?¡± Rimmer raised his head, looking at the children. No one raised their hand after what had just happened. ¡°Runaan?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Runaan shook her head. She went next to Raon and started to copy the reversed Void Tiger Fist that he had performed. ¡°Hup.¡± Rimmer smirked and turned away. The situation was different from his expectations, but the end result was way better. ¡°Raon, it¡¯s your victory.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Rimmer smiled and Raon bowed lightly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to thank me for, it was all you. As for issuing the bronze tablet, the head of house will take care of it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Rimmer nced through Raon as he responded. He was double checking, just to be sure, and Raon certainly did not have any aura. ¡®This is so ridiculous.¡¯ He sighed and turned around. ¡°My lord, the event is over.¡± Glenn nodded, then stood up. After briefly looking around the children¡ªincluding Raon, Burren, and Runaan¡ªhe left the training ground. ¡°He could¡¯ve given a piece of advice before he left.¡± Rimmer licked his lips and called out to the children. ¡°Those who¡¯ve passed shall return here next Monday, after resting for the rest of the week. Those who failed shouldn¡¯t be too disappointed, as there will be another chance for you. Now, dismissed! Have a nice time with your family.¡± Rimmer pped his hands and left the training ground by jumping over the wall. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master Raon!¡± As soon as he left, Sylvia and Helen ran up to Raon and hugged him. ¡°Wh-what happened while you were gone?!¡± ¡°Young master, are you hurt anywhere?¡± The two were the same as always. They didn¡¯t ask how he did what he did, instead worrying about his body over and over. ¡°I¡¯mpletely fine.¡± Raon smiled and shook his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go back home now. I miss eating stew!¡± ¡°Stew? A-alright! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return first and prepare it!¡± Helen trotted out of the training ground, and Raon followed her while holding Sylvia¡¯s hand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°What the hell happened during thest six months?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°I never thought that kind of talent existed¡­¡± The people remaining at the training ground just stared at Raon and Sylvia¡¯s backs with nk expressions. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± No one was paying attention to Burren, who was just staring at the ground, biting his lip until they bled. * * * * * * At the border of the training ground¡¯s exterior wall, on top of a wall so thin that it could barely fit a bird, five people¡ªmen and women alike¡ªstood watching the scene below. ¡°What do you think?¡± The long-haired man sitting in the first row spoke up. ¡°He is a genius. There¡¯s nothing else to say.¡± ¡°If that wasn¡¯t fake, then he must be more talented than him.¡± ¡°Copying after reading the flow, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The four people replied honestly with their impressions. ¡°We came to watch Runaan and Burren, but that was so worth it.¡± Everyone nodded in agreement. ¡°As you know, the Red Cloud has suffered many losses recently. You can have Burren or Runaan, and I¡¯ll take Raon¡­¡± ¡°Do you wanna die?¡± ¡°You will shamelessly take that endless talent with you!?¡¯ ¡°Think before you speak, if you don¡¯t want to shed blood.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The atmosphere suddenly turned chilly. The four people looked like they were about to draw their swords. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m joking. It¡¯s a joke.¡¯ The long-haired man shook his hand with a hollow smile. ¡°Anyway, that child will bring about many changes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The four people stood in silent agreement as they watched Raon leave the training ground. The core of Zieghart¡¯s military power were the different divisions, and they had noticed Raon. *** Rimmer followed Glenn into the lord¡¯s manor after entrusting the aftermath to the instructors. ¡°Why did you test them yourself, despite getting weaker and weaker?¡± Glenn frowned, sitting on the throne. ¡°I¡¯m still the head instructor, so I should do my job.¡± ¡°Sir Rimmer.¡± The butler, Roenn, handed him a cup of tea. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Roenn.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Roenn looked older on the outside, but Rimmer was actually way older than him, so Rimmer spoke casually to him. ¡°What were you even thinking?¡± Glenn asked, supporting his chin with the golden armrest. ¡°Why did you create a match between Raon and Burren?¡± ¡°Well, it just happened¡­¡± ¡°It just happened? Despite it going exactly as you¡¯d nned?¡± ¡°Wow, I really can¡¯t fool my lord!¡± Rimmer awkwardly scratched the back of his head. ¡°Burren¡¯s talent is exceptional, but he is narrow minded. Raon has a special something, but it is unknown. I wanted them to have a match to benefit them both.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°As you¡¯ve seen, coldness is still prevailing over Raon¡¯s body. However, his willpower alone isparable to an aplished warrior.¡± ¡°I already know that.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s one thing you didn¡¯t know, and I didn¡¯t either.¡± Rimmer lifted his index finger and continued. ¡°It¡¯s that he is a genius. I wanted to see his willpower. I looked forward to seeing how he dealt with Burren, who has already learned powerful martial arts.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes shone like stars in the sky. ¡°But what he showed us this time wasn¡¯t his willpower, but talent. And an endless talent at that! He managed to counterattack using a flow he understood at a nce! Does that even make sense? I have been on countless battlefields, yet this is my first time seeing such talent!¡± ¡°A bum said something like that before. That a child born with Curse of Frost also has exceptional talent.¡± ¡°By bum, do you mean the Ragged Saint?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn nodded and continued. ¡°They either have an exceptional talent in ice magic or aura or end up bing a great beauty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Rimmer stomped the ground. ¡°It¡¯s the manifestation of that talent! He was born with an absolute talent in martial arts!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Burren, Runaan, and your other grandsons and granddaughters are also special, but Raon is even more so. He has the disposition of someone who can be the continent¡¯s absolute best!¡± Despite Rimmer¡¯s excitement, Glenn¡¯s expression remainedposed. ¡°It was my first time seeing anything like that. I¡¯m sure the division leaders have never seen such a talent before, either.¡± Roenn, who watched the duel along with Glenn, eximed his surprise. ¡°We must train him perfectly. Raon got a bronze tablet, but if we reward him with something better than a silver tablet¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± Glenn firmly shook his head. ¡°I ended up rewarding him because of your silly n, but it would be unreasonable to increase the reward.¡± ¡°Eek! But¡­¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t favor him either. Treat everyone equally.¡± ¡°You are really heartless¡­ ugh!¡± Glenn red at him coldly, making Rimmer flinch and close his mouth. ¡°Anyway, Raon is the real deal. He shouldn¡¯t just be protected because of his weak body, but he should be properly trained instead. He is probably better than your second grandson, who is called a genius only seen every hundred years, or the first offspring of the Sullion family. You must consider this.¡± ¡°You are speaking a lot.¡± ¡°Because I saw the real deal.¡± ¡°Regardless, there won¡¯t be any special attention unless he contributes to the family¡¯s fame.¡± ¡°Huh. He should be given the best elixir or cultivation technique, at least, to help him ease his coldness¡­¡± Rimmer closed his mouth when Glenn raised his hand. ¡°The bum said that it¡¯s not a good idea to use more fire-attribute elixir. He said Raon needs to ovee it himself.¡¯ ¡°Wow! You pretended to be uninterested in him, yet you looked into it already!¡± ¡°Nonsense. He loves to talk, so he just kept babbling.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Rimmer and Roenn stared at him mischievously. ¡°Anyways.¡± Glenn clicked his tongue and flicked his finger. Along with a golden me, the metal door leading to the Zieghart¡¯s treasury appeared behind him. ¡°I¡¯m going to organize the treasury, so you should leave.¡± Glenn spoke before he entered the treasury. Rimmer and Roenn, who were left in the lord¡¯s manner, looked at each other and grinned. He certainly didn¡¯t go there to organize out of nowhere. ¡°He really isn''t honest.¡± *** Raon returned to the annex building and spent time with Sylvia. He didn¡¯t talk a lot, but because there were many things Sylvia was curious about, the conversation kept going. They only returned to their respective rooms after talking for over six hours. ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯ Raon sighed as he closed the door. Time spent with Sylvia wasfortable, but it was also more exhausting than training. Ahem. Finally, a satisfying meal after such a long time. From now on, you should eat here every day. Wrath wasn¡¯t angry for once. It looked like he was satisfied with the annex building¡¯s food and dessert. The meals at the training ground were like dog food. I can¡¯t even stand the sight of it anymore. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to break it to you, but we have to keep eating it.¡± Since he¡¯d be an official trainee, he had to stay there for years. Damn it! Wrath ground his teeth. He was a parasitic demon king that wanted tasty food. It was ridiculous. Anyway, I had something to ask you. ¡°Ask me?¡± Raon Zieghart, who the hell are you? Wrath, who was hanging on his wrist, returned to his blue me form. The King of Essence has seen countless humans, and also lived as a human for hundreds of years. However, the King of Essence has never seen anyone like you. Wrath¡¯s me burned up explosively. It was even more fierce than the first time they¡¯d met. The King of Essence could feel it. You are hiding something special. Now tell me your true identity¡­ ¡°Hey, Wrath.¡± A mere human shouldn¡¯t dare call the King of Essence by name! ¡°There¡¯s something more important than my identity or your name.¡± What¡­ ¡°Your memory is worse than I thought.¡± The corners of Raon¡¯s lips lifted as he looked down on Wrath. ¡°Our bet is over. Stop saying silly things and give me my reward.¡± Chapter 21 ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot about it.¡± Raon tapped Wrath, who was floating on his shoulder. The King of Essence is the monarch of wrath, who rules over devildom. Icy blue air radiated from Wrath. It was a bone-chilling cold. The King of Essence has not lied once since it came to existence. The King of Essence and you are bound by a contract called ¡®bet¡¯. The rewards will be given, even if you don¡¯t want it. So don¡¯t worry about it. ¡°Then give them to me already.¡± I¡¯m asking you one thing before that. ¡°What?¡± How did you pierce through the pointy-eared bastard¡¯s pressure, and how did you copy that arrogant guy¡¯s martial art? Wrath¡¯s question was exactly what Raon had expected. ¡°Give me the rewards first.¡± Hmm¡­ Alright. Once Wrath¡¯s blue me fluttered like a butterfly, messages appeared in the air. You have won the bet against . The rewards are being distributed. All stats have increased by 2. Raon bit his lip in ecstasy as the increase in stats washed over his body. However, there were still more rewards. A random trait of is being generated. The has been generated. ¡°Perception of Snow Flower?¡± Raon tilted his head as he looked at the trait¡¯s name. A trait too good for your insignificance has been chosen. ¡°What does it do?¡± It¡¯s an ability that increases the range of your perception. Since it is one-star, it will increase the range by about ten percent. ¡°Ten percent¡­¡± If Raon could perceive ten meters around him, then it would be eleven meters with that trait. It didn¡¯t look like much, but if the range of his perception increased, then the trait¡¯s use would increase ordingly. The King of Essence could perceive ten times more than his original perception. ¡°I see.¡± When he thought about it, the also had (One-Star) attached to it. That signified that the trait was going to develop, just like the trait ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± Raon nodded. As an assassin, perception had been more important than power. As such, he was satisfied with a trait increasing his perception range. ¡°But why is it called ¡®Perception of the Snow Flower¡¯?¡± It¡¯s my personal taste. Just respect it. ¡°Huh.¡± The frozen flower bracelet was his taste, and now the name of ¡®Perception of the Snow Flower¡¯ was also his taste. His taste really sucked. Since the bet with the King of Essence is over¡­ As Wrath was about to approach him, a new message appeared. You have achieved your first victory in a bet with . The title has been created. The title¡¯s effect has increased all stats by 1. ¡°Eh?¡± Damn! Despite being unable to see the status window, Wrath could see the messages. His jaw dropped. You damn rat! How dare you steal the King of Essence¡¯s stats once again! ¡°I didn¡¯t do it, your system did it on its own. Also, isn¡¯t one point nothingpared to your main body¡¯s abilities?¡± Of¡­ of course! ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± That¡¯s true, but¡­ Wrath awkwardly rolled his eyes, then sighed. Haa, alright. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s your turn now. Tell me your identity. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± What? What did you just say¡­?! ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Raon shook his head with a straight face. Are you mocking the King of Essence? You said you would reveal your identity¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything like that. I only asked you to give me my rewards first.¡± Eh¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he recalled exactly what happened. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? I never told you I would answer.¡± Raon slightly smiled. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t tell him about the reincarnation.¡¯ In order to exin how he used the expertise of the assassin Raon, he would have to tell him about the reincarnation. Since he couldn¡¯t predict what Wrath would do, he couldn¡¯t let him know about his reincarnation. ¡®Same goes for the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯.¡¯ On top of protecting and developing the mind and body, the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ also had the special ability of identifying the flow of martial arts. That included other people¡¯s martial arts, on top of his own. That¡¯s why he was capable of copying Burren¡¯s Void Tiger Fist during their duel. Of course, it was only possible because Burren¡¯s achievement in the Void Tiger Fist was lower than his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, which was enhanced by the status window. Anyway, Raon had no intention of giving any information to Wrath to begin with. ¡®Because he is an enemy.¡¯ They had gotten a bit closer, but Wrath was still aiming for his body and soul. He couldn¡¯t give him any information, no matter how small it was. You made a fool of the King of Essence! Wrath couldn¡¯t hold back his anger anymore and radiated icy mes. Raon felt the pain of tens of thousands of ice knives piercing his skin. ¡®But I can endure it.¡¯ It was a relief that he met Wrath after obtaining ¡®Water Resistance¡¯. If he didn¡¯t have ¡®Water Resistance¡¯, or if Wrath¡¯s affinity was fire, then he would¡¯ve lost already. Suppressing Wrath¡¯s coldness, which was filling his heart with emotion, Raon smiled. ¡°You never learn. Attacking me when nothing else is happening will only result in your loss.¡± Shut up! Wrath¡¯s me became even more fierce. The cold prated his bones, and his limbs started to tremble. Whap! The ice in his mana circuit was activated by the excessive external stimtion, making it extremely painful. ¡°Huu¡­¡± Inhaling slowly, Raon used his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. The pain began to subside. What a brute! How are you even withstanding it?! ¡°Willpower.¡± He casually responded, though his insides weren''t the same. It was difficult to hold on, despite having the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and ¡®Water Resistance¡¯. If he didn¡¯t have the experience from his previous life, where he went through all that hellish training, he would¡¯ve fainted already. Gritting his teeth, he endured it with everything he had. At that moment, a blue window appeared in front of his eyes. You have disyed extreme willpower in facing ¡¯s attack. Agility and Stamina have increased by 1. When the messages announcing an increase in stats appeared, Raon¡¯s mind and body were filled with vitality. The ice pressing down on his mana circuit also started to subside. Damn it! Wrath cursed and left his body. His anger was the same, but he realized he was hurting himself by doing that. Just who the hell are you?! The King of Essence has never witnessed a human like you, not in the entire history of humanity. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, either.¡± It wasn¡¯t a joke. Why was he reincarnated? Why was he born as a Zieghart, and why was he paired with Wrath? He didn¡¯t have the answer to any of those questions. Don¡¯t underestimate the king of Essence, who will reveal your identity at all costs and consume your body and soul! ¡°As I keep saying¡ªdo it, if you can.¡± Raon smiled and sat on the bed. The goose thatid the golden egg did an excellent job, once again. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes, directed out the window, wavered coldly. ¡°I wonder what that is.¡± *** Inside the Central Martial Pce, where Karoon Zieghart dwelled, a room that looked like the definition of splendor waspletely silent. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Burren Zieghart, who had been standing straight for almost four hours, started to groan. Karoon, who was sitting at the desk, finally looked at him. ¡°Burren Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since Burren hadn¡¯t spoken for hours, his voice was hoarse. ¡°What was mymand?¡± ¡°It¡­ It was to be the top trainee. A-and you also asked me to not lose to anyone!¡± ¡°Correct. I wasn¡¯t asking much. I just wanted you to get first ce, after winning against the girl from the Sullion family and trampling over Raon.¡± Karoon¡¯s eyes burned red in anger. ¡°And yet¡­ Not only that girl, you also lost to the son of the insect that dropped out of the direct line! In front of everyone, at that!¡± The low and cold voice resonating throughout the room made him feel like his heart was being crushed. ¡°How much will you disgrace me? Do you want to be like the third or the fourth?¡± ¡°No, not at all!¡± Burren kept shaking his head, trembling. He didn¡¯t want to be like his two older brothers, who weren¡¯t even mentioned by name anymore. ¡°You¡¯ve already lost your first chance.¡± Karoon¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t contain any hint of delight at seeing his son after such a long time. Only anger and irritation existed. ¡°I¡­ I am aware.¡± Burren couldn¡¯t meet his intimidating gaze, biting his lip as he looked at his feet. ¡°The top trainee will be chosen again once basic training is over, upon trainee graduation. Bring me that title.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Burren swallowed and responded as if he was spitting blood. ¡°If you want to live as a part of the direct line of Zieghart, don¡¯t waste yourst chance.¡± Karoon waved his hand, signaling him to get out. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Burren couldn¡¯t even look at his father¡¯s face properly, despite not seeing him for six months. He left the room while lowering his head. ¡°Damn it!¡± After leaving the Central Martial Pce, Burren punched the wall while screaming. ¡°It¡¯s because of that bastard¡­¡± He gritted his teeth. Since he was used to beingplimented, his father¡¯s admonition affected him even more. And the fact that a mere insect like Raon was the cause of all of it made him even angrier. ¡°Haa!¡± He sighed, trying to get rid of the irritation filling his heart, but he didn¡¯t feel any better. Trying to refresh himself, he started to wander aimlessly. ¡°Why am I here¡­?¡± When he came to, he had arrived at the fifth training ground. The door was closed, so he went over the wall. ¡°It¡¯s as expected.¡± Burren sneered. Despite the entrance door being closed, the doors to the indoor gymnasium and locker room were all still open. ¡°Stupid instructors.¡± He curled his lips and headed to the locker room. When he was about to close the door, he noticed the locker with Raon¡¯s name on it. ¡°Hmm.¡± Murmuring that he was only going to look, he opened Raon¡¯s locker. It was neat inside. There was nothing except a box at the bottom of the locker. ¡®Why is there a box here¡­ huh?¡± Burren¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked inside it. * * * * * * ¡®Wh-what¡¯s with this number of shoes?!¡¯ The box contained training shoes with the bases either worn out or torn off. And there weren¡¯t only a few of them, but over ten pairs of them. ¡®He did this in six months?¡¯ He examined the shoes in disbelief, but they all had the same shape and size. They were all Raon¡¯s shoes. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren gasped. He was also supplied with training shoes, just like Raon. But he had only reced them twice. ¡®How does this make any sense?¡¯ The fact that Raon had reced his shoes more than ten times, while he had only reced them twice, was difficult to believe. ¡°This is crazy¡­¡± Looking at the shoes, which looked like they had been worn for several years, he felt like he had been hit over the head with a club. The shock was much greater than when he was scolded by his father. ¡®I feel like I just woke up from a dream.¡¯ Once his head cleared, he remembered the facts that he¡¯d been trying to ignore. The fact that Raon arrived at the training ground earlier than anyone and returnedter than everyone. The fact that he never gave up training, despite sweating heavily and breathing frigid air from his mouth. The fact that he kept running alone in the training ground after night fell, after his stamina training in the indoor gymnasium. ¡®While I¡¯ve been superficially swinging my sword and resting in the dormitory, he¡¯s been surpassing his limit every day¡­¡¯ That was the reason that Raon¡¯s spirit was better than any other temporary trainee¡­ ¡®This is how a real Zieghart should be.¡¯ Among everyone in the fifth training ground, the one who was the most suited to being a warrior of Zieghart was Raon. ¡®On the other hand, I¡­¡¯ He scorned and mocked him, and without being able to ept the results of the test, he disgracefully lost to him ¡°Kuh!¡± His face grew red in embarrassment. He hated himself for all the dirty and disgraceful acts he had done, blinded by his envy. After sitting in the locker room for a while, he lifted his head. His green eyes were brimming with determination, unlike when he entered the training ground. ¡°Never again¡­¡± What had already happened couldn¡¯t be changed. Not repeating the same mistakes was the important part. That was what a Zieghart should do, and what he was going to do from that moment on. ¡°Haa!¡± Breathing out deeply, he got rid of his selfishness. His steps as he left the training ground were as light as Rimmer¡¯s. *** Two days after he returned to the annex building, Raon¡¯s routine was the same as when he was at the training ground. From daybreak, he started running around the annex building, and he trained his strength without any equipment after breakfast. Since he spent his time with Sylvia the day before, there was only one being that would bother him. Are you training again? It¡¯s boring. Perform some cute tricks for the King of Essence. Ignoring the whining Wrath, Raon was about to keep training. Before he could, someone came to visit him. ¡°I am Roenn, the head butler of the lord¡¯s manor.¡± He was a kind looking old man, with half his hair dyed the color of a cloud. ¡°The head of house has summoned the young master.¡± He bowed respectfully. ¡°Did you say summon? Why me¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s to award you with a bronze tablet.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon frowned. He¡¯d thought the tablet was just going to be delivered, but he was personally summoned instead. ¡°Huff!¡± Sylvia, who was inside the building, ran over to the window. ¡°S-sir Roenn.¡± ¡°Lady Sylvia.¡± Since they obviously knew each other, they bowed at the same time. ¡°Fa¡ªI mean, did the head of house personally summon him?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°By any chance¡­?¡± ¡°Nothing bad will happen. It¡¯s just an awarding ceremony, after all.¡± Roenn smiled kindly to ease her worries. ¡°Raon¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be back.¡± Raon dusted off his clothes and put on his outer garment. ¡°Wait! Change before you go!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine like this.¡± Glenn was inherently a warrior. He wasn¡¯t going to dislike him foring in the middle of his training. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Roenn smiled and walked ahead. Raon gestured to Sylvia with his eyes and made his way to the lord¡¯s manor. *** ¡°¡­¡± Raon¡¯s hands trembled as he looked at Glenn, sitting on his golden throne. Meeting his eyes alone, in the audience chamberrge enough to fit hundreds of people, made his mouth dry. Is he bragging about being slightly stronger? I want to stab his red eyes. Of course, the crazy Wrath was different. ¡°I shall keep my promise, whether I like it or not.¡± Saying such an unnecessary thing, Glenn gestured at Roenn. ¡°Yes.¡± Roenn slightly nodded and brought the bronze tablet shining faintly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon epted the bronze tablet from Roenn. The Zieghart¡¯s emblem, a burning sword, was engraved on the middle of it. ¡°I¡¯m awarding you with this bronze tablet. By returning the bronze tablet, you can ask for an equivalent object or request.¡± ¡°Then, can I do that now?¡± Raon looked up to Glenn, holding his tablet. He¡¯d already decided how he was going to use the tablet. ¡°¡­ State your will.¡± After a moment of silence, Glenn nodded. ¡°Sylvia Zieghart.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°How can I return my mother to her original position?¡± Since they didn¡¯t expect him to say that, both Roenn and Glenn looked down at Roan with wide eyes. ¡°By original position¡­ Are you implying her position in the direct line?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn closed his mouth. He surveyed him from head to toe, trying to figure out his intentions. Raon felt like his heart was being crushed, just from his gaze alone. ¡°Aplishments.¡± ¡°By aplishments, you mean¡­¡± ¡°If you achieve an aplishment that the entire family will acknowledge, then it is not an impossible feat.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re implying that it can be done.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Glenn nodded. He continued with a slightly brighter expression than before. ¡°However, it¡¯s almost impossible. Being acknowledged by multiple people is more difficult than plucking a star from the sky.¡± He lifted the corner of his lips, as if he were mocking him. It looked like he was certain that Raon couldn¡¯t achieve it. Insolence! If the King of Essence had his main body back, he could kill him in a few thousand bouts! Wrath red at Glenn with burning eyes. However, a few thousand bouts meant that he was a powerful opponent, one that would be difficult for Wrath to manage. ¡°Then I don¡¯t need it.¡± Raon gave the bronze tablet back to Roenn. ¡°Thank you.¡± Getting aplishments was something he¡¯d done as often as breathing in his previous life. Resolving that he would return Sylvia to her original position, no matter what mission he had to aplish, he stood up. ¡°Wait.¡± When he was about to return, Glenn¡¯s voice could be heard from above the tform. ¡°You didn¡¯t state your requested reward yet.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You only asked a question. That is something that can be answered without a tablet.¡± When Raon turned back, Glenn was looking at him with the same cold eyes. However, something unspeakable seemed to have changed. ¡®What is it?¡¯ He¡¯d never thought Glenn would say such a thing. Since he¡¯d thought Glenn would take the tablet back no matter what, it was rather unexpected. ¡°State your wish.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes shone, looking at the bronze tablet that Roenn was holding. ¡®The next wish is already decided too.¡¯ He¡¯d already thought of what he needed the most, after the question about Sylvia¡¯s restoration. ¡®The aura cultivation technique.¡¯ The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was certainly an eternal cultivation technique, but it only trained his body and soul. It was unable to create an aura. He needed an aura cultivation technique, one that was better than the shadow aura cultivation technique he had learned in his previous life. ¡°I need an aura cultivation technique.¡± ¡°Aura cultivation technique? The instructors will teach you that during basic training.¡± It was true. The cultivation technique taught during basic training was better than average among the continent. However, it wasn¡¯t enough. In order to restore Sylvia¡¯s position, and cut off Derus¡¯ head, he needed a better cultivation technique. ¡°I need a better aura cultivation technique. I want you to bestow me with one equivalent to the bronze tablet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Glenn closed his eyes. Raon kept thinking it, but Glenn was less expressive with his emotions than he was, and he had been an assassin. His nickname of cold-blooded really did suit him well. Snap! When he flicked his fingers, his eyes still closed, the floor of the lord¡¯s manor began to tremble. Rumble! Golden me appeared from the ground. From the spiral me, a circr bookshelf soared upward endlessly. ¡°This is¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. The bookshelf was enormous enough to reach the audience chamber¡¯s high ceiling, and books of assorted colors and shapes were ced between each divider. ¡°This is one of Zieghart¡¯s bookshelves. If you put your hand at the center, the book you need the most right now wille out.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± Raon calmed himself down and approached the bookshelf. It was so tall that looking up at it made his neck hurt, and there were so many books that they could be called countless. ¡®I just need something better than the shadow aura cultivation technique.¡¯ He put his hand on the bookshelf, wishing for a better aura cultivation technique than the shadow one Rumble! The bookshelf vibrated and the books trembled as if they were cold. The bookshelf rotated for a bit, then stopped. Pang! The first book from the first partition, which couldn¡¯t even be seen properly, flew out and opened. Whap! It emitted a golden light so bright that he couldn¡¯t even open his eyes. ¡°What is this?!¡± Glenn Zieghart, who was watching the scene, suddenly stood up¡ªbreaking the armrest of the throne in the process. Chapter 22 ¡°What is this book¡­?¡± Raon swallowed, looking at the burning book. Despite being so worn out that it looked like it would crumble into pieces, it was gleaming with a magnificent golden light, brightening up the audience chamber. Whir! Like a flower petal announcing the end of summer, the book drifted down and touched Raon¡¯s fingertip. Despite being on fire, it wasn¡¯t hot. Instead, it held the warmth of a human¡¯s body temperature. ¡®¡¯Ten Thousand mes Cultivation?¡± Reading the words on the cover, he tried to open the book. At that moment, the pages started turning on their own and the book started to burn more fiercely. Shatter. Once it reached the final page, the book turned to ash. They scattered, like used firewood. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon tried to grab the disappearing book, but it was pointless. The paper was reduced to powder, and the me was extinguished into nothing but smoke. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ As he stood there, unable toprehend the situation, a message appeared. [Ten Thousand me Cultivation. You have faced an eternal me.] You have remembered the Ten Thousand me Cultivation. As soon as the message finished, his head started to throb as if thunder had struck it. ¡®Hup!¡¯ It felt like someone had thrust a huge needle into his brain. His knees faltered from a pain greater than that caused by Wrath¡¯s mental attack. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Thankfully, the pain faded quickly, and he managed to avoid falling. ¡°Young master!¡± Roenn, who was next to him, came to support him. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Thanking him, he put strength into his wobbling legs. What did you just do? ¡®I don¡¯t know, either. But¡­¡¯ He remembered. He could recall the contents of the ¡®Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯, which had been reduced to powder and disappeared. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± He raised his head to the owner of the slightly trembling voice. Glenn was staring at him with wide eyes. It was an expression that he¡¯d never seen before. Raon couldn¡¯t tell if he looked angry or flustered. ¡°What have you just done?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But I remember the contents of the cultivation technique that disappeared from my hand.¡± ¡°What was the name of the book?¡± ¡°It was ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing Raon¡¯s response, Glenn closed his eyes. After standing as motionlessly as a statue for a while, he opened his eyes. He didn¡¯t look flustered anymore. ¡°Did you say you remember the content?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine.¡± Glenn waved his hand with his usual cold-hearted expression. ¡°You¡¯ve received the reward for returning the bronze tablet. You should leave now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon nced at Roenn. He looked bewildered, but quickly changed into his usual smiling face. ¡°¡­ Understood.¡± Raon nodded and stepped backward to leave the audience chamber. Glenn and Roenn stayed immobile until he leftpletely. ¡°Sigh.¡± He couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened. ¡®Did the system grant my mind the ability to memorize the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯?¡¯ The system increases your memory and thought processing ability, but it can¡¯t force knowledge into your brain. Wrath¡¯s voice also sounded puzzled. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Walking through the corridor in the lord¡¯s manor, he mentally skimmed through the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. He realized it immediately. The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was a cultivation technique far more profound and meticulous than the ¡®Shadow Aura Cultivation¡¯ technique. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ didn¡¯t only contain an aura cultivation technique, but also a swordsmanship technique and information about the ancient world. If he learned the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ technique engraved in his memory properly, he would reach a level beyond that of his previous life. ¡®But why did he give this to me?¡¯ The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was too valuable to be exchanged for a mere bronze tablet. Nevermind a silver tablet, a gold tablet wasn''t even enough for it! He couldn¡¯t understand why Glenn had given it to him. Why are you worrying so much when you¡¯ve already received it? ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ There was no way someone like Glenn would make him return whatever he gave out, and he couldn¡¯t return it if he asked, anyway. ¡®Let¡¯s go back.¡¯ Since he¡¯d only obtained the knowledge, he wanted to return and start cultivating immediately. Raon started running towards the annex building as soon as he left the lord¡¯s manor. His eyes were filled with excitement as he ran at full speed. *** The audience chamber was filled with heavy silence after Raon had left. ¡°My¡­ My lord. Was the cultivation technique that the young master Raon received¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. It was used by that person.¡± Glenn nodded, looking at the empty space on the first partition of the bookshelf. ¡®For him to take the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯¡­¡¯ In the history of Zieghart, no one had managed to take out nor read the first n leader¡¯s cultivation technique. That technique was the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ that Raon had just received. Glenn had brought out the first bookshelf to grant him a cultivation technique equivalent to a silver tablet, instead of a bronze tablet. He¡¯d never imagined that he would take the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. Gulp. Roenn swallowed hard, looking at the ashes that were all that remained of the book containing the cultivation technique. ¡°If this matter bes known, young master Raon and Lady Sylvia might be in danger!¡± ¡°You needn¡¯t worry. No one knows about the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯.¡± Glenn shook his head. The existence of ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was only known to those who¡¯d already be the head of house. Unless they thoroughly investigated the family¡¯s history, there was no way anyone would know about it. ¡°Hmm¡­ Then, what about the book havingpletely disappeared¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine too, since it has been handed down to another person.¡± Raon said he remembered the content of the cultivation book. It was a mysterious phenomenon, but everything would be fine as long as it was handed down. ¡°But the ¡®Ten Thousand Cultivation¡¯ technique is passed down to the Zieghart¡¯s head of house¡­¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t be used, anyway. If it wasn¡¯t for that child, it would¡¯ve ended up rotting away.¡± He was actually surprised. No, to be more precise, he was awestruck. However, since it was Raon who manifested a golden me during the Judgment Ceremony, he felt that Raon was its rightful owner. ¡°Since he obtained the first head¡¯s cultivation technique, the young master Raon will be more powerful than anyone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Glenn slowly shook his head. ¡°Talent and how hard you study martial arts are both important to be strong. However, the most important aspect is the kind of person he is. No matter how powerful the martial art one studies, they cannot surpass a strong human.¡± The reason that Glenn kept organizing the Judgment Ceremony, even after surpassing the demonic wall, was to give adequate advice to talented children. Glenn wasn¡¯t judging children¡¯s futures simply by their talents. ¡°I beg your pardon. I was so surprised that I made a mistake.¡± Roenn nodded, cing his hand over his chest. Glenn was always saying that the person is more important than the talent, ever since he¡¯d reached a new level of martial arts. Although, others in the family only cared about talent and the study of martial arts. ¡°Change ising.¡± Glenn pressed against the back of his throne. The ¡®Ten Thousand Cultivation¡¯, which had never allowed itself to be handed down, and the golden me that had appeared only once in the history of the family¡­ Raon had them both. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ Glenn couldn¡¯t openly love him, despite Raon being his grandson. And yet, that child was about to bring many changes to the family. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fun watching him.¡± If time allowed. Glenn closed his eyes, swallowing those words. * * * * * * Raon entered his room as soon as he returned. He had told everyone to not enter his room, but he¡¯d locked the door just in case. So paranoid. ¡®You should know, too. I might die if I get distracted while cultivating aura.¡¯ It was fine after a certain level had been reached. However, if someone touched him before his cultivation stabilized, it could cause big trouble. That was the reason that he didn¡¯t cultivate the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ until he went to sleep in his personal bed when he was younger. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t distract me, either.¡± Hmph! ¡°Are you nning to¡­¡± Only once. A smile showed up from the blue me. ¡°Once?¡± The King of Essence will interrupt you only once while you are doing that cultivation, or whatever. ¡°That could cause my body to be disabled before you can take it over.¡± It doesn¡¯t matter. A scornfulugh, simr to a beast¡¯s growl, could be heard from Wrath. You won¡¯t be able to ovee it, but the King of Essence can revive a body even if its limbs are cut off and the energy center decimated. Wrath¡¯s evil voice sent chills down his spine. The moment you be disabled and give up on everything is going to be the King of Essence¡¯s opportunity. ¡®As I expected, you are¡­¡¯ Raon realized it once again. Wrath wasn¡¯t an ally. He was a demon from devildom, and the incarnation of wrath, ready to eat away his mind and body whenever he got the chance. ¡°So, are you only doing it once?¡± You already know that the King of Essence doesn¡¯t lie. I will only interrupt you once before you finish learning that cultivation technique. ¡°I have no choice, then.¡± Raon rubbed his wrist. Wrath wasn¡¯t going to listen even if he told him not to, so he had no choice but to ept it. Tremble in fear every day. You won¡¯t know when the King of Essence will start to attack. Wrath¡¯s voice was overly excited. He sounded overjoyed by his ability to tease him for once. ¡®That¡¯s such a small thing to be happy about as a king.¡¯ It was funny that he was so happy about such a trivial matter when he kept childishly referring to himself as the King of Essence and took pride in being a monarch of devildom and the king of wrath. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Wrath¡¯s interruption was going to be dangerous, despite it only happening once. The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was a cultivation technique that absorbed nature''s mana and umted aura in the energy field. If he were interrupted at an important moment, his mana circuit or energy field could break. It would disable him. And it was especially dangerous for Raon, with all the ice he had in his mana circuit. ¡®But I cannot falter.¡¯ Considering Wrath¡¯s personality, he was going to push more strongly if he noticed any weakness. No matter the result, he had to stay strong. ¡°Alright. Try it, then.¡± Hiding his thoughts, Raon showed a rxed smile. Let¡¯s see how long you can keep up that arrogant expression. ¡°You will have to see for the rest of your life.¡± ¡­ I want to break your mind right now. ¡°Try it. That sounds like free stats to me.¡± Damn insect. Still wet behind the ears¡­ Doesn¡¯t lose a single argument. ¡°This insect is always open, soe at me any time.¡± Kuh! Raon sat on the bed, waving his hand dismissively. Wrath screamed, exploding in anger, but he waspletely ignored. ¡®If he has a brain at all, he isn¡¯t going to interfere right away.¡¯ Breathing slowly, Raon closed his eyes. Inhaling nature''s mana, he filled his body with fresh air. He then exhaled the murky air from his mana circuit. ¡®There are simrities.¡¯ The flow of ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ and ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ shared simrities, as their names suggested. Thinking positively, Raon settled the inhaled mana inside his mana circuit. The flow of ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ started from his right wrist. It was an energy as fierce as fire and as haughty as water, all at the same time. Whir! The heated mana ran through his body. The ice remaining in his mana circuit was swept away by that majestic flow. ¡®I can¡¯t miss this, either.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been a waste to throw away the pure ice, so he brought it up to his energy center along with the energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. Whir. Upon reaching the energy center, the energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ scattered in vain. ¡®I guess that¡¯s normal.¡¯ Acquiring the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ in one single attempt would¡¯ve been unnatural. Once using the flow of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ felt like breathing to him, the flow would naturally umte in his energy center. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ He was absorbing the ice from his mana circuit, on top of the energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. That meant that his ¡®Water Resistance¡¯ was going to grow quickly, as well. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Exhaling the heated air after finishing one rotation, Raon opened his eyes. Fire attribute, huh? ¡°Having only one attribute is a drawback, but it¡¯s an excellent cultivation technique.¡± You say foolish things sometimes. ¡°What?¡± That¡¯s the problem with those who don¡¯t learn the attribute properly. A single attribute that is properly mastered isn¡¯t any weaker than a well-rounded user. Back in devildom, the story of the King of Essence freezing an entire castle with icy air was spread throughout history¡­ ¡°Hmm.¡± Ignoring Wrath as he started to brag about his past, he focused on what he said before. ¡®A properly mastered single attribute.¡¯ He was correct. Someone who sloppily learned a single attribute was considered half-qualified, but upon reaching a certain level, they were considered as an absolute being. He could tell from cultivating only once. The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was special. It didn¡¯t lose at all to the legendary ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡®I have to learn it properly.¡¯ Deciding that he would dedicate everything to learning the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ for a while, he stood up. ¡°Before that.¡± Are you taking care of it now? ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not a coincidence that they are visiting us every day.¡± Raon¡¯s red eyes glowed like those of a death god. It was time to take care of business. *** Judiel was a new maid, one who had started working in the annex building one month before. Thanks to her good impression, cheerful personality, and efficient work, she quickly became trusted by the residents of the annex building. However, after finishing the daily chores she told people that she was going to rest. Instead, she climbed the trees in the garden to spy into Raon¡¯s room. ¡®He¡¯s talking to himself again.¡¯ Judiel narrowed her eyes, watching Raon mumbling to himself. It wasn¡¯t often, but he sometimes talked to himself and stared into thin air. She¡¯d heard that he had always been sick, so she thought that was the reason. When Raon stopped talking to the air and sat down with his eyes closed, the flow of mana around him suddenly changed. He had meditated like that many times before, but it was the first time that the mana started to swirl around him. ¡®As expected, he learned an aura cultivation technique from the lord¡¯s manor.¡¯ It looked like Raon had used his bronze tablet to learn an aura cultivation technique. The flow of mana was extremely fierce, meaning it was a pretty powerful cultivation technique. ¡®This has to be reported.¡¯ Judiel climbed down the tree after Raon opened his eyes and turned the light off in his room. She went to the smallke at the end of the garden and took out the paper and pencil hidden underground. She wrote down everything Raon had done and everything she managed to learn since she had entered the annex building. Mysteriously, the letters on the paper disappeared as soon as she wrote them, and it looked like nothing was ever written on it. ¡°This is such a depressing job.¡± Judiel sighed. In order to survive, she was reporting information about a child that could be used against him, and it was making her feel empty. ¡°But it has to be done.¡± The bitterness onlysted for a moment. As long as she had something to protect, she had no choice in the matter. That fact filled her empty heart. Tap. Judiel folded the paper to the size of a thumbnail and set afloat on theke. The paper was going to reach Karoon Zieghart by the next morning. ¡°Then I shall return¡­ ah!¡± She suddenly stopped as she rose. The cold feeling of steel touching the back of her neck sent her heart pounding. ¡°You will die if you open your mouth.¡± As she was looking around in a panic, a cold voice came from behind her. ¡°You will die if you move.¡± Her hair stood on end at the sound of the voice, which seemed to containing death. ¡°Lower your eyes and look at theke.¡± Following the voice¡¯s instruction, she lowered her eyes and looked at theke. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon Zieghart¡¯s red eyes were floating above the darkke, reflecting the night sky. Chapter 23 Gulp. Judiel swallowed harshly. ¡®Why? Why is that boy here¡­?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t understand why Raon Zieghart, who should¡¯ve been sleeping, was standing behind her with a sword pointed in her direction. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ She wanted to try and grasp the situation, but she couldn¡¯t even breathe¡ªlet alone try to think¡ªwhen she saw the red eyes reflected in theke. She felt like her heart was being crushed, as if she was meeting the eyes of a murderer that had taken hundreds and thousands of lives. ¡°I know someone has been observing me since the day I returned to the annex building.¡± ¡°Hup¡­¡± Since the day he returned¡­ That meant that he¡¯d noticed her gaze from the very beginning. ¡®No. No way.¡¯ She had been trained as a spy since childhood. That was why she was confident in her ability to hide her presence better than anyone else. There was no way a mere child had discovered her identity and caught her off guard. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s words weren''t a suggestion, but an order. Judiel trembled and opened her mouth. ¡°Guk¡­¡± His finger pushed past her parted lips and forced something down her throat. ¡°Kyah!¡± She screamed. A pain¡ªlike an awl piercing her esophagus and stomach¡ªshot through her. She sniffled. Her stomach felt like she had just swallowed mes, to a point that she felt the urge to peel away her belly. Ssh. Leaving Judiel, who was writhing in pain, Raon entered theke and brought back the dark blue paper. Rustle. Raon¡¯s eyes darkened as he unfolded the paper. ¡°This isn¡¯t normal paper.¡± ¡°Hup¡­¡± Judiel shut her mouth. Despite the agonizing pain, she wasn¡¯t going to yield. Her pride as a spy wouldn¡¯t allow it. ¡°¡­¡± Raon Zieghart nodded after staring into her eyes for a while. ¡°Water. Earth. Fire. Wind.¡± He suddenly started naming the different elements. He appeared to be looking for a way to investigate the paper¡¯s content, but she couldn¡¯t understand why he was speaking aloud. ¡°¡­ Sunlight. Moonlight.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The answer was moonlight, but Judiel didn¡¯t react. Biting her tongue, she endured the stomach-rending pain. ¡°So, it was moonlight.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± She felt like her heart was jumping out of her mouth. Raon Zieghart had said the correct answer immediately after meeting her eyes. ¡®Wh-what?! How?¡¯ She was just enduring the pain. How was he able to determine the secret of the paper, despite her refusal to show any reaction? He turned the paper over and ced it under the light from the moon for a while, then began to read. ¡°This is a very thorough investigation. Who were you going to send this to?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon asked his question with a nk expression. Judiel was now more scared than agonized. The strangling fear was hurting her back. ¡°Aries Zieghart.¡± He didn¡¯t press her for an answer. Instead, he said the name of Glenn Zieghart¡¯s first daughter. ¡°Karoon Zieghart, Denier¡­ It was Karoon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Judiel started shouting, unable to hold back anymore. ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?!¡± Her chin trembled in fear of the unknown. ¡®Wh-what is this child?!¡¯ Managing one''s expressions and endurance were the first things taught to a spy. It was impossible for a mere child to discern information just from looking into her eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Raon Zieghart kept gazing down at her without saying anything. Judiel bowed down, trying to avoid his menacing re, and came to a realization. ¡®Wait! What if he wasn¡¯t reading my expression?¡¯ His eyes weren¡¯t checking her expression. He was just calmly looking at her. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ The agonizing pain ripping through her stomach¡­ The way Raon was reading her thoughts¡­ The connection between the two snapped in ce in her thoughts. ¡°Did¡­ Did you feed me a rage worm?¡± ¡°You know about rage worms?¡± Raon Zieghart¡¯s expression changed for the first time. He was jeering at her, at the way she knew about it, despite being a mere spy. But that was enough of an answer. ¡°Kuh!¡± She felt like throwing up. ¡®No way¡­ A rage worm!¡¯ Rage worm was one of the worst curses in the world. By making it enter the body of a target, the caster could discern not only the target¡¯s location, but also their thoughts. The worst part was the fact that, no matter how far away they were, the caster could kill the target whenever they wanted¡ªapanied with agonizing pain. ¡®That¡¯s the only possibility. It¡¯s a rage worm!¡¯ The agonizing pain, and the way Raon Zieghart was reading her mind, made her realize that what entered through her mouth was certainly a rage worm. ¡°How¡­ How did you use a rage worm¡­?¡± She doubted how a thirteen-years-old child that had been sick his entire life could use a rage worm, but that was the only possibility she could think of. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be what¡¯s important to you right now.¡± Raon Zieghart approached her, swaying the paper in front of her eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He was right. Since a rage worm had already entered her body, she couldn¡¯t run away or disobey. ¡°Since you sent this letter to Karoon Zieghart, you must be a spy from the Central Martial Pce. And the operation must have started seven months ago, after the Judgment Ceremony.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Judiel¡¯s eyes widened. He was right once again. She hade to the annex building seven months ago, after the Judgment Ceremony. It confirmed, once again, that he had used a rage worm against her. ¡°You have investigated very thoroughly. Not only about me, but also about my mother, Helen, and the other maids.¡± Raon Zieghart smiled, looking at the letters shining under the moonlight. The bloodlust contained in his expression drenched Judiel¡¯s back in cold sweat. ¡®I¡¯ve offended somebody I never should have.¡¯ She¡¯d thought it was an easy mission. The annex building didn¡¯t have any warriors, and only kind people lived in it. As she only needed to gather information about the young Raon and the disabled Sylvia, she thought it would be simple, easy. It wasn¡¯t. There was a monster living in the annex building, and it was an extremely murderous one. Looking into his red eyes made her want to hang herself. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± She pulled at the flesh on her arm. The pale bloodlusting from him made her feel like her face was getting torn apart, and the organ where the rage worm resided felt like it was going to explode. ¡°I¡­ I will change the content. I¡¯ll deliver a false¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± Raon Zieghart lowered the paper. The letters that used to reflect moonlight went invisible. After folding the paper once again, he set it afloat on theke. ¡°Wh-why¡­?¡± ¡°Even if you change the information now, Karoon will eventually learn about me. It will only result in him realizing your ipetence.¡± ¡°Hup!¡± Raon knelt and met her eyes. Meeting his bloody red eyes, her hands and feet trembled. ¡°How often do you report?¡± ¡°The periodical report is once every two weeks.¡± ¡°Since I won against Burren today, the period will be shorter. It should change to one week.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Judiel nodded. She¡¯d also thought the same thing. ¡°You are a double agent from now on. Report him with any information that he will soon discover anyway, hide undisclosed and important information. On the other hand, bring me valuable information from his side.¡± ¡°Un-understood.¡± She nodded unconditionally, since she could do anything to get out of her current terrifying situation. ¡°I''m looking forward to some useful information the next time I return.¡± After saying that, he disappeared into the darkness. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± However, Judiel still felt like his red eyes were ring into her heart. Plop. Unable to stop her legs from trembling, she copsed on the ground. ¡°The¡­ The pain¡­¡± The pain had disappeared at some point. It looked like Raon Zieghart had controlled the rage worm. ¡®Monster¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t even think about disobeying him. There was an existence more terrifying than the death itself hiding in the darkness of the annex building. ¡°Ugh!¡± Judiel bit her lip and ran to her lodgings. The fear left behind by Raon was deeply engraved in her heart, like goosebumps sprouting on her neck. * * * * * * When did you summon a rage worm? ¡°It wasn¡¯t a rage worm.¡± Raon, who had returned to his room, shook his head. What? ¡°I fed her with a poison, making her feel intense pain temporarily.¡± He¡¯d fallen victim to a rage worm in his previous life, but he couldn¡¯t even remember it. Obviously, he didn¡¯t know how to cast it. What he¡¯d fed Judiel was just a poison used for torture. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use something like a rage worm, even if I had it.¡± He didn¡¯t have any intention of using such a dreadful curse. If he¡¯d had the worm in front of him, he would¡¯ve crushed it under his feet. Then where did you get that poison? ¡°I made it.¡± So earlier, when you went to the kitchen and warehouse¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Poison recipes were already in his memory, so he¡¯d just modified one a bit to make a poison using the materials he had around him. Wait. Earlier, you read her thoughts. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± How could you do that without using a rage worm? ¡°Some of them were guesses, and others were from looking at her condition.¡± Her condition? But didn¡¯t she maintain the same expression the entire time? Wrath¡¯s blue me wavered. He couldn¡¯t seem to understand how he¡¯d gotten the information from looking at her condition. ¡°I can tell.¡± He¡¯d lived as an assassin for over twenty years in his previous life. He was also experienced with torture, so it wasn¡¯t really difficult for him to read Judiel¡¯s thoughts. Even in devildom, the King of Essence has never seen anything like a thirteen-year-old that knows how to engrave fear into people. He was right. If he didn¡¯t have the experience from his previous life as an assassin, he wouldn¡¯t have realized that Judiel was gathering information. He also couldn¡¯t have used the same method against her. When he thought about it, he realized his previous life was quite useful. ¡°Anyway, it was Karoon Zieghart.¡± Raon repeated Karoon¡¯s name, sitting on his bed. He could guess the reason he¡¯d sent Judiel. He must have wanted to obtain information about him because of how he¡¯d acted at the Judgment Ceremony. But he made the incorrect decision. Just observing him was fine, but he also included Sylvia, Helen, and every maid in the annex building as the targets of his observation. That was the worst mistake he could¡¯ve made. But why didn¡¯t you change the information? Wrath approached while tilting his head. She¡¯d written that you managed to ovee the ice even more, and obtained an excellent aura cultivation technique. Shouldn¡¯t you have erased it? ¡°That''s trivial information. I need to give away that much if I want to trick him.¡± Brushing his finger over the bedsheet, he continued. ¡°If she keeps sending real information about me to the Central Martial Pce, she will be trusted. If I send false information after sending useless, but real, information¡­ I can create an opportunity to dispose of Karoon Zieghart.¡± Hah¡­ Wrath gasped. He realized Raon really was abnormal to be able to make such a n in such a short amount of time. You are obviously not thirteen years old. You are like a hundred-year-old python on the inside. ¡°Just a python?¡± Raon swayed his finger with a mocking smile at Wrath. ¡®I¡¯m not a python. I¡¯m an assassin.¡¯ The best assassin. *** Runaan Sullion didn¡¯t stop training, not even after she returned home. She couldn¡¯t stay still, as she kept recalling the movements that Raon Zieghart had shown on the testing day. However¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± When she trained with the equipment in the house, the weight she could lift had clearly gotten smallerpared to when she was at the training ground. It wasn¡¯t just the equipment. Long-distance running and other stamina training didn¡¯t go well, either. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She pondered about it, but there was only one answer. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon wasn¡¯t there. Since Raon¡ªwho always used to be next to her¡ªwasn¡¯t with her anymore, she wasn¡¯t in her usual condition. Since Raon¡¯s fragrance had gotten even better, she would sniff it unconsciously. She thought that was one of the reasons why. ¡®I need him.¡¯ Runaan Sullion nodded and left the training ground. ¡°Runaan?¡± Rokan Sullion, the head of the Sullion family, furrowed his brow as he watched Runaan leave the training ground. ¡°We were going to train together. Where are you going?¡± ¡°To Raon.¡± ¡°Raon? Do¡­ Do you mean Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Wh-why are you going to him? And why now, when we were supposed to train together?¡± Rokan Sullion stuttered, losing his usualposure. His hands trembled, because Runaan said she wanted to go to Raon when he finally managed to make time to y with his youngest daughter. ¡°Because of the scent, and the training.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± Runaan dusted off her clothes and left the training ground. ¡°Wa-wait! You can train here, with your father!¡± ¡°I have to train there!¡± Runaan resolutely shook her head. ¡°You keep saying that you have to go. D-Did Raon do something to you?¡± ¡°Something?¡± She nkly lowered her head and thought about what happened with Raon. ¡®He helped me.¡¯ Raon hadn¡¯t directly helped her, but she could train more efficiently whenever she was next to him, so she was definitely assisted by him. ¡°Yes, he did.¡± ¡°Kuh! Raon, that bastard!¡± Rokan grinded his teeth. ¡®How dare you threaten my daughter?!¡¯ Rokan added his imagination to Runaan¡¯s short answer to draw a picture. The picture of his poor daughter, trembling in fear from Raon¡¯s threats, was embedded in his brain. ¡°Oh, no! My lord! You can¡¯t be here! Today¡¯s tasks can¡¯t be postponed, no matter what¡­¡± ¡°Bring my sword immediately!¡± Rokan shouted at the butler that came looking for him. ¡°Eek? Sw-sword?¡± ¡°Runaan, I¡¯ming too! I can¡¯t let him be!¡± Rokan red. He looked like he was going to destroy the Zieghart¡¯s annex building. ¡°Huh? Huh?¡± The butler opened his mouth wide. His head was hurting already because of the mess that he was going to create. ¡°What are you doing?! I told you to bring me my sword!¡± ¡°Pl-please, wait! My lord! Please talk to me¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to talk! I only need a sword and punishment!¡± ¡°Haaah¡­¡± The butler turned his head towards Runaan. She was staring at Rokan with a nk expression that made it impossible to know what she was thinking. He knew that the quietdy wasn¡¯t going to resolve the situation. ¡®That person is the only one who can resolve this.¡¯ He shook his head and went into the mansion to look for the madam, instead of a sword. *** ¡°So. You are saying that the young master Raon helped you with your training, rather than threatening you. Correct?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded at ra¡¯s question. ¡°Dear.¡± ra¡¯s purple eyes glowed coldly as she turned to the left. ¡°No, no. I obviously thought she was th-threatened. She only said she was going, so anyone would¡¯ve misunderstood. Yep! Anyone!¡± Rokan, who had been about to charge without thinking, was now crouching in a corner. He was bent nearly in half. ¡°Stop talking and get back to work.¡± ¡°No, I was going to y with Runaan today¡­¡± ¡°Hush.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going toe and check on youter, so you¡¯d better finish your work by then.¡± ¡°Ye-yes. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Rokan went back into the mansion, slumping in disappointment with that huge body of his. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°Mhm?¡± ¡°Did you thank the young master Raon?¡± ¡°I did when he gave me a cracker.¡± ¡°How about when he helped you with your training?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Runaan shook her head and ra smiled as she brushed her hair. ¡°Then tell him thank you the next time you see him.¡± ¡°But father¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Father told me to not start talking to men.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± ra smiled. The butler, who was looking at the smile, became certain that Rokan was going to be scolded the whole night. ¡°Forget about what he said. It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s a man or a woman. It¡¯s amon courtesy to give thanks when you are helped. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Now then. Do you wanna train with your mother today, instead of your father?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Returning to the training ground with ra, Runaan remembered Raon¡¯s calm face. ¡®I¡¯m going to say thank you.¡¯ She was slightly flustered when she thought about talking to him first. Chapter 24 Raon opened his eyes, feeling the sunlight enter through the window. ¡®It¡¯s difficult.¡¯ He skimped on sleep during his break to cultivate more, but he didn¡¯t manage to create an aura. ¡®This isn¡¯t amon cultivation method.¡¯ He¡¯d felt it when he saw Glenn¡¯s expression and when he examined the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ engraved in his memory, but it definitely wasn¡¯t a martial technique that could be exchanged for a bronze tablet. Let alone a silver tablet, even dozens of golden tablets wouldn¡¯t have been enough. ¡®Why did he just give it to me?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why he gave him such an excellent aura cultivation method. After all, he thought Glenn hated him and Sylvia. The most surprising part was that he didn¡¯t do anything when the book was reduced to powder, and Raon was the only one able to have that knowledge. ¡®Is there a problem with this aura cultivation method?¡¯ He thought Glenn had probably given it to him because it wasn¡¯t aplete cultivation method, or it had some kind of w somewhere. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He carefully checked the content of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ in his memory. ¡®I don¡¯t see any problems.¡¯ He didn¡¯t notice anything in particr, but he thought he should be careful, just in case. That¡¯s not the only thing you should be careful about. Wrath suddenly burst from the ice flower bracelet. If you don¡¯t watch out for the King of Essence, your soul and body will be engulfed by wrath. ¡°So be it.¡± Raon nodded at Wrath, who was chuckling. That is an arrogance not even seen in devildom. I will definitely shut down your arrogance this time. ¡°I keep telling you. Do it if you can.¡± Raon waved his hand dismissively and left the room. He couldn¡¯t show any weakness to Wrath. A serene mind. A mind as calm as theke in the middle of the night, that was what he needed. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Young master Raon.¡± Sylvia, Helen, and the maids were waiting in the entrance hall. ¡°You haven¡¯t been here for long enough. I couldn¡¯t talk to you enough, and you didn¡¯t eat enough¡­¡± Sylvia teared up as she expressed her regrets. ¡°I cane back every weekend from now on.¡± Unlike before, when he was a temporary trainee, as an official trainee he could return to the annex building during weekends. ¡°But¡­¡± The atmosphere became heavy. It looked like Sylvia¡¯s feelings had spread to the maids. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll be back.¡± Awkward situations and emotions like that were his Achilles¡¯ heel. Raon quickly waved his hand and walked towards the exit of the annex building. As he opened the door, he met Judiel¡¯s eyes. She was sitting at the end of the line of maids. ¡°Huff!¡± Judiel covered her mouth, about to scream. Her forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and she was shaking all over. She was the picture of someone overwhelmed by the monster they called fear. ¡®It looks like I won¡¯t need to worry.¡¯ That was what he¡¯d wanted, but he didn¡¯t like dominating people with fear. He thought he should properly ept her as his subordinate once she brought him valuable information from the Central Martial Pce. You are such a monstrous guy. Wrath sounded like he was sighing as he spoke, all while watching Judiel¡¯s expression. ¡®Being called a monster by an actual monster isn¡¯t too bad. What apliment.¡¯ Raon slightly smiled and made his way towards the fifth training ground for the first time in a week. *** Raon arrived at the training ground ten minutes earlier than the scheduled time. The number of children had visibly decreased. Out of the one hundred sixty people, only forty-two remained. It made the training ground look half empty. The fact that only a quarter remained showed that Rimmer was meticulous about results, despite his usual frivolous appearance. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°He looks different again, somehow¡­¡± The way the children looked at Raon had clearly changed. Six months ago, they looked at him with mockery, ridicule, and a little bit ofpassion. Now, however, they looked at him with jealousy, surprise, and admiration. However, Raon wasn¡¯t interested in them. As he was warming up with only the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ in mind, he heard light steps approaching, followed by a nasally sound simr to sniffing. ¡®Those steps¡­¡¯ When he turned back, Runaan was there with her vacant eyes, just as he¡¯d expected. Now that girl is following you around while sniffing. I thought she was a cat, not a dog. ¡®I¡¯m not sure. She looks like a puppy and a cat at the same time.¡¯ Raon awkwardly met Runaan¡¯s eyes. She approached a step closer to him than usual before stopping. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He didn¡¯t understand why she suddenly thanked him. ¡°¡­¡± After thanking him, Runaan¡¯s eyes started to resemble a cat waiting for food, sparkling unusually. ¡°Eh, okay.¡± Raon responded with a puzzled expression and Runaan stepped back after bowing slightly. The distance between them returned to the usual. ¡°Umm!¡± She clenched her fist as if she¡¯d aplished something. ¡°Why did you suddenly thank me?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m grateful.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan tilted her head as if Raon was the weird one. It looked like he wasn¡¯t going to get an answer even if he kept asking her. Wh-what? What is she trying to do! ¡®I don¡¯t know, either.¡¯ It was his first time seeing a child like Runaan in both his past and current lives. Looking at her nk purple eyes made him space out¡ªlike he was watching a bonfire. But since she wasn¡¯t disturbing him, nor picking a fight with him, he couldn¡¯t really do anything about it. After all, she¡¯d thanked him¡ªeven if he didn¡¯t know the reason. ¡®Is it because I¡¯m not familiar with emotions?¡¯ Wrath was also confused, but a psychopath like him couldn¡¯t be used as a standard. ¡®So, this is how I learn about being flustered.¡¯ Raon sighed. He couldn¡¯t find the answer no matter how much he thought, so he shook his head to return to his senses. ¡°Young master!¡± Dorian ran up to him, green hair fluttering like wings. ¡°It¡­ it has been a long time!¡± He bowed at a 90-degree angle, as if he were bowing to an instructor. ¡°Ho-how have you been? I thought I would die. I already felt like I¡¯d die when I was just a temporary trainee, so I can¡¯t imagine how difficult it will be now that I¡¯m an official tr-trainee. I kept having nightmares. Ugh¡­¡± Dorian kept talking without waiting for the answer. He was a weirdo for being scared instead of being proud of bing an official trainee. ¡°But I¡¯m d that young master Raon is the top trainee. If young master Burren was the top, then I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have been able to breathe. It would¡¯ve been better that I failed the exam¡­¡± When Dorian was saying that, Burren entered the training ground along with the coterals. ¡°Hiee!¡± Dorian copsed under Burren¡¯s cold gaze. ¡°Hic! Hic!¡± Dorian started to hup while trembling all over. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Without paying attention to the scared Dorian, Burren approached Raon. ¡°I admit my defeat from one week ago. I showed everyone my disgraceful side. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Burren bowed at a 90-degree angle without any hesitation. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Lord Bu-Burren!¡± The trainees around them opened their mouths wide in surprise. ¡°However!¡± Burren¡¯s eyes were burning when he raised his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t give up. I will stand in front of you again, no matter what it takes. I won¡¯t withdraw, nor will I give up. Of course, I have no intention of losing to you, either.¡± After Raon, Burren also pointed his finger at Runaan. He then walked to the left. ¡°I¡­ I thought I¡¯d die.¡¯ Dorian stood while trembling, as he was chilly. ¡°Wh-what shall I do now? Shall I go ahead and beg?¡± His eyes were moving twice as fast as before. It was curious how he could still stay conscious in that state. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Raon shook his head. Burren was only looking at him and Runaan. He didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention to anyone else. He still doesn¡¯t know his position, even after getting beaten up. Follow him and pluck out his eyes, right now! ¡®That¡¯s pretty amazing on its own.¡¯ epting his own mistake and asking for a rematch wasn¡¯t an easy feat to achieve for a thirteen-year-old child. It was a behavior befitting the direct line of the prestigious Zieghart family. I don¡¯t care if that¡¯s amazing or not. The King of Essence didn¡¯t like it, so kill him. ¡®Hah!¡¯ Raon snorted. When one nuisance finally closed his mouth, the other started talking. It looked like silence was never going to happen. * * * * * * Swoosh! As he was flexing his ankle and ignoring Wrath¡¯s anger, a green wind burst over the walls. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte. I overslept a bit because I was drinking yesterday.¡± Rimmer appeared alongside the wind. He smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head, his hair resembling a bird¡¯s nest. Snap! Someone could be heard grinding their teeth. It was Burren. How dare he make the King of Essence wait! That arrogant pointy-eared bastard has finally gone insane! Tear off his ears, now! Wrath was boiling with uncontroble anger. It looked like Burren and Wrath could be friends. Rimmer walked onto the tform, humming. ¡°Did you rest well?¡± He waved his hand. The way he was faltering made it seem like he wasn¡¯tpletely awake. ¡°Yes!¡± On the other hand, the children¡¯s shouts were loud and strong. ¡°First of all, I congratte you on bing official trainees.¡¯ ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°As you must be already aware, those who failed were given the chance to join the sixth training ground if they wanted. Don¡¯t be too disappointed if your friend dropped out.¡± Rimmer smiled as he told them that they could meet with their friends againter. ¡°We are going to start the official training from today onward. The overall structure is going to be the same. You will have to surpass your limits throughout the training, whether it¡¯s your mind, stamina, or martial arts. Not only is it the fastest method, it also allows you to reach the highest peak.¡± He concluded by saying that there was no end to basic training. However, he didn¡¯t sound all that convincing with thezy disy he put on, what with his constant yawning. ¡°A few more training programs will be added from now on. The first is the aura cultivation method. Starting tomorrow, you will cultivate aura during daybreak and evening training.¡± Since it was well known that the best time to cultivate aura was at daybreak and evening, everyone nodded. ¡°We will also start the swordsmanship and fist technique training that you¡¯ve been waiting for.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Finally!¡± The children¡¯s eyes shone like jewels as he spoke about the swordsmanship and fist technique. ¡°And¡­¡± Just as Rimmer was about to continue, the training ground door burst open. Whoosh! Standing in the doorway, the origin of the dusty wind, was a girl in her mid-teens. Her ebony hair was flowing over her left shoulder, and her eyes¡ªclearly separated into ck and white¡ªshone like pearls. Her skin was as white as the snow. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± The boys on the training ground couldn¡¯t close their mouths because of her graceful figure, so different from Runaan¡¯s. However¡­ ¡°Oh, fuck. Why is it so hard to open the door?!¡± The swear wording from her mouth made the boys¡¯ jaws drop for a different reason. ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± Rimmer smirked and pointed to the approaching girl. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in charge of her, but she is a failed trainee from thest batch. Since you will be training together from now on, give your greetings for now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Martha.¡± The girl that introduced herself as Martha frowned, chin raised. Despite her graceful appearance, her behavior wasn¡¯t any different from that a thug. ¡°Apparently, she is a kind girl despite looking like that, so if you can get along¡­¡± ¡°Mind your own business, sir.¡± ¡°Well, I guess.¡± Rimmerughed and shrugged his shoulders. On the other hand, the trainees¡¯ mouths were still wide open. ¡°Just warm yourselves up for today. We¡¯ll start regr training tomorrow. So.¡± He nced at each of the children and grinned. ¡°Run, at full speed.¡± ¡°I saw thating.¡± When Raon was about to kick off after nodding, three shadows sprinted forward. They belonged to Runaan, Burren, and Martha. ¡°Yo-young master.¡± When he was about to start running after them, Dorian approached him. ¡°Wh-what do we do? That person is here.¡± ¡°Do you know her?¡± ¡°Do¡­ Do you not know about her? She is also from the direct line.¡± ¡°Direct line? I don¡¯t remember seeing her at the Judgment ceremony.¡± ¡°Ah, she isn¡¯t a normal direct line. She was adopted because of her talent.¡± Dorian told him that Martha was adopted as the daughter of Denier Zieghart, the third son of Glenn, and that she was adopted solely because of her talent. ¡°Talent, huh?¡± Raon nodded, watching Martha run ahead of Burren and Runaan. She was one year older than them, but he could tell that her talent wasn¡¯t ordinary at all. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been told, Lady Martha was the top trainee from thest batch, just like young master Raon.¡± ¡°Then why did she fail?¡± ¡°She¡­ She beat up.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Dorian continued, his folded arms trembling. ¡°Not long after training began, she beat up five tr-trainees until they were half dead. And there were two people from the direct line among them.¡± ¡°Two from the direct line¡­¡± ¡°Be¡­ be careful. Apparently, she has a bad personality.¡± Raon nodded slightly and started running. ¡®Be careful?¡¯ She should be careful of him. He had no intention of hiding his strength. If anyone challenged him, he would trample them. *** ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon exhaled violently once stamina training, whichsted until evening, was over. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m dying.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only rested for one week, yet¡­¡± Most of the trainees were groaning on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s stop for today, since overdoing it will affect tomorrow¡¯s training.¡± ¡°Th-thank you for your trouble.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The children bowed to Rimmer and the instructors before copsing again. ¡°I¡¯ve said this before, but the aura cultivation will start tomorrow. Since I¡¯m going to distribute the cultivation book, those who haven¡¯t acquired an aura yet shoulde forward.¡± As Rimmer gestured with his hand, books with a thickness of a pinky fingernail rose onto the tform. ¡°Don¡¯t be disappointed because it¡¯s a supplied cultivation book. The Rinden aura cultivation technique will work anywhere in the continent.¡± While most of them didn¡¯t move, only a few trainees withmoner backgrounds came forward and epted the cultivation books. ¡°Hmm?¡± Rimmer¡¯s gaze was directed at Raon. Despite not having any aura, he wasn¡¯ting forth. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you have any aura, either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to learn the aura cultivation technique that I¡¯ve obtained recently.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± It looked like he¡¯d obtained a cultivation book from the family head by exchanging his bronze tablet for it. ¡®He must have been given one equivalent or higher than a silver tablet.¡¯ Since Glenn treasured Raon more than he pretended to, Rimmer was certain he gave him a cultivation technique better than Rinden. ¡°Those who have already learned an aura cultivation technique shall cultivate in their respective room at daybreak. Those who¡¯ve received a cultivation book today, as well as Raon Zieghart, shalle out here at daybreak tomorrow.¡± ¡°Me, too?¡± Raon tilted his head. ¡°Since you haven¡¯t learned an aura yet.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s stop for today¡­¡± ¡°Wait. I have something to say.¡± Martha, who didn¡¯t have a single drop of sweat despite finishing stamina training, raised her hand. ¡°Who is the top trainee here?¡± She looked through everyone, with her hands on her waist. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Raon opened his mouth, facing Martha¡¯s ck eyes. ¡°The direct line and vassal families must all be dead to lose to a brat who doesn¡¯t even have an aura.¡± Laughing at Burren and Runaan, she stood in front of Raon. ¡°I can¡¯t bear someone weaker than me standing above me.¡± Cool air surrounded Martha¡¯s entire body. ¡°Let¡¯s fight.¡± Chapter 25 Martha Zieghart raised her chin, her hand on her waist. Her arrogant eyes didn¡¯t match her graceful appearance, but it also looked natural. ¡®Is this ce the problem?¡¯ Raon lightly kicked the floor of the training ground a couple times. Dorian had warned him, but he didn¡¯t believe she would start picking a fight with him immediately. It looked like there really wasn¡¯t anyone decent around him. I can¡¯t believe there would be someone even more arrogant than the pointy-eared bastard and blue eyes. Give your body to me. The King of Essence will freeze her whole. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Wrath started to freak out after Martha¡¯s taunt. The wrath he was venting was a lot fiercer than usual. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Martha Zieghart.¡± While Raon was considering how to respond, a precocious and cold voice could be heard. ¡°What kind of unrefined act are you performing?¡± It was Burren Zieghart. He was ring coldly at Martha. ¡°Haaah?¡± Martha made a wry face. It wasn¡¯t a face that a child from a prestigious family should be making, but an expression of someone who had one foot into the dark side. ¡°Did you just say that to your senior?¡± She approached Burren with a smile. ¡°If you keep shooting your mouth off, you¡¯ll end up dead immediately. You¡¯d better choose your words more carefully next time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my line. Raon Zieghart was acknowledged as the top trainee in front of the head of house and the instructor. Are you trying to deny that?¡± Burren came forward to stop Martha as if it were his own problem. ¡°I know you also made a fuss because you couldn¡¯t ept the results of the test.¡± The corners of Martha¡¯s lips raised. It was a thick, scornful smile. She already knew what had happened during the test, despite acting like she didn¡¯t know who the top trainee was. ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Burren calmly nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see the disgraceful behavior that I showed back then. That¡¯s why I¡¯m stopping you now.¡± ¡°Huuh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t soil the name of Zieghart, Martha Zieghart.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, observing Burren¡¯s back. ¡®That guy¡­¡¯ Burren¡¯s eyes were clear. He really seemed to be trying to prevent the situation from going awry, rather than just getting on her nerves. It seemed he was sincere when he lowered his head to apologize. Step! Burren wasn¡¯t the only one trying to stop Martha. Runaan also stepped in front of Raon, trying to protect him. ¡°And do you think the same?¡± Martha grinned, looking through Runaan and Burren. ¡°Leave.¡± Runaan said a single word with a vacant gaze. ¡°Step back, Martha.¡± ¡°I already told you.¡± Martha¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°I don¡¯t listen to those weaker than me!¡± Her fist pierced through the air, storming towards Burren. Whir! Right before the aura-enhanced fist reached Burren¡¯s face, a green wind shot up. Wham! Rimmer, who used to be on the tform, appeared in the blink of an eye and blocked Martha¡¯s fist. ¡°You really are ignoring me too much. Even if you think I¡¯m easy, it¡¯s regrettable that you are acting like I don¡¯t exist.¡± He pushed Martha¡¯s fist back with a cheerful smile. ¡°Martha, I heard you failed because of that temper. It looks like you haven¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Unlike Burren or Runaan, Raon hasn¡¯t learned aura yet, just as you¡¯ve said. Do you really wanna fight, knowing that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to use my aura, either.¡± ¡°You know, that still doesn¡¯t make you equal. Since there will be another opportunity in the future, stay patient for now.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Martha pouted and took a step back. However, she kept ring at Burren without leaving. ¡°Burren Zieghart.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know your older brother was beaten up by me and was forced to stay in bed for an entire month. If you are trying to be arrogant, you¡¯d better get stronger first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m different from my older brother.¡± ¡°We will see about that.¡± With a thin smile, Martha turned away. Runaan and Burren, seeing that, rxed and stepped aside. At that moment, Martha turned around and kicked off from the ground at the same time. ¡°I hate cowards that hide behind others even more than arrogant bastards!¡± In a sh, she pounced on Raon, and swung her fist. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Burren and Runaan couldn¡¯t react, and Rimmer was staying still despite seeing it. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes remained calm. He¡¯d already expected her toe at him the moment she shifted her center of gravity as she turned around. Tap! He used the back of his hand to fend off Martha¡¯s fist, which was aimed at his chest. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you ready to be punished?¡± He swung his clenched fist. His fist, including the rotation of Void Tiger Fist, was aimed at Martha¡¯s defenseless abdomen. ¡°Eek!¡± Panic could be seen in her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she gathered brown energy in her left fist. Wham! A bare fist and an aura-imbued forearm collided, pushing Raon and Martha back at the same time. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯t going to use your aura?¡± Raon dusted off his red-hot fist. ¡°Wh-what are you?!¡± Martha¡¯s eyes, which had distinct white and ck sections, were bloodshot. She was even stuttering, despite having always been confident. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Did¡­ did you really block that?¡± Rimmer giggled, and Burren swallowed hard. ¡°Eek!¡± Martha engulfed her entire body with a brown aura. ¡°That¡¯s as far as you go.¡± As she was about to charge in, Rimmer straightened his posture and stepped in front of her. ¡°I can¡¯t allow you any more than this.¡± Despite smiling, he was emitting sharp pressure. He was different from before, when he was ying around. ¡°But I¡ª!¡± ¡°Even if you fight without an aura now, it will only end up in an ipletebustion. Try fighting himter, when Raon has learned a proper aura. I will allow it then.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Martha red at Raon while grinding her teeth, before turning away. This time she didn¡¯t even look back. She left and closed the door with a loud bang. ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer approached and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°How did you defend against Martha¡¯s attack? It looked like you knew about it already.¡± ¡°It was her center of gravity.¡± Raon snapped out the answer like nothing. ¡°Center of gravity?¡± The question was from Burren. Runaan also seemed curious, her ears perking up like a rabbit. ¡°When she turned around, she shifted her center of gravity to her back instead of her front. She wasn¡¯t aiming for Burren or Runaan, but at me, in the middle. I figured she was going toe at me for sure.¡± ¡°With just that¡­¡± Burren frowned hearing the answer, and Runaan fell deep in thought as her eyes grew empty. ¡°Hmm!¡± Rimmer eximed lightly. ¡®His observation and physical abilities are as outstanding as always.¡¯ He counterattacked immediately by discerning the opponent¡¯s intention from their center of gravity. His talent wasn¡¯t normal, for sure. ¡°¡­¡± Burren examined the floor where Raon and Martha had fought, then left the training ground biting his lip. ¡°I scolded her properly, so she won¡¯t bother you for a while. But you will inevitably face her after you learn aura.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°By the way, it looks like the Void Tiger Fist¡¯s rotation has be yourspletely now.¡± That rotation had been used when Raon struck Martha. That was actually more amazing than his counterattack. ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± Raon shook his head and turned back. What have you done? Did you let her live, despite her swinging her fist at the King of Essence? You must tear off her limbs and imprison her inside an eternal cier¡­ ¡®I struck her back.¡¯ That¡¯s not enough. Her head needs to be smashed! ¡®It¡¯s not worth it.¡¯ There was nothing to gain from having a fist fight with her like that. It was way more beneficial to make a bet, staking the title of top trainee on it, once there was something she could give him. Kuh! She needs to be shattered into pieces after being frozen whole¡­ ¡®Just wait. I¡¯ll let you see something even better.¡¯ Raon smiled and left the training ground. * * * * * * Raon arrived at the training ground before the sun rose. He¡¯d wanted to cultivate alone, but he didn¡¯t have a choice since he was instructed to do otherwise. Since most of the trainees had already learned an aura, there were only eight people at the training ground and all of them weremoners. ¡°Yo-young master.¡± Dorian approached him with drooping shoulders. ¡°I¡­ I heard you can die from learning aura. Is that true? I also heard it hurts, as if your energy center is breaking¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t exactly wrong, since there were people who got severely hurt or died trying to learn a bad cultivation technique. Of course, the cultivation technique that Zieghart was supplying was a stable one, and there were excellent instructors around them, so there weren''t going to be any issues. ¡°It will be fine.¡± He repeated the same thing he kept telling Dorian whenever he met him. ¡°Ri-right? I feel more at ease since the young master says so.¡± Dorian smiled awkwardly, controlling his breath. And in the next moment¡­ ¡°Is¡­ Is it really alright? Even if it is stable, someone could still be in danger. If that someone ends up being me, everything will be over! Wh-what shall I do? If I die¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Raon turned his head. Dorian¡¯s insecurities weren¡¯t going to disappear, no matter what he told him. And there was no reason for Raon to take care of him, either. ¡°I¡¯m notte today, right? I have perfect timing.¡± Rimmer entered over the wall, like always. He grinned, looking at the still-dark sky. ¡°Since the sun will rise soon, let¡¯s start immediately.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The children¡¯s voices were even louder than usual, filled with the expectation of learning aura. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about falling behind because the other children have learned aura before you. Aura is a martial art that you need to acquire throughout your entire life, so the others are only one step ahead of you.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then enter a personal cultivation room with the instructor next to you. The instructors will help you until your cultivation stabilizes, so tell them if you are curious about anything or having any difficulty.¡± Once Rimmer pped his hands, the instructors behind him brought the children to the personal cultivation rooms. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon looked around since there was nobody next to him. ¡°You will enter a personal training room alone.¡± ¡°Then why did you call me?¡± ¡°Because a problem sometimes urs when you learn to cultivate using a cultivation book. I¡¯ll be waiting outside, so you can feel safe and cultivate in peace.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡®I can¡¯t trust you.¡¯ The Rimmer that he¡¯d seen so far wasn¡¯t a trustworthy person. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he was napping outside while Raon was dying in the cultivation room. ¡°What are those eyes? Can¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± He shook his head and entered the cultivation room. He didn¡¯t wish for him to help him. Somewhat guarding him while he cultivated was plenty helpful. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon closed his eyes and started using the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. A fluttering red me appeared on his shoulders. ¡®Let¡¯s begin.¡¯ *** As soon as Raon entered the training room, Rimmer straightened his posture. He silently extended his senses in order to avoid bothering anyone. ¡®Let¡¯s see what he got.¡¯ Using his extended senses, he started reading the mana wave urring around Raon¡¯s training room. ¡®It''s a fire attribute.¡¯ Hot and dynamic mana was storming around Raon. ¡®This isn¡¯t an ordinary cultivation technique?!¡¯ The amount of energy he felt from Raon¡¯s mana circuit was far more powerful than normal. It was an explosive energy, likevaing straight out of a volcanic eruption. The cultivation technique was definitely not ordinary, given how he was controlling such mana in the learning phase. ¡®That¡¯s not something that a person can exchange for a bronze tablet. Even a gold tablet wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡¯ He¡¯d told the children that the Rinden cultivation technique was no different from the better cultivation techniques, but Raon¡¯s was different. It was better than the cultivation techniques learned by the direct line. Rimmer¡¯s heart started pounding in excitement, eager to learn what kind of aura Raon would acquire in his energy center¡ªonce he finished learning that cultivation technique. However, the flow of the aura was very difficult to understand. It looked like it was going to take a lot of time and effort until he finished acquiring it. ¡®¡­Hmm?¡¯ Rimmer lowered his thin eyebrows. Inside the mana circuit, where the hot energy was running through, the cold energy was also spreading out. ¡®No way! That guy!¡¯ His jaw dropped as he sensed Raon¡¯s flow of energy. ¡®Instead of erasing the ice in his mana circuit, he is leading it along with the rest!¡¯ Raon was umting the ice in his energy center, instead of getting rid of it after it was pushed away by the hot energy. ¡®Is this really from a guy controlling mana for the first time?¡¯ He had never imagined someone that hadn¡¯t even been learning a cultivation technique for a week could control mana with just his will. ¡®It¡¯s not thanks to the aura cultivation technique he is using. It¡¯s his talent in action.¡¯ Raon¡¯s ability to control mana was more surprising than the excellency of his cultivation technique. Even if he¡¯d been controlling mana from before his birth, he shouldn¡¯t have been as good as he was. ¡®His talent wasn¡¯t only in his body and martial arts, but also in mana¡­¡¯ He¡¯d heard Raon had been revealed to have the worst talent in mana during the Judgment Ceremony. However, he was showing mana control surpassing even Burren or Runaan. ¡®If he manages to properly learn that cultivation technique¡­¡¯ Rimmer clenched his fist, smiling in anticipation. ¡®A new monster might be born.¡¯ *** An hourter, Raon Zieghart came out of the cultivation room while exhaling hot breath. ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer came down from the tform and approached him. ¡°Train in your dormitory starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Pardon? You told me yesterday I shoulde here every day¡­¡± ¡°Whatever, train in your dormitory, instead.¡± Cultivating aura in the dormitory couldn¡¯t be sensed from the outside because the dormitory¡¯s walls were shrouded in magic. If somebody sensed Raon¡¯s aura cultivation technique, they could start taking drastic measures to hold him in check. That was why it was better to cultivate in the dormitory, which was defended by magic. ¡°I¡¯ll visit asionally to help your progress.¡± ¡°You will? Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I am not alwayszy, okay?¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon calmly nodded, like always. ¡®I have to tell him about this right away.¡¯ Rimmer grinned, sensing the leftover hot mana spreading out of Raon. *** After training ended, Rimmer visited the audience chamber. ¡°You have beening here often recently.¡± Glenn Zieghart, who had been sitting immobile on his throne like a stone statue, lifted his head. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± Rimmer grinned and walked up the red carpet in the center. ¡°Martha has joined training. Her personality was hotter than I¡¯d heard.¡± ¡°That child won¡¯t change until she loses to somebody else her age.¡± Glenn nodded, like he had expected it. ¡°Then we might see that happen soon.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She had a small encounter with Raon.¡± Rimmer told him about the incident from the day before between Raon and Martha, involving Burren and Runaan. ¡°Is that so? So, they¡¯ve already¡­¡± Glenn lightly nodded. He looked slightly happy, despite staying expressionless. ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s not the reason I came to visit. What did you actually give Raon?¡± Rimmer raised his voice unlike how he¡¯d acted in front of Raon. ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a cultivation technique with such aplicated yet orderly flow. On top of that, it¡¯s a fire attribute¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cultivation technique called ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯.¡± Glenn casually responded. ¡°Ten Thousand mes Cultivation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the cultivation technique of the first head of house.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the first head¡¯s, I see, that¡¯s why it''s so¡­ Wait? Waiiit?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The¡­ The first n leader?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Huh, I thought you would give him a cultivation technique equivalent to a silver or gold tablet, but I never expected you¡¯d give him the first head¡¯s technique. You must really cherish him.¡± ¡°The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ chose him. I didn¡¯t originally intend to give it to him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t exin in detail. Rimmer guessed there were some circumstances around it. ¡°Did youe here to ask about that?¡± ¡°Oh no, it was about Raon. His talent is definitely not normal. Not only in martial arts, but his talent in mana is also outrageous.¡± Rimmer described everything that he¡¯d witnessed about Raon¡¯s flow of mana that day. ¡°I heard the Sword of Judgment said his talent was below average. Are you sure it¡¯s not broken?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Glenn Zieghart took his hand off the armrest and started rubbing his chin. ¡®He is also talented in mana¡­¡¯ The Sword of Judgment had shone gold after everyone had left, and it seemed that was indeed Raon¡¯s ability. ¡°How is his body¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°His sweat is still cold, and he still breathes out icy breath. There definitely is a problem with his body, but he looks morefortable after training.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn nodded. Just like Patrick said, it looked like moving his body was the correct answer. ¡°Raon has a special talent in both body and mana. He also has excellent observation, insight, and calmness. I think he can potentially be another sessor.¡± ¡°Talent doesn¡¯t matter. Even if he has that much potential, he is still too young.¡± ¡°But it isn¡¯t impossible. Because I don¡¯t really like your sons.¡± Rimmer looked up to Glenn with narrowed eyes. ¡°I became part of Zieghart to follow the me I call my lord. However, there is no one that I wish to follow among the sessors.¡± ¡°Impossible. Was that why you wanted the position of instructor¡­?¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes. Despite having been weakened, Rimmer was still a sword master. The reason he refused every offer and became an instructor seemed to be to look for his king by himself. ¡°Can¡¯t Raon also be a sessor if he meets the qualifications?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, he can.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± Rimmer lowered his head with his eyes shining dark green, before taking a step back. ¡°And one more thing. Raon isn¡¯t just talented. Well, I think my lord knows it better than me.¡± With thatstment, he left the audience chamber and shut the door behind him. ¡°Yes, I know that very well.¡± Glenn had a dejected smile on his face, staring at the empty audience chamber. ¡°I know what kind of child he is, and what kind of thoughts he harbors.¡± Chapter 26 One month had passed since Raon began learning the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. He¡¯d been cultivating every day at daybreak and in the evening and continued until night. However, he still hadn¡¯t managed to create an aura. Because it was such a powerful¡ªif not the most powerful¡ªcultivation technique, its acquisition difficulty was also beyond imagination. Of course, his attempts at controlling the coldness inside of his mana circuit slowed down his progress, as well. ¡®Let¡¯s take it slow.¡¯ Raon calmly closed his eyes in the center of the training ground. ¡®Because I have the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯.¡¯ As long as he had the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, his talent in body and mana were always at their maximum. Instead of trying to progress quickly, it was better to work on his foundation. Thud! Right on time for the regr training, the door to the training ground opened wide. Rimmer, who wasn¡¯tte for some reason, entered. ¡°From today onward, you will study martial arts in the morning.¡± ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°Wooow!¡± ¡°Finally!¡± ¡°It¡¯s swordsmanship! Swordsmanship!¡± The children raised their hands and started shouting. The trainees had only been training their stamina in the month since they¡¯d passed the test. It was natural for them to start shouting with joy. ¡°What made Zieghart known throughout the continent was swordsmanship, but the fist techniques aren¡¯t worse than the swordsmanship techniques. I¡¯ll show you the basic forms of the fist technique.¡± Rimmerid down on the tform despite telling them he¡¯d show them the techniques. ¡°Skilled instructors,e forward.¡± When he waved his hand while yawning, the instructor behind him stepped and started to perform a fist technique. ¡®It¡¯s the Seven Shaped Fist.¡¯ It was a fist technique utilizing seven different shapes and was used as a basis for all fist techniques. Despite knowing the shapes, Raon had never learned it. That was because, in his previous life, the only purpose of his fists was killing his opponent instantly. ¡°Ah, the ''Seven Shaped Fist''¡­¡± ¡°I already know about that.¡± ¡°Haaah, it¡¯s gonna be boring.¡± The excitement disappeared from the faces of children that had seen the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯ before. It looked like they didn¡¯t feel enthusiastic because they¡¯d already learned it beforeing to the training ground. ¡°You look bored.¡± Rimmer snickered and wagged his finger. ¡°I know that many of you have already learned the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯ before. Once I confirm you¡¯ve properly learned it, I¡¯ll let you progress to the next step.¡± ¡°Next step? What do you mean?¡± Dorian raised his hand and asked, despite always being afraid. ¡°You all have the same status as trainees, but your levels aren¡¯t the same. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t need to train the exact same way. If you manage to exceed the standard I¡¯ve set, I¡¯ll let you progress immediately.¡± Rimmer murmured that the training methods in the past were too conventional. ¡°That¡¯s good. I like that.¡± Martha Zieghart smiled cheerfully and stepped forward. ¡°I thought I was going to learn the boring seven shapes over again, but this is the correct way. There¡¯s no reason for an outstanding person to step down to the level of a pathetic one.¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think about that. Anyway, reenact the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯ you just saw where you are standing. If I think it¡¯s enough, I¡¯ll let you start the next piece of training.¡± As soon as Rimmer finished talking, the children started performing the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯. ¡®They have a good foundation.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes shone as he watched the children around him. ¡®It¡¯s not a prestigious family without reason.¡¯ He¡¯d thought they would half-heartedly learn it and move on to the next step because it was part of the basics, but the children were moving their fists precisely, with an urate amount of strength. ¡°Hmm¡­ As expected.¡± Rimmer nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Martha Zieghart, Burren Zieghart, Runaan Sullion¡­¡± When he called the names of trainees who¡¯d properly performed their ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯, there were less than twenty people left in the center. Raon Zieghart was standing among them with glittering red eyes. *** ¡°Hmm.¡± Rimmer nodded, watching the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯ that Raon Zieghart was performing. ¡®As expected, he hasn¡¯t learned it.¡¯ His punch was unrefined, with no proper shape. He didn¡¯t seem to have learned anything, just as Silvia had said. However, since Raon had some experience from copying the flow of ¡®Void Tiger Fist¡¯ from Burren, he was going to grasp it in a few days. ¡®Let¡¯s see the other children¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help watching Raon, but he also made sure to check the other children, heeding Glenn¡¯s warning. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Since they were rmended children, they mostly had excellent control and insight. They looked like they would progress to the next step pretty soon. ¡®Competition is so nice.¡¯ It had the same principle as long-distance running. The children running ahead made an effort to keep those behind them from catching up, and those in the back did their best to catch up to those in the front. It was a virtuous circle of training. ¡®Now then.¡¯ Rimmer checked on the trainees¡ªincluding Martha, Burren and Runaan¡ªthat managed to pass the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯. Since Martha had already finished learning the second step¡¯s fist technique, she¡¯d started training with the third step, ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯. ¡®I guess that makes sense.¡¯ Martha had failedst year, but it was because of her personality, not her ability. It looked like he needed to prepare something for her to train so that she wouldn¡¯t waste her time, along with a way to fix her temper. ¡®They are also doing well.¡¯ Burren and Runaan were also aware of the ¡®Advanced Rising Fist¡¯, which was learned during the second step. It looked like the two of them would advance to the third step in the near future. Rimmerid down and wrote down the information on the children on his notes. ¡®Now then, let¡¯s check¡­ huh?¡¯ When Rimmer looked at Raon again, after checking every other child, his eyes widened. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ During the brief time he¡¯d checked on the other children, the shape of the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯ was engraved in Raon Zieghart¡¯s punches. ¡®How does this make any sense?¡¯ Rimmer lifted his body, unable to hold himself back. Raon was different from Martha, Runaan, and Burren. He certainly didn¡¯t know anything when he started, but he¡¯d be apletely different person already. Even though the ''Seven Shaped Fist'' was a basic fist technique, and it was easy to follow, it didn¡¯t make any sense for him to show so much progress in less than an hour. ¡®What is this monster¡­?¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been long since he was surprised by how well Raon was controlling his mana, and he was shocked once again by how fast he learned martial arts. Rimmer jaw dropped. ¡°Haaah.¡± He wasn¡¯t nning to give him special treatment. He was going to send Raon on to the next step once he made sure that he had mastered the basics, but it looked like that time was going toe extremely soon. ¡®At this rate, by tomorrow¡­ No, it might be this evening¡­¡¯ * * * * * * Martha Zieghart smiled while nimbly thrusting her fist. ¡®I like the instructors this time around.¡¯ Before, she¡¯d been waiting for the moronic ones to catch up. However, that wasn¡¯t the right answer. The talented should keep rising, and the talentless should be stepping stones for them. That was the correct answer. When she looked to her left, she could see children learning the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯. She¡¯d learned it two years ago, so those that were learning it only now would never be able to catch up to her. By the time they¡¯d reach the second step, she would¡¯ve already finished learning the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯ and started swordsmanship training. ¡®He¡¯s also over there.¡¯ Martha smirked, looking at Raon punching at the center of the training ground. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ The oddball who managed to get first ce after voluntarily participating in training, despite being born with extreme coldness. Considering the way he¡¯d blocked her surprise attack the month before, his perception and movements were both exceptional. He was a talented guy. ¡®However.¡¯ It was toote. He¡¯d only started learning aura and fist technique when he was thirteen years old. It was the same as starting to run a long time after the starting signal during a race. ¡®He is never gonna catch up to me.¡¯ Her aura was already at three-star, and she¡¯d already learned various fist techniques and swordsmanship. Unlike Burren and Runaan, who¡¯d started to train during childhood, Raon couldn¡¯t even be her rival. ¡®He is just a stepping stone.¡¯ Raon Zieghart was a mere stepping stone, unworthy of her attention. ¡°Hmph!¡± Martha snorted and turned her head away. She stopped paying attention to Raon, focusing on training the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯ instead. When she was still improving in the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯ until sunset, a man approached next to her. ¡°Mydy, it¡¯s time for your training as a member of the direct line.¡± It was her butler, Camel. ¡°Alright.¡± Martha nodded and turned back. The other children were still practicing the beginner fist technique. ¡°How pathetic.¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± When she was about to return whileughing at them, she heard Rimmer¡¯s voice. ¡°You pass. Proceed to the next step.¡± She turned around at the voice, light as the wind. Raon Zieghart was casually nodding at him. ¡°What is this?!¡± Martha¡¯s eyes widened. It was impossible to believe that in one day¡ªno, in half a day, he¡¯d managed to master the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯. ¡®Even I had to practice for four days!¡¯ She was adopted into Zieghart thanks to her talent as a genius, and it still took her four days to master the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯. It didn¡¯t make sense that a mere stepping stone aplished the same thing in only half a day. ¡°Then, please teach me the next fist technique.¡± ¡°The sun¡¯s already set. I can¡¯t be bothered, so let¡¯s do it tomorrow.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be bothered, that¡¯s not something an instructor should sa¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Martha interrupted Raon and Rimmer, who were having a conversation. ¡°Sir Instructor, did he really pass the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯? Something that he only started learning today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Rimmer nodded, his green eyes open wide. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too lenient because you¡¯rezy?¡± ¡°Lenient?¡± ¡°Despite the seven shapes being the basics of fist techniques, it still takes a while to gain a grasp of it. There is no way he could manage to master it in only half a day.¡± ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t master it. But it¡¯s enough to advance to the ¡®Advanced Rising Fist¡¯ training.¡± ¡°Hah! I mean, the criteria is too low.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer scratched his chin, then turned his head around to Raon. ¡°That¡¯s what she¡¯s saying. Raon, try showing it to her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Raon firmly shook his head. ¡°The instructor has already told me I¡¯ve passed, so why do I have to repeat it?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°If you do, then I¡¯ll teach you the ¡®Advanced Rising Fist¡¯ right now, instead of tomorrow.¡± Rimmer responded before Martha could interrupt. ¡°Ha! Alright.¡± Raon sighed lightly and stood, feet shoulder-width apart. Holding his breath, he thrust his fist. A heavy punch pierced through the evening¡¯s air. He took a step forward and thrust his left fist. The way it bent resembled a boomerang. Turning to his right, he struck with his right hand from his waist. Martha¡¯s bangs fluttered from the refreshing wind. Raon¡¯s form continued, brisk and energetic. He was urately expressing the seven forms and spirits of the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯. Martha swallowed hard. Rimmer hadn¡¯t set the bar low. Raon Zieghart really had learned the forms and spirits of the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯ in only half a day. ¡°You knew it already!¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon raised his chin, as if he were asking what the hell she was talking about. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± She was speechless, because Raon¡¯s punches from earlier were definitely those of a novice. ¡°How about it, Martha? Isn¡¯t it enough to be recognized?¡± Rimmer chuckled, as if he were teasing her. ¡°He did that in half a day?¡± ¡°What did I just see?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s so crazy.¡± The instructors and children also couldn¡¯t close their mouths from their surprise. ¡°I¡­ I also did that much.¡± Martha forced a smile and turned around. Biting her lip, she left the training ground. ¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯ It was just the ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯. It wasn¡¯t even swordsmanship, but the most basic part of fist techniques. There was no way he could catch up to her just because he could learn it a little quickly. Yes, that could never happen. Martha calmed herself down and headed towards the direct line training ground. But the trajectory of Raon¡¯s fist was deeply engraved in her memory. *** ¡°What does she want?¡± Raon dusted off his hands and frowned. ¡°She must be surprised.¡± Rimmer snickered, watching Martha leave the training ground. ¡°I was also surprised. It was my first time seeing somebody learn as quickly as you.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment, but please teach me the next fist technique.¡± ¡°Hah! Of course I will.¡± He sighed lightly and got up. After warming up his waist and wrists, he looked up at the sky. ¡°But Raon.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Upon seeing Rimmer¡¯s expression, Raon suddenly became anxious. ¡°It¡¯s toote today. See you again tomorrow!¡¯ He created a gust of wind to obstruct Raon¡¯s vision and disappeared over the wall. It was a swift and determined movement, one that Raon couldn¡¯t even think about stopping. ¡°¡­¡± The King of Essence has told you before. That pointy-eared bastard looked like he¡¯d betray you. One day on a battlefield, he will run away, leaving you behind. It looked like Wrath had be a fortune teller, since he was predicting Rimmer¡¯s future. ¡®Somehow, I expected it.¡¯ Raon licked his lips. He¡¯d thought it might happen the moment he saw Rimmer¡¯s reaction. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Burren approached him with heavy steps. ¡°I¡¯m heading out to receive training that only the direct line can receive.¡± Raon already knew about it. While the trainees had their individual training, the direct line could receive additional lessons. ¡°It¡¯s okay to say that it''s unfair. But I will beat you, no matter what method I have to use.¡± After ring at Raon for a bit, he left the training ground. Those arrogant eyes are still the same. One day, I will¡­ ¡®No, they¡¯re different.¡¯ Raon shook his head, watching Burren¡¯s back. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but Burren¡¯s eyes had be clear a one month ago. Thepetitiveness still remained, but it didn¡¯t look like he was going to y dirty like before. Step. Raon turned towards the footsteps approaching from behind. Runaan was looking at him with nk eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going there as well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to go?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°You can learn powerful swordsmanship¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± Runaan slowly shook her head. ¡°¡­¡± Raon licked his lips and made his way over to the training room. He could hear crunching footsteps as Runaan followed behind him. Chapter 27 ¡°Huff!¡± Burren Zieghart exhaled heavily after performing the different forms of the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯, one after another. ¡®This isn¡¯t easy.¡¯ The second step, ¡®Advanced Rising Fist¡¯, was something he¡¯d already started learning back at the main building. Because of that, he could pass it without much difficulty. However, the third step, ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯, wasn¡¯t easy to learn. ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯ was a basic fist technique that included advanced principles, which made it difficult to grasp. ¡®But I should be able to finish it by next week.¡¯ Since the training he did back in the main building had solidified his foundation, his posture was starting to get better. Because it¡¯d already been two weeks since he¡¯d started learning the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯, it looked like he could pass the test on it in about another week after. ¡®Let¡¯s do it again.¡¯ Burren clenched his back teeth and started to train the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯ once again. He straightened his posture once he finished training until he felt burned out. His training clothes werepletely wet, sticking to his body. Whoosh! While he was catching his breath, he could hear violent wind from the right side. When he turned around, he saw a beautiful girl with long ck hair swinging her sword fiercely. ¡®Martha Zieghart.¡¯ Martha had finished the fist technique training a long time ago, starting swordsmanship training before anyone else. With perfect posture and an established form, her swordsmanship made him admire her unconsciously. He had to acknowledge her skills, despite her damned personality. ¡®But¡­¡¯ There was something strange. Martha was progressing faster than anyone in the training ground, and her skills were also the most outstanding, to a point that she¡¯d surprised all the instructors. However, her expressions didn¡¯t show any hint of being rxed. As if a hungry beast was chasing her, she kept swinging her sword with a face full of irritation and tension. ¡®I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Burren knit his brows and turned his head to the other side, where that guy was training. Raon Zieghart. He was a monster that had grasped the forms of the ¡®Seven Shaped Fists¡¯ and finished learning the ¡®Advanced Rising¡¯ Fist in only ten days. With him chasing her, it was understandable that she couldn¡¯t rx. It was unbelievable, but he was actually learning the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯, the same technique Burren was training with. Whoosh! Raon thrust his fist, producing the sound of air being bent, and his stomping foot shook the entire floor of the training ground. The movements of his hands and feet were already exhibiting the exquisite principles of the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯. ¡®What a monstrous guy.¡¯ People had called Burren both a genius and a monster as he grew up. He hadn¡¯t imagined that he would say that exact same thing about somebody else. ¡®I don¡¯t understand how he can do that.¡¯ Burren had been taught the ¡®Advanced Rising Fist¡¯ for a month before bing a trainee. Even then, he still needed to train three more days before starting to learn the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯. ¡®And people said that I was progressing quickly.¡¯ He was called amazing for learning it in one month, yet Raon managed to do the same in only ten days. Moreover, he didn¡¯t only grasp the forms, but his fist technique properly contained the principles. ¡®At this rate¡­¡¯ He figured Raon would catch up by the time he moved on to the swordsmanship training. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren sighed lightly. In fact, Raon''s talent wasn¡¯t the only thing that surprised him during his observation. ¡®Effort and willpower.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t a single instance of Raon not doing his best during his training. He kept exhaling cold air from his lips and his entire body was drenched with sweat. Even from a third party¡¯s point of view, his body wasn¡¯t in a proper condition yet. However, he never gave up on any training. People could easily say that they did their best, or that they tried to the very end. However, they rarely actually followed through with those words. ¡®But this guy does.¡¯ Raon always did his best, burning up everything he had. Rimmer had mentioned that the fastest way to train was to surpass one¡¯s limits. Raon was executing that method more efficiently than anyone. ¡®He surprises me every time I look at him.¡¯ Despite considering him an enemy, he couldn¡¯t stop admiring him. He was more fit to be a Zieghart than anyone else on the training ground. ¡°Burren, your hands have stopped. Go to the rest hall if you want to rest!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. I¡¯ll continue.¡± Burren lowered his head when he heard the instructor''s shout. He sighed and emptied his head. ¡®Yes. It¡¯s not the time for me to stay like this.¡¯ He¡¯d resolved to not lose to Raon, no matter what. He had to do his best in every moment, taking after Raon¡¯s willpower. Pang! Burren focused his mind and thrust his clenched fist. *** Whoosh! After swinging a sword with an air of madness, as if there were an enemy in front of her, Martha stopped her hand. She sighed lightly and squeezed her hand holding the sword. ¡®How annoying.¡¯ Despite being the only person to be holding a sword in the training ground, an unbearable irritation overwhelmed her. ¡®This is all¡­¡¯ Martha bit her lip and looked around. She could see a guy swinging his fist with steam billowing out of his mouth. Raon Zieghart. As soon as she saw him, her body started to feel tight, as if she had an upset stomach. ¡®He has already started to learn the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯.¡¯ While she started to learn the swordsmanship technique, Raon had finished learning two fist techniques and started learning the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯. Unlike Burren or Runaan, who¡¯d already learned fist techniques, it was the first time Raon was learning them. He was progressing at a ridiculous pace. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ His talent sent shivers down her spine. He could catch up to her at any time now, and that fact was engulfing her in a breathtaking fear. ¡®That position used to be mine.¡¯ Ever since she¡¯d been adopted as a Zieghart, she¡¯d always been the chaser. She¡¯d caught up to the direct line and coterals, who were proud of the talents of their geniuses, and she¡¯dughed at them despairing over their losses. ¡®And yet¡­¡¯ Now that the positions had been reversed, she realized how scary it was to be chased after. Whoosh! Martha swung her sword downwards, trying to erase Raon¡¯s steadily growing presence. The training sword shed through the thin air, full of irritation. She kept swinging her sword, over and over, until the sun went from the middle in the sky to beyond the western hills. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Martha lowered her sword while exhaling a long breath. She was feeling a bit better after swinging her sword for the entire day. However, the moment she looked to her right, she had to frown again. Raon¡¯s fist technique was getting better even at that moment. ¡®Doesn¡¯t that bastard even get tired?¡¯ To train the entire day, all while remaining extremely focused the entire time¡­ Calling him hardcore wasn¡¯t even enough. She had never seen that type of person, even in the back streets. * * * * * * ¡°Tsk.¡± Martha turned around and left the training ground after the sun hadpletely set. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Her butler Camel, who was waiting for her next to the door, bowed to her. Since she was out of energy, she just nodded. ¡°Mydy.¡± Camel called after her while catching up to her quick steps. ¡°Mydy doesn¡¯t need to be so impatient.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It seems everyone forgot because of his recent actions, but the young master Raon has a huge weakness.¡± Camel smiled after ncing at the training ground. ¡°Are you talking about his illness? He is a tough one, so he doesn¡¯t care about pain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°The young master Raon has the worst talent in aura.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mydy must not be aware because it¡¯d happened before mydy was adopted. But the young master Raon¡¯s mana perception was determined to be the worst during the Judgment Ceremony.¡± Camel smiled while pointing at the energy center. ¡°Isn¡¯t the young master Raon the only person who still hasn¡¯t managed to acquire an aura in the fifth training ground?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Martha nodded. The trainees who¡¯d started learning the Rinden cultivation technique two months ago had already umted aura in their energy center. Just like Camel said, Raon was the only person among the trainees who hadn¡¯t acquired an aura. ¡°A cultivation technique obtained with a bronze tablet would be a middle tier, or middle-upper tier. It would only be slightly better than Rinden. However, considering that he still hasn¡¯t managed to acquire an aura, his talent in mana must be the worst¡ªjust like the Judgment Ceremony determined.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Even if he is talented in swordsmanship and fist techniques, he can¡¯t be a proper warrior if his talent in aura is so miniscule.¡± Camel shook his head while giving off a kind-looking smile. ¡°I see.¡± Martha nodded her head, the corners of her lips curling up into a smile. ¡®So, he didn¡¯t have any talent in aura.¡¯ She¡¯d forgotten about it because Raon¡¯s talent in martial arts was so outstanding, but he still hadn¡¯t managed to acquire an aura. It was said that a warrior with a weak talent in aura was a deficient one. Raon Zieghart was just a deficient warrior whose talents were all focused on martial arts. ¡°Hehe.¡± She couldn¡¯t stop herself from smiling. The anxiety that she¡¯d been feeling disappeared all at once. ¡°I was worried for nothing. I unnecessarily paid attention to somebody who wasn¡¯t worthy.¡± Martha headed towards the direct line training ground with light steps, as if she¡¯d gotten rid of a lump of steel, and Camel followed her while smiling faintly with a mysterious air about him. *** Raon didn¡¯t stop training for a single moment. Constantly moving, he engraved the principle and the flow of ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯ in his body and mind. His back was drenched in cold sweat, and his mouth was breathing out steam. He was clearly tired, but his expression was as bright as facing the sun. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon smiled slightly as he moistened his dry lips. ¡®This is getting more and more interesting.¡¯ The movement that the instructor had shown him was engraved in his brain with a margin of error smaller than 1mm, and its flow and form was reproduced through his body. He¡¯d never realized learning martial arts could be so fun. ¡®I guess that¡¯s obvious.¡¯ In his previous life, he¡¯d only learned how to survive and kill. He¡¯d only gotten better at killing people through that. He did increase his aura and trained with killing swordsmanship. But that wasn¡¯t for the sake of improving himself. It was only of use in finishing off his enemies. He kept engraving the killing methods in his body and mind until his body was crushed and shattered. However, it was different now. The ¡®Seven Shaped Fist¡¯, the ¡®Advanced Rising Fist¡¯, and the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯ were all basic fist techniques, but his heart was filled with excitement just from learning them. ¡®Because I¡¯m improving for my sake.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t for the sake of killing someone else or following someone else¡¯s orders. Since it was for his own sake, he could only smile despite it being difficult. ¡®And the pain is bearable.¡¯ The pain was actually greater in his current life than in his previous life because of the ice in his mana circuit. However, he couldn¡¯t stop moving his body because of the exaltation that came from his improvement. The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ rotated violently to grasp the flow of martial arts and enhanced his body. Since he could feel his body and mind improving on top of his fist technique, his training was simply enjoyable. What are you going to do with those basic movements? If you offer your body, the King of Essence will make you the best in the continent immediately. ¡®It¡¯s pointless if it isn¡¯t by my own will.¡¯ He¡¯d had enough of pointlessly following somebody else¡¯s order in his previous life. Bing the strongest by offering up his body was useless to him. How foolish. A weakling like you can never be¡­ ¡®Hmph.¡¯ Since he was feeling refreshed, he couldugh off Wrath¡¯s nonsense. Pang! Raon performed the different postures of the ¡®Thundering Fist¡¯, using Wrath¡¯s voice as the rhythm. He seemed to be learning the emotion of joy through his training. Whoosh! Whoosh! While he was catching his breath after swinging his fist with full force, one of the trainees approached him and bowed to him. ¡°E-excuse me, Mr. Top Student. May I ask a question?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m having trouble with thest posture of the ¡®Advanced Rising Fist¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Move your right foot out a bit further. Your stance isn¡¯t bnced.¡± Raon figured out the problem as soon as he saw the trainee¡¯s posture. ¡°Ah! Thank you!¡± The trainee bowed and stepped back. He looked like he understood it at once, since he managed to get the correct posture by fixing what Raon hadmented on. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s fixed at once!¡± ¡°He is a genius of the fist technique!¡± ¡°I think he has better eyes than the instructors.¡± The trainees looked up to Raon with admiration after checking each other¡¯s posture. Raon didn¡¯t care whether the trainees were surprised or not. After training fist technique until the sun set, he returned to the dormitory. After finishing his simple dinner, he returned to his room and prepared to cultivate aura. The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ wasn¡¯t progressing as well as the fist technique, which he was quickly improving at, but Raon stayedposed. ¡®I already knew this was going to take a while.¡¯ He¡¯d realized after checking through all the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ in his brain. The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was a legendary cultivation technique, at the same level as the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. If he could learn it properly, he was going to acquire an aura so powerful that it¡¯d be difficult to find a match. Therefore, it was normal that it¡¯d take a long time to acquire it. ¡®And I¡¯m also absorbing the ice.¡¯ Raon was controlling the ice inside his mana circuit alongside the heat from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. Since he was circting two conflicting energies at once, it would¡¯ve been weird if they were easily umted in his energy center. ¡®I don¡¯t need to worry.¡¯ It was true that his progress was slow for now. However, since he knew that the reward for acquiring the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ and absorbing all the ice would be tremendous, he didn¡¯t feel anxious at all. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to the blossoming of the first flower.¡¯ Imagining the single flower created from the me of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, Raon closed his eyes and focused on cultivating. Chapter 28 Martha¡¯s training sword shed through the fresh air. The sharp yet smooth sequence of strikes were a part of Zieghart¡¯s basic swordsmanship, the ¡®Combination Sword¡¯. Whoosh! She struck with her sword fiercely, as if she were in the middle of a battlefield. Not even the sand cloud rolling up in the training ground dared to approach her due to her intense spirit. Whoosh! From her right, a simr shing sound could be heard. It was the blonde-haired, red-eyed boy, Raon Zieghart. His dull training sword was executing the steps of the ¡®Combination Sword¡¯, just like Martha. Raon, who used to be far behind her, had finally caught up. However, Martha didn¡¯t disy any sign of anxiousness or nervousness, despite seeing that. Instead, she apuded Raon with a smile. ¡°You are good.¡± Martha swept up her disheveled hair, putting down her training sword. ¡°You are learning martial arts so quickly that ¡®genius¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be enough to describe you. However¡­¡± She twirled her finger while dragging out her words. ¡°With your mediocre mana perception, that talent is nothing but a pearl to a swine. I¡¯m not really jealous of such a defective talent.¡± Martha¡¯s voice was loud. Every trainee heard her, but none of them stepped up. ¡°It¡¯s better to have half that talent in aura and martial arts. The best you can be with your talent is a swordsmanship instructor.¡± The trainees who¡¯d been helped by Raon, Burren, Rimmer, and the other instructors all remained silent. ¡®Of course they would.¡¯ Martha sneered even harder. ¡®Nobody expected that dumbass to be unable to acquire an aura even after four months.¡¯ It¡¯d already been over four months since aura training was included in regr training, but Raon still hadn¡¯t managed to acquire an aura, and his energy center was still empty. ¡®I was freaked out at first.¡¯ She was really astonished watching Raon progress at a tremendous rate. She couldn¡¯t even sleep because of that dreadful talent chasing after her, and she couldn¡¯t get rid of that fear, despite training from daybreak until night. However, everything had changed after hearing what Camel had said. ¡®He really was defective.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a lie that Raon was shown to have the worst mana perception during the Judgment Ceremony. What¡¯s the point of being so good at learning swordsmanship and fist techniques if there was no power to incorporate into that fist and sword? ¡°Hehe.¡± Martha turned her head whileughing at Raon, who kept swinging his sword while dripping cold sweat. ¡®He isn¡¯t even worthy of my attention.¡¯ She used to consider him as a threat, but she no longer did. Raon couldn¡¯t even match up to that coward Dorian, let alone Burren or Runaan. On the other hand, the fact that she¡¯d been counterattacked by Raon was still etched in her memory. ¡®I can forget about it now, since he will be no match for me in a duel using aura.¡¯ With aid-back smile, Martha turned around. ¡°Huh?¡± Runaan Sullion was standing there with a nk expression on her face. ¡°Go.¡± ¡°Is that all you want to say?¡± ¡°Go.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going, even if you don¡¯t tell me to. It¡¯s time for me to do some more advanced training.¡± She waved her hand gently, then left the training ground. Whoosh! Despite Martha having mocked him so much, Raon didn¡¯t react. He kept swinging his sword while steam billowed from his mouth. The sword was the only thing reflected in his red pupil. *** Raon looked around the indoor gymnasium after finishing his night training. ¡®Is everyone gone?¡¯ Since the two next days were holidays, everyone had gone home. Nobody remained at the training ground. ¡°Huu¡­¡± Raon let out an exhrated breath and put down his sword. Since he¡¯d been only focusing on swordsmanship while using his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, he hadn¡¯t realized the night had already fallen. The concentration was on par with right before an assassination. It was difficult to have such extreme concentration during training. ¡®My swordsmanship got a lot better.¡¯ His progress in the ¡®Combination Sword¡¯ was a lot higher, thanks to only being focused on the sword. It looked like it would soon be usable in a real battle without any issues. You¡¯ve finallye to your senses!! As he was feeling satisfied with his training, Wrath¡¯s angry voice rang out. You are such a pathetic guy, staying still after being taunted so much! ¡®Taunt?¡¯ That ck haired girl kept talking to you! ¡®Oh, really?¡¯ Raon smirked. He hadn¡¯t realized Martha was talking, as he was too focused on training. If she had said such a thing to the King of Essence, I would¡¯ve frozen her whole then broken it into pieces! ¡®I already told you, there¡¯s nothing to gain from fighting her now.¡¯ There would be nothing to gain by fighting her because of her provocation. It was much more preferable to make a better, with the title of top trainee at stake, in order to receive something like an elixir or a martial arts book. ¡®Since I can win, no matter what.¡¯ Even if he didn¡¯t manage to learn the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, it would be easy to win against a greenhorn like Martha. The best time to fight her would be when she managed to get her hand on some worthy treasure. ¡®For now, I should return.¡¯ As Raon was about to turn off the magical light in the training ground, he heard a quiet stepping sound from the door. Tap. Small and light steps. They belonged to Runaan, and he¡¯d gotten used to hearing them every day. When he turned around, Runaan was standing there with glittering purple eyes, rather than her usual nk expression. ¡°Here.¡± She extended the hand that she¡¯d been hiding behind her back. There was a box, a bit smaller than a brick. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Without responding, Runaan opened the lid. Under the cold steam that rose along with the lid, there was a bead at the size of a thumb. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Raon looked back and forth between the bead inside the box and Runaan¡¯s purple eyes. ¡°Do you want me to take it?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded and put the bead in Raon¡¯s hand. He could feel a pleasant coolness on his hand. ¡°Eat.¡± She spoke, then closed the lid. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t tell what it was, but it was certainly something precious since it was stored in a box full of ice. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Given the things he¡¯d learned during his life as an assassin, he shouldn¡¯t have eaten it. However, because Runaan''s eyes were filled with expectation, his hand moved on its own. ¡°Haa¡­¡± * * * * * * She wouldn¡¯t give him something bad, he thought. He closed his eyes and put the bead in his mouth. The bead melted as soon as it touched his tongue, and a cool and sweet taste¡ªlike frozen chocte¡ªspread throughout his mouth. ¡°Huh¡­¡± He was astonished by how cool and sweet it tasted. H-how can such a taste exist?! It¡¯s a sweetness that the King of Essence had never tasted, even in devildom! No, is it the coolness that made it even sweeter? More, bring more of it! I want to eat more! It looked like their senses were connected, since Wrath kept jumping up and down after eating the ice cream. ¡®Just stay still.¡¯ As Wrath fluttered like a butterfly, Raon pushed him away with his elbow. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s delicious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s bead ice cream.¡± Runaan nodded and stepped back. Then she left the training ground, just like that. ¡°Huh? Hey!¡± Despite him gesturing to her and calling for her, she didn¡¯t look back. ... What a strange girl. But it would¡¯ve been better if she gave me one more. ¡®Was she worried about me?¡¯ It looked like she gave him the bead ice cream because she was worried about him being openlyughed at by Martha that day. He¡¯d asionally eaten ice cream in the annex building, but it was his first time having it in that form and taste. Considering the size of the box, it must¡¯ve contained at most four beads, and it looked like she¡¯d given him thest one. ¡®She gave me thest one.¡¯ Runaan liked sweet food, as befitting of her age. Thest ice cream must¡¯ve been important to her, so giving it to him without hesitation must¡¯ve been a difficult decision. He could imagine Runaan hesitating with her saved snack in her hand. ¡°Oh my.¡± Raon snickered. He felt sorry for making such a child worry about him. ¡®But I¡¯mpletely unaffected.¡¯ It was true. His path was higher and more difficult than anyone else¡¯s, and the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation'' was the guide that would allow him to walk his path more easily. There was no way such an excellent guide would lend him its strength easily. He had to be patient and wait. ¡®I should repay herter.¡¯ Raon gently smiled and left the training ground. His tired steps had be as light as a feather. *** ¡°Oh my god! Young master Raon!¡± When Raon opened the annex building¡¯s door and entered, Helen¡ªwho was standing at the entrance¡ªapproached him with round eyes. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Did you say Raon is here?¡± Sylvia, who heard Helen¡¯s voice, kicked open the door and ran up to Raon to hug him. ¡°How long has it been?! You haven''t visited for months!¡± ¡°We saw each otherst week.¡± Raon pushed her back as she rubbed her cheek against his. Since weekend visits were allowed for official trainees, Sylvia had been visiting him every week. ¡°Those are two different things!¡± iling her arms, Sylvia shook her head. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet, right? I¡¯ll have dinner prepared. Helen!¡± ¡°Young master, please wait for a moment.¡± Sylvia went to the kitchen with the maids. Judging from the smell, it looked like they were preparing a beef stew. How to say it. It was difficult to put it into words, but he feltfortable whenever he came to the annex building. Maybe that¡¯s what a real home, something he¡¯d never had in his previous life, was supposed to feel like. ¡°Prepare it quickly! Raon must be hungry!¡± ¡°I know! But the ingredients¡­¡± ¡°Use everything that¡¯s left for now!¡± Raon headed to the bathroom, listening to the friendly soundsing from the kitchen. *** At daybreak in Raon¡¯s room, Judiel knelt with her head bowed. Raon tapped the paper in his hand, sitting at his bed. It was the same paper as the moonlight paper he¡¯d found in thekest time. ¡°Raise your head.¡± At the dignified voice, Judiel trembled and raised her head. ¡°Any orders from the Central Martial Pce?¡± ¡°No, nothing special. There was an order to investigate more thoroughly when the young master began learning the fist and swordsmanship techniques so quickly, but it looks like they lost interest since the young master hasn¡¯t managed to develop an aura.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon smiled. Since aura was the most important aspect for any warrior, it looked like they¡¯d lost interest in him, since he wasn¡¯t talented in it. ¡°How about mother?¡± ¡°They seem less interested in Lady Sylvia as well. At this rate, there¡¯s a possibility that I¡¯ll be called back.¡± One might think that it was a good thing for her to be called back, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. ¡®I can¡¯t use her anymore.¡¯ Since that defeated the purpose of having made Judiel into a double agent, it wasn¡¯t a desirable course of action. ¡°By¡­ By any chance, did the young master purposely avoid acquiring an aura¡­¡± Judiel opened her trembling mouth. ¡°I wonder.¡± Instead of answering, Raon just smiled. It was enough to make Judiel swallow. The fear of that day still dominated her. ¡°Thank you for your work. You may go now.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Judiel stood with trembling eyes. Rejoicing over the fact that she didn¡¯t have to go through the pain and fear anymore, she quickly opened the door and left. They¡¯re going to believe that you didn¡¯t learn aura on purpose. ¡®Using the atmosphere and the situation to my favor is also a strength.¡¯ Raon tapped Wrath, who was hanging on his wrist. Judiel was going to misunderstand on her own and nurture her fear against him. You are so pathetic, struggling to learn an aura. Back in devildom, the King of Essence could perform any magic or martial art with his eyes closed once learned. ¡®I¡¯m so pathetic, indeed.¡¯ Raon casually responded and left the room. Since he wasn¡¯t in a hurry, he couldugh off Wrath¡¯s contempt. ¡°Hmm?¡± As he was about to go to the garden for the daylight training, a man approached him from a distance. The red-haired elf that brought around a pleasant wind was Rimmer. ¡°Instructor?¡± ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Rimmer waved his hand, hair its usual bird''s nest. ¡°What brought you here at daybreak?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t keep my promise back then. I felt bad about it, so I figured I¡¯d help you out a bit.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°I ran away after promising to teach you the ¡®Advanced Rising Fist¡¯ on the first day of fist technique training.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s toote now for that, I¡¯ll teach you something else.¡± He grinned and flicked his finger. A dark green wind rose from the end of his long finger. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you about attribute.¡± Chapter 29 ¡°Did you just say you would teach me about attributes?¡± Raon frowned, looking at Rimmer¡¯s disheveled hair and clothes. He didn¡¯t look trustworthy at all. ¡°You look like you are looking at a scammer.¡± Rimmer giggled, bending forward slightly. ¡°You know, I¡¯m pretty good at teaching, despite being a little bitzy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± That was true. His methods didn¡¯t help many children, but it at least guaranteed the development of the few. ¡°Stop doubting me ande on.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we doing it here?¡± ¡°Of course not. Get ready quickly ande with me.¡± ¡°¡­ Understood.¡± Raon went to his room and pulled out his outer garments. Today is an unlucky day, to see that pointy-eared bastard at daybreak. ¡®We see him every day, though.¡¯ He left the annex building after he finished dressing. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°The North Grave Mountain.¡± Rimmer pointed at the mountain soaring behind the annex building. It was a huge mountain surrounding the entire Zieghart estate, connected not only to the annex building, but also to the main building. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Following Rimmer, Raon climbed the mountain. ¡°Around here seems good.¡± Rimmer stopped after about twenty minutes of climbing. The ce looked like a vacant lot, since the ground was t and there weren¡¯t any trees. ¡°Why did wee here?¡± Raon¡¯s voice was indifferent, but he was actually prepared to react to anything Rimmer was going to do. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so nervous. I just want you to feel it.¡± ¡°Feel it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Rimmer smiled, a dark green wind blew towards him. ¡°Trust me and stand still, right over there.¡± ¡°Even if you tell me to trust you¡­ hmm?¡± His bangs fluttered in the wind, which resembled a spring¡¯s fragrance as it brushed away winter. Next was a cool wind that could only be felt in a forest in the summer, fanning his heated body from the climb. The third was winter. A cold wind pressed against his skin, chilling to his bones like a storm. Then the wind changed one more time. The dark green wind, which contained the four seasons, became a sharp de and surrounded Raon. ¡°Using the wind, I wanted to create a de that could protect my lord.¡± From the waves of green wind, Rimmer¡¯s voice could be heard. Bam! It was a storm of des that could rip apart anything nearby. However, Raon stepped neither backwards nor forwards. ¡°This is the wind I¡¯ve chosen.¡± Raon stood still and felt the green storm. Whoosh! The fierce wind¡¯s pressure disappeared, and Rimmer gave a sly smile. ¡°You weren¡¯t scared?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t nning to attack me. You also told me to not move.¡± ¡°You really aren¡¯t like a normal thirteen-year-old, no matter how hard I look.¡± Rimmer snickered and flicked his finger, causing the lingering wind to disappearpletely. ¡°A cultivation technique with an affinity can be more powerful than other cultivation techniques, but it is also difficult to learn.¡± Following his gentle voice, the wind waved¡ªlike it was dancing. ¡°I could feel the wind from birth because I¡¯m an elf, but you¡¯re different. You¡¯re human. It must be even more difficult for you, as your mana circuit is filled with ice.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded. The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was a sophisticated technique, but it was even more difficult for him to learn because he was controlling an energy opposing the ice he¡¯d been born with. ¡°There are different kinds of wind. It can be warm, cold, or sharp. I¡¯d wanted a sword of wind that could pierce through anything, and I achieved it.¡± Rimmer¡¯s expression was confident, rather than bitter, as he spoke of his now out-of-reach former achievements. ¡°You must also find it. Try to form an image of the fire you¡¯ll have.¡± ¡°An image¡­¡± ¡°And in order to create that image, the most important thing is to feel that affinity.¡± ¡°But this is the north. It¡¯s difficult to find a proper me unless I set the mountain on fire.¡± ¡°If you do that, then our heads will fly together.¡± Rimmer giggled, then waved his hand. A green wind appeared from his feet. ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°Where are we going this time?¡± ¡°Since you felt the wind, let¡¯s go see the fire now.¡± *** Raon ran along the mountain trails, following Rimmer. After about twenty minutes of running, Rimmer started to slow down. A thick, heated haze was rising up from the cold forest, as if a hot wind had passed through. The change in temperature was making him itchy. ¡®Is iting from there?¡¯ There was a gray kiln attached to a house made of red bricks. The heat wasing from the kiln. ¡®It¡¯s hot.¡¯ The north was the coldest ce on the continent, yet he felt hot. That was how much heat was emitting. ¡°Hey, old man. I¡¯m here!¡± Rimmer strode ahead as if it were his own home and Raon followed behind. The heat grew stronger the closer they got to the kiln. His clothes started to be drenched in sweat. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The ice in his mana circuit was trembling because of the unfamiliar heat. Raon frowned at the worsening pain and entered the house. There was only one appliance inside the house. A furnace. It was the furnace from the kiln, which was emitting enough heat to make the whole house look distorted. A wrinkled old man withpletely white hair was sitting in front of the furnace. Despite beingpletely drenched in sweat, he wasn¡¯t taking his eyes off it. ¡®Is this really the me that I used to know?¡¯ Raon swallowed. He¡¯d seen many mes throughout his previous life, from the bonfire he¡¯d made himself to the advanced fire magic used by a mage. However, none of those seemed to match up to the heat created by the me soaring in the furnace. Swoosh! The ice in his mana circuit started to scream, and the mana around him started to move¡ªfollowing the flow of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, which he hadn¡¯t even acquired yet. The sound of a soaring me reverberated through his ears, and the waves of heat made his heartbeat fiercer. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the furnace, as if he were bewitched by it. ¡°Old man, you¡¯re always so focused.¡± Rimmer dusted off his hand after soothing the heat with his green wind. ¡°The heat is dying down because of you!¡± ¡°It looks like another failure anyway.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± After ring at Rimmer, the old man sighed and threw an unknown gray mass inside the furnace. Whish. The intense heat, hot enough to melt the ground, was subdued. The me grew weaker, to the point that it merely felt warm. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon unconsciously sighed. As soon as the me disappeared, the flow of the ¡®Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯ running through his mana circuit dissipated. The regret made his fingers tremble. ¡°What did you bring today? What is that thing?¡± The old man frowned, looking at Raon. The lowered corners of his lips and raised eyebrows showed his stubborn personality. ¡°Wow! ¡®That thing¡¯? How dare you address the head of house¡¯s grandson like that!¡± Rimmer was preaching about manners, despite always talking however he felt. ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m just a retired old man. Unless the head of housees personally¡­ Hmm?¡± He started to stand up, then stopped after seeing Raon¡¯s eyes and hair. ¡°Blond and red eyes? And that face¡­¡± ¡°He looks like the head of house, right? Raon looks a lot more handsome, though.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The old man nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m Vulcan. You should leave if you are expecting manners from me.¡± ¡®Vulcan!¡¯ Raon controlled his expression, looking at the old man¡¯s blurred eyes¡ªit was as if he was looking at burned out coal. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to be here.¡¯ He was a cksmith, renowned throughout the world under the title of the Continent¡¯s cksmith. He was famous for having forged Glenn Zieghart¡¯s True Heavenly Sword. However, hisst known activity was thirty years ago, and he hadn¡¯t created another famous sword since the True Heavenly Sword. ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon bowed, without minding Vulcan¡¯s manners. It was his way of showing respect to a giant who¡¯d reached the end of a road. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Vulcan¡¯s disgruntled expression softened slightly at his polite greeting. ¡°Did you tell him about¡­?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Rimmer shook his head, then turned around. ¡°This old man is Zieghart¡¯s cksmith.¡± ¡°Retired.¡± ¡°Yes, retired cksmith. Anyway, he¡¯s been igniting mes here for over ten years now.¡± Rimmer turned, pointing at the now extinguished furnace. ¡°This is where you can feel the hottest and fiercest me in the North.¡± * * * * * * ¡°A cultivation technique for fire attributes, huh¡­¡± Vulcan frowned after hearing Rimmer¡¯s exnation. ¡°Is that why you brought him here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re managing the fire here throughout the year. There¡¯s no other ce where you can feel a proper me.¡± ¡°How about the cksmiths¡¯ workshop?¡± ¡°That ce stands out too much. Being noticed before learning that cultivation technique won¡¯t do him any good.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because Raon is Sylvia¡¯s son.¡± Upon hearing that he was Sylvia¡¯s son, Vulcan¡¯s eyes skimmed over Raon once again. ¡°Haah¡­¡± He turned around and watched the orange me. He looked like he was considering it. ¡°I won¡¯t disturb you. Please allow me to feel the fire.¡± Raon bowed to Vulcan once more. ¡®I want to see it again.¡¯ Vulcan¡¯s me made his heart beat harder and his mana circuit waver. He wanted to feel the breath of that me once again. ¡°I¡¯m just making charcoal.¡± ¡°Charcoal?¡± ¡°A golden charcoal that can generate a much more powerful heat than white or ck charcoal. If you aren¡¯t going to disturb me making golden charcoal, I don¡¯t care what you do.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon bowed once again. Vulcan turned his head, embarrassed by Raon¡¯s increasing courtesy. ¡°It¡¯s nice that he epted. Raon, cultivate the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ here during daybreak training. Since nobody lives around here, and this old man doesn¡¯t know about cultivation techniques, you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded. Just as Rimmer said, he couldn¡¯t feel any mana from Vulcan. ¡°Old man, we need to talk.¡± Rimmer led Vulcan out of the house, pleased that everything was going well. ¡°You¡¯re still as kind as ever, old man.¡± Rimmer grinned, his arm resting on Vulcan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you some good stuff if you take good care of Raon. Do you like fruit wines?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The me in the furnace burst when that boy arrived, to a point that the coals were ruined because of it.¡± Vulcan furrowed his eyebrows, looking at the yellow, burned-out coal. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist got this color.¡± ¡°So, the old man felt it too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a cksmith. The me that I¡¯ve been seeing my entire life wavered. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Vulcan¡¯s gray eyes, the color of burned-out ashes, shone. ¡°The boy¡¯s breath contains the power to move a me.¡± *** The next morning, Raon ran towards Vulcan¡¯s charcoal kiln before sunrise. Thanks to the red heat rising up in the dark mountain, it wasn¡¯t difficult to find the charcoal kiln. Despite hearing Raon¡¯s footsteps, Vulcan kept watching the furnace instead of looking at him. The sight of him keeping his eyes on the furnace, despite sweating so heavily, emphasized the fact that he didn¡¯t gain the title of the Continent¡¯s cksmith for nothing. ¡®This heat¡­¡¯ Raon stood where the heat was the strongest. The intense wave of heat rolled up his clothes and red up his skin. The ice frantically started to stab his mana circuit. ¡°Huff¡­¡± He grit his teeth against the iing pain, gray steam leaving his mouth. It was so painful that he wanted to run away immediately, but his heartbeat was raging with excitement from the me. He was exhrated. Following the breath of fire that he felt through the pain, he recited the fundamentals of the ¡®Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯. The hot breath was added to the inhaled mana, and the cloudy air was exhaled from his body. Raon closed his eyes. He rotated the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and practiced the¡¯ Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. Whoosh. When he reached the peak of his concentration, the pain disappeared and the exhration from the heat filled his heart. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Vulcan turned around. The movements of his hands gentled as he watched Raon breathe with his eyes closed. Crackle. The sound of burning wood crackled from the furnace. *** Three months had passed since Raon started to cultivate aura at Vulcan¡¯s charcoal kiln. Since he¡¯d gotten used to it, he could now reach the charcoal kiln in ten minutes. The me, which had be even fiercer than the first time he¡¯d seen, was pressing down on the ce. The kiln¡¯s surroundings were filled with heat ripples the size of a finger. ¡®He doesn¡¯t change.¡¯ Vulcan didn¡¯t turn around or speak, despite knowing that he¡¯d arrived. He just focused on watching the furnace. Raon approached the furnace, trying to not make a sound. Each time he took a step towards the furnace, heated air surrounded his entire body. It was difficult to breathe, and his back was drenched in sweat. The ice in his mana circuit growled like the jaws of a savage beast. ¡°Huff¡­¡± It was a pain he couldn¡¯t get used to, but Raon smiled. Looking at the me was now enough to make him excited. ¡®Fire¡­¡¯ He¡¯d started to understand. After spending time alongside the fire and following Rimmer¡¯s advice, he could finally understand what fire was. People said fire was the scariest and the strongest attribute, but it was the most stable of all attributes if handled properly. Raon took one more step towards it, while feeling the heat scorching his skin. The energy from his not-yet-acquired ¡®Ten Thousand mes¡¯ Technique woke by itself, attracting the heat that was scorching the earth. The me inside the furnace burst up like a devil¡¯s tongue, as if it was reacting to the mana. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled the remaining air from his lung and took in the well-baked mana. He guided the boiling mana towards his mana circuit. The ice trying to run away from the heat, followed the flow of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, and dragged it into the energy center. ¡®An image.¡¯ Once the cultivation stabilized, Raon remembered Rimmer¡¯s advice. He¡¯d told him he needed to draw an image. ¡®The fire I need¡­¡¯ He thought about his objective. It was to make Sylvia a part of the direct line once again, and to cut Derus Robert¡¯s head off. It was going to be as difficult as walking through darkness, where he couldn¡¯t see anything. He needed a me that could be a torch to illuminate his way, a me that could be a sword to defeat savage beasts. He needed a me that wouldn¡¯t extinguish, even if it snowed or rained. A me that didn¡¯t extinguish, no matter what. That was the me he chose. As he drew the clear image of his me, lightning struck his mind and his heart throbbed with life. The mana circuit repeated its expansion and contraction, stimting the frozen ice. Heat that was running wild, likeva melting the cier, ran through his mana circuit and finally reached his energy center. Whoosh! The moment the energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was being condensed into a sphere of aura, a frightening voice resounded in his mind. It¡¯s the King of Essence¡¯s time to shine. Spine-chilling goosebumps appeared up Raon¡¯s back, despite his trance. Chapter 30 Clench! Raon grit his teeth. ¡®Wrath!¡¯ As he was interrupted just before forming an aura in his trace, the aura started to scatter. ¡®Grr!¡¯ Raon focused and tried to condense the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ as it began to dissipate. Just as he was about to force it to settle, a coldness rushed at him. I told you. Wrath¡¯s voice was jeered at him. The King of Essence will target you when you are in your weakest state. ¡®Grr¡­¡¯ He was right. Wrath did warn him that he would attack at the most dangerous moment. To be honest, Raon had somewhat expected it to happen. However, hepletely forgot about Wrath while in his trance. I¡¯m only getting started! Wrath exploded his massive coldness, aimed at him. Raon shivered, facing the coldness that seemed to even freeze his cold sweat. He wanted to open his eyes immediately because of the bone-freezing pain. However, he couldn¡¯t do that. It risked reversing the flow of his mana, which would incapacitate him. ¡®You bastard¡­¡¯ He forgot, since Wrath had been tamed for a while, that he wasn¡¯t his ally. He wasn¡¯t just a devil, but a king of devildom. He seemed to be trying to eat away his entire soul by breaking his body. Whirl! As Wrath¡¯s coldness grew more powerful, the ice in his mana circuit started to reverberate. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ He groaned in pain. It felt like his skin and bones were being split apart. The extreme coldness and wrath started to corrode his mind. It¡¯s over. Wrath¡¯s cold voice contained exhration instead of anger. Your body and mind now belong to the King of Essence. Just as he said, Raon¡¯s whole body was being filled with that extreme cold. He was losing his senses due to the extreme pain, and he felt like he would faint at any moment. ¡®Grr!¡¯ Raon bit his tongue. The pain allowed him to regain his senses for an instant, like a bucket of cold water. ¡®Think, think!¡¯ Wrath¡¯s coldness had already covered his entire body. He could take control of it at any moment now. ¡®I can¡¯t stop the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯.¡¯ It was toote to use the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, since Wrath¡¯s coldness was going to engulf his body and mind before the ring started to rotate. ¡®I need to reach a breakthrough.¡¯ Raon tried to withstand it by circting the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. It was a precarious situation, like hanging over a cliff with a single rope. Just give up. Your body is already mine. ¡®We won¡¯t know until I try.¡¯ It¡¯s an unnecessary struggle, like that old man who ignites the charcoal kiln every day. ¡®Charcoal kiln¡­ Charcoal kiln!¡¯ There was a way that he could survive. Clench! Raon clenched his fist and gathered the mana with all his remaining power. Whoosh! The mana flowing into him wasn''t nature''s mana, heated up by the charcoal kiln, but the mana inside the kiln itself. Bastard! What are you doing?! ¡®Last-ditch struggle!¡¯ Yes, it was ast-ditch struggle. He¡¯d gotten enough of dying without being able to do anything in his previous life. He didn¡¯t want to die in vain in his current life, no matter what. Rustle! From the ceiling of the charcoal kiln, covered in stiff y, a rustling sound of leaves could be heard. You bastard! Stop it! ¡®Ugh!¡¯ The coldness from Wrath grew stronger, powerful enough to freeze to his bones. Despite being unable to feel anything in his limbs, he withstood it with the veryst of his strength and inhaled for thest time. Crack! With an earth-shattering sound, a tremendous heat burst into the air. me was bursting out from inside the charcoal kiln. Huff! Raon instantly inhaled the heat, as if he¡¯d never taken a breath before. The heat was inhaled not only through his nose and mouth, but the pores of his skin. His entire body pushed back the coldness. It was an overwhelming power, likeva running through his veins. Whap! Wrath¡¯s coldness vanished like a spring snow facing the turbulent waves of heat. Wh-what is this?! ¡®Wrath, disappear!¡¯ Raon kept controlling the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, chewing his lip. He also rounded up the tremendous amount of ice that his mana circuit had melted down, guiding it towards his energy center. Whoosh! The energy of ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, which used to be like a dying me, formed into a clear shape upon taking in the heat from the charcoal kiln. Whir! And that wasn¡¯t all. A pure white energy was condensed like a bead, right next to the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, taking a clear shape. It was the ice of the Frost that used to fill his mana circuit. Da-damn it! ¡®Huff¡­¡¯ Without paying attention to Wrath screaming in anger, Raon organized all the heat in the air and the ice inside his body. It took extreme concentration. Withstanding Wrath¡¯s interruption, Raon fell into a second trance. * * * * * * ¡°Ha!¡± Vulcan breathed out heavily, cing a piece of firewood in the furnace. Watching the furnace, where the firewood was immediately set aze, he recalled the past. ¡®It¡¯s already been thirty years.¡¯ It had been thirty years since he made hisst masterpiece, the True Heavenly Sword. After offering the best sword of his life to Glenn Zieghart, he thought his journey hade to an end. Since he¡¯d obtained so much wealth, the kind that wouldn¡¯t run out for the rest of his life, he decided to retire and enjoy the rest of his life. However, he was sitting in front of the fire when he came to his senses. He didn¡¯t need to wake up early, nor ignite the furnace. And yet, he kept heading towards the cksmith. ¡®I am absolutely stuck.¡¯ He was still stuck in the moment that he¡¯d created the True Heavenly Sword. ¡®I can¡¯t stop it.¡¯ He¡¯d created countless swords and contributed greatly to Zieghart. Its leader¡ªGlenn Zieghart, one of the strongest of the continent¡ªwas using his sword. Although his name would be passed down in history even if he retired, he couldn¡¯t sit still. He couldn¡¯t stop holding his hammer, nor stay away from the fire. There was only one reason that he was hesitating so much. Even though he wanted to keep working, he wasn¡¯t confident in creating something that would surpass the True Heavenly Sword that he¡¯d offered Glenn. In his indecision, he ignited a sloppy fire and used his hammer. All he could feel was emptiness. ¡®That¡¯s why I made this kiln.¡¯ About ten years ago, he¡¯d started creating coals from the charcoal kiln in order to create golden charcoal, which surpassed ck and white charcoal. He thought he could possibly create a better sword if he had that special charcoal. However, he never seeded, not even once. Collecting legends and rumors, he tried countless methods. However, he couldn¡¯t obtain the golden charcoal. He didn¡¯t want to give up. It was the only obsession left in the final days of his life. While he was burning away his time, that boy came to visit him. Raon Zieghart. He¡¯d been breathing with the furnace¡¯s me from the day he¡¯d met him. The me that had been stopped for decades started to burn like a savage beast. It was the first time. The me had never reacted, nor had it ever increased its firepower before. Thinking that something might change, he¡¯d allowed Raon to stay next to him. However, he didn¡¯t have high expectations. ¡®Because this is a hellfire.¡¯ The kiln¡¯s heat was so severe that even a veteran cksmith avoided it. Some cksmiths hade to him with the intention of helping, but a few days was enough to make them slip away. The boy was drenched in cold sweat and withstood the pain by biting his lip. However, he kept visiting him every day and sat in front of the furnace. At first, he was clearly unable to focus on his cultivation because of the heating from the ground. The second day was the same, he kept biting his lip while trembling from the heat. Three days, four days, a week, a month, three months. Raon kept visiting the kiln without missing a single day. And today. The fire inside the furnace burned fiercely, as if it was reacting to Raon breathing in and out, and the heat inside the kiln had be many times stronger. Inhale! He dominated the me in that space, as if he¡¯d be the embodiment of the fire. ¡®This is¡ª!¡¯ Vulcan suddenly realized it was an important opportunity for him. Not an opportunity to create a new charcoal, but an opportunity for him to live as a cksmith once again. ¡°Huff!¡± With extreme concentration, he maintained the firepower in the furnace. Blowing and fanning, he kept repeating every action that could grow the fire. The me was alive. The transparent me at the center was increasing its firepower while erasing the weak and murky ones. However, something unexpected happened. Frost fell from Raon¡¯s body, which should¡¯ve been sweating from the charcoal kiln¡¯s heat. ¡®What is this?¡¯ He looked around in a panic, but the ice was nowhere else to be found. That ice kept spreading throughout his body, and his golden hair ended up freezing. ¡®Wh-what should I do?¡¯ Raon¡¯s body was trembling. He understood he wasn¡¯t in a good condition, but he didn¡¯t know what to do. He knew he shouldn¡¯t touch him at a time like this, but he thought Raon would die if left alone. ¡°H-hey! You¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± As Vulcan was about to extend his hand in order to wake Raon up, Rimmer appeared. He was literally moving like the wind. ¡°Rimmer! What are you doing?! He is going to die!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do right now.¡± Rimmer shook his head. He frowned and stared at Raon, who was shaking even more now. ¡°If he receives the slightest impact from the outside, he will cough up blood and die.¡± ¡°Is that the ice you talked about before?¡± ¡°Yes. He was born with that ice in his body.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Vulcan bit his lip as the sight tugged at his heartstrings. ¡®Such a young child¡­¡¯ He felt sorry that a child still wet behind the ears was born with a coldness severe enough to erase the furnace¡¯s heat. At the same time, he felt proud of the boy that had managed to withstand it until now. He wanted to help somehow. ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡± ¡°No. It will be dangerous if you touch anything at all.¡± Rimmer¡¯s expression was unusually serious. His fist was clenched, and his eyes didn¡¯t move away from Raon. The two of them kept staring at the ice covering Raon¡¯s entire body inplete silence. ¡°He¡­ He is really going to die at this rate! Anything!¡± ¡°Wait! Raon just moved!¡± Rimmer¡¯s expression contained hope. He snorted as he kept staring at Raon. ¡°What? What do you mean¡­ huh?¡± Vulcan turned his head. The me from the furnace had suddenly grown fiercer. Rumble! The me came from the furnace, surging around the entire kiln. The kiln¡¯s y enclosure had exploded, causing the tremendous heat to fill the air. Boom! It was difficult to breathe due to the immense heat. ¡°Huff!¡± He lowered his body because of the heat, the type of which the Continent¡¯s cksmith had never felt before, but the heat didn¡¯tst. Whoosh! That was because the heat was being absorbed by Raon, rotating in a spiral towards him. With the tremendous amount of heat being condensed into him, the coldness covering his entire body melted. Whap! A red me burned along Raon¡¯s body. No, the me wasn¡¯t red. It was golden. Reflecting the golden daybreak rising over the eastern mountain, a golden me burst forth. Despite being engulfed in a golden me, Raon didn¡¯t stop cultivating. He kept absorbing the heat from not only his surroundings, but also the entirety of the North Grave Mountain. Rumble! As the sun fully showed its majestic light, the light pouring out from Raon started to grow faint and he opened his eyes. Spark! Vulcan, who met his eyes, swallowed. A thrill running up from his toes pierced his brain. A dark golden light. The golden light, containing the daybreak¡¯s light, was burning in his eyes. Chapter 31 Raon slowly opened his eyes. He smiled at the hot energy rooted firmly in his energy center. ¡®Finally.¡¯ He managed to create an aura with the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, piercing through Wrath¡¯s fierce sabotage. Moreover, the chunk of aura was a lot bigger and more straightforward than he¡¯d expected. ¡®And there¡¯s more than the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯.¡¯ Next to the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, which resembledva pressed into a rounded shape, there was a lump of ice simr to the northern ocean¡¯s ciers. It was the result of a coincidence that urred while he was pushing back Wrath¡¯s cold fire with the heat from the charcoal kiln. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect that misfortune to turn into a blessing like this.¡¯ The aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was over twice the size that he expected, and the aura of ice formed next to it. It was a great reward, exceeding his expectations, for enduring such terrible pain and putting his life at stake. ¡°Haa.¡± Calming his pounding heart, Raon looked at the message that appeared in front of him. They were messages stating that the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ reached two-star as soon as it was created. ¡®I knew that would happen.¡¯ Since the energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ that settled in his energy center was a lot bigger than expected, he¡¯d figured it had reached two-stars in one go. ¡®I can blossom the flower right away.¡¯ The flower of fire could be used once the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ reached the Two-Stars rank, and he felt like he could already use it. When Raon smiled in anticipation, a second set of messages appeared. ¡°Ooh.¡± An exmation burst from him. The notice about the two strands of the curse melting down and the poor stamina state disappearing were amazing on their own, but the most important part was below those messages. The message stating that the ice inside his mana circuit had been condensed into a trait called ¡®Coldness of Frost¡¯¡­ It had to be referring to the aura of ice located next to the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. ¡®Ice¡­¡¯ He had actually just been trying to raise his water resistance by taking in his mana circuit¡¯s ice instead of expelling it. The unexpected reward, the ¡®Coldness of Frost¡¯, felt good¡ªbut it was also bewildering. Before he could fullyprehend all the messages, a third set of messages appeared. His stats raised at the same time the message appeared. He was exhrated as his body and mind expanded and contracted. ¡®Is this a dream?¡¯ He¡¯d only been trying to acquire the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, yet he managed to raise it to Two-Stars, along with Two-Stars of ice and extra stats. Thanks to Wrath¡¯s interruption, he managed to obtain skills he would¡¯ve needed to train for several years to otherwise receive. God damn it! When Raon smiled as he closed the messages, Wrath¡¯s suppressed voice burst out. What the hell are you?! How could you ovee that?! His dignified way of speaking was no longer there. Wrath was literally bursting with wrath. ¡®I told you. You are no match for me. It won¡¯t work, no matter what you do.¡¯ Raon bluffed and waved his hand. No way! There¡¯s no way this can happen! Even back in devildom, the King of Essence never experienced such humiliation. How could this happen¡­? ¡®Just give up already.¡¯ Despite actingposed, he had really thought he was going to die. He¡¯d only managed to survive because he had read the surrounding energy during the three months he¡¯d been visiting the charcoal kiln. ¡®I have to be more careful.¡¯ It had be certain. They¡¯d gotten a bit closer, but Wrath was clearly his enemy. He couldn¡¯t afford to reveal his weaknesses or secrets to him, no matter what. ¡°Are¡­ Are you okay?¡± As Wrath trembled, Vulcan approached him. His eyes were wide enough that they looked like they might roll from his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon raised his body. His body had grown as light as a feather with his increased stats and the two types of auras that he¡¯d obtained. ¡°Then¡­ Have you acquired it?¡± Vulcan¡¯s lips were still trembling as he spoke in a low voice. ¡°Yes, thanks to you.¡± He gave a deep nod. Thanks to the auras created in his energy center, he was full of energy. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry. The kiln was broken because of me.¡± Raon pointed towards the copsed kiln. It was his fault that the sturdy charcoal kiln was in that state. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± As he bowed low to apologize, Vulcan tapped his shoulder and approached the kiln. ¡°If you are okay, then that¡¯s fine. Something like a charcoal kiln can be just remade¡­ hmm?¡± Vulcan¡¯s eyes widened as he examined the copsed charcoal kiln. * * * * * * ¡°This is¡­¡± After rummaging through the copsed charcoal kiln, he picked up three pieces of charcoal with his tongs, each a shining gold color. ¡®What is that?¡¯ He¡¯d seen white and ck charcoal before, but he¡¯d never seen charcoal shining like gold like that. ¡°Ah!¡± He remembered. Vulcan had told him he was trying to create golden charcoal instead of white or ck charcoal. The golden light appeared to be the golden charcoal he mentioned. ¡°It looks like you weren¡¯t the only one to have a strange turn of events ur.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°This is golden charcoal. It is a cksmith¡¯s charcoal with higher heat than white charcoal, and higher durability than ck charcoal.¡± Vulcan ced the charcoal, which was emitting a golden heat, on top of a steel te. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to make this charcoal for over ten years now, but ended up seeding like this¡­ Life really is full of surprises.¡± He watched the golden charcoal with ecstasy on his face. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you. Thank you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything.¡± ¡°Whenever you cultivated, the me inside the kiln jolted, and your breath brought life to the me. I¡¯m an idiot who¡¯s only used a hammer in my entire life, but I can tell what you¡¯ve done. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± When Raon was about to tell him he didn¡¯t really do anything, Vulcan continued. ¡°What is your goal?¡± ¡°Goal?¡± He couldn¡¯t answer immediately. He wasn¡¯t sure why Vulcan was asking that question, but his serious gaze suggested that he should respond. ¡®My goal¡­¡¯ As he¡¯d resolved during his cultivation, the end of his journey led to revenge against Derus. However, his priority at the moment was Sylvia. He wanted her to be happy. And to achieve that¡­ Rather than a brutally powerful strength, he needed a strength that wouldn¡¯t waver or lose in any situation. It was the same line of thoughts as the undying me that he¡¯d created as his fire¡¯s image. ¡°I want to be a swordsman who won¡¯t be defeated by anyone, or any situation.¡± ¡°Never defeated? It¡¯s not something a brat should say.¡± Vulcan snickered. It looked like a pleased smile, rather than mockery. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± He called his name for the first time. It seemed to be his way of giving recognition. ¡°How long do you have until you get your personal sword?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think it¡¯ll take about three to five years.¡± In order to obtain a personal sword instead of the sword supplied by Zieghart, he had to finish the basic training and pass the swordsmanship test, which usually took about three to five years. ¡°I see.¡± Vulcan murmured that he should be able to endure that much. ¡°Once you¡¯ve obtained an undefeated mind,e and visit me. I¡¯ll save these for that day.¡± Vulcan carefully shook the golden charcoal on the steel te. ¡°Do you mean you will forge a sword for me? Aren¡¯t you retired?¡± ¡°Changing your mind after retirement happens pretty often.¡± He smiled cheerfully. It looked like his wrinkles, which used to be filled with exhaustion and vanity when he¡¯d first visited him, were now full of vigor. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡± Vulcan waved his hand lightly and went down the mountain. It was such a simple goodbye, considering they¡¯d been seeing each other so often over thest three months, but it did suit him. ¡°Hmm.¡± Vulcan¡¯s back, which could be seen under the sunlight, looked thirty years younger than the first time he¡¯d seen him. ¡®Everything went well in the end.¡¯ When Raon opened his hand, a red me ignited like a snake¡¯s tongue. It was the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. He didn¡¯t even need to control it since he¡¯d gotten it to Two-Stars immediately. The me from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was following his will perfectly. Whap. When he closed his hand, the me disappeared. Only a slight heat remained. ¡®And now¡­ hmm?¡¯ Just as he was about to draw on the ¡®Coldness of Frost¡¯, he felt a small presence from above the tree to the right. It was so small that it could be easily mistaken as a bird or a small animal from the mountain, but Raon already knew who it was. ¡°Pleasee out.¡± Raon dusted off his hands while looking at the tree. He stayed still with a fixated gaze on his face. Rimmer dropped from the tree like a monkey, as if nothing had happened. ¡°Heh. You were aware?¡± He smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. ¡°I realized it a little bit ago.¡± ¡°Tsk, so that was it. I was surprised to see the fire.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue. His green eyes were still full of surprise. ¡°Have you been watching me all along?¡± ¡°No, today is the first time.¡± He was smiling, but he wasn¡¯t asposed as always. He looked like a child who had been caught lying. ¡®I guess that would be normal.¡¯ Rimmer wasn¡¯t a harsh person that would stop caring about him after bringing him to such a ce. It looked like he¡¯d been watching over him for the past three months. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Raon bowed. ¡°I told you it¡¯s not¡ªoh my.¡± Rimmer looked away while scratching his head. ¡®He is peculiar.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t happy about receiving gratitude, but was embarrassed instead. The elf also looked far from normal. ¡°It was a bitte, but you¡¯ve got an aura. Congrattions.¡± ¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s particrlyte, though.¡± Raon disyed a red me on the tip of his finger. Rimmer frowned upon seeing it. ¡°How can you use the aura as soon as you¡¯ve created it¡­?¡± He sighed with a fed-up expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t this normal?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing someone using aura right after acquiring it.¡± Rimmer murmured that it usually took anywhere from one week to one month to skillfully use one¡¯s aura. ¡°Go down the mountain now, you need to arrive before training starts.¡± Rimmer tapped his shoulder and smiled. ¡°How about the instructor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to clean that up before arriving.¡± He pointed towards the copsed charcoal kiln. The fire was gone, but the heat remained. ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± Rimmer shook his head and grabbed Raon, who was about to turn around. ¡°I¡¯m an instructor, so it¡¯s okay for me to bete. But a trainee shouldn¡¯t be.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon¡¯s expression was asking him ¡®what kind of bullshit is that?¡¯, but Rimmer ignored him as he fanned himself with his hand. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll follow after cleaning up, so head down now.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright. Thank you.¡± After bowing once again, he went down the mountain. ¡°Haaah.¡± After making sure that Raon was gone, Rimmer looked at the charcoal kiln. Since Vulcan had designed it to not spread the fire, he didn¡¯t need to touch it. The reason he stayed wasn¡¯t because of the kiln. ¡°Pleasee out now.¡± He called out, just as Raon had called him. The air silently wavered, and a blond old man in long ck clothes came down. Glenn Zieghart. ¡°How was the spectacle?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn silently looked at the copsed charcoal kiln, and the ce that Raon used to sit. ¡°My lord must be feeling a bit more assured now, since you¡¯ve been visiting every day and worrying about your grandson.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never done such a thing.¡± He shook his head and raised his finger. Whoosh! The remains of the copsed kiln gathered in one spot, following Glenn¡¯s signal. Boom! The remains tangled with each other like rose vines andpressed, then disappeared in an instant. If not for the traces of burns on the ground, nobody would¡¯ve imagined there used to be a kiln there. It was an extraordinarily skillful handling of aura. ¡°The quantity and purity of that aura is outrageous, probably because he absorbed all the heat from the charcoal kiln. Moreover, he started using it immediately after stabilizing it. It¡¯s an amazing talent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± Glenn closed his eyes, looking towards the forest road that Raon went down. ¡°He even made his restraints his power.¡± *** In the south of Zieghart there was a town where lights never went out. A town of cksmiths, it was Mirtan vige, where cksmiths struck with their hammers day and night. A round shaped forge was located at the deepest part of the town. The smithy that had been dark for over ten years had finally lit up. ¡°What?! The previous vige chief¡¯s smithy has lit up!¡± ¡°The vige chief, no, the previous vige chief has returned!¡± ¡°He¡¯s returned? But he¡¯s already retired!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t that old man return to his hometown?¡± cksmiths, whether they were working, sleeping, or about to head out, flocked towards the forge. And they asked why he came back. ¡°I promised.¡± Vulcan, the previous chief of Mirtan vige and the legendary cksmith, dusted off the smithy. ¡°I have to prepare my body until that dayes.¡± He smiled pleasantly as he raised his hammer, igniting a fire. ¡°I need to create a sword to surpass the True Heavenly Sword.¡± Chapter 32 Raon¡¯s footsteps were lighter than ever as he made his way towards the training ground. It wasn¡¯t just an impression¡ªhis body had actually be lighter, as if he were riding the wind. ¡®It¡¯s thanks to the aura.¡¯ The increased stats and change in his constitution were one of the reasons, but aura was making the biggest difference. Aura was an umtion of mana. It could increase a human¡¯s physical abilities just by existing. Since Raon had two types of auras sitting together in his energy center, it was obvious he felt light and energetic. ¡®And there¡¯s more.¡¯ His perception had be sharper. Flow of the wind, footsteps of animals in the mountain, and the presence of swordsman standing guard under the mountain¡ªhe felt like he could grasp his entire surroundings in the palm of his hand. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon licked his lips. ¡®I want to test it out.¡¯ Before using it in an actual battle, he wanted to understand exactly how much ability he currently had. ¡®I should go to the mountain again after today¡¯s training.¡¯ The vacant lot where Rimmer had taught him about the windst time seemed to be a good ce to test it. Grrrrr! As Raon made his way towards the training ground, smiling with anticipation, Wrath screamed. Damn it! He was exuding icy violence and rage. Although he was obviously not scary, as he didn¡¯t have any power left. How could you notice the kiln at that moment?! ¡®I wonder, I must¡¯ve been lucky.¡¯ My arse! Did you think I didn¡¯t realize you pulled it in? Wrath kept grinding his teeth. ¡®This guy is a monster!¡¯ He¡¯d expected Raon Zieghart to be capable of blocking the ice and mental attacks. ¡®I thought it didn¡¯t matter what he could do.¡¯ He believed he could eat up his body and mind soon enough, like he¡¯d always done. ¡®But it did.¡¯ He was different. He waited for the moment the human¡¯s mind was at its weakest: the trance upon reaching the end of his cultivation, when his mental barriers were at their most fragile. Despite expelling all his wrathful emotions and the ice that he''d umted, Raon¡¯s mind didn¡¯t crumble. He kept enduring it with his outrageous willpower and ended up pushing him back, utilizing the kiln¡¯s heat. He still couldn¡¯t believe that such a perfect n had failed. ¡®Where did this guy¡­?¡¯ The young bastard managed to withstand like nothing else he¡¯d seen before, despite pain that even a devil that had gone through all kinds of hardships would have been unable to endure. The absurdity of it rendered himpletely speechless. Gulp. Wrath swallowed hard. He¡¯d just had a terrible imagee to mind¡ªone where he was stuck on the child¡¯s forearm for the rest of his life. ¡®I¡¯ll never let that happen.¡¯ He grit his teeth. He failed that day, and other times as well, but he couldn¡¯t keep losing. Raon Zieghart, don¡¯t enjoy this too much. The King of Essence hasn¡¯t even gotten started. ¡°Alright. Do your best.¡± Raon nodded slightly and walked towards the training ground. Hisposed reactions were getting more and more irritating. Clean out your ears and listen. The King of Essence is a devil that doesn¡¯t know the meaning of the word ¡®failure¡¯. After consuming your body, I¡¯ll kill all the humans around yo¡­ ¡°Good luck.¡± Arggggh! Raon¡¯s simple response made Wrath explode for a second time. *** Runaan was staring at the door, standing at the center of the training ground. ¡®When is heing?¡¯ She knew Raon¡¯s condition had been visibly bad, and she also knew the reason. Aura. All the children who¡¯d started to cultivate after Raon managed to create an aura. However, he still hadn¡¯t managed to create an aura despite seven months passing. Raon was the only one who still hadn¡¯t acquired an aura in the fifth training ground. Even the children that had acknowledged him when he¡¯d defeated Burren began to change their minds. They wished for Martha or Burren, or even themselves to be the top trainee instead. ¡®I want to help.¡¯ Raon had helped her greatly. She made greater aplishments when training next to him, and the refreshing fragranceing from him made her feel good during her training. ¡®Mom also said so.¡¯ Her mother had told her to show her gratitude and repay him. That was why she¡¯d brought another of her favorite bead ice creams. She¡¯d given him thest one that other time, but she had three this time. She hoped he¡¯d feel better after eating it. Click. As Runaan caressed the bead ice cream box, the door to the training ground opened, and Raon¡ªwho she had been waiting for¡ªfinally entered. Step. Step. Running up to him, she stopped in front of Raon. His expression didn¡¯t really change, as he seemed to have gotten used to it. Rustle. She held out the small box. ¡°Cheer up.¡± Runaan nodded to Raon, who reflexively took the box. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Just as she was about to take the usual five steps away from him, she realized that Raon¡¯s refreshing scent had gotten stronger. Sniff. Sniff. It wasn¡¯t a mistake. There was a heart-shaking freshness. Runaan remained one step closer than usual, eyes shining. *** ¡®What¡¯s up with her this time?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. He¡¯d walked down the mountain in a good mood, but he grew flustered as Runaan sniffed him and remained a lot closer than usual. He checked the box she gave him. It was the same type of box from the other time, with the bead ice cream in it. When he opened it, there were three bead ice creams of assorted colors underneath the white steam. Wow! Isn¡¯t that the bead ice cream?! Wrath¡¯s excited voice could be heard. ¡°Are you giving this to me?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan, still sniffing, opened her eyes and nodded. That child has been acknowledged as the King of Essence¡¯s ice cream girl from today onward. Raon, eat it all! The King of Essence wants to try different vors. Start with the ck one in the center¡­ ¡®Go away¡­¡¯ Taking the ck ice cream from the box, Raon put it in his mouth. The cool and sweet taste of chocte filled his mouth. The sweetness brought to mind the meaning of ¡®happiness found through food¡¯. It¡¯s crazy! The coolness covers the mouth, and the sweet chocte wraps around the tongue like a ribbon. How splendid! Wrath seamlessly exined the ice cream¡¯s taste in detail, as if he¡¯d be a reviewer. More, eat more! The red one this time¡­ ¡°Heh¡­¡± Runaan licked her lips while drooling a little. It looked like she also wanted to eat some. ¡°Thank you for the treat.¡± Raon gave her back the box with two ice creams remaining. ¡°Are you not going to eat more?¡± Runaan stared nkly at the returned box. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough, thank you.¡± Enough, my ass! The King of Essence is still hungry! Eat them all! ¡®Can¡¯t you see that the child wants to eat it? Act your age.¡¯ Raon squashed the rampaging Wrath with the palm of his hand. ¡°So, did you cheer up?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah¡­¡± Raon snickered at Runaan, who was looking back and forth between him and the box. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ She very clearly wanted to eat it, and that made it clear. Runaan had given him the ice cream to cheer him up. Despite being mostly expressionless and quiet, she was a kind girl. ¡°I¡¯ve cheered up. Thank you.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Runaan smiled slightly and epted the box. She hugged it tight, like a treasure found by an explorer. ¡°By the way¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Without finishing her sentence, Runaan shook her head. It was strange. She was standing closer to him than usual, and she was sniffing him a lot more. ¡®I really don¡¯t understand her.¡¯ Raon shrugged, waiting for Rimmer to return after cleaning up. * * * * * * ¡°We are going to try something special in one month.¡± Rimmer smiled, despite arriving ten minuteste. ¡°The instructor iste once again. Ten minutes is enough time to swing a sword more than a hundred times.¡± Burren raised his hand while frowning. ¡°Ah, sorry. I needed to make some preparations.¡± Rimmer apologized with the usual hand gestures and continued. Despite saying sorry, he didn¡¯t look apologetic at all. He just kept smiling. ¡°Hmm.¡± Burren clearly didn¡¯t seem to like it, but he lowered his hand. ¡°You¡¯ll like it too, since this will be good training.¡± The corners of Rimmer¡¯s lips turned up as he pointed behind him, where a circr shape was drawn on the ground. ¡°Since you¡¯ve been learning the basics and cultivating for seven months, it¡¯s time to heat things up a little. In one month, you will be sparring.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Finally!¡± ¡°Sparring!¡± The children¡¯s shout of joy sounded like a roar. It was an opportunity to test out the aura and swordsmanship that they¡¯d been training repeatedly, so they were obviously happy. Burren¡¯s wrinkled face brightened and Martha gave an eerie smile, although Runaan¡¯s expression was still nk. ¡°Since the oue of the spars will be included in your graduation score, there will be a ranking. You¡¯d better prepare thoroughly for the next month.¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Martha, smiling leisurely, called out to Rimmer. ¡°How about the morons that haven¡¯t formed an aura yet?¡± Despite not mentioning a name, everyone looked to Raon. Raon didn¡¯t react, despite being looked at by the trainees. With aposed expression, he waited for Rimmer to open his mouth. ¡°Fortunately, I heard that he also managed to form an aura.¡± ¡°Huh? When did he¡­?¡± ¡°Yesterday? Or maybe today?¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Martha turned her head. Her ck eyes glittered like a mud-covered ck pearl. ¡°The time has finallye. It took so long I thought I¡¯d die from boredom.¡± She smiled as she approached him. It was a mixture of mockery and arrogance. ¡°Do you remember what I told you before? I don¡¯t listen to those weaker than me. I think I¡¯ve waited long enough already, so let¡¯s end it now. You¡­¡± ¡°Martha Zieghart, step back.¡± Burren interrupted before Raon reacted. ¡°nning to spar with a guy in a month, when it hasn¡¯t even been a day since he acquired an aura¡ªwhere¡¯s your honor as a swordsman?¡± ¡°Hah! Honor?¡± Martha sneered. With a tant mockery, she shook her finger. ¡°A sheltered young master from a noble family must think that honor can feed you.¡± ¡°Martha.¡± ¡°Honor is something disyed to someone who deserves it. The moronic guys over there managed to acquire aura in a single month, yet our top trainee took over half a year.¡± She pointed at the rmended children, who¡¯d learned the Rinden aura cultivation technique. ¡°Even if the cultivation technique was a higher ss or better, taking seven months to create aura proves that he has no talent. You must know about it already, since you were at the Judgment Ceremony with him, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren frowned, and his expression grew cloudy. ¡®Certainly¡­¡¯ It¡¯d taken him two weeks to learn a top-ss aura cultivation technique. Taking over half a year to get to one-star was a problem, no matter how good the cultivation technique was. ¡°I admit that he is talented in swordsmanship and fist technique, but that¡¯s it. If he has no talent in aura, then it¡¯s all pointless.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°None of the famous warriors had a weak aura.¡± The trainees nodded in agreement with Martha. ¡°Isn¡¯t the instructor also asking us to spar, because you want to change the top trainee?¡± ¡°I wonder?¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders and eyebrows at the same time. ¡°Raon Zieghart. You¡¯ve been a top trainee for too long, despitecking in ability. There¡¯s no¡­ I mean, only a few students follow you. It¡¯s about time you resigned, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Martha snickered, ncing at Dorian and a few other trainees standing behind Raon. ¡°Like I¡¯ve said before, let¡¯s have a duel. The winner gets to be the top trainee¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Raon shook his head before Martha even finished talking. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you think you can gamble without any money? If I¡¯m betting my title as top trainee, then you also need to bet something equivalent.¡± ¡°Do you not understand your position? You have no allies here¡­¡± ¡°Are you scared?¡± Raon smiled as he tilted his head slightly. It was a much more effective way of mocking her than what Martha had attempted with him. ¡°Scared? Did you just say that to me? Ha! Alright. I¡¯ll ept your provocation! They will be yourst words.¡± Martha snickered. With her ck eyes filled with irritation, she brought forward a small wooden box. ¡°This is an elixir that my father gave to me, the Nine Flowers Medicine. I¡¯ll give this to you if you win.¡± The Nine Flowers Medicine was an elixir created frombining nine different medicinal herbs, and it had an effect of enhancing the body and aura. ¡®Wrath, this is the moment I spoke about before.¡¯ What are you talking about? ¡®Didn¡¯t I tell you a time woulde when Martha would have something worth taking? Now is that time.¡¯ He already knew that Martha had that elixir, thanks to the talkative Dorian. ¡®The Nine Flowers Medicine is eptable.¡¯ Raon slightly smiled, looking at Martha¡ªwho fell for his provocation¡ªand the wooden box containing the Nine Flowers Medicine. It was a reward for a bet he was going to win anyway. Chapter 33 After Rimmer dered that they would be sparring in a month, the children added fresh fuel to their training by imagining their future opponents. In order to do themselves justice, no matter who their opponent was, they kept polishing their swordsmanship and cultivating their auras. However, there were also exceptions¡ªones that weren¡¯t any different from usual. Raon and Martha, the two whose opponents had already been decided, didn''t change their attitudes at all. Raon did everything in his power to train, all while Martha remainedid back, as expected of the strongest trainee. As such, the month passed quickly, and everyone was doing their best. Finally, the sun rose on the day of the sparring matches. Since it was an opportunity to prove the might that they had been cultivating for almost a year, and to improve their score with the instructors, the trainees were filled with excitement and nervousness. Martha, on the other hand, was smiling as she looked to the side¡ªas if she didn¡¯t care about anything that was going on. ¡®I can finally get payback.¡¯ She grabbed the forearm that had been struck when Raon countered her eight months before. ¡®That was the first time.¡¯ She¡¯d never been hit by someone near her age before, even when she lived on the backstreets¡ªbefore she joined the Zieghart family. It was the first humiliation she¡¯d received in her life, so she was unable to forget about it. She¡¯d been waiting for an opportunity to repay that debt, and eight monthster that day had finally arrived. ¡®It¡¯s going to end today.¡¯ Unlike Raon Zieghart, who¡¯d acquired aura only a month ago, she¡¯d already had one for three years. There was no actual point in sparring. It could look cowardly, but it was a waste of time to wait for him forever when he is simply talentless. ¡®I have something I need to do.¡¯ Unlike Raon, she couldn¡¯t afford to be blocked by such a thin wall. She needed to be stronger as fast as possible because she had someone to save. Whoosh! Martha closed her mouth firmly, clutching the yellow aura emanating from the palm of her hand. *** Sitting on the right side of the temporary arena, Raon was sitting down checking his status window. Not only had his number of traits increased a lot, but his stats had also drastically increased thanks to oveing his limits during training. ¡®Pretty good.¡¯ Raon smiled in satisfaction at the sight of the numbers on his status window, which were clearly different from before. ¡°Attention, everyone!¡± As he closed the status window, he could hear Rimmer speaking. After checking every corner of the arena, Rimmer nodded. ¡°Watching others fight is just as helpful as actually participating. Try nning your movements for your own spars while watching the other trainees¡¯ fights.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Now then. First up is Burren Zieghart and Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Burren stood up confidently and went to the arena. Dorian, on the other hand, trembled as he crab walked forward. ¡°Ex-excuse me, instructor? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I give up!¡± Dorian raised his hand energetically and announced his resignation. ¡°¡­¡± Everyone shut their mouths as they heard his desperate voice. They looked like they were wondering what kind of guy he was. ¡°You didn¡¯t even try, though?¡± Rimmer scratched his chin in panic. ¡°My¡­ My body doesn¡¯t feel good. I¡¯ve been feeling cold and aching everywhere since yesterday. Cough!¡± Dorian shuddered, lips trembling as he coughed awkwardly. ¡°Really, it¡¯s true.¡± Taking out an ice pack from his belly pocket, he put it on his head. He really was prepared for everything. How pathetic. If the King of Essence¡¯s underling did such a thing, his head would¡¯ve been sent flying! ¡®Although, that¡¯s to be expected.¡¯ Raon already knew Dorian was going to act like that. It was pretty obvious, considering his usual personality. ¡°Dorian, at least try fighting. You will be able to learn something even if you lose. I¡¯ll stop it before you get hurt, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Th-then if you can change my opponent¡­ huff!¡± When Dorian raised his head, he met Burren¡¯s eyes and started trembling again. ¡°No matter what your status was before, you are now a Zieghart trainee. If you dishonor Zieghart, I will cut your throat right here.¡± Burren¡¯s voice was so brutal that it was difficult to believe he was a child. ¡°Huff!¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped and he hid behind Rimmer. ¡°Dorian, it¡¯s just a spar. Stop thinking that it¡¯s scary. Look at it as showing what you¡¯ve done so far.¡± ¡°Al-alright.¡± Dorian¡¯s shivering subsided a little thanks to Rimmer¡¯s reassuring voice. ¡°Burren, you should stop being so serious, too. Honor is great, but there are many other things in the world that are more important.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren didn¡¯t respond, but he seemed to realize he¡¯d gone too far as he softened. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Rimmer, who was smiling between Burren and Dorian. ¡®That worked.¡¯ His advice actually worked for both sides. It was proof that he¡¯d been properly watching the trainees, despite looking like he¡¯d been ying around all the time. ¡®Is that what a teacher is like?¡¯ If something like this had happened in his previous life, when he was raised as an assassin, the instructor would¡¯ve cut both of their throats. Calming them down and helping them properly disy their skills seemed like something a real teacher would do. ¡°Then, prepare yourselves.¡± With all problems solved thanks to Rimmer, Burren and Dorian faced each other. ¡°Begin!¡± As soon as the signal to start was given, Burren ran towards Dorian and swung his sword. Since he was using aura, his speed was iparable to the previous duel. ¡°Hiee!¡± Dorian screamed and twisted his body. Thanks to that, Burren¡¯s sword missed him by a hair. ¡°Stop running away!¡± Burren frowned and swung his sword again, keeping Dorian busy moving his feet and iling his training sword. ¡°Argh!¡± Even though Burren swung his sword more than five times, Dorian kept running away. ¡°How long are you going to run?!¡± Burren kicked the ground while knitting his brows. He closed the distance in an instant, using his real ability. He¡¯d been hiding it ¡°Uah!¡± Dorian tried to quickly move his body away, but it was toote. Burren¡¯s training sword already touched his waist. Smack! With a powerful noise, Dorian¡¯s body was sent flying to the right. ¡°Awwh! Su-surrender!¡± Dorian grabbed his wrist and shouted, writhing in pain. ¡®His body is as flexible as always.¡¯ Raon snickered, watching Dorian lying on the ground. His talent wasn¡¯t bad since the speed of his feet and aura control didn¡¯t lose to a member of the direct line. Although, it was obviously far from being enough to face Burren. ¡°Burren, you still can¡¯t control your emotions. If you fought him as you should¡¯ve, your sword would¡¯ve touched him in less than five strikes.¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re right.¡± Burren nodded silently, stepping back. ¡°Dorian, why do you keep running? You can do it, I¡¯m telling you. If you faced him instead of running away, you could¡¯vested longer.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. But I¡¯m sc-scared¡­¡± ¡°You might be scared, but if you can¡¯t get over it now, you won¡¯t remain standing during a real battle. You must ovee that fear if you want to be a swordsman.¡± Unlike Burren, Dorian was preached at for a while before returning to his ce. ¡°Next, Runaan and Krein.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Runaan and the coteral Krein walked into the arena. Krein was the son of a rather influential coteral and was one of Burren¡¯s underlings that had picked a fight with Raon before. His abilities were pretty decent, but he was no match for Runaan. ¡°Begin.¡± As soon as Rimmer lowered his hand, Runaan and Krein ran towards each other. ¡°Haa!¡± Krein attacked first. Gritting his teeth, he swung his training sword horizontally. ¡°¡­¡­¡± While maintaining her usual expression, Runaan swung her sword, which was exuding a white coldness, upward. ng! With the sound of a lump of metal being crushed, Krein¡¯s sword flew away and thrust into the arena¡¯s hardened ground. Despite swinging her swordte, Runaan had sessfully parried the attack. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Krein stepped back with trembling hands. ¡°Stop.¡± Rimmer walked into the arena while scratching his chin. ¡°Krein, you are too nervous. You are putting too much force on your wrist and hand. You should be more rxed upon wielding a sword.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°And Runaan. It was a nice use of the principle of attacking first despite startingte, but your aura didn¡¯t reach the tip of your sword.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Runaan nodded innocently. ¡°Good job. Next¡­¡± * * * * * * The spars continued until sunset, and only two people remained. ¡°Raon Zieghart, Martha Zieghart. Come forth.¡± ¡°I thought I was going to die of old age while waiting.¡± Martha¡¯s ck eyes glittered in excitement. On the other hand, Raon stayed cid as he stood in front of her. ¡°Eight months was such a long time to wait. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°Shall we make another bet?¡± Raon raised a finger towards Martha, who was disying her aggression. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The loser will obey the winner, who will be the top trainee. How about it?¡± ¡°Obedience? I don¡¯t need the obedience of a dull guy like you, but whatever.¡± Martha narrowed her eyes and nodded. She didn¡¯t even consider the thought that she might lose. ¡°This is thest spar for today. Everyone, watch well. Now then¡­¡± With an obscure smile, Rimmer raised his hand. ¡°Begin!¡± As soon as Rimmer lowered his hand, Martha kicked off from the ground. With a thud, her face was already right in front of Raon¡¯s. Whoosh! He swung his sword at Martha¡¯s training sword, mming down. ng! The impact of two swords shing scattered sparks in the air. ¡°Are you wondering why I didn¡¯t use my aura?¡± Martha smiled, pushing her sword towards him. ¡°Let¡¯s try fighting with swordsmanship first. After that, I¡¯ll make you understand just how powerful an aura is!¡± The moment her voice reached past his ears, her swordsmanship changed rapidly. It wasn¡¯t just the speed and strength, but its path also grew mysterious. ng! Raon narrowed his eyes while parrying her training sword. ¡®It¡¯s a swordsmanship I¡¯m not aware of.¡¯ It was fast, powerful, and mysterious. It seemed to be an advanced swordsmanship she¡¯d learned during the direct line training. ¡®It¡¯s powerful. However¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t perfect. It would¡¯ve been better if she used the ¡®Combination¡¯ Sword that everyone had learned. ng! aang! Raon blocked Martha¡¯s strikes by using the five postures of the ¡®Combination Sword¡¯. ¡°Did you block all of that?¡± Martha¡¯s expression grew dejected. She couldn¡¯t pierce his defense despite striking dozens of times while using an unknown swordsmanship. ¡°Every swordsmanship starts from five forms. If you understand that, it¡¯s not difficult to block.¡± Parrying Martha¡¯s swing, Raon approached her and thrust his fist. Whoosh! She stepped to the right and avoided it. Aiming for an opening, she swung her sword at his waist. nk! Raon parried the attack by holding the sword vertically, then pushed towards Martha. ¡°I knew it.¡± Martha stepped back while spinning her sword. ¡°You are talented, I¡¯ll give you that. But that¡¯s only your swordsmanship. It¡¯s already been decided what a defective warrior with a weak aura will be!¡± A yellow aura surrounded her. The training ground shook slightly at the aura of earth attribute. Thud! Martha stomped her feet. As the ground caved in, her training sword pierced through the air. ¡°Huff!¡± He held his sword towards the yellow aura pouring down on him. m! Blocking the sword made his legs tremble. Despite it being the same dash as before, the speed and power were both on a different scale. ¡°Oh, did you block it?¡± Martha¡¯s eyes, seen through the gap between the swords, narrowed. ¡°Do you understand now? Just how strong a sword used with proper aura is.¡± Raon¡¯s wrist and thigh were trembling. Martha raised her chin and watched him. ¡°Aura is more dependent on talent than swordsmanship. With your talent, which managed to create an aura as small as a bean after seven months, you can¡¯t be a swordsman.¡± Martha¡¯s strikes gradually grew faster and stronger. His whole body faltered each time he blocked the blows. ¡°The aura I¡¯m using right now isn¡¯t my full power. I¡¯ll give you onest chance, surrender now. If not, I¡¯ll crush your bones.¡± ¡°You talk too much.¡± Raon mmed his sword to the right. With a bang, Martha was pushed back. ¡°You are so stupid for refusing myst consideration.¡± Martha¡¯s voice grew as cold as the northern wind. ¡°Saying talent, talent every time. People in this household really love talent so much. It¡¯s annoying.¡± Raon snickered. ¡®Talent is important, of course.¡¯ However, the temperament of a warrior was more important than talent. No matter how powerful a martial art one has learned, or how talented they are, it is useless if the person in question is weak. ¡°You might think I¡¯m noisy because you are talentless, but I am happy whenever I hear about talent.¡± The corners of Martha¡¯s mouth raised. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to make sure to show you what real talent is!¡± The brown energy emanating around her grew thicker. It resembled a sharply ground boulder falling. ¡°Then I¡¯ll show you the opposite.¡± That there¡¯s something more important than talent. The twilight reflected in his eyes and one red flower of me blossomed from his sharp de. The First me of the ¡®Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯. The me was the first, and also the one. Zieghart¡¯s legend was burning at the end of Raon¡¯s sword, the first in over a thousand years. Chapter 34 Martha Zieghart was a very proud person. The reason she failed during her previous term wasn¡¯t because shecked ability, but because she almost killed the two direct line bastards that had hurt her pride. Since it became annoying after that for various reasons, she had intended to take it easy in the fifth training ground. However, there was one guy that still irritated her. Raon Zieghart. That precocious kid kept being an eyesore. She wanted to fight him already. However, she agreed with Rimmer that fighting him when he didn¡¯t even have an aura was dirty, so she held back. That was why she was happier than anyone else when she heard Raon had acquired an aura, because she could finally get payback for her previous humiliation. The spar began and she crossed swords with Raon. His talent in swordsmanship shone even more in an actual fight, to a point that he could perfectly defend himself against a swordsmanship that he¡¯d never seen before. However, as soon as she started using Titan¡¯s aura, Raon got pushed back as easily as a paper doll. It was to be expected. The difference in size and purity of aura was as great as the distance between the sky and earth. The whole situation was in Martha¡¯s favor, to the point that she could break Raon¡¯s bones whenever she wanted. Despite knowing that, Raon¡¯s fighting spirit didn¡¯t fade. His eyes seemed to be taunting her, seeming to say, ¡®Come at me as much as you want!¡¯ It was ridiculous. He looked like an idiotic rabbit that didn¡¯t even know who was holding it by its neck. Pathetic bastard. Martha smirked and swung her sword down, putting in more aura and strength. Thud! The arena trembled. Raon withstood it. He didn¡¯t fall, despite her repeated strikes. It was annoying. The way he was trying to climb up high. despite having the worst talent, made her boil with anger. ¡®Don¡¯t resent me for this.¡¯ His limbs might¡¯ve broken, but he left her with no choice. Pulling out an even more powerful aura, she aimed her sword in front of herself. It was the posture for Hard Stone. She was going to pierce Raon¡¯s defense using the energy of a sharp rock. It was when she was about to kick the ground. A red me ignited at the end of Raon¡¯s de. A very small me. And yet, it was redder and more beautiful than any other me. When Martha saw it, a chill went down in her spine. ¡®What is that?¡¯ It was creepy. She was engulfed by a strange anxiety. ¡®No, I¡¯m not afraid!¡¯ Martha grit her teeth. She couldn¡¯t believe she was afraid of Raon, even for a moment. No, she didn¡¯t want to believe it. Whoosh! She struck with the training sword, using the Titan¡¯s aura in its dull de. Rage! At that moment, Raon took a step. The small me burning at his training sword created a single line. A red line drawn from left to right. The Titan¡¯s aura melted upon touching that line. And. Crack! The extremely solid training sword was broken in half, flying through the air. Tap! The sound of a broken de thrusting into the arena floor invaded her ears. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Martha stared at the severed sword, dazed. ¡°How¡­ How did this hap¡­¡± Her lips and hands trembled in disbelief at the same time. ¡°Is that the talent you spoke about?¡± Raon Zieghart stared at her coldly. The me ignited at the end of his sword was already gone. ¡°A talent that can¡¯t even withstand a single immature strike. It should be considered pointless.¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± Unlike her usual self, Martha Zieghart couldn¡¯t respond at all. She lowered her head, just like her broken sword. *** ¡°Wh-what?! What happened just now?!¡± ¡°Th-the training sword, which was coated with Titan¡¯s aura, was severed in a single strike.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Raon could feel the trainees¡¯ gazes from everywhere. Panic, distrust, and astonishment. It looked like they¡¯d even forgotten to breathe. ¡°Wow¡­¡± And Rimmer, who was standing in front of them, was no exception. His eyes were wide, and his long ears looked even more pointy. Apparently, severing Martha¡¯s sword in a single strike surprised him. ¡®Well, I¡¯m also surprised.¡¯ The power of the first stage of ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, the First me, had exceeded his expectations to the point that he would¡¯ve cut Martha if he hadn¡¯t controlled its power properly. ¡®If it¡¯s already this powerful at two-stars¡­¡¯ His heart pounded in anticipation for three-stars and above. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He lowered his gaze upon hearing the groaning sound from below. Martha¡¯s ck eyes were burning red. ¡®She doesn''t look like she will admit defeat.¡¯ That wasn¡¯t an expression of surrender. Since she couldn¡¯t even properly see how her sword was severed, she wasn¡¯t going to admit her defeat. ¡°I can¡¯t ept this.¡± The words he¡¯d expected came right from Martha¡¯s mouth. She threw away the broken de and clenched her fist. Whir! Titan¡¯s aura surrounded her body, creating an energy as solid as an unbreakable rock. ¡°I knew it.¡± Raon nodded and put down his training sword. ¡°I will make you admit defeat.¡± ¡°I will never!¡± Martha kicked off from the ground. She dashed at him from the left, from the front this time. Her movements were stiff, yet fast and heavy. ¡°Haah!¡± Along with a shout of concentration, she thrust her fist. Pow! Raon chopped down her fist with his elbow. The immense shock twisted Martha¡¯s body. But she didn¡¯t stop. She grit her teeth and kept punching. Wham! Raon drew a circle with his palm. Smoothly blocking her fist, he kicked at her abdomen. ¡°Kuh!¡± It was a direct hit, yet Martha only groaned without stepping back. Her strong willpower suited the sturdy aura. ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s not over yet!¡± Martha bit her lip and thrust her fist. Despite her panic, her fist still went along the proper trajectory. The martial arts of a prestigious family seemed to shine, even at a time like that. ¡®But that¡¯s not enough.¡¯ It was a quick and precise strike of a fist, imbued with a powerful aura, yet nothing more. Shecked training, by far. Wham! Dodging the fist aimed at his forehead, he struck her back with the edge of his hand. ¡°Kuh!¡± The impact reaching her through the Titan¡¯s aura made her drool. After flinching, she counterattacked even faster. The savagery didn¡¯t match her elegant figure. ¡®She is pretty tough, at least.¡¯ She was counterattacking despite being hit repeatedly by a fist that would make an adult swordsman fall. Her willpower and body¡¯s durability weren¡¯t at the level of a trainee. ¡°Haah!¡± Martha stomped on the ground. The sand on the floor rose up and obscured his vision. Before he could sense her presence, her fist was swung at his right side. Pow! The strike felt like a rock thrown by a trebuchet. His whole body trembled each time he blocked it with his elbow. ¡°Aaah!¡± She wasn¡¯t going to miss the opportunity that she¡¯d created with so much difficulty. Holding her breath, she kept striking relentlessly with her fist. Wham! After twenty swift strikes, when Martha stopped for a moment to catch her breath, Raon¡¯s fist struck her abdomen. ¡°Kuh!¡± Martha grabbed her belly and stepped back. Her eyes were filled with distrust. ¡°Despite what you said, your fists aren¡¯t really impressive.¡± Raon shook his hand and elbow, which he¡¯d used to block Martha¡¯s fists. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± ¡°Skill.¡± Laughing at Martha, who was in panic, he turned his wrist. * * * * * * ¡®The defense of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ is also excellent.¡¯ Probably because his image was a me that wouldn¡¯t be extinguished, the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was also effective in defense. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Martha raised her head while biting her lip. Titan¡¯s aura was gathering up in her clenched fist. Whir! The special technique ¡®Single Point¡¯ consisted of concentrated aura in a single spot. Her talent was indeed excellent for her to be using that at her age. The rage was gone from her expression. Her eyes, once filled with anger, were emitting a clear light once again. ¡°I¡¯ll admit you¡¯re strong.¡± The energy gathered in her fist formed into a proper shape. It was the proof that she¡¯d attained the rank of Sword User. ¡°I will admit my defeat if you can ovee this!¡± Martha dashed forward like a bear hunting its prey. It was as heavy as a rock rolling down the mountain. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed lightly. He took a step and thrust his fist, using the energy from the step. The rotation, starting from the ankle, went up through the femoral muscles and reached his back. At that moment, his fist was imbued with explosive power. m! The fist containing the me of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ shattered the lump of brown aura and twisted Martha¡¯s arm. ¡°Ah¡­¡± As the Titan¡¯s aura was shattered into pieces, he was able to see Martha¡¯s bloodshot eyes. Whir! Swept away by the tornado created by the blow, she bounced back and faltered like a reed in a storm. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± After shaking her head, Martha fell backward with her eyes closed. Despite having fainted, her fist remained clenched. ¡®That¡¯s some amazing willpower, at least.¡¯ It was difficult to believe that sort of willpower belonged to a child that was almost fifteen years old. That was more surprising than her ability or talent. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s overwhelming.¡± ¡°No way. How did Martha¡­?¡± The trainees that followed Martha, as well as those who were against her, were unable to raise their dropped jaws. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Burren red at Raon as his clenched fist trembled. ¡°¡­¡± Runaan looked as nk as always, but she was exhaling cold steam from her gaping mouth, which seemed to mean that she was excited. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Rimmer, who had been stunned for a moment, ran up to Martha to check on her. ¡°Tsk. I should be scolding her, but she fainted.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue after checking her condition. ¡°That¡¯s it for today. When you return, think about what you werecking today.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Then, except Raon, everyone leave.¡± ¡°Why me¡­?¡± ¡°Because I have something to give you, and also have some preaching left to do.¡± With a grin, Rimmer ran to the infirmary over the wall. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± As Raon nkly stared at the wall Rimmer had jumped over, Burren approached him. ¡°I knew you would catch up.¡± Burren was smiling, but it was difficult to tell if it was from admiration or anticipation. ¡°I¡¯m different from Martha. I won¡¯t give up, even if you run ahead like a rabbit. I won¡¯t be careless, even if you fall behind like a turtle. I will defeat you at the graduation exam, putting everything I have at stake.¡± After saying that, he left the training ground. He looked refreshed. ¡®He¡¯s definitely changed.¡¯ The egoistic and envy-driven Burren didn¡¯t exist anymore. He seemed to havee to a realization, as he¡¯d gotten rid of his conceit and reced it with confidence. Tap tap. Somebody tapped his shoulder from behind. When he looked back, Runaan was standing there with glittering purple eyes. Nod. She visibly nodded. That seemed to mean that he¡¯d done well. Holding the bead ice cream box tightly, she trotted out of the training ground. ¡°Just what?¡± Raon opened his mouth wide. He still couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to do. Shaking his head, he walked next to the tform that the chairs were at. As he was waiting for Rimmer and sitting on a chair, he noticed a book on the tform. It was the book Rimmer used as his pillow when he napped. He tried opening it. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened after seeing its contents. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought it was just his pillow, but it wasn¡¯t. The trainees¡¯ strengths and weaknesses, and the way to improve them, were written in it in detail. He read the information on Burren on the first page. ¡®Has exceptional talent but is very conceited. Changed a lot after bing a trainee. Realized what hecked was willpower and is spending lots of time meditating. Uses an elegant and systematic swordsmanship, and he also thinks it¡¯s important¡­¡¯ They were difficult things to notice if he wasn¡¯t watching the trainees closely. And yet, the book wasn¡¯t just on Burren, but for every single one of the trainees. ¡®How about me¡­?¡¯ Raon read the information written about him. ¡®Extremely talented in swordsmanship and fist technique, and has a great mana perception, but is struggling with learning the aura cultivation technique. Needs to be taught about attributes. Need to find a way to make him feel the fire¡­¡¯ The information was too detailed, to the point that it felt like he overdid it. ¡®Instructor Rimmer¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought Rimmer was always ying around like a cker, but he¡¯d actually been observing everything in great detail. Raon smiled, an unknown emotion warming his heart. It was the first time he¡¯d ever felt that way, but it wasn¡¯t unpleasant. That¡¯s unexpected. ¡®You know, right?¡¯ But I still don¡¯t like him. He is still arrogant and irritating. Wrath had grown even more pessimistic towards the world after he failed to take over Raon¡¯s body. Back in devildom, there was a time where pointy ears and dwarves came over. The King of Essence froze every single one of those naughty guys¡­ ¡®You really talk too much.¡¯ Raon tapped the flowery bracelet and Wrath shut his mouth. It was difficult to handle how much he talked. Kuh! The King of Essence is the definition of reticence. You are saying that I talk too much, despite being the least talkative one among the monarchs of the devildom. Just what kind of bullshit is that? Talking too much means¡­ ¡®Wow.¡¯ As he tapped his bracelet once again to shut him up, Rimmer returned over the wall. He couldn¡¯t tell why he always entered over the wall, despite the door existing. ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer approached him while smiling. His expression was still filled with surprise. ¡°It was an excellent aura control, despite it not having been a long time since you acquired it. However, it was unnecessary to take hits on purpose or throw away your sword.¡± Rimmer tapped his shoulder while smiling. ¡°That¡¯s what an instructor would say. Personally, I am thoroughly satisfied with that match. Congrattions on bing the undisputed top trainee. This is yours now.¡± He handed over the wooden box he had ced in his inner chest pocket. It was the elixir that Martha had entrusted him with. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed his head to Rimmer as he epted the elixir. ¡°It was a bet between you two, you don¡¯t need to thank me.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m still thanking you.¡± It wasn¡¯t a thanks for the elixir. It was for looking over his training and giving him various pieces of advice. Despite beingte and cking, he did instruct him properly when he needed it the most. In fact, he probably wouldn¡¯t have acquired the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ yet if it weren¡¯t for his teachings. Since he didn¡¯t have a teacher in his previous life, only animal trainers, he thought Rimmer was worthy of his gratitude. ¡°Anyway.¡± Rimmer snickered, watching him with a satisfied expression. ¡°I¡¯ll get going, then.¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± He flickered his index and middle finger together. ¡°I told you there¡¯s somewhere we need to go together.¡¯ ¡°Somewhere to go?¡± ¡°The audience chamber in the lord¡¯s manor.¡± Rimmer grinned and pointed to the west. ¡°The head of house has summoned you.¡± Chapter 35 ¡°Summoned me?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. To summon him right after the spar¡­ He couldn¡¯t understand his intentions. ¡°Ah. To be more precise, he told me to bring the top trainee.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders. ¡®The top trainee, huh?¡¯ It meant that it didn¡¯t matter who it was, as long as it was the top trainee. It seemed like Glenn thought Martha would win the duel. ¡®That¡¯s funny.¡¯ It was funny because it seemed that he had defeated Glenn''s predicted top trainees one after another, both Burren and Martha. ¡°Why did he summon me?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± Rimmer pouted, shaking his head. From his expression, he definitely looked like he knew the reason. He just didn¡¯t have any intention of telling him. ¡°When do I need to go?¡± Raon asked as he caressed the box in his pocket. ¡°Right now.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He nodded and dusted off his clothes. ¡°Are you going to go like that? Aren¡¯t you going to change?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of the head of house?¡± ¡°Why would I need to be afraid? He isn¡¯t calling me to eat me up.¡± Glenn¡¯s cold gaze was awkward, but he didn¡¯t need to be afraid. ¡°I knew you were funny.¡± Rimmer nodded and giggled. He tapped Raon¡¯s shoulder with a satisfied expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon headed towards the audience chamber of the lord¡¯s manor, following Rimmer. ¡°Did Lady Martha really lose?¡± ¡°To such a small child¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just about the age, their talent was different.¡± ¡°It¡¯s luck. There¡¯s no other way!¡± Those he met on the way were sneakily ncing at him with either amazed or surprised expressions. ¡°It looks like everyone already knows that you¡¯ve beaten Martha.¡± Rimmer grinned at him. ¡°Already?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s because Zieghart is an insted family.¡± He murmured that, because it¡¯s closed to the outside, the rumors spread even more quickly inside. ¡°Martha was excellent enough to defeat other members of the direct line. It¡¯s natural for rumors to spread once you won against such a child head on.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should be careful. Falling is as fast as rising.¡± Rimmer pointed at himself while saying that. He seemed to be referencing the way he fell after his energy center was broken. ¡°Anyway, congrattions. This is a good asion, so enjoy it.¡± He entered the lord¡¯s manor while whistling. The warriors seemed to be aware of their visit, since they didn¡¯t block their way. ¡°The Lord is waiting.¡± When they reached the audience chamber through the long hallway on the first floor, Roenn¡ªGlenn¡¯s butler¡ªopened the door with a smile. Clunk. The huge metal door split apart with a heart-stopping sound. The energy was magnificent enough to pierce the sky, spreading out from the door. Raon grabbed the left side of his chest. ¡®Has it always been this heavy¡­?¡¯ After acquiring an aura, Glenn¡¯s pressure felt evenrger. He couldn¡¯t stop his hand from trembling in the wake of the endlessly powerful wave of energy. A mere human¡­ Wrath¡¯s voice was also trembling, squashed by Glenn¡¯s pressure. ¡°You can feel it properly now that you have an aura, right?¡± Rimmer smiled, a single drop of sweat trickling down his forehead. ¡°That is our king.¡± Lifting the corners of his mouth, he entered. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon swallowed and followed him. Glenn¡¯s pressure became more powerful the more he approached him. It felt like his shoulder was being squashed by the mighty wave of energy. ¡°Greetings to the lord!¡± Raon, who was standing next to Rimmer, knelt. Glenn¡¯s wave of energy finally subsided. He could control his pressure in a moment. Even Derus didn¡¯t seem like he would be a match for the might that reached for the sky. ¡°Stand up.¡± Raon¡¯s was automatically lifted by the voice that gave him the order. Upon meeting Glenn¡¯s red eyes, everything around him grew blurry. It really was an overwhelming presence. ¡°I brought the top trainee, as my lordmanded.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Without even responding to Rimmer, Glenn stared at Raon. Maybe he didn¡¯t like it or feelfortable about it. Raon couldn¡¯t read his thoughts at all. ¡°Did you acquire the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How long did it take?¡± ¡°It took about seven months.¡± ¡°It¡¯s slow.¡± He tilted his chin slightly. It looked like he was looking down on him. ¡°Show me the aura.¡± Upon hearing Glenn¡¯s order, Raon looked at Rimmer. When he asked with his eyes whether it was okay to use his aura in front of the head of house, Rimmer nodded. ¡°Normally you can¡¯t, but he is asking you to.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon stood, clenching his fist before rxing it. Rage! With the sound of an almost extinguished small me being ignited once again, the red me appeared. The First me of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. The one and the first me was ignited. ¡°Is that the first one of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯?¡± Glenn¡¯s pupils, which looked like they were sunk deep under the mud, trembled lightly. ¡°What did you pursue upon igniting that aura?¡± ¡°It is a me that won¡¯t be extinguished, nor be vanquished.¡± ¡°Not extinguished?¡± ¡°I imagined a me that won¡¯t be extinguished by wind, nor by rain.¡± Glenn kept staring at the me burning on Raon¡¯s hand for a long time without saying anything. Raon thought he might have looked like he was touched, although that could¡¯ve been just his impression. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± He received apliment, one that he¡¯d never expected to get. He tried touching his ears, thinking he might have misheard it. ¡°A swordsman or magician of fire attribute has the best power output, but their endurance and defense are weaker in return. An inextinguishable me might allow you to ovee that weakness. Consider how to use it thoroughly.¡¯ ¡°¡­ Understood.¡± Raon nodded with surprised eyes. He¡¯d never even dreamed that Glenn would give him such advice, so his voice trembled slightly. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t seem so strange. I¡¯m merely telling you what I couldn¡¯t tell you during the Judgment Ceremony.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± He understood. Glenn had given advice to everyone but Raon during the Judgment Ceremony. It seemed that he was giving him the advice that he couldn¡¯t give him back then. ¡®That¡¯s one mysterious personality.¡¯ Glenn was as cold as a man sculpted from a cier, but he did take care of people sometimes. He was theplete opposite of Derus, who pretended to take care of his people but actually used them as objects. ¡°I¡¯ll now tell you the reason that I called for you.¡± Resting his chin on his hand, Glenn gazed down at Raon. ¡°I¡¯ll be giving you all a mission around next year.¡± ¡°A mission?¡± ¡°You all have been training for well over a year, including the temporary training period. Since you¡¯ve all acquired the aura needed to be Beginner Swordsmen, it is alright to go outside.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Do you think you are too young? Age doesn¡¯t matter when ites to battles. Swordsmen must always fight for as long as they can hold a sword, regardless of their age.¡± ¡®That¡¯s not it. I thought it was toote.¡¯ In his previous life, he had received assassination missions at the age of eight, not fourteen. His current age wasn¡¯t too young, but too old. ¡°It¡¯s not just you. Tell all the trainees to prepare thoroughly, so that they can y their role regardless of the situation and time.¡± ¡°¡­ Understood.¡± ¡°You should head out now.¡± Glenn closed his eyes and waved his hand. Raon knelt once again and bowed to him, then left the audience chamber. ¡°It was about time you got a mission.¡± Rimmer grinned and grabbed the back of his hand, fingers knitted together. ¡°What kind of mission is going to be assigned to us?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been decided yet. Monster subjugation, protecting a leading figure, bandit extermination¡­ Since you don¡¯t know what kind of mission you will get, you¡¯d better prepare to be able to handle all kinds of situations, just as the head of house said.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the instructoring with us?¡± ¡°I will, but my mission is different from yours, as the instructor¡¯s mission is to protect you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened. It looked like he expected him to be surprised. ¡®Of course I¡¯ll have to carry out the mission by myself.¡¯ He¡¯d received nothing like ¡®help¡¯ in his previous life, even when he got a mission at the age of eight. An instructor that would protect him in case of emergency was a huge luxury. ¡®Zieghart is softer than I thought.¡¯ Leaving a surprised Rimmer behind, he left the lord¡¯s manor with a smile. * * * * * * After Raon left to the annex building, Rimmer returned to the audience chamber. ¡°My lord looks very happy.¡± Rimmer smiled and looked at Glenn, who was standing on the tform. ¡°I¡¯m the same as always.¡± ¡°Heh. But the corners of your lips are two millimeters higher than usual.¡± ¡°Stop your pleasantries and give me a report on Martha¡¯s condition.¡± ¡°She is bruised quite badly, but she will heal with some rest. The problem is the mental shock she received.¡± ¡°If she can¡¯t ovee such a thing, she has no reason to carry the name Zieghart.¡± Glenn applied the Zieghart¡¯s mindset without exception for Martha, who had been adopted at eight years old. ¡°Did you help Raon draw an image for his fire?¡± ¡°I am a teacher, after all. But Raon was the one who chose it. I only taught him that there are multiple possibilities.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders and continued. ¡°What is your impression after seeing the long-awaited first head of house¡¯s aura?¡± ¡°It was exactly the same as it was written. It was as beautiful as a flower made of fire, and it also wielded an iparable powerpared to its size.¡± ¡°Yes. Itpletely destroyed Martha¡¯s Titan aura, which she¡¯s been cultivating for over four years. It was such an unreasonable power. By the way, isn¡¯t the color supposed to be golden?¡± ¡°The color will change slightly depending on the fire¡¯s power. Keep instructing him on the correct path in the future as well.¡± ¡°I knew the head of house had a soft spot for him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t answer, waving his hand with his eyes closed. He was telling him to get out, since he was being annoying. ¡°Then, please take care of choosing a mission for the children.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my job. It¡¯s the General Administration¡¯s. Stop worrying about that. Just keep raising the children to survive in any kind of mission.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll make sure to instruct them so they won¡¯t bezy.¡± ¡°I can only say that you should look at yourself, first.¡± Glenn snickered upon seeing Rimmer¡¯s confident expression. ¡°We call that a two-faced teacher.¡± Rimmer grinned in return. *** ¡°Hmm?¡± Judiel, who was taking care of the garden, turned around upon hearing a stepping sound from behind her. ¡°Huff. Yo-young master Raon!¡± Raon was gazing at her. The moment she met his gaze, she felt her heart sink. ¡°You have returned!¡± She stood up and checked on his condition. His clothes were dusty, but he didn¡¯t seem to be hurt anywhere. ¡®No way. Did he win against her? Against Martha?¡¯ She¡¯d already known that Raon would spar with Martha Zieghart after word had spread a month before. However, she¡¯d never thought that he would win, let alone returnpletely uninjured. ¡°Did you win the spar?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Raon smiled. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Looking at his victorious smile reminded her of that day. The red eyes floating on theke¡­ Calling it an incarnation of fear wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. ¡®Of course. There¡¯s no way this monster would lose to a mere genius.¡¯ She realized, once again, just what kind of existence Raon Zieghart was. ¡°The Central Martial Pce will contact you again soon to order you to investigate me more thoroughly.¡± ¡°Th-they would.¡± ¡°Write whatever you think you should write and bring it to me.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± With a smile that gave her goosebumps, he entered the annex building. Judiel dropped the weeds from her hands, her back drenched in a cold sweat. ¡°A monster that defeated a genius¡­¡± *** ¡°Raon!¡± As soon as Raon entered the annex building, he met Sylvia as she was putting on her clothes. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Where would I go?! You were supposed to return today, but you hadn¡¯t arrived. I was about to head out to look for you!¡± Sylvia ran towards him. She looked faster than an average swordsman. ¡°Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?¡± Her eyes kept moving left and right, like falling leaves. ¡°I¡¯m not hurt.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Sylvia sighed in relief, smoothing a hand down her chest. However, her eyes didn¡¯t stop peering at Raon¡¯s body. ¡°Was the spar canceled?¡± ¡°No, I won.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re still not hurt?¡± ¡°Because I didn¡¯t get hit.¡± ¡°You¡­ You won without getting hit once?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Re-really?¡± Helen dropped Sylvia¡¯s outer garments. Since it wasmon knowledge that Martha¡¯s talent was on par with the direct line, their surprised reactions were understandable. ¡°W-well if you aren¡¯t hurt, let¡¯s eat first! Helen, prepare the meal immediately!¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Huh? But you haven''t eaten dinner yet.¡± ¡°I have something to do today.¡± Raon shook his head while touching the wooden box in his pocket, which contained an elixir. It was time for him to be stronger once more. Chapter 36 As soon as Raon entered his room, he closed the curtains and locked the door. He¡¯d told them to not enter, but he was preparing¡ªjust in case. ¡°Wrath.¡± He tapped the ice flower bracelet on his wrist to call out Wrath. How dare a mere insect human call the King of Essence by name. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have told me your name then.¡± It¡¯s because the King of Essence didn¡¯t know you would resist the possession! Wrath murmured that he informs the humans of his great name as ast consideration before eating up their mind and body. ¡°I don¡¯t know about great, but are you nning to interfere again?¡± As a monarch of devildom, the King of Essence keeps his words. The King of Essence will never interrupt you again while you are cultivating. ¡°I suppose, since you must¡¯ve used all the power that you¡¯ve stored up so far.¡± Raon nodded. Wrath had attacked him with everything he had when he was acquiring the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ a month ago. He shouldn¡¯t have been able to recover his strength yet. You idiot! The energy of Wrath can be used at any time. It¡¯s just to keep the word of a monarch¡­ ¡°Ah, whatever.¡± Seriously, you little shit! When Raon interrupted him, Wrath started to emit coldness while trembling in anger. ¡°Too bad. It was a chance to raise my stats again.¡± Kuh¡­ Wrath ground his teeth. The frost started falling between his icy mes, as though he was about to explode in anger. Raon scowled, watching the trembling Wrath. ¡®I can¡¯t be careless against him.¡¯ Wrath was an enemy, not an ally. He couldn¡¯t be careless in front of him, whether he was cultivating or training. He had to keep on his toes at all times. ¡°Well, then.¡± He took out the wooden box containing the Nine Flowers Medicine and opened the lid. It radiated with the strong fragrance of dry bushes found in the fall mountains. It smelled nice. From the way the medicine spread its fragrance throughout the room, he could already tell that it was a very effective one. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon exhaled slowly and put the Nine Flowers Medicine in his mouth. The bitter, yet strong, taste of the medicine covered his whole mouth. ¡®He told me to chew it down.¡¯ Following Rimmer¡¯s advice, he swallowed it after chewing it, and it was released in his throat. Whir. The thick energy within the Nine Flowers Medicine spread out throughout his mana circuits like smoke rising from a chimney. Raon sat down and closed his eyes, starting to rotate his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and cultivating the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. The energy from the Nine Flowers Medicine circted throughout his body and expanded his muscles. The energy center was stimted then expanded, and his mana perception increased to the extreme. Whap! The hot energy, simr to the one heated in the charcoal kiln, dashed through his mana circuits. Whap! The pure ice melting in his mana circuits followed the path cleared by the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ to circte throughout his entire body. ¡®Cultivating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ first was the correct choice.¡¯ The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ cleared up the coldness and impurities inside his mana circuits, and the energy of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ dashed along that path like a ray of light, which allowed the elixir to be used more efficiently. The two cultivation techniques synergized as one, maximizing their merits, and canceling out their demerits. Whir! All the mana from Nine Flowers Medicine was melted down, and the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, his body, and his energy center were connected by a red path. Raon got even more absorbed into the world of cultivation, feeling the endless flow of mana. *** When the sun that rose was setting down on the western mountain once again, and the evening glow was shining upon him, Raon finally opened his eyes. Raon clenched his fist. He could feel the fourth ring rotating violently, even without the messages. The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ wasn¡¯t the only skill that was raised to four-stars. and also increased in rank. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ It was a tremendous change, especially considering he¡¯d only taken an intermediate elixir. But of course, it wasn¡¯t only because of the elixir. The efforts he¡¯d been making for almost a year had been umting and were finally exploding because of the elixir. Raon rolled his shoulders and stood up. His energy center was full of hot and cold energy, and his body was as light as a leaf riding the wind. His body¡¯s condition was perfect, as if he just woke up from a good sleep. He felt like he could now single handedly win against Martha with her aura, using his physical abilities alone. Whap! When he was about to open the status window, Wrath, who was inside the bracelet, burst up with a blue me. Four stars? ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Four stars in Water Resistaaanceee? * * * * * * Wrath¡¯s voice was trembling furiously. It appeared that he hadn¡¯t managed to see the information about the ''Ring of Fire'', only managing to see the ¡®Water Resistance'' that appeared at the end. ¡®Now that I think about it, he doesn¡¯t know.¡¯ Wrath could see the message but couldn¡¯t see the status window. It looked like he was surprised because he realized Raon had ¡®Water Resistance¡¯. You sly bastard! Have you been deceiving the King of Essence with your four-star Water Resistance?! ¡°You never asked me, though.¡± Ugh! Wrath gave him a deadly re. I expected you to have a resistance, but it¡¯s a four-stars type that can grow! You disgusting bastard! ¡°Howe I¡¯m disgusting just because I have ¡®Water Resistance¡¯¡­¡± Raon smiled bitterly. ¡®Seeing the ruckus he¡¯s causing over the ¡®Water Resistance alone¡¯, he¡¯ll likely start rampaging once he learns about the ''Ring of Fire''.¡¯ Raon thought he might be able to see Wrath faint once he learned about the ''Ring of Fire'', which increased the expertise of his body and soul, or about his reincarnation. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that you can¡¯t win against me.¡± Shut your mouth. If the King of Essence uses his original power, a mere human like you will easily be turned into a block of ice. ¡®But you can¡¯t.¡¯ You never fail to anger me whenever you open your mouth! Unable to withstand it anymore, Wrath dashed at him with an exploding me of coldness. Whap! The coldness that could turn his lips blue in an instant stormed around his entire body. ¡°Hmm.¡± The coldness and emotional stimtion had be stronger. It looked like Wrath had also grown. ¡®However.¡¯ The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and ¡®Water Resistance¡¯ had leveled up even more than that. In front of the four naturally spinning rings, Wrath¡¯s anger was child¡¯s y to deal with. Bang! As he was enduring the blue coldness stabbing at him throughout his body, the messages appeared. Damn it! Wrath let out a horrible shriek, simr to a monster¡¯s, and came out from Raon¡¯s body. It feels like all my limbs are gone! There is no way! No way! He started screaming. It looked like he gave up on pretending to beposed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I told you that you can¡¯t do it.¡± The King of Essence¡¯s abilities aren¡¯t just coldness. Inciting the primitive emotion of wrath is his real ability. Back in devildom, the number of devils who self-destructed from the King of Essence¡¯s incitation of wrath was over ten thousand¡­ ¡°But that doesn¡¯t work against me, either.¡± Arrrrggh! Wrath¡¯s blue me started to be red. He was about to explode, but he didn¡¯t start attacking again, since he seemed to dislike giving away free stats. ¡°It¡¯s better now that it''s silent.¡± Raon nodded like nothing happened and opened his status window. He immediately noticed that Decline in Athletic Abilities and Decline in Mana Affinity, which used to be anchored in the status window, were now gone. An irresistible smile appeared on his face. His body was so light he could fly, and he could feel the mana entering his body throughout his pores. It seemed there was a good reason for all that. ¡®My stats have also increased a lot.¡¯ Each one of the stats had increased by at least two levels. His current physical abilities and perception weren¡¯t any worse than a proper swordsman. ¡®The ¡®Water Resistance¡¯ is a great harvest.¡¯ Since his ¡®Water Resistance¡¯ was now four-stars, he could now easily endure magic on par with four-circles. The resistance was going to be more helpful with fighting mages or shamans, rather than swordsmen. ¡®I have gained a lot.¡¯ The Nine Flowers Medicine was a good elixir, but he¡¯d obtained a lot more than that. It was to the point that he couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling, despite his cynical personality. ¡®Shall I try it out just a little bit?¡¯ Since he wanted to test out how much his body and aura had changed, he opened the door. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Sylvia and Helen, who were standing in front of the door, hurriedly stepped back in surprise. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°N-no. Since you said you were cultivating, I was guarding¡­¡± ¡°Same goes for me.¡± They both had slightly bloodshot eyes. It looked like they had been guarding him the entire night, without even making a sound while breathing. As he widened his perception, he could see that there were other maids outside his window. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes. A warmth even greater than when he cultivated the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ warmed his heart. It even gave him the impression that the ice from his mana circuit had disappeared for a moment. ¡°Thank you.¡± He lowered his head to them, and the other maids outside, feeling grateful and apologetic at the same time. ¡°Sob!¡± ¡°Madam!¡¯ ¡°He-Helen. What shall I do?¡± Sylvia copsed to the side while bursting out in tears. ¡°My son has grown up so well!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I wouldn¡¯t have any regrets even if I died right now! Madam!¡± ¡°Helen!¡± The two of them sobbed while hugging each other. ¡®This is the hardest part.¡¯ Rather than Wrath¡¯s emotional attack, the ice inside his mana circuit, or the pressure from Glenn Zieghart, he found it the most difficult to deal with Sylvia and Helen. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon quickly left the annex building while they were busy hugging each other. *** Over the next two days, Raon finished getting used to his changed body. His body and perception had changed more than what he¡¯d seen in the status window. When he first practiced his swordsmanship, he thought it wasn¡¯t his body. Despite using the same technique, the power and speed were on a different level. And the reason it had changed so much was simple. His state had changed. The Decline in Athletic Abilities and the Decline in Mana Affinity disappearing from his state allowed his body to be at peak condition. His body moved exactly the way he wanted, and his mana¡ªwhich used to appear as thin as sand¡ªnow felt as big as a bead. ¡®This is another foundation.¡¯ Rather than his increased might, he felt more satisfied about hardening the foundation that would allow him to reach a higher level in martial arts. That was why he was taking care of flowers in the flower bed in the garden, taking a rest on hisst day of holidays. You idiot. When you are thinning out the soil, you must dig out the bottom first. You must use your hand instead of a trowel to properly mix the nutritious soil. Wrath was unbingly knowledgeable about the flowers and trees. Thanks to him, he could manage the flower bed without having to look in a book. Back in devildom, the King of Essence once filled an entire flower bed with ice flowers. The devils that saw the flower bed lowered their heads to the flowers in respect. That was an expression of admiration and awe for the King of Essence¡­ ¡°Haa.¡± It would¡¯ve been better if he could stop babbling. Wrath really talked way too much. Especially when he started with the ¡®Back in devildom, the King of Essence¡­¡¯, he could talk for at least ten minutes before stopping. After hearing about the devildom every day, he¡¯d started growing familiarity to the devildom that he¡¯d never been before. That¡¯s not it! You must treat the flowers delicately. If you can¡¯t, then freeze it first! ¡°I know, I know.¡± Raon frowned and flicked his finger. When he carefully nted the flower, as if he were controlling mana, Wrath stopped preaching. It was when he was about to head to the left flower bed, after finishing the right side¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± A thin shape was walking towards him from the entrance of the annex building. The long hair had been cut short, but it was impossible to not recognize her. Martha Zieghart. Martha, who¡¯d lost two days ago, was approaching him while frowning heavily. ¡°Are you here to pick a fight?¡± Raon dusted off his dirty hands and stood up. That would be weed. Chapter 37 Under the purple glow of the evening sky, Martha stood with her mouth firmly closed. After standing as still as a stone statue, untilplete darkness surrounded them, she finally raised her head slowly. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have lost.¡± Martha clenched her fist. Her grip was so tight that her blood vessels were clearly visible. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have lost to anyone until I found my mother¡­¡± Despite resolving to never lose until she achieved her goal, she ended up losing. And it was an extremely disgraceful defeat on top of that. She¡¯d twisted her own personality, became foul-mouthed and kept her distance from other people. But it was all pointless now that she lost with such an overwhelming difference. ¡°Damn it!¡± Her foster father, Denier Zieghart, adopted her into the house Zieghart because he¡¯d recognized her talent. And yet, she lost to Raon Zieghart¡ª a coteral that was one year younger than her. She couldn¡¯t predict the kind of measures her father would take as a result. Denier was a kind person, but that might¡¯ve been an act. She needed to take into consideration the possibility of getting chased out. ¡®No, I can never let that happen.¡¯ If she got chased out, she¡¯d lose herst hope of finding her mother. She had to beg for that to not happen, even if she had to cling to his leg. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Mydy.¡± Martha was extremely nervous, to the extent that she didn¡¯t even turn back when her butler Camel called out to her. ¡°It¡¯s a letter from Sir Denier.¡± Martha finally turned around upon hearing that Denier Zieghart had sent her a letter. Her ck pupils swayed like a wave. ¡°Here it is.¡± Martha swallowed and opened the letter. Martha, congrattions on your first defeat. Don¡¯t worry too much, as one defeat will not gain you thebel of a loser. However, reflect countless times on why you lost, and how you lost. That self-examination will be the basis for your future growth. I wanted to visit you personally andfort you, but my mission is taking longer than I thought. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t be with you. It wasn¡¯t me or mockery. It was a letter sent from a father who was worried about his daughter from the bottom of his heart. I¡¯m still investigating your birth mother. Since I still haven¡¯t given up on it, you shall not give up either. Martha folded the letter with trembling hands and put it in her pocket. She tried pressing the pocket, as if she were checking her wallet. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The letter was putting the broken pieces of her mind back together. Thest part especially made her depression and anxiety, which used to press down on her shoulders, fly away. ¡°Tell father that I¡¯ll bear it in mind. And that I¡¯m really, really grateful.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Camel nodded, smiling lightly. ¡°By the way, mydy.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°If you are worried about the obedience that was wagered during the spar with young master Raon, it can be solved by pressuring the annex building. It can be silently taken care of, using the direct line¡¯s authority¡­¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t do it.¡± Martha shook her head definitely. Her pupils, resembling ck pearls, shone with a clear light that was missing before. ¡°The fact remains that I lost, and in the most miserable way, at that.¡± She knew better than anyone the reason that she lost to Raon. ¡®The defeat wasn¡¯t because of my carelessness. I simply lost, that¡¯s all.¡¯ Raon sliced through her sword using that red aura. Since a swordsman had lost her sword, the victor was already decided at that point. And yet, he threw away his own sword and fought her a second time, using his fists. If she acted shamefully towards someone who¡¯d fought her like that, her father would be more disappointed in her. ¡°A Zieghart should keep their promise, even if it is a stupid one. I¡¯m sure Father would say the same thing.¡± ¡°Certainly. Sir Denier would¡¯ve said the same.¡± ¡°As a daughter, I can¡¯t bring shame upon him.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Camel visibly lifted the corners of his mouth andughed, as if he were praising her. ¡°Camel, do you have a knife?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. But why¡­?¡± ¡°Give it to me.¡± ¡°Here it is.¡± Martha stared at the thin dagger Camel handed over for a while, then unsheathed it. Whack! Nodding with determination, she cut her ebony hair from the middle without hesitating. ¡°My¡­ Mydy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m parting with my idiotic and ugly self from before.¡± Martha smiled, letting the cut hair fly away with the wind. Her smile was shining like a snowke. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Camel gasped, since he hadn¡¯t expected that to happen. ¡°Please cancel the direct line training tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Pardon? It¡¯s not difficult to cancel it, but what are you nning to do¡­¡± ¡°I have somewhere to go.¡± Martha dered, entering the mansion. Watching her back as she entered the mansion, Camel nodded kindly. *** After finishing the daybreak training on thest day of the holidays, she immediately left her mansion. Evading Camel and the maids, who were asking where she was going without even taking her breakfast, she went towards the annex building in the west alone. It was pretty far away, but since the road was nicely paved, she could find it without any difficulty. As she kept walking to the west, she could see a small house surrounded by a small garden. ¡®Does he live there?¡¯ Martha furrowed her brows, as it was small and shabbypared to the structures in the main building. However, since the house she used to live in before she was adopted was way smaller than the annex building, it didn¡¯t incite any other emotion from her. She didn¡¯t care and kept walking towards the garden. ¡®Somebody is there.¡¯ A blond body was squatting down at the flower bed, digging the ground and nting flowers. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Martha¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®Raon Zieghart?¡¯ She¡¯d thought he was a servant, but he wasn¡¯t. The one who was nting flowers was Raon Zieghart, who made her taste defeat for the first time. Raon dusted off his hands and stood up. It looked like he noticed her as well. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha didn¡¯t respond, standing in front of the flower bed that Raon was taking care of. The flowers looked fresh and healthy, probably because he¡¯d just watered them. ¡®He has this kind of hobby?¡¯ She¡¯d thought he was too precocious, so she was surprised at finding a childish side to him. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ The reason that Martha visited Raon was simple. She wanted a rematch. She kept thinking about her defeat after reading her father¡¯s advice, but she couldn¡¯t remember how she lost. Since she couldn¡¯t remember, she had no idea howrge the difference in abilities was between them, and whether there was any way of making up for it or not. In short, she couldn¡¯t reflect. Therefore, she needed a rematch. She wanted to determine the difference between her and Raon by fighting him with a clear mind. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha sighed heavily and lifted her head. She carefully opened her mouth while looking into Raon¡¯s eyes, which were as calm as ake. ¡°I want to try fighting you again.¡± ¡°Not admitting defeat is a bit disturbing.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not refusing to admit to having lost so easily. I just can¡¯t tell how I lost, and I came looking for you in order to figure that out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes shone for a second. He seemed to think it was unexpected. ¡°Then, what¡¯s the offer?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°For a loser to challenge the victor once again, you¡¯d have to give something away, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hell no! You don¡¯t need a prize in order to fight!¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Martha groaned lightly. ¡®This is why.¡¯ Because he never wanted toe out at a loss, she¡¯d felt like Raon wasn¡¯t actually a child. ¡°You don¡¯t have one? It¡¯s troublesome if you don¡¯t.¡± Raon crossed his arms, showing that he had no intention of fighting. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡®What shall I do?¡¯ Martha thought as she looked at Raon, biting her lip. Then she looked at the flowers below. ¡®Shall I try stepping on it a little?¡¯ Since he was taking care of the flower bed at that hour, he must¡¯ve loved the flowers. If she provoked him by harming them a little, he would probably attack her. ¡°You must like the flowers, although that doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± Martha secretly moved her foot towards the flower bed. ¡°Not really.¡± Despite her expectations, Raon shook his head while tapping his trowel. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said I don¡¯t like flowers, and I don¡¯t understand why people like them either. I was only taking care of them because of my mother." ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha, who was about to step on the flowers, suddenly stopped. ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you going to step on them?¡± Raon tilted his head while smiling slightly. It seemed he was already aware of her intentions. ¡°Damn it.¡± Martha cursed and pulled back her feet. Hearing that he¡¯d been taking care of the flowers for his mother, who loved the flowers, she didn¡¯t feel like stepping on them anymore. ¡°Shit.¡± She clicked her tongue. As she was about to turn around, the annex building¡¯s door opened and a beautiful woman with her long hair tied back ran out towards them. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes, which were as cold as ice, were suddenly flustered. ¡°Mo-mother.¡± ¡°I was wondering why I couldn¡¯t find you, but you were taking care of the flower bed for me. But who is this, a friend of yours?¡± Her eyes were filled with curiosity. ¡®Is she Sylvia Zieghart?¡¯ The woman who left the household in order to be with her beloved, then returned in order to save her child. She was the family¡¯s disgrace and was said to belong in the trash. Maybe it was because she¡¯d had a simr experience, but she didn¡¯t look like trash to Martha, but a courageous mother who lived for the sake of her beloved child. ¡°Sh-she¡¯s not a friend, she is nothing. I¡¯ll handle it here, so please go back.¡± It was a rare sight to see Raon stuttering. ¡°She is also pretty. ck hair and ck pupils? Ah! You¡¯re Martha!¡± Sylvia smiled brightly while pping her hands. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha silently nodded. ¡°I heard you sparred with Raon, were you hurt anywhere?¡± Since they were simr to the mother that she missed so much, she could tell that Sylvia¡¯s rose-colored eyes held real worry about her wellbeing. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Thank god, I was worried.¡± Sylvia smiled lightly. ¡°I heard big brother Denier had brought in a very talented child, but there was more to it.¡± She thoroughly examined her, and told her that she was really pretty, too pretty. ¡°But what brought you here?¡± ¡°I had something to tell him. I¡¯ll return since I¡¯m done now.¡± Martha bowed her head and was about to leave. Growl. The result of skipping breakfast after her daybreak training urred. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Martha¡¯s face turnedpletely red. When she was about to run away, something warm caught her hand. It was Sylvia. She flicked her finger while smiling. ¡°Let¡¯s eat before you go.¡± She didn¡¯t know why, but Martha couldn¡¯t shake off that thin hand of hers. * * * * * * What was this? Raon furrowed his brows, looking at Martha, who was sitting across from him at the dining table. ¡®I don¡¯t even know anymore.¡¯ He could understand Sylvia inviting Martha to eat before she left after hearing Martha¡¯s stomach growling, since Sylvia is a very kind person. However, for that crazy girl to be led to the table and modestly wait for the food to be brought out was something unimaginable for him. Maybe when she cut her hair, she also cut out her bad temper. ¡°Raon loves meat stews. That¡¯s why we always have at least one stew on the menu.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Sylvia kept smiling. Raon wondered what she was so happy about, and Martha kept responding with a lowered head, as if she was embarrassed. What is that girl doing? Wasn¡¯t her personality different? ¡®I don¡¯t know what''s going on either.¡¯ This was the first time since he¡¯d been born into house Zieghart that he¡¯d encountered such an unexpected situation. The food was brought out soon enough. They were stews, roast beef, vegetables, and baked bread. ¡°You are one year older than Raon, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you having any difficulty with training?¡± ¡°Not really.¡¯ Sylvia kept talking to Martha while dining, and Martha also kept answering immediately, despite eating. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon tilted his head. ¡®Seriously, what¡¯s up with her?¡¯ The first thing Martha would do when someone talked to her was swear. He¡¯d never imagined seeing her acting so favorably. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon gulped down the stew, unable to tell if he was consuming it through his mouth or his nose. ¡°We are very good at cooking, but the quality of the meat is a bit worse than the main building. Make sure to chew it well to digest it better.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha¡¯s hand, which was holding the fork, trembled upon hearing Sylvia¡¯s advice. Since she could start rampaging soon, Raon readied himself to stop her. However, she lowered her head once again and started eating. Raon wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about human emotions, but he felt like Martha¡¯s hands were expressing some kind of sorrow and yearning. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± The awkward meal finally ended, and Martha stood up. ¡°How was the taste?¡± ¡°It was tasty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d. Please be friends with Raon from now on.¡± Sylvia stood in front of the door, waving her hand at Martha. ¡°Yes.¡± Martha unexpectedly gave a normal answer and left the annex building. ¡®Seriously, what was that?¡¯ She clearly came to pick a fight with him, so he couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d suddenly started acting like that. Did she eat something off? ¡®Probably.¡¯ Human emotion was really difficult to understand. *** As soon as she left the annex building, Martha bit her lip. She felt like she was going to cry otherwise. She looked simr. Her face, the color of her hair, the clothes she was wearing, and even her voice was different. However, those rose-colored eyes were too simr to her missing mother. That was why she couldn¡¯t shake her off when she caught her hand. Raon must¡¯ve thought she was crazy. It was the first time she saw his eyes shivering so much. She¡¯d considered leaving, but she was d she stayed to finish her meal. Sylvia¡¯s gentle gaze and voice, and¡­ When she heard her telling to chew it well, which was the nagging that her mother used to give all the time, Martha really felt like she was with her mother. That was why she wanted to find her mother even more now. ¡®White Blood Religion, those sons of bitches.¡¯ The ones that took away her mother were the White Blood Religion, one of the five demons. She was going to find her mother at all costs, even if she had to kill all those fanatics. Resolving herself over and over, Martha returned to the main building. ¡°Mydy, where have you been¡­ Huh? No way, were you crying?¡± Camel, who was sweeping in front of the door, widened his eyes. ¡°What are you talking about?! I would never do that!¡± Martha wiped away her tears and shook her head. She quickly opened the door and was entered the mansion, but then she stuck her head out. ¡°Camel, can you get some high-quality beef for me?¡± ¡°Beef? Of course I can. But what are you going to use it for?¡± ¡°I need it for something, so leave it in front of my room once you get it!¡± Martha responded, then immediately closed the door and ran up to her room. ¡°Haha.¡± Camel gently smiled while watching her. ¡°I wonder if she realizes she looks a lot better now than before.¡± *** The next day, Raon was headed towards the training ground as soon as he finished his daybreak cultivation. Like always, he was the first one to arrive. His head was filled with various thoughts because of Martha visiting him the day before, but he decided to think of it as a silly dream. After a light warm up, he started to train the ¡®Combination Sword¡¯. As the sun rose, the children started to enter the training ground one after another. While he was swinging his sword and listening to the trainees'' idle chatters, everyone suddenly fell silent. When he turned his head around, Martha was walking in through the training ground¡¯s wide-open doors. The trainees were staring at her with their jaws dropped, probably because of her short hair. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Martha stopped in front of Raon. ¡°I can¡¯t retrieve the words I have already spoken. I¡¯m not going to try making up for everything I¡¯ve done so far with some kind of sloppy apology.¡± Her eyes were even calmer than the day before. They looked like a motionlesske. ¡°But I¡¯ll keep my promise.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°The promise that we made before the spar, that the loser would obey the winner.¡± She turned around after saying that. Her eyes were saying that she¡¯dpletely admitted her defeat. ¡®It¡¯s bigger than I thought¡­¡¯ For her to change in such a short period of time, she wasn¡¯t the average narrow-hearted person. Although, he still couldn¡¯t understand why she stayed for the meal the day before. ¡°Why the hell are you blocking my way? Fuck off!¡± While Raon was tilting his head, Martha kicked away Dorian, who was awkwardly standing in front of her. ¡°Aww! So-sorry.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± She clicked her tongue and returned to her usual seat. Raon smirked. It looked like her attitude towards him was the only thing that had changed. ¡®I knew that everyone here wasn¡¯t normal.¡¯ Chapter 38 The new year had started. Raon¡¯s life¡ªat 14 years old¡ªcould be summarized in one word. Training. He continued the life of a training demon that arrived at the training ground before anyone else and left itter than anyone. Runaan¡¯s eyes were still nk, but the sharpness of her sword and the coldness of her water attribute aura became iparably better. Burren, who grew up a lot mentally, had now captivated the trainees'' hearts. He kept swinging his sword day and night in preparation for the day that he would reim the title of top trainee. As for Martha, she kept swinging her sword and cultivating her aura without rest in order to wipe away the stain of her first defeat. One problem was that her personality, which was already bad enough, became even more violent. Nobody even wanted to approach her anymore. However, she acted differently towards one person: Raon Zieghart. Despite not even listening to the instructors properly, Martha obeyed whatever Raon told her withoutint. She even looked like a faithful servant to bystanders. The trainees knew that it was the result of the bet, so they thought her attitude wasn¡¯t going tost for more than several days. They were wrong. Even in the new year, Martha kept honestly obeying Raon¡¯s words. Everyone was surprised. They¡¯d never imagined the foul-mouthed and ill-tempered Martha was going to keep her promise to Raon. As such, Raon made thest disruptor submit and was acknowledged by every trainee in the fifth training ground. *** ¡°Gather.¡± At Raon¡¯s call, all the trainees that were warming up everywhere in the training ground looked at him at once. ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren clicked his tongue lightly and came to stand in front of Raon. Runaan trotted towards him like a puppy that saw its owner. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha¡¯s eyes were full of bloodlust, but she stood next to them without saying anything. Since Runaan, Burren, and Martha¡ªwho were the most influential people on the training ground¡ªlistened to Raon¡¯s instruction, the other trainees naturally followed them. ¡°Why did you ask us to gather?¡± Burren raised his head and looked at the empty tform. ¡°We are supposed to do personal training this morning.¡± ¡°No, it''s regr training today.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard that.¡± ¡°The head instructor said he forgot to tell us.¡± Raon sighed. Rimmer had visited him the evening before to ask him to gather the trainees in the morning. ¡°That man is just so¡­¡± Burren grinded his teeth. He still seemed to dislike Rimmer. ¡°Anyway, wait here for now since it¡¯s regr training today. Just warm up for now.¡± ¡°Pff.¡± ¡°Why is he so forgetful? Is he getting senile?¡± ¡°He was probably messing around and ended up drunk. I heard he went to a bar yesterday.¡± ¡°It happens all the time, let¡¯s just get ourselves ready.¡± The traineesined a bit, but they started warming up at the center of the training ground, following Raon¡¯s instructions. About five minutester, the door to the training ground creaked open and the instructors entered. ¡°Yan.¡± Rimmer, who was at the very back, yawned so hard that he couldn¡¯t even hide his mouth with his hand and walked up on the tform. ¡°You arete, instructor.¡± Burren raised his hand and shouted. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s supposed to be personal training today, but since the instructors arrivedte because we were preparing for you all, we aren¡¯t exactlyte.¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with th¡­¡± ¡°Well, since we arete, let¡¯s start training right away!¡± Rimmer ignored Burren and waved his hand. Raon could hear Burren grinding his teeth from behind. Their rtionship didn¡¯t seem to change. ¡°The reason we took away your personal training time today is in order to hand you the most important thing for a swordsman.¡± ¡°Th-the most important thing for a swordsman?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A new swordsmanship?¡± ¡°A secret technique?¡± ¡°A cultivation technique?¡± The trainees¡¯ eyes glittered, full of expectations. ¡°Hmph!¡± After enjoying their gazes for a while, Rimmer opened his mouth once their excited voices subsided. ¡°It¡¯s footwork.¡± ¡°Eek?¡± ¡°Footwork?¡± ¡°Why is that the most important thing for a swordsman¡­?¡± ¡°Haah, I knew it.¡± Hearing that it was about footwork, the trainees stamped their feet in disappointment. ¡®I knew it, it was footwork.¡¯ Raon nodded calmly. Footwork was the way of walking. It was a systematic method developed in order to make the swordsmanship or fist technique more offensive, defensive or simply faster. ¡®I was thinking it was about time.¡¯ Since he got used to both swordsmanship and fist techniques, and the aura had already developed to a certain extent, he thought it was the right moment to start learning footwork. ¡°Many people learn intermediate level swordsmanship beforeing here, but it¡¯s very rare for them to have learned proper footwork.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The trainees slowly nodded, unable to refute it. Burren, Runaan, and Martha remained silent. ¡°Since your goal is to be swordsmen, swordsmanship is indeed important. However!¡± Rimmer grinned and jumped down from the tform. His body disappeared like a blown-out candlelight. ¡°What makes the swordsmanship sharper and faster, and what will save your life in the future? It¡¯s footwork, also known as, the movement of your feet.¡± His voice was heard from behind. When Raon turned around, Rimmer, who had disappeared in front of him, was standing behind him with his hands folded behind his back. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Wh-when¡­¡± ¡°What was that?¡± The trainees¡¯ jaws dropped. The way Rimmer had appeared behind them without making any sound filled them with amazement. ¡°You must¡¯ve realized during the spar that training on your own and having an opponent to fight against are quite different.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°True. I couldn¡¯t move my body the way I wanted.¡± ¡°The sword wasn¡¯t following the correct trajectory either.¡± The trainees nodded, since they¡¯d all realized during the spar that a real fight was different from training. ¡°If you want to do your best in a real battle, you have to train your footwork more than your swordsmanship. In my opinion, the most important thing during a one-on-one spar isn¡¯t swordsmanship or aura, but footwork. Even the head of house agreed with me on that.¡± ¡°Th-the head of house?¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°If my lord said that¡­¡± The trainees opened their mouths wide. Since Glenn¡ªwho was the most respected person to them¡ªsaid that the footwork was important, they were immediately convinced, unlike when Rimmer said it. ¡°Footwork¡­¡± Burren straightened his spine. ¡®Yes, if I could use footwork back then¡­¡¯ His strengths were sharpness, precision, and speed. When he fought against Raon back then, if he could use proper footwork then he wouldn¡¯t have lost so easily. ¡°I see¡­¡± Burren turned his head, hearing a growling voice. Martha¡¯s eyes were shining while clenching her fist. She seemed to be thinking the same thing. ¡®We are the same.¡¯ He¡¯d thought Martha had be silent, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Instead of showing it on the outside, Martha has been burning with passion to defeat Raon on the inside. ¡°We will start with the River Footwork, which incorporates the flow of a river.¡± When Rimmer bounced his legs lightly, as if he were walking on a gravelly field next to a river, his body suddenly leaped to the tform. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After getting into the posture to demonstrate the footwork, he murmured that it was bothersome andid down. ¡°Skilled assistant,e forth.¡± When Rimmer pped his hands, the instructor who was standing behind him came up and started to demonstrate the River Footwork¡¯s postures. Crack. Burren clenched his fist. He resolved himself that, by mastering the footwork, he would one day teach thatzy instructor a lesson. He would thoroughly remember the River Footwork¡¯s postures. * * * * * * The River Footwork only had twelve forms, and the postures were simple enough that the demonstration didn¡¯t take too long. ¡®This is literally the basics.¡¯ Since Raon was rotating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, he could grasp the form, posture, and flow of River Footwork at a nce. Although it was his first time seeing it, it was faithful to the basics, and the flexible flow could be applied in any other technique. ¡°The instructors will move around and correct your postures, so try repeating the footwork the way you¡¯ve seen and felt it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The trainees spread out throughout the training ground and started to perform the River Footwork. However, Raon didn¡¯t move. Rotating his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ with his eyes closed, he reyed the River Footwork the instructor had shown in his head. ¡®Six in defense and four in attack.¡¯ As expected of basic footwork, the River Footwork was evenly distributed between attack and defense. It was slightly more defensive, but there wasn¡¯t a big difference. ¡®The sequence is its strong point.¡¯ The River Footwork¡¯s characteristic was its flow, which was as smooth as a river. Rather than repeating it exactly the way it was demonstrated, it was more important to continue the flow, even if he¡¯d end up losing the posture a little. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon breathed out excitedly and opened his eyes, and everything about the River Footwork came into his view. Tap. He first moved his right foot forward. Enjoying the sensation of pressing down on the well-prepared floor of the training ground, he moved his left foot. The moment the two feet naturally crossed each other, Fluidity, the first form of River Footwork was performed. Pow! Grazing the ground, he rotated his body to his right. It was a movement to evade an enemy¡¯s attack, and to thrust one¡¯s sword. The second form ¡®Discharge¡¯ reverberated the sand on the ground. The performance was closer to perfection than the instructor¡¯s demonstration. Zzzt! Raon smiled, a feeling of pleasure running up his shoulders. His feet renewed their flexible flow, as if his feet had known the River Footwork from the moment he was born. *** ¡°Yan!¡± Rimmer yawned so hard that his mouth looked like it would tear apart. ¡°I¡¯m so sleepy.¡± He didn¡¯t manage to sleep for a few days because he¡¯d been looking for an appropriate footwork for the trainees, then supplemented it. As a result, his entire body felt exhausted. ¡®I guess I¡¯m getting old now.¡¯ He smirked and looked down at the tform. Raon, who was standing at the center, had his eyes closed without doing anything. It looked like he was imagining the instructor¡¯s demonstration in his head. ¡®That¡¯s a good way to go¡­¡¯ Imagining a martial art in the head was indeed an efficient way of training. However, that could only be done once he was more qualified. Since he¡¯d just learned about footwork, he should¡¯ve moved his body rather than trying to imagine it. ¡®I should tell him to stop goofing aroundter.¡¯ Rimmer murmured that he had something to make fun of and looked towards Burren. ¡®He is pretty good.¡¯ Burren almostpletely reenacted the River Footwork¡¯s flow, and it looked like he must¡¯ve experienced learning footwork before. He didn¡¯t grasp the true meaning, but he should¡¯ve been able to master the posture pretty soon. ¡®And she is the same.¡¯ Martha was also rotating her body with light steps, like someone who¡¯d been learning footwork for a long time. Her posture was actually a lot better than Burren¡¯s. ¡°Hah.¡± Rimmer smirked, watching Burren and Martha¡¯s footwork. ¡®They must be thinking about Raon.¡¯ They were thinking about their spars with Raon as they learned their footwork. It looked like he¡¯d managed to convince them by telling them that the most important thing in a duel was footwork. ¡®And¡­¡¯ He looked at Runaan, who was practicing River Footwork on the right side. Her movement was different from the other two. A movement that seemed to assist, rather than facing an opponent. It was pretty obvious who she wanted to help. After that, Rimmer looked through everyone, remembering the strength and weaknesses that he was going to tell them. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ Since they were still young and pure, he could tell what they were thinking about just from watching them practice. ¡°Aw.¡± Rimmer stretched like a bear that had just woken up from its hibernation and stood up. Sparkle. When he was about to give hisments to the trainees, Raon, who¡¯d been standing still like a stone statue, opened his eyes and moved his foot to the back. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ He got goosebumps from the look in his clear red eyes, and his foot extended straight like a crane¡¯s. Raon¡¯s feet slowly advanced. The first form ¡®Fluidity¡¯ flowed across the training ground¡¯s floor, incorporating the flow of a River. Pow! He took the second posture. Advancing like a fire, his movement seemed to reflect the appearance of a sharp de. ¡°Hah!¡± Rimmer was at a loss for words. ¡®That guy¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s ¡®Fluidity¡¯ was moreplete than the instructor that had taught him the footwork. After that, Raon performed the twelve forms of the River Footwork without interruption. The posture was close to perfection, without a single mistake. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what is that?'''' The trainees and instructors alike stood still and watched Raon¡¯s footwork. ¡°Did he just learn the footwork from his mental image?¡± Rimmer¡¯s hands trembled, and goosebumps appeared throughout his body. ¡®When is that monster going to stop surprising me¡­?¡¯ Chapter 39 ¡°Huff.¡± After performing all twelve forms of the River Footwork, Raon exhaled lightly. ¡®That was pretty good.¡¯ His body moved exactly the way he¡¯d imagined, following the flow and posture he¡¯d wanted. It felt like watching himself from a third person¡¯s point of view. It seemed that using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ to understand the flow before moving his body was going to be a pretty good way of learning martial arts in the future. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon furrowed his brows. The training ground should¡¯ve been noisy with everyone training their footwork, yet it was as silent as a library. Raon felt a strange gaze from behind and turned around. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± Burren and Martha were both out of their mind with their mouths wide open, and Runaan waved her clenched hand. From the movement of her mouth, he could tell that she was asking him to teach her. It wasn¡¯t just the three of them. Every trainee and instructor alike had their eyes so wide that they were about to pop out. ¡°Why are you¡­?¡± ¡°Raon.¡± Raon turned around once again to the surprised voice calling out to him. Rimmer, who used to be lying on the tform, was standing in front of him. ¡°Did you know the River Footwork?¡± His green pupils were lightly osciting, like a freshly strummed harp¡¯s cord. He was clearly surprised. ¡°No, that was my first time seeing it.¡± It was simr to the shadow footwork he¡¯d learned in his previous life, but he¡¯d never even heard about River Footwork. ¡°Then how¡­¡± Rimmer skipped lots of details, but Raon understood what he wanted to ask because of his expression. ¡°How shall I exin it?¡± Raon slightly smiled, while scratching his neck. ¡°I could read the flow.¡± ¡°Read the flow?¡± ¡°Yes. When the instructor was demonstrating the footwork, I saw its flow, instead of the postures and their order.¡± The River footwork had a simr flow to the Shadow footwork he¡¯d learned in his previous life. That was why he¡¯d managed to figure it out rather easily. ¡°Instead of looking at a tree, I looked at the forest. That¡¯s how I managed to understand its flow.¡± ¡°Huh. Wow.¡± Rimmer simply grabbed his head and eximed. It looked like he was at a loss for words. ¡°I thought it¡¯d take at least a week.¡± He murmured that he didn¡¯t think the footwork he¡¯d finally managed to find with such difficulty would be finished so easily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, no. That¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. I¡¯m just surprised, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon secretly licked his lips. ¡®Did I do it too fast?¡¯ The moment he saw the footwork he¡¯d felt exhrated, so he reenacted it. He didn¡¯t think Rimmer would be so surprised by that. ¡®Well, I was also pretty confident in my footwork in my previous life.¡¯ As an assassin, his might wasn¡¯t on par with a Master, but his footwork was one thing that didn¡¯t lose to a Master¡¯s. To be surprised by those mere steps, humans are really pathetic. Back in devildom, the King of Essence created the ¡®Ice Flower Step¡¯, in which a single step could freeze an entire mountain and ocean¡­ ¡®Ah, sure.¡¯ Raon tapped away Wrath, who suddenly started boasting about himself. ¡°Ahem.¡± Clearing his throat, Rimmer turned around with his hands behind his back. ¡°Well, you certainly did well for your first time, but your posture is stillcking. The flow is fine, so pay attention to the forms. You can ask the other instructors questions, except for me.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded and turned around. Certainly, he felt like he could do a lot better since it was his first time doing it. ¡°What!¡± ¡°W-we have to teach that?¡± ¡°I think he is better than me¡­¡± The instructors shook their heads with long faces, brows furrowed until it looked like their eyebrows were reaching their cheeks. * * * * * * After the River Footwork training, Martha left the training ground alongside with Camel. ¡°That footwork looked pretty decent.¡± Camel smiled while scratching his chin. ¡°It¡¯s suitable to serve as the basis for the footwork that the master will hand down to you. It would be better to learn it properly.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Martha nodded lightly, walking towards the main building. ¡°Mydy, did something happen?¡± Camel felt like she was different from usual, so he walked right next to her. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha, who was staying silent, turned her head with a frown. ¡°How difficult was that footwork to learn?¡± ¡°Hmm, it was basic footwork for sure, but it¡¯s not exactly easy to learn. The flow was ratherplicated.¡± Camel closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. ¡°Since mydy is also talented in footwork, three days should be enough to understand its flow.¡± ¡°Three days? Fuck¡­¡± Martha shook her head with dumbfounded expressions. ¡°Mydy?¡± ¡°Then, is it possible for a trainee to learn it at once?¡± ¡°A capable warrior would be able to copy it as soon as they saw it, but it¡¯s impossible for a trainee. Theyck theory, knowledge, and experience. In short, their martial art is simply too shallow.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s a guy who did it.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± Camel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®Was that possible?¡¯ Although the River Footwork¡¯s steps were pretty basic, its flow was still very refined. It was impossible for a trainee to grasp it right away, unless they were a monster that¡¯d been learning martial arts ever since they were born. He saw Martha, who still looked surprised. That expression reminded him of one trainee. ¡°No way. Did the young master Raon do that?¡± ¡°Who else can it be except for that crazy guy?¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± Camel covered his mouth to stop himself from cursing. ¡°Can you exin the situation?¡± ¡°After the demonstration ended, everyone started to practice. He was just standing still with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes when the training was about to end, and then¡­¡± Martha described everything about that surprising scene in the training ground. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Camel shook his head. ¡®He is nuts.¡¯ He stayed still for a while with his eyes closed, which meant he learned the River Footwork in his head. ¡®He can use mental imaging at his age¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought Raon was slightly talented, just enough to make the annex building receive a sliver of light. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Raon Zieghart was a monster that could be a bridge to connect the main building¡¯s light to the annex building. ¡®I have to report this right away.¡¯ That was very important information. He needed to tell Denier about it right after walking Martha to the main building. ¡°Hmm?¡± He suddenly realized he couldn¡¯t see Martha anymore. When he turned around, she was following from behind with her head lowered. ¡®Tsk, I was too inconsiderate.¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been long since she¡¯d lost to Raon, so he needed to be more thoughtful. ¡°Mydy, the young master Raon and mydy have different kinds of talents. It¡¯s not about which one is better¡­¡± Whileforting her, Camel closed his mouth after meeting her eyes as she raised her head. ¡®Those eyes.¡¯ Martha¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t those of a loser. They were the eyes of a challenger. They were the eyes of a beast that would prey on whoever was running ahead. And they were the same eyes he¡¯d seen back in the White Blood Religion¡¯s branch office, where he¡¯d first seen her. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± Martha smiled devilishly. ¡°The guy that won against me isn¡¯t a fake.¡± The bloody smile appearing on top of her graceful figure was an ominous sight. ¡®I was mistaken.¡¯ Camel swallowed. Martha wasn¡¯t disappointed by herck of talentpared to Raon. She was exhrated at the thought of beating Raon, who was stronger and more talented than her. Martha wasn¡¯t the kind of person he needed to worry about or be considerate to. ¡°Mydy.¡± Camel bowed his head and Martha walked past him. Her small but confident back seemed to show him her future. The fiercely beautiful swordsman, looking down on the world from the throne. *** ¡°... That¡¯s what happened. Does it make any sense that a child of his age learned the footwork in his head? My lord¡¯s grandson must be a genius!¡± Rimmer grinned, looking at the tiger rock at the Northern Grave Mountain where they¡¯d usually meet. ¡°Are you his butler or something? You only talk about him whenever we meet.¡± A dignified voice came from the top of the rock, and Glenn¡¯s expressionless face appeared. ¡°I¡¯m just satisfying my lord¡¯s curiosity.¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t stop smiling despite Glenn¡¯s cold atmosphere. ¡°Aren¡¯t you surprised that your grandson learned the footwork with mental image?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t really be a mental image. You must be at least the highest grade, Expert, in order to learn a martial art with mental image.¡± Glenn waved his hand dismissively, but he couldn¡¯t hide the slightly vibrating corners of his lips. ¡°Just as he said, he must¡¯ve read the flow of the footwork by looking at the forest instead of a tree. River Footwork¡¯s core is the flow, after all.¡± ¡°Even so, isn¡¯t that amazing? Who else could do that?!¡± ¡°......¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond. With his hands sped at his back, he kept staring towards the main building below the mountain. ¡°You must be overjoyed. I¡¯m d I came to tell you about it.¡± Rimmer checked Glenn¡¯s expression with a furtive nce and smiled. ¡°Silence. If you finished talking, go away. You should pay more attention to the other children, like I¡¯ve always said.¡± ¡°Do you not trust me? I¡¯m the Sword of Light. The Sword of Light. Of course you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°What kind of Sword of Light is a dying man?¡± Glenn shook his hand to express his annoyance, but Rimmer leaned his back towards the tiger rock instead of leaving. ¡°Hmm, the servants in the main building look rather busy. Are they preparing for something?¡± Rimmer whistled, looking at the people in the main building actively running around. ¡°It¡¯s not a preparation, but there will be some visitors.¡± ¡°There are going to be visitors?¡± ¡°The envoys from Owen Kingdom will being in a few days.¡± ¡°Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoys¡­¡± Rimmer furrowed his brows. As a kingdom located at the center of the continent, Owen was one of the Six Kings along with Zieghart. ¡°I see.¡± Not many forces maintained a favorable rtionship with Zieghart. That¡¯s why he thought it was weird for there to be a visitor, but it ended up being the Owen Kingdom, which was somewhat close to them. ¡°Who is the leader of the envoys?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s the third prince. Well, it should actually be Duke Tartan.¡± ¡°Oh, that crazy bastard became a duke in the end?¡± Rimmer smiled brutally, hearing the name Tartan. ¡°Oh? Wait! Isn¡¯t the third prince of Karten still pretty young? He should be at the same age as Raon or Burren¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, since I couldn¡¯t care less.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Rimmer nodded. Unless the king himself came as an envoy, there was no need for Glenn to care. ¡°Order the trainees to maintain a tidy appearance since they could be seen at any time.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°The third prince ising along with the knight trainees in the kingdom, and they said they wanted to witness the training of swordsmen and trainees.¡± ¡°And did you allow that?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Glenn¡¯s thick red gaze was directed at Rimmer. ¡°Being seen doesn¡¯t make Zieghart¡¯s sword weaker. We never hide, nor run.¡± ¡°... I haven¡¯t heard that for a long time.¡± Rimmer murmured that he used to hear that every day and smiled bitterly. ¡°Go away now that you are satisfied. You are the head instructor, so how long are you nning to be absent from the training ground?¡± Glenn frowned, lowering the corners of his lips. ¡°Yep!¡± Rimmer bowed after raising his hand, as if he were saluting. He turned around and started going down the mountain, then suddenly stopped. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He licked his lips while watching the fifth training ground from afar. ¡®The third prince and knight trainees, huh¡­¡¯ Knowing that the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoy had people at Raon¡¯s age, he suddenly got a great idea. Rimmer turned around at Glenn, and grinned. ¡°Your face, you¡¯vee up with some strange idea again.¡± Glenn frowned, as if he saw something unsightly. ¡°No, it won¡¯t be strange.¡± Rimmer grinned like an old fox and shook his head. ¡°Because it will be helpful to the young Zieghart¡¯s sprouts.¡± Chapter 40 A silver line was flowing through the white snow, falling down like a torrent. It was the march of armored knights. ¡°Are you okay, my lord prince?¡± A middle-aged man with a huge, bear-like build looked at the boy walking right next to him. ¡°I¡¯m still fine. But the knight trainees seem to be struggling because it¡¯s snowing more heavily than expected.¡± The prince turned around. Unlike theposed prince, the knight trainees clearly looked tired. ¡°Is Zieghart still far away?¡± ¡°It looks like we are almost there, since this heavy snow is getting worse.¡± ¡°Almost there? Then do Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen endure this snow every day?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± The middle-aged knight shook his head while smiling lightly. ¡°The weather bes worse the closer we get to the Zieghart, but¡­¡± As soon as he said that, the violent snow suddenly stopped, and the sun hiding behind the gray cloud finally appeared. ¡°The weather inside Zieghart is perfectly clear. The temperature is lower, though.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± The prince looked up at the sky in surprise. It was so clear that he felt like the endless snowstorm was just a dream. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Th-the snow stopped immediately.¡± The others¡¯ jaws also dropped. ¡°Duke Tartan, what is this weather¡­?¡± ¡°It looks like magic, but it isn¡¯t. This strange natural environment is the reason that Zieghart is called a natural fortress.¡± The middle-aged man named Duke Tartan smiled, pointing towards the huge rampart that could be seen further ahead. ¡°Although, they have been broken through before.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Since the prince knew about that asion, he nodded calmly. ¡°Since they are waiting for us, let¡¯s enter first.¡± Duke Tartan pointed towards the people waiting under Zieghart¡¯s rampart. In front of an enormous iron door, which was big enough to fit a giant, swordsmen wearing red coats were looking towards them with sharp gazes. ¡°Okay.¡± The prince nodded shortly and headed towards the iron gate, where the Zieghart¡¯s gatekeepers were standing. *** Raon, who was about to return to the training ground after lunch, stopped. ¡®What is that?¡¯ From the direction of the front gate, he could feel the presence of many people. The sound of armor bumping into each other was a metallic sound that couldn¡¯t usually be heard in Zieghart. Soon enough, the foreign minister Illiune appeared, and the knights d in silver armor followed him. ¡®The Owen kingdom¡­¡¯ There was a lion¡¯s head drawn on the left side of their silver armor. It was the Owen Kingdom¡¯s emblem. The other trainees and swordsmen also stopped walking, watching the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knights passing by. ¡°They are the envoys of the Owen Kingdom.¡± Dorian stood next to him and gently whistled. ¡°Envoys?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been cleaning everywhere in the household because of the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoys. Did you not know?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. But their numbers are pretty small for an envoy.¡± Raon furrowed his brows, looking at the small children walking behind the knights. ¡°Ah, they are the knight trainees that came along with the third prince of the Owen Kingdom. They must be here to get some experience.¡± ¡°You are knowledgeable.¡± ¡°Because there were rumors about it. Look, everyone looks like they knew about it already.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± It looked like he was the only one who didn¡¯t know about it, and maybe Runaan, who was usually just nk. Raon looked through the kingdom¡¯s envoys. ¡®They are pretty strong.¡¯ The knight trainees were as strong as the trainees in the fifth training ground, as if they were proving they were from the Six Kings just like the Ziegharts. ¡®Well, whether they are strong or not doesn¡¯t really matter to me¡­ huh?¡¯ When he was turning around to head towards the training ground, he met the eyes of the knight trainee that was standing at the frontmost. His sky like blue eyes contained an unshakable spirit. ¡®He is pretty strong for his age.¡¯ He understood it just by looking at him. That knight trainee was the strongest of them. ¡®However.¡¯ That assessment was considering his age, and he still had a long way to go to be considered good for Raon. As expected, the blue-eyed child couldn¡¯t read Raon¡¯s strength, turning around after looking at him for a moment. ¡®I have no time to pay attention to something like that.¡¯ He was busypleting his footwork and swordsmanship. Since he wasn¡¯t going to meet the kingdom¡¯s envoys, watching them for a moment was plenty. Raon walked towards the training ground, only thinking about the footwork¡¯s flows. *** ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ For the first time in his life, the third prince of the Owen Kingdom, Greer De Owen felt a chill go down his spine. He slowly raised his head. The more his gaze raised, the more difficult it became for him to breathe. Everything was because of the man who that sitting at the top. The Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart. The man called the strongest swordsman of the continent zapped all his strength from his limbs just from being seen. ¡°Thank you for your effort on your trip.¡± ¡°Thank you for your warm wee.¡± He barely managed toe to his senses thanks to Duke Tartan¡¯s voice from next to him. ¡°He looks exactly like the previous king in his youth. I can understand why he cherishes you so much.¡± Glenn Zieghart slowly nodded, watching his face. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± He couldn¡¯t talk properly because his mouth waspletely dry. His presence was too overbearing, despite not using any pressure. It was apletely different experience from when he met the Kingdom¡¯s best sword. ¡°I-I have a letter from his majesty the king.¡± The third prince took out a golden envelope. He forced his trembling legs to stand up. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± While shivering, he approached the tform and handed over the letter. ¡°Hmm.¡± Upon seeing that, Glenn¡¯s eyes shone for a second, but quickly disappeared. ¡°As you¡¯ve requested, I¡¯ve arranged things so that you can observe the trainees.¡± Putting the letter aside, Glenn slowly spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared an evening banquet, so do rest for today and visit them tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± ¡°Then see you againter.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The third prince took three steps backward and bowed, then stood up. ¡°And the duke¡­¡± ¡°I have something to tell the head of house about. Please go ahead and rest.¡± Duke Tartan closed his eyes while smiling lightly. ¡°I see.¡± The third prince nodded shortly, then left the audience chamber. ¡°He is a very talented child. He will rise to the throne of the sword, before the throne of the king.¡± Glenn opened his mouth first, after a short silence. ¡°I knew you would realize it at a nce. The third prince is called the Kingdom¡¯s best sword in waiting.¡± ¡°Certainly, it is a rare talent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just about talent, he also has a strong willpower. He also visited the south to witness Robert¡¯s swordsmanship.¡± Duke Tartan smiled happily, looking at the door through which the third prince had left. ¡°Hmph.¡± Glenn slightly lifted the corners of his mouth. ¡®Talent, effort and willpower, huh¡­¡¯ Just by looking at the third prince¡¯s eyes, he could tell what kind of talent he had and what kind of efforts he¡¯d been making. He must have experienced various things and worked hard from a young age. However, Glenn knew somebody even better than him. Raon Zieghart. Since he knew about Raon¡¯s effort and willpower, he wasn¡¯t convinced with the third prince¡¯s greatness. ¡°Since you didn¡¯te here to show off the prince, let¡¯s get to the point.¡± The letter in Glenn¡¯s hand burned up. ¡°You burned it without even taking a look.¡± Although the letter was burned up, Duke Tartan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°There¡¯s no way he would¡¯ve entrusted an important letter to a child.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Duke Tartan knelt and respectfully lowered his head, unlike when he was boasting about the third prince. ¡°I will convey the words of the king of Owen Kingdom, Lacrosse Albert de Owen the second.¡± When he raised his head, his eyes werepletely serious. ¡°The five darknesses have started to move.¡± * * * * * * Pow! Raon¡¯s right hand advanced as smoothly as a salmon swimming upstream. His left foot followed. His lower body moved as fluently as a deer running through the forest. It wasn¡¯t fast but smooth, not powerful but abrupt. The twelve forms of the River Footwork that he was using looked as cheerful and free as a leaf riding the wind. Thud! With a step shaking the ground, he finished training the River Footwork. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Exhaling an excited breath, he raised his head, straightening his back. ¡®They are still watching.¡¯ When he looked around, the trainees, who were watching him train, turned in surprise. Ever since the first day they¡¯d learned the River Footwork, they¡¯d been training while watching him instead of the instructors. Burren, Runaan, and Martha weren¡¯t exceptions, either. ¡°Um!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Burren and Martha snorted upon meeting his eyes and turned around. ¡°Mhm.¡± Of course, Runaan didn¡¯t avoid his gaze. Instead, she came closer to him and performed her footwork. That meant she wanted him to teach her. ¡°Oh, well.¡± Raon shook his head and pointed out what Runaan wascking in her footwork. ¡°Young master, can you teach me too?¡± Dorian approached him while scratching his belly pocket, showing him his footwork. ¡°To begin with, your posture is too high. Get a bit lower¡­¡± When he was pointing out his problems, the door to the training ground opened and Rimmer entered. ¡®Why is he here?¡¯ Raon frowned, watching Rimmer trotting in. It was the first time he came to visit during break time. ¡°Does everyone know about the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoy visiting us today?¡± ¡°Yes, we do.¡± Burren stepped up and responded. His round eyes looked surprised that Rimmer was visiting during break time. ¡°They are going to hold a banquet for the envoys this evening. Since they have knight trainees, those of you who are the same age as them are also allowed to participate.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Banquet?¡± The trainees'' expressions brightened at the thought of meeting the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knights and bing acquainted with the knight trainees. ¡°However!¡± Rimmer shook his head. ¡°You haven¡¯t even properly acquired the River Footwork yet. If it were me, I¡¯d be too ashamed to participate, for sure!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Th-that is¡­¡± The trainees bit their lips to the unexpected words. ¡°Ah? Were you nning to participate? But you still have lots of training left to do, right? You haven¡¯tpleted the swordsmanship nor the footwork, though?¡± He sticked out his face and teased them as he looked through the trainees. ¡°Da-damn it!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The trainees lowered their heads, speechless. ¡°There¡¯s only one person who is qualified to participate.¡± Rimmer¡¯s gaze was directed at Raon. ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± Raon shook his head and picked up his training sword. His River Footwork was almost perfect, but he still had a long way to go until he couldbine it with his swordsmanship. It wasn¡¯t time for him to make personal connections through a banquet. It was time to do his best in training. ¡°That¡¯s a good attitude.¡± Rimmer smiled. He had a satisfied expression, as if saying that he knew it. ¡°Well, if you really want to go, I¡¯ll allow it. Does anyone want to?¡± Putting his hand on Raon¡¯s shoulder, he looked through the trainees. He seemed to be asking whether they wanted to go when Raon, the strongest one among them, wanted to keep training. ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°¡­ Nope.¡± Martha and Burren turned around and stepped away to train. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan hadn¡¯t been listening to Rimmer from the beginning and had been practicing footwork. ¡°Well, keep training then. There will be plenty of banquets to participate in once you get stronger! I¡¯m gonna leave then.¡± Rimmer shook his hand as if he were making fun of them and left the training ground. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon scratched his chin while watching him leave. Considering Rimmer¡¯s personality, he would¡¯ve allowed them to participate in a banquet. It was a bit strange that he had stopped them, instead. ¡®What is he thinking about now?¡¯ *** The splendid lights were shining upon the main building¡¯s banquet hall, instead of the heavy snows. The third prince of the Owen Kingdom, Greer De Owen, sat at his designated seat while licking his lips. ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯ His head was spinning from greeting people from Zieghart for hours. He just wanted to practice his sword, since something like a banquet made him ufortable. The king¡¯s order wasn¡¯t the only reason that he was participating in something he didn¡¯t enjoy. Zieghart¡¯s sword. And the swordsmen who practiced that sword. It was in order to observe them. ¡°Haa.¡± The third prince gulped down the drink on the table and frowned. ¡®They are certainly amazing warriors.¡¯ The pressures of Zieghart¡¯s warriors were proud and powerful. Their might didn¡¯t lose to the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knights, which filled him with excitement. ¡®However.¡¯ The might of Zieghart¡¯s young swordsmen waspletely disappointing. If it was another house or kingdom, they would¡¯ve been called extremely talented people, but they were a bitcking to be called the Six King¡¯s trainees. ¡®They are even worse than Robert''s.¡¯ The head of the southern house Robert, which he¡¯d visited beforeing to Zieghart, seemed to have better young swordsmen than them. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to look around tomorrow.¡± Glenn had allowed him to observe the training, but he didn¡¯t have any reason to visit, considering their levels. ¡°You look disappointed.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± He hurriedly turned around, hearing a light voiceing from behind. ¡°El-elf?¡± A red-haired and dark green-eyed elf was smiling, his hands behind his back. ¡°Do you want to see the real deal?¡± Chapter 41 ¡°What do you mean by the real deal?¡± The third prince swallowed and took a step back. Because he was unaware of the identity and intention of the elf that had suddenly appeared, he started by keeping a distance. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so afraid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡± He frowned, looking up to the red-haired elf. ¡°Answer my question first. What is the real deal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± When the elf was about to answer, Duke Tartan burst from the ground. It almost looked like he came out from the shadow created by the hall¡¯s lighting. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light, why are you here?¡± ¡°Eek!¡± Greer¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing the title mentioned by Duke Tartan. ¡®Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light!¡¯ He finally realized who the elf was. He was one of the Glenn Zieghart¡¯s devoted retainers, whose sword is rumored to be as fast as the light. ¡®But why did hee to me¡­?¡¯ He¡¯d heard about his retirement after an injury, but he didn¡¯t understand why he came looking for him. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to be so tense.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, expressing that he had no intention to fight. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you acting like a madman over and over again. Of course, I can¡¯t rx around you.¡± ¡°As you see, I¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Without withdrawing his pressure, Duke Tartan took a nce behind him. ¡°Your highness, what did this crazy elf talk about?¡± ¡°He asked whether I wanted to meet the real deal.¡± ¡°The real deal? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯d be a bit awkward to say it here now.¡± Extending his arm, Rimmer pointed to the surroundings. The banquet had be silent, and everyone was watching them. ¡°Well, I¡¯m actually uninvited.¡± Laughing off the gazes pouring down from everywhere, he turned around. ¡°The prince of Owen.¡± Rimmer stopped, then turned around while he was walking towards the exit. ¡°If you want to see the real deal, tell them you want to visit the fifth training ground when you are observing the training tomorrow.¡± After saying that, he left the banquet hall. Once Rimmer¡ªwho even said that he came uninvited¡ªhad left, the music started ying once again. However, Rimmer''sst words were the only thing that resounded inside Greer¡¯s head. ¡®The real deal exists in the fifth training ground, huh?¡¯ *** ¡°Huhuhu!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Raon frowned, hearing Rimmer¡¯s humming. ¡®Why is he doing that?¡¯ Rimmer, who should have been lying down napping after telling the other instructors to teach, was personally giving directions with his eyes clearly open. It was making Raon feel anxious for some reason. ¡°What is wrong with that man?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°Maybe it was something he ate?¡± ¡°He probably won some money at the gambling house yesterday.¡± Burren and the other trainees also kept ncing at Rimmer while swinging their swords. ¡°Head instructor, did something good happen?¡± Dorian, who was curious despite being a coward, approached Rimmer. ¡°There will be guests.¡± ¡®Guests?¡¯ It was even more confusing now, because Rimmer hated annoying things. And yet, he was looking forward to the guests. ¡®I should just keep training.¡¯ The elf was just so strange that it was impossible to guess his actions or thoughts. It was better to just focus on training. Raon drew on the burning aura from his energy center and extended his right foot. Stomp! Starting with a groundbreaking sound of a stride, he performed the River Footwork and Combination Sword at once. Between the footwork that flowed as naturally as water, a sharp, light sword burst up. sh! Despite being a mixture between defensive footwork and offensive swordsmanship, it didn¡¯t feel unnatural at all. That was because both techniques focused on flow andbination. The flow was natural, as if he was using a single martial art to begin with. Feeling the other trainees¡¯ gazes, which he had gotten used to, he performed the swordsmanship and the footwork until the end. ¡°Huff.¡± Raon let his sword down, exhaling as he finished performing the swordsmanship and footwork at once. ¡®It¡¯s still not enough.¡¯ There were a few improper parts because he¡¯dbined the use of his swordsmanship, footwork, and aura. He needed more practice before it became usable in a real battle. ¡°Again.¡± As he was about to practice once again, he felt multiple presences from the training ground main entrance. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± The instructors reacted after Raon, then the trainees also stopped swinging their swords. When everyone¡¯s gaze was directed at the entrance, a knocking sound could be heard. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± While smiling, Rimmer gestured to an instructor. The instructor, who was standing at the center, started to open the door to the training ground. ¡°I¡¯m Gesman from the general administration.¡± A neat young man wearing a uniform stuck his head out, and the knights wearing silver armor were waiting behind him. ¡°The people from the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoy wanted to observe the fifth training ground¡¯s training. It might be sudden, but is it possible to attend?¡± ¡°Please enter, guests are always wee.¡± Rimmer came to the door in the blink of an eye and opened it wide. ¡°Th-thank you. Please enter.¡± Gesman bowed. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he guided the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoy inside the training ground. ¡°Huh.¡± Raon smirked, sheathing his training sword at his waist. ¡®Guests are wee?¡¯ Rimmer refused to show the information on their training, even to the swordsmen of the same household. Him saying that the guests were wee was the biggest bullshit ever. When he looked around, other trainees were also rolling their eyes in surprise. ¡°The Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoys used their precious time to visit us. Show them what kind of martial art the Zieghart¡¯s trainees have learned.¡± Rimmer, who used to be at the door, suddenly appeared on the tform. He wasn¡¯t even moving like the wind at that point, and he was like a ghost instead. ¡°What does he want, all of the sudden?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Well, we should just act like always.¡± Receiving the gazes of the Owen Kingdom''s envoys, the trainees started creaking like a broken doll. ¡°Get a grip! You should calm down even more at a time like this and do your best!¡± * * * * * * Burren was no different than usual. Or rather, he was moving even better, and led the trainees. ¡®It worked.¡¯ As expected of someone who gave himself to Zieghart, he knew what he was supposed to show. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a clown.¡± Martha snorted and crossed her arms. Emitting a pressure as fierce as facing an enemy, she red at the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoys. She looked ready to fight them if they wanted. ¡®She hasn¡¯t changed.¡¯ Martha had only be softer to him, and she was still as fierce and bad-mouthed as ever. Runaan wasn¡¯t interested in them at all. She kept swinging her sword using her footwork, without a single moment¡¯s interruption. ¡®I think she might be the strongest.¡¯ Not losing focus in that kind of messy situation was a peerless talent. Raon skimmed through the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoys one after another. The blue-eyed knight trainee was carefully watching Burren, Martha and Runaan, one after another. He seemed rather surprised, with his mouth slightly open. ¡®And he still didn¡¯t recognize me.¡¯ Despite noticing those three, he seemed unaware of Raon¡¯s might. ¡®Well.¡¯ Raon smiled slightly and pulled out his training sword, his legs at shoulder¡¯s width. ¡®Shall I start as well?¡¯ The River Footwork and Combination sword were both extremely simple in their forms and postures. It was a testament to their strength that they wouldn¡¯t get weaker once seen, so there was no problem with having observers. Swoosh! Without minding the gazes, Raon naturally blended in the flow of the sword and footwork. *** The third prince Greer De Owen had visited two ces beforeing to the fifth training ground. The first was the second training ground, where those who¡¯d already received the title of swordsman were practicing. ¡®It was amazing.¡¯ The swordsmen from the second training ground were powerful, befitting the great name of Zieghart. They weren¡¯t inferior in any waypared to the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knights in swordsmanship, pressure, body, and mind. ¡®However, the sixth training ground where the trainees practiced was rather disappointing.¡¯ The trainees at the six training grounds were talented, but theycked practice. He¡¯d originally nned to request a spar, but he gave up since the result was too obvious. ¡®That¡¯s when I remembered.¡¯ When he was going to head back, he remembered what Rimmer had mentioned. That question about whether he wanted to see the real deal. That was why he told the officer from the general administration, who was about to guide them elsewhere, that he wanted to see the fifth training ground. He seemed flustered, but he guided them to the fifth training ground without refusing the request. He actually didn¡¯t have high expectations. He thought the fifth training ground wouldn¡¯t be much different from the sixth training ground. However, that was a huge mistake. He understood the moment he entered the training ground that it was different. The talent and the amount of training they did was on a whole different dimension from the sixth training ground. ¡®The real deal was this ce.¡¯ Rimmer was correct. The trainees from the fifth training ground weren¡¯t any weaker than the knight trainees. The blue-haired boy and the silver-haired girl especially were one level stronger than the others. And the ck-haired beauty who was ring at them also possessed an overwhelming pressure. All three of them were as strong as himself, or Setun, who was called the strongest knight trainee. ¡°This was the real one indeed.¡± Duke Tartan furrowed his brows while watching the trainees. ¡°It looks like it.¡± ¡°Although it looks like there¡¯s not a big difference in talent except for a few. The difference is mostly with how much they¡¯ve trained.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Greer nodded. The fifth training ground had apletely different atmosphere. He could smell the passion filled with the trainees¡¯ blood and sweat. ¡°Those three are particrly amazing.¡± The knight trainee Setun¡¯s eyes shone with the intention to fight. He was also watching the three powerhouses he¡¯d recognized. ¡°I want to try fighting them.¡± ¡°Same goes for me.¡± The third prince and Setun licked their lips, watching the three people they thought were the strongest in the fifth training ground. ¡°How is it? Just like I¡¯ve said, the real ones are here, right?¡± A voice as cool as the wind could be heard from behind. ¡°Hmm?¡± When they turned around, Rimmer was standing there with the same smile as the day before. ¡°Certainly, I understand why you said that before.¡± Greer nodded. ¡°You seem to be itching for a fight. How about sparring with one of our boys?¡± ¡°Was that the goal?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rare opportunity to fight against one of the Six King¡¯s talents inplete safety. It will also help you.¡± Rimmer pointed towards the trainees who were focused on their swords. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Greer turned around to look at Duke Tartan. Since he was the actual leader, he needed his permission. ¡°That sounds fine.¡± Duke Tartan nodded but gave Rimmer a cold gaze. His face seemed to say that he would cut him down the moment he tried something funny. ¡°I just want some sparring. However.¡± Rimmer raised both his hands and smiled. ¡°Are you fine with a small bet?¡± ¡°Bet?¡± ¡°Yes. After twenty duels, the loser rewards the winner.¡± ¡°Hah, do you think you can win against us?¡± ¡°Oh, you are pretty confident, huh?¡± ¡°Of course. Because they are the elites among the Owen¡¯s knight trainees!¡± Duke Tartan was full of confidence as he looked at the knight trainees. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± Rimmer smiled. His eyes were clearly shining in dark green. ¡°Since I also trust my boys.¡± Chapter 42 ¡°Attention, everyone!¡± Rimmer went up to the tform and pped his hands. The trainees that were focused on training lifted their heads. ¡°You can see them, right?¡± He pointed towards the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knights, who were standing on the right side of the training ground. ¡°The guests from the Owen Kingdom have requested a spar!¡± ¡°A-a spar?¡± ¡°That¡¯s so sudden!¡± The trainees dropped their jaws at the unexpected mention of a spar. ¡°Sudden? What do you mean, sudden? I¡¯ve always told you that a swordsman should be ready to swing a sword whenever, even when you¡¯ve just woken up.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue and murmured that they still had a long way to go. ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°But they are from the Owen Kingdom¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be b-better to prepare before fighting?¡± The trainees still seemed tense, despite Rimmer¡¯s advice. However, some trainees were thinkingpletely differently. Burren and Martha looked through the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knight trainees one-by-one, like beasts looking for their prey. Runaan just kept training without paying attention to the people talking. ¡°Hehe!¡± After enjoying the trainees¡¯ flustered reactions, Rimmer looked at Raon. His eyes seemed to be asking his opinion. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon turned his head to examine the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knight trainees. ¡®A spar, huh¡­¡¯ There could be some among the knights, but nobody among the knight trainees were on the same level as him. But the prince at the center wasn¡¯t a bad opponent to practice the synergy between the River Footwork and Combination Sword. Raon nodded slowly, and Rimmer¡¯s smile became wider. ¡°Since everyone has agreed, we can start now. Twenty people will participate, and¡­¡± Rimmer lowered his voice, so that his trainees were the only ones who could hear him. ¡°I¡¯ve bet my whole month¡¯s sry, so make sure you win. I¡¯ll really kill you if you lose.¡± ¡°Haaah?¡± ¡°Pardon? Wh-what does that¡­?¡± ¡°Prepare for a match!¡± The trainees¡¯ jaws dropped. They wanted toin, but Rimmer turned around before they could and started to give orders to the instructors. ¡°Yes!¡± As if they knew about it already, the instructors moved the trainees away and started setting up the arena for the spar. ¡°Hah.¡± Raon smirked at seeing that. ¡®So, this was it.¡¯ The reason that Rimmer had been acting differently for thest few days was because of this spar. He must have been preparing for a spar the moment he¡¯d heard about the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoys arrival. ¡®That¡¯s pretty amazing.¡¯ Although they were still children that weren¡¯t yet recognized as swordsmen or knights, sparring between the members of Six Kings didn¡¯t happen often. Rimmer, who was organizing the spar so naturally, was truly exceptional. ¡°Gather.¡± Raon turned around and called for everyone. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan, who didn¡¯t care about anything so far, stopped swinging her sword and approached him first. ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren, Martha, and the other trainees also stood next to Runaan. Every trainee of the fifth training ground gathered in a circle around Raon. ¡°As you¡¯ve heard, we will have to spar. Since we need to select twenty people, raise your hand if you want to participate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in, no matter what.¡± ¡°Same. I¡¯ll fight even if I have to blow everyone away.¡± Burren and Martha raised their hands first. ¡°Is Raon also fighting?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So am I, then.¡± Runaan nodded and raised her hand. After that, around ten trainees raised their hands. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± However, the other trainees were just looking at each other, unable to decide on participating. ¡®Are they scared?¡¯ The Owen Kingdom¡¯s knight trainees were wearing armor, despite not having received an official title yet. While they were still notpletely confident in their skills, it looked like their bodies and minds were frozen due to the intense pressureing from the confident knight trainees. ¡°Tsk.¡± It was annoying, but since he was the top trainee, it was his job to encourage the trainees. ¡°Do they look confident to you?¡± Raon pointed towards the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knight trainees who were preparing for the spar. ¡°Well, a little bit.¡± ¡°They look dangerous too.¡± The trainees nodded timidly. ¡°Watch their hands more carefully.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Following Raon¡¯s finger, the trainees¡¯ gazes were directed at the knight trainees¡¯ hands. ¡°Hmm?¡¯ ¡°I-it looks like they¡¯re shaking a little?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t just look like it. They are actually shaking¡­¡± ¡°The others are the same.¡± The trainees'' eyes widened upon watching the other knight trainees¡¯ hands. ¡°They are indeed wearing fancy armor, but they are just trainees that can¡¯t hide their shaking and nervousness before a spar.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Which means that they are children your age, with simr thoughts.¡± Raon turned around to look at the trainees. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be afraid. The training you¡¯ve been doing isn''t any less than the other Six Kings or Five Demons. You won¡¯t lose disgracefully as long as you use what you¡¯ve learned so far.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°O-of course, nobody has trained as hard as us.¡± ¡°The amount of blood and sweat we¡¯ve spilled from training doesn¡¯t lose to anyone.¡± Raon¡¯s serious recognition made the trainees¡¯ eyes burn with liveliness and passion. ¡°I¡¯m asking this again. Raise your hand if you want to participate in the spar.¡± Along with the sound of a sudden wind, every single trainee raised their hand. Raon nodded, and selected twenty trainees among them, including Burren, Runaan and Martha. Whether they were selected or not, all the trainees saw the Owen Kingdom from a different angle. ¡®It¡¯s annoying.¡¯ Taking care of children was more annoying than he¡¯d thought. However, since he¡¯d been sharing his time and space with the other trainees, he thought he¡¯d gotten attached to them a little. He didn¡¯tpletely hate it. ¡°Then I¡¯ll decide the order. The first is Martha, can you do it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll beat them up.¡± Martha nodded. Since the first would affect the morale of the trainees, Martha¡ªwho was the second strongest person in the fifth training ground¡ªwas the best suited. ¡°And next¡­¡± He decided the orders one by one. Runaan was 18th, Burren was 19th, and he was thest. ¡°If you are done preparing, please gather at the center.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon walked towards the center of the training ground, hearing Rimmer¡¯s cheeky voice. *** Martha raised her chin at the sight of the knight trainee that was facing her in the arena. The nice, clean silver armor and his big build made him look like an official knight. However, she wasn¡¯t afraid. He didn¡¯t look big at allpared to that bastard who¡¯d beaten her with sheer power. ¡°I¡¯m Tarse.¡± The big knight trainee lowered his head while putting his hand on his sword sheath. ¡°Martha Zieghart.¡± Martha announced her name and stood with her feet at half shoulder-width. ¡°That immature body is trained tremendously. I¡¯m looking forward to a good match.¡± The knight trainee, who called himself Tarse, identified her nature without being distracted by her refined appearance and small size. It looked like he wasn¡¯t chosen as the spearhead for nothing. ¡°A good match? You¡¯ll end up beaten up anyway, so stop goofing around and fight.¡± Martha snorted and moved her finger. ¡°Hmph.¡± Tarse snorted and unsheathed his sword. It was greatsword, thicker than amon knight¡¯s sword. ¡°You are more foul-mouthed than you look. I hope your swordsmanship can match up to your words.¡± ¡°You talk too much. I¡¯ll attack first if you won¡¯t.¡± Martha kicked off from the ground and unsheathed her sword at the same time. The white de shed through the heated atmosphere. ¡°Idiot!¡± Tarse mmed down his greatsword with a cold gaze. A powerful wind pressure emanated from the dull de of the greatsword. Whoosh! As the heavy wind was about to press down on Martha¡¯s body, her eyes shone. Stomp! Striding across the ground, she struck up with her sword. Like a salmon swimming up a waterfall, she shed through the wind pressure and shed with the greatsword. Bang! With the sound of exploding metal, Tarse¡¯s greatsword flew away and got stuck on the ground. ¡°Eek!¡± Tarse moved back in surprise, but Martha didn¡¯t miss that opportunity. She immediately followed up and hit his abdomen with the side of the sword. ¡°Kueh!¡± After being hit in his stomach, Tarse was knocked back and foaming at the mouth. ¡°Despite relying on your strength, you didn¡¯t put everything in one strike. Pathetic.¡± Martha smiled coldly and turned away after sheathing her sword. ¡°Martha wins!¡± Rimmer smiled in satisfaction and raised his hand on Martha¡¯s side. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon tapped his finger while watching Martha¡¯s back. ¡®She changed, but also didn¡¯t.¡¯ He¡¯d thought Martha¡¯s swordsmanship would be softer after losing to him, but he was wrong. Instead of adding softness, she had increased the power and speed even further to make it more powerful. She was ridiculously simple minded. ¡®An unbreakable will, huh?¡¯ Her personality, which didn¡¯tpromise, would bring her to a higher level. ¡®It will be pretty fun.¡¯ Fun? Is it fun watching a fight between young ants? It only looked boring to the King of Essence. ¡®Even ants don¡¯t stay young forever.¡¯ Pathetic. Back in devildom, the King of Essence gathered young devils and made them spar. Even then, they weren¡¯t as bad as this¡­ Kuh! Raon touched the flower bracelet to shut Wrath up and waited for the next spar. ¡®It¡¯s fun for me, so please shut up.¡¯ * * * * * * Martha showed the best opening, but the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knight trainees weren¡¯t easy opponents. It looked like only the best hade, since they alternated between victory and defeat in matches against the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees. As such, the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees ended up with eight victories and nine defeats after 17 matches. The 18th was Runaan¡¯s turn. ¡°Runaan, it¡¯s your turn.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded and went into the arena. A female knight around the same size as Runaan was standing there with her hand on her back. ¡°Edelia.¡± ¡°Runaan Sullion.¡± Runaan and Edelia faced each other in ordance with the etiquette of a knight and a swordsman. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Without even taking out her sword, Runaan nkly stared at Edelia. ¡°I don¡¯t like those nk eyes of yours.¡± Edelia frowned and dashed towards Runaan. A red me burned at the end of her sword, pointed like a spear. Whoosh! Aura of me. Her move was disying the reason that she came out on thetter part, despite her small body. ¡°I don¡¯t like fire.¡± Runaan pouted unnoticeably and unsheathed her sword. Whap! Frost even whiter than the silver de covered the space. Bzzt! The moment the sword of me and sword of ice shed, white steam burst up. Using the River Footwork, Runaan hid her body between the frigid air and the steam. ¡°I can simply erase the cold air!¡± Edelia swung the me on her sword like a torch to get rid of the frigid air and the steam at the same time. ¡°There!¡± Without overlooking the wobbliness in the frigid air, she thrust her sword. ¡°Huh?¡± Edelia¡¯s eyes widened. The tip of her sword hadn¡¯t touched anything, and she had only pierced the empty air. ¡°Ugh!¡± At the chilly feeling she felt around her neck, she swallowed and turned her head. Shush. Along with her cold gaze, Runaan¡¯s sword was pointed at Edelia¡¯s neck. ¡°¡­ I lost.¡± Edelia bit her lip and dropped her sword. Runaan removed her sword from her neck and sheathed it. ¡°It was a good fight¡­ Huh?¡± Edelia extended her hand, but Runaan returned without even looking back and stood in front of Raon. ¡°Did you see?¡± ¡°You got used to your footwork. Good job.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded and sat next to Raon. Raon smiled lightly, feeling Runaan¡¯s cold pressure. ¡®She really used my footwork in realbat.¡¯ The footwork that Runaan had just used was the stealth version of the River Footwork that she¡¯d practiced when she was alone. He only had given her a few pieces of advice, yet Runaan managed to create an application from the footwork. He felt a sense of satisfaction after seeing how she followed his advice so well, despite him not teaching her properly. ¡°Nine wins and Nine defeats from both sides, this is getting interesting. The 19th match will begin.¡± Rimmer looked overjoyed as he kept smiling, calling for Burren and the knight trainee. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips. ¡®He is pretty strong.¡¯ The knight trainee that stood in front of Burren had a stable posture, his eyes emitting a clear light. Except for the third prince, he was the strongest among the knight trainees that he¡¯d seen so far. The two of them were simr in terms of might, to the point where one mistake could decide the oue. It looked like the knight trainee they¡¯d sent out this time could be called a secret weapon. ¡°I¡¯m the knight trainee Setun Kazel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the trainee Burren Zieghart.¡± The knight trainee and Burren bowed to each other respectfully and put their hands on their sword sheaths. ¡°The 19th match, begin!¡± As soon as Rimmer finished talking, two of them disappeared from the arena at once. Thud! Burren, who¡¯d kicked off the ground using footwork, shed his sword with Setun¡¯s at the center. ¡®They know.¡¯ The two of them were also aware. Since their might was equal, the fight would be over the moment they were careless. Pow! Pow! Burren¡¯s sword was fast and precise, while Setun¡¯s sword was heavy and powerful. The two swordsmen mmed down their swords, all while maximizing their best traits to suppress their opponents. It was such a close match that not only the trainees, but also the swordsmen fully focused on the match. Psh! Blood spurted from Burren¡¯s shoulder, and Setun¡¯s armor was split apart. The swordsman and knight didn¡¯t drop their swords despite the blood flowing or their flesh being torn apart. As if they were facing the opponent of their life, they thrust their swords towards the other¡¯s weak point. Tap tap tap! Burren, who was pushed back by Setun¡¯s heavy strikes, grit his teeth. Holding his sword, he brought up as much aura as he could. ¡°Hmph!¡± Having felt Burren¡¯s energy, Setun also started controlling all the aura in his energy center. ¡°Haap!¡± Burren advanced, carried by the wind, and Setun mmed down his sword with his feet firmly rooted on the ground. Bam! With a copsing sound in the arena, gray smoke burst up. With the sound of small rocks being split apart being heard, the two stopped moving. Whoosh! When Rimmer extended his hand while humming, a green wind pushed away the smoke from the arena. Burren and Setun were stopped at a distance where they could reach each other with a punch, and both their swords were broken in half, stuck in the ground. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Th-that means¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a draw.¡± Just as the trainees said, neither of them could keep fighting. Having exhausted their stamina and aura, their limbs were visibly trembling. ¡°The 19th match is a draw!¡± Hearing Rimmer¡¯s deration, Burren forced himself to stand and left the arena. ¡°Damn¡­¡± He frowned, gritting his teeth. ¡°Good job. That knight trainee was the strongest on Owen''s side.¡± ¡°So what? I should¡¯ve won no matter what, fighting under the name of Zieghart!¡± Burren mmed the ground with his clenched fist. Since he¡¯d run out of strength, his skin was torn apart. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon looked at Setun, who fought against Burren. The way his calm expression had grown wrinkled, it looked like he was also frustrated. ¡®Honor, huh¡­?¡¯ Since living kept his hands full, both in his previous and current life, he still didn¡¯t really understand what honor meant. ¡°Then let¡¯s start thest match, which will decide the oue!¡± He stood up, hearing Rimmer¡¯s cheerful voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon looked back at Burren, who was twisting his lips. ¡°Because I¡¯ll win.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren didn¡¯t respond. His expression seemed to mean that he trusted him in his own way. Raon turned his body and entered the arena. He didn¡¯t understand honor, but since everyone was working together, he would win it for them. No, he wanted to win. ¡°Are you a member of the direct line of Zieghart?¡± The third prince, who¡¯d been waiting in the arena, turned his head while tapping on his sword. ¡°No, I''m coteral.¡± ¡°Tsk, I end up fighting a sacrificial pawn.¡± The third prince¡¯s forehead wrinkled at hearing that Raon was a coteral. It looked like he¡¯d still not recognized his might. ¡°I have a suggestion.¡± The third prince turned towards Rimmer without even looking at Raon. ¡°What kind of suggestion?¡± ¡°Those two.¡± He pointed at Runaan and Martha, who were looking at the arena. ¡°They didn¡¯t seem to have used all their strength, so how about I try fighting them again if I win against this guy?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer scratched his shivering chin. His expression certainly looked like he was trying to stop himself from exploding inughter. ¡°Well, let¡¯s do that. If. You. Win.¡± ¡°Well then, tell them to warm themselves up. Since it will be over soon.¡± The third prince smiled in satisfaction and turned around. ¡°Indeed, it will be over soon.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes shone with coldness. Because I will win. Chapter 43 Rimmer smirked, watching Raon and the third prince face each other in the arena. He was looking forward to it so much that he unconsciously started humming. ¡®And the rewards.¡¯ He was also looking forward to the reward that he was going to earn from the bet with Owen. He wasn¡¯t even considering the possibility of Raon losing the match. ¡°You look like you are enjoying yourself.¡± Duke Tartan came to stand next to him without showing his emotions. ¡°Of course I am. Watching young talents shing against each other with everything they have can¡¯t be anything but fun.¡± ¡°The crazy sword demon has changed a lot.¡± ¡°A ruffian like you became a good-looking duke. Of course I¡¯ve changed as well.¡± Rimmer smirked at Duke Tartan. ¡°I¡¯m assuming the reason you approached the prince yesterday was also because of this match, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your n? Why are you doing something so troublesome, which you normally don¡¯t like?¡± Duke Tartan turned towards him and emanated a powerful pressure. He looked like he was about to cut him down the moment he tried anything strange. ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity for them to grow. Unlike the Five Demons, there won¡¯t be many chances to fight against one of the Six Kings¡¯ children.¡± Rimmer responded without looking back at him. It was a light voice, but it was alsopletely serious at the same time. ¡°¡­ Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I thought you were joking, but you¡¯ve really changed.¡± Tartan licked his lips and turned his head back to the arena. ¡°The knight trainees that participated in spars today are all children supported by Owen. Those children are pretty strong, to be at the same level as them.¡± ¡°Obviously, who do you think taught them?¡± ¡°Hmph, stop boasting. By the way, that boy¡­¡± He pointed at Raon, who was warming himself up by rolling his wrist and ankle. ¡°I mean, who is that monster? I almost failed to recognize him with his extremely thin presence. The way he uses his sword and footwork together isn¡¯t at a mere trainee¡¯s level.¡± ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t blind.¡± Rimmer giggled and pointed at the third prince, who looked calm andposed at the opposite side. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you warn him about it? The third prince seems to be thinking that Raon is a sacrificial pawn.¡± ¡°His highness will be the Owen Kingdom¡¯s future, but he doesn¡¯t know defeat yet. I figured it¡¯s better for him to experience it in a safe ce like this.¡± That was the reason that Tartan didn¡¯t warn the third prince about it, despite having identified Raon¡¯s might. He wanted to teach the third prince defeat so that he could reach a higher level. ¡°However, the third prince is strong. Even that genius swordsman won¡¯t be able to win with ease.¡± ¡°I wonder¡­¡± Rimmer shook his head, smiling more confidently than ever. ¡°I think a lot differently.¡± ¡°Your stubbornness hasn¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°Shall we make another bet, then?¡± ¡°Again?¡± Tartan frowned. ¡°You really love bets, huh?¡± ¡°Then how about just a drink?¡± ¡°Fine. But what kind of bet do you want¡­¡± Rimmer raised five fingers. ¡°Raon will finish your hope in five strikes.¡± ¡°Nonsense! I realize that he is strong, but it¡¯s impossible in five strikes!¡± Tartan red and clenched his fist. ¡°Then you want to take the bet, right?¡± ¡°Of course! Bring it on.¡± ¡°You are as wild as always.¡± Rimmer giggled and rubbed his hands together. ¡®I¡¯m getting free drinks for the first time in a long time.¡¯ *** ¡°Hmm.¡± Greer De Owen, the third prince of the Owen Kingdom, licked his lips watching Runaan and Martha¡ªwho were outside the arena¡ªinstead of Raon, who was facing him. ¡®They will be good opponents.¡¯ From the moment he entered the training ground, he¡¯d been only interested in those two and the blue-haired guy who fought equally against Setun. On the other hand, he didn¡¯t have a speck of interest in the coteral facing him. He looked fucking handsome, but that was it. He felt like his might was just too in. ¡®I should finish this quickly.¡¯ Using aura against the coteral in front of him would¡¯ve been a waste. He decided that he¡¯d do his best in his next match after single-handedly winning against him using only his physical strength. ¡°If you are ready, let¡¯s begin the spar.¡± Rimmer approached them and raised his hand. ¡°Last spar, begin!¡± ¡°Haa!¡± The moment his hand went down, Greer unsheathed his sword. Thud! Kicking off the ground, he dashed in front of Raon. He wanted to finish it in a single strike. However. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Raon, who was standing in front of him, disappeared in an instant. ¡®Wh-where¡­? Huff!¡¯ As he was about to turn his head to find Raon, he could hear the dangerous sound of wind from the right. ¡®Sword!¡¯ Greer felt the wind created by a sword and hurriedly ducked his head. Whoosh! Raon¡¯s training sword grazed his hair, giving him goosebumps. ¡°Tsk!¡± Greer rotated his body and swung his sword to the right. Whoosh! It was a precise strike, calcting Raon¡¯s position. However, Raon wasn¡¯t there this time, either. Sheesh. With the sound of a snake crawling the ground, he moved to his left. It all happened literally in a blink of an eye. ¡®What¡¯s that?!¡¯ Greer grit his teeth. Using the Kingdom¡¯s Footwork, he quickly followed after Raon. ¡°Haa!¡± He struck down at Raon, who was stepping back. The sword plummeted down, containing a powerful energy. ¡®It¡¯s over!¡¯ He was standing in the ce that Raon would need to be in order to dodge the strike. There was no way he could avoid it. ¡°Huh?¡± The moment he thought it was over, he met Raon¡¯s eyes. The stationary eyes, without any sign of agitation in them, sent chills running down his spine the moment he saw them. Smack! Raon¡¯s body advanced, bending like a reed, and his sword rotated in a half moon shape. His world turned along with his sword. In the iprehensible situation, he could just stay with his mouth wide open. He felt a powerful impact against his back. ¡°Kuh!¡± He unconsciously groaned. ¡°Wh-what is this¡­?¡± He lifted his aching head. Raon was standing way above him. Greer finally realized he¡¯d fallen outside of the arena. ¡°Kuh¡­ah!¡± The third prince tried to raise his head while withstanding the pain in his back, then froze. ¡®I-it¡¯s him.¡¯ The third prince swallowed, hands trembling. ¡®He was the real deal!¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Oh my.¡± Rimmer covered his mouth, as if he was stopping himself fromughing, and looked at Tartan. ¡°What happened? It wasn¡¯t even five strikes! It ended in two strikes!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Tartan didn¡¯t respond. Instead of the third prince on the ground, he was watching Raon with his jaw dropped. And he wasn¡¯t the only one. Everyone in the training ground was astonished as they watched Raon. ¡°Huh¡­¡± It took a long time for Tartan to finally exhale and straighten his back. ¡°What was that? How is his footwork so soft? The timing on his swordsmanship was also perfect. I didn¡¯t manage to identify everything.¡± Tartan¡¯s gaze was still fixated at Raon. The footwork and swordsmanship he¡¯d disyed was far beyond that of a trainee. What was even more surprising was that he¡¯d defeated the third prince with an appropriate movement ording to the situation, instead of overwhelming might. It looked like the Raon boy had a special talent, showing more than his best. ¡°I told you Raon would win.¡± ¡°I also knew that. But I didn¡¯t expect the third prince to lose without even standing a chance¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make the reservation at a bar. See you again this evening. You know I only drink expensive liquor, right?¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± When Tartan clicked his tongue and was about to turn his head around, the third prince stood up while wobbling. ¡°N-not yet. It¡¯s not over yet.¡± He entered the arena once again, unable to ept his defeat. ¡°Y-your highness!¡± ¡°Ohh.¡± Tartan approached the third prince in panic, and Rimmer scratched his chin with an interested smile. ¡°You can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Duke, I haven¡¯t done my best yet!¡± The third prince walked past Tartan, who tried to stop him, and stood up. ¡°If I did my best from the beginning¡­¡± ¡°Wow, what a fucking loser!¡± The corners of Martha¡¯s lips twisted up, and she stood with one foot inside the arena. ¡°You call yourself a prince, yet you can¡¯t even admit defeat and keep dragging on. You remind me of somebody.¡± She turned her head and looked down at Burren who wasn¡¯t doing anything. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Since he did do something like that in the past, he bit his lip and frowned. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Hey, mister prince. I¡¯m talking kindly right now. Get the fuck out before I start cursing.¡± Without minding Burren, who was ring at her from behind, Marthaughed at the third prince. ¡°How dare you! Who do you think he is¡­¡± ¡°If he is Owen¡¯s future king, I''m the direct lineage of Zieghart. I don¡¯t lose in any aspect.¡± Martha didn¡¯t step back, facing Duke Tartan. ¡°Stop!¡± Rimmer entered the arena and hid the two people¡¯s faces with his hand. ¡°The spar is over, but we didn¡¯t hear the opinion of those directly involved. Let¡¯s hear it out first, Raon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon, who''d been silent, nodded. ¡°What do you wanna do? Since you are the one fighting him, you decide.¡± Raon slowly turned around and tilted his chin. ¡°I heard the instructor made a bet in this spar. I think the results are clear. There¡¯s no reason to fight anymore.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The third prince¡¯s clenched fist shook. ¡°Your highness, let¡¯s stop now and lea¡­¡± ¡°I admit my defeat!¡± Shaking off Duke Tartan¡¯s staying hand, the third prince stepped up. ¡°I¡¯ve been underestimating you without properly recognizing your power. I¡¯m so embarrassed and ashamed that I can¡¯t raise my head. However, if I leave now, I think I¡¯ll regret it for the rest of my life. Please fight me once more!¡± The third prince dropped his sword, bowing at a 90-degree angle. ¡°Y-your highness!¡± Duke Tartan tried to stop him, but he didn¡¯t move at all. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon could see the sincerity in his blue eyes. ¡®He lowered his head, huh?¡¯ The third prince of the Owen Kingdom. The fact that he was apanied by Duke Tartan meant that he had powerful supporters. He didn¡¯t expect him to apologize like that, after all. ¡°Hey, third prince or what, stop that disgraceful act and get ou¡­¡± ¡°Martha.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Martha clicked her tongue and stepped back as Raon called her name. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Duke Tartan groaned at that sight. ¡®So, the might wasn¡¯t everything he had.¡¯ The girl from the direct line, who even went against him, was silenced in a single word. The third prince wasn¡¯t the only one who¡¯d underestimated Raon. ¡°Fine.¡± Raon nodded and went to the side of the arena. ¡°But this is thest time.¡± ¡°O-of course!¡± The third prince didn¡¯t look down on him anymore. It looked like he was paying proper respect to him as a warrior. ¡°Please tell me when you are ready.¡± Rimmer grinned, as if he knew that would happen, and entered the arena. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The third prince took out the lion shaped ne from his armor and stared at it. Then, as if he had decided on something, he grit his teeth and tore it apart. Whoosh! A powerful wind emanated from his center, and his pressure became almost twice as strong. It wasn¡¯t just his aura; the energy of his trained body could also be felt. ¡°Has he been hiding such energy?¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Burren and Martha frowned from the powerful pressure emanating from the third prince. ¡°Th-third prince! That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be hiding my strength. I want to fight him with everything I have.¡± The third prince raised his sword, wind flowing out between his teeth. The expression seemed to say that he would go all out from the beginning, without being careless anymore. What an idiot, you didn¡¯t even know your opponent was hiding his strength. ¡®I can still win.¡¯ He has a lot more aura than you, and his body is also way moreplete. Yet are you saying you can win? ¡®Do you wanna bet?¡¯ Raon tilted his chin. Hah! Of course! Bring it on. Wrath snorted, and the wager message appeared at the same time. ¡®I ept.¡¯ Raon epted as soon as the message appeared. ¡®The doormat is here again.¡¯ If Rimmer was the doormat of Zieghart¡¯s gambling house, then Raon¡¯s doormat was Wrath. Holding back the smile trying to leak out, he unsheathed his sword. He¡¯d known from the beginning that the third prince had been hiding his strength. He¡¯d epted the second challenge because he thought it would be useful for his training to fight the third prince that disclosed his full power, craving victory. He didn¡¯t expect the doormat toe along. ¡°Then, here I go.¡± The third prince focused his power on his leg and stepped forward. Destroying a sector of the arena, he dashed towards him like a savage beast. ¡°This will be more interesting.¡± Because there¡¯s something to gain. Raon advanced and struck down the spinning sword. Smaaaack! The third prince¡¯s sword, surrounded by a sky-blue aura, and Raon¡¯s sword, engulfed in a red me, crashed together. Chapter 44 Screech! Raon and the third prince¡¯s swords screamed as their pressures crashed against each other. nk! The power that came up from his ankle was incorporated in his forearm muscle. A heaviness like carrying a boulder exploded on the sword¡¯s side. ¡°Kuh!¡± Both of the third prince¡¯s hands, which were holding the sword, started shaking. ¡®This is crazy!¡¯ He¡¯d realized that Raon was powerful from that one defeat, but he didn¡¯t expect his might to be so overwhelming even when he faced him properly. ¡°Kuh!¡± The third prince grit his teeth and gave a shout of concentration. He swung his sword with everything he had, as being pushed back would result in his defeat. m! The two training swords crossed, and the third prince was pushed back to Raon¡¯s left side. ¡°Ugh!¡± The third prince regained his posture by turning his body, using his left foot as axis. A quick and structured movement, he seemed ready to take on any kind of attack. However, his opponent exceeded his expectations. Thud! Raon moved at the same time, regaining his posture using the River Footwork. Moving as if he was sliding, he appeared at the third prince¡¯s back. ¡°Kuh!¡± Since the third prince was also doing his best, his reactions had gotten faster. He stepped back and thrust his sword. nk! Raon tilted his sword to push back the third prince¡¯s strike, which was aimed at his wrist. ¡°Not yet!¡± The third prince¡¯s sword bent like a living snake, thrusting towards his chest instead of his wrist. His eyes were full of his thirst for victory. Bam! Raon¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t waver. Rotating his training sword in the other direction, he countered the rotation on the third prince¡¯s sword. ¡°Kuh!¡± The third prince stepped back while groaning. He looked like he couldn¡¯t believe it, his chin trembling. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already experienced it once.¡± Raon nced at Burren, who could be seen behind the third prince. He¡¯d just canceled out the rotation in his sword, just like when he¡¯d fought against him. ¡°Are you a monster, or a genius¡­?¡± The third prince lowered his posture while biting his lip. Holding his sword with two hands, he turned it diagonally. Even though it was the same posture as before, his pressure felt different. ¡®The Feres Swordsmanship.¡¯ It was Feres Swordsmanship, which was only taught to the Owen Kingdom¡¯s future. As swordsmanship was left behind by Feres¡ªthe continent¡¯s strongest swordsman a few hundred years ago¡ªit was an advanced martial art that could attack and defend at the same time, containing the flow of the sky. ¡°Haa!¡± The third prince gave a firm shout of concentration and stomped on the ground. He dashed in like a tempest and struck upward with his sword. Bam! Without confronting the third prince¡¯s sword, Raon used the River Footwork. Like a twig fluttering in the wind, he grazed the sword. The third prince followed up by striking down the sword that went up. It was a clean application of aura that allowed fast yet bnced movement. nk! Raon stepped back while deflecting the third prince¡¯s sword using the ¡®Combination Sword¡¯. ¡°I won¡¯t miss you any longer!¡± The third prince kept chasing Raon, all while using a morepleted Feres Swordsmanship. Just as it was supposed to contain the sky, the de was filled with a majestic and profound energy. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Raon smirked, feeling the third prince¡¯s sword graze his forehead. ¡®He is different from before.¡¯ His might and willpower were both different from before. ¡®I guess that¡¯s to be expected from a prestigious kingdom¡­¡¯ The Owen Kingdom was one of the Six Kings, and there was a good reason why it had acknowledged him. He was perfectly aware of the most important thing in a fight, despite his young age. There was a possibility that he would fight the Owen Kingdom one day. That¡¯s why he wanted to witness the Kingdom¡¯s advanced swordsmanship, and it was indeed an excellent learning experience. Moreover, the third prince kept thinking and adjusting his movements while fighting. He was an interesting opponent. Bang! Raon fiercely parried the third prince¡¯s sword as it twisted into his neck. It was a sharp strike, but he¡¯d already finished analyzing it. Since he¡¯d been using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ while fighting, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to analyze the swordsmanship. Any technique that the third prince used was being umted in Raon¡¯s memory. Bang! Baang! Raon wasn¡¯t using footwork anymore. Firmly standing in ce, he deflected all of the third prince¡¯s strikes. ¡°Hah¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡± The third prince¡¯s eyes widened, and Duke Tartan¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Huff¡­¡± The third prince exhaled a long breath and took a step back. Straightening his shoulders, he tightened his grip on the sword. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet. I still have thest method.¡± Saying that, he lifted his sword. A high posture, as if he were supporting the sky. He kicked the ground just like that. ¡®Is it a secret technique?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. Advanced swordsmanship had secret techniques, befitting their names. It looked like the third prince was about to use the Feres Swordsmanship¡¯s secret technique. Whoosh! The current exuding from the third prince¡¯s entire body pressed upon him. It was a rush type swordsmanship that struck down after preventing an opponent¡¯s evasion. ¡®I¡¯ll take it on.¡¯ Raon pulled his sword to his left, behind him. Since he¡¯d witnessed enough of his swordy, it was time to finish. The First me of ¡®Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯. Vortex. The red me that appeared from the tip of his sword rotated like a cogwheel and pierced through the arena¡¯s heated atmosphere. ¡°Haa!¡± The third prince didn¡¯t withdraw, despite seeing the me burst from Raon¡¯s sword, because he trusted his aura and his sword. Bzzzt! The me rushed out in a thin line, piercing through the third prince¡¯s aura. ¡°Huh!¡± Between the pierced blue aura, the third prince¡¯s widened eyes became visible. However, he wasn¡¯t the third prince of the Owen Kingdom for nothing. Using thest bit of his aura, he filled the gap in his aura. ¡°Pointless.¡± Raon firmly announced, swinging his training sword to the end. ¡°Not yet! My sword is¡­ huh?¡± Chin trembling, the third prince stopped the sword that he struck down. No, he had no choice but to stop, because his sword was already broken. Raon¡¯s vortex hadn¡¯t only cut through the third prince¡¯s aura, but also his training sword. ¡°Hah¡­¡± The third prince sank to his knees. He stared nkly at his broken sword. ¡°I-I was superior in terms of strength and speed¡­¡¯ ¡°Stepping back with footwork doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that strength iscking. Sometimes one steps back on purpose, in order to grasp a better opportunity.¡± ¡°... I certainly felt it.¡± * * * * * * The third prince stood up with a sigh. After taking the broken sword and tidying his armor and hair, he stood in front of Raon once again. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve felt a lot of things thanks to you for epting the second match. The saying was true. It¡¯s an endless world.¡± He lowered his head as he said that. It was a courteous demeanor befitting a prince. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot as well.¡± Raon bowed towards the third prince as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for looking down on you in the beginning. Please consider it this foolish man¡¯sck of insight.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fourteen years old.¡± ¡°Hah! I¡¯ve lost to a swordsman younger than me, both in sword and in personality.¡± The third princeughed dejectedly. His expression showed his original personality. ¡°I think it will be fine if it¡¯s you.¡± Putting his hand inside his armor, he took out a tablet with the drawing of a blue shining lion, and the name of Greer was written on its back. ¡°Please ept it.¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It''s proof that the third prince of Owen, Greer De Owen, will ept any request.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. The item that he¡¯d just received from the third prince was a tablet symbolizing the prince, one that could grant his request. ¡°Why are you giving this to me¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lost, but my mind has be clearer. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever felt this way, like I¡¯ve been enlightened.¡± The third prince murmured that the tablet was cheappared to what he¡¯d gained. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon reluctantly epted the tablet. ¡°We will meet again in the future. Please stay above me until that time, since it will be fun catching up to you.¡± The third prince smiled brightly. Stepping out of the arena, he stood in front of Rimmer. ¡°Instructor Rimmer, we have lost. The reward from the bet will be given ordingly.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Rimmer nodded with the same smile as before. ¡°Duke Tartan.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back. I remembered something I needed to do.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The third prince and Duke Tartan left the training ground alongside the knight trainees. ¡°Hmph! He kept putting on airs until the end, so annoying!¡± Martha snorted with displeasure, kicking the copsed arena. ¡°Putting on airs¡­¡± Raon shook his head while watching the third prince¡¯s back as it disappeared from view. The third prince¡¯s eyes werepletely clear. ¡®Probably not.¡¯ He had changed, and would continue to change. Just like Burren and Martha. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips, looking at the tablet in his hand. He¡¯d only epted the spar for the sake of his training. He didn¡¯t expect to receive something like that. ¡®How curious.¡¯ Because he¡¯d only done assassinations without any reward in his previous life, he couldn¡¯t get used to such a sudden reward. He couldn¡¯t understand the purpose and reason behind the gift. However, one thing he understood was that he didn¡¯t have any bad intentions. ¡®This life is also different from what I expected.¡¯ *** The third prince visited the audience chamber immediately. When he announced his departure earlier than scheduled, the door to the audience chamber opened and the head butler Roenn stepped out. ¡°The lord says you may enter.¡± ¡°... Understood.¡± The third prince swallowed and followed Roenn into the audience chamber. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Facing Glenn¡¯s gaze, which didn¡¯t seem to have changed at all from the first time he met him, his breath was taken away. ¡°Your eyes have changed.¡± As he was about to kneel, Glenn¡¯s low voice resounded. It looked like he was already aware of everything. ¡°It¡¯s shameful, but I thought I was the best. I thought I could defeat any talented people from Six Kings, not just in the Owen Kingdom.¡± The third prince continued, raising his calm eyes. ¡°And that was the same here, in Zieghart. I looked around the training grounds, but I couldn¡¯t find anyone that met my standards. It was the same when I went to the fifth training ground. There were three powerful people, but I thought I could win against them. However¡­¡± The third prince rubbed his right wrist, which had been beaten up by Raon. ¡°There was a powerful person that I didn¡¯t even recognize. Raon Zieghart. I single-handedly lost after underestimating the might of a trainee younger than me. I insisted on a second match, and also lost that one.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The third prince raised his head slightly at Glenn¡¯s reaction. It felt like the audience chamber¡¯s atmosphere had suddenly gotten softer. It was as if he was telling him to keep talking. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve visited and sparred in three ces among the Six Kings, but I¡¯ve never seen any trainee like Raon. Might, personality, and mind, he looked like a warrior that wasplete in every aspect. Since I lost to a boy like him, I didn¡¯t feel bad at all. I felt enlightened instead.¡± The atmosphere in the audience chamber warmed as the third prince kept talking. ¡°There was a lot to learn from him, despite being younger than me.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I want to go back now. I want to immediately apply everything I¡¯ve realized from watching him.¡± ¡°I see. Tell the king that I¡¯ve received his kind letter.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After a polite greeting, the third prince left the audience chamber. ¡°... Hup.¡± Inside the audience chamber, where only two people remained, the sound of someone holding back hisughter could be heard. Roenn was covering his mouth, looking at Glenn. ¡°Why are youughing?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it after seeing my lord¡¯s smiling expression.¡± ¡°Smiling?¡± Glenn tried touching his lips with his hand and grimaced. ¡°My lord has been smiling ever since the third prince of the Owen Kingdom mentioned young master Raon¡¯s name. My lord must be overjoyed that his grandson was praised by another kingdom¡¯s prince.¡± ¡°... You¡¯re mistaken.¡± Glenn cleared his throat for no reason, supporting his chin with his left fist. ¡°Hup.¡± ¡°Don¡¯tugh.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Roenn leaked out an even biggerugh, but he closed his mouthpletely at Glenn¡¯s order. ¡°Rimmer¡¯s bad habit has transferred to you after spending time with him.¡± Glenn sighed and closed his eyes. The smile on Roenn¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t seem inclined to disappear any time soon. *** ¡°Your highness the third prince, we are ready to leave.¡± Duke Tartan approached when the third prince came out of the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°Thank you for your effort. Since I¡¯ve said my goodbyes, I think we can leave right now.¡± ¡°Understood. Everyone, stand in a line.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The knights and knight trainees lined up behind Duke Tartan, following his orders. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The third prince walked at the front, and Duke Tartan licked his lips as he walked next to him. ¡°Do you have something to say?¡± ¡°When you sparred with the trainee Raon, I was thinking it might have been excessive to have used your hidden strength and the Feres Swordsmanship. It would¡¯ve been better to hide your power¡­¡± ¡°I know, it was certainly excessive.¡± ¡°Yes. Feres Swordsmanship is the Kingdom¡¯s highest tier swordsmanship. Nothing good wille from showing to in public. Moreover, giving away the godly tablet was too much¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± The third prince stopped Duke Tartan¡¯s words with his hand. ¡°Raon Zieghart showed favor towards me. He treated me with respect, despite me looking down on him in the beginning.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I was only showing my respect towards him in return. Moreover, he also showed me a swordsmanship that could be called a secret technique.¡± ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°And giving out that godly tablet was an investment.¡± ¡°By investment, you mean?¡± Duke Tartan tilted his head. ¡°He has such a might, personality, and mind at that age. Even though he is a coteral, he will certainly be an important figure in the future. One whose name will be known throughout the continent. Being acquainted with such a person might be beneficial for me in the future, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I see. Reading that far into the future in the spur of the moment, that¡¯s pretty amazing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been raised in a kingdom where people live with a knife in their tongue and chest. I would¡¯ve already died if I couldn¡¯t calcte that much.¡± The third prince smirked and walked ahead. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Duke Tartan scratched his chin. His expression was filled with cold-heartedness, unlike when he talked with the third prince. ¡®He¡¯s certainly changed.¡¯ The third prince¡¯s arrogance, based on his ability, hadpletely disappeared. What could be seen from his eyes now was his eagerness to improve. ¡°I really should buy him some drinks.¡± Duke Tartan smirked, looking at the fifth training ground, which could be seen from the side. ¡°If we meet againter, that is. And¡­¡± His eyes grew serious as he thought back to Raon, who would be inside the training ground. ¡®I¡¯m curious about what kind of monster he will be the next time I meet him.¡¯ Chapter 45 The trainees didn¡¯t move even after the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoys had left. They kept staring at Raon¡¯s back, as if they were out of their minds. Since they¡¯d been watching Raon, they knew he was strong. However, since he¡¯d been always moving softly, they¡¯d never imagined he would move so quickly with such powerful strikes. ¡°Uh, uhh¡­¡± ¡°Was he that strong?¡± ¡°Wh-why is the difference gettingrger¡­¡± When the trainees couldn¡¯te to their senses, a cheerful p could be heard from the tform. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡± Rimmer grinned, sitting at the edge of the tform. ¡°Thank you for doing your best in the sudden spar.¡± ¡°You''re wee!¡± ¡°Thank you for creating an opportunity to spar with the knight trainees of the Owen Kingdom!¡± The trainees lowered their heads, expressing their thanks in return. ¡°I¡¯m d you think that way.¡± Rimmer grinned, fluttering his feet in the air. He looked to be in a better mood than usual. ¡°Well, since everything is over, I should tell you a few things. First of all, you know the knight trainees that fought against you today? They aren¡¯t normal knight trainees.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°What are they, then¡­?¡± When he stopped speaking, the trainees swallowed. ¡°They are the elites that the Owen Kingdom is training properly. They are the talented people that will be the royal or silver knights in the future.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Royal knights and silver knights!¡± ¡°I knew they were too strong¡­¡± The trainees¡¯ jaws dropped. There were only the elite of the elites among the royal and silver knights of the Owen Kingdom. Royal knights were the shields that protected the king in the castle, and silver knights were the swords that threatened their enemies. It wasn¡¯t an understatement to say that the two knight orders were the most elite troops in the Owen Kingdom. The trainees couldn¡¯t hide their surprise at the fact that they¡¯d fought equally against the knight trainees that would belong to such orders. ¡°Having fought equally against such children is certainly something to be praised for. Give a round of apuse for yourselves, everyone!¡± ¡°Yeahhh!¡± ¡°Wo!¡± ¡°We won!¡± The trainees raised their hands and shouted with joy. ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°Head instructor.¡± When Rimmer was enjoying the cheers, a hand was raised from the center. Burren was standing while still staggering. ¡°Can I fight them again in the future?¡± Burren¡¯s expression was as wrinkled as if he was facing an enemy. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve lost or something.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t win, it¡¯s not different from losing.¡± ¡°Personally, I like that attitude.¡± Rimmer smiled and nodded. ¡°The knight trainee that you fought against has been called the future captain of the royal knights. If you keep improving yourself, you will meet him again¡ªeven if you don¡¯t want to. Of course, when that timees, he will be a knight instead of a knight trainee. Then¡­¡± ¡°I will have to be a swordsman.¡± A heated haze appeared in Burren¡¯s green eyes. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°One more thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If the knight trainee I fought against was the future royal knights captain, what was the third prince? It wasn''t swordsmanship that just any royal blood would have.¡± Burren¡¯s question was justified. The third prince was ridiculously strong, despite the fact that he was fifteen years old. ¡°I heard the third prince will be the kingdom¡¯s strongest sword in the future.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The training ground was filled in silence at Rimmer¡¯s response. The trainees turned around to look at Raon, their eyes wide. Their expressions were full of wonder about the kind of monster Raon was, that he could easily defeat the guy who would be the kingdom¡¯s strongest sword. ¡°Today¡¯s training is over. Since you¡¯ve spent more stamina than usual, go back and rest.¡± Rimmer pped his hands and disappeared from the tform. However, the surprise directed at Raon didn¡¯t disappear from the trainees¡¯ eyes. *** Leaving behind the astonished eyes of the trainees, he left the training ground first. He would¡¯ve normally stayed in the training ground to practice, but he was quickly headed to the dormitory because he had something to do. Upon entering the room, he sat on the floor and tapped on the flowery bracelet. Whoosh! Blue ice blossomed like a flower from the bracelet. However, the coldness was trembling as if it was filled with anger. Damn it! How could he lose to you with that kind of power?! I trusted him because he was royal blood, but he is so stupid and inferior! Wrath grit his teeth, filling the entire room with coldness. If the King of Essence was in his position, you would¡¯ve been ripped to shreds by now after bing a block of ice. He is called a prince, despite not even being able to use his power? How pathetic! It looked like he felt some kinship to the prince since he was a monarch of devildom. He looked really frustrated at losing the bet, to the point that he was angry and talkative at the same time. Back in devildom, the King of Essence could beat down stronger enemies with a smaller amount of mana. Then, during fights between monarchs¡­ ¡°Ah, okay. Stop there.¡± When Raon tapped the bracelet, Wrath stopped talking. ¡®I have to stop that at all costs.¡¯ Whenever he said, ¡®Back in devildom, the King of Essence¡¯, it was a sign that he had to stop him immediately. If he kept listening to him, he wouldn¡¯t get his reward until the next morning. ¡°You can talkter. Give me my reward first, okay?¡± This is rigged. I didn¡¯t know he was incapable of using the power he had. Actually, the third prince had fought well. But the ¡®Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯ was just too powerful, regardless of the amount of aura he had. ¡°So, are you saying you won¡¯t give me my reward? Despite being a monarch of devildom?¡± What do you think the King of Essence is? A human that tells lies habitually? I keep my word, even if it is rigged! At the same time as the stat increase message appeared, his whole body shivered, as if he had been electrocuted. ¡°Haaaa¡­¡± The exhration of his body and mind growing at once was so electric, he would never get used to it. He could perform any mission if that was for that reward. * * * * * * Clench. He tried clenching his fist. With his stats increased by 4 at once, he could feel a clear difference in his grip and muscle strength. It wasn¡¯t just the rewards. Thanks to his continuous training, his stats had increased a lot. The bigger numbers filled him with joy, just from looking at the status window. Tsk. Wrath clicked his tongue while ncing at the status window that he couldn¡¯t even see. It looked like he was extremely unsatisfied. Are you happy? ¡®I¡¯m happy.¡¯ Raon responded without hesitation. Well, you shouldn¡¯t be. No matter how strong you get, you are just a possessed body for the King of Essence. There¡¯s nothing in the world that the King of Essence can¡¯t aplish. While murmuring that the time was near, he emanated coldness. ¡°Ah, okay.¡± The temperature had gotten so low that frost fell on his skin, but he didn¡¯t feel cold at all thanks to his ¡®Water Resistance¡¯. ¡°Do your best.¡± He pushed away Wrath by shuddering lightly and stood up. Don¡¯t underestimate the King of Essence. Even if it takes a hundred years, your body will end up bing mine. ¡®Alright.¡¯ Gaaaah! When Wrath¡¯s coldness started to erupt like a volcano, he opened the door and went outside. Underestimate him? Of course he wouldn¡¯t. Wrath was an enemy, and the most dangerous one at that. The reason that he cultivated ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ every day, and that he trained his body and mind, was so that he didn¡¯t lose his body to him. Although he acted rxed in front of him, he was never careless. Dying in vain once was enough. He had to be stronger in order to survive, and for the sake of his revenge. Raon left the dormitory and went back to the training ground, where everyone had left. He swung his sword the whole night. *** Three months had passed since Raon sparred with the third prince of the Owen Kingdom. He easily defeated the third prince, who was called the future strongest sword of the kingdom, but Raon only focused on training¡ªas if his victory was left in the past. He recently obtained the nickname ¡®training ghost¡¯, or ¡®training genius¡¯, from the trainees. Though, they only called him by that when he wasn¡¯t around. ¡°I can¡¯t even properly see his sword anymore.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that guy look even stronger now? His swordsmanship and footwork have gotten even more natural.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t just look it; he must be stronger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too much.¡± The coteral trainees were filled with amazement, watching Raon keep training like a person possessed. ¡°I thought I caught up to him a little, but there¡¯s no way.¡± ¡°Same. Though, I also trained until the soles of my shoes became rugged¡­¡± The trainees were already impressed and had increased their training time when Raon managed to beat Martha. It wasn¡¯t just after the spars with the Owen Kingdom. They¡¯d thought the difference between them and Raon would¡¯ve decreased a little thanks to their training, but it wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°This is, erm¡­¡± ¡°Difference in talent.¡± ¡°Yes. The talent we are born with is different. We can¡¯t help it if effort can¡¯t bridge the gap¡­¡± ¡°Do you really believe you¡¯ve done your best from one pair of shoes getting rugged?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The trainees turned around when they heard the sharp voice. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°L-Lord Burren!¡± Burren was twisting his lips, his arms crossed. ¡°It¡¯s easy when you just praise him with a cool word like talent. You can convince yourself that you can¡¯t do it anyway, even if you do your best. However.¡± Walking past the trainees, he continued. ¡°You can only say that after breaking ten pairs of shoes, rather than just one.¡± His words weren''t directed to the trainees, but to himself¡ªthe one that had been jealous of Raon without knowing how hard he¡¯d worked. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize to me. It¡¯s your life, after all.¡± Burren picked up the training sword that was behind the trainees and headed towards the center of the training ground. ¡°Young master Burren¡­ Doesn¡¯t it feel like he¡¯s be softer?¡± ¡°He would¡¯vepletely ignored us before¡­¡± ¡°Hey, someone ising. Shut your mouth!¡± ¡°Hup!¡± The trainees closed their mouths, seeing Martha approaching from the left side. Tap. Martha took out a training shoulder and put it on her shoulder. Fluttering the short hair that barely reached her shoulders, she walked towards the training ground before she stopped. ¡°He became softer?¡± She nced at the trainees with clear disdain. ¡°He is like a volcano right before its eruption, yet you call him soft. Your eyes are worse than a rotten orc¡¯s.¡± Martha sneered and walked towards the training ground. Raon and Runaan moved their bodies without any break, and Burren and Martha swung their swords without losing to him. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so breathtaking.¡± The trainees sighed, shaking their heads. Monsters lived in the fifth training ground. And there were four of them¡­ ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. But¡­¡± One of the trainees was looking at his training shoes, before he raised his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the best ce to increase our abilities?¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The other trainees nodded. They¡¯d certainly been improving a lot faster ever since they arrived at the fifth training ground. ¡°We should start as well.¡± Finishing their short break, the trainees entered the training ground once again, wielding training swords. ¡°How nice.¡± Rimmer was sitting on the tree behind them with a smile on his face. ¡°With the pirs holding on so well, the rest follow.¡± He looked at Raon, Burren, Runaan, and Martha¡ªin that order¡ªas they swung their swords in the middle of the training ground. Since those four children, all with different characteristics, were doing their best¡­ Those who were behind naturally followed. The four of them were actually contributing to the children¡¯s growth more than the instructors. ¡°Hmm.¡± Rimmer curled his red hair as he sat on the tree, then nodded. ¡°It should be fine to have them participate in a real battle.¡± Chapter 46 Raon dashed forward and shed his sword. The burning de mercilessly ripped apart the evening air. Creak! The aura¡¯s reverberation after splitting the ground gouged the floor of the training ground like a beast¡¯s w. It was a dash type sword technique, created frombining the ''Star-Combining Sword'' and thest movement of the ¡®River Footwork¡¯. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Raon nodded, spinning his sword. Even if one saw through the technique, it would¡¯ve been difficult to block it because of its great power and speed. ¡®And of course, that¡¯s not all.¡¯ It was a surprise attack that could be used whenever or wherever, like a knife hidden in the back. It couldn¡¯t be helped that he kept thinking about surprise attacks, since the temperament of an assassin still seemed to remain. He turned his head around, hearing a humming sound. Runaan was watching her sword with nk eyes. However, the bottom of those nk eyes were shining slightly. It was an expression full of expectation. It seemed like she wanted him to teach her the technique. ¡°Haap!¡± As if she was copying him, Runaan kicked off from the ground and thrust her sword in the air. Without any speed, power, nor the principle of a surprise attack, all she was doing was copying his posture. However, since her talent and abilities were excellent to start with, the movement was going to be pretty difficult to block. ¡°Is this right?¡± Runaan swung her sword a few more times, then tilted her head to ask him whether that was correct. ¡°Rather than that, with the legs¡ªlike this¡­¡± Since he thought she might end up killing someone in a spar, he corrected her posture a little. Whoosh! When Runaan¡¯s posture was mostly corrected, a cool wind came over the training ground¡¯s walls. Rimmer had arrived. When he arrived on time, he entered by kicking open the front door. When he waste, he came in over the walls. That meant that it was already past the end of training. ¡°Hmph!¡± Rimmer sat at the edge of the tform and looked down on the trainees. ¡°Instructor, you are ten minuteste.¡± ¡°Good job on your training today.¡± Ignoring Burren¡¯s remark, he turned his head. ¡°Ten minutes are enough time to swing a sword ten thousand times.¡± ¡°Haa? That¡¯s going too far! Ugh!¡± Rimmer frowned after answering Burren''s ridiculous statement. He seemed to have realized that was his purpose. ¡°Ahem. Anyway, I have two things to tell you today. The first is about the sixth training ground.¡± ¡°The sixth training ground?¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s where those who¡¯ve failed here went, right?¡± The trainees tilted their heads, asking why he was suddenly talking about the training ground where the dropouts went. ¡°Apparently their pride was hurt because of the way that the Owen Kingdom¡¯s envoys belittled them and only asked to spar with the fifth training ground. They are now training until they bleed in order to catch up to us.¡± Rimmer grinned, saying that he was proud of the sixth training ground¡¯s trainees. ¡°The direct line and the coteral that dropped out due to injury also joined them recently, and they are training using the most difficult method, so you shouldn¡¯t be careless. Do your best every moment so that they won¡¯t catch up to you. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not even possible to catch up.¡± The trainees pouted. Since they¡¯d made a huge gap already, they didn¡¯t seem to feel the necessity to be careful about them. ¡°Hah.¡± Rimmer nodded, as if he had already expected that reaction, and told them the second bit of news. ¡°There will be very special training next week.¡± ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± Dorian, who was already scared, started trembling. ¡°Special training, huh?¡± ¡°What is it? What else is left to do?¡± Since Rimmer had done many strange things in the past, every trainee felt uneasy, not just Dorian. ¡°Of course it¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Instructor, you have to tell us in advance what kind of training it is so that we can prepare ourselves.¡± Burren raised his hand and argued with reason, but of course it didn¡¯t work against Rimmer. ¡°It¡¯s not fun if I tell you. No matter what it is, you¡¯ll be able to do it if you train hard enough.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Since he wasn¡¯t wrong, Burren pouted and lowered his hand. ¡°But if I were to give you a hint¡­¡± Rimmer raised one finger and smiled. Unlike his usual light or cheerful smile, it was filled with an intense fighting spirit. ¡°It¡¯s a real battle.¡± ¡°A real battle?¡± ¡°That was unexpected.¡± The trainees¡¯ eyes widened at hearing that it was a real battle instead of a spar. ¡°It¡¯s not unexpected, but it was about time. Since you said you would prepare, I¡¯ll tell you one thing for sure.¡± The craftiness around in his expression started to disappear. His smile was instead filled with a frightening amount of seriousness. ¡°You should be prepared for bloodshed.¡± *** After training, Rimmer left the household and went to the entertainment street located in the western suburb. He walked down the street while humming and entered the pub called the ¡®Wooden Lotus¡¯, located at the eastern end. Unlike its elegant name, the pub was old-fashioned and messy. The seats were full and deafening noise wasing from the people talking all over the ce. Rimmer nodded, apparently enjoying the messy atmosphere, and approached the middle-aged man sitting alone on the right side. ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± Sitting in front of the middle-aged man, he grinned. ¡°Because magicians have enough time to waste.¡± The middle-aged man was wearing a ck robe. He was reading a book when Rimmer spoke to him and he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Sir Rimmer.¡± ¡°How have you been, my dear drinkingpanion?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been living well, and idle.¡± ¡°You look rxed, thanks to bing the vice master of magic tower.¡± ¡°Haha. Isn¡¯t Sir Rimmer the one with plenty of time to spare? The title ¡®sry thief¡¯ was created for you.¡± The middle-aged man grinned, closing his book. ¡°Since I¡¯ve been pretty busy recently, I miss the days when I used to do nothing but drink with you.¡± ¡°I heard you spend a lot of time with the trainees, that you look after them with utmost care.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that much.¡± Their conversation went as smooth as velvet. It looked like they were close acquaintances. ¡°Verbin. What have you been doing recently?¡± ¡°Since Sir Rimmer doesn¡¯te out to drink any more, reading books has been my only joy in life recently.¡± The man named Verbin shook the book he was holding. ¡°Since researching and reading books are the only things to do in the magic tower.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Rimmer nodded, looking at the magic book in Verbin¡¯s hand. ¡°So, why did you call me out today? Judging from your expression, it wasn¡¯t simply to have drinks together.¡± ¡°I did want to drink, but I also have a request.¡± ¡°A request?¡± ¡°Since my students have be pretty talented, I want to let them experience a real fight against monsters.¡± ¡°Hmm. In that case, you could¡¯ve made an official request.¡± Verbin tilted his head. Letting trainees fight the monsters was one of the official curriculums. There was no reason for him to visit him personally to make a request. ¡°I¡¯d like to add a few things.¡± ¡°What would you like to add?¡± ¡°Since my boys are pretty strong, the normal monsters won¡¯t be helpful at all.¡± ¡°Ah. I heard they beat up the knight trainees from the Owen Kingdom.¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Rimmer grinned with a sharp noise. He was in a good mood, almost as if he was drunk, from receivingpliments on his students from an old friend of his. ¡°I want to strengthen the monsters that would fight against the trainees. At around an advanced sword beginner level.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. A guy who entered the magic tower a few years ago is specialized in summoning and controlling monsters. He can even make a worm have the power of a dragon.¡± ¡°I-is that even possible?¡± ¡°That was a joke.¡± ¡°Ah, seriously¡­¡± ¡°Well, a worm can¡¯t be like a dragon, but it¡¯s pretty easy to make an orc an advanced sword beginner. Although we can¡¯t strengthen many of them at once, and it¡¯s only limited to one at a time.¡± Verbin murmured that it wasn¡¯t really a difficult task. ¡°Thank you. And one more thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Can you use the hallucination magic to make the monster look like a human?¡± ¡°That¡¯s also an easy task. Since they are children that haven¡¯t even reached an Expert¡¯s level, one artifact with hallucination magic would be enough.¡± ¡°Great. Please do that, too.¡± Rimmer flicked his finger and gulped down the beer on the table at once. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the trial be too difficult to ovee for the trainees if strengthening and hallucination magic are used at the same time?¡± Verbin furrowed his brow, caressing his ss. ¡°It will be difficult enough for them to fight against an orc with strengthened physical abilities. If they saw it as a human, they won¡¯t even be able to swing their swords properly.¡± ¡°Hell yeah! This is the taste!¡± Rimmer eximed, mming down his ss of beer on the table. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°I said it would be difficult for the trainees to win. Monster strengthening is one thing, but it¡¯s really difficult for little children to kill a monster that they see as a human.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Because my students are swordsmen, not little children. Moreover¡­¡± Rimmer grinned. Anticipation and joy were mixed in his dark green eyes. ¡°They are strong, both in body and mind.¡± * * * * * * The magicalmp chased off the darkness in the fifth training ground. Most of the trainees had returned to their homes, but some children still remained, swinging their swords. Runaan Sullion was one of them. Staying in the training ground, she practiced the stab that Raon had shown her. Pang! Runaan lowered her posture and thrust her sword. A fast and powerful strike pierced through the air, but it didn¡¯t feel right. ¡®I can¡¯t do it well.¡¯ Raon¡¯s stab was smooth and rxed, rather than powerful. It felt so natural that she didn¡¯t even realize he was about to stab. No matter how many times she watched, she couldn¡¯t understand how he¡¯d done that. She looked towards the indoor gymnasium. Raon was currently doing his muscle training, and she didn¡¯t want to bother him. ¡®Let¡¯s try a few more times.¡¯ Getting ready once again, she thrust her sword into the air. She tried changing her posture, but the strike wasn¡¯t really different. ¡®One more time.¡¯ The sound of a de piercing the air changed slightly. The speed and power were reduced slightly, but the edge of the sword seemed a bit rxed. She stopped moving her hand when the moon rising from the east moved by the size of two creases on a finger. ¡°Haa.¡± Runaan visibly nodded. ¡®It worked, a little.¡¯ She still had a long way to go before catching up to Raon, but thest movement of the ''Star-Combining Sword'' had clearly changed. Despite its strength and speed being reduced, itsbination and smoothness had be far better. T/N: The ¡®Combination Sword¡¯ will be referred to as the ¡®Star-Combining Sword¡¯ from this moment on. ¡°Hmm.¡± Runaan looked at the indoor gymnasium once again. The light was still on, and shouts of concentration from Raon, Burren, and Martha could be heard. While she was wondering about what to do, she remembered what her mother had told her. "I¡¯ll have the bead ice cream ready for you, soe back early on the weekend." ¡®I gotta go.¡¯ Runaan immediately returned the training sword. Deciding to ask him about what she wascking next week, she left the training ground. It was when she was about to run towards the training grounds outside in order to quickly return to where the maids were waiting that it happened. A man¡¯s shadow was visible in a dark alley. ¡°Runaan.¡± As she was about to pass by and ignore him, the shadow took a step forward and called her name. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan stood still. Her eyes, which were always nk, were shaking as if they were hit by a wave. The man appeared. With short silver hair and dark purple eyes, he was a handsome young man with an appearance simr to Runaan¡¯s. ¡°Bro¡­ther?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Runaan took a step back with trembling lips, and the man took three steps forward, smiling softly. Syria Sullion. He was Runaan¡¯s older brother, and the man who put his name on the Twelve Stars of the Continent as the biggest genius in the history of House Sullion. ¡°Ah¡­¡± However, Runaan¡ªwho¡¯d seen Syria after a long time¡ªwas as white as a sheet, as if she¡¯d encountered a powerful opponent instead of her older brother. ¡°Runaan, didn¡¯t I tell you to not make that face?¡± Syria smiled. His smile was rxed, and his speech was soft. However, if one looked at his expression carefully, they would¡¯ve felt terrified. Because unlike his mouth, his eyes weren¡¯t smiling at all. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Runaan clenched her teeth and lowered her head. As if she forced her turbulent emotions to calm down, her trembling purple eyes settled down in the darkness. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how you should be.¡± Syria kept smiling and approached Runaan to stroke her head. ¡°It looks like Rimmer¡¯s training is pretty good. You¡¯ve be stronger than I thought.¡± He bent over and met Runaan¡¯s eyes. At that moment, the mask on Syria¡¯s face was dropped. His expression was as stiff as a rotten tree, and the light disappeared from his eyes. He looked like an emotionless monster. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t be doing things like going onto a battlefield, or dueling with your life on the line.¡± His voice also changed. It was a terribly dry voice, like the desert¡¯s north wind that dried lives up to death. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s shoulders trembled. Grabbing her own hands, she stepped backward. ¡°Hmm, did it be weaker? I need to carve it into you again.¡± Syria put his hand in his coat¡¯s inner pocket. He took out a round-eyed squirrel. ¡°Was Ruby the name of the squirrel you used to raise?¡¯ ¡°B-brother?¡± Runaan stopped stepping back. She extended her hand towards the squirrel, trying to grab it. ¡°You will remember now. The way Ruby died, and the reason you became afraid of blood.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± Syria smiled with his immobile eyes and put force on his right hand. With a sting sound, his hand that used to hold a squirrel in it only had a handful of bloodstains remaining. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Runaan screamed and sank to her knees, but nobody could hear the sound because of the energy barrier that Syria had put up. ¡°Runaan.¡± Syria approached Runaan, who was on her knees. He whispered in her ears with a lifeless voice. ¡°You are mine. Until that dayes, don¡¯t do anything dangerous or difficult.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Just keep breathing until I need you¡­¡± Bang! As Syria was about to brainwash Runaan, a thundering noise resounded throughout the alley. A blonde-haired boy appeared through the dust rising from the crumbled ground. His red eyes were staring at Syria. ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 47 After finishing the strength and agility training in the indoor gymnasium, he went outside to the outdoor gymnasium. ¡®She isn¡¯t here.¡¯ Since he kept hearing the thrusting sounds of a sword, he thought Runaan was there. However, he couldn¡¯t see her. Strangely, it looked like she¡¯d left first. ¡®It¡¯s annoying when she is around, but I miss her a bit now that she is gone.¡¯ Runaan would always wait for him to finish training, then leave after saying goodbye with a nod. It didn¡¯t feel like anything special, but now that he didn¡¯t get that greeting, he missed it a little. ¡®Howe I¡¯m missing that? Was I brainwashed?¡¯ Raon smirked and left the training ground. Since Burren and Martha were still in there, he didn¡¯t need to clear up like he usually did. How pathetic. ¡®What?¡¯ It shouldn¡¯t be the time to think about such a thing. ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ ...... Wrath didn¡¯t continue. Without saying anything, he just stared towards the west. ¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯ Raon turned his head towards the direction that Wrath was looking. Even though he couldn¡¯t sense anything, he had a strange feeling. ¡®Just in case.¡¯ Rotating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, he used the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯. He also activated the ¡®Perception of the Snow Flower¡¯ to spread his perception wide. Tick! Something was caught up in his perception nearby. However, he still couldn¡¯t sense anything. Which meant¡­ ¡®Someone has used an energy barrier.¡¯ An unknown person had used their aura to block sound and their presence. ¡®I should go check.¡¯ He normally wouldn¡¯t have cared what they were doing, but he figured he should check it out because of Wrath¡¯s reaction. Using the shadow footwork topletely hide his presence in case he needed to run away, he ran towards where the area energy barrier was set up. Inside the dark alley, without any of the house¡¯s swordsman guards, two people were standing. One of them was Runaan, and the other was a tall man. ¡®Why is she there? And that expression is¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought Runaan had returned home, but she was grabbing her hands right in front of him. Her expression was normal, but her eyes seemed frightened. He looked at the man. A handsome man with silver hair and purple eyes like Runaan was standing there with a greatsword on his back. ¡®Syria Sullion.¡¯ He¡¯d heard that name in his previous life. He was the genius of House Sullion, who¡¯d put his name on the Twelve Stars of the Continent, who are the twelve monsters that are expected to be the Ten Heavens of the Continent in the future. ¡®Why is she afraid?¡¯ Despite seeing her older brother, Runaan didn¡¯t smile or look happy. Instead, she was as scared as a rabbit that had met a savage beast. Syria was saying something to Runaan, but he couldn¡¯t really hear it. He suddenly took out a cute squirrel from his chest and offered it to Runaan. Then, the moment Runaan extended her hand, he crushed the squirrel. Arrrgh! Although he couldn¡¯t hear the sound because of the energy barrier, he could at least tell that Runaan was screaming. With a terrifyingly dry expression, Syria approached Runaan and started to whisper in her ear. ¡®I have to stop him.¡¯ He didn¡¯t understand what was going on, but it felt like he couldn¡¯t let him continue. Raon advanced, fully utilizing the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯. Bang! The ground copsed and a thundering noise burst out. He could see Syria frowning, stepping away from Runaan. ¡°Who are you?¡± Without missing his opportunity, Raon stood in front of Runaan. Tilting his head, he red at Syria. ¡°Who are you to be bullying Runaan?¡± He had to pretend he didn¡¯t know him. If he knew that Syria was Runaan¡¯s family, he couldn¡¯t interfere. After all, he was her family. However, if he pretended that he didn¡¯t know, it became possible for him to interfere. ¡°If you are asking for someone¡¯s name, shouldn¡¯t you give yours first?¡± Syria smiled leisurely. ¡°That¡¯s not something you should say when you set up an energy barrier in an alley like this. Are you a thief?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Syria frowned as Raon mocked him. However, it felt like he was acting¡ªas if he was pretending to be angry when he was neither flustered nor angry. ¡®I know the type of person that would act like this would be.¡¯ Derus Robert, who¡¯d killed him in his previous life. He could smell the same stench from Syria. ¡°Ah, I guess you could misunderstand like that. But I¡¯m neither a thief nor a stranger. I¡¯m her older brother.¡± Syria pointed at Runaan, who was behind Raon. ¡°......¡± Blocking Syria¡¯s gaze, Raon took a nce at Runaan. Her expression was still nk, but it was a different kind of nkness than usual. She looked like she was immensely shocked, with her shoulders trembling so much that he felt sorry for her. ¡°She looks like she¡¯s scared. Are you really her older brother?¡± ¡°Ah, I yed a prank on her, since we haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. Now she¡¯s like that.¡± ¡°Is crushing a squirrel in your hand a prank?¡± ¡°Ah, this isn¡¯t real. It¡¯s just a toy.¡± When Syria swung his hand, the bloodstains in his hand and floor turned into ash and were blown away. He¡¯dpletely melted the flesh and blood using his aura. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would¡¯ve really killed a squirrel, right?¡± A terrifying pressure emanated from his entire body. It was a stench of death, simr to the scent he¡¯d gotten from Derus before dying to him. Insolence. How dare a mere human threaten the King of Essence¡¯s possessed body? Raon didn¡¯t respond and pulled up his pressure. Just as Wrath said, he was threatening him. He was warning him that he should withdraw, since he could kill him exactly the same way. However, he hadn¡¯te without any preparation. ¡°Raon! You bastard, did you just damage the House¡¯s property!¡± Burren, who was on the training ground, ran out. The swordsmen that were standing guard were also running towards them. He could also hear Martha cursing from afar about her training being disturbed. ¡°Raon. You were Raon Zieghart. I see.¡± Syria¡¯s eyes turnedpletely dark, like a bead covered in a ck ink. Raon¡¯s hair prickled because his eyes looked like his emotions had been rubbed out. ¡°It really is a misunderstanding. Since I received a long-term mission right after I¡¯ve returned, I just wanted to give my little sister some snacks.¡± He took out a rectangr box and put it on the ground. The shape and design were slightly different, but it was a bead ice cream box. ¡°Runaan.¡± Syria¡¯s eyes changed once again. They were the eyes of an older brother looking at his beloved little sister. ¡°You have a great friend. Keep getting along with him in the future.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry if my pranks were excessive. Please take care, see you again next time.¡± He waved his hand and disappeared, as if he became the wind. ¡°No way. Was he actually the Syria Sullion from the Twelve Stars of the Continent?¡± Burren gasped, looking at where Syria used to be. ¡°His atmosphere is different. He isn¡¯t one of the Twelve Stars for nothing.¡± ¡°Indeed, he is different.¡± Raon nodded. Since he was called a genius and a hero, he¡¯d never thought he was such a crazy bastard. ¡°Runaan.¡± He turned around to look at Runaan. Her expression was the same as always, but her eyes were shaking. It looked like she was still scared. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll see you off.¡± Since Syria said he had a mission, he wasn¡¯t going to be at home. ¡°... Okay.¡± Runaan nodded slowly and stood up. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Burren approached them, holding the bead ice cream box in his hand. ¡°Nothing special.¡± Raon epted the box instead and shook his head. ¡°Is that so?¡± Burren didn¡¯t press any further. ¡°Tell me if you need any help. As a fellow trainee, I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help you.¡± After saying that, he left the alley. ¡®He really has grown up a lot.¡¯ Burren had changed so much, to the point that it made him proud just watching him. But the King of Essence still doesn¡¯t like his eyes¡­ ¡®Thank you.¡¯ What? ¡®It was thanks to you that I could save Runaan. I¡¯m not sure if I really managed to save her, though.¡¯ Ahem! That girl is the King of Essence¡¯s ice cream girl. I only told you about it because it felt like I couldn¡¯t eat any more ice cream if something troublesome happened. ¡®That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m thanking you for.¡¯ Then ask her to give some of that ice cream¡­ ¡®I could¡¯ve seen you in a different light if you hadn¡¯t said that.¡¯ Raon tapped Wrath away with his hand. That damn monarch really couldn¡¯t read the situation. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± He brought Runaan to where the people from House Sullion were waiting. Raon didn¡¯t say anything as he walked next to Runaan. It was someone else¡¯s family, and he didn¡¯t know their exact circumstances. He was well aware that trying to awkwardlyfort her wasn¡¯t going to help in any way. When Runaan¡¯s steps became slow, he did the same. He stopped when she did. He just silently walked next to her, keeping his pace with her. It didn¡¯t take long until House Sullion¡¯s carriage and maids came into sight. Raon watched until Runaan got on the carriage, then handed her over the ice cream box that he was holding. ¡°Thank you.¡± Runaan left after speaking the words glumly, where she had once said them with a cheerful voice. * * * * * * When Runaan arrived at the mansion, Rokan Sullion came out to meet her. ¡°Runaan! Good job on your training.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded and left the carriage. ¡°Did you meet your older brother? He went to you, saying he wanted to give you a present personally.¡± ¡°... Mhm.¡± After taking a deep breath, Runaan showed him the ice cream box. Her eyes were nk, as usual. ¡°It¡¯s your favorite ice cream. He seems to always think about you, despite being busy with missions and training.¡± Rokan murmured that he didn¡¯t get any presents for him and burst intoughter. Runaan clenched her jaw. She considered revealing everything that happened, but she felt like everything she¡¯d been protecting would copse. ¡°... I¡¯m going to rest.¡± Swallowing her words, she went up the mansion¡¯s stairs. ¡°Of course! You must be tired. Rest well.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Rokan gestured his hand to go ahead. Runaan nodded and went to the second floor. ¡°Haa.¡± Once Runaan entered her room, she sighed and settled on the ground. Biting her lip, she opened the ice cream box. It was her favorite ice cream, but she didn¡¯t want to touch it. She could only remember her older brother¡¯s face. ¡®He came again. He is the same as before.¡¯ Syria Sullion hadn¡¯t always been like that. After he came back from his second mission, where he was the only survivor, he¡¯d changed. It was as if he was apletely different person¡­ And only towards her. For everyone else, he was still the kind and polite genius swordsman. But to her, he¡¯d be a monster of obsession of unknown origins. ¡®Ruby¡­¡¯ The Ruby that he¡¯d spoken about was a red-eyed squirrel that lived in a nearby tree when she was younger. Since they got along, she¡¯d named her Ruby and used to y with her every day. But one day, Ruby scratched her hand. Ruby was stressed out during her pregnancy and had caused a very small injury. However, Syria¡ªwho¡¯d seen it¡ªcaught every squirrel, including Ruby, in the area. Then he¡¯d crushed them in front of her eyes. That was when he told her. ¡®You are mine. You can¡¯t get hurt. Just keep breathing and live on.¡¯ If she told her father or mother about it, the house would be broken into pieces. He threatened that he would burn everyone except for her. After that day, Runaan stopped speaking. Since someone else could fall victim, she didn¡¯t get close to anyone¡ªhumans and animals alike¡ªand spoke as sparsely as she could. She¡¯d been living alone like that, and one day she met a loner, a boy who looked even more lonely and full of suffering than herself. Raon. At first, she was just curious about how he could grow so quickly, and how he could endure with his bad constitution and stamina. Simple curiosity. She¡¯d approached him because she was a little bit curious about his growth. That was how she was able to learn. She learned what kind of person Raon was. How much effort he¡¯d been putting in, and the kind of hardships he went through. Looking at the boy that changed other people¡¯s gazes with effort, she thought she could also change herself, and actually started to change. Thanks to Raon and the trainees from the fifth training ground, she¡¯d started to forget about her fear of Syria. But she had been reminded of that fear once again. Runaan kept staring at the ice cream inside the box until itpletely melted. ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡± Lowering her head between her knees, she murmured in a wet voice. ¡°Everything will be okay, as long as I endure it.¡± It seemed like she couldn¡¯t eat the ice cream ever again. *** After Raon saw Runaan off and went to the dormitory, Wrath burst from the bracelet. Was he really human? ¡®What?¡¯ The one supposed to be the ice cream girl¡¯s older brother. ¡®Ah. He was a weirdo for sure.¡¯ Raon nodded. Syria certainly had a friendly and soft atmosphere, but he also felt terrifying¡ªlike facing darkness. In particr, his eyes when he was threatening were devoid of life, like a dried-out leaf. It sent chills down the spine just from looking at them. However, his acting was top notch. If he didn¡¯t see him crushing the squirrel and threatening Runaan, he would¡¯ve been tricked as well. ¡®He¡¯s a crazy bastard, just like Derus.¡¯ Syria didn¡¯t seem to feel human emotions. Unlike Raon, who¡¯d been taught that way, it looked like something was broken in him. ¡®But since he said he is on a long-term mission, he won¡¯t be back for a while.¡¯ As long as he is the ice cream girl¡¯s older brother, problems will keep happening. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ Even if Syria didn¡¯t return for several years, he would end up meeting Runaan over and over in the future, as he was her family. No, maybe he is still keeping a watch on her. What was contained in his dry eyes was clearly an obsession. Give me your body. I¡¯ll kill him and return it to you. ¡®Huh?¡¯ The King of Essence returns the favor twice and gets back at an enemy tenfold. Since the girl showed me a new world called the bead ice cream, I can do this much for her. ¡®You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡¯ Raon sneered and shook his hand. I¡¯m serious! ¡®Even if you are serious, that can¡¯t happen.¡¯ Why? ¡®He traumatized Runaan. Even if you kill him, the trauma won¡¯t disappear. At worst, she might end up being even more suffocated. In this case, she has to stand up on her own, and¡­¡¯ Raon tapped the ground with his finger. ¡®If it¡¯s about killing him, I can do it too.¡¯ In his previous and current lifebined, Runaan was a stranger who was the most considerate towards him. Since he¡¯d received a huge amount of help, he could kill Syria for her. You¡¯ve really lost your senses. You won¡¯t be able to win against him even if there were a hundred of you. He is already a master. Wrath frowned, telling him to stop his nonsense. ¡®He certainly is strong.¡¯ If you know that, why are you sprouting nonsense? ¡®Because that¡¯s not the reason why a de can¡¯t cut his throat.¡¯ Raon tapped the sheath of his sword, emanating a chilly pressure. ¡°There is more than one way of killing somebody.¡± Chapter 48 Even though House Zieghart mostly consisted of swordsmen, it also employed a magic tower because of various necessities. Although the magic tower¡¯s magicians were treated pretty well, since they couldn¡¯t be the main members of the family they were often looked down upon by the swordsmen. Jake was a fifth-circle magician of magic tower that felt bad about the situation. Sry, free time, and research funds were all top notch, but the fact that they were looked down on by the swordsmen and that they weren¡¯t the key members of the family felt suffocating. While he had such thoughts, he was invited to the Central Martial Pce for the first time, where one of the most important members of the house, Karoon Zieghart, resided. Jake swallowed hard and raised his head. He felt an intense pressure from Karoon Zieghart, who was looking at him. His throat trembled. ¡®Why did he call me?¡¯ Their status was as far apart as the earth from the heavens, and they weren¡¯t rted in any way. He couldn¡¯t understand why he had called him. ¡°I heard that you will be supporting the fifth training ground for actual battle training next week.¡± ¡°Ah, yes! That¡¯s true.¡± Jake lowered his head with a trembling voice. He was supposed to support the fifth training ground¡¯s actual battle training, following Verbin¡¯smand as the vice master of the magic tower. ¡°I called on you because I have a request.¡± ¡°A request¡­?¡± Karoon was one of the influential figures of Zieghart. Granting his request would certainly help him immensely in the future. ¡°P-please tell me.¡± Stuttering a bit, Jake lowered his head. ¡°In this actual battle training, I heard an orc was going to be summoned against the children.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°About that orc, can it be strengthened?¡± ¡°That was already requested by the fifth training ground¡¯s head instructor. He said a normal orc wasn¡¯t suitable for the drill because the trainees are too good.¡± ¡°Ah, not just that, but I¡¯m asking if it can be strengthened to a point where they stand no chance of winning.¡± ¡®Should they have no chance of winning?¡¯ Jake swallowed. ¡®Is he targeting one of the children?¡¯ It looked like Karoon was nning to either kill or hurt one of the children from the fifth training ground. ¡°It¡¯s possible! If you tell me which trainee is your target¡­¡± ¡°Target? That¡¯s some strange thing to say.¡± Karoon¡¯s cold voice resounded throughout the extensive Central Martial Pce. ¡°Ah, e-excuse me. I need to be careful since my magic sometimes goes awry. Which trainee should I be paying attention to in particr?¡± ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s Raon.¡± Karoon, who seemed satisfied with his wording, slowly nodded. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Jake¡¯s eyes shone. He knew that Raon had defeated Burren, who was Karoon¡¯s son. He could finally understand Karoon¡¯s intentions. ¡®He is targeting Raon.¡¯ After winning against the third prince of the Owen Kingdom recently, he¡¯d been praised as the very best among the trainees. There was no doubt that Karoon¡¯s target was Raon. ¡°Despite it being a drill, it¡¯s prettymon to get injured during actual battle training. And there are rare asions of that injury being permanent.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve seen that happen a few times as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve prepared a decent monster.¡± When Karoon snapped his fingers, the butler that was standing at his right side brought along an orc over two meters tall. Jake swallowed hard. He could immediately tell since he was very experienced with dealing with orcs. Even though the orc in front of him looked in, he was at an extraordinary level. ¡°It¡¯s an orc from the Don Mountains.¡± ¡°Don Mountains¡­¡± The Don Mountains were a vicious area where many powerful monsters resided. An orc living there would¡¯ve been at apletely different level from a normal orc. ¡°I¡¯d like you to look after him by sending out this orc, so that no misfortune will happen to him.¡± Karoon rolled up the corners of his lips. He told him to look after him, but he meant to give him a permanent injury using the orc. ¡°Ah. And if, by any chance, the orc ends up causing trouble¡ªtake care of it immediately, so that it won¡¯t cause any problem afterwards. If you properlyplete this job, I¡¯ll rmend you as the vice master of the magic tower in the future.¡± ¡°Th-thank you!¡± ¡°You should leave.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll obey no matter what.¡± Jake bowed until his nose almost touched the ground. Saving the orc using the Save Monster magic, he left Karoon¡¯s room. ¡°Did anyone see hime here?¡± Karoon turned his head to the butler that had brought the orc. ¡°Since he took a detour to the inner part, there¡¯s no one that knows the magician came to this ce.¡± ¡°He has quick wits. Support him once he sessfully handles this matter.¡± ¡°Shall I support him until he bes the vice master of the magic tower?¡± ¡°Of course not. Just enough that he will do anything to get more.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The butler smiled. He bowed his head and left the room. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Karoon murmured Raon¡¯s name in a low voice. He won against his son Burren, defeated Martha, and made the third prince kneel even though he was called Owen¡¯s future. As the master of Central Martial Pce and division leader of Striding Steads, it wasn¡¯t a big deal to him. However, his activity was bing an eyesore. More importantly, he was getting Father¡¯s attention, albeit slightly. He wasn¡¯t going to be an obstacle to Karoon bing the head of house, but getting rid of annoying things as fast as possible was the correct course of action. ¡®I should get rid of him before he grows up even more.¡¯ That was the way he¡¯d grown up, and the method he was taught in that cold ce. * * * * * * After finishing his night training in the training ground, Raon returned to the annex building. He walked through the hallway silently because it waste at night, yet Sylvia¡¯s door burst open. ¡°Raon!¡± Aa the door collided against the wall, Sylvia dashed out, a red light radiating from her eyes. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Did you just say ugh from seeing your mother? Ugggghhhh?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Did you promise to stroll through the garden with your mom or not?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®I forgot.¡¯ Because of what happened the day before, he was so focused on training that he¡¯dpletely forgotten about it. ¡°You forgot! You definitely forgot!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°What are you saying? This is the first time in three days that I¡¯m seeing you awake!¡± Sylvia walked towards him and raised her hand. ¡°M-Mom?¡± Raon stepped back, frowning. ¡°Why do you think I asked you to promise me a stroll?¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Training is great, but resting is also important. Because rest is part of training.¡± Sylvia smiled softly and started patting Raon''s head. ¡°Since you are training at the training ground every day, please rest when you are here. At least for half a day.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Raon lowered his head. ¡®I don¡¯t know what to do whenever I¡¯m in front of her.¡¯ Sylvia, Helen, and the maids. It wasn¡¯t that he disliked them. If he actually disliked them, he would¡¯ve run away already. Since he was afraid of his affection growing even further towards those who¡¯d been taking care of him since birth, he was forcing himself to keep a distance from them. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°You say that whenever Ie back.¡± ¡°Of course! I have to ask, since my son¡¯s goal is to be a swordsman!¡± Even before hearing the answer, she started to check different parts of Raon¡¯s body. Ignoring him even when he said he was okay, she only released him once she confirmed he was alright. ¡°I told you I wasn¡¯t hurt. I¡¯ll be going, then¡­¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Sylvia shook her head and hugged Raon tightly. ¡°I stink of sweat.¡± Since he¡¯d returned after training without washing his body, he was in terrible condition. But Sylvia didn¡¯t let him go. ¡°It doesn¡¯t stink at all, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It feels great to hug my son after such a long time. I can also tell how much you¡¯ve grown.¡± She let him go after hugging him for a long time. Her eyes shone happily, like a star. ¡°Did you eat already?¡± ¡°Of course I did. It was before I came back.¡± ¡°Good job with your training. You can go back and rest.¡± Sylvia murmured that she would have a sweet dream, having hugged her son after a long time, and went back to her room. When Raon was about to return to his room while shaking his head, he met Helen¡¯s eyes as she stood at the end of the hallway. ¡°Young master, I¡¯ll fill up the bathtub. Please take a bath before resting.¡± She smiled before disappearing sideways like a ghost. He could hear herughing along as her footsteps got further away. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Whenever he was home, he was unable to control his ability nor his emotions. However, since he didn¡¯t dislike it, it was just awkward. Feeling even more tired than when he trained, he went back to his room. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so tired¡­¡± As he was resting for a bit in his chair, a knocking sound could be heard, and the door opened soon after that. ¡°Young master, the bathtub is ready.¡± He thought it was Helen, but it was Judiel who stuck her head in. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± As he was about to stand up after nodding, Judiel entered the room and closed the door. ¡°It¡¯s about the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°Central Martial Pce?¡± The Central Martial Pce was Karoon Zieghart¡¯s castle, where Judiel was sent from. ¡°Continue.¡± Raon sat back in his seat, his red eyes gleaming. ¡°Yes.¡± Judiel knelt in front of Raon and lowered her head. They looked like a king and his retainer. ¡°I¡¯ve received an order from the Central Martial Pce to grasp and report everything young master Raon does once he returns to the annex building.¡± ¡°It must mean that they are plotting something.¡± ¡°That seems to be the case.¡± ¡°...Is it about the real battle?¡± Raon murmured the words that Rimmer told him that day. ¡°By real battle, you mean¡­¡± ¡°Instructor Rimmer said there will be actual battle training next week. I think he will make his move there.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Judiel suddenly lifted her head. ¡°Now that I think about it, trainees sometimes get to fight monsters during their actual battle training.¡± ¡°I heard about that, too.¡± He remembered Dorian screaming that they would probably fight monsters at the end of the training that day. ¡°Then he probably took measures on the monster, or on the magician who will be handling the monster, or¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes and continued. ¡°It might be both.¡± *** The next Monday, Jake went to the fifth training ground one hour earlier than the appointed time. ¡®I have to do well.¡¯ In order to seed in this damned ce, connections were necessary. Until now, he¡¯d never even gotten the worst possible connections. But what was offered to him this time wasn¡¯t just a decent connection, but one strong enough to lead him to the heavens. For the sake of his future, he needed to inflict a serious injury to Raon no matter what. That was the only way to gain Karoon Zieghart¡¯s favor. ¡®I don¡¯t even need to worry about the aftermath.¡¯ Raon Zieghart¡¯s background was almost non-existent, and Karoon was a man that could be the next head of house. It was already decided who he needed to act for. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Jake caught his breath and opened the door to the fifth training ground. He could see the trainees practicing their swordsmanship through the sandy dust. Since it wasn¡¯t the appointed time yet, he went to the outside border and watched the trainees. ¡®That boy is Burren, and the one next to him must be Martha.¡¯ Jake recognized the important trainees that he needed to not mess with, using the descriptions that he¡¯d heard before. ¡®The one over there is Runaan, the youngest of house Sullion, and¡­¡¯ Finally, his gaze was directed at the golden-haired boy that was swinging his sword at the right side of the training ground. ¡®Is that boy Raon? He looks incredibly handsome.¡¯ The way he was moving his feet and swinging his sword looked like a beautiful picture. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I have no choice. I won¡¯t kill you at least.¡¯ Jake bit his lip and sent a small amount of killing intent towards Raon. It was weak pressure that he was unconsciously emitting, too small for even a perceptive swordsman or a wild animal to sense. However. One person reacted to it. Raon, who had been focused on his sword, directed his gaze towards Jake. ¡°Eek!¡± In a fright, Jake bumped his back against the wall and copsed. He felt his heart tightened the moment he saw Raon¡¯s red eyes. ¡°Kugh¡­¡± As if he was standing naked in front of a savage beast, he couldn¡¯t move a single finger. ¡®Wh-who is that guy¡­¡¯ Chapter 49 ¡®How can a brat¡¯s eyes be so¡­¡¯ Jake¡¯s teeth chattered. He wanted to get up, but he couldn¡¯t move a single finger. When didn¡¯t know what to do, he heard frivolous footsteps. ¡°Did youe from the magic tower? Wow, you came so early.¡± His head, which was frozen stiff, moved towards a voice as light as the footsteps. There was a red-haired elf smiling at him. ¡°H-head instructor Rimmer?¡± ¡°Correct. Pleasee this way. I have things to tell you before training.¡± Rimmer tapped his arm and pointed towards the head instructor¡¯s room. ¡°Hmm, okay.¡± He answered and turned his head back to where Raon was. The boy was swinging his sword as if he wasn¡¯t interested. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Jake took a deep breath and stood up. If Rimmer was anyter ining up to him, he would have pissed his pants. ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°N-no. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Following Rimmer, who nodded lightly, he entered the head instructor¡¯s room. Unlike his neat appearance, the room was so messy that there was nowhere to sit. ¡°Please sit down.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s nowhere to sit¡­¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Rimmer smiled lightly and stood from his rocking chair. ¡°Well, it won¡¯t take a long time, so let¡¯s just do it like this. Are you already aware that you need to use strengthening magic on the orc that will be facing the trainees?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Because of my excellent teachings, the trainees are stronger than they should be at their age. A normal orc won¡¯t be of any use for their training.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± His head went nk to his sudden boasting. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how strong each of those children are, so please use the strengthening magic ording to that. Is that possible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a difficult thing to do since I¡¯m specialized in summoning and handling monsters.¡± ¡°I guess, since the vice master of magic tower, Verbin has alsoplimented you¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± When Rimmer talked about the vice master of magic tower, Jake¡¯s expression was strangely distorted. ¡°And one more thing, about the hallucination magic to make the monster look like a human¡­¡± ¡°Ah, that can be solved with this.¡± Jake lifted his right hand and showed him the ring on his middle finger. ¡°It¡¯s a hallucination artifact given to me by the vice master. Casting hallucination magic on the trainees is a simple matter using this ring.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s perfect.¡± Rimmer whistled in satisfaction. ¡°Then please take care of it. Once everything ends well, I¡¯ll buy you and the vice master a drink.¡± After saying that, he left the head instructor¡¯s room. ¡®My job¡¯s gotten easier.¡¯ Since Rimmer entrusted him with everything about the monster, it wasn¡¯t going to be difficult to summon that orc to inflict a deadly injury to Raon. He could run away afterward while making excuses. ¡°That guy¡­¡± Jake recalled Raon, the boy he saw a moment ago. He was reluctant about injuring a boy he didn¡¯t even know at first, but he wasn¡¯t anymore. The damn brat that humiliated him had to be wounded even more seriously. Clench. Jake clenched his jaw and left the instructor¡¯s room. *** Raon calmly watched the middle-aged magician head to the instructor¡¯s room behind Rimmer. Even though it was only for a split second, he could feel killing intent from that magician. Rather than killing, he wanted to harm him. It was something that anyone other than him wouldn¡¯t have been able to perceive. You are so hated at such a young age. What have you been doing with your life? Back in devildom, every single devil worshiped the King of Essence¡­ ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon used his feet to push Wrath, who wasughing at him, away. ¡®He must be the one.¡¯ Karoon¡¯s dirty trick that Judiel mentioned seemed to be that magician. To be unable to hide his own pressure¡­ He is worse than a kitten. ¡®At least a kitten is cute. A guy like him ispletely useless.¡¯ Raon swept his hair back, looking at the instructor¡¯s room. ¡®He will strengthen the monster.¡¯ Following Karoon¡¯s order, the magician was certainly going to enhance the monster that was going to fight him to an abnormal degree. ¡®He will try to either kill me or inflict a serious injury.¡¯ He could onlyugh at how pathetic the n was. His son was too good for him. ¡®Pathetic.¡¯ When he turned around while clicking his tongue, he met Runaan¡¯s eyes as she entered the training ground. Her eyes, which he hadn¡¯t seen for the past two days, were the same as always. His chest tightened for some reason. ¡°Dad told me today¡¯s training was about fighting monsters.¡± She started talking about the day¡¯s training, as if she didn¡¯t want to think about what happened back then. ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan visibly nodded. She was obviously forcing herself to act like nothing happened, but he couldn¡¯t tell her anything since she seemed to want to forget about that matter. She went to the break room after telling him she was going to prepare for the training. Aren¡¯t you going to ask her about it? ¡®I don¡¯t know what to say. And it¡¯s her family¡¯s problem.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure how he could give advice about her family when he didn¡¯t even know anything about his own emotions. However, he at least knew what Syria did to Runaan. He could solve that problem with the correct opportunity. ¡°Y-young master. Did you know about it?¡± As he was bitterly licking his lips, Dorian approached him while restlessly rubbing his stomach. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Today¡¯s actual battle training, i-it¡¯s not just about fighting a monster.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°Apparently, we have to kill a monster! We have to shed blood for real! Wh-what do we do?¡± Biting his fingernail, he rolled his eyes. ¡°Bloodshed, huh¡­?¡± ¡°Yes! Ending their life is the training¡¯s objective! It¡¯s really crazy!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Eeek!¡± Leaving behind Dorian, who was screaming, he looked at the breakroom that had Runaan entered. Let¡¯s try breaking the curse. * * * * * * ¡°Everyone, attention!¡± Rimmer, who went to the instructor¡¯s room, was already standing on the tform. He pped his hands to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Do you remember that I told you to brace yourselves, since there would be actual battle training today?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The trainees answered as they gathered in the center of the training ground. Their expressions were full of anticipation. ¡°It looks like you are starting to trust me. Your eyes are glittering.¡± The trainees giggled at Rimmer¡¯s joke. It seemed they started to understand Rimmer¡¯s true intentions after spending so much time with him. ¡°Although you already know most of it with the hints and information spread by some instructors, I shall still exin. Today¡¯s training is an actual battle against monsters.¡± His voice, which had beenpletely mischievous until a moment ago, grew calm. The entire training ground¡¯s atmosphere became heavy. ¡°There¡¯s no mercy in a monster¡¯s axe. Unlike a match between you, or with knight trainees, they will never stop. Don¡¯t be careless or nervous. Keep your usualposure when you face them.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Trainees clenched their fists and shouted their heads off. ¡°This is the magic tower¡¯s magician Jake, who will be helping us with training today. Give your greetings.¡± ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m also looking forward to your cooperation.¡± Jake bowed in response and quickly sought out Roan with his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s fine now.¡¯ The strange gaze that squeezed his heart earlier wasn¡¯t there anymore. They were normal eyes that he wouldn''t have noticed if he met him in the street. ¡®However¡­¡¯ There was no way the pressure earlier was a mistake. Considering he was Karoon¡¯s target, there was something special with that boy. ¡°Then Sir Magician, please take care of it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jake nodded to Rimmer, who was waving his hand, and went to the front of the tform. ¡°Summon monster.¡± When Jake hit the ground with his staff after the incantation, a magic circle was drawn on the training ground¡¯s floor. A green light burst out of the blue letters forming in a circle. Whoosh! The light disappeared slowly and an enormous humanoid shape appeared. Over two meters tall with robust muscles, protruding front teeth, and green skin¡ªit was an orc, the mostmon yet most dangerous monster. ¡°Grrr!¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The orc ground his teeth while lifting his axe. The trainees swallowed, facing the wild bloodthirst and stench. ¡°Since it¡¯s still under my control, you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Once Jake spun his finger, the orc turned in the same direction. ¡°The monster you will be fighting today is this orc.¡± ¡°I knew it was an orc!¡± ¡°Is it finally time for a real battle¡­¡± ¡°Haa.¡± The trainees looked up at Jake, expressions mixed between nervousness and excitement. ¡°Just as the instructor said, you shouldn¡¯t be careless because it¡¯s an orc. Since I can¡¯t stop it sometimes, you should always maintain your focus. And¡­¡± Jake pointed at the orc with the ring on his right hand. Whir. The magic circle surrounding the orc was twisted like a vine and shone with five colors, then the orc¡¯s appearance started to change. The protruding front teeth went back into ce and the green skin burned with white. It only took a few seconds until the orc became a in, middle-aged man with brown hair holding an axe. ¡°A-a human?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this!¡± ¡°Why is there a human¡­?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be fighting a normal orc, but an orc that has been transformed into a human through magic.¡± Jake moved the orc¡¯s axe and pointed it at the trainees. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s just a human!¡± The trainees were surprised at the sudden change and stared nkly at the orc that had be a human. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one more thing.¡± Rimmer walked up in front of Jake and raised his finger. ¡°The fight today isn¡¯t about winning against the orc or neutralizing it. It will only end once you cut off its head.¡± With his raised finger, he pointed at the human-appearing orc. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± The panicked trainees could only look at each other without being able to step up. ¡°Most of the orcs that were caught by magicians have already killed a human before. Since there¡¯s no need for mercy, do your best to fight and win.¡± Rimmer said in an unusually heavy voice, then stepped back. ¡®Dorian¡¯s information was urate.¡¯ Raon nodded. ¡®It¡¯s not bad training.¡¯ Most swordsmen were unable to make the finishing blow in their first real battle. In fact, many unfortunate geniuses had died like that, unable to ovee their first actual fight despite having excellent abilities. In order to prevent that from happening, today¡¯s fight wasn¡¯t only about fighting a monster, but also about preparing them to fight humans in the future. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Raon looked at Runaan, who was sticking next to him. Her lips were trembling after hearing that she had to cut its head off. ¡®It¡¯s a perfect opportunity to break her curse.¡¯ Rimmer was probably unaware of it, but it seemed he could undo Syria¡¯s brainwashing on Runaan thanks to this training. Are you not even paying attention to that scum magician? ¡®Of course.¡¯ Raon nodded. The best thing he could do was strengthen some slightly ferocious orc that he got somewhere to try fighting him. It wasn¡¯t even worth being nervous about. Removing the engraved fear from Runaan¡¯s mind was more important right now. ¡°Then let¡¯s start right away. The first person to fight will be¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Burren raised his hand before Jake even finished speaking. ¡°You must know him, right? He is the son of Central Martial Pce¡¯s master. Please strengthen the orc a lot for him.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jake licked his lips upon hearing Rimmer¡¯s exnation. Of course he knew about him, since he was the son of the person who gave him the task. ¡°Loop Agility, Loop Strength.¡± Once he uttered the incantation to increase the agility and strength, blue light fluttered around the orc and his yellow eyes became even more violent. ¡°Go.¡± Once Jake extended his finger forward, the orc stepped up with heavy footsteps. After clenching and opening his fist a few times, Burren unsheathed the real sword he had been supplied with. He nodded at Jake, signaling that he was ready. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡± Once Jake flicked his finger, the letters surrounding the orc disappeared. ¡°Grrr!¡± The orc kicked the off from the ground with a thunderous roar. Running like a beast, it mmed its axe down at Burren¡¯s head. ¡°I can see everything.¡± Burren lifted his sword as he used his aura. sh! As a rusty axe and well-polished sword collided against each other, red sparks appeared. ¡°Kugh!¡± Burren raised his eyes sharply. The hand that was holding the sword trembled, as if it were creaking. ¡®What is this weight¡­?¡¯ He¡¯d never seen nor fought against an orc, but he thought he could easily cut through him with how strong he currently was. However, the weight of the orc¡¯s axe wasn¡¯t something he could handle easily. It wasn¡¯tcking in any way whenpared to the knight trainee of the Owen Kingdom he¡¯d foughtst time. ¡°Haa!¡± Powerfully turning his wrist, he deflected the orc¡¯s axe. ¡°Grr!¡± The orc stepped back a couple times, then dashed back at him even faster. Its eyes glowed yellow, full of intent¡ªit wanted to tear Burren limb from limb. The trainees that were watching were surprised by the bloodlust, but Burren wasn¡¯t intimidated. ¡°How dare you!¡± Instead, he furiously shed with his sword. Wham! Wham! When the orc pummeled down his axe as if it was facing the enemy of its life, Burren¡¯s sword pierced into its opening. Stab! Red blood spurt from the orc¡¯s shoulder and thigh. ¡°Kuahhh!¡± However, it kepting at him with an even fiercer roar. It looked like aplete beast now. ¡°I¡¯ll end you!¡± Getting under the orc, Burren shed upwards. nk! The moment he was about to cut the orc¡¯s head off after pushing back its axe, Burren¡¯s sword was turned to the right. Instead of its neck, it cut through more than half of the orc¡¯s forearm. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren bit his lip, unable to finish it off despite having the opportunity. ¡°Kuah!¡± Orc kept forcing its way into him like a bull, despite being seriously injured in its shoulder and forearm. It had be weaker, but its vigor remained the same. Woosh! Burren used his footwork to get to the orc¡¯s back as it slowed down. The moment he was about to cut off the orc¡¯s head by shing horizontally, his sword stopped once again. ¡°Damn it!¡± Burren stepped back while cursing. The tip of his sword was trembling, as if he was terrified. ¡°Burren.¡± Rimmer, who was watching the fight from the tform, raised himself. ¡°Even though you know that what¡¯s trying to kill you is a monster, and not a human, you still can¡¯t kill it, right?¡± His voice was peaceful, as if he already knew it would happen. ¡°It¡¯s because you are good natured. Since you see that monster as a human, you can¡¯t move your sword properly. However¡­¡± Rimmer continued, pointing at the orc grinding its teeth. ¡°Like I said before, that orc has already tasted human blood before. Most of the monsters that magicians possess have already killed humans before.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Jake nodded, confirming what Rimmer said. ¡°It¡¯s okay to be unable to kill it now, as this is just a practice. However, if your hand stops on the battlefield, the swordsman or monster that you were unable to kill will end up killing your ally instead.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± While deflecting the orc¡¯s axe, Burren listened to Rimmer¡¯s calm advice. ¡°And you can¡¯t stop now if you want to catch up to your target, can you?¡± Hearing that, Burren turned his head towards Raon. After meeting his red eyes, his sword was d in a heavier aura than before. ¡°Grrrr!¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± The moment the orc¡¯s axe dropped vertically, Burren stretched his knees and pierced into its space. ¡°Haa!¡± With a shout of concentration, his sword drew a semicircle. sh! As a red line was drawn into the sky, the orc¡¯s head fell and its body copsed. As its life ended, its human appearance returned to its original orcish form. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± Burren gasped for breath, sticking his sword on the ground. However, he didn¡¯t look away. He kept watching the corpse he¡¯d created. ¡°Good job.¡± Rimmer smiled and Burren looked at him for a moment, then turned his head. It was the first time that their eyes met without frowning. ¡°......¡± Burren took a nce at Raon for thest time, then returned to his ce. Snap! When Jake snapped his fingers, the orc¡¯s corpse disappeared. However, the blood covering the training ground¡¯s floor still remained. ¡°Well then, next is¡­¡± ¡°Me!¡± Martha stood up, confidently raising her hand. There was no hesitation in her footsteps as she walked up to the orc. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked away from Martha''s confident back and looked at Runaan. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Contrary to Martha, Runaan¡¯s lips were trembling as she looked at the blood-soaked floor. Her face looked as white as a sheet. Raon¡¯s eyes grew gloomy. Runaan had been avoiding shedding blood as much as she could. When she sparred against other trainees, or the knight trainee, she¡¯d only suppressed them without actually injuring them. He didn¡¯t really think anything of it back then, but now that he looked back at it, it seemed she¡¯d decided to fight like that because she was afraid of blood. ¡®So, it was the blood.¡¯ Syria Sullion carved fear into her while showing her blood. Crushing the squirrel must¡¯ve been to remind her of that trauma. Frightening coldness covered Raon¡¯s red eyes. ¡®Syria Sullion.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll break the curse you¡¯ve cast on Runaan.¡¯ Chapter 50 ¡°Please make it stronger for that arrogant girl.¡± Rimmer pointed at Martha, who confidently stepped forward. ¡°Alright.¡± Jake nodded and summoned an orc. It was bigger and looked even more violent than the one that fought Burren. ¡°Loop strength, loop agility¡­¡± Using a bit more mana than with Burren, Jake increased the orc¡¯s strength and agility, then released its control. ¡°Kuaahh!¡± The orc roared and pounced on her like a bull. ¡°A mere monster!¡± Martha clenched her teeth and kicked off from the ground. She struck with her sword, aiming at the orcing at her. ¡°Kuooo!¡± The orc also swung its greatsword at aparable speed. m! am! Along with the thunderous noise of a boulder being split apart, the swords crashed countless times. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Fully utilizing Titan¡¯s aura, Martha twisted. ¡°Grr!¡¯ Deflecting the orc¡¯s greatsword with the steel on her shoulder, she sliced with her sword. Hack! A definite strike! Martha¡¯s sword seized the opening and cut off the orc¡¯s head in one fell swoop. ¡°Haa.¡± After ring at the orc¡¯s corpse copsed on the ground, Martha straightened her back and breathed out. ¡°Did it really take you the whole day to kill something like that? Don¡¯t tell anyone you are from the same ce as me. You¡¯re too low.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Burren shut his mouth as he listened to the words Martha let fall as she went back. He couldn¡¯t say anything after seeing the way she broke through the orc with her strength and ended its life in an instant. ¡°Martha.¡± Raon called out to Martha as she walked to the back. ¡°Go get your shoulder treated after training. There might be aftereffects.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha pouted and turned her head. He did give his share of advice as the top trainee, so the rest was up to her. Raon also turned his head. Snap! The orc¡¯s corpse disappeared at Jake¡¯s gesture, but the red pool of blood was seeping into the ground and the stench spread throughout the training ground. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s trembling was getting worse and worse. Her pink lips were turningpletely pale. Why aren¡¯t you doing anything if you are going to break her curse? ¡®Because it¡¯s not the right time.¡¯ In order to heal a deep scar, it was necessary to let it fester until it rotted. Only then could the scar bepletely removed. Raon tapped his finger, watching Jake summon the third orc. It wasn¡¯t the right time to pop the bloated blister yet. *** The fight to death between trainees and monsters continued. Thanks to Burren and Martha¡¯s great opening, the trainees didn¡¯t run away despite being nervous. It took a while for some of them, but they all managed to finish off their orc after aiming for its head, heart, or through a desperate fight. Raon watched the arena as the sun began to set. Dorian was using his footwork while screaming. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The orc followed him with a horrible roar, but it couldn¡¯t catch Dorian because his feet were simply too fast. ¡°Haa!¡± Shouting that he was scared, Dorian swung his sword. The orc¡¯s back was cut instead of its neck. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Uaaah!¡± Dorian was even more surprised than the injured orc and started running away. The orc was infuriated and pounced at him with a dreadful shriek. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Wh-when is it ending?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already been thirty minutes. Thirty minutes!¡± ¡°His stamina and speed are great, at least. ¡°There¡¯s only Raon and Runaan left. They will finish even faster.¡± The trainees sighed and watched the chase between Dorian and the orc. Raon licked his lips while watching Dorian¡¯s feet. ¡®If only he had a bit more guts¡­¡¯ Dorian was nimble on his feet and his sword technique was sharp, but he was too cowardly. If only he could fix his scaredy cat nature, he could be ranked right after Martha, Runaan, and Burren. Rustle. He turned around at the sand¡¯s crumbling sound. Runaan was grasping the sand tightly, to the point that her fingernails were bleeding. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Her face waspletely pale, her lips were covered in bruises after being bitten countless times, and her hands and feet were trembling as if there was an earthquake. It was a typical appearance of a person who wasn¡¯t simply scared, butpletely terrified. Rimmer, who was on the tform, furrowed his brows and looked at Runaan. He must¡¯ve been wondering whether he should send her back. ¡®That won¡¯t do.¡¯ After all, it was the best moment to pop the blister that hadpletely matured. Raon stood up and went next to Runaan, making her shivering ease slightly. ¡°You must be scared.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan didn¡¯t turn around or respond. ¡°Blood is scary for everyone. A trainee who¡¯s using the sword for the first time, and an experienced swordsman who has gone through hundreds of battlefields, must feel the same way about that.¡± Runaan¡¯s chin turned slightly. ¡°Same goes for me. Dorian, who is fighting right now, and those who¡¯ve fought before are all scared.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± Runaan spoke with a dried-out voice. ¡°Yes. However, do you know what¡¯s even more scary than that?¡¯ She slowly shook her head. ¡°Being too terrified to do anything.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes glowed viciously. The nature of assassin Raon, rather than Raon Zieghart, was leaking from him. ¡°If I just stand still because I¡¯m too scared or afraid, nothing will change. Nothing will be solved like that.¡± He was actually afraid. He was afraid that his desire for revenge against Derus Robert would subside because he was satisfied with his current life. He was also afraid that his revenge, his actions, would bring undesirable consequences on Sylvia and the maids in the annex building. He was scared and afraid, but he didn¡¯t intend to give up on any of them. He was going to take his revenge against Derus no matter what, and find a way for Sylvia and maids to live on happily. Resolving himself once again, Raon turned around to Runaan. ¡°You must also have something like that.¡± Raon chewed his thumb to create a wound. Tap. As the red blood gathered on his thumb fell on the ground, Runaan stepped back and her teeth chattered. ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t run away. You won¡¯t be able to ovee it if you don¡¯t do it now.¡± ¡°R-Raon. Raon!¡± ¡°Blood is scary. However.¡± Raon approached Runaan and grabbed her hand. She had stepped back to the point that she was almost lying down. The blood flowing out of his finger colored her white hand in red. ¡°It¡¯s also nothing special. The blood won¡¯t harm you in any way.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Runaan¡¯s eyes widened, seeing the drops of blood flowing down from her hand. She looked flustered, realizing that the blood wasn¡¯t hurtful, saddening, or heavy. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what your older brother did to you. However, the more you are afraid, the more his shadow will be cast over you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The trembling on Runaan¡¯s hand started to visibly subside. ¡°If you keep running away because you are scared, you will have no choice but to be dragged around for your entire life. Runaan Sullion, you are the one who can protect yourself and your family.¡± That was Raon¡¯s heartfelt advice. Runaan looked like the Raon from his previous life, when he was dragged around by Derus Robert. ¡°Argggh! I thought I was going to die!¡± Dorian, who returned after barely managing to cut the orc¡¯s head off, sank to his knees. ¡°It was really difficult. I almost died. Sniff!¡± He murmured while wiping his tears away with his sleeve. ¡°Do you have a squirrel?¡± Raon looked at Dorian while standing up. ¡°A squirrel? Even I don''t have everything. Wait, I have one.¡± Murmuring ¡®why do I have this?¡¯, Dorian took out the wooden squirrel sculpture from his belly pocket. It was a cute squirrel with impressive red eyes. ¡°Take this.¡± He gave the squirrel that Dorian gave him to Runaan. She epted the squirrel with trembling hands. ¡°That¡¯s it for my advice. I¡¯ll tell you the rest with my sword.¡± After saying that, Raon walked towards the arena. * * * * * * It¡¯s so unusual for you to step up. Wrath sneered, murmuring that he didn¡¯t even know his ce. ¡®You can think like that.¡¯ Raon nodded. It was just like Wrath said. It was unusual for him to step up like that. It was because she was the first stranger in his life that was considerate towards him, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason. She reminded him of his previous life. Because she looked simr to himself in his previous life, where he¡¯d been brainwashed by Derus Robert, he unconsciously spoke and acted. ¡®This is thest time.¡¯ He already finished exining with words, and he was about to show her with his sword. If she couldn¡¯t free herself from the brainwashing of that blood despite all that, then that was her limit. You idiot. Worry about yourself first. It¡¯s pretty obvious you will struggle just like the other worms. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Listening to Wrath, he had a great idea. ¡®Then shall we make a bet?¡¯ Bet? ¡®Yes, and it will be very advantageous for you.¡¯ What is it? ¡®If I can¡¯t cut down the orc in a single strike, I¡¯ll take your wrath. A single strike.¡¯ A single strike? Are you serious? ¡®Of course.¡¯ After giving some advice you read in a book, you are now looking down on killing. Wrath giggled and vibrated the bracelet. Alright, it¡¯s a single strike. Two strikes and it will be your loss. The message appeared as he stoppedughing. ¡®I ept.¡¯ He expected Wrath to take this bet, since he didn¡¯t know he was an assassin in his previous life. ¡®The doormat is here once again.¡¯ Secretly smiling about Wrath, Raon went to the arena. ¡°Oh, you aren¡¯t thest person this time.¡± Rimmer whistled. His eyes were wavering like he was having fun. He must¡¯ve heard everything he told Runaan. ¡°He is the strongest one here. Please take out the strongest orc you have.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jake firmly shut his mouth. Nodding with a determined expression, he chanted the spell. Whir! Along with an outbreak of a blue magic circle on the floor, a new orc appeared. Its shape was simr to the other orcs, but its muscles were more distinct, with its body was full of scars. ¡°Grr!¡± Although it was unable to move its body due to the magic circle, it was still expressing its ferocious instinct. Whir! Green, red, and blue magic circles covered the orc¡¯s upper body, and its pressure increased exponentially. Zzzt! When Jake extended his hand, the orc¡¯s appearance changed into a rough man. ¡°Be ready for the match.¡± Raon nodded. He was about to warm up his right wrist after lightly spinning his left wrist. nk! Jake¡¯s magic circle broke like ss, and the orc broke out. ¡°Grrrrr!¡± Rushing while screeching, it struck down with its bloodstained ax. Its power and speed were on apletely different level from the other orcs. ¡°Wh-what!¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± ¡°Damn!¡± Everyone panicked, but Raon¡¯s eyes were even calmer. ¡®It¡¯s because I knew about it all along.¡¯ He¡¯d expected this would happen the moment he saw Jake¡¯s excited eyes. Rustle. Raon unsheathed his sword from his waist. One flower blossomed on top of the de. The golden flower shimmered like a haze upon receiving the evening glow. The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, First me. me Spirit. The flower petals fluttered and cut through the ground. Under the evening glow, another evening glow was drawn, and the orc¡¯s movement stopped. ¡°Grr¡­¡± Without being able to swing his lifted axe, its head fell to the ground. Thud! Red blood gushed out under the ovepping evening glows, and the orc¡¯s heavy body copsed. Cruelly beautiful, it was a spectacle that would make the best painter in the continent snap their brush. The instructors that were running towards them to stop the orc, the trainees that stood up in surprise, and even Jake¡ªwho was controlling the orc¡ªwere at a loss for words. Using the expertise from his previous life, he suppressed Jake. Facing an assassin¡¯s pressure, one whose life was all about killing people, Jake grabbed his neck and sank to his knees. ¡°Grr.¡± His eyes turned inside out. He wanted to continue, but Runaan¡¯s turn was after his. After threatening him moderately, he removed his pressure. Whish. Shaking off the blood from his sword, he turned around. ¡°Kugh!¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± Burren ground his teeth so hard that the sound could be heard, and Martha twisted her lips with furrowed brows. They both looked extremely frustrated. ¡°Uuh.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The trainees¡¯ mouths were so wide open that bugs could go inside. They were trembling violently, as if they were hit by a sea wave. ¡°C-crazy.¡± ¡°What technique was that?¡± ¡°A-a single strike¡­¡± The instructors were standing dumbfounded. After taking a nce at everyone, he looked at Runaan, who was at the very back. Her eyes were no longer soaked in darkness. He nodded to her. ¡®It¡¯s your turn now.¡¯ *** Watching Raon, who went into the arena, Runaan hugged the squirrel sculpture. ¡®Does he know everything?¡¯ She purposefully avoided talking about it to avoid harming Raon. She rxed her eyes, pretending it was nothing. It turned out alright, she thought that was the end of the matter. However, he talked to her like he knew everything. Raon¡¯s calm voice felt like it slowly untied the hand that was squeezing her heart. When he extended his bleeding hand, she was scared. She wanted to run away immediately. ¡®However¡­¡¯ When she grabbed that hand, even though her hand was soaked in that blood, she wasn¡¯t scared or afraid. It simply felt warm, like a small fire. That was when she finally realized. The blood itself wasn¡¯t scary. It felt like the ck shadow tying up her heart had be more sparse. Runaan looked at Raon, who stood in the arena with a calm breath. His back was small, but for some reason it looked wider than anyone else. Whir! While she was nervously watching that back, the orc¡¯s magic circle suddenly disappeared. ¡°Kuaa!¡± The orc pounced at Raon with a fierce roar. ¡°N-no!¡± The moment she stood up with a trembling chin, Raon unsheathed his sword. A golden flower blossomed on top of the silver de. A beautifully radiating flower drew a line, following the evening glow. The moment the two evening glows ovepped with each other, blood gushed from the orc¡¯s neck like a fountain. Beautiful. The blood she¡¯d been scared and afraid of since childhood, the drops of blood that shouldn¡¯t have ever looked like that, beautifully embroidered the space. Raon shook off his sword and turned around. His eyes spoke to her. ¡®It¡¯s your turn now.¡¯ ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan stood up. Her hands were no longer trembling. Chapter 51 Jake licked his lips, watching Raon enter the arena. ¡®Finally.¡¯ The boring period had ended, and the most important moment of the day had finally arrived. Whir. He rotated the mana circle around his heart in a way that wouldn¡¯t be noticed by Rimmer, who was next to him. ¡®I need to hide the magic inside another magic.¡¯ He needed to ovep multiple magics for the orc to critically injure Raon. ¡°Sir Magician.¡± While he was preparing several incantations in his head, Rimmer approached him. ¡°He is the strongest one here. Please take out the strongest orc you have.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jake nodded, lowering his lips. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ Since he¡¯d actually asked him to get the strongest orc, it became easier for him to use the magic he¡¯d prepared. Holding back hisughter with difficulty, he chanted the spell. ¡°Summon Monster.¡± Jake lifted his hand and summoned the orc from the Don mountains that he¡¯d received from Karoon. Thud! The ground trembled as the biggest orc so far burst from the magic circle. The teeth protruding from its mouth reached its earlobes, its inted muscles were full of vitality, and its eyes were ferocious enough to eat humans alive. ¡°Grrr!¡± The trainees grew pale hearing the orc¡¯s roar. ¡°Oh, that orc looks pretty strong.¡± Without realizing anything, Rimmer nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Then I¡¯ll strengthen it with magic.¡± ¡°Ah, sure.¡± ¡°Strength, Endurance.¡± While using spells to strengthen its physical abilities, he also engraved the berserker magic that he¡¯d prepared in its body. Berserker magic could multiply the target¡¯s physical abilities by over 1.5 times the norm. Moreover, the orc was from the Don mountains, which meant it wasn¡¯t at a level a mere trainee could fight against. Considering its ferocity, it was at least going to cut off one of Raon¡¯s arms before the instructors could interfere. Jake extended his wrist to make the orc look like a human, then nodded. ¡°Please be ready for the match.¡± After Raon nodded and started to warm up, Jake activated the berserker magic he¡¯d engraved in the orc. ¡°Grrrr!¡± As the berserker magic activated, its muscles swelled up and the magic circle that was confining it broke apart. ¡°Grrrr!¡± Naturally, the orc pounced at Raon¡ªwho was closest to him¡ªwith a horrible shriek. Thump! The orc kicked off from the ground and dashed at him. It had an extremely murderous intent, and it was aiming to kill Raon in one fell swoop. ¡®I did it!¡¯ Raon hadn¡¯t even unsheathed his sword yet. Overwhelmed by the orc¡¯s murderous intent, he was certainly going to lose an arm, at least. Jake was exhrated as he watched the orc strike down at Raon. Rage! A red line¡ªno, golden after taking on the evening glow¡ªcut through the dim space. ¡°Grr¡­¡± The orc¡¯s body stiffened, and its head fell to the ground. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± What happened?! It was an orc from Don Mountains, and a berserker spell that multiplied all its abilities by 1.5 times had been cast on it. And Raon cut down such a monster in a single strike. There was no hesitation, fear, or naivety in his action. It was a perfect strike, as if he was already an aplished swordsman. Despite the situation, he even thought it was beautiful. Over the orc¡¯s copsing body, he met Raon Zieghart¡¯s eyes. His heart dropped, facing the two burning red eyes. ¡°Ugh!¡± He unconsciously fell back and grabbed his neck. He couldn¡¯t breathe because of the young trainee¡¯s pressure. It felt like his lungs had disappeared from his body. ¡®M-monster¡­¡¯ He started to back away while on his knees. Just as he was about to piss his pants, the frightening murderous intent finally abated. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Although the murderous intent had stopped, the fear still remained. As Jake was trembling, Rimmer came up next to him. ¡°Sir Magician looks very tired. I guess you did summon a lot of monsters today.¡± Rimmer grinned and lifted him up. ¡°But there¡¯s still one person remaining. Since she is fully motivated, please work one more time.¡± Rimmer¡¯s finger pointed at Runaan, who was standing in the arena. ¡°I-I-I see.¡± Jake nodded, while shivering. He felt like he could do anything if it meant if he wasn¡¯t going to be red at by Raon Zieghart. Catching his breath, he prepared for thest summoning. * * * * * * ¡°Runaan, are you okay? Can you do it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Runaan visibly nodded to Rimmer¡¯s question and entered the arena. The floor was soaked with blood, but her eyes weren¡¯t trembling anymore. Her purple eyes were looking straight ahead, with no sign of fear. ¡°Please make your preparations.¡± ¡°U-understood.¡± Jake lifted his trembling hand and summoned an orc. It looked like he wasn¡¯t an intermediate magician for nothing, as he properly cast the strengthening magic despite his terrified state. ¡°Then let¡¯s s-start.¡± After using the hallucination to make the orc look like a human, he released the magic circle that was restraining the orc. ¡°Grrr!¡± At the same time as the orc started dashing, Runaan unsheathed her sword. nk! Along with a thin blue pressure, the air was filled with a silver haze. ¡°Grrrr!¡± The skin-freezing frost spread around, but it couldn¡¯t stop the orc. It pounced at her while covered in frost. ¡°Hmm.¡± Runaan pouted a little and used her footwork. Moving as if she was gliding left and right, she dodged the orc¡¯s axe. ¡°Kiaaa!¡± The orc didn¡¯t step back despite its frozen skin. It kept swinging its axe, determined to kill her at the cost of its own life. ¡°Hmm.¡± Unable to find an opportunity to swing her sword, Runaan kept dodging the axe. In the meantime, the frost spreading from her continued and the orc was already half frozen. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue, watching Runaan spread frost while stepping back, as if she was running away. ¡®Is it still not solved?¡¯ Runaan didn¡¯t manage to swing her sword once after entering the arena. She was just freezing the orc while running away. ¡®She¡¯s too kind.¡¯ The reason she was brainwashed by Syria was simple. Because she was kind. Because she learned about death at an early age, she was afraid of blood, unable to injure the orc. She waspletely different from the Raon in his previous life, who would kill anyone in order to survive. Because of her cold appearance and gaze, Runaan was easily misunderstood as haughty. However, her personality was actually theplete opposite. ¡®Her sword tells it all.¡¯ The reason she didn¡¯t include coldness in her de during the spar and spread frost in the air instead was in order to suppress the opponent without hurting them. Runaan was the most gentle and kind person in the fifth training ground. And Syria had been using such a kind child by chaining her heart. ¡®Runaan.¡¯ Now that he thought about it, the reason Runaan approached him first in the gymnasium wasn¡¯t to copy his training method, but probably because she felt pity for him, who was always alone. ¡°Lady Runaan!¡± ¡°Just cut it down!¡± ¡°Runaan!¡± The instructors and trainees shouted Runaan¡¯s name, but she just kept running around while blocking the orc¡¯s attacks without being able to turn on the offense. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s movement slowed down, probably because she used too much aura from spreading the frost. On the other hand, the orc kept swinging its axe with a more ferocious gaze, despite most of its body being frozen. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon licked his lips and stood up. She couldn¡¯t just freeze the orc to death like that. She needed to put an end to it in order to be released from Syria¡¯s brainwashing. ¡°Runaan!¡± Runaan, who hadn¡¯t reacted to anyone, turned her head for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± As he smiled, telling her that everything would be fine, the trembling in Runaan¡¯s gaze stopped. The purple eyes shone in a dark silver glow, like a snowfield that nobody¡¯s stepped on. Raon could feel the darkness in her eyes scatter like dust. ¡°Kieee!¡± The moment the orc struck down its axe at Runaan¡¯s immobile head, a silvery trajectory burst into the air. Crack! The de, shining in silver, split the head of the ax in half and pierced through the orc¡¯s heart. ¡°Guaa¡­¡± The orc¡¯s eyes, filled with insanity, faded away like a candlelight as it fell onto its back. Spurt! Warm blood gushed from the orc¡¯s heart, which wasn¡¯t frozen yet. Although Runaan¡¯s hand was soaked in the orc¡¯s blood, her expression remained calm. She turned around to look at Raon. She nodded, as if she was asking him how it was, so he nodded her back. She got out. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Raon snickered. There was no fear in Runaan¡¯s expression anymore. Instead, she was disying a refreshing smile. Although she was going to need a bit more time, Syria''s darkness was clearly removed. His brainwashing couldn¡¯t affect Runaan anymore. ¡®I know that better than anyone.¡¯ Since he¡¯d spent most of his previous life being brainwashed, he knew that for sure. ¡°Woaah¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what was that?¡± ¡°What did Raon tell her for her to change like that all of a sudden?¡± ¡°S-scary.¡± The trainees dropped their jaws because of Runaan¡¯s ability to freeze the orc in a single strike, and the fact that it was Raon that made her do that. Even Burren and Martha looked surprised as they looked at him. ¡°J-just what did you tell her?¡± Dorian approached him with wide eyes. ¡°It was nothing special.¡± Raon smirked and shook his head. ¡°She did it on her own.¡± Giving him a reasonable answer, Raon looked up at the tform. Jake, who met his eyes, gasped and stepped back. ¡®Well, then.¡¯ It was time to engrave fear into that guy, so that he wouldn¡¯t dare oppose him ever again. As he was about to send a thin and sharp pressure up to the tform, Rimmer interfered. ¡°You don¡¯t look well. Let¡¯s end it here.¡± Rimmer grinned and raised Jake up. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue and dispersed his murderous intent. ¡®But I¡¯m not done yet.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t engrave fear into Jake. He wasn¡¯t going to daree at him again or think of doing anything stupid, but he wanted to see him piss his pants. ¡°Good job everyone.¡± Rimmer grinned as he supported Jake. ¡°It was honestly difficult training, yet everyone did better than I expected.¡± He raised his thumb at everyone. ¡°Today¡¯s experience is going to help you greatly during a real battle. Don¡¯t hesitate once the fight starts. Your hesitation will result in an ally¡¯s death. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The trainees answered loud and clear, straightening their spines. ¡°That¡¯s a good sound. It looks like you are really ready for a mission.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°M-mission?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The children¡¯s expressions brightened upon hearing the word mission. ¡°Yes. We should start preparing slowly. Today¡¯s training ends now. To wrap it up, give a round of apuse to the magician Jake, who worked hard today!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Hearing the trainees p, he left the training ground with Jake. *** ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Jake left the fifth training ground, supported by Rimmer. He wanted to move on his own, but his strength left his limbs because of the shock from Raon¡¯s murderous intent. ¡°You must¡¯ve overworked yourself.¡± Rimmer gently supported him, as if he didn¡¯t know anything, and brought him to the magic tower. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He came back to his senses a little bit after enjoying the cool breeze for a while. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯ll go on my own from here.¡± Jake stopped around the third training ground, where thebat unit trained. He had to go to the Central Martial Pce to report his failure. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Rimmer nodded and made him sit on the chair next to him. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Jake bowed at Rimmer while sitting. And once he lifted his head, he realized something had changed. The wind that was blowing strongly enough to flutter the clothes couldn¡¯t be felt anymore. The wind had literally disappeared. And terrible murderous intent that gave him goosebumps was emanating from in front of him. He didn¡¯t want to look. However, a strange force made him lift his head. And he was there. The monster that was said to explode his madness next to Glenn Zieghart a few dozen years ago. Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light was looking down at him with yellow eyes. ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± His throat tightened and his nose started bleeding. He couldn¡¯t move a single finger. ¡®I-I heard he broke down¡­¡¯ He heard that Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light had be disabled because of his energy center breaking. However, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. The monster might have gotten weaker, but it didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°Go and tell him.¡± His teeth ttered at Rimmer¡¯s cold voice. ¡°The lord¡¯s son or whatnot. Tell him that if you touch my students, then I¡¯ll cut your head off.¡± Although there was no wind at all, the blood gushed out of his chin and the skin on his arm was cracked. The murderous intent was singlehandedly slicing his body. ¡°Arrgh!¡± The man knew everything. Despite knowing everything, he was just watching how far he went. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± He felt like his heart had stopped. The fear made him unable to do anything. Bang! A dark green wind burst out from the ground Rimmer was standing on. ¡°Huff!¡± Jake closed his eyes, facing the powerful wind, and thought it was over. However, he felt no pain. When he opened his eyes to the wind blowing once again, Rimmer was nowhere to be seen. However, the murderous intent he¡¯d left behind remained in the air. ¡°Eek! The teacher and the student are both monsters, fucking monsters¡­¡± Jake knelt with liquid flowing from his eyes, nose, and mouth. His eyes kept shivering like an insane person. ¡°Uaaah!¡± Despite Raon¡¯s regret, fear was deeply engraved in Jake¡¯s soul. Chapter 52 Runaan was fidgeting while watching Raon, who was cleaning up the training ground. ¡®It was difficult.¡¯ Despite hearing Raon¡¯s advice, she couldn¡¯t attack the orc easily. Her hand wouldn¡¯t move, despite knowing that it was a monster, not a human. ¡®I thought I was going to throw up.¡¯ Each time she stepped on the blood beneath her feet she felt nauseous, and her limbs trembled as if she was looking at her brother. Unable to attack it directly, all she could do was to keep emitting frost, despite its high aura consumption. She knew people were shouting and yelling, but she couldn¡¯t hear any of that. Her vision was gradually filled with darkness. As her vision went dark on top of her hearing, she didn¡¯t know what to do, and remaining standing was all she could manage. It was at that moment that she heard him. "Runaan!" Raon¡¯s clear voice pierced through the darkness filling her surroundings. Even though the orc was running at her, she turned to look at Raon. The moment she met Raon¡¯s smiling eyes, her turbulent emotions and senses calmed, as if nothing had happened from the beginning. Hearing him say it was okay made the darkness filling her visionpletely dissipate. The memory of her older brother that was filling her head also became blurry. Yes, it was alright. When she murmured that, her heavy arm started to move freely. The moment the orc was about to strike down with its axe, she thrust thepressed energy. She could hear the head of the ax being cut apart and the orc¡¯s heart bursting, but she wasn¡¯t afraid anymore. The blood gushed out from the orc and covered her hand. It was just like Raon had said. Nothing was happening despite touching the blood. nk! The moment she realized that, she could hear the sound of the thick chains coiling her entire body shattering. Her brother¡¯s face, reflected on the blood and shadows, also disappearedpletely. It felt like the dark world was once again filled with light. ¡°Dismantle the arena¡¯s floor and move it to the right warehouse! Be careful since we gotta use it again next time! Ah, where did that bastard instructor go without cleaning up?¡± She raised her head at Burren¡¯s voice in front of her. He was ordering the coterals to clear up the training ground. ¡®He¡¯s changed.¡¯ She¡¯d met Burren often since childhood. He¡¯d always been selfish and arrogant, so she¡¯d never cared about him. And yet, there was no trace of arrogance left in him anymore. And the one who had achieved that change wasn¡¯t Burren himself, but Raon. He¡¯d be such a proper swordsman after his defeat against Raon. ¡®The same goes for me.¡¯ Thanks to meeting Raon, she could open her locked mind and build rtionships with others. Every day was fun, and today was the peak of that change. Thanks to Raon¡¯s advice and reassurance that everything would be okay, she couldn¡¯t hear her brother¡¯s voice anymore, nor see his shadow. She felt free, as if something engraved in her head had been removed. Runaan nodded, looking at Raon. ¡®I should tell him thank you, that I¡¯m really grateful.¡¯ It was time to express her gratitude, just like her mother had told her. *** Inside the Central Martial Pce sunk into darkness, Jake¡ªwearing a robe torn to pieces¡ªknelt. ¡°I-I have failed.¡± With a trembling voice, he lowered his head. ¡°You failed? Did Rimmer interfere?¡± Karoon frowned, and looked down upon Jake, who was on his knees. ¡°N-no.¡± Jake didn¡¯t look normal. His eyes were cloudy, as if he were out of himself, and he was drooling as he was unable to put any strength in his chin. ¡°Then how did you even fail?¡± ¡°R-Raon Zieghart killed the orc in a single strike, although berserker magic and all kinds of strengthening magics were used on it.¡± ¡°Be careful about what you say. Are you expecting me to believe that?¡± Karoon growled like a beast. ¡°It¡¯s true! The me ignited from his sword and cut through the orc¡¯s neck like nothing!¡± ¡°me?¡± ¡°Yes! The orc was killed, unable to do anything when facing that golden me under the evening glow. Moreover¡­¡± Thinking that he needed to do anything in order to survive this situation, Jake told him everything that he saw in the fifth training ground. ¡°Rimmer was already aware of our objective. U-upon seeing me off, he threatened to kill me if I dared to touch the trainees again.¡± Since Karoon seemed interested, he even told him about the warning from Rimmer. ¡°I knew it was because of him.¡± Karoon snorted and smirked. ¡®I guess a diamond on a dunghill is still a diamond.¡¯ When hest met Rimmer, the bnce between his body and mind was broken. Since he was a self-centered andzy guy, he thought he wasn¡¯t going to realize his dirty trick. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t that bad. ¡°I-is it going to be okay? Rimmer even mentioned the pce master¡¯s name¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, since anything that bug does will be pointless.¡± Karoon shook his head. Maybe he could¡¯ve done something in the past, but Rimmer as he was at the moment was like a weed that couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°Go back. I¡¯ll call you againter.¡± ¡°U-understood. Excuse me.¡± Jake left the room after bowing his head repeatedly. ¡°If he cut through the orc and its weapon in a single strike, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to assume that he¡¯s acquired an advanced cultivation technique.¡± ¡°The spy¡¯s information did mention that he produced an extremely powerful wave of mana.¡± ¡°By spy, do you mean the one in the annex building?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty decent.¡± ¡°All the information she¡¯s brought so far was correct.¡± Karoon closed his eyes and answered. ¡°Increase her support a little bit and tell her to also investigate Rimmer''s actions. And¡­¡± Looking at the door where Jake left, Karoon drew a line on his neck with his finger. ¡°Take care of him. He is too quick-witted to shut his mouth, and he¡¯s already been swallowed by Rimmer¡¯s murderous intent.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The butler nodded and disappeared from the spot like smoke. ¡°Raon Zieghart and Rimmer.¡± They were like dust that didn¡¯t need any attention considering his position, but somehow, they kept bothering him. ¡°I¡¯d better deal with them at once.¡± The Central Martial Pce¡¯s atmosphere grew heavy with Karoon¡¯s frightening gaze. *** Martha leaned her back against a tree located at the training ground¡¯s outskirts. At the end of her gaze, Raon was cleaning up the training ground. ¡°Tsk.¡± She clicked her tongue and frowned. She couldn¡¯t understand, no matter how hard she thought about it. ¡®What the hell is he?¡¯ How could he swing his sword without any hesitation? She¡¯d clenched her fist. Learning that today¡¯s training was about killing a monster, and one that looked like a human on top of that¡­ She thought she could finally do better than Raon Zieghart. As expected, Burren and other trainees couldn¡¯t properly swing their swords at the monster. They only managed to kill it after receiving help from Instructor Rimmer. However, Martha was different. The moment the monster showed an opening, she thrust her sword into the monster¡¯s neck without any hesitation. It was natural that she was different from the others. ¡®Because I¡¯ve already done it before.¡¯ Before she came to the Zieghart. When she infiltrated the White Blood Religion alone in order to find her mother, she had stabbed her sword into the believers. Since she had that experience, it wasn¡¯t difficult for her to strike her sword at the monster, despite it looking like a human. ¡®But how did he¡­?¡¯ Raon was different from her. He was born inside a safe wall, and he was safely raised because of his bad constitution. He was a sheltered young master. A guy who grew up sheltered had sliced an orc¡¯s throat, despite it looking like a human, without any hesitation. Moreover, he did it faster and stronger than her. It even looked so beautiful that she had spaced out for a moment. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it.¡¯ She was still unsure if what she saw back then was real. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Martha punched the tree that she was leaning against. ¡®I should¡¯ve won this.¡¯ She lost to Raon in the spar and agreed to follow his orders, but her heart didn¡¯t give in. She kept training with everything she had in order to make him kneel one day. The thought of having lost again in something she should¡¯ve won for sure made her grind her teeth. However, a small wave reverberated in her mind in the midst of all that. It was the feeling of identity, a feeling that Raon might be simr to her. It looked like Raon wasn¡¯t just the sheltered boy that she¡¯d thought he was. There must¡¯ve been a trigger for his resolve. ¡°Hmm?¡± When she was thinking about Raon¡¯s past, she met his eyes. ¡°Hmph.¡± After looking at his calm eyes for a bit, she snorted and turned around. She left the training ground right after that. Her stiff footsteps had softened a little, but she wasn¡¯t aware of that fact. * * * * * * As Raon was about to head to the indoor gymnasium after finishing the clean up, Runaan approached him. ¡°Raon.¡± With shining purple eyes, she lowered her head. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He shook his head. He did help her, but she was the one who yed the most important part. It wasn¡¯t something to be thanked for. ¡°Thank you anyway.¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t do much.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I really¡­¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Haah, alright.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± He waved his hand in resignation and Runaan finally nodded. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Raon checked Runaan¡¯s eyes and hands. It looked like she was released from Syria¡¯s brainwashing, but he had to ask her to be certain. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan smiled slightly. It was a smile without wrinkles, and it looked like it was resolved for now. ¡°If your brother makes it difficult for you again, just tell me. I¡¯ll help you with anything I can.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Runaan was about to nod, then shook her head instead. ¡°I need to do it myself.¡± Her eyes were shining. It looked like her mind had be stronger as her wound healed up. ¡°Okay.¡± Raon smiled. Runaan thanked him one more time and left the training ground. Are you not going to help the ice cream girl? ¡®She said she would do it herself. You shouldn¡¯t meddle with other people¡¯s family matters.¡¯ Hmph, the King of Essence doesn¡¯t think the ice cream girl can solve it on her own. ¡®Then she will ask for help. And even if she doesn¡¯t¡­¡¯ Raon nodded. A red light glittered in his calm eyes. ¡®There is a way to solve it.¡¯ *** After returning to her dormitory, Runaan put the squirrel sculpture that she¡¯d received from Raon on the desk. ¡°Hmm.¡± After a little bit of consideration, she took out the bead ice cream box that she¡¯d put under the bed. It wasn¡¯t the one given to her by her older brother, but the one her mother had bought her. Whoosh. Upon opening the lid, the coldnessing from the box cooled down her face, exhausted from the training. She¡¯d thought she couldn¡¯t eat the ice cream anymore because it would remind her of her brother. However, Raon had removed her brother¡¯s shadow, stopping it from binding her head and heart. She wasn¡¯t afraid of her brother anymore, and she didn¡¯t dislike ice cream anymore. ¡®No.¡¯ However, Runaan closed the lid again without touching the ice cream. ¡®I¡¯m going to eat tomorrow.¡¯ Deciding she would share it with Raon the next day, she shoved the box back under the bed. Looking at the red-eyed squirrel that she¡¯d ced on the table, Runaan smiled slightly. *** After cleaning up the training ground instead of Rimmer, who¡¯d disappeared somewhere, Raon returned to the dormitory. Whir! As he was taking off the training clothes drenched in sweat, Wrath suddenly popped up. I didn¡¯t mention this before. Wrath¡¯s frightening gaze shone from the cold me. But you¡¯ve killed a human before. ¡°What?¡± You don¡¯t have the ability to break that shabby magician¡¯s hallucination yet. Even though you knew it was an orc, you saw it as a human. Killing it without hesitation isn¡¯t something a greenhorn that¡¯s never experienced an actual battle can do. ¡°It was easy.¡± Raon shook his hand to push back Wrath, who was right in front of his eyes. What? ¡°Because my perception stat is so high, I could feel that he wasn¡¯t human. Killing a monster isn¡¯t really difficult.¡± P-perception? ¡°Yes. You can trick the eyes with magic, but you can¡¯t hide the nature of the thing.¡± Ugh, perception¡­ Raon acted with a straight face and Wrath groaned. He waspletely fooled. ¡®I can¡¯t tell him about my previous life or the Ring of Fire.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t give the slightest information to Wrath since he was an enemy. Even so, how can you not hesitate to kill? Just what are you? How can you have such willpower at that age? Wrath murmured that it was impossible. It seemed he was more surprised at the strong willpower he was born with, rather than his might growing at an unreasonable speed. ¡°Why do you wanna know?¡± Ugh, I really don¡¯t like anything about you. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to gain your favor here.¡± Raon flicked his finger at Wrath. ¡°It gets cold whenever you speak, so shut your mouth and give me my reward already.¡± You cheated. I didn¡¯t know you were so tough. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who first suggested the bet, you did. You are being a loser again, despite being a king.¡± L-loser¡­ Wrath¡¯s voice trembled. It looked like it was the first time being called a loser in his life. ¡°Is this the third victory in a row? I guess a monarch of devildom isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Shut up! If the King of Essence could use the main body¡¯s power¡­ ¡°And the main body again, when are you even getting it back? And this bet has nothing to do with your main body¡¯s power.¡± Ugh¡­ Wrath¡¯s blue coldness wavered strongly, and the sound of him foaming in his mouth could be heard. It looked like he went out of his mind from the shock of losing and being ridiculed. This is a fraud for sure! Fraud! As he was about to struggle for thest time, messages appeared in front of Raon. ¡°Hah!¡± Raon smirked. He could feel the exhration of his muscle wavering from the strength and agility increasing at once. Three times to a mere human¡­ Murmuring that it was impossible, Wrath breathed out coldness as if he wanted to freeze the message. ¡°There¡¯s still more.¡± Ugh! Pushing the irritated Wrath aside, Raon waited for the next message. Chapter 53 ¡°Oh!¡± Raon eximed upon reading the exnation of the trait. The 10% chance could¡¯ve been better, but the trait had the potential of being extremely useful. ¡°You are really the giving tree, giving out stats and traits. Thank you.¡± His strength, agility, and energy increased in addition to all his stats increasing by two. It was almost an increase of three to all his stats, and he even got a new trait. Wrath wasn¡¯tcking in any way, earning the nickname ¡®giving tree¡¯. It¡¯s not a great trait. That¡¯s one of the worst abilities that the King of Essence has. ¡°It depends on who uses it.¡± Raon smiled. Wrath¡¯s weapon was coldness, but Raon¡¯s weapon was a sword, and he was good at surprise attacks. Using his previous life¡¯s techniques and experience, he could fully benefit from the ¡®Bleeding Curse¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± Raon turned around and stood up. Putting his outer garments back on, he opened the dormitory¡¯s door. What? ¡°I¡¯m going to train for a bit.¡± Again? ¡°I need to check out the changes in my body and get used to them.¡± You are making the King of Essence unable to sleep! ¡°Sleepter.¡± You should be stir-fried to death inva! Since Raon was happy, Wrath¡¯s curses sounded like music to him. He ran towards the training ground while humming. *** Two Months Later Daybreak, the Training Grounds. Raon arrived at the training ground before anyone else and started practicing swordsmanship. Soon after, Burren and Martha arrived almost at the same time. ¡°Tsk!¡± ¡°Does he even sleep¡­?¡± Burren clicked his tongue and grabbed his sword, and Martha started to warm herself up after frowning. ¡°Yawn.¡± Runaan, who was sleepy in the morning, came outte and yawned like a baby sparrow. It looked like she waspletely freed from Syria¡¯s darkness, as her eyes had gotten brighter than before. They were still nk, though. The trainees that came upter also prepared to practice while chatting. As such, another day was about to begin. Bam! The training ground¡¯s door burst open, and Rimmer entered. ¡°Instructor, the door shouldn¡¯t be kicked open.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine because it¡¯s mine.¡± Rimmer waved his hand at the frowning Burren and went on the tform with light steps. ¡°Since you are in the middle of your training, just open your ears and listen.¡± After pping his hands to attract attention, he told them to keep training. It was an impossible task for the young trainees. ¡°How do I do that?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t experts!¡± ¡°Just tell us already!¡± The trainees waved their hands, telling him to continue. But Raon was properly listening to Rimmer¡¯s voice while focusing on his swordsmanship. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you. You¡¯ve got a mission.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Mission!¡± ¡°Mission?¡± The trainees¡¯ eyes shone like stars upon hearing the word mission. Not just the coterals, Burren and Martha¡¯s mouths were wide open as well. Of course, Raon just kept swinging his sword and Runaan was casually yawning next to him. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s your first mission.¡± ¡°Wooow!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mission!¡± ¡°Is it finally time for a real battle?¡± ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡± There were various reactions from the trainees. Some shouted in anticipation, some clenched their fists, and some started panting in excitement. ¡°Of course, you aren¡¯t the only ones going on the mission. Since we can¡¯t leave the children alone, the instructors¡ªincluding me¡ªwill tag along.¡± The trainees nodded. It looked like they expected it. ¡®First mission, huh¡­?¡¯ Raon recalled his first mission in his previous life as he listened to Rimmer. ¡®Was I eight years old?¡¯ He went on a mission alone at a much younger age. It wasn¡¯t murder, but since the mission was to obtain information from an enemy camp, it was extremely dangerous and he¡¯d actually almost died. For the instructors to tag along on the first mission, he once again thought that Zieghart was not that cold-hearted. ¡°Wh-what is the mission?¡± Dorian raised his hand as his lips trembled. He was already terrified, befitting the title of the biggest coward of the fifth training ground. ¡°There¡¯s a hideout called Snow Tiger slightly outside of Zieghart¡¯s protected area.¡± It was a bandit¡¯s hideout in the mountains. As Raon had never heard of the name Snow Tiger, its scale shouldn¡¯t have been that big. ¡°They are connected to the South-North Union, and they¡¯ve been living by collecting a small toll on the mountain road. However, their wrongdoing has be worse recently, as they often rob everything from the merchants or even kill them.¡± ¡°Then our mission is the bandits'' extermination!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a proper mission!¡± ¡°Bandits, huh¡­?¡± ¡°He said they are connected to the South-North Union, which is one of the five Demons. It could be dangerous.¡± South-North Union was one of the five Demons that opposed the six Kings, which Zieghart belonged to. It was abined force of bandits in the Terukan mountains filling the south-western area, and the pirates of Rable River flowing from the north-east. The bandits and pirates belonging to the South-North Union were mostly powerful people, capable of using aura. As such, one could easily die if they fought them while expecting them to bemon bandits or pirates. The leader of South-North Union in particr was an extremely powerful master, as one of the Ten Heavens of the Continent despite the fact that he was a leader of bandits and pirates. The trainees swallowed. It seemed their first mission and the mention of South-North Union made them nervous. ¡°Well, well. I haven''t finished talking yet.¡± Rimmer pped his hands again. ¡°Like you said, the mission was the bandits'' extermination.¡± ¡°It was? Isn¡¯t that past tense?¡± ¡°Yes. It was the bandits'' extermination, but that changed yesterday.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Wh-why?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Why did the mission change?¡± ¡°Because the bandits attacked the vige to the south of their hideout, killed everyone living there, and ran away after setting it aze.¡± The trainees closed their mouths at Rimmer¡¯s unusually cold voice. ¡°Our mission isn¡¯t the bandits¡¯ extermination, but to track and annihte the bandits.¡± The trainees swallowed, looking into Rimmer¡¯s somber eyes. ¡°When are we departing?¡± Burren raised his hand. ¡°This evening.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too early?¡± ¡°Like I said, we don¡¯t have much time since we are going to track down the bandits that ran away, instead of attacking a hideout that won¡¯t move. There¡¯s no such thing as early orte in house missions. Once you get a mission, you need to obey.¡± ¡°¡­You are right. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Burren uncharacteristically acknowledged his mistake and lowered his head. ¡°You are mostly used to training swords, but you can¡¯t use those during a mission.¡± As Rimmer signaled with a nce, the instructors brought five swords each. ¡°They are the real swords that were supplied during the fight against the orcs. The weight and the shape of the de are all identical to the training sword you¡¯ve been using. Use these swords from now on.¡± ¡°A real sword¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m a bit nervous.¡± ¡°What are you nervous about? This is something you must do.¡± The trainees received the real swords one by one. Although they differed in degree, their hands were all trembling. ¡°Raon, this is your sword.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon raised both his hands to ept the real sword. Even though he said its weight was the same as the training sword, it felt slightly heavier. Rimmer smiled slightly and went on the tform again. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s crest isn¡¯t engraved on them, but they are the real swords provided by the house. It means that you are being acknowledged as Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen, albeit temporary.¡± ¡°Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen¡­¡± ¡°Acknowledged, huh?¡± The trainees swallowed, looking at the real swords. ¡°Even if it¡¯s temporary, you are still Zieghart¡¯s swordsman. Make sure to prepare yourselves so that you won¡¯t be ashamed, no matter what happens.¡± Rimmer told them to return and prepare to leave, then gather again before dinner. ¡°What do we need to prepare?¡± Burren followed him and asked. ¡°Think about it yourself. Not just the mission, but the preparation also contributes to your growth and experience.¡± Rimmer waved his hand lightly as he answered. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s certainly the case.¡± Burren nodded and stepped back, then Rimmer left to the rest area. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± From Rimmer¡¯s expression, Raon realized what Rimmer just said wasn¡¯t true. ¡®He thought it was a pain.¡¯ It sounded good, but he was certain he¡¯d just made it up because it was a bother. ¡®I guess it has nothing to do with me.¡¯ Raon was the best assassin, one who hadpleted countless missions. He didn¡¯t even need to think about what preparations he needed to track down and kill. ¡®I¡¯m a bit nervous.¡¯ His heart pounded slightly at receiving a mission after such a long time. * * * * * * Raon went back to the annex building to prepare his luggage. Sylvia and Helen, who were tending the garden, stood up and smiled at him. ¡°Why are you here at this hour? No way, is it because you wanted to see your mom?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°So mean.¡± Sylvia, who was approaching while smiling slightly, stood still. Her gaze was directed at the real sword on Raon¡¯s waist. ¡°That sword¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve received a mission.¡± ¡°Pardon? A mission?¡± ¡°M-mission? Why would a trainee get a mission¡­?¡± Sylvia¡¯s eyes were wide, and Helen dropped the gardening sickle in her hand. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. It¡¯s my first mission, so I''ll be apanied by the instructors.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Upon mentioning that the instructors would apany him, the color came back to Sylvia and Helen¡¯s cheeks. They seemed to know what that was about. ¡°So, you are going on your first mission. My son really has grown up.¡± Raon lowered his body to dodge Sylvia, who came to hug him. ¡°Did you just avoid your mom?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m out of time. We are departing this evening.¡± Raon shook his head. He was mostly embarrassed, but he also needed time to prepare. ¡°Are you really leaving so early? What kind of mission is it?¡± ¡°Tracking criminals.¡± ¡°What kind of criminals?¡± ¡°Thieves.¡± In order to avoid worrying Sylvia and Helen, he said they were thieves instead of bandits. ¡°You must be careful, even if they are thieves. As the saying goes, even a fly has its anger.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°It might take some time since it¡¯s a tracking mission.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we will need to prepare some food.¡± It looked like they felt a bit relieved upon hearing that he was going to chase after thieves. ¡°Then let¡¯s get the beef jerky first.¡± ¡°Yes, we also need to pack some dried fruits and bread.¡± Telling him to leave the food to them, Sylvia and Helen entered the annex building. Raon smiled, looking at the busy kitchen. He feltfortable whenever he was home. His slight excitement and nervousness had also subsided. ¡®I guess I only need to prepare my stuff.¡¯ Since Sylvia and Helen were excellent at packing food, it looked like he didn¡¯t need to worry about it. ¡®Then¡­¡¯ He just needed to pack the items to track down the criminals, and things like clothes, shoes, and robes. Raon went to his room to stuff a light backpack with whatever he needed for the mission and put it under his bed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He calmed himself down by sitting down on the floor and cultivating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡®Since they don¡¯t belong to the South-North Union, but are only connected to them, they shouldn¡¯t be that strong.¡¯ Since it was their first mission, the bandits shouldn¡¯t be that powerful. ¡®Since official roads should already be blocked, we will end up fighting the bandits hiding in the mountains.¡¯ The bandits¡¯ center of activity was the mountain. Even if the trainees were stronger than them, it wasn¡¯t going to be easy to find and fight them in the mountains. The trainees wouldn¡¯t be able to find the bandits at first, so the instructors would end up guiding them to encounter the bandits and fight them. ¡®Well, we don¡¯t need to go through all that.¡¯ Although it was part of training, the mission was still a mission. If he caught or killed the criminals on his own, he was going to be rewarded for sure. It was clearly an opportunity for him, as someone that needed to gain aplishments. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Breathing out the dirty air after cleansing with the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, Raon opened his eyes. ¡®Let¡¯s do it.¡¯ *** That Evening. Because of Sylvia, who kept hugging him and wouldn¡¯t let him go, he went to the training groundter than he¡¯d nned. The other trainees were there first, and most of them were as stiff as wooden dolls. Burren was murmuring something, looking at the sky with clenched fists. Raon tried discerning it. He was saying that he was going to distinguish himself during the mission, but his voice cracked. Martha was sitting on a chair at the opposite side. She was sitting with her legs crossed, ring at any trainee who passed by. Judging from her rougher behavior than usual, she also seemed to be nervous. On the other hand, Runaan was just staring nkly at her ice cream box. It looked like she was barely holding herself back from eating it. ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to eat it right now, wouldn¡¯t it be better to put it in your bag? Since you can¡¯t use your hand like this.¡± ¡°¡­Mhm.¡± Runaan stared into Raon¡¯s eyes for a long time, then she finally nodded and put the ice cream box into her backpack. Her eyes were wavering slightly. It looked like she was feeling a bit anxious about the fact that the ice cream box was no longer in her hand. ¡®She¡¯s amazing.¡¯ Even Burren and Martha were nervous, yet Runaan was the same as always. It looked like her only interest was whether the ice cream was going to break or not. It was ridiculous, but he felt relieved that she seemed to bepletely released from Syria¡¯s brainwashing. Call meter, when the girl takes out the ice cream. ¡®Hah.¡¯ While Wrath was murmuring that he wanted to taste the new ice cream, Rimmer kicked open the door and entered. Instead of the usual rag, he was wearing proper leather armor. He went up onto the tform with the instructors. ¡°Stand in a line!¡± As Raon stood in front of the tform and issued orders, the trainees lined themselves up. ¡°Forty-three trainees, nobody¡¯s missing.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Rimmer nodded, smiling. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The trainees shouted their throats off in order to forget their nervousness. ¡°It¡¯s a real battle from now on.¡± Rimmer stood up. The smile that he always wore disappeared. ¡°The ones that we are after are extremely evil criminals that have robbed the lives and properties of dozens of people, then burned up a whole vige before running away. Don¡¯t consider them humans. Cut their head off as soon as you see them. You have my permission.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Facing a pressure as intense as a typhoon, the trainees swallowed. ¡°Outside is a battlefield. It¡¯s hell. Don¡¯t let your guard down, brace yourselves at all times.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The trainees replied nervously. Their voices had be even louder. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t be nervous, either. Nervousness stiffens your body, and you won¡¯t be able to move like you usually do. I told you to not let your guard down, but I didn¡¯t tell you to be nervous.¡± ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Rimmer smiled once again. The trainees, whose shoulders were as stiff as a rabbit¡¯s ear, slowly sighed. ¡°That¡¯s why the role of the top trainee is important.¡± His gaze was directed at Raon, who was standing at the center. A soft smile, the gaze was reflecting his trust and confidence. ¡°Raon Zieghart, can you do it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon slowly bowed his head. Rimmer smiled in satisfaction, looking at his calm eyes with no sign of nervousness nor carelessness. ¡®There¡¯s no need to be nervous, nor to be careless.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll do everything.¡¯ Chapter 54 Raon and the trainees used the dimensional gate to move to the southern end of the Zieghart¡¯s domain in a single day. They normally would¡¯ve moved more slowly to gain experience in things like camping, but they had to move as quickly as possible because the mission had suddenly changed. The trainees¡¯ expressions were darker than the dim sky because of the tension surrounding their first mission. ¡°We will rest over there for tonight.¡± Rimmer pointed at the vige that they could see at the foot of the hill. It was a small vige, but it looked friendly, with gray smoke rising from the roofs. Since the vige was part of Zieghart¡¯s domain, the burning sword emblem was engraved at the entrance. ¡°Instructor, shouldn¡¯t we keep moving instead of resting?¡± Burren approached Rimmer and asked. ¡°Look at yourselves. You¡¯ve exhausted most of your stamina from crossing the dimensional gate. Do you think you can track them like that?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren looked back, and groaned. Although the dimensional gate allowed for long-distance travel in a short period of time, it also cost arge amount of stamina and willpower. Since it was the first time most of the trainees had used the dimensional gate, they were even more tired. ¡°Tonight is yourst rest. Don¡¯t worry too much, as we will be tracking them from daybreak tomorrow without any rest or sleep.¡± ¡°But there might be other casualties if we end up beingte¡­¡± ¡°Although they might be small, the Snow Tiger bandits have connections with the South-North Union. Stop thinking that you will win against them just because you are stronger. If you encounter them while tired, you might end up losing instead.¡± Rimmer red coldly at the trainees. ¡°Remember what I told you. Don¡¯t be careless or nervous. You aren¡¯t following either of the two. Brace yourselves again as you rest tonight.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± He went to the vige first, the trainees¡ªincluding¡ªRaon following after him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon furrowed his brows. He could feel a powerful yet familiar energy from the vige. ¡°Instructor.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Are there family swordsmen in the vige, by any chance?¡± ¡°Your senses are really impressive.¡± Rimmer whistled and nodded his head. ¡°Did you really feel that?¡± ¡°I felt a pressure too powerful to be a viger.¡± ¡°You are right. A swordsman was dispatched from the house, just in case the bandits decided to move to the north and attack them.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zieghart was famous for the reliable protection they provided to the viges and cities under them. It seemed that the swordsman was dispatched as soon as a problem arose near the vige. ¡°Your senses are really mysterious.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Hearing Rimmer¡¯s astonishment, Burren frowned and tried to feel the swordsman¡¯s presence. Martha snorted as if it was nothing special. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen have arrived!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Upon arriving at the vige entrance, the vigers waved their hands and cheered, recognizing the burning sword emblem on the instructors¡¯bat uniform. ¡°Open the gate!¡± Without any verification, the vige gate opened. That was how much the name of Zieghart meant to them. ¡®And the same thing happened at Robert¡¯s.¡¯ When he acted under Robert¡¯s emblem in his previous life, people in the South had reacted in a simr way. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon buried his desire for revenge, reignited in his heart for the first time in a long time, and entered the vige. The sweet smell of dinner being prepared covered the ce. ¡°Wee, Zieghart¡¯s swords. I am Jarten vige¡¯s chief, Cammon.¡± An old man with gray hair walked up to them with the help of a stick and bowed his head. Rimmer greeted him with a smiling face and turned around. ¡°He said he will guide you to your lodging. Today is thest day you will be able to restfortably. Gather before sunrise, make sure to be on time.¡± ¡°I still have a lot of stamina. I¡¯ll check the terrain around here in the meantime.¡± Burren raised his hand, eyes shining. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. It will make things easier if you check the way beforehand. But do you know the geography around here?¡± Rimmer abruptly looked down on Burren. ¡°F-from the map¡­¡± ¡°This vige is surrounded by forests and mountains. Even if you saw the map, you will still get confused once you¡¯re there. And what if bandits ambushed you in that state? Your head will be sent flying before you can even fight back.¡± Rimmer smiled, tapping on Burren¡¯s head. ¡°I know how you feel, but your impatience will be their opportunity. Like I¡¯ve said, they can¡¯t get away from this area, so calm down.¡± ¡°U-understood.¡± Burren and the coterals awkwardly lowered their heads. ¡°Starting tomorrow, you won¡¯t be able to rest even if you want to. Take a good rest for now. We will start the operation at daybreak tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± The trainees followed Rimmer to the center, where the vige hall was located. *** The next day at daybreak. Like Rimmer said, they kept marching south without rest. They filled their stomachs with dried food while walking, and they didn¡¯t sleep for more than three hours. Moreover, it started snowing heavily enough topletely block their vision, which made the trainees as slow as turtles. ¡°Hmm.¡± Sweeping off the snow covering his shoulder, Raon took a nce at the trainees. ¡°Haah.¡± ¡°Damn shitty powder falling from the sky!¡± Even Burren and Martha were unable to walk properly due to the snow piling up to their knees. ¡°Aww, this is so annoying!¡± ¡°When is this heavy snow going to end?¡± ¡°We¡¯re so slow.¡± Since even those two were struggling, the other trainees were obviously floundering in the snow, and they couldn¡¯t even advance at half the usual speed. ¡°Hehe.¡± There was a single exception. Runaan was smiling while gathering snow, but she was a peculiar one. Anyway, they might even end up losing the bandits at that rate. Instructor Rimmer was watching them from the side without saying anything. He seemed to think giving advice was too much since he was apanying them as their guardian. Which meant that Raon needed to do something about it himself. ¡°Stop.¡± Raon stepped up and stopped everyone. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t force your ankle when you walk on a snowy ground. You will only end up wasting your stamina.¡± He continued, looking around the trainees. ¡°Rx your ankles and knees and step on the snow like you¡¯re bouncing on a leaf. You should be able to do it with a little practice, since you¡¯ve already acquired the River Footwork.¡± Raon smoothly stepped on the snow and walked ahead as a demonstration. His legs were advancing faster than when he walked normally, almost as if he was sliding on the ice. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The trainees gasped. Raon demonstrated a few more times so that everyone could imitate his snow step. ¡°We will move in a single line from now on. Burren,e forward.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°When facing a snowstorm or a strong wind, you are supposed to move in a line in order to reduce the wind resistance. You will be leading the other children at the front.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Hearing the world lead, Burren¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°The rest should stand in a single line, facing Burren¡¯s back.¡± One line was created, with Burren at the front, Martha in the middle and Runaan at the back. ¡°The lead will change every hour. Start moving.¡± Without getting in the line, Raon went to the side and guided the trainees. As the trainees moved in a single line after learning the snow steps, their speed was almost twice as fast as before. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s really fast. It is not any different from the usual.¡± ¡°How did Raon know about this?¡± ¡°He is such a mysterious guy.¡± The trainees admired him, looking at Raon as he single handedly walked through the snow. ¡°That¡¯s really good.¡± ¡°I know, right? He¡¯s teaching them very efficiently, like he¡¯s already experienced marching.¡± ¡°I was about to give them some hints, but that wasn¡¯t necessary.¡± The instructors following behind them were also amazed. Rimmer smiled gently, looking at Raon and the trainees. *** Raon and the trainees managed to arrive at a vige through the snowstorm. However, the vige waspletely ckened, burnt up without a single sign of life. A part of the vige was filled with corpses of all ages and sexes, whose names and faces couldn¡¯t be recognized. It was the vige that the Snow Tiger bandits had attacked. ¡°Eww!¡± ¡°Gross!¡± Those with weak stomachs among the trainees were nauseated, and even those with strong stomachs frowned or turned their heads away. Raon stayed next to Rimmer and examined the corpses like he didn¡¯t feel anything. ¡®They were burned after being killed by a sword.¡¯ They didn¡¯t die from the fire, but they were mostly shed to death by a sword before being burned up. It looked like the bandits stole belongings by attacking the vige and running away, just like he¡¯d heard. ¡®It¡¯s just that¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why the bandits decided to attack the vige when they could have just collected tolls on the mountain road. ¡°Are you okay?¡± As he kept looking at the corpses, Rimmer approached him with a worried expression. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± In fact, the only people who were looking at the corpses up close were Raon and Martha. ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯ He¡¯d already had that impression, but it looked like Martha was used to seeing corpses. Or making corpses herself. ¡°Ahem.¡± Burren came up while biting his lip and examined the corpses. He was clearly forcing himself. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Runaan was having difficulties, but she was still trying to examine the wounds on the corpses to understand the bandits¡¯ swordsmanship. She was apletely different person from when she was frightened just by seeing blood. It looked like he didn¡¯t need to worry about her anymore. ¡°This is what the Snow Tiger bandits have done. Keep this in mind and never forget, so that your swords won¡¯t hesitate upon meeting them. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Hearing Rimmer¡¯s advice, the trainees'' eyes shone menacingly. The nervousness from their first mission had transformed into an intense anger. * * * * * * Two dayster. Raon and the trainees arrived at the Ruten mountain, where the Snow Tiger bandits were thought to be hiding. They would reach the blockaded official road if they advanced for two more days, and since the house¡¯s swordsmen were closing in around them, the bandits were for sure hiding in the vicinity. ¡°Attention, everyone.¡± Rimmer pped his hands to gather the trainees. ¡°Here is our foothold. We will be forming groups to track down their location from now on.¡± He personally formed the groups for them, and Raon got grouped up with Runaan. It was a rtively small grouppared to other groups, who had three to four members, but it outssed them in terms of might. ¡°Take a whistle as well.¡± Rimmer distributed a silver whistle to each group. ¡°It¡¯s a whistle that you need to be trained to hear. Blow on it if you get in danger. The instructors watching after you will react immediately.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Instead of whistling at the first danger, try doing what you can by yourself. You canbine forces between groups or try fighting them without our help. Just remember that their swords will be merciless, so never let your guards down.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The trainees recalled the horrible scenes in the vige that the bandits had attacked, and started moving in the direction they each picked. However, Raon didn¡¯t start moving immediately. He looked around at the Ruten mountain located in the east, the low hills in the west, and the dense forest next to it. ¡®That mountain.¡¯ He directed his gaze at the Ruten mountain. Since they could watch them from the mountain and they could run away from behind, the mountain was the correct ce for the bandits to be. However, since it was the correct choice, the mountain wasn¡¯t the answer. There was no way that bandits that knew they were being chased and surrounded were going to hide in the mountain. The same went for the forest. They wouldn¡¯t be easily discovered because it was a dense forest, but it was also difficult for them to run away. ¡®Then, I think¡­¡¯ Raon looked at the hills. They were too visible, but there could be other terrains within. It seemed to be a good idea to check that ce first. ¡°Raon.¡± As Raon made up his mind and stood up, Runaan approached him and tilted her head. She seemed to be wondering why they weren¡¯t moving. Raon had wondered why he was put in the same group as her, but it seemed Rimmer wanted him to take care of the soft-hearted Runaan. ¡°Let¡¯s go this way.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon started climbing the hills along with Runaan. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ It was as expected. Though the hills looked empty at first, there was a forest that couldn¡¯t be seen from the outside. It wasn¡¯t dense, but it looked pretty deep. He lowered his gaze and examined the entrance to the forest. Apparently, the forest was full of animals. The numerous small footprints of animals made it difficult to find traces of humans. ¡®However.¡¯ That would¡¯ve been the case with a normal hunter or tracker, but Raon was different. In order to be the best assassin, being skilled in murder wasn¡¯t enough. Tracking skills, perception, and information gathering all needed to reach the highest level to be the best assassin. Without giving up, Raon looked for the bandits¡¯ tracks while advancing slowly in the forest. Even though they were specialized in mountains and forests, they still must¡¯ve left some traces, since they were humans. ¡®I found it!¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes red red. It wasn¡¯t on the ground. There was a very small sign that a human had passed by on a shoulder-high bush. ¡°Hold your breath and follow me.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon lowered his body after hearing Runaan¡¯s answer. Guessing the bandits¡¯ location from the sign, he slowly moved his legs. ¡°Stop.¡± Raon extended his hand to the back. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There is a trap.¡± There was an invisible thread trap right in front of them. Passing through it would¡¯ve resulted in their legs being cut, giving the people inside a signal. ¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯ Raon removed the trap in a way it wouldn¡¯t signal them and kept moving forward. How did you even see that? Wrath eximed. I really don¡¯t understand what kind of human you are. Even though the King of Essence has lived for a long time, it¡¯s still iprehensible. ¡®I was lucky. It was reflecting in the sunlight.¡¯ Hmph, what a joke. Wrath snorted, telling him he didn¡¯t believe him. Raon told him to think whatever he wanted and went deeper into the forest. There were more traces of the bandits. While examining the ground to find their exact location, he found a strange sign. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ It was an inappropriately small footprint. It looked like a child¡¯s footprint. ¡®Is it a child from that vige?¡¯ It looked like they kidnapped children from the vige in order to use them as hostages. ¡®What a bunch of evil bastards!¡¯ He breathed out to calm his boiling anger. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Your footsteps shouldn¡¯t make any sound from now on. Walk like me.¡± He taught Runaan how to walk without making any sound. Because it was an application of River Footwork, she managed to replicate it very quickly. ¡°And the whistle?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± It would¡¯ve been a different story if there weren¡¯t hostages, but since children were involved, he needed to avoid the instructors making sounds as they came towards them at the sound of the whistle. Discovering the location of the children and bandits before whistling was the correct thing to do. ¡°Blow the whistle as soon as I give the signal.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Runaan nodded, holding the whistle tightly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon lowered his body while pointing ahead. ¡°We are almost there.¡± *** After crouching through the forest for about ten minutes, they found frequent traces of the bandits. ¡®They didn¡¯t even try to hide it around here.¡¯ They avoided leaving traces as much as they could at the hills and forest¡¯s entrance, and there were traps in the middle, but that ce was different. It seemed as if they believed they wouldn¡¯t be found out, since the traces were scattered around everywhere. ¡®As expected, it wasn¡¯t a mistake.¡¯ Raon frowned after examining the surroundings. The children¡¯s traces existed there as well. ¡°The bandits have taken children as hostages.¡± ¡°Hostages?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s grasp the situation first before deciding whether we should blow the whistle or act by ourselves.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded immediately. It looked like she¡¯d believe him no matter what he said. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Raon gestured with his head and almost crawled as he advanced, Runaan following behind him. After about ten minutes of crawling, a human voice could be heard from ahead. Raon¡¯s eyes grew as dark as shadows. They had found them. Chapter 55 Raon crawled towards the direction the voice came from and raised his head. Two bandits were standing guard over the bushes that were blocking his vision like a wall. They seemed to be joking around and giggling. ¡®Their skills are pretty bad.¡¯ They were rather developed physically, but he couldn¡¯t feel any aura from them. They were low-ss warriors that couldn¡¯t use mana. He looked over them to see what was behind. A big bandit was sitting on the other side of the two chattering bandits, and a child was tied to a tree. Only wearing a thin clothing, the child¡¯s face and hands had turned red. ¡°Hie.¡± The child groaned, unable to withstand the cold, and the bandit next to him tapped his cheek. The touch was enough to make the child tremble and shrink away. Tsk. Raon frowned and clicked his tongue. Just as he¡¯d expected on the way, the bandit was holding the child hostage. They must¡¯ve been nning to threaten their enemies by putting their sword to the child¡¯s neck. ¡®There should be a few more.¡¯ They wouldn¡¯t have left the hostage where they stood guard if he was the only hostage. There were certainly going to be more hostages inside, where more bandits had gathered. ¡®What shall I do?¡¯ If he tried to inform everyone and move together, the bandits would certainly realize something was going on. It could be a better idea to save the hostages and assassinate the bandits now, since they hadn¡¯t been discovered yet. ¡®And I can¡¯t leave him like that.¡¯ The child¡¯s lips werepletely blue. He could end up dying from the cold if left alone. ¡°......¡± Raon turned his head. Runaan¡¯s eyes were shivering, not knowing what to do after seeing the hostage. ¡°It will be alright.¡± Raon whispered, creating an energy barrier to avoid sound from going out. ¡°I have a way to solve this.¡± ¡°A way?¡± ¡°But you have to help me.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded, like she would do anything. ¡°On my signal, stand up to show yourself, then block sound using mana. Can you do it?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Without asking the reason or the method, Runaan simply nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the rest. The two of us can save that child.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± Hearing that they could save the child, Runaan nodded more vigorously than ever. ¡°Then.¡± Leaving Runaan where she was, Raon used his shadow footwork to move near the tree where the child was tied up. ¡°How long do we have to stay here?¡± ¡°They said the crazy bastards at Zieghart have already dispatched swordsmen. The roads are all blocked, apparently.¡± ¡°Shit, are we all going to die?¡± ¡°Since the boss said he called people from the South-North Union, our guide will arrive soon if we wait.¡± Without realizing someone was listening to them, the bandits bbered about their circumstances. ¡°Shut up.¡± The bandit sitting next to a tree reproached them, and the bandits standing watch closed their mouths. ¡®That guy is a bit different.¡¯ He could feel an aura from the bandit¡¯s energy center as he sat next to the tree. He was only around the beginner level with the sword, though. In a single step, Raon arrived next to the big bandit. Runaan had already finished her preparations and was breathing silently. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Controlling his breath, Raon bent his knees. In a posture that would allow him to start moving at any time, he raised his finger to create a small fire. Rustle! Runaan, at his signal, stood up from the bush. ¡°Wh-what is it?!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± When the bandit tried to grab the child, just in case, Raon was already standing behind him. Pshk! He cut the bandit¡¯s throat as he drew his sword. ¡°Kugh¡­¡± Unable to grab the child or draw his sword, the bandit¡¯s head was split away from his body. Before the blood gushed from the bandit¡¯s headless body, Raon kicked off from the ground. ¡°What¡­?¡± Of the two bandits, the one on the right turned around first. Raon turned his ankle to change directions. He dashed to the right and swung his sword. Wham! Right after stabbing the bandit in the heart, he spun his sword to aim at thest bandit¡¯s throat. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± Thest bandit swallowed, looking at the sword touching his neck. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you move or make a sound.¡± ¡°Kugh¡­¡± The bandit swallowed and shut his mouth. It seemed he wasn¡¯tpletely stupid. ¡°Runaan, release the child.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Runaan nodded energetically and went to the child. ¡°Answer my questions. I¡¯ll pull out your bones one by one each time you refuse.¡± Raon bent the bandit¡¯s arm and mmed him down on the ground. ¡°I-I understand.¡± The bandit kept nodding without any hesitation, terrified by Raon, who¡¯d killed his allies. ¡°You are the Snow Tiger bandits, correct?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°How many are you?¡± ¡°W-we are thirty-nine.¡± ¡°Where are the rest?¡± ¡°They are in the forest over there.¡± The bandit pointed towards the deeper part of the forest with his chin. ¡®Certainly.¡¯ He could feel multiple presences moving deep inside the forest. Since they were at such a location, they weren¡¯t trying to hide their presence. ¡°When is your guard shift over?¡± ¡°I-in about three hours.¡± ¡°And the hostages?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one more in there.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded. As he¡¯d expected, they had a hostage where they kept guard because they had another one. ¡®If there are thirty-six of them together, I can¡¯t use the same strategy.¡¯ Assassinating them was an easy task, but rescuing the hostages when thirty-six people were watching was rather difficult. ¡°Raon?¡± Runaan came to him after dressing the child in a robe. The child¡¯s face was clean, it looked like she¡¯d cleaned his face with a handkerchief. ¡°M-mister swordsman, my little sister is in there.¡± The child knelt in front of Raon and rammed his head against the ground. Despite his lips still bleeding from the cold, he didn¡¯t stop pleading. ¡°Please save my little sister!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Runaan gently patted the child¡¯s head. ¡°Raon will resolve everything for you.¡± ¡°Runaan, you shouldn¡¯t say something like that rashly.¡± ¡°But you are going to do it.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Raon cleared his throat. Runaan¡¯s eyes were clear, showingplete trust in him. Facing such a heavy trust, Raon¡¯s throat felt dry. ¡°Killing the bandits is one thing, but I think it¡¯d be better to call more people if we want to rescue the hostage safely. Since there are thirty-six bandits, including their boss, it could be dangerous.¡± ¡°Shall I use the whistle, then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Runaan stood while still holding the child¡¯s hand. She stepped back and blew the whistle that she¡¯d got from Rimmer. Despite blowing it so hard that her face turned red, no sound came out. ¡®It definitely can¡¯t be heard.¡¯ The sound was so quiet that he couldn¡¯t hear anything, despite being right next to her. He could understand why that whistle was given to them. ¡°It¡¯s an inaudible whistle! Wake up everyone! The pursuers are here!¡± * * * * * * As soon as she finished blowing the whistle, a husky voice could be heard from the forest. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Raon swallowed. That reaction was certainly from hearing the whistle. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect there to be someone so sensitive¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t think they would be able to hear the whistle from so far away when even Raon himself had difficulty hearing it. Realizing that he¡¯d messed up, cold sweat ran down his back. ¡°Runaan, hide over there with the child.¡± Raon pointed at the bush to the west. ¡°What about Raon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy some time here.¡± Answering Runaan¡¯s question, he pulled the suppressed bandit¡¯s arm towards the bush. ¡°It¡¯s alright, so trust me. And if you get an opportunity, save the other hostage.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± When he said it was alright, Runaan nodded and went to the bush to the right side. Wham! Along with a crashing noise, thirty-four bandits wearing all sorts of outfits approached together. ¡°Wh-what! When did they¡­¡± ¡°Oh, shit!¡± ¡°Which bastard did this?!¡± The bearded macho man that had the most powerful pressure ground his teeth upon seeing the dead bandits. ¡®The hostage is¡­ over there.¡¯ Raon confirmed the hostage¡¯s location while hiding in the bush. The rightmost bandit was grasping the little girl by her throat. Fortunately, he was right next to the bush where Runaan was hiding. ¡°Come out!¡± The bearded macho stomped on the ground and red. ¡°If you don¡¯te out, I¡¯ll slit that girl¡¯s throat.¡± He drew his greatsword and aimed it at the hostage girl. ¡°Tsk.¡± Grabbing the suppressed bandit¡¯s neck, Raon stood up from the bush. ¡°A kid? Are you saying you did all this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy! How could they lose to such a young brat¡­?¡± ¡°U-underboss¡­¡± The bandit Raon was holding called him underboss. It seemed the macho man was the second-inmand of the bandits, who¡¯d also heard the whistle. ¡°Who did you call with the inaudible whistle?¡± He was even aware of the name of the whistle that Rimmer gave him. It looked like he used to be an instructor somewhere. ¡°Why does it matter who I called?¡± ¡°You must want to die at a young age.¡± The underboss growled like a beast. ¡°I want to exchange hostages.¡± Raon said, while cing his sword between the underboss and the bandit. ¡°Exchange hostages?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give him back if you hand over that child.¡± ¡°Kuhahahaha!¡± The underbossughed so hard that his shoulders shuddered. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether he dies or not. Unlike that girl, he isn¡¯t worthy of being a hostage.¡± ¡°I see. Indeed.¡± Raon nodded and put his sword against the bandit¡¯s neck. ¡°I already told you, we don¡¯t care at all that he dies. If you don¡¯t want to see this girl¡¯s head cut off, drop your sword right now.¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Creating a small me with his left pinky finger, he sent the signal to Runaan. ¡°His worth is something that I decide, not you.¡± Raon cut his carotid artery with his sword. A huge amount of blood gushed out from his throat, blocking the bandits¡¯ vision. ¡®Now!¡¯ Raon raised the dagger he had on his waist. Using the ¡®Perception of the Snow Flower¡¯ and his senses to the best of his ability, he detected the presence of the bandit holding the girl. He threw the dagger at the bandit, filling it with energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. Whack! When the blood gushing towards the sky finally calmed, they could see the bandit copsing with a dagger stuck on his forehead. ¡°Fuck! Damn it!¡± ¡°S-stop him!¡± When the underboss and the bandits started moving towards the girl that had been set free, Runaan stood up. Silver frost was imbued in her unsheathed sword. ¡°Soft Frost.¡± As she swung her sword, frost appeared under the bandits running towards her. ¡°Wh-who is she?¡± ¡°Ice?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an attributed aura!¡± The bandits couldn¡¯t move carelessly, and their legs stopped. A moment¡¯s hesitation was all he needed. Thud! Raon kicked off from the ground and sprung towards the girl. ¡°Stop!¡± A bandit in his path struck down his sword. Thud! Raon deflected it by hitting the side of the sword with his hand, then cut the bandit¡¯s throat. He looked like he was riding the wind, just like Rimmer. ¡°You bastard!¡± The underboss mmed down his greatsword to block his path. Raon turned his ankle to stand in front of the girl and thrust his sword. Whack! A thin sword and a huge greatsword collided, but the greatsword was the one that was pushed back. ¡°Keuh!¡± The underboss stepped back while gritting his teeth. ¡°I got her.¡± In the meantime, Runaan appeared next to him and held the girl in her arms. ¡°Serin!¡± ¡°B-brother!¡± The children hugged each other and started crying. ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± Runaan withdrew, holding the children. Her lips were into a small, unusual smile. ¡®She¡¯s pretty good.¡¯ Raon nced at the back and smirked. Runaan acted exactly the way he wanted, as if she could read his mind. She was pretty quick witted, despite how she looked. ¡°You damn brats! Do you know who I am?!¡± The underboss swung his greatsword while gritting his teeth. The bandits behind him also drew their swords, spreading murderous intent. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the name of someone who¡¯s going to die soon.¡± The red me of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ red up on Raon¡¯s sword. ¡°Come at me.¡± Chapter 56 ¡°Get him!¡± The bandits charged at Raon, following the underboss¡¯smand. Raon easily dodged the bandit¡¯s attack by tilting his head slightly, then he thrust his sword in his direction in a straight line. ¡°Ugh!¡± Before he could even think about dodging, the bandit¡¯s heart was pierced and he copsed. Stab! Looking for an opening, the bandit at his right thrust his spear. Raon parried it using the side of his sword, then sliced the bandit¡¯s throat and the spear handle in a single strike. The bandit died with his eyes wide open. He looked like he didn¡¯t even realize he was dying. How are you so resolute at your age? ¡®Because these kinds of people are better off dead.¡¯ Raon coldly nced through the bandits. They were fiends that burned up an entire vige and took children hostage. He didn¡¯t feel guilty about killing them. ¡°What are you doing? Attack him at once! He¡¯s just a kid!¡± ¡°Diiie!¡± ¡°Arrrgh!¡± Twenty bandits holding swords, spears, and sabers lunged at him at once. Whap! When Raon brandished his sword, silver frost came out from the ground and engulfed the bandits. It was Runaan. She¡¯d spread the frost to slow down the bandits. Thud! Raon thanked her by nodding to her slightly, then moved to the bandits¡¯ left side. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± Facing the bandits swinging their swords at the same time, Raon kept dashing ahead instead of dodging. Grazing the bandits¡¯ swords, he swung his sword upward. The de dyed in red sliced through two bandits at once. ¡°D-die!¡± The bandit behind them tried to skewer him with his spear. The deadly spearhead was thrust at Raon¡¯s heart. He lowered his body. The spearhead cut Raon¡¯s hair and scattered it in the air. ¡°Haa!¡± Two bandits, one holding an ax and the other a sword, lunged at him right after. Slide! Raon moved back smoothly and sliced the bandit¡¯s neck when he was caught off guard. ¡°Catch up with him!¡± ¡°S-slippery bastard!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need toe at me.¡± Raon used the River Footwork to turn his ankle. Bending his body forward, he leapt like lightning. ¡°Since I¡¯ming to you.¡± Breathing through beneath the bandits that were chasing after him, Raon swiped with the ''Star-Combining Sword''. sh! The lightning-fast consecutive strikes sent the heads of four bandits flying. ¡°Haa.¡± When Raon stopped his sword to catch his breath, a powerful murderous intent appeared behind him. ¡®It¡¯s him.¡¯ It was the underboss that had been staying back, looking for an opportunity. Without turning, Raon bent his back. The underboss¡¯s greatsword went over him, cutting his bangs. The golden hair fluttered in the air. ¡°H-how did you dodge that?¡± ¡°By doing well.¡± Raon swung his sword up at the confused underboss. Whack! Since he was in an awkward position, the strike didn¡¯t carry much strength. However, the underboss still bounced back, unable to withstand it. ¡°Attack! Rip him into pieces!¡± ¡°Aaaaah!¡± The underboss and bandits holding all kinds of weapons flooded at him like a wave. Rusty swords and spears were aimed at his heart, and thick axes walloped at his head. Thud! Raon took a deep breath and stepped on the ground. He sliced his sword, which contained the energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, diagonally from left to right. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Wind of me. The de of heat, carried by the wind, sliced through the underboss and the bandits at the same time. ¡°Kugh¡­¡± ¡°Huh, huh?¡± Unable to believe their death, the bandits were split in half and copsed. ¡°Arrgh!¡± ¡°M-monster!¡± ¡°How can a child like that¡­?¡± Thest few remaining bandits backed away with trembling hands. ¡°Where is your bo¡­¡± ¡°Wow, this is ridiculous.¡± A man wearing an unbuttoned top came out of the bushes. Despite his young face, at about thirty years old, his pressure was extremely violent. Raon understood from his strong malice that he was the ringleader. ¡°Boss!¡± ¡°Leader!¡± A light of hope shone upon the bandits that had been trembling in fear. As expected, that man was the Snow Tiger¡¯s leader. ¡°How can you get annihted by a small kid? I¡¯d just get humiliated even if I joined the South-North Union like this.¡± The man giggled, bringing the liquor bottle he had around his waist to his mouth. There was no sign of anger, despite many bandits having died. Instead, he seemed to find the situation interesting. ¡°Those are some very elegant faces and clothes. You gotta be from a rich family, huh?¡± The bandit boss giggled and pointed at Raon, then Runaan. ¡°Well, that¡¯s better. I was worried my presents weren¡¯t enough, but I¡¯m gonna take you hostage. It seems I, Bookan, haven¡¯t been abandoned by heaven.¡± Introducing himself as Bookan, the bandit boss drew his saber. He started spinning a saber as thick as a log as if it was a leaf. ¡®If his name is Bookan, he¡¯s indeed the boss.¡¯ That was the name of the Snow Tiger¡¯s leader, the one that Rimmer had mentioned before. The fact that his might was above average among the aura users also matched the description. He was the strongest opponent so far. However, there was no tension, as he was an opponent Raon could easily win against. ¡°Come at me. Since you are a young master, I¡¯ll let you have a head start.¡± Bookan giggled, and put his fingers together, wagging them. ¡°Fine.¡± Raon signaled Runaan to stay back, then stepped up. ¡°Let¡¯s see how strong this kid i¡­¡± While Bookan was carelessly bbering, Raon thrust his sword at his neck. Whoosh! The de, filled with the energy of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, lunged at Bookan¡¯s neck. ¡°Huh!¡± Bookan gasped and swung his saber. Spinning like a windmill, the de managed to deflect the sword¡¯s trajectory. Smack! The powerful impact pushed both Raon and Bookan back at once. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty strong!¡± Bookan¡¯s eyes glowed like a hungry beast. ¡°Very interesting!¡± Bursting out inughter, he pounced. Rotating his saber, he mmed it down. Raon didn¡¯t face the attack head on. Instead, he dodged it by turning his body. Crash! The saber split the ground upon reaching it. It was a monstrous strength. ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± Bookanughed like crazy and continuously mmed down his saber. As a gigantic saber dominated the space, his movement grew more and more restricted. ¡°You are going to be sliced to death if you keep trying to dodge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Raon calmly kept using the footwork and blocked the strikes. ¡°Tsk, I guess we don¡¯t need to continue this any further if that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got.¡± Bookan pouted and kept swinging his saber. The huge saber that was riding the wind shone blue and exploded with a powerful energy. ¡°Just die!¡± The moment his saber rose into the air and his motions grewrge, red lightning struck Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, First me. me Spirit. me appeared at the tip of the silver de and blossomed, riding the wind. sh! The fierce energy of the small me cut through Bookan¡¯s saber and cut him at his waist. ¡°Gaaaah!¡± Bookan screamed, grabbing the sword stabbing into his ribs. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± Holding the de, he pushed back with tremendous strength. It looked like he wasn¡¯t the boss for nothing. ¡°Die!¡± Holding the sword stabbing his ribs with his left hand, he swung his saber at Raon¡¯s neck with his right hand. ¡°Pointless.¡± Raon dodged the cut by tilting his neck slightly, then used Bookan¡¯s strength to thrust his sword in even more to the right. ¡°Kugh!¡± A brutal amount of blood gushed from Bookan¡¯s side. Releasing the sword he was holding, Bookan backed off. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s everyone doing?! Kill him! Do you wanna die here?¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°L-let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Save the boss!¡± The bandits dashed towards Raon at once, hearing Bookan¡¯s shout. ¡°Huu.¡± Raon caught his breath and swung his sword. Using Zieghart¡¯s basic technique, he decapitated the bandits running at him and sliced their legs. ¡°Kugh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The wall of bandits screamed and copsed. ¡®Where is he?¡¯ Raon looked for Bookan¡¯s location while swinging his sword. He wasn¡¯t there anymore. He couldn¡¯t find his location with his perception either. ¡®He escaped!¡¯ The boss had used his underlings as a shield in order to run away. It was an act befitting of a bandit. * * * * * * Raon grit his teeth and emanated his pressure. ¡®I don¡¯t have much time.¡¯ Unlike him, Bookan should¡¯ve been familiar with the surrounding area. It was going to be difficult to catch him again if he escaped. Whir. He swung his sword, using the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ at its full power. The moment the de dyed in red sliced like lightning, the bandits in front of Raon had their heads separated from their bodies. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Uh!¡± The bandits foolishly copsed before they even realized they were killed. ¡°Arrrgh!¡± ¡°N-no! We can¡¯t win against that! He¡¯s a monster!¡± ¡°B-boss! Boss! Huh?¡± ¡°Did that son of a bitch run away?¡± ¡°S-surrender! I surrender!¡± Thest few remaining bandits screamed. Upon realizing the leader had run away, they all dropped their weapons and knelt down. ¡°Runaan!¡± After checking the bandits that surrendered, he looked at Runaan. ¡°I¡¯ll follow the leader. Kill them without hesitation if they try anything funny.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan casually answered while hugging the children tightly. The bandits¡¯ faces went pale. ¡°Later.¡± Using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, Raon took off. Entering the area that the bandits came from initially, he widened his perception and rolled his eyes. ¡®Where is he?¡¯ Since the traces of bandits were everywhere, it was difficult to track him down. However, he couldn¡¯t hide his sound. ¡®Southwest.¡¯ His hearing, enhanced by the ¡®Perception of the Snow Flower¡¯, caught a rustling sound from a bush in the southwest. Thud! He ran like the wind towards the source of the sound. It didn¡¯t take long before he found Bookan¡¯s presence, his back visible. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ Bookan wasn¡¯t alone. He was running through the forest like a mad man, holding a woman in his arms. ¡°That¡¯s as far as you go.¡± Raon cut him off, running at full speed using the River Footwork. ¡°Shit! How did you chase after me?¡± Bookan stepped back with trembling lips. ¡°Don¡¯te! I¡¯ll kill her if youe any closer!¡± Putting his saber on the woman¡¯s neck, he threatened. ¡°I¡¯m at the end of my rope. I¡¯ll kill her if anything goes wrong!¡± ¡°Then you will also die.¡± Raon didn¡¯t sumb to his threat. Using the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ and ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, he slowly approached him. ¡®Showing weakness because of the hostage is the worst thing to do.¡¯ He needed to show him that the hostage didn¡¯t have any effect on him in order to catch him off guard. And the hostage was actually meaningless to him. ¡°Damn it!¡± The leader screamed and threw away the woman he was holding. ¡°Haa!¡± Raon ran up and caught the falling woman with his left hand. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± The moment the clean woman nodded at him, a blue snake popped out from her sleeve. ¡°We did it!¡± Bookan cheered. ¡°What did you do?¡± Raonughed coldly and stabbed the sword in his right hand. Whack! Piercing through the snake¡¯s head, the de also crushed her heart. ¡°Kugh! How?!¡± ¡°Earlier, he said there were thirty-nine bandits in total. You must be thest one.¡± ¡°What kind of crazy bastard counts that¡­¡± The woman couldn¡¯t close her eyes as she died because of how ridiculous that was. ¡°And she was too clean for a hostage.¡± Actually, that wasn¡¯t everything. The ring with red lines that she had on her finger was the mark of a snake user. The number of bandits was one thing, but he noticed she wasn¡¯t a hostage from the ring and her clean appearance. ¡°Wh-who are you?!¡± Bookan, the Snow Tiger leader screamed. He just kept trembling, plopping down on the ground. It seemed he¡¯d realized he couldn¡¯t run away. ¡°It must¡¯ve been fun when you were the one doing the killing.¡± Pulling the sword from the woman¡¯s heart, he approached Bookan. ¡°G-get away!¡± Bookan screamed, frantically swinging his saber. His gaze, which used to be fierce, was now trembling in fear. ¡°You attacked and plundered the vige, even took children hostage. You are worse than a fiend.¡± I¡¯m sorry, but there are many fiends that can do worse. I mean, there are countless. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ignoring Wrath, Raon approached Bookan. ¡°Shut up!¡± Bookan leapt up like a grasshopper and swung his saber. The saber¡¯s sharp de, full of aura, glowed menacingly. However, the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ had already finished analyzing his techniques. Raon swung his sword after easily dodging it. sh! Bookan¡¯s right arm fell to the ground. ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have the right to scream.¡± ¡°W-wait, I¡¯ll give you an elixir! The elixir I got in that vige¡­ Kugh!¡± Raon severed his head without hesitation. The head of the disgraceful bandit fell to the ground and rolled away. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Catching his breath, he unsheathed his sword. ¡®He mentioned an elixir.¡¯ He said he¡¯d attacked the vige for the elixir. He must''ve kept it somewhere in his body. When he examined Bookan¡¯s clothes, he found a small pouch. ¡°This is it.¡± He opened the pouch. There was a flower bud that hadn''t burst yet. It was a strange bud with leaves that were half blue and half red. ¡°For such a petty reason.¡± Raon frowned while touching the flower bud. It was an elixir called Teuton Flower, which had the energy of both fire and water attributes. It was rare, but it wasn¡¯t something so extraordinary that it would warrant annihting an entire vige. ¡°Tsk.¡± He regretted killing Bookan so quickly. Human greed is like that. It seems the King of Essence is getting to witness more greed here in the human world than back in the devildom. What an interesting world. Raon didn¡¯t respond to Wrath. He wasn¡¯t ignoring him, but he couldn¡¯t rebuke it because Wrath was correct. ¡°Hmm?¡± It was as Raon was about to head back, licking his lips. that his head suddenly started hurting. He remembered something from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. Teuton Flower. That wasn¡¯t the true form of the flower that didn¡¯t blossom. ¡®If I had that, it would be a much more potent elixir¡­ huh?¡¯ The moment he realized Teuton Flower¡¯s true form, thanks to the knowledge from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, he felt the presence of someone moving in the southern bushes. Rustle. A man appeared through the bush. He was wearing a tiger skin leather jacket and a yellow bandana on his head. He could either be a hunter or a bandit. ¡°Huh? Is everything over already?¡± He licked his lips, looking at the Snow Tiger leader¡¯s corpse at his feet. ¡°All the efforts ofing to help him through Zieghart¡¯s encirclement was in vain.¡± The man in a tiger leather jacket raised his head and met Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did you do this? That¡¯s pretty amazing.¡± ¡°South-North Union, huh?¡± A yellow bandana was the mark of South-North Union, which was one of the Five Demons. The fact that he¡¯d appeared in that ce, and the way he seemed to feel sorry about the Snow Tiger leader¡¯s death, all proved that he was from the South-North Union. ¡°My name is Raptor.¡± He introduced himself. It seemed he didn¡¯t need to hide it. ¡®Raptor.¡¯ Raon frowned upon hearing the name. It was a name he¡¯d heard in his previous life. The genius swordsman who had be the boss of arge group of bandits in South-North Union ten years after joining them with nothing but a single sword. Unlike the Snow Tiger leader, Raptor was a real warrior at a different level. ¡°Did you take the elixir he had?¡± ¡°What if I did?¡± Raon nodded. Since he¡¯d arrived when he was looking at the Teuton Flower, it was impossible to hide it anyway. ¡°You look confident. Well, I guess your judgment is also pretty good, despite your age.¡± He looked at the snake user. ¡°And you are pretty strong. I guess that¡¯s why you can be so confident.¡± After checking the headless Bookan¡¯s corpse, Raptor¡¯s gaze was directed at Raon once again. ¡°Descendant of a great family, you must be a member of the direct line of Zieghart, one of the six Kings. Considering you don¡¯t have the me sword emblem, you must still be a trainee. Hmm, what shall I do?¡± He licked his lips while fondling the sword around his waist. ¡°Shall I kill you?¡± Chapter 57 Raon bit his lip. The moment Raptor mentioned killing him, he was engulfed in an intense murderous intent. However, murderous intent wasn¡¯t really effective on him, someone that had lived as an assassin. He pushed back the murderous intent by resonating the four ¡®Rings of Fire¡¯. ¡°Oh!¡± Raptor eximed, with his eyes wide. His lips parted in his curiosity at how he managed to withstand his murderous intent. ¡°This guy isn¡¯t a sprout, but a bud ready to burst.¡± He smirked and tapped the sheath of his sword. It seemed he was contemting whether he should use it or not. ¡®I can¡¯t win against him¡¯ Assassinating him was possible but winning against him in a straight fight was impossible. However, Raon also had a card up his sleeve. nk. Raon drew his sword first. ¡°Draw your sword and fight.¡± He revived the pressure that¡¯d subsided and pointed his sword at Raptor. ¡°Do you realize you will die if I draw this sword?¡± ¡°It¡¯s natural for the weak to die.¡± ¡°Hah! How is this young guy so spirited?¡± Raptor eximed and pped. His hands were nowpletely away from his sword. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight anymore, not after witnessing your spirit. It¡¯d be a shame to kill you here.¡± ¡°A warrior doesn¡¯t choose his ce to die.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s crazy. Are you really a kid? Am I reading an analect right now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not actually the only reason.¡± Raptor¡¯s gaze went over Raon and reached the top of a tree. ¡°Even if I manage to retrieve that elixir, it¡¯s pointless if I end up dying instead.¡± He nodded towards the tree and withdrew. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon licked his lips. The instructors were currently hiding behind him. He couldn¡¯t find Rimmer¡¯s location, but he must¡¯ve been close considering his character. Raptor withdrew because he¡¯d sensed their presence. ¡°It would¡¯ve been really fun if you were in the South-North Union. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes without answering. Raptor¡¯s question reminded him of his old memories. When he lived as an assassin in his previous life, people rarely asked anything like that. Even if they did, he wasn¡¯t allowed to answer. He¡¯d always either run away without saying anything or attacked them with the intent to kill. His heart shook slightly to the fact that an enemy, and a person famous for his might, had asked his name. ¡°Are you not going to tell me your na¡­¡± ¡°My name is Raon. Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon slowly opened his eyes, and confidently stated his name ¡°I see. Raon, I¡¯ll be looking forward to hearing your name from the Terukan Mountains and Rable River.¡± He grinned and went down the mountain. Raon stayed alert just in case he decided to return, but he was really gone. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed and sheathed his sword. ¡®It worked.¡¯ Raptor had a manly personality, despite his pretty appearance. He managed to leave a favorable impression from acting rashly in an unfavorable situation. It all went ording to the information he received in his time at House Robert. ¡®I¡¯m d it ended without a fight.¡¯ Raptor was strong. He would¡¯ve been able to win if he fought with Rimmer, but multiple instructors would¡¯ve died. Avoiding the fight was the best-case scenario. Raon put the elixir in his shirt and put the Snow Tiger leader¡¯s head in a thick bag. He needed to bring the head back in order to get the aplishment. ¡°Then let¡¯s return.¡± He smiled towards the top of the tree. *** Rimmer had already located the bandits when the children started the search. Once he erased the distractions¡ªthe dense forest and high mountains¡ªhe immediately realized the location of the bandits¡¯ hideout. However, that was because he¡¯d umted countless experiences, and it was a different story for the trainees. Just like he¡¯d expected, the trainees went to the mountain and the forest first. Burren and Martha weren¡¯t an exception. They were both headed towards the mountain and the forest and started searching like a hunting dog on a scent. Since it was such a natural thing to do, he wasn¡¯t even surprised. However, Raon and Runaan were standing still on the road instead of moving away. They only started moving a long time after the other trainees had already started the search. And the direction they decided to go wasn¡¯t the forest or the mountain, but the hills. Really? The bandits had picked the forest next to the hills as their hideout, the one that wasn¡¯t visible from the outside. It was difficult to determine how they managed to find out about it. It¡¯s Raon after all. It seemed Raon determined that the bandits were in the hills using his excellent insight. However, as expected of bandits that live in the mountains, they¡¯d erased most of their tracks. It was difficult even for the instructors to find them, so it would be impossible for Raon and Runaan to find the bandits¡¯ presence. However, after looking through the forests on the hills, Raon looked like he¡¯d found something as he went in. Then, he found the traces of humans one by one, and slowly advanced towards the bandits¡¯ hideout. What the hell was he? Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped. He was on his first mission, yet he was finding the bandits'' traces like a professional tracker. That was ridiculous. And he wasn¡¯t even advancing normally. Lowering his body, he wasn¡¯t even making any sound because he was walking on the tips of his toes. Wow, did he just dismantle that trap? Raon and Runaan removed the trap installed by the bandits and finally reached the bandits hideout. And there was a hostage that Rimmer didn¡¯t even know about. What are you going to do? Rimmer moved closer to the tree that the kid that was taken hostage was bound to. He was going to make his move if Raon or Runaan ended up failing. However, it wasn¡¯t necessary. Raon distracted the bandits standing guard, using Runaan as a bait, then beheaded the one guarding the hostage. Gulp. The sharp and definite strike sent chills down his spine. The way he blocked the sound with an energy barrier and killed the other bandit was also perfect. Then he gathered information by leaving one bandit alive. He really looked like a professional. However, there was one mistake. No, it was a coincidence. The inaudible whistle. The underboss detected the whistle that one needed to be trained to hear. Raon wasn¡¯t flustered when facing such a crisis. He immediately came up with a new n, hiding Runaan and the child. He leaped in after making the underboss and the bandits careless, rescuing the second hostage in one fell swoop. The rest was a battle. * * * * * * Fiddling with his fingers, Rimmer watched the battle with Raon on the frontline and Runaan on the backline. He stretched his legs, so that he could be prepared to help them if things got dangerous, but that never happened. Runaan spread her frost and Raon swung his sword. The bandits couldn¡¯t even swing their weapons and ended up dead. The bandit leader, who came out while pretending to be cool, abandoned his underlings and ran away when he realized that he couldn¡¯t win against Raon. ¡®I¡¯ll need to catch him myself.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t enough time to catch the leader after killing the rest of the bandits, not while protecting the two hostages. Since he couldn¡¯t let the leader escape, Rimmer started chasing the leader. Hostage? No, that was also a bandit. The leader went down the hills, carrying the female bandit like a hostage. Then let¡¯s catch¡­ Just as Rimmer was about to make a surprise attack, he heard someone running up from behind. It was Raon. He was dashing towards the bandit leader¡¯s location like a lion. The leader pretended to panic and threw the female bandit at him, and Raon slowed down to catch her. Shit¡­ Rimmer frowned. The woman was a snake user. He needed to save Raon before he got bitten by the snake. However. The moment the snake came out, Raon moved his right hand. Whack! As if he knew about it already, he pierced through the snake and the woman¡¯s heart with his sword without any hesitation. ¡°Wow.¡± Rimmer¡¯s exmation leaked out. He showed no sign of confusion as he killed the snake. It wasn¡¯t something he could¡¯ve done unless he¡¯d realized it beforehand. How could someone like him exist? He wasn¡¯t even admiring it anymore. His mind was going numb. He¡¯d seen countless talents by wandering from one battlefield to another for dozens of years, yet this was his first time seeing such a monster. After decapitating the Snow Tiger leader, Raon even took the elixir he had. ¡®Yes, good job.¡¯ He held himself back from apuding. When he looked aside, the other instructors were also astonished. Just as he thought everything was over, a pretty young man appeared with an intense pressure. Yellow bandana and powerful energy. It was a warrior from South-North Union. So, they were associated with the South-North Union after all. He was wondering why the Snow Tiger bandits were still hiding, and it was because they were waiting for the warrior from the South-North Union. The warrior introduced himself as Raptor. He knew that name. The genius young swordsman that became the leader of bandits a mere ten years after joining the South-North Union. Raon wasn¡¯t intimidated by Raptor. He drew his sword, telling him to fight. That guy¡­ It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t recognize Raptor¡¯s strength. It was his determination that he wouldn¡¯t surrender as a Zieghart¡¯s warrior. Raptor was dumbstruck, but also admired Raon¡¯s spirit. Then he withdrew on his own. Of course, he did that because he knew that the instructors¡ªincluding Rimmer¡ªwere hiding nearby, but his hospitality towards Raon was one of the reasons. ¡°I¡¯m Raon. Raon Zieghart.¡± Ah. Watching Raon, who confidently stated name, after being recognized by somebody stronger than him, made chills run down his spine. The scene of him meeting Glenn in the past reyed in his head like Deja vu. Rimmer clenched his fist. King. He was still young and weak, but it seemed the seed of the new king had finally sprouted. *** Raon returned to Runaan and the children. The instructors that¡¯d arrived after hearing the inaudible whistle had already suppressed the leftover bandits. ¡°You are back.¡± ¡°That was a great aplishment.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The instructors spoke, full of admiration, surprise, and astonishment. ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan approached him, holding the two children. The eyes of the kids wearing robes werepletely swollen. It looked like they¡¯d cried their hearts out. ¡°Runaan. You really did great.¡± It wasn¡¯t just a formality. He¡¯d managed to safely rescue the children thanks to her appropriate action. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan visibly nodded. She looked happy as she patted the children¡¯s heads. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon, who was about to pat the two children¡¯s heads, stopped when he realized that his hand was stained in blood. ¡°It¡¯s alright now.¡± He grabbed the children¡¯s shoulders and smiled lightly. He wanted to keep talking to them, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. ¡°Waaaa!¡± The body started crying while hugging his little sister tightly. It seemed he¡¯d been holding himself back as the older brother. ¡°You guys should return for now.¡± The instructors pointed towards the foothold under the hills as they dug into the ground. ¡°What about the instructors?¡± ¡°We will follow after taking care of this ce. Leave the rest to us. You really did a great job.¡± The instructors put their thumbs up. ¡°Okay.¡± Raon nodded and left the forest full of bandits¡¯ stench, Runaan and the children following him. Don¡¯t you even know how tofort kids? Back in the devildom, the King of Essence once faced a greater famine. Taking pity on the starving young devils, the King of Essence opened the winter castle¡¯s door and¡­ ¡®Old man, that¡¯s enough.¡¯ Moreover, how did you take so long to kill mere bandits? Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed that you can¡¯t even use your power properly, despite having the King of Essence with you? ¡®How am I supposed to use my power?¡¯ You idiot. It¡¯s the first strike. First strike. You have to thrust your first strike with explosive power. ¡®Explosive?¡¯ Yes. The human¡¯s mana circuit is quite mysterious, and you can handle your mana after amplifying it¡­ Raon learned a more effective way of handling mana by instigating Wrath. He was the Giving Wrath, after all. *** When Raon and Runaan returned to the foothold along with the children, the center was noisy. ¡°It¡¯s the mountain. I¡¯m sure they are hiding at the peak.¡± ¡°Bullshit. Mountain is too obvious, just like your hairstyle. You¡¯re an idiot for thinking that they would be hiding in the mountain just because they¡¯re bandits. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re hiding in the dense forest in the west.¡± ¡°Your method is too impulsive. Relying on instincts without a proper tracking technique or map reading is too dangerous.¡± ¡°Shut up! My instincts are better than your reasoning. We will search the western forest tomorrow, no matter what.¡± Burren and Martha were arguing, telling each other that there were bandits where they¡¯d scouted. ¡°Phew, they¡¯re at it again.¡± ¡°They really start arguing as soon as they meet.¡± ¡°But I wonder who¡¯s correct?¡± The trainees didn¡¯t know what to do as they watched the two growl at each other. ¡°Hmph!¡± When Runaan cleared her throat, everyone looked at Raon, Runaan, and the children. ¡°Who are those children?¡± ¡°Did you find some runaway kids when you were supposed to look for the bandits?¡± Burren and Martha frowned, upon seeing the two children. ¡°I wonder. Guess who?¡± Raon grinned, putting the bag containing the bandit leader¡¯s head down. Chapter 58 ¡°D-did you say those children were taken hostage by the bandits?¡± Burren¡¯s blue eyes widened, nearly wide enough to pop out of his head. ¡°Rescuing the hostages means you¡¯ve found the bandits! Stop lying!¡± Martha shoved her face at Raon, telling him to stop speaking nonsense. The two of them, no, every trainee in the foothold was stunned, unable to believe they¡¯d managed to rescue the hostages from the bandits. ¡°Think whatever you want.¡± Raon snickered and brought the children near the bonfire. ¡°Rest here for now.¡± Letting them settle in front of the fire, he gave them some of the beef jerky that Sylvia and Helen had prepared for him. ¡°You can eat this for now.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°Tank yuu.¡± The boy lowered his head and the girl copied him, lowering her head as well. The two children started nibbling on the beef jerky. Their eyes were teared up with sorrow. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Eh? Yes!¡± ¡°Do you have a nket? A clean one.¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Dorian took out a long green nket from his belly pocket. Raon covered the children¡¯s shoulders with the nket. ¡°Eat this, too.¡± Runaan met the children¡¯s eyes by kneeling down. She took out the ice cream box from her bag, opened the lid, and handed it out to them. Thest two remaining bead ice creams. Moreover, even though she¡¯d kept her favorite vors for the end, there was no hesitation in her gesture. ¡°What is this?¡± The girl tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s ice cream.¡± Runaan told them that it was cool and delicious, and cleaned the girl¡¯s hand before giving the ice cream. ¡°Aww!¡± The girl screamed after trying to touch the ice cream with her tongue. Of course, it was a pleasant scream. Using her small tongue, she started licking the ice cream like a kitten. ¡°Woah!¡± The boy¡¯s eyes were wide after taking a bite. However, he gave the rest of the ice cream to his little sister instead of finishing it. Raon licked his lip as he watched the two children. He felt bitter. ¡®He became an adult.¡¯ Just like with the bandits, he was thinking about his little sister before anything else. It seemed the boy that had lost his parents had already grown into an adult. Raon thought he was better than his previous life, where he could only follow Derus Robert¡¯s instructions, and lightly tapped the boy¡¯s shoulder. Huh. He actually managed to defeat the ice cream¡¯s temptation, one that even the King of Essence sumbed to. He is going to grow up splendidly, get him on your side. I like him. Wrath murmured that he wanted to keep him as his underling. ¡°Sniff!¡± Raon raised his head, hearing a sniffing sound. Dorian was watching the children with teary eyes. ¡°Eat this, and this. Eat them all!¡± He brought out all his favorite snacks from his belly pocket and piled them up in front of the children. He was a kind-hearted guy. ¡°Rescuing the children is one thing, but we need to take care of the bandits. I¡¯m sure they will try to run away once they realize the hostages have been rescued.¡± ¡°Yes, where are those bastards? I¡¯m going to snap the necks of that human garbage, no exceptions.¡± As Raon was watching the children eating snacks, Burren and Martha approached with feverish and angry eyes, respectively. They tapped their sword sheaths, signaling him to bring them to the bandits already. ¡°We don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°What do you mean we don¡¯t need to?! We need to finish the mission properly¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡± As Burren was about to argue, Rimmer and the instructors came out from a bush in the direction of the mountain. There were only three instructors missing, those who¡¯d stayed behind to clean up the bandits¡¯ traces. ¡°Why are there children here?¡± The instructors, including Rimmer, tilted their heads and pretended that they didn¡¯t know anything. ¡®Even though they already know everything!¡¯ Raon wrinkled his mouth. He couldn¡¯t discern Rimmer¡¯s exact location, but he was certainly watching over him. ¡°You already know about it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rimmer shrugged, feigning ignorance. ¡°We saved them with Raon.¡± ¡°Did you save those children?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the other instructors tell you?¡± ¡°Ah, now that I think about it, three of them are missing. Where did they go?¡± ¡°Haa, I¡¯ll exin.¡± Raon sighed and stood up. Rimmer looked like he wanted him to exin it in front of everyone. ¡°We found the bandits¡¯ tracks in front of a forest inside the hills and started chasing after them. There were very small traces, but we managed to find the bandits deep into the forest after tracking them down and¡­¡± He exined in detail everything that happened that day. ¡°So that¡¯s how we killed the Snow Tiger leader and rescued the children.¡± Silence filled the ce as he finished his exnation. ¡°N-nonsense¡­¡± Burren swallowed. ¡®How could he actually finish the mission while I was digging the wrong hole¡­?¡¯ Raon was saying he¡¯d rescued the hostages and annihted the bandits while he was wasting his time. It was an unbelievable story, but he had no choice but to believe considering the circumstances. ¡°Damn it!¡± Despite losing in spars and training, he¡¯d resolved to get better aplishments during the mission at least. He failed once again. No, failing was an understatement. He couldn¡¯t even match up to him. Realizing how pathetic he was, he despised his arrogance in the past. ¡°Shit! Damn it!¡± Martha turned around and punched a tree. It stripped the bark off the tree and it fell to the ground. ¡®That¡¯s not a lie.¡¯ From what she¡¯d seen so far, Raon wasn¡¯t somebody who would lie. She was certain that Raon really had rescued the hostages and exterminated the bandits, just him and Runaan. ¡®Fucking hell!¡¯ Realizing Raon and Runaan were risking their lives while she was arguing with Burren like a child, she felt so frustrated that she wanted to cry. ¡®I wanted to end it.¡¯ She wanted to cancel her promise to follow Raon bypleting the mission perfectly, but it was herplete loss. There was no room for excuses. ¡°Haaaa¡­¡± Acknowledging her loss, Martha sighed heavily. ¡°H-he annihted the bandits on his own?¡± ¡°And he tracked them by himself, then also rescued the hostages¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, what the hell is he?!¡± The trainees'' chins trembled. Everyone was looking at Runaan and Raon, unable to hide their surprise. ¡°Is that true?¡± One of the instructors came up to Raon. He looked like he really didn¡¯t know any of that. He must¡¯ve been watching after the others. ¡°The Snow Tiger leader¡¯s might is at Sword User¡¯s mid-high level. How could you win against him? Are you sure it wasn¡¯t a mistake?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± ¡°How can you be so certain?¡± ¡°You can check for yourself.¡± Raon pointed at the bag, which could be called his spoil of war. ¡°Hmm.¡± The instructor nodded and opened the bag. * * * * * * ¡®Red hair and a big scar around the eye.¡¯ It matched the appearance of the Snow Tiger leader, which he had been given when he epted the mission. His hands were trembling violently as he looked at Raon. ¡°...There¡¯s no mistake.¡± The instructor swallowed and turned to Raon. ¡°Hmm¡­ It was just a verification for the mission, so please don¡¯t take offense.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± As Raon nodded, the instructor nodded back and returned to Rimmer. ¡®Rimmer probably made him do that.¡¯ Judging from Rimmer¡¯s yful gaze, Raon realized he was the one behind it. It was probably to convince those that couldn¡¯t believe it or were doubting him. As a result, the gazes the trainees directed at him and Runaan were filled with admiration and astonishment. ¡®I wonder why.¡¯ Rimmer had been kind to him, more than an instructor should¡¯ve been. Since he was so different from the instructor in his previous life, he couldn¡¯t honestly understand why. ¡°Then, is the mission over?¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t do anything yet¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, can we really leave now¡­?¡± The trainees were d that they could return to their homes and rest easy, but they also seemed worried since they hadn¡¯t done anything during the mission. ¡°Don¡¯t be so depressed.¡± Rimmer smirked, looking at the awkward trainees. ¡°It¡¯s pretty rare for anyone to skillfullyplete their first mission. Those instructors also kept making mistakes, or couldn¡¯t do anything at all during their first mission.¡± The instructors nodded, confirming what he said. ¡°Then what about Raon and Runaan?¡± ¡°Yeah. They finished the mission by themselves.¡± ¡°Well, you know, those are the rare people we call monsters. You should already be used to them, shouldn¡¯t you? Actually, I also did great on my first mission. It was a huge ruckus. I rushed at the enemies holding a single sword¡­¡± Rimmer giggled and started describing his performance on his first mission. That bastard¡¯s story isn¡¯t even amazing. Back in devildom, the King of Essence froze an entire castle during his first battle. It became a legend throughout the entirety devildom¡­ ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon shook his head. His eardrums started to hurt because of how much Wrath was talking. *** Rimmer announced the mission¡¯spletion and said they would return to the house the day after. The trainees immediately started to prepare a meal, and Runaan¡ªwho¡¯d already grown close to the kids¡ªate with them. While Raon was eating dinner on his own, Rimmer came up to him. ¡°Good job.¡± Holding the bowl full of solid ingredients, Rimmer sat down next to him. ¡°Well, that was the mission.¡± ¡°There are countless people that can¡¯tplete a mission despite being qualified as swordsmen, so you did really great inparison. You could¡¯ve done better in some aspects, though.¡± Rimmer spooned the soup and ate it. Murmuring that it tasted bad, he put the bowl aside. ¡°Bandits aren¡¯t easy opponents like in the stories. They can utilize the mountain as well as the elves, and their savagery doesn¡¯t lose to orcs. They are even worse if they belong to or are aiming to join the South-North Union.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded silently. ¡°The decision to save the children worked out, but if they had a warrior above the level of Expert, you and Runaan would¡¯ve died instead.¡± ¡°So, you were watching us after all.¡± ¡°Well, it just happened.¡± Rimmer grinned and continued. ¡°You did great today. However, in the future you should decide whether you should act alone or call the other people after confirming the enemies¡¯ number and might, as well as the presence of and the state of the hostages. Since you are the top trainee, you should improve your decision-making ability.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. Raon had countless experiences in killing, but he was a bitcking since it was the first time that he had to rescue hostages. Since he was going to have allies with him more often than he¡¯d be alone while he was with Zieghart, it was important to improve his decision making ordingly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel dejected. Since you and Runaan chose the best course of action, you will grow up splendidly in the future.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Rimmer put his thumbs up. Raon silently closed his eyes and epted hispliment. ¡°Ah, and those children will be brought to the house. Apparently, they have nowhere to go since their entire family is dead.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Raon scratched the ground. He felt bitter oddly, despite it being a stranger¡¯s business. ¡°Since they got close to Runaan, I¡¯m going to ask if House Sullion can take them in.¡± ¡°That would be nice.¡± The children listened to Runaan, so that seemed like a good idea. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± When he was about to eat the soup to calm his bitter mind, Burren¡ªwho¡¯d already finished eating¡ªcame up to him and opened his pouting mouth. ¡°I admit it. Today was myplete loss. You and Runaan finished the mission while I was as wrong as a broken clock. However!¡± He raised his trembling fist. ¡°I won¡¯t give up. I¡¯ll catch up to you one day, even if that means I have to get rid of thousands of training shoes.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Without even waiting for the answer, Burren turned around. He returned to the coteral trainees just like that. ¡°What was that?¡± Why training shoes? Since he couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about, he decided to continue eating and picked up his spoon. At that moment, a snorting sound came from the wooden column to his right side. It was Martha. She was crossing her arms with a cold expression on her face. ¡°Pathetic.¡± Without specifying who she was talking about, she went into the forest. ¡°Your life is full of trouble.¡± Rimmer grinned and put down the bowl. Despiteining about its taste, the bowl waspletely empty. ¡°Whose fault do you think that is?¡± Raon frowned. He was the one who¡¯d stirred the trainees up by instigating an instructor. Yet he was talking like he didn¡¯t know anything about it. ¡°Whose fault is it?¡± Rimmer giggled and asked back. ¡°You need rivals to grow properly at your age. They will be trustworthy allies in the future, so get along with them.¡± After saying that, he disappeared with a green wind. Rivals, huh¡­? As soon as Rimmer left, Wrath popped out of the bracelet. The King of Essence also had six rivals. The strongest was obviously the King of Essence, but they weren¡¯t too bad¡­ ¡°......¡± Raon sighed and piled up the empty bowls. ¡®Why are there so many crazy people around me¡­?¡¯ *** Raon and the trainees returned to the house in a week. Some trainees were worried about the fact that they didn¡¯t do anything during the mission, but they were mostly happy because they could restfortably once again. Rumble! Zieghart¡¯s main gate, which looked likeyers of steel towers, opened majestically. As the gatekeeper was letting them pass, a big man over two meters tall came out from inside. He was Illiune, the foreign minister. ¡°Runaan Sullion, Raon Zieghart.¡± His eyes sparkled as he called for Raon and Runaan, who were standing at the very back. ¡°The head of house has summoned the two of you. Prepare to present yourselves at the lord¡¯s manor immediately.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been summoned?¡± Raon furrowed his brow, looking at Runaan, who was holding the children¡¯s hands. Runaan didn¡¯t seem to know the reason either as she tilted her head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be surprised.¡± The foreign minister Illiune gave a refreshing smile. ¡°Awarding the most aplished trainees in their first mission is Zieghart¡¯s custom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t need to be nervous since he must be calling you topliment you.¡± Rimmer looked slightly excited as he nodded, murmuring that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. However, there was one thing neither Rimmer nor Illiune had mentioned. Complimenting the trainees that did well on their first mission had happened before but calling them to the lord¡¯s manor had never happened. Chapter 59 Raon changed his ns to start training as soon as he returned, instead heading towards the lord¡¯s manor. He felt heavy pressure weighing down on his shoulders from the audience chamber¡¯s gigantic and antique door, despite having seen it multiple times before. It wasn¡¯t because of the door¡¯s size, but because of the absolute being on the other side. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. He won¡¯t say anything bad today.¡± Rimmer grinned and patted his shoulder from behind. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan¡¯s humming could be heard next to him. Despite being nervous while rescuing the children, no trace of tension could be found when she was about to greet the head of house. She was a strange one indeed. Thud. The audience chamber¡¯s door opened with a huge noise, simr to a giant¡¯s footsteps. A powerful pressure stormed out, opening the doorpletely. Withstanding the pressure that was as endless as a furnace¡¯s me, they entered the audience chamber. And Glenn was there, at the center of the threatening pressure. Like always, he was sitting on a golden throne and looking down at them. ¡°Greetings, my lord.¡± After Rimmer¡¯s greetings, Raon and Runaan knelt down at the same time. ¡®Was he supposed topliment us?¡¯ Raon wrinkled his nose. The wave of energy directed at them was too fierce for it to be apliment. ¡°Stand up.¡± Glenn¡¯s dignified voice resounded as he waved his hand. ¡°Raon Zieghart, Runaan Sullion. I heard that you did well on your first mission.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve merely done our best.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon bowed once again and Runaan copied him. ¡°I did already hear about it, but do tell me what you did.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. When we arrived at the foothold, there were four locations where the bandits could¡¯ve been hiding. Although the bandits were as strong as the beasts in the mountain, I suspected that they would¡¯ve been hiding somewhere else in order to shake off the pursuers. Therefore¡­¡± Raon exined everything that happened during the mission to Glenn, who didn¡¯t really look interested. He didn¡¯t nod or blink. He kept listening to the end without any reaction whatsoever, to the point that Raon felt awkward. ¡°It¡¯s just as I heard. Wiping out the enemies and rescuing hostages in your first mission is certainly an extraordinary achievement. However.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes were bleak. ¡°That was too clumsy. If you¡¯d made the slightest mistake, or if the bandits were a bit stronger, or if you hadn¡¯t coordinated as well as you did, then those children would¡¯ve died and you would¡¯ve been seriously injured.¡± It felt like his heavy voice was pressing upon his head. ¡°nning is important, especially for trainees that don¡¯t have any experience. You should only act after making multiple backup ns.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Actually, you should¡¯ve contacted the other trainees and led them upon finding the bandits¡¯ tracks. Your experience and might are too shallow to deal with everything on your own.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon lowered his head once again. ¡°How is this apliment?¡± He was sure he heard Glenn was going topliment them, but he kept pointing out his mistakes after a smallpliment in the beginning. ¡°However, it¡¯s a fact that you seeded despite your methods being full of holes.¡± When Glenn gestured with his chin, his butler Roenn brought a golden te forward. ¡°I award you a bronze tablet for your aplishment in the mission and the rescue of the children.¡± ¡°You did a great job.¡± Roenn handed over the bronze tablet with a gentle smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon and Runaan epted the tablet with both hands and bowed to Glenn. ¡°Ah, I have something to ask.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What shall I do with this elixir?¡± Raon took out the Teuton Flower that he took from the Snow Tiger leader. The flower bud, yet to blossom, was rolled up in a circle. Glenn watched the Teuton Flower for a bit, then shook his head. ¡°Since you¡¯ve acquired it, it is yours. Take it.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Raon tilted his head slightly. Since the elixir was rather rare, he didn¡¯t expect him to just give it to him. ¡°You should leave now.¡± He leaned back and rested his chin in his hands, signaling that the audience was over. Raon and Runaan bowed and stepped back, leaving the audience chamber. *** The audience chamber, only three people remaining inside, was filled in silence for a moment. ¡°Pfft.¡± Rimmer burst intoughter, unable to bear the silence. ¡°Why are youughing? And why are you here when I didn¡¯t even call for you?¡± ¡°I mean, if you wanted to hear about Raon''s aplishment from him personally, you should¡¯ve just asked him honestly. What were all those excuses?¡± Rimmer grinned, watching Glenn frown. ¡®He really isn''t honest.¡¯ Since he¡¯d already sent the report, Glenn was already aware of everything that had happened during the mission. Glenn was worried about his grandson, and the sight of him giving him advice while pretending to scold him was just too funny. ¡°Is this what we call a meanie grandfather?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Rimmer hid his mouth with both hands. ¡°It looks like the head of house is also looking at Raon as a potential sessor.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°His own progress is more important than taking care of the others, since he¡¯s still a trainee. But the reason you asked him to lead the trainees was in preparation for when he would challenge the throne of Zieghart, right? ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond to Rimmer¡¯s sharp remark. He was simply looking at him silently. ¡°It looks like you really cherish Raon. You didn¡¯t even do that when you were raising the young masters¡­¡± ¡°You are being too noisy.¡± ¡°How about being a bit more honest now? I¡¯m sure Raon would like it if you tried saying ¡®Good job, grandson. Come here so I can hug you, peekaboo¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Rimmer.¡± Glenn¡¯s pressure grew fiercer. Not just the audience chamber, but the entirety of the lord¡¯s manor started trembling. ¡°Huff!¡± Pretending to notugh, Rimmer moved far away. ¡°Hehe.¡± When Glenn¡¯s pressure was about to explode, Roenn interfered with a gentle smile. ¡°It¡¯s pretty nice.¡± ¡°What is nice?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been thirty years since Ist saw you two ying around together. I haven¡¯t seen that reaction from my lord for a really long time, either¡­¡± Roenn¡¯s wrinkled eyes were recalling the old memories. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I knew it. Sir Roenn knows what¡¯s up.¡± Glenn eased his pressure and Rimmer smiled once again. ¡°Ah, and there was one thing Raon didn¡¯t mention.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the South-North Union?¡± ¡°Yes. Their young leader heard Raon¡¯s name and left.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop him?¡± ¡°He withdrew, facing Raon¡¯s spirit. It wasn¡¯t our territory, and since he acknowledged Raon, I didn¡¯t really want to catch him.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Glenn snorted, but he didn¡¯t look displeased. ¡°Andstly, I¡¯d like you to be a bit more honest with your grandson. It¡¯s not that hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always honest with everyone.¡± ¡°No way. If you were honest, you would¡¯ve been like this.¡± Rimmer cleared his throat, folding his hands behind his back like an actor. ¡°Raon. I¡¯m so proud that you¡¯ve aplished your mission so well. My grandson, give your grandpa a kiss. This much is enough to make Raon happy, yourself happy and even me happy as I watch you! Everyone would be happy!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn sighed heavily and stood up from the chair. An energy wave threatening enough to destroy the world filled the audience chamber. ¡°I-I¡¯ll be leaving then. I gotta drink, I mean, an important appointment.¡± Rimmer walked backward while rubbing the back of his head and left the audience chamber. ¡°Tsk, he¡¯s getting smugger every time.¡± Glenn clicked his tongue and lowered his hand. ¡°I still liked it. It reminded me of when you weremanding the continent together.¡± Roenn smiled lightly, moving to the side. ¡°Hmph.¡± Without saying anything, Glenn crossed his arms and leaned his back. ¡°Since all this seems to be thanks to the young master Raon, I took a liking to him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine to like him on the inside, but you should treat everyone equally, whether they are sessors or other children.¡± ¡°You are absolutely right.¡± Roenn bowed, smiling. As he raised his head, he saw Glenn. Despite what he said, the corners of his mouth were higher than usual. * * * * * * Raon headed to the annex building as soon as he left the lord¡¯s manor. He considered training right away, but he figured relieving Sylvia and the maids, who must¡¯ve been worried, came first. When he reached the annex building, loud noise wasing from inside. ¡®That¡¯s how it should be around here.¡¯ The annex building was always noisy and active. He was already feeling at ease. Raon opened the annex building¡¯s door brightly. ¡°Huh?¡± His eyes were wide. There was somebody he¡¯d never expected in the annex building. ¡°Dorian?¡± Dorian was standing in the lobby, and Sylvia, Helen, and the other maids were surrounding him. ¡°Oh, is the young master back?¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Ah, madam asked me toe by after the mission and tell her about what happened.¡± ¡°Th-then¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I told her everything about the young master Raon¡¯s touching endeavor.¡± Dorian wiped his tears away. ¡°Young master.¡± ¡°Ah, our young master really did.¡± The maids were also wiping their tears. It seemed he¡¯d really told them everything. ¡®Oh, shit¡­¡¯ He was going to fudge over it to avoid worrying Sylvia and Helen. He¡¯d never expected them to contact him first. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± Sylvia and Helen approached him at the same time, with their hands on their hips. ¡°Ah, that wasn¡¯t my intenti¡­¡± ¡°Good job!¡± As he was about to give excuses, Sylvia hugged him and patted his back. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected reaction. ¡°Did you really think I was going to scold you for that?¡± ¡°You keep telling me to be careful.¡± ¡°The reason the Zieghart¡¯s ancestors wielded their swords was to protect the weak. Since then, Zieghart has always been protecting the weak and those living in their domain.¡± Sylvia¡¯s red eyes glittered like rubies. ¡°I also wanted to be a swordsman with the old Zieghart¡¯s spirit, so there¡¯s no way I would scold you for saving the hostages and risking your life.¡± She grabbed his hand tightly. He felt like his exhaustion was being wiped away by her warmth. ¡°Mom is really proud of you.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± ¡°That¡¯s so true!¡± ¡°I gotta visit the main building tomorrow. I¡¯ll boast about this to everyone!¡± Sylvia hugged him once again, Helen and the maids nodded with teary eyes. ¡®I don¡¯t get it.¡¯ Raon sighed. ¡®Emotions are really difficult to understand.¡¯ However, he didn¡¯t dislike their warmth. ¡®Anyway, that damn Dorian.¡¯ He turned his head, looking for Dorian, but he was nowhere to be seen. That coward ran away a long time ago. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ He was a light footed one for sure. *** After eating in the annex building, Raon changed his clothes and went to the fifth training ground. Sylvia and Helen were telling him to rest for the day, but he wanted to move his body. ¡°Is that him?¡± ¡°Yes. Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°His build isn¡¯t that great, and his pressure is weak¡­¡± ¡°But he really wiped out the bandits on his own.¡± ¡°I guess, since Rimmer doesn¡¯t lie, although he sometimes exaggerates.¡± He could feel the swordsman''s tant gazes while walking to the training ground. It seemed the news about the mission had already spread throughout the house. ¡®Seriously, that man¡­¡¯ He sighed, since it was obviously the red-haired elf¡¯s doing. ¡°Wiping out thirty bandits, including a mid-high tier Sword User, is an extraordinary achievement.¡± ¡°There were rumors about him being at his deathbed from his illness, so I guess he was lucky.¡± He felt awkward hearingpliments for the first time when he was used to being insulted or looked down on. However, his mood and mind were for him to decide. He didn¡¯t need to care about what others said. Raon entered the fifth training ground while listening to the swordsmen without paying much attention. Naturally, it was empty. He warmed up and unsheathed his sword from his waist. Slowly lifting it, he put it in front of his energy center. Maintaining the middle posture, he recalled hisst fight. ¡®I was a bit slow.¡¯ The bandits got in his way, but he could¡¯ve beheaded the Snow Tiger leader from the beginning. Because he was too concerned about the children and the other bandits, he reacted too slowly, ending up wasting a lot of time. The important part of a real battle was how he used his abilities. That was why it was safe to say that he¡¯d failed. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Since he was aware of that fact¡­ Since he knew what the problem was, and how to solve it, he could fix it. ¡®My aura and body aren¡¯t on the same page.¡¯ His body moved exactly the way he wanted, but his aura was slightlyte. It was necessary that his aura and body moved at the same time, like the two des of a pair of scissors. Haa. Raon calmed his breathing and slowly brandished his sword. The aura emanating from his energy center followed the sword. Despite being a slow movement, the space was mercilessly split apart. Even though he didn¡¯t move that much, Raon¡¯s back grew wet with perspiration. The slow movement required even more strength. Raon swung his sword slowly until the energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was exhausted. Once his aura was exhausted, he went to the cultivation room to replenish it. Then he went out to swing his sword once again. As such, the first day of his return was wet with sweat. *** A small pub in the back alley of Zieghart¡¯s domain. The pub should¡¯ve been filled with different people¡¯s voices, yet only one man¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how my students saved the children that were tied up by the bandits. The bandit boss was using an aura in his saber, but Raon split it in half!¡± The red-haired elf was telling Raon and Runaan¡¯s story, standing on the table as if he was giving a speech. Judging from the way his face turned red, he waspletely drunk. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Did you finally find your aptitude, Rimmer? You taught them really well.¡± ¡°No way, he just happened to meet good students.¡± ¡°I guess. It¡¯s hard to imagine that elf as a good teacher.¡± The giggling people didn¡¯t even look like swordsmen. They seemed to be average citizens. ¡°It¡¯s both. Both! My students are the best among the current Zieghart¡¯s trainees. No, they are the best among the six Kings!¡± Rimmer grinned and poured the beer in his mouth. Some of them agreed with what he said, and others thought the sixth training ground and the other groups were just as good. The two camps started arguing soon enough. ¡°Hey, stop fighting and pay me since you heard a great story. I lost everything from betting on that fifth horse, so I need to take my revenge¡­¡± As he was putting down his empty beer ss and frowning, a gold coin fell on the table. ¡°Huh?¡± Rimmer raised his head after watching the gold coin for a while. With a tough face and broad shoulders, the man looked like a general on a battlefield. It was the sixth training ground¡¯s head instructor, Metun. ¡°Metun? It¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Metun slowly nodded. ¡°Anyway, thank you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huh, can you let me go now?¡± He tried picking up the gold coin Metun ced on the table, but he couldn¡¯t take it because of his finger. ¡°Can you take responsibility for what you just said?¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°That the fifth training ground is the best among Zieghart¡¯s trainees.¡± ¡°Of course, my students are the best.¡± ¡°You like betting, if I remember correctly.¡± Metun¡¯s eyes were heating up. ¡°Shall we make a bet?¡± Chapter 60 ¡°A bet?¡± Rimmer furrowed his brows, looking Metun up and down. ¡°What kind of bet do you wanna make so suddenly?¡± ¡°A bet to prove that the fifth training ground is really the best among Zieghart¡¯s trainees.¡± ¡°Ah, you wanna bang out?¡± ¡°Stop talking so vulgarly as a Zieghart instructor.¡± ¡°Fighting and banging out, it¡¯s the same thing. It¡¯s just more intuitive.¡± Rimmer grinned and finished drinking his beer. Metun remained stiff, like a stone statue. Even though they were both head instructors, their personalities were theplete opposite. ¡°Oh, are Rimmer and Metun fighting each other?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not them, but they¡¯re making their students fight!¡± ¡°Then the fifth and sixth training ground? That¡¯s huge!¡± The people in the pub all stood up and gathered around Rimmer and Metun. ¡°I¡¯m betting my entire fortune in Metun!¡± ¡°Hell no, Rimmer¡¯s going to win this one! Martha, Burren, Runaan, and there¡¯s also Raon, who won against those three!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The sixth training ground has many coterals, but there¡¯s no members of the direct line. It¡¯s pretty obvious the fifth training ground is going to win!¡± ¡°Your information is trash. Trash. Do you really not know that Sir Kein joined the sixth training ground recently?¡± Hearing that a member of the direct line had joined them, everyone looked at him. ¡°Huh? Wasn¡¯t he injured in a mission?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already been a year and six months, dummy.¡± ¡°Oh, then it¡¯s hard to tell. Sir Kein was famous for his talent, especially his senses and the purity of his aura.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just hard to tell, but the sixth training ground has the advantage. Sir Kein and the coterals that follow him are already sixteen years old.¡± ¡°This is interesting!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s gamble!¡± People in the pub started taking out their money while shouting the fifth and sixth training ground¡¯s names, as if the bet was already established. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m going to get beaten to death if I refuse.¡± Rimmer grinned. Despite what he said, he looked like he was enjoying it. Metun¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. It seemed he¡¯d already expected that to happen. ¡°But why do you want to bang out all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not banging out¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind the details.¡± ¡°Do you really not know?¡± ¡°Is it because of the Owen Kingdom?¡± Rimmer raised his beer ss while scratching his chin. ¡°Yes. Because the Owen Kingdom only asked for a spar at the fifth training ground after watching the sixth training ground, the children¡¯s pride was trampled.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s because they¡¯ve been cking.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. It was because the trainees hadn¡¯t been doing their best, and I was the same. However, it¡¯s different now.¡± Metun continued, watching Rimmer¡¯s fuzzy eyes. ¡°Ever since Kein Zieghart transferred five months ago, the sixth training ground has changed. Everyone came out during the daybreak and trained until night, and we even passed Hell Week recently.¡± ¡°Eeh? Hell Week?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Yes, there wasn¡¯t a single drop out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± Hell Week was part of Zieghart¡¯s training, famous for its difficulty. There were dropouts among the regr swordsmen, it was pretty amazing that every trainee managed to pass. ¡°I thought it was about time to teach them the feeling of aplishment.¡± ¡°And you are going to use the fifth training ground as the sacrificialmb?¡± ¡°......¡± Metun answered the question with his silence. ¡°I like it.¡± Rimmer grinned and tapped the table. ¡°What about the method? Is it going to be one-on-one spars?¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t win against the fifth training ground yet with one-on-on spars.¡± Metun shook his head. ¡°Hmm? Then how do you wanna fight?¡± ¡°One-on-one isn¡¯t the only way.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Rimmer grinned and tapped the table. ¡°Is it a team battle?¡± ¡°Yes. The fifth training ground has forty-three people, so we will also prepare forty-three people. Let¡¯s decide on a location and make them fight.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be difficult to call it an all-out war. I guess it¡¯d be a local war.¡± Murmuring that it would be good, he touched once again the gold coin that Metun had put down. ¡°But I have a suggestion.¡± ¡°Suggestion?¡± ¡°Sixth training ground has over twice as many people as us, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s better to give more opportunities. Bring sixty people.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s fight with forty-three of us and sixty from there.¡± ¡°Are you looking down on us?¡± Metun¡¯s pressure red up like dry straws. The table started trembling. ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on you, I¡¯m telling you the truth. You gotta admit theyck in power and experience.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°And we have more direct line, vassal family, and upper coterals. Nobody¡¯s going to point their fingers at you for fighting with sixty people.¡± After considering it for a bit, Metun nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°And you decide the date and location.¡± ¡°I do? What are you gonna do if I trick you¡­?¡± Metun¡¯s serious eyes wavered for the first time. ¡°I know you aren¡¯t the type to cheat with something like this.¡± Metun¡¯s strength left the hand on the gold coin, and Rimmer took it without missing the opportunity. ¡°But you are mistaken about one thing.¡± Metun turned his head around after taking his hand off from the gold coin. ¡°Mistake?¡± ¡°Kein Zieghart cultivated his aura and trained his senses every day during the year and half period where he couldn¡¯t move his body from his injury.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°His senses and amount of aura doesn¡¯t lose to a regr swordsman.¡± He confidently looked upon Rimmer. ¡°You¡¯d better prepare thoroughly. Because Kein might wipe them out all by himself. This is the down payment for the bet.¡± Metun took out a gold coin pouch from his chest, ced it in front of Rimmer, then left the pub. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Can we also spectate?¡± ¡°Open the gambling ce already! I¡¯m betting my entire fortune on the sixth training ground!¡± ¡°I¡¯m betting on the fifth training ground!¡± ¡°You are talking big with your meager fortune. I¡¯m betting my house!¡± Once the bet was established, the pub became so messy that the roof seemed to throb. ¡°Hmm.¡± Tapping on the gold coin pouch, Rimmer smiled. ¡°Free money is great.¡± He looked calm, as if he already knew it wasing. ¡°Then, shall I go to the gambling house?¡± * * * * * * Dim daybreak, before sunrise. At the annex building¡¯s dark, empty plot, Raon was sitting with his eyes closed. A red haze, thinner than leaf, was shimmering on his shoulders. Opposed to the heated sun rising up, the red energying from Raon¡¯s body gradually subsided, =eventually disappearingpletely. Raon opened his eyes. Blink. Like the sun rising in the sky, his red eyes red up with an intense heat. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Once Raon exhaled the remaining impurity from his body, his burning eyes returned to normal. ¡®Time really flows quickly.¡¯ He stood up, watching the sun slowly rise. Three days had already passed since he had returned from his first mission. Thanks to training for those three days, his body and aura were somewhat synchronized. ng! After spinning his wrist and ankle, Raon drew his sword. Using the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, he practiced the ''Star-Combining Sword'' from beginning to end. Aura was following behind his body, just like a shadow. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it had significantly improvedpared to three days ago. ¡®Let¡¯s leave it here for now.¡¯ After all, it was something to work towards for the rest of his life. Complete synchronization between body and aura wasn¡¯t something that could be done in a span of a few days. Since it would lead to the ¡®Sword-Body Unification¡¯, he needed to train constantly. After practicing Zieghart¡¯s basic swordsmanship from the beginning to the end, Raon sheathed his sword. When he looked up at the sky, the sun had risen pretty high. ¡®I¡¯m a bitte.¡¯ Daybreak¡¯s personal training time was about to end. He needed to arrive at the training ground before the regr morning training started. Raon changed his sweat-drenched clothes and ran towards the fifth training ground. As he was about to open the door and enter, the trainees'' voices could be heard from inside. ¡°Why is he not here? This is so unusual.¡± ¡°Since hepleted the mission on his own, he must not feel the need for the daybreak training anymore.¡± ¡°Tsk, anyone could¡¯ve done it in his ce.¡± ¡°I know right? It was just a bandit, after all. They said there was an aura user, but how strong a bandit can possibly be? He just got lucky.¡± He could tell from the voice alone. They were coteral trainees, those that parted from Burren, unable to keep up with his changes. ¡®Pathetic.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue. The loser¡¯s chatter wasn¡¯t worth his attention, since they were going to avoid his gaze and run away the moment he entered. ¡®But the training ground is a bit cold.¡¯ As he was about to enter, feeling the unusual temperature of the training ground, a familiar voice could be heard. ¡°Pathetic.¡± It was Burren¡¯s voice. The elegant sound of footsteps stopped in front of the trainees. ¡°Anyone could¡¯ve done it? Then, did you manage to find the bandits¡¯ tracks back then? Or did you manage to rescue the children? I guess you must¡¯ve at least killed a bandit?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Sir Burren, we were just k-kidding¡­¡± The trainees didn¡¯t know what to say and just mumbled. ¡°Jealousy is an emotion that anyone can have. However, the moment you speak it out aloud, you be the most disgraceful human. I know all about it because I¡¯ve tried it already. Get a grip!¡± Thud! As soon as Burren finished talking, someone jumped down from a tree. ¡°Hah, I would have broken your skulls if he wasn¡¯t there.¡± It was Martha. Her angry voice could be heard near the trainees. ¡°Know your ce. If you¡¯d met the bandit leader back then, he would¡¯ve killed your punk asses already, or an instructor watching over you would¡¯ve drug you out like a dog.¡± ¡°L-Lady Martha¡­¡± ¡°What did you do during the break after the mission? You must¡¯ve been taking it easy since you felt like you needed some rest after the mission. You probably didn¡¯t even train.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The trainees could only lick their lips because Martha had nailed it. ¡°That damn bastard, the one that single handedlypleted the mission, came out to the training ground and practiced while you were sound asleep in your homes. He even did that on the day he returned.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Ask him yourself if you can¡¯t believe it.¡± Martha smiled coldly and jeered at the trainees. ¡°You know too well about what he did. Did you stalk him?¡± ¡°What? What the hell is this son of a bitch saying!¡± Martha punched the wall at Burren¡¯s joke. ¡°Am I right? How do you know if you didn¡¯t see him yourself?¡± ¡°I think shackling that mouth of yours would allow me to know.¡± Burren and Martha started exuding pressure like they were about to start a fight. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon felt an unknown emotion, simr to tapping his chest with a finger, and opened the training ground¡¯s door. The noisy and bustling training ground fell silent. Burren and Martha, who were about to fight, turned their heads. ¡°Raon.¡± As he was watching those two, Runaan approached him with shining silver eyes. White frost was shimmering from her shoulder. ¡®It was her.¡¯ He was wondering why the training ground was cold, but apparently it was because Runaan was emitting a serious amount of frost. ¡°You must be out of your mind because youpleted a mission on your own. You¡¯re evente for daybreak training!¡± Despite standing up for him earlier, Martha was now taunting him. ¡°I trained at home, don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon simply answered, then went to the center. ¡°The regr training starts soon. Everyone, line up!¡± The trainees gathered behind Raon with slightly dissatisfied expressions. ¡°Warm up until training begins.¡± An nearly invisible, faint smile appeared around Raon¡¯s mouth as he turned his head and told them to warm up. *** Two months had passed since theypleted their first mission. People were looking at Raon differently, but he only focused on the synergy between the ''Star-Combining Sword'' and ¡®River Footwork¡¯, not caring about anything else. This is boring. How can you keep repeating the swordsmanship and footwork that you¡¯ve already learned? Does boredom not exist in you? ¡®Of course not.¡¯ Raon chuckled. ¡®I¡¯m bearing with it since it''s important training.¡¯ Everyone knew that the basics were important, but most people made the mistake of focusing on advanced techniques, giving up on basic training. The reason was simple. Competition. ¡®Because it feels like I¡¯m falling behind.¡¯ While one was repeating the in sword technique and footwork, if others were using the sword aura and creating the sword wind, one would naturally be dispirited and uneasy. ¡®And it''s seriously boring.¡¯ The basic swordsmanship and footwork were simple and in. Even a trainee with average talent could learn the form in a single week. Nobody would¡¯ve found it fun to keep practicing that for several months, or years, over and over. Raon was the same. Repeating the basic swordsmanship and footwork was painful to him, as well. ¡®But I have to do it.¡¯ Diligently training the basics was like makingdders on a cliff. Those who climbed with their hands and feet would advance faster, for instance, but the one with adder would be faster and reach a higher ce in the future. Since he was confident in his patience more than anyone in the world, Raon kept practicing his basic swordsmanship, footwork, and the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ during the personal training time. ¡°Wow, doesn¡¯t he ever get bored?¡± ¡°How can he keep repeating the ''Star-Combining Sword'' over and over?¡± ¡°He¡¯s crazy. Really crazy¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t live like that. I really can¡¯t.¡± The trainees were amazed at Raon, who kept repeating that basic technique. It wasn¡¯t mockery or jeering, they were simply amazed. ¡°I know, right? How is he just repeating that? I think he¡¯s probably gone crazy.¡± The trainees turned around, hearing a pleasant voice. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°I-instructor!¡± ¡°Howe you¡¯re here so early?¡± ¡°Hello.¡± The head instructor Rimmer grinned and waved his hand. ¡°Basics being boring is a fact, but he is going to reach higher. I¡¯ve never seen anyone not reach the high ground among the swordsmen that have worked hard on their basics.¡± After saying that, he went up to the tform. ¡°Everyone, attention!¡± Rimmer pped his hands and drew everyone¡¯s attention. The trainees stopped their personal training and ran up to him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Burren raised his hand. He was tilting his head, curious about why he came out early during the daybreak independent training time. ¡°Ah, I should¡¯ve told you about it before, but I forgot.¡± ¡°Pardon? You forgot?¡± ¡°What did you forget again?¡± The trainees asked lightheartedly, believing it must not have been a big deal. However, his response surpassed their expectations by far. ¡°We are going to beat up those sixth training ground guys.¡± ¡°Beat up? Sixth training ground? Are you perhaps saying that we are going to spar with them?¡± ¡°Rather than spar, it¡¯s more like an all-out war. Forty-three of you and sixty of them will be fighting at once.¡± ¡°When is it?¡± Burren¡¯s face stiffened like a tree, and the other trainees also swallowed. Enjoying those expressions, Rimmer grinned. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Chapter 61 A battle drill with the sixth training ground. Burren had already heard the rumors about it. The story originated from a pub two months before, but he shrugged it off as a groundless rumor since nothing happened since then. Yet he was told it was tomorrow. Tomorrow! Burren thought he had a problem with his ears. Because it was simply unimaginable that he would¡¯ve actually heard that. ¡°Instructor.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Did you just say it was tomorrow?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Stop copying Runaan. Please tell me clearly. Is it really tomorrow?¡± ¡°Argh. I told you, yes.¡± Rimmer nodded immediately. His shameless face deserved a beating. ¡°It¡¯s not just a spar, but an all-out war. Yet it¡¯s tomorrow?¡± ¡°Since there¡¯s not that many people involved, you should consider it as a local war instead of an all-out war¡­¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Burren stomped on the ground. ¡°Tomorrow is the day of the battle, and you just told us about it now. How could you even do that? Was the rumor from the pub really true?¡± ¡°Oh, so you knew about it. That story was about me and Metun.¡± ¡°God damn it!¡± One-on-one spars would¡¯ve been a different story, but an all-out battle was apetition of pride. Announcing such an important matter the day before was so preposterous that he couldn¡¯t close his mouth. ¡°Haaa, that¡¯s why you¡¯re called novices.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue, squatting on the ground. ¡°Does a war or a battle start after politely greeting each other with a ¡®Nice to meet you, we will start fighting you. Be careful!¡¯? No, it doesn''t. Most battles start suddenly, from an unexpected situation.¡± His sharp pressure overwhelmed the surroundings, despite his shabby posture. ¡°Once a war starts, you have to run out to participate whether you are eating, sleeping, or taking a shit. In a situation where you don¡¯t even know who the enemies are or how many of them there are, you have to draw your sword and fight. I¡¯m giving you plenty of time to prepare by telling you a day before.¡± ¡°Uhh!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Burren and the trainees shut their mouths, unable to retort. ¡®He¡¯s right.¡¯ Raon nodded. ¡®Most missions are sudden.¡¯ Assassination was the same. Naturally, assassination was a lot more likely to seed when the target was outside, rather than in their home. Devising a n and starting to move once the target left the house was amon urrence. Improvising a n of action was an indispensable quality of an assassin. ¡°Moreover, the sixth training ground was also informedst night. That¡¯s not much different from you.¡± ¡°Y-you should¡¯ve said that earlier.¡± ¡°You got angry before I even exined. It was my first time seeing you that angry.¡± Rimmer giggled. ¡°Ugh! I¡¯m sorry.¡± Burren lowered his head, earspletely red. It looked like he was embarrassed. ¡°Since I think everyone understands now, I¡¯m going to start the exnation.¡± Rimmer stood up, his hands behind his back. It seemed like he was trying to look dignified, but he didn¡¯t really. ¡°The battle starts tomorrow at 6 am. The forty-three of us will be participating, and they will have sixty people. The victory is¡­¡± ¡°By the way, why are there sixty of them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s almost 1.5 times our numbers¡­¡± The trainees¡¯ throats tightened upon hearing that the sixth training ground had a lot more people. ¡°I told you already. A war isn¡¯t something you fight with equal numbers. Are you going toin once you meet a more numerous enemy? Say that it was unfair for you? You aren¡¯t!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± The trainees tilted their heads and went back to their positions. They felt like they were being yed by Rimmer. ¡°I¡¯m going to start exining again. The forty-three of us and the sixty of them will start moving at the same time. The victory goes to the team that incapacitates all the enemies or seizes the g in the opposite camp. It¡¯s simpler than spars in some ways.¡± Murmuring that it was too easy, he told them to be thankful that he didn¡¯t tell them about it the next morning. ¡°Hmm¡­ Now that I think about it, it doesn¡¯t seem too hard.¡± ¡°Well, I guess¡­ Since the sixth training ground¡¯s trainees are mostly the dropouts from here, there¡¯s no members of the direct line among them either.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? Sir Kein joined the sixth training ground a few months ago.¡± ¡°Sir K-Kein Zieghart is a whole two years older than us! How can we win against him?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. He was seriously injured and was bedridden for an entire year. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s even fully recovered yet.¡± ¡°Oh, then that¡¯s a different story.¡± The trainees breathed a sigh of relief, hearing that he hadn¡¯tpletely recovered yet. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Burren shook his head. ¡°Kein Zieghart has already fully recovered from his injuries. Because he continued training his aura and senses, his might is currently at that of an advanced level Sword User.¡± ¡°A-advanced level Sword User?¡± The trainees'' faces went pale upon hearing it. ¡°Hmph. So what? Chicken out if you are scared. I¡¯ll take care of the Kein guy or whatever.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not scared. I¡¯m just telling them the information. And you can¡¯t do it alone.¡± ¡°Haah?¡± The trainees¡¯ pale faces recovered upon seeing Martha and Burren¡¯s argument. ¡°We also have Sir Burren, Lady Martha, and Lady Runaan. Well, we also have Raon.¡± ¡°Honestly, I feel like we are going to win without too much difficulty. Those two can handle Sir Kein, and we can deal with the rest.¡± ¡°We can do it. We¡¯ve won against the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knights, and we¡¯ve alsopleted a mission.¡± The trainees smiled, saying that the sixth training ground¡¯s trainees were a piece of cake. ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯ll pay dearly if you look down on them too much.¡± Rimmer smiled frighteningly. ¡°There¡¯s a training called Hell Week that highly improves the swordsman''s abilities. The sixth training ground¡¯s trainees havepleted Hell Week without a single dropout. And that was thanks to you guys.¡± ¡°Thanks to us?¡± ¡°Because the fifth training ground has been getting the most attention from the house. Their eyes are zing with the desire to catch up to you. If you look down on them, then you will just end up losing before doing anything.¡± He was seriously advising them after a long time. ¡°No way! Every day has been a Hell week for us.¡± ¡°They are dropouts from here. They can¡¯t have gotten that strong. We are born with different talents, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve never lost or failed so far.¡± ¡°As long as Sir Kein is stopped, we can win for sure!¡± The trainees didn¡¯t lose their arrogance despite hearing his advice. They looked even more motivated, instead. ¡°That¡¯s some nice confidence.¡± Rimmer smirked and nodded. His smile seemed to say that he didn¡¯t care if they ended up losing like that. ¡°Finally, the all-out war is like a small warfare. Which means that the leader¡¯s orders are of primordial importance. Everyone should follow Raon¡¯s advice tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The trainees that usually followed Raon answered immediately, and those who followed Burren or Runaan responded a little bitter. ¡®That¡¯s annoying.¡¯ Raon frowned. Defeating the sixth training ground wasn¡¯t a big deal, but controlling the trainees was bothersome. ¡°Today¡¯s training is free. You can create a n here or just keep training to prepare for the iing battle.¡± Rimmer returned with the usual light and loafing atmosphere. ¡°Head instructor, you didn¡¯t tell us the most important thing.¡± Burren raised his hand. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Where is the battle going to take ce?¡± ¡°Ah, that.¡± Rimmer pped his hands. ¡°The Northern Grave Mountain over there, behind the main building.¡± He gave a sly smile to Raon. It felt like he was saying, ¡®You know the Northern Grave Mountain well enough, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡¯ ¡°Haa.¡± Raon shook his head. It looked like Rimmer had bet on their side¡¯s victory. Betting on the fifth training ground after creating the worst circumstance for them, he really was a funny man, or rather, elf. ¡®That¡¯s why he gets ruined every time.¡¯ There was a reason he was losing money in gambling houses or racetracks all the time. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then.¡± Rimmer waved his hand like a kid on a pic and left the training ground. ¡°Line up.¡± Raon sighed and gathered the trainees at the center. ¡°We are going to devise a n now, in preparation for the team battle tomorrow. Anyone have information about the sixth training ground?¡± ¡°I-I know a bit about them.¡± Dorian, who had hand tremor syndrome, gulped. ¡°As everybody knows, the current top trainee of the sixth training ground is Sir Kein Zieghart. He is sixteen years old, which is two years older than us, but he¡¯d been bedridden for an entire year from a serious injury he got on a mission. He has recovered.¡± ¡°Injury, huh¡­¡± ¡°Like you heard before, his might is at the level of an advanced level Sword User, and he is rather popr since every trainee in the sixth training ground follows him. There are three coterals that are exceptionally strong¡­¡± As expected of someone that had lots of connections, he kept telling them about the sixth training ground. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t even need a n if that¡¯s all they have.¡± ¡°I knew it. We can ignore the rest except for Sir Kein.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Two people among the four strongest should deal with Sir Kein, and we can wipe out the rest.¡± The trainees giggled and mored that they didn¡¯t even need a n. ¡°Certainly, we are going to win without much difficulty as long as Sir Kein is dealt with.¡± Burren also suggested moving individually. It seemed he also didn¡¯t think they could lose. ¡°Fuck the n. There¡¯s no need to wreck your brain over it when you can just crush them with power. Just leave it to me and I¡¯ll wipe them all out on my own.¡± Martha raised her clenched fist. It seemed they wanted to disy their abilities in the uing battle, since they hadn¡¯t done anything in the mission two months ago. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After hearing everyone¡¯s opinion, Raon nodded. ¡°To summarize, since we are a lot stronger than them, we don¡¯t need anything like a n or a strategy. We can just wipe them out. We just need to deal with Kein somehow, am I right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We are going to win regardless.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s finish it in the morning so we can eat lunch afterwards.¡± The trainees smiled as if they¡¯d already won. The only silent ones were Runaan like always, and Dorian who¡¯d finished saying everything he¡¯d wanted. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do that.¡± After looking around the trainees, he nodded. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool for once.¡± ¡°Then is it time for the personal training?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet about how many people you are going to defeat tomorrow.¡± The trainees moved out for the individual training whileughing. What a bunch of idiots. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Raon nodded with a cold gaze. ¡®They don¡¯t realize at all how scary the people who are chasing after them are.¡¯ It looked like they¡¯d only learn after paying dearly for it, just like Rimmer had mentioned. * * * * * * Sixth Training Ground. The Same Day. Around one hundred trainees, covered in dust from head to toe, were gathered at the center. ¡°Every single one of you haspleted Hell Week, which has more than a 70% dropout rate.¡± The trainees straightened their backs when they heard the sixth training ground¡¯s head instructor¡¯s dignified voice. ¡°And that was your choice. Do you remember the reason why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the fifth training ground!¡± The trainees shouted at once. The voice was loud enough to shake the sixth training ground, which was bigger than the fifth training ground. ¡°That¡¯s right. The fifth training ground has been getting the most attention from the house, and the Owen Kingdom that looked down on you requested a spar with them. Your choice was made in order to defeat them.¡± Metun examined the trainees one by one. His eyes were stronger than ever. ¡°And the time hase. After all the time you¡¯ve spent getting no attention whatsoever, you finally got the opportunity to defeat the fifth training ground.¡± As his voice resounded throughout the training ground, the trainees¡¯ eyes shone. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a forty-three versus sixty battle, everyone in the house will expect their victory. However, I believe the odds are even. Show them what you¡¯ve been umting so far!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The trainees shouted their throats off. ¡°Kein Zieghart.¡± Metun called the only member of the direct line in the sixth training ground forward. A blond, blue-eyed boy that was standing at the center stepped up. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± Kein bowed confidently. ¡°I¡¯ll show everyone that the sixth training ground is stronger than the fifth training ground.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± Metun shook his head slightly. ¡°As the sixth training ground¡¯s top trainee, you have to defeat Raon Zieghart, who is the fifth training ground¡¯s top trainee.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you not confident?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Kein¡¯s eyes glowed fiercely. ¡°I just didn¡¯t answer since it was obvious. That guy can¡¯t win against me. I am stronger than him.¡± ¡°That''s great confidence.¡± Metun nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Kein isn¡¯t the only one. Everyone should do their best, so their efforts so far won''t be in vain.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The light didn¡¯t turn off untilte at night in the sixth training ground. *** ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon nodded, reading the Northern Grave Mountain¡¯s map, checking out the location the battle was going to take ce. ¡®I know all of those ces.¡¯ Since he¡¯d been training by running around the mountain ever since he followed Rimmer there, he was well aware of the geography. He had a huge geographic advantagepared to the sixth training ground. ¡®However¡­¡¯ The others were in a bad state. The trainees were too carried away by their continued victories and sesses. Even though some of that stuff was achieved by Raon alone, the trainees mistakenly believed that they¡¯d gotten stronger by having been with him. ¡®Well, they are strong.¡¯ It was a fact that the trainees were stronger than the other swordsmen or knights of their age, thanks to Rimmer¡¯s training method. However, the difference wasn¡¯t overwhelming, and they couldn¡¯t afford to look down on others. Since children grow up quickly when they are unnoticed, if they were careless, they could end up losing. All that¡¯s because they have never experienced actual battle. They will only learn after getting almost killed by someone weaker than them. Wrath sneered, realizing Raon¡¯s line of thoughts. Those idiots remind me of devildom back then. The King of Essence plucked out the horns of a high devil that was acting arrogantly¡­ ¡°Ah, there he goes again.¡± The King of Essence is telling you a story that will be your flesh and blood, yet you interrupt me¡­ ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Arrrgh! Raon Zieghart! Raon shook his hand andid on his bed. He blocked his hearing and closed his eyes. Well, he wasn¡¯t wrong. Teaching them that they weren¡¯t actually special by letting them experience defeat wasn¡¯t too bad. Rimmer must¡¯ve been aiming for that, too. Of course, he must¡¯ve wanted them to win after almost losing, instead of actually losing. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ Raon smiled lightly. ¡®It¡¯s a good opportunity.¡¯ It was an opportunity to show the trainees that didn¡¯t follow him yet what kind of role a leader could y. After the battle, every single trainee in the fifth training ground would follow his orders without exception. ¡°Then let¡¯s steal some information for now.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes shone faintly, like the moon in the sky. *** On the mountainside of the Northern Grave Mountain, the Next Day. Kein Zieghart and the fifty-nine trainees from the sixth training ground were gathered around a yellow g. ¡°Lastly, I¡¯ll tell you the n.¡± Looking at the Northern Grave Mountain¡¯s map, Kein spoke in a sharp voice. ¡°The fifth training ground trainees are located in the west. They are still not united. Raon, Burren, Runaan, and Martha are separated into four factions.¡± He was aware of the fact that the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees weren¡¯t united. ¡°I¡¯m sure they will move separately. Martha is going to rush in on her own, especially. Dunn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Kein¡¯s call, a trainee with a big build that was standing next to him nodded. ¡°As we¡¯ve practiced, stop her and with the first group. If you induce her into a fight of endurance by alternating her opponents, you can win.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Burren uses sharp and systematic swordsmanship. Decal!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± A trainee with long arms and legs like a monkey raised his hand. ¡°You will take care of him. You will be able to defeat him along with the second group that has learned the Intuition Sword. Since he will be with the coterals, bring the third group with you.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lastly, Kein looked at the girl with short green hair on his right. ¡°Karin, your opponent is Runaan. She is an unpredictable one, but she seems to listen to Raon. You should stand by here, then follow my orders along with the fourth group.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Finally, the fifth group and I will stay here and stop Raon.¡± Holding the map, Kein Zieghart straightened his spine. ¡°How are you going to find their locations? Nothing¡¯s going to work out if you fail to locate them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He smiled confidently. ¡°Since I¡¯ll use the ¡®Observing Eye¡¯.¡± The ¡®Observing Eye¡¯ was a special ability that could perceive an enemy''s location and presence from far away. It was the perfect skill to use in a local war like that. One-on-one was a different story, but in a local war like that, information and scouting was the most important aspect. He was confident that his scouting abilities were superior to Raon¡¯s, and even the instructors¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s time to disy our willpower as people that havepleted Hell Week. The best training ground of Zieghart will be the sixth training ground from today onward!¡± ¡°Wooow!¡± At Kein¡¯s powerful voice, the sixth training ground¡¯s trainees raised a battle cry. However, there was one thing they didn¡¯t realize. Kein, with his clenched fist, and the trainees with their burning passion alike. There were red eyes looking down on them from the top of the trees. Chapter 62 Thirty minutes before the start of the battle. The forty-two trainees from the fifth training ground, except for Raon, were gathered at the western foothold. ¡°I can¡¯t find Raon.¡± Burren frowned and turned his head. ¡°Runaan, where¡¯s Raon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Runaan, who was sitting under a tree, turned her head sharply. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t care whether he was there or not. Her eyes were full of trust that he was going toe. Tsk. Burren clicked his tongue. He was nervous since the guy that needed toe and lead them wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Come around here for now. Get familiar with the geography for now until he arrives.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Most of the trainees gathered around the map, but Martha was in a tree eating fruits, and Runaan didn¡¯t move from her seat. ¡°You guys should look, at least. Over here is¡­¡± Burren exined the locations that the enemies could make a surprise attack or put them in danger. However, he didn¡¯t go over the map and the locations too seriously. ¡®Because we are going to win, regardless of what we do.¡¯ Even though a few elites had joined the sixth training ground, they were still mostly the dropouts from the fifth training ground. The fifth training ground trainees had been training diligently so far, and they also had lots of sparring experience. There was no way they could lose. When the trainees got decently familiar with the geography and finished warming up, Raon came up to the foothold. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°The top trainee beingte? Pathetic.¡± Runaan ran up to him first and Martha red at him. ¡°What have you been doing instead ofing here earlier and making a n!¡± Burren furrowed his brow while stomping on the ground, but Raon walked towards the g¡¯s location without any reaction. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so nervous. There¡¯s no way you can lose to the sixth training ground, right?¡± Raon grinned, sitting on a tree¡¯s trunk. It somewhat looked like he was cheering them up, but he also sounded like he wasughing at them. ¡°Hmph, well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually true.¡± ¡°Honestly, the opponents are too weak.¡± ¡°We could wipe them out in one fell sweep if not for Sir Kein.¡± However, the trainees didn¡¯t seem to have sensed that, and nodded with overflowing confidence. ¡°I¡¯m d you understand. Then you should do your best on your own.¡± ¡°Are you telling us to just fight?¡± ¡°Without any n?¡± ¡°You said you can win regardless. It would be unsightly to make a n for such a thing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! I like it!¡± Martha jumped down in the middle of the slightly embarrassed trainees. ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna get your turn. I¡¯m going to decimate them on my own, so just wait here!¡± After saying that, she used her aura. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Burren furrowed his brows and stood next to Raon. ¡°But you think so as well.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren licked his lips, hearing Raon¡¯s question. He honestly wasn''t wrong. Since the sixth training ground¡¯s defensive line was going to be obliterated if himself and Martha attacked from both sides while Raon and Runaan held Kein back. ¡°You should also move with the coterals following you. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Since Kein mighte for a surprise attack, I¡¯ll protect the g here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stay here as well.¡± When Raon pointed at the red g behind him, Runaan sat down under the g. ¡°Alright, you two should be enough.¡± Burren nodded and withdrew. He told the coterals following him to head up with him. ¡°Let¡¯s go down, then.¡± ¡°Those that dropped out from the temporary trainee test are a piece of cake.¡± ¡°I guess. Do you think they¡¯ve ever even held a real sword?¡± The trainees from vassal families and the rmended children giggled, saying that they were heading down. Whistle! When everyone finished their preparations, the whistling sounding from the top of the mountain signaled the start of the battle. The battle wasn¡¯t going to end until one of the gs was plucked out. ¡°Wait.¡± As the trainees were about to run off, Raon¡¯s voice was heard. Everyone looked back. ¡°As the top trainee, I¡¯ll give you onest order. You can do whatever you want, but if I order you to retreat because of an unfavorable situation, you should return no matter what.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that won¡¯t happen!¡± Martha dashed to the center while breaking the ground. ¡°It¡¯s the same here. Let¡¯s go!¡± Burren also led the coterals to climb up, and the rmended children and vassal family trainees ran down. ¡°Raon, can we win?¡± Runaan asked, tapping the g. ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult like that.¡± Raon shook his head. He closed his eyes, watching the trainees run off in three directions. They will return after getting their asses whooped. *** Wham! Martha rushed to the front like a bull spotting a red cloth. ¡®I¡¯ll wipe them all out on my own.¡¯ The other trainees weren¡¯t necessary. She could wipe out the weaklings from the sixth training ground on her own. After running for about five minutes and breaking through the dense bushes, nine trainees entered her sight. The number six written on a leather armor showed that they were trainees from the sixth training ground. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you!¡± Martha kicked off from the ground while licking her lip. She surrounded herself with Titan¡¯s aura midair and struck down with her fist. m! As the fist falling like a shooting star crushed the ground, the sixth training ground trainees scattered. ¡°Martha Zieghart.¡± The trainee with a big build in the center lifted his sword and called Martha¡¯s name. ¡°Are you the vanguard?¡± After spinning her wrist, Martha drew her sword from her waist. ¡°Since it¡¯s annoying,e at me at once.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Dunn Zieghart. I''m a coteral¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need the name of a guy that¡¯s about to be defeated!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The trainee that introduced himself as Dunn wasn¡¯t taunted. With a calm expression, he held his sword at mid height. ¡°You don¡¯t look too bad!¡± Martha snickered and pounced at Dunn, hacking at him. m! A thunderous noise resounded as the two swords shed. Unlike Martha, who was standing her ground, Dunn was pushed back five steps away with a trembling hand. ¡°Tsk.¡± Martha clicked her tongue at seeing Dunn get pushed back. ¡®I wanted to finish him in a single strike.¡¯ Despite her intention of finishing him in a single strike, Dunn had withstood her strike by being pushed back a few steps. He wasn¡¯t an opponent she could consider easy. ¡®But he¡¯s not a difficult opponent either.¡¯ Martha strengthened her body using the Titan¡¯s aura. Her pressure soared rapidly. ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dunn and the sixth training ground trainees groaned, facing the energy wave. ¡°Stop being annoying and just meet your end!¡± With her eyes gleaming like ck pearls, she sliced up with her sword. The tremendous energy erupted like a volcano from her sword. ¡°Third formation!¡± Holding his sword at mid height, Dunn gave out an unknown instruction. The four trainees that had been staying back stepped up next to him and gathered their swords. am! Red me burst out as Martha and the five people¡¯s swords shed. ¡°Kugh!¡± ¡°Hold your ground!¡± Under the powerful pressure, the trainees grit their teeth and didn¡¯t withdraw. ¡°A group of weaklings are still weak!¡± Martha snorted and struck with her sword. Her de was covered in an energy even stronger than before. m! Along with a ground shattering noise, the trainees¡¯ bodies wavered. ¡°Haa.¡± ¡°Kugh.¡± However, despite being pushed back, they didn¡¯t get knocked down. They kept holding out and groaning. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s see who wins!¡± Martha bit her lip and kept striking with her sword. ¡°Second formation! Fifth formation!¡± Dunn kept defending against Martha¡¯s attacks by changing the defensive formation and the people. ¡°Tsk. I¡¯ll deal with the other ones first!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already prepared for something like that!¡± Martha tried to attack a short haired girl on the right side, avoiding Dunn, who standing in the center. However, Dunn and the trainees smoothly rotated like clock hands and blocked her sword.¡± ¡°Ku¡­¡± Martha bit her lip. It was just like he¡¯d said, they were prepared. As soon as she tried attacking another side, the trainees moved back and Dunn came forward. It was impossible to prate the formation. * * * * * * ¡®Have they only been practicing blocking?¡¯ Their defense was as solid as a rock, as if they¡¯d only been practicing defense. Halfhearted attacks were only going to end up exhausting her aura. ¡°Haa¡­ It¡¯s so annoying.¡± Martha walked back a step and brought up the full power of Titan¡¯s aura. The sword in her hand vibrated fiercely and shone with a light-yellow light. ¡°I admit that you¡¯re pretty decent. However, this is as far as you go.¡± ¡°Tenth formation!¡± Dunn didn¡¯t respond, shouting a number that he hadn¡¯t said yet. The eight trainees all stuck to his back. ¡°Pointless!¡± Martha dashed forward and poured out the Titan¡¯s aura filling her sword vertically. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Hold your ground!¡± At the same time that Dunn shouted, the trainees¡¯ bodies shone in the same color. Baam! A thunderous noise resounded throughout the mountain, and the earth and sand burst out from the ground like a fountain. ¡°Hah!¡± In the midst of the raid of sand falling down, Martha¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Did you withstand it?¡± Dunn and the trainees were breathing heavily and were pushed back significantly. However, they managed to take her full power without having a single drop person out. ¡°You crazy bastards!¡± ¡°Haaah!¡± Martha kept striking with her sword, insanity gleaming in her eyes. Dunn and the trainees faltered, but never let go of their swords. ¡°You bastards¡­¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t the only protagonist of the world.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been doing our best, sweating our blood. Don¡¯t think you are going to win easily!¡± Martha snapped. ¡°Shut up!¡± She kept swinging her sword while screaming. Despite using all of her remaining energy, she couldn¡¯t break through Dunn¡¯s defense. Instead, it felt like his defense was getting more and more solid. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°We kept practicing together in order to block your aura and swordsmanship. We are never going to lose as long as the sword formation remains.¡± ¡°Sword formation¡­¡± She was obviously aware that they had a sword formation, and that was exactly what she¡¯d been trying to break through with power. But she didn¡¯t expect to be blocked to that extent. ¡®It¡¯s dangerous¡­¡¯ Martha furrowed her brows, withdrawing her sword to her side. Her aura was dwindling because she used too much energy earlier. However, since the nine of them were staying together, the sixth training ground¡¯s trainees were also recovering their aura faster. ¡®I need to buy some time.¡¯ She didn¡¯t like that method, but she had no choice. ¡°She is running out of strength. Spread out!¡± As she was trying to recover her aura by withdrawing a little, Dunn dashed forward, holding his sword. His eyes were too sharp. ¡°You dare!¡± Swinging the sword she was withdrawing, she hacked at Dunn¡¯s head. m! Dunn grit his teeth and withstood the shock. His hand was trembling, but he wasn¡¯t pushed back. ¡°Do it now!¡± Following his instruction, the four trainees swung their swords from the top, bottom, left, and right. ¡°Tsk!¡± Martha twisted her de to deflect their swords, but the attacks kepting in waves. ¡®There¡¯s no opening.¡¯ Dunn defended if she tried to attack them, and the rest started counterattacking afterward. Thebination was unfolding like a cogwheel and was leaving her with no breathing room. ¡®Damn it! I can¡¯t lose here!¡¯ She¡¯d underestimated them too much. She¡¯d thought they were just weaklings, and she didn¡¯t expect them to be prepared to this extent. m! Her sword, thrusting at their opening, was deflected by Dunn once again. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha breathed heavily, dodging the des raining down on her. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Was it because she was in a pinch? She remembered what Raon told her. That they could win regardless. ¡®That bastard. He probably knew about it already.¡¯ He must¡¯ve beenughing at her, knowing that she was going to have so much difficulty. ¡®That¡¯s why I need to win this at all costs.¡¯ Martha clenched her fist. She needed to put Raon in his ce by breaking through somehow, but she couldn¡¯t find the way. Honestly, she felt like she was going to lose at the rate things were going. ¡®What shall I do?¡¯ ¡°Are you thinking about something else during a battle?¡± As she was wondering about how she could win, Dunn¡ªwho''d only been defending so far¡ªdashed at her like a bull. Wham! Martha was bounced back by a powerful body m. ¡°Do it now!¡± At Dunn¡¯s instruction, the trainees thrust their swords at Martha, who couldn¡¯t regain her posture. ¡°Fine! Even if I get defeated here, I¡¯ll beat you guys up!¡± As Martha held her sword upside down and was about to pounce at them like a beast, silver frost came up from the ground. ¡°Th-this is!¡± Runaan came out from the bush with shining purple eyes. ¡°Wh-why are you here¡­?¡± ¡°Raon is telling you to retreat.¡± When Runaan swung her sword in a half circle, the frost on the ground shimmered up like a haze. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Order.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t lose ye¡­¡± ¡°Order.¡± ¡°Kugh, damn it!¡± Martha lowered her hand, seeing Runaan¡¯s transparent eyes. She withdrew while biting her lip. After watching Dunn and the trainees she¡¯d separated using frost for a while, she followed Martha. ¡°The Martha ran away!¡± ¡°W-we won! We really won!¡± ¡°Waaaah!¡± The trainees cheered, screaming that it was worthpleting Hell Week. The sixth training ground trainees¡¯ cheers didn¡¯t only happen at the center. It was also heard from the top, where Burren went to, and the bottom, where the coterals were headed. Thud! As the trainees were cheering in victory, Kein Zieghart jumped down from the tree. ¡°Sir Kein!¡± Dunn ran up to Kein, smiling brightly. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Did the others also win?¡± ¡°Yes. Just like we¡¯d expected, Raon and Runaan didn¡¯t move and we won in all three ces.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°We really won!¡± ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t believe it.¡± The trainees hugged each other and smiled brightly. ¡°It¡¯s too early to rejoice.¡± Kein raised his hand and the trainees stoppedughing. ¡°We can¡¯t be careless until we take the enemy''s g.¡± His blue eyes shone like a starlight. ¡°Proceed ording to the n until the very end.¡± *** Raon nced at the fifth training ground trainees standing in front of him. They looked miserable, covered in soil mixed with their sweat. Their muscles were trembling and their eyes were filled with panic. They were the ssic appearance of remnants that had lost their battle. Burren and the coterals that arrivedter were the same. Burren, who learned systematic swordsmanship, must have been stopped by the trainees that learned the ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯. He had been unable to do anything but get pushed back. ¡°How was it? Was it as easy as you expected?¡± Nobody responded. Burren bit his lip and Martha red at him with a murderous look. The other trainees also stared at the ground, unable to respond. ¡°Shall I tell you what your mistake was?¡± Raon¡¯s red eyes were distorted, like moonlight. ¡°You believe that the world is stagnant, and that you are the only ones that are changing. ¡®Since we¡¯ve already won against them before, we should be able to win again. Since most of them dropped out of the exam, and they¡¯ve been looked down upon by the Owen Kingdom, we are going to win no matter what.¡¯ Isn¡¯t that what you were thinking?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± The trainees still couldn¡¯t respond, since it was just as he¡¯d said. ¡°The world changes faster than you think. You might lose tomorrow to an opponent you won against today, and they might be a lot better than you the day after. However¡­¡± Raon¡¯s voice went even lower. It was a frightening voice, as if it came up from deep underground. ¡°Did you say that you¡¯d win no matter what, without even knowing your own ce? Despite not knowing the enemy''s strategy, did you dare think that you could win? Can you make them all kneel on your own? Forget about winning, you wasted all your aura and stamina, showed them your techniques while you were lost in your arrogance. Really amazing.¡± Past Burren and Martha, his gaze was directed at the trainees one by one. The trainees¡¯ bodies trembled. ¡°A lion does its best upon catching a rabbit. However, you aren¡¯t even lions. And they aren¡¯t rabbits. Those trainees are also swordsmen that have been training their swords every day in their life. You can¡¯t look down on them just because you are slightly ahead.¡± ¡°Kugh¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Burren and the trainees lowered their heads. Their faces werepletely red in embarrassment. Martha couldn¡¯t say anything either, her face wrinkling. ¡°Are we going to lose, then?¡± Runaan, who was standing back, stepped up next to him. ¡°We might, but we might not.¡± The trainees raised their heads slowly at Raon¡¯s calm voice. ¡°W-we¡¯ve already used too much stamina and aura, just like you said.¡± ¡°Four of us are alreadypletely exhausted.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a one-on-one spar, but a group battle. If youe to your senses even now, it¡¯s not toote to win.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do anything if I can smash that boulder guy.¡± Burren and Martha clenched their fists so hard that they creaked. The trainees¡¯ eyes started to shine once again. ¡°Your eyes are still alive.¡± Raon nodded, watching the heat shimmering in the trainees¡¯ eyes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you how you¡¯ll win.¡± Chapter 63 ¡°Why do you think you lost?¡± The trainees couldn¡¯t answer Raon¡¯s quiet question. ¡°Might? Numbers? Decision making? None of those are the right answer. It¡¯s true that they have the numbers, but we are superior in terms of might andbat experience. Such a one-sided defeat wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, yet it did. Why do you think you lost?¡± ¡°¡­Because of the information?¡± Burren slowly opened his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Raon nodded at Burren. ¡°The sixth training ground fully understood the personalities and might of each of our members. They devised a strategy to counter each of us, using the Northern Grave Mountain¡¯s geography. However, we didn¡¯t prepare anything, thinking that we were obviously going to win.¡± ¡°B-but the time¡­¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t have much time, but the same goes for them. Honestly, one day is enough time to obtain the minimum information necessary for the fight. That¡¯s why Instructor Rimmer purposefully informed us one day before, so that we could get some practice.¡± Raon snorted, ncing at the trainees. ¡°And you didn¡¯t give up on it because you were out of time, but because you were too careless, thinking you could easily win. Lack of time isn¡¯t an excuse.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± The trainees couldn¡¯t refute that, so they just bit their lips. ¡°Even though the fifth training ground trainees are stronger than them individually, the difference isn¡¯t overwhelming. Losing to the sixth training ground, who was prepared, is a natural oue.¡± ¡°Then what shall we do? Isn¡¯t everything over¡­?¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s over! Shut your mouth!¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Martha frowned and Dorian, hands trembling, zipped his mouth. ¡°Well, there were casualties, and we¡¯ve lost a lot of stamina and aura. We are indeed at a disadvantage. However¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes glowed, looking at the location where the sixth training ground¡¯s trainees must be preparing for their attack. ¡°They aren¡¯t the only ones that have information.¡± ¡°Do you know anything about this?¡± ¡°The top trainee of the sixth training ground, Kein Zieghart, is the one who has been giving the instructions. He was the one who sent people in that can counter you guys.¡± ¡°Kein Zieghart? How did he do that?¡± Martha ground her teeth. ¡°Kein Zieghart has an excellent sight and perception. He perceived the direction of your movement from afar and sent trainees that you¡¯d have difficulties dealing with.¡± ¡°Kuh! Kein Zieghart.¡± Burren groaned at his pride being trampled. ¡°He sent swordsmen that were proficient in defense to Martha, who is straightforward with an excellent strength and endurance, in order to exhaust your aura. He sent swordsmen that have learned the ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯ to Burren, who uses honest and systematic swordsmanship, so that you couldn¡¯t do much against them.¡± Raon told them precisely why the fifth training ground had lost. ¡°Then, how can we win? It¡¯s simple. We have to change our opponents. We would win without much difficulty if Burren and Martha swapped their opponents.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do! I can¡¯t hold back my anger if we end up winning like that.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, but the same goes for me. Winning by running away is meaningless for me.¡± Martha, Burren, and the coterals all shut their mouths tightly. ¡°Alright. Then here¡¯s the second solution.¡± Raon nodded, as if he was expecting their reaction. ¡°We are going to attack differently.¡± ¡°Attack differently?¡± ¡°The sword formation that Martha faced was certainly solid, but the movement of their aura was sloppy. If you use your senses to strike where they couldn¡¯t move their aura in time, you can easily break through it.¡± He faced away from Martha and looked at Burren. ¡°Your systematic sword, which pursues perfection, is mere prey to the ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯. It is about swinging your sword without thinking, relying on your instincts.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren frowned and nodded his head. ¡°The ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯ is a technique that relies on instincts, so they are easily tricked by fake movements. Use a feint and aim for the moment they take the bait. You should be able to do it.¡± The trainees¡¯ eyes were so wide, they looked like they would pop out. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been here all along.¡± ¡°How did you know all that?¡± ¡°How on earth¡­¡± The way he¡¯d grasped the situation was more astonishing than their defeat against the sixth training ground. ¡°What the hell are you?¡± ¡°What kind of perception¡­?¡± Martha and Burren¡¯s jaws also dropped in surprise. ¡°But what shall we do if they change their ns?¡± Dorian raised his hand and asked his question. Since he was a coward, it seemed he also had lots of worries. ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable question, but their ns aren''t going to change.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯ve achieved victory once. The sweet taste of victory will make them repeat the same strategy to achieve an even more perfect victory.¡± The hair on the back of the trainees¡¯ necks stood on its ends, facing Raon¡¯s confident gaze. ¡°But you said Kein¡¯s perception is excellent. What if he reacts quickly andes to the center or the top as reinforcement?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. My perception is better than Kein¡¯s.¡± Feeling Kein¡¯s presence at the center, Raon smiled. ¡°And he is going toe over here.¡± *** Metun frowned, upon arriving at the fifth training ground¡¯s foothold after checking the sixth training ground¡¯s trainees. ¡°He is an arrogant child.¡± He was worried, because he¡¯d heard how calm andposed Raon Zieghart was, but it seemed like he didn¡¯t need to worry. ¡®Saying that his perception is better than Kein¡¯s, that¡¯s just ridiculous.¡¯ Kein Zieghart¡¯s strongest point wasn¡¯t his excellent swordsmanship nor his outstanding amount of aura. Perception. He had an excellent perception and sight that could read the opponent¡¯s presence and condition. He was even able to find the hiding instructors¡¯ locations, so it wasn¡¯t excessive to say that his perception wasn¡¯t at a trainee¡¯s level anymore. Yet Raon said his perception was better than Kein¡¯s. Honestly, he couldn¡¯t help snorting at him. ¡°It¡¯s going to be over soon.¡± Considering Raon and the fifth training ground¡¯s attitude, it looked like they could achieve victory a lot easier than he¡¯d expected. ¡®I should prepare a feast for the children.¡¯ The winners should be rewarded. Metun was about to head back, thinking about the feast the sixth training ground was going to have to celebrate their victory. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the arrogant one?¡± A cheerful voice, carried by the wind, came from behind him. Metun calmly turned around. A red-haired elf was giving off a sly smile. ¡°Did you just arrive?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve been spectating for a while now.¡± ¡°You always give excuses after beingte.¡± ¡°I told you that¡¯s not true.¡± Metun frowned, hearing Rimmer¡¯s light voice. ¡°But what did you mean by that just now?¡± ¡°Just now?¡± ¡°You told me I was arrogant.¡± ¡°Ah, about that.¡± Rimmer scratched his neck and snickered. ¡°Our side didn¡¯t even draw our sword yet, and you¡¯re considering the fight over, so arrogant is the best way to describe you.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even drawn your sword, huh? You fought us head on and were already defeated. You are way more exhausted than us, in stamina and aura alike. It¡¯s just hopeless.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you think.¡± ¡°You are just like that child. You guys are just bluffing.¡± Metun shook his head, looking back and forth between Rimmer and Raon, who was giving instructions to the trainees. ¡°Kein¡¯s perception is good enough to find the instructors¡¯ presence. There¡¯s no trainee in this small battlefield that can strategize better than him. He won¡¯t be able to locate anyone¡ªhe¡¯ll just end up losing like this.¡± ¡°Finding the instructors¡¯ presence, huh¡­?¡± Rimmer grinned and didn¡¯t finish his sentence. ¡°Raon has already located my presence before, not just the other instructors.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Raon Zieghart you underestimated because you considered him arrogant has found where I was hiding before.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s a lie!¡± Metun¡¯s eyes wavered for the first time. ¡®That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ Rimmer was an elf, despite injuring his energy center. It was difficult even for Metun himself to find him if he hid his presence, so he couldn¡¯t believe that such a young trainee could sense him. ¡°I don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°Bullshit. I¡¯m pretty sure you lie more than fifty percent of the time.¡± ¡°Ah, let me correct myself. I don¡¯t lie about those children.¡± Rimmer nodded and grinned. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Metun gulped and watched underneath. ¡°Even if Raon Zieghart has a better perception than Kein just like you said, it¡¯s already toote. The victory is already decided.¡± ¡°Well, it does certainly look difficult, since four people have been eliminated and they are mostly out of strength. However, Raon has never disappointed me, not once.¡± Rimmer grinned, watching Raon giving out instructions to the trainees. ¡°If your students are as careless as you right now, they will get wiped out in a blink of an eye.¡± * * * * * * The sixth training ground trainees that had tasted victory were gathered in a circle just like in the morning, and Kein was at the center with the map of the Northern Grave Mountain. ¡°The fifth training ground¡¯s g is located here.¡± Kein pointed to the western end with his finger. ¡°It will be over once we attack there.¡± ¡°It was worth all the effort, since we are actually about to win against the fifth training ground.¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to look at us differently after this.¡± The trainees smiled as if the battle was already over. ¡°I told you it¡¯s too early to rejoice.¡± Kein stomped the ground to gather the trainees¡¯ attention. ¡°Raon Zieghart and Runaan Sullion are at full strength. Raon is particrly problematic since he is the strongest guy in the fifth training ground. We will lose if we are careless.¡± ¡°But Burren and Martha have already exhausted most of their strength, and four of their trainees have been eliminated.¡± ¡°We are at an advantage, indeed. But I¡¯m telling you to stop being careless.¡± ¡°We will easily win if Sir Kein grasps their situation and instructs us just like before.¡± ¡°Yes, we are counting on you!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Kein nodded slightly. He was pretending to beposed, but his immaturity was showing. ¡°Anyway, you can¡¯t be careless. Do your best until the end.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The trainees responded loud and clear, then stood up. ¡°There are two potential ways they are going to move from here on¡­ Hmm?¡± Kein, who was pointing his finger at the map, started ring to the west. ¡°They¡¯reing.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°The fifth training ground trainees have started moving once again.¡± ¡°How?¡± Kein closed his eyes without responding. Feeling the approaching trainees¡¯ presence by opening his perception, he smiled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s the same as before. Martha at the center, Burren at the top and the rest are at the bottom.¡± ¡°They still haven¡¯t learned.¡± ¡°If they want to lose, then we are going to make them lose.¡± ¡°I guess even Raon can¡¯t control Burren and Martha.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already over.¡± The traineesughed at the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees, who were running at them like fireflies. ¡°We are going to use the same strategy. Decal will face Burren Zieghart alongside the second and third groups, Dunn will face Martha with the first group, and Puyon will head to the bottom. Karin and I will stand by in preparation for Raon and Runaan.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The sixth training ground trainees answered loudly, then ran off to defeat their assigned opponents. ¡°Let¡¯s prepare to finish this.¡± Kein nced back as he stood up. Karin drew her sword, nodding at him. ¡°Then which side is the first¡­ hmm?¡± He frowned, looking towards the bottom. ¡®Runaan also moved this time.¡¯ He could feel the presence of frost from the bottom. Runaan Sullion was there. ¡°Karin.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Karin nodded and ran towards the location Runaan was headed. ¡®Karin should be able to stop her.¡¯ Karin was a sessor of a high rank vassal family just like Runaan. Since she knew Runaan better than anyone, she wouldn¡¯t be easily defeated. Wham! Whack! The crashing sound of boulders could be heard from the center. It was the sound of Martha shing against Dunn once again. Bang! Shortly after that, the sound of Burren shing with Decal could also be heard. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± With two people standing guard, Kein closed his eyes and widened his perception. Since he needed to send reinforcement if any side was getting pushed back, he scattered his aura at the top center and bottom to grasp the situation. Huh? After checking all three sides, Kein¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°H-how! Why are they all losing?¡± Top, center, and bottom were all being pushed back by the fifth training ground. ¡°How is this happening?¡± Even though they were facing the same opponent as in the morning, they were now losing one-sidedly. It was unbelievable. ¡®Raon Zieghart. What have you done?!¡¯ Chapter 64 Martha Zieghart was thinking about Raon¡¯s instruction as she ran ahead. ¡°You aren¡¯t good at dealing with the defensive sword formation. It¡¯s best to change your opponent.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll never do that!¡¯ She swore immediately as he told her to run away from her opponents. Raon wasn¡¯t surprised, nodding as if he knew she would say that. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you different instructions. Break the sword formation.¡± ¡°The sword formation?¡± ¡°The opponent¡¯s sword formation isn¡¯t perfect. No, it can¡¯t be perfect since they are just trainees.¡± ¡°In what way are they not perfect?¡± ¡°They stopped you by gathering nine people¡¯s auras together. Which means that the aura has moved within the sword formation.¡± ¡°Which means¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If you aim for that moment, you can break the sword formation in your current state, even when you¡¯ve already spent a lot of your aura.¡± Chills ran down her spine upon hearing that. ¡®What is that guy?¡¯ Despite having just been sitting there, he noticed the enemy¡¯s weaknesses and told her how to defeat them. He really looked like a monster. ¡°Rather than weakness, I want to win against them head on.¡± Since she didn¡¯t want to get overwhelmed by Raon¡¯s words, she spoke without thinking. ¡°Yes. You can win against them after recovering your strength and aura, since you are outstanding. However, do you think you can do it right now?¡± She obviously wasn¡¯t able to respond. She couldn¡¯t imagine herself winning against those high-stamina monsters in her current exhausted state. ¡°Like I said, this isn¡¯t a one-on-one spar, but a teampetition. Make your choice right now. Are you to choose your pride, resulting in an uncertain victory, or are you going to choose the team¡¯s victory?¡± Martha stood up in silence upon hearing that. ¡®I would¡¯ve ignored something like that before.¡¯ Her arrogant self from before she lost to Raon would¡¯ve kept fighting no matter what he told her. However, she¡¯d already experienced defeat once, and she could experience it a second time now. It was better to win no matter what, rather than losing. ¡®His name was Dunn.¡¯ She could see that Dunn guy that she¡¯d fought before from afar. His rock-solid pressure was the same as before. She wanted to break through it with her fist, but she held herself back by gritting her teeth. ¡°Did youe back despite knowing that you can¡¯t win against us? How stupid.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get hurt if you just say whatever you want.¡± ¡®Just like me, before.¡¯ Martha kicked off from the ground and dashed towards Dunn. ¡°Fourth formation!¡± The trainees from behind came up next to him and gathered their aura. ¡°Hmph!¡± Instead of striking the sword that she raised upwards, she spread her perception. She could feel the sixth training ground trainees¡¯ aura gathering around Dunn. ¡®It¡¯s really slow.¡¯ It was just like Raon had said. Since they were dealing with arge amount of aura, the movement was as slow as a snail. ¡°Hmph!¡± Martha inhaled heavily and turned to the right. ¡°Pointless!¡± Dunn turned around and stood in front of her. It was the same development as before, but there was a difference. Martha, who used to brainlessly swing her sword, pummeled her sword down at Dunn¡¯s right nk, where the aura wasn¡¯t gathered yet. Wham! The two swords shed, creating a powerful wave. Martha was pushed back by the impact, but Dunn and the trainees¡¯ sword formation that used to be as solid as a deep-rooted tree also wavered significantly. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Kuu¡­¡± Dunn and the trainees groaned, then fixed the wavering sword formation. Martha¡¯s eyes shone like ck pearls. ¡®He was right!¡¯ It was just like Raon had said. The ce that the aura hadn¡¯t gathered yet had a significantly weaker defense than the other ces. ¡°This really was a breakthrough.¡± Martha smirked. Was it because the breakthrough was too easy? It wasn¡¯t. Raon Zieghart had noticed the sword formation¡¯s weakness, sitting at the foothold with the g. It was because she was frightened by his monstrosity. ¡°Don¡¯t be arrogant just because you¡¯vee out ahead once!¡± ¡°Once? Stop making meugh! It¡¯s every time from now on!¡± Martha pounced with a battle cry. She moved to the left while pretending to attack, then she swung her sword towards Dunn¡¯s lower body, where the aura didn¡¯t move in time. Wham! Dunn quickly swung his sword in response, but his upper body wavered significantly and the trainees in the sword formation bounced out of formation. ¡°It¡¯s over now!¡± Emanating a beast-like pressure, Martha pounced at Dunn. * * * * * * Burren spun the wrist holding his sword and raised his head. Decal, who was one of the best coteral trainees, was ring fiercely at him. ¡®I lost against him before.¡¯ Decal and the seven trainees attacked him at once, and since they¡¯d used the ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯ that countered his swordsmanship, he couldn¡¯t find any way of winning. The other guys couldn¡¯t help him either because of the difference in numbers, so he kept getting pushed back. They weren¡¯t lying when they said they had thoroughly nned in preparation to defeat the fifth training ground. ¡®I¡¯m not going to lose like before.¡¯ Retreating once was enough. He was going to beat them all up, even if he had to copse as a result. ¡°For the famous Burren Zieghart to run away, I guess numbers really do decide the battle.¡± Decal grinned. ¡°Please, fight us until the end like a real swordsman this time!¡± At his signal, the trainees behind him rushed at him like a gue of rats. ¡°Haa!¡± Decal himself prated at the center, swinging his sword. The eight people¡¯s swords weren¡¯t in harmony, but every single one of them were aimed at a weakness. ¡°Huff!¡± Burren gathered his aura to use his footwork. Moving to the side like flowing water, he used the ¡®Phenomenal Sword¡¯. His sword was bent towards Decal on his right side. ¡°Do it now!¡± ¡°Attack him at once!¡± The moment Burren started his attack, the trainees that learned the ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯ rushed at him. However, that was a trapid down by Burren. Wham! The training sword that was aimed at Decal curved like a crescent moon and hit the wrists and chests of the trainees that wereing at him. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± In the blink of an eye, two trainees were rolling on the ground, grabbing their wrists and chests. Their conditions were so bad, it was safe to consider them eliminated. ¡°Hmph!¡± Burren didn¡¯t stop swinging his sword. Using the River Footwork, he kept moving and swung the ¡®Phenomenal Sword¡¯. Because hisrge motion used his entire shoulder, the three trainees instinctively counterattacked, aiming for that opening. ¡®Get baited.¡¯ Burren¡¯s blue eyes sparkled. Bending his elbow naturally, he stuck the iing trainees¡¯ chest without reservation. Whack! Three trainees were sent away flying in a single strike. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The one that was hit at the end managed to stand back up, but the other two had already fainted. ¡°D-damn it!¡± Decal chased him, but it was toote since Burren had already stepped aside. ¡°Wh-what happened?! Why are you suddenly mixing in feints?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± Burren frowned. ¡®How can it change this much from just mixing in feints?¡¯ ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯ was a swordsmanship that relied on instinct instead of being systematic. The trainees that were still immature had no choice but to ssh around, baited by the feints. ¡®But how did he even realize that?¡¯ He was certain Raon didn¡¯t move from that ce. The perception and knowledge of the guy that observed the entire situation from his seat gave him goosebumps. ¡®Martha must be feeling the same way right now.¡¯ He was sure that Martha, who was fighting further down, must¡¯ve been thinking the same thing. ¡®He¡¯s like an onion.¡¯ Raon showed him another side of himself just when he thought he finally understood him. Just like an onion, newyers kepting out upon peeling him open. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡± ¡°Haaa!¡± Decan dashed at him, gritting his teeth. The three other trainees did the same. Whoosh! Burren thrust his sword forward. It was a powerful strike, multiple openings could be seen in his big motion. ¡°It¡¯s a feint. Don¡¯t pay attention to it! Huh?¡± Decal¡¯s eyes were wide. He was nning to ignore it, but the trajectory of Burren¡¯s sword didn¡¯t change. ¡°It¡¯s a real one this time!¡± ¡°N-no way!¡± He tried to defend against it, but it was already toote. Wham! Taking the powerful strike, Decal¡¯s training sword broke and his body was sent back flying. ¡°The fight is already over.¡± Looking at the remaining trainees, Burren¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡°It¡¯s our victory.¡± As long as that monster existed, there was no way the fifth training ground could lose. *** ¡°Wh-what is this?!¡± Metun¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of his head as he watched the sixth training ground trainees lose at the same time. ¡°What is happening?¡± He could understand one side starting to lose. However, top, center, and bottom were all being pushed back at the same time against the opponents they¡¯d won against. ¡°I told you already, the battle isn¡¯t over yet.¡± Rimmer, who was lying down next to him, murmured provokingly while yawning ¡°You must¡¯ve done something!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, but Raon did.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Before you came to watch, Raon gave them advice. And that worked.¡± ¡°Are you saying a mere trainee¡¯s advice changed the situation this much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s not a mere trainee. He¡¯s Raon.¡± Rimmer smirked and pointed at Raon, who was protecting the g on his own. ¡°Some trainees don¡¯t follow him, and some dislike him. However, they all trust his power and decision making. I think they¡¯ll start following his words like a god¡¯s voice.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Metun groaned. That meant he was trusted by the others. However, rather than the fact that he was trusted, the way his advice significantly changed the tide of the battle was more surprising. ¡°What was the advice?¡± ¡°Are you curious? If you are, then give me the gold¡­ Ah, alright.¡± Rimmer waved his hand, noticing Metun¡¯s stiffened expression. ¡°Firstly, about the top¡­¡± He told Metun about the advice Raon gave the trainees. ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Metun¡¯s fingers trembled. ¡®How can a trainee give such advice?¡¯ It was a perfect walkthrough, without a single w. However, what was more surprising was the fact that he¡¯d noticed all those weaknesses by only using his perception. Rimmer was correct. The arrogant one wasn¡¯t Raon, but himself. He deserved the praise of having a better perception than Kein. ¡®However.¡¯ Watching Kein, who had started his move, Metun smiled confidently. ¡®The match isn¡¯t over yet.¡¯ *** Raon, who was sitting under the g, opened his eyes. ¡®They are all doing pretty well.¡¯ While hiding his presence, he released his fully opened perception in order to observe the status of the battle. He smiled. Burren, who managed to defeat Decal, stormed through the trainees that had learned the ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯, and Martha was beating up the remaining trainees after breaking through the sword formation. And Runaan¡­ She was having an icypetition against the sixth training ground¡¯s better trainee, who came out to be her opponent. ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ Since it looked like she wasn¡¯t going to lose, it was going to be fine. ¡®Well, then¡­¡¯ Raon stood up. As he warmed himself up, the bushes swayed and a blond, blue-eyed swordsman appeared. ¡®Kein Zieghart.¡¯ The sixth training ground¡¯s top trainee, and the member of the direct line that was two years older than him, had appeared. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Since they were losing in every direction, and Raon himself was hiding his presence, there was only one thing he could do. Seize the opponent¡¯s g. ¡°So you were here, Raon Zieghart.¡± Kein bit his lip. He didn¡¯t look surprised, as he must¡¯ve been expecting it. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to cast magic on the trainees. I heard you weren¡¯t acknowledged by them, but it must¡¯ve been a false rumor.¡± He slowly drew his sword from around his waist. ¡°However, this is the end.¡± ¡°The end?¡± ¡°I heard your aura has a fire attribute.¡± As he said that, a crimson me red up on his de. ¡°Unfortunately, my aura is the highest tier fire attribute aura, and I have more aura than a regr swordsman. In this match up, you can¡¯t win against me.¡± ¡°Match up, huh?¡± Raon smirked and unsheathed his sword. The energy from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ created a red flower as it heated up the de. Whir! It was a lot smaller than the fire on Kein¡¯s sword, but the color was iparably denser. ¡°People from this house really talk a lot before fighting.¡± Raon dered, eyes the same color as the me. ¡°Come at me. I¡¯ll show you how a single flower of me can engulf your fire.¡± Chapter 65 Metun furrowed his brow, watching Raon as he hid his presence like a wild animal. ¡°Has Raon been hiding his strength on purpose?¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t hiding it, but he did that to teach the other guys a lesson.¡± Rimmer snorted. ¡°Teach them a lesson?¡± ¡°After receiving some attention, my students started getting delusional, thinking that they were actually really strong. They arrogantly believe that they are always ahead of the others, without realizing that there are plenty of people as strong as them.¡± He smirked and pointed at Raon. ¡°The only person who judges his own abilities objectively in the fifth training ground is Raon. That¡¯s why I wanted to teach them a lesson.¡± ¡°Wait! No way, were you actually in that pub because¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I went to the pub you frequent on purpose. I wanted to make the fifth and sixth training ground fight each other by taunting you.¡± ¡°Rimmer¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. You were aiming for us as well.¡± Rimmer turned around to look at Metun, smiling softly. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been watching the way you¡¯ve been teaching them well, and the children¡¯s wholehearted efforts. No one is going to look down on you in the future.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Metun frowned and turned his head. It seemed he liked thepliment since his cheeks had be slightly red. ¡°But Rimmer, you are also mistaken about one thing.¡± He turned his face back, with vivid eyes. ¡°Mistaken? What kind of mistake?¡± ¡°The battle isn¡¯t over yet.¡± Metun raised his hand and pointed at Raon, who was standing in front of Kein. ¡°The Raon¡¯s aura is a mid-high level fire attribute cultivation technique, which isn¡¯t anything special. However, Kein is born with the fire attribute¡¯s disposition, and has acquired a highest tier cultivation technique. Raon is unable to win against Kein in this matchup.¡± As Metun finished speaking, a crimson me red up on Kein¡¯s de. ¡°Ah, this is another mistake.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you realize. The result¡­¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t about me, but you.¡± Rimmer giggled. He turned his head and pointed at Raon, who was drawing his sword. Whap! A very small me ignited on Raon¡¯s de. ¡°Open your eyes and watch.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes were burning red, much like the me ignited on Raon¡¯s de. ¡°How the small me will engulf the bigger me.¡± *** Kein Zieghart furrowed his brow, watching the small me ignited on Raon¡¯s de. It was as beautiful as a flower, but it was too small. ¡®It¡¯s small.¡¯ The small me could barely cover the end of the de. It was too thin to cut through anyone. ¡®But there must be something about him.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t have be the top trainee by ying hopscotch. Considering which opponents Raon had faced and won against so far, that energy must¡¯ve been extraordinary. ¡®But I¡¯m stronger.¡¯ He kept cultivating his aura non-stop for two years after getting injured. Swordsmanship would¡¯ve been a different story, but he didn¡¯t lose to the regr swordsmen in terms of the aura¡¯s quantity. Moreover, since he¡¯d acquired the highest tier fire attribute aura and could use it to engulf Raon¡¯s me, the match was already decided. Unless he was taken off guard, he could obtain victory, reversing the unfavorable situation. ¡°Here I go!¡± Kein brandished his sword and kicked off from the ground. ¡®I need to break through it with power.¡¯ Raon was famous for his talent in swordsmanship. In order to avoid getting dragged around by his techniques, he needed to finish the fight in one fell swoop using speed and power. ¡°Haa!¡± Right before he pummeled Raon¡¯s shoulder with his me sword, he raised his head. Huh? Serene eyes. He got goosebumps as he looked at eyes that didn¡¯t match the situation at all. He brandished the sword containing that small me. ¡®It¡¯s toote.¡¯ Putting strength into his waist and thigh, hepleted his attack. ng! The moment the two swords shed, he fueled up his aura to full power. Wham! The me rising from the de was burning fiercely, as if it was going to engulf Raon as a whole. However, something unexpected happened. Tsssk! The small me at the end of Raon¡¯s sword started engulfing the huge me covering Kein¡¯s de. ¡°Wh-what is happening?!¡± Kein¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®How does this make any sense?¡¯ Such a small me was engulfing his me, when it should¡¯ve been the other way around. It was unbelievable. He met Raon¡¯s eyes over the sword. His eyes were even calmer than before. He still had a lot of room to spare. ¡°Arrrgh!¡± Kein grit his teeth. Using all his energy from his energy center, he sliced with his sword. The aura exploded fiercely, to a point where a red line was drawn in the air, but Raon stepped up instead. Whir! His sword was changing from a heavy boulder to a sharp wind. The silver de was prating him like a beast¡¯s fang. ¡°Huff!¡± Kein hurriedly used his aura to sh his sword. nk! ¡®I blocked it.¡¯ ¡®I certainly blocked it, yet what is my sword¡­¡¯ It was a single strike. In a single strike, the training sword shattered. He couldn¡¯t believe such a small me contained such a tremendous amount of power. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± The sound of wind could be heard once again, and his back was hurting as if it was being crushed. ¡°Kugh!¡± Unable to withstand Raon¡¯s punch, Kein was struck to the ground while screaming. ¡°Kuuu!¡± As he was standing back up and enduring the pain of his ribs being crushed, he heard Raon¡¯s voice from above him. ¡°Matchup?¡± Raon tilted his head with an innocent expression. ¡°What¡¯s a matchup?¡± *** After beating down Kein, Raon sat on the tree trunk once again. After waiting a while, the fifth training ground trainees showed up through the bushes. Some of them had fallen, but most of them had returned nice and healthy. Martha was holding the enemy¡¯s g. ¡°Th-that thing, I mean, isn¡¯t that person Kein Zieghart?¡± Dorian was looking at Kein, whose hands were tied up, with soulless eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right. When the battle started going badly, he came here immediately.¡± ¡°Wow, the young master really never loses.¡± A few trainees, including Dorian, smirked. They were saying that he was amazing. ¡°It was just like you said.¡± Burren approached him with an awkward expression. ¡°The iplete ¡®Intuition Sword¡¯ was easily tricked by the feints, so much that it was ridiculous.¡± He scratched his head, then breathed out slowly and started talking again. ¡°I believed I could do better than you as amander at least, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. If you weren¡¯t here today, we would¡¯ve lost to the sixth training ground.¡± The trainees behind Burren nodded in agreement. ¡°I acknowledge you as the top trainee once again. I¡¯ll follow your orders from now on without anyint.¡± He thumped his chest and turned around. His ears turnedpletely red, showing that he was embarrassed once again. Stab! Martha stuck the sixth training ground¡¯s g into the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t really like it, but he¡¯s right. I hate to say it, but the best contributor in today¡¯s victory is you.¡± She said that if his instruction ended up being weird, then she was going to give up on that promise. ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan, who came back in a better shape than anyone, nodding strongly¡ªas if she was telling him good job. It was her way ofplimenting him. Looking at those three people, one after another, Raon smiled lightly. ¡®This is how the fifth training ground should be.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Ha¡­¡± Metun smiled bitterly. His gaze was fixated on Raon, who made Kein kneel after beating him up. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect that small me to be that strong.¡¯ Raon¡¯s small me didn¡¯t lose to Kein¡¯srge me. Instead, it was overwhelming in terms of ferocity. Rimmer wasn¡¯t talking nonsense when he said it was going to engulf the other. ¡®It¡¯s not just the power, he was also watching his opponent properly.¡¯ Kein¡¯s me was certainly strong, but there was a gap at the bottom of the de where he couldn¡¯t cover it with aura. It was a small gap that was difficult to notice for a trainee. ¡®However¡­¡¯ He¡¯d noticed it. Raon Zieghart had noticed Kein¡¯s mistake and swung his sword at that weakness to grasp his victory. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ He thought Kein¡¯s perception was amazing, but Raon¡¯s was even better. His perception was so sensitive and polished, to the point that it was still difficult to believe despite having witnessed it. ¡®He¡¯s insanely gusty, too.¡¯ Analyzing the enemy¡¯s weakness and swinging his sword in a spur of the moment wasn¡¯t something just anyone could do. His mind was already on par with qualified swordsmen. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Metun sighed and stood up. He turned around and nodded. ¡°I have no choice but to acknowledge him.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Rimmer, who was half lying down, nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Iplimented that boy, but why do you look so satisfied?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s my student.¡± ¡°What about it? He must¡¯ve been training on his own while you were ying around.¡± ¡°Well, something like that did happen before.¡± Rimmer snickered and got up. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°They think of each other as rivals, but they don¡¯t antagonize or hate each other. Since they are all under Zieghart¡¯s name, this is a good opportunity to get acquainted to each other. Let¡¯s give them a feast.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°You are paying for it, right?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Metun nodded. Since he made a bet with Rimmer, paying for the children¡¯s food wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°I knew you were a generous guy!¡± Rimmer smiled and ran towards the trainees gathering around Raon. ¡°We are going to feast with someone else¡¯s money!¡± *** Raon took his fork and knife, watching the food piling up on the long rectangr table. He cut the grilled pork in front of him into a small slice and put it in his mouth. The skin was crispy, the meat was moist, and it melted in his mouth. The taste was strong, but extremely delicious. Wow! This is so good. I love it. It¡¯s a condensed vor that captures the King of Essence¡¯s picky taste. ¡®I agree, it¡¯s pretty good.¡¯ Try eating the pie over there next. Ever since Devildom, the King of Essence has loved pies. Every morning and evening¡­ Raon ignored him and ate the stew on his right side. It was soft and tasty. Th-this isn¡¯t bad either but listen to the King of Essence. Pie! It¡¯s a pie! ¡®Such a ce existed around here.¡¯ As soon as the battle ended, Rimmer had brought the trainees from the fifth and sixth training grounds to a restaurant inside the domain. He was worried because the restaurant¡¯s exterior looked old, but the dishes were varied, and the taste was great. It seemed an excellent chef had cooked using quality ingredients. ¡®And yet¡­¡¯ He looked around while eating another slice of pork. The atmosphere was as lethargic as an old piano wire. The fifth training ground, who came out victorious, and the sixth training ground, who had lost, were both depressed. ¡®I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ The fifth training ground almost lost to the sixth training ground that they believed they could easily win against, and the sixth training ground had lost despite having prepared thoroughly. Both parties being depressed wasn¡¯t anything strange. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case for everyone. ¡°I¡¯m realizing once again that I really taught them very well.¡± Rimmer giggled while drinking the most expensive ck beer. ¡°Giving out that advice was great, but did you see how they followed that advice? My students are really amazing.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything today.¡± ¡°Who do you think taught Raon? It was me! Therefore, his achievements are also mine.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The two of them were having a reflection meeting on the battle. Although, it didn¡¯t sound like a reflection meeting. Rimmer was just boasting, instead. On the other hand, the sound of eating was the only thing that could be heard from the trainees¡¯ table, just like a lunch after training. Thinking that it couldn¡¯t be helped, he was about to eat his fried chicken. ¡®Was his name Dunn?¡¯ The big guy that fought against Martha at the center came up to her. ¡°You were stronger than I heard. Your attack and defense were both great. You were amazing at the first encounter, but I was really freaked out when you started aiming for the sword formation¡¯s gap on the second encounter.¡± Just like his honest appearance, Dunn told her how he felt. Martha seemed flustered, as she dropped the broli from her fork. ¡°Won¡¯t you train with me one day? I¡¯m sure it will be helpful for both of u¡­¡± ¡°Scram.¡± Of course, Martha shook her hand without even looking at him. ¡®I guess she isn¡¯t going to start rampaging at this rate.¡¯ Raon secretly nodded. Martha would¡¯ve normally started punching him already, but the way she answered signified that she took a liking to him. ¡°Sir Burren.¡± Decal also moved next to Burren, seizing the opportunity. ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡± Burren frowned and raised his head. ¡°Do you usually practice feints?¡± ¡°Not that much.¡± ¡°They looked like very polished feints to me. They looked so real that I couldn¡¯t give up on the opportunity. I ended up going for it like a dog on a bone.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Burren¡¯s face went slightly red. It seemed that he liked thepliment. ¡°Well, your ¡®Intuition Sword'' was also pretty sharp. I couldn¡¯t find any way to break through it until I started using the feints. It was the first time my swordsmanship was countered so hard¡­.¡± Burrenplimented Decan in return. ¡°But we still lost to Sir Burren in the end. We really couldn¡¯t do anything once you started using the feints at the end.¡± ¡°Well, the swordsmanship is one thing, but my aura is better than yours, so¡­¡± It seemed Burren took a liking to Decal¡¯s honesty. He was even turned around, talking about swordsmanship and aura. With that as the trigger, the trainees that had been reading the atmosphere started to talk about the battle, visiting the ones they¡¯d faced. They discussed which parts were amazing, and which parts were troublesome, as if they were having a debate. ¡°I heard you like ice cream.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Which ice cream?¡± ¡°Bead.¡± Runaan was also sitting in front of a cute-looking girl. Whether they were having a proper conversation was questionable. ¡°Heave ho.¡± He could hear somebody sitting next to him. When he looked next to him, it was the sixth training ground¡¯s top trainee, Kein Zieghart, that he fought against at the end. ¡°It was myplete defeat. I didn¡¯t expect you to break my sword by attacking the spot where my aura was weak.¡± He nodded his head, face full of admiration. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it wasn¡¯t a coincidence, right?¡± ¡°That is correct, sir.¡± Raon nodded honestly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to talk so formally. We are both trainees, after all.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He didn¡¯t need to refuse if he wanted him to talk casually, so he nodded. ¡°I believed I was the best at my age in terms of perception, but apparently that was my arrogance.¡± Kein smiled, with the expression of having epted everything. It was different than before. Meeting a member of the direct line with such a personality was rather refreshing. ¡°That was a great lesson for me, both tactically and mentally. Thank you.¡± ¡°A lesson?¡± ¡°Thanks to you, I learned that I shouldn¡¯t be careless until the very end, and that I need to prepare for the n¡¯s failure. You probably told me all that in order to teach me a lesson.¡± Kein stood up and slowly lowered his head. ¡°You are my benefactor. Thank you.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Raon tilted his head. What is he even saying? Chapter 66 Raon furrowed his brows. ¡®Is he thanking me?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand it. He had shattered the strategy Kein did his best to devise, he had won against him in the duel, and he had also hit his chest in the end, so he couldn¡¯t understand why he was lowering his head to thank him. ¡°You look like you don¡¯t understand.¡± Kein smirked, like he expected that to happen. ¡°I believed that we could defeat you guys no matter what in this all-out battle. I had identified your personalities and might before the battle was even decided so that we could win against you whenever it happened.¡± ¡°That was indeed rather dangerous.¡± Understanding Martha and Burren¡¯s personalities and swordsmanship to devise a strategy against them had worked. If he hadn¡¯t sent Runaan to call them back, they would¡¯ve been eliminated right there. ¡°Yes. However, it was dangerous, and we didn¡¯t manage to win. I believed everything was over after a small victory. I never expected you to have a better perception than me, for you to be skilled at hiding your presence, and I didn¡¯t think Martha and Burren would change that much.¡± Kein sighed heavily. ¡°Lastly, I never imagined losing in a one-on-one fight against you. Aura was the one thing I was confident about since cultivating was all I did while recovering, yet I still can¡¯t believe I lost to such a small me.¡± He was still thinking that the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ was weak. It was a mistake, but since he didn¡¯t really need to correct him, he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I really learned a lot during this battle. I have to always keep in mind that there might be someone better than me in the enemy camp, despite them being younger, and never let my guards down.¡± He saw Kein¡¯s eyes. Those were satisfied eyes, like after filling one¡¯s stomach with delicious food. It seemed that everything he¡¯d said so far was his honest thoughts. ¡®He isn¡¯t too bad for a member of the direct line.¡¯ It was just like he¡¯d said. One always had to consider the possibility of the enemy hiding their strength. When he was an assassin, he could be called the best because he was prepared for every possibility. ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded to Kein and looked around the restaurant. The fifth and the sixth training grounds¡¯ trainees were now talking andughing together like friends, all while eating the food. ¡°What do you think about while swinging your sword?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about thinking, I just follow my instincts. And I already told you to scram!¡± Even Martha, who has been acting irritated, was now responding a little after hearing so manypliments. Just a little, though¡­ ¡°That much willpower is obvious for one who aims to be a Zieghart swordsman.¡± ¡°Indeed. A Zieghart swordsman would let his left side get stabbed after getting hit on the right side if that allowed them to achieve victory.¡± Burren and Decal wereughing together with red faces, as if they were drunk. Munch munch. Runaan was eating fruit after finishing her conversation with Karin. It looked like she liked the fruit, since she had a bunch of them piled up in front of her, which reminded him of a squirrel. ¡®How curious.¡¯ It was strange how they could be so close after fighting each other so fiercely. He thought the atmosphere was going to be as heavy as a funeral when he first heard they were going to have a feast together, but he waspletely wrong. The restaurant actually felt like a small festival. ¡°You¡¯re also weird.¡± As he was wondering why, Kein, who was eating a chicken, snickered. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about why those that have been fighting each other have now be so friendly?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Kein nodded, confirming his guess. ¡°Shall I tell you the answer? It¡¯s because they fought each other.¡± ¡°I know that already. But why does fighting¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not just because they fought, but because they fought under the name of Zieghart.¡± He pointed at the trainees that were talking about that day¡¯s battle. ¡°We are all Zieghart. No one used underhanded methods, everyone did their best to fight in order to achieve victory. Everyone who shed with their swords is aware of that fact.¡± When Raon thought about it, it was just like he said. He could clearly feel Kein¡¯s feelings while shing his sword with his. Victory was his only wish. ¡°Since they did everything they could, they must feel refreshed whether they lost or won. They aren¡¯t pretending to be friendly, but they actually became friends a little.¡± Having said that, Kein drank juice as if he was drinking a beer. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± He felt like he could understand the reason that they looked so close, and why he couldn¡¯t understand it, a little. ¡®Because it wasn¡¯t like this in my previous life.¡¯ The all-out battles also happened as part of training when he was being raised as an assassin. However, unlike here, the weak lost their lives despite it being training. He couldn¡¯t even think about making friends, and he thanked the fact that he could live to see another day in despair. ¡®This has to be the correct way.¡¯ If people that trained in the same ce under the same name fought against each other with everything they had, then the result should¡¯ve been what he was witnessing right now. However, what the instructors wanted him to be wasn¡¯t a human being but an obedient dog. Since the training was about killing each other, doubting and resenting each other was a natural oue. ¡°You looked so calm during the fight, just like an old warrior that had experienced all kinds of battles. Now you look your age. You¡¯re such a strange character.¡± Kein smiled while chewing on the meat. Rather than making fun of him, he seemed to be enjoying it. ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon smiled back. Of course, the smile had a different meaning than Kein¡¯s. ¡®I really don¡¯t know anything.¡¯ He was getting stronger and stronger, and his assassination technique and experience still remained in his head, but he wascking more than anyone there in terms of humanity. It was an ashamed smile. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sighed slowly and looked out the window. The setting sun was pressing gently on his eyes. It was probably because of the situation, or because he¡¯d heard of something that reminded him of his previous life. He recalled his old memories. It was when he didn¡¯t even have the code name Rao. The memories of the days he struggled with a dagger in his hand in order to survive were filling up his brain. The children that were running at him in order to kill him during the real battle training. He didn¡¯t even know their faces since they were wearing masks, but they might have been able to live on like this if they hadn¡¯t been taken away to that ce. They would¡¯ve met friends they¡¯d gotten along with, andughed happily, and talked to each other. They might have face difficulties, but they would¡¯ve lived a better life than dying like that. His hands trembled in grief. ¡®That¡¯s right. Everything was¡­¡¯ Derus Robert. It was because of that damned fraud that was the previous king of the south, the Sky Sword Saint. His wrath against him filled his heart after a long time. ¡°Raon?¡± * * * * * * As Raon was grit his teeth, he heard Runaan¡¯s clear voice. He suddenly came back to his senses. Tsk, that damn brat dares to interrupt! Wrath¡¯s voice of regret was heard from his bracelet. It looked like he had slightly stimted his emotions in the process. ¡®You are really¡­¡¯ W-wait! Why are you letting go of such a nice wrath?! Develop it even more! Don¡¯t you need to take your revenge? The King of Essence¡­ ¡®Go away already.¡¯ Kuh! You bastard¡­ Raon put Wrath back into the bracelet. ¡°Haa.¡± There was some interference from Wrath, but those were his real emotions. He was going to kill Derus Robert, no matter what. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± He smiled lightly at Runaan, who was staring at him, and she started eating fruit once again. She really looked like a squirrel when she was eating. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Kein, who had already finished the chicken, called his name while tapping the table. ¡°I have a suggestion.¡± ¡°Suggestion?¡± ¡°How about having a match like this between the training grounds from time to time? One-on-one would also be fine, and another all-out battle like today¡¯s would be meaningful, in my opinion.¡± The restaurant fell silent. It seemed his voice was rather loud. The trainees that had been talking were now looking at them. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After looking around the children, he couldn¡¯t see anyone who disliked the idea. Martha was frowning, signaling him to decline the offer, but since she was the only one against it he didn¡¯t care about her. ¡°Yeah, that sounds good.¡± ¡°You are cool, I knew it!¡± Kein hit the table and stood up. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be interesting from now on!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to lose next time!¡± ¡°What are you on about? We are going to win again next time, for sure!¡± The trainees'' voices became louder. They were all rejoicing that they made new connections. ¡°God damn it!¡± Except for one person. Martha swore and red at Raon. Raon ignored her gaze and looked at the right end. The important people, the ones that could decide on Kein¡¯s suggestions, were busy with something else. ¡°Wait, are you saying the food expenses here aren¡¯t the price for losing the bet?¡± ¡°Obviously not. Did I ever tell you to pay for the food because you lost the bet? I just asked you to pay.¡± ¡°But I already gave you money.¡± ¡°That was the down payment.¡± Instead of talking about the trainees'' battles or what they could¡¯ve done better, Rimmer and Metun were talking about the bet. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡± ¡°This and that are different stories. The price for the bet is usually gold coins. Well, give it to me already. Pay for the food here as well.¡± Rimmer extended his hand while grinning. ¡°You must be the only elf with so much greed.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you for thepliment.¡± ¡°Wow. I¡¯m so angry.¡± Metun hit Rimmer¡¯s hand with a heavy gold coin pouch. ¡°Thank you, mister easy customer, I mean customer. Please do it again in the future.¡± After getting the money, Rimmer stood up holding the beer ss. ¡°Hey kids, you did great today. Rest well tomorrow, see you again the day after at the training ground!¡± He waved his hand and left the restaurant. ¡®You aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡¯ Raon sneered and followed him. ¡®I can¡¯t let him be the only one benefiting from this.¡¯ *** ¡°I win every time I bet on Raon.¡± Rimmer was cheerfully heading over to the gambling house. ¡®Raon is my lucky boy!¡¯ He was anxious because the trainees were losing one-sidedly, but in the end they met his expectations. As soon as Raon made his move, the disadvantageous situation was reversed and they achieved a perfect victory. It looked like he was never going to lose in the future as long as he kept betting on Raon. ¡°A gamble that I can win 100% of the time is a golden calf! I want to do that every day now.¡± ¡°Such a gamble doesn¡¯t exist in the world.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He hurriedly turned his head at the pleasant voiceing from behind him. Raon was looking at the gold pouch in his hand coldly. ¡°R-Raon? Why are you here? You should eat more¡­¡± ¡°It looks like you won a lot from betting on us.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°And this isn¡¯t the first or the second time, right?¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± He was correct both times. He did earn a lot of money thanks to Raon. Like, seriously. ¡°Half.¡± Raon raised his finger and pointed at the gold pouch. ¡°Half?¡± ¡°Since you won thanks to us, please use half of it on us.¡± ¡°H-half would be too much!¡± ¡°There¡¯s gonna be nothing left of it by tomorrow anyway.¡± ¡°I might triple the money! Who knows?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you win anything at the gambling house.¡± He snorted. Rimmer was frustrated, but he was right. However, this time was different. He had a great feeling about it. ¡°I have a great feeling. I¡¯m going to win ten-fold, and use half of it to¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. The half is already plenty for us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to! Everything was my¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m not going to cooperate in the future.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s obvious when the instructor is cing a bet, I might lose on purpose.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way you are going to do such a thing¡­ Hmm.¡± Rimmer groaned. Raon¡¯s calm eyes were telling him that he was serious. ¡®D-did I go too far?¡¯ Now that he thought about it, he kept winning during the spars with Burren and Martha and kept everything to himself. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to give it to me, but I¡¯m asking to spend it on the trainees.¡± ¡°Haa, alright. What is it? What do you need?¡± ¡°There was something I felt during the battle against the sixth training ground.¡± Raon smiled slightly for the first time and continued. ¡°What the trainees need is¡­¡± *** Two dayster. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A dummy?¡± ¡°This is a dummy used for practicing swordsmanship.¡± The trainees¡¯ eyes shone, looking at the training dummies ced on the left side of the training ground. ¡°A dummy for swordsmanship practice?¡± ¡°Yes. When you strike the training dummy with your sword, it returns an even stronger power. I heard it¡¯s great for preparing for actual battle.¡± ¡°Really? But why did we get these out of nowhere?¡± The trainees tilted their heads, looking at the training dummy. ¡°The instructor bought it for us.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hearing from Raon, the trainees¡¯ surprised gazes turned to Rimmer, who was lying down on the tform. ¡°You must¡¯ve felt it during the previous battle, but you often lose the grip on your sword or gain wrist injuries because of the reaction while shing swords with an enemy. He must¡¯ve bought it in preparation for that.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Did that gambling addict really¡­?¡± ¡°That means¡­ Did he use the money he won two days ago for this?¡± ¡°Instructor¡­¡± The trainees approached Rimmer with impressed eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Even Burren, who tantly disliked Rimmer, opened his eyes wide in surprise. ¡°Yes. Work hard with it.¡± Rimmer smiled helplessly, waving his hand. ¡®It¡¯s so damn expensive.¡¯ The training dummy was more expensive than he thought. He didn¡¯t even have half the gold left after buying a few of them. Then he got angry and ced the rest in a bet and lost everything. He really ended up penniless, just like Raon had said. However, Rimmer¡¯s mouth curved up into a slight smile as he watched the trainees enjoying themselves while hitting the training dummies. Chapter 67 Inside an old-fashioned room filled with ck, hardwood furniture¡ªincluding a bookshelf, desk, and a table¡ªthe rustling sound of writing could be heard. The sound wasing from the desk. A handsome middle-aged man with long silver hair glittering like a snowfield was drawing an unknown symbol in a book full of nk pages. Mysteriously, the symbol he drew disappeared shortly after, and the book still looked as if nothing was written in it. The middle-aged man was restlessly drawing symbols. Drip. A drop of blood dripped down from the open wound on his right hand and seeped into the book. The middle-aged man stopped his hand for the first time, his gaze directed to the stain of blood coloring the white paper red. ¡°Tsk.¡± The silver-haired middle-aged man, and the ruler of the south, the Sky Sword Saint Derus Robert clicked his tongue. ¡®It still hasn¡¯t healed up.¡¯ The injury he¡¯d received on his hand seventeen years ago, when he killed a hunting dog called Raon, still hadn¡¯t disappeared. He tried using high quality elixirs, and asking famous healers or priests, but no one was capable of removing the sword wound. ¡®The wound didn¡¯t open up, though.¡¯ The wound didn¡¯t get better or worse. As if it was telling him to remember, it was mysteriously keeping its initial form. ¡°Are you asking me to remember a ghost?¡± Derus Robert snickered and stroked the wound on the back of his hand. The blood spilling out slowly started to subside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t look back. I only keep advancing forward.¡± He picked up the fountain pen once again and started drawing the symbol into the book. Until the sun that was in the middle of the sky set then rose once again, Derus kept drawing the symbols non-stop, without moving from his chair. When Derus finally turned thest page, the ck dragon drawn on the book cover was visible. It was drawn vividly, as if it was alive. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Derus Robert smiled in satisfaction, looking at thepleted book. ¡®There¡¯s not much left until the grand n now.¡¯ When he put his hand on the book, the eyes of the ck dragon on the cover sparkled. *** The new year had begun. Raon was now fifteen years old, and his appearance was the definition of the word elegant. He was sitting down where the charcoal kiln used to be with his eyes closed. The red haze kept shimmering on his shoulders endlessly, and frost kept emanating from his pores. With the heat and frost meeting each other, the misty gray haze was filling his surroundings. As if Raon wasn¡¯t aware of the mysterious phenomenon, he didn¡¯t open his eyes until the sun set under the western mountain. Raon, who looked like he had be a stone statue, finally started changing when the moon started rising. The red haze shimmering on his shoulders became a red me, and the steaming from his skin pores became frost. Sparkle! The moment the me and the frost collided with each other and created a spark. Raon opened his eyes. His red eyes looked like they were struck by lightning as they pierced through the dark night. He clenched his fist and breathed out in excitement. ¡°Finally.¡± Translucent messages appeared above as his voicepletely cracked. The messages appeared one after another. ¡°I¡¯ve finally reached the level of an Expert.¡± Raon checked the messages and nodded in satisfaction. Thanks to having trained continuously despite various incidents, he managed to reach the level of an Expert one month after the new year had begun. He was only at the beginner level, which was worse than the apprentice level, but the feeling of achievement made him smile naturally. Expert? Even a Sword Master is an insignificant insect, yet you are seriously rejoicing that you became a mere Expert? Wrath snorted in dissatisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s rare to be an Expert at the age of fifteen.¡± Expert was indeed an excellent level, but it could hardly be called powerful on the continent¡¯s scale. However, if one reached that level at the age of fifteen, it was an achievement that could shock not only regr Houses and kingdoms, but also the Six Kings and Five Demons. Age? Only idiots count ages on a battlefield. A weakling is just a weakling, no matter how old they are. ¡°That¡¯s not wrong. No one would be dumb enough to go easy on someone on a battlefield just because they were young.¡± He snickered while nodding. ¡°However, I have no intention of stopping just because I became an Expert.¡± Raon pushed away Wrath¡ªwho was provoking him¡ªthen stood up. ¡®It¡¯s light.¡¯ Probably because one strand of the shackle of ice that always pressured him had disappeared, his body felt as light as a leaf and was full of energy. ¡°Status window.¡± Raon opened up the status window after trying to move his body a little. As soon as he saw the status window, the corners of his lips raised. The ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, the ¡®Coldness of the Frost¡¯ and the ¡®Fire Resistance¡¯ had leveled up, and his stats had also increased significantly. It wasn¡¯t just the numbers. His mana circuit had also expanded, increasing the amount and speed of the aura he could control. ¡®I¡¯m at the beginner level of Expert, but I should be on par with someone at the apprentice level.¡¯ The thought of possessing a might stronger than the level or number that was disyed made him unconsciously clench his fists. How pathetic. You are at a level that can¡¯t even handle one finger, no, not even a fingernail of the King of the Essence. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Raon smiled. But why are you smiling? ¡°Because you wouldn¡¯t even have said it was a fingernail before. Wasn¡¯t that your way of acknowledging my growth?¡± There¡¯s no way the King of Essence would acknowledge a mere human! ¡°I must be right since your voice is trembling slightly. Since we¡¯ve been together for a long time, I can tell what you are thinking to some extent.¡± A human that tries to read the King of Essence¡¯s mind deserves to be crunched to the bones! Wrath¡¯s coldness burst out like a tidal wave. Whir! Raon used the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, which had reached three stars, topletely melt Wrath¡¯s coldness. ¡°Is that all? If you don¡¯t recover your strength soon, I¡¯m going to eat you.¡± Hmph! Listening to your nonsense reminds me of the old days. Back in devildom, the King of Essence had demon visitors that tried picking a fi¡­ ¡°Ah, I should go warm up.¡± Where are you going? Listen to the King of Essence! * * * * * * ¡°Training is finished.¡± ¡°Thank you for your effort.¡± At Rimmer¡¯s voice, Raon lowered his head while breathing heavily. ¡°Thank you for your effort!¡± The trainees also repeated their thanks after Raon. ¡°You are wee.¡± Rimmer waved his hand while grinning. It looked like a halfhearted response stemming from hisziness, but it was actually his way of greeting. ¡®It looks like everyone¡¯s gotten used to it now.¡¯ Raon nodded slightly, watching Rimmer, the instructors, and the trainees. After spending over three years together, everyone had gotten pretty close. Even Burren and Martha, who hated him the most, now realized what kind of person Rimmer was and were softer towards him. ¡°Instructor. Since you were twenty minuteste today, shouldn¡¯t you train us twenty minutes longer?¡± Of course, he still didn¡¯tpromise on his tardiness. ¡°Let¡¯s do that tomorrow. We¡¯ve done enough for today.¡± Rimmer smiled awkwardly and went down from the tform. Judging from the way he was stepping backwards, he was about to run away after changing the subject. ¡°The ones on duty should start cleaning up the training ground.¡± Raon murmured that he was always the same and turned around to give the cleanup orders. ¡°Understood!¡± Dorian, who was on duty, energetically nodded and ran to the corner that the cleaning materials had been ced. ¡°Eek!¡± While opening the toolbox, he noticed who was standing next to him and screamed. ¡°What? Do you have a problem with me being on duty?¡± Martha, whose ck hair was flowing down her shoulders, furrowed her brows. ¡°N-not at all. I¡¯m absolutely! Honored¡­¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± She clicked her tongue and took the equipment for hardening the training ground¡¯s floor, starting her work before Dorian. The Martha from before would¡¯ve left the chores to the coterals or the rmended children and headed over to the direct line training herself. However, she couldn¡¯t escape the cleanup duty anymore because of Raon¡¯s orders. ¡°What are you watching? I have to clean up, so disappear somewhere else!¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Martha stomped her feet and the ground trembled. The trainees that were staring at her in a daze hurriedly ran to the exit. ¡°Eek!¡± Dorian, who was standing next to her, copsed on the ground in shock. ¡°She¡¯s still the same. It seems you are the only one she is acting differently towards.¡± Raon turned his head to the voice behind him. Rimmer was approaching him with a silly snicker. ¡°Didn¡¯t you run away because of Burren¡¯s scolding?¡± ¡°Ah, I came back since there¡¯s something I forgot.¡± ¡°Forg¡­¡± ¡°Attention, everyone!¡± When Rimmer pped his hands, the trainees, who were running away from Martha¡¯s shout, all stopped to listen to him. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± When the trainees came near him, Rimmer went up onto the tform once again. ¡°I forgot something really important.¡± He smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. ¡°What is it again?¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve got a second mission.¡± The whole training ground fell silent in an instant. ¡°Mission!¡± ¡°How can you forget about that?¡± ¡°That guy is serious¡­?¡± Since they couldn¡¯t imagine he could forget about a mission, the trainees ground their teeth. ¡°Mission, huh¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes. ¡®It took longer than I thought.¡¯ Since they had sessfullypleted their first mission, he thought they were going to get their second mission sooner. However, over a half a year had passed since then. It looked like the missions weren¡¯t that frequent for the trainees. ¡®It¡¯s either the way Zieghart is raising their children is softer than I thought, or the mission is incredibly difficult.¡¯ It was one of the two, but he personally hoped for thetter. That would allow him to grow up faster. ¡°It seems orcs have appeared near Cebu vige, located in the southeast of Zieghart.¡± Rimmer pointed towards Cebu vige in the air. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t bring a map because he was toozy. ¡°Getting rid of the orcs that are threatening people at Cebu vige, and protecting the vige is your mission. In short, it¡¯s a vige protection and monster extermination mission.¡± ¡°Orc!¡± ¡°It¡¯s monster extermination!¡± Monster extermination was the easiest and simplest missionpared to escort or dungeon exploration missions. Since it was easier than their first mission, the bandit extermination, the trainees cheered out loud. ¡°You are stupid for being happy about a mission.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue and continued. ¡°Unlike the first mission, the instructors won¡¯te along. You guys will be the only ones going to Cebu vige. Thinking and making decisions by yourselves from the beginning to the end isn¡¯t going to be as easy as you think.¡± ¡°I have a question.¡± Burren raised his hand. ¡°What were you even thinking, to actually forget to tell us about a mission that we will be doing by ourselves?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s not a question, but a reprimand.¡± Rimmer broke out into a cold sweat. ¡°Haa!¡± Burren¡¯s face wrinkled like tree bark, and he sighed heavily. ¡°Then I will ask the real question. Since you said we will be the only ones moving out, what shall we do if we meet a critical situation we can¡¯t handle by ourselves? ¡°Recognizing that is also your job. If the mission is deemed impossible, giving up on it and deciding to return is also your ability. Therefore¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s gaze nced around the trainees, then stopped at Raon. ¡°The leader¡¯s ability is important once again. You have to decide whether you have to break through with power, devise a strategy, or run away without looking back upon facing a critical situation.¡± ¡°I-isn¡¯t it going to be a problem if we run away from a mission?¡± Dorian raised his hand this time. ¡°It depends. If you run away from goblins, you will lose points and be disgraced. If you manage to run away from one of the Five Demons, then you deserve to be praised.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Dorian eximed, hearing that he was allowed to run away. His cowardly personality remained the same in the new year. ¡°Understood.¡± Burren eventually looked at Raon. With his eyes slightly shining, his expression was that of acknowledgement and slight envy. ¡°You will be departing the daybreak after tomorrow. You shall rest for today and tomorrow while thoroughly preparing for the mission.¡± ¡°W-w-wait! In two days?¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes flicked left and right like a grasshopper. ¡°Yes. In two days.¡± ¡°Why is it at such short notice?! That¡¯s way too early! Since today is almost over, we¡¯ve only got one day left!¡± ¡°Monster extermination is an urgent missionpared to escorts or dungeon explorations. If you end up beingte, Cebu vige will be the one suffering casualties.¡± ¡°Then you should have told us earlier!¡± Burren exploded again and stomped the ground. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°The day after tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Raon¡¯s low voice pierced through the center of the training ground. ¡°The instructor told us before. You can¡¯t predict when and what kind of mission you will get. Instead of being flustered and criticizing him about it, you should be preparing for the mission. The more you criticize, the more you will be yed by the instructors¡¯ hands.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s make our move for now.¡± The trainees that were angry like Burren nodded, and Rimmer smiled in satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯m going to pluck off those ears one day.¡± Martha murmured something Wrath had already said before and ground her teeth. Runaan looked like none of it mattered as she stood nkly, licking her lips. She seemed to be thinking about the ice cream she would eat once she returned home. ¡°A wild orc is fiercer and sturdier than the orc you faced during battle training.¡± ¡°Since they are also bigger in numbers, it will be a fight of one versus many. Since we¡¯ve learned footwork, it will be more advantageous for us to focus on evading rather than blocking. Make your equipment as light as possible and gather here at daybreak in two days.¡± After saying that, Raon turned around. ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Runaan nodded like a baby bird and Martha clicked her tongue, then left the training ground. ¡°Understood!¡± The trainees that followed Raon answered loud and clear, then ran towards the dormitory. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren red at the instructors for a moment, but he turned around without saying anything. The coterals followed him towards the main building. ¡°He really looks like a leader now.¡± Rimmer grinned with his arms crossed. Of course, he was saying that looking while at Raon¡¯s back. ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°I never imagined he would change that much.¡± ¡°He is also open-minded, probably because he started from rock bottom.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen many children so far, but it¡¯s my first time seeing a top trainee that managed to make the others follow him based on his efforts, rather than his position or talent.¡± The instructors approached Rimmer and nodded. All of them also acknowledged Raon. ¡°Hmm, I should prepare as well. I need to start moving before the children.¡± The youngest instructor licked his lips while watching the children walk away. They used to really send the trainees on a mission on their own, but ever since Glenn broke through the demonic wall, the second mission¡¯s rules included having instructors tag along secretly. ¡°No.¡± Rimmer tapped the youngest instructor¡¯s shoulder, then shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be going.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°A-are you serious?¡± The instructors¡¯ eyes widened. They couldn¡¯t believe the man that found teaching them bothersome was volunteering to follow them on a mission. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But head instructor, if you don¡¯t get there in time when the children are in danger because you were napping¡­¡± ¡°Eep! Who do you think I am? Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± Rimmer pped his hand, but the instructors didn¡¯t respond. That was because they could count on their fingers the number of times Rimmer wasn¡¯tte to a training period. ¡°Anyway! I¡¯ll be going, so you can rest easy.¡± Rimmer turned around after saying that. They could hear him murmur that he was going to have a great nap as he left the training ground. ¡°He should sleep here if he wants to sleep. Why does he even want to follow them on a mission¡­?¡± ¡°I guess he¡¯s leaving since the head of house and the other division leaders will bother him if he stays here.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± The instructors snorted, realizing Rimmer¡¯s ns. ¡°Hisziness is really amazing.¡± *** Even though the mission was going to start in two days, Raon returned to the dormitory after finishing up his night training. A backpack with lightweight magic cast on it was ced in front of the room. It seemed to be a bag prepared for the mission. ¡®He is really being obvious that he doesn¡¯t care.¡¯ That kind of bag was normally handed down personally, but putting it in front of the room was his way of telling him to take care of his own business since he didn¡¯t care. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Raon snickered and entered the room holding the bag. It didn¡¯t matter whether the instructors followed or not. He just needed toplete the mission perfectly, regardless of what it was. Such arrogance. Do you believe everything in the world will go your way? There are countless unexpected circumstances that can happen against you. ¡®Well, that¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon nodded. Just as Wrath said, anything could happen at any time. However, since he could handle most problems by himself, he couldn¡¯t rte to that too much. ¡®You¡¯re telling me that something unexpected can happen, like how you lost to me.¡¯ I really want to tear your mouth off. ¡®That¡¯s an impossible wish.¡¯ Raon snickered and started to pack his bag. Since he was given a light bag, packing up wasn¡¯t really difficult. Knock knock. As he was in the middle of packing up, a knocking sound could be heard. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ He opened the door, thinking that it was strange since everyone should¡¯ve been busy preparing for departure. ¡°Eek!¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped with his eyes widened. There were the only two people in the world that could fluster him. Sylvia and Helen were standing there, faces turning red. ¡°Raon! If you are going on a mission, you should return to the annex building and tell Mom about it!¡± ¡°How did you know that? No way, was it Dorian again?¡± ¡°Sir Rimmer told us!¡± Putting her hands on her hips, Sylvia frowned. ¡®That elf, seriously¡­¡¯ He secretly sighed. He came to the dormitory on purpose to prevent Sylvia and Helen from worrying. He didn¡¯t think he would visit them personally to tell them about it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± It would¡¯ve been a different story if he could have kept it a secret, but since they had already realized, he didn¡¯t need to make up an excuse. It was a fact that he was avoiding them since it could get awkward if he told them he was going on a mission without an instructor, despite having time to visit them. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sylvia pouted without saying anything and wrinkled her nose. As he was about to close his eyes in preparation for her long preaching, he heard her voice. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The top trainee isn¡¯t only supposed to greet others. It¡¯s a position that should lead the other trainees in a better direction.¡± Sylvia¡¯s eyes were full of unusual seriousness. ¡°Not just yourself, but you should think about everyone before you act. The children¡¯s lives are at stake based on your decisions.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Raon nodded with a bewildered expression. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect her to say something like this¡­¡¯ He thought he would get scolded and preached at. He didn¡¯t expect her to give such advice. ¡°Monster extermination might look easy, but it¡¯s actually a difficult mission. Make sure to wipe them outpletely so that the vigers won¡¯t suffer any more.¡± Sylvia was correct. Since the monsters multiplied very quickly, it was important topletely root them out when he was at it. ¡°Always keep in mind that the moment you are on a mission, you aren¡¯t a trainee anymore but a Zieghart swordsman.¡± She lowered her body to meet his eyes. Her eyes were shining like stars. ¡°Mom told you before, right? The first Zieghart knew honor and shame, and was the kind of person that pointed his sword at the strong in order to protect the weak. Mom wants Raon to act like that Zieghart ancestor.¡± Sylvia smiled, gently caressing Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m angry! And I¡¯m worried! I feel so frustrated! However!¡± Her expression changed in an instant. She pouted once again. ¡°It¡¯s not the right time to scold you. Be ready for some preaching once you return.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon smiled lightly and nodded. Since Sylvia had also lived as a swordsman, she was well aware that now wasn¡¯t the right time to scold him. ¡°I¡¯m d that you became happier after starting to train, but I can¡¯t stop worrying about you.¡± Sylvia hugged Raon tightly. He could feel her worries in her trembling hands. She returned after giving him a few more pieces of advice. She didn¡¯t take as much of his time as he had expected, and she didn¡¯t scold him either. While worrying about her son, she hoped he wouldplete the mission properly as a swordsman. That¡¯s why her voice and her words touched him deep in his heart. While packing up his bag, he looked out the window. The moonlight was permeating the room, as if it were jealous. Chapter 68 Daybreak, Two dayster. Rimmer was standing on the tform in the training ground where the sun still hadn¡¯t risen. The trainees were looking at him with eyes full of nervousness and excitement. ¡°I¡¯m telling you for thest time. Anything can happen outside the house. You must doubt over and over. If you think it¡¯s too difficult, retreat without a second thought.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± His gaze was directed at Raon, who was standing at the first row. Raon calmly nodded. ¡°Then go now. It would normally take a month, but you should be able to arrive in two weeks since we¡¯ve opened the Official Broad Road. I wish you good fortune in battle.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Rimmer pped his hands, just like in their usual training. The trainees bowed to him and the instructors, then turned around. ¡°Line up in four columns. We will be moving in the buddy groups assigned in the morning.¡± The trainees moved in a perfect order at Raon¡¯smand. ¡°Hah.¡± Rimmer snorted while watching them. ¡®Did he make buddy groups?¡¯ Despite being a top trainee, he was still a teenager. He was surprised at hisposure and him organizing buddy groups when he should¡¯ve been nervous about going on a mission without an instructor. ¡®He always surprises me.¡¯ He never got bored of watching Raon. He always filled him with anticipation. ¡®The most surprising thing was the Nine Flowers Medicine.¡¯ His jaw had automatically dropped from surprise upon watching Raon take the Nine Flowers Medicine he got as a reward for winning against Martha. I never expected him topletely absorb it.¡¯ Upon taking an elixir, some energy was inevitably wasted. Getting someone else¡¯s help to reduce that waste to a minimum was themon method of taking an elixir, yet Raon had absorbed all of the energy on his own. He was a monstrous guy in many ways. ¡®I guess they will be fine.¡¯ On top of might and aura, Raon was exceptionally talented with perception. Since he had proved himself during the battle against the sixth training ground, he was going to return safely afterpleting the mission without much difficulty. ¡°We¡¯ve finished the preparation.¡± Raon came to Rimmer after finishing lining up the trainees. His serene eyes didn¡¯t have any sign of excitement or nervousness. ¡®How is he fifteen years old¡­¡¯ Rimmer nodded, while feeling goosebumps on his arm. ¡°Go to battle.¡± ¡°To battle.¡± He responded silently and left the training ground, leading the trainees. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rimmer stared at the backs of the trainees he¡¯d raised for the past three years. The instructors approached him once the trainees hadpletely disappeared. ¡°Head instructor, shouldn¡¯t you start following them now?¡± ¡°No.¡± Rimmer shook his head. He yawned while grabbing the back of his neck with sped hands. ¡°There¡¯s a guy with an inhuman perception. I¡¯m going to take a nap first.¡± He went to the head instructor¡¯s office after saying that. ¡°Ha¡­¡± ¡°I-is that okay?¡± ¡°It might bete, but shouldn¡¯t we go after them?¡± The instructors¡¯ worrying voices could be heard from behind him, but Rimmer smiled, pretending to not hear them. ¡®I should worry about the orcs instead of them.¡¯ *** Raon looked back while walking at the front. The forty-two trainees were moving in four lines, but they were divided into three factions. The first was the coteral faction with Burren Zieghart as center. The coterals were following Burren as their master. The second was a faction of vassal families that opposed the coterals. However, Runaan¡ªwho should¡¯ve been their center¡ªwas sticking next to Raon, which made their stance rather awkward. The third was the rmended children withmoner backgrounds. Raon had helped them back when they were temporary trainees, and they were still following him. Finally, Martha was the exception that didn¡¯t belong anywhere. After checking each trainee¡¯s expressions, Raon closed his eyes. Honestly, he didn''t care what they did or what they became. Despite his status as a trainee under the Zieghart name, he didn¡¯t think he belonged to that ce. He was going to leave after returning Sylvia to her position in the direct line. However. The spar against the Owen Kingdom, the first mission, and the battle against the sixth training ground made him realize that wasn¡¯t all there was to it. Since he spent a long time with them, sharing the same thoughts, he grew a bit attached to them. ¡®And Mom¡¯s words are also bothering me.¡¯ Sylvia¡¯s voice, telling him to act like the ancient Zieghart swordsman as the top trainee, was still engraved in his heart. ¡®It¡¯s difficult.¡¯ Probably because he had lived as an assassin, taking care of his allies was more difficult than killing and destroying his enemies. ¡°We¡¯re going to rest here.¡± Raon stopped in front of a huge tree, thick enough that five grown men wouldn¡¯t be enough to hug it together. The trainees sat down, leaning their backs against the tree. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± As the trainees were drinking water and catching their breath, he stood in front of them. ¡°Some of you might dislike me, but I¡¯m currently your top trainee.¡± His calm voice stating the fact made some people clench their fists, some nod their heads, and others didn¡¯t show any reaction at all. ¡°I knew that some of you aren¡¯t taking it seriously or are excited, like you¡¯re going on a pic, despite hearing that it¡¯s a monster extermination. Whatever you think is up to you, but that lightheartedness will make you or the person behind you into a casualty.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The trainees that had such thoughts lowered their heads in embarrassment. ¡°Just as the head instructor said, we don¡¯t know what might happen during the mission. Don¡¯t act rashly, follow my orders.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Runaan and the rmended children answered loud and clear, and Martha and the vassal family trainees nodded. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The coteral trainees stayed still, trying to read Burren¡¯s mind. ¡°Of course.¡± Burren stood up while pouring water on his head. ¡°I already told you at the end of the battle against the sixth training ground, but I acknowledge you as the top trainee. I¡¯ll follow your order even if it might cost my life, as long as it is reasonable. However, if it will stain the Zieghart name, I won¡¯t follow your order.¡± ¡°What is worthy of Zieghart, ording to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s knowing the honor of a swordsman. Helping the weak, acting proudly in front of the strong, and training with everything they have, so they won¡¯t show any shameful sight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon met Burren¡¯s eyes without saying anything. ¡°I know. I picked a fight against you out of jealousy, and stained the Zieghart name, unable to ept the result. I¡¯m telling you all this because I am well aware of that fact. I¡¯m never going to disy that shameful behavior ever again.¡± Burren hit his chest with his clenched fist. It felt like his willpower could be seen in his green eyes, burning strongly. ¡®He has really changed a lot.¡¯ He acknowledged his own mistake in front of that many people, and even dered his resolution. It wasn¡¯t something a fifteen-year-old would do. ¡°I got it.¡± Raon nodded. It seemed he could trust Burren since he had changed that much. Putting the water he was drinking back in his bag, he turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s move again.¡± * * * * * * Burren looked at Raon, who was advancing through the snowy road. He had a small back. It had a size befitting his age, since he had somewhat recovered his health, but he was still smallpared to the other trainees¡ªincluding himself. ¡®And yet¡­¡¯ His size as a person was iparable to the other trainees. He painfully realized that while observing him as they moved for the mission. The patience he disyed during training was nothing. Raon didn¡¯t get tired. No, he didn¡¯t show it despite being tired. The trainees struggled with the cold and exhaustion, but he was alwaysposed and rxed. Thanks to that, the trainees that were following him became less nervous and ended up expending less stamina. ¡®If he was the only one on the mission, he probably would¡¯ve arrived a long time ago¡­¡¯ It definitely wasn¡¯t a baseless guess. Raon always took a night watch despite being the top trainee. He was also the only one who didn¡¯t doze off during it. ¡®He must¡¯ve gotten stronger, too.¡¯ Since it was half a year ago that he defeated Kein from the direct line, who was two years older than him, he must¡¯ve gotten even stronger. He probably reached the advanced level Sword User, or even the highest level. Honestly, he couldn¡¯t help but think that he could never win against him. ¡®But I won¡¯t give up.¡¯ He didn¡¯t work as hard as Raon yet and giving up on matching up to his rival wasn¡¯t something a Zieghart would do. Burren tightly gripped his sword¡¯s handle. He came back to his senses thanks to Raon. He was going to catch up to him to return the favor. ¡®Just you wait, Raon Zieghart.¡¯ *** Like a peacock fluttering its feathers, the different colored roofs were mingling in harmony. They were the rainbow roofs that were Cebu vige¡¯s pride. Raon and the trainees, who had reached Cebu vige in two weeks, were looking down at the vige from the hill. ¡°We can see it over there.¡± ¡°Finally¡­¡± ¡°Phew. We can finally sleep inside.¡± The trainees, who were tired of sleeping outside, smiled while patting their shoulders and backs. ¡°Cebu vige¡­¡± It was his first time there, but he investigated it a little because of the mission. It was a small vige where a small number of people lived off farming without any special products or tourist attractions. Since monsters came down once every few years, it wasn¡¯t really a special mission. In fact, there were wooden fences installed around the vige in order to stop the monsters froming in. ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡± Raon nodded after looking around the vige and the mountains surrounding it as a whole. ¡°Yes!¡± The trainees tightened their bags and went down the mountain, following Raon. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes and lowered his head slightly. ¡®What?¡¯ He felt chills running down his back. It was the sensation he felt every day when he was being trained as an assassin: a human¡¯s gaze. ¡®Instructor? No, it¡¯s different.¡¯ It was different from an instructor¡¯s gaze, as they observed them while knowing who they were. It was the frightening feeling of someone trying to find out everything about them. ¡®No one knows.¡¯ The trainees¡¯ faces were stiff with nervousness over fighting monsters. Even Burren, Martha, and Runaan looked like they didn¡¯t sense anything. ¡®I guess that¡¯s normal.¡¯ It was a faint feeling that he himself wouldn¡¯t have felt if he didn¡¯t have the experience of an assassin. It would¡¯ve been strange if the trainees could sense it. He rolled his eyes while lowering his head. He couldn¡¯t locate it since his aura and his perception was still too weak. ¡®Not good.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was one of the house¡¯s trials or some other crisis. Hiding was the best course of action in such a situation. Raon went down the mountain without saying anything. As he was purposely walking slowly, the feeling scanning his neck got further away. It seemed like it was running away to report elsewhere. Now was the time. Whir. Creating a thinyer with his aura to prevent the sound from going out, he turned around. ¡°Burren.¡± ¡°What?¡± Burren raised his head, hiding his nervousness under his calm expression. ¡°During this mission, you shall be the top trainee and issuemands.¡± ¡°What are you saying out of nowhere¡­?¡± ¡°Since Runaan and I did everything during the first mission, you should take on the main role this time. Prove what you told mest time was true.¡± ¡°By what I told you, you mean¡­¡± ¡°That you are going to be worthy of being a Zieghart swordsman.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren bit his lip. Judging from his frowning expression, he was taking him seriously. The trainees were walking silently, but their ears and gazes were all directed to Raon and Burren. ¡°Alright.¡± Burren slowly nodded. Hesitation had disappeared from his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll clearly show you that I¡¯ve changed. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He put on the pace while shouting out loud. The coterals following Burren were full of energy. ¡°You heard that too, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The trainees that usually followed Raon nodded at once. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan understood right away and looked at the vassal family trainees that followed her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The vassal families frowned, displeased with the way Burren was getting power, but eventually nodded. ¡°Martha, I¡¯ll tell you the reasonter, so consider Burren as the top trainee for now.¡± Lastly, he turned to look at Martha, who was standing next to him. She closed her eye and opened it again with a cold expression. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me. I already said I¡¯d follow yourmand, so you just have to show me the results.¡± Martha spoke and walked towards Burren. Are the young bastards changing a little? Wrath¡¯s somewhat displeased voice could be heard quietly. What arrogance! His personality was indeed the worst, as he got angry at everything and anything. ¡®You can feel the one that is observing us nearby, right?¡¯ Did you notice that? I guess, since you have the King of Essence¡¯s trait, you should bite your tongue and die if you don''t. ¡®Where are they? And how many are they?¡¯ Do you think the King of Essence would tell you his location? ¡®So, it¡¯s one person.¡¯ Huh? ¡®Since you can¡¯t tell lies, ¡®his¡¯ means one person.¡¯ Y-you bastard¡­ Wrath trembled, boiling in anger. ¡®Even then, there¡¯s a problem¡­¡¯ There was only one person observing them, but there was no way of telling how many they had as allies. He couldn¡¯t rx until the end. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips, looking at Cebu vige¡¯s wooden fence as it started entering his sight. ¡®I have a feeling this mission isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡¯ Chapter 69 Upon arriving in front of Cebu vige, a head poked out over the wooden fence. It was an old man with gray hair, which showed the many years he had lived. ¡°Oh! Are you people from Zieghart?¡± The wariness filling his angry eyes subsided upon seeing the burning sword emblem engraved on the trainees¡¯ chests. ¡°Yes, we are.¡± Burren, who was at the front, nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived! Please wait a moment!¡± After a thumping noise, the door opened at the left side of the wooden fence. ¡°I¡¯m Ligaham, the Cebu vige chief. We wee the Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen!¡± It seemed the gray-haired old man was the vige chief as he came up and bowed. The vigers holding swords and spears could be seen behind him. ¡°We are just trainees that aren¡¯t swordsmen yet.¡± Ligaham and the vigers strictly bowed to the trainees, who looked clearly young, which meant the Zieghart¡¯s name was famous in the vige. ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The trainees couldn¡¯t hide their pleasure at the hospitality they¡¯ve got for the first time. It was the typical disy of an inexperienced beginner. Raon hid his presence, standing in the middle of the trainees. He was carefully observing his surroundings. He tried looking for the gaze he felt in the forest, but he couldn¡¯t feel it anymore. It seemed the one observing them was gone. He already ran away. ¡®It looks like it.¡¯ Wrath sometimes gave him the answer out of frustration. He was a very useful guy, except for the times he tried to attack him. ¡°Please rest for now, since you must be tired from the long trip.¡± Chief Ligaham raised his hand to volunteer as a guide for the trainees. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Burren stopped moving after entering the vige. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask about the situation first. Please tell us about the monsters¡¯ movements.¡± ¡°You are a Zieghart after all, despite being a trainee.¡± The vige chief nodded, a deeply moved expression on his face. ¡°Hmm!¡± Burren squared his shoulders at hearing that his actions were worthy of Zieghart. He had returned to being a child after acting all dignified. ¡°Please, look that way.¡± The vige chief pointed at the mountain on the right side. ¡°That mountain is Cebu Mountain, which has the same name as our vige. Monsters appear there every year, but we¡¯ve been dealing with them since they¡¯ve been few in number. However, the number multiplied more than three times this year, and they were too much for us.¡± ¡°How many would they be then?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve observed more than a hundred of them. Taking into ount those we haven¡¯t seen yet, it¡¯s safe to assume they are over two hundred.¡± ¡°Two hundred, I see.¡± Burren nodded, looking at Cebu Mountain. ¡°Please, rest easy. We are going to annihte the monsters living in that mountain.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Th-thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The vigers bowed at Burren and the trainees, as if the monsters had already been wiped out. ¡°Please, get up. Cebu is a vige under Zieghart¡¯s influence, therefore it¡¯s our job to take care of those monsters.¡± Burren¡¯s face turned red with excitement, but he turned around without showing it on the outside. ¡°Since it¡¯s alreadyte today, we are going to head to the mountain tomorrow at daybreak, before the monsters wake.¡± ¡°Then for your rest¡­¡± ¡°Before that.¡± The vige chief¡¯s voice was interrupted by Burren once again. ¡°Please prepare a fast person to guide us on the mountain tomorrow.¡± ¡°Of course. Please,e this way.¡± Overwhelmed by Burren¡¯s atmosphere, the vige chief immediately nodded and started guiding them to the vige hall. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Raon nodded, watching the exchange between Burren and the vige chief. I know, right? I thought that bloody-eyed brat would¡¯ve asked him to kneel as soon as he arrived. Wrath murmured that it was a shame. ¡®Do you think everyone is like you?¡¯ Honestly, Raon thought the same thing as Wrath. He thought Burren was going to abuse his power, but he was only thinking about the mission, and he treated him with some respect. ¡®However, that¡¯s not the important part.¡¯ Burren and the trainees could deal with the monsters like orcs, goblins, and kobolds without his help. The important part was the scanning gaze that he felt as soon as he arrived near Cebu vige. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but the gaze had disappeared in the direction of the mountain. ¡®I¡¯ll find out tomorrow.¡¯ Whether it was a House trial, or some other organization preparing something. After looking around Cebu Mountain as a whole, Raon entered the vige hallst. *** At the peak of Cebu Mountain, monster footprints of various sizes were haphazardly stamped into the snow covering the ground like a nket. However, not a single monster could be seen, and one young man was sitting on a rock. Swoosh. While the man was spinning an orc shaped helmet with his finger, a suspicious man covering his head with a green mask surged out from the ground. ¡°Who are the ones that arrived?¡± ¡°They are Ziegharts.¡± The green masked man responded while bowing. ¡°Zieghart? I didn¡¯t feel such a presence.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t look like official swordsmen, just trainees.¡± ¡°Any instructors?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any.¡± ¡°Aha, it¡¯s their second mission.¡± The young man snickered, tapping the helmet. ¡°You didn¡¯t get found out, right?¡± ¡°Of course. They shouldn¡¯t even have realized I was nearby.¡± ¡°I guess. There¡¯s no way mere trainees could notice your stealth.¡± He nodded and licked his lips. ¡°We¡¯ve made sure to control the monsters, so why did they have toe here?¡± ¡°Because the vigers are sensitive to change. They must¡¯ve asked for help from Zieghart, noticing the increase in monsters¡¯ numbers. It seems we were too reckless because we thought we could find the item soon enough.¡± The young man clicked his tongue, tilting his head back. ¡°Since we didn¡¯t manage to find it after searching through the mountain, the ¡®magic stone¡¯ must be inside the vige.¡± ¡°That must be the case.¡± ¡°Are we going to attack immediately?¡± The man grabbed the helmet he was spinning and shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Pardon? But it¡¯s the perfect opportunity to kill the Zieghart¡¯s sprouts¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to kill them, but Zieghart might find out about the magic stone¡¯s existence if we mess around with them. It will be a loss for us if we end up losing something bigger while chasing a small gain.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Let them have some monsters. That way, the Zieghart younglings canplete their mission splendidly and return home.¡± The man put the green helmet on his head. The helmet had buck teeth and frightening eyes carved on it like an orc¡¯s head, and a threatening murderous intent wasing from those eyes. ¡°We will attack Cebu vige after they return. Kill them all without exception.¡± * * * * * * The next day at daybreak. Raon was waiting near the entrance of Cebu Mountain along with the trainees. ¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯ As soon as he came near the mountain, the gaze he had felt the day before had appeared once again. ¡®Is iting from the west?¡¯ Thanks to having felt it already the day before, he managed to get a rough idea of his location. It seemed he was in the west. ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like he is intending toe out right now.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes and widened his perception to search the mountain. Presences big and small: they were the movements of the orcs, goblins, and kobolds that the vige chief had mentioned. Since his senses as an assassin didn¡¯t notice anything, it didn¡¯t seem like there was any danger. However, he kept his senses open just in case. ¡°After examination, we¡¯ve confirmed orcs, goblins, and kobolds.¡± Burren turned around to meet every trainee¡¯s eyes. ¡°The orcs have the strongerbat abilities, but as you¡¯ve learned, the goblins and kobolds use dirty techniques like poison darts and poison smoke. You should never underestimate them.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The trainees responded quietly since the monsters could pop out at any moment. ¡°The most efficient method is to move in groups, but since weck actualbat experience, we are going to move together in order to support each other.¡± He looked at Raon after saying that. His eyes were asking for permission. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon slightly nodded without saying anything. Burren thanked him with his eyes and turned around once again. ¡°Show the monsters threatening ournd the power of Zieghart!¡± Burren drew his sword and ran up the mountain. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Waaaa!¡± Giving out a loud war cry, the trainees followed Burren. Runaan and Martha went into the mountain after checking Raon¡¯s gaze onest time. What a bunch of idiots. Wrath snorted, watching the trainees running in. Are they really shouting out loud after practicing surprise attacks until now? They are so pathetic. It was pretty much the first real battle for the trainees. That much of a mistake was understandable. It should be your first monster extermination as well. What¡¯s wrong with your heartbeat? Wrath¡¯s voice was full of irritation. It sounds like an old general¡¯s heartbeat, one who has experienced hundreds of battlefields. Instead of looking right in front of you, you are seeing many different things. That heavy sound really annoys me. ¡®It¡¯s because I¡¯m special.¡¯ Raon grinned and unsheathed his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± The brown-haired young man nodded, his chin trembling. He was the viger chosen as the guide. Raon¡¯s job was the protection of the guide, instead of fighting the monsters. ¡°Roar!¡± ¡°Kiee!¡± Upon reaching the source of screams, they were already in the middle of a battle. ¡°Stop the orcs, kill the goblins and kobolds first!¡± Following Burren¡¯smand, the trainees on the frontline crossed their swords with the orcs, and the trainees on the back dashed ahead to sh at the goblins and the kobolds. The green wall made of monsters copsed in an instant. There were three exceptional people among the trainees that were ughtering the monsters. Burren¡¯s sword, imbued with the energy of the wind, was singlehandedly splitting the orcs¡¯ axe. Runaan was controlling the approaching monsters with frost, then cutting their throats. And finally, Martha¡­ Wham! She was destroying everything in front of her, imbuing her sword with a tremendous amount of aura. At that rate, they were going to wipe out every monster in the mountain without much difficulty, even if he didn¡¯t interfere. ¡°Grrrr!¡± While Raon was spreading his perception, two orcs that had escaped the trainees¡¯ encirclement ran towards him holding an axe. ¡°Hieee!¡± At the scent of blooding from the orcs, the guide copsed, unable to control his trembling legs. sh! Raon stood in front of him and swung his sword. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± As the sword containing red energy shed through the air, the orc¡¯s head fell down like a fruit falling from a tree. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren swallowed after watching the scene, and Martha¡¯s ck eyes shone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon grabbed the guide¡¯s hand, the man¡¯s mouth wide open, to help him stand up. ¡°I will return you to the vige without a single injury.¡± *** It was the worst morning ever for Kanbar, who was twenty-five years old now. That was because he was chosen to be the guide for the punitive force. ¡®Is it going to be fine?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t stop worrying about it. He was thankful for Zieghart¡¯s punitive forceing to help the vige, but they looked way too young. Moreover, the swordsman that came with him to protect him looked even younger than any of them. His handsome appearance was bewildering, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to trust him because of his small size. It couldn¡¯t be helped, though. Since the decision was already made, he had no choice but to obey. Kanbar went up the mountain, feeling embarrassed at being protected by a boy smaller than him. What he witnessed as soon as he entered the mountain was the children¡¯s des wiping out the monsters. Despite his belief that it was going to be a difficult battle, the orcs, goblins, and kobolds were being annihted, unable to do anything. ¡®That¡¯s crazy!¡¯ He unconsciously gasped. An orc that five grown men together could barely fight against was getting beheaded like a twig. Every single one of the trainees was literally a monster. ¡®So, this was the reason.¡¯ He could finally understand why the vige chief was paying his utmost respect to those young children. They werepletely different people frommoners like him. When he could finally rx after regaining hisposure, two orcs came running at him from the left side. His legs wouldn¡¯t move from the stench of their breath. ¡°Uaaaah!¡± When he copsed on the ground with his head going nk, the boy who¡¯d been silent so far stepped up. He drew his sword and swung. It was a simple movement, as if he was cutting already dead meat, and the two approaching orcs¡¯ heads fell off. ¡°Hie¡­¡± Kanbar¡¯s teeth chattered, with his eyes wide. ¡®What was that?¡¯ The simple and light swordsmanship made him forget about the other children¡¯s great disy of power. He didn¡¯t look like a child¡ªhe looked like an old general that had gone through hundreds of battlefields. Despite knowing nothing about swordsmanship, he could clearly see that the boy was special among them. After that, the blond, red-eyed boy next to him observed the surroundings without standing out as they climbed the mountain. He wasn¡¯t doing anything special, but he was preventing any danger from urring while observing the whole situation. ¡®This boy is the real one¡­¡¯ It was something one could only tell by looking up close. The best among the children, numbering over forty, was the boy that looked the youngest. ¡°Was your name Kanbar?¡± As he was observing him with admiration, the blond boy spoke to him. ¡°Ah, yes! That¡¯s right! Sir Swordsman!¡± He unconsciously addressed him with utmost respect. ¡°Are there any legends about this mountain?¡± ¡°L-legend?¡± ¡°Yes, something like a great treasure¡¯s existence, or some exceptional monster residing here.¡± ¡°Ah, th-there¡¯s one actually, although it was supposed to be a few hundred years ago. There¡¯s a story of a goblin kinging from the west, fighting the knight''s order in this mountain¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, is there anything like a treasure?¡± ¡°There was a story about the goblin king¡¯s ring that wasn¡¯t found afterwards¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes shone in red for an instant. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± The moment he heard the boy murmuring to himself silently, chills ran down his spine. Chapter 70 sh! Raon cut off the head of the goblin that was about to throw a poison needle at the guide. He also cut the next goblin that was trying to attack him in half. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± He nodded at Kanbar¡¯s thanks and spread his perception more precisely. ¡®He is in the east now.¡¯ The gaze observing all the trainees could now be felt from the east. It seemed he had moved from west to east. ¡®I finally remembered where I felt that gaze before.¡¯ Raon kept his mouth shut tight as he shook off the blood from his sword. ¡®It was from Eden.¡¯ Eden was one of the Five Demonsmonly referred to as the continent¡¯s darkness, and they were a group full of lunatics that were arguably the craziest among all kinds of organizations that existed in the world. Their goal was restoration. They believed the era of despair, where the humans used to be hunted by monsters and discriminated against by the other races was the Eden. And they wanted to revive the monsters¡¯ god to return to that age. Eden was literally a group of lunatics. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t just crazy. They also possessed a strong power, keeping up with Zieghart. They could control monsters like tamers or use the monster¡¯s ability with a human''s body. Even the continent¡¯s prestigious Houses didn¡¯t know how they could use such strange power. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Raon knew Eden¡¯s secret. ¡®Thanks to Derus Robert.¡¯ He shed against Eden because of a magic stone retrieval mission he gave to him, and ten groups of shadows, ny people total, werepletely annihted. He was the only survivor from that hell. ¡®But how did that bastard even learn about it?¡¯ When he thought about it, Derus already knew from the beginning that Eden used magic stones. Raon couldn¡¯t understand how he learned that fact and didn¡¯t disclose it, despite being one of the Six Kings. Hey, what are you thinking about right now? I can feel a deep and intense wrath. Wrath burst up from the bracelet, along with a strong chill. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon frowned. He wasn¡¯t sure whether him boiling in anger as soon as he thought about Derus Robert was a good thing or not. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sighed to subside his anger and sensed the gaze that was still fixated on them. ¡®He¡¯s probably looking for the goblin king¡¯s magic stone.¡¯ ording to Kanbar¡¯s story, a magic stone must¡¯ve formed as time passed after the goblin king¡¯s death. There were different kinds of magic stones, but the Eden bastards only looked for magic stones from monsters powerful enough to be renowned. ¡®I now understand why the monsters are absentminded.¡¯ Eden was letting them kill the monsters so that the trainees, including him, would return quickly afterpleting the mission. ¡®They have no intention of attacking us.¡¯ It seemed Eden wasn¡¯t nning to show themselves, either in order to avoid Zieghart¡¯s attention or in preparation for the instructors or swordsmen that might have followed them. ¡®It must be an important item since they¡¯re going this far.¡¯ The goblin king¡¯s magic stone must¡¯ve been an extremely important item for Eden. ¡®Anyway, for now¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brows while beheading the orc that was approaching him. ¡®I have no choice but to return without dealing with them.¡¯ The moment he touched the magic stone that must exist in the mountain, every Eden member in the surrounding area was going to attack them at once, like a swarm of bees. He might be able to survive, but the trainees and the vigers would certainly die. Therefore, it was best to avoid doing anything stupid¡ªlike poking a beehive. The best course of action was to just kill the monsters and return, pretending he didn¡¯t notice anything. ¡°The monsters are running away! Chase them until the end!¡± He raised his head, hearing Burren¡¯s energetic voice. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It will be over soon.¡± Raon gave Kanbar, who had regained hisposure, a fake smile. His tongue felt slightly bitter, as if he had chewed on a tree¡¯s root. *** The monster extermination had started in the daybreak and continued smoothly. They managed to reach the top of the mountain before the sun set. ¡°Kieee!¡± Hearing the orc shaman¡¯s scream from where it was standing at the top of the mountain, the orcs, kobolds, and goblins came running at them. They looked like a swarm of green bees. ¡°This is thest!¡± Burren pierced the sky, taking up his blood-covered sword. ¡°A rat can bite a cat if it is driven into a corner. Don¡¯t be careless until the end!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Burren rushed out, surrounding himself with green aura, and the trainees kicked the ground with a war cry. ¡°Haa!¡± Raon also ran ahead, leaving Kanbar behind, in order to slice the monsters. He moved in a way simr to the other trainees, lowering his sword skills. ¡®Keep watching.¡¯ He had recognized the owner of the gaze. He was an Eden¡¯s scout called ¡®Red Eye Demon¡¯. He possessed the scouting ability of the monster ¡®Search Eye¡¯, which was just a small floating eye that was the size of a sparrow. ¡°We are almost there!¡± Burren shouted while cutting through the orc shaman¡¯s me. The moment he rushed to the orc shaman, a gigantic sword fell from the sky. Crash! Along with a thunderous noise that shook the mountain, dust spread out at the same time. Whoosh. Once the dust faded, Martha¡ªwho was sticking the deted orc shaman to the ground with her sword¡ªcould be seen. ¡°It¡¯s mine, okay?¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Burren frowned, but quickly realized the situation and turned around. ¡°The orc shaman is dead! The rest are small fries, so wipe them outpletely! ¡°Waaaa!¡± With the anticipation of sessfullypleting their first battle, they swung their swords using all the remaining aura. sh! After easily killing the orcs around him, Raon returned to Kanbar. He called him after creating an energy barrier, so that nobody could hear him. ¡°I have a question about the story with the goblin king earlier.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Kanbar bowed and answered. ¡°Has a gem or a treasure ever been found in the mountain since the goblin king died?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± Kanbar took his time, without responding immediately. ¡°It has.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed. I shouldn¡¯t lie to my benefactor. The vige chief brought a red gem from the mountain when I was little.¡± ¡°Where is it now?¡± ¡°The vige chief buried it under his house as far as I know, and the vige grew warm afterwards. I think most people don¡¯t know about this fact.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. ¡®This is apletely different story now¡­¡¯ If Eden couldn¡¯t find the gem after searching in the mountain, they were definitely going to attack Cebu vige next, since those lunatics didn¡¯t have much patience. ¡°We¡¯ve won!¡± ¡°First mission, sess!¡± ¡°Waaaa!¡± Shouts of victory came from the trainees, who managed to upy the top of the mountain after annihting the monsters. ¡°Hmph!¡± Burren looked at Raon as he held his sword. His expression was telling him he¡¯d aplished the mission Raon gave to him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Without responding to Burren¡¯s gaze, Raon furrowed his brows. He had too many things to think about. ¡°Yeaaah!¡± Burren shouted louder than anyone. It looked like he thought Raon had acknowledged him through that attitude. Runaan also seemed happy about the victory as she nodded slightly. ¡°It¡¯s so loud.¡± Martha looked at Raon, picking her ears as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. After watching the trainees that were shouting, Raon looked down at Cebu vige. His frustration only grew stronger upon seeing the smoke rising from the roofs of various colors. ¡®If they ever learn about the fact that the magic stone isn¡¯t in the mountain, but in the vige¡­¡¯ Only thing left in that vige would be the smoke. * * * * * * A festival was held as soon as they returned to the vige. The vigers were full of smiles, as they didn¡¯t need to worry about the monsters for a while now. ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The vige chief and the vigers bowed to every single one of the trainees and thanked them. ¡°It was our job.¡± Burren shook his hand, smiling in happiness. His expression was as bright as a magicmp, as he had perfectlypleted the mission without a single casualty. ¡°Thank you for working hard for our vige.¡± The vige chief also bowed to Raon, who was standing at the back. ¡°This guy told me Sir Swordsman was really outstanding. Thank you for protecting us.¡± ¡°I honestly thought he wasn¡¯t very trustworthy at first, but he really is excellent with his sword.¡± The vige chief smiled, pointing at Kanbar, and Kanbar also smiled. ¡°No problem.¡± Raon smiled inly. The vige chief and Kanbar thanked him once again and went to the other trainees to thank them. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He felt ufortable after seeing their eyes. He wanted to tell them about it, but the entire vige was currently under observation. The slightest mistake could get everyone killed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you feeling well?¡± Runaan tilted her head, sitting next to him. ¡°Do you wanna eat ice cream?¡± She tried taking out the rectangr box from her chest. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon shook his head with a smile. ¡°Okay.¡± Runaan put the box back in its ce with a regretful expression. It seemed she wanted to eat the ice cream together to rejoice. Her cute thoughts made him smile. What are you doing! Why are you missing the opportunity to eat the ice cream?! ¡®That¡¯s not the important thing right now.¡¯ Nothing¡¯s more important than the ice cream! Call the girl back right now! ¡®Haaa.¡¯ Raon forced Wrath back into the bracelet, who was angrier than when heughed at him. ¡°So.¡± He raised his head at the voice heard from the top of the tree. Martha was looking at him, holding an apple. ¡°Did it go as you wanted? I¡¯m still not sure what you wanted, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡± Raon shook his head. He had nothing to say for now, nor could he say anything. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll follow yourmand until the end of the mission.¡± Martha went down after meeting his eyes. ¡°Get away!¡± She sat at the center of the table where the food was being brought out. She seemed to be her usual self. ¡°Let¡¯s go, too.¡± Raon stood up and signaled Runaan with his chin. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded and walked up to the table. All kinds of tasty-looking foods were disyed. There were so many that he felt like the vigers must¡¯ve strained themselves. ¡°There is still plenty of food left for you. Please eat to your heart¡¯s content!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Please enjoy!¡± epting the vige chief and the vigers¡¯ cheers, the trainees raised their hands and started to eat like a storm. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed softly. He felt ufortable about the food and the people¡¯s smiles alike. ¡®Tomorrow is going to be an important day.¡¯ *** The next morning. Burren left Cebu vige, leading the trainees. The vigers kept following them for over twenty minutes and waved their hands. ¡®I think everything ended well.¡¯ Burren smiled, walking up the hill where they could see the vige underneath. ¡®It was perfect.¡¯ They managed to perfectly wipe out the monsters in Cebu Mountain without any fatalities or injuries. All they had suffered were a few light wounds, so it could be considered perfect for his first time. He took a nce in the back. Raon was walking while looking down, with a thoughtful expression on his face. Without asking him to return themand, he kept following silently. ¡®But of course.¡¯ There was no w in hismand. It was a perfect strategy except for Martha killing the orc shaman in the end. ¡®I don¡¯t know what he wanted to see, but he must be satisfied.¡¯ Raon gave him themand, telling him to act like a Zieghart. He couldn¡¯t have anyints, no matter what he had wanted. ¡°Let¡¯s walk faster!¡± With their chests filled with satisfaction, Burren and the trainees walked towards the north, where Zieghart¡¯s domain was located. When the sun started moving down from the middle of the sky after walking for over five hours, Raon Zieghart¡ªwho had been silent¡ªstepped forward. ¡°Stop, everyone.¡± ¡°Why, out of nowhere¡­?¡± Burren closed his mouth upon seeing Raon¡¯s eyes. The eyes, burning in red, were suffocating him. ¡°The real mission starts now.¡± Chapter 71 ¡°Wh-what do you mean?!¡± Burren¡¯s eyes were full of disbelief. ¡°I mean just that.¡± Raon walked to the front to meet every trainee''s eyes. ¡°The mission isn¡¯t over yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking! We¡¯ve killed all the monsters, and even finished cleaning it up, so why is the mission still not over?¡± ¡°What was our mission?¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s¡­¡± Burren frowned, then opened his mouth again. ¡°The monster extermination and the vige¡¯s protection.¡± ¡°Yes. Our mission includes the vige¡¯s protection on top of the monster extermination.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve already finished it! It¡¯s over since we¡¯ve killed all the monsters!¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head, and looked towards Cebu vige, where they came from. ¡°We¡¯ve been under observation until just now. The observing gaze went away about an hour ago.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± The surprised trainees stood up at once. ¡°I-it must be an instructor.¡± Burren forced himself to twist the corners of his mouth. It seemed he couldn¡¯t believe there was someone observing them. ¡°It must be an instructor who came to watch over us¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I couldn¡¯t tell who it was if it was an instructor¡¯s presence. That presence observed not only us, but also the entire vige. Moreover¡­¡± Raon pointed at the road they had walked past. ¡°As soon as we went half a day¡¯s distance away from the vige, the presence disappeared. Towards the vige, on top of that.¡± ¡°Which means¡­ Is it another enemy?¡± Burren¡¯s jaw dropped. He looked at the vige with trembling eyes. ¡°Is that true?¡± Martha, who had been silent, stood up with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°When did you start feeling that gaze?¡± ¡°As soon as we arrived at the hill from where we could see the vige.¡± ¡°Wait! Then the reason you gave themand to Burren was¡­¡± ¡°Correct. I hid my presence in order to observe that gaze more clearly.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Martha gulped. ¡®What the hell is he¡­?¡¯ The hair at the back of her neck stood on end upon hearing Raon¡¯s words. Not only had he felt a gaze and presence that even she couldn¡¯t feel, but he had also been investigating the gaze while hiding in the middle of the trainees by making Burren the top trainee. His perception and the depth of his thoughts were so astonishing that she couldn¡¯t even speak. ¡°W-was that the reason why you gave me themand?¡± ¡°I thought you would manage the trainees better than me if you tookmand.¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± ¡°You did perfectly as the top trainee, better than I¡¯d thought. Thanks to that, they will think that you are the top trainee and shouldn¡¯t have felt my presence. You really did great, worthy of Zieghart¡¯s name like you said. I¡¯ll suggest that you¡¯re made vice-top trainee once we return.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Burren¡¯s lip quivered and he lowered his head. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ He was too embarrassed to raise his head. ¡®I thought I did a great job¡­¡¯ He believed Raon was speechless to his perfect performance, yet it wasn¡¯t the case at all. He had been hiding behind in order to hold the observer, the one that no one had noticed, in check. While he was focused on a small thing like the top trainee¡¯s right tomand, Raon had been watching something much further and higher up. Crunch. However, it was funny that he didn¡¯t feel bad hearing Raon¡¯spliment. It was aplicated feeling, a mixture of embarrassment and achievement. ¡°You probably didn¡¯t know this, but orcs, goblins, and kobolds aren¡¯t capable of cooperating. The ones that have been observing us must¡¯ve done something with them.¡± Without mentioning Eden, Raon told them about what he saw and felt. ¡°Our first mission is the vige¡¯s protection. Our mission hasn¡¯t ended as we don¡¯t know the intention of that observer.¡± He grabbed his bag and stood up. ¡°We are returning to Cebu vige. However, unlike before¡ªwhen we casually walked in where anyone could notice¡ªwe are going to move silently, so that no one will notice us.¡± He continued after ncing at everyone. ¡°It would be great to have something to camouge ourselves with, but since we didn¡¯t bring anything like that, let¡¯s start with the steps¡­¡± ¡°I-I have something.¡± Dorian, who had been out of his mind, raised his hand. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have covers to hide our military outfits with, and bands to attach leaves on our clothes.¡± ¡°Having one or two of them won¡¯t be of any use. It will make you stick out inst¡­¡± ¡°I have enough.¡± Dorian took out a bunch of covers and bands from his belly pocket. Raon couldn¡¯t understand what the hell was wrong with him, bringing all of that around. ¡°How did you¡­¡± ¡°I brought them just in case.¡± ¡°Are you saying you brought forty pieces of camouge equipment just in case?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to be well prepared.¡± ¡°A-anyway, good job.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian smiled happily at gettingplimented by Raon for the first time. Then his face grew clouded once again since they were probably going to fight once they returned to the vige. ¡°Since we have enough materials, start camouging yourselves the way you¡¯ve learned in the training ground. Come back here in ten minutes, and¡­¡± Raon raised his head after putting on the cover before anyone else. ¡°Krein.¡± ¡°Huh? Uuh!¡± ¡°Return to the Zieghart branch office immediately and convey to them exactly what I told you.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°You are the fastest.¡± Even though Dorian was faster, something might happen where he is needed. ¡°A-alright!¡± Probably because he was happy about being acknowledged, Krein nodded immediately and started running in the opposite direction of the vige. Raon watched him run for a moment, then turned his head. ¡°From now on, you must obey my orders no matter what. Refusal isn¡¯t an option.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Everyone left.¡± The man wearing a mask with an eyeball drowning on it knelt down. ¡°Are you sure?¡± The young man holding a green helmet turned his head. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve confirmed their exit as they celebrated their victory for half a day. I¡¯ve also checked the other side just in case, but there were no notable problems.¡± ¡°Then we can start now.¡± The young man snickered, then equipped the patternless helmet. ¡°Restoration.¡± He spoke as if he were chanting, then green rusty water flowed down under the helmet. Fizzle! Enormous muscles expanded from his arms and chest, his fingers growing as hard as steel and his legs growing as thick as tree roots. What he was wearing wasn¡¯t normal knight armor. It was the grotesque armor of an orc, and not just any orc¡ªa fighter orc that stood on the frontlines of the orc raiders. Sparkle! Red eyes, full of murderous intent, shone from the orc fighter¡¯s helmet. ¡°Krrrrrr!¡± A grotesque roar burst from his throat. It wasn¡¯t a human¡¯s voice, but a sound made by a monster. ¡°Woooo!¡± The orcs came running out from behind him, as if they were answering the roar. The man pointed towards Cebu vige with a hand surrounded by a threatening red energy. ¡°Krrrrrr!¡± ¡°Kieeee!¡± The orcs ran down the mountain, all while screaming in hostility. Their movements were iparably fiercer than when the trainees were killing them. ¡°Krrr.¡± The man wearing the orc fighter armor smiled savagely and watched the monsters rushing to the vige like a tidal wave. *** Raon and the trainees arrived at the hill, where they could see the whole vige underneath. ¡°Nothing happened yet, though.¡± Burren frowned upon seeing the vige. There was nothing but smoke, showing how peaceful it was. ¡°Just wait. And lower your voice and body.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing Raon¡¯smand, Burren closed his mouth and leaned forward. ¡°You must be extremely careful from now on, including your breathing. We might be annihted the moment we get found out.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Hup!¡± The trainees covered their mouths with their trembling hands. ¡°You are exaggerating¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what happens, right? Since we are Ziegharts¡­¡± However, a few coterals that didn¡¯t believe Raonined. They were full of confidence, carried away by their first victory. ¡°Silence. You canin once everything bes clear.¡± The coterals only shut their mouths and sat down after Burren told them to. ¡°Fill your stomach in advance with jerky, then put on your winter clothes. We won¡¯t be able to start a fire even if it gets cold at night.¡± The trainees followed Raon¡¯smand, albeitining slightly. As such, the sun set on Cebu Mountain, and the dark night came. Under the pitch-dark mountain, hundreds of red lights shone. Green monsters poured out alongside with the ruby colored lights. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°O-orcs! They are monsters!¡± ¡°It was true?¡± The trainees gulped, seeing the orcs¡¯ brutal eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren bit his dry lip. They had thoroughly investigated Cebu Mountain and the surrounding area, and no monsters had been found. It didn¡¯t make any sense that so many monsters had appeared in such a short time. ¡®He was right.¡¯ Just like Raon had said, monsters that were even more powerful and ferocious than the ones they had exterminated were rushing towards the vige. Ding Ding Ding! The viger standing watch on the wooden fence rang the bell. The vige that was buried in darkness lit up and grew noisy. ¡°Damn it!¡± Burren stood up, grit his teeth. He breathed out roughly while drawing his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s put an end to it this time for sure¡­¡± ¡°Sit down.¡± Raon gestured with his chin with a frightening gaze. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told you already. There was a gaze observing us. That wasn¡¯t something like a monster, but a human. Their identity wasn¡¯t revealed yet.¡± ¡°B-but Cebu vige¡¯s forces can¡¯t defend against that many orcs!¡± ¡°Even then, we are going to stand by. We are going to be the ones annihted at a single mistake.¡± It was an urate decision without being swayed by the emotions. They shouldn¡¯t make their move until they could properly identify the enemy''s numbers and power. ¡°You said that already! Our mission is the vige¡¯s protection! We have to move immediately!¡± ¡°The instructor also mentioned that giving up or withdrawing are also a viable choice in the mission. Now isn¡¯t the right time to move.¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t stand watching it.¡± Burren¡¯s hand holding the sword trembled. ¡°Letting them die like that isn¡¯t something a Zieghart swordsman would do!¡± The orcs¡¯ charge was reflected in his green eyes. ¡°You are right.¡± ¡°We are Ziegharts. We can¡¯t withdraw after seeing the weak in a predicament.¡± ¡°Even if they are Eden?¡± Raon¡¯sposed voice cut into the trainees¡¯ words full of passion. ¡°E-Eden? Eden from the Five Demons?¡± ¡°Are you saying they are those lunatics?¡± ¡°Eden is famous for controlling monsters. There¡¯s no way that many monsters would suddenly appear unless Eden is involved.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Wh-why the Five Demons¡­¡± The trainees¡¯ eyes blurred as if they were being eroded upon hearing that their enemy was Eden of the Five Demons. Everyone knew just how powerful and frightening an organization Eden was. ¡°I know about Eden¡¯s power. They didn¡¯t attack us back then, which means they are afraid of Zieghart¡¯s name.¡± Burren clenched his fist so tightly that it could bleed. ¡°I can¡¯t show my back and run away from such people. I believe drawing my sword here for them is what a Zieghart swordsman should do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to not help them whatsoever. We need to first understand the situation, then decide if we can fight¡­¡± ¡°That would be toote. Half of the vigers would be dead by then.¡± He looked at Raon with trembling eyes. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve acknowledged you. After watching your efforts, I acknowledged you in my heart as the one more befitting to the Zieghart name than me! But this is wrong! I¡¯m going to help the vige, even if that means I have to fight you when you try to stop me.¡± Burren drew his sword. His well-polished sword reflected his resolute face under the moonlight. ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me. Follow me if you agree with me!¡± He ran down the hill, surrounded by a green aura and unbreakable will. ¡°We shall go as well. Let¡¯s show the Five Demons how powerful Zieghart''s sword is!¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± When Raon clicked his tongue, somebody stood up next to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to go too.¡± Runaan ran down the hill, surrounded by a blue frost. ¡°We will follow you!¡± The trainees from vassal families drew their swords and stuck next to her. ¡°L-let¡¯s go as well!¡± ¡°You are right. We are also Zieghart¡¯s trainees!¡± Themoner trainees that were affected by Burren and Runaan¡¯s conviction also drew their swords and ran towards the vige¡¯s light. More than half of them had left, but Raon wasn¡¯t flustered. ¡®Because I knew this would happen.¡¯ He already knew the trainees were those kinds of people. Having them run down to help them was also a part of his n. He had even used aura to specifically send Runaan a message to go down to help Burren. However, the most unexpected person was staying. ¡°Why are you not going?¡± Raon turned around to look at Martha, who was leaning back against a tree. ¡°I told you already. I¡¯ll follow your instructions on this mission, regardless of what they are.¡± Raon could see the sincerity in her shining ck eyes. It seemed she had her own conviction. ¡°I see.¡± Raon snickered. ¡°Then what are you going to do now? Are you just going to spectate them from here?¡± ¡°No, we are going to move as well.¡± Raon shook his head and stood up. The orcs had already reached the wooden fence. It looked like a red mist was shimmering from the people¡¯s fear and the orcs¡¯ madness. ¡°But instead of moving openly like them, we are going to hide our presence. Warm yourself up so you can move whenever it is necessary.¡± After giving out his instructions, he red halfway up Cebu Mountain instead of at Cebu vige. A powerful and thick murderous intent was wavering over there. ¡®He must be there.¡¯ He could stop the trainees, but the reason he let them do as they pleased was simple. Because he managed to identify the man over there. A monster that had borrowed an orc fighter¡¯s strength andbative spirit was looking down on the vige from midway up the mountain. It would be difficult to win against him if he fought him head on, but assassination was a different story. ¡®I¡¯m more than capable of killing him as long as they keep his attention.¡¯ Raon turned his wrist, shining his red eyes as the moon floated in the sky. ¡®This is going to be a long night.¡¯ Chapter 72 ¡°What are those insects?¡± The man wearing the orc fighter armor growled like a beast. He was looking at Burren and Runaan, who were running down to Cebu vige. ¡°Th-they are Zieghart trainees.¡± The Red Eye Demon, who was wearing a mask with an eye drawn on it, knelt and answered. ¡°I¡¯m sure you said that those brats had returned.¡± Murderous intent could be felt from his voice. It waspletely different from his usual calm andposed voice. ¡°I-I¡¯m sure they left. I came back after confirming that fact¡­¡± ¡°That means somebody among them had realized you were tailing them. What an idiot.¡± The man raised his feet and smacked his shoulder. ¡°Keuh!¡± The masked man groaned without moving, despite one of his shoulders being crushed. ¡°Tsk.¡± The man clicked his tongue violently, then stood on the boulder. The Zieghart trainees had already arrived at the vige and were running towards the wooden fence that was being broken through. ¡°Are those two the ones?¡± Runaan and Burren killed the orcs that were breaking the fences in a single strike. The man breathed out roughly while watching them. ¡°P-probably not. There was a ck-haired girl who was better than them.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Judging from the way she can¡¯t be found anywhere, she must be hiding somewhere and watching.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The man wearing the orc fighter armor crossed his arms and looked down on the vige. ¡°They fight well.¡± The Zieghart trainees drew a line, as if they made a formation, and were killing all the orcs that went over the wooden fence. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to be enough to break through.¡± Looking back at the masked man, he gestured with his chin. ¡°Send the green demons.¡± ¡°Pardon? Didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t meddle with Ziegharts¡­?¡± ¡°Do you think they came back here without doing anything after noticing you? They must¡¯ve sent a reinforcement request to the branch office, and it¡¯s toote to stop it. The best course of action right now is to finish the job here as soon as possible, then leave after burning everything to the ground.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± The masked man nodded, disappearing into the shadows. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The man went down the mountain while flexing his wrist. A smile appeared on his mouth that could be seen slightly. ¡°To have returned despite having been spared, your luck must¡¯ve ended after being chosen by the Ziegharts.¡± *** sh! Burren cut the orc running towards him in half, then jumped over the half-destroyed wooden fence. ¡°Stand in front of the wooden fence! People will be in danger if the orcse over the fence!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The coteral trainees answered loud and clear, creating a formation in front of the wooden fence. Whir! Burren turned his head, noticing the frost spreading from his left side. It was Runaan. The frost on her sword also covered the ground, hindering the orcs¡¯ movements. nk! The frost spread into the air, shedding blood, and the orcs copsed¡ªunable to do anything. ¡®That¡¯s unexpected.¡¯ Runaan always stuck next to Raon, so the fact that she hade with him without following his opinion was unexpected. ¡®But I¡¯m d.¡¯ The orcs¡¯ numbers were one thing, but their ferocity was on a different level than the ones they had faced the day before. If Runaan and the trainees from the vassal families weren¡¯t there, the wooden fence would¡¯ve beenpletely broken by then, resulting in many casualties in the vige. ¡°Don¡¯t take the orcs¡¯ attacks head on! Deflect them, then counterattack!¡± While giving out appropriate instructions, Burren kept shing the orcs. Since he had already done it before, it wasn¡¯t too difficult tomand the troops ording to the situation. ¡®We should be able to stop them at this rate.¡¯ Even though the orcs were stronger, the trainees were more than enough to defend against them since they had the experience of fighting them. ¡®However¡­¡¯ If they were really Eden like Raon had said, that wasn¡¯t going to be the end of it. For sure¡­ Rustle. While Burren was thinking about the future, the forest in front of the vige started to move. ¡®No, it¡¯s not the forest.¡¯ Mysterious men hiding their entire bodies with green hooded robes popped up from the forest. They numbered over forty at a rough count. ¡°Green demons!¡± Burren screamed, gripping his sword tightly. ¡®Damn it! They were really Eden.¡¯ The green demons were Eden¡¯s lesser warriors, and they possessed the characteristics of orcs, goblins, and kobolds. ¡°Runaan!¡± While raising his aura to the extreme, he called for Runaan. ¡°We are going to fight in front. Support us from behind!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan immediately responded, spreading an even thicker frost towards the approaching green demons. Smack! Smaack! The orcs drew the axes from off their backs and around their waists, swinging them towards the trainees. ¡°Deflect the blows!¡± Burren deflected the axe with his sword and cut off the green demon¡¯s head. Ssh! The sensation of cutting through human flesh gave him goosebumps, but he endured it by biting his lip. ¡°Don¡¯t consider them human! Cut their heads off in a single strike!¡± Even in his flustered state, Burren was properly using the Zieghart swordsmanship. He advanced while sending out sharp strikes. ¡°Haa!¡± Runaan spread the frost from her sword towards Burren and the trainees that were advancing. Whir! The frost went past them, dropping down on the green demon¡¯s heads. Crack! The green demons¡¯ clothes and skin were frozen and their movements slowed. ¡°Do it now! Charge!¡± Burren wasn¡¯t justmanding them. He was the first one to charge onto the green demons, starting to kill them. ¡°We can win!¡± His chest stung despite saying that. There were still many green demons left, and the trainees were getting tired. Moreover¡­ Swoosh! The green demons who had goblins and kobold¡¯s characteristics didn¡¯t approach them. Instead, they started firing poison needles, or spreading poison mists. ¡°Cover your mouths!¡± Burren took his clothes to cover his nose and mouth, then parried the poison needles fired at him. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± ¡°D-damn it!¡± Since there were too many green demons firing the poison needles and there were multiple green demons approaching them, the trainees started to step back one by one. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Burren breathed out roughly. His head felt dizzy from parrying the poison needles and fighting while holding his breath. ¡°Haa!¡± He nced around, hearing Runaan¡¯s shout. She was overpowering the green demon with intense frost, but the fact that she hade to the front line meant that the situation was already at its worst. ¡°Kieee!¡± The green demons were cunning. The moment Runaan¡¯s frost spread, they stepped back and started throwing poison needles and poison smoke. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Upon inhaling the poison smoke, the trainees¡¯ limbs started wobbling. ¡°H-hold on! We still¡­¡± He felt like themand he had just given was in vain. The strength left his arms and his legs trembled. ¡®A-at this rate¡­¡¯ They couldn¡¯tst for long. As the word annihtion kepting back to his mind, a powerful energy burst up from the left side. Bang! * * * * * * A yellow aura crushed against them like a tornado to defeat all the green demons, and Martha Zieghart was standing there alone. ¡°Kill them all!¡± Following Martha¡¯smand, the trainees that remained next to Raon rushed onto the battlefield. ¡°N-now is the time! Kill them all!¡± Burren grit his teeth and brandished his sword. The trainees, including him, had inhaled poison smoke. However, he couldn¡¯t miss the opportunity. ¡°Go for it!¡± At Martha¡¯s aura-filled strike, the green demons¡¯ axes and swords were shattered. ¡®It''s perfect timing.¡¯ Thanks to her well-timed surprise attack, the green demons were getting wiped out, unable to find an opening to attack back. ¡®We did it!¡¯ Raon was still nowhere to be seen, but it looked like they could win. ¡°Don¡¯t let a single one escape!¡± Burren grit his teeth and rushed towards the green demons. ¡°Until the end¡­ huh?¡± He was going to swing his sword and follow them to Cebu Mountain, but he stood still, ducking his head. ¡°Wh-what is it¡­¡± Something was moving inside the red cloud and fog that seemed to cover the entire forest. He could hear somebody gulping from behind. Step. A mysterious man wearing puffed up green armor made his appearance. He was wearing an orc fighter helmet with a cross shaped scar on the forehead and a bucktooth rolling up to the tip of his nose. Burren¡¯s hand holding the sword trembled. ¡°Th-that orc fighter armor! Green War Demon!¡± Green War Demon was one of Eden''s lower executives, and he was a monster that had the orc fighter¡¯s strength transferred to his human body. ¡°R-retreat!¡± Burren stepped back, his trembling hand holding his sword. His limbs trembled as he faced that frightening presence. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan couldn¡¯t hide her trembling eyes either. ¡°Green War Demon, huh?¡± On the other hand, Martha licked her lips. Her eyes looked like she was going to attack him right away, but she was also aware that she couldn¡¯t win on her own. ¡°You are making it annoying.¡± The Green War Demon¡¯s mouth opened. What came out was a growl full of murderous intent, as if he had really be an orc fighter. ¡°I gave you the chance to return after ying around a little, yet you threw it away. That waspletely stupid.¡± He grabbed the double-edged axes on his back. An overwhelming wave of energy rampaged through the trainees, taking their breath away. The red energy burning on the axe was thebative energy that only mid upper-level monsters could use. And Eden¡¯s executives were all capable of using thatbative energy. ¡°Keuh!¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± The trainees were barely standing, biting their lips. ¡®We would¡¯ve already copsed if we didn¡¯t have that training.¡¯ Burren¡¯s fingernail scratched his hand. If Rimmer hadn¡¯t trained them to withstand his pressure, he would¡¯ve been kneeling and waiting for his death. ¡°So, you withstood my pressure despite being a mere trainee. You are indeed a Zieghart.¡± The Green War Demon grinned. ¡°But you are stupid. You are going to die because you¡¯ve acted rashly, without even knowing your own abilities.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon¡¯s warning resounded in Burren¡¯s head. ¡°We won¡¯t know until we try, you disgusting bastard!¡± Martha stepped up while provoking him. She bent her hand backward to signal Runaan and Burren. Seeing her hand signaling them to attack him at once in three seconds, their eyes glowed intensely. ¡°Whatever you do is pointless.¡± ¡°Shut up! Your breath stinks!¡± Martha dashed at the center while Burren and Runaan prated from both sides. ¡°Do you think you can do it together, just the three of you?¡± The Green War Demon swung his axe horizontally. A heavybative energy engulfed the space, following an intense wind pressure. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°Kya!¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± Burren¡¯s sword was broken, Runaan bounced back, and Martha knelt down. It all happened in a single strike. The Green War Demon was on apletely different level from the three of them. ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°E-even those three can¡¯t match up to them¡­¡± ¡°Then how¡­¡± ¡°What about Raon? Where is he?!¡± ¡°H-He must¡¯ve run away. Why would he be here after watching that?!¡± Despair filled the trainees¡¯ eyes. The three of them could defeat all the traineesbined, yet they had crumbled in a single strike. They couldn¡¯t figure out a way to win. However, they couldn¡¯t run away either. Forget running away, they couldn¡¯t even breathe properly because of the Green War Demon¡¯s murderous intent. ¡°Did you think we let you go because you were so strong?¡± The Green War Demon walked towards them with an even more powerful murderous intent. ¡°You are justrvae riding on a huge tree named Zieghart. You don¡¯t have any ability, might, or willpower. Did you think you were some sort of big deal?¡± Every single one of his steps ignited a me ofbative energy from the ground. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Burren grabbed his broken sword tightly and Runaan raised her body with trembling arms. ¡°D-damn it!¡± Martha¡¯s fighting spirit hadn¡¯t faded away yet. She grit her teeth and raised her aura. ¡°You are the best among this pile of trash.¡± The Green War Demon walked towards Martha, who was standing at the front. ¡°I guess, since you managed to notice that gaze.¡± He growled and stood in front of Martha. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Unable to shake off the orc fighter armor pressure, Martha bit her lip and her body trembled. ¡°Since it came to this, I¡¯d better trample on all the Zieghart¡¯s sprouts.¡± The Green War Demon raised his double-edged axe, his smile full of murderous intent. ¡°Then die.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Martha¡¯s eyes widened. The moment the Green War Demon was about to swing his axe, a pitch-ck shadow appeared behind him. Raon Zieghart. The boy that had never shown himself so far swung his sword. ¡°No. You die.¡± Surrounded by a crimson me, Raon¡¯s sword dashed towards the Green War Demon¡¯s neck. Chapter 73 Raon didn¡¯t show himself, even after sending out Martha and the rest of the trainees at an opportune moment. He held his breath as he hid his presence even more, like a wild animal or a twig swaying to the wind. The trainees recovered their courage and willpower at the arrival of Martha¡¯s reinforcements, wiping out the green demons. ¡®It¡¯s going to start now.¡¯ Raon warmed himself up while breathing out slowly. It looked like victory was near, but it was also the most dangerous moment. ¡®The Green War Demon hasn¡¯t made his appearance yet.¡¯ Eden¡¯s Green War Demon, who had ordered the green demons to attack, must''ve been up there. Raon approached the bushes where everyone was fighting very slowly and silently. The moment Burren, Runaan, and Martha were about to swing their swords at the remaining few green demons¡­ He appeared. ¡®The Green War Demon, I knew you were there.¡¯ Eden¡¯s lower executive, the Green War Demon, who had received orc fighter¡¯s strength. He was walking towards them with tremendous pressure. m! Burren, Runaan, and Martha were bounced back at once with a single enraged strike. Oppressed by the Green War Demon¡¯s pressure, they couldn¡¯t even move their bodies properly. Thump. Raon moved his feet, synchronizing his heartbeat with the Green War Demon¡¯s breath. The movement of his feet was the Shadowless Steps he had learned, his life on the line, when he used to be an assassin. Moving as secretly as a shadow, he moved to the Green War Demon¡¯s back. Whoosh! As the Green War Demon was about to swing his ax at Martha, he raised his sword while hiding his murderous intent under the Green War Demon¡¯s murderous intent. ¡°Then die!¡± The moment the Green War Demon was about to strike, he used the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. Whir! The first me of ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. The flower of me that ignited at the end of the sword fell towards the Green War Demon¡¯s neck. ¡°You!¡± The Green War Demon¡¯s eyes were full of astonishment as he turned around. He used hisbative energy on his back in that instant, trying to deflect the sword¡¯s trajectory. ¡°Just die without struggling.¡± Raon split apart the Green War Demon¡¯sbative energy with the me from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ and mmed his sword down. ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± The moment the sword that fell like a lightning was about to slice his neck, he pierced into him instead. Thud! With red blood gushing out, something fell to the ground. Raon frowned and red in front of him. ¡°Kuhuhu¡­¡± The Green War Demon, whose left arm waspletely cut off, was smiling as he coughed up blood. ¡°It looks like you didn¡¯t expect me to move into you.¡± ¡°Crazy bastard.¡± Human instinct was to run away from danger, not to run towards it. Moving towards him in that instant to sacrifice his arm instead of his neck was a really crazy thing to do. ¡®This is why I didn¡¯t want to fight them.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue. ¡°Kuh!¡± Redbative energy burst from the Green War Demon¡¯s shoulder, and the blood that was gushing out like a broken dam stopped. ¡°It looks like you can¡¯t move either.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond. Just as he said, he couldn¡¯t move for a moment since he had wagered a lot on that single strike. He would¡¯ve run towards him to behead him already if he could move his body. ¡°Are you the person in charge here?¡± He opened his mouth while recovering his body and aura by swinging his ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡°What else? Do you think somebody higher up than me woulde to such a small vige?¡± The Green War Demon grasped his axe with the remaining arm tightly. The redbative energy, which had subsided, burst out once again. ¡°Well, we never know. After all, you guys are lunatics.¡± Releasing the murky energy with his breath, Raon bent his knee slightly. He filled his lungs with fresh air in a posture where he could start dashing whenever he wanted. Thud! The Green War Demon kicked the ground. He swung his axe, exuding a tremendous amount of murderous intent¡ªenough to give him goosebumps. Whir! Raon swung his sword upward. The cleansed first me of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ surrounded his sword, ng! The sword and double-edged axe shed, sounding like steel being crushed. Whir! The crimson spark spread out, burning the ground. ¡°Did you just block that?¡± The Green War Demon swung his axe horizontally while ring at him. The powerful wind pressure made it difficult to move his sword properly. ¡°I should give up on being a swordsman if I can¡¯t even block that.¡± Raon swung his sword, engulfed in fire. sh! His hand felt like it was being torn apart as they shed for the second time, but he brandished his sword once again, hiding his expression. ¡°You understand the warrior¡¯s spirit! A brat from Zieghart!¡± The Green War Demon burst into grotesqueughter and swung his axe. ¡°Even so, I can¡¯t spare your life!¡± ¡°I never asked you to spare my life.¡± Raon swung his sword to block the axe and advanced one step. ng! Facing the tremendous amount ofbative energy imbued in the axe, Raon¡¯s sword trembled as if it was going to break. ¡®I have to withstand it.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t break through him with his current power. He needed to fight while deflecting the axe¡¯s energy. m! Using the intricacy of Zieghart¡¯s swordsmanship, he blocked the Green War Demon¡¯s instinctive attacks. Raon and the monster with an orc¡¯s instinct shed their sword and axe countless times at close quarters. * * * * * * ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± Burren¡¯s chin trembled, his eyes wide. ¡®Seriously, what is this¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t breathe because of the two monsters fighting in front of him, shing their sword and axe. ¡®H-how many times have they swung their weapons?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even recognize the trajectory of the sword and axe. It would¡¯ve been an understatement to say they were better than himself, since they were on apletely different level. Whoosh! The Green War Demon¡¯s axe pummeled down like lightning. He unconsciously swallowed. If that attack was directed on his head, his body would¡¯ve been split into two right after. Goosebumps appeared on his arm thinking about it. However, Raon parried the ax by swinging his sword in a semi-circr trajectory. m! The axe crushed the ground. Red energy burst out from the cracked ground. ¡°Th-that¡­¡± Burren scratched the ground with his hand. ¡®It¡¯s the ¡®Star-Connecting Sword¡¯!¡¯ The ¡®Star-Connecting Sword was the most basic technique learned before anything else in Zieghart. Raon was stopping that mighty axe using the ¡®Star-Connecting Sword¡¯ alone. Burren couldn¡¯t close his mouth. Saying that he was surprised was an understatement at that point. ¡®I thought I had somewhat caught up to him¡­¡¯ He¡¯d been nurturing his body and mind with everything he had after being impressed by Raon¡¯s efforts. He had thought he was right behind him now, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. The strike that cut off the Green War Demon¡¯s arm earlier and the might Raon was disying right now far surpassed a trainee¡¯s level. ¡°Do you get it?¡± He turned his head around at the voice that sounded like amentation. Martha was right next to him, gasping for breath. ¡°That¡¯s his true power.¡± Martha narrowed her eyes and red at Raon, who was fighting equally against the Green War Demon. ¡°What he showed us was just the tip of the iceberg.¡± She was already aware of the fact that Raon had been hiding his power. ¡®However¡­¡¯ She had never imagined he was strong enough to fight on equal ground against the Green War Demon, who had pushed back herself, Burren, and Runaan with a single strike. ¡®I have no choice but to acknowledge him now.¡¯ Martha clenched her fist. The mission. Everything was in Raon¡¯s grasp. The situation developed just as he had said, and it was achieved the way he wanted. The only thing left was defeating that monster. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Runaan, who regained herposure, approached them holding a broken sword. Raon, who seemed to be barely holding on, was reflected on her blue eyes. She bit her lip harshly and was about to participate in the fight. That was when Martha blocked her way. ¡°Calm down. You will get torn into pieces the moment you step in.¡± ¡°I can help him.¡± ¡°You are going to die before then.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Runaan shook her head. Only thing reflected in her eyes was Raon, who was evading the axe with difficulty. ¡®This girl¡­¡¯ Martha furrowed her brow. Considering she was trying to participate despite knowing the danger, it seemed she wasn¡¯t following Raon for no reason. ¡°Then hold back just a little bit longer.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That guy¡­¡± Martha pointed at Raon. His eyes, which looked like crimson lightning, were bursting up instead. Martha continued while looking at such eyes. ¡°He has the same eyes as when he won against me in a duel.¡± *** ¡°Kuh!¡± The Green War Demon bared his teeth, exuding hisbative energy. ¡°It looks like you are running out of strength, am I right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond. He just focused on swinging his sword and blocking the axe. ¡®The murderous intent is getting more and more intense.¡¯ It seemed that he didn¡¯t earn the orc fighter¡¯s armor with hopscotch, since he was still full of energy despite having lost a quarter of his upper body. It was truly a crazy amount of endurance. ¡®I should¡¯ve finished him earlier.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue. He didn¡¯tpletely hide his murderous intent because it was his first assassination after a while. It was a regretful situation. ¡°You are special. Considering your age, it wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to call you the biggest genius on the continent. However¡­¡± The corners of the Green War Demon¡¯s lips were lifted in the shape of a crescent moon. ¡°I¡¯m also special.¡± The intensity of the me on his axe increased. Whoosh! The axe''s strike grew faster and fiercer. ng! Raon held his sword vertically to block the blow. When he was about to parry it like before, the axe¡¯s de rotated and pressed on the sword. ¡°I finished figuring out the swordsmanship you¡¯re using. It was a bit difficult because it was a variation of a basic swordsmanship, but it¡¯s over now.¡± The Green War Demon wasn¡¯t lying. He was reading into the direction Raon was going to move his sword, preventing him from blocking or parrying. Bam! A different sound roared from the sword and axe shing. It was a sh of strength. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon groaned despite having been holding it back. His forearm trembled from the strength of the axe, which was too much for him to handle. ¡°Did you know that? Eden¡¯s executives have a special ability.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What I have is a sense. A sense that tells me where you are going to move your sword next.¡± The Green War Demon grinned and swung his axe horizontally. Thebative energy in his axe created a strange flow and blocked where Raon was going to dodge. ¡°You talk a lot, just like somebody else I know.¡± Raon smiled coldly and swung his sword upward. Screech! Along with a sound of sawtooth being twisted, the Green War Demon¡¯s axe went past the de, heading to the ground. Thud! Raon kicked off from the copsing ground, piercing the Green War Demon¡¯s chest. He swung his sword to his surprised eyes. Slice! A lethal amount of blood burst out from the left side of his chest. ¡°Keuh!¡± Swinging his axe haphazardly, he stepped backward. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue. He was trying to cut him apartpletely, but he wascking in strength and distance. It was difficult to fight in a body that hadn¡¯tpletely grown yet. ¡°Y-you bastard. How could you¡­¡± ¡°Just like you figured out my swordsmanship, I also analyzed your attacking method.¡± ¡°¡­Do you expect me to believe that¡­¡± ¡°Why not? If you can do it, then I can do it as well.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. Thanks to using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ while fighting him, he managed to predict where the axe was going to move next. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but he could predict half of his movements. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Blood started subsiding from the Green War Demon¡¯s chest. A me ofbative energy burst from his entire body. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Raon Zieghart, nameless Green Demon of Eden.¡± ¡°Blond hair and red eyes. I¡¯ve been feeling uneasy from the first time I saw¡­¡± As if his murderous intent was taking shape, red energy burst out from his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve inherited most of Glenn Zieghart¡¯s blood.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are dangerous. I¡¯m going to kill you here no matter the cost. For Eden''s future.¡± Wham! Thebative energy that was spreading around the Green War Demon gathered in the double-edged axe. It looked like a mace made of red blood instead of an axe. ¡°I¡¯m going to destroy everything, you and the Ziegharts behind you alike.¡± The Green War Demon ground his teeth and raised his axe. Raon didn¡¯t step back despite witnessing that tremendous amount of power. He brandished his sword, which was swaying to the powerful energy wave. ¡°It¡¯s the perfect opportunity to try it out.¡± Stretching his knee to the front, he turned his sword behind him. Whir! The single me burning at the extremity of his sword flowed down the edge, sshing as if a tidal wave was carrying it. The ¡®Ten mes of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. The second door of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation'' opened up, and ten flowers blossomed on the de and started dancing. Chapter 74 The Green War Demon had never considered Raon a child, not since his surprise attack. He was hiding his presence as well as a wild animal, and his sh had no sign of hesitation. ¡®An assassin, and a highest-level assassin on top of that.¡¯ If that monster¡¯s name wasn¡¯t Zieghart, he would¡¯ve thought he was an assassin. However, his surprise attack had only seeded halfway, and the Green War Demon had the vitality of an orc fighter. He prepared for the next attack while burning up hisbative energy and his vitality. It seemed Raon had spent a lot of his power in that surprise attack, as he was unable to move right after. In the meantime, he stopped his shoulder¡¯s bleeding with hisbative energy and gathered his power. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ He had lost his arm and shoulder together, but since he managed to survive the first strike, he thought he was going to win without much difficulty. Since he was raised as an assassin, he thought he would be weak in a head on fight. Surrounding his axe withbative energy, he pummeled it down on him. He wanted to split him in two like firewood, but Raon easily managed to deflect the attack. ¡®How can he be proficient at something other than surprise attacks? At that age?¡¯ It didn¡¯t make any sense. Even if he was a Zieghart, it was impossible for such a young boy to deflect his attack like that. ¡®He isn¡¯t normal.¡¯ The Green War Demon felt uneasy somehow and kept swinging his axe at Raon. However, he managed to defend himself against all his attacks by blocking whatever he could block and evading whatever he needed to evade. He didn¡¯t feel like he was fighting against a young boy anymore, but a swordsman that had gone through countless battlefields. ¡®Still¡­¡¯ The Green War Demon had the orc fighter¡¯s sense of smell. As long as he had that ability to grasp the enemy¡¯s weakness and what they werecking, he couldn¡¯t possibly lose. ¡®I did it.¡¯ He understood everything about the young boy¡¯s swordsmanship. He swung his axe at the weakness he managed to find. m! The shing sound of sword and axe resounded out loud. A satisfying sensation could be felt through his hand. Beheading him was now just a matter of time. He swung his axe at the faltering boy. When he expected blood to gush out from his neck, his sword bent in a direction that he had never seen before to attack him. ng! Because of the powerful strike and his carelessness, his axe was pushed back and his posture was broken. ¡°Argh!¡± Before he managed to regain his footing, Raon attacked him. He swung his sword, shing through hisbative energy. Bam! The sound of his chest and ribs being split apart resounded in his ears, and he felt an excruciating pain. ¡°Keuh!¡± The Green War Demon coughed up blood and grabbed his chest with his remaining hand. ¡°You bastard. How did you even¡­¡± ¡°Just like you figured out my swordsmanship, I also analyzed your attacking method.¡± ¡°...Do you expect me to believe that¡­¡± ¡°Why not? If you can do it, then I can do it as well.¡± He gulped. The faint smell of danger was getting stronger. He had a talent that he had never seen before, despite having witnessed countless talented people. He had a premonition that he was going to be Eden¡¯s strongest enemy if he was left alone. ¡®At any cost¡­¡¯ He needed to kill him. Whir! He surrounded his axe by burning up his remainingbative energy and vitality. The double-edged axe¡¯s de was burning intensely, engulfed in mes. ¡°Grrrrr!¡± The moment he was about to strike in order to get rid of the boy named Raon and the other Ziegharts behind him, Crack. His eyes started burning in a crimson color. Whir! The moment he murmured ¡®The Ten mes of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, the small me burning at the tip of his de spread to the edge and ten flowers of me blossomed. ¡°Ah¡­¡± His chest tightened as he saw the mes. The injury on his chest, which he¡¯d stopped from bleeding, burst open once more. The boy pointed his burning sword at him, his eyes shining like a demon. ¡°Consider yourself lucky to be the first victim of the ¡®Ten mes¡¯.¡± * * * * * * Whir! Raon¡¯s eyes shone, watching the me surrounding his entire sword. ¡®It was a sess.¡¯ He thought it was still impossible for him, but he managed toplete the ¡®Ten mes¡¯ thanks to the enlightenment he¡¯d had during the battle. Whir! Overflowing power, strong enough to cut the Green War Demon apart in his unscathed state, burst from the sword. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± The Green War Demon¡¯s astonishment could be seen through his helmet. ¡°Wh-what the hell are you?! How can you be so strong at this age¡­¡± It looked like his astonishment had surpassed the orc fighter¡¯s instinct, since his voice had returned to a human¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s not the important part right now.¡± Raon took a step forward, spinning his ming sword. ¡°Come at me.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± White steam billowed from his helmet. He started gathering all his remaining energy on his right arm. Thud! He kicked the ground and pierced into him. The double-edged axe that was pummeling down contained all his remaining energy. ng! The moment the axe was right under his nose, Raon thrust the sword he was keeping at his back. ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes¡¯. ¡®me¡¯s Dancing Wind¡¯. The flower blossoms sitting on his de spread out and started rotating. It looked like a whirlwind was rising from his sword as a tremendous firepower split apart the Green War Demon¡¯sbative energy. Bam! Facing the power of Ten Thousand me Cultivation¡¯s sword technique, me¡¯s Dancing Wind¡ªwhich could be used afterpleting the Ten mes¡ªthe Green War Demon grit his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet! I¡¯m going to get rid of you at any cost¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s already over.¡± Raon calmly dered, swinging his sword. sh! Thebative energy, already torn apart, couldn''t withstand the Ten mes¡¯ fire. The ming silver de pierced through the Green War Demon¡¯s heart. ¡°Keuh, y-you Ziegh¡­¡± Unable to finish hisst sentence, he copsed on his back. ng! The dark green helmet on his head split in half, along with his armor. A young man in his twenties was found dead inside of it, with his eyes white. Raon extinguished the Ten mes¡¯ fire. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He breathed out roughly, feeling his pent-up exhaustion. He was about to sink to his knees as his strength left his legs, but he endured it and turned around. He could feel the gazes of the trainees and the vigers, full of various emotions like astonishment, shock, relief, awe, etc. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°You bastard! Are you seriously¡­¡± Burren¡¯s lip trembled, unable to finish his sentence, and Runaan sank to her knees as if she was more anxious than he was. Martha¡¯s eyes were shining, as if she was going to pounce at him at once. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Raon raised his sword, pointing at the bewildered green demons. Since they had never expected the Green War Demon to lose, they were at aplete loss. ¡°Wipe them all out!¡± ¡°Waaaah!¡± The trainees, who''s fighting spirit could pierce the heavens thanks to Raon¡¯s victory, dashed at the green demons surrounding the battlefield. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon rotated the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ to melt down the exhaustion surrounding his body and started filling his energy center with aura. ¡®This is so great.¡¯ The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ was most effective after the fight, despite being also useful before and during it. The aura that he had exhausted was full to bursting once again, like a boat riding a strong current, andctic acid filling his muscles were melting away. On top of that, it stopped the coldness inside his mana circuit from rampaging¡ªwhich was about to happen¡ªso it was truly the greatest cultivation method in many ways. ¡®This is pretty funny.¡¯ Since he had obtained the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ while running away after fighting against Eden, it could be considered funny. They were also the enemies that had killed his father and his sister, though. ¡°Yeeah!¡± ¡°Kill all the green demons!¡± ¡°Finish the battle!¡± Since Raon was still standing and watching them, the green demons didn¡¯t dare attack back nor run away. They just offered their necks to the trainees. The battle ended in less than ten minutes, and the trainees were the only ones standing in front of the wooden fence. ¡°Raon.¡± After ying thest green demon, Runaan ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder. It seemed to be her way ofplimenting him. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Burren approached him after that. ¡°Haa, y-you were right. The enemies were strong, and we were weak. It looks like I was blinded from that one victory. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He bowed while biting his lip, so much that it could be mistaken as a pledge of obedience. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, not only us but the vigers we were supposed to save would also have died. Thank you. And I¡¯m sorry. However¡­¡± Burren continued, while raising his head. ¡°I would¡¯ve still gone to help them. Even if I¡¯m too weak, ignoring injustice isn¡¯t what a Zieghart swordsman would do.¡± ¡°You did well.¡± Raon nodded, meeting Burren¡¯s green eyes. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I managed to find the Green War Demon¡¯s opening thanks to you fighting with everything you have. You took a great part in this victory.¡± ¡°Wh-what are your intentions?! What do you want from me?!¡± Hearing apliment he had never expected, Burren¡¯s fingers trembled in nervousness. ¡°I¡¯m being honest.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I-it will be different next time.¡± Burren murmured, lowering his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to be strong enough to catch up to you in the future and do my job properly!¡± He bowed once again. It was his expression of gratitude, for saving his life and giving him enlightenment. ¡°Thank you for saving me and everyone¡¯s lives.¡± After saying that, Burren entered the vige along with the coterals. It looked like they were going to start the reconstruction right away. Considering the way he was thinking about the vige in that situation, he really had the talent to be a leader. ¡°Martha.¡± Raon called Martha, who was standing still with her arms crossed. ¡°Good job. I managed to direct the fight in my favor thanks to you doing your job.¡± If Martha didn¡¯t attract the Green War Demon¡¯s attention until the end, he would¡¯ve failed his surprise attack and the fight would¡¯ve been a lot more difficult. She had done better than she was told. ¡°I should bite my tongue and kill myself if I can¡¯t even follow the instructions.¡± After swaying her corner of her lips, Martha turned her head and entered the vige. Despite what she said, she seemed to like thepliment. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed. Probably because his tension had disappearedpletely, the strength left his legs regardless of his body¡¯s exhaustion. Tap. As he was about to copse back, he felt something soft touch his back. He turned his head and saw Runaan supporting him. ¡°You looked like you were going to copse.¡± She nodded her head. ¡°How did you realize that?¡± ¡°It was the same during the training.¡± Runaan nodded head, her mouth closed. ¡°I see.¡± Just as he had been watching the other trainees, it seemed they had been watching him as well. ¡°Ha.¡± Raon snickered and sat down. He wanted to fall asleep. He had been too tense. Multiple messages were appearing in front of his eyes, but he didn¡¯t have any energy left to read them. He just closed his eyes and fell asleep. Chapter 75 Raon opened his eyes, feeling refreshed after his long slumber. They were all positive messages. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon blinked and raised his body. He was inside a log house that he had never seen before. It looked like he was still in Cebu vige. ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± He checked the messages once again. They were about the ability, title, and trait that he had obtained through his fight against the Green War Demon. ¡­Why are you getting so many rewards for defeating such a weakling? Wrath ground his teeth. He seemed displeased about the fact that he was getting rewarded. He was just a tenacious idiot. And yet, you are getting stats, a title, and even a trait. This is ridiculous. ¡®It¡¯s your ability, though.¡¯ Raon raised his hand to push away Wrath, who was emanating coldness and wrath at the same time. Damn it! I didn¡¯t realize when I was using it, but that¡¯s seriously¡­ Wrath didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but Raon could understand him nheless. ¡®This is certainly a cheat.¡¯ Raon slowly nodded and opened the status window. The first thing he noticed was the title. It had changed from the ¡®First Victory¡¯ to ¡®Indomitable¡¯. He noticed despite the title having changed, the effect of the previous title still remained. He checked the new title. ¡®Is this for real?¡¯ Raon furrowed his brows. A three percent increase didn¡¯t look like a big deal, but it was an ability that got better the stronger he was. Since most of the opponents he was going to face in the future would be stronger than him, the title¡¯s effect could also be considered semi-permanent. ¡®Then next¡­¡¯ He then checked the new trait, ¡®Backstab¡¯. ¡®It¡¯s a trait specialized for assassination.¡¯ It was a trait that decreased his presence and increased the chance of a critical hit. ¡®If only I had this before¡­¡¯ The Green War Demon had noticed his presence before he had started to attack him. If only he had the trait beforehand, he might¡¯ve been able to finish him off in a single strike. ¡®Well, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to obtain those abilities in that case.¡¯ Since he had gotten stronger after a difficult battle, it was a misfortune turned into a blessing. Raon closed the status window after checking the increased stats. ¡®I¡¯m getting stronger day by day thanks to you. Thank you.¡¯ Keuh¡­ Wrath, who couldn¡¯t see the status window, was ring at him with his blue eyes. You won¡¯t be able to die peacefully. I¡¯m going to chew on your body over and over and over, then make you suffer for eternity. ¡®Do it if you can.¡¯ Since Raon was on his second life, after having already experienced the worst death ever, Wrath¡¯s anger and threats were something he could scoff at. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon stretched his body and stood up. The muscle pain and headache that he was suffering from had disappeared, probably thanks to the increased stats. Rattle. Once he opened the door and went outside, he could see the ck sky, just like when he copsed. It seemed he had slept for an entire day. ¡°It¡¯s rebuilt.¡± The vige¡¯s wooden fence was rebuilt, sturdier and higher than before. It looked like all the trainees had worked together. ¡°Raon?¡± He turned upon hearing a surprised voice, only to see Runaan standing there. Judging from how she was holding a washbasin, it looked like she was on her way to his room. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. His condition had returned to normal after a long sleep. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Dinner. Everyone¡¯s gathered.¡± She pointed to her back with her finger. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon rubbed his stomach. He was indeed hungry since he didn¡¯t eat anything for over an entire day. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon followed Runaan to the center of the vige. Fire was burning from a big brazier at the center, and the vigers and the trainees were gathered around it. A few people couldn¡¯t be seen¡ªthey must¡¯ve been standing guard. ¡°Huh? Raon!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°Th-the benefactor woke up!¡± ¡°Benefactor!¡± The trainees and the vigers, who were sitting in a circle around the brazier, stood up at once and shouted. ¡°H-how¡¯s your body? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you woke up!¡± Burren ran up to him with wide eyes first, the other trainees following and examining him with worried gazes. ¡°Benefactor!¡± ¡°Thank you for saving the vige! Benefactor!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve fought so much for the sake of our vige¡­¡± The vigers, including the vige chief, also ran up to him and knelt to express their gratitude. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon swallowed, watching them all. Everyone¡¯s gazes¡­ He could see the emotions contained in those eyes. Thanks, gratitude, repayment, awe. From the trainees¡¯ eyes, he could see embarrassment, gratitude, awe, aspiration, yearning, etc. They had decided that Raon would be their role model, and they would follow and pursue his swordsmanship. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon received the people¡¯s gazes, the ones that were touching his heart deeply. His heart fluttered. An emotion he had never felt before was enveloping his heart. When he was an assassin in his previous life, he had never received emotions of gratitude, acknowledgement, and yearning. Life and death were the only things that existed then. He put his life on the line to kill people and gather information for the sake of House Robert, yet the acknowledgement and reward all went to the public people¡ªlike Derus Robert. It was his first time in either of his lives getting acknowledged like that. He was thrilled, in a different way than when he felt aplished from training his swordsmanship or aura. He looked at everyone once again. The vigers were shouting out their gratitude, and the trainees were worrying about him with gazes full of yearning and awe. ¡®Yes, from now on¡­.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist. Since he was going to live as a swordsman instead of an assassin, it was a sight he was going to behold countless times in the future. He wanted more. The desire to be acknowledged even more and receive more yearning gazes was born inside him. Even more in the future¡­ * * * * * * Raon visited the vige chief after finishing his meal. The vige chief was flustered, bending forward significantly to bow. ¡°Can I talk to you for a moment?¡± ¡°O-of course!¡± He raised the vige chief¡¯s body, which was rolled up like arva, and brought him to a corner. ¡°Are you already aware of the identity of those who attacked the vige?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I know that they are a group called Eden, who can control monsters.¡± The vige chief nodded. Even a small vige like that was aware of Eden''s infamy. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why we became their target. It¡¯s a small vige with nothing to gain for them¡­¡± The vige chief shook his head, murmuring that it was weird. ¡°I heard about it while fighting against them, but didn¡¯t you obtain a red gem from Cebu Mountain in the past?¡± ¡°Red gem? Ah, I have one. I found it in the mountains when I was young and brought it to the vige¡­ W-wait, no way!¡± ¡°Yes, that gem was their target.¡± The vige chief¡¯s eyes widened at hearing Raon¡¯s words. ¡°Th-then, all of this happened because of that pebble¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He nodded. He needed to tell him honestly so that he would give him the gem of his own ord. ¡°Th-the vige was almost destroyed because of me! Oh, no! It was all my fault!¡± The vige chief sank on his knees and started hitting the ground. ¡°Eden¡¯s demons will keeping to the vige as long as the gem remains here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been treating it like a guardian deity, since the soil had be fertile, and the cold had subsided ever since I buried the gem underground. Something like that¡­¡± Raon became more certain after hearing it from the vige chief. The goblin king was a monster with a powerful fire attribute. Since it was a gem left behind by him, it must¡¯ve been warming up the vige. ¡°Th-then what shall I do? Shall I throw away the gem now¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it with me.¡± ¡°Pardon? Is the benefactor really going to?¡± ¡°Eden is an extremely evil group that tries to erase humanity from the continent. They will most likely end up obtaining it if you throw it away, so I¡¯ll bring it to Zieghart.¡± ¡°I can¡¯tmit another offense to you like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. That¡¯s what Zieghart does.¡± ¡°Aah!¡± Raon said something Burren would say. The vige chief seemed to be impressed, his eyes glittering like morning dew. ¡°Zieghart is granting us another favor that we can¡¯t return.¡± ¡°Another?¡± ¡°Yes. The current head of house, Glenn Zieghart, saved our vige a few decades ago. I think it was when I was slightly older than the benefactor.¡± The vige chief raised his chin as if he were reminiscing about the past, looking up at the starry sky. ¡°The head of house did?¡± ¡°Yes. He saved the entire vige just like the benefactor and treated us kindly with a smile.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon tilted his head. ¡®Kindness and a smile, huh¡­¡¯ It was impossible to imagine, considering how Glenn looked currently. ¡°Aww, this old man just bbered about the past. Come this way, I¡¯ll hand it over right now.¡± The vige chief scratched his head in embarrassment and went to his house, located to the east. ¡®So even that person used to be like that.¡¯ Raon imagined Glenn¡¯s smile, who was now like a block of ice, and followed the vige chief. *** The vige chief¡¯s house was at the western end, where Raon had woken up. Since the vige chief¡¯s house was usually located at the center, it was unusual for it to be at the end. ¡°So, this was the vige chief¡¯s house. Please excuse me.¡± ¡°Oh, it was nothing!¡± The vige chief waved his hand at Raon. ¡°But don¡¯t vige chiefs usually live at the center?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯ve been living here all along, I grew attached to it and didn¡¯t really want to leave.¡± The vige chief scratched his chin and went to the yard. ¡°I¡¯ve buried it here. I thought it was a blessing since it was warming up the vige, but it was actually a curse.¡± He started digging a small field in the yard. After digging for about thirty minutes, he finally took out something wrapped in a ck fabric. ¡°¡­What is that fabric?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wrapping cloth passed down for generations in my family. Since this pebble was shining so intensely, I wrapped it so it wouldn¡¯t be noticed.¡± While saying that, the vige chief unraveled the fabric. Whir! Along with an intense heat, a powerful red light shone upon the dim garden. It seemed like the whole world had be bright with an enormous fire. ¡®This is the goblin king¡¯s magic stone¡­¡¯ If Eden managed to obtain that magic stone, they would¡¯ve created a new monster possessing the goblin king¡¯s abilities. ¡°Sir, wrap it back in that cloth for no¡­¡± ¡°That was why.¡± As Raon was about to tell him to hide the gem once again, a calm and deep voice could be heard from the right side. ¡°Huh!¡± Raon raised his head, standing in front of the vige chief. A general in a battlefield would¡¯ve looked like him. He looked rough and fierce, his body full of scars. He had an extremelyrge build, and the way he was standing on a thin wooden fence with that big body of his looked out of this world. The most distinct feature was his eyes. Madness could be seen in his yellow eyes, making the hair on his neck stand on end. ¡®I couldn¡¯t even sense him, though?¡¯ Since he didn¡¯t even manage to perceive him despite his huge build, he wasn¡¯t just an expert. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Me? I wonder?¡± As he flicked his finger, a green helmet appeared in front of his eyes. It had a round shape with buck teeth protruding to top and bottom, and a single horn existed on its head. Ogre. The helmet was in the shape of a monster known as the tyrant of the mountains, and the man was spinning it on his finger. ¡°Guess who I am.¡± Chapter 76 Ogre. It was a monster called the tyrant of the mountains because of its outstanding intelligence on top of its powerful strength and agility. Since it was one of the fiercest monsters, they often ended up killing the mage that tamed them. Of course, Eden¡ªwhich used the monsters¡¯ power¡ªalso had a monster that had the ogre¡¯s characteristics transferred. The Blood Raving Demon. The name, which signified he was crazy for blood, was a really suitable name for an ogre known for its ferocity and madness. ¡°¡­Are you the Blood Raving Demon?¡± Raon chewed his lip. He could feel the blood gushing out from his lip, spilling down his chin. ¡°Even though you are a Zieghart sprout, you must have some sharp eyes to recognize this helmet at a nce.¡± The Blood Raving Demon giggled, grabbing the helmet he was spinning. ¡°And I can¡¯t determine your might for sure. Did you y the Green War Demon?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon¡¯s hands trembled, unable to respond. The Blood Raving Demon was too powerful for his current self to handle, no¡ªit was impossible, even if hebined forces with everyone else. ¡°Why is someone like you here¡­?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m the one who gave the mission to the Green War Demon. I never imagined he would die so easily.¡± The Blood Raving Demon snickered and stood up. His enormous height made him look like a steel tower soaring on the wooden fence. ¡°That fabric is called Dark. It has a special effect of hiding the energy inside of it. Old man, you were lucky. Your vige would¡¯ve been turned into ashes from the beginning if you hadn¡¯t covered it with that.¡± The Blood Raving Demon kindly exined about the fabric enveloping the goblin king¡¯s magic stone. ¡°Well, my turn ended uping thanks to that.¡± He equipped the huge ogre¡¯s helmet on his head. Obviously, it didn¡¯t fit. However, the helmet started vibrating oddly once he started using his aura. Rumble! With the sound of something spinning from the inside, the helmet started to shrink in size to fit the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s head. Whir! Green rusty water gushed from the helmet, covering the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s entire body. The ogre¡¯s armor, with noticeable muscles at the size of a boulder, started to form. ¡®There¡¯s no opening.¡¯ Raon bit his lip. He wanted to attack, but the Blood Raving Demon wasn¡¯t showing the slightest opening. Rumble! Once the lunatic light burst from the helmet¡¯s empty eyes, he couldn¡¯t breathe for a moment. Raon Zieghart. As he was barely enduring it, Wrath burst out from the bracelet. His voice was as heavy as lead. I¡¯m going to be honest. You have two choices right now. ¡®Choices?¡¯ Either you get killed by him or give your body to the King of Essence. Wrath dered solemnly, as if he was merely stating the truth. Those are the only choices you have right now. *** Burren Zieghart was double checking the wooden fence that he had installed with the other trainees. ¡®It¡¯s pretty good.¡¯ Since they had used the method learned from the instructors, the fence¡¯s durability wasn¡¯t too bad despite having been built in a short time. It looked like it could withstand orcs or goblin attacks without much difficulty. The materials mostly came out from Dorian¡¯s pocket. It was helpful, but he couldn¡¯t understand why he was carrying all that. ¡°Sir Burren, Raon has disappeared along with the vige chief. Is that alright?¡± The coteral that was right behind him approached him and whispered. ¡°So what?¡± Burren turned around and asked back. ¡°I mean, the vige chief might give him some treasure, and if he takes them for himself¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a meaningless worry.¡± He snickered and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are also aware of it. If Raon wasn¡¯t here, not only us but the entire vige would¡¯ve drowned in our own blood. Whatever he receives or learns isn¡¯t for us to argue. And¡­¡± The coterals shut their mouths, hearing his voiceing from the bottom of his heart. ¡°We are all using the name Zieghart. Competing between us in order to get stronger is fine, but there¡¯s no reason to fight or begrudge each other when we are outside. You must''ve realized this to a certain extent already.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The coteral trainees nodded. ¡®He is correct.¡¯ The trainees had been deeply impressed by Raon from the battle against the Green War Demon. Honestly, they couldn¡¯t feel any hatred or jealousy against him anymore. ¡°It looks like the insects have finallye to their senses.¡± ¡°Martha?¡± Burren raised his head, hearing the belittling voice. Martha was swinging her legs on top of a tree next to the wooden fence. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I came to check if you built the wooden fence properly.¡± ¡°How is the wooden fence then?¡± ¡°Not too bad considering your sloppiness. I guess your head isn¡¯tpletely made of stones.¡± ¡°Get out of my sight if you¡¯ve finished checking. We are going to finish up here.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one person who can order me around.¡± Martha came down from the tree, snorting. As she was about to walk towards Burren, a rustling sound could be heard from the bushes. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°Right there,e out!¡± As Burren and Martha lowered their postures, a silver-haired girl burst out of the bush. ¡°Runaan?¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Fruits.¡± Runaan showed them the basket she was holding. It contained ripe golden apples. ¡°Why are you harvesting that here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to give them to Raon.¡± ¡°You can just give him the ones the vigers have already harvested.¡± ¡°This is fresher.¡± Runaan quietly responded with nk eyes. ¡°You act like you¡¯re already married.¡± Martha provoked her with cold eyes, but Runaan took her basket without showing any reaction. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± It was when she was about to leave. Baaam! A thunderous noise, loud enough to shake the earth, roared from the vige¡¯s outskirts. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening!¡± ¡°What is this¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Burren, Runaan, and Martha, who were squatting on the ground while covering their heads, opened their eyes wide. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the direction Raon and the vige chief were headed!¡± Runaan and Martha started to move first. ¡°It¡¯s an emergency! You guys go and get your weapons, call the other trainees!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Burren gave out the instructions while following the other two. Baang! As everyone was about to run towards Raon¡¯s location, another powerful energy burst out, reaching the vige¡¯s center. Baam! A blond-haired boy holding something in his arms bounced out from between the copsing buildings. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Runaan and Martha¡¯s jaws dropped, noticing the boy rolling on the ground. ¡°Raon?¡± ¡°R-Raon Zieghart!¡± * * * * * * The boy was Raon. He was biting his lip with an even more nervous expression than when he was facing the Green War Demon. ¡°Runaan!¡± Raon called Runaan¡¯s name and threw the thing he was holding in his arms at her. ¡°Mmhm.¡± Runaan ran ahead and caught the thing Raon had thrown at her. It was the unconscious vige chief, who was bleeding from his forehead. ¡°Runaan. Martha. Don¡¯te over here! Escape this ce immediately!¡± His expression wasn¡¯t just urgent, but he looked like he was about to gasp his life away. ¡°Just what happened¡­?¡± Martha stopped approaching Raon, looking towards the west. Thud! A fierce step sounded like the earth was screaming, and the sandy dust filling the air scattered away. A green giant, which looked like the personification of a mountain, was approaching them. The muscles in his arms and legs were as hard as a lump of boulders, and his yellow eyes were burning with madness. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°O-ogre¡¯s armor¡­¡± The man was wearing the tyrant of the mountain¡¯s helmet and armor. Martha and Runaan¡¯s thoughts stopped as they faced his energy wave. ¡°B-Blood Raving Demon¡­¡± The name of the man wearing an ogre''s helmet spilled from Martha¡¯s mouth. The bloody name made the atmosphere even heavier. ¡°There were some cute fellows over here.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Madness shimmered from the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s helmet. Martha and Runaan¡¯s legs trembled, as if they were going to copse at any time. ¡°Raon! What¡¯s happening this ti¡­Ah!¡± Burren and the trainees that followed them froze in surprise. Their bodies were frozen stiff from the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s pressure. ¡°You are rather slow, despite using Zieghart''s name.¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°Pu¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s eyes sparkled yellow. Under the predator¡¯s intense murderous intent, the trainees knelt down while grabbing their chests. ¡°Pull yourselves together!¡± As the trainees were about to copse, Raon¡¯s clear voice pierced through the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fear. Whir! Raon¡¯s clean energy spread out and the light returned to the trainees¡¯ misty eyes. ¡°We will be annihted if you keep sitting there like idiots! Burren! Command the trainees to prepare the vigers! Martha and Runaan, keep your distance and prepare for diversions!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°A-alright. I¡¯ll return right after!¡± Burren ran back while gritting his teeth. Runaan and Martha split to the sides while using their aura. ¡°Consider yourselves dead if you get hit by his fist. Never fight him head on, just assist me.¡± Raon spoke quietly, without taking his eyes off the Blood Raving Demon. Runaan and Martha nodded at once. ¡°Do you remember what Instructor Rimmer told us every time? We have to surpass our limits.¡± Raon continued while gritting his teeth. ¡°Now is the time. We have to surpass the limits of both our bodies and minds.¡± ¡°Surpass your limits?¡± The Blood Raving Demon grinned, then clenched his fist. The redbative energy burst up, distorting the air. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s enough.¡± *** Whir! Raon brandished his sword while relieving his tension by rotating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡®It was a single strike.¡¯ Despite having dodged the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist, his skin still broke. It was truly an overwhelming power, an endless strength. ¡®It would¡¯ve been difficult even in my previous life¡­¡¯ Assassination was a different story, but he couldn¡¯t be sure whether he could¡¯ve won against the monster even if he had his previous life¡¯s body. It really was a desperate situation, but he couldn¡¯t just resign. He needed to find an opening somehow and cut his head off. ¡®But¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t find it. As if an endless cliff had be a human, he couldn¡¯t find the slightest opening. ¡°You were acting as if you were going to attack at any time, but are you really going to?¡± The Blood Raving Demon grinned, holding his chin up high. ¡°If you aren¡¯ting to me, then I¡¯m going to you!¡± He stomped the ground, crushing the earth. Raon¡¯s sight was immediately filled with the Blood Raving Demon. It was a ridiculous speed. Whoosh! The Blood Raving Demon that approached him at a super speed thrust his fist. Raon shed his sword towards the fist, the size of a boulder, aimed at his head. ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation Ten mes¡¯. ¡®Revolving Sky¡¯. The ming sword shed through the air, rushing at the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist. ¡°That¡¯s some nice firepower!¡± Along with a delightful voice, the Blood Raving Demon turned his fist. Bright redbative energy appeared, shing with the ¡®Revolving Sky¡¯. Baam! The snake of me that surrounded the sword dissipated, pressed upon by the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s aura. ¡°Hup!¡± Raon¡¯s eyes were distorted. The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fists were aimed at his heart after erasing his strike with the ¡®Revolving Sky¡¯. ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± He twisted his sword while screaming. The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist was deflected to the side, following the side of the sword. m! Along with a threatening destructive sound, the buildings on the right side copsed at once. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon stepped backward, catching his breath. Despite having deflected the attack, his shoulder was hurting as if it was dislocated. ¡®I almost died there.¡¯ A cold sweat flowed down his forehead. If he hadn¡¯t managed to read the trajectory of his fist using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, his head would¡¯ve burst like a tomato. He looked aside. Runaan and Martha were biting their lips, not knowing what to do. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ Raon conveyed his intention with his gaze. Now wasn¡¯t the time to move, but to observe. He needed to endure the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s attacks as much as possible in order to show them his movements before they participated in the fight. It was necessary in order to create a slight chance of victory, as small as ten percent¡ªno, more like one percent. Whir! Raon created the fire of the Ten mes once again. The me starting from the sword¡¯s extremity surrounded its edge. ¡°Great. It would be no fun if the me was extinguished with a single punch!¡± The Blood Raving Demon jumped like a bird, striking with his fist. Using the sixth form of the ¡®Star-Combining Sword¡¯, Raon parried the fists falling down like meteorites. Squeeze! The redbative energy spreading from the Blood Raving Demon started to press on the Ten mes once again. ¡°A powerful fire attribute aura. It¡¯s strong enough that I understand why that stupid Green War Demon was defeated by you. However, that won¡¯t work against me. Do you know the reason?¡± The Blood Raving Demon smiled menacingly and thrust his fist. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Dodging the fist with a paper-thin difference, Raon swung his sword. ¡°It¡¯s your trait.¡± ¡°You are well aware of it. That¡¯s right. me can¡¯t cut through me.¡± The Blood Raving Demon giggled, striking with his palm. Raon barely managed to dodge it, but blood gushed out from his chin at the wind pressure. ¡°Something like an aura of me is meaningless against me, who has inherited the ogre¡¯s strength!¡± He was telling the truth. An Ogre was a monster that was resistant to the fire attribute, capable of destroying a castle after getting hit by dozens of fire arrows. However, the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ wasn¡¯t the only weapon Raon had. ¡°Then I can just use something else.¡± ¡°What?¡± A blue frost burst from Raon¡¯s red eyes. The ¡®Coldness of the Frost¡¯. The blue light like an ocean filled the white de he was holding. Chapter 77 As the ¡®Coldness of the Frost¡¯ spread out from Raon¡¯s sword, the ground started to freeze up in pure white. ¡°Ice? Is that a water attribute?¡± Panic appeared in the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s yellow eyes. ¡°Using water attribute aura after using a ridiculously powerful fire attribute aura, what¡¯s your identity?¡± ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± Raon twisted his sword and shed, shooting the frost gathered on his de. ¡°Huh, you can even use the aura de.¡± The Blood Raving Demon thrust his fist while gasping in amazement. The boulder-like fist shattered the pure white aura de. Even though his full-power aura de had been shattered, Raon¡¯s eyes remained calm. ''Because the attack wasn¡¯t the only effect of the frost.¡¯ Along with a sound of freezingke, pure white ice sprouted on the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s hand. ¡°This is¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon frowned and red at his freezing hand. It looked like he was trying to clench his fist and failing. ¡°Did you even reach the attribute¡¯s enlightenment? You really know no bounds.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Without letting down his guard, Raon shot another aura de containing the ¡®Coldness of the Frost¡¯. ¡®I can¡¯t be careless.¡¯ His head would be blown away in an instant if he let his guard down because his attack was somewhat effective. He needed to consider his defense while attacking and change his position continuously with footwork. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Instead of throwing a punch like before, the Blood Raving Demon rotated his body and dodged the aura de. ng! Raon swung his sword, controlling as much ¡®Coldness of the Frost¡¯ as he could. The intense cold emanating from the de filled the space. Whir! The ground froze and the atmosphere¡¯s temperature decreased, gradually slowing down the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s movements. ¡®I¡¯m d I watched her before.¡¯ Raon looked at Runaan, who was biting her lip. Thanks to having observed how she spread the frost before, he was able to use the aura of cold without much difficulty. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon moved restlessly to avoid the frost covering the ground and the aura de that Raon was shooting. His fist, which used to be quick and powerful, was slowing down and weakening. ¡°Kuaaah! You little rat!¡± The Blood Raving Demon screamed and thrust his fist. Whoosh! Raon turned his ankle to dodge the blow and shed his sword once again. The frigid aura de cut through the air. ¡°Keugh!¡± The Blood Raving Demon stepped backwards in order to avoid the frost, groaning. Raon¡¯s dominance seemed to be apparent. However, the tension didn¡¯t disappear from Raon¡¯s deep eyes. He kept swinging his sword with an even more intense pressure than at the start of the fight. ¡®The chance hasn''te yet.¡¯ *** ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± After preparing everyone, Burren returned to the vige with ten trainees. The vige center was in ruins, as if it had been under a magical bombardment. He could see fire raging on one side, and the other side¡¯s ground waspletely frozen. It was truly a strange sight. m! He turned his head towards the thunderous noiseing from the left. Or rather, his head automatically turned before he even heard the sound. Raon, whose sword was surrounded in a blue light, was crossing his sword with the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist at a point-nk distance. ¡®Aura de? When did he reach Sword Expert¡­?¡¯ Using an aura de signified that he had reached the novice level of Sword Expert. The fact that he was a novice level Expert at the age of fifteen baffled him despite the situation. ¡®No, wait! Raon¡¯s aura is¡­¡¯ Burren¡¯s astonishment didn¡¯t end with his aura de. His eyes became so wide that they looked like they were going to pop out upon seeing the frost rising from Raon¡¯s de. ¡®Frost!¡¯ It was an aura of ice even more intense and sharp than Runaan¡¯s. He gasped at the fact that he had been hiding such a thing so far. ¡®To have an aura of frost and being an Expert¡­ What exactly is the height you¡¯ve reached?¡¯ The continent¡¯s warriors had divided might into different ranks. They were levels that were used regardless of the weapon: sword, spear, bow, and fist alike. Anyone who began to use aura was allowed to be called a Beginner. Beginner rank was separated into novice, intermediate, and advanced. Upon getting ustomed to their aura and bing capable of imbuing their weapon with aura, one could be a User. User rank also had the same levels: novice, intermediate and advanced. The next rank was the Expert level, which was when they became capable of discharging the aura from their weapon. It wasmonly referred to as the level where they could use the aura de, and it was Raon¡¯s current level. The Blood Raving Demon was generally known to be at the highest level of Expert, or at the Master level. And yet, Raon was pushing the Blood Raving Demon into a corner despite being at the novice level of the Expert rank, which was far lower than his opponent. Burren¡¯s heart was filled with passion upon realizing that. ¡°Haa.¡± Burren shivered. ¡®Monster¡­¡¯ Rather than the Blood Raving Demon, who was exploding the surroundings each time he thrust his fist, he was more frightened by Raon, who was facing him. It wasn''t simply because he was using two auras and had reached the Expert rank at such a young age. Swordsmanship and footwork. The fact that he was fighting the Blood Raving Demon while using basic swordsmanship and footwork that anyone could use was giving him goosebumps. Whoosh! Raon¡¯s movements were swift. Like a flower petal riding a typhoon, he dodged the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist by using the wind pressure preceding it. That was only possible through a tremendous amount of effort, regardless of his skill or talent, and Raon was a monster of effort. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s attacks were sharp, but they couldn¡¯t inflict any noticeable amount of damage to the Blood Raving Demon. All it could do was freeze his right arm in frost. ¡®There¡¯s a difference in power after all. Then¡­ huh?¡¯ Burren narrowed his eyes as he observed the battle between the two. Raon was ncing at him while swinging his sword. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Probably because they had been together for over three years, he could immediately notice the intentions behind Raon¡¯s gaze. ¡®He is asking me to help.¡¯ Raon¡¯s gaze was telling him to attack together with him through an opening he would create. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He looked around at the sides. Martha and Runaan had also noticed his intentions, and were quickly operating their aura so that they could make their move whenever they wanted to. ¡®That¡¯s right. The Blood Raving Demon isn¡¯t a big deal, since we are Ziegharts.¡¯ He clenched his fist and gathered the aura from his energy center. He drew his sword while feeling the green wind surrounding him. ¡®We are going to save this ce!¡¯ * * * * * * Burren focused on the fight between Raon and the Blood Raving Demon, his eyes wide. Since the opportunity coulde at any time, he kept controlling his aura while breathing steadily. As his hand was about to be covered in sweat from watching the fight between the two monsters¡­ Raon¡¯s sword hit the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s left hand. Crackle! With the sound of icicles forming, the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s hand froze. ¡°Do it now! Use everything you have!¡± Burren had already started moving before Raon said it. Thud! He brandished his sword and kicked the ground to jump towards the Blood Raving Demon. The same sound could be heard from the left and right. Runaan and Martha were running with him. Whir! From the swords that Burren, Runaan, and Martha were holding, their auras burst out like the sun erasing the night. ¡°You¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon was grinding his teeth, his frozen hands trembling in panic. ¡®We can win!¡¯ Looking at his panicked face, he became certain. He could win. Whir! As they were about to perform their most powerful attack against the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s vital points¡­ ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Burren, Runaan, and Martha raised their heads at the atmosphere that suddenly became heavier. Their eyes widened at the same time. The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s eyes, which had been full of panic, had be ice cold. Their hearts dropped upon seeing hispletelyposed eyes, despite still containing madness. Creak! The atmosphere was distorted by the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s atrocious smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this, you insects.¡± *** Crack! The Blood Raving Demon thrust his aura-filled fist. The wind pressure apanying the strike crushed the ground. However, Raon thrust his sword while withstanding the pressure. He pierced the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s shoulder with the icy blue sword. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon ground his teeth, his gaze a zing yellow. However, there was no anger or frustration at the bottom of his heart. He was simply filled with interest and curiosity. ¡®A genius that will be spoken of throughout the continent¡¯s history, huh.¡¯ Judging from his appearance and skin, he was only in his mid-teens. And yet, he could skillfully handle an aura de and auras with both fire and water attributes. He was a genius that could be the continent¡¯s strongest one day. ¡®However¡­¡¯ That would only be possible if he could keep growing up as he was. The Blood Raving Demon looked around. Excluding the monster named Raon, the three other children behind him also possessed extraordinary talent. sh! Raon¡¯s aura de sliced his chest a little, but his heart didn¡¯t waver in the slightest. It was just a matter of course. He hadn¡¯t even used one-tenth of his power, despite how he looked on the outside. Huff. The Blood Raving Demon breathed out hot air from his helmet. He could only smile. The anticipation of trampling over the young sprouts sent chills down his spine. ng! Raon shot his aura de with excellent timing. ¡°Keuh!¡± The Blood Raving Demon waved his left hand to block the aura de, pretending to be flustered despite being more than capable of dodging it. Crackle! The white frost spread and his hand started to freeze. ¡°Do it now! Use everything you have!¡± At Raon¡¯smand, Runaan, Burren, and Martha¡ªwho were gathering their power¡ªrushed at the Blood Raving Demon together. Whir! Burren imbued his sword with wind, Martha was pouring out all the energy of Earth she had, and Runaan was spreading the frost like an icicle from her de. The three of them performed their most powerful attacks, using every single bit of aura they had. Whir! Raon ran straight towards the Blood Raving Demon, swinging his sword burning in blue. ¡°Kyaha!¡± The Blood Raving Demonughed at that instant. It was the instant where his prey was perfectly caught in his. Baam! The entirety of the ogre helmet shone in yellow. A tremendous amount of energy burst out, breaking through the white ice confining his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this. You insects.¡± The moment the Zieghart¡¯s younglings used his opening to attack him with everything they had was the perfect time to sink them into the depths of despair. Rumble! The yellow light that formed on the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s hands exploded. The materialized aura perfectly covering his huge hands was¡­ Astral Energy. A Master¡¯s proof, the astral energy was burning in his hand like hellfire. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°A-astral energy!¡± Facing the astral energy, which was pressuring the space itself, it was impossible to defend against it without using astral energy in return. The color on Runaan, Martha, and Burren¡¯s faces turned from hope to despair. ¡°This is the end!¡± The Blood Raving Demon burst out inughter, full of excitement, and thrust his fist. Astral energy the size of a boulder was falling down on them, and the children¡¯s eyes were filled with darkness. ¡®How about you?¡¯ He nced at the blond-haired boy in order to enjoy his despairing eyes for thest time. However. ¡°Huh?¡± The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t see neither despair nor hope in Raon¡¯s eyes. Serene eyes. They were simply filled with murderous intent, intent to y his enemy. Roar! A tremendous amount of murderous intent covered Raon¡¯s de. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who¡¯s been waiting for this.¡± Chapter 78 He was already aware of it. He knew the Blood Raving Demon had already reached the master level, that he was strong against fire attributes, and that he had a dirty personality¡ªone that enjoyed ying with his prey before killing it. Since he was already aware of all of that, he had decided to use his trap to his advantage. It was the only way to win¡ªor rather, to survive. Whir! The moment the Blood Raving Demon showed his true nature, the weight of the atmosphere became different. It was a feeling of a lump of steel pressing upon his entire body. Raon grit his teeth and brought up every ounce of murderous intent that the assassin Raon possessed. ng! The moment his murderous intent startedpeting with the madness, Burren, Runaan, and Martha¡ªwho were at a lower level¡ªwere bounced out. That was also ording to n. However, the most important thing still remained. After making them escape the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s astral energy, he twisted his body so suddenly that his waist seemed to snap. aam! A huge fist, surrounded by astral energy, grazed his left shoulder. Crack! It wasn¡¯t a direct hit. Even though it had only brushed past him, the bone on his left arm was crushed. ¡°Kueh!¡± Raon grit his teeth to the breaking point. He endured the pain with a superhuman perseverance and brandished his sword with his right arm. Whir! He gathered all his energy and murderous intent at the end of his sword. ¡°You bastard!¡± He thrust the de of frost towards the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s heart as the man red at him in surprise. ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation Ultimate Point¡¯. The principles of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ flowed out through the ¡®Coldness of the Frost¡¯. The silver de was dyed in blue, as if the ice dragon strolling in the sky dwelled within it. Creak! The sound of the blue de piercing the ogre¡¯s armor resounded in his ears. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± However, Raon¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t grow any brighter. They only got darker, like the glow of the setting sun. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Because the ultimate technique that would even pierce the steel was unable to prate any further, blocked by the leather. ¡°Haa¡­ Amazing.¡± The Blood Raving Demon coughed out his admiration, a sword piercing his chest. ¡°I never expected you to use my trap instead. I really almost died right there. However¡­¡± The blue sword piercing his chest shattered with a nk. ¡°Keuh!¡± Raon was sent flying, coughing up blood. ¡°You were too weak. The difference in power between us isn¡¯t something you can make up for with that kind of surprise attack.¡± The de thrust into the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s chest came out like a pebble stuck in the mud. ¡®His muscles stopped it¡­¡¯ Raon bit his blood-stained lip. The Blood Raving Demon had stopped his attack by enhancing his skin and muscles. It was a method befitting a monster that had reached the level of a master, one that could control his entire body as he wanted. ¡°Gasp!¡± Raon stepped backwards and looked at Burren, Runaan, Martha, and the other remaining trainees. ¡°Th-the n is over. Run, everyone!¡± ¡°R-Raon?¡± ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t win.¡± There was no way they could win, no matter what they did in their current state. Since the n had failed, the fight was over. All that was left to do was run away. ¡°Imand you as the top trainee. Run away with the vigers! The house¡¯s reinforcement that Krein requested ising. Run to the west!¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll also¡­¡± ¡°Burren Zieghart!¡± Raon shouted Burren¡¯s name, who was about to stand up with trembling lips. ¡°Is dying in vain right here the Zieghart¡¯s way you told me about before? If that¡¯s the case, then fight alongside me here. If not, then do what you must!¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± Burren bit his lip. The consideration was long, but the decision was short. ¡°We¡¯re retreating. Everyone, back off! Focus on running away!¡± He ended up tearing his lip, turning around to run towards the vige. The trainees shed tears and ran away, following Burren. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon, who was coughing up blood while grabbing his arm, was reflected in Runaan¡¯s purple eyes. ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡± As she was about to dash at the Blood Raving Demon while screaming, Martha struck her neck. With a thud, Runaan lost consciousness and fell on the ground. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha carried her on her back and looked at Raon. She was asking him if there really was no way. Thud! As soon as Raon nodded, she turned around and ran in the direction Burren went. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Raon smiled faintly. He was d they were able to understand. Wham! The Blood Raving Demon pulled the sword stuck on his chest outpletely. Blood was flowing out, but it soon stopped and the wound started to close. It was the effect of ogre¡¯s stamina and regeneration. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Raon bit his lip. The Bleeding Curse was in effect, but it waspletely pointless in that situation. Ten percent was far from enough to allow him to win as he wouldn¡¯t be able to win with a 50% weakening effect. ¡°Do you think those insects can run away?¡± The Blood Raving Demon crushed the sword in his hand like a biscuit. ¡°I¡¯ve unleashed ogres in the area. They are going to be eaten alive soon enough. No, before that¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon giggled and looked down at Raon. ¡°Do you think you can hold on? With that arm and that stamina?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond. He wasn¡¯t looking at the Blood Raving Demon. He was looking at Wrath, who was in his arm. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ It¡¯s finally the King of Essence¡¯s turn. Wrath squirmed up like smoke. His pressure alone was far past the Blood Raving Demon, who was at the level of Master. Just like I said before, you can¡¯t win against him with your current strength. Give me your body. I¡¯ll freeze up this entire space, including him. ¡®Haa¡­ you are always so delusional.¡¯ What? ¡®It¡¯s a trade.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes shone as he coughed up blood. What do you mean, trade? ¡®You mentioned before that I could make trades with your wrath. I¡¯m going to ept your wrath, so return my body and aura to a normal state.¡¯ You¡­ Blue coldness burst from Wrath like a me pir. You idiot! You¡¯ll never be able to beat him at your current strength, even if you were reborn! You won¡¯t be able to win just from recovering your wounds! ¡®That¡¯s my business. Do you ept or not?¡¯ Keuh¡­ Facing Raon¡¯s determination, Wrath ground his teeth, dying his answer. ¡­Fine. I¡¯ll give you 10 points of wrath and recover your body perfectly. However, you aren¡¯t going to achieve anything with it. ¡®Shut up and give it to me already.¡¯ Hmph! After Wrath¡¯s snorting sound, his coldness was absorbed into Raon¡¯s body. ¡°Huff!¡± He grit his teeth, feeling the pain of his skin getting ripped apart by the coldness. Creak! The broken arm and ribs were fixed on their own. Raon¡¯s lips trembled at a pain worse than when they broke. ¡°Huu¡­¡± Tears dripped from his eyes before he knew it. It was one of the worst pains he had experienced in both his previous and current livesbined. ¡°What are you?¡± The Blood Raving Demon stood still, eyes widening upon witnessing his arm restoring itself. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon gasped for breath. Even the aura filling up his empty energy center felt painful. However, the true pain didn¡¯t end there. His lungs shrunk like dry wood and his heart tightened. Every single one of his cells felt like they were being stabbed by a needle. ¡°Uaaa¡­¡± The pain was one thing, but he felt like his body was being dislocated from his soul. It was the feeling of something sticky and evil pervading his body. ¡®Still¡­¡¯ His recovery was perfect. He was mentally exhausted, but his body and aura had recovered into a state better than normal. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it.¡± The Blood Raving Demon rolled his curious yellow eyes. ¡°I doubt you drank an ogre or a troll¡¯s blood. How are you able to regenerate so quickly? It¡¯s irrational¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t understand it.¡± How painful it was. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Breathing our hot air, he took another trainee¡¯s sword from the ground. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ What is it, you arrogant brat. ¡®Since I might die, let¡¯s make a bet.¡¯ Bet? ¡®Yes. I¡¯m going to bet that he is going to die.¡¯ You are spouting nonsense once again. ¡®Why, are you afraid?¡¯ Fine! Bring it on! The King of Essence is going to bet you are going to hand over your body. After hearing Wrath¡¯s response, Raon pointed his sword at the Blood Raving Demon. ¡°Come at me. I¡¯ll y with you until the sun rises.¡± *** ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± Martha ran after Burren and the other trainees, carrying Runaan on her back. Since everyone was running as fast as they could, they quickly managed to catch up to the other trainees and the vigers. ¡°Wh-what happened?¡± ¡°Are we going to be okay?¡± The vigers were walking and running quickly to their standards, but they were way too slow in Martha¡¯s eyes. It was something that couldn¡¯t be helped, but she became irritated. ¡°Damn it, damn¡­¡± Burren¡¯s fist trembled and his eyes shook. He just kept walking nkly, without looking ahead or around. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Sir Raon¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± It wasn¡¯t just him. The other trainees¡¯ eyes had also lost focus, as if their souls were drained away. ¡°That guy¡­¡± When small swear words and breathing sounds were the only things that could be heard, Martha silently started speaking. ¡°He stood alone in front of that huge monster in order to protect us and those people.¡± Hearing her voice, filled with desperation and anger, everyone looked back at her. ¡°He is still stopping him, despite his broken arm and crushed ribs. But what are you doing right now?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°After not having done anything there, are you nning to die like idiots here without doing anything once again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, Sir Burren is also suff¡­¡± ¡°No!¡± Burren stopped the coteral that was standing in front of Martha. ¡°She is correct. We have no time to be like this. The first group, watch the front! The second and the third group, watch the left and right side respectively. Control your aura at all times and stay ready to act!¡± Hearing his quickmands, the trainees that were standing nkly started moving to their posts. ¡°Martha, since you have the best perception among us, you are in charge of the back. Give Runaan to us.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Martha frowned but nodded and handed over the unconscious Runaan to the coteral trainees. ¡°We are going to increase our speed! Since the house¡¯s reinforcement must being, as quickly as possible¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Martha stopped Burren from speaking, turning her head towards the dense forest on the right side. Burren and the others also followed her gaze in a daze. Swoosh! It sounded like a strong wind rustling through the forest. It was a sound of wind that could¡¯ve been overlooked, but Martha broke out in a cold sweat and drew her sword. ¡°E-everyone retreat! Run away, right no¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, the forest copsed and a green monster over four meters tall appeared. Ogre. The brutal monster called the tyrant of the mountain stood with shining red eyes. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Martha swallowed. ¡®I didn¡¯t think about it.¡¯ The Blood Raving Demon was a monster possessing an ogre¡¯s strength, capable of controlling ogres. It was only natural that ogres existed in that ce. ¡®W-we can¡¯t win¡­¡¯ Maybe they could have if they were at their perfect state, but it was impossible to kill the ogre even if everyone fought together the way they were right now. They were really going to be annihted at that rate. ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± Ogre roared and hammered down his huge fist. ¡°Haaap!¡± ¡°Haa!¡± Martha and Burren jumped at it, swinging their aura-filled swords. ¡°Krr!¡± The ogre withdrew slightly, noticing the aura in their swords. Whoosh! Once their strength ran out after shing the air, the ogre ran back to them and thrust its fist. m! Powerful energy exploded, and Martha and Burren got pushed back, unable to keep their bnce. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± They stood back up while staggering, but they were already weakened significantly. ¡°D-damn it¡­¡± Martha bit her lip. The ogre had an even more monstrous hunting instinct, to be able to withdraw its body at that instant. ¡°Krr.¡± The ogre was approaching them, a small amount of blood flowing down its hand. Its mouth was outrightughing at them. ¡°You guys leave first! I¡¯ll follow you after killing this one with Martha!¡± Burren shouted, grabbing his trembling right wrist with his left hand. His turn hade. ¡°S-Sir Burren!¡± ¡°Quickly!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian grit his teeth and turned around. However, another sound was heard before he started moving. m! Along with a thunderous noise crushing the ground, an enormous shadow appeared from the left side. A second ogre blocked the trainees¡¯ path. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Martha¡¯s eyes wavered violently. ¡®This was why.¡¯ That was the reason the Blood Raving Demon was smiling despite them running away. He had already released the ogres in the area. ¡°E-everything¡¯s over.¡± The atmosphere became even more quiet, following somebody¡¯s despair-filled voice. ¡°Krrr!¡± ¡°Kwaaa!¡± The only sounds that could be heard now were the ogre¡¯s hungry roar and the human¡¯s scared groans. ¡°Don¡¯t back down.¡± Burren brandished his sword, wiping the blood flowing from his mouth. ¡°Raon is also still fighting! If we die here, we will be too ashamed to face the one that is still fighting the Blood Raving Demon on his own!¡± He screamed and drew out his aura. The blue wind raged, strengthened by his determination. ¡°You¡¯re talking sense for once.¡± Martha chuckled and nodded, surrounding her sword with Titan¡¯s aura. ¡°I have to go help Raon.¡± Runaan¡ªwho had woken up¡ªbrandished her sword, radiating silver frost. It was a desperate situation, yet darkness couldn¡¯t be found in three people¡¯s eyes. ¡°Krr!¡± ¡°Kwaaa!¡± It seemed the two ogres didn¡¯t like such expressions on their prey, as they roared and kicked the ground. The moment the three swordsmen and two monsters shed against each other. Whoosh! Green wind raged from the center of the forest. * * * * * * m! The yellow aura pressed and burst the blue and red aura. Whoosh! Raon was sent back flying through the jet-ck smoke. Creak! He barely managed to stop after sticking his sword in the ground. ¡°Haak!¡± Raon¡¯s chin trembled, vomiting out the ck, dead blood. His repaired left arm was crushed once again, and his side was ripped apart. He could hardly breathe because of the pain filling his entire body. ¡°You are like a leech.¡± The Blood Raving Demon approached him, while warming up his solid finger. His increasingly powerful energy wave was bursting Raon¡¯s skin. Baam! He crushed the ground and leaped at him like a cannonball. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon kicked the ground and rotated his body. Tick! After dodging the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist with a paper-thin difference, he stepped back. ¡°Tsk.¡± He clicked his tongue. His broken and swaying left arm was bothering him. If it identally got caught, he could be killed right after. ¡®Shall I cut it off?¡¯ He considered cutting off his left arm, since that would allow him to hold on for a little bit longer. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡®Why am I doing this here?¡¯ ¡®My arm has been shattered twice, my side got ripped apart, and my muscles and skin are screaming.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m fighting against that monster, enduring pain that I didn¡¯t even experience in my previous life.¡¯ Various memories passed by his mind, from the moment of his birth until now. ¡®I remembered the words of the person I spent the longest time with, the one I felt the most ufortable with, and the one I wanted to apologize to the most.¡¯ [I want Raon to be like those ancient swordsmen of Zieghart.] Right. Those was the words ¡®Those words from Sylvia are binding me here.¡¯ ¡®If this were my previous life, I would¡¯ve run away already.¡¯ ¡®I would¡¯ve run away from the monster, even if that meant using Burren, Runaan, Martha, and the trainees¡ªeven the vigers¡ªas bait.¡¯ ¡®But what Sylvia said¡­¡¯ ¡®The memories of the trainees that spent time with me are binding me to this ce.¡¯ ¡®Runaan looks cold and nk, but she¡¯s nicer than anyone. She¡¯s a girl that has endured pain by herself in order to save her family from a psychopathic brother.¡¯ ¡®Burren was a rude guy, but he changed quickly like a good child and has started running towards his goal.¡¯ ¡®Martha is rough, but she has a strong willpower and unwavering conviction. I¡¯m not certain, but she seems to miss her birth mother.¡¯ ¡®The other trainees also changed gradually, despite the beginning. It would be a lie if I said I wasn¡¯t attached to them.¡¯ ¡®Everything changed a lot.¡¯ ¡®The way they look at me has changed a lot, and the way I look at them has also changed.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s why I decided to stay.¡¯ ¡®Just like Sylvia had said, I wanted to save those that are growing up as Zieghart swordsmen.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s different from when I used to participate in dozens of battlefields, killing hundreds of lives in my previous life.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m currently fighting against this monster of my own volition.¡¯ ¡°Ha!¡± He burst intoughter. He felt strange, wielding his sword in order to save people instead of killing them. ¡°Are youughing in this situation? You aren¡¯t normal, either.¡± ¡°I know, right? I didn¡¯t think I would be like this.¡± Raon nodded. As he was standing in that posture, Wrath¡ªwho had been watching him¡ªsilently came up with a distorted conclusion. I finally understand it. ¡®What?¡¯ You are nning to give your body to the King of Essence. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ You are just buying time right now until those young ones escape the King of Essence¡¯s range. ¡®So, you finally noticed.¡¯ Such arrogance from a madman! Wrath¡¯s me shot up like a star in the night sky. The wrath was more intense than it ever had been. Raon Zieghart. There¡¯s a limit in how much you can underestimate the King of Essence. Do you truly believe you can regain the control of your body in the short time between I kill him and find your allies? ¡®I¡¯m not certain. It¡¯s just a gamble.¡¯ Raon shook his head. ¡®Since that¡¯s the only way.¡¯ There was no way he could win against the Blood Raving Demon currently, and reinforcements were going to take at least a few hours. The only way to survive and save everyone was to hand over his body to Wrath to kill him, then regain the body before he reached the trainees. You¡¯ve already epted the King of Essence¡¯s wrath. It will be different from before. ¡®But I still have to try.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t die in vain like that, with his archenemy still alive. Stop your mistakes. You are currently exhausted both mentally and physically. Your emotions are also agitated. I¡¯ll let you experience it. Wrath ground his teeth and stuck on Raon¡¯s body. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Raon screamed, unable to withstand it. The pain was at a different level from before, dying his skin in ck. ¡°Wh-what¡­¡± That¡¯s your current state. You might be able to stop the King of Essence¡¯s possession, but you will never be able toe back once you hand over your body by yourself. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon trembled. Wrath was correct, he wasn¡¯t confident he could endure the pain and shock just now. ¡®Then how¡­¡¯ ¡°It looks like you finally have a problem. Ah! I got a great idea.¡± The Blood Raving Demon spun his bulky finger. ¡°I should kill your allies before killing you. What kind of face are you going to make if I pluck off their heads, one by one?¡± He turned around while giggling. His thigh puffed up, as he was about to split the ground and run off. ¡®No.¡¯ The trainees wouldn¡¯t withstand a single strike from the Blood Raving Demon. It would be a massacre. Holding out so far would be meaningless then. That was one thing he couldn¡¯t allow. ¡°Stop.¡± Raon brandished his broken sword. He grit his teeth and straightened his spine. Using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ to the extreme, he increased his prowess. ¡°Look at me.¡± He pointed his broken sword at the Blood Raving Demon. His hand was trembling, but the tip of his sword wasn¡¯t wavering. ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart. I¡¯m the Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart¡¯s, grandson¡ªand the swordsman that will be the continent¡¯s strongest one day.¡± It didn¡¯t matter whether Glenn acknowledged him or not. It was fine even if the others didn¡¯t ept him as one of their own. ¡°I¡¯m still alive. You won¡¯t leave this ce until my heart stops beating! O, =mad demon of Eden!¡± His prowess and aura, which werepletely exhausted, ignited once again and surrounded his de. ¡°Hah!¡± The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s yellow eyes reflected his admiration. ¡°Such spirit at that age! Excellent isn¡¯t a sufficient word to describe it. Fine, I shall pay respect befitting to a true warrior.¡± His energy soared up explosively. He turned the muscle he had amplified in order to run. ¡°Haaa!¡± He managed to turn his attention back to him, but there was nothing more he could do. ¡®What shall I do?¡¯ He would die to the Blood Raving Demon if he didn¡¯t give his body to Wrath. If he gave his body to Wrath, the trainees were going to die, and he was probably going to be unable to recover his body for eternity. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Misfortunes on top of misfortunes. There was no solution. The Blood Raving Demon was right under his nose. His leg wouldn¡¯t move after exhausting his strength to increase his prowess and aura. ¡°I¡¯ll remember your name, Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon was unable to decide until the moment he was about to strike with his boulder-like fist. ¡®Still!¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t die like this. I still have something to do!¡¯ ¡®Wrath, I¡¯ll give my body to ¡­¡¯ You¡¯ve finally decided. It¡¯s time to say goodbye. Wrath¡¯s voice was filled with anticipation and a small, unknown emotion. ¡®Yo¡­¡¯ In the middle of talking, Raon widened. The kind and refreshing fragrance of the wind, one that he had scented countless times after he turned twelve years old, brushed past his nose. What are you doing?! Make up your mind already! ¡®I¡¯m not giving it to you.¡¯ Damn it! Why now, of all times! He lowered his sword as he heard Wrath¡¯s scream. He even closed his eyes. ¡°Die!¡± The Blood Raving Demon struck with his fist. Raon¡¯s skin burst from the wind pressure, but he didn¡¯t open his eyes. Whoosh. There was no pain. He opened his eyes, hearing the sound of a small wind gently touching a flower petal. He could see long red hair fluttering in the wind and a broad back, surrounded by green wind. The thin sword he was holding was perfectly defending against the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist. ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± Raon wrinkled his mouth, looking at the man in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I overslept a little.¡± The red-haired swordsman, Rimmer, turned around. He smiled with a face covered in someone¡¯s blood. ¡°Leave the rest to me.¡± Chapter 79 Rimmer arrived in the vicinity of Cebu viges before the trainees, despite having departedte. He obviously noticed that Eden¡¯s hunting dogs were upying Cebu Mountain, and he had things to consider while watching them. Whether he should get rid of the potential danger, or just keep watching them for the children¡¯s growth. ¡®Shall I try trusting Raon?¡¯ If Raon didn¡¯t exist, he would¡¯ve killed all of the Eden members without further dy. After all, they were true lunatics, ones that devoted their lives to their goal. However, Raon was the type of genius that didn¡¯t even know his own limits. He had a feeling that Raon and the trainees could reach another level through this mission. ¡®I should keep watching.¡¯ As an instructor, leaving the path that could make the students stronger open was the right thing to do. Rimmer tailed the trainees that were heading to the vige, paying attention so that he could move whenever he needed to. And Eden''s scout, the Red Eye Demon, was also trailing them. ¡®I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll notice him.¡¯ The Red Eye Demon was observing them from far away, just in case. There were some slight signs, but it wasn¡¯t something the children should have noticed. However¡­ Raon handed overmand right to Burren as if he noticed something, observing their surroundings by spreading out an unnoticeable aura. ¡®That guy is seriously¡­¡¯ He was more surprised than ever. Aura perception was the ability to grasp surrounding presences using aura, and Raon¡¯s aura perception was extremely developed¡ªto a point it could be called mysterious. ¡®A hexagon.¡¯ Martial arts, aura, stamina, willpower, and aura perception. Raon was a gemstone that had all the talents required for a swordsman. Rimmer calmed his excitement and watched Eden¡¯s movement. Despite his expectations, Eden didn¡¯t attack the trainees. Instead, they threw some monsters at them so they could gain some aplishments and leave. ¡®They are hiding something.¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem like they feared the instructor protecting the children. Instead, they seemed to be aiming for something in the area, and they were avoiding attacking the children because of that. They were afraid of Zieghart reinforcements. It seemed he needed to thoroughly search the area after the children left. Raon didn¡¯t make his move, despite having noticed somebody was observing them. He left the vige after epting the vigers¡¯ thanks as one of the normal trainees that killed the monsters. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Was he retreating? That wasn¡¯t a bad choice. Deciding to retreat after noticing the difference between themselves and the enemies was a wise move for a warrior. However, Raon¡¯s actions after thatpletely differed from Rimmer¡¯s expectation. As soon as the Red Eye Demon left them, Raon revealed the truth to everyone and immediately requested reinforcement from the branch office. After returning to Cebu vige, he even guessed that the opponents were Eden after witnessing the monsters attacking the vige. Rimmer was amazed upon hearing that. Raon had reached the conclusion that they were Eden, basing his judgment on the observer and the fact that they were using monsters. Raon¡¯s brain was extraordinary, on top of everything else. Raon decided to wait, and Burren and Runaan drew their swords and dashed at the monsters in order to save the vige. ¡®That¡¯s what children would do.¡¯ The children that were running in order to save people looked like heroes, true Zieghart swordsmen. Without losing to the green demons attacking them, they fought to protect the vige. However. They weren¡¯t the ones that caught Rimmer¡¯s attention. Raon was. He started hiding his presence as soon as he noticed that an enemy was hiding, and he didn¡¯t reveal himself until the end. That wasn''t the kind of patience that a fifteen-year-old could show. He didn¡¯t look like a swordsman fighting on the frontlines. He looked like a king, looking down on everyone from his throne. ¡®The qualities of a king.¡¯ Just as he had felt before, Raon Zieghart possessed the qualities of a king. The fight between the green demon and the children was fierce, and the trainees emerged victorious with Martha¡¯s surprise attack at Raon¡¯smand. However, the situation was reversed with the Green War Demon¡¯s emergence from his hiding spot deep inside the forest. Unable to withstand a single strike from the Green War Demon, the trainees copsed while coughing up blood. It was only natural. After all, the Green War Demon was a powerful opponent¡ªone at the Expert¡¯s level. Rimmer drew his sword and remained on standby near the children in order to help whenever he needed to. ¡®Is he still not making his move?¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t appear despite Burren, Runaan, and Martha being on the brink of death. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ The moment Rimmer decided to act, about to stop the Green War Demon, Raon made his move. With a precise movement, he approached the Green War Demon as stealthily as a shadow to avoid being noticed, swinging his sword at his neck. ¡®Hah¡­¡¯ Rimmer smirked. He didn¡¯t manage to cut off his head, but the strike that sliced the Green War Demon¡¯s arm was a polished killing technique. The Green War Demon kept his advantage in the fight with his powerfulbative energy despite having lost his arm, but he ended up dying to Raon¡¯s sword¡ªone that reached a whole new level. ¡®Hahahaha!¡¯ Rimmer burst intoughter, unable to hold it back. He was really a monster. Raon Zieghart had the qualities needed to be the strongest swordsman and the supreme ruler of the continent. He needed to protect him and raise him properly at all costs. ¡®He is really limitless.¡¯ Heughed and stood up. It was time to do his job. Rimmer got rid of all the Red Eye Demons running away from Cebu Mountain after the Green War Demon¡¯s death. He needed to prevent the information from spreading. He returned after thoroughly checking Cebu vige and Cebu Mountain, making sure there was no danger left. Raon had woken up after fainting, and he had grown one level higher thanks to the enlightenment he had obtained duringbat. He could probably even use aura de. ¡®He might even notice me at that point.¡¯ Rimmer went a bit further, since he felt like Raon might notice his sloppy concealment. ¡®Maybe I should return.¡¯ Since the reinforcements Krein called would arrive in the morning, and there was no more danger left, returning seemed to be a good option. Actually, he wanted to tell Glenn about Raon¡¯s exploits more than anything. ¡®Well, then¡­¡¯ Rimmer returned to the house after checking on the children. As he was headed to Zieghart with light footsteps, a powerful energy exploded from Cebu vige. ¡®This energy¡­¡¯ It was an energy he had felt before, and the intensity of the energy wave suggested it was at the level of a Master. * * * * * * ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Rimmer ran towards the vige at full power. It was a tremendous speed, but he felt like he was as slow as arva. His chest tightened each time he heard the explosive soundsing from the vige. Runaan, Burren, and Martha came into view as he was running. Noticing two ogres attacking them, he drew his sword. Slice! Using the wind sword, he cut apart the two ogres at once. Rimmer asked for Raon¡¯s location with his eyes before their heads fell on the ground. Runaan pointed at the vige with her eyes. She didn¡¯t usually show much emotion, but her eyes were filled with too much. Rimmer grit his teeth and ran into the vige. Green demons and monsters attacked him on his way, but he killed them all and made his way to the center. And he couldn¡¯t suppress his astonishment. Raon withstood the attacks of Eden¡¯s monster, the Blood Raving Demon, until the end with such a small and young body. His left arm was broken and dangling, his side was scooped out, and he was dragging his leg¡ªbut he was still holding his sword. It was an impressive sight, worthy of admiration. At that very moment, Rimmer was certain. He would follow the boy, no¡ªthe young king¡ªfor the rest of his life and guard him. Whoosh! The sword of his new loyalty blocked the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist. ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± Raon smiled, as if he already knew he wasing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I overslept a little.¡± Rimmer responded casually. ¡°Leave the rest to me.¡± After saying that, Rimmer pushed back the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist. Wham! The sight of a boulder-like fist being pushed back by a thin sword was a spectacle to behold. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Baldy.¡± Despite facing the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s brutal astral energy, Rimmer didn¡¯t stop smiling. Instead, he waved as if he had met a friend for the first time in a long time. ¡°How are you here?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let a Baldy like you trample over the cute sprouts.¡± ¡°Zieghart¡¯s gotten a lot softer, sending someone like you to apany the mission!¡± The Blood Raving Demon threw his punches left and right, surrounded by red astral energy. A terrifying amount of astral energy rained down on Rimmer. ¡°Haap!¡± Rimmer sword, imbued with green aura, shed diagonally. The astral energy was deflected to the right, like water following a drain. ¡°You barely deflected that level of astral energy. It seems the rumors about your energy center breaking, rendering you disabled, were true.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a false rumor. Change your intelligence source already, you and your helmet squad are stillte on the updates.¡± ¡°Your bnce is broken, no matter how you look at it.¡± The Blood Raving Demon grinned. It was just an expression of his emotion, but it felt like the whole atmosphere was trembling. ¡°What should we do? You thought he came to your rescue, but he is just a puppy who will get eaten alongside you.¡± Heughed at Raon, who was barely standing behind Rimmer. ¡°Whether I¡¯m a puppy or a Cerberus that guards hell, we shall find out!¡± Rimmer struck upward with his sword from the right, creating a powerful wind and cutting through the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s shoulder. Pssh! The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s shoulder started bleeding, but the wound closed instantly¡ªas if time reversed itself. ¡°Your sword used to be extremely vicious. However, that¡¯s not the case anymore.¡± The Blood Raving Demon kicked the ground, piercing through Rimmer¡¯s wall of wind. ¡°You¡¯ve be weak. Your sword can¡¯t cut through me!¡± He mmed his fist down while saying that. ng! Unable to take that attack head on, Rimmer spun his sword. The green aura spinning like a windmill became a thick shield, but it couldn¡¯t withstand the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s astral energy. Shatter! The green aura broke apart, and the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist mmed down. However, Rimmer wasn¡¯t there anymore. After throwing the aura shield as a bait, he pierced into the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s left side and swung his sword. m! Rimmer¡¯s precise strike was aimed at the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s heart from the bottom. ¡°That¡¯s not enough!¡± The Blood Raving Demon roared and crouched, stopping Rimmer¡¯s sword as it was piercing into his ribs. ¡°I became even stronger while you were getting weaker. The difference in power has beenpletely reversed!¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue and pulled out his sword. Since his sword might break if left alone, it was the right thing to do. ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± The Blood Raving Demon roared and swung his fist. The ground screamed at the even more powerful strikes. ¡°How unsophisticated.¡± Unable to face the attacks head on, Rimmer dodged them through footwork. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Instead of the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s violent strikes, Raon focused on Rimmer¡¯s footwork. ¡®He looks like a leaf riding the wind.¡¯ Rimmer was moving as lightly as a flower petal riding the wind, dodging all the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s punches. It looked like thepletion of his movement that he had used when he fought against the Blood Raving Demon. Also, the timing of the shes that he was mixing in between were perfect. If Rimmer had imbued his sword with astral energy, the fight would¡¯ve been over already. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Even though his attacks weren¡¯t effective, Rimmer looked like he had plenty of room to spare. He kept fighting the Blood Raving Demon at a point-nk distance, as if he were showing it to him. ¡®Wait, is he really?¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes widened. He understood Rimmer¡¯s intention from the movement of his eyes. ¡®He is showing it to me.¡¯ He was giving him abat lesson at that very moment. He must¡¯ve been out of his mind. ¡°Can¡¯t you even catch me in my weakened state? Are you sure you aren¡¯t going to lose that helmet?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The Blood Raving Demon thrust his fist, gaze full of madness. Facing a tremendous amount of energy, Rimmer stepped back instead of rashly confronting it. m! A single strike copsed the vige and gouged the ground. The power behind it made him look like a legendary giant. ¡°Fight me properly, Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light!¡± The Blood Raving Demon instinctively chased Rimmer, letting anger control his body. am! It was a simple movement, but his impressive strength and speed allowed him to close the distance between them. ¡°Tsk. I have no choice.¡± Rimmer halted his movement and nced back. He smiled upon seeing Raon. ¡°Since the teaching material has gone out of control, let¡¯s finish today¡¯s lesson here.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± ¡°Watch closely, Raon.¡± Rimmer continued before Raon could even respond. ¡°This is the way Zieghart fights, and the level you will have to reach.¡± Rimmer¡¯s sword pierced the sky, and his left hand pointed at the ground. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± His voice sounded like it was resounding from heavens and surging up from the underworld at the same time. ¡°Eye of the Storm.¡± The voice resounded like a mantra, changing the world. Chapter 80 Eye of the Storm was the calm region at the center of a storm. It was a calm and peaceful ce, where nothing happened despite the wind blowing violently in the surroundings. And that was the situation unfolding in front of Raon¡¯s eyes. Both the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s violent madness andbative energy and Rimmer¡¯s dark green aura were pushed into the surroundings. Apletely windless space. No, it wasn¡¯t just the wind. It waspletely silent, as if air had stopped flowing, and his entire body felt as heavy as if a lump of steel was settled on his shoulders. The Blood Raving Demon seemed confused, standing still with his eyes and mouth wide open. He wasn¡¯t able to move his body freely, either. Whir! A clear flow protruded into that silent space. It was Rimmer¡¯s sword. Dark green wind was gathering on his empty sword, devoid of aura. Thud! Rimmer stomped the ground. His body shot up like an arrow, crushing the ground. The Blood Raving Demon thrust his fist in panic, but Rimmer rode the wind to pierce into him even deeper. And a single sh¡­ The sword containing the wind itself fell vertically. Slice! The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s right hand was harder than steel, yet it was easily cut off. It fell onto the pitch-ck ground. However, the Blood Raving Demon was a warrior at a Master¡¯s level. Losing his arm wasn¡¯t enough to make him fall. He immediately stopped the bleeding of his right arm and stepped back. His movement was as swift and flexible as a tiger. Rimmer turned his sword to follow the Blood Raving Demon, as if he were already expecting it. The Blood Raving Demon tried escaping from Rimmer¡¯s Eye of the Storm, but the space was moving along with Rimmer. Upon realizing he couldn¡¯t escape, the Blood Raving Demon came to a halt. Lowering his posture, he focused all his remaining energy in his left fist. Whir! The space was vibrating. Red astral energy appeared as a stream, creating a tidal wave. Rimmer faced the tidal wave of astral energy covering the ground, holding a single thin sword. Whoosh! The Eye of the Storm grew bigger in size, and the wind surrounding Rimmer¡¯s sword grew lighter in color. Rimmer swung his sword, the de surrounded by the storm. Crack! With a cliff-splitting sound, the dark green wind cut through the red tidal wave. Whoosh! An intense light burst out at that moment. ¡®Keuh!¡¯ Even Raon closed his eyes for a moment, unable to withstand the light. ¡®Is it over?¡¯ When he opened his eyes, the Eye of the Storm had disappeared, and the world had returned to normal. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon and Rimmer were facing each other, about five steps apart. ¡°You cut our strength of body and aura in half and incorporated all the wind around that windless space in your sword.¡± The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s voice was still overflowing with madness andbative energy. ¡°That¡¯s fine, since Sword Field is that kind of technique. But how were you able to use a Sword Field?¡± The Blood Raving Demon wasn¡¯t the only one curious about it. Raon was also surprised at seeing Rimmer using a Sword Field. ¡®I thought those who inherited Zieghart¡¯s blood were the only ones capable of using a Sword Field¡­¡¯ As the strongest organizations in the continent, Six Kings and Five Demons had distinct characteristics, but Zieghart was special even among them. They were capable of creating a barrier as swordsmen, and not as mages. That was why the Sword Field Creation was an outstanding ability, renowned throughout the continent. However, those who could use it were limited to those who had inherited Zieghart¡¯s blood, and only a small number among them were actually capable of using it. Because of that, it didn¡¯t make sense that Rimmer was able to use it¡ªnot when he wasn¡¯t even human. ¡°More specifically, it¡¯s not exactly a Sword Field, but something simr.¡± Rimmer smiled while closing his eyes. ¡°Since I¡¯m pretty close to nature because I¡¯m an elf.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± The Blood Raving Demon nodded, realizing something. ¡°An injured tiger who lost their teeth is still a tiger, huh.¡± Letting out augh, he looked at Raon. ¡°What a shame. I should¡¯ve gotten rid of him at all costs, since he is going to impact Eden gravely¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let our young king be defeated by someone like you.¡± ¡°Certainly, he has the qualities of a supreme ruler instead of an average swordsman. However, don¡¯t be arrogant.¡± The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s voice started to tremble. ¡°We also have a talent as good as him in our side. I¡¯m looking forward to you fighting against him.¡± ¡°The continent is vast, after all.¡± Rimmer murmured that it was understandable and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s my loss, Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light.¡± The Blood Raving Demon closed his eyes after saying that. A red line appeared from the center of his body. The body, maintained through aura, split apart. The giant at the Master¡¯s level fell back. Whir! The Blood Raving Demon¡¯s helmet was also split in half, and the light of madness disappeared. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed and sat on the ground. ¡°Were you watching?¡± He turned his head around and grinned. He looked exhausted despite having his usual expression on his face. ¡°Yes, I was.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the special technique you should learn as a Zieghart. It¡¯s called the Sword Field.¡± ¡°Sword Field¡­¡± He murmured the words ¡®Sword Field¡¯, pretending he didn¡¯t know about it. ¡°It¡¯s a barrier created through pressure and karma, not mana like a magician would use.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve put so much importance on pressure.¡± ¡°Yes. Even if you aren¡¯t using a Sword Field, developing pressure helps you exert your power.¡± Rimmer grinned, and Raon nodded once again. ¡®Certainly¡­¡¯ He might have been a bit different, but Rimmer¡¯s training requiring trainees to surpass their limits every day must¡¯ve greatly helped the other children. If they hadn¡¯t gone through the training to increase their pressure, the children wouldn¡¯t have been able to fight against the Green War Demon, nor run away from the Blood Raving Demon. ¡°You are a coteral, but you are actually a member of the direct line. You can probably use it one day¡­ No, you will certainly use it.¡± Rimmer dered, certain that he could do it one day. ¡°The experience, achievement, aura, and even the future you¡¯ve been umting. Sword Field is created by incorporating all of that. You need to experience many things, and you must learn.¡± He was teaching him despite being out of breath. Everything from the battle against the Blood Raving Demon until that moment was a lesson. ¡°You guys watched too, right?¡± * * * * * * Rimmerpletely turned his body and looked far away. Runaan, Burren, Martha, and the other trainees were standing in a daze. It seemed they¡¯d been watching the situation from outside the Sword Field. ¡°Raon!¡± Runaan came running at him. Her eyes were filled with small tears. ¡°That¡¯s crazy! This guy was alive! He¡¯s alive!¡± The hand Martha used to grab Raon¡¯s shoulder trembled, unable to believe Raon had managed to survive so long. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± Dorian and the trainees came running at him with teary eyes. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Burren¡¯s chin trembled as he breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m really d¡­¡± While faltering, he sniffed and turned his gaze to Rimmer, who was next to Raon. ¡°By the way, instructor.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°How was the instructor able to use the Sword Field Creation?¡± ¡°I made it.¡± ¡°D-did you say you made it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rimmer repeated what he told the Blood Raving Demon and nodded his head. ¡°There are a few different kinds of Sword Fields that are passed down in Zieghart. Since they are inherited through blood, only their bloodline can use it¡ªbut making a new one is a different story.¡± He smiled, telling him that he made the Sword Field. ¡°Then am I also able to use that Sword Field?¡± Martha asked while stepping forward. Runaan¡¯s eyes were also glittering. ¡°That¡¯s a no.¡± Rimmer calmly shook his head. ¡°There are two conditions that are requirements for a non-Zieghart to create a Sword Field.¡± ¡°Two conditions?¡± ¡°First is experience. You need to have lots of experience with a Sword Field. I¡¯ve done that in all the battlefields I¡¯ve led with the Lord. And second is¡­¡± He gave a look at each trainee before he continued. ¡°The talent in attribute.¡± ¡°What kind of talent are you talking about?¡± Martha took one step closer and asked. She was greatly interested in the Sword Field. ¡°Talent in attributes. The power of attribute is necessary for people like us, who don¡¯t have Zieghart¡¯s blood, to create the Sword Field. I¡¯ve managed to make it through the power of wind.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t rmend it.¡± Rimmer shook his head with a dejected expression. ¡°Coterals and a few vassal families, including the Sullion families, also inherited Zieghart¡¯s blood. They might be able to use the Sword Field if they worked hard on it. However, you would need to sacrifice something if you are trying to use the Sword Field without Zieghart¡¯s blood.¡± ¡°Sacrifice?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t respond. ¡°You have a bright future ahead of you. Unlike me, who had no choice but to make my Sword Field, you should be able to get stronger with your own strength.¡± He included wind in his voice, so that everyone could hear him. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister, and for now¡­¡± Rimmer took out a transparent water bottle from his sleeve and approached Raon. ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt. Endure it.¡± He spoke as he poured the water on his broken arm and his torn waist and thigh. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was extremely painful, but Raon didn¡¯t groan in the slightest. That much couldn¡¯t even be called a painpared to when he was fighting against the Blood Raving Demon. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± ¡°It hurts.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t even groaning.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt that much.¡± ¡°Huh, wow.¡± Rimmer snickered and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s over, so let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Burren raised his hand. He had the same eyes as when he was in the training ground. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°Eek? I¡¯m tired, can we do itter¡­¡± Rimmer gulped, guessing what he was about to ask. ¡°No, I need to ask it right now. Where have you even been, that you came out to help sote? It¡¯s obvious you¡¯ve been following us, so why did you appear after we were in so much danger? Not only us, but the vigers were also in dan¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± Rimmer raised his finger and pointed towards Burren¡¯s back. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°What is it again¡­¡± The trainees hurriedly looked back, but all they could see were shaking branches without any leaves. ¡°There¡¯s no¡­ Where did he go?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened. Rimmer had disappeared in the short time he was looking away. ¡°That guy, seriously! Why did he appear sote?! We almost died for real!¡± He was grateful that he came to save them, but the timing was too dramatic. Considering the vigers'' lives were also at stake, he should¡¯ve appeared earlier. ¡°Did anyone die?¡± Raon walked up to Burren, grabbing his broken right arm. ¡°Fortunately, nobody died. I would¡¯ve grabbed the instructor by the cor if there was any.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine.¡± Rimmer must¡¯ve had his own circumstances. The vigers must¡¯ve been shocked, but they should be able to ovee it since no one had died. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s clean up. We still have much to do.¡± Raon shook his head, his entire body covered in blood. ¡°A-are you really okay?¡± ¡°Are you okay, Raon?¡± Burren and Runaan asked at once. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon nodded like nothing, despite being seriously injured no matter how one looked at him. Raon was recovering his body and mana circuit with the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. Rimmer¡¯s medicine was also effective, so his body and mana circuit became even stronger after a good rest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Burren lowered his head. His drooping hand was trembling. ¡°You had to step up because my decision was made toote, yet I almost got everyone killed. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m fit to lead anyone.¡± ¡°You look like you are about to die from a single mistake. If you realized your problem, develop your decision-making and strength together.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Or you could just give up on everything if you aren¡¯t confident.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m going to gain judgment and strength that won¡¯t lose in any situation! I promise this to you, the one that saved my life!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Raon waved his uninjured left hand. ¡®I would¡¯ve punched him if he apologized for being unable to help me.¡¯ He liked that he apologized for not running away immediately, instead of not fighting against the Blood Raving Demon together. Since Burren was still a child, he would be able to improve a lot more in the future. ¡°Runaan, you¡¯re the same. You should¡¯ve run away back then instead of trying to help me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± Runaan shook her head with an unusually sullen face. ¡°If it¡¯s an opponent you can¡¯t win against¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± ¡°No, listen to me first.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t listen. I¡¯m going to help.¡± She covered her ears and shook her head while saying that. ¡°I¡¯m going to get stronger. I¡¯m definitely going to get stronger and fight alongside you!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The silliness drew a bitter smile from him. However, his heart felt warm. He could feel the sincerity in her words when she said she would get stronger and help him. It was a difficult mission, one where he got injured a lot, but he was happy that he got to learn a lot about emotions. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon looked at Martha. She seemed to be thinking about something, her deep gaze was directed at him. ¡°It¡¯s over. Let¡¯s return.¡± He waved his hand at the trainees, who were still standing around dumbfounded. He could see people running at them from the darkness. They were the Zieghart reinforcements that Krein went to call. His mind grew rxed because everything was really over. When he was thinking he wanted to rest, a blue window appeared in front of his eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± Huh?? Chapter 81 ¡°Phew.¡± Rimmer sighed, watching the trainees returning to the vige. ¡°Seriously, he is too stubborn.¡± He red at Burren, who was following right behind Raon. He thought he had grown softer than the first time he saw him, but that was apparently only towards Raon. ¡®I guess.¡¯ Burren had started changing after realizing Raon¡¯s efforts. It wasn¡¯t strange for him to have changed only towards Raon. ¡®Runaan has also changed.¡¯ The expressionless girl with faint emotion was now talking and expressing herself clearly. That change was also going to greatly affect her swordsmanship. ¡®And Martha.¡¯ Her eyes were also visibly different. She seemed to be deeply moved from watching Raon¡¯s fight and righteous spirit. ¡®She must be interested in the Sword Field in order to catch up to Raon.¡¯ The reason that she was interested in the Sword Field must¡¯ve been to either to catch up to Raon, or to stand by his side. Checking on every trainee, Rimmer could feel that they had all grown up in terms of power and mentality. He felt proud of them, and ashamed at the same time¡ªashamed that he couldn¡¯t arrive in time to save them. ¡°Well, then¡­ ugh!¡± As he was about to follow the trainees, he felt a pain in his lower abdomen. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± It was the price for straining his broken energy center and even opening the Sword Field. It felt like his life itself had grown shorter. ¡®My lifespan must¡¯ve decreased.¡¯ He avoided telling the trainees about it, but lifespan needed to be offered in order to open a Sword Field without being a Zieghart. Since he wasn¡¯t neither young nor healthy, his lifespan must¡¯ve decreased drastically. ¡®I have no regrets, though.¡¯ He had already lived long enough. Ever since his energy center was broken, he couldn¡¯t feel any fulfillment in his life. Since he felt like he had found a new life ever since he started teaching those children, he didn¡¯t regret offering his lifespan in the slightest. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer stood up after waiting for the pain in his heart and energy center subsided. He could see the vigers bowing at Raon. ¡°Still, I need to live to see the day he bes the head.¡± He giggled on his own, disappearing from his spot like the wind. *** Zieghart¡¯s South-West branch office was in charge of Cebu vige and Cebu Mountain¡¯s protection. ¡°Tsk.¡± Zieghart¡¯s South-West branch office manager, Brukas, clicked his tongue while heading towards Cebu vige. ¡®Did he mention Eden?¡¯ A trainee named Krein came up to him and told him Eden had appeared in Cebu vige. Apparently Raon Zieghart noticed the Red Eye Demon¡¯s observation, but that sounded like bullshit to him. In order to notice a Red Eye Demon¡¯s gaze, one needed to be at least an intermediate Expert. It didn¡¯t make any sense that Raon, who was only fifteen years old, would notice. ¡°Branch manager, do we really need to go when it doesn¡¯t even make any sense? We¡¯ve already investigated it, you know.¡± The branch¡¯s vice-manager, Serviane, came next to him andined. He seemed to beining since he was the one who investigated Cebu vige and Cebu Mountain. ¡°It¡¯s not because of Raon. It¡¯s because Burren, Runaan, and Martha are over there. If something happens to those three, our entire branch office might be executed.¡± ¡°Aww, that sounds awful.¡± ¡°Manage your expression. You have to¡­ Huh?¡± Brukas¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing the blood on the road towards the vige. Upon following the stream of blood flowing like a river, a huge green body came into view. ¡°O-ogre?¡± A round and brutal face. A body and limbs as thick as several logs piled up together. It was an ogre¡¯s corpse, the tyrant of the mountain. ¡°It¡¯s an ogre!¡± ¡°Wh-why is an ogre here?¡± ¡°Moreover, there are two of them¡­¡± The branch¡¯s swordsmen swallowed, standing in front of the ogres¡¯ corpses. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Brukas frowned after examining the ogres¡¯ corpses. What killed them was a single strike hitting their weak point, a master¡¯s attack. ¡®I don¡¯t know about Eden, but something happened for sure.¡¯ People¡¯s blood and clothes could also be found on top of the ogres¡¯ corpses and blood. ¡°Stay on red alert.¡± The light in Brukas¡¯s eyes changed. He immediately started running towards the vige, and the branch¡¯s swordsmen also followed him with serious expressions. Finding the vige¡¯s entrance, which looked like it was crushed by a passing giant, they increased the speed even further. When they were about to cross the center of the vige, the trainees appeared in front of them. ¡°You¡­¡± Brukas couldn¡¯t finish his sentence upon seeing the trainee standing at the front. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ Raon Zieghart. The frail-looking boy¡¯s left arm was limp like a rag, and holes as big as a fist could be seen on his waist and his thigh. However, the boy wasn¡¯t even groaning despite his severe injuries, and his eyes were as clear as a nightke. A powerful pressure could be felt, despite his wounded state. It was a feeling of facing an old swordsman with lots of expertise, through countless aplishments. ¡°I¡¯m the fifth training ground¡¯s top trainee, Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon politely greeted him. ¡°Ah, y-yes. What exactly happened here? Did Eden really appear?¡± Brukas stuttered, flustered by Raon¡¯s pure energy. ¡°Indeed.¡± After saying that, he threw two helmets under his feet. They were the Green War Demon¡¯s helmet, with an orc fighter¡¯s drawing on it, and the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s helmet, with an Ogre¡¯s head drawn on it. ¡°B-Blood Raving Demon and Green War Demon? D-did Eden really appear?¡± ¡°We were the ones who killed the Green War Demon, but it was the instructor who killed the Blood Raving Demon.¡± ¡°Instructor?¡± ¡°It was Instructor Rimmer.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Since the Blood Raving Demon was a warrior at a Master¡¯s level, he was surprised to hear that Rimmer had killed him with his broken energy center. ¡°He is really amaz¡­ Ah, wait!¡± Brukas dropped his jaw. He finally understood something more surprising than Rimmer killing the Blood Raving Demon. ¡°Y-you guys killed the Green War Demon?¡± * * * * * * ¡°Yes.¡± Raon inly nodded. ¡°H-how? How could you have killed the Green War Demon?¡± Rimmer killing the Blood Raving Demon was surprising, but it didn¡¯t make any sense that the trainees could¡¯ve killed the Green War Demon and the green demons. ¡°We just killed him.¡± ¡°T-tell me in more detail!¡± ¡°Hmm, the guy behind me will tell you in more detail, since I need to heal my wounds.¡± ¡°Ah, right. That¡¯s right.¡± Brukas nodded. Raon¡¯s wound was serious for sure. A normal person would¡¯ve been crying and going crazy. ¡°Serviane, you shall cure Raon.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Serviane was the healer as well as the branch¡¯s vice-manager. He was standing in a daze, then followed Raon upon hearing his order. ¡°So, what exactly happened here? Tell me every single detail.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you will believe me¡­¡± Burren described everything that had happened, without any exaggeration nor reduction. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any¡­¡± Brukas eximed in a hoarse voice. His throat felt clogged because of the ridiculousness of the story. ¡°But it¡¯s true.¡± Every trainee, including Burren, Runaan, and Martha, nodded. ¡°Huh¡­¡± It was absurd. ¡®He cut off his arm with a surprise attack from the back, then cut off his head in the end?¡¯ That was already surprising enough. However, he couldn¡¯t do anything other than scream in astonishment from hearing what happened next. ¡®He withstood the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s attacks for almost ten minutes¡­¡¯ Burren said Raon allowed everyone to escape, then held back the Blood Raving Demon until Rimmer appeared. Raon was a mere fifteen-year-old trainee, one that wasn¡¯t even qualified as a swordsman. And apparently, he crossed swords with the Blood Raving Demon, who was a Master. His head was going numb from the absurdity. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Brukas sighed and examined the trainees. Judging from their unwavering eyes, they were only stating the truth. He turned around to look at the house that Raon had entered. He swallowed. Even the current Head of House, Lord Glenn wouldn¡¯t have been able to fight against the Blood Raving Demon at the age of fifteen. ¡®Monster¡­¡¯ That was the only word he could think of. Genius wasn¡¯t enough for Raon Zieghart. He was a real monster. *** ¡°I-I¡¯ll be leaving, then.¡± Serviane, who introduced himself as the branch¡¯s vice-manager, stood up after bandaging him up with medicine. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, it was nothing.¡± He went outside after shaking his hand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon leaned his back against the wall, enduring the pain. ¡®It feels like a dream.¡¯ He still couldn¡¯t believe that he had killed the Green War Demon and survived against the Blood Raving Demon with his problematic body. ¡®I was lucky.¡¯ He managed to get the upper hand against the Green War Demon thanks to the trainees attracting his attention, and he managed to hold on against the Blood Raving Demon thanks to the growth he got from that. It wouldn¡¯t have been weird for him to die in either of the situations if he had been missing anything. ¡®But I managed to grow once again.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist. His stats, experience, and prowess had all increased through the difficult battle against the Blood Raving Demon. He was apletely different person from before arriving at Cebu vige. He was definitely at the novice level Sword Expert now. ¡®It seems hardship is necessary in order to get stronger.¡¯ It was something he had felt in his previous life, that the opportunity only came through the wave called crisis. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Raon grinned, shaking the ice flower bracelet containing Wrath. ¡°I managed to grow up even more thanks to you.¡± Ugh¡­ Wrath surged from the ice flower along with a blue me. The King of Essence has never made such a sloppy bet. You didn¡¯t kill that rough guy wearing an ogre''s helmet. ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°The bet between us was about the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s death. That means it doesn¡¯t matter who killed him.¡± Kugh, damn it! Wrath boiled in intense anger. He startedmenting that he didn¡¯t check the bet properly because the situation was so critical. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon frowned, instead of making fun of Wrath like always. His feelings were touching him a lot more deeply than usual. ¡®Is it because I received his wrath?¡¯ It seemed he could feel his emotion a lot better because he had received his wrath. ¡®It¡¯s more dangerous than I thought.¡¯ It was just ten points of Wrath, yet it already had a significant effect. It looked like he needed to be more careful in making contracts with him in the future. ¡°Let¡¯s check it again.¡± Raon increased the tone of his voice to pretend nothing special had happened and opened the previous messages. He even got extra points like when he won the third bet. They were generous rewards, befitting the giving Wrath. Clench! Raon clenched his fist. He could feel his exhausted muscles reviving with his stats increasing at once. I shouldn¡¯t have made that damned bet! Wrath shouted that it was a scam and covered the entire room with coldness. ¡°There¡¯s still more, you know.¡± Chapter 82 ¡°Iron Will?¡± Why, of all things¡­ Wrath¡¯s voice was filled with irritation. It seemed he was displeased with the trait called ¡®Iron Will¡¯. ¡®Which means this must be a good trait.¡¯ It had to be a great trait if Wrath was hating that he had it. Raon opened the status window, filled with anticipation. Confirming the increase in stats from the reward, Raon checked his new trait, ¡®Iron Will¡¯. He admired it upon reading the message. Now that he had the trait, he could resist like before even after receiving wrath from Wrath. ¡°I got lucky.¡± It¡¯s not luck. It¡¯s thanks to the greatness of the King of Essence¡¯s system. Wrath ground his teeth while ring at the message. ¡®I made it so well that it¡¯s troublesome.¡¯ Wrath made the system prioritize creating the most necessary trait for the moment. That aspect also applied to Raon, and ¡®Iron Will'' was created as a result because Raon needed it the most at the moment. Tsk. It was irritating. ¡®I thought I could finally conquer him now¡­¡¯ He had finally obtained a de that worked against Raon, thanks to him epting wrath, but the trait had returned them to where they¡¯d started. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Wrath calmed his boiling emotion. He didn¡¯t want to give away free stats by getting angry like an idiot anymore. ¡®I have plenty of time.¡¯ His recovery speed was getting faster, albeit slightly, and he had managed to give some wrath to Raon. He was growing pretty quickly for a human, but Wrath was going to win in the end. ¡®Just you wait. Your body and soul are mine. I¡¯ll lock you up in a cier for eternity.¡¯ Wrath red at Raon with a cold gaze. ¡°Tsk, tsk.¡± Raon looked at Wrath and clicked his tongue. ¡°Judging from your expression, you are thinking about something useless again.¡± You are the one with useless thoughts. A mere human would never be able to understand the great and mighty King of Essence¡¯s thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious. You must¡¯ve resolved to wait and endure until you can eat up my body and lock my soul up in a cier.¡± Urgh! Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped. You bastard, when did you learn to read minds? ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t notice with everything I¡¯ve heard and seen so far. Your thoughts and actions are in the palm of my hand.¡± Raon opened his right hand and swayed it. A mere human dares¡­! Wrath exploded in anger, despite having resolved to not get caught up in Raon¡¯s provocation. Wham! Wrath¡¯s coldness, which became even more intense, crushed against Raon. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon bit his lip from inside. ¡®This isn¡¯t a joke¡­¡¯ Even considering his wounded state, the pain had be way worse than before. It felt like sharp icicles were stinging his entire body. It was a dire amount of pain despite having four stars in ¡®Water Resistance¡¯. epting wrath was extremely dangerous. ¡°Huff¡­¡± He resonated his four rings of fire and ground his teeth to endure the pain, over and over again. Along with the message, the pain pressing upon his mind and body subsided significantly. Krrrrr! The King of Essence is going to put an end to this ill-fated rtionship with you! Though Wrath kept generating wrath and coldness with everything he had, they weren¡¯t really difficult to endure¡ªjust like before he¡¯d taken on his wrath. His mind grew a bit clearer with the message. Damn it. Just what is going on here? Wrath kept swearing while falling out of his body. He looked more like a delinquent than the monarch of Wrath. ¡°I already told you.¡± Raon snickered and shook his right hand. ¡°You can¡¯t win against me. You are too obvious.¡± However, he didn¡¯t feelfortable on the inside. ¡®He is recovering his power even faster.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s energy was getting stronger and stronger. If Raon couldn¡¯t get stronger faster than him, Wrath would end up eating him up. ¡°Haa.¡± Krrrr! Raon and Wrath were preparing to devour each other despite being at a close distance to each other. *** The next day, Raon woke up after noon, then went outside. When he looked at the vige, the reconstruction had advanced a little. It seemed the swordsmen from the branch and the trainees had been working on it throughout the night and the morning. ¡°You woke up.¡± Branch Manager Brukas, who was around the wooden fence, came up to Raon. His gaze was different from the day before. He was looking at him like a mysterious animal. It seemed he heard the story about him killing the Green War Demon and fighting the Blood Raving Demon from the other trainees. ¡°How is your body?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot better now.¡± Raon nodded slowly. He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of medicine Rimmer had used, but the broken bone was reattached, and the flesh was regrowing on his torn waist and thigh. It seemed he could return to his normal state soon enough, as long as he focused on his recovery once he returned. ¡°You did really great. You killed the Green War Demon at the age of fifteen and survived a fight against the Blood Raving Demon. It¡¯s nothing short of being called an achievement.¡± Brukas swallowed, giving him a thumbs up. ¡®No, it¡¯s more than an achievement.¡¯ No one would believe that a trainee yet to be a swordsman managed to kill the Green War Demon from Eden and fought against the Blood Raving Demon for more than ten minutes. Even if he returned to the house and spread the news, the majority wouldn¡¯t believe it. He examined Raon carefully. He was severely wounded, wrapped in bandages, yet he didn¡¯t show any weakness on the outside norin about it. He could only be amazed and wonder what he had to go through to have that much patience and might at that age. ¡°We are going to take care of the rest here, so you shall return to the house with the trainees. We did first aid, but many of you are severely wounded¡ªincluding you. You should return and get treated properly.¡± ¡°I see, thank you for your consideration.¡± ¡°We are Ziegharts, after all.¡± Brukas smiled lightly and waved his hand. ¡°Well, then.¡± Raon bowed slightly and went to the other trainees. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Brukas stared at Raon¡¯s back nkly. ¡®He held his ground against the Blood Raving Demon¡­¡¯ Even though he was an intermediate Expert, he wasn¡¯t confident he could survive for five minutes against the Blood Raving Demon. The story about Raon fighting against him for ten minutes after letting the trainees escape was both surprising and impressive at the same time. ¡®He looks huge.¡¯ Even though he was a young boy less than half his age, his back looked huge to him. ¡®Anyway.¡¯ Brukas smiled, looking up at the sun shining upon the world from the middle of the sky. ¡®There¡¯s going to be an uproar in the house.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan ran up to Raon like a puppy that saw food. After checking his entire body, her eyes drooped. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t anymore.¡± Raon shook his head and smiled. It wasn¡¯t a lie since the pain had really subsided significantly. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry anymore.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± The corners of Runaan¡¯s mouth were slightly lifted. It seemed she had gotten slightly better at expressing her emotions. ¡°We are going to return to the house, so tell everyone to prepare to depart.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She visibly nodded, then ran towards where the other trainees were. ¡°Are we going to return right away?¡± Burren, who was watching them, approached him silently. ¡°Yes. The branch manager told us to return since he is going to take care of the rest.¡± ¡°Hah, where the hell did our instructor go?¡± Burren frowned and kicked the ground. ¡°Is your body really alright?¡± ¡°The wounds still remain, but they are recovering.¡± ¡°Make sure to recoverpletely, since I need to defeat you in your perfect state.¡± ¡°Even though you saw that?¡± ¡°Because I saw that.¡± His blue eyes were unwavering, as if a boulder was weighing down on them. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give up or withdraw. If I can¡¯t walk then I¡¯ll crawl, if that means I can chase after you.¡± His voice contained an unbreakable will. It seemed Burren had also grown up throughout the mission. ¡°And.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I silenced those that know you can use the ice aura. Since you saved their lives, they aren¡¯t going to reveal your secret.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted. ¡®He even did that for me?¡¯ He thought he had no choice but to reveal he had two auras, but it seemed Burren had stopped the trainees from talking about it for him. Raon was dumbfounded, since it waspletely unexpected. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be surprised. I just did what I could since you saved my life.¡± Burren scratched the side of his nose and turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare for departure. You should rest a bit more.¡± After saying that, he went to where the other trainees were. ¡®He really changed a lot.¡¯ He had changed so much that it was difficult to believe he was full of jealousy when he first met him. Raon thought the fifth training ground¡¯s miracle might have been Burren, instead of himself. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon packed up his belongings and went towards the vige center. ¡°We need to repair that properly, so just pile up the wood for now!¡± The slightly injured vige chief wasmanding the vigers. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous if you pile it up vertically, so put it next to¡­ Oh! Benefactor!¡± Upon noticing Raon, he quickly ran up to him. ¡°A-are you alright? You are severely injured because of me¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t because of you, vige chief.¡± ¡°But you fought against that monster in order to save this worthless man. I really don¡¯t know how I can thank you.¡± The vige chief knelt and lowered his head. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Watching the vige chief expressing his gratitude, he reminisced on when he first met the Blood Raving Demon. ¡®That time¡­¡¯ The moment the Blood Raving Demon attacked them, he instinctively hugged the vige chief and stepped back. His body had moved on its own, despite knowing that he would get injured. ¡®I wonder why I did that.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t actually necessary to do that. Since he had already gotten the goblin king¡¯s magic stone and heard the story, there was no reason to save him. Yet he had saved him, getting injured in the process. ¡®I¡¯m changing.¡¯ It could be because of Sylvia, or Rimmer, or the children, or the circumstances. Regardless of the reason, he was going through a change. And he didn¡¯t dislike it. It felt like the clothes called emotions were being put on an empty wooden doll. ¡°Please stand up.¡± Raon smiled lightly and made the shivering vige chief stand. His old eyes were filled with deep emotions and gratitude. ¡°Just like I said before, I¡¯ll take this gemstone, since they mighte after it again if left alone.¡± ¡°Please, go ahead!¡± The vige chief firmly nodded his head. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it carelessly, and if somebody visits you looking for the gem, tell them Zieghart took it along with a few other objects.¡± ¡°I see!¡± The vige chief nodded. He looked like he just received a god¡¯s revtion. Why are you saying that? Can¡¯t you tell him everything? ¡®It¡¯s better that he doesn¡¯t know.¡¯ He needed to erase the information about Eden looking for the gem by taking other objects on top of the gem. ¡®I can sell this information for a high price.¡¯ Raon grinned. He wasn¡¯t going to miss an opportunity to sell Eden''s information to Glenn. *** The trainees left Cebu vige, epting the vigers'' heartfelt cheers. Burren led the trainees from the front instead of the injured Raon, and Runaan followed right behind Raon like a duckling. Martha was walking on her own like always, but she was deep in thought with cloudy eyes. Raon carefully examined his surroundings, standing at the center. ¡®My perception has increased thanks to the stats.¡¯ Thanks to having killed the Green War Demon and the Blood Raving Demon, as well as the stats he extorted from Wrath, his perception had gotten significantly better. The range had increased, and it became easier to find people that were hiding their presence. He felt like he could find a Red Eye Demon¡¯s location in no time if one was hiding nearby. Upon increasing the range of his perception to prepare for Eden¡¯s attack, just in case, he found one person¡¯s presence. ¡®Rimmer!¡¯ He could feel Rimmer¡¯s refreshing wind. He was still watching over the trainees instead of returning. ¡®I guess that¡¯s normal.¡¯ Since Eden or another organization might attack them, it was as in as day that he would decide to stay. Pfft. Rimmer¡¯s presence suddenly vanished, like an extinguishing candlelight. It seemed he noticed he was detected. ¡®He is really peculiar.¡¯ Raon snickered and followed the trainees after erasing his aura perception. A momentter. Rimmer came down from the tree on the path the trainee went down. He shook his head with an expression of disbelief. ¡°That monstrous guy¡­¡± He knew Raon had grown tremendously during thest few days, but he didn¡¯t expect him to see through his concealment. ¡°I wonder how he is going to react if I tell him about this.¡± Rimmer grinned, thinking about Glenn¡¯s dignified expression. Chapter 83 ¡°Why are you in such rough shape?¡± Glenn raised his chin, watching Rimmer kneel down awkwardly in front of him. ¡°The bnce between your body and energy has been broken even further. What have you done this time?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Glenn frowned and narrowed his eyes. His aura split apart like knitting wools and burrowed into Rimmer¡¯s body. Whir. The pain in his mana circuit and energy center caused by opening the Sword Field started to subside. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rimmer gasped. ¡®Did he get even stronger?¡¯ He managed to fix his body¡¯s bnce from just controlling his aura. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Glenn was already at a demigod¡¯s level. ¡®No, he was already at that level.¡¯ Glenn had never shown his true strength in about ten years. It was more urate to say that it was a portion of his true ability, rather than that he''d gotten stronger. Whir. After soothing his muscles, bones and internal organs, Glenn¡¯s aura disappeared like smoke. His body had gotten a lot better. ¡°Thank you.¡± Rimmer stopped fidgeting with his fingers and bowed to him properly. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I don¡¯t want to see you trembling like that when you are already weak as you are.¡± ¡°Huhu, I¡¯ll be counting on you in the future.¡± ¡°Stop your pleasantries and get to the point.¡± ¡°Ah, you are right.¡± He raised his head and smiled. ¡°I brought news about your grandson that my lord has been looking forward to.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn looked down on Rimmer indifferently, not responding. ¡°Do you want me to tell you about it already?¡± Rimmer giggled and raised his body. ¡°Actually, something interesting happened during the mission.¡± ¡°Interesting?¡± ¡°Yes, Eden was in Cebu vige.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Glenn¡¯s pupils dted. It seemed the news managed to surprise him despite him being at a demigod¡¯s level. ¡°Considering the branch office didn¡¯t manage to notice them despite having examined Cebu vige and Cebu Mountain beforehand, they must¡¯ve arrived after their investigation.¡± ¡°Get to the point, quickly.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll tell you what happened from the start. I found a Red Eye Demon upon arriving there before anyone else. After wondering what to do, I decided to leave the matter to the children. Then¡­¡± Rimmer nodded and told him about what happened in Cebu. ¡°¡­When I reached that ce, Raon was holding his ground against the Blood Raving Demon despite his ruined body.¡± ¡°Blood Raving Demon? Do you think that makes any sense¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. It doesn¡¯t make any sense. A fifteen-year-old trainee killed the Green War Demon and survived the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s fist? Anyone would be criticized for telling such a story. However!¡± He raised his long finger. ¡°It¡¯s the truth. I witnessed it, the trainees witnessed it, and the vigers witnessed it as well. I¡¯m sure the head of house will also realize it upon seeing Raon. He is already at the novice level Sword Expert.¡± ¡°You said he survived. How is his body, then?¡± Despite being a transcender, Glenn¡¯s eyes were filled with question and worry. ¡°I told you such amazing news, yet you are just worrying about his body. I guess he¡¯s not your family for nothing.¡± ¡°Silence, just answer my question.¡± ¡°His left arm was broken, and his muscles were torn. I heard he took the first blow while trying to save the vige chief.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s mouth twisted slightly upon hearing it. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I saw that expression. I guess you are proud of your grandson and worried at the same time.¡± ¡°How is he right now?¡± ¡°I gave him the Elvrin sap. He will return sturdier than ever.¡± ¡°That¡¯s.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes. Elvrin was the name of the second World Tree, and its sap was a priceless treasure. ¡°Since he was heavily injured, he wasn¡¯t going to recover perfectly if I didn¡¯t take proper measures quickly. And what can I say? It didn¡¯t feel like a waste at all.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Where are the trainees right now?¡± ¡°They should arrive at the house in one or two days.¡± ¡°We are going to hold the house conference as soon as they return. Summon the division leaders in advance.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Glenn ordered while closing his eyes, and Roenn, who was standing still in surprise stepped up. ¡®Raon, we can extort a lot.¡¯ Rimmer grinned, seeing Glenn¡¯s expression. ¡°Rimmer.¡± ¡°Ah, yes?¡± Glenn¡¯s voice suddenly spoke up when he thought it was over. ¡°Why did you go there instead of sending another instructor?¡± ¡°I just¡­ Wanted to watch the children¡¯s growth.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Glenn scratched his chin and continued. ¡°Good job. And well done.¡± ¡°Oh? How long has it been since thest time youplimented me? It¡¯s been almost twenty years¡­¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve beenplimented more often if you didn¡¯t act like a fool.¡± ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s true.¡± Rimmer burst out inughter. He couldn¡¯t even remember when hestughed genuinely in front of the head of house, and he saw the head of house¡¯s visible smile. It felt like the house had started moving once again, thanks to Raon. * * * * * * Raon and the trainees managed to arrive in front of Zieghart¡¯s front gate after fifteen days. Rumble! Along with a ground shaking noise, the massive silver gate was swung open. The gatekeeper swordsmen were standing still behind it, guarding the gate and the castle walls. It was the same sight as when they had left on the mission. However, one thing had changed. The eyes of the gatekeeper swordsmen used to be as adamant as stone status, but they were now filled with surprise and curiosity. ¡°Wee back.¡± The guard captain¡¯s voice had also changed. He wasn¡¯t treating them as novice trainees, but real swordsmen that had returned from a mission. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at the gatekeepers and narrowed his eyes. ¡®Rimmer spread the story.¡¯ It was obvious. Since the people from the branch were still in Cebu vige, it must¡¯ve been Rimmer who told everyone about it. ¡°I¡¯m sure you want to rest, but there¡¯s a ce you have to visit beforehand. Everyone shall go to the lord¡¯s manor, the lord is waiting for you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Lord¡¯s manor?¡± ¡°The head of house is waiting?¡± Upon hearing that the head of house had summoned them, the trainees¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Go there immediately.¡± The guard captain pointed towards the lord¡¯s manor and ordered the gate closed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Since Raon had already expected it, he nodded and led the trainees towards the lord¡¯s manor. Everyone stood still and watched them as they passed the main street. Raon could even hear their whispers, thanks to his improved perception. ¡°That¡¯s him, right? Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Did he really defeat the Green War Demon, despite being that small?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing. I heard he withstood the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s attacks.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really feel his pressure, though. Is he really an Expert? I think he is more like an advanced level User.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s another false rumor from Rimmer?¡± ¡°Rimmer iszy, but he didn¡¯t sink so low as to spread a false rumor.¡± They were cheerfully making a fuss about whether Rimmer¡¯s story was true or not. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed lightly and entered the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°Congrattions on your return after a sessful mission.¡± Glenn¡¯s butler, Roenn, bowed his head. The other servants also lowered their heads after him. ¡®Certainly¡­¡¯ Their reaction hadn¡¯t changed from before, probably because they were the real deal. ¡°Please,e this way. Everyone is waiting.¡± ¡°Does ¡®everyone¡¯ mean¡­¡± ¡°On top of the head of house, there are also the division leaders.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Th-the division leaders?¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± Raon turned around hearing a light groan. The trainees were licking their dry lips with nervous expressions. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be nervous. We just need to tell them what happened, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. You just need to convey what you saw and experienced during the mission.¡± Roenn nodded with a bright smile. ¡®He is indeed different.¡¯ He had seen countless talents while assisting Glenn, but it was his first time seeing a boy like Raon. He wasn¡¯t ignorant of the importance of the situation because of his young age. He was fully aware of it, yet he waspletely calm andposed. His mindset was truly outstanding. ¡°Please,e this way.¡± Roenn bowed slightly and guided them through the wide hallway. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon followed right behind Roenn, heading to the audience chamber. The audience chamber¡¯s door was already open, exuding frightening pressure from the inside. ¡°Haa.¡± He breathed out, then entered. The throne was the only chair on the tform, unlike during the Judgment Ceremony, and swordsmen he had never seen before were standing in a single line underneath. ¡®They are Zieghart¡¯s squad and division leaders.¡¯ Their pressures were sending a chill down his spine. The energy and spirit they possessed was different from average people. ¡®And¡­¡¯ He could feel it even more clearly now that he was at the Expert level. Glenn Zieghart. His tremendous energy was too much for him to properly perceive. It seemed as if his energy, emanating from the audience chamber, was reaching the entirety of Zieghart¡¯s domain. ¡®How fearsome.¡¯ In that ce, where powerful people were gathered, he was the only one standing on a different dimension. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± Raon knelt at the center of the audience chamber and bowed his head. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± The trainees followed him, bowing in the same posture. ¡°Rise.¡± They all raised their heads, feeling Glenn¡¯s heavy voice in their heart. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I heard you were at the center of the Cebu vige incident. Tell me about it in detail.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon stood up while organizing his thoughts. ¡°Once we reached Cebu vige, I could feel somebody observing us. I first thought it was one of the instructors, but that wasn¡¯t the case. In order to obtain more urate information¡­¡± He opened his mouth after meeting the eyes of everyone; the squad and division leaders standing at the very back, Rimmer who was yawning, and Glenn. ¡°While I was prepared to meet my end¡ªhaving exhausted my strength from stopping the Blood Raving Demon¡ªI managed to survive thanks to Instructor Rimmer, who came to help.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The whole audience chamber fell silent, as heavy as a lump of steel. ¡°My lord.¡± Burren¡¯s father and Glenn¡¯s second son, Karoon Zieghart raised his chin. ¡°Do you think that makes any sense at all? They are just fifteen- or sixteen-year-old children. The Green War Demon would¡¯ve been enough to annihte them, yet he stood his ground against the Blood Raving Demon! It can be nothing other than nonsense!¡± ¡°But big brother, the branch has also reported to us that multiple traces of Eden have been found.¡± ¡°I told you I witnessed it. Is it that hard to believe?¡± Rimmer snorted while picking his ears. ¡°That¡¯s the problem to start with! How am I supposed to believe a cripple like you managed to defeat the Blood Raving Demon! Give me the proof¡­¡± nk! The sudden sound of metal directed everyone¡¯s gaze towards Raon. Two lumps of metal were lying in front of him. They were the Green War Demon and the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s helmets. ¡°Green War Demon and Blood Raving Demon¡¯s helmets¡­¡± ¡°W-was it actually true?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The division leaders¡¯ eyes widened upon seeing the helmets. ¡°Eden¡¯s helmets aren¡¯t the problem! What I¡¯m asking you is how you managed to kill them! A surprise attack? You aren¡¯t even an assassin, so how was it even supposed to be possible!¡± Raon couldn¡¯t say that he used to be an assassin. ¡°My lord.¡± Instead of looking at Karoon or the other division leaders, Raon looked up at Glenn, who was in front of him. ¡°Can I draw my sword?¡± Glenn nodded very lightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed his head and drew his sword from his waist. Crimson me red up from the silver damaged de. Roar! The me surrounding the de lit up the entire audience chamber like the intense me burning inside the furnace. ¡°A-aura de, and such a me on top of it¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I heard it was a very tiny me, though.¡± ¡°Is he a Sword Expert? At that age?¡± ¡°N-nonsense¡­¡± ¡°His level seems enough to fight equally against the Green War Demon.¡± The division leaders¡¯ eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Raon¡¯s aura de. ¡°I told you already. That guy¡¯s a monster.¡± Rimmer giggled, watching the astonished division leaders. Glenn Zieghart¡¯s expression didn¡¯t seem to have changed at all. However, those who knew him well could notice the corner of his lips twitching. Whap! Raon lowered his sword, burning in a crimson me, and raised his chin. ¡°Was that enough of an exnation?¡± There was no response to his words. Chapter 84 ¡°Aura de¡­¡± Karoon gulped, watching the me surrounding Raon¡¯s sword. ''Was it actually true that he was at a novice level Expert?¡¯ Raon¡¯s level was strangely difficult to guess. He thought he was an advanced level Aura User, yet he was using the aura de, which was the symbol of an Expert. To be able to use an aura de at the age of fifteen¡­ He was certainly one of the best geniuses of the continent, or a monster. ¡®But even an Expert wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against the Blood Raving Demon.¡¯ Expert was certainly a level that could be called powerful. However, it wasn¡¯t that great at the continent¡¯s scale. ¡°Even if you are an Expert, the Blood Raving Demon is a Master. You definitely could not hold your ground against him at your level. Same goes for defeating the Green War Demon! Spit out the tru¡­¡± ¡°Father.¡± Burren, who was kneeling behind Raon, stepped forward. ¡°I witnessed it. Raon killed the Green War Demon and stood against the Blood Raving Demon in order to buy time for our and the vigers¡¯ escape, despite having injured an arm.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Runaan stepped forth, following Burren and nodding. Her gaze was directed to her father, Rokan Sullion, on her right side. ¡°I never permitted you to open your mouth!¡± Karoon red at Burren, with an expression of looking at a trained animal rather than his son. ¡°Huh. I don¡¯t even know what you want if you can¡¯t even believe your son. You are so stubborn that nothing can get through to you. I wonder how you even eat and poop, the way you are.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth, Rimmer.¡± Karoon red at the shrugging Rimmer as if he wanted to kill him. ¡°What you did is the most problematic part. There¡¯s no way you could¡¯ve killed the Blood Raving Demon with that broken body, unless you are scamming us¡­¡± ¡°Then shall we fight? I also want to see how amazing the Central Martial Pce master is after such a long time.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll cut that thin neck right away¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± An overwhelmingly heavy voice interrupted Rimmer and Karoon¡¯s bickering. ¡°Hup!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± The tremendous presence was making everyone¡¯s spines tense. ¡°Top trainee Raon Zieghart, and every trainee of the fifth training ground, shall listen.¡± Glenn raised his chin from the hand supporting it and continued, looking down at everyone. ¡°You did excellent.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Father?¡± ¡°My lord¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s unexpectedpliment made everyone¡¯s jaws drop; the division leaders, the heads of vassal families, and even the trainees. Everyone inside the audience chamber looked at Glenn with bewildered expressions. It was a natural reaction. Glenn Zieghart was a cold-blooded person, one that was stingier than anyone with hispliments. ¡®Good job¡¯ was the best he would say, no matter how difficult the mission one had aplished, and he hadn¡¯t said ¡®excellent¡¯ to anyone in decades. ¡°I got the first report from Rimmer, then another from the branch officer that investigated the Cebu area, and they all are in agreement with the third report I¡¯m getting from you.¡± Glenn raised his right hand, the one used to support his chin. ¡°Firstly, you noticed the existence of enemies and didn¡¯t take any reckless actions.¡± He folded his index finger. ¡°Secondly, you tried to grasp the enemies instead of trying to fight them immediately after returning.¡± He folded his middle finger this time. ¡°Thirdly, you weakened the enemy with a surprise attack after waiting for the best moment and ended the Green War Demon¡¯s life with a hidden strike.¡± Each time Glenn folded a finger, the division leaders¡¯ eyes became wider. ¡°And finally, you stood in front of an unwinnable enemy in order to let your allies and civilians escape.¡± His eyes shone red, as he folded his four fingers. ¡°Your decisions were appropriate, like those of a seasoned warrior. There were no casualties among the trainees or the vigers thanks to your urate decisions. And¡­¡± Glenn looked at the trainees behind Raon. ¡°You also acted like true swordsmen of Zieghart. The reason that Zieghart can be the way it is right now is thanks to the people supporting from below.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°My lord¡­¡± Roenn and Rimmer nodded firmly. ¡°We aren¡¯t a kingdom, but we are reigning over the north as more than a kingdom. That¡¯s why we need to protect the people living in thisnd. No one would be willing to follow us otherwise. Good job, everyone.¡± ¡°Th-thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Burren, Runaan, Martha, and the trainees shouted while sticking their heads on the ground. ¡°Uuuu!¡± ¡°My lord!¡± The trainees trembled upon receiving apliment from the god. Burren was even shedding tears. ¡°I¡¯m going to grant a bronze tablet to you all.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The trainees hit their heads on the ground so hard they could have bled. ¡°And Raon Zieghart, who created and dealt with the entire situation, shall be granted a silver tablet.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon also knelt and bowed, following the other trainees. ¡°Tsh.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Some division leaders weren¡¯t pleased with Raon receiving a silver tablet, but no one could step up since it was Glenn¡¯s direct decree. ¡°Roenn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roenn took the wide board ced on the table at his right side, going up onto the tform. Glenn lifted the cloth covering the board, revealing the forty-two copper and one silver tablet underneath. ¡°Burren Zieghart, step forward.¡± ¡°Ah, yes! Undershtood!¡± Burren bit his tongue while responding, but he acted as if nothing happened and walked up to the tform. ¡°Fighting for those we need to protect was the right thing to do. However.¡± Burren¡¯s mouth froze upon hearing him say ¡®however¡¯. ¡°Rushing in without trying to identify the enemy''s strength is no different than a beast. You shall broaden your horizons and take a wider view of the situation.¡± Glenn looked over Burren at all the other trainees and continued. ¡°This is directed to all of you.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± After giving the bronze tablet to Runaan, Martha, and all other trainees, he finally looked at Raon. ¡°Raon Zieghart, step forward.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon bowed deeply, then stood up to walk up onto the tform. ¡®I can feel their gazes.¡¯ Irritated gazes were piercing through his heart from behind. They were from Karoon and the other coteral division leaders. However, Karoon¡¯s son Burren and the other coteral trainees weren¡¯t looking at him with jealousy. They were looking at him with pride instead. That was good enough for Raon. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze was still cold and dry. It felt like a frozen field in the middle of winter. However, something felt different from before. A small light existed in his gaze, like a single flower blooming from the snow field. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was good or bad. ¡°You¡¯ve saved many people¡¯s lives. I acknowledge that endeavor and grant you this silver tablet. Keep training your body and mind in the future.¡± ¡°Can I have a moment?¡± * * * * * * Raon stood still without taking the silver tablet Glenn was holding. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I have something to say.¡± ¡°Something to say?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s about Eden''s objective.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± One of Glenn¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly. ¡°I know the reason they came to Cebu vige, and what they are after right now.¡± ¡°How dare you spout such a lie here!¡± A furious voice could be heard from behind. It was Karoon¡¯s voice. ¡°Eden¡¯s demons won¡¯t speak the truth even if you torture them by tearing off their limbs. There¡¯s no way you could have obtained that information!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Certainly¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, torture doesn¡¯t work against them.¡± The other division leaders nodded in agreement. ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. However¡­¡± Raon turned and met Karoon¡¯s burning eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to reveal it in front of the people that are doubting it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°That arrogance!¡± ¡°How dare you! You haven¡¯t even received the title of swordsman!¡± The division leaders following Karoon gave off powerful pressures, but Raon wasn¡¯t daunted in the slightest. He had a greater achievement than them in his previous life, despite being weaker than them. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± It was an asion created by Rimmer and Glenn, an asion where he could increase the reward for the mission. He wasn¡¯t going to allow anyone to get in the way. ¡°Silence! Where do you think this is¡­¡± ¡°Karoon Zieghart.¡± Karoon shut his mouth upon hearing a heavy voice from the tform. ¡°I already told you to shut your mouth.¡± ¡°Hup!¡± A chill ran down Raon¡¯s spine. The pressure wasn¡¯t directed at him, but it felt like his entire body was freezing up. ¡°F-father?¡± ¡°Get out, including everyone else who spoke up just now.¡± Glenn wasn¡¯t even looking at Karoon. Even though his son was an important member of the house, he was still cold-hearted towards him, without any mercy. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The five division leaders and vice leaders bit their lips. After ring at Raon like they wanted to kill him, they left the audience chamber. ¡°Say it now. What have you seen there?¡± No amount of torture could get the information out of Eden¡¯sckeys¡¯ stubbornness. All the gazes of division leaders and Glenn were focused on Raon¡¯s mouth who said he knew Eden¡¯s objective. ¡°The Blood Raving Demon revealed their objective when he was certain he could kill me and all the other trainees.¡± ¡°Objective?¡± ¡°Eden was looking for the monsters¡¯ magic stone.¡± Raon took out the goblin king¡¯s magic stone from his chest. The red-hot light brightened up the dim audience chamber. ¡°It¡¯s not just any magic stone, but from thosemonly referred to as named monsters. This one is the goblin king¡¯s magic stone, the one that died in Cebu Mountain a few hundred years ago.¡± Raon exined and extended the hand holding the magic stone. Whir. The goblin king¡¯s magic stone floated up on its own and went into Glenn¡¯s hand. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes and examined the magic stone. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The division leaders and squad leaders watched Glenn and Raon without even swallowing their saliva. ¡°Certainly.¡± Glenn raised his head after checking the magic stone. ¡°This isn¡¯t an ordinary object.¡± Glenn said while looking at Raon, but he couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind his gaze, whether he was proud of him or wasughing at him. ¡°It¡¯s an achievement that nobody else has managed to do.¡± The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth were raised slightly as he took the silver tablet from Roenn to give it to Raon. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Raon slowly extended his hand to take the silver tablet. ¡®Was I mistaken?¡¯ He thought he could trust him to reward him ording to his deed, despite his dislike for himself and Sylvia. He had expected him to give an extra silver tablet or even a gold tablet, yet that wasn¡¯t the case. Glenn wasn¡¯t giving him anything else. ¡®I should¡¯ve just straight up told him to give me something in return.¡¯ It was regrettable, but he couldn¡¯t ask him for a reward at that point. He slightly bit his lip and stepped down from the tform. ¡°Everyone shall return. A great conference will be held tomorrow morning, so everyone shall participate.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The division leaders and squad leaders responded loud and clear and bowed. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ How foolish of you to not obtain anything after giving out such information. Raon clicked his tongue silently and Wrath sneered at him. *** ¡®I trusted him too much.¡¯ Raon shook his head. He had started to trust Glenn slightly after getting the ¡®Ten Thousand Flowers Cultivation¡¯, but that was apparently a mistake. He was living in Zieghart¡¯s jungle. He needed to take what he needed by himself. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± As he was leaving the lord¡¯s manor with irritated steps, Roenn¡¯s voice was heard from the right hallway. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Since Roenn had been in the audience chamber a moment ago, he couldn¡¯t understand how he was there. Moreover¡­ ¡®I didn¡¯t feel anything.¡¯ His increased perception didn¡¯t manage to grasp his presence. It looked like he was a warrior after all, and an assassin like himself in his previous life. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± He approached him with a gentle smile. ¡°May I visit you in the annex building at midnight?¡± ¡°Pardon? Why would you visit¡­¡± ¡°The head of house asked me to bring you here.¡± Roenn lifted his finger to point at the audience chamber¡¯s huge door and smiled. ¡°I think he wanted to give you the second gift.¡± Chapter 85 Raon left the lord¡¯s manor after telling Roenn that he understood. ¡®What is he thinking?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure whether Glenn intended to reward him just like Roenn said or ask more questions about Eden. ¡®I still don¡¯t understand his personality.¡¯ He could somewhat read people¡¯s thoughts thanks to his vast experience, but he couldn¡¯t read into Glenn¡¯s thoughts at all, as if he was looking into a misty space. ¡°Raon!¡± A familiar voice was heard as soon as he left the lord¡¯s manor. Sylvia was biting her lip while running at him with red-rimmed eyes. ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± She didn¡¯t care about her clothes getting dirty as she knelt down and started checking Raon¡¯s body. ¡°I-I heard you fought against Eden! Is your arm okay? What happened to your waist?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m almost healed.¡± Raon smiled gently. He was almostpletely healed thanks to Rimmer¡¯s medicine¡¯s effectiveness. ¡°I¡­¡± Sylvia bit her lip, looking at the thick bandages wrapped around his arm, waist, and thigh. She looked like she would start crying at any moment. ¡®Ah, there was that¡­¡¯ She had lost her husband and daughter to Eden. Raon felt like he was too inconsiderate. ¡°Mom, I¡­¡± ¡°I regretted it.¡± Sylvia lowered her head. Her hand trembled as she grabbed his arm. ¡°Do you remember what I told you before you left on the mission? That I wanted you to act like a true Zieghart.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I really regretted it when I heard you fought against the Green War Demon, then stopped the Blood Raving Demon in order to save everyone.¡± The tear welling up in her eye ended up falling. ¡°I thought you made that decision because of what I said, I really¡­¡± Her pronunciation was awkward since she was crying, but Sylvia¡¯s feelings and message touched his heart. ¡°I wasn¡¯t only a mediocre swordsman, but I¡¯m also a bad mother¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m rather grateful to Mom.¡± Raon grabbed Sylvia¡¯s trembling hands. He could feel the same warmth from her hand as her heart. ¡°G-grateful?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded and smiled slightly. ¡°Various thoughts came to my mind while fighting against the Blood Raving Demon. Should I run? How? Should I order Burren to fight then run away on my own? I might be able to survive if I run away while using the trainees as bait.¡± Raon met Sylvia¡¯s trembling eyes with an embarrassed expression. ¡°That¡¯s when I heard mom¡¯s voice. The voice that told me ¡®I want you to live like the Zieghart¡¯s swordsman from the past¡¯.¡± It was true. If it wasn¡¯t for Sylvia¡¯s voice resounding in his ears, he would¡¯ve run away without looking back or saving the vige chief. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that, I would¡¯ve died while running away after abandoning everyone. Even if I managed to survive, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life, unable to wield a sword ever again.¡± He confessed his frightened emotions from that time with a cold breath. ¡°I was only able to stop the Blood Raving Demon and fight until the end thanks to what you told me, Mom. There¡¯s nothing to apologize for or regret.¡± Why am I fighting against the Blood Raving Demon? Why do I have to be the other people¡¯s shield? The reason he managed to endure that painful time was the fact that it was his own choice after following her words. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Sylvia burst into the tears that she had been holding back so far. Her mind must¡¯ve been heavy ever since she heard the news about Eden. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon repeated what she had told him in his childhood and rubbed her back. *** Raon stayed by Sylvia¡¯s side until she grew exhausted and fell asleep, then he left her room. Helen was waiting for him outside the room. ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed the young master that used to be so small and young consoling mydy. Now I can die without any regrets.¡± She pretended to cry, hiding her eyes with her fingers. ¡°Stop jesting and live for a very long time. I''ll make you live in luxury with Mom.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the thought, young master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just the thought.¡± Raon shook his head and closed the door to Sylvia¡¯s room. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be looking forward to it with pleasure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Raon nodded and went inside his room. Inside the dark room with closed curtains, a thin human shape could be found. ¡°Judiel.¡± Since Raon was already aware of her presence, he called her name while sitting at his bed. ¡°Yes, young master.¡± Judiel, who was standing next to the window prostrated in front of Raon. Her expression was as stiff as cold marble. ¡°How is the situation?¡± ¡°I got the order to return from Central Martial Pce. They are going to dispose of me, by the looks of it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at Judiel¡¯s head. ¡®Is he venting his anger on her?¡¯ Karoon Zieghart was the one that sent Judiel to the annex building. It looked like he decided to get rid of her, since she hadn¡¯t managed to obtain the information about Raon bing a Sword Expert and he had made Karoon angry in the audience chamber just before. ¡®Yet¡­¡¯ Judiel herself was stillposed, despite her life being in danger. He¡¯d thought she was average from the way she was terrified at theke back then, but it seemed she was properly educated as a spy. ¡°Do you want to live?¡± Raon slowly opened his mouth. His voice sounded like it didn¡¯t really matter whether Judiel died or lived. However, he was thinking about how to save her on the inside, since a double agent like her was difficult to obtain. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Judiel slowly raised her head. Her eyes were shivering like moonlight reflected in ake. Just as she was when he first saw her, she was still holding on to her life. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the way you can survive.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go to the Central Martial Pce. Send a letter instead. Tell him you became Raon Zieghart¡¯s personal maid.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°He won¡¯t suspect it if you write that my mom was worried about my body and picked you.¡± Raon pointed at the wounds wrapped by bandages. Since the rumors said he was severely wounded, despite his actual status, it was going to work for sure. Moreover, Karoon was going to think he could obtain information more easily in the future since his spy became Raon¡¯s personal maid. ¡°Th-that¡¯s true. But why are you being so considerate towards me¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not for you. It¡¯s because it would be a waste for me to lose a double agent like this.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you some good information on top of it. Everyone thinks I¡¯m severely wounded, but I¡¯ve actually almost finished healing. I¡¯m nning to train in the annex building, while pretending to recover.¡± Raon gave Judiel the information about his injury without any hesitation. ¡°Instructor Rimmer and the head of house are the only people that know this fact right now. He is going to realize you are still useful if you tell him about this.¡± ¡°I-indeed.¡± Judiel nodded. ¡°Then, what are you waiting for?¡± He pointed at the door. ¡°Go and write that information on a letter and send it. You need to manage your expression, or he will find out.¡± ¡°U-understood!¡± Judiel lowered her head while covering her cheeks with her hands, then left the room. Everything she says and does is pathetic. What are you going to do with a useless spy like her? ¡®She is going to be the trap to stab Karoon Zieghart in the back. And¡­¡¯ Raon murmured on the inside while looking at the almost unrecognizable door in the darkness. Because she reminds me of my past self. * * * * * * Raon was mindlessly lying on his bed, but he stood up as soon as the moon reached the top of the sky. It wasn¡¯t because the promised time hade, but because of the presence outside his window. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve been waiting.¡± Roenn greeted him with a smile as he opened the window. ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t be sleeping after what you told me.¡± Raon went over the window, putting a coat on his shoulders. ¡°So, what did you mean earlier?¡± He opened his mouth, looking at Roenn¡¯s wrinkled eyes. ¡°How can I know the head of house¡¯s intentions? You will see once you get there.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon asked because he wanted to know Glenn¡¯s intention, but Roenn wasn¡¯t easy to deal with. It was certain that he knew the answer, but he wasn¡¯t telling. He went to the lord¡¯s manor while chatting with Roenn. Curiously, the presence of the swordsmen standing guard in the area were gone. ¡®No one is here.¡¯ Following Roenn, he entered the lord¡¯s manor without meeting anyone. Even the maids, servants, and swordsmen guarding inside the lord¡¯s manor were nowhere to be found. It seemed Roenn had ordered the ce to be cleared out beforehand. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon¡¯s heart pounded, feeling anxious and nervous in such an unknown situation. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so nervous, young master. What you did was a great aplishment, one you can be proud of.¡± He opened the door to the audience chamber while saying that. The light poured out from the inside as the enormous door opened. Raon followed Roenn and entered the audience chamber. Glenn Zieghart, who was sitting on the throne like a statue, opened his eyes. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ That was enough to fill the entire audience chamber with nervousness once again. ¡°Greeting my lord.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± As Raon was about to kneel and bow, his body froze as if he was petrified. ¡®This energy¡­¡¯ That wasn¡¯t what he was trying to do. Glenn had single handedly stopped his movement with his voice. ¡®Seriously¡­¡¯ Raon shuddered at his level of martial art and raised his head. Tap. Glenn removed the hand supporting his chin, looking down on Raon. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± He lowered his head with a trembling throat. ¡°What do you think about footwork?¡± ¡®Let¡¯s see, footwork.¡¯ Footwork was the way of walking. Footwork was the technique that created the most efficient way of moving in all situations: attack, defense, or even evasion and escape. ¡°I think it¡¯s the most efficient martial art, one that decides a warrior¡¯s life or death.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn nodded slightly, to a point where it was almost unnoticeable. Maybe he was pleased with the answer, or maybe he wasn¡¯t. Raon couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°What footwork did you use upon fighting against the Green War Demon and the Blood Raving Demon?¡± ¡°I used the River Footwork.¡± Raon had also used the Shadowless Steps on top of the River Footwork, but he didn¡¯t mention it. ¡°River Footwork is a great technique that can still be used after you get stronger, but its forms are too simple.¡± He was right. River Footwork was excellent footwork for sure, but it only had the basic forms. On the other hand, the ¡®Shadowless Steps¡¯ was a footwork focused on evasion and stealth, even more unsuitable for use than River Footwork in situations other than assassination. He had nned to ask for a new footwork with the extra tablet he should¡¯ve received, but the n had gonepletely awry. ¡°Raon.¡± When he was licking his lip in frustration, Glenn called his name once again. ¡°I rewarded you with a silver tablet at noon for killing the Green War Demon and holding your ground against the Blood Raving Demon. However, I didn¡¯t give you anything for finding out their objective.¡± Raon unconsciously gulped, since he could anticipate what he was going to say next. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you suitable footwork as a reward for discovering Eden¡¯s objective.¡± Glenn stood from the throne. It felt like the highest mountain in the continent, the Est Mountain, had surged up in front of his eyes. He walked down the tform and extended his right foot to the front, then his left front to the back. His pressure was as proud as a noble and as tough as a general on the battlefield. ¡°Watch closely, since I¡¯m only going to show you once.¡± Chapter 86 Raon held his breath. ¡®What an opportunity.¡¯ Receiving instruction from the strongest warrior in the continent was the best opportunity he could get, iparable to a mere tablet. It was such a big deal that it could bring the entire house Zieghart in an uproar. Whir! Raon resonated the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, clearing up his bewildered mind. ¡°You look like you are ready. I¡¯m starting, then.¡± Glenn¡¯s feet separated the faint moonlight covering the floor. His rxed movement made him look like he was on a stroll, but his flow was unpredictable. He red up from the left like a red me, then flowed down to the right like water. Raon was unable to breathe, watching the mysterious flow his feet were creating. Glenn¡¯s footwork was extremely difficult to understand. It was fast yet slow, soft yet hard at the same time. ¡®I still need to watch until the end.¡¯ Giving up because it was too difficult was out of the question since learning just one tenth of Glenn¡¯s teachings was already more than worth it. Raon watched him without even blinking once until he stopped moving his feet. The entrancing moment felt like an instant, and Glenn stood in front of Raon. Despite having just demonstrated a boundless footwork, his breathing remained rxed and he didn¡¯t seem unsettled in the slightest. ¡°Did you see it?¡± The red eyes, as sharp as a beast''s, were asking him whether he had seen it properly¡ªhow much he had understood. ¡°¡­Please excuse me. I didn¡¯t manage to see it.¡± Raon bit his lip and lowered his head. The footwork was on apletely different level, one that couldn¡¯t be understood with only four rings of fire. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It seemed Glenn was expecting that to happen, as he didn¡¯t show any reaction. He just looked down on him with emotionless eyes. ¡°Show me how much you understood.¡± He pointed at the floor and stepped back. It looked like he wanted him to repeat the footwork. ¡®He will be disappointed.¡¯ He saw many flows, and felt the depth of the martial art. However, there was only a very small portion he was able to replicate in his current state. He felt like he could already feel the coldness of Glenn¡¯s gaze. ¡®Then¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip slightly. He decided to repeat the one form that left the strongest impression, rather than awkwardly trying to replicate multiple movements. ¡®That¡¯s.¡¯ The first step. The unusual posture, with right foot at the front and left foot at the back, was the start of the first step. Raon decided to replicate the first step that separated the moonlight and pierced through space. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon extended his left foot to the back and right foot to the front. His feet were shoulder-width apart. It was exactly the same posture as Glenn¡¯s, since Raon had observed it using the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. ¡®The step incorporated everything.¡¯ It was fast, slow, strong, smooth, and ever-changing at the same time. It was a step that could bring him anywhere. He raised his left foot. Putting together what he¡¯d felt from Glenn¡¯s demonstration and the principle of the martial arts he''d learned so far, he extended it to the front. Stomp! The golden moonlight covering the floor was distorted into a triangle, and an intense vibration traveled throughout the audience chamber. The step was extremely weakpared to Glenn¡¯s, but the flow was almost identical. It was the first step that could move in any direction, and in any way he wanted. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes, and Roenn¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled and closed his eyes. He was feeling dizzy, despite having only taken a single step. He must¡¯ve been too focused and nervous. ¡°Is it over after that single step?¡± Glenn turned around, looking at Raon¡¯s extended left foot. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon answered briefly and opened his eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see more than that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I can¡¯t even repeat one tenth of it, let alone replicate it.¡± ¡°Howe you can¡¯t repeat it?¡± ¡°My lord¡¯s footwork contained too many things, like a martial god¡¯s steps. It¡¯s impossible for my unskilled self to understand itpletely.¡± ¡°Does that mean the first step was the easiest?¡± Glenn¡¯s voice grew as cold as the severe winter¡¯s wind. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± Raon continued while looking at his extended left foot. ¡°From what I saw, the first step was the most important and the most impressive. I thought I should repeat the first step, since it was more impressive than any other footwork you showed me afterwards.¡± ¡°Why do you think the first step is the most important one?¡± ¡°Because the step can move in any direction, at any time, and in any way one desires. It was as shocking as watching the steps of an omnipotent existence, and the step is still stuck in my head.¡± Since it was impossible to lie to Glenn about martial arts, Raon answered honestly about what he saw and felt. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn slightly nodded and spread his legs. His expression remained the same, but it felt like the atmosphere had be softer. ¡°You have good instincts.¡± He took the same posture as the beginning, extending his left foot to the back and right foot to the front. ¡°The footstep I showed you is called the Supreme Harmony Steps. Since you realized the first step, ¡®Heavenly Advance¡¯, is the most important¡­ You are halfway there.¡± Glenn took another step with an emotionless voice. Raon¡¯s hair stood on end upon seeing the step that could bring him anywhere in the world. Whir! His energy center vibrated, gathering his aura that controlled his body while dashing through his mana circuit. Stomp! Before he had even realized it, Raon replicated the Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ Heavenly Advance, exactly as Glenn had shown him. ¡°It¡¯s better than before.¡± Glenn nodded with an expressionless face, then turned around. He went up on the tform and nestled down into the throne. ¡°That¡¯s it for the reward.¡± ¡°With that single step?¡± ¡°I have shown you more than that, but you only managed to take one.¡± He closed his eyes. He appeared to be saying that he had nothing more to tell. ¡°¡­Understood. Thank you.¡± Raon licked his lips and nodded. It wasn¡¯t a big harvest but learning about the existence of such footsteps was an enlightenment in itself. ¡°You can have this.¡± Glenn threw something from his hand, and Raon caught the red gem falling in front of his chest. ¡°Ah.¡± It was the goblin king¡¯s magic stone that he had given to Glenn earlier. ¡°Objects should belong to their rightful owner. Since it¡¯s an item you acquired, you should take it.¡± He dusted off his hands, showing he had no regret, then closed his eyes again. ¡°You can put it in here.¡± Roenn gave him a ck fabric. It was the fabric with the ability to block the magic stone¡¯s energy. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon wrapped the fabric around the goblin king¡¯s magic stone and put it in his chest pocket. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to return this¡­¡¯ He thought he would study it, or break it, or put it in a warehouse. He didn¡¯t expect him to return it. Glenn¡¯s every single action was different from his expectation. ¡°You shall return now.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Raon stepped back. As he was about to open the audience chamber¡¯s room, he felt like he should do something before leaving since he had received a lot. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°St-stay healthy.¡± Since he had no idea what he should be telling him, he offered the mostmon greeting for an elder and bowed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn frowned without saying anything and Roenn covered his mouth with trembling hands. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll leave now.¡± He licked his lips and left the audience chamber. It looked like he shouldn¡¯t have said that. Stay healthy! You really looked like a fool right there! ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t know what to tell him since he had never sincerely thanked an elder. ¡°Phew.¡± As he walked down the corridor while sighing, a new message appeared in front of his eyes. * * * * * * The audience chamber was still filled with moonlight after Raon left. Roenn, who was looking at the moonlight covering the floor, raised his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think my lord would hand over the Supreme Harmony Steps.¡± He thought he would give a special reward because of how much he cherished Raon, but he had never imagined he would give the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯. ¡®Because the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps'' was created by none other than himself.¡¯ The ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps'' was the first footwork he had created after breaking through the demonic wall. It was a technique that was worth more than a golden tablet, one that he hadn¡¯t even taught his sons. Considering the fact that he gave such a technique to Raon, his affection for Raon was beyond his expectations. ¡°Did you see it?¡± Glenn slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were reflecting a sugary light, unlike a moment ago when it was simply cold. ¡°He repeated the ¡®Heavenly Advance¡¯ after watching it only twice.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Raon. He took half of the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ after only watching it two times. Isn¡¯t he amazing?¡± It wasn¡¯t just his eyes. His voice was also higher than usual, and the corners of his mouth were clearly raised. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Roenn¡¯s jaw dropped. He¡¯d been living as Glenn¡¯s shadow for decades, yet it was his first time seeing him being so happy since his first son¡¯s birth. ¡°He didn¡¯t kill the Green War Demon and hold his ground against the Blood Raving Demon by sheer luck. He has sharp eyes, and the way he controls his body and aura is rather extraordinary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The fact that Raon managed to grasp the core of the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ in such a short time was really astonishing. ¡°But it¡¯s something else that impressed me the most.¡± The smile on Glenn¡¯s mouth became even more clear. ¡°His judgment, right? It was really amazing how a fifteen-year-old managed to understand what was important and what could be thrown away. I also wanted to try teaching him if I get an opportunity.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just talking about what happened today.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°The fact that he stood against the Blood Raving Demon on his own in order to save everyone.¡± Glenn continued while looking at the carpet where Raon¡¯s footstep still remained. ¡°Raon has good instincts. He must¡¯ve realized he could never win against the Blood Raving Demon the moment he saw him.¡± ¡°That seems likely.¡± ¡°Yet he stopped him until the very end. He didn¡¯t withdraw, buying time for the vigers and trainees to escape with his body broken from saving the vige chief.¡± The Blood Raving Demon would¡¯ve turned the vigers and the trainees into a pool of blood if Raon hadn¡¯t held his ground. There weren¡¯t many people who could sacrifice themselves for the sake of others. The number of fifteen-year-old children capable of such a thing in the entire continent could be counted on a person¡¯s fingers¡­ A smile appeared on Glenn¡¯s face as he rejoiced at the fact that such a great boy was his grandson. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you smile like that in a long time.¡± Roenn smiled. ¡°Khhm. I¡¯m not really happy.¡± Glenn immediately lowered the corners of his lips. They were so low that he looked older than usual. ¡°Sir Raden managed to destroy the White Blood Religion¡¯s branch, and Sir Raon eliminated the Green War Demon. We are getting a series of great news.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that great and special.¡± Glenn¡¯s corners of lips raised slightly once again upon hearingpliments about his grandsons. ¡°Heh.¡± Roenn murmured ¡®is that so?¡¯ and nodded. His mouth was still smiling happily. ¡°By the way, my lord couldn¡¯t hold back his smile when young master Raon told you to stay healthy earlier. If you want to pretend to be cold-blooded, you should¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not pretending!¡± It was rare for Glenn to shout, but the smile didn¡¯t disappear from Roenn¡¯s face. *** ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Upon returning to the annex building, Raon pointed at the message he saw earlier. Whoosh. Wrath, who was clinging to the bracelet like a parrot, surged up into the air. ¡°It¡¯s a learning assistance.¡± ¡°Learning?¡± It¡¯s one of the system¡¯s aspects the King of Essence created back in devildom in order to learn the techniques of powerful or peculiar existences. Among the arrogant ones that picked a fight with the King of the Essence¡­ ¡°In short, it¡¯s increasing my learning ability.¡± Stop cutting me off! ¡°Anyway, was I right?¡± Haa, pretty much. ¡°How do I use it?¡± Do you think I¡¯m going to tell you? If you take my wrath¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t need it, it¡¯s pretty obvious.¡± Raon snickered and wagged his finger. ¡°It¡¯s making it easier to learn the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯. It¡¯s not even a secret.¡± What arrogance! Wrath barked in irritation. ¡°I shall start immediately.¡± Raon silently opened the window and went back outside. Just do it tomorrow after sunrise. I¡¯m toozy to follow you outside. ¡®But there might be a time limit.¡¯ There¡¯s no way such a thing¡­ ¡®It looks like I¡¯m right, judging from the way you¡¯re talking.¡¯ H-how could you tell? ¡®Because your reaction was strange.¡¯ Wrath would¡¯ve started boiling in anger, but he was only acting irritated. That was why Raon realized he was hiding something. ¡°I told you already, you are in the palm of my hand.¡± Stop your arrogance! The King of Essence is a monarch of devildom, who surpasses a mere human¡¯s estimations¡­ Wrath red while spreading a frightening amount of coldness around him. ¡®Yes, I¡¯m talking about that.¡¯ Raon pointed at Wrath¡¯s coldness as it was expanding into the air. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything strange if you acted like that from the beginning. You are really easy to deal with.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away using the me from the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ on his right hand. Damn it! You are the worst creature that the King of Essence has ever met! ¡®I guess being the worst for a demon king is apliment, right?¡¯ Keuh! I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you no matter wh¡­ ¡®Okay, do thatter.¡¯ Raon went to the training ground while listening to Wrath¡¯s cursing scream. Chapter 87 The blue moon was looking down on the world from the night sky. Inside the open area, Raon unwrapped the bandage covering his arms and legs. Though he wasn¡¯tpletely recovered, the flesh had almost finished growing back. It seemed he could start training once again. ¡®Then.¡¯ He smoothly kicked the ground, gathering the aura from the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. Raon reached around theke in no time. It was an extremely fast footwork, one that even his shadow couldn¡¯t follow, but his expression was grim. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue and narrowed his legs. ¡®This isn¡¯t it.¡¯ The first step that Glenn had shown him was vast enough to reach anywhere in the continent, and free enough to achieve any kind of movement. It couldn¡¯t even bepared to the ¡®Heavenly Advance¡¯ of the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ that he had just used. ¡®He said it was a step that could achieve anything.¡¯ Glenn described the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ as omnipotent and well-rounded. It was such an arrogant and haughty thing to say, but it was irrefutable after witnessing the steps. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about speed or strength.¡¯ Raon¡¯s might was less than a speckpared to Glenn¡¯s. He needed to work on his foundation for the big picture rather than trying to copy him. ¡®Let¡¯s try again.¡¯ Raon used the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ along with the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯. The slow yet heavy steps looked like a fierce charging bison. ¡°This isn¡¯t right, either.¡± Raon shook his head and corrected his posture. He repeated over and over and over again, and he used the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ until sunrise. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Raon frowned upon seeing the rising sun. Acquiring the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ wasn¡¯t easy, despite possessing a talent that increased his learning speed. Honestly, he felt like he was stillpletely clueless. ¡®No, it¡¯s probably the way it should be.¡¯ The ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ was a footwork incorporating the enlightenment of Glenn, the continent¡¯s strongest man. It was natural for such martial arts to be difficult to acquire. Have you still not managed to learn that footwork, despite disturbing the King of Essence¡¯s sleep to practice? You are so pathetic that you are making me cry. Wrath came out from the bracelet andughed at him after having been silent the whole night. The King of Essence understood it right away. I¡¯m starting to feel sorry over the human¡¯s inferiority. ¡®Okay, you¡¯re cool.¡¯ Raon sighed briefly and sat down. Since his body still wasn''tpletely restored, he was feeling tired from practicing overnight. Pfft, it¡¯s obvious you are having difficulties. You are like a worm, crawling on the ground and trying to look up into the sky. A worm should look at the worm¡¯s sky instead. ¡®A worm should look at the worm¡¯s sky, huh¡­¡¯ Raon murmured Wrath¡¯s nder and looked at the North Grave Mountain, located behind the annex building. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Rimmer had told him something simr in the North Grave Mountain. When he was teaching him about the attributes, he had told him Raon needed to decide the flow of his affinity by himself. ¡®I wonder if the same goes for this footwork.¡¯ Raon reexamined the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯. Glenn¡¯s ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ looked transcendental. It didn¡¯t look like a footwork that existed in reality, but a mysterious step that could jump over space and time. ¡®I¡¯m not at that level, and that¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to achieve.¡¯ He shook his head. What he wanted to achieve was something more realistic. He had only two goals. He wanted to protect the people in the annex building, and he wanted to stab Derus Robert in the throat. That was everything he wanted. ¡®And for that¡­¡¯ Raon straightened his back and closed his eyes. He took a step while thinking about the people he needed to protect and the man he needed to kill, no matter what happened to his body. Stomp! It was a different vibration. The intense flow, starting from the mana circuit at the sole of his feet, pierced through his entire body like lightning splitting the sky. Freedom was incorporated in his body¡¯s movement. He started to draw his own picture. The picture¡¯s background was filled with the steps, incorporating the freedom that would allow him to protect his loved ones and snap the neck of his sworn enemy. Whir. Raon opened his eyes. His eyes were burning brightly, like the rising sun. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He looked down on the ground. His first step hadn¡¯t moved his body, but his mind had moved. The step was the mind, a martial art that could be only acquired by putting his mind into it. The rough sketch of the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ that he wanted to finish that day waspleted at once. Raon clenched his fists. Upon acquiring the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps'' that he thought he would never manage to learn, the sense of aplishment and exhration he felt was twice more than usual. The learning ability that helped him acquire the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ disappeared at the perfect timing, as soon as he finished learning it. Since the sun was slowly rising, the ability onlysted for a night. ¡®It was the right choice toe out to train immediately.¡¯ If he didn¡¯t have that ability, he wouldn¡¯t have managed to acquire the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ even after a year, let alone in a day. Disregarding his injury to train was the correct answer. What is this¡­? Wrath¡¯s coldness trembled violently. like a candle in the wind. What have you done? How did you do that in such a short time? ¡°Your words were the key.¡± Key? ¡°You told me that a worm should look at the worm¡¯s sky.¡± So what? ¡°Just like you said, I have my own objective, and Glenn has his own wish and objective. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t need to copy what he did exactly. I incorporated my wish in the footwork.¡± Raon murmured that ¡®it just worked when I did that¡¯ with a cheeky expression. Even then, you shouldn¡¯t have been able to acquire that footwork so easily. ¡°You are right. Your system was really helpful by increasing my learning speed. I¡¯m just realizing that they were both thanks to you. I¡¯m really grateful.¡± Keuh, the King of Essence has never done that¡­ Wrath¡¯s blue coldness puffed up and looked like it could explode at any time. ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry. I was just stating the truth.¡± Raon smiled and wagged his finger. It was as Raon was about to provoke him even more to make him burst out in anger that he heard it. ¡°Raon!¡± Sylvia came running out through the window behind the annex building. She looked as agile as Rimmer. ¡°I told you to rest! Why do you look like this?¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Raon sighed. He wasn¡¯t scared of the monarch of devildom, but he couldn¡¯t go against his mother. * * * * * * Raon got dragged into Sylvia¡¯s room, and she looked angrier than Wrath. ¡°Raon, what did Mom tell you?¡± ¡°I-I wonder¡­¡± Raon scratched the back of his head and avoided Sylvia¡¯s gaze. ¡°I cl-ear-ly told you to stop training until you arepletely recovered!¡± ¡°M-maybe you said that¡­¡± He could clearly remember her telling him that, but he turned his head and tried pretending that he didn¡¯t know anything. ¡°Seriously!¡± Sylvia wrinkled her nose with her arms crossed. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Because Sylvia was scolding him, Raon felt even more ufortable than when he fought against the Blood Raving Demon. He couldn¡¯t understand why it was so difficult to listen to her preaching. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia leaned forward to meet his eyes. Her eyes were full of worries and sorrow. Raon lowered his head, unable to face that heavy expression. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I know why you are trying so hard to train.¡± She continued while caressing his shoulder. ¡°You want to be stronger because you are worried about mom and the annex building.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lip trembled slightly. Probably because she was his mother, or because she had spent a long time with him, Sylvia knew exactly what he was thinking. ¡®That¡¯s not all, though.¡¯ No one should¡¯ve been aware that revenge was also driving his actions. ¡°Thank you. And I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all Mom¡¯s fault that you have to think that way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t realize how happy I was when I heard you became the top trainee, won the spar, and had a great achievement during the mission. However¡­¡± Sylvia caressed his shoulder, her mouth tightly closed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do all that for my sake. Remember what Mom told you before: you should do what you want to do for yourself, not for our sake.¡± She smiled as she spoke. Her unruffled smile was proof of her sincerity, which touched his heart even more. ¡°I¡¯m telling you once again, your mom is happier than ever right now, so you don¡¯t need to strain yourself. You should walk at your own pace, Raon.¡± Over eighty percent of his injuries were already healed. Some exercises were actually beneficial for him in his current state, and Sylvia was also aware of that fact. However, he couldn¡¯t tell her that as he faced her gaze. ¡°¡­I got it.¡± Raon nodded with a throbbing heart. ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Sylvia pped her hands and stood up. She smiled brightly, unlike a moment before. ¡°Everyone, enter!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The room¡¯s door opened following her call and every maid in the annex building, including Helen, entered the room. ¡°Hu-huh?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. He was aware that the maids were standing outside, but he hadn¡¯t expected her to call them inside. ¡°You heard, right? Report to me right away if Raon tries to train or use his body for anything.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy!¡± The maids smiled brightly and bowed. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon shook his head and sighed. ¡°She got me¡­¡± Kuhahaha! It feels so great to watch you being yed with. *** ¡°Huff!¡± Burren sighed, the sound as heavy as a lump of lead. ¡®I¡¯m too distracted.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but blush upon remembering what happened the day they fought against Eden. All he had then was a loud voice, unable to do anything. Realizing that he would¡¯ve died if Raon hadn¡¯t been there, he was too ashamed and embarrassed. ¡°I need to move my body.¡± Since he didn¡¯t want to run into anyone, he went to the small training ground located in a corner of the annex building. Despite it being a small training ground, it was properly maintained. Burren drew his sword and swung it. Whoosh! The suffocated feeling subsided with the sound of his sword cutting through the wind. Burren kept swinging his sword, using his footwork in satisfaction. How much time had passed? When Burren came back to his senses and raised his head, a few swordsmen and trainees could be seen in the training ground. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve and sheathed his sword. ¡®I managed to get rid of the worthless thoughts.¡¯ Exercising was the correct answer, since all the distraction from before was gone. ¡®I should retu¡­¡¯ It was as he turned about to return to the Central Martial Pce that he heard them. ¡°Sir Burren!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time!¡± They were the coteral children that didn¡¯t even go to the sixth training ground after failing the fifth training ground¡¯s exam because their pride was hurt. ¡°Are you already training after having gone through all that?¡± ¡°As expected of Sir Burren!¡± The coterals eximed with glittering eyes. ¡°I just came to exercise because I was frustrated.¡± ¡°Frustrated¡­ Ah! I see!¡± The child with a wide forehead on the right narrowed his eyes and nodded. ¡°That story was incorrect after all!¡± ¡°What story?¡± ¡°The rumor that Raon killed the Green War Demon and fought against the Blood Raving Demon, that¡¯s a fake rumor, right?¡± ¡°I thought the same thing. There¡¯s no way that underhanded guy would¡¯ve killed the Green War Demon and bought time for other people¡¯s escape.¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been Instructor Rimmer that did all that and pretended it was all Raon¡¯s achievements. Instructor Rimmer likes him, after all.¡± Even though Burren hadn¡¯t said anything, they were certain that Raon had lied. ¡°That¡¯s really dirty. Those living in the annex building are all shameless¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Burren bared his teeth and red at the two trainees. Facing his threatening pressure, the trainees flinched and blinked. ¡°Do you think Zieghart is a ragtag that gives out aplishment without a proper investigation?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Ah, th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart killed the Green War Demon and didn¡¯t retreat a single step in front of the Blood Raving Demon. None of the trainees, including me, would''ve survived if it wasn¡¯t for him.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Threatened by Burren¡¯s growling voice, the coterals copsed to the ground. ¡°Bring them to me if you hear anyone spouting such bullshit in the future. I¡¯ll personally close their mouths.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Burren left the training ground after ring at the trembling trainees. ¡°Ah¡­¡± While he was headed towards the Central Martial Pce, he stood still and looked up at the sky. ¡®I see.¡¯ He finally realized why he felt so frustrated, and why he felt so nauseous. ¡®It¡¯s because I still couldn¡¯t ept him.¡¯ He had done his best to catch up to him after realizing how much effort he had made. When he thought he had finally caught up to him, Raon was running ahead of him once again¡ªgoing much faster and further than him. During the matches against the Owen Kingdom, the actual battle training against the orcs, and the mission this time, Burren hadn¡¯t really managed to do anything special. Meanwhile, Raon¡¯s achievements had always been overwhelming. ¡®I was jealous¡­¡¯ Despite being silent, Raon had great leadership. He could read through all situations while also possessing an excellent might. He was saying that he would catch up to him on the outside, but he was actually jealous of his abilities on the inside. ¡°Hahaha!¡± He burst intoughter. Jealousy was a natural emotion for a human being. He feltfortable after realizing that fact. ¡®I wasn¡¯t that great of a person.¡¯ However, he had no intention of showing that ugly feeling on the outside. He needed to keep it on the inside and use it as fuel to catch up to Raon. ¡®I told you already that I won¡¯t give up.¡¯ Burren bit his lip. He returned to the Central Martial Pce with lighter steps. *** ¡°Young master, are you going to go practice by any chance?¡± Helen walked up to Raon as soon as he left his room. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± Raon shook his head and walked towards the lobby. ¡°Young master, where are you going?¡± Another maid examined his clothes sharply. ¡°I¡¯m going on a stroll.¡± ¡°Hmm, have a good walk.¡± Raon waved his hand and opened the door to go outside. ¡°Young master? No way, are you here to train¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± The man that was cleaning the windows outside the annex building also asked him about training as soon as he saw him. ¡°Young master¡­¡± ¡°Train¡­¡± People he met on his way towards the garden behind the annex building kept asking him where he was going and what he was going to do, to an annoying extent. ¡°I¡¯m just on a stroll! A stroll!¡± He grimaced at the maid hanging out theundry in the yard and ran to the garden. ¡°Phew!¡± Raon sighed. He waspletely caught in Sylvia¡¯s trap. He wouldn¡¯t have been tricked by anyone else, but he was weak against her in many ways. ¡®It¡¯ll be impossible at this rate¡­¡¯ The maids were taking the opportunity to hide everywhere and watch him. If he started using footwork in that situation, Sylvia would immediatelye out like a cuckoo from a cuckoo clock. ¡®Well, fine.¡¯ It was a relief that it happened after he finished acquiring the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯. It would¡¯ve been really depressing if that happened while his learning speed was increased. ¡®I guess it won¡¯t hurt to take a break once in a while.¡¯ Raon rxed, sitting on a bench in the garden. Upon realizing he wasn¡¯t going to move, the maids also stopped watching him. ¡°Y-young master!¡± As he was enjoying the refreshing wind and the smell of the grass, a maid¡¯s voice could be heard from the annex building. ¡°We are in trouble!¡± Raon opened his eyes and turned his head, seeing a maid on the verge of tears running towards him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon stood up from the bench, hearing the maid¡¯s expression and urgent voice. ¡°S-Sir Raden Zieghart came to visit.¡± ¡°Raden?¡± It was a familiar name. He was the son of Glenn¡¯s fourth son, Balder, and he apparently returned to the house recently with an achievement. ¡°Why is he here?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. He became violent towards mydy as soon as he arrived¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t hear anything else. ¡®Mydy¡¯ and ¡®violent¡¯¡ªthose two words were the only ones that Raon could hear. ¡°Where is that bastard?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes sank into darkness, just like back in the days when he was an assassin. Chapter 88 The atmosphere in the True Martial Pce, where Glenn Zieghart¡¯s fourth son Balder Zieghart resided, was as cold as the northern ocean. The reason was simple. Balder¡¯s Zieghart¡¯s son, Raden Zieghart, had recently returned to the house. He had been in a bad mood ever since. m! Raden Zieghart grit his teeth and punched the wall. ¡°Damn it!¡± He swore in frustration. He had returned after destroying one of the White Blood Religion¡¯s branches, yet his name wasn¡¯t being praised anywhere. It was as if his achievement had beenpletely forgotten. And that guy was the reason behind all that. The trash living in the annex building, Raon Zieghart, whose name was spreading throughout the house. In the banquet hall, in the training ground, and even in the cafeteria¡ªeverything was about Raon. Raon! Raon Zieghart, who had killed the Green War Demon, was the only thing people were talking about. ¡°That little fly!¡± He couldn¡¯t control his anger. A little bug that he had never even paid attention to was overshadowing his achievements. Raden Zieghart left his room, a distorted expression of irritation on his face. ¡°Are you going out?¡± The butler standing in front of the door bowed and asked. ¡°What else do you think I¡¯m doing?¡± Raden mmed the door and frowned. ¡°I will make the preparations. Please tell me your destina¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the annex building.¡± ¡°Pardon? Why are you going there so suddenly?¡± The butler¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing that he was going to the annex building. ¡°I¡¯m going to check out how great the guy that outweighed my name looks.¡± Raden¡¯s orange eyes red up intensely. *** While tending the garden, Judiel kept ncing to the right, where Sylvia was personally trimming a tree. ¡®This is a really strange ce¡­¡¯ They weren¡¯tcking maids, yet Sylvia often did the gardening work by herself despite being the master of the annex building. ¡®And Sylvia isn¡¯t the only strange one.¡¯ Despite hiding their expressions, she could see it in the eyes of the maids working in other ces. They usually worked reluctantly in order to live, yet the annex building was different. Everyone sincerely trusted each other as they happily did their tasks, and they considered Raon as their son or little brother. Judiel had lots of experiences working in different ces as a spy, and the annex building was a peculiar and mysterious ce among all of them. ¡°Haa.¡± Judiel sighed, looking at the annex building. ¡®He is the most special person, though.¡¯ She was still unable to forget the day she met the monster living in the annex building, when she had seen Raon Zieghart¡¯s true face. She still had nightmares about that night at least once a week. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Cold breath came from her mouth. ¡®How can such a man exist?¡¯ Raon was still in his early teens. He was at an age where he should be acting like a spoiled child andining about food, yet his eyes looked like he wanted to kill everything in the world. Remembering the red eyes floating on theke still gave her goosebumps. ¡®But¡­¡¯ The way Raon behaved was different from her impression of him. He acted like a shy boy towards the people in the annex building, and he treated every single maid as his family. And she wasn¡¯t an exception. Except for when he asked her about the Central Martial Pce or Karoon, he treated her the same as the other maids in the annex building. He even helped her out of her predicament recently when she was ordered to return because she was considered worthless. Judiel even wondered sometimes if she was really a double agent, and if she really had a rage worm inside of her body. ¡®He is such a great man¡­¡¯ It felt like he was on apletely different level as a person when shepared herself to him. She was just an average human being. Though, she didn¡¯t dare betray or defy him because she was too scared of him. ¡°Phew¡­ Hmm?¡± As Judiel sighed quietly and was about to take care of the grass, a ck shoe entered her sight. Upon raising her head, she could see a middle-aged man with his hair neatlybed back. ¡®This man is¡­¡¯ She had seen him before in the Zieghart registry. He was Merkin, the butler in charge of Raden Zieghart, belonging to the True Martial Pce. ¡°My name is Merkin, butler from the True Martial Pce.¡± He wasn¡¯t bowing to Judiel, but to Sylvia behind her. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Sylvia stepped forth, putting down the gardening shears she was holding. ¡°We sent a letter yesterday. I came to check if you are ready.¡± ¡°Letter? What letter are you talking about?¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve received a letter stating that Sir Raden Zieghart wanted to visit the annex building.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get anything like that.¡± Sylvia frowned and waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sure I heard they gave it to the maids in the annex building.¡± Raden¡¯s butler, Merkin, tilted his head. He looked flustered, but his eyes were calm. Judiel was certain that he was lying. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sylvia turned around to look at the maids. Naturally, nobody knew about the letter. ¡°When is heing?¡± ¡°He is arriving in thirty minutes.¡± ¡°Thirty minutes?¡± Helen, who was standing behind Sylvia, widened her eyes and approached them. ¡°How are we supposed to prepare ourselves in that short time?¡± ¡°We sent the letter yesterday.¡± Raden¡¯s butler, Merkin, smiled as if he was making fun of Sylvia. ¡°We didn¡¯t receive such a letter¡­¡± ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t receive one, our young master isn¡¯t really considerate about something like that. You¡¯d better prepare as fast as possible.¡± Merkin¡¯s expression waspletelyid-back. It looked like he was asking them what they could do when they were mere coterals. A member of the direct line that was qualified as a swordsman had the same rank as a vice squad leader. It looked impossible to refuse as they were pretending to have sent a letter beforehand. Tsk. Judiel silently clicked her tongue, looking at Merkin. The reason Raden was acting dirty like that was as in as day. Raden Zieghart had recently returned with the aplishment of destroying a branch of the White Blood Religion, yet he was almost forgotten because of Raon¡¯s great deeds. It was obvious that he was visiting in order to vent his anger. ¡®Pathetic men.¡¯ Glenn¡¯s fourth son, Balder Zieghart, and his sons all had violent personalities. Karoon and the Central Martial Pce¡¯s swordsmen were also violent, but they weren¡¯t foolish enough to make their move in public. However, the True Martial Pce was different. They straight up picked a fight and didn''t hesitate to cross the lines they shouldn¡¯t. They weren¡¯t any different from bulls charging at a red cloth. ¡®This is going to be annoying.¡¯ Even among Balder¡¯s children, Raden was famous for his negligence. He wasn¡¯t going to listen to Sylvia just because she was his aunt, so the situation was bound to beplicated. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Raon was currently in the annex building. If Raden ever harmed Sylvia or the maids, the matter was going to escte. ¡°Helen, it can¡¯t be helped at this point. Make the preparations and tell Raon not toe out.¡± Sylvia didn¡¯t waver despite hearing she had only thirty minutes. She stopped tending the garden and gave her orders while dusting off her clothes. Considering she mentioned Raon¡¯s name, she seemed to be aware of the reason that Raden Zieghart was visiting them. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Helen bit her lip and walked towards the annex building. As Judiel was about to follow her along with the other maids, footsteps could be heard from behind her. She slowly turned her head. * * * * * * An elegant blond man wearing a full dress uniform was walking towards them. He had narrow shoulders, a rather slender body, and a long face and nose. He looked exactly like a thug in the back alley by the way he was walking with his hands in his pockets, dragging his shoes. ¡®He is already here¡­¡¯ Judiel swallowed. The guy that looked like a hoodlum was Raden Zieghart. Instead of thirty minutes that Merkin had mentioned, he had already arrived in the annex building before five minutes had even passed. ¡°Oh no! The young master arrived earlier than I thought.¡± Merkin winked with a nasty smile. As the saying goes, like master like butler. Spit! Raden Zieghart spat on a garden flower and stood in front of Sylvia. ¡°Shall I call you aunt?¡± ¡°Young master, Lady Sylvia is at the rock bottom of the coteral hierarchy. You don¡¯t need to call her that.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t need to.¡± Raden giggled and tapped the sword around his waist. ¡°It¡¯s dirty even though I told you yesterday that I was going to visit. I guess it can¡¯t be helped since worthless people live here.¡± He trampled the garden¡¯s flowers that Sylvia and the maids had been tending with his muddy shoes. He then spat on the road in the center. It looked like it was his habit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We are cleaning up right now.¡± Sylvia smiled at his nephew, who had reached a different level of rudeness. She was simply looking at Raden. ¡°Hmph.¡± Raden frowned in displeasure and spat on the ground once again. He came up while kicking the flowers on the right side. ¡°Are you telling me to walk on this dirty road?¡± He frowned, spitting at the soil covering the road. ¡°Hey, clean it up right now.¡± ¡°Alright. Please wait a moment.¡± Keeping her smile on her face, Sylvia leaned forward to personally clean up the soil. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Both Raden and his butler Merkin were wide-eyed at the sight. They looked like they didn¡¯t expect her to endure such provocation. ¡®Was she more amazing than I thought¡­?¡¯ Judiel narrowed her eyes. Even Judiel was angry despite being a spy that only came to the annex building recently, yet Sylvia was enduring it with a smile. Judiel admired her, realizing that Sylvia was the definition of the iron hand in a velvet glove. The maids that were helping Sylvia clean up the soil had calm expressions, but they couldn¡¯t hide the way their hands trembled in anger. The reason that they were all holding back was for Raon¡¯s sake. They were enduring Raden¡¯s provocation because they didn¡¯t want Raon to cause issues with Raden. ¡°Hah, how long do I have to wait?¡± Raden Zieghart frowned and spat once again on the soil Sylvia was cleaning up. The spit was flowing down her hand. ¡°Young master!¡± Helen, who was heading to the annex building, came back upon witnessing that sight. Her ck eyes were hazy with anger. ¡°That¡¯s too much! Even if you are a member of the direct line, the main building won¡¯t allow you to pick a fight like this in broad daylight!¡± Since Helen had been with Sylvia ever since she was born, her head wasn¡¯t filled with reason but emotionsing from the long years they¡¯d spent together. ¡°H-Helen!¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Raden pushed Sylvia, who was trying to block his way, aside and stood in front of Helen. ¡°Right. You are right. This is going to be troublesome.¡± Raden stuck his hand out at Helen. He pped her cheek with a smile. p! He didn¡¯t look like he was using much strength, yet Helen was pushed back until she hit a tree. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Helen trembled, grabbing her cheek. ¡°But I¡¯m a member of the direct line of this house, which means I¡¯m the master. Even if I do something like this, or even if I kill you, a two-day probation in my room is all I¡¯m going to get.¡± Raden¡¯s pressure increased exponentially. A chill ran down Judiel¡¯s spine, as if she were looking at a beast about to devour her. ¡°Stop!¡± As he was about to trample on Helen, Sylvia and the maids stepped in to stop him. ¡®Eek.¡¯ Judiel bit her lip and stuck next to Sylvia. She was nning to thrust herself into her to take the blow in her stead if that happened. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say stop, but ¡®please stop¡¯.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Sylvia grit her teeth. She didn¡¯t back off, facing Raden¡¯s violent pressure. Clench. Judiel clenched her fists. She was angry despite being a spy. It was as she was thinking of a way to stop that ruffian that she heard it. ¡°Ah¡­¡± A murderous intent that made her hair stand on end burst from the annex building. She knew who it was, but she was too scared to look back. ¡°Ah, the guy I was looking for finally came out.¡± Raon spat on the ground and grinned. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Judiel reluctantly turned her head. The man with crimson me in his red eyes was Raon, just as she had expected. He was walking towards them with an expressionless face. Threatening pressure. She couldn¡¯t help swallowing. ¡®His murderous intent isn¡¯t weak¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s pressure was thin. However, it wasn¡¯t because he wascking in energy. It was because he had concentrated all his murderous intent, resulting in a small pressure. ¡°Raon Zieghart. I wanted to see that great face.¡± Whether Raden was aware of that fact or not, he grinned and pushed Sylvia and the maids standing in front of him away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon¡¯s expression was serene. He slowly walked towards him, mouth as firmly closed as a doll¡¯s. nk. He drew his sword when he was less than ten steps away from Raden. A clear sound rang out despite the situation. ¡°Oh, are you going to swing that scary thing to me? Even though I¡¯m a member of the direct line?¡± Raden gave a sly smile, believing that Raon would be unable to swing his sword. ¡°Direct line.¡± Raon halted his steps and frowned. ¡°Kuhaha!¡± Thinking his words were effective, Raden burst intoughter and walked towards Raon. ¡°I¡¯m Raden Zieghart, the son of the True Martial Pce¡¯s master, Balder Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°So what?¡± Raon¡¯s sword stormed down at Raden like red lightning. Chapter 89 Raden Zieghart smiled broadly upon arriving at the annex building. Soil was everywhere on the road because Sylvia and the maids in the annex building were tending the garden. ¡®It¡¯s perfect for picking a fight.¡¯ The butler Merkin, who went before him, must¡¯ve talked to them about the letter he never sent. Since it wasn¡¯t cleaned up despite a member of the direct line visiting them, there were countless ways to mess with them. ¡®Until hees out.¡¯ He was visiting that small and dirty ce in order to humiliate Raon Zieghart and make him kneel. He was going to keep provoking him until he started fighting him. Sylvia approached him. Her eyes were calm despite knowing that he was there to cause a scene. Radenughed at the woman that would¡¯ve been his aunt if she stayed in the house, provoking her. However, her reaction was dull. Even though he spoke to her rudely, spat at her and trampled on the carefully raised flowers with his dirty shoes, she didn¡¯t yield to his provocations. Sylvia¡¯s patience exceeded his expectations, and her expression was too calm¡ªto the point that it was scary. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Raden¡¯s mouth became thinned. Directly attacking Sylvia could be dangerous, even for him. ¡®I can¡¯t return like this.¡¯ As he was thinking about what to do, he noticed the maids cleaning up the soil with Sylvia. Their expressions wereposed, but they couldn¡¯t hide their trembling hands. ¡®That¡¯s it!¡¯ He got a grasp on how he could provoke her, since the maids couldn¡¯t control their minds as well as Sylvia. Caw, spit! Raden grinned and spat on Sylvia¡¯s hand as she was cleaning up the ground. The oldest maid flipped out upon seeing that. ¡°That¡¯s too much! Even if you are a member of the direct line, the main building won¡¯t allow you to pick a fight like this in broad daylight!¡± Just as he expected, she was sessfully provoked and said things she shouldn¡¯t have. p! Pushing away Sylvia as she tried to stop him, Raden walked up to the maid and pped her cheek. Just as she said, the department of justice wouldn¡¯t let the matter slide, but probation was all he was going to get since he was a member of the direct line. ¡°You really don¡¯t know your ce. You are nothing but trash in this house.¡± He giggled. It was as he was about to trample on the trembling maid that it happened. With threatening pressure, a boy appeared from the annex building. His facial features were so serene that they could be called perfect. ¡®That bastard is Raon Zieghart¡­¡¯ He became even more irritated upon seeing his handsome face. nk. Raon drew his sword. ¡®There¡¯s no way a brat that can¡¯t even control his murderous intent would¡¯ve killed the Green War Demon and fought against the Blood Raving Demon. Howughable.¡¯ Raon stopped walking right under his nose. He only sneered despite having seen him drawing his sword, since there was no way he would swing it. ¡°Oh, are you going to swing that scary thing to me? Even though I¡¯m a member of the direct line?¡± His eyes looked like he was still retaining his sanity. As he was about to provoke him even more, Raon opened his mouth. ¡°So what?¡± Even before the word reached his ears, a red light sparked in front of his eyes. He gasped. He tried to step back in shock, but it was toote. His sword was already dashing towards his neck. Crash! He didn¡¯t know what to do and closed his eyes. A powerful crashing sound could be heard from right in front of him. When he opened his eyes, he saw his butler Merkin defending him. However, Raon didn¡¯t stop. Without missing the opportunity created by Merkin being unable topletely nullify the shock, he thrust his fist. Crack! Merkin copsed backward upon receiving a direct hit to his temple, his body trembling. ¡°Y-you crazy bastard!¡± ¡°Do you realize who you have just attacked?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Raon¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t trembling in the slightest. He was seriously intending to kill him. ¡°You are a robber that trespassed into my territory.¡± ¡°Bullshit! I¡¯m the real master of this house!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t your house.¡± He swung his sword again while spewing more lunacy. ¡°Fine! I was just going to y around, but I¡¯ll rip your head off now!¡± Raden thrust his sword. He was nning to deflect Raon¡¯s sword and pierce his neck. However, a mysterious rotation emerged from Raon¡¯s sword and pushed back his sword instead. ¡°What the hell?!¡± He barely managed to deflect Raon¡¯s blow by twisting his sword while stepping back. Whoosh! As if Raon was expecting it, he approached him and shed diagonally. ¡°Keuh!¡± Raden groaned. His hand was trembling from blocking Raon¡¯s blow. It was difficult to regain his advantage one he started losing. ¡°H-how dare you attack a member of the direct line! You and your mother will be punished to death!¡± ¡°I just need to behead you before that happens.¡± A threatening strike grazed his shoulder while he said that. nk! He barely managed to block the sword aimed at his neck. ¡°Keuh!¡± What the hell is this guy?! There was no opening in Raon¡¯s swordsmanship as it stormed at him like a tidal wave. Even though the provocation had certainly worked, Raden was the one that was being disrupted. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ He wanted to gather his aura from his energy center to counterattack, but Raon wasn¡¯t giving him the time to do that. He had no choice but to defend until the end. ¡®Time, I just need time!¡¯ If only he had the time to use his aura, he could kill a guy like that in an instant. And that was why he wasn¡¯t giving him any time at all. Raden gritted his teeth. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped!¡¯ He needed to escape, even if he would be injured in the process. He forcefully gathered the aura from his energy center while blocking Raon¡¯s sword. Rumble! It felt extremely painful, as if his mana circuit was being burned out, but a powerful aura surrounded his body. ¡°It¡¯s over! You crazy bastard!¡± Puffing up the muscles of his lower and upper body, he attacked with his aura gathered on his de. The strike was powerful enough to cut through Raon and his sword at once. However, Raon disappeared from his sight right before the blow hit him. ¡°Gasp!¡± It felt like he was hallucinating. He couldn¡¯t even begin to grasp where he was gone. ¡°You are the one that¡¯s finished.¡± He got goosebumps upon hearing Raon¡¯s voice from behind him. He quickly turned around, but his fist was already touching his abdomen. m! He was bent double at the powerful shock. ¡°You.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Raon¡¯s sword was rushing towards his heart. ¡°Uaaah!¡± Terrified by the de thrust at him like a ray of light, Raden closed his eyes and screamed. * * * * * * Raon couldn¡¯t pierce Raden¡¯s heart. He stopped his sword right before he reached his chest. There were two reasons. First, Sylvia was shouting at him to stop, and the second¡­ Was because there were two swordsmen from the Heavenly de Division, under the head of house¡¯s directmand, standing in front of Raden. ¡°Did you finallye out despite having done nothing when Helen was being beaten?¡± The Heavenly de¡¯s swordsmen didn¡¯t react despite Raon¡¯s threatening voice. ¡°Please step back.¡± They lowered their posture, expressing their intention to protect Raden and hardened the wall. ¡°Huaaah!¡± Realizing he had survived, Raden fell to the back. He pointed his finger at Raon while drooling. ¡°K-kill him! Kill that crazy bastard!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing?! That mutt attacked me, a member of the direct line!¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen didn¡¯t move despite Raden¡¯s order. They were just standing still, like statues. ¡°Move aside.¡± ¡°Please step back.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon gathered his aura and steamed out between his teeth. The Heavenly de¡¯s swordsmen were different from Raden¡¯s butler. They weren¡¯t opponents he could win against with a surprise attack. ¡°Raon, stop!¡± ¡°Young master¡­¡± As he was about to use the ¡®Ten mes¡¯ of ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯, Sylvia and Helen came up to him and grabbed his arms. The anger filling his head and heart melted away like snow in the spring upon seeing their wavering eyes. ¡°Y-you damn bastards! Do you realize who I am?¡± Raden screamed and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m the True Martial Pce Master¡¯s son! Kill that bastard! No, I¡¯m killing him! Get out of my way!¡± ¡°Young master Raden, please step back.¡± The Heavenly de swordsman on the right turned around to stop Raden. They were separating Raon and Raden. ¡°We only listen to the head of house¡¯smand. Please step back, both of you.¡± ¡°Keuh, you are just dogs guarding the house! I was beaten up by him!¡± Raden grit his teeth and raised his sword. As he was about to attack the Heavenly de¡¯s swordsman using all his aura, his butler Merkin¡ªwho had been unconscious¡ªran up to him and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Y-young master, please stop!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The way he was grinding his teeth and rampaging resembled a rabid dog. ¡°Young master, this is rather¡­¡± Merkin whispered to Raden and he slowly stopped swinging his limbs. ¡°Let me go.¡± Raden pushed Merkin away and met Raon¡¯s eyes past the Heavenly de swordsmen. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± His eyes glowed like those of a beast. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you experience humiliation and pain worse than death! Just you wait.¡± ¡°Same goes for me.¡± Crimson lightning sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m never going to forget what you did here. You¡¯d better fix your habit of closing your eyes when you are scared, since your head could get sent flying at any time.¡± ¡°Keuh! You damn insect! You would¡¯ve already been six feet under if it wasn¡¯t for that surprise attack!¡± Raden burned in lunacy and tried to pounce at him, but he could only flounder his limbs around, blocked by Merkin. ¡°Y-young master! We have to leave now!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive you! I¡¯ll destroy the annex building itself!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± Merkin left the annex building, forcefully dragging Raden out. The Heavenly de swordsmen rxed from their defensive posture a long time after Raden and Merkin had left, then walked up to Raon. ¡°This matter will be reported to the head of house. You should prepare an exnation.¡± ¡°Is that advice? I thought you didn¡¯t care about anyone other than the direct line.¡± ¡°Raon, stop.¡± Sylvia¡¯s hand, holding his right arm, tightened. Raon clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen didn¡¯t respond, silently leaving after bowing. ¡°Mydy, young master. I-I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t hold myself back, despite my age¡­¡± Helen knelt in front of Raon and Sylvia. ¡°That¡¯s not true. You gave me so much courage just by stepping up.¡± Sylvia looked like all her strength was gone, but she made Helen stand with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not Helen¡¯s fault.¡± Raon nodded. The source of the problem was still shamelessly existing, so there was no reason for her to apologize for doing nothing wrong. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia hugged Raon from behind. ¡°You¡¯ve be really strong. I felt really reassured when you stood in front of Mom.¡± Her voice was bothughing and crying at the same time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this matter. Mom will take care of it.¡± ¡°No, I¡­¡± He turned around, trying to stop her, but he couldn¡¯t speak because Sylvia was grabbing his shoulder tightly. ¡°It¡¯s alright, just trust your mom.¡± After saying that, Sylvia started to clean up the dirty ground, the trampled flowers and grass. Her peaceful expression was making the color return to the frightened maids¡¯ faces. ¡®She is strong.¡¯ Sylvia should¡¯ve been the most anxious of them all, yet she was reassuring the others instead. Her heart was sturdier than anyone there, either because she was a mother or because she was strong to begin with. ¡®However.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes while cleaning up the dirty areas with Sylvia. ¡®I have to solve this problem.¡¯ His experience and instincts were telling him the same thing. He was the one who could solve the issue, not Sylvia. ¡®And¡­¡¯ He had no intention of letting that bastard off the hook after he insulted Sylvia and hit Helen. Whir. No one noticed, but Raon¡¯s crimson eyes were shining more intensely than ever. Chapter 90 Raon returned to his room after finishing cleaning up the garden and looking after Sylvia, Helen, and all the maids. Knock knock. Once he finished changing his dirty clothes, a quiet knocking sound could be heard. ¡°Enter.¡± Judiel opened the door and entered, then bowed her head. ¡°Exin the situation.¡± ¡°Yes. While we were tending the garden with mydy, Raden Zieghart¡¯s butler, Merkin, visited us. He said he had sent a letter saying that they would visit us today and asked us about the preparation¡­¡± She reported what happened without missing a single detail, from Merkin to Raden. ¡°¡­And Sir Raon arrived as Sir Raden was about to trample on Madam Helen.¡± Judiel bowed as she finished speaking. ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded. Her description wasn¡¯t much different from what he expected. ¡°By the way, Sir Raon.¡± Judiel raised her head and called Raon¡¯s name. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit awkward for me to say this, but Sir Raon shouldn¡¯t have interfered today. Raden and his father, Balder Zieghart, are people who don¡¯t consider the consequences.¡± Her expression was as stiff as tree bark. ¡°I¡¯m sure they are going to attack the annex building and Sir Raon using various methods. Even though Raden offended us first, they are members of the direct line, and we are coterals. It¡¯s perfectly obvious whose side the house is going to take. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t open his mouth and watched Judiel until she finished speaking. ¡°If you think I¡¯m overstepping my bounds¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You tried taking Raden¡¯s kick instead of Helen and my mother.¡± Judiel was sticking right next to Sylvia and Helen when Raden raised his foot, shoving her body into it. She was trying to get kicked instead of the others. Even Judiel herself didn¡¯t think she would do that. ¡°That was unintentional¡­¡± Judiel blushed and lowered her head. Losing to affection as a spy was such aughable thing to do. ¡®But¡­¡¯ The people in the annex building were the only ones that had treated her as a human being, despite being Zieghart¡¯s smallest and most persecuted ce. It couldn¡¯t be helped that she felt affection towards them, even though she was still afraid of Raon. ¡°You are right. It would¡¯ve been best to not yield to his provocation, but it already happened. I have my ns against him, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Since Raon said she didn¡¯t need to worry, she felt like her upset stomach was eased entirely. That was how much trust his voice filled her with. However, she was still worried about something. ¡®This is troublesome.¡¯ It seemed she took more of a liking to the annex building¡¯s residents than she thought. ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± ¡°Gather information about Raden and Balder. Things like their personalities and their achievements so far.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± She bowed her head then left the room. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon licked his lips, looking at the closed door. ¡®That was unexpected.¡¯ Judiel¡¯s emotions towards Raon were those of fear and doubt, yet she was fond of the people in the annex building. It looked like even she wasn¡¯t sure about her emotions. It looked like he could easily obtain her sincerity if he kept looking after her in the annex building. However, he felt a bit guilty about continuing to lie to her after witnessing her trying to protect Sylvia and Helen. ¡°But that¡¯s not important right now.¡± Raon raised his clenched fist. He wasn¡¯t actually nning to confront Raden in the beginning. Since he had already expected it to happen, he had nned to grasp the situation first, then crush him with words. However, his mind went nk when Sylvia and Helen were about to be struck, and that bastard¡¯s face was the only thing that entered his sight. ¡®Wrath¡­¡¯ That was right. He couldn¡¯t control his emotion, boiling with an unbearable wrath. The funny part was that he remained calmer than ever concerning the fight. It was a mysterious emotion in various ways. ¡°A strange mixture of wrath and reason.¡± You are well aware of it. Wrath burst from the bracelet with an excited voice. ¡°Was that your doing, after all?¡± What are you talking about? ¡°I¡¯m talking about when I couldn¡¯t control my wrath.¡± No, no. That was your fault. Wrath grinned from inside the cold me. ¡°What?¡± It was the effect of the wrath that you have epted before. ¡°But I¡¯m usually¡­¡± Do you usually go crazy with anger? ¡°Of course not.¡± The same goes for the King of Essence¡¯s emotions. It¡¯s usually calm, yet it will pierce into you and try to control you the moment you get angry. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. The trade with that self-proimed king was more dangerous than he thought. He resolved to never ept his emotion again. Do you think that is possible? Wrath smiled, realizing his thought. Humans are weak in various ways. And the same goes for you, who the King of Essence deems somewhat special. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± You aren¡¯t going to make any request despite, having a god who can grant your wish right next to you, huh? Howughable. You are going to ask the King of Essence for a trade, whether it is for your own sake or for the others, and eventually¡­ He smiled without finishing his sentence, but Raon could make a guess. ¡°I will never give my body to you.¡± The King of Essence can already see the future where you offer your body on your own ord. It¡¯s already toote. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled and used the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. The feeling of refreshing water running through his veins cleared his mind. It was more dangerous to get emotional than taking on Wrath¡¯s attacks. He needed to keep his cool no matter what. Hmph. Raon calmed his emotions with ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ and Wrath returned to the bracelet, murmuring that it was no fun. ¡®The ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ really is important.¡¯ What he needed to defend himself against Wrath wasn¡¯t a sword or a spear, but the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. It was necessary to level it up as quickly as possible. Raon cultivated the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯ overnight, and a knocking sound could be heard once again. ¡°This is the information on Balder and Raden that you requested.¡± As Raon opened the door, Judiel handed over a thin stack of documents. Considering the ink on it was still not dried, it seemed she had written it personally. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be leaving, then¡­¡± Judiel bowed and left. Raon checked her documents from the beginning to the end in one sitting. ¡®This is quite¡­¡¯ Raon eximed. The document was made on the spot, yet it was well organized. All the information he currently needed, including Raden and Balder¡¯s personalities and temperaments, were all written down. ¡°That¡¯s pretty useful.¡± It looked like he could use her as an informant if she couldn¡¯t be a double agent anymore. Raon read the documents over and over while rotating the ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯. The night passed as such, and once the sun rose a third knock sounded on his door. When he opened the door, he found Sylvia with wavering eyes and Glenn¡¯s butler, Roenn. ¡°R-Raon.¡± ¡°Young master, please excuse me so early in the morning.¡± Roenn bowed with an unusually cold expression. ¡°The head of house has summoned the young master.¡± * * * * * * Raon went to the lord¡¯s manor, leaving Sylvia¡ªwho was persistently trying to follow him¡ªbehind. ¡°Young master.¡± Roenn turned when he was in front of the steps to the lord¡¯s manor. His eyes were filled with curiosity as he looked at him. ¡°You must be aware of the reason that the head of house has summoned you. Aren¡¯t you anxious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of the reason, naturally. However, I¡¯m not really anxious.¡± Raon shook his head withposed eyes. ¡°I see.¡± Roenn smiled lightly and entered the lord¡¯s manor. It might have been his imagination, but he looked satisfied with his answer. As he entered the lord¡¯s manor behind Roenn, a heavy atmosphere weighed down on him. It felt like gravity had grown twice as strong in that ce. Raon breathed slowly, just like when he was meditating. The heaviness pressuring his shoulders subsided slightly. The swordsmen and servants looked at him with indescribable gazes, but Raon proudly stood in front of the audience chamber. ¡°They are also in there, on top of the head of house. Are you ready?¡± Raon nodded inly at Roenn¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m opening the door.¡± He signaled the guard with his gaze, and the audience chamber¡¯s door started to open. There were three people under the radiant lighting of the audience chamber. Glenn Zieghart was sitting at the throne on the tform, exuding an overwhelming pressure. And the two men standing under him were Raden Zieghart and his father, Balder Zieghart. Unlike Raden, Balder had a thick body with wide shoulders. Raon wouldn¡¯t have thought of them as father and son if he didn¡¯t know their names. However, he had the same nasty eyes as his son. Raden was ring at him as if he wanted to kill him, and Balder frowned as if he was looking at an insect. ¡°Greeting my lord.¡± Raon ignored their gazes, walking up to the center and kneeling. ¡°Rise.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Strength almost left his legs upon hearing his icy voice, but he grit his teeth and stood up. He stepped back to stand in the same line as Balder and Raden, then looked up at Glenn. ¡°I heard an unsavory event happened yesterday.¡± He raised his chin from the hand it had been resting on, looking down on everyone with indifferent eyes. ¡°My lord! I will exin!¡± Raden stepped forward and knelt. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Upon receiving Glenn¡¯s permission, Raden looked back at Raon and grinned. ¡°Upon returning to the house after a long time, I noticed news about Raon was spread everywhere. Since I had never spoken to him before despite having seen him a few times, I sent a letter to the annex building beforehand. I went to the annex building at the designated date, but they hadn¡¯t made any preparations. Instead, their garden was in aplete mess¡ªas if they wanted to throw away their guest.¡± Raden wrinkled his nose as if he felt really mortified from the experience. ¡°I felt bitter and raised my voice a little, and the annex building¡¯s maids immediately started nitpicking my behavior. Raon appeared when the voices started getting louder, and immediately swung his sword at me without saying anything. It wasn¡¯t a diversion or a threat¡ªhe really was trying to kill me. I kept defending while controlling my strength, but his sword was aimed at my throat until the very end.¡± Raden¡¯s voice sounded realistic enough to make people believe that he was the victim. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Glenn hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest, despite hearing Raden¡¯s emotional voice. He called Raon with the exact same voice as before. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head withposed eyes. ¡°There¡¯s not a single truth from the beginning to the end. Especially the part about him controlling his strength¡ªit¡¯sughable. The sight of him turning red to shout at me still lingers before my eyes.¡± ¡°Ugh! You damn bastard!¡± Raden grabbed his shoulder, but Raon didn¡¯t look back. ¡°Young master Raden.¡± Roenn¡¯s eyes, as he stood back on the left side, grew as threatening as a de. ¡°Did you perhaps forget whose presence you are standing in?¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± Raden swallowed and took his hand off Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If the two peoples¡¯ testimonies are different, then I shall call the witness that saw everything.¡± Glenn flicked his finger, looking at Raden and Raon. A ck shape came down in front of Raon with a thud. ¡°Rakael from the Heavenly de division is greeting my lord!¡± ¡°Report what happened yesterday.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Heavenly de swordsman that introduced himself as Rakael was the man who had blocked Raon¡¯s sword the day before. He stood up after nodding, then started speaking. ¡°Young master Raden said he sent a letter beforehand, but such a letter had never arrived at the annex building. Lady Sylvia was tending the garden like always along with her maids¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. Rakael was telling him the truth without a single lie, despite his expectations. ¡°Raden Zieghart.¡± Glenn frowned after hearing the whole story from Rakael. ¡°Ah! Yes, yes!¡± Raden trembled and rammed his head against the ground. ¡°It¡¯s quite different from what you said.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Father.¡± As Raden trembled, unable to say anything, Balder¡ªwho had just been watching until then¡ªfrowned and stepped forward. ¡°That¡¯s not the important part right now. The biggest problem of this incident is the fact that a coteral swung his sword at a member of the direct line. This endangers the house¡¯s hierarchy itself!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right! He tried to kill me with his sword!¡± Raden nodded violently upon finding an opening. ¡°That¡¯s true. A coteral¡¯s attack against a member of the direct line isn¡¯t just a matter of bad manners. However.¡± Glenn nodded and stood up from the throne. His presence exploded like a giant¡¯s stretching. ¡°What do you think the difference between direct line and coteral is?¡± ¡°Pardon? Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It''s the responsibility. Zieghart¡¯s direct line has to bear the responsibility as the true master of the house.¡± The entire lord¡¯s manor started trembling at the yellow energy flowing out from his shoulders. ¡°You must remember that you are Zieghart¡¯s master in every single action and every single word you speak. It¡¯s the same even when you want to tease or degrade a coteral. If that¡¯s your intention, you have to thoroughly trample upon them until the very end. However, you had your life threatened by a coteral, and a child younger than you on top of that.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true. Raon¡¯s head would¡¯ve already been separated from his body if that was my intention!¡± ¡°Shame on you! You shall shut your mouth if you were saved by others twice in a row.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Facing Glenn¡¯s freezing gaze as it gave him goosebumps, Raden grit his teeth. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to realize your own position either. You are a coteral, which means you need to be careful about your behavior. Swinging your sword at a member of the direct line with a swordsman¡¯s qualification is the same as a dog biting its owner. If you received unfair treatment, you should¡¯ve informed the main building instead of trying to solve it by yourself.¡± ¡°I apologize.¡± Raon closed his eyes and lowered his head. ¡°Since there was a problem with both of you, I¡¯m going to punish each of you ordingly.¡± ¡°Father! You can¡¯t just punish him! You shouldn¡¯t let him live. He is going to bare his fangs against the direct line one day! You need to execute him immediately!¡± Balder Zieghart stepped forward once again. He raised his voice, pointing his finger at Raon. ¡°Silence.¡± ¡°If you overlook this incident, the structure between the direct line and coteral will copse and the house¡¯s reputation will be¡­¡± ¡°Balder, I told you to shut your mouth.¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± Facing Glenn¡¯s voice crushing the space, it looked like Balder¡¯s huge body was squashed for a moment. ¡°My lord.¡± In the midst of the atmosphere squeezing his heart, Raon raised his head to look at Glenn. He lowered his head and called his name. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I will ept any punishment you deem fit. However, I still have something to do before that.¡± ¡°Something to do?¡± ¡°Yes. Raden Zieghart insulted my mother and used violence against the maids. I still haven¡¯t made him pay for that.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard! The same goes for me! I still remember you swinging your sword with those rabid red eyes! I''ll definitely cut your head off!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart, Raden Zieghart.¡± Glenn called Raon and Raden¡¯s names with serious eyes. Crushing pressure was emanating from his entire body. ¡°I just told you to know your ce.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s the reason why.¡± Raon grit his teeth and straighten his back. ¡°The head of house referred to this ce as the swordsman''s ground. I think a warrior should prove his worth with his sword.¡± Raon¡¯s determined voice resounded throughout the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°I request a Sword Duel!¡± Chapter 91 A Sword Duel. Just as the name implied, it was a duel using swords. However, there were two additional rules. The first was that both participants needed a swordsman''s qualification, and the second was that they needed to set the conditions the opponent needed to fulfill upon victory. Raon thought the Sword Duel was the best way of resolving the situation. ¡°You want to settle this in the swordsman''s way, since this is the swordsman¡¯s ground?¡± Glenn¡¯s powerful pressure subsided as he nodded. ¡°Indeed, I did mention such a thing. That¡¯s not wrong.¡± ¡°M-my lord! I would like to request the same thing!¡± Without missing the opportunity, Raden pped his hands and stepped forward. ¡°I also need to pay him back. Please allow us to have a Sword Duel!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± It was an unexpected situation, but Balder seemed to think it was better to have a Sword Duel, as he stepped back and shut his mouth. ¡°Raon Zieghart. The fact that you suggested the Sword Duel must mean that you are confident in your victory, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded confidently. ¡°Raden Zieghart.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze was directed at Raden this time. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°ording to the report, I heard you kept losing to Raon from the beginning to the end. Are you confident in your victory in the rematch?¡± ¡°O-of course! I was just taken off guard as I didn¡¯t expect him to start attacking. I¡¯ll show you an overwhelming victory if we can have another fight!¡± Raden nodded his head like a woodpecker pecking a tree. ¡°That sounds entertaining.¡± The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth were raised slightly, which was a rare sight. ¡°Raden, what condition do you want to impose?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll destroy Raon Zieghart¡¯s energy center and break his mana circuits.¡± ¡°Mana circuit and energy center?¡± ¡°Yes, both of them!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll allow it.¡± It was a frightening condition, yet Glenn¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. ¡°Thank you!¡± Raden¡¯s face became as bright as the magical light. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Yes.¡± ¡°What do you want to do if you win the Sword Duel?¡± ¡°I want Raden Zieghart and his butler to kneel and apologize to my mother and the maids, and give materialpensation. I also want no one rted to the True Martial Pce to get near the annex building.¡± ¡°Apology and prohibiting ess. I¡¯ll allow that as well.¡± ¡°Father! Apology concerns Raden, but the ess prohibition concerns the entirety True Martial Pce. It exceeds the rights of a Sword Duel¡­¡± ¡°Balder.¡± Glenn¡¯s red eyes were directed at Balder, who lowered his eyes to the ground as if he had just looked at the sun. ¡°This is your final warning.¡± ¡°I-I apologize.¡± Balder stepped back and lowered his head. Whir. Maintaining his storming pressure, Glenn looked at Raon and Raden one after another. ¡°I¡¯ve allowed the conditions from both of you. The Sword Duel will be held in one week at the great training ground.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Raon and Raden bowed at once. ¡°The discussion is over. You shall leave.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since Raon had said all that he wanted to say, he left the audience chamber. ¡°A Sword Duel, huh. You are taking our side in the end.¡± Balder stepped forward and smiled. ¡°Even if he is a talented son of Sylvia, he is still a coteral. We will show the clear difference between a member of the direct line and a coteral. Raden, I¡¯m sure you can do it, right?¡± ¡°Of course. I became an intermediate level Expert through this mission. I only need one hand to win against a guy that has just reached novice level Expert. Raden and Balder narrowed their eyes and smiled, the exact same way. They truly were a father and his son. ¡°How about just killing him during the Sword Duel? It will prevent the arrogant coteral guys¡¯ rudeness in the future.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not a good idea as everyone will be watching. It¡¯s better to disable him and destroy his hopes. Mother and son both bing disabled, with their energy center and mana circuit destroyed, sounds great. Just imagine it.¡± Balder giggled¡ªas if malice was the only thing he had towards Sylvia and Raon, who were actually his little sister and his nephew. ¡°Certainly, that¡¯s the case.¡± Raden nodded his head with a smile. The father and son were talking as if he had already won the Sword Duel and Raon was in the palm of his hand. ¡°You shall return as well.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°See you again in a week.¡± Raden and Balder left the audience chamber, brimming with smiles. ¡°My lord.¡± Roenn finally stood in front of Glenn after everyone had left. ¡°Young master Raon is a novice level Expert, and the young master Raden is already an intermediate level Expert. Isn¡¯t it going to be dangerous since their levels are clearly different?¡± Roenn¡¯s voice was lower than usual since he had taken a liking to Raon. ¡°A swordsman''s fight isn¡¯t decided simply by their levels or the techniques they have learned. The nature of the person is the most important factor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that fact as well, but¡­¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true that there is a difference in level between them. However, Raon¡¯s eyes were peaceful. They were filled with confidence, which was different from the arrogance or overconfidence of fighting against an opponent he had already won against. How can I not trust him after seeing those eyes?¡± Glenn smiled gently, unlike earlier. It was the warm gazes of a grandfather watching his grandson being cute. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Unlike Raden, Raon¡¯s conditions were for the sake of his family, with nothing about his own protection orpensation for himself. He was more likable the more he saw him. ¡°Roenn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Use any excuse to decrease the True Martial Pce¡¯s budget next month in half. Retrieve all the missions they took as well.¡± ¡°There is going to be bacsh.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Tell them toe to me if they have a problem.¡± ¡°Hmm, understood.¡± Roenn bowed his head, then looked up at Glenn. It was rare to see his eyes contain anger. ¡®I guess it¡¯s natural since they touched his sore finger.¡¯ Sylvia and Raon were Glenn¡¯s sore finger. It looked like he couldn¡¯t forgive them, even though they were his other fingers. ¡®He looks like he is returning to the way he was before.¡¯ Roenn smiled, hiding his face. He couldn¡¯t stop smiling because Glenn looked like a grandfather taking revenge on the guy who hit his grandson. * * * * * * Sylvia and the maids were outside the annex building when Raon returned. ¡°Why are you outside?¡± ¡°H-how did it go?¡± Sylvia¡¯s hands, which were gathered in front of her chest, were trembling. Even though she was strong when it concerned herself, she looked nervous when it was about her son. ¡°We are going to have a Sword Duel in a week.¡± ¡°S-Sword Duel?¡± ¡°No way! A Sword Duel?¡± Sylvia and Helen grabbed Raon¡¯s shoulders and shook him. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a Sword Duel against Raden Zieghart.¡± ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± ¡°No, what even happened for a Sword Duel¡­¡± Their eyes were wavering like a sailboat on a river. The maids also gasped, unable to close their mouths. ¡°I had many considerations, but a Sword Duel is the best solution.¡± Raon dered, meeting Sylvia¡¯s eyes. ¡°It can¡¯t be any better.¡± The enemy was a member of the direct line, and they were coteral. Getting Glenn¡¯s acknowledgment was the only way of preventing them from harming the annex building, on top of making Raden apologize. ¡°But Raon, what you saw that day wasn¡¯t Raden at his best.¡± Sylvia came up to him and grabbed his hand. The trembling of her hand passed on to his wrist. ¡°Brother Balder¡¯s weapon is a flexible sword. Raden also must¡¯ve learned a technique to handle flexible swords. He is going to be apletely different person once he reveals his true strength!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true, young master. The True Martial Pce¡¯s techniques are famous for their ever-changing nature. You can¡¯t take it easy on this matter. He must be stronger than the Green War Demon that the young master defeated!¡± ¡°He is not going to be careless this time, and your injuries aren¡¯tpletely healed yet! I can¡¯t allow this. I¡¯m going to Father! If I plead to him now¡­¡± ¡°Mom.¡± Raon grabbed Sylvia¡¯s shoulder after she let his hand go, about to run to the main building. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Trust me.¡± Noticing his slight smile, Sylvia¡ªabout to start running¡ªturned around. ¡°The head of house taught me something.¡± ¡°F-Father did?¡± ¡°Yes. I can win against him if I use that.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll nullify the promise with Mom about forbidding my training.¡± After saying that, Raon went inside the annex building. Sylvia was standing there nkly, unable to stop Raon. ¡°Mydy, e-even if the head of house taught him something, shouldn¡¯t you stop the young master?¡± Helen swallowed, standing next to Sylvia. ¡°I was going to, but I felt relieved for some reason upon seeing Raon¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°Uhm, actually, the same thing happened to me¡­¡± Helen nodded, telling her that she felt the same thing. ¡°But we can¡¯t just stand here doing nothing. Let¡¯s find anything we can do for Raon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The maids all nodded in unison. Judiel¡¯s eyes shone as she looked at the annex building that Sylvia and Raon had entered. *** Raon changed into his training outfit in his room, then went to the annex building¡¯s open area. The maids kept ncing at him as they passed, but he didn¡¯t pay attention to them. ¡®What¡¯s important right now is the Sword Duel.¡¯ The rumor about the Sword Duel was going to spread quickly. Since he had already attracted attention, it was better to receive even more attention so that the True Martial Pce couldn¡¯t try anything funny. That was why he needed to win the Sword Duel, and with an overwhelming difference on top of it. ¡°Flexible sword, huh¡­¡± Flexible swords were, as the name suggested, swords that were flexible. They might simply have a higher sticity, but some flexible swords could bend freely like whips. As such, there were a wide variety of flexible swords. The True Martial Pce¡¯s swordsmen were people that were capable ofbining those flexible swords with shy techniques. The higher the swordsman¡¯s abilities, the more the flexible swords could bend. A powerful flexible sword user could even create a wall with the sword. ¡®I¡¯m sure Raden¡¯s sword is also extremely stic.¡¯ Since he was the son of the True Martial Pce master, famous for the flexible sword, Raden¡¯s technique should be also on a different level from themon flexible swordsmanship. However, he couldn¡¯t imagine himself losing. He had learned the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ Glenn had taught him personally, and he had already experienced assassinating an excellent flexible swordsman. Whether Raden used a flexible sword or he was an intermediate level Expert didn¡¯t matter at all to Raon. ng! Raon unwrapped the bandage Sylvia forced on him and drew his sword. shing with the ¡®Star Connecting Sword¡¯, he stepped with the River Footwork. His movement was flowing as smoothly as a single line, which could already be consideredplete. Upon performing thest form of the ¡®Star Connecting Sword¡¯, Raon¡¯s movement differed from the River Footwork. He extended his left foot instead of his right foot and kicked the ground. nk! Raon¡¯s body became as blurry as dust at that instant, and he reappeared three steps ahead like lightning. Even if a person watched him, they would¡¯ve seen him disappear then reappear. Whoosh! Raon shed his sword. The strike separating the space was an aura de that seemed capable of cutting through anything. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled and stopped his sword. ¡®This is the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯.¡¯ The ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ wasn''t simply footwork. It was a special footwork that could be mixed in between other footworks to create the most appropriate movement for the situation. Since his mind was focused on defeating the enemy that insulted Sylvia and Helen, he felt like his training was more efficient. ¡°Then.¡± Raon brandished his sword once again and stomped the ground, training until the sun moved from the middle of the sky and went down into darkness. *** Raon¡¯s schedule didn¡¯t change the next day. He went to the open area at daybreak and swung his sword over and over. One might ask why he was repeating the same thing over and over, but Raon knew that it was the correct thing to do. ¡®This repetition will save my life.¡¯ What would save his life during a battle of life and death wasn¡¯t a new technique or expensive armor. The martial arts that became as natural as breathing through endless training was the only thing that would save him. Raon kept moving his feet and swinging his sword without rest. He mixed in the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ in between the ¡®River Footwork¡¯ in order to increase the proficiency of the ¡®Supreme Harmony Steps''. When it was time for lunch, Judiel went out to the open area, carrying a tray covered with white cloth. ¡°Young master, I¡¯ve brought your lunch.¡± ¡°Lunch?¡± Raon stopped practicing and turned around. ¡°Yes, I brought simple sandwiches for you to eat.¡± Since he was hungry, he sheathed his sword and sat at the table where Judiel put down the tray. ¡°Since you¡¯ve been exercising until a moment ago, please eat slowly to avoid upsetting your stomach.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Judiel bowed, then returned to the annex building. Raon wiped his hands with a wet towel, then rolled up the white cloth covering the tray. ¡°Hmm?¡± There was a thin book next to the dish containing neatly prepared sandwiches. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ He frowned slightly and picked up the book. There was no name on the book, and the cover was so smooth that it looked like it had been created moments before. ¡°Huh!¡± Raon gasped upon reading the contents. The names and particrs of Raden Zieghart¡¯s swordsmanship and footwork were written inside the book. Moreover, they were arranged in a way to make it easy to read. ¡®This book¡­¡¯ The book certainly contained extraordinary information, but it wasn¡¯t something that existed already. ¡®She made it.¡¯ It must¡¯ve been a book that Judiel had made in a single day on Raden and the True Martial Pce. She really was outstanding considering she had also been doing her job as a maid while making the book. It would¡¯ve been a shame to keep using her as a spy despite her talent. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon smiled broadly, looking at Judiel¡¯s back and walking towards the annex building. ¡°She isn¡¯t simply better than I thought. She is going to be really useful, far exceeding my expectations.¡± Chapter 92 Sylvia was cleaning up the garden that she didn¡¯t finish the day before. She was skillfully transforming the messy grass into a round shape, like a fluffy cushion. ¡°Fortunately, they aren¡¯t too badly ruined.¡± Helen, who was helping her from behind, came up next to her. ¡°You are right. It might be better than before after a little bit more work.¡± Sylvia used her scissors while smiling lightly. She cleaned up the messy ces, as if she was trying to erase all traces of Raden¡¯s violence. ¡°Mydy.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Is it okay to leave the young master like that?¡± Helen¡¯s face was ashen gray. It looked like she had been too worried to sleep properly, and the same went for the other maids, as they kept blinking their eyes. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop the Sword Duel at any cost¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought in the beginning.¡± Sylvia nodded while handing over the scissors. ¡°I thought I needed to stop it at all costs, and not let the Sword Duel happen no matter what. I was about to visit my father right away.¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± ¡°Because Raon, that little boy, had the face of a real swordsman.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°There was something I told him before he left on his first mission. I told him to live proudly, like the Zieghart swordsmen in the past.¡± She turned around to meet Helen¡¯s eyes and smiled at the maids. ¡°Raon is way prouder and more awesome than what I told him. So much so that I¡¯m even ashamed of my current self.¡± ¡°Mydy¡­¡± ¡°Since my child can make that kind of expression, I have to trust him as his mother. And¡­¡± Sylvia smiled slightly, looking towards the back of the annex building, where Raon should have been training. ¡°Just as you felt, I had a feeling that everything was going to be okay when Raon said it would be alright. Our job now is to trust him and wait with a smile.¡± *** Raon burned the paper containing Raden¡¯s information that Judiel gave him after memorizing everything. Despite having never witnessed Raden¡¯s flexible swordsmanship, he felt like he could draw it in his head thanks to the detailed information he¡¯d been given. ¡®It should be enough to just keep training like this.¡¯ Since his goal was to overwhelm Raden using the ¡®Star Connecting Sword¡¯ and the ¡®River Footwork¡¯, which weremon techniques, the information allowed him to prepare for the duel a lot more easily. He modified the footwork and the swordsmanship¡¯s flow slightly using Judiel¡¯s information and started training once again. His movements became a lot more systematic as he imagined the enemy¡¯s movement while swinging his sword and using his footwork. Whir! While he was fully focused on his training, a thin coldness came out from the ice flower bracelet. This is so sad. Wrathughed at him while clicking his tongue. It¡¯s so pathetic that you need to make so much effort to fight garbage like him. The King of Essence would¡¯ve been able to freeze him to the bones with breath alone. ¡°I can easily win against him in my current state.¡± Raon pushed away Wrath, who was breathing at him. ¡°But the important part is to achieve an overwhelming victory, where his sword doesn¡¯t even get close to reaching my body.¡± I don¡¯t understand. Isn¡¯t winning enough? ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head. If it was a simple match, it didn¡¯t matter how he won. However, this case was different. ¡°Me and the annex building became the target of the direct line and their followers when I offended Raden. Even if the True Martial Pce can¡¯t threaten us anymore after my victory, there are probably going to be others targeting us instead.¡± Every house had a high and thick wall between the direct line and the coterals. And the wall¡¯s thickness was imprable when it concerned a prestigious family like Zieghart. The direct line and their followers didn¡¯t want the coterals to reach the same rank as them, even if they were people who used to be a part of the direct line. ¡®That¡¯s why I need to show them.¡¯ It was necessary to carve the fact that he was more useful than the direct line into Glenn¡¯s memory. Ever since ancient times, humans have always been quibbling over lineage, and the density of the lineage on top of it, even though blood is red regardless of that. Who do they think they are, vampires? It¡¯s really an unsightly and nasty tradition. ¡°I agree with you for the first time.¡± Raon showed a bitter smile at the fact that he was agreeing with a devil that got angry at anything and everything. Do your best, since everything you possess will be mine eventually. Wrath returned to the bracelet after saying that. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s amazing how he can be so annoying with a single word.¡± Raon stood up whileughing coldly. As he was about to resume his training, he felt the presence of somebody approaching. ¡®It¡¯s not Judiel.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t Sylvia or Helen, but it was a very familiar presence. A small shape appeared as he stood still, waiting. ¡°Huh?¡± nk eyes, fluttering silver hair, snow white skin. Runaan was approaching the open area. ¡°Runaan?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan was walking with soft steps like a cat, hugging a package wrapped in a cloth. Upon arriving next to him, she sat down next to the tree. ¡°Why are you¡­¡± ¡°Fight.¡± It looked like Runaan was also aware of Raon¡¯s fight against Raden. It wasn¡¯t a simple fight though¡ªit was a Sword Duel. ¡°So I came here.¡± She started unwrapping the cloth she brought, her small fingers fidgeting. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon felt numerous gazes on them while watching Runaan and raised his head. Behind the walls, the rocks, and the trees, Sylvia, Helen, and the maids were watching them. ¡®Seriously, these people.¡¯ He thought they¡¯d be serious for once, but they had returned to being easy-going already. They really were strange. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± He turned around upon hearing Runaan¡¯s voice. The package contained the ice cream box she carried around like a treasure. Tap. Runaan opened the box, revealing five bead ice creams. They were bigger and shinier than before, and white steam could be seen rising from them. ¡°Eat.¡± Raon stayed still, and Runaan started waving her hand in front of his eyes. Looking at her eyes, he thought he needed to eat something at least. However, he needed to choose something other than Runaan¡¯s favorite pink ice cream. What are you doing?! Eat it already! Wrath, who had returned to the bracelet earlier, popped back out like a mole. The King of Essence likes that green one! Eat the green ice cream with chocte on it! Hurry up! Because Raon wasn¡¯t touching the ice cream, Wrath grew anxious and started spreading coldness everywhere. ¡®You are so noisy.¡¯ Raon frowned. He didn¡¯t even look at the green ice cream Wrath wanted. As he was licking his lips, thinking about what to pick, Runaan¡¯s hand came towards his head. ¡®What?¡¯ He wondered whether he should avoid her hand or not, but she didn¡¯t have any murderous intent nor animosity. Raon prepared to move any time it was necessary, by warming up the muscles in his entire body. Tap tap. Runaan¡¯s hand lightly tapped his head twice, rendering his anxiety pointless. ¡°Runaan?¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted as he looked around. Runaan nodded while visibly raising the corners of her mouth and caressed his head once again. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Looking at her gently shining silver eyes and hearing her calm voice, his heart tingled. That girl had visited the annex building in order to return the favor of telling her it was alright back when she fought against the orc. ¡°Hah.¡± Raon smirked. It was funny that such a small child was worried about him once again. However, it didn¡¯t feel that bad. He wasn¡¯t too sure, but it felt like some emotion was making his heart swell. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He shook his head, taking the ck bead ice cream from the box and put it in his mouth. His mouth was filled with a sugary, bitter taste, just like the emotion he was feeling. Oh! Chocte! It looks like it¡¯s been fermented for a long time after adding sugar and coffee into the chocte. Back in devildom, the King of Essence liked coffee¡­ Wh-what are you doing! ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon forced Wrath back into the bracelet to avoid his long-winded speech. ¡°Is it delicious?¡± ¡°It is. Thank you.¡± ¡°Eat more.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s enough.¡± It really was enough. Rather than his belly being filled, it felt like his heart was full. He didn¡¯t need it anymore. ¡°I see.¡± Runaan swallowed the red bead ice cream on the right side, then stood up. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Then she left. It looked like she was telling him she wasn¡¯t going to disturb his training since she finished what she came to do. ¡°Haha.¡± Raon smiled, looking at Runaan¡¯s light steps. Just looking at her back was enough to make him smile now. ¡°Raon.¡± As soon as Runaan left, Sylvia, who was hiding behind a tree, approached him. ¡°You mom thinks you are closer than simple friends. That¡¯s not an average ice cream. It¡¯s a very expensive snack.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also curious. From the look of it, it¡¯s not the first time you¡¯ve received ice cream from her.¡± ¡°Raon, Mom wants to talk to her¡­¡± ¡°Stop talking, both of you.¡± Raon shook his hand. He didn¡¯t want them to be depressed, but he hated their yful gazes even more. ¡°Please¡­¡± * * * * * * The next day, there was a second visitor to the annex building. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the guest that looked grumpy as he walked. Honestly, he thought Runaan might visit him again since she liked following after him or learning his training methods. However, that guy was really unexpected. ¡°Burren.¡± Raon tilted his head, looking at Burren as he walked elegantly towards him like a noble. He seriously couldn¡¯t figure out why he was visiting him. ¡°I heard you are going to have a Sword Duel against Raden.¡± Burren pouted and stopped walking. ¡°Did you also hear about it?¡± ¡°The rumor is spreading throughout the entire house. They say that you arrogantly got into big trouble.¡± ¡°Big trouble¡­¡± ¡°You attacked a member of the direct line despite being a coteral and requested the Sword Duel despite not being a qualified swordsman. Of course the higher ups wouldn¡¯t like that.¡± Burren looked down at the seated Raon and snorted. As Raon was about to ask him whether he came to make fun of him, Burren opened his mouth once again. ¡°However, I think you did a great job. I like it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped after hearing something he never expected Burren to say. ¡°Raden is a piece of trash that keeps tarnishing Zieghart¡¯s name despite being a member of the direct line. He is strong, but he doesn¡¯t have any honor or conviction.¡± His voice was boiling with anger. ¡°As soon as I heard there was an issue between you and Raden, I immediately guessed that the damn bastard picked a fight first. And my expectations were correct.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren¡¯s word signified that he actually trusted Raon, which was rather unexpected of him. ¡°Take this.¡± Burren took out a box from his pocket at the size of a palm and handed it over. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s medicine to apply on your injury. It¡¯s too cheap for me to use, but I brought it here as I figured it would be suitable for you.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Take it. Quickly!¡± Burren forced him to take the medicine and turned around. ¡°You are the fifth training ground¡¯s top trainee. Take that responsibility and don¡¯t lose, no matter what.¡± After saying that, he returned the same way he came there. Interestingly, he was walking faster and faster. Judging from his red earlobes, he was being shy. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon opened the lid of the box in his hand. The clear smell of the medicine came from it. He took a small amount of the medicine and spread it on his injured wrist, and the pain subsided along with a warm energy. ¡®Is he telling me this is cheap?¡¯ The clear smell and the medicine¡¯s color told him that it was definitely not a cheap one. When he looked behind the lid, it said Saiman. Saiman was a guild famous for the efficiency of its medicines. It was a rare item, one that was difficult to obtain with money. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Raon shook his head and put the medicine in his pocket. ¡°Raon, when did you be close to Burren¡­¡± ¡°Young master, another friend¡­¡± Since Burren was gone, Sylvia and Helen, who were spectating them, approached him with a smile. ¡°Stoping here!¡± *** Unlike the busy annex building where Raon was training every day, the True Martial Pce remained silent. It looked like they didn¡¯t even care about the Sword Duel against Raon, since they were certain about their victory. Going along with that atmosphere, Raden wasn¡¯t doing any training and stayed even rxed more than usual. ¡°Young master.¡± The butler Merkin bowed to Raden. ¡°What?¡± Raden, who was lying in bed with a red-haired maid, turned his head. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you start training a little now? There¡¯s not much time left until the Sword Duel.¡± ¡°Training? Did you just say that to me?¡± Raden chuckled and raised his body. ¡°Why would I need to train to fight a weakling like that? If I had used the flexible sword back then, he would¡¯ve been six feet under by now¡ªin pieces.¡± ¡°B-but his movements were rather extraordinary. I managed to predict his sword and blocked it, but I didn¡¯t even manage to see his fist properly.¡± Merkin rubbed the ce Raon had hit him. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m the same as you! Grr!¡± Raden threw the wine ss from the table. As the ss containing red wine broke, red liquid spread across the floor like blood. ¡°I know the techniques he uses! It¡¯s the ¡®Star Connecting Sword¡¯ and the ¡®River Footwork¡¯ that I¡¯ve also learned. I can shred him apart with my eyes closed if I use the flexible sword!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°You should be the one training. You fucking fainted at the most important moment!¡± ¡°Please, excuse me.¡± ¡°Get out of my sight!¡± Raden shouted, thenid down on the bed once again. Merkin bowed then left Raden¡¯s room. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ Merkin shook his head, looking at Raden¡¯s room where a giggling sound could be heard. It looked like he had no intention of training because of the humiliation he felt from losing to Raon. He must¡¯ve been trying to protect his ego by showing that he could defeat him without training. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ However, he had obtained information that Raon was training every day, to the best of his abilities, from the annex building. ¡®That guy is really outstanding.¡¯ Raon¡¯s movements were enigmatic. It was difficult to read his presence or movement, much like an assassin. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Merkin sighed. He felt like he could already see the result of the Sword Duel. *** Martha was sitting on a tree at the entrance of North Grave Mountain where she could see the open area in the annex building. ¡°Tsk.¡± She clicked her tongue, wrapping the ck hair that was touching her cheek around her finger. ¡°He is annoyingly popr. Why are there so many people visiting him?¡± Martha was looking at Raon, who was sitting in the open area and talking with the fifth training ground trainees. While she had been watching him, she had already seen seven trainees visiting Raon. She couldn¡¯t hear them exactly, but they looked like they were cheering for his victory. ¡°Hmph, since when did they be friends?¡± Looking at the trainees that were pretending to be his friends after thest mission, despite the fact that they had never cared about him in the training ground, Martha felt irritated. ¡°They are all so pathetic¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try visiting him, too?¡± ¡°Kya!¡± Hearing a voice from behind, Martha screamed and fell from the tree. ¡°Wow, it feels great to tease you.¡± When she raised her head, Rimmer was giggling while swinging his feet in the air. ¡°Raon¡¯s no fun since he doesn¡¯t get surprised with something like this.¡± ¡°You damned elf¡­¡± Martha ground her teeth and raised her body. As her ck eyes were about to be dyed into red, Rimmer shook his hand. ¡°Is that really okay? He already noticed.¡± She turned around following Rimmer¡¯s chin gesture, and Raon was looking at them from the open area. ¡°Ugh, you must¡¯ve done this on purpose¡­¡± ¡°If youe to visit him, you should go see him and cheer him up.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯te here to cheer him up!¡± ¡°Huh? Then what are those things in your pocket? Are they for me?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s because he saved me during the mission¡­¡± Martha put her hand in her coat pocket and wrinkled her nose. ¡°Cheer him up. It¡¯s going to help him.¡± Rimmer smiled and pointed at the open area. Raon was still looking at them. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Martha bit her lip and went down the mountain. ¡°Hnng!¡± Rimmer started humming, lying on the branch Martha fell from. ¡°She¡¯s so naive. I guess that¡¯s the privilege of children.¡± *** Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Martha walk down from the North Grave Mountain. He had already realized she was up there, but he wasn¡¯t expecting her toe down. It seemed Rimmer had yed a prank on her. ¡°Hey.¡± Martha threw a small ss bottle and a square box wrapped in cloth at him. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon caught the box and the bottle flying towards his chest. ¡°I¡¯m returning the favor for that time. Consume them before the Sword Duel starts.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not poison. That¡¯s mind-clearing water that recovers your willpower, so you can drink it or throw it away if you want.¡± As he stared at the ss bottle, Martha took a step closer to him and frowned. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon put the ss bottle in his pocket. ¡°I was going to trample on that son of a monkey because he kept being annoying, but you beat me to it. Make sure to leave him half dead since you¡¯re fighting him, that way he won¡¯t be able to act rude against your mom ever again.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m canceling my promise with you if you lose to that son of a monkey.¡± Raon just nodded and Martha turned around, fluttering her ck hair, which reached under her shoulders now. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± She left the open area without even looking back. ¡°Why did she not say anything about this one?¡± Raon tilted his head and opened the box Martha gave him. ¡°Beef?¡± Beef was inside the box, and its quality seemed to be much higher than the usual meat he had in the annex building. ¡®It was her doing.¡¯ Sylvia had mentioned a high-quality beef was left in front of the annex building asionally, and it ended up being Martha¡¯s gift. Are you telling me that ck-eyes was the one that provided that tasty beef? ¡®Yes.¡¯ Hmm, Fine. The King of Essence is a generous monarch. I¡¯m going to call the ck-eyes the beef girl from now on. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Ignoring Wrath¡¯s useless chatter, Raon took the beef. It was at that moment that Sylvia and Helen burst out from the bush like molesing out of their holes. ¡°Beef and mind-clearing water? She is full of consideration for you, Raon.¡± ¡°Indeed. Beef is great but presenting something as expensive as mind-clearing water means you aren¡¯t just friends.¡± ¡°Raon, invite Martha to a meal next time¡­¡± ¡°Ah, please go away!¡± Raon shook his head. They quickly retreated into the bush, then went back to the annex building. ¡®Seriously¡­¡¯ It was only a few days ago that he was worried about them because of how depressed they were, but their lightheartedness was now getting out of control. ¡®Well, I guess this is better.¡¯ Sylvia and Helen were showing that cheerful attitude because they trusted him and didn¡¯t want to make him worry. They were cheerful people to begin with. Raon needed to keep the harmful people from even touching their shadows in order to protect their smiles. Raon slowly caught his breath, then stood up to resume his training. The training continued day and night, and the day of the Sword Duel finally came. Chapter 93 The direct line and people who got the permission from division leaders or the head of house were the only people allowed to train in the Zieghart great training ground. However, there were a few exceptions. The Sword Duel was one of them. In case a Sword Duel happened where two swordsmen fought, putting their pride at stake, everyone that wanted to spectate was allowed to enter the great training ground. There was more than an hour left until the start of the Sword Duel, but the great training ground¡¯s seats were already full because of how famous the two participants were. Those that didn¡¯t manage to take a seat were busily moving around in order to find a decent spot on the outskirts. The great training ground looked like the marketce with so many people babbling around, but they were all pretty much talking about the same thing. ¡°This is a really peculiar Sword Duel, one that probably doesn¡¯t even happen once every hundred years. Anyone who misses this duel will regret it for their entire life.¡± ¡°Indeed, a fight like this will never happen again.¡± ¡°I guess, since it¡¯s between a swordsman from the direct line and a coteral trainee.¡± ¡°And they are the most rumored children nowadays.¡± A duel between a swordsman from the direct line and a coteral trainee. And since it was a Sword Duel between two people that had recently performed great achievements for the house, people were extremely interested in the event. ¡°I wonder who is going to win between Raon and young master Raden. It¡¯s not going to be fun if they are on a different level.¡± ¡°Hmm, even though it¡¯s a peculiar Sword Duel, the result has already been decided.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible for Raon to win, even if he is strong for his age.¡± ¡°But I heard he killed the Green War Demon¡­¡± ¡°Raon didn¡¯t do that alone. He fought alongside the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees.¡± ¡°On the other hand, young master Raden destroyed a White Blood Religion¡¯s branch on his own. Even if it was a small branch, that¡¯s not something easy to do.¡± Since most of the swordsmen believed Raon¡¯s rumor was exaggerated, they were sure that Raden was going to win. ¡°No way, Raon held his ground against the Blood Raving Demon, who is at Master¡¯s level. You won¡¯t know until they fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just Rimmer spewing bullshit. It¡¯s a lie.¡± ¡°No, I think he held his ground. For a few seconds.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the young master Raden, and think it was his mistake this time, but it can¡¯t be helped. He is already an intermediate level Expert, which is way stronger than Raon.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± It looked like the public opinion had been decided, and the number of people expecting Raon to win kept decreasing. The swordsmen in the great training ground could already imagine Raon¡¯s loss in their heads. ¡°I think it would be great of him if Raon manages to make a stand for some time. If the head of house is satisfied with the fight, he might change the content of the bet¡­¡± ¡°You are babbling so much dogshit through that trap.¡± ¡°Who¡­ ugh!¡± The swordsmen turned their heads upon hearing a chilly voice from behind them. Martha Zieghart was standing there, wrinkling her lovely forehead. ¡°Bullshit? Lies?¡± Martha leaned forward and snorted. ¡°If that was really a lie, do you think me or Burren would¡¯ve done nothing about it? Is your head just a decoration? How about thinking from time to time, huh?¡± Vulgar words came from her mouth despite her beautiful appearance. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The swordsmen turned while groaning instead of talking back to Martha. They had no choice, since they didn¡¯t dare offend Denier Zieghart¡¯s beloved daughter even though they were official swordsmen. ¡°Watch closely with those dead fisheyes of yours.¡± Martha crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. ¡°Since somethingpletely different from your expectations is about to happen.¡± *** ¡°Denier raised his daughter incorrectly.¡± Balder, who was sitting on the tform, crossed his legs and smiled coldly. ¡°No, I guess he didn¡¯t raise her incorrectly, but picked the wrong child.¡± He murmured that there was no way she could be talented as she had peepholes for eyes. However, he didn¡¯t really care about how Martha rudely treated the swordsmen. That was the extent of the difference existing in the world between the direct lines and coterals or people below them. ¡°The fight is already decided. I want the Sword Duel to be over already and hear that arrogant bastard¡¯s scream.¡± The result of the duel was as in as day. No matter how talented Raon was, it was impossible for him to win against Raden, as he had never experienced fighting a flexible sword. He smiled in anticipation, eager to watch Raon scream upon getting his energy center destroyed and his mana circuit ripped apart after the Sword Duel. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hearing a cheerful voice that didn¡¯t match the tform¡¯s solemn atmosphere, Balder¡¯s head turned. ¡°Rimmer?¡± The red-haired elf was walking up to him while grinning like a fool. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Ah, I came to see you since I noticed you while passing by.¡± ¡°Then just keep passing by.¡± ¡°Ahaha! Nice joke.¡± Even though he told him to go away, Rimmer didn¡¯t get down from the tform, sticking next to Balder instead. ¡°Do you think we are close enough to joke around?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you said something funny.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said the fight is already decided, what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Your broken eyes should still be able to see it, the difference in pressure between Raden and the loser you¡¯ve trained.¡± ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s certainly a clear difference.¡± Rimmer whistled, looking at Raon and Raden, who were standing on opposite sides of the great training ground. ¡°But the fight isn¡¯t necessarily decided by pressure and might.¡± ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s only true concerning the bugs. Once they are at the Expert level, it¡¯s difficult to ovee the difference in level. Moreover, Raden is a flexible swordsman. Your student will be ripped apart with his flesh and bone torn off.¡± ¡°Then shall we make a bet?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you are that confident, let¡¯s make a bet.¡± Rimmer smiled broadly and extended his hand. ¡°Is this another trick of yours, just like when you spread that false rumor about him fighting against the Blood Raving Demon?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way a trick would work when the head of house is going to witness the fight today.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Balder¡¯s pupils expanded. This was the reason that Rimmer was difficult to deal with. He was still meeting the head of house, his father, once in a while. ¡°Since you look so confident, let¡¯s bet something. If you are scared, you can just withdraw¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Balder frowned, and the foothold under his feet was crushed. ¡°Ahaha! It was a joke.¡± ¡°What are you going to bet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m betting this.¡± A leaf-shaped dagger came out from Rimmer¡¯s shirt. It was reflecting a mysterious light, and the clear scent of real leaves under the sunlight. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you recognize this.¡± ¡°Are you seriously putting this at stake for the bet?¡± ¡°Of course. The bet is all about all in! All in!¡± ¡°¡­Then what do you want? Do you want my Dragon¡¯s Diamond Warde or something?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t need something like that.¡± Rimmer shook his head and grinned. It was the same expression as when he was ying a prank on Burren or Raon. ¡°I¡­¡± * * * * * * Raon rolled his wrists and ankles to warm himself up. Even though it was his first time visiting the great training ground, and countless people were watching him, he didn¡¯t feel nervous at all. ¡®The medicine was really effective.¡¯ Probably because he drank the mind-clearing water beforeing there, his head was clear and his heart was beating slowly and calmly. Burren¡¯s medicine was also effective, and his injuries were nowpletely healed. It seemed he could bring out the best of his abilities, just like when he trained in the open area or in the fifth training ground. Raon looked at Raden, who was standing on the opposite side from him. He was sipping on wine right before the fight. ¡®He must be trying to show his confidence.¡¯ The reason that he was showing such a carefree attitude was simple. He was trying to show the difference between himself and Raon. ¡®However¡­¡¯ That was something he shouldn''t be doing unless there was an overwhelming difference or he was certain about his victory. Raon smiled coldly, looking at Raon as he enjoyed a massage from a maid. He was going to regret what happened that day for the rest of his life. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s heaven is entering! Everyone, show your respect!¡± As he was warming up his shoulders, the swordsmen standing in front of the training ground¡¯s main entrance started shouting. Rumble! The enormous door split open, and Glenn entered along with the Heavenly de Division. Despite having lots of people around him, only Glenn entered Raon¡¯s sight. His breathtaking pressure was making the training ground¡¯s atmosphere as sharp as needles piercing the skin. The stronger he got, the more he realized how high Glenn''s level was, giving him goosebumps. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± Raon knelt and bowed, just like everyone in the training ground. Do you really have to kneel down and bow every single time you see him? It must be really annoying to be human. Wrath clicked his tongue in irritation. However, his voice contained a slight note of envy. Since he went down from being the monarch of devildom to a shabby freeloader living in the bracelet, he seemed to be jealous of Glenn, who received respect and fear from everyone. ¡®You are so narrow-minded.¡¯ What did you say? ¡®Nothing.¡¯ Raon lowered his head and smiled slightly. ¡°Everyone, rise.¡± In the meantime, Glenn sat on the throne in the middle of the tform and opened his mouth. Even though it was a quiet voice, everyone could hear it clearly. ¡°Thank you!¡± Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen bowed once again, then stood up. ¡°Good.¡± Glenn slowly lowered his gaze to look at Raon on the west and Raden on the east, one after the other, then nodded. ¡°Begin the Sword Duel.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The ringmaster, who was standing under the tform, bowed to Glenn before he turned around. Whoosh! As soon as he raised his hand, the g bearers standing on the great training ground¡¯s outskirts waved the gs with the me sword¡¯s emblem at the same time, which created an illusion of the entire training ground rippling in mes. ¡°Competitors,e forth!¡± ¡°Finally.¡± Raden extended his hand with a grin, and the maid standing behind him brought him his sword. He took out a wobbling sword from the sheath longer than a spear. Cring. The long and thin flexible sword iled like a snake, creating a strange sound. Raon looked back, ignoring Raden¡¯s murderous gaze. He could see Sylvia biting her lip while holding onto the handrail tightly. He conveyed his message with his gaze: it was alright, so just rest assured and wait. Helen and the maids were sping their hands together next to Sylvia, shoulders trembling as if they were praying to God. Raon braced himself. It wasn¡¯t a fight against Raden, but a war in order to protect them. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled to empty his mind and stepped up to face Raden. *** ¡°Haa!¡± Raden tilted his head back to look at the sky. How long had he been waiting for this day? One week felt longer than an entire year. ¡®I can finally pay him back.¡¯ The humiliation he felt in the annex building. The time had finallye for him to change the spiteful gazes of the swordsmen as they held theirughter in each time they looked at him. Holding back the excitement filling his entire body, he brandished his flexible sword. ¡®Come at me. I¡¯ll¡­ that bastard.¡¯ Raden grinded his teeth. Raon was looking at Sylvia and the maids behind him instead of himself. Raon¡¯s disinterest towards him right before the fight exasperated him. ¡®I¡¯m going to cut your limbs off.¡¯ Raden became exhrated upon imagining Raon and the maids¡¯ expressions after he cut off his limbs during the Sword Duel, getting his energy center and mana circuit destroyed as a result. ¡°Be ready.¡± Raden flexed his wrist, hearing the ringmaster¡¯s signal. Although he was only moving his wrist slightly, the flexible sword wriggled like a snake. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Raon nodded without even drawing his sword. ¡°Haa, it¡¯s my first time seeing such an arrogant bastard.¡± Raden raised his chin and wrinkled his nose. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you how lucky you were that day.¡± ¡°Lucky?¡± Raon snickered, touching the sheath of his sword. ¡°Seriously, you bastard¡­¡± ¡°Please step back.¡± The ringleader forcefully pushed Raden back. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can still smile like that after your arms get cut off and your energy center gets ripped apart.¡± ¡°I guess you won¡¯t be able to see it.¡± Raon grabbed the sheath while maintaining his smile. Crack. Raden stepped back while grinding his teeth to a point that they could break. It was better to start the Sword Duel faster instead of arguing with him. The ringleader checked their readiness with his gaze and they both nodded their heads. ¡°Then, the Sword Duel between Raden Zieghart and Raon Zieghart has begun!¡± The ringleader raised his hand, blocking the sight between Raden and Raon, then stepped back. ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± Radenughed like a madman and swung his flexible sword. With a fluttering sound, the sword curled like a ribbon and dove at Raon. Raon twisted his body like a drifting flower petal to dodge the flexible sword. ¡°Do you really think you managed to dodge it?¡± Raden raised his wrist and the flexible sword fluctuated like a tidal wave, following Raon. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Raon tried dodging the flexible sword using the ¡®River Footwork¡¯, but Raden was already aware of that flow. ¡°I told you already. It¡¯s different from back then! Try running away!¡± Raden grinned and used the third form of Crystal Flexible Sword, Demonic Crystal. The flexible sword¡¯s de bent in a zigzag, aimed at Raon¡¯s leg. nk! Raon drew his sword and lowered it. He seemed to be trying to block the Demonic Crystal because he wasn¡¯t able to dodge it. ¡°Keuh!¡± Raden licked his lips. ¡®What an idiot!¡¯ Flexible swordsmanship was extremely difficult to defend against because its direction changed too quickly. If he tried defending what he saw, he would get cut somewhere else. The same went for Raon. He lowered his sword in order to defend the attack against his legs, but that was a huge mistake. Swish! Raden turned his wrist, the flexible sword aimed at Raon¡¯s thigh bursting up like a snake crawling up a vine. ¡®I¡¯m going to take your arm, just like I warned you I would!¡¯ He could already see Raon screaming as his sharp de shed through Raon¡¯s arm. ¡°Huh?¡± Raden swallowed. Right before the flexible sword ripped apart his arm, Raon disappeared from his sight. ¡°Wh-whe¡­gasp!¡± Raden¡¯s hand, the one holding his sword, trembled as he screamed. Something cold could be felt against his neck. When he turned his eyes, Raon¡ªwho had disappeared¡ªwas touching his neck with his sword. ¡°Wh-what happened¡­¡± ¡°This is the first time.¡± ¡°F-first time? First time for what?¡± ¡°You are going to die eight times today.¡± After saying that, Raon¡¯s fist struck Raden¡¯s face. Smack! Chapter 94 ¡°Kuah!¡± Raden grabbed his head and stepped back. He looked like an insane person, his untied hair pping into the wind. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The extreme pain made him groan. He still couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. How was his sword already at his neck, why did his face hurt? He couldn¡¯t understand anything. ¡°Wh-what did you do to me?¡± Raden grit his teeth and raised his head, looking towards Raon¡ªwho was standing still, just looking at him. ¡°It¡¯s simple. I dodged your sword and punched you in the face.¡± He answered, as casual as if discussing a meal. ¡°What I¡¯m asking is how you did that¡­¡± ¡°This makes it once.¡± Raon raised his index finger while saying somethingpletely unrted to the question. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told you, you will die eight times today. That just now was the price for your lie about sending a letter that we never received.¡± ¡°Y-you bastard¡­¡± Raden¡¯s eyes grew so wide that they looked like they would tear. He wanted to rip Raon¡¯s limbs apart right now. ¡°Eight times? Stop spouting bullshit! You are going to regret not having finished the Sword Duel just now for the rest of your life!¡± Raden barked, swinging his flexible sword. Crash! The flexible aura-imbued sword started to devastate their surroundings. It was the Radiant Vortex of the Crystal Flexible Sword. Rumble! The flexible sword thrashed like a Kraken¡¯s tentacles, yet Raon dodged every single aura de by using ¡®River Footwork¡¯. ¡®How dare you!¡¯ Raden clenched his fist and turned his flexible sword. The aura de in his flexible sword trembled like a tidal wave, blocking Raon¡¯s path. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t try to get him in a single strike.¡¯ Since he still didn¡¯t understand what happened back then, he needed to be careful. It was necessary to pressure him, like catching a bug in the room by cornering it. He wasn¡¯t just using his wrist, but also his elbow and shoulder to fully utilize the flexible sword¡¯s long de. It must look like a wall of sword and aura de in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll make you into a filet.¡± Raden used the tenth form of the Crystal Flexible Sword, Red Wall of Destruction. The flexible sword stormed at Raon, twisted like rose bushes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± In the midst of deflecting the flexible sword by using River Footwork, Raon turned around. He withdrew in order to avoid the Red Wall of Destruction. ¡°I got you!¡± The Red Wall of Destruction grew faster if the opponent tries to run away. He was now just a rat in a trap. Stomp! After moving all the way to the back, Raon turned midair and kicked the ground. ¡®What is this guy?!¡¯ The way he was running at the wall of aura de could be only described as crazy. Raden gasped. The moment the Red Wall of Destruction was pushed back to the extreme, his body disappeared like a candlelight. ¡°Damn it!¡± He hurriedly looked around. Expecting him to appear from his right side like thest time, he pulled his flexible sword. ¡®Is he not here?¡¯ However, nothing could be seen from his right side. ¡°I¡¯m on your left.¡± Even before the word reached his ears, an excruciating pain could be felt from the left side of his face. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Raden screamed from the impact to his left cheekbone, rolling on the ground. ¡°Uggh¡­¡± The pain wasn¡¯t subsiding. His cheekbone must¡¯ve been crushed. ¡°Uaaaah!¡± Raden roared. He imbued his sword with aura to stick the de on the ground, using it as a support to stand up. ¡°¡­Wh-what did you do just now? You were definitely in front of me!¡± ¡°This is the price for spitting on my mother¡¯s hand-grown flower.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Looking at Raon''s unwavering eyes, his chin trembled. It looked like that crazy bastard was seriously going to return the eight debts. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡± Raden stepped back and gathered his aura from his energy center. He wasn¡¯t ying around anymore. Screw the Sword Duel, he decided he would kill him right there and then. Rumble! He brandished his flexible sword while spreading his aura to the mana circuits in his entire body. His clothes fluttered with his rambling aura, despite the windless atmosphere. ¡°I¡¯m going to pluck your bones out before killing you!¡± Raden thrust his straightened flexible sword. At lightning speed, it reached right in front of Raon¡¯s eyes in a blink of an eye. Whir. The moment Raon was about to swing his sword to defend himself, Raden¡¯s entire right arm started vibrating. Baaaam! The intense vibration passed up the flexible sword, and its straight trajectory became twisted, like a coiled snake. It was the formidable technique of the Crystal Flexible Sword, Flexible Sword of Explosion, which ripped apart the enemy like a Kraken crushing the ocean with its eight tentacles. However, Raon didn¡¯t step back despite facing the sharp de severing the air. His eyes shone as he lowered his posture. ¡®Is that bastard doing it again?¡¯ Raden grit his teeth. He had disappeared and reappeared from his right and left side thest time his eyes shone like that. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± He thrust the Flexible Sword of Explosion, along with all the aura he had gathered, to the best of his abilities. The gathering of aura des puffed up like a balloon, storming at Raon. ¡®I need to focus.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t let the same technique reach him three times in a row like an idiot. He sharpened his senses to their limits in preparation for Raon, who could pierce through the wall of his flexible sword at any moment. Crash! The powerful aura de of the Flexible Sword of Explosion cut through the ground like paper. However, he couldn¡¯t sense it cutting any flesh. He had disappeared once again. ¡°Where are you?¡± Raden spread his aura perception and retrieved his flexible sword to block his surroundings. Left, right, or behind. He prepared himself so that he could block him no matter which direction he came from. ¡°I¡¯m in front of you.¡± However, Raon¡¯s voice could be heard from the front, not from left, right, or behind. He hurriedly tried to defend, but Raon moved faster. Smack! Raon¡¯s fist thrust like a ray of light, crushing Raden¡¯s chin. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Raden grabbed his chin and screamed. It hurt. It hurt more than when he was hit on his cheeks, more than when his cheekbone was crushed. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The blood flowed to the ground. It looked like his jawbone was shattered and his skin was torn. ¡°The third strike is for trampling on my mother¡¯s hand-grown flowers.¡± Raon shook out his sword while walking towards Raden. ¡°I¡¯ve understood everything about your sword. I won¡¯t even need to dodge anymore.¡± ¡°Bullshit¡­¡± Raden quickly stood up and started steaming from his mouth. His head was filled with the desire to kill him, but he bit his cheek to calm himself down. ¡®It¡¯s a provocation. A provocation.¡¯ His fingers were trembling. He could end up fainting if he got beaten up any further. He was going to lose everything if he lost, which wasn¡¯t an option. ¡°Haaaa!¡± He vibrated his entire energy center to spread aura throughout his body. He wouldn¡¯tst for a long time, but he could be stronger than ever for a moment. Baaam! Despite the exploding energy, he controlled his mind and calmly used the Crystal Flexible Sword. A faster, sharper, shier aura de stormed into the air. ¡®He can¡¯t dodge this.¡¯ The aura de directed at Raon was the most urate one so far. * * * * * * Raon used River Footwork to enter into the wave of the aura de. The Crystal Flexible Sword he was using now was on a different level from what Raon had experienced so far. He was going to pay for his arrogance. ¡®Die.¡¯ The moment he was about to pierce through Raon¡¯s heart with the extremity of the curved sword, Raon¡¯s sword came up diagonally. ng! His arm faltered from the powerful impact transferred through the flexible sword. ¡°Wh-what?¡± He was definitely aiming for his heart after deflecting Raon¡¯s sword, yet his technique was interrupted midway. ¡°Eek!¡± Raden used the fourth form of the Crystal Flexible Sword to pressure Raon. However¡­ ng! Raon swung his sword, and the flexible sword bounced back and became limp. ¡°Haa!¡± With a war cry, heunched another Crystal Flexible Sword. However, his technique was cut to pieces each time Raon swung his sword, and he couldn¡¯t connect his strikes. ¡°N-no way¡­¡± His mind was breaking, despite having calmed it down with difficulty. He was nullifying his swordsmanship, as if he had really understood everything about his Crystal Flexible Sword. ¡°I told you already, I know everything about your technique.¡± Raon stormed at him after parrying his sword. ¡°G-get away from me!¡± Raden thrust his left fist, but Raon easily dodged it then struck him with his sword. Smack! His forehead was struck with the t of his sword, sending him flying back like a kicked ball. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Raden covered his forehead and writhed on the ground in extreme pain. ¡°Th-this can¡¯t be true!¡± He felt like fainting from the intense pain, but he bit his lip and stood back up. It wasn¡¯t the time for him to be lying around. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± It was impossible to understand the Crystal Flexible Sword in that short of a time. No, it had to be impossible. ¡°The fourth is the cost for hitting Helen.¡± Raon slowly walked towards Raden, ignoring his words. ¡®This can¡¯t be happening!¡¯ Raden tightly grabbed on his sheath, taking up the flexible sword. ¡°Haaaa!¡± He used the Crystal Flexible Sword faster and sharper than ever. Sheesh! A powerful will was ingrained in the flexible sword, creating a shy trajectory to storm at Raon. Speed, sharpness, power. Everything was on a different level from before. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, Raon¡¯s steps remained the same as before. He casually walked into the storm of the flexible sword, as if he were on a stroll. ng! Raon swung his sword. It looked like he was just chasing away an insignificant fly, yet the flexible sword faltered significantly. That was enough to make all the changes and flow he had created so far. ¡°Eek!¡± Raden didn¡¯t give up. He used another formidable technique by turning the wobbling flexible sword. Baaam! The aura de in his sword rained down at him. Raon¡¯s Star Connecting Sword connected his movement into a swing towards the rain of aura de. ng! It was a simple swing that had nothing special to it, yet the formidable technique of the Crystal Flexible Sword was cut off and the flexible sword bounced back violently. ¡°Wh-what! What¡¯s happening?¡± Raden stepped backwards with a trembling chin. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had cut off the formidable technique with a single swing even though he had just experienced it himself. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with this. There¡¯s no way!¡± He grabbed his left hand with his trembling right hand and swung the flexible sword. He used the second formidable technique of the Crystal Flexible Sword, Exploding Fang. Kieee! A sharp and fierce strike like a beast¡¯s fang was aimed at Raon¡¯s heart and neck. Raon halted his movements. There was no sign of panic. He just lowered his sword. Whir! There was no hesitation in his movements, simr to a great painter drawing a picture. And the Exploding Fang was dissolved, just like that. The aura de dissipated and his technique was crushed, all from a single swing of his sword. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raden sighed. His heart tightened, looking at Raon walking up to him after erasing the Exploding Fang. Star Connecting Sword and River Footwork. Those were techniques that any swordsman in the continent would know, yet he was unable to pierce through them. Despite being well acquainted with the moves he was using, he couldn¡¯t find any way to defend against them. ¡°Huff, huff!¡± He was out of breath. Each time Raon moved his sword, he felt like his head was entering a savage beast¡¯s mouth. ¡°Don¡¯te closer! I¡¯m telling you to stay away!¡± He tried swinging his flexible sword again, but it was just bounced away by Raon¡¯s sword, ending up stuck in the ground. Smack! Upon reaching him after erasing all his aura des, Raon took up his sword and pped his cheek. ¡°Kuh!¡± He couldn¡¯t even speak because of the pain growing even worse, to the point that his limbs were convulsing. ¡°Keauh!¡± Instead of a scream, Raden let out a strange groan and grabbed his busted cheek. ¡°Stand up.¡± The me of anger burning in Raon¡¯s eyes wasn¡¯t extinguished yet. ¡°It¡¯s still only the fifth one.¡± *** The Sword Duel went just like Raon had intended, from the beginning to the end. Raden yielded to his provocation and used the Crystal Flexible Sword that he hadn¡¯t perfectly acquired yet, and Raon used the Star Connecting Sword that he was so used to that he could use it with his eyes closed. Who is going to win if a swordsman that wasn¡¯tpletely used to excellent swordsmanship fights was pitted against a swordsman whopleted an average technique to perfection? Most people would believe it would be the former. That was not the case. An advanced yet iplete technique created powerful and shy strikes, but it couldn¡¯t adjust to every situation. On the other hand, a swordsman that perfected a basic swordsmanship could adjust to each situation in the most suitable way. At first, the swordsman with a powerful swordsmanship might look like he had the upper hand, but the difference would grow over time and the one with basic technique would end up with the advantage. Moreover, the most important part wasn¡¯t the technique, but the one using it. Since the person using the basic swordsmanship was Raon, who had learned the Ring of Fire and had Judiel¡¯s information, the one-sided beating on Raden was a natural course of action. Raon looked at Raden, who was trying to stand up as he bled. ¡°N-not yet. It¡¯s not over yet. I-I will never lose¡­¡± The severe murderous intent from his eyes was his malice, his desire to kill him at any cost. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Raden¡¯s aura burst up. His surroundings were dyed green and the ground trembled. ¡°Haa.¡± Feeling the frightening murderous intent and aura de trying to rip his skin apart, Raon grew calmer and brandished his sword. Middle posture. It was one of the basic postures, consisting of holding the sword in front of the abdomen. Despite facing intense pressure, Raon¡¯s sword didn¡¯t waver in the slightest. ¡°Die!¡± Raden swung his sword with explosive energy. The single de was split into dozens of des in the spur of the moment, thrusting at Raon¡¯s vital points all around his body. It was the final technique of the Crystal Flexible Sword, Great Rainstorm, that Raden had been saving forst. Facing the bundle of aura des, where a single one could cost his life, Raon brandished his sword. Compared to the flexible sword moving like a light, Raon¡¯s movement was so slow that it could be called boring. However, neither his sword nor his eyes were faltering. Whoosh! The moment the aura de reached right under Raon¡¯s nose after tearing apart everything, Raon swung his sword. It wasn¡¯t slow, or fast, or shy. Yet, the true meaning of swordsmanship was incorporated in it. Star Connecting Sword. Just as its name suggested, the techniques connected with each other naturally, without a single mistake. The Great Rainstorm that was about to swallow Raon was split apart by the great flow of the Star Connecting Sword. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raden¡¯s bloodshot eyes could be seen in the midst of the aura de tearing apart. It was an expression of bewilderment, rather than panic. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± ¡°It will be annoying if you give up now.¡± Raon shook out his sword and approached Raden. ¡°Because you need to die three more times.¡± Chapter 95 ¡°Mydy, I can¡¯t watch this anymore.¡± Helen couldn¡¯t open her eyes even before the Sword Duel started. She had always viewed Raon as her own son, ever since he was born. And the fact that he was going to have a Sword Duel against Raden, who was infamous for his cruelty, was making her so nervous that she could hardly breathe. ¡°But we have to watch him.¡± Unlike Helen, Sylvia was staring at Raon with her eyes wide open. ¡°Because he is fighting for our sake.¡± Helen tried opening her eyes. Raon was standing in the middle of the training ground, warming himself up. The fact that he didn¡¯t look any different from usual eased her tension slightly. ¡°Haa, but I¡¯m still nervous. How is mydy¡­?¡± Her eyes widened after she turned her head to look at Sylvia. It was because her hand was trembling so much that even the handrail was trembling with her. ¡°Mydy¡­¡± Helen barely managed to stop herself from crying. Sylvia was desperately trying not to show her emotions on the outside, despite being even more nervous and anxious than herself. Because she knew about Sylvia¡¯s difficult childhood, she felt both proud of her and sorry for her. ¡®¡­Can she ever be happy?¡¯ She felt bad for both Sylvia and Raon. She would¡¯ve already made them leave that ce if only she had the ability to do so. ¡°He will be alright.¡± Judiel turned to look at them with a calm gaze. ¡°The young master has been preparing against Raden¡¯s flexible sword day and night. I¡¯m sure everyone here will be astonished by his performance.¡± ¡°Th-that would be great, but¡­¡± ¡°You are right. Let¡¯s think like that, Helen. Thank you.¡± Sylvia thanked Judiel with her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s hold hands. Come on.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hold hands and pray for Raon¡¯s victory.¡± Sylvia went ahead and grabbed Helen¡¯s hand. With a puzzled expression, Helen grabbed Judiel¡¯s hand, as she was sitting next to her. In that manner, every maid from the annex building held each other¡¯s hands. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Judiel shook her head, feeling Helen and the other maid¡¯s wet and trembling hands. ¡®But they really don¡¯t need to worry about him at all.¡¯ Raon was a monster. He was still weaker than countless strong warriors that she had encountered so far, but his temperament was on another level. She would never be able to forget Raon¡¯s gaze, the one that she witnessed that day. Remembering the fear and murderous intent dominating the space still gave her goosebumps. He was the real deal. He wasn¡¯t someone that could ever lose to that fake, the one that was just violent and nothing more. As Judiel was reminiscing about the day she witnessed Raon¡¯s true face, the ringmaster announced the start of the Sword Duel. ¡°Hmph!¡± Helen, who was sitting next to her, sped her hand. Bam! Raden¡¯s flexible sword was extremely shy right off the bat. Despite spectating from far away, she was able to feel its sharpness and ever-changing nature. On the other hand, Raon was using Star Connecting Sword and River Footwork, both of which were just too honest. It looked like he was in an extremely precarious situation, like a flower petal fluttering inside a tornado. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± Sylvia and Helen¡¯s hands were shaking intensely. ¡®They are all mistaken.¡¯ Judiel licked her lips. Raon¡¯s eyes were the same as the time that he had suppressed her. Baam! Raden¡¯s technique was so shy, to a point that it looked like he was bragging. The moment his aura de twisted like a rose vine to attack Raon, he used the River Footwork. It was a basic footwork that even she could use, yet he managed to dodge Raden¡¯s varied technique and rushed at him from the right side. Raden kept watching from the front as if he didn¡¯t even notice, and Raon got his neck. ¡°H-he won! He won, mydy!¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Helen and the maids screamed in joy as Raon¡¯s sword was right by Raden¡¯s neck. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Sylvia sighed, still holding on the handrail. She seemed happier about the fact that Raon wasn¡¯t hurt, rather than his victory itself. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Judiel eximed. She knew he was going to win, but she didn¡¯t expect him to win so easily. ¡®He is really a m¡­ huh?¡¯ In the middle of her admiration, she saw Raon pulling back his sword and punching Raden¡¯s mouth. Raden bounced back while bleeding from his mouth, but he hadn¡¯t be any weaker. All it did was make him angrier, his aura gushing out like fire. ¡°Wh-why?¡± Sylvia screamed. It should¡¯ve ended right there as his overwhelming victory. She couldn¡¯t understand why he had let him go. Raden turned his wrist to shoot his flexible sword at Raon¡¯s heart, wriggling like a snake. Raon stepped back with River Footwork, but Raden¡¯s flexible sword kept following him. It almost looked like tracking magic was used. Raden¡¯s sword wriggled towards Raon¡¯s heart, but his expression stayed indifferent. He flowed like a lotus flower on the water to reach Raden¡¯s left side. Raon¡¯s sword was at Raden¡¯s neck once again, then he pped his cheek this time. It was the second time. Raon let Raden off the hook even though he could have won once again. Raden now looked like an enraged monster as he swung his flexible sword. However, Raon didn¡¯t change in the slightest. He dodged the sword and dominated him from the front with a peaceful expression on his face. Smack! Raon kicked Raden¡¯s face so hard that the sound reached the stands. Helen bit her lip. She finally realized why Raon was letting him go. ¡®He is taking revenge for us.¡¯ Raon was returning Raden¡¯s misdeeds in the annex building, one by one. Punching his mouth first was revenge for his lie about sending a letter, and pping his face was for spitting on the ground. And what he did just then was for trampling on the flowers. ¡°Ah¡­¡± An unbearable emotion seeped into her heart. Bloodline was equal to strength in Zieghart. Sylvia was the only person that treated her properly, as she wasn¡¯t even a coteral¡ªlet alone a member of the direct line. She had realized that cruel reality when Sylvia had left the house, the fact that she was the only person who treated the maids as human beings in that entire cold earth. However, there was now one other person. The person that was with her from the moment of his birth, Raon, son of Sylvia. He was fighting against a member of the direct line for their sake and crushing them. She couldn¡¯t hold back her tears, sensing Raon¡¯s intentions. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Hearing the sound of someone trying not to cry, Helen turned her head. The other maids were also shedding tears, noticing Raon¡¯s intentions. Everyone was feeling the same emotions. They were moved to tears because it was the first time someone had cared for them so much. And Sylvia was proudly watching Raon, her mouth tightly closed. It was the same confident expression as before she had lost her aura and swordsmanship. However, Sylvia was actually more delighted than Helen thought. She had always been daunted because no one had cared for her since she was born. She was left out in the cold like she never existed, despite being a member of the direct line. Her father, her brothers, and the house all weighed down on her¡ªsuffocating her. That was why she had decided to run away. She ran away from the family to obtain her freedom. ¡®However.¡¯ That wasn¡¯t the correct answer. She should¡¯ve ovee it with her own strength, no matter how terrible that ce was. And that was what her son Raon was telling her. He was born weaker than anyone, yet his mind was now stronger than anyone else¡¯s. Such a boy was telling her with his back that it didn¡¯t matter who his opponent was, he would fight until the very end so that they wouldn¡¯t dare try anything funny. ¡°Raon¡­¡± Feeling her turbulent emotion, Sylvia clenched her fist. * * * * * * Creak! Balder ground his teeth while looking down on the training ground. ¡°How is this happening?¡± He thought Raden¡¯s victory had already been decided. And that wasn¡¯t just his opinion. More than ny percent of the people in the training ground must¡¯ve expected Raden¡¯s overwhelming victory. However, it waspletely different once the fight began. Raden was one-sidedly getting beaten up by Raon, who was using lower-grade swordsmanship and footwork. The fight would¡¯ve been already over after the first sh if Raon desired it. That was how much of a difference there was between the two of them. Whoosh! Raon split apart thest technique of Raden¡¯s Crystal Flexible Sword, using the in Star Connecting Sword and River Footwork. ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Balder unconsciously gasped. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as Raon Zieghart¡¯s sword disyed the true purpose of the Star Connecting Sword. One needed to infuse the sword with their will in order to achieve the true purpose of swordsmanship. Only those at an advanced level Expert or higher were capable of doing that. ¡®Yet, he¡­¡¯ He had be an Expert only recently, and he was just a fifteen-year-old boy. It felt like a dream, a terrifying nightmare. Raden was unable to think rationally, and he could never pierce through Raon¡¯s sword in his state. The Sword Duel was already over, in an opposite way from what he had expected. ¡®A genius. No, he is more than that.¡¯ The continent was vast, and geniuses were numerous. Not just Zieghart, every armed organization regardless of its size had someone called a genius. Raon couldn¡¯t be described by a word like that. A monster that grows by devouring geniuses, he was a devil that would stand at the apex of the continent with his sword. ¡®A mere coteral!¡¯ The fact that he was winning against his son made him boil with anger. Even though he was Sylvia¡¯s son, he was just an inferior boy from the seed of an unknown origin. ¡°That bastard¡­¡± ¡°Wooow! I hit the jackpot!¡± As he was about to spread his pressure, somebody started yelling in a light and unpolished voice right next to him. It was Rimmer¡¯s voice. ¡°My. Life¡¯s. Turning. Around!¡± He kept shouting in joy, swinging the papers he was holding in both hands. ¡°Shut up already!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh no, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Rimmer bowed while scratching his head. However, his gaze was as frightening as a warrior about to fight. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that Raon was going to win.¡± He moved next to Balder and grinned. ¡°You are going to spend a lot of money and time to prepare the reward for the bet. Well, I¡¯ve already won a lot without that.¡± Rimmer giggled and pointed at the papers he was holding. They were proof of the bets he had made with different people. ¡°I told you to shut up.¡± Balder¡¯s atmosphere became as sharp as a polished de. He looked like he was about to attack him at any moment. ¡°Since you must¡¯ve already realized the fight is over, I¡¯m going to leave after telling you one thing.¡± Rimmer came up right under Balder¡¯s nose. ¡°Many people are going to be watching Raon from today onward. Never touch Raon or the annex building unless you are confident that you can avoid all those eyes.¡± ¡°How dare you¡­¡± Balder frowned. Rimmer¡¯s eyes were no different from back in the day, when he was called the Sword of Light. His eyes glowed fiercely, like a father wolf angry at seeing his son hurt. ¡°Instead of me, you should be afraid of the head of house. You know he really hates people who break their promises.¡± His frightening pressure disappeared in an instant, and he left like a giggling loafer. ¡®He is right.¡¯ Both Raon and the annex building would be difficult to deal with unless he took care of him before the rumor spread. ¡®And¡­¡¯ His two sons and the other direct lineage nieces and nephews would be overshadowed by him. That was how dangerous he was. ¡®Raden!¡¯ Balder secretly used aura to send Raden a message. ¡®Forget about sharpness and variety! Use strength! Break him with power! Use what you are better at to your advantage!¡¯ He conveyed a hint to defeat Raon. It could be problematic in the future but winning was the highest priority for now. ¡®Win! I¡¯ll deal with the rest somehow!¡¯ *** ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. He thought Raden had given up, yet his will had returned to his eyes as he stood back up. He wasn¡¯t spreading his aura anymore, surrounding his sword with it instead, as if he was using a normal sword. ¡®I see.¡¯ The Ring of Fire had noticed a faint aura flowing down from the stands. He thought it wasn¡¯t anything special, but it looked like Balder had told him the way to win. ¡®Like father, like son.¡¯ Raon turned around to look at Balder, who was pretending he did nothing. A Sword Duel was a match of pride and might between the two swordsmen. He waspletely shameless, despite having interfered in that noble fight. It looked like he was telling him he could do anything since he was a member of the direct line and Glenn¡¯s son. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raden¡¯s eyes were the same as Balder¡¯s. He gathered all his remaining aura in his sword, just like he was advised. Whir! His posture wasn¡¯t that of Crystal Flexible Sword as he red at Raon. It looked like Balder¡¯s dirty interference was indeed effective. ¡°Yes, I should¡¯ve done this from the beginning.¡± Raden spat his bloody saliva and growled. His straightened flexible sword was burning in an intense aura de. ¡°I should¡¯ve beaten you up with the most advantageous method to me!¡± It was true, since the amount of Raden¡¯s aura was a lot bigger than Raon¡¯s. ¡®However.¡¯ Just like powerful technique wasn¡¯t everything, the amount of aura wasn¡¯t a decisive factor either. ¡°Do you think you can win in a fight of power?¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll shred your weak aura to pieces!¡± Raden pounced at him and swung his flexible sword. The powerful strike looked like it could split the ground in half. Clench. Raon brandished his sword. The small me ignited at the point of his sword multiplied itself and burned. ng! A ming sword that melted the atmosphere shed with the flexible sword surrounded by a green aura. ¡°Gasp!¡± Raden grit his teeth. The shock was making him nauseous. He couldn¡¯t believe his power would increase that much just from multiplying the mes. ¡°How did you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes burned crimson, just like his sword. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes. Extending Strike. The dancing red me dashed through the de to burn up Raden¡¯s aura and pierce the flexible sword. ng! The flexible sword was shattered into pieces, and Raden¡¯s eyes looked like they would burst out of his head. ¡°N-no way!¡± ¡°Where are you trying to go?¡± Raden stepped back, trying to withdraw, but Raon was faster. ¡°W-wait! I lo¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s still two more times to go.¡± Raon smashed the fist holding his sword into Raden¡¯s mouth. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Raden¡¯s teeth came out like corn kernels, and he copsed back with his eyes rolled up. ¡°I¡¯ll spare you thest one with this.¡± Raon waved his sword. As the me on his sword was extinguished, the entire training ground fell silent. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 The training ground remained silent as Raden copsed with his teeth broken and the beautiful me filling the space was extinguished. "Wahhh!" "Raon! Raooon!" "Young master!" "He won! Young master Raon won!" The first ones to break the silence were Sylvia and the annex building''s maids. Since they were the most distressed about the situation, they looked like they would break into tears and run into the training ground. "Raon!" "Raon!" "Kyaaa!" Without minding the res of the members of the direct line and coterals, they screamed and shouted in joy. Their clear voice was a shout of freedom, breaking from the oppression they''d been receiving so far. "Raooon!" "Woahhhh!" The shouts that followed came out from different locations in the training ground. They were the voices of the trainees that had been with Raon for over three years. "Sir Raon!" "Raon!" "Rawrrr!" Direct line, coteral, vassal family, and even the rmended children from outside shouted out Raon''s name in unison. "Hmph! Th-that''s the least he should do. He is the top trainee, after all." Burren leaned back in his chair and nodded. "I knew from the beginning that he was going to win." "Hmm, but didn''t you shout too much to be saying that?" Burren''s butler tilted his head while keeping a smile on his face. "''Raon, I''m not going to forgive you if you lose here. I''m the only one you are going to lose against!'' That''s what you said in the beginning." "Th-that''s¡­" "''Fight, break it! Take that bastard down a peg!'' That''s what you said earlier, and when the young master Raden copsed, you shouted with a ''Waaaah!''" "S-stop it!" Burren wrinkled his red face. ''I-I don''t remember it¡­'' It seemed he was too excited since he couldn''t remember that at all. However, he didn''t think he was wrong. Since Raon became the fifth training ground''s top trainee instead of him, it was only natural for him to beat up a sorry excuse of a member of the direct line like him. "I-I''m not the only one who did that. Every trainee is shouting Raon''s name right now¡­" "Hmph, so you couldn''t control your emotion and shouted like that. You''re still a baby." Martha, who was sitting in front of him, nced back and sneered. "You are really pathetic. You should bring a paci around from now on, and don''t tell anyone you know me." "Keuh, Martha Zieghart¡­" "Lady Martha." Burren''s butler pointed at the handrail in front of Martha. The handrail should''ve been a cylindrical shape, yet it was distorted with a clearly visible mark¡ªone left behind by a fist. "Didn''t you sp that with your hand? It looks like Lady Martha was quite excited as well." "N-no I wasn''t. What kind of bullshit is that?" Martha violently shook her head, swearing with a clearly flustered expression. "Why would I get excited from watching such a low-level Sword Duel? Hah, are you taking me for a snotty kid or something?" She denied it wholeheartedly. "Martha, it''s pointless to pretend you weren''t. I also heard you shouting foulnguage." "You are the one who was pretending. Fight me if you don''t like it!" "Raon." Burren and Martha, who were growling at each other, turned their heads at once upon hearing a thin voiceing from the bottom. "Raon." With her hands around her mouth, Runaan Sullion kept calling Raon''s name. "Raon." There was no way he could hear her even with her hands there, yet Runaan kept shouting Raon''s name. "Haa¡­" "Hmm¡­" After seeing Runaan, who was definitely and honestly cheering for Raon, Martha and Burren lowered their hands. "Tsk. There was no point in watching this Sword Duel. It was such a low-level fight." Martha awkwardly scratched her head and stood up. "Hey, dead fish eyes!" She put her feet on the chairs in front of her, where the swordsmen from before were sitting. "Didn''t I tell you? That the results would be interesting." "Ah¡­" "Th-that¡­" The swordsmen ducked their heads, unable to respond. "If your skills are bad, you should at least be tactful. But since you have dead fish eyes, you''d better train a lot in order to survive in the future." Afterughing at the swordsmen, she left the training ground. "What a temper." Burren shook his head and stood up. Martha only acted docile in front of Raon, and she had be more violent than before towards the others. "Haa¡­" He turned his head to look at Raon standing at the center of the training ground. The way he was confidently standing as he looked around the training ground reminded him of how he stopped the Blood Raving Demon on his own. ''I''ll never be able to forget that. I''m going to repay that debt throughout the rest of my life. However, I''ll never give up.'' Burren clenched his fist and stared at Raon''s back. "I''ll definitely catch up to you." *** "Hmm!" Glenn heaved himself up from the chair''s backrest. His pupils were bigger than usual, and his eyebrows were lowered. It was an extreme reaction when one considers how rarely he changed his expression. "M-my lord." Roenn looked back at Glenn with a trembling chin. "The thing the young master used in the beginning, in the middle of theRiver Footwork¡ªwasn''t that theSupreme Harmony Steps?" "¡­It was." "Gasp!" Roenn had always kept a smile on his face, yet his collected expression was broken. He eximed at the ridiculousness of what Raon had done. "Hmm¡­" Glenn furrowed his brows. What surprised him the most that day wasn''t the fact that Raon had defeated Raden with an overwhelming difference. It was the fact that he had used theSupreme Harmony Stepsthat he was only taught two weeks prior. TheSupremeHarmony Stepswas a footwork that Glenn had created once he had reached transcendence after breaking through the demonic wall. It was an advanced martial art that an average martial artist wouldn''t even be able to learn, even if they tried for their entire lifetime. ''However¡­'' Raon managed to acquire it in only two weeks. That was amazing enough for Glenn to be awestruck and surprised, despite how he didn''t show much emotion. ''I thought it would take him at least half a year.'' Glenn gasped, looking at Raon standing there confidently. He had expected him to use it in half a year at the earliest. ''Two weeks, huh.'' It was his first time making a mistake after he reached transcendence. It was absurd, but it was making him smile. ''And the swordsmanship¡­'' Raon used the true meaning of theStar Connecting Swordat the end. A fifteen-year-old boy, one who wasn''t even qualified as a swordsman yet, had used the true meaning of the swordsmanship. It was impossible for him to not be surprised. "H-he is really amazing. TheSupreme Harmony Steps, theStar Connecting Sword, and the me at the end¡­" Roenn was too astonished to finish his sentence. "Ahem, it''s not that amazing. TheSupreme Harmony Stepsis only at one star, and the beginning of the first star at that. He also still has a way to go with theStar Connecting Sword. IfRaden had used another flexible sword technique, he wouldn''t have lost so easily." Glenn hid his surprised expression and shook his head with his usual appearance. "What do you mean it''s not that amazing. My lord''s face is¡­ Heh." Roenn smiled wryly with his eyes and hid his mouth. "I''m telling you it''s not." Glenn turned his head while caressing his cheeks. It seems Roenn''s personality was taking after Rimmer after hanging around with him so much recently. [Th-the Sword Duel ends with Raon Zieghart''s victory!] The ringmaster, who had been standing dumbfounded, remembered his role and dered Raon''s victory. People started to shout from everywhere. "Woaaah!" "Raon!" "Raooon!" The young voices were from the children. "Those children¡­" The trainees that had been with Raon were all shouting in unison regardless of their position; direct line, coteral, vassal family, and rmended children from the outside. "It''s my first time witnessing such a thing. No, I think it''s the first time ever that everyone is cheering for a coteral." "Hmm¡­" Glenn slowly nodded. ''Indeed¡­'' There were asions of a coteral getting achievements or winning a duel, but it was the first time one was getting cheered for by direct line, coteral, vassal family, and rmended children at the same time. It was a day with lots of mysterious urrences. "I wish the others can be one like them." "¡­" Glenn didn''t respond. Since he used to rule over the ce as a dictator when he was infected with demonic energy, such a thing was impossible for him. He segregated them by might and blood for a long time, and he was too old to change that now. However, he could see the light. If it was Raon, he thought he would one day change the house. After all, he knew about the unfair treatment coterals received despite being born as a member of the direct line. "My lord, the Sword Duel has ended!" The ringmaster knelt under the tform and bowed. Everyone in the training ground looked at Glenn. "Hmm!" Glenn stood. It was time to celebrate the victor, although he needed to take care of the cheater that interfered with the noble fight first. Whir! Glenn''s threatening gaze was directed at Balder, sitting at the west. * * * Raon walked up to the tform along with the ringmaster, who was supporting the unconscious Raden. ''He looks scary.'' Glenn was even more expressionless than usual. It seemed he was displeased with the current situation, as a frightening atmosphere was surrounding him. ''Is it because of my victory, or¡­'' He was already aware of the fact that Glenn disliked him. However, he would never fail to reward a merit or let a fault go unpunished. Even if he was displeased with his victory, he shouldn''t have been petty enough to inly act frightening. Rumble! Glenn stood up on the tform, and the training ground''s atmosphere grew extremely dry. It felt like he was in a library, as not a single sound could be heard. "Raon Zieghart has won today''s Sword Duel." "Woaaah!" The trainees shouted even louder as Glenn dered it, although most of the direct lines and coterals remained silent while watching them. "I''m going to reveal the condition Raon Zieghart had in this Sword Duel." The condition set by each swordsman during a Sword Duel was revealed after the match. People grew silent, looking forward to hearing the condition. "Raon Zieghart wanted Raden to kneel down and apologize to Sylvia and the annex building''s maids for the problems he has caused in the annex building. He also wanted the True Martial Pce to never interfere with the annex building." "Uh¡­" "Hmm¡­" People remained speechless as they stared at Raon. "Was that the condition?" "An apology?" "Huh? An apology to the maids" The usual condition of a Sword Duel was everything the opponent possessed. Since it was a battle of pride, it would usually be the opponent''s wealth, their best weapon, or breaking their arms or energy center. However, Raon only wanted an apology, and not one directed at him on top of it. He just wanted an apology to his mother and worthless maids. People were shocked, as it was their first time hearing such a condition. They could only stare at Raon dumbfounded. "Apology in a Sword Duel? He is a fool." "I know right? He is just like Sylvia." Direct lines and powerful coteralsughed at him. "..." The vassal families didn''t say anything. "Raon Zieghart, huh¡­?" Powerless coterals that were ousted from the center, and the swordsmen from the outside that had been weak from the beginning, engraved Raon''s name deep into their minds. "Since the Sword Duel is over, that condition shall be fulfilled." "Keuh!" Glenn flicked his finger and Raden, who was lying t on the ground, coughed up blood and opened his eyes. "Wh-where am I? Argh! Wh-why am I here¡­?" Since his teeth were broken, Raden was helplessly lisping. "Sylvia and the maids from the annex buildings shall step forward." Sylvia, Helen, and the maids stood up straight upon hearing Glenn''s order. They were just standing there, trying to read the atmosphere. "Come down to the training ground." "Ah, yes!" Sylvia nodded. She led the maids to the training ground. "Ah¡­" "H-how did this happen?" "Mydy, I''m too nervous to walk." Since they weren''t used to being the center of attention, they were nervous as they hesitantly walked up to the tform. Raon turned around to meet Sylvia, Helen, and the maids'' eyes. He told them with his eyes that everything was okay, so they could proudly walk up. "Hmm¡­" "Everyone calm down. We didn''t do anything wrong." "Yes, mydy." It seemed his gaze had an effect, since Sylvia and the maids started walking more naturally. They stood next to Raon and bowed at Glenn. "We have arrived." Glenn nodded and looked down on Raden, who was still out of his mind. "Raden Zieghart." "Eh? Ah, yes!" "The Sword Duel has ended with your loss." "Ah, aah¡­" Raden, who finally realized his defeat, trembled. "Raden Zieghart, respect the condition of the Sword Duel. Kneel down and apologize to Sylvia and the maids." "G-grandfather!" Raden violently shook his head and knelt towards Glenn instead of Sylvia. "I-I''m a member of the direct line with a swordsman''s qualification. How can you ask me to kneel down to maids that aren''t even coterals? "You are the one who made that promise. Since you lose the Sword Duel, you have to keep your promise." "Grandfather, I-I¡­" "We are at an official event. Call me your lord." "M-my lord! Please forgive me! I can win next ti¡­" "You shouldn''t be begging forgiveness to me, but to them. Keep your word as a member of Zieghart''s direct line, Raden Zieghart." Glenn frowned. The coarse atmosphere became even more dreary. Goosebumps appeared on his forearm, as if a storm were about to break. Raden''s whole body trembled, weighed down by his pressure. He looked at his father, Balder, but he also shook his head. ''D-damn it! Damn it!'' He swore on the inside. It was all Raon''s fault. That son of a bitch had messed everything up. ''I''m going to kill you, no matter what! Even if I have to give up everything, I''ll ki¡­ ugh!'' His hair stood on end upon seeing Raon as he was standing up. His heart was pounding too heavily, to the point that he couldn''t meet his eyes. "Keuh¡­" His entire body hurt from getting beaten up by him. His lungs were shrinking so much that he couldn''t breathe, and he was too scared to look into his eyes. ''F-fear? Am I really afraid of a guy like him?'' That was the only possibility. "Argh!" He raised his head because he couldn''t admit that fact, but his stomach became upset and he wanted to throw up as soon as he met Raon''s eyes. It was a natural oue since the martial arts he had learned throughout his entire life was defeated, and he was beaten up countless times even after losing in terms of power. "Go. Go and kneel down before them." "Ugh¡­" Because of the gaze closer and more frightening than Glenn, Raden walked up to Sylvia without saying anything back. ''I''m going to kill you all no matter what.'' Even though he couldn''t look straight at Raon''s eyes, he bit his lip with the determination of killing them. "I-I''m sorry. I apologize." He lowered his head enough to hide the fact that he was gritting his teeth. "..." "Ah¡­" Sylvia didn''t say anything, and the maids awkwardly bowed back. "You don''t need to lower your heads." Raon surrounded the maids with the aura from theTen Thousand mes Cultivation. The color returned to the maids'' pale faces. "Ah¡­" "Raon." "Sir R-Raon." "We are getting an apology today." Raon calmed Sylvia and the maids, then walked up to Raden. "Do it over, Raden Zieghart." "Wh-what?" "The condition was to kneel down and apologize. Kneel down and lower your head." "Are you seriously not in your right mind? After this, I''m¡­" "Do it again." "Keuh!" Raon''s voice became deeper, and Raden started trembling. The fear of Raon was "Ugh¡­" carved into his body. "Ugh¡­" Raden looked around, but nobody could help him. It felt like Glenn''s frightening gaze was urging him to continue. "Ah¡­" Raden bit his lip with his few remaining teeth and knelt. "I-I''m sorry." "Tell them what you did wrong. I''m sure I taught you what it was." He was right. He told him what the problem was each time he beat him up with his fist and sword. Since it hurt too much, he remembered every single one. "I-I sent a fake letter, trampled on flowers, spat on her hand, struck the maid''s cheek, k-kicked her with my foot. I-I one-sidedly picked a fight with the annex building. I-I''m sor¡­keuh." Because his pride was hurt while being suppressed by fear in his injured state, he fainted once again. "It''s alright." Raon smiled at the maids, whose faces were blue with worry. "I''ll make sure nobody can mess with the annex building, so don''t worry." "Sniff¡­" "Sniff!" The maids finally burst into tears. "Raon¡­" Sylvia bit her lip and grabbed Raon''s hand tightly. "My lord, there''s still more to the condition. I want you to confirm it personally." "Of course. But before that¡­" Glenn''s frightening gaze was directed at Balder. "I need to take care of the person who interfered with the noble Sword Duel." ____ Chapter 97 ¡°Balder Zieghart.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Balder bit his lip and stood up. He looked irritated, but he didn¡¯t seem flustered. ¡®So, he was aware of it.¡¯ Raon nodded, looking at the grunting Balder. Since he had noticed what Balder had done, there was no way Glenn wouldn¡¯t have realized it. ¡°Answer, Balder Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°A Sword Duel is Zieghart¡¯s tradition and honor, passed down for a thousand years. Are you looking down on me so much that you thought you were allowed to dirty it with your petty trick?¡± Glenn¡¯s voice had be softer, but his pressure soared like an explosion. Rumble! It felt like there was an earthquake as the entire training ground trembled, and the atmosphere weighed heavily on his shoulders. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Balder faltered, unable to withstand Glenn¡¯s tremendous pressure. He barely managed to regain his bnce, but he couldn¡¯t hide his trembling shoulders. ¡°I-I beg your pardon.¡± Balder tightly bit his lips and bowed to Glenn. ¡°However, as a father I was just cheering for my son. I told him nothing that could change the oue¡­¡± ¡°Balder Zieghart.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes were a burning crimson, much like an erupting volcano. ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± A frightening murderous intent spread out in an instant. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon¡¯s back curled in. Even though the murderous intent wasn¡¯t directed at him, he had goosebumps and the strength left his body. ¡°You told Raden to fight with power. You told him to break through with sheer strength, giving up on variety and sharpness. Do you really believe that I would¡¯ve missed such a sloppy aura message?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder¡¯s body bent gradually. It was his own doing, but Glenn¡¯s shapeless pressure was forcing him that way. Raon swallowed. Glenn¡¯s pressure was thrilling enough, but there was something more surprising. ¡®Did he just say he read the aura message?¡¯ An aura message was a special technique that transmitted words using the aura from the energy center or heart. That meant that its ability to ensure secrecy was top notch, yet Glenn was saying that he had read the message. ¡®That¡¯s crazy.¡¯ He didn¡¯t infer from the situation, but actually read the aura message. That meant that space itself was in his hand. ¡°Hah¡­¡± That was so ridiculous that he gasped despite the seriousness of the situation. ¡°You must¡¯ve thought you could cover it up after the Sword Duel even if you were found out. Since you are my son, the True Martial Pce¡¯s master, and the division leader of the Flexible Sword division, you must¡¯ve believed that I would just let it pass.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder trembled even more as Glenn continued speaking. The trembling of his hand made it look like he was suffering from hand tremors. ¡°But you crossed the line this time. You dirtied the duel and lied to me.¡± ¡°I-I beg your pardon! F-Father, I¡­¡± ¡°I order you, as Zieghart¡¯s head of house.¡± Glenn raised his chin, looking down on Balder, who was curled up like a worm. m! Every swordsman of Zieghart knelt at once, and the entire training ground trembled. ¡°I sentence Balder Zieghart to one year¡¯s probation, during which he can¡¯t leave the True Martial Pce. The True Martial Pce and the Flexible Sword division¡¯s budget will be confiscated for one year, and their activities will also be halted for a year.¡± ¡°By your order!¡± Every swordsman shouted the same phrase and bowed. It was such a magnificent sight, enough to make people tremble. ¡°F-Father! One year is too much! And having the True Martial Pce and the Flexible Sword division punished along with me is too harsh!¡± ¡°Harsh?¡± Crimson lightning jolted from Glenn¡¯s eyes. ¡°You disgraced my name and belittled Zieghart¡¯s history. One year of probation is as light as a featherpared to what you have done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the True Martial Pce¡¯s master. I¡¯m in charge of so many missions and work! Without me¡­¡± ¡°Howughable. Do you think you are the only one? There¡¯s no problem with leaving your work to the other pces.¡± ¡°F-Father?¡± Color left Balder¡¯s face, as if he suddenly bled out dry. ¡°Then shall I break your energy center instead of the probation, as that was your son¡¯s condition for the Sword Duel?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a choice. One year of probation or your energy center.¡± Glenn¡¯s cruel pressure was telling him he had no intention of forgiving him. ¡°¡­I-I¡¯ll take the probation.¡± Balder answered, his body curled up. It looked like he couldn¡¯t even breathe properly as he was suppressed by Glenn¡¯s pressure. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly. He felt exhausted from just watching it. ¡®He is really amazing.¡¯ Most houses didn¡¯t punish members of the direct line for their mistakes. They just covered them up slyly. Robert''s house was the same, despite being one of the Six Kings. Zieghart was different. Zieghart¡¯s head of house punished Balder despite him being his fourth son and the house¡¯s executive at the same time, and rather severely at that. Glenn Zieghart was more coldblooded than he¡¯d thought. ¡°Additionally.¡± Glenn turned to look at the entire training ground rather than Balder. ¡°There were two conditions in today¡¯s Sword Duel. If you are instigated by Balder, the True Martial Pce, or the Flexible Sword division to harm the annex building, I¡¯ll be punishing you personally. You shall only act if you are confident that you can hide it from me.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The vassals bowed once again and responded loud and clear. ¡°There were some unsavory incidents, but the Sword Duel is now over. Everyone shall leave now.¡± Glenn left the training ground after saying that. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Tears flowed down from Helen¡¯s eyes, ones she had been holding back until the end. ¡°Waah!¡± Helen grabbed Sylvia¡¯s hand and started wailing. She must¡¯ve been feeling burdened as she was directly involved with the incident, and it seemed her suppressed emotions had exploded once everything was resolved. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Tears were also welling up in Sylvia¡¯s eyes as she patted Helen''s back. ¡°Aww¡­¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± ¡°Mydy! Head maid!¡± The other maids also started crying after Helen and Sylvia. Since Glenn had officially announced that the others should not meddle with the annex building as the head of house, their worries had disappeared and their tension was eased. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon felt relieved, as he finally had the ability to protect them. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that everything would be alright.¡± Raon smiled, pretending he had never been nervous. He continued while looking at them crying and smiling at the same time. ¡°Let¡¯s return home.¡± *** The training ground fell silent after the spectators left. Six people remained in front of the western passage. Zieghart¡¯s me sword emblem was engraved on the left side of their chests, and a different emblem was engraved underneath for each of them. It signified that they were the division leaders that had entrusted their will to Zieghart¡¯s emblem. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen something so amazing in a long time.¡± ¡°I thought Rimmer was joking when I heard that he killed the Green War Demon and survived a fight against the Blood Raving Demon, but the rumor was true.¡± ¡°It would be an understatement to call him the real deal. Even though it was a low-grade swordsmanship, he managed to use its true meaning. He can¡¯t be described as a mere talent at this point.¡± ¡°He will be useful immediately if he joins my division.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The division leaders nodded at once, as they had all felt the same thing about Raon. ¡°The swordsmanship was amazing, but he had something mixed in with the River Footwork. I¡¯m not exactly sure, but his martial arts isn¡¯t at an Expert¡¯s level anymore.¡± ¡°What a genius. I knew he was most suited to join my ck Tiger¡­¡± ¡°Fuck off.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The two female division leaders standing at both sides interrupted him. ¡°Hmph. Anyway, he certainly grew up better than we expected.¡± The division leader at the center awkwardly cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Yes. I thought he was a fragile genius, but he is a healthy monster. He will definitely face the other direct lines if he keeps growing like that. It¡¯s very interesting.¡± The division leader with a deep voice licked his lips. ¡°Since he is going to graduate soon, the ck Tiger should train him from now on. I like his personality, and I¡¯m confident I can raise him we¡­¡± ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°ck Tiger, do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Three out of the four others red at him, and the division leader at the center ducked his head. ¡°He isn¡¯tpletely wrong. It¡¯s true that the fifth training ground trainees will soon graduate. They will be swordsmen as soon as they pass the graduation exam, and they will get to choose their squad and division.¡± The division leader with a deep voice snickered while holding onto the handrail. ¡°And there is more than Raon in the fifth training ground. Burren, Runaan, and Martha, all three of them have might and talent that can be the best no matter where they are. The next Selection Ceremony is going to be interesting. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The division leaders didn¡¯t say anything, but they had the same resolution. They had to bring in one of the four people during the next Selection Ceremony. ¡°But Raon is still the only one for me!¡± ¡°Who wants to kill a ck tiger today?¡± ¡°Me.¡± ¡°Count me in.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± * * * * * * Raon returned to the annex building along with Sylvia, Helen, and the maids. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Helen sighed after looking around the annex building from the front. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Sylvia tilted her head while grabbing her shoulder. ¡°I thought we might not be able to return together like this.¡± Helen closed her eyes. She had countless thoughts about what could have happened that day. If ever Raon lost, she was going to beg for mercy, even if it cost her own life. Instead, she had received an apology and everyone managed to return together. It felt like a dream. ¡°Same goes for me.¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± ¡°Me too.¡± The maids nodded one after the other. It seemed everyone had the same thing on their minds, and they smiled slightly while looking at each other. ¡°You can rest assured now, since Father makes sure to keep his promises. No one will dare hurt us anymore.¡± Sylvia turned to meet the maids'' eyes, one by one. After that, she finally looked at Raon and smiled widely. ¡°Well, let¡¯s have a party today, using every ingredient we have!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a lot of the stew young master likes!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Sylvia, Helen, and the maids entered the annex building with light, cheerful steps. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon slightly sighed while looking at them. His uneasiness hadpletely disappeared after looking at the way they were smiling andughing. It seemed they had be a lot more important to him than he¡¯d thought. As Raon was about to enter the annex building, one of the maids slowed to be caught up to by him. It was Judiel. ¡°Young master.¡± Judiel turned to Raon. ¡°Did you n all this from the beginning?¡± ¡°To a certain extent.¡± Raon nodded. He hurt Raden¡¯s pride the moment he attacked Raden, since the Sword Duel was the only way out of that situation. He won the Sword Duel as he¡¯d expected and received the apology. However, he didn¡¯t expect the True Martial Pce, the Flexible Sword division, and Balder to be put on probation. ¡°You really are a scary person.¡± Judiel¡¯s face turned pale as she sighed. ¡°But you are also a kind person.¡± ¡°Am I kind?¡± Raon raised his eyes. It was his first time being called that, which embarrassed him more than Raden¡¯s attacks. ¡°Thank you for saving me back then.¡± Judiel smiled slightly, her ears turning pink. He had seen her smile many times before, but they had always been fake. However, that time was different. He could feel her shyness in her sincere smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon warmed his fingers while watching Judiel¡¯s back as she walked towards the annex building. ¡®It should be fine to reveal the truth now.¡¯ *** ¡°Urgh!¡± Balder Zieghart was breathing roughly. The clean and magnificent True Martial Pce waspletely destroyed, and the walls were shattered to pieces. The True Martial Pce¡¯s swordsmen had fainted, scattered around the floor. It wasn¡¯t the result of an enemy¡¯s attack. Upon returning from the training ground, Balder couldn¡¯t hold back his anger and started to destroy the True Martial Pce. He beat up the swordsmen that were trying to stop him. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what shall we do?¡± The remaining people didn¡¯t know what to do. It was at that moment that a refreshing wind blew in from the destroyed wall. ¡°Hello?¡± A long finger swayed from the hole the wind came from, and Rimmer¡¯s face poked out. ¡°Rimmer¡­¡± Balder red at Rimmer with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Wow, this is really neat. You should open your window more often.¡± Rimmer grinned and entered the pce over the destroyed wall. ¡°Why did youe here? Do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°Getting probation from the head of house is the same as a suspended sentence, yet you are trying to cause another issue?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder, who was about to attack him, bit his lip. It was just as Rimmer said: if he caused another problem, he would receive an unbearable punishment. ¡°Get out of my sight! I have nothing to say to you.¡± ¡°Even if you have nothing to tell me, you should have something to say to this.¡± Rimmer waved the paper he took from his top. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Balder¡¯s eyes widened upon noticing the fluttering paper. ¡°You must know about it, right? It¡¯s the proof of the bet between you, the True Martial Pce master, and the worthless me.¡± Rimmer grinned. The way he was talking, his voice, his behavior, everything about him was hateful. He couldn¡¯t understand how such a person was an elf. ¡°Since it will be difficult to meet you once you start your probation, give them to me right now.¡± ¡°Keuh. I-I don¡¯t have them.¡± Balder violently shook his head. ¡®I can¡¯t give that to him in this situation.¡¯ He had staked too many things in the bet with Rimmer. Since their activities were paused, giving away those items would greatly slow down the True Martial Pce¡¯s growth. ¡°Uh-oh. Why do you have to be like this when you should know better? Rimmer clicked his tongue and flicked his finger. ¡°Everyone knows that the True Martial Pce has acquired arge number of elixirs¡­ Ah, did you already get Alzheimer''s because of the shock?¡± ¡°You, do you really want to die?¡± Balder bared his teeth and growled. ¡°Oh, no! Don¡¯t do this to me!¡± Rimmer stepped back with an exaggerated expression. Balder wanted to pluck off his stupid swaying ears. ¡°Fuck off! I have nothing to give you!¡± ¡°Are you sure you will be fine with that?¡± Rimmer grinned and shook his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve disgraced the head of house¡¯s name during the Sword Duel, yet you are not going to keep your promise? I wonder what the head of house is going to think about this.¡± He raised his fingers one by one. ¡°The probation and the activity suspension can be extended to two years, and he might even confiscate all your property.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Balder bit his lips. His father could do it the way he was currently. He wanted to pulverize that hateful bastard, but it was truly a shame that he had no means of achieving that. ¡°Give them to me. I still have lots of people to visit after you to collect my rewards.¡± Rimmer smiled, extending both of his hands like a child asking for pocket money. ¡°Daamn iiit!¡± Balder¡¯s scream resounded throughout the True Martial Pce once again. Chapter 98 The fifth training ground opened up again after the rest and recovery period. Raon was headed there after a long time. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ He kept receiving strange nces from everyone he met on the way. They used to look at him like a pebble on the road, yet they were now looking at him as if he was a mysterious creature. There were favorable and hostile gazes mixed in between. That¡¯s the way humans are. Wrath crawled up from the bracelet. They look down on the weak and admire the strong. Humans value strength as much as beasts. ¡®I agree with you quite often recently.¡¯ Raon nodded. Just as Wrath said, they were only looking at him because he had proven his strength. Though, not all gazes were favorable. There were also jealousy, hatred, and even vivid murderous intent. ¡®How is devildom? I guess it would be even worse.¡¯ Are you curious? Then I¡¯ll tell you about it. It¡¯s a different ce than what humans imagine it to be. Though, weaklings get treated worse than livestock. Wrath murmured that there was no ce in the world where the weak were favored. You did great this time. Youpletely destroyed that ugly bastard with your wrath. You even subdued his father. I¡¯m satisfied with your actions for the first time in a long time. ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Yes. Except for one thing. It¡¯s a shame that you didn¡¯t kill him. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence turned everyone that dared to offend me into a block of ice¡­ Messages appeared as soon as Wrath finished talking. It was telling him his stats had increased because Wrath was satisfied. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect this gift!¡¯ Raon¡¯s lips parted. Receiving a reward he didn¡¯t even expect put him in a great mood to start the day with. You cursed system! Why is this the only time you consider the King of Essence your owner? Wrath red at the system that still wasn¡¯t listening to him and boiled in anger. ¡®Thank you, I¡¯m growing faster thanks to you.¡¯ Shut your trap. It makes me angry when you are happy. It hadn¡¯t even been ten seconds since he had said he was satisfied, yet he was already bursting with anger. He was the definition of a personality disorder. ¡°Does it? It makes me happy, though.¡± Stop right there, you bastard! Raon hummed and entered the training ground. Wrath kept cursing at him, but he didn¡¯t care about him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened upon entering the training ground. The person that shouldn¡¯t have been there yet was sitting on the tform. ¡®Rimmer?¡¯ It was thezy elf that was never there during daybreak training, and who was oftente to the morning training. ¡°Oh! My lucky charm! How are you, my trainee Raon?¡± Rimmer grinned and extended his hands. There were rings with gemstones shining in different colors on his long fingers. He was also wearing shiny bracelets and a ne on his wrist and neck. ¡®What?¡¯ It was his first time seeing the elf wearing jewelry like that. And they didn¡¯t even seem to be artifacts with a special ability, just expensive decorations. ¡®Lucky charm?¡¯ He didn¡¯t understand why he was suddenly called a lucky charm. As he was about to conclude that using the Sword Field Creation made him go nuts, Burren came up from behind him. ¡°He gambled.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That guy, I heard he openly gambled during the Sword Duel between you and Raden. Apparently, he won a huge amount because your odds were high.¡± Burren frowned. It looked like just talking about it made him irritated. He murmured that he wanted to pluck out his eyes. ¡®He did it again.¡¯ Raon snickered. He was wondering why he was wearing that jewelry, and it was because he got them by gambling. Gambling, drinking, and beingzy. He was theplete opposite of the elves he¡¯d known before. He was pretty amazing in a way. That arrogant pointy-eared bastard. Wrath ground his teeth while looking at Rimmer. ¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯ I get angry each time I see him. Your body would¡¯ve been mine if only he wasn¡¯t there¡­ ¡®Aha.¡¯ Raon nodded. He¡¯d managed to keep his body thanks to Rimmer, who appeared at that critical moment during the fight against the Blood Raving Demon. Wrath had already called Rimmer arrogant, but it seemed he now hated him. But Raon was aware of Rimmer¡¯s true feelings, unlike Wrath. Even though he looked like a useless loafer on the outside, he carefully observed every single trainee and instructed them with appropriate training. Since he managed to survive thanks to that, he could overlook his gambling on him. ¡°Pathetic.¡± Martha gave him a cold shoulder and turned away from Rimmer, who was bragging about the rings on his hands. Raon turned his head around at a nasal sound from behind him. Runaan was there before he knew it, waving her hand slightly at him with nk eyes. Raon looked around the trainees in the training ground. He remembered them cheering and shouting for him in the training ground. It felt like he was sitting in front of a heater during the cold winter as their voices warmed his heart. It seemed like the people in the fifth training ground were also bing important to him, on top of those living in the annex building. ¡°Okay, is everyone here?¡± Rimmer stopped bragging about his gems like a nouveau riche and pped his hands. He thought he was just trying to get attention like always, but the instructors behind him brought a metal box forward. Thud! Sand scattered around as the box was put on the ground. ¡°Guess what this is.¡± ¡°Did you also win this with your gambling?¡± ¡°Oh, correct!¡± Rimmer proudly nodded at Burren¡¯s reply. ¡°Haah, we¡¯ve seen enough of them, so stop bragging and let¡¯s start training.¡± ¡°Ah, this is for you.¡± Rimmer came down from the tform with a wide smile. He walked up to the box and put his hand on it. ¡°Sorry? This is ours?¡± ¡°That box?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± The trainees tilted their heads, looking back and forth between Rimmer and the box. ¡°The king of gambling had two bets. The first was this money! This huge amount of money! Gems! Kuhahaha!¡± Rimmer called himself the king of gambling and bragged about the rings once again. ¡°And the second¡­¡± He opened the box while giggling, and the clear scent of medicine that soothed the mind spread from it. Raon furrowed his brow and looked at the box. There were dozens of small wooden boxes inside the big box. ¡®Are they elixirs?¡¯ Judging from the luxurious shape and the bitter scenting from them, they must¡¯ve been elixirs. ¡°They are elixirs.¡± Rimmer immediately satiated the curiosity of the trainees that were tilting their heads. ¡°E-elixirs?¡± ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°It looks like there are more than forty of them¡­¡± The trainees¡¯ jaws dropped, examining the boxes that apparently contained elixirs. ¡°Yes, and they even contain the Ten Leaf Grass.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Ten Leaf Grass!¡± ¡°This many of them?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The Ten Leaf Grass was a medicinal herb that had its leaves split into ten. It was a precious elixir since it could cleanse the body, energy center, and the mana circuit at the same time, all without any bias in terms of attribute. Since an elixir made from the Ten Leaf Grass had a great bnce, it was expensive and difficult to acquire. And yet, there were forty of them in front of their eyes. It was only natural that they would be surprised. ¡°These are for you.¡± Rimmer raised his chin to the sky. He pointed his finger at the box with an aplished expression. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared exactly forty-three, so take exactly one per person.¡± ¡°Eek?¡± ¡°S-seriously? Are they really ours?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Not just the trainees, even Burren and Martha¡¯s jaws dropped in surprise. Runaan was just standing there nkly, sniffing the elixir like a puppy. ¡°Why is it so difficult to believe?¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue and threw the elixir box at the top at Raon. Tap. Raon opened the elixir box in confusion. A green bead the size of an adult¡¯s thumb was inside. ¡°It¡¯s a Ten Cloud Elixir. The amount of mana it contains isn¡¯t extraordinary, but it¡¯s as pure as raw mana. It¡¯s going to help all of you.¡± Rimmer threw the elixirs at the trainees while exining about the Ten Cloud Elixir. ¡°Where did you acquire this?¡± Burren furrowed his brow, checking the Ten Cloud Elixir. One couldn¡¯t simply buy a bunch of elixirs because they had a lot of money. He couldn¡¯t figure out how he obtained all forty-three of them. ¡°I won them.¡± ¡°D-did you really win them all by gambling?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a gamble but a bet. It¡¯s a bet, I say.¡± Rimmer waved his finger to close the lid of the empty box. ¡°Who did you even make that bet with¡­?¡± ¡°The True Martial Pce master.¡± He casually replied, like it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°T-true Martial Pce master is¡­¡± ¡°Balder Zieghart!¡± ¡°Uuh!¡± The trainees'' faces turned pale upon hearing the True Martial Pce master¡¯s name. Some of them even dropped the elixir on the ground in panic. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay. They can¡¯t afford to pay attention to us right now. They must be thinking that I will sell them all off, so there won¡¯t be any harm to you guys.¡± Rimmer reassured them and told them to take the elixir and cultivate their aura for the rest of the day. ¡®Hah¡­¡¯ Raon gasped. He had obtained forty-three elixirs by straight up making a bet against Balder, who was the True Martial Pce¡¯s master and Glenn¡¯s son at the same time. That elf was seriously as entric as himself. ¡°Thank you.¡± But he had to express his gratitude. Raon bowed at Rimmer while giving him his thanks. ¡°Th-thank you, instructor.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The trainees excitedly followed Raon and showed their gratitude. ¡°Hmm. I see, I see.¡± Rimmer smiled widely and waved his hand. ¡°Thank you for the treat.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Burren didn¡¯t have his usual sour expression as he bowed, and Martha also lowered her head while fiddling with the elixir. Elixirs truly were amazing, to make those peculiar guys react the same way. ¡°Well then, you can return. I¡¯m not telling you that because of my hangover, but it¡¯s better to take the elixirs right away.¡± Rimmer grabbed his chest and waved his hand. It looked like he was feeling the hangover as he was done with bragging. He looked as deplorable as always, but no one was reproaching him. Rimmer was their hero for the day. ¡°Thank you!¡± The trainees thanked him once again before returning. ¡°You should stay here.¡± As Raon was about to follow them, Rimmer grabbed his shoulder with a green sheen to his face. ¡°You don¡¯t look very well.¡± ¡°Aww, I overdid it a bit yesterday.¡± Now that he looked at it, it wasn¡¯t just Rimmer. The other instructors¡¯ faces were also green. It seemed he drank a lot with them. ¡°Give it back.¡± Rimmer pointed at the elixir box Raon was holding. ¡°This one is for you.¡± He took out another elixir box from his chest and opened the lid. The bitter scent was more intense than the Ten Cloud Elixir. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s made with two Ten Leaf Grasses. It would¡¯ve normally belonged to Raden, but it¡¯s a strange turn of fate that you end up getting it.¡± ¡°Is it alright for me to have it?¡± ¡°I got rich thanks to you, after all. I guess I finally discovered my talent in gambling.¡± Rimmer waved his hands once again and the expensive sound of rings and bracelets colliding with each other could be heard. ¡®They will be gone soon.¡¯ Raon was certain that Rimmer would lose all his fortune from gambling soon enough. ¡°Ten Cloud Elixir is a very efficient elixir. You should be able to absorb at least fifty percent of the mana it contains. However, the amount of mana it contains is rather small, and it won¡¯t make any difference to you. You have auras from two different attributes, after all.¡± Rimmer lowered his voice upon mentioning the two different attributes, so that no one could hear him. ¡°That one has twice as much mana as the other Ten Cloud Elixirs, so you should be able to grow both your heat and frost.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Raon bowed. Giving him the elixir was already plenty, yet he was even more thoughtful than that. He just couldn¡¯t thank him enough. ¡°You should go. See you tomorrow.¡± Rimmer waved his hand. ¡°Instructor, please drink in moderation.¡± ¡°Oh, are you worried about me? It¡¯s ten years too early to be doing that!¡± He tapped his shoulder and went to the head instructor¡¯s room. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon fiddled with the box containing the Ten Cloud Elixir while looking at Rimmer¡¯s back. ¡®Is this what having a teacher feels like¡­?¡¯ An instructor had raised him in his previous life. His rtionship with him was one of an animal keeper and a dog, or a tamer and a wolf. The instructor didn¡¯t have any emotions towards him, and Raon only grew enmity towards his instructor. ¡®I thought this ce was no different.¡¯ House Zieghart was infamous in the continent, so he thought the trainees would be raised like dogs. However, the children were being raised as human beings, keeping their individuality. Even those that had failed the exam before didn¡¯t get abandoned and were being trained in the sixth training ground. Zieghart really was full of humanity, despite his expectations. Rimmer in particr was more like a teacher rather than an instructor. It was thanks to him that he got all those achievements and grew up faster than he would¡¯ve otherwise. Raon bowed once again towards Rimmer, who was walking away, before leaving the training ground. *** After taking a nap for three hours in the instructor¡¯s room, Rimmer visited the lord¡¯s manor at around noon. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Roenn opened the door to the audience chamber with a broad smile. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Rimmer grinned and raised his ten fingers. Roenn smiled slightly to express his disinterest and entered the audience chamber. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer pouted, disappointed in Roenn for not recognizing those shiny jewels. He sighed softly and followed him inside. Glenn was the same as always. He was looking down on the world with a bored expression, sitting on the throne he had made himself. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± Rimmer bowed, his ten fingers and even his wrist raised in the air. ¡°You are getting even more pathetic as you get older.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Rimmer frowned at his ridiculousment and stood up. ¡°No, but you shouldpliment your subordinate if he won some money. It isn¡¯t every day that I can empty a doormat¡¯s purse.¡± ¡°How am I supposed topliment you when that doormat is my son?¡± ¡°He needs to lose to me so he won¡¯t get tricked by a real swindlerter.¡± ¡°What a smooth talker.¡± Glenn raised his chin with a frightening gaze. ¡°So, what brought you here today?¡± ¡°I distributed the Ten Cloud Elixirs to the children.¡± ¡°I did expect you to do that, but you really did hand them over so easily.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like, because they grew up better than I thought they would, I wanted to feed them better things. I guess this is how parents feel about their children.¡± Rimmer giggled, and Glenn looked at him curiously. ¡°Well, it was basically because my teaching was exceptional, but the trainees became stronger than any other generation after going through various incidents.¡± Glenn nodded slightly in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s why I have a suggestion.¡± ¡°A suggestion? I entrusted you with all the rights concerning training.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not about training.¡± Even though Rimmer¡¯s voice used to be yful, it was now boiling with passion. ¡°Please allow me to change the content of their graduation exam.¡± Chapter 99 ¡°Change the content of the exam?¡± Glenn heaved himself up from the backrest and raised his head. ¡°Yes.¡± Rimmer knelt and nodded. Unclouded light radiated from his eyes for the first time since the fight against the Blood Raving Demon. ¡°Is the current graduation exam the instructor¡¯s recognition or a match between the trainees?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± The trainees had to either pass the examination course the instructor made for them or have one-on-one matches between them to gain the instructor¡¯s acknowledgment in order to be a swordsman. ¡°Then what do you want it to be instead?¡± ¡°Survival.¡± Rimmer replied immediately. ¡°I want to send the trainees outside, without allowing them to use the Zieghart name. ¡°Send them outside?¡± Glenn seemed interested as he leaned forward slightly. ¡°Yes. The fifth training ground¡¯s children have passed the trial of pressure, and they¡¯ve achieved victory in the match of pride against the Owen kingdom¡¯s knight trainees. Neither of them was any different than a graduation exam.¡± ¡°You used various means to achieve that.¡± ¡°Indeed. However, some incidents were beyond my expectations. During the second mission, the trainees went through a fight of life and death and managed to pass a great hurdle.¡± Rimmer smiled. It was by pure coincidence that he had arrived therete, but the children had managed to achieve great growth both physically and mentally thanks to that. ¡°I want this test to be an opportunity for the children to grow, rather than just a graduation ceremony. Even if it ends up slowing them down on their path to be swordsmen, I want to create a foundation for them to reach a higher level.¡± ¡°You are right. How they be swordsmen is more important than when.¡± Glenn closed his eyes in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m d you understand. With the way they are currently, the children need a new trial rather than an existing one.¡± Rimmer raised his long index finger. ¡°Surviving on their own without the house¡¯s power, the instructor¡¯s help, or the great Zieghart name will greatly help their growth.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth raised slightly, seeing Rimmer¡¯s confident gaze as he was knelt. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°You did say you would try raising the children, but you didn¡¯t look that interested in it before. You also did your preparations half-heartedly.¡± ¡°Uh, hmm¡­¡± Rimmer quickly avoided his eyes as his faults were found out. ¡°You started changing with the children after you met them. I don¡¯t think you realize how different your current expression is from before you met them.¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯m embarrassed¡­¡± ¡°I also agree with him.¡± Roenn nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. ¡°Sir Rimmer, your expression has be really great.¡± ¡°I realized sword wasn¡¯t my only talent, as I was also really great at raising children.¡± Rimmer scratched the side of his head, trying to hide his embarrassed expression. ¡°I¡¯m soon going to make the next king after my lord with my own end. Which means I¡¯ll be the king maker.¡± ¡°And is that going to be Raon?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know about that. It could be Burren, or Martha or Runaan could rise to that position.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn smiled visibly, which was a rare sight to behold. He was pleased with Rimmer¡¯s newfound joy since he used to be the closest person to fight alongside him. ¡°Make a report on where you are going to send the children and how that will affect their growth. I¡¯ll give you one week, so if you can¡¯t do it, it will be canceled.¡± ¡°But of course.¡± Rimmer confidently smiled and took out a folder from his chest. ¡°I brought it already.¡± *** Raon climbed the North Grave Mountain instead of going to the annex building or the dormitory with the Ten Cloud Elixir. He was headed to the location the charcoal kiln used to be, the chilly colder now. ¡®I feelfortable here.¡¯ Probably because it was the ce where he had acquired the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Coldness of Frost, he feltfortable cultivating there and he could feel mana more easily. He sat down in front of the charcoal kiln¡¯s location, no trace of it remaining. He closed his eyes, listening to the refreshing sound of leaves and grass fluttering in the wind. He spread his aura perception to check his surroundings, and no human nor animal could be found. Vulcan had found a really great location. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon rotated the Ring of Fire to gather the energy from his body before opening his eyes. It was perfect weather and time to start cultivating. Tap. He opened the wooden box he received from Rimmer, a scent clear enough to numb his noseing from it. ¡®Fifty percent, huh.¡¯ Ten Cloud Elixir is called a fifty percent elixir. While around thirty percent of the energy could usually be absorbed from other elixirs, about fifty percent of Ten Cloud Elixir¡¯s energy could be absorbed instead. Thanks to its excellent absorption efficiency and the high purity of its energy, Ten Cloud Elixir was one of the best elixirs for a growing warrior. So what? Its contents are still as tiny as a speck. Wrath snorted, looking at the elixir. ¡®Well, the quantity is small indeed.¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be great in every single aspect. Ten Cloud Elixir contained a small quantity of manapared to the other elixirs. However, the one Rimmer gave him made up for its drawback by using two Ten Leaf Grasses. It had as much energy as an average medium level elixir, which would allow him to grow significantly after properly absorbing it. ¡°Then¡­¡± Raon took the elixir with his fingers. Feeling a warmth that contrasted with the cold wind blowing on the mountain, he put the Ten Cloud Elixir in his mouth. The elixir melted in his mouth as soon as it touched his tongue. He could feel a warm and pure energy around his navel, as if the mana of nature itself was inside his stomach. As the Ten Cloud Elixir¡¯s mana started boiling up, he used Ring of Fire to absorb its energy. Whir! * * * * * * The Ten Cloud Elixir¡¯s energy smoothly dashed through his mana circuit, as expected of an elixir that was unbiased against attributes. The energy soared like a tidal wave and the ice from his mana circuit melted down, expelling the murky energy remaining from his previousbat. ¡®It has a high density.¡¯ The quantity of mana was still small, even with two Ten Leaf Grasses. However, the mana it contained was as pure as nature itself and was both warm and smooth at the same time. It was a perfect elixir for his unstable body, where the heat from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Coldness of the Frost coexisted in his energy center. Leading the heat and frost, one after another, Raon umted the Ten Cloud Elixir¡¯s pure energy in his energy center. The quantity of gathered energy was small, like building a sandcastle, but the mana was denser and purer than any other elixir. Just like ake of sages that was said to be made of dew, he felt the exhration of clear energy without a single spec of impurity running through his mana circuit as he became even more focused on the cultivation. Raon opened his eyes, hearing the thin chirping sound of birds announcing that it was night in the North Grave Mountain. Sparkle! His eyes shone like the kiln¡¯s me. ¡®I got it all.¡¯ Getting forty percent of the energy from an elixir was usually called a jackpot. However, Raon had just managed to umte sixty percent of the Ten Cloud Elixir''s energy in his energy center. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say it was a miracle. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes to check the state of the Ring of Fire and the Coldness of the Frost. When he opened his eyes again, messages appeared one after the other. The pleasant trembling of increased physical abilities could be felt from the edge of his hand to his shoulder. A second set of messages appeared before he could fully enjoy his happiness. A clear aura flowed through his widened energy center and mana circuit. It felt at least 1.5 times bigger than before thanks to the new ring that had formed. ¡°Haa!¡± Raon exhaled excitedly and stood up. He clenched his fist and gathered the aura from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ His body and aura were reacting a lot faster than before. He still probably couldn¡¯t defeat the Blood Raving Demon in his new state, but at least he wasn¡¯t going to lose one-sidedly like before. What¡¯s this? Wrath popped out from the bracelet despite having been silent while Raon was cultivating because he was afraid he would get his power stolen once again. Why did your soul level increase again? What technique do you even have? What on earth is the Ring of Fire? ¡°I wonder?¡± What kind of life did you have before the King of Essence arrived? Wrath shook his head. ¡®How could this happen¡­¡¯ Soul level only increased upon defeating a powerful opponent, oveing a crisis, or achieving certain deeds. It was possible to increase it through training. However, it required many years, enough that can¡¯t be simply described as time anymore. Even in devildom, it had never been the case that a small child like him could increase his soul level through cultivation. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll tell you?¡± Raon shook his hand, like he was chasing away a fly. Grit! Wrath bit his mr. ¡®It¡¯s going to be even more difficult to devour him¡­¡¯ Raon had been defending against his wrath and possession through his strong willpower, some unknown cultivation technique, and Water Resistance. If his soul level increased, it would be as difficult to suppress him as before he epted his wrath. Keuh, curb your arrogance! No matter how much effort you make, no matter what you obtain, your body and soul will belong to the King of Essence in the end! ¡°Stop crying and just talk.¡± I¡¯m not crying! The King of Essence is Devildom¡¯s¡­ ¡°Okay, you are the monarch of wrath. I get it, I get it.¡± Keeeuh! Raon sneered and shook the dust off his clothes. As he was about to return to the annex building after tidying his outfit, he noticed the box on the ground. He picked up the elixir box from the ground and flipped his hair back. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± While someone was struggling to consume him, someone else was itching to help him. It was obvious who he should take after among the two and how he should act. Raon ignored Wrath, who was gritting his teeth, and climbed down the North Grave Mountain. *** The next day, Burren went to the training ground with his heart filled with joy. He managed to absorb more than half of the Ten Cloud Elixir¡¯s energy the day before because his cultivation went really well. He felt like he had be a different person in a single day, his energy centerpletely full. ¡®As I am right now¡­¡¯ He probably still couldn¡¯t win against Raon, but he might be able to put up a good fight. The thought of it was making him smile. ¡°Hmph, hmph.¡± Burren straightened his spine and waited for Raon¡¯s arrival. He wanted to see his astonished eyes. Creak! He turned upon hearing the sound of the training ground¡¯s door opening. Martha was there instead of Raon, who he had been waiting for. ¡®She also managed to absorb a lot.¡¯ The energy he could feel from her was as sturdy as a boulder, but sharp at the same time. It seemed she had also managed to absorb a significant amount of energy. ¡°Why are you staring at me? You are making my morning unpleasant.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren turned his head since he didn¡¯t want to m his pleasant mood into the mud. ¡®She has a bad personality, but her abilities are a real deal.¡¯ The energy he could feel from Martha was different from the day before. It was less than his own, but she had also absorbed quite a lot of energy. Creak! The sound of the door opening could be heard once again. There were two sets of footsteps, but it felt like only one person was walking in. He was sure that it was Raon and Runaan. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Burren turned, his smile full of confidence. And then his expression shattered like a ss. ¡®Wh-what is that guy¡­?¡¯ The energy surrounding Raon was as natural as flowing water. Burren swallowed. Such slickness was only possible among the experts. The amount of aura and its bnce with his body. Everything was different from the day before. If Burren¡¯s change could be digitized as a five, then Raon¡¯s change would¡¯ve been a ten. ¡®What a monster¡­¡¯ Burren grit his teeth. He wanted to make him admire his change, but he was astonished instead. It was so absurd that he became speechless. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He frowned and red at Raon, but he just tilted his head, silently asking why he was looking at him. He had already acknowledged his efforts and talent, but his carefree face still made him angry. ¡®However, I¡¯m never going to give up.¡¯ No matter how fast Raon progressed, no matter how strong he became, he had no intention of stopping chasing after him. Since a true swordsman of Zieghart, he imagined, would keep running until the end no matter how powerful his opponent was. ¡°Attention!¡± Rimmer¡¯s voice could be heard from the front. He didn¡¯t even notice his arrival because he was too focused on Raon. ¡°Everyone has changed.¡± Rimmer looked around the trainees from the tform and smiled. He looked satisfied with the trainees¡¯ growth. ¡°I think we can start it now with no problem.¡± ¡°Start?¡± ¡°What do you mean by start¡­?¡± ¡°Because these daily lives have toe to an end.¡± He pointed his finger at the training ground. ¡°What?¡± ¡°End?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean¡­?¡± The trainees¡¯ trembled nervously upon hearing that it was going to end out of nowhere. ¡°You have to take the graduation test. I know you love me so much, but you can¡¯t remain a trainee forever.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Aha!¡± ¡°The graduation exam!¡± The trainees¡¯ expressions brightened once again upon hearing it was about the exam. Their eyes turned as bright as a sunflower looking at the sun, looking forward to bing real swordsmen. ¡°It¡¯s too early to celebrate.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue and wagged his finger. He gave a nasty smile, looking at the trainees. ¡°After all, the exam you are going to take will bepletely different from the graduation exams of the past.¡± Chapter 100 ¡°A different exam?¡± Raon tilted his head. Zieghart¡¯s trainee graduation exam was a simple one, consisting of either a match between the trainees or passing a course the instructors made for them. Judging from Rimmer¡¯s sly expression, the exam seemed to be rather extraordinary. ¡°You guys have a lot more experience than the other trainees.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue and wagged his finger. ¡°Matches of honor, battles of life and death, and a fighting method that uses your level. You went through experiences that you would normally face after bing a regr swordsman,¡± He was right. Although it wasn¡¯t as much as Raon in his previous life, the fifth training ground trainees had experienced various things, more than House Robert or the other training grounds. It was pointless to give them an average test since they would easily pass. ¡°Exams are an opportunity to elerate your growth. Since an average test wouldn¡¯t help you in any way, I decided to change the content.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± Everyone nodded after hearing Rimmer¡¯s exnation. It was a natural reaction since the trainees wanted to be more than just average swordsmen after watching Raon¡¯s fights and growing up with him. ¡°So, what kind of exam are we going to take?¡± Burren raised his hand and leaned forward. ¡°Survival.¡± Rimmer¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He wasn¡¯t an old man living in the neighborhood anymore. Heavy and sharp pressure emanated from him. ¡°It¡¯s survival. You are going to live outside, without using your position as Zieghart trainees. Your name and a single sword are the only thing you will be allowed to carry with you.¡± ¡°S-survival¡­¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°We have to go outside with just our name and a sword?¡± Since the trainees didn¡¯t expect survival at all as an exam, their jaws dropped at once. ¡°I understand your confusion, since it must bepletely different from what you expected from a graduation exam. However, I¡¯m sure this trial is necessary for you.¡± Rimmer sat on the tform and looked down on the trainees. ¡°You are currently overflowing with confidence. You¡¯ve defeated Owen Kingdom¡¯s knight trainees, survived a battle against Eden and took an elixir to grow both your aura and body. There were also smaller matters, like the battle against the sixth training ground. Well, it was mostly thanks to someone, though.¡± He cast a furtive nce at Raon. ¡°In your current state, where you are brimming with confidence, you should see just how big and wide the world is with your own eyes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± While the trainees were too confused to say anything, Raon was the only person to nod. ¡®He is right.¡¯ Just as Rimmer said, a real experience was what the trainees needed the most since they had be stronger both physically and mentally. Experiencing a real battle by themselves, without using the house¡¯s name, would lead them to a higher level. ¡°However, you are allowed to refuse.¡± Rimmer smiled widely, raising his eyebrows. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy for you to live outside as you¡¯ve always been eating and living with what the house provided you with. Moreover, you could really die this time since there won¡¯t be any instructors following you this time, not even me.¡± He slowly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll prepare a different graduation exam for those who are too scared. If you want to refuse, tell me tomorrow after thinking over it thoroughly.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Uh, a different exam?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need something like that.¡± Unlike the other trainees, who were rolling their eyes as they pondered, Martha tapped her hair and shook her head. Her ck eyes were shining as she stepped forward. ¡°Survival? I¡¯ve been doing something like that ever since I started walking. Bring it on.¡± Martha sneered, ready for any kind of exam. ¡°I¡¯m also fine with that.¡± Burren¡¯s indifferent voice could be heard as he stepped up. His serious eyes held no sign of wavering. ¡°Graduation exam with survival as its theme, I agree that it¡¯s an opportunity for me to grow. I¡¯m going to ept it.¡± ¡°So, we have two people already.¡± Rimmer raised two fingers with a grin on his face. ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it as well!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°Please, sign me up!¡± Everyone started raising their hands, telling him they also wanted to join since Burren and Martha said they would. ¡°Good, good.¡± Rimmer pped his hands and smiled each time the trainees said they would join. ¡°Runaan.¡± Raon turned around to call Runaan, who was standing there nkly. She was tapping her feet at the same time Rimmer pped his hand to get into the rhythm. It looked like she didn¡¯t really care about what was happening. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± ¡°What will you do, Raon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it too.¡± She went up and told Rimmer she would participate. As such, all forty-two trainees raised their hands, Raon being the only one left. ¡°Raon, how about you?¡± ¡°Of course. I will go.¡± ¡°Hmm, is it okay for you to respond without thinking it through, despite being the top trainee? You don¡¯t even know where I¡¯m going to send you.¡± Rimmer pouted, a mischievous expression on his face. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Raon smiled, not yielding to his provocation. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be really difficult, but the instructor never gives us a trial that we can¡¯t ovee.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s expression suddenly changed at Raon¡¯s confidently dered statement. He looked more embarrassed than happy. Rimmer had analyzed the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of every single trainee to teach them ordingly. Raon only found out about it recently, but most of Rimmer¡¯s actions were for the sake of the trainees. Despite his shallow behavior and tone, there was no reason to distrust him. His thoughts alone were thorough. ¡°I agree with him.¡± Burren nodded, standing next to Raon. ¡°You arezy, bad at arriving on time, and fond of alcohol and gambling, but I can count on you when ites down to education.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Martha turned her head, but didn¡¯t say anything special, which meant that she agreed with Burren and Raon to a certain extent. ¡°It¡¯s really touching that my students think of me like that.¡± Rimmer pretended to cry, making the sniffling sound with his mouth. He was pretending, trying to pass it off as a joke, but it was obvious he was happy about it as his mouth was curving up into a crescent shape. ¡°But that¡¯s not a reason for me to go easy on you. You¡¯d better be thoroughly prepared.¡± He extended his hand behind him, and an instructor gave him the file. ¡°I was nning to tell you in a week, but since everyone agreed I¡¯ll just tell you where you will be going right now.¡± ¡°Are we going to the same ce?¡± Burren raised his hand and asked. ¡°Of course not.¡± Rimmer wagged his finger. ¡°You might say that I¡¯m wrong, but you tend to rely on one person too much.¡± His gaze was directed at Raon, and the trainees followed his gaze. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s right¡­¡± The trainees licked their lips, agreeing with Rimmer to a certain extent. They were jealous of Raon and hated him at first, but they were now wholeheartedly following him after training, fighting, and oveing a crisis together. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you have a better rtionship now, but it¡¯s not good to one-sidedly rely on him.¡± With a soft smile, Rimmer looked at the trainees one after the other. ¡°Be swordsmen who can be relied upon by the others through this exam.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The trainees yelled their heads off, as they could feel the instructor¡¯s sincere intentions. ¡°Well, then¡­¡± Rimmer opened the brochure he got from the instructor. ¡°Burren Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You will go to the Levine desert in the west.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Martha Zieghart, you will go to the Saian Canyon in the east, and¡­¡± Without waiting for the trainees¡¯ response, Rimmer recited where they were headed one after another. ¡°¡­Runaan Sullion, you will go to the Katam jungle in the northwest.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And finally, Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon was the only one left after every trainee had been mentioned. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You will go to the Habun castle in the northeast.¡± ¡°Habun castle¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡®He is sending me to such a wretched ce.¡¯ Habun castle was located further north than Zieghart, as one of the battlefields that fought against the monsters of the northern sea and Stallin mountain 365 days a year. ¡®I¡¯m sure it will be helpful.¡¯ Even though he had the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, he still hadn''t entirely regained his perception from his previous life. Living on such a battlefield would probably allow him to regain and surpass the murderous intent and perception he had in his previous life. ¡°There¡¯s one month left until departure. Gather information about where you are headed, think and decide by yourselves what and how you are going to prepare. This is all part of the exam.¡± Rimmer raised his chin, closing the brochure. ¡°Yes! Understood!¡± The trainees'' eyes contained anticipation for their growth and anxiety for the unknown at the same time as they replied, loud and clear. ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult for everyone, but you are going to suffer a lot.¡± Rimmer stepped down in front of Raon, trying to scare him. ¡°That ce is called the battle hell because you don¡¯t even have time to unsheathe your sword.¡± ¡°Eeek!¡± Dorian was frightened, legs trembling, as he was supposed to go to Habun castle with him. Raon snickered at the sight. ¡°Hell sounds good to me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ll be stronger if I manage to survive that hell, and¡­¡± Raon nodded, with a confident smile. ¡®I¡¯ve already experienced the real hell.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°D-do you really have to do that?¡± Once Raon told the story about the graduation exam in the annex building, Helen trembled and shook her head. ¡°Habun castle is one of Zieghart¡¯s barriers, where powerful monsters endlessly pour in. He said he would prepare a different exam, so why do you need to go to such a ce¡­¡± ¡°This is for¡­¡± ¡°He has to go.¡± Before Raon could talk, Sylvia put down her fork and knife and nodded. ¡°But that¡¯s a really dangerous ce¡­¡± ¡°He still has to go.¡± Sylvia shook her head at Helen and looked at Raon. ¡°Because it¡¯s an opportunity for Raon to grow.¡± She didn¡¯t see Raon as a little child anymore after his match against Raden. A swordsman, that¡¯s how she treated him now. But that didn¡¯t mean Sylvia¡¯s worries had disappeared. The hand holding her ss of water was trembling slightly. ¡°Mom is right.¡± Raon closed his eyes while Sylvia, Helen, and the maids looked at him with worried gazes. ¡°Just as the instructor said, this is an opportunity to grow, not just an exam. I have to grab this opportunity since it¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a wise decision.¡± It seemed Helen and the maids still had a lot to say, but Sylvia was different since she used to live as a warrior. She hadpletely recognized his abilities. ¡®It¡¯s convenient.¡¯ Helen had a great voice in the matter as the head maid, but she couldn¡¯t beat Sylvia. Since he had Sylvia¡¯s agreement, it would be easier to train in the future. ¡°I¡¯m going to train, then.¡± Raon put aside his empty dish and stood up. ¡°Raon.¡± As he was about to return to his room, Sylvia turned her head. ¡°Prepare yourself thoroughly, be ready for any situation.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded confidently and left the room. ¡°Mydy, are you really okay?¡± ¡°Haa, there¡¯s no way I would be .¡± Sylvia¡¯s hand that was holding the ss of water visibly trembled. There was no way she would feel at ease when her only son was going to a dangerous ce. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Unlike Helen, she was aware of what kind of people warriors were, and what kind of things swordsmen craved. That was why she had to allow Raon to go there, no matter how much she hated it. Even if she objected to it, Raon would go there anyway. It was better for his sake to just straight up allow him. ¡°But I¡¯m still worried. It¡¯s such a dangerous ce¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal to be worried.¡± Sylvia nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s why there¡¯s something we need to do.¡± ¡°We need to do something?¡± ¡°Yes. We have to maintain our current state to the best of our abilities, so that Raon can rest assured once he returns.¡± She looked around the maids and smiled widely. She was hiding away her anxiety as a mother and the annex building¡¯s master. ¡°Mydy¡­¡± The maids quietly nodded, agreeing with her. Judiel silently clenched her fist, looking at Sylvia and Helen. *** Even though he was about to head over to a battlefield in a month, Raon¡¯s daily routine remained the same as always. He did his daybreak training like always, then went to the fifth training ground to have Rimmer and the instructors teach him, and he was thest one to leave in the evening to keep training. However, the intensity was on a different level from before. Burren and Martha got sick of him just from watching him, and Runaan was too tired to keep up with him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The training was so difficult that it was eating up his immense willpower. Raon kept doing it every day for a week, before returning to the annex building. Since it was time for everyone to be asleep, he entered his room through the window. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It was so tidy that not a single speck of dust could be seen, and a gentle fragrance could be smelled from the clothes and bedding. ¡®They didn¡¯t need to do all this.¡¯ Despite his thoughts, he was smiling on the outside. He was grateful to Sylvia and the maids, who worked hard to let him restfortably whenever he returned. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled and sat at the bed. He felt sleepy since the recent training had been difficult, even for him. As he was about to lie down on the bed, he could feel something on it. ¡°What is this?¡± He tilted his head and lifted the corner of the nket, spotting a small book. ¡°This is¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened upon reading the book. The book contained information about Habun castle, which was where he was headed. Its geographic information, information about the monsters that appeared there, and even information about important personnel. It was obvious who left the book there. ¡®Judiel.¡¯ She had prepared that information after learning that he was headed to Habun castle. Raon licked his lips, feeling bitterness on the tip of his tongue. ¡°I need to clear this up before heading out.¡± Chapter 101 Raon burned the book Judiel prepared for him after memorizing the contents of it. Since it would be annoying if somebody who was not from the annex building found the book, it was better to just burn it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon tapped the ground with his finger, watching the book be incinerated in the air. ¡°I probably need to learn a new swordsmanship.¡± ording to Judiel¡¯s book, the monsters in Habun castle had bulky bodies and thick skin, which was difficult to cut with a sword. Since Zieghart¡¯s basic swordsmanship had a 5:5 bnce between attack and defense, it was not suitable for dealing with arge number of monsters, orrge monsters with thick skin. The sword technique from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation would work, but it consumed too much aura as every single one of those techniques were extremely powerful. He was going to need offensive swordsmanship that he could use casually. ¡®I guess I have practiced basic swordsmanship enough by now.¡¯ Zieghart¡¯s basic swordsmanship was the only thing he had been using and practicing up to that point. Since the foundation was now solid enough, it was time for him to build floors on top of it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon opened the lowest drawer of the desk and took out the shining silver tablet. The burning de engraved at the center of it was the me Sword emblem. It was the silver tablet he had been rewarded for killing the Green War Demon and saving everyone during the second mission. Rattle. He licked his lips while fiddling with the silver tablet. He had nned to use it in order to restore Sylvia¡¯s rank to the direct line, but when he thought about it, he actually didn¡¯t need to do that. ¡®Because it¡¯s not a trivial matter.¡¯ He needed gold tablets, instead of a silver tablet, to restore Sylvia¡¯s rank from coteral to direct line. Moreover, just a few of them wouldn¡¯t be enough. He was going to need a lot of them. Therefore, it was more important to get stronger using any means he had. The correct decision was to invest for the future instead of saving up the tablets. ¡°I should go.¡± Raon stood up, putting the silver tablet in his pocket. He left the room and met Judiel on his way to the lobby. ¡°Good morning.¡± Judiel leaned forward and bowed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Raon expressed his thanks while receiving her greeting, and Judiel shook her head without an expression on her face. It looked like the slight smile he saw back then was her true face after all. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to use this.¡± Raon took out the shining silver tablet from his pocket and showed it to her. ¡°I¡¯m going to squeeze out whatever I can get.¡± *** Raon went straight to the lord¡¯s manor. The gatekeeper stopped him, but he guided him to the audience chamber once he showed him the silver tablet. ¡®This is why sess is important.¡¯ He stopped him because he was a coteral, but his attitude changedpletely upon seeing the tablet. Gaining achievements and bing sessful was important in order to avoid unfair treatment. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon felt like people were staring daggers at him on his way to the audience chamber. Every single swordsman and office worker inside the audience chamber was ncing at him. Considering theypletely ignored him without even looking at him before, they were seeing him in a slightly different light. ¡°We have arrived.¡± The gatekeeper stopped walking as he was thinking about the way people looked at him. He raised his head and saw the audience chamber¡¯s enormous iron door in front of him. He exined the circumstance to the gatekeeper in front of the audience chamber, and he sent a message inside. It was answered soon enough. ¡°Please enter.¡± The gatekeeper touched the door with his hand and the enormous iron door opened. At the same time, Glenn¡¯s powerful energy wave could be felt. It was something he could never get used to, no matter how many times he visited the audience chamber. Raon walked over the golden carpet covering the floor and stood at the center of the audience chamber. Glenn was looking at him with his usual gaze¡ªhe couldn¡¯t read his intentions. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± ¡°Enough.¡± As he was about to kneel and bow, Glenn waved his hand. Raon was hanging in a crooked position, before slowly standing up. ¡°Get straight to the point.¡± Seeing that arrogant appearance over and over reminds me of the King of Essence in Devildom. Countless nobles were frightened by the King of Essence¡¯s overwhelming presence, and¡­ ¡°Understood.¡± Raon took out the silver tablet, ignoring the guy bbering right next to him. ¡°I want to use the silver tablet I received before.¡± ¡°Using the silver tablet is up to you, but didn¡¯t you say you wanted to achieve something with it?¡± Glenn leaned forward slightly, and the audience chamber¡¯s atmosphere grew colder. ¡°Indeed. I was nning to save them up in order to restore Mother to the direct line.¡± ¡°And you are using it now, despite that?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I understood during the difficult mission and the duel against a member of the direct line.¡± Raon spoke nonchntly. ¡°What did you understand?¡± ¡°I think my achievement was rather outstanding, but no one mentioned anything about the direct line. That¡¯s when I remembered what my lord told me, that it was going to be difficult to achieve.¡± Just like Glenn had said, he needed to be recognized by everyone in order to be a member of the direct line. Getting a bronze or silver tablet was nowhere close to being enough. ¡°Since the silver tablets won¡¯t make any difference, I figured it¡¯s better to use them to get stronger, which will allow me to gather gold tablets.¡± ¡°Are you using it as an investment?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my intention.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn looked like he didn¡¯t really care as he slowly nodded. His expression and atmosphere didn¡¯t change at all. ¡°So, what do you want to exchange that silver tablet for?¡± ¡°A swordsmanship. I¡¯m heading to Habun castle for my graduation exam, so I need an offensive technique that would allow me to kill endless waves of monsters.¡± ¡°An offensive swordsmanship, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Glenn nodded and stood from the throne. He browsed through the books on the side, before his gaze fixated on the ck book in the middle. ¡°This will be suitable.¡± He flicked his finger and the book floated up like a cloud, flying towards Raon. ¡°This is¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. He expected him to open the round library like thest time, but he personally chose a book for him instead. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, as it waspletely unexpected. ¡®Fangs of Insanity Swordy.¡¯ On the ck book¡¯s cover, Fangs of Insanity Swordy was written in a bloody style. It was a technique that he had never heard of before. ¡°Are you going to take this one? Or do you prefer choosing one by yourself?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon opened his right hand and touched the book. The roughness of the cover felt like he was touching a beast¡¯s fang. ¡®I can trust him with something like this.¡¯ He was sure Glenn disliked him, but he trusted him to hand out fair rewards as the head of house of a huge family. It was unlikely that he would give some wed or weak technique as a reward. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one.¡± Raon immediately nodded, since he liked the technique¡¯s name as well. ¡°It will fit you perfectly.¡± ¡°Thank you. Then¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± When Raon was about to leave after bowing to him, Glenn raised his hand. * * * * * * ¡°Let me ask you one thing.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you scared after learning that your graduation exam would take ce in Habun castle?¡± Glenn took a step forward. Even though he wasn¡¯t spreading his pressure, Raon felt overwhelmed¡ªas if a giant were looking down on him. ¡°You must be well aware of what kind of ce Habun castle is, since you came to get a book on swordsmanship. Have you considered refusing the exam?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± Raon shook his head. He thought it could be dangerous, but he wasn¡¯t scared at all, nor did he consider refusing it. ¡®I can¡¯t be stronger without hardship.¡¯ Oveing a crisis was the fastest way of getting stronger in his previous life. It was the same in his current life. He had achieved thergest amount of growth upon defeating the Green War Demon and surviving against the Blood Raving Demon. If getting stronger at an average pace was all he wanted, he could just keep training in the training ground along with the others. However, he had to use crisis as his opportunity if he wanted to get stronger faster than others, to reach a higher level. ¡°I learned a lesson from the fight against Eden.¡± ¡°What did you learn?¡± ¡°That short fight of life and death granted me as much growth one year¡¯s worth of training in the training ground. I¡¯ll be d to have a simr experience this time.¡± Raon spoke his honest thoughts. ¡°And Instructor Rimmer would never give me a trial that was impossible to ovee. I¡¯m sure it will be difficult, but I believe I¡¯ll get strong enough to be grateful that I went there.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. He wasn¡¯t even nodding, but he felt like the audience chamber¡¯s atmosphere had be lighter somehow. ¡°I see, you shall leave.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon properly bowed, as he couldn¡¯t finish it before, and turned around. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± As he opened the door and was about to leave, Glenn called his name. ¡°There are multiple ways of using swordsmanship. Widen the range of your thoughts.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± It seemed to be advice, but he couldn¡¯t grasp its meaning. He just nodded. Glenn waved his hand, signaling for him to leave. Raon bowed for thest time and left the audience chamber. *** ¡°Hmm hmm hmm.¡± A pleased sound was heard from behind the pir next to Glenn¡¯s throne. ¡°Did it make you that happy?¡± ¡°Of course it did, since my student appreciates his teacher¡¯s consideration.¡± Rimmer stepped out from behind the pir, not hiding his smile. ¡°You saw that he is perfectly aware of my intentions. He really is a sweet and smart boy. He is different from the preaching Burren or swearing Martha. I can¡¯t help looking after him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you deserve him either since you are talking behind your students¡¯ back.¡± Glenn sneered, displeased with Rimmer''s broad smile. ¡°What do you mean, talking behind their backs? I¡¯m just joking, they are all cute little ones for me. I care for all trainees equally.¡± Rimmer giggled. ¡°Anyway, Raon is also aware of the fact that the fight of life and death is extremely helpful for his growth.¡± ¡°Many people do know that. Most people just can¡¯t ovee their fear, even with that knowledge.¡± Glenn looked down at the center of the audience chamber, where Raon had been standing until a moment ago. ¡®He waspletely fearless.¡¯ There was no fear in Raon¡¯s eyes. Despite what he said, he wasn¡¯t thirsty for fame. All he had shown wasposure. The calmness to do what he could after grasping the situation. ¡®How can he be like that?¡¯ He had never seen anyone with such a mindset at that age in his long life. And the fact that he was his grandson made him overjoyed. ¡°It looks like the head of house also likes Raon. Your mouth is twitching.¡± As he was happily thinking about Raon, Rimmer¡¯s smirking voice could be heard. ¡°Just shut up for a moment.¡± Glenn frowned. That stupid elf seriously couldn¡¯t read the atmosphere. ¡°Anyway, you gave him the Fangs of Insanity.¡± Rimmer smiled, looking at the library in the inner area. ¡°You made a new library that didn¡¯t exist before in order to give him a book of swordsmanship worthy of a golden tablet. I see you cherish your grandson very much.¡± ¡°You are such a bbermouth.¡± ¡°I always have been. I think I¡¯ve been less talkative nowadays, though.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t want to deal with him anymore and shook his head. ¡°The ¡®Fangs of Insanity¡¯ is an excellent technique, but it¡¯s extremely violent. I wonder whether Raon can control it properly.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done my part. Whether he manages to control it or throws it away because he can¡¯t learn it, that¡¯s all up to him.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Rimmer pped his hand in admiration. ¡°Even if you say that, you gave him proper advice back then. I guess the grandfather loves his grandson the most¡­¡± ¡°You leave me no choice.¡± Glenn clicked his tongue and raised his hand. ¡°Uh!¡± Rimmer, who had been grinning, was dragged towards Glenn as if he was attached by a thread. ¡°I¡¯ve been tolerating you because you are injured, but you don¡¯t know when to stop.¡± ¡°W-wait! My lord!¡± ¡°Since you got a bit healthier, it should be fine to beat you up now.¡± Rimmer struggled, but he couldn¡¯t resist the pulling force. ¡°Sir Roenn! Where is that old man?! Please save m¡­ keuh!¡± The sound of Rimmer getting beaten up echoed in the audience chamber for the first time in around thirty years. *** Raon returned to the annex building with the book of swordsmanship. Without even visiting his room, he sat down at the open area behind the building. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Upon opening the book, there was a sentence supposedly written by the author. Be a swordsman who consumes their sword. He couldn¡¯t understand what it meant, but it felt simr to Glenn¡¯s advice from before. Since it was a waste of time to keep reading something he couldn¡¯t understand, he flipped to the next page where an exnation about the swordsmanship could be found,plete with words and illustrations. ¡®Let¡¯s try reading it.¡¯ He read the book of swordsmanship while using the Ring of Fire. He raised his head after five hours had passed, his eyes full of admiration. ¡®¡­Did he really give me such a technique?¡¯ Chapter 102 mes of exhration were burning in Raon¡¯s eyes as he closed the book. ¡®It¡¯s an intuition sword.¡¯ An intuition sword was a type of swordsmanship that increased its level through real battles instead of repeated practice of the technique. It was also the technique the sixth training ground trainees used to almost defeat Burren. Since it could be used in a real battle as soon as it was learned and the level increased pretty quickly, an excellent intuition sword could hardly be obtained with money. ¡®And this one is a high-grade intuition sword.¡¯ He could tell because he had learned an intuition sword in his previous life. The Fangs of Insanity was an advanced swordsmanship, good enough to be called high-grade among the intuition swords. ¡®But it¡¯s ferocious.¡¯ It was a priceless technique, but it was awfully violent. Fangs of Insanity. Just as its name implied, it craved stabbing into the enemy¡¯s throat. ¡®I need to be careful.¡¯ If he made a mistake, the sword could stab his own throat instead of the enemy¡¯s. It seemed he needed to be careful as he learned. Raon opened the book and started reading once again. He carefully double-checked everything, just in case he missed something. ¡®This is weird.¡¯ He felt like the back of his head was tingling each time he read the book. It felt like the Fangs of Insanity had something else mixed in on top of it being an intuition sword. ¡®I¡¯m not sure what that is.¡¯ He examined the drawings and words in detail, but he couldn¡¯t find out what he¡¯d was missing. ¡°Anyway, this is a great harvest.¡± He would have to keep swinging his sword as often as he breathed at Habun castle. He could probablyplete the Fangs of Insanity while fighting over there. ¡®Let¡¯s try the posture for now.¡¯ Raon put down the book and stood up. Wielding his sword, he tried practicing the basic postures of the Fangs of Insanity one after the other. For every swordsmanship, the basics were the most important part. Application was only possible once he had the perfect basic posture. And the basics were even more important for an intuition sword, which had simple forms. Looking at the book, Raon practiced until he perfected his posture, then unsheathed his sword. Once he got the posture, it was time for the real battle. After all, it was pointless to practice an intuition sword on his own. ¡®Real battle, huh¡­?¡¯ Raon smiled, tapping on the sword hanging around his waist. ¡°It would be nice to spar with them after such a long time.¡± *** The next day, Raon went to the fifth training ground after finishing his daybreak cultivation. The training ground waspletely empty. After warming up lightly, he was practicing the posture and principles of the Fangs of Insanity that he¡¯d learned the day before. It was at that time that the training ground¡¯s door opened and Burren entered. ¡°I thought I would be the first one to arrive¡­¡± Burren frowned and started warming up. Since it was time for individual training, very few people arrived as time passed. After polishing the posture of the Fangs of Insanity, Raon looked at Burren. Judging from how he was training a swordsmanship he had never seen before, he must¡¯ve learned a new technique as well. After watching him training for a while, he resumed training the Fangs of Insanity. After around two hours passed, the door to the training ground burst open and Rimmer walked in with his hands held together behind his back. ¡°You guys are still the same.¡± The way he swaggered while yawning looked exactly like a joblessyabout. However, his left eye was slightly dark, as if bruised. Was he beaten up in the gambling house? ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep, so if anything happens¡­¡± As he walked towards the head instructor¡¯s room, Raon blocked his way. ¡°Can you please watch me spar?¡± ¡°Spar? With who?¡± Rimmer turned his head to look for the opponent. However, no one was raising their hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to spar with Burren.¡± ¡°Huh? Me?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened, as a full moon, in surprise. ¡°Out of nowhere?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°Y-yes! I do!¡± Burren quickly nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I mean, let me do it!¡± ¡®I can¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡¯ Burren hadn¡¯t fought against Raon since he was beaten up during the temporary trainee exam. He knew that Raon was strong, but he still wanted to try fighting him. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s annoying.¡± Rimmer frowned, scratching his cheek. ¡°Instructor.¡± ¡°Phew, alright. Get yourselves ready.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Burren nodded and ran towards the center of the training ground. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡± ¡°Instructor, if ever it looks like I¡¯m going to hurt Burren, please stop me.¡± ¡°Stop you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± That was the reason he didn¡¯t ask Burren for a duel until Rimmer had arrived. The Intuition Sword was difficult to control. He could easily inflict a serious injury on Burren with a single mistake. ¡°Haa, it¡¯s really annoying¡­¡± ¡°Please.¡± Raon bowed and went to the temporary arena. Despite what he said, Rimmer was going to stop him for sure. Raon wielded a dull training sword and faced Burren. Every trainee that had been training stood back to watch them. ¡°Phew, let¡¯s start, haaa, the spar.¡± Rimmer raised his hand, visibly showing off his unwillingness. ¡°Don¡¯t use any extreme move that can kill and wield your des for your development.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Anything you want to tell each other?¡± He bobbed his finger, signaling them to be quick about it. ¡°I¡¯m going to use a new technique. You should be careful, since it can be dangerous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be using something I¡¯m already used to. It will be different from that time.¡± Raon told him he would use a new technique, and Burren said he would use an old one. ¡°Are you done? Then, begin!¡± Rimmer lowered his hand while saying that, and Burren and Raon kicked the ground at once. * * * * * * Burren grit his teeth. ¡®This is my opportunity.¡¯ He had been dreaming about sparring against Raon constantly since losing to him. Raon¡¯s growth could be called brilliant, but he had also been working hard endlessly. He wouldn¡¯t lose so easily like before. ¡°Haaaaa!¡± Instead of the new swordsmanship, Burren used the Kirin Swordy that he learned from the direct line training. Whoosh! The sword elerated with his determination to win. The de reached Raon¡¯s forehead in no time. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Burren¡¯s eyes widened. Before his sword managed to touch Raon, his sword burst up like lightning. ng! An intense collision bent the trajectories of the two swords at once. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Burren quickly withdrew and bit his lip. ¡®Is he really attacking preemptively?¡¯ Raon had always fought by observing his opponent first before making his move. He didn¡¯t expect him to start attacking first at all. ¡°Fine! Bring it on!¡± When Burren fixed his grip after getting pushed back, Raon kicked the ground and came rushing at him. He used the second technique of the ¡®Kirin Swordy¡¯ against Raon, sword swinging down diagonally. ng! His hand trembled because of the enormous power of Raon¡¯s attack. However, it wasn¡¯t the power of his sword that made Burren flustered. It was Raon¡¯s violent spirit. The ferociousness waspletely different from the way he had been so far, giving him goosebumps. ng! ng! Buren ground his teeth, blocking Raon¡¯s strikes as they stormed at him. ¡®I haven¡¯t been training so hard just to lose like this!¡¯ He brought out everyst bit of aura he possessed. He connected the rotation, starting from his lower body up to his sword, to swing it straight at him. Kirin Swordy, Severing sh. The rotating attack was aimed at Raon. ¡°Huff¡­¡± However, Raon didn¡¯t step back. He dashed towards the Severing sh with an even more ferocious spirit. ng! ang! He repeatedly swung his sword to rip apart the Severing sh. It looked like a savage beast biting its prey with its mr. However, Raon¡¯s sword was still hungry after eating up the Severing sh. It dashed towards Burren to chew on bigger food. ¡°Eek!¡± Burren ground his teeth. He lowered his posture, thrusting his sword with the sharpness of the wind. Rumble! Even though it was the best attack he could use currently, Raon¡¯s sword was even more ferocious as it shed him. Creak! The extreme spirit of Raon¡¯s sword easily ripped apart Burren¡¯sst attack. ¡®Wh-what is that sword?¡¯ Burren¡¯s jaw dropped. Raon¡¯s sword looked like a venomous snake that only looked for the weakness in his swordsmanship. It was fast, tenacious, and powerful, making it impossible to escape. ¡°Eek!¡± Burren hurriedly tried swinging his sword, but Raon¡¯s sword was faster. The light reflected from the sword shone right in front of his eyes. His sword had already reached right under his nose. ¡®It¡¯s not over yet!¡¯ The Burren from the past would¡¯ve closed his eyes by then, but he was different now. He forcefully twisted his body to withdraw. However, Raon¡¯s sword followed him right away, as if it was expecting him to do so¡ªjust like a living animal. ng! Raon¡¯s sword pierced through his technique, intended as a surprise attack, and rushed towards his throat. It looked like he had no intention of stopping, as the sword¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t decreasing at all. ¡®Th-this is crazy! This is a spar!¡¯ As Burren started screaming inside, the blue wind appeared. ng! Along with a rough metallic sound, Raon was bounced far back. ¡°Jeez¡­¡± Rimmer was standing in front of Burren, an annoyed expression on his face. ¡°Haa, thank you.¡± Raon raised his staggering body and bowed at Rimmer. ¡°Y-you bastard! Were you trying to kill me?¡± Burren pointed his trembling finger at Raon. ¡°I told you to be careful because I¡¯m not used to this sword.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a way of greeting!¡± ¡°I was serious, though.¡± Raon dusted off his clothes and casually responded. ¡°You crazy bastard¡­¡± Burren looked like he was still out of his mind, as he was using the vulgar speech he usually hated so much. ¡°Well, is that it?¡± Rimmer sheathed his sword and yawned. ¡°I¡¯m going to go to sleep then¡­¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Raon blocked Rimmer¡¯s way and shook his head. ¡°Huh? But you don¡¯t have any sparring opponents anymore. I don¡¯t think Burren¡¯s going to fight you.¡± ¡°There are plenty over there.¡± He turned around and pointed at the trainees spectating them. ¡°U-us?¡± ¡°Why would we?¡± The trainees who were suddenly designated started stepping backward. ¡°Despite being the top trainee, I haven¡¯t been paying enough attention to you guys. I shall check your current abilities before leaving.¡± ¡°But I¡­¡± ¡°Uh? Uuh?¡± ¡°W-wait! My dormitory is on fire¡­¡± ¡°I refuse your refusal. Krein, let us start with you.¡± Raon refused their refusal, dragging Krein into the arena since he was the easiest target. ¡°W-wait, seriously?¡± Krein¡¯s lips were trembling. He thought Raon was crazy for asking him to fight after showing off that violent swordsmanship just then. ¡°S-somebody! Sir Burren!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Krein asked for help, but Burren turned his head away, pretending he didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Instructor?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit annoying for me, but your abilities will certainly improve after fighting against a swordsmanship like that.¡± Rimmer urged Krein, telling him to do it quickly since he was going to do it anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The instructor will stop me if it gets dangerous.¡± Raon smiled and drew his sword. ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± ¡°Arrrgghhh!¡± The trainees'' screams resounded endlessly throughout the fifth training ground that day. *** ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue, sitting at the training ground. The wide training ground waspletely empty, and he was sitting there alone. ¡°I can¡¯t even spar anymore.¡± He kept sparring with the trainees for the past two weeks,ing to the training ground every day. He thought it was a great n with two benefits at once: helping the other trainees improve and practicing the Fangs of Insanity. Apparently, he was the only person who thought of it that way. No one would fight him anymore, now that two weeks had passed. Burren didn¡¯t evene to the training ground anymore after seven spars, and Martha disappeared, shouting ¡°fucck!¡± after ten defeats. And Runaan was watching him through the crack of the training ground¡¯s door, with half of her face hidden. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to spar anymore?¡± It seemed she was significantly shocked from the way she was asking. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Raon shook his head and Runaan entered the training ground. She trotted towards him and sat next to him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon shook his head. ¡®I can¡¯t spar with the trainees anymore.¡¯ The fact that they were too scared of him was a problem, but the difference in ability had be so wide that it became pointless. ¡®But I did manage to learn something.¡¯ He managed to find out the characteristics of the Fangs of Insanity through the spars against the trainees. ¡®A ferocious wolf.¡¯ Fangs of Insanity was a terrifying swordsmanship that specialized in prating into the opponent¡¯s disordered flow or defective parts to tenaciously rip them apart. The trainees were afraid that the instincts of the Fangs of Insanity would find their weaknesses, more than its ferocity. Even though Burren and Martha challenged him again when they were about to forget about it, they ran away afterwards. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Raon nced at Runaan sitting next to him. She never asked him for a rematch after the first spar against him, unlike Burren or Martha. It looked like she disliked the idea itself of fighting against him. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°Mhm?¡± ¡°Spa¡­¡± Runaan drifted away before he even finished saying spar. It was really mysterious how she was using footwork with her ass touching the chair. ¡°I won¡¯t do it. I won¡¯t.¡± Runaan came right back next to him when he said he wouldn''t do it. ¡®I guess it¡¯s because of Syria.¡¯ Syria Sullion. It must¡¯ve been because of that crazy bastard that Runaan didn¡¯t want to fight against people close to her, even if it was just a spar. The King of Essence can fight you all night long. But you will obviously be squashed to death by the King of Essence¡¯s pinky finger. ¡®You can fight me?¡¯ Yes, give me your body. The King of Essence will create the spiritual world and¡­ ¡®Rejected.¡¯ Y-you bastard! The King of Essence was serious¡­ Raon pped his hand like a fan to send Wrath flying away. He kept swearing while drifting away to the wind, but Raon ignored him since he would return soon anyway. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed. ¡®Anyway, how shall I train from now on?¡¯ As he was pondering how he could increase the proficiency of the Fangs of Insanity, the training ground¡¯s door burst open. ¡°Hey, I can hear you sighing from my room!¡± It was Rimmer. He walked up while scratching his head, then stood in front of Raon. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t have any sparring opponents, right?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve all run away.¡± ¡°I see, then¡­¡± He grinned and pointed at himself. ¡°Fight me.¡± Chapter 103 Raon touched his sword¡¯s sheath, facing Rimmer at the center of the training ground. ¡°What made you want to do that? You couldn¡¯t even be bothered to spectate the matches.¡± ¡°I have to warm myself up from time to time to avoid getting rusty. And¡­¡± Rimmer grinned and unsheathed his sword. ¡°It saddens me to see my student being so dejected from having all his sparring partners run away.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded and drew his sword. ¡®He really has a pure heart.¡¯ Rimmer certainly disliked annoying things, but he cared for his students more than that. It seemed like he was there to help him with pure intentions, without any second thoughts. ¡®This is an opportunity to greatly raise the proficiency of the Fangs of Insanity at once.¡¯ Rimmer was at a way higher level than him as a swordsman. Sparring against him would not only allow to greatly raise the proficiency of the Fangs of Insanity, but also increase his overall abilities. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that we have only one spectator, but shall we start?¡± ¡°I agree.¡± They both looked at Runaan, who was standing in the middle. ¡°Begin.¡± Upon registering their gazes, Runaan nodded and raised her hand then lowered it. ¡°Haap!¡± Raon grit his teeth and kicked the ground. Surrounding his body with the energy of Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, he applied the principles of the Fangs of Insanity to swing his sword. It cut through the atmosphere like a sawtooth cutting into a tree. ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve gotten a lot better.¡± Rimmer had admiration in his voice as he shed. The green energy spread out in a round shape to decorate the air. ng! The ferocious strike of the Fangs of Insanity and Rimmer¡¯s soft energy shed against each other. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. Rimmer was subduing the power of his attack without deflecting or blocking it. It was really outstanding how he managed to subdue the ferocious strike of the Fangs of Insanity. ¡°Are you curious?¡± Rimmer smiled, swinging his sword shining in dark green. ¡°This swordsmanship controls the opponent¡¯s attack by spreading out a bunch of thin aura des. There are many ways of facing a sword with a sword. You can think of methods using the opponent¡¯s sword instead of your own.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded and sharpened his de containing principles of the Fangs of Insanity even further and thrust. At the same time, he prepared for the next technique. It was the fifth form of the Fangs of Insanity, Flowing Stab. A series of powerful attacks were directed at Rimmer. m! am! Rimmer lowered his posture and held his sword diagonally to focus on defense. ¡®That¡¯s convenient for me.¡¯ Light sparkled in Raon¡¯s eyes. Since the Fangs of Insanity was extremely good at dealing with a defensive opponent, he had a fair chance of winning the match. ng! He used every technique of Fangs of Insanity in order to pierce through Rimmer¡¯s defense. Powerful attacks exploded like a huge wolf gnawing on its prey, but Rimmer¡¯s defense was like an unbreakable iron wall. ¡°Tsk!¡± Raon bit his lip. He couldn¡¯t find any openings despite having used every technique. ¡°Does it feel stifling?¡± Rimmer¡¯s smile could be seen between the shing swords. ¡°The Intuition Sword you¡¯ve learned is extremely powerful. It can easily break through other swordsmanship despite the low proficiency you have. However, it¡¯s too biased!¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± Rimmer twisted his wrist. The powerful reaction bounced Raon backwards. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Clearing up Rimmer¡¯s energy that was entwined with his sword, Raon regained his posture. ¡°An intuition sword is a technique relying on intuition, just like its name implies. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that you should stop thinking. It¡¯s especially important to keep thinking as you swing your sword with your technique. Try thinking about why it¡¯s named like that.¡± ¡°Name? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you enough. You shouldn¡¯t ask me to feed you everything.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly and nodded. ¡®He is right.¡¯ If he kept relying on his teacher, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything on his own. Since he already received a hint, he needed to think and act by himself. ¡®Name, Name¡­¡¯ Even though the power grew stronger and stronger as he used the Fangs of Insanity recently, he felt like his thoughts kept getting simpler. He was full of desire to stab his sword through his opponent¡¯s opening. ¡®It was the same just now.¡¯ The spar ended while he was trying to thrust his sword at the opening Rimmer had created. He wouldn¡¯t be able to grow like that. ¡°I think I need to try a bit more.¡± ¡°Alright,e at me.¡± Rimmer smiled and wagged his four fingers. ¡°Haap!¡± He inhaled deeply and kicked the ground. He thrust his sword at Rimmer, who was still maintaining his defensive posture. ng! The intense sound of shing steel resounded throughout the training ground. Swoosh! Raon flipped the sword that bounced back slightly to sh once again. Rimmer¡¯s sword turned to the right. It was a perfect defense, leaving him no choice but to try to pierce it like before. Raon used the Ring of Fire. The swordsmanship remained fierce, but his mind calmed down. At that instant, Raon¡ªwho had only been thinking about offense¡ªnoticed the left side of Rimmer¡¯s waist. It wasn¡¯t an opening, since it was firmly defended. ¡®However.¡¯ He had a premonition that he could create an opening. Woosh! Raon shed his sword diagonally. Rimmer smoothly straightened his shoulders to meet the fierce attack like a waterfall. ng! The moment his wrist bounced off because of the shing swords, an opening was created at the left side of Rimmer¡¯s waist. Raon immediately turned his ankle to change the sword¡¯s trajectory. Using the rotationing from his calf and connecting to his thigh, he swung his sword. ¡°Gasp!¡± Panic appeared in Rimmer¡¯s eyes for the first time. He stepped backward and quickly turned his sword. ng! Unable to withstand Raon¡¯s powerful strike, he took three steps backward. ¡°Wh-what was that just now? Why did you change your trajectory¡­¡± ¡°I saw it.¡± ¡°You saw it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After rxing his mind, which used to be buried in the offensive part of the Fangs of Insanity, he could see his opponent¡¯s opening. No, rather than opening, it was the way to create an opening. In other words, he became capable of reading the next move. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you all that.¡± He smiled while returning exactly what he had told him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t teaching you how to speak.¡± ¡°Kids learn whatever they see.¡± Raon tapped the ground with his feet, then dashed towards Rimmer, who hadn¡¯t regained his posture yet. ¡°I¡¯ming again!¡± * * * * * * Rimmer whistled, looking at Raon charging at him, swinging up his sword. ¡°You still have a long way to go.¡± As he was ready to perfectly defend by holding his sword horizontally, Raon¡¯s movement changed. He raised his waist to twist the sword that was about to rise, aiming at his left wrist. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Rimmer frowned and turned his body. He defended by creating aura at the tip of his sword, preparing for a counterattack. ng! However, Raon¡¯s sword was falling already. It wasn¡¯t just an instinct¡ªit looked like the movement of a trained beast that looked for its opponent¡¯s openings through experience. ¡®Seriously, this guy¡­¡¯ He had only given him a small hint, yet he was already starting to realize the true form of the Fangs of Insanity. He was so surprised that his hair was standing on end. Whoosh! Rimmer violently shed his sword. The green energy on his de spread out to defend all directions from the front, except for one invisible opening. Raon¡¯s eyes shone crimson. He twisted the ferocious de to aim for that unique opening. ¡®He did it!¡¯ He could onlyugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Raon had understood the true ¡®Fangs of Insanity¡¯ during the short time that they had been sparring. ¡®Then I shall help him walk that road even faster as his teacher.¡¯ Even though it was his first time being an instructor, every single moment had been enjoyable thanks to Raon and the other trainees. ¡°Fine, keeping at me!¡± Rimmer continuously swung his sword and created a unique opening that could only be found by experts. And Raon ferociously stabbed through that small opening, as if he had read his mind. ¡®It¡¯s crazy.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t keep himself from gasping. The ferocious attack wasing from an intricate trajectory. Once hepleted that swordsmanship, an average warrior wouldn¡¯t be able to even face him. ¡°But it¡¯s not fun if it¡¯s too easy.¡± Rimmer removed the opening. He swung his sword in a way that Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce through in his current state to pressure him. He was superior both in terms of power and precision, yet Raon didn¡¯t give up. He kept swinging his sword with savage eyes, and he started creating the openings instead of looking for them. ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯ Rimmer nodded. The enemy on a battlefield doesn¡¯t create an opening for you, you have to find one instead. And the Fangs of Insanity was the best swordsmanship for creating it. m! am! Rimmer and Raon endlessly swung their swords at each other at point-nk distance. ¡®He is getting stronger and stronger.¡¯ The attacks were getting stronger, and his flow had no opening. His proficiency was increasing tremendously. ¡°Haap!¡± Raon swung his sword with a war cry. As soon as he took a defensive posture, Raon¡¯s attack tried to twist his defense. It was a frightening speed of transition. ¡®What is this guy¡­¡¯ He was going easy on him, yet chills still ran down his spine as he pierced through his defense over and over. However, it was too early to let him experience victory. ¡°Come back after you grow up more!¡± Rimmer surrounded his sword with a stormy wind and shot the aura concentrated on the de. It was his great technique, Wind Spirit Stab. ¡®How are you going to react?¡¯ The technique was still too powerful for Raon. Rimmer licked his lips in anticipation over how he was going to handle it. Whoosh! Raon came running at him with his sword hanging behind him. He swung his sword without minding his clothes getting ripped apart by the wind from the Wind Spirit Stab. m! The Wind Spirit Stab stayed intact despite the powerful sh. However, Raon didn¡¯t stop. He used footwork to step back and kept swinging his sword. Cracks appeared in the Wind Spirit Stab little by little, and it eventually started breaking down, showing him the opening. am! Raon exhaled a long breath as he swung his sword. A red light shone like the scorching sun, and the Wind Spirit Stab melted away in the air. ¡°Huh!¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®What did he just do?¡¯ He wanted him to improve his Fangs of Insanity from witnessing the Wind Spirit Stab, yet he actually managed to shatter it. He couldn¡¯t believe how crazy he was. Whoosh! Raon was standing confidently in the middle of the training ground, where dust was rising fiercely in the air. ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡± As he was about to approach Raon, Runaan came up to him and grabbed his arm. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it yet.¡± Rimmer looked ahead and noticed Raon¡¯s pupils were dted. ¡®Trance?¡¯ It looked like he received enlightenment while fighting against the Wind Spirit Stab. ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand how he was getting enlightenment so often when it was something one was supposed to get only once or twice in their entire life. Runaan released Rimmer¡¯s hand and went outside the training ground. It looked like she was intending to stop people froming in. ¡®How did she see it?¡¯ Rimmer himself hadn¡¯t noticed Raon¡¯s trance. He couldn¡¯t understand how Runaan had noticed it despite being further away. ¡°He really is a lucky guy.¡± Rimmer shook his head and sat down on the spot. It looked like he had no choice but to guard him. ¡°I was nning to go out and drink after finishing this quickly.¡± He licked his lips, looking at the setting sun. *** ¡°Haaa.¡± Raon opened his eyes, exhaling deeply. It was dark. The sun that used to be in the sky had be the moon, but he wasn¡¯t too surprised. ¡®I fell into a trance.¡¯ He was enlightened upon facing Rimmer¡¯s extremely powerful sword at the end. He had a choice between advancing even further ahead and keeping the enlightenment he received. He decided to advance in that situation and managed to obtain an even greater enlightenment. ¡°It must be nice.¡± Rimmer frowned, lying on the ground. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon sheathed his sword and bowed politely. Despite his rxed appearance, Rimmer¡¯s energy was covering the area. He must¡¯ve been guarding him so far. ¡°You should say that to her, too.¡± Rimmer raised his finger to point behind him. Silver hair was fluttering by the training ground¡¯s door. ¡°Are you finished? Runaan opened the door and entered. ¡°She noticed your trance before me.¡± Raon nodded and stood in front of Runaan. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Did you be stronger?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So, we don¡¯t need to spar anymore?¡± Raon nodded with a smile and Runaan¡¯s expression brightened slightly. ¡°You must¡¯ve received a good enlightenment since you said you got stronger so confidently.¡± Rimmer stood up and shook off the dust and dirt from his clothes. ¡°Yes. Fangs of Insanity can be a crazy beast¡¯s fang, but it also can be a moment of enlightenment. Fangs of Insanity is actually a beast with a serene mind.¡± Fangs of Insanity wasn¡¯t an intuition sword with only ferocity and violence as its characteristics. It was a special swordsmanship that created an opening in the opponent¡¯s guard through experience and the mind. He still had a long way to go, but he felt like he took the first step for the true Fangs of Insanity. ¡°It was worth my time. The liquor is going to taste great today.¡± Rimmer smiled and started walking towards the training ground¡¯s exit. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon expressed his gratitude once again, and Rimmer waved his hand and left the training ground. ¡°Raon, let¡¯s train.¡± She came next to him and drew her sword. She wasn¡¯t talking about sparring but training their swords. ¡°Okay.¡± He was indebted to Runaan once again. He was fine with helping her train as much as she wanted. Raon observed Runaan¡¯s swordsmanship. Thanks to having learned the Fangs of Insanity, he could tell at a nce what she wascking. ¡°During your second technique, extend your feet around one knuckle¡¯s length, and straighten your knee a bit more.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan¡¯s sword became sharper and more intricate. Her talent was indeed at the continent¡¯s scale, considering how she was changing from a single piece of advice. Raon gave her a few more pieces of advice before raising his head. He nodded slightly, looking at therge moon shining upon the training ground. ¡®I¡¯m almost ready to leave.¡¯ Except for one thing. Chapter 104 Raon returned to his room in the annex building after finishing training the Fangs of Insanity. Even though training was over, the heat in his body and mind still remained. ¡®It''s an amazing technique.¡¯ What¡¯s so great about such savage swordsmanship? Wrathined, telling him that it was just a vulgar technique. ¡®It¡¯s not just savage. It¡¯s like the king of tigers with sharp fangs, one that knows how to use his brain.¡¯ An intuition sword targeted the opponent¡¯s weakness by sharpening one¡¯s fighting senses. Since they were mostly extremely aggressive techniques, they were often tricked by feints or prone to counterattacks. ¡®But Fangs of Insanity is different.¡¯ Fangs of Insanity was one step better than the average intuition sword, since it wasn¡¯t tricked by the opponent¡¯s feints and was capable of creating an opening that didn¡¯t exist. Once he became more proficient in it, he would be able to stab his sword through his opponent¡¯s defense, whoever they might be. Intuition reminds me of something. Back in Devildom, a powerful kid with the ability to defeat demons with his excellent intuition appeared. But the King of Essence is the king of Devildom and the monarch of Wrath, I easily subdued that demon by simply spreading coldness¡­ Raon yawned, his mouth wide open. He suddenly started to feel sleepy from listening to Wrath¡¯s chatter. Keep listening. The story will be a life lesson. ¡¯But it won¡¯t be for my life.¡¯ Raon shook his hand and ignored him. At that moment, a small knocking sound could be heard. ¡°Enter.¡± He responded with a voice as soft as the knocking sound, and Judiel entered after opening the door. ¡°You called for me?¡± She knelt by the bed and bowed her head. ¡°I called you because I have something to settle before I leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Raon looked at Judiel, who remained emotionless, and closed his eyes before opening them again. ¡°The rage worm I fed you on the first day was a fake.¡± Judiel¡¯s neck trembled slightly. It was an expression of confirmation rather than surprise. ¡°Did you know about it already?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure. I just suspected it.¡± ¡°Suspect?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually, I was too terrified the day I first saw the young master¡¯s face to think about anything. I couldn¡¯t even imagine that it would be a fake back then.¡± She raised her chin. Her serious eyes were rather impressive. ¡°I just wanted to survive because I was too scared of the young master, but the kindness of people from the annex building gradually made me feel relieved. Even though I thought the young master would make strange demands, the young master instead treated me as a human being and even prepared a way for me to avoid suspicion from the Central Martial Pce.¡± Judiel¡¯s stiffened mouth grew loose. ¡°I was still wary of the young master, though. I thought you were just acting as a slightly precocious child for mydy and Lady Helen. However, I realized that wasn¡¯t the case after experiencing a few incidents.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Your expression when you were facing Lady Sylvia and the gaze upon threatening me were both real. You just wanted to protect this annex building.¡± Raon nodded silently. It was just as Judiel had said. Everything was for the sake of protecting the annex building, from threatening her to terrifying her and making her into a double agent. ¡°That¡¯s why I figured the young master might not be evil enough to use a rage worm.¡± That was wrong. He didn¡¯t intend to use rage worms for the rest of his life because of Derus Robert, but he could do even worse for the sake of protecting the annex building. ¡°But it was just a suspicion, and I couldn¡¯t be certain unless you told me about it. Why did you tell me?¡± Judiel tilted her head, unable to understand his actions. ¡°Because you¡¯ve changed.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you, just like you¡¯ve been watching me.¡± Raon continued nonchntly. ¡°I noticed sincerity in your face, which used to hide behind a mask. It was probably because the annex building is special.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t need to gain other people¡¯s favor since I already discovered your identity. A single word from me would be enough to chase you away or get you killed, after all. Yet you tried protecting my mom and Helen with your body, and that wasn¡¯t an act either.¡± Judiel shuddered. ¡°Just as you showed me your true nature, I¡¯m also revealing the truth.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t say anything for a while as she kept her head lowered. Raon silently waited for her to speak. ¡°I have a younger brother. I don¡¯t know where he is or what he is doing since we were separated after being sold here. But I had to follow their directions since they told me they would allow me to meet him again one day.¡± Judiel¡¯s sad voice touched Raon¡¯s heart. ¡®It¡¯s simr.¡¯ She had a younger sibling and she was sold off instead of being abducted, but her story was simr to his previous life. He could finally understand why her gaze felt familiar. ¡°I¡¯ll save him.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± Judiel raised her head in surprise. ¡°You must¡¯ve already realized it, but I don¡¯t like doing nothing after getting attacked. Since Karoon isn¡¯t going to give up on targeting me and the annex building either, we are going to sh against each other one day.¡± Karoon didn¡¯t stop at just gathering information. He went as far as to bribe the magician to inflict a critical injury on him during the actual battle training. There was no way he would give up after doing all that. ¡°I¡¯ll find your brother after settling the matter with Karoon. I¡¯ll use any means necessary as long as he is still alive.¡± He had never experienced the loss of his family, but he could understand how she felt about it because he had precious people in his life now. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe me or not.¡± He honestly wanted to save her since her life was so simr to his previous life, especially because he had failed that very same life. Judiel stayed prostrated for a while with her arms on the ground, then she finally raised her head. Her eyes were as narrow as a fox, and the corners of her red lips were hanging down. It was a face without the faintest sign of smile, her true expression that he had witnessed before. ¡°I will ask you one thing. What were you nning to do if I gave the information about the young master to Karoon Zieghart, after you revealed the truth about the rage worm?¡± ¡°I just figured you wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡®Because your eyes were the same as mine.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s a ridiculous answer.¡± ¡°So, are you going to do it?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯llply.¡± Judiel¡¯s voice was different. It was as dry as dead leaves, with no sign of her usual kindness. It¡¯s over. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ The fact that a spy had revealed her true face and voice signified her heartfelt obedience. Just as Wrath said, Judiel could be consideredpletely on his side now. ¡°Please tell me anything you need.¡± Judiel said with utmost courtesy, as if she were facing the head of house. A white line shone in her dead eyes. ¡°Take care of the annex building while I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded once again before leaving the room. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raonid down on the bed and sighed. ¡®She is a bit different.¡¯ His life was simr to Judiel¡¯s, but their desires were different. Unlike his desire for freedom, she wished to save her sibling, which was probably more difficult to achieve. ¡°I have a lot of things to do.¡± He needed to return Sylvia to the direct line, sever Derus Robert¡¯s head, separate Syria from Runaan, and save Judiel¡¯s sibling. ¡°There¡¯s only one solution.¡± What is it? ¡°I have to be stronger.¡± He got up and attached the training sword that was next to the wall to his waist. What are you doing? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to train.¡± Raon gave a big nod and opened the door. You are seriously crazy for training! A freak like you doesn¡¯t even exist in Devildom! Let me sleep a little! I need some sleep! * * * * * * Two weeks passed, and the morning of departure for the survival exam finally arrived. Raon equipped the real sword around his waist for the first time in a long time and put on an old coat. His appearance was closer to that of a mercenary or an adventurer, rather than a swordsman. He finished by picking up the backpack with lightweight magic cast on it and left the room after looking around onest time. The lobby was empty. He snickered and opened the front door. Sylvia, Helen, and the maids were lined up in front of the entrance. ¡°Y-young master, are you leaving right now? Can¡¯t you just stay, instead¡­?¡± Helen, who was on the verge of tears, gave him food¡ªincluding lunch boxes and beef jerky. ¡°Young master, please take care.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t overdo it.¡± ¡°Run away if it gets difficult.¡± The maids gave him items necessary for traveling, along with a worried line each. Even though Raon had already had it all, he still took them and put them in the bag. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Please take care.¡± Judiel also said her goodbye and gave him a package wrapped in cloth. After all the maids finished telling him goodbye, Raon went to Sylvia, who was standing at the end. ¡°Raon, good luck. Mom will be waiting for you here.¡± She smiled, telling him she would be waiting. The maids'' eyes had all gone teary, but she was the only one smiling. ¡°Okay.¡± Since Raon was aware of Sylvia¡¯s feelings, he bowed and hugged her lightly. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Raon brushed tears from Sylvia¡¯s eyes as she started trembling, then turned around. ¡°Young master! Please be careful!¡± ¡°You have to return safely!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t skip your meals!¡± He waved his hand to answer the maids'' voices and headed to the training ground. It¡¯s just one year. I don¡¯t understand why they worry so much. ¡®It¡¯s because it¡¯s a dangerous ce.¡¯ Every maid except for Judiel had been living in the annex building since they were born. It was obvious they would be worried, since a boy they considered their own son was going to a dangerous ce. The King of Essence has been fighting extremely severe danger throughout his thousands of years of life. It¡¯s something humans would never be able to imagine¡­ ¡®I see.¡¯ Please listen to me. This is really important¡­ ¡®I see, I see.¡¯ Raon opened the training ground¡¯s door while making fun of Wrath. The trainees and instructors were all gathered at the center. ¡°You¡¯rete!¡± Rimmer was sitting at the edge of the tform as he grinned and waved his hand. ¡°Since everyone is here, I¡¯m going to announce your graduation exam once again. It willst for one year, and you have to survive in your designated area. Isn¡¯t it simple?¡± ¡°B-but that ce isn¡¯t normal!¡± Dorian¡¯s lips were trembling, as he was going to Habun Castle along with Raon. ¡°It can¡¯t be called an exam if it¡¯s too easy.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°He¡¯s really hateful¡­¡± ¡°In addition, you aren¡¯t allowed to use the Zieghart name. Only use your name without mentioning your family name. As for the job, you can make it a mercenary or a swordsman trainee.¡± Rimmer iled his legs in the air, telling him to have fun suffering. He gave a refreshing smile, looking around at the trainees. ¡°Lastly, I¡¯m going to be honest with you. Your abilities are already no different from a rookie swordsman. You will be able to reach an even higher level if you manage to ovee this trial.¡± The trainees straightened their spines, recognizing his serious gaze and voice. ¡°And this is my gift to you.¡± Rimmer pointed at a box with a lion head drawn on it. An instructor opened the lid of the box in front of the tform, and several dozens of gray gloves could be found inside. ¡°Those are the knight gloves we were supposed to receive for winning against the Owen Kingdom. I¡¯m d they¡¯ve arrived in time.¡± He grinned while touching the gloves. ¡°They are light and protect your hands. Since they are valuable items that are difficult to buy with money, take them with gratitude.¡± Rimmer personally took the gloves and distributed them to the trainees one by one. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon nodded after equipping the glove. It fit his hand perfectly, and didn¡¯t feel inconvenient at all to wear while using a sword. It was befitting the Owen name, which was famous for its handicrafts. ¡°I hope you will stay safe and healthy.¡± Rimmer went back up on the tform and smiled widely. ¡°Line up.¡± The trainees lined up in front of the tform, following Raon¡¯s instructions. ¡°Bow to the instructors.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The trainees bowed to the instructors. Their sincere shouts resounded throughout the training ground. ¡°Be stronger and return. I¡¯ll be waiting right here.¡± Rimmer left the training ground after saying the same thing as Sylvia. Each of the instructors also gave them a word of encouragement before following him. Raon turned to look at the trainees. Facing the determined gazes, he nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything special to say.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that on a day like today!¡± ¡°It might be thest day we see each other, so you have to say something as the top trainee!¡± ¡°You usually speak so well!¡± The trainees stomped on the ground like angry monkeys, as they were now close to him because of the various incidents. ¡°Then I¡¯ll say just one thing.¡± Raon raised his hand and everyone closed their mouths. They straightened their backs, as if they were listening to the instructors. ¡°As the saying goes, warriors that survived their first real battle don¡¯t die easily. And we¡¯ve already experienced our first real battle, even though it was a coincidence.¡± The trainees'' minds returned to the time they encountered the Blood Raving Demon a year ago. Some of them felt fear, some feltpetitive, and others felt regret. ¡°We survived a situation where we had no choice but to die, and managed toplete the mission. Just as the saying goes, you aren¡¯t going to die. Return after getting strong enough to represent the fifth training ground¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Woaaahh!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s survive and win!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s goooo!¡± The trainees drew their swords and shouted in unison. Raon stepped aside, looking at the passionate trainees. It was now time for them to say goodbye to each other personally. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Burren approached him nervously. ¡°I¡¯m going to be stronger during the next year at a killing pace. I¡¯ll ask for a spar right after I return, so make sure to not disappoint me.¡± ¡°Are you going to run away again?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s! Because¡­ You were trying to kill me!¡± His confident voice became as small as a hungry kid¡¯s. ¡°I never tried to do that. I was just practicing my swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Anyway! I¡¯m leaving first. Get stronger at all costs! Enough that I¡¯ll be satisfied after catching up to you!¡± He shouted at him to live like a Zieghart swordsman no matter where he was, then left. Krein, who was going with him, nodded at him as well. ¡°Hey.¡± Next up was Martha. Her nose was wrinkled. ¡°I don¡¯t forget debts or revenge. There¡¯s no way I would forget about you, as I have both with you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Since I have to pay them both back, don¡¯t you dare die over there. I¡¯ll find you and kill you if you die like an idiot.¡± ¡°Ah, and Mom wanted to say thank you for the meat. She told you to visit the annex building next time.¡± ¡°Why are you saying that right now¡­¡± ¡°Return safely, don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Keuh.¡± She murmured something iprehensible with her head lowered. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare die either. Never!¡± Martha said thatst line with her finger pointed at him before leaving the training ground alone. ¡°Mhmmm.¡± It was a humming sound that had begun to sound cute. As expected, Runaan was standing behind him when he turned around. ¡°Here.¡± She extended her hand, holding an ice cream box. Oh, the ice cream girl! I¡¯ll make an exception and keep taking care of you even after the King of Essence conquers the world. Wrath licked his lips slowly, thinking about the ice cream¡¯s taste. He had taken a great liking to Runaan, who gave them ice cream all the time. When he assumed that she was telling him to take one and was about to open the lid, Runaan pushed the entire box onto him. ¡°Are you telling me to take them all?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Ooh! The ice cream girl! The King of Essence will appoint you as the first maid. I don¡¯t think you are aware of it yet, but¡­ ¡®Can you go away?¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath back into the bracelet as he kept making a scene. ¡°Is it really okay to give me all this? What about you?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Runaan took out the ice cream boxes from her bag. One, two, three, four. There were four of them. She gave him a big nod after showing him all four of them. It looked like she was asking for his opinion. ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± Raon snickered and took out some handmade beef jerky from his bag to put it in Runaan''s box. ¡°It should be delicious since it is handmade. You can eat it when you get bored on the way.¡± Runaan stared nkly at the beef jerky pouch and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you, too.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± The corners of her lips were slightly raised, despite having been frozen stiff. ¡°Return safely!¡± Runaan waved her hand as if she was shaking a balloon, then left the training ground. Just like that, the trainees left one by one. Raon and Dorian were the only people left in the training ground. ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t want to go. I seriously don¡¯t want to go.¡± Dorian, who waspletely terrified, was driving his head onto the ground. ¡°Shall we visit somewhere else, then?¡± Raon raised Dorian up by grabbing the back of his neck. He was about to burst into tears. ¡°What? What? Where?¡± ¡°The merchant city Cameloon.¡± He smiled, pointing at the south. ¡°Let¡¯s grab some good equipment before starting our fight.¡± Chapter 105 Gray castle walls surrounded the tall buildings in a spiral shape. The low, but thick, castle walls gave off a sturdy impression. The buildings rising over them looked sophisticated. The castle exhibiting both massiveness and splendor was the city-state Cameloon. Two young men rode their horses up to the gigantic door, which was open in the middle of Cameloon¡¯s castle wall. ¡°Aww, I didn¡¯t think that riding horses would be so difficult.¡± Dorian twisted his mouth. ¡°My waist, legs, and neck. I hurt everywhere.¡± ¡°The first time is always difficult. You are used to it now, so it should get better.¡± Raon snickered and nodded. ¡®But he is getting used to it rtively quickly.¡¯ Dorian got used to it really quickly for his first time riding a horse. Thanks to that, it only took two weeks to travel the distance he¡¯d originally estimated would take three weeks. ¡°By the way, when did the young master even learn to ride a horse? I didn¡¯t notice any horses in the annex building.¡± ¡°I learned before.¡± He had ridden a horse countless times in his previous life, and he had no difficulty currently except for getting used to the saddle. ¡°You really can do anything.¡± Dorian smiled and came up next to him. He wasn¡¯t trembling anymore, probably because they weren¡¯t going to fight right away. ¡°We are going to be able to enter without much trouble today, since their vignce is currently low.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded, looking at two guards in front of the castle gate. Cameloon had different levels of vignce depending on the situation, and it was currently at its lowest level. Raon and Dorian managed to enter Cameloon without any difficulty, using the mercenary namete that Rimmer gave them. The streets and crossroads were full of people. There were also tourists, but they mostly seemed to be sellers and buyers. Raon looked around the market and shopping districts that he hadn¡¯t visited for a long time. It looked like he needed to head down in order to find what he wanted. ¡°Are you heading down?¡± It looked like Dorian noticed his thoughts as he asked his question. ¡°Down? Did you know about the ck market?¡± There was a ck market in the merchant city Cameloon where items that couldn¡¯t be sold publicly or expensive objects were traded. It wasn¡¯t some extreme secret, but he didn¡¯t expect Dorian to know about it. ¡°Of course I do.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I''m the son of a merchant family, after all. I have good knowledge about stuff like this.¡± Dorian grinned, pointing at himself with his finger. Raon did expect him to be from a merchant family, but it was Raon¡¯s first time hearing it from him directly. ¡®I didn¡¯t have to hang around.¡¯ He was nning to pretend to be looking around before leaving Dorian at the inn, but he didn¡¯t really need to do that since he knew about the ck market already. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± ¡°Huh? Does the young master even know about the passage?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard about it.¡± Raon nodded and headed towards the meat market on the right side of the city. Crossing through stalls that gave off the stench of blood, they entered the restaurant at the end of the market. Contrary to the outside, the greasy smell of freshly grilled meat was filling the space. ¡°Grilled pork. Fry the skin until it bes crispy and pour the sauce to make the meat softer. As for the ck beer, make them ice-cold and bring two sses.¡± Raon ordered food that he wouldn¡¯t usually order from the clerk standing at the entrance. ¡°¡­Ah!¡± She tilted her head, then pped her head in realization. ¡°Please,e this way.¡± She smiled slightly and led them to the room further inside. There was a round table big enough to fit five people inside the room. She carefully closed the door and pressed a part of the wall. The table on the center was lifted, the floor shaking very slightly, and stairs leading down appeared. ¡°I was surprised to hear the password used in my grandmother¡¯s generation. Did you hear about it from someone that retired a long time ago?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. It was one of the passwords he used in his previous life. Even though the ck market was exposed to many people, there was no way they would¡¯ve been using the same password for ten years. However, there was a reason that he told her that password. ¡°About that grandmother¡­¡± ¡°She died ten years ago.¡± The clerk responded casually, probably because ten years had already passed. ¡°I see.¡± The grandmother was the ck market¡¯s receptionist that used to give him something to eat whenever she met him, telling him that he had dead eyes. He wanted to see what she would tell him after seeing his current appearance, but it was a shame he couldn¡¯t find out. He felt bitter in his mouth. ¡®Rest in peace.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes and prayed for her repose. ¡°The ck market¡¯s password changes every two years even if nothing special happens. You were lucky since I still remember the previous passwords, but it wouldn¡¯t have worked if it were anyone else.¡± The clerk listed a few previous passwords and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m turning a blind eye because you¡¯re handsome.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m hiding my face.¡± Raon pointed at the hood covering his face. ¡°Handsome people give off this feeling, even if they try hiding it.¡± After that, she looked at Dorian. Her expression was filled with uncertainty. ¡°Anyway, the current password is the other stir-fried chicken without pepper and onion, and three sses of well-aged Kitten wines.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Then, please enjoy your shopping.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The clerk told them to remember the password properly, then left the room and closed the door. ¡°This is why it¡¯s important to be handsome.¡± Dorian frowned, rubbing his cheek. ¡°By the way, who told you about this ce?¡± ¡°Instructor Rimmer.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Raon said Rimmer¡¯s name and Dorian nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon went ahead and walked down the stairs. After slowly walking for around two minutes in the dim darkness, the stairs finally ended and something that looked like a gray curtain appeared. p! He cleared away the curtain and the ck market came into view. ¡°I can¡¯t get used to this. It¡¯s way cleaner than up there.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded. The ck market was way cleaner and more sophisticated than the public market. It felt like a jewelry store frequented bydies. There was a refined building at the center in the shape of a pottery, and the stalls around them were the ck merchants that got permission to sell by the ck market. ¡°Where are you visiting first?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll check the auctioned items first.¡± It wasn¡¯t time for the auction yet, but since there might be something he needed he went to the auction house first. Raon bought a catalog to check which items would be auctioned that day. His eyes stopped in the middle as he was looking through the list. ¡®There it is.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist, seeing the item called ¡®ck butterfly¡¯. He was unsure that he would find anything he needed, but he was lucky to find exactly what he wanted. ¡®It¡¯s in two days.¡¯ The ck butterfly was going to be auctioned in two days. ¡®The price is¡­ ten to twenty gold.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a cheap price, but it wasn¡¯t really expensive either considering it was an auctioned item in the ck market. ¡®I need a bit more money.¡¯ Even though he got a fair amount of money from the great achievements he made in the two previous missions, he stillcked a significant amount of money to win the auction for the ck butterfly. You don¡¯t have enough money? Howe the King of Essence¡¯s possessed body is a beggar! It¡¯s truly deplorable! Wrath, who just woke up, clicked his tongue while yawning. ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon licked his lips, looking at the casino next to the auction house. It seemed he needed to make some money over there. ¡°Eek? Young master, are you nning to go to the casino? You can¡¯t do that!¡± Dorian, who''d been drooling while reading the catalog, shook his head fiercely. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°That ce is full of gambling professionals! It¡¯s an infamous ce where even the kingdom¡¯s best gamblers lose all their money! We aren¡¯t going to have any money left to eat afterward if we go in there.¡± ¡°Ah, I know. But that¡¯s okay.¡± Raon tapped Dorian¡¯s shoulder when he tried stopping him. ¡®Because it was my bank in my previous life.¡¯ He snickered and shook the flower bracelet where Wrath was residing. ¡®I also have a secret weapon this time.¡¯ * * * * * * He didn¡¯t receive anything like a reward for killing his target when he used to live as the assassin Raon in his previous life. All he got was a few days of rest, and even that wasn¡¯t given sometimes as he had to leave for the next assassination mission right away. Since the bastards in House Robert didn¡¯t consider assassins human beings, they only provided them with the minimum amount of money necessary when they left on a mission to minimize their losses if they died. He hadn¡¯t noticed anything strange about it when he was brainwashed, but he realized that the Robert bastards were terrible sons of bitches after being released from it. ¡®That¡¯s why I gathered some money each time I went out.¡¯ In order to find an opportunity to run away, he went to the gambling house each time he got a break to make money and hid it in a house. It was too far away to get it currently, but he was nning to grab it when he had the opportunity. ¡®Now then.¡¯ Raon looked around the gambling house along with the terrified Dorian. Noticing a familiar game, he went to the table on the right side. A slender young woman and an old man wearing a clean suit were sitting at the table. The men that were standing behind them looked like bodyguards. ¡®This looks good.¡¯ Raon watched the gamble until the game finished ten times before joining the round. The gamble was about guessing the number on the dice inside a shaking metallic cup. ¡°Hah, this is why I should¡¯ve gone downstairs. I guess the casino isn¡¯t managing the clients properly anymore.¡± The woman wearing ck dress and fox mask frowned after taking a nce at him. ¡°Gender and age doesn¡¯t matter when ites to gambling, and kings and beggars are treated the same way. Wee.¡± On the other hand, the old gentleman smiled widely and nodded his head slightly. Raon only greeted the old gentleman, then looked at the round. He could hear the woman clicking her tongue, but he didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± However, the dealer shuddered at the woman¡¯s reaction. It looked like the woman wearing the fox mask was from a rather prestigious house. ¡°Ugh, this atmosphere¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s adam''s apple trembled from the frightening atmosphere around the table. ¡°We will be starting, then.¡± The dealer showed the metallic cup and dice to the three people, then put the dice inside the cup and started shaking it. His hand was so fast, his wrist and shoulder moving at the same time, which made it difficult to even see the cup properly. He elegantly spun the cup as if he were performing a sword dance before putting it down on the floor. He took his hand off, signaling for them to make their bet. ¡°Two.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with four.¡± The woman and old man pushed the chips in front of them after observing the cup. ¡°¡­Three.¡± Raon called the number three and bet half of the chips he had. ¡°I¡¯ll go with five.¡± The dealer slowly raised the cup after confirming everyone¡¯s numbers. ¡°The number on the dice is three. Congrattions.¡± The dealer smiled widely and returned twice the amount of chips he had bet. ¡°Tsk, he¡¯s just lucky.¡± The woman red at him while clicking her tongue. ¡°I lost twenty gold coins today, yet you are starting out with great luck.¡± The old gentleman nodded his head to congratte him. ¡°The next round is about to start.¡± The dealer put the dice back in the cup and started shaking it. After spinning it even faster and more cheerfully than before, he put it back on the table with a pleasant snapping sound. ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Five should be it this time.¡± ¡°One.¡± The moment Raon said one, the dealer¡¯s fingers trembled slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll go with four.¡± The dealer slowly lifted the cup. There was only one spot on the die. ¡°It¡¯s one. Congrattions.¡± The dealer returned double the amount of chips he bet. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really doing great!¡± The woman had turned her head to tantly re at him, and the old gentleman¡¯s eyes were wide. ¡°Woah! Two wins in a row?¡± Dorian jolted in surprise and came up next to him. ¡°Young master, you have to run. I¡¯m a hundred percent sure they¡¯ve gone easy because you are a novice. They are professionals, the real deal! If you continue like this, they will take everything from you, including your undergarments!¡± ¡°I know, I know. But let me try a little bit more.¡± Raon smiled and bet all the chips he had just won. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Dorian covered his eyes and sighed. ¡°Hmph, what an idiot.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The woman wearing a dress sneered, and the old gentleman slowly nodded his head. All of them believed the dealer had been going easy on Raon and that it was about time for him to reveal his true abilities. However¡­ Third round, fourth round, and after the fifth round had passed, there were enough chips in front of Raon to reach his chest. ¡°Wh-what is that?! What have you done?¡± ¡°Wow, how did this¡­?¡± The woman wearing a dress and the old gentleman stared at Raon¡¯s chips in shock. ¡°Y-young master! Gurgle.¡± Dorian was foaming from his mouth as he tapped Raon¡¯s shoulder to urge him to run away. ¡°I¡¯m pretty lucky today.¡± Raon swept the chips with his finger and smiled. H-how did you do that? What method did you use? ¡®The sound.¡¯ Sound? ¡®Each vertex of the dice is worn out to a different extent, which makes a different sound upon hitting the cup. I¡¯m anticipating the number on the dice by noticing the difference between them.¡¯ It was a gambling technique consisting of finding out the number on the dice by using the colliding sound between the dice and the cup. Most people couldn¡¯t use it even if they knew about it, but Raon was easily able to do it thanks to his advanced perception. Are you telling me you guessed the number on the dice with something crazy like that? Wrath gasped. The fact that he could notice the difference between those sounds and remember them was amazing enough. Ah, then the reason that you kept spectating the gamble was¡­ ¡®Yes, it was to learn the sounds.¡¯ I knew you were a swindler after all! That was why the King of Essence was tricked every single time! ¡®I¡¯m not a swindler since I¡¯m winning with my own abilities.¡¯ Raon snickered and gathered the chips. ¡°I¡¯m done for now. Have fun.¡± He waved his hand at the old gentleman and the woman before standing up. Are you leaving already? ¡®It¡¯s because they might start picking a fight if I stay in one ce for too long.¡¯ After looking around the gambling tables, he sat at the poker table. Poker? Are you going to scam them again? ¡®No, I never scam them.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes shone as he watched the cards being distributed. What? ¡®It¡¯s your turn now. Go over there and check their cards for me.¡¯ What a crazy bastard! Wrath popped out from the bracelet and started spreading terrifying pressure. The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom! How dare a mere human give me orders! And you have the audacity to ask me to peek at their cards! ¡®You are mistaken.¡¯ Raon remained peaceful in the midst of the coldness filling the space. He nonchntly shook his head. ¡®It¡¯s a trade.¡¯ Trade? ¡®Yes. I¡¯ll eat everything you desire here if you help me.¡¯ You really are a crazy bastard! Even though the King of Essence is a well-known gourmet, did you truly believe such a suggestion would¡­ ¡®I saw a bead ice cream vendor earlier. There was a new product, too.¡¯ Wrath hesitated for a moment. It¡¯s pointless! Missing some bead ice cream isn¡¯t a big deal¡­ ¡®Two bead ice creams.¡¯ S-Shut up! Do you truly believe the monarch of Devildom would¡­ ¡®Three.¡¯ ¡­ ¡®Four, and another food you want to eat.¡¯ Wrath stopped speaking. Raon understood it was time to put an end to it. Where shall I check? Four bead ice creams and one food of choice. It was really a cheap price to pay to utilize the monarch of devildom. Chapter 106 Poker. It was a very simple game where yers tried to assemble certainbinations using the random cards the dealer gave you, then revealed them after betting chips for the winner to get the pot. Since there weren¡¯t any rules to learn as long as you remember the hands, poker was one of the most popr games in casinos. Because of its poprity, there were also over twenty poker tables in the ck market¡¯s casino, and all the spectators were mysteriously gathered around the table at the end. ¡°H-how many times did he win in a row? Four? Five?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve counted, he won six times in a row.¡± ¡°Idiots, the winning streak isn¡¯t the important part. He is ying as if he knows everything about the opponent¡¯s cards!¡± ¡°I know, right? How can he y so well?¡± The spectators were amazed by the man in ck robe sitting at the center of the table. ¡°It¡¯s not just about the winning streak, but his winning rate is also crazy. I think he¡¯s been winning more than seven out of ten games.¡± ¡°He is so lucky. I used to be like that once.¡± ¡°Bullshit, you¡¯ve always been broke!¡± ¡°Wow, look at all those chips. They¡¯re piled up like a mountain, I¡¯m jealous.¡± Just like he said, chips were piled up like a hill in front of the ck-robed man. ¡°Haa!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± The gamblers at that table broke out in a cold sweat or frowned upon seeing that. ¡°Isn¡¯t he a dishonest gambler? It¡¯s also called a swindler.¡± ¡°You idiot! There¡¯s magic cast inside the ck market¡¯s casino, mana can¡¯t be used here. And that dealer would¡¯ve caught him already if he was actually a swindler, since he has over twenty years of experience.¡± ¡°Ah, now that you mention it, they changed the dealer as well.¡± Because the robed man kept winning over and over, the other clientsined and the dealer was changed. However, that didn¡¯t make him start losing money. ¡°That means he really is lucky.¡± ¡°Wow, I wish I was that lucky¡­¡± ¡°Well, obviously he¡¯s lucky, but his judgment is great too. His gaze is no joke.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Dorian, who had been listening to the spectators while biting his fingernails, came up to the ck robed man¡ªwhich was Raon. ¡°Y-young master, let¡¯s stop now. Now is the time that your the beginner¡¯s luck has been extended like a rubber band! Everyone¡¯s saying you were just lucky!¡± ¡°How long do you think beginner¡¯s luck canst?¡± Raon smirked, looking at Dorian¡¯s anxious eyes. ¡®Well, it¡¯s about time I stop.¡¯ He gathered his mountain of chips and nodded. The ck butterfly was usually auctioned at ten to twenty gold. Since he had earned thirty-five gold so far, it was about time he stopped. ¡®And there might be trouble if I continue.¡¯ He won consecutively because he was running out of time, but it was actually better to slowly win over a few days. It could cause a problem if he kept winning even more. ¡°I¡¯ll stop for now. Please exchange them for gold.¡± Raon stood up while pushing the chips towards the dealer. ¡°Wait! Did you just say you are going to leave now?¡± The fox masked woman, who had followed him from the game of dice to the poker table, stood up after him. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve won enough.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just leave after winning!¡± ¡°But don¡¯t peoplee here to win?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s y one more game. I haven¡¯t won a single game!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, though.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The fox masked woman red at him furiously, biting her lip. It seemed like she was exploding in anger after losing twenty games in a row between the dice and poker games. That¡¯s why she shouldn¡¯t have followed him. Even though no one told her to follow him, she challenged him on her own and lost. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why she was being like that, even though it was her own fault. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll go somewhere else.¡± Curiously, the spectators avoided their gazes as soon as the woman stood up in anger. It looked like they were afraid of her. As expected, she must¡¯ve been from a famous family. ¡°You still have lots of money. Please don¡¯t mind me, have fun.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind just because you are slightly good at gambling? Stop messing with me and stay right there!¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Raon ignored her and turned around. He was going to leave anyway, so it didn¡¯t really matter what important position she had. He went to the exit, ignoring the grinding sound of her teeth. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Dorian breathed out a sigh of relief and followed him, thinking his advice had worked. Raon Zieghart, you¡¯d better remember your deal with the King of Essence. ¡®Of course.¡¯ It¡¯s a relief, since I was going to kill you if you forgot about it. Let¡¯s go to finish the deal. It was a heavy and cold voice. However, the fact that the deal¡¯s contents were ice cream and food was making himugh. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s go.¡¯ Raon snickered and left the casino. * * * The fox masked woman red fiercely at Raon¡¯s back with golden yellow eyes as he left the casino. ¡°Setar.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Therge man that was standing behind her knelt down. ¡°Find out everything about him, what he does and what his goal is.¡± ¡°Prin¡­no, Lady Jayna. We were ordered to not create any unnecessary problems¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already listened to your request by not going to the underground gambling house. Do I still have to put up with it?¡± It wasn¡¯t the only casino around there. The one on the lower floor was the real deal, as it had no limitation in the betting amount and caused people to put their lives on the line. ¡°But youngdy, your probation is still¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and go. I¡¯m sure that bastard cheated. The probabilities are telling me it¡¯s impossible for him to win so much! I¡¯m going to personally cut his hand off!¡± ¡°Haa, alright.¡± Setar reluctantly sighed and disappeared from the spot. ¡°Hmph.¡± Jayna snorted and turned around. As she was about to leave the gambling house, the dealer came up to her. ¡°Y-you left the chips behind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need them. You can take them.¡± She didn¡¯t even look at the chips, which were worth more than ten gold, as she gave them to the dealer. ¡°Sorry? Ah¡­¡± The dealer was at a loss, but Jayna was already walking towards the exit. ¡®Money isn¡¯t the problem.¡¯ Jayna smiled coldly. She had enough money to burn. The important part wasn¡¯t the money but the victory. Since she was born with noble blood, she couldn¡¯t just move on after losing to an average man like him. ¡®I¡¯ll stand in your way, whatever it might be.¡¯ * * * * * * Hmph. Wrath gave off a smile, his voice one tone higher than usual. The King of Essence likes that one. He created a finger with blue coldness and pointed at an ice cream. ¡®That one?¡¯ Raon frowned upon seeing the ice cream. It had a strange shape with chocte chips jammed in some strange base that looked both green and blue. ¡®I think Runaan showed me something like this before.¡¯ Correct. It¡¯s that ice cream that you didn¡¯t eat before. It even appeared in the King of Essence¡¯s dreams. Wrath panted, not taking his eyes off the ice cream. ¡°Please give one of these for now.¡± Raon sighed softly and ordered the ice cream Wrath picked. ¡°Oh, dear customer. You are pretty knowledgeable about ice creams to have picked mint chocte.¡± Therge man that seemed to be the shop owner smiled brightly and took out the ice cream. ¡°Mint chocte?¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Dorian, who was eating a strawberry ice cream, jolted and came running to him. ¡°Y-young master, did you order the mint chocte just now?¡± ¡°Apparently, yes.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Young master, do you know about peppermint? The thing with a fizzy taste.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°This ice cream is made from peppermint. The cool sensation will spread inside your mouth! It¡¯s not delicious at all!¡± Dorian shook his head. Raon had seen his scared expression many times, but it was his first time seeing him feel so bad about something. ¡°That customer has a pretty bad taste. He doesn¡¯t even know about mint chocte¡¯s greatness, starting with chocte¡¯s sweetness and ending with a refreshing vor that leaves no unpleasant feeling behind.¡± On the other hand, the shop owner narrowed his eyes as he looked at Dorian. ¡°Here you go, mint chocte.¡± He personally came around the counter to give him the ice cream. The ice cream was contained in a cone-shaped pastry. Quickly, go ahead and eat it quickly. The King of Essence can¡¯t endure it any longer! Wrath spread his coldness to cover the entire ice cream shop. ¡®I got it, so calm down a bit.¡¯ Raon sighed and looked at the green ice cream. He could feel gazes from next to him. The shop owner and Dorian were looking at him with shiny eyes, waiting for his reaction. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ Thinking that it¡¯s such an insignificant matter to fight over, he put the ice cream in his mouth. ¡°Hmm.¡± Cool and sweet vor surrounded his tongue at first. However, what came afterward was the problem. The peppermint¡¯s fizzy taste spread out throughout his mouth. It wasn¡¯t exactly distasteful, but more awkward. Ohh! Delicious! Thisbination of clean and sweet doesn¡¯t even exist in devildom. This is a revolution! It looked like Wrath liked it, as he started dancing in the air, screaming out some weird sounds. He couldn¡¯t tell what kind of dance that was, but at least he looked really happy. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°Young master, are you okay?¡± Dorian and the shop owner came up to him at once and asked about the taste. ¡°I don¡¯t really like it.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°I knew the young master had a good taste! People who like mint chocte have a problem with their tongues.¡± The shop owner frowned and Dorian smiled brightly. What are you doing?! More, give me more! Quickly! ¡®Sigh.¡¯ The promise had to be kept. Raon frowned, but ate the rest of the mint chocte ice cream. ¡°Gasp! Young master! Why are you eating that again?¡± Dorian iled his arms, his face looking like he had just taken a bite of a lemon. ¡°Kuhahaha! Even if your mouth lies, your heart doesn¡¯t! It might not feel good, but you still want to keep eating it. That¡¯s mint chocte¡¯s appeal!¡± The shop owner scooped up the mint chocte one more time and forcefully gave it to him, telling him it was free. ¡°There¡¯s no such appeal! It just has an awkward and weird vor!¡± ¡°I feel pity for the customer that doesn¡¯t realize mint chocte¡¯s greatness.¡± Raon shook his head, looking at Dorian and the shop owner fighting against each other. Who is the genius that invented this? Ask him right away! I¡¯ll make him into the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate! ¡°Who invented this ice cream?¡± ¡°Ah, are you even interested in its history now?¡± The shop owner murmured that the mint chocte was truly great, and continued. ¡°It was invented by a lord of the southern region famous for ice cream. There¡¯s even an MC squad over there.¡± ¡°MC squad? Is that a group of bandits?¡± ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s a gathering of people that love mint chocte!¡± ¡°They are no different from bandits if they like something like that.¡± Dorian clicked his tongue, looking at the shop owner. ¡°Dear customer, take back what you said just now!¡± The shop owner¡¯s hand was trembling, as if he was going to start protesting any time. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply as he looked at them. ¡®Strange people exist everywhere.¡¯ Raon Zieghart! Order one more mint chocte! It fits the King of Essence¡¯s taste exactly! A mint chocte shop shall open in Devildom! And he was the most strange of them all. * * * The next day, Raon went down to the ck market an hour before the auction began. ¡®My mouth still feels minty.¡¯ The King of Essence is satisfied. The ocean of devildom shall be changed into mint chocte in the future. Wrath took too much liking to the mint chocte the day before and chose four mint choctes for the four rewards he was going to get. He said something about it satisfying his super pte. Anyway, he looked pretty crazy eating four mint choctes after saying he didn¡¯t like it that much, resulting in Dorian shaking his head and the shop owner giving him a few ice creams for free in satisfaction. ¡°Are you not going to eat mint chocte today?¡± ¡°I told you I didn¡¯t like it that much.¡± ¡°But you ate four of them in a row yesterday after saying that. I also tried it again, but it just confirmed I didn¡¯t like it.¡± Dorian¡¯s face looked like he¡¯d bitten a lemon, just like the day before. ¡°There were some circumstances to it.¡± Since he couldn¡¯t tell him about the trade, he gave an evasive answer. You can¡¯t even appreciate mint chocte, what a pathetic guy! Wrath clicked his tongue, saying Dorian had poor taste on top of being a coward. ¡°Hmm, we still have some time until the auction starts. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s look around a little, since we didn¡¯t manage to do that yesterday.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Since he had more than enough money to buy the ck butterfly, he decided to look around the ck market. Since lots of special items were traded around there, it was possible to buy a treasure at a cheap price if he got lucky. He entered the nearest shop. Jewelry like rings, bracelets, nes, and earrings were disyed. It seemed to be an essory shop. The merchant looked uninterested as he dozed off, resting his chin on the table. It looked like he wouldn¡¯t even notice if he tried stealing something. ¡®But stealing will create an uproar.¡¯ Security systems using magic stones and mana were installed on the items and the stands. If one tried stealing without knowing about them, they would get caught immediately and brought to the ck market¡¯s underground. ¡°Do you notice anything?¡± ¡°Nothing special.¡± Raon shook his head. The items in the shop looked nice, but they were just average. What he was looking for was a treasure hiding its real abilities. He went to another shop next to it. It also had essories disyed, but the items looked more worn out and old fashioned. ¡®Nothing special around here, either.¡¯ He looked around at the items, but nothing looked special or appealing. As he licked his lips and was about to leave, he noticed the rusty ring disyed at the entrance. ¡®What is that?¡¯ A memory about the ring appeared in his head. However, it wasn¡¯t his own memory. It was from the knowledge from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, which was engraved in his head. And the ring was included in it. ¡°Hah!¡± Raon swallowed his saliva and grabbed the rusty ring. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect this ring to be here.¡¯ Chapter 107 It was a rusty iron ring that he wouldn¡¯t have picked up even if it was rolling on the street. However, that wasn¡¯t the ring¡¯s true form. It could transform into a special ring, one that couldn¡¯t be bought with any amount of gold, under the right circumstances and with the ingredients. Hmm, I can feel some mysterious power. Is it a sealed item? You have some sharp eyes. Wrath admired, noticing the energy inside the ring. ¡°Eek? Are you going to buy that? It¡¯spletely rusty. Even the secondhand shop wouldn¡¯t give one silver, not even one copper for it.¡± On the other hand, Dorian frowned looking at the ring. Despite being from a merchant family, he was unable to notice it. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Raon wagged his finger and brought the ring to the shop owner. ¡°How much is this?¡± ¡°You picked a good one. It¡¯s magical equipment that can increase strength and cleanse the mind, so¡­ just give five.¡± Five meant five gold. Even though it was magical equipment, it was extremely expensive considering its mediocre abilities and appearance. ¡°Dorian, let¡¯s leave.¡± Raon left the ring on the counter and turned around. ¡°That¡¯s a wise decision! You can find a low-quality item like that anywhere¡­¡± ¡°Wait! You should listen until the end!¡± The shop owner ran out from behind the counter and blocked their way. ¡°I was just trying to cast a, so you shouldn¡¯t leave like that.¡± The shop ownerughed foolishly and started calcting the price by folding and stretching his fingers. ¡°Four! Four gold would be the perfect price¡­¡± ¡°I wasted my time.¡± ¡°Ah, wait!¡± As he was about to leave after clicking his tongue, the shop owner spread his arms to block him. ¡°Three and half! No, three!¡± After trying three and half, he saw Raon¡¯s expression and lowered it to three. However, Raon was just staring at the shop owner instead of showing a reaction. ¡°Ugh! T-two and half.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°This is the real one. I need to make a living, too!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°O-okay! Okay! Two!¡± ¡°Well, that sounds¡­¡± ¡°Pff! That¡¯s so wrong!¡± When Raon was about to nod, Dorian interrupted like the wind. ¡°Old man! Who are you trying to scam? I can see at a nce you got this ring with silvers!¡± ¡°Eek?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. The ring¡¯s effects are on strength and mind, but if it really was effective on the mind, it wouldn¡¯t be at a ce like this. And its strength effect shouldn¡¯t be as good as an ogre gauntlet or ogre ring.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Then does it look good? Not at all. Nobody would pick it up even if you threw it over there. That¡¯s why we shoulde to another agreement. Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Dorian grabbed the merchant¡¯s shoulder, who was partially out of his mind, and kept telling him something iprehensible. ¡°It¡¯s perfect! One gold!¡± ¡°Uwaa¡­¡± It looked like the shop owner was sick of Dorian¡¯s eloquence and talkativeness as his head shook like a pendulum. ¡°J-just give one gold for it.¡± Raon looked around, and Dorian raised his thumb to brag. ¡°Good job.¡± Raon snickered and left one gold on the counter. ¡®It must be even cheaper than that, actually.¡¯ He must¡¯ve obtained the ring at between ten to twenty silvers. The reason he gave him one gold despite knowing that was because the ring was worth more than a hundred gold. ¡°Wow, do the customers visit around here often? That was really amazing despite your young appearance.¡± The shop owner wiped the sweat from his forehead and blew a breath. ¡°I¡¯m from a merchant family. I know everything about stuff like this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you were so good with calctions. Goodbye!¡± The shop owner waved his hand and sat in front of the counter. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look great in my eyes, but it must be good if the young master likes it.¡± ¡°You are indeed from a merchant family, but your eyes aren¡¯t sharp at all.¡± As Raon went outside with the ring in his hand, the fox masked woman and her guards were standing in front of the shop. She was the woman he met the day before in the casino. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± She looked at the ring he was holding in his right hand. ¡°Did you buy that ring from here?¡± She was speaking politely unlike the day before, even though the arrogance behind it was the same. ¡°I did.¡± Raon responded the same way. ¡°How about selling it to me? I don¡¯t know how much you bought it for, but I¡¯ll pay ten times the price.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± The scream came from the merchant, who had been smiling from behind him. ¡°Y-young master let¡¯s sell it. She wants to buy that cheap ring for ten times its price!¡± Dorian walked up to him like a crab and whispered in his ears. ¡®This woman¡­¡¯ The fox masked woman¡¯s yellow eyes were glowing. It was a different feeling from yesterday''s desire for victory, the greed. She must¡¯ve been aware of the ring¡¯s true value. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Raon resolutely shook his head. ¡°Then as for the payment¡­ What?¡± Her voice¡¯s pitch increased since she¡¯d expected him to sell it for sure. ¡°I¡¯m not selling it.¡± As he was trying to leave the shop while shaking his hand, the guards that were standing next to her blocked his way. ¡°Then twenty times, no I¡¯ll give thirty times the price.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± The guard didn¡¯t move away despite his refusal. ¡°Fifty gold.¡± ¡°I told you I don¡¯t want to.¡± Raon got more and more annoyed as he shook his head. ¡°H-hey, m-mate.¡± The shop owner came up to him with trembling hands. ¡°What are you doing! S-sell it already! That ten-silver ring became fifty gold. That¡¯s five hundred times the price! Sell it already and give me a portion¡­¡± So, the ring¡¯s original price was ten silvers. The shop owner murmured ten silvers, forgetting that he¡¯d sold it for one gold. ¡°I don¡¯t recklessly sell my belongings.¡± Raon snickered and drew a half moon with his hand. ¡°Ugh?¡± The guard that was blocking his way was unconsciously pushed aside. Since he hadn¡¯t expected to be bounced off by a single hand gesture, his face turned red. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°What.¡± When the guard was about to block his way once again, Raon stomped his foot. The ground trembled along with a thud. ¡°Did you forget where we are? It will be troublesome if you cause problems in the ck market.¡± ¡°Stay still.¡± ¡°E-excuse me.¡± The guard that was about to make his move lowered his head upon hearing the woman¡¯s order. ¡°This is myst offer. I¡¯ll give you a hundred gold.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± Raon immediately shook his head and went to the auction house. ¡®So, it¡¯s worth at least a hundred gold.¡¯ The fact that she offered a hundred gold meant the ring¡¯s value surpassed it. Moreover, he needed it even more than that, so there was no way he would sell it. ¡°Kuahh!¡± ¡°Uhaaa!¡± The shop owner that sold him the ring and Dorian screamed at once upon hearing the refusal. ¡°The beggar doesn¡¯t know his ce because he is slightly good at gambling.¡± The fox masked woman snickered, putting her hand on her waist. ¡°Are you seriously saying that just because I¡¯m not selling my own item?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how scary the world is. You¡¯d better think about the reason that people lower themselves if you don¡¯t want to end up dying in a ditch.¡± There was no way that was true. He knew better than anyone how scary the world was. The person who didn¡¯t know anything wasn¡¯t himself, but the woman that was acting as she pleased. ¡°I¡¯m leaving if you¡¯re done.¡± He could feel the fox masked woman¡¯s threatening gaze, but he ignored her and went to the auction house. * * * * * * [Date''s ne was auctioned at 70 gold!] [Congrattions!] The auction had begun. It wasn¡¯t the only auction house, as there was another one downstairs. It was a ce for the truly rich people, since the items over there mostly started at twenty to fifty gold, ending up several times more expensive than the one he was in. Since the ck butterfly Raon was trying to purchase wasn¡¯t a really expensive item, it was auctioned on the first floor, where he was at. As expected of the first floor¡¯s auction, none of the items had a unique rating and most of them had either a magic or rare rating. Raon looked for interesting items with zing eyes, but he couldn¡¯t find anything worth purchasing. ¡®Well, I guess that¡¯s fine.¡¯ He just came to buy the ck butterfly. Obtaining the ring was already a great harvest, so it would¡¯ve been greedy of him to hope for more. [The next up is the aloof ck colored butterfly that eats magic stones, the ck butterfly!] A bird cage was brought up to the tform at the host¡¯s excited voice. A butterfly that shone a faint ck was stuck to the magic stone inside the birdcage. Even though it could leave through the cage, the butterfly wasn¡¯t running away as it stayed near the magic stone. [It¡¯s a popr ornamental item because of its beautiful faint light. Even though it doesn¡¯t live for a long time and eats a lot of magic stones, nothing beats its beauty.] The downsides could barely be heard, unlike when he was talking about the upsides. [Let¡¯s start the auction. Since the ck butterfly was sold at twelve goldst time, we will start at one gold.] [Yes. Number 15, two gold.] [Number 21, three gold.] * * * People raised their hands here and there as the auction progressed. When the price got fairly high, Raon raised his finger. [Number 77, thirteen gold. Thirteen gold! Is anyone calling for more?] The host looked around, but no one was raising their hands. ¡®Thirteen is enough.¡¯ Thirteen was actually a lot already, since the butterfly only had ornamental purposes for them. [If not, then it will be auctioned at thirteen gold.] It was as Raon was getting ready to stand up and the host was about to strike his hammer that someone raised their hand in the center. [Fifteen! Number 80 raised it to fifteen gold!] ¡°Hmm?¡± He looked to find out who was burning fifteen gold on an ornamental butterfly that only had a lifespan of a few days. ¡®That woman¡­¡¯ It was the fox masked woman that he¡¯d met in the casino the day before and at the shop that day. ¡®Is she trying to disturb me?¡¯ She looked at him and grinned. It was different from the ring. She just wanted to disturb him despite not needing the butterfly. ¡°She is tantly provoking us right now.¡± Dorian also noticed as he murmured that it was going to be troublesome. ¡°I¡¯ll ept it.¡± Raon raised his hand once again. [Ohh! Number 77, seventeen gold! Seventeen gold has been call¡­ Twenty?] As soon as he increased the price to seventeen gold, the woman raised it to twenty. [Twenty-two, Twenty-four, Twenty-six, Thirty! Thirty gold has been called! It¡¯s a new record for the ck butterfly at our auction house!] Tsk. Raon clicked his tongue. The old record was twenty gold, yet it was now thirty gold. It was all because of that woman. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He raised his finger again. [Thirty-three! Number 77 called thirty-three gold. Oh! Number 80 called thirty-seven! It¡¯s increasing again!] However, as soon as he finished saying that the woman raised her hand once again. [Woaah! Forty! Number 77 called forty gold! Am I dreaming right now?] Raon increased the price without a second thought. He didn¡¯t currently possess that much money, but he could prepare it by selling a few objects he¡¯d brought. [Forty! Is anyone calling more? Huh? Just like that? Number 80 called fifty gold! Woooow!] [Fifty gold! Fifty gold! Fifty gold! Is anyone calling more? I guess there wouldn¡¯t be! There¡¯s no way anyone would. The ck butterfly broke its record and was auctioned at fifty gold!] The host struck his hammer three times and announced that the ck butterfly was auctioned loud and clear. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Why would anyone burn fifty gold on an ornamental butterfly?¡± ¡°The ck butterfly¡¯s owner hit a jackpot.¡± People participating in the auction were shocked, looking at the ck butterflying down from the scene. [The next up is a silver magic stone with water energy, rated as rare. Oh, twenty gold already! No, thirty!] Raon called twenty gold as soon as the host introduced the next item, and the fox masked woman raised her hand immediately after. [Number 80 won it with forty-one gold!] The woman grinned at him after winning even the water attribute magic stone. Her face was telling him that whatever he did was pointless. He tried bidding on a few other items in the auction, but the woman interfered and won all of them. She was tantly disturbing them. ¡®She has way more money than me.¡¯ Even in the casino, she was using her money to win the games rather than her abilities. There was no way he could win with the amount of money he currently had. I was going to stand back since I was in a good mood, but it can¡¯t be helped anymore. Take her mask off and pluck out her eyes. Kill her! She is picking a fight with the King of Essence! Upon seeing the fox masked woman, who was showing him a smile of victory, Wrath became the embodiment of his name and popped out. He grew in size to cover the entire auction house. ¡®I know, right? I have to teach her a lesson.¡¯ That¡¯s right! Pluck out those eyes that dared to pick a fight with the King of Essence, and freeze her mouth to¡­ huh? Wh-what did you just say? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped at the unexpected answer. ¡®We aren¡¯t at Zieghart right now. No one can stop me.¡¯ Raon smiled and waved his finger. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Y-young master, please calm down. We can get a butterfly like that any time we want¡­¡± Judging from Dorian¡¯s trembling hand, it seemed he thought Raon was angry. However, Raon was actuallypletely calm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Go out and buy a night traveling outfit.¡± ¡°Night traveling outfit?¡± ¡°Yes, one that ispletely ck from top to bottom, including the shoes and mask.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to buy one. I already have it.¡± Dorian took out the night traveling set from his belly pocket and showed him. Raon was now curious about what didn¡¯t exist inside that belly pocket. ¡°But why do you need this?¡± ¡°Why else would I need it? I¡¯m going to steal that butterfly from her.¡± ¡°Eek? B-but you told me not to worry!¡± ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± ¡°You are nning to cause a major incident! We are in the ck market right now!¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes started spinning. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Crimson mes red in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°As long as we aren¡¯t caught.¡± Chapter 108 ¡°Y-you¡¯re crazy. You¡¯re really crazy¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s lips trembled as he stood guard in the auction house¡¯s restroom. ¡®His boldness must be on the continental scale to be trying to steal from the ck market.¡¯ He wanted to try looking into Raon¡¯s brain to figure out how he got such a crazy idea. ¡®He can¡¯t be serious, right?¡¯ He wanted to believe that even Raon wouldn¡¯t actually try to steal from the ck market. Yes, that¡¯s what he wanted to believe. But he was the type of person that actually did whatever he said he would. Raon had never broken his word. He killed the Green War Demon, survived the Blood Raving Demon, and beat up Raden. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The door opened as he was looking like he was smoking from how deeply he was sighing and Raon came out wearing the ck night traveling outfit from head to toe. ¡®Sniff! He is really wearing it.¡¯ Raon was wearing the ck clothes that came from his pocket, a mask on his head. He was even nodding in satisfaction. ¡°This should be enough. I won¡¯t be found out.¡± ¡°No, but, y-young master. Please¡­ Hmm?¡± Dorian tilted his head. ¡®What happened?¡¯ Raon had grown up recently to around the same size as him, yet he looked a lot smaller now. His height was visibly reduced to around 165cm. ¡°Y-young master? Your height¡­¡± ¡°I reduced it a little, since I don¡¯t want to be found out.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. What?¡± ¡®Why the hell would I say I see?¡¯ Even the advanced Sword Experts or Masters couldn¡¯t decrease or increase their heights however they wanted. He looked like apletely different person than when they were in the house. ¡°Wh-who taught you something like that?¡± ¡°Instructor Rimmer.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± He felt like that was possible since Rimmer was a very peculiar elf. ¡°I did a rough check of the security, and I think it¡¯s doable.¡± Raon smiled while stretching. Dorian felt like he was seeing a devil¡¯s smile as a chill ran down his spine. ¡°Y-young master, about that butterfly. I heard it¡¯s a rare item, but it¡¯s not impossible to obtain. Shouldn¡¯t you get another er¡­¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have much time. It¡¯s not like we can return here often, either.¡± Raon was smiling softly, but mes were ring up in his eyes. ¡°And they tantly looked down on andughed at us. There¡¯s no reason to put up with that.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± Dorian scratched the back of his head. He was actually right. The woman was tantly picking a fight and interfered in the auction. ¡°Did you find out who that fox masked woman is?¡± ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s another reason to stop you. I honestly want to tie the young master up right now!¡± ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡°She is Princess Jayna from the Balkar kingdom. She is their current king¡¯s cherished daughter not only because of her outstanding talent in magic, but also her great discernment on equipment.¡± ¡°I see, she was from Balkar.¡± Raon¡¯s smile deepened at hearing that she was the Balkar princess. He looked like a beast targeting its prey. ¡°Then I guess whatever the princess bought would be sent to the VIP room, correct?¡± ¡°Yes? Probably?¡± The auction house gave a luxurious room to VIP clients that spent a lot of money and sent the auctioned items to their room. A Balkar princess had to have her own room. ¡°Then I¡¯m not even stealing from the ck market. I¡¯m just stealing from the princess, since the ownership changes the moment items get to the room.¡± ¡°What? I-is that the case? I don¡¯t really understa¡­¡± ¡°I was contemting it, but it looks like there¡¯s no problem. Just wait here.¡± ¡°Eek? Young master!¡± Raon disappeared from the restroom after giving off a smooth smile. He had been right in front of Dorian¡¯s eyes, yet he had literally disappeared. ¡°I-isn¡¯t a princess more dangerous than the ck market? Have I gone insane?¡± Dorian shook his head while looking at the empty restroom. * * * The footworks of the best assassins had respective characteristics. Kazan, the assassin of the east, was fast. Doruma, the assassin of the west, was soft. Patoo, the assassin of the north, was sharp. And Raon, who used to be the assassin of the south, was stealthy. The Shadowless Steps he''d learned allowed him to decrease his presence as much as possible, like a shadow on a moonless night. It was to the point that even the experts were unable to properly recognize his movements. Using the Shadowless Steps to the full extent for the first time in a long time, Raon managed to arrive at the fourth floor of the auction house without anyone noticing. It was where the VIP room was located. ¡®The Shadowless Steps is the best in a situation like this.¡¯ Shadowless Steps was a stealthy footwork that even the wind and shadows were unable to follow. Even though it was slow, it was the best footwork to hide his presence and appearance. Because he¡¯d even decreased his size using bone control, neither the people participating in the auction nor the guards in the VIP floor would recognize his presence as they walked past him. How strange. Your usual personality wouldn¡¯t have done something crazy like this. Have you really gone insane after leaving the house? Just as Wrath said, it was crazy of him to try stealing from the princess just because she¡¯d picked a fight, looked down on him, and interfered in the auction. He wouldn¡¯t have done that with his usual personality. However, Raon wasn¡¯t enraged at all. His head was actually as cold as the cier of the northern sea. The reason that he was acting unreasonably despite being so levelheaded was very simple. ¡®I¡¯ve been there before.¡¯ He had already assassinated a high-ranking noble in the VIP room of that ce in his previous life. He had disguised it as a natural death, so no one had ever discovered that it was his doing. Since he had that memory, he was certain he would seed. ¡®And now is the best time to do it.¡¯ The item she won was going to be delivered soon. Entering the VIP room along with the item would make stealing the ck butterfly a piece of cake. ¡°Haa.¡± He controlled his breathing and stood at the end of the lobby. ¡®Well, it¡¯s actually only possible because it¡¯s here.¡¯ The ck market¡¯s security was exponentially tighter when it came to the lower floors. He would¡¯ve honestly given up if it was the second basement level. Vrrrr. Soon enough, a staff member pushing a cart came up to the fourth floor. The cart was covered in a thick fabric, and the birdcage¡¯s silhouette could be seen. ¡®This is it.¡¯ It must¡¯ve been the princess¡¯s auctioned items. As he was about to follow the staff pushing the cart, the thin sound of the rotating magic security could be heard like a squirrel¡¯s squeaking. Raon recognized its location through sound and carefully went through the security spreading out like a web. ¡®This isn¡¯t actually dangerous.¡¯ What was really dangerous wasn¡¯t a mere security system using mana threads. It was traps and sensors capable of detecting mana. Traps and sensors made of high-grade magic stones were able to detect unregistered people¡¯s mana. No matter how careful one was upon umting mana, the purity of a human being¡¯s mana couldn¡¯tpare to a high-grade magic stone. ¡®I¡¯m different, though.¡¯ Since his aura was umted through Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and purified afterwards by the Ring of Fire, its purity was at least higher than a high-grade mana stone even though it was still worse than natural mana. Whir! He used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation very slightly to pass through the traps and sensors made of mana stones. Just as he thought, the traps and sensors treated him as a lump of natural mana and didn¡¯t react. Raon broke through all the traps and sensors to follow right behind the staff member. The staff member stopped in front of room 404 and knocked on the door. The door opened soon enough and one of the guards that used to be next to the princess stepped out. ¡°I came to deliver the item the VIP purchased.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The guard nodded and the staff member pushed the cart to enter the room. ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ The moment the staff member and the guard looked inside, Raon used the Shadowless Steps to the extreme to pierce into the room. There were two more guards inside, but no one noticed him. ¡°There are a total of twelve auctioned items. You can confirm.¡± The staff handed over a document and took out the objects from the cart one by one. Twelve items, including the ck butterfly, were spread out on the ground. The guard nodded and signed the document. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ The item¡¯s owner had just been transferred from the ck market to the princess. There was no problem with him stealing it now. * * * * * * ¡°Did she seriously buy something like this with fifty gold?¡± The guard seemed to think she did something stupid. ¡°She usually pays any price to buy whatever she likes. It was for revenge this time, though.¡± ¡°She also ruined a family before for taking an article. That was really terrible.¡± ¡°I bet the guy earlier is also going to get his face ground into a boulder until he dies if he doesn¡¯t hand over the ring.¡± ¡°Oh, let me do that one. I¡¯ll grate it like cheese.¡± The guards giggled, sitting at the table. ¡®They are the same as her.¡¯ He had a very slight hesitation because the guards could¡¯ve been in a rough spot once he stole the ck butterfly, but they were pretty much the same as her. The guilt disappeared from his conscience. ¡°Let¡¯s continue the card game. I was winning, right?¡± ¡°The guy yesterday was really good. I should ask him his secret if we get the order to abduct him.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that. I¡¯m sure he will answer if we ask him after burying him in the ground.¡± The guards giggled with the auctioned items piled up next to the table and started ying poker. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue. ¡®It¡¯s too close to them.¡¯ It was difficult to take the items with the way they were staying right next to them. He could win if they ended up fighting, but that increased the danger of getting caught by the ck market¡¯s guards, who were standing by on the fourth floor. ¡®There¡¯s no choice. I should only take the ck butterfly.¡¯ Raon lowered his posture like a frog and looked at the bird cage containing the ck butterfly. Since a ck butterfly would die quickly in a confined space, it was usually stored in a bird cage like that. What was the reason that the ck butterfly stayed next to the magic stone despite being capable of escaping? The answer was simple. It was in order to feed on mana with high purity. That meant that the butterfly would fly at him through the cage if he provided it with better mana than the magic stone. Whir. Maintaining the Shadowless Steps, Raon used the Ring of Fire to cleanse his aura. He sliced the pure aura into thin threads and let it flow towards the butterfly. The ck butterfly that had been sucking on the mana from the magic stone flinched, then pped its wings to leave the cage and flew down. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Lowering his posture was a good decision. The guard would¡¯ve noticed the butterfly¡¯s pping wings if he had called it while standing. ¡°Haaaa.¡± He slowly inhaled. The ck butterfly had left the birdcage, but he couldn¡¯t be careless yet because it was passing under the table, where the guards¡¯ legs were located. Everything would be over if its wing brushed past the guard¡¯s leg. Raon carefully controlled his aura, as if he were bribing a newborn baby, to lure the ck butterfly. From right to left, bottom to top. He guided the ck butterfly in a way that the pping wings wouldn¡¯t even shake the guards¡¯ clothes. Whoosh. The ck butterfly, which had been fluttering like a leaf, finished its short but long journey to settle on Raon¡¯s hand. ¡®Wee.¡¯ He put it in his inner pocket and stood up slowly. The guards werepletely focused on the card game, not noticing anything. ¡°Ah, I lost again!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve lost six times in a row now. You gotta give me this whole month¡¯s sry.¡± ¡°Argh, damn it! Nothing¡¯s going in my favo¡­huh?¡± The guard that was about to throw away his cards noticed the birdcage where the ck butterfly used to be, and his eyes widened. ¡°Sh-shit! It¡¯s not there! There¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The butterfly is gone!¡± The guard checked the birdcage at different angles and started trembling. ¡°S-search! Search everywhere! We¡¯re really screwed if it¡¯s gone!¡± The guards started turning everything upside down, not only the auctioned items but also the bed, chair, and all the furniture. They eventually opened the window and the door. Raon smiled, as he had been stuck to the wall and waiting for that moment. ¡®I can move now.¡¯ He picked up five more auctioned items from the messy ground and casually left the room through the open door. How crazy. You weren¡¯t actually a swindler, but a thief! What kind of life were you living before the King of Essence¡¯s arrival? ¡®A dirty life.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly and cheerlessly. ¡®I¡¯ve lived a very dirty life.¡¯ * * * Raon returned to the restroom to change his clothes and restored his body to its original size before returning to the auction house. The host¡¯s voice was louder than ever as thest auction was going on. ¡°Ugh, m-my heart tickles¡­¡± Dorian was scratching his heart and shoulder with trembling hands. ¡°That¡¯s why you should stop eating so many snacks.¡± Raon clicked his tongue. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped. His expression was asking him what the hell he was saying when it was all his fault. ¡°Erm, young master.¡± He sighed and came close to him so that no one else could hear him. ¡°Are you sure nobody saw you?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Haa, it¡¯s a relief that you gave up halfway. Stealing from the ck market is actually really crazy¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t give up though.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± His voice suddenly became louder. He must¡¯ve believed he had given up on the ck butterfly because he had returned too early. ¡°N-no way¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s over here.¡± ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Raon tapped his inner pocket and Dorian¡¯s eyes started spinning rapidly. It had been a long time since thest time Raon saw a human¡¯s eyes moving like that. ¡°Uah¡­¡± As Dorian was about to copse back, a shadow appeared from behind him. When he looked, the fox masked woman was standing there. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having some trouble.¡± Her voice was clearly filled with mockery. It was so tant that her mouth resembled a bottle. ¡°That¡¯s why you should¡¯ve picked the right opponent. That¡¯s what you get for having so much ego despite being an insect without even a small amount of change.¡± Her expression could be guessed from her voice, despite wearing a mask. ¡°Worldly matters don¡¯t go as you please. You need to know your position to live a long life.¡± The way she was sloppily threatening him despite not realizing the situation was making himugh. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Give me the ring since you must¡¯ve realized what kind of a person I am. This isn¡¯t a threat, but your life will be difficult if you refuse, since I¡¯ve never missed anything I set my eyes on.¡± She opened her hand. She seemed certain he would hand it over because of how superior she was. ¡°It¡¯s not a threat, but it¡¯s a threat. Are you deaf or something? I told you no!¡± Raon shook his hand as if he were chasing away a fly. ¡°Wh-what? What did you just say?¡± ¡°I told you to make a hole in your ear.¡± ¡°Y-you!¡± ¡°Stop being annoying and go away.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Her mask trembled. The princess started gathering her mana, unable to withstand her anger. ¡°Talking to you nicely doesn¡¯t seem to be enough. The butterfly was what you wanted, right? Shall I buy it whenever it appears in auctions or shops so you will never get to witness it ever again?¡± It didn¡¯t matter, since he already had it. ¡°Or shall I make it so that you won¡¯t see the rising sun ever again? I can erase a shitty mercenary like you with a single finger. Because I am¡­¡± It was as the woman was about to take off her mask with a snort that they heard it. ¡°E-erm, youngdy!¡± The guard he saw in the VIP room came up to her with a serious expression. ¡°I-I have something to tell you. Just now¡­¡± ¡°What? Wh-what kind of bullshit is that!¡± The woman¡¯s face grew extremely stiff upon hearing the guard¡¯s whisper. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having some trouble.¡± Raon grinned, feeling the ck butterfly¡¯s presence in his inner pocket. Chapter 109 Balkar kingdom. It was a powerful country, one that possessed mysterious magic and unrivaled artifact crafting skills that allowed it to be part of the Six Kings alongside Zieghart. Jayna Ruin Balkar was the princess of such a powerful kingdom. The fact that she was the Balkar princess was already amazing enough, but she also possessed outstanding talent in magic and a special ability. As a result, she was the center of attention anywhere she went, and she was respected by everyone. She was one of the few true royals in the continent, one who was recognized by everyone even if she hid her face with a mask. And as the Balkar princess, she wasn¡¯t good at putting up with losses. If she lost a fight, she had to win it back even if she had to rip a scroll costing over hundreds of gold, and if she lost a gamble, she had to win it back even if it meant she had to bet dozens of times the amount. Jayna visited the shop after hearing that the mercenary that had won against her in a gamble the day before was there, then noticed his ring. ¡®Golden light?¡¯ Her skill, Styr, allowed her to see an equipment¡¯s grade. That skill activated automatically and told her that the rusty ring he was holding was actually a unique grade item. ¡®Why is something like that in such a ce?¡¯ The man was holding an item that should¡¯ve been traded in the second basement floor rather than a junkyard like that. The ring was rusty, but that wasn¡¯t the important part as the unique grade was worth more than a golden ingot. Jayna told the man she would buy the ring at ten times the price. Honestly, she thought she didn¡¯t even need to pay ten times, as he should''ve just handed it over to her as he must¡¯ve realized who she was by then. Yet he firmly refused the deal. Even when she offered fifty times the price, he didn¡¯t change his mind. Despite being refused, Jayna smiled on the inside. ¡®He doesn¡¯t know about me.¡¯ The ignorant man that still didn¡¯t know her identity was going to crawl on the ground after realizing her identity. She let him go because she looked forward to that day. The man went back to the auction house without showing any reaction to gettingughed at. It seemed he was interested in the ck butterfly, as he made his bid on it for the first time after silently watching the auction. ¡®Was that his goal?¡¯ Jayna smiled broadly and raised her hand. Each time the man raised the price, she made another bid to raise it even further. The price surpassed thirty gold in no time, and he raised his hand very slowly. Forty gold. ¡®Is forty gold all he has?¡¯ The man that took the ring only had thirty-five to forty gold. It was literally change to her. She sneered and raised it to fifty gold. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The man lowered his hand with a groan, and he never raised it again. Even after that, Jayna kept her bid on the items the man was bidding on to win them at almost twice their price. The man¡¯s expression became dry like an unwatered flower. It seemed he was nervously wondering who he had offended. ¡®That¡¯s a great expression.¡¯ She didn¡¯t feel that it was a waste of money since it was a small amount that she could easily win back. What she really wanted to see was that expression of despair and confusion. ¡°Sigh!¡± The man left the auction house, leaving his luggage behind. ¡®I can see it.¡¯ She could already see his astonishment upon hearing her identity. He must¡¯ve gone to wash his face toe to his senses. What he was going to do after that was even more obvious. He was going to kneel with his free will and offer her the ring, since no one in the world could live on after getting on the wrong side of Balkar. Filled with anticipation, Jayna crossed her long legs and enjoyed the rest of the auction as it neared its end. The man returned soon after, as the auction was almost over. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ His wet face was filled with exhaustion. He must¡¯ve been astonished to find out her identity. ¡°Huhu.¡± Jayna stood behind the man, her mouth curved in an arrogant smile. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having some trouble.¡± She jeered at him with a smile. She thought he was going to kneel and bow at any moment. However, his attitude was the exact opposite of what she had expected. With an annoyed expression, he asked her whether she was deaf and waved his hand as if he was chasing away a fly. ¡®Is this crazy bastard serious?¡¯ He still must not have realized who she was. That was the only way to exin his arrogant attitude. ¡°It looks like you still haven¡¯t realized who I am.¡± As she was about to take off her mask, the guard that had been staying in her room ran up to her in a hurry. ¡°Y-youngdy. The auctioned items have d-disappeared from the room!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The butterfly and a few other auctioned items have disappearedpletely. I-I don¡¯t know what happened¡­¡± The trembling guard was telling him the auctioned items had disappeared when there was no intruder. ¡°What kind of bullshit¡­¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having some trouble.¡± As she was about to question him, the man smiled while repeating exactly what she¡¯d told him earlier. He sneered. It was the smile she always showed others. ¡®He is the culprit!¡¯ Her intuition that was almost never wrong was whispering to her. That beggar was the culprit behind the theft. ¡°You must¡¯ve done it.¡± Jayna confidently told him. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°You stole it!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what I am supposed to have stolen.¡± The man shuddered. The dumb guy next to him was the only one trembling. ¡°You offended the wrong person.¡± Jayna patiently bit her red lips and took off her fox mask. There was no way anyone at that ce wouldn¡¯t recognize her face, yet his expression remained dull. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Do you not know me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± She got even more angry because he really looked like he didn¡¯t recognize her. ¡°I¡¯m Jayna. I¡¯m the youngest daughter of the king of the Balkar kingdom, Delua Balkar.¡± ¡°Balkar princess?¡± Even though it was hurting her pride, she introduced herself. The hood covering his head trembled visibly. It looked like he had finally realized who he had offended. ¡°Yes, you just offended the Balk¡­¡± ¡°So what?¡± The man¡¯s voice, which had huffed in astonishment, turned t as he snickered. ¡°Really, you bastard. Seize him!¡± ¡°Youngdy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he stole the auctioned items! Grab him and search him!¡± Jayna screamed. It didn¡¯t matter whether he was really the culprit or not. She just wanted to see his wrinkled face. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± The guards¡¯ hands were rough despite their polite words. When they extended their hands to crush his shoulder in an instant, the man¡¯s hand drew a semi-circle. Thud! * * * * * * The guard¡¯s arm broke as he was squashed on the ground. The man ced his feet on the guard¡¯s head and snorted. ¡°You just started attacking without a second thought. Are you confident you can handle it?¡± The man spoke in a gloomy voice while stomping on the guard. He looked around, but no one was trying to help him. It was obvious that no one would want to get on the wrong side of Balkar. ¡°No one is going to help you. I¡¯ll personally prove that you are the thi¡­¡± ¡°Raon? It¡¯s really Raon!¡± As she was about to cast magic, a pleasant voice could be heard from behind them. ¡°What?¡± A blond man wearing a luxurious uniform came up to the man. ¡°Greer?¡± Jayna¡¯s eyes widened. It was the Owen Kingdom¡¯s third prince, Greer de Owen, that she had met pretty often on her childhood. He looked d as he approached the beggar. ¡°It¡¯s you! I knew it was you because it was exactly the same voice!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± It seemed he was acquainted with Greer from the way he was bowing to him. ¡°Greer, do you know him?¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± Greer gave a big nod and pointed at the man. ¡°I told you about him before, that there¡¯s a real genius swordsman in Zieghart. That¡¯s him, Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°Zieg¡­hart?¡± Jayna swallowed upon hearing his name. Her pupils trembled violently. ¡°D-did you just say Zieghart?¡± ¡°The ruler of the north!¡± ¡°Wh-which means, Balkar just picked a fight with Zieghart, right?¡± ¡°Wow, this is¡­¡± The eyes shone from the people that had been secretly spectating. The sh between two of the Six Kings, Balkar and Zieghart, had stirred their curiosity and surpassed their fear. ¡°Tsk.¡± The man named Raon took off his hood. His blonde hair and red eyes were clearly the same color as Glenn¡¯s, Zieghart¡¯s current head of house. ¡®Direct line!¡¯ He must¡¯ve been a member of the direct line to have that color eyes and hair. He was literally the wrong person to mess with. ¡°What did you say again? You told me I don¡¯t know my ce and called me a thief. And now you even started attacking me first.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes shone with a crimson light. The burning pressure rising up from his feet started dominating the space. The extremely violent wave of energy was suffocating her. ¡°I think I made enough efforts to put up with it. What do you think?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Jayna swallowed. Dealing with a foolish mercenary and Zieghart¡¯s direct line were twopletely different things. ¡°Shall I consider it Balkar¡¯s provocation on Zieghart?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know who you were.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that even more crazy if you insulted and picked a fight with someone you didn¡¯t even know? You have an entric personality.¡± Raon¡¯s long exnation was sarcastic towards her. ¡®Seriously, this bastard¡­¡¯ She was burning with anger. Even though she was the first one to pick a fight, she couldn''t keep her temper as he jeered at her in return. ¡°Hah, so what? Can you speak in Zieghart¡¯s name?¡± Even though he was a member of the direct line, speaking in Zieghart¡¯s name should¡¯ve been difficult. She was sure he had no choice but to overlook the matter. ¡°I can.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°I said I can speak in Zieghart¡¯s name.¡± When she¡¯d expected him to withdraw, he confidently nodded his head. ¡°I can challenge you to a fight under Zieghart¡¯s name right here and now. Can you do the same?¡± ¡°B-bullshit!¡± Jayna trembled her chin. ¡®It¡¯s a lie. It must be a lie!¡¯ She thought he was just bluffing, but Raon¡¯s pressure was overwhelming their surroundings with unwavering eyes. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Greer had mentioned before that the guy named Raon was extremely talented and proficient with the sword, that he might one day be Zieghart¡¯s head of house. ¡®And the fact that he is moving around outside now means he has be a swordsman.¡¯ His youthful appearance. The fact that he became a swordsman at that age meant that he was pretty popr. ¡°Trying to suppress a Zieghart¡¯s swordsman and using them of being a thief is a more serious matter than you think.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Jayna bit her lip. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Apologize. I¡¯ll overlook this matter if you beg for forgiveness right now. If not, I¡¯ll personally visit Balkar.¡± Raon¡¯s voice weighed down on her heavily. It felt like her lungs were crushed. Such a heavy pressure made her wonder if he was truly younger than Greer. ¡°I-I need some time to think¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you five seconds. Five, four¡­¡± He started counting, so she couldn¡¯t even buy any time. Pressure, gaze, the way he controlled the situation, everything was extraordinary. There was no way someone like him was lying. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ She looked around. The auction staff and the clients were all looking at them. Her head was filled with the thought that she shouldn¡¯t have taken her mask off. ¡°Three, two, one.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± The moment Raon said one, she apologized in a hurry. However, his expression didn¡¯t get any softer. ¡°What kind of person¡¯s apologies are barely audible?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jayna grit her teeth and apologized. ¡°What kind of person holds her head up while apologizing?¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± ¡°Do it.¡± Hearing Raon¡¯s order, Jayna trembled and lowered her head. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What are you sorry about?¡± ¡°Huu¡­¡± She wanted to immediately stand up and cast a magic spell at him, but she held back. She couldn¡¯t let all her efforts be in vain. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for picking a fight at the auction house and casino, and for suspecting you of theft.¡± She had no choice. Jayna met Raon¡¯s eyes while raising her head slowly. His gaze felt like she was facing the North Sea, giving her goosebumps. ¡°I¡¯ll stop here, too, since there¡¯s no need to escte the matter any further.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to bring shame to your kingdom, you¡¯d better watch how you speak and behave in the future.¡± He left after making a hand gesture that suggested he saw her as a pathetic being. Greer frowned at her before following Raon. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Because of Jayna¡¯s silence, everyone in the auction house was unable to breathe properly as they covered their mouths. ¡°Manager.¡± ¡°Eh, yes?¡± The auction house¡¯s manager, who was under the stairs, ran up like a dog whose tail was on fire. ¡°Has the VIP floor¡¯s security sensor been activated today?¡± ¡°N-no, it hasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the control room?¡± ¡°P-pleasee this way.¡± The manager guided her to the control room with his body bent in half. ¡°Bring me the entry list from the magic stone sensor and the entire security history!¡± Jayna screamed while destroying the table inside the control room. ¡®I¡¯m sure it exists.¡¯ She had no choice but to lose this time, but she could reverse it as long as she found proof of his theft. She wanted to find proof at all costs to pay him back several times. ¡°Check everything, including the ants! Don''t overlook a single detail!¡± However, Raon didn¡¯t appear anywhere, no matter how hard her guards and the auction house¡¯s staff searched. Him entering and leaving the restroom was all they could find. ¡°No way¡­¡± Jayna copsed, trembling. Her intuition was almost never wrong. She was certain Raon was the thief, and she didn¡¯t expect that not a single piece of evidence could be found. The uneasiness, the reaction of his underling, and the circumstances around the end of the auction all pointed towards the fact that Raon had stolen the auctioned items. Yet, there was no proof. She was really going to face a reprisal if she suspected him again without any proof. Crack. Jayna grit her teeth and stomped her feet. ¡°What the hell is that bastard?!¡± Chapter 110 Raon and Greer, the third prince of Owen kingdom, entered a tea house in a quiet alley outside the ck market. ¡°Hmm, did I interrupt at a bad time?¡± Greer de Owen frowned while touching his cup of tea. ¡°No, it was great.¡± Raon shook his head and smiled. ¡®It was perfect timing.¡¯ Since he couldn¡¯t reveal his own name because of the exam, he managed to ovee the crisis thanks to Greer. The test did mention that he couldn¡¯t reveal his identity himself, but didn¡¯t say anything about others revealing it for him, so there was no problem with the test. ¡®She was trickedpletely.¡¯ It looked like she thought he was a member of the direct line because Greer only mentioned him as a sword genius, not mentioning anything about him being a coteral. She seemedpletely tricked when he took off his hood. ¡®Well, there was a way even if he didn¡¯t appear.¡¯ Even if Greer didn¡¯t show up, he still had many ways to get out of the situation. However, what happened was clearly the best solution. ¡°So, why did youe to this faraway ce?¡± Greer opened his mouth after drinking a cup of tea. ¡°I dropped by to purchase some equipment before taking the exam.¡± ¡°Exam?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the exam to be a swordsman.¡± ¡°Ah, the graduation exam. Does that mean I¡¯m one step ahead right now?¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Greer smiled and brought the sword hanging around his waist up to the table. A lion emblem could be seen on the sword once he drew it slightly. ¡°Oh! The mark of a knight!¡± Dorian, who had been partially out of his mind, suddenly stood up. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t exactly call myself a knight since I¡¯m the prince, but my abilities have been recognized for now.¡± ¡°Congrattions.¡± ¡°Haha, thank you.¡± Greer caressed the lion emblem tenderly before putting it back. ¡°But that''s some strange thing to happen. How could she suspect the Zieghart¡¯s genius swordsman of theft?¡± He murmured that it was nonsense. What an idiot! It¡¯s true. This crazy guy really did steal it! ¡°Ugh!¡± Wrath started spreading coldness, frustrated by the fact that he couldn¡¯t tell him about it, and Dorian groaned. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about Jayna too much. She just has bad manners because she¡¯s too spoiled. I¡¯ll give her a good talking to.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± ¡°By the way, you mentioned equipment. What kind of equipment are you looking for?¡± ¡°I want to check on the swords for now, since we aren¡¯t allowed to possess personal swords until we get officially recognized as swordsmen.¡± Raon tapped on the sword he had. It wasn¡¯t a bad sword, but it wasn¡¯t a good one either, which was the reason he wanted to get a new one before entering the battlefield. ¡°Hmm, then I¡¯ll introduce you to a good one. There is the workshop street at the western end, and in a corner¡­¡± Greer used a few hand gestures to tell him about a workshop. ¡°It¡¯s small and dirty, but I guarantee theirpetence. I want to introduce you to them personally, but I haven''t finished what I came to do here yet¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. The exnation is already plenty.¡± Raon shook his head. It wasn¡¯t just the exnation, but his appearance alone had already helped him more than enough. ¡°I wanted to try fighting you again, it¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°Same goes for me.¡± The energy he felt from Greer, who was now qualified as a knight, was on a different level from before. It looked like he had surpassed the wall by repeating missions and training, just like Raon. ¡°Make sure to visit Owenter. I want to try having a proper match against you.¡± Just like when he left Zieghart, he smiled before leaving. Judging from the direction he went, he was returning to the ck market. ¡°Wow, we barely managed to survive.¡± Dorian breathed out a long sigh. ¡°I never thought the young master would act so rashly. Aww¡­¡± ¡°I had a n.¡± Raon smiled. Dorian must¡¯ve been anxious, but he was perfectly calm andposed. The entire situation was at the palm of his hand. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable, but I guess it¡¯s true if the young master says so. Shall we go to the workshop first?¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head, feeling the butterfly squirming slightly in his inner pocket. ¡°I have something to do before that.¡± * * * After booking their lodgings, Raon took the ck butterfly from his inner pocket. The fluttering butterfly sat down on his finger, surrounded by a faint ck light. It was a beautiful light that made him want to keep watching it, but that wasn¡¯t the butterfly¡¯s true form. I¡¯m really wondering what you wanted to do that made you steal that useless butterfly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing useless in this world. Everything has a use somewhere.¡± Bullshit! There is plenty of useless garbage in the world. ¡°You will change your mind once you witness this.¡± Raon took out a half red, half blue flower bud from his bag. It was the Teuton flower that he got from the Snow Tiger bandit leader. ¡°This is a gift for you.¡± He shook the Teuton flower, and the ck butterfly¡ªwho was sitting on his left hand¡ªmoved to sit on the unbloomed flower petal. The ck butterfly pushed its head into the Teuton flower. The petals¡¯ color grew deeper, as if they were being painted. On the other hand, the ck butterfly¡¯s ck wings were dyed white, as if they were losing their color. Bright! The ck butterfly¡¯s ck light subsided, and the Teuton flower¡¯s petals shone brightly. The light born from the two mystical creatures spread throughout the room. When the glimmering blue light started to subside, the ck butterfly¡¯s ck wings had be a snow field and the Teuton flower¡¯s buds had fully blossomed, spreading a refreshing scent. Wh-what happened?! How did the butterfly, which couldn¡¯t do anything but suck on mana like a starving demon, manage to make the flower bloom?! ¡®I told you, nothing¡¯s useless.¡¯ As Raon smiled, the ck butterfly flew up once the Teuton flower was fully bloomed. Its wings were fluttering energetically, unlike the first time he saw it. ¡°You are even prettier, now.¡± When he raised his hand, the ck butterfly flew around in a circle before settling down on his hand. ¡°Congrattions on lifting the curse.¡± The ck butterfly and Teuton flower had different curses. The ck butterfly was cursed to keep eating mana without being able to digest it, and the Teuton flower was cursed to be unable to gather mana. Because of those two curses, the two mystical creatures¡¯ ratings were at the lower end of rare. However¡ª ¡®It¡¯s a different story when the two of them are together.¡¯ Once the ck butterfly transferred the mana it had fully umted to the Teuton flower, which can¡¯t gather mana, the two curses were lifted. The ck butterfly that would freely leave after giving away its mana and the Teuton flower that blossomed into a beautiful flower were in a symbiotic rtionship that was onlypleted when they were together. ¡®There¡¯s almost no one that knows about this fact.¡¯ Raon would¡¯ve never known about that fact either if it weren¡¯t for the knowledge from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Whir. As Raon was watching the Teuton flower¡¯s clear light, the ck butterfly tickled the back of his hand. ¡°Alright, I got it. I got it.¡± He opened the window with a smile. He extended his hand out the open window to let the ck butterfly fly away. Whir. The ck butterfly slowly floated, cheerfully fluttering its wings. After circling around the surrounding buildings, it came back down to slowly look at him. It folded its wing for thest time, as if it were saying goodbye, and flew away into the vast sky. ¡°Have a good life.¡± Raon shook his hand and closed the window. He sat down on the floor to look at the fully bloomed Teuton flower. Two of the four flower petals were glittering in red while the other two were glittering in blue. It was beautiful and smelled nice enough to use it as decoration. ¡®This is its true form.¡¯ Teuton flowers used to only have a small amount of fire and water attribute mana. However, the ck butterfly had allowed it to blossom into a state with a lot of mana gathered inside of it, and that was its true form. ¡®I think I can eat it now.¡¯ Since he had confirmed that the flower had bloomed, it was now time to make that energy his. Elixir was a mass of nature¡¯s energy, but its purity was inevitably lower than nature''s mana because impurities piled up in the process. However, the Teuton flower was different. It didn¡¯t bloom on its own, and receiving the help from another mystical creature purified its energy. Because it had two different attributes, the two mana types had a purity that could pretty much be considered raw. ¡®It¡¯s the perfect elixir for me.¡¯ Raon had the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and an aura of frost. He was more suitable than anyone else when it came to absorbing the Teuton flower¡¯s energy. ¡®Then.¡¯ He popped the Teuton flower into his mouth as if he were taking pills. He didn¡¯t even need to chew it, as the Teuton flower melted down like sugar and went down his throat before it could even spread its sweet and floral fragrance in his mouth. ¡®Woah¡­¡¯ His stomach repeatedly heated up and cooled down. It felt like fire and ice were alternating, touching his stomach. He could confirm that Teuton flower was the real deal from the way it was making a fuss, to the point that it could tear his stomach apart. Raon smiled slightly. He sat down on the floor to rotate the Rings of Fire and used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The pure energy sprouting from his energy center traveled throughout his body, and the Teuton flower¡¯s energy smashing his stomach started to calm down. Whir! The heated aura from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation came up through his mana circuit to guide the Teuton flower¡¯s energy. His shoulder was hot, his heart was cold, his arm forearm was cool, and his thigh was heavy. The Teuton flower¡¯s energy started to spread throughout his body, following the energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®It¡¯s really pure.¡¯ The two attributes contained inside the Teuton flower were as clean as the fresh snow. He just needed to circte the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation for them to stick onto him by themselves. Whir! Raon¡¯s entire body trembled. It wasn¡¯t because of pain. It was because of the exhration of Teuton flower¡¯s energy umting in his energy center. As a result, his mouth was curved into an excited smile. Thud! Whenever he used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation repeatedly, his energy center and body vibrated to discharge the waste that used to be stuck in his mana circuit like rust. Whoosh! Raon entered a trance, feeling his body and aura advancing to a different level. * * * * * * Raon opened his eyes. Dark gray lightning struck from his red eyes. There was no need to read the messages. The high purity energy filling his energy center, the mana circuit that had be broader, and his light body were telling him enough about how his body had changed. ¡®It¡¯s better than I thought.¡¯ He thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to absorb everything even if it was the Teuton flower, but he was mistaken. The Teuton flower¡¯s purity was even better than the Ten Leaf Grass. He could absorb most of the energy without any waste. All his stats had increased, but the one that had increased the most was his energy. The energy stat has increased by more than 10, reaching 70. ¡®I think I can probably keep fighting for half a day in my current state.¡¯ The aura of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Coldness of the Frost filling his energy center had increased as much as the energy stat¡¯s number. It seemed he would do pretty well in a drawn-out battle now. ¡®I think I can win against an advanced Sword Expert without much difficulty in my current state.¡¯ He didn¡¯t get stronger simply because his aura had increased. He was now capable of using other techniques from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, ones that he used to be unable to use because of hisck of aura, which meant he was now pretty much twice as strong as before. Though, it didn¡¯t change the fact that there were still more techniques he couldn¡¯t use than those he could. ¡®That can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ The techniques of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation required a tremendous amount of aura. Even though he was purifying his aura with the Ring of Fire, it was inevitable that hecked aura. ¡®That¡¯s why I need to grow up faster.¡¯ He had a lot to do. He needs to restore Sylvia to the direct line, save Judiel¡¯s younger sibling, and decapitate Derus Robert. It was necessary to get stronger for that sake, and not only in terms of aura¡ªhis body and mind as well. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon stood up and looked out the window. It seemed he had been cultivating all night long, since that afternoon, as the sun was about to rise. ¡®Let¡¯s test it a little.¡¯ He didn¡¯t feel tired at all despite spending the entire night cultivating. He went to an open area with no one around to test his changed body and internal energy. He warmed himself up and stomped the ground. Thud! His footprint was engraved on the ground, and sand scattered around him. It was the same step as before, but the sound resounded throughout the open area because of the higher quality internal energy. Wham! He connected the power of his stomp to his waist to sh his sword. The cold air of daybreak was split apart like paper. Whir! A crimson light appeared on Raon¡¯s de. The techniques of the ¡®Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯ that couldn¡¯t blossom were released naturally. m! am! His sword shed like lightning as he swung it around. It was a session of scary techniques that even a qualified swordsman wouldn¡¯t be able to block. Baam! The heat wave emerging from his de of fire had devastated the surroundings as if a cannonball had bombarded the ce. ¡°Haa¡­¡± After performing the Star Connecting Sword, the Fangs of Insanity, and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation one after the other, Raon straightened his posture while exhaling an excited breath. ¡®This is great.¡¯ Raon smiled in satisfaction. His body and blood vessels had improved even further from discharging the waste. The reaction speed of both his internal energy and his body had also gotten faster. Trying to move his body is really nice. There was a difference between heaven and earth when it came to just reading the message and actually moving the body. He needed to try moving his body to know precisely how much he had changed. ¡°Well, then.¡± Raon tapped his sword, looking at the rising sun. ¡°Let¡¯s go get a new sword.¡± Chapter 111 Dorian was watching Raon¡¯s training from the top of a tree. ¡°Wow¡­¡± He initially wanted to stand guard to stop people from disturbing him, but he¡¯d already forgotten that purpose and was just admiring him. ¡®Did he get even stronger?¡¯ The sharp de shing through the air and the clean footwork pressing against the ground. The naturalbination of the two showed that Raon¡¯s prowess had increased one stop further since they had left the training ground. ¡®How does this make sense?¡¯ All Raon did was gamble to his heart¡¯s content, eating a lot of mint chocte and stealing carelessly from others. Worries and nervousness had all been his job, yet Raon was the one whose swordsmanship had increased. ¡®Huh? Is he even using aura?¡¯ It seemed Raon was getting serious as he gathered his aura. His energy was clearly shining red, just like sunlight. ¡°Gasp.¡± Unable to repress his excitement, Dorian took his favorite round chips out of his belly pocket and took a bite. Whoosh! Raon stomped on the ground to perform the Star Connecting Sword. Dorian already knew about those techniques, but they were all too powerful for him to block. Cring! All of the sudden, the red de¡¯s trajectory changed fiercely. It was the Fangs of Insanity, the terrible swordsmanship that had ripped apart the minds and bodies of the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees. Whir! The sword¡¯s rotation changed once again. A crimson flower blossomed on the de, flower petals fluttering like an autumnndscape. The storm of me dominating the space made the hair on his neck stand on end. ¡®I can¡¯t block that.¡¯ He¡¯d been working hard to follow Raon, but he couldn¡¯t imagine himself blocking that flower petal. He was certain that Raon was getting stronger, even at that very moment. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian breathed out and shook his head. ¡®I want to ask him for help.¡¯ If he came to his house to lend him his strength, he probably could achieve ¡®that¡¯. However¡­ He was hesitant to talk to him about it. No, he actually couldn¡¯t. After all, he didn¡¯t decide to follow him for that purpose. ¡®I was just interested at first.¡¯ He was confident despite the coterals and the members of the direct line making fun of him, and the word ¡®give up¡¯ didn¡¯t exist in his vocabry. He had approached him because he was interested in that aspect of him. As he closely observed him, he realized Raon was the real deal. With his achievements and the boldness that no one had expected of him, he gained the acknowledgment of everyone¡ªincluding direct line, coteral, vassal family, and rmended children. They were now separated, but every single one of the forty-two trainees in the fifth training ground followed him wholeheartedly. ¡®He is really amazing.¡¯ When Dorian put the second round chip in his mouth, Raon turned around. ¡°Are you just going to keep spectating?¡± ¡°Huh? You knew I was here?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been eating snacks right there. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice?¡± Raon smiled wryly, looking at the round chip he was eating. ¡°Ugh!¡± Dorian put the rest of the round chip in his mouth and ran to the open area. ¡°You should do it too.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you swung your sword, so I¡¯m telling you to exercise a little.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m alri¡­¡± ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian nodded, drawing his sword. He performed the Star Connecting Sword just like Raon did. ¡°Stretch your forearm a little more, bend your knee. Breathe about 25% slower.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He fixed his posture ording to Raon¡¯s advice. Whoosh! The wind rising from the sword was different. ¡®I¡¯ll be fine anywhere as long as I¡¯m with him.¡¯ He confirmed his conviction, the conviction that he could pass any trial as long as he was with Raon. ¡®Ah, except for Habun castle.¡¯ Honestly, that was a bit scary. Actually, a lot¡­ * * * * * * Raon finished his breakfast and went towards the artisan street, which was located in the very east. It was early in the morning, yet the heat from the cksmiths was already spreading throughout the street. ¡®This reminds me of that time.¡¯ The heat strong enough to make him sweat reminded him of the times he cultivated at Vulcan¡¯s charcoal kiln. ¡®Those were hard days.¡¯ He almost died because of the ice filling up from inside and the heat from the outside. Tsk, the King of Essence suffered even more. The heat seriously makes me gnash my teeth. Wrath kept blowing his breath, trying to push away the heat. ¡°Hmm.¡± He looked around the workshops with various weapons disyed, including swords, sabers, spears, and more. ¡®Those are pretty good.¡¯ The swords were a pretty good bnce between sturdiness, sharpness, and bnce. They were the results of apetent cksmith''s passion and sweat. Pretty good? Are your eyes just peep holes? They can¡¯t even be used to trim the King of Essence''s fingernails. They can¡¯t even be called weapons. ¡®Are your fingernails made of diamonds or something?¡¯ Raon snickered, and went to the next cksmith. He said they were pretty good, but he didn¡¯t say he was going to buy them. It was a fact that they weren¡¯t too bad, but the sword he was currently holding was actually better, so they weren¡¯t what he was looking for. ¡°Young master.¡± Dorian, who returned after looking around the entire street, tilted his head while eating his snack. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find the workshop the prince mentioned.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be around here.¡± Greer had told him the day before that it was a ce without a signboard between the alleys, not on the central street. ¡®Is it that way?¡¯ There was a narrow alley that one person could barely pass through on the right side. Considering the heat that wasing from that way, it must¡¯ve been the workshop Greer had mentioned. ng! ng! They entered the alley and a mountain-breaking hammering sound could be heard. The heat was also more intense. ¡®I came the right way.¡¯ The hammering sound of steel already told him that it was on a different level from the other cksmiths on the outer street. He looked at the weapons disyed in front of the cksmiths. It seemed they weren¡¯t for sale since they were scattered around in a mess,pletely disorganized. He tried holding the sword in front of him. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t shy or sophisticated. And yet, the de was perfectly bnced and sturdy. The heaviness also felt like it would be able to endure any battle. Hmm, this is more eptable. Even though they would still break while trimming the King of Essence¡¯s toenails. He ignored Wrath¡¯s trash talk and looked at the other swords. From the swords to the sabers, the spears to the daggers, everything was way better than the other ce. ng! ng! ng! He looked inside the cksmith. A white-haired old man was hammering on the steel, puffing up his muscles like a pot. He didn¡¯t stop his work despite having noticed the clients. ¡®Are all cksmiths like that?¡¯ Vulcan, who he met at the charcoal kiln, was exactly the same. It looked likepetent cksmiths didn¡¯t care about the people around them. ¡®Anyway, those are some good weapons for sure.¡¯ The swords in that ce were way better than the ones outside. It looked like he came to the right ce. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Dorian couldn¡¯t stand the boredom and called out to the cksmith. ¡°You have clients.¡± ¡°Dorian.¡± Before he could stop him, the periodic hammering sound had stopped. ¡°Ahem!¡± The cksmith, who¡¯d been leaning forward, stood up. He was tall enough to almost reach the ceiling, and his muscles were as bulky as an orc¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m not epting customers.¡± He turned around to re at them with brown eyes. Now that he looked at him, he looked more like an ogre than an orc. ¡°Hieee!¡± Dorian made a monkey sound and started trembling upon meeting the old cksmith¡¯s eyes. ¡°Leave.¡± He shook his huge hand, expressing his disinterest in money and clients. ¡°Someone rmended that wee here.¡± ¡°Rmended?¡± The old cksmith finally looked at Raon. ¡°Sir Greer rmended this ce as a nice cksmith.¡± ¡°Greer? Greer¡­ No way, do you mean the third prince?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That sword-crazy guy rmended this ce? There¡¯s no way he would¡­ huh?¡± The old cksmith tilted his head after looking around Raon¡¯s body and arm. ¡°Wh-what are you?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fifteen.¡± ¡°You are even younger than Greer!¡± The old man¡¯s eyes widened, as if they were about to pop out. ¡°How do you have such an aura de at fifteen! What the hell are you?¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°I can see a sword from you. It¡¯s not perfectly tempered yet, but it¡¯s a huge, sharp, and sturdy sword.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Raon nodded, looking at the wavering old man¡¯s eyes. He was looking at the level of swordsmanship he had achieved. He was an outstanding person, deserving Greer¡¯s rmendation. ¡°How did you manage to temper such an aura de at that age?¡± ¡°I just trained hard.¡± ¡°If one can achieve that level by just training hard, everyone in the world would¡¯ve be an expert already. Hah, it¡¯s truly iprehensible. Are you the next strongest swordsman of Owen or something?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not rted to them.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not Owen¡¯s sword, indeed. This pressure¡­ is it Zieghart?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The response came from Dorian instead of Raon. His jaw dropped in surprise. That¡¯s how a proper cksmith should be. They can tell someone¡¯s background just from looking at a swordsman. Back in Devildom, there was a cksmith like that. The King of Essence¡¯s sword has¡­ ¡°Yes.¡± Since he was already found out because of Dorian, Raon nodded and ignored Wrath¡¯s story about Devildom. ¡°So you were a Zieghart after all.¡± Heughed and stepped back. ¡°The conqueror of the north has been raising a monster. I¡¯ve witnessed countless swordsmen, yet it¡¯s my first time seeing somebody like you.¡± ¡°My name is Raon.¡± He deserved the courtesy since he was able to analyze his strength just from looking at him. Raon introduced himself by revealing his name. ¡°I¡¯m Kuberad. Just an old man that has no choice but to wield his hammer.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Raon swallowed. Kuberad Jayton. He was one of the cksmiths of the continent alongside Vulcan. He was a monstrous cksmith that had created countless masterpieces between Owen and Balkar. ¡°Why are you in such a ce¡­?¡± The fact that the great cksmith was living in such a deserted alleyway was as surprising as the fact that Vulcan had been making charcoal for over ten years after his retirement. ¡°It¡¯s just my hobby, since I¡¯ve already aplished what I wanted.¡± He gestured for them toe inside. ¡°H-how about me? What do you think about me?¡± Dorian came next to him and pointed at himself. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Can you also see the aura de or whatever from me?¡± ¡°Hmm, round face, round eyes, a bloated face. You must be a coward.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± Dorian faltered, since he hit right on the mark. Is that old man a fortune teller with a sharp intuition? ¡®I know, right?¡¯ Noticing his aura de was one thing, but he didn¡¯t expect him to recognize that Dorian was a coward. I want to show him the King of Essence¡¯s majestic face. I¡¯m sure he will kneel and start worshiping me immediately. ¡®What a joke.¡¯ Raon sneered. He was sure he would immediately say that he was a psychopath as soon as he saw Wrath¡¯s white face. You bastard! The King of Essence¡¯s true face isn¡¯t this lump of ice. It''s a flower! A literal flower! The most handsome in Devildom¡­ ¡®Ah, I see.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath¡¯s scream and looked at Kuberad. ¡°So, why did youe to visit me?¡± ¡°We are looking for a sword.¡± ¡°Sword?¡± ¡°Since we are heading to a tough battlefield, we came to find a sturdy and sharp sword.¡± ¡°Hmm, do you want me to make you a sword?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case. I¡¯m not a swordsman yet, and there¡¯s somebody who promised to make my first sword.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kuberad stopped moving. ¡°D-did you just say you aren¡¯t officially a swordsman yet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What kind of life have you been living? How can you have such prowess as a trainee¡­?¡± Murmuring that it was ridiculous, he sat down on the wooden box. ¡°You are a real monster, one that I haven¡¯t seen for a long time. Wait, is Vulcan the person that is going to make you a sword?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I guessed right! I heard he¡¯d retired, but he¡¯s back! Kuhahaha!¡± Taking his smile as a yes, Kuberad burst intoughter. He seemed to be rted to Vulcan somehow, since it was his honest expression of joy. ¡°Of course. I shouldn¡¯t snatch away the swordsman that Vulcan set his eyes on.¡± He smiled visibly, to the point that his mustaches were raised, and opened his hands. ¡°Take whatever you like. Nothing here has been made sloppily, so it will be useful no matter what you take.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. My sword should be honored instead to be used by a boy that might be the continent¡¯s strongest in the future.¡± Kuberad started drinking the liquor on the table from the bottle. ¡°C-can I also pick one?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m in a good mood, so I¡¯ll give you one too, coward!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian pouted. However, he didn¡¯t say anything about it as he checked the swords with his eyes shining red. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon checked the scattered swords one by one. ¡®They are on a different level.¡¯ Even though they looked like they were made half-heartedly, they were higher than the rare rating by far. It seemed that he would be satisfied with any of them. ¡®Then which¡­ hmm?¡¯ As he was checking a slightly long sword, he could hear a strange sound from the left side. It sounded like wailing. Buzz! He wasn¡¯t mistaken. He put down the sword and turned his head. ¡°Huh?¡± There was a weird dagger between the swords. A dagger with red sheath and hilt was resounding on its own. Chapter 112 ¡°Hmm.¡± Kuberad smiled vividly, looking at Raon¡¯s back as he looked through the swords. ¡®The world doesn¡¯t stay stagnant.¡¯ He¡¯d met countless warriors as a cksmith, from young geniuses to absolute beings that established their Houses to stand at the center of the world. Every single one of them had left him an unforgettable impression, but the boy standing in front of him was different. ¡®It¡¯s not about his strength.¡¯ The prowess he possessed despite being fifteen years old was certainly amazing, but that could have already happened before in the vast continent. However, his qualities were different. Like a cksmith that forges a sword by hammering the steel, he was sharpening his sword by polishing his mind. It was an auspicious temperament that could achieve the unification of sword and body in a near future, and the mind¡¯s swordter on. ¡®That¡¯s only possible after bing a Master¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s prowess was about the level of an Expert. He couldn¡¯t understand how his mind had solely reached that level through countless walls. ¡°The name of Zieghart is going to resound throughout the world once again.¡± Kuberad murmured that he wanted to see that interesting world and guzzled down the bottle. The cheap liquor tasted sweet thanks to his interesting client. Whir. Upon hearing the sudden sound of vibration, he put down the bottle and raised his head. ¡°Huh?¡± The red dagger on the table was wailing, and Raon was extending his hand towards it. ¡°W-wait.¡± He must not touch that. He couldn¡¯t understand why the dagger he¡¯d left out in a corner was there. ¡°Stop!¡± He shouted in a hurry, but the red dagger was already in Raon¡¯s grasp. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Kuberad suddenly stood up and took Dorian, who was standing there dumbfounded, and stepped back. ¡°Wh-why are you doing this? I wasn¡¯t trying to pick two, I really was trying to pick one¡­¡± ¡°Do you see that?¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that dagger? Why is such energy¡­¡± Dorian swallowed. A weird red light was simmering up from the dagger Raon was holding. ¡°It¡¯s a possessed de.¡± ¡°P-possessed de?¡± Possessed des were grotesque and cunning des. They were evil items, ones with negative emotions that tried to control their wielders. ¡°Damn it.¡± Kuberad bit his lip. Since the one holding the sword was just a boy whose mind wasn¡¯t yet matured, he would definitely easily sumb to the sword¡¯s ghastly energy. ¡°We have to stop him before the ghastly energy reaches his head! Coward, draw your sword!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± He took up the hammer next to him and urged Dorian on. However, he just tilted his head without drawing his sword. ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s going to be dangerous if we don¡¯t stop him no¡­¡± ¡°No, but we don¡¯t really stop him. The young master is the same as always.¡± ¡°What? The ghastly energy is leaking all arou¡­huh?¡± Kuberad¡¯s jaw dropped. It was true that the ghastly energy was overflowing, since it wasing out fiercely. However, the ghastly energy was only spreading out around the dagger, not managing to even get close to Raon. Kliiing! The possessed de wailed once again. Unlike the strange vibration from before, it sounded more like a dog¡¯s scream upon getting caught on a leash. ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Raon, who''d been looking at the dagger, raised his head upon hearing that. He didn¡¯t look bewitched by the ghastly energy, as his clear red eyes looked perfectly fine. ¡°I¡¯m okay. But this dagger isn¡¯t just an average weapon.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Kuberad gasped and fell back. ¡°Wh-what the hell are you?¡± * * * How dare¡ª Wrath¡¯s serious voice was frighteningly dry. ¡ªan inferior bug target the King of Essence''s possessed body. His wrath wasing from the bottom of his heart. The blue coldness boiled up and mercilessly suppressed the dagger¡¯s ghastly energy. Kliiing! The dagger screamed, squashed by Wrath¡¯s coldness. I¡¯m going to shatter you into pieces! Wrath sliced his coldness into thin threads and inserted them into the dagger. It seemed he was trying to kill the dagger itself. ¡®Stop.¡¯ What? ¡®Stop there for now.¡¯ Why? It was trying to snatch food from the King of Essence! You''d have been swallowed by the dagger¡¯s ghastly energy if it wasn¡¯t for the King of Essence! ¡®I¡¯m not your food, and I wouldn¡¯t be swallowed by a dagger like this even if you weren¡¯t around.¡¯ You are underestimating the ghastly energy. It¡¯s true that the level of it doesn¡¯t evenpare to the edge of the King of Essence¡¯s toe, but for a mere human¡­ ¡®You didn¡¯t even manage to pierce through my defense, so do you really think something like this could manage it?¡¯ Uh¡­ Wrath¡¯s anger stopped at once. He was just staying there, speechless, with his mouth wide open. ¡®Am I right? So just leave it alone.¡¯ Th-that seriously hurts. You won¡¯t be able to die a peaceful death. The King of Essence will chew you up and gnaw on you for over thousands of years¡­ ¡°What is this dagger?¡± Please listen to me! Raon ignored Wrath, who started talking, and went to Kuberad. ¡°Th-that is¡­¡± Kuberad looked back and forth between the dagger and Raon with a dumbfounded gaze, then sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a failure I created. It¡¯s a possessed de, just like I said earlier.¡± ¡°Possessed de, I can indeed feel the ghastly energy from it.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t just be able to feel it. It should be trying to swallow you right now.¡± ¡°It was manageable.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon was just stating the truth, but Kuberad groaned dejectedly, unable to understand the situation. ¡°Possessed des are des with ghastly energy. In simple terms, they are des that are made with the inclusion of people¡¯s negative emotions. Inside that de is¡­¡± Kuberad bit his lip and continued. ¡°Resentment. And it¡¯s a terribly viscous resentment.¡± ¡°Can you exin it to me?¡± ¡°Sit down.¡± Kuberad pointed at the chair in front of the table. Raon nodded and sat down. ¡°I-is it okay if I listen as well?¡± Dorian took a soft chair from his belly pocket and leaned his body on it. * * * * * * ¡°There¡¯s a small vige called Siren in the south. The vigers were good people that treated a tree called Othello as a sacred tree.¡± Raon knew about the vige. It was a small vige slightly outside House Robert''s domain. Since the vigers had a good nature without much suspicion, he¡¯d used it as an escape route before. ¡°The White Blood Religion¡¯s believers assaulted that vige.¡± ¡°White Blood Religion¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡®Those atrocious bastards¡­¡¯ The White Blood Religion was a huge religious group belonging to the Five Demons alongside Eden and the South-North Union. They were fanatics that assaulted everything in the world due to their first doctrine, aiming to cover the world with white blood. ¡°Then, Siren vige¡­¡± ¡°There were no survivors. Half the vigers died right there, and the other half were abducted and taken away. They even cut down and took away the Othello tree, which was the vigers¡¯ spirit. White blood was the only thing that remained.¡± White blood wet the earth instead of red after White Blood Religion¡¯s assault. It was part of their magic. ¡°I made that de using a meteorite piece I had back then and the branch of Othello that remained in that ce.¡± Kuberad looked at the de Raon was holding with wavering eyes. ¡°You made a de?¡± ¡°Yes. I was nning to offer themfort with that de instead of a memorial. However¡­¡± Kuberad touched his temple and frowned upon remembering that time. ¡°The white de and hilt was dyed in red as soon as Ipleted it. Contrary to my intentions, it incorporated an uncontroble amount of resentment from the Siren vigers.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded. Just as he said, the sword contained a tremendous amount of ghastly energy. If someone else had held it, they would¡¯ve been bewitched by and started swinging it around. ¡°There¡¯s a saying that good people are scarier when they get angry, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this much. Even powerful people couldn¡¯t manage the ghastly power, so I had no choice but to keep it with me. I don¡¯t understand how you are able to grab it without any problems.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He drew the dagger from the sheath to look at it. The de waspletely dyed in red, just like the sheath and hilt¡ªas if it was trying to remember the resentment from that day. Whir! The red de vibrated to spread its ghastly energy. The energy crawling on his hand was even more terrifying and evil than when it was contained inside the sheath. ng! Raon used the Ring of Fire. The five rings rotating around his heart resonated with each other to increase his level as an existence. Kliing! Just like when it was pushed back by Wrath, it started screaming upon being suppressed by his level. ¡°Huh! Seriously.¡± Kuberad¡¯s eyes wavered like a ship on rippling waters. ¡®He is like an onion.¡¯ He thought he¡¯d witnessed enough about him, yet he was showing another side of himself. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was just a child that wasn¡¯t qualified as a swordsman yet. ¡°The sword I forged tofort their soul is craving revenge. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t use it as a memorial. I was trying to seal it, but I didn¡¯t expect this to happen.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention earlier that half of them have been abducted?¡± ¡°Yes. The White Blood Religion usually kills half on the spot and abducts the other half. I only found half of the vigers as corpses.¡± Raon closed his eyes after looking at the dagger as it wailed in mortification. He was abducted by Robert¡¯s people during his childhood in his previous life, a childhood that he couldn¡¯t even remember anymore. Since they weren¡¯t just abducted but also ughtered, their resentment must¡¯ve been even worse than his own. Whir. It felt like the dagger¡¯s weeping vibration was scraping at his heart with rough ss. ¡°I¡­¡± Raon opened his eyes once again, and stared at the dagger. ¡°...have a lot of things to do. I already don¡¯t have enough time to take care of it, so I can¡¯t really help with your revenge. However, if I ever encounter the White Blood Religion, I¡¯ll make your wishe true.¡± The dagger¡¯s weeping sound started to subside in silence. ¡°Are you willing toe with me?¡± The dagger stopped crying. It seemed as if it was pondering about it as its de trembled. Whir! The biggest vibration so far resonated from the dagger. Ghastly energy was also flowing out, but it wasn¡¯t harmful anymore. ng! It resonated with the rotating ¡®Ring of Fire¡¯, producing the clear resonance of a sword. ¡°S-sword¡¯s resonance?¡± Kuberad fell back from his chair upon hearing the sword¡¯s resonance from the dagger Raon was holding. ¡°I choose this one.¡± Raon smiled broadly and put the dagger in its sheath. ¡°A-are you really taking that?¡± ¡°Am I not able to?¡± ¡°Hah! It¡¯s the first time someone confidently told me he¡¯s taking a legendary weapon.¡± Despite what he was saying, Kuberad was making a satisfied and refreshed expression. What did you just say? Did you say you are taking that cunning thing? ¡®Yes.¡¯ It¡¯s a parasite! How are you nning to keep a parasite with you, one that¡¯s targeting the King of Essence¡¯s belongings? Are you out of your mind? ¡®A parasite, huh¡­¡¯ Raon gave Wrath a sour look. What! Why are you looking at the King of Essence with that impertinent gaze? ¡®I figured there wouldn¡¯t be any difference between having one or two parasites.¡¯ T-two parasites? Para¡­ no way! Are you referring to the King of Essence? ¡®Well, it¡¯s true. You are targeting my body, just like the dagger.¡¯ You¡¯re crazy! The King of Essence is the monarch of Wrath that dominated the entire northern region of Devildom¡­ ¡®No, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you are a monarch or whatever. It¡¯s a fact that you are currently sticking to me because you failed at taking over my body.¡¯ S-stick? The King of Essence¡­ ugh! Raon Zieghart! You can¡¯t say wherever you want with that hole in your mouth! This is the first time in my entire life I¡¯ve been humiliated so much! ¡®But I¡¯m talking because I have a hole.¡¯ Raon decided to ignore Wrath, who was exploding in anger, and turned his head towards Kuberad. ¡°What is the name of this dagger?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t give it a name, since I made it use as a memorial.¡± ¡°Then is it okay if I name it?¡± ¡°Do you have an idea?¡± ¡°Since the cksmith wanted tofort the vigers, Requiem. I want to name it the de of Requiem.¡± ¡°A de of Requiem spreading ghastly energy, huh. That¡¯s rather enigmatic.¡± He snickered and stood up. ¡°Take it. However, you must keep your word.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll keep shing against the Five Demons as long as I wield Zieghart¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Wow, a possessed de. You really obtained a possessed de¡­¡± Dorian was eating snacks, spectating them through some strange sses ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon equipped the de of Requiem on his lower back and bowed at Kuberad. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You should pick your sword.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯ll give you a sword, not a dagger.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± It seemed he was intending to give him another sword. ¡°Are you really giving me a sword in addition?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t lose. That¡¯s everything a cksmith wants from a swordsman.¡± Kuberad handed over the sword Raon had been looking at earlier. ¡°I¡¯ll visit Zieghartter to meet Vulcan, so don¡¯t give me a cold reception.¡± ¡°Of course. My family is great at cooking, I¡¯ll make sure to treat you well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t forget this favor. Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing special.¡± Their smiles were as warm as sunlight shining between the alleys. ¡°Well then.¡± Raon bowed, then left the cksmith. As he was about to leave the alley, Dorian¡¯s voice could be heard from inside. ¡°I haven''t finished choosing yet!¡± Chapter 113 ¡°You are so mean!¡± Dorian started steaming from his nose. ¡°How could you forget about me?!¡± ¡°Sorry, it was the perfect time to say goodbye. I just forgot about you.¡± ¡°Argh, was my presence that small¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders drooped. ¡°But you got a nice sword. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡¯ Raon pointed to the second sword hanging around Dorian¡¯s waist. He¡¯d managed to get one of Kuberad''s swords before leaving the workshop. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. But¡­¡± ¡°By the way, the way we are both carrying multiple swords looks rather tasteless.¡± Raon was currently equipping the Zieghart¡¯s supplied sword, Kuberad¡¯s sword, and the de of Requiem. Dorian also had two swords at his waist. They could look like they were just trying to look cool on the outside. Hmph, you did realize it. Weaklings usually like to hang around with a bunch of weapons. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence conquered a region with his bare fists¡­ Wrath was still spreading coldness around him, angry about Raon treating him like a parasite earlier. Since he was starting to go on another long-winded rant, Raon ignored him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? It looks cool since we look like we¡¯re dual wielders. Huh?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± As they were about to leave through Cameloon¡¯s main gate, they encountered a knight order wearing silver armor. With a lion emblem engraved in their chest, they were Owen¡¯s knight order. ¡°Oh! We met here again.¡± The blond man standing at the front of the knight order cheerfully waved his hand. He was Owen¡¯s third prince, Greer de Owen. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon took the hand Greer had extended with a smile. ¡°I managed to get a nice sword, thanks to you. Thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you, too!¡± Dorian twisted at the waist in order to show him the sword he just got. ¡°It looks like you managed to get some nice swords.¡± The prince found it funny as he made a soft smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m satisfied with the sword I got. I didn¡¯t expect someone like him to be around here.¡± ¡°I know. He insisted on settling there even though I tried stopping him by pulling on his pants.¡± He murmured that it was such a shame, looking at the sword hanging around Raon¡¯s waist. ¡°By the way, it went ording to my expectations.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t the type of person that would give someone a sword just because of my rmendation. He must¡¯ve given you a sword because he took a liking to you. You know, cksmiths are very prideful.¡± Greer wriggled his fingers, telling him that he was really amazing and worthy of his acknowledgment. It looked like he was itching for a rematch. ¡°Where are you headed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going north for now.¡± ¡°Then how about apanying us? We also need to head north for a day.¡± He pointed at the knights behind him. Raon couldn¡¯t recognize any of them except for Setun, who ended his match in a draw against Burrenst time. ¡°Alright.¡± Since he didn¡¯t need to make a detour, it didn¡¯t really matter. Also, he¡¯d received the de of Requiem thanks to Greer, so he wanted to tell him about its story. ¡°That¡¯s great! Our travels won¡¯t be boring!¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± The red-haired knight that had been watching from behind stepped up next to Greer. ¡°We are in the middle of a mission. We shouldn¡¯t recklessly gain newpanions¡­¡± ¡°This guy is Raon. Raon Zieghart! There are only benefits to having him with us.¡± ¡°Hmm? Raon?¡± The knights¡¯ gazes changed upon hearing the name ¡®Raon Zieghart¡¯. They scanned his entire body like reptiles checking their prey. Raon nonchntly epted their gazes. The knights were unable to discover his prowess with their current abilities. They would probably see him as being at the highest-level Sword User at best. On the other hand, Raon had already analyzed their abilities. Greer was at the highest-level of Sword User, and the other knights were beginner to intermediate Experts. He noticed disappointment in the knights¡¯ eyes. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ The knights didn¡¯t manage to discover his true prowess and were thinking he was worse than what they had heard. They are judging from what they see, and can¡¯t even hide their expressions. They are a disgrace of knights. ¡®They¡¯re still young. I¡¯m sure they will change as they gain more experience.¡¯ You aren¡¯t just young. You¡¯re a kid. ¡®I¡¯m a different case.¡¯ Do you think you¡¯re special? Special is a title belonging to existences like the King of Essence. I¡¯m a noble and elegant absolute being that was born as one¡­ ¡®Haa.¡¯ Apparently, he really needed to brag about himself in any situation. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh upon hearing it. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Can you tell me about how you got the sword from him? I kept thinking about it after sending you.¡± Greer gestured for him to follow with his hand. Raon snickered and tapped Dorian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± * * * * * * Only high nobles, royalty, and celebrities were allowed inside the VIP room on the fourth basement level of the ck market. Inside that room, a proud woman wearing a ck dress was sitting under the dim light with her legs crossed. She was the princess of Balkar, Jayna. As she was tapping on the table in boredom, the door opened and a woman with narrow eyes and long purple hair flowing down to her waist entered. ¡°Sorry for the wait.¡± ¡°This much is nothing in order to meet Lady Orienne, the ck Cloud¡¯s authority.¡± ck Cloud was an intelligence organization branching across the continent. Their excellent intelligence capabilities had led to people saying that whatever they don¡¯t know is unknown to the gods. ¡°I¡¯m not the authority at all.¡± The woman named Orienne narrowed her eyes further and shook her head. She stuck out her chin slightly and continued. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the information you¡¯ve requested. Shall I tell you directly? Or do you prefer documents¡­¡± ¡°Please, tell me.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The woman named Orienne nodded and straightened her shoulders. ¡°A member of the direct line named Raon Zieghart doesn¡¯t exist in the world.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jayna reacted in surprise. ¡°In other words, no one in Zieghart¡¯s direct line is named Raon.¡± ¡°B-but that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Are you sure the information is correct?¡± She even forgot her formalities as a princess. ¡°It is correct.¡± Orienne calmly blinked her eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s not much information because Zieghart is an extremely closed group, but we at least know the names and faces of their direct line, upper coterals, and vassal families. A member of the direct line by the name of Raon does not exist in Zieghart.¡± ¡°Th-that can¡¯t be true! It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± Jayna mmed the table with her fist and stood up. ¡®Was I possessed by a ghost?¡¯ Raon¡¯s dominant pressure was befitting Zieghart¡¯s direct line, and he was also acquainted with Greer, Owen¡¯s third prince. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ There was no way Greer had lied, since he¡¯d been bbering about Raon as Zieghart¡¯s rising star, a sword genius and the future head of house even before she met Raon. ¡®Then he must be a member of the direct line. He also said he was a direct line¡­ Wait.¡¯ Jayna swallowed. ¡®No, he didn¡¯t. Now that I think about it, neither of them mentioned that he was a member of the direct line!¡¯ The circumstances had made her believe that, but none of them had actually said he was a member of the direct line. She was speechless and justughed wryly. ¡®Damn it! He was a coteral!¡¯ That was the only way to exin the strange situation. ¡°Hah!¡± She was running out of breath, realizing she had bowed to a mere coteral and apologized. She wanted to catch him immediately and make him kneel. Jayna ground her teeth and red at Orienne as she stood in front of her. That was the ck Cloud¡¯s w. Their response was only limited to the question she asked, despite knowing that Raon was a coteral. ¡°I¡¯ll ask one more thing.¡± ¡°That will add to the cost.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Orienne opened her hand, gesturing to her to ask. ¡°Information about the coteral named Raon in Zieghart.¡± ¡°He is fifteen years old. He is a coteral, just as you said, and is currently the representative of Zieghart¡¯s fifth training ground¡¯s trainees. He won the spar against Greer De Owen, Owen Kingdom¡¯s third prince, and he has subjugated the Snow Tiger bandits that were about to join the South-North Union. And¡­¡± She told her about a few more details, but nothing concerning Eden came from her mouth. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Jayna listened to the end with a red face before standing up. She took out a gold pouch from her chest and threw it on the table with a cold smile. ¡°You are really excellent with business.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Orienne smiled, pretending that her sarcasm was apliment. ¡°Hmph.¡± Jayna left the room and mmed the door. ¡°Shiiiiiit!¡± Her angry voice could be heard from afar. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s coteral yed Balkar¡¯s princess for a fool¡­ Isn¡¯t that interesting?¡± Orienne flicked her finger and the ck shadow under the lighting wavered. ¡°Gather information about Raon Zieghart.¡± Her red lips smoothly curved into a crescent moon. ¡°I think he is a real deal, one I haven¡¯t seen for a long time.¡± * * * At the low hill about one day away from Cameloon. Raon, Greer and Dorian were sitting in front of a bonfire that worked to melt the cold night wind. Since the knights left to scout, Raon figured it was his opportunity and told Greer about the possessed de. Although he only said the first sentence, and Dorian bbered the rest. ¡°I really couldn¡¯t believe it even though I saw it with my own eyes. The red ghastly energy came out from the sword and started spreading like octopus tentacles¡­¡± ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve seen it. Both the cksmith and I fell back in surprise. I had only ever heard about possessed des before.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon shook his head. It was bullshit, since Dorian was just eating his snacks back then. ¡°And when the young master said, ¡®Come with me!¡¯, the sword resonated with a ng! It was like a scene from a painting!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Greer eximed with shining eyes. He was seriously more suitable to knighthood or heroics than being a prince. ¡°That was an amazing experience. I¡¯m jealous.¡± Greer¡¯s eyes shone as he looked at the de of Requiem hanging from Raon¡¯s waist. However, he didn¡¯t recklessly ask him to show it to him. He certainly knew his manners. ¡°But that¡¯s also a sad story, since the White Blood Religion¡¯s evil deeds are spreading throughout the continent.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded. A religious group had the characteristic of spreading quickly, and their believers existed almost everywhere. ¡°Actually, our mission is also rted to the White Blood Religion.¡± Greer tapped the sword with the lion emblem. ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°We are transporting something from the White Blood Religion¡¯s branch to the kingdom. That¡¯s why there are so many knights¡­¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon stopped Greer from talking and stood up. He could feel dozens of presences approaching from afar. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Someone ising this way.¡± ¡°A-aren¡¯t they the knights?¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes trembled like a pendulum, already terrified from what he said. ¡°The number is different, and the knights are alsoing back after noticing the presence. Your highness, prepare yourself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Greer immediately equipped his helmet and stood up, trusting himpletely. ¡°Your highness!¡± ¡°We are in trouble! The White Blood Religion¡­ hmm?¡± The knights returned a momentter and saw Raon and the prince. Since they were already ready to fight, their eyes widened. ¡°Huh? Were you already aware of their surprise attack?¡± ¡°The swordsman Raon told me about it. Is the White Blood Religioning?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± The knights looked at Raon with bamboozled faces. They were curious about how he had learned of it. ¡°There are at least fifty fanatics, five priests and one bishop!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Listening to the dreary sound of the entire forest moving, Greer grabbed his sword. ¡°Everyone, prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± With a war cry, the knights stood in front of the prince to protect him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this. I wouldn¡¯t have asked you toe along if I knew this would happen.¡± Greer sighed, turning around to look at Raon and Dorian. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to assault us within Cameloon and Owen¡¯s influence.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his head, and stood on the same line as the knights. ¡®I guess they are targeting the object.¡¯ The prince said he was transporting something from the While Blood Religion. Their target must¡¯ve been that something. Tsu tsu tsu. Along with strange footsteps, the White Blood fanatics wearing jet ck coats from head to toe exited the forest. Some of them had one or two white lines on their ck coats. They were the priests and a bishop. Raon could feel they possessed a higher prowess than the rest. ¡°Kuaah! Th-they¡¯re really here!¡± Dorian started screaming at the White Blood Religion¡¯s appearance. His teeth were trembling, but he somehow managed to hold the line. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled lightly and grabbed the sword he¡¯d recently acquired. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to keep my promise this early.¡¯ As he was about to draw the sword, thinking it was such a mysterious thing to happen¡ª Whir! The de of Requiem vibrated loudly enough to resonate throughout the entire hill. ¡®Are you telling me to draw you?¡¯ The vibration grew even more intense, as if in answer. ¡®So it wants to take revenge with its own power¡­¡¯ Raon nodded. He also had no intention of leaving his revenge against Derus Robert to someone else. He drew the de of Requiem, thinking they were like minded. Crackle! Ghastly, resentful energy was burning on the red de, which looked like it was soaked in blood. Chapter 114 Raon had encountered four of the Five Demons in his previous life. If he were to choose which of them were the hardest ones to fight against, the White Blood Religion was always in the top two. They were a group of fanatics that didn¡¯t hesitate to pierce the stomach and sh the throats of their allies for their religious purpose. ¡°Kill them all.¡± The bishop wearing a coat with two white lines extended his hand, and the White Blood fanatics started running at them with bloodthirsty eyes. ¡®Well, then¡­¡¯ Raon held the de of Requiem in a reverse grip and gathered the energy from the Ten Thousand Flower Cultivation. ¡®Let¡¯s take your revenge.¡¯ With fierce steps, Raon dashed at the White Blood fanatics. ng! The White Blood Religion believer at the front drew a sword curved like a crescent moon. It was the White Blood Religion¡¯s main weapon, a scimitar. He shed the scimitar at Raon¡¯s neck without even shouting. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ The White Blood Religion believed that killing in a single strike was a mercy, and usually aimed for the neck or the heart. The attack was extremely lethal, but it was easier to dodge because of that. Raon bent his knees. He dodged the scimitar with a paper-thin difference then shed with the de of Requiem. Thud! The White Blood fanatic¡¯s head fell on the ground, following the hand¡¯s light movement and drawing an arc. ¡°Huh.¡± Raon eximed, looking at the de of Requiem. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ It was just a simple and light cut, yet the opponent¡¯s head was cut off. It was an unreasonable degree of sharpness. ¡®I feel like I¡¯ll get cut just from holding it.¡¯ He licked his lips, looking at the ghastly energy spreading out like the roots of a thousand-year-old tree. ¡®Let¡¯s continue.¡¯ The de of Requiem resonated in response. Thud! Raon kicked the ground. He pierced into the White Blood fanatics attacking the knights, shing with the de of Requiem. Spurt! Along with a frightening sound, the bodies of five White Blood fanatics had been split diagonally. Whir! The de of Requiem resonated even more intensely, craving for more blood, and the wave of ghastly energy also became stronger. Raon¡¯s red eyes sparkled. He dashed into the battlefield, leaving his body to the ghastly energy and started ughtering the White Blood fanatics. He looked like a red wolf taking a stroll amidst a flock of sheep. ¡°Stop.¡± Once he killed twenty White Blood fanatics on his own, a man with a white line on his coat stood up to him. He was a priest, a higher rank of believer. Whir. The scimitar the priest was holding started shining in white. ¡°Die.¡± The priest came running at him, aiming for his neck. ¡®It¡¯s too obvious.¡¯ His attack was no different from the believers. Raon extended his left foot to the back. He thrust the de of Requiem the moment the scimitar hit the ground. Poof! It was just a simple thrust, yet the left side of the priest¡¯s chest exploded. It was a ridiculous amount of power. ¡®It¡¯s crazy.¡¯ The de of Requiem was still craving its revenge. Its dry resonance sounded like the priest¡¯s blood wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy its thirst. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the priest¡¯s blood seeping into the ground. That¡¯s a weird color for blood. Mixing in some water would have that light color. Wrath was right. The priest¡¯s blood was light red, simr to red paint with a small amount of white mixed in. ¡®This is the White Blood Religion¡¯s characteristic.¡¯ The White Blood fanatics used a cultivation technique called Bloody Banquet to gather bloody energy, then enhanced it by drinking human blood. Their blood grew white the more they drank blood and the more they cultivated. In other words, how close to white a White Blood fanatic¡¯s blood was determined their position and power. They really are crazy. ¡®Yes, they can¡¯t even be called humans.¡¯ Raon kicked the ground, seeing that the knights were struggling against the White Blood fanatics. He assaulted the priest that was hacking his scimitar at the red-haired knight¡¯s neck. ¡°Hmm!¡± The priest reacted quickly and turned his body, but it was already toote. Wham! The de of Requiem¡¯s sharp strike sent the priest¡¯s arm flying. ¡°Kuah! Y-you bastard!¡± Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity as the priest stepped backwards in panic. He followed up immediately to behead him. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Hearing the desperate breath, Raon looked sideways. The red-haired knight that barely managed to survive was staring at him in astonishment. Raon nodded slightly and advanced. Each time he swung the de of Requiem, one or two White Blood fanatics disappeared. A tremendous amount of murderous intent endlessly stormed around the red de. ¡°I have no other choice.¡± The bishop, who had been overpowering the prince and two knights on his own, turned around. He used a strange footwork, making him look like a moving shadow, to step in front of Raon. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you first.¡± ¡°Can you do it?¡± Raon sneered. He could feel that the bishop was stronger than the Green War Demon or Raden, but he couldn¡¯t imagine losing at all. ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± The bloody scimitar drew a half moon towards his neck. Whoosh! He leisurely bent his back and the scimitar cut his golden hair, scattering it in the air. ¡®He is the same.¡¯ The bishop wasn¡¯t an exception to the White Blood Religion¡¯s way of targeting the neck and heart. As Raon straightened his back, the bishop opened his left hand, which wasn¡¯t holding the sword, shooting snow white energy from his index finger towards Raon¡¯s heart. It was a technique called Bloody Finger Bullet, which consisted of shooting aura from the finger¡¯s mana circuit. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon shed the de of Requiem down. The Bloody Finger Bullet was cut in half by the fierce ghastly energy, destroying the rock behind him. As the bishop pulled his arm back, Raon pierced into his space, swinging the de of Requiem at the scimitaring down at him. ng! The enchanted scimitar and the de of Requiem, surrounded by ghastly energy, shed and produced a thunderous noise simr to a devil''s scream on the hill. Creak! The ghastly energy of the de of Requiem glowed darkly. It became a red ray of light to bounce off the scimitar. ¡°Hmm!¡± The bishop¡¯s expression grew stiff, irritated by the fact that he was pushed back by a small dagger. ¡°Who are you, and where are you from?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t reveal my identity myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to drink your blood.¡± The bishop opened his left hand and put it on his waist, then held up his scimitar. With an intense pressure emanating from his posture, he was aiming for an all-out attack. ¡®Bring it on.¡¯ Raon bent his knees and narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to use a secret dagger technique, ghastly energy started emerging from the de of Requiem. Whir! The ghastly energy spread out along with the resonance, drawing a curved trajectory in the air. It looked like dancing steps and a butterfly¡¯s pping wings at the same time. ¡®Are you telling me to copy that?¡¯ The de of Requiem resonated once again in assertion. ¡°Although I¡¯m not sure what that is¡­¡± Raon nodded and started rotating the Rings of Fire. The five rings of fire resonated to slow down time. The ghastly energy¡¯s path grew clearly visible. ¡®That is¡­¡¯ The path carved by the ghastly energy was a sword dance. The sword dance of fertility that the Siren vigers used to offer to the divine tree Othello. The sword dance of fertility that was supposed to pray for world peace had be a sword dance of revenge and resentment in order to slice the enemy¡¯s throat. ¡°Die.¡± White light shone from the bishop¡¯s hand and sword. A wall full of des crushed against him. It was the bishop¡¯s secret technique, the White Spirit Wall. ¡°Fine.¡± Raon brandished the de of Requiem. ¡®I¡¯ll do as you wish.¡¯ He stomped the ground and used the zing energy that was burning up from his lower body to rotate his waist. The aura of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy mixed into a single energy, tracing through the sword dance¡¯s trajectory. Clink! As the de of Requiem advanced, the amount of energy inside the de exploded. When Raon finally thrust his sword, a frightening aura stretched from the de with a thundering sound. Baam! The mixture of aura and ghastly energy ripped apart the White Spirit Wall in an instant, rampaging through the bishop and the fanatics behind it. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon¡¯s legs faltered for an instant. It looked like he¡¯d spent too much aura at once as his head went nk. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He caught his breath and slowly raised his head. A bloodstain was the only thing remaining under the subsiding sandy dust. The White Blood fanatics, priests, and the bishop had all been erased without a trace. ¡°Hah.¡± Raon eximed and looked at the de of Requiem. The red de had grown even darker after sucking up the bloody energy from the death of White Blood fanatics. ¡®Your resentment was way stronger than I thought.¡¯ It was to the point that it would transform the dance of fertility into a dance of revenge. He felt slightly bitter as he turned around. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Greer and the knights were falling back with wide eyes. They were opening and closing their mouths like goldfish, too surprised to say anything. ¡°Y-y-young master.¡± Dorian crawled up to him, his limbs trembling as if he had caught a chill. ¡°What was that just now? W-was it some kind of magic?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Raon shook off the blood from the de of Requiem and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure how to describe the dagger that contained a sadness surpassing its power. * * * * * * Gulp! The knight Roreil swallowed, looking at the blond boy standing there confidently. ¡®Wh-what was that?¡¯ He annihted the White Blood Religion with a single strike. That sort of prowess was only possible for advanced Experts or highest-level Experts. ¡®...H-how could he have done that?¡¯ The strength left his fingers, which were supporting his body from the ground. It felt like Raon¡¯s frightening eyes were shining like a death god¡¯s, even though he¡¯d thought of him as a sloppy and naive boy. ¡®I was sure he hadn¡¯t even reached the Expert¡¯s level¡­¡¯ The Raon Zieghart¡¯s prowess that he saw in Cameloon was way weaker than his own, and he was even weaker than the prince. And the fact that he was carrying around multiple swords made him think that he was just a naive greenhorn. He was convinced that the kind-natured prince was thinking better of him. ¡®But that wasn¡¯t the case.¡¯ The naive greenhorn was himself. Raon was an expert, strong enough to deceive himpletely. He was that strong with a single dagger, so he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how powerful he would be if he actually drew his sword. ¡®What an idiot¡­¡¯ While Roreil was ming his own foolishness, the prince stood up. ¡°Huh. He became way stronger than before.¡± The prince eximed in amazement and walked up to Raon. ¡°I believe the amount I¡¯ve been training doesn¡¯t lose to anyone, yet there seems to be a difference that I can¡¯t even dare try to catch up to.¡± The open-hearted prince admitted the extent of Raon¡¯s prowess. ¡°Thank you very much. It¡¯s all thanks to you that our lives were saved.¡± He lowered his head, as if he forgot about their difference in social standing. However, no one could stop him from doing that since it could¡¯ve been really dangerous if Raon hadn¡¯t been there. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you for saving us.¡± ¡°You were really amazing.¡± Roreil suddenly stood up and bowed to Raon. The other knights also hesitantly approached him to express their gratitude. ¡°It was nothing.¡± Raon looked up at the green mountain over the hill and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would¡¯ve managed even if I wasn¡¯t here.¡± * * * After cleaning up the battlefield alongside the knights, Raon settled down in a different ce. Unlike before, the knights kept ncing at him. They weren¡¯t secretly looking down on him anymore, and their gazes were filled with awe. ¡®They are only treating me fairly after I show my strength.¡¯ Of course. Humans are strong against the weak, and weak against the strong. They are worse than any animal in that aspect. Wrath murmured that they were even worse than demons, popping out from the flower bracelet. ¡®Well, anyway this dagger is fiercer and more dangerous than I thought.¡¯ He stared at the de of Requiem¡¯s de, shining in red. It only became like that when it met the White Blood Religion, but it was carrying an intense resentment. Hmph. It¡¯s still just a lousy tool. If the King of Essence had lent you the strength, the whole area would¡¯ve been frozen. ¡®But you can¡¯t do that.¡¯ Ugh¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s not talk about something you can¡¯t do.¡¯ I-I can do it, but I¡¯m just not doing it. Because The King of Essence wants your body and soul! ¡®Excuses, once again.¡¯ Excuses? Back in Devildom, countless demons came to the King of Essence, begging for strength. One of them had been bestowed with power¡­ ¡®Be quiet.¡¯ When Wrath started his boring story, the de of Requiem vibrated. The energy imbued on the red de flowed into Raon¡¯s body. Stop it! That parasite is trying to steal the King of Essence¡¯s body! ¡®First of all, this is my body and not yours. And secondly, it doesn¡¯t have any intention to harm me.¡¯ Raon shook his head. The energy he felt from the de of Requiem wasn¡¯t ghastly energy, it was a pure energy. As he was thinking about what just happened, a message popped up. Chapter 115 Raon narrowed his eyes upon reading the message. ¡®Purified bloody energy, huh¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just bloody energy, but purified bloody energy. It looked like the de of Requiem ate up the evil energy from the bloody energy and offered him the pure part. ¡®It¡¯s pure indeed.¡¯ In fact, the energy had a higher purity than a magic stone¡¯s mana. It was an auspicious energy, one that wasn¡¯t harmful in any way. ¡®I¡¯m taking it in.¡¯ He lowered the wall of aura blocking it, and the energy offered by the de of Requiem started seeping into his body. Whir! Pure and clean energy like morning dew started spreading throughout his body. Feeling the exhration of pure and refreshing energy filling up his body, Raon clenched his fist. However, that message wasn¡¯t thest one. A new window appeared, telling him a new trait has been created. Raon¡¯s eyes shone upon reading the description. ¡®This is pretty good.¡¯ Wielding the weapon with ghastly energy exhausted arge amount of willpower and aura. Now that he had the trait, he would have more room to spare upon using the de of Requiem. Wait a moment. While Raon was nodding in satisfaction, Wrath burst in front of him with distorted eyes inside the blue coldness. Why did you just get a new trait? ¡®You told me before that the system acts in a way that benefits me. It probably created this trait to help me use the de of Requiem.¡¯ And how do you think it created that trait? It¡¯s the King of Essence! It¡¯s obvious it was taken from the King of Essence¡¯s main body! ¡®I guess, why are you stating the obvious?¡¯ Keuh! Wrath ground his teeth. Icy anger was crawling up the blue me. ¡®This is really convenient.¡¯ As Raon was closing the window, the de of Requiem vibrated slightly. It was a soft movement, as if it was telling him it wanted to get along. ¡®Are you hoping to get along in the future?¡¯ Whir! The de of Requiem resonated clearly, affirming his statement. ¡®You¡¯re really helpful, unlike Parasite Number 1. I¡¯ll cancel your appointment as Parasite Number 2. Let¡¯s get along.¡¯ Whir! The de of Requiem vibrated to express its gratitude. D-did you just call the King of Essence ¡®Parasite Number 1¡¯? But you are the parasite! You are the sucker that is sucking mepletely dry! ¡®I see.¡¯ Kuaaah! Raon responded insidiously, and Wrath started screaming, bursting in anger and coldness. The blue coldness erupted like a volcano, and the emotion of wrath swarmed at him. Whir! The emotion of wrath he had taken in before red up once again and pressured his mind. ¡°Huff¡­¡± It was an extreme pain, one of thousands of needles poking at his pores. Just as he had been getting stronger, Wrath had also been recovering his strength. Raon slowly exhaled and used the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Once his soul level increased and heat engulfed his entire body, the paining from Wrath¡¯s anger and coldness started to subside. ¡®This is the counter.¡¯ The Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation were the only shields to survive against Wrath¡¯s de of coldness and anger. Offer your body and soul to the King of Essence! ¡®I won¡¯t do that.¡¯ His hair was standing on end because of the excruciating pain, but he pretended it was nothing as he smiled. ¡°Haa¡­¡± As he was enduring the extreme pain with a cold sweat, the messages appeared. They were the rewards for enduring Wrath¡¯s coldness. Damn it! The King of Essence¡¯s stats have been transferred! Again! Wrath jumped up and left Raon¡¯s body. He red at the ridiculous message and ground his teeth. ¡®You can¡¯t win against me.¡¯ Raon wiped the sweat from his forehead, pretending to sweep his hair up. ¡®I can¡¯t be careless around him.¡¯ Despite his rxed words, his back was soaked in sweat. Even though he was the giving Wrath, his main body was the monarch of devildom. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be careless. ¡®I thought you were the same at first, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all.¡¯ What are you talking about?¡¯ ¡®The de of Requiem is way nicer than you.¡¯ Raon sneered at Wrath, and wiped the de of Requiem clean. It¡¯s not nice at all. It¡¯s just an insignificant creature that tried to control your body. ¡®But it changed its mind. It¡¯s different from you, who always tries to swallow me.¡¯ It¡¯s the same. If only it was as strong as the King of Essence, it would¡¯ve still been targeting you without giving up. Whir! The de of Requiem vibrated its de in denial. ¡®It¡¯s telling me to not treat it like you.¡¯ I¡¯m soon going to destroy that possessed sword along with you. Wrath looked down at the de of Requiem, spreading terrifying coldness. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing for me if you want to raise my stats.¡¯ Keuh, you won¡¯t have an easy death even if the King of Essence doesn¡¯t do anything. You are the type of person who makes enemies everywhere. ¡®But you are my only enemy.¡¯ Raon had another enemy he needed to kill at all costs, but he didn¡¯t mention him. ¡°Swordsman Raon.¡± As he was about to sheath the de of Requiem as he finished cleaning, Greer approached him holding a ck wrapping cloth. ¡°We managed to survive thanks to you. Thank you once again.¡± His behavior was still not befitting a prince. Raon smiled and lowered his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m also thankful to them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true indeed.¡± Raon showed him the de of Requiem and Greer nodded. ¡°I thought it was just emitting a small amount of ghastly energy, but it was beyond my imagination. It was my first time seeing such a weapon.¡± ¡°Same goes for me. It bears a stronger resentment than I thought.¡± ¡°Are you going to be okay? I heard that a possessed de can attack its owner¡­¡± ¡°It haspletely epted me as its owner now.¡± ¡°I guess it had to be epted considering your power. It was really amazing.¡± He smiled, saying that he would work even harder in the future to catch up to him. He really was a cool person. ¡°I think I can show you, since we arepanions now.¡± Greer took out a white bead at the size of a child¡¯s head from the ck wrapping cloth he brought. ¡°Is this¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the item we took from the White Blood Religion branch. As you already know, the White Blood Religion sucks the blood of half the vigers on the spot and abducts the other half upon attacking a vige. We believe that this bead is what allows them to transfer the abducted people to their headquarters.¡± His gaze was full of anticipation as he looked at the bead. Whir! The de of Requiem started vibrating upon hearing from Greer. It looked like it wanted to take revenge and save the people who might be still alive. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Raon looked at the de of Requiem in admiration. ¡®It¡¯s amazing.¡¯ It still wanted to save people despite being a possessed de now. He could feel the kindness of the Siren vigers. ¡°But, young master.¡± Dorian was nkly watching the resonating de of Requiem, then started speaking. ¡°Where did you learn to handle a dagger? It¡¯s my first time seeing you using one, but you are really good at it.¡± ¡°Hmm, certainly.¡± ¡°It was a systematic dagger technique.¡± Greer and the knights also turned to look at him. They were curious about what kind of technique that was, and how he got to learn it. ¡°...I learned it from Instructor Rimmer.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°If it was that person, it makes sense.¡± Dorian, the prince and the knights epted it, saying that it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if Rimmer knew dagger techniques. ¡®This is also pretty useful.¡¯ ming Rimmer was working everywhere. Raon snickered and ced the de of Requiem on the back of his waist. * * * * * * The next day at noon. A blue-haired young man was sitting on a thin branch. His eyes were sharp and his mouth was closed shut. He looked like a personification of a pine tree. The man with an aloof atmosphere, resembling a de, was the third team leader of the Owen kingdom¡¯s silver knights and one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent: Borini Kitten. The sight of Raon and Greer reaching the crossroad entered his brown eyes. They said goodbye to each other and parted ways. ¡°Hmm.¡± Borini¡¯s gaze followed Raon¡¯s back instead of the third prince that he was supposed to protect. ¡®He recognized me for sure.¡¯ His energy was disheveled for a moment when the White Blood fanatics had attacked the third prince¡¯s group the day before, and Raon discovered his position without missing that instant. ¡®He is amazing.¡¯ Raon understood he wasn¡¯t an enemy and focused on dealing with the White Blood Religion. His judgment and concentration were simr to a veteran knight that had experienced countless battles. ¡®And his dagger techniques were even more amazing.¡¯ He¡¯d heard from the prince that Raon Zieghart was a sword genius, but he didn¡¯t expect him to be proficient with daggers as well. And it wasn¡¯t some sloppy dagger technique. The trajectory he drew was extremely adept, as if he¡¯d practiced it thousands, tens of thousands of times. ¡®And thest part was a masterpiece.¡¯ It was an attack performed by condensing the ghastly energy and aura together. Its power and aura were at the level of the highest level of Expert. ¡°And¡­¡± It was beautiful. The prince and the knights wouldn¡¯t have realized it from the scene, but Borini felt it for sure because he was watching from afar. What Raon Zieghart had performed back then wasn¡¯t just a technique. It was a sword dance. It was an art created from a sword. The resentment contained inside the beautiful yet tragic dance made his heart waver for a moment. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± He didn¡¯t really believe it when the third prince called him a true genius, but that was an undeniable fact. The silver knights he belonged to were the strongest in the kingdom, no, the strongest in the continent¡ªand yet, he had never witnessed anyone like him before. ¡°Heh.¡± Borini Kitten slightly smiled, watching Raon¡¯s back as he got further and further away. ¡°A new star might be born from Zieghart in a few years.¡± * * * Raon and Dorian traveled for two weeks after using the dimensional door to reach the Judian forest, near Habun castle. They just needed to travel for one more day to reach Habun castle, which was called one of the northern hells. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorianid down on the portable bed he took from his belly pocket, his teeth chattering. His trembling didn¡¯t stop despite the bonfire¡¯s heat and the heavy nket. ¡°W-we are going to die. We are really going to die!¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t.¡± Raon shook his head while wiping down the de of Requiem. ¡°You just need to do what you can, using what you¡¯ve learned, to pass this trial.¡± Rimmer wasn¡¯t the type of person to make them do what they couldn¡¯t. The fact that he sent them there meant that they were capable enough to ovee the trial. Although, what happened with the Blood Raving Demon was an exception. ¡°Do you agree?¡± Whir! The de of Requiem resonated clearly in agreement. He¡¯d be somewhat intimate with him and even Dorian during thest two weeks. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m scared! I¡¯m just too scared!¡± Dorian ced themp glowing in the dark at the head of his bed and went under the nket. Raon thought it was really extravagant to have amp glowing in the dark and a bed while sleeping outside, even though that also allowed him to sleepfortably. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem after wiping it clean. Hmm! It seemed Wrath wasn¡¯t satisfied about something as he cleared his throat and came out of the bracelet. Don¡¯t you think you are too nice to that insignificant thing nowadays? ¡®Too nice?¡¯ Yes. You are cleaning it every day, and you are also talking to it regrly. ¡®Well, it¡¯s helping me after all.¡¯ Even when he said he didn¡¯t need it, the de of Requiem found prey like deer or threats like bandits using its ghastly energy. B-but you are also able to do that much by yourself. ¡®Even so, it¡¯s nice of it to do something for me.¡¯ It was true that his perception was better than the de¡¯s, but he was pretty grateful for doing such things on its own ord. ¡®And it¡¯s also teaching me how to use ghastly energy.¡¯ The de of Requiem taught him the best way to use ghastly energy, and how to get used to it. Since it kept doing good things, it was natural that he would clean it often and talk to it. Using a rubbish power like ghastly energy will only make you look inferior. ¡®Even if I look inferior, I need to get stronger.¡¯ Raon smiled slightly and pushed away Wrath, who was pouting. He wasn¡¯t exactly leaving him out, but Wrath was getting more insecure the more he conversed with the de of Requiem and got intimate with it. Whir! The de of Requiem resonated, as if it wasughing at Wrath. That insignificant creature dares! ¡®Stop it.¡¯ As Wrath was about to crush the de of Requiem with his coldness, Raon blocked his energy using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Why are you blocking it! ¡®Because you are the one who picked the fight first.¡¯ The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom! I can¡¯t stay still when a mere possessed de is trying to defy¡­ ¡®I¡¯m going to sleep, so be quiet.¡¯ Keuh! Raon forced Wrath back into the bracelet andid on the portable bed. Feeling the softness of it, he turned around and closed his eyes. As he was breathing slowly to fall asleep, Wrath came back out. He looked slightly dejected, unlike before. Are you sleeping? ¡®Not yet.¡¯ Then¡­ Wrath swallowed his saliva and continued. D-do you want to learn how to use frost from the King of Essence? Raon smiled slightly with his back turned to him. After two weeks, the monarch of Devildom finally took the bait. Chapter 116 Raon licked his lips. ¡®I got him.¡¯ He realized that the method to handle the ghastly energy was slightly different from using aura after obtaining the de of Requiem. He didn¡¯t have much difficulty using the ghastly energy thanks to the de of Requiem showing him the way, but he had another power he couldn¡¯t handle properly. The Coldness of Frost. Thanks to the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s sword techniques, he could use the fire attribute to the best of its abilities. But when it came down to the Coldness of Frost, he only had the aura,cking any skill to use it with. He felt it when he fought against the Blood Raving Demon back then, but he couldn¡¯t perfectly handle the Coldness of Frost. He¡¯d been copying the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s sword techniques, the Star Connecting Sword, and Runaan, but it just felt awkward. ¡®I need a method to control the frost.¡¯ The best existence at handling frost was the monarch of Wrath, who was residing in his forearm. ¡®That¡¯s why I did some preliminary work.¡¯ He became intimate with the de of Requiem and sympathized with it bymunicating with it even more. That made Wrath anxious to try and join them. After two weeks, he felt so alienated and anxious that he ended up biting the bait. He offered the method to control frost, which was the best treasure he could give, but Raon¡¯s reaction was indifferent. ¡®Now isn¡¯t the time to pull the fishing rod.¡¯ Wrath was a doormat but he wasn¡¯t an idiot. If he answered immediately and showed his interest, Wrath would suspect his intentions and change his mind about teaching him. ¡®I need to take more time.¡¯ It was the same as catching a strong fish. If you pull the fishing rod immediately, either the rod would break or the string would snap. He first needed to swing the rod left and right to exhaust the fish. ¡®How to use the frost?¡¯ Raon pretended he wasn¡¯t really interested by asking back without the slightest movement. Y-yes. From the King of Essence¡¯s perspective, you don¡¯t truly understand the frost. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ With your abilities, you should already be aware of the fact that you arecking in that aspect. ¡®Certainly, there are multiple problemspared to when I use the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura.¡¯ Yes! If the King of Essence helped you a little, you would be better than any other human at handling the frost. Because there are different ways of controlling frost! Wrath¡¯s voice became higher and he started speaking faster, as if someone was chasing after him. ¡®But are you actually even good at handling frost? All I¡¯ve seen so far was screaming ¡®Uaaaah!¡¯ before spreading ice all over the ce.¡¯ Th-That¡¯s because the King of Essence currently doesn¡¯t have a body! If only I had one, I would¡¯ve shown you how delicately I can control it! ¡®Well, that¡¯s not too bad¡­¡¯ Raon slightly turned his head. Wrath was staring at him, rolled up like cotton candy. Think about it carefully. You won¡¯t be able to hide your frost forever. Everyone is going to learn about it eventually, so it¡¯d be more beneficial for you to learn to control it beforehand. ¡®That¡¯s not wrong.¡¯ Back in Devildom, countless demons visited the King of Essence, asking to be taught to control frost. I¡¯ve never taught anyone about it. Since this is a golden opportunity for you¡­ ¡®I¡¯m feeling sleepy because of your lengthy speech.¡¯ Raon turned his head and pulled the nket up to his neck. Keuh! ¡®I¡¯m going to sleep for now, so let¡¯s talk about it againter.¡¯ He closed his eyes, pretending he didn¡¯t really care. Raon Zieghart! You are missing your once-a-lifetime chance right now! The King of Essence¡¯s method to control frost is worth more than any fortune, and even your life itself! If you miss this opportunity¡­ ¡®Ahem, I¡¯m sleeping.¡¯ He pushed away Wrath, who kept talking endlessly, and smiled slightly. ¡®It looked like I¡¯ll get to learn it soon enough.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s attitude was showing his anxiety. He was going to teach him how to handle frost from the bottom of his heart soon. Raon lightly tapped the de of Requiem to praise him, and it vibrated slightly¡ªas if it realized what he meant. * * * Looking up the worn castle wall, yellow with age and covered in blood stains like some spotty puppy, Raon slowly caught his breath. The atmosphere was filled with the scent of burned corpses, blood, and the beasts. It was disgusting enough to make anyone nauseous. ¡°Blergh!¡± Clinging on to the wall scorched ck, Dorian started vomiting. Raon patted his back and looked back at the castle walls. ¡°Is this Habun castle¡­?¡± The castle wall was covered in traces of battles and the scent of a battlefield that still remained was enough to understand what kind of ce it was¡ªand what kind of situation they were in. It was literally the hell of never-ending battles. Huaaa! This atmosphere of the battlefield is making the King of Essence feel alive! It looked like Wrath was enjoying the stench of blood and rotten corpses as he inhaled deeply. ¡°M-Mom, this bad son is going to the heavens first! I-I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Get a grip.¡± He stood in front of the castle gate with Dorian, who was about to die, and the head of a young man in histe twenties popped up over the castle walls. His short purple hair and cold eyes were impressive. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°We are mercenaries that came to offer support.¡± Raon showed him the mercenary te Rimmer gave him. ¡°What are your names?¡± ¡°Raon and Dorian.¡± The man¡¯s eyes shone upon hearing the names. It looked like he was aware of their identities. ¡°Open the door.¡± ¡°Open the door!¡± Probably because he was an important person, the Habun castle¡¯s gate opened at his order. As they went inside, the scent of burning corpses decreased as the stench of blood became even worse. It seemed there were many battles inside the castle as well. ¡°Raon and Dorian.¡± He looked to the right upon hearing a voice calling his name. The man that was on the castle walls earlier was standing next to him. He wasn¡¯t exactly tall, but his body was sturdy and a thick sword was hanging around his waist. ¡°You are a bitter than the appointed time.¡± As expected, he knew that they were the Zieghart¡¯s trainees. ¡°Is that thing okay?¡± He narrowed his eyes, looking at Dorian hanging down like a frog caught by its leg. ¡°He is always like that. You don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡± Raon nodded, taking a nce at Dorian. ¡°My name is Terian. Call me vicemander from now on.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± He caught Dorian by his neck since he had no strength in his legs, following Terian. Upon entering the five-story building at the center of the castle, he could see the knights, swordsmen, and soldiers busily moving around. ¡®Their eyes are different.¡¯ Their might itself wasckingpared to the Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen, but the gazes directed at them was solid. It was the spirit of rough warriors that had experienced countless life-and-death situations. He realized once again that he was in the middle of a battlefield. ¡°This way.¡± He walked up old stairs, following Terian. Upon reaching the fifth floor, a thick door made of ck wood could be seen. ¡°The mercenaries from that ce have arrived.¡± ¡°Enter.¡± Terian knocked on the door and announced the purpose of his visit. A heavy voice could be heard from inside. Creak! * * * * * * The old door opened along with the rough sound of hinges being distorted. The room was wide, yet the inside was so simple that it felt almost empty. If it weren¡¯t for the map of Habun castle and the surrounding areas, as well as the bookshelves full of books, it would¡¯ve looked like an average soldier¡¯s room rather than that of amander. The gray-haired old man stood up from the discolored yellow desk. He was small in height but contained a tremendous amount of strength and pressure in his eyes. His overwhelming presence made Raon feel like he was facing a giant, making his hands tremble. ¡®This man is Mind Brydon.¡¯ That small old man was the man called the giant of the north, the protector of Habun Castle that had been defending the old and battered castle for over two decades. Those are the eyes of a real general. I haven¡¯t seen those in a while. ¡®Did you feel it too?¡± Yes. Those are the eyes of a person that¡¯s been focusing on one thing for decades. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence had countless subordinates like him that had sworn loyalty to¡­ ¡®I see.¡¯ Please listen! Stop ignoring the King of Essence! He turned his head, ignoring Wrath because he started to speak for too long. ¡°You are Raon Zieghart, right?¡± Mind¡¯s voice was too husky, as if his throat was cracked. It seemed more like his throat was injured than it being his natural voice. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s right.¡± Raon responded nonchntly, while Dorian was scared stiff. ¡°The vicemander and I are the only people that are aware of your identity in this castle.¡± Mind gestured with his head to point at Terian, who was standing on his left side. It looked like the vicemander was Mind¡¯s son. ¡°I know why Rimmer sent you guys here. It must¡¯ve been for you to gain lots of experience. However, there¡¯s no such thing as training or education here.¡± Mind¡¯s voice was filled with solid conviction. Raon swallowed, facing the pressure of a giant that¡¯d been protecting the castle his entire life. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a kind instructor nor a warm meal andfortable bedding. All that exists here is the cold wind that prates the bones and endless battles. If you want to livefortably, you¡¯d better return right now.¡± ¡°C-Can I really ret¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t mind. We came here to get stronger. We are ready to ept any battlefield and situation.¡± Raon covered Dorian¡¯s mouth, cutting him off as he was about to give up immediately, and stepped forward. ¡°I like your eyes, at least.¡± Despite what he said, Mind wasn¡¯t smiling in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯ll wait and see how long those eyes are going tost. Your rank is soldier from now on. Start from the rock bottom. Charles!¡± Mind struck the desk and shouted, and a middle-aged man with a long beard entered the room. ¡°Have you called me?¡± ¡°Those two guys, assign them to the third scouting party.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rather umon to have mercenaries assigned as scouts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m letting them try different positions for now.¡± ¡°Understood. Follow me.¡± Raon carried Dorian, who was standing there nkly as if he had passed out, and followed the man named Charles. m! The heavy door closed, and Mind and Terian remained inside themander¡¯s room. ¡°That was pathetic.¡± Terian frowned in dissatisfaction. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen them. The guy named Raon was too rxed, as if he came here to y around, and the guy named Dorian was too scared, to a point where his strength left his body. They are only going to cause trouble here, instead of being helpful in any way.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°They only care about their appearances, since they are holding multiple swords, and Raon even has a flower bracelet around his wrist. Those aren¡¯t the mindsets a warrior should have. We should return them now rather thanter, since keeping them here will only result in the soldiers getting injured.¡± ¡°It looks like you didn¡¯t really like them.¡± Mind smiled lightly, looking at Terian as his son¡¯s face turned red. ¡°It just looks like they are looking down on this castle that we are defending with our lives.¡± ¡°That might be the case, however¡­¡± Mind¡¯s eyes became even more serious. ¡°You can¡¯t judge people by their appearance. They¡¯ve passed Zieghart¡¯s training, which is infamous for its difficulty, and they are now facing thest trial. They aren¡¯t as naive as they look.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Terian was still pouting as he nodded, expressing that he still didn¡¯t like them. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to judge after observing them for a while. Such prejudices aren¡¯t necessary.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°However¡­¡± Mind licked his lips and took out a letter from the desk¡¯s drawer. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why he asked me to send him their information once every two weeks.¡± ¡°I must be because they are the Zieghart¡¯s forces, raised with utmost care.¡± ¡°That could be the case, but this isn¡¯t from Rimmer or the fifth training ground.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°This letter is from the lord¡¯s manor in Zieghart. He is asking me to tell him everything, from what kind of work they do to how they act.¡± ¡°The lord¡¯s manor means¡­ it¡¯s from the D-Destructive King of the North?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not sure why, as it¡¯s the first time he has ever made a request like this. Moreover, he is asking to describe it in detail. Tsk.¡± ¡°Huh! What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± While they were pondering over Glenn¡¯s intentions, the door opened after a light knock. ¡°Radin, the third scout party leader, has arrived in ordance with themander¡¯s summons in the middle of his meal!¡± A man in his thirties entered the room and saluted, wearing an outer garment that was as white as the snow field. ¡°I won¡¯t give you anything, even if youin about that.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± The man that called himself Radin scratched the back of his head. ¡°So, why did you call me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve assigned two recruits to the third scout party.¡± ¡°Oh, how did you know that we werecking in manpower?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so d, since they might be assigned elsewhere soon enough.¡± ¡°Which means their assignment will be changed eventually. Ah, I was happy for no reason.¡± ¡°They are soldiers that will be our power. Educate them properly so they won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll send them to scout right away, since actual battle is the best education.¡± Radin smiled and nodded his head. ¡°The monsters'' movements have been suspicious recently. They¡¯ve often been seen leaving their own territories, so you should be careful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the third scout party leader. Trust me!¡± He put his hand on his forehead once again, before leaving the room. ¡°They are going into action right away. Are they really going to be okay?¡± ¡°Probably. I¡¯m not sure about that coward Dorian, but Raon was¡­¡± Mind tapped the desk and smiled. ¡°Not just an average guy.¡± * * * Raon and Dorian followed the swordsman Charles and arrived at the scout party¡¯s lodging. They were given a double room to live together, probably because they had enough spare rooms. ¡°Ugh!¡± Dorian¡¯s hands trembled, as he was still unused to the stench of blood. ¡°Th-This ce seems more dangerous than I thought. Why do they even have a mountain of corpses?!¡± ¡°Calm down a little.¡± ¡°But the young master saw it too. With the stench of blood and corpses earlier¡ªthose weren¡¯t just monster corpses, but also lots of h-human corpses!¡± ¡°I keep telling you, you need to calm down. The more anxious you are, the more difficult it gets. You are going to endanger yourself for no reason at this rate.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Dorian covered his mouth and slowly breathed through his nose. ¡°Unpack your baggage for now, since we are going to have to stay here for a while.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± He wiped the tears that were dribbling out and ced his bed¡¯s mattress. He took a spongy mattress and a warm nket from his belly pocket, ced them on the bed, and hung up a sky-blue fabric next to it. ¡°Are you even decorating?¡± ¡°The mood is too dark, like a funeral. But I¡¯m not feeling better, no matter how I decorate.¡± He sighed, looking at the fabric from various angles. ¡°Do you also have a golden fabric in there?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Dorian nodded and took out a golden fabric. ¡°Green.¡± Whoosh. ¡°Blue.¡± Swoosh. ¡°Pink.¡± ¡°Ta dah.¡± He immediately took out the fabric ording to the color he called. His preparedness was truly astonishing. ¡°The young master should also sleep on this. Your back is going to hurt if you sleep on such a bed.¡± Even though he was sniffling, Dorian still gave him a mattress and a nket. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded. As he was about to make the bed, the door mmed open. ¡°Recruits, have you finished settling into the room?¡± A man in early to mid-thirties wearing snow white clothes entered with a smile. ¡°My name is Radin, the leader of the third scout party you are assigned to.¡± ¡°I am Raon.¡± ¡°M-my name is Dorian¡­¡± Raon bowed nonchntly, while Dorian bowed with trembling lips. ¡°Your faces look good. B-but where did you get those mattresses and nkets from?¡± ¡°I-I brought them here.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Dorian raised his hand, and Radin tilted his head, murmuring that it was his first time dealing with people like him. ¡°Anyway, make the bedter. Put on your outer garments for now.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°We are going on a mission.¡± Radin smiled, throwing the white snowsuits he brought at them. ¡°We will check your scouting abilities, judgment, and senses to see whether you will be able to survive in the scout party in the future.¡± He started bbering about how they were going to die soon enough if they werecking one of the three qualities. ¡°Hiee!¡± Dorian started screaming in fear, but Raon was different. He raised his head with a slight smile. ¡°Did you just say you will check our scouting ability and senses?¡± He was confident he could do better than anyone in the Habun castle in those aspects. Chapter 117 Zieghart¡¯s audience chamber. Glenn¡¯s icy gaze was directed at Rimmer, who was standing under the tform. ¡°Why did youe again today?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Rimmer, who had been silently staring at Glenn, burst intoughter. He then pretended to cover his mouth, but that was actually an act. Anyone that saw his cheeky face would be filled with the desire to beat him up. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°I need to apologize first.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been mistaken about the head of house.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to secretly give orders to the Shadow Agents. What an amazing love for your grandson.¡± The Shadow Agents were the best information group under direct control of the head of house, who only acted under special circumstances. ¡°How did you¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s voice trembled slightly, truly a rare thing to be heard. ¡°Tsk, tsk. I¡¯ve been around for a while. Of course I have my own source of information.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders, but it was obvious who leaked the information. ¡°Haa. Roenn¡­¡± Glenn sighed and looked at Roenn, who was standing on his left side. Roenn shook his hand, a gesture that suggested that he didn¡¯t know anything about it, but he couldn¡¯t hide the corners of his lips as they rose up into the shape of a crescent moon. ¡°Isn¡¯t he amazing? How did he even get the idea of participating in the auction by earning from the gambling house? Who did he even learn that from?¡± It was clearly obvious who he learned it from. It must¡¯ve been the red-haired elf babbling in front of Glenn. ¡°Moreover, he stole the item and even mocked the Balkar princess as revenge for losing the auction. He is really interesting.¡± Rimmerughed frivolously, saying that he did a really great job at raising his student. ¡°We are not sure about the stealing part.¡± ¡°Pfft. It¡¯s pretty much certain, since the Shadow Agents are 90% sure.¡± ¡°You even knew that?¡± Glenn briefly clicked his tongue. It seemed Roenn had told Rimmer pretty much everything. Apparently, they got even closer than before after spending time together recently. ¡°But even the Shadow Agents don¡¯t know how Raon stole the ck butterfly. He really is incredible.¡± ¡°Are you that happy about your student¡¯s theft?¡± ¡°But the first punch came from the Balkar princess, and then she kept doing it! Putting up with it wouldn¡¯t be worthy of Zieghart. Raon¡¯s revenge was perfectly fair.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Glenn nodded in agreement. He would¡¯ve been angry if Raon had just put up with the way she kept picking a fight. ¡°He won¡¯t get any penalty in his exam either, since he didn¡¯t personally disclose his identity as a member of Zieghart. He has great luck on top of his outstanding abilities.¡± Rimmer pped his hands, saying ¡°That¡¯s my student!¡± ¡°Ahem. He certainly has that.¡± Glenn nodded, an awkward expression on his face from his attempt at holding back his smile. ¡°It¡¯s also amazing that he obtained Kuberad¡¯s possessed sword and saved Owen''s third prince. We will benefit from it greatly when we trade with Owenter.¡± ¡°Actually, Raon has always been pretty special, even from before. He didn¡¯t even cry when he first saw me, and when I checked his body using my aura, he smiled¡­ Hmph!¡± Upon noticing that Rimmer was grinning, Glenn stopped speaking and forced the rising corners of his lips back down. ¡°What a shame. I thought I¡¯d see your smile for the first time in a long time.¡± ¡°Silence.¡± ¡°Anyway, he is a lot more active than when he was here. I¡¯m looking forward to hearing from him in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that won¡¯t happen. I¡¯ve already called the Shadow Agents back.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I sent the Shadow Agents to prevent Karoon or Balder¡¯s from taking action. Since Raon has already arrived in Habun Castle, they aren¡¯t needed anymore.¡± Glenn closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands, as if he didn¡¯t care about something like his grandson. ¡°Ah, so you must¡¯ve asked the Habun Castle to give you reports.¡± Rimmer nodded, as if he already knew everything. ¡°Roenn!¡± ¡°I-I really didn¡¯t tell him this time!¡± Roenn violently shook his head, facing Glenn¡¯s threatening gaze. ¡°Pfft. It¡¯s pretty obvious. Since the head of house loves his grandson so much, what else would you do? You must¡¯ve contacted the Habun casten to request a regr report around every two weeks.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn secretly bit his lip. ¡®He knows me too well.¡¯ Probably because they¡¯d been together for such a long time, Rimmer knew everything about him. ¡°Ah, I like Raon, too. However, I admit my defeat in that aspect. I have to admit the truth in the saying, a grandfather¡¯s love for his grandson is matchless. You are really amazing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should stop acting all dignified once Raon returns! Call him here to say ¡®my beloved grandson, you did a great job. I was really happy hearing the news from you. Let this grandpa hug you.¡¯ It will resolve the misunderstanding, make the head of house happy, make me happy, and also make Sylvia happy for everyone to live happily ever after¡­ huff!¡± Rimmer felt the audience chamber¡¯s atmosphere grow ice cold, zipping his lips. ¡°Ah, I forgot I had an appointment. I need to g¡­¡± He was trying to slip out the door, but he couldn¡¯t touch the ground with his feet. Glenn¡¯s shapeless aura was holding him in the air. ¡°H-head of house? This joke is going too fa¡­¡± ¡°Haaa.¡± Glenn exhaled deeply and stood up. He bobbed his finger and Rimmer was pulled towards him in the air, like a needle attached by a string. ¡°It seems I didn¡¯t educate you enoughst time.¡± His red eyes glowed fiercely. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to engrave it in your body today.¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± * * * Raon left the Habun Castle, following Radin. He slowly raised his head. He could see an aloof mountain, which looked like a white painting under the silver sky. ¡®That¡¯s the Stallin mountain.¡¯ The mountain, which was high enough to reach the sky, was the Stallin mountain. It was where the endless hordes of monsters were rumored to appear. ¡®And¡­¡¯ He looked to the right next. The writhing ck sea. The northern sea was there, with endless tidal waves rising up like tall walls. ¡°Isn¡¯t that fascinating?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Just as Radin said, it was a majestic sight of nature. His heart pounded, wanting to keep watching it. ¡°You will get bored soon enough. No, you will want to break it. Come this way.¡± He smiled and took the lead. Instead of approaching the northern sea, he walked towards the Stallin mountain. ¡°Since anything can pop out at any moment, stay alert.¡± ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯m trembling because of the cold or fear. It looks dangerous everywhere¡­¡± Dorian was stuck to Raon as he trembled. The trembling was so intense that it was heating them up. ¡°I don¡¯t sense anything for now.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a relief.¡± Dorian¡¯s hand stopped trembling. It seemed he trusted him more than the scouting party. ¡°Hey, recruits! Come this way!¡± Radin called for them, and Raon and Dorian ran ahead. ¡°What do you think this is?¡± Radin pointed at a big footprint under the mountain path. It was a huge footprint, around the length of an adult man¡¯s arm. ¡°Eek! I-isn¡¯t this a troll? It¡¯s so huge!¡± Dorian swallowed, looking at the footprint. ¡°How about you?¡± Radin looked at Raon. ¡°It¡¯s not a troll, at least.¡± Raon looked at the footprint with indifferent eyes. ¡®There¡¯s no way it¡¯s a troll.¡¯ A troll¡¯s footprint was even bigger and deeper. And the footprint wasn¡¯t from a bipedal, but a quadrupedal animal. ¡®A quadrupedal monster or animal around here would be¡­¡¯ He reviewed the contents of the book Judiel gave him and figured out what left the footprint. ¡°It¡¯s a Kari mountain goat.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Wh-what did you just say¡­?¡± Radin and the scouts looked back at Raon with wide eyes. Theirughing eyes were now filled with confusion. ¡°I said it¡¯s a Kari mountain goat. You know, the ck mountain goat with big feet and three horns?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Since they didn¡¯t expect him to give the correct answer on his first attempt, the scouts couldn¡¯t hide their surprise. ¡°Th-then, can you tell me when this footprint was made?¡± Radin swallowed, pointing at the footprint once again. ¡°Let me see.¡± Raon knelt down, checking the footprint. Examining how much the snow had been pressed and the snow in the surrounding area, he could roughly tell the time. ¡°Considering the footprint isn¡¯t too hard, it hasn¡¯t been twelve hours yet. We can catch it if we head to the west.¡± ¡°Uh, um¡­¡± ¡°Huh!¡± The scouts'' lips parted, and Radinughed bitterly as he came up to Raon. ¡°You were a mercenary, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who taught you, but they must¡¯ve been a good teacher.¡± He said he wanted to test them a bit more and walked around the mountain. Despite moving silently in a low posture, they were pretty fast. ¡°Sh-shouldn¡¯t we be moving a bit more slowly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Themander personally cleared up all the monsters in this area three days ago.¡± Even though he said that most of the monsters were dead, the scouts¡¯ eyes kept moving restlessly. ¡°There¡¯s one over here.¡± Radin stopped in front of an angled tree that was buried under the snow. He pointed at the almost ripped off part around the center, then turned around. ¡°What do you think this is?¡± ¡°T-troll! It must be a troll!¡± Dorian¡¯s brain wasn¡¯t functioning properly. He kept saying it was a troll with aimless eyes. ¡°It¡¯s the mark of a bearwolf.¡± Raon, on the other hand, responded immediately. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-why do you think so?¡± ¡°Bearwolves mark their territory by scratching boulders or trees with their thick, strong ws. However¡­¡± Raon shook his head, looking at the mark on the tree. ¡°This one must already be dead.¡± ¡°H-how do you know that?¡± ¡°They refresh their marks periodically. Considering that it¡¯s an old mark, it must already be dead.¡± Radin and the scouts fell silent. They were just looking at Raon with surprised eyes and trembling chins. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were testing our scouting abilities?¡± Raon smiled widely and opened his hand. ¡°You can ask a proper question now.¡± * * * * * * Gulp. Radin swallowed dry saliva, looking at Raon¡¯s back. ¡®Who the hell is this guy?¡¯ Those that joined the Habun Castle¡¯s scouting party had to go through a hazing. Even though it was hazing, it wasn¡¯t about getting punched or being yelled at. The scout party¡¯s hazing was just slightly provocative advice, teaching them how dangerous the ce was and how worthless the knowledge they learned from books was when it came down to actual battle. ¡®It works all the time.¡¯ Not only the soldiers, but also the knights and swordsmen. Everyone had felt powerless during their first hazing. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Radin patiently bit his lip and looked at Raon as he answered the question about the monster¡¯s mark. ¡®He¡¯s different.¡¯ Questions about monsters, the mark¡¯s direction, location, date, and even the time the battle took ce. He never failed to answer the questions. He felt like he was looking at a scout that had grown up alongside him, rather than a newbie that had juste to Habun Castle. ¡®Even the guys that have been here for five years don¡¯t know how old the tracks are¡­¡¯ Even though he was a mercenary, he was still young. He couldn¡¯t understand what kind of life he had been living to have that much experience. ¡®And he is way too rxed.¡¯ No matter how much experience he had in battles, they were currently at Habun Castle, which was called the northern hell. There was no way he wasn¡¯t aware of the rumor that even veterans would run away from that ce, yet Raon¡¯s eyes were tooposed. The people with those eyes were one of the two cases. They were either crazy, or confident. ¡°Recruit.¡± Radin stepped forward with shining eyes. ¡°What do you think this is?¡± He pointed at an almost unnoticeably small mark, which looked like a hole bored by an awl. ¡®There¡¯s no way he knows.¡¯ Most people would think it was a wind hole, but it wasn¡¯t. It was a snow lion¡¯s mark, one that had dagger-like ws under its feet. The mark was confusing enough for people who had lived in Habun Castle for a long time, so there was no way a newbie would know about it. ¡°It¡¯s from a snow lion.¡± And Raon gave the correct answer, as if he wereughing at his thoughts. ¡°Huh? A-are you sure about that? It could be just a wind hole.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± He tried putting his finger in the hole, then shook his head. ¡°If it was a wind hole, the inside would have a circr shape. A snow lion¡¯s mark has a sharp end. They might look simr, but they are different.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Judging from the mark, it must¡¯ve been around a day ever since it passed through. It went towards the north.¡± Radin sniffed his nose with a bewildered expression on his face. It was the correct answer. A perfect answer at that. ¡®Where did this bastard evene from?¡¯ * * * Raon closed his eyes and opened up his aura perception. He even used the Perception of the Snow Flower to check his surroundings. After he answered the question about the snow lion, Radin murmured ¡®y-you can do whatever you want¡¯ and left him alone to drive Dorian into a corner. Because of that, Dorian was about to cry as he got dragged around by the scouts. He looked at Raon pitifully, asking for help, but Raon ignored him. Whir! The de of Requiem told him that it would scout and spread thin ghastly energy to the back and the west. Thanks to that, Raon only needed to focus on the front and to the east. ¡®You are really helpful. Thank you.¡¯ Whir! The de of Requiem shook its de, saying it was nothing. A-ahem! Wrath, who¡¯d been enjoying the snow field¡¯s cold scent, cleared his throat and turned around. That¡¯s not how you scout. ¡®What?¡¯ Th-that¡¯s not how you use your aura perception, either. He spoke bluntly, looking at Raon and the de of Requiem checking the surrounding presences. ¡®That''s okay. I just need to work harder.¡¯ The King of Essence used to live in a ce like this, an intersection of a mountain covered in snow and an ice-cold ocean. There¡¯s a better way to open your aura perception when it¡¯s filled with snow like this. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips and the de of Requiem resonated, telling him it would work even harder. ¡®The de of Requiem is also telling me it has a way.¡¯ U-ugh. Th-The King of Essence is on a whole different level from an insignificant creature like that! You will get to experience your senses in an entirely different dimension if you ept the King of Essence¡¯s teachings. The blue frost crawled up from Wrath. It seemed he was begging to teach him. ¡®This is earlier than I thought.¡¯ It had only been two days since the fish took the bait, yet it was already time to pull the rod. ¡®Well, I guess I can try.¡¯ Raon nonchntly looked back at Wrath. That¡¯s a great choice! Once you realize my greatness, you won¡¯t be satisfied by that insignificant creature¡¯s ghastly energy anymore! Wrath smiled and pushed his face onto him. It was a big, sshing fish. Chapter 118 Raon was barely able to hold back hisughter. He only expressed a small amount of curiosity as he looked at Wrath. ¡®Does it take a long time?¡¯ It doesn¡¯t only take a long time, but it¡¯s impossible for an average human being. But it should be possible for you since your ice has a high purity. Wrath cleared his throat and continued. This ability is called cier. You should be honored that you are being personally taught by the King of Essence. ¡®Okay, okay. I got it, so please start.¡¯ I admit that you have a feeble talent, but you should never getzy. It will require a tremendous amount of time. This is a secret technique created by the King of Essence¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t wanna learn it. I¡¯m just going to scout with the de of Requiem instead.¡¯ W-wait! I get it! I¡¯ll start immediately! Raon quickly turned his head, and Wrath followed him in a hurry. Calm your mind first. ¡®Okay.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes. He inhaled and exhaled extremely slowly, to the point that it felt boring. As he repeated that simple action, the inside of his head was dyed white, like drawing paper. You need to connect now. ¡®Connect?¡¯ Yes. Connect your ice with the ice covering the earth. Open your eyes. Raon opened his eyes and saw Wrath spreading his deep blue frost. Look closely at the King of Essence¡¯s ice. The frost spread from Wrath¡¯s me and sank into the snow-covered ground. It looked as if the snow and the frost werebining harmoniously with each other. Did you see it? ¡®It looked like your frost and the snow were merging.¡¯ Hmm, that¡¯s just what it looks like on the outside. It¡¯s not the snow and frost, but the ice from both that is being connected. If you give me your body, I can tell you more properl¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t wanna learn it.¡¯ I-I get it! I get it, so look at this again. I won¡¯t say that ever again! Wrath swallowed his saliva and stepped back. Unlike before, Wrath was the one that was asking him to learn. Ahem, the point is to harmonize your ice with the ice in thisnd. Doing that will allow you to sense something that happens far away, as if it were touching your skin. The snow and frost covering the space all around you will be your eyes, ears, and skin. ¡®Ah, I think I have a rough understanding of it.¡¯ Raon nodded. Despite his expectations, the straightforward and concise exnation allowed him to easily understand it. ¡®However¡­¡¯ It looked difficult. Connecting the ice was something he¡¯d never thought about. Listening and understanding was one thing but putting it into action seemed rather difficult. It will require a lot of time. But if you do learn it properly, the result will be more than worth the time. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ The scouts were busily running around to teach Dorian. Since it was blowing snowy winds, he judged that he wouldn¡¯t be found out if he tried it right then. ¡®I¡¯ll try it right now.¡¯ I¡¯ll teach you the spell, then. ¡®Spell? But I can¡¯t use magic.¡¯ Spell doesn¡¯t necessarily mean magic. It¡¯s simr to the mnemonic chant that you humans murmur during aura cultivation. ¡®I see.¡¯ Let¡¯s start. The god submerged in theke of ice where the flower of frost blooms¡­ Raon used the Ring of Fire to enhance his focus and mind,pletely memorizing Wrath¡¯s chant. Since you shouldn¡¯t have memorized it yet, I¡¯ll tell you once ag¡­ ¡®I¡¯ve memorized everything.¡¯ Ugh, what a monster¡­ Wrath red at him, asking if he was really human. ¡®I¡¯ll start, then.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes and used the Coldness of Frost. The frost spreading out from his body sank onto the ground, scattering over the snow. Whir! The frost kept flowing from him, to the point where his hands started feeling numb, but nothing special happened except for the way the snowballs in the surrounding area grew stiffer. ¡®I don¡¯t understand how I can make the connection.¡¯ Connection doesn¡¯t mean to actually connect the snow with you. It is just an image. ¡®I¡¯ll try it again.¡¯ Raon nodded and caught his breath. The frost slowly flew from him as he chanted the spell. ¡®Harmoniously.¡¯ Mix the ice with ice. He restlessly emanated the frost by rotating the Ring of Fire. ¡®He said image is important.¡¯ He tried thinking about the best image to mix them. ¡®The image of merging into one¡­¡¯ As he thought about harmony and mixture, he remembered the northern sea he saw earlier. The endless ocean, where all water in the world gathered. It felt like that ocean would allow the ice to mingle with each other in harmony. ¡®But that ocean isn¡¯t the northern sea.¡¯ The ocean he imagined was a great, calm ocean without any tidal waves. Imagining an ocean as calm as ake, he chanted the spell. The Coldness of Frost spreading out from the tip of his finger grew thinner. It was thinner than a hair, covering the entire space. Thud! The world slowed down. No, it was himself that was slowing down. His limbs were heavy, as if he were buried in the mud. On the other hand, his senses were so sharp that chills ran down his spine. He could hear the small sound of waves. Ocean. Raon was currently floating on an ocean. No, he¡¯d be one with the ocean. Ssh! Waves urred in the calm ocean. Left side. The scouts and Dorian were moving together. Radin asked Dorian about the mark on the ground. The mark was the footprint of an ice troll that disappeared a long time ago. Dorian took out a huge ruler and rubbing tools to start measuring the footprint. A small wave flowed from the right side. A bearwolf was hiding, alert and catching the scent of humans from the wind. It was carrying food, which looked like an orc, in its hand. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Heughed bitterly. The ability not only allowed him to find out who was around him, but also what they were doing. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Raon exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. ¡®I did it.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t maintain it for a long time, and the distance was short because it was his first time, but he had a hint. He just needed some practice to clearly understand it. Don¡¯t be so sad. cier is a trait of perception that the King of Essence created personally. It¡¯s obvious that you can¡¯t learn it so easily. You should be able to learn it after practicing diligently for the year that you¡¯ll spend here. Wrath told him that it was natural it took some time, thinking Raon was obviously clueless. ¡®A year sounds too long.¡¯ But that¡¯s a short estimation considering the fact that the King of Essence is helping you. ¡®Hmm. Then, shall we make a bet?¡¯ A bet? ¡®Whether I¡¯ll learn cier in six months or not.¡¯ Hmm, six months¡­ Wrath was unable to respond immediately. It looked like he was worried about the ¡®just in case¡¯ scenario because he¡¯d lost all of the bets so far. ¡®Fine, how about five months?¡¯ Bet! He immediately epted. ¡°I ept.¡± The bet has been established. Raon forced himself to keep a straight face and nodded. ¡®Well, regardless of the bet, I think cier is an outstanding ability.¡¯ Obviously, since the King of Essence made it personally. As soon as Wrath heard thepliment, he nodded with a bright expression. Raon thought that he really liked gettingplimented, and it wasn¡¯t the first time he thought that way. ¡®Are there other ways to use ice?¡¯ Of course! Spreading frost is the most basic thing. Alright, the King of Essence will teach you how to handle ice today! Raon smiled slightly, looking at Wrath burning inside the freezing me. The fish had so much flesh to eat. * * * * * * ¡°Recruit!¡± As Wrath was about to start the lesson on how to use ice, Radin gestured for him toe to him. ¡°Since it¡¯ste, we will sleep around here tonight.¡± Radin pointed at a leafless tree with his thick finger. ¡°Obviously, we can¡¯t make a bonfire. The animals run away from fire, but the monsters rush into it instead. Then, how can we survive this cold weather?¡± ¡°Lay out a thick mattress and cover ourselves with a duck-down nket, then sleep!¡± Dorian raised his hand without hesitation. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon and the scouts fell speechless and stared nkly at Dorian. ¡°How are we supposed to have such a thing?¡± ¡°I do have th¡­¡± ¡°You! What¡¯s your answer?¡± As Dorian was about to take out mattresses from his belly pocket, Radin quickly pointed at Raon. ¡°We need to dig underground.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the correct answer.¡± Radin murmured that they were pr opposites and sighed. ¡°Then, where do we need to dig? The ground is frozen stiff here because of this insanely cold weather.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look for it.¡± Raon nodded and lowered his posture. He checked the ground by sweeping the snow with his hand. ¡®I should find that soil.¡¯ The ground of such a cold area was mostly rock solid, but there were some gaps mixed in between. That was called the empty soil, since it was a soft soil with empty space underneath, making it easy to dig. ¡®I found it.¡¯ The soil was slightly raised on the left side of the tree, with a lighter color. The soil must have been soft with some empty spaces underneath, making it easy to dig a tunnel. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Raon tapped on the empty soil and Radin pouted. ¡°Why should we dig here?¡± ¡°The light color and the slightly protruding shape, like a hill means, that it''s ssic empty soil¡­¡± ¡°You are really smart.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Since you are so smart, you must also have lots of things you want to eat!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°You really know about everything!¡± It was difficult to describe Radin¡¯s eyes as he wrinkled his nose andined. ¡°Shall I start digging if he was right?¡± As he trembled, Dorian came up to them carrying two big shovels and a sack. ¡°Where did you get those shovels and the sack?¡± ¡°I brought them with me.¡± He tapped on his belly. ¡°What the hell are you?!¡± Radin¡¯s face becamepletely red. ¡°One guy knows everything, and the other guy has all kinds of objects! Seriously, what the hell are you?¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m not that amazing.¡± Dorian smiled like a fool, thinking that it was apliment. ¡°Ugh, my stomach hurts¡­¡± ¡°Leader, let¡¯s save the scolding forter. We need to settle ourselves before it¡¯s toote if we are going to sleep here tonight. It¡¯s getting dark, just like you said.¡± Raon took one of the shovels Dorian had brought. ¡°You don¡¯t need to! There¡¯s a ce we use each time wee out to scout.¡± Radin said that they were disgusting bastards, then entered the forest decorated by the white snow. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. He isplimenting you.¡± ¡°He just got angry because he has nothing to teach you.¡± ¡°He is really childish.¡± ¡°Pretend you don¡¯t know sometimes. He looks so pitiful.¡± The scouts giggled and followed Radin. ¡°He is such a peculiar guy.¡± Dorian licked his lips, putting the shovel back into his belly pocket. Raon shook his head. ¡®You are the most peculiar one¡­¡¯ * * * They went to the outskirts of the forest, following the scouts, and there was a snow-white fabric covering the ground. They cleared away the fabric and went inside the tunnel. Inside, there was a spacerge enough for all twelve people to sleep. Raon and the scouts organized their luggage and filled their stomachs with the soft bread Dorian had brought. Because they were able to eat bread instead of hard beef jerky, Dorian¡¯s poprity shot through the ceiling. I guess it¡¯s only natural, since even the King of Essence finds the bread decent. Wrath murmured that it was a relief, since he expected him to eat some beggar¡¯s scraps for a while. ¡°We need to decide on the night watch now¡­¡± Radin put the remaining piece of bread in his mouth and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll do it first.¡± Raon raised his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare take the first shift when you¡¯ve just joined! It¡¯s ten years too early for you!¡± Radin shook his index finger without missing the opportunity. ¡°The first shift andst shift are decided by how long you¡¯ve been here. Your shift will be the exact center, so stop stepping up.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t give me that easygoing smile, either! You are making me look like your junior.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon smiled lightly, and Radin was speechless again. ¡°I¡¯ll decide on the night watch now. The first shift is¡­¡± Radin personally decided on the night watch. However, despite him saying it was decided by how long they¡¯ve been, he got the third shift along with Raon instead of the first orst shift. ¡®He isn¡¯t a bad person.¡¯ From the way he spoke and acted so far, he looked like he craved to teach his juniors. It seemed he¡¯d exploded because he had nothing to teach him, as he knew everything already. ¡°Erm, young master.¡± As Raon was thinking he was a funny person, Dorian secretly came next to him. ¡°He is really peculiar. Let¡¯s not get on his bad side.¡± He said, drinking a steaming tea. You are the most peculiar one of all. Wrath responded instead this time. * * * During the night watch, Radin nced over his shoulder. The weird guy, who he didn¡¯t know anything about except for his name, was nkly staring at the dark forest. ¡®What an unusual guy.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just his knowledge, but he was also excellent at putting it into action. It was difficult to judge him because it was his first time seeing that type of person. ¡°Hmm.¡± Radin left the camp and approached Raon. He just wanted to talk to him, but Raon had his eyes closed. ¡®Huh? I got him good this time!¡¯ Apparently, even such a monstrous guy couldn¡¯t help but sleep during a night watch. He was about to wake him up, thinking it was a great opportunity. Raon suddenly opened his eyes. Radin fell speechless, witnessing his furiously burning crimson eyes. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Leader.¡± He stood with a chilly voice. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°Monsters are approaching right now.¡± ¡°M-monster?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± There was no sign of wavering in Raon¡¯s voice. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I have some pretty good senses. Water-type monsters came up from the northern sea and are currently moving underground.¡± ¡°Water-type monsters moving underground¡­¡± Radin swallowed. It must¡¯ve been the shark mole, the water-type monster with shark head and mole ws. ¡®But they don¡¯te this way¡­¡¯ It was true that they were capable of moving underground, but they¡¯d nevere close to the forest next to Stallin Mountain. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He tried putting his ear to the ground just in case, but he couldn¡¯t hear anything. It seemed Raon was mistaking his dream for reality. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Even though he was acting nonchntly, there was no way a recruit wouldn¡¯t feel nervous. His sloppy appearance finally made him look like a human being. ¡°Are you talking about the shark mole?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Shark moles don¡¯te here because this forest is the territory of the monstersing down from Stallin Mountain. Just wake up already.¡± Radin tapped Raon¡¯s shoulder with a light smile. However, his expression, frozen stiff like tree bark, didn¡¯t change. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, too.¡± He shook his head and pointed at the ground. ¡°The ground shakes when shark moles move, yet there¡¯s not the slightest vibration right now.¡± ¡°You will be able to feel it soon enough.¡± ¡°Haa, since it¡¯s your first day, I¡¯m not going to scold you for dozing off during the night wa¡­¡± Radin swallowed and stood up in surprise. The frozen ground had started vibrating. ¡°Wh-What! Was it for real?¡± It was clearly the vibration and sound of approaching shark moles. ¡°Like I said.¡± ¡°Th-This can¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°Please wake up the others for now. They will be here at any moment.¡± ¡°Wh-What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy time here.¡± ¡°Ugh, y-you¡­¡± ¡°Go, quickly.¡± ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t push yourself!¡± Radin went down into the cave. ¡°Wake up! The shark moles areing!¡± ¡°What? What¡¯sing?¡± ¡°Sh-shark mole? Why would shark molese here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, so wake up for now!¡± The scouts woke up immediately despite their doubts and prepared for battle. ¡°D-did monsters really appear?¡± Dorian was the only one that didn¡¯t know what to do in a panic. ¡°Get prepared quickly ande out!¡± Radin went outside the cave holding a crossbow and a sword. As he was about to seek out Raon and the shark moles¡¯ location, the ground in front of him split apart like a spider web and a huge monster popped out. ¡°Sh-shark mole!¡± It was the north sea¡¯s monstrous shark mole, with a shark¡¯s head, a mole¡¯s ws, and a human''s body. ¡°Ugh!¡± He tried to step back to shoot his crossbow, but he fell, tripping at the cave¡¯s entrance. ¡°Kieee!¡± With a grotesque scream, the shark mole tried striking at him with its hand, which was covered with dozens of ws. ¡®Damn it! I need to give up on my arm and¡­ huh?¡¯ Just as he decided to give up his arm as bait to buy time for his retreat, a red line appeared on the shark mole¡¯s neck. Psh! The shark mole¡¯s head was cut off like a fish head. He raised his head with chattering teeth, and he could see two red moons floating in the dark sky. ¡°Ah¡­¡± They weren¡¯t moons. They were Raon¡¯s red eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t move from there.¡± ¡°Wh-who are you¡­¡± ¡°Since you didn¡¯t trust me¡­¡± Raon turned around, holding the sword that was dripping with warm red blood. ¡°Please trust my sword, at least.¡± Chapter 119 ¡°Wh-who are you¡­?¡± Raon turned around, leaving the bewildered Radin behind. Wham! Five shark moles split the ground and came out from it, as if they¡¯d been waiting for that moment. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± The shark mole closest to him opened its mouth wide and struck him with it, trying to swallow him whole. ¡°Too simple.¡± The shark mole¡¯s simple attack was fast and powerful, but Raon could only see it as slow since his perception was wide open. Raon bent his body backward. The moment the shark mole¡¯s head stopped midair, he drew a half moon with his sword. Psh! The shark mole was split diagonally, spurting red blood. ¡°Krr¡­¡± ¡°Kieeh!¡± The four remaining shark moles didn¡¯t attack him rashly after witnessing the first one¡¯s death. They lowered their postures and exposed their ws. ¡°Defending, huh¡­?¡± Raon moved ahead, stepping on the frozen ground. He swirled his sword and spread his murderous intent. ¡°It will be pointless.¡± He kicked the ground and dashed towards the shark moles, at which point they attacked with their ws¡ªas if they¡¯d been waiting for that moment. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Even if they were trying to defend, they were just monsters following their instincts. He¡¯d expected them to make their move first. Raon slightly twisted his shoulder to dodge the shark moles¡¯ attacks, thrusting his sword. sh! The de, heated and red, ripped the shark mole on the right in half. ¡°Shieeek!¡± The shark moles felt the danger and pounced at him from three sides. They snapped their teeth and thrust their ws. Whoosh! Raon turned his ankle three times, and that was enough to avert the shark moles¡¯ attacks like water. ¡®What is this?¡¯ His perception was sensitive, as if his skin had been extended. He could feel the shark moles¡¯ muscles move, their ws¡¯ paths, and the amount of strength in their chins as if everything was within the palm of his hand. ¡®Is this the true power of cier?¡¯ It felt like the entire space was his skin. It seemed cier¡¯s true utility wasn¡¯t just scouting but enhancing the senses during a battle. ¡°Shiee!¡± ¡°Kiee!¡± Raon dodged the shark moles attacks, which were rushing at him, with a paper-thin difference before thrusting his sword. The crimson flower blossomed, blooming from the de and ending the shark mole¡¯s life. m! As he pierced through the heart of the fourth shark mole that was rushing at him like a bull, thest one turned its back and went back to the hole it came from. Rumble! It started running towards the northern sea, straightening its fin. ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Raon put down his sword and drew the de of Requiem that he had equipped around his waist. He grabbed the de with his thumb and index finger, then used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the limit. He closed his eyes and opened the ocean of his perception once again. The sound of the fleeing shark mole¡¯s breathing was resounding inside his ear. He felt like he could see the terrified shark mole floundering its limbs. Estimating the direction and the distance, he used the Flying Sword technique, Shadow Assault. m! The de of Requiem drew a red line of ghastly energy as it flew, splitting the ground before it pierced the shark mole¡¯s head. Red blood gushed out from the hole that the de of Requiem had created. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ Raon went to the location that thest shark mole had died and pulled out the de of Requiem. Whir! The de of Requiem resonated, asking for apliment. ¡®Yes, you did great.¡¯ Raon snickered and wiped the blood from the de. What was so great about that? It was the minimum it could do to prove its worth. Wrath bluntly said that it wasn¡¯t anything surprising. Whir! The de of Requiem vibrated at Wrath, as if it were snickering. What? Are you telling me the King of Essence can¡¯t do it? A mere, insignificant creature dares! Wrath, who managed to decipher the de of Requiem¡¯s actions, started boiling in anger. ¡®No, that¡¯s not true.¡¯ Raon calmed the vibrating de of Requiem and Wrath, who was spreading frost. ¡®You were really helpful when I killed thest shark mole.¡¯ Hmm? ¡®The cier you taught me, I sharpened my senses with it to estimate the shark mole¡¯s location. I managed to get a clean kill thanks to that.¡¯ Oh¡­ Wrath grinned and looked down on the de of Requiem. Did you hear that just now? Your inferior self was just used as the King of Essence¡¯s arrow. Heughed at the de of Requiem and created a circr coldness. ¡®It really is an amazing ability, but it¡¯s also pretty difficult to use. I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve gotten it if it was a bit further away.¡¯ Don¡¯t worry about it! You are amazing enough to be able to use it when you only learned about it today. The King of Essence will keep teaching you. Whir! The de of Requiem resonated once again. It looked like it was telling him to stop listening to Wrath, since it would teach him more about the ghastly energy. Hey! An insignificant creature should stay away over there. The King of Essence will personally teach you the quintessence of cier, so you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Ghastly energy is just an evil trick. Wrath bbered at him, telling him not to listen to the de of Requiem since he would teach him otherbat techniques in addition to cier. ¡®Hepletely forgot about the bet.¡¯ Giving him the carrot and the stick in hispetition with the de of Requiem was enough to make him forget about the bet, dering he would teach him the quintessence of cier. He wasn¡¯t just a doormat at that point, and Raon was unsure of what he should be calling him. Raon snickered and turned around. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°I-is this a dream?¡± ¡°D-did he kill six shark moles on his own?¡± The scouts that came out in theirbat equipment dropped their jaws, not noticing as their bolts fell to the ground. ¡°Phew, I¡¯m d it ended without a fight.¡± Dorian was the only person breathing a sigh of relief. * * * * * * Radin halted the scouting as soon as the sun rose. They would¡¯ve normally moved around for two more days, but he ordered them to return, saying that they needed to report the shark moles leaving their territories to head towards Stallin Mountain. ¡°What¡¯s your identity? I mean, can you please tell me?¡± ¡°Have you ever fought against shark moles before? You were dodging everything!¡± ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t even use aura!¡± ¡°The flower of me blooming from your sword was your aura, right?¡± The scouts stuck right next to Raon to keep asking him questions. They were rejoicing over the fact that a new powerhouse had arrived at Habun Castle. ¡°Ahem, please step back! It''s rude to ask a warrior about his abilities!¡± Dorian shook his head, wearing thick sses that he¡¯d taken out at some point. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you our personal information, but our names are Raon and Dorian, and I can guarantee we belong to the third scouting party together. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Wow, I just got moved to tears.¡± ¡°My heart throbbed when I heard ¡®we belong to the third scouting party together¡¯.¡± ¡°Same!¡± The scouts grinned, saying all those things half-jokingly. ¡°Hey, leader! The leader should also say something!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We all owe him our lives.¡± ¡°Huh, is that guy sulking again?¡± Radin didn¡¯t look back even though the scouts kept talking. He just kept walking towards Habun Castle. Raon nodded, looking at Radin¡¯s straight back as he walked. ¡®I guess he can¡¯t say anything.¡¯ Since his mistrust in a recruit resulted in putting everyone in danger, he had no excuses even if he wanted to say something. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ It was the first time such a thing had ever happened around there, and the recruit was the one telling him about it. Even if Raon was in Radin¡¯s ce, he wouldn¡¯t have believed it. There was a part of him that could understand Radin¡¯s behavior. Tap. Radin, who¡¯d been walking restlessly, finally stood still upon reaching Habun Castle. He turned around and stood in front of Raon withposed eyes. ¡°Hey, leader! What are you nning to do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything strange¡­¡± As the scouts were trying to stop him, Radin leaned forward and bowed. ¡°Thank you, I managed to survive thanks to you.¡± Radin expressed his gratitude with a trembling voice. ¡°And I apologize. We were in danger because I didn¡¯t believe you. I¡¯m not going to me it on my experience or the fact that it was the first time it ever happened. I¡¯m just sorry and grateful to you.¡± He didn¡¯t raise his head until he finished saying all that. Raon could hear his sincerity in his voice and see it in the shivering of his shoulders. I thought he was just an idiot, but he isn¡¯t that bad. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t easy for a senior to acknowledge his mistake and beg for forgiveness from a recruit. There was a good reason the scouts looked up to Radin. ¡°Anyone would¡¯ve thought like you in that situation. It¡¯s alright.¡± Raon smiled lightly and made Radin stand. His eyes were filled with surprise as he raised his head. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°People wouldn¡¯t usually believe in a recruit¡¯s babbling. I would¡¯ve been the same, so I understand.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Radin¡¯ jaw dropped and stared at Raon in a daze. ¡°You weren¡¯t a weird guy.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°An angel! You were the angel that came down to save us!¡± He murmured some iprehensible stuff and clenched his fist. ¡°I¡¯ll buy for you tomemorate this day we survived thanks to the angel! Gather at the Branch of Frost, everyone!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter with that penny pincher?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s drink until we pass out!¡± The scouts shouted, running towards Habun Castle. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Dorian came up next to him and shook his head. ¡°They are seriously weird.¡± As he said that, he was holding a yellow apple that only grew in the southern region. ¡°Eat this one, young master.¡± He gave him the apple, saying that it was healthy to eat fruit during the day. Raon epted the apple and sighed. ¡®You are the weirdest one here¡­¡¯ * * * Raon caught his breath after unpacking his luggage in his room, then headed towards the pub called ¡®Branch of Frost¡¯, where the scouts were supposed to meet. A pub located at the edge of the continent, how romantic. The King of Essence is looking forward to the food. ¡®Their circumstances aren¡¯t that great, so don¡¯t have too many expectations for the taste.¡¯ The pub probably only had one purpose, which was to relieve the soldiers¡¯ stress. Expecting tasty food would result in disappointment. You never know. There might be a new sensation like mint chocte waiting for me. ¡®Ah, that¡¯s a bit¡­ hmm?¡¯ He could feel people¡¯s gazes as he frowned. ¡°Is that him? The recruit that killed six shark moles on his own?¡± ¡°His pressure doesn¡¯t feel that strong, though.¡± ¡°His eyes are ordinary, too.¡± ¡°But I still want to try fighting him.¡± ¡°I wonder what swordsmanship he uses.¡± Surprise and curiosity. The probing gazes were following his back. He could understand what happened from listening to the whispers. ¡®The rumor has already spread.¡¯ The scouts must¡¯ve been spreading the rumor about the recruit that killed six shark moles on his own. ¡°Wherever you go, your name spreads so quickly.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Raon snickered. Considering the people¡¯s gazes and the circumstances, it seemed something interesting was going to happen soon. ¡°I think it¡¯s here.¡± Dorian pointed at an old building near the entrance of Habun Castle. ¡®Branch of Frost¡¯ was written on a partially detached signboard. They opened the door and entered, and they could see the scout soldiers at the table in the center. ¡°He was really awesome! He said to trust his sword and turned around to sh the shark mole in a single strike. The crimson de looked like it was splitting the night sky apart.¡± The scout poured the beer in his mouth, then continued. ¡°At the end, he threw his dagger to smash the head of the shark mole that was running away. I¡¯ve also learned some dagger techniques, but it was my first time witnessing such power and precision. Moreover¡­ Huh? He¡¯s here! The recruit that saved our lives is here!¡± He pointed at Raon standing at the entrance, and all gazes inside the pub were directed at him. ¡°He is so young, though.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°That kid killed six shark moles?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! Despite how he looks, he is extremely strong!¡± Raon sighed and walked towards the table in the center. ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m spreading the rumor about my junior¡¯s great deeds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal to share the story after returning from a mission. That¡¯s what allows us to survive the next time.¡± The scout that was sitting down grinned and tapped his shoulder. ¡°Sit down, sit down.¡± He pointed at the seat right next to him. ¡°You are obviously going to leave soon. I¡¯m just bragging about my junior before he leaves, so don¡¯t mind it so much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You will be assigned to another group very soon.¡± ¡°Let us brag about our great junior.¡± The scouts looked at Raon and Dorian with slightly regretful expressions. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister. Let¡¯s eat! The leader¡¯s going to be here soon as well.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Owner! Bring the food we ordered!¡± It seemed they''d already finished ordering the food, as the food came out immediately. Warm stew, roasted pig, pizza, and fried chicken were brought out to the table. ¡®They look delicious for some reason.¡¯ The ce can grant a taste. Go ahead and eat it. The King of Essence wants that pizza. ¡®Alright.¡¯ It was when Raon was about to eat the stew, ignoring Wrath, that it happened. The pub¡¯s door mmed open and people wearing armor with a gray wolf emblem swarmed inside. Without even looking at the empty seats, they came up to the table in the center. ¡°Are you Raon?¡± Therge swordsman with spiky hair stood in front of Raon. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°I heard you killed six shark moles on your own. I would like to witness your sword.¡± His yellow eyes were filled with a clear fighting spirit. He wasn¡¯t looking at him as a praiseworthy young swordsman, but a worthy opponent instead. ¡®There are always these types of people on the battlefield.¡¯ The demons of the battlefield; starving for battle, disinterested in money, honor, and belief. Raon could tell with confidence upon seeing his insane eyes. They were the people that were living there in order to fight. ¡°What do you think you are doing? He is a recruit that joined us only recently!¡± ¡°Go away! There¡¯s no ce for yo¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Raon shook his head at the scout seniors that were trying to stop the fight and stood up. You don¡¯t bother even a Cerberus when they¡¯re eating, yet these worms dare! ¡®This is a good opportunity.¡¯ He needed to experience many battles in order toplete the Fangs of Insanity. He was d that humans were picking a fight with him instead of monsters. With a scary smile, Raon tapped his sheath. ¡°My sword is slightly fierce. Is that okay?¡± ¡°The fiercer it is, the better.¡± Red and yellow eyes met, and the blue me started screaming in the middle. Just take a bite of that pizza first, please¡­ Chapter 120 In the open area outside the pub, Raon was facing the yellow eyed swordsman. Not only the people inside the pub, but also the soldiers that had heard the rumor were gathered around, filling the surrounding area. Some people even started gambling on them. ¡°He is Turka from the Wolf Mercenary Corps! He will bite down and won¡¯t release his opponent like a wolf once the fight begins!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. You don¡¯t need to ept his challenge! Let¡¯s stop.¡± The scout seniors were worried about him, but Raon shook his head. There was no reason for him to refuse when a scapegoat to increase the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s proficiency had appeared all on his own. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t tend to refuse fights.¡± Raon smiled confidently and stepped forward. Damn it! There¡¯s a saying that a demon that dies after eating has color and charm. The food is getting cold! ¡®I¡¯ll order new food for you.¡¯ Ahem, well. That¡¯s fine. Wrath moved back, telling him to order the same things, especially the pizza. The dignity of the demon king was as light as a feather. ¡°I¡¯m the leader of the fourth team of the Wolf Mercenary Corps, Turka.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Raon.¡± Turka was treating Raon respectfully despite him being much younger than himself. However, he couldn¡¯t hide the slight belittlement in his eyes, which meant that he didn¡¯tpletely believe the story of him killing six shark moles on his own. ¡°Allow me to experience the extent of the swordsmanship that killed a shark mole in a single strike.¡± While saying that, Turka kicked the ground and drew his saber. He held the sword straight up to pierce the sky, then mmed it down. It was an attack using the saber¡¯s thick and heavy de to his advantage. However, neither its power, speed, nor trajectory managed to surpass Raon¡¯s expectations. Raon shed up with the Fangs of Insanity, aimed towards the saber mming down at him like lightning. ng! The collision between the sword and saber, imbued with aura, cracked the frozen ground of the open area. ¡°You blocked that?¡± Turka¡¯s eyes widened to the point that they looked like they would explode, as he didn¡¯t expect him to block it instead of avoiding it. ¡°I told you.¡± Raon pushed back the heavy saber with his thin sword and smiled coldly. ¡°My sword is fierce.¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± Turka¡¯s saber bounced off to the right side, facing a ferocious strike simr to a savage beast showing its teeth. Raon didn¡¯t miss that opportunity and thrust his left fist. Whack! The fist crushed the wind and struck the right side of Turka¡¯s waist. ¡°Kuah!¡± Turka bent at his waist like a shrimp, then was mmed into the ground. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°H-how did Turka lose so easily?¡± ¡°He should¡¯ve been one of the ten strongest of the Wolf Mercenary Corps.¡± ¡°How did a fist make such an earth-shattering sound?¡± ¡°How did he fend off a saber using that thin sword? That¡¯s the strangest part.¡± The mercenaries and the spectators looked back and forth between Raon and Turka in surprise. ¡°I went easy on you on purpose.¡± Raon leisurely rested his sword on his shoulder. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Turka stood up, supporting his body with the saber. His yellow eyes were wavering like a sailboat facing a tidal wave. ¡°You asked me to show you my sword. I haven¡¯t even gotten started yet.¡± ¡°Arrrgh!¡± Raon flicked his four fingers and Turka grit his teeth, rushing at him. He was still keeping his cool headedness despite his confused state, befitting a mercenary that had experienced countless battles. Raon hacked with the Fangs of Insanity, aiming towards the horizontal swing of the saber. ng! A thunderous noise of smashing metal resounded, and Turka¡¯s saber was pushed back. Even though it looked like he was reaching his end, his eyes were still alive. He twisted his waist in midair to m his saber down. ¡°That¡¯s much better.¡± Raon bent his knees slightly and shed his sword in a low trajectory, like a flying swallow. ng! Turka¡¯s wrist that was holding the saber was snapped, as if it were broken. It was the effect of the Fangs of Insanity, creating an opening against the opponent. ¡°Keuh!¡± Turka withdrew in a hurry and Raon advanced like a tempest. Whack! He pierced Turka¡¯s space and walloped his chest with his left shoulder. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Turka copsed onto his back as his eyes turned white. Foam wasing from his mouth. Raon dusted off his hands lightly and looked behind him. In the middle of the astonished gazes directed at him, he pointed at a member of the Wolf Mercenary Corps, who was watching them with his mouth wide open. ¡°You shall be next.¡± Raon smiled in excitement and wielded his sword. ¡°You don¡¯t want it to end like this, right?¡± * * * * * * After leaving his luggage in his lodgings, Radin went to themander¡¯s room right away. It seemed they were in the middle of a conference, since Commander Mind was looking at the map along with his son, Vice Commander Terian. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to return in two days?¡± Mind raised his head, sticking the red g model on the map. ¡°I had to return because of an incident.¡± Hearing Radin¡¯s serious voice, Mind put down the g model and Terian uncrossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°The shark moles came up to the fifth tunnel.¡± ¡°Fifth? The fifth tunnel is at the forest¡¯s outskirts!¡± Terian mmed the desk, as he found that to be impossible to believe. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s also my first time seeing shark molesing near Stallin Mountain.¡± ¡°How many of them were there?¡± ¡°Six of them appeared at once.¡± Radin put down the wrapping cloth containing the shark moles¡¯ fins. ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Are they leaving their territory to that extent¡­?¡± Both Mind and Terian were unable to take their eyes off the fins in surprise. ¡°Wait a moment! Why are you so healthy if six shark moles ambushed you? What about the casualties? How many people have died?¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t a single casualty.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What?¡± Their eyes became even wider than before in their surprise. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been able to kill the shark moles on your own.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to ask a question this time.¡± Radin swallowed and raised his head. ¡°Raon. Who the hell is that guy?¡± His eyes were filled with astonishment, as if he¡¯d returned to the night of that day. ¡°The reason I, no, we are still alive is thanks to Raon. He warned us in advance about the shark moles approach, then killed the six shark moles on his own. I didn¡¯t even need to do anything.¡± ¡°Are you telling me he killed six shark moles on his own?¡± Terian¡¯s voice was trembling. ¡°Yes, it waspletely overwhelming. Using one strike per shark mole, he killed five of them in an instant, and when thest one tried to run away via the underground passage, he broke through the ground by throwing a dagger.¡± Radin¡¯s eyes were still trembling. ¡°I¡¯ve seen countless warriors and heroes in this hellish ground, but that was my first time witnessing someone possessing such prowess at that age. What kind of monster have you assigned to us?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mind just stared at the map without responding. ¡°How were his scouting abilities?¡± ¡°I got angry.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mind narrowed his eyes because of his unrted answer. ¡°Identifying the geography, monster tracks, time and weather, map reading and direction. He knew everything like a scout that¡¯s been living here for years. He even knew about the empty soil that can be dug out easily.¡± Radin sighed deeply. ¡°He was so excellent that I ended up acting irritated, yet he reassured me instead at the dangerous moment.¡± ¡°So, you are saying his personality is also great.¡± Thinking about something, Mind tapped the old desk with his scorched ck finger. ¡°Yes. He didn¡¯t brag about his feats, nor did he swagger about because of his knowledge. It was only for two days, but he got along with the scouts as well. If I hadn¡¯t witnessed his swordsmanship, I would¡¯ve thought he was just a mercenary or a hunter that¡¯d been living a difficult life from childhood.¡± ¡°Then how about the other guy?¡± ¡°Dorian? Honestly, that guy is even more strange.¡± Radin closed his eyes. ¡°Even more strange?¡± ¡°Yes, he carries around all kinds of objects. I¡¯ve never imagined in my entire life that I would sleep on a mattress and drink warm tea during a scouting mission.¡± ¡°How about his personality?¡± ¡°He is kind. He is a bit cowardly, but he cares about his surroundings and gives away what people need. I can¡¯t be certain since I haven¡¯t been with them for a long time, but I think they are both nice guys.¡± Radin gave him his honest opinion on Raon and Dorian. ¡°So, please tell me! Where did those weird monsters evene from? They must be from a prestigious family, right? I should¡¯ve realized after noticing the morous impressioning from their faces!¡± ¡°They are¡­¡± As Mind was about to respond, an urgent knocking sound could be heard. ¡°Commander!¡± Charles, one of the adjutants, opened the door and entered with his reddened face. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Y-you know¡­¡± ¡°Calm down and speak.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the two recruits that joined us two days ago.¡± The three people¡¯s eyes shone at the same time, hearing the word recruit. ¡°One of the recruits is fighting against Turka of the Wolf Mercenary Corps. They are apparently fighting using real swords in front of the Branch of Frost.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty obvious. Turka must¡¯ve picked a fight after hearing the rumor about him killing shark moles on his own.¡± Terian responded, as if he watched the scene with his own eyes. ¡°Wolves¡­¡± Mind frowned. The Wolf Mercenary Corps was immensely helpful during battles thanks to their courage andbative spirit, but they loved battles too much. They tended to pick fights inside if there were none outside, so they were causing various problems. ¡°I think it¡¯d be better to stop them before someone ends up heavily injured as the fight esctes. Even though Raon is there and is strong enough to deal with shark moles, he won¡¯t be able to win against Turka, who has experienced countless battles.¡± ¡°Haa, that¡¯s really annoying.¡± Mind clicked his tongue and looked at Terian. ¡°You should go there to stop them from fighting, then bring Raon here.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Terian nodded and left themander¡¯s room. Radin said he would go with him and followed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mind sighed lightly, looking at the shark mole¡¯s fin on the ground. ¡°Is changeing?¡± The old soldier that¡¯d been defending that ce for his entire life didn¡¯t exactly like change. He sighed lightly, hoping that his old body would be able to withstand theing changes. * * * ¡°Those Wolves seriously cause nothing but trouble!¡± Radin frowned, running towards the Branch of Frost. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that their brains are made of muscles. I said that we shouldn¡¯t ept them!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that they don¡¯t care about the consequences, but it¡¯s also a fact that they are extremely helpful in battles. No one¡¯s better than them when ites down to closebat.¡± Terian nonchntly stated the truth. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Radin licked his lips and nodded. ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t let them get away with it if they touched our recruit.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he was a strange monster?¡± ¡°Monster, ghost, or whatever, he is my subordinate since he joined the third scouting party! I¡¯ll protect him until he leaves on his own. And I even owe him my life.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Terian grinned. Radin was a ssic northern man that was warmer inside than their outer appearance suggested. ¡®Putting that aside¡­¡¯ He hoped that Raon wasn¡¯t severely injured. Even though he was from Zieghart and possessed an extraordinary talent, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to win against Turka, who became stronger through real battles. After all, fighting against monsters and fighting against people werepletely different matters. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± They increased their speed a bit more, and the Branch of Frost¡¯s signboard came into their sight. Shouting sound could be heard. The area was alreadypletely filled with people, so there was no room for them to enter. ¡°Huff!¡± Terian kicked the ground and leapt over the wall of spectators. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Landing at the edge of the round, temporary arena, he was immobilized like a rock upon seeing the unexpected sight. ¡®Why are they¡­?¡¯ The five courageous mercenaries that hadn¡¯t even yielded in front of monsters were stretched out on the ground with their faces turned blue. And¡­ Whack! Along with the powerful sound of smashing a boulder, another mercenary was mmed into the ground like a stake. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°He won again!¡± ¡°It¡¯s six wins in a row! That boy smashed six Wolf Mercenaries on his own!¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazy! The rumor wasn¡¯t a lie!¡± ¡°He is a sword demon, a sword demon!¡± The shouting spectators were praising Raon, who had defeated six Wolf Mercenaries on his own. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Terian looked to his right with a trembling chin. The blonde swordsman, filled with a frightening anticipation, was pointing his sword against the Wolf Mercenary Corps. ¡°Since this is starting to get boring,e at me all at once.¡± Facing the spiriting from his red eyes, Terian unconsciously stepped backward. Chapter 121 Raon looked at the mercenaries stretched out on the ground with a smile that stemmed from the bottom of his heart. ¡®Fighting against people is the best.¡¯ The Fangs of Insanity¡¯s proficiency increased noticeably as he crossed des with the mercenaries, who had lots of hands-on experience. Choosing the match instead of food was the correct answer. ¡®It¡¯s just¡­¡¯ He became slightly emotional. He didn¡¯t manage topletely fix the problem of getting excited by the madness that came from the Fangs of Insanity. It seemed he needed to practice more before he could remainpletely levelheaded as he pierced through his opponent¡¯s openings. ¡°Are you done fighting me?¡± Raon swirled his sword to point at the Wolf Mercenaries. ¡°I¡¯m not even done warming up yet. I¡¯ll be disappointed if that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got after picking a fight with me first.¡± ¡°Eeek!¡± ¡°Fine,e at me!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t good enough, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Following his provocation, the mercenariespeted with each other to be his next opponent. ¡°Five of you is perfect. Come at me at once.¡± ¡°You crazy¡­¡± ¡°Are you seriously trying to fight against five people at once?¡± Raon nodded silently. ¡°You are looking down on us too much!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Beat him up with our numbers!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± As the mercenaries were about to attack him, an enervating voice could be heard. A green-haired man with long limbs stepped out from the group of soldiers that were standing at the center. His appearance resembled a mantis. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°V-Vice captain!¡± The mercenaries bowed at him, calling him the vice-captain. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Despite his sharp appearance, his voice was as slow as a turtle. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I got the gist of it.¡± He clicked his tongue, looking at him and the mercenaries that were copsed in a corner. ¡°Haah¡­ I am Cliff, the vice-captain of the Wolf Mercenaries. My boys are a bit rude.¡± Cliff bowed politely, offering an apology. ¡°It¡¯s al¡­¡± As he was about to tell him that it was alright, he met Cliff¡¯s eyes as he raised his head. Thepletely serious, ice-cold eyes weren¡¯t those of an apologetic person. ¡°I heard you say that you wanted to fight against five of our boys at once, but may I fight you instead?¡± Despite his polite words, his voice was filled withbative spirit, as if he were about to swing his fist at any moment. I thought he was different, but he is exactly the same. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ Ugh. I thought I could finally taste the pizza, but it¡¯s starting again. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this soon enough, so just wait a little.¡¯ Raon smiled lightly and faced Cliff. He looked up at his narrow eyes and nodded. ¡°I¡¯d be d if you do, since I haven''t finished warming up yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I also enjoy warming up with a fight.¡± Cliff showed his teeth and smiled. It looked like he wasn¡¯t even trying to hide hisbative spirit anymore. The pressureing from a swordsman at the Expert level was pressing on his shoulders. Creak. He drew the long sword attached to his back like a spear. ¡°Since there¡¯s a difference in age, I¡¯ll allow you to attack first.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± Raon brandished his sword and kicked the ground. As he was about to dash ahead, a deadly de popped out in front of his eyes. ¡®He is fast.¡¯ It was a high-speed attack utilizing his long arm and the long sword¡¯s range. It felt like the sword surged up in front of his eyes. ¡®However¡­ I already knew it wasing.¡¯ Raon was already expecting that kind of attack the moment he saw Cliff¡¯s arm and the long sword. ng! Raon nonchntly deflected the long sword rushing at him. Using that opening, he kicked the ground. As he was about to pierce into his space, Cliff stepped back and retrieved the sword¡ªwhose trajectory went amiss¡ªand thrust it once again. All of that happened at the speed of light. He didn¡¯t show the slightest bit of confusion, as if he was ready for it to happen. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ Raon smiled. ¡®This is the kind of fight I¡¯ve wanted.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want a fight he could easily win, but an intense one where he could use the Fangs of Insanity to the best of its abilities. ¡°You are soid back.¡± Cliff smiled coldly and thrust his sword. Raon hacked towards the de, bending like a hawk¡¯s w. nk! Even though it was a powerful strike, the long sword didn¡¯t shake that much. Cliff quickly retrieved his de to prepare his defense and attack at the same time. ¡®I see, I get it now.¡¯ Raon licked his lips. It took three shes of their des, but he had a grasp on how to create an opening from Cliff. Thud! With a powerful step, he dashed to the front. Whoosh! Cliff immediately thrust his sword. It was about 1.5 times faster than before, which meant he¡¯d been hiding his abilities. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but the same goes for me.¡¯ In fact, he was hiding even more than him. Raon dodged the long sword as it thrust at his shoulder by a paper-thin difference, then shed his sword. ng! It was the loud sound of collision, but the long sword wasn¡¯t pushed back that much. The reason was simple. ¡®It¡¯s because it¡¯s a flexible sword.¡¯ Even though it looked like a long sword that had nothing special about it except for its length, it was a flexible sword that could bend like a whip. He¡¯d partially decreased the solidity at the moment of impact to absorb the shock. ¡®He¡¯s good.¡¯ Raden Zieghart¡¯s swordsmanship was more powerful and shy, but his technique was more intricate. Whoosh! Using his arm, which was pulled back, he thrust his sword like lightning. The speed had increased even further, to a level that even an excellent warrior would be unable to see. However, the trajectory was clearly visible to Raon¡¯s eyes. He thrust his sword, using the superhuman strength of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation from his energy center. The moment Cliff tried to weaken the center of his long sword, Raon turned his wrist. He mmed his sword against the edge of the long sword, following the spark of the Fangs of Insanity. Wham! Cliff¡¯s long sword didn¡¯t manage to weaken in time, snapping in half, before it was mmed into the already cracked ground. ¡°Wh-What is this?¡± Cliff shook his hand in panic, but the sword didn¡¯t easilye out of the ground. m! Raon smashed the ground so that he wouldn''t be able to pull out the sword at all, then dashed at Cliff. The moment he was about to strike his chest with the t of his sword, Cliff¡¯s eyes glowed dangerously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but a mantis has two scythes!¡± He drew the second sword from his back with his left hand. It was a small sword that was attached to the end of his sheath. ¡°I know.¡± Raon drew the de of Requiem with his left hand and swung it down. sh! Cliff¡¯s small sword was cut apart like tofu. His hand started shaking in real panic. ¡°W-wai¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as waiting during a fight.¡± Raon sneered and hit his abdomen with his left fist, which was holding the de of Requiem. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± His entrance was different, but Cliff met the same end as the other mercenaries as he copsed on his back while foaming at the mouth. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon nodded in satisfaction and sheathed his sword. ¡®A real fight really is the best.¡¯ Real fights were the best way to increase the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s proficiency. He turned around, thinking that he should review the enlightenment he got just now. ¡°Kuaah!¡± ¡°Wh-What was that?¡± ¡°How did that mantis demon lose just now? And to such a young kid, at that!¡± ¡°No, but how does this make any sense? How could Cliff lose like that?¡± ¡°H-He is the new star. The new star of the future!¡± Swordsmen, knights, and soldiers. Everyone that¡¯d been spectating the fight couldn¡¯t find the jaws that they dropped. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°He is the best!¡± ¡°Please, fight against me next time!¡± ¡°Hey! Where are you from?!¡± Lots of soldiers and swordsmen were cheering over the awesome fight they¡¯d just witnessed. ¡°S-Sir Raon, good job!¡± Dorian gave him a towel and an apple juice. Telling him that he¡¯d believed in him all along, he took out a grape juice and started drinking. ¡°Raon.¡± As he was wiping his sweat with a snicker, Vice Commander Terian came up to him. His expression was indifferent, unlike the others. ¡°Follow me. Themander has summoned you.¡± He turned around and walked away. He was walking ahead, pretending to be indifferent, but he couldn¡¯t hide his trembling fingers. * * * * * * Raon was once again standing in front of themander Mind after being gone two days. His eyes skimmed over him from top to bottom with a probing gaze. ¡°I shall express my gratitude first. Thank you for saving the lives of the scouts.¡± Mind slowly closed his eyes. ¡°I only did what I needed to do, since I¡¯m also part of the scouting party.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a boring answer, unlike when you were fighting.¡± ¡°Did you watch?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t watch, but I could feel it.¡± He snickered, pointing at the window behind him. ¡°How shall I describe it? Your might and personality are both different from what I saw here. I didn¡¯t expect you to ept the mercenaries¡¯ challenge.¡± ¡°I normally don¡¯t avoid requests for fights.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good mindset as a swordsman. I can understand how you got to have such prowess at your age.¡± ¡°Why did youe here?¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Even though it was because of your house¡¯s orders, didn¡¯t you have something you wanted to achieve for yourself?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Red light shone from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°I want to experience many things. I want to participate in as many fights as possible, and experience as many battlefields as I can.¡± He didn¡¯t just want toplete the Fangs of Insanity and improve the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to increase his prowess. He also wanted to learn more about emotions, to strengthen his mind. ¡°I-I¡¯m against it! I just want to be a supply soldier from the ba¡­¡± Raon covered Dorian¡¯s mouth as he started saying useless things. ¡°Many fights and many experiences¡­¡± Mind tapped the desk with his charred finger. ¡°Which military unit do you think is the most dangerous one?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the infantry?¡± Dorian hesitantly responded. ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the scouts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the right answer.¡± Mind snickered and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just like you said. The most dangerous unit is the scouting unit. They spend more time outside the castle than in, and they don¡¯t rest when the battle breaks out since they also participate in it. They always fight with their lives on the line, from when they are scouting to when they¡¯re on the castle walls when they are inside.¡± He licked his lips with a bitter expression on his face. ¡°Since they have the highest rate of mortality during missions, we alwaysck scouts.¡± That was something Raon had expected. In fact, they were using lodging for two people with Dorian despite being mere recruits. ¡°I was initially nning to send you to abat unit, but that won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯ll help you fulfill your objective.¡± ¡°I-I said my objective is the supply soldie¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m appointing you two as the special guards for the scouting party. I hope you will save as many scouts¡¯ lives as possible, while fighting to your heart¡¯s content.¡± Mind¡¯s eyes shone as he told them his request. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded his head. Just as he said, he was certainly going to have as many fights as he wanted if he moved along with the scouts. ¡°I never said I wanted to fight! I was just standing here!¡± Raon and Mindpletely ignored Dorian despite being right next to him, as if he¡¯d never existed. ¡°I¡¯ll officially announce the appointment soon enough. Good job on your scouting mission. You shall rest now.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Wait a moment! I just want to be a supply soldier in the back line¡­¡± Raon pulled Dorian from themander¡¯s room since he was spouting such nonsense. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s over. It¡¯s over! My life is over!¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders drooped like a zombie¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s not over, so stop saying nonsense and go back and rest.¡± ¡°Pardon? What about Sir Raon?¡± He was munching on a round snack. When he¡¯d taken it out, Raon had no idea. ¡°I¡¯ll train a little before returning.¡± ¡°Ugh, okay.¡± Dorian told him to do his best, then returned to their lodgings. Wait. Just as Raon was about to visit the soldiers¡¯ training center, Wrath¡¯s voice could be heard. This isn¡¯t what you promised. Wrath burst from the flower bracelet and frowned. ¡®Promise?¡¯ Yes. You said you would eat the pizza after the match. ¡®Ah, that promise.¡¯ Raon raised his head to look at the sky. It wasn¡¯t exactly time for dinner yet. ¡®Let¡¯s eat it in the evening after training.¡¯ Stop lying! I won¡¯t be tricked like that anymore! ¡®It¡¯s true this time. I¡¯ll even pick the pizza you want.¡± R-really? ¡®I¡¯m telling you, yes. I just want to review the enlightenment I got.¡¯ Raon nodded with a serious expression, thinking that he managed to convince him. Whir! The de of Requiem also resonated, telling him to just trust him. F-Fine. The generous King of Essence will forgive you this time. Instead, you have to pick the pizza the King of Essence wants at all costs. ¡®Okay, okay.¡¯ Raon smiled, as if he was dealing with a child, and went to the training center. * * * Raon left the training center after the moon rising over the western mountain moved about the distance of three finger knuckles. His expression was filled with satisfaction as he tapped the sheath of his sword. ¡®The Fangs of Insanity¡¯s proficiency has increased a lot.¡¯ He managed topletely engrave the enlightening he got through the match in his body and mind. He was stillcking, but it felt like he managed to break through anotheryer. ¡®Let¡¯s return and sleep.¡¯ Raon Zieghart! When he was about to return to the lodging, Wrath¡ªwho was hanging on his wrist like a parrot¡ªstarted emanating terrifying coldness. How could you forget about the promise with the King of Essence again! ¡®Ah, I was just kidding. It was a joke.¡¯ Raon snickered. There was no way he would forget about such a ridiculous promise. He was just ying a prank. Since Wrath had been silently waiting for him during his training, he was nning to buy him a pizza like he wanted. Whir! The de of Requiem resounded, looking at the floundering Wrath. What? Are you telling me the King of Essence is narrow-minded? What¡¯s narrow is your owner¡¯s brain! Whir! Stop trying to preach the King of Essence when you are just an insignificant creature! The King of Essence is just curious as a gourmet¡­ Raon ignored the demon king and the possessed dagger loudly chatting with each other, heading towards the Branch of Frost. However¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± The lights were off in the pub, and he couldn¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s presence. It looked like they closed down early. Did they close down? ¡®It looks like it.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Wrath didn¡¯t say anything, blue me trembling. The thin coldnessing from him started wavering like a tsunami. That¡¯s why the King of Essence said we should go there earlier! ¡®I didn¡¯t know they would close down this early.¡¯ Shut up. This is one thing I can¡¯t forgive! ¡®This really was not intentional¡­¡¯ Give back the King of Essence¡¯s pizza! The coldness emanating from him surrounded his ankles and wrists. ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t think you should be doing this.¡¯ The King of Essence will take over your body this time for sure and eat the pizza with my own hands and mouth! Wrath¡¯s frost glimmered like a blue lightning. The amount of wrath and ice storming through Raon¡¯s entire body was the biggest so far. And that day¡­ Raon¡¯s stats increased by two. Chapter 122 Inside the fifth cave, where Raon and the scouts spent the night. On the icy ground where the shark moles'' blood had frozen solid, two men were standing, one wearing a ck and the other a blue one. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The man in ck robe¡¯s height and bulkiness wereparable to that of a monster. Looking at the bloodstains around the cave, he licked his lips. ¡°They were killed by a fast and simple killing technique. I can¡¯t tell what kind of swordsmanship the perpetrator used from the marks on the corpses and the ground.¡± He scratched his chin, looking at the hole created by Raon¡¯s de of Requiem. ¡°How was this hole created? I don¡¯t think it was made by a sword, was it a spear? No, this is¡­¡± ¡°Why are you so curious about that?¡± The man wearing the blue robe snorted, kicking the shark moles corpses that had been buried by the scouts. ¡°They are all going to die anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of you. You should¡¯ve made sure to kill them, or at least get some information. We only ended up giving them information this time.¡± The man in the ck robe turned around. It was difficult to see because of the robe, but it seemed like he was scowling. ¡°I didn¡¯t do that on purpose. It couldn¡¯t be helped, they were out of control.¡± ¡°Stop your nonsense.¡± ¡°Haa, why are you so worried? Nothing can possibly go wrong as long as we proceed as nned.¡± ¡°You are underestimating them too much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not underestimating them. They are simply inferior.¡± The man wearing the blue robe grinned, looking in the direction of Habun Castle. The dozens of teeth in his mouth glowed like those of a shark. ¡°They won¡¯t be able to do anything if we proceed ording to the n. That¡¯s why we are working hard on the preparations right now.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t do anything, please. The n goes awry whenever you act. It looks like your head is even bing fishlike.¡± ¡°Keep talking. You are like a beast.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Haaah. Alright, alright. I won¡¯t do anything, I¡¯ll be as quiet as a mouse.¡± The man in the ck robe red at him silently. The man in the blue robe nodded, grating on his nerves. ¡°So, what are we going to do now?¡± ¡°Habun Castle¡¯smander isn¡¯t stupid. He will send troops to confirm the fact that shark moles came up near Stallin Mountain, and to exterminate the gathering trolls.¡± ¡°So, we are going to attack those guys? Let me do that!¡± ¡°It is not yet your turn.¡± The man in the ck robe shook his head. ¡°The Six Kings will probably send reinforcements as soon as we act, so we need to be thest ones to wield our des.¡± ¡°So, what then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made my preparations.¡± Huge shadows appeared from behind him. They had white fur as thin and long as feathers covering their entire bodies, ears as pointy as elves, and arms long enough to reach the ground. Ice trolls. Two of those monsters, infamous throughout the frozen northernnd, stood behind the man in the ck robe. ¡°Oh, they aren¡¯t just average monsters.¡± The man in the blue robe crossed his arms and grinned. Just as he said, the two ice trolls didn¡¯t look normal. They were at least one head taller than an average ice troll, and one held a red club while the other held a blue staff. ¡°A warrior and a shaman sounds like a goodbination for experimentation. I should also look for some decent ones.¡± He headed towards the northern sea while giggling, and the man in the ck robe silently walked towards Stallin Mountain. Rumble. The ice troll warrior and shaman followed the man in the ck robe like well-trained dogs. * * * The Next Day. Raon left his lodgings and went to the Branch of Frost before noon. ¡°It¡¯s unusual of you to ask me to go to the pub.¡± Dorian rubbed his sleepy eyes with a big yawn. ¡°I¡¯m missing the food I couldn¡¯t eat yesterday.¡± ¡°Ah, I know. The food looked pretty delicious.¡± Actually, he didn¡¯t really feel hungry or miss the food, but he felt ever-so-slightly bad about Wrath, who lost his stats without eating pizza in the end. Because of that, he decided to spend some time eating pizza. Don¡¯t pretend you are being considerate to the King of Essence. The promise was supposed to be for yesterday in the first ce. Wrathined, sticking to his wrist like a cicada on a tree. He¡¯d be significantly smallerpared to the day before because he¡¯d spent a lot of his power. ¡®Okay.¡¯ As he nodded and kept walking, he could feel probing gazes form the surroundings. ¡°That¡¯s him. The sword demon that killed six shark moles on his own and even defeated the Wolf Mercenary Corps¡ªincluding their vice-captain, Cliff.¡± ¡°Are you sure? But he is just a pretty boy.¡± ¡°I can only feel a weak pressure from him¡­¡± ¡°I lost all my sry from betting against him yesterday. There¡¯s no way I would forget!¡± ¡°How did he be strong enough to defeat that terrible mantis at such a young age?¡± The swordsmen and the knights swallowed harshly upon seeing Raon pass them by. ¡°Hey, sword demon! You were awesome yesterday!¡± ¡°It has been a long time since thest time our mercenary corps was defeated that badly!¡± ¡°Thank you for beating up Turka, who¡¯s been ying the goat.¡± ¡°I felt so happy when the vice-captain got beaten up!¡± Unlike the swordsmen that were probing him, the Wolf Mercenaries waved their hands with cheers. They are seriously crazy. ¡®They just like fighting, and they like strong people.¡¯ Yellow madness could still be seen in their eyes. It was truly behavior befitting the demons of battlefields that went looking for fights. Whatever, just go faster. ¡®Okay, okay.¡¯ Raon snickered and opened the pub¡¯s door. The inside waspletely empty, since it was an awkward time for a meal. ¡°Wee!¡± They sat at the table in the center and a cheerful voice could be heard from the kitchen. A girl in her early teens wearing her rosy hair in two braids walked out soon enough. She was someone they hadn¡¯t seen the day before. ¡°Are you going to eat? Huh?¡± After putting the menu down on the table, the girl tilted her head as she looked at Raon. ¡°You are the swordsman that fought against the Wolf uncles yesterday, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wow, the girls said your appearance was more attractive than your swordsmanship, but it was true!¡± The waitress stared at Raon with a broad smile. What are you doing? Stop making me wait and open the menu. The King of Essence will order everything. ¡®Haah¡­¡¯ First, is pizza. I even saw the pizza from yesterday in my dream. He looked at the pizza on the menu. As he was pondering over which one to order since there were five different kinds, the girl came up next to him. ¡°Do you want my rmendation? This beef pizza and the chicken pizza are the most popr ones, and this spicy pepper pizza is a delicacy. And¡­¡± The waitress also rmended the grilled meats, chickens, and stews. The way she was increasing the sales after approaching him and telling him he was handsome showed that she was a proper merchant. Order this chicken pizza and the pineapple pizza down there for now. `We didn¡¯t see the pineapple pizza yesterday. The one we had back then was beef¡­¡¯ It doesn¡¯t matter. The King of Essence wants that pineapple pizza. ¡®Hmm, pineapple is a bit¡­¡¯ Pineapple was a tropical fruit from the southern regions. Since it had a sweet and sour taste, Raon didn¡¯t feel like it would harmonize with pizza, which had cheese. ¡®Were you an odd eater rather than a gourmet?¡¯ Silence. You said you would do what the King of Essence desires for today. Keep your promise, Raon Zieghart. Wrath¡¯s voice was dignified, as if he were pledging an oath or something when he was just ordering a pizza. The demon king seemed pettier the more he learned about him. ¡°Give me the chicken pizza and pineapple pizza, and a beef stew¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. We don¡¯t have the ingredients for the pineapple right now.¡± The waitress shook his head, saying that some food on the menu was unavable because of theck of ingredients. Keuh, I was looking forward to it the most¡­ ¡®Haa, it¡¯s a relief.¡¯ ¡°Pineapple?¡± As Raon was breathing a sigh of relief because he didn¡¯t have to eat the pineapple pizza, Dorian¡ªwho¡¯d been nkly staring at the menu¡ªstood up. ¡°W-Wait¡­¡± Raon had an awful premonition and tried to stop him, but Dorian¡¯s hand was as fast as lightning. He took out a pineapple from his belly pocket in the blink of an eye. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The waitress'' eyes widened. ¡°H-How did you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s prettymon to carry around a pineapple or two.¡± Dorian shrugged, saying it was nothing special. ¡®It¡¯s not! Why do you have something like that?¡¯ Raon barely managed to suppress the impulse to smack the back of his head. Ooh! As expected of the King of Essence¡¯s first subordinate! Wrath murmured, saying that he did a great job of making him his subordinate, and patted Dorian¡¯s head with his frost. ¡°Thank you! Then, we will buy this pineapple and use it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I have more.¡± Dorian grinned, taking out another pineapple. ¡°Isn¡¯t it great, young master? You can eat the pineapple pizza you wanted.¡± ¡°Yes, this is great.¡± ¡®This is so great that I want to beat you up.¡¯ ¡°Uhh.¡± Raon scowled and ordered the other food that was rmended to him. ¡°Thank you, we will prepare a tasty meal!¡± * * * * * * With a refreshing smile, the waitress brought the pineapple to the kitchen. While Raon was chatting with Dorian, who looked hateful for some reason, the waitress and a fiery-looking old man with silver hair came out of the kitchen with the food. They disyed the steaming food on the table. ¡°This is the leftover pineapple after cooking.¡± The old man ced the remaining half of the pineapple on the table. Despite the impression that he gave that suggested he had experience killing several people, his voice was soft. ¡°Eeh¡­¡± The waitress had half of her tongue sticking out because of the fragranceing from the sliced pineapple. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can I give her this pineapple?¡± ¡°Yes, of course!¡± Dorian immediately nodded, as if he were telling him he didn¡¯t have to ask something like that. ¡°Take this, this is for you.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± The waitress bowed, her cheeks turning as red as her hair. ¡°Thank you.¡± The old man also bowed slightly and went back to the kitchen. His attitude was also nice, unlike his appearance. Stop pretending to be kind and start eating already! Eat it when it¡¯s still hot! ¡®Stop whining.¡¯ Raon sighed lightly and picked up the pineapple pizza. He closed his eyes and took a big bite. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± There wasn¡¯t really a sour taste like he was expecting. On the other hand, the strong, sweet taste stimted his tongue. It felt like the salty and sweet taste were discordant as they poked his tongue. It wasn¡¯t exactly disgusting, but he felt like there was no reason to heat up the fruit like that. ¡°Ugh, this isn¡¯t too good.¡± Dorian scowled after eating the pineapple pizza. On the other hand¡ª Huh! How could this taste even exist?! The King of Essence has been so ignorant of the world! A demon king was moved by the pineapple pizza. This golden ratio between the sweet and salty taste is softly surrounding the King of Essence¡¯s tongue, like silk. This is gastronomy, and this is happiness! The monarch of Devildom felt like he was in heaven from eating a single piece of pineapple pizza, and he was on the verge of tears. Keep eating! You shall never stop! ¡°Argh¡­¡± Raon frowned, but still kept eating the pineapple pizza. It was certainly not too bad, but he still didn¡¯t know why¡­ He would¡¯ve preferred eating a cold pineapple separately. Wow, I¡¯ll never get bored of this taste, no matter how much I eat it. The King of Essence is naming this pizza the salty-sweet pizza. Wrath kept telling him to only eat the pineapple pizza, fallingpletely in love with it. ¡°The young master really has a peculiar taste.¡± Dorian wrinkled his nose, looking at Raon as he picked up the fourth pineapple pizza. ¡°¡­That¡¯s not the case.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You can¡¯t hide your taste. You are part of the mint chocte squad, and you even like the pineapple pizza. You are the most peculiar person I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m not.¡± He barely managed to suppress the urge to smack the back of his head once again. I¡¯m satisfied. A forest of pineapple shall be created in Devildom in the future. The guy looked so happy. Raon realized it was the time for him to put his n into action. Eating another piece of pineapple pizza, he looked at Wrath. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ What? His voice was cheerful, to the point that it was difficult to believe he¡¯d exploded the day before. ¡®I had a feeling while using cier, but there are more ways to use it, right?¡¯ Oh, did you actually notice that? You are right. Wrath nodded in satisfaction. It is simr to the cultivation techniques that humans use. cier is the method of using frost with the utmost efficiency and the highest amount of output. ¡®Does that mean I can also attack or defend with it?¡¯ Of course. ¡®It doesn¡¯t only have that excellent scouting ability but can also attack and defend. It¡¯s really amazing.¡¯ Indeed! It¡¯s truly an incredible ability that even your inferior self managed to notice. Wrath¡¯s voice became even louder. It seemed he was feeling like a worshiped demon king once again, all thanks to the sweet taste of the pineapple pizza and Raon¡¯s tant ttery. ¡®So, how do you use that? Can you even block ice with ice?¡¯ What a pathetic guy. Remember what the King of Essence told you before. It¡¯s all about image! Nothing is impossible as long as you can picture the image. ¡®Then, if I picture blocking the ice, can I block all the iceing from both outside and inside?¡¯ Of course. ws don¡¯t exist in an ability created by the King of Essence. Chant the spell the King of Essence taught you and draw the image you need. The same goes when attacking. Wrathpletely forgot about the bet and the fact that his main way of attacking was frost, giving Raon advice on the image. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon slightly lowered his head, putting thest piece of pineapple pizza in his mouth. It was an expression of gratitude to the monarch of Wrath, giving him his daily bread. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ * * * The pineapple pizza was awkward and obscure, but the other food was certainly delicious. Even Wrath. who was a fussy eater, was murmuring about making him his personal cook or something. ¡°This ce is great! I didn¡¯t expect the northernnd to have such a restaurant.¡± Dorian smiled in satisfaction, patting his swollen belly. ¡°I agree.¡± Raon smiled widely and stood up. He went to the kitchen to pay, and the waitress came out with something in her hand. ¡°Please, take this.¡± They were nicely baked, steaming brown cookies. They were made with the pineapple she took with her earlier in the center. ¡°I made them because you seemed to like pineapples.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± It was a misunderstanding. Aplete misunderstanding. Another worshiper of the King of Essence has appeared in such a ce. That girl shall be appointed as the King of Essence¡¯s pineapple girl from today onward. Raon pushed away Wrath, who was spreading ice, and epted the cookies. ¡°Thank you, erm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Yua!¡± ¡°I see, Yua. Thank you.¡± Raon epted the cookies with a smile. The old man bowed at him from the kitchen. Raon bowed back and finished paying. ¡°Have a nice day! Pleasee again!¡± Yua kept waving her hand until Raon and Dorian left the pub. ¡°This is pretty good.¡± Eating the pineapple cookie, Dorian murmured that it was different from the pineapple pizza. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Raon licked his lips and took a bite. The taste of gooey pineapple inside the crunchy cookie wasn¡¯t bad at all. Oh, it¡¯s gooey. This is also a delicacy. The King of Essence¡¯s pineapple girl is so talented. Today was a great harvest. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve gained more than you today.¡¯ Raon grinned, putting the rest of the cookies in his mouth as he thought that part separately. ¡°Raon! Dorian!¡± As he was thinking about the image he would make, Radin was running up to them while waving his hand. ¡°Leader?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Huff, there¡¯s an urgent matter.¡± Radin grabbed his knees with his hands to catch his breath, before standing up. ¡°We¡¯ve got a mission for the third scouting party.¡± His nervous eyes subsided into darkness. ¡°It¡¯s your first mission!¡± Chapter 123 The Night Before Habun Castle Headquarters. Mind, Terian, and the strategic officers were gathered around a round table. ¡°The second scouting party found a group of ice trolls near the fourth cave. Their number is thirteen. We should attack first, before more of them gather.¡± Vice-Commander Terian pointed to a forest under Stallin Mountain on the map. ¡°The fourth cave isn¡¯t that far away from the fifth cave.¡± ¡°Yes. We should check to see if other ocean monsters came up around Stallin Forest while we eliminate the trolls.¡± ¡°Hmm, trolls are one thing, but we also need to investigate shark moles.¡± Mind¡¯s gaze was directed at the map, then turned to look at the shark moles¡¯ fins that Radin had brought back. ¡°This is an unusual matter, so the vicemander should act personally.¡± ¡°Affirmative.¡± Terian nodded immediately, as if he knew that would happen. ¡°Bring the Snow Strikers and the Wolf Mercenary Corps. Eliminate the trolls and investigate up to the area around the northern sea before returning. As for the scouting parties¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring the second and the third.¡± ¡°The third?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Mind expressed his doubt slightly, but Terian firmly shut his mouth¡ªhe clearly had no intention of changing his mind. ¡°Fine. You will depart in two days, at daybreak. Keep that in mind and prepare yourselves.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The strategic officers left to develop the n in more detail, leaving the father and the son as the only people in themander¡¯s room. ¡°The second party has to go because they were the ones that found the trolls. Why did you pick the third party when they¡¯ve only recently returned? The fourth and the fifth party haven¡¯t done anything in a while.¡± ¡°I felt something after witnessing Raon¡¯s matches.¡± ¡°You felt something?¡± ¡°Yes. Raon¡¯s prowess is certainly astonishing, but I¡¯m sure there are simr people among the young geniuses of the Six Kings and Five Demons.¡± Mind nodded in agreement. ¡°However, the boy¡¯s spirit surpasses his might. The fierce will to defeat his opponent was powerful enough to overwhelm even me. The rough Wolf Mercenary Corps epted their defeat as well, even giving him a thumbs up.¡± ¡°So, you want to see if that spirit of his is the real deal or not.¡± ¡°Yes, that is the case.¡± ¡°Fine. He also wanted to fight, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.¡± Mind tapped the map and nodded. ¡°You can go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°However¡­¡± His eyes grew serious as he folded the map and stood up. ¡°Be careful. The most dangerous moment is when change urs.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Terian smiled, telling him to not worry. * * * Raon returned to the lodging, following Radin¡¯s instruction to pack his luggage. ¡°Y-young master. Isn¡¯t this a bit too early?¡± Dorian was sitting at the bed with trembling legs. ¡°It¡¯s pretty weird that we have to go back out despite having returned only recently¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Raon nodded in agreement. ¡®This certainly is fast.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t normal to send a scouting party back out when they¡¯d only just returned from their mission. ¡®It¡¯s probably because of me.¡¯ It must have been so that he could show his true power, since he¡¯d killed the shark moles on his own and defeated the Wolf Mercenaries, and for him to experience battle. ¡°It¡¯s over. This is really dangerous¡­¡± Hugging a human sized pillow that he took out of his belly pocket, Dorian rolled on the mattress. Raon thought that it was a seriously strange thing to be carrying around. ¡°This should be enough.¡± Raon packed his backpack and put it under the bed. ¡°Young master, I heard des can hardly pierce the skin of ice trolls. Is that true?¡± ¡°It is.¡± As expected of monsters living in a cold region, ice trolls had tough and thick skin. It was necessary to use a lot of aura on a sharp sword in order to cut them. ¡°They aren¡¯tcking in regeneration, either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why they are difficult to deal with.¡± Because they possessed the troll¡¯s characteristic regeneration¡ªon top of their high strength, agility, and even intelligence¡ªdealing with ice trolls was difficult even for experienced swordsmen and knights. ¡°However, you should still be able to deal with them.¡± ¡°What? Me?¡± Dorian threw away the body pillow he was hugging and stood up. ¡°You can create an opening using your strength, which is your fast feet. Just do it the way you learned.¡± ¡°Hearing that from the young master is filling me with courage¡­ Not really.¡± He murmured that he was scared and tried digging under the mattress like a mole. ¡°Then there is another way.¡± ¡°Another way?¡± ¡°Yes, a way that will make you fearless in front of an ice troll.¡± ¡°Please, tell me! I¡¯ll do anything!¡± Dorian swallowed hard and looked at Raon. ¡°If you spar with me using the Fangs of Insanity, the ice troll will be a mere monster for you. Let¡¯s go.¡± With a frightening smile, Raon picked up his sword. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes lost focus, as if his soul left his body. A cold sweat flew down his forehead. ¡°Dorian?¡± ¡°Aww, I just imagined it for a moment, and I¡¯m now perfectly fine! The trolls are just pieces of shit.¡± Heughed awkwardly, saying that it was such a mysterious phenomenon, before copsing on the bed. What a crazy guy. Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that such a guy didn¡¯t even exist in Devildom. Raon snickered and sat on the bed. Since the noisy guy had fallen silent, it was time for him to start training. He closed his eyes and gathered the Coldness of Frost that had harmonized with the outside. ¡®He said it was about the image.¡¯ Wrath had said cier could be used in any way as long as he had the image of it. ¡®Now that I think about it, they are all simr to each other.¡¯ When Rimmer helped him with the acquisition of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and when Glenn showed him the Supreme Harmony Steps, they always put an emphasis on the image. It seemed polishing the mind was important the higher the level he reached. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± He cleared his mind, breathing slowly¡ªto the point where his lungs felt like they were suffocating. He imagined clothes, clothes of Frost that could block all the ice from both inside and outside. A heavy metal armor that could perfectly defend against anything, a light and reliable leather armor, and a robe that allowed him to survive against the cold wind. He tried imagining different types of clothes, but he couldn¡¯t find any image that could stop all the ice. ¡®A perfect, and absolute¡­¡¯ Upon reaching that thought, he remembered that person. Glenn Zieghart. That dark red coat, surrounded by his dignity, felt like it wouldn¡¯t even be scratched by any kind of de or ice. It was exactly the invincible armor he¡¯d been trying to imagine. Whir! Raon rotated the Ring of Fire to increase his concentration. Imagining the sewing process that would be used to create the clothes using the frost created by cier, he became fully absorbed in his thoughts. * * * The next day at daybreak, Raon was in front of the castle gates with Dorian. The Snow Strikers and the Wolf Mercenary Corps that were going out with them were taking care of their weapons with serious expressions on their faces. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes. No matter what happens, I figured it would be better than sparring against the young master. Haha!¡± After Raon mentioned the spar, Dorian kept murmuring that something like ice trolls were cakespared to the crazy sword demon. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Raon snickered as he looked at Dorian, who had gained confidence with a weird method. Then, a young man wearing silver arctic clothes came up to them. He had ck hair, ck eyes, and white skin. With an average height and gentle impression, he didn¡¯t have any distinct characteristics. ¡°I¡¯m Beto, the Wolf Mercenary Corps captain. I heard about the rude things my boys did yesterday. I have no excuse.¡± He bowed slightly with a smile. Unlike the vice-captain, Cliff, he didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of starting a fight. His atmosphere waspletely different from the other Wolf Mercenaries that he¡¯d seen before. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I enjoyed it as well.¡± ¡°That makes me slightly relieved. Do you belong to the scouting party?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You must be the strongest scout. I¡¯m looking forward to your cooperation today.¡± ¡°Yes, the same goes for me.¡± After finishing the greeting, Beto returned to the Wolf Mercenaries, saying that he will check their preparations. I don¡¯t like that guy. Pluck his eyes out. ¡®What¡¯s up with you this time?¡¯ He has the eyes of a snake. You shouldn¡¯t trust someone like him. ¡®Were you a physiognomist?¡¯ Ites from my experience. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence encountered countless people with those eyes and faces. He will most likely betray you. ¡®You are always so negative.¡¯ However, Raon didn¡¯t trust the guy either, since he was hiding a lot. ¡®His eyes, especially.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t feel anything snakish like Wrath mentioned, but a strange power could be felt from his ck eyes, which seemed to contain darkness. ¡°Uncles!¡± Everyone turned around at the cheerful sounding from the interior. Yua, who should¡¯ve been at the Branch of Frost, was running towards them with multiple pouches in her hand. Oh, that¡¯s the pineapple girl! ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte. I brought everything.¡± Yua distributed the pouches she brought to the swordsmen and the mercenaries. It seemed they were the snacks they¡¯d ordered in advance. ¡°Wow! How is Yua getting cuter every day?¡± ¡°Her cooking also gets better and better.¡± ¡°She is the pride of Habun Castle!¡± The scouts cherished her as if she were their own child. It looked like she was like the mascot of Habun Castle. ¡°I have one left.¡± After distributing the pouches, she came up to Raon, holding thest pouch. ¡°This contains the handmade beef jerky I made with my grandfather. It was dried deliciously during a sunny day, so please take it.¡± ¡°Why are you giving this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your first mission. Please return safely and buy it next time.¡± Yua handed over the pouch with a smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°If you are grateful, then you have to return and buy from us!¡± Yua told them to return safely and went back to the pub. ¡°What about me?¡± Dorian pouted, looking at his empty hand. ¡°She gave it to us to share. You should hold onto it.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Dorian put the beef jerky pouch in his belly pocket with a smile. ¡°Everyone, line up! We are doing the final inspection before departing.¡± Around thirty minutes before it was time for departure, Vice-Commander Terian came up to the main gate. He personally checked the supplies and people before finally nodding his head. He ispletely different from that shitty-ears. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ His personality waspletely different from Rimmer, who usually arrived right before the appointed time and half-assed when checking on their preparations. Terian looked down on the soldiers, standing on the tform in front of the main gate. His fierce presence made everyone¡¯s gazes fixate on him. ¡°There are two objectives for this mission. Elimination of the gathering ice trolls and scouting from the entrance of Stallin Mountain up to the northern sea. I hope we can stay together until the end, without a single straggler.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Since they were already aware of the mission¡¯s objective, the swordsmen, soldiers, and mercenaries answered loud and clear. ¡°We will depart in twenty minutes. Everyone should check their preparations onest time and brace yourselves!¡± After saying that, he went off somewhere. ¡°Just like the vicemander said, check to see if you forgot anything.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Hey.¡± As Radin was about to check onest time, the Snow Strikers swordsmen came up to them. ¡°Carry this for me.¡± ¡°Make sure to keep it clean. I¡¯m sure you know what will happen otherwise.¡± ¡°Handle it carefully.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll punish you if anything disappears.¡± ¡°Treat it as your lover, although I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t have one.¡± They threw heavy things like tents and food, before giggling as they left. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Guess. They are asking us to carry their baggage.¡± ¡°Why would the scouts carry their baggage?¡± Raon tilted his head, unable to understand it. ¡°Since a fight could break out at any time, they apparently need to save their strength. They¡¯ve been like this every single time since they were assigned here.¡± Radin sighed. The scouts started picking up the baggage of the swordsmen as if they were used to it. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, since we don¡¯t have the position nor the power to do anything. We just have to do what they ask.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked at the Snow Striker¡¯s swordsmen. They weren¡¯t paying attention to them anymore, as if they did something obvious. The mustached middle-aged man that was supposed to be their leader wasn¡¯t saying anything either, despite having witnessed what just happened. ¡®What the fuck?¡¯ If they needed to be ready to fight, the scouts needed to be ready to scout. The ridiculousness of offloading the baggage to thepanions that had an even more difficult job was something he couldn¡¯t understand. Humans can¡¯t live without abusing their powers. Wrath smiled coldly, saying that humans are always like that. ¡°Wow, this is so shitty! Leave them on the ground!¡± It was a rare sight to behold, as Dorian stepped up with a frown. In the middle of the dumbfounded scouts, he put all the belongings of the swordsmen in his belly pocket. ¡°Seniors! I¡¯ll carry them all! Don¡¯t worry about it, just believe in me!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that heavy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not heavy at all!¡± Dorian flexed his arm muscles and steamed came out of his nose. ¡°R-Recruit! I apologize for calling you a weirdo!¡± ¡°Wow! Eat this, it¡¯s for you!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The scouts gave a round of apuse to Dorian, who took all the baggage, and gave him their snacks. Raon already had the thought, but with the nice personality he had, Dorian was the type of person that¡¯d be loved by his seniors andpanions. After twenty minutes, Terian returned wearing arctic clothes. All of the forces lined up in front of him. ¡°We are leaving. The second and third scouting parties, step forward!¡± ¡°Step forward!¡± Raon and Dorian went to the head of the line, following their leader, Radin. ¡°Open the gate!¡± ¡°Open the gate!¡± The main gate at the center of the castle opened instead of the small gate they used when they went out to scout, and the pure white scenery of the snow field came into view. ¡°Advance!¡± * * * * * * ¡°We will sleep here tonight, then leave at daybreak tomorrow. Everyone, set up the tents and prepare to camp.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The soldiers started moving busily at Terian¡¯s orders. The mercenaries personally set up their tents and prepared their meals, but the Snow Striker swordsmen were different. ¡°You know the ingredients I gave you earlier, make some stew with them. You¡¯d better make it delicious since our leader and vice-leader are also going to eat them.¡± ¡°Hey, four of you over there. Come this way and help us set up the tent.¡± The Snow Striker swordsmen came to the scouts¡¯ area to order them to make food and take some of them for chores. ¡°Hah.¡± Dorian eximed at their ridiculous behavior. ¡°Is it okay for them to do this?¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s not okay? We are powerless.¡± Radin sighed, taking out his pot. ¡°What did the vicemander or themander say about this?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know. You see how they came here when the vicemander isn¡¯t around.¡± He said they only came to visit them when Terian wasn¡¯t around. ¡°It¡¯s pretty rare for themander or vicemander toe out from the castle. We are the one confronting them, so going against them will only be disadvantageous for us.¡± Radin ignited the fire, saying that it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so angry!¡± Taking out the ingredients from his belly pocket, Dorian punched in the air. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, cing the pot on the fire. ¡°I thought a ce like this, where lots of battles take ce, would be strongly united. That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡± ¡°That¡¯s usually the case, but the Snow Strikers are an exception. Their leader is a jerk to start with, and he is extremely good at recognizing the weak and using them.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Looking at the Snow Strikers, who were chatting around without working at all, his red eyes grew serious. ¡®Then I just need to seize them by the neck.¡¯ * * * The troop advanced quickly. Probably because everyone was used to walking on the snow, it didn¡¯t take much time before they reached the fourth cave despite having many people walking together. However, they couldn¡¯t find the group of trolls that the second scouting party had found. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of them. ¡°How did this happen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Terian asked the second scouting party¡¯s leader, but he could only droop his shoulder in response. ¡°Are you sure you saw them correctly?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sure. There were thirteen trolls gathered at the forest¡¯s outskirts!¡± ¡°This is why I said the scouts shouldn¡¯t move on their own. We should include at least a swordsman in each scouting party.¡± The Snow Strikers leader was sticking right next to Terian to say that the scouting parties were deficient in many ways. It looked like he was trying to increase his influence by stepping onto the others. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thatter. What¡¯s important right now is to find their traces to locate them.¡± Terian lowered his head and looked around the ground covered in snow. ¡°Even though the ice trolls move like wild animals on snow, it¡¯s impossible for them to leave no trace at all. Find the ice trolls¡¯ remnants, everyone! If we don¡¯t eliminate them right here, they will return to us as a huge casualty!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The scouts, swordsmen, and mercenaries visibly nodded and split the searching area. ¡°Trolls seriously never get caught easily.¡± Radin frowned, kicking the piled snow. ¡°The traces of the ice trolls have disappeared. We need to start searching, so get ready!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The scouts started looking for the trolls¡¯ tracks, sticking on the ground like a dog with short legs. The mercenaries and the Snow Strikers swordsmen also spread their aura perception in order to find out about the trolls¡¯ direction or presences. ¡®I¡¯ll leave it to them.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t look for the tracks, standing guard instead. Since the scouts had spent their entire lives there, they should¡¯ve been able to find the tracks soon enough, and his role wasn¡¯t the search but the protection. Therefore, he just focused on guard duty. However, contrary to his expectation, the trolls never appeared. They only managed to find a single trace of them after two hours of searching. ¡®Did something happen again?¡¯ Even though an ice troll wasn¡¯t the type of monster that left lots of traces, there was no way they struggled so much at finding their traces. It must¡¯ve been an anomaly, so it looked like he needed to personally take action. ¡°Damn it!¡± Terian frowned and stomped the ground. ¡°A-at least, I¡¯m sure that they went towards Stallin Mountain.¡± The second scouting party leader swallowed, looking at the only troll¡¯s footprint. ¡°There are countless monsters in that mountain on top of the ice trolls. We can¡¯t move the entire troop from that single trace.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°The day is short in the northern region. The night will fall soon enough. For now¡­¡± ¡°May I take a look?¡± Raon came forth and looked at thest trace under Terian¡¯s feet. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Yes, let me take a look.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just join the scouting party? And your new position should be the scouts¡¯ guard.¡± The Snow Strikers leader Edquill wrinkled his nose, standing right next to Terian. ¡°Don¡¯t try to disgrace yourself for no reason. Leave. We don¡¯t have much time since the sun is setting already.¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Terian stopped the Snow Striker leader¡¯s bbering mouth. ¡°The direction is Stallin Mountain.¡± Raon nodded, looking at the only track on the ground. ¡°Everyone knows that, the problem is that we can¡¯t find out the exact location!¡± The Snow Striker leader shouted, annoyed by the fact that Raon was stepping up despite being part of the scouting party. ¡°I¡¯ll figure that out.¡± ¡°Hah! Are you some young master from somewhere? You are really childish, contrary to your rumored abilities. Do you realize you¡¯re wasting everyone¡¯s time right now?¡± I want to deep fry that insect and his mustache in a volcano, after freezing him from head to toe. I really hate how he keeps bbering in his mouth. ¡®That¡¯s a bit cruel, but I agree.¡¯ Raon ignored the Snow Strikers leader, who kept talking endlessly, and closed his eyes. Since it was also his opportunity to get stronger, he focused his mind. Whir! He used cier and opened the ocean of perception made with his mental image. It had be wider and was now at a size that could be called a spring. He spread the ocean out thinly, but he couldn¡¯t find any trace of the trolls¡¯ presence. He would¡¯ve normally stopped there, but because of the Snow Striker leader and swordsmen that were annoying in multiple ways, he definitely wanted to locate their positions. ¡®But how?¡¯ It was also about ¡®image¡¯. Opening the confined ocean would allow him to reach further with cier¡¯s perception. Raon opened the dam blocking the ocean like ake. Ssh! The sound of flowing water that shouldn¡¯t exist resounded throughout his head, and the ck water surged from the ocean. ¡®This way.¡¯ He directed the stream up towards the destination of the troll¡¯s footprint. Just like a salmon going up a river, the ocean of perception mixed with the icy frost of thend dashed towards Stallin Mountain. He searched through the predictable locations by controlling the stream of perception bending like a whip, but he could only feel the presence of multiple monsters, not finding any gathering of trolls. ¡®Then, perhaps¡­¡¯ He changed direction. Instead of the snowy forest that ice trolls preferred, he let the stream of perception flow towards the bottom of the mountain and valleys. He even used the Perception of the Snow Flower and focused, finally finding a wild presence around a ravine. Their numbers were higher than he¡¯d heard, but they were the ice trolls surrounded by frost for sure. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He exhaled a murky breath and stood up. The scouts were looking at him full of expectation, while the Snow Strikers leader and swordsmen were sneering at him. ¡°Your expression makes it obvious. We¡¯ve just wasted our time. Vice-Commander, let¡¯s prepare to camp¡­¡± ¡°I found them, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said I found them.¡± Raon¡¯s mouth curved into a smile, looking at the Snow Striker leader, who used to sneer at him. Chapter 124 ¡°What is this crazy bastard saying?¡± The Snow Strikers leader Edquill red at Raon with his brown eyes. ¡°Are you saying that you discovered the trolls¡¯ location from crouching there and looking at a footprint?¡± He shouted at him, iming that it was absolute nonsense, and shoved his face at Raon. ¡°If you are looking for some attention, return to the castle and do some more of those shitty matches instead of acting out here.¡± ¡°Then, do you wanna make a bet?¡± Raon tilted his head. ¡°Bet?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s make a bet on whether I¡¯m right or you are, since all you¡¯ve been doing is talking.¡± ¡°You are insane! How are we going to even bet when no one¡¯s going to trust you?!¡± ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Raon snickered and raised the corners of his mouth. Edquill started grinding his teeth. ¡°Stop saying nonsense when you are just a moron that¡¯se from nowhere! And why have you been talking to me so casually?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you¡¯ve been talking to me. I¡¯m not your subordinate.¡± ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t, my position is¡­¡± ¡°Themander personally assigned me as the scout party¡¯s guard. I¡¯m actually directly affiliated to themander, so there¡¯s no reason to show you courtesy.¡± It was true that Edquill had a higher position, but it was also true that he had no reason to bow to him since his position was directly given to him by themander. ¡°You young bastard!¡± ¡°Oh, are you talking about age now that position didn¡¯t work? How ugly.¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Terian stood between Raon and Edquill with heavy steps. ¡°Restrain yourselves, both of you. What do you think you are doing right now? Monsters could appear at any time!¡± He frowned, looking back and forth between them. ¡°Edquill, why are you so emotional today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because this kid keeps speaking nonsense!¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t spoken any nonsense yet, because he didn¡¯t say anything about the location of the trolls, nor how he found them.¡± Terian turned his head to look at Raon. ¡°Are you sure you found them?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. They are gathered around the frozen valley at about twenty-five degrees to the right from where the scouts predicted.¡± ¡°And how did you discover that?¡± Terian¡¯s voice trembled upon hearing Raon¡¯s confident and definite answer. ¡°I¡¯ve learned to use intuition to determine the enemy¡¯s location from someone who frequents forests and mountains as if they were his home.¡± ¡°Intuition? Did you just say intuition?¡± Edquill pointed his finger and burst inughter. ¡°Kuhahaha! He said intuition! You wouldn¡¯t believe that crazy bastard, would you?¡± ¡°Intuition, huh?¡± Terian looked at Raon, who remained indifferent despite being the target of Edquill and the Snow Strikers¡¯ mockery. ¡®I can¡¯t trust intuition.¡¯ Everyone there had an intuition forged from the experience, but he couldn¡¯t move the group following mere intuition. ¡®However, he is¡­¡¯ He felt trustworthy for some reason, even if he wasn¡¯t from Zieghart. His red eyes, which seemed to be looking through everything in the world, were making him feel like it was a good idea to trust his words. ¡®And he said forests and mountains.¡¯ Someone came into his mind as soon as he heard about that. The Sword of Light Rimmer from Zieghart, who was supposed to be Raon¡¯s instructor. He must¡¯ve been the person that taught him to search with intuition. ¡°Haa, even then¡­¡± ¡°Vicemander.¡± The third scouting party¡¯s leader Radin came forth. ¡°Do you remember my recent report? I mentioned that everyone could have died because I ignored what Raon had said.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Terrain nodded. It was only a few days ago that he heard that they fell into the danger of annihtion from ignoring Raon¡¯s warning. ¡°His eyes were exactly the same back then. Try trusting him once.¡± ¡°Sensing shark moles isn¡¯t a big deal! How are you asking him to make a decision following a mere intuition? Do all the scouts have a hole in their head or something? Huh?¡± Edquill tapped Radin¡¯s head with his finger. ¡°If you have time for stupid shit like that, you should be educating that idiot instead!¡± ¡°Edquill, stop right there.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Terian stopped him and Edquill crossed his arms, turning around. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m also interested.¡± Beto, the Wolf Mercenary Corps captain, also stepped up. ¡°Swordsman Raon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How long does it take to get there?¡± ¡°It takes thirty minutes normally, but it will take ten more minutes if we want to reach their backs.¡± ¡°Back? Did you even find a spot for a surprise attack?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± He eximed, raising his head to look up at the sky. ¡°Vice-Commander, thirty minutes isn¡¯t even long enough to reach the mountainside. We can return before it¡¯s toote, so let¡¯s try going there.¡± ¡°Beto? Why are you saying that? Were bribed by that idiot or something?¡± Edquill frowned and stomped the ground, as even Beto took Raon¡¯s side. ¡°He feels trustworthy for some reason. I wonder, is it because he defeated my troublemakers?¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Terian sighed and turned around. ¡°Get ready, everyone. We are climbing Stallin Mountain.¡± ¡°V¡­ Vice-Commander! Are we seriously going?¡± ¡°Yes. It would be even more dangerous if the trolls attack us after nightfall. It¡¯s better to eliminate them as soon as possible if we can.¡± ¡°But how are we supposed to trust this insane bastard?¡± ¡°I will not allow any further objections.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Edquill wanted to keep talking, but he had no choice but to step back as Terian gave his definite answer. ¡°So, we¡¯ve decided to check the location.¡± Raon smiled coldly and approached Edquill. ¡°And we should continue the bet.¡± ¡°What bet are you talking about?¡± ¡°If I managed to find the trolls, you should speak to the scouts respectfully from now on, carry your own baggage and the scouts¡¯ baggage, and do the chores for them as well.¡± ¡°What if you didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll grant any of your wishes.¡± ¡°Fine. You¡¯d better be ready, since you will never be able to shoot your mouth off ever again.¡± Edquill gave a deadly frown and walked towards the Snow Strikers. What an idiot. This guy always has a trick up his sleeve, so you always have to be careful to avoid being tricked by his words. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ Raon smiled, looking at Wrath as he called Edquill an idiot. ¡®But you also get tricked all the time.¡¯ * * * ¡°Hmm?¡± The man in the ck robe groaned, looking down from the midpoint of Stallin Mountain. ¡®What?¡¯ He frowned, looking at Habun Castle¡¯s troops as they climbed Stallin Mountain. ¡°Why are they climbing?¡± Climbing that mountain after seeing a single trace was an iprehensible behavior considering the personality of Habun castle¡¯smanders, who tended to double check on everything. ¡®The n is going wrong¡­¡¯ The initial n was to perform a surprise attack with the ice trolls after Habun Castle¡¯s troops fell asleep in their camp, so their actions were messing up his n. ¡®I need to withdraw for now.¡¯ The man in ck robe went up slightly higher just in case, along with the ice troll warrior and shaman. Since the other ice trolls were hidden inside the frozen valley, there was no way they would be found out. In fact, Habun Castle¡¯s troops were moving in a slightly different direction than the valley. ¡®Hmm, let¡¯s observe for now.¡¯ The man in the ck robe licked his lips, watching the climbing troops. It wasn¡¯t difficult to deal with them, but he couldn¡¯t kill all of them. For the sake of the n, they needed to bring the news about the ice troll warrior and shaman¡¯s appearance back to the castle, so he needed to let a few of them survive. ¡®Go back down already. You won¡¯t be able to find the tro¡­huh?¡¯ His belittling eyes started wavering like a boat facing a tidal wave. ¡°What?! Why are they going there?¡± The troops that seemed to be moving in the wrong direction were heading towards the valley in a roundabout route. ¡®Did they know about it all along?¡¯ Their movements signified that they were already aware of the trolls'' presence in the valley from the beginning. If not, there would have been no reason for them to move like that. ¡®But how?¡¯ It was impossible to find the trolls in the middle of Stallin Mountain¡¯s snowstorm, even for the scouts that had spent their entire lives there. He couldn¡¯t understand how they discovered the trolls¡¯ location. ¡°It¡¯s toote to withdraw the trolls, how¡­? Ah!¡± He got a great idea while pondering on what to do. ¡°No.¡± The man in the ck robe, who was biting his lips, looked back at the ice troll warrior and shaman and smiled. ¡°This might be even better.¡± * * * * * * Raon hid his presence and led everyone to the hill at the lower part of the mountain. It was a stiff mountain, but it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to go down because there was no ice. Heid down on his belly at the edge of the hill and looked down. There were fifteen trolls inside the frozen valley. Eleven of them were drawing some strange pattern with the orcs and bearwolves corpses and blood, and the other four were watching the surroundings with their arms drooped down. It looked like they were preparing some kind of ritual or ceremony. ¡°T-Trolls! Trolls are really there.¡± ¡°Fifteen?¡± ¡°There are more of them than what we saw before, but I¡¯m sure they are the same ones.¡± The second scouting party nodded their heads after seeing the trolls. ¡°How did he notice those trolls from all the way down there?¡± ¡°H-His intuition was right¡­¡± ¡°Is he even human? Isn¡¯t he actually a dog?¡± The scouts, Wolf Mercenaries, and even the Snow Strikers were almost out of their minds as they looked back at Raon. ¡°Th-This can¡¯t be true! It¡¯s impossible for him to have found them from there!¡± The Snow Strikers leader Edquill¡¯s mustache trembled like a catfish¡¯s whiskers in disbelief. Raon snickered and stepped up next to him. ¡°After this battle, the scouting party¡¯s baggage and chores are the Snow Strikers¡¯ job. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t go back on your word as the leader of a group. Ah, don¡¯t forget to speak respectfully.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°And one more thing. I want you to personally carry my baggage.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be fun for you if you keep doing this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very fun for me, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°Seriously, you bastard¡­¡± Edquill ground his teeth as he looked at Raon. ¡°My premonition was right. I felt there was something about him.¡± Beto eximed, provoking Edquill even further. ¡°Fighting wasn¡¯t the only thing he was good at.¡± ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s my first time witnessing a scouting ability like this.¡± ¡°Can we recruit him to our mercenary corps somehow?¡± The mercenaries also admired him, looking down at the trolls. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Wh-What the¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The Snow Strikers leader and swordsmen were the only people grimacing amongst them. ¡°Raon, d-did you really discover them with your intuition?¡± Terian carefully approached him. His eyes were trembling intensely. ¡°I told you, I have a pretty good intuition.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°And there¡¯s something more important than that right now.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± He nodded and carefully went to the edge of the hill. ¡°Everyone, prepare to fight.¡± The scouts held the crossbows, and the mercenaries and the swordsmen drew their swords. They barely made any sound, as expected of veterans, but the trolls standing guard must¡¯ve felt the small amount of murderous intent. They looked up at once. ¡°Kraaa!¡± ¡°Kraa!¡± An earsplitting roar came from the trolls on the right side as they noticed the Snow Strikers swordsmen on the hill. ¡°Shoot!¡± Along with the sound of smashing trees, silver rain fell under the hill. Pop-pow! Each of the ice trolls were hit by at least five bolts, but only a few of them managed to pierce through their thick skin into their flesh. ¡°Kraaa!¡± ¡°Kaaaaa!¡± The trolls plucked away the bolts stuck on their bodies and roared in anger, mouths red. ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°Ee-yah!¡± Terian brandished his aura de to run ahead like an excellent horse, and the Snow Strikers and the Mercenary Corps followed him. ¡°Keuh! Let¡¯s go!¡± The scouts jumped down as well, holding crossbows in one hand and shields in the other. ¡°Ugh!¡± Dorian¡¯s lips were trembling in fear, but he didn¡¯t forget what he needed to do. He drew his sword and stayed right next to the scouts. ¡®I should go too.¡¯ Raon ran down the hill alongside the third scouting party. The battle had already started, and the Snow Strikers and the Wolf Mercenaries were storming through the trolls. ¡°Cut their flesh and rip them apart!¡± The Wolf Mercenary Corps captain, Beto, was swinging his sword like a madman. His eyes were filled with madness, so different from the polite behavior he had disyed before. The deadly energy surrounding his de savagely cut through the ice troll¡¯s upper body. ¡°Surround them from four directions and attack! Aim for the neck and heart!¡± Despite their ugly personalities, the Snow Strikers had excellent abilities. They created a sword formation to press on the trolls with the best hunting method for killing a small number of monsters with a higher number of swordsmen. ¡°Fire!¡± The scouts ran around the battlefield to fire bolts at the trolls fighting against the swordsmen. There were more bolts piercing through their skins as they shot from a closer distance, but the damage wasn¡¯t significant. However, the fact that they were distracting the trolls was creating a better situation for the swordsmen and the mercenaries. There were almost ten swordsmen and scouts per troll, so despite the fact that it looked like a messy battle, it was actually advantageous for the humans. ¡°Keuh! Young master.¡± After pushing away the ice troll that was trying to attack the scouts, Dorian breathed out roughly. ¡°Why are you so quiet today? You would¡¯ve normally already started fighting by now.¡± ¡°Our mission is the protection of the scouts, and my opponent is something else.¡± No one else had felt it, but two monsters strong enough to be the trolls¡¯ leader were running towards them. ¡®They are almost here.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly and raised his head. ¡®Wee, my food.¡¯ * * * ¡°Never approach them! Our goal is distraction!¡± Radin shouted at the scouts. ¡°If you managed to distract the troll, step back immediately! We don¡¯t need to fight them ourselves!¡± He ran ahead quickly and shot the crossbow towards the shoulder of the troll that was about to grab a Snow Strikers swordsman Pow! The bolt barely managed to pierce the troll¡¯s skin, but that was enough. The swordsman used that opportunity to dodge and started counterattacking. ¡°Stay back if you run out of stamina!¡± Radin notched another bolt. It was difficult to believe he was using a crossbow that was slow to load. It was proof that he¡¯d practiced it more than anyone else in that ce. He ran around the battlefield like a squirrel to help the swordsmen and mercenaries in danger and encouraged the exhausted scouts. ¡°Haa, haa!¡± Radin caught his breath under the hill they came down from. ¡®This is the best-case scenario.¡¯ The advantage they got from the surprise attack was continuing. A few people were injured, but no one had died and there were only a few trolls remaining. ¡®This rarely happens.¡¯ Habun Castle¡¯s violent battles were rarely one-sided like that. It was all thanks to Raon. ¡®I¡¯ll buy him a nice meal when we ret¡­ huh?¡¯ A terrible murderous intent that made his hair stand on their ends cut off his line of thought. Gulp. He swallowed and raised his head. At the top of the hill, two trolls around one head taller than the ice trolls could be seen, one holding a club and the other a staff. ¡°A w-warrior and a shaman¡­¡± ¡°Krrr!¡± He felt like he was stark naked from the icy chilling from the intense murderous intent the two monsters possessed. m! The ice troll warrior crushed the hill and jumped down at the scouts. He could feel the incredible strengthing from the blood-covered club. ¡°Keuh!¡± He couldn¡¯t breathe anymore. Death was the only thing he could think about. There was no way he could survive. The other scouts next to him also closed their eyes, sensing the end of their lives. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ It was as he was biting his lip, looking at the club getting bigger and bigger. In the midst of frozen time, one swordsman was moving. Thud! He pushed Radin and the scouts back with an invisible strength and stood alone in front of the ice troll warrior. He thrust his thin sword towards the troll¡¯s club, which contained a tremendous amount of strength. The crimson flower blooming from the end of his de fluttered beautifully. Whaaam! The tremendous shock crushed the ever-frozen valley, and the ravine crumbled. However, the swordsman¡¯s body didn¡¯t falter in the slightest. Like the root of a thousand-year-old tree, his legs were firmly supporting his body, pushing back a club the size of a human with his strength alone. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The scouts, who were prepared to die, felt their breath catch upon witnessing that thrilling sight. ¡°Please, stay back.¡± Raon turned his head halfway. The shape of his mouth was clearly a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll finish this quickly.¡± Chapter 125 Raon stomped the ground. The pure energy rising from his ankle surrounded his wrist to push the sword. Whaam! Despite the huge body and club, the ice troll warrior was mmed into the wall, pushed by the thin sword. ¡°Krrrr!¡± The enraged ice troll warrior roared and swung the club, surrounded by a redbative energy. Alongside a ripping sound of the air, a tremendous wind pressure brushed past Raon¡¯s face. It felt like his skin was being torn apart, but he advanced through the wind. Using the full power of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, he smacked the club from the front. Bam! The collision between the aura-covered sword and the club that was incorporatingbative energy created a shockwave, sweeping away all the snow and ice in the surrounding area. ¡°Kieee!¡± The ice troll warrior¡¯s body was sturdier than he thought. It withstood the tremendous shockwave with its body and pummeled its club. ¡®His regenerative ability is certainly insane.¡¯ Its body was ripped apart by the shockwave, yet it had already started regenerating. It wasn¡¯t just the strength and the agility, but it also had an iparable regenerationpared to the normal ice trolls. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon bent his knees. He swung up with his sword, aiming at the redbative energy that was falling down like a waterfall. The ice troll warrior¡¯sbative energy was powerful, but the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire had enough power to melt it down. Wham! The crimson me, fierce enough to melt steel, shed through thebative energy and crashed like a tidal wave. It looked like a salmon going up a valley. ¡°Krr!¡± The ice troll warrior groaned upon seeing itsbative energy being split apart. Its yellow eyes, which used to look down on him, were filled with panic. ¡®I¡¯ll end you right away.¡¯ There was no point in wasting time. It was as he was about to slice its neck, after cutting through thebative energy¡ª Wham! The lump of ice thrown from the right deflected the sword¡¯s trajectory. Pssh! Instead of the troll warrior¡¯s neck, the sword cut through its chest. Despite receiving a huge injury, disying his ribs to the outside, he still managed to jump back to gain distance. Raon narrowed his eyes and raised his head. The ice troll shaman was shaking its staff on the hill. What deflected his sword earlier was the Frost Drop Shot by the troll shaman. ¡°That¡¯s cheap! Why is it interfering with a one-on-one fight?¡± Dorian pointed his finger at the ice troll shaman and stomped the ground. But naturally, he didn¡¯t do anything in return. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the shaman!¡± The Snow Strikers leader Edquill turned quickly. ¡°If you don¡¯t manage to kill it by the time I finish the troll warrior, I¡¯ll get the shaman myself.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen!¡± Edquill frowned and climbed up the hill, the Snow Strikers following him in a hurry. ¡°Krr!¡± Raon looked ahead, hearing the growl of a wounded beast. The ice troll warrior, who had already recovered, was raising its club. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the fight is over.¡± Raon lowered his sword and smiled coldly. He¡¯d finished analyzing the ice troll warrior¡¯s movements by using the Ring of Fire and the Fangs of Insanity. The only thing left was to take its life with a single strike. ¡°Krrra!¡± The ice troll warrior shattered the ground and rushed at him. With his sight filled with the monster, Raon brandished his sword. Instead of stepping back, he ran ahead. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes. Thawing me. A crimson me blossomed on the silver de, as if spring had arrived. The flower blossom looked like the sun as it spread out in four directions, announcing the end of the cold winter. Creak! The dancing crimson me subsided, and the frozen ground melted. The ice troll warrior¡¯s head and club fell above it. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Raon lowered his sword and exhaled an exhausted breath. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s techniques were definitely powerful and shy, but they consumed too much aura and willpower. He felt like his mind was going numb. However, the power and sharpness that cut the ice troll warrior apart in a single sh was satisfying. Raon caught his breath and looked up the hill. The troll shaman was spreading its magic and leading the trolls to fight against the Snow Strikers. ¡®They are not done yet.¡¯ Raon fed the extinguishing me of his de the firewood called aura and brandished his sword. ¡®Then, that¡¯s mine.¡¯ Defeating a monster powerful enough to usebative energy would result in an increase of stats and level. There was no reason to give away such delicious food to a stranger, and a bastard like him on top of that. He felt people staring at him as he was about to climb the hill. When he looked back, Terian, the mercenaries, and even the scouts were all staring at him¡ªdumbfounded. Raon became curious about what kind of expression they would make if he even killed the ice troll shaman. You are so greedy when you aren¡¯t even Greed. ¡®It¡¯s not as bad as your appetite.¡¯ Ugh, the King of Essence doesn¡¯t eat that much. It¡¯s just that I like the delicious food. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence personally cooked in the kitchen¡­ ¡®I¡¯m busy right now, so save it forter.¡¯ Listen to me! Raon ignored Wrath as he pleaded with him to listen and went up the hill. He hid his presence with each step. * * * ¡°Attack!¡± ¡°Target the shaman first!¡± ¡°Damn it! What is this intense snowstorm?¡± ¡°Kill them quickly and help the leader!¡± The Snow Strikers were fighting against the ice trolls inside the snowstorm created by the ice troll shaman. ¡°Haa!¡± Edquill pierced into the center and swung his sword at the shaman, befitting of a leader. ng! Even though his sword was targeting the shaman, it was blocked mid-way, as if there was an invisible wall. It was the defensive magic cast by shaman. ¡°Haaa!¡± He kept restlessly swinging his de, which was surrounded by a powerful aura, yet the magic barrier didn¡¯t shatter easily. ¡°Kikrrkarti!¡± The troll shaman chanted a strange spell and the snow streams fluttering in the air became even more intense, to the point where he couldn¡¯t even see right in front of him anymore. ¡°This isn¡¯t enough to stop me!¡± Edquill grit his teeth and swung his sword. The white storm was split apart, and the shaman¡¯s body came into his sight. ¡®I-I have to kill it at all costs!¡± If he got the achievement of killing the shaman on his own, he could probably cancel the bet he made against that damned kid. He couldn¡¯t allow them to carry the baggage of the lowly worms, the scouts. He needed to kill that monster at all costs and cancel the bet. ¡°Ee-yah!¡± He kicked the ground and spread his aura des. It looked like the magic wall was about to be broken, since it was trembling violently. ¡®I¡¯m almost there!¡¯ It was as he was about to deliver the finishing blow, by gathering more energy¡ª m! Shaman¡¯s body faltered significantly, and a red stream appeared from the left side of its chest, where its heart was located. ¡°Wh-What is this¡­?¡± While he was standing still, unable to understand the situation, the troll shaman¡¯s body was scattered into pieces along with an explosive sound. Whoosh! Behind the fluttering crimson smoke, the blond kid that he hated the most was standing there, holding a dagger emanating evil energy. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± Edquill pointed his finger while trembling his chin. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯d kill it myself if you didn¡¯t manage to finish it before I killed the troll warrior.¡± ¡°Shut up! It was just a surprise attack from the back! I could¡¯ve finished it on my own even if you weren¡¯t here!¡± ¡°Just a surprise attack or whatever, take this corpse for now.¡± Raon sneered and pointed at the shaman¡¯s corpse. His face was so hateful that Edwill wanted to insult him. ¡°After all, you are my scout party¡¯s baggage carrier from now on.¡± * * * * * * Gulp. The man in the ck robe swallowed, looking at the ice troll corpses piled up in the valley. ¡®H-How did this happen?¡¯ That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. Habun Castle¡¯s troops should¡¯ve lost half their soldiers to the surprise attack from the ice troll warrior and shaman, and the rest should¡¯ve desperately fled. Then, Commander Mind should¡¯ve personallye out with the troops because of the dangerous monsters¡¯ appearance. However, his entire n went awry because of one thing. And the reason was a single guy. Creak. The man in the ck robe grit his teeth. He looked at the blond swordsman standing on the hill. He noticed the ice troll warrior¡¯s surprise attack, beheaded the troll warrior, and burst the heart of the troll shaman as it cast its magic. His prowess was one thing, but he was perfectly aware of the way he could finish his opponent¡¯s life. The man in the ck robe fiddled with the mask in his hand. It was a blue mask like an ice troll, with long ears and a wrinkled forehead. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡®What shall I do?¡¯ He pondered on whether he should kill them right then or devise another n. ¡®Besides that¡­¡¯ That guy¡­ He could sense an ominous aura from the young boy that killed the warrior and shaman on his own, to the point where he was making his hair stand on ends. It was the danger detection ability from the mask. ¡°Which means he is a dangerous guy.¡± More than Habun¡¯s casten in some way. The man in the ck robe turned around. He climbed the mountain and clenched his fist. ¡°Do I have to take that out?¡± * * * When Raon killed thest troll, a message appeared in front of his eyes. Raon smiled in satisfaction after reading the message. They were the stats he got as a reward for killing the ice troll warrior and shaman. ¡®And that¡¯s not everything.¡¯ His soul¡¯s level must¡¯ve also increased from killing the monster usingbative energy on his own. He didn¡¯t kill the shaman on his own, but there was no problem since he made the finishing blow. ¡®Growing stronger each time I fight really is an overpowered ability.¡¯ It¡¯s only natural, since the system was created by the King of Essence. He wanted tough at the way the demon king was bragging about the amazing ability he had lost, but he suppressed it. ¡°Raon!¡± Radin and the scouts came running at him with trembling lips. ¡°Seriously, who the hell are you?¡± ¡°I never imagined you would kill the ice troll warrior in a single strike!¡± ¡°And you even killed the shaman! He is a real deal! The real deal!¡± The scouts gathered around him and shouted. ¡°Ahem!¡± Everyone turned around as Radin cleared his throat. ¡°You guys, there¡¯s something else you should say before all that.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The scouts stopped smiling at once and straightened their backs. They then bowed at the same time. ¡°Thank you for saving us!¡± ¡°You saved our lives!¡± ¡°I was just doing my job as a guard, so you don¡¯t need to be like this.¡± Raon shook his hand. He wasn¡¯t being modest, it was only natural to aplish his mission. There was no reason for them to express their gratitude like that. ¡°No, to be honest, I thought I was done when it swung that club. I seriously thought I was dead.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. I couldn¡¯t think about anything else.¡± ¡°My life even shed in front of my eyes.¡± The scouts nodded in agreement andughed bitterly. ¡°The moment you stepped ahead to block the ice troll warrior¡¯s club, I got goosebumps all over my body. It was my first time experiencing such a thing, even though I¡¯ve been a scout for over ten years.¡± There were tear marks around Radin¡¯s eyes. Even though he was currently smiling, it seemed he really had been prepared to die. ¡°You didn¡¯t just do your job, you also saved all of us. Saying thanks isn¡¯t enough to express our gratitude.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± He turned his head around, hearing a low voice. Terian was standing there wearing a smile for the first time since Raon had met him. ¡°Countless people run away from their roles. Whether it was because of the mission, or in order to save people, standing alone in front of that club isn¡¯t an easy feat to achieve.¡± Terian bowed his head and smiled even more vividly. ¡°Thank you for saving our soldiers.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Raon slowly nodded his head. ¡®My heart tickles for some reason.¡¯ He¡¯d always been busy running away after a battle or assassination. There had never been an expression of gratitude, and he¡¯d always started preparing for the next mission right away, so it was still awkward for him to be thanked like that. However, he didn¡¯t dislike it. He felt happy, as if a soft and warm fabric was caressing his heart. ¡°The mixture of a powerful aura, an excellent swordsmanship, and appropriate timing resulted in an unimaginable power.¡± The Wolf Mercenary Corps captain, Beto, walked up to him while pping his hands. ¡°You are outstanding in many ways, to have exercised a power surpassing your might.¡± His eyes were shining like a man that had found the product he liked. ¡°I want to find out more about you, but since none of our guys died thanks to you¡­ In good conscience, I guess I should stop here, right?¡± He shrugged his shoulders and smiled widely. ¡°Ah, of course! Not investigating others¡¯ background is the mercenary''s unwrittenw!¡± ¡°By the way, the guy that named him the sword demon did a really great job! His sword is seriously insane!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone looking so happy when swinging their swords.¡± ¡°How the hell did he push back a troll warrior with strength? Is he an ogre or something?¡± ¡°What do you need to eat to get that strong at that age?¡± The mercenaries gave a thumbs up, telling him that he was amazing without any ulterior motive at all. They were the ssic behavior of warriors that worshiped power and fighting. ¡°Hmm.¡± Listening to the scouts and the mercenaries'' cheers, he walked up to the Snow Strikers, who were standing as still as corpses. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He stopped in front of Edquill, whose chin was trembling, and put down his bag. ¡°I told you, right? You should carry my stuff. Take it.¡± ¡°A-Are you serious?¡± Edquill flicked his finger, as if he were going to draw his sword at any moment. ¡°But you promised. Everyone here heard your promise. Are you going back on your word?¡± ¡°Are you trying to be my enemy for some scouts?¡± His eyes became wide open, because he didn¡¯t expect him to actually hand over his bag. ¡°Th-That¡¯s right! And what we did wasn¡¯t that bad to start with!¡± ¡°We just gave them the baggage and made them prepare the food!¡± ¡°W-We made fun of them and touched them sometimes, but it was a prank!¡± The Snow Strikers also bbered, iming that they didn¡¯t deserve all that instead of apologizing. ¡®I knew it. This isn¡¯t good enough to punish them.¡¯ ¡®It was a prank.¡¯ or ¡®It wasn¡¯t that bad¡¯ weren¡¯t things they should¡¯ve been saying. Just as he thought, their mindset itself was uneptable. ¡°Well, I guess I don¡¯t want to do anything harsh to thepanions that fought alongside me.¡± Raon nodded, hiding his true intention. ¡°However, we can¡¯t reverse the bet we¡¯ve already made, either. That¡¯s why I have a suggestion¡­¡± ¡°Wh-What is that?¡± Edquill and the Snow Strikers eyes glittered. They looked like they would do anything to get out of that situation. Tsk. Those are the eyes of men about to lose everything they have and be chased out naked. Wrath lightly clicked his tongue, looking at Edquill¡¯s eyes. ¡°We can make another bet on top of the previous bet. If you win, you won¡¯t have to be my bag carrier, and if I win, you will get another penalty.¡± Raon smiled widely. His eyes were sinking into darkness, as if they had engulfed the night. ¡°What do you think?¡± Chapter 126 ¡°What is the bet?¡± Edquill raised his eyebrows. He couldn¡¯t hide his impatience because he thought he could avoid bing a bag carrier. ¡°Naturally, the bet has to be about this.¡± Raon tapped the sheath of his sword. ¡°A spar?¡± ¡°Yes. Since we live by our swords, both conversation and the bet should be performed with this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s such a simple way of viewing the world, befitting a child.¡± Edquill¡¯s mouth curved like a wet twig. ¡°Do you really believe that I¡¯m at the same level as those monsters or mercenaries?¡± ¡°If you are that confident, you just need to ept the bet.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He didn¡¯t respond immediately, taking his time as he bit his lip. ¡°I have a condition.¡± ¡°Condition? I don¡¯t think you are in a position to suggest something like that.¡± The words were oppressive from the start. Raon knew exactly who had the upper hand in the situation. ¡°Let¡¯s fight using only our personal prowess.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I mean to say that we should fight using swordsmanship and aura, without any special equipment.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon took a nce at the de of Requiem hanging behind his waist and narrowed his eyes. ¡®I got him.¡¯ He used the de of Requiem on purpose when killing the troll shaman, and it was already bearing its fruit. Just as he thought, Edquill believed that he¡¯d killed the shaman in a single strike thanks to the de of Requiem¡¯s special power, rather than his own strength. ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then.¡± Stopping himself from smiling, Raon nodded nonchntly. ¡°Then, what¡¯s the penalty you are going to add?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. You will be the scouts.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to stop being swordsmen and be scouts at the lowest rank. About three months should be enough.¡± People like Edquill and the Snow Strikers, who were so self-centered and arrogant, needed to be put in other¡¯s shoes to learn their lesson. Even if they were chased away from Habun Castle, Raon wanted to teach them the error of their ways before chasing them away. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Edquill shouted, pointing his finger at Radin and the scouts. ¡°They are nothing but dregs that can¡¯t even use aura! Why do you even care about them? There¡¯s no way themander would allow such a condition!¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The scouts bit their lips in frustration, but they couldn¡¯t say anything when facing Edquill¡¯s savage pressure. ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes froze even colder than the northern cier. ¡°You are¡­¡± ¡°Edquill.¡± As Raon was about to speak his thoughts, Terian walked up to them. ¡°I thought you would do it in moderation, but you crossed the line.¡± He scowled like rotten tree bark and stood in front of Edquill. ¡°V-Vicemander.¡± ¡°I never imagined you would call your fellow soldiers ¡®worms¡¯ or ¡®dregs¡¯.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°Shut your trap, Edquill. I¡¯m currently suppressing my urge to behead you immediately.¡± Terian made Edquill step back, then turned to look at Raon. ¡°I¡¯ll allow it. I¡¯ll be the notary of the duel between you two.¡± ¡°V-Vicemander!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you are weak, since you can be stronger. However, I won¡¯t allow anyone to be trash that treats hispanions like that when you should be able to entrust your back to them.¡± ¡°There will be various problems in Habun Castle if all of us be scouts! The castle might end up copsing!¡± ¡°If the castle was going to copse just because you weren''t there, it would¡¯ve copsed already. Don¡¯t overestimate yourself, Edquill.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Edquill¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°However, I can¡¯t endanger everyone here because of your duel.¡± Terian narrowed his eyes and pointed under the mountain. ¡°The duel will take ce once we reach the safe ce.¡± * * * Habun Castle¡¯s troops took the ice troll warrior and shaman¡¯s heads as spoils of war and left Stallin Mountain. As soon as they reached the safe area, Raon and Edquill put down their baggage at once and warmed themselves up. The scouts and the Snow Strikers cleaned the surrounding area so that they could focus on the duel. The temporary arena was created, and Raon and Edquill faced each other. ¡°This is yourst chance.¡± Edquill showed his teeth, drawing the sword from his waist. ¡°If you give up right now, I¡¯m also willing to stop.¡± ¡°That¡¯s proof of your anxiety.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Step back. I¡¯ll double check before the duel starts.¡± Terian, who was standing between them, turned his head towards Raon first. ¡°If you win, the entire Snow Strikers be the recruit scouts for three months, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, and they also have to carry the scouts'' baggage and do their chores until we check the northern ocean and return.¡± ¡°Alright. Then, Edquill.¡± Terian turned to look at Edquill this time. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you win, you won¡¯t have to be the bag carrier anymore, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s too disadvantageous for me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let me have another condition!¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Raon tilted his chin and smiled. ¡°That dagger, give me that dagger if I win.¡± Edquill¡¯s eyes were filled with greed as he looked at the de of Requiem. He was really a horrible person for coveting the weapon in that situation. ¡°Fine.¡± The de of Requiem vibrated, but Raon caressed the sheath to reassure it. ¡®Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no way I will lose.¡¯ He¡¯d already analyzed the flow of Edquill¡¯s swordsmanship. He was certainly strong, but he couldn¡¯t imagine himself losing. Being the prize of a bet is truly befitting an insignificant creature like you. Wrath giggled at the de of Requiem, but he didn¡¯t realize his flower bracelet wasn¡¯t getting anyone¡¯s attention. ¡°You know, I haven¡¯t used my true strength yet.¡± Red energy burst across his shoulders. It had to have been true that he never used his true strength, since the burning energy was much more powerful than when he fought against the troll. ¡°Hah. Are you proud?¡± Raon clicked his tongue at his pitifulness. ¡°Killing is forbidden. Begin the duel, now!¡± Terian announced the start of the duel and stepped back. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Edquill dashed at him, screaming like a troll. He immediately followed up with a swing of his sword, incorporating a tremendous amount of aura. m! Even though Raon blocked it precisely, the de faltered. Despite his nasty personality, his powerful sword was properly trained. ¡°I¡¯ll make you crawl on the ground before you can do anything!¡± He kept swinging his sword with a powerful pressure, trying to keep the winning flow. The tremendous wind pressure and shockwaves were almost ripping apart his arctic clothes and armor. ¡°Save the scouts? Be the scouts? Talentless guys like them are everywhere. Why do you even care about them so much?¡± The energy imbued in Edquill¡¯s de became more and more intense. The threads of the aura de gathered to form a thick line. It was the next level of the aura de, the aura thread. m! am! Raon could feel the shock in his bones each time the two swords collided with each other. They were powerful attacks, but Raon¡¯s eyes grew calmer and calmer as he blocked them. ¡°I had two expectations foring to Habun Castle.¡± Raon twisted his mouth, defending himself from the iing barrage. ¡°The first was the expectation of getting stronger on fierce battlefields, and the second was trust.¡± ¡°Trust?¡± A small light shone in the eyes of everyone watching the duel as he said the word ¡®trust¡¯. ¡°I expected the scene of everyone standing together with trust in order to fight against powerful enemies from the outside.¡± Because that was something he¡¯d never experienced before. He¡¯d arrived at Habun Castle, imagining the future the fifth training ground would reach after a long time. ¡°But that wasn¡¯t the case. You spoke about your position and power to divide your ranks. Even the mercenaries, who were here temporarily, looked at people¡¯s nature. But you treated your fellow soldiers as servants.¡± Raon¡¯s sword resonated like a beast¡¯s roar. ¡°You asked me earlier why I cared about the scouts. I¡¯m not caring about the scouts, I¡¯m caring about the people.¡± The Fangs of Insanity¡¯s chain was unleashed, and the ferocious pressure covered the space. ¡°The price you have to pay for betraying my expectations will be huge.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Price, my ass!¡± Edquill ground his teeth. He couldn¡¯t understand why he had to go through all that because of some crazy bastard. However, since the fight had already begun, he had to win at all costs. ¡®I can win!¡¯ Just as he¡¯d expected, Raon had be significantly weaker when he didn¡¯t use the dagger with ghastly energy. The Kator Swordsmanship he¡¯d been practicing his entire life would be able to pierce through his solid defense and make him kneel. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Edquill used theter five techniques of the Kator Swordsmanship consecutively. The silver de ripped apart the cold air and stormed at Raon. m! am! Even though he was under the fierce sword¡¯s attack, Raon walked up to him. He brandished his sword to attack, rather than to defend. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now.¡± Raon¡¯s sword soared up violently, his eyes bing visible. His eyes were a crimson color, like the moon in the sky. The frightening light, without a single trace of wavering, gave him goosebumps. ¡°Argh!¡± Edquill grabbed his sword tightly and shed diagonally. It was the sixth technique, which was able to break an opponent¡¯s sword. Wham! When the tremendous power incorporated in the de was about to swallow the space, Raon rotated his wrist. His sword shone like a ray of light and smacked the t of his sword. ng! The de wavered violently and Edquill was pushed back to the right. The aura he had created with all of his might had already disappeared. ¡°Keuh! You bastard! What was that just now?¡± Edquill¡¯s mustache was trembling. ¡°That powerful sword, twisting the trajectory.¡± Raon looked down on him with cold eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve already finished analyzing your swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Edquill screamed and rushed at him. He held his breath and thrust his way through the 7th, 8th and 9th techniques of the Kator Swordsmanship consecutively. The powerful attacks that vibrated the air were targeting Raon¡¯s neck, his hand dashing fiercely. ng! The de, which was rotating like a saw, bounced back once again. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± Edquill swallowed his spit. He couldn¡¯t believe he was pushed back despite his aura being faster and more powerful. ¡°This is impossible! It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± He kicked the ground and rushed at Raon¡¯s right side. He targeted his chest and swung his sword from the bottom to the top. It was the 10th technique, which was the fastest of them all. However, the attack was snapped before it even reached Raon¡¯s body. And¡ª Whack! A giddy pain could be felt from his waist, along with the sound of a ball bursting. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Edquill grabbed his ribs and withdrew, his body faltering. ¡°Wh-What was that?¡± ¡°I said it was my turn.¡± Raon smiled lightly and swirled his sword. ¡°Now, try blocking.¡± He kicked the ground and pounced at him like a wolf. ¡°Uha!¡± He shed the 11th technique of the Kator Swordsmanship at Raon, who was dashing at him from the front. The powerful strike, which could grind a boulder into powder, engulfed the air. ng! Even though it must¡¯ve been his first time witnessing the technique, Raon remained calm as he advanced. He looked like he was just iling his sword around without any form or anything, yet Edquill¡¯s sword was pushed back instead. ng! ng! Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity, his fierce attacks continuing like a savage beast. Edquill couldn¡¯t even breathe because of the crimson aura that was falling down like a heavy rain. ¡°Keuh!¡± He tried to hold his ground with everything he had, but Raon kept targeting his weakness. He was really a demon. ng! His sword was pushed back in the end. Raon came up to him and thrust his fist at his abdomen. Whack! Edquill¡¯s body snapped at a 90-degree angle. His wide eyes looked like they would pop out. ¡°Keuh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Raon swung his sword at Edquill before he could regain his posture. ¡°Huff!¡± Edquill hurriedly stepped back and tried to defend himself, but Raon¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t something a sloppy defense could block. Wham! Whaam! Whaaam! Edquill flew away like paper in the wind and rolled on the ground. ¡°Y-you¡­ Ah!¡± He barely managed to stand up, but the sword thrusting at him was even more ferocious. He felt like he was locked inside a sandstorm alone. ¡°Kuaah!¡± The scream that Edquill had been holding back up to that point burst from him. ¡®What the hell is this guy?!¡¯ Every technique of the Kator Swordsmanship had been countered, as if he was really stating the truth when he said that he¡¯d analyzed his swordsmanship. It felt like a nightmare to Edquill. Tap! His sword had tilted during the short time he was thinking, and Raon¡¯s sword pierced into that opening like a snake. Whack! A mind-blowing pain rose in his left thigh. It didn¡¯t feel like his bone was broken, so he couldn¡¯t understand how it could be that painful. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Edquill dragged his unmoving leg and stepped back. However, Raon had no intention of letting him go¡ªhe followed him like a shadow and smacked him with his sword. Whack! His heart tightened each time he crossed swords with Raon. His teeth ttered in fear that surpassed the pain. He wanted to give up, but there were too many things at stake and too many people watching. ¡°Uwaaaah!¡± Edquill let his aura explode and held his sword with two hands. Using all of his remaining aura, he swung the sword he was holding up to the sky. It was the Kator Swordsmanship¡¯s final technique, Moon Breaker. Whir! A red line formed on Raon¡¯s de. The lines that were tangled up in a disorderly manner spread out at once, radiating with the red light of the evening glow. Creak! The moment it faced that powerful light, his Moon Breaker was crushed and the de was shattered. ¡°Keuh!¡± The sword flew away, tearing his skin as it mmed into the ground. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Edquill looked ahead while his chin trembled. Raon was standing in exactly the same way he had been in the beginning. ¡°I-I los¡­ Huff!¡± As he was about to admit his defeat, Raon covered his mouth. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can tell what others are thinking. However¡­¡± Taking one step closer to him, he smiled coldly. ¡°The moment you admit it, you have to take responsibility for it. Belittling the fellow soldiers that have fought alongside you with their lives on the line was a no go, even from a recruit¡¯s perspective.¡± ¡°Wait! I los¡­ Kuah!¡± Raon smacked Edquill¡¯s face with his fist. With a rock-shattering sound, Edquill¡¯s teeth popped out like corn. His nk face slowly turned with unfocused eyes before he copsed on his back. Raon walked in front of the Snow Strikers, holding his sword as it radiated a deadly light. ¡°If you have anyints, step forward now. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Hearing his cold voice, which felt like ice passing over their shoulders, the Snow Strikers trembled. Their eyes were fixated on Edquill, whose blood was flowing from his mouth. Obviously, no one stepped up. This is exactly the future the King of Essence has foreseen. Wrath snickered, looking at the unconscious Edquill. * * * Raon woke Edquill up. He quickly regained consciousness, but he couldn¡¯t even look straight at him anymore because of the pain and fear he felt. It looked like he was extremely shocked by the way he shattered his powerful sword with the Fangs of Insanity, cutting through both his sword and aura with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s technique. ¡°Vicemander.¡± Leaving the trembling Edquill behind, he walked up to Terian. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Terian¡¯s eyes were trembling violently, as he hadn¡¯t expected such a one-sided victory. ¡°Is that really okay?¡± ¡°It was a bet, and the terms have to be upheld. Having people like them ruining the mood will only spoil the morale. Habun Castle won¡¯t be ruined just because the Snow Strikers be scouts, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Listen, everyone.¡± Terian went inside the temporary arena to gather everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°The duel has ended with Raon¡¯s victory, and the Snow Strikers will be demoted to the scout recruits in ordance with the terms of the bet. I hope no one has anyints, as those were the terms everyone agreed upon.¡± The Snow Strikers seemed to have a lot ofints, but they all flinched and turned their heads once Raon red at them. ¡°Ah, so they are our juniors! Right?¡± Dorian grinned and stood up. He walked up to the depressed Snow Strikers and took the baggage they gave to the scouts earlier from his belly pocket. ¡°This is the baggage you need to carry from now on, juniors.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The Snow Strikers ground their teeth, looking at the baggage piled up in front of their eyes. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one more.¡± Dorian giggled and took out four long logs from his belly pocket. ¡°Wh-What are these?¡± ¡°Logs?¡± ¡°Wh-Why were there logs in there?¡± It wasn¡¯t just the Snow Strikers. Everyone¡¯s eyes grew wide upon seeing the logs. ¡°Anyone would carry around some logs to build rafts or houses.¡± Dorian shrugged his shoulders. ¡®No, they wouldn¡¯t.¡¯ Raon unconsciously shook his head. ¡°Well, anyway.¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes grew unusually cold. ¡°Carry them carefully, juniors. Be prepared to die if you get a single scratch on the logs.¡± Returning the Snow Strikers warning right back at them, Dorian came back with a refreshed expression. ¡°Ah, this feels great!¡± ¡°You look happy.¡± ¡°Well, I did go easy on them. I initially nned to take out some boulders.¡± Dorian snorted, murmuring that he went easy on them. ¡®Do you have boulders?¡¯ He also has boulders? Chapter 127 ¡°So, what is this?¡± Dorian pointed at the footprint at the size of a human forearm on the ground. ¡°O-orc.¡± ¡°An Orc footprint¡­¡± The Snow Strikers swordsmen looked like shit as they answered. ¡°Orc? Orrrrrrc?¡± ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s an orc!¡± He only nodded his head after they spoke the full sentence. ¡°Hey, guys. How about this one?¡± He pointed at the w mark on the tree this time. ¡°Th-That is a bearw¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t know. That is a bearwolf¡¯s mark of territory. Seriously, you need to learn all about this in order to be an excellent scout!¡± Dorian cut the Snow Strikers off when they were about to give the correct answer, then started bbering his lecture. He was using the exact same information he had learned a few days before. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°D-da¡­¡± The Snow Strikers either looked up into the sky, clenching their fists or biting their lips to suppress their anger. The fun part was the fact that their leader, Edquill, stood with them with a corpse-pale face. His shoulders trembled, sensing Raon¡¯s gaze from behind him. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d witness such a scene in my life.¡± Terianughed bitterly, looking at the Snow Strikers as they carried logs and followed Dorian like ducklings. ¡°I¡¯ll tell themander about the incident if it¡¯s going to be an issue.¡± Raon bowed at Terian in apology. ¡°No, I agree with you that we can¡¯t just let them treat their fellow soldiers as porters. They need to realize how much hardship the scouts have gone through. Three months should be enough time for them to learn that, so I¡¯d ratherpliment your idea.¡± Terian smiled, disying his hand to show his honesty. ¡°By the way, I have something I want to ask you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Did you actually trap him with the dagger?¡± His gaze was directed at the de of Requiem hanging around Raon¡¯s waist. His question suggested that he already understood the situation. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± There was no reason to hide something he already knew. Raon nodded slowly. ¡°Hah.¡± Terian shook his head and eximed. ¡®I wasn¡¯t mistaken.¡¯ As he thought, Raon¡¯s exceptional prowess was just the tip of the iceberg. The young swordsman had way more to him than just that. ¡°You have a promising future.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± The Wolf Mercenary Corps captain, Beto, walked up next to them and sat down. ¡°Despite my looks, I¡¯m actually rather old.¡± He pointed at his young face and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve traveled the entire continent and met countless people, yet it¡¯s my first time seeing someone like Sir Raon. How shall I describe it? You are strong and thoughtful, but have weak emotions.¡± ¡°Weak?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s apliment. It means that there¡¯s a pure side to you.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Raon nodded. He¡¯d seen right through him, probably because he had lots of experience. ¡®Shall I hide it? No.¡¯ He wondered whether he showed too much about himself, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Since he decided to live on as the swordsman Raon instead of as an assassin, it was fine to show that much. ¡°I hope we get along in the future. I have a feeling I¡¯m going to need a lot of help from you.¡± ¡°Same goes for me.¡± Terian extended his hand and Raon took it. ¡°Haha! Me, too.¡± Beto¡¯s long hand settled on top of their hands. ¡°Please visit our mercenary corpster, when you have time.¡± He couldn¡¯t be trusted yet, but it seemed Beto was favorable for now, as a guest or a potential recruit. ¡°Are you already getting down to business?¡± ¡°I¡¯d better mark a genius like him immediately. I honestly want to recruit him right away, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. Since we arerades in arms, I¡¯ll get better treatment than a random stranger.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Beto smiled, and Terianughed in a simr way. ¡°What? Troooll?¡± Raon turned his head upon hearing Dorian¡¯s shout. ¡°This is a Kari Mountain goat¡¯s footprint! How do you not know this? You guys are so hopeless. I¡¯m adding an extra log!¡± He wrinkled his nose, fiddling with his belly pocket. He doesn¡¯t know when to stop, befitting the title of First Subordinate of King of Essence. Wrath nodded in admiration. ¡®Seriously, there¡¯s no one normal around me.¡¯ Raon sighed, watching Dorian as he actually took out another log. * * * ¡°Woaaah!¡± Upon passing through Habun Castle¡¯s main gate, an ear-piercing roar burst out. It came from the soldiers and residents that had surrounded the main road. ¡°I heard that everyone returned safely!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the first time that¡¯s happened in Habun Castle¡¯s history?¡± ¡°I guess everyone was skilled in this expedition!¡± The residents eximed once again, looking at the soldiers entering the castle like generals returning from a victorious campaign. ¡°That¡¯s an ice troll warrior and shaman!¡± ¡°Woah, I haven¡¯t seen those in a long time, but they are still so big. Those are real monsters.¡± ¡°I heard one person killed them all.¡± ¡°I heard that, too. It was apparently that young swordsman, the one that fought against those Wolves, who killed both of them.¡± ¡°He¡¯s over there! I can¡¯t feel any special pressure from him, so how is he that strong?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the rumor just exaggerated?¡± The gazes of the soldiers and residents were all directed at Raon because of the scouts, who returned to the castle one day earlier in order to deliver the news. The gazes of admiration, curiosity, awe, or suspicion were skimming over him from top to bottom. Since Raon was somewhat used to that, he epted those gazes indifferently and walked up to the center. ¡°Everyone in the castle should know about you now.¡± Dorian approached him from the side and grinned. It looked like he had a great time relieving his stress on the Snow Strikers, as his face was glowing despite not even having washed himself. ¡°You look happy.¡± ¡°Of course I am! I¡¯ve already got juniors! Usually in group life, the quality of life depends on the number of juniors under you. I¡¯m in heaven right now!¡± Dorian¡¯s steps were as light as a feather, as the fight was over and he had many people to do chores for him. Upon reaching the headquarters and disying the ice troll warrior and shaman¡¯s heads like they were in a parade, Mind¡¯s adjutant Charles came out and bowed to them. ¡°Themander says toe up right away.¡± He called Raon, Terian, Edquill, and Radin. ¡°Am I forsaken?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a joke! I¡¯m just kidding!¡± Beto shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the pub, saying he was going to drink. The mercenaries rejoiced and followed him. ¡°Please, follow me.¡± Raon went up to themander¡¯s room, following Charles. Passing through the ck door, spreading the old tree¡¯s fragrance, Commander Mind was sitting there with a scowl. ¡°Edquill.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°It looks like you were toofortable around me.¡± Mind raised his head, and an intense pressure filled the atmosphere. ¡°Huff!¡± Edquill grasped his chest, unable to breathe in the face of that pressure. ¡°I told you in every single conference to take care of the scouts. How could you screw up like that, despite having participated in every single conference?¡± Those were vulgar wordsing from amander, but they suited him for some reason. ¡°M-my apologies! Please, forgive me this time!¡± Edquill knelt and smashed his head on the ground. ¡°Forgive you?¡± ¡°Yes! If you forgive me this time, I¡¯ll never let this happen again¡­¡± ¡°Fine, I can forgive you. But you have to pay the price, first.¡± Edquill raised his head upon hearing Mind¡¯s voice, which grew slightly softer. However, it didn¡¯t take long until the anticipation disappeared from his eyes. ¡°Since the bet was under the vicemander¡¯s notary, I can¡¯t just break that promise. Also, I actually feel like that¡¯s a pretty good method. I¡¯m sure you will learn your lesson once you find out how the scouts live and work.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± Edquill looked like a man whose spirit had left his body as he walked out. A zombie from the dead man¡¯s forest would¡¯ve looked just like him. ¡°Radin.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Am I that untrustworthy to you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case!¡± ¡°Then, why have you never told me about having to do their chores?¡± Mind asked the question fiercely. It looked like Radin was going to get punished as well if he gave a wrong answer. ¡°The soldiers are the ones that have to face the swordsmen during missions and exterminations. I¡¯m fine with it, but I was afraid that they would take revenge on my boys, since they would have to stay in bed for a long time if aura users attacked them.¡± Radin¡¯s voice was quivering. His flushed face showed that he cared about his subordinates from the bottom of his heart. ¡°What an idiot.¡± Mind clicked his tongue. ¡°How many times do you think something like that has happened before? I could¡¯ve solved everything if you just told me about it secretly!¡± ¡°But how?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as what he did.¡± He pointed his finger at Raon. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be solved by a beating. If violence doesn¡¯t solve the issue, that simply means I didn¡¯t use enough violence.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°F-Father?¡± Terian and Radin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Anyway, you also need to be punished. You will be on probation for a week, starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Tomorrow? Why not today¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t punish you right away since you just returned from killing an ice troll warrior and shaman without any casualties. You shall eat and y to your heart¡¯s content today.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Radin bowed with an awkward expression, one that didn¡¯t have a smile or tears, before leaving themander¡¯s room. Finally, Mind¡¯s gaze was directed at Raon. ¡°Good job, and thank you.¡± Mind softly smiled, as if his earlier frown were a lie. Honestly, it didn¡¯t exactly fit him. He looked like a smiling solid rock, but Raon could still feel his warmth and care for his subordinates. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle that everyone returned without a single casualty. You did a great job.¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± ¡°Did you say your graduation exam was to survive here for one year?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll report this incident to Zieghart without missing a single detail. I¡¯ll also prepare handsome rewards, so you should take themter.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded lightly and Mind¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°You finally look like a kid.¡± Heughed and shook his hand. ¡°You can return. You should also enjoy this day. There won¡¯t be any room left for you if you are toote.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon bowed, then left. Mind gestured with his hand to call Terian, who was standing there nkly. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to see his true abilities? What kind of guy is he?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t a boy that I can dare to judge. I thought he was still a lump of metal that needed to go through tempering, but he was already a de nearingpletion.¡± ¡°Huhu. That¡¯s what I told you. He is different.¡± Mind nodded, as if he already knew that would happen. ¡°He is also good-natured. He doesn¡¯t even show his power as long as no one offends him. It doesn¡¯t exactly match Zieghart, but it actually does somehow.¡± ¡°If you can get on his good side, then you should.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°He might be Zieghart¡¯s head of house one day.¡± ¡°I-Is he that amazing?¡± ¡°That guy¡­¡± Mind slightly smiled, looking down at Raon through the window. ¡°He is stronger than the Destructive King of the North back when he was that age. I¡¯ve never seen a monster like him before.¡± * * * * * * Upon hearing that everyone went to the pub, Raon also went towards the Branch of Frost. He opened the door and the noisy interior, saturated with the scent of alcohol, came into view. ¡°Sir Raon! This way!¡± Dorian enthusiastically waved his hand, his facepletely red. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s the protagonist!¡± ¡°The pride of our scouting party!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± The scouts shouted his name, mming the table with their beer sses. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Sword demon! Sword demon!¡± ¡°We are here also!¡± The mercenaries did the same thing and shouted. Raon snickered, sitting next to Dorian. Since he had gotten pretty close to them on their return, he didn¡¯t really dislike them shouting his name. ¡°I¡¯ll pay today! Yua! Bring every drink and meal you have!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m going to pay today!¡± ¡°No, the third scouting party is paying!¡± The scouts and the mercenaries started fighting because they wanted to pay. They were all excited about the fact that no one had died during the expedition. ¡°Ahem!¡± After serving the ordered food and liquor, Yua cleared her throat, standing adorably at the center of the pub. ¡°Since everyone has returned safely from the expedition, I¡¯ll sing a song for the first time in a long time!¡± Yua raised her small hand and smiled brightly. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°How long has it been since thest time I heard Yua sing?¡± ¡°What a great asion, created by the sword demon!¡± Everyone inside the pub turned to look at Yua. It didn¡¯t look like they were just ttering her. ¡°Well, then.¡± Yua fluttered her twin tails and closed her eyes. ¡°Inside the frozen forest, the blue wave billows¡­¡± Once she started singing, her hands brought together, the pub fell silent. ¡°The fairies of the night miss the daylight¡­¡± Raon was unsure how to describe it, but it touched his heart. She wasn¡¯t just good at singing, her talent was on an entirely different level. It was his first time seeing a girl as good at singing in both his previous life and current lifebined. He wasn¡¯t talking about good technique or clear sound, either. Her voice felt like she was offeringfort to people¡¯s emotions. She is really good. She has a special talent. ¡®Are youplimenting her because she gave you pineapple?¡¯ The King of Essence is strict about talent. What she is doing is already simr to magic. Didn¡¯t she touch your heart? Raon nodded in agreement. She will seed greatly if she bes a singer. It would be a shame for her to keep serving food in this ce. She shall be appointed as the King of Essence¡¯s personal singer and chef¡­ ¡®There you go again.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath¡¯s rambling and focused on Yua¡¯s voice. Just as he said, her singing felt special. ¡°¡­And face the rising sun!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Yua! Yua!¡± As soon as Yua finished her song, the pub was filled with cheers. The mercenaries and scouts patted Raon¡¯s shoulders, telling him it was all thanks to him that they heard Yua¡¯s song. The inside of the pub had be a small festival, and the soldiers and mercenariesughed and mored together, talking about the memories of their expedition. ¡®Yes, this is it.¡¯ The scene of growingpanionship after a difficult battle was what he looked forward to at Habun Castle. It was a bit rough, but the warm emotion throbbed in his heart. ¡®I still have a lot to learn in the world.¡¯ Raon smiled lightly, looking at everyone rejoicing together. * * * On top of a tree at the midpoint of the North Grave Mountain, where Zieghart¡¯s annex building could be seen, Glenn Zieghart was standing on a branch that was thin enough to fit nothing more than a small bird. His red eyes were directed at Sylvia, who was checking the high-quality beef ced in front of the annex building. ¡°Hmm. She would like it even more if you gave it to her personally.¡± Rimmer licked his lips, sitting on the branch right below him. ¡°I never realized she liked beef.¡± Glenn opened his mouth, watching Sylvia until she went back to the building and closed the door. ¡°I don¡¯t know what she likes, nor what she dislikes, because I¡¯ve been a bystander instead of a father.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°A bystander like me has no right to approach her.¡± ¡°But that wasn¡¯t what the head of house desired.¡± ¡°It was what I wanted. I wanted to get stronger, and this was the consequence. The only things I remember about Sylvia are her moment of birth and when she ran away, back to this ce.¡± Glenn¡¯s bitter voice was simr to ate-blooming flower, remaining alone under the cold wind. ¡°Then now isn¡¯t toote to fill those missed moments.¡± ¡°Rimmer.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What do you think would happen if I scattered feathers from a bag here?¡± ¡°They would fly away.¡± ¡°Yes. They would spread out in all directions, and you wouldn¡¯t be able to catch them. My actions and words are the same. What has been done cannot be undone.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡± Rimmer pouted. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Watch this.¡± He took out a race ticket from his pocket and ripped it into pieces before scattering them into the air. The paper rode the cold wind and dispersed in all directions. ¡°And now!¡± Rimmer swung his hand like a w. The green wind formed, collecting the scattered race ticket pieces and returning them to his hand. ¡°It worked!¡± He grinned and showed him the race ticket in his hand. ¡°¡­I never should¡¯ve talked to you.¡± Glenn ground his teeth and jumped down from the tree. ¡°Huh? Head of house, are you mad?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°You are joking, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯te near me.¡± ¡°Hahaha! My ears felt itchy recently. Was it you that''s been insulting me behind my back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even want to talk about you.¡± Glenn and Rimmer quarreled and walked towards the lord¡¯s manor, a cold wind brushing past their heads. ¡°Since the wind is getting colder, it¡¯s going to start soon.¡± ¡°Yes. Once the wave starts, he will also realize why Habun Castle is called hell.¡± ¡°Huh? You just answered!¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Glenn clicked his tongue and turned around. ¡°I heard Raon did some great things at Habun Castle. Why don¡¯t you tell me about them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°Pff, what are you talking about? You are getting the regr reports every two weeks! How am I supposed to believe that when you can¡¯t even sleepfortably at night because of your worries for your grands¡­huh?¡± ¡°Haaa.¡± Yellow light sparked in Glenn¡¯s hand. ¡°H-Head of house?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you unable to open your trap for a while.¡± ¡°Wait! I¡¯m going to die if that falls down on me!¡± ¡°Yes, die.¡± A huge bolt of lightning struck in the middle of North Grave Mountain that day. Chapter 128 Habun Castle Headquarters. The first scouting party leader Barty was standing straight in front of Commander Mind. ¡°Was there nothing again?¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯ve done two round trips between Stallin Mountain and the Northern Ocean, but we didn¡¯t find any ocean monstersing up to the mountain or the forest.¡± Barty raised his gaze and responded. ¡°That means the shark moles were the first and thest of them.¡± Mind slowly closed his eyes. ¡®I had an ominous feeling, but was it a mistake?¡¯ He sent a scouting party every week to check on the situation after Raon killed the ice troll warrior and shaman, but he hadn¡¯t discovered anything new. Considering the fact that nothing had happened for over a month, it must¡¯ve been a coincidence. ¡°Good job. You can retu¡­¡± As he was about to tell him to rest, a loud shout of concentration could be heard from the soldiers¡¯ training ground. ¡°That¡¯s a nice shout of concentration.¡± Barty smiled, ncing out the window. ¡°What¡¯s nice about that? It¡¯s just noisy.¡± Even though he was saying it was noisy, Mind¡¯s mouth was smiling in satisfaction. ¡°Did you also visit them?¡± ¡°Yes, I go there often.¡± ¡°He must be good at teaching.¡± ¡°I can definitely feel that I¡¯m getting stronger each time Raon checks my posture. There is a good reason the soldiers frequent it. Some of my guys even went to the training ground as soon as they returned from the mission today.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Mind snickered and turned around. ¡®He is really entric.¡¯ At some point, Raon had started teaching a better training method to the soldiers, correcting their postures with their swords and spears. He wasn¡¯t really teaching them some special technique, he was just helping them with the martial arts they had already learned. But that was super effective, and many soldiers were following him. Looking at the training ground as it filled with vigor, despite the fact that it used to bepletely empty because the soldiers were exhausted from the repeated battles and missions, Mind felt like his body and mind were being reinvigorated. ¡°How shall I describe it? I think Raon has the power to change his surroundings, on top of himself. He isn¡¯t exactly cheerful, but Habun Castle has be lively since he came here.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Mind¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡®The qualities of a king.¡¯ Earning everyone¡¯s favor in a single month on such a cruel battlefield wasn¡¯t something an average man could achieve. Just as he thought, Raon had the qualifications to reign over the others. ¡°Since I¡¯m feeling under the weather, I¡¯ll also participate in training.¡± ¡°Ah, wait.¡± As Barty turned around and was about to leave, Mind raised his hand. ¡°The ¡®wave¡¯ period ising soon. Remember?¡± ¡°¡­Of course.¡± Barty¡¯s expression, which had been a smile, stiffened in an instant. ¡°Since they can swarm in at any moment, properly announce it to the recruits.¡± Mind¡¯s gaze was directed at Stallin Mountain, hidden behind a gray mist. ¡°The reason that Habun Castle is called the hell of the battlefield ising soon.¡± * * * The soldier training ground, which used to be filled with only a cold wind a month ago, was now filled with scouts tempering their bodies. That change was caused by a single person. Raon. Shocked by the sight of a powerful guy like him¡ªwho killed the ice troll warrior and shaman on his own¡ªtraining from daybreak to night, the other scouts starteding to the training ground one by one. Raon fixed their postures whenever he had the time and told them how to train, and the rumor spread about its effect. As a result, the training ground was nowpletely filled with the soldiers. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s true. I can use my sword a lot more easily by bending my knee a little bit more.¡± ¡°How does he know everything?¡± ¡°He has godly eyes! He can tell what we arecking at a single nce!¡± ¡°He pointed out my problem without even looking at me, and he was right. It was actually scary.¡± The scoutsughed, chatting about what they learned and how they changed. Tsk. They are so noisy. Wrath clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. I used to like how silent it was, but now my ears are hurting because of those guys. ¡®It can¡¯t be worse than your chatter.¡± Raon snickered after performing the Star Connecting Sword from the start to the end. The King of Essence¡¯s experience is Devildom¡¯s treasure, one that you can¡¯t buy with a mountain of gold ingots. You should be honored you get to hear it. ¡®I don¡¯t know about honor, but Devildom feels more and more familiar.¡¯ He heard too much about ¡®Back in Devildom¡¯ and ¡®The King of Essence in Devildom¡¯, to the point that he now felt like Devildom was his homnd. The King of Essence can¡¯t understand you. ¡®Why?¡¯ Why do you even care about those humans? You won¡¯t even meet them ever again after a year passes. ¡®I don¡¯t particrly care about them.¡¯ You are fixing their postures one by one. Of course you do. ¡®Checking their postures is part of my training.¡¯ It helps you with your training? When they are that sloppy? ¡®Yes.¡¯ Raon smiled. ¡®They are very helpful.¡¯ He¡¯d been watching the scouts¡¯ movements with cier instead of his eyes. Because he¡¯d been analyzing many people¡¯s movements with the ocean of perception, the ocean was gettingrger andrger¡ªas if rain was falling into it. And that was all thanks to the Monarch of Devildom that had sold him the principle of image being important for a pineapple pizza. ¡®And there¡¯s another reason.¡¯ Raon turned around. The eyes of the soldiers that were swinging their swords and tempering their bodies in order to survive were simr to his previous life. He remembered those times¡ªwhen he wanted to survive and get stronger, yet he couldn¡¯t do anything. That was why he couldn¡¯t just leave them alone. What is that? ¡®It¡¯s a secret.¡¯ Not finishing what you were saying is one of Devildom¡¯s sins. I¡¯ll imprison your soul inside a cier as soon as I get your body! ¡®Do it, if you can.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath¡¯s curse and looked at the scout behind him. His sword wasn¡¯t moving properly because of his rounded shoulder. ¡°Straightening your shoulder will help.¡± ¡°Shoulder? I see!¡± He bowed as if he¡¯d heard a god¡¯s voice and immediately straightened his shoulder. His movement got better, and his expression became brighter by the same amount. ¡°Hey!¡± As he was about to check the soldier next to him, Dorian¡¯s voice could be heard from the training ground¡¯s outer border. ¡°Not like that! Run faster!¡± Dorian was running around the training ground along with the Snow Strikers swordsmen, who were still at the lowest rank of the scouts. Since he couldn¡¯t teach them swordsmanship, he was just training their stamina. ¡®He has great strength and legs, after all.¡¯ Since Dorian had been running every day from when he became a trainee until now, his stamina was better than that of a decent swordsman. ¡°Who just made the sound of someone using aura?¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes sparkled as he looked back. Just like Rimmer taught him, he forbade the use of aura and nagged the Snow Strikers to run with their body and stamina. ¡®They are running well.¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the Snow Strikers leader Edquill running right behind Dorian. Even though his eyes were full ofints, he was still properly following the orders. It seemed themander was a good deterrent for him. ¡°Okay, stop!¡± Dorian stopped running and caught his breath. Since the swordsmen were running at full speed without using aura, they couldn¡¯t hide their exhaustion. ¡°Next up is searching practice. Lie on your bellies!¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± ¡°D-damn it¡­¡± ¡°I hate this the most¡­¡± The Snow Strikers swordsmenid face down on all fours, until their noses reached the ground. ¡°Run around the training ground like that. This is a practice for finding traces on the ground, so do your best.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± The Snow Strikers swordsmen started crawling around the other border like turtles. It looked like he was bullying them, but that was actually the searching practice the scouts did. But why is he teaching them about scouting? He himself can¡¯t even scout properly. ¡®That¡¯s actually true¡­¡¯ Raon tilted his head. Dorian had somehow be their instructor, and the fun part was the fact that no one wasining about it. ¡®No, that¡¯s probably normal.¡¯ Even though they were now scouts, they were actually swordsmen that could use aura. They were too much for normal scouts to teach them, so Dorian was the perfect person for the job. ¡°Huhu.¡± Dorian approached him whileughing. ¡°You look like you are enjoying it.¡± ¡°Enjoying it? It¡¯s really annoying.¡± Despite what he said, his face couldn¡¯t stop smiling. He was deadly pale when he first arrived at Habun Castle, but he had be chubby since then. ¡°But it¡¯s easier than I thought. I thought we¡¯d have to keep fighting without having time to breathe.¡± Dorian murmured that rumors shouldn¡¯t be trusted. ¡°Hmm? Did you not know?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡°What? Know what?¡± ¡°The reason why this ce is called the battlefield of hell or hell of a battlefield is because of the wave that urs twice a year.¡± ¡°W¡­ave?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a phenomenon where the ground monsters from Stallin Mountain and forest, and ocean monsters from the Northern Ocean, swarm at us endlessly. I thought you¡¯d know about it already.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t look into it because it''s scarier if I know. Because ignorance is bliss!¡± Dorian violently shook his head like a dog soaked with water. ¡°What the hell is a wave? That¡¯s scary!¡± ¡°The sign is going to appear soon. You are pretty much going to be unable to sleep for three to five days once it starts.¡± ¡°Are you telling me I won¡¯t sleep because I¡¯ll be too busy fighting?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± His eyes shattered like sand facing a tidal wave as he bit his nails. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You will be fine as long as you do as you¡¯ve learned.¡± ¡°Is that so? I guess that would be the ca¡­ Of course it wouldn¡¯t be!¡± Dorian screamed and ran towards the scouts to ask about the wave. Since he got the same response, his face went pale. ¡°It¡¯s over! My life is over!¡± He grabbed his head and started screaming towards the sky. ¡®Your first subordinate is really funny.¡¯ Raon snickered and tapped on Wrath, who was floating in the air. ¡­The King of Essence doesn¡¯t know him. * * * * * * ¡°You crazy bastard! Are you telling me you let them go, just like that?¡± The man in the blue robe showed his teeth. Cold air came from his teeth, which were as sharp as a sawtooth. ¡°I had no choice, since attacking them again would¡¯ve been a bad decision.¡± The man in the ck robe sighed lightly. ¡°That stupid n, and that stupid decision! You just think too much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than you, who just charges in like an idiot.¡± They red at each other, emanating savagebative energy that only existed from monsters. ¡°So, what are you going to do next? The n of baiting out Mind is pretty much dead!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have a new n.¡± The man in the ck robe shook his head. ¡°A new n?¡± ¡°During the wave that¡¯s about to start, we will mix a little bit of our power in there.¡± ¡°Mix our power?¡± ¡°Yes. Use your power to make more ocean monsters participate in the wave.¡± ¡°And what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prepare something to break the wall.¡± He lifted his robe. A skull with long ck hair was floating in the air. ck light wasing out of its empty eyes, as if it were alive. ¡°Bomb skull?¡± ¡°We can definitely destroy a castle wall like that using this guy.¡± ¡°It will be shredded before getting close to the castle wall.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I modified it so it can be hidden behind shadows. Even a master won¡¯t be able to find it.¡± The man in the ck robe confidently caressed the bomb skull. ¡°And then? Habun Castle won¡¯t copse just from destroying the wall.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The n of baiting out Mind and the executives will begin then. They will have no choice but toe out once the wall is destroyed.¡± ¡°Haa¡­ This is thest time.¡± The man in the blue robe frowned and crossed his arms. ¡°Even though we have the same objective, we don¡¯t need to share the process. If you fail this time, I¡¯ll use my own method.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± The man in the ck robe smiled, fiddling with the green mask in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll use the card that will force Habun Castle to take action.¡± * * * In the training ground at daybreak, when darkness hadn¡¯t yet disappeared, Raon swung his sword. The heated winding from the sword melted the frozen ground, and the cold wind screamed. He kicked the ground and lifted his de. The vivid motion felt like he was facing a powerful enemy in front of him. He was in the middle of a life and death battle against an imaginary enemy. ¡°Haaa.¡± Ice came from Raon¡¯s mouth. His eyes froze, and the heat on the de cooled down. The glowing blue de was thrust fiercely, like a beast¡¯s fang. The melted ground froze like a rock, and a flower of frost bloomed in the air. The flower of ice dancing on the silver de fluttered to the wind, spinning around him. ng! Each one of the flower petals of frost became a sharp de of ice, ripping apart Raon¡¯s imaginary enemy. It was only after they finished their job that they melted down like the morning dew. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon eased the frost and caught his breath. Hmm¡­ Wrath groaned in dissatisfaction. ¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯ You are growing abnormally fast. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon was dumbfounded as he stared at Wrath. That was a strange reaction to have when it was him that told him to practice with image. It looked like he forgot everything other than the taste of the pineapple pizza. ¡°Wow!¡± While he was confused by Wrath¡¯s reaction, Dorian¡ªwho¡¯d been standing at the outer border of the training ground¡ªapproached him. ¡°You can bloom six ice flowers now. It¡¯s insane how much it changes every time I see it.¡± Dorian was amazed by the rate he was getting stronger. ¡®I¡¯m indeed growing faster than I thought.¡¯ Thebination of Wrath¡¯s advice and the experience from the mission allowed him to develop cier and the Fangs of Insanity at an extraordinary pace. The speed, which surpassed his expectations, even surprised himself. ¡°You can also get stronger quickly if you train from daybreak to night.¡± ¡°Daybreak to night¡­ The young master never changes, even though you are now sixteen years old.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to change.¡± Nothing changed even though he was away from home, and he was sixteen years old now. He just needed to train as much as possible using the time he had. ¡°Did you also train?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly train, but I ran around the castle.¡± Dorian nodded with a grin. ¡°Did you bring the Snow Strikers again?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my daily routine.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have a month left now. Is that a shame?¡± ¡°Yes. Haaah¡­¡± The Snow Strikers wouldn¡¯t be scouts anymore in less than a month. Dorian looked sad about it. ¡°But that¡¯s okay, since I have other juniors.¡± Dorian seemed to think he was a scout, rather than a guard for the scouts. Despite how he struggled in the beginning, he was nowpletely used to their new life. ¡°You look like you¡¯re used to it now.¡± ¡°But the same goes for the young master.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose.¡± Like he said, he grew attached to the scouts because he saw them every day in the training ground, sharing hardships and joy during missions. ¡°It would¡¯ve been great if those shitty waves didn¡¯t exist. Ah! I just spoke that ominous word! Damn it!¡± Dorian tore his hair out, since he didn¡¯t even want to think about it. ¡°Stop it. Let¡¯s go eat.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dorian went limp and nodded. Let¡¯s go to the Branch of Frost. The food from the soldier cafeteria is truly the worst. Wrath waved his hand of ice, pleading with him to go to the Branch of Frost. ¡®Isn¡¯t the soldier cafeteria fine? I liked it.¡¯ How can you like that hard piece of bread and soup? I had the feeling already, but your tongue isn¡¯t normal. I¡¯m sure the stats that should¡¯ve been in your tongue all went to your willpower. ¡®Maybe.¡¯ Raon snickered. In his previous life¡¯s childhood, he only got a piece of bread forpleting a mission. Since he was now given a meal three times a day, it was pretty much a heavenpared to that. However, he didn¡¯t want to hear that from a guy that went crazy for mint chocte and pineapple pizza. ¡®Maybe I should go there since it¡¯s been a long time.¡¯ R-Really? ¡®Yes, I guess I should listen to you once in a while.¡¯ Are you sure you don¡¯t have an ulterior motive? ¡®I don¡¯t.¡¯ Raon snickered and turned around. Since he felt satisfied about the growth of his swordsmanship, aura, and frost, he decided to satisfy Wrath¡¯s taste as well. ¡°Dorian, let¡¯s go to the Branch of Frost this morning. I¡¯ll pay for you.¡± ¡°What? What happened to you?¡± ¡°I figured we should eat something special once in a while.¡± ¡°Oh! I see!¡± He entered the Branch of Frost with Dorian, who was feeling better. Since it was time for breakfast, the tables were all upied except for one. ¡°Oh! Instructor!¡± ¡°My greetings, instructors!¡± ¡°Did youe here to eat?¡± ¡°Yua! I¡¯ll pay for the instructor¡¯s meal!¡± The soldiers that were eating breakfast stood up at once and bowed at Raon. ¡°I told you I¡¯m not an instructor.¡± ¡°Since you are checking our postures every day, you are the instructor!¡± ¡°Yes! You are my master!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, please keep eating.¡± Raon waved his hand and sat at the table in the center. He was almost annoyed, since so many people started calling him instructor and greeted him. ¡°You made a great decision by visiting us today!¡± Yua ran out from the kitchen, swaying her twin tails. ¡°We got a new menu item! Will you try it?¡± Yua smiled brightly and pointed at the newly added line on the menu. ¡°Apple meat pie?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s a moist and sweet meat pie with ground apples in it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It didn¡¯t sound that great. Raon would have preferred just meat or just fruit. He didn¡¯t exactly like having a mixture of the two. Eat it! Pick it! Choose it! Wrath¡¯s ice surged like a me pir. The King of Essence is interested in the apple meat pie! His voice sounded like he was drooling. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take that pie. What about you, Dorian?¡± ¡°Since I don¡¯t like experimenting, I¡¯ll just take the normal scout set menu and pineapple cookie!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He took out a pineapple from his belly pocket. Yua epted the pineapple with an ustomed movement. Add a pineapple cookie! The King of Essence also wants to feel that chewy sensation! ¡°Haah. I¡¯ll also take a pineapple cookie.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yua smiled cheerfully and went to the kitchen. ¡°How many pineapples do you even have?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have that many left now.¡± He rubbed his belly pocket with a saddened expression. It was pretty scary how he said there weren¡¯t that many left. That perfect preparedness is the King of Essence¡¯s first subordinate indeed. Order him to thoroughly pack the ingredients. ¡®But you said you didn¡¯t know himst time.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Wrath turned his head, pretending he didn¡¯t hear Raon. It didn¡¯t take long for Yua toe out with hot food, while Raon was chatting with Dorian. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a nice fragrance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just the fragrance, but it also tastes great. Why don¡¯t you taste it?¡± Yua ced her hand on her waist and nodded firmly. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon smiled lightly and picked up the knife. He cut the pie, and the apple¡¯s sourness and the meat¡¯s strong fragrance spread out in a perfect harmony, making his mouth water. F-Fast! Eat it already! ¡®Stop whining.¡¯ As he was about to help himself, it became noisy from the outside of the pub. m! The door opened and Radin entered, his facepletely red. It looked like there was an emergency since his gaze was urgent. ¡°Raon! You were here!¡± Raon was the person he was looking for. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Themander summoned you!¡± ¡°At this hour?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an emergency.¡± Raon realized what was going on after hearing what he said. ¡°The sign of the wave has appeared.¡± ¡°Wave¡­¡± Raon frowned and stood up. ¡°Wave? Wave. Wave!¡± Dorian shouted ¡®wave¡¯ three times, growing as stiff as a wooden doll. ¡°D-did he just say wave?¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Hah, it was about time it happened.¡± The soldiers'' eyes quivered. They anxiously put down their forks and bit their lips. ¡°Yua, I¡¯ll try the new itemter. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Raon tapped Yua¡¯s shoulder as she looked anxious, then followed Radin out of the pub. W-Wait! Where are you going? Wrath stuck to the pie dish, extending his body like a rubber band. The King of Essence will solve the wave or whatever for you! One bite, just take a single bite before you go! Raon! He tried grabbing the pie dish with his icy hand, but obviously he couldn¡¯t grab it. He was pulled back to Raon like an arrow that left the bowstring. Why can the King of Essence never be happy? Why? ¡°Waveeee!¡± The Branch of Frost was filled by the scream of despair of a coward, and a demon king that couldn¡¯t eat the pie. Chapter 129 Wave. In other words, a swarm of monsters. The wave that happened twice a year, in summer and in winter, was the reason Habun Castle was called the hell of a battlefield. It was rumored that even the veterans, who had been living in Habun Castle for their entire lives, felt like they¡¯d be better off dead after fighting against monstersing from Stallin Mountain and the Northern Ocean for five days and nights. The source of the wave was unknown. Rumors imed that it was the Five Demons¡¯ doing, or that the monsters that had increased their numbers during the summer and winter were instinctivelying out in order to find food. Raon was inside themander¡¯s room, to work on a countermeasure against the wave. ¡°What¡¯s the number?¡± ¡°There were sightings of at least tens of thousands. It¡¯s just my feeling, but I think there are more thanst year.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand where so many of theme from each year.¡± Mind frowned, crumpling the paper in his hand. ¡°When is their estimated time of arrival?¡± ¡°Judging from their movement speed, we should start seeing them from the castle walls around the daybreak in two days.¡± ¡°Any particrs?¡± ¡°There were many sightings of monsters that can usebative energy. Ice troll warriors, orc fighters, and as for the Northern Ocean monsters, there were mantakurns, ocstall killers, and even krates. And¡­¡± The first scouting party¡¯s leader Barty listed the elite grade monsters he¡¯d identified before. It seemed he was used to doing that, since his voice was full of confidence. ¡°There are many elite grades.¡± ¡°We are going to need to risk our lives again.¡± ¡°Yes. We need to prepare thoroughly.¡± Mind nodded and stood up. ¡°Maintenance officer.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Check all the castle gates and castle walls¡¯ status until the daybreak in two days. No mistakes are allowed.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Logistics officer.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Check the weapons and prepare rocks and oil to throw over the castle walls.¡± ¡°Affirmative!¡± He assigned duties to the officers participating in the conference, and people quickly left the room upon receiving their orders. ¡°Terian. You will take themand and oversee the operation instead of me.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Once Vicemander Terian left, Raon was the only person remaining. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you know about the waves?¡± ¡°I do, to a certain extent.¡± ¡°One wave results in countless casualties. The reason we keep sending out the scouts and expeditions is in order to reduce those casualties as much as we can.¡± Mind¡¯s steady eyes turned sour. The shadow covering them was the old general¡¯s intive emotions. ¡°Copsed castle walls can be repaired and destroyed castle gates can be reconstructed. However, the dead will never return.¡± ¡°So, I shall be protecting them.¡± ¡°Yes. Please protect as many soldiers as you can. That is your and Dorian¡¯s mission.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at Mind and left the conference. It looked like Mind was trusting himpletely because of the way he kept everyone alive in all the missions and expeditions he¡¯d participated in so far. ¡°Y-young master! How did it go?¡± Dorian, who¡¯d been waiting in front of the headquarters, ran up to him. Judging from the way he was drenched in cold sweat, he looked extremely nervous. ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask, it¡¯s obvious. Our mission is to stop the monsters from climbing the castle walls and protect the soldiers.¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± Dorian sank on his knees and mmed the ground. The damn wave. The King of Essence will take revenge for the apple meat pie that was left behind! Contrary to the terrified Dorian, Wrath was boiling in icy cold anger. ¡°I¡¯m seriously dead. How am I supposed to survive the wave?¡± ¡°But I told you a month ago that the wave was going to happen.¡± ¡°I thought we were going to get lucky! My life is really over!¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d gotten better.¡± Raon clicked his tongue and grabbed Dorian by his neck. ¡°Huh? Where are we going?¡± ¡°The other soldiers will be in danger if you keep acting like this. You need some mental education for the first time in a long time.¡± ¡°M-mental education would be¡­¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s ying with my Fangs of Insanity.¡± ¡°Wait a moment! I¡¯m feeling better now¡­¡± Raon smiled coldly and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± * * * * * * Ring ring ring ring! The ear-splitting bell sound opened the daybreak. Raon slowly opened his eyes from his meditation, his back leaning towards the wall. ¡°They are here.¡± It was his first time hearing the rm since arriving in Habun Castle. However, the urgent sound of the bell was enough to guess the situation outside. ¡°Y-young master.¡± ¡°Get ready ande out.¡± Raon tapped Dorian¡¯s shoulder and took his sword to go outside. ¡°Move quickly!¡± ¡°Ah, damn it. I haven¡¯t finished my maintenance!¡± ¡°Open the armory!¡± ¡°Infantry and pikemen, go on the castle walls!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the soldiers. The mechanics and cksmiths were also fervently running around, to the point where they were sweating in the cold weather. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon caught his breath and went to the castle wall. I can smell blood. The blood is going to flow like a river today. Wrath inhaled the cold air and gave a frightening smile. Raon ignored the self-proimed demon king that wanted to avenge the meat pie and went up the castle wall. Gulp. He swallowed, trying to wet his dry mouth. The snow piled up overnight was covered by a blue and green wave. Orcs, trolls, gnolls, shark moles, krates, and shamirs. It was truly an endless march of monsters. Raon¡¯s fingers trembled at the tremendous number that was difficult to count, even with his excellent perception. The stench of the monsters¡¯ madness and gluttony was numbing his nose. The people inside the castle were just food for them. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°Shit! I can never get used to this, no matter how many times I see it¡­¡± The hands of the soldiers standing on the castle walls trembled as they held their weapons and bit their lips. Their fear was clearly visible in their eyes. Rumble! The intensebative energying from the elite monsters, around one head taller than the other monsters, made the soldiers tremble even harder. ng! The sound of drawing a sword could be heard from the middle of the castle walls. Auspicious energy spread out from the de reaching the sky. The madnessing from the monsters subsided, and a steadfast determination filled that spot. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be afraid! This is a trial that anyone in Habun Castle can ovee! Line up!¡± ¡°Line up!¡± It was Mind. He was raising the soldiers¡¯ morale from the castle wall, his majestic voice shaking the earth. ¡°Shieldbearers and pikemen, go to the front. Archers, stand by from behind them!¡± Encouraged by themander¡¯s personal appearance, the soldiers relieved their nervous bodies and braced themselves. ¡°Ready!¡± Mind didn¡¯t order the attack despite witnessing the tidal wave of the monsters filling the snow field. He just waited, and waited even more. When the stench of blood and meating from the monsters started to reach the soldiers'' noses, his sword burst into me. ¡°Fire!¡± The tremendous energy was shot to the front from his silver de. Baaam! The aura de stormed through the monsters¡¯ front line, and the firing sound of the arrows from the scouts and the archers resounded right after. Whish! A silver rain of arrows fell down the deep blue sky. Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! The monsters copsed back upon getting hit by the arrows, but the wave didn¡¯t stop. Stepping and chewing on their peers, they kept swarming towards the castle walls. ¡°Fire!¡± The arrows pierced the wind, fired from the quickly reloaded crossbows and bows. Even after the second and third volley of arrows, the monsters didn¡¯t stop their march. They started running towards the walls like crazy. ¡°Kuaah!¡± The moment the ogre that finally managed to reach the castle was about to smash the gate with its huge fist, Mind¡¯s sword flipped. am! The sword, surrounded by astral energy, shed at them repeatedly to rip the ogres and orcs apartpletely. ¡°Defend the castle walls! Don¡¯t allow them to climb!¡± Encouraged by his overwhelming might, the soldiers swung their swords and thrust their spears into the ocean monsters climbing the castle walls. Everyone kept swinging their weapons and firing their arrows until their fingers ached, but the monsters¡¯ madness didn¡¯t stop. They climbed the frozen castle walls like a nd and swung their gluttonous ws. ¡°Gasp!¡± When the troll that jumped up the castle wall was about to tear the soldier¡¯s head, Raon started moving. sh! He used the Fangs of Insanity to cut the troll¡¯s ankle and pushed it under the wall. He tried making the soldier stand, but a knoll climbed up using a hook right next to him. ¡°Kieee!¡± He cut the knoll¡¯s head as it was about to thrust its spear, then moved to the right and sliced the chest of an orc that was holding an ax. Boom! An exploding sound could be heard. When he looked around, a brown smoke was rising on the castle walls. It was the poison mist of the ocean monster swellfish. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Kuaah!¡± Upon contacting the poison mist, the soldiers covered their heads and stepped back. m! Raon ran into the poison mist and swung his sword. The crimson winding front the sword pushed back the poison mist towards the orcs. ¡°Kuaaa!¡± ¡°Krrra!¡± The orcs that inhaled the poison mist started scratching their skin, falling down the castle walls. ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± Raon nodded his head to the soldier expressing his gratitude, then ran towards another ce where a scream wasing from. He had a feeling there was a very long day ahead of him. * * * The battle that started before sunrise continued until the sun set on the western mountain. The wave of monsters was truly endless, making people wonder where they could¡¯ve been hiding. The soldiers that used to be brave on the castle walls were now floundering from the cold and exhaustion, and the fingers of the archers that were mechanically firing their arrows were now covered in blood. The faces of the swordsmen and knights that were restlessly using their aura to defend the castle walls turned yellow because of aura exhaustion. Everyone bit their lips, saying that it was the worst wave ever. Ironically, the most unaffected person in that hellish battlefield was Raon, who had been in Habun Castle for less than three months. Using unique cultivation techniques like the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to relieve his body¡¯s exhaustion and recover his aura allowed him to stroll through the battlefield. The soldiers he saved numbered over a hundred, and the monsters he killed were close to three hundred. m! Raon beheaded the troll climbing the castle wall and pushed it down. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon straightened his stiff back. Even though the sun was setting, the battle didn¡¯t end. The fact that the situation would continue for several days was really making it a living hell. ¡°Uryaaa!¡± Dorian was throwing the logs that he used to use to make Snow Strikers suffer down instead of using his sword. He knew Dorian was good at carrying heavy objects, but he realized again how strong he was. The orcs and knolls fell like autumn leaves upon getting hit by the logs. am! The earth-shaking sound could be heard from the castle gate. It was Mind. He was ughtering the monsters rushing at the castle gate with the exact same expression from the beginning. Because of the steadfastmander holding the line, there was no damage on the castle gate and castle walls around it. Raon raised his head. The sun was setting towards the ground, and the real fight was about to start after that. He hoped that everyone would manage to hold out, then shook off the blood from his sword. ¡°Haa.¡± He slowly caught his breath and used the Ring of Fire. As he was about to move once again, a brand-new presence could be felt from his ocean of perception. Only the scouts and a few swordsmen remained in the right outer border, as the knights had withdrawn temporarily to maintain their weapons and armor, and a dark object was flying towards it. ¡®What is that?¡¯ It was a monster with a strange appearance, covered by ck hair and the size of a troll¡¯s head. It was running towards the castle wall, as if reaching it was the sole goal of its life. No one else was paying attention to it, as if they didn¡¯t even feel its movement. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯ The fact that it was a monster he had never seen before, and the fact that it was running towards the current weakest spot, gave him a bad premonition. Thud! Raon kicked the ground and ran towards the castle walls on the right side. He shot his aura de towards the ck monster. Baam! Even though he managed to cut it before it reached the castle wall, it was apparently toote. An ominous energying out from its divided body exploded right after. Rumble! The crack spreading like a spider web exploded, and the castle wall copsed from the center. ¡°Arrrgh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Around thirty soldiers and swordsmen that used to be on the wall started screaming as they fell down to the ground filled with the monsters¡¯ flesh. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± ¡°M-my leg! My leg!¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± ¡°S-save me! My arm got stuck! I can¡¯t move my body!¡± Bloody screams came out from the soldiers that had fallen under the copsed castle walls, those that missed theirnding. ¡°Keuh!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go down!¡± When Raon was about to move, Mind¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°The castle wall hasn''t been destroyed yet! Defend the castle wall! Chasing a smaller goal will result in a bigger loss!¡± He chewed his lip, looking at the soldiers fallen under the walls. It was the decision he made as amander, rather than a mere swordsman or soldier. He was right. Trying to protect them would result in the half-copsed castle wall being destroyedpletely. ¡®But I¡­¡¯ Looking at the monsters showing their teeth, Raon brandished his sword. All of them were hisrades of war, who¡¯d been on a mission with him before, andpanions he¡¯d personally checked the postures of. Their stories he happened to hear, and their objectives they dered with pride were throbbing his heart. ¡®I¡¯m not amander.¡¯ Mind¡¯s order was to save as many soldiers as possible he could possibly save. Raon decided to follow the mission he was given in the first ce. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± Hearing Mind and Dorian¡¯s voices striking his back, he jumped down the castle walls. What a crazy bastard. Wrath¡¯s shrill voice sneered. ¡®I have a n.¡¯ Facing thousands of madness burning inside the darkness, Raon smiled lightly. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to my growth, once I manage to survive this pce.¡¯ ¡­You really are crazy. Chapter 130 Haaa. Raon caught his breath, feeling the monsters¡¯ murderous intent tightening his heart. How are you nning to survive? ¡®I¡¯ll open my senses as much as possible and fight.¡¯ Sometimes, you won¡¯t be able to move your body despite having sensed it, especially when you are protecting those behind you. Raon took a nce behind him. No one was in condition to fight because they were affected by the explosion before falling. Did you finally realize the stupidity of what you did just now? You won¡¯t be able to avoid a dog¡¯s death. ¡®You won¡¯t know until you try.¡¯ The King of Essence never lies. As long as you don¡¯t block one side, you won¡¯t be able to protect all of them. What a pathetic guy, to have followed your affection! The ocean monsters started running towards them, as if they were listening to Wrath. ¡®Pathetic, huh¡­?¡¯ Raon snickered and shot an aura de. The crimson de drew a half moon to shred the group of ocean monsters in half. ¡®You are right about that.¡¯ In his previous life, he saw countless people motivated by affection end up dying as a result, and he had even used that for his assassinations. However, he didn¡¯t regret it. After all, he was currently the swordsman Raon Zieghart, and not the assassin Raon. ¡®I¡¯ll hold on.¡¯ He opened the ocean of perception and gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura. Since he had already jumped down, he decided to fight to the best of his ability until he saved them. Holding on won¡¯t be enough. Hand your body over to the King of Essence. I¡¯ll freeze all those monsters and save the humans. ¡®Was that your goal? It¡¯s been a long time since thest time you showed your true nature.¡¯ That has been the King of Essence¡¯s sole purpose from the beginning¡­ ¡®Stay silent so I can focus.¡¯ ¡°Sir Raon! Dodge!¡± Raon brandished his sword, ignoring Wrath¡¯s proposal, and Dorian shouted to warn him. When he looked up, a long boulder was falling down from Dorian¡¯s hand. am! The boulder rammed onto the ground, bing a wall to block the right side. ¡°Haap!¡± Dorian kicked the destroyed castle wall¡¯s remains on top of that to make the wall a bit higher. ¡®So that wasn¡¯t an average subspace pocket.¡¯ It didn¡¯t only have a high capacity, but also seemed to have the ability to temporarily lighten the weight of the object upon taking out. Such a pocket should be at least a unique rating. ¡°I told you, right? Everything has its use! This is how a boulder should be used!¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raonughed bitterly. It seemed Dorian still remembered how he was scolded about carrying a boulder. ¡°Th-This is all I can do! Please hold out at all costs!¡± Dorian awkwardly smiled and gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± That was enough. Since the right side was blocked along the center, left, and right side, there were only two directions left that he needed to defend. It was iparably easier than in the beginning. Did he just use the boulder like this? Argh! Wrath looked like he was losing his mind at the absurdity of Dorian¡¯s actions as he looked up at him. ¡°Come!¡± Raon stepped forward and used his aura to roar. ¡°Krr!¡± ¡°Kiee!¡± ¡°Krrr!¡± The ferocious roar made the monsters flinch for a moment, but they soon started running at him in hunger and madness. ¡°Krra!¡± The first one that rushed at him was an orc. It swung its rusted ax at his head, but Raon fended it off with the Fangs of Insanity and decapitated the orc. ¡°Kiee!¡± A strike of a knoll''s iron club followed it, aiming for his head. However, Raon twisted his upper body and swung his sword to cut the knoll in half. sh! Between the blood gushing out from the knoll, a deadly ax came rushing at him. It was the surprise attack of an orc fighter that had been waiting for an opportunity from behind. ng! He held the sword horizontally to block, and the orc fighter¡¯s second attack followed right after like lightning. ¡®This is terrifying even though I knew it wasing.¡¯ Even though he understood all the orc fighter¡¯s movements with the ocean of perception, chills still ran down his spine at its murderous intent. Itsbative energy and fighting spirit were fiercer than its might. Creak! Raon twirled his sword, glowing with the cold snow¡¯s white color. The de rotated like a windmill to bounce off the ax. Stopping the de at the bottom, Raon shed it up. The orc fighter tried to stop the de withbative energy, but that wasn¡¯t enough to stop the attack. sh! The orc fighter¡¯s chest was divided diagonally, and it copsed back with its eyes turned white. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue. ¡®I don¡¯t even have time to catch my breath.¡¯ Vibration from the ground and a shadowing down. An ice troll was falling from above and a shark mole was emerging from the ground. Whir! He pulled the sword behind him to thrust it like a spear. The moment the shark mole surged from the ground and the ice troll fell, the me bursting from the de engulfed the two monsters. ¡°Krr¡­¡± ¡°Kieee¡­¡± The monsters froze in fear upon witnessing the flower of me erasing the night. ¡°Kieek!¡± Hideous sounds resounded from the back. It was the cry of an ocean monster¡ªan Orcus, which looked like an octopus. As expected of a smart monster, it was sending directions with its tentacles. Rumble! The monsters started running at once, aiming at the defenseless soldiers behind Raon instead of himself. ¡°Damn it.¡± Raon bit his lip. Soldiers were distracting the monsters on the castle walls, but it wasn¡¯t enough because there were too many of them. He couldn¡¯t expect Mind¡¯s help either, since the castle could copse the moment he left the center. ¡®I have to do this alone.¡¯ He resonated the rings of fire and opened the ocean of perception as much as possible. Using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, he stomped the ground and thrust his sword, surrounded by raging me. The Fangs of Insanity shredded the orc into pieces, and the Star Connecting Sword severed the troll¡¯s limbs. Raon burst the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation towards the swarming green wave. The me breath spread in a half-circle to melt down the monsters in front of him. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon breathed out heavily. Even though his body was getting exhausted, his mind and senses were getting clearer and clearer. He could feel that his mind was dominating his body after a long time. Rumble! The wall created by Dorian trembled. The ocean monster with huge pincers, a krate, burst out by smashing the boulder into pieces. It looked like the boulders falling down like a catapult were about to crush the injured soldiers. Raon bit his lip and hacked with the Fangs of Insanity. The de curved fiercely to knock away the stone piles, and Raon drew the de of Requiem with his left hand at the same time. A single strike using ghastly energy. That was enough to burst the krates¡¯ heads despite their robust shells. ¡°Kieek!¡± The Orcus¡¯ voice could be heard again from the back. ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯ Aiming at the wave emerging from the ocean of perception, Raon shed his heated sword. The crimson aura de severed the night air and cut the blue octopus into half. ¡°You shall not pass until you defeat me.¡± Raon crossed the two des and stomped the ground. Crimson currents zed up from the cracked ground. * * * * * * Mind narrowed his eyes, looking at Raon overwhelming thousands of monsters on his own. He thought it was reckless bravado. He could only consider it as a novice¡¯s overconfidence after achieving small victories. Because it was pretty much impossible to protect thirty injured soldiers in that hellish ce. However, Raon managed to hold on. Dorian did help him by blocking his right side with a boulder, but he managed to defend against the restless attacks of the monsters. Without even breathing properly, he yed the orcs, burned the trolls, and destroyed the krates to disy his matchless prowess. Thanks to his perfect defense, not even a hair was harmed on the soldiers, who had copsed defenselessly. ¡®His senses aren¡¯t normal.¡¯ Senses surpassing his prowess. Raon¡¯s perception was at a higher level than his might. The prudent swordsmanship based on his sharp senses became a thick wall to protect the soldiers. ¡®And he is getting even stronger.¡¯ He was using the terrible situation as an opportunity to grow. It was the first time Mind had witnessed such a case in his dozens of years spent defending Habun Castle. ¡°Ken!¡± Without taking his eyes off Raon¡¯s back, Mind called Ken, the Night Fox Knight Order¡¯s captain. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Save the wounded soldiers.¡± ¡°Sorry? But¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Mind nodded, looking at Raon, who managed to kill Orcus with his aura de. ¡°He will hold the line. Go down and save the wounded!¡± Mind sped his sword. Vigor returned to his old body from watching Raon achieve the impossible. Baam! The powerful attacking from his sword wiped out all the monsters in front of him. ¡°Hold your ground!¡± A powerful heat emerged from his de piercing towards the sky. Upon witnessing the light connecting the de to the moon, the soldiers¡¯ eyes were dyed the same color. ¡°The night will end. Keep holding your ground and defeat them!¡± * * * ¡°Can¡¯t you even properly control a boom skull anymore? Your skills are rusty.¡± The blue robed man sneered, looking at the castle wall copsing from the middle. ¡°My control was perfect enough to even fool Mind. It was the guy that shot the aura de that had extraordinary senses.¡± ¡°What kind of excuse¡­ hmm?¡± He giggled, looking at the blonde swordsman that jumped down from the castle walls. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that crazy guy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That young guy is the one that activated my danger detection ability and severed the boom skull just now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blue robed man narrowed his eyes upon hearing that. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like anything special, though.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± That was thest thing the ck robed man said, and the blue robed man wrinkled his nose and fixed his gaze on Raon. ¡®He just looks like a reckless greenhorn.¡¯ He was pretty strong for his age and very courageous, but he didn¡¯t seem any more special than that. ¡°A guy of that level¡­ hmm?¡± The blue robed man stopped talking and his eyes widened. ¡®What?¡¯ The orc fighter¡¯s attack using the knoll¡¯s corpse was perfect, yet he fended it off as if he knew about it already. The strange part was that it kept happening after that. Orcs, trolls, and even krates¡ªhe was aware of where their attacks were targeting and finished them off in a single strike. His senses were so good that it could be called mysterious. ¡°¡­His senses far surpass his prowess. How is that even possible?¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the troll shaman¡¯s danger detection ability, I would¡¯ve been located by him already.¡± ¡°Hmm, his swordsmanship is also extremely deadly. One kill per strike. What a peculiar guy, to be using such a deadly technique while protecting others.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s not everything.¡± The ck robed man pointed at Raon, telling him to look more closely. ¡°Gasp!¡± The blue robed man observed Raon while scratching his chin, letting out a dull gasp. ¡°N-no way, did he, just now¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. He is growing stronger at this very moment.¡± The ck robed man¡¯s voice was lowered, as low as the mud. * * * The orc struck with its ax. Raon read the flow and cut through the orc and the ax at the same time. A bearwolf swung its ws. Raon deflected the blow and severed its neck. An ice troll warrior roared and rushed at him. Its enormous fist was glowing withbative energy. A small opening in itsbative energy was created after six shes. Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to thrust into the opening, bursting the troll warrior¡¯s heart and it copsed on its knees. He wasn¡¯t looking with his eyes. The ocean of perception. Raon was reading his enemies movements with the wave of ice created from his mind. Raon shuddered. His focus was at its peak, like the lead of a pencil after sharpening over and over. The enemy''s breath, the movement of their muscles were clearly visible to his eyes. He shed, shed, and shed again. Each time monsters copsed like dominoes, each time the soldiers behind him disappeared, his mind became ted as if a shackle were released. He burst the shark mole¡¯s chest before it surged from the ground. He beheaded the krate before it hardened its shell. He severed a Mantakurn the size of the castle gate in a single strike. His exhrated mind was pounding his heart. What he considered impossible became possible. There was nothing the deadly de couldn¡¯t cut through, and there was nowhere his extended feet couldn¡¯t reach. The sky changed each time the red blood covered his sight. The bright light returned to the dark night sky, and a full moon rose once again. And when that full moon finally set, there was not a single monster remaining in front of him. Raon finally raised his head. Twilight was shining upon the bloody earth, and a mountain of corpses were piled up under that auspicious light. Raon copsed, looking at the rising golden sun instead of the messages. Chapter 131 Mind shot a bunch of astral energy towards the Mantakurn rushing towards the castle¡¯s center. m! The huge ray that was trying to destroy the castle gate was split into four pieces, falling onto the orcs. ¡°Defend!¡± ¡°Defend!¡± The soldiers swung their swords and thrust spears on the castle walls while repeating his order, and the archers pulled their strings after wrapping their wounded fingers with leather. As if the time had turned back to daybreak, their high morale seemed to reach the sky and their ardor seemed to melt the frozen ground. However, the one that raised the morale so much wasn¡¯t Commander Mind. It was the scouts¡¯ guard, Raon. It was thanks to the fool that didn¡¯t hesitate to jump down to save the soldiers that even themander had given up as lost. His prowess in stopping the tidal wave of monsters on his own and his unfaltering courage heated up everyone¡¯s hearts with passion. ¡°I¡¯ll defend this spot. Save that man at all costs!¡± The Wolf Mercenary Corps captain, Beto, screamed while pointing at Raon. ¡°I was going to do that even if the captain didn¡¯t say anything!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let a true warrior like him die here!¡± ¡°He has a pretty face, but his personality is wild. I like him!¡± The Wolf Mercenary Corps were weirdos that worshiped power and enjoyed battles. That was why Raon, who jumped down into the sea of monsters in order to save the wounded, was aplete nut¡ªjust like them. The decently favorable impression they had of him before was soaring into the sky. ¡°Shoot your crossbows! If your fingers are injured, use your teeth to pull!¡± Radin shouted with a watery voice. His subordinates from the third scouting party were among the soldiers that fell under the castle wall. He wanted to jump down himself in order to save them, but it was obvious he would only end up hindering Raon. That was why he needed to do his best from where he was. ¡°Assist Raon! Aim for the onesing from the back line!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I know!¡± The scouts became one in mind and pulled the crossbows that were screaming from the strain. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Edquill, who temporarily returned to the Snow Strikers leader¡¯s position for the emergency, breathed heavily and turned his head. He could see the blonde boy facing the endless wave of blue and green monsters on his own. ¡®That guy¡­¡¯ He had realized that Raon was the son of some great family because of his prowess and systematic martial arts. He thought his innocent view of the world came from the fact that he was raised as a sheltered child of the family. He thought he pretended to care for the scouts for self-satisfaction, since he was going to leave anyway. However, Raon was the real deal. He personally went down to hell in order to save the soldiers that were certainly going to die. Unlike himself, who hesitated despite having his direct subordinates among the ones that fell, Raon didn¡¯t show any hesitation at all. A shiver ran down his spine. He was ashamed of himself for believing that his actions were just the result of a rich boy¡¯s outing. ¡®This shame is unbearable.¡¯ Edquill resolved that he would apologize to him after the battle and swung his sword towards the monsters that kept climbing. Baam! m! A sh of light burst from Mind¡¯s sword like sunlight. He used the energy he¡¯d been saving up to defend the castle walls on the left side, at the top of the center. Even though the consumption was huge, he didn¡¯t mind it since helping Raon was of the highest priority. ¡°We¡¯ve saved everyone that fell outside the castle walls! Some of them are severely wounded, but they are all alive!¡± The Night Fox Knight order¡¯s leader Ken ran up to him and shouted. His face waspletely red in excitement. ¡°Raon is the only one left now. We will defend the front! Take him, in the meantime¡­¡± ¡°We won¡¯t save him.¡± Mind shook his head, looking at Raon¡¯s back. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Wh-What does that mean?!¡± ¡°Commander!¡± Every soldier and officer looked at Mind upon hearing that he wouldn¡¯t save Raon. ¡°He stood alone against the army of monsters in order to save the soldiers! We can¡¯t abandon him!¡± ¡°Commander, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good decision.¡± ¡°Father! What are you saying right now?¡± Radin grit his teeth, Beto furrowed his brows, and Terian came up from leading the soldiers underneath. It looked like they were all about to jump at him. ¡°Calm down, look at him closely.¡± Mind raised his finger to point at Raon¡¯s back. Even though he¡¯d finished rescuing the wounded, he kept swinging his sword without withdrawing. Instead of getting exhausted, it looked like he was being invigorated as his strikes became sharper and his movements became smoother. ¡°I-Is that¡­?¡± ¡°Did he just enter a trance right there?¡± ¡°Wait, how is that even possible?¡± They swallowed, watching Raon swinging his sword like a possessed man. They couldn¡¯t understand how he went into a trance in that hellish situation. ¡°He has the chance of his lifetime right now. Make sure to not bother him, focus on clearing the surrounding area!¡± ¡°U-understood!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Move!¡± Knights, swordsmen, and the soldiers returned to their positions. They defended their spot, praying for the young hero to get even stronger and grasp the opportunity he had received. As such, one, two days passed, and once the third sun rose the ceaseless wave of monsters finally came to an end. The corpses were piled up into a hill at the base of the castle walls. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°We won!¡± ¡°The wave is over!¡± The soldiers on the castle walls raised their weapons and burst into a roar that they¡¯d been holding back. In response to that explosive roar, Raon¡¯s sword finally stopped. As he tried to raise his head, he finally lost consciousness and copsed. ¡°Oh no!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Catch him!¡± People all ran down from the castle walls towards the copsing Raon. They must¡¯ve been exhausted, but they were running like the wind¡ªas if their strength had returned. ¡°Raon!¡± And Commander Mind was one of them. He ran faster than anyone else and caught Raon. ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°Did he get seriously injured?¡± ¡°Commander!¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze was fixated on Mind¡¯s mouth¡ªswordsmen, knights, and soldiers alike. ¡°He is just exhausted. There¡¯s not a single shred of stamina or aura left in him. It¡¯s my first time seeing someone fight to this extent.¡± Mindughed bitterly and sped Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± People breathed out a sigh of relief and looked at Raon. Astonishment and admiration could be seen in their relieved eyes. ¡°Raon is safe! Resume the shouts of victory!¡± ¡°Waaah!¡± ¡°The monsters have run away!¡± ¡°Habun Castle has won!¡± Realizing that Raon was safe, the soldiers and knights started to shout once again. Their hoarse voices were exhausted, but their joy and delight were more intense than ever. ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± The Snow Strikers that used to hate Raon were also shouting their throats off. Starting with their leader Edquill, every member of the Snow Strikers burst into a roar. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Mind snickered, looking at the castle walls under the dazzling light. Everyone was shouting Raon¡¯s name in unison. For someone that had only been there for a short time to have so much influence¡­ He thought it never happened before, nor would it happen again. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how much stronger you¡¯ll be once you wake up, and how everyone will treat you.¡± He used aura to rx Raon¡¯s exhausted body. ¡°We won!¡± ¡°The wave ended in three days!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± Knights, swordsmen, and soldiers smiled and cried together as they rejoiced in their victory. However¡ª That wasn¡¯t the case for one demon king. He ground his teeth, ring at the message Raon hadn¡¯t read yet. cier? The frost covering Wrath¡¯s body burst into a me pir. aacier? Everything else was fine. He knew his stats would increase, and he knew he would get stronger. However, cier was different. He¡¯d bet him on acquiring it after five months, and he never imagined he could get it in three. And it was during a trance, on top of that. You cheater! Wrath seized the copsed Raon by his cor. Wake up! You must¡¯ve cheated against the King of Essence once again! He screamed and started spreading ice everywhere. Wake up! You little weasel! It was a rare urrence that Wrath gave up his dignified speech to start screaming. Kuaaaah! A single demon king was screaming among the humans cheering for their victory. * * * * * * ¡°That guy is dangerous.¡± The blue robed man clenched his fist until it cracked as he looked at Raon. ¡®A talent that makes him stronger as he fights¡­¡¯ Such a talent was a rare urrence even in the vast continent. His hair stood on end, watching as that monster grew over the past three days of his trance. ¡°I told you. I had a bad feeling the moment I saw him.¡± The ck robed man¡¯s mouth twisted ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be left alone. Let¡¯s kill him.¡± Considering his speed of growth, and his personality that led him to risk his life for others, he wasn¡¯t going to stay in Habun Castle forever. He had a premonition that he would get in Eden¡¯s way one day. ¡°That¡¯s a matter for another time.¡± The ck robed man slowly shook his head. ¡°There are only two missions we have: the magic stone of the green king and the siren¡¯s incarnation. As you can see, he isn¡¯t one of them.¡± ¡°We might have to fight him one day. No, we will for sure. The Six Kings are pretty much the only ones that can raise a guy like him!¡± ¡°But now is not the time. Since our n hasn¡¯t beenpletely derailed yet, you shall keep following it, Voracious Ice Demon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time you tell me what that great n of yours is. How long are you nning to keep it to yourself?¡± The man called the Voracious Ice Demon gave the ck robed man a death re. ¡°I was about to tell you anyway.¡± The ck robed man took out a staff from his robe and pounded the ground. At that moment, strange letters appeared and a huge ice troll emerged from the ground. ¡°Huh?¡± The Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing the troll. It was bigger than a troll warrior, but its white fur meant that it hadn''t finished growing yet. It had a horn in the middle of its forehead, which doesn¡¯t exist on a normal troll. ¡°N-no way! Is it a lord?¡± ¡°Yes. An ice troll lord. I brainwashed this guy, who was born in a valley at the upper part of Stallin Mountain. I was lucky with the timing, since I would¡¯ve been devoured if I was any slower.¡± The ck robed man nodded, looking at the ice troll lord. ¡°A lord inevitably gathers monsters around it and makes them obey. Once Mind finds out about the lord¡¯s appearance, he won¡¯t be able to keep hiding anymore. He¡¯lle out with the troops. And that¡¯s the moment¡­¡± ¡°We will attack.¡± ¡°Yes. Since the castle walls have copsed and countless soldiers have died, I¡¯m sure he will attempt a surprise attack before the lord starts its all-out attack. We will use that opportunity to take the green king¡¯s magic stone and the siren¡¯s incarnation.¡± ¡°I can understand why you came up with that n.¡± The Voracious Ice Demon nodded, looking at the ice troll lord with the unfocused eyes. ¡°By the way, did you say that you brought him from the valley at the upper part of the mountain?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, what¡¯s at the top of the mountain?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t go there because I was too scared.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°All my senses were screaming at me, telling me to never climb there. What exists there must surpass our imagination.¡± A drop of sweat flowed down the ck robed man¡¯s cheek. ¡°Hmph, what a coward. I¡¯ll personally climb there to confirm once we are done with this mission.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you decide to die or not after the n, but follow the n for now.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me that.¡± Voracious Ice Demon snorted and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°But it¡¯s a shame, I wanted to kill that guy earlier.¡± ¡°The n takes priority, but¡­¡± The ck robed man narrowed his eyes, looking at the castle wall Raon managed to defend until the end. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to kill him if we get an opportunity.¡± * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon opened his eyes. An old and familiar ceiling¡­ He was in the scouts¡¯ scout''s quarters. ¡°How long have I been sleeping?¡± He remembered swinging his sword while maintaining his senses to the extreme, but what happened afterwards was nk. Thest thing he remembered was the golden sunlight. Three days. The answer came from Wrath inside the flower bracelet. His voice was as cold as the northern wind. ¡®Was I asleep for that long?¡± ¡­¡­ Wrath creeped up and shoved his blue face against him without saying anything. He was ring at him with his eyes boiling in anger. You. I saw that you tricked the King of Essence once again. ¡°Huh? What?¡± Raon leaned his body back. He couldn¡¯t tell what he was talking about, as he had tricked him too many times. You tempted the King of Essence with pineapple and took the information about cier! You shameless and dirty human! ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon understood why he was so angry. You used food to shift the bet in your favor. Do you have any conscience? A demon king talking about conscience was quite fresh and new. I told you before that there¡¯s a saying ¡®You don¡¯t bother a Cerberus when they are eating¡¯. Someone as evil as you doesn¡¯t even exist in Devild¡­ ¡°Ah, wait a moment.¡± Raon raised his hand before he finished talking. ¡°The bet is still not over, why are you angry already?¡± It¡¯s over. ¡°What?¡± The bet is already over, with your victory! Wrath¡¯s frost exploded like a bomb. The icy anger engulfed the entire room. ¡°It¡¯s over?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. He softly shook off Wrath¡¯s frost and checked his messages. ¡°3 points?¡± The stats inevitably increased slower the higher they were. The fact that he got 3 points in all stats was an unexpected level of reward. A new trait on top of that? ¡°Wow¡­¡± It didn¡¯t look like much, but it was an amazing trait that would be helpful for both battles and training. He could probably enter that extremely focused state he¡¯d gotten to during the castle defense once it grew enough. Keuh¡­ Wrath trembled like a volcano nearing its eruption. Raon licked his lips and read thest message. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened upon reading thatst message. ¡®I acquired cier?¡¯ When did that happen? He knew that his swordsmanship, aura, and senses had grown a lot, but he didn¡¯t even imagine he would acquire cier like that. ¡®And Water Resistance has also increased.¡¯ Water Resistance had reached five-stars, probably thanks to constantly using the frost. Did you finally realize the reason the King of Essence is angry? Wrath¡¯s ice started to condense into a sphere, like a puffer fish puffing up. You tried to win the bet by using the King of Essence¡¯s only weakness! Are you a devil or something? Being called devil by the king of devils was also pretty refreshing. The King of Essence won¡¯t admit it! This bet was wrong from the beginning! The King of Essence will never hand over the reward, even if my life depends on it! ¡°Hmm, I guess I¡¯ll try.¡± What are you talking about? The King of Essence is never going to yield! ¡°Apple meat pie.¡± What? Wh-Why are you saying that right no¡­ ¡°Apple meat pie and a pineapple pizza.¡± ¡­¡­ Wrath didn¡¯t respond. However, that was enough for Raon to realize he was wavering. ¡°Apple meat pie, pineapple pizza, and a pineapple cookie.¡± ¡­¡­ He is still not yielding. There was still no answer. ¡®I guess food won¡¯t work anymore.¡¯ Raon thought that it was only natural that a demon king wouldn¡¯t sell his pride over and over for food. He nodded, about to offer another deal. Ahem! Wrath¡¯s body shrunk like a deted balloon. He turned his face away in embarrassment. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t answering him in refusal, but because he was in the middle of epting the results of the bet. ¡°Huh¡­¡± He wouldn¡¯t even if his life depended on it, but the pie, pizza, and a cookie managed to convince him. It was easy. It was so easy that it was scary. However, there was something that neither Raon nor Wrath were aware of. Chapter 132 C-Consecutive victories? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped, so much so that it started to tear. ¡°Ah, yes. There was a bonus for consecutive wins.¡± Raon nodded while looking at the message. It looked like there was another bonus reward for consecutive victories. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it so much, it¡¯s just some stats.¡± The reward for the four consecutive victories was an increase of 1 to 2 points in strength, agility, and energy. Since it would be a simr amount, it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. Even then, they are stats taken from the King of Essence¡¯s main body. ¡°Think about the food instead.¡± Wrath licked his lips since he had no choice. ¡°Huh?¡± A-all stats? Both Raon and Wrath¡¯s eyes widened when they read that all stats had increased instead of a few different stats. However, the message wasn¡¯t over yet. Apparently, he was getting two traits rank increases instead of one. He could guess that the reward for the consecutive victories increased drastically every five wins. ¡°I like it.¡± Raon smiled faintly, looking at the fading message. Since it took a long time to increase a trait¡¯s performance despite having the system, increasing the ranks of two traits was a great reward. It surpassed his expectations by far. Wh-Why is the trait¡­? Wrath¡¯s head was trembling in confusion. Increasing all stats is outrageous on its own, so why is it increasing the trait ranks? ¡°You said it before.¡± Raon waved his hand to suppress Wrath¡¯s frost, which was bursting out like a me. ¡°The perfect system does its best to make its owner stronger. This must be for the same reason.¡± He repeated the sentence Wrath boasted with before. B-But this can¡¯t be happening. If I knew there was such an additional reward, I wouldn¡¯t have admitted my defeat so easily! ¡°Well, that¡¯s your problem for forgetting about it. After all, we already knew that there was a reward for consecutive victories.¡± Ugh¡­ Wrath ground his teeth, unable to say anything. Raon¡¯s mouth was curved with anticipation as waited for the next message. [Backstab¡¯s rank has increased.] cier¡¯s rank has increased.] ¡°Huh?¡± Raon swallowed. Backstab was fine, but he never imagined that cier¡¯s rank would increase despite having just acquired it. He immediately closed his eyes and opened the ocean of perception. ¡®It¡¯s crazy.¡¯ The ocean of perception¡¯s range was much bigger than thest time he¡¯d done that, and the waves¡¯ purity had increased. He could now feel what people were doing outside the scout''s quarters, not just inside. Tremble! A huge wave soared right in front of him. It was obvious who was doing that. Krr¡­ He opened his eyes and saw a tremendous amount of frost and angering from Wrath. Whoosh! The coldness erupted like a volcano, its waves coiling around Raon¡¯s entire body like a snake. I¡¯ll definitely finish you off today! ¡°You¡¯d better give up. You will only end up donating more stats.¡± It was Raon¡¯s sincere advice. Even though his body hadn¡¯tpletely recovered, his energy center was almost empty, his head was hazy, and his bones were hurting, there was still no way he would lose to the Wrath the way they currently stood. Shut up! I can easily swallow you right now, as empty as you are! Wrath snapped, then struck him with the tidal wave of ice and wrath. The terrible cold poured down on Raon¡¯s head to press upon his body and mind. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon frowned. Even though his Water Resistance had increased, he still felt like his skin was getting torn apart. Wrath was certainly getting stronger over time. ¡®However.¡¯ He was getting stronger at a faster rate, and he even had an invincible shield now. There was no way he would lose. ¡°Haaa.¡± Raon caught his breath and used cier, which had reached two stars. He made walls of ice with his mental image to block his mana circuit and defend against Wrath¡¯s ice. Sizz! The flesh-grinding pain quickly subsided as he blocked the ice with ice. The mental stress also decreased because the physical pain wasn¡¯t there anymore. It was at a level that he could endure for an entire day, no, his entire life. Freeze! You cheating weasel! Wrath should¡¯ve been aware of that fact, but he was taken over by his anger and kept pouring ice over him. ¡®Is it not over yet?¡¯ Since Raon felt slightly guilty, he suppressed his yawn and pretended to endure. He was nning to persuade him after putting up with it for a bit, but it didn¡¯t even take a few minutes before the message appeared. ¡°Ah, my stats have increased.¡± Ugh! * * * * * * Is it true? Wrath shrunk down and anxiously trembled, his stats taken away once again. ¡®Yes, I keep my promise.¡¯ Raon nodded. Since he benefited a lot from Wrath, fulfilling the promise of eating food wasn¡¯t an issue. ¡®I¡¯m getting hungry, too.¡¯ Since he didn¡¯t eat anything for three days, he was really hungry even if Wrath didn¡¯t say anything. He put on his outerwear and left the room. ¡°Huh? Young master!¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes grew wide on his way back from bringing water and a wet towel. ¡°When did you wake up?¡± ¡°Just now.¡± ¡°How is your body? You¡¯ve been asleep for three whole days!¡± ¡°My head feels a bit hazy, but I¡¯m fine.¡± He nodded and twirled his arm. ¡°That¡¯s a relief! I went to themander and the medics, but they only said that you were fine and that I should never disturb you¡­¡± Dorian wiped his tears with his sleeve and murmured that he could finally sleepfortably. It looked like he¡¯d been worried the entire time Raon was unconscious. Since he was a bit embarrassed to express his gratitude, he simply patted his shoulder. ¡°But where are you going right after waking up?¡± ¡°I need to eat something. I¡¯m starving right now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together! I need to eat as well.¡± He put down the water and walked next to him. ¡°Ah, and don¡¯t be surprised once we are outside.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°You will find out soon enough, huhu.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Just ignore that guy. Move faster and keep your promise with the King of Essence. Raon tilted his head because he couldn¡¯t understand what he meant, and Wrath stuck to him like a leech and waved his arm. ¡®I got it, so stop whining.¡¯ Raon sighed a little and left the scout''s quarters. ¡°The defense hasn¡¯t been so easy for a long time.¡± ¡°I love the part where we can sleep longer. I wish every day was like this.¡± ¡°Now we just need him to wake up.¡± The castle was busier than usual. It looked like the fever still remained after riding out the wave. ¡°So¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡¯ ¡°H-He¡¯s!¡± As they were walking towards the Branch of Frost while listening to the soldiers''ughter, the noisy street fell silent as if they were grasped by a hand. People were all looking at Raon with their mouths tightly shut. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Did you finally wake up?¡± ¡°He finally woke up! The hero of the wave!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± Everyone ran up to Raon and started shouting, soldiers, knights, and swordsmen alike. Their eyes and mouth were moving at the same time into true smiles. They were all rejoicing his awakening from the bottom of their hearts. ¡®Why are they acting like this?¡¯ Raon furrowed his brows. He¡¯d only saved the soldiers by buying some time. He was confused because he couldn¡¯t understand why they were so happy about it despite being simple acquaintances. ¡°Raon is still a patient! Step back, everyone!¡± A familiar voice could be heard between the ear-splitting cheers. It was Terian. He pulled Raon¡¯s arm and made the soldiers back off. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°U-Understood!¡± ¡°Sir Raon! Please recover quickly and drink with me!¡± ¡°Thank you for saving mypanions!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll repay this gratitude one day!¡± The soldiers spoke while backing off. They were all worried about him, expressing their gratitude and wishing him a quick recovery. ¡°You are still the same.¡± Terian smiled broadly, looking at Raon¡¯s furrowed brows. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Are you unable to understand why the soldiers, knights, and swordsmen that you aren¡¯t intimate with are worried about you and are cheering for you?¡± Raon nodded, as he thought it wasn¡¯t a big deal that he blocked the path to save the soldiers. ¡°There were a lot of scouts among those who fell down, but they were mostly unrted to you. And there were also Snow Strikers that looked down on you among them.¡± He continued, looking at the soldiers that were shouting Raon¡¯s name. ¡°And yet, you still didn¡¯t disregard any of them. You wielded your sword for them and created a wall. You are the hero that risked your life to block the path for the soldiers that even themander gave up on. If they aren¡¯t attached to a man like that, they don¡¯t deserve to stay in Habun Castle.¡± Terian¡¯s eyes were sparkling with a blue light. It looked like he was one of the warriors of Habun Castle that were attached to the hero. ¡°This is the vicemander¡¯s expression of gratitude.¡± He slowly bowed his head. ¡°Raon, thank you for saving our soldiers. I¡¯ll repay this favor in the future whenever you desire.¡± Raon met Terian¡¯s eyes as he raised his head. His determined smile came from his heart. ¡°Me, too! I¡¯ll also help you!¡± ¡°Please call me whenever!¡± ¡°Raon! I¡¯ll help you too! I¡¯lle whether I can help or not!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯lle too if I can help you.¡± The soldiers, knights, and scouts raised their hands, telling him to call them whenever. Even the Snow Striker swordsmen did the same. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon breathed out in excitement. His heart was feeling scorching hot. It was the scene he had wanted to witness when he first came to the castle. The scene of everyone being united during or after a fight. His heart was pounding fiercely as he stood in the middle of that scene. He felt a new emotion, the driving force to keep on living in the world. He smiled faintly, looking at the soldiers and the knights shouting out his name. ¡­When are you going to keep moving? * * * Because Wrath was urging him, Raon entered the Branch of Frost and left the people¡¯s cheers behind him. Inside the pub was also an uproar, with people telling him that they would buy his meal, or they would offer him a drink, or the food would be free for the rest of his life. ¡°Is this what you were talking about earlier?¡± ¡°Yes, although this is worse than I expected.¡± Dorian sighed, using his hand to fan himself. ¡°Dear swordsman! Are you okay now?¡± Yua ran out from the kitchen, fluttering her twin tails. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I went to visit you!¡± ¡°You came to visit me?¡± ¡°Yes, I brought some soup, but you couldn¡¯t eat it.¡± ¡°I ate that one!¡± Dorian smiled and raised his hand. ¡°Thank you anyway.¡± ¡°No problem, it¡¯s important to look out for the regr customers!¡± Yua smiled brightly and put down the menu. Whether she was serious or not, the way she said it was pretty cute. ¡°What are you ordering today?¡± ¡°The apple meat pie I couldn¡¯t eatst time¡­¡± Wrath inhaled deeply the moment he said apple meat pie. His inhale was full of anticipation. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yua furrowed her brows. ¡°The apple meat pie is currently sold out because we are out of apples.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have them?¡± ¡°No, because there were a lot of customers after the wave ended.¡± Huh? What? Wrath¡¯s eyes lost focus. It looked like he was about to explode again, with his lips trembling intensely. ¡°What about the pineapple pizza?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not up to me, but¡­¡± Yua looked at Dorian instead. A-Ask him already! The first subordinate of the King of Essence must have a pineapple and an apple! ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have either of them.¡± Dorian shrugged his shoulders. ¡°We gave away the pineapple cookies to celebrate the end of the wave, so I ran out of them.¡± ¡°What about the apples?¡± ¡°I gave them to the scouts and Sir Raon a long time ago as snacks.¡± Raon remembered the yellow apple he gave him before. He used to tell him that the morning apple was good for health each time. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense if apples and pineapples infinitelye out from a pocket.¡± Dorian scratched his belly pocket andughed. It was ridiculous that he was talking about his pocket as if it made any sense at all. ¡°Then, how about boulders and logs?¡± ¡°Those are useful objects. They are must-haves!¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon went speechless. There was a huge problem with Dorian¡¯smon sense. ¡®What a mysterious¡­¡¯ What a useless guy! Wrath grit his teeth, ring at Dorian. Although he called him his first subordinate, he was abandoned in an instant. Apple meat pie, pineapple pizza, and pineapple cookie. Are you telling me there¡¯s none of those three? This can¡¯t be happening! This can¡¯t be reality! Wrath¡¯s scream was filled with despair. What are you going to do about this? ¡®It can¡¯t be helped. What can I do when we don¡¯t have the ingredients?¡¯ That¡¯s none of the King of Essence¡¯s business! Keep your promise! ¡®Calm down for a moment.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath back, as he kept screaming in his ear, and looked at Yua. ¡°Then, what¡¯s avable right now?¡± ¡°The knight set menu, swordsman set menu and scout set menu. The basic barbecue is also avable.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll order a scout set menu¡­ Bread, stew, roasted meat and scrambled egg! It¡¯s so average that it¡¯s boring! A set menu is what the King of Essence hates the most! Wrath screamed and puffed up like a pointy puffer fish. Raon wouldn¡¯t normally care about what he did, but Raon felt bad about him because he looked like a baby puffer fish who had his stats and traits taken away that day. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Raon realized it was time to use his secret weapon. ¡®Then, how about this?¡¯ Shut up! The King of Essence¡¯s gourmet taste can¡¯t be satisfied easily¡­ ¡®I still have the bead ice cream Runaan gave me.¡¯ Huh? Wrath¡¯s pointy spikes of coldness rounded and returned to his body. ¡®You know, Runaan gave me the ice creams when we left. I still have them.¡¯ B-Bead ice cream¡­ Wrath¡¯s madness-filled eyes regained focus. ¡®If I remember correctly, there¡¯s also mint chocte¡­¡¯ Mint chocte! As soon as he said mint chocte, coldness soared from Wrath¡¯s mouth like a bamboo. The speed of his reaction could be called a reflex at that point. A-Ahem. Wrath covered his mouth to keep from drooling, awkwardly clearing his throat. Err¡­ ¡®Hmm?¡¯ You will eat at least two, right? He raised two fingers with a refreshed voice containing no trace of anger. What is a gourmet? Raon started pondering about it. * * * Mind and the officers were reviewing the situation after the wave inside themander¡¯s room. ¡°Since Raon woke up, how about we hold a festival for a day?¡± ¡°I agree. Since they¡¯ve never had a good rest, it would be nice to give them a break for a day.¡± ¡°We will be able to raise the morale to the max by rewarding Raon on that day. After all, he is without a doubt Habun Castle¡¯s hero right now.¡± The officers kept talking about Raon with soft voices that were filled with favor. ¡°Festival, huh. I guess one day would be okay.¡± Mind nodded. The monsters don¡¯t attack for a while once the wave ended. Since Raon woke up, holding a festival for a day seemed to be a good idea. ¡°Then, Charles takes care of the festival. About the award for Raon¡­¡± As he was about to discuss the next issue, the door burst open. It was the second scouting party¡¯s leader Kizen, who returned from his scouting mission. ¡°Cmander!¡± Kizen was grabbing onto the door with a trembling chin. It was the first time they saw him acting like that, as he was the bravest person among the scouts. ¡°What did you even see¡­?¡± ¡°L-Lord! An ice troll lord has appeared!¡± That frightening sentence made the cheerful atmosphere fall into a heavy silence. Chapter 133 Rimmer lookedpletely dissatisfied as he entered the audience chamber of the lord¡¯s manor, nose wrinkled. Like always, Glenn didn¡¯t even take a nce at Rimmer, his eyes closed as he supported his chin with his hand. ¡°My lord, how could you do that?¡± ¡°What nonsense did youe to spout now?¡± ¡°If Raon achieved something so great, you should¡¯ve told me immediately! Why are you keeping it to yourself like a treasure?¡± ¡°Haa. Roenn.¡± Glenn sighed lightly and turned his gaze towards Roenn, who was standing on his right side. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Roenn quickly shook his hand, telling him he wasn¡¯t involved this time. ¡°Then how did he learn about it? Unless he straight up overheard the Shadow Agents¡­¡± ¡°Oh, correct! I hid in their ceiling to read the report about Raon.¡± Rimmer smiled cheerfully while spinning his finger. In addition, he murmured that the Shadow Agents had a lot of openings. ¡°I¡¯d better send the Heavenly de to the Shadow Agents tomorrow, since a red worm is crawling in their ceiling.¡± ¡°Worm? What kind of worm lives in this weather?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about you!¡± ¡°No way, I¡¯m a butterfly. Look at me, I¡¯m flying. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m a worm!¡± ¡°Haa. Whatever. Arguing with you is only giving me a headache.¡± Glenn clicked his tongue and closed his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s think about Raon instead of me for now. Doesn¡¯t he seriously surpass our imaginations?¡± Rimmer was super excited, a bright smile on his face. ¡°He stood in front of thousands of monsters in order to save people that fell from the castle walls! He is the craziest of the crazy guys in the world!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn licked his lips slightly, his eyes closed. ¡°But he isn¡¯t just crazy. He held out for three days and nights to save everyone and lead the wave to victory! Wow! I wonder whose student he is, I really want to meet his teacher!¡± Rimmer bbered that he must be handsome and kindhearted. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you will take it, but the way Raon achieves the impossible reminds me of the head of house in his youth. No, he is actually even better than the head of house.¡± ¡°Better! Not really.¡± Even though he replied bluntly, he opened his eyes with his mouth slightly curved into a smile. He seemed satisfied by thepliment that his grandson was better than himself. ¡°Instead of bothering with stuff like politics, the warriors in Habun Castle love battles. They are full of solidarity.¡± Rimmer grinned, locking his fingers together to cover his head. ¡°Since Raon is currently called the hero of Habun Castle, they might take his side in the future. Did you actually allow Raon¡¯s exam because you knew this would happen?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Glenn shook his head. A slight amount of fervor appeared in his empty eyes. ¡°I just figured he would do well wherever he went. I didn¡¯t even think about who would take his side or whatever.¡± ¡°Huh? Did you just acknowledge Raon¡¯s abilities? The sun is going to rise from the west tomorrow!¡± Rimmer made a fuss, covering his mouth with his hand. ¡°Silence.¡± ¡°I picked Habun Castle for him to gain lots of experience there, but I was honestly surprised when I heard he jumped down for the soldiers.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes became serious. The mischievous atmosphere was reced by a solemn light. ¡°I felt emotional because it sounded like Raon¡¯s humanity has grown, rather than his might. He used to be so cold and cynical.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn didn¡¯t say anything, but slowly nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ve never raised my own child, but I was overwhelmed with pride. It felt like my own child had grown up nicely.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not many children that keep advancing without even causing problems. And¡­¡± He twisted his mouth and looked down on Rimmer. ¡°He is walking a different path than me, but he is my grandson, not yours.¡± ¡°Huh? You just admitted it! Sir Roenn, did you hear him just now? He just called him his grandson¡­¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I heard it!¡± It was a rare asion that Roenn shouted loudly, but he did as he nodded. ¡°I wonder if the North Grave Mountain is going to copse tomorrow. Or maybe the sky will¡­¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Glenn yelled, and Rimmer smirked at him. The audience chamber was full of affection once again upon receiving Raon¡¯s news. * * * Contrary to the kind of friendly audience chamber, Habun Castle¡¯s atmosphere waspletely serious. ¡°The first scouting party and the fourth scouting party have confirmed it again.¡± The first scouting party¡¯s leader Barty bit his lip, reading the document he wrote in a hurry. ¡°A size simr to an ogre, the king¡¯s crest on its chest, and a single horn on its forehead. All are the characteristics of an ice troll lord. It¡¯s certain that a lord has appeared.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Damn it! Why did a troll lord¡­¡± ¡°It has only been a few days since the wave ended¡­¡± Inside the conference room, the officers either sighed or closed their eyes upon hearing about the ice troll lord¡¯s appearance. ¡°W-Wait, it could be a mutant or an ogre¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve witnessed it using the ability to make the other monsters submit, which is a characteristic of a king.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Not only the trolls, but also the orcs, knolls, and even the ocean monsters yielded to it.¡± The first scouting party¡¯s leader and the fourth scouting party¡¯s leader spoke one after the other. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s the real one!¡± The officer trembled their clenched fist, having lost theirst hope. ¡°If we let it happen, the monsters gathering under the lord will cause a second wave. No, a tidal wave even worse than a wave will storm upon us.¡± The conference room fell speechless. Gulping sounds were the only things that could be heard. ¡°But we have one single piece of good news.¡± ¡°Good news? What can good news do in this situation?¡± ¡°It will be beneficial to us.¡± Barty nodded and held up the second document. ¡°The ice troll lord¡¯s fur didn¡¯t have the characteristic blue color of the ice trolls. Instead, they were white. That means it isn¡¯t an adult yet. It is iplete.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Th-Then¡­¡± ¡°We need to finish it off before it besplete.¡± Mind stamped his finger on the spot where the lord was found on the map. The intense pressure crushed the desk. ¡°We will attack tomorrow.¡± ¡°T-Tomorrow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too early! Preparing the soldiers will¡­¡± The officers were against it, saying that it took more time to move the soldiers because of all the wounded people. ¡°The soldiers won¡¯t join.¡± Mind stood up. Even though he wasn¡¯t that tall, his pressure made him seem like a giant. ¡°Knights, swordsmen, and the first and second scouting parties will go. We will attack with the elites to quickly end the lord¡¯s life.¡± ¡°I concur. Speed is the most important right now. We need to kill the lord before more monsters gather.¡± Terian¡¯s eyes shone from where he stood on the right side. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That seems to be the only way to reduce casualties.¡± ¡°Indeed. Since themander is fully capable of killing the lord, the others just need to buy time by fighting the other monsters.¡± Officers nodded in agreement, figuring that was the best n of action. ¡°Prepare to attack immediately. Since the Snow Strikers have many wounded, they shall stay here with the other scouting parties and the soldiers to prepare for an unexpected situation.¡± ¡°Affirmative!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°May I have a word?¡± When the officers stood up to leave the conference room, Raon, who¡¯d remained silent so far, raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯d like to join.¡± Raon opened his mouth, looking into Mind¡¯s serious eyes. ¡°You haven¡¯t recovered from your injuries yet. Your mind and body aren¡¯t in a condition to fight.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m still going to be helpful.¡± ¡°Yes, your prowess is going to be helpful for sure. But I can¡¯t strain you anymore.¡± ¡°Commander.¡± ¡°Everyone understood your feelings that day, we could feel it more than enough. You shall rest this time.¡± Mind slowly shook his head. ¡°Yes, leave the lord to us.¡± ¡°We will kill it for sure, then return. Just wait here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fight to the best of my abilities in Sir Raon¡¯s ce.¡± As Raon expressed his willingness to fight, the officers¡¯ eyes were filled with fervor. ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason we are leaving you behind. Please take care of the castle while I¡¯m gone. Please defend it if anything happens.¡± Mind smiled lightly and patted his shoulder. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon had no choice but to agree, and left the conference room. ¡®Damn it, I missed a great prey.¡¯ It was a shame, since killing the lord was surely going to increase his soul level and stats. What an idiot. You won¡¯t get a chance, anyway. It¡¯s obvious that the old man will take care of it. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ Just as Wrath said, it was a given that Commander Mind would fight the lord. It might actually be better to recover his body instead of standing by after joining the fight. Are you a pig or something? I don¡¯t understand how you are so greedy. ¡®It¡¯s not as bad as your gluttony.¡¯ What are you talking about? The King of Essence has no such thing as gluttony! I just love the delicacies¡­ ¡®Oh, sure. Mister Demon King whose saliva nds start malfunctioning as soon as he hears the words ¡®mint chocte¡¯.¡¯ Ugh! Raon returned to the scout''s quarters while making fun of Wrath. * * * * * * The next day at daybreak, the attack force led by Mind ran out the castle, aiming for the lord¡¯s head at the end of the snowfield. Since they consisted of the uninjured elites, their speed was way faster than a normal expedition team. Raon watched them create a white storm in their path, beforeing down from the castle walls. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s really a shame. I should¡¯ve been the one killing the lord.¡± Dorian shook his hand in the air, spouting some nonsense. It was funny that he was saying that despite having shouted his joy as soon as he heard he wasn¡¯t part of the attack force. ¡®Your first subordinate is really amazing.¡¯ ¡­The King of Essence doesn¡¯t know him. Whenever Dorian acted like that, Wrath pretended he didn¡¯t know him. ¡°What¡¯s your n today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cultivate, since I need to recover as soon as possible.¡± ¡°May I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, so mind your own business.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As if he was waiting for permission, Dorian saluted and hurriedly ran to the other side of the scout''s quarters. It looked like he was nning to y with Yua in the Branch of Frost. ¡®It looks like they got pretty close.¡¯ He has the same mental age as the pineapple girl. No¡­ Honestly, he is more childish. Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic behavior. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ And you too. Raon didn¡¯t say that out loud, since Wrath would definitely have a seizure if he heard that. The mention of mental age reminds me. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence was famous for his aloof mind. Even when the other demon kings were corrupted, the King of Essence has always been elegant¡­ ¡®I should hurry and start cultivating already.¡¯ Listen! It will be a life lesson! ¡®I¡¯ve heard you boast so much that my ears are bleeding.¡¯ Ugh. I keep telling you, but you will definitely die a painful death! Raon ignored the self-proimed elegant demon king¡¯s curse and returned to the scout''s quarters to sit down. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He caught his breath and closed his eyes. epting the pure energy of nature, he rotated the Ring of Fire. Once the rotating ring enhanced his body, he used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The heat that was simr to magma burst from his energy center to dash through his mana circuit, starting to melt the remnant of the battle. Probably because of the trait Focus, or his enhanced stats, the flow of his aura dashing through his mana circuit could be felt in detail¡ªas if it were in the palm of his hand. ¡®A little bit more should be possible.¡¯ Raon absorbed more mana than usual. The increased amount made his shoulders shiver slightly, but he controlled the flow using his elevated martial arts and senses. The change of mana raised his focus. He rotated the Ring of Fire and used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation as naturally as breathing. The sunlight outside the window subsided, and once the moon reached the center of the sky, Raon finally opened his eyes. His burning red eyes gave off the impression that the sun had risen once again. Unlike the dawn, his eyes were filled with power. ¡®My aura should be fully recovered by tomorrow.¡¯ Raon smiled, caressing his energy center. The recovery speed didn¡¯t disappoint him, thanks to his increased stats and his proficiency in martial arts. It looked like he could return to his perfect state earlier than he thought. It¡¯s all thanks to the King of Essence¡¯s great abilities. Make sure to repay the favor. ¡®Okay, okay.¡¯ Raon snickered, looking at Wrath acting dignified by extending his chin. ¡®Let¡¯s try using cier, too.¡¯ Since he had recovered decently, he decided to keep practicing with cier. He closed his eyes once again and opened the ocean of perception, which was now wider than ake. Raon dove deeper into the ocean of perception, and even used the Perception of the Snow Flower to expand his range. It was easier and faster to expend his perception now, probably thanks to the trait Focus. Whir! He shaped the flow of perception that was spreading in circles into tentacles to look around the castle. He was training to use cier through image. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ In the midst of checking the four directions by using the flow of perception, Raon suddenly stopped. Multiple waves had appeared in his ocean of perception. It was the presence of monsters running towards him fiercely. ¡®That¡¯s not all.¡¯ Three huge tidal waves were soaring in between the monsters. They were iparably more powerful existences than the other normal monsters. Thud. As Raon was trying to confirm the presence once again, the door flew open and Dorian entered. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re still doing this.¡± Dorian whispered while carefully closing the door. When he walked towards his bed on a tiptoe, Raon¡¯s eyes suddenly opened. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Uninvited guests are here.¡± ¡°U-uninvited guest? That¡¯s too mean! I returnedte on purpose!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, I should call them prey, rather than uninvited guests.¡± Raon stood up and grabbed his sword. ¡°Y-Young master? Why are you taking your sword at this hour¡­¡± ¡°Deliver this message.¡± A blue me sparkled in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Enemies areing.¡± * * * When the moon reached the center of the sky, the ck robed man stood up. ¡°Voracious Ice Demon, the time hase.¡± The Voracious Ice Demon opened his eyes. The thin vertical pupils of a beast were trembling in his eyes. ¡°We are finally shedding blood.¡± With a frightening voice that was enough to cause goosebumps, he raised his body. ¡°Is Mind gone for sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed with the eyes of the troll that I use for scouting. They are moving faster than I expected, and they will reach around Stallin Mountain in about six hours.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it is going ording to your n. I wanted to try fighting Mind.¡± The Voracious Ice Demon darted his tongue in and out, saying that it was a bummer. ¡°Stop that useless thought and get ready. We are going to attack immediately.¡± ¡°But no matter how hard I think about it, the lord is such a waste. It would¡¯ve been really useful if we raised it properly.¡± ¡°Lord?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too good to be used as bait.¡± ¡°You are misunderstanding something.¡± The ck robed man shook his head. ¡°The lord is here.¡± He took out a staff from his robe and mmed the ground. A strange pattern shed and the ice troll lord appeared, even bigger than before. ¡°Krr¡­¡± The lord groaned in hunger with nk eyes. ¡°The king-tier monsters get stronger the more they shed blood. I can¡¯t miss this opportunity to safely raise the lord.¡± ¡°Th-Then, what¡¯s in Stallin Mountain?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fake that I created with a spell.¡± ¡°It might fool the others, but isn¡¯t Mind going to notice it right away?¡± ¡°He probably will. But our job will be finished by then.¡± The ck robed man smiled coldly. He¡¯d shown the ice troll lord to the scouting parties three whole times for that purpose. Mind would realize it once he arrived, but he was definitely going to be tricked until then. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± He mmed the staff down once again. Alongside a thunderous noise, the snowy hill behind them started shivering like a living creature. Baam! The white snow was swept away and blue fur rose up. It belonged to trolls and orcs. The white hill was a fake hill made of monsters that were holding their breath. ¡°That hill¡­ You piled it up little by little so that Habun Castle wouldn¡¯t notice, right? Blue Shamanic Demon, your n is boring but effective, for sure.¡± ¡°I kept telling you that we will aplish our mission as long as you move ording to the n.¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon twisted the corners of his mouth up and put on the troll shaman¡¯s mask. Along with the booting sound of a machine, the mask surrounded his head. ¡°Krrr.¡± A beast¡¯s roar came from the Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s mouth. The glow of his eyes was even more brutal than a monster, and an ominous energy was creeping out from the staff he was holding. ¡°Hell yeah! I¡¯m looking forward to Mind¡¯s expression when he finds Habun Castle full of corpses.¡± The Voracious Ice Demon grinned and wore the shark helmet on his head. Cring! The blue wave flowing down from the helmet surrounded his body. A de-like fin came out from his back and shoulders, blue spikes emerging from his limbs. It was armor that was filled with spikes that were sharp enough to tear skin on contact¡ªthe shark sting¡¯s armor, which was the most violent among the ocean monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Kraaa!¡± ¡°Krrr!¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon raised his dark green staff, and the monsters that were deadly quiet before started screaming as they dashed towards Habun Castle. Their ferocity was multiple times more intense than the wave. ¡°Since they shouldn¡¯t be vignt nor prepared right now, break through the destroyed castle wall at once.¡± ¡°ughter the opponents with feeble resistance, just the way I like it.¡± The Green Shamanic Demon kept scheming until the end, and the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s evil eyes red. ¡°We can see the castle! Huh? But¡­¡± ¡°Wh-What? What is happening?¡± The two monster men¡¯s eyes widened upon finding the castle walls full of soldiers, ready to fight them. There was even a re fired up to the sky as they confirmed their presence. ¡°Is this a trap?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a trap! I¡¯ve confirmed Mind¡¯s position, so how¡­?¡± Not only the Voracious Ice Demon but also the Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s eyes trembled in confusion. ¡°H-How did they¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Green Shamanic Demon. Only weaklings remained in the castle anyway. We can simply bulldoze them with sheer power!¡± ¡°Haa, you are right this time.¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon raised his staff and spoke out some strange words one after another. ¡°Kieeee!¡± ¡°Kraaaa!¡± Upon receiving the light flowing out from the staff, the monsters became faster and fiercer as they dashed towards the castle walls. ¡°Go to the castle walls! Destroy them in one fell swoop!¡± ¡°Kuhaha, I¡¯ll be going first this time¡­ Huh?¡± As the monsters were about to m their bodies into the castle walls, a man jumped down from the castle. With fluttering blonde hair, the hero that stopped thousands of monsters on his own a few days ago was standing there. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that I didn¡¯t go.¡± Raon brandished his deadly de and smiled in excitement. ¡°Because the prey came to me on their own.¡± Chapter 134 Dorian immediately ran out of the scout''s quarters to climb the central tower, which was the tallest building in Habun Castle. ¡°Huh? Dorian?¡± ¡°Why did youe here?¡± The eyes of the guards, who were keeping watch at the highest floor of the tower, widened. ¡°W-We don¡¯t have time for that!¡± Dorian shook his head and ran towards the rming bell to strike it. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! The bell rang five times in no time, and the highest level of alert was activated, which was the same level as the waves. ¡°A-Are you crazy?¡± ¡°God damn it!¡± The guards tried to pull Dorian¡¯s arm, but it was already toote. The soldiers that were resting or sleeping came running towards the central tower. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Why did you ring the rm? What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Five times means that it¡¯s a wave!¡± ¡°That¡¯s Dorian! Why are you over there?¡± The soldiers¡¯ eyes widened upon finding Dorian ringing the rming bell. ¡°Monsters! The monsters are swarming from the west!¡± Dorian repeated what Raon told him, as he kept ringing the bell. ¡°¡±Monsters? What kind of nonsense is that?¡± ¡°Why the hell would there be monsters in the west?¡± ¡°You idiot! All the monsters in the surroundings submitted to the lord!¡± ¡°Did you have a nightmare or something? Come down from there already!¡± The Snow Strikers and the soldiers gestured for him toe down while cursing at him. ¡°Dorian!¡± ¡°Stop it right now!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± While the guards were trying to stop him, Dorian opened his mouth once again. ¡°Sir Raon said it! He said the monsters areing from the west! There aren¡¯t as many as the wave, but there are a lot of them!¡± ¡°Gasp! Sir Raon did?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s him, then i-it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just possible, it¡¯s a fact!¡± ¡°Move quickly!¡± ¡°Prepare to defend!¡± ¡°Ring the rm again!¡± The soldiers and Snow Strikers swallowed hard and immediately started moving as soon as they heard Raon¡¯s name. ¡°Monsters? What kind of monsters are you talking about?¡± Terian, who came outte, yelled at him. ¡°Yes, what monsters are there? We need to prepare differently depending on their kind.¡± ¡°Just like the wave, they are a mixture of trolls, orcs, and ocean monsters. And¡­¡± Dorian caught his breath and continued. ¡°He said there are two demons of Eden among them!¡± ¡°E-Eden? The Eden of the Five Demons?¡± ¡°Are you saying that those crazy bastards are attacking us right now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! There¡¯s no reason for them to be here!¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± The soldiers¡¯ jaws dropped. Even though they could believe that monsters were attacking, they shook their heads in disbelief upon hearing that Eden wasing. ¡°Argh, seriously! It¡¯s not me, but Sir Raon that said it! He is the one that said Eden ising, too!¡± ¡°Then it must be true. Prepare for battle! Open the armory!¡± As soon as Dorian mentioned Raon¡¯s name, Terian ordered them to prepare to fight without any hesitation. ¡°If Raon said it, then it must be true! Move quickly!¡± ¡°Eden ising! Prepare the defenses faster!¡± ¡°Take the spears and swords, line them up on the castle walls!¡± ¡°Boil the oil, prepare boulders and logs! Lay out the arrows on the ground!¡± The soldiers also started moving quickly, no longer doubting him upon hearing that it was Raon that said it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dorian wrinkled his nose as he watched the soldiers and swordsmen spreading out in all directions. ¡®I wanna go home.¡¯ It was irritating to see people that didn¡¯t trust him at all start moving as soon as he mentioned Raon¡¯s name. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Hiding his sorrow, he climbed the castle walls. Raon¡¯s pressure felt like flowing water as he red towards the west. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dorian swallowed harshly. Watching Raon standing on the castle gate made his anxiousness disappear, just like when Mind was holding the ground. ¡®Is he a real monster?¡¯ Even his weak self could feel it. Raon had progressed once again. Dorian¡¯s breath was unconsciously filled with surprise. Thanks to Raon¡¯s quick instruction, Habun Castle was ready to fight before the enemies arrived. The infantry and pikemen were on the castle walls with the archers and the Snow Strikers behind them, just like during the wave. ¡°Hmm.¡± Dorian licked his lips, turning to look behind him. ¡®It¡¯s strange.¡¯ He thought the Snow Strikers leader, Edquill, would say something to Raon since Terian wasn¡¯t there¡ªhe was preparing the defenses¡ªbut Edquill was actually more docile than the soldiers. He was just staring to the west, as if he trusted what Raon said. Dorian realized once again that Raon¡¯s presence surpassed his imagination, since he was capable of changing someone as vulgar as Edquill. Whir! Raon¡¯s pressure suddenly changed as he stared to the west. The flow of aura that used to be smooth like a stream became a fierce tidal wave and soared. ¡°They areing.¡± Dorian looked to the west upon hearing his low voice. The thin forest was copsing and the monsters were swarming like andslide. In the middle of the green and blue wave, there were two monster men wearing ghastly masks and helmets. They were the Blue Shamanic Demon and the Voracious Ice Demon, who were the puppets of Eden. ¡°I-It was true.¡± ¡°Eden really is here!¡± ¡°The B-Blue Shamanic Demon¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Voracious Ice Demon!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Upon witnessing the Eden¡¯s demons and the advance of monsters even fiercer than the wave, the soldiers were agitated and their morale wavered. ¡°W-Wait! That¡¯s a lord behind them! The ice troll lord!¡± ¡°Is the lord actually here?¡± ¡°I-It was a trap! What can we¡­¡± ¡°Fire the re.¡± Hearing Raon¡¯sposed voice, the soldiers stopped trembling for a moment. The soldier behind him shot two res to the sky. Boom, boom! The darkness faded, and the monster''s distorted pressure and brutal faces came into sight. ¡°Since we don¡¯t have time to make a n, we will proceed the same way as thest time.¡± Raon moved towards the right side of the castle walls, where the repair hadn¡¯t yet finished. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop them from down there, so support me from up here.¡± ¡°S-Sir Raon!¡± Dorian extended his hand to try to stop him, but Raon was already falling down. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°I-Is he doing that again?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± Admiration and astonishment filled the eyes of the soldiers and the Snow Strikers swordsmen. There were even soldiers that were shivering in excitement. Thud! With Raon defending the castle walls like a giant god, the morale that was repressed by fear soared up to reach the sky. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± Dorian clenched his fist, watching Raon emanating enormous pressure. Edquill, who was standing next to him, was also biting his lip as he stared at Raon¡¯s back. * * * * * * Raon caught his breath, looking at Eden¡¯s demons and monsters dashing at him. ¡®It¡¯s about 80 percent.¡¯ Since he hadn''t finished recovering yet, he could only use about 80 percent of his power. However, he could certainly tell that he was currently stronger than before the wave, thanks to the huge growth he got during it. ¡®But it might be a bit difficult to stop them on my own.¡¯ There was the Blue Shamanic Demon, the Voracious Ice Demon, and even an ice troll lord. It was difficult for him to fight against the three of them, and that was without including the monsters behind them. ¡®But I still need to do it.¡¯ A warrior became stronger by oveing difficult battles and harsh crises. Feeling his pounding heart, Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡°For you to be here¡ªit must be my lucky day!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon kicked the ground. He pierced through the space in no time to m his de down. It was an attack that contained powerfulbative energy and sharpness all at once. Thud! Raon stomped the ground. He mixed the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s principles with the energy surging up. The strike stretched like a ray of light to fend off the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s de. ng! Along with a thunderous noise of metals being crushed, the Voracious Ice Demon faltered and bounced off. ¡°Y-You bastard!¡± His confused eyes trembled violently inside his helmet. Whoosh! Ice shards hailed down from the sky. It was the ice spell used by the Blue Shamanic Demon. The temperature became lower, and the ice shards attacked him at an abnormal angle. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon controlled his breath to blossom a crimson flower on his de. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, me Spirit. The crimson flower petals flickered, fluttering through the air to melt the ice and cut off the line of Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s spell. It was a wave of power created by the resonating Ring of Fire. ¡°What is this¡­?!¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s mask trembled violently, shocked by his spell being destroyed. Since he couldn¡¯t move his body for a moment, Raon was about to run towards him while aiming for his neck. A tremendous amount ofbative energy burst from his right side. ¡°Kraaa!¡± The ice troll lord was running at him like a bison. The axe containing an enormousbative energy was hammered down on his head. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. His shape grew blurry like the night shadow, only to reappear one step behind as he swung his sword upward. ¡°Krr!¡± Even though it hadn¡¯t finished growing, it was still a lord. It turned its axe in that instant to get into a perfect defensive posture. ng! The collision between two powers created a shockwave, severing thend that was filled with darkness. ¡°Haa!¡± Raon grit his teeth and used the Fangs of Insanity. The brutal de sensed the smell of opening to fend off the ice troll lord¡¯s axe. Thud! The ice troll lord was pushed back into the horde of orcs behind him. Squashing six orcs under him, he turned them into a bloodbath. Whir. Raon lowered his sword, white dust rising to the air. Three times. That was the number of swings he made to stop hundreds of monsters and two demons of Eden. Witnessing that overwhelming power, the people in the castle and the monsters under it could only blink their eyes in amazement. ¡°I¡¯ll be disappointed if that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got.¡± Raon smiled faintly and brandished his sword. The energy flowing from the silver de encroached through the space. You are just bluffing while straining yourself. Wrath sneered. ¡®That¡¯s true, but¡­¡¯ Raon snickered. ¡®I just need to block the front.¡¯ He raised his left hand. Arrows and bolts pierced through the peaceful moonlight to decorate the sky. Pow! Pow! The monsters that got hit by the arrows copsed or knelt, one after the other. ¡°Shoot them again!¡± Terian¡¯s gant voice could be heard, and hundreds of silver arrows fell once again. The number of monsters that copsed was even bigger than thest time. ¡°How do you feel about being ambushed in return?¡± ¡°How did you know we wereing?¡± ¡°I have good intuition.¡± Raon furrowed his brows, looking at the Blue Shamanic Demon and the Voracious Ice Demon. ¡°That was a pretty good trap, because Ipletely fell for it. However¡­¡± He pointed at the re fading away and continued. ¡°That¡¯s signaling the danger. Themander will be back before tomorrow morning. And I only need to stop you until then.¡± ¡°Voracious Ice Demon, you were right this time.¡± An energy that was gloomy enough to make his hair stand on end creeped from the Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s mask. ¡°We have to kill him right now.¡± ¡°Kill? You aren¡¯t capable of that.¡± ¡°La Tia!¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon mmed his staff down and chanted. ¡°Krrrr!¡± ¡°Kieee!¡± The monsters that were on death¡¯s door after getting hit by the arrows stood back up, their eyes shining red. They showed off their yellow teeth, flesh stuck between them, with a pressure even more brutal than before. ¡°The n is changed. He is our highest priority. Kill him!¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± The Voracious Ice Demon walked up to him, giggling, upon hearing the Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s order. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you got even stronger than thest time. You are a real monster, huh?¡± Combative energy surrounded him as his deadly eyes red at him. It looked like the northern sea¡¯s rough and cold waves were encircling him. ¡°You heard him, right? He told me to kill you, first!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s energy exploded from him and rushed at Raon. The shark sting helmet grew bigger in an instant, making him overwhelmingly faster than before. Raon used cier in return. Reading his movement through the ocean of perception, he swung his sword. ng! The collision between the fin de and the sword created a thunderous noise, trembling the ground at the base. The Voracious Ice Demon forced his way through with power. It was a tremendous power that felt like facing the great ocean¡¯s tidal wave with a naked body. m! Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme and hacked with the Fangs of Insanity. The moment he fended off the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s de, he twisted his body like a shark to target Raon¡¯s neck with its spike. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°You die.¡± Right before the spike reached his neck, Raon¡¯s left hand moved like lightning. He drew the de of Requiem from behind his waist to sh him right away. sh! The de of ghastly energy cut through the armor and tasted red blood. ¡°This wound is nothing!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon didn¡¯t withdraw. As expected of a demon with the ferocious Shark Sting¡¯s characteristic, he showed his teeth to rush at him once again. ¡°I¡¯ll cut you as it is.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes shone with a frightening light and he pulled his sword back. As he was about to sh his sword, his sight was filled with white fur. It was the ice troll lord, who had recovered from its injuries. Huge snowballs were falling from his right side, enough to cover his sight. They were the snowstorm created by the Blue Shamanic Demon. Unlike the ice troll shaman¡¯s spell, it looked powerful enough for a single snowball to break his bones. am! m! In the midst of a pouring snowstorm, Raon dodged the ice troll lord¡¯s attack and deflected the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s de. ¡®Haa!¡¯ Since the Voracious Ice Demon and the Blue Shamanic Demon both possessed power surpassing an advanced level Expert, adding the ice troll lord with overwhelming physical abilities on top of them was making him feel like death. A cold sweat ran down his spine. You deserve it after the way you ran in like an idiot. ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Ignoring Wrath making fun of him, he swung his sword. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes. Revolving Sky. The sawtooth of me rotated to shred the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s de and the ice troll lord¡¯s waist to pieces. As he was about to keep advancing, the Blue Shamanic Demon created a wall of ice to stop him from moving. ¡°Tsk.¡± That kept happening. That kind of interruption was stopping him from finishing them off. ¡®The monsters are also problematic.¡¯ Even the normal monsters were engulfed in madness as they tried to break through the castle walls. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be careless for a single moment. ¡®If only one of the three wasn¡¯t here¡­¡¯ As he was bitterly licking his lips, he could hear the sound of two people jumping down from the castle walls. When he looked around, he saw the trembling Dorian and Edquill, who was biting his lip. ¡°Dorian? And you are¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll take care of the lord!¡± ¡°You shall fight the two of them.¡± Dorian took out a ck rock and a white rock from his belly pocket. ¡°I can¡¯t let you fight alone two times in a row!¡± He struck the two rocks like flints, then threw them towards the lord. Baam! The rocks exploded and the white smoke emerging from it covered the ice troll lord and the monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Dorian and Edquill wore some strange eyepatches and went into the smoke. Huh, I never thought he would be useful one day. ¡®Me, either.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and turned around. He could see the Blue Shamanic Demon and the Voracious Ice Demon furrowing their brows. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m going to end this quickly.¡± He pointed his sword at the two demons. ¡°I admit that you are powerful. That¡¯s not a swordsmanship and reaction one can have at your age. However, you are looking down on us too much.¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s mouth curved into a demonic smile. ¡°We aren¡¯t your average monsters.¡± * * * The Voracious Ice Demon lowered his posture while ring at Raon. Standing on four limbs like a wolf, he raised his head. He controlled thebative energy covering his entire body, bringing forth all the coldness of the Northern Ocean that was encircling his heart. ¡°Freeze to death!¡± His mouth split wide open, like a shark swallowing its prey. Extreme coldness poured from its dark throat. It was the shark sting¡¯s ability, Ice Breath. Creak! The pure white ice froze the fissured ground in an instant and engulfed Raon. The tremendous wave of ice was powerful enough to create a spiky wall of ice behind him. ¡°He is done. Now¡­huh?¡± The Voracious Ice Demon, who was about to stand up after wiping his mouth, was petrified like a ster figure. Raon was reflected in his trembling pupil. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. It was impossible to stay uninjured like that after facing Ice Breath head-on. ¡°Wh-What?¡± The Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s entire body started trembling, as if he were having a stroke. ¡°How did you survive the Ice Breath¡­?¡± The Ice Breath was a special technique thatbinedbative energy and ice. Since it was impossible to endure it by normal means, he couldn¡¯t understand how he remained spotless like that. ¡°Move aside, I¡¯ll do it. Cardirartin!¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon mmed down his staff and chanted. The snowstorm around Habun Castle was reduced in range to focus on Raon, and the color changed to an ominous yellow. It was the Snowke of the Yellow Lotus, a spell that targeted the mind. Since it inflicted frostbite on the mind instead of the body, it was impossible to endure even with a strong resistance to ice. ¡°Huh?¡± Even though it was a brutal storm curse, the man standing inside was standing confidently, pointing his de towards the sky. Baam! The crimson de fell like lightning, ripping the cursed snowstorm in half. Looking like he was wearing a silver coat, Raon walked over the fluttering snowkes as his mouth curled into a smile. ¡°I-Impossible! How could a cursed spell be¡­¡± The Snowke of the Yellow Lotus was a mental attack that he¡¯d prepared to use against Mind. He never imagined it could be broken by someone like him. ¡°Ice? A Curse?¡± Crimson me burst from Raon¡¯s de, melting the darkness around him. ¡°I¡¯ve experienced that my whole life.¡± From someone way worse than you. Chapter 135 The attack force that left Habun Castle to kill the lord had arrived near Stallin Mountain. ¡°Rest for ten minutes!¡± Mind ordered the group to rest, standing on the hill where he could vaguely see Stallin Mountain. Since fights could break out at any time, they needed to be ready for battle at all times as they moved past that point. ¡°Where¡¯s the ce the lord was locatedst time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the rocking stone at the midpoint of Stallin Mountain. We should be able to find it before the sun rises tomorrow.¡± Barty, the first scouting party leader, bowed to him and replied. ¡°I see¡­¡± Mind furrowed his brows, looking at Stallin Mountain. It gave off an eerie feeling, covered with darkness and snow. ¡®It¡¯s ominous.¡¯ He¡¯d started moving immediately because it was an urgent matter, but it was a strange situation in many ways. The ocean monstersing out to the mountain from the Northern Ocean, the ice troll shaman and warrior that targeted the scouts from behind, and the lord¡¯s appearance after the wave. They were all abnormal incidents. Mind sped the sword equipped around his waist. ¡®But I have no other choice right now.¡¯ Since there were three sightings in total, it was undeniable that an ice troll lord had appeared. Even if it was a trap, the lord needed to be killed for sure. ¡°Let¡¯s set off¡­ huh?¡± It was as he was about to give the order, silently sighing, that he saw it. A small spark rose from the direction of Habun Castle. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°A re?¡± Eyes widened all around as they saw the re. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°A s-second one?¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± The swordsmen and knights swallowed harshly as they witnessed the second re. Consecutive res signified emergency. It meant that Habun Castle was in danger. ¡°D-do we need to return?¡± ¡°We should kill the lord first before we do!¡± ¡°Are you insane? That means the castle is in danger right now!¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t return empty-handed aftering this far! And even if we run at full speed right now, it will take too long!¡± There were different opinions among the swordsmen and knights. People that were arguing eventually turned to look at Mind, who had the authority to decide. ¡°Terian, Raon, and Edquill are at Habun Castle.¡± Mind twisted his mouth, looking at the re as it faded. ¡°There¡¯s no way they shot the re for a trivial matter.¡± Terian trusted Raonpletely. The fact that he sent the danger signal despite having Raon there meant that it was a serious matter. However, Mind¡¯s decision wasn¡¯t only based on that. The way Raon prioritized the soldiers rather than himself as he jumped down the castle walls. That heroic scene was still engraved in his brain, affecting his decision. ¡°Everyone, turn around.¡± Mind¡¯s eyes were shining as he turned around from Stallin Mountain. ¡°We are returning at full speed.¡± * * * ¡°Hah.¡± Raon snickered, looking at the blue flower bracelet hanging around his wrist. ¡®This is an interesting development.¡¯ Thanks to fighting to death against Wrath every day, his resistance to frost and mental attacks were above a Master¡¯s level. It might have been different if he had been attacked earlier, but since he had already acquired cier, the ice and curse were all pointless against him. ¡®It¡¯s all thanks to you. Thank you.¡¯ Raon nodded his head at Wrath, who was protruding slightly from the bracelet. Ugh. That wasn¡¯t the King of Essence¡¯s intention. Wrath narrowed his eyes and red at him. ¡®But it¡¯s a fact that their attacks became meaningless thanks to you.¡¯ Argh! You arrogant bastard! Wrath¡¯s arm of ice was trembling intensely. It seemed he took it as a mockery. Murmuring that Raon would receive divine punishment one day, he returned to the bracelet. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon screamed, despite having maintained a low voice so far. ¡°How can a youngster¡¯s willpower be this¡­?¡± Confusion could be seen in the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s eyes as well. His long pupils, which resembled fish bones, expanded. ¡°The scout¡¯s guard.¡± Raon nonchntly pointed at the scouts firing arrows from the castle walls. ¡°Do you think that makes any sense?¡± ¡°Why does it matter if it makes sense or not? I¡¯m your enemy regardless.¡± Raon spun his sword. The crimson de that contained the energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation severed the cold air. ¡°Come at me.¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± ¡°You damn bastard!¡± Raon crooked his finger and the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s and the Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s energies increased exponentially. It seemed they were using their full power, as thebative energy distorting the space soared up to reach the sky. ¡°Rashikma. Biraton! Ju!¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon waved his staff in the air, the snowstorm growing more intense as he did so. The snowballs falling like rain covered his entire line of sight. The storm contained a curse and coldness that was even more powerful than before. The Voracious Ice Demon opened his arms. The fiercebative energy coiled around his body like a snake to create hundreds of spikes. ¡°Kraaa!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon roared and kicked the ground. The moment Raon was about to defend, he disappeared. It seemed he was hiding inside the storm for a surprise attack. Raon didn¡¯t panic. He closed his eyes and opened the ocean of perception. A huge wave emerged from the back. It was the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s surprise attack. He nned on attacking by surging up from the ground. Raon opened his eyes and swung his sword, following the flow of the Fangs of Insanity. ng! It was difficult to believe that the sting sound was made by a human being, and Raon¡¯s sword was pushed back for the first time. ¡°You have a really great sense, for sure. But this will be different from thest time! This snowstorm is my domain!¡± He was right. The power and speed of his attacks were at apletely different level from before. He wasn¡¯t using power he¡¯d been hiding¡ªit looked like the snowstorm was enhancing his abilities. ¡°Die!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon swung his fist and kicked him. The spikes and des on his forearms and shins started rotating to create a wave ofbative energy. am! Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme. He mmed down with the de covered in crimson me. The crash betweenbative energy and aura created a tremendous wave, erasing all the snow covering the ground. However, the Voracious Ice Demon that should¡¯ve been in front of his eyes was nowhere to be seen. He was preparing another surprise attack, hiding inside the snowstorm like a shark catching its breath in front of its prey. ¡®How pointless.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly. He had already located the Voracious Ice Demon using cier. Whoosh! The Voracious Ice Demon approached him from the left, thrusting his fist at Raon¡¯s heart. Raon turned his de to deflect thebative energy that was falling down like lightning. Rumble! As he was about to follow the Voracious Ice Demon as he stepped back, the snowstorm became intense once again and ice shards as sharp as spikes rained down on him. It looked like the Blue Shamanic Demon and the Voracious Ice Demon were trying to gnaw off his head with abined attack by using their specialties. ¡°Is this how you want to y?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes sparkled red as he blocked the ice shards that were raining down with a coat of frost. ¡°You won¡¯t even see my face anymore. You will end up dying inside that endless snowfall!¡± He could hear the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s voice from the snowstorm. It was resounding from all directions, so that he couldn¡¯t be located. ¡°Who are you holding a candle against?¡± The movement of Raon¡¯s left foot contained his resolution. It was the Supreme Harmony Step that was controlling the pace. Raon traversed the snowstorm in an instant and appeared on the right side. What are you nning on doing? ¡®The thing they are nning to do, and¡­¡¯ He grinned, pointing at the flower bracelet. ¡®The thing I learned from you.¡¯ What? Ignoring Wrath¡¯s question, Raon used cier. He didn¡¯t open the ocean of perception nor use Glenn¡¯s Coat, but the Cloak of Frost. He covered his body with the endless snow and ice, just like an assassin covering himself with darkness. Hiding his presence and tracks, he imagined himself bing the snow itself. Since it was what he¡¯d done his entire life as an assassin, it wasn¡¯t really difficult to achieve. He managed to dissolve his presence into the snow before the Voracious Ice Demon managed to discover his location. ¡°What? Where did he go? Blue Shamanic Demon! I can¡¯t find him!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s confused voice resounded as he followed his tracks. ¡°He must be nearby! He is targeting you right now, so stay on guard and keep moving!¡± The Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s voice,ing from outside the snowstorm, was trembling. He seemed to be flustered. ¡°Damn it! He is all talk and can¡¯t even do anything properly!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon grit his teeth and tried to hide his presence. However. Raon was already at his back. The heated de mmed down on him like lightning. The moment the deadly de was about to reach the Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s neck, he twisted his body. It was an extreme reflex, befitting a monstrous man that had received a helmet from Eden. Ssh! However, the sword was faster than him. His upper body split apart diagonally instead of his neck, and a serious amount of blood gushed out. ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon opened his huge mouth and started screaming. As Raon was about to finish him off, his mouth extended in a sh and bit his left arm. He was truly insane, for trying to attack when he was about to die. ¡°Krrrr! I¡¯ll bite your arm off!¡± ¡°Arm? What arm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obviously yours¡­ what!¡± The Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing Raon¡¯s arm, the one that he was trying to bite off. ¡°Th-This is¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s in your mouth isn¡¯t my arm, but the ice covering it.¡± The moment he tried to bite his arm, Raon used cier to create a thick shield of ice on it, which was what he managed to bite. ¡°Keep chewing on it.¡± ¡°Haap!¡± When the Voracious Ice Demon released the arm and tried to step back, Raon¡¯s sword drew a half circle. It was the fastest and most precise attack so far. The Voracious Ice Demon¡¯s body froze, despite him trying to move away. ¡°Keuh! Y-You really are¡­¡± Unable to finish his sentence, his neck was severed. With a thud, the shark helmet fell down, buried under the yellow snow. ¡°Tsk. He is stupidly strong.¡± Raon frowned, looking at his wobbling left arm. His jaw managed to chew through the ice shield made with cier and broke his bone. It was a frightening level dental strength. ¡°Even though my arm is broken, I shall finish this fight.¡± * * * * * * Targeting the Blue Shamanic Demon, who was swinging his staff outside the snowstorm, Raon kicked the ground. ¡°Gasp!¡± The moment he pierced through the snowstorm with cier, the Blue Shamanic Demon screamed and backed off. The storming ice shards became even fiercer. ¡°Get away!¡± He was even faster than a warrior, probably because he was using a spell. However, Raon was even faster than him, as he was using the Supreme Harmony Steps. ¡°Protect me!¡± Realizing that he would be caught, the Blue Shamanic Demon screamed and broke his staff. ¡°Krrrr!¡± A huge explosion urred inside the gray smoke, bouncing back Dorian and Edquill in a shambled state. The ice troll lord emerged through the smoke and dashed towards Raon. ¡°Kwaaaa!¡± ¡°Kraaaa!¡± ¡°Kiaaaa!¡± The monsters that were attacking the castle walls also turned around at once, running towards him. It seemed to be a spell to gather all the brainwashed monsters. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet! I can¡¯t die here!¡± He then created huge swords and spears made of snow in the air to shoot at him. It showed his willingness to live at all costs. ¡°Kraaa!¡± The ice troll lord that had already caught up to him mmed his axe, which was the size of a human body, down. Thud! Raon used the River Footwork to rush at the Blue Shamanic Demon from the right. Ten mes blooming on the silver curve, rotated in unison like a cogwheel. sh! The crimson trajectory created along the horizon of the snowfield severed the ice armor and the Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s mask. ¡°Huaah! I-I can¡¯t die like this¡­¡± A red line was drawn on his wrinkled face. He was trying to grab the blood flowing down from the center of his face, but it was pointless. ¡°I-I should¡¯ve killed you back th¡­¡± With that as hisst word, he copsed forward. The ghastly light disappeared from his eyes like a wick being snuffed out. Whoosh! The snowstorm that seemed endless finally stopped, and the monsters overflowing with madness stopped moving. ¡°Krr¡­¡± Even the eyes of the ice troll lord, who was about to swing its axe, wavered violently in confusion. ¡°Raon has defeated the enemy leader! Now is the time! Attack at once!¡± Terian¡¯s feverish voice could be heard from the castle walls. The swords and spears thrust by the spirited soldiers ripped apart the monsters that had fallen into a state of confusion. However, Raon didn¡¯t attack the ice troll lord standing right in front of him. His eyes were wavering like a sailboat riding a tidal wave. That confusion was simr to Raon in his previous life. ¡°Krr.¡± The madness disappeared from the ice troll lord¡¯s eyes. It looked like it finally realized why it was there, and what had happened. It was a smart one. That look in its eyes was also the same as the one Raon had upon getting released from the brainwashing with the Ring of Fire. ¡°Kwaaaaa!¡± The ice troll lord roared and backed off. It was a signal to retreat with the dying monsters, instead of continuing to fight. ¡®He is a real king.¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the ice troll lord calling the monsters. He was a proper leader, iparably better than the Blue Shamanic Demon, who used the monsters as a bait to save himself. ¡®But it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Even though he took a liking to it, he still couldn¡¯t allow it to escape. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t let you go.¡± Raon blocked the path of the ice troll lord that was trying to retreat. ¡°Kraaa!¡± The ice troll lord bared its long teeth and roared, telling him to step aside. ¡°The castle will copse in the future if I allow you to leave.¡± He could tell just from watching its previous actions. It had the qualities of a king. It could be a better king than Derus Robert, who treated humans as hunting dogs. And that was also the reason he needed to finish it off right there. ¡°You couldn¡¯t live as a king, but you shall die as one.¡± Probably because it understood his meaning¡­ ¡°Krr!¡± The ice troll warrior¡¯s face stiffened. It put down the axe that didn¡¯t suit it and drew out the bluebative energy. The burningbative energy was iparablyrger than when in its brainwashed state. Whir! The bluebative energypressed into a round shape on the ice troll warrior¡¯s fist. As the size became smaller, thebative energy amplified to a tremendous degree. Whoosh! Raon dragged out all his remaining aura. The aura of me dribbled and gathered on his de, creating a spear of aura simr to an icicle that barely managed to form. ¡°Come, nameless king of trolls.¡± ¡°Kraaa!¡± The ice troll lord exploded the ground as it leaped, punching him with its fist. Thepressed energy exploded andpletely filled Raon¡¯s vision with bluebative energy. Creak! Raon used the sword he was pulling back to stretch forward. The aura of me gathering on the de became a ray of light to dash towards it. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes. me¡¯s Singrity. The spear of me stormed at the wave ofbative energy to shred it to pieces. Chapter 136 Raon lowered his sword and the me¡¯s Singrity fluttered away like leaves in the wind. The ice troll lord¡¯s huge body, which covered the moonlight, knelt on the fading me. A dark hole remained on the left side of its chest, where the spear of me had pierced through. Tsssh. As if time was flowing backward, the ice troll lord¡¯s skin and flesh were regenerating. It was an outrageous amount of regeneration, befitting the lord, but it was pointless. After all, its heart was already shredded to pieces by the me¡¯s Singrity. ¡°Krrr¡­¡± Raon met the ice troll lord¡¯s eyes. Vitality was leaving its white pupils, simr to the perpetual snow. ¡®I¡¯m not sure.¡¯ It looked like the ice troll lord resented him, or wanted to live, or¡­ Was thanking him, although that might have just been his imagination. ¡°I¡¯ll grant you a painless death.¡± ¡°Krr!¡± Raon raised his sword once again. When he was about to decapitate it in order to relieve its pain, the ice troll lord stood up with a trembling chin. ¡°Krr¡­¡± It was standing confidently on its two legs with clenched fists, as if it wanted to keep fighting until the end. It was the monster¡¯s resolution that it would fight until the end without kneeling, befitting a true king. ¡°Wonderful.¡± Raon admired that from the bottom of his heart. He never thought he would feel that way for a monster. ¡°Krrrra!¡± The ice troll lord roared and rushed at him. It was losing its bnce slightly, like a baby that had just started walking, but it didn¡¯t fall down. Raon shed, so that he did not tarnish its resolution. Ziegharts¡¯ aloof de took the ice troll lord¡¯s life. ¡°Krr!¡± The ice troll lord¡¯s thick lips curled up. It was definitely smiling. It wasn¡¯t just Raon¡¯s imagination¡ªthe ice troll lord was indeed thanking him. ¡°Kwaaaa!¡± ¡°Krrrrr!¡± ¡°Kieeee!¡± Upon hearing its final roar, the monsters gave up on fighting and withdrew. They spread out in all directions to run away as fast as they could. ¡°As a king, until the end¡­¡± Just like he said, the ice troll lord died as a king, to a point where Raon felt ashamed instead. ¡®Goodbye.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes, wishing for it to reincarnate in a better ce, just like he did. He was a true king. One that I haven¡¯t seen for a long while. When he opened his eyes once again, Wrath was looking down on the ice troll lord¡¯s corpse. This troll is younger than you if you convert to a human¡¯s age. Yet, it already knew what it needed to do. It was truly suited to the title of ¡®king¡¯. ¡®Yes.¡¯ You can tell from this young troll, who was born and died as a king even though it didn¡¯t have anything. Regardless of the race, a king isn¡¯t made, but born. Wrath turned to meet Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡­is what I used to think. ¡®You used to think?¡¯ Yes. But I changed my opinion after seeing you. ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ The first time I saw you, the number of qualities of a king I could feel from you were less than the chocte chips in a chocte cookie. However, you¡¯ve changed. It¡¯s not just your might, but your soul¡¯s level has changed. Wrath¡¯s eyes sparkled like sapphires. Just like an artisan making a pot from y, the qualifications of a king are being made inside of your soul. ¡®Qualifications of a king¡­¡¯ However, it doesn¡¯t look like you have any intention of bing one. ¡®You are right. I¡¯ve never thought about that.¡¯ He was born as the lord of Zieghart¡¯s grandson, but he couldn¡¯t think about seeding the House. He just wanted to profit from them, and make Sylvia and the maids happy. Amoner¡¯s mind with the king''s qualities, how interesting. How your qualifications will grow and change, and how your mind will alter in the future, will be fun to watch. Because there¡¯s no one like you, even in Devildom. ¡®Then, are you not going to take over my body? Are you admitting your defeat?¡¯ N-Nonsense! I just said that you are interesting! I never said I¡¯m not going to take away your mind and body! Wrath shouted, struggling with his short arms. Once the King of Essence targets something, I won¡¯t be satisfied until I obtain it! The King of Essence will take away your body by any means necessary! ¡®Ah, okay.¡¯ While we are on that subject, the King of Essence¡¯s temperament is simr to that troll kid. I¡¯m the true king that saves my subordinates even if I¡¯m in danger. The only difference is that the King of Essence¡¯s power doesn¡¯t lose to anyo¡­ Wh-Why are you looking at me like that? Wrath shivered, noticing Raon¡¯s icy cold gaze. ¡®Even now, you still want to brag and prattle on about yourself¡­¡¯ ¡°Sir Raon!¡± As Raon was shaking his head at Wrath, Dorian came running at him. His arm was broken, his entire body was covered in bruises, and his armor was in tatters. ¡°You¡­¡± He thought Dorian was holding on pretty well, but that wasn¡¯t the case. He really fought to death to buy time for him. ¡°I seriously can¡¯t catch up to you. You really killed the Voracious Ice Demon and the Blue Shamanic Demon, and even the lord after that. Inparison, I got my arm broken from fighting just the lord.¡± Dorian sniffled, grabbing his broken arm. ¡°What happened to you? Why did you step up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± He caressed his belly pocket, unable to reply immediately. ¡°You know, you fought the Blood Raving Demonst time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Though, he just held out, rather than fighting. ¡°I felt so frustrated when I ran away back then. I felt like my heart was tearing. I¡¯m scared of getting hurt physically, but I was even more scared of hurting my heart. That¡¯s why I pledged that I¡¯d never run away while leaving mypanion behind.¡± ¡°And you kept it this time?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Dorian lowered his head in embarrassment. ¡°I see. You were very helpful.¡± Raon smiled at Dorian. His chest felt warm from his sincere feelings. It was the first time he was helped, but it didn¡¯t feel bad at all. ¡°And you, too.¡± He turned his head to look at Edquill, who was standing to the side awkwardly. His condition was even worse than Dorian¡¯s. His armor was covered with blood, and the bone of his leg waspletely destroyed. ¡°¡­It was my pleasure.¡± ¡°Pleasure?¡± Edquill had suddenly be polite, even though he used to mumble that he wanted to kill himter. ¡°I only did it because I wanted to, so you don¡¯t need to mind it.¡± He bowed politely and returned to the castle. Judging from his untainted eyes, it looked like something had really changed in his mind. ¡°Shout the name of our hero!¡± From the top of the castle gate, Terian yelled, holding his bloody sword up high. ¡°Woaaaah!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± The soldiers yelled Raon¡¯s name in unison. The entirety Habun Castle trembled with his name. Raon clenched his fist. ¡®My name¡­¡¯ It felt like the name he could never reveal, the name he had to hide all the time, was spreading throughout the world. The thrill made his heart pound. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± When he sped his chest and was about to return to Habun Castle, messages popped up in front of his eyes. Why are there so many of them?! * * * * * * Rushine Mountain, to the west of House Robert. Under the mountain famous for its splendidndscape, there was an underground space that no one knew about. In the middle of that space, which was darker than night, about five hundred children were kneeling with their eyes closed. They had their hands put together as if they were praying, but cold sweat kept flowing down from their foreheads and backs. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± The children, who were enduring it while biting their lips, started to copse one after the other. Bleeding from their eyes, noses, or ears, their whole bodies trembled. The masked men that were watching from the side took the child and disappeared somewhere each time one copsed. The children copsed more and more frequently as time passed, and in the end, there were only 108 of them remaining. The tall masked man that was watching them from the center walked up to the upper floor, where he could look down on the entire space. Derus Robert, with his silver hair simr to a snow field flowing down to his back, was watching with a wine ss in his hand. Although a lot of time had passed, he looked even younger and livelier than before. ¡°The brainwashing has ended.¡± The masked man knelt and bowed at him. ¡°So, there are 108.¡± The 108 children were reflected in Derus¡¯s aloof pupils. ¡°Yes. There are more than we expected. The dogs this time will be more usable.¡± ¡°Reduce the number to half.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Riffraff aren¡¯t necessary. What I need are hunting dogs that can bare their fangs against Masters.¡± He smiled, looking at the children bleeding from their mouths. The dry smile, devoid of emotion, set off goosebumps. ¡°H-how shall we reduce the number?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your job. It is nothing I should be concerned about.¡± Derus¡¯ blue eyes glowed viciously. ¡°I-I beg your pardon!¡± The masked man smacked his head onto the ground to beg for forgiveness. Blood was dripping from his forehead. ¡°Did you feed them the rage warms?¡± ¡°Yes! We fed them the improved ones, so they won¡¯t be released from the brainwashing like Raon!¡± ¡°Raon, Raon¡­¡± Unlike the same feverish name that resounded in Habun Castle, a cold voice crushed that name. ¡°He was a pretty useful one.¡± Derus frowned, looking at the scar on the back of his right hand. Raon¡¯s abilities were the best among all the hunting dogs he¡¯d raised so far. If only he hadn¡¯t undone the brainwashing by himself. He had the abilities to kill the highest executives of the Six Kings, so losing him was a shame in many ways. Psh! When he was thinking about Raon, the scar on his right hand opened and sticky blood trickled down to the floor. ¡°M-Master!¡± The masked man stood up quickly and was about to run towards him when Derus opened the scar by himself and smiled. ¡°Look at this. Raon shoved his fang into me as he died. You shall raise those children to grow up just like him.¡± Darkness crept from Derus¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°They shall be the hunting dogs that can shove their fangs into the enemy¡¯s neck and die with a smile for my sake.¡± * * * Mind and the attack force kept running restlessly, but the sun had already risen a long time ago. When they finally reached the snow field where they could see Habun Castle from far away, dozens of monsters came rushing at them. ¡°Keuh! Prepare for battle!¡± He bit his lip in anxiety and ordered to fight, but it seemed the monsters had no intentions of fighting as they spread out everywhere without even looking back. He finally noticed the monsters¡¯ conditions. Their bodies were covered in blood, their hands were empty, and their eyes were full of distress. It was the ssic appearance of remnants. ¡®What is that?¡¯ Mind furrowed his brow, looking at the monsters running away in a hurry. Although he¡¯d lived there for dozens of years, it was his first time witnessing such a thing. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s move on. Run at full speed!¡± Hiding his confused expression, he ordered them to depart once again. ¡°Understood!¡± Since the attack force was also anxious, they quickly started running towards Habun Castle. Because the group consisted of elites, Mind and the attack force managed to reach Habun Castle before noon. However, the condition waspletely different from what they¡¯d imagined. The castle walls weren¡¯t destroyed, and countless monsters were dead under the castle walls. On the other hand, they couldn¡¯t find a single soldier¡¯s corpse. ¡°Wh-What is this?¡± ¡°What happened here¡­?¡± ¡°What the hell happened this time?!¡± The attack force entered inside the castle with trembling legs. ¡°C-Commander! Look this way!¡± Barty, the first scouting party leader, shouted when Mind was walking while looking around. Upon following him, there was a monster¡¯s corpse that was two times bigger than an average ice troll. ¡°Th-This is it! It¡¯s the ice troll lord!¡± ¡°So, it was a trap after all. But who could have¡­¡± ¡°Commander! Th-There''s an Eden demon here!¡± ¡°There¡¯s another one here! It¡¯s the Voracious Ice Demon!¡± The scouts¡¯ eyes became wide open in astonishment upon finding the corpses of the Voracious Ice Demon and the Blue Shamanic Demon. ¡°An ice troll lord, the Voracious Ice Demon and the Blue Shamanic Demon?¡± Mind swallowed harshly, looking at the three monsters one after another. ¡°What happened here?¡± There were corpses of two of Eden''s demons, an ice troll lord, and countless monsters. Yet, the corpses or flesh of humans were nowhere to be seen. He could understand that it was Eden¡¯s trap, but he couldn¡¯t even begin to figure out how they managed to survive against them. ¡°Let¡¯s go for now.¡± Mind caught his breath and walked towards the castle gate. Cheers and roars could be heard from the inside. When he tried to listen more closely, they were shouting someone¡¯s name. ¡°Raon?¡± It was Raon. His name was resounding to reach the sky. * * * After hearing what happened overnight, Mind and the officers sitting in the conference room went nk, eyes trembling. ¡°How could this happen in my lifetime?¡± ¡°I know, right? Eden and an ice troll lord attacked, yet there were no casualties at all? It feels like a dream. This must be the war god¡¯s blessing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the war god¡¯s blessing, but Raon¡¯s blessing. He did everything on his own this time, again.¡± ¡°Did he seriously get a single arm broken from killing the Voracious Ice Demon, the Blue Shamanic Demon, and the ice troll lord? He is a real monster.¡± The officers praised Raon¡¯s prowess and strategy in amazement. ¡°Regardless of what happened, we won in the end. Festival! It¡¯s time for a festival, for three days and nights!¡± ¡°Do you think three days and nights are enough? We should make it a whole week!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We won¡¯t get another day like this for the rest of our lives!¡± Since it was obvious that there would be no monster for a while, the officers raised their hands, saying that they should hold a festival right away. ¡°There¡¯s something we need to do before the festival.¡± Mind silenced the conference room, the atmosphere having grown as loud as a marketce¡¯s beforehand. ¡°That would be¡­¡± ¡°You are praising Raon, but cheers aren¡¯t all we are giving him, right?¡± ¡°O-Of course not!¡± ¡°We have to give him the best award and gold!¡± The officers nodded immediately. ¡°That¡¯s right. The reason I¡¯m alive right now is thanks to Raon.¡± Terian, who told him about Raon¡¯s fight, smiled broadly. ¡°Then we can make this short.¡± Mind tapped on the table and his eyes sparkled. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about giving him Habun Castle¡¯s relic.¡± Chapter 137 ¡°A-A relic?¡± ¡°By relic, you mean¡­¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± The officers'' gazes gathered to the Snowbound de hanging around Mind¡¯s waist, since that was the treasure passed down in Habun Castle. ¡°A-Are you trying to appoint Raon as the next casten?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡± ¡°It should require more consideration¡­¡± The Snowbound de was the symbol of Habun¡¯s casten. Granting that sword pretty much meant that he acknowledged Raon as his sessor. The officers looked at Terian with trembling eyes, but he casually sipped his tea. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± Mind frowned, looking around at the officers. ¡°This sword isn¡¯t a relic, but a symbol. I¡¯m giving Raon something else.¡± ¡°Something else?¡± ¡°This.¡± He took out thin, snow-white armor and put it on the table. It was sparkling like a star, with a green gem embedded in the center. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Th-This was what you meant!¡± ¡°Yes. This is the inner armor made from an orc lord¡¯s magic stone, the White Spirit Armor.¡± Inner armor was armor that was worn inside the clothes. Soldiers usually wore one, since the thin armor was capable of defending against des piercing it. ¡°For outsiders, it¡¯s a more precious item than the Snowbound de, which is just a symbol. However, I figured I should reward him at least this much, considering his deeds.¡± Mind gently caressed the White Spirit Armor. ¡°He seriously doesn¡¯t take care of himself. I¡¯ll only be relieved once he wears this.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Terian smiled light-heartedly and raised his hand. ¡°We don¡¯t mind it either.¡± ¡°Since the castle would¡¯ve been annihted if it weren''t for Raon, any amount of reward wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡± ¡°The White Spirit Armor would be the best present for the boy.¡± Since the White Spirit Armor¡¯s present and future owner both agreed, the officers also nodded with a smile. ¡°Then that¡¯s decided, and I think it would be best to hold the festival for around five days. However, rather than starting it right now, we should wait for about one week¡­¡± ¡°Can I say something?¡± The Snow Strikers leader, Edquill, raised his hand despite having remained silent. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Sir Raon.¡± ¡°S-Sir Raon?¡± ¡°Did he say Sir Raon?¡± Because he suddenly called him Sir, the officers¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he was a mercenary?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I did.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible that such a genius exists among the mercenaries, but the martial arts he used wasn¡¯t something ordinary. It was a swordsmanship developed over a long period of time, a martial art that a normal mercenary wouldn¡¯t be able to acquire.¡± ¡°Are you questioning his identity?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that we should make it clear.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mind licked his lips and looked at Edquill. Judging from his peaceful eyes, he wasn¡¯t trying to attack him but just trying to confirm. ¡°I¡¯m also pretty curious about that.¡± The Wolf Mercenary captain Beto locked his fingers together on his hand to cover his head, then snickered. ¡°Because we all already know that Raon isn¡¯t a mercenary.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine as long as he doesn¡¯t have a nasty origin, such as the Five Demons.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that! There¡¯s no way that Raon is from the Five Demons.¡± With Edquill¡¯s prompting, people started making guesses about Raon¡¯s identity one after the other. ¡°Silence.¡± Mind tapped the desk to shut everyone¡¯s mouth. ¡°Just as you said, Raon isn¡¯t your average mercenary. In fact, I can¡¯t hide it anymore after what he aplished. What you know for sure is that he¡¯s always been sincere, ever since he¡¯s arrived here.¡± The officers straightened their backs, realizing the meaning of his firm voice. ¡°He will reveal his identity himself one day, so just wait until then. And I can guarantee his identity that he isn¡¯t from the dark side. You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Mind looked at Edquill, who mentioned it first. His clear eyes were like when he was full of dreams and passion in the past. ¡°I see.¡± Edquill smiled slightly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Even though Mind had known him for a long time, he still couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking. ¡°Start the festival¡¯s preparation right away if you don¡¯t have any more questions!¡± Mind vigorously hit the table and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s hold a magnificent festival, enough to recover from the fatigue and pain so far!¡± * * * Inside a dim room, illuminated by a small lighting hanging down from the ceiling, two people were sitting at a grotesque table that looked like it was made from human skulls. The man sitting on the right was covering his body with thick robe of darkness, wearing a skull mask with blue me burning in the eyes. A blonde staff was standing next to him on its own, with a dark and wicked light hovering around it. On the other hand, the woman with thin fingers sitting next to him was wearing a deep blue hat with a brim and an old woman¡¯s mask with a long nose. A wooden staff made of withered material was floating behind her. ¡°It¡¯s a failure.¡± The woman wearing an old woman¡¯s mask clicked her tongue. ¡°Are you talking about Habun Castle?¡± The man in the skull mask raised his chin. ¡°Yes. The Blue Shamanic Demon and the Voracious Ice Demon. Those worthless scum died.¡± ¡°How did they fail?¡± ¡°Do you even need to ask? They must¡¯ve just charged Habun¡¯s casten without thinking.¡± ¡°The Voracious Ice Demon might¡¯ve done that, but the Blue Shamanic Demon isn¡¯t such a simpleton.¡± The man shook his head and tapped the table made of skulls. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s toote now. Since they discovered that we made our move, the Habun casten won¡¯t move his heavy ass anymore, and the Six Kings will also send reinforcements.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°What are you thinking about so hard? The magic stone of the green king has also appeared in the west, so it shouldn¡¯t matter that much.¡± ¡°I wanted the siren¡¯s vessel more than the magic stone, since such a talent isn¡¯tmon even on a continental scale.¡± The talent of powerful might and overflowing mana could be obtained anywhere. However, the quality of the siren''s embodiment that controlled people¡¯s bodies and minds couldn¡¯t be found so easily. ¡°It¡¯s an ability that can realize genocide and mass brainwashing. We have to obtain it at all costs.¡± ¡°But it can¡¯t be helped. Now isn¡¯t the time¡­¡± ¡°No. Because we are in our current situation, we have to make our move.¡± The man in the skull mask flicked his finger. Along with the thudding sound of bone hitting bone, a wriggling liquid simr to slime soared up onto the table. Its insides couldn¡¯t be seen because it had a cloudy gray color. ¡°Doppelganger? What are you nning to do with that idiot? Unless there¡¯s someone that can wear the doppelganger''s helmet¡­¡± ¡°I modified it myself.¡± The man narrowed his eyes, looking at the doppelganger that was trying to swallow one of the table¡¯s skulls. ¡°This once can perfectly reproduce the words and actions of the human it swallows. Even family wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference.¡± ¡°Hoo.¡± The eyes behind the old woman mask sparkled with a blue light. ¡°Is it absorbing the human¡¯s characteristics upon digestion? It looks like you¡¯ve gone as far as modifying the cells.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a time limit, but this one should be able to bring us the siren¡¯s vessel.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the possibility of Mind noticing it?¡± ¡°None.¡± The skull masked man shook his head with a confident gaze. ¡°Unless it¡¯s a monster that can read into the human¡¯s temperament itself, no one will be able to discover it.¡± * * * * * * A festival was held at Habun Castle. Simple festivals thatsted for one day after a wave had happened multiple times before, but because it was the first time a festival was held for five days in a row, the castle¡¯s mood was heated enough to melt the perpetual snow. The festival became more and more heated over time, and it reached its peak on the fifth day, when the awarding ceremony was held. ¡°Dorian and Edquill, who jumped down the castle to fight against the ice troll lord, step forward!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian and Edquill walked up the tform, answering the call from Terian, who was conducting the ceremony. ¡°These two people, who put their lives on the line to defend Habun Castle against the ice troll lord and the monsters, will be granted Habun Castle¡¯s excellent de and some gold.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Mind was standing on the tform to personally award them the sword and gold. ¡°Dorian, you¡¯vepletely changed from when you arrived here for the first time. I hope you keep getting better in the future.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Edquill, I don¡¯t know what changed in your mind, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be a bad change. Keep refining yourself.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two bowed to Mind and turned around to bow at the spectators. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°The pride of our third scouting party!¡± ¡°Dorian! Dorian!¡± ¡°Leader! You are the best!¡± The scouts and the swordsmen shouted Dorian and Edquill¡¯s names and cheered. ¡°Next is the final one.¡± Terian cleared his throat and looked at Raon, who was sitting at the right end. ¡°The invincible swordsman that saved thirty people¡¯s lives during the wave, then killed Eden¡¯s demons and the ice troll lord on his own! Raon, step forward!¡± ¡°Woaaaah!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°The Sword Demon of Habun Castle!¡± ¡°Troll lord yer!¡± As soon as he called Raon¡¯s name, all the soldiers surrounding the festival stood up to apud and burst into a roar. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon bowed slightly at the people cheering for him, then walked up on the tform. ¡°Thanks to your brave and gant actions, we¡¯ve managed to minimize our losses. I express my gratitude as Habun¡¯s casten.¡± Mind smiled widely for the first time and bowed to him. ¡°Commander!¡± Since Raon didn¡¯t expect him to do that while everyone was watching, he grew flustered and bowed in return. ¡°You don¡¯t need to bow back!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You deserve more than the casten¡¯s bow!¡± ¡°Raon! Stand there proudly!¡± The others were smiling light-heartedly, as if they knew it was going to happen. ¡°The hero that saved Habun Castle twice from the crisis will be granted Habun Castle¡¯s relic, the White Spirit Armor, and some gold.¡± Mind presented the white armor. It was sparkling like gold, and a hexagonal green gem was embedded at the center of the chest. ¡°You tend to disregard your own body too much. Since this White Spirit Armor can be worn inside your clothes, you shall wear it all the time.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon could tell that it was a precious treasure at a nce. Since he also realized why he was given the armor, warmth could be felt in his chest. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Please keep defending Habun Castle in the future!¡± Once he turned around, the crowd burst in a roar that shook the entire castle. It was loud enough to make the approaching monsters run away. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon expressed his gratitude to the crowds before walking down the tform. ¡°Since we might never have another day like today, make sure to enjoy it thoroughly until the end! Next up is¡­¡± Raon checked the White Spirit Armor, listening to Terian announcing the next event. ¡®Hmm, I feel like I¡¯ve seen this somewhere.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t about the clothes, but the emerald-like green gem embedded at the center that felt familiar to him for some reason. ¡®Ah!¡¯ He finally remembered. He could feel a simr energy as the goblin king¡¯s magic stone that he still had in his chest. How pathetic of you to realize it only now, with such an intense stench of orcing from it. Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that he was so insensitive. ¡®Orc?¡¯ Yes. This is the magic stone of an orc lord. ¡®I see.¡¯ Unlike the goblin king¡¯s magic stone, which was hot enough to burn his hand, the orc lord¡¯s magic stone was imbued with a rock-solid energy. That difference was the reason he didn¡¯t realize it was a magic stone at first nce. ¡®I guess they were aiming for this.¡¯ He was wondering why Eden had attacked Habun Castle, but it seemed they were probably aiming for that magic stone. Its energy didn¡¯t lose at all whenpared to the goblin king¡¯s magic stone. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Raon put his hand on the magic stone in order to examine the energy it contained more closely. Swirl! The Ring of Fire started to rotate like crazy, and covering his vision in white. The world was changing. He could see a snow field covered in blood. The corpses of humans and orcs were piled up like a mountain, and on top of that hill of death, a blonde swordsman was shing his sword against the axe of an orc bigger than an ogre. me burst up in a spiral from the swordsman¡¯s de, and brutalbative energy was overflowing from the orc¡¯s axe. The sh between the two monsters split the heaven and copsed the ground. After hundreds or thousands of shes, the de of me finally sliced through the axe and beheaded the orc. The orc was smiling, and the swordsman gave a bitter smile. The swordsman turned around to look at Raon. Everything except for his red eyes was covered in darkness. The golden me emanating from his eyes covered his vision. The world changed once again, and Raon could see the festival full of smiles and life once again. The message he saw at the first judgment ceremony appeared once again. Raon swallowed hard. ¡®Did Zieghart¡¯s ancestor fight the orc lord here?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see it properly, but the me imbued in his sword and his unkempt blond hair looked exactly like the man he saw during the judgment ceremony. Where did you go just now and what did you see? Wrath¡¯s flustered eyes were trembling. ¡®What?¡¯ Your soul left your body just now. ¡®It left?¡¯ Yes. Your body was an empty shell just now. Was it not just an illusion? As Raon¡¯s eyes widened in confusion, the second set of messages appeared. * * * ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon licked his lips, watching Dorian sing a strange song on the tform. He was seriously bad at it, but that wasn¡¯t what he was thinking about. ¡®So, Zieghart¡¯s ancestor could also use the Ring of Fire¡­¡¯ There was no way that he got the message about the Ring of Fire for no reason. It was certain that the blonde man could use not only the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, but also the Ring of Fire. ¡®I never heard that Zieghart had the Ring of Fire.¡¯ Where he learned the Ring of Fire in his previous life waspletely unrted to Zieghart. ¡®Something must¡¯ve happened.¡¯ There was no way the hallucination had appeared for no reason. There must¡¯ve been a story behind it. He had a premonition that he needed to find the end of that hallucination in order to reach the extremity of the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®That¡¯s one more thing I need to do.¡¯ He already had so many tasks piled up, yet the task of looking for his ancestor¡¯s secret had been added. He wanted to ignore it, but he couldn¡¯t do that because it seemed to contain the secret of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Ring of Fire. ¡®But what I need to do first remains the same.¡¯ Restoring Sylvia¡¯s status to the direct line. While the revenge against Derus was something he needed to do at all costs, restoring her status was the most urgent one to achieve. ¡®I need to be an official swordsman first, then¡­¡¯ While Raon was nning ahead, Dorian was chased out from singing and Yua walked up the tform while fluttering her twin tails. ¡°Hello!¡± Yua waved her hands and smiled brightly. ¡°Woaaaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Yua! Yua!¡± ¡°Finally, please soothe our ears!¡± Hearing her sweet voice contrasting with the surroundings, the soldiers cheered even more loudly than during a battle. ¡°It¡¯s a new song, so please listen carefully.¡± Yua looked back to signal the soldiers holding guitars and violins, and they started ying the music. Tap tap. Unlike thest time¡¯s cheerful music, a majestic flow calmed down the festival¡¯s atmosphere. ¡°The winteres so suddenly. The cold winter is difficult to endure for the brave ones, the strong ones and the wise ones alike.¡± The music and lyrics were unexpected, but Yua¡¯s clear voice captivated the ears. ¡°A young swordsman visits the stagnant winter castle. He is powerful yet humble, brave yet kind, and was capable of learning despite being wise.¡± His chest wavered. Her voice throbbed his entire body, resounding like a drum from a high mountain. ¡°The aurora of dawn dwells inside the de of the young swordsman, standing alone under the destroyed castle walls. The aloof and beautiful light made the monsters of the northern mountain disappear, leaving only their footprints behind.¡± It was Raon¡¯s story. The heroic tale described by Yua¡¯s pleasant voice was the story he started in Habun Castle. ¡°Even the demons that hid their true intentions with masks and helmets disappeared, unable to break the young swordsman¡¯s resolve¡­¡± Hearing her delighted voice, the previous battle was presented inside his head. A message appeared in front of Raon¡¯s eyes, who was grasping his throbbing chest. Chapter 138 ¡®Hero¡¯s road?¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes widened when he read the message. He was confused, since he couldn¡¯t figure out its meaning. ¡®What is th¡­ ah!¡± It was when he was trying to read the message once again that another message appeared. A thrill pierced throughout his body, like lightning. It felt like electricity entering through his head had reached the soles of his feet. He had the impression that his soul had reached a higher dimension for an instant. Tsk, what a damn lucky guy. Wrath frowned, ring at the message. It was an extremely annoyed expression. ¡®What is all this?¡¯ It¡¯s just what it says. Your soul is imbued with heroic karma. ¡®Why?¡¯ Power dwells inside words. And a song is even more powerful than that. Since the pineapple girl¡¯s song described your heroic side, the level of your soul has increased thanks to that. ¡®With only that much?¡¯ Obviously, that¡¯s not all. Wrath turned his head to look at Yua, who was still singing. Remember what I told you before. The pineapple girl is talented at singing. But she is actually even more talented than what the King of Essence expected back then. Your aplishment managed to gain such a power because it was her that created the song and sang it in front of many people. ¡®Which means¡­¡¯ Yes. The reason your soul¡¯s level and stats have increased is thanks to her singing about you. You should be grateful. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ The more you disy your heroic side, and the more her song spreads to the people, the more your soul¡¯s level, stats, and traits will increase drastically. ¡®That¡¯s impressive.¡¯ Raon eximed in admiration. He noticed it when he was emotionally touched but calling her a genius wasn¡¯t enough to describe Yua¡¯s talent in singing. People often said that an excellent bard¡¯s song had a soul, and apparently that was what he¡¯d just heard. ¡°¡­Those steps will be remembered forever through the winter¡¯s melody.¡± Yua perfectly finished the song of triumph and smiled brightly. ¡°Woooow!¡± ¡°Yua! This uncle holds you so dear!¡± ¡°Our Yua is too good to stay in this ce! Let¡¯s send her to the continent!¡± ¡°Yua! Yua! Yua!¡± The soldiers that heard Yua¡¯s song stood up to break out in apuse and loud cheering, to the point that it felt like the ground was shaking. ¡°Thank you!¡± Yua slightly bowed in three different directions, then walked down the tform towards the table where Raon and Dorian were sitting. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Wow! You were really amazing! I¡¯m so impressed! You are almost as good as me.¡± Dorian bbered about some ridiculous things and gave a thumbs up. ¡°What gave you the idea of writing a song?¡± ¡°My grandfather always said I should be thankful to the people that fight here.¡± Yua smiled cheerfully and waved her hand to her grandfather, the manager of the Branch of Frost standing on the right. ¡°I heard the swordsman Raon struggled a lot this time, so I tried making a song from what I heard and saw!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon knelt to meet Yua¡¯s eyes. Her round eyes sparkled like a rabbit¡¯s. ¡°Thank you. It was really nice.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Yua pped her hair and hopped. ¡°Then,e to our restaurantter. To¡­¡± ¡°To increase the sales, right?¡± ¡°Wow, you understand it so quickly now!¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Raon smiled, watching Yua¡¯s hair pping around. ¡°Then, make sure to visitter!¡± Yua waved her hand, and ran towards the manager, who was waiting for her. Raon. Wrath stuck his head out from the bracelet. ¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯ A human being should pay back the kindness they have received. He was right. However, because it was a demon king who was saying it, Raon remained speechless. From the way the King of Essence saw it, you¡¯ve received a huge favor from the pineapple girl. Raon could expect what he was going to say next with his mouth of ice. Earlier is better when ites to repaying a favor. You have to do it right now. Go to the Branch of Frost right now and order all the food¡­ ¡®Haa.¡¯ Raon shook his head looking at Wrath, rolling his eyes. And you¡¯ve also received a favor from the King of Essence. It¡¯s an extremely huge favor on top of that. ¡®What favor are you talking about?¡¯ The King of Essence taught you cier! ¡®But I already paid the price for that.¡¯ Do you seriously believe a single pineapple pizza is as valuable as such a great ability? ¡®How are you even acting exactly the way I expected you to?¡¯ It felt like he really became the Monarch of Devildom through hopscotch, since he couldn¡¯t hide his intentions at all. I¡¯m able to hide my intentions, I¡¯m simply not hiding them. Demons are true to their desires, they don¡¯t tell any lies when they talk about them. And the King of Essence has never once lied, even in Devildom. That was true. Wrath had never lied before, although he avoided speaking in some cases. The reason Raon believed that he was actually a king was because he had never lied before. If you understand, let¡¯s get going. Since the Branch of Frost has been full for four days straight, it should have free spaces today! ¡®Alright, alright.¡¯ Raon sighed softly. Since he was helped by both Wrath and Yua, it seemed to be a good idea to repay them adequately. Honestly, food was an extremely cheap price to pay for what he got. You made a great decision! Wrath giggled and surged into the bracelet. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Once Raon stood up, Dorian raised his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat at the Branch of Frost since it¡¯s been a while. Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Dorian tilted his head instead of standing up. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They are closed today since they¡¯ve been open for four days. That¡¯s why Yua told you to visitter, you know?¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Raon blinked his eyes and looked at Wrath, who was dancing on the bracelet. ¡®They are closed today.¡¯ ¡­What is this bullshit? Wrath started scratching the table like a cat, his hand made of coldness, and shouted. Are you plotting together to make the King of Essence starve? Why are you getting in the way of the King of Essence each time I try to eat? ¡®It¡¯s your destiny. Let¡¯s go to the soldiers¡¯ cafeteria instead.¡¯ Raon snickered and headed towards the soldiers¡¯ cafeteria. Onion stew, dry and crumbling bread, overcooked chicken, and unsavory sauce! Today¡¯s set menu is the worst! ¡®How do you even know about today¡¯s menu¡­?¡¯ Wrath had memorized the entire cafeteria menu, which changed every day, as if he actually liked it despite what he said. He was truly a weirdo. * * * * * * Saian Canyon was filled with ferocious and powerful monsters. A tremendous number of monsters were dashing between the plunging cliffs, like a river flooding through a broken dam. And on the opposite side of the canyon, where the monsters were flooding towards, there was a wall of humans. Stalwart warriors holding double edged axes and thick greatswords were standing in a line, staring at the monsters charging towards them. Vrrrrr! A majestic sound resounded from a horn, and the warriors brandished their weapons. ¡°Charge! Kill them all!¡± The gigantic middle-aged man standing at the front dashed into the wave of monsters, mming down an axe the size of a human body. Wham! Monsters and the ground exploded together, signaling the great war between humans and monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s gooo!¡± ¡°Shred them to pieces!¡± ¡°Wipe them out, don¡¯t leave a single one of them alive!¡± ¡°Waaaaah!¡± The warriors swung their swords and axes with fierce smiles on their faces. The dry canyon was gradually filled with the blood, fervor, and the exhration of battle. And there was one swordswoman that stood out on that battlefield, where both humans and monsters were abnormallyrge. Her ck hair and ck eyes disyed her elegant beauty as the swordswoman dominated the battlefield. The powerful strength and the systematic trajectory of her strikes quickly turned the monsters into a pool of blood. She was the smallest one on the battlefield, yet she was the most gant of them all. Even the monsters fell back upon facing her ferociousness. However, the ck-haired swordswoman didn¡¯t seem satisfied with that, as she kept moving nonstop to smash the monsters. The battle that started at daybreak continued until evening, and the canyon was filled with the corpses of warriors and monsters. Enough time had passed for even the seasoned warriors to be exhausted, yet the ck-haired swordswoman hadn¡¯t slowed down at all since the beginning. She kept beheading the monsters and crushing their hearts. One might think she had a berserker spell cast on her, but her eyes were as clear as the moonlighting from the full moon. ¡°We won!¡± ¡°It¡¯s our victory!¡± ¡°Yeaaaah!¡± The canyon¡¯s battle ended in the humans¡¯ victory, and the defeated monsters returned to their barrennd over the blood of their fallen fellows. ¡°Huff¡­¡± The ck-haired swordswoman finally stopped her sword and raised her head. Her de spilled more blood than anyone else that day, and the number of corpses fallen under her was the biggest of them all. ¡°You look so excited, Martha.¡± A middle-aged man, who seemed to be the leader of the warriors, walked towards her from behind as she was catching her breath. ¡°It was an overwhelming performance, enough to satisfy me. Are you trying to catch up to your head of house?¡± The middle-aged man put his bloody axe on his shoulder and smiled broadly. He was the ruler of Saian Canyon, Camain¡¯s casten and the strongest warrior¡ªBeruan. ¡°I shall catch up to him. But I have another mountain that I need to cross before that.¡± Martha frowned, shaking off the blood that was on her sword. ¡°A mountain to be crossed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a damn fucking high mountain.¡± ¡°Are you saying that there¡¯s someone stronger than you among your peers?¡± Beruan¡¯s eyes widened. Martha was already a proper warrior when she arrived. He was wondering why she was desperately practicing, but it seemed she had a rival. ¡°Three times¡­ No, I lost four times.¡± Martha murmured that it was all she could say since she kept running after that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Beruan smiled and tapped Martha¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve experienced countless battles since you arrived here and trained your body and mind harder than anyone else. No matter who that might be, he must be weaker than you are now.¡± ¡°No.¡± Martha adamantly shook her head. ¡°He is the real deal, the first that I¡¯ve met. He is the true monster, different from the fakes people call geniuses or prodigies. I don¡¯t think I can catch up to him even if I train several times harder than what I¡¯m doing right now.¡± ¡°That much?¡± Beruan narrowed his eyes. Martha was even more talented than his son. He became curious about the boy that made such a genius experience a sense of defeat. ¡°I can feel it with my skin.¡± Martha grasped her arm, which had goosebumps on it. ¡°That bastard¡¯s breath as he is gets stronger, even at this very moment.¡± She did her best to train, but she didn¡¯t think she could win against Raon. She wanted to win against him wonderfully and cancel the promise that made it so that she would obey hismands, yet she just couldn¡¯t imagine winning against him. Moreover, her true enemy¡ªthe White Blood Religion¡ªwas iparably stronger than Raon. It was impossible for her to destroy the White Blood Religion and find her mother if she couldn¡¯t even win against Raon. ¡°What is his name?¡± Martha turned around, looking at Beruan¡¯s surprised eyes. She created an energyyer so that no one else could hear them, and slowly opened her mouth. ¡°Raon. Raon Zieghart.¡± She clenched her fist and continued. ¡°He is my benefactor and saved my life, and he is the man I need to win against at all costs.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be the only reason.¡± Beruan chuckled. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll train you personally for the rest of your stay here.¡± ¡°What? Why all of the sudden¡­¡± ¡°In return, you shall bring it to me.¡± He mmed the ground with his axe and raised his chin. ¡°The news of your victory against the boy named Raon.¡± * * * There was a desert called Levine at the northwest of the continent. That particr terrain, covered with white sand, was also called as White Sand instead of Levine. Despite the color, it was still a desert. However, because it was unexpectedly rich in resources, the humans and monsters coexisting added into its strange characteristics. A small vige existed at the entrance of that desert. It wasn¡¯t a natural ce, but a temporary vige created by the Marco Company¡ªone of the sixpanies of the continents¡ªfor Levine Desert¡¯s pioneering project. Inside that vige, a blue-haired young man was busily moving around. ¡°Burren! Come this way!¡± ¡°Burren! It¡¯s strange over here.¡± ¡°Hey! Burren!¡± The people in the vige waved their hands at him, calling his name. ¡°Argh, stop calling me! You can do it on your own!¡± The blue-haired young man called Burren frowned, stomping on the ground. Despite acting angry, he still went to the right to tten thend, then went to the left to build the column. He helped everyone. ¡°Burren! A sand scorpion has appeared! Come here quickly!¡± ¡°Damn it! Why is everyone looking for me?¡± Burren shouted as if he wasn¡¯t going to help, but he still put down the column to run towards the vige¡¯s entrance. His mouth keptining, but his body was helping with everything asked of him. ¡°Hmm.¡± A smart-looking man wearing a monocle licked his lips, watching Burren run outside the vige. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected. He is far different from his first impression.¡± ¡°It must be all thanks to the president¡¯s teachings.¡± The old merchant smiled, wearing a turban around his head. ¡°Teachings? I didn¡¯t teach him anything.¡± The current president of the Marco Company, Leniton, closed his eyes. Burren was alreadypletely zealous when he first arrived there. He had been fighting monsters or helping with the pioneering in the daytime, and he had been training himself during the night for over half a year already. It was a schedule a normal person wouldn¡¯t be able to carry out, which expressed how much of a desire Burren had to get stronger. ¡°He is an amazing fellow. He seems difficult to get along with at first, but he is actually kindhearted, and his power makes it difficult to believe he is only sixteen years old. Ah!¡± The old man just remembered something and pped his hands. ¡°Now that I think about it, did you hear about the incident in Habun Castle?¡± ¡°The story about a swordsman around Burren¡¯s age who defended the destroyed castle wall on his own?¡± ¡°Yes. But there was an even bigger incident after that.¡± ¡°A bigger incident?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard that Eden attacked them using an ice troll lord. Moreover, they used the opportunity when Mind was outside with Habun Castle¡¯s elites, and the blonde swordsman defended against them on his own¡­¡± The old man told him all about the incident that happened in Habun Castle a few months ago. ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought at first, but it appears to be true. I heard that all the soldiers in Habun Castle witnessed it.¡± ¡°Hmm, then¡­¡± Leniton pointed at Burren, who was entering the vige, and smiled mischievously. ¡°Tell him that story you just told me.¡± ¡°What? Why are you asking me to do that?¡± ¡°I want to see his reaction.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Realizing his intentions, the old man walked up to Burren and told him about the story from Habun Castle. ¡°That damn bastard!¡± Burren¡¯s green eyes sparkled like the desert sand. ¡°I knew he would do that! That guy never sits quietly!¡± He looked happy as he smiled, his clenched fists trembling. ¡°Is he the goal that you mentioned you would catch up to?¡± Leniton was standing in front of Burren, having approached him at some point. ¡°Yes, he is.¡± ¡°What is his name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Raon.¡± ¡°He must be strong.¡± ¡°He is strong. Judging from the story, he must¡¯ve gotten even stronger now.¡± ¡°Then why do you look so happy?¡± Leniton narrowed his eyes, watching Burren be filled with joy. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be angry or depressed if your objective has gotten even stronger?¡± ¡°No. Catching up to him is worth it exactly because he is strong, and he will get even stronger.¡± Burren adamantly shook his head. A ray of light shone in his clear, emerald-like eyes. ¡°If Raon doesn¡¯t get stronger, then my goal won¡¯t move from there. The stronger he gets, the more I will progress alongside him.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Leniton¡¯s mouth curved up. He looked at Burren with a delighted smile. ¡°Well, I actually realized that because I met him.¡± ¡°You make me want to meet this Raon boy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will be amazed.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m more interested in you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There¡¯s few people that truly know his weakness and praise his rival. If I had to make an investment, you would¡¯ve been my target.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Since it wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d expected, Burren¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°But it looks like you are very close to Raon. It¡¯s interesting that you are rivals and close friends at the same time.¡± ¡°C-Close friends? Not at all! We are just enemies!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it, though. You must be close friends from the way you smiled earlier.¡± Leniton raised his chin while smiling mischievously. ¡°I told you we aren¡¯t!¡± Burren shouted loudly. ¡°I have no intentions of being friends with a guy like him!¡± * * * In a yellow forest where the sounds of bugs, reptiles, and monsters resounded throughout the ce in disharmony, a purple-eyed swordswoman with her silver hair tied to the back was dashing through the jungle, twisted like a coiled snake. Despite her noble appearance, her natural movements made it look like she was part of the jungle. ¡°Kiee!¡± When the silver-haired swordswoman tried to pass next to the swamp, a dark attribute monster with a crocodile¡¯s appearance, a Crocodark, popped out from under the swamp and opened its mouth. Cring! As if she knew it wasing, she drew her sword from around her waist and swung it. The silver frost spreading from the de brushed past the ground and froze both the monster and the swamp. ¡°Kiyaaa!¡± ¡°Kieee¡­¡± The other monsters that followed it were also frozen stiff. The silver-haired swordswoman stomped the ground, looking at the monsters crawling out the swamp one after another. Along with the sound of a thud that resounded throughout the earth, the silver frost spread from where she was standing topletely freeze the surrounding area. ¡°Huff!¡± The silver haired swordswoman turned around midair and dashed over the frozen swamp. Small birds and insects flocked over her head like a swarm of bees, but they were all pushed back before reaching her because of her frozen breath. As such, she kept running in a straight line until the vige came into her sight. A warrior holding a spear and a shield, wearing a brown and red wooden mask, appeared in front of her. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The warrior thrust his spear, surrounded by an intense red aura. When the powerful strike was rushing towards her, a wind of frost stormed over her de. Crrrring! The silver frost spread out in concentric circles and froze everything, including the warrior. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± The masked warrior could only groan, his legs and armspletely frozen. The silver-haired swordswoman nodded slightly at him, then entered the vige he was guarding. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t even take six hours to cross the jungle!¡± ¡°You¡¯re in first ce, Runaan!¡± ¡°Even the adults don¡¯t usually have a record like that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just the adults¡ªthey need to be at least at a warrior captain¡¯s level!¡± ¡°Runaan! You really are amazing!¡± Instead of attacking her, the people at the vige entrance surrounded her and cheered. ¡°Thank you.¡± Runaan nodded at the vigers without showing any expression. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the future if you¡¯ve already reached this level.¡± ¡°I know, right? Was there anyone that was this strong at sixteen years of age? Wasn¡¯t our chief the only one?¡± People smiled, telling her that she would be the most powerful woman. ¡°There is one.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a boy that is way stronger than me.¡± Runaan joined their conversation, which was a rare urrence. ¡°W-Way stronger?¡± ¡°Than you?¡± Runaan nodded. ¡°That means¡­ Did youe here to win against him?¡± A tall, red-haired woman moved next to Runaan. Her face couldn¡¯t be seen because she was wearing a wooden mask, but the pressure spilling from her was as majestic as the ocean. ¡°No.¡± ¡°No? Then why?¡± ¡°I want to get strong enough to help him from the side.¡± Runaan repeated exactly what she used to say, like a habit from back home. ¡°I see.¡± The masked woman chuckled and pped her back roughly. ¡°Having a goal is a good thing, regardless of what it is. However, your talent can reach way further than that. Don¡¯t be too focused on what¡¯s right in front of you.¡± She spoke, then waited for the next candidate to cross the jungle. ¡°Hmm.¡± Rei was the tribe¡¯s chief, and a Master level warrior. Looking at her back, Runaan climbed the tree in front of the entrance. ¡®Shall I eat one, since it¡¯s been a while?¡¯ Since she¡¯d finished crossing the jungle, which could be called Katam Jungle¡¯s trial, she felt like she could indulge herself in the luxury of eating the bead ice cream. ¡®But there¡¯s not many of them left.¡¯ While she was swinging her feet in the air as she pondered, a young viger¡¯s voice could be heard. It was Laim, who guided her the first time she arrived. ¡°Wow, when did you get here?¡± Caw. The sound wasing from a crow behind Laim. ¡°Huh? Why are you sticking to me? Do you like me or something?¡± Caw! It looked like Laim had be friends with a jungle crow that came into the vige, as they were cheerfully ying together. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll make the difficult decision of raising you. Let¡¯s decide on a name first!¡± Laim licked his lips for a while, before pping his hands. ¡°Raon! Since you are as dark as a shadow, Raon seems to be a great name!¡± As soon as Runaan heard the name Raon, she jumped down the tree. She went to where she heard Laim¡¯s voice, and she found Laim facing a jungle crow with feathers twisted like a vine. ¡°Runaan? Weren¡¯t you in the middle of a trial?¡± ¡°I finished.¡± Runaan replied simply, staring gently at the crow. Caw! The crow turned its head and cawed, as if it were asking her why she was staring at it. ¡°Hmph.¡± Runaan turned her head to look at Laim. ¡°Gasp!¡± Laim stepped backward, facing Runaan¡¯s unusually intense gaze. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s up? If I made a mistake¡­¡± ¡°What was its name?¡± Runaan pointed at the crow, taking short steps. ¡°I-It¡¯s Raon¡­¡± ¡°Change the name.¡± ¡°No, but I already named him Raon¡­¡± ¡°Change the name.¡± ¡°But he is dark like a shadow. It¡¯smon to name ck ones Raon¡­¡± ¡°Change the name.¡± Her purple eyes narrowed frighteningly. ¡°Why so suddenly¡­¡± ¡°Change the name.¡± The young man¡¯s eyes trembled, Runaan pressuring him more and more intensely. Why was she doing that? * * * Four months had passed since the war against Eden. Likely because many monsters died during the war against the lord after the wave, no monster showed up around the castle anymore. They kept scouting constantly, but there was no sign of gathering monsters or anything significant, and Habun Castle was more peaceful than ever. However, unlike the others, the person that created that peace¡ªRaon¡ªwas busy every day. And the reason for that was obviously because of his training. As soon as his arm recovered from its injury¡ªas quickly as a troll, even¡ªhe stayed in the training ground every day to keep swinging his sword the entire day. ¡°Huff¡­¡± After training the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and his swordsmanship until the moon rose, Raon raised his body and exhaled heavily. ¡®It¡¯s difficult.¡¯ He¡¯d witnessed a fight between a blonde swordsman and an orc lord upon touching the jewel in the White Spirit Armor. He was trying to reproduce the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation technique that the swordsman had used, but it wasn¡¯t going as he wished. It seemed to be because his swordsmanship and aura were at a way higher level than where Raon was currently at. ¡®The orc lord was extremely powerful as well, I guess.¡¯ The orc lord that fought against the blonde swordsman didn¡¯t seem to be a simple monster, as his pressure was simr to at least a warrior at the Master¡¯s level. Neither of them were something Raon could fight against in his current state. ¡®But I¡¯ll still continue.¡¯ Raon never gave up, in either his previous or his current life. He believed that he would one day reach that man¡¯s level if he kept constantly training his sword and tempering his body. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± As he was about to start swinging his sword once again, Dorian opened the door to the training grounds and stuck his head in. ¡°It¡¯s time for the night watch.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Raon sighed sadly, looking at the moon in the sky. It was time for his mission. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± He sheathed his sword and followed Dorian towards the castle wall. ¡°What does the young master think about while you keep repeating the same technique over and over again?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really think about anything. I¡¯m just practicing.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± It was just a normal answer, yet Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°When you said that you were just practicing, you looked like a person from apletely different world. I don¡¯t think I can do that at all.¡± Murmuring that he couldn¡¯t stop himself anymore, he took out an herbal juice from his belly pocket and started to drink it. ¡°Do you want some?¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± Raon shook his head and climbed the castle wall. The clear moon was floating in the night sky, not a single trace of clouds in sight. He could even see the white mist surrounding Stallin Mountain in the far distance. ¡®It''s nice weather.¡¯ Thinking that he would be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery during the watch, he started using cier. He didn¡¯t need to stand there doing nothing just because it was a mission. Since he had to watch his surroundings, it was the perfect time to expand his ocean of perception. ¡®By the way.¡¯ Raon looked at Wrath, who was hanging around his wrist, while observing his surroundings through the ocean of perception. ¡®He is rather silent nowadays.¡¯ Except for throwing a tantrum to eat at the Branch of Frost, he had been so silent recently¡ªto the point that it was strange. ¡®It¡¯d be better if he picked a fight.¡¯ Since making a bet or fighting against him would easily increase his stats, he missed him picking fights. While he was licking his lip, Wrath rose up like smoke from the flower bracelet. After staring for a while at the distant Stallin Mountain, he turned his head. Raon Zieghart. I have something to tell you. ¡®I can¡¯t eat right now. I¡¯m in the middle of a mission.¡¯ That¡¯s not what I was going to say! Is the King of Essence a useless mouth to you? ¡®Were you not?¡¯ Ugh! Seriously, you¡­ Haa. Wrath grit his teeth. He narrowed his eyes to re at Raon, then started sighing. ¡®What¡¯s the matter then?¡¯ Make a bet with the King of Essence for the first time in a long time. ¡®A bet?¡¯ Did he just say a bet? The cheating gamblers said that the most difficult part about cheating was to get a doormat to participate. And now, the doormat just walked up to him and straight up participated in the gamble. Raon¡¯s eyes were covered in red fervor. Was the doormat Wrath striking again? Chapter 139 ¡°Bet? What kind of bet do you want all of a sudden?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at Wrath as he burned with frost. It¡¯s a very simple bet. Instead of responding immediately, Wrath looked up at the sky once again, then continued. Was that pointy ears¡¯ exam to survive here for a year? ¡®Yes, and there¡¯s less than half a year left now.¡¯ It didn¡¯t feel like it had been long, since there were multiple incidents, but it¡¯d already been seven months since he¡¯d arrived at Habun Castle. That meant there weren¡¯t even five months left until the end of the exam. That¡¯s the one. The King of Essence is going to bet that you will leave this ce before you fulfill the remaining duration. ¡®What?¡¯ Raon looked down on Wrath, as if he heard something ridiculous. ¡®Are you serious right now?¡¯ Of course. A demon king never goes back on his word. ¡®But I saw you going back on your word.¡¯ S-Silence! I keep bets, at least! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Was he really a doormat? There weren¡¯t even five months left, and he was in afortable situation where he just needed to train before returning since the wave was already over and Eden was defeated. That was why he was wondering why he was making such a bet. It wasn¡¯t normal. Wrath was a doormat, but he wasn¡¯t an idiot. It was certain that he had information Raon wasn¡¯t aware of, if he was making such a bet. Do you ept? ¡®Show it to me for now.¡¯ Alright. Wrath came out from the braceletpletely, and a message appeared in front of his eyes. There was a significant increase of Wrath points on failure, but the reward was just as high. ¡®Considering you are making such a bet, I guess Eden is going to attack us or something, right?¡¯ I wonder. Wrath didn¡¯t respond. Since he didn¡¯t tell lies, he was using his ability to avoid talking to his disadvantage. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips, looking at the message. ¡®The probability of Eden returning isn¡¯t exactly high.¡¯ After the information about Eden¡¯s demons targeting Habun Castle got around, thebat units of two of the Six Kings hade close. If Eden hadmon sense, there was no way they would start attacking Habun Castle for a while. ¡®No, no. They don¡¯t have such a thing.¡¯ Raon shook his head. Eden¡¯s demons were some of the craziest people on the continent. They were crazy enough to target the orc lord¡¯s magic stone he had, regardless of who was defending it. ¡®Well, that should be fine.¡¯ Trials and hardships served as a basis for quick growth. If Eden attacked again, he just needed to rend them with power. ¡®Fine. I ept the bet.¡¯ It¡¯s an excellent choice, more than you deserve. Raon epted the bet, and the message appeared to announce the establishment of it. He raised his chin, looking at the message fading away. Since the bet is in ce, the King of Essence shall give you a piece of advice. ¡®Advice?¡¯ Yes. The King of Essence is giving you this advice because we ate all of those delicacies together. ¡®Delicacies, huh¡­¡¯ It was such a trivial reason. ¡®What is the advice?¡¯ You¡¯d better leave this ce right away. And you should bring everyone else that you care for along with you. Wrath¡¯s serious blue eyes shone in a deadly light. After all, the castle itself is going to disappear soon. * * * Damn it! Wrath mmed the ground with his icy hand. Despite his confident statement, nothing happened for a month. It looked like his n hadpletely failed, since he would sometimes sigh heavily while saying things like ¡®What?!¡¯, ¡®Why is it going back to sleep?¡¯, or ¡®How is this happening?¡¯. ¡®That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t have started a bet.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue. It seemed like Wrath really was a doormat, since he was going to gain the rewards without doing anything. The King of Essence didn¡¯t expect thatzy, good-for-nothing to go back to sleep. He is seriously a sleepyhead! ¡®Sleepyhead?¡¯ Stop talking about him. It¡¯s frustrating! Wrath turned his head around, saying that it was irritating. Judging from his reaction, something dangerous surely existed in the surrounding area. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter anymore, though.¡¯ It seemed he could rest assured now, since Wrath¡¯s expression looked like he was chewing shit. Raon casually warmed himself up and drew his sword. He touched the orc lord¡¯s magic stone on the White Spirit Armor and closed his eyes. Even though the hallucination hadn¡¯t appeared again, he wasn¡¯t disappointed since the trajectory of the sword the blonde swordsman had shown him still remained in his head. ¡°Haa.¡± Imagining the technique in the head, Raon opened his eyes. He calmly caught his breath and held his sword around chest height. Whir! The thrust looked like an arrow leaving a bowstring. The de, imbued with me, pierced through the cold air of daybreak. ¡®Slow.¡¯ Raon bit his lips. Even though the trajectory was simr, it was slower and less precise than the blonde swordsman¡¯s de. ¡®Let¡¯s try again.¡¯ He pulled his sword back, then thrust along the same trajectory. It seemed to be a bit faster, but it was still much slower than him. ¡®Again.¡¯ Raon repeated the thrust over and over before he had any amount of progress. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon caught his breath and straightened his back. He had been practicing nothing but the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s stab for about two hours. ¡®It got slightly better.¡¯ Thanks to the repeated training, he got a little bit closer to his sword. The speed had increased, and he could imbue his sword with aura more meticulously. You are slow, really slow. The King of Essence would¡¯ve alreadypleted that technique. Wrath pouted, dissatisfied with Raon¡¯s actions. ¡®Stop pointlessly venting your anger.¡¯ Ugh¡­ ¡®If it¡¯s already over, how about giving up on the bet right now?¡¯ Shut up. The King of Essence is a demon king that doesn¡¯t know the term giving up. The King of Essence will never drop out of the bet! ¡®What an indecisive demon king.¡¯ I-Indecisive? Did you just call the King of Essence indecisive? Wrath left the bracelet with a trembling hand of ice. ¡®Yes, I did.¡¯ Back in Devildom, one of the King of Essence¡¯s aliases was the Resolute Demon King. The King of Essence was admired by the demons with his adamant judgment, which never went back on a decision¡­ ¡®I gotta keep training.¡¯ Listen to me! As Raon regained his posture, Wrath yelled and jumped at him. Whir! He surrounded his entire body while emanating a threatening amount of coldness. It looked like he was extremely angry, because he was going to have to reward him for free. ¡®I think you¡¯d better withdraw, self-proimed Resolute Demon King.¡¯ Shut up! The King of Essence doesn¡¯t care about the bet anymore. The King of Essence is going to take over your body right now! Wrath was so irritated that the bet he started wasn¡¯t bearing the result he wanted. It was to the point that he was intensely grinding his teeth while exuding coldness and anger. Whir. Raon used cier to create a wall of frost inside his mana circuit so that Wrath¡¯s coldness and anger wouldn¡¯t be able to prate. Do you believe the King of Essence is simply repeating the same thing? Wrath''s coldness, which was seeping inside his mana circuit, distorted. It turned into the thin shape of a sharp de and started piercing against cier¡¯s wall. Creak! The spear of coldness that contained a thin, yet powerful energy started splitting the wall of cier apart. Witness my power! The King of Essence has recovered enough strength to perfectly change the shape of his coldness. Now, you will also¡­ ¡®Ah, so that¡¯s how you do it.¡¯ Raon smiled cheerfully and used cier to create the exact same spear that Wrath was using. ng! The two spears of ice collided with each other, and they disappeared at the same time. Raon dragged the ice from it to his energy center and increased his Coldness of the Frost. Y-You bastard! ¡®Thank you, I learned something new once again.¡¯ Keuh! It¡¯s not over yet! The King of Essence hasn¡¯t given up yet! Wrath created a thinner and sharper spear to attack his mana circuit once again, but it just disappeared each time, blocked by Raon¡¯s spear. ¡®This is pretty good practice.¡¯ It was necessary to create the spear faster and more precisely in order to defend against Wrath¡¯s spear. As he kept focusing on defense, messages appeared in front of his eyes. Probably thanks to the practice of stopping the spear with a spear, his stats increased faster than usual. God damn it! Wrath started shouting towards the sky. Raon was d that Wrath returned to being the giving Wrath. That was the best Wrath there was. * * * * * * ¡°Sir Raon.¡± When the thin crescent moon rose to the sky, Dorian opened the door to the training ground and entered. ¡°I¡¯ve finished my mission! Let¡¯s go eat!¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°What do you mean already? I¡¯ve been on duty the whole day!¡± Dorian frowned and started waving his hand around. It looked like he was going to throw the chair he took out of his belly pocket. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t notice so much time had passed.¡± Raon licked his lips, looking up into the sky. He was so focused on training that he didn¡¯t even notice that night had alreadye. ¡°Let¡¯s eat at the Branch of Frost today. I heard they have excellent apple meat pies, since they got some good apples after such a long time.¡± A-Apple meat pie? Before Raon could answer, Wrath popped up like a worm protruding from the ground. R-Raon Zieghart, let¡¯s go! This is the opportunity to eat some apple meat pies! Since Wrath could only dream about the apple meat pie for the past four months, drool was flowing from his mouth. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they be already closed at this hour? Today is a weekday.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made an appointment with Yua!¡± ¡°You are quick to take action with something like this.¡± ¡°I made an appointment as soon as I heard they got new apples!¡± Dorian returned the chair to his belly pocket and smiled cheerfully. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Wrath was trying to read his mind with his mouth wide open. Since Raon had gotten some stats and would get the rewards for their bet soon enough, it seemed reasonable to do him a favor by eating it. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ooh! An excellent choice! Raon headed towards the Branch of Frost, walking with a cheerful man and demon king. ¡°Wee!¡± Yua was cleaning the tables, smiling when they entered. There were no clients inside the pub, probably because it was already closed. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s still open?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay since you¡¯ve made an appointment, I¡¯ve already made the preparations! Please wait for a moment.¡± Yua nodded and went to the kitchen. It seemed like the manager wasn¡¯t there that day, since no other presence than Yua¡¯s could be felt from the kitchen. Wow! I¡¯ve been looking forward to this fragrance! The coldness flowing from Wrath¡¯s mouth covered the entire floor of the pub. ¡°Woah. Today is pretty cold. Yua, give me some chicken stew with apples!¡± Dorian made an additional order while his shoulders and arms trembled. It looked like he managed to sense something strange. A-Apple chicken stew! An apple meat pie and an apple chicken stew! Something that looked like an ice breath wasing from his mouth. ¡®I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s because of this demon king, who went crazy for food.¡¯ Raon forced Wrath to close his mouth and sighed. If he knew that would happen, he would¡¯ve fed him beforehand. Ugh¡­ ¡°The food is ready!¡± As Wrath¡¯s coldness was about to emerge once again, Yua brought the pie and stew on arge tray. It felt like the sweet fragrance of apples was relieving his exhaustion. ¡°Is the manager not around today?¡± ¡°He went to talk with the merchant that brought the apples today, but he hasn¡¯te back yet. He¡¯s always like this.¡± Yua ced her hands on her waist and mumbled that she was always the only one working. ¡°Anyway, please eat before it gets cold. I¡¯m actually better at cooking than my grandfather.¡± Yua whispered while swaying her twin tails, as if she was telling him a secret. Sniff. An apple meat pie and apple stew! Is this Devildom? Did the King of Essence finally return to Devildom? Wrath was jumping around in the air, like a kid that got the toy he wanted as a present. Eat it already! My mouth is watering! ¡®Okay.¡¯ Raon served some pie and stew on a dish and ate a spoonful of the stew. ¡°Oh!¡± He automatically eximed from the taste. The mixture of the apple¡¯s sweetness and the chicken¡¯s salty taste was roughly stimting his tongue. The savory and rich soup spread satisfaction throughout his mouth. I-It¡¯s delicious! The harmony between the sweet and salty taste is engulfing the King of Essence¡¯s tongue like the harmony between wind and fire! This is the taste of Devildom! ¡°Wow! It¡¯s delicious! It¡¯s really delicious!¡± Even though Wrath was supposed to be a gourmet, that was a rtively simple description of the taste. It was at the same level as Dorian, who was just repeating that it was delicious. ¡°Then¡­¡± Raon took a bite on the apple meat pie. Despite its hard appearance, the pie unfolded softly upon entering his mouth. The juices of the small pieces of apple and the minced meat mixed with each other in harmony to surround his tongue. The taste reminded him of the warm and refreshing spring. And the difference in texture between the crunchy apple and the squishy meat was fun to chew on. ¡°This is amazing.¡± Raon nodded his head. He¡¯d eaten many times in the pub before, but that pie was definitely the best. He felt like he would pay any amount of money for it. He could understand why it was sold out so quickly. ¡°This is incredible! The apples today are truly outrageous!¡± Dorian was also praising the apple meat pie and gave a thumbs up as he said that it was way more delicious than the ones before. Aah, this is it! The reason the King of Essence has been staying next to you was for this very moment! This is the true taste of hell! Wrath was continuously emanating coldness from his body, deeply moved by the apple meat pie. It looked like he would ascend soon enough. ¡°Is it that good?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really delicious.¡± ¡°Hehe, thank you!¡± Yua smiled happily and returned to the kitchen. She brought out some other dishes, telling him to eat more, and all of them were delicious. Keuh! The King of Essence can now die without regrets. That was the taste of the world. Wrath looked truly satisfied as he nodded in approval. Apparently, her talent wasn¡¯t only singing, but also cooking. The speed was a bitcking, but it was more delicious than the manager¡¯s food. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± After eating about ten servings, Raon ced the money on the table. The amount was about four times higher than the cost indicated on the menu. ¡°Eh? This is more than the price of the food.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how much I was satisfied. And we werete today, so I¡¯m giving you a tip.¡± Raon waved his hand, dismissing her words with a smile. You are right. A satisfying meal deserves payment. ¡°It was the most delicious meal I¡¯ve ever had here.¡± Wrath and Dorian nodded at the same time. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return next time.¡± Raon waved his hand at Yua as she bowed, leaving the Branch of Frost. The pineapple girl has a talented hand on top of her voice. She deserves to be the King of Essence¡¯s third maid indeed. ¡®Third?¡¯ The first is the ice cream girl, the second is the beef girl, and the pineapple girl is the third. Ice cream was Runaan, beef was Martha, and pineapple was Yua. The demon king really did whatever he wanted. ¡®How pathetic¡­¡¯ As Raon was about to return to the scout''s quarters while clicking his tongue, a robust old man walked up to him. It was the manager of the Branch of Frost, the grandfather of Yua. ¡°Why are you sote? Yua was extremely angry!¡± Dorian made a fuss, telling him that he was in big trouble. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s a big problem. I had a lengthy conversation with my friend, since I hadn''t seen him in a long time.¡± Despite the fierce look in his eyes, the manager smiled softly as he nodded. ¡°Thank you for visiting. I¡¯ll go ahead and get scolded by my granddaughter.¡± He bowed lightly and entered the Branch of Frost. They could hear Yua inside, shouting at him about himing back sote. ¡°I knew he would get yelled at.¡± Dorian giggled, rubbing his belly pocket. ¡°Isn¡¯t he really different from his impression? I thought he was a scary person at first, but he is actually a really kind and gentle person.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel anything strange just now?¡± ¡°Strange?¡± He titled his head, expressing his confusion. Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the Branch of Frost, where the manager just entered. ¡®It¡¯s strange.¡¯ * * * ¡°Hmmhmm¡­¡± Yua was humming while cleaning the table that Raon and Dorian had used. Creak! The sound of the door opening felt unusually frightening. When she looked back in surprise, it was her grandfather. ¡°Grandfather! Why did you return sote?¡± Yua snorted, grabbing the dishcloth tightly. ¡°The time flew by while I was talking with him.¡± The grandfather locked the door and closed the curtains with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°You are always like this!¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been a busy day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the rumor spread about the excellent apples. I wished I had more than two bodies!¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sorry. You should go out and y tomorrow. Grandpa will work on his own.¡± The manager awkwardly scratched his cheek and walked up to Yua to pat her head. ¡°Heh, it¡¯s okay. Moreover, I earned a lot today¡­¡± Yua proudly started talking about the gold and silver, then stopped midway. She raised her head to check her grandfather. The big and warm hand, countless wrinkles around his eyes, and his slightly bent back were exactly like her kind grandfather, yet she somehow felt that he was different. ¡®Gasp!¡¯ She realized it upon meeting his eyes. An ominous darkness was residing inside his gentle eyes. ¡°Wh-Who are you?¡± Yua was trembling intensely as she stepped back. Since she¡¯d been living with him for her entire life, her intuition could tell that the man in front of her wasn¡¯t her grandfather. It was something else pretending to be him. ¡°Yua, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I asked who you are!¡± ¡°That¡¯s so mean! All I did was returnte.¡± It looked like he thought she was joking as he shrugged his shoulders and walked towards her. ¡°Where is my grandfather?¡± ¡°Yua, what are you talking about?¡± Her grandfather¡¯s face was speaking with her grandfather¡¯s voice. He was acting and talking the exact same as her grandfather, but she could tell that it was a different existence from him. ¡°You aren¡¯t my grandfather! I asked you where my grandfather was!¡± Yua wiped the tears flowing down her cheek and stepped back. Feeling her back touch the cold wall, goosebumps appeared on her skin. She couldn¡¯t withdraw any further, yet the monster wearing the grandfather¡¯s skin was right in front of her. ¡°Yua, what¡¯s wrong with you? Your jokes are going too far.¡± ¡°Wh-What did you do to my grandfather? Please!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She screamed, and he was petrified like a stone statue. His dry gaze as he looked down at her was visibly different from before. ¡°How did you find out?¡± The gentle voice of the old grandfather turned into a shrill voice, scratching his lungs. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Yua copsed on her knees and her entire body trembled. His evil eyes,cking even a single speck of emotion, made her hair stand on end. ¡°G-Grandfather! Return my grandfather to me!¡± Even though she was filled with fear, she was still looking for her grandfather instead of caring for her own safety. However, the monster didn¡¯t have any intention of replying to her. ¡°How did you find out? How did you find out? How did you find out? How did you find out? How did you find out? How did you find out? How did you find out? How did you find out?¡± His neck turned in a direction that was impossible for a normal human being. Yua started to hyperventte from the fear caused by the repetition of his dry voice. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The monster¡¯s head, which used to look like her grandfather, expanded before shrinking back. She felt like she was going crazy from witnessing the grotesque shape, simr to a mixture of ys of different colors. ¡°How did you find out?¡± The monster opened its hand. Therge hand grasped at her, and a ck hole simr to a beast¡¯s mouth appeared. Some kind of gray y was dripping from the hole. ¡°Yua.¡± She could see her grandfather¡¯s appearance inside the ck hole. He was waving at her with a gentle smile. ¡°G-Grandfather!¡± As her grandfather approached her, the ck hole was also getting closer to her. Yua closed her eyes tightly. ¡°How did you find out?¡± The moment the grinning monster was about to swallow her up into the hole of its hand, the wall she was leaning against exploded. Baam! The hot st bursting through the wall melted the monster¡¯s hand. Feeling the gentle hand pulling her shoulder, she raised her head. Inside the ashen dust flying around, a blonde swordsman stood there, surrounded by a deadly aura. Cling! Crimson lightning sparkled in his eyes as he drew his sword. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Chapter 140 Raonpletely turned around. He tapped his scabbard while looking at the Branch of Frost, which had just been locked up. ¡®What was that just now?¡¯ He got an ominous feeling from the manager he¡¯d encountered just then. It wasn¡¯t from his normal sense, but his sixth sense was telling him about it. ¡®There was nothing strange about him though.¡¯ The manager¡¯s face, eyes, steps, and ent. There was nothing unusual about his behavior or speech. It was exactly the same manager he saw each time he visited the Branch of Frost. However, the insides were different. It felt like some unknown lump was wearing human skin. ¡®Was that my mistake? Maybe I¡¯ve been too sensitive recently.¡¯ Raon frowned, pressing on his temple. It could¡¯ve been his mistake since he was too focused on reproducing the blonde swordsman¡¯s technique recently. ¡®No, there¡¯s no way that was a mistake.¡¯ There was no way his sixth sense was wrong, since he had the Ring of Fire. There was no way he would make a mistake at such a close distance. Hmm. Wrath was ring at the Branch of Frost, which confirmed his doubts. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon used cier, and a small wave surged from the ocean of perception, spreading concentrically. It was the manager¡¯s presence that entered the Branch of Frost just now. It wasn¡¯t the kind ssh he usually made, but a mechanical wave without any emotion. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist. His intuition wasn¡¯t wrong, since it was an unknown existence wearing the manager¡¯s skin. ¡°Sir Raon, why aren¡¯t you moving?¡± Dorian, who was walking towards the scout¡¯s quarters, returned to him and tilted his head. ¡°Dorian, follow the violent noise in a moment.¡± ¡°What?¡± Leaving a confused Dorian behind, Raon ran to the back of the Branch of Frost. Why aren¡¯t you headed there directly? ¡®It might hold Yua hostage if I enter through the door.¡¯ Since he didn¡¯t know its identity, he couldn¡¯t move recklessly. He silently moved to the wall, which Yua was leaning her back against. One became the most careless at the moment of their attack. That was the timing Raon was aiming for. Creak! Something with the manager¡¯s appearance was extending its hand towards Yua. The moment the ominous presence spread out like a wrap, Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to destroy the wall. Baam! While it was confused by the sudden explosion, Raon pulled Yua towards him and drew his sword. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± It showed itself behind the gray dust descending on the ground. Its face was that of the manager, with his eyes wide. ¡°Why! Why are you doing this?¡± His lips were trembling as he stepped back, pretending he couldn¡¯t understand his actions. ¡°Say that again after hiding that hand.¡± Raon pointed at the manager¡¯s hand with a cold smile. A pitch-ck mouth was opening and closing in its huge hand. ¡°How did you find out again? How? How? How? How?¡± The manager¡¯s mouth split open like a crescent moon, and its head puffed up, then shrank back repeatedly. It didn¡¯t even look like a monster, let alone a human being. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Yua¡¯s tears dropped onto Raon¡¯s hand, which was covering her shoulder, and his hand stiffened automatically. ¡°Kuaah! Wh-What is that?¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped upon witnessing the monster that looked simr to a mass of y or mud. ¡°What is that monster?¡± ¡°Take care of Yua.¡± Raon passed Yua to the startled Dorian and stood in front of the monster. ¡®What is this thing?¡¯ It¡¯s a doppelganger. ¡®Doppelganger? But a doppelganger¡¯s transformation isn¡¯t so perfect.¡¯ A Doppelganger was a monster that ate humans to transform into them, but the appearance was all they could copy. Their behavior and speech waspletely different. Raon couldn¡¯t believe that it was a doppelganger, since he didn¡¯t only copy the appearance, but also perfectly simted the manager¡¯s speech and action. It is modified through ck magic. They¡¯ve shredded the sanctity of life to pieces to create a new race. Its base is a doppelganger, but it¡¯s pretty much a chimera at this point. Wrath red at the doppelganger, murmuring that it was something even the demons wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°Siren¡¯s vessel. I have to take the Siren¡¯s vessel at all costs.¡± The doppelganger was darting its gray tongue in and out in Yua¡¯s direction instead of Raon, who was ready to fight it. Siren¡¯s vessel. That word was enough for him to understand. Eden was the one that sent the modified doppelganger, and their target wasn¡¯t the magic stone but Yua. ¡°Siren¡¯s vessel!¡± With a grotesque smile, the doppelganger extended its hand. The arm stretched like rubber towards Yua. ¡°You are looking down on me too much.¡± Raon was already expecting that to happen the moment he saw its wiggling arm. sh! Raon swung his sword to block the arm¡¯s trajectory. The sh hit the doppelganger''s arm like lightning to sever it from the middle. ¡°The Siren¡¯s vessel has to be¡­¡± Even though its arm was cut off, the doppelganger kept ring at Yua without even groaning. It looked like its sense of pain was erased when it was modified. Whir. The doppelganger''s arm grew back in an instant. Its regeneration was surpassing the ice troll lord. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± The doppelganger''s left hand puffed up like a boulder, and a thorned whip was pping from its right hand. ¡°Kieee!¡± It kicked the ground to run towards him, mming down with its huge fist. A tremendous amount of pressure was weighing down on him, but Raon simply pulled his sword back instead of withdrawing. Baam! Along with a tremendous wave of power, the doppelganger''s left shoulder was sted off entirely. ¡°Siren¡¯s vessel!¡± As expected of a monster that couldn¡¯t feel the pain, the doppelganger immediately swung its whip from its right hand. The thorned whip was coiling around Raon¡¯s body like a snake. Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation on the whip that was curling in his direction. The flower petals dancing on the de fluttered around. Whir! The flower blossoms of me followed the whip and burned up the doppelganger¡¯s upper body. Raon thought he could subjugate it just like that, but that was his mistake. ¡°Kieee.¡± The doppelganger cut off its burning body on its own, and regenerated itself as if it were turning back time. The regeneration was so fast that an average person wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell anything had ever happened. ¡°Siren, I have to take the Siren¡¯s vessel.¡± The doppelganger kept repeating the same thing, as if that was the only goal of its life. ¡°Kieeee!¡± The doppelganger roared. Turning its hands into greatswords, it iled them around while walking towards him. Even though there was no technique in its movements, the sheer strength and speed couldn¡¯t be ignored. sh! Analyzing all of the doppelganger¡¯s movements, Raon stepped forward. He ripped apart its arms and sliced its chest. Spurt! Gray blood gushed from the doppelganger¡¯s chest, which was cut by the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, but it onlysted for a moment. The injury in its chest was closed in an instant. ¡°Kieee.¡± Despite burning with fire and cutting with his sword, the doppelganger¡¯s body kept growing back like a lizard¡¯s tail. Raon felt like there was no end to it since it couldn¡¯t even feel pain. ¡°I haven¡¯t used my fist in a long time.¡± Raon sheathed his sword and clenched his fist. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura surrounded his fist like thick armor. ¡°Kieee!¡± The doppelganger¡¯s hand transformed into an iron mace and sharp spikes appeared throughout his body. It looked like it was trying to hurt him in return if he tried to attack it. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s enough?¡± Raon kicked the ground and pierced into the doppelganger¡¯s space. The iron mace, which was the size of an adult¡¯s body, swung towards his head and heart. It was an attack with the intention of quickly eliminating a hindrance. That was why it was easy to read. Raon deflected the first iron mace with the back of his hand and thrust his left fist. The strike contained the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy and the Void Tiger Fist¡¯s rotation as it shattered the iron macepletely. Baam! His right fist followed, to punch the right side of the doppelganger¡¯s upper body. It sharpened the spiked even further, but it was overwhelmed by the tremendous energy imbued in Raon¡¯s fist, and its upper body got sted apart. ¡°I¡¯m only getting started.¡± The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy fully bloomed around his fist. The raging me around his fist became a storm to assault the doppelganger¡¯s body. Facing the attack affecting a ne instead of a line, the doppelganger¡¯s regeneration couldn¡¯t catch up to the damage. Its y-like body started to disappear, as if it were erased by an eraser. ¡°Seiren¡¯s¡ªgah!¡± Raon destroyed its mouth as it tried to bber again and struck its chest. It seemed the fear still remained in it despite the sense of pain being gone, as its eyes started to tremble. ¡°S-Stop doing that!¡± * * * * * * Yua¡¯s scream could be heard right before the doppelganger''s upper body waspletely destroyed. ¡°M-My grandfather! My grandfather is still alive inside! Please save him!¡± Yua started crying on her knees. ¡°M-Mister swordsman!¡± ¡°Kiee!¡± The moment Raon¡¯s gaze was distracted at Yua, the doppelganger''s body, which was covering the ground, transformed into a long shape like a snake and leaped outside. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t say anything. He simply met Yua¡¯s eyes to confirm her desperate wishes before running in the direction the doppelganger had left. You let it escape on purpose. ¡®I can¡¯t kill it in front of her.¡¯ Even though it was a monster, it was taking her grandfather¡¯s shape. He didn¡¯t use any brutal moves because he couldn¡¯t kill it in front of Yua, and even released it at the end. ¡®And there¡¯s no way it can escape.¡¯ Raon had already finished analyzing its patterns. He was confident that he could find it no matter what. ¡®Is it leaving the castle?¡¯ The doppelganger was running outside the castle towards the north, where Stallin Mountain was located. Raon climbed the castle wall. He could see the doppelganger running through the snow field like a wolf. ¡®You won¡¯t go anywhere.¡¯ Raon stomped heavily on the ground, creating a crack. His body leaped like a rock from a catapult to strike the doppelganger¡¯s back. m! Along with the sound of bursting flesh, the doppelganger was shoved into the snow. ¡°Kieee!¡± It stood back up immediately and started to regenerate its destroyed flesh, but its gray eyes were clearly telling him that it was in a panic. ¡°This is as far as you go.¡± Raon drew his sword once again. He lowered his posture while using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme. He wanted to kill it right away, but he couldn''t move his de because he remembered Yua¡¯s eyes right before. ¡®Is it really impossible to save him?¡¯ A Doppelganger was an extremely rare monster. Since there weren¡¯t many people that encountered one, he¡¯d never heard of anything about the precautions against it or how to save a person that was swallowed by one. How pathetic. Wrath sneered and popped out from the bracelet. The pineapple girl told you that the old man is inside. She is right about that. ¡®What?¡¯ Use cier to look into it in detail. Focus on the inside rather than the outside. Raon took a nce at Wrath before starting to use cier. He focused the entire ocean of perception, concentrating on the doppelganger lying in front of him. ¡°Kieee!¡± The doppelganger tried to punch him with a huge fist, one the size of a boulder. Raon simply dodged it with River Footwork and focused on the ocean of perception. He could feel its energy, nature, and liquid-like body in his grasp. ¡®What am I supposed to feel¡­ Huh?¡¯ He could feel a weak energy inside the doppelganger¡¯s body, sshing like water inside a bottle. It didn¡¯t belong to the doppelganger. Even though it was as faint as a snuffed-out candle, it was certainly the vitality of a human being. Did you finally realize it? The pub¡¯s old man is still alive. It was pulling out his memory inside its body just like a child sucking on a candy. ¡®How can I save him?¡¯ Raon adjusted his grip on the sword. Since he received a lot from Yua, he wanted to save him if it was possible. It¡¯s impossible for you right now. Wrath decisively shook his head. Your current level isn¡¯t good enough to only kill the doppelganger while leaving the old man alive. ¡®What level do I need?¡¯ In human¡¯s terms, your mind has to be one with the weapon¡­ ¡®Unification with the de?¡¯ Yes. You need to be one with the sword to cut nothing but the doppelganger, which is impossible for you right now. If you make the slightest mistake, the old man is going to die. ¡®That¡¯s fine then.¡¯ What? ¡®Even though that¡¯s impossible for me alone, I can do it with some help.¡¯ Raon sheathed his sword and drew the de of Requiem from his waist. Lifting the crimson de, which was emanating ghastly energy, he asked. ¡°I want to help the man in there. Can you help me?¡± Whir! The de of Requiem resonated clearly, telling him that he didn¡¯t need to ask the obvious. The ghastly energy was burning on the crimson de like a haze. Cring! The me of Ten Thousand mes Cultivation mixed with the ghastly energy, creating a bloody crimson energy that surrounded Raon and the de of Requiem. Just like the river merging into the ocean, the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy mixed into the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura. Huh, are you trying to achieve unity through the will of the de instead of your level? Wrath eximed, witnessing the natural harmony between the aura and ghastly energy. I don¡¯t really like it, but it seems possible. Raon nodded upon hearing Wrath¡¯s answer. ¡°Then all that¡¯s left is¡­¡± To decide what he needed to cut. Since he needed to slice nothing but the doppelganger¡¯s soul, the most important part was to decide where to cut. You only have a single chance. The old man¡¯s state isn¡¯t good enough to survive more hits. You¡¯d better pick carefully which part to sever. ¡®I know.¡¯ Raon nodded. He could feel through cier that it wasn¡¯t impossible for the manager to die at any time. He needed to cut it in a single strike, without any impact. ¡°Kieee!¡± As Raon was focused on checking the doppelganger¡¯s body, it started screaming and extended its arm. m! The doppelganger curled its sshing body, then started expanding like an unfolding rubber. It reached six meters in height in no time, punching him with a fist the size of a house. Ignoring the huge fist mming down on him while covering the moonlight, Raon resonated the rings of fires. The world became slower. Inside his apparently paused sight, his red eyes examined the doppelganger¡¯s insides. ¡®There!¡¯ At the left side of the doppelganger¡¯s waist, there was a region smaller than a bean, no. A region smaller than a grain of rice was spurting the void energy like a fountain. That grain was the origin of the doppelganger¡¯s power. Creak! Raon grasped the de of Requiem in a reverse grip. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura and the ghastly energy merged with each other in harmony, like paints of different colors poured into water, and the bloody crimson energy surged onto the de. Unification with the de was normally achieved by the swordsman¡¯s own power. However, Raon had be one with the de of Requiem in the true sense of the word by having the same will. Raon stomped the ground and extended his hand. The de of Requiem¡¯s natural movement felt like it was part of his hand. The doppelganger sensed the danger to its life and moved the core of its body, but Raon¡¯s extreme perception didn¡¯t miss that slight movement. The crimson light born from the end of his de pierced through the doppelganger¡¯s soul. Chapter 141 Alongside the cutting sound of dozens of papers getting ripped apart at once, the doppelganger¡¯s body started to twist. ¡°Kieee¡­¡± Its body melted down like a lump of metal inside a furnace, and the manager appeared from the inside. The way he was covered by sticky mucus looked like he just hatched from an egg. ¡°Did I make it?¡± Raon lowered the de of Requiem. The doppelganger wasn¡¯t moving anymore, it was simply flowing down like water along with a small groan. You hit right on the spot. The core was perfectly destroyed. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ I told you how to do it, but I didn¡¯t expect you to actually carry it out. Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking at him. It looked like he was also surprised by the improvised Unification with the de. ¡°Since the manager is still alive, it¡¯s ov¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes became widened while he was trying to take the manager from the doppelganger¡¯s corpse. That was because the ck magic¡¯s energy, which had been dissipating, started to amplify all of a sudden. ¡°Oh!¡± Raon forced the manager out of the doppelganger¡¯s mucus and pushed him behind his back. Whir! As soon as he increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output to the maximum, the ck mana clustering inside the doppelganger¡¯s corpse burst into a ck me and surged. Baam! With a thunderous noise that resounded through heaven and earth, the condensed ck energy exploded. The tremendous power was strong enough to twist Raon¡¯s body, but his eyes had already seen its flow with the Ring of Fire. Raon immediately mmed his sword down, slicing the darkness in half with the crimson trajectory. Whaam! The sliced darkness brushed past Raon and the manager, exploding on the snowfield. It was powerful enough to heavily injure him if he had taken it head on, but he managed to perfectly defend against it thanks to his instant reaction and precise trajectory. ¡°Damn bastards.¡± Raon frowned, ring at the depleted ground, which had turned ck. It was Eden that had exploded the doppelganger so that they couldn¡¯t even investigate it. They were seriously far from being normal. It looks like Eden is full of crazy bastards. ¡®They don¡¯t lose to anyone in the continent in terms of lunacy.¡¯ Even though he had only met them three times so far, Wrath also realized that Eden was full of lunatics. Raon turned around to check the manager¡¯s condition. His skin was partially melted, and his vitality had decreased drastically, but fortunately his life wasn¡¯t in danger. ¡®I should heal him first¡­ huh?¡¯ As he was about to treat him with aura¡ª Whir! A ck bubble appeared from the doppelganger¡¯s ragged corpse. The corpse that looked like a rotten leaf gathered in the shape of a bead to form the shape of a human¡¯s face. Arge hat with a brim, a long nose, and a wrinkled face. It was an old woman¡¯s shabby face. ¡°I¡¯m d. I¡¯m d I saw it!¡± The old woman opened her mouth. Despite her appearance, her voice sounded like that of a young woman. An intense madness could be felt from her seductive and rxed voice. ¡°It was you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You were the one that killed the Voracious Ice Demon and ruined the Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s n.¡± The old woman grinned and tilted her chin. ¡°Of course the old and sick Mind wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the Blue Shamanic Demon¡¯s n. It was all your fault¡ªwhat happened today, and back then as well.¡± The old woman¡¯s eyes were glowing in darkness as she thoroughly scanned his body. ¡°You¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. It wasn¡¯t a monster¡¯s mask, but a human¡¯s mask. And it wasn¡¯t just anyone, but a witch. There was only one that existed in Eden. The one that stood alongside the monsters 500 years ago, giving up on the title of the kingdom¡¯s archmage. She was the treacherous witch Merlin, who also appeared in the folk tale Sylvia used to read him. ¡°Are you wearing Merlin¡¯s mask?¡± ¡°Do you know me? Did you just say you know me? Seriously?¡± The old woman¡¯s voice sounded as sweet as a cocktail. ¡°Aah, nice. Nice. You have a great perception and are quick on the uptake as well. I like everything about you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What we needed from there wasn¡¯t the Siren¡¯s vessel, but you! The real treasure was you!¡± Her wavering voice was filled with desire. ¡°Won¡¯t youe with me?¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Thoseposed eyes, cold voice, and that face. You are the best. Come with me. I¡¯ll make you into the best man ever.¡± Merlin¡¯s face, made from the doppelganger¡¯s corpse, crawled up to him. ¡°I¡¯ll make you live with me forever.¡± Merlin¡¯s mouth split apart even though it was just a mask. Upon seeing the corners of the mouth reaching her ears, chill ran down his spine. ¡°Get out of my sight.¡± Raon frowned and swung his sword, but Merlin¡¯s face quickly restored her appearance, as if he¡¯d cut through a smoke. ¡°I also like that resolution.¡± Merlin breathed heavily as she came even closer. She wasn¡¯t just a face anymore, as her body was also being created. Foolish woman, how dare you target the King of Essence¡¯s body and soul! Know your ce! Wrath gritted his teeth and surged. The coldness and anger emerging from him exploded like a volcano to engulf the space. What are you doing? y her just like you did earlier! Be one with your sword right now, while she is being too careless to rip that magic apart! ¡®One with the sword¡­¡¯ He was telling him to achieve Unification with the de to cut her apart just like he did to save the manager. Raon sheathed the de of Requiem and wielded the sword. What are you doing! Use that insignificant creature to cut her apart! ¡®I think I can do it now.¡¯ The sensation still remained from piercing the doppelganger¡¯s core earlier. He had a feeling that he could achieve the Unification with the de with his own power now. ¡°Do what? What are you trying to show me this time?¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes were burning with a yellow insanity. ¡°Show me more. I¡¯ll witness everything with my eyes.¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond and closed his eyes. What he needed to cut wasn¡¯t the mass in front of him, but the flow of magic controlling it. He felt like the de was part of his arm when he cut the doppelganger with the de of Requiem earlier. That was the feeling he needed to replicate. Whir! Resonating the rings of fire, he used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The zing aura softly surrounded his body and sword. However, it wasn¡¯t perfect. He needed to be slower and more natural. He polished the twisting aura on the de into a flexible water. Bing one with the de. Unification with the de was the incorporation of his will in the de. And his flow needed to be extremely natural in order to reach that level. Once he covered his body and sword with a wless aura, his sword didn¡¯t feel like a sword anymore. It felt like an extension of his arm. Maintaining that sensation, Raon lifted his sword and mmed it down. It wasn¡¯t fast, nor slow, nor powerful. It was just a simple strike. However, the de contained Raon¡¯s will to defeat his enemy. am! The crimson sh incorporated his will andpletely ripped apart Merlin¡¯s shape. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Merlin started to scream for the first time. Blood was dripping under her mask. It looked like the Unification with the de managed to hurt her main body in addition to the magic. ¡°Did you manage to reach the Unification with the de without even using the possessed de? Did you seriously grow in such a short amount of time?¡± The scream didn¡¯tst for a long time. What followed was her voice, filled with praise and delight. ¡°Wow. We will meet each other again soon enough. You are mine. I won¡¯t hand you over to anyone el¡­¡± Merlin turned into a smoke and dissipated, unable to finish her sentence. ¡°What a crazy bitch.¡± Raon lowered his sword and sighed. He was d that he didn¡¯t need to hear her voice anymore, more than the fact that he¡¯d achieved the Unification with the de. How dare she target the King of Essence¡¯s body? Her lunacy is special even among Eden. If only the King of Essence could move right now, I would¡¯ve frozen her to the bone. Wrath shook his hand, gesturing that she stood no chance. ¡°I¡¯m not your body. My body is mine.¡± Raon sighed, looking at Wrath as he boasted with his arms crossed. ¡®By the way¡­¡¯ He looked around. He was currently outside Habun Castle. Although the bet¡¯s condition about not leaving Habun Castle signified its surroundings instead of the castle itself, Wrath could nitpick on that if he wanted. However, Wrath wasn¡¯t doing anything about it. He was just ring at Merlin¡¯s melted shape, yelling at her to stop targeting his belongings. Hmph, I have no intention to im my victory over something like this, so stop staring at me like that. Who do you think the King of Essence is? ¡®You told me about the manager being inside the doppelganger, and even gave me the hint about the Unification with the de. What¡¯s wrong with you today? I heard people start doing unusual things before they die, so are you finally getting out of me now?¡¯ You are such a crazy bastard. Wrath shook his head. I told you before, that the King of Essence doesn¡¯t abandon his subordinates and servants. That old man was my third maids¡¯ grandfather. Of course he deserved to be saved. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Since it was an unexpected reason, Raon fell speechless. Now that he thought about it¡­ It was Wrath that informed him about Syria harassing Runaan. Was he serious? Apparently, he wasn¡¯t joking when he called Runaan, Martha, and Yua his maids. Raon thought the crazy one was the self-proimed demon king, not himself. And¡­ Wrath smiled coldly, looking at the peak of Stallin Mountain. Even if the King of Essence doesn¡¯t force his way this time, I think the King of Essence will win the bet, or even take over your body this time. * * * * * * Inside a grotesque space decorated by human and monster flesh, an excited voice¡ªout of ce in the scene¡ªcame from the skull table in the center. ¡°Huhu¡­¡± It was the woman wearing the treacherous witch Merlin¡¯s mask. She groaned, blood dripping from her chin. However, that groan was an expression of delight, rather than pain. ¡°Aah.¡± The woman raised her mask slightly. She used her finger to collect the falling blood and tasted it with her tongue. She licked her red lips to savor the taste. ¡°I¡¯ll bring him to me no matter what, using any means necessary. That face, those eyes. I won¡¯t allow any other woman to have him¡­¡± Her gathered hands were trembling. It looked like she couldn¡¯t control her excitement. Whir. While she was pulling the flesh from her arm with her long nails, a skull mask appeared from the distortion of the space, blue mes raging in his eyes. ¡°What happened? Why did the doppelganger¡¯s life signal stop?¡± ¡°It died.¡± ¡°What? How is that possible?¡± ¡°Mind became stronger than before. He noticed the doppelganger¡¯s presence and saved the Siren¡¯s vessel.¡± The red lips twisted up under the slightly raised Merlin mask. She was mentioning Mind¡¯s name, which had nothing to do with the case. It looked like she had no intention of talking about Raon. ¡°And what kind of shitty modification did you even do? It was found out like an idiot, and even bbered by itself about its target being the Siren¡¯s vessel.¡± ¡°I believe your spell should¡¯ve been able to stop it before it happened.¡± ¡°I told you I would just spectate it this time.¡± ¡°You damn bitch¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t share the same objective, and I don¡¯t particrly care about the Siren¡¯s vessel, either.¡± ¡°What happened to the Siren¡¯s vessel?¡± ¡°She is alive.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± The skull mask breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking that it was fine as long as she was alive. ¡°Crazy bitch. I shouldn¡¯t have left this matter to you.¡± The me in his eyes raged like hellfire as he red at Merlin, then he turned into smoke to disappear. ¡°Huuu.¡± The woman stuck the mask closer to her face,ughing in a way that sounded like a groan. ¡°That boy is mine. I won¡¯t give him to anyone else.¡± * * * Raon erased the ck magic in the manager¡¯s body with Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s pure energy, filling him with vitality. Life gradually returned to his pale face. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that I managed to kill it quickly.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been irreversible if he was slower. He got lucky in many ways. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Mister swordsman!¡± When he gave a sigh of relief and carried the manager on his back, he could hear Dorian and Yua¡¯s voices from behind him. When he looked back, he could see that people were running towards him, including the astonished Mind, soldiers, and Dorian with Yua on his back. ¡°G-Grandfather!¡± Yua jumped down from Dorian¡¯s back and hugged the manager¡¯s arm. ¡°Grandfather! Wake up! I won¡¯t scold you for skipping work anymore! Please!¡± ¡°Yua.¡± Yua looked up to Raon, chin trembling. ¡°He is alright. You don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡± Raon nodded at her with a smile, and Yua sank on her knees. ¡°Uwaaaaa!¡± Upon hearing that the manager was safe, Yua burst into tears that she could even repress against the doppelganger. ¡°Y-Yua.¡± Apparently, her cry served as a stimnt, since the manager slowly opened his eyes even though Raon thought he wouldn¡¯t wake up for a while. ¡°G-Grandfather! Grandfather!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. Yua.¡± Raon put the manager down, and Yua jumped into the manager¡¯s arms and started crying even louder. The manager kept caressing Yua¡¯s head with his powerless hand. Raon¡¯s heart was throbbing from watching them hug each other to confirm their safety. It felt like a satisfaction bigger than when he was called a hero after killing the ice troll lord was pounding his heart. ¡°What exactly happened here?¡± Mind narrowed his eyes, looking at the area that had turned ck after the doppelganger¡¯s explosion after checking on Yua and the manager. ¡°Let me exin from the beginning¡­¡± Raon exined everything, from what happened in the Branch of Frost to what happened with the doppelganger where he was. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m too ashamed to say anything.¡± Mind bit his lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice anything like that, I¡¯m too ashamed to show my face.¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. It was a pure coincidence that I noticed it as well.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be an excuse. I¡¯m just sorry to you and the two of them.¡± It was a doppelganger, and one modified through ck magic. Even though it was difficult for anyone to notice it, Mind considered it his mistake. After apologizing to Raon, he personally apologized to Yua and the manager as well and ordered an increase in security. Raon clenched his fist as he witnessed a true leader¡¯s responsibility. * * * Two days passed after the doppelganger¡¯s attack. Raon was holding his sword, alone in the training grounds. The vertical strike was incorporating his will of extreme speed. It was an extremely fast strike that couldn¡¯t even be seen with the eyes. However, Raon wasn¡¯t satisfied with it. He sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t right.¡± He was unable to achieve the Unification with the de he had used to sh Merlin¡¯s mask. Apparently, it was nothing but a momentary enlightenment. Since you¡¯ve done it once, you should be able to do it again soon enough. You don¡¯t need to be hasty. Wrath, unusually, gave him a piece of advice. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you recently?¡¯ The King of Essence has always been generous. It¡¯s even more the case right now, since your body will belong to the King of Essence soon enough. He had been like that ever since Raon killed the doppelganger. It was like he¡¯d seriously gone crazy. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Raon shook his head. When he started to swing his sword once again, the door opened, and Yua¡¯s face poked out from it. ¡°Mister swordsman.¡± Yua sniffled. ¡°M-My grandfather woke up.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The manager had fallen asleep after talking with Yua for a moment. Raon was worried about him because he didn¡¯t wake up for a while, but it seemed he had finally woken up. ¡°Grandfather said he wants to see you. Can youe with me?¡± Since Raon also wanted to talk to him, he nodded and followed Yua to the medical area. He entered the worn out yet properly managed ward, where the manager was leaning against the wall with Mind standing in front of him. ¡°Commander?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened, since he didn¡¯t expect to see Mind there. ¡°Why are you so surprised? I just came to visit the patient.¡± Mind chuckled and stood up. Apparently, he was serious when he said he was sorry, since he came to visit personally. ¡°Mister swordsman, you saved my life. I would¡¯ve passed on while leaving that little child behind if it weren¡¯t for you. I¡¯m truly grateful.¡± The manager forcefully raised his body and bowed. ¡°Thank you for saving the castle¡¯s residents. I really have no excuse for being unable to stop this incident.¡± Mind bowed as well, biting his lip. ¡°Please stop doing that.¡± Raon tried to stop them from bowing, but they were too determined. ¡°This isn¡¯t themander¡¯s apology, but my expression of gratitude as a human being.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do if you don¡¯t ept my gratitude.¡± ¡°Haa, alright.¡± They only raised their heads after Raon epted their thanks. ¡°Swordsman Raon, I might be adding an extra favor, but may I ask a question?¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°I-I heard Eden¡¯s demons were targeting my granddaughter. May I hear the reason?¡± The manager was worrying about his granddaughter, although he barely managed to survive. ¡°I have something to tell you about that.¡± Raon nodded. ¡®Since themander is here as well, I should tell them right now.¡¯ Raon was about to suggest theye to Zieghart with him since Eden was targeting Yua. The ward¡¯s door suddenly opened after a violent running sound. The third scouting party leader, Radin, was there. ¡°C-Commander! We are in big trouble!¡± He grasped his trembling hand and continued. ¡°M-Monsters are swarming towards the castle wall.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Monsters?¡± ¡°Their numbers are as great as a wave!¡± Hearing that they wereparable to a wave, Mind and Raon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Hmm. Don¡¯t worry about what¡¯s happening outside, focus on your recovery.¡± Mind gently tapped on the manager¡¯s shoulder and followed Radin outside. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about Yuater.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± ¡°Yua, take care of your grandfather.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon pat Yua¡¯s head as she forced herself to reply cheerfully, then followed Mind to the castle wall. And he saw it. The wave of monsters was swarming towards them from afar like a white storm. ¡®Judging from the number of monsters, is it Eden''s doing again? They are seriously tenacious¡­¡¯ Raon was biting his lip while watching the monsters, before his eyes widened further. ¡®What is this?¡¯ The monsters dashing towards the castle lookedpletely different from before. They were filled with gluttony and madnessst time, but this time¡­ They were terrified with fear. They looked like they were being chased by something as they ran towards the castle walls, as if the walls were simply in the way of their escape. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Raon swallowed harshly. What the hell was happening? Chapter 142 ¡°This is pretty much a second wave.¡± Mind clenched his fist, watching the blue and yellow wave rushing towards Habun Castle. ¡°Issue the wave-gradebat alert! Gather all the swordsmen and soldiers on standby!¡± His majestic voice resounded throughout the castle walls. ¡°Open the armory, prepare to fight!¡± Upon receiving Mind¡¯s quick and precise orders, the scouts that had been staring at the monsters began to hurriedly run down the castle walls. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! The bell rang just like during the wave, to alert the entire castle. ¡°Wh-What?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡± ¡°Damn it! How many disasters are going to happen this year?¡± ¡°Shut up and move! They are going to be here at any moment!¡± ¡°The armory is open, take the weapons first!¡± Upon hearing the rm, the swordsmen and soldiers came out from their lodgings and training grounds to move into positions. ¡°Radin.¡± Mind waved his hand at Radin, who was biting his lip. ¡°Were you thest one to scout?¡± ¡°Yes, I went to scout three days ago.¡± ¡°Was there any sign of this attack?¡± ¡°Just like in the report, nothing significant was found. ¡°Which means it might be Eden''s doing once again. After all, they have the ability to control the monsters.¡± Mind looked at Raon to ask for his agreement. ¡°It¡¯s just my opinion, but I think that¡¯s not the case this time.¡± Raon shook his head, looking down from the castle walls. ¡°Is it not?¡± ¡°No. Eden is infamous for their stupidity, but they aren¡¯t foolish enough to repeat a method they¡¯ve failed before. And¡­¡± He raised his finger to point at the monsters dashing towards them. ¡°The monsters look different than usual. They aren¡¯t filled with the desire to kill or exuding madness. Don¡¯t they look like they are running from something instead?¡± ¡°I also had that impression, and that¡¯s why I thought it was Eden¡¯s doing.¡± Mind sighed, caressing his scabbard. ¡°Regardless of the reason, it will be a difficult fight once again.¡± ¡°That seems to be the case.¡± Haa. The moment Raon nodded, Wrath rose from the ice flower bracelet like an ember. He is finallying. He wasn¡¯t looking at the monsters in front of them, but much further away at the distant Stallin Mountain. ¡®What¡¯sing?¡¯ The King of Essence told you before that there was a sleepyhead. That damn bastard finally woke up. Wrath¡¯s blue eyes were zing like a demon¡¯s. Raon couldn¡¯t tell whether he looked happy, angry, or excited. ¡®You mean, when you told me to run away a month ago?¡¯ Yes. The one I mentioned back then is finally awake. He probably woke up when the doppelganger exploded. ¡®Is he a dragon or something?¡¯ Raon followed Wrath¡¯s gaze to look at Stallin Mountain, but he still couldn¡¯t feel anything. He just felt slightly anxious. Dragon? You arepletely mistaken. Wrath snorted, waving his small hand. ¡®Then what? I need to know what it is to decide whether I should run away.¡¯ It¡¯s toote already. You had a chance when he was still sleepy, but he has already targeted you guys now. ¡®What?¡¯ Raon got goosebumps throughout his body upon hearing that. He won¡¯t stop until he destroys this castle and kills every single one of you. Although, he might stop if you offer an appropriate sacrifice. ¡®Sacrifice? What sacrifice? Who the hell ising?¡¯ Raon picked Wrath up by his head. His face was brimming with an unusually carefree smile. You shall witness with your own eyes. The King of Essence has no reason to tell you. ¡®You¡­¡¯ I told you that this bet will end with the King of Essence¡¯s victory. The King of Essence shall take over your body this time, since it hase to this. Wrath was certain that whatever wasing down from the mountain was going to annihte the castle. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled deeply. There were a few existences he could guess from Wrath¡¯s reaction, but he didn¡¯t mention them since it didn¡¯t seem like Wrath was going to tell him. ¡°Line up!¡± ¡°The pikemen and infantry shall line up in front of the castle walls! The archers that don¡¯t have ces shall stand under the wall!¡± The soldiers and swordsmen that managed to finish their preparations were standing in their positions, nervously watching the monsters swarming towards them. ¡°Haa. Damn it¡­¡± ¡°I heard this was my unlucky year¡­¡± ¡°This is so shitty. Holy shit!¡± The soldiers¡¯ lips were trembling as they watched the monsters rushing forward like the brutal wind of the desert. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them too much. We have themander and Sir Raon!¡± ¡°I guess. After all, the casualties have decreased drastically since Sir Raon has arrived.¡± ¡°He was the ice troll yer, and now he is the doppelganger yer. He is writing history right here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just about might, he also has an admirable mentality.¡± The swordsmen and soldiers looked at Raon and smiled slightly. Their expressions were filled with trust, which was difficult to bear in his current condition. ¡°Commander.¡± Raon walked up to Mind, a bitter taste in his mouth. Mind¡¯s gaze was also filled with trust as he looked at him. ¡°Just in case, if an enemy that¡¯s difficult to win against appears, what are you nning to do?¡± He created an energyyer to cover around him and Mind so that other people couldn¡¯t hear them. ¡°It¡¯s not like you to ask such a question.¡± Mind¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all, as if he were wearing a mask. He tapped on his scabbard, maintaining his confident appearance. ¡°I¡¯ll still fight. There are countless civilian viges behind this castle. Even if all we can do is to buy some time, I¡¯ll fight until the end to reduce the casualties. That¡¯s the reason Habun Castle exists.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Raon bit his lip. It would¡¯ve been a different story if he knew a dragon wasing, but since he didn¡¯t know what wasing towards them, he couldn¡¯t even try to convince him. ¡®I have to meet him in the end.¡¯ Raon caught his breath, resolving to kill it no matter what it was. Hmm. Wrath nodded, with apletelyid-back expression. Don¡¯t worry. The King of Essence will make sure to save the pineapple girl. ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon pushed away Wrath, who looked too happy, and stood in his assigned position. What Wrath said was true. Something too powerful for them wasing towards them. However¡­ ¡°Sir Raon, I believe in you!¡± ¡°Please do your best today!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll shoot arrows until my fingers are pulled out, so leave your back to us!¡± He could feel the soldiers and swordsmen that were encouraged from watching his back. There was no way he could betray their expectations and run away alone. ¡®Being relied on isn¡¯t exactly a good thing.¡¯ It seemed receiving people¡¯s trust and expectations was giving him more responsibility than the joy it brought him. It was an emotion he could never have known when he was an assassin. ¡®I¡¯m learning all kinds of things because of this damn guy.¡¯ Raon red at Wrath and sped his scabbard. ¡°Uah, I¡¯m done. I¡¯m dead!¡± Dorian¡¯s voice was half crying as he took out a bunch of logs and boulders from his belly pocket. It looked like he was nning to throw them when the monsters started climbing the castle wall. ¡°Everyone, prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± Mind drew his sword and ordered the preparations for thest time. The soldiers repeated his order and mmed the ground with their spears. ¡°Raon.¡± He turned his head and called for Raon. Everyone¡¯s gazes were focused on him. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the battle speech to you.¡± The battle speech is something that was said before starting a battle in order to raise morale. Mind had been in charge of it so far, and he was saying that he would leave it to Raon for the first time. ¡°Why me¡­?¡± ¡°Because I figured your speech would have a better effect than mine.¡± Mind pointed at the soldiers with his chin. The blood boiled in his heart, facing the soldiers¡¯ trusting gazes. ¡®Battle speech¡­¡¯ Because of how he¡¯d been living, he wasn¡¯t exactly good with speeches, but there was one thing he wanted. Raon turned around. Facing the gazes of the entirety of Habun Castle, he smiled lightly. ¡°Survive, everyone!¡± That dull speech wasing from the bottom of his heart. ¡°I-Is that all?¡± ¡°Your speech is worse than I thought.¡± Dorian¡¯s mouth became wide open, and Beto snickered. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I like it since it was really manly.¡± Edquill was just staring at him, and Terian gently nodded. ¡°I like how simple that was.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, themander¡¯s speech is way too long.¡± ¡°I thought he was the headmaster when I first heard his speech.¡± The knights and soldiers burst intoughter. The fear and anxiety right before the battle disappeared into the wind, and the morale was raised to pierce through the sky. ¡°A single swordsman managed to raise the soldiers¡¯ morale to the maximum.¡± Mind¡¯s mouth slightly curved into a smile. ¡°This is your current position. People trust you more than themander right now.¡± ¡°I just¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again today. Please save many soldiers.¡± Mind stopped smiling and raised his hand towards the sky. The moment his hand was clenched into a fist, the third war started. * * * * * * ¡°Fire!¡± The bundle of silver arrows carried their will for survival to draw an arc and pierce through the monsters¡¯ skins. ¡°Kieea!¡± ¡°Kuaaa!¡± ¡°Kieee!¡± However, the monsters didn¡¯t stop. Their eyes distorted and they dashed towards the castle walls, just like provoked dragons. ¡°Fire!¡± Hundreds of arrows fell down, one after the other, at Mind¡¯s order. Countless monsters copsed on the ground, but an evenrger number of them mmed towards the castle with their lives on the line. am! Once the monsters mmed the castle with their bodies at the same time, the castle shook like it was about to be destroyed. ¡°They are climbing! Prepare for a close quarter fighting!¡± ¡°Throw the rocks and logs first!¡± ¡°Eeyaaa!¡± With Dorian as their lead, the soldiers threw the rocks and logs to crush the climbing orcs, trolls, and Krates. The pikemen kept stabbing towards them, and the archers continuously pulled their bowstrings. The de reflecting the yellow light of the sunset was incorporating a powerful morale, but the monsters didn¡¯t withdraw. They kept climbing the castle walls single-mindedly, trying to cross them no matter what. Raon bit his lip, looking into the monsters¡¯ eyes. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Their eyes were filled with terror. He wasn¡¯t mistaken about them. The monsters¡¯ goal wasn¡¯t to feast nor to attack, and they just wanted to cross the castle walls and run away. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The first one to climb the wall was an ogre. With its tremendous jumping strength, it only leaped twice beforending on the castle wall. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± As the soldiers were stepping back, terrified by the ogre¡¯s roar and murderous intent, Raon made his move. He cut off the ogre¡¯s arm in a single strike when it was trying to smash a soldier¡¯s head. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The ogre didn¡¯t try to retaliate, kicking the ground once again. It was trying to jump down from the wall, but Raon obviously didn¡¯t allow it to do so. The sh reached it like a ray of light, decapitating the ogre. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°Kieeee!¡± The trolls and shark moles followed it to climb the castle like a swarm of ants. Raon covered the walls with cier to help the soldiers in a crisis, ying the monsters. ¡°Kieee!¡± A shark sting came up, destroying a portion of the castle wall. The spikes protruding from its entire body were trembling like arrows on a bowstring. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s a shark sting!¡± ¡°The spikes areing!¡± ¡°Hiee!¡± The moment the spikes burrowed into it slightly to prepare for the shot, its head was sent flying and Raon appeared from behind it. ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± The soldiers thanked him from the ground, and Raon looked over the walls. ¡®Are the animalsing as well?¡¯ Behind the monsters swarming towards them, he could see the wild animals living around Stallin Mountain. His hair stood on end at the sight of the animals running away, since they didn¡¯t do anything during the wave. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mind bit his lip upon seeing the same thing as him. It seemed he was also astonished by the situation, despite having spent his entire life in the castle. ¡°Terian!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Vicemander Terian knelt to answer his call. ¡°Send the scouts to evacuate the viges behind the castle! Evacuate the civilians and everyone inside the castle as well!¡± ¡°What?¡± Terian¡¯s eyes widened, as he didn¡¯t expect that order at all. ¡°Quickly!¡± ¡°U-Understood!¡± Terian swallowed harshly and ran down the walls to give the orders to the scouts. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ It seemed he clearly realized how serious the situation was, even worse than a wave. Though, he didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of running away. While Raon was licking his lips, a huge diamond shaped shadow covered the castle walls. ¡°It¡¯s a Mantakurn!¡± ¡°There are two of them! They areing from both sides!¡± Just as the soldiers said, two huge ray monsters were flying towards them. Raon and Mind made their moves at the same time. They swung their swords towards the Mantakurn on the left and right side respectively. The two des burst into mes of two different colors. Whaaam! The two Mantakurns were split into half and fell down on the monsters climbing the wall. The ground trembled like an earthquake, and the battle paused for an instant. Raon met Mind¡¯s eyes. His wrinkled old eyes smoothly curved into an arc, before sending an aura message. [If it ever gets too dangerous, you should withdraw.] [What? What do you¡­?] [I finally understand what you meant earlier. You looked even further than me.] He continued, ying a horde of orcs. [You can reach even higher as a warrior. You shouldn¡¯t waste your life here. Think about the future.] With that as his final words, he turned his head. He never looked back at him after that. ¡®Is he telling me to run away?¡¯ Raon looked back. The gazes of trust and conviction were lighting up the darkness. He would¡¯ve already run if he wanted to save himself. am! He grit his teeth and thrust his sword. The yellow light of sunset reflected at the point of his de extended like a spark to cut through a troll¡¯s neck surrounding the castle. ¡°I can¡¯t run away by myself.¡± Raon¡¯s deadly eyes were directed at Wrath, who wasughing leisurely. ¡®And I won¡¯t lose to you, either.¡¯ A meaningless struggle? ¡®We will see if it¡¯s meaningless or not.¡¯ I can already see you kneeling in astonishment. ¡®Even if I have to kneel, I¡¯ll save their lives.¡¯ Under the yellow moonlight, the red and blue gazes collided with each other. * * * The castle defense continued until the next sunrise. Since the battle could be called a fight of life and death, the soldiers on the castle walls were out of breath and the strength had already left their limbs. However, they kept thrusting their spears and swords with the determination and resolution to protect the castle. ¡°It¡¯s almost over!¡± ¡°Do your best until the end!¡± ¡°Hold out! Trust the allies behind you!¡± Whether they were officers or soldiers, they kept shouting as they wielded their weapons until the end. Their morale was like a raging fire, and the monster wave finally started to subside. The end was near. ¡°There are only a few of them left!¡± ¡°It¡¯s our victory once the sun rises!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± Since the number of monsters had clearly been reducedpared to the day before, the strength returned to the soldiers¡¯ eyes. ¡°Kieee!¡± ¡°Kraaa!¡± However, the monsters¡¯ actions were also unusual. Although their number had visibly decreased, they didn¡¯t run away. Instead, they became more desperate while climbing the castle walls. Of course, their careless climbing only resulted in them losing their lives in vain. ¡°Why are they acting like this?¡± ¡°They should be running away by now.¡± ¡°Why is the sun not rising?¡± ¡°Huh? Now that I think about it, it¡¯s way past the time for the sunrise!¡± The soldiers frowned upon realizing that the monsters and the current situation weren''t normal. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®Did they just say the sun isn¡¯t rising?¡¯ The sky was still dark, as if the night had been extended. The moment he realized that fact, a man raised the curtain of the night and walked towards them. Upon witnessing the three horns rising from his forehead and temples, Raon found that he couldn¡¯t breathe, as if he were facing the abyss. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He was still far away. His voice shouldn¡¯t be able to reach him, yet he could hear it. ¡°It¡¯s cold¡­ I¡¯m sleepy¡­ It¡¯s annoying¡­ But I woke up¡­¡± Opening his mouth, which had turned pale from the cold, he raised his head. Those ck eyes absorbed the light, and once Raon met those eyes he felt like his soul was being shattered. How could someone like that exist? Sensing the death spreading from him, Raon felt like he was going insane. It was the appearance of a demon king. The incarnation of evil was targeting them. ¡°It¡¯s cold¡­ I barely managed to fall asleep¡­ Yet I woke up again¡­ It¡¯s annoying¡­¡± Murmuring something that he couldn¡¯t understand, he trampled on the white night. It looked like every light in the world was being devoured by him. ¡®Is that him? The sleepyhead that you were talking about?¡¯ Raon grit his teeth and looked down at the flower bracelet. You finally realized it. An eerie coldness was thrashing inside Wrath¡¯s eyes. That slug¡¯s name is the Receiving One, Sloth. He twisted his lips, looking at the monster he called Sloth. He is the monarch of ¡®Sloth¡¯, who reached the same rank as the King of Essence. Chapter 143 Raon swallowed, his mouth dry. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ A real demon king had appeared. It was the assumption he had made after hearing Wrath¡¯s confident deration, and it actually came true. The monster slowly walking towards them was a demon king at the same rank as Wrath¡ªthe Monarch of Sloth. As if he were proving that he was a true monarch, the dark sky and ground distorted each time he took a step. The tremendous amount of demonic energy that was spreading around him naturally was shattering the space. ¡°Wh-What the hell is this¡­?¡± Mind¡¯s hand that was holding his sword was trembling as he noticed Sloth¡¯s presence. Even for a Master like him, the existence of a demon king was literally shocking. No, he was even more shocked because he was powerful. His image as an iron man crumpled like tree bark. It¡¯s not as much as in Devildom, but he managed to gather a fair amount of power. Looking down on the approaching Sloth, Wrathughed in amusement. That¡¯s pretty good for a sleepyhead that does nothing but sleep. ¡®Why is there a demon king here? Weren¡¯t you the only one that came to the human world?¡¯ Wrath did sometimes talk about the other demon kings, but he never said that they existed in their world. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why Sloth was there. There¡¯s no reason for me to tell you why he is here, but it¡¯s also pointless to tell you. ¡®Pointless? You love to be condescending, don¡¯t you?¡¯ It¡¯s true. You wouldn¡¯t understand even if I told you, not with your current abilities. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue. Because Wrath never lied, that meant that he actually wouldn¡¯t understand even if he told him. ¡®Why is heing here?¡¯ Because you guys woke him up from his slumber. Wrath¡¯s frightening eyes skimmed over the soldiers that were standing on the castle walls. Sloth has been sleeping at the top of that mountain. Even the King of Essence didn¡¯t realize it at first, since he was dead silent. However, he kept waking up during the battle in the valley, the wave, and the assault from the crazy bastards wearing helmets. ¡®Then, the sleepyhead that fell back asleep was¡­¡¯ Yes, it¡¯s that damn bastard. He fell back asleep, befitting his title of the one that sleeps the most in Devildom. Wrath had called him an idiot that did nothing but sleep for an entire month, and he was apparently talking about a demon king. That loaferpletely woke up from the noise of doppelganger¡¯s explosion and the presence of ck magic. ¡°Huh¡­¡± He was spreading an intense pressure that could kill them merely because he was awakened from his slumber. It was such a ridiculous reason to kill people. It¡¯s not just sleep. He is the freakiest of the freaks. He pretty much became a demon king because of his slumbering. ¡®What?¡¯ Let me tell you an interesting story. Enjoying the Sloth¡¯s presence as he approached them, Wrath¡¯s blue eyes sparkled. Sloth used to be a devil that did nothing but sleep in Devildom. How do you think he managed to be a demon king? ¡®No way¡­¡¯ Considering the situation, Raon could figure out the reason. It looked like you realized it. Yes, it¡¯s because he killed everyone that picked a fight with him. Wrath¡¯s mouth curved into a crescent moon, brimming with murderous intent. Devildom is thend of battle and desire. Sleeping in a world like that is pretty much asking to be killed. However, he survived instead, killing all of the devils that attacked him. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ He killed anyone that picked a fight with him, anyone that attacked him, and anyone that disturbed his slumber. Once that continued for thousands of years, he became a monarch of Devildom. Probably because of the urgent situation, Wrath¡¯s story about Devildom didn¡¯t sound boring for once. ¡®Then, right now¡­¡¯ Yes. He is currently moving in order to erase everyone that kept waking him up. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ The more he listened, the less he could figure out a way to stop Sloth. How could he stop a demon king that came to take his revenge for them disturbing his slumber? Glenn Zieghart was the only person that could potentially stop him. How to stop him? There are two ways of stopping Sloth in his current state. A powerful person or a sacrifice. And none of those exist here. Wrath pointed at Sloth, who was crushing the whitend as he approached. ¡®A powerful person?¡¯ Yes. Sloth will avoid fighting if someone like your grandfather or the King of Essence existed in this castle. ¡®Why?¡¯ It¡¯s because he can¡¯t sleep if the fightsts for a long time, whether he wins or not. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ The more he learned about him, the crazier he sounded. The demon king named Sloth was even crazier than Wrath. ¡°It¡¯s cold¡­ I¡¯m sleepy¡­ It¡¯s annoying¡­ But those who disturb my slumber have to¡­¡± Raon got goosebumps from the sentence that kept getting cut off. His voice had a tremendous amount of power in it. ¡°Huh? Uhh¡­¡± Cold sweat ran down Terian¡¯s back as he noticed Sloth¡¯s existence, enough to drench his clothes. His eyes lost focus. ¡°Wh-What is that monster¡­?¡± ¡°Kuaa¡­¡± ¡°W-We can¡¯t win against him¡­¡± The stronger ones among the swordsmen and knights also dropped their weapons, overwhelmed by his striking energy. The resolution left their eyes. They fell to their knees, as if they couldn¡¯t even think about fighting him. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Since the ones with better perception were the first ones to sense Sloth¡¯s energy, the powerful people were the first ones to fall into despair. And the situation would only get worse as Sloth approached. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy¡­ I¡¯m too sleepy¡­ But it¡¯s cold¡­¡± Sloth was only repeating that he was sleepy and cold as he approached. ¡®I guess he wants to sleep, but¡­ Cold?¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t understand why a demon king would feel cold. ¡®What is he saying that it¡¯s cold?¡¯ The King of Essence told you before. His alias is the Receiving One. He receives everything, including coldness, heat, and attacks. That¡¯s his strength and weakness at the same time. It sounded like an annoying ability, but apparently there was something positive about it. ¡®Then, can¡¯t he just move somewhere warmer?¡¯ He is the monarch of Sloth. He is toozy to even think about something like that. Don¡¯t expectmon sense from that idiot. He was crazy in a different way than Wrath. It seemed like being crazy was a requirement for bing a demon king. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s a monster! Monster!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s crazy. How can we¡­¡± The average knights and swordsmen also started to sense Sloth¡¯s pressure. They lost their will to fight and bowed down on the ground. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon breathed heavily and lowered his posture. The pressure he felt was increasing exponentially, and his mind was going hazy. There are two choices you can make right now. ¡®Two choices?¡¯ Offer your body to the King of Essence to stop him or be massacred without doing anything. A clear light wavered in Wrath¡¯s eyes. He was certain of his victory. There is no other way those humans can survive except with those two methods. I guarantee it. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon clenched his fist. Just as Wrath said, it was the worst possible situation. He couldn¡¯t find any way to get out of it. There¡¯s pretty much a barrier from that mountain up to the castle walls. ¡®A barrier? I didn¡¯t feel anything like that.¡¯ It¡¯s a barrier of blood created by the monster and human blood, as well as the resentment that has piled up over hundreds of years. ¡®So what?¡¯ The moment Sloth destroys the castle walls and takes a step inside the castle, the mediator lizards and those that surpassed the boundaries like your old man will rush here. Wrath pointed at the castle wall, which was starting to fracture. And once the great war ends, there won¡¯t be a single bone left of the average people. ¡®But if such a fight urs, even Sloth will be unable to sleep.¡¯ I told you already. He doesn¡¯t think about what will happenter. As long as there¡¯s no one as powerful as the King of Essence in the castle right now, he can¡¯t be stopped. Wrath smiled, telling him he¡¯d better give away his body before it was toote. ¡®Where¡¯s the guarantee that they will survive just because I give you my body?¡¯ I¡¯ll do my best. I¡¯ll be out of control at first, but I should be able to manage after that. ¡®Are you going out of control?¡¯ I¡¯ve spent a long time without a body, with my soul connected to you. Since I¡¯m too far away from my body right now, it can¡¯t be helped that I¡¯ll go out of control at first. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t stop himself from swearing. Once Wrath went out of control to sh against the irritated Sloth, it was obvious that the whole castle would blow up. He couldn¡¯t do something crazy like that. ¡®I need to manage somehow.¡¯ It was a matter he needed to solve with his own power. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± ¡°Th-That thing over there! What is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a monster¡­¡± Even the soldiers could feel the Sloth¡¯s energy at that point. They either immediately fainted or started foaming from their mouths because of that tremendous power. ¡°Raon.¡± Mind was still standing at the front when he called him. His voice was trembling, but his mind was unwavering. ¡°Come over here.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Raon forcefully straightened his back and walked up to Mind, who was standing on the castle gate. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I managed to evacuate all the citizens thanks to your warning. You are the best lucky charm that has evere to Habun Castle.¡± He was smiling slightly. Despite the situation, he still had no intention of withdrawing. ¡°Take the others and run away. I¡¯ll stay here to buy time.¡± Mind raised his sword. The astral energy emanating from the de became a blue torch to erase the darkness. It was a heat created by scorching his soul. ¡°Commander¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lived long enough and aplished many things. However, it will be a waste if you and the others die here. Your era hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡± He was smiling despite knowing that his end wasing. He was a stubbornmander that had been living with a single purpose, and Raon didn¡¯t want to let him die like that. ¡°He is too much to handle on your own.¡± * * * * * * Raon raised his sword, remaining right next to Mind. He resonated the rings of fire and gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura. The flower came into a full bloom on the silver de, creating a sh of hope to burn away the darkness. Whaaam! The zing light bursting from the two des began to sever the darkness. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°C-Commander! Raon!¡± ¡°The two of them are pushing back the darkness!¡± The copsed people, who were grasping their chests, felt the auspicious light and stood back up. ¡°Escape the castle now! It¡¯s themander¡¯s order!¡± Raon shouted Mind¡¯s order, increasing the intensity of the light he was emanating. ¡°What does that¡­¡± ¡°W-We can¡¯t leave!¡± ¡°We will stay until the end¡­¡± ¡°Who are you trying to help when you can¡¯t even stand? Leave already!¡± Mind shouted without looking back. He was breathing heavily. Raon was the only one that could see, as he was right next to him, that vitality was leaving his face. ¡°W-We¡­¡± ¡°We are escaping! Stand up and climb down the castle walls! Open the southern gate!¡± Terian bit his lip and went down the walls. It was more difficult for him than anyone else to make that decision, but he understood Mind¡¯s feelings better than anyone. ¡°Y-Young master!¡± Dorian shouted ¡®Young master¡¯ for the first time in Habun Castle. ¡°Dorian, you shall leave first. I¡¯ll follow you soon enough, so go ahead!¡± ¡°Are you reallying?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d die in a ce like this?¡± ¡°A-Alright! You have toe! I¡¯ll kill you if you don¡¯t!¡± He raised his clenched fist, then helped the scouts to climb down the wall. He was trustworthy at a time like this, despite the fact that he alwaysined about difficult situations. Even though the soldiers were told to escape, they couldn¡¯t easily make the decision to leave. They kept turning back to look at Raon and Mind. ¡°You should leave now as well. You can¡¯t stay here anymore.¡± Mind pushed him with his shoulder while his pale lips trembled. ¡°I¡¯ll hold out a bit longer!¡± Raon forced his convulsing fingers to stop and shook his head. His senses were telling him to leave immediately, but he didn¡¯t want to. It¡¯s already toote. Alongside Wrath¡¯s blunt voice, the pressure weighing down on him grew stronger. ¡°It¡¯s cold and sleepy¡­ It¡¯s because of you¡­ That I¡¯m here¡­¡± Raon almost lost consciousness from the tremendous energy wave Sloth was emanating as he got close to the castle walls. The torch of aura that he barely managed to create was faltering like a candle in the wind. Rumble! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me was extinguished first under the increasing pressure. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Raon knelt, feeling like his legs were being crushed. He couldn¡¯t even raise his head anymore against the pressure, which was strong enough to rip apart his organs. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± It didn¡¯t look like Mind wouldst long either. His legs were trembling like a leaf. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°A-Again?¡± Once they started faltering, the escaping soldiers started to copse once again. I told you that you only have two choices. Make your decision now. Do you choose to die, or do you choose to give your body to the King of Essence? ¡®Two choices¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head, looking at Mind, who was holding out until the end. He couldn¡¯t yield to Wrath¡¯s temptation. The more difficult the situation was, the more important it was to keep hisposure and think. He had enough information. He could smell death from everywhere, but it didn¡¯t feel like there was no way to survive, unlike in his previous life. He could probably save them if he somehowbined the information he obtained from Wrath. He wanted to save hisrades in war that had believed in him for the first time. Cold, sleepy, someone as powerful as him, time, annoyed, simpleminded. Raon quicklybined the information he heard from Wrath in his head. At that moment, his brain was functioning faster than any other time. The words that were spinning like beads inside a barrel systematically linked with each other to form an answer. ¡®This should¡­¡¯ It was a gamble, but he could save everyone and even benefit from it. However, the gamble required some assistance. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Have you decided? So, you are finally giving your body¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s trade.¡¯ What? Trade? ¡®I¡¯ll ept your wrath, so help me stand in front of that stupid demon king.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes were full of conviction as he looked at Wrath. Why are you trying such a pointless thing? ¡®You told me that there were only two ways for me to survive. This is a different method from those two.¡¯ Nonsense! Nothing will change even if you stand in front of Sloth! ¡®It will. So, are you doing it or not?¡¯ There¡¯s no benefit for me. Your body will belong to the King of Essence in the end. ¡®No, it won¡¯t.¡¯ Raon adamantly shook his head. ¡®I won¡¯t give you my body even if I die.¡¯ Bullshit! ¡®You should know by now. I don¡¯t bluff, just like you don¡¯t lie.¡¯ Raon Zieghart¡­ Wrath ground his teeth. ¡®Even if I give my body to you, those people are all going to die. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll also die with them here.¡¯ Raon dropped the hilt he was holding on until the end, and the sword fell on the ground with a nk. Y-You bastard! Wrath¡¯s eyes started wavering for the first time. It was proof that he was agitated. ¡®If my method doesn¡¯t work, then I¡¯ll give my body to you right after. I promise.¡¯ Keeuh! He ground his teeth, looking back and forth between Raon and Sloth, who had almost reached the castle. ¡°Keuh!¡± Mind copsed before Wrath made his decision. Even though it was a short time, he looked like he was twenty years older now as he breathed heavily on the ground. The way he was still holding his sword after fainting was an admirable sight to behold. Whaaam! After he copsed, the pressure weighing upon him felt like the sky was falling down on him. It felt like his shoulders were being crushed and his internal organs were bursting. ¡®Wrath!¡¯ Damn it! You will pay a huge price for this. Vitality returned to his powerless body. Energy was flowing from Wrath. At the same time, the emotion of wrath he received in return was seeping deep inside his soul. ¡°Huff¡­¡± However, Wrath didn¡¯t give him that much energy. He had to give it his all and barely managed to stand. ¡®What a stingy guy.¡¯ Raon grit his teeth and resonated the rings of fire, used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and unleashed cier. He even called on the power of his previous life to stand up. His bones and muscles were screaming, and his heart and lungs were being crushed. He clenched his teeth. ¡®Keuh!¡¯ Enduring the fear coursing through his soul and the pressure destroying his body, he stood on the castle wall. Whaaam! He met the eyes of Sloth, who had finally reached the castle wall. A small ray of light was reflected in the demon king¡¯s eyes, which used to be full ofziness. ¡®I did it.¡¯ Those eyes convinced him that he could make use of the situation. ¡°King of Sloth, you must have felt it by now.¡± Raon twisted his bleeding lips. ¡°I¡¯m the vessel of wrath that serves the Wrath.¡± V-Vessel of wrath? Why would you be a vessel of wrath? What are you doing right now? ¡®What a stupid question.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m trampling on your arrogance and getting a second doormat.¡¯ Chapter 144 Fighting against the urge to sink to his knees, Raon straightened his back. He needed to hold out until the end for the sake of people behind him. Sloth, who was trying to destroy the castle, stopped moving for the first time. He halted his steps and stared at Raon. ¡°Thisnd belongs to the esteemed Wrath, the monarch of Wrath! This is no ce for someone like you!¡± ¡°Wrath¡­¡± Sloth¡¯s eyes, which used to be pretty much closed, appeared like an evening moon. However, he didn¡¯t seem topletely believe him, as signs of distrust could be seen in hiszy eyes. Why would this gutter be the King of Essence¡¯s domain? ¡®I¡¯m not done yet, so please shut up.¡¯ Y-You damn bastard! Contrary to the respect he treated him with on the outside, he scolded Wrath on the inside. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Just as Wrath managed to notice Sloth¡¯s existence from afar, Sloth should have also been able to feel Wrath¡¯s presence once he got angry. ¡°Are you¡­ the vessel¡­of Wrath¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. The esteemed Wrath is currently angry at you who trespassed into his domain. He said you don¡¯t know your ce when you are just a sleepyhead.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sloth shuddered as soon as he heard the word sleepyhead. It was a relief that Wrath had told him about Sloth. However, his doubts still remained. And Raon needed topletely get rid of his doubts. Don¡¯t listen to him, Sloth! This is not the King of Essence¡¯s domain, and this guy isn¡¯t the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate either! He is an enemy! ¡®He can¡¯t hear you, so stop talking.¡¯ What was conveyed to Sloth wasn¡¯t his voice, but the anger emanating from his body. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon slowly exhaled. Letting out the dirty energy from the fight, he filled his lungs with cold air. The view became clear thanks to the refreshing air and the taste of blood inside his mouth. ¡®I epted the emotion of wrath for this purpose.¡¯ Wrath didn¡¯t realize it, but standing in front of Sloth wasn¡¯t the only reason he made the trade to ept wrath. He did it to convince Sloth using the 15 points of wrath he received, in addition to the original 10 points. ¡®I need to show my wrath.¡¯ It was obvious what he needed to think about. Raon recalled the face of Derus Robert, clenching his fist until his bones started creaking. The pain of his nails burrowing into his skin felt pleasant inparison. Whir! The 25 points of wrath he had gotten from the trades pierced through his reason and started to eat away his brain. Feeling the me of wrath filling up his brain, Raon''s mouth curved into a deadly smile. ¡°This is the power of Wrath¡­ You are¡­ really Wrath¡¯s¡­¡± Theziness in Sloth¡¯s dead eyes became crystal clear. He finally realized that the monarch of Wrath was with Raon. ¡°I¡¯ll convey the esteemed Wrath¡¯s words to you. ¡®You must have a death wish for trespassing into the King of Essence¡¯s territory. Take one more step and you shall be unable to sleep for eternity, you damn sleepyhead.¡¯¡± Th-The King of Essence never said such a thing! You crazy bastard! Obviously, Wrath never said such a thing. Raon was just imitating his tone using the information he had gotten so far. ¡°Erm¡­ I-I won¡¯t be able to¡­ sleep¡­¡± However, it was super effective. Hearing that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep anymore, Sloth¡¯s eyes started to visibly tremble. ¡°E-Esteemed Wrath! Please suppress your anger!¡± Raon bowed towards the ice flower bracelet. Wh-What are you trying to do now? Stop it! Immediately! ¡°That bracelet¡­¡± Sloth¡¯s eyes grew even wider upon seeing the flower bracelet around his wrist. ¡®I knew this would work.¡¯ When Wrath transformed into a flower bracelet the first time, he said that it was his preference. Raon expected him to wear a simr essory in Devildom, and he was right. ¡°Please don¡¯t advent right now! You didn¡¯t gather that power to fight against Sloth! It was in order to make the continent submit under your feet!¡± Raon gave Wrath, who was just standing there dumbfounded, a serious look. Continent? What are you talking about? ¡°What? You aren¡¯t nning to fight, just follow him to make him unable to sleep? Esteemed Wrath, that¡¯s just evil¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked down on the flower bracelet. You are really insane! The King of Essence never said such a thing! I¡¯m losing my mind because of you! Wrath grasped his head, shouting that it¡¯s so frustrating. ¡°He will¡­ follow me¡­ and stop me from sleeping¡­? Wrath is doing¡­ such a thing?¡± Sloth was shocked by what he heard, starting to stagger. ¡°Esteemed Wrath! You have to suppress your anger! Please, think about the future!¡± Shut up already! ¡°I¡¯m sure that will be annoying for Sloth, but the conquest willst even longer!¡± Raon was calling him the ¡®esteemed Wrath¡¯, but he actually treated him as something worse than a dog shit. ¡°A-Are you saying that the fight is inevitable because he attacked your subordinates? O, esteemed Wrath¡­¡± Raon looked like he was deeply moved as he bit his lips while looking at the flower bracelet. ¡°Ugh¡­ so it was true¡­¡± The corners of Sloth¡¯s mouth drooped. He was apparently aware of the fact that Wrath treasured his subordinates. Bullshit! It¡¯s bulllllshittt! You fucking monster! What do you even have in your stomach? ¡°Esteemed Wrath, please trust me for now!¡± You bastaaaaard! Raon bowed at Wrath¡¯s screaming flower bracelet, then stood in front of Sloth. ¡®I feel like dying. My heart can¡¯t handle this anymore.¡¯ Raon was losing his sanity from putting up with the angrily Wrath screaming right next to him and the powerful Sloth right in front of him. He wasn¡¯t sure how he ended between those two demon kings, but he couldn¡¯t stop there. He needed to take care of the situation, no matter what. Curse you! Raon Zieghart! Naturally, Wrath exploded in anger, and a tremendous wave of coldness and wrath stormed into his body. * * * * * * ¡®I need to show this to him.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t block Wrath¡¯s attack like he usually did. Instead, he epted his wrath as it was. Wham! Wrath¡¯s coldness and anger started to rise from Raon¡¯s entire body. ¡°Wrath¡¯s¡­energy¡­¡± Sloth frowned, lowering his chin. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself again. I¡¯m the vessel of wrath, where the esteemed Wrath will advent soon enough.¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°I know why you came to this ce. It must be because of the war and the ck magic that woke you up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ right.¡± Sloth nodded very slowly. ¡°But you picked the wrong opponent. Those that kept bothering you were a group called Eden, who wear monster helmets. We were only defending against their attacks.¡± Raon endured the stabbing pain and calmly exined the situation. ¡°Ed¡­en¡­ Where¡­ are¡­ they¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°So¡­ you are¡­ unrted to this¡­?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I don¡¯t need to¡­ fight against Wrath¡­¡± Sloth took a step back. He looked rather relieved. ¡°Sloth, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ returning¡­ since you have nothing to do¡­ with this¡­¡± ¡°Returning? What are you saying¡­ Ah! Esteemed Wrath!¡± Raon jolted in surprise and grasped the bracelet. ¡°Y-You have to suppress your anger! You shouldn¡¯te out yet!¡± Huh? What? ¡°Ah, okay! I¡¯ll convey it right now! Please, wait a moment!¡± Raon kept bowing to Wrath, who was just standing there like an idiot. ¡°Sloth, where are you trying to go after attacking the King of Essence¡¯s subordinates?¡± ¡°Wrath¡­ I¡­ didn¡¯t know¡­ you were here¡­¡± ¡°That''s the problem. You would¡¯ve killed the King of Essence¡¯s belongings if I wasn¡¯t here!¡± Raon purposely took his time between the lines, pretending he was conveying what Wrath was telling him. He didn¡¯t leave any room for doubt with Sloth. The King of Essence never said such a thing! I¡¯m frustrated! I¡¯m so frustrated right now! I finally realize why humans have that anger disorder! Wrath¡¯s eyes started spinning like a top. ¡°You must also be aware of it, since you are a demon. The lives have to be repaid with your life.¡± Raon pointed at the soldiers that had died in the battle against the monsters. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t kill¡­ anyone¡­ yet¡­¡± ¡°Stop trying to argue against the King of Essence. Your action caused the monsters to run away and kill the King of Essence¡¯s subordinates.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°You also tried to make unrted people take responsibility for disturbing your slumber.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Sloth shut his mouth, unable to say anything. Actually, his eyes looked like he was annoyed, and didn¡¯t really care about reason or whatever. He just wanted to go back and sleep. ¡®Now is the time.¡¯ Since he finished the preparations, it was time to get down to business. ¡°I know that taking your life in return would be unreasonable.¡± ¡°Wrath¡­¡± ¡°The great King of Essence, the monarch of Devildom, is giving you a choice. You shall decide between giving up on the slumber you cherish so much, or handing over your ability to this guy. Since he will be the King of Essence¡¯s¡­ Huh?¡± Raon¡¯s mouth became wide open as he looked at the flower bracelet. Of course, Wrath wasn¡¯t even there¡ªhe was just floating in the air. ¡°E-Esteemed Wrath!¡± S-So, this was your objective! You devil! Even though Wrath was the demon king, he kept shouting that Raon was the devil or demon or whatever, spreading his wrath. ¡°I don¡¯t need such an opportunity. I only need the esteemed Wrath!¡± Raon bowed until his head reached the ground. He bit his tongue and endured Wrath¡¯s interference through the pain. Sloth! Kill him! He only brings harm to the world! Just swing your hand! ¡°Slumber¡­ or give him my ability¡­? That¡¯s an easy choice¡­¡± Sloth nodded slowly. His expression was saying that it was needless to ask. N-No! Don¡¯t do it! You idiot! You are getting tricked by a human worse than a devil! Stop it! Wrath kept screaming while iling his hands, but Sloth raised his finger to point at Raon. Whir! The dark energying out from his finger pierced through Raon¡¯s heart. No, it wasn¡¯t his heart but a part of his soul, where a tremendous amount of energy got engraved. It felt like a searing iron was pressing on his back. However, the pain allowed him to keep his sanity. Th-The King of Essence is dying¡­ He is dying from an anger disorder. Ahh¡­ Wrath was lying on the ground, his whole body trembling. ¡°Then¡­ I will¡­ return¡­ I¡¯m too¡­ sleepy¡­ I need to¡­ sleep¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Raon raised his hand to stop Sloth, who was about to leave. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Murderous intent appeared in Sloth¡¯s eyes. It looked like he would fight anyone if they tried to stop him from sleeping any longer. ¡°I have a gift for you.¡± Raon unwrapped the ck cloth he¡¯d been carrying, taking out the goblin king¡¯s magic stone. The heating from the magic stone melted his fingers, which were frozen stiff from the coldness and his nerves. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sloth¡¯s eyes widened upon feeling the magic stone¡¯s heat. ¡°Take this magic stone.¡± Raon didn¡¯t hesitate to throw it at him. ¡°It¡¯s warm¡­ I¡­ can¡­ keep sleeping¡­ with this¡­¡± The murderous intent and irritation disappeared at once from Sloth. He stared at the magic stone in bewilderment. ¡°But¡­ why¡­ are you¡­ giving this¡­ to me¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯te down here anymore, no matter what sounds you hear. And if arge number of monsters start moving, you shall control them adequately and stop them.¡± Raon didn¡¯t want to be the only one to benefit from it after what everyone went through. He was nning to prevent the waves from happening in the future by using Sloth. ¡°It¡¯s annoying¡­ but it¡¯s not¡­ a difficult¡­ request¡­¡± After staring at the magic stone in ecstasy, Sloth turned his gaze towards Raon. ¡°Is this¡­ Wrath¡¯s¡­ request¡­?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s a trade unrted to Wrath, so you won¡¯te here again.¡± ¡°Trade¡­? It¡¯s a trivial matter¡­pared to¡­ this item¡­ That¡¯s why¡­¡± After looking over the magic stone, he raised his finger again. The ck streaming from his finger surrounded his wrist, right next to the flower bracelet. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ worry¡­ It¡¯s the remainder¡­ after the trade¡­¡± Just like he said, there was no malicious intent in the ck light. Cling! Along with a sound of metal colliding with each other, a ck flower bracelet was created on his wrist, slightly different from the ice flower bracelet. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡­ will¡­ help you¡­ in the future¡­¡± ¡°But why is it a flower bracelet¡­?¡± ¡°I¡­ made it¡­ ording to¡­ your master¡¯s¡­ preference¡­ So that he won¡¯t¡­ bother me again¡­¡± With those as his final words, he turned around and started walking towards the mountain. The darkness started to fade as he moved away. The imprable night finally ended, and the sleeping sun woke up. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled with difficulty. ¡®I¡¯m really going to die at this rate.¡¯ He wanted to copse right away, but he couldn¡¯t do that yet. He needed to hold out until Sloth disappearedpletely. The fortunate part of the situation was the fact that Sloth was walking way faster than before, pleased by the goblin¡¯s magic stone. ¡®It had to be a flower again, Wrath. This bracelet¡­¡¯ Krrrr! R-Raon you son of a bit¡­ Wrath was unconscious, probably because he really did develop an anger disorder. Foam wasing out from his mouth. ¡°Hah.¡± Raonughed bitterly and swept his hair up, drenched in cold sweat. ¡®But It¡¯s now over¡­ somehow.¡¯ That was really close. If he didn¡¯t have the information about Sloth, or if Wrath refused to trade with him, or if there was anyone conscious inside the castle, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to use the method he had just used. When Sloth¡¯s back started to be faintly visible, messages appeared. There were many messages, but he couldn¡¯t read them properly because his vision was blurry. Raon closed the message, and put everyst ounce of his strength on his faltering legs. He protected the castle walls alone until the monarch of Sloth disappeared into the mountain, and the golden sunlight eventually erased the darkness. That was how the nightmare of a single night came to an end. Chapter 145 ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Terian heaved himself up with a small groan. ¡°Am I dead?¡± He remembered losing consciousness because of the monster¡¯s pressure as it approached the castle. Since even his father was unable to stop it, the first thing he thought was that he was dead. ¡°Haa¡­ It doesn¡¯t look like we are in the afterlife yet.¡± The Wolf Mercenary Corps captain, Beto, pointed at the sky with a trembling finger. Even though the sun should¡¯ve risen a long time ago, the sky was still dark. ¡°Then, how did we manage to survive?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t think we had anyone that could stop that monster.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± The Snow Strikers leader Edquill and Dorian suddenly stood up, looking up the castle wall. ¡°What did you¡­ ah!¡± Terian¡¯s eyes widened upon following their gazes. Under the sky, which was dyed with an intense darkness, a single swordsman was standing. He wasn¡¯t holding a sword, but he lookedrger than any warrior in the world. Whir! The curtain of darkness covering the sky dissipated like a falling tide, and the golden sun that was hiding in fear appeared in the world. The auspicious light spreading from Raon was such a mysterious sight to behold. ¡°R-Raon¡­¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°But how¡­?¡± People woke up one after the other, shoulders trembling. They were excited by the fact that Raon had defended the castle on his own while everyone else remained unconscious. Raon slowly turned his head. His face had a faint smile, yet it was also filled with exhaustion and pain. However, his eyes were looking around to confirm their safety instead. ¡°Everyone¡¯s safe.¡± His voice sounded as dry as the desert¡¯s sand. ¡°I kept my promise.¡± Raon smiled brightly. ¡°P-Promise?¡± ¡°What promise is he talking about?¡± ¡°That came from nowhere¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Dorian pped his hands with trembling lips. ¡°Sir Raon said it earlier! Survive, everyone! What he meant is that he kept that promise!¡± ¡°Ah, that thing¡­¡± ¡°I thought he meant we should do our best to survive, but did he actually mean that he would make us survive?¡± ¡°R-Raon¡­¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± People bit their lips as they looked upon Raon¡¯s gentle smile. They needed to do that in order to hold back their tears. ¡°He won¡¯te back anymore, so you don¡¯t need to wor¡­ah.¡± Raon started waving his hand, then stopped. He closed his eyes and copsed on his back. The people at the base of the castle tried running towards him, but he was too far away. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous!¡± As Raon¡¯s head was about to collide on the stone wall, a thick arm came up to hold him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± It was Mind. He regained his consciousness to stand up and pull Raon towards him. ¡°Commander!¡± Mind nodded, telling them that he was alright, and helped Raon stand with his shoulder. ¡°The battle is over.¡± He walked to the end of the castle wall with difficulty. ¡°Apud and cheer for the hero!¡± Mind¡¯s roaring voice struck hearts of those that were still confused about the situation. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°The hero of Habun Castle!¡± The cheers of his name that he couldn¡¯t hear kept resounding throughout Habun Castle¡¯s sky. * * * Two days passed after the disaster named Sloth dropped by. Raon hadn¡¯t woken up yet, and the officers¡ªincluding Mind and Terian¡ªwere gathered inside the conference room after a short rest. ¡°How is everyone¡¯s condition?¡± Sitting at the center of the round table, Mind skimmed through the officers. He was asking about the condition of the others, but he was the one in the worst shape. The skin under his eyes waspletely ck. ¡°I got better after some rest.¡± Vicemander Terian nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine, too.¡± ¡°My head still hurts. Is it because I almost died?¡± The Snow Strikers leader Edquill nodded, and Beto rubbed his temples. The knight captains and the leaders of the swordsmen divisions also shook their heads, their faces pale from the remaining trauma. ¡°I don¡¯t have that many aftereffects, probably because I fainted so quickly.¡± ¡°Same. I just feel like I woke up from a quick nap. My body isn¡¯t in great shape, though.¡± On the other hand, the leaders of the scouting parties looked rtively fine. ¡°But who the hell was that?¡± The third scouting party leader, Radin, brought up the topic that no one else could bring themselves to mention. ¡°It¡¯s obvious from the three horns and the fact that he was powerful enough to distort the area. He was a demon.¡± Mind sped his fist and continued. ¡°And he is at the highest rank, at that. I encountered demons a few times in my youth, but that was my first time seeing someone like that. He was on apletely different level.¡± ¡°Indeed, we weren¡¯t even a match¡­¡± ¡°I-Isn¡¯t a highest rank demon pretty much a demon king?¡± The officer¡¯s bodies trembled at the memory of Sloth¡¯s overwhelming power. ¡°He might be a demon king.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A-Are you serious?¡± The officers swallowed harshly, mouths dry, upon hearing the phrase ¡®demon king¡¯ from Mind. ¡°Despite being a Master, I couldn¡¯t even hold out against him. Only the heads of the Six Kings and the Five Demons would be able to fight him.¡± He frowned, remembering Sloth leading darkness towards them. ¡°Then who the hell is Sir Raon, who made that monster retreat?¡± Edquill had been silent so far, but his voice now crossed the conference room. ¡°Everyone here was prepared to die. No¡ªto be honest, we were certain that we would die when themander copsed. However, everyone survived.¡± Edquill¡¯s eyes skimmed over the officers, including Mind, and continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone is aware of the fact that Sir Raon was the one that saved our lives.¡± All the officers nodded in agreement. ¡°So here is the question. How did Sir Raon save us against a monster that even themander couldn¡¯t hold out against, and what method did he use to make him retreat?¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m also curious about how I¡¯m alive right now.¡± ¡°What the hell did he do?¡± The officers licked their lips in wonder. ¡°Are you doubting Raon?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Terian frowned at Edquill. However, Edquill simply shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m saying this because I feel like Sir Raon has sacrificed something important to him.¡± ¡°Sacrifice?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way Sir Raon would¡¯ve won against that demon with power alone. The other possibility is a pact or a trade. In my opinion, Sir Raon probably saved the people in the castle by putting his soul and body on the block.¡± Edquill bit his lip. Blood dripped from his dry lips. ¡°The Raon that I¡¯ve seen is that kind of man. He wants to save others, even if he has to sacrifice himself in the process.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°He certainly has that side to him.¡± ¡°Sir Raon¡­¡± Terian and the officers agreed with Edquill, sighing heavily. ¡°I heard Raon mention a trade as I fell unconscious.¡± Mind leaned forward and closed his eyes. ¡°Trade¡­¡± ¡°A-Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not sure about the rest, but I heard the word trade for sure.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Edquill frowned, and Terian covered his eyes with his hand. ¡°A trade between a demon and a human is usually about power. The demon gives power to the human and takes his soul in return. However, the trade Raon made this time is obvious.¡± Mind¡¯s hand trembled on the table in frustration. ¡°He must¡¯ve sacrificed his soul to save everyone¡¯s lives.¡± ¡°That must be the case.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Everyone grit their teeth and lowered their heads as they realized it. ¡°Commander.¡± Edquill called Mind with a short breath. ¡°Who is Sir Raon? It¡¯s about time you tell us.¡± ¡°I guess I can¡¯t hide it anymore.¡± Mind slowly nodded. ¡°Raon Zieghart. That¡¯s his name.¡± ¡°So, he was a Zieghart.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I suppose he¡¯s gotta be at least a Zieghart.¡± The officers weren¡¯t exactly surprised. They had high expectations for him to begin with because of everything he¡¯d done so far. ¡°Did you know about it?¡± ¡°The Six Kings and the Five Demons are the only ces where a sixteen-year-old boy could gain that much might and willpower. Since Sir Raon¡¯s personality is closer to good than evil, I thought he was from one of the Six Kings.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯ve learned that he is a Zieghart, are you going to give up on your revenge?¡± ¡°I never thought about revenge. I actually want to follow him.¡± Edquill calmly shook his head. ¡°Follow him?¡± ¡°You want to follow Sir Raon?¡± ¡°But you got beaten up by Raon!¡± The officers narrowed their eyes, trying to read into his words. ¡°I gotpletely beaten up, and that allowed me toe to my senses. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I would¡¯ve kept bullying the weak like a loser for the rest of my life.¡± Edquill¡¯s eyes were crystal clear as he stood up. He bowed at a 90-degree angle towards the scout leaders. ¡°I forgot the fact that they were myrades in war and acted like an arrogant fool. I am deeply sorry.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong with you? You apologized to us already!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You already apologized multiple times, so why¡­?¡± ¡°I figured I need to properly ask for forgiveness in an official event like this.¡± Even though the scouts kept shaking their hands, he kept his head low before finally raising himself. ¡°I already decided to follow Raon before what happened today. I¡¯m going to follow him even if he refuses me. Commander, please expel this guilty person from the castle.¡± Edquill knelt in front of Mind and lowered his head. ¡°You are so hasty.¡± Mind snorted and raised his chin. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who owes your life to him.¡± All the officers nodded in agreement. ¡°Raon saved everyone¡¯s lives multiple times. It¡¯s only right for us to make up for what he lost.¡± Mind smiled and made Edquill stand. ¡°I¡¯ll also support him.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon slowly opened his eyes. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He thought his body was broken because of the struggle against Sloth, but his limbs felt light¡ªas if he¡¯d woken up from a deep sleep. ¡°How strange¡­¡± He tilted his head and stood up, wondering about the fact that his condition differed from his expectations. It wasn¡¯t just his body and mind¡ªhis senses had also be sharper. Strange? Is it really strange? As he was about to conclude that it was because of the increase in stats, Wrath surged like a ming pir. Your head is what¡¯s the strangest of them all! You dirty cheater! Veins were popping around Wrath¡¯s eyes. He was definitely angry. ¡®Ah, thank you. I manage to survive because of you.¡¯ What are you thanking me for? ¡®You kept bbering to me about Devildom. I haven¡¯t been paying much attention to it, but enough of your words still remain in my memory, so I could make use of it. Y-You bastard¡­ ¡®Moreover, you gave me all the information about Sloth because you thought you¡¯d won already. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve died for sure. You are really the giving tree, Wrath.¡¯ Raon smiled cheerfully and waved his hand. Kieeergh! Wrath red at him while spreading coldness. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯m going to stab your soul with an ice spear no matter what! ¡®Save that forter.¡¯ Raon shook his hand at Wrath, who was trying to jump at him. ¡®I¡¯m going to read the messages for now. I think I got something nice.¡¯ You devil! You are the first one to cheat two demon kings at once since the creation of the world! ¡®Are there no cheaters in Devildom?¡¯ If there were other people like you, the world would¡¯ve been ruined already! ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Raon snickered and called up the previous messages. Just from holding out in front of him, his soul level and stats had increased. He could once again feel how powerful Sloth was. How does it make any sense that your soul level increased just from holding out for a few minutes? ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at Wrath, who was yelling at him. ¡®So, he is at the same level as Sloth, or even stronger?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe that a doormat like him, who only cared about food andined about anything and everything, was as powerful as Sloth. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation that had been Three-Stars had reached Four-Stars. That was the result of using it to the limit in order to hold out against Sloth. He could feel that the hot sphere filling his energy center became bigger and more refined. ¡®Then, maybe¡­¡¯ He checked the next message. He knew it. The cier that he used alongside the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation hadbined with the Coldness of Frost and reached Four-Stars. The cold sphere located next to the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura was also spreading more refined energy. The Ring of Fire didn¡¯t increase in rank, but it also had a huge amount of aplishment. It seemed he would obtain another ring soon enough. ¡®After all, fighting against a strong person is the fastest way to get stronger.¡¯ The skill levels had increased at once just from facing a powerful existence with everything he had. Actual battle was truly the best way of training. Huff! He could hear Wrath trying to hold his breath. He was probably trying to suppress his boiling anger. Upon reading that message. Raon and Wrath¡¯s eyes both widened at the same time. Th-This is crazy! ¡°I get stats from sleeping?¡± Raon tried reading the message again, thinking that it was a mistake. However, it wasn¡¯t a mistake. It was written that he gained stats from sleeping. ¡°Wow¡­¡± His mind went numb. Since it was supposed to be a small amount, it would only amount to some decimal number¡­ but that was still pretty good. He could pretty much train 24 hours a day now. Sloth! You idiot! I should¡¯ve killed you earlierrrr! Wrath screamed, saying that letting Sloth live was his worst mistake in his life. ¡°That¡¯s why my body feels light.¡± It was apparently Sloth¡¯s stamina and aura recovery ability that hadpletely healed his body. It was a useful ability in many ways. However, the messages didn¡¯t end there. ¡°I was wondering why there were no message about that.¡± It would¡¯ve been sad if he didn''t get those messages. Urrrgh. The King of Essence¡¯s stats are getting sucked out again¡­ Wrath went limp on the corner of the bed, like clothes on the washing line. It was the ssic appearance of a loser. ¡°That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t have interfered.¡± Shut up. There¡¯s no way I can hold back with you cheating using the King of Essence¡¯s name! He raised his head, grinding his teeth. You seriously scammed two demon kings at once! Even the hypocrites of the heavenly realm aren¡¯t as bad as you! ¡®Is that apliment?¡¯ You keep using that shitty ears¡¯ name in your favor, and now you even used the King of Essence! Your evil deeds have gone too far! Wrath raised his fist, saying something that a hero would say even though he was just a demon king. The King of Essence will stop your wrongdoings no matter what! ¡®I don¡¯t care whether you stop me or not. However¡­¡¯ Raon gathered four fingers and flicked them with a smile. ¡®Give me the reward for the bet. Right now.¡¯ R-Reward for the bet? ¡®The bet about whether I¡¯d leave this castle or not.¡¯ Ah¡­ Wrath¡¯s eyes lost focus, finally remembering it. ¡°Sloth was the one you were counting on, right? Since he is now fast asleep while hugging the goblin king¡¯s magic stone, he won¡¯t return here. Let¡¯s end the bet now.¡± Keu, w-wait! Wrath shook his hand and leaped back. Raon? His voice became as soft as silk. Do you remember when you saved the manager? You went outside back then, but the King of Essence overlooked it with his generosity. ¡°I remember, but I hope you aren¡¯t trying to make it even with that. It would be disappointing if the king of Devildom was that petty.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°Of course he wouldn¡¯t be. The monarch of Wrath is a generous and aloof being that loves his subordinates. There¡¯s no way he would say something like that.¡± Keuh¡­ Wrath wanted to say something, but he was just trembling his hand. It looked like what he was about to say had gone back into his throat. ¡°What¡¯s up? Tell me what you were going to say.¡± Raon smiled, urging him to continue with a nod. Keuh! You''re a starving demon! Eat them all, until your stomach bursts! Wrath¡¯s eyes were wavering, as if he were going to start crying at any moment. The blinking of the message window looked more beautiful than ever. Chapter 146 As soon as Wrath acknowledged his defeat, the messages announcing his victory popped up, one after the other. As Raon was smiling in excitement from the increased stats, the second message appeared. The second reward was a title with a great name. Who the hell created a title like that? Wrath frowned in irritation. I don¡¯t like it! ¡®I don¡¯t know who named it, but I can see why I got the title.¡¯ Raon snickered and called upon the title¡¯s exnation. A ray of light shone in Raon¡¯s red eyes as he read the description. ¡®This is pretty good.¡¯ It was really nice that the title made it easier to convince his opponents, as it wasn¡¯t always possible to settle conflicts with a fight. Since Wrath and Sloth had appeared, it was possible that he would encounter the other demon kings in the future. The title could make all the difference in crises like that. ¡®And it should work against the heads of Houses as well.¡¯ Since it should be also effective against the most powerful warriors like Glenn, the title was beneficial in many ways. Hmph. Wrath snorted upon reading the title¡¯s description. Do you believe a mere title like that would work against the King of Essence? It¡¯s impossible for you to convince the King of Essence. ¡®But it was already possible.¡¯ Convincing Wrath was a piece of cake, since he just needed to mention the apple meat pies or mint chocte. The King of Essence is an aloof existence. He doesn¡¯t listen to what other people tell him! You¡¯d be way better off with some stats instead of a title like th¡­ ¡®Oh, don¡¯t worry about that.¡¯ What? ¡®The stats areing now.¡¯ With a small smile, Raon pointed at the next group of messages. He got 2 points in three stats thanks to his six consecutive victories. ¡®What a great harvest.¡¯ He got 9 in all of his stats and 2-3 points in several individual stats. It was the first time he had gotten that many stats at once since he obtained the system. H-How many stat points did you even get today? ¡®I don¡¯t know. I think it¡¯s about 11 points in terms of all stats.¡¯ 11? Did you just say 11? Wrath¡¯s hand was trembling like a leaf, coldness spreading from him. Damn it! Those 11 points all came from the King of Essence¡¯s main body! ¡®I suppose.¡¯ Raon calmly nodded. You sucked them out from Sloth and extorted from the King of Essence! You are a damn spine breaker! ¡®By the way, what is this?¡¯ Since he was talking about Sloth, Raon raised his wrist and pointed at the ck flower bracelet. Why do you think the King of Essence would tell you about it? Wrath snorted after staring at the bracelet for a while. You should discover what it is on your own, since the King of Essence has no reason to tell you about it. ¡®I guess you don¡¯t know either.¡¯ Raon snickered and shrugged his shoulders. ¡®Even though you are a demon king, you are still ignorant about so many things.¡¯ Wh-What kind of bullshit are you spouting? There¡¯s nothing in the world that the King of Essence doesn¡¯t know! ¡®Then what is this?¡¯ I¡¯m not going to tell you. ¡®That¡¯s because you don¡¯t know.¡¯ You damn weasel! Wrath finally burst in anger. An overwhelming coldness and wrath emerged and started stabbing him, like spikes. Cring! The 25 points of wrath also awakened and started gnawing at his body and soul from the inside. ¡®Th-This is rather¡­¡¯ Raon lowered his head, hand trembling. When Sloth came to you, the 15 points of wrath weren''t properly merged with your soul. Not even 10 of them were effective back then. Wrath started pressuring Raon¡¯s body, increasing the emotion of wrath even further. But now, all 25 points of wrath arepletely awakened! Your body shall be mine now! ¡®You are pretty delusional.¡¯ Raon grit his teeth to use the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time. The aura that contained the heat of a volcano dashed through his mana circuit to melt the coldness, and cier¡¯s wall of ice blocked the wrath trying to prate his brain. That wasn¡¯t all. His soul level, which had increased after enduring Sloth¡¯s power and Wrath¡¯s interruption, crushed the emerging emotion. H-How¡­ ¡®I didn¡¯t just take your emotion of wrath without a n.¡¯ Raon wiped the sweat flowing down his forehead and smiled. ¡®I was certain that it would allow me to grow stronger, even more than the wrath I received.¡¯ He suggested the trade because he was confident that he could handle the 15 points of wrath he received. Wrath¡¯s attack¡ªweakened by the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡ªwasn¡¯t unbearable. He could endure it as much as he needed to. Impossible! Wrath didn¡¯t give up and poured even more power into it, but Raon also increased the strength of his aura to protect his mind and body. Rumble! After the power strugglested for about thirty minutes, a blue window appeared in front of Raon¡¯s eyes. The message was telling him that he managed to endure Wrath¡¯s interference. It was the second time he had received that message in one day. ¡®Is it my birthday?¡¯ Daaaamn it! * * * As Raon wasughing at salty Wrath, Dorian opened the door to the scout¡¯s quarters and entered. ¡°Huh?¡± His jaw dropped upon finding Raon in perfect shape, then he ran up to him. ¡°You woke up!¡± Tears welled in his eyes as he ced his hand on the bed. ¡°How is your condition?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon nodded, rotating his shoulder. He wasn¡¯t just fine¡ªhe was in the best condition possible. ¡°Aww, that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°How long have I been unconscious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been four days, including today.¡± Dorian sighed and stood up. ¡°You should wash yourself for now. You also need to drink some water and eat some soup!¡± He put his hand in his belly pocket as he spoke. He took out a washbowl, a cup, and a soup bowl, then ced them on the round table. ¡°Why are you carrying a washbowl? And how did you just take the soup out of there¡­?¡± ¡°I was prepared for when you woke up.¡± Dorian smiled joyfully while pouring washing water into the washbowl. He used a water bottle to fill the cup before putting it in Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon smiled slightly and approached the table. Realizing that Dorian had been carrying all that for his sake, he felt warmth in his heart. ¡°I¡¯m going to report to themander!¡± ¡°Huh? Wait!¡± He wanted to stop him since it wasn¡¯t something worth reporting, but Dorian had already left the room. ¡°He is so impatient.¡± Raon clicked his tongue and finished washing his face. He washed his mouth with water, then started eating the soup, which had a variety of sliced vegetables. It had an excellent vor, nutty and neat at the same time. He could also feel the texture of the vegetables from time to time, which made it fun to eat. ¡°Yua must¡¯ve made this one.¡± It was a proper soup, made with a recipe. It must¡¯ve been Yua¡¯s work, rather than Dorian¡¯s. You are right. I can sense the pineapple girl¡¯s feelings in the taste. Even though Wrath had been salty, he was now licking his lips right next to him. The demon king really was easy to please. It¡¯s a skill befitting the King of Essence¡¯s maid. What are you doing? Keep eating already. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Raon shook his head at Wrath, who kept mumbling, and kept eating the soup. The food went down effortlessly, not only because he was hungry, but also because it was really delicious. He finished the dish in no time. As he started drinking the water, Dorian opened the door and entered. ¡°Did you already finish?¡± Dorian smiled, looking at the empty dish and cup. ¡°I was hungry.¡± And there was a glutton that kept urging him on. Raon let out a small sigh over Wrath. No matter how he thought about it, Wrath wasn¡¯t a gourmet¡ªhe was a glutton that liked eating. ¡°Themander said he wants to see you. Do you think you cane?¡± ¡°I shall go if he calls me.¡± He couldn¡¯t refuse themander¡¯s summons. ¡®And I have to exin the situation to him.¡¯ Since it was obvious he would ask how he made Sloth leave, he had to exin it to him at some point. He had already thought about an excuse for that, so there was no problem meeting him right away. Humans naturally have lots of suspicion. I¡¯m curious how they are going to deal with this matter. Wrath¡¯s grin looked like he was hoping for a devastating development as he patted his belly. ¡®Your wish won¡¯te true, so mind your own business.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath, who tried sticking to him, away. He then put on his outerwear before standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Huh? Sir Raon?¡± ¡°He¡¯s up!¡± ¡°Sir Raon! How is your condition?¡± As soon as Raon left the scout¡¯s quarters, the scouts flocked to him and asked about his condition. Their wet gazes were full of worry. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯mpletely recovered.¡± ¡°Haa¡­ That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°I was seriously worried.¡± Raon waved his hand with a smile, and the scouts breathed out sighs of relief. It wasn¡¯t just the scouts. Everyone that saw him on his way to themander¡¯s room kept worrying about his body, to the point where he felt ufortable. ¡®They are looking at me way differently than before.¡¯ If they saw him as a hero before, they were now worshiping him as a god, although that was a bit embarrassing to admit. Moreover, people that used to speak to him casually were now addressing him as ¡®Sir¡¯. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He could understand their gratitude because he saved their lives, but it was strange that they suddenly started calling him Sir. There must¡¯ve been another reason for it. Once he reached themander¡¯s room, still wondering about the reason, he could hear the word. Zieghart. It was a word that shouldn¡¯t have appeared there. ¡°Dorian?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Dorian scratched the back of his head. Apparently, he was already aware of it. ¡°Our identity has been revealed. But themander revealed it himself.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± It was probably because he couldn¡¯t hide them as mere mercenaries anymore, as the scale tipped too far. ¡°Then, does everyone know about it already?¡± ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t need to worry about it. After all, we didn¡¯t reveal it ourselves.¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s just¡­¡± He shook his head bitterly. ¡°I just feel like they won¡¯t easily approach us anymore like before.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a different reason for that.¡± ¡°A different reason?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go upstairs for now.¡± Dorian flinched, pointing at the headquarters in front of them. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded and went up to the conference room. Unlike what he expected, Mind and Terian weren¡¯t the only ones in the conference room. All of the other officers were there, as well. It looked like everyone was gathered there, except for the officers on a mission or on guard duty. Raon checked the people¡¯s faces, then breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡®Everyone¡¯s alive.¡¯ He was worried that a problem might have urred, but fortunately no one was seriously injured. Stop pretending to be a good person. Wrath smiled coldly and sat on his head. Even if you saved their lives, they would fear you, who might be connected to the demons. You¡¯d better worry about yourself. ¡®That might be the case.¡¯ Raon nodded. It waspletely possible, considering how people acted in his previous life. However, there was a big mistake that Wrath was making. Raon didn¡¯t save them because he wanted something in return. He just wanted to save them. Since he didn¡¯t have any expectations, there was no reason for him to be disappointed, no matter the oue. ¡°Greeting themander.¡± Raon organized his thoughts and bowed at Mind. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you awake. Sit down over there.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He sat at the chair located in the center, following Mind¡¯s gesture. ¡°I thought it¡¯d take a long time for your recovery, but you¡¯ve already recovered, even stronger than before.¡± Mind eximed in surprise after checking hisplexion. ¡°Countless geniuses have visited here in order to train, but none of them was as fast as you when it came to bing stronger.¡± ¡°I was just lucky.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about luck. It¡¯s your will and your ability. You are going to surpass even me soon enough.¡± Mind shook his head, telling him to stop spouting nonsense. The other officers also smiled. ¡°I can speakfortably since you arepletely recovered.¡± He leaned towards the table. ¡°How did you make the monster leave?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon lowered his chin slightly, the movement easily missed. ¡®I knew it woulde down to this.¡¯ It was an obvious question, one that he knew he would be asked. And of course, he had already prepared an answer. I¡¯m curious about what kind of excuse you are going to give, since they should also be aware of the fact that Sloth is a demon. Wrath giggled in anticipation. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Wait. I asked you the question, but you don¡¯t need to answer.¡± As Raon was about to tell him the excuse he¡¯d prepared, Mind raised his hand. ¡°Everyone here knows that he is a demon, a monster as strong as a demon king on top of that. You must¡¯ve made a trade in order to make him leave.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Just as he expected, they roughly knew how it went. ¡°And a demon of that caliber must¡¯ve asked for your soul and body.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s response was dyed because of Mind¡¯s unexpected reaction. ¡°I knew it!¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± Mind and the officers bit their lips. It looked like they took that dy as a confirmation. Th-This is a strange development¡­ Wrath¡¯s raised eyebrows were trembling in anxiety. ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± ¡°What? No, I just¡­ huh?¡± As Raon tried to give the excuse he¡¯d prepared, Mind suddenly stood up, the other officers following him. ¡°Thank you! Raon!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Mind and the officers bowed at once. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Huh? Receiving the sudden yet polite expressions of gratitude, Raon and Wrath¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Why are you doing this¡­?¡± He could understand that they were thankful to him for saving their lives, but it felt a bit excessive. Moreover, he didn¡¯t even say anything yet. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say any further.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We know that it¡¯s not easy to talk about a trade with a demon.¡± Mind and Terian shook their heads at the same time. ¡°You must¡¯ve made a trade, staking your soul and body.¡± What are you talking about? Why would this bastard stake his body and soul? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped at the ridiculous development. ¡°We aren¡¯t idiots. We already know that something you hold dear has been taken hostage by the demon.¡± ¡°He is right.¡± ¡°We all realize how much of a struggle Sir Raon went through on his own, while we were unconscious.¡± ¡°Sir Raon¡­¡± The officers'' gazes were filled with sadness and deep emotions. I think they are idiots. Wrath wrinkled his nose over the strange assumptions they were making. ¡°I pay my respect to your decision to sacrifice your soul in order to save Habun Castle, Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°We are forever indebted to you!¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Raon!¡± The officers clenched their fists, expressions saddened. Some of them even had tears in their eyes. What kind of madness are you spouting? This cheater isn¡¯t the one who gave away his soul! It was the stupid sleepyhead! Wrath yelled, hitting Mind¡¯s head with his small fist. A human being has scammed the demon king! The one that lost his soul wasn¡¯t this bastard, it was the King of Essence and that stupid Sloth! Even though they couldn¡¯t hear him, Wrath kept shouting and hovered around the officers¡¯ heads. ¡°There¡¯s a saying on the battlefield. Sword for sword, blood for blood, and life for life.¡± An auspicious light was reflected in Mind¡¯s eyes. ¡°Since you sacrificed your soul and body to the demon king in order to save us, we shall pay you back ordingly.¡± ¡°Of course we shall!¡± ¡°Obviously!¡± The officers nodded in agreement. Kuaaah! I¡¯m so frustrated that it¡¯s killing me! This bastard just benefited from the demon kings by scamming them! Come back to your senses! No matter how much Wrath screamed and struggled, the officers¡¯ respect didn¡¯t stop. This feels like a sweet potato is blocking my throat. I-If only I could say something, I¡¯ll trade a part of my soul for it! Please! Let me say something! He stretched his face with his hand, screaming that he was dying. Mind and the officers walked in front of the table, facing Raon head on. Thud! They knocked the left side of their chests, where their hearts were located, with their right hands. Then they straightened their backs. It was the battlefield¡¯s expression of respect and praise of the highest degree. ¡°We¡ªno, Habun Castle will support you, Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon swallowed harshly, his mouth dry. Goosebumps appeared at the sight of the seriousness in everyone¡¯s eyes. Keuh¡­ On the other hand, Wrath went limp like a t balloon and shook his head. What a shitty world. I should just die. Yes, I need to die so I won¡¯t see them anymore¡­ Chapter 147 Facing their gazes, Raon clenched his fist. Their clear, unwavering eyes told him that they were serious about following him. ¡®I¡¯m speechless.¡¯ There was no way he could tell them, ¡®Actually, I¡¯m the one that scammed the demon king¡¯ when faced with those eyes. Why is that frivolous snout of yours tightly shut right now? Tell them the truth! That you bamboozled the demon king! Wrath pounded on Raon¡¯s shoulder, urging him to tell the truth. He wasn¡¯t wrong. Raon wanted to reveal the truth to a certain extent, because of how they were acting towards him. ¡°Actually, I¡­¡± ¡°I told you, you don¡¯t need to say anything.¡± When Raon slowly opened his mouth, Terian raised his hand. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s well known that mentioning the contents of a trade with a demon makes the trade even more disadvantageous for you. You shouldn¡¯t tell us anything, since we all know what happened.¡± Terian smiled gently, telling him that he already understood everything. Argh, I¡¯m going insane. Why are you acting up when you don¡¯t even know anything? Wrath went to Terian and started pecking his head like a woodpecker. There is no such thing as being at a disadvantage from mentioning the contents! And he is actually the one that benefited from the trade! He kept thrashing his chest in frustration. ¡°No, what I¡¯m trying to say is¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything.¡± The captain of the Wolf Mercenary Corps, Beto, smiled. He had his fingers locked together, hands behind his head. ¡°We decided to stand behind you regardless of what happened that day. You don¡¯t need to say anything.¡± All of them must have a hole in their brains. I¡¯m sure their reasoning abilities are all in the negative! Wrath started foaming at the mouth. It looked like he was going to faint again. ¡°But you aren¡¯t from Habun Castle, are you?¡± Raon tilted his head slightly, looking at Beto. He was curious about why a mercenary corps captain, who was supposed to follow the money, was agreeing with them. ¡°Even the mercenaries know how valuable our lives are. That¡¯s why we want to repay our debts properly.¡± Beto stroked the Wolf namete, which had a wolf carved on it. ¡°It¡¯s not just me. The mercenaries have also agreed. We can¡¯t follow you everywhere, but we will risk our lives for you any time.¡± The yful gleam disappeared from his eyes. Beto was also serious about wanting to support him. ¡°It¡¯s not just the mercenaries. The swordsmen divisions, knight orders, and the soldiers¡ªeveryone agreed to stand behind you. That was the reason we announced your name.¡± Mind looked around at the officers, one after the other, as he smiled. ¡®So, that was why.¡¯ Raon finally realized why people were looking at him differently on his way to the conference room. They were being more careful, since they¡¯d all decided to follow him. ¡°I¡¯m not such an amazing person. I¡¯m not even from the direct line of Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°We are already aware of that fact. You aren¡¯t a member of the direct line, but the strong blood of the Destructive King of the North is flowing through your veins.¡± Mind shook his hand, telling him it didn¡¯t matter. The expressions of the people standing next to him didn¡¯t change either. ¡°Are you of the same mind?¡± Raon looked at the Snow Strikers leader Edquill, who was standing on his right. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll follow you no matter what you do, no matter where you are.¡± Edquill knelt to one knee and punched the ground. ¡°It was thanks to Sir Raon that I realized what¡¯s more important than life. Please allow me to follow you!¡± He wasn¡¯t only saying that he wanted to support him or help him, but he was literally saying that he would follow him. ¡°Actually, he was the first one.¡± Mind stepped up and grabbed Edquill¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He said that he would follow you and asked me to expel him from Habun Castle.¡± He lowered his eyebrows at the memory of that absurd statement. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked into Edquill¡¯s eyes once again. He was even more serious than Mind and the other officers. He was for real. Did he just say that annoying guy was the first one to say he wanted to follow you? Haah¡­ I don¡¯t even know anymore. Screw this. Wrath started giggling, saying that he gave up. It looked like he had finally lost his mind. ¡°We also made sure the story about your trade with a demon wouldn¡¯t spread. No one else will know, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Radin confidently knocked his chest. It looked like he used the scouts to stop the rumor from spreading. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon caught his breath and straightened his back. Everyone¡¯s thoughts and feelings touched his heart¡ªit felt fuzzy. ¡°Thank you.¡± Since it came down to that, he had no other choice but to ept it. Raon bowed at the people that were looking at him with trust. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your help.¡± ¡°Whether you desire to be Zieghart¡¯s head of house, or want to live as an average swordsman, we still always stand behind you.¡± Mind smiled broadly, which was umon of him. ¡°Then, can I make my first request of themander?¡± ¡°Request? Of me?¡± ¡°There was one thing I¡¯ve always wanted to request.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± He nodded, gesturing that anything was fine. ¡°Can you spar with me in four months?¡± Raon didn¡¯t want to miss thest opportunity he could get in Habun Castle. ¡°That¡¯s not a difficult request. But do you think four months will be enough?¡± ¡°Yes, that should¡­¡± Crimsonbative spirit was reflected in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­allow me to avoid a disgraceful defeat.¡± * * * Since one bowl of soup wasn¡¯t enough to fill his stomach, Raon and Dorian headed to the Branch of Frost after leaving the conference room. ¡°Huh? Sir Raon!¡± Once they opened the door and entered, Yua¡ªwho¡¯d been cleaning the tables¡ªcame running at them. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He¡¯d heard the same question countless times that day, but he couldn¡¯t help smiling because it was Yua that said it. ¡°What a relief.¡± Yua fluttered her twin tails, which looked like bunny ears, and sniffled. ¡°Yua kept visiting you to drop off some food and snacks. The soup you had earlier was also made by Yua.¡± Dorian pat Yua¡¯s head to praise her. ¡°I see.¡± As he¡¯d expected, Yua had made that delicious soup. ¡°There was no snack though.¡± ¡°Ahem, that¡¯s because I was a bit hungry¡­¡± Dorian awkwardly cleared his throat and turned his head away. ¡°Anyway.¡± Raon snickered and sat at the table. ¡°Can I order right now?¡± ¡°Of course. Grandfather is up as well. Grandfather!¡± Yua shouted towards the kitchen and the manager, whoseplexion was much better now, came running out. ¡°You are here!¡± He took the bandana off his head and bowed politely. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in my right mindst time, and I couldn¡¯t even thank you properly. Thank you for saving us.¡± ¡°Me, too. Thank you for saving me and grandfather.¡± Yua copied the manager and bowed at a 90-degree angle. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do all that.¡± Raon shook his head and made the manager and Yua stand. It was just making him feel embarrassed, since he didn¡¯t save them to get that kind of treatment. ¡°I heard that I managed to survive thanks to Sir Raon¡¯s quick first aid. I don¡¯t even know how to repay this favor¡­¡± ¡°Your healthy appearance is enough reward for me.¡± Raon smiled gently and shook his head. ¡°Ah, this isn¡¯t the time for this.¡± The manager tapped his forehead and ced the menu on the table. ¡°Please order anything you want.¡± ¡°Grandfather said that it¡¯s free for Sir Raon for the rest of his life!¡± ¡°Huh? Then, what about me?¡± Dorian pointed at himself with his finger. ¡°Sir Dorian needs to pay, of course!¡± Yua put her hands on her waist, raising her chin. ¡°Wow, are you discriminating right now? How many sales do you think I made for you?¡± ¡°Hehehe!¡± Dorian, Yua, and the manager burst intoughter. Whatever is fine, so make the order already. The King of Essence wants the apple meat pie for now. Wrath came out of the bracelet, rolling his eyes. ¡°Hmm, then¡­¡± Raon ordered the apple meat pie that Wrath wanted, then a stew, a grilled duck, and a cheese pizza. ¡°Please wait a moment. We will bring you the best meal!¡± Fifteen minutester, food that was made more earnestly than ever filled the table. It had a great fragrance, but the quantity was also a lot more than usual. They look particrly great today. Raise your weapon already. Listening to the exploding sound of Wrath¡¯s salivary nds, Raon picked up his spoon. ¡®He is such a troublesome demon king.¡¯ * * * * * * Since he hadn¡¯t had a proper meal in a while, it seemed even more delicious. It wasn¡¯t just Wrath¡ªRaon was also smiling in satisfaction. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± ¡°Sir Raon.¡± As Raon was about to return after paying, the manager raised his hand. ¡°You mentioned you had something to tell me about Yua. May I hear what that was?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon was looking for an opportunity to tell him, so he was d he asked. ¡°Do you already know who tried to kidnap Yua?¡± ¡°It was Eden, right? Although, I¡¯m not sure why they did that¡­¡± ¡°The reason Eden is targeting Yua is simple.¡± Raon continued, looking at Yua, who was standing next to the manager with trembling hands. ¡°It¡¯s because they wanted her to wear the Siren¡¯s mask.¡± ¡°Siren¡¯s mask?¡± ¡°A Siren is a mermaid monster that is half human and half fish. It has the ability to charm people by singing and ying instruments.¡± ¡°Singing and ying instruments? No way!¡± The manager¡¯s eyes widened as he realized what he meant. ¡°Yua is talented with music, to a point where even I recognize it when I know nothing other than swinging a sword. Eden was targeting that talent and tried turning Yua into a Siren.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The manager¡¯s expression grew stiff as Raon continued. ¡°As long as Yua stays in Habun Castle, they will keep targeting her by using various methods. They are insane, after all.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± The manager slowly turned his head to look at Yua. It appeared that he had somewhat expected that to happen. ¡°Since Eden¡¯s actions will get more and more violent in the future, they might put other people in danger on top of Yua next time. That¡¯s why I wanted to suggest that youe with me when I return to my house.¡± ¡°That we¡¯d go to Zieghart with you?¡± ¡°Yes, because we shouldn¡¯t separate the two of you.¡± Raon immediately nodded. Since Zieghart was antagonizing the Five Demons, they would certainly ept them if he exined the circumstances to them. ¡°Hmm¡­ Sir Raon.¡± The manager looked at him while softly pressing on the counter. ¡°This question might sound weird, but may I ask why you are being so kind to us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes returned to the past upon hearing the manager¡¯s question. He¡¯d lived as an assassin, a hunting dog for his entire life after getting kidnapped in the childhood that he couldn¡¯t even remember properly. Infiltration, murder, invasion, theft, maniption of information, and more. He didn¡¯t want to do any of them, yet he keptpleting Derus¡¯ orders as they resonated in his head. If Yua were to wear the Siren¡¯s mask, her life would be even more brutal than his previous life had been. It was a given that she would shed blood every day with her own hands, for the rest of her life. Because he¡¯d personally experienced that hell, he didn¡¯t want a normal kid that liked to sing and cook to shed other people¡¯s blood. That was all there was to it. ¡°Because I have to do it.¡± Raon gave a slightly awkward smile, hiding his feelings. ¡°I see.¡± It looked like the manager liked that answer, smiling gently as he looked at Yua. ¡°Erm, Sir Raon!¡± Yua raised her hand to ask a question. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Can I be stronger like Sir Raon? Will I be able to protect Grandfather and beat up the bad guys?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Since it was apletely unexpected situation, Rano¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®I was mistaken¡­¡¯ He was only thinking about bringing Yua with him to protect her, but she actually wanted to get stronger herself. It looked like she wanted to forget the terrifying scene of her family being devoured by a monster, to move on. That girl¡¯s talent is the real deal. Even though it¡¯s different from swordsmanship, releasing that talent would make her stronger. Wrath was right. She had the talent, and she desired to fight. It was only right for him to show her the path, just like Rimmer did for him. ¡°Of course! I also used to be a coward beforeing to Zieghart!¡± Dorian interrupted before Raon responded. ¡°But you are still a coward.¡± Raon snickered, putting his hand on Dorian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I-I¡¯m not a coward! I just have a slight hand tremor!¡± He is the most cowardliest of the cowards. Wrath clicked his tongue. ¡°Do you want to protect yourself and your grandfather with your own power?¡± Raon leaned forward to meet Yua¡¯s gaze. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You should be able to if you desire it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go then!¡± Yua gave a refreshing smile and clenched her fist. ¡°Since she wants to go, I can¡¯t stop her. I think I can trust anything Sir Raon says. Please take care of her in the future.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this.¡± The manager was trying to kneel and bow, and Raon stopped him in a haste. ¡°But if you are sending Yua¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Grandfather!¡± Yua ran up to him and grabbed his sleeve. ¡°Wh-What are you talking about? We have to go together!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lived here for my entire life. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± ¡°The same goes for me!¡± ¡°If I were to leave, that would be the end of this pub. I don¡¯t even have a long life in front of me. I just want you to live on happily.¡± The manager smiled faintly. It looked like he already made up his mind. ¡°Then I¡¯m not going either!¡± ¡°Why would you not? You keepining every day that it¡¯s cold and narrow.¡± ¡°Regardless of how great it is, I¡¯m not going if it¡¯s not with my grandfather!¡± Their voices got louder as they grabbed onto each other¡¯s clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Leaving the arguing people behind, Raon left the pub. ¡°Can we leave them like that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded, taking a nce at the Branch of Frost, where loud voices were stilling from. ¡°It¡¯s up to them to decide.¡± * * * Slightly past the dinner time, Raon returned to the scout¡¯s quarters and changed. It was the opposite from his usual routine, where he trained until it waste at night. You¡¯ve finally gone insane. Wrath poked his head out of the bracelet, snickering. ¡®That¡¯s not the case.¡¯ Raonid on the bed and shook his head. What? ¡®I need to check how effective Sloth, which increases the stats just from sleeping, is.¡¯ Sloth, which he had obtained from the monarch of the same name, was an ability that would make him stronger while he slept. ¡®I need to know how many stats I get before nning for the fight against themander in four months.¡¯ A fight against a Master level warrior was a golden opportunity for him. He had no intention of wasting it like an idiot. He needed to confront him in his best condition and state, so he first needed to properly test the ability he¡¯d obtained. ¡®Let¡¯s see how much stronger I get by sleeping.¡¯ Raon smiled in excitement and covered himself with a nket. Chapter 148 As soon as the darkness started to fade, Raon opened his eyes. Since he¡¯d always woken up at that hour, he didn¡¯t even consider sleeping longer. However, one thing was different from usual. It was the message that appeared in front of his eyes. It was a pleasant message, announcing an increase in stats. ¡®I can certainly feel it.¡¯ Probably because his senses were sharper, he could feel that his physical abilities had been enhanced, although it was by a small amount. The increase was simr to when he trained to the best of his abilities. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t equal to a full point¡ªit was only a fraction, but the amazing part was that he got all those stats just from sleeping. ¡®He wasn¡¯t a demon king for nothing.¡¯ When he heard why Sloth became a demon king from Wrath, he doubted that it was even possible. However, it seemed that it was thanks to that ability. A trait that made him stronger as he slept was such a ridiculous ability. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Raon raised himself up and tried to turn his shoulders and ankles. ¡®My body feels light.¡¯ He felt as light as a feather, without any signs of exhaustion. Although it wasn¡¯t mentioned, Sloth also seemed to allow a deep sleep. Creak. Wrath started gritting his teeth as soon as he came out of the bracelet. It looked like he was dissatisfied with everything. That stupid sleepyhead! He gave you too much power! ¡®Is this too much?¡¯ Of course it is! Even though it¡¯s less than what you¡¯d get while training, it¡¯s significant enough for you to feel it! Wrath kept swearing, saying that Sloth must be crazy for sure. How could he give that crazy ability to a guy that already gets stronger at a monstrous pace? The King of Essence will make sure he never sleeps again if I meet him in Devildom. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips. ¡®Now that I think about it, I feel slightly bad for both of them.¡¯ Wrath was watching the whole scene as he got yed, and Sloth was tricked without knowing anything. Raon felt bad for the two demon kings, although it was just a little bit. Y-You feel bad? It¡¯s you who did all that! How can you say that you feel bad for us? You damn devil! ¡®Devil, huh¡­¡¯ He was probably the first person to be called a devil by the king of demons. Raon could only smile. ¡®But this ability isn¡¯t perfect.¡¯ Wait, does it have a weakness? Wrath¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing that it had a weakness. ¡®Yes. Now I want to sleep longer.¡¯ Probably because of Sloth¡¯s effect, the unusual desire of staying in bed was welling up inside him. Huh? But you woke up immediately. ¡®I have a strong willpower. It¡¯s pointless against me.¡¯ Then it doesn¡¯t work against you! Are you kidding with the King of Essence again? Wrath bit his lip and started blowing a cold wind upon realizing that he had been tricked. ¡®Calm down. That is, if you don¡¯t want to give more stats the first thing in the morning.¡¯ Urgh! Wrath made a strange groan and stopped. It looked like giving Raon stats was thest thing he wanted to do, even though he was angry. ¡°Ah.¡± Raon snickered before looking at the ck flower bracelet around his wrist. ¡®You said Sloth¡¯s soul was inside this bracelet, right?¡¯ Wh-When did the King of Essence ever say such a thing? ¡®You told me yesterday that I took Sloth¡¯s soul. Weren¡¯t you talking about this?¡¯ Uh¡­? Wrath opened his mouth like an idiot. Raon has been with him for a long time, but it was his first time witnessing such a stupid expression. M-Maybe? I don¡¯t think so? He did his best to turn around and hide his expression, but it was no good. The fact that he was awkwardly changing the subject because he couldn¡¯t lie didn¡¯t help either. ¡®I knew it. I don¡¯t know what this is, but it does contain Sloth¡¯s soul.¡¯ Keuh, you are so pointlessly sharp! Wrath clenched his fist and turned his head. He red at Raon with a threatening gaze. That damn bastard took a liking to your underhanded nature and gave you an item imbued with his soul! What an idiot! ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon nodded, swaying the two flower bracelets. ¡®I knew I should properly listen to what you say.¡¯ Wrath didn¡¯t only give stats, but also disclosed a bunch of hints and information with his own mouth. He reminded him of the bottom part of the tree that became people¡¯s resting ce after death. ¡®So, what ability does this have?¡¯ I don¡¯t know. ¡®What?¡¯ I really don¡¯t know. What¡¯s in there isn¡¯t Sloth¡ªit¡¯s just a portion of his soul. Which means the ability will be determined depending on your actions in the future. And¡­ ¡®And?¡¯ Hmph! Figure out the rest by yourself! Wrath snorted and turned around. Judging from his expression, he wasn¡¯t going to say anything for a while. ¡®That¡¯s enough.¡¯ Raon smiled in satisfaction. An item imbued with Sloth¡¯s soul was bound to be something extraordinary, so he just needed to wait patiently. I¡¯ll give you one piece of advice. Wrath turned back. There was a deadly re in his blue eyes. If you had met Pride, Envy, or Greed, you would¡¯ve never managed to survive against them. If you met Lust, then not even your bones would have remained, and if Gluttony was there, then you would¡¯ve been devou¡­ ¡®Aren¡¯t you Gluttony?¡¯ Just listen to me! He couldn¡¯t maintain his serious appearance, growing irritated once again. Anyway, consider it your once-in-a-lifetime luck that you met Stupid Sloth. Raon wanted to tell him that his real luck was meeting the doormat called Wrath, but he suppressed his urge because that would make him start rampaging around. You won¡¯t get another chance like this. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips, looking at Wrath as he floated in the air. Looking at Wrath, who¡¯d be smaller from using all his power the other day¡­ Mysteriously, and very mysteriously at that, he could smell the doormat from the demon kings¡¯ names. ¡®Actually.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯d like to meet them soon.¡¯ * * * In order to get used to the recent stiff increase in stats, Raon went to the training ground. He warmed himself up lightly before swinging his sword vertically. The de aggressively pierced through the air, leaving an evident mark on the ground. The wind billowed around him even though he wasn¡¯t even using his aura. It was the result of his strength, agility, and delicate senses. Thud! He stomped the ground and raised his de at shoulder¡¯s height. The soft flow of the Star Connecting Sword followed the horizon, and the wavering strike severed through the cold darkness of daybreak. The moment Raon turned his ankle slightly, the flow changed suddenly. The tranquil, endlessly flowing river started cresting like a tidal wave. The Fangs of Insanity. The fierce de crushed the space like a starving beast, creating a crimson scar. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon exhaled heavily and lowered his de. ¡°This is better than I thought.¡± The increased stats were more effective than he thought. It seemed he needed to spend a lot of time working to perfectly control his enhanced physical abilities. ¡°But it¡¯s nice that I can see how I can get stronger.¡± In his previous life, he couldn¡¯t picture himself getting stronger at all. It felt like he was walking in darkness on his own, yet it was different now. Even though it should have taken a long time, he could see how to get stronger, which was making his heart pound. ¡°I should try using that.¡± Raon raised his sword once again and used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the maximum. The heat rising on his shoulder made the ground, which was covered by perpetual snow, boil like magma. Whir! The crimson me that ignited was like a snake¡¯s tongue on the de, white as a snowfield. The me, which was extensive enough to cover the entire de, was dancing in the air and gathering into the shape of a dragon. Once two horns appeared from its head, Raon kicked the ground and thrust his sword. Roar! The dragon roar resounded from the center of the training grounds. * * * * * * Zieghart The Lord¡¯s Manor ¡°My lord!¡± Rimmer violently opened the huge door, as if he were trying to destroy it, and entered the audience chamber. ¡°Seriously, that guy needs to be locked up somewhere.¡± Glenn frowned, looking at Rimmer¡¯s refreshing steps. ¡°He will probably dig a tunnel to escape if he gets locked up.¡± Roenn shook his head with a gentle smile. ¡°My lord! Did you see this?¡± Rimmer shook the letter in his hand, a refreshing smile on his face. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes, recognizing the waxed seal on the letter. ¡°Why is there a report from Habun Castle in your hand right now?¡± ¡°I took it when they wereing to report.¡± Rimmerughed, as if he were bragging about it. ¡°You really are insane.¡± People said that students took after their teachers. What Glenn said to Rimmer was the same thing that Wrath always told Raon. ¡°Roenn, confine him in a cave immediately. Cover the floor and the ceiling with an iron te, and never let him escape.¡± ¡°Eek! Wh-Why are you doing this to me?¡± Rimmer quickly shook his head, waving the letter. ¡°I ran here as fast as I could to deliver Raon¡¯s news to the head of house! I¡¯ll be sad if that¡¯s the treatment I get!¡± ¡°You did that because you wanted to know about it, not for me.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s part of the reason. I mean, I¡¯m bound to have expectations since I get surprised each time I get a report.¡± The other trainees were also doing great in their respective positions, but no one was a match for Raon¡¯s achievements. He could tell how much of a difference Raon was makingpared to the others just from the reports. ¡°Then I¡¯ll open it right now.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Glenn flicked his finger. The letter in Rimmer¡¯s hand started floating spontaneously and flew into Glenn¡¯s hand. ¡°A-Are you even using a formless aura just to take away the letter?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rimmer gasped at the absurdity of his actions, but Glenn didn¡¯t even look at him as he unsealed the letter. ¡°You are even using the ultimate technique just so that you can read the letter about your grandson before me¡­¡± What he¡¯d used just then wasn¡¯t a simple aura¡ªit was the formless aura that was only possible to use after reaching the supreme level. Rimmer never thought that he¡¯d use such a thing just to take away a letter. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth swayed like a fishhook as he read down the letter. ¡°Wh-What could the contents be for him to react like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t seen him that happy for a long time.¡± Glenn¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change that much, but the two people could tell that he was extremely pleased. ¡°Hmph, nothing special happened.¡± Glenn murmured that it was a trivial matter and threw the letter away. Itnded at Rimmer''s feet as if it were the most natural thing to happen. It felt like he was telling him to read it already. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s check for now.¡± Rimmer and Roenn nodded, reading the letter at the same time. It was written that Raon had saved Habun Castle once again, bing a hero. It also said that everyone at Habun Castle had decided to support him. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± They eximed, unable to take their eyes off the letter. ¡°He is really amazing!¡± Rimmer was standing in front of Glenn with his jaw dropped. ¡°I can understand that he saved everyone, but how could that picky old man Mind decide to support him? This is a great achievement!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing special.¡± Unlike Rimmer, who was making a fuss, Glenn nonchntly shook his head. However, he couldn¡¯t stop his mouth from twitching. ¡°How can you say that it¡¯s nothing special?¡± Rimmer continued with a serious face. ¡°Habun Castle is thend of warriors. They are faithful to each other, they have steadfast convictions, and their might is outstanding. Obtaining the hearts of people like that will be greatly helpful to Raon in the future.¡± ¡°I agree with him. Habun Castle is an honorable ce. I¡¯m sure they wille to help Raon¡ªno matter what he does, no matter where he is.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know until it happens.¡± Despite his brusque manner, the corners of Glenn¡¯s lips kept wavering nonstop. It looked like he couldn¡¯t suppress his smile because of the unexpected report. ¡°Pfft, stop suppressing it and just smile already.¡± Rimmer stretched his own mouth. ¡°Why are you even using the formless aura just to hear the grandson¡¯s news before anyone else? And then you¡¯re forcing your muscles to stop your mouth from curving into a smile? You just need to show ten percent of your love for Raon to hug you while calling you ¡®Grandpa!¡¯. Seriously, you are the fussiest person in Zieghart ever¡­ gasp!¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Rimmer screamed and leaped away. Wham! The floor where he used to be standing was scorched ck and had copsed. ¡°Th-The lightning? Are you seriously trying to kill me?¡± Rimmer swallowed harshly, mouth dry, while looking at the floor. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Glenn slowly raised himself. His cheeks were slightly red, as he was a bit embarrassed from Rimmer¡¯s statement hitting the mark. ¡°W-Wait a moment. Making me die on a day like this, where my student and my lord¡¯s grandson got a great achievement, would be a bad omen¡­¡± ¡°Making a sacrifice will be a good omen.¡± ¡°S-Sacrifice? Me?¡± A lightning powerful enough to scorch the world sparked from Glenn¡¯s long finger. As that light was about to rage towards him, Rimmer grit his teeth and gathered his hands. ¡°I¡¯m not dying like this! Sword Field Creation!¡± Glenn flinched upon hearing that majestic voice, and Rimmer used that opportunity to leap and open the audience chamber¡¯s door. ¡°You know you can¡¯t tell anyone about this, right? I¡¯ll returnter! See you¡­ Huh?¡± When Rimmer was about to escape with a bluff, his eyes widened. His feet weren¡¯t reaching the ground. Glenn¡¯s aura had caught him already, and his body was floating in the air. ¡°M-My lord is the greatest head of house in Zieghart¡¯s history. Please forgive me¡­¡± ¡°Roenn, we need a hole.¡± Rimmer kept begging like a fly, but Glenn¡¯s eyes only became colder. ¡°We are going to bury him today.¡± ¡°Noooooo!¡± A yellow lightning struck inside the Zieghart¡¯s audience chamber. * * * Raon exhaled extremely slowly, to the point where it felt boring, before opening his eyes. Seriousness and purity were creating a harmony inside his solemn red eyes. ¡®It¡¯s perfect.¡¯ He finished getting used to his body, which kept getting stronger over the past four months, and he also managed to increase his proficiency with the new skills he¡¯d obtained. His objective of achieving peak condition in four months had beenpleted. ¡®I can have a satisfying fight now.¡¯ He didn¡¯t think he would be able to win against Mind, but it didn¡¯t feel like he would face a disgraceful defeat. As Raon finished organizing his thoughts and stood up, Dorian opened the door to the scout¡¯s quarters and entered. ¡°Young master, the time hase!¡± He swallowed hard, his eyes filled with worries and anticipation. ¡°Themander is already outside, waiting for you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± It was the day of spar against Commander Mind, which he¡¯d promised Raon four months ago. He was d that he could face his final opportunity in Habun Castle in peak condition. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon picked up the sword hanging at the wall and left their quarters. ¡°Sir Raon! Please win!¡± ¡°You gotta defeat themander before leaving!¡± ¡°I believe in you!¡± Raon nodded at the soldiers rooting for him and entered the training ground. The exterior waspletely filled with knights, swordsmen, and soldiers¡ªto a point where there was no space to set foot in. ¡°Have you finished your preparations?¡± Mind was standing in the center of the training grounds, looking at him indifferently. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly prepared, thank you for waiting.¡± Raon smiled and bowed. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. It won¡¯t be boring, at least.¡± Mind threw away the thick coat he¡¯d been wearing. Stomping heavily on the ground, he ced his hand on the hilt of his sword. ¡°Then there¡¯s no reason to dy. Come at me.¡± The pressure that used to be soft like a spring wind suddenly transformed into a powerful wave, like a storm. Mind¡¯s aura, umted in battlefields throughout dozens of years, started to put pressure Raon¡¯s body. Whir! Raon grasped his trembling hands, resonating the Ring of Fire. He increased the level of his soul and pulled out the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Thud! He kicked the ground with enough power to copse the ground, leaping into Mind¡¯s space. Starting with the Fangs of Insanity, the fang of a crazed beast thundered into him. Baaam! Speed, power, and direction. The strike wasn¡¯tcking in any of those aspects, yet Mind snapped the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s teeth by simply raising his sword. The space waspletely blocked, but Raon¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t change. The Fangs of Insanity was an Intuition Sword, which pierced into the enemy¡¯s opening¡ªthat meant he was only getting started. ng! ng! Silver lights spread from Raon and Mind¡¯s hands, colliding with each other countless times. A powerful shockwave smashed the ground apart, and a fierce wave burst into the space between them¡ªbut Mind wasn¡¯t pushed back at all. He was the picture of an iron man. ¡°You have good strength and speed, but the sharpness iscking. Is that all?¡± Mind¡¯s voice was sinking into coldness, as if he were looking down at the earth from the heavens. ¡°Of course not.¡± A crimson me passed by Raon¡¯s eyes. The flower on the sword¡¯s point came into a full bloom like starlight. ¡°I¡¯m only getting started.¡± Chapter 149 Raon stomped the ground. He connected the forceing up from his ankle to his waist and wrist. The me on his de twisted in a spiral, aimed towards Mind¡¯s chest. ¡°Things are finally getting interesting.¡± Mind bared his teeth and turned his wrist. A wave as violent as the northern wind severed the ground. am! The des that were imbued with tremendous power collided with each other, creating a thunderous noise akin to a copsing mountain. ¡°Your strength alone is at a Master¡¯s level.¡± The wave of energying from Mind grew stronger. That was because he didn¡¯t raise his sword for defense¡ªhe was trying to attack, which was blocked. ¡°There should be more than strength to it.¡± Holding out against Mind¡¯s attacks, which got more and more powerful, Raon smiled. He made use of his enhanced strength and agility to the best of their abilities in order to withstand Mind¡¯s pressure. ng! He deflected the heavy blow that was directed at his neck and moved forward. Mind¡¯s technique was specialized for battles. Since he¡¯d been fighting monsters for his entire life and building up his swordsmanship on the battlefield, it was powerful enough to destroy the heavens¡­ And yet, the motion wasrge. That weakness was what Raon needed to aim for. ¡°A petty trick won¡¯t work.¡± Trying to cut through the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura itself, Mind condensed a tremendous amount of aura on his de. Thick threads appeared along his silver de. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ A chill ran down his spine as he witnessed the gathering energy. It wasn¡¯t a Master¡¯s characteristic astral energy, but aparable amount of energy was being condensed. The attack seemed powerful enough to destroy steel. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡± Mind¡¯s footwork crushed the ground. He wasn¡¯t fast, but he was dominating the space like a herd of buffalo and didn¡¯t leave much space to dodge. ¡®What shall I do?¡¯ Going head-to-head against such an aura wasn¡¯t a good idea. The correct choice would¡¯ve been running away first then looking for an opportunityter, but Raon didn¡¯t withdraw. ¡®There¡¯s no reason for me to be here if I run away.¡¯ He had the rare opportunity to fight against Mind, who used powerful techniques. He couldn¡¯t miss a chance like that. Rumble! The moment the sword was about to fall on his head with tremendous energy, Raon resonated his five rings of fire. He read the flow of Mind¡¯s power with his slowed vision. ¡°Huff!¡± He thrust his sword, aiming at the opening at Mind¡¯s waist. The de, imbued with the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s principles, showed its fangs. ¡°That won¡¯t work!¡± Mind wasn¡¯t shaken, despite the critical situation. He instantly removed the opening at his waist, regaining a perfect posture to pressure him again. ¡®Just as I thought.¡¯ Thinking ability, reaction, and physical abilities increased exponentially upon reaching Master¡¯s level. There was no way he would be caught off guard by an attack like that, as he became a Master a long time ago. ¡®That¡¯s why¡­¡¯ A deadly light shone in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®I threw a bait.¡¯ The moment his sword was about to collide against Mind¡¯s mighty power, Raon twisted the aura on his de. Cling! Along with a sound of crushing steel, the trajectory of Mind¡¯s sword became distorted. It was one of Fangs of Insanity¡¯s techniques, Discharge. It was originally a technique that involved smashing a rotating aura into the enemy¡¯s body, but it had be a perfect defensive move. As Mind¡¯s sword bounced away, Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and thrust his sword. The still-rotating de was thrust towards Mind¡¯s chest. ¡°Impressive!¡± Mind smiled and focused his aura in his left hand. The blue aurapressed into a sphere, bouncing off the de. He could improvise such a move in that short instant. That was indeed the ability of a warrior that had spent his entire life on the battlefield. Rumble! Mind drew a half circle with his wrist, and his sword pierced towards the sky. The de that fell towards him after that was as heavy as the battlefield. Raon felt like his skin was falling apart under the tremendous pressure. ¡°I haven¡¯t even gotten started yet!¡± Raon smiled in a simr manner, advancing towards the falling de. ¡®I lose if I fall back.¡¯ Running away or withdrawing from his battle techniques would only result in more pressure. Avoiding fighting back with power was alright, but withdrawing was thest thing he could do. Although he entered the Focus state, it was difficult to read the flow of the vibrating de, which contained a huge amount of power. What he needed to do in a case like that was predict. Imagining in his head all of the Mind¡¯s moves that Raon had witnessed from standing behind him so far, he hacked diagonally. am! Mind¡¯s attack was blocked before it reached the peak. He managed to guess the right direction because of his experience. Deflecting the bone-shattering force, Raon smacked Mind¡¯s sr plexus with his left elbow. ¡°You are good at surprise attacks. You are even better suited to a battlefield than me.¡± He blocked the attack with his left hand, as if he knew it wasing. He was indeed a difficult opponent. And that was why Raon smiled. ¡°Are you having fun?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting excited.¡± Raon smiled faintly. The me dancing on his de fluttered like a flower blossom alongside his smile. Every single one of them was a powerful aura de. Even Mind couldn¡¯t easily deal with them, and used aura to explode them midway. Boom! The training ground shook, and a sandstorm mixed with me and aura was created. As if they¡¯d agreed upon it beforehand, Raon and Mind rushed into it for relentless assaults. Rumble! The red and blue light endlessly shed against each other inside the gray dust that scattered around them. * * * Terian swallowed harshly, mouth dry. ¡°¡­It¡¯s crazy.¡± He knew that Raon was stronger than his current level, but he didn¡¯t think he would be able to fight like that against his father. ¡®His level should¡¯ve been simr to mine.¡¯ An advanced or highest grade Expert, that should¡¯ve been his level¡­ but Raon¡¯s prowess was on another level whenpared to his own. Honestly, his physical abilities seemed to surpass even his father¡¯s. ¡°How can he be that strong?¡± Even if he considered the fact that he was Zieghart¡¯s bloodline, it was an unreasonable power. He couldn¡¯t even be jealous about it. ¡°His skills increase quickly, but the quality is also on another level.¡± Witnessing the fight at another level, Beto¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°I¡¯m sure he was weaker than me when he first arrived. I don¡¯t understand how he got that strong. This is ridiculous.¡± He shook his head at the mysterious sight. Even though he¡¯d seen countless powerhouses and geniuses as a mercenary captain, Raon was still a mystery. ¡°That¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t withdraw.¡± A low voice could be heard from behind them. Edquill, who¡¯d been watching Raon¡¯s back for a while, was standing there. ¡°What do you mean, he doesn¡¯t withdraw?¡± ¡°He never withdraws, whether it¡¯s in front of monsters, powerful people, or the flow of nature. He keeps stepping ahead, even if his life is at risk.¡± He bit his lip, watching Raon¡¯s intense fight against Mind. He sped his fist in excitement. ¡°The fortitude of swinging his sword in any situation is making him stronger.¡± ¡°Certainly¡­¡± Terian slowly nodded. He was right. Raon never withdrew, no matter what situation he was in. The fact that an almost seventeen-year-old boy could have such a resolution was more mysterious than his prowess alone. ¡°It seems like our decision to stand behind him was the best choice we¡¯ve ever made.¡± The officers around him nodded upon hearing his calm yet powerful voice. * * * * * * Whaam! Along with the thunderous, sky-shattering noise, the sandstorm exploded. Raon was violently pushed back, but Mind was standing in the spot¡ªbarely moving back. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue. He wasn¡¯t losing that much in terms of physical abilities and aura, but he couldn¡¯t catch up to Mind¡¯s endurance and durability. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s strange?¡± Mind smiled, swirling his sword. ¡°I had the same feeling before, but you really don¡¯t get tired.¡± He never looked exhausted despite continuously using aura des and astral des on the battlefield. It couldn¡¯t be because of the amount of aura he had, but because of his level. ¡°This is the reason.¡± Mind pointed at his body, slightly above his abdomen. ¡°The middle energy center. It opens up upon reaching the Master level, allowing you to control arger amount of powerful energy with a smaller amount of aura.¡± ¡°Middle energy center¡­¡± ¡°Your prowess surpasses an Expert, but you haven''t reached Master¡¯s level yet. You can¡¯t win against me in a long fight.¡± He already knew about the middle energy center¡¯s effect, but it was his first time witnessing it in use. Raon smiled unconsciously. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± ¡°Because I can see how I should proceed.¡± Raon¡¯s desire to be a Master grew even further upon witnessing the middle energy center¡¯s ability. He was confident that he could make an explosive use of the middle energy center, as he had enough stats. ¡°Interesting.¡± Mind¡¯s eyes remained indifferent. However, his de was surrounded by a fierce aura,pletely different from his eyes. ¡°Show me your full power.¡± Raon nodded and brandished his sword. He resonated the rings of fire to the brim, spreading cier around. Whir! He took out all the remaining energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation from his energy center. The bloody me surrounded his sword and body, to create a mysterious shape. The fang made of sword to the horns connecting to his back looked like a dragon. The wave created by the tremendous amount of aura distorted the entire training ground. ¡°What¡¯s the name of this technique?¡± Mind asked, raising his radiant de. ¡°Its name is me Dragon Art.¡± Raon brandished his sword above his shoulder, extending his left hand. It looked like a dragon watching its prey, its mouth closed. ¡°Interesting. This technique¡¯s name is Frost Dragon sh. It¡¯s said to have in the ice dragon living at the top of Stallin Mountain a thousand years ago.¡± The energy gathered in Mind¡¯s de was deadly sharp. It was dense enough to distort his vision. ¡°Come at me. Let¡¯s see whether your dragon or my sword is going to win.¡± As soon as he gestured his hand, Raon pulled back his leg. He exploded his aura,pressed to the extreme, to kick off from the ground. Whir! The aura de zing through the space fell vertically. It was powerful enough to cut Mind¡¯s body in half if he failed to stop it. A crimson spark appeared in Raon¡¯s eyes. He exploded the aura gathered at the sword¡¯s extremity at once. The de¡¯s advance, engulfed by the me, looked like a red dragon¡¯s breath. Creak! The blue and red lights glimmered, and the aura stormed up to the sky. Alongside the sound of shattering metal, the storm subsided and the training ground was revealed once again. Raon and Mind were standing on the devastated ground, as if it went through a magic bombardment. Mind¡¯s de was brimming with a perfectly materialized aura, but Raon¡¯s sword was snapped into half, its de stuck in the ground. ¡°I lost.¡± Raon carefully picked up the broken de. ¡°Thank you for your lesson.¡± He nonchntly bowed at him. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Themander has won!¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural, why are you so happy about that?¡± ¡°Commander!¡± ¡°Sir Raon! You did great!¡± ¡°You almost fought equally!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± The soldiers cheered for the victor andforted the loser. However, Mind was frowning despite having won the fight, and Raon was smiling. It looked like their reactions were reversed. ¡°Oh my.¡± Mind scattered the shining aura from his de andughed bitterly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d force me to use an astral de.¡± A transcendental body, judgment, and aura were obtained upon reaching the Master level. He thought he didn¡¯t need to use astral energy to teach him, but that was his miscalction. He would¡¯ve been devoured by Raon¡¯sst technique if he didn¡¯t use the astral energy. ¡°What are you even trying to achieve by getting stronger so quickly?¡± ¡°I have much to do.¡± Raon smiled faintly, looking at his broken de. Habun Castle allowed him to achieve an impossibly quick growth. And that man was the foundation of his growth. Derus Robert. ¡®I haven¡¯t forgotten about you yet.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not going to stop until I behead you.¡¯ Deep inside his red eyes, where no one could see, his anger was boiling. * * * The lord¡¯s manor of Robert was extravagant in a different way than Zieghart¡¯s. Sitting in the office located on the highest floor, which was best described as majestic, Derus Robert was listening to his head butler¡¯s report. ¡°¡­There are a few particrities other than that, but that¡¯s it for the overall report.¡± ¡°Particrities?¡± Derus tilted his head slightly, his gaze gentle. ¡°It¡¯s not anything significant. There are many cases of the activities of young swordsmen in the north, which appear to be the training for Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen.¡± ¡°They must be trying to increase the skills of their swordsmen by making them participate in real battles.¡± ¡°It¡¯s effective for sure. Habun Castle was saved by the young sword demon Raon¡­¡± ¡°Raon?¡± As soon as he mentioned the name Raon, Derus¡¯s eyes changedpletely. The easy-going atmosphere, like the spring wind, turned into the cold air of an ice cave. ¡°I-It¡¯s not that Raon. He is a blond-haired and red-eyed swordsman. He is a young boy that has inherited Glenn Zieghart¡¯s blood for sure.¡± ¡°Ah, of course.¡± Derus snickered, and looked at the back of his hand. A drop of blood trickled from the scar that still hadn¡¯t disappeared. ¡°I¡¯m just a bit annoyed by this scar that never disappears.¡± He wiped the blood flowing from the scar and frowned. ¡°Speaking of Habun Castle, the young swordsman that stopped Eden¡¯s attack must be Raon.¡± Derus¡¯s voice sounded extremely irritated. ¡°You are properly remembering it, even though I just mentioned it on the side.¡± The butler nodded. ¡°It¡¯s him. However, the rumors are bound to be exaggerated, so you don¡¯t need to pay attention to him.¡± ¡°Rumors are usually exaggerated, but sometimes understated.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°If all goes ording to n, we are going to sh against Zieghart as well. It¡¯d be a good idea to renew the information about Zieghart as a whole, on top of that boy.¡± Derus stroked his neat chin. He tapped on his desk with emotionless eyes, just like when he beheaded Raon. ¡°Send the shadows to the north to gather every piece of information about Zieghart.¡± * * * Raon picked up the backpack under his bed, pulling it onto his shoulders. Before leaving the scout¡¯s quarters, he turned to look around the room. It was a small room that he¡¯d been living in for just one year and one month, but it felt like he¡¯d been living there for years. Stop reminiscing like a country bumpkin and leave already. ¡®Demon king should learn to read the atmosphere.¡¯ After looking around the small yetfortable lodging for ast time, he went outside. ¡°I¡¯ll carry that one.¡± Dorian, who¡¯d been waiting at the entrance, waved his hand. Saying that he would carry the backpack, he put it inside his belly pocket. ¡°I¡¯m ready, too.¡± Yua stepped out from behind Dorian. She was wearing a white woolen robe. She looked like a white rabbit with her hat over her head. ¡°Did you pack all of your baggage?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Dorian has it now.¡± Yua smiled cheerfully, pointing at Dorian. ¡®She¡¯s grown brighter.¡¯ In the end, the manager decided to stay behind, with Yua being the only person leaving. Probably because she had braced herself already, she didn¡¯t look sad at all. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon patted Yua¡¯s shoulder and left the scout¡¯s quarters. The swordsmen, knights, and soldiers were lined up on the sides, creating a road up to the castle gates. ¡°Be careful on your way back!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget about us!¡± ¡°We will remember you for the rest of our lives!¡± ¡°Call us anytime you need help!¡± With each step he took, the fellows that fought with him back-to-back said their goodbyes. Treasuring every single one of their words, Raon headed towards the castle gates. The castle gates that were firmly shut when he first arrived were now wide-open, and Mind, Terian, and the officers were lined up in front of them. Terian and Beto were smiling, and the scout leaders¡ªincluding Radin¡ªlooked bitter, while Mind and Edquill looked calm. ¡°I should be going now.¡± ¡°Be careful on your way.¡± That was enough of a goodbye for Raon and Mind. That was because the conversation of swords that they had a few months ago still remained in their hearts. Raon said goodbye to the officers one by one, and then it was Edquill¡¯s turn in the end. ¡°Do you still want to follow me instead of standing behind me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Edquill nodded, not hesitating at all. ¡°Then please get stronger.¡± Raon looked into Edquill¡¯s unwavering eyes and continued. ¡°I have much that I need to do. If you want to walk alongside me, you have to be stronger than anyone here. In terms of sword and mind alike.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Edquill was at apletely different level than before. The way he responded, without asking any questions, felt reliable. ¡°Always remember that we, Habun Castle, are behind you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Listening to Mind¡¯s indifferent yet powerful voice, Raon met everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± Raon smiled, looking at the people that made up Habun Castle. ¡°Please stay healthy until we meet again.¡± With those as hisst words, he turned around. He grabbed Yua¡¯s shoulder as her eyes welled up with tears while looking at the manager, then he left through the wide-open castle gates to pray for his fortune in war. ¡°Goodbye!¡± ¡°Sir Raon! Good luck!¡± ¡°Goodbye, Raon! We are the ones that should thank you!¡± ¡°Take care, Yua!¡± Along with the sound of the gates closing, he could hear the people shouting. ¡°Grandfather! Goodbye!¡± ¡°See youter!¡± Unlike Yua and Dorian, who were saying their goodbye, Raon didn¡¯t look back. He kept walking forward in anticipation for the day they would meet again. Once the soldiers'' voices couldn¡¯t be heard anymore, the endless hill that they¡¯d struggled on while on their way to Habun Castle appeared. ¡°Yua, I¡¯ll carry you on my back here¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to!¡± As he was about to carry Yua on his back, Dorian snorted and stepped up. He put his hand deep into his belly pocket and took out a wooden sledge. It was big enough for more than three people to ride. Wh-What the hell is that? Why the hell was that inside his pocket? Wrath eximed, although he¡¯d been remaining silent in hisziness. ¡°A sledge?¡± ¡°Why do you have this?¡± Raon and Yua dropped their jaws upon seeing the sledge. ¡°What? Of course I¡¯d have a sledge when we are crossing such a ce.¡± Dorian tilted his head, as if it was a strange question to ask. ¡°We can even control the speed, since it¡¯s a high-quality sledge. Get on.¡± He was wondering why a coward was carrying a sledge around, but apparently he could adjust the speed. ¡°Wow!¡± Yua raised her hands and jumped around in excitement. ¡®Am I the strange one now?¡¯ Raon shrugged his shoulders and sat on the sledge with Yua. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± Listening to Dorian¡¯s cheerful voice, Raon nodded. It was time to go. Chapter 150 Zieghart¡¯s Fifth Training Ground The sand court of sweat and blood had been empty for a year, but it grew crowded once more with the returning trainees. The trainees, who had be seventeen-year-olds, were more than one span taller than before. They looked more mature, and their postures were brimming with confidence and pride. And the best part was their eyes. They reflected the aplishments they¡¯d achieved with their own strength, emanating a pressure on a different level from before. However, the trainees''plexions weren¡¯t that great, even though they were guaranteed to obtain their swordsmen license after passing the year-long survival exam and obtaining the instructors'' recognition. They looked like they were unsatisfied about something as they frowned. In particr, Burren, Runaan, and Martha¡¯s faces were more wrinkled than the others. ¡°That bastard. Why has he still not returned?¡± Burren, who had grown sturdier rather than bulky, was frowning so hard that his already low eyebrows were touching his eyes. ¡°What the hell is he even doing for him to not show himself until the day before graduation?¡± He nervously bit his nails and kept running around the training ground. ¡°Raon¡­¡± Runaan, whose silver hair was tied back, nkly looked up to the clear sky and murmured Raon¡¯s name. Her voice was so small that it didn¡¯t even reach right next to her, but that made it even more scary. ¡°Why is Raon noting? Where is Raon? We need to eat ice cream together¡­¡± Watching her nkly walk around the training ground was giving others goosebumps. ¡°Hmph, he probably got beaten up from acting up too much just because he got a little stronger. That must be why he¡¯s still not here.¡± Martha now looked like a real woman, her ebony hair contrasting with her white skin. She snorted, but her eyes were rolling in anxiety at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s actually better if he doesn¡¯t return. I can just represent us instead of that small guy.¡± Her mouth was scornfully rolled up, but her slightly trembling lips showed that she was forcing herself. ¡°That frustrating bastard, why the hell is he noting?¡± She murmured in a low voice that no one could hear, clenching her fist. ¡°Raon will return.¡± As Martha awkwardly smiled, Runaan walked up to her and pouted. Her nk eyes were reflecting trust. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Raon will return.¡± ¡°He would¡¯ve been here already if that was the case. It¡¯s toote already.¡± Martha turned her chin. She didn¡¯t say anything harsher, since she didn¡¯t want it toe true. ¡°I¡¯m sure he is hiding somewhere because he is too ashamed of losing.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t lose! He will return soon!¡± ¡°He won¡¯t!¡± ¡°He will!¡± ¡°He won¡¯t!¡± ¡°He will!¡± Silver hair and ck hair. As two people with contrasting hair colors growled at each other, dark green sparks started sting around them. The trainees inside the training ground didn¡¯t try to stop them. That was because their conflict hadsted for almost a month. ¡°Why are Raon and Dorian not back yet?¡± ¡°Maybe they got in an ident on their way back.¡± ¡°They could¡¯ve met Eden¡­¡± ¡°Stop saying such an awful thing.¡± The trainees kept worrying about Raon while training or conversing. They werepletely different from when theyughed at him after meeting him for the first time. Although one year had passed, they were still following Raon from the bottom of their hearts after he¡¯d saved their lives. m! As they were unable to focus and were awkwardly swinging their swords, the training ground¡¯s door burst open and Rimmer entered, fluttering his fiery red hair. The wind he created felt even more rxed than before as he stood in front of the trainees. ¡°What is with those unfocused eyes? Did you not sleep yesterday?¡± Rimmer looked around at the trainees with his characteristic frivolous eyes. ¡°Instructor, you shouldn¡¯t open the door with your feet.¡± ¡°The door is mine. Try arguing again.¡± He wagged his finger towards Burren, who frowned. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Since he wasn¡¯t exactly wrong, Burren could only grit his teeth. Their rtionship hadn¡¯t changed at all, even after a year. ¡°Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony. All the higher ups in the house are going toe to see you. Are you nning to look like idiots in front of them? Wake up already.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue, looking at the trainees that were unable to focus. ¡°Raon isn¡¯ting.¡± Runaan sighed heavily, looking at the bead ice cream box in her hand with her shoulders drooped. ¡°Just as you said, tomorrow is the graduation ceremony. So why the hell is Raon still not here? Did he really get kidnapped or something?¡± Burren looked like he was about to bite the tform as he frowned. His blue eyes were filled with worry. ¡°That¡¯s it if he doesn¡¯t return. Why do you keep looking for him? I feelfortable without him around.¡± Marthaughed coldly with her arms crossed, although her hand hidden in her armpit was trembling. ¡°Haa, how foolish.¡± Rimmer shook his head. ¡°Do you still not know anything about Raon after spending years with him? Do you think he is the type of guy who¡¯d get beaten up or kidnapped?¡± ¡°No matter how strong Raon is, he is just strong among us! No, stop looking at me like that because I¡¯m not particrly worried about him. Raon and Dorian are just from the same training ground as me¡­¡± Burren blushed, embarrassed by the mere fact that he was thinking about Raon. ¡°Strong for his age, huh¡­?¡± Rimmer smiled yfully and shrugged. ¡°Huh? You look like you know something!¡± ¡°Instructor! You know where Raon is, right?¡± ¡°Why is he noting back?¡± ¡°Is Dorian with him?¡± ¡°Instructor!¡± The trainees rushed at Rimmer like a swarm of ants rushing towards candy. Runaan was among them, the ice cream box in her hand. She looked like she was about to grab Rimmer by his cor. ¡°How am I supposed to know where Raon and Dorian are? I just know that they will return safely.¡± Rimmer shook his head with a smile. ¡°Stop worrying about him and prepare for the graduation ceremony.¡± He nonchntly calmed down the trainees and left the training ground. ¡°Well, he is right.¡± ¡°Raon is smart. I¡¯m sure he is okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Dorian would manage to hide somewhere if something happened.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure there are some circumstances.¡± ¡°Even the instructor looks slightly cool when he says that.¡± The trainees agreed with Rimmer and started training once again. It seemed their year-long survival exam wasn¡¯t for nothing, as their sharp pressures soared from the training ground as soon as they started to focus. * * * ¡°Help me! Sir Roenn!¡± Rimmer was half crying as he grabbed Roenn by his sleeve at the midpoint of the North Grave Mountain. ¡°Why have Raon and Dorian not yet returned? Where the hell are they? Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony!¡± Despite his nonchnt appearance in the training ground, he was shaking Roenn¡¯s shoulder withpletely impatient eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t even sneak into the Shadow Agents¡¯ office because the Heavenly de is guarding them! They even installed spikes on the ceiling!¡± ¡°Spikes¡­¡± ¡°Even if they were the slowest ones to depart, they should¡¯ve arrived a month ago. I don¡¯t understand why they aren¡¯ting back!¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Roenn sighed faintly, looking at Rimmer clinging to him. He was beaten by Glenn until he was half-dead after stealing Raon¡¯s information from the Shadow Agents¡¯ office a few months ago, having entered through the roof. After that, the swordsmen from the Heavenly de started to guard the Shadow Agents¡¯ office all the time. ¡°I can¡¯t obtain young master Raon¡¯s information either because of Sir Rimmer.¡± ¡°What? You still can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Indeed. The head of house has rated the information about Sir Raon higher than the special rate.¡± ¡°Phew, he should outright care for him if he cherishes his grandson so much. The way he keeps watching him from behind makes him look like a stalker.¡± Rimmerined, kicking a pebble on the ground. Glenn had always been with Raon when he was a baby, and when he learned the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, yet he never showed it on the outside and pretended he didn¡¯t care. People said that old age made you stubborn, and he was as stubborn as a cow. ¡°I agree with you.¡± Roenn nodded bitterly. Just like Rimmer, he wanted Glenn, Raon, and Sylvia to live like a family. ¡°Fortunately, I do have a piece of information regarding that.¡± ¡°Information?¡± ¡°Yes. One week after we got the report about Sir Raon¡¯s return, the Heavenly de swordsmen went towards Habun Castle.¡± ¡°Ah, which means!¡± ¡°Yes. That must be the measure to protect the girl that was attacked by Eden when Sir Raon was around. Considering the fact that the head of house and the Heavenly de haven¡¯t done anything since, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Rimmer¡¯s depressed expression brightened at once, like turning on a magicmp. ¡°Then, let¡¯s investigate it properly.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Since we aren¡¯t certain, let¡¯s sound out the head of house.¡± ¡°W-Wait! If you do that¡­¡± ¡°Pfft, it¡¯s okay. He isn¡¯t going to kill me, is he? I¡¯m going ahead!¡± Before Roenn could stop him, Rimmer grinned and stood up. Using the power of wind, he ran down towards the lord¡¯s manor. Upon reaching the entrance of the lord¡¯s manor, Rimmer entered while grinning. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Roenn groaned in a low voice. He could already imagine the red-haired elf¡¯s future. Just like he expected, the lord¡¯s manor shook soon enough, and a thundering sound could be heard. Roenn prayed for the repose of Rimmer¡¯s soul and closed his eyes. * * * * * * Zieghart Annex Building. Although the warm atmosphere still remained after Raon¡¯s departure, the building was now filled with coldness, as if they were facing the winter wind without any protection. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Why has he not returned?¡± ¡°Everyone else has returned¡­¡± ¡°Young master Raon¡­¡± The maids sighed deeply, while managing the flowerbeds. Since Raon was the only one that hadn¡¯t yet returned among the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees, the annex building felt like a mourner¡¯s house. ¡°Stop sighting. Let¡¯s finish the work.¡± Contrary to the depressed voices of maids, a calm voice melted the cold atmosphere. ¡°We are almost finished.¡± It was Sylvia. With her abundant golden hair flowing over her left shoulder, she was trimming the flowerbed with scissors while smiling faintly. ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± The maids shut their mouths tightly upon seeing Sylvia¡¯s smile. It was even more difficult to suppress their tears after seeing the bright appearance of Sylvia, who should¡¯ve been feeling more miserable than anyone else. ¡°Th-That¡¯s right. Y-Young master is going to return soon enough, so don¡¯t worry about him too much.¡± Helen scooched down next to Sylvia and shook her head. Unlike Sylvia, she was unable to hide her feelings as her face turned blue. ¡°Raon promised that he would return safely. Our job is to wait here so that he can restfortably once he returns.¡± Sylvia met the maids¡¯ eyes one after the other and smiled. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll prepare the meal!¡± The maids were impressed and started to move to do their jobs. ¡®She¡¯s amazing.¡¯ Judiel, who was standing at the end of the line of maids, narrowed her eyes as she watched Sylvia. ¡®She must be losing her sleep over her worry.¡¯ While the other maids also treasured Raon, their feelings didn¡¯t match up to Sylvia¡¯s. And yet, she wasforting the maids instead of being agitated by theck of news about her son, which was truly amazing. ¡®They don¡¯t need to worry about him that much though.¡¯ Raon had the scariest nature among the people Judiel had met so far. She¡¯d seen people stronger than him multiple times, but she never saw anyone more cold-hearted and scarier than him. ¡°Let¡¯s finish quickly and make dinner¡­ Hmm?¡± As Sylvia was about to finish tending the flowerbeds, a tall man was walking towards them from the direction of the main building. The man with red hair and pointy ears was the fifth training ground¡¯s head instructor, Rimmer. ¡°Sir Rimmer?¡± However, there was something unusual about him. His red hair were charred ck, his eyes had been ckened with bruises, and cloth that was dyed red was stuck in his nose. ¡°A-Are you okay?¡± Sylvia opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish and went towards Rimmer. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look alright, though¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I just met a stubborn bull with a bad temper on my way here.¡± Rimmer waved his hand, telling her that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Bull¡­¡± It would¡¯ve been understandable if it was a monster¡¯s doing, but since he said it was a bull, Sylvia got curious about what kind of bull could¡¯ve done that. ¡°It¡¯s not anything special, but¡­¡± Rimmer scratched his back and licked his lips. ¡°About Raon, you don¡¯t need to worry about him too much.¡± ¡°What? D-Did you receive news about Raon?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t get hurt or anything. He might be a bitte to the graduation ceremony, but he¡¯s going to return soon enough.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sylvia dropped her scissors upon hearing Rimmer¡¯s gentle voice. Her legs were faltering from the intensity of her suppressed emotions bursting from her. ¡°Your son, who is also my student, is on his way back. So, don¡¯t worry about him.¡± He pat Sylvia¡¯s shoulder and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be going, then.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you have dinner with¡­¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a big gamble going on right now.¡± Rimmer grinned and turned around. He murmured ¡®Argh, he hit me so damn hard.¡¯ as he trudged away. Sylvia bowed towards Rimmer, her hands gathered in front of her body. * * * The Next Day. The great training ground¡¯s door, which was the size of the castle gate, was wide open. The ordinary swordsmen and office workers that usually couldn¡¯t enter the great training ground were sitting on the chairs at the outer part of it. Sylvia, Helen, and the annex building¡¯s maids¡ªwho had be slightly brighter thanks to Rimmer¡ªwere also sitting in a corner. They looked like they were praying for something as they looked at the training ground¡¯s entrance with their hands gathered together. Right before the sun reached the center of the sky, the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees¡ªwearing shy formal coats¡ªentered one after the other and lined up at the center. They still looked young, but the faint pressureing from them didn¡¯t lose to an official swordsman. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Is he still not here?¡± ¡°But he used to be so punctual¡­¡± ¡°Raon, Dorian. Come back already.¡± Their eyes were reflecting more worries than nervousness, and they kept ncing back, as if they were waiting for someone. The temporary seats were gradually filled as time passed. The executives, such as the division leaders, squad leaders, and the heads of the direct line and vassal houses, went to sit at their assigned ces. They were people that didn¡¯t usually show up. ¡°Haah.¡± Rimmer was standing next to the trainees, giving a jaw dropping yawn. His easy-going appearance suggested that he didn¡¯t care about the graduation ceremony at all. While the people gathered in the training ground were watching the trainees with excitement, anticipation, nervousness, and worry, the swordsmen standing in front of the door mmed the ground with their gpoles. Thud! They gathered people¡¯s gazes with a heavy resonance, before spreading the gs to both sides. ¡°The true ruler of the north, Lord Glenn Zieghart, is entering!¡± ¡°Greeting the lord!¡± Upon hearing that sublime shout, the swordsmen inside the training ground stood up, then knelt. With his discolored blond hair swept back, Glenn Zieghart crossed the training ground wearing a ckish-red coat. Feeling the overwhelming pressureing from the transcended warrior god, cold sweat ran down people¡¯s back, preventing them from raising their heads. Whir! Until he sat down on the throne, everyone inside the training ground even forgot about breathing and wished for the time to pass. ¡°Everyone, rise.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone stood up at once upon hearing his order. They didn¡¯t decide to do so by themselves¡ªtheir bodies were moving on their own in response to Glenn¡¯s intimidation. ¡°Head instructor, begin.¡± ¡°Head of house, two people haven¡¯t arrived yet. Can you wait for a little bit longer¡­?¡± ¡°Even though the returning period wasn¡¯t exactly fixed, they must¡¯ve been aware that the graduation ceremony is held in February. They fail if they still haven¡¯t returned.¡± ¡°Bur Raon is the top trainee, and Dorian¡­ huff! Alright.¡± Rimmer rubbed his fingers, trying to buy some time, but he turned around immediately upon receiving Glenn¡¯s threatening gaze. He couldn¡¯t resist him because he had been beaten up the day before. ¡°We will start the fifth training ground¡¯s graduation ceremony. With forty-three people total, forty-one people currently present, and two people missing, the forty-one of them here¡­ Huh?¡± As he was talking about the number of people, low footsteps could be heard from the arch-shaped door of the great training ground, which had started to close. Step. Although it should have been covered by the noise of the numerous people present, the clear footsteps pierced everyone¡¯s ears. That sound contained the dignity of Glenn Zieghart, the cheerfulness of Rimmer, and the massiveness of Mind. As the footsteps that gathered people¡¯s attention grew closer, everyone inside the training ground turned to look. ck shoes crossed the door. A man, who looked more noble than the shy clothes he was wearing, showed himself. His blond hair was shining brilliantly under the sunlight, and his serious red eyes were drawing everyone¡¯s attention. His good looks could be called peerless as he nced through the training ground and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t need such a weing ceremony.¡± Raon Zieghart. The man that had grown up more than anyone else has returned to the heart of Zieghart. Chapter 151 Raon held the great training ground¡¯s door. The huge door, which was about to close, was stopped in its tracks by his hand. ¡°Y-You are¡­¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± The eyes of the swordsmen standing in front of the door grew wide upon seeing his face. They put away their gs. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°Young master Raon!¡± The first voice he could hear came from the left perimeter. Sylvia, Helen, and the maids were violently waving their hands with their eyes turned red from tears. He met their eyes and smiled. ¡°You jerk, why are you sote¡­ kuh!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Runaan and Martha pushed past Burren, who unconsciously smiled brightly, and ran towards Raon. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°What were you doing? Why did you return sote?¡± It was a rare asion for Runaan and Martha to be frowning in the same way. They grabbed his sleeve and cor. ¡°Raon, you are sote!¡± ¡°Wh-What a shame, that you are still alive.¡± Runaan¡¯s purple eyes were shining as she grabbed his sleeve, and Martha released his cor and turned her head away in embarrassment. The ice cream girl and the beef girl are still the same as before. What a relief. Wrath nodded in satisfaction as he watched Runaan and Martha. However, shitty-eyes and shitty-ears are still alive. What a shame. On the other hand, he clicked his tongue at Burren and Rimmer. It was seriously difficult to predict his mannerisms. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°You are finally back!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting!¡± ¡°You are sote!¡± The trainees also left their spots and ran towards the door. The crowd gathered in front of Raon in no time. ¡°Do you think you are the protagonist or something? Arriving at thest moment!¡± Rimmer grinned as he walked up to him. In contrast with hiszy expression, his smile revealed his delight. He was the same as before. ¡°Come up already if you¡¯ve finally arrived, since everyone¡¯s waiting.¡± ¡°Someone hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡± Raon shook his head and didn¡¯t take his hand off the door. ¡°Someone?¡± ¡°Who else do we have?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this all of us?¡± Soon enough, Dorian crossed the great training ground¡¯s door, breathing heavily like a noob and carrying Yua on his back. ¡°Wh-Why did you run ahead on your own?¡± Dorian groaned and put Yua down. ¡°The door would¡¯ve closed if I hadn¡¯t gone on ahead.¡± Raon finally took his hand off the door. The huge iron door, which had been stopped by a single person, closed with a majestic sound¡ªas ifining about its pride getting hurt. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Did he just stop it with pure strength¡­?¡± The swordsmen assigned as gatekeepers swallowed, mouths dry. ¡°We can¡¯t turn back once the graduation ceremony starts.¡± Raon snickered and shook off his hands. If they were even a momentter, they would''ve been unable to participate in the graduation ceremony, which would¡¯ve already begun. Leaving Dorian and Yua behind to stop the door was the appropriate decision. ¡°Ah, D-Dorian!¡± ¡°There was Dorian.¡± ¡°I-Indeed. There was Dorian.¡± Rimmer and the trainees smiled awkwardly as they saw Dorian. They were too focused on Raon¡¯s shy entrance that theypletely forgot about Dorian¡¯s existence. ¡°Did you just say ¡®there was Dorian¡¯? I¡¯m really disappointed to hear that¡­¡± Dorian lowered his head in sorrow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Go ahead.¡± Raon tapped Dorian¡¯s shoulder and met Yua¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yua, can you see them?¡± ¡°Those women wearing pretty clothes?¡± ¡°Yes. Go over there and wait for us.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yua nodded and ran towards Sylvia and Helen. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After watching Yua running towards them, Rimmer turned his gaze towards Raon. ¡°Did you have a decent harvest?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Great. Since the protagonist is here, let¡¯s begin. Return to your spots.¡± Rimmer grinned upon hearing Raon¡¯s confident answer. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The trainees looked brighter as they nodded and quickly returned to their original spots. ¡°Calling us protagonists¡­¡± Dorian drooped his shoulders and went to the very end. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. And Raon, you should stay at the front¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± When Rimmer was telling Raon his position with an apologetic expression, Karoon Zieghart stood up from the central tform, where the direct lines were sitting. He was exuding a powerful pressure as he walked up to Glenn. ¡°My lord. The other trainees have shown their graduation qualities a month ago, but Raon has only arrived at the house just now. Since he hasn¡¯t proven himself yet, I believe he shouldn¡¯t have graduated alongside them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not wrong.¡± Glenn nodded with emotionless eyes, and Karoon stepped up to the tform. ¡°You two haven¡¯t been qualified to graduate by the instructors. Go down, since you don¡¯t have the right to participate in the graduation ceremony.¡± His coldhearted voice resounded throughout the training ground. ¡°Ah, I do have it! I have the Habun casten¡¯s letter here¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the problem.¡± As Dorian was about to take out Mind¡¯s letter from his belly pocket, Karoon raised his hand. ¡°You have to report to the instructors about what you¡¯ve been doing for the past year to determine whether you pass the exam or not. However, you only arrived just now, which means you don¡¯t have the qualifications. I hope you aren¡¯t trying to prove yourselves by making everyone wait here.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian hung his head with his hand still inside his belly pocket, and Raon nonchntly looked at Karoon. He was getting in his way, but he wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. ¡°You don¡¯t need to wait for long.¡± Rimmer interrupted him with a smile. ¡°Rimmer¡­¡± ¡°A swordsman speaks with his sword. What else do you need?¡± He drew his sword from around his waist. A powerful energy soared in an instant. The green aura looked like a gathering storm as it surrounded the silver de. Whir! Rimmer pointed his savage de at Raon. ¡°Do I need to say anything?¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head and Rimmer disappeared from in front of him. He rode the wind to m down his sword. The de of wind, gathering from all directions, ripped apart the space. Raon had already seen that sword technique before. It was the technique Rimmer had defeated him with before he left for the exam. He was mercilessly targeting his weaknesses with an even stronger aura. A test. He was being tested by Rimmer. The attack was asking him to show how much he had grown during thest year. ¡®I won¡¯t disappoint him.¡¯ Raon¡¯s hand moved right before Rimmer¡¯s de reached his chest. His crimson de surged from his scabbard like lightning, piercing in between the wind, towards Rimmer¡¯s waist. Whaam! The two des, imbued with their feelings, collided with each other and exploded in blue and red lights as the heated wind stormed from the center of the training ground. Bzzt! Yellow sparks were created between the twisted des. In the reflection of the des, Raon and Rimmer smiled faintly. Whir! Right before the concentrated energy exploded, Raon and Rimmer extended their hands at once, throwing the gigantic storm of aura into the sky. Boom! The aura exploded in the sky above the training ground, radiating splendid colors¡ªlike fireworks. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even see this properly before you left. You¡¯ve grownpletely different.¡± Rimmer grinned, swirling his still trembling de. His eyes were brimming with satisfaction. He didn¡¯t really change at all. He just got better at boasting. Wrath wrinkled his nose, dissatisfied by the fact that Raon was the center of attention. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°D-Did he just stop that attack? When he¡¯s still just a trainee?¡± ¡°Did Rimmer go easy on him?¡± ¡°Are your eyes just for decoration or something? He must¡¯ve controlled his power, but that wasn¡¯t something that a trainee could fend off.¡± ¡°Amazing¡­ How can he be that powerful at seventeen years of age?¡± The swordsmen were astonished upon witnessing the sh between Raon and Rimmer. ¡°As the head instructor of the fifth training ground, I recognize your growth. You pass the survival exam, Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at Glenn, then at Rimmer. ¡°You witnessed it personally. Do you have anything you want to add, Central Martial Pce Master?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Since Karoon Zieghart had also witnessed Raon¡¯s prowess with his own eyes, he couldn¡¯t say anything. He returned to his seat while grinding his teeth. ¡°Wow, you even became stronger!¡± ¡°Argh! I was worried for nothing.¡± ¡°But how did you actually stop the instructor¡¯s sword?¡± ¡°That¡¯s really crazy¡­¡± The trainees¡¯ jaws dropped. A bug could have entered their mouths and they wouldn¡¯t have noticed. ¡°I knew it¡­¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°That damn bastard¡­¡± Burren clenched his fist as his expectations were met, Runaan was humming through her nose, and Martha¡¯s mouth was gleefully curving into a smile. ¡°My lord, can we start the ceremony?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll ask about Raonter. You may begin.¡± Glenn nodded without changing his expression at all, as if he weren¡¯t interested. ¡°Top Trainee Raon, step forth.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon confidently stood in front of the trainees and looked up at Glenn. ¡°There are forty-three people in total from the fifth training ground. Currently, there are forty-three present. No one is missing! We will begin the fifth training ground¡¯s graduation ceremony!¡± Rimmer put emphasis on the ¡®no one is missing¡¯ part and announced the start of the ceremony. All the trainees straightened their spines, proudly looking forward. Except for one person. ¡°Is this okay? I didn¡¯t even take the test, but is this really okay?¡± Dorian rubbed his fingers while ncing at the trainees in front of and next to him. He was d that he didn¡¯t need to take a test, but he was heartbroken because his presence felt nonexistent. ¡°I¡¯m getting ignored too much!¡± * * * * * * Once the graduation ceremony ended, Raon was summoned to the audience chamber of the lord¡¯s manor before he could meet with Sylvia. Just like at the training ground, Glenn Zieghart was sitting on the throne, looking down on the world with his empty eyes. ¡®He is really amazing. I can¡¯t even feel how powerful he is.¡¯ The stronger he grew, the more he could see how high the mountain called Glenn was. Even though he¡¯d faced a transcendental existence with Sloth, he still couldn¡¯t judge the extent of his power. It felt like Glenn could even win against that Sloth. He is still weaker than the King of Essence. I told you this before, but if the King of Essence uses the power of his main body, he can win in dozens of thousands of exchanges. ¡®Wasn¡¯t it ¡®thousands of exchanges¡¯ before?¡¯ That¡¯s¡­ b-because you stole my power! ¡®But you said that¡¯s not muchpared to what you have.¡¯ ¡­¡­ ¡®Wrath?¡¯ Wrath crawled back into the bracelet, remaining silent¡ªas if he were sleeping. ¡®Anyway.¡¯ Suppressing hisughter, Raon stood in front of Glenn. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± Raon grasped Yua¡¯s trembling hand next to him and lowered his head. ¡°G-Greeting my lord!¡± Dorian greeted him one stepter, but Glenn didn¡¯t mind it and waved his hand to order them to stand. ¡°Report everything that happened after you left.¡± ¡°It will be a rather long story. Is that alright?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I need to listen to what you¡¯ve done for the past year and decide on your graduation.¡± ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll first talk about Cameloon, which we visited first. We went there¡­¡± Raon stepped up and exined everything that happened so far. Of course, he skipped the part about his theft and the meeting with Sloth, and modified a few incidents ordingly. ¡°¡­And finally, I had a spar against Commander Mind before returning to the house.¡± ¡°How did the spar against themander end?¡± ¡°I lost.¡± ¡°I know you lost. You are one hundred years too early to defeat him. Did themander use astral energy?¡± ¡°Yes, he used it in the end.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips in satisfaction and Roenn eximed in admiration. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn was just staring at him with usual indifferent eyes. He said that he would judge them, but he didn¡¯t seem interested in them at all. ¡°Is she the girl that Eden was targeting?¡± ¡°Uhh.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze was directed at Yua for the first time. Yua¡¯s hand was trembling violently from that pressure. ¡°Yes. Considering the fact that they targeted her twice in order to make her wear the Siren¡¯s mask, they seem to be rather obsessed with her.¡± ¡°Siren, huh¡­?¡± Glenn lowered the overwhelming pressure that he automatically emanated. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Since it became easier to speak, Yua slowly opened her mouth while tightly gripping Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°Y-Yua! I mean, my name is Yua!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Yua unconsciously replied in a loud voice. Glenn turned his head towards Roenn after hearing her. ¡°She does indeed have it.¡± Roenn nodded with trembling eyes. ¡°Her voice is imbued with spiritual power. I¡¯m guessing her upper energy center was identally opened¡­¡± ¡°No, she was born with it. It¡¯s an extremely rare talent. I can understand why Eden was targeting her.¡± Glenn erased his pressurepletely, to that of a normal person, and met Yua¡¯s eyes. His red eyes seemed to have checked everything about Yua as they shone brightly. ¡°What are you nning to do with her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about having her live in the annex building with us, and¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes, then opened them as he continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach her swordsmanship, since she wants to get stronger.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t teach her the sword.¡± Glenn adamantly shook his head. ¡°The path she needs to follow isn¡¯t the sword, but sound.¡± He gestured with his chin, and Roenn stepped up from his right side. ¡°Learn how to use sound from Roenn in the future.¡± ¡°W-Wait! But Sir Roenn is¡­¡± Roenn was certainly a good person, but he must¡¯ve been an assassin working behind Glenn. He didn¡¯t want to teach Yua assassin techniques. ¡°Roenn has some expertise in sound. What you are worrying about won¡¯t happen, so rest assured.¡± Glenn shook his head, as if he had already read his thoughts. ¡°Sound¡­¡± Roenn was a warrior that was capable ofpletely concealing his sound at a point-nk distance. Since he knew how to erase sound, he apparently also knew how to make sound. ¡°I hope we get along in the future.¡± Roenn smiled gently at Yua and Raon, trying to relieve their worries. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Yua quickly nodded, feeling morefortable with Roenn¡¯s gentle expression than Glenn¡¯s. ¡°And I¡¯ll ask onest question. Why were you sote?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not anything special.¡± Raon looked at the flustered Dorian and Yua next to him, then continued. ¡°We went to visit a city to refill the supplies, including fruit.¡± They visited a city beforeing back, since Yua wanted to buy some ingredients in order to treat Sylvia with some tasty food, and Dorian wanted to refill his belly with fruit and some other objects. ¡°F-Fruit?¡± ¡°Supply refills?¡± Rimmer and Roenn became dumbfounded upon hearing the ridiculous reason. ¡°So, you werete because you were buying fruit. What a pathetic reason, just like your teacher.¡± Glenn looked at Rimmer and frowned. His cold eyes were scolding Rimmer for teaching him like that. ¡°My lord! I can¡¯t ept that! I¡¯m fine with you insulting my student, but I won¡¯t stay still after you insult me!¡± Rimmer violently shook his head, asking him to cancel what he just said. ¡°¡­You are insane.¡± ¡­He is still insane. Glenn and Wrath appeared to have the same thought, as they spoke out the exact same word. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened with them. Did you also waste your time buying fruit?¡± ¡°I emptied my mind during that time.¡± ¡°Emptied your mind?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon slowly closed his eyes. ¡°After the spar against Commander Mind, no, after the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s rank increased, the mental image was drawn in my head. I could imagine different futures that would allow me to get stronger, such as swordsmanship, footwork, and cultivation techniques.¡± ¡°So, what did you do?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes sparkled for the first time upon hearing that. He slowly raised himself from the throne in excitement. ¡°I just stood by and watched the mental images as they flowed.¡± ¡°Why? Didn''t you feel the desire, the belief that you could get stronger once you grasped them?¡± ¡°Yes, I did. However, they were too big for me to try right now. If I carelessly tried to dig into them, I felt like I would¡¯ve been buried under them, unable to advance further.¡± ¡°Was that why you just watched them?¡± ¡°Yes. I figured they would be helpful one day, and enjoyed thest part of our trainee lives with them.¡± Raon nodded nonchntly. ¡®That was the correct answer.¡¯ After the spar, he kept imagining himself growing powerful in the future, so much so that he couldn¡¯t think about anything else at all. The images were impressive enough that he felt like he could quickly be a master and take his revenge against Derus once he grasped on those images, but that wasn¡¯t the normal way to grow. That was why he let them go. He released the image of his stronger self in the future like a floating cloud or a flowing wind, and it made him feel morefortable and increased his martial achievements. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn leaned his back against his chair. He looked both satisfied with the answer and not at the same time. ¡°You will have more and more thoughts like that as you get stronger. They will be about your physical training, aura cultivation, fist technique, swordsmanship, footwork, sparring, and mental image.¡± He looked into space with his red eyes, so simr to Raon¡¯s. ¡°The more you see, and the further you aim, the more likely you will miss what''s most important to you. In that sense, the decision you made was correct.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Looking far ahead will make you fall over a jagged stone, and looking too closely will make you move in the wrong direction. You shall look to the middle and advance step-by-step, starting from what you can do in the present.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Since he never imagined Glenn would tell him he was correct, he got goosebumps at that moment. ¡°Ohh?¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Rimmer and Roenn also dropped their jaws at his unexpected answer. ¡°However, both you and that girl have currently been exposed to Eden. Even though you were disguising yourselves, you should¡¯ve been more careful.¡± ¡°How did you know that we were disguised?¡± Raon tilted his head. He was right that they had disguised themselves, but he couldn¡¯t understand how Glenn realized that fact. ¡°¡­Since you aren¡¯t an idiot, I figured you would obviously disguise yourself.¡± After a short moment of silence, Glenn spoke in a slightly higher voice. ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded, epting his word as it was. ¡°I thought you werete from doing something stupid, but if you were finding your path, then I can understand it. I acknowledge your graduation, Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°E-Erm!¡± Glenn shook his hand, gesturing them to leave, and Raon bowed before he started to do just that. It was at that moment that Dorian raised his hand. ¡°About me¡­ Ugh!¡± He wanted to say that he didn¡¯t even take a test, nor was he asked anything, but his head went empty upon meeting Glenn¡¯s eyes. Rustle. Dorian followed his habit of putting his hand in his belly pocket to take out a cracker he bought on the way. ¡°D-Do you want a cracker?¡± * * * ¡°I guess even the head of house is just a grandfather.¡± Rimmer grinned while eating the cracker Dorian had left behind. ¡°You listened to your grandson¡¯s story for over an hour, despite already knowing everything that happened, just because you wanted him to tell you about it personally. I don¡¯t think I could ever love someone that much.¡± ¡°Silence.¡± ¡°And you even made a mistake this time. Raon almost realized you were getting reports from the Heavenly de and Shadow Agents¡­ Argh! I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Upon noticing the crimson light in Glenn¡¯s eyes, Rimmer stoppedughing and stepped back. He wouldn¡¯t dare defy him so soon, not after being beaten up the day before. ¡°Sir Raon¡¯s presence has decreased even further. Even an expert would have difficulty realizing that Sir Raon is skilled in martial arts.¡± Roenn eximed in amazement. ¡°He has always been skilled in hiding his presence. I can¡¯t even perfectly grasp Raon¡¯s current level, myself. He has surpassed the advanced Expert level for sure, but¡­¡± Rimmer agreed, while eating the cracker. ¡°You just heard it from him, that he had imagesing up in his head. He is already facing that wall.¡± ¡°Th-The wall means¡­¡± ¡°Are you talking about Master rank?¡± Roenn¡¯s eyes widened, and Rimmer dropped the cracker bag. ¡°He is already at the highest rank of Expert, and he is on the fastest path to reaching Master rank.¡± Upon reaching the advanced or highest rank of Expert, the future would appear in one¡¯s head like a panorama. If he grew too focused on the mental image that he couldn¡¯t currently reach, he would be unable to be Master forever. If hepletely ignored it, the road to Master rank would be longer. The best solution was to let it flow away like water, and Raon had realized that during his free time without anyone¡¯s help. He was truly an outstanding guy. It seemed Raon¡¯s true strength wasn¡¯t his quickly growing power, but his sturdy mentality andposure. ¡°The children that have been called the Twelve Stars of the Continent reached Master rank in their mid-twenties. However, Raon is one step further than even myself at his age. I think¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s red eyes sparkled with anticipation. ¡°The youngest Master of the continent will soon be born.¡± Chapter 152 Raon immediately went to the annex building after leaving the lord¡¯s manor. Yua seemed nervous, as her hand was slightly trembling. ¡°It will be fine. Sir Roenn is a nice person.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Roenn was one of the few people, alongside Denier Zieghart, who respected Raon and Sylvia without discrimination. Since Glenn was the one that guaranteed it, he wouldn¡¯t teach Yua assassin skills. ¡®But I should still check, just in case.¡¯ Raon decided that he would participate in Yua¡¯s first lesson with Roenn to check on what she would learn. For once, I like what you¡¯re thinking. ¡®What?¡¯ Pineapple Girl is a precious maid of the King of Essence. Make sure to take care of her properly. Wrath pat Yua¡¯s head with his icy hand, though Yua obviously didn¡¯t feel anything. ¡®You still don¡¯t know your ce.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue towards Wrath. He was calling Yua his maid even though he was the one that had been captivated by her cooking. The gluttonous demon king still hadn¡¯t realized his position. ¡°Why are you following me?¡± He turned his head towards Dorian, who was following him while eating his crackers. ¡°Why do you say that to me, young master? I really am having a hard time today.¡± Dorian crumpled his cracker bag and sighed heavily. ¡°No one cares about me. They don¡¯t even realize I¡¯m there, and I got a free ride in the exam. Where the hell is my presence?¡± ¡°Do you want to take the exam now, then? I can ask Instructor Rimmer¡­¡± Rimmer was a bit toozy, but he earnestly cared about his trainees. If he asked him for an exam, he wasn¡¯t going to refuse. ¡°Pff! We shouldn¡¯t do that!¡± Dorian quickly shook his head¡ªextremely quickly. ¡°Since graduation is already over, we shouldn¡¯t annoy him. I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s regrettable.¡± He scratched his head with a smile. ¡°Go back and rest, then.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so mean. We¡¯ve traveled together for more than a year now, why are you being so cold to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really cold.¡± Raon did feel slightly sorry for him, but it was obvious how annoying it would be if he were to follow him to the annex building. He needed to send him away to feelfortable. ¡°Also, I can¡¯t leave even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Back at the great training ground, the young master¡¯s mother asked me toe along.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we should go together! It¡¯s been a long time since I ate something delicious in the annex building! Let¡¯s go, Yua!¡± Dorian grabbed Yua¡¯s hand and started running towards the annex building. Food! The food in the annex building is pretty good! Move faster! Coldness flowed down from Wrath¡¯s mouth, even though he was trying to look cool with his arms crossed. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon could only sigh, with the drooling Wrath and running Dorian and Yua¡­ ¡®There are three kids here¡­¡¯ * * * Raon arrived at the annex building with two annoying people and Yua. Since it was a sudden return, loud noises kepting from the inside. Listening to the familiar sounds, he opened the annex building¡¯s door. Sylvia, Helen, and the maids were busily moving around in the lobby and kitchen. They jumped at him upon seeing him. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°You are sote!¡± ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± They checked his entire body to see if he had been hurt or had any issues somewhere. The way Sylvia and the maids were making a fuss made Raon realize once again that he was at home. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Raon smiled, looking at his family¡¯s d and worried eyes. ¡°Wee back.¡± Sylvia¡¯s hands, which were gathered in front of her chest, were trembling as she gave him a warm smile. ¡®Did mother also grow up?¡¯ She would¡¯ve immediately burst into tears in the past, but it looked like Sylvia had also grown up, just like himself. ¡°It¡¯s a reli¡­ gasp!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± Just as he thought it was a relief and was about to smile, Sylvia jumped at him. ¡°You grew up so nicely! How did you be so pretty? Whose son are you?¡± She started rubbing her face against him with the exact same tone as before. ¡°M-Mom, please¡­¡± Raon bit his lip and asked Helen for a rescue, but it had the opposite effect. ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°Young master Raon!¡± ¡°Wee back!¡± ¡°You became so handsome¡­ sniff!¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Even Helen and the other maids burst into tears, and Raon found himself stuck between them, unable to move anymore. The only people that were staying in their spots were Judiel, Dorian, and Yua. ¡°Haa.¡± ¡°Hnngh¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Judiel sighed faintly and went to the kitchen, Dorian covered his mouth and grinned as he enjoyed the scene, and Yua just fidgeted her fingers because she couldn¡¯t get used to it. And Wrath¡­ Where is the food? He was the same as always. * * * Raon sat at the table and looked around. Sylvia, Dorian, Yua, and even the maids were sitting at the table with him. The maids kept refusing, but they were forced to join because Sylvia ordered them to eat together for the first time in a long time. The sweet and salty fragrance is pressing upon the King of Essence. Raise your weapon, Raon Zieghart. Coldness kept flowing down Wrath¡¯s mouth like drool as he looked at the tasty looking food filling the table. ¡°We should introduce ourselves before we start eating.¡± Sylvia stood up. She smiled gently towards Yua, who was nervously shrinking. ¡°You must¡¯ve realized from what happened earlier, but I¡¯m Raon¡¯s mother, Sylvia.¡± She introduced herself first, so that Yua wouldn¡¯t feel pressured. ¡°Ah, m-my name is Yua. I¡¯m from Habun Castle.¡± Yua abruptly stood up and bowed at Sylvia and the maids, one after the other. ¡°I see, you are Yua.¡± Sylvia couldn¡¯t stop smiling, as if she were watching a cute little thing. ¡°Raon, is she your daughter by any chance?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± ¡°Huhu, it¡¯s a joke.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes, his face turning red. He could remain self-assured even in front of Glenn, but he couldn¡¯t help being flustered by Sylvia. ¡°The food is getting cold, so let¡¯s start eating before we begin.¡± ¡°What are we doing?¡± ¡°Obviously, we are going to listen to you and Dorian¡¯s story about what happened over the past year. I hope you weren¡¯t nning on not telling us about that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about itte¡­¡± ¡°Let me tell you about it, since I¡¯ve done nothing today!¡± Dorian instantly swallowed the pie in front of him, and briskly stood up. ¡°Dorian¡­¡± ¡°First of all, we didn¡¯t head north right away. We visited Cameloon to buy some supplies before crossing the huge mountain that is Habun Castle¡­¡± Raon tried to stop him with his gaze, but since Dorian didn¡¯t do anything all day, he vigorously started telling the story of their journey. Sylvia and the maids eximed, their hands sped together, each time he mentioned Raon¡¯s actions. When they heard that he jumped down the castle walls twice to save the soldiers, they were deeply impressed, and their eyes welled up in tears. Sylvia kept watching Raon happily¡ªuntil the part about him rescuing Yua and the manager from Eden¡¯s attack. That was when she bit her lip and pulled Yua to hug her. ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard.¡± Her words came from the bottom of her heart. Since she¡¯d also experienced the loss of her most precious person, she could sympathize with the circumstances that made Yua move to Zieghart. ¡°I-It¡¯s okay.¡± Yua had been suppressing her tears, but they started welling up in her eyes upon receiving Sylvia¡¯s emotional words. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­¡± ¡°Yua.¡± Since the maids were also aware of Sylvia¡¯s story, tears started flowing from their eyes, and the table quickly turned into a sea of tears. ¡®I guess they will get along.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly as he looked at Yua, Sylvia, and the maids. Just as he¡¯d expected, his family would take good care of her. ¡°Raon, you did a great job. And thank you.¡± Sylvia smiled at him while hugging Yua. It looked like she was thanking him for living up to Zieghart¡¯s name, as she¡¯d mentioned before. ¡°Haap!¡± Dorian was also crying even though he didn¡¯t know the full story. Raon couldn¡¯t tell if he was simple or empathetic. But Wrath was still the same. Aren¡¯t you going to eat? He kept iling his small hand, unable to take his eyes off all the food. The food is getting cold! His inability to read the mood was indeed at the level of a demon king. * * * * * * Raon finished a light meal, then returned to his room. Sylvia brought Yua with her, saying that Yua would sleep with her, and a guest room was given to Dorian, who only had bad things happen to him that day. Damn it! Wrath was spreading arge amount of coldness because of having missed the food. We had the annex building¡¯s food after such a long time, yet you only ate after it got cold! It¡¯s a sin! You sinner! ¡®It was still delicious despite being cold. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡¯ It would¡¯ve been even better if it wasn¡¯t cold! I seriously can¡¯t agree with you. ¡®I can agree with that.¡¯ Unlike Wrath, who always had to eat the best food, Raon didn¡¯t really care about the taste because he had the experience of being an assassin. Food didn¡¯t really matter as long as it filled his stomach. As he thought about the fact that it was so annoying to be Wrath, he could feel someone¡¯s presence standing in front of his door. Three knocks could be heard¡ªit was Judiel. ¡°Enter.¡± Judiel silently opened the door and entered, kneeling on the floor. ¡°Greeting the master.¡± Since she swore that she¡¯d follow him before he left for Habun Castle, she was calling him her master. ¡°Did the Central Martial Pce contact you yet?¡± ¡°They sent a signal when they were at the great training ground.¡± Judiel slowly nodded. ¡°They ordered me to find out what master has been doing, what master has obtained, and how much stronger master has be.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Raon snickered. Since Karoon Zieghart had been humiliated once again when he stepped up, that was exactly what he expected him to do. ¡°How shall I proceed?¡± ¡°Convey Dorian¡¯s story to them exactly as you heard it.¡± That story was modified, so there was no problem with telling it to other people. ¡°Were there any other problems in the annex building?¡± ¡°No. The other forces didn¡¯t try to hold us in check, probably thanks to the incident with Raden Zieghart. The Central Martial Pce didn¡¯t pay attention to us at all for a while.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon smiled in satisfaction. Thanks to having one-sidedly beaten Raden on purpose, it looked like people were only paying attention to him instead of the annex building. ¡°You must¡¯ve worked hard in various ways. Good job.¡± ¡°I-It was nothing. It was all thanks to the master.¡± Judiel swallowed, wetting her dry mouth, and shook her head. ¡®He is really an amazing person.¡¯ One year ago, he had predicted what would happen after he left and gave her directions, and what he predicted had actually happened. All she did was to follow those directions. The prowess that nearedpletion at such a young age, and the strategy devised from his exceptionalposure, made Raon one of the most outstanding monsters in Zieghart. ¡°Master, do you know about the internship?¡± ¡°Internship?¡± ¡°So, you didn¡¯t.¡± She seemed to have expected him to not know about it, as she started to exin. ¡°Since you became a swordsman, you have to join one of the armed organizations in the house.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Before joining one, you can pick one of them to experience a month-long internship with.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Now that he thought about it, some of the trainees were talking about the internship after the graduation ceremony in the great training ground. ¡°Can I decide to be an intern wherever I wish?¡± ¡°Yes. Unlike with the Selection Ceremony, the rookie swordsman has the right to choose the internship they want.¡± Judiel took a document that she had prepared beforehand from her shirt. ¡°I think you can read this before deciding.¡± Upon epting the document, Raon unrolled it and started reading. The information about all of Zieghart¡¯s organizations was written inside, from the direct line¡¯s organizations to the coterals, external, and even the vassal family divisions. From the missions they usually partook in to their numbers, prowess, and even their positions inside the house¡ªthere was enough information to roughly understand how the house was run. ¡°You must¡¯ve worked hard on putting this together. Good job.¡± Raon nodded after reading the overall document. ¡°It was nothing. I just did my job.¡± Judiel closed her eyes, saying that it wasn''t a big deal. ¡°Hmm.¡± After reading the document, Raon put it by his pillow. ¡°Did you make your decision?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon gave her a refreshing smile, looking at the upper part of the document. ¡°There¡¯s a perfect ce for me.¡± * * * The next day before daybreak, Raon went to the fifth training ground. He was excited to inhale the cold air of the empty training ground. Habun Castle wasn¡¯t bad either, but he felt the mostfortable there. He breathed and used the Star Connecting Sword that he had practiced the most in the training ground. The technique¡¯s wave now contained a prevalent flow, shaking the training ground. ¡°No one would believe you if you told them that was basic swordsmanship.¡± Once he finished one round of the Star Connecting Sword, an admiring voice could be heard from behind him. Since Raon was already aware of the fact that someone was watching him, he nonchntly looked around. ¡°I came here just in case, but of course you were here. You are still the same, even though one year has passed.¡± Burren''s face was slightly softer as he smiled. ¡°Though, your skills are in another dimension now.¡± His green eyes were filled with amazement at his swordsmanship. Shitty-eyes has changed. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just his looks. He could feel that his power became a lot sturdier. The explosive pressure of an Expert could be felt. He must¡¯ve ovee many trials to get stronger. ¡°I have multiple debts against you¡­ Argh!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± As Burren was about to walk towards him, the training ground¡¯s door burst open and Runaan came running at him. Burren was bounced back because of her charge. ¡°Raon, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Runaan nodded with her nk eyes, which were the exact same as a year ago. However, unlike her eyes, her appearance had be more mature. She looked so cold that it would be difficult to speak to her if he had met her for the first time. Her prowess had also increased. Sharpness and softness coexisted in her pressure, which was blooming on her shoulders. ¡°Take this!¡± Runaan extended her hand, which was grasping a box. It was the bead ice cream box. Raon could only smile. He realized once again that he was back home upon seeing that box. Ooh! You are indeed the King of Essence¡¯s first maid, the ice cream girl! What are you doing? Start eating it already! Wrath was rubbing his sleepy eyes, his tongue wagging. ¡°I also brought something.¡± Raon brought the box he had left in the locker room, handing it to Runaan. It was an ice cream box that looked more sophisticated than hers. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the new product I bought from the city.¡± ¡°Is it¡­ Mine?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since he kept receiving gifts from her, he figured he should pay her back at some point, so he decided to buy it in the city. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s jaw dropped and wouldn¡¯t close as she epted the box. It looked like she never thought she would get something from him, since she kept giving things to him. ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± The thin corners of Runaan¡¯s lips were raised. It was almost his first time seeing that smile. ¡°You are still¡­ Argh!¡± ¡°Are you ying house or something?¡± As Burren was trying toe back after he got pushed back, he was stepped on by Martha, who jumped over the wall and fell down. ¡°How old are you to be ying like that? Huh?¡± Martha snorted, sweeping back her ebony hair. She looked like noble royalty, but her speech was still so vulgar. ¡®She got stronger, too.¡¯ Martha¡¯s prowess had increased even more than Burren and Runaan¡¯s had. Considering the fact that she was solely focused on power, without any fluidity, her personality must¡¯ve not changed either. ¡°I had this feeling from before, but you guys'' heads are filled with flowers¡­¡± While Martha kept bbering with a frown, he offered her a bead ice cream. ¡°Why are you¡­?¡± ¡°Try eating it.¡± ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Martha fidgeted, her expression even worse than when she was fighting, before taking one chocte ice cream and stepping back. Raon felt like he was feeding a wild animal. ¡°How do you like it?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s delici¡­ No, it¡¯s alright.¡± She was turned away while eating the ice cream so that she wouldn¡¯t show her face to him, but she couldn¡¯t hide the way her earlobes turned slightly red. She apparently liked it a lot. ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡± Runaan also looked extremely happy as she put the bead ice cream in her mouth. Stop giving it to others and eat one yourself! You also ended up eating cold food yesterday! Wrath iled his arms around as he spread coldness. It looked like he was going to create a tidal wave of coldness if Raon didn¡¯t do something. ¡®Alright, alright.¡¯ Raon nodded and looked at the ice cream. As he was pondering over which one to eat among the four remaining ones, Wrath jumped on the spot and pointed at the blue ice cream. Mint. Chocte! Eat the mint chocte, no matter what! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s head was filled with doubt that such a glutton could possibly be a demon king. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon sighed and put the mint chocte in his mouth. It wasn¡¯t that good. It had a refreshing feel to it, but he couldn¡¯t understand why people ate it. Hell yeah, this is life¡­ On the other hand, Wrath¡¯s eyes were trembling like a drug addict¡¯s as he grinned. ¡°Hmm, did you decide on your internship?¡± Burren dusted off his clothes and stood up. He had been knocked down and then stepped on, but his expression didn¡¯t really change. His personality was a lot softer than before. It wasn¡¯t just his might that got stronger. ¡°That¡¯s obvious. I will join my father.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Martha and Runaan, who were eating ice cream, replied at once. ¡°I knew it. I¡¯m also going to the Central Martial Pce. Then, where are you going?¡± Hearing Burren¡¯s question, Runaan and Martha stopped eating the ice creams and looked around. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°You¡¯re really here!¡± ¡°Ahahaha! You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± As Raon started to open his mouth, the door opened, and the other swordsmen flocked in. As if they were trying to catch up with the year they¡¯d been separated, they surrounded him and kept talking to him continuously. Raon didn¡¯t exactly like crowded ces, but it actually didn¡¯t feel that bad since he could see the faces he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, and he could feel their growth and delight. Every swordsman of the fifth training ground was gathered, and they kept talking about various things with Raon in the middle of them. Whoosh! While they were having a fun time, Rimmer appeared along with a green wind, surging over the wall. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever get tired? I told you to rest for today.¡± ¡°I just happened toe by.¡± ¡°I had a feeling that Raon would be here.¡± ¡°And he was actually here.¡± The traineesughed, looking at Rimmer, who shook his head. ¡°Huh? All forty-three of you are here. Then, let¡¯s finish things today. I¡¯m toozy toe back tomorrow.¡± After counting the trainees, Rimmer quickly nodded. ¡°What are we finishing?¡± ¡°Deciding on your internships. That¡¯s myst job.¡± Although he was originally heading towards the locker room, he went up on the tform. ¡°I thought I was supposed to hand it in as a document tomorrow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too sloppy¡­¡± ¡°Is this your first time seeing me be sloppy? It¡¯s not even the real Selection Ceremony, so just do it. They won¡¯t ask anything difficult of the interns, anyway.¡± Rimmer waved his hand and dismissed their dissatisfaction. He was definitely theziest elf in the world. ¡°I¡¯m going to call out the names of the organizations now, so raise your hand if you want it. First of all, Operation de.¡± He took out a crumpled paper from his back pocket and started calling out the names of Zieghart¡¯s organizations, one by one. ¡°Pff!¡± ¡°Seriously, he does whatever he wants.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already decided anyway.¡± Even though the trainees wereining, they still raised their hands when the organization they wanted was called. Just as they said before, Runaan and Martha joined the division where their fathers were leading, and Dorian picked the Zephyr¡¯s Flow, which was in charge of supplies. As Rimmer kept calling out the names of organizations, Raon and Burren were the only ones left. ¡°Next up is the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Burren raised his hand as soon as Central Martial Pce, led by Karoon Zieghart. ¡°Huh? Are you also joining them, Raon?¡± ¡°Gasp! Why would you?¡± Rimmer and Burren¡¯s eyes widened, since Raon was confidently raising his hand. The guy that hates you is in the Central Martial Pce. Why are you trying to join them? Wrath tilted his head, unable to understand his actions. ¡®Because the pain that doesn¡¯t kill me will only make me stronger.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes were shining brightly. He had decided on it as soon as he heard about the internships. He would join the Central Martial Pce, which was managed by Karoon Zieghart¡ªwho hated him the most¡ªand learn everything about their training methods. Chapter 153 Burren Zieghart violently rubbed his head as he watched Raon proudly holding his hand up high. ¡®I must be delusional.¡¯ Since Raon wasn¡¯t an idiot, there was no way he would try to join the Central Martial Pce for the internship¡ªthey obviously hated him. Burren thought it must¡¯ve been his mistake, and opened his eyes again. However, his vision didn¡¯t change. Raon was proudly holding his hand up. ¡°What are you do¡­ Argh!¡± As he was about to ask Raon why he did that, Runaan and Martha intruded, pushing him to the ground. ¡°Raon, you can¡¯t go there.¡± ¡°Are you crazy? That¡¯s not a ce you can go!¡± They forced him to lower his hand, trying to stop him. ¡°You crazy bastards! Am I invisible to you or something?¡± Burren got angry for the first time since returning to the house. The serene mindset that he had learned from Leniton, the president of Marcopany, had shattered into dust after being run over three times in two days. ¡°Shove off!¡± He yelled, pushing Runaan and Martha¡ªwho were sticking to Raon¡ªaway. ¡°Mhh?¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°You are the crazy ones! Why do you keep running over me? Do you think you are a boar or something?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the boar.¡± ¡°What? Do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°You damn bastards!¡± They started grinding and baring their teeth at each other. ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer tilted his head, stepping down from the tform. ¡°Are you really nning to join the Central Martial Pce?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon immediately nodded, showing that he had no intention of changing his mind. ¡°Hmm, that sounds interesting.¡± With a crafty smile, Rimmer wrote Raon¡¯s name on the paper. ¡°S-Stop for a moment!¡± Burren squeezed through the arguing Runaan and Martha to grab Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It might sound strangeing from me, but you should think it over. The Central Martial Pce doesn¡¯t wee you.¡± It was his honest advice. His father outright hated Raon. There was nothing good waiting for him there. ¡°Raon,e with me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get beaten up for no reason over there. You shoulde with me instead.¡± Runaan and Martha also extended their hands in worry. ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°And it is indeed pretty strangeing from you.¡± He snickered at Burren who was dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯m not joking. Forget about your internship, you might just get bullied over there!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon¡¯s mouth smoothly curved into an arc. ¡°I won¡¯t be the only one to suffer.¡± * * * ¡°Pce Master!¡± The general administrator Urek, who was in charge of the Central Martial Pce¡¯s finances, entered Karoon¡¯s office with hasty steps. ¡°I thought I told you to stay away for a while.¡± The low voice of the Central Martial Pce Master, Karoon Zieghart, echoed throughout the ce. He was scowling furiously, probably because the irritation from being humiliated by Raon and Rimmer the day before still remained. ¡°Please, excuse me. It¡¯s an important matter.¡± Urek swallowed, wetting his dry mouth, and ced the document he¡¯d brought with him on Karoon¡¯s desk. ¡°The document on the internships for the rookie swordsmen? Are you telling me this is important?¡± ¡°Look at this. Raon Zieghart has chosen our Central Martial Pce for his internship. He must¡¯ve gone insane!¡± ¡°¡­That son of a bitch!¡± Karoon clenched his fist, the paper in his hand turning into gray ash and fluttering away. The entire Central Martial Pce started to tremble, as if an earthquake had urred. ¡°That bastard! I¡¯m sure he is looking down on us. That¡¯s the only exnation for him choosing the Central Martial Pce!¡± Urek ground his teeth. Having chosen it for his internship despite Karoon¡¯s visible dislike of him could only mean that he was looking down on them. ¡°What shall we do? Rather than continuing to be bothered by him, shall we use this opportunity to¡­¡± Urek raised his hand and gestured to cut his wrist. He was asking whether they should disable Raon. ¡°You fool.¡± Karoon snorted at Urek. ¡°The entire house¡¯s attention is currently focused on that little rat. Even my father asked to meet him separately, yet you want to injure and disable him? Did you even think about the public opinion before saying that?¡± ¡°P-Please excuse me. I was thoughtless.¡± Urek¡¯s shoulders flinched and hurriedly lowered his head. ¡®He is truly amazing.¡¯ Even though Karoon was angry, he was still considering the situation from different angles instead of focusing on one side of it. He was truly qualified to lead the Central Martial Pce, which was one of the biggest forces of Zieghart. ¡°Then, what shall we do? If we give him an ordinary internship, the morale is going to drop for other swordsmen.¡± ¡°The de isn¡¯t the only way to kill people.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Teach him how difficult the training in the Central Martial Pce is. Humiliate him in public, so that everyone will know that he isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°And gather information about him. Find out everything about him, how much he can fight without aura, what the current limit of his power is, and what weaknesses he has.¡± Karoon¡¯s eyes sparkled with a deadly light. ¡°Yes! But how shall we¡­ Gasp!¡± ¡°Do I need to teach you everything?¡± He was growling low in his throat, like a savage beast. ¡°N-No! I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± He bowed low and left the office. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°General Administrator.¡± When Urek stepped out into the corridor, wiping away his cold sweat, a middle-aged man with apletely smooth head walked up to him. He was the training instructor Reff, in charge of training in the Central Martial Pce. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°He said we shall teach that damn bastard the terror of the Central Martial Pce. Humiliate him so that he cannot even look at us ever again, and gather information about his martial art.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Reff immediately nodded. ¡°But how shall we¡­?¡± ¡°Do I need to teach you everything? You should be able to find out at least that much! You are going to ask me to spoon-feed you at this rate.¡± Urek repeated exactly what he heard from Karoon. ¡°N-No! I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± Reff raised his hand to salute him before running outside. ¡°Why do I have to go through all of this because of that damn bastard?¡± After venting his anger on his subordinate, Urek ground his teeth with apletely irritated expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯m going to mess you up. Just you wait.¡± * * * Four dayster, the intern period for the rookie swordsmen began, and Raon was at the training grounds of the Central Martial Pce. ¡®It¡¯srge.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t asrge as the great training ground, but it was at least twice asrge as the fifth training ground. There were enough personal training rooms, cultivation rooms, and even thetest training equipment, which made it a great ce for training. The swordsmen, who were training in different quarters, also had a high standard. Even though the Striding Steads Division and the Striding Lightning Squad were absent, every single of them were rather excellent. They weren¡¯t called the bravest armed organization for nothing. ¡°So, you ended uping.¡± Burren¡¯s low sigh could be heard from behind Raon. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to see you here.¡± His serious eyes were filled with his genuine worry for him. Even though he still exploded sometimes, his personality had be mysteriously gentle. ¡°They won¡¯t go as far as killing me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they will do that, but they will surely harass you in various ways.¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± That was the reason he was there. Raon smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°I know better than anyone else how strong you are, but¡­¡± ¡°Line up, everyone!¡± As Burren was about to continue, a big and bald middle-aged man walked up onto the tform. The Central Martial Pce¡¯s swordsmen stopped swinging their swords and gathered at the center. ¡°Greeting the training instructor!¡± The middle-aged man replied to their greetings with his hand, then looked down on Raon and Burren. ¡°Wee to the Central Martial Pce, rookie swordsmen.¡± He continued with a cold gaze. ¡°My name is Reff, the training instructor of the Central Martial Pce. Your position doesn¡¯t matter here. Brace yourselves, since you won¡¯t get any exemption, even if you are the pce master¡¯s student or son.¡± Despite his fair-sounding line, his cold gaze was only limited towards Raon. ¡°Then, begin your introductions.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Burren was the first one to step up. ¡°My name is Burren Zieghart. I¡¯ll do my best as a rookie swordsman during this internship, without my title as the son of Central Martial Pce master. I¡¯m looking forward to your teachings!¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± ¡°Woaah!¡± The swordsmen surrounding him gave a round of apuse and cheered for him. ¡°Next.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded, and Burren returned to his position. ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart. I heard that Central Martial Pce is the bravest of all Zieghart¡¯s armed organizations. I applied here because I wanted to directly experience that bravery. I¡¯m looking forward to your cooperation.¡± It was an ordinary introduction, but no one cheered for him, and an ufortable atmosphere spread instead. They seemed to dislike his existence itself. After all, he¡¯d shed with Karoon, the Central Martial Pce Master, multiple times. This is literally an enemy camp. Wrath giggled, saying that he liked the atmosphere. I¡¯ll like it even more if you were to be beaten up because of your swaggering around. ¡®That won¡¯t happen, unfortunately.¡¯ Raon nonchntly epted the fierce pressure from the swordsmen. Compared to Sloth¡¯s overwhelming power, they weren¡¯t even worth a flint to a fire. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Does it have no effect at all?¡± The Central Martial Pce swordsmen either frowned or narrowed their eyes upon seeing that Raon was unaffected. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the training, then.¡± Reff stepped down from the tform and opened a huge box underneath it. It was filled with cuffs that were glowing blue. ¡°Those cuffs have the ability to suppress the wearer¡¯s aura. It¡¯s normally used to keep powerful criminals in check, but we use those handcuffs for physical training. You should be honored, since the Central Martial Pce is the only ce where we use this expensive item for training.¡± He brought the cuffs forward and personally put them around Raon¡¯s wrists. ¡°These cuffs are made of extremely solid cassiterite. Even a brawler is unable to break them with their own hands, so don¡¯t try anything unnecessary¡­¡± ng! As Reff was trying to continue his exnation, the sound of shattering metal filled the air. ¡°Huh?¡± He looked around and found that the bracelet he had put on Raon had snapped in half. ¡°Wh-What happened? Why is it broken?¡± ¡°It broke when I tried touching it a little.¡± Raon shrugged, as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. This metal is made from cassiterite!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what happened, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Reff¡¯s chin was trembling. Cassiterite was a solid enough metal to be used in forging des. It was impossible to destroy that thick metal when his aura was suppressed. ¡°Again. Try doing it again.¡± He swallowed harshly and put a second cassiterite cuff around Raon¡¯s wrist. He was certain that he wouldn¡¯t be able to break it, not unless he was as strong as a troll or an ogre. ¡°Hmm!¡± After rubbing the cuff a little, Raon put some strength in his hand. The cuff¡¯s hinge crumpled like paper and broke apart, falling to the ground. He crushed the cuff on his left wrist in the same way, then threw it onto the ground. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Reff¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®Th-That is impossible!¡¯ Raon¡¯s tall, long build was the ssic appearance of a swordsman. He couldn¡¯t understand how he broke the cuff when even a brawler couldn¡¯t break them with their bare hands. ¡°Shall I try again, since you still don¡¯t believe me?¡± He smiled, before walking up to the cuff box and starting to destroy them with both hands. ¡°S-Stop!¡± Reff ran up to him in a hurry, but the handcuffs were already dead by Raon¡¯s hands, shattered into pieces. ¡°Those are super expensive!¡± * * * * * * Raon smiled faintly, looking at the new cassiterite cuff he¡¯d gotten. ¡®It can block my aura, but it can¡¯t block my strength.¡¯ The cassiterite handcuff could immobilize the aura in his energy center, but it didn¡¯t have the ability to suppress his natural strength. His strength and agility were outstanding enough for even Mind to acknowledge him. Moreover, he kept training after the spar. Sloth¡¯s ability kept making him stronger when he slept, so he didn¡¯t even lose to huge monsters in terms of strength. ¡°Guh!¡± ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-What is that guy?¡± The Central Martial Pce swordsmen were astonished and kept ncing at his hand. ¡°D-Damn it¡­¡± Training Instructor Reff was speechless as he stared at the three pairs of destroyed cassiterite cuffs. It was apparently true that they were expensive. ¡°He couldn¡¯t have destroyed them with sheer strength.¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve used some technique.¡± ¡°Did he learn some shallow techniques at Habun Castle?¡± However, Reff and the swordsmen seemed to believe that he used some kind of technique. Of course, they do! There¡¯s no way a human could shatter metal with his strength alone, especially without using aura! Wrath ground his teeth, dissatisfied by the fact that Raon was the center of attention because of the effect of his stats. ¡®The stats are definitely awesome.¡¯ Hmph, the King of Essence¡¯s power is actually way better than this. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence was able to destroy thergest mountain just with a touch¡­ ¡®I wonder what the training will be.¡¯ You bastard! Please, listen to me! The strength you are boasting about right now is all thanks to the King of Essence! Raon ignored Wrath as he yelled at him, sighing heavily before looking at Reff, who was standing up. ¡°L-Let¡¯s continue with the training. Run around the training ground to warm up. Everyone except for the first twenty people will be punished, so you¡¯d better sprint with everything you have.¡± He looked at the swordsmen one after the other to check their readiness, then stopped once he saw Raon. ¡°You, don¡¯t break those handcuffs. Never.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Raon nodded with a smile. ¡°Ugh, run!¡± Reff red at him while biting his lips, before raising his hand. The gathered swordsmen started running like bison. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon also started running at the signal, but he couldn¡¯t advance at all because he was surrounded by sturdy swordsmen. Bump! m! Smack! They started hitting him with their shoulders, arms, and elbows, all while pretending to run. ¡°Ah, excuse me.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see you because you were too small.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say something like that.¡± The swordsmen giggled at him, smacking into his entire body. Even though they weren¡¯t using their aura, Raon started faltering and felt a significant amount of pain from getting continuously hit by the tempered bodies of the swordsmen. ¡°Oh no, excuse me.¡± A green-haired swordsman grinned after violently hitting his neck with his elbow. When Raon red at him, he just shrugged his shoulders, then ran away towards the faster group. ¡°That¡­¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened when he looked back from the faster group. His expression was saying that he didn¡¯t expect them to be so petty. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so go ahead.¡± ¡®Because I won¡¯t lose when ites down to this.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly at Burren, then slowed himself down. He mmed the red-haired swordsman¡¯s chest with his shoulder, since he was trying to hit his waist with elbow. ¡°Kuargh!¡± It looked like the red-haired swordsman had been struck by a hammer as he flew away and mmed into the ground. ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± ¡°What just happened¡­?¡± The eyes of the swordsmen that were blocking him from the sides and behind started to tremble after witnessing such an impossible scene. It was a normal reaction. Even though Raon had grown taller and sturdier, he was still smaller than therge man from earlier. However, he had no problem doing that thanks to his stats. ¡°Argh!¡± The ck swordsman on his right side started pushing him with his shoulder, trying to crush him. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± Raon smiled coldly and hit him back with his shoulder. His strength exploded for an instant, and the ck swordsman was crushed like a sparrow running into a wall, mming into the ground headfirst. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hitting me anymore?¡± Raon jeered at the men that kept hitting him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°W-We never hit you¡­¡± Because two people had already been knocked to the ground, their eyes were wavering like sailboats in a storm. Their unfocused eyes suggested that they didn¡¯t understand the situation. ¡°I¡¯ll go to you if you aren¡¯t going toe to me.¡± Raon increased his speed and smacked the swordsmen that had attacked him before with his shoulder and elbow. Whack! Whack! His physical abilities, which had been acknowledged by a Master, exploded like a raging fire and stormed through the swordsmen that surrounded him. The Expert swordsmen copsed one after the other, like falling leaves in autumn, despite having relentlessly tempered their bodies. Raon didn¡¯t stop even after beating up all the swordsmen that had picked a fight with him. He also sent all the swordsmen that tried blocking his way flying. ¡°I told you.¡± Raon smiled at Burren, who had been rendered speechless and was just moving his legs. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± * * * ¡°Hey¡­¡± Reff¡¯s jaw dropped upon finding the twenty swordsmen crushed into the ground. ¡®Wh-What the hell is that monster?¡¯ He had been informed that Raon had taken many elixirs in his childhood because of his frail constitution, which strengthened his aura in terms of quantity and quality. That was why he figured he couldn¡¯t do anything as long as he blocked his aura, and he decided to give him the cassiterite cuffs. Despite that, he was overwhelming the swordsmen that were way bigger than him with sheer power, despite wearing the cuffs. He felt like he was dreaming as he watched the swordsmen¡ªwho were around 190cm tall¡ªbe bounced away like balls by Raon, who was less than 180cm. ¡°What the¡­?¡± In the end, Raon didn¡¯t stop with the swordsmen around him, beating up all that tried blocking his way. That allowed him to catch up to the fastest group. He unconsciously swore over how absurd that was. ¡°S-Stop! Stop running! Raon!¡± Reff called out to Raon, who was about to smack a green-haired swordsman in front of him with his elbow. Smack! However, Raon finished hitting him, pretending he didn¡¯t hear. With the back of his head mmed by an elbow, the green-haired swordsman copsed on spot with a squawk. ¡°Ah, this is fun. This is my first time having a sprint like this, but it was interesting.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully, looking around the swordsmen that were lying t on the ground, like leaves on a snowfield. ¡°I¡¯ve finished. What¡¯s next?¡± He asked in excitement, as if nothing had happened. ¡°Ugh,e this way.¡± Reff chewed his lip and brought the swordsmen and Raon to the right side of the training grounds. Eight humanoid dummies with swords in their hands were ced in a circle. ¡°Next up is practice for facing multiple opponents. I¡¯ll show you an example.¡± He pressed the button at the center and moved between the dummies. Creak! The dummies started moving with a disturbing sound. However, their movements were smooth and slippery, despite how they sounded. Cring! The movement of the swords in the dummies¡¯ hands was quick. They incorporated a proper swordsmanship¡¯s flow instead of just swinging them around. Whoosh! Although eight dummies were moving at the same time, they weren¡¯t getting in each other¡¯s way. They targeted Reff¡¯s vital points at the same time. ¡°Hmph.¡± With a heavy footwork and swordsmanship as solid as a rock, Reff blocked the dummies¡¯ attacks one after another. Ten minutester, the dummies automatically stopped attacking and returned to their original spots. ¡°This training consists of defending against attacksing from multiple directions like this. Raon, can you do it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nonchntly nodded and drew his training sword, standing in the middle of the dummies. ¡®What an idiot.¡¯ Reff smiled coldly and increased the dummies¡¯ difficulty to the maximum. Even an Expert would be unable to do anything without their aura. They¡¯d be beaten at that difficulty. ¡°I¡¯m starting it.¡± Once he pressed thest button, the dummies started moving much quicker than before, thrusting their swords at Raon. ¡°This will be fun, too.¡± With zing crimson eyes, Raon swung his sword. Along with the sound of an explosion, the dummies¡¯ swords and heads were split into pieces. ¡°Huff¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t over yet. Each time Raon swung his sword, the dummies¡ªwhich cost over two hundred gold each because they were specially made¡ªwere destroyed, one by one. Since he was destroying them with a single hit, increasing the difficulty was meaningless. Crack! The second dummy was snapped like a reed, and the third dummy¡¯s body was split in half. ¡°S-Sto¡­¡± Although he needed to tell him to stop, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth because he was too surprised. The short moment he was unable to speak was enough time for Raon to destroy all eight dummies and wipe the sweat from his forehead. ¡°This is pretty fun.¡± With a refreshing smile, he looked at Reff. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± He wanted to smack Raon¡¯s handsome face. * * * The Central Martial Pce¡¯s General Administrator, Urek, was tending to the flowers at his desk inside hisrge office. Flower arrangement was his hobby, although it didn¡¯t match with his big build and appearance. Watching the beautiful flowers in harmony made all the stress from his coarse Pce Master and his ipetent subordinates fade away. Moreover, no one usually disturbed him right before lunch, so he was treasuring the moment to tend to his flowers and ce them in a vase. ¡°This is pretty¡­¡± ¡°General Administrator!¡± Urek smiled slightly. As he was thinking that he had finally managed to reach a beautiful harmony, the office door burst open. ¡°Argh¡­¡± His hand was shaken from the noise, messing up the perfectly ced flowers. ¡°Reff! You crazy bastard! Did no one teach you to knock on a door before opening it?¡± ¡°Ah, I-I¡¯m sorry! But it¡¯s an emergency¡­¡± Reff bowed, wiping away his cold sweat. ¡°Emergency? What kind of emergency? You are dead if it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Urek clicked his tongue and sat on the desk. ¡°Err¡­ It¡¯s about Raon, the rookie that we talked aboutst time.¡± ¡°What about him? Did you go too hard on him?¡± Since the head of house and the other division leaders¡¯ gazes were focused on Raon, beating him up too hard would be troublesome. They just needed to humiliate him slightly for now. However, Reff¡¯s response was beyond his imagination. ¡°That guy is a king of destruction!¡± Reff¡¯s lips were trembling violently. ¡°He is destroying everything!¡± Chapter 154 ¡°What kind of bullshit is that?¡± Urek pushed the vase aside and frowned. He couldn¡¯t understand what Reff was talking about as he started bbering about a king of destruction. ¡°That damn bastard is destroying everything in the training ground! Everything that heys his hands on is destroyed!¡± Reff clenched his fist and mmed the desk. ¡°Since his simple touch breaks down everything, king of destruction is the only way to describe him!¡± ¡°Please, calm down!¡± Urek picked up the vase to embrace it, pushing Reff away. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal if all he did was destroy some of the objects in the training ground. Did you really have toe here to tell me when all he did was break some training swords and training outfits?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here if that¡¯s all he did!¡± Reff pounded his chest in frustration. ¡°That crazy bastard smashed three cassiterite cuffs and destroyed all eight sword dummies!¡± ¡°What?¡± Uren dropped the vase and brusquely stood up. He red at him without even looking at the shattered vase. ¡°Wh-What did you just say? All eight sword dummies have been destroyed on top of three cassiterite cuffs?¡± ¡°Yes! All of them broke!¡± ¡°Why would they break, though? Don¡¯t tell me you forgot to make him wear the cuffs.¡± ¡°N-No, he was wearing them. He just destroyed them all! I¡¯m not sure if it was his strength or a technique. He is literally a king of destruction!¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± One pair of cassiterite handcuffs was worth a hundred gold, and a single sword dummy was worth over two hundred gold alone. Although the equipment was terribly expensive, they were solid enough to justify the cost. He couldn¡¯t believe that such equipment was destroyed. ¡°So, 1,900 gold in total¡­ Did we really lose 1,900 gold worth of equipment?¡± Urek¡¯s eyes lost focus like he¡¯d smelled a rotten egg. ¡°Err, there¡¯s actually more¡­¡± ¡°L-Let¡¯s go. I can¡¯t believe it until I witness it with my own eyes!¡± He started walking towards the training ground with a trembling chin. Reff followed him, disconcerted. ¡°Ah¡­¡± As soon as Urek arrived at the training ground, his heart sank. The eight sword dummies that were ced on the right side were literally broken into pieces, and the cassiterite cuffs that usually shone blue were crushed like leaves on the tform. The problem was that there was more than what Reff mentioned. ¡°Even the Sword Inspector is split apart!¡± The Sword Inspector was a piece of training equipment that informed the user of any unbnced aspects of their sword techniques with dripping water, and it was smashed like a twig. It was another super expensive tool, worth over five hundred gold. ¡°And why are they all lying on the ground?¡± The Central Martial Pce swordsmen were lying on the ground like defeated soldiers. It looked like they were conscious because of their injuries. ¡°What happened here?¡± ¡°I-It was all Raon¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything like that earlier!¡± ¡°But the manager ran out before I could even report it. Please allow me to say everything. During the training¡­¡± Reff exined everything that had happened up to that point. ¡°Keuh!¡± Urek¡¯s face went pale. A general administrator had the role of ¡®mistress of the house¡¯ for an organization. Since he was in charge of managing both the money and personnel, all the money they lost and the casualties they had taken during the incident were his responsibility. ¡°Where is that bastard right now? Find him right now¡­ Gasp!¡± His clenched fist was trembling as he tried to find Raon. At that moment, the snapping sound of metal could be heard. ¡°Wh-What happened?¡± When he looked at the source of sound, an attractive blonde man was bursting a green sphere like a balloon. ¡°Kuaah! That¡¯s the bnce ball that costs four hundred gold!¡± The sphere was an extremely precious piece of training equipment that allowed the user to fix the bnce of their body. Since it used a high ranking magician¡¯s mana, it was difficult to obtain regardless of the price. However, it waspletely shattered. However, the crazy bastard seemed to have no intention of stopping. Creak! Raon touched therge shield next to the bnce ball. The shield fell apart like tender beef. ¡°Argh! That shield costs five hundred gold!¡± The shield was a special product that could block aura des and aura threats once it was imbued with aura. Although they had purchased it for the aura de training, it was smashed by that monster¡¯s hand. Raon was moving on to his next victim. It looked like he had still not satisfied his destructive urges. ¡°Stop that bastard! Catch him already!¡± * * * While Raon was going on with his tant destruction¡ªwhich he called sightseeing in the training ground¡ªa scream could be heard from behind him. Training Instructor Reff and a big, middle-aged man were standing there. ¡®That is the general administrator, Urek.¡¯ He saw him on the list of the members of the Central Martial Pce that Judiel had given him. He was the man in charge of Central Martial Pce¡¯s finances, and he was running towards him alongside Reff. ¡°Wh-What is wrong with you, you bastard? Why are you destroying everything?¡± Urek yelled at him, looking at the shield on the ground. ¡°Do you even realize how expensive this is? Huh? What you¡¯ve destroyed today is worth over three thousand gold already!¡± ¡°I just tried touching things a little because they told me to look around the training grounds.¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°The man behind you.¡± Raon pointed his finger at Reff, who was standing behind Urek. ¡°You!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but I-I swear I told him to stop earlier.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Urek looked like he wanted to kill him as he frowned, and Reff hung his head. ¡°Even if he asked you to look around, you inflicted a great financial loss to the Central Martial Pce. You have to pay the reparations¡­¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± What Urek was saying was something Raon had already anticipated woulde up. Raon nonchntly raised his hand. ¡°I have a few questions before that. I heard that the Central Martial Pce represents Zieghart¡¯s armed organizations. Is that true?¡± ¡°Of course! The Central Martial Pce is the strongest, with the Striding Steads and the Striding Lightning belonging to it.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m guessing that you wouldn¡¯t be using anything cheap as the strongest organization.¡± ¡°Of course! There¡¯s nothing cheap in this training ground! Everything is of the highest quality.¡± ¡°Finally, do I look strong to you?¡± ¡°Strong? You don¡¯t even have proper muscles. Why do you even think you would look strong?¡± Since Urek was extremely angry at Raon, his words were obviously harsh. ¡°I see. Then you must¡¯ve been scammed.¡± ¡°S-Scammed?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Urek and Reff¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing that they had been scammed. ¡°The equipment certainly looks expensive, but none of it has any durability.¡± With a bitter expression, Raon threw the transparent shield on the ground. ¡°I mean, the equipment used in one of Zieghart¡¯s strongest armed organizations, the Central Martial Pce, wouldn¡¯t be so cheap that a rookie swordsman like me could destroy it. Just as you said, I am weak because of my thin arms, and I couldn¡¯t even use my aura.¡± He raised his arm to show him the cassiterite cuffs he was wearing. ¡°Burren, you saw that I never took them off, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, y-yes.¡± Burren was called upon suddenly, but he replied honestly. His expression suggested that he thought the crazy bastard was going crazy again. ¡°You saw it, right? There¡¯s no way I could destroy such solid equipment without even using aura. You got scammed. Since I showed you that you were scammed, you should be thankful to me instead.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Urek and Reff¡¯s jaws dropped. Since they didn¡¯t expect that kind of answer at all, their eyes lost focus. ¡°W-Wait a moment! That¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°It was a bit unpleasant to be suspected like that, but that¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll overlook the matter since it¡¯s my first day.¡± Raon waved his hand for a bit and stepped away. Urek and Reff were standing nkly on the spot, like wooden dummies. What bullshit is this? You just broke them all with sheer strength! ¡®Yes, they will soon realize that I was bullshitting them.¡¯ Raon snickered and nodded. ¡®But because of their pride, they won¡¯t tell me to reimburse them.¡¯ Were you aiming for this all along? ¡®Judiel told me about their personalities, after all.¡¯ Raon had read a document that Judiel gave him beforehand, which detailed the executives¡¯ personalities and tastes. General Administrator Urek ced more importance on his pride than money. Since he had withdrawn while the other swordsmen were watching, he wouldn¡¯t ask him to reimburse them again. ¡°Keuh, what are you doing right now? Clean up all that broken equipment!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± The bewildered swordsmen started to clean up, following Urek¡¯s orders. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon sat in the stands and secretly smiled. ¡®I think I broke at least half of them.¡¯ Although there was still a lot of equipment remaining, he destroyed most of the expensive-looking ones, which should¡¯ve cost them a lot. He could only smile, imagining the face Karoon would maketer on. ¡°Was this your goal all along?¡± Burren sat next to him and snickered. ¡°Did youe here to destroy the equipment?¡± He wasn¡¯t angry, despite having realized his n. He was just frowning slightly. ¡°I didn¡¯te for that.¡± ¡°Which means you have another objective. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t havee here just to break things.¡± Burren nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°But I rmend you do it in moderation. It could get dangerous.¡± ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± ¡°O-Of course not! I¡¯m just worried that you will end up destroying what I need to use!¡± Burren waved his hand, his face turning red. It has been a long time since thest time Raon saw him like that. ¡°You aren¡¯t stopping mepletely, huh?¡± ¡°I know who picked this fight first, so I can¡¯t really stop you. And you aren¡¯t the type to listen to begin with.¡± Burren lowered his eyebrows and licked his lips. ¡°But¡­ Have you always been this strong?¡± ¡°It was because it was cheap equipment.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Burren smiled faintly and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m really going to have to work hard in order to catch up to you.¡± After saying that, Burren went to the other swordsmen. Are you sure that guy is the shitty-eyes that the King of Essence remembers? Wrath narrowed his eyes in bewilderment. Humans don¡¯t usually change like that. ¡®I know, right? I also think it¡¯s mysterious.¡¯ It was difficult to believe that he previously had that aggressive personality after seeing how easygoing he was now. He still got angry at Runaan and Martha sometimes, but it looked like he became apletely different person. On the other hand, it seemed like his resolution to catch up to him was unchanged. By the way, how much strength do you have right now? ¡®Strength?¡¯ Raon licked his lips, and opened the status window for the first time in a long time. ¡®That¡¯s a lot.¡¯ Raon automatically gasped upon seeing it. The stats obtained over a year by the system, training, and Sloth¡¯s abilitiesbined into a huge amount, giving him a transcended body that surpassed the human limits. ¡®This is why I could break everything.¡¯ He usually didn¡¯t harm anyone, as he controlled his power, but he could even smash steel at a hinge or joint by using his full strength. ¡®I have 129 in strength.¡¯ S-Say that again? ¡®129.¡¯ You are insane! When did that happen? ¡®You gave me most of them. Why are you even asking?¡¯ Half of the stats were the results of Wrath¡¯s sloppy bets and his impulsive anger. His training and Sloth¡¯s ability were also helpful, but Wrath¡¯s doormat tendency was the biggest contributor. You damn bastard! You are like a fly on a pineapple pizza, sucking away the King of Essence¡¯s sweet abilities! Wrath ground his teeth, bursting with anger and coldness. Rumble! The freezing cold and boiling anger prated into his mana circle like a sharp de. Wrath even used the power of wrath engraved in Raon¡¯s soul for an all-out attack. You can¡¯t use that aura right now! It will be the King of Essence¡¯s victory this time! ¡®I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ Because the Ring of Fire wasn¡¯t aura. Raon smiled faintly, resonating his rings of fire. The five rings spinning around his heart resonated to subdue the wrath engulfing his soul. Pssh! The frozen wall created by cier perfectly blocked Wrath¡¯s coldness. You damn parasite! Wrath kept pouring his coldness and wrath, and continuously yelled for over ten minutes. ¡®I¡¯m telling you, you are only hurting yourself with that.¡¯ Raon shook his head and pointed at the message that just appeared. ¡®Do you see this? It¡¯s because you keep giving me points for free like this that my stats keep increasing!¡¯ Daaaaamn it! The giving Wrath¡¯s wailing didn¡¯t stop inside the Central Martial Pce. * * * * * * ¡°That damn bastard.¡± Urek ground his teeth as he looked at Raon sitting in the stands. The sneaky bastard got him good, but his pride didn¡¯t allow him to say anything because he agreed to his statement in front of the other swordsmen. ¡®I¡¯ll crush you, just you wait¡­¡¯ ¡°Urek.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± As Urek was resolving himself for revenge, a baritone voice resounded in his ears. It was the voice he feared the most. ¡°S-Sir Karoon!¡± The Central Martial Pce Master, Karoon Zieghart, was walking towards the training ground while being escorted by ten men. ¡°Why are you here¡­?¡± ¡°The head of house ordered me to support the Striding Steads and the Striding Lightning in their mission.¡± ¡°Oh, I-I see.¡± Urek swallowed nervously, feeling his back getting drenched with sweat. He was worried that he came to see Raon, but fortunately that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°Hmm.¡± Karoon smiled coldly, looking at Raon sitting there like a fool. ¡°Just like I told you before, gather the information in advance so that you can kill that arrogant guy whenever and wherever it¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back in two weeks.¡± He waved his hand, crossing the training ground to leave the Central Martial Pce. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Urek smoothed down his chest and breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡®What a relief.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t miss his opportunity. He needed to humiliate Raon before Karoon¡¯s return and gather information about his strength and weakness. ¡®Then it¡¯s obvious what I need to do.¡¯ A spar. A spar was the best method. ¡°Reff!¡± Urek gestured his hand at Urek, who was standing there nkly. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°Call Gt!¡± Gt had a weak aura, but he was extremely talented in swordsmanship. Although Raon¡¯s swordsmanship was also rumored to be excellent, he shouldn¡¯t be able to ovee the difference in years. Urek clenched his fist, with a cold smile. ¡°Today is the day I¡¯ll witness your limit, Raon Zieghart.¡± * * * Raon simply warmed up his body instead of training at full strength during his free time. What are you doing? ¡®I¡¯m stretching.¡¯ Aren¡¯t you going to train? ¡®A spar is about to begin.¡¯ A spar? ¡®Yes. It¡¯s obvious.¡¯ Considering that Judiel had received an order to gather information as soon as he returned to the house, the Central Martial Pce wanted information about him. Since they had no reason to miss the opportunity Raon had given them bying to them on his own, they were going to ask for a spar in order to obtain information. ¡°Line up!¡± While Raon was slowly running around the training ground, Reff walked up onto the tform and gathered everyone. ¡°There were some unfortunate incidents, but since they¡¯ve all been resolved now, we will continue with the next part of your training.¡± He took a nce at Raon while saying the words ¡®unfortunate incidents¡¯. ¡°The next training is sparring. You will only be allowed to use your swordsmanship and footwork while wearing the cassiterite cuffs, and the victor will be decided upon neutralizing your opponent.¡± ¡®See?¡¯ What Reff just said was exactly what he¡¯d expected. Hmph! The King of Essence also knew about it! ¡°Bevin and Arun. Step forward!¡± Two swordsmen stepped up after Reff called them, then started fighting against each other. Since they were both excellent swordsmen at the intermediate Expert level, it was an eye-catching and interesting spar even though they weren¡¯t using their aura. After a fierce fight that was simr to a real battle, the swordsman named Bevin allowed a hit on his shoulder and the spar ended. ¡°Just like you saw, a spar in Central Martial Pce is simr to a real fight.¡± Reff put an emphasis on the real fight part while looking at Raon specifically. ¡°Next up are Raon and Gt. Step forward.¡± Raon stood up and looked at the man named Gt. He seemed around thirty years old and had a sturdy body. His aura didn¡¯t seem to be that outstanding, but a refined sharpness could be felt from him. Judging from his serious eyes as he looked at him, he seemed to be determined to win. Raon smiled cheerfully and stepped into the arena. ¡®It will be interesting.¡¯ * * * Gt licked his lips while looking down on Raon. ¡®So, I just need to beat up this arrogant guy, right?¡¯ General Administrator Urek had ordered him to bully Raon to make him use all of his hidden techniques and abilities. It wasn¡¯t a difficult task, but he was taking it seriously because he was told that he would be moved to the Striding Steads during the next personal exchange if he managed to humiliate him by thoroughly beating him up. Also, he actually liked the task since he didn¡¯t like his handsome face anyway. ¡®Beating him up is a piece of cake if we aren¡¯t using aura.¡¯ He acknowledged Raon¡¯s powerful body and aura, but he was confident that his swordsmanship was better than Raon¡¯s. If he wasn¡¯t allowed to use his aura, he could literally toy with him. ¡°As your senior, I¡¯ll allow you to attack first.¡± Gt flicked his fingers. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes. Come at me before I change my mind.¡± He would¡¯ve never done that if Raon was allowed to use aura, but he was showing off because they were both wearing the cassiterite cuffs. ¡°Alright.¡± Just as he expected, Raon nodded and charged at him. He reached in front of him in an instant and mmed down his sword. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Gt snickered. There was nothing surprising about the trajectory and speed of Raon¡¯s sword. ¡®I¡¯ll deflect it.¡¯ He was trying to deflect Raon¡¯s attack with style, by slightly twisting the sword he had raised. m! The moment he shed with Raon¡¯s sword, a tremendous shock could be felt, as if his joints had been dislocated. ¡°Huh? Wh-What?¡± Because the strength in Raon¡¯s sword was too powerful, Gt couldn¡¯t deflect it and his wrist snapped. ¡°Th-This can¡¯t be¡­ Ah!¡± Smaack! Gt yelped as his sword was pushed back, fiercely smacking into his forehead. His head gave a bursting sound¡ªlike a ball¡ªfrom getting hit by his own training sword. ¡°Gurgle¡­¡± Raon was reflected in his hazy eyes, nonchntly opening his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s proceed to the next match.¡± Chapter 155 Raon clicked his tongue as he looked at Gt, whose eyes had rolled back as he slumped back on the ground. ¡®How foolish.¡¯ Gt had been trying to show off and had twisted his sword slightly, as he had overestimated his strength. Since there was no way such a sloppy technique would work against Raon, he smacked his own forehead with his sword and fainted, drool trickling from his mouth. ¡®I thought it would be interesting, but he was nothing but a fool.¡¯ Raon watched his swollen forehead for a bit before turning around. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± The first person he noticed was Burren. He was gasping, his green eyes unfocused. ¡°What have you been doing over the past year?¡± He suddenly stood up and started shouting. He seemed astonished by the fact that he¡¯d crushed the deflection with pure strength. The jaws of the other swordsmen had also dropped, but their reactions were slightly different. ¡°Wh-What was that¡­?¡± ¡°Did he just hit himself with his sword and faint?¡± ¡°What an idiot!¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk.¡± Unlike Burren, they were calling Gt an idiot, insulting him while sighing. It was true that what Gt did was foolish, but the result wouldn¡¯t have changed even if somebody else had been facing Raon instead. ¡°Who is next?¡± Raon tilted his head towards Training Instructor Reff, who was staring at him with his eyes wide. ¡°I haven¡¯t even finished warming up yet.¡± ¡°Of course! We haven¡¯t gotten started yet, either! Don!¡± A blue-haired swordsman stood up from the middle of the group. His sturdy body looked pretty strong. ¡°You shall be Raon¡¯s opponent.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Don went up to the arena. Raon couldn¡¯t even see behind him¡ªhe was as big as an orc. Don frowned, looking at Gt as he was carried away to be healed. ¡°I¡¯m different from that idiot. You will pay dearly if you underestimate me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the type of person to underestimate people.¡± ¡°Fine,e at me!¡± Raon nodded and kicked off from the ground. Just like when he defeated Gt, he raised the sword towards the sky and mmed it down. The de perfectly carried his explosive strength as it fell. ¡°Hmph!¡± Don raised his sword in order to block the blow before the training sword¡¯s momentum reached its peak. It was a good defensive method to counter Raon¡¯s powerful strength. ¡®That still won¡¯t do.¡¯ Raon changed the sword¡¯s trajectory slightly. The falling de, aimed towards the center, was raised slightly and fell on Don¡¯s sword instead. ng! The moment the two des shed, Don¡¯s training sword was mercilessly shattered. ¡°Argh!¡± Don¡¯s wide eyes look like they were about to pop out as he looked at the shattering de. However, it was too early to be surprised. Smaack! Raon quickly raised his training sword and mmed his head with the t of it. Along with the sound of a rock shattering, Don copsed with his eyes rolled back. His big body falling to the ground made the sand flutter into the air. ¡°He wasn¡¯t any different.¡± Raon licked his lips, looking at Don¡¯s twitching body. He was cautious about his strength, but he didn¡¯t consider his technique at all. Because of that, Raon could easily shatter the training sword at its weakest point by slightly tilting the trajectory of his swing. ¡°Did you just pierce through the weakness in that instant without even using your aura?¡± Raon could hear Burren¡¯s voice. It looked like he was properly watching the fight, since he had perfectly grasped the situation. ¡°Seriously, what the hell is that guy¡­?¡± He was even more surprised because of that, and he was biting his own finger. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He looked around the swordsmen while listening to Burren¡¯s extremepliments. Their eyes were spinning. It looked like they didn¡¯t expect Don to also lose in a single strike. They looked like their spirits had pretty much left their bodies. ¡°Once again, it was over in a single strike.¡± Raon smiled faintly, looking at dumbfounded Reff. ¡°Let¡¯s call up the next person.¡± * * * Halfway up the North Grave Mountain. Glenn and Rimmer were standing next to each other on top of a majestic boulder that looked like a roaring tiger, standing as straight as bamboo. ¡°My lord, were you aware of the fact that Raon went to the Central Martial Pce for his internship?¡± Rimmer took out a document from his chest to wave it around, snickering. ¡°I know.¡± Glenn slightly nodded, as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Then, are you also aware of the reason he chose the Central Martial Pce?¡± Rimmer giggled, looking towards the Central Martial Pce in the west. ¡°That crazy guy went there to pick a fight.¡± ¡°A fight?¡± ¡°I did somewhat expect it, but I never imagined he would start causing problems on the first day of his internship.¡± Karoon did tantly talk and act like he hated Raon multiple times, but he could never have imagined that Raon would charge at him directly instead of running away. The boy named Raon Zieghart was like an onion, one that kept showing newyers each time one was peeled. ¡°He is so daring. I wonder whose student he is.¡± Rimmerughed, murmuring that his teacher must be handsome. ¡°What did he even do today for you to say that he caused problems?¡± Glenn turned around for the first time. He was narrowing his eyes slightly, asking him to tell him about it already. ¡°That crazy guy¡­ Oh, well, I don''t wanna talk about it!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Because my lord doesn¡¯t tell me anything either¡­ Kuah!¡± Rimmer¡¯s face snapped to the side as he copsed. Glenn had smacked his face with a shapeless aura, unable to suppress his urge. ¡°A¡­¡± Rimmer trembled, grabbing his chin. The world was spinning around him because of the direct hit he¡¯d received. ¡°D-Did you hit me? Did you really hit me just now? That¡¯s too much! In which country do people start smacking others with a shapeless aura just because they don¡¯t want to talk about it¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯d better tell me if you don¡¯t want to get smacked again.¡± Glenn¡¯s crimson eyes were zing. It really looked like he would punch him again if Rimmer didn¡¯t start talking immediately. ¡°I-I get it.¡± Rimmer breathed heavily and stood up. ¡®If you care about your grandson so much, you should act like it!¡¯ If he was going to smack his face with a sublime martial art just because Rimmer didn¡¯t want to talk about Raon, he should¡¯ve acted like he cared for him. Rimmer had a bad feeling that Glenn wouldn¡¯t even be able to talk to him about it in the end. ¡°Tell me quickly.¡± ¡°As soon as Raon started the internship today, he destroyed all the equipment that Central Martial Pce prepared for him. And¡­¡± Rimmer told him about Raon destroying a bunch of training equipment in the Central Martial Pce and beating up the swordsmen that were running alongside him, sending them to the infirmary. ¡°I almost died from suppressing myughter when he escaped from Urek¡¯s grasp by calling the equipment some cheap and saying that Urek got scammed.¡± Rimmer giggled, saying that Glenn should¡¯ve seen Urek¡¯s face when that happened. ¡°Hah.¡± ¡°Huh? My lord, did you smile just now?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯tugh.¡± Glenn turned his head away, but he couldn¡¯t hide his slightly curved lips. ¡°Wow, I can even see your smile on your face if I live a long life.¡± ¡°Silence. How did you find out about that?¡± ¡°All of the powerful people except for Karoon are all on a mission right now in the Central Martial Pce. I was stuck next to the wall, avoiding their guards.¡± Rimmer grinned, like it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Anyway, Raon just gets so much greater the more I find out about him. The way he tantly causes problems in the enemy camp and makes his slippery escape is even worse than my lord¡¯s youth.¡± ¡°But that was only possible because the Striding Steads and the Striding Lightning were on a mission. He would¡¯ve been stopped already if they were still present.¡± ¡°Is that why you sent your second son away? Did you do that for your grandson?¡± He saw Karoon leaving the Central Martial Pce with his escorts as Rimmer was returning from watching Raon¡¯s actions. It looked like Glenn had sent him away on purpose. ¡°Nonsense. I only sent him away in order to decrease the unnecessary casualties of war.¡± Glenn shook his hand, calling it nonsense, but Rimmer realized his true intentions from the gesture. He cared for Raon and Sylvia from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Every day has been so much fun since Raon¡¯s return. I¡¯m looking forward to what kind of ident he will cause tomorrow.¡± Rimmer murmured that he could tantly watch now that Karoon was gone. ¡°He is already causing the next incident.¡± ¡°What?¡± Glenn slightly raised his corners of lips, looking down at the Central Martial Pce. ¡°He is beating up the idiots that are indulging themselves with their names and outer appearances.¡± * * * * * * Thud! A red-haired swordsman fell outside the arena, his tongue sticking out. Raon snickered from the middle of the arena, which was filled with a heavy silence. ¡°That was the fifth.¡± Including the swordsman that had just copsed, he¡¯d defeated five swordsmen in total using the exact same method. Since Raon was superior in both physical strength and swordsmanship, he could defeat the Central Martial Pce swordsmen in a single strike without much difficulty. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°I-Isn¡¯t this a dream?¡± ¡°Did five people in a row really lose? In a pure contest of swordsmanship?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even a technique! He is just mming his sword down!¡± ¡°But there were five whole people that couldn¡¯t block that simple m! You idiot!¡± The ones watching the spars couldn¡¯t look down on Raon and the defeated swordsmen anymore. They finally epted the fact that Raon was superior in terms of technique and physical abilities. ¡°What the hell is that guy¡­?¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t that strong when he fought against Raden.¡± ¡°What even happened at Habun Castle? Were the rumors actually true?¡± ¡°Damn it! We won¡¯t be able to win without aura¡­¡± The swordsmen nced at Raon and swallowed nervously. They hung their heads, not wanting to spar with him. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Burren blurted and frowned. His eyebrows were lowered in surprise, but his eyes were still shining. He was clearly thinking about a way to fend off his powerful m without using aura. Burren was the only person that still had the will to fight Raon in that ce. ¡°Is no one else stepping forward?¡± Raon called for the next person with his sword on his shoulder, but no one was stepping up. ¡°If not, then¡­¡± ¡°Can I try?¡± As he was about to step out of the arena, a voice could be heard from behind him. When he looked around, a young man whose hair was covering one of his eyes was raising his hand. ¡°You are¡­¡± His unusual hairstyle and the energy on a different level circting around him made him remember the name written in Judiel¡¯s document. ¡®Holline.¡¯ Holline was one of the two vice-squad leaders of Striding Lightning. He heard his level was beyond that of an advanced Expert, which matched with the overflowing energy that seemed to be on a different level from the swordsmen he¡¯d faced so far. ¡®Pretty decent.¡¯ He finally had a decent opponent. Raon turned around and nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you being cool about it.¡± He snickered and went up to the arena. General Administrator Urek was behind him. It looked like it was him that had called Holline, who was training somewhere else. ¡°We are fighting without aura, right?¡± Holline asked, putting on the cassiterite cuffs by himself. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This is pretty fun in its own way.¡± He drew his training sword while saying that. ¡°I¡¯ll allow you the first attack.¡± ¡°S-Sir Holline!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that! You might be defeated in a single strike!¡± The Central Martial Pce¡¯s swordsmen tried to stop him as soon as he said he would allow the first attack. ¡°How foolish. I¡¯m allowing him the first attack because you guys were defeated so easily while bearing the name of Central Martial Pce!¡± Holline red coldly at the swordsmen before turning his head around. ¡°Come.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t decline the offer.¡± Raon fiercely kicked the ground, to a point where the ground started shaking. In the blink of an eye, he ripped into Holline¡¯s space and mmed down his sword. ng! Even though no one had been able to stop the blow up to that point, Holline perfectly deflected it by twisting his de with precise timing. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s an amazing strength. My shoulder was almost dislocated.¡± With an easygoing smile, he thrust his sword. Whir! Even though he wasn¡¯t using an aura, the tip of the de was trembling. It was an ever-changing swordsmanship that couldn¡¯t be avoided unless Raon picked the correct direction. ¡®He is supposed to be prideful.¡¯ ording to Judiel¡¯s information, Holline had a proud personality. That meant that his target was pretty obvious. ng! Raon perfectly blocked Holline¡¯s sword, which was aimed at his forehead, by using the Star Connecting Sword. ¡°It looked like you knew where I was aiming.¡± ¡°It was obvious.¡± ¡°You are so arrogant.¡± Holline¡¯s eyes glowed fiercely. He leaned backward like a wolf and leaped for an attack. The de¡¯s tip was trembling once again, making it difficult to predict his direction. That seemed to be a characteristic of his swordsmanship. Raon didn¡¯t step back, focusing on his eyes. The moment the tip, wavering like a leaf, would be the most stabilized would be right before the attack. ¡®Now!¡¯ The moment the variation decreased to the point that he could see it with his eyes, Raon thrust his sword like a ray of light. nk! The training sword parried the variated strike and brushed past Holline¡¯s waist. He was aiming for his abdomen, yet Holline had twisted his body in the air during that short instant to make it a graze. He wasn¡¯t a vice-squad leader for nothing. ¡°Was your name Raon Zieghart?¡± Holline gasped, looking at his torn side. ¡°You aren¡¯t ordinary.¡± He giggled and pounced at him again. His footwork was faster and more diverse than before. Although he was right in front of him, it felt like he was also moving from the left and right sides. ¡®But I already saw it before.¡¯ Raon¡¯s perception was higher than his strength. Thanks to that, he didn¡¯t even need aura to grasp every single movement of his opponent. Raon swung his sword in the direction his perception was pointing. ng! Holline, who was trying a surprise attack, urgently swirled his sword to defend. ¡®There¡¯s no need to miss this opportunity.¡¯ As Holline quickly stepped back, Raon followed him and consecutively used the Fangs of Insanity. His sword was thrust like a beast¡¯s fang, aiming at his prey¡¯s back. ng! ang! Unable to reverse the flow, Holline could only keep defending. ¡°How crazy¡­¡± His face looked clearly flustered, since he didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen. If Holline¡¯s level was at the peak of Expert, the same went for Raon. Since Raon was superior in terms of physical abilities, there was no reason he would lose. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon inhaled Holline¡¯s insecurity and shed horizontally. ang! Along with the sound of crushing steel, Holline¡¯s sword bounced away before getting stuck in the ground. * * * In the training ground, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. No one could open their mouths¡ªincluding Urek, who had brought Holline over, Reff, who was the referee of the match, and Burren, who was gritting his teeth as he watched. ¡°Huh, I lost.¡± The first person to snap out of it was Holline. He wasughing bitterly, as if he couldn¡¯t believe what just happened, and started at Raon. ¡°Were you really fighting without aura? You are as strong as an ogre.¡± Holline grasped his wrist and skimmed over the different parts of his body. He looked like he just witnessed something ridiculous. ¡°Gasp! D-Did Sir Holline really lose?¡± ¡°How is this possible?¡± ¡°He only became a swordsman recently¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± The swordsmen that were spectating the match finally came back to their senses, their lips trembling. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Holline looked around them with a smile before walking up to Raon. ¡°Well, I certainly lost, but shall we have a second match?¡± He pulled the sword from the ground and carried it on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not making an excuse, but my swordsmanship relies heavily on aura. What do you think?¡± He was right. His specialty was a variable sword and illusion sword. He would be at apletely different level once he used his aura. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it.¡± ¡°I like how cool you are about it. You are different from the rumors.¡± Raon nodded, and Holline grinned before taking off his cassiterite cuffs. With the removal of the barrier blocking his aura, his pressure started to create waves that were powerful enough to crush the skin. Whir! Holline¡¯s energy wave overflowed from the arena like a living creature to engulf the entire training ground. It was a power befitting the highest rank of Expert, a warrior that had almost reached Master level. ¡®Moreover.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just an ordinary aura. It had an ice affinity like Runaan, and the training ground¡¯s fervor cooled under his aura. ¡°It¡¯s toote for regrets.¡± Holline raised his chin and curved his mouth into a smile. He seemed to believe he would undoubtedly win as long as he was using his aura. ¡°Regrets?¡± Raon snickered and gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation that had been suppressed by the cassiterite. The zing me of crimson light pressed on the coldness covering the training ground. Rumble! The wave of me spreading from his feet melted the pebbles and sand to engulf the space. ¡°What¡­?¡± Feeling the tremendous energy wave, which didn¡¯t lose to him at all, Holline¡¯s eyes wavered like a boat on a stormy sea. ¡°Did you believe you would win if you used your aura?¡± A crimson ray of light shone from Raon¡¯s eyes. He raised his sword, burning in crimson me, and pointed it at Holline. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll show you who is going to have regrets.¡± Chapter 156 ¡°Your ability is good enough to boast about.¡± Holline narrowed his eyes and lowered his posture. It was the same posture as the wolf-like leap that he performed earlier. Although it was the same form, the pressure was on a different level. ¡°However, it¡¯s not good enough against me!¡± His de appeared at the same time as his deration. The shaking tip multiplied into six. It was the principle of illusion and variable swords, imbued with aura. Despite his surprised mind, his sword didn¡¯t show any weakness at all. Whir! Raon rotated his rings of fire. With his slowed vision, the number of variations of the de¡¯s tip was reduced to three. The targets were his neck, the left side of his chest, and his ribs. Which would he target? That wasn¡¯t the question to be asked, since all three of them were being targeted. After he removed the two illusions, the icy des were targeting three locations at the same time. Whir! Pointing his de at the ground, he hacked into the air, like a stroke of a brush. The me engulfing the de drew a half circle and erased the three stabs aimed at him. ¡°Hmph!¡± As if Holline already knew that would happen, he twisted his body midair for a second attack. A strike as brutal as the determination in his face fell towards Raon like a shooting star. Cring! The attack slid through the air like a living creature, aimed at his heart and head. Although he wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up until the end of the internship if it hit him, he leaped into the powerful blow instead. ¡®Because this way is safer.¡¯ Holline¡¯s aura was ice, and he used a shy variable sword. The more distance Raon gained from him, the more space he would be able to dominate. That was why it was better to advance. ng! Raon sted the Cloudy Fang Strike of the Fangs of Insanity, the two snakes coiling with each other. Baam! The close-quarters sh created a violent explosion. With a fierce shockwave and thunderous noise that shook the ground, the swordsmen next to the arena were knocked back. Raon and Holline used that shockwave to their advantage, gaining some distance and regaining their postures. ¡°Are you really seventeen years old? It¡¯s unbelievable that your swordsmanship doesn¡¯t lose to me!¡± Holline shook his head at the absurdity of the situation. ¡°But I still won¡¯t lose. Here Ie!¡± He approached like he was sliding on ice, shing horizontally. The de drew a straight line, only to be multiple ice needles that thrust towards his vitals. The number kept increasing with his ever-changing attack, spreading wide like a tidal wave. Raon used cier to open the ocean of perception. Among the sshing tidal waves that he could see, there was only a single moving de among them. ¡°Haap!¡± He followed his senses and shed. The sharp teeth, imbued with the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s principles, soared like lightning. ng! Along with a bone-shattering sound, Holline was violently pushed back from the air, falling on his hands. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± ¡°I have pretty good senses.¡± ¡°Senses? How is such a thing possible with senses? Unbelievable!¡± Holline kicked the ground while ring at him. It seemed he was using his full strength, as the icy aura gradually expanded and the silver frost spread out into their surroundings. He kicked the ground, surrounded by that powerful aura. The aura streamed out like yarn as the space was overrun by over ten ever-changing des. ¡®I¡¯ve already finished predicting them.¡¯ Determination filled Raon¡¯s eyes. He finished observing Holline¡¯s variable sword and illusion sword. The technique he was using now was moreplicated, but its origin was the same. Whir! He hacked diagonally with the roaring sword in his hand and advanced. It looked like the space was severed as his ming de bent itself,pletely burning up Holline¡¯s attacks. ¡°No way¡­¡± The hand holding Holline¡¯s sword was trembling. ¡°You even know how to use a variable sword?¡± He couldn¡¯t begin to imagine that he had actually copied his swordsmanship on the spot and misunderstood¡ªhe assumed that he had learned variable swords before. ¡°The word genius isn¡¯t enough for you.¡± Holline swallowed nervously, as if he was facing a monster instead of a human being. ¡°Being rewarded with gold when I need to defeat such a monster isn¡¯t a fair trade. However, a man has to see his word to the bitter end once he makes an agreement!¡± His appearance grew blurry, and he disappeared. Right side. He pierced into Raon¡¯s right in an instant and thrust his sword. A rain of aura streamed from the de, gleaming with a blue light. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ The chance to increase the variable sword and illusion sword¡¯s proficiency. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s swordsmanship usually created a flower petal when used. Raon had a feeling that he could get closer to perfection by applying the variable sword and illusion sword he learned from fighting against Holline. ¡°Not yet!¡± Holline¡¯s eyes shone as he poured countless des of great variety towards his vitals. The stream of auras that were encircling him like a bird cage suddenly gathered into a single point and moved towards his heart. ¡®What a variation¡­¡¯ Raon only thought of spreading them out for variation, never expecting him to gather them into a single point. It was another lesson learned. Whir! Raon used the Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, recording Holline¡¯s technique in his eyes with the Ring of Fire. The cogwheel of me ripped through the space to sh against the concentrated aura. Baaam! The powerful explosion created from the collision between fire and ice turned the surface upside down and shook the entire training ground. Whaam! Holline pierced into that storming aura and shed powerfully. The blow wasn¡¯t just powerful as it struck like lightning. It was an advanced technique that contained a tremendous amount of illusion and variety. Raon couldn¡¯t match up to him yet in terms of variety. Raon adjusted his grip and shed vertically, aiming upwards. The soaring strike looked dynamic enough to sever the world, shattering Holline¡¯s attack. ¡°Ack!¡± Blood was flowing from Holline¡¯s mouth at the shock, but he didn¡¯t withdraw. Instead, he dashed ahead and swung his sword. Wham! Raon stomped the ground to avoid being pushed back, exploding his Fangs of Insanity. Bam! Baam! The exploding sound that resonated throughout the training ground was on a different level from when they fought without using their auras, and their fighting spirit was shattering the earth. Raon and Holline shed countless times at the center of the destroyed arena. Although coldness and heat poured from their hands, neither of them withdrew. ¡°Huff¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± They were both smiling faintly, even though their clothes and skin were ripped apart. ¡°Since we are both exhausted, we shall see the end of it.¡± Holline brandished his sword upwards. He gathered all of his remaining aura, raising his de to pierce the sky. His de trembled like a flexible sword and emanated a tremendous amount of energy. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon pulled his sword backward and extended his left hand to the front. It wasn¡¯t the me Dragon Art that forced Mind to use astral energy. He was using something other than his strongest technique in order to advance one step further. Cring! Holline¡¯s de shed with a silver light. The icy energy surrounding the de spread out like a haze, bing a huge whip that was split into nine streams. Each stream was powerful enough to shatter the de and crush flesh and bone. Rumble! Raon exploded the concentrated me towards the nine streams, which were falling towards him like lightning. The flower blossom made of zing fire danced on his de, turning into a full bloom of spring. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes. me Spirit. A new color that was different from the swordsmanship that he¡¯d umted so far enveloped Raon¡¯s sword. The flower petals, which used to be low in concentration as they spread out, began to multiply¡ªas if they were reflected in a mirror. Whaam! The storm of flower petals easily destroyed the streams of the whip and kept advancing towards his enemy. The mes amplified themselves as they devoured the icy aura, covering the sky and severing Holline¡¯s de. Whir! As if they were sitting under a cherry blossom tree in thete spring, the world was filled with ming flower petals. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Holline nkly watched the withering leaves of me before kneeling on the ground. ¡°I-I lost.¡± He admitted his defeat with a smile, then copsed. ¡°...Thank you for the fight.¡± Raon bowed at the copsed Holline. Even though he was a bit arrogant, he was skilled enough to justify that, and he fought fair and square before admitting his defeat. Even though he was from the Central Martial Pce, the man was worthy of his respect. ¡°Hmm?¡± He looked at his left hand, which felt slightly painful. It was slightly frozen from Holline¡¯s ice. It wasn¡¯t really painful, thanks to Water Resistance, but the fact that he managed to freeze him was praiseworthy enough. ¡®Hmm¡­ Can I actually use this to¡­?¡¯ Raon stopped as he was about to melt it with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He felt like he could use the situation, so he turned around and hurriedly melded his hand with fire. In addition, he even groaned slightly from time to time, pretending to be in pain. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°A-Am I dreaming right now?¡± ¡°What is this power?¡± Raon shook his thawed hand and raised his head, and the swordsmen that had been pushed back by the storming aura were pretty much zoning out as they stared at him. ¡°D-Did Holline really lose? How is that even possible?¡± Training Instructor Reff¡¯s hands were trembling, his face pale. On the other hand, Urek¡¯s eyes were narrowed as he looked at Raon¡¯s left hand. Raon realized that it went ording to his n upon noticing his gaze. As he was turning his wrist and suppressing hisughter, a message appeared in front of him. Huh? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped upon reading the message. He was astonished by the fact that all of Raon¡¯s stats had increased by three whole points without a bet. H-How did the stats increase from defeating a mere highest-rank Expert? How does this make any sense? ¡®It says that he was the strongest opponent I¡¯ve faced so far.¡¯ Raon encountered many people stronger than Holline so far, but he was the strongest among those that he had managed to defeat. Damn it! What a damned stupid system! Wrath kicked the message, saying that the system didn¡¯t know moderation despite the fact that he was the one that made it. ¡®This is why I don¡¯t even need to hide my power.¡¯ Although the Central Martial Pce had to believe that they managed to grasp his strength, that was only his previous strength. It was pointless, as he would get even stronger the next day. Raon grinned and tapped his scabbard. ¡°Is anyoneing up next?¡± * * * * * * Burren watched Raon¡¯s spar from the beginning to the end without missing a single detail, drawing a conclusion. ¡®He is a real monster.¡¯ He did notice that Raon had gotten even stronger when he returned, as it was even more difficult to feel his pressure, but he never expected him to be able to defeat Holline¡ªwho was one of the Striding Lightning¡¯s vice-squad leaders. ¡®What has he even been doing?¡¯ He believed that he had grown more than anyone else from the countless hardships he had encountered in the Levine desert, but that was his mistake. However, he didn¡¯t feel any jealousy or envy towards him. ¡®It¡¯s because I know what kind of person he is.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t by sheer luck or some elixir that Raon got stronger. He was the type of person to train from morning to night without stopping in order to get stronger. Burren hade to that realization after seeing him visiting the training ground the day after his return from Habun Castle. Raon Zieghart deserved to get stronger. ¡®By the way, I feel like I saw hisst technique somewhere before¡­¡¯ He¡¯d witnessed that finishing technique with the fluttering flower petals before. He had already thought back then that it was beautiful and powerful at the same time, but it¡¯d be even more dangerous and more beautiful. ¡®He actually improved it by himself¡­¡¯ He seriously didn¡¯t know his limits. ¡®I still won¡¯t give up.¡¯ Raon was Raon, and Burren was Burren. He would be able to catch up to him one day, as long as he kept walking his own road without being concerned with him. He had promised his second benefactor in Levine desert that he would live a life that he wouldn¡¯t be ashamed of. ¡°You were awesome!¡± Burren was the one that sincerely apuded Raon. * * * The night seeped into the general administrator¡¯s room in the Central Martial Pce. The vases that were boasting their vitality next to the window lowered their leaves in the darkness. ¡°Haa¡­¡± General Administrator Urek nkly caressed a leaf with the back of his hand. ¡°Erm, General Administrator?¡± Training Instructor Reff sighed from behind him and wrinkled his nose. ¡°Wh-What shall we do now? I didn¡¯t expect Raon to win against even Holline¡­¡± Reff sighed, murmuring that he didn¡¯t even know what to do anymore. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything else.¡± Urek turned around and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We found out that Raon has monstrous strength, and that he was powerful enough to win against Holline by using his aura. Since we found out that he is at the highest rank of Expert, we gathered enough information about him, just as the pce master ordered. Moreover¡­¡± His eyes wavered like the night shadow. ¡°We found his weakness.¡± ¡°Are you talking about his frozen hand after taking Holline¡¯s ice?¡± ¡°Yes. He tried to hide it, but his hand was frozen in the end, and he turned away to hide his expression. It looks like the Curse of Frost he had in his childhood still remains.¡± Urek¡¯s mouth curved into a smile as he continued caressing the vase on his desk. `We have all the information we need.¡¯ Since they learned about Raon¡¯s strength and weakness in a single day, Karoon would acknowledge their deeds. ¡°Then, what shall we do with the training? It¡¯s not like I can personally spar with him¡­¡± ¡°You remember that the pce master ordered us to not do anything that would benefit him, right?¡± ¡°Of course. Shall we force him to do something that would destroy his body¡­?¡± ¡°You idiot! People¡¯s gazes are currently focused on us. What do you think they will think of us if we do something like that?¡± Urek frowned, repeating the criticism he had taken from Karoon. ¡°P-Please excuse me!¡± ¡°You know there¡¯s a traditional training of the Central Martial Pce that makes people worse instead of helping them by being extremely boring with nothing positive gained from it.¡± ¡°Ah! You must be talking about cave meditation!¡± Reff pped his hands as he remembered. ¡°Indeed. No one is going to me us, since it''s a training method passed down from ancient times. You really are amazing to have such an idea!¡± ¡°Lock him up in a cave for like two weeks.¡± Along with a low-pitchedugh, Urek raised two of his fingers. ¡°Make that arrogant bastard waste some time.¡± * * * One Week After the Start of Internships A lot had happened on the first day, but nothing special happened after that. Since not only the swordsmen but also the instructors and the general administrator meddled with him, he could keep training as he wished. Though, they did keep shouting at him to stop whenever he broke the equipment. Since he apparently destroyed almost 6000 gold worth of equipment, it seemed he managed to reach twice the initial goal. Raon felt somewhat proud of himself. As he was wondering about what to break that day, the training instructor called for him and Burren. ¡°We are going to start a special training today.¡± Training Instructor Reff¡¯s expression was more dignified than ever as he raised his chin. ¡°Special training?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a traditional training method of the Central Martial Pce. Take this bag and follow me.¡± He gave Raon and Burren bags the size of a human head, then left the training ground and entered the inner area of the Central Martial Pce. After walking for a while, he stopped in front of the North Grave Mountain, outside the Central Martial Pce. The mountain was surrounded by high walls, and there were ten caves at the center. ¡°Caves?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Reff turned around and nodded. ¡°This is the cave where the first master of the Central Martial Pce achieved great sess with meditation. He kept meditating for four weeks, not even sleeping.¡± He started bbering about how the first master of the Central Martial Pce helped the first head of house achieve great deeds. ¡°Since the meditation is a formality that any warrior of the Central Martial Pce has to go through, you should be proud to do it.¡± He continued, pointing at the cave with his finger. ¡°You have to spend two weeks in this cave. You will be able to progress a lot if you sharpen your mind while decreasing your sleep to the bare minimum.¡± ¡°But we aren¡¯t the official warriors yet. We¡¯re just interns for now. Rather than meditation, we need more experience¡­¡± Burren tilted his head and raised his hand. ¡°I told youst week, didn¡¯t I? That you are considered warriors of the Central Martial Pce. Since this is an important opportunity that will help you, prepare yourselves.¡± ¡°Haa, alright.¡± Burren sighed slightly upon realizing that he couldn¡¯t talk sense to him and looked at Raon. ¡°What he said isn¡¯tpletely a lie. This is indeed the ce where the first master trained, and he did achieve great sess. It¡¯s also true that the swordsmen go through this training.¡± Burren frowned and looked around the cave. ¡°However, you don¡¯t really do anything for two weeks. Since this training doesn¡¯t really have any effect, it onlysts ten days at most, but it looks like they really dislike you if we have to do it for two weeks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty good.¡± Raon smiled as he looked at the cave. ¡°P-Pretty good?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened, as he didn¡¯t expect him to say that. ¡°It looks interesting.¡± Raon had been waiting for something like that. Although it would¡¯ve been nothing but suffering for others, it was a great opportunity for Raon to raise his stats, since he had the Ring of Fire and the system. Moreover, he might be able to obtain something that the first master left behind. It seemed much more preferable than meaninglessly destroying stuff in the training grounds. ¡°Ahem! There is water inside. The bag contains bread, so eat one per day.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Go on, then.¡± What did you just say? As Raon nodded and was about to enter the first cave, Wrath sprouted like a bud even though he¡¯d been silently sleeping. One bread a day? Are you telling me to survive with just that? ¡®It¡¯s like abstinence. It¡¯s necessary to get stronger.¡¯ Shut up! Why would the transcended King of Essence need such a thing as abstinence? Wrath violently shook his hand, saying that it was nonsense. There¡¯s a saying that a demon that dies after eating has color and charm! How am I supposed to endure a day with nothing but a single piece of bread? I won¡¯t even have time to savor the taste! ¡®Ah. I¡¯m sorry to inform you of this, but this is. Nadine bread. It merely fills the stomach and tastes bad. It tastes exactly like chewing rubber.¡¯ Raon scratched his chin. It was his staple food when he used to be an assassin. He liked it since it was excellent at filling the stomach. Wh-What the¡­? Although Raon liked how convenient it was, it seemed to be the worst food for Wrath, as he cared about the taste. His hair was boiling like a volcano nearing its eruption. Are you telling me to endure two weeks with unsavory bread? What kind of bullshit is that! Anger and coldness burst from Wrath to engulf Raon, then spread throughout the cave. I¡¯d rather kill you right now! I¡¯ll take over your body and run awa¡­ Argh! ¡®Huh? The stat just increased.¡¯ Raon gasped at the message. It looked like the experience points were almost full, as the increase happened as soon as he was affected by Wrath¡¯s coldness and anger. ¡®This is a good start.¡¯ Raon whistled and went deep inside the cave, and¡­ ¡®I can smell doormat from the cave.¡¯ What shiiiitty life is this? Wrath was acting the same way as always. Chapter 157 Unfortunately, the rumors about Raon destroying the Central Martial Pce¡¯s training equipment, beating up their swordsmen, and even defeating the vice-squad leader of Striding Lightning Holline hadn¡¯t yet begun to spread. Since the witnesses of that astonishing scene all belonged to the Central Martial Pce, there was no reason for them to spread such a humiliating rumor. Additionally, General Administrator Urek and Training Instructor Reff made sure that they wouldn¡¯t say anything about it, so those surprising events were silently buried in the training ground. But secrets don¡¯t exist in the world. Inside an old pub located in the south side of Zieghart, there was a man¡ªor rather, an elf¡ªwhose mouth was as light as a feather. The secret that the entire Central Martial Pce tried to hide was about to leak from him. ¡°Eh, but this is a secret. I really shouldn¡¯t be talking about this¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips while scratching at his red scalp. ¡°Why are you telling us that it¡¯s a secret after you¡¯ve kept us waiting for so long?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been thirty minutes already! Tell us! Now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. How long are you nning to take? What did Raon even do there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so curious that I¡¯m about to die!¡± The people inside the pub were yelling at Rimmer and throwing sses at him as he hesitated. They were extremely irritated, as he was just keeping them waiting after he said he would tell them a secret. ¡°Say it right now, before I kill you!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t suppress my anger any longer!¡± ¡°Sir Rimmer!¡± ¡°Enough already!¡± Everyone inside therge pub grabbed their forks and knives while looking at Rimmer¡¯s mouth. Some swordsmen seriously looked like they were about to draw their swords, their hands on their scabbards. ¡°Ah, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m telling you because it¡¯s you guys. You should never say this to anyone else, alright? Never!¡± Rimmer gave the line that people that don¡¯t keep their secret usually offered as he looked around at the people inside the pub. ¡°I get it! I¡¯ll make sure to spread the rumor, so say it already!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. What problem did Raon cause this time?¡± ¡°Argh! That damn elf is even more human than a real human!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Enjoying the people¡¯s gazes, he nodded slightly and gulped down his beer. ¡°I¡¯ll start the story, then. My ¡®dear student¡¯ Raon, who inherited all of the great Rimmer¡¯s excellent aspects, started his internship in the Central Martial Pce. And he¡­¡± Rimmer told them about the way Raon didn¡¯t just follow the Central Martial Pce¡¯s training butpletely overwhelmed it, and that he beat up all the swordsmen there with sheer strength alone. ¡°And this is the best part. Guess who appeared after Raon won five times in a row! It was the Striding Lightning¡¯s vice-squad leader, Holline. That genius asked for a spar against him, and my ¡®dear student¡¯ Raon epted it. It was a proper duel between two geniuses. At first, they fought by using swordsmanship alone, without aura, and Raon achieved an overwhelming victory against Holline.¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°S-Seriously?¡± ¡°Did Raon really win against Holline?¡± The people inside the pub were so surprised that they dropped their sses and utensils. ¡°But the story isn¡¯t over yet! Holline admitted his defeat, then asked for a rematch using aura. My ¡®dear student¡¯ Raon epted it like the cool guy he is once again, and the second round started. Raon was using his me aura, and Holline was using his ice aura as they jumped at each other.¡± ¡°Wh-What happened then?¡± ¡°Who won in the end?¡± ¡°Say it faster!¡± ¡°Sir Rimmer! I¡¯m suffocating to death!¡± ¡°Ahem, Ahem!¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t say anything, clearing his throat while pressing on his Adam''s apple. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m a bit thirsty right now. I need to finish telling the story, but I¡¯m just so thirsty right now¡­¡± ¡°Argh! Manager, bring that damn elf five sses of beer!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit hungry as well¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll order the side dish! Bring everything on the menu!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have enough money to gamble today¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and take my money!¡± Because Rimmer stopped right before the best part, the enraged people threw silver coins at Rimmer. ¡°Justice is still alive in the continent! Everyone, thank you!¡± Pretending to wipe his tears away, Rimmer collected the silver coins inside his pouch. ¡°Consider this an investment in my future sess¡­¡± ¡°Ah, we don¡¯t care about that! Continue the story already!¡± ¡°The wait is killing me!¡± ¡°Continue! Continue! Continue!¡± ¡°Y-You are scaring me a bit with that. Fine.¡± Feeling a madness that could kill him if he dyed even further, Rimmer continued the story. ¡°Raon and Holline shed with each other head on. You must already be aware that Holline uses the variable sword and the illusion sword. Against those techniques, Raon¡­¡± His vivid description of the battle sounded as if he had watched the spar directly. ¡°Hasp!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s insane. It¡¯s really insane!¡± Everyone eximed at once upon hearing that Raon had defeated Holline¡¯s sword with a technique that fluttered with ming flowers. ¡°Did he seriously defeat a vice-squad leader at seventeen years of age?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had this feeling since thest time I heard rumors about him, but he is a real monster.¡± ¡°My only regret is that I didn¡¯t personally witness the spar. A storming flower of me sounds so amazing¡­¡± Even the people that weren¡¯t interested in the story before had gathered around and started talking about Raon¡¯s prowess and swordsmanship. In no time, everyone inside the pub was talking about Raon. ¡°Huhu.¡± Rimmer left that noisy ce and grinned, counting the silver coins in his hand. ¡°This is what we call a win-win situation.¡± Rimmer was getting rich while Raon became famous. He was killing two birds with one stone. Proving to be a perfect example of a bad teacher once again, Rimmer went to the gambling house. ¡°I can smell the jackpot today!¡± * * * * * * Damn it! Raon moved even deeper into the cave, pulling Wrath¡ªwho kept struggling¡ªalong behind him. You idiot! Do you really believe they are foolish enough to let you inside a cave containing their ancestor¡¯s legacy? Wrath frowned, looking around at the walls of the cave. The cave that their ancestors went to train in must be somewhere else. This ce must be a meaningless ce of hardship. ¡®That might be true.¡¯ Raon nodded. Considering the fact that Reff sent him inside the first cave, the first master¡¯s legacy shouldn¡¯t be there. However, going through hardship should still grant enough of a reward from the system, even if it was a fake. It¡¯s a waste of time. No, it¡¯s a waste of my stomach! How are you supposed to endure two weeks with shitty bread like that? The King of Essence would rather die right here! Wrathid on the ground and started squirming, like a kid throwing a tantrum after being forced to follow his mother through the grocery store. ¡®It¡¯s fine, since it¡¯s not a waste for me. No matter what¡¯s in there, your excellent system will grant me enough of a reward.¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath violently ground his teeth¡ªhe knew better than anyone else what he meant. That arrogant nose you¡¯ve stuck in the air will be crushed into the ground one day! ¡®Ah, that¡¯s fine. My nose is high enough right now.¡¯ Raon smiled and brushed his finger over his nose. Arrgh! That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about! Wrath looked like he would immediately jump at him as he extended his hand, but he didn¡¯t actually attack him since he had just given away some stats. ¡®Let¡¯s talk about it again once we reach our destination.¡¯ Don¡¯t even bother trying it. It¡¯s distorted inside. ¡®Distorted?¡¯ Raon asked, but Wrath turned his head away and didn¡¯t answer. It looked like he was sulking. Raon figured he should go ahead and check things out, so he continued walking. The cave was deeper than he expected, and he finally reached the end after walking for ten minutes. The orange light that came from the small, shining rocks was lighting the cramped and bumpy ce. Floor, walls, and ceiling were covered in scratches from a thick greatsword. Although they looked like a child¡¯s scribbles, Raon got the impression that he¡¯d seen them before. However, he felt suffocated and nauseous as soon as he entered the ce, to the point that he couldn¡¯t afford to check the marks in more detail. It was because the flow of mana was abnormally distorted. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just an impression.¡± Raon bit his lip. He had thought that the deeper he entered, the stranger the movement of mana had be. The distortion he was facing was the reason for it. ¡°Were you talking about this twisted mana earlier?¡± Yes. There must¡¯ve been a sh between powerful existences in this ce. The flow of mana has twisted, like rose bushes. Wrath nodded while looking around at the floor and ceiling. The human body follows the flow of mana in nature. However, the mana in this ce is going wild, just like you. The coldnessing from Wrath¡¯s hand fluttered around in random directions, as if they had been carried by the wind. Just staying in this ce should be painful for a human like you, who possesses unnecessary good senses. ¡°You¡¯re right. My headache and the dizziness are getting worse over time.¡± Raon nodded while catching his breath. He felt like the world was spinning around him just from staying there. He felt nauseous, as if he were in a rocking boat, and he felt suffocated¡ªas if a boulder were pressing upon his heart. The guys earlier must have seriously hated you to have forced you to enter such a ce, where it¡¯s impossible to train. ¡®Is it really impossible to train?¡¯ Because of the twisted flow of mana, cultivating aura or practicing with your sword while using aura will screw with your mana circuit and result in internal injuries. Wrath wagged his finger, telling him that it was impossible. And with your keen senses, you won¡¯t even be able to hold out here, let alone attempting to train. Since there¡¯s nothing you can obtain here, you¡¯d better leave right away. And throw away that bread that taste like rubber! ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon closed his eyes, not listening to Wrath¡¯s ferocious advice. ¡®My mana circuit is indeed affected.¡¯ On top of the headache he had, his mana circuit and energy center also started to shake because of the mana that he inhaled. `They told me to sharpen my mind and sleep less, but I have no choice but to reduce my sleep in this ce.¡± Because of the headache and his trembling energy center and mana circuit, his nervousness would make it impossible to sleep. That¡¯s why you should leave already. ¡®I don¡¯t want to.¡¯ You stubborn bastard! Why do you have to be so obstinate when the world of delicacies is waiting for us just outside? ¡®Burren also should be holding on next door. I¡¯m not running away alone.¡¯ You idiot. You are the only one experiencing this pain. ¡®What?¡¯ The other caves also have some distortion in the mana, but they aren¡¯t as bad as this one. They were only slightly shaken inparison to this. That shitty-eyed child must be feeling a slight amount of headache, to the point where he must be bored by now. Wrath frowned, telling him that he already checked everything. ¡°So, that was why he did that.¡± Raon looked around and snickered. That was the reason Reff blocked the other paths and sent him to the first cave. ¡°He didn¡¯t expect me to hold out here. Reff was nning onughing at me once I came out before sending me to another cave.¡± It must¡¯ve been his revenge for disgracing the Central Martial Pce in multiple ways. He could onlyugh at how petty it was. ¡®I¡¯m sure Burren wasn¡¯t aware of it either.¡¯ Considering he said that the training wasn¡¯t efficient, he shouldn¡¯t have been aware of the fact that the first cave had a much more distorted mana than the others. There was no way Burren wouldn¡¯t have said anything if he knew about it, since he couldn¡¯t stand injustice. If you¡¯ve finally realized it, let¡¯s leave already. It¡¯s impossible to hold out here. ¡®I said I don¡¯t want to.¡¯ Are you seriously nning to stay here despite all of my kind advice? Are you really going to eat that unsavory bread? Wrath actually hated the Nadine bread more than the distorted mana. ¡°I shall meet the expectations they have for me.¡± You crazy, bread-loving bastard! Wrath burst out in anger as Raon sat down, ignoring him. ¡®I can¡¯t use the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation or cier here.¡¯ Because of the twisted mana, using the energy of one affinity would immediately cause problems for his body. ¡®However, I should be able to use the Ring of Fire.¡¯ Although the Ring of Fire had fire in its name, it was an ancient cultivation technique that followed the flow of nature. Its purity would probably be able to tame the twisted mana. Raon closed his eyes and rotated the Ring of Fire. The five rings crossed with each other, resounding in harmonious concert. Whir! The flow of mana crumpled and twisted like a rusty wire, before the entanglement loosened like it had been heated and mixed into the Ring of Fire¡¯s clear resonance. ¡®It worked.¡¯ Although he couldn¡¯t control the mana outside of his body, the distorted mana and mana circuit inside his body began to stabilize. ¡®Let¡¯s do this.¡¯ Raon wanted to see how astonished they would be. Raon entered into a deep Focus, feeling his throbbing heart echoing in the cave. * * * Reff didn¡¯t return after Raon and Burren went inside the caves, smiling coldly in front of the entrance. ¡°Did they both go inside?¡± Reff looked around after hearing a low voice from behind him. General Administrator Urek was walking towards him, massaging the back of his neck. ¡°Hmm? Did you actually lead him into the first cage?¡± Urek narrowed his eyes, looking at the opened first cage. ¡°Please excuse me. I couldn¡¯t suppress my urge.¡± Reff bit his lip as he looked at Urek. ¡°I wanted to see a humiliated expression on his arrogant face.¡± The first cave wasn¡¯t rted to the first master of Central Martial Pce and had nothing but heavy distortion going for it. It was normally sealed, but he released the seal and put Raon inside because he wanted to humiliate him. ¡°¡­That¡¯s understandable.¡± Urek slowly nodded. Since he was also still angry at Raon, he could understand why Reff did that perfectly. ¡°Did he enter just now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then he wille out within an hour.¡± The stronger the warrior, the more difficult it was to handle the entangled mana inside the first cave. Since the intermediate Experts couldn¡¯t hold out for more than three hours, Raon wasn¡¯t expected to evenst for an hour. ¡°I was worried that Sir Burren would spoil it, but it was fortunate that he didn¡¯t know about it.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t know. This must be his first timeing here as well.¡± Urek nodded, looking at the fifth cave that Burren had entered. Since the cave was only essible after bing an official swordsman, it was natural that Burren didn¡¯t know about it. ¡°You must be nning to humiliate him to your heart¡¯s content once hees back out.¡± Urek nodded, understanding Reff¡¯s npletely. ¡°Indeed. I won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight if I don¡¯t see his disgraced face.¡± Reff murmured that he couldn¡¯t sleep for the past few days and clenched his fist. ¡°I¡¯m also curious about that face. I¡¯ll stay here and watch for a bit.¡± They smiled coldly in front of the cave, waiting for Raon, who they expected toe back out soon enough. However, Raon far surpassed their expectation of one hour. Two dayster, and he still hadn¡¯t emerged. * * * Tsk¡­ Wrath slowly clicked his tongue and popped up from the bracelet. Raon was sitting in the same spot, having remained unmoving for two whole days. Hey. He tapped Raon¡¯s shoulder, but there was no reaction. He wasn¡¯t moving at all, his eyes closed like a doll¡¯s. Raon Zieghart! Calling that weasel¡¯s name didn¡¯t do anything either. He almost looked like he was dead as he kept cultivating, breathing slowly. The mana is gradually stabilizing¡­ Wrath narrowed his eyes, checking Raon¡¯s insides. They were way more peaceful than in the beginning, as if the tidal wave that used to reach the sky had transformed into a small wave against the shore. Ring of Fire¡­ Considering the fact that it could block his wrath, and even take in and purify such a distorted mana, the Ring of Fire must¡¯ve been a transcendental technique. Fine. That Ring of Fire is fine, and I¡¯m fine with you stabilizing yourself¡­ Wrath ground his teeth while looking at Raon. But I haven¡¯t eaten anything at all in two days! Ever since he met Raon, eating had be his only pleasure in life. However, that hadpletely stopped over the past two days. He would even settle for eating the bread that tasted like rubber at that point. You damn bastard! Please eat something, I¡¯m fine with that unsavory bread! Wrath screamed, smacking Raon¡¯s shoulder. I can¡¯t live without eating any longer! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t help but think after hearing his scream¡­ Monarch of Wrath? Bullshit. Wrath must¡¯ve been the demon king of Gluttony and was just disguising himself as Wrath. Chapter 158 Burren raised his head, sitting on the floor of the cave he was in. There were countless de marks carved into the walls and ceiling. They were marks left by the Central Martial Pce swordsmen that had entered the cave before him. ¡°They look like scribbles.¡± The first pce master¡¯s remnants could¡¯ve been among them, but all he could see was contorted traces that resembled a child¡¯s drawing. However, the people that left the marks weren¡¯t ying around. They were seriously practicing their swordsmanship. The reason they looked like that was because the flow of mana was slightly distorted inside the cave. ¡®So, that¡¯s why they said it was meaningless to train here.¡¯ He had heard from his second brother that it was meaningless to train in the cave. He didn¡¯t pay much attention back then, but he finally understood what he meant. Training in that ce was pretty much meaningless because of the distorted mana. The most he could do was strengthen his willpower a bit. Enduring the headache and wasting his time in boredom was the only thing he could do. ¡°However¡­¡± Burren sped the hand that had been touching the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± After all, Burren¡¯s goal was that monster. He still couldn¡¯t erase the fight between Raon and Holline from his mind, even a weekter. Holline was a genius that became the vice-squad leader of Striding Lightning at a young age. If he wanted to catch up to Raon, who had defeated such a powerful person, Burren wasn¡¯t allowed to waste any time. He was sure that Raon would still be training despite the distorted flow of mana, since he managed to develop his technique even further even though the technique had already lookedplete in the past. ¡°Huff.¡± Burren caught his breath and drew his sword. His eyes sparkled as he moved into the posture of the new technique he¡¯d been practicing for thest year in Levine Desert. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t lose to Raon¡¯s sword if I manage toplete this technique.¡¯ The martial art he managed to obtain in the Levine desert during his survival exam was more than just powerful. Burren was certain that its fangs would be sharp enough to work against Raon, who was already at the highest rank of Expert, once he managed to fully acquire it. Whoosh! The harsh wind of desert that could even kill the sand. That deadly wind dynamically spread from Burren¡¯s hand through the martial art he had learned. * * * Raon didn¡¯t move in the slightest, continuously rotating the Ring of Fire. Likely because of the trait Focus, his thoughts grew centered, and he gradually became ustomed to the distorted mana. He almost didn¡¯t feel dizzy or suffocated anymore. ¡®That¡¯s not the only positive part.¡¯ From inhaling and purifying fragmented and twisted mana instead of an ordinary mana, the Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency increased exponentially in a short time frame. Cring! The five rings of fire were rotating perfectly, and a new ring was being created. You damn bastard! As he focused on the creation of the sixth ring, Wrath¡¯s annoyed voice resounded in his ear. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and opened his eyes slightly. Wrath was grinding his teeth in front of him, covered in blue frost. What are you even doing, not eating or sleeping for three whole days? ¡°Three days? Has it already been three days?¡± Yes! The King of Essence has endured this living hell for three days while starving. If you have any conscience at all, leave this ce immediately and offer me food from the annex building! ¡°Move aside a bit.¡± He pushed Wrath away as he tried to stick onto him, opening the bag next to him. That bag¡­ ¡°What? You told me to eat this earlier.¡± Were you actually ignoring me when I said that? ¡°Rather than ignoring you, I just couldn¡¯t be bothered.¡± He ignored him because he figured Wrath would only throw more tantrums if Raon reacted to him. ¡°Hey, you are the Monarch of Gluttony, not Wrath. Right?¡± Wh-What are you talking about? ¡°Although you keep iming that you are a gourmet, you asked me to eat this unsavory bread, which means you just want to fill your stomach.¡± Th-The king of essence is the proud Monarch of Wrath that loves the world of delicacies! Apologize forparing me to that rabbit bastard immediately! ¡°Rabbit, huh¡­?¡± Just as he called Sloth a sleepyhead or a bear, Gluttony was apparently like a rabbit. It was rather unexpected that he was called a rabbit instead of something like a boar. ¡®This is another piece of information.¡¯ The talkative Wrath unconsciously gave away many important pieces of information. Remembering it shoulde in handy one day. Raon snickered and picked up the Nadins bread. With a round shape like a half moon, it had the brown color of a well-cooked sweet potato. The fact that it wasn¡¯t tasty despite its appearance was the bread¡¯s main characteristic. Hmm? It looks pretty delicious. Because he had been starving for three days, coldness drooled from his mouth just from looking at the bread. ¡°Do you think so?¡± Raon snickered and took a bite of Nadine bread. It was as tough as a lump of rubber, and there was no taste at all. Raon smiled at the taste from his previous life, one that he hadn¡¯t had in a while. Gurgle¡­ Wrath stretched his mouth, trying to throw up. Apparently, he didn¡¯t believe Raon when he said that it was unsavory and felt like chewing rubber. Th-This is a sin! A sin towards food! How can you smile while eating this? You must be a devil! Raon was called a devil by the demon king once again. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad.¡± Raon thoroughly chewed up to thest piece and swallowed before patting his belly, as he already felt full. It was really good at filling the belly, despite its disgusting texture. A bread with satiety as its only purpose¡­ What a frightening food! It¡¯s a true horror¡­ Wrath trembled while looking at the Nadine bread. Although Raon had seen many reactions from him before, it was his first time seeing him so frightened. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he was a gourmet or a glutton, but he looked like a fool for sure. ¡°Hmm?¡± As he was about to cultivate the Ring of Fire once again after drinking water, he could hear the footsteps of two people from the direction of the cave''s entrance. Once he focused his hearing, he could feel anxiety from them. ¡°They are finally here.¡± Raon used cier to lower the temperature of his left hand, giving it a light pink color¡ªas if he had gotten frostbite. He could use aura for a short time, thanks to having purified the mana inside his body through the Ring of Fire. He fixed his posture and waited, and the two people¡¯s faces appeared from the corner of his eye. It was General Administrator Urek and Training Instructor Reff. ¡°Gasp! Y-You were ali¡­¡± ¡°A-Are you alright?¡± The two people¡¯s eyes widened, as if they had seen a ghost, upon finding him casually sitting there. ¡°Of course I¡¯m alright.¡± Raon nodded with a faint smile, and their faces turned even more pale¡ªas if they were covered by white paper. ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°B-But there¡¯s no way you are alright! It¡¯s impossible that you wouldn¡¯t feel that nauseating distortion of mana in this ce¡­¡± While slowly walking towards him, Reff frowned and grasped his chest. He was feeling nausea from the twisted mana inside the cave. ¡°Reff, shut your mouth!¡± Urek stopped him from talking and stepped up. He was also biting his lips as the feeling of the distorted mana washed over him. ¡°Are you really alright?¡± ¡°It feels slightly nauseating, but I should be able to endure this much as a swordsman of Zieghart.¡± ¡°S-Slightly?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Reff bit his nails, and Urek remained speechless for a while before forcing himself to look calm. He nodded. ¡°Fine. Since three days have passed, you have eleven more days to hold out.¡± ¡°Understood. But¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly and met their wavering eyes. ¡°Why did youe here? This is supposed to be a two week long meditation, yet a visit like this is disturbing me.¡± ¡°Impudence!¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s just a check-in, in order to prevent the idents that asionally happen inside the cave.¡± Urek exined the situation while stopping Reff. ¡°I see.¡± It was obvious that he was lying, judging from his trembling lips. Raon just snickered and nodded. ¡°Then, can you please leave now? I need to continue.¡± ¡°Alright. See youter¡­¡± Urek grit his teeth and started to leave, but noticed Raon¡¯s left hand and narrowed his eyes. His eyes shone for an instant, and he tugged Reff towards the exit. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon snickered, looking at the two shadows as they got further away. ¡®You were right.¡¯ Considering the fact that they came to visit him, the self-proimed gourmet demon king was right about the fact that the other caves¡¯ mana wasn¡¯t as distorted as his. Urek was trying to control his expression, but it was pointless because Reff waspletely flustered. They did send him to that cave in order to screw him over. It ended up helping him instead. Although they picked that location to make him suffer, they ended up helping him instead. The progress he had made with the Ring of Fire in the past three days was more than the progress he¡¯d have made in three months. Wait! Did you pour frost into your hand in order to trick them? ¡®Yes.¡¯ Then, did you also pretend to be in pain after sparring against that weakling for the same reason? ¡®That¡¯s right. Now they must believe that I¡¯m weak to ice, and will use that when they decide to attack me.¡¯ Even though he was the most resistant against ice. Raon smiled coldly, remembering Urek¡¯s expression. You are insane. You are seriously nuts¡­ Impressed by his n, Wrath murmured that he was the real fiend. ¡®You were also pretty amazing. You even felt the other caves¡¯ mana distribution from here.¡¯ Ahem! That¡¯s the greatness of the King of Essence. Not just the other caves, I can even feel the energy from further away. Wrath vividly pricked up his ears at hearing the rarepliment. If you are grateful to the King of Essence, then leave this ce immediately. Go outside and eat the pineapple girl¡¯s pie¡­ ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to resume.¡± Sensing that the two people had left the cave, Raon sat back down and closed his eyes. Hey! Hey! Raon! Wrath frantically shook his head to stop him, but Raon had already closed his eyes and was focused on the Ring of Fire. I don¡¯t want the rubber bread anymore! * * * * * * ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong with that guy?¡± Reff¡¯s hands were trembling, unable to understand what he had witnessed. ¡°It¡¯s more difficult to hold out in that cave the more sensitive you are to mana. I don¡¯t understand how he can stay in that cave despite being at the highest rank of Expert!¡± He thought he was going to remove his corpse since he hadn¡¯te out for three days, yet he looked perfectly fine. Instead, he looked even better than when he had entered the cave. ¡°He seemed to have plenty of room to spare.¡± Urek bit his lip. ¡°It looked like he wasughing at us.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t just fine. His refreshed eyes looked like he had realized something. He must¡¯ve gotten ustomed to that distorted mana. Your rash actions only made that damn bastard even stronger.¡± ¡°P-Please excuse me¡­¡± Reff lowered his head. He couldn¡¯t say anything, as his impulsive actions seemed to have helped Raon instead. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we bring him out immediately? If we make excuses¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s meaningless. It would only confirm his suspicion.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should''ve just followed orders!¡± Reff¡¯s shoulders kept shrinking under Urek¡¯s scolding. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Urek turned to look at the first cave, where Raon sat, and sighed. ¡®It looks like we picked on the wrong opponent.¡¯ His experience was telling him that he shouldn¡¯t make an enemy of someone like that. And if he ended up being his enemy, then he needed to make sure to kill him. ¡®However, I still gained something from this.¡¯ He confirmed it after seeing Raon¡¯s pink hand earlier¡ªthat the injury he had received from Holline a week ago was still not healed. Ice was definitely Raon¡¯s weakness. ¡®I have at least one thing that I can report to the pce master.¡¯ Urek¡¯s eyes became as cold as ice. * * * Raon didn¡¯t open his eyes a single time, continuing to cultivate the Ring of Fire after Urek and Reff left. Amidst the five rings that kept shing and crossing each other, he created a thin ring as carefully as crafting a ss bottle. ¡®A little bit slower.¡¯ It was necessary to keep the new ring from colliding with the previous rings. That was why the increased number made it harder to create a new ring. ¡®I have to do this properly, even if it is slow.¡¯ Just like a cicada¡¯s nymph¡ªwhich endured eight years before surfacing from underground¡ªRaon took his time to form the new ring of fire, avoiding the five rings that rotated around each other like cogwheels. He removed all of the unnecessary thoughts in his mind, focusing on rotating the existing rings of fire and crafting the new ring. The beginning and the end. Although they seemed like they would never meet each other, the Ring of Fire¡¯s beginning and end eventually began to approach each other. ¡®This is the important part.¡¯ If the new ring of fire was longer, it had more of a risk of collision with the existing rings of fire. Like an artisan crafting pottery, Raon focused even more to refine the new ring of fire. Cring! The fifth ring of fire rotated violently, about to crash into the new ring. Raon very slightly turned the Ring of Fire, less than a hair¡¯s length, and barely managed to avoid the collision. His back was drenched in sweat each time he avoided danger. He couldn¡¯t tell in his focused state, but his entire body was drenched. However, he didn¡¯t have time to think about how sticky he was. A single mistake could nullify all his efforts so far, and further injure him internally. Whir! Right before the two ends of the Ring of Fire met each other, a new crisis urred. The first and the third rings resonated with each other and started to put pressure on the new ring. ¡®I need to avert it.¡¯ He applied the twisted mana flowing into him directly to the new Ring of Fire. The ring curved for a moment to avoid that pressure. ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ That crisis was his opportunity. Raon absorbed arge amount of mana the moment the crisis was averted, extending the beginning and end of the sixth ring of fire. Cring! The new ring connected perfectly, like a line drawn by a master, and started rotating through the twisted mana. Whir! The pulsesing from the resonance of six rings of fire crossed his brain, creating a huge, thrilling sensation of the heavens opening. Raon sped his fist, feeling a thrill running through his body. He couldn¡¯t help but smile at the exhration striking his body. It was unfortunate that he hadn¡¯t managed to reach Master level, but he could clearly see that half of the huge wall that he needed to ovee had copsed. Urgh! Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped upon seeing the message, despite the fact that he hadn¡¯t even been talking to him for a while as he sulked over the disgusting bread. Wh-Why are you showing off when you are giving him stats that belong to the King of Essence? Damn system! Wrath jumped around in anger, saying that the stats that Raon just got came from him. However, Raon wasn¡¯t looking at the message or Wrath after he opened his eyes. He swallowed nervously, not taking his eyes off the cave¡¯s wall. ¡°Wh-What is this¡­?¡± The de marks that looked like scribbles before¡­ Those old marks were shining in gold. Chapter 159 Raon¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing the golden light gleaming from the holes at the walls. ¡®They aren¡¯t scribbles or naturally created holes.¡¯ The marks, the hundreds of holes in the cave, were created by a sword. ¡®And they were made with a swordsmanship that I know.¡¯ He finally realized why he thought they felt familiar the first time he saw them. It was because they were made with a technique that he knew. Did you say you know that swordsmanship? ¡®Yes. It¡¯s on apletely different level, but I¡¯m sure about it.¡¯ The six rings of fire rotating around his heart were telling him the truth of their identity. me Spirit. They were the marks from me Spirit, the technique that he used the most frequently from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and that he even managed to develop even further recently. But those holes are much bigger and more numerous than what can be made with that technique. ¡®I told you that there¡¯s a huge difference in level.¡¯ It was me Spirit, but it wasn¡¯t the same me Spirit. The swordsman that used it to create those marks was on a far higher level than Raon. Whir! Although not much time had passed, the golden light from the holes started to fade away like the tail of a shooting star. ¡®I still didn¡¯t see them all¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip and went towards the wall, but the fading light didn¡¯t return. ¡°Damn it!¡± He couldn¡¯t fully grasp the sparkling lighting from the marks. He put his hands on the wall, hoping that he could see more of it. Whir! At that instant, the cold wall grew hot and his vision went white. The world was changing. He could see a cave far wider than the one he was in. The countless holes were no longer there. Two men were standing on the shakingnd, which seemed to be about to copse. The man that was facing away from him was the blonde swordsman he had seen before, and the one facing him was a monstrous man whose eyes had the colors of the pupils and whites reversed. The monstrous man¡¯s hand twitched. Once his hand zed up in a ck me, the me on the swordsman¡¯s de grew distorted. However, the swordsman didn¡¯t panic in the face of that strange power. He only used the slight amount of aura on his de and a mysterious footwork topletely fend off the monstrous man¡¯s attacks, looking for an opportunity. The attacks grew even fiercer. He moved the ck energy from his left hand to his right, trying to create an even more powerful wave. And in that instant, the bnce of power was broken. The blonde swordsman¡¯s sword soared like lightning. The materialized me of astral energy surrounding his de, engulfing the entire cave in an instant. Just like the leaves of a world tree, the crimson flower petals of me covered his entire de and fluttered around, filling the entire space. The monstrous man tried to focus his power in his left hand, but it was toote. The hundreds of flower petals created by the blonde swordsman were already dominating the entirety of the cave. The true form of me Spiritpletely melted the monstrous man, and there was enough power left to destroy the cave¡¯s ceiling and walls¡ªcreating the marks that Raon had previously observed. Whir! His vision turned gold. Raon closed his eyes against the re of the dazzling light, and when he opened them again, he could see the original empty cave. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon checked the wall, grasping onto his trembling hand. ¡®Was that the true me Spirit?¡¯ Instead of fluttering a few flower petals with an illusion sword and a variable sword, the true form of me Spirit fluttered enough flower petals of astral energy to cover the entire world. ¡®So, he could use both the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Ring of Fire after all.¡¯ Raon could now be certain that Zieghart¡¯s ancestor, the blonde swordsman could use both the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡ªjust like Raon himself could. ¡®I can understand why he was here.¡¯ Even though he didn¡¯t seem to belong to the Central Martial Pce, it wasn¡¯t strange for him to have been there, as he was Zieghart¡¯s ancestor. ¡®But that man was¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell who that monstrous man with white iris and ck sclera was. He¡¯d never heard about nor seen anyone like that before. As he was wondering about why he was inside Zieghart¡¯s domain, he could feel Wrath¡¯s coldness and anger creeping into him. Pssh! Raon immediately used the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to block Wrath¡¯s energy. Ugh! ¡°What are you doing now?¡± I-I was just checking if you were alive, because your soul disappeared for a moment. ¡°It was pretty deep to say that you were just checking.¡± D-Don¡¯t make meugh! The King of Essence would¡¯ve already devoured your body if he was serious! ¡°I¡¯d just take it back if you did.¡± Raon nonchntly looked down on Wrath. Y-You arrogant bastard¡­ ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t do something underhanded like that.¡± What? ¡°I mean, there¡¯s no way the proud monarch of Devildom would do something as dirty as targeting me the moment my body is empty. You would achieve it fairly, with your own power and ability, right?¡± Th-That¡¯s right! Of course! The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom! Petty acts like burgling an empty house aren¡¯t for him! Raon only praised him slightly with words of expectations towards him, and that was enough for Wrath to stop sulking and smile dly. That was enough to keep Wrath from doing anything the next time something simr happened. After putting that mental pressure on Wrath, Raon started thinking about the true me Spirit. ¡®Even if I get to Master level, I won¡¯t be able to copy that.¡¯ Every single flower petal in that memory was made of astral energy. Such a level could only be reached a long time, after he became a Master. ¡®But I should be able to do something simr.¡¯ The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me burst from his de. Thanks to the Ring of Fire reaching Six-Stars, he was now capable of fully utilizing his aura in such a distorted space. Whir! He pulled out all the aura of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, which was at Four-Stars, to use me Spirit. The mes on his de spread out like a fountain to flutter dozens of flower petals. Both the power and number were impossibly weaker than the blonde swordsman¡¯s, but Raon could feel that it was better than when he fought against Holline. ¡®I should try a bit more.¡¯ Raon reminisced about the memory and was about to try shing with me Spirit once again. It was the same message from when he witnessed Glenn¡¯s Supreme Harmony Steps. The system was helping him acquire a technique that was worthy enough for a demon king to learn. ¡®Perfect timing!¡¯ Raon clenched his fist. He could learn the blonde swordsman¡¯s me Spirit faster with that ability. Wh-Why? Why did you get that message? Wrath couldn¡¯t admit it was happening and violently shook the message. You bastard! Where did you go just now and what did you see? ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯ Raon closed the message and answered in his mind, saying that he received a private lesson from his ancestor. * * * * * * The training ground of house Sullion. ¡°Open formation!¡± ¡°Open formation!¡± The swordsman followed the dynamic voice of the head of House Sullion, Rokan Sullion, to move at once and create a splendid and stable sword formation. Whir! The energy from the swordsmen flowed up to the center of the sword formation to create a powerful wave. It was a rush-type sword formation, specialized for breaking the enemy¡¯s formation. ¡°The second form!¡± Rokan Sullion ordered them to change formation into different forms, and the swordsmen followed his order to perfectly cooperate with each other, creating different sword formations. ¡°Hmm!¡± Rokan nodded in satisfaction, looking at the way the formation was created without any problems. He was proud of the fact that the swordsmen managed to make a perfect formation on such an important day. ¡®I wonder what she thinks about it.¡¯ Excited to hear how his daughter¡ªwho was the apple of his eye¡ªwould praise the perfect sword formation, he looked to his right. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Rokan¡¯s jaw dropped. His precious daughter wasn¡¯t looking at him or at the sword formation¡ªshe was just nkly looking up at the sky. ¡®Uhh¡­¡¯ He knew she was dense, but he didn¡¯t expect her to show no interest at all at the sword formation. He went towards Runaan, hands trembling. ¡°R-Runaan?¡± Rokan grabbed Runaan¡¯s shoulder as she stood there nkly. ¡°What are you thinking about? Why aren¡¯t you watching your working father?¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He ground his teeth upon hearing that nameing from her mouth. It was the name of the man he had begun to hate the most. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s up with Raon?¡± He forced himself to keep smiling and asked about what she meant. ¡°Instructor told me Raon¡¯s story yesterday.¡± ¡°By instructor, you mean Rimmer?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Rokan bit his lip. He was wondering why she couldn¡¯t focus, and it was apparently because of Rimmer¡¯s visit. ¡°That bastard¡ªI mean, what did that instructor tell you?¡± ¡°He said Raon won against a man named Holline in the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°H-Holline? Did you just say Holline?¡± Rokan¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing the name Holline. ¡°N-Nonsense! Holline is at the highest rank of Expert! It¡¯s impossible for a seventeen-year-old boy to win against him, even if he is a genius!¡± ¡°Raon can win.¡± ¡°Runaan, the difference in level can¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°Raon can win.¡± ¡°No, even if they are both experts, they are still¡­¡± ¡°Raon can win.¡± Runaan nodded, her purple eyes brilliantly sparkling. It looked like she would believe it if people told her Raon killed a dragon. ¡®Argh¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand how his precious daughter was so head over heels for Raon. ¡°Th-Then, do you want to make a bet with your father?¡± Rokan raised his index finger, thinking that he could turn it into his opportunity. ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll show you how important the difference in levels is. Come this way.¡± Rokan went towards the left side of the training ground with Runaan. ¡°Papa is going to limit my power to exactly half a level higher than yours.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a present if you manage to connect a single attack.¡± ¡°A present¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s eyes sparkled upon hearing the word present. She had to be thinking about ice cream. ¡°On the other hand, if you don¡¯t manage tond a single attack, you will forget about Raon from now on and focus on Papa¡¯s lesson. Understand?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan immediately nodded. She drew her sword, urging him to begin. ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡± Rokan announced the start, but Runaan didn¡¯t attack him right away. She lowered her posture with a clear resolution in her purple eyes. ¡®Oh, pretty good.¡¯ He knew she had grown up, but he didn¡¯t know she even learned to be patient like that. He was proud of his daughter. ¡°Here I go.¡± Runaan warned him and extended her right leg backwards. She violently kicked the ground, like a mountain goat climbing a cliff, and leaped forward. ¡°Gasp!¡± Because of her lightning speed from riding the ice, shivers ran throughout his body and his hand flinched. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ It was the charging technique of the Katam jungle¡¯s guardian. The chieftain¡¯s technique allowed her to freely change her direction while moving at the speed of light, and Runaan was perfectly reenacting her technique. ¡®I can¡¯t block it with my current level.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t confident he could perfectly stop her charge with the level he promised Runaan he would keep. ¡°Huff!¡± Although he could easily stop her if he used more power, he couldn¡¯t cheat against his daughter. He defended himself with what he promised her. Wham! Runaan brushed past him, ripping Rokan¡¯s sleeve slightly. ¡°Runaan¡­¡± Rokan gasped as he looked at his sleeve. He was so impressed at the fact that his daughter had learned such a technique, on top of her overall growth, that he could cry. ¡°That was amazing! That was a great mastery of the chieftain''s technique, the Guardian of Katam Jungle!¡± Rokan was shedding tears of joy, forgetting about Raon for a moment, but he froze as soon as he heard Runaan¡¯s response. ¡°I wanted to help Raon.¡± ¡°H-Help Raon?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded, gesturing that it was obvious. ¡°R-Raon. Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Rokan¡¯s shoulder and arm trembled as he murmured Raon¡¯s name. ¡°I can¡¯t stand it anymore!¡± He kicked the ground, immediately trying to run towards Raon. ¡°I¡¯m going to beat the crap out of that child!¡± ¡°Hey! The head of house is doing it again!¡± ¡°Stop him! Catch him, everyone!¡± ¡°Call the madam! She is the only one that can stop him!¡± The Sullion swordsmen that were anxiously looking at them ran towards him at once, catching Rokan. ¡°Raaaaon!¡± Runaan swayed on her feet and nkly looked up at the sky. She was ignoring Rokan¡¯s roarpletely. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat ice cream with him.¡± * * * In order to make the best use of his increased learning speed, Raon kept using me Spirit endlessly. Naturally, he didn¡¯t even sleep, swallowing Wrath¡¯s hated Nadine bread without even chewing. He even cut into the time he spent drinking water to keep swinging his sword. If his aura was exhausted, he refilled it with the Ring of Fire, just to exhaust it once again to refill it with the Ring of Fire once more. He kept repeating that process to use me Spirit over and over. Raon kept swinging his sword even after his learning speed returned to normal. He only stopped once he reached his limit in terms of aura, stamina, and willpower. ¡®In the end, I couldn¡¯t copy that move.¡¯ He kept training without even sleeping or eating, but he couldn¡¯t recreate me Spirit in his memory. ¡®It¡¯s impossible at my current level.¡¯ That was the conclusion he had reached. He needed to be at least an advanced Master in order to cover the world with me Spirit like that man. However¡­ ¡®It wasn¡¯t a waste of time.¡¯ He gained a lot of proficiency in me Spirit, but he got way more used to the variety sword and illusion sword. He felt like he was at around the same level as Holline during their spar in terms of variety sword and illusion sword. ¡°Phew.¡± Raon exhaled heavily and lowered his sword. ¡°Wrath.¡± You bastard¡­ Wrath came up from the bracelet, trembling. You kept shaking so much that I couldn¡¯t even sleep, and now you¡¯re calling me when I¡¯m about to finally rest a little? ¡°How much time has passed?¡± Since I have missed fifty-six proper meals since we came here, it¡¯s been fourteen days! Wrath immediately answered. The fact that he didn¡¯t even need to count made him good enough as a recement clock or calendar. However, Raon felt something was strange. ¡°Fifty-six meals should be neen days, not fourteen.¡± What are you talking about? Devildom¡¯s standard is four meals a day. Todaypletes the second week in this ce. The fact that they ate four meals a day in Devildom was surprising. The Demon King¡¯s method of using meals to count the days was even more outrageous. ¡°Today should be the day we leave, then.¡± You seriously spent the two whole weeks eating only that rubber bread. You deserve divine punishment! Raon couldn¡¯t understand the demon king¡¯s reasoning behind him receiving divine punishment just because he ate unsavory bread. ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry. We should be able to have proper meals after we leave today.¡± ¡­¡­ Wrath was chewing his lip, but he slowly came towards him upon hearing those words of encouragement. R-Really? ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll eat whatever you want. However, before then¡­¡± Raon picked up his sword and gathered all of his remaining aura. ¡°I¡¯ll use me Spirit onest time.¡± Although his stamina, willpower, and aura were all at their limits, his focus was at its peak. He had a feeling that he could catch up to that man¡¯s sword a little bit in his current state. Whir! The dim light of the shining stones flowed down from his shoulder to seep into his de. Raon extended his leg and softly twisted his wrist. The crimson trajectory of the de, bending along with his wrist, decorated the space with flowers that bloomed from branches and fluttered around. Whir! The mes connected with each other, creating flower petals of raging me to fill the cave. The flower petals of aura threads were both splendid and sharp, as much as the de itself. They spread out, following the flow of nature to flutter in the air, and sank to the ground. The line of me extended like the horizon connecting heaven to the earth, then spread out in width to create a bigger branch of me Spirit. The cluster of flowers created by Raon decorated the entire cave, generating a storm of raging fire. Although the number of flower petals and the power were much smaller whenpared to that man¡¯s, me Spirit¡¯s flow and trajectory were reborn in Raon¡¯s hands a thousand yearster. Baam! The pieces of aura de inside the holes radiated their concentrated energy and created a huge explosion throughout the cave. Rumble! The piles of stones started to fall from the ceiling, as if the cave was about to copse, but Raon didn¡¯t stop the flow of me Spirit because of his focused state. The me grew even more fiercer, tearing the rocks to shreds and continuing to increase in numbers and sharpness. The way Raon blocked the rocks raining down on him endlessly with a single sword was simr to his ancestor''s sword, the one that he desired so much. The cave¡¯s shaking finally died down and the falling rocks also came to an end. ¡°Huff.¡± Raon breathed heavily in the middle of crushed rock that was covering the ground. A message appeared as he was filled with exhration at disying the best technique he could use in his current condition. The message was telling him that he had received a new title, King of Destruction. Why¡­ Wrath red fiercely at the message with his blue eyes. Why would you even give a title to that damn mutt, who just destroys everything? And you are even using the King of Essence¡¯s power! Wrath shouted and started shaking his head in irritation. The King of Essence¡¯s body and the King of Essence¡¯s power is¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll eat something delicious for you in a while, so just put up with it a little.¡± Raon snickered and grabbed Wrath, who was wobbling like a slime. In a while? You have to eat as soon as we go outside! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have something to do before that.¡± A crimson light shone from Raon¡¯s eyes as he looked at the path leading to the outside. ¡°I have to greet the people from the Central Martial Pce, first.¡± ¡®After all, I got stronger thanks to them.¡¯ Chapter 160 Raon opened the status window to check what he had received before leaving the cave. He managed to achieve an incredible amount of growth in thest three weeks at the Central Martial Pce. It would be a lot easier for him to defeat Holline now. ¡®Two strands, huh¡­¡¯ There were only two out of nine original strands of the Curse of Frost left. He could assume that it would disappearpletely once he reached Master level. ¡®It¡¯s already good enough, so once it actually disappears entirely¡­¡¯ The speed of his mana control would reach the next level. It was something to look forward to, since it was another way of getting stronger besides bing a Master. ¡®Then¡­¡¯ Raon opened the King of Destruction title that he¡¯d recently obtained. Raon¡¯s jaw dropped upon reading the description. That 6% increase meant that he would gain an additional 8.28 strength on top of his current 138, resulting in 146 strength¡¯s worth of power. And while the increase was 8 for now, the amount would go up ording to his strength, meaning that the title was more effective the stronger he got. Ah¡­ Wrath drooped like a wet towel in contrast to Raon¡¯s delight. It¡¯s too painful. Has life always been so painful? He was spacing out while saying strange things. It seemed he was in bad condition after not seeing the sun for two weeks. Why do I have to keep on living while being extorted and locked up¡­ ¡°We will go outside soon enough. Let¡¯s go out and eat some delicious food.¡± You are right! Wrath became energetic in an instant as he stretched. What are you doing? Go outside right now! ¡°¡­¡­¡± Although Raon did it on purpose, he was too easy to manipte. It was almost scary how easy it was. Raon couldn¡¯t believe he was really the monarch of Wrath. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Raon started to leave, then stopped and turned around. He looked around at the marks of his ancestor, the ones that he¡¯d erased. ¡®I guess I will meet you again.¡¯ Hoping to meet the blonde swordsman that seemed to guide him once again, Raon walked towards the exit of the cave. His body felt heavy from overworking himself without sleeping, but he felt more light-hearted than ever. * * * Urek narrowed his eyes, looking at the caves that Raon and Burren would be leaving soon. ¡®I wish the pce master were here.¡¯ Karoon Zieghart ended the conflict as soon as he arrived in the troubled region, but he hadn¡¯t returned to the Central Martial Pce because he had to stay there for an extra week in ordance with Glenn¡¯s new orders. Therefore, Urek had no choice but wait in front of the cave alongside Reff, Holline, and the other rtively powerful swordsmen that still remained in the Central Martial Pce. At around noon, he could hear someone walking out of the fifth cave. Soon enough, Burren stepped out with a frown, his face slightly pale. ¡°It¡¯s more dazzling than I thought.¡± As Burren raised his hand to block the sunlight, he felt like apletely different person from two weeks ago. It seemed he did his best at training inside a cave with a distorted flow of mana. Urek slowly nodded at Burren. ¡®He is indeed amazing.¡¯ As expected of his son. Burren was truly praiseworthy, as he kept training inside the cave that most swordsmen just wasted their time in. ¡°General Administrator.¡± Upon noticing Urek, Burren walked up to him and bowed. He was still frowning as his eyes became ustomed to the light. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Is Raon still inside?¡± ¡°Yes. Are you going to wait?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not necessary. He must¡¯ve gotten stronger anyway.¡± ¡°In that case, why are you leaving?¡± ¡°Because Raon is Raon, and I am me.¡± Burren shook his head while smiling slightly. He was still confident and rxed, despite having witnessed the spar between Raon and Holline. His unwavering eyes made him think that he was indeed a descendent of the Central Martial Pce master. ¡®You¡¯ve grown up.¡¯ Although he used to be an egocentric kid, he had already grown up to be a big and sturdy warrior. The other officers also gave a big nod at Burren¡¯s confidence. ¡°You shall rest, then. I¡¯ll give you a two-day break.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He looked at the first cave for a moment before heading towards his residence in the Central Martial Pce. Although three hours passed after Burren left, Raon still hadn¡¯te out. It was as Urek started wondering whether he needed to enter the dreadful cave once again that it happened. Whaam! The sound of an explosion and a heavy vibration came from the first cave. While it sounded like a copsing mountain, it was apanied by the sawing sound of a rock. ¡°G-General Administrator!¡± ¡°No way, d-did that crazy bastard really¡­¡± Urek and Reff¡¯s hands were trembling as they met each other¡¯s eyes. The same thing came up in their minds in that instant. ¡®That damn King of Destruction, he¡¯s even destroying the cave!¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a guess, since they were sure the crazy bastard was destroying the cave with his destructive instincts. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Urek ground his teeth. The Central Martial Pce had already lost 9713 gold because of him, yet he was even destroying the cave now. He couldn¡¯t believe such a nutcase could even exist. ¡°G-General Administer, shouldn''t we go in?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop him from doing that?¡± Reff and the officers pointed at the cave, which sounded like it was copsing, with trembling eyes. ¡°No. We will wait.¡± Urek shook his head. It was pointless to enter a copsing cave just to be buried inside. ¡°As he likely isn¡¯t trying to kill himself, he should stop his destruction soon enough ande out.¡± m! Baam! However, the copsing sound of the cave continued for over ten minutes. ¡°That crazy bastard! How much is he trying to destroy?¡± It was ridiculous that he was trying to destroy the entire mountain. Thinking about what sort of grudge Raon could be holding against the cave, Urek felt like a hole was pierced into his brain from going out of his mind. ¡°General Administrator!¡± ¡°What is that sound?¡± ¡°Are enemies attacking?¡± The swordsmen that were in the Central Martial Pce came running at them after hearing the sound, their weapons in hand. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, so return to your routines.¡± He ordered them to return, telling them that it was just a copsing cave¡ªthey weren¡¯t helpful against Raon, anyway. Rumble¡­ Once the officers were once again the only ones remaining in front of the cave, the ear splitting sound and vibration stopped from the first cave. ¡®Did he die? Or is heing out?¡¯ Urek waited while praying for the former to be true, and small footsteps could be heard from inside the cave. And the man that made that racket appeared soon enough. ¡°Gasp!¡± Urek saw Raon¡¯s shoes, covered in dust, and looked up. His skin crawled upon meeting his eyes. ¡®Those eyes¡­¡¯ The red eyes, as serene and as deep as ake in the middle of the night, were those of aplete expert. He realized that the crazy monster had grown once again during that short time period. ¡®How does this make any sense?¡¯ He thought getting stronger through crises and hardships was only possible in those old novels, yet he was witnessing it with his own eyes. His hair stood on end. ¡°I¡¯vepleted my abstinence.¡± Raon walked up to him and bowed politely. Although he did all kinds of crazy things, he acted politely at times like that. ¡°Wh-What was that sound from the cave just now?¡± Urek wiped off his sweat and pointed at the first cave. ¡°Ah, the cave suddenly started to copse. I barely managed to avoid it myself.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± He smoothed his hand over his chest in relief, murmuring that he seriously could¡¯ve died. Since Urek could tell that he was obviously acting, he unconsciously clenched his fist. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one that destroyed it?¡± ¡°Why would I destroy the cave? I would have to want to be buried under it. Moreover, the general administrator should know better than anyone that it¡¯s impossible to properly control the mana in there.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Urek wrinkled his nose. He was right, but he was fully capable of destroying the cave without using mana. ¡°Thank you foring to see me at the end of my abstinence.¡± Raon¡¯s pressure was already dominating the space with his eyes shone red. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Holline took a step back and started sweating from his temples, despite having fought him in equal grounds two weeks ago. ¡®Raon Zieghart, huh¡­¡¯ Urek licked his lips. Raon¡¯s usualposure could be easily mistaken for him having never learned any martial arts before, but his true nature was as huge and violent as a tidal wave. ¡®He really is impressive¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just his prowess¡ªhis willpower and craftiness were also far beyond his age. He was on apletely different level from Burren, who he had admired earlier. ¡®What a shame.¡¯ The more he saw him, the more regrettable it felt¡ªhaving him on their side would be greatly helpful in making Karoon the head of house. ¡®Shall I make a suggestion?¡¯ No matter how excellent Raon was, he was just an individual. Meanwhile, the Central Martial Pce was one of the most powerful organizations in Zieghart. Urek figured that, if he reached out to him, he would have no choice but to ept it. ¡®I can exin it to the pce masterter.¡¯ If Raon begged for mercy from the bottom of his heart, Karoon should also ept it. After all, he also knew that Raon¡¯s talent could be called unprecedented. And if he ended up refusing, he could just kick him out. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I know why you chose the Central Martial Pce for your internship.¡± Urek stood in front of Raon with his hands behind his back. ¡°But that choice was the worst possible strategy. The damage you inflicted is no more than a speck for the Central Martial Pce.¡± They actually suffered a lot financially, but he forced himself to look as if it were nothing. ¡°The Central Martial Pce is the strongest armed organization of Zieghart, and Sir Karoon is tolerant enough to ept you. Beg for his forgiveness and join the Central Martial Pce. That is the best choice that I can offer you.¡± Since Raon wasn¡¯t a fool, Urek figured that would be enough to convince him. ¡°Forgiveness, huh¡­¡± Raon snickered. ¡°What mistake have I made to beg for forgiveness?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said I have to beg for forgiveness. I asked you what mistake I made to need it.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± There was nothing he could say. Raon had never actually done anything wrong, and it was Karoon that one-sidedly hated him and held him in check. ¡°Y-You should know better than anyone else!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon tilted his head and smiled faintly. His eyes suggested he was skimming over all his thoughts. ¡°Thank you for the suggestion, but I can¡¯t ept it.¡± ¡°How foolish! This is thest chance given to you. If you submit to Sir Karoon, a silk road is pretty much waiting ahead¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about chance or whatnot. There¡¯s no way a hatchling would serve a drake that couldn¡¯t even be a dragon. That would be embarrassing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Y-You are insane!¡± ¡°What did that bastard say just now?¡± The officers started trembling upon hearing that. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Urek¡¯s eyes widened, to the point that they seemed likely to tear apart. Raonpared himself to a dragon, and Karoon to a drake, to tell him that he couldn¡¯t join him because they were on different levels. ¡®This guy is seriously nuts¡­¡¯ The insolence was preposterous, but he was unable to refute for some reason. In fact, Raon personally came to the Central Martial Pce to pick a fight, and Karoon had been trying to nip the young bud despite being in a much more superior position. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Cold sweat flew down Urek¡¯s back as he felt the huge potential Raon had. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, then.¡± Raon bowed once again, walking past Urek and the officers. ¡°You¡¯d better be careful, as the arrogant ones usually don¡¯tst long around here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Ah, thank you for putting me in there. I managed to get stronger.¡± Raon waved his hand and went to his lodgings. ¡°Argh!¡± Urek sent a killing re at Raon¡¯s back before turning his head to the officers. ¡°Forget everything that bastard said. If the master ends up hearing about this, he is going to kill us all, on top of that bastard.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°U-Understood.¡± The officers lowered their heads and trembled. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Urek clenched his fist, looking at the first cave. ¡®I should deal with him quickly, before he gets even stronger or causes more trouble¡­¡¯ * * * * * * After making fun of Urek, Raon returned to his lodgings to wash himself, then sat at the bed. Raon Zieghart! Wrath popped up from the bracelet. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Since he took a warm shower after being unable to sleep for over ten days straight, his strength had left his body and his voice sounded weak. Let¡¯s go to the cafeteria right now! You¡¯d better order every food that the King of Essence asks for! He smiled in excitement, tap dancing with his arms. ¡°Yes, I shall. I know I should, but¡­¡± Raon couldn¡¯t finish his answer, copsing on the bed. Because he¡¯d been continuously using me Spirit in the cave, then waged psychological warfare against Urek, he had no energy left in him to stay awake. He closed his eyes just like that and fell asleep. ¡­¡­ Although the lodgings used to be filled with Wrath¡¯s anticipation, the sound of Raon¡¯s breathing was the only thing that could be heard now. Hey! You bastard! How can you do this to me? Wrath stopped tap dancing with his arms and used them to smack Raon¡¯s head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon opened his eyes for a moment toy down properly and cover himself with a nket so that he could start sleeping. I-I knew this would happen! I knew it! Humans were the true evil, since even devils kept their promises. And that bastard was the worst of them all. Grrr, once you wake up¡­ As Wrath was grinding his teeth, a message appeared in front of Raon. Raon was unable to read the message, falling into an even deeper sleep. Hmm. Wrath licked his lips, poking his head out of the message. For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this¡­ * * * Raon opened his eyes, and vitality dashed through his body like a raging fire. He couldn¡¯t feel the usual drowsiness from waking up in the morning at all, and a vitality that he¡¯d never felt before was filling his entire body. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raonughed bitterly. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was having the most refreshing morning of his life in the Central Martial Pce. You bastaaaaard! Wrath soared from the bracelet and started spreading coldness everywhere. You broke your promise with the King of Essence once again and slept for two whole days! ¡°Promise?¡± You said you would eat delicious food right after exiting the cave! ¡°I didn¡¯t say right after, but in a moment.¡± That¡¯s the same thing! ¡°It¡¯s actually different in the human world.¡± What? ¡°For example, if one said ¡®let¡¯s have a meal together soon.¡¯, when do you think that would be?¡± Hmm, in about a week, I guess? Wrath scratched his chin and raised his head. ¡°Wrong. They will never meet each other, or it will take multiple months.¡± What? ¡°The expression I mentioned earlier, about having a meal together soon, means that they will never actually meet with each other again¡ªor if they do, it will take a very long time.¡± Huh¡­? Wrath¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing the sudden exnation. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that I didn¡¯t exactly break the promise, since we can just go now. Am I wrong?¡± Well, i-if that¡¯s how it works in the human world¡­ Although Wrath used to be angry, his eyes turned nk as he started nodding. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon snickered and quickly washed himself before heading to the cafeteria. Since the Central Martial Pce had many members, the cafeteria was alsorge, and people were allowed to order any menu item they wanted. Since it was already past mealtime, there weren¡¯t that many warriors inside the cafeteria. First of all, the smoked stir-fried duck, seafood stew mix, oven-baked vegetables, and cream shrimp. Then¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wrath was mentioning so many menu items that it was difficult to memorize them. Although Raon was hungry, he didn¡¯t feel like he would be able to eat all that. ¡®However, I did make a promise.¡¯ Since Wrath waited patiently despite multiple troublesome incidents, Raon decided to eat that much for him and ordered everything he said. While waiting for the food to be ready, he remembered that the usual message didn¡¯t appear. ¡®I didn¡¯t get a message about my stats increasing from Sloth¡¯s effect today.¡¯ There was a message about increasing your sleep¡¯s quality with Sloth¡¯s effect while you were sleeping. The system must¡¯ve been focusing on that. Wrath mumbled that it was a relief that nothing special happened and grinned. ¡®Is that why I feel so refreshed?¡¯ Raon nodded, clenching and opening his fist. His body was still full of vitality, probably thanks to the increased quality of sleep that the message Wrath mentioned referred to. You should be satisfied with having a good sleep, since wanting some stats on top of that would be unreasonable. A human can¡¯t fully utilize a demon king¡¯s power. Wrath clicked his tongue, telling him that a demon king¡¯s power wasn¡¯t easy to use. ¡°Food is ready!¡± As Raon was halfheartedly listening to Wrath¡¯s nagging, dishes came from the kitchen one by one. Although he wasn¡¯t particrly thinking about food, his mouth watered as he smelled that delicious fragrance. You are nothing but a novice that can¡¯t use the demon king¡¯s power yet. Stop trying to find an easy way to increase your stats and start eating already. For now, the King of Essence wants the stew¡­ Wrath pointed at the stew while trying to annoy him, and a message appeared. Raon¡¯s eyes sparkled upon reading the message. Wrath¡¯s mouth shut tight. ¡°Huh?¡± I lost my appetite¡­ Chapter 161 ¡®I didn¡¯t expect it to apply itself like this.¡¯ Raon smiled slightly while checking his increased stats. Having all of his stats increase for sleeping for two days was literally a case of getting stronger while sleeping. He couldn¡¯t suppress hisughter as the table was filled with steaming dishes, and exhration ran through his body from the increased stats. I had a bad feeling for a reason¡­ Wrath red at the message, his eyes trembling in disbelief. How are you getting a point increase in all stats just from sleeping? What madness is this? Just like the steaming food, coldness steamed from his head. How could he give you that stupid ability? Sloth, you damn idiot! As Wrath was about to use his wrath, Raon quickly picked up his spoon to put the seafood stew in his mouth. I¡¯ll make you unable to sleep forever! And you shall¡­ Ohh! With the seafood stew¡¯s sweet and hot taste spreading in his mouth, Wrath suddenly stopped speaking. Ooh! Because it was a proper meal for the first time in a long time, Wrath stopped controlling his wrath and coldness to stand still and exim. Th-This is nice. It tastes sweet at first, and hot in the end. The King of Essence loves this taste! He pointed at the next food without even trying to hide the way the corners of his mouth were trying to reach the sky. What are you waiting for? Take the fork and pick up the cream shrimp! Put that shrimp in your mouth immediately, as if your life depended on it! ¡®But you said you lost your appetite.¡¯ I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t know about this, as you will eat anything like an animal, but appetite is something that can suddenly appear or disappear. ¡®Even so, the change was too quick¡­¡¯ Shut up and eat! ¡®Alright, alright.¡¯ Raon snickered and picked up the fork. Since he had even received extra stats, he could happily fill his stomach. He listened to Wrath¡¯s advice as he said that he should start with light food and gradually move on to the heavier ones, slowly emptying the dishes on the table. How did you like the King of Essence¡¯s choices? The knowledge and experience of the person savoring the dish is as important as the food¡¯s taste itself. ¡®I¡¯m not sure. It didn¡¯t feel any different.¡¯ That¡¯s why I¡¯m calling you an animal. You know nothing about delicacies. Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic response. In Devildom, restaurants are ranked by Michelin standards. A better restaurant is rated with more skulls, and the King of Essence is one of the judges that decides on the number of Michelin skulls¡­ ¡®They were all decent, but the stew was the best.¡¯ They offer a bunch of food to the King of Essence each time the Demon God Ritual is held in order to gain his favor¡­ ¡®Regardless of the taste, I need the soup to fill my stomach.¡¯ Turning a deaf ear to Wrath, Raon just mumbled his impression. As a result, the conversation between them was getting nowhere. As Raon was emptying the remaining few dishes while ignoring Wrath, people started to murmur from the table next to them. ¡°Is that him?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°Did he really win against Sir Holline?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! He just became a swordsman recently.¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve cheated. You also saw it during thest outing, there¡¯s a drug to temporarily increase strength and aura.¡± ¡°That¡¯s totally possible.¡± ¡°But he really fucking eats a lot, even though he doesn¡¯t even belong to the Central Martial Pce.¡± Raon looked at the table the voice wasing from. They were faces that he hadn¡¯t seen before. They seemed to be the Central Martial Pce swordsmen that had returned alongside Karoon. ¡®He said the damage was still insignificant.¡¯ Since Urek said that the damage he inflicted to the Central Martial Pce wasn¡¯t that much, it would be fine if he destroyed a bit more. ¡®Are you satisfied now?¡¯ This is enough, since the King of Essence doesn¡¯t eat that much nowadays. Wrath patted his belly, which was swollen like a pot. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He just said that he didn¡¯t eat that much when ten empty dishes were disyed on the table. He was clearly closer to Gluttony than Wrath. Raon sighed slightly and cleaned up the dishes before standing up. ¡°He won¡¯tst long anyway.¡± ¡°Since he has no background, he will just get used up and killed.¡± ¡°He might not evenst that long.¡± The swordsmen at the table were still acting like butter wouldn¡¯t melt in their mouths. Step. Raon walked towards their table as they tantly bbered about him. Crack! He pressed on the table¡¯s center with his finger while using the King of Destruction¡¯s power. With a creaking sound, a distorted hole was made in the center of the table. ¡°Stop talking behind my back. If you have something to say to me, say it to my face instead, dear seniors.¡± Raon looked around to check their faces, then smiled cheerfully. ¡°You said earlier that it was impossible, so do you want to confirm it for yourselves?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You can find out whether the rumors were true or not by personally sparring with me.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± The long-haired man sitting at the center stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll personally confirm whether you cheated or not to defeat the swordsmen of the Central Martial Pce!¡± A powerful energy wave could be felt from him. He was around the advanced Expert level, and his confidence was as strong as his prowess. ¡°Be my guest.¡± Raon jerked his chin towards the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go outside, so that we won¡¯t unnecessarily damage the cafeteria.¡± The long-haired man wrinkled his nose and went out the door, with Raon and the other swordsmen following him. He came to a stop at the center of the small training ground that was closest to the cafeteria. ¡°Draw your sword.¡± ¡°What shall we do about aura?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The long-haired man narrowed his eyes in contemtion. He seemed to be concerned about the rumor of Holline¡¯s defeat. ¡°It is allowed, of course. Come at me with everything you have!¡± ¡°Team leader!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s dangerous!¡± The other swordsmen were trying to stop him, but the long-haired man didn¡¯t listen to them and got ready to fight. ¡°¡­Everything I have?¡± ¡®But you don¡¯t deserve all that.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly and drew his sword. ¡°Begin the spar!¡± The long-haired man nced sideways, and another swordsman raised his hand. ¡°Haap!¡± The long-haired swordsman kicked the ground and dashed forward. He reached the area in front of Raon in an instant, thanks to his toned muscles and proper footwork. The blow that followed it wasn¡¯t intended to kill, but was powerful enough to break a part of Raon¡¯s body. ¡®So that¡¯s your level.¡¯ Raon shed down diagonally. ng! The sword flew away from the long-haired swordsman¡¯s hand. Raon used his confusion to punch his abdomen with his left fist. Smack! Along with the refreshing sound of a direct hit, the eyes of the long haired swordsman rolled back as he copsed backwards. Foam kepting from his mouth. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon put his sword on his shoulder and looked around at the other swordsmen. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°D-Did he just send the team leader¡¯s sword flying in a single blow?¡± ¡°His hand is torn. How did that¡­¡± ¡°W-Was the rumor about him being as strong as a troll for real?¡± Their lips were trembling as they looked at the unconscious long haired swordsman. ¡°Next.¡± It was the return of the King of Destruction after two weeks. * * * * * * As Urek was sitting at a desk and writing a document in a hurry, Reff burst through the door and urgently ran up to him. ¡°General Administrator!¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy right now.¡± ¡°This is also an emergency!¡± Urek frowned and raised his head upon hearing that it was an emergency. ¡°Say it quickly.¡± ¡°Raon, that crazy bastard started to destroy things once again.¡± Reff¡¯s round chins were trembling in anguish. ¡°I went there when I heard there was an ident, and I found ten of the swordsmen that returned yesterday unconscious on the ground with their eyes rolled back.¡± ¡°Haa¡­ What was the reason this time?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask them because they were unconscious, and ording to that bastard Raon, he defended himself because they picked a fight¡­¡± ¡°That son of a bitch¡­¡± Urek violently scratched the wooden desk with his finger. It must¡¯ve been true that they picked a fight, but there was no need for him to knock everyone unconscious like that. Beating up one person would naturally discourage others from fighting him. He must¡¯ve pulverized everyone on purpose. ¡°How are the men?¡± ¡°Their lives aren¡¯t in danger. However, they will have to recuperate for about two weeks, and¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°The wall and a s-slightly expensive tree were destroyed during the spar¡­¡± ¡°Tree? Wait a second! Where did the fight take ce?¡± ¡°It was at the small training ground next to the cafeteria, and the tree snapped when the wall was destroyed.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Urek stared nkly at the desk. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the Sairan tree.¡± ¡°Arrrgh! Raon!¡± The Sairan tree was extremely expensive because its subtle fragrance had the effect of keeping people awake. Urek started to space out upon hearing that Raon actually destroyed that tree. ¡°The total damage he¡¯s inflicted is over 10k gold now¡­¡± It was terrifying. Although Karoon didn¡¯t usually scold people because of money, 10k gold was enough to make him angry. ¡°Wh-What shall we do?¡± ¡°Remove everyone.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tell people to never pick a fight with him, and to just ignore him even if he walks up to them!¡± ¡°U-Understood!¡± Reff raised his hand to salute before running outside. Urek tapped his head and quickly finished writing his document, then went to Karoon¡¯s office in the center of the Central Martial Pce. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sighed like a sick chicken and stared at the heavy-looking ck door. ¡®My limbs are trembling.¡¯ When Karoon Zieghart went to the troubled region, he literally annihted one of the factions instead of just stopping the war. He would¡¯ve returned in two weeks, if it wasn¡¯t for Glenn¡¯s additional orders. He had the power befitting one of the strongest monsters of Zieghart. However, the monster seemed to be in a bad mood, and his ufortable atmosphere sent chills down his spine. The thickness of the door wasn¡¯t enough to prevent Urek from noticing his irritation. ¡®I guess it¡¯s obvious.¡¯ With the rumor about Raon destroying the equipment, beating up the swordsmen, and defeating Holline¡ªthe vice-leader of Striding Lightning¡ªit was only natural that Karoon would be annoyed. ¡®It also ruined the reputation of the Central Martial Pce.¡¯ The Central Martial Pce wasn¡¯t exactly the strongest, but it was called the bravest. Even though most of its forces weren¡¯t present due to a mission, it was unavoidable that bad rumors would spread after they were thoroughly defeated by Raon, who was just a novice swordsman. Although they gained some reputation from the perfect aplishments during the mission, the amount Raon cheapened it must¡¯ve been several times over. ¡®Damn Rimmer¡­¡¯ At first, Reff wanted to catch the one that spread the rumor to cut their tongue off, but he didn¡¯t even need to search. That crazy red-haired elf was talking about it everywhere, not even trying to hide his identity. Knock knock. Resolving himself to beat Rimmer up one day, Urek tapped the door with the back of his hand. ¡°Enter.¡± Before the second knocking sound, a solemn voice could be heard from inside, telling him to enter. Urek caught his breath and slowly opened the door. Whir. As soon as he opened the door, streams of threatening atmosphere assaulted him. Feeling like his skin dry up, Urek swallowed nervously and knelt. ¡°G-Greeting the pce master!¡± Since Karoon enjoyed formalities that Glenn didn¡¯t, he waited until Urek finished his polite bow before nodding at him. ¡°Stand up.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Because Karoon¡¯s voice was filled with anger, Urek grasped his pounding chest and stood. ¡°Report.¡± Goosebumps appeared in his skin from hearing that. Karoon was telling him to describe everything that happened without missing a single detail. ¡°I-I wrote up a report about it.¡± ¡°I was to hear it from your mouth.¡± Karoon took a nce at Urek¡¯s report and ced it on the desk. ¡°U-Understood. In the beginning, I followed the pce master¡¯s orders and tried to figure out Raon¡¯s abilities¡­¡± Urek described what happened with Raon while bending his back like an old man to look as pitiful as possible. He added that he followed the order from time to time, and that Reff acted on his own ord to emphasize that it was mostly not his fault. ¡°¡­And he is now resting after leaving the first cave.¡± A frightening glow appeared in Karoon¡¯s eyes upon hearing that Raon held out inside the first cave. ¡°F-Fortunately, I was able toplete the pce master¡¯s orders. His strength and agility are at the level of a troll, and he can even defeat a highest rank Expert by using aura. Although he hasn''t be a Master yet, he is undoubtedly going to face the wall soon.¡± Urek continued, trying to read Karoon¡¯s mood. ¡°Because of the fact that he held out inside the first cave where the mana is distorted, it can be deduced that one of the techniques he learned has a special ability. It wouldn¡¯t be wise to use formations that twist mana or cause dizziness against him.¡± Karoon remained silent, his eyes shining faintly. It looked like he agreed with him. ¡°And this is the important part. He has a weakness.¡± ¡°Weakness?¡± Karoon opened his mouth for the first time, despite having stayed quiet the entire time. ¡°Yes!¡± Urek figured it was his opportunity and quickly nodded. ¡°He got frostbite during the spar against Holline, although he was only exposed to a small amount of ice. Since his hand was still red when I saw him in the cave, he must be extremely weak against ice.¡± ¡°Ice, huh¡­?¡± ¡°Everyone forgot about it by now, but Raon¡¯s mana circuit was originally blocked by ice. We can use this as a deadly dagger against him for sure.¡± Since Karoon was interested, Urek took a step towards him and clenched his fist. ¡°We should be able to get rid of him with a small cost by using ice.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The ufortable murderous intent stoppeding from Karoon. Urek could feel that his back was drenched in sweat, but he realized he managed to survive. ¡°What shall we do about him now?¡± ¡°Let him be without doing anything.¡± Karoon lightly shook his hand. ¡°Since he defeated Holline, we need at least a Master to neutralize him. But if we do send a Master to him, people will only end up insulting us and iming that we are using power against a seventeen-year-old boy. Just let him be, since there¡¯s not much time left. He¡¯s not going to live a long life anyway.¡± ¡°An excellent decision.¡± Urek had reached the same conclusion, but he still praised Karoon. He was actually impressed that Karoon made a calm judgment despite his anger. ¡°However, you should still make preparations.¡± ¡°By preparations, you mean¡­¡± ¡°We are going to need a scapegoat to take the me after he bes crippled.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Eden¡ªno, Balder might be a good candidate.¡± A frightening glow appeared in Karoon¡¯s eyes. It seemed he would even sacrifice his younger brother for his n. ¡°I-I¡¯ll try making the n.¡± Goosebumps appeared on Urek¡¯s limbs in his terror as he bowed. ¡°Ah, and thest young master went to the fifth cave¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak about him.¡± Karoon firmly shook his hand. ¡°I thought he got a bit stronger, but his eyes werepletely ruined.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Urek shuddered, as he didn¡¯t expect him to say that. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see any spite or evil in him. I was nning to raise him, since he was slightly talented, but a weak guy like that with a meek mind isn¡¯t worth my attention.¡± ¡°Th-Then, during the Selection Ceremony¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I have no intention of choosing him. Get rid of him, just like the third and the fourth.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Just like the third and the fourth¡¯ meant that there was no ce for Burren in the Central Martial Pce. Urek couldn¡¯t understand his decision, but Karoon was the god in that ce, and he had no choice but to follow his orders. ¡°Take care of the idiots that yielded to Raon¡¯s sloppy provocation as well.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Urek politely bowed, then left the office. ¡®He is so cold-hearted that it¡¯s scary¡­¡¯ But that also meant that he was worthy of his devotion. * * * Raon wanted to be the King of Destruction once again, but outside of the first day, he was unsessful. No one was trying to pick a fight with him anymore, and they didn¡¯t yield to his provocations, either. Urek and Reff stopped him from ¡®identally¡¯ destroying equipment, but the powerhouses like the division leader, the vice-division leader, and the squad leader were nowhere to be seen. He wasted his time by destroying some property while pretending to train, and five days passed in no time¡ªputting an end to his internship. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard for thest month, and in the future¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at Reff as he gave someme speech from the tform. ¡®He¡¯s smart.¡¯ Karoon must¡¯ve realized that there was no point in fighting him and ordered the swordsmen of the Central Martial Pce topletely ignore him. ¡®That¡¯s a nice way of handling it.¡¯ A Master level warrior such as the division leader, division vice-leader, or squad leader were necessary to deal with him, and they would only be humiliated upon defeat while having nothing to gain from victory. The way Karoon stopped everyone from making anything happen was a good method. ¡®Well, I did everything I wanted to do.¡¯ The damage he inflicted to the Central Martial Pce could be roughly estimated to 15,000gold, and he managed to beat up more than twenty swordsmen¡ªa lot more. He had no regrets, as he had inflicted enough damage and gained enough of a reputation. Raon was curious about the face Karoon was making, but he didn¡¯t show up until the end. What a narrow-minded guy. You must¡¯ve enjoyed blowing off the steam by destroying as much as you pleased. Wrath shook his head, murmuring that it was such an awful thing to do. ¡°¡­Please be a respectful swordsman of Zieghart using what you learned here.¡± Reff finally finished his boring speech, and the few swordsmen present apuded. Of course, the round of apuse was directed at Buren instead of Raon. ¡°Are you returning immediately?¡± Burren turned his head and asked his question. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s nothing left to do here.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s talk for a bit.¡± He pointed at the small training ground, gesturing for him to follow. Raon nodded and followed him. ¡°I know that you hate my father.¡± Burren turned around and leaned his back against the wall at the end of the training ground. ¡°It¡¯s natural that you¡¯d be angry at my father, since he started it first.¡± His eyes were extremely clear, despite his rough appearance. ¡°So, what are you trying to tell me? Do you want me to stop fighting him?¡± Raon nonchntly met Burren¡¯s eyes. ¡°No, it¡¯s only right for you to see it to the end, since you aren¡¯t the one who started it. However¡­¡± While Raon was thinking that it was rather unexpected for him to say that, Burren continued. ¡°He is my father. I still remember him personally giving me a training sword and teaching me swordsmanship when I was five years old.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°My goal has always been to be recognized by my father. I haven''t managed it yet, but I¡¯ll make him look back at me one day.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon just nodded. Just like him, who defended Sylvia when she was condemned by everyone in the house, Burren also seemed to consider the narrow-minded and petty Karoon an excellent father. Everyone was different. Raon would¡¯ve been unable to understand that fact in his previous life, but since he had a lot more experience now, he could somewhat understand his feelings. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll stop you if you pick a fight with my father. And I¡¯ll do the same if it happens the other way around.¡± ¡°Other way around? Do you mean that you are going to stop your father if he tries to kill me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Burren nodded resolutely. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think about me, but you are my rival and my benefactor.¡± ¡°You can forget about how I saved your life, though.¡± ¡°You did save my life, but I¡¯m calling you my benefactor because you made me realize my stubbornness. Please don¡¯t ask me about that anymore, it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Burren lowered his head. Thepletely red earlobes showed his embarrassment. Raon didn¡¯t feel too bad about being called a benefactor, probably because he shared simrities with him. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll stop the fight between you two. Mark my words, and properly prepare for the Selection Ceremony! Many people will try to scout you!¡± After saying that, he even used footwork to quickly leave the training ground. Those shitty eyes don''t look that great without spite. Wrath snorted in displeasure. He used to dislike him for being arrogant, but now he didn¡¯t like him for not being arrogant anymore. It was truly difficult to satisfy a demon king¡¯s tastes. Raon licked his lips as he watched Burren get further away. It was too bad for Burren, but he had no intention of leaving Karoon alone. In fact, even if he left him alone, Karoon would be the first one to strike. Their rtionship was bound toe to an end one day. With Karoon¡¯s death. * * * Apple meat pie, pineapple cookie, pineapple¡­ Raon was returning to the annex building with Wrath, who was singing about what he wanted to eat. ¡°Hmm?¡± A tall, middle-aged man was standing on the central road, which used to be empty until just a moment ago. With broad shoulders, his angr chin gave him a manly impression. And the pressure emanating from him was imposing enough to send chills down the spine. He was a Master, and he¡¯d reached that level a long time ago. Such a powerful warrior walked towards him with shining blue eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Ayad, the leader of the White Lotus Division. I¡¯ll get straight to the point, Raon Zieghart. Join the White Lotus Division and be my sword.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Raon immediately shook his head. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Although Ayad looked like he would never be surprised, he lost hisposure in an instant. ¡°Asking me to be your sword as soon as we meet is too sudden.¡± ¡°B-But I heard you like getting straight to the point?¡± He slightly tilted his chin in confusion. ¡°I like being straightforward towards others, but I don¡¯t like others being straightforward with me.¡± Raon shrugged, gesturing that it was obvious. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Since Ayad didn¡¯t expect such a decisive refusal, his eyes lost focus for a moment. It¡¯s normal to be bewildered if you aren¡¯t aware of it. Wrath snickered, his head popping out of the bracelet. That this guy is insane, and went insane again. ¡®Which means I¡¯m sane, right?¡¯ ¡­¡­ Chapter 162 ¡°Sir Ayad.¡± Raon was confidently standing in front of one of Zieghart¡¯s division leaders, one who had reached Master level a long time ago. He was looking straight at Ayad,pletely unintimidated. ¡°If you want me to join the White Lotus division, please give me a summary of their main activities, as well as what I can learn and obtain from joining them.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Ayad¡¯s eyes wavered upon hearing that. Such a violent change in expression was rare among the Masters, who were extremely powerful warriors with stable bodies and minds. It looked like he was really flustered. However, Raon¡¯s reaction was natural. ¡®I¡¯m the one who has the initiative right now.¡¯ Just as Burren said, the various organizations could try recruiting the novice swordsmen, since the internships had ended. And Ayad was visiting him as soon as the internship ended to recruit him. It could be expected that he wouldn¡¯t give up after a single refusal. ¡°You are more daring than I heard.¡± Ayad¡¯s expression returned to the way he was in the beginning. It looked like his mind also regained hisposure¡ªas expected of a powerful warrior like him. ¡°I just said what I had to. I shouldn¡¯t be called daring for that.¡± ¡°You are right. I was a bit too sloppy.¡± His mouth curved up slightly into a smile as he nodded. From the way he immediately recognized his mistake, he must¡¯ve had a cool personality despite his irond face. ¡°However, I am serious about wanting you to join me.¡± A blue light sparkled from Ayad¡¯s eyes. ¡°I like everything about you¡ªyour excellent prowess, your faithful nature towards yourpanions, a willpower that doesn¡¯t yield to those with power, and the crazy guts to openly cause trouble.¡± His sincerity became a pressure spread towards Raon. ¡°I¡¯ve experienced countless Selection Ceremonies so far, but this is the first time I have personally moved to scout. I repeat, Raon Zieghart. Join the White Lotus. I¡¯ll create a path for you to reach a higher ce.¡± Ayad extended his hand once again. His straight fingers felt like they could open the path for him by tearing through it if he had to. ¡°Wh-What? Is the White Lotus leader personally trying to recruit him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a division leader doing that.¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± The jaws of the swordsmen on the side of the road dropped as they looked back and forth between Raon and Ayad. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t make my decision right here.¡± Raon refused him properly this time, to match his serious proposal. ¡°You are fully aware of your condition. Are you nning to check out the other proposals as well?¡± Ayad removed his pressure and snickered. ¡°Indeed. I need to obtain whatever I can get while I¡¯m ahead.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve crushed your mouth if it belonged to anyone else, but those words are actually humbleing from a rookie that is already at the highest rank of Expert. Very well. I¡¯ll thoroughly prepare before visiting you again.¡± He turned around after saying that, then disappeared on the spot, as if he¡¯d never existed from the beginning. He could sense his footwork, which couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye. It was a prowess befitting a Master¡¯s prowess. Ugh¡­ Wrath scowled, looking at the spot where Ayad had disappeared. Don¡¯t be happy just because he took a liking to you. Back in Devildom, tens of thousands of devils visited each year to make offerings and pledge their loyalty to the King of Essence. Compared to the King of Essence, you are nothing but¡­ ¡®Alright, I get it. You¡¯re cool.¡¯ Listen properly! Getting to hear the King of Essence¡¯s story is an opportunity for you¡­ ¡®Sure.¡¯ Raon just pretended to listen once again as he quickened his steps towards the annex building. ¡®This smell¡­¡¯ The fragrance of good food wasing from the annex building when he arrived. Ooh! Wrath¡¯s hand was trembling as he grabbed the doorknob. I-I can smell apple meat pie and pineapple pizza! There are also plenty of other foods that I¡¯ve never tasted before! He stopped talking about the stories about Devildom, snorting. ¡®They¡¯ve prepared in advance.¡¯ It looked like Sylvia and the maids prepared a party because they knew it was hisst day of his internship. R-Raon, enter quickly! Quick! ¡®Sigh.¡¯ A demon king that lost his mind whenever he smelled food was so embarrassing, to the point that Raon didn¡¯t want anyone to find out they were hanging out together. Raon shook his head and opened the door. ¡°Gasp! Young master!¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am! Young master has arrived!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± Sylvia, Helen, and the maids¡ªwho used to be scattered around¡ªcame out at the same time and gathered in front of the entrance. Yua¡ªwho used to be in the kitchen¡ªalso came out, waving her hand with a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Raon met everyone¡¯s eyes and smiled cheerfully. * * * Once Raon finished taking a quick shower, various dishes covered the table. Lots of them were the types of food that he usually ate, but there was also a significant number of new dishes. ¡°Helen and Yua made this new dish together.¡± Sylvia pointed at the pot at the center. Meat, seafood, and vegetables had been simmered in a delicious way, with stir-fried rice underneath. ¡°Same goes for this one. It¡¯s a really delicious soup made of tomatoes, beef, and chicken.¡± She then pointed at the red soup in arge bowl. ¡°And this one is¡­¡± She exined the lobster pizza, the long bread with dried ham on top, and the transparent shrimp stew one after the other. ¡°Yua helped on all of these.¡± Sylvia grabbed Yua¡¯s shoulder¡ªshe was standing next to Sylvia. ¡°How have you been, Yua?¡± ¡°Great! It was really fun, because I could try lots of things!¡± Yua¡¯s twin tails fluttered as she nodded. Her eyes had a hint of sadness over leaving her grandfather, but she wasn¡¯t lying about having fun. It looked like Sylvia and the maids were treating her nicely, as if she were their little sister or daughter. ¡°Why is our Yua so cute?¡± Sylvia opened her hands and hugged Yua tightly. ¡°You are so good at cooking, singing, and great at being cute! You are good at everything!¡± She started rubbing her cheeks against the girl¡¯s. ¡®She did that to me a lot.¡¯ Raon smiled slightly while looking at Yua and Sylvia. She usually did that when she felt happy. He unconsciously smiled as he watched them getting along. Kuaah! Raon. As he was watching Yua, Sylvia, and the maids, Wrath started to groan. When he looked under him, Wrath looked like he was suffering from a fatal disease as he trembled, drooling coldness from his mouth. Wh-What are you doing right now? The food is dying! Take up your weapon! ¡®That¡¯s such an intense expression when you just want me to start eating before it gets cold.¡¯ He was exaggerating too much¡ªit hadn¡¯t even been a minute since the food finished preparing. ¡°Raon, good job on your internship.¡± Sylvia smiled brightly, while giving him a spoonful of the tomato soup. ¡°Thanks. M-Mom?¡± Raon tried to ept the soup, but she didn¡¯t take her hand off the bowl. ¡°But why are you doing such a dangerous thing each time? I heard you destroyed everything in the Central Martial Pce!¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I know that you have a n, and that you are strong, but I can¡¯t stop worrying over you dealing with the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, young master. We couldn¡¯t even sleep properly.¡± Sylvia slightly lowered her eyebrows, and all the maids nodded in agreement. ¡®I guess that¡¯s natural.¡¯ Since Karoon didn¡¯t treat Sylvia or himself as human beings, she would obviously be worried that he might be killed or severely injured. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much, since I¡¯m always preparing a way to escape before putting my ns into action.¡± Raon imbued the aura of the Ten Thousand Flower Cultivation in his voice to reassure everyone. ¡°I know that you are wise, but brother Karoon isn¡¯t a patient man. You should avoid shing with him.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°There you go again with that answer¡­¡± Sylvia sighed slightly and tried to feed him the soup with a spoon. It¡¯s almost here. Quick, quick¡­ Wrath was seriously dying. The way he was swaying his hand looked like a messenger of the underworld. ¡®Seriously.¡¯ Raon sighed and picked up the spoon. As he was about to eat the soup from Sylvia¡¯s spoon first, a knocking sound could be heard from the entrance. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out.¡± Judiel, who was at the end of the table, left the dining room. However, it didn¡¯t even take her ten seconds to return and call Raon¡¯s name, her face pale. ¡°I-It¡¯s a guest that hase to see the young master.¡± ¡°Guest?¡± ¡°Yes. I think you should go out to greet her yourself¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded and stood up. ¡®I wonder who it is, for her to make that expression.¡¯ Who is getting in my way? I¡¯ll kill you, no matter who you are! Raon went to the entrance along with Wrath, who looked angrier than ever. A young woman¡¯s beauty radiated in the dimly illuminated entrance. So, this is the bitch that did it! The King of Essence will freeze her at once! Because Wrath was trying to spread his coldness, Raon forcefully pushed him back into the bracelet and examined the woman. Her red hair looked like a burning me, and her transparent eyes were the color of a blueke. She was an unforgettable beauty because of her charming facial features, but Raon wasn¡¯t looking at her appearance. ¡®She¡¯s strong.¡¯ A limitless energy wave surrounded her entire body. A Master. Her power didn¡¯t lose to Ayad¡ªno, she was actually even stronger than him. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you ever since the entrance exam for the trainees.¡± Her voice was as clear as her eyes. She slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again as she continued. ¡°Your mind was capable of keepingposure in any situation, and your wits allowed you to use the situation in your favor. Moreover, your genius talent in martial arts surpassed both of those aspects, and I fell in love with them.¡± She extended her long and white hand. ¡°My name is Serena Calvin. I¡¯m the leader of the Void Sword Division, and the one that will be the head of Zieghart in the future. I want you to support me, Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes as he met her blue eyes. ¡°Did the Void Sword¡¯s leader, Lady Serena, reallye to visit¡­?¡± ¡°A-Am I dreaming right now?¡± ¡°But she is one of the strongest among the division leaders¡­¡± ¡°Y-Young master!¡± The maids behind him swallowed nervously after hearing Serena¡¯s identity. ¡®Serena Calvin, huh¡­?¡¯ He¡¯d heard that name before. She was the heroine that dered she¡¯d be the head of Zieghart despite being from a vassal family instead of direct line or coteral. It is rumored that she was as cold as ice, though her prowess was as wild as fire. ¡®So, she also wants me on her side.¡¯ It looked like, just like Ayad, Serena was also visiting him in order to make him join her division. ¡°People are discriminated against in all armed organizations of Zieghart unless they are from the direct line or the highest rank of coteral. However, the Void Sword division is different. People are judged by their abilities and aplishments. It will be the best nest for you.¡± ¡°Discrimination¡­¡± He did hear that the low-ranking coterals were discriminated against in the divisions, regardless of their abilities. ¡°It¡¯s those eyes. I took a liking to those eyes.¡± Serena smiled faintly, looking at Raon¡¯s nonchnt gaze. ¡°Won¡¯t youe with me to stand at the top of this house?¡± ¡°Raon, who is¡­ Ah!¡± Sylvia stepped into the entrance, and her eyes widened upon facing Serena. ¡°L-Lady Serena?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Sylvia.¡± Serena gave Sylvia a small nod. ¡°I just came to offer my greetings today. I¡¯ll return with a present next time.¡± After looking at Sylvia for a moment, she turned around and left the annex building. ¡°She¡¯s the same as before.¡± Sylvia gathered her hands, looking at Serena¡¯s back. ¡°Do you know her?¡± ¡°Yes. She was the vice-squad leader when Mom used to be a novice.¡± She smiled a little, reminiscing about the past. ¡°She was already saying that she would be the head of Zieghart back then, and she¡¯s still the same.¡± ¡°Did she really say she¡¯d be the head when she was a vice-squad leader?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sylvia immediately nodded. ¡®That¡¯s amazing.¡¯ A division leader saying such a thing was probably fine, but a vice-squad leader saying that was really daring. It looked like she wasn¡¯t called a heroine for nothing. ¡®She¡¯s cool.¡¯ I don¡¯t know about cool, but the food is getting cold! While Raon was admiring her, Wrath ground his teeth. Go back and eat already! * * * * * * The next day, Raon went to the fifth training ground in order to report the sessfulpletion of his internship. It was already filled with trainees, and Rimmer waste, just like always. ¡°Raon! I heard you won against Sir Holline!¡± ¡°Seriously, what the hell are you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy! Insane!¡± ¡°No one talks about my deeds because of you!¡± ¡°You are really a monster, huh?¡± ¡°Did you eat a dragon heart or something?¡± The trainees approached him with friendly smiles. There were no signs of jealousy left in them anymore. They were just smiling with admiration to his great achievements. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s just normal for a top trainee.¡± Burren frowned without saying anything, and Martha snorted, saying that it was only obvious for a top trainee. ¡°Raon, I¡¯m sorry. There was no ice cream. I¡¯ll give you some next time.¡± Runaan was murmuring something iprehensible while gripping his sleeve tightly. ¡®This ce feels sofortable for me.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as much as the annex building, but the fifth training ground was one of the few ces that he could feelfortable. The only regrettable part was that soon, he wouldn¡¯t be able to spend time with them anymore in that location. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever get tired?¡± A lighthearted voice came down from the wall. Rimmer jumped down, scratching his disheveled hair. ¡°You arete, Instructor.¡± Burren blocked Rimmer¡¯s way. ¡°Beingte doesn¡¯t matter anymore, since training is already over.¡± ¡°You arete, as you are the one that decided on the appointed time.¡± ¡°It happens once or twice in your life.¡± ¡°But the instructor is alwayste, not just once or twice!¡± ¡°Argh, you are so strict! You should know you are going to lose hair at that rate!¡± Rimmer used footwork to jump over Burren, moving onto the tform. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren swept his blue hair with his hands and checked his fingers. He sighed in relief upon seeing that his hair remained mostly intact. ¡°Ahem, good job on internships, everyone. Although it was short, I believe everyone could roughly figure out the activities and training method of each organization.¡± Rimmer went straight to the point before Burren could argue with him anymore. ¡®I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. The only thing he did at the Central Martial Pce was destroy things over and over. He did manage to get stronger, but he had no idea what the Central Martial Pce¡¯s activities were. ¡°In one week, there will be the Selection Ceremony that you¡¯ve been waiting for so earnestly.¡± The Selection Ceremony was an extremely important day, since it marked the end of the five-year long training period and they were able to decide on their affiliations. It was pretty much the day all their efforts so far bore fruit. ¡°Some of you might have experienced it already, but the divisions and the squads are going to start trying to recruit you from today onward.¡± Rimmer looked at Raon for a moment. ¡°Since it concludes your five years of efforts, you shall carefully make your decisions, without being swayed by the reputation or rewards that you can see.¡± He was seriously giving them advice, quite unlike his usual behavior. ¡°If I were to give you a hint, I rmend that you pick a small organization. Because a big one has a lot of people, you will hardly go out on missions. On the other hand, a small organization mobilizes most of its members on a variety of missions, which makes it easy to gain aplishments. And¡­¡± Rimmer grinned, hiding his own face. ¡°It¡¯s important for the leader to be handsome. It¡¯s even better if he¡¯s kind and is good at gambling. Their kind-heartedness when caring for children is also important, and a powerful swordsmanship and elegant footwork, and the wind-like¡­¡± His speech suddenly became strange, and it strayed further and further away from proper advice. That damned pointy-ears is starting again. He talks way too much. ¡®I know, right? Just like someone else I know.¡¯ Is there anyone that talks as much as him? ¡®Yes, he talks even more.¡¯ That¡¯s crazy. Raon kept listening to Rimmer, while holding himself back from saying ¡®That¡¯s you¡¯. Burren moved next to him. ¡°You can have this.¡± He took the box Burren gave him. Once he tried opening it, he could see a golden embroidery thread with a jewel attached to it. Judging from its color, the shape of the knot, and the jewel at the center, it must¡¯ve been a very expensive object. ¡°Why are you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a jeweled embroidery thread to put on formal wear. Attach it to your suit, since I have plenty of it, but your suit waspletely in. You¡¯d better decorate it properly, since we are going to look shabby if our top trainee is wearing poor clothes.¡± ¡®Did he see me during the internship?¡¯ The formal dress he was wearing at the beginning and the end of the internship didn¡¯t have much decoration. Although Sylvia and Helen did their best to prepare them for him, they weren¡¯t as shy as the other direct lines or coterals. It looked like Burren was giving the embroidery thread to him because of that. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, since I just randomly picked it up.¡± Burren shook his hand and went away. ¡®Benefactor, huh¡­?¡¯ It must¡¯ve been his way of repaying the favor that he mentioned the day before. Even so, it still felt nice to have someone care about him. Raon put the small box in his pocket, and Rimmer¡¯s bullshit became slightly less boring. * * * ¡°Haa.¡± Raon looked slightly tired as he sighed. ¡®This is exhausting.¡¯ Listening to Rimmer¡¯s bullshit and Wrath¡¯s babbling for a whole hour felt even more exhausting than an actual battle. He just wanted to return quickly and start training. When he crossed the garden, he saw that the road leading to the annex building was filled with people, and that the annex building¡¯s door was blocked by pretty packages. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Judging from the wrappings, all the packages were gifts, and the pressure from the people lining up told him that they were powerful warriors. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He walked towards the annex buildings while wondering about the situation, and the eyes of the warriors that recognized him widened. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Raon!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart! Join our Tiger Strike Squad!¡± ¡°No, our Crimson Ultimate Division will support you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to them! Our Great Radiance Pce is the best ce for you to grow!¡± The way the people that were lining up surrounded him at once upon seeing him was simr to when they found an enemy. They all shouted at him to join their organizations, telling him names he¡¯d both already heard of and hadn¡¯t. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He could finally understand the situation. They all came from the main building in order to recruit him. ¡°Raon!¡± While Raon was examining people one after the other, Sylvia and the maids came to him. ¡°They all came to recruit you!¡± ¡°All those boxes are gifts for Sir Raon!¡± ¡°There¡¯s even more! There are more gifts inside!¡± Sylvia and the maids were smiling more brightly than ever as they pointed at the countless gifts at the annex building. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you¡­¡± It looked like she was extremely moved by the fact that so many people came to visit the annex building and Raon, who no one used to pay attention to. Tears could be seen around Sylvia¡¯s eyes. ¡°It will be troublesome if this is enough to move you to tears.¡± Raon smiled slightly while wiping tears from Sylvia¡¯s face with his sleeve. ¡°After all, it¡¯s only just begun.¡± He was only at the starting line now. The tears could wait until their position in the direct line was restored. ¡®One day.¡¯ He resolved himself that he would make her experience that one day. * * * Rimmer was standing in front of Glenn inside the audience chamber. ¡°The others are also getting various offers, but Raon is getting the most.¡± He continued with a cheerful smile. ¡°Most of the armed organizations, except from the direct line and the coteral right under it, sent presents and people to the annex building. Ayad and Serena even personally visited him yesterday. Everyone¡¯s desperate for Raon to join them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth raised slightly. It looked like he was enjoying the report. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s only natural. This is the first time in thest hundreds of years, or rather in Zieghart¡¯s entire history, that a novice swordsman is at the highest rank of Expert.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°He¡¯s really amazing. Truly amazing! I wonder who the teacher that managed to raise such an amazing student is? Wow!¡± Rimmer tapped his chest and grinned. ¡°Did my lord also cause a big uproar like Raon?¡± ¡°I was also recruited by many division leaders, but it was less than Raon. He has surpassed me in the past.¡± His eyes, which used to be frozen stiff, crinkled in the corners. Alongside the raised corners of his mouth, a smile became clearly visible on his face. ¡°See? He praises his grandson more than himself. That¡¯s the ssic behavior of a grandson¡¯s grandpa.¡± ¡°I thought the same thing. My lord is just helplessly fond of Raon¡­¡± Rimmer whispered to Roenn, who was standing next to him, and Roenn immediately nodded to him. ¡°Ahem! Shut up!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and forcefully straightened his face. ¡°Since that shouldn¡¯t be what you came here for, what¡¯s your business?¡± ¡°My business?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known you for a long time. Judging by those crazy eyes of yours, you must have something worth listening to for once.¡± ¡°You know me so well. I will get straight to the point, then.¡± Rimmer¡¯s lighthearted atmosphere disappeared at once. He knelt, his eyes shining with a fierce storm. ¡°I have a request to make of my lord.¡± Chapter 163 ¡°A request?¡± Glenn raised his chin slightly. He looked at Rimmer sharply, his eyes narrowed as he tried to discern his intentions. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. I know you¡¯ve been doing all kinds of crazy things recently.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t always y around.¡± Rimmer raised his head, smiling slightly. A serious light glimmered in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Raon.¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± As soon as Raon¡¯s name was mentioned, Glenn straightened slightly on his throne. ¡°Raon is currently at the highest rank of Expert. Since he tends to be better than his current level, he is strong enough to easily defeat others of the same rank. Which means that no one other than Masters can win against him.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Glenn slowly nodded. His lips were unconsciously raised, like a grandfather that was proud of his grandson. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m making this suggestion. How about putting him in charge of a squad?¡± ¡°A squad?¡± ¡°Even though Raon is a bit weaker than the other squad leaders, he should catch up to them soon enough while doing missions.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn closed his eyes in consideration. His eyes had turned cold when he opened them a momentter. ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°May I ask for the reason?¡± ¡°Squad leaders, division leaders, and vice-division leaders have to be at least Masters so that they can deal with emergency situations. Vice-squad leader would be fine, but I cannot allow a novice that hasn¡¯t even be a Master to be one of Zieghart¡¯s squad leaders.¡± He shook his head definitively. However, there was a note of underlying worry about his grandson in his voice. ¡°Moreover, he¡¯s never been without someone¡¯s protection. You¡¯ve been protecting him here, and Mind was there for him at Habun Castle. Gaining experience as a vice-squad leader would be fine, but he is unsuitable to be a squad leader in terms of prowess and experience.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Rimmer licked his lips and shrugged. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s troublesome. I¡¯m worried about Raon¡­¡± ¡°Why are you worried about Raon?¡± Glenn pushed his chin forward upon hearing that Rimmer was worried about Raon. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m worried!¡± Rimmer suppressed hisughter, looking out the window while sighing heavily. ¡°Many people in Zieghart are trying to recruit Raon. Ayad and Serena even personally visited him to try and recruit him.¡± ¡°But that is not a bad thing.¡± ¡°The danger is dependent on the person in question.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You know that Raon is an innocent guy because he¡¯s been raised in the annex building, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn immediately nodded. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know anything about the cold-hearted politics of the main building. He did live in Habun Castle for a year, but they also don¡¯t really have any internal conflicts because of their enemies outside the walls. Which means that Raon has pretty much no knowledge of the political conflicts inside an organization.¡± Rimmer extended his arms. He looked like he was controlling a marite. ¡°Do you think someone who became a division leader in order to be the head of house, or in order to be stronger themselves, could properly guide Raon? They might purposely mislead him by giving him a bad mission or poor education.¡± Rimmer murmured that he couldn¡¯t sleep at all from his worry. ¡°That certainly could happen¡­¡± Roenn slowly nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right, Sir Roenn. It¡¯s totally possible that the division leaders and squad leaders will try to use Raon for their objectives and growth¡ªwho knows? That¡¯s why it would be nice if someone without ambition could properly guide him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s anyone who has a great personality and might, with the experience of reaching a high rank, all while having a handsome face. I think there¡¯s one.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn looked down on Rimmer silently. ¡°I get it now. Do you want to be a squad leader instead of making Raon into one?¡± ¡°Me? How could I? A great personality and might, experience and a handsome face¡­ Huh? Wait! That¡¯s me! It was me! I should be the squad leader!¡± Rimmer pped his hands while smiling like a fool. ¡°Haa, you are really crazy¡­¡± Glenn covered his forehead with his hand, as if he had a headache. ¡°What¡¯s your goal, Rimmer?¡± ¡°I just¡­¡± ¡°Be honest.¡± Glenn¡¯s voice grew as keen as a sharpened de. It seemed he was intending to cut through Rimmer, depending on what he said. ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but I¡¯ll tell you. It¡¯s because I made a pledge.¡± ¡°Pledge?¡± ¡°The day Raon stopped the Blood Raving Demon on his own and saved the trainees, I pledged to make him into a king.¡± His firm resolution could be seen inside his intense green eyes. ¡°I saw my lord¡¯s throne¡ªno, a throne even higher and moreplete than my lord¡¯s¡ªat his back. Just as I made you into a king and protected you, I want to turn him into a king.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Glenn nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°That¡¯s reasonable. I can understand your intention, and the fact that Raon could be misguided. However¡­¡± His eyes radiated coldly once again. ¡°I¡¯m curious whether you meet the qualifications to be a squad leader when your energy center is injured.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m handsome, wise, handsome, good at raising kids, handsome, and good at gambling!¡± ¡°I shall check the limit of your abilities, instead of those useless things.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s test it right now, then.¡± Rimmer smiled and grabbed the hilt of his sword. ¡°I like your confidence.¡± Glenn bobbed his finger with a joyful smile on his face. ¡°Come, show me everything you have.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going, even if you don¡¯t tell me.¡± Rimmer drew his sword. The de extended like a ray of light that covered the heavens, and he pointed to the ground with two of his straight fingers. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± Sound disappeared from the audience chamber. * * * ¡°I¡¯m Lattein, from the Warring Sword Division.¡± A green-haired man smiled. He was average in everything, including his height, appearance, and manner of speech. However, his prowess wasn¡¯t ordinary at all. The power inside his energy center was boiling like magma. He was another monster that had surpassed the wall, just like Ayad. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, since I couldn¡¯t figure out your personality. The Warring Sword wants you. If you join us, we will raise you to the best of our abilities.¡± ¡°What do you mean by raising me?¡± ¡°Just what I said. We will help your growth in prowess and willpower, and we can even help you make the connections and positions you want. We will invest in everything you want for you.¡± With a lighthearted smile, Lattein told him he would help in every aspect. Although he had a carefree atmosphere like Rimmer, he seemed to be pretending instead of actually having that personality. ¡°And what do you ask of me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The smile on Lattein¡¯s lips froze slightly. ¡°Nothing is free in this world. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason you want me so much.¡± ¡°You are well aware of how the world works. I guess you aren¡¯t just a talented kid. I like you even more now.¡± Even his voice changed. The cheerful voice became slightly twisted. ¡°There are obviously things that we want from you, but I can¡¯t tell you about that right now. If you are curious,e to the Warring Sword. I guarantee that it¡¯s not something you would dislike.¡± His voice and expression became light once again, and he offered a small box that he had brought with him. ¡°This is a small gift. If you join the Warring Sword Division, we will equip you from head to toe with gear that is much better than this.¡± He left the annex building after saying that. He pretends to be rich on the outside, but he ispletely empty inside. He¡¯s not even worthy of consideration. Wrath snorted, calling him a loser. ¡®Who isn¡¯t a loser in your standard?¡¯ Raon stared at Lattein as he left the garden, then turned around. His room and the corridor of the annex building were filled with gifts. ¡°There are more than I thought.¡± He did expect that some people would visit him from what Rimmer and Burren had said, but he didn¡¯t think there would be so many of them. It wasn¡¯t just the armed organizations. It was also those dealing with information or administration¡ªeven the Security pce, who usually didn¡¯t interfere, made their move. The huge number of gifts overflowed from the annex building. ¡°Uhuhuhu!¡± ¡°Ohohoho!¡± He looked upward upon hearing such tantly happyughter. Sylvia and Helen were organizing the gifts with smiles blooming on their faces. ¡°I didn¡¯t think this would happen in my lifetime.¡± ¡°This is the first time so many people have visited the annex building.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the Sir Raon¡¯s greatness.¡± ¡°Is this what you call ¡®profiting from the child¡¯?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ma¡¯am¡¯s blessing!¡± Sylvia and Helen¡ªactually, even the maids¡ªwere enjoying the situation. The annex building that used to be looked down upon was now at the center of attention, and they seemed to be happy about the fact that it was because of Raon¡¯s achievements. They are literally smiling from ear to ear. ¡®I¡¯m happy if they are.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t lying. Raon was d and happy about the fact that Sylvia, Helen, and the maids were enjoying the situation. He wasn¡¯t too sure, but his emotion felt and flowed that way. You will never achieve great things if you are happy about trivial matters like this. The King of Essence never wavers¡­ ¡®That¡¯s bullshit.¡¯ Bullshit? No one is as cold-hearted as the King of Essence! You can see that he uses coldness! ¡®That¡¯s the most mysterious part.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand how he was using coldness with his hot temper that yielded to every provocation. It was really twisted that he used coldness while being a hot-tempered glutton. Such impudence! You wouldn¡¯t even be able to stand up in front of the main body of the King of Essence! ¡®Bring your main body here if you have a problem with it.¡¯ Argh¡­ Raon made fun of Wrath, then went to his room and towards the wall of gifts. ¡®Let¡¯s see what I got.¡¯ He opened the gifts inside the room. Most of them werebat equipment such as gloves, boots, belts, embroidery threads for his sword and hilt strap. After roughly organizing the items, he saw three boxes on the desk. They were the presents offered by the division leaders that he met personally. ¡®Those are¡­¡¯ He first opened the small yet luxurious box that Ayad gave to him. There were thin gloves inside, and he could tell at a nce that their quality was on another levelpared to the rest. Raon tried wearing one of the gloves. It perfectly fit his hand, and its light weight made it feel like he wasn¡¯t wearing anything at all. The feel when holding a sword was also the same as if he were bare-handed, and yet even a de had difficulties cutting through it. ¡°I guess he had a good reason for personally visiting me.¡± Considering he gave Raon such a valuable item as a gift, he must¡¯ve really wanted to recruit him. ¡°And this is¡­¡± He then opened the box Serena gave to him. There were boots inside. They were brown leather boots, and they were so light that he could barely feel their weight. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Apparently, the boots had the ability to reduce his weight, since his body became lighter upon wearing the boots. He felt like he could jump higher and further away. It was an extraordinary item, just like the gloves. Raonstly opened the box Lattein gave him. There was a golden ring inside, which he tried wearing. ¡®Is this a strength enhancement?¡¯ The difference wasn¡¯t exactly amazing, but he could feel that he got stronger. The ring must¡¯ve been imbued with strength enhancement magic. ¡°Not bad.¡± The gifts from the division leaders were on another level. As he was about to check the condition of the equipment, someone knocked on the door three times. ¡°Enter.¡± The door opened without any response, and Judiel entered then bowed. ¡°I¡¯ve finished the investigation on the organizations that will participate in the Selection Ceremony.¡± She offered him a brochure while saying that. It looked like she personally made it, just like thest time. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded and looked through the brochure. Just as she said, most of the organizations of the house were listed inside. It was interesting, since there were many things he hadn¡¯t known about before. ¡°While investigating the Selection Ceremony, I discovered that there is some kind of superstition.¡± ¡°Superstition?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s said that the swordsman that is chosen by every armed organization participating in the Selection Ceremony bes the head of house without exception. It was written that the current head of house was also chosen by all organizations in the past.¡± ¡°Head of house¡­¡± Since he wasn''t exactly aiming to be the head, he just thought that it was a fun story and nodded. ¡°Judiel, what¡¯s your opinion? Which one do you think is the best?¡± Raon looked at Judiel after finishing reading the brochure. ¡°First of all, our choices are limited. We can¡¯t really join an organization that belongs to the direct line or the coterals affiliated to them. We need to pick something other than those.¡± ¡°We¡­?¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head. He was just a bit proud of Judiel for saying ¡®we¡¯, since she used to be unable to settle anywhere. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s obvious how powerful Zieghart¡¯s bloodline is, since the top ranked armed organizations are mostly from the direct line. However, there are a few groups that don¡¯t lose to them.¡± Judiel opened the middle part of the brochure. ¡°First is the White Lotus, led by Ayad. The battlefield feels like a stroll for the swordsmen in that division, who are ustomed to actual battles, and they take on many missions. It¡¯s rumored that Ayad doesn¡¯t lose to the direct line in terms of prowess.¡± She turned the page, saying that the next one was also fairly good. ¡°The second one is the Void Sword, led by Serena¡ªwho came to visit yesterday. She uses a keen and sharp swordsmanship. Since she is a greedy person, she takes on a lot of missions and requests to increase her reputation. The Warring Sword that visited today is a bit calctive, but they¡¯ve alwayspleted their missions without fail. And¡­¡± Judiel flipped the pages and mentioned the rmended organizations one by one. However, the only real choices he had were Ayad, Serena, and Lattein¡¯s groups. ¡°Instructor Rimmer rmended joining a group with a small number of members, since that gives one more opportunity to gain achievements.¡± Raon mentioned what Rimmer told him before. Obviously, he didn¡¯t mention the bullshit about him being handsome or being good at gambling. ¡°He is right about that. A small organization gives many opportunities for achievement, as they have various reinforcement missions, and most of the members get to participate. However, it¡¯s dangerous and hectic as a result.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He needed as many achievements as possible in order to restore Sylvia¡¯s status as a member of the direct line. It seemed like joining a small organization to participate in more missions and reinforce other groups was a better choice than joining a big organization just to be restrained. ¡°Then, shall I check out the smaller ones in more detail?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to.¡± Raon closed the brochure and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve already decided which one I wish to join.¡± There was no way he wouldn¡¯t realize it when that gambler tantly advertised it. ¡°It¡¯s nice that I got a bunch of gifts for no reason.¡± Raon smiled at the pile of gifts. * * * * * * The Day of the Selection Ceremony. There was an unprecedented number of people inside the great training ground. Even the people that had the day off came to the training ground instead of resting and were trying to squeeze their asses into seats that werepletely full. The reason for that was simple. It was because people were extremely interested in the destination of the fifth training ground¡¯s trainees, as their growth had been on a different level from the other trainees. And Raon Zieghart, who was the top trainee of the group, was even more special. He was known as the young Sword Demon and the me Wall of Habun Castle, and he destroyed the Central Martial Pce as soon as he returned. That was why everyone was paying so much attention to him, to the point that people started gambling on him. To be honest, half the people gathered inside the great training ground were pretty much there to watch Raon¡¯s Selection Ceremony. When the seats started to overflow with spectators, people stepped up onto the tform. The swordsmen with powerful pressure and frightening dignity were wearing emblems of different colors and shapes on their chests. They were the squad leaders or division leaders. The heads of the armed organizations, who were pretty much Zieghart¡¯s true strength, took a seat on the tform one after the other. Including Ayad and Serena, who personally visited Raon, the pce masters such as the Central Martial Pce, the True Martial Pce, and the Wisdom Pce took a seat on the chairs ced on the tform. They only gave each other short greetings before looking down at the training ground. It seemed that they were keeping each other in check. ¡°Is everyone after Raon?¡± While the division leaders and squad leaders were reviewing who they needed to recruit, a cheerful voice could be heard. It was Lattein, the leader of the Warring Sword. Everyone on the tform looked at him. ¡°I personally went to see him, and realized he was more amazing than the rumors. I could barely feel his pressure, as if he didn¡¯t learn any martial arts at all, but he was almost a Master on the inside. That boy is going to get even stronger. I can understand why the head of house and the elders are interested in him.¡± The division leaders of the direct line frowned in difort, but the division leaders from other backgrounds nodded in agreement. ¡°However, that boy is for me¡­ Ah, today¡¯s protagonist is here.¡± Lattein stopped speaking and pointed at the trainees of the fifth training ground, who were entering from the door. With Zieghart¡¯s badge attached on their ck and red formal wear, they were walking towards the center of the training ground one after the other. And Raon was at the end of the line. With a golden embroidery thread attached to his ck and red formal dress, the way his red eyes shone like the sunlight painted a beautiful picture. ¡°It¡¯s Raon!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°What a face he has¡­¡± ¡°He looks even stronger than before.¡± ¡°Again? How could that happen?!¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s not impossible, since he¡¯s already at the level of a vice-squad leader at the age of seventeen.¡± The division leaders admired his good looks and were shocked by his pressure, which was as sharp as a de. A frightening glow appeared in their eyes, looking at prey in their respective ways. * * * Raon was walking towards the center of the training ground alongside the other swordsmen. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young Master!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± He smiled and waved his hand at Sylvia and the maids, who were cheering from the side, then stood in front of the swordsmen. ¡°S-Sir Raon, have you made your choice?¡± Dorian¡¯s fingers were trembling. ¡°We aren¡¯t the ones that decide. They are.¡± Raon pointed at the squad leaders and division leaders that were looking down on them from the tform. ¡°But you must¡¯ve made up your mind, right?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Which one is it?¡± ¡°None of them.¡± ¡°What?¡± Dorian wasn¡¯t the only one surprised at that. Runaan, Martha, and Burren¡ªwho were secretly listening to them¡ªjolted as well. ¡°None?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Everyone¡¯s already present!¡± ¡°Yes. None of the leaders are missing except for the Moonlight Pce, which is currently on an external mission! I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t trying to join an administrative organization, right?¡± The three of them, or rather, everyone moved next to him and asked which one he was nning to join. ¡°What are you thinking right now?¡± ¡°What kind of crazy stunt are you nning now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stay normal for once.¡± ¡°The one doing crazy stuff isn¡¯t me, but thatzy guy. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon calmed the swordsmen that were barraging him with questions and snickered. ¡°Lazy guy? Instructor Rimmer?¡± ¡°Why are you talking about that gambling addict?¡± ¡°Something interesting is going to¡­ Huff!¡± As he was about to give them a hint, a tremendous amount of energy could be felt. He didn¡¯t need to turn around to recognize it. The overwhelming energy wave was from the Destructive King of North, the head of house¡ªGlenn Zieghart. Goosebumps appeared on his skin as he felt his pressure, which only got stronger as he grew. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s true heaven! The Destructive King of North, Head of House Glenn Zieghart makes his entrance!¡± ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± Following the Heavenly de¡¯s shout, everyone knelt and bowed. Step. Glenn crushed that huge voice resounding throughout the training ground with a single step, only to walk to the center of the tform and sit on the golden throne. ¡°Rise, everyone.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Even the division leaders that had remained silent so far expressed their gratitude with a majestic shout, as if they had be novices once again. ¡°A-Ah, then the Selection Ceremony for the fifth training ground¡¯s graduates is going to be¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± As the host was about to announce the start of the ceremony, Glenn raised his hand. ¡°One bastard¡ªI mean, one person hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡± ¡°Pardon? Huh? But all the forty-three graduates are here.¡± The host tried counting them, then told him that everyone was present. ¡°It¡¯s not one of them. It¡¯s one of these.¡± Glenn pointed at the tform where the division leaders and squad leaders were located. ¡°Pardon? But they also have to correct numbers¡­¡± ¡°Ah, excuse me. It¡¯s me.¡± As the host grew confused and started to double check the document he held, a green wind stormed from the left side walls. An attractive man easily jumped over the walls and reached the tform, his red hair fluttering in the wind. ¡°Rimmer!¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± ¡°Why the hell are you here?¡± ¡°Only the squad leaders and division leaders are allowed in this ce!¡± The direct line division leaders, including Karoon and Balder, gave him killing scowls. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± Rimmer casually shifted on his feet and continued. ¡°I¡¯m not just Rimmer. I am the Light Wind Squad Leader Rimmer from this moment on. Make sure to address me by the correct title.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°S-Squad leader?¡± ¡°Did he really be a squad leader?¡± The eyes of everyone inside the great training ground widened in confusion at his deration. ¡®He iste even on an important day like this.¡¯ However, it looked like Raon was aware of that fact¡ªhe snickered. Since everyone was there, the Selection Ceremony was about to begin for real. Chapter 164 ¡°What kind of madness are you spouting?¡± Karoon stood up and gave Rimmer a killing re. ¡°How did you even be a squad leader?¡± He wasn¡¯t the only one confused¡ªevery division and squad leader on the tform had a wide-eyed look of confusion on their face. ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not that hard to be a squad leader.¡± Rimmer looked back at Karoon and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°True, it¡¯s not that hard. However, it¡¯s impossible for a disabled guy like you with a broken energy center.¡± ¡°Since I was so amazing back in the day, I figured I can still work as a squad leader even though I¡¯m disabled.¡± ¡°Do you honestly believe that you can fight like before just because you killed the Blood Raving Demon with sheer luck? You are just an iplete swordsman that cannot even fight for a long time!¡± The mere fact that Rimmer was standing there irritated Karoon. ¡°I understand that it¡¯s too sudden for you to ept it, but it¡¯s already decided.¡± ¡°And who made that decision?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Rimmer grinned and pointed at the throne ced in the center. ¡°He¡¯s right. I authorized him.¡± ¡°Arp¡­¡± The look in Glenn¡¯s eyes grew as deep as a bottomless pit. Balder groaned and lowered his head upon facing it. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Because his pressure alone was overwhelming the space, Karoon could only bite his lip, unable to respond. ¡°I¡¯ve personally confirmed the might of the Light Wind Squad leader and given my consent. If you have a problem with it, then you shalle at me instead.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s no problem.¡± After witnessing two pce masters get crushed by pressure, the other division and squad leaders forced their mouths shut. ¡°It¡¯s more silent now.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Rimmer grinned pleasantly and Karoon and Balder red at him, their fists clenched tightly enough to make a sound. ¡°Head of house, may I introduce myself?¡± ¡°Introduce yourself?¡± ¡°Yes. Even though the novice swordsmen know about me, I need to exin the Light Wind Squad¡¯s direction and activities to them.¡± ¡°Make it short.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Rimmer bowed at Glenn before standing at the edge of the tform. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m the Light Wind Squad leader.¡± Raon nonchntly raised his head to look at Rimmer. The other swordsmen, including Burren, swallowed nervously¡ªafraid of what kind of frivolous statement he was about to make. ¡°Forget about the instructor that has been teaching you so far. Consider me as nothing but a new squad leader.¡± However, his eyes were serious and his voice perfectly followed the expected formality. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve pretty much decided on which organizations you want to join. I¡¯m sure there are various reasons for those choices, like the reputation of the division leader, the power of the organization, and the various supports and martial arts that you will gain. However!¡± Rimmer continued his speech in aposed manner, and the swordsmen nodded as if they were charmed by him. They couldn¡¯t take their eyes off him because it was almost their first time seeing him being so serious. ¡°Those are the roads paved by your seniors here, and all you will be doing is jumping onto those roads. Even if you join a powerful organization, all you can achieve is a sloppy reputation and some deeds. That is because the truly wonderful achievements have been taken away by your seniors.¡± Unexpectedly, he was pointing out a legitimate fact. The smiles disappeared from the swordsmen that were looking forward to joining an organization. ¡°I can¡¯t give you all that. It¡¯s only been a few days since the creation of the Light Wind Squad, and I don¡¯t have anything to offer. However, this squad¡¯s advantage lies in its ipleteness.¡± ¡°Advantage of ipleteness?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± The swordsmen walked up, immersed in Rimmer¡¯s speech. ¡°It means that the Light Wind Squad has a lot more things to achieve than the other organizations that have already reached their peaks.¡± ¡°Things to be achieved¡­¡± Martha¡¯s eyes glittered, captivated by his offer. ¡°Our journey will be dangerous, and you won¡¯t get paid that much. Dark times will continue for months, and you will face countless dangers. I can¡¯t even guarantee that you will return alive from the missions we will face, but once we manage to live through all of those dangers and hardships, we will obtain honor and glory.¡± Honor and glory. They could be considered superficial words, but the eyes of the swordsmen were glittering more than ever. ¡°If youe with me, I¡¯ll create an opportunity for you to make great achievements and ovee your limits, just like those that are looking down on you from behind me.¡± Rimmer extended his hand. His hand was empty, but looked a lot more charming than the hands of the division leaders that gave them expensive jewels and equipment. ¡°H-Head of house, his speech is taking too long.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Shouldn¡¯t we stop him?¡± The division leaders red at Rimmer andined, as they were afraid he would take the swordsmen from them, but Glenn just closed his eyes without any reaction. ¡°I know you better than anyone. I am the one best suited to make you stronger! Trust and follow me.¡± Rimmer shouted, ending his speech as he returned to his ce. Although he sat down at the border of the tform because he didn¡¯t have a chair, his grandiose pressure remained the same. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°Wh-What shall I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m suddenly interested¡­¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± The swordsmen fidgeted and bit their lips. They were unable to put their thoughts together because of the sudden appearance of an interesting offer. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes, on the other hand, remained peaceful¡ªjust like in the beginning. He was just standing there nonchntly, as if the situation didn¡¯t matter to him at all. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Rimmer frowned as he looked at Raon¡¯s expression. ¡®I think it worked on the other kids, but why is he the only one that looks like that?¡¯ He felt suffocated, as he couldn¡¯t read into the expressions on the face of the most important piece of the puzzle. ¡®I do need the others, but I definitely need you toe with me!¡¯ Since the Light Wind Squad was literally created to raise Raon, it was of utmost importance that he joined. If he didn¡¯t, there was no reason for the Light Wind to exist. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Rimmer bit his lip. ¡®I bet my whole fortune on the gamble!¡¯ Since an unprecedented amount of attention was focused on Raon¡¯s choice in the Selection Ceremony, gambling over it was also extremely popr. Since Rimmer ced his bet on Raon choosing a new squad instead of an existing organization, Raon needed to join the Light Wind at all costs. ¡®Please! I¡¯m really dead if I lose that! I¡¯ll have to survive on acorns!¡¯ Rimmer breathed heavily and looked at the sky. He even prayed to God and wished for Raon to join him. ¡°The instructor looks cool today for some reason.¡± ¡°I know, right? I didn¡¯t know he had that side to him.¡± ¡°Honor and glory. I never expected him to say that.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s his true self. Look at his thoughtful eyes¡­¡± The novice swordsmen admired the sorrowful appearance of Rimmer. They would¡¯ve spat at him and insulted him if they knew that he was only thinking about gambling, but it was fortunate that no one was aware of that fact. Actually, one person knew, but he was just enjoying the situation. * * * * * * Raon smiled slightly upon meeting Rimmer¡¯s eyes. ¡®He is plotting something.¡¯ Judging from his expression, he wasn¡¯t just acting cool¡ªRimmer was desperate for Raon to join the squad. He already knew that Rimmer would create a squad, but he didn¡¯t expect him to be so desperate. ¡®He must be gambling over it.¡¯ The only time that the punk elf instructor was serious was when he was gambling. Raon could guess that he bet his entire fortune on him joining the squad. ¡®Well, it doesn''t change the fact that his earlier speech wasn¡¯t too bad.¡¯ The way he offered to gain honor and glory for them was enough to move the warrior¡¯s heart. He could guess that more swordsmen would join the Light Wind than his initial prediction. I like what he said for the first time. Wrath nodded at Rimmer. He¡¯s right. A demon shouldn¡¯t rely on someone else¡¯s reputation. The only way to get stronger is by surpassing trials and hardships with your own power. ¡®We aren¡¯t demons, though.¡¯ That¡¯s not the important part. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence traveled throughout the entire world to fight against the other kings¡­ ¡°The Selection Ceremony is starting! The swordsman whose name is called shall step up to the tform!¡± While Wrath was setting up a long story, the host announced the start of the Selection Ceremony. H-How dare he cut off the King of Essence? ¡®I need to go.¡¯ Raon murmured that it was a relief and stepped back. ¡°Martha Zieghart, step forward!¡± Martha nodded and started to walk forward, though she stopped next to Raon for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m going to join the Light Wind. I don¡¯t exactly trust that ruffian instructor, but I figure it will be the most helpful for what I need to do.¡± With her voice flowing in the wind, she kept advancing. ¡°The leaders that want Martha Zieghart to join shall raise their hands.¡± As soon as the host finished speaking, the division and squad leaders on the tform raised their hands. On top of Denier Zieghart, Ayad and Serena¡ªwho visited Raon¡ªalso raised their hands immediately. ¡°Hmph!¡± Rimmer continued to y it cool as he raised two fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll join the Light Wind Squad.¡± Martha took a nce through all the organizations that wanted her to join, then pointed at Rimmer with a frown. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Denier expressed his sadness for a moment, but it seemed he had expected that it would happen, since he just calmly nodded. ¡°Martha Zieghart will belong to the Light Wind from today onward! Please give her a round of apuse!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°I like your challenging attitude!¡± Once her affiliation was decided, a loud apuse could be heard from the spectators. ¡°Next up is Runaan Sullion. Come forward.¡± Runaan nodded and walked forward. She also stopped for a moment next to Raon. ¡°Raon, Light Wind?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± It was a vague answer, but Runaan nodded as if she realized his intentions. ¡°The leaders that want Runaan Sullion to join shall raise their hands.¡± Alongside Rokan Sullion, many leaders raised their hands. Even more people wanted Runaan than Martha. It seemed Runaan was considered easier to deal with than Martha. ¡®That¡¯s a huge mistake.¡¯ Runaan looked mild, but she is actually even more stubborn than Martha. It was a huge struggle to deal with her. ¡°Runaan Sullion, it¡¯s your turn. Choose the organization you want to join.¡± Runaan nodded and raised her finger. It was pointing at Rimmer, who was smiling slightly. ¡°Runaan Sullion will belong to the Light Wind!¡± ¡°Ruuuunaaan!¡± Rokan Sullion started to tear off his hair and scream, but Runaan just nkly nodded and returned to her seat. The Selection Ceremony continued, and everyone other than the ten novice swordsmen that had already decided on their destinations ended up joining the Light Wind. They had already experienced Rimmer¡¯spetence at raising people despite his weird personality, and they wanted to write their own history of glory and honor. However, the luxury of making a choice wasn¡¯t given to everyone. ¡°Huh? Wh-Why is no one raising their hand for me? Something must¡¯ve gone wrong! I think there¡¯s a problem here! Am I i-invisible?¡± Dorian violently waved his hand towards the tform, but nobody was raising their hand to take him. It must¡¯ve been because of the rumors that he kept running away at Habun Castle like a coward. ¡°That¡¯s so harsh! Wait! Even the Supply Division didn¡¯t raise their hands! That¡¯s too mean, when all I did was make a small mistake!¡± ¡°Small mistake? You tried to carry all the supplies by yourself!¡± The middle-aged man that was the leader of the Supply Division clicked his tongue while looking at him coldly. ¡°H-How could this happen¡­?¡± Dorian rubbed his belly pocket and trembled in disbelief. ¡°If no one wants to take the novice swordsman Dorian, then let¡¯s end¡­¡± ¡°Haa, is this a teacher¡¯s duty?¡± As the host was trying to end Dorian¡¯s Selection Ceremony, Rimmer sighed and raised his hand. ¡°Woah! Wait a moment! I¡¯m going to join the Light Wind!¡± ¡°Ahem, Dorian will belong to the Light Wind¡­¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± With his hands still on his belly pocket, he bowed then returned to his seat. ¡°Young master! I¡¯m saved! I¡¯m going to serve Sir Rimmer as my teacher for the rest of my life!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Yes! Ah, the teacher¡¯s kindness¡­¡± He started singing some weird song and returned to his ce. ¡°Next up is Burren Zieghart. Step forward.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seriousness could be felt from his green eyes, and confidence from his steps as he advanced. ¡°I¡¯m interested in the Light Wind, but I¡¯ll follow my initial objective.¡± He said that, and confidently stood in front of the tform. The biggest amount of attention was focused on him, with lots of leaders leaning forward. ¡°The leaders that want Burren Zieghart to join them shall raise their hands.¡± People on the tform raised their hands at once. ¡°Huh?¡± Although Burren should¡¯ve been happy about the fact that most of the leaders were raising their hands, his expression turned stiff to an indescribable degree. ¡°F-Father. Why¡­?¡± The reason was simple. The leader of the Central Martial Pce that he trusted and wanted to join, Karoon, didn¡¯t raise his hand for him. Instead, he looked at him coldly. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Is he not satisfied with Burren?¡± ¡°But his might and mindset are both excellent¡­¡± The host and the other leaders also seemed confused about the situation, their lips parted while looking back and forth between Karoon and Burren. ¡°B-Burren Zieghart shall choose one of the leaders that raised their hands.¡± The host told him to choose an organization, but Burren didn¡¯t move. He kept staring at his father, his drooping shoulders trembling. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon sneered, looking at Karoon, who was treating Burren as a garbage rather than a son. ¡®I knew he wasn¡¯t worthy of respect.¡¯ Burren said that he respected his excellent father, but Karoon didn¡¯t deserve any respect at all. He was nothing but a narrow-minded fraud. That¡¯s unexpected, since that shitty-eyes grew up a lot in terms of might and personality. ¡®It¡¯s because he dislikes his personality.¡¯ Personality? ¡®He doesn¡¯t like how his cold-hearted and mechanical personality became broadminded and easygoing.¡¯ Raon was sure about that, since he had seen the monster Derus in his previous life. Karoon disliked the fact that his son was making decisions on his own ord, when he should¡¯ve been nothing but a chess piece for him. ¡°Burren, make up your mind.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Despite the host¡¯s request, Burren didn¡¯t move. ¡°I¡¯ll count to five. If you don¡¯t make your decision in that time frame, your affiliation won¡¯t be decided. One, two, three, four¡­¡± The host bought some time in consideration for him, but he was just standing there nkly. ¡°Haa, five. Burren Zieghart¡¯s affiliation hasn¡¯t been decided.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Although the host said his selection had ended, Burren couldn¡¯t move. He only started moving slowly, like a broken doll, once the other swordsmen came to bring him back. What¡¯s going to happen to him? ¡®He has to decide on his affiliation in a month by directly visiting the organization.¡¯ What an unusual event. Wrath seemed to be worried about Burren, despite having been hating on him so much. ¡°Next up is thest member of today¡¯s event. The top trainee of fifth training ground, Raon Zieghart. Step forward!¡± Upon hearing the host¡¯s loud voice, Raon nodded and walked ahead. * * * Karoon¡¯s forehead wrinkled as he watched his youngest son falter as he returned to his ce. ¡®What a useless guy.¡¯ The son he wanted was a de that could stab everyone¡ªincluding his friends and teacher¡ªto death, rather than a human being that could think and act of his own ord. He raised him to be spiteful and evil for that purpose, yet he ended up an idiot that couldn¡¯t even be the top trainee. He didn¡¯t need something like that anymore. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so nasty.¡± He turned his head upon hearing an irritating voice from the side, where Rimmer sat grinning. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Burren grew up as a human being through the survival exam, on top of his excellent might and willpower. I didn¡¯t expect you to not even give him a second nce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± Karoon snorted. ¡°My son is just an extension of myself. Growth in personality is unnecessary, since he only needs to follow my orders.¡± ¡°Wow, what an awful thing to say.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because of you.¡± Rimmer snickered and Karoon gave him a killing re. ¡°Burren started to break after you became his instructor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not called breaking, it¡¯s called growth. Are you sure your eyes are okay, dear Central Martial Pce Master?¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± The ufortable atmospheres swirled around them, and a strange pressure spread on the tform. ¡°Shut up, both of you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Please excuse me.¡± Once Glenn looked at them, Karoon and Rimmer fell silent and removed their pressures. ¡°Stay focused, since this is thest one.¡± He narrowed his eyes, looking at Burren¡¯s depressed appearance, before looking at Raon stepping forward from the opposite side. ¡°The biggest fish of this Selection Ceremony is here.¡± Rimmer started to speak, as if he had never intended to shut his mouth. ¡°But I¡¯m guessing the direct lines aren¡¯t going to raise their hands, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The direct lines and the coterals under them red at him. ¡°I heard an interesting story during the internship.¡± The way Rimmer swirled his finger looked like he was making fun of someone. ¡°I heard that the Central Martial Pce was so scared of Raon that they kept avoiding fighting him during thetter phase of the internship. I heard they withdrew the vice-squad leader, the squad leader, and the division leaders, letting him do whatever he pleased. And everyone knows about the rumor that it was because they were scared of being defeated by Raon.¡± He raised his chin slightly to look down on the direct lines, then continued. ¡°Since the direct lines are like that, they must be afraid of taking Raon as one of their members, right? Ipletely understand that you wouldn''t want to raise your hand.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Rimmer!¡± ¡°Have you truly gone insane?¡± The direct lines, including Karoon and Balder, stood up in anger. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that when the Selection Ceremony is still going on.¡± Rimmer furtively pointed next to him. An ufortable pressure was crawling from Glenn. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± The direct lines gritted their teeth and sat down in their seats, but they kept giving Rimmer killing res. ¡®Damn bastard¡­¡¯ Karoon bit his lips and looked at Raon standing in front of the tform. He hated how both the teacher and the student were irritating him. He wanted to immediately beat them to death. ¡®Scared? Did he say that I was scared of him?¡¯ The way Rimmer said he was scared and withdrew kept repeating in his mind. There was no way he would be afraid of a mere insect. He was just avoiding conflict in order to kill himter. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Because Rimmer reminded him of it, he kept remembering the way Raon destroyed all the equipment and beat up the people in the Central Martial Pce. ¡®Fine, I¡¯ll grant your wish.¡¯ Karoon decided to raise his hand for Raon. If Raon ever decided to join him, he could use everything he had¡ªfrom his flesh and bone to thest drop of blood¡ªbefore eventually killing him. ¡°The leaders that want Raon Zieghart to join them shall raise their hands.¡± Hoping that the daredevil Raon would make another foolish decision, he closed his eyes and raised his hand. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ The surroundings fell silent, as if the sound had disappeared from the world. However, people should¡¯ve been noisy because he raised his hand. ¡®What happened¡­?¡¯ Karoon frowned and opened his eyes. Raon was casually standing there, but the jaws of the spectators and the swordsmen had dropped as they looked at the tform. ¡°Huff!¡± He gasped upon looking around him. He wasn¡¯t the only one that raised his hand. The direct line leaders that were supposed to keep their hands down had raised them with wide eyes. Everyone on the tform had their hands raised to recruit Raon. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this legend passed down through Zieghart¡¯s generations.¡± As Karoon was about to hurriedly lower his hand, Rimmer¡¯s low voice could be heard. ¡°The swordsman that is chosen by everyone during the Selection Ceremony bes the head of house in the future.¡± A ray of light shone from his serious green eyes as he grinned. ¡°Thank you for your consideration towards my student.¡± Chapter 165 Raon raised his head to look at the tform. The hands of the leaders resembled pirs supporting the sky. Everyone on the tform had their hands raised. The sight of all of the powerful people of the house¡ªthe ones above Master level¡ªraising their hands to recruit him was an unforgettable spectacle, one that sent a thrill of exhration up his spine. ¡®Though, I didn¡¯t expect this.¡¯ Denier was somewhat understandable, but he didn¡¯t think Karoon or Balder would raise their hands. However, he didn¡¯t seem to be the only one surprised. Even though countless people were inside the great training ground, for a moment there was no sound at all. No one could close their mouth, confused by the unexpected sight. ¡°E-Everyone¡­?¡± ¡°All the division and squad leaders raised their hands!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the first time that¡¯s happened today?¡± ¡°Not just today! It¡¯s the first time since the selection the current head of house was a part of!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ve watched every Selection Ceremony, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen every single leader raise their hands¡­¡± ¡°That legend¡­¡± The swordsmen managed to snap out of it, swallowing nervously as they looked back and forth between Raon and the division leaders. ¡°Legend? You¡¯re right. It¡¯s just like that legend!¡± ¡°The legend of the head of house has finally¡­¡± ¡°Does that mean he¡¯s going to be the next head? But he¡¯s just a coteral! He¡¯s not even a member of the direct line!¡± ¡°But he inherited the blood of the direct line.¡± ¡°So, he is the next head¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a legend! It¡¯s just a superstition!¡± A few swordsmen murmured about the legend while looking at the hands of the division leaders, and the entire training ground started to talk about the legend of the head of house. ¡®Legend?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. Since they were talking about legend, he remembered the superstition Judiel mentioned before. The legend mentioned that if every leader on the tform raised their hands, the swordsman would definitely be the head of house. She¡¯d said that Glenn also became the head of house after everyone raised their hands during his Selection Ceremony. ¡®Is there any merit to that?¡¯ It was just a superstition, not a fact. Moreover, Raon wasn¡¯t exactly interested in bing the head of house, since he just wanted to restore Sylvia¡¯s status and take his revenge against Derus. Raon turned his gaze to Glenn at the center of the tform. His usual cold expression was in ce, no reaction on his face, but he looked warm for some reason¡ªas if he were proud of him. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ He rubbed his eyes and looked at him once again, and that impression disappearedpletely. It must¡¯ve been his mistake. ¡®Well, of course.¡¯ Raon snickered and turned his head to the side. Karoon and the direct lines were staring at Rimmer in confusion, their raised hands trembling. ¡®That gambling-addicted instructor must¡¯ve done something.¡¯ Considering the fact that they were giving him a killing re, Rimmer must¡¯ve influenced the situation by using the mindset of the direct lines. Raon couldn¡¯t tell exactly what he did, but thought Rimmer was amazing in various ways. Why does he always cry about losing gambles when he can do all that? Wrath narrowed his eyes, unable to understand him. ¡®I don¡¯t know either.¡¯ There¡¯s no reason Rimmer should be losing when gambling. However, considering the way he still kept losing every day, he probably just was not suited for it¡ªdespite how much he liked it. ¡°Do you really believe this changes anything at all? Legend? It¡¯s just a superstition.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. No one believes in a superstition like that!¡± Karoon and Balder red at Rimmer, saying that the legend of the head of house was nothing but a superstition. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are plenty of people who won¡¯t believe it, who would consider it a superstition. However, that is the impression that has been etched into the minds of the people here today.¡± Rimmer stretched his arms to point at all the spectators. ¡°The possibility that Raon might really follow the legend to be the head of house. That alone is good enough for today. Well, I guess I didn¡¯t lose anything anyway.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Rimmer¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to die peacefully. I¡¯ll make sure you can¡¯t.¡± Rimmer just smiled leisurely, making the direct line leaders¡ªincluding Karoon and Balder¡ªgrind their teeth. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a story forter. Host, please! Can you progress the ceremony? My arm is starting to hurt!¡± ¡°Ah, okay!¡± The host, who was drooling from his mouth, pped his own cheeks and raised his head. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart, please choose the organization that you want to join!¡± The host said ¡®please¡¯ to a novice swordsman for the first time. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon examined the leaders on the tform from left to right, one after the other. Some people desperately wanted him, like Ayad and Serena, while some neutral division leaders didn¡¯t really care whether he joined or not. Some of the direct lines were even awkwardly holding their hands up because of Rimmer¡¯s plot. ¡°Please! Please! Please!¡± And Rimmer was praying for him to join, despite his previousposure. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon purposefully looked away from Rimmer, scratching his chin in consideration while looking at the left side, where Ayad, Serena, and Lattein were located. ¡°Gasp!¡± Rimmer started to scream, trying to regain his attention, but Raon didn¡¯t even turn to look at him. [R-Raon!] As he pretended to make a decision, Rimmer¡¯s aura message arrived. His voice was whispering at him to keep it a secret from the division leaders next to him. [Hey, kid! You gotta join the Light Wind! Why are you looking that way?] He could feel the urgency from his voice. [I made this squad for you guys! You can keep taking missions to increase your prowess and get achievements at the same time!] It was a really attractive offer, but he still didn¡¯t respond. [Most of the friends that you guided as the top student are here as well. You will immediately be the vice-squad leader once you join! I¡¯ll let you do everything you want! Don¡¯t even look at the others! Honor and glory is right in front of you!] He could feel Rimmer¡¯s anxiety from his unusually quick speech. It was his time to bait out the fisherman that made a fool of everyone else. [Instructor.] Raon used cier to send an aura message to Rimmer. It was even more secretive than Rimmer¡¯s message. [Oh, yes! My Raon! You can finally hear what I¡¯m saying!] [You used me for a bet, right?] [¡­¡­] Rimmer¡¯s continuous rambling stopped for the first time. [Th-There¡¯s no way I would do that. Why would I ever gamble¡­?] [I already know you did, so if you are going to be dishonest, I¡¯ll join the White Lotus.] [I-I did. I did! I¡¯m sorry¡­] [It¡¯s okay if you did. But can I guess that you aren¡¯t intending to keep all the rewards to yourself?] [¡­¡­] His voice stopped for the second time. [You know¡­ I need a lot of money to run an organization. Moreover, since we are only getting started, we need to spend a lot¡­] [I¡¯m sure the head of house gave you enough money, since he urately deals with that kind of thing. Shall I try asking him?] [No! Don¡¯t do that! Please don¡¯t do that!] Rimmer violently shook his head. Judging from what he was doing, Raon was sure that he already used some of the money Glenn gave him for the bet. ¡°Raon Zieghart. I understand your contemtion, but it¡¯s about time you decide.¡± The host raised his hand to hurry him up. ¡°One, two¡­¡± Once he started counting, Rimmer felt anxious and raised his voice. [R-Raon! We don¡¯t have much time left!] [Just give me half.] [I-If I give the half, then it doesn¡¯t leave much¡­] [Then you can lose everything. I¡¯m going to join the Void Sword, led by Serena.] ¡°Three¡­¡± [R-Raon! I turned you into the man of legend!] [I don¡¯t know whether that has any significance at all, but thank you, I guess.] Honestly, it was meaningless since he wasn¡¯t really interested in bing the head of house. [It¡¯s super important, kid! It''s a legend! LEGEND¡­!] [Legend and payment are two separate matters.] ¡°Four¡­¡± Raon turned his head to the rightpletely when the host called out the number four. [F-Fine! Half! I¡¯ll give you half! You nasty bastard!] [Very well.] ¡°Fiv¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision.¡± Raon bowed at the people on the tform to express his gratitude, then looked at Rimmer. ¡°I¡¯m going to join the Light Wind Squad.¡± ¡°Light Wind Squad! Raon Zieghart, who has been chosen by every leader on the tform, decided to join the Light Wind Squad! Please send a round of apuse, everyone!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young Master!¡± The first cheers came from the direction of the annex building¡¯s members. They were just happy about safely getting through the Selection Ceremony, not caring about the legend. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°I was freaking out because I thought you weren¡¯t going to join us!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get along in the future as well!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you!¡± The swordsmen that joined the Light Wind with him also apuded and cheered for him while patting his shoulder. ¡°The swordsmen that have decided on their affiliation shall salute the tform with their swords!¡± Raon and the novice swordsmen drew their swords. They saluted by cing the des, reflecting the sunlight, in front of their chests. Raon met Glenn¡¯s eyes over the de. He looked like he was having fun, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. ¡®Is he actually smiling right now?¡¯ Because that didn¡¯t make any sense, Raon closed his eyes and opened them again. And of course, his expression didn¡¯t change at all from his initial cold expression. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he kept hallucinating. ¡°This concludes the Selection Ceremony. Good job, everyone.¡± Raon bowed at the spectators and looked around at the previous trainees of the fifth training ground. They were mostly happy, but Burren was the only one who looked like he lost everything, with his head hanging down. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon looked on the tform once again. Despite being his father, Karoon didn¡¯t even care about his dejected son. He just kept ring at Raon and Rimmer. It didn¡¯t look like he refused him because he was trying to give Burren a trial¡ªhe just seemed to seriously dislike him. ¡®It might be better this way.¡¯ It was way better for him to realize what kind of person Karoon was right now, and ovee it instead of being betrayed by himter on. Raon stroked the golden embroidery thread Burren gave him and turned around. He walked up to Burren, who was biting his lips, and tapped him on the shoulder. Facing his wavering eyes, he spoke in a low voice. ¡°As your objective, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± * * * * * * The audience chamber inside the lord¡¯s manor had an unusual atmosphere. Glenn¡¯s mouth was curved into a light smile, and Rimmer¡¯s scowl looked like he ate shit. ¡°That was fun.¡± Glenn raised his chin slightly, his smile deepening. ¡°You were made a fool of by Raon after making fun of all the leaders on the tform. I couldn¡¯t suppress myughter.¡± He was aware of everything that happened. He apparently heard the aura messages between Raon and Rimmer. ¡°How could that bastard repay a favor like this¡­?¡± ¡°I already had this impression, but he has no desire to be the head of house.¡± ¡°What? How is that possible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. He really doesn¡¯t want to be the head. The only objective he has is to restore Sylvia¡¯s rank to the direct line.¡± Glenn slowly closed his eyes in satisfaction. He could remember the way Raon confidently dered that he would restore Sylvia¡¯s position. A smile automatically appeared on his face. ¡°Then why does he do this to me, despite being such a kind-hearted boy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural, since you used him for your gambling. You should be d that he only took half.¡± ¡°He¡¯s so perceptive. How did he even find out about my bet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too obvious. The same way a dung fly wouldn¡¯t fly past dung.¡± ¡°D-Dung fly? How could you treat the leader of the Light Wind like that?¡±¡± ¡°It would be fun if the squad leader of Light Wind got beaten up like the wind.¡± ¡°Please, no. I¡¯m a dung fly!¡± As soon as Glenn raised his hand, Rimmer bowed deeply and rubbed his hands like a fly. ¡°By the way¡­ What shall we do about Burren?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes sank into darkness, as if they had been covered in mud. Despite Burren¡¯s impudence, he was still his precious student. Rimmer couldn¡¯t help but worry about him, since he was the only one that didn¡¯t decide on an affiliation. The reason he made fun of Karoon more than he needed was because he saw Burren¡¯s depressed appearance. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Karoon to t out refuse him when he grew up in terms of might, willpower, and personality.¡± ¡°He became narrow-minded, probably because he was influenced a lot by me back in the days I was crazy. However, the selection of swordsmen is his own right. I can¡¯t really control that.¡± He was right. Even though he was the head of house, he couldn¡¯t force an undesired swordsman under the division leaders. And even if he could, that would only make Burren seem more pathetic. ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°You shall bring Burren with you. I¡¯m sure he will properly fit into the Light Wind with his changed personality.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not really a babysitter¡­¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll do my best to cure Burren¡¯s wounds!¡± As soon as Glenn clicked his tongue, Rimmer nodded in agreement. ¡°By the way, you were apparently serious about making Raon into the head of house.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sure everyone more or less got the impression that Raon could be the head. This will be more helpful for him in the future, more than any status or achievement.¡± ¡°It should. However, more people will try to keep him in check, just like they did with me.¡± Glenn¡¯s thoughtful eyes turned cold. Just like Raon, he was also chosen by all the leaders, and his life was endangered countless times because of the people trying to keep him in check after that. ¡°He isn¡¯t qualified to be the head if he can¡¯t survive through that. And¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes lit up in anticipation. ¡°He is extremely skilled at getting past crises. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t disappoint us.¡± ¡°Hmm, we will see about that.¡± Glenn replied bluntly, but his voice contained as much kindness as Rimmer¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, then.¡± ¡°So, you are going to the gambling house. You are getting money there to head over to the casino next.¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s no way I would do that. I¡¯m going to rest for a bit since I¡¯m too tired from preparing for the Selection Ceremony.¡± Rimmer bowed and turned around with an indifferent expression on his face. He wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead and breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡®Both the grandfather and grandson are too perceptive!¡¯ * * * After the Selection Ceremony, Raon didn¡¯t return to the annex building. Instead, he went to Main Street, in Zieghart¡¯s southern district. He settled in the old butrgest pub and hid his presence to an ordinary person¡¯s level. ¡°Did you hear that news? Raon Zieghart apparently recreated the legend in the Selection Ceremony!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t just hear about it, I saw it myself! It was a great sight to behold when all the leaders raised their hands to recruit him. I won¡¯t be able to forget it for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°Aww, I should¡¯ve been there!¡± ¡°Does that mean Raon¡¯s going to be the next head of house?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s just a legend. We never know what¡¯s actually going to happen.¡± ¡°I guess he is a lot younger than the other head candidates.¡± ¡°But he is overflowing with potential. He is Zieghart¡¯s unprecedented Zieghart, who became the highest rank Expert at the age of seventeen!¡± ¡°There are rumors that he will be a Master soon, so the legend might be reality. A coteral bing the head of House Zieghart, that¡¯s such a nice story.¡± Having everyone inside the pub talk about him in anticipation didn¡¯t feel that bad. Honestly, it was a pleasant feeling. ¡°But what happened to the bet? Did anyone manage to predict that Raon would join the Light Wind?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one person that predicted he would join a third-party organization, although he didn¡¯t specifically mention the Light Wind.¡± ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a middle-aged man that loses money from time to time, but he hit a huge jackpot this time. The ratings are huge.¡± Once they mentioned the bet, Raon realized that he came to the right ce. Hmm? Isn¡¯t that a mistake? That shitty-ears has red hair. ¡®Instructor Rimmer is involved with the contents of the bet. Of course he wouldn¡¯t use his original appearance when he ced his bet. He disguised himself.¡¯ Rimmer was the squad leader, who was pretty much the main party involved in the bet. Many people would haveined if he had directly participated in the bet, so he must¡¯ve disguised himself beforehand. That¡¯s really perceptive of you. ¡®I have been with Instructor Rimmer for a while now, after all.¡¯ Raon snickered and waited for Rimmer¡¯s appearance. After wasting about thirty minutes, the door opened from the inside of the pub and a blue-haired middle-aged man entered the room, carrying arge bag. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°How much did you even win?¡± ¡°When am I ever going to make that much money? I¡¯m so jealous.¡± ¡°Have a nice life, see you never!¡± The people inside the pub sent up a round of apuse and cheered for the blue-haired middle-aged man. ¡°Since I¡¯m in a good mood, I¡¯ll buy liquor for everyone!¡± The middle-aged man responded to the cheers by cing a pile of gold coins on the counter before leaving. ¡°Hell yeaaaah!¡± ¡°He knows how to spend money!¡± ¡°See youter!¡± ¡°Buy a round again next time!¡± Since it was Zieghart¡¯s domain, with good public order, no one was trying to steal the money. Everyone was just enjoying the free liquor and side dishes. Except for one person. Raon smiled slightly and followed the middle-aged man. ¡°Hum hum!¡± The blue-haired middle-aged man was walking towards the center of the main street while humming pleasantly. Judging from the direction, it looked like he was going to the casino. Whir. Raon controlled the density of his aura to maintain his assassin technique, changing his presence to keep following him. He kept stalking him for a while, and the middle-aged man finally stopped, annoyed at being chased. ¡°Some stupid people are still trying to steal. It¡¯s annoying, soe out and fight¡­ gasp!¡± When he turned around, Raon removed the hood he was wearing. ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± The middle-aged man whistled and rolled his eyes. He couldn¡¯t hide his expression at all. That¡¯s why he kept losing money while gambling¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s stop joking around, Instructor. I mean, squad leader.¡± ¡°Argh, how did you even find out? Or rather, how did you even follow me?¡± The middle-aged man ground his teeth and ced his hand on his face. The face of an average middle-aged man disappeared, and Rimmer¡¯s astonished face appeared. ¡°You told me before that you make bets over there.¡± Raon pointed at the pub that was now far away. When they ate with the sixth training ground trainees in the past, Rimmer told him that he sometimes gambled at that ce. ¡°That¡¯s why I was waiting for you, since I¡¯d obviously be noticed if I followed you from the house.¡± ¡°Damn it! It¡¯s my stupid mouth¡¯s fault!¡± Rimmer screamed and pped his own lips. Shitty ears, the King of Essence understands your feelings. This bastard never forgets what he hears. He¡¯s a monster, a real monster! Wrath ground his teeth at him inpassion. ¡°H-How did you discover my disguise? Are you a tracking dog or something?¡± ¡°It was in obvious, since the squad leader was the only person that bet on a new organization. And¡­¡± Raon pointed at Rimmer¡¯s energy center. ¡°You can¡¯t hide the sensation of a refreshing wind moving inside you.¡± ¡°D-Did you actually notice that? But it should hardly be noticeable, even for Masters!¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I have pretty good senses, you know.¡± ¡°Damn it, those supernatural senses again!¡± He screamed while pulling his hair. ¡°I got it, but why are you here then? I told you I¡¯d give you half. You could¡¯ve just waited for me!¡± ¡°Over there.¡± Raon pointed at the casino that Rimmer was heading towards. ¡°I figured you might try some stupid stuff like increasing the amount over there before handing it over. That¡¯s why I came to find you.¡± ¡°N-No one would be crazy enough to do that!¡± Rimmerughed in an unusually awkward manner. ¡®He¡¯s too quick on his toes!¡¯ The grandfather and grandson alike, they were reading his mind too easily! He felt like he would go bald because of them. ¡°Please, give me half right now.¡± ¡°Err, if I used it to win before giving it to you, it would be magically duplicated, then duplicated, and duplicated again¡­¡± ¡°Half. Right now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer gulped down his tears and gave him half of the gold inside the bag. ¡°I¡¯m not going to keep it for myself. I¡¯ll use it as a public fund for the Light Wind, since I think there¡¯s more than the squad leader¡¯s money in this.¡± Raon sighed while looking at the gold. Judging from the number of coins, he must¡¯ve used the funds he received to establish the squad. If he¡¯d left everything to Rimmer, he would¡¯ve spent it all in a single day. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Rimmer sighed nkly. It looked like he had given up. He¡¯d believed Raon was just an excellent swordsman, but he was actually even more sly and meticulous than Glenn. ¡°I-It looks like I made a great choice by appointing you as the vice-squad leader. I feel so reassured!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay extra attention in the future when serving the squad leader, so that he won¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± Chills ran down Rimmer¡¯s spine at the sight of Raon¡¯s cold smile. ¡®I feel like I dug my own grave¡­¡¯ Chapter 166 At daybreak, Raon packed light and left the annex building. He headed towards the fifth training ground like always, since the Light Wind could use the same training ground they used during their trainee period. It was all because of Glenn¡¯s consideration of the trainees. Ahem. You are still moving so early in the morning. Wrath yawned hard to exhale coldness, even colder than the air at daybreak. I don¡¯t mind you training, but can¡¯t you take breakfast at least? ¡®I can eat at the training ground.¡¯ But the food isn¡¯t delicious over there. The annex building has the most delicious and fresh food. He wasn¡¯t wrong about that. The annex building had delicious new meals every day, thanks to improving Yua and Helen¡¯s cooking skills, but the fifth training ground¡¯s typical meal wasn¡¯t exactly delicious. That was because they reduced the saltiness, sweetness, and spiciness of the food for the sake of training. ¡®This is better for training.¡¯ Filling the stomach was all he asked for when it came to food while he trained, since delicacies could be left for other times. He had to quickly get stronger to decrease the list of things he needed to do, so he didn¡¯t have time to savor the taste of food. How pathetic. Wrath clicked his tongue and tilted his chin. You don¡¯t know anything about recreation. You are nothing but an idiot for training, one that is clueless about romance. ¡®Since I¡¯m clueless about romance, I¡¯m fine with eating nothing but Nadine bread from now on.¡¯ N-Nadine bread? His eyes widened in agitation. The tasteless Nadine bread, with its smooth texture that was only good for filling the stomach, was pretty much Wrath¡¯s natural enemy. A-Are you trying to threaten the King of Essence right now? ¡®I¡¯m not threatening you. I¡¯m just doing what feelsfortable for me, since I can¡¯t feel romance.¡¯ How a mere human dares to threaten the monarch of Devildom! A frightening amount of coldness filled Raon¡¯s body. The emotion of wrath that Wrath had given him before ripped through the emotional rift to burn his soul from various locations. Rumble! The coldness and wrath became even stronger than before, stopping his steps. His limbs trembled from the tremendous amount of energy crushing the wall and assaulting him. The King of Essence grows stronger, just like you do. You¡¯ll learn your lesson if you act up¡­ ¡®You¡¯re wrong about that one.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist to stop his hand from trembling. What? ¡®I grew up more than you did.¡¯ He resonated his Ring of Fire. The clear resonance between the six rings of fire crushed the wrath, and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier ripped apart the coldness dashing through his mana circuit. Keuh! Not yet! This is not the true power of the King of Essence! Wrath didn¡¯t give up, intensifying his coldness and wrath. Believing in the 25 points of wrath engraved in Raon¡¯s soul, he dropped the coldness on him like rain. Rumble! It was definitely not easy to endure 25 points of wrath, but he used the Ring of Fire that had leveled up even more to suppress the spiteful energy. He started walking again. Upon reaching the training ground while fighting against Wrath, messages appeared in front of his eyes. As soon as the messages appeared, Wrath screamed and fell apart. Daaamn it! He kept iling in the air, unable to acknowledge his defeat. ¡®I like stamina.¡¯ Raon closed the message and nodded. He smiled unconsciously at getting free stats from Wrath for the first time in a while. ¡®Since I won, I¡¯m only going to eat one Nadine bread per meal from now on.¡¯ W-Wait! Wait a moment! He flew like the wind and sat on his shoulder. I-It was the King of Essence¡¯s mistake! You should starve instead! Anything but that bread! Food that¡¯s only good for filling the stomach is pretty much a sin! Wrath¡¯s body convulsed violently. ¡®You¡¯d better behave, since I¡¯ll keep eating Nadine bread for a month if you act up again.¡¯ Keuh. The King of Essence wouldn¡¯t have lost to your evil plots if he wasn¡¯t a gourmet. Having a noble soul is a sin¡­ ¡®You should call yourself glutton instead of gourmet.¡¯ Raon corrected him, then opened the training ground¡¯s door. ¡°Huh?¡± He thought that no one would be there, but the trainees¡ªor, rather, the Light Wind swordsmen¡ªwere already gathered. ¡°Young master!¡± Dorian, who was eating snacks from his belly pocket, ran up to him with a smile. ¡°You arete.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s you all that arrived early, though?¡± The fifth training ground usually didn¡¯t have anyone there at that hour. ¡°Raon, you arete.¡± Even Runaan, who slept a lot in the morning, was already there. She walked up to him while rubbing her eyes, then grabbed his sleeve. ¡°Hmph.¡± Raon looked aside at the sound of familiar snorting, spotting Martha as she was leaning against a tree. Every single member of the Light Wind was already in the training ground, making up to thirty-three people when you included himself and Martha. ¡°Why is everyone here so early?¡± ¡°Because we are having the inauguration ceremony today!¡± ¡°I was too excited to sleep, since the legend of Light Wind was going to start today!¡± ¡°Aww, I finally became a real swordsman.¡± The Light Wind members clenched their fists and smiled in anticipation for the future. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips, meeting the excited gazes of the members. ¡®You will be disappointed if you expect too much.¡¯ He was sure of it after seeing Rimmer the day before. Rimmer hadn¡¯t changed at all. The kids were probably thinking that Rimmer must¡¯ve changed since he had be a squad leader, but that was a huge mistake. ¡°You should do some personal training until the squad leader arrives, then.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The Light Wind members smiled brightly and spread throughout the training ground to begin training. The chattering that could be heard asionally was filled with anticipation for the future missions and achievements. ¡°Yawn¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After seeing Runaan yawn and Martha look sharply at the sky, Raon went to an empty spot. ¡®I shall begin as well.¡¯ He drew his training sword and used the Star Connecting Sword. The trajectory was already as familiar as breathing, but its power surpassed that of an advanced swordsmanship thanks to the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation leveling up. Whaam! The Star Connecting Sword that rushed like a glorious river grew fierce. Despite having the same continuous flow, its power and speed were iparable to before. Rumble! The aura wave spreading from the blunt training de resonated throughout the fifth training ground. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°I-Is that really the Star Connecting Sword?¡± ¡°I learned the same technique, but why is there such a difference?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s crazy. That¡¯s pretty much the highest rank in swordsmanship.¡± ¡°People said the swordsmanship¡¯s rank depends on the user. Is talent what matters in the end¡­?¡± The swordsmen admired Raon¡¯s Star Connecting Sword, which was affecting the entire training ground. Although they could use those techniques with their eyes closed, its overwhelming wave looked like an absolute technique that they¡¯d never seen before when Raon was the one that used it. ¡°You are talking like idiots again.¡± Martha narrowed her eyes, looking at Raon¡¯s energy as it soared into the sky. ¡°While you guys pursued a more advanced swordsmanship, he just kept training that Star Connecting Sword. It¡¯s more like the difference in the amount of training than the difference in talent.¡± She murmured ¡®I also used to be an idiot¡¯ to herself in the end, then drew her training sword. ¡°Wow.¡± Runaan¡¯s purple eyes were shining, trying to catch every single move of Raon¡¯s de. ¡°Hmm, you haven¡¯t changed.¡± Dorian nodded, eating snacks instead of training. The swordsmen were waiting for the squad leader Rimmer, while spending time on their own way, but he didn¡¯t appear at the appointed time. ¡°Ahaha! S-Since it¡¯s the first day¡­¡± ¡°I know, right? There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be toote after such a nice speech.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s believe that the squad leader changed.¡± The swordsmen said that and waited for another hour, but Rimmer couldn¡¯t be found anywhere in the training ground. ¡°H-He¡¯sing soon, right? Probably?¡± ¡°That bastard¡ªI mean, elf¡ªis going toe if he has a conscience!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he has changed after luring us in with such nice words.¡± As the swordsmen were suppressing their anger and grinding their teeth, the training ground doors creaked open. ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Squad leader!¡± ¡°You are toot¡­ Huh?¡± They stopped running towards him midway, their jaws dropping. The red-haired elf that had looked so morous just a day ago now lookedpletely dry, as if he had grown at least 100 years older. ¡°Wh-What even happened to you¡­?¡± ¡°Squad leader! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Gasp! Squad leader!¡± The swordsmen¡¯s lips trembled as they supported the faltering Rimmer. ¡°H-Hello¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s spiritless eyes were spacing out, his arms iling like reeds. * * * * * * ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue at the sight of him. ¡®He lost everything.¡¯ It was obvious what had happened just from looking at his expression. He must¡¯ve gone to the casino to increase the money he had left, just to end up losing everything. That was the only way to exin how he had be sopletely broken. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that I took it away from him yesterday.¡¯ If he hadn¡¯t taken the other half, the money that should¡¯ve belonged to him would¡¯ve turned into nothing. That would¡¯ve been truly terrible. ¡®Now I¡¯m wondering who is in that casino.¡¯ Although Rimmer couldn¡¯t hide his expression, he had sharp eyes, and he had a sly and sneaky personality. He was curious about who was winning against him every single time. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer went to the center of the tform and sighed deeply. ¡°Th-The Light Wind¡¯s inauguration ceremony is s-starting. Our objective is my money. The honor that no one has achieved before and my money. From now on, you will get achievements and my money¡­¡± A strange word kept intruding into the inauguration speech, which should¡¯ve been dignified and magnificent. Judging from Rimmer¡¯s expression, he was unconsciously saying it. ¡°Is the objective his money?¡± ¡°Honor and his money?¡± ¡°Achievement and his money?¡± ¡°That guy, no way¡­¡± The Light Wind members finally realized what was going on and their faces stiffened. ¡°Damn it¡­ Why did I join this?¡± Martha bit her lip and red at Rimmer. ¡°Yawn.¡± Runaan just yawned indifferently and blinked her eyes. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how the Light Wind is going to run.¡± It looked like Rimmer finally managed to snap out of it, since he wasn¡¯t saying ¡®my money¡¯ anymore. However, his face turned even more pale than before. ¡°So¡­ Since we have thirty-three members in total, we will split into three groups. The first team¡¯s leader is Martha Zieghart, and the second team¡¯s leader is Runaan Sullion. I¡¯ll leave the third team¡¯s leader spot empty for now, and Raon Zieghart willmand the members as the vice-squad leader. You shall treat him with respect in official events from now on.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll assign the teams now. The first team will be Setrai, Yanden¡­¡± Rimmer sounded like he was dying as he called the names of every single member. ¡°Who is going to fill the vacant third team leader spot?¡± ¡°It¡¯s reserved for the foolish guy that is going to join soon.¡± Since everyone knew who he was talking about, they just nodded. ¡°I''ll tell you about your first mission with the Light Wind. From today onward, you shall¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips and examined the swordsmen below the tform. They were waiting for him to continue, swallowing hard. ¡°Rest.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°R-Rest?¡± ¡°Are we really resting when the squad has just been created? What do you mean?¡± Because what Rimmer told them wasn¡¯t to rest for the time being, but just to t out rest, the eyes of the swordsmen widened as they jumped at him. ¡°What else would it mean? It means that you will rest.¡± Rimmer shook his head with cloudy eyes that had lost half of his soul. He still couldn¡¯t get over the shock of losing all his money. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes at the sight of him. ¡®It¡¯s rather inconvenient to not have him here.¡¯ Things were getting annoying because Burren, who should¡¯ve been grabbing Rimmer by his cor, wasn''t there anymore. It was surprising how he came to miss Burren. That¡¯s how the world works. You don¡¯t know how precious someone is until they¡¯re gone. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Since it was unbelievable that Wrath had just said that, Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at the bracelet. Actually, not having those shitty eyes around isn¡¯t exactly a big deal, but the world is pretty much drowning in sorrow because the great King of Essence has disappeared. The world might even end soon enough¡­ Raon thought he was saying something nice for once, but he was just bragging about himself. However, Wrath said ¡®world¡¯ this time, instead of Devildom. It looked like something happened to the demon kings of Devildom¡ªtaking into ount what happened with Sloth, as well. ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore. Do whatever you want.¡± Rimmerid down on the tform and exposed his belly. ¡°Arrgh!¡± ¡°You damn elf¡­¡± ¡°Why did I even do that?!¡± Their clenched fists were trembling as they looked at Rimmer¡¯s nk eyes. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and walked up to Rimmer. ¡°By rest, you mean that we are going to have a mission soon enough, so we should prepare ourselves, right? ¡°Yes, right. That¡¯s what I meant. I knew the vice-leader would understand me.¡± Rimmer nodded nkly. ¡°I¡¯ll trante the squad leader¡¯s statement. Rest doesn¡¯t mean that you should just rest. He¡¯s telling you to prepare yourselves for the uing mission. We should decide on the signal to use between us, as well as readjust our strategies and tactics, such as sword formations.¡± The swordsmen took a step back at hearing Raon¡¯s voice. ¡°But what¡¯s wrong with the squad leader?¡± ¡°Is he sick or something?¡± ¡°The squad leader lost money yesterday at the casino¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Stop!¡± As Raon started to tell them the truth, Rimmer grabbed his shoulder. His face was still pale, but his hand was still powerful. ¡°S-Strange rumors can spread if you misspeak, so please be more careful about it¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded, then looked at the swordsmen once again. ¡°The squad leader lost his ¡®entire fortune¡¯ at the casino yesterday, which is why he is in a bad condition today. I¡¯ll takemand for now. We will start with the basic signals. Change yourselves into your training outfits, thene back here.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I knew it¡­¡± ¡°I guess he¡¯s been mild recently.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± The swordsmen threw scornful nces at Rimmer, who was hiding behind Raon, before heading to the changing room. ¡°Squad leader.¡± Raon turned around and bowed slightly at Rimmer. ¡°In order to avoid strange rumors from spreading by misspeaking, I spoke honestly about the entire truth.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± His jaw dropped to the ground in amazement. ¡°B-But how did you find out about the fact that I lost everything in the casino yesterday? You left before me, right?¡± ¡°A dung fly wouldn¡¯t just pass by dung. It¡¯s obvious.¡± ¡°Who are you calling a dung fly?¡± Rimmer¡¯s shoulders trembled furiously. Dung fly was the exact same thing that Glenn had called himst time. ¡®Y-You damn inhuman grandfather and grandson, you are forming a duo!¡¯ * * * There was a separate building to the west of the Central Martial Pce. Although it had been dusty for a long time because no one had been around to manage it, people were visiting it for once. ¡°It¡¯s been a really long time since we¡¯ve been here.¡± The butler, Tias¡ªwho had been raising Burren instead of Karoon since he was a child¡ªsmiled gently while cleaning the firece. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren didn¡¯t say anything, just staring at the pir to his right. There was a child¡¯s graffiti under the pir. It was a drawing of a man, a woman, and a small boy holding hands with each other. ¡°That drawing¡­¡± Tias narrowed his eyes. It was the graffiti Burren had made in his childhood, and it was the ideal family that he had imagined in the past. Burren caressed the graffiti, his eyespletely different from those of the smiling boy in the drawing. The pigment¡¯s particles, smeared with dust, bitterly fell from the graffiti. The boy inside the drawing disappeared at some point, and the man and woman¡ªwho weren¡¯t holding hands anymore¡ªwere the only ones remaining. ¡°Tias.¡± Burren raised his head. His green eyes, which usually looked as warm as the wind, had turned as gloomy as ash. ¡°I want to be alone. You should return and rest.¡± He spoke, then entered thepletely dark room without even cleaning or lighting the room. ¡°Young master¡­¡± Tias bit his lip. He¡¯d been watching over him since childhood, but it was his first time witnessing such emptiness in his eyes. He looked like he had lost his goal in life. ¡®It¡¯s even worse than when he lost to the young master Raon back then.¡¯ He became even more passionate back then, as he said that he would take revenge, but now his eyes lookedpletely dead¡ªlike burned-out firewood. ¡®There are neen days remaining.¡¯ A novice swordsman that wasn¡¯t chosen during the Selection Ceremony had twenty days to decide on their affiliation after the ceremony. ¡®We don¡¯t have much time.¡¯ He wanted Burren to ovee his current emotions by himself, but that might prove difficult, since being acknowledged by Karoon was his primary goal in life. ¡®I have to ask for help if he can¡¯t ovee it by himself.¡¯ He was unable to make Burren stand. There was only one person that had the ability to do that. ¡®Even if it takes my life¡­¡¯ Tias made his decision and kept cleaning up the separate building. * * * One week had passed since the Selection Ceremony. Raon had renovated the hand signal system between the swordsmen and adjusted the sword formation¡¯s stability for thirty-three people to fight together in the meantime. Since the swordsmen also realized that the time for the real mission was approaching, they added fresh fuel to the group training and personal training. m! As Raon and the swordsmen were taking a rest after daybreak training, the training ground¡¯s door burst open. It was Rimmer¡¯s doing. Not only had he arrived on time, but he was also wearing a stylish ck and red uniform as he walked up onto the tform. ¡°It¡¯s nice and boring, since the guy that keeps picking a fight with me every single time isn¡¯t here anymore.¡± Rimmer licked his lips, looking at the door that was shaking so hard it looked like it would break. Since the Light Wind members were aware of who he was talking about, their expressions turned slightly grim. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not here to talk about that.¡± With his signature hand p, he gathered the swordsmen¡¯s attention. ¡°Since the hand signals and sword formations are pretty muchplete, you shall start making personal preparations.¡± ¡°Personal preparations?¡± ¡°We are training every day, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Rimmer shook his head intensely. ¡°What I mean is that you should get your personal equipment as Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen, rather than using low-quality supplies. You should start using your personal swords and uniforms.¡± He smoothed down the Zieghart uniform that he was wearing. ¡°First of all, the uniform is custom made. You should personally visit the Dazzling Radiance Squad to ce your order. The first order is free, so include as many options as you can.¡± Rimmer tapped on the second sword around his waist. It was the noted sword he used to y the Blood Raving Demon, rather than the supply sword that he usually used. ¡°Same goes for your swords. If you have a sword that you were gifted or inherited, but you couldn¡¯t use so far, you can use that one. Otherwise, you can make a new one. Use your own means to prepare it during the remaining waiting period.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind members¡¯ majestic response echoed throughout the training ground. ¡°I can finally use my Dark Phoenix.¡± ¡°Haa, I¡¯m so excited that I can fight with the Cloudy de of Brilliance.¡± ¡°My main weapon, Super Genocider, wants to taste blood¡­¡± Apparently, most of the swordsmen already had a weapon in mind, since they were grinning while calling their swords by stupid names. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Come this way, vice-squad leader.¡± As Raon was pondering about how to make his uniform, Rimmer gestured at him with his hand. ¡°Someone has contacted you.¡± ¡°Who would that¡­?¡± ¡°That old man asked me to bring you to him.¡± One person came to Raon¡¯s mind after Rimmer mentioned an old man. That stubborn old man Vulcan, who was staying next to the extremely hot kiln while he learned the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Raon remembered the sublime eyes of the man that had reached the peak of cksmithing. ¡°Are you talking about Sir Vulcan?¡± ¡°Yes, that old man.¡± Rimmer smiled gently and nodded. ¡°He said it was time to keep his promise.¡± Chapter 167 Raon looked at the distant North Grave Mountain. His red eyes saw not the present, but the day he met Vulcan for the first time¡ªat the charcoal kiln, after he followed Rimmer. ¡®I was able to learn the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation because of him.¡¯ When he was anxious about the fact that he was the only one that was unable to acquire an aura in the fifth training ground, he received hints from his charcoal kiln¡ªallowing him to both learn the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and reach two-stars with it at the same time. Vulcan thanked him back then, as it allowed him to obtain a piece of golden charcoal, but Raon was the one that should¡¯ve thanked him instead. ¡®So, he remembered the promise he made, when he said he¡¯d make me a sword¡­¡¯ Honestly, he couldn¡¯tin even if Vulcan didn¡¯t keep his promise. It was pure coincidence that the golden charcoal had appeared, and Raon had managed to learn the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡ªeven obtaining frost in the process. However, Vulcan contacted him again, not forgetting his promise. Raon fell speechless with the overwhelming feeling of gratitude. ¡°Are you going?¡± Rimmer also looked at the North Grave Mountain and smiled. ¡°I shall.¡± Raon immediately nodded. ¡®I can¡¯t miss such an opportunity.¡¯ The highest-level cksmiths were called the Continent¡¯s cksmiths, or the Great cksmiths. There was no way he would refuse, not when a Continent¡¯s cksmith¡ªwho was supposed to be as skilled as a dwarf¡ªwanted to make him a sword. ¡°It does feel like you will get a rather interesting sword in your current state.¡± Rimmer nced over his eyes, arms, and energy center, then grinned. ¡°Go to the cksmith¡¯s vige then, since the old man is building his body over there.¡± ¡°Building his body?¡± ¡°He needs stamina in order to forge a proper de. He was building his body for your sake. You will be surprised once you reach Mirtan.¡± ¡°Mirtan¡­¡± He¡¯d heard that name before. It was a vige located at the edge of Zieghart¡¯s domain, where many cksmiths crafted nice weapons and equipment with the intense geothermal heat. ¡°By the way, Raon¡­¡± Rimmer rolled his eyes. ¡°You remember who introduced that old man to you, right?¡± ¡°The squad leader did.¡± ¡°Yes! You should never forget that fact. You are going to obtain a sword from a Continent¡¯s cksmith thanks to the great me!¡± He raised his chin, saying that it was all thanks to him. Although Vulcan forging a de for him was thanks to his own efforts rather than Rimmer, Raon didn¡¯t say anything for now. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying that, erm¡­ can you give me a portion¡ªlike, a very small portion¡ªof the gold¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head firmly. ¡°A-Aren¡¯t you being too cold towards me? I¡¯m the squad leader here!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you if you promise you won¡¯t gamble. However, I know there¡¯s no way you would.¡± ¡°I-I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t even go close to a gambling house!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather entrust a cat with a fish. I can¡¯t trust the squad leader.¡± ¡°Sniff, I really won¡¯t go. I just don¡¯t have money to drink¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raonughed bitterly at the sight of Rimmer crying on the ground. He couldn¡¯t believe he was the swordsman called Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon shook his head and took ten gold pieces from his chest pocket, handing them over. ¡°This much should be enough to pay for liquor for a while.¡± ¡°Ooh! It¡¯s enough! It¡¯s totally enough!¡± Rimmer brusquely stood up and epted the gold. Of course, there were no tear marks around his eyes. ¡°Then, see you all after you get your uniforms and swords. I¡¯m leaving first today!¡± He even used footwork to instantly climb the training ground¡¯s wall. ¡°Ah, Raon! Be careful on your way, since Mirtan is also used by people other than Zieghart.¡± Rimmer waved his hand, then hurriedly ran towards the main street. His voice could be heard from far away, saying that he would take his revenge this time. He¡¯s going to gamble and lose everything again. Wrath clicked his tongue, looking at Rimmer¡¯s direction. ¡®That¡¯s obvious.¡¯ Did you give it to him despite knowing that fact? ¡®It was a test.¡¯ A test? ¡®Yes. Since he did that, I¡¯m never going to entrust him with money ever again.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly. Rimmer wasn¡¯t aware yet that what he did just now was going toe back to haunt him to a painful degree. ¡°Raon.¡± Raon turned towards the voiceing from behind him. Runaan was looking up at him with a nk expression. ¡°Are you going to forge your sword?¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Do you also need to forge a sword?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± It was an unexpected answer, since he thought Runaan would receive a sword as a gift from her father, Rokan Sullion. ¡°Father gave me materials to forge a sword. I¡¯ll share with Raon.¡± He remembered her telling him she had a present for him, and it was apparently materials for a sword. ¡°I¡¯m nning to go tomorrow. Is that fine with you?¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s meet here tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan gave a big nod and left the training ground. She was probably going to prepare herself. The ice cream girl looks a lot brighter now. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Runaan was gradually expressing more emotion, probably because she hadn''t seen Syria since that day. Though, other people probably didn¡¯t know about it, since she only did that towards him. ¡®I should get going as well.¡¯ He figured he should order his uniform before leaving to make the sword. Raon went to the Dazzling Radiance alongside the remaining swordsmen at the training ground. * * * * * * ¡°Huhu.¡± Theughing sound was noble and flirtatious at the same time. Raon swallowed nervously as he looked at the middle-aged noblewoman, who wasughing while covering her mouth. ¡®How did this happen?¡¯ He came to the Dazzling Radiance Squad alongside the other swordsmen, but he had gotten separated from them somehow and he ended up alone in the squad leader¡¯s office. They weren¡¯t normal at all, since they put him inside the squad leader¡¯s office without even properly introducing themselves. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet the rumored vice-squad leader of the Light Wind. My name is Siran, the leader of Dazzling Radiance.¡± She bowed elegantly towards him. Apparently, she already knew about him. ¡°Raon from the Light Wind is greeting the leader of Dazzling Radiance.¡± Raon erased his confusion and bowed politely. ¡°This is my first time seeing you up close. I knew people in Zieghart were also famous for their appearance, but it¡¯s my first time meeting someone like Sir Raon. Lady Sylvia was amazing as well, but I¡¯m totally impressed. Huhu.¡± Siran kept eximing while examining Raon¡¯s face from different angles. Her eyes were shining, as if she were looking at a piece of art. It was so embarrassing that he felt like he could die. ¡°¡­I came to have a uniform tailored.¡± Raon figured he wouldn¡¯t be able to return home on the same day if he did nothing, so he took a step back and dered the purpose of his visit. ¡°Ah, of course. I know that, since Sir Rimmer mentioned it. Is there a particr design you would like?¡± Siran pointed her finger at the mannequin behind her. There were a bunch of extremely eye-catching uniforms that felt like the word shy was stered on them. ¡°Rather than shy uniforms like those, I prefer something simple. Instead, I¡¯d like various functions¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, that would be a shame.¡± Siran approached him while licking her lips. ¡°The uniform¡¯s design will be killed by your beautiful face if you wear a simple one. That would be even more regrettable than being killed by a de.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that.¡± ¡°I do, though, as the tailor. An art has to be entuated by another piece of art. If you leave the design to me, I¡¯ll make something that can highlight your features as much as possible!¡± Siran smiled gently while looking like she was dancing as she walked around the room. ¡®Where are all the ordinary people around here?¡¯ He unconsciously sighed. It was seriously difficult to find a normal person in such a strange house. ¡°Haa, alright. Then, please make something shy but still as simple as possible, and as for the functions, please make it light and easy to move in.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t worry about the functionality. We make clothes by knitting Cloud Spirit Threads as tightly as possible so that they can even withstand an aura de multiple times.¡± ¡°Cloud Spirit Thread¡­¡± Cloud Spirit Thread was a rare item made by magically processing the thread made from the moth called the Cloud Spirit in order to maximize the durability of it. Clothes made from that thread were priceless treasures because they could hardly be pierced by a de, and even had resistance against four elements. ¡°But that would be rather expensive, right?¡± ¡°Normally, the Cloud Spirit Thread is only used around the vital areas, but it is used as much as possible on the Light Wind members¡¯ uniforms because Sir Rimmer paid extra. The Cloud Spirit Thread will cover pretty much everywhere.¡± ¡°The squad leader did that?¡± ¡°He said it was a secret, but I figured the vice-squad leader should know about it at least. That¡¯s why I told you about it.¡± Siran winked, to ask him to keep it secret. ¡°I see.¡± Rimmer apparently paid beforehand to ask them to make the highest quality uniforms. Although he was addicted to gambling, he cherished his students even more, for sure. ¡®I really can¡¯t hate him.¡¯ Raon smiled slightly, looking at the ball of Cloud Spirit Thread that Siran took out. ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll take your measurements.¡± Siran walked up to Raon with a measuring tape in her hand. Her face stiffened like tree bark as she touched his arms and legs to measure the length. ¡®What is this?¡¯ The length and density of muscles of his arms and legs were almost in perfect proportion. She had examined the body type of countless people in her line of work, but it was her first time witnessing a body as close to perfection as his since Glenn. The more surprising part was the fact that Raon¡¯s body was still iplete. He almost had the body of a perfect warrior, despite his growth tes being still active. She didn¡¯t believe the rumor that he defeated the warriors from the Central Martial Pce without using his aura before, but it wasn¡¯t impossible at all with the body he had, since he should have a strength and speed that transcended human limits. His might wasn¡¯t the only surprising thing about him. He was controlling his gaze and his aura perfectly. A swordsman as powerful as him at the age of seventeen was unprecedented in Zieghart¡¯s history. ¡®So that legend wasn''t nonsense¡­¡¯ The legend of head of house that was reenacted during the Selection Ceremony. The leader of Dazzling Radiance Siran, who was also one of the important senators, smiled slightly while thinking about the legend of head of house that had been able to witness for the second time. ¡®I might really end up making the lord¡¯s coat for this boy.¡¯ * * * The next day at daybreak, Raon arrived at the fifth training ground earlier than the day before. It waspletely empty, unlike the day before. Ahem. Since you won¡¯t be able to eat the annex building¡¯s cooking for a while, how about eating breakfast before you leave? Wrath licked his lips while rubbing his belly. ¡®That¡¯s not a bad idea, but aren¡¯t you interested in looking for new delicacies?¡¯ N-New delicacies? ¡®Yes. Mirtan is quite developed, since there are many people visiting the cksmith vige. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be fun to look for a decent restaurant there?¡¯ Hmm! That¡¯s not bad. I see. Although eating at the annex building right now and looking for a restaurant at Mirtan were twopletely separate ns, Wrath just nodded in agreement. The gluttony demon king disguised as wrath really couldn¡¯t think straight when food was involved. ¡°Then¡­¡± Raon drew his sword, looking at the dim sky, where the sun hadn¡¯t yet risen. Instead of starting with the Star Connecting Sword, Raon returned to the basics and practiced his horizontal sh, vertical sh, and stab, one after the other. sh! The powerful de severed the cold air, disying Raon¡¯s will. The strike¡ªcontaining one of the martial art¡¯s basic principles, speed¡ªmercilessly cut through the empty space. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Since the Star Connecting Sword and River Footwork were both well-bnced techniques, he was able to incorporate speed in them despite not having practiced fast swordsmanship that much. Why have you been working on speed recently? Wrath tilted his head. He found it strange that Raon kept practicing fast swordsmanship whenever he was alone. ¡®I¡¯m looking for a way to use this.¡¯ cier¡¯s aura emerged from Raon¡¯s de. Are you studying a way to utilize cier? ¡®Yes.¡¯ Since he had managed to incorporate power, variety, and illusion with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation in his de, he wanted to try using somethingpletely different with cier, which was speed. Hmm. That is pretty smart. However, do you truly believe that a human being is able to easily utilize cier? Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that he didn¡¯t know his ce. ¡®You told me that the most important part of using cier is my imagination. I figured it would be possible if I keep imagining it in my head.¡¯ Keuh! Damn it! Although Wrath had beenughing at him, he started smacking his mouth, regretting what he said before. ¡®This guy never lies.¡¯ It was Wrath that told him that he could do anything with cier, as long as he could make a proper image. That meant it should also be possible to develop the sword¡¯s characteristics with it. Whir! Once he started using cier, the silver frost gradually covered the ground. Raon returned the emerging coldness to his body. What he needed to draw from cier¡¯s mental image was speed. He desired speed that could even cut through wind, and thrust his sword by using the fastest technique of the Fangs of Insanity, the Fang¡¯s Outburst. Whaam! cier¡¯s coldness, which was dashing through his mana circuit, burst from him¡ªresulting in an extremely quick thrust. However, that wasn¡¯t the main part. The de¡¯s trajectory was connected by a silver line. The powerful and quick strike passed first, and cier¡¯s coldness followed it. It was a mysterious technique that resulted in two consecutive strikes with a single swing. Huh¡­ Even Wrath¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. N-No way! Did you n that? ¡®No, it was a coincidence.¡¯ Raon just wanted to use cier to increase his speed. He never thought about striking twice with it. ¡®Is this because of the skill I used in my previous life?¡¯ It could¡¯ve been because he used Aura Shadow a lot when he was an assassin, which consisted of hiding the aura behind the de. ¡°I should be really helpful if I can use it correctly.¡± Raon smiled slightly, looking at the frosted de and the ice pieces shattered in the air. ¡®I¡¯ll name it Double Strike for now.¡¯ He temporarily named it Double Strike, thinking that he¡¯d give it a proper nameter on. ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan¡¯s voice could be heard from outside the training ground. Her listless voice was probably because she was still half asleep. ¡°Huff.¡± Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to remove the ice pieces in the air, then walked towards Runaan, who was holding a silver box. His face was glowing as beautifully as the rising sun at finding a new path of his development. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 168 In the flower garden of the Wise Martial Pce¡ªled by Denier Zieghart¡ªMartha and Denier were facing each other in the middle of the garden, which was harmoniously decorated with colorful flowers and trees. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Martha hung her head, unable to face Denier¡¯s gaze. ¡°I have no excuses. I ended up joining the Light Wind, even though you called me to the Wise Martial Pce.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Denier smiled slightly, as if he didn¡¯t mind. ¡°I have to understand, since I know your circumstances better than anyone else.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. Are you going to keep doing this, even though you came to visit me for the first time in such a long time?¡± ¡°F-Father.¡± Martha slowly raised her head. Her ck eyes were trembling slightly, despite having usually been gloomy and cold before. ¡°Why is such a beautiful face frowning?¡± Denier patted Martha¡¯s head with a warm smile. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Martha bit her lips, not responding. Denier had epted her and raised her as his own daughter, even though she didn¡¯t have anything. She couldn¡¯t hide her emotions from him. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable that my youngest daughter joined another group, but I understand why you did that, since the Wise Martial Pce will rarely sh against the White Blood Religion.¡± Denier gently looked down into Martha¡¯s eyes. ¡°So, you want to take revenge by yourself.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Martha replied vigorously for the first time. ¡°I want to find my mother with my own hands, and¡­ kill those bastards.¡± ¡°Revenge won¡¯t feel as pleasant and refreshing as you imagine. You will find that you have various thoughts afterwards.¡± ¡°But I still need to do it, no matter what¡ªno matter the cost!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Denier sighed slightly, taking his sword and its sheath from his waist. He then handed it to Martha. ¡°This sword¡¯s name is Azure Cloud. It¡¯s extremely sharp, and it cleanses your mind with anti-demonic energy.¡± ¡°What? Why would you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s your graduation present.¡± ¡°B-But I didn¡¯t even join the Wise Martial Pce¡­¡± Martha¡¯s lips parted. Since Azure Cloud was one of Denier¡¯s most treasured swords, she had never expected him to give it to her. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. This is just a gift from a father to his daughter.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± After handing Azure Cloud to Martha, Denier grasped her trembling shoulder. ¡°Since the Light Wind is a new group, it will take on many reinforcement missions, on top of the standard ones. Since they will all provide you with the experience to increase your level, do your best on each of the missions.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Martha¡¯s eyes were shining as she looked at the sword in her grasp. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly call it the price for giving you the sword, but let¡¯s make a promise.¡± ¡°A promise?¡± She swallowed nervously while looking at Denier¡¯s mouth. She had to ept it, regardless of what he said, if it was the price for the sword. ¡°No matter how busy either of us are, let¡¯s meet each other and have a meal together at least once every six months.¡± ¡°Haa, seriously¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s your answer?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Martha nodded, smiling brightly. It was so radiant that the Light Wind members would have fainted if they had seen it. ¡°And never take your eyes off Raon.¡± Denier took his hand off Martha, looking at the sky. ¡°His prowess and judgment is already equal to a vice-division leader. You will be able to learn much from him, so keep watching him and think about why he makes the moves he does.¡± He was right. Raon slew the Green War Demon at the age of fifteen and defeated the vice-squad leader Holline at the age of seventeen. Watching him made her realize so many things, to the point that the time flew by. ¡°Am I going to be able to catch up to him?¡± Martha looked into Denier¡¯s eyes, sping the hilt of Azure Cloud. She wanted to stand at the same rank as Raon so that she could be proud of herself. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s hardly possible. Although your talent doesn¡¯t lose to the direct line of Zieghart, his talent is the rarest of the rare, even among the direct line. However¡­¡± Denier turned around with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible. Harden your foundation while umting experiences as a swordswoman of Zieghart. Since your rival is right in front of you, you will get the opportunity one day¡ªif you keep improving yourself.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Martha gave him a big nod. Since she had been watching Raon ever since the day she lost, she was confident in observing him. ¡°I¡¯ll never let him go.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t fall in love with him because you¡¯re watching him too much. Even though you aren¡¯t blood rted, you are still family.¡± ¡°F-Father!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a joke. Just a joke.¡± Denier waved his hand, then returned to the Wise Martial Pce. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Martha clenched her fist. Her ears had turned red. * * * Raon and Runaan, who were heading towards Mirtan, were spending their first night in a small, nameless forest. ¡°Runaan, rest here for a bit. I¡¯ll check the surrounding area.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon waved his hand at Runaan, then went to the inner part of the forest. Pineapple girl¡¯s cooking skills are increasing day by day. Now she can make food that remains delicious even after getting cold. Wrath was licking his lips after eating Yua¡¯s special hamburger with pineapple, smi, and ham inside. He had an extremely satisfied expression on his face. The only problem is that the amount is insufficient. I need way more than this to satisfy my THM taste. ¡®THM?¡¯ Being unable to understand that is proof that you aregging behind the times. It means that I can eat Ten Hamburgers Maximum. ¡®What kind of abbreviation is that?¡¯ He sounded like a kid from the neighborhood, rather than a demon king. Raon shook his head and went to an open area, where the trees were rtively separate from each other, and drew his sword. You said you¡¯d check the surrounding area. In the end, are you just training? That¡¯s so boring. ¡®I¡¯ve already scouted with cier.¡¯ He didn¡¯t need to be on alert, since he had already scouted the area with cier. He just wanted to polish the Double Strike that he had practiced at daybreak. ¡®Shall I try using that?¡¯ He detached the speed part of the Star Connecting Sword and the Fangs of Insanity while they moved. Raon swung his sword while reciting the principles that pursued quickness. sh! Thebination between Raon¡¯s powerful body and his new swordsmanship¡ªcreated from the principles of speed¡ªmade his soaring sword twist the darkened night sky. ¡®It¡¯s fast.¡¯ Even though he wasn¡¯t using that much aura, it was fast enough to behead a novice level Expert in an instant. However, that wasn¡¯t the level he was aiming for. Whir! Raon increased cier¡¯s intensity to the extreme and pulled his sword back. cier¡¯s frost, which was dashing through his tightened muscles and mana circuits, exploded as he swung his sword. Whaam! The strike, barely visible with one¡¯s eyes, dashed along the horizon. A fiercely freezing wave of ice followed it, decorating the space. A horizontal waterfall of ice was created in front of Raon from a single strike. It was powerful enough to rip his body apart despite his Water Resistance. ¡°It¡¯s even better than I thought.¡± All he did was to polish the principles of speed that he had reformed, but the speed and power became iparably better than they were that morning. He figured that he could create his own swordsmanship, one that could be used in an actual battle, by continuously developing that technique. ¡®It was worth practicing the basic technique over and over.¡¯ The basic swordsmanship incorporated a shallow amount of most characteristics. He went as far as diving into that shallow water while others were learning more advanced techniques, and that was worth it. ¡®How was it?¡¯ Ahem. Th-That was slightly good. I mean, very slightly! It¡¯s not at a level that could gain the King of Essence¡¯s acknowledgment, but it was as slight as a speck of dirt in the eye! Wrath kept emphasizing the slight part. It looked like he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it. ¡®I guess I should try turning that speck of dirt into a snowball.¡¯ Raon snickered, practicing the new swift sword until he ran out of cier¡¯s frost, before returning to Runaan. ¡°Sorry for beingte. I was trying a new technique.¡± ¡°Mhm, I know.¡± Runaan nodded, showing that she didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t bored because that was interesting.¡± ¡°Did you actually feel it?¡± Raon couldn¡¯t understand how she felt it when Runaan was too far away to sense it at her current level. ¡°I was able to open a new eye in the jungle. I¡¯ll teach Raon about itter.¡± An extremely small smile, barely visible, appeared on her face as she spoke. ¡®A new eye?¡¯ He heard that the residents of Katam jungle, where Runaan stayed for the exam, were able to perceive presences from far away without using aura. That was probably the ability she was talking about. ¡°If you¡¯re done, let¡¯s eat ice cream.¡± She took out the bead ice cream box from her bag, then handed it over to him as if she¡¯d been waiting for it. Ooh! As expected of the first maid of the King of Essence! Wrath checked the ice cream, drooling coldness from his mouth. ¡°You should choose first.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan picked the mint chocte and put it in her mouth. It seemed like she was enjoying it, since her cheeks turned red. Ahem. Sh-She picked mint chocte¡­ Wrath bit his lip, looking at the empty slot where the mint chocte used to be. Th-The King of Essence will overlook this matter because it¡¯s the ice cream girl. If it were anyone else, their head would¡¯ve been smashed already. ¡®Don¡¯t make meugh. You are just getting free treats.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue, then put the new ck and white ice cream in his mouth. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The crispy cookies embedded in the sweet ice cream filled his mouth with two different types of sweetness. Woaah¡­ Wrath was too excited by the new taste, his mouth was open enough for a fly to stroll inside. Is this a trick of the demon god? How could such a taste exist in the human realm? The King of Essence has no regrets, even if he were to die right now! Raon could understand his overreaction for once, since the ice cream actually was tasty enough to enlighten him. ¡°What¡¯s the name of this one?¡± ¡°Cookies and cream.¡± Cookies and cream, huh? That name is engraved in the soul of the King of Essence! Aah, the great¡­ Wrath gathered his hands together and murmured about the cookies and cream ice cream. At that rate, he would probably end up creating a song of praise about it. ¡°And this one.¡± Runaan put the ice cream box back in the bag, then took out a silver box that she¡¯d brought to the training ground. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She opened the box without replying. The pure white lump of radiant metal in the box looked like it was created by rolling the snow at daybreak into a ball. ¡°It¡¯s a steel called Cold Blood.¡± Runaan tapped on the Cold Blood with her finger, then continued. ¡°I heard a sword made from this is extremely beneficial for a swordsman that uses ice. I¡¯ll share it with Raon.¡± ¡°Are you really sharing this with me?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded without any hesitation at all. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I need to repay the favor.¡± The smile on her face was slightly deeper than before. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon eximed. He could tell at a nce that it was an extremely precious treasure, but she was telling him she would share it. She said it was repayment, for no reason or condition he knew of. ¡®What have I even done¡­?¡¯ He already received enough of a reward for making Syria back down. He was grateful for Runaan¡¯s continuous consideration, but he was clueless about how he should react. ¡®It¡¯s difficult.¡¯ Raon lowered his head. The more he learned about the rtionships between human beings, the more difficult it felt. The only thing he knew was the fact that he needed to return as much as he had received. ¡®I need to find out what I can do for her.¡¯ Raon nodded silently, looking at the Cold Blood. * * * * * * Two dayster, Raon and Runaan were looking up from the entrance of Mirtan Vige. Between the uphill roads, which twisted left and right like grape vines, there were plenty of workshops of various shapes; round, angr, or strangely twisted. The ce where smiths, brimming with individuality, were spread out in a disorderly manner was the cksmith vige Mirtan. ¡®It¡¯s not as hot as I expected.¡¯ He had heard that Mirtan was warm despite being located in the north, due to the inactive volcano Skellei right next to it, but there wasn¡¯t much difference from other ces. ¡®There are a lot of people.¡¯ Once he entered the vige, he could asionally see Zieghart swordsmen, and the vige was filled with vigers, merchants, and swordsmen from other ces. ng! ng! ng! He climbed the uphill road that was filled with workshops, and the hammering, the bellows blowing, and the burning sound of the furnace could be heard non-stop. The sight of the artisans working hard, drenched in sweat, was enough to give anyone motivation to live a diligent life. You are going to die if you be any more diligent. ¡®I just feel like I haven¡¯t done my best yet.¡¯ I¡¯m not talking about you. The King of Essence is going to die. Stop training so much! The King of Essence can¡¯t sleep at all! Wrathined with a frown. Apparently, he disliked the fact that Raon kept the night watch to practice his quick sword on the way to Mirtan. ¡°Raon, where are we going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Raon looked around. It was difficult to talk to them, since everyone was extremely focused on their work. As he was wondering who he should try asking, he felt someone¡¯s presence from the right. ¡°Hello?¡± He turned his head, spotting a smiling man with a smoking pipe in his mouth. His skin was brown, probably burnt by fire, but the characteristic stiffness of an artisan didn¡¯t exist in him¡ªhe lookedpletely lighthearted. He was the freest person he¡¯d seen in the vige. ¡°You are looking for a workshop, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded slightly. ¡°Then, do you want my rmendation, since I¡¯m born and bred in Mirtan Vige? I know a talented artisan that only makes masterpieces.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Although Vulcan promised to forge his sword, they hadn¡¯t yet decided on who to request for Runaan¡¯s sword. That was why Raon figured it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to look into them. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Harren.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that name before¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s not that famous yet. But you¡¯d better get acquainted with him while you can, since he¡¯s going to be huge soon.¡± ¡°Hmm, where is he?¡± ¡°Here!¡± He grinned, pointing his thumb towards himself. ¡°I¡¯m Harren, the one that will be the Continent¡¯s cksmith in the future!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon, Runaan, and even Wrath leered at him. ¡°Hey, the pretty swordswoman over there, please don¡¯t look at me like that. Give me a try! Since you have an outstanding aura, you need someone like me to keep up with your level.¡± Harren seemed to have noticed Runaan¡¯s skills, despite her not showing it on the outside. What he said about his skills was notpletely false. ¡®Though, he didn¡¯t notice my abilities.¡¯ Raon snickered, checking the smithy he came from. The fire was extinguished in the furnace, the floor was messy, and spider webs filled the ceiling. ¡°Tsk, no thanks.¡± He clicked his tongue, then left with Runaan. ¡°Hey, wait! You shouldn¡¯t judge from just that! Nob one is more skilled than me around here!¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. The person I¡¯m going to see is definitely more skilled than you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh! Who is it? What¡¯s their name?¡± ¡°Sir Vulcan.¡± ¡°V-Vulcan? Kuhahahaha!¡± Harren held his sides as heughed, rolling on the ground. ¡°Do you really believe that stubborn old man is even going to allow you to see him? He¡¯s done nothing but wait for Zieghart¡¯s head of house for four years now! You won¡¯t even be able to see his face!¡± He bbered that having the door mmed in their face would be the best thing they could get. ¡°Just leave it to me. It will be a bit expensive, but I¡¯ll make you something really great. You will regret it if you miss this opportunity.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need it, so just tell us the location of Sir Vulcan¡¯s workshop.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, that won¡¯t work. That old man didn¡¯t even show his face when the Zetul Kingdom¡¯s royals visited him every day. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d open his door for you.¡± He shook his head, telling him to stop wasting time. ¡°Then, shall we make a bet?¡± ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°I win if we manage to enter Sir Vulcan¡¯s workshop, and you win if we can¡¯t even see his face, just like you said. As for the terms, let¡¯s say the loser has to grant whatever wish the winner asks for.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in obvious, but fine!¡± Harren nodded quickly. Another fool took the bait. Wrath sighed, murmuring that the number of victims had increased. ¡°My terms are simple. I¡¯ll forge that swordswoman¡¯s sword. And I¡¯m the one that gets to choose the materials and the price!¡± Harren pointed at Runaan, who was standing there nkly. The way he was rubbing his hands against each other with a grin made him look exactly like a third-rate thug. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He didn¡¯t want to request Runaan¡¯s sword from someone like him, but he was bound to win the bet. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Runaan immediately nodded, trusting him without even listening to the reason. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon smiled at her, then raised a finger towards Harren. ¡°Approved. I¡¯ll tell you my termster on.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll guide you, let¡¯s go!¡± Harren went ahead and climbed the hill. His confident expression showed that he was certain of his victory. ¡°Hey, Harren! Howe you woke up before the sun set today?¡± ¡°Is the sun going to rise from the west tomorrow, since you aren¡¯t drunk at this hour?¡± ¡°Start working already! Your workshop is rotting, you bastard!¡± The artisans either clicked their tongues at Harren or shouted at him to reform himself. It was enough to prove that he was the ruffian of the vige. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m bringing those fellows to the old man, since they said they can make him meet them.¡± Harren frowned furiously. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. How would they even meet the former vige chief?¡± ¡°Stop wasting time ande to us! I¡¯ll make it cheap for you!¡± ¡°Even the royals that visited ten days in a row didn¡¯t see a strand of his hair. There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll be allowed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pointless!¡± The spectators and artisans all shook their heads, saying that they wouldn¡¯t be able to meet with Vulcan. ¡°You heard them, right? I won¡¯t cancel the bet, even if you ask.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking that, so let¡¯s get going already.¡± ¡°How arrogant¡­¡± Harren pouted, stopping in front of the artisan building on the highest hill of the vige. The hemispherical building looked like an upside-down bowl, and a thick metallic door was tightly shut in the center. ng! ng! ng! The sound of hammering steel, done at a constant speed and strength, could be heard from the inside. The mature sound of hammering resembled an instrumental performance, and it was enough to feel how skilled the artisan was. ¡°Ahem.¡± Harren cleared his throat. Instead of using his previous voice, he raised the tone to another level, shouting with apletely different voice. He was probably trying to hide his identity. ¡°Hey, former vige chief! You have guests! Clients are looking for you!¡± He kept mming the metallic door as if he were trying to break it, but there was no answer from inside. ¡°You have clients! Open the door!¡± ¡°Tsk, just leave! I¡¯m not currently epting clients.¡± Vulcan¡¯s voice could finally be heard from the inside. It was deeper than before, but it was his voice for sure. ¡°See? I told you it was pointless. I¡¯ll take the down payment for now. Give me that box.¡± Harren giggled, extending his hand towards the box Runaan was holding. ¡°I knew that would happen.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not called the Continent¡¯s cksmith for no reason. He¡¯s as stubborn as a mule.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t open the door to royalty. There¡¯s no way he would allow those children inside.¡± ¡°It¡¯s regrettable that the ruffian is getting money.¡± The spectators that followed them clicked their tongues, saying that they knew it would happen. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Raon walked past Harren, who opened his hand, and stood in front of the door. ¡°I told you it¡¯s pointless! Stop bothering the old man ande this way¡­¡± ¡°Sir.¡± Raon continued, thinking about Vulcan¡¯s smile at the North Grave Mountain thest time he¡¯d seen him. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived, after forming an indomitable mind.¡± The continuous sound of hammering stopped at once when he spoke. Rumble! The metallic door, which seemed like it would stay shut until the end of the continent, was pushed wide open as Vulcan made his appearance alongside a powerful heat. His face was still full of wrinkles, but his eyes were brimming with vitality, and his entire body was covered with inted muscles. ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Raon and Vulcan looked at each other¡¯s changed appearance and smiled delightedly. ¡°Huu? Huuu?¡± Harren¡¯s jaw dropped, to the point that his lips seemed like they might tear, as he looked back and forth between Raon and Vulcan. ¡°H-How did this happen? Why did that old mane out?¡± He pinched his cheek in disbelief. ¡°H-He really came out!¡± ¡°Gasp! But he said he would never open the door, not until his real client arrived!¡± ¡°Wh-Who is that young man, for Sir Vulcan to make that expression¡­?¡± The smiles disappeared from the spectators that followed them at once. Everyone gasped in surprise. ¡°What a nd ending.¡± Raon smiled, looking at Harren¡¯s astonished expression. ¡°I won the bet.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± When Harren started to step backward while biting his lip, Vulcan¡¯s eyes turned to look at him. ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Harren stopped like a marite with a broken thread upon hearing that. ¡°You bastard, why are you here instead of working?¡± ¡°I-I was kindly guiding¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense! You must¡¯ve been doing some obnoxious touting, rather than increasing your skills as you should!¡± ¡°F-Father, that¡¯s not what happened!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Considering the fact that he called him father, Harren was apparently Vulcan¡¯s son. Raon was nning on making him run some errands, or getting one of the items he made if there was anything decent, but he was probably going to be useful in different ways if he was Vulcan¡¯s son. ¡®I got another doormat for myself.¡¯ Raon smiled at Harren, who was held by cor by Vulcan. Chapter 169 Vulcan guided Raon and Runaan into his workshop. The interior was filled with the furnace¡¯s heat. It looked like he¡¯d been working continuously before they arrived. ¡°Sit down over there.¡± Vulcan pointed at a small table and chairs in the corner of the workshop. ¡°You should be honored, since this is the first time in two years that people from outside have managed to enter my father''s workshop.¡± Harren sat down next to them and crossed his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t make a mess and stay silent¡­ Huff!¡± Vulcan frowned and started to pull on Harren¡¯s ear. ¡°Argh! Father! Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°You are the noisiest one here. Why are you sitting there when I have clients here? Go bring some tea instead!¡± He mmed Harren¡¯s head with his fist while saying that. ¡°Kuaah! Please use your words!¡± ¡°Words aren¡¯t enough to make you understand.¡± ¡°Haa! I should just leave this stupid house.¡± Harren furiously rubbed the spot on his head that had been hit, then went to the inner part of the workshop. ¡°I apologize for him, just in case he was rude.¡± Vulcan sighed and bobbed his head. ¡°He wasn¡¯t initially that bad, but he became like this after meeting a gambling addict.¡± ¡°Gambling addict?¡± ¡°Yes, that elf bastard you¡¯re well acquainted with.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± Raon and Runaan¡¯s ears pricked when he mentioned the elf. Since he even mentioned gambling, there was only one person that met the criteria. ¡°Wh-What kind of trouble did our squad leader cause¡­?¡± ¡°Squad leader? Did he actually be a squad leader?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Haa, the world is about to end.¡± ¡°What did the squad leader Rimmer even do here?¡± ¡°Rimmer, that bastard¡­¡± Vulcan grit his teeth, looking into the air. ¡°He lost every single time he gambled against my stupid son!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes lost focus. He couldn¡¯t understand what he had just heard. Rimmer didn¡¯t even win against him, he just lost. It didn¡¯t make sense that he was angry at him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Runaan frowned as well, an unusual expression for her. ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± ¡°After winning against Rimmer, that idiot figured he was talented at gambling and threw away his hammer to visit various gambling houses. He lost his entire fortune, and he¡¯s still living as a ruffian because he still hasn¡¯t faced reality.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± He finally understood what Vulcan meant. Because Harren won all of his bets against Rimmer, he had be delusional and thought that he was talented with it¡ªwhich led to him bing addicted. Basically, he¡¯s saying that he misunderstood after winning against the weakest of the weakest. Wrath snorted. ¡®Anyway¡­¡¯ It was honestly not Rimmer¡¯s fault, but troubles always happened when he was involved. It could be said that he always carried misfortune and unhappiness with him. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be so broken up if Rimmer had only lost a few rounds against him. I don¡¯t even understand how he could lose fifteen rounds in a row! And then, he even brought him around to teach him all kinds of bad things!¡± Vulcan clenched his fist in frustration. Raon silently hung his head, since he couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Haa, well. Anyway, that¡¯s now a story of the past.¡± He sighed and gently looked into Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°I heard about it from that gambling addict, but you grew up really well.¡± ¡°Did the squad leader even talk about me?¡± ¡°That damn bastard asked me to lend him some money in return for telling your tales.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon was unable to hold his head straight whenever he heard about Rimmer¡¯s actions. ¡°I-I apologize for him. How much did he borrow?¡± Raon took out his gold pouch with the intention of paying Vulcan back immediately. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that. That amount doesn¡¯t really matter to me. However, you are even better than the stories he told. You¡¯ve transcended half the wall with the aura you¡¯ve umted. I¡¯m extremely pleased that you reached this level in mere five years.¡± Vulcan smiled pleasantly. His frown suggested that he wanted to kill Rimmer whenever they talked about him, but he was smiling whenever Raon was involved. ¡°By the way, who is this other swordswoman?¡± Vulcan looked at Runaan this time. ¡°She¡¯s mypanion. We came here together, since she said she also wants to have a sword forged.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Runaan Sullion.¡± Runaan immediately stood up and bowed. ¡°You have an extremely sharp aura, to the point that it¡¯s cold. As expected of house Sullion. Is Zieghart full of talented people right now?¡± Vulcan admired her pressure upon reading it. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to the current vige chief of Mirtan. I¡¯m sure he will be able to perfectly forge the de you want.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Runaan bowed once again. ¡°Are you going to start forging right away?¡± ¡°I would, but there¡¯s one problem.¡± ¡°And that would be¡­?¡± ¡°The geothermal heat is currently a lot lower than usual around Mirtan Vige. It usually returns to normal within a week, but it¡¯s currently still low despite two weeks having passed.¡± Vulcan tapped the ground with his feet, a frown on his face. ¡®So, that was the reason.¡¯ Even though he was told that Mirtan vige was rtively hot for being located in the north, it was actually only slightly hotter than Zieghart when he arrived. He had thought that was strange, and apparently there was a problem with the geothermal heat. ¡°With low geothermal heat, it¡¯s difficult to meet the temperature even if I use the golden charcoal. I think a problem has urred in Skellei Mountain.¡± ¡°You said you¡¯d ask for help from Zieghart if the heat doesn¡¯t return this week. Just call them already.¡± Harren put down the cup and kettle at the center of the table with a thud, then sat next to them. ¡°Then, shall I try investigating it?¡± Raon spoke, turning his head towards the door to look at Skellei Mountain. ¡°Hmm, then¡­¡± ¡°What? Come on!¡± Harren waved his hand fiercely, even before Vulcan could speak. ¡°This swordswoman might be fine, but someone like you will die immediately upon reaching the mountain. There are plenty of monsters that feed on the heat¡­ Argh!¡± ¡°Are you blind or something?¡± Vulcan sighed at his pathetic demeanor and smacked the back of Harren¡¯s head. ¡°Can you investigate it for us?¡± ¡°Runaan and I should be simr to the support sent from the house.¡± Raon nodded. Since Runaan was also an Expert, she could easily deal with the monsters in the mountain. ¡°Please stop hitting me! Who is this guy for you to do that?¡± ¡°This boy is the future of Zieghart.¡± ¡°What? Heeh?¡± Harren, who was rubbing his head, suddenly stood up from his chair. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s future? W-Wait, then the promise that the old man mentioned¡­¡± ¡°Yes. You mistook my words as referencing the head of house on your own ord, but Raon is the swordsman I made the promise with.¡± ¡°Huh? B-But I can¡¯t feel anything from him. Are you actually telling me this young guy is an advanced Expert?¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve been able to feel it if you weren¡¯t addicted to gambling for the past two years.¡± Vulcan scornfully clicked his tongue. ¡°Argh!¡± Harren bit his lip tightly, unable to say anything. ¡°We¡¯ll get going right away. If we can have a guide¡­¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s something we need to do before that.¡± Vulcan raised his hand to stop Raon from standing up. ¡°To work faster, I need to figure out what material suits you.¡± ¡°Material?¡± ¡°Just as there are many different kinds of swordsmanship, there are many different metals in the world. This is an indispensable task in order to find the metal that suits your aura and nature. Harren! Bring the Golden Shard Stone!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your servant. Why would I¡­ argh!¡± Harren, who was sipping his tea, returned to the inner workshop as soon as Vulcan red. He brought out a rock with a hand mark in the center of it. ¡°This rock contains the metal called the Golden Shard. It¡¯s the king of metals, one that can amplify any kind of energy in the world.¡± ¡°Golden Shard¡­¡± Raon had heard that name before. It was a legendary metal that couldn¡¯t be bought, even if the person had the money for it. ¡°This Golden Shard Stone, made from the Golden Shard, absorbs aura and tells you what kind of metal is best suited for the swordsman. Do you want to try it?¡± ¡°I see it has a fissure. Isn¡¯t it going to break if I imbue it with aura?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, since it will never break.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Before putting his hand on the Golden Shard Stone, he looked to his right. Runaan¡¯s eyes were sparkling in interest for the first time. ¡°Runaan, do you want to try it first?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± He pushed the stone towards her, and Runaan immediately nodded. ¡°Put your hand on the concave part, then push the aura into that gap.¡± Runaan nodded, cing her hand at the center of the rock before inserting her aura. Whir! A faint silver light emerged from the fissure of the Golden Shard Stone, and coldness emanated on the rock. ¡°Hmm.¡± Vulcan¡¯s eyes widened as he tried touching the rock. ¡°Even your aura is special. I haven¡¯t seen ice of such purity in a long time.¡± He scratched his chin, telling Runaan that she could take her hand off now. ¡°The best choice is Cold Blood. If that¡¯s not possible, then there¡¯s Silver Steel, which can take ice¡­¡± ¡°I have Cold Blood.¡± Runaan pushed forward the box she was hugging. ¡°Ohh!¡± Vulcan eximed upon opening the box Runaan gave him. ¡°This size and durability, it¡¯s perfect. It¡¯s superior, even among Cold Blood. A nice sword will be made from this.¡± He nodded in satisfaction after touching the Cold Blood. ¡°Raon, it¡¯s your turn now.¡± ¡°Alright. But¡­¡± Raon looked at Harren before putting his hand on the Golden Shard Stone. He signaled for him to leave with his eyes, but¡­ ¡°What? Is it your first time seeing a handsome person like me?¡± He red back instead, probably because he thought it was a blinking game. ¡°He¡¯s telling you to leave!¡± Vulcan picked up a piece of wood from beside the table and threw it to Harren. ¡°Argh! Seriously, why would aura even be a secret?¡± ¡°Shut up! Just guard the door!¡± ¡°You damn geezer!¡± Even though he wasining, he still went outside the workshop and stood in front of the door. He apparently listened pretty well when he was told. ¡°Although he looks like an idiot, he was originally talented and passionate about smithing. After forging your de, I¡¯m nning on pushing some sense back into him, even if I have to smash his head open.¡± ¡°He does look talented.¡± Managing to notice Runaan¡¯s aura despite ying around so much wasn¡¯t an ordinary ability. Harren must¡¯ve been talented for sure, as expected of Vulcan¡¯s son. ¡°You should get started.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded and ced his hand on the Golden Shard Stone. Since Vulcan must¡¯ve roughly realized that he had an aura of fire and ice at the same time, it should¡¯ve been okay to show him. ng. * * * * * * Multiple presences could be felt from outside as he was about to insert his aura into the Golden Shard Stone. ¡°The door is really open¡­¡± ¡°Is it true that you opened the door to a young boy when you didn¡¯t even show yourself to us when we visited ten days in a row?¡± ¡°This is disrespectful towards us!¡± ¡°Are you looking down on the Zetul Kingdom?¡± The enraged voices could be heard alongside the metallic sound of armor. They seemed to be the knights of the Zetul Kingdom that people kept talking about on their way to the forge. ¡°Hah, what do you think you are doing? Whether the old man takes clients or not is up to him!¡± ¡°Silence! Do you think we will overlook this matter when you looked down on the Zetul Kingdom?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t look down on you. He just had an appointed client! You should return, since you are obstructing business right now!¡± Unexpectedly, Harren didn¡¯t run away. He stood in front of the door to stop the knights. ¡°Haa, I didn¡¯t meet with them because it was annoying, and it ended up this way.¡± ¡°Cough!¡± Vulcan sighed. As he was about to go outside, Harren was sent flying inside with a scream. ¡°Keuh, those bastards¡­¡± Harren tried to stand back up immediately, but he faltered and fell back. The blow wasn¡¯t that powerful, but he couldn¡¯t regain his bnce because he was hit on his chin and stomach. ¡°Tsk, I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± Raon left the workshop alongside Vulcan, who was frowning. The knights, wearing armor with a rapier emblem on the left side of the chest, were ring fiercely at them. They were knights of the Zetul Kingdom. ¡°Was it actually this brat?¡± The blue-haired young man in his mid-twenties standing at the center ground his teeth. An outstanding energy wave could be felt from him. He was a powerful knight, somewhere between intermediate and advanced Expert. ¡°cksmith Vulcan! You are too cruel! How could you choose such a young boy when you didn¡¯t even show your face to us?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t choose, I made a promise. I promised this boy five years ago that I¡¯d forge a sword for him.¡± ¡°F-Five years ago? He must¡¯ve been a little kid back then!¡± His eyes widened in bewilderment. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue, looking at the knights¡¯ reddening faces. ¡®They grew up sheltered.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t understand them at all. It was understandable that they would be angry if the Continent¡¯s cksmith, who they couldn''t even see the face after visiting him ten days straight, opened the door to a young swordsman. However, those wereints they should have kept to themselves. If they personally visited and started pestering him like that, just because they were angry, it not only disgraced their own reputations but also their kingdom¡¯s. The way they were acting under Zetul¡¯s name could only be called immature. ¡°What did you even see in that brat to promise to forge him a sword?¡± ¡°Why do you keep calling me a brat? That¡¯s so irritating.¡± Raon¡¯s brows furrowed as he stepped forward. ¡°Step aside, young bastard! It¡¯s not your ce to butt in!¡± ¡°You are the one who should step aside.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The master is taking orders from the reserved client. What right do you have to order him around when you are unrted to the matter?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are hoping to get here, after you even beat up the master¡¯s son.¡± ¡°Shut up! cksmith Vulcan¡¯s swords are pieces of art of the highest quality. They aren¡¯t something an insect like you deserves!¡± The young man in the center ground his teeth and stepped up. ¡°State your name!¡± ¡°You should introduce yourself first.¡± ¡°What impudence!¡± ¡°Who do you think he is?¡± The knights next to the young man looked like they were about to jump at him. ¡°We are in Zieghart¡¯s domain, not Zetul. If you want to brag about your stripes, then you should do it elsewhere.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Stop.¡± The young man stopped the knights from drawing their swords, then stepped forward. ¡°Considering what you said, you must be from Zieghart. I¡¯m Tarkan, prince of the Zetul Kingdom. I¡¯m the blue eagle of Zetul.¡± Tarkan raised his chin and continued. ¡°Even Ziegharts have different ranks. I can¡¯t feel any worth from you!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Tarkan. ¡®So, he was a prince.¡¯ He could understand why he would be so hot-tempered, since he was between intermediate and advanced Expert in his twenties. However, he wasn¡¯t going to go easy on him just because it was understandable. ¡®Now that I think about it, Zetul is famous for the quick sword and precise sword.¡¯ Just as the rapier emblem on their armor suggested, Zetul was famous for their fast and precise swordsmanship. ¡®Let¡¯s extort some techniques from them.¡¯ Since it came down to it, he figured he¡¯d better learn the principles of the Zetul Kingdom¡¯s swordsmanship by taunting the prince. Is he also bing a doormat¡­? Wrath shuddered, looking at Raon¡¯s small smile. ¡°Prince? I thought you were a thug because of your nasty actions. I guess that¡¯s how the Zetul Kingdom raises their sessor.¡± Raon smiled scornfully, trying to humiliate the prince. ¡°Sh-Shut up and state your name!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Raon? I¡¯ve never heard that name before. So, you were a coteral after all.¡± ¡°I am. So what?¡± ¡°Hah! You are just a coteral, not even a member of the direct line. How could you receive a sword from the cksmith Vulcan when you don¡¯t have any reputation at all?¡± Since Zieghart didn¡¯t tend to spread information outside their territory, they didn¡¯t know anything about him at all. The reputation he had earned at Habun Castle had spread under the nickname of the ¡®Young Sword Demon¡¯ or the ¡®me Wall¡¯ instead of his real name, which made it natural for them to not know about him. ¡°Then, you can test it for yourself.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to test whether I deserve it or not for yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted!¡± Tarkan dly drew his sword. The de, thinner and sharper than an ordinary longsword, reflected the sunlight. ¡°Withdraw right away if I win.¡± ¡°Then you should kneel and apologize for your arrogance if I win.¡± ¡°Sure, but that¡¯s never going to happen!¡± ¡°Come at me. I¡¯ll allow you the first strike.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Raon flicked his fingers and Tarkan red at him, then kicked the ground. His de was thrust towards his chest like a ray of light. The first attack was clean, despite his enraged state¡ªprobably because he trained his swordsmanship properly. ng! Raon rotated the Ring of Fire, watching his sword until the end before fending it off. ¡°Hmph, so you at least have something going for you.¡± Tarkan snorted, bending his knee slightly to thrust his de repeatedly. A nimble and systematic flow engulfed him, just like rain falling on the ground. ng! ng! ng! Raon used the six resonating rings of fire and his thoroughly trained eyesight to analyze everything about Tarkan¡¯s quick strikes. ¡®Precision is mixed into the quickness. It¡¯s an advanced swordsmanship that only aims for the vitals.¡¯ Speed wasn¡¯t everything in Tarkan¡¯s attacks. It also had the precision to thrust the de into the smallest vital points. He seemed to have learned the prestigious swordsmanship properly, despite his hyper-aggressive personality. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can keep blocking!¡± Tarkan¡¯s attacks grew fiercer as he decided to show his true strength, and the energying from his de became a ray of light dropping down on him. am! Not only the power, but also the speed had increased. The crity seemed to sever the space. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon kept blocking Tarkan¡¯s endless barrage with a paper thin difference, polishing the principles of the new quick sword that he was making. Since he¡¯d never seen a technique that was so focused on speed before, he could learn a lot from it. ¡°Your highness! You are almost there!¡± ¡°He is too exhausted to even hold his sword!¡± ¡°Finish him off!¡± The Zetul Kingdom¡¯s knights smiled as they cheered for the prince. Since Raon kept observing Tarkan¡¯s sword until the veryst moment and blocking it right before it reached his skin, it looked like Tarkan was overwhelming him. However, Tarkan was feeling miserable as he fought. ¡®Wh-What the hell is wrong with this guy?¡¯ He thought he could easily win at first, since he could barely feel any pressure from him, but it becamepletely different once he crossed swords with him. His hand felt like the skin was tearing apart each time the des shed, as if he were attacking a metallic wall, and his wrist kept trembling so much it felt like it would break. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even see the quick sword properly in the beginning, yet his sword had be even faster than his own. He must¡¯ve been mistaken, but he had the impression that Raon was getting better throughout the duel. ¡®I need to finish this quickly.¡¯ Tarkan grit his teeth, drawing out all of his remaining aura to surround his de and arm. He focused the aura to the regions that were used to swing the sword, then exploded it at once. It was Zorkin Swordsmanship¡¯s ultimate technique, Deadly Onught. Cring! The thrust aimed at Raon¡¯s chest was barely recognizable with his own eyes. ¡®There¡¯s no way he can block¡­ Huh?¡¯ Tarkan swallowed nervously. Even though he expected to see Raon panic, the young man¡¯s lips were slightly curved into a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for something like this.¡± With that frightening voice, his hand soared like lightning. am! Tarkan¡¯s de shattered like ss and scattered into the air upon being smashed by Raon¡¯s sword. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tarkan¡¯s lips trembled in fear. Raon¡¯s sword reached it first, despite having started to moveter. It was extremely quick, only possible for a Master. ¡°It was a nice learning opportunity.¡± ¡°L-Learning? What did you lear¡­ Cough!¡± When Tarken lowered his head with a trembling chin, Raon¡¯s de smacked his snout. Smack! With his chin and mouth smacked at the same time, four teeth came out of his mouth like corn kernels as he copsed. ¡°Y-Your highness!¡± ¡°Oh, no!¡± ¡°Wh-What have you done?¡± The guarding knights ran up to him to hold the prince in their arms, pointing their swords at Raon. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a fair fight? Why are you pointing your sword at me?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The knights¡¯ eyes trembled like a sailboat facing the tidal wave. It looked like they still couldn¡¯t believe that the prince had lost. ¡°If you have any problems, thene looking for me at Zieghart. Of course, for now¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, pointing his finger at the limp Tarkan. ¡°Tell him to find me to kneel and apologize once he wakes up. I hope you didn¡¯t forget about that part.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Just you wait¡­¡± The knights bit their lips before turning back. ¡®Just you wait, huh¡­?¡¯ Although they must have been counting on their backgrounds from the Zetul Kingdom, Raon also had Zieghart¡¯s huge name behind him. They should be unable to even think about revenge once their heads cooled. ¡°You¡­ Did you just learn that quick sword from the prince?¡± Vulcan¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Rather than learning, I just took notes.¡± ¡°Huh. You¡¯ve be a real monster since thest time I saw you.¡± He shook his head at the absurdity of the situation. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be able to return.¡± Raon smiled slightly while sheathing his sword. ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m grateful for your consideration, but you didn¡¯t need to do all that.¡± ¡°Sorry? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You took all their attention away from us, so that me and my idiotic son wouldn¡¯t be harmed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Vulcan had realized that he purposefully repeated Zieghart''s name. The old man told him he didn¡¯t need to do all that as he waved his hand. ¡°You looked like an emotionless doll before. You must¡¯ve learned human qualities as well.¡± Vulcan snickered and patted Raon on the back. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. I want to check what metal is most suitable for you quickly.¡± * * * Upon returning to the workshop, Raon ced his hand on the Golden Shard Stone. He used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time, inserting his aura into the stone¡¯s fissure. Whir! The rock absorbed the red and blue aura just like a drawing paper absorbing the ink, radiating a brilliant light. ¡°This light and color means Dark Steel and¡­ Huh?¡± Vulcan¡¯s eyes widened as he approached the Golden Shard Stone. A new light sprouted like a bud between the red heat and blue coldness, and the three energies gathered in a spiral¡ªas if they were one from the beginning¡ªto radiate an auspicious golden light. Crack! Fissures appeared like a spider web on the Golden Shard Stone, which was never supposed to break, and the golden fever became even more intense. Whaam! The Golden Shard Stone was unable to withstand the power and shattered in the end, a small, brilliantly shining metallic bead falling out from it. ¡°Gasp!¡± Vulcan¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing that bead. ¡°How could the Golden Shard show itself on its own?!¡± Chapter 170 Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the smashed Golden Shard Stone pieces. ¡®The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier weren¡¯t the only ones that moved earlier.¡¯ The ghastly energy also came out of the de of Requiem hanging at his waist, soaking into the Golden Shard Stone alongside the two energies that he was directly controlling. And thest thing that moved when the three energies flowed inside the Golden Shard Stone was the Ring of Fire. The six rings rotating around his heart resonated with each other to try merging the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, cier, and the ghastly energy, and the Golden Shard Stone ended up shattering because it was unable to withstand that power. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Vulcan picked up the shining bead with his trembling hand. ¡°This is the first time in my life that I have witnessed the Golden Shard moving on its own.¡± He slowly caught his breath while watching the Golden Shard, which was shining with five colors. Vulcan had never looked so surprised before. ¡°So, this is the Golden Shard.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the bead Vulcan was holding. The mysterious energy flowing from it easily showed the reason it was called the king of metals. ¡°Yes. This is the Golden Shard that supposedly amplifies all kinds of energy. The fact that it¡¯s shining like this means that it likes your ener¡­¡± ¡°Uwaah!¡± As Vulcan was talking while showing him the Golden Shard, Harren¡ªwho was lying down next to them¡ªsuddenly woke up and crawled towards them. ¡°H-How the hell are you using coldness and heat at the same time? And how did you destroy the Golden Shard Stone?¡± His eyes were wide, as he had watched the Golden Shard Stone shatter into small pieces. ¡°I thought you fainted.¡± Raon made him faint because he kept struggling because of the pain, but he had to have woken up when the Golden Shard Stone shattered. ¡°Old man! What kind of monster did you bring here?¡± ¡°Shut up and sit down!¡± ¡°Uwah!¡± Vulcan smacked the back of Harren¡¯s head to make him kneel. ¡°If you bber about what you saw today, I¡¯m seriously going to smash your head in.¡± ¡°Wh-What¡­? How could you do that to your son¡­?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s your response?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t! I have no one to talk to about it anyway!¡± Harren screeched, then yelled at him to stop beating up a patient. ¡°Even though he¡¯s an idiot, his mouth is heavy. You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Vulcan smiled slightly, rolling the Golden Shard around in his hand. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded. When you considered the fact that he tried stopping the Zetul Kingdom¡¯s prince and knights on his own, despite being unable to use any martial arts, he seemed somewhat trustworthy. Harren turned his head whileining. He was rubbing the back of his head, which was still hurting. ¡°Let¡¯s continue, then. You used another energy besides coldness and heat earlier, right?¡± ¡°Yes. However, it wasn¡¯t me that used it, and¡­¡± Raon drew the de of Requiem and showed it to him. ¡°A possessed de¡­¡± Vulcan recognized at a nce that the de of Requiem had ghastly energy inside it. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a sword forged by the cksmith Kuberad.¡± ¡°What? Did he actually make a possessed de?¡± He stared at the de of Requiem in bewilderment. ¡°How did he end up making a possessed de with his stubborn personality¡­¡± ¡°There were circumstances around it. In the Siren vige, south of the continent¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes, telling him the tale of the de of Requiem¡¯s creation. ¡°I see. That¡¯s understandable.¡± Vulcan nodded, saying that he finally understood. ¡°Is that de sleeping right now?¡± ¡°It remains silent unless I ask about it or the White Blood Religion appears.¡± Except for the time it moved on its own earlier, the de of Requiem usually remained immobile, as if it were sleeping. It almost looked like it was trying to save its strength in order to take revenge against the White Blood Religion. It doesn¡¯t amount to much if an insignificant creature saves its strength. It will still be weak enough to be crushed by a single flick of the King of Essence¡¯s finger. Wrath twisted his lips, looking at the de of Requiem. Whir! And ghastly energy started to emerge from the de, telling him to stop making itugh. Hmph! Wrath snorted, crushing its ghastly energy with his coldness. This is how much more superior I am whenpared to you. Beg the King of Essence, and he shall grant your revenge instead. ¡®Does losing in terms of strength signify that it¡¯s inferior?¡¯ Of course. Strength is status, and it is the rank of existence. ¡®That means that you are inferior to me, then.¡¯ Wh-What do you mean? How would the King of Essence be inferior to a mere human! ¡®But you always get beaten by me.¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped, and he was unable to refute the matter. ¡®Hey, inferior demon king. Stay beaten, please.¡¯ Raon looked down on Wrath while caressing the de of Requiem. Y-You bastard! Wrath couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore, frost and wrath bursting from him to invade Raon¡¯s mana circuit. Whir! Raon easily fended off that powerful attack by using the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and cier, before returning the de of Requiem to its scabbard. ¡°Possessed des are wicked by nature. However, it can either be a divine de or a demonic de depending on how you use it.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s all up to me in the end.¡± ¡°Yes. That de¡¯s resentment is so intense that I can see it with my eyes. Just like its name, you should help itplete the requiem, and return to its natural path without being devoured by the energy.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon gripped the de of Requiem tightly before sheathing it again. ¡°You should be able to do it.¡± Vulcan smiled gently, patting his shoulder. ¡°Hmph, people would say he¡¯s your son if they saw this.¡± Harren pouted, his arms crossed. ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Vulcan red at him, and Harren stepped aside with his shoulders drooped. ¡°Raon, try touching this.¡± Vulcan handed over the Golden Shard that he was still holding in his hand. It had turned ck, no longer shining with five colors. Raon nodded, grabbing the Golden Shard. Whir! As soon as he touched it, it started to radiate five different colors and trembled with a clear resonance. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Huh, I see¡­¡± Harren¡¯s hands trembled in astonishment, and Vulcan admired the sight. ¡°Why is it doing this?¡± ¡°The Golden Shard is addicted to your energy. It¡¯s saying that it wants to serve you, for you to be its master.¡± ¡°Does it actually have an ego?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t really be called an ego. It¡¯s just an instinct, like a flower spreading its leaves towards the sun.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips and looked at the Golden Shard. He was currently controlling three different energies inside of him in order to stop Wrath, and the Golden Shard apparently liked those energies, as it kept shining and vibrating. ¡°Can you put this in my sword? I¡¯ll pay whatever the price¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it, kid.¡± Vulcan snickered and shook his head. ¡°Since it has already decided its master, I don¡¯t mind giving it to you. The problem is that the quantity is insufficient.¡± ¡°Quantity¡­¡± He was right. Since the bead was small enough to hold in his hand, it couldn¡¯t even make a dagger. ¡°Not just making a sword from it, it can¡¯t even be used to harmonize the two metals suitable for your energies.¡± ¡°...What does it mean to harmonize?¡± ¡°Since you use both heat and coldness, the best method to assist them is to mix two different metals and add the Golden Shard as a finishing touch. I have ming Steel to use for the heat, and Silver Steel for the coldness, but I don¡¯t have enough Golden Shard to connect them.¡± Vulcan gave a slight, bitter sigh. ¡°This can be used instead of the Silver Steel!¡± Runaan, who had been silent, handed over the box containing Cold Blood that she was embracing. ¡°I¡¯ll give him everything leftover after making my sword.¡± ¡°R-Really? This is a higher quality Cold Blood¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She said she would give away the Cold Blood without any hesitation. ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine if you are okay with it¡­¡± Vulcan nodded and looked at Raon. He seemed to be asking what rtionship they had. ¡°We arepanions.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Ahem, then the only problems left are the Golden Shard and geothermal heat.¡± Vulcan slowly stood up, straightening his spine. ¡°I¡¯ll look into the Golden Shard part. You two should go to Skellei Mountain and investigate the reason for the low geothermal heat.¡± ¡°Understood. Then, we¡¯d like a guide¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone right there, a guy that has nothing else to do.¡± He pointed at Harren, who was trying to crawl outside. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°He knows the surrounding area really well because he has loved running around since he was a child. Just bring him with you.¡± ¡°Hah, why would I go there? I¡¯m going to work, since I suddenly got a great idea¡­¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll go!¡± Harren quickly stood up and nodded. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon left the workshop with Runaan. ¡°We¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to solve the problem, so please be careful.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded and turned around. You bastard! How long are you nning on ignoring me? ¡®I wasn¡¯t ignoring you.¡¯ There was no way he could ignore the coldness stabbing him or the wrath stirring his heart. He was just enduring it while pretending he wasn¡¯t affected by controlling three different energies. Fine! Let¡¯s fight to the bitter end today! You shall learn the height of the King of Essence¡¯s level! ¡®It¡¯s pointless.¡¯ Wrath used everything he had to attack the wall in his mana circuit, but Raon hardened the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier to block everything. Rumble! A fight of strategy and power continued inside his body, but Raon didn¡¯t manage to lose any of them. Keuh! The King of Essence won¡¯t give u¡­ As he was about to explode thest remaining bit of energy, messages appeared in front of Raon¡¯s eyes. The judge was announcing Wrath¡¯s defeat. Again? Daaaaamn it! Wrath cked out and copsed backwards. ¡®I told you to stay crushed if you are at a lower level.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly as he watched Wrath faint on his bracelet. * * * * * * ¡°Hmmhum.¡± Rimmer knocked on the audience chamber¡¯s door in the lord¡¯s manor while humming. ¡°My lord!¡± Strangely, it wasn¡¯t Glenn¡¯s voice that greeted him. Instead, it was Roenn that stepped out and bowed to him. ¡°The head of house went outside for a moment.¡± ¡°What? I thought he caught some illness that killed him if he went outside. Did he not?¡± Rimmer iled his hands in disbelief. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him in action in a long time either.¡± Roenn smiled slightly. ¡°Where did he go?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t mention his destination. He just said that he would be out for a moment and that he would return around evening.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let him go like that! What if something happens to the head of¡­ I guess nothing will.¡± Rimmer swallowed hard. No one had any reason to try harming Glenn, and they would see a living hell if they tried. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. He left with the Heavenly de.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine, I guess.¡± The division leader of the Heavenly de was an extremely powerful warrior that had been with Glenn from the beginning, just like Roenn and Rimmer. There was no problem if Glenn was with her. ¡°Why did youe to visit the head of house?¡± ¡°I came to report various things. Raon and Runaan left, Burren is still sulking in a corner, and Martha is working hard on her training¡­¡± ¡°I can convey that to him, if that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°And!¡± Rimmer grabbed Roenn¡¯s shoulder tightly as he tried to leave. ¡°I-I was wondering if the squad leader¡¯s sry¡­¡± ¡°I believe that has been paid in advance.¡± ¡°Could it be paid in advance, or I would like to borrow some money!¡± ¡°Hmm. Actually, the head of house left a message before he left.¡± Roenn smiled and removed Rimmer¡¯s hand. ¡°A message?¡± ¡°He said that if ever Sir Rimmer mentions something about advance payment or asks to be lent money, he would personally visit him to have a ¡®warm conversation¡¯.¡± ¡°C-Conversation¡­¡± Rimmer swallowed nervously and stepped back. He said ¡®conversation¡¯, but it was obvious he was going to try to speak with his fists. ¡°Sir Roenn, we can keep it a secret between us, right?¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind keeping it secret at all. However¡­¡± Roenn secretly pointed upward. ¡°I wonder about them.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer looked through the Heavenly de swordsmen hiding on the ceiling and frowned. There was no way they would listen to him, since the Heavenly de only listened to Glenn. ¡°The saying goes, enjoy the present. Getting beaten up is a matter of the future, while fun is in the present, so I¡¯d rather have a conversationter.¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t withdraw and extended his hand. ¡°Hmm, I believe it¡¯s impossible for you to win bets against him, even if I give you an advance payment.¡± ¡°A warrior¡¯s spirit is meant to challenge the impossible!¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Roenn apparently liked that line. He smiled slightly and ced a gold pouch in Rimmer¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll bring back the news of my victory today!¡± Rimmer turned around, even using footwork to quickly leave the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°I can see a death god.¡± Roenn narrowed his eyes, watching Rimmer¡¯s back as it got further away. It felt like the death god¡¯s shadow was smiling. ¡°Anyway¡­¡± Roenn opened the audience chamber¡¯s room once again and spoke in a chuckling voice. ¡°I wonder if he has arrived by now.¡± * * * Harren was guiding Raon and Runaan at Skellei Mountain. ¡°Please climb silently, since monsters are going to swarm towards us if they hear us.¡± He knew all the locations that the monsters didn¡¯t appear, but they still needed to remain silent. Some monsters were sensitive to sound. ¡®By the way¡­¡¯ He quietly turned around to look at Raon. ¡®The Golden Shard chose him.¡¯ Even though it was called the king of metals, it was merely lifeless steel. He had never heard nor seen a soulless piece of metal vibrating in order to choose its master. ¡°Hmm, what are you nning to do with it?¡± Likely because he witnessed a scene that could be called a cksmith¡¯s legend, he carefully spoke to him despite being much older than him. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Raon tilted his head in confusion. ¡°You know, the bet you made with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll decide on thatter, since you said you would grant me any wish.¡± ¡°E-Even then, something that is too difficult or takes a long time would be¡­¡± ¡°¡®Any¡¯ means it includes all of that.¡± ¡°Argh, I can¡¯t ept that! Gaining a leash with a single bet¡­¡± As Harren was trying to shake his head, Raon drew his sword. He walked towards him with a frightening pressure. ¡°W-Wait! You can¡¯t swing your sword just because I refused a little! I¡¯ll do everything! I said I¡¯ll do every¡­ Gasp!¡± He extended his hands, trying to stop him, and closed his eyes. However, the pain never arrived. Instead, some kind of sticky, muddy water was dripping on his head. ¡°What¡­¡± When he opened his eyes, green blood was flowing from Raon¡¯s sword, and three monsters that looked like huge flies were split in half. ¡°R-Red flies¡­¡± They were insect monsters that lived in heated areas like deserts or volcanoes, and they were nasty monsters that sucked on the bodily fluids of living creatures. ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± Harren instantly bowed. He thought Raon was trying to attack him, but he was actually defending him against the red fliesing up from behind him. ¡°It would be annoying if our guide were to die.¡± Raon smiled, casually saying something scary. ¡®H-He is a scary guy.¡¯ His actions just then not only saved his life¡ªthey also warned him to be careful of what he said. It wasn¡¯t a mind game that a seventeen-year-old boy could y. ¡°But those monsters¡­¡± Harren narrowed his eyes while looking at the red flies. ¡°...Don¡¯t usuallye around here¡­¡± Monsters never used the path they were currently using, not in thest ten years. And it wasn¡¯t one monster that appeared, it was three. That was an abnormal urrence. ¡°Just like the changes in the geothermal heat, the monster¡¯s ecology must have changed as well.¡± Raon, who was behind him, stepped forward and continued. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead from now on.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t know the area, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the area, but I can feel their presence. I think I figured out where the problem urred. It¡¯s pretty serious.¡± He narrowed his eyes, looking at the upper part of Skellei Mountain. ¡°Runaan, please defend the rear.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± The silver-haired swordswoman, who had been as silent as a doll, nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s resume.¡± Raon took the lead. Harren hadn¡¯t told him anything or showed him the map, but he properly followed the flow of the geothermal heat amidst theplicated area. ¡®Huh.¡¯ Harren eximed. ¡®Did he actually feel the source of the problem from here?¡¯ It was amazing that someone who hade to Mirtan for the first time had recognized the source of the problem when Harren couldn¡¯t be sure, despite having been living there his entire life. ¡®H-He must be lying, right?¡¯ Harren thought it couldn¡¯t be true, but Raon¡¯s footsteps were brimming with confidence. He climbed the mountain straight up, not hesitating once. And that wasn¡¯t the only surprising part. As if he could feel every single sign in his surroundings, he immediately beheaded the monsters in a single strike whenever they appeared. The Za Orc¡ªinfamous for its ferocity¡ªlost its head before even swinging its ax, and the me snake that could breathe fire was separated into 8 pieces as it fell like leaves. The girl named Runaan, who was behind him, was the same. Five gray scorpions, all of which had me poison, attacked her at once. She froze them all in an instant by spreading powerful frost. ¡®Is this really the level of a seventeen-year-old? Is this what a true Zieghart is like?¡¯ Harren swallowed nervously. Even though they were still young, he was excited to witness proper warriors of Zieghart after only meeting people like Rimmer, who had a screw loose in his head. ¡®I think I understand why the geezer told me to watch them properly.¡¯ He finally understood the reason his father told him to not take his eyes off of Raon and Runaan. He got the urge to take up his hammer and strike any metal as he witnessed the prowess of the young warriors. For the first time in a long time, he wasn¡¯t thinking about gambling. His fingers twitched as if he were holding a hammer. * * * Raon kept thinking about the principles of his quick sword while climbing the mountain and ying monsters. ¡®Something¡¯s still missing.¡¯ Hebined the principles of speed from the Star Connecting Sword, the Fangs of Insanity, the swordsmanship of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and the technique of Prince Tarkan from the Zetul Kingdom that he had recently met. He kept imagining it in his head, yet he still couldn¡¯t achieve the speed he wanted. ¡®I can¡¯t tell what I¡¯m missing.¡¯ He had the feeling that he could create an extremely fast technique by slightly polishing the principles and the form of the swordsmanship, but it was proving difficult. ¡°Krra!¡± Four Za orcs appeared from the right, brandishing their huge axes as they charged at him. They were brimming with killing intent, ready to shred a human into pieces. sh! Raon raised his wrist slightly and shed diagonally. The energying from the point of the sword looked like it would sever the space as they fell. ¡°Krrra¡­¡± The orcs copsed, their faces nted on the ground before they even reached him. Their expressions looked like they had died before they even realized they were cut by a sword. The strike was fast enough for Za orcs with excellent senses to die before even realizing they were hit, but Raon¡¯s eyes remained unsatisfied. ¡®The speed is also problematic, but the direction went wrong.¡¯ If he only focused on the speed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to precise cuts, and he would end up leaving room for a counterattack. It was necessary to focus on his speed and precision together, bound together like a ma. Raon climbed the mountain by following the flow of the geothermal heat, all whilebining and weaving together the principles of his quick sword one by one. After climbing for almost half the day, he finally managed to reach the ce where the explosively huge energy he had felt from below was crouching down. ¡°I¡¯m telling you that we went too high. The ce where the flow usually has an issue is underneath¡­¡± ¡°Silence.¡± He hushed Harren, who kept telling him to go to the location where the problem usually urred, and pointed in front of him. Rumble. There was a small rocky hill that looked like sharp boulders were piled up on top of each other, sitting in the middle of the mountain ridge. The area was saturated with a hazy heat. The hill was wriggling, which gave the impression that it was breathing. ¡°Hmm? Was there a hill like that around here?¡± Harren skeptically scratched his beard. ¡°It¡¯s not a hill.¡± Raon caught his breath and drew his sword. The moment he showed his murderous intent, the hill raised itself up and created a powerful firestorm. Whaam! A head raised above the tremendous wave of fire that spread out throughout the mountain ridge. It was a huge creature of me with two horns attached to a dragon¡¯s head. There was a turtle¡¯s shell on its back. Whir! The pressure flowing from its crimson eyes as it covered the setting sun had said that it had already transcended as a monster. ¡°R-Red dragon turtle!¡± Harren unconsciously fell back upon meeting the huge monster¡¯s eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯ve never seen something so huge before. How can a monster be as big as a mountain?¡± His lips trembled in disbelief. ¡°A red dragon turtle the size of a mountain, huh¡­?¡± A blue fever sparkled from Raon¡¯s eyes. The young man was supporting his sword on his shoulder. ¡°It looks like I can gain a lot from it.¡± Chapter 171 ¡°Tsk.¡± Vulcan clicked his tongue as he made his way back into the workshop after taking a round through the vige. ¡®I guess there¡¯s no way the Golden Shard exists around here.¡¯ Forging equipment with Golden Shard was like a dream for cksmiths. Even if someone in the vige had some at some point, they would¡¯ve already used it to make something. ¡°What shall I do, then¡­?¡± Vulcan sighed as he looked at his workshop. ¡®I can¡¯t use something average for his sword.¡¯ Raon was special as a swordsman, since he could freely use both fire and frost attributes. In order to amplify both energies, it was necessary to forge a sword with Golden Shard alone orbine two different metals and then use Golden Shard as a connector. Since that Runaan girl said that she would give him the Cold Blood, there were enough metals to use¡­ but the amount of Golden Shard was too insufficient. ¡®It¡¯splicated.¡¯ Because of his personality, he¡¯d rather die than forge someckluster de bypromising. He was the type of person that needed to make the best swords, the ones that fit their wielders at all costs. ¡°Hmm¡­ Should I join an auction or something?¡¯ Golden Shard could possibly appear in the underground auction of the merchant city Cameloon. ¡®I¡¯m sorry for the boy, but it would be better to make a proper sword, even if it takes more time.¡¯ He opened the workshop door while deciding that he would tell Raon to leave, then call him back once he acquired the Golden Shard. ¡°Hmm?¡± Vulcan frowned. Although the workshop should¡¯ve been empty because he had locked the door, a tall, golden-haired man was standing inside. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you got inside, but we are closed right n¡­ Gasp!¡± Vulcan was about to tell him to leave, but he knelt with a bewildered expression on his face as soon as he saw the man¡¯s face. ¡°G-Greeting the Destructive King of the North!¡± He was so surprised that his voice was trembling. The man standing alone in the workshop was the master of thend, Glenn Zieghart. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Glenn nodded slightly, then a gentle energy emerged from Glenn and made him stand. ¡°Such excessive greetings aren¡¯t necessary.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± Vulcan bowed. He had seen Glenn multiple times before, but he couldn¡¯t help being nervous whenever he met with him. ¡°I came to visit because I heard that you started wielding a hammer once again. I¡¯m jealous, since you seem to have regained your youthful passion.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes shone as he stroked the steel pieces filling the table and walls. ¡°Your praise puts me to shame. I just remembered my true desire after getting so old.¡± ¡°If you remembered your true desire, that¡¯s good enough. Something like age doesn''t matter. Congrattions.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Vulcan bowed once again. ¡®Did he be even stronger?¡¯ Glenn¡¯s nature itself had grown softer than before. It looked like he managed to transcend another wall. ¡®I can¡¯t even assess what level he¡¯s at anymore.¡¯ Even though he¡¯d witnessed countless powerhouses in his life, he still couldn¡¯t feel Glenn¡¯s level. He seemed to have reached the end of heaven, surpassing all the clouds. ¡°Since it¡¯s been so long, I came to have you take a look at my sword.¡± Glenn offered him the ck and red scabbard that was hanging around his waist. It was the Heavenly Tremor that Vulcan had personally forged, sword and scabbard alike. ¡°Alright.¡± Vulcan swallowed nervously, then drew the Heavenly Tremor. Cring! The jet-ck de looked like a piece of darkness, disying its frightening sharpness. Itspletion was nothing short of being the best in the continent. That sword was Vulcan¡¯s greatest masterpiece, the Heavenly Tremor. ¡°Hmm.¡± Vulcan swept over his own masterpiece with his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve ovee your distress.¡± Glenn nodded, watching Vulcan examine the Heavenly Tremor. ¡°You are looking at the Heavenly Tremor with different eyes.¡± ¡°I had that feeling as well.¡± He used to be too ashamed to look straight into the Heavenly Tremor before, but he was now able to confront it, just like during his youth. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect. Since the entire de is made of Golden Shard, there¡¯s no damaged parts, either.¡± Vulcan picked up some silk and slowly scrubbed the de from bottom to top. The sword was nothing short of perfection, even when he looked at it again. ¡°Actually, the reason I managed to get over my distress was thanks to the lord¡¯s grandson.¡± ¡°Grandson?¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Despite suffering from coldness, that boy visited the charcoal kiln every day and endured the cruel heat. He didn¡¯t yield in front of heat that even cksmiths wouldn¡¯t be able to endure, despite spending their entire lives with a furnace.¡± Vulcan smiled slightly while thinking about the small Raon. ¡°From seeing that boy¡¯s passion and efforts, I remembered my past self and the objective I had. I managed to ovee my distress because of him. Since I¡¯ve witnessed countless swordsmen, I can say this for certain: that boy will reach a high ce.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know until that happens.¡± Glenn replied coldly, as if he weren¡¯t interested, but it was a bit strange. The corners of his mouth, which had remained low so far, twitched slightly. ¡®I never thought he would make that expression.¡¯ It was Vulcan¡¯s first time seeing Glenn¡¯s mouth curving into a slight smile, as Glenn¡¯s face had always been as immobile as steel. ¡°It¡¯s finished.¡± Once Vulcan finished wiping the Heavenly Tremor, he put it back into its scabbard and returned it to Glenn. ¡°Thank you.¡± Glenn buckled it around his waist. All he did was put it on, but he looked so elegant that Vulcan couldn¡¯t take his eyes off him. ¡°I shall make the payment, then.¡± ¡°N-No. I wouldn¡¯t dare ask for payment!¡± Vulcan said no payment was needed, quickly shaking his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t make me into a shameless person.¡± Glenn drew a line in the air with his finger and the space was severed with a golden light. He put his hand in there, taking out a wooden box that was slightly bigger than his hand. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need this, so please ept it.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± Vulcan bowed gratefully and epted the box. It was unexpectedly heavy. ¡°Can I see what¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Gasp!¡± Vulcan¡¯s hands trembled violently, even more surprised than when he had seen Glenn. ¡°G-Golden Shard!¡± The box contained a piece of Golden Shard, one that was even bigger than the one he had. ¡°Why are you¡­?¡± Even though he currently needed it, he couldn¡¯t ept such a precious item as repayment for just checking the sword. ¡°I told you earlier, I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Vulcan caught his breath while looking at the Golden Shard. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have epted it normally, but I actually need it for something right now.¡± ¡°You needed it for something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice, since I needed some Golden Shard to forge Raon¡¯s sword. Since Raon should be returning soon, this should be gifted to him as the head¡¯s present¡­¡± ¡°I just picked it up along the way.¡± Glenn replied bluntly. Picked it up along the way? Vulcan felt like something had gone wrong with his ears. ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°I just picked it up along the way, so I don¡¯t want to boast about it.¡± ¡°No, what does¡­¡± ¡°I picked it up along the way.¡± ¡°Even then¡­¡± ¡°I said, I picked it up along the way.¡± Glenn frowned for the first time. Vulcan finally understood that he was telling him not to tell Raon about Glenn giving him the Golden Shard. ¡°I-I see. Th-Then, I¡¯ll keep it anonymous.¡± ¡°Take this as well.¡± Glenn gave him another small box. ¡°What is this now¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a small elixir that revitalizes the body. It¡¯s easy to take, you can just swallow it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ept something like this!¡± Vulcan tried to return the wooden box, but Glenn was already outside the workshop. ¡°See you againter.¡± He simply waved his hand and disappeared from the spot like an illusion. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Vulcan gasped, looking at the Golden Shard and elixir in his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on anymore.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Kwaaa!¡± The red dragon turtle roared and stomped on the ground. The mountain trembled and the wall of raging fire that was surging up from the ground spread out into the surrounding area. Whir! Raon struck out with his sword in a cross-shaped strike to sever the mes that extended towards him, gaining visibility. ¡®It¡¯s pretty hot.¡¯ The heat was intense enough to affect him despite his Fire Resistance. It wasn¡¯t the power of any red dragon turtle that he knew of. It¡¯s obvious. Why are you so surprised? Wrath scornfully clicked his tongue. The fact that the geothermal heat has been abnormally low so far signifies that the turtle has been absorbing the heat with its snout to the ground. ¡®Is that even possible?¡¯ His body would normally explode from containing too much heat, but he managed to ovee that and evolved. He is pretty much a low-rank mystical creature now. ¡®Low-rank mystical creature¡­¡¯ Since even your sword isn¡¯t going to work against that turtle¡¯s body, good luck fighting it. The way Wrath was giggling while his head protruded from the bracelet looked so hateful. ¡®Let¡¯s see if it works or not.¡¯ Raon gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and dashed towards the red dragon turtle. ¡°Kwaaa!¡± The red dragon turtle was probably enraged at having its meal disturbed. It opened its long snout, a crimson me bursting from its bottomless pit of a throat. It was me Breath. Whoosh! Although Raon could¡¯ve easily endured it if it had been an ordinary red dragon turtle¡¯s breath, the heating from that monster¡¯s breath was so intense that it was difficult to breathe. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon stomped the ground and thrust his sword. The energy from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation imbued in his de rotated in a spiral to form into a crimson saw de. It was the Ten mes, Revolving Sky. Baaam! A huge explosion urred between Raon and the red dragon turtle, creating a whirlwind of heat. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue. Its tremendous power matched his full power Revolving Sky. ¡®But it¡¯s sloppy.¡¯ Likely because it had gained power in a short period of time, it wasn¡¯t able to control it properly. Raon bent the Revolving Sky to distort the direction of the breath, then used River Footwork. Whir! His left foot extended through the me wall. The red dragon turtle¡¯s side could be seen in that short instant. He used the momentum of his body to sh down immediately. A fierce blow that could even destroy a boulder struck the red dragon turtle¡¯s side. Spurt! The raging de shed, created a shallow cut through the red dragon turtle¡¯s flesh and scattering red blood around the area. ¡°Kwooo!¡± The red dragon turple screamed in irritation, extending its snout. Raon dodged the meing from its mouth, then tried to strike it again. The red dragon turtle¡¯s body turned red, and the injury from the cut a moment ago recovered, as if it had been stitched by a thread. ¡°I-It¡¯s hardening! You shouldn¡¯t hit it! Your sword will break!¡± Harren¡¯s voice could be heard from behind him. ¡®Hardening.¡¯ Hardening was one of the red dragon turtle¡¯s characteristics, a defensive ability that allowed it to create a hardness simr to its shell on its skin. ¡®I still have to attack.¡¯ If he didn¡¯t attack, he wouldn¡¯t be able to tell how sturdy it was. Raon filled his de with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire and attacked. ng! The sword bounced back because of its powerful defense. It felt like he was hitting tempered steel instead of flesh. It wasn¡¯t just the power¡ªit also had a defensive ability that had be iparable from before. ¡°Kwooo!¡± It was apparently still painful, since the red dragon turtle stomped the ground while ring fiercely at him. The ground was mercilessly cracked apart, and me walls surged from the fissure. Whir! The red dragon turtle continuously breathed fire, and the grass and trees of Skellei Mountain ignited despite being somewhat resistant to fire. An inextinguishable forest fire was going to ur if it continued. ¡°Runaan!¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Runaan didn¡¯t need him to say any more than that. She grabbed Harren by his cor and stepped aside, gathering her ice. ¡°Whir! The silver ice poured out like snowkes, erasing the spreading fire. The King of Essence told you before. That turtle is an irregr, just like you. You won¡¯t be able to defeat it so easily. ¡®That¡¯s even better.¡¯ What? ¡®It¡¯s a perfect target for practice.¡¯ Raon smiled and charged towards the right side of the red dragon turtle. ¡°Kwooo!¡± me gushed from the red dragon turtle as it roared. Raon deflected it, then removed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and started using cier. He imbued his cold de with the principles of speed. ng! The silver strike managed to pierce through the red dragon turtle¡¯s skill a little bit more, but it was still pushed back before it could finish breaking through its hardening. ¡°Krrr!¡± The red dragon turtle squirmed in anger, its tail swinging. The me that surrounded the tail became an iron mace, sting thend. ¡®Its attacks are too simple.¡¯ Although the heat and strength were powerful enough to block attacks, the trajectory was too simple. It was just chasing after him with its eyes. Raon pushed the exploding wall of me back and turned to the red dragon turtle¡¯s back. Cring! He made a newbination of principles of his quick sword, striking a second time. The smooth line of coldness emerging from the de charged at the red dragon turtle¡¯s skin, which was glowing from the heat. Rip! A strike that surpassed the red dragon turtle¡¯s cognition pierced into its flesh a bit deeper. The wound was extremely small whenpared to its huge body, but it apparently didn¡¯t agree with that. ¡°Kwaaa!¡± The red dragon turtle raised its heavy body and started to swing its tail like crazy. m! am! Whenever the burning tail reached thend, the mountain trembled like it would copse. Raon gradually grew cornered, the stable pieces ofnd disappearing. ¡°Krr!¡± The red dragon turtle was apparently convinced of its victory. It grinned and used its me breath once again. Whooooosh! The me breath seemed capable of melting anything. Right before it reached Raon, he stepped on a piece of ground even smaller than his fist and advanced. The absolute footwork that allowed him to move anywhere as long as he could set foot on allowed him to dash through the burningnd. ¡°Kwoooo!¡± The red dragon turtle hurriedly stopped its breath, trying to swing its tail¡ªbut it was already toote. The extremely quick all-out strike had already reached it before it could even move its tail. ng! Since the tail was also affected by hardening, Raon couldn¡¯tpletely cut it off. However, the injury it created was visibly bigger than before, thanks to the quick sword technique that he had managed to advance to another level. Spurt! Red blood gushed from the wound. ¡°Kieee!¡± The red dragon turtle quickly turned around, swinging its front foot. The pressure felt like a boulder was falling on him, and the heat seemed to be able to melt him to the bone. ¡®This isn¡¯t a big deal.¡¯ Although the sword of coldness started to moveter, it was the first one to connect. Raon deflected the blow before the red dragon turtle¡¯s front foot managed to gain power and speed. ¡°Krrr!¡± Its huge body was pushed back. It looked like being blocked by an extremely small human hurt its pride, as an intense killing intent appeared in its eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is all you¡¯ve got.¡± Raon smiled in excitement, breathing white steam from his mouth. ¡°I still have lots of things to try out.¡± Each time he pummeled the solid body with the new quick technique, he could feel his sword getting faster and stronger. He could see infinite ways of making it stronger. ¡°Kwoooo!¡± The red dragon turtle roared, looking at the sky. The me burst from thend like a sticky volcano and engulfed its body. Whir! The extreme firepower surging from the ground covered the red dragon turtle¡¯s entire body. Its existence itself was raised to another level. That was apparently its true form after it had devoured so much geothermal heat. It ate so damn much. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ The energy waveing from it was almost at Master level from sucking so much heat from thend. ¡°D-Don¡¯t go! You need to use at least astral energy to cut through a monster like that!¡± Harren¡¯s voice could be heard, trying to ruin the mood. Raon waved him off, iming that there wasn¡¯t a problem, and lowered his posture. ¡°I just gotta fight with what I¡¯ve got.¡± Raon violently kicked the ground, charging towards the red dragon turtle that had literally turned into me. * * * The red dragon turtle swung its burning front foot. Raon deflected it by shing it before it reached him. One principle sprouted in his mind. He shed upward towards the tail, which had an iron mace attached to it. The powerful shock crushed his shoulder, but he kept advancing. One principle was erased. The fire burning on its shell became a rain shower, falling onto him. He poured all of the quick sword techniques that he¡¯d been making so far into his attack. Two principles disappeared, and four principles mingled with each other. The sh between fire and ice created a huge amount of steam, covering the entire area. He would be too slow if he relied on his vision. He focused on his senses, using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation like an ocean of perception to control the de of ice. His focus increased to a frightening degree. He could feel the flow of everything, including his and his enemy¡¯s breath, as if it were touching his skin. He shed at the me, shed at the iron mace, and shed at the shell. The more he swung his sword, the faster it got, and the coldness grew more intense. The principles mingled and mixed with each other, and he ended up forgetting what technique he was even using. ¡°Krrr¡­¡± The red dragon turtle, which was huge enough to cover the sun, kept getting pushed back by the small and thin de despite its size. Fear and terror appeared in the eyes of the monster that was moving with nothing but instinct. ¡°Kwaaaaaa!¡± The red dragon turtle roared and the entirend burst into me. It pulled its head back, then pushed forward to breathe out all the mes it had umted so far. Whir! As if what had happened so far had been nothing but a child¡¯s y, Raon¡¯s entire vision was filled with raging fire. Cring! The rings of fire resonated with each other and slowed down the world. The principles of the quick sword filling his head meshed with each other like cogs, and his mind was struck by lightning. A single line severing the world. It was a sh of extreme quickness, faster than anything, capable of reaching its target before anyone else. Raon¡¯s hand moved before he realized it. A silver trajectory surged in front of the raging firestorm. Raon Zieghart-style technique. First Form. Frost Pond. The green light glimmering from Raon¡¯s de severed through the crimson world. Chapter 172 Raon¡¯s first technique, Frost Pond, severed the pouring rain of me. It even advanced one step further. Spurt! In his distorted vision, a thin stream of blood gushed from the red dragon turtle¡¯s throat. Frost Pond had transcended the red dragon turtle¡¯s cognition and cut through its neck. ¡°Kwaaa!¡± The red dragon turtle tried to step back in its panic, trying to hide its wound, but it was pointless. Frost Pond wasn¡¯t a technique that ended in a single strike. Whaaaam! A silver spiral dashed forward, following the blue trajectory. cier¡¯s pure coldness followed the flow of Frost Pond to pierce the red dragon turtle¡¯s neck. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± The de of coldness was also attributed with extreme quickness. Its speed didn¡¯t lose to the first attack, and the red dragon turtle gave away its neck, unable to react. Whaam. The red blood gushing from the red dragon turtle¡¯s neck extinguished the mes burning thend. Rumble! In the end, the red dragon turtle was unable to keep its bnce and copsed. The waterfall of ice that shed its neck was the only thing remaining in the air. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon looked at the ice de while soothing his burned skin with cier. Frost Pond. ¡®Pond¡¯ referred to the pond under a waterfall. The first strike was from the falling water, and the second strike was from the water falling again after bouncing back up from the impact. Frost Pond was a technique that expressed those two falls. It was quick and precise, while also having an attributed de hidden behind it. Raon was sure that even a Master couldn¡¯t perfectly block that attack, not if they were only at a beginner level. Argh¡­ Wrath let out a small groan, probably because he didn¡¯t expect the fight to end so easily. That stupid turtle! It didn¡¯t know how to use its power because it got stronger too quickly. It should¡¯ve hidden inside its shell instead! It just kept using its strength like an idiot! ¡®You are right.¡¯ Raon nodded. The red turtle dragon¡¯s energy wasparable to a Master, but its fighting technique remained the same as before. The fight would¡¯ve been a lot more difficult if it could use its power to its full extent. Consider yourself lucky. If it could properly use that me, you would¡¯ve been burned uppletely. ¡®You should say that I was unlucky.¡¯ What? ¡®I would¡¯ve gotten even stronger if I fought something so powerful.¡¯ You are really insane¡­ Wrath shook his head, murmuring that he was sick of him. ¡®How did you like the technique?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t bad. ¡®Oh?¡¯ For a human. If you tried using a sloppy technique like that against the King of Essence, you¡¯d be frozen in an instant¡­ While Wrath was trying to be annoying by belittling him, messages appeared in front of his eyes. The messages informed him that he had received stats from creating a new technique and defeating the red dragon turtle that rose to the rank of mystical creature. What is this?! Wrath violently shook his head in disbelief. How could you get the founder title from making a sloppy technique that even a three-year-old child would be able to make? Icy wrath crawled up from his shoulders. Moreover! That red dragon turtle was a mid-rank monster at best! Some energy was all it had, and it wasn¡¯t exactly a difficult monster to defeat! Whether Wrath was angry or not, the system just gave what it came for and disappeared. Ugh, I made the system too simple! ¡®Simple?¡¯ I made it so it would only consider the results to allow the user to get stronger quickly. I didn¡¯t expect it to fire back at me like this. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon snickered, looking at Wrath as he ground his teeth. ¡®I¡¯m not sure what he means, but I¡¯m grateful for that.¡¯ He was getting stronger at an unprecedented rate thanks to Wrath. He felt nothing but gratitude towards the giving-doormat Wrath and the system. Just like the name Young Founder suggested, the title enhanced the martial art¡¯s power, which could be stillcking, and encouraged him to observe other people to learn even more. Since Raon was still going to make many different techniques in the future, he was really satisfied with the ability. Damn it¡­ Wrath gasped as he looked at the title. ¡®I told you that I would gain a lot from this.¡¯ Raon tapped Wrath while sheathing his sword. You don¡¯t deserve all that¡­ Wrath¡¯s trembling shoulders made it look like he would have a seizure soon. ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan¡¯s voice could be heard. When he looked around, Runaan¡¯s eyes looked as nk as always and Harren¡¯s pale face made it seem like he would start vomiting soon enough as they ran towards him. ¡°Y-You actually killed that¡­¡± Harren swallowed nervously as he looked at the corpse of the red dragon turtle. He asked Raon how he managed to cut through it, a mind-blown expression on his face. ¡°There are different ways of fighting.¡± Frost Pond was a technique of with the water attribute, the ice that was purified by cier had a purity at the Continent¡¯s level. Raon figured that even though the red dragon turtle had been enhanced from sucking on the geothermal heat, it wouldn¡¯t be able to survive it. ¡°Th-Then you should¡¯ve just used that technique from the beginning. Why did you take so much time?¡± Harren was perfectly respectful as he spoke. He wasn¡¯t treating him like a child anymore. ¡°I couldn¡¯t use that technique earlier.¡± ¡°Sorry? What do you¡­?¡± ¡°The technique I used to pierce its neck was made just now.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± When Raon told him the truth, Harren¡¯s lips started to tremble. He furtively turned his head to look at Runaan. Once she nodded, Harren ended up sinking to his knees. ¡°What the¡­?¡± He pointed his finger at the red dragon turtle, his eyes wide. ¡°Does that mean that you were fighting him without a n before that?¡± ¡°Well, I knew I could get stronger. If it didn¡¯t work, I could just kill it by hitting it dozens or hundreds of times.¡± It would have been okay if he hadn¡¯t managed toplete Frost Pond. It would¡¯ve taken more time, but he would¡¯ve defeated the red dragon turtle in the end. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Harren shook his head from his spot on the ground. He looked like he was either admiring him, couldn¡¯t understand him, or he had realized something. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan pouted slightly, poking the red dragon turtle with her finger. She was apparently annoyed by the monster that kept breathing fire because she liked coldness. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Don¡¯t casually call the King of Essence¡¯s name. ¡®Whatever. You said it was a mystical beast earlier, right? Does that mean it has something like an energy core?¡¯ Once a monster or a beast transcended its race, an energy core was created in their body. It was a priceless treasure, as absorbing it increased the amount of aura or strengthened the body. The King of Essence never said that it was actually a mystical creature, it was just pretty much one. Moreover¡­ Wrath sneered. That turtle used all its energy to enhance its fire and shell. The only thing you can get from it is a hard shell. He giggled, jeering that he couldn¡¯t get it even with his luck. He must have misunderstood and thought that Raon was disappointed. ¡®That¡¯s enough.¡¯ Raon shook his hand while smiling slightly. He created a new technique, gained a title, and even got stats. Since he could even get the red dragon turtle¡¯s corpse as his spoils, he already had plenty of rewards. ¡®It would be greedy to hope for mor¡­Huh?¡¯ He went next to Runaan and put his hand on the red dragon turtle. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation red up, starting to absorb the powerful mana of the fire attribute inside the red dragon turtle. Rumble! As he absorbed the tremendous amount of mana, enough to make his hand tremble, exhration ran down his spine. The messages appeared as soon as he finished absorbing all of the heat inside the red dragon turtle. ¡°Hoo!¡± He sped his trembling fist. Although most of it had been converted into stats, a significant amount of it still remained in his mana circuit. He could grow even further from absorbing all of that. ¡®This is even better than an energy core.¡¯ Wh-What¡¯s going on? Why is it giving you more rewards? You already got rewarded! You received stats and title just now! ¡®The one earlier was from my fight and victory, and this one is because the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation acted on its own¡­¡¯ Shut your mouth! Wrath punched the ground with his hand of ice. Does the world have to be like this?! This can¡¯t be true! The world shouldn¡¯t be like this! The desperate scream of the Demon King of Wrath echoed throughout the dim Skellei Mountain range. Why does everything want to favor him so much? * * * * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Harren groaned, touching the dead red dragon turtle¡¯s shell and skin. ¡®So, he managed to cut through this.¡¯ He could understand, since he¡¯d been living as a cksmith his entire life. The durability of the fire turtle¡¯s skin was equal to ck Steel. It was thick enough to require countless shes unless one used astral energy, but that insane swordsman managed to cut through it with a single aura de. ¡®Well, it wasn¡¯t just an ordinary aura.¡¯ Aura of Water Attribute. Moreover, it was a crazy technique that shed twice with a single swing, but it was still an aura de. He couldn¡¯t understand how he could cut through the enhanced red dragon turtle with a mere aura de. Harren bit his lip as he looked at Raon, who was arranging the geothermal flow. Half of his clothes were burned up, and his entire body was scorched ck. ¡®He got stronger while fighting.¡¯ He endured that awful heat as if it were nothing, only to get stronger while fighting and ying the red dragon turtle. That fact was the most amazing part. Although the burns should have been painful, he didn¡¯t show any sign of pain on the outside. It was honestly his first time witnessing a monster like that. ¡®I thought he was one of those sheltered geniuses¡­¡¯ Because he had achieved such prowess at the age of seventeen, he thought Raon was just a nt in a greenhouse that was born and raised ording to Zieghart¡¯s program, but it wasn¡¯t the case at all. He could tell from his serious eyes and that intense battle just then. He must¡¯ve been walking a deep, heavy, and muddy path. ¡°Haa¡­¡± His heart was pounding for the first time in a long time. He wanted to make the monster wear the equipment he forged, and he wanted to see him reach the Continent¡¯s peak with it. He felt like his lost passion was bursting from him. ¡°Let¡¯s return, then.¡± Raon walked up to the red dragon turtle. He raised his left and right hands at the same time, taking it by its neck. ¡°H-How are you lifting it?¡± Even though it had suddenly shrunk after death, it was still bigger than the average eight-horse carriage. His strength was also beyond human limits, just like his swordsmanship. Rumble! Raon started to pull on the red dragon turtle. He was apparently intending to carry it like that. It was amazing that he managed to lift it, but the fact that he decided to carry it around was even more shocking. ¡°W-Wait! We should call people to carry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon signaled Runaan with his eyes. ¡°Runaan, please help me.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± They raised their hands at the same time to spread ice on the ground. Smooth ice covered the ground from the mountain ridge to all the way down. ¡°Uncle, get on.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°We are going to ride it down, so get on the turtle¡ªjust like Runaan.¡± ¡°Huh? L-Like a slide?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Raon pointed at Runaan, who was sitting on the turtle while holding on to the shell. Although her expression hadn¡¯t changed, considering the fact that she was blushing slightly, she was looking forward to the ice slide. ¡°A-Alright.¡± Harren swallowed nervously, then climbed on the red dragon turtle to take a seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon went behind it, pushing the red dragon turtle to the icy path. The huge monster, one that was pretty much the master of the mountain, turned it to a sled as it glided down. ¡°Uwaah!¡± His mouth automatically opened, a scream falling from his lips because of the violent wind. ¡®H-He¡¯s crazy! He¡¯s really crazy!¡¯ Harren resolved himself while feeling the harsh wind. He would never offend the crazy young bastard behind him. ¡®But I lost the bet!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m screwed!¡¯ * * * The mountain ridge could be seen from the hill that Raon had abandoned. With his arms behind his back, Glenn was looking at the red dragon turtle as it slid down. ¡°Heavenly de division leader.¡± One person walked out from behind the trees upon hearing his call. She was a swordswoman with thin eyes, purple hair tied behind her head, and a sword on her back. With a small build, her young face made it look like she was in her twenties, but she was the Heavenly de division leader and had been with Glenn for dozens of years. ¡°How was he in your eyes?¡± ¡°I can understand why that slob cherishes him so much.¡± The Heavenly de division leader nodded, looking at Raon as he rode down on the red dragon turtle. ¡°He has amazing talent. In particr, thest blow seemed like one that he created himself.¡± ¡°Yes. The battle against the red dragon turtle was apparently a practice run for that technique.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time witnessing someone create a technique before bing a Master. He has the potential to be a Founder.¡± The Heavenly de division leader had admiration in her voice as she looked at the trajectory of ice that still remained in the air. A warrior needed to be at least a Master to create a martial art, yet Raon managed to make his first technique while being at the highest rank of Expert. She would¡¯ve been lying if she said she wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°Moreover, he even had an ability to absorb the heat remaining inside the red dragon turtle. Was that the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation ability that you mentioned before?¡± ¡°Yes. The developed Ten Thousand mes Cultivation absorbed the heat from the red dragon turtle.¡± ¡°He¡¯s amazing in many ways. He¡¯s not just using his talent, he¡¯s also capable of getting through crises. He¡¯s going to do his share in any situation.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s not that special. He¡¯s just decently excellent.¡± Glenn¡¯s mouth secretly curved into a small smile as he looked ahead, attempting to avoid being noticed by the Heavenly de division leader. His expression suggested that he was pleased that Raon had even managed to make the Heavenly de division leader admire him, despite her being famous for herposure. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s halfway to the point of surpassing the master¡¯s wall. The hard part starts from there, but it looks like he will be able to break through the wall at around the age of twenty.¡± The Heavenly de division leader¡¯s eyes became even narrower as she watched Raon sliding all the way down. ¡°The youngest sword master in Zieghart¡¯s history will be¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, he will manage before twenty.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that he will be a Master in his teens.¡± ¡°But even a genius can¡¯t get over the wall in front of him quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that just because he¡¯s a genius.¡± Glenn turned around with a slight frown on his face. ¡°It could be even more difficult for him to break through the wall because he became faster too quickly. I¡¯m sure my lord is also aware of that fact.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Although I can understand why that slobbish gambling addict keeps praising his talent and ability, I still believe that he¡¯s still far away from bing a Master.¡± ¡°Raon has not even once skipped daybreak training since he started training. If the training ground was closed, he trained in the annex building. Even during missions, he went on a night watch to practice his swordsmanship. He managed to reach his current position thanks to his efforts and talent.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± The Heavenly de division leader¡¯s jaw dropped. It was the first time she had heard Glenn speak so much, especially when it concerned another person. He looked like an over-doting grandfather that was arguing because someone nitpicked at the grandson he was trying to boast about. ¡°I¡¯m certain. I expect him to reach Master level next year at the earliest, and in two years at thetest.¡± ¡°B-But you just said he¡¯s not that special¡­¡± ¡°Ahem. It¡¯ster than I thought. Let¡¯s return.¡± Glenn simply kicked the ground after looking up to the dim sky. His body floated to the sky, then rushed towards Zieghart. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Heavenly de division leader tilted her head while looking at his back. ¡°Why does he feel simr to that gambling addict¡­?¡± * * * Rumble! In the evening at Mirtan vige, where small sounds of hammering was all that could typically be heard, a huge trembling sound resounded throughout the vige¡ªa contrast to the peaceful appearance. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°An earthquake?¡± ¡°The geothermal heat has been weak recently, and we are even getting an earthquake now!¡± The vigers that were havingte dinner hurriedly came running out when they felt the vibration. ¡°I-It¡¯s not an earthquake.¡± One of them swallowed nervously, pointing further down the vige. ¡°What? What would it be if it¡¯s not¡­ Gasp!¡± ¡°Wh-What is that?¡± ¡°Aaaah! A red dragon turtle!¡± ¡°Why is that monster in the vige?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ve never seen such a big one before¡­¡± People stepped backward with their mouths wide open at the sight of the huge red dragon turtle. Some of the cksmiths were about to run away. ¡°You idiots. It¡¯s not alive!¡± The first person to figure it out pointed to the lower part of the red dragon turtle. A golden-haired young man, his clothespletely burned up, was dragging the red dragon turtle. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°D-Did he seriously kill that?¡± ¡°Who the hell is he?¡± ¡°It¡¯s that boy! The one the previous vige chief said he¡¯d forge a weapon for!¡± ¡°Huh. Apparently, the previous chief didn¡¯t go senile, since he managed to y such a monster¡­¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s so strong. How is he carrying something of that size?¡± The cksmiths admired Raon, watching him carry the red dragon turtle. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon smiled slightly, looking at the long line of cksmiths on both sides. They looked like children watching a circus parade. ¡°W-Wait! How about selling that corpse to me? I¡¯ll pay nicely!¡± ¡°How dare you cut in line? I¡¯ll buy it! I¡¯ll pay 500 gold and 10 pieces of equipment!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay everything in gold. How about 2000 gold?¡± Once he got halfway to the peak, a bunch of cksmiths and merchants came together and stopped him to ask him to sell the corpse. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± As Raon was trying to shake his hand, Harren¡ªwho had been pushing the corpse with an unnoticeable amount of strength¡ªstepped forward and pushed the merchants and cksmiths away. ¡°500 gold? 2000 gold? Who are you trying to scam with such a small amount of money? Don¡¯t you realize he¡¯s my father¡¯s client, huh?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Keep doing that if you want to stop trading here.¡± The merchants and cksmiths stepped back a little upon hearing that. Some people tried raising the price a little, but they lowered their hands when Harren red at them fiercely. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Harren pointed at Vulcan¡¯s smithy at the peak, as if he were a butler. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon snickered, dragging the red dragon turtle up the hill. Thanks to Runaan, who froze the ground slightly from the rear, he managed to drag it to the top. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Vulcan was waiting outside, probably because he also felt the vibrations. He examined the red dragon turtle from top to bottom with stunned eyes. ¡°W-Was that the problem?¡± ¡°Yes. I killed it because it was sucking on the geothermal heat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a red dragon turtle of that size. I was surprised¡ªI thought it was a hatchling.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t just the size! It was also stupidly strong!¡± Harren extended his arms. ¡°It¡¯s like this because it shrunk, but it was even bigger before. Old man should¡¯ve seen it.¡± He murmured that it was regrettable and sighed. ¡°Since I¡¯ve fixed the part where the geothermal heat went awry, it will stabilize either tomorrow or in two days.¡± Raon dusted off his hands after cing the red dragon turtle in the open area in front of the workshop. ¡°Huh. Just like before, you never do anything ordinary. That''s all you have to say after killing a monster like this.¡± Vulcan eximed, looking at Raon¡¯s peaceful eyes. ¡°Enter.¡± He pointed inside the workshop, smiling slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve also finished my preparations.¡± Chapter 173 Raon followed Vulcan into the workshop. The table that used to be covered in a bunch of misceneous items now had three boxes on it instead. ¡°Are those boxes what you meant by preparations?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Vulcan smiled slightly, then opened the first box. There was the Golden Shard that came from the Golden Shard Stone. ¡°The second one also contains something you¡¯ve already seen.¡± The second box had the golden charcoal that he made in the North Grave Mountain¡¯s charcoal kiln. Even though five years had passed since then, there wasn¡¯t a single scratch on it. ¡°And thest one.¡± Vulcan licked his lips slightly, then opened the third box. There was a Golden Shard that was a bit bigger than the one inside the first box. ¡°...You manage to get it.¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped upon seeing the second Golden Shard. ¡®I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to acquire it.¡¯ Since the Golden Shard was the most precious metal, he¡¯d thought that Mirtan Vige wouldn¡¯t have any of it¡ªand even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t hand it over. He was worried that he would need to go somewhere else in order to find it, but Vulcan managed to acquire the Golden Shard in such a short amount of time. He wasn¡¯t the Continent¡¯s cksmith for no reason. ¡°Haah?¡± Harren clearly tilted his head at the sight of the Golden Shard inside the third box. ¡°Did the vige have this?¡± He tapped the Golden Shard while murmuring that it was strange. ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t have known if they had a Golden Shard of such a size. Old man, are you sure you got it from the vige?¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Vulcan nodded in a slightly awkward manner. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s really strange. Why does your face look like that? Who did you get this fro¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± He frowned and hit Harren¡¯s head. ¡°Kwah! Why are you hitting me again?¡± Harren stepped back while grasping his head and screaming. ¡°I¡¯ll be an idiot if you keep doing that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay since you¡¯ve always been an idiot!¡± Vulcan kicked Harren, then shook his hand to tell him to go away. ¡°Where did you get the Golden Shard?¡± Raon asked, looking at the Golden Shard inside the third box. Since it was his first sword, he didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t steal or take away from someone.¡± ¡°I know Sir cksmith isn¡¯t the type of person to do that. I just figured I should express my gratitude to the person that gave you this¡­¡± ¡°I-It was an anonymous sponsor. They said they didn¡¯t want to reveal their identity.¡± ¡°An anonymous sponsor?¡± ¡°They said they wanted to sponsor you after hearing about your identity and circumstances.¡± ¡°Maybe they will make some strange requestter¡­¡± ¡°They would never do that. I swear on my name. There won¡¯t be any problem whatsoever, even if you ept this Golden Shard.¡± Vulcan shook his hand, telling him to stop asking questions. He was covered in cold sweat, but he looked confident. He didn¡¯t seem to be lying at least. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Raon nodded. There was no way an excellent cksmith like Vulcan would do strange things. There seemed to be a secret behind it, but he decided to trust him for now. ¡°Hmm, and¡­¡± Vulcan opened the big box underneath. The Cold Blood Runaan brought was divided into two pieces. ¡°Runaan.¡± He gave the big one among them and one of the Gold Shards from the table at Runaan. ¡°Take this and go to the vige chief¡¯s workshop that¡¯s right underneath us. I already told him about you, so he should be waiting for you.¡± Vulcan pointed at the diamond shaped workshop right under the hill. ¡°Since he said it takes about two days for the geothermal heat to return, you should go ahead and decide on the size and shape of the sword that you want.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Runaan took the Cold Blood and one of the Gold Shards, then stood up. She nodded at Raon before leaving. She was probably wishing him good luck in her own way. ¡°See ya.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon waved his hand while smiling, and Runaan pleasantly skipped down the hill. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡± Vulcan closed the boxes and looked at Raon. ¡°You said before that you wanted to be a swordsman that won¡¯t lose. Is that still valid?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded. Not only had that objective not changed, but his resolution had also grown even more solid. In order to achieve what he wanted, it was necessary for him to remain undefeated no matter who he faced. ¡°I like how consistent you are.¡± Vulcan smiled, cing the red steel on the table. ¡°This is ming Steel. Half the sword will consist of this steel. It¡¯s a bitckingpared to the Cold Steel, but it should be fine once the new material is added.¡± ¡°And what would be the new material¡­?¡± ¡°You know, the turtle you brought.¡± He pointed at the red dragon turtle¡¯s corpse, which could be seen from inside the workshop. ¡°By using that, the ming Steel should be a material that doesn¡¯t lose to the Cold Blood. Cold Blood, ming Steel, and the Golden Shard to keep the bnce. A proper sword shall be born.¡± Vulcan smiled, sping his fist. ¡°Tell me what shape you want, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like it to be simr to this one.¡± Raon took out the sword he¡¯d brought with him, handing it over. It wasn¡¯t thick or thin, and it was about one finger length longer than the average sword. Since he was going to learn countless swordsmanship in the future, the sword needed to have a versatile shape that could use all kinds of characteristics. ¡°Versatile sword. I suppose that would be suitable for you.¡± Vulcan narrowed his eyes and nodded. ¡°I see. Come back at daybreak in two days. I¡¯ll start working on it at that time, since that¡¯s when the heat will return.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back in two days, then.¡± Raon said goodbye to Vulcan and went outside. He went to the vige chief¡¯s workshop right away, as he was worried about Runaan. ¡°Father.¡± Harren returned to the workshop after watching Raon¡¯s back for a while. ¡°What¡¯s up? Why are you calling me that in that disgusting way?¡± Vulcan shook his hand, as if he was dealing with something dirty. He hadn¡¯t called him Father in a long time. ¡°I have a request.¡± Harren knelt. ¡°Request?¡± ¡°Please allow me to help you make that sword.¡± ¡°Did you go crazy?¡± ¡°I also think I¡¯m crazy. However, it¡¯s really going to be over if I miss this opportunity!¡± ¡°How would you even help with the work when all you¡¯ve been doing is drinking and gambling?¡± ¡°Please! It¡¯s okay if you leave the menialbor to me. It¡¯s okay if I can¡¯t touch the sword! Just let me stay inside the workshop, at least!¡± He mmed his head on the ground so hard that it bled. ¡°You¡­ What did you even see from Raon?¡± ¡°Potential.¡± The obscurity started to disappear from Harren¡¯s eyes as he raised his head. ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed an unprecedentedly huge potential.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I want to help make that potential even thicker and stronger! Please, help me!¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Vulcan exhaled a little, meeting Harren¡¯s serious eyes. ¡°I will start at daybreak in two days. Fix your mind and remove the smell of liquor by then. I¡¯ll kick you out immediately if Raon refuses.¡± ¡°Alright! Thank you!¡± Harren bowed right away, then ran outside. ¡°Oh my.¡± Vulcan snickered, watching Harren run after two years. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted him to get his mind straight, but I didn¡¯t know this would happen.¡± He licked his lips, looking at the vige chief¡¯s workshop, which was brilliantly lit up. ¡°I guess I¡¯m indebted to Raon¡­¡± * * * Southern Zieghart Casino Entrance ¡°Hmhmm.¡± Rimmer was walking out, humming. The pathetic appearance that was weighing on his shoulders that morning had disappeared, and he looked as confident as a triumphant general. ¡°Hmm.¡± Rimmer grinned, looking at the gold pouch in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is a good thing.¡± Since the old man that¡¯d been always winning against him wasn¡¯t there anymore, he won lots of money for once from the others. He should¡¯ve been able to livefortably for a while with all that money. ¡°I¡¯ll repay the debts first¡­ No! I can just win even more tomorrow and return once I have even more money.¡± He clenched his fist, murmuring the crazy lines that every gambling addict usually spoke. ¡°I hope I¡¯m as lucky as today, tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Hey, gambling addict.¡± As Rimmer was about to enter the pub, a sharp voice could be heard from behind him. ¡°This voice with onedle¡¯s worth of bluntness and one spoonful of kindness must be¡­¡± When he looked around, the Heavenly de division leader was standing there with her arms crossed. ¡°¡­our Heavenly de division leader!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have a speck of kindness for you, so stop speaking nonsense.¡± The Heavenly de division leader shook her head with a frown. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s been a long time!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Rimmer dly waved his hand, and the Heavenly de division leader snorted. ¡°I won quite a lot today. Do you want some drinks? I¡¯ll buy.¡± He asked her to the pub, his finger to his lips. ¡°Let¡¯s have a conversation before that.¡± ¡°Conversation sounds great. Tell me about your mission.¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± The Heavenly de division leader bobbed her finger, then went to the outer part of the main street. ¡°There¡¯s nothing special around here. We could¡¯ve spoken in the pub.¡± ¡°Shut up and follow me.¡± ¡°Why is our cute Heavenly de division leader so hysterical today?¡± ¡°Do you need to get your head cut off by said cutie before you shut that mouth up?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Rimmer swallowed, rubbing his neck. ¡°Where are we going? I need to sleep early today so that I can win a lot tomorrow!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at our destination.¡± The Heavenly de division leader stopped at an open area behind the main street, where no one woulde. ¡°What kind of conversation¡­ Argh!¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips trembled. He could feel the presence of his natural enemy. His whole body was warning him to run away immediately. ¡°N-No way¡­¡± He turned his head to the side. The person that shouldn¡¯t have been there, the most out-of-ce man with the ce, was leaning his against the wall. ¡°M-My lord!¡± Glenn Zieghart was looking down at him with a cold gaze. ¡°You ignored my warning.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I came for a ¡®conversation¡¯.¡± ¡°Those aren''t the eyes of someone that wants a conversation, though¡­¡± Glenn''s cold gaze crushed his entire body, as if it would immediately start devouring his flesh. ¡°Speaking isn¡¯t the only way of conversing. The conversation can also be done with bodies.¡± Glenn slowly raised his hand. Rumble! ck clouds appeared in the clear night sky¡ªa mysterious scene to behold. ¡°Haa, please wait a moment.¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t panic, calmly raising his hand. ¡®I knew this would happen.¡¯ He already expected the situation would ur the moment he borrowed money from Roenn. Since he expected it, he was prepared for it as well. ¡®Because I¡¯m not an idiot.¡¯ He had no intention of letting that lightning strike him like an idiot. He could safely get out of that situation if he used the method he had prepared. ¡°Please listen to me.¡± Rimmer slowly lowered his hand, telling him to calm down. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are curious what Raon is doing right now.¡± Glenn was a grandson¡¯s grandpa to the core. He was definitely going to stop if he talked about Raon. It was the only way to stop the Destructive King of the North. ¡°If you are curious about what he is doing right now, please get rid of that cloud first¡­ Huh?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped. Instead of disappearing or getting thinner, the dark clouds in the sky became even thicker and started radiating crimson lightning. ¡®Th-This shouldn¡¯t be happening, though?¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be! ¡°M-My lord! I¡¯m talking about Raon! I¡¯ll tell you everything about where he went, and what he is about to do! Because you like Raon!¡± He hurriedly started shouting, but Glenn¡¯s eyes became even colder and more serious, and the thunderous cloud created terrible lightning instead of disappearing. ¡®H-How is this happening?!¡± He never imagined that grandson¡¯s grandpa could react that way. The only way left for him was to run away. ¡°Hey! I really am going to die if I get hit by that!¡± ¡°Farewell, gambling addict.¡± The moment the Heavenly de division leader smiled softly, the sky was dyed red. Rumble! Rimmer dropped the gold pouch from his hand, while looking at the lightning falling down on him. ¡°Was this why I was strangely lucky today¡­?¡± * * * * * * Two Days Later Daybreak Raon confirmed that the geothermal heat had returned to the vige, then went to Vulcan¡¯s workshop. Even though he expected Vulcan to be alone in the workshop, Harren was with him. His hair, which used to flutter like seaweed in the water, was shaved. Strength could be seen inside his eyes. It was an extreme change, considering it had happened in only two days. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°You can ask me to do menialbor or pretend I¡¯m not here. Please allow me to stay in this ce.¡± He bowed deeply. His trembling throat showed that he was serious about it. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I have a feeling I¡¯ll be able to understand something.¡± Raon turned his head towards Vulcan. ¡°Do as you wish. I don¡¯t care whether he¡¯s here or not.¡± ¡°Hmm, then let¡¯s ask him to do some menialbor.¡± He was nning to use Harren as the Light Wind¡¯s exclusive cksmith anyway once he had his head on straight. It would be beneficial to him if Harren could understand something from that ce. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s really nice of you.¡± Vulcan smiled slightly while patting Raon¡¯s shoulder. It looked like even the Continent¡¯s cksmith was attached to his family, since he was sincerely expressing his thanks. ¡°Let¡¯s get started, since I don¡¯t even know how long it¡¯s going to take. Harren!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Harren ran inside the workshop, igniting the furnace. The temperature soared in an instant. The workshop¡¯s heat was iparable to before, thanks to the geothermal heat returning to normal. ¡°Insert the auras that you use in those two metals.¡± Vulcan pointed at the Cold Blood and the ming Steel, which was enhanced by the red dragon turtle¡¯s shell on the table. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon went to the table, grabbing the ming Steel and Cold Blood. He inserted cier into the Cold Blood and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation inside the ming Steel at the same time. Fizzle! The ming Steel turned a burning red, and the Cold Blood started shining in pure white¡ªlike the snow field of daybreak before anyone stepped inside. Zzzt! As he was trying to increase the intensity of light and heat by inserting auras of higher purity and density, an ominous energy started to creep up. It was obvious who the perpetrator was. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ What¡¯s up? The King of Essence is helping you. Probably because of Wrath¡¯s coldness, the Cold Blood that used to radiate a pure silvery light had started to be polluted. You are getting stronger too quickly. The King of Essence will help you regain your bnce. As if he was trying to vent his anger at Raon getting too many rewards after ying the red dragon turtle two days ago, he kept spreading murky energy. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon sighed on the inside. He thought Wrath might try that, but he actually did it. It was a good thing that he took measures against that sloppy demon king. ¡®There¡¯s a pub named Dwarven Hammer at the outskirts of Mirtan Vige.¡¯ What hammer? What kind of bullshit are you¡­ ¡®That pub has a menu item called the Utan roasted pig, and I heard the skin is as crisp as cookies, the meat is extremely soft, and the sauce has a deep taste because it¡¯s made from fifty different ingredients. Woah¡­ As soon as Wrath heard that, he stopped shoving coldness into the metal and started to drool coldness from his mouth. ¡®I was nning to eat that before leaving because you¡¯ve been nice recently, but I guess I shouldn¡¯t.¡¯ Th-The King of Essence is generous. There¡¯s no way you can be a threat to the King of Essence just because you obtain a good sword. He put his hands on his waist. He started to pull out the murky energy, with a refreshing smile. B-But when are you nning to go to that pub? ¡®When I finish making the sword.¡¯ Ahem. The King of Essence will be waiting mercifully. Wrath returned to the bracelet as soon as he heard the answer. His drooling sound could be heard from outside of it. ¡®He¡¯s so easy.¡¯ Raon snickered and erased Wrath¡¯s energy. He put his aura inside the two metals until he was told to stop. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± While he was shoving aura into the metal as if he were pouring water into a pot with a hole, Vulcan raised his hand. ¡°Judging from the energy imbued in the metal, I can see how much you¡¯ve grown.¡± Vulcan eximed intensely upon feeling the energy ingrained in the two metals. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can stay back now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded and stepped back. Vulcan threw the first Golden Charcoal into the furnace, where a thick haze was shimmering from. Whaaaaam! The heat haze that had a thickness of a finger puffed up at the size of the forearm, and the furnace¡¯s heat became so intense that it was difficult to breathe. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± Even Vulcan and Harren groaned, despite having spent their entire lives in front of a furnace. It was even affecting Raon, who was staying back, so those two must¡¯ve been feeling the pain of getting scalded. Vulcan threw the two lumps of Golden Shard inside the furnace, extending his hand behind him. ¡°Collect your mind. Bring the ming Steel here first!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Vulcan epted the ming Steel from Harren, then ced it in the middle of the furnace. Rumble! The tremendous heat raged and started to melt the crimson lump of metal. ¡°Next!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Vulcan took out the half-melted ming Steel from the furnace, then inserted the Cold Blood. One stream of pure coldness rose from the powerful heat. ¡°Put them at the same time this time!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Vulcan and Harren inserted the half-melted ming Steel and Cold Blood into the furnace at the same time. Although the powerful heat looked like it could even melt the furnace itself, the ming Steel and the Cold Blood didn¡¯t melt so easily. Whir! Once the lumps of metals lost their original form from getting burned for a long time, Vulcan took out the two metals and picked up the hammer. ng! ng! ng! Vulcan¡¯s hammering had begun. The precise hammering wasn¡¯t strong, weak, nor slow. Just like people¡¯s natural breathing from the moment they are born, the sound and flow remained constant. The hammering of a cksmith that had been walking a single path for dozens of years reverberated throughout the heat-filled workshop. Gulp. Raon swallowed, watching him hammer with his soul. Just like an absolute swordsman swinging his sword, every single instance of the hammering sound made his hair stand on end. He couldn¡¯t breathe, nor could he take his eyes off of the man as he kept starting at Vulcan¡¯s hammering. Rumble! When the hammering started to ride the flow, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation rose by itself and started dancing magnificently, while the cier stood up straight and started singing elegantly. ng! ng! ng! The two energies dashed through the mana circuits in his whole body, as if they were harmonizing with Vulcan¡¯s hammering, to endlessly amplify their energies. It was an explosive dash that was difficult to control. ¡°Huff.¡± Raon couldn¡¯t endure it anymore, sinking to the ground. ¡®What I need to do right now¡­¡¯ Even if he tried, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them from going out of control. What he needed to do was to harden the foundations. Cling! He released both the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier, then started using the Ring of Fire. The six rings of fire vibrated to gently calm the energies that were going out of control, and he regained some leeway. ng! ng! ng! ording to Vulcan¡¯s hammering sound, which felt like it was directly striking their soul instead of a metal, the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and cier moved together like a single body. ang! ang! The hammering sound became even stronger than before. It was the sound of Vulcan striking the third metal, the Golden Shard. Ring of Fire was the part that harmonized with the Golden Shard. The six rings resonated, as if they were responding to the resonance of the king of metals, and created a flow as prevalent as the river. The endless flow of energies of the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and cier made the red dragon turtle¡¯s heat that he hadn¡¯t managed to absorb entirely melt into his whole body like butter. Raon¡¯s muscles and bones matured to be even sturdier, and his mana circuit and energy center throbbed and inted with life. Rumble. Feeling the exhration of his inner energy and outer energy resonating with each other as if they had been connected by an invisible thread, Raon focused deeply on his cultivation. ng! ng! ng! Vulcan was in the same state as Raon. With a focus that should have been called immersion instead, he struck the metal endlessly with spiritual fire zing from his blue eyes. As he kept hammering the metals with his soul, the ming Steel, Cold Blood, and the Golden Shard mingled with each other as if they were originally a single metal together, the de radiating with a frightening ck light that had started to make its appearance. Chapter 174 I entered the workshop for the first time at the age of eight. I took up a hammer when I was twelve, and I forged a sword for the first time at the age of fourteen. It wasn¡¯t actually a sword. It was nothing but a ttened scrap of metal, made from striking heated metal. I made a sword that could actually be called a weapon during the winter when I was fifteen. A famous swordsman gave me gold coins, telling me that he liked it. I believed I was talented at smithing and opened my own workshop, despite my father trying to dissuade me. Probably because the swordsman that bought my first sword became more and more famous, clients kept flooding into my workshop. I expanded the workshop, epting novice cksmiths to increase the workload. I supplied weapons to countless organizations to rake in the money. The workshop became bigger and bigger, and gold piled up like a mountain. My frequent use of a hammer decreased gradually, and I spent more time outside, spending money. It was a sessful life for such a young age¡ªI could even be called a child. It was a life that anyone would yearn for. And the ident happened while I was enjoying my life in such a manner. There was a problem with the swords and shields that I supplied inrge amounts, all because I couldn¡¯t properly check the quality if I were to meet the deadline. It resulted in soldiers dying or being heavily injured in their monster exterminations. The Kingdom asked for a tremendous amount as apensation fee, and I used all the fortune that I¡¯d umted to barely meet the request. The money I¡¯d been umting for over ten years was gone, but that wasn¡¯t the problem. The problem was the fact that people died because of the sloppy swords that I had made. I finally realized that I¡¯d been making weapons that could kill or save people¡¯s lives, rather than tools for my business. I realized that I was a cksmith, not a merchant. I could finally understand why my father was against me leaving his workshop so early on. He predicted that such an ident would happen, as I didn¡¯t have the correct mindset yet¡ªdespite having the skills. I kept drinking every day after that. I drank and drank and drank. I couldn¡¯t stop drinking, because I kept remembering the people that had died because of my weapons. Living as a drunkard for ten years, I used up the small fortune that I had left, then returned to my ruined workshop while thinking about killing myself. As I was trying to die in the workshop that I set up myself, I saw the hammer on the furnace. It was the first hammer that my father had bought me. Since I¡¯d used it for over ten years, I decided to try holding it before I died. I unconsciously burst into tears the moment I grabbed the hammer. I sank to the ground, crying alone for the whole day¡ªas if the emotions that had been umting after that incident exploded out at once. I stood up after weeping until my tears stopped falling. Mysteriously, my suicidal intentions were gone alongside the tears. I grabbed my father¡¯s hammer and ignited the rusty furnace. I inserted the scrap metal and my useless thoughts into the raging fire. The only thing left in me was my desire to hammer. I struck the steel. I struck the steel. I struck the steel. Money, fame, emotion, life¡ªeverything was thrown into the furnace to melt it all and kept striking the hammer. When I finally came back to my senses after a long time had passed, I was called the Continent¡¯s cksmith, and I had made a sword for the warrior that was said to be the strongest. I overcame my regrettable youth to achieve great sess, and even had a family. Although all I had left to do was to enjoy a satisfying life, something was missing. The unknown deficiency created a hole in my heart. That was my distress. The despairing from the fact that I couldn¡¯t forge a sword better than the Heavenly Tremor was pressuring upon me. I let go of the hammer that I¡¯d been using for so long, running away while iming that I would make a Golden Charcoal as an excuse. I spent ten years in vain,forting myself by saying that I was putting in effort. As I was about to give up and return, a blonde child visited me. He was small and extremely thin for his age, but his eyes were somber and cold. He said he wanted to feel the fire, and I let him do as he wished, since it was obvious he wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it anyway. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. The blonde endured a heat intense enough that even skilled cksmiths would have run away in disgust, eventually creating his own aura. The legendary Golden Charcoal was born, but my eyes were looking at the kid instead of the Golden Charcoal. I felt a passion stir¡ªI wanted to forge a sword for someone for the first time in dozens of years, and promised him that I¡¯d make his weapon. I spent five years after that building my body and polishing my mind, and the child came to visit me. The child had grown up so much, to the point that it made me happy, and he brought the best materials and circumstances through multiple connections. The day the sword was to be forged, I increased the furnace¡¯s heat to the extreme by using the Golden Charcoal before putting the lumps of metals inside. I burned away the impurities in my mind, watching the metals slowly melt. I even threw my ambition to surpass the Heavenly Tremor and the desire to leave behind the best masterpiece before dying into the fire to melt them. The only thing I had left was the cksmith¡¯s instinct to hammer steel. I took the lump of metal that had melted alongside my worthless thoughts from the furnace, then grabbed my hammer. I struck the steel. I struck the steel. I struck the steel. Just like when I was inside that ruined workshop fifty years ago, I forgot about myself and kept striking the steel. Responding to my focus¡ªpolished like a de¡ªthe three different kinds of metal mingled with each other, slowly taking on the appearance of a sword. Jet ck. Just like the Heavenly Tremor forged with Golden Shard, the entire de was ck. I put the sword into the furnace, then took it out to start striking it again. It was gradually shaped, and the de became sharper, but the ck color covering the de didn¡¯t disappear. I sprinkled Cran powder and put it back into the furnace. The de that should¡¯ve had the shining white color of a snow field still maintained its ck color. I struck and struck again. It was fine if it was going to be myst work. I kept striking with the hammer, and even forgot the flow of time. The de formed into the shape of a versatile sword, and its sharpness reached a frightening degree, but the ck color covering the de remained the same. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Even though I¡¯d been wielding a hammer to strike steel for dozens of years, I couldn¡¯t urately figure out whether the de wasplete or not. It was the first time that had happened to me. Whir! As I lowered my hammer because I didn¡¯t know what to do next, the sword started to cry. It was a different vibration from the sword resonance, which was an attempt to harmonize with its master. The sword was howling for its master. ¡°F-Father!¡± ¡°Wait.¡± I made the panicked Harren step back, observing the sword¡¯s howling. The sword floated into the air from its intense vibrations. Whir. Floating on its own, the sword started flying towards Raon, who was sitting at the end of the workshop, as if a string had been attached to it. Whir! The sword stood upside down, stopping right under Raon¡¯s nose and starting to cry once again. As it was about to fall to the ground, as if it had run out of strength, Raon extended his hand to grab the sword. Cring! The sword vibrated intensely in Raon¡¯s hand. The violent vibration made the ck color of the de turn to ash, scattering away as the snow-white de made its appearance. Spark! As the de glowed with the brilliant light of a snow field reflecting the sunlight, Raon opened his eyes. Blue and red. The two colors filled his eyes, radiating a mysterious brilliance. I finally realized. That sword was literally born for Raon. * * * Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the sword in his hand. It was his first time grabbing it, but it fit his hand so perfectly that it even felt mysterious. He felt like he had found his other half that he had lost. Whir! The energy from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier grew excited just from him holding the sword. The aura amplification ability of Golden Shard, ming Steel, and Cold Blood must¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger. ¡°Wow, seriously?¡± Vulcan eximed in amazement and sank to the ground. ¡°Even I have never seen a flying sword look for its own master before.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon immediately realized that he wasn¡¯t joking, as he wouldn¡¯t be holding the sword if it hadn¡¯t flown at him. ¡°I knew that it was iplete, but it finallypleted itself from meeting its master.¡± Vulcan breathed out in awe. ¡°That is your sword, Raon Zieghart. That sword will follow no one else but you, and you are the only one that can use it.¡± He examined the de that shone white with bewildered eyes before he continued. ¡°And it¡¯s my best masterpiece.¡± ¡°Does that mean that it¡¯s better than the Heavenly Tremor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a different story, as the Heavenly Tremor is made entirely of Golden Shard. It doesn¡¯t exactly surpass it. However, the sword forged with everything I have isn¡¯t the Heavenly Tremor, but that nameless sword. I returned to that time in the past to just keep hammering.¡± Vulcan murmured that he felt free after satisfying his wish and regrets. ¡°Do you have a name in mind?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have one yet.¡± ¡°Then, can I name it for you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon met Vulcan¡¯s eyes and nodded. Since the cksmith normally named the sword, there was no reason for him to refuse. ¡°Heavenly Tremor means that it shakes the heavens. With that in mind, how about naming yours ¡®Heavenly Drive¡¯?¡± ¡°Does it mean ¡®leading the heavens¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes. Show me that you can lead the heavens with your own power, never losing. It should be possible with that sword.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an arrogant name, but I like it.¡± ¡®Heavenly Drive.¡¯ When Raon gripped the sword tightly, messages appeared in front of his eyes. The messages announced that he had managed to absorb all of the internal energies that had remained unorganized. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. The stats had increased from gaining a personal weapon for the first time. Judging from the increased stats and the increased proficiency of the Ring of Fire and his auras, he had managed to surpass about 70% of the wall towards the Master level. He could start to see what loomed beyond the wall little by little. ¡®I¡¯m close.¡¯ It looked like he could break through the Master¡¯s wall by next year at thetest. ¡®In the future¡­¡¯ Keuh! As Raon was clenching his fist in anticipation, Wrath popped out from the bracelet. Again! You are doing that again! He looked enraged as he red at the message. How much are you nning to ruin the King of Essence¡¯s main body before you are satisfied? You bastard! ¡®Utan roasted pig.¡¯ Huh? Hmm? ¡®The Utan roasted pig is waiting for us.¡¯ Ugh¡­ As soon as he mentioned the Utan roasted pig, Wrath¡¯s aggressive coldness settled like soft hair. D-Damn it. Even though he was angry, he seemed to be suppressing his anger in anticipation for the roasted pig. As expected of the demon king of gluttony, who used his stomach to create his fake identity ¡®Wrath¡¯. ¡°You did a good job as well.¡± Vulcan smiled at Harren, who was leaning his back against the wall. ¡°Raon and I werepletely focused, and you saved us by moving without breaking that concentration. You were trotting around so easily.¡± ¡°Tsk. I know you areplimenting me, but why would you say ¡®trot¡¯?¡± Harrenined with a frown. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Raon nodded. It was really difficult to move around without breaking their concentration, as they were both immersed in the work. He agreed with Vulcan¡¯spliment. Harren was talented. ¡°Thank you for your efforts.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Raon expressed his gratitude with his eyes, and Harren awkwardly scratched under his ears. ¡°L-Let¡¯s get some fresh air in! I feel really suffocated from being locked in here for two days straight¡­ Argh!¡± While opening the closed steel door, he saw the woman standing in front of it and stepped back in surprise. Runaan was standing in front of the door, her silver hair flowing over her left shoulder. Judging from her slightly red eyes, she must¡¯ve been waiting for a pretty long time. ¡°Have you finished?¡± Runaan tilted her head, hugging a silver sword that he¡¯s never seen before. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve finished as well.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan drew the sword that she was hugging, handing it over. With a silver color just like her hair, the sharp de gave off an aloof impression. He could tell that it was an extremely excellent de just from looking at it. Fluttering blue flower petals were engraved on the scabbard, giving it an elegant air. Runaan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but she looked extremely pleased, her cheeks blushing slightly. ¡°It matches her perfectly. He made it well.¡± Vulcan gave a big nod, admiring Runaan¡¯s sword. ¡°Raon. I¡¯m nning to make your scabbard with the red dragon turtle¡¯s shell. I¡¯ll weave it in a shy and durable way so that you can also use it as a club.¡± He clenched his fist as if he were telling him to rest assured, despite his clearly exhausted state. ¡°Harren, you should help me as well.¡± ¡°Okay. I mean, yes! Understood!¡± Harren pounded his chest with his clenched fist, telling him to leave it to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon stood up and bowed at Vulcan and Harren. ¡°I was really lucky to meet Sir cksmith, as I managed to obtain such a nice sword.¡± ¡°Lucky?¡± Raon raised his head, hearing Vulcan¡¯s voice asking what he meant. ¡°There was no luck involved in any material used to forge that sword. The reason she gave you the Cold Blood, the way the Golden Charcoal was created, and the reason I decided to forge your sword¡ªit was all because you have been yourself.¡± ¡°I have been myself¡­¡± ¡°The Heavenly Drive is created from your rtionships, not just some luck.¡± Vulcan smiled softly as he walked towards him, then patted his shoulder. ¡°The path you¡¯ve been walking so far isn¡¯t wrong. Keep devoting yourself to your progress.¡± The way he said he wasn¡¯t wrong, and the word ¡®rtionship¡¯ touched his heart. He had the feeling that he was gettingforted for his hellish previous life. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Raon bit his trembling lip, bowing once again. ¡°Thank you.¡± Really. * * * * * * Two dayster. The scabbard containing the Heavenly Drive was hanging around Raon¡¯s waist. The golden light of dawn and the ckish red light of the evening glow mixed with each other in harmony, creating the perfect appearance of a scabbard that would contain the sword leading the heavens. He could only admire Vulcan and Harren¡¯s skills, as they had managed to create such a piece of art from the red dragon turtle¡¯s shell, which had nothing but hardness to boast about. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Raon bowed to Vulcan, who was standing in front of the workshop. ¡°It¡¯s a shame. You could¡¯ve stayed for a bit longer.¡± ¡°Since my mission¡¯s going to begin soon, I think I need to make my preparations as the vice-squad leader.¡± ¡°I suppose, since that ruffian is the squad leader, you must have a lot of work to do.¡± Vulcan clicked his tongue, saying that the world must being to an end. ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± Raon snickered and nodded. ¡°What are you nning to do about that?¡± Vulcan pointed his finger at the red dragon turtle shell, ws, and teeth that were inside the workshop. ¡°I¡¯m too exhausted to make anything with them now.¡± He shook his hand to fan himself. He had gotten more wrinkles, making it look like he aged at least ten years after making the sword and the scabbard. He wasn¡¯t lying about being too tired. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. It was me that wanted to make the sword, and I¡¯m satisfied enough with it.¡± Vulcan smiled honestly. He looked like he had no regrets. ¡°Then, about those¡­¡± ¡°Please leave them to me!¡± As Raon was about to speak, Harren¡ªwho was behind him¡ªjumped forward. ¡°If you leave it to me, I¡¯ll create the best equipment with them!¡± He knelt and bowed while saying that. ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore.¡± Vulcan shrugged, telling Raon to do as he wished. ¡°We didn¡¯t settle the reward for the bet we made when we first met, right?¡± ¡°Hiee!¡± Harren finally remembered it and screamed. ¡°Since you have to grant any of my wishes, I¡¯ll tell you what I want. Work as the Light Wind Squad¡¯s exclusive cksmith until you manage to forge a sword that meets my standards.¡± Raon smiled, meeting Harren¡¯s eyes. They had begun to look more respectable. Since Harren had enough talent that even Vulcan acknowledged him, and he had begun to learn his lesson over thest four days, Raon was sure that he would be an excellent cksmith in the future. If he could turn him into the Light Wind¡¯s exclusive cksmith, it was going to be extremely helpful for sure. ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it for sure! Thank you!¡± Harren immediately nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give you your first mission, then. Please make the basic armor for thirty-four swordsmen by using the red dragon turtle¡¯s materials.¡± ¡°Basic armor¡­¡± ¡°Can you do it?¡± ¡°Of course! Just you wait.¡± He confidently smiled. ¡°I¡¯m also going to check on whether this idiot is working properly or not.¡± Vulcan smiled, while lightly hitting Harren on the head. ¡°We will get going now.¡± ¡°See youter.¡± Raon and Runaan bowed at them, before taking their new swords and going down the hill. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Vulcan smiled slightly, watching their backs. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how much stronger you¡¯ll be the next time we meet.¡± A seventeen-year-old swordsman that could already see the Master level. The entire continent would be shaken if his name became famous. In anticipation for the majestic appearance of the Heavenly Drive in Raon¡¯s hands, he automatically clenched his fist. ¡°Father! What are you doing over there? Come here already and help me! I can¡¯t carry all this on my own!¡± Harren¡¯s voice could be heard from inside the workshop. Even though he¡¯d been living as a loser for two years, he snapped out of it in the span of four days and disyed a passion simr to Vulcan¡¯s own in the past. A smile appeared on Vulcan''s face, even though he was exhausted. Raon expressed his gratitude, but he was the one that felt the most grateful. ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Vulcan wished for good luck on Raon and Runaan¡¯s future battles as they got further away, then returned to his noisy workshop. * * * Raon went to the Dwarven Hammer, located in the corner of Mirtan Vige, with Runaan. There were many people inside despite it being on the outskirts. It seemed to be a famous pub, just like Harren had said. Sniff. I already like the fragrance. I can smell the fragrance of that sauce that¡¯s made from fifty different ingredients. Wrath licked his lips, already excited upon reaching the entrance. ¡®Calm down a little.¡¯ There¡¯s no way the King of Essence can calm down, as it¡¯s his first time eating some proper food in a few days. The King of Essence will definitely not calm down. ¡®Then wait a moment. We are going to eat soon enough.¡¯ Raon grabbed Wrath to force him to calm down, then entered the pub. ¡°Wee!¡± The server came running out and smiled. ¡°Two people?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. They were guided to a table inside. ¡°What are you going to order?¡± The server gave them the menu and politely gathered her hands in front of her. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Whatever Raon is eating.¡± Runaan blinked her eyes, telling her to order the same thing as him. ¡°Then two servings of Utan roasted pig¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really sorry.¡± The server frowned and lowered her head. ¡°We are out of ingredients.¡± ¡°You ran out of ingredients?¡± ¡°Because people gathered from everywhere upon hearing the news about the red dragon turtle being in, we used up all the ingredients.¡± Argh! The moment she said they had run out of ingredients, a strange sound came from Wrath¡¯s throat. ¡°Hmm¡­ Then, when do the ingredients¡­¡± ¡°It will take at least a week.¡± Raon felt sorry for Wrath, but there was nothing more he could do, as he couldn¡¯t possibly wait for a whole week. Wh-Why the hell¡­? The mes of coldness raged from Wrath¡¯s whole body. Why the hell is it never there when the King of Essence wants to eat? ¡®It can¡¯t be helped, since the ingredients¡­¡¯ It¡¯s all your fault! This all happened because you brought that turtle here! You should¡¯ve just sold it already! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon scratched the back of his head. Since he was right about that, he couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡®I should blow off his steam with something else.¡¯ He felt like he needed to eat something other than the Utan roasted pig in order to cheer Wrath up. ¡°Do you have any rmendations?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a pretty famous menu item, even though it¡¯s not as famous as the roasted pig.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The cksmith set menu! It has a warm onion stew, soft bread, and even stir-fried chicken with sweet sauce. That item is definitely delicious!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Raon hung his head while swallowing nervously. Wrath hated set menus the most, and even theposition was the exact same as at Habun Castle. Set menu. Set menu again. Set menus exist everywhere¡­ ¡®Of course, it¡­¡¯ Shut up! Just as he expected, deadly lightning exploded from Wrath¡¯s eyes. God damn it! Did everyone plot together or something? Why is this menu the exact same as that damned castle¡¯s scout menu? He screamed, looking up at the ceiling. The entire world hates the King of Essence! Chapter 175 Raon returned to Zieghart with Runaan, who was embracing her new sword as if it were a precious treasure, and Wrath, who was sulking because he wasn¡¯t able to eat the Utan roasted pig. Since he now had an affiliation, he went to the fifth training ground before going to the annex building. Because it was dinner time, there were no swordsmen around. Rimmer was sprawling alone on the tform. ¡°Squad leader, I¡¯ve returned with my sword.¡± ¡°Huh? Huuh.¡± Rimmer stood up, waddling like a drunkard. His face was a lot thinner than before, bandages were wrapped around multiple parts of his body, and his red hair was ckened¡ªas if it had been scorched by fire. ¡°Did something happen to you?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± He waved his hand dismissively, telling him that nothing really happened. His expression gave him away, though. Raon figured that he had been beaten up by someone for causing trouble while gambling. ¡°Did you rampage again after losing money?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t lose! I won this time!¡± ¡°Then why do you look like that?¡± ¡°There was this nasty old man¡­¡± Rimmer sighed, looking at the ground. ¡°A nasty old man?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s an extremely evil person. He doesn¡¯t reveal what he¡¯s thinking and can¡¯t stand to see others doing well¡­ Keuh!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Just like when he listened to Wrath, Raon simply brushed off his words. Rimmer was apparently being pathetic again while he was forging the Heavenly Drive. ¡°Yawn¡­¡± Even Runaan was yawning. She must¡¯ve been bored. ¡°Since I delivered my report, I¡¯m going back.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± As he was about to leave after saying goodbye, Rimmer raised his hand. ¡°Did you two try using your swords?¡± ¡°We returned right after receiving them. Of course, we didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then you should give them a try.¡± He smiled, pointing at the Heavenly Drive hanging around Raon¡¯s waist. ¡°I have a pretty good insight on swords, as you already know.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°A-Anyway! I¡¯ll watch, so try drawing your swords.¡± Raon shook his head, but Runaan immediately drew her sword. She apparently wanted to brag about her sword. Cling. The silver de gleamed under the golden-yellow moonlight, lighting the dim training ground. ¡°Ooh!¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened after examining Runaan¡¯s sword from top to bottom. ¡°It has the sharpness and coldness befitting a sword made from Cold Blood. It¡¯s nicely made.¡± He admired it, checking Runaan¡¯s sword from different angles. ¡°It looks like it was made by the current chief of Mirtan Vige. The pattern is exactly to his liking.¡± Apparently, he wasn¡¯t lying about his insight on the swords, as he instantly knew the maker. ¡°What¡¯s the sword¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Snow Flower.¡± ¡°With such a nice name and perfect bnce, it should match perfectly with your swordsmanship and aura. Congrattions on getting a nice sword.¡± Rimmer smiled gently, looking at the flower pattern at the center of the de. ¡°Thank you.¡± Runaan hugged Snow Flower tightly, satisfied with Rimmer¡¯spliment. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡± Rimmer looked at Raon, gesturing with his hand to urge him to draw his sword. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon drew Heavenly Drive. A dignified energy and frightening sharpness came from the painfully beautiful de all at once. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The smile disappeared from Rimmer¡¯s face. His eyes were trembling violently, revealing that he didn¡¯t expect it to be so good. ¡°That¡­ old man created another monster.¡± Rimmer swallowed nervously, moving down the tform. He groaned in bewilderment and red at Heavenly Drive. ¡°With the shape of a versatile sword, it has extreme sharpness and dignity. It was a strange power in it, surpassing the aura amplification ability it has.¡± He shook his head, saying that he hadn¡¯t seen a sword of that caliber in a long time. ¡°Even for you, this sword is too good for a swordsman in his first year. What¡¯s the name?¡± ¡°Heavenly Drive.¡± ¡°A sword that leads the heavens. Honestly, I think it¡¯s one of the ten best swords I¡¯ve seen so far.¡± Although Rimmer was nothing but azy gambling addict now, he used to be an indomitable swordsman that had gone through countless battlefields. What he said was pretty much the bestpliment he could get. ¡°Hmm, it looks like you both managed to get swords that match you. Congrattions.¡± Rimmer apuded for them, looking back and forth between Raon and Runaan. ¡°Try using them now.¡± ¡°Using them?¡± As Raon was about to sheathe Heavenly Drive, Rimmer shook his head. ¡°An excellent sword that can amplify aura is called an energy sword, and your swords are both energy swords. Since I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t used to the effect yet, you should try using it there.¡± He pointed his finger at the center of the training ground, telling them to move there. Raon and Runaan went to the center, following his gesture. ¡°Energy swords have something called a path. Just like the mana circuit, it has a line where the aura can pass through, and the aura gets amplified beforeing out if you insert your aura through that line. You should try it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Runaan gave a big nod, then focused her aura on Snow Flower. Frost fluttered like pollen on the silver de, and her pressure was greatly amplified. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Surprised by her own pressure, a glittering light appeared in her hazy eyes. ¡°I knew you would be good at this. Although it consumes a lot of aura, you should be able to use more powerful techniques. You should train to precisely check how much power you can use.¡± Rimmer nodded at Runaan before looking at Raon. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you doing anything?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything like that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything simr to the mana circuit in the sword.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be true, since that¡¯s such a powerful sword.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I just need to hold the sword for it to amplify my energy.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders. He wasn¡¯t lying. He just needed to use his aura while grabbing the Heavenly Drive for his energy to be amplified. Since the amplification happened immediately, it didn¡¯t have the side effect of increasing his aura consumption either. ¡°Huh? Huuh?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened in confusion. ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± Raon nodded, inserting his aura into Heavenly Drive. The clear me of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation red up to engulf the de. The size and heat were a lot more intense than before. ¡°That¡¯s insane¡­¡± He faltered as he walked towards him in bewilderment. ¡°Can I try holding it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll just take a look¡­ Ah, it¡¯s hot!¡± The moment Rimmer tried to grab Heavenly Drive, me burst from the hilt. ¡°D-Does it even recognize its owner?¡± He frowned, pulling his hand back after almost touching that heat. ¡°No way, does it actually have an ego?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± Raon shook his head with a sour expression. ¡°ording to the cksmith, the instinct inside the Golden Shard is chasing after my aura. Rather than an ego, it seems to have an instinct that desires its master¡¯s aura.¡± ¡°You were aware of that all along!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to start breathing fire, since the cksmith could hold it at least.¡± It was true. It was the first time fire hade out of it just because someone other than its master tried to grab it. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s so weird.¡± Rimmer licked his lips, looking at the Heavenly Drive that Raon was holding. He could force it to ept his touch by using aura, but he was probably not doing that because it felt troublesome. ¡°It looks like the sword¡¯s aura amplification ability is also outstanding. Try making the strongest aura thread with it.¡± Aura thread was one of martial art¡¯s special techniques, consisting of surrounding a de with a bundle of thinly sliced aura des. It was far weaker than astral energy, but it was still stronger than the aura de. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon imbued Heavenly Drive with the full power of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Whir! The clear resonance of the sword reverberated throughout the dark training ground, and a clear aura of fire surged along the de. The way the de radiated heat on its own resembled the sun, and the aura almost looked like it had materialized. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ insane¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips trembled as he watched the raging de. ¡°Are you telling me this is an aura threat? It¡¯s pretty much an astral de at this point!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, observing the materializing fire on the de. It was his first time putting as much aura in as he could, and he didn¡¯t expect the sword to amplify the energy to that extent. ¡°Stay still for a moment.¡± Rimmer drew his sword from his waist. The green aura of the wind gathered to fill the de. Just like the energy on Raon¡¯s sword, Rimmer¡¯s had also far surpassed aura thread. ¡°I¡¯ll try attacking from the front, so block it.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded. Rimmer struck downward. Cling! Raon swung Heavenly Drive up towards the Light Wind¡¯s strike. Whaam! The head-on sh between the red de and the green de created a tremendous storm of heat, which spread throughout the training ground. Whoosh. Inside the heat, which wasn¡¯t dissipating easily, Raon and Rimmer were looking at each other¡¯s swords. ¡°That old man created one nasty sword.¡± Rimmer admired Raon¡¯s sword, looking where the fire¡¯s intensity had slightly decreased. ¡°With this level, it should even be able to block astral energy a few times. How the hell is a sword¡­ No, wait!¡± He raised his hand, looking at the sword in bewilderment. ¡°The sword isn¡¯t the only thing that¡¯s great. Did you actually be even stronger?¡± ¡°It just happened¡­¡± ¡°How did you get even stronger when all you did was make a sword? What did you even do?¡± ¡°I just yed a turtle and helped them forge the sword.¡± ¡°T-Turtle? You killed a turtle?¡± Rimmer kept nkly murmuring the word turtle in confusion. ¡°Huh¡­¡± He shook his head, looking at the fire aura burning from Heavenly Drive and Raon¡¯s dignified eyes. ¡°What am I even raising right now?¡± A monster met another monster¡­ * * * * * * Rushine mountain¡¯s underground grotto could pretty much be called House Robert¡¯s darkness. The grotto, which used to contain one hundred and eight children, only had thirty people remaining now. However, the children¡¯s eyes had turned a spiteful red, and their breath was full of murderous intent. ¡°Nice.¡± Derus Robert drank his wine, enjoying the children¡¯s murderous intent as a side dish. ¡°My lord.¡± Therge, masked man that had three lines drawn on his chest knelt in front of him and bowed. ¡°The children have been filtered in ordance with your orders. We can say that there¡¯s only the tenacious ones left now.¡± ¡°How did you decrease their numbers?¡± ¡°I ced three of them in a room where only one of them coulde out. It¡¯s pretty much a small pot of curse poison.¡± Curse poison was a shamanism technique consisting of cing countless insects inside a pot, then opening the lid after a long time to create a single insect that had the most potent poison. After their failure with Raon, Robert''s shadow was using an even more extreme method to raise the children. ¡°Curse poison, huh? That¡¯s a nice idea you had.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The masked man mmed his head on the ground at Derus¡¯pliment. ¡°I like their eyes.¡± His mouth curved into a smile at the sight of the murderous intent in the children¡¯s eyes. ¡°How are they doing with their education?¡± ¡°They are doing better than any other group so far. The fast ones have already reached the instructor¡¯s level in assassination techniques.¡± ¡°They need to shed blood in order to awaken their instinct, after all. Use the same method for the next group as well.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The masked man¡¯s voice became louder at thepliment. ¡°We even have three children that are expected to grow beyond Raon''s level.¡± ¡°Beyond Raon¡¯s level¡­¡± Derus took off his ck leather glove, raising his hand to look at the back of it. The de scar that still hadn¡¯t faded away revealed its pitch-ck hole in the dim lighting. ¡°So, you are saying that those three children are capable of doing this, right?¡± His pressure became frighteningly sharp, overwhelming the entire underground grotto. ¡°N-No that¡¯s¡­¡± The masked man bit his lip. He only said that because he was asked to raise assassins that could catch up to Raon, yet Robert was angry at him instead. ¡°I guess they wouldn¡¯t. After all, he had the best achievements ever among the shadows as an assassin, and he even managed to leave a scar on me.¡± ¡°Th-They might not be able to reach his level in terms of murderous intent, but we can teach them to surpass him in terms of assassination technique, at least.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes! Please trust me!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Derus stood up with a cold smile. It was as he was about to return that it happened. Drip. A drop of frighteningly red blood dropped down from the scar on the back of his hand. The pure white sword hanging around his waist let out a small cry, as if it were baring its fangs against someone. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The masked man stepped back with trembling hands, confused by the phenomenon he¡¯d never seen before. ¡°Igio.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°Were there any reports from the shadows that went to investigate the north?¡± ¡°There was an abnormality, but since it¡¯s not organized yet I was nning to report to the head butler after more information was gathered.¡± ¡°Abnormality?¡± Derus slightly tilted his head, urging him to say it. ¡°It''s news about the return of Rimmer, who used to be called Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light. I¡¯m not sure about the exact name of the organization, but he apparently became a squad leader.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need something unnecessary like that. A bird with a broken wing can¡¯t fly ever again. Is there anything about that boy named Raon and Glenn?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing special yet. That Raon boy apparently wasn¡¯t anything special, despite the rumors.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He shook off the blood flowing from his hand, letting it soak into the ground, and looked at his still-resonating sword. ¡°The day is nigh.¡± Derus¡¯ frightening eyes became serious as he raised his head. ¡°I don¡¯t need reports about someone insignificant like Rimmer, so focus on investigating Glenn and the direct lineage instead.¡± * * * Raon shook off Rimmer, who was asking him to lend him money because he taught him about the energy sword, and returned to the annex building. The annex building was full of the delicious smell of food. They apparently already heard the news of Raon¡¯s return. Uwaa¡­ Wrath inhaled deeply until his belly waspletely swollen, then groaned in excitement. This is the fragrance! The King of Essence has been waiting for today ever since he missed the Utan roasted pig! He floated to follow the smell in the air like a puppy. ¡°Wee back!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°How was the journey?¡± Sylvia and the maids came out from the kitchen and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Is that the sword?¡± Sylvia¡¯s eyes were shining as she looked at Heavenly Drive, which was hanging around his waist. She looked like she wanted to see it right away as she licked her lips. ¡°I happened to get something too good for me.¡± Raon smiled, tapping on the scabbard. ¡°Is it that good? Show meter then, once everyone has gathered. Let¡¯s eat for now.¡± She waved her hand to urge him to wash himself. Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Wrath kept hitting his shoulder. Wash yourself already, then run to the dining room! The King of Essence can¡¯t wait anymore! ¡®Alright, alright.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath back as he kept beating on him like a drum, washing his face before going to the kitchen. The maids were sitting inside the dining room, which had be even bigger, and various foods were disyed on the table. Starting from the stew and stir-fried chicken that he usually enjoyed, there was also a lot of food that he¡¯d never seen before. R-Raon. Eat that thing over there that looks like a roasted pig! Quick! ¡®I haven¡¯t even sat down yet!¡¯ Wrath had apparently already lost his mind, as he was urging him to eat when he hadn¡¯t even finished sitting down. Raon sighed, sitting down. ¡°This is a huge feast.¡± ¡°Today is the day you got your first personal sword. We have to celebrate this asion.¡± Sylvia extended her arms to point at the food and smiled gently. ¡°Helen and Yua made most of the food again today. It feels like I¡¯m going to die from eating too much because they talk about food and keep making delicious meals every time they meet.¡± ¡°She has many ideas, and they are all useful on top of being numerous. I¡¯m sure that Yua would seed greatly if she became a chef instead of a singer.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Upon hearing Helen and Sylvia¡¯s praise, Yua grabbed her twin tails to hide her face in embarrassment. ¡°Yua, can you exin today''s main dish to me?¡± ¡°Ah, yes! The roasted pig at the center over there has had its skin deep-fried in oil, and the meat boiled to create a crunchy and soft texture at the same time. Since we have salt and sauces, you can choose one to fit your taste. The stew next to it is made with ground pineapple and meat, mixed with beef¡­¡± Yua exined the food she made one by one. It was mostly made from the ingredients he usually consumed. ¡°Let¡¯s start eating before it gets cold!¡± ¡°Thank you for the treat!¡± Raon just moved his lips to pretend to say the same thing as the maids, then took up his spoon. Eat the roasted pig first! The way the skin is fried in a crispy manner reminds the King of Essence of the Utan roasted pig that he couldn¡¯t eat! ¡®I¡¯m going to warm my stomach with soup and stew first.¡¯ You idiot! You don¡¯t know anything about delicacies! You have to eat the most delicious thing first¡­ ¡®Since I¡¯m an idiot, I¡¯m only going to eat soup and stew today.¡¯ Raon frowned, filling his personal bowl with stew. He started to vigorously devour the stew, as if he were seriously nning to fill his stomach with nothing but stew. W-Wait! Please wait! Wrath had turned even more pale than when he was angry as he grabbed Raon¡¯s wrist. The King of Essence¡­ ¡®The King of Essence?¡¯ The King of Essence is s-s¡­ ¡®S?¡¯ Sleepy¡­ ¡®Then go ahead and sleep.¡¯ Kuah! The King of Essence is sorry! Please eat the roasted pig over there first! He rubbed his hands to beg, saying that he hadn¡¯t eaten anything delicious for a while. ¡®That¡¯s how you should¡¯ve been from the beginning.¡¯ Raon shook his hand to move back, and slightly dipped the thick roasted pig into salt before putting it in his mouth. ¡°Oh.¡± He eximed immediately. The exterior was crunchy, and the inside was moist. The soft vor of butter filled his mouth after that. Even though he usually didn¡¯t care about delicacies, he wanted to keep eating more. Huh¡­ Wrath fainted while standing, his mouth trembling. He was clearly impressed by the roasted pig. G-God is here. The King of Essence just met the demon god. What are you doing right now? Keep eating more so that the King of Essence can say his greetings to the demon god! He urged him to continue, saying nonsensical things. ¡®He¡¯s getting worse and worse.¡¯ Raon frowned slightly, then dipped the roasted pig into the sauce before eating. ¡®This is also nice.¡¯ The mixture between the spicy sauce and the roasted pig with moist insides and a crunchy outside created another taste. He personally preferred the sauce. The sauce is nice, but the King of Essence prefers the salt with its natural vor. ¡®I prefer sauce.¡¯ This is why you are a fool. The natural taste is what you need to savor in food¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t want to eat anymore.¡¯ Argh, K-King of Essence¡­ Raon enjoyed the time he spent with everyone while arguing with Wrath. He confirmed once again that he felt mostfortable in that ce. Ahem, the King of Essence is satisfied. Wrath tapped his swollen belly in satisfaction. Once the King of Essence obtains a body, he will make sure to take care of that pineapple girl and the ice cream girl. He smiled pleasantly while looking at Yua. ¡°We had beef in front of the door once again today. Tell Marthater that I¡¯m thankful for her.¡± Sylvia pointed at the beef stew, wiping her mouth. Hmm? The beef girl came to visit? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped, looking back and forth between the delicious beef skewers and beef stew. It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll also take care of the beef girl. The King of Essence will bring the three maids with him to the end of the world. He murmured that he would save the three of them at all costs, as if he were doing them a favor. Fuck off. That was what he wanted to say, but he stopped himself from saying it because Wrath might start rampaging again if he did. ¡°Let¡¯s look at Raon¡¯s sword now.¡± The maids¡¯ eyes were focused at Raon¡¯s waist at Sylvia¡¯s signal. ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing if you stare at me like that¡­¡± Raon slowly stood up and drew Heavenly Drive. The straight de reflected the orange lighting of the dining room, gleaming with a different kind of beauty. ¡°Woaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s cool¡­¡± ¡°Congrattions, young master!¡¯ The maids apuded and cheered, saying that the sword looked cool. ¡°Th-The sword looks more amazing than I thought.¡± Sylvia must¡¯ve realized how valuable Heavenly Drive was, as her red eyes were reflecting her amazement. ¡°Yua.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Following Helen¡¯s call, Yua walked up to him and handed over a white box. When Raon tried opening it, there was an embroidery thread inside, golden and red lines connected to it. ¡°We made this together.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The number of lines connected to the embroidery thread was the same as the number of people in the dining room. It looked like they made it one per person. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Raon was slightly embarrassed, scratching his chin for a bit before bowing to everyone. ¡°We don¡¯t need gratitude, so try wearing it.¡± ¡°Yes, I want to see if it suits you.¡± Raon nodded, then attached the embroidery thread to his scabbard. Connecting the embroidery thread that everyone had made to the scabbard, which had the mixture of gold and ckish-red colors, enhanced the rough and noble style. ¡°We made it while wishing for you to keep walking your own path in the future.¡± ¡°Path¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to think about the house, nor about us. Just walk the path that you believe in.¡± Sylvia approached him and hugged tightly. Although she was now smaller than him, her embrace was still warm. ¡°And¡­¡± As she was about to continue, a knocking sound could be heard from the entrance. ¡°Argh! Who is visiting while we are spending a heart-warming time with family?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll go and check it out!¡± Yua, who was close to the door, ran outside. She returned a momentter, swallowing nervously and clearly flustered. ¡°E-Erm¡­¡± ¡°What is it? Who was it?¡± Yua¡¯s voice was trembling as she pointed at the entrance. ¡°He said he came from the Central Martial Pce.¡± Chapter 176 Who disturbs the King of Essence as he is about to eat his dessert? Raon threw the squirming Wrath away, then went to the lobby. An old man with neatlybed gray hair was standing there. ¡®Was his name Tias?¡¯ He met him often back in his training days, as he was the Central Martial Pce¡¯s butler that was in charge of Burren. ¡°Young Master Raon. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Tias bowed, his hands politely gathered. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon bowed back. They had met and bowed to each other many times in the past, but it was their first time actually saying their greetings. ¡°What brought you here?¡± Raon asked, hiding Sylvia and the maids¡¯ gazes as they watched from the dining room, their heads poking out. ¡°I apologize for visiting at thiste hour.¡± Tias¡¯ wrinkled eyes were trembling. ¡°I know it¡¯s shameless of me, but Young Master Raon is the only person I can ask for help right now.¡± Raon silently looked at Tias, who was bowing at him. He felt like he understood his reasons for doing it. ¡°It must be because of Burren.¡± ¡°Yes. After the Selection Ceremony, Young Master Burren went to the separate building. He has not emerged since.¡± Once Tias raised his head, Raon could see the bitterness in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t even trying to hide it. ¡°Even though the novice swordsman¡¯s additional registration period ends tomorrow, he has shown no sign ofing out.¡± He bit his lip, which was dry from the desperate situation. ¡°The only person that can make Young Master Burren stand up is Young Master Raon. Please, help us!¡± Tias knelt in front of the entrance without any hesitation at all. ¡°Why do you believe that I can make Burren stand up?¡± ¡°Young Master Burren usually talks about Young Master Raon often. He said that you are the benefactor that took him out of a well, and even saved his life, and he resolved himself to definitely catch up to you and repay the favor.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The benefactor that awakened his mind, that he owed for saving his life, and that he would catch up to. Those were things that Burren kept saying every day. He was unexpectedly the same, in and out. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m sure that Young Master Raon can drag the young master Burren out! Please!¡± Tias lowered his head, sitting on his knees. ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this.¡± Raon grabbed Tias¡¯ trembling shoulders. ¡®Help¡­¡¯ The Raon of his previous life wouldn¡¯t have helped him, no matter what he said. He would¡¯ve believed that it was something he couldn¡¯t achieve. However, Raon had grown to feel many things while living as Raon Zieghart. ¡®Rtionships.¡¯ Runaan gave him the treasured Cold Blood without asking for anything in return. Vulcan also used his precious Golden Charcoal and Golden Shard without hesitation, and then used all of his strength to forge his sword. Raon remembered the word ¡®rtionship¡¯ that they had mentioned. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ He remembered the way Burren gave him a jeweled embroidery thread before the Selection Ceremony, telling him that his formal wear looked empty. Just like the embroidery thread connected to the jewel, there must have been at least one small connection between himself and Burren. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon knelt, meeting Tias¡¯ eyes. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try.¡± It might end up being impossible, but he nodded because he wanted to at least try helping. ¡°Son, good job!¡± Sylvia approached him from behind, patting him on the back. ¡°You should help him if you can.¡± Boasting that she raised her son really well, she looked back at the maids behind her and smiled. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°As expected of the young master!¡± Helen and the maids were clenching their fists, trying to cheer him up. ¡°Th-Thank you! Thank you very much!¡± Tias kept bowing over and over. He really likes bowing. He perfectly suits the King of Essence¡¯s taste. Wrath ced his hands on his waist, believing that he was the one being bowed at. However, I won¡¯t forgive you for disturbing dessert! He said he liked him only a moment ago, yet he was already angry at him. It was truly difficult to understand his personality. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°A-Are youing immediately?¡± ¡°I need to go right now to get him back to his right mind, so that he cane out before the additional registration period ends.¡± Raon pulled Tias to his feet. ¡°I-I see!¡± Tias brusquely stood up, saying that he would guide him before leaving the annex building. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Do your best.¡± ¡°See you again, young master!¡± Sylvia and the maids nodded, proud smiles on their faces. But the dessert¡­ Wrath, with his empty stomach, was the only one that licked his lips while looking at the dining room. That shitty-eyes is so troublesome! * * * Raon followed Tias to the separate building of the Central Martial Pce, located under the North Grave Mountain. It was a lot bigger than the annex building he lived in, probably because it belonged to the Central Martial Pce. ¡°This is where the master used to teach the young master his swordsmanship. The master doesn¡¯t visit here anymore, but the young master sometimeses here to rest.¡± ¡°So, this ce has his memories with the pce master.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s probably why he¡¯s locked himself inside and hasn¡¯te out.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded, then walked up to the door. He could feel Burren¡¯s presence from inside the separate building. ¡°Burren.¡± He called out to Burren, using aura on his voice so that it would be heard from inside. Although he kept calling him for a while, there was no response. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon licked his lips, then looked around the separate building before looking at Tias. ¡°Can I destroy a little around here?¡± ¡°What? Ah¡­ Sure!¡± Realizing what he meant, Tias bit his lip, then nodded. ¡°It will get noisy, so please stand back.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He bowed, then took around ten steps back. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon took a deep breath, standing in front of the door of the separate building. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, but I¡¯ll need to be a viin.¡± He snickered, then kicked the door. m! Since he didn¡¯t suppress his power, the door and the wall sted into pieces, and the separate building trembled intensely. ¡°Argh!¡± Amidst the gray dust cloud, Burren came running out in panic. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± ¡°You have to dig the ground to take out a mole.¡± ¡°Mole? What are you¡­?¡± Raon didn¡¯t reply¡ªhe swung his clenched fist. The pirs and walls got smashed like mud uponing into contact with the back of his hand. ¡°Stop doing that!¡± Burren screamed,ing out from behind the copsed wall. ¡°You kept bbering about catching up to me whenever you saw me.¡± Raon bobbed his finger with a cold smile. ¡°Fight me if you want to stop me.¡± He kicked the wall on his left while saying that. Baam! A huge hole was created in the wall, as if a giant had hit it with an iron mace. ¡°I told you to stop!¡± Burren rushed at him, thrusting his fist. His enraged fist didn¡¯t contain any martial art or flow. Smack! Raon easily deflected it, punching Burren in the abdomen. ¡°Kwah!¡± Burren grasped his belly, stumbling back. His legs were faltering as if he were going to copse. ¡°Draw your sword and fight me properly.¡± Raon snickered, kicking Burren. am! Burren couldn¡¯t even think about resisting¡ªhe was sent flying, only to be mmed into the separate building. Rumble! Burren came walking out from the trembling separate building, which looked like it could copse at any moment, with a sword in his hand. ¡°Keuh! You damn bastard!¡± Burren used his aura to the maximum, drawing his sword. The aura of wind surrounded his whole body, emanating a powerful energy wave. Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at Burren¡¯s pressure. ¡®He definitely grew.¡¯ The aura¡¯s size and quality were definitely different from before. Burren was apparently serious about catching up to him. ¡°You¡¯d better be careful, since I¡¯m different from the past!¡± Burren gritted his teeth and kicked the ground. He instantly rushed to his left side and thrust his sword. The speed was on another level from before, but Raon had grown even more than that. ng! He easily blocked Burren¡¯s blow with the scabbard of Heavenly Drive. ¡°Haap!¡± Burren looked like he knew that would happen, biting his lip and moving on to the next attack. A technique even faster and more majestic than the first one was performed like a violent tidal wave. ng! Raon only used his scabbard to block all of Burren¡¯s attacks, which were flowing like a stream, before smacking his ribs. Smaack! Upon receiving an unexpected blow, Burren shrieked and was mmed into the ground. ¡°Kuah!¡± He was faltering from the pain, but he still stood up, ring at Raon. Burren caught his breath and aimed his sword at him again. Considering the way he was able to calm his excitement in a situation like that, he was indeed worthy of the name Zieghart. ¡°The real deal is only getting started.¡± He grabbed the sword with both hands, bringing out his aura. Burren¡¯s pressure soared explosively¡­ However, it wasn¡¯t just his pressure that had be stronger. A different kind of energy from the aura he used before was crawling from Burren. ¡°Barren Wind Sword.¡± Burren¡¯s appearance dissolved into the space the moment he said that. He approached in an instant, as if he had teleported, to strike down his sword. ¡®Fast.¡¯ Raon would¡¯ve lost him if it weren¡¯t for his perception. He wasn¡¯t lying when he said that the real deal was only getting started. However, since Raon¡¯s perception already managed to catch Burren, the speed was meaningless against him. ng! Raon simply raised his sword towards Burren¡¯s attack. Burren¡¯s strike was unable to pierce into his space once again. Cring! However, a strange energy surged from Burren¡¯s sword, starting to sh through the aura on his scabbard. ¡°This is¡­¡± The aura around Burren¡¯s sword transformed into small particles, rotating endlessly. It looked like the rotational force allowed him to rip through his aura. ¡°Even if it¡¯s you, you won¡¯t be able to stop the Barren Wind Sword!¡± Burren regained his confidence and drew a circle with his footwork to use a technique named Barren Wind Sword. He imbued the energy he called Barren Wind to the usual sturdy and majestic sword, and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations aura was ground away like a leaf facing a saw de. ¡°I see.¡± Raon swirled his sword with a cold smile. ¡°I understand it now.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t bluff your way out of this!¡± Burren kicked the ground, shing diagonally. He was targeting Raon¡¯s waist with the best technique he could use from the Barren Wind Sword. ng! Raon blocked the blow with precise timing once again. However, it was pointless since the Barren Wind Sword could shred the defending aura. ¡®I¡¯ll chase immediately if he backs off¡­ Hmm?¡± He was getting ready to chase, expecting Raon to back off¡ªbut he wasn¡¯t moving at all, instead he was fending off the Barren Wind Sword on the spot. ¡°H-how?¡± Burren¡¯s jaw dropped. The rotating de of the Barren Wind Sword came to a stop, unable to sh through Raon¡¯s aura. ¡®But it¡¯s still rotating!¡¯ The aura was still violently rotating in the shape of sand particles, and Raon¡¯s aura wasn¡¯t getting severed at all. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Raon snickered, looking at the agitated Burren. ¡°I shoved in a new aura before yours cut off mine, in the opposite direction of your rotation.¡± Even if one shed the river, the water would be refilled. Raon used the same principle, refilling with a new aura before his aura was cut off to block the technique Burren called the Barren Wind Sword. ¡°A-Are you saying that you can control your aura so quickly?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes trembled like a sailboat facing a tidal wave. ¡°E-Even the Barren Wind Sword was ineffective¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a problem with the Barren Wind Sword. It was because you were too weak.¡± ¡°Cough!¡± Burren¡¯s lips trembled, and Raon smacked his head. ¡°If the rotation of the Barren Wind Sword were faster and bigger, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop it by shoving in aura. The problem lies in your proficiency.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Have you been saying that you would defeat me with that level of skill?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Burren lowered his head, lips trembling. ¡°You boasted that you¡¯d catch up to me when you couldn¡¯t even surpass my scabbard. I guess that¡¯s what I should expect of a guy that gave up on everything and tucked his tail in to run away from not being chosen.¡± ¡°What do you even know about me to say that?¡± ¡°You are right. I don¡¯t know what kind of emotion is linking you with the Central Martial Pce master. However, there¡¯s one thing that I know.¡± Raon continued, pointing his finger at the separate building, which was in shambles. ¡°If you keep sulking in that doghouse, he will never look back at you again.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Burren couldn¡¯t refute it, biting his lip. ¡°Since you told me your objective in life, I¡¯ll tell you one of my objectives as well.¡± ¡°Objective?¡± ¡°My objective is to restore my mother¡¯s position to the direct line.¡± ¡°You are insane!¡± Burren¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! The direct lines and the high-ranking coterals that hate you won¡¯t stay still if you do that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible, but it¡¯s not impossible.¡± Raon smiled, facing Burren¡¯s eyes as they reflected his doubts. ¡°Aplishments. If I have enough aplishments to shut their mouths, it will be possible. That¡¯s why I chose the Light Wind, which will have more missions than anywhere else. Obviously, I wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve it for the rest of my life if I was sulking like you because I faced some difficulty.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren¡¯s hand trembled, as he never expected that Raon would have such an objective. ¡°You said that you wanted to face your father and be recognized by him, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes. But it¡¯s all over now. Father is a cold-hearted person. He will never look back at me again¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the only way you can face your father.¡± Raon shook his head, looking at Burren¡¯s wrinkled face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Instead of making your father look back at you, you should surpass him and go ahead of him. Then, you can look back at the Central Martial Pce master following you from behind. He will have no choice but to recognize you once that happens.¡± ¡°Surpass my father? That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°This is impossible, that¡¯s impossible. Are you going to live like that for the rest of your life?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It will be difficult. I¡¯m sure you will feel like you¡¯d rather die. However, is it really impossible?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren couldn¡¯t answer Raon¡¯s question. He was the living proof of the weakest person bing the strongest. ¡°Which one is more difficult, I wonder¡ªyour objective, or my objective?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren couldn¡¯t respond once again. There were countless direct lines and high-ranking coterals that hated Raon. It was obvious that Raon¡¯s objective was more impossible, since he needed to gain recognition from them. ¡°The tree won¡¯t fall if you don¡¯t swing your axe. It¡¯s up to you whether you will stay in a corner like that, or decide toe out and wield the axe.¡± Raon turned around. He was about to return to the annex building, but he stopped and quietly looked back. ¡°Both Runaan and I made our swords, and Martha received hers. Everyone¡¯s advancing right now. If you are going to make your choice, then you¡¯d better do it quickly. The path won¡¯t be there anymore if you are toote.¡± Leaving Burren behind as he hung his head, he went to the tree where Tias was standing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. A violent method like this was the only thing I had.¡± Raon walked up to Tias, who was staying far away, and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Thank you. All I have is the feeling of gratitude.¡± Tias politely gathered his hands and bowed. His wrinkled throat was trembling. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Raon smiled slightly at Tias, who was shedding tears, and went to the annex building. Tias expressed his gratitude once again to Raon¡¯s back as he left, then looked at Burren, who was kneeling on the ground. ¡°Ah¡­¡± A small light was emerging from eyes that used to be lost in despair. * * * * * * Creak. Burren sped his fist so hard that he could have started bleeding. ¡®You damn idiot!¡¯ Even though he resolved to be stronger and more mature, he hadn¡¯t actually grown at all. Just like Raon said, all he did was run his mouth, pretending that he was trying something. He couldn¡¯t stand his pathetic self. He was no different from back in the days of the fifth training ground, when he was full of arrogance. No, he actually became even more cowardly than back then. ¡°He wants to be a member of the direct line?¡± He could onlyugh. It was an objective that anyone in Zieghart would say was impossible, but Raon was seriously saying it. And because it was him who said it, Burren felt like he could really achieve it. ¡®He¡¯s a really amazing fellow.¡¯ Burren was sulking in his room from the despair of being abandoned by his father, yet Raon wanted to climb to the direct line as a coteral. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had such willpower, despite being the same age as him. ¡®He told me to surpass my father and look back at him¡­¡¯ He only thought about making his father look back, but he never even dreamed about surpassing him. He felt like that kind of thought was already making the difference between himself and Raon. ¡®Alright, let me try that.¡¯ Since it came down to it, he absolutely wanted to see his father regret his decision. He wanted to surpass his father. It was a lot easier to aplishpared to Raon regaining his mother¡¯s position in the direct line. ¡®Just wait for me.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯lle back to find you.¡¯ * * * Rimmer was whistling at the midpoint of North Grave Mountain. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± He eximed, watching Raon leave the separate building. ¡°I thought he was going to give him some sloppy advice, but he actually dug into his wound before applying medicine on it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn slowly nodded. He was groaning because he didn¡¯t expect Raon to drag Burren out like that. ¡°It¡¯s really mysterious. He was really naive when he was a kid, but it sometimes feels like he knows the world better than me.¡± Rimmer grinned, grabbing his head with his fingersced. ¡°Is it because I was such an excellent teacher? I guess a teacher is important, after all¡­¡± ¡°He is my grandson before he is your student.¡± ¡°Pfft, I¡¯m the one who spent the most time with him.¡± ¡°I cared for him the most.¡± ¡°No one will know about you caring for him from the shadows.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do that to gain anyone¡¯s recognition, so it doesn¡¯t matter if they don¡¯t. I just did what I wanted.¡± Glenn frowned, ring at Rimmer. ¡°Gasp¡­¡± The Heavenly de division leader¡¯s eyes widened upon witnessing Glenn¡¯s reaction. She seemed confused, as it was her first time seeing the head of house behaving that way. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and turned his head at the feeling of the Heavenly de leader¡¯s gaze. ¡°Anyway, Burren should be standing up soon enough. Do you want to make a bet with me?¡± ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°Yes, about when Burren¡¯s going to stand up. Since the additional registration period ends in two days, I¡¯ll bet my next month¡¯s sry on him getting up tomorrow.¡± Rimmer wagged his finger and pointed at Burren kneeling on the ground. ¡°Then I¡¯ll bet on today.¡± ¡°You know you can¡¯t go back on your words, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Glenn nodded as if it were obvious. ¡°Huhu, today¡¯s about to end alread¡­ Gasp!¡± Rimmer wasughing while covering his mouth, but he gasped. ¡°Wh-Why is that guy standing up already? Hey! Stay on the ground a bit longer!¡± Burren stood up while holding his sword, then he went into the separate building. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± He shouted, unleashing all of his aura at the separate building. Baaam! The separate building that had been halfway destroyed by Raon copsedpletely. ¡°Haa¡­¡± With a refreshed expression, as if he had done what needed to be done, he went towards the Central Martial Pce with Tias following after him silently. ¡°M-My lord? We didn¡¯t confirm the best ye¡­¡± ¡°Rimmer.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°There¡¯s something you are mistaken about.¡± ¡°Mistaken?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes lost their smile and turned ck as if they faced hell upon hearing Glenn¡¯s next words. ¡°You¡¯ve already been paid in advance for the next month. What you just lost isn¡¯t next month¡¯s sry, but the sry for the month after that.¡± ¡°Argh! Damn it!¡± Finally realizing the situation, Rimmer grasped his head. ¡°Idiot.¡± The Heavenly de division leader clicked her tongue, looking at his pathetic demeanor. ¡°I really don¡¯t even have money to eat! The kids won¡¯t even lend me money anymore!¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s only one solution.¡± ¡°Solution?¡± ¡°Get rewarded bypleting missions.¡± Glenn nodded, looking at Raon and Burren one after the other as they walked away. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the first mission for the Light Wind Squad.¡± Chapter 177 ¡°A mission already? That¡¯s faster than I thought.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened, as he didn¡¯t expect that from him. ¡°It¡¯s because Raon lifted Burren up.¡± Glenn pointed his finger at Burren, whose confidence was returning to his steps. ¡°What¡¯s the mission we need to carry out, then?¡± ¡°I was initially nning to give it to a different squad, but I figured it wouldn¡¯t be a bad mission for the Light Wind right now.¡± Glenn turned around. He looked down at Rimmer with red eyes that could pierce through anything. ¡°You know about Porvan, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Porvan was a neutral city located between Zieghart and the Balkar Kingdom. It was famous for trading and tourism because of the beautifulke and therge river passing through it. ¡°There are multiple cases of disappearance in Provan right now.¡± ¡°Disappearances¡­¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes, murmuring the word disappearance. ¡°Disappearances happen rather often, but their frequency hasn¡¯t decreased, and the soldiers and hired knights and mercenaries that were investigating also disappeared. It doesn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary incident.¡± ¡°If even the knights are disappearing, it should be a serious matter.¡± Disappearances alone weren¡¯t rare urrences, but the fact that the soldiers investigating the incident had disappeared signified that there were some abnormalities. ¡°A mass human trafficking, a secret organization, or¡­¡± ¡°It could be one of the Five Demons.¡± ¡°I agree with that.¡± Rimmer nodded to Glenn¡¯s statement. Considering the fact that they were even attacking the knights and soldiers, it was most likely the work of crazy people that didn¡¯t fear the consequences of their actions. ¡°The Light Wind¡¯s mission is to save the missing people and remove the reason for their disappearance at Porvan. Can you do it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ept your orders.¡± Rimmer¡¯s green eyes, which used to be yful, grew as gloomy as the bottomless abyss. ¡°When do we leave?¡± ¡°Tomorrow.¡± ¡°Whaat? Even if Burren returns tomorrow, we haven¡¯t finished our preparations. That¡¯s too sudden¡­¡± ¡°A long time has passed already since the incident began. It should be stopped as quickly as possible. And anyway, announcing the mission right before leaving is something you usually do.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth curved up as he observed Rimmer¡¯s flustered expression. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you, Light Wind squad leader.¡± With those as hisst words, he made his way down North Grave Mountain. ¡°I¡¯ll personally behead you if you humiliate the house with this mission.¡± The Heavenly de division leader spoke bluntly, then followed Glenn. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer swirled his hand, observing them. ¡°When I think about it, there¡¯s not much I need to do.¡± He murmured something that would make Glenn throw lightning at him if he knew, and went to the pub. ¡°I can just leave everything to that great vice-squad leader.¡± * * * The next day, Raon went to the fifth training ground after finishing his daybreak training at the annex building. He opened the training ground door while considering the way to perfect the Light Wind formation, finding that the swordsmen were gathered at the entrance. ¡°Why are you all here together?¡± ¡°Vice-squad leader! Look at that!¡± Dorian, who was eating snacks while standing like a fool, walked up to him and pointed at the training ground. Burren was kneeling at the center of the training ground, which was even cleaner than usual. ¡®He arrived earlier than I thought.¡¯ Raon chuckled while looking at the back of Burren¡¯s head. He thought he woulde around evening or the day after, but he seemed to have snapped out of it faster than he had expected. His willpower was strong indeed. ¡°I heard he arrived early, at daybreak, to clean up the entire training ground before kneeling like that.¡± Dorian whispered as if he were telling him some kind of secret, but people around him could hear him. ¡°He¡¯s apparently trying to join the Light Wind squad. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, since the leader is the one that decides whether we ept members or not.¡± Though, Rimmer was definitely going to ept him. ¡°You finally stopped being a kid. How pathetic.¡± Martha clicked her tongue while looking at Burren. The way she said it was pretty rude, but she looked like she was d to see him again¡ªafter all, she didn¡¯t swear at him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan also dly nodded while hugging Snow Flower. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Raon entered the training ground, looking around at the swordsmen. ¡°The squad leader¡¯s going to be here soon, yet you aren¡¯t prepared to train at all! Move quickly!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The swordsmen that were spacing out ran towards the changing room. Raon also warmed himself up in the training ground, not paying attention to the kneeling Burren. Burren didn¡¯t look at him either. He just stared at the empty tform. Why are you not greeting him? Wrath frowned, finding his behavior too mean. ¡®It¡¯s better for me to not greet him for now.¡¯ Although Burren made his resolution, he must have felt embarrassed. In cases like that, it was more helpful for him to just ignore him. ¡°Line up.¡± ¡°Line up.¡± Raon gathered the swordsmen in the training ground to wait for Rimmer. A momentter, the training ground door burst open before the training time. His weird habit of kicking the door open before entering whenever he wasn¡¯tte was the same as always. ¡°Good morning!¡± Rimmer went up the tform with wobbly steps. ¡°But¡­¡± He tilted his head while pointing at Burren. ¡°What is he doing like that?¡± No one answered, and Burren raised his head. ¡°I apologize for beingte.¡± His eyes were shining intensely as he apologized. Just like the back in their trainee days, the sharpness had returned to his gaze. ¡°Please ept me into the Light Wind squad.¡± Burren bowed deeply, mming his head on the ground. The way he was intensely pressing his head on the ground looked like he wouldn¡¯t stand unless he was epted. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips while scratching his chin. ¡°I think it¡¯s toote. What does the vice-squad leader think?¡± ¡°Why are you asking my opinion when you said that you missed Burren¡¯s nagging? You even left a position open for him.¡± Raon casually murmured that the position for the third team leader was empty. ¡°You jerk! I won¡¯t look cool if you say that!¡± Rimmer waved his hand in agitation. ¡°Since you are going to ept him anyway, just do it already. I have a mountain of things to teach him.¡± ¡°Seriously, you are so useless.¡± He scratched his head and walked up to Burren. ¡°Although you are a bitte, I can¡¯t really refuse you since we¡¯ve spent so much time together. I¡¯ll appoint you as the third team leader of the Light Wind squad.¡± Rimmer grinned, grabbing Burren¡¯s shoulder. ¡°By the way, how much is the membership fee you brought?¡± The way he was making a circle with his thumb and index finger tantly showed the psychological state of a gambling addict. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Is he really human?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not human, though. He¡¯s an elf.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so unsightly.¡± Every member of Light Wind, including Raon, looked at Rimmer as if they were looking at the most pathetic thing they¡¯d ever seen. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Burren¡¯s face looked like he¡¯d just eaten shit. It looked like he forgot that he had to gain Rimmer¡¯s favor. ¡°Ah, I was joking. It was a joke!¡± Rimmer smiled, making Burren stand. He created an energy barrier, then whispered in his ear. ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t joking, right? Bring a decent token of your sincerity to the squad leader¡¯s room¡­¡± Raon was the only one to hear that. His eyes, which were ring at Rimmer, were colder than ever as he resolved himself. He would never trust that elf ever, not when it came down to gambling and money. * * * Raon called Burren over separately to tell him everything about the education they had received so far. The sword formation and signals were bothplicated, but it hadn¡¯t even taken a few hours before he managed to memorize them all. ¡°Even though you finished memorizing them, it will be different when you are actually using the formation. Make sure to practice.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Burren answered politely, befitting his strict personality. His eyes were sharp, just like when he was a trainee. ¡°Then, can I practice sword formation with the third group?¡± He asked his question with a challenging gaze. Raon chuckled, then nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡®I shall train as well now.¡¯ ¡°Attention!¡± As Raon was about to start his personal training, Rimmer pped his hands on the tform. ¡°Gather, everyone.¡± Even though he was a gambling addict, he was still a squad leader. Every member of Light Wind gathered at the tform, heeding his call. ¡°Since everything seems to be settled, I¡¯ll get to the main issue.¡± ¡°Main issue?¡± ¡°What main issue?¡± Since Rimmer was ying around even more since he had be the squad leader, all of the swordsmen tilted their heads. ¡°We¡¯ve got our first mission.¡± ¡°Mission!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Finally!¡± The Light Wind members were filled with passion upon hearing the word mission. ¡°What kind of mission is it?¡± Burren raised his hand and asked. It was indeed convenient to have him around. ¡°In Porvan City, there are regr and repeated disappearances urring. Our mission is to find the missing people and punish the ringleader.¡± ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°Search for the missing people¡­¡± ¡°Punish the ringleader!¡± ¡°It really feels like we became Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen.¡± ¡°I¡¯m nervous¡­¡± Since the mission seemed cool, unlike the low-rank monster extermination, the eyes of the swordsmen were filled with anticipation. ¡°When are we leaving?¡± ¡°Wh-When are we leaving? Erm, we actually leave rather early.¡± Rimmer took his time, having difficulties saying it. ¡°When is it?¡± ¡°This evening.¡± All the swordsmen that had been getting excited dropped their jaws upon hearing that it was that evening. They figured it would be the next day at the earliest, but the fact that it was that evening managed to astonish everyone in the Light Wind. ¡°Keuh, how can you be like that?!¡± It was so bad that Burren came running out while grinding his teeth, despite having decided to behave himself for the day. ¡°I know the disappearances require urgency, but since it¡¯s a mission instead of a training exercise¡ªand Burren just joined us today¡ªcouldn¡¯t you give us some time to prepare ourselves?¡± ¡°No, please listen to me.¡± Upon hearing Raon¡¯s sharp remark, Rimmer hurriedly shook his hand. ¡°You are right that the mission requires urgency, but it¡¯s not my fault that it has to be today! It came from the upper echelon! The top brass gave the order yesterday! It¡¯s not my fault!¡± He pointed at the lord¡¯s manor with his finger, but no one was looking in that direction. ¡°Oh my! Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Of course, it would be so.¡± ¡°You are really great, aren¡¯t you?¡± All the swordsmen snorted, looking at Rimmer. Since he¡¯d done that multiple times before, no one trusted him at all. Hmph! I¡¯d rather believe that dog shit is a good medicine. Wrath also clicked his tongue, saying that it was a stupid excuse. Rimmer¡¯s credibility was at rock bottom, to the point that even Wrath didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Argh! It¡¯s true, though!¡± ¡°Squad leader, since no one is going to believe you anyway, we are going to start making preparations. The Light Wind shall finish the preparation in two hours, then return here. Porvan is located around the center of the continent, so you don¡¯t need to pack thick clothes.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The swordsmen hurriedly left the training ground upon hearing Raon¡¯s orders. ¡°It¡¯s true, though, it¡¯s true¡­¡± Being the only one left, Rimmer sighed nkly. ¡®Is this how the boy that cried wolf felt?¡¯ * * * * * * Since the chain of disappearances were an emergency, the Light Wind members finished preparing themselves as quickly as possible, then left for Porvan. Raon and the swordsmen rode the horses at as quick a run as they could, polishing their new sword formation¡ªthe Light Wind formation¡ªduring the break times. Once Burren finished getting used to the Light Wind formation and became able to lead the third team, they finally arrived at Porvan. Porvan was a neutral city located between Zieghart in the north, the Owen Kingdom, and the Balkar Kingdom at the center of the continent. It was a peaceful city, famous for trading and tourism, with a beautifulke called Serty and the Rable River passing through it. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the mayor first to listen to the situation.¡± Since it took a pretty long time for them to get there, Raon and the swordsmen followed the central road towards the city hall, not sparing any time for sightseeing. As they were about to enter the city hall with a noble appearance, the door opened and a bunch of people wearing robes and armor came out. The four orbs engraved on the left side of their chests was the Balkar Kingdom¡¯s emblem. ¡°Huh?¡± Rimmer, who¡¯d been ying around at the back all along, raised his finger to point at the red-haired middle-aged man at the front. ¡°Morell?¡± ¡°Rimmer?¡± The middle-aged man, Morell, furrowed his brow upon noticing Rimmer. ¡®Is he Morell Kazan¡­?¡¯ Morell Kazan was a famous magician from Balkar that could freely use countless fire attribute magics. He had a magic squad called Sman under his control, and the people behind him seemed to be Sman members. ¡°Why is Zieghart here?¡± ¡°How about you, then? Why are you here?¡± ¡°We are on a mission.¡± ¡°We are on a mission, too. Get out of the way if you are done.¡± ¡°You! Yoou!¡± As Rimmer was gesturing for them to get out of the entrance, a purple-haired woman came out from the Balkar kingdom¡¯s magicians and stood in front of Raon. ¡°Raon Zieghart! You damn scammer!¡± She red at him as if she would start attacking him right away. ¡°Hmm? Who are you?¡± Raon casually met her angry eyes. ¡°Y-Young master. She¡¯s that princess from back then.¡± Dorian carefully came up to him and whispered. ¡°The bitch we met in Cameloon¡¯s auction house.¡± His voice was small, but since everyone around them were experts, they all heard the word ¡®bitch¡¯. ¡°Ah, that princess.¡± Raon snickered. He obviously knew that the magician in front of him was the Balkar kingdom¡¯s princess Jayna. He purposefully pretended that he forgot, and he managed to enrage Jayna even more because of Dorian. ¡°You are insulting me again when you are nothing but a scammer.¡± ¡°Insult? When did I ever insult you?¡± ¡°You lied to me and said that you were a part of Zieghart¡¯s direct line!¡± ¡°I never said that I was a member of the direct line, though.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Jayna apparently was also aware of that fact, as she bit her lip without being able to refute it. ¡°Y-You created that kind of atmosphere¡­¡± ¡°Atmosphere? If you are tricked by the atmosphere, aren¡¯t you the strange one there? I have never lied to you, so what do you want from me?¡± ¡°Argh! Shut up! Why are you so proud of yourself when you are the one that tricked me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t trick you. You misunderstood the situation on your own, so why are you venting your anger on me?¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders. Jayna¡¯s face turned red, as if it were going to explode. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude to the princess!¡± As he was debating on provoking her a bit more, a handsome blonde man came out from behind her. He had a strange appearance, as he was wearing a warrior costume with a robe on top of it like a mantle, and he looked extremely greasy because of all the hair oil he had on his head. ¡®Is he abat magician?¡¯ Despite his appearance, his clothing was that of abat magician¡ªone that Balkar was proud of. He seemed to be thebat magician that Morell was teaching. ¡°You mocked Lady Jayna despite knowing that she¡¯s the Balkar princess! Do you believe you have two lives or something?¡± He stepped into the center, opening his robe with his hand. He was probably trying to look stylish, but he seriously looked shabby instead. ¡°What rubbish are you saying? You are nothing but mean rats that eavesdrop on people¡¯s whispers.¡± Martha crossed her arms and snorted. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Uwuuu, i-it¡¯s screwed!¡± Burren was silently watching the situation, Runaan was disinterestedly hugging Snow Flower, and Dorian¡ªwho was the cause of the situation¡ªwas poking his head out while hiding behind Raon. ¡°Mean rat? It wasn¡¯t even a whisper, since he tantly said it!¡± ¡°No one told you to listen.¡± ¡°You stupid swordsmen that live in the pr region!¡± ¡°Weak-ass magicians that would break with a flick of finger!¡± The Light Wind and Sman red at each other and increased their pressures, as if they were going to start fighting at any time. ¡°Is it a mission to search for the missing people?¡± Even though a fight was about to break out, Morell casually looked at Rimmer. ¡°Since you are asking that, you must have the same mission.¡± ¡°We are the ones that willplete the search. You should just return and avoid wasting time.¡± Morell waved his hand dismissively, as if he were chasing away a fly. ¡°What are you trying to achieve with all those brats that haven¡¯t even finished growing up?¡± He sneered, looking at the Light Wind members one after the other. ¡°We will see about that.¡± Rimmer¡¯s expression morphed into the sly smile that he used when making fun of Burren. ¡°How about this, then?¡± Morrel smiled coldly, looking at Princess Jayna, who was biting her lip. ¡°How about listening to the winner after making the children have a quick spar?¡± Because he knew that Sman was superior to the Light Wind in terms of age and experience, he suggested a spar in order to take the lead. ¡°A spar? Out of nowhere?¡± Rimmer frowned. He looked like he wasn¡¯t confident with it, but Raon could tell at a nce that it was clumsy acting. ¡®That¡¯s why he keeps losing in gambling.¡¯ However, it seems to have worked against Morell. His smile deepened. ¡°You can withdraw if you aren¡¯t confident.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t return without even trying since this is a mission. Fine!¡± Rimmer licked his lips. He looked around at the Light Wind members, before pointing at Raon standing at the center. ¡°Raon, I chose you!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed, then stepped forward. ¡°Squad leader! I¡¯ll fight him!¡± The blondebat magician that had been acting up earlier stepped forward. Judging from his expression, he was itching to gain the favor of the princess. ¡°Inield. You should be enough. I believe in you.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll never disappoint you!¡± Morell nodded at the young man. ¡°I¡¯m Inield, abat magician of Balkar Kingdom and the student of Morell, the snake of raging fire. I¡¯ll pay back the humiliation the princess suffered from you!¡± Inield pointed his finger at Raon, his expression and posture looking as stylish as possible. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡± Raon shook his head with a cold smile. ¡°We aren¡¯t fighting right now because of that. Are you sure you came to the right ce?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Inield bit his lip, his face turning red. ¡°Moreover, do you even know what that bitch¡ªI mean, princess¡ªdid if you¡¯re trying to defend her?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way the princess was in the wrong!¡± He tried reading the princess¡¯s mood while saying that. ¡°You are so thoughtless, despite being a magician.¡± Raonughed bitterly. He lookedpletely smitten with the princess, whether it was because of her appearance or position. ¡°I can endure as much insult as you want towards me, but I can¡¯t stand insults towards the princess!¡± ¡°I just insulted you, not the princess.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Inield was throwing nces at Runaan and Martha, on top of the princess. He apparently liked any pretty woman¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯ll defeat you right here, and use all of you as our servants during the mission!¡± ¡°Servants¡­¡± Raon nodded with a smile. ¡°That sounds good.¡± ¡°Tell me your name. As abat magician, I¡¯ll defeat you in a head-on fight, and¡­¡± ¡°You talk so much despite being here to fight. Is that a characteristic of people with a protruding mouth?¡± Martha jeered at Inield. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The princess was just grinding her teeth as she looked towards Raon, not even looking at Inield, and Runaan wasn¡¯t interested in him at all from the beginning. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Inield¡¯s face turned red. He seemed to be panicking because his attempt to look cool in front of the women wasn¡¯t going well. ¡°W-We are representing our respective groups in this duel. You shall announce your name and what you are going to do! I¡¯ll face you with Balkar¡¯sbat magic!¡± Even though Martha made fun of him, Inield didn¡¯t give up on trying to look cool. He swept back his greasy hair and pointed his finger at him. ¡°You really talk a lot.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue. He apparently needed a beating to understand reality. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian stepped up to him like lightning upon being called. ¡°Club.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian took out a huge club, one that an orc would carry around, and handed it to him. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening?!¡± ¡°How did a club like thate out from his pocket?¡± ¡°Gasp¡­¡± The jaws of the spectators dropped after they witnessed a huge club being pulled from an ordinary-looking pocket. ¡°You told me to announce my name and what I¡¯m going to do, right?¡± Raon epted the club from Dorian, supporting it on his shoulder. ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart. I¡¯m going to beat you with a club from this moment on.¡± He rolled up the corners of his mouth, crooking his finger. ¡°Come at me.¡± A club was the traditional cure when dealing with a shithead. Chapter 178 Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Inield, whose entire body was trembling in agitation. ¡®Is he at the level of an advanced Expert?¡¯ Inield¡¯s behavior waspletely foolish, but the energying from him was simr to an advanced Expert. He was definitely not weak. There was a good reason for Morell allowing the duel. However, neither Inield nor Morell managed to discern Raon¡¯s might. They were likely thinking that he was an intermediate Expert based on what he showed on the outside. ¡®He¡¯s certainly skilled, but he¡¯s somewhat sloppy.¡¯ Compared to his pressure, Inield¡¯s prowess wasn¡¯t exactly sturdy. It didn¡¯t look like he had much experience with actual fights. ¡°Argh!¡± Inield ground his teeth, ring at Raon¡¯s huge club. ¡°Are you looking down on me? Draw your sword immediately!¡± He pointed at Heavenly Drive, which was hanging around Raon¡¯s waist. ¡°This sword has never been used. It¡¯s too good to be used against you.¡± ¡°You damn bastard! I¡¯m really going to kill¡­¡± He started swearing but stopped himself after taking a nce at the princess behind him. He was extraordinary in a bad way, considering he was paying attention to the princess in such a situation. ¡°What¡¯s happening here to cause such a crowd?¡± ¡°They are apparently having a duel. Moreover, it¡¯s between Zieghart and Balkar!¡± ¡°Two of the Six Kings? That¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± Since they were in front of the city hall, which usually had arge amount of traffic, people had gathered and surrounded them in no time. ¡°I wonder who¡¯s going to win.¡± ¡°Sadly, the oue is already decided.¡± ¡°It¡¯s obviously Balkar.¡± ¡°Why? Zieghart is also one of the Six Kings.¡± ¡°The blonde guy with long hair is Inield. He¡¯s a student of Morell, who is a 5th-circle magician. I heard his fist, which uses two attributes, is really outstanding. On the other hand, the handsome fellow over there looks young, and his name isn¡¯t famous either.¡± ¡°Hey guys, stop talking so much ande here to make a bet! We can¡¯t just sit by when something this great is happening!¡± Since there were so many people, they naturally started to gamble. However, most people believed that Inield would win after hearing about his fame. ¡°Haa, fine. I¡¯ll make you regret not drawing your sword.¡± Inield smiled dly upon hearing the spectators praising him. He really was a consistent guy, considering he wasn¡¯t angry and excited anymore after a bit of praise. ¡°Get ready to kneel and beg for forgiveness in front of the princess after you lose!¡± Inield equipped hisbat glove, then gathered his hands in front of him. He chanted a spell to elerate the flow of his mana, and his whole body started to radiate with it. ¡°We are starting, right?¡± Raon smiled coldly and kicked the ground. He reached the area in front of Inield in the blink of an eye, then swung the club¡ªwhich was the size of an adult body. ¡°Wh-What? Shield!¡± Inield panicked while chanting a buff spell, hurriedly using shield magic. A blue barrier appeared in front of him, but it was pointless. Everything was equalized by a club. ng! The shield was shattered like ss, and the blunt club smacked into Inield¡¯s ribs. Smaack! With a frightening sound like a shattering boulder, Inield was bounced back like a ball, falling his head-first to the ground. Whoosh¡­ The jaws of the dozens of people surrounding them dropped at the sight of the steaming from Raon¡¯s club. ¡°Wh-What?¡± ¡°That movement just now¡­¡± ¡°I almost couldn¡¯t see anything!¡± ¡°How did he do that with such a big¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just the spectators. The Balkar Kingdom¡¯s magicians also turned pale and stiff. ¡°Inield!¡± Morell used his mana to shout, and Inield, who had copsed on the ground, hurriedly stood. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± He was breathing heavily and his whole body was drenched in cold sweat, but he looked rather intact considering that he had been hit by a club. ¡°I knew it.¡± Raon snickered, looking at the ring on Inield¡¯s right hand. ¡°Is it an artifact?¡± He felt like he was hitting a bag full of beans when he smacked Inield with his club. As expected of the Balkar Kingdom, which was famous for their artifacts. He must¡¯ve been wearing an artifact to enhance his physical defense. ¡°Y-You bastard! How could you do that?¡± Inield screamed, his eyes red. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why would you attack me while I¡¯m preparing? You coward!¡± ¡°Prepare? What preparation?¡± ¡°I was casting buff magic! How could you attack during that? Don¡¯t you have any honor?¡± He called him a coward while looking around him, as if he was the victim of unfairness. ¡°Coward?¡± Raon swung the club onto his shoulder, tilting his head. ¡°Are you going to say that on the battlefield as well?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking whether you are going to ask to stop because you aren¡¯t ready when a de is right next to your neck.¡± ¡°Th-This is different from that! This is a duel!¡± ¡°A magician started to cast a spell during a duel. Isn¡¯t that pretty much the starting signal? You were the one that made the first move here.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Raon looked coldly at Inield, who was unable to answer, his lips trembling. He continued to speak. ¡°A magician using their magic is the same as a swordsman drawing their sword. If you want a duel where the opponent waits for you like ying house, you should do that at home instead.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t humiliate Balkar!¡± ¡°I¡¯m humiliating you, not Balkar.¡± ¡°What you said doesn¡¯t concern me, but¡­¡± ¡°You talk way too much.¡± Raon swung his club. The powerful wind pressure crushed Inield¡¯s voice. ¡°Are you doing it or not?¡± ¡°Argh, I won¡¯t be careless anymore!¡± Inield jumped back, quickly beginning to cast buff magic. All kinds of buffs, including haste, strength, and iron skin, seeped into his body. ¡°¡­¡­¡± This time, Raon stood still and watched until he finished casting all of his buffs. ¡°You fool! It¡¯s pointless for you to try and keep your honor now!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t standing still because of honor, but because it would be annoying if you started whining once again.¡± ¡°You are all talk!¡± With fire in his right hand and wind in his left hand, Inield disappeared from view. His presence reappeared behind Raon. He wasn¡¯t moving quickly¡ªhis presence literally disappeared, then reappeared. It was the short-distance movement spell, Blink. ¡°Die!¡± Inield thrust his fist in a systematic path, storming with wind and fire. The powerful attack was directed at Raon¡¯s ribs. It was a childish attack, an attempt to return what he had suffered. ¡°That¡¯s too obvious.¡± With no agitation at all, Raon stomped the ground and turned his body around. The powerful forceing up from his ankle turned into a rotation of his waist as he swung his club. Whoosh! The powerful strike of the club shed with Inield¡¯s magic fist, mingling with wind and fire. ¡°You idiot!¡± Inield snorted, watching as Raon¡¯s club approached him. He had a fast reaction speed, one befitting a swordsman, but he seemed to have the ssic smooth brain of a swordsman as well¡ªafter all, he was trying to pierce through thebined magic of the fifth circle spells Wind Torrent and me Dagger with a mere club. ¡®I¡¯ll burn you up immediately!¡¯ He was about to concentrate more mana in order to burn that handsome face¡­ ¡®Huh?¡¯ The club that should¡¯ve burned up a long time ago was right under his nose. ¡®Wh-What is happening?¡¯ Even though it was a big club, it was just made out of wood. He couldn¡¯t believe that it was crushing his magic instead of burning up from the powerful heat. ¡®No way, is he actually using aura with his club?¡¯ The bigger the weapon, the blunter it was, the more difficult it was to use aura. That was the reason there were so few hammers or morning star masters inparison to sword masters. However, that crazy guy seemed to be using aura with his club. Inield thought he was all talk, but he actually seemed skilled. ¡°Kwaaa!¡± Inield shouted to increase his mana, but it was pointless. The club bludgeoned through the fifth circlebination magic with its tremendous power. ¡°B-Blink!¡± Inield eventually gave up on the engagement and withdrew. He was nning to aim for an opening by using another spell after backing off. ¡®I-I did a good job getting out of there. I would¡¯ve been beaten up again otherwi¡­ Huh?¡¯ As he was breathing a sigh of relief and watching his magic melt away, a shadow appeared above his head. When he raised his head to look at it, a huge club was falling down on him, hiding the sun. ¡°Ah¡­¡± His mind went nk. His lips parted, and he was unable to even think about using Blink or Shield. ¡°Blink won¡¯t work anymore.¡± Raon smiled faintly, then mmed the club down. Whaam! With a shockwave powerful enough to make a crater on the ground, Inield fell. A significant amount of shock was absorbed, probably because the artifact was still functioning. ¡°Nice, you can take a beating.¡± A frightening light reflected in Raon¡¯s eyes as he raised the club. ¡°W-Wait! Wait! I los¡­ Kuaah!¡± Before Inield could surrender, Raon smacked him with the club once again. Smaack! Along with a wind fierce enough to turn the sand covering the ground into a whirlwind, Inield soared towards the sky. ¡°It¡¯s really nice that you won¡¯t die even if I beat you up at full strength.¡± Raon grabbed the club with both hands, then sent Inield flying as he fell. am! Alongside the tremendous sound of exploding air, Inield mmed into the ground in a sprawl. Two of the rings he was wearing on his hand became dust and scattered into the air. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Apparently, he didn¡¯t have any other shock-absorbing artifacts except for the rings. Inield was unable to stand and just kept groaning. ¡°D-Don¡¯t kill¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t kill you.¡± Raon looked down on Inield with the club on his shoulder. ¡°But you tend to speak a bit too much. You should practice silence for a while.¡± He smacked his mouth while saying that. Smack! Along with a pleasant sound, teeth fell out of his mouth. ¡°Krrr¡­¡± With his head knocked back, his eyes rolled back. He wasn¡¯t dead, but he was going to suffer for a while. Raon shook off the blood from the club and smiled slightly. ¡®It¡¯s refreshing.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t care about whether or not he liked women or tried to attract their attention, but Inield had used Raon in order to get the princess¡¯s attention. Raon felt so refreshed, as if he had managed to relieve his stress by beating the other man up because he talked too much and acted like a child. That¡¯s so harsh¡­ Wrath shook his head while looking at Inield, who was as limp as a rag. The King of Essence would¡¯ve finished him in a single strike instead of giving him so much pain. ¡®I still controlled my strength.¡¯ If he really used his full strength, Inield would¡¯ve died from the first strike. He went easy on him, despite how it looked. Humans are just so cruel, despite being weak. ¡®Not really. Killing him is more¡­¡¯ As Raon was shaking his head¡ª ¡®Oh.¡¯ The system came to give him stats, then left. Wh-What¡¯s wrong with it? When did the King of Essence ever admire you? ¡®You admired my cruelty.¡¯ N-No, that was just a figure of speech! ¡®You are a king, right? And the great king of Devildom on top of that.¡¯ Y-Yes. ¡®It can¡¯t be just a manner of speech when it came from such a great king. All your words must be meaningful, mustn¡¯t they?¡¯ That¡¯s¡­ ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s nice that I got stats from beating a weakling like him.¡¯ Wrath ground his teeth as he looked at Raon, who was checking his stats. D-Damn it. You are so damn good at running your mouth. That greasy Inield just talked too much, and Raon was good at running his mouth. Wrath could feel it every single time that he couldn¡¯t win against him with words. I shouldn¡¯t face him¡­ * * * * * * Creak. The spectators, who were nkly staring at Raon, finally snapped out of it upon hearing the copsing sound of the ground that Inield was mmed into. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s young swordsman apparently won. And with an overwhelming difference, on top of that¡­¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Am I dreaming right now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time in my life witnessing someone using an aura on his club¡­¡± ¡°Does Zieghart even teach their students how to use clubs nowadays?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so crazy. He doesn¡¯t even look twenty years old yet¡­¡± They swallowed nervously while examining Raon, who defeated Inield so easily. ¡°D-Did Sir Inield really lose?¡± ¡°Moreover, he lost to a club, not even a sword¡­¡± ¡°W-Wasn¡¯t it because he was careless?¡± ¡°No way! He even used Blink! He just couldn¡¯t dodge it!¡± ¡°How could this¡­¡± Balkar¡¯s magicians stared at the copsed Inield in disbelief, their lips trembling. ¡°Well, since the duel is over, the stakes shall be redistributed. Those that bet on Zieghart¡¯s victory,e this way. The odds are four to two!¡± The person that started the bet quickly raised his hand. ¡°I got a jackpot!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prostrate in Zieghart¡¯s direction every day from now on!¡± ¡°Zieghart¡¯s handsome swordsman! I¡¯ll buy liquor for you today!¡± ¡°M-Me! It¡¯s me!¡± The Light Wind¡¯s familiar cheerful voice was mixed in between the people rejoicing over the money they got from gambling. ¡°Uhahaha! It¡¯s a jackpot!¡± The red-haired elf, who had participated in the bet at some point, was giggling as he looked at the twenty gold he had in his hand. ¡°I knew it was a good idea to borrow money beforeing here. I never lose when I bet on Raon! It would¡¯ve been perfect if I had a bit more money to be¡­¡± ¡°Rimmer.¡± As Rimmer was taking the gold andughing, Morell grabbed his shoulder. ¡°¡­What is that guy?¡± Morell¡¯s astonished face couldn''t be called merely surprised anymore. ¡°Is he a monster that Zieghart is secretly raising? How could he be hiding an energy that even I couldn¡¯t detect? What the hell is that guy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing that expression on your face.¡± Rimmer smiled, putting the gold in his inner pocket. It was his first time seeing him so flustered, since Morell was an extremelyposed person despite being a fire magician. ¡°Have you ever heard of the Sword Demon of Habun Castle?¡± ¡°Are you talking about that crazy guy that defended the copsed castle wall from below during a wave?¡± ¡°Yes. That crazy guy is him.¡± ¡°I see. Habun Castle¡¯s Sword Demon was a Zieghart swordsman, just as I expected. However, I didn¡¯t think he would be that young.¡± Morell narrowed his eyes as he looked at Raon. He didn¡¯t care about his defeated student or the bet anymore. He was simply filled with surprise over Raon. ¡°Rather than the past, I¡¯m more looking forward to his future. You should watch him closely, since he will be a lot more famous soon enough.¡± ¡°Stop boasting. He¡¯s indeed amazing, but there¡¯s a simr one in Balkar¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ept it!¡± The two people looked to the right, where a sharp voice suddenly spoke. ¡°I won¡¯t ept a duel like this!¡± Princess Jayna was walking towards Raon, biting her red lip. * * * Raon tilted his head, watching as Jayna got in the way. ¡°What are you not epting?¡± ¡°This match!¡± Jayna red at Inield under her feet and continued. ¡°I didn¡¯t ept it!¡± ¡°But the duel was performed with the consent of your group¡¯s leader.¡± Raon pointed at Morell, who was watching them with surprised eyes. ¡°He¡¯s not the leader, I am!¡± Jayna confidently pointed at herself. It certainly could be the case. Prestigious families often put their sessors in as leaders, in name only, in order to have them gain experience. However, he wasn¡¯t going to overlook the matter just because of that. ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you were going to say that, you should¡¯ve said it before the fight ended. Telling me that you won¡¯t ept it when the fight¡¯s already over is pretty much proving your bad qualities by yourself.¡± ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t talk about¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, this man was using Balkar¡¯s name and Zieghart¡¯s name.¡± Raon pointed at the still-unconscious Inield with his chin. ¡°The fact that you didn¡¯t stop him when he mentioned our respective affiliations means that you implicitly allowed him to do so. Are you going to keep insisting on it despite having staked Balkar¡¯s name? I guess your kingdom¡¯s name has no significance.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. She should¡¯ve stopped earlier if she wanted to.¡± ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s already all over, so why is she acting like that?¡± ¡°The way she keeps insisting after it¡¯s all over is so ugly.¡± The spectators whispered, their voices barely audible to Jayna. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As they scornfully looked at her, she scowled intensely. ¡°Sh-Shut up! This fight was wrong from the beginning!¡± ¡°Fine. Then I¡¯ll give you a chance.¡± As she was screaming at the spectators, Raon picked up the club from the ground. ¡°If you fight and win against me, I¡¯ll nullify the previous match.¡± ¡°F-Fight? Between you and me?¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? Did you think I¡¯d just overlook it with no price?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Jayna¡¯s gaze was directed at the bloody club. It looked like she couldn¡¯t say that she wanted to fight after seeing the club that beat up Inield like a dog just a moment ago. She swallowed nervously and turned around. She was looking at Morell, but he was just silently watching her. He seemed to be telling her to just admit defeat. ¡°No! Balkar can¡¯t lose to Zieghart!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to admit it, you should fight me instead of squawking like that. Come at me.¡± Raon smiled coldly and raised the club. An energy even more powerful than when he smacked Inield was flowing on the club, aimed towards Jayna. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Overwhelmed by that tremendous pressure, Jayna couldn¡¯t even open her mouth. She just stood there with trembling hands. ¡°Do they specialize in running their mouths? All of them are all talk.¡± ¡°May I take over that one?¡± While Martha was smiling coldly, a pleasant voice could be heard among the Balkar Kingdom¡¯s knights. ¡®Is this another idiot?¡¯ Raon turned his head to see which idiot yielded to his instincts again. A knight in histe twenties that wasn¡¯t exactly tall, but had a sturdy build, stepped forward. His eyes were clear and straightforward unlike Inield¡¯s. He seemed interested in his might, rather than the princess. ¡°My name is Zatice, from the Balkar Kingdom¡¯s Torrent Knights. If it¡¯s not a problem, I¡¯d like to try stopping Sir Raon¡¯s sword.¡± He politely saluted with his sword after walking up to him. ¡°Are you confident?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Zatice confidently said that he wasn¡¯t confident in winning. However, he said ¡®not yet¡¯. That meant that he believed he would win one day. Although his might didn¡¯t even seem to be at an intermediate Expert level, he could feel an unshakable will that surpassed his level. ¡®Balkar¡¯s knight, huh¡­?¡¯ Since Balkar was a magic Kingdom, magicians were their main force rather than the knights. It was rumored that the knights had no power nor passion, to the point where they were called the magician¡¯s meatshields, but Raon couldn¡¯t feel anything like that from him. ¡°Fine.¡± Raon nodded and raised his club. Zatice lowered his posture, raising his thick sword diagonally. He wasn¡¯t trying to avoid or retreat. He seemed to intend on stopping his attack, just like he said. ¡®That won¡¯t do.¡¯ Raon slightly tilted the club in an instant. It was a trajectory that could never be deflected. ¡°Hmph!¡± Zatice¡¯s focus was at an extraordinary level. As soon as he noticed the club¡¯s distorted direction, he gave up on deflecting it and focused all his power on defense. aam! The sh between the club imbued with a mighty energy and the sword imbued with sturdy aura created apressed shockwave. Whoosh. Amidst the subsiding gray current of air, Zatice could be seen holding a shattered sword. Even though the sword was broken, and he was kneeling, he still hadn¡¯t copsed. Even though he must have been feeling an extreme amount of pain, he was gritting his teeth to endure it, still holding his broken sword. ¡°I-I¡¯ve lost.¡± Zatice acknowledged his defeat, smiling faintly. However, his eyes were glittering even more than in the beginning. It looked like he managed to feel something from it. ¡®Not all of them are idiots.¡¯ He fought fair and square, and acknowledged his defeat. Befitting the name of a famous Kingdom, not all of them were idiots. The man named Zatice had the potential of reaching a higher ce as a warrior. ¡°Argh! He lost again! Why are those idiots acting up to ruin it for me?!¡± However, Jayna¡¯s opinion seemed to differ. She red at Zatice, who was spitting blood from his mouth, and burst the bubble of peace just as the situation was being settled. ¡°This also happened because he decided to act up on his own, so I won¡¯t ept it!¡± Raon was irritated by her childish reaction. ¡°Princess Jayna.¡± Raon put down the club and stood in front of Jayna. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this as the vice-squad leader of the Light Wind squad of Zieghart. If you speak recklessly one more time, I¡¯ll consider it an offense against Zieghart and draw my sword.¡± He tapped his scabbard, and the energy wave he¡¯d been hiding so far burst from him like a tidal wave. Whaam! The overwhelming power crushed not only Jayna¡¯s spirit but also her emotions. Raon was the one that was dominating the space. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Jayna bit her lip, sinking to the ground. She started breathing heavily, unable to endure Raon¡¯s frightening pressure. ¡°Answer.¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t decrease his pressure. As Jayna started to drool from her mouth, Morell¡ªwho had been hanging back¡ªwas standing behind her already. Whoosh! The heat appearing from his hand pushed away Raon¡¯s pressure, cutting off the rope of aura that was seizing Jayna. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Morell grabbed Jayna¡¯s trembling shoulder to pull her back, shaking his head. Her eyes lost focus, as if she were unconscious. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Considering she couldn¡¯t even look in his direction, the fear seemed to have deeply engraved in her brain. ¡°She¡¯s still immature, as she was raised as a sheltered child of the Kingdom.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for us to be considerate of that.¡± ¡°You are right. I¡¯ll apologize in her stead.¡± His eyes looked surprised and agitated rather than apologetic. It looked like he was extremely surprised at the fact that he hadn¡¯t managed to grasp his prowess in the beginning. ¡°We will get going, then. We will withdraw from this matter, just like we promised.¡± ¡°Where are you trying to go?¡± Raon stood in Morell''s way as he tried to leave. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say yet what I wanted after my victory.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t the loser supposed to leave?¡± ¡°Sir Morell said by himself that the terms for this duel was the loser obeying the victor.¡± ¡°Ugh. What do you want, then?¡± ¡°Your student taught me something great.¡± Raon pointed at Inield, who the Balkar Kingdom''s knights were carrying on their backs. ¡°The Light Wind squad will use the Balkar Kingdom¡¯s magician squad Sman as their servants until the end of this mission.¡± Raon smiled and extended his hand towards Dorian. ¡°Contract.¡± Chapter 179 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 179 ¡°Vice-squad leader. Even though it¡¯s me, I don¡¯t have everything.¡± Dorian licked his lips, rubbing his belly pocket. ¡°Do you have the contract or not?¡± Raon bobbed his hand, urging him to give it to him if he had it. ¡°Ah, I do have it.¡± Dorian wriggled his hand in his belly pocket. A straight piece of paper with a contract on it came out. ¡°I also need a pen, and a hard surface to put it on.¡± ¡°I do have those as well, but¡­¡± He put his hand back into the pocket, taking out a pen and a piece of cardboard. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon epted the pen and the cardboard, smiling faintly. ¡°But you understand, right? Even though it¡¯s me, I don¡¯t have everything!¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to trust me.¡± Dorian licked his lips, wiping the blood off the club that was on the ground next to him before putting it back into his belly pocket. The spectators eximed in admiration at the sight of the huge club going into the small belly pocket. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Zieghart is really great.¡± ¡°I know, right? Their young swordsman defeated Inield, and they even have a peculiar swordsman like him¡­¡± ¡°Did the giant of the north wake up from his slumber?¡± ¡°I guess no one can stop Zieghart if they decide to move.¡± Because they showed so many amazing sides to them, the spectatorspletely forgot about Balkar. They just kept talking about Zieghart. While listening to the spectators¡¯ overreactions, Raon quickly wrote out the contract. ¡®This should be enough.¡¯ The content was simple. Sman had to obey Light Wind¡¯s orders until the end of the mission, and they were forbidden from using violence and insults against them. Additionally, they had to speak to them in a respectful manner. Of course, he also added that the Light Wind couldn¡¯t make excessive demands, such as forcing them to risk their lives. ¡°Please look this over.¡± ¡°Did you really have to write a contract?¡± Morell frowned upon receiving the contract. ¡°It¡¯s better to be thorough.¡± ¡°Our vice-squad leader isn¡¯t as sloppy as me. You¡¯d better be careful.¡± Rimmer took a nce at the contract, then smiled like a fool. ¡°Are you bragging right now?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m bragging. Unlike your student, who copsed with his teeth taken out, my student is confidently standing there.¡± He grinned, pointing at Inield and Raon one after the other. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Morell, who had been forcing himself to retain hisposure, couldn¡¯t stop himself anymore and ground his teeth. Having his studentpared to another¡¯s seemed to have shocked him a lot. ¡°The contract seems fine. Sign it already.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Morell tapped Rimmer¡¯s shoulder to push him away, then looked around. He sighed, as he saw the spectators numbering over a hundred now. ¡®How did this happen¡­?¡¯ He suggested a duel because he thought it was an opportunity to stomp on Zieghart¡¯s pride, but he never imagined it would end up the way it had. He couldn¡¯t get out of the situation, as the princess and Inield had acted up, and he himself had made troublesome remarks. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Morell checked the contract one more time before signing it. ¡°See? You ended up signing it anyway.¡± ¡°Please, shut up!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± While Rimmer was making fun of Morell, Raon walked up to Princess Jayna and Inield. They were still unconscious¡ªbecause of the physical shock for Inield, and because of the mental shock for the princess. ¡°Are you going to send them to a clinic?¡± ¡°Yes. Fortunately, there¡¯s a famous clinic in the middle of the main street.¡± Zatice carried Inield on his back, then pointed at the four-story building around the middle of the street. His neat face looked like he had acknowledged his defeat from the bottom of his heart, and he even smiled, as if he were d that Raon was speaking to him. ¡°I see. See youter.¡± Raon nodded, then took out two red pins from his pocket. He quickly moved his hand to put the pins on Inield and Princess Jayna¡¯s clothes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Raon!¡± While he was watching Inield and Princess Jayna being carried, a piece of paper fluttered towards him. ¡°The signing is done!¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± When he looked around, Rimmer was grinning and Morell was kicking a rock, with an expression that made it look like he ate shit. ¡°I won¡¯t forget today¡¯s humiliation.¡± ¡°Sure, you should never forget about it. After all, you are the one that brought that humiliation upon yourself.¡± ¡°Keuh, you¡­¡± ¡°Squad leader.¡± Raon left Morell alone with his trembling hand, giving the contract back to Rimmer. ¡°The leader should keep the contract.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s annoying. You should keep it.¡± Instead of epting the contract, Rimmer put his hands behind his head, his fingers sped together. ¡°Squad leader! You are going too far! Are you really refusing to sit at the dining table that Raon has prepared?¡± ¡°He¡¯s so useless. That¡¯s even worse than when he used to be an instructor.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Burren and Martha looked at him coldly, and Rimmer¡¯s shoulders flinched before he tried to take the contract. ¡°No, I think it will be better if I keep it.¡± Raon shook his head, putting the contract in his inner pocket. ¡°I can¡¯t give this to you because it feels like you would sell it to them if I did.¡± Considering what he had done in the past, he could totally see him selling the contract¡¯s grandfather on top of the contract itself. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Because of the fuss, the mayor should¡¯ve finished his preparations as well.¡± Raon opened the door of the city hall and entered. The Light Wind squad entered, and their new servants followed them with a sigh. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer, who was left alone in front of the city hall, looked at his empty hand with trembling eyes. ¡°Damn it! I could¡¯ve sold the contract!¡± * * * Sticky, red moisture was covering the underground. Weak groans could be heard from beyond the iron bars installed on both sides of the corridor. She didn¡¯t even look fourteen years old. A young-looking red-haired girl was walking through the corridor, which reeked of blood. She was humming as if she were enjoying the weeping groansing from the iron bars, opening the door at the end of the corridor. The fresh atmosphere inside the room made it difficult to believe it was located underground. An old man with a gentle appearance and long, soft gray hair was sitting on a chair and reading a book inside the room. ¡°As nned, Zieghart and Balkar have arrived.¡± The girl spoke to the old man casually, as if he were her friend, and sat at the desk. ¡°It¡¯s the correct date. How is the preparation going?¡± The old man asked his question with his gaze focused on the book instead of looking at the girl. ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask. I drank half, and I left the other half alone.¡± ¡°The apostle will arrive soon. Make sure to calcte correctly so that there won¡¯t be any problems during the move.¡± ¡°Alright. By the way, something interesting happened.¡± The red-haired girl opened her small hand, then continued. ¡°Zieghart and Balkar started a duel as soon as they arrived.¡± ¡°Duel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure why they fought, but a young swordsman from Zieghart fought against Inield.¡± ¡°I guess Inield won.¡± ¡°No.¡± The old man turned to look at the girl for the first time upon hearing the denial. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s young swordsman literally overwhelmed him. He wasn¡¯t even using a sword¡ªhe beat him up with a club.¡± ¡°Hmm? A club? What are you talking about right now?¡± ¡°And then, that blonde kid¡­¡± The girl told him everything, from the fight between Raon and Inield to what happened with the bet after that. ¡°Seline.¡± The old man narrowed his eyes and called the girl by name. ¡°Investigate that young swordsman.¡± ¡°Why? We are soon going to leave anyway.¡± ¡°We are bound to sh with Zieghart in the future. Since he¡¯s going to be our powerful enemy, we should make ourselves informed in advance. And if ever we get the opportunity¡­¡± ¡°Kill him, right?¡± The girl, Seline, put two fingers together and mimicked slicing her neck. ¡°Don¡¯t approach them if Rimmer or Morell are around, just gather information. Only make your move when he¡¯s alone. Since it¡¯s impossible to notice your sorcery unless the person is a Master, it won¡¯t be a difficult task.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± She smoothed down her face, which looked beautiful and cute at the same time, and smiled cheerfully. ¡°I wonder how a Zieghart¡¯s blood tastes.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already tasted it many times before.¡± ¡°That kid is different. His talent is one thing, but his face is also extremely handsome.¡± ¡°Hmph, useless.¡± The old man clicked his tongue, shaking his head. ¡°By the way, did you mention that the princess and Inield have copsed?¡± ¡°Yes. They were taken to the clinic after fainting.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The old man scratched his chin and smiled faintly. ¡°We might be able to catch two rabbits with one stone.¡± * * * * * * Porvan¡¯s mayor, Owist, looked trustworthy because of his ample proportions. However, he also looked anxious at the same time, as his face kept sweating. ¡°W-Wee.¡± Owist briefly bowed, wetting his handkerchief with the sweat on his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m Porvan¡¯s mayor, Owist.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Zieghart¡¯s Light Wind squad leader, Rimmer.¡± Rimmer returned the greeting with a soft smile. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± Rimmer sat at the center, following the mayor¡¯s gesture, and the rest stood behind him. ¡°I¡¯m really honored to meet Zieghart''s Sword of Light¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty famous, but since the mission requires urgency, let¡¯s get into the topic right away. Please, exin the situation.¡± Rimmer tapped the table, telling him to talk about the mission already. ¡°A-Alright. Since our Porvan city¡¯s main source of ie is trading and tourism, there are usually more cases of disappearance than in other regions. However, that number has been gradually increasing from three months ago, and we¡¯ve got over one hundred reports of disappearances in the past two weeks.¡± Even though Porvan wasn¡¯t a small city, having over one hundred reported disappearances in a mere two weeks was a rare urrence. Since many people didn¡¯t trust the city hall, the actual number of disappearances could¡¯ve been even higher. ¡°We disguised the city¡¯s guards, mercenaries, and even knights and deployed them for the investigation, but the disappearances continued as if they wereughing at us. Even the mercenaries and the knights have disappeared.¡± Owist wiped off the sweat flowing down his cheeks, then pleaded for them to solve the matter in a murmur. ¡°The city¡¯s atmosphere wasn¡¯t that bad, considering there were so many disappearances.¡± Rimmer spoke, examining the city through the window of the mayor¡¯s room. Like he said, there weren¡¯t many signs of depression in Porvan from what they had seen that day. ¡°That¡¯s because we haven¡¯t disclosed information about the disappearances.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Burren, who¡¯d been remaining silent, narrowed his eyes and stepped up. ¡°J-Just as I said, our main source of ie is trading and tourism. If rumors spread that there has been a steep increase in disappearances, the tourists and merchants won¡¯t visit us anymore. Th-That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t reveal it.¡± Owist started to sweat twice as much as before, as he was also aware that it was problematic. He almost looked like he was drenched in rain. ¡°How could you do that? Shouldn¡¯t you announce it quickly to decrease the casualties?¡± ¡°I-If people learn about the disappearance, the damage will spread to the entire city from a few individuals. That¡¯s why I had no choice.¡± ¡°Bullshit! Are you seriously saying that you had no choice?¡± ¡°Burren, Martha.¡± As Martha was starting to argue as well, Raon raised his hand to block their vision. ¡°The squad leader is speaking.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to stay back after witnessing this?¡± ¡°Just as you think of tourism at the mention of Porvan, a city¡¯s image is easily imprinted in people¡¯s minds. If the rumor about the mass disappearance spreads, the tourists will start going to other spots, and trade will also decline because of that.¡± Raon calmly continued so that everyone¡ªincluding those two¡ªcould hear him. ¡°If that happens, the damage will spread to the entire city, just as the mayor said. Many people might end up dying from hunger, instead of disappearing, because they lost their job. Moreover, announcing the matter doesn¡¯t guarantee that the disappearances will stop. If they are crazy enough to take one hundred people in two weeks, they probably will keep kidnapping¡ªeven if they have to break down doors.¡± Since they went as far as kidnapping over one hundred people in two weeks, they were pretty much monsters that didn¡¯t care about their human appearances anymore. If people stopped leaving their houses because the disappearances were announced, they might begin taking people that were hiding in their homes. ¡°For the sake of the citizens, the best thing we can do is to solve this case as fast as possible.¡± ¡°P-Precisely!¡± As soon as Raon finished talking, Owist stood up while pping his hands. ¡°If this incident bes known to the whole city, problems iparably worse than the disappearances will begin to ur one after the other! B-Because there are plenty of substitutes for our city!¡± He looked at Raon with admiration. ¡°Who is that man? H-His insight is really amazing.¡± ¡°Ahem, he¡¯s the vice-leader of the Light Wind, and my student at the same time. It¡¯s nothing special.¡± Rimmer cleared his throat and pointed at himself. ¡°So, he is the student of Sir Sword of Light. I knew there was a reason for his amazing intellect.¡± Owist nodded intensely while looking at Raon. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Anyone could reach that conclusion with enough time, but he managed to think that far in that short period of time. The man named Raon had an extraordinary insight, although he didn¡¯t know about his might yet. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯ve discovered about them?¡± ¡°Day or night doesn¡¯t matter for them. They don¡¯t care whether there are people around them or not, either. They kidnap people as secretly as thieves in the night, to the point that it almost feels like they just vanished in thin air. That¡¯s why no one knows how it actually happened.¡± ¡°How strong were the mercenaries and the knights that disappeared during their investigations?¡± ¡°The mercenary was at the beginner Expert level, and the k-knights were intermediate and advanced Experts.¡± Owist sighed deeply, still unable to understand how that happened. ¡°Disappearance of an advanced Expert¡­¡± ¡°I was also surprised.¡± ¡°Hmm, is there any other information? Like, anyone witnessing their martial art, or their appearance or outfit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s nothing else.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like ordinary human trafficking after all.¡± Rimmer scratched his chin, with a frown. ¡°The actual human traffickers are using this opportunity to be more active. I¡¯m getting headaches from all the incidents.¡± Owist pressed on his temple, sighing. ¡°This is a serious matter. It might be the Five Demons¡¯ work.¡± ¡°F-Five Demons?¡± As Rimmer mentioned the Five Demons, the mayor¡¯s cheeks trembled in fear. ¡°P-Please solve this case! If this is solved, I¡¯ll do anything as a reward, including the request fee! Please!¡± Owist deeply lowered his head. He kept talking about the city instead of his own safety. Despite how he looked, he seemed to be the type of mayor that couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the city. ¡°Make sure to remember that you said you will do anything I want.¡± Rimmer grinned, standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He opened the door and left. ¡°B-But why did the Sman memberse back?¡± The mayor tilted his head, looking at Morell and the magicians standing at the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them.¡± Raon continued, pointing his finger at Sman. ¡°They are our servants.¡± ¡°Gasp! Wh-What do you mean?¡± Owist stood up in surprise. He expected Morell to start rampaging, but he just stayed still with a trembling chin. ¡°Y-You didn¡¯t have to call us your servants.¡± ¡°Servants?¡± Raon repeated the end of his sentence, then tilted his head. ¡°Serv¡­¡± Morell sighed deeply while looking into the air, then continued. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to call us your servants, Sir¡­¡± ¡°I said this before, but I prefer being thorough.¡± Raon smiled gently, then pointed at the door. ¡°Let¡¯s leave, since the squad leader should be waiting.¡± He tapped Morell¡¯s shoulder, then left the mayor¡¯s room. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Morell slowly caught his breath. He red at Owist, while exhaling a raging heat. ¡°Gasp!¡± Owist swallowed nervously after receiving that gaze. ¡®H-He¡¯s telling me he will kill me if I tell others about this.¡¯ Morell looked at him with a gaze that said that he would burn his entire body if he told anyone about it, then left the room. ¡°Keuh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°What a state we are in!¡± The other magicians also ground their teeth or bit their lips as they followed Morell. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± Strength left Owist¡¯s legs, and he sank on the chair, now alone. ¡°What is even happening¡­?¡± * * * Upon leaving the mayor¡¯s room, the Light Wind and Sman gathered in front of Rimmer. ¡°As you heard, we don¡¯t know anything about the ringleader of the disappearances yet. I have a few guesses, but it¡¯s too early to judge.¡± Rimmer continued, his hands held together behind his back. ¡°Since even a swordsman at the advanced Expert level has disappeared, you are strictly forbidden from acting individually. Considering the number of people, we are going to make groups of three people, with two from Light Wind and one from Sman per group.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Do you have any problem, Morell?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Morell shook his head without responding. It looked like his pride was hurt. ¡°You should reply.¡± Raon gestured at Morell with his chin. ¡°Argh, a-alright.¡± ¡°Alright?¡± ¡°A-Alright, Sir.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Raon raised his hand towards Rimmer, telling him to continue. ¡°Bwahahaha! Morell! My stomach hurts!¡± Rimmer grasped his belly andughed while looking at Morell, telling Raon to make the groups because he ran out of strength. He must¡¯ve been toozy to do it. ¡°Haa, seriously¡­¡± Raon shook his head, then made bnced groups considering their abilities. ¡°We are going to start the investigation with these groups. Morell and I will be waiting around here, so return every three hours to report your progress. Don¡¯t try to solve the problem¡ªmake sure to report in first.¡± While saying that, Rimmer distributed an inaudible whistle per person, just like during their trainee days. ¡°I also have something to give you.¡± Raon took out the red pins from his pocket, putting them on the Light Wind members¡¯ clothes one by one. ¡°What is this?¡± Burren narrowed his eyes, looking at the red pin on his clothes. ¡°It¡¯s a pin made from ming Steel.¡± Raon continued, attaching the pin to Runaan, who was blinking. ¡°I can find them because they are infused with my aura. Don¡¯t take them off, no matter what.¡± It was a piece of equipment he requested from Vulcan, and he was capable of locating them because they were imbued with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura. Although it wasn¡¯t perfectly refined yet, he figured he should still use them in their iplete states. ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s so unnecessary¡­¡± Martha clicked her tongue, but she didn¡¯t stop him from attaching the pin. She apparently didn¡¯tpletely dislike it. ¡°Our vice-squad leader is perfectly prepar¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have the Light Wind¡¯s official funds cover the expense, so please get it ready.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Rimmer looked around without responding. ¡°Well, you can leave now. If you witness the scene of a disappearance or find anyone suspicious, report it right away.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The temporary groups consisting of Light Wind and Sman responded loudly, then started to move towards their assigned areas. ¡°Do you think they will be able to find them?¡± Morell asked, stepping up next to Rimmer. ¡°Probably not.¡± Rimmer shook his head, chuckling. ¡°Since we tantly showed them that Zieghart and Balkar have arrived, they will be careful unless their brains arepletely smooth. However¡­¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°If they are indeed one of the Five Demons, then they might set a serious fire before running away.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Morell frowned, figuring that was a possibility. ¡°Something simr happened in our domain before. Though, the disappearances stopped as soon as I went to help.¡± ¡°Is that why you came here?¡± ¡°Yes. I figured I could find traces of them here. However, it¡¯s all ruined because of you all.¡± Morell breathed heavily. ¡°But what the hell is your student, Raon? His might is one thing, but he can even use his head¡­¡± He almost swore out loud when Raon read Owist¡¯s thoughts earlier. He was talented at amazing people. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s just coteral¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I remembered something that I need to do.¡± Rimmer interrupted Morell, waving his hand. ¡°You can hear the inaudible whistle, right? You stay here and check if there are any problems on the kids'' side.¡± ¡°Rimmer!¡± Morell shouted at him, but Rimmer had already turned into the wind and disappeared. ¡°Damn it!¡± Morell ground his teeth, looking at the direction Rimmer had gone. ¡°The teacher and the student alike, they are freaking masters at making people angry!¡± * * * Raon went to the outskirts of the city with Dorian and Zatice. ¡°You can rest.¡± He told Zatice to rest, since he was injured internally and externally, but he kept following him while saying that he needed to fill the numbers. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just honored to move with Sir Raon.¡± Even though they had only dueled once, Zatice was looking at Raon as if he had met a teacher. ¡°I never thought I would admire the swordsmanship of someone younger than me. I had goosebumps from witnessing a technique containing a mixture of extreme effort and talent.¡± ¡°Sir Zatice should also be able to climb up, considering the way you changed your posture in that short instant.¡± ¡°Aww, you don¡¯t need to praise me so much. I couldn¡¯t even block one attack.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Raon shook his head. Considering his personality and the characteristics of his swordsmanship, he was the type that could grow faster the older he got. ¡°I¡¯m just thankful for such praise.¡± Zatice blushed and lowered his head. He had an innocent appearance, despite his skills. ¡°Hey, guys? I¡¯m here, too!¡± Dorian walked up to them while rubbing his belly, but Raon and Zatice kept talking about swordsmanship. ¡°By the way, this isn¡¯t our assigned area, is it?¡± Zatice swallowed nervously, examining the alleyway that kept getting darker. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Then why did we¡­?¡± ¡°Because we don¡¯t have much information.¡± Raon swirled his finger, while saying that there wasn¡¯t enough information to solve the case. ¡°When something like this happens, you have to look at the bottom instead of the top.¡± As if he had already been there before, he walked through the dirty and dark alley without hesitation. ¡°Hmm, is it going to be okay¡­?¡± Zatice frowned, looking at a bloody shard of ss on the ground. ¡°We just need to follow him.¡± Dorian came up to him, a cracker in his mouth that he took out from¡­ somewhere. ¡°Everything gets solved somehow if you just follow him. It¡¯s a bit scary, though¡­¡± He shuddered in fear, then followed Raon. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Zatice fidgeted his fingers, watching Raon¡¯s back. He had shed his sword against countless knights in the Kingdom, but it was his first time being deeply impressed. Raon¡¯s sword had something more than just strength and skill. ¡®I want to witness that sword again.¡¯ He stepped on the shard of ss that gave him such hesitation, following Raon. Chapter 180 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 180 Rimmer was looking down at Porvan as a whole from the top of a spire in the center of the city. ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Judging from what the mayor said, the case was more serious than he thought. It wasn¡¯t time to be ying in gambling house after letting the squad members do the work. ¡®It¡¯s certain that Five Demons are involved. The problem is whether or not it¡¯s the White Blood Religion.¡¯ What they were doing was simr to the White Blood Religion from the Five Demons. However, since there were too many crazy people in the world, it was risky to assume that it was their doing. ¡®No matter who is behind it, we need to catch them before they run away.¡¯ Since they confirmed the arrival of both Zieghart and Balkar, they would likely start moving differently. Since they were most likely going to run away, it was necessary to find them beforehand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer closed his eyes. The green wind surrounding him unraveled like threads and flew down to the entirety of Porvan. It was a special technique that mixed the wind spirit art and aura. His perception, which could only feel his surroundings, extended like a long clock hand and covered one direction of the city to the end. He couldn¡¯t feel in great detail, and it spent a lot of his aura and willpower, but he could at least grasp where problems were urring. ¡®Burren is only going to the designated ces. Martha is moving freely while ignoring orders, and¡­ is Runaan sleeping right now? Please tell me she isn¡¯t.¡¯ While checking what the members were doing one by one, he suddenly opened his closed eyes. ¡°Raon?¡± The one he trusted the most, Raon, was at a ce that he never imagined he would be. ¡°Why the hell are you over there?¡± ¡®Even I¡¯m working right now!¡¯ * * * Since Porvan was a tourist city, there were various gambling houses. The opinions would differ if people were asked to pick the best gambling house, but if they were asked which one could earn them the most amount of money, everyone would shout to go to ¡®Orc¡¯s Desire¡¯. Orc¡¯s Desire was special in two ways. Firstly, it was the oldest gambling house in Porvan, and secondly, it had the highest dividend rate. That meant that people that went to that ce either ended uppletely broke or ended up an overnight millionaire. Obviously, most people went broke and only a few people hit the jackpot, but the jackpot situation was happening that day. ¡°Whoaa!¡± ¡°He won again! He won three times!¡± ¡°How can he not lose a single time?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t just keep winning. He¡¯s just somehow avoiding whenever the opponent¡¯s cards are higher.¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy. He has crazy luck!¡± ¡°You could call it luck if he did that a couple times, but that¡¯s his skill! You are witnessing true skill! He¡¯s a real gambler!¡± The pro gamblers, who used to only focus on their own games, gathered around the table in the corner and cheered until their faces turned red. ¡°I¡¯m so jealous. That¡¯s at a level of a jackpot that only happens once a month¡­¡± ¡°Wow, he should be able to buy a house even if he stops now.¡± ¡°Money is one thing, but because he keeps betting all the money he won, the stakes are getting incredibly high. How does a young fellow have so much guts?¡± At the center of the poker table they were watching, Raon was sitting in a traveler¡¯s outfit instead of his uniform, and the chips were piled up like a hill in front of him. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t expect him to be so good at gambling.¡± Zatice swallowed nervously, counting the chips in front of Raon. ¡°That¡¯s not even surprising. He emptied Cameloon¡¯s underground casino before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. The bitch princess¡ªI mean, Princess Jayna¡ªis also angry because she lost to him from there.¡± Dorian smacked his mouth as soon as he said bitch. ¡°I said this before, but there¡¯s nothing our vice-squad leader can¡¯t do. It¡¯s even scary sometimes.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Without even noticing that Dorian just called Jayna a bitch, he stared at Raon in amazement. The fact that he had such a talent after the prowess and intellect he had showed made him unconsciously admire him. However, Raon wasn¡¯t exactly talented in poker, despite what Dorian and the other gamblers thought. The reason he kept winning was simple: it was thanks to the Demon King of Wrath, who would do anything for food. That old man has a full house. You should fold this round. Wrath, who could only be seen by Raon, kept floating in the air to read all the other cards. Thus, it was pretty much impossible for him to lose. ¡®It¡¯s such a small difference.¡¯ Raon briefly clicked his tongue, then folded his hand. ¡°Fold.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As soon as he said he was folding, the old man on his right side and the blue-haired beauty on his left side groaned at the same time. Considering the reactions so far, those two people and the dealer in front of him were all professionals that the gambling house sent to him, and their faces had turnedpletely pale because they couldn¡¯t win despite cooperating between themselves. Make sure to remember: the price is five sets of bead ice cream and three of the most famous foods in the city. ¡®Sure.¡¯ Raon nodded. Since it was such a cheap price to pay to utilize the demon king of wrath, he had to suppress hisughter. ¡®I keep my promises.¡¯ Bullllllshit! It never goes the way it should when you say you¡¯ll do something for me! It was only recently that I couldn¡¯t eat the roasted pig after making that sword of yours! ¡®That was a natural disaster¡­¡¯ It was a natural disaster that you could¡¯ve prevented! If you break your promise this time, I¡¯m never going to grant your requests again. ¡®Alright, I¡¯ll make sure to keep the promise.¡¯ He tapped Wrath¡¯s shoulder in order to calm him down. It would¡¯ve been annoying if the manpower that he could use so easily disappeared. ¡°Th-Then, let¡¯s start the next game.¡± The dealer¡¯s forehead was also drenched in sweat. Because the equivalent of the day¡¯s sales for the gambling house was on stake since thest round, he must¡¯ve been feeling suffocated. I¡¯ll be back. As soon as the dealer distributed the cards and he finished the exchanges, Wrath immediately started moving. The woman has a full house, and the old man has a flush. ¡®It¡¯s time to go for it.¡¯ Raon nonchntly checked his cards. The four cards had the same number, he had four cards. ¡°All in.¡± He pushed out all the chips that were piling up like a hill. ¡°He bet everything again!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s crazy! He must be out of his mind!¡± ¡°Did he get a royal straight flush or something?¡± The gambling addicted spectators watched the game in anticipation, drooling from their mouths. ¡°Y-Young master, how about stopping now¡­¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°Remember, we didn¡¯te here to gamble.¡± ¡°Ah! You are right!¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes sharply raised. He was apparently so focused on the poker game that he started thinking that they came there to gamble. ¡°Haa, I¡¯m going to catch my breath for a moment.¡± ¡°What did you eat to have so much guts? I can¡¯t stand this, my heart feels like it¡¯s trembling.¡± The dealer eximed in admiration, and the woman sitting next to him crossed her legs and smiled seductively. She was attracting attention, which meant they were plotting something. ¡°In the north.¡± Raon pretended to look at them, focusing his senses on the old man on his right. When he smoothly swept the card, a strange sound could be heard and Raon immediately extended his hand. ¡°Stop right there. Are you trying to switch cards?¡± He grabbed the old man¡¯s wrist, smiling coldly. ¡°Wh-What? Release me!¡± ¡°How long did you believe you could keep using that sloppy trick? Do I look like a sitting duck to you?¡± ¡°Wh-Where¡¯s the proof¡­ Kwaah!¡± Raon twisted his wrist and a bunch of cards that looked the exact same as the cards in the game came out of his sleeve. ¡°Here goes the proof.¡± He picked up the five cards that he switched earlier from among the ones on the ground and ced them on the table. He flipped them over and a flush appeared, just like Wrath told him. ¡°A flush is a good hand. But how about this?¡± He flipped the hand the old man switched into. Five consecutive numbers with the same pattern. It was a straight flush. ¡°You knew about this too, right?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way you didn¡¯t, since it¡¯s you who set his hand like this.¡± Meeting his threatening gaze, he flinched and stepped back. ¡°Straight flush! He changed the flush into a straight flush!¡± ¡°Was he a hoodwinker? I kept losing all my money to him every single time!¡± ¡°The dealer is on the same side as the hoodwinker? Damn it! How can the Orc¡¯s Desire hire a hoodwinker?¡± ¡°They are scammers!¡± The gamblers started screaming, and all the games in the gambling house stopped, and chaos broke out with people turning tables upside down. Destruction, rampage, wrath! Great! Wrath grinned, saying that it¡¯s been a long time since thest time he saw a human¡¯s true nature. Is this what you wanted all along? ¡®No.¡¯ Raon shook his head and sat still, as if he were enjoying the fuss. ¡°Dear client.¡± He turned his head towards the voiceing from behind him. A neat young man with his hairpletely swept back was smiling at him. ¡°I¡¯m the manager of Orc¡¯s Desire, Kent. I heard that there was a problem during a game. I¡¯m truly sorry.¡± He politely bowed, saying that everything was their mistake. ¡°Are you pretending you weren¡¯t involved when you were the one that gave the order?¡± Raon snorted, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t care, just bring me the money. I hope you know that you are supposed to give me three times the amount of those chips.¡± ¡°Of course. However, since it¡¯s arge amount of money, the transaction needs to take ce upstairs. Can you follow me for a moment?¡± ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t nning anything stupid.¡± ¡°What could I do when there¡¯s so many people watching?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Raon nodded and followed the manager upstairs. Dorian and Zatice nkly followed him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble. Instead, we will give every client here fifty silvers¡¯ worth of chips!¡± The staff that followed the manager ced silver chips on the table, telling them that they were giving away chips. The gamblers, who had been rampaging until just a moment ago, gathered like greedy pigs and started taking the chips. Raon watched them for a bit before going into the manager¡¯s room. Although it was arge office, there wasn''t much furniture, andrge men were sticking to the walls like stone statues. Click! Once Dorian and Zatice finished entering the office, one of the big guys behind them locked the door. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The manager turned around. His gentle smile from a moment ago hadpletely disappeared, and he was ring at them with the cold gaze of a demon. ¡°You bastard, who sent you? Was it Elven Valley? Or the Giant¡¯s Footprint? If not, are you from that Cat¡¯s Jelly that opened recently?¡± ¡°All the gambling house names are so childish. Cat¡¯s Jelly? Seriously?¡± Raon snickered, repeating the names of the gambling houses that the manager mentioned. ¡°Did you know that this ce is protected by the thieves¡¯ guild when you acted up? Do you want to die without a trace? Huh?¡± The manager signaled with his hand, and the big guys that were standing around started to move. They started warming up their fists and rolling their shoulders in a threatening manner. ¡°Don¡¯t you care about the people outside?¡± ¡°Those dogs and pigs got their feed. Since they are gambling addicts, they won¡¯t even care whether you end up as corpses or not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a relief that you are trash that I can beat up without any problems.¡± Raon smiled faintly. ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± ¡°Anyway, this ce belongs to the thieves¡¯ guild, right? I came to the right ce, I guess.¡± ¡°What came to the right ce is your funeral! What are you doing? Kill them all!¡± The manager pointed his finger and the big guys kicked the ground, jumping at them. ¡°If we aren¡¯t talking anymore, that¡¯s more convenient for me.¡± Raon extended his hand towards Dorian. ¡°Club, a small one.¡± * * * * * * ¡°So, what you are saying is that lots of people among you have also disappeared, right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! That¡¯s right! Th-There were quite a lot of people!¡± The manager immediately nodded, not even wiping the blood flowing from both of his nostrils. The big guys, covered in blood, were lying next to him like crumpled leaves. ¡°How was the situation during the disappearance?¡± Raon asked, mming the ground with his bloody club. ¡°Keuh, that¡¯s¡­¡± The manager swallowed nervously upon seeing his casual m piercing into the stone floor. ¡°H-Honestly, I¡¯m not sure. A person walking right next to you can just suddenly disappear. We can¡¯t figure out who, when, or how they did it. However¡­¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°There were testimonies that they got goosebumps whenever people disappeared around them.¡± ¡°Goosebumps¡­¡± Raon frowned. If they had goosebumps despite it not affecting them, then some bad energy like demonic energy, ghastly energy, or bloody energy must¡¯ve been in action. ¡°It¡¯s not just the tourists or passersby that disappear. There were many asions of entire families disappearing overnight, and it all happened so naturally¡­¡± ¡°Natural?¡± ¡°Yes. There were multiple asions of people simply disappearing without any traces¡ªno doors or windows broken open, nor signs of a struggle.¡± The manager¡¯s shoulders trembled, either because he got beaten up, or because he was afraid of the disappearances. ¡°But the city hall didn¡¯t mention any of that.¡± ¡°Those greedy guys wouldn''t be interested in disappearances. We keep telling, them but it never works.¡± He murmured that the reports he made were shut down before reaching the mayor. It looked like someone in city hall was involved with human trafficking. ¡®I guess the situation wouldn¡¯t have worsened so much if that weren¡¯t the case.¡¯ They only asked for reinforcements from Zieghart after three months had passed after the start of the disappearances, which was a prettyte reaction. There must¡¯ve been someone in city hall who kept preventing it. It was probably natural, since the city hall was the best ce to gather and hide information. ¡°Where¡¯s the thieves guild?¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s a cafe named Frost of Greeneries in the west of the city.¡± ¡°Cafe?¡± It was a tea shop selling traditional snacks and teas. It really didn¡¯t match the thieves¡¯ guild¡¯s image. ¡°What¡¯s the password?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The manager hesitated, then opened his mouth. ¡°You just need to order the red tea between blue and red teas.¡± ¡°That means let¡¯s shed blood. You must require another beating.¡± ¡°Hiee! It¡¯s true! That¡¯s the password.¡± When Raon stood up with the club in his hand, the manager frantically waved his hand and mmed his head on the ground. ¡°T-To be really honest, you won¡¯t even need a password. They will notice the moment you get there.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He was right. Since the thieves¡¯ guild had an excellent information gathering ability, they had to be aware of the fact that he had ruined multiple gambling houses, and would either decide to attack him or bow to him. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon shook the blood from his club, then gave it to Dorian. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s blood again!¡± Dorian frowned, wiping off the remaining blood before putting it into his belly pocket. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Zatice eximed, still not used to that development. ¡°A-Are you leaving now?¡± ¡°Yes, I will. However, I¡¯ll take what¡¯s mine before that.¡± Raon bobbed his four fingers. ¡°Give me the gold. Three times the chips.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± The manager¡¯s face went pale as he lost the small hope he had left. * * * Raon left the gambling house with Dorian and Zatice, then went to the west, where the thieves¡¯ guild was located. ¡°S-So, you were trying to find the thieves guild.¡± Zatice came up to him while scratching his cheek. ¡°That¡¯s because the ones at the bottom are more knowledgeable than the top brass when ites to matters like this.¡± Raon nodded. Something like disappearances happened more often tomoners and the lower ss that lived in the back alleys than the nobles that had guards with them. The thieves¡¯ guild might have some information that the city hall didn¡¯t know. ¡°Do you think the thieves¡¯ guild is going to ept our request?¡± Dorian reluctantly pointed at the Orc¡¯s Desire. ¡°We¡¯ve taken all their money andpletely beat up their manager and guards. Aren¡¯t they going to start attacking us on sight¡­?¡± ¡°They¡¯d better ept the request if they don¡¯t want to end up the same way. It¡¯s not like I cheated or anything.¡± Nothing was his fault during his incident. They were the ones that cheated first¡ªand attacked first, as well. You shameless guy! The King of Essence read the cards for you! ¡®You are only visible to me. That¡¯s not called cheating, it¡¯s using my abilities.¡¯ Argh. ¡®Stop getting angry and calm down. Ice cream is waiting for you.¡¯ Ugh! Seriously, you are¡­ Wrath frowned and Raon pushed him away, shrugging. ¡°You are moving so quickly this time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s an emergency.¡± He expected the ringleader to be the White Blood Religion, which was one of the Five Demons. He couldn¡¯t use normal methods to stop those crazy bastards. He needed to use any means necessary to quickly deal with them. ¡°Such effort in order to reduce the number of missing people! I¡¯m impressed!¡± Zatice suddenly gathered his hands, his eyes shining. ¡°Sir Raon was doing his best in order to solve this case, even if he had to take the me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly like that. I just want to catch them before they run away¡­¡± ¡°What humility! You are truly the role model of the knights! I¡¯ll keep learning a lot from you in the future!¡± Saying that he admired him, he bowed deeply, to the point that Raon felt ufortable. ¡°Erm, well¡­¡± Raon pondered how he should respond. Kyaaah! A woman¡¯s shriek could be heard from the alley right next to them. Raon quickly located her by using his aura perception, jumping over the wall to go there. ¡°Kuhuhu!¡± Three healthy men were putting a gagged girl into a bag. The girl was violently shaking her leg, asking for help. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Get rid of him quickly!¡± The long-haired man that was the closest to Raon among the three came running at him with a dagger in his hand. Smack! Raon easily dodged the dagger, smacking his temple. Although it was a weak hit, the man fainted and went limp on the ground. ¡®They aren¡¯t the ones.¡¯ They didn¡¯t have any aura, and they were at the level of thugs with slightly exercised bodies. There was no way they were the ringleaders in the disappearance case. ¡°Those bastards!¡± ¡°How dare they kidnap people in broad daylight?¡± Dorian and Zatice, who finally arrived, knocked down the two panicking men. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Dorian helped the girl out of the bag. She was a mysteriously beautiful girl with thebination of red hair as radiant as a raging fire, skin as white as frost, and brilliant golden eyes. ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± It wasn¡¯t just her appearance. Her voice was also extremely charming. It was a sound that could pull people¡¯s heartstring, like the morning dew moistening the leaves. ¡°It was n-nothing.¡± Dorian and Zatice looked like they were possessed by something as they shook their heads, saying the same thing. ¡°You were the first one to save me.¡± The girl walked up to Raon and raised her head. The golden eyes werepletely attracting his gaze. ¡°Th-Thank you very much.¡± Whenever she took a step, her face looked bigger¡ªas if it were magnified¡ªand his heart throbbed. The impulsive desire to hug andfort her burst inside of him. ¡®Are these my own thoughts?¡¯ There was no way they were. There was no way he wanted tofort her before analyzing the situation, as he¡¯d lived as an assassin before. Whir. As he thought something was strange, a small vibration urred from behind him. The de of Requiem. The possessed de, which only reacted upon feeling its enemy, began to weep. ¡®White Blood Religion!¡¯ Raon instinctively used the Ring of Fire. Whir. The six rings resonated with each other, his mind bing clear¡ªas if he poured cold water on his head. He could finally see the girl¡¯s face properly. She was still beautiful, but it was a strange face that gave an unpleasant impression, as if it were made of different pieces put together. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Pretending he didn¡¯t snap out of it, he removed the focus from his eyes just like Dorian and Zatice. He was confident that he was better than anyone at controlling his expression in order to not reveal his thoughts. ¡°I was saved thanks to you.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes glittered even more as she stepped right in front of him. A strange fragrance that he had never smelt before was tickling his nose. Cring! His head started to be nk once again, but the rotating Ring of Fire erased the impure energy. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing.¡± Raon shook his head, making his response inarticte¡ªas if he had perfectly fallen prey to the charm. ¡°I was so scared.¡± The girl took one more step towards him. From a distance where he could reach her by stretching his arms, she extended her hands towards him, as if she wanted him to hug her. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He opened his arms, following her intentions. The de of Requiem¡¯s vibrations became more intense. He parted his lips, pretending to ignore it. ¡°Please die for me.¡± She tried to pierce his heart with her hand, which shone white. Whoosh! It was fast and powerful enough that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge if he weren¡¯t prepared for it, but he had already finished his preparations. He drew the de of Requiem right before her hand reached the left side of his chest. Cling! The golden-yellow ghastly energy sparked from the crimson de that slid smoothly from its scabbard, as if it were waiting for that moment. aash! The moment the white and yellow energies twirled with each other in a spiral, a forearm soared into the air, scattering white blood around it. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± The girl grasped her severed arm, screaming like a monster. The murky blood gushing from her forearm gave off the impression that it was infused with white paint. ¡°So, you were from the White Blood Religion after all.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sure you fell to the sorcery, but how¡­?¡± Raon shook the dirty blood from the de of Requiem, smiling coldly. ¡°By being good.¡± Chapter 181 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 181 Seline, the archbishop of the White Blood Religion, swallowed nervously while looking at her arm on the ground. ¡®What¡¯s happening? Where did it go wrong?¡¯ The moment she saw the boy, Raon, the vampiric urge that she¡¯d been suppressing gushed out like crazy. That meant that his blood had a special power. She wanted to get stronger by drinking that blood. Even Darigon told her to kill him if she had an opportunity, so she immediately chanted a piece of charmed sorcery and approached him. It was perfect until that moment. He opened his arms, his eyes had lost focus. However, the moment she tried to drive her bloody hand into his heart, a deadly light sprouted in Raon¡¯s eyes, and he thrust his dagger at a tremendous speed. She quickly concentrated on the bloody energy, but the dagger easily ripped past the bloody energy and severed her arm. Drip. Drip. The blood was flowing down from the clean cut on her forearm, but she still couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Seline tightly bit her lips, which were turning white. ¡®It hurts so much.¡¯ The White Blood Religion¡¯s cultivation technique, the White Spirit Aura, had the ability to reduce mental and physical pain¡ªand yet, the severe pain pulsating in her head suggested that the pain reducing ability had disappeared. ¡°H-How did you escape from my sorcery? What have you done to me?¡± ¡°You are the one that did something to me.¡± ¡®Is it that dagger¡¯s doing?¡¯ When she looked at it again, the dagger Raon was holding was storming with a violent, ghastly energy. It seemed that the energy from the dagger was disturbing her regeneration and continuously inflicting pain on her. ¡°That dagger released you from the sorcery.¡± Seline frowned, ring at the dagger. ¡°I wonder.¡± Raon smiled faintly, spinning the dagger in his hand. His rxed expression seemed to suggest that he thought it was already over. That carefree attitude, despite facing her bloody energy, showed that he was in another dimensionpared to the two idiots behind him. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ve won?¡± Seline caught her breath, extending her bleeding arm. The White Spirit Aura spread out like raging fire, and the severed hand flew towards her on its own, attaching itself to the arm. Fzzt! The severed arm started to connect, creating a white steam. It was the regeneration ability of the White Spirit Aura. ¡°If you let your guard down so much¡­¡± While clenching her fist on the reattached arm, Seline¡¯s golden eyes sparked. ¡°A hole will be pierced into your neck!¡± * * * Raon narrowed his eyes, while looking at Seline¡¯s reattached arm. ¡®It¡¯s the ability of regeneration.¡¯ The White Blood Religion¡¯s cultivation technique, White Spirit Aura, was said to grant a regeneration surpassing that of a troll. Considering the way she had just reattached her arm, her rank must¡¯ve been at least that of an archbishop. However, the color of her face suggested that she hadn¡¯tpletely recovered. The de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy must¡¯ve been continuously inflicting severe pain on her. What an ugly power. Wrath snorted scornfully. A power that gets stronger from extorting other people¡¯s blood. It¡¯s dirty and crude. The King of Essence would¡¯ve frozen her up to take out all of her filthy blood. He tapped his wrist, telling him to remove her quickly since he didn¡¯t want to see her anymore. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Dorian and Zatice screamed in surprise when they finally managed to wake up. ¡°W-White Blood Religion!¡± They hurriedly stepped back, realizing that the girl in front of them was an executive of the White Blood Religion. ¡°V-Vice-squad leader!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just stay back.¡± Raon waved his hand at them, focusing on the White Blood Region fanatic. ¡°Considering the fact that you can reattach your arm, are you an archbishop or something?¡± ¡°What is that easygoing attitude, despite knowing that fact? I¡¯ll make you regret giving me time to recover.¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± The reason he wasn¡¯t attacking was simple. It¡¯s because the mission¡¯s objective wasn¡¯t to kill her, but to solve the disappearances. He needed to extort as much information as possible from her. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The archbishop gathered her hands, chanting a spell in an unknownnguage. Whir! Her entire body turned white, and the intense fragrance of flowers engulfed the alley. His head started going nk the moment he inhaled the fragrance. It was a lot more powerful sorcery than the charm she used a moment before. ¡®It¡¯s pointless, though.¡¯ The moment the rings of fire resonated, the fragrance melted away. A charming spell of that level was insignificant against him. He looked down on the archbishop with clear eyes. ¡°H-How did you¡­?¡± The archbishop¡¯s lips trembled in disbelief. ¡°If that charm is all you¡¯ve got, it was meaningless for me to give you some time.¡± Raon smiled coldly, holding his dagger in a reverse grip. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡± He kicked the ground, jumping into the space that was full of bloody energy. He felt like his body was being crushed, but the Ring of Fire and the de of Requiem pushed back all the bloody energy. ¡°You bastard!¡± The archbishop red at him, thrusting her hand. The straight trajectory, despite her agitated state, showed that her Bloody Hand Technique was befitting of her rank as an archbishop. However, it was a bitckingpared to her sorcery. The archbishop in front of Raon seemed to be more focused on sorcery than martial arts. Whir! Raon rotated the Ring of Fire at full power, focusing on the Bloody Hand Technique that the archbishop was using. Since it was the fundamental martial art of the White Blood Religion¡¯s executives, properly watching it was bound to help him. ¡°Die!¡± The excited archbishop kept attacking him with her hand, not realizing that Raon was going easy on her. The entire alley was bursting with the energying from her hand, but Raon wasn¡¯t injured in the slightest. ¡®It¡¯s fast, strong, and wicked.¡¯ It was simple, but that was the reason it was powerful. ¡°You cruel rat! How long are you nning to run around?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop if you want.¡± Raon applied strength to his left foot, which he was pulling back to advance instead. ¡°Gasp!¡± He shed down with the de of Requiem in his right hand, following the archbishop, who was withdrawing in a panic. ¡°Argh!¡± The archbishop red at him, extending her hand towards him. ng! Although it was a sh between a de and a hand, it sounded like a collision between metals. Creak! However, they weren¡¯t evenly matched. The de of Requiem¡¯s violent ghastly energy burned with its resentment and ripped into the archbishop¡¯s bloody energy. ¡°Argh!¡± The archbishop¡¯s eyes were trembling. ¡®Now is the time.¡¯ Keeping his strength in his right hand, Raon quickly moved his left hand to put the red pin on the hem of the archbishop¡¯s top. Smaack! The moment he confirmed that the pin was properly attached, he twisted his body to kick her ribs. ¡°Keuh!¡± The archbishop groaned, mming into the wall. Pssh! Without missing the opportunity, Raon dashed at her and pierced her shoulder with the de of Requiem. Grotesquely colored blood gushed out like a fountain. ¡°Kuaah!¡± The archbishop tore out her own flesh from her shoulder in order to run away, escaping to the side. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± She straightened her finger and pointed ahead. A white light was shot like a sh from the end of her fingernail. It was the Bloody Finger Technique, which consisted of shooting an energy simr to an aura de from the finger. Whir! Raon didn¡¯t overlook the skill this time. He used the Ring of Fire to read the Bloody Finger Technique¡¯s flow, then shed with the de of Requiem. Cling! The de of ghastly energy created a half circle,pletely ripping the Bloody Finger Technique¡¯s energy apart. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡± The archbishop kept shooting lines of bloody energy as if she wanted to fight until the bitter end, but they all melted down, unable to pierce through the wall of ghastly energy spreading out from the de of Requiem. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± The archbishop stepped back in a panic. Raon stepped forward by the same amount, as if he were oppressing her. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer!¡± ¡°Did you tell me to keep my guard up despite being so weak?¡± Raon smiled coldly and tilted his head. ¡°Just as I suspected. The White Blood Religion is the cause of the Porvan¡¯s disappearance incident.¡± ¡°J-Just as you suspected?¡± ¡°After all, you lot are the only ones that would do something so dirty.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Why did you attack me? Did you believe you could easily drink my blood?¡± ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± The moment the archbishop shot her Bloody Finger Technique, Raon dashed forward. He shed the de of Requiem diagonally towards her before she could pull her hand back. Spurt! A cut appeared from her shoulder to her waist, and murky blood covered the space. ¡°Kuaah!¡± The archbishop screamed, covering her wound. ¡°Where is your branch right now? Are the kidnapped people alive?¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± She faltered like a drunkard instead of answering and leaning back against a wall. ¡°O-Okay¡­ Let¡¯s see the bitter end right here. I¡¯ll kill you no matter what.¡± The archbishop¡¯s eyes were filled with madness as she drew a triangle with her two hands. Whir! The spell she murmured spread throughout the space, and a crimson light radiated from the triangle as a tremendous energy started to convulse. ¡°Just like this¡­ Kuk! What is this?¡± Right before the energy exploded, a white hole appeared from the wall she was leaning her back against, creating a spiral whirlwind. ¡°Damn it! Darigon! What do you think you are doing?¡± The whirlwind tucked the chanting archbishop inside, then curled itself to be smaller. ¡°Damn it! My name is Seline. I¡¯ll definitely kill you, Raon Zieghart!¡± The hole closedpletely after Seline shouted her name and yelled at Raon. ¡°What? Did she run away?¡± A lighthearted voice could be heard from behind them alongside a cheerful wind. It was Rimmer. ¡°Unfortunately, she must¡¯ve run away after noticing the squad leader.¡± Judging from the situation, it wasn¡¯t the archbishop herself, but herpanion that forced her to escape after seeing Rimmering her way. ¡°Hmm? Your face doesn¡¯t look disappointed at all, though.¡± Rimmer snickered, looking at Raon¡¯s serious eyes. ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon shuddered. He was right. It didn¡¯t feel unfortunate for him at all, as he actually released her on purpose. He nned on catching something even bigger. ¡°V-Vice-squad leader!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Dorian and Zatice, who were stuck to a wall, came running at him. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Raon waved his hand dismissively, then went to Rimmer, who was examining the traces of blood on the ground. ¡°As expected, the White Blood Religion was behind the incident.¡± ¡°Well, I guessed as much.¡± Rimmer licked his lips, looking at the orange blood as if he knew about it already. ¡°This looks at least mid-level among the archbishops, but you actually overwhelmed her. Did you be even stronger?¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t that strong, probably because she was mostly focused on sorcery.¡± Seline¡¯s sorcery was powerful, but her martial art wasn¡¯t anything exceptional. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t strong?¡± Dorian and Zatice dropped their jaws in bewilderment. ¡°You must be the only one that would describe a White Blood Religion archbishop that way.¡± Rimmer chuckled, standing up. ¡°It¡¯s a shame. We could¡¯ve located their headquarters if we managed to catch her.¡± ¡°That probably wouldn¡¯t have worked, since torture doesn¡¯t work against them.¡± Befitting their title of fanatics, members of the White Blood Religion were tenacious enough to endure any torture. In his previous life, Raon had experience torturing a White Blood Religion fanatic for several days without him ever opening his mouth. ¡°I guess, they are really tenacious after all. That¡¯s why their main branch is still unidentified.¡± ¡°Indeed, we don¡¯t know where their main branch is. However¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly, touching the red pin on his cor. ¡°We might discover their Porvan branch soon enough.¡± * * * * * * am! Seline swung her white hand. The double wall was reduced to powder and copsed. It was a power that made it difficult to believe that Raon had easily blocked it with the de of Requiem. ¡°Daaaamn it!¡± She shouted, tearing at her wound with her nails. ¡°It hurts! It really hurts! The pain isn¡¯t going away!¡± Although she kept using the White Spirit Aura, the pain scorching her flesh didn¡¯t subside. ¡°Darigon! Do something about this!¡± ¡°Calm down a little.¡± The old man, Darigon, walked up to her with a frown on his face. ¡°Why did you summon me? I wouldn¡¯t have to endure this pain if I had killed him!¡± ¡°Rimmer was making his move. If you had remained there, you would¡¯ve gotten caught.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Seline ground her teeth and scratched at the wall, which was severed like pudding and copsed. ¡°Stop destroying things. We need to keep using this room.¡± Darigon clicked his tongue, examining Seline¡¯s wound. ¡°It¡¯s severe.¡± Although the archbishop-ss Seline¡¯s aura should have healed all of her wounds, a strange power inside the scar was preventing the regeneration and was continuously causing her to feel burning pain. ¡°Ghastly energy, and a very powerful one, at that. It looks like it will take a long time to get rid of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why that guy needs to be killed, at all costs!¡± Enough murderous intent to give a person goosebumps burst from Seline¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll kill him! I¡¯ll tear his flesh, grind his bones and blood, and drink it¡­¡± ¡°This wound won¡¯t disappear even if you kill Raon. It might evenst forever because of the resentment. Moreover¡­¡± He injected bloody energy inside Seline¡¯s wound before turning around. ¡°They are going to arrive soon. Get yourself changed and finish your preparations.¡± ¡°Keuh, damn it! Damn it!¡± Seline shouted, mming the ground. Dragon¡¯s office trembled to the point where it seemed like it could copse. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to gather information first. It¡¯s because of your gluttony¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! You also would¡¯ve wanted to suck his blood before anything else if you had seen him!¡± ¡°Was he that good?¡± ¡°Haa, he¡¯s mine. I have no intention of getting over this after all he did to me! By any means¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t aplete loss.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°While you were getting shredded by him, the n on my side seeded.¡± Darion snapped his fingers and the office door opened. Men wearing white robes entered to put a man and a woman, who were unconscious, down. They were Inield and Princess Jayna, who were hospitalized in the clinic after being defeated by Raon. ¡°I personally went to capture them after I heard the news that they were at the clinic. If we can take these two, it¡¯ll be extremely profitable for us. The king of Balkar is going to rampage. He might even dere war against Zieghart.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Morell install magic artifacts on them?¡± ¡°Of course. I removed them all before bringing them here. Do you think I¡¯m an amateur like you?¡± Darigon¡¯s wrinkled mouth curved into a thin, jeering smile. ¡°I¡¯ll give you Inield if that person allows it, so you can drink from him and heal that wound.¡± ¡°What a sly old man.¡± Seline acknowledged her defeat, then frowned. It looked like her anger had also died down, as her golden eyes turned calm. However, none of them noticed the glowing red pins on Inield and Jayna¡¯s clothes. * * * Raon abandoned his original n of going to the thieves¡¯ guild, instead going to the city hall with Rimmer. He entered the conference room alongside Morell, who was staying behind, and the swordsmen and magicians that had returned. ¡°We managed to discover the enemy¡¯s identity.¡± Raon covered the conference room with an energy barrier so that the sound wouldn¡¯t escape before stepping onto the tform. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°So fast?¡± ¡°Wow!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the Light Wind¡ªthe jaws of Morell and Sman¡¯s magicians also dropped. It was normal for them to be shocked, as he had discovered in a few hours something that city hall couldn¡¯t figure out in several months. ¡°I¡¯m sure many of you must¡¯ve expected this already, but the ringleader of the disappearances is the White Blood Religion.¡± He took out a cloth covered in Seline¡¯s blood while mentioning the White Blood Religion. People¡¯s eyes wavered upon seeing the murky light, which didn¡¯t look like the blood of a living creature. ¡°Unpleasant color¡­¡± ¡°White Blood Religion!¡± ¡°I knew it was them.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± ¡°Those nasty bastards!¡± As expected of armed organizations of the Six Kings, the Light Wind and Sman didn¡¯t fear the White Blood Religion of the Five Demons. Instead, they were filled with fighting spirit. However, one person was spreading an extremely intense murderous intent instead. Whir! Martha. Her ck eyes glowed like the hellfire, spreading a frightening murderous intent. It was fierce enough to make everyone inside the conference room turn back to look at her. Why is the beef girl acting like that? ¡®Was it the White Blood Religion?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the vicious fire burning in Martha¡¯s eyes. He thought she just had a peculiar personality because she always looked angry so far, but it was apparently because she was a victim of the White Blood Religion before joining Zieghart. ¡°How did you get that blood, and where did you encounter the White Blood Religion?¡± Morell pointed at the cloth with Seline¡¯s blood, his eyes wide. ¡°Religion?¡± ¡°R-Religion, Sir? Keuh.¡± Raon repeated the end of his sentence. Morell gritted his teeth and added ¡®Sir¡¯ to the end. ¡°On my way to the thieves¡¯ guild¡­¡± Raon told them everything about his fight against Seline, and about her running away. ¡°Y-You cut an archbishop and made her run away?¡± ¡°But he became a swordsman only recently¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Morell¡¯s eyes were trembling in disbelief, and the magicians of Sman were also swallowing nervously. ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± Burren also eximed in shock. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°White Blood Religion¡­¡± Runaan and Martha were just staring at the bloody cloth, but their emotions werepletely different. Unlike Runaan, who wasn¡¯t really feeling anything as she looked, Martha was ring at it as if she wanted to kill it dead immediately. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable.¡± Morell turned his head, sighing briefly. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to reappear anymore. No matter how crazy the White Blood Religion is, they aren¡¯t going to make their move after Zieghart and Balkar discovered their identity.¡± He was right. Since they needed to take away the people they kidnapped, they should be preparing their escape. However, it was different this time. ¡°This time¡­¡± m! As Raon was about to speak, the conference room¡¯s door burst open and Zatice, who said he was going to visit the clinic, entered. ¡°W-We are in big trouble!¡± He immediately continued, his hands trembling. ¡°Princess Jayna and Inield, who were in the clinic, have disappeared!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Everyone stood up in surprise upon hearing that the princess and Inield had disappeared. ¡°The healers, knights, and magicians in the clinic as if they had fainted, and the princess and Inield were the only ones that disappearedpletely!¡± ¡°Impossible! There was no reaction from the artifacts¡­¡± ¡°The artifacts were found on the beds they were in!¡± Zatice raised his hand, showing them two nes and two rings. ¡°Damn it! They got us!¡± ¡°D-Damn it!¡± Morell and the magicians clenched their fists, and the Light Wind swordsmen also swallowed nervously, as they didn¡¯t expect that to happen. p! As everyone was panicking, a pping sound snapped them out of it. ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°How can I calm down right now? We have to do something! If we don¡¯t find the princess somehow, this whole city will be enveloped in mes! Even Zieghart might get in trouble!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon faced everyone¡¯s gazes, eyes as nonchnt as always. ¡°The location of where the princess and Inield have been taken.¡± He took the red pin from his cor, cing it in his hand. Once he brought forth the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy, the pin floated by itself and pointed in a direction. ¡°The location of the archbishop that ran away.¡± Raon smiled faintly, looking at the people whose jaws dropped. ¡°I know them both.¡± Chapter 182 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 182 ¡°That¡¯s the pin you gave us earlier.¡± Burren narrowed his eyes, looking at the red pin on Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°You told us to keep it with us because you can locate it, right?¡± He took a pin from his pocket. The other swordsmen also took out their pins. ¡°Yes. Since they contain my aura, I can locate them.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°So, how can you find the princess and Inield¡¯s locations with that? They don¡¯t have the pins.¡± ¡°They do.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Th-They do?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Why does the princess have that?¡± The eyes of both the swordsmen and the magicians widened when he said they had one. ¡°I put them on their clothes after they fainted.¡± Raon chuckled, putting the pin back on his cor. ¡°J-Just, why?¡± ¡°How did you even know?¡± The people inside the conference room gasped in bewilderment. ¡°I figured that if I were one of the Five Demons and realized that the princess and Inield had copsed, I would target them for sure.¡± ¡°A-Are you saying you predicted this to happen?¡± ¡°Rather than prediction, it was more like¡­ I can find their location if it happens, and it¡¯s fine if not.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Raon spoke casually, and people shook their heads. Rimmer was the only one smiling, his hands behind his head with fingersced together. ¡°Wait.¡± Morell, who had been silent, raised his hand. ¡°The strategy you used by putting a pin on them was outstanding enough, to the point that it¡¯s difficult to believe a novice swordsman did that. However¡­¡± ¡°Did that?¡± ¡°Do I really have to talk respectfully in this situation¡­?¡± ¡°The contract has to be abided by.¡± ¡°Argh, d-did that, Sir. However, they even removed my artifacts. There¡¯s no way your pins remained intact.¡± ¡°No, they are still there.¡± Raon definitely shook his head, pointing his finger at the pin Burren was holding. ¡°That pin is made of ming Steel. Since it¡¯s made by melding my aura into the heat of ming Steel, no one except for me can feel anything special about the pins.¡± ¡°Hmm, now that you mention¡­¡± Morell swallowed nervously, then nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t feel any energy from the pin.¡± Before Raon mentioned it, he didn¡¯t even notice that the pin contained an aura. He just thought that it was a red pin. ¡®What the hell is this guy?¡¯ His might and actions surpassed his age, and his preventative measures were pretty much perfect. It was difficult to believe that he was a novice in every aspect. He would¡¯ve believed it if he was a veteran, or even the head of an organization. ¡®He¡¯s probably better than that ruffian elf.¡¯ To be honest, Raon looked like the Light Wind¡¯s leader, rather than Rimmer, who was spacing out to the side. ¡°One more thing.¡± Raon raised his finger. ¡°There¡¯s another reason why I¡¯m sure that Inield and Princess Jayna¡¯s locations are correct.¡± ¡°Another reason?¡± ¡°Yes. The archbishop of White Blood Religion that fought against me is with them.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°D-Do you even know about the archbishop¡¯s location?¡± Upon mentioning that he knew her location, people¡¯s eyes started to waver violently. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I put a pin on her clothes while fighting her.¡± ¡°W-Wait! You put the pin on her while fighting? Against an archbishop?¡± Burren gasped in bewilderment. ¡°Yes. I could¡¯ve killed her on the spot, but I released her on purpose, since we needed to figure out the location of the Porvan branch.¡± Raon nodded. Just like a hunter that released a rabbit to find their den, he released the archbishop to discover the location of their branch. And that n worked perfectly. ¡°Where is their location? Let¡¯s attack them right away!¡± Morell stood up while pping his robe, urging him to attack. ¡°Sir Morell and Sman have to stay here.¡± ¡°What? Why should we?¡± ¡°Why should we?¡± ¡°Wh-Why should we, Sir?¡± ¡°Just like I said before, the archbishop¡¯spanion can use a sorcery to move long distances. If he manages to escape, he wille to Porvan¡¯s center to either avoid attention or take hostages, which you need to stop. Magicians are better than swordsmen at dealing with something like that, after all.¡± ¡°Even so, the princess and my student are there! We obviously have to go!¡± ¡°You have to think about the big picture right now. We are better at attacking, and Sman is better at protecting everyone.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Because Raon¡¯s argument was objective, Morell bit his lips, unable to insist any further. ¡°Moreover, there might be people that aren¡¯t White Blood fanatics mixed in there. It will be difficult for you to distinguish between them while using your magic.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± ¡°We will save the princess and Inield at all costs, as long as they are alive. I swear it.¡± Raon saluted with his sword, his eyes serious. It was his vow as a swordsman. ¡°Haa, alright.¡± Morell sighed in resignation, lowering his hand. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll leave the protection of Porvan to you, then.¡± Raon bowed at Morell before looking at the Light Wind. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We are leaving right away, before they notice the pin¡¯s presence.¡± He left the conference room right after saying that. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Martha ran out while grinding her teeth, and the other Light Wind members followed her with nervous expressions. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left for me to do.¡± Rimmer slowly stood up, smiling like a slippery fox. ¡°Rimmer.¡± Morell grabbed Rimmer¡¯s shoulder when he tried to leave. ¡°What the hell is that monster?¡± He was pretty surprised when he overwhelmed and beat up Inield, but the shock he felt just now was in another dimension from that. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was only seventeen years old. ¡®He¡¯s even better than him¡­¡¯ Balkar also had a young monster, but while his might probably matched Raon¡¯s, Morell felt like he was definitely far behind in terms of strategy and action. ¡°Was he personally raised by the Destructive King of North or something? How did a monster like thate to be?¡± ¡°No way.¡± Rimmer chuckled. ¡°He helped a little, but he grew up with his own power. He surpassed both my help and the head of house¡¯s help, growing on his own.¡± ¡°What nonsense¡­¡± ¡°You should watch him closely. Zieghart¡¯s, or rather the continent¡¯s, history will be rewritten by Raon¡¯s hand.¡± He swirled his hand before leaving the conference room. ¡°History¡­¡± Morell swallowed nervously, looking at the door Rimmer left through. He would¡¯ve normallyughed at him, but he had a strange feeling that it would actuallye true. ¡°Haa, let¡¯s go. We should do our job.¡± He left the conference room alongside Sman¡¯s magicians, a slightly tired expression on his face. * * * Raon was standing at the hill along with the Light Wind members, where they could see the ce that was probably the White Blood Religion''s local branch. ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡± He pointed at an old-fashioned mansion below the hill. It was the house located in the north of Porvan City, belonging to a merchant family praised for their usual good deeds. Since a merchant house could easily use the carriages, it must¡¯ve been convenient for kidnapping people. ¡°That¡¯s the White Blood Religion¡¯s¡­¡± Martha breathed heavily, as if she were about to dash out immediately. Her ck eyes were emanating something that couldn¡¯t even be called murderous intent anymore. ¡®It¡¯s more serious than I thought.¡¯ It looked like she would swing her sword even if she were about to die. Raon decided to watch Martha closely during the battle. ¡°So, that¡¯s the location.¡± Rimmer scratched his chin and licked his lips. ¡°However, we can¡¯t just attack them there. Not all of them will be White Blood fanatics.¡± ¡°We can just attack.¡± Raon answered, grasping the de of Requiem that was wailing more fiercely than ever. ¡°They are all White Blood fanatics, except for those that are locked up underground.¡± ¡°Huh? Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The wailing de of Requiem was telling him that everyone inside the mansion was a White Blood fanatic that had learned the White Spirit Aura. ¡°The first team attacks from the front, and the third team attacks from behind. The second team infiltrates from the right side and rescues the hostages underground. Make sure to always maintain the Light Wind formation as you move.¡± ¡°How about the left side?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there with the squad leader. We will immediately go underground, just like the second team, and fight the executives. I¡¯ll take care of Seline, so squad leader, please take care of the executive that used the teleportation spell. We need to quickly neutralize him in order to prevent their escape.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not difficult. But¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips with a sour face. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you look like the squad leader? I have no presence here at all.¡± ¡°You never had any to begin with.¡± Burren snorted and shook his hand. Runaan calmly stood up, and Martha was spreading a frightening amount of murderous intent. ¡°I¡¯ll make the first strike.¡± Holding the de of Requiem in a reverse grip, Raon ran down the hill. He raised the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy to the maximum, then mixed it with the ghastly energy of the de of Requiem. Whaaap! The me Spirit of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, imbued with ghastly energy, decorated the sky by creating an explosion of crimson fire in the middle of the mansion. * * * Seline was headed to Darigon¡¯s office, wearing the archbishop coat with three lines drawn at the center. Darigon was doing his hair while wearing the archbishop coat as well. ¡°The preparations finished a long time ago. When is he evening?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be here soon enough.¡± ¡°Having to bow to that young guy is really repulsive.¡± ¡°Be careful of what you say. Even though he used to be under you, he¡¯s currently the lord¡¯s student. Moreover, he¡¯s not the only one that ising.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Tenth White Spirit said he wasing along as training. You should behave yourself.¡± ¡°That strict guy? Damn it! Nothing¡¯s going well.¡± Seline grit her teeth, massaging her arm, which wasn¡¯t perfectly reattached yet. ¡°You should stay here and guard those two.¡± Darion neatly swept his hair back before pointing at Princess Jayna and Inield, who were tied to the wall. ¡°Are you telling me to watch some hostages?¡± ¡°Would you prefer to apany the White Spirit instead?¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Seline frowned, then nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll escort them here, so make sure to hold back your arrogance.¡± ¡°I know, I know!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Darigon wore a white hood on his head topletely hide his face as he left the office. ¡°Damn it. How did I end up like this¡­? Argh!¡± Seline ground her teeth while touching the wound on her shoulder. Although Darigon used his bloody energy, the wound wasn¡¯t healing at all. It was a really terrible injury. ¡®That bastard¡­¡¯ Raon Zieghart. When she thought about the fact that it was because of that damn bastard that she was feeling such pain and humiliation, she started boiling in anger. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill everyone rted to you, no matter what, and drink their blood.¡± Seline was resolving herself to get her revenge, looking at the wound on her arm. Baaam! The sound of a huge explosion could be heard from upstairs, and the entire underground trembled, as if it were an earthquake. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on?¡± Seline looked up, her eyes wide. ¡®White Spirit? No! There¡¯s no way.¡¯ There was no way a White Spirit would suddenly start attacking the mansion, not unless they decided to abandon the branch. It must¡¯ve been an emergency that even Darigon hadn¡¯t anticipated. ¡®Then¡­ Ah!¡¯ Upon feeling the energy from upstairs, Seline bit her lip so harshly that it nearly bled. It was a powerful energy that she had directly faced a few hours ago. It was Raon Zieghart¡¯s energy. ¡°Why is that crazy bastard here?¡± She tried leaving the office in surprise. aam! The sound of a second explosion could be heard, and the ceiling copsed. Amidst the dust, scorched in ck, she could hear the voice that made her the angriest she¡¯d been since she was born. ¡°Is this the White Blood¡¯s Porvan branch?¡¯ ¡°You¡­¡± Red eyes sparked frighteningly in the sinking dust. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart! Why are you here?!¡± The man standing on the copsed ceiling was Raon Zieghart, who she wanted to chew up to death. * * * * * * Raon snickered at flustered Seline. ¡°Did you ask why? It¡¯s because you showed me the path here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are wearing a coat, but you didn¡¯t change your clothes.¡± He raised his finger to point inside the White Blood Religion coat that Seline was wearing. ¡°Clothes?¡± Seline wrinkled her nose, taking off the coat. Noticing the red pin attached at the end of the clothes she was originally wearing, her eyes widened. ¡°Wh-What is this?¡± ¡°It is part of a set with this one.¡± Raon smiled faintly and pointed at the pin attached to his cor. ¡°I managed to find the White Blood branch thanks to you. Thank you.¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± Seline stepped backward, her teeth chattering. ¡°Then, you¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I let you go on purpose. After all, I wouldn¡¯t have had any way of finding your branch if I killed you back then. Though, I didn¡¯t need to do that when I think about it now.¡± Raon smiled faintly, looking at Jayna and Inield hanging on the wall. ¡°You¡¯d better not think about escaping, as our squad leader went to catch yourpanion.¡± ¡°You are so great. What a damn great guy you are! But there¡¯s one thing that you don¡¯t know.¡± Seline¡¯s energy exploded out, and the zing white energy rose to her shoulders. ¡°Everything¡¯s settled if you die right here!¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± The moment she tried to use her bloody aura, Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. With a single step stretched in a straight line, Raon ignored the space in an instant and reached the area in front of Seline. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± ¡°You have no more chances left.¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± Seline hurriedly controlled the bloody energy she was trying to attack with, trying to switch to defense, but it was pointless. The mixture of ghastly energy of the de of Requiem and pure energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation created a burning golden me, engulfing the space. Whir! The de, which was imbued with powerful energy, shed through Seline¡¯s bloody energy and shredded her arm once again. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Seline screamed at the unbearable pain. A serious amount of blood was flowing from the arm that was cut by the dagger. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Raon coldly smiled, twirling the dagger. ¡°I went easy on you earlier.¡± ¡°Sh-Shut up!¡± Seline¡¯s arm wasn¡¯tpletely severed, probably because she instinctively pulled her arm away at thest moment. However, it looked like she couldn¡¯t regenerate it. Blood kept gushing out, and she was unable to restitch the wound. ¡°Keuh! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Seline pulled off the skin on her hand herself, then gathered her hands. The blood flowing down from her hand and wrist gathered at the center, creating a tremendous amount of boiling power. ¡°I saw from outside that there were at least two hundred people locked up here.¡± ¡°What are you talking about right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that you don¡¯t deserve to live.¡± ¡°Bullshit! You are the one that¡¯s going to die here!¡± Seline shot the bloody energy she had gathered at him with maximum power. Whaam! Dozens of streams of bloody energy twisted with each other like vines to cover the space. His vision waspletely covered with the wave of bloody energy, with no ce to dodge nor escape. Creak! Raon fixed his grip on the de of Requiem and controlled as much energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation as he could. Whir! The ghastly energy of the de of Requiem created a yellow trajectory of light in the air. Raon ced the energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, following the best path to severe the bloody energy. Whaaam! The light of resentment bursting from the sparkling crimson de perfectly severed the light of the bloody energy. ¡°Th-This is impossible¡­¡± Raon could see Seline¡¯s wide eyes between the severed bloody energy. Murky blood gushed from her mouth as she looked at the huge hole that had appeared on the left side of her chest. ¡°R-Raon Zieg¡­¡± Seline copsed backwards before she could finish calling Raon¡¯s name, gasping out her final breath. ¡°The de of Requiem is the best for fighting the White Blood Religion, after all.¡± Raon caressed the de of Requiem, which seemed to be sucking up Seline¡¯s blood. Heavenly Drive was also a legendary sword, but the de of Requiem was the best when it came down to fighting the White Blood Religion. ¡°Raon.¡± Raon looked back upon hearing the soft voiceing from the door. Runaan and Dorian were there. ¡°We¡¯ve finished rescuing the hostages.¡± She waved her hand, telling him that she had aplished her mission. ¡°Any casualties?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good job. Please take the rescued people outside.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded in acknowledgment, going back to the corridor. ¡°Then, I¡¯m also leav¡­¡± ¡°You should stay here.¡± He bobbed his finger towards Dorian, who was about to follow Runaan out. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°I have a job for you.¡± Raon smiled coldly, looking at Princess Jayna, who still hadn¡¯t woken up. ¡°The dog that barks constantly needs a cor.¡± * * * p. p. Jayna slowly opened her eyes at the sound and feeling of someone pping her cheeks. ¡°Huh?¡± The man in front of her was Raon Zieghart, who was the biggest eyesore in the world. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you in front of m¡­ Huh?¡± Jayna¡¯s eyes widened upon noticing that something was hanging around her wrists. When she looked upwards, she saw that shackles attached to the wall were fastened around her wrists and ankles, preventing her from moving. The room was alsopletely unfamiliar to her, and the ceiling and walls were trembling as if they were going to copse at any moment. ¡°Wh-What? Where is this? What did you do to me?¡± ¡°This is the White Blood Porvan branch.¡± Raon gestured with his chin, spinning the dagger in his hand. ¡°Wh-White Blood branch?¡± ¡°Yes. And you are here because you were kidnapped by the White Blood Religion.¡± ¡°What nonsense¡­¡± ¡°You can tell from looking around.¡± He pointed at the murky blood on the ground, and Seline, who had turned into a corpse. ¡°Th-Then, what are you doing right now? Release me right away if you¡¯vee to rescue me!¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Raon¡¯s mouth curled up into a smile as he looked at her coldly. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking why I would save you when you just want to antagonize me.¡± ¡°What kind of madness is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect, right? If you die here, I can just say that it was the White Blood¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Y-You are crazy! Do you think Balkar will overlook this matter?¡± ¡°No one will know if you die because the ceiling copsed.¡± Raon pointed at the ceiling, which was trembling like it would copse at any moment, covered in holes. ¡°Wh-Why would you do that? Balkar and Zieghart are allies!¡± Jayna¡¯s lips trembled in fear. ¡°We are allies in names only, and we are actually on cat-and-dog terms, just like you and me. Weren¡¯t you only thinking about how to kill me until you got kidnapped?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying farewell.¡± Raon waved his hand, then turned around. ¡°Wait! P-Please save me! I¡¯ll never offend you over again. Even if we meet outside, I will pretend nothing happened, and do anything you want. Please!¡± She struggled, and the ceiling and walls started to tremble even more intensely. ¡°Hieee!¡± ¡°Are you serious about that?¡± ¡°Yes! I won¡¯t even look at your shadow! Quickly!¡± ¡°I already don¡¯t like your manner of speech.¡± ¡°P-Please save me! I¡¯ll do anything you ask!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Raon smiled, stretching his hand to the side. ¡°Special contract.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Dorian sighed slightly, taking out a gilded contract and pen from his belly pocket, before giving them to him. He kept murmuring that he didn¡¯t have everything while handing them over. ¡°S-Special contract?¡± ¡°You know what this is, right? Since this is created in your country.¡± A special contract was different from a normal contract, since the contractors were forced to abide by the contents because it was imbued with magic. ¡°This sounds good.¡± Raon wrote on the contract that Jayna Balkar would grant three requests from Raon Zieghart, no matter what. ¡°Sign.¡± ¡°A-Are you seriously telling me to sign to something like this?¡± ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°Like this, Sir¡­¡± ¡°But you said you would do anything.¡± ¡°But these contents¡­¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll add that I won¡¯t make you risk your life. Are you satisfied?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want it? That¡¯s fine, then.¡± Raon nodded, putting away the contract as if he didn¡¯t mind it. He pointed at the ceiling that was boiling like stew, then smiled faintly. ¡°Since there¡¯s less than a minute left, say goodbye to the world.¡± ¡°D-Damn it!¡± Jayna screamed, shaking her fingers. ¡°I get it! I got it! I¡¯ll sign it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sign it?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll sign it¡­ Sir.¡± ¡°An excellent choice.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± Raon handed Jayna, who started to weep, the contract. Jayna used nothing but her fingers to sign her name on the signature part of the contract. Cring! Golden light burst from the contract to create two lines, which streamed into Raon and Jayna¡¯s bodies. Jayna would receive a powerful shock in her heart if she didn¡¯t carry out the contract. Since there was such a scary price to pay, a special contract was extremely expensive, and it was rarely used. ¡°I¡¯ll release you, then.¡± Raon simply swung his dagger, and the handcuffs and shackles suppressing her body shattered. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡°Since it came down to this, I¡¯ll tell you a secret as well.¡± As Jayna was grabbing her stinging wrists and ankles, Raon unsheathed his dagger and stood up. ¡°Secret? What secret?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wh-What secret, Sir?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the butterfly you bought at the auction house.¡± Raon turned his back on her and continued. ¡°I was the one that took it. I¡¯m sorry. Ah, revealing this fact makes me so refreshed.¡± He left after saying that. The most staggering part was that the ceiling that was about to copse stopped trembling as soon as he left. ¡°Ah, aah¡­¡± Jayna finally realized that she was tricked, and her hands trembled. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± She screamed, shouting the name of her new archenemy. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± Chapter 183 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 183 ¡°E-Erm, vice-squad leader.¡± Dorian came up next to him, ncing at the room Princess Jayna was in. ¡°Isn¡¯t there going to be a war if that bitch¡ªI mean, that princess speaks about what happened here after she returns to Balkar Kingdom?¡± He frowned while looking at the contract in Raon¡¯s hand, worried about the consequences. ¡°She will never do that.¡± Raon shook his head, shaking the contract to make it flutter. ¡°What? Why? After all that happened?¡± ¡°You know that she is a very prideful woman, right?¡± ¡°Of course I do. She was tenacious enough to follow and bother us at the gambling house, just because we didn¡¯t sell her something.¡± Dorian rubbed his belly pocket, saying that he was even more worried because of that. ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Raon chuckled, then continued. ¡°Do you think someone with that much pride would tell people that she signed a one-sided contract with a coteral of Zieghart, just to survive?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s pping Inield¡¯s cheeks by now to confirm whether he heard it or not. If you are curious, he was unconscious.¡± To prove him right, the sound of a cheek being pped could be heard from the room. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Dorian looked up to Raon in bewilderment. ¡°Then, how are you going to use that contract?¡± ¡°This? It¡¯s best to not make use of it.¡± Raon carefully folded the contract. ¡°What? Why? Isn¡¯t this an opportunity to unterally benefit from her?¡± ¡°This is the leash that¡¯s attached to the princess¡¯s neck, so that she can¡¯t act rashly towards us in the future. She is going to avoid me from now on because she¡¯s scared of the requests I could make.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I wrote three requests. I can make two orders and leave thest one forever.¡± ¡°Woah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped, as he had never considered something like that. He seemed slightly terrified. H-Hungry demon. You are a hungry demon¡­ Wrath was shaking all over, his blue eyes distorted. You have the appearance of a human, but you are no different from the hungry demons of Devildom! No! You are even worse! Their insatiable hunger isn¡¯t only limited to hunger for you! ¡®What are you talking about now?¡¯ Are you trying to turn everyone in the world into your ves like this? If it weren¡¯t for the natural qualities and wisdom of the king, the King of Essence would¡¯ve turned into your ve as well. What a terrible guy¡­ ¡°Erm, uhm¡­¡¯ The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom. He will never submit to anyone, so don¡¯t try anything with him. Wrath shook his hand, telling him to not even think about holding him by a leash. What are you even saying? You are my first doormat. Raon wanted to say that, but he stopped himself, as that would be killing the goose thatid the golden egg. ¡°How did you evene up with that?¡± Dorian gasped as he looked at the contract. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he is the same age as me.¡¯ Whenever Raon made a decision or took action, it always resulted in the best possible oue. His action patterns and strategy now felt more surprising than his might. He had a new side of him each time ayer was peeled away, just like an onion. ¡°You are more mysterious than me.¡± Raon chuckled, looking at Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. There was nothing more mysterious than a pocket that had everything he ordered, despite him saying that he didn¡¯t have much. ¡°Me? I¡¯m the definition of ordinary.¡± ¡°I guess there isn¡¯t anyone that is ordinary in the world anymore.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m the most ordinary person in the world.¡± ¡°But an ordinary person doesn¡¯t carry around a club, a log, or a boulder.¡± ¡°I told you that they are necessities. You can¡¯t deny that they were useful, right?¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true.¡± He was right. The log, boulder, and the club were all useful at some point. He was a peculiar and funny guy, all the same. ¡®They are finally here.¡¯ He quietly turned his head, hearing footsteps from behind them. Jayna and Inield were faltering as they came out of the room at the end of the corridor. ¡°Erm, by the way¡­¡± When Raon judged that they could manage by themselves, and was about to go upstairs, Dorian tilted his head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°How did you shake the ceiling and walls earlier?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Raon ced his right foot on the ground, then started shaking it while using aura. The vibration transferred to the walls and ceiling, making the entire corridor tremble as if it were going to copse. ¡°L-Leg shaking?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple, right?¡± He grinned, then went upstairs. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Dorian resolved himself, looking at the walls and ceiling as they stopped trembling. He would rather die than be Raon¡¯s enemy. ¡®He¡¯s such a scary person¡­¡¯ * * * As soon as Raon reached upstairs, a powerful voice could be heard. ¡°Regain your postures, right line! They areing back!¡± He followed the voice, and Burren and the third team¡¯s members were perfectly stopping the attacks from the White Blood fanatics by maintaining a small Light Wind formation. ¡°Die in the name of the blood god!¡± The White blood fanatics didn¡¯t simply die upon death¡ªthey exploded with Blood Smoke, which was one of the blood spells in their sorcery. The foggy smoke was infused with bloody energy, assaulting Burren and the third team. ¡°It¡¯s blood smoke! Hold your breath and retreat five steps! Get into the Lengthening posture for the left line, and Purifying posture for the right line!¡± Burren remained calm despite the blood smoke spreading. He gave proper instructions to the team, shing the White Blood fanatic running at him without hesitation. ¡°Show the blood demons the power of Zieghart!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Kill the evil demons!¡± Thanks to Burren¡¯s appropriate orders, the third team members courageously defeated the White Blood fanatics. A few injured people could be seen, but the injuries weren¡¯t serious. It looked like they would win the battle without much difficulty. ¡®I expected no less.¡¯ Raon smiled in satisfaction as he watched Burren focus on the battle. Burren was the one that could be entrusted with the Light Wind in his absence. His stability had certainly returned with hiseback. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help them?¡± Dorian pointed at the third team that was still fighting against the White Religion fanatics. ¡°They will never grow if I help them with everything.¡± Actual battles were the best opportunity for warriors to grow. It would¡¯ve been a different story if their lives were in danger, but joining them in a battle like that wasn¡¯t helping them, as it would kill their potential instead. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the lobby.¡± Since he had checked on Burren and the third team, next up was the first team that attacked from the front. Since there were more White Blood fanatics at the front than the back, they might have been having a more difficult battle. ¡®And I¡¯m concerned about Martha.¡¯ The beef girl¡¯s eyes were certainly strange. ¡®Yes. She has a grudge.¡¯ Thinking about the frightening eyes that he saw from Martha before the attack, he went to the lobby. Spurt! When the sunlighting from the hole in the ceiling¡ªcreated by the explosion of me Spirit¡ªbrushed past his face, a cutting sound of flesh could be heard from the lobby. It was Martha. It was the sound of her sword tearing a White Blood fanatic into half. ¡°Next, where¡¯s the next one¡­¡± Martha¡¯s ck hair and white skin were covered in murky blood, and an even more extreme murderous intent was emerging from her eyes. ¡°Hiee¡­¡± Unable to face that demonic gaze, Dorian stepped back while covering his mouth. ¡®It¡¯s much more serious than I thought¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. Even though the murderous intent wasn¡¯t directed at him, he felt like goosebumps were appearing on the back of his hand. She seemed to have an extremely serious grudge. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Martha howled like a beast, dashing into the group of White Blood fanatics. She exploded her aura like a rearing horse to storm through the surroundings. ¡°Damn it! Help the team leader!¡± ¡°We are giving up on maintaining the formation! Attack their exterior while they are focused on the team leader!¡± Since their team leader Martha was rampaging like a raging tiger, the first team defeated the panicking White Blood fanatics one by one instead of maintaining the Light Wind formation. Thanks to Martha¡¯s madness, the first team managed to defeat more fanatics than the third team in a shorter time, despite not using the Light Wind formation. Hmm, the King of Essence made a mistake. Wrath licked his lips. The King of Essence should¡¯ve gone to the beef girl. That¡¯s a nice wrath. ¡®Wrath¡­¡¯ Raon nodded. An extreme wrath was imbued in Martha¡¯s sword. She was sinking into the sea of blood, viewing her enemies as insects rather than human beings. The White Blood fanatics dying to her sword numbered over twenty. Even though her side had been cut, and her thigh was stabbed, she continued her aggression as if she didn¡¯t feel anything and kept beheading the White Blood fanatics. ¡°Follow the team leader! Assist her until the end!¡± ¡°Never withdraw, keep fighting!¡± The first team was more focused on following Martha than fighting. It looked like they had gotten attached to her at some point, as they were coordinating the fight while assisting her in a way that allowed them to avoid her getting hurt as much as possible. ¡°I-It looks impossible to stop her, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded. If he tried to stop her, that murderous de might have been directed at him instead. ¡®But I can¡¯t just overlook this.¡¯ Raon decided to scold her a lot after the battle. Though, he wasn¡¯t sure that was enough to teach her a lesson. * * * * * * ¡°Is this where you ended up after running away?¡± Rimmer twirled his sword, looking at Darigon after he drove him into a dead-end. ¡°Argh! Dolvirte¡­¡± When he gathered his hands and quickly started chanting a spell, Rimmer¡¯s wrist curved softly. aam! The green energy from his de spread out like a rainbow, destroying every wall surrounding Darigon. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Darigon¡¯s face went pale as he witnessed the walls getting smashed. ¡°A sorcery that moves along walls. That¡¯s an interesting ability.¡± Rimmer smiled, observing the copsed walls. ¡°That¡¯s how you managed to take people without being noticed by anyone. But look, it¡¯s meaningless without any walls.¡± ¡°Sh-Shut up!¡± ¡°Even my head of house hasn¡¯t managed to shut my mouth. Do you think you can do it?¡± ¡°You bastaaard!¡± The moment Darigon tried to use a new spell after gathering his hands, Rimmer¡¯s eyes sparked. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Unable toplete his spell, Darigon¡¯s shoulders trembled. A frightening pain could be felt from his wrist. Rimmer¡¯s sword had moved without his notice and severed his wrist. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Darigon grabbed his severed wrist, stepping back. ¡°If you aren¡¯t at an apostle¡¯s level, it¡¯s easy to stop your spells. I can either shut your mouth or cut off your hand.¡± Rimmer smiled, stepping on Darigon¡¯s blood as it soaked into the ground. ¡°He is so good, even though I didn¡¯t teach him. His genius nature really is taking after me.¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Darigon tried to chant a spell with one hand, but Rimmer didn¡¯t overlook him. The moment his wrist moved again, Darigon¡¯s left hand also fell on the ground. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Darigon¡¯s eyes trembled as he watched a serious amount of blood gush from his hands. ¡°It¡¯s just your hands. Why so serious?¡± A frightening glow appeared in Rimmer¡¯s eyes as he walked up to him. ¡°You make a hole into a living human¡¯s neck to suck their blood. This is mere child¡¯s ypared to that.¡± ¡°Rimmer¡­¡± Darigon swallowed nervously. ¡®I heard he was injured, though¡­¡¯ Although the rumors said that his energy center and mana circuit were broken, he didn¡¯t seem to have weakened at all. The madness in his eyes and his lighthearted manner of speech¡­ The crazy elf called the Sword of Light hadn¡¯t changed at all. ¡°Well, then.¡± Rimmer moved his sword into a reverse grip, stabbing his thigh. Since he was using the wind aura, blood gushed out from his thigh like a fountain. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Are the people underground everyone you¡¯ve kidnapped?¡± ¡°Keuh¡­¡± ¡°Where were you nning on sending them?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Darigon remained silent once again. ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s a White Blood fanatic for you. It would¡¯ve been disappointing if you had answered right away.¡± Rimmer grinned, using his wind aura again. The de piercing his thigh vibrated, and Darigon started drooling as his entire body trembled. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t count on the woman named Seline. My student went to her. She is definitely not going to survive.¡± ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡± Darigon grit his teeth, breathing heavily as he tried to endure the pain. ¡°I¡¯m not counting on that damn woman.¡± ¡°Oh, you must¡¯ve realized that this ce was discovered because of her.¡± ¡°There is no way I wouldn¡¯t notice, since I¡¯m not an insect.¡± ¡°Then what are you counting on to maintain that gaze?¡± Rimmer frowned, looking at Darigon¡¯s eyes, which still retained hope. Raon already took care of Seline underground, and Martha was ughtering overground. Since everything was already over, he couldn¡¯t understand why Darigon still had hope. ¡°You should¡¯ve arrived earlier.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Kuhuhuh. There are two peopleing today.¡± Darigon¡¯s mouth stretched to the sides into a smile, despite coughing out blood. ¡°Since they have arrived, you won¡¯t be able to survive!¡± The moment he finished saying that, a tremendous energy burst from the first floor for an instant. * * * Martha kept swinging her sword, not even realizing that she had a long wound on her shoulder, waist, and thigh. She couldn¡¯t feel anything insignificant like pain. Kill. Kill all of the White Blood Religion. That was the only thought filling her head. There was no room for other emotions or will. The evil demons were in front of her eyes. The order telling her to kill all those white evil demons that assaulted the vige after breaking through the walls twelve years ago was fastened around her soul like a shackle. Following the voice resounding in her head, she shed, shed, and shed again. She rushed in, whether there were five or ten enemies, and kept swinging her sword. She just kept swinging, as if she forgot about swordsmanship. She didn¡¯t care whether her face or her hair was cut¡ªshe just kept swinging her sword endlessly towards the white coats. She was fully aware that she shouldn¡¯t be fighting like that. She knew that she should¡¯ve been taking care of the others as the team leader. However, she couldn¡¯te back to her senses after she saw the White Blood Religion. As if it were an instinct she was born with, she beheaded the White Blood fanatics until she was covered entirely by their murky blood. When she felt like she was brimming with strength as the fight continued, the murky blood of White Blood fanatics covering the lobby¡¯s floor moved on their own to draw a strange pattern. Whir! A white light came from the center of the pattern, and a tremendous energy burst out, sending chills down her spine. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Martha opened her mouth for the first time since the start of the battle. Crack. She grit her teeth, noticing the ten spheres engraved on the left side of the chest of the white coat. She slowly raised her head. A middle-aged man raised his chin, his long ck hair swept back, and eyes as sharp as an eagle¡¯s. ¡®It¡¯s him. It¡¯s that bastard!¡¯ The devil that burned up the vige, drank the blood of the guards, and kidnapped her mother and the other people. He was the White Blood cult leader¡¯s student, the tenth apostle. ¡°Is this an invasion of Zieghart¡¯s young ones?¡± His indifferent voice was just like before. The tenth apostle slowly raised his hand. A diagonal scar could be seen on his hand. It was the hand that turned countless people into bloodbath, the hand that took away her mother and people, and the blood that turned the vige into ash. It was the devil¡¯s blood that she wouldn¡¯t be able to forget even after her death. Whir! The concentrated bloody energy was boiling in the tenth apostle¡¯s hand, as if it were about to explode. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Light Wind members that followed her were frightened by the tremendous energy in the tenth apostle¡¯s hand, unable to move¡ªas if their feet were tied. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Martha overcame the instinctive fear with her wrath, rushing forward. She wasn¡¯t trying to save the team members. Definitely not. In order to kill the tenth apostle, in order to disturb his job, she swung her sword. aam! The moment she collided with the tremendous energying from the tenth apostle¡¯s hand, her wrist snapped as if it would break, and blood gushed from her mouth. If it weren¡¯t for the Azure Cloud that her father had given her, she would¡¯ve instantly lost her life. ¡°Keuuu!¡± Although not even a second had passed, she felt like her whole body was being smashed. She wanted to hold out, but it was impossible. The difference in power between them was as wide as the gap between heaven and earth. ¡®Again. It¡¯s happening again¡­¡¯ In order to take revenge against that devil, in order to see that no one else would die by that devil¡¯s hand, she kept training with her life on the line¡ªbut the difference in power wasn¡¯t reduced at all. All she ended up doing was throwing away the life that her mother had saved for her. Creak! Strength left her hand. She wanted to tell her team members to run away at least, but she couldn¡¯t even do that. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m seeing you in a new light. It was a good choice, Martha.¡± The moment Azure Cloud was leaving her hand, Raon¡¯s low voice could be heard in her ears. ¡°But you can¡¯t do it by yourself.¡± The indifferent but slightly warm voice touched her heart, and her vision was dyed with a crimson me. Chapter 184 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 184 The moment a man with tremendous energy surged up from the blood on the floor, Raon understood. That man was an apostle, a direct disciple of the White Blood cult leader, as the only people that didn¡¯t wear hoods among the White Blood fanatics were the cult leader and his disciples. The moment he raised his hand, Raon stretched his left foot forward and used Supreme Harmony Steps. Although his reaction was fast, his senses were ringing in his head, telling him that he was toote. Whir! As expected of a monster that had reached Master level a long time ago, the apostle understood the situation in an instant and spread around a tremendous amount of bloody energy. He could see the bloody energy concentrated in his hand, shooting out like a cannonball. The tremendous power in the energy wave was at a level the Light Wind members couldn¡¯t endure. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Raon ground his teeth, stretching his feet and hands, but he couldn¡¯t reach them in time. ¡®One second, no, just 0.5 second¡­¡¯ While he was running while suppressing his nausea, Martha stepped forward and thrust her sword. am! The wrist holding her sword snapped in less than a second, but it was enough. Raon stepped right next to Martha, drawing Heavenly Drive. He shot the ming storm on the white de right away. Whaaap! The wall of mes surged up like a tidal wave, melting the bloody energy of the apostlepletely. He could see a middle-aged man with ten spheres drawn on his coat over the subsiding me and bloody energy. The tenth apostle. He had an indifferent expression on his face, as if his attack getting blocked wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Martha¡¯s teeth chattered and she knelt. However, she didn¡¯t stop ring at the tenth apostle. ¡°You son of a bitch! What did you do to my mother? What did you do to everyone in Aleng vige?¡± With her eyes filled with wrath, a weeping voice burst from her. The sorrowful voice tightened his heart. ¡°Aleng vige? Was there a vige like that?¡± Hearing the tenth apostle¡¯s emotionless response, the me in Martha¡¯s eyes red up once again. ¡°You!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where that vige was, but people brought to the main branch mostly end up dying. Your mother should¡¯ve be someone¡¯s food as well. It is an honorable matter.¡± ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Martha shivered as she stood up. Raon forced her to stop when she tried to attack him right away. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°He is not something you can face.¡± ¡°Fuck off! I¡¯m going to kill him. Even if it¡¯s you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not facing him either.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. He¡¯s mine.¡± A cheerful voice could be heard from the floor. Baam! The green wind exploded the lobby, and Rimmer burst in. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light.¡± The tenth apostle frowned, looking at Rimmer¡¯s rxed smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, tenth apostle.¡± ¡°I wanted to kill them before you arrived.¡± ¡°What a shame. I already killed your underling before getting here.¡± Rimmer smiled cheerfully, pointing at the murky blood flowing from his de. ¡°How did you find out that this was our branch?¡± ¡°Did you think I would tell you that?¡± ¡°What arrogance. Do you believe you can fight like before, with that broken body?¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know until we try.¡± ¡°Then conversation is unnecessary.¡± ¡°Indeed, we don¡¯t need to talk.¡± Rimmer shook the blood from his sword, and the tenth apostle created a white spear in the air. Tap! The moment a rock falling from the ceiling reached the floor, the two disappeared. aam! Rimmer and the tenth apostle¡ªhiding their presences¡ªshed their sword and spear between them, a thrilling amount of energy waves spreading around them. Rumble! The ground started shaking, and the mansion shattered into pieces and started to copse at that single sh. ¡°Seventh apostle. How long are you nning on staying hidden there?¡± Once the tenth apostle called the seventh apostle¡¯s name while facing Rimmer, another man surged from the center of the lobby. It was a pretty looking man in his twenties, with purple hair and narrow eyes. Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ He could feel the powerful energy of someone that surpassed the wall at an early age¡ªat thetest, in their mid-twenties. Master. Befitting his title of seventh apostle, he was a powerful person at Master level. ¡°Senior, do you even need my help?¡± ¡°It was originally your job toe here.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The seventh apostle licked his lips. The powerful energying from his peaceful expression and rxed posture gave off an alienated impression. ¡°While I¡¯m killing this guy, you shall erase all Ziegharts from this ce.¡± ¡°It¡¯s annoying.¡± ¡°Seventh. White. Spirit.¡± ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± The seventh apostle wrinkled his nose, then stepped forward. ¡°Raon, I leave him to you.¡± Rimmer smiled awkwardly, creating a storm. A green wind burst up like a whirlwind topletely destroy the mansion, and the two people at the center of the lobby disappeared. ¡°Well, since it came down to this, let¡¯s finish it quickly.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The seventh apostle smiled faintly, his hands sped. Even though he was weaker than the tenth apostle, the Light Wind members were drenched in a cold sweat as his overwhelming pressure dominated the space. ¡°I am your opponent.¡± Raon aimed Heavenly Drive at him, blocking his pressure. ¡°Oh, you are so cool.¡± The seventh apostle giggled, pping his hands. ¡°By the way, do you know? Everyone that has aimed their sword at me has ended up dead.¡± ¡°What a coincidence. Everyone that has aimed their sword at me has also died.¡± Without lowering his sword, Raon smiled coldly. ¡°Interesting.¡± The seventh apostle raised the corners of his lips, his hands open. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you have the skills to back up your mouth.¡± The moment he said that, he disappeared from the spot. The speed, difficult to follow with the naked eye, was the result of a footwork with extreme quickness. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t use my eyes to see him.¡¯ Raon opened his perception with cier. The seventh apostle was approaching from the right and below. He pulled back his right hand, swinging Heavenly Drive. ang! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura inside Heavenly Drive burned fiercely, fending off the seventh apostle¡¯s hand as it was thrust at him. ¡°Huh? Did you block it?¡± He frowned¡ªRaon blocking his attack wasn¡¯t something he expected. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now, right?¡± Raon stomped the ground, hacking with the Fangs of Insanity. The snow white de, containing a fierce principle, targeted the seventh apostle¡¯s neck. Whir! The seventh apostle changed the direction of his ankle to deflect Heavenly Drive, then mildly shed with his hand. Although his speed and power were at a different dimension, it was the same as Seline¡¯s Bloody Hand Technique. ¡®The trajectory is the same.¡¯ Despite being much more powerful, the trajectory was the exact same as Seline¡¯s. Cring! Raon deflected the seventh apostle¡¯s Bloody Hand Technique counterattack with a paper-thin difference, then thrust Heavenly Drive towards his heart. ng! The seventh apostle didn¡¯t panic, taking a step ahead to fend off Heavenly Drive before it gained enough momentum. ¡°Hmhmm, it looks like you are skilled enough to talk.¡± The seventh apostle thrust with the Bloody Hand Technique again, a smile on his face. He became even faster, as if he were trying to see how Raon would react. Raon couldn¡¯t even see the trajectory anymore. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that I watched it beforehand.¡¯ Raon breathed heavily and used the Ring of Fire. The resonating rings drew the trajectory of the Bloody Hand Technique that Seline had shown him before. Raon mmed the sword¡¯s hilt into the seventh apostle¡¯s hand, which was following the same flow. ¡°Hmm?¡± Wasting time was unnecessary. Raon shed towards the seventh apostle¡¯s neck as he frowned at the sudden pain. ng! The seventh apostle repelled Heavenly Drive with his left hand instead of his right, which bounced back, before stepping back. ¡°Considering the fact that you are reading the trajectory so easily, you already knew about the Bloody Hand Technique.¡± The two shes were enough for him to figure out that Raon already knew about the Bloody Hand Technique. ¡°I guess. It¡¯s obvious that you would learn about the White Blood Religion¡¯s martial art in order to attack them.¡± The seventh apostle stretched his hand into the air. The strange, shining light looked like a gathering of water drops, creating a huge sword in his hand. It wasn¡¯t an ordinary sword¡ªit was a saw sword, one with saw des attached to it. ¡°In appreciation for that preparation, I¡¯ll use my weapon as well. And¡­¡± Twirling the saw sword like a toy, he spread around a frightening murderous intent. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly, since it¡¯s getting boring.¡± He disappeared once again before the voice faded away. ¡®Left side this time.¡¯ Raon focused cier''s perception, and he was able to feel the seventh apostle moving at a tremendous speed. He thrust the Fangs of Insanity towards his approach. aang! The sh between the saw sword and Heavenly Drive created an enormous shockwave. The remains of the mansion copsedpletely. Rumble! Raon and the seventh apostle pushed their sword and saw sword against each other, meeting in the middle of the mansion, which was filled with gray dust. ¡°What are you? How did you block thatst blow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a trade secret.¡± ¡°Are you telling me you are still a Zieghart despite your young age? I shall be more serious as well.¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s narrow eyes sparked slightly. The saw sword¡¯s trajectory rapidly changed, and dozens of aura des streamed at Raon. Whaam! Probably because they were on a different level, every single one of the aura des were extremely powerful. Although he was deflecting them with Heavenly Drive, he was feeling nauseous. ¡®I can¡¯t continue like this.¡¯ Raon resonated the rings of fire, examining the swordsmanship the seventh apostle was using. His twisted trajectory was entric. He aimed for the wrist for an instant but changed to the neck at the next moment. And while he targeted the ankle, he shed the heart. It was a technique full of varieties. Probably because it had the same root, the flow itself was simr to the Bloody Hand Technique. That meant that there was a simple way to defend against it. He just needed to shove in his strike inside that flow. Raon analyzed the swordsmanship with the Ring of Fire, scanning the gap in the flow with cier, aiming to block the seventh apostle¡¯s swordsmanship with Heavenly Drive by using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The three energies systematically engaged with each other, allowing him to block the seventh apostle¡¯s swordsmanship without much difficulty despite his higher level. ng! ng! ang! Each time Heavenly Drive shed with the saw sword, the seventh apostle¡¯s expression stiffened. His lips trembled in disbelief. ¡°How do you know about the Shifty Blood Sword?¡± The name of the strange swordsmanship he used was apparently Shifty Blood Sword. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s a trade secret.¡± Raon grazed the floor with Heavenly Drive, only to strike upward. The ming strike raged in a curve like a fishing hook, shing through the Shifty Blood Sword and engulfing the seventh apostle. Whaaam! The seventh apostle frowned, gathering the White Spirit Aura. A white current surrounded his body, crushing the me. ¡°You are rather good for your age. I admit that my judgment was incorrect this time. You deserve to witness this.¡± He chuckled, raising the saw sword. Bumpy aura des tangled and entwined with each other on the saw des before radiating a magnificent light, turning into perfectly materialized energy. ¡°Astral energy¡­¡± Raon chewed his lips. It was astral energy, which was a Master''s symbol, and the proof of surpassing the wall. The seventh apostle apparently decided to use astral energy in the fight. ¡°Since it would be annoying to take it back right away, don¡¯t die in a single strike.¡± He grinned, kicking off the ground. Instead ofing from the left or right, he charged from the front, mming down the saw sword that was imbued with astral energy. ¡®Let¡¯s do it.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t withdraw. He drew out the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the max, swinging Heavenly Drive up towards the astral energy-covered saw sword. aaam! The contest between the two swords created crimson sparks, and the ground burst with a scream. ¡°Huh!¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s narrow eyes opened up in bewilderment. His half-revealed eyes clearly reflected his shock. ¡°Are you stopping the astral energy with an aura thread? What have you even done?¡± ¡°It just happened.¡± Raon smiled faintly, catching his breath. Rimmer was right. Unlike when he was at Habun Castle, his aura thread was currently capable of blocking an astral de. ¡®However¡­¡¯ He could feel a numbing pain from his energy center. He¡¯d almost been injured internally by blocking a single blow. The power of astral energy with the intent to kill was definitely on another level. ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but somewhat interesting. Fine. Let¡¯s see how far you can go.¡± The seventh apostle nodded, then barraged him with astral energy. The Shifty Blood Sword¡¯s trajectory became even more entric, and the power it contained was fierce. That power was capable of tearing apart bone and flesh upon contact. Whir! Each time deadly astral energy emerged from the saw sword, chills ran down his spine and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. It wasn¡¯t because he was afraid, but an exhration that surpassed his fear sent a thrill through his body. He wanted to sever that astral energy and make the seventh apostle kneel. ¡°To be enjoying this fight, you aren¡¯t normal either. I didn¡¯t expect there to be someone like you around my age.¡± Contrary to hispliment, he swung his saw sword as if he wanted to sh through his bones right away. ¡°Who are you calling your peer? You are way older than me.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I need to make sure to kill you, so that you can¡¯t reach any higher.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cheap.¡± Raon caught his breath as he listened to him say that he wanted to kill him. The seventh apostle must have thought that Raon was an ordinary highest-rank Expert, based on how he¡¯d been so far. He needed to kill him by using the opening that misconception provided. ¡°Try blocking this.¡± The seventh apostle thrust his sword even more fiercely than with the Shifty Blood Sword, and Raon was pushed back alongside Heavenly Drive, unable to withstand the power. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Red blood flew from his mouth. It looked like he had sustained a significant amount of damage from the previous attack. It was definitely a crazy idea to face astral energy that was trying to kill him. However, he had no other choice but to keep up that madness. ¡°It¡¯s getting more interesting.¡± The seventh apostle smiled joyfully, spreading out a wave of astral energy. ¡°Same goes for me.¡± Raon caressed the de of Requiem, which was silently crying from behind his back, and smiled. ¡®Just wait for a moment.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll let you drink the blood of that crazy bastard soon enough.¡¯ * * * * * * The sound of explosions turned the ground upside down, and shockwaves kept resounding from the hill in front of White Blood Religion¡¯s Porvan branch. It was as if it were being bombarded with magic. The colossal shes between sword and spear continued, and once the mountain started to copse, Rimmer and the tenth apostle came up to the trembling hill. ¡°How unexpected.¡± The first one to speak was the tenth apostle. He red at Rimmer¡¯s eyes, tilting his head. ¡°It looked like those younglings were your subordinates. Are you not worried about them?¡± ¡°Worry? You are the one that should be worried.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The youngest apostle you finally got might end up dying. Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± ¡°Even though he¡¯s young, the fact that he¡¯s an apostle means that he''s at Master level and gained the cult leader¡¯s recognition. The one that blocked my sword wasn¡¯t that bad, but they can¡¯tpare to the seventh apostle.¡± The tenth apostle nonchntly shook his head. ¡°Maybe you can save one of them if you return right now.¡± ¡°What bullshit are you saying? The entirety of Porvan will turn into a sea of blood on top of the people in that ce the moment I let you escape.¡± ¡°You are better than before. It looks like you are thinking at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been great. And we will see whose blood is going to fill the city.¡± Rimmer casually shrugged. ¡°You idiot.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± ¡°An Expert can never win against a Master. The moment the seventh apostle uses astral energy, there will be no way for your subordinates to win.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯d normally be true.¡± Rimmer slowly nodded. He was right, since an aura de or an aura thread couldn¡¯t stop astral energy. ¡°However, my student isn¡¯t normal. He¡¯s capable of shredding your student¡¯s astral energy by using aura thread.¡± He dered that with certainty and started shooting des of wind towards the tenth apostle. ¡°That¡¯s why you should mind your own fight!¡± * * * Crack! Raon¡¯s mrs ground slowly. ¡®The nausea is getting more serious.¡¯ It was so damn difficult to fight against a Master that was using astral energy. He would¡¯ve copsed already if it weren¡¯t for the stats strengthening his body and Heavenly Drive¡¯s aura amplification ability. ¡°Are you resting already?¡± The seventh apostle shed diagonally with his saw sword, which was burning with astral energy. The tremendous power sted the air into shreds. Cring! Raon imbued Heavenly Drive with Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy and thrust it, following the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s principles. Whaaam! An enormous shock engulfed his body. It felt like someone was pounding his internal organs with a hammer. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ Raon caught his breath. He needed to wait until the seventh apostle got more excited to use a more powerful attack. That was the only way he would win. ¡°This is getting irritating.¡± The seventh apostle frowned, mming the ground with the saw sword. It easily crumbled the ground, and a crater that looked like a grave was created. ¡°Since it¡¯s getting annoying, do it in moderation and die already.¡± He opened his mouth, pretending to yawn. ¡°I¡¯m so sleepy, so why are you not dying yet? You already have enough internal injuries!¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s worth trying.¡± ¡°Under no circumstances can an Expert win against a Master. Just die already instead of being annoying!¡± He frowned, swinging his saw sword horizontally. Raon bent his body backward, dodging the astral energy spreading towards him at a frightening speed. His golden hair fluttered into the air. Whir! The seventh apostle had already pulled his saw sword backward, then thrust it forward. Heaven and earth were filled with the white astral energy radiating from the saw sword. Whaap! Raon controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy to the extreme, creating dozens of flowers on his de. The ming flower buds fluttered in the wind, shing with the seventh apostle¡¯s astral energy. Baaaam! The astral energy and me tangled with each other, creating a huge firestorm. Raon took a step forward into that hellish scene, where everything in the surrounding area was melted down by the astral energy and me. Thud! The moment he tried moving tounch a surprise attack on the seventh apostle, who was lowering his saw sword, Martha¡ªwho was next to them¡ªmade her move. That idiot! It was a sudden movement that even made Wrath panic. ¡°There was a crazy bitch as well.¡± The seventh apostle snorted, swinging his saw sword at Martha. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled. They were too far away. His current self wasn¡¯t able to block that attack. However, Martha¡¯s eyes were clearer than ever. She definitely didn¡¯t look like someone that was throwing her life away. ¡®Then¡­¡¯ Raon trusted Martha¡¯s calm eyes, changing direction to charge at the seventh apostle. ¡°Die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to just die, you son of a bitch!¡± The moment the saw sword was about to sh Martha¡¯s neck, she swung Azure Cloud diagonally. The Titan¡¯s aura imbued in the de flew softly, like a waterway, and tilted the saw sword¡¯s direction for an instant. Whaam! The moment the seventh apostle¡¯s saw sword mmed the ground, Martha was sent flying, unable to withstand the shock. She started coughing up blood, but she sessfully attracted the seventh apostle¡¯s attention for an instant. That was enough. Thud! Raon extended his left foot. Using the Supreme Harmony Steps, which could reach anywhere, he thrust the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Falling Sun towards the seventh apostle¡ªwho had lost his bnce slightly. Whaaap! The me burning on the sword¡¯s point spread like a kaleidoscope, overtaking the seventh apostle. ¡°Kuh!¡± The seventh apostle hurriedly spread around his energy, but the de of crimson me passed through him, creating arge cut in his thigh. Pssh! Gray blood started spreading on his white pants. ¡°¡­A wound? From mere insects like you?¡± The smile disappeared from the seventh apostle¡¯s face. He opened his narrow eyes, looking towards the gray blood soaking his pants. His ck eyes became distorted in his anger. ¡°I¡¯ll turn you all into powder.¡± A huge amount of wrath could be heard in his silent voice. As if he had been just ying around up to that point, the manifestation of his energy alone was enough to turn everything around him into powder. It was so powerful that it was difficult to breathe. It felt like the word death hanging right behind his back. However, that crisis was also an opportunity. That moment was the veil between life and death. ¡°Come.¡± Raon took out all the remaining energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He was using all the aura he could, as if he didn¡¯t mind fainting after the sh. Whaaap! The me burning on Heavenly Drive was more intense than ever. It almost felt like the sun was stretched out across it. ¡°Pointless.¡± The seventh apostle frowned, brandishing his saw sword. An even more intense and brutal astral energy appeared on the distorted saw de. The intense heat haze shimmering from it felt like it could even melt the air. ¡°Such a weak me can¡¯t stop my sword any longer!¡± Approaching with heavy steps, he amplified the astral energy on his saw de even further. Brandishing the saw de, which grew as huge as a club, his mouth curved into a deadly smile. ¡°I¡¯ll send you off all at once so that you won¡¯t feel lonely.¡± The seventh apostle approached him while dominating the space, mming down the saw sword. It was a simple attack, but it was pretty much a heavy sword that could crush the body. Once the ferocious astral energy started falling down, fissures appeared in the distorted space. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I-Is it over¡­?¡± The moment everyone in the area fell into despair, crimson lightning appeared from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®It¡¯s the same.¡¯ The seventh apostle¡¯s attack had the exact same flow as the swordsmanship he¡¯d been using. Even though it contained tremendous power, it was possible to pierce through it. It had the same flow. Whir! Raon thrust his right arm, which was pulled back, forward. Heavenly Drive was engulfed in crimson me, forming the shape of a dragon¡¯s head with its mouth wide open. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Tenth me. me Dragon Art. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s technique with the highest firepower was shot towards the opening created by the seventh apostle. ¡°I knew you would do that.¡± The moment the me Dragon Art deflected the astral energy, about to pierce through the seventh apostle¡¯s heart, a terribly calm voice could be heard from him. ¡°I knew that you would aim for the moment I became excited.¡± He spoke as the saw sword twisted in a direction that should¡¯ve been impossible, aiming to sever the neck of the me dragon created by Heavenly Drive. ¡°You fought well, but this is as far as you go.¡± As soon as the dragon¡¯s head was torn off by the saw de of astral energy, the seventh apostle smiled coldly, thrusting his left hand. ¡°Die.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes retained their light, despite facing the extremely deadly hand. That moment was the true opportunity. He thrust Heavenly Drive and drew the de of Requiem with his left hand, which he had pulled back. Whir! As if it wasining that he had held it back for so long, the de of Requiem created a clear resonance, emanating a terrible amount of ghastly energy. ¡°Ack!¡± The seventh apostle noticed it, creating a huge barrier with bloody energy¡ªbut it was already toote. The de of Requiem¡¯s trajectory was the fastest path he had created himself. Raon Zieghart Style Swordsmanship. First Form, Frost Pond. The magnificent halo appearing on the de of Requiem mercilessly ripped the seventh apostle¡¯s bloody energy to shreds. Chapter 185 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 185 Baam! After the explosion created a huge crater at the midpoint of the mountain, Rimmer and the tenth apostle stepped back, ring at each other. ¡°Your might ispletely different from the rumors that im you are disabled.¡± The tenth apostle narrowed his eyes, mming his white spear into the ground. His eagle-sharp eyes were glowing fiercer than before. ¡°Rumors are always frivolous.¡± Rimmer smiled, twirling his sword before supporting it on his shoulder. ¡°If the entire continent knows a rumor, it can¡¯t be wrong. Did you ovee it with a different method than martial arts?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± An intense murderous intent crawled out from the tenth apostle¡¯s emotionless eyes. ¡°I have advanced, while you were stagnating in order to ovee your injury.¡± He raised his spear once again. The white astral energy that burst from the spear¡¯s de distorted the atmosphere. ¡°Yes. Everyone must¡¯ve been advancing. However, recovering isn¡¯t the only thing I¡¯ve been doing, either.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly while raising his sword. He controlled his breath so that he could open the Sword Field Creation at any moment. ¡°Then I didn¡¯t need to control my power from the start.¡± The tenth apostle swirled the spear in the air before stomping the ground. Contrary to the copsing ground, the enormous energy wave burst into the sky. The astral energy became concentrated, as if it were evolving to the next level, and created a huge spark. ¡°This is a bit unexpected¡­¡± Rimmer frowned slightly, looking at the tenth apostle¡¯s astral energy burning on the de of his spear. ¡°My first mission might be myst one.¡± ¡°Do your best at enduring it, so that you won¡¯t die in a single strike.¡± The tenth apostle aimed his spear at him, and a frightening amount of energy flew out from the de. It was the White Blood Religion¡¯s characteristic space domination. ¡°Tsk. I don¡¯t exactly like suchborious fights, though.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue. With his de pointed upward, he aimed at the ground with his fingers. He was preparing to activate the Sword Field Creation right from the beginning of the battle. Whir! As the entire mountain was copsing from the wave of aura emerging from the two people¡­ Baaam! A powerful aura sted from the mansion, which was now powder, and someone¡¯s vitality has been reduced to less than half. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Without saying anything, Rimmer and the tenth apostle transferred the power they were about to use to sh with each other to their footworks, dashing towards the mansion like rays of light. * * * Zzzt! The de of Frost Pond blended with the ghastly energy of de of Requiem and pierced through the bloody energy of the seventh apostle, creating a deep wound in his chest. ¡°This is nothing!¡± He tried swinging his saw sword as if it weren¡¯t a big deal, but that was a mistake¡ªthe second de of Frost Pond was even sharper. Gush! Just like the waterfall bouncing back up upon reaching the pond, the de of frost followed the silver trajectory to pierce through the right side of the seventh apostle''s chest. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue. He was aiming for his heart, but the right side of his chest was pierced instead. The seventh apostle reacted in that short instant, managing to avoid his heart being pierced. It seemed that he didn¡¯t reach Master by ying hopscotch. ¡°Kuh!¡± The seventh apostle stepped back, faltering. Although his heart was safe, having his chestpletely ripped apart must¡¯ve been a serious injury, as gray blood gushed from his mouth and the astral energy in his saw sword gradually lost its light. Whir! The regeneration ability of the White Spirit Aura was healing his body, but it seemed to be a struggle because of the huge wound. Thud! Raon kicked the ground, leaping forward. His body was also in a worse state from using the me Dragon Art and Frost Pond despite having been internally injured, but he needed to finish him right away¡ªhe wasn¡¯t going to get another opportunity. Whaap! He used me Spirit of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation with Heavenly Drive. The ming crimson flower petals spread out through the wind towards the seventh apostle¡¯s vitals. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± With a shout that sounded like a scream, the seventh apostle exploded the bloody energy in his saw sword. It spread out in a circr shape to sh against the me Spirit and created multiple explosions. ¡®Everything¡¯s over if I withdraw.¡¯ Raon endured the fierce explosion with his body, stabbing his opponent with the de of Requiem, held in reverse grip. The crimson de pierced through the bloody energy, mming into the seventh apostle¡¯s shoulder. Pssh! The liquid gushing from his shoulder looked like something between blood and rusty water. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The seventh apostle couldn¡¯t pull himself together, iling his saw sword in all directions. Since the astral energy wasn¡¯tpletely gone, the floundering attack was still dangerous. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t get hit at all.¡¯ If he identally bumped into it or got hit, he wouldn¡¯t be able to continue his attacks. He needed to keep stabbing the seventh apostle while avoiding his attacks. Raon used the Ring of Fire to analyze the des thrashing in random directions, before using Revolving Sky with Heavenly Drive and the Star Connecting Sword with the de of Requiem. ng! A wheel of me consisting of the smooth curves of a crescent moon deflected the seventh apostle¡¯s saw sword. m! The moment the saw sword hit the ground, Raon thrust the de of Requiem with his left hand. The prevalent flow of the Star Connecting Sword and the ferocity of ghastly energy mingled with each other, making the crimson de dance fiercely. sh! Blood scattered from the seventh apostle¡¯s shoulder, chest, wrist, and thigh as the de of Requiem brushed past. ¡°Kuaah! Get away from me!¡± The seventh apostle thrust his saw sword. Although it contained a mind-boggling amount of energy, the trajectory was too simple. He had lost hisposure. ¡°Hup.¡± Raon held his breath, then moved his body. Ignoring the saw sword cutting his waist, he shed with Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, one after the other. Baaam! The moment the two des were about to reach the seventh apostle, the concentrated bloody energy in his chest exploded with a white me. Rumble! The mansion¡¯s foundation finally copsed, and Raon fell to the underground corridor where the vigers used to be caged¡ªas did the seventh apostle. ¡°Huff! Huff¡­¡± Raon red in front of him, breathing heavily. The seventh apostle could be seen over the fiercely rising smoke. His hair was disheveled, his body was covered with blood, and his eyes had lost focus. Judging from the way he was holding his saw sword downward, he didn¡¯t seem to have any strength left to raise his sword. The end was near. ¡®I¡¯ll finish¡­!¡¯ Raon! The moment he fixed his grip to walk towards him, the deadly sensation that he used to feel when he was an assassin could be felt as he heard Wrath¡¯s warning. ¡°Kuh!¡± He didn¡¯t even have time to look back. ¡®I need to give up on an arm.¡¯ He twisted his body, resolving himself to give away an arm for the price of retaining his life, when the cheerful sound of wind could be heard. ng! * * * * * * A powerful shockwave exploded from right behind him at the sh of tremendous energies. As he was sent flying by the shockwave, someone¡¯s hand grabbed his clothes to stop him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon looked around and frowned. ¡°Why are you alwayste?¡± ¡°It¡¯s cool when the protagonist iste.¡± Rimmer grinned, releasing his grip. The one that attacked him from behind wasn¡¯t there anymore. The moment he shed against Rimmer, he used that force to instead end upnding right next to the seventh apostle. ¡°Tenth apostle¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brows, looking at the tenth apostle as he supported the seventh apostle. ¡°Can¡¯t you even kill an enemy despite being the protagonist?¡± ¡°He has surpassed another wall in thest twenty years. He got a bit too strong. Moreover, I didn¡¯t have time to stop him because he ran here right after that young guy was defeated by you.¡± Rimmer shrugged, pointing at the seventh apostle. ¡°But looking at the way you almost killed the seventh apostle, I have no excuse.¡± His eyes were clearly reflecting his surprise. He apparently just wanted Raon to hold out against him, and never imagined him actually defeating the seventh apostle. ¡°Kuuh, s-senior¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m witnessing right now is reality.¡± The tenth apostle frowned, looking at the seventh apostle, whose entire body trembled in pain. The fact that a Master had lost against an Expert was surprising, even for him¡ªsomeone that had a seemingly unbreakableposure. ¡°Did you do this?¡± The tenth apostle¡¯s agitated gaze was directed at Raon. ¡°What if I did?¡± He nonchntly nodded, facing the tenth apostle¡¯s terrifying energy wave. ¡°Even though you are at the highest rank, an Expert managed to defeat a Master. This can be called a history in the making.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t lose! I was just careless and made a mistake¡­¡± ¡°Mistake? Avoiding mistakes is part of your skill.¡± ¡°I-I can k-kill him for sure if I fight him again! It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Stop your legs from trembling before you speak. You would¡¯ve been dead already if it weren¡¯t for me.¡± Dissatisfied by the situation, the tenth apostle¡¯s voice was ice cold. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this as our defeat for today.¡± The tenth apostle stood up, carrying the seventh apostle on his shoulder. ¡°N-No! That bastard! I-I won¡¯t leave unless I kill that bastard!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± ¡°Kuuh!¡± The seventh apostle kept shouting, despite being unable to stand by himself. ¡°Wh-Where are you trying to go? You son of a bitch!¡± Martha stood up, coughing up blood. ¡°You can¡¯t leave. I¡¯ll kill you both right here, you and that narrow-eyed son of a bitch!¡± She managed to stand straight, despite her trembling limbs. ¡°She¡¯s right. Who said you are allowed to leave?¡± Raon pointed his sword at the tenth apostle. His body was exhausted, his aura was running out, and the internal injury was making him nauseous¡ªbut the tip of his de was unwavering. ¡°It looks like the man behind you thinks differently.¡± Raon turned to look back. Just as the tenth apostle said, Rimmer¡¯s sword was pointing downward, showing that he had no intention to fight. ¡°Well, it¡¯s possible to keep fighting. We should be able to kill those two as well. However¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips, pointing at the Light Wind members on the floor above, and the hostages that hadn¡¯t managed to run away yet. ¡°Including you and me, every Light Wind member here is going to die. We have many to protect here.¡± He was calm, as if he were speaking of someone else¡¯s business. ¡°What is your decision?¡± Rimmer asked, looking at Raon and Martha one after the other. He seemed to be saying that he would fight if they wanted. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Because he said that everyone¡¯s lives were at risk, Martha bit her lip, unable to insist. He¡¯s right. Wrath, who had been silent, popped out from the bracelet. The guy in front of you has surpassed the level that people call Master. Shitty-ears might manage to kill him by opening the field likest time¡ªand risking his life in the process¡ªbut you, the beef girl, and shitty eyes are all going to die. ¡°¡­¡­¡± You should¡¯ve realized it already. This isn¡¯t like you. ¡®Because what they are doing makes me angry.¡¯ Wrath was right. He would¡¯ve normally withdrawn at this point. The reason he was persisting, despite feeling the tenth apostle¡¯s power, was because of the double facade those damn bastards were showing. ¡°Despite all you¡¯ve done, do you still cherish your fellow students?¡± ¡°What?¡± The tenth apostle lowered his brows, asking what he meant. ¡°You must know what this ce is made for, right? It¡¯s a cage where your underlings kidnapped peaceful people, locking them up like beasts.¡± Raon pointed at the cages, where the iron bars had shattered during the copse. ¡°I asked if you still consider your fellow students dear, despite destroying the viges of peaceful people living with their families¡ªdragging them away to drink their blood and devour their flesh.¡± Raon grasped the de of Requiem¡ªwhich was vibrating like crazy¡ªtightly, spreading his murderous intent. ¡°I asked you whether you still hold your family dear, despite having forgotten the names of viges that you¡¯ve destroyed, and the names of tribes that you covered in blood!¡± He would¡¯ve let them go without saying such a thing in his previous life. He would¡¯ve breathed out a sigh of relief, d that he managed to survive. However, in his life as Raon Zieghart, he had learned about the preciousness of the family and the ce he could feelfortable. Because he became aware of that life, he couldn¡¯t suppress the nauseous fever inside him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The tenth apostle didn¡¯t say anything. However, his eyes glowed more fiercely in irritation. ¡°Trash should be honored to be our food! We are bringing them salvation from their worthless lives!¡± The seventh apostle ground his teeth, ring at Raon. ¡°Then you are also trash, and worthless because you lost to me. You lost despite being stronger than me. If I were you, I would have bitten my own tongue and killed myself on the spot!¡± ¡°Y-You got lucky! If we were to fight again, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to take a hit from me!¡± ¡°The loser should shut up.¡± Raon ignored the seventh apostle, going to Martha and grabbing her shoulder while looking at the tenth apostle. ¡°Tenth apostle. The survivor of a vige that you don¡¯t even remember is going to kill you. I¡¯m going to make that happen. This is my deration.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Martha looked back with her eyes round open. Her shoulders were trembling in confusion. ¡°Hah!¡± The tenth apostleughed. It sounded like both a mockery, and his way of epting the challenge at the same time. ¡°Y-You will die in my hands before that happens! I¡¯ll find you and kill you as soon as I¡¯m healed!¡± The seventh apostle raised his trembling finger. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have be a Master before our next encounter. You won¡¯t even hold a candle against me when we are both Masters, not when you¡¯ve already lost to me while I¡¯m an Expert. You¡¯d better run away as soon as you see me.¡± ¡°You arrogant bastard¡­¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s face turned red in anger and embarrassment. ¡°Do you believe it¡¯s that easy to be a Master? The wall can¡¯t be surpassed so easily!¡± ¡°Even someone like you has surpassed it. There¡¯s no way I wouldn''t be able to do it.¡± ¡°Y-You bastard! Senior! Please release me! I won¡¯t leave before I kill him!¡± Hearing Raon¡¯s confident answer, the seventh apostle red at him in bewilderment. ¡°You will never¡­ Ack!¡± As the seventh apostle was about to curse, the tenth apostle hit his neck to knock him unconscious. ¡°You¡¯ve got a wild mouth. What is your name?¡± ¡°I am Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart and the survivor of an unknown vige, I¡¯ll dly look forward to meeting you again.¡± The tenth apostle carried the seventh apostle on his shoulder as he left. ¡°Stop boasting! You murderous bastard! My mother! Kuh¡­¡± He took a nce at Martha, who cursed at him, and disappeared in an instant. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The moment the tenth apostle was gone, Martha knelt on the floor and copsed. It looked like she¡¯d been maintaining her strength with her wrath, even though she should''ve fainted a long time ago. ¡°You did a great job.¡± Rimmer walked up to him with a smile. ¡°I only managed tost thanks to you supporting me from behind.¡± Raon shook his head. He only managed to face and talk to the tenth apostle because Rimmer gave him the strength. Despite usually looking useless, Rimmer was helpful at times like that. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. I¡¯m talking about your victory against the seventh apostle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I obviously had to do.¡± ¡°¡®Obviously had to do¡¯, huh? You must be the only one that can talk about a Master like that.¡± Rimmer eximed in bewilderment. ¡°You should rest, too.¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± Raon coughed out the blood that he had been suppressing in his throat. The internal injury he had taken each time he shed against the astral energy had be so serious that he couldn¡¯t endure it any longer. Even willpower couldn¡¯t help him any further. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, then.¡± Raon closed his eyes, feeling the vibration of the de of Requiem as it absorbed the bloody energy from the seventh apostle and the archbishop, as well as the sensation of multiple messages appearing. The whole world turned white. * * * Rimmer caught Raon as he copsed, using his aura to settle his internal injuries while exhaling slowly. ¡®I¡¯m not sure how I should take this.¡¯ Since he¡¯d been watching Raon, he was well aware of his might and expected that he could somewhat hold out against the seventh apostle. That was why he was trying to analyze the tenth apostle¡¯s power to decide whether he should end the fight in a draw or kill him even if he were to be crippled. However, Raon defeated the seventh apostle and concluded the situation, rendering his choice unnecessary. ¡®He surprises me every time.¡¯ Since he didn¡¯t expect such an oue, he was more confused than surprised. ¡®An Expert that defeated a Master¡­¡¯ Such an urrence in a one-on-one fight had never happened before. Raon had pretty much changed a fixed rule of the world. ¡®What I told Morell really came true.¡¯ Heughed bitterly. He bragged to Morell that Raon would rewrite the continent¡¯s history, and that really ended up happening. ¡®And that was really admirable.¡¯ The way Raon dered that he would have Martha kill the tenth apostle, who was at a Grandmaster¡¯s level, was both shocking and thrilling at the same time. ¡®My decision was correct.¡¯ He could confirm once again that he was right in choosing Raon as the king that would open the new era. ¡°My remaining life is for you.¡± Rimmer smiled as he carried unconscious Raon and Martha. ¡°He really defeated an apostle. This is going to turn the whole continent upside down, whether they believe it or not.¡± Chapter 186 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 186 Raon opened his eyes with difficulty. He could see a luxurious ceiling, where the harmony between right angles and curves resembled a piece of art. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ Judging from the majestic appearance of the ceiling, it definitely wasn¡¯t the clinic. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but Rimmer must¡¯ve brought him there. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He tried raising his body while looking around, but every single part of his body hurt. From his fingers to his energy center, a shooting pain could be felt throughout his entire body. ¡®It¡¯s certainly difficult to defeat a Master.¡¯ A Master¡¯s astral energy with killing intent was so powerful that he could barelyst. The fifth sh created an internal injury, and he barely managed to suppress the blood flowing up from his throat during thatst sh. Considering the fact that he hadn¡¯tpletely recovered despite a healer presumably visiting him¡ªas well as Sloth¡¯s effect during his sleep¡ªhis body must¡¯ve been in the worst possible state, to the point that he really could¡¯ve died. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon stood up while exhaling slowly. Although it still felt painful, it wasn¡¯t unbearable. You woke up sote¡­ As he was about to leave the bed after putting away the nket, Wrath popped out from the ice flower bracelet. You are really pathetic. To be in such a state after winning against a weakling like that¡ªwhat a frail body you have. Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that it was an embarrassment. ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon snickered, looking at Wrath, whose round eyes were staring down at him. ¡°Now that I think about it, I didn¡¯t properly express my gratitude.¡± What gratitude are you talking about? ¡°You helped me two whole times during the fight against the seventh apostle. Thank you.¡± Wrath warned him about the tenth apostle¡¯s surprise attack before Raon could even sense it, and he stopped him from picking a fight against him when Raon couldn¡¯t calmly analyze the situation. If it weren¡¯t for Rimmer and Wrath, the Light Wind¡ªincluding himself¡ªmight¡¯ve been annihted. ¡°Even you must¡¯ve judged that the tenth apostle is pretty strong. I guess that would be the case, since he must be a Grandmaster if he surpassed another wall after Master.¡± What madness are you spouting? Wrath frowned, saying that it was nonsense. Both Master and Grandmaster are insignificant ranks that you humans have created. The difference between them is as much as the difference between an ant and a winged ant for the King of Essence. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Anyone that¡¯s not on the same level as your head of house is pretty much an insect that can be crushed with a finger for the King of Essence. ¡®Then why did you even warn me about fighting him?¡¯ Raon thought Wrath had finally learned his lesson, since he was acting differently from before. However, he realized from what Wrath said that he was mistaken. That¡¯s obviously because of the promise. ¡®Promise?¡¯ You promised, remember? That you would eat the bead ice cream sets, and two different special dishes in this city. ¡®¡­I did.¡¯ He did make that promise while using Wrath for gambling. However, he couldn¡¯t understand why Wrath was talking about that. You probably didn¡¯t notice it, but your condition was really serious back then. If your internal injury had gotten any worse, you might not have been able to eat anything until we left this ce¡ªor you could¡¯ve died like an idiot. Helping you was the natural course of action. Wrath moved around Raon to check his condition. The King of Essence¡¯s calction wasn¡¯t wrong. You recovered a lot with Sloth¡¯s effect. You should be able to visit a restaurant in around two days. He clenched his fist, saying that he definitely would not miss the specials this time. ¡°Ah, so what you are saying is that you didn¡¯t stop me because you wanted to help, but because you wanted to eat, right?¡± Yes. Wrath nodded firmly. Even his proud look seemed hateful. ¡®I shouldn''t have expected anything from you.¡¯ He thought Wrath had changed a bit because he was worrying about him, but he was mistaken. The demon king only stopped him because he was worried that the promised meal would be dyed or canceled. ¡°I¡¯m so tired of you.¡± The way he could prioritize his appetite over his wrath in that situation was amazing. He was indeed the Demon King of Gluttony, and food was his highest priority. Shut up and remember the names of these dishes. Lanchelin Stir-Fried Chicken¡­ Whir! As Wrath was talking about food while shoving his head forward like a bison, the de of Requiem vibrated from the table. ¡°de of Requiem?¡± Raon grabbed the trembling de of Requiem. ¡°Yes, you also did great.¡± It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the de of Requiem allowed him to win the fight, since he wouldn¡¯t have been able to inflict as much damage on the seventh apostle without it. ¡°I¡¯ll y the tenth apostle next time and find your archenemy as well.¡± Raon expressed his gratitude and caressed the hilt. Pure energy flew towards him from the de of Requiem, and a message appeared. ¡®It¡¯s iparably bigger than thest time.¡¯ Although the de of Requiem only drank the blood of two people¡ªthe archbishop and the seventh apostle¡ªthe energy flowing into his mana circuit was denser than thest time, when he killed dozens of fanatics at once. He could guess that the amount was decided from the bloody energy¡¯s quality rather than the quantity. Whir! Just like pure mana, the purified bloody energy flowed throughout the mana circuits of his entire body, enhancing his muscles and bones, and it even managed to heal his damaged organs. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon unconsciously eximed. His body didn¡¯t feel strained at all upon receiving the energy due to its high purity. Six points in all stats. Considering the fact that his stats were much higher than before, it was a huge increase. However, it wasn¡¯t over yet. Adaptation to Ghastly Energy¡¯s rank had also increased, allowing him to better control ghastly energy. The energying from the de of Requiem felt more familiar, just like the aura inside his body. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon raised himself up, clenching his fist. The pain had decreased a lot, and he could feel a lot more strength in his body. He could feel a clear growth in his skills. ¡®Nice.¡¯ He turned his head after concluding that his body was almost fully recovered, and Wrath was floating there with a sour face. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything for once?¡± Normally, he would¡¯ve started causing a ruckus already, but he wasn¡¯t doing anything for some reason. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence was famous for his dignity andposure. Everyone bowed at his proud nature. Wrath wrinkled his nose, while looking at the de of Requiem. There¡¯s no way the King of Essence would be surprised, since he already knew that the insignificant creature was purifying the bloody energy even before you copsed. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon was already sighing when Wrath called himself dignified. It was amazing that he could call himself dignified despite being lighter than a feather. If you want to surprise this Monarch of Wrath, you need something as shocking as half the continent disappearing¡­ Wrath tried to continue while sniffling, and new messages appeared. Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped at seeing the series of messages. ¡°Wow¡­¡± He was already satisfied with the ghastly energy from the de of Requiem recovering his body and increasing his stats, yet he got extra stats and trait ranks increase on top of that. Whir! His fingertips trembled with joy at having his stats increased one more time. His body was filled with vitality, and the overflowing energy was even stronger than before he fainted. It was difficult to believe his body was seriously injured, since he felt like he could even have a rematch against the seventh apostle right away. Wh-What is this shit? Wrath was stunned as he read the second set of messages. Why are there so many increases from defeating a weakling like him? Are you trying topletely ruin the King of Essence¡¯s main body? ¡°He wasn¡¯t exactly a weakling, since he was a Master.¡± He¡¯s a weakling if the King of Essence says so! A single finger of the main body is enough to crush him. ¡°But you can¡¯t.¡± Ahem¡­ Wrath stopped rampaging for a moment, because Raon pointed out the sad reality. A-Anyway, this can¡¯t be happening. This is too much of a reward for defeating an insect that surpassed a mere wall! The dignity andposure that he was always supposed to have waspletely gone as he showed his personality. That ugly side was the true face of Wrath. I¡¯ll never ept this! He red at the system window in denial. However, the system remained silent, as it was already gone. Unless a sword strikes the head of the King of Essence¡­ As soon as Wrath mentioned a sword striking his head, Raon smacked the back of Wrath¡¯s head with the de of Requiem without drawing it. Argh! What are you doing? ¡°Since a sword hit you, you are fine with it now, right?¡± Seriously, you asshole! Wrath even stopped talking like a king, puffing himself up. It looked like he would start attacking at any time. ¡°You are the monarch of devildom. Moreover, you said you are one of the highest ranked monarchs.¡± Raon tilted his head, tapping on Wrath¡¯s pointy head to push him down. Yes! The King of Essence is one of the seven monarchs of Devildom! It¡¯s a throne that everyone worships! ¡°Since you are such an amazing monarch, you should have arge number of stats.¡± Of course! It¡¯s iparable to someone like you! ¡°That means you won¡¯t even feel a difference if I take a little, right?¡± Of cour¡­se? Wrath finally realized something was strange, and slightly raised the end of his sentence. ¡°In that case, it¡¯s fine if you give me a little.¡± E-Even so, it should only happen after serious matters, rather than trivial¡­ ¡°Who made this system?¡± Ugh¡­ Wrath pouted as he red at Raon, unable to respond. Because of what he said, he couldn¡¯t even argue anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry. Since I¡¯mpletely recovered now, I¡¯m going to keep the promise with you now.¡± R-Really? ¡°Since my internal injuries are almost healed because of the de of Requiem, it should be okay to eat right now.¡± Raon nodded. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he¡¯d been sleeping, but his stomach was yelling at him to give it food as soon as his body was healed. Just as even a Cerberus¡¯ dung isn¡¯tpletely useless, that insignificant creature can be helpful sometimes. Whir! The de of Requiem vibrated fiercely as its pride was hurt by Wrath¡¯s words. What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go feast on some ice cream already. ¡°Patience.¡± Raon calmed Wrath down since he started dancing in the air. As Raon stood up and was about to go outside, footsteps approached from afar, and the door opened. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Oh! Vice-squad leader! You woke up!¡± It was Runaan and Dorian. The two ran up to the bed, shoving their faces towards him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s shoulders drooped. She seemed to be apologizing for not being next to him at the most important moment. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry.¡± Raon waved his hand dismissively while smiling. It was better that she wasn¡¯t with him back then, since the incident with the Blood Raving Demon could¡¯ve repeated itself otherwise. ¡°Where is this ce?¡± ¡°They said it¡¯s an annex building reserved for special guests. It¡¯s even more luxurious than the city hall.¡± Dorian smiled happily, looking around the room. ¡°Ah, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this. I¡¯m going to announce this to the others!¡± He waved his hand and left the room before Raon could stop him. Stop wasting time! Let¡¯s go right away! We need to head straight to the restaurant. The King of Essence knows a good one. ¡®Let me take care of something first.¡¯ Take care? What are you doing this time¡­? ¡®This won¡¯t take long.¡¯ Raon nodded. ¡°There¡¯s someone that needs a scolding.¡± * * * * * * Martha was just sitting there, looking up at the sky. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The dim gray sky reminded her of the incident three days ago, the moment when she was unable to do anything during her long-desired encounter with her archenemy. ¡°Damn it.¡± The tenth apostle was the exact same as ten years ago, when he intruded into the vige to kill people like bugs. No, he was even stronger than back then. The huge difference between herself and him was making her feel like all her training up to that point was meaningless. And the most pathetic part was that the one that dered she would fight him wasn¡¯t herself, but Raon, who had no grudge against him. ¡°He really is crazy.¡± Raon¡¯s internal injuries were much more serious than hers. In fact, he was still bedridden, unable to regain consciousness. Despite his critical state, he still wanted to fight against the tenth apostle, and dered that she would kill him in the future. ¡®Insane¡¯ was the only way to describe him. At that point, Martha was so shocked that she could only admire him rather than being amazed. ¡®Is this what people call being ¡®born different¡¯¡­?¡¯ Might, willpower, and even his fighting spirit¡ªthere was too much of a difference between Raon and herself, who was nothing but talk. She never thought someone one year younger than she was could make her feel so ashamed. However, she felt more grateful than anything else, since she would¡¯ve died before she could say anything to the tenth apostle if it weren¡¯t for him. And the first team would¡¯ve been annihted as well, as they couldn¡¯t maintain the formation because of her. She was just grateful to Raon in many ways. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°The vice-squad leader woke up! Sir Raon is up!¡± As Martha bit her lips and tried to stand, Dorian¡¯s voice could be heard from behind her. After hesitating for a moment, she swallowed nervously and slowly walked towards Raon¡¯s room. * * * The Light Wind members flocked to Raon¡¯s room upon hearing the news from Dorian. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Does it hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Hey! You should call him Sir! He¡¯s the vice-squad leader!¡± ¡°But the mission is over. Can¡¯t we just act casually now?¡± ¡°Huh? I-I¡¯m not sure.¡± Raon smiled faintly, looking at the Light Wind members filling the room. ¡®They are pretty much my family now.¡¯ Although they were antagonistic towards him andughed at him the first time they met him, the only feelings reflected in their eyes now were worry and relief. Raon could feel their heartwarming emotions on his skin. ¡°How about the wounded?¡± Raon asked Burren, who was standing in the center. ¡°Martha still has some internal injuries remaining, but most arepletely healed because they had minor injuries, Sir.¡± Burren seemed to consider the mission still in progress, as he spoke respectfully. ¡°How about the hostages?¡± ¡°They are all safe.¡± Runaan nodded, sitting next to the bed. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Just as you suspected, the White Blood fanatics hidden inside Porvan City made their move as soon as their branch copsed. Sman immediately reacted to subdue them, but they set fires while running away, burning down a few food warehouses as a result, Sir.¡± ¡°How about casualties?¡± ¡°None, Sir¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Raon nodded, listening to Burren¡¯s report. ¡°Where¡¯s the squad leader?¡± ¡°He left after seeing the healer treating the vice-squad leader and hasn¡¯t returned yet. He¡¯s probably¡­¡± Burren sighed deeply and frowned. ¡°At the gambling house.¡± Raon nodded. Since Raon¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t fatal despite being serious, and the mission was over, Rimmer must¡¯ve dly gone to the gambling house. Shitty-ears¡¯ actions are really consistent. ¡®For real.¡¯ Wrath eximed in admiration. Rimmer was truly an amazing elf, enough to be acknowledged by the demon king. ¡°Good job, everyone. We managed to finish the mission without any fatalities thanks to everyone doing their part.¡± Raon nodded, looking around at the Light Wind members. Holding a debrief after the mission was normally the squad leader¡¯s job, but since he was gone, it was his job now. ¡°Eeh?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t, though.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The vice leader did everything.¡± ¡°You defeated an apostle¡­¡± Although Raon only defeated two White Blood fanatics, the Light Wind members waved their hands in denial because he defeated the archbishop and the seventh apostle, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean everything was perfect. First of all, the second team.¡± ¡°Mhh?¡± Runaan¡¯s eyes widened, since she was the second team¡¯s leader. ¡°You did a good job at evacuating the hostages and defending our position, but you failed to take care of the few hostages remaining inside the mansion.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Next time, you should count the number of hostages, and evacuate everyone¡ªwithout missing anyone.¡± ¡°Mhm. I mean, yes.¡± Runaan answered and nodded. ¡°Next up is the third team.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Burren straightened his neck and back. He was blinking nervously. ¡°You did excellently.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You werete, or rather, couldn¡¯t participate in the training at all, but you still disyed perfect control of the Light Wind formation thanks to staying up all night to study the formation and strategy. It¡¯s thanks to you, Burren, that the third team has the least number of casualties. Good job.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Since he didn¡¯t expect to be praised, his throat visibly bobbed. The way he was tightly biting his lips showed that he was suppressing his turbulent emotion. ¡°But we couldn¡¯t participate in the battle against the apostle.¡± ¡°Your mission was to attack from behind and stop their reinforcements. Stopping the fanatics from entering from behind was good enough.¡± Although they had fewer enemies, there were more priests and bishops. Since the third team managed to stop them, it was nothing short of a perfectpletion of the mission. ¡°Lastly, the first team.¡± Martha and the first team shuddered upon being called. ¡°You were the worst.¡± A cold gaze was directed at them from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°The team leader was overwhelmed by anger and went on a rampage alone, meanwhile the members were limping around like flies while trying to follow her. If it had been a frontal sh instead of a surprise attack, people would most certainly have died.¡± ¡°I-It was our fault. We weren¡¯t good enough to follow the team leader¡­¡± When the first team¡¯s vice leader tried to step up, Raon raised his hand. ¡°Of course, there were some problems with you. However, it was mostly the team leader¡¯s fault, as she went berserk without caring about the members. Martha.¡± Martha bit her lip and stepped forward, heeding Raon¡¯s call. ¡°I know you hold resentment against the White Blood Religion. However, this is a mission. The lives of your team members and the hostages should¡¯ve taken priority over your resentment.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As Raon reprimanded her, Martha silently listened, not saying anything. ¡°The fact that the second team that went to the center missed some hostages was also partly your fault. They would¡¯ve been able to rescue all of the hostages if the first team had properly created a space by setting up the formation. What do you think, first team leader?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Martha bowed at a 90-degree angle, admitting all her mistakes. Considering the way her shoulders and neck weren¡¯t trembling at all, she wasn¡¯t doing that against her will. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Since it was their first time seeing her bow so deeply, every member of the Light Wind widened their eyes. ¡°The first team¡¯s members must¡¯ve been confused by my arbitrary actions. Since I didn¡¯t evenmunicate with them, it¡¯s entirely my fault.¡± Once she raised her head, her eyes were reflecting an indescribable light. Sorrow, pain, anger, or gratitude. Various emotions seemed to be mixed inside. ¡°Are you admitting your mistake?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You said Aleng Vige, right?¡± Raon mentioned the name of the vige Martha had shouted at the tenth apostle, meeting her eyes directly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that your revenge is ours, but the Light Wind is already in the same boat. We will definitely encounter the White Blood Religion again.¡± He continued, looking at other Light Wind members¡ªincluding her. ¡°I¡¯d like you to tell us your story one day, once your heart is ready.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Martha slowly closed then opened her eyes before nodding. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Wh-What is happening?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The Light Wind members dropped their jaws from hearing another unexpected answer. ¡°And there¡¯s one good thing you did.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You charged ahead in order to save your team members when the tenth apostle appeared.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s not true! I just wanted to startle him!¡± The first team¡¯s members looked at her, and Martha shook her head as her face turned red. ¡°Well, anyway¡ªthe debrief is over.¡± Raon ignored Martha¡¯s excuses, standing up to p his hands like Rimmer. ¡°Did the squad leader visit the mayor?¡± ¡°He went to deliver the report with me after the incident. He shouldn¡¯t have been there after that, since the mayor was extremely busy dealing with the aftermath.¡± Burren murmured that Rimmer also must¡¯ve been busy from ying around. ¡°Perfect.¡± Raon smiled faintly and took off the hospital gown. ¡°You haven¡¯t recovered yet. Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll visit the mayor before the squad leader returns.¡± The mayor said he would do anything as long as the case was solved. Since he already received plenty of stats and abilities, it was time to get the material rewards. Before the gambling addict returned. Nooo! We were supposed to eat! Chapter 187 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 187 Roenn entered the audience chamber, a gray letter in his hand. ¡°My lord, we¡¯ve received a report from the Light Wind leader.¡± He walked up to Glenn, who was sitting on his throne, and handed over the gray letter. ¡°Report¡­¡± Glenn frowned as he looked at the letter. ¡°I wonder if he can even write a report.¡± ¡°Certainly, most of his reports were verbal when he was a head instructor.¡± ¡°Yes. The only time he gave me a report and documents was during the survival exam.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Roenn smiled. Rimmer personally visited him to report most of the time. The only report he had prepared was the list of locations suitable for the trainees during the survival exam. Whir! Glenn raised his finger, and the letter floated on its own from Roenn¡¯s hand,nding in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out.¡± Glenn¡¯s hand trembled upon taking the letter from the envelope. ¡°What kind of report is this crazy bastard¡­¡± ¡°D-Did anything happen?¡± ¡°You should see it by yourself.¡± Glenn handed over the document, which only contained two lines. [Raon won against the seventh apostle. Wow! Missionplete!] Roenn fell speechless upon reading the contents of the letter. He was dumbstruck by the simplicity, and he felt dizzy from the ridiculous statement. ¡°L-Let alone the simplicity, an apostle should be at least¡­¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a Master. There¡¯s no way that ageless monster would nominate someone that didn¡¯t surpass the wall as an apostle.¡± Glenn nodded, looking at Roenn¡¯s confused expression. ¡°The young master should still be an Expert. How could he have defeated a Master?¡± ¡°I¡¯m also curious about that. Moreover, I cannot grasp the situation because this damn bastard¡¯s report is too simple. He didn¡¯t even write whether he¡¯s safe or injured¡­¡± ¡°Considering the simple expression, he shouldn¡¯t be seriously injured.¡± ¡°Who knows? That gambling addict has a different mindset from us.¡± ¡°At the very least, it must be true that he managed to defeat the seventh apostle. Rimmer isn¡¯t the type of person to lie about something like this.¡± Roenn swallowed nervously, holding the document in a trembling hand. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°He defeated a Master while being an Expert himself. I rarely get surprised now that I¡¯ve grown old, but Young Master Raon surprises me every time. From my knowledge, he must be the first one on the continent¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it before either. It¡¯s really bothersome that he doesn¡¯t lead a normal life.¡± Glenn nodded. His eyes were sharp, but the corners of his mouth were drawing into a smooth curve. ¡°Why did he have to defeat an apostle and make me so curious?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°Defeating a Master as an Expert. Everyone might go crazy. Ahem!¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Roenn smiled, watching as Glenn awkwardly boasted about his grandson. ¡°I want to issue an order to the Shadow Agents, but it will be faster to have the boy tell me about it directly. I want to make them return quickly and listen to the story.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m also curious.¡± ¡°And that bastard Rimmer needs a beating.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± * * * Raon went to the city hall alongside the Light Wind squad. Since the annex building was under the main street, they had to walk for a while to reach the city hall. ¡°W-Wait! That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Blonde hair and red eyes! Zieghart¡¯s uniform!¡± ¡°That¡¯s him! The Light Wind¡¯s vice-leader, who defeated the seventh apostle!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± The people on the main street eximed upon recognizing Raon. ¡°I heard he was seriously injured. Why does he look perfectly fine?¡± ¡°The superhumans have a faster recovery, you know.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that such a young swordsman killed the archbishop and defeated an apostle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. He¡¯s the one that discovered the location of the White Blood Religion¡¯s Porvan branch!¡± ¡°I heard he even dered that he would kill the tenth apostle!¡± ¡°Is this what Zieghart is like?¡± People were already aware of Raon¡¯s deeds. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked around. Everyone seemed to know about him. ¡°The rumor that you killed the archbishop and defeated the seventh apostle has already spread.¡± ¡°Who¡­ Ah, I guess that¡¯s obvious.¡± He didn¡¯t even need to ask. It was clearly the gambling addict squad leader¡¯s doing, since he had nothing else to do. ¡°Well, the squad leader had the biggest contribution, but the hostages that remained there talked about you a lot.¡± Burren continued with a faint smile. ¡°People¡¯s awareness of the Light Wind squad has increased tremendously thanks to you. Although it was just our first mission, the rumor is spreading that you are the best among the young warriors of the Six Kings.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon frowned slightly. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. ¡°He looks even more awesome when he frowns!¡± ¡°Indeed! A Zieghart needs a cold-blooded appearance like that!¡± ¡°Is he notpletely recovered yet?¡± ¡°I guess. He must have a serious internal injury, since he defeated a Master while being just an Expert. He must be enduring the pain right now.¡± ¡°And he even dered war against the tenth apostle in that state. He¡¯s a born hero!¡± However, people eximed even more loudly, captivated by the frown. The positive interpretation made him somewhat understand why Rimmer told him to be famous. As he was about to enter city hall with an awkward expression on his face, a group of people came out. It was Morell, Sman, and Princess Jayna. ¡°Hiee!¡± As soon as the princess saw him, she shrieked as if she had seen a ghost, then stepped back. The others looked at her, and she lowered her reddening face. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Raon bowed to Morell politely. ¡°How is your body?¡± ¡°Body?¡± ¡°B-But! Isn¡¯t the mission already over¡­ Sir?¡± Morell¡¯s eyes widened in panic, but he still remembered to add ¡®Sir¡¯ in the meantime. ¡°Indeed, the mission is over. I was just kidding.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Once he said it was a joke, Morell frowned and breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°You are more yful than you look.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon smiled faintly. ¡°Anyway, you really did great. On top of finding the White Blood Religion¡¯s Porvan branch and defeating the archbishop, you even won against the seventh apostle.¡± His eyes, which looked cold at a nce, were still reflecting his shock. ¡°I admit that our Balkarpletely lost against Zieghart this time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no winning or losing since it was a mission.¡± ¡°No, we did lose. Have you ever heard the Balkar name on your way here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Morell was right. All he heard on the way was his own name¡ªthat of Zieghart and the Light Wind. ¡°The Six Kings are allies, but alsopetitors at the same time. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say, but Zieghart¡¯s stature has been raised while Balkar¡¯s stature has been lowered from this incident.¡± ¡°Are you saying that a single mission affects the value of a name?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it means to put the Six King¡¯s name on the line. Moreover, everything you did was a surprise. The archbishop was one thing, but I waspletely shocked when I heard you defeated the seventh apostle. I couldn¡¯t even properly extinguish the fire in the food warehouse because of that.¡± Morell smiled bitterly in regret. Tsk, it wasn¡¯t that amazing. Wrath clicked his tongue in frustration. Finish your business already and go to the restaurant. There was nothing but food and the restaurant in his head. ¡°The loser will leave now. There¡¯s nothing else for us to do here.¡± ¡°Thank you for your effort.¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t really any effort. We¡¯ve just been yed by your n. I don¡¯t understand how a weirdo like Rimmer managed to raise someone like you.¡± ¡°He still gets serious when ites down to it.¡± ¡°But it rarelyes down to it.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll pay back today¡¯s humiliation the next time we meet.¡± Morell shook his hand, then went down the main street. He was speaking rather nicely, but his pride seemed to be hurt. ¡°Sir Raon, I¡¯ll be looking forward to the next time we meet.¡± ¡°Yes, see you again next time.¡± Zatice bowed at a 90-degrees as he passed by, and Raon nodded with a smile. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Princess Jayna walked between the magicians in order to avoid meeting his eyes. ¡°Princess, am I really not even getting a thanks, despite having saved you?¡± While trying to run away, Jayna flinched and stopped walking. ¡°Th-Thank you¡­Sir.¡± After saying that, she hurriedly turned around. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon snickered. As expected, the prideful princess didn¡¯t tell anyone about the incident. ¡°Hey.¡± He called out to Inield, who was walking at the very back. ¡°Yes? Ah, yes!¡± He straightened his back like a soldier. He must¡¯ve realized from the rumors that Raon was on apletely different level from him. ¡°You didn¡¯t get any serious injuries, right?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± He answered, but he didn¡¯t have any front teeth. ¡°You should be careful in the future where you step in, since you might lose your life from recklessly interfering.¡± ¡°Yes! Th-Thank you for saving me!¡± Raon tapped his shoulder, and Inield¡¯s body trembled as he nodded. ¡°You can go now.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He hurriedly ran towards Morell in order to avoid being called on again. Raon snickered, then opened the door to city hall. He could guess that the rumor was also spread inside city hall, since everyone inside widened their eyes. Raon nonchntly epted their surprised gazes, heading upstairs to see the mayor. ¡°Ooh! You woke up!¡± As soon as he entered, Porvan¡¯s mayor, Owist, quickly stood and ran up to him. His big face was filled with a smile. ¡°How is your body?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve recovered thanks to your consideration.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± He nodded, maintaining a big smile. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon sat on the chair the mayor pointed to. ¡°You really did something amazing. You saved my life¡ªno, it wouldn¡¯t be excessive to say that you saved Porvan City.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that much¡­¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s true!¡± The mayor shook his head violently. ¡°Let alone the matter with the White Blood Religion, Balkar would¡¯ve enveloped the entire city of Porvan in mes if the kidnapped princess couldn¡¯t be rescued. You found the branch to save the princess, and even defeated the archbishop and the apostle.¡± Owist wasn¡¯t just ttering him, since it was true that the Balkar¡¯s king treasured the princess. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I can repay the favor of saving me, the citizens, and the city itself.¡± He stood up from his chair and bowed deeply to express his gratitude. ¡°I¡¯ve onlypleted a mission bestowed upon me.¡± Raon showed humility for instance. What are you doing? You came here to get money! Show your true nature! Wrath yelled at him to show his true nature already instead of wasting time. ¡®Wait a little. I can¡¯t just straight up say that.¡¯ He casually shook his head. ¡°Since you¡¯vepletely removed the White Blood Religion¡¯s branch and even defeated an apostle, I¡¯d like to grant any of your wishes.¡± ¡°Ah, now that you mention, you said you would grant a reward once wepleted the mission, right?¡± ¡°Yes! I did!¡± Owist confidently thumped his chest. ¡°Well, in that case¡­¡± Raon stretched his hand towards Dorian on his right side. ¡°Yes.¡± Dorian put his hand in his belly pocket, taking out a contract filled with lots of small letters. ¡°Actually, we have so many shortages because we are a new organization. I¡¯m really thankful that you are willing to provide us with everything.¡± ¡°What? I-I didn¡¯t say everything, though¡­¡± ¡°First of all, there is too much dust in our training ground. We need to fill it with soft soil, which is best suited for training.¡± Before Owist could finish the denial, Raon mentioned the first article written on the contract. ¡°S-Soft soil¡¯s price is¡­¡± ¡°Next, I¡¯d like to give our members a small elixir per person, because they are too exhausted from fighting this time.¡± ¡°Th-The price of elixirs is a problem, but the supply¡­¡± ¡°And we¡¯d like sage¡¯s fabrics to maintain our swords, as many as our members.¡± ¡°S-Sage¡¯s fabric is more expensive than high-quality silk¡­¡± ¡°We also need some activity funds because we are a new organization, as I mentioned before. I think this much gold should be appropriate aspensation¡­¡± ¡°Gold on top of all those articles?¡± ¡°Yes, we absolutely need them.¡± Raon ignored all the denials from Owist, listing the articles written in the contract before proceeding to the gold part, where he showed the precise amount they needed. ¡°Uawwgh¡­¡± Owist¡¯s eyes lost focus upon seeing the articles and the amount of gold. ¡°Do you guys need anything?¡± ¡°I want to refill the supplies that I used during this mission!¡± Dorian immediately raised his hand. ¡°Since I used them during the mission, it should be okay, right?¡± ¡°O-Of course, that¡¯s fine.¡± Owist nodded despite his confused state. ¡°Really? Then, please buy me these items!¡± Dorian took out from his belly pocket a paper even longer and wider than Raon¡¯s. ¡°First, one big club, a small club, a special contract, a normal contract, and seventeen tents and sleeping bags. I also used a smokescreen bead and a lighting bead¡­¡± ¡°But you still have the clubs and the tents.¡± ¡°You know that the value depreciates after usage.¡± ¡°I-I feel like my words are getting twisted¡­¡± Owist¡¯s face gradually turned pale. He grasped his stomach with trembling hands. ¡°I need equipment to maintain the training outfit. I saw a product using water magic stones and wind magic stones on the way here.¡± Burren didn¡¯t miss the opportunity, mentioning an object used for maintaining clothes. ¡°I don¡¯t have any.¡± ¡°Bead ice cream.¡± Martha shook her head and said she didn¡¯t need anything, and Runaan mentioned the ice cream, as expected. ¡°Ice cream? Sure, be my guest¡­¡± ¡°Shop.¡± Owist cheered up for the first time, but his face turned yellow again once Runaan continued. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Bead ice cream shop.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± * * * * * * Raon left city hall with the contract signed by Owist. Because of what he said before, he had to sign the paper, grasping his stomach as if he had an ulcer. The signature was a bit messy because of that. What a terrible guy¡­ Wrath shook his head in revulsion. He didn¡¯t seem to believe that Raon would seriously get everything written on the contract. ¡®You gotta thoroughly benefit from an opportunity.¡¯ Since you could never anticipate when the next opportunity would ur, you had to benefit from it as much as you could when you had one. Moreover, all the money would¡¯ve be Rimmer¡¯s gambling money if he missed it. ¡®I earned quite a lot.¡¯ Adding Owist¡¯s gold to what he earned from the casino, he had enough money to settle anywhere on the continent, which felt rather reassuring. While he was tapping on his inner pocket, where he ced the gold, he could see Runaan pouting slightly. She seemed to be sulking a little because her request for an ice cream shop wasn¡¯t granted. ¡°I can¡¯t buy you a shop, but I¡¯ll buy all kinds of ice cream instead. Let¡¯s eat for now.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Once Raon said he would buy her all the ice cream she wanted, she stopped pouting and nodded. ¡®Where was the restaurant you wanted to go to again?¡¯ Raon tapped Wrath, who had his arms crossed in displeasure. Are we finally going? ¡®I promised, so I¡¯m keeping it.¡¯ Fine! That¡¯s what a human should do! The name is the Eastern Cockb! It¡¯s famous for dishes made of chicken! ¡®How did you even find out about that ce?¡¯ While you were investigating those fanatics, the King of Essence investigated the restaurants. ¡®That¡¯s amazing¡­¡¯ It looked like he had gathered information about restaurants with his hearing. His passion was worthy of admiration. ¡°Since the mission is over, let¡¯s go eat together. Today, I¡¯ll buy.¡± Raon gathered the swordsmen and invited them to eat together. ¡°Ohhh!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°How generous! I knew you were different from the squad leader!¡± ¡°I heard the Eastern Cockb is nice. Does anyone know its location?¡± ¡°I do!¡± Dorian immediately raised his hand. He really knew everything, Raon thought. ¡°Let¡¯s go there since they apparently make delicious chicken.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± While Dorian guided them to the Eastern Cockb, a red-haired elf walked towards them from the front, his shoulders drooping. ¡°Squad leader?¡± ¡°Raon? You woke up!¡± Rimmer removed his frown and smiled brightly as he approached them. ¡°You have a healthyplexion. Though, weren¡¯t your wounds more severe than this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your quick measures.¡± ¡°What? Ah, yes. I did really well back then.¡± Rimmer agreed with a grin. ¡°But you look like you lost everything.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t really lose¡­¡± Judging from his dubious voice, he must¡¯ve lost down to the ground in the gambling house. ¡°Which casino did you gamble at?¡± ¡°Cat¡¯s Jelly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon felt like he heard that name before, and it sounded like a den of swindlers. ¡°Since we are having a meal together, how about joining us?¡± ¡°Meal? Of course! I¡¯ll join! But this squad leader has something left to do. I¡¯ll join youter.¡± ¡°Alright,e to the Eastern Cockb.¡± Raon bowed, before heading towards the road on the right side. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Rimmer waved his hand, then went to city hall. A smile secretly appeared in his awkward expression. ¡®He finally woke up. I can go there now.¡¯ His conscience didn¡¯t allow him to discuss mary rewards while Raon was still unconscious. That was why he postponed the meeting with the mayor, and he decided that it was fine now. ¡°Huhuhu, you are all dead!¡± Gambling was all about how much one could stake. Rimmer was already smiling, looking forward to gambling with the huge amount of reward that the mayor would give him. ¡°Hnngh!¡± Rimmer went to the mayor¡¯s room, humming in anticipation. ¡°Wee, Sword of Light!¡± Owist was grasping his stomach, his face pale. He looked like he wasn¡¯t feeling too well. ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look healthy.¡± ¡°Ah, I just have a sore stomach¡­¡± ¡°You should be careful with your body.¡± Rimmer worriedly examined Owist from top to bottom. ¡°I-I¡¯m alright.¡± Owist personally made some tea and ced it in front of Rimmer. ¡°But what¡¯s the purpose¡­¡± ¡°You remember what we talked about before, that you would give us additional rewards after this mission¡­¡± ¡°I see, you came to confirm. Haa, your subordinates are really amazing.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± Rimmer opened his hand to get the money, but his eyes widened. ¡°Everything they requested was of high quality, but I couldn¡¯t even refuse because it was still possible to acquire it in Porvan. I¡¯m sure he thoroughly prepared beforehand.¡± Owist sighed, while cing the contract on the table. ¡°Th-This is¡­¡± Rimmer realized what was happening after reading the words and the names on the contract. Raon and the Light Wind had beaten him to the punch. ¡°Getting extorted to this extent was a first in my career as the mayor. I realized once again that I have to be careful of what I say. I should¡¯ve said that I would grant something like five requests.¡± Owist tightly grasped his sour stomach once again. ¡°You must¡¯ve been worried about whether the Light Wind managed to negotiate properly, but there¡¯s no need. Starting from Sir Raon, all of them are amazing fellows. Haha!¡± ¡°B-By the way, how about the additional gold¡­¡± ¡°They took it, of course.¡± He pointed at the empty coffer behind him. ¡°They didn¡¯t only take the articles, but also the activity funds. I¡¯ll have to spend my own money on top of the city¡¯s budget.¡± ¡°Ahaha! S-So, they even took the gold¡­¡± Rimmer nodded like a fool. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask for more money when Owist mentioned he would spend his personal money on top of the city¡¯s budget. ¡°S-Since I¡¯ve confirmed, I¡¯ll get going¡­¡± A sorrowful tear dropped from the gambling addict¡¯s left eye as he turned around. It¡¯s a tiger cub that I raised¡­ Chapter 188 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 188 Raon entered the restaurant called the Eastern Cockb with Wrath, who was dancing in the air in excitement. Contrary to itsrge appearance and supposed poprity, there was barely anyone inside and the food¡¯s fragrance couldn¡¯t be found either. ¡°We¡­ Gasp!¡± A middle-aged man with slightly droopy eyes seemed to be the manager. His jaw dropped after examining Raon, who was taking the lead. ¡°A-Are you actually the Young Sword Demon, Sir Raon?¡± ¡°Young Sword Demon?¡± ¡°The rumor spread that the young Sword Demon that defended Habun Castle was the vice-squad leader. That¡¯s why people recently started calling Sir Raon the Young Sword Demon.¡± Dorian silently stepped up next to him and whispered. ¡®Young Sword Demon¡­¡¯ It sounded rtively weak for someone that defeated an apostle, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The man that was called the Sword Demon was a powerful Grandmaster. ¡°Benefactor! My name is Twell!¡± The manager introduced himself as Twell, then suddenly leaned forward and lowered his head. ¡°Benefactor?¡± ¡°My daughter safely returned thanks to the benefactor. Thank you very much. Belle!¡± He shouted at the kitchen, his head still lowered, and a woman came out wearing a white bandana around her head. Her droopy eyes looked simr to the manager¡¯s. ¡°Huh? Ooh!¡± The woman named Belle hurriedly ran towards Raon upon recognizing his face. ¡°S-Sir Raon! You woke up.¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°I was there when Sir Raon was fighting against the apostle.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± If she was there, she must¡¯ve been one of the hostages that couldn¡¯t run away because of the aggravated situation. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°It was all thanks to Sir Raon¡¯s consideration. You kept a distance from us in order to avoid harming us.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips. He did lead the apostle to a ce with nothing behind them in order to avoid damaging the swordsmen and hostages around them, and she must¡¯ve noticed his intentions. ¡°I¡¯m really grateful. It was all thanks to you that I returned home safely.¡± ¡°I¡¯d also like to express my gratitude, Benefactor!¡± The father and daughter bowed at him. From the way their hands were trembling, Raon could tell at a nce that they were thanking him from the bottom of their hearts. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon felt a tingling sensation in his heart. The gratitude from people who¡¯d been saved by him was more impressive than the random people outside praising him as powerful and amazing. ¡®I don¡¯t even need to eat at this point.¡¯ Although he hadn¡¯t started eating yet, he already felt like he was full. Stop saying bullshit and start ordering already. Wrath frowned, telling him to cut the crap. ¡°Benefactor, we will do anything we can do for you!¡± The manager spread his arms, telling him to say anything he wanted. ¡°No, it¡¯s enough for me that your daughter is safe.¡± Raon smiled at them, and their mouths became round open. It looked like they didn¡¯t expect him to say that it was okay without making any requests. ¡°No, but still¡­¡± ¡°Then, please prepare our meal. We all came here to eat, after all.¡± ¡°Ah, of course. By the way¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Our restaurant¡¯s pride, the Lanchelin Stir-Fried Chicken, is unavable right now. We are out of ingredients.¡± The manager bitterly bit his lips. ¡°Are you out of ingredients?¡± ¡°When the White Blood fanatics set fires while running away, the food storehouse that we shared with a few other restaurants burned down.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why¡­¡± He thought it was strange that the restaurant was empty. It was because they ran out of ingredients. Kuh¡­ A beast¡¯s groan could be heard from Wrath¡¯s mouth. Again? Agaain? Agaaaain! Just like the first time they met, Wrath puffed up and spread out a huge amount of coldness and wrath. How could they burn down the ingredients? Why is the King of Essence never able to eat anything? All I want is a single dish, yet something stops me every single time! Does the world hate the King of Essence or something? ¡®It can¡¯t be helped if it¡¯s burned down.¡¯ It¡¯s all your fault! Everything would¡¯ve been okay if you were defending this restaurant instead of fighting that shitter! ¡®Stop being unreasonable.¡¯ It¡¯s not unreasonable! The King of Essence would¡¯ve turned both of them into ice in an instant beforeing here to extinguish the fire! ¡®But I¡¯m not you.¡¯ That¡¯s why! Give me your body! The King of Essence will catch everyone from the White Blood Religion or White Shit Religion or whatever, then separate them into bones and flesh! ¡®Of course I won¡¯t.¡¯ Uuuh¡­ Wrath shrank like a t balloon and sank on the floor. It¡¯s over now. I¡¯m never going to believe you ever again, nor grant your requests. ¡®But we still have the ice cream.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Wrath didn¡¯t respond, despite Raon mentioning the ice cream. He quickly turned his head, showing how angry he was. ¡®Since I saw a few bead ice cream shops were open, I¡¯ll buy two sets¡­¡¯ ¡°Dad, we¡¯ve got Lantics.¡± ¡°Ah! You are right!¡± As Raon was trying to cheer Wrath up with ice cream, the manager pped his hands. ¡°We don¡¯t have the Lanchelin chicken, but we have something even better.¡± ¡°What would that be¡­?¡± ¡°When the mountain next to the city copsed, eight of the Lantics chickens were caught.¡± ¡°Lantics chicken?¡± Raon tilted his head. Just like the Lanchelin, he had never heard about Lantics before. ¡°It¡¯s an extremely rare chicken, to the point that it¡¯s called the phoenix of food ingredients. Because of its rarity despite the amazing taste, it¡¯s said that you have to be royalty to have it, and even then, they can only have it a couple times a year. The tender meat of the big and greasy chicken is one of the greatest delicacies.¡± Ohh, how could such a chicken exist¡­? Icy coldness was drooling from Wrath¡¯s mouth, who jumped up to float in front of the manager. ¡°Since we¡¯ve already finished reopening, would you like stir fried Lantics?¡± The manager gathered his hands, pleading for him to let him repay Raon. ¡°Hmm, you don¡¯t need to go that far, since it sounds like a precious ingredient¡­¡± Ahem! When Raon tried to refuse, Wrath cleared his throat while covering his mouth with his hand. Refusing repayment isn¡¯t a virtue. Too much modesty is a w. He frowned, hiding his mouth with his hand. ¡°Not at all! Lantics chicken is nothing, since you¡¯ve saved the entire city on top of my daughter! Please, wait for a little while, since I¡¯ll prepare it right away!¡± ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± The manager and Belle bobbed their heads, then ran to the kitchen at the same time. Hmph! Raon looked aside upon hearing aughing sound. Wrath was trembling, covering his mouth. ¡®Are youughing right now?¡¯ I don¡¯t know what you are talking about. Don¡¯t speak to the King of Essence. Wrath was still pretending to be angry, but he couldn¡¯t hide the happiness in his voice. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Raon put away the hand covering Wrath¡¯s mouth. The corners of his mouth were raised so high that they looked like they could reach the ceiling. ¡®The saltiness is gone so quickly. This demon king is really as light as a feather.¡¯ Raonughed bitterly because of how ridiculously fast his anger was gone. Sh-Shut up. Go take a seat instead. Wrath blushed. It looked like he was also embarrassed. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head, then went to take a seat at the table in the center. The other Light Wind members also took a seat. ¡°Please savor this in the meantime.¡± The manager brought stir-fried pork, liquor, and some simple side dishes from the kitchen. Ahem, just like I heard, this shop¡¯s stir-fry is great. It¡¯s properly fried at an intense heat without burning the vegetables and the meat. Wrath smiled in satisfaction after trying out the stir-fried pork. The way he kept looking in the kitchen¡¯s direction while licking his lips showed his anticipation. After enjoying the stir-fried pork and liquor for about twenty minutes, a huge chicken came out on a big dish that an adult man could barely carry. ¡°Here is the Lantics stir-fried chicken that¡¯s only avable today! Enjoy your meal!¡± ¡°Enjoy your meal!¡± The manager and Belle expressed their gratitude at each table while cing dishes. ¡°It has a nice fragrance.¡± Dorian licked his lips from the stir-fried chicken¡¯s fragrance. ¡°Indeed.¡± The spicy and sweet fragrance was mouth-watering. Q-Quickly! Eat it already! Fast! Wrath stuck his tongue out and panted like a dog. He kept tapping on Raon¡¯s shoulder, telling him that he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. ¡®Calm down a little.¡¯ Raon pushed him aside with his elbow and picked up some of the stir-fried chicken. He ced the vegetables cut into small pieces on the meat, then put it in his mouth. As soon as the garlic¡¯s numbing spiciness and the hot pepper¡¯s simple spiciness stimted his mouth, the sweet taste of the sauce engulfed his tongue and neutralized the spicy taste. The harmony between the crispy skin of the chicken and the tender meat followed, creating a small explosion inside his mouth. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Raon eximed. It was different from any chicken that he had tasted before. There was a good reason that it was a rare food even for royalty. Dozens of pieces of gold wouldn¡¯t be excessive as a price. ¡°Woow!¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s really delicious!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time eating something like this!¡± Dorian, Runaan, and the other swordsmen also widened their eyes upon eating the Lantics stir-fried chicken. Because of the unbearably good taste, they started gobbling up the food with their faces on the dishes. ¡®How about you?¡¯ Raon looked at Wrath next to him. He looked like a man ascending, his eyes closed and arms open. His whole body was trembling in tion. The King of Essence is d to be alive. He saw the intensity of stir-frying inside this dish. Wrath gave an extremely satisfied smile, slowly opening his eyes. He looked more like an angel rather than a demon king. Did you see this, cub? ¡®See what?¡¯ The King of Essence fought against the world and won. Heaven tried stopping the King of Essence, but he pierced through the wall and obtained this heavenly taste in his tongue. ¡®You didn¡¯t do anything, though.¡¯ Raon frowned. The Lantics chicken appeared because Rimmer and the tenth apostle destroyed the mountain, and the chicken was offered thanks to Raon¡¯s deeds. It was nonsensical to im it was his doing. Everything is thanks to the King of Essence standing at the center. This is what you call charisma, and this is the Monarch of Wrath. ¡®Monarch of Wrath or whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m saying you didn¡¯t do anything!¡¯ Come at me, world! * * * * * * Two dayster. Since Raon and the Light Wind squad had fully recovered, they left Porvan City amidst the crowd¡¯s cheers. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The mayor Owist licked his lips, looking at the Light Wind squad as they got further away. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± His secretary, Bayzon, stepped up next to him. ¡°You¡¯ve looked troubled ever since you talked to the Light Wind¡¯s vice leader.¡± ¡°Troubled? Yes, I¡¯m troubled.¡± ¡°What? N-No way, did they actually make another request?¡± Bayzon panicked and grabbed Owist¡¯s sleeve. ¡°The requests he made are already enough to endanger our financial situation! We have to use all the budget we saved upst year!¡± Every single request from Raon and the Light Wind cost a lot of money. Bayzon couldn¡¯t express how d he was that the request of giving them an ice cream shop wasn¡¯t granted. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not about that.¡± Owist waved his hand. ¡°However, it¡¯s an even more difficult and troublesome matter.¡± ¡°What did he even say¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. He proposed that Porvan to only ask for help from Zieghart in the future.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± Bayzon¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®That pretty much means that we will be affiliated to them.¡¯ Asking them to only offer Zieghart missions meant that they were monopolizing the missions. It was a different story from rewarding them by using the city¡¯s budget. Moreover, Porvan was located between Balkar Kingdom and Zieghart, which wasn¡¯t far away from the Owen Kingdom. Since they were pretty much located at a crossroads, they couldn¡¯t easily decide on an affiliation. ¡°I¡¯m against it. Since we are located in the middle of multiple forces, a monopoly will most likely aggravate our rtionship with other Kingdoms.¡± Bayzon shook his head in denial. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not even worthy of consideration. Since we¡¯ve always been neutral, we can stay neutral in the future.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. However¡­¡± Owist looked at Raon¡¯s back as he left the front gate. ¡°I have a feeling that man will open a new era.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bayzon followed Owist¡¯s gaze to look at Raon. ¡°I¡¯m also aware that he defeated an apostle, but shouldn¡¯t it be a coincidence to some extent?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°Moreover, there¡¯s a rumor about a future archmage in Balkar. He can apparently use all four affinities, and evenbat magic on top of that. Since we don¡¯t know what is going to happen in the future, it¡¯s too dangerous to choose a side.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also true.¡± ¡°Then, there¡¯s no need to think about¡­¡± ¡°However.¡± Owist¡¯s eyes sunk deep in thought. ¡°I¡¯m not currently looking at the man named Raon.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The future. I¡¯m trying to look at the size of the mountain that man is going to climb in the future.¡± ¡°Did you manage to see it?¡± ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t see it because it¡¯s too high.¡± He had met countless famous powerhouses and royals throughout his career as Porvan¡¯s mayor, but Raon was more unpredictable than any of them. He couldn¡¯t grasp where, and how high, he was going to reach. ¡°T-To that extent?¡± ¡°Yes. If I wanted to invest money, I would have invested my entire fortune in him.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Bayzon gasped. Despite his friendly and gentle appearance, Owist was judicious concerning money and investments. It was his first time seeing him make such an evaluation about another person. ¡°I understand what you mean, but isn¡¯t it fine to maintain our current condition? It¡¯s not like our city loses to any other¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s one city near us that is far better than ours. Cameloon.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The volume of trade in Cameloon was several timesrger than Porvan, and they were even bigger in terms of poption. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they were on apletely different level. ¡°We will never be able to surpass them at this rate.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Bayzon silently nodded. ¡°Keep gathering information about Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°What information¡­?¡± ¡°About where he did which mission, and who he defeated. Make sure to properly confirm before recording them in detail.¡± Owist¡¯s eyes, reflecting the sunlight, were filled with passion. ¡°Since that information might contain thedder that would allow our city to climb higher.¡± * * * Light Wind had returned to Zieghart. Rimmer normally would have been the one leading the members from the front, but Raon had to take the lead upon reaching the front gate, since Rimmer was wobbling like a zombie. ¡°We can finally rest.¡± ¡°Porvan was nice, but home is the best.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going to take a bath right away. I need to wash myself.¡± Since they sessfully finished their first mission, the members¡¯ faces were fully blooming with smiles. ¡°Squad leader.¡± Raon dragged Rimmer to the front before Zieghart¡¯s front gate opened. ¡°We¡¯ve reached the house. Please announce the end of the mission.¡± ¡°Eh, err¡­¡± Rimmer raised his head, faltering like a marite with broken strings. Look at his face. Wrath giggled while watching Rimmer¡¯s unfocused eyes, since he managed to enjoy everything from the delicious food to the ice cream. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while looking at Rimmer. ¡®I should give him a few pieces of gold.¡¯ He really looked like he was about to wither at that rate. Raon figured he needed to share some of the reward money, even though he would probably end up losing it while gambling. ¡°M-Mission is over. You can go rest now, and lend me some money if you have¡­¡± As Rimmer was telling them to rest while begging for money at the same time, Zieghart¡¯s huge front gate split into half and a man asrge as a steel tower stepped out. He was Illiune, the foreign minister of the house. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s somewhere you need to visit before resting.¡± Illuine¡¯s sharp eyes dly examined everyone in front of the Light Wind¡¯s formation. ¡°The head of house has summoned all of you.¡± He raised his chin and smiled brightly. ¡°He¡¯s probably giving you a gift, since you raised the house¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°Gift? Money? Gold?¡± A spark appeared in Rimmer¡¯s dead eyes. Chapter 189 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 189 Roenn, who had been waiting in front of the lord¡¯s manor, guided Raon into audience chamber. However¡­ ¡®Is he really going to give us gifts?¡¯ Glenn¡¯s mouth was distorted in displeasure. His pressure was also unusually heavy, making it difficult to breathe. He looks like he is about to toss out a bunch of insults instead of giving gifts. Wrath snickered while looking up at Glenn. ¡°Hmm.¡± Along with the other members of Light Wind, Raon watched Glenn while staying on his knees, and Glenn tilted his chin slightly. ¡°Light Wind¡¯s vice leader.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon slightly lowered his head and calmly answered. ¡°Tell me, with your own words, what happened in Porvan City.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. The first people we met upon arriving at Porvan city were Morell and Sman, Balkar Kingdom¡¯s royal magicians. We made a small bet with them¡­¡± ¡°Bet?¡± ¡°It was a simple spar.¡± ¡°Did you win?¡± His pressure became even heavier. It felt like the air inside the room would disappear if Raon said he lost. ¡°Yes. I won and turned Sman into our subordinates during the mission.¡± ¡°Subordinates, that¡¯s nice.¡± Glenn expressed his appreciation, and the heavy atmosphere disappeared at once. Although he seemed to stay aloof from the world, he still seemed to care about thepetition between the Six Kings. ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°Yes. I went to meet the mayor, Owist, after that¡­¡± Raon told him about everything that happened in Porvan in a more pleasant atmosphere. Glenn flinched for a moment when he mentioned that he tried gathering information in a casino, but the rest was smooth. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how the tenth apostle took the copsed seventh apostle and left.¡± ¡°What were the casualties?¡± ¡°Martha and I received internal injuries, and a few others had minor injuries, but everyone has finished recovering now.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Roenn gasped in admiration upon hearing the full story. ¡°Hmph.¡± Glenn simply nodded, without changing his expression in the slightest. ¡®His reaction is too indifferent.¡¯ I told you, that¡¯s not a big deal for people like King of Essence and your head of house. ¡®I know.¡¯ Wrath had cheered up after eating food and ice cream to his heart¡¯s content and had begun making irritatingments. ¡°Good job.¡± However, the first thing Glenn said was apliment, despite Wrath¡¯s expectations. ¡°You must¡¯ve been nervous because it was your first mission as a swordsman, but you did great. I particrly liked the part where you made Balkar into sidekicks.¡± ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t a big deal!¡± ¡°We only did what we were naturally supposed to do!¡± Because of the incongruence between Glenn¡¯s words and the sharp atmosphere of the audience chamber, the Light Wind members hurriedly shook their heads. ¡°Not having a single fatality from shing head-on against the Five Demons is praiseworthy. This is especially the case because it was your first mission as novice swordsmen.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± The swordsmen were overwhelmed by emotion and trembled at being praised by Glenn personally. Everyone seemed to be deeply moved, as it was rare for the man called the Destructive King of the North to praise anyone. ¡°That is why what will happen from now on is important.¡± Glenn slowly raised himself up from the throne. The powerful energy wave that spread out in an instant made it feel like a mountain was moving. ¡°Those that don¡¯t know about you will keep looking down on you and pick fights, and those that learned about you from this incident will try to confirm if the rumors of your skills are true.¡± Raon nodded. ¡®He¡¯s right.¡¯ Just as Glenn said, those that didn¡¯t hear the rumor would look down on them and pick fights like Balkar did, and those that heard the rumor will try to test them to see if they were powerful enough to defeat the White Blood Religion. Raon could guess that it would be more dangerous and annoying in the future. ¡°What you are going to need is unity and might. Since you¡¯ve been together ever since you were trainees, you shouldn¡¯t lose to other squads and divisions in terms of unity, but you arecking in terms of might.¡± After saying that, Glenn snapped his fingers. Along with a cheerful sound that resounded throughout the audience chamber, the floor shook to the point where it seemed like it would copse. Rumble! Golden me surged from the trembling audience chamber¡¯s floor in a spiral. Whir! The me pir subsided after reaching the ceiling, and a huge circr bookshelf¡ªthe entirety of which couldn¡¯t be seen at a nce¡ªmade its appearance. All kinds of books were crammed inside hundreds ofpartments. ¡°This is from before¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. It was the bookshelf that he learned about the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation from. ¡°Th-The Library of Enlightenment!¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened as he looked up at the bookshelf. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m witnessing this with my own eyes¡­¡± He was moved to tears as he grasped his chest and sniffled. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°I never thought I would see the Library of Enlightenment one day¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a dream.¡± The other Light Wind members also eximed. It looked like the bookshelf¡¯s name was the Library of Enlightenment. ¡°This is the reward for your achievement of getting the upper hand against Balkar and defeating the White Blood Religion on your first mission. ce your hand at the central area of the library and take one book of martial arts each.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± ¡°We are honored!¡± The Light Wind members went down to their knees and bowed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. Start already.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded, then looked at Burren, who understood his intentions and stepped forward. His face turned red in excitement, and he put his hand at the central part of the bookshelf. Whir! The bookshelf vibrated and started rotating, then one book slowly dropped from the center. ¡°Ah!¡± Burren raised his trembling hands to ept the book with sparkling eyes. Raon checked the title over his shoulder, and it was called Stance Mastery. Judging from the title, it seemed to be a book about how to control the body itself. ¡®I guess that¡¯s the area in which he¡¯scking right now.¡¯ Since Burren had a special swordsmanship, Barren Wind, he must have received a technique to control his body to help with that swordsmanship. ¡®It really must be choosing what we need the most.¡¯ Once a warrior put their hand on the library, they seemed to get the technique they needed the most. Raon couldn¡¯t tell what kind of magic, formation, and technique had been used to create the library, but it could be only described as divine. ¡°Nice.¡± Raon turned around upon hearing a cheerful voice, and Rimmer was nodding in satisfaction. ¡®He¡¯s feeling better.¡¯ He was dying just a moment ago because he lost all his money, yet he was already rejoicing at his students getting rewarded. ¡®He would be a really nice person if only he could stop gambling.¡¯ He truly cared about the students, but he showed the ugly side of a human being where money and gambling were concerned. Raon figured he might need to start a campaign to stop him from gambling. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon sent Runaan up next. She got a swordsmanship that would allow a more shy and sharp control of the water attribute aura. Martha received a powerful and destructive footwork, which was suitable for her. Dorian got footwork specialized in dodging, and a paper on top. And curiously, it was written on the paper how to store and handle baggage more efficiently instead of a martial art. Every Light Wind swordsman received a suitable book, and Raon¡¯s turn eventually came. ¡®I wonder what I¡¯m going to get.¡¯ Raon licked his lips, looking at the bookshelf. ¡®Footwork would be the best, I think.¡¯ He still had many sword techniques to learn, and he didn¡¯t need more ways to control his body since he had the Ring of Fire. Since he could only learn half of the Supreme Harmony Steps, what he needed the most was another footwork to follow the River Footwork. He ced his hand at the center of the bookshelf, hoping to gain a footwork. Whir! The Library of Enlightenment rotated, vibrating more than double the amount it did while it dealt with other swordsmen. However, no book appeared, no matter how much it spun. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon tilted his head, cing his hand on the library once again, but the bookshelf wasn¡¯t moving. It just remained still, not vibrating or rotating. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± He was confused and looked at Glenn, but he simply looked indifferent. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any martial arts you need here.¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°The bookshelf seems to dislike you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon tried cing his hand on it once again, but obviously the bookshelf showed no reaction. ¡°This is it for today.¡± Glenn snapped his fingers, and the library sank underground with a gold me, just like when it arrived. ¡°M-My lord.¡± As Raon was thinking it wasn¡¯t his day, Martha raised her hand while trembling. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It was all thanks to Raon that we managed to survive this mission. I¡¯d dly return the footwork I received if it meant Raon could get a different reward.¡± She finished her sentence, despite being subjected to the powerful pressure from Glenn¡¯s gaze. ¡°Martha?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. Burren would¡¯ve been a different story, but he didn¡¯t expect Martha to say that at all. It was even more surprising than the fact that the bookshelf didn¡¯t give him a book. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Martha bit her lips to the point that it seemed like it would bleed, her eyes fixated on Glenn without looking back at Raon. ¡°S-She¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Since we are only here thanks to Raon, we will also return these books if he won¡¯t get any reward.¡± Burren, Runaan, and the other swordsmen stepped up next to Martha, and handing over their books. ¡°You are gravely mistaken.¡± After silently staring at them for a moment, he walked up to the edge of the tform with his hands sped behind his back. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over just because he didn¡¯t get a book. You don¡¯t need to worry, as I¡¯m nning on rewarding the vice leader of Light Wind in some other wayter.¡± ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon nodded. It was a shame that he didn¡¯t get any book on martial arts, but Glenn could be trusted when it came down to rewards and punishments. He could trust him to reward him in some other way. ¡°Ah, thank you! I-It was impudent of me¡­¡± Martha took the book back, her face turning red. ¡°You will leave now.¡± Glenn waved his hand, as if they were annoying him. ¡°Thank you for rewarding the squad members.¡± Raon bowed deeply at Glenn before standing. He looked at Rimmer, but he just smiled faintly, meaning that they should leave without him. ¡°We will be leaving.¡± He nodded, then left the audience chamber alongside the Light Wind. m! The audience chamber¡¯s door closed, and Glenn, Roenn and Rimmer were the only ones left inside the lord¡¯s manor. * * * * * * ¡°How shall I say it? The Light Wind doesn¡¯t feel like a new organization.¡± Roenn smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s really nice to see how they care for each other.¡± ¡°I also didn¡¯t expect Martha to ask me to care for Raon.¡± Glenn nodded, looking at the door everyone left through. ¡°Young Master Raon didn¡¯t express his sadness despite having missed the reward, and the way he congratted everyone instead made me think he really is built differently.¡± ¡°Ahem, that¡¯s true.¡± Glenn cleared his throat, the corners of his mouth loosening as soon as Raon wasplimented. ¡°Who do you think you should thank for that?¡± Rimmer smiled broadly and stood next to Roenn. ¡°It¡¯s only possible because I¡¯m keeping the bnce at the center!¡± He grinned, pointing at himself with his finger. ¡°Yes, thank you for your work.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at Rimmer. ¡°There wasn¡¯t really anything that could be called work. They did everything during the mission.¡± Rimmer shook his head. He would brag about himself when the children were praised, and he would give credit to the children when he was being praised. He truly was a strange person. ¡°How strong was the tenth apostle?¡± ¡°He¡¯s surpassed the second wall. I¡¯m not exactly sure, since we didn¡¯t fight all out, but I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s at least a Grandmaster.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn¡¯s expression remained indifferent, despite hearing that he was a Grandmaster. ¡°I should¡¯ve killed him the first time I saw him.¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped back then. The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and Eden¡¯s head were with him.¡± Rimmer shrugged, looking at the window, where golden sunlight was shining through. ¡°Anyway, Raon helped me a lot in this case.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. The tenth apostle decided to retreat because Raon managed to defeat the seventh apostle. Raon was also the one that made Balkar shut their mouth. You should¡¯ve seen Morell using honorifics when speaking to Raon.¡± The way Morell, who was called the Snake of Raging me, was forced to call Raon ¡®Sir¡¯ was a sight to behold¡ªone that he would pay any amount of money for. ¡°That¡¯s why I ask you to please look after Raon, rather than ying a trick with the library.¡± ¡°Trick?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyebrows lowered slightly, expressing that he had never done such a thing. ¡°You used a shapeless aura to stop any books froming out.¡± Rimmer licked his lips, looking at the floor where the bookshelf used to be located. ¡°I understand why you did that, though.¡± When Raon touched the bookshelf, Rimmer certainly felt that a book was trying toe out, but Glenn used the shapeless aura to stop the book froming out. That was the reason it looked like there was no reaction. ¡°You wanted to teach him personally after stopping a book froming out, right? I wish our Raon knew the ardent feelings of a grandfather for his grandson¡­¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Glenn clicked his tongue and shook his hand. ¡°Yes, sir! The noisy one is going to leave, so please reward me with something as well.¡± Rimmer extended his hands while smiling. ¡°Of course, I was intending to reward you as well.¡± Glenn gestured with his head, and Roenn brought a heavy looking pouch. ¡°Thank you for your efforts.¡± ¡°Ahahaha! Thank you!¡± Rimmer¡¯s face beamed with a smile once he opened the pouch to see the golden light inside. ¡°Is that reward enough?¡± ¡°Ah, of course! I can y as much as I want with this!¡± ¡°But that won¡¯t be enough to win against him. There¡¯s a good reason why he is famous throughout the continent for gambling ¡° ¡°He¡¯s still human. He¡¯s bound to lose one day.¡± ¡°Can you get your head screwed on right? The dead won¡¯t return to life no matter how much money you lose.¡± ¡°My lord, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Hah, forget about the story from the past. It¡¯s time to talk about the mistakes now.¡± Glenn came down from the tform. The entire lord¡¯s manor turned cold from his heavy steps. ¡°What? M-Mistake? What mistake?¡± Rimmer stepped backward, hiding the gold pouch behind his back. ¡°This.¡± Glenn waved a paper in his hand. It was the report he sent before. ¡°Two lines. Did you seriously write a two-line-long report after fighting the apostles?¡± ¡°Th-That was because it was urgent news¡­¡± ¡°Since the fight was already over, you should¡¯ve had enough time to write about how you won and how heavily the children were injured.¡± ¡°Aah! It¡¯s because you were worried about Raon! You should¡¯ve said that from the beginnin¡­¡± Rimmer was stepping backward, but he suddenly stopped. He wasn¡¯t against a wall¡ªhe couldn¡¯t run backward anymore. ¡°S-Shapeless aura? Did you use a shapeless aura to create a wall?¡± He tried to walk forward instead in surprise, but he couldn¡¯t move at all. All four directions were blocked with a shapeless aura. Rumble! And crimson lightning started to appear above his head. ¡°Reporting is one of the mandatory missions of a squad leader. Even though you¡¯vepleted the mission, since you didn¡¯t properly deal with the aftermath, I¡¯m going to punish you ordingly.¡± ¡°R-Rather than a punishment, I¡¯m going to die if I get hit by that.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to die. That¡¯s right. You won¡¯t die, at least.¡± Glenn gestured with his hand, and the crimson lightning that was rumbling in the air struck him with a thunderous sound. ¡°Sword Field Cre¡­! Kuaah!¡± Rimmer tried to open the Sword Field, but it was already toote. Dozens of lightning strikes shredded the Sword Field that was trying to open, then engulfed his entire body. Whaam! The crimson light sparked in the audience chamber for a while. * * * Raon finished dinner with Sylvia and the maids in the annex building before returning to his room. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted.¡± He had to speak about what happened in Porvan to Glenn for the first time, and to everyone in the annex building for the second time. Telling the tales of that long incident twice a day was even more exhausting than a battle. The King of Essence also feels dead tired from listening to that tedious and unremarkable story twice. Wrath shook his hand, telling him to sleep already. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll do that.¡± He was drowsy, either because he led everyone back to Zieghart or because he had to tell the story twice when he wasn¡¯t really that great at storytelling. Knock, knock, knock. After he took off the outerwear in order to wash himself before sleeping, someone knocked three times. It was Judiel¡¯s signal. ¡°Enter.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Judiel opened the door and entered with a thin book in her hand. She bobbed her head, handing over the book she had brought him. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gathered more detailed data about Zieghart¡¯s armed organizations while you were on you mission.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon opened the book Judiel gave him. While the document was more focused on the division leaders and squad leaders during the Selection Ceremony, it now had information about the squad and division¡¯s characteristics and the main personnel. She must¡¯ve investigated in advance, since he would have to cooperate with other squads and divisions a lot in the future. ¡°I¡¯ve received an order from the Central Martial Pce to determine your true power.¡± ¡°They are more cautious now. Are they intending to make their move after figuring out my skills?¡± ¡°That seems to be their intentions.¡± Because he managed to defeat an apostle this time, the Central Martial Pce must¡¯ve given up on making a rash move. ¡°Give them a usible report by pretending you happened to see me training. Tell them that I must be about to be a Master.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Judiel nodded and continued. ¡°While investigating the armed organizations, I¡¯ve also looked into the White Blood Religion and it appears that the seventh apostle you fought against was a newbie, and the tenth apostle has been a tenth apostle for thirty years at least.¡± Raon was already aware of that fact, since the tenth apostle was still in the same position back when he used to be the assassin Raon. ¡°By the way, there are only four apostles that have maintained their positions for over thirty years. They are the real monsters of the White Blood Religion.¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± The level of their powerhouses was more important than numbers for their armed organization. The reason the Six Kings and the Five Demons were called the strongest in the continent was also because of the strongest people in those organizations. ¡°Take care in the future.¡± Judiel simply said goodbye and turned around, since she finished conveying what she came for. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She bowed with an indifferent expression on her face before leaving the room. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon opened the book and checked the contents in detail. The information about the divisions, squad leaders, and vice leaders was written in more detail. ¡°There¡¯s another person that likes gambling other than our squad leader.¡± He noticed one vice-division leader that liked gambling. However, he was pretty good at it, and it was written that he was a confident person that won every time he gambled. He was theplete opposite of Rimmer. ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± After checking the book from the beginning to the end, he ced it in his drawer and stood up. He dressed and picked up Heavenly Drive. What¡¯s up? Where are you trying to go instead of sleeping? ¡®My body¡¯s itching after reading this. I¡¯ll be back after training a little.¡¯ You shouldn¡¯t say you will be back, since the King of Essence has to follow you! Why are you doing whatever you want when you are just a tenant? ¡®Tenant? Me?¡¯ Yes. The only reason you still have that body is because the King of Essence is considerate. ¡®I guess you are a parasite instead of a tenant.¡¯ Wh-What did you just say? The King of Essence is the true owner of this body. He could take over this body any time he wanted. ¡®Prove it.¡¯ Raon bobbed his finger, telling him to bring it on. Ugh¡­ Wrath couldn¡¯t rashly challenge him by spreading around his wrath and coldness. He was aware of the fact that he would only end up giving away stats if he challenged him. ¡®Since it¡¯s not going to take a long time, hang in there a little bit more.¡¯ Raon snickered as he left the annex building. As he made his way towards the open area in front of theke, someone was walking towards him from the direction of the main building. Slow but dignified steps. His blonde hair was shining brilliantly under the moonlight, and his red eyes were lighting up the darkness. ¡®Wh-Why is he here?¡¯ It was Glenn. Raon couldn¡¯t even begin to guess why he was in the annex building when he hadn¡¯t visited it once since the 100th day after Raon¡¯s birth. ¡°G-Greeting my lor¡­¡± He was trying to kneel and bow, but something in the air stopped his waist and neck from moving. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be noisy during the night.¡± Standing in front of Raon, Glenn¡¯s serious eyes sparkled. ¡°It means less effort for me, since you are already out.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± He turned around and gestured with his hand for Raon to follow him. ¡°Wh-Where are we going?¡± ¡°I told you before, didn¡¯t I?¡± Glenn nced back. He was frowning, his gaze cold. ¡°I said that I¡¯d reward you in a different way.¡± Chapter 190 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 190 Glenn stopped upon reaching the open area of the annex building. His eyes were unusually shallow as he slowly looked around. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon silently watched him while standing behind him. ¡®What is he trying to do?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why he was trying to reward him at such ate hour. Even though he was capable of analyzing most people¡¯s mindsets, Glenn waspletely unpredictable. How strange. Wrath narrowed his eyes, watching Glenn¡¯s back. ¡®What is?¡¯ I think that old man has be even stronger than before. ¡®Even stronger than before?¡¯ Yes. I¡¯m sure he raised his proficiency. He is such an arrogant old man, bing even stronger in his state despite being a human. He twisted his lips in displeasure. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Raon gasped. ¡®How could that happen?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t heard anything about Glenn fighting anyone or training recently. He couldn¡¯t believe that he became even stronger despite not having done anything. Once you reach the level of the King of Essence or that old man, training bes meaningless. Instead, this is the important part. Wrath pointed at the left side of his chest with his finger. ¡®Willpower?¡¯ It¡¯s not willpower. It is the will itself. It¡¯s the mind. ¡®Mind?¡¯ You have to polish your mind rather than your martial arts. You have to forge your own way instead of following a road that someone else has created before you. ¡®Does the same go for you?¡¯ Of course. The King of Essence also walked his own path instead of following other people¡¯s paths once he became powerful enough. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence¡­ Wrath told him about how he got stronger, bragging about himself. ¡®So, that¡¯s why.¡¯ Raon nodded. Derus Robert also kept getting stronger despite not having any special training. He thought it was simply because he was talented, but that wasn¡¯t the case. He must¡¯ve been continuously polishing his mind as well. ¡®It¡¯s difficult.¡¯ Opening a new path by polishing the will and mind wasn¡¯t something he could look into, as he wasn¡¯t even a Master yet. However, he had a feeling that he could reach a higher ce even faster if he began training that way. It¡¯s not impossible. Wrath nodded. However, it¡¯s much less efficient and mediocre for you to try right now. It will be too difficult while not bearing much result. ¡®That¡¯s fine.¡¯ He had continuously walked a difficult and unmanageable path in his previous life. He was confident he could endure it. Just as he decided that he would also aim for the growth of his mind, Glenn turned around. His thoughtful eyes returned to being even more cold-hearted than usual. ¡°How much have you learned of the Supreme Harmony Steps that I taught you before?¡± Glenn took a step forward and raised his chin slightly. His tall stature and cold gaze put pressure on Raon¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Just the first step.¡± Raon bit his lip and responded. It was embarrassing, but he couldn¡¯t remember anything except for the first step. ¡°Pathetic.¡± Glenn frowned. Coldness spread out in the open area, making it feel like the temperature had dropped. ¡°It¡¯s true that the first step of the Supreme Harmony Steps is an excellent move and important for the technique, but you won¡¯t be able to progress any further if you are satisfied with that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better this way.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Instead of teaching you a new martial art, I should just teach you the Supreme Harmony Steps. Since yourziness is the reason you need to learn it, you shouldn¡¯t me me for this.¡± He shook his hand, telling him that it was because of his ownziness that he couldn¡¯t get a better technique. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded. He wasn¡¯t sure what else he could¡¯ve obtained, but he initially wanted footwork anyway. Supreme Harmony Steps was more than good enough for him. Whir! He used the Ring of Fire to the extreme. Since he was now stronger than before and the Ring of Fire was also at a higher level, he was looking forward to understanding more from the demonstration. ¡°I¡¯m starting now.¡± Glenn loosened his coat slightly and extended his left foot. Just like thest time, a single step looked like it could reach anywhere as it seeped into thend of night. It felt like he was in the open area and on the moon in the sky at the same time. The second step was quick. Even though Raon was using the Ring of Fire to the best of his ability, he had difficulties following it with his eyes, which were used to Frost Pond. It was so fast that it looked like Glenn was standing still. The third step was shy. Glenn¡¯s body multiplied into ten in an instant with a light simr to a cluster of stars, then fused back into one. The mysterious step seemed to incorporate illusions. The fourth step was heavy and slow. It felt like he had the open area, or rather the entire Zieghart domain, under his feet as he dominated the space through his step. Glenn took five more steps after that. The world changed alongside him each time he moved. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon trembled, his mouth slightly open. He was excited. It felt like the energy of the entire universe was surrounding Glenn. ¡®What I sawst time wasn¡¯t even the tip of the iceberg.¡¯ He managed to realize it thanks to bing stronger and increasing the Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency. The Supreme Harmony Steps that Glenn showed himst time in the audience chamber wasn¡¯t even a tenth of what he did just then. It was truly a great martial art¡ªcalling it heavenly wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Did you see it?¡± Glenn stopped after demonstrating the Supreme Harmony Steps twice in a row. Although he just used a technique that felt surreal, not a single strand of his hair was out of ce. ¡°I saw it.¡± Raon nodded. Learning it was a different story, but he managed to see all the Supreme Harmony Steps that Glenn showed him. ¡°That¡¯s a nice answer, at least.¡± Glennughed coldly, then dusted off his coat. ¡°Try doing it yourself.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon extended his left foot, catching his breath. ¡®I don¡¯t need to show everything.¡¯ Since it wasn¡¯t a lower grade or an intermediate martial art, it was impossible to copy an advanced technique after seeing it only twice. Because Glenn shouldn¡¯t be expecting that either, Raon only needed to show what he felt, just likest time. Thud! He sharply pierced into the moonlight as he advanced with the first step. The moment he engraved the will that he could do anything in his heart, his body cooperated with thend toplete the first step, the one that could reach anywhere. He then took the second step. He incorporated the breathing technique of extreme quickness that he obtained when he practiced with Frost Pond. His vision narrowed in an instant, and his dashing body felt like it became a de. The third was about change and illusion. He moved his body by using the principles of the me Spirit he learned in the cave. He could feel his body spreading out like an illusion, just like the red flower petals decorating the space. The fourth was about weight. Raon used as much aura as he could to stomp the ground. His pressure, spreading over his shoulders, became a heavy wave that began to dominate the space while overwhelming the cold air. Kring! He rotated the rings of fire to a point where his heart felt numb and reproduced the Supreme Harmony Step that Glenn had demonstrated. The power and speed were iparable, but the direction was simr at least. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± Once Raon stopped his steps, he breathed heavily and perspired profusely. Although he only repeated it once, the tiredness of his body and mind felt like he had trained for the entire day. ¡°Pathetic.¡± Glenn wrinkled his nose while looking down on Raon, who was panting while grabbing his knees. ¡°It¡¯s not just the posture, but I can see that the direction is slightly awry at times. Since this is thest time, try doing your best.¡± Glenn shook his hand as if he were annoyed, before showing the Supreme Harmony Steps once more and telling him the principles. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed after perfectly memorizing the postures and the principles. ¡°A footwork can¡¯t bepleted by just following the footsteps on the ground. A footwork can only be calledplete if you can adjust and apply it depending on the situation.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded. Just like he said, the important part of footwork was deciding which one to use in a situation. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be impatient because you can¡¯t easily break through the Master¡¯s wall. You just need to keep training your body and mind like you¡¯ve always done, and you will find one day that the wall has already copsed.¡± He turned around after giving Raon some advice to be a Master on top of the footwork. ¡°Erm¡­¡± Raon approached Glenn from behind as he was about to leave. ¡°Why are you being so kind to me?¡± The way he visited himte at night to teach him the Supreme Harmony Steps and gave him advice to be a Master could by no means be called ordinary. ¡°Kind?¡± Glenn turned his head. ¡°Despite mycking skills, I still can tell that Supreme Harmony Steps is the greatest footwork in existence. Since you taught me something like this and even gave me advice to be a Master¡­¡± ¡°Hah. You are free to misunderstand, but you are too ignorant.¡± Glenn must¡¯ve beenughing at him, as his lips were slightly curled up. ¡°Normally, when there¡¯s a newly appointed squad leader or vice-squad leader, I personally teach them an appropriate technique and give them advice. Since you didn¡¯t have that opportunity yet and couldn¡¯t receive a book from the library, I decided to give you all of it at once.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, you aren¡¯t the only one that will benefit from bing a Master. The achievement of the youngest Master being born in Zieghart will give us an opportunity to crush the other Six Kings and Five Demons. I only did that because it was natural to do so. Since it wasn¡¯t because I particrly like you, you should stop misunderstanding that I¡¯m being kind to you.¡± ¡°I apologize.¡± Raon shook his head. He thought there was another reason that Glenn visited himte at night and taught him the technique, but he must¡¯ve been mistaken. He only cared about the house and fairness, just like before. Glenn turned around once again. He looked like he would leave right away, but he turned his head instead. ¡°Let me ask you one thing.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You said you raked in all the money from casinos in order to find a member of thieves¡¯ guild. Who taught you how to gamble?¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. Glenn was well aware of the fact that he couldn¡¯t possibly have gambled, as he had been living in the annex building. Since he couldn¡¯t tell him about his previous life, there was only one name that he could give as an excuse. ¡°I-I learned it from the Light Wind Squad leader.¡± ¡°Rimmer. I knew it would be him.¡± Glenn nodded. The open area was filled with the chilly atmosphere of the northern ocean¡¯s tidal wave in an instant. ¡°I¡¯ve created the Supreme Harmony Steps to match me. You should learn my Supreme Harmony Steps, then make it your own toplete it.¡± After staring at Raon for a moment, Glenn disappeared from sight, like scattering snowkes. ¡°My own Supreme Harmony Steps¡­¡± Raon exhaled lightly, looking at the spot where Glenn had disappeared. His advice seemed to align with what Wrath told him earlier. Since it¡¯s over now, go to sleep already. The King of Essence is tired. ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ He shook his head, looking at Glenn¡¯s footprints on the ground. Since those traces were pretty much a special opportunity for him, sleeping wasn¡¯t an option. Raon rotated the Ring of Fire and used the Supreme Harmony Steps, following Glenn¡¯s footprints on the ground. Because the tension left him, he failed his first attempt. However, he regained his posture and kept repeating it until he seeded. The first step that he thought he had gotten used to was alsopletely different from Glenn¡¯s, so he figured he should start it over and repeated it over and over. With his body practicing the footwork and his brain imagining Glenn¡¯s movements, the whole world turned white, and he felt like the only thing that existed in the world were the footprints and himself. Raon didn¡¯t realize that messages had appeared in front of his eyes as he kept practicing the Supreme Harmony Steps, looking at the footprints. * * * * * * Inside the pure white space, without a single speck of dust, multiple bloody red pirs were lined up. There was a high tform at the deepest part, and the inside couldn¡¯t be seen because of a red curtain. ¡°Kuh!¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s murderous moan could be heard from the center of the strange ce, which almost looked like a temple. ¡°It hurts¡­ It hurts too much¡­¡± The seventh apostle screamed, caressing his chest, arm, and thigh that the de of Requiem had cut through. Gray blood smeared his white clothes. ¡°The pain isn¡¯t going away! The injuries aren¡¯t fading even though I used bloody techniques!¡± He grit his teeth while tearing out his own flesh. Although he kept using the White Spirit Aura, the excruciating pain continued instead of his injury healing. ¡°The master ising soon. Shut your mouth.¡± The tenth apostle, who was leaning his back against a pir while watching him, narrowed his eyes. ¡°Huff!¡± Overwhelmed by his pressure, the seventh apostle shut his mouth and shrunk his shoulders. However, his body kept trembling in pain. Swish. Along with the clear sound of blowing wind, the curved shadow of a woman¡¯s body appeared from behind the curtain. ¡°Greeting the master.¡± ¡°G-Greeting the master.¡± The tenth apostle knelt, and the seventh apostle also bowed while enduring the pain. There was only one person the apostles would call their master and kneel for. She was the master of the White Blood Religion, the religious leader of the White Blood. ¡°You may rise.¡± A hand lightly waved at them from inside the curtain, and the tenth and seventh apostles raised their heads at the same time. Unlike the other transcenders, the White Blood¡¯s religious leader didn¡¯t have a powerful pressure. Her faint pressure almost felt like it didn¡¯t exist, but the mysterious and elegant atmosphere around her was iparable to anyone else. ¡°So, were you defeated by a Zieghart boy?¡± The sweet voice resounding from the other side of the curtain felt like it could melt the soul. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t defeated!¡± ¡°Come this way.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± The seventh apostle wasn¡¯t able to stand up, so he pretty much crawled towards the tform. ¡°Hmm.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader examined the seventh apostle¡¯s injury with passionate eyes. Each time her gaze was directed at the seventh apostle, his whole body trembled. ¡°It¡¯s ghastly energy. And this ghastly energy has resentment against the White Blood.¡± She stretched her long finger over the curtain, and yellow blood came out from the seventh apostle¡¯s injury to float in the air. ¡°Th-The pain¡­¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s eyes widened. He felt like thousands of ants were biting him just a moment before, yet it was gone in an instant. That yellow blood must¡¯ve contained an extreme amount of malice. ¡°Th-Thank you, Master!¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader nodded slightly before tilting her head. ¡°Who defeated you again?¡± ¡°I-I was really just careless! If I meet him again, I¡¯ll bite off his neck¡­¡± ¡°Is it even possible for a Master to lose against an Expert because of carelessness?¡± ¡°I guess I made a mistake in raising you.¡± ¡°Kuah¡­¡± The red curtain was lifted slightly, and beautifully shining ck eyes could be seen. Although the seventh apostle could only see her eyes, he grasped his neck as if he couldn¡¯t breathe and the tenth apostle bit his lips. ¡°You lost all of the sacrifices, and the rumor spread about Zieghart¡¯s young one defeating an apostle. I had some expectations of you, but it¡¯s a shame. This is as far as you go.¡± The amount of pressureing from the religious leader was less than rock bottom. However, it soared in an instant to reach the sky. The entire ce trembled as if it would copse, despite being built sturdily. ¡°I-I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± The seventh apostle mustered all his strength to open his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll kill him and erase everyone that spread the rumor from the earth. P-Please give me one more chance!¡± He mmed his head on the ground so hard that he could have started bleeding. ¡°I¡¯ll make the entire world fear the White Blood Religion! Please, give me a chance¡­¡± ¡°Someone like you cannot create fear towards the White Blood Religion.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± Cold sparks appeared from the religious leader¡¯s eyes, and veins popped all over the seventh apostle¡¯s face, ¡°However, it would be too harsh to kill you because of a single failure.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The seventh apostle realized she really did intend to kill him, and his face turned pale. ¡°Take this with you.¡± The religious leader snapped her fingers, and a small ss bottle came flying towards him from the other side of the curtain. It contained liquid, as transparent as water. ¡°A-Am I really getting this precious¡­¡± ¡°This is yourst chance.¡± The line of the religious leader¡¯s jaw twisted up from the other side of the curtain. ¡°Since I¡¯ll squeeze out even more blood from your body if you fail again.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s never going to happen!¡± The seventh apostle swallowed nervously, then bowed. ¡°You can go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°He mmed his head on the ground before disappearing from that ce. ¡°How was he?¡± The religious leader¡¯s gaze was now directed at the tenth apostle, who was kneeling on the right. ¡°His huge potential is worthy of admiration. He even dered war against me when he seemed about to copse at any moment.¡± The tenth apostle immediately answered, since he realized the religious leader was asking about Raon instead of the seventh apostle. ¡°To that extent?¡± ¡°His weapon is also threatening. He might be a huge hindrance to the cult if we leave him alone.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The religious leader groaned slightly and caressed her own lips. ¡°Was his name Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If the seventh loses again next time, you shall bring him here.¡± ¡°Bring him here alive?¡± ¡°Of course, since I¡¯m going to make him my disciple.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Why? Does that remind you of your past?¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± The religious leader smiled, and the tenth apostle shook his head. ¡°Huhu, don¡¯t you think it would be interesting if Zieghart¡¯s greatest talent joined the White Blood Religion?¡± Her excitedughter seeped into the white space. ¡°I¡¯m already curious how that old man will look.¡± * * * The Heavenly de division leader was watching the open area of the annex building from the North Grave Mountain. Although Glenn had already left, Raon was still practicing the Supreme Harmony Steps in the same location. ¡°Why did you follow me all the way here?¡± The Heavenly de leader turned around towards the voiceing from behind her. Glenn was looking at her with his usual gaze, his hands behind his back. ¡°My mission is to follow the head of house unless I¡¯m assigned to another mission.¡± The Heavenly de leader lowered her chin slightly and answered. ¡°I think it was too much.¡± The Heavenly de leader closed her eyes. ¡°Too much?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that it was excessive to give him the Supreme Harmony Steps. What I mean is that the Supreme Harmony Steps are too much for the current Light Wind¡¯s vice-squad leader to handle.¡± What Raon received was an opportunity, but it was a poisonous one. It was as clear as day that he would only end up wasting time, no matter how much of a genius he was. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn nodded, neither refuting nor agreeing with her. He watched Raon for a while before turning around. ¡°You should watch him until he returns to the annex building.¡± ¡°What about my lord¡­?¡± ¡°I need to teach someone a lesson.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± She didn¡¯t need him to tell her who he was going to teach a lesson, since she could already tell. It must¡¯ve been the crazy bastard that taught gambling to that excellent gemstone. ¡°Understood.¡± The Heavenly de leader nodded, and Glenn melted into the shadow and disappeared. Although no one was watching her, the Heavenly de leader kept watching Raon with a straight posture. Since it was a mission Glenn personally gave her, she prepared herself to react to any situation. ¡®It shouldn¡¯t take long.¡¯ Judging from the way Raon was using his footwork, he kept failing and there was no sign of progress. Since there was no way he would continue that boring practice when he didn¡¯t even have a clue, she guessed that Raon would give up soon enough and leave. However, despite her expectations, he didn¡¯t leave the open area after a few hours had passed. He kept practicing his footwork until sunrise, copsing in exhaustion and falling down from failure. Thud. Raon¡¯s feet stopped when the rising sun started to shine upon the open area. ¡®Is it over?¡¯ His tenacity was pretty good, at least. She admired Raon¡¯s tenacity, since he kept practicing footwork for over eight hours without resting at all, even though all he did was fail. However, despite her expectations, Raon lowered his posture once again instead of returning to the annex building. ¡®How admirable. But it still won¡¯t work, since it¡¯s impossibl¡­huh?¡¯ The Heavenly de leader¡¯s eyes widened upon witnessing Raon advancing through the golden light of daybreak. ¡®Th-That guy! What the hell?!¡¯ Chapter 191 Inside the Light Wind squad leader¡¯s room, the dim moonlight was passing through the dusty window. It was stillbeled as the lounge for the head instructor, and Rimmer stood up with a rustling sound. The way his body was swaying suggested that he had just woken up. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed, taking off his charred coat. ¡°I managed to return here alive.¡± He couldn¡¯t remember how he reached the squad leader¡¯s room. He must¡¯vee to his mostfortable ce in his half-conscious state after getting hit by Glenn¡¯s lightning. ¡®It hurt a lot today.¡¯ Naturally, Glenn never used an attack that would critically injure him or leave any aftereffects. His lightning usually only gave pain, but it was a bit different that day. It struck him faster than his Sword Field¡¯s activation, and it was powerful enough to shred the Sword Field itself. It looked like Glenn managed to surpass a wall once again. ¡®He is really amazing.¡¯ He was still advancing despite having already transcended humanity. Glenn was literally mystery itself. Once he overcame his inner demon, one-third of the continent would¡¯ve be Zieghart¡¯s domain if he resolved himself instead of listening to those that were neutral. ¡®I should be more careful in the future.¡¯ Rimmer chuckled, stroking his ckened red hair. He decided he needed to stop himself from making fun of the grandfather that worried too much about his grandson. He might really die if did that, since Glenn had gotten even stronger. ¡°Huah.¡± Rimmer raised his hands and stretched. ¡®I¡¯m d the mission went well.¡¯ The Light Wind had a real battle against the Five Demons, which was a priceless opportunity, and Raon managed to defeat an apostle. Since Glenn even opened the Library of Enlightenment to offer a huge gift to the members, it could be called the best oue. ¡®He will look after Raon even if I don¡¯t say anything.¡¯ Since Raon was Glenn¡¯s most cherished person, he would be rewarded with something even more special. There was no need for him to worry. ¡®I can rest assured now.¡¯ Rimmer picked up the reward pouch that he had received from Glenn. Although he was punished, he didn¡¯t take back his reward. Rimmer liked that clean way of handling matters. ¡®However, I shouldn¡¯t go to the gambling house for now.¡¯ Since Glenn was ring at him, he figured he should stop visiting the gambling house for a while. Rimmer decided he would try to read the mood while training the squad members for a few days. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and rest¡­ Huh?¡± He put the gold pouch in his inner pocket and opened the door, and someone was approaching from across the training ground. The owner of those familiar steps and the red eyes glowing in the darkness was Glenn. ¡°M-My lord?¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes upon seeing Glenn. ¡®Why is heing here?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why he wasing towards him at such ate hour, as he had already received his reward and punishment. ¡®Ah! That must be it!¡¯ He must¡¯ve brought him some medicine since he didn¡¯t properly control his power with the lightning. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so considerate¡­ Ugh!¡± Rimmer started to cheerfully greet him, then stopped. The cold expression on Glenn¡¯s face didn¡¯t suggest he came to give him medicine or apologize to him. He looked more like a viin who came to devour him alive. ¡°Did you even teach the children how to gamble, on top of being crazy yourself?¡± ¡°What? Me?¡± What is he talking about? What gambling? ¡°I didn¡¯t mind it if you were the only one to lose money and ruin yourself, but you are now trying to influence the young sprouts.¡± ¡°M-Me?¡± He did often tell the children about him winning or losing money, but he never, ever taught them how to gamble. ¡°You are so obvious, even as you are trying to deny it.¡± Glenn raised his hand towards the sky, and Rimmer became unable to move, as if shackles were binding his arms and legs. Rumble! Clouds darker than the night sky gathered, forming into a thundercloud. ¡°Since I went easy on you earlier, I¡¯ll make it stronger this time.¡± ¡®That was easy? I almost fainted from the pain!¡¯ ¡°Since this is your retribution, you should dly ept it.¡± There was only one thing Rimmer could say, while looking at the crimson lightning falling towards him. ¡°¡­Did I do that?¡± * * * The Heavenly de division leader rubbed her eyes before looking at the open area again. It was Raon. It was Raon for sure, but he looked like Glenn using his footwork for a moment. The reason Raon looked like Glenn was simple. ¡®He got better¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s Supreme Harmony Steps now had power. It was mysterious and dignified, just like Glenn¡¯s demonstration. ¡®How did he do that in such a short amount of time?¡¯ Even though he was focused the entire time, it had only been seven hours. As far as she knew, it was impossible toprehend a great technique like Supreme Harmony Steps in such a short time, which was even shorter than a night. ¡®What is going on¡­?¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t do anything special. He kept observing the footprints before practicing the Supreme Harmony Steps, then checked the footprints again before extending his Supreme Harmony Steps. However, his footwork began to feel like Glenn¡¯s at some point. The Heavenly de division leader tried biting the inside of her cheek, trying to see if she was dreaming. It hurt. It wasn¡¯t a dream, yet it felt like one. Cold sweat trickled down her back because of the impossible reality she was witnessing. ¡®How did he do that?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t understand how a rookie, one who wasn¡¯t even a Master yet, could acquire the Supreme Harmony Steps¡ªwhich is an extremely advanced technique. Although she knew that he was talented, she never imagined he was capable of such a thing. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She stopped observing the surroundings and focused on Raon. The footprints were reflected in his red eyes. It was the ultimate footwork that Glenn had left for him. ¡®Is he actually¡­¡¯ The Heavenly de division leader¡¯s lips started to tremble. ¡®Completely immersed in his practice?¡¯ Warriors that reached a high stage sometimes had their senses multiplied dozens of times, with time flowing slowly during their training or in a fight to the death. It was a phenomenon known as immersion, trance, or ascension, and Raon seemed to be in that state. ¡®How could a rookie that hasn¡¯t even reached Master level achieve immersion during his training?¡¯ It could happen during a fight to the death, but entering trance during training was extremely rare. She could count on her fingers how many times she had experienced it herself, and all of them happened when she reached enlightenment after she became a Master. She couldn¡¯t believe that Raon waspletely immersed, since he wasn¡¯t even a Master yet¡ªnot to mention, the training he was doing was too difficult for him, which should¡¯ve made it difficult to focus. ¡°So, this was the reason the head of house told me to watch him.¡± Glenn wasn¡¯t asking her to guard him when he told her to watch Raon. What he meant was for her to watch and learn what kind of person Raon was. ¡°Mysterious, curious, and entric.¡± Those were the only words that could describe Raon. Although her life was full of ups and downs, it was her first time seeing someone like him. Thud! Raon kept practicing the Supreme Harmony Steps in his immersion. It didn¡¯t look like he cared whether he was making progress or not, since he kept following the footprints with his entranced eyes before extending his legs. Despite the distance between them, she could feel Raon¡¯s focus which was as sharp as a de. Although the sun had already begun to rise, she couldn¡¯t leave her spot because she was too curious about how much he would achieve. ¡°Hmm?¡± While she was watching Raon, she could see a maid from the annex buildinging to the open area with a tray of food in her hands. ¡®Shall I stop her?¡¯ The immersion Raon was in was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Getting interrupted might result in losing all the enlightenment he had received so far, and even end up with an internal injury. As the Heavenly de division leader decided to act, the maid stopped approaching Raon and watched him for a bit, before returning with the food she brought. The annex building fell silent after that, as if the night fell once again, and the maids that came out of the building never went to the open area. ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ The Heavenly de division leader swallowed nervously, before looking at Raon once again. ¡°Has this actually happened multiple times before?¡± His footwork was slowly and slightly bing simr to Glenn¡¯s Supreme Harmony Steps. * * * * * * Raon stopped his steps once he encountered the third moon in the open area of the annex building. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sighed, sitting on the footprint-covered ground. Because he was so focused on it, he couldn¡¯t even move a finger. Hey down and looked up at the sky. Looking at the moon, which was getting close to the full moon, made him smile. He felt great, even though his body and mind werepletely exhausted. He knew that the Supreme Harmony Steps he would use in the future would be different from what he¡¯d been using in the past, and that was why he was smiling. ¡®I¡¯ve definitely progressed.¡¯ He had a long way to go before he couldplete the Supreme Harmony Steps. Dozens of years of training wouldn¡¯t be enough to reach Glenn¡¯s level. However, the footwork that couldn¡¯t even be called average was now usable in an actual fight. It was a tremendous amount of progress, considering he had only practiced for two days. ¡®But it¡¯s stillcking.¡¯ He knew that because he hadpletely memorized Glenn¡¯s demonstration. He copied his posture, principles, and movements exactly, but his footwork was still somehow different. ¡®I wonder what it is.¡¯ He had a feeling the problem was something more fundamental than his stage or the proficiency of the Supreme Harmony Steps. However, he couldn¡¯t determine the exact reason. ¡®Hmm¡­ I must¡¯ve overworked my brain.¡¯ His body had also reached its limit, making him sleepy and unable to think. He figured he needed to sleep before figuring out the difference between him and Glenn. You damn bastard¡­ As he was about to fall asleep, Wrath ground his teeth. The King of Essence couldn¡¯t sleep at all for the past two days because of you, yet are you trying to fall asleep now? ¡®Wrath, it¡¯s been a while.¡¯ It¡¯s been a while? Whiiiile? I won¡¯t allow you to sleep! That much is a given, and I won¡¯t overlook this resentment for missing eight meals! Missing the meals must¡¯ve been based on how many times the maids left when they came to deliver the food. Whoosh! Along with a ferocious look in Wrath¡¯s eyes, wrath and coldness started spreading out from him. The coldness surged like a tsunami to engulf his mana circuit and energy center, while the 25 points of wrath deeply engraved in his heart started to crush his soul. The King of Essence is going to take over your body to eat delicac¡ªwait, to conquer the world! ¡®You were trying to say delicacies, right?¡¯ Shut your mouth! Although Wrath must¡¯ve been using his full strength, the pain Raon was feeling wasn¡¯t that much. And the reason was simple. It was because the Ring of Fire was still rotating despite his exhausted state. Whir! The Ring of Fire was melting Wrath¡¯s coldness and suppressing the wrath as naturally as breathing. Argh! Wh-Why? Surprised by the fact that he couldn¡¯t even win against Raon in his dead-tired state, Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®You¡­ are no match for me.¡¯ Why am I unable to score when you don¡¯t even have the strength to speak? ¡®¡­I have no strength to speak but I can still stop you.¡¯ Raon smiled powerlessly, continuing to use the Ring of Fire. He was too exhausted to rotate the six rings at once, but he managed to resonate the five rings while enduring the pain. Wh-What the hell is wrong with you? How can a mere human¡­ As Wrath grit his teeth in confusion, messages announcing his defeat appeared. The reward would¡¯ve been a single point in one stat normally, but all of his stats increased instead because he waspletely exhausted. The system was truly fair. Daaamn it! I couldn¡¯t sleep nor eat, and now I¡¯m even losing stats! ¡®That¡¯s why I told you to stop.¡¯ Raon felt like he could have a nice sleep since he had been given a present before falling asleep. New messages appeared when he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open anymore. Th-This is that thing from back then! The cheat ability that gives you a bunch of stats just from sleeping! Raon closed his eyes, using Wrath¡¯s scream as a luby. Sloth, you idiot! I¡¯m definitely going to find you! The main body of the King of Essence is going broke because of you two bastards! Chapter 192 Raon opened his eyes, sunlight shining down on him through a clean window, not a single speck of dust visible. ¡®I feel refreshed.¡¯ Probably because of Wrath¡¯s curse, his tiredness waspletely gone, and his body was brimming with vitality. ¡®He is more suited to be a giving tree rather than a demon king.¡¯ Raon looked at the ice flower bracelet with a snicker, and a message appeared in front of his eyes. The message was telling him that all his stats increased from a good sleep thanks to Sloth. ¡°Ah, by the way¡­¡± He remembered Wrath was insulting Sloth as he was closing his eyes. He must¡¯ve been angry because he expected that oue. Kuh! Wrath surged from the bracelet and frowned. I knew it. What a dirty and disgusting cheat ability! He bit his lips, reading the message about Raon¡¯s stats increasing. How does it even make sense to have all of your stats increased just from sleeping? Even the King of Essence doesn¡¯t have that goddamn ability! ¡®It only happens sometimes, though.¡¯ What do you mean, sometimes? It might be a small amount, but your stats are increasing every day! Cold wrath crawled up Wrath¡¯s shoulders. The King of Essence is never going to forget this. He will make sure that idiot Sloth will be unable to sleep forever! ¡®Aren¡¯t you going to get beaten up by Sloth though, since you are losing all your stats to me?¡¯ That sounds like you are losing all your hair! Even if the King of Essence loses some power, there¡¯s no way he would lose to that sleepyhead! Wrath frowned, scoffing and brushing it off as nonsense. However, his voice was trembling slightly. I-It¡¯s okay, even if that happens. He will admit defeat as long as I keep bothering his sleep while running away. He grinned, saying that he could win anyway. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s lips parted. Raon imagined Wrath running away from Sloth after disturbing his slumber because he couldn¡¯t win in a head-on fight, and that just felt so pitiful. ¡°Do you want some bead ice cream?¡± Since he felt slightly sorry for him, he took out the ice cream box from the drawer. Wh-What are you plotting? What are you trying to do to the King of Essence? Wrath licked his lips, his hands raised in caution. The way Wrath wanted to eat the ice cream but was stopping himself because he feared Raon would ask something in return looked even more sad. ¡®I¡¯ll eat all those ice creams after the meal.¡± I won¡¯t trust you! Reveal your true intentions! ¡®There¡¯s no such thing.¡¯ Raon sighed, opening the door. As he was going to the washroom in order to take a shower, he saw Yua. ¡°Ah, Sir Raon!¡± Strangely, Yua was wearing brightly colored outerwear. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Sir Roenn said he would start teaching me about music and martial arts today.¡± Yua¡¯s twin tails fluttered in anticipation. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go with you. Wait a little.¡± ¡°What? No, I can go alone. Sir Raon has to rest¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I slept well. I¡¯ll get ready quickly.¡± Raon waved his hand and quickly entered the washroom. Huhu, I knew it. There¡¯s no way you would be nice and eat the ice cream. Wrath sat down on Yua¡¯s head,ughing coldly. I knew it. Yes, I already knew all that, but why do I feel so bitter¡­ Sniff. * * * The cafeteria for the swordsmen was located near the fifth training ground. Normally, the trainees were the only ones allowed in there. However, ever since the fifth training ground became the Light Wind squad¡¯s headquarters, the number of visitors had decreased, and the cafeteria opened up for everyone. However, since the fifth training ground and the Facilities Management Department were nearby, people using the cafeteria were mostly the Light Wind members and technicians. ¡°What?¡± A loud voice could be heard from the serving table of the cafeteria. ¡°He was struck by lightning?¡± Burren frowned as he looked at Dorian. ¡°That¡¯s what he said. Moreover, he got hit twice in a single day.¡± ¡°How does that make any sense?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. That¡¯s why the squad leader has been in the infirmary for two days now.¡± ¡°No, but the weather has been clear recently. How did lightning even strike him?¡± ¡°Well, I have no idea. You know the saying¡ª¡®crude lightning in the dry sky¡¯.¡± Dorian shrugged, holding his food tray. ¡°I figured he must¡¯ve gone to a casino, since I hadn¡¯t seen him after his days off, but lightning? The squad leader seriously has all kinds of problems.¡± Burren jeered, pouring the stew into his bowl. ¡°Why is Raon noting, then?¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯s exhausted.¡± ¡°Exhausted? What happened to him?¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯d been doing nothing but training for two days straight. Though, I doubt that¡¯s even possible¡­¡± Dorian shook his head, murmuring that he was a tenacious one. ¡°Two days¡­¡± Burren swallowed nervously. ¡®He should be able to do that.¡¯ He would¡¯ve scoffed it off as a lie if it were about anyone else, but Raon¡­ That tenacious bastard was fully capable of doing that. ¡°The squad leader is hospitalized from getting struck by lightning, and the vice leader is exhausted from training. What a great house we have.¡± Burren sneered and turned around. ¡°But Sir Raon should be back by tomorro¡­uhh!¡± Dorian, who was walking ahead, was unable to keep his bnce and fell down. The food in the tray flew away andnded on the uniform of the tall swordsman sitting at the table in front of him. ¡°Argh! I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll immediately clean it up¡­¡± ¡°You son of a bitch.¡± As Dorian was trying to take out a handkerchief from his belly pocket, the swordsman stood up while grinding his teeth. ¡°Do you even know what this uniform is?¡± The tall swordsman ignored Dorian¡¯s apology, thrusting his tightly clenched fist. ¡°Kuh!¡± Dorian was taken off guard and was hit straight to his chin, spilling over the table on his right. ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°You must be picking a fight with us, right?¡± ¡°Step on him!¡± The swordsmen sitting at that table started to punch him and stomp on him as if they had been waiting for it. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Burren ced his food tray on an empty table, then released his pressure. Those that were beating up Dorian looked back at him with a frown. ¡°What do you think you are doing right now, when you were the ones who tripped him while even using aura to make him unable to regain his bnce? I haven¡¯t seen you around here before, so am I safe to assume that you came to pick a fight with the Light Wind?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we would pick a fight.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Burren hurriedly turned around from hearing a voice around his ears. Although there was no one behind him a moment before, a tall and slender man was smiling at him. ¡°G-Garon Zieghart.¡± Garon Zieghart was the second son of Balder, the master of the True Martial Pce, and he was the leader of the Golden Crest Squad, which was affiliated to the True Martial Pce. ¡°You should call me the squad leader Garon Zieghart.¡± ¡°S-Squad leader Garon Zieghart. Please excuse me.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. I shall overlook it with my generosity. However¡­¡± Garon raised his chin with a smile. ¡°I heard you saying something disturbing.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°You said we picked a fight. Why would my guys even pick a fight with you? Look at that.¡± He pointed his finger at the uniforms of the swordsmen who were trampling on Dorian. ¡°Those uniforms are made with the best fabric and materials. Moreover, they haven¡¯t even used them in a mission yet, so it would be stranger if they did nothing after he spilled dirty food on it. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°That would be the case if Dorian identally spilled the food. In this case, however, that guy made him trip and even used his aura to pressure him in order to make him lose his bnce.¡± Burren pointed his finger at the nasty-looking swordsman that made Dorian trip. ¡°Do you have proof that our vice leader did that?¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking whether you have proof that he made him trip and used his aura.¡± ¡°It was as clear as day. How unreasonable¡­¡± ¡°You are the one who is being unreasonable. You are the only person who saw it.¡± Garon raised his arm to point at the surroundings. The technicians that were eating ran outside with their food trays because they didn¡¯t want to get involved, and the staff¡ªincluding the chef¡ªwere hiding in the kitchen. Considering the tant way he was lying about it, Burren became certain that he came to pick a fight. ¡°Are you targeting Raon?¡± There was only one reason why Golden Crest, who were affiliated to the True Martial Pce, would be picking a fight with the Light Wind. It must¡¯ve been because Raon beat up Raden before and halted the True Martial Pce¡¯s activities for a whole year. ¡°Raon? Why are you talking about him now?¡± Garon firmly shook his head. ¡°Why would I target that boy, who might be the pride of our house?¡± He snickered, sitting at the table. ¡°Stand up.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± Burren helped Dorian stand, staring at Garon. His entire body and face were covered with bruises because they hit him while using their aura. Although Burren didn¡¯t exactly like Dorian, the dirty trick they used made him angry. ¡°So, what do you want from us?¡± ¡°You sound like I¡¯m the viin, when it was nothing but a coincidence.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to pretend at this point. Please give me a decisive answer.¡± ¡°Since you are insisting so much¡­¡± Garon smiled slightly and tapped on his scabbard. ¡°Let¡¯s have a spar.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a group spar between your Light Wind and our Golden Crest.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­¡± Burren narrowed his eyes. He thought Garon would ask him to bring Raon or pick a fight about Raon. He didn¡¯t expect him to request a spar at all. ¡°Because it was a bit unreasonable when I thought about it.¡± Garon stood up from the table and walked up to Burren. ¡°Just think about it. I seeded in my first mission after bing the squad leader of Golden Crest, but the True Martial Pce was ordered to stop all activities. I wasn¡¯t even rewarded for my sessful mission, and no one acknowledged me for it.¡± His eyes were glowing red. ¡°Yet, I can¡¯t even go on another mission, because the entire True Martial Pce is stopped! I spent over an entire year like a shitty jobless bum because I had nothing to do, and when I figured I could finally work once again, you were being praised for seeding on your first mission! How shitty do you think I¡¯d feel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the person who caused the issue, Raden, was affiliated to the True Martial Pce¡­¡± ¡°You should call him Big Brother Raden.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to call him big brother, since he will stain Zieghart¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Hmm, I like your definite answer. I don¡¯t consider him my little brother either.¡± Garon nodded with a smile. The way his emotions were fluctuating so much was giving off the impression that he was a dangerous guy. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d like a spar between the great Light Wind and our Golden Crest that was stuck in a gutter. Can you arrange it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not up to me to decide.¡± Burren shook his head. He realized Garon¡¯s objective. He was trying to vent his resentment for having his activities stopped for a year and take away the Light Wind¡¯s reputation. However, he was using a really troublesome method, unlike the idiotic Raden. ¡°Is that so? I guess we will need to rest here for a while then.¡± Garon kicked away the nted table and sat on an empty chair. The other Golden Crest swordsmen that came with him either pushed away the tables or sat on the tables to fill the room with intense pressure. ¡°Bring some Rotinmb chop and Utan roasted pig!¡± ¡°Bring some fried chicken!¡± ¡°Bring the liquor as well!¡± They chattered between them while ordering menu items that used rare ingredients. ¡°Th-That¡¯s impossible right now¡­¡± ¡°Impossible? What¡¯s impossible in the world? You have to do it if you are asked!¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± The kitchen staff sobbed when the swordsmen shouted at them. They were trembling intensely in fear. ¡°Please stop. The technicians and the staff are afraid.¡± ¡°What? Are you telling me to stop because they are afraid?¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s afraid. A Zieghart swordsman should protect the weak¡­¡± ¡°Ah, everyone¡¯s afraid huh? I see, it would be troublesome if the chef were scared, since he won¡¯t be able to cook. Ah, it was my mistake. I almost made a huge mistake! I almost made the chef afraid when I¡¯m a member of the direct line of Zieghart, and the squad leader of Golden Crest!¡± He kicked the table in front of him, showing his teeth. m! The table rotated as it flew away, mming into the wall. The way it was just mmed into the wall instead of being destroyed or crushed was enough to guess Garon¡¯s prowess. ¡°Hey! Stop eating, everyone! He said our chefs and technicians are afraid! You should starve instead!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Golden Crest swordsmen responded in a provocative manner, looking at Burren. They were telling him to ept the challenge if he wanted to put an end to the situation. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren caught his breath, while ring at all of them. He felt like he would start throwing vulgar insults at them if he didn¡¯t calm himself down. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the squad leader and the vice leader about it, so please leave for today.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Garon rolled his eyes, then nodded. ¡°Since they don¡¯t seem to be selling anything today, we should go somewhere else. Let¡¯s go, everyone.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Golden Crest swordsmen stood up at once and stood behind Garon. ¡°But if they ever end up refusing my suggestion, I¡¯ll probably feel like returning here, you know?¡± Burren simply nodded without saying anything. He didn¡¯t want to talk with that scoundrel anymore. ¡°Good. See youter, then.¡± He waved his hand, then left the cafeteria. Rattle! ng! A copsing sound could be heard from the kitchen. It must¡¯ve been the sound of staff dropping their utensils because the tension left them. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m okay.¡± Dorian murmured that he was okay, with a face that said he wasn¡¯t okay at all. ¡°B-But what are you going to do? Aren¡¯t they going to return?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure they will.¡± Considering what they did, they would keeping back if he postponed the answer or refused his suggestion. ¡°That¡¯s why we should find the person who can solve the issue.¡± * * * * * * In the small garden of the main building of Zieghart, Roenn was smiling as he met Yua¡¯s eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve met each other once before. My name is Roenn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Yua!¡± Roenn and Yua greeted each other with respect, smiling. ¡°Is the young master nning to stay there?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see how you teach her.¡± Raon nodded. He was nning to witness the first few lessons, since he needed to stop him if he tried to teach her assassination techniques. ¡°It¡¯s a bit awkward, but it¡¯s alright. You can sit there.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded, then sat on a white garden seat. ¡°Lady Yua, can you sing me a song you like?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yua nodded, stepping aside. She started singing with her twin tails bouncing. ¡°The blood-soaked castle walls and the snow field of the night are the winter castle¡¯s¡­¡± Instead of an ordinary song, Yua decided to sing Habun Castle¡¯s military song. Probably because Yua was the singer, it felt as aloof and elegant as a song used in the theater. ¡°The spears and swords are already howling in the daybreak, where green and red rain are seeping into thend¡­¡± Raon¡¯s heart pounded as he kept listening to her sing. He felt like the old castle¡¯s horn and the endless rain of arrows were resounding around his ears. He got the urge to take his sword and go to the castle wall to fight the monsters. ¡°Huh!¡± As soon as Yua finished singing, Roenn eximed in admiration and apuded. ¡°Amazing is the only thing I can say.¡± His eyes were glittering, just like a swordsman that saw a notable sword. ¡°The tone and emotion are both excellent. You¡¯ve properly incorporated the sadness inside the powerful military song. Can I hear another song?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Yua became confident from his praise and clenched her fists, before starting to sing another song. The second song was a romantic one, and the third one was about the joy of viewing autumn leaves. ¡°I might sound strange, but I can understand why Eden targeted her.¡± While listening to Yua¡¯s songs, Roenn came up next to Raon and whispered in a low voice. ¡°Yua¡¯s voice is divine, and she is extremely talented when ites to music. If Yua ended up joining Eden, she would¡¯ve be a monster capable of massacres of an unimaginable scale.¡± He nodded, telling Raon that it was really great that he managed to bring Yua with him. ¡°Do you have nothing to teach her in terms of music, then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. She¡¯s slightlycking in some respects because she learned music on her own.¡± ¡°Lacking?¡± Raon tilted his head. Yua¡¯s song sounded perfect to him, so he couldn¡¯t understand what wascking. ¡°She¡¯scking in what we call the rhythm, or cadence.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°The rhythm flows in a simr manner when she changes the song. That¡¯s why it feels slightly awkward sometimes. It really will be perfect if she can fix that.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a relief, since there would be nothing I could do for her if she was already perfect.¡± He smiled slightly, before going back to Yua. ¡°Doesdy Yua know about rhythm?¡± ¡°Erm, not really¡­¡± ¡°Everything in the world has a rhythm. The heartbeat that allows us to live on, the chirping sound of the mountain bird, and even the gardener¡¯s voice when he is trimming the garden has a rhythm.¡± Roenn pointed out the examples of the rhythm one after the other. ¡°Rhythm is one of the most important aspects of music. It can add cheerfulness or sadness to a repeated verse. For example¡­¡± He started singing one of Yua¡¯s songs. He wasn¡¯t exactly better than her at singing, but the lyrics and the melody were perfectly clear, and it was much easier to feel the meaning of the song. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°I like it!¡± Yua raised her hand, jumping on the spot. ¡°Did you feelfortable listening to it?¡± ¡°I feltfortable, and it was better at conveying the emotion!¡± Yua nodded, since she agreed with him. ¡°That¡¯s the power of rhythm. If you adjust your rhythm ording to the song, you will be better at conveying emotions. Not only is it better as music, but also as an attack.¡± Roenn said, telling her a few other things. ¡°Rhythm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes as he reviewed Yua and Roenn¡¯s songs. ¡®Adjusting rhythm¡­¡¯ Yua certainly didn¡¯t feel like she was careful about the rhythm, and Roenn used the perfect rhythm for the song¡ªlike a cogwheel. Yua was better at singing, but Roenn¡¯s song felt morefortable to hear, and created a better harmony. ¡®I wonder if the same thing applies to footwork.¡¯ That might¡¯ve been the difference between himself and Glenn, the one that he tried to figure out before copsing. ¡®Now that I think about it, his timing on his first and second steps were slightly different¡­¡¯ There was a difference between Glenn¡¯s first and second steps in terms of the sound it made and the depth of the footprints. ¡®Is that also about rhythm?¡¯ Just like adjusting rhythm to the situation, Glenn must¡¯ve used the most appropriate way of breathing while using the Supreme Harmony Steps. Shring! Once he realized there was rhythm in footwork, the enlightenment struck his head. The Supreme Harmony Steps Glenn has demonstrated that night was reyed like flowing water, and he felt like he could grasp every single movement. Raon unconsciously stood up from his chair. He slightly lowered his posture, then extended his left foot. Thud! The majestic flow that seemed to connect to the entire world appeared at the end of his foot and he became one with thend. * * * ¡°And now, the aura cultivation technique that I¡¯m going to teach you¡­ Huh?¡± Roenn was about to teach Yua an aura cultivation technique, but he suddenly turned his head. Raon, who was sitting to his right, slowly stood up. He started using footwork with eyes that looked like he was possessed by a ghost. Thud! The first step brushing past the grass was Glenn¡¯s Supreme Harmony Steps. ¡®Supreme Harmony¡¯s first step?¡¯ However, it was different from Raon¡¯s first step in the past. It peeled off its immature shell, and it was as mysterious and majestic as Glenn¡¯s. He then advanced with his second step. The step of extreme quickness. He reached the other side in an instant, at a speed worthy of admiration even from Roenn, who had been an assassin his entire life. It was so fast that it could be called magic. ¡°Rao¡­ Huff.¡± Roenn stopped the surprised Yua from calling out to Raon, watching his third step. Raon¡¯s body vibrated like the tip of a sword, multiplying into two before reuniting. Rumble! The fourth was slow. The step¡ªas slow as a snail¡ªwas both dominating and oppressive. His footsteps crushed thend and the dominating power spread out around his feet to engulf the space. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Roenn¡¯s jaw dropped. It only took Raon a few days before he started using the Supreme Harmony Steps in its true form. If he could be called a baby in the past, he now started to walk, and was taking steps forward. ¡®That¡¯s crazy.¡¯ He was speechless, surprised by the fact that he managed to learn the peerless footwork in such a short time. He didn¡¯t take Rimmer seriously when he said Raon had the qualities of the king. He thought there were many things he still needed to confirm, despite being amazing. However, he realized that what Rimmer said was true, because he managed to get a hint from what he said to reach a higher ce in such a short time. ¡°Haa.¡± Roenn turned his head towards the breathing sound. The Heavenly de division leader was watching Raon with her arms crossed. And her face was filled with irritation. ¡°What the hell is that guy?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He went into another immersion when he only just got out of one.¡± The Heavenly de division leader tilted her head, her forehead wrinkled. ¡°He¡¯s entering immersion as if it is his home. What the hell is wrong with that guy?¡± ¡°An acquaintance of mine called him thusly.¡± Roenn smiled, looking at Raon gently. ¡°He will be the head of house in the future.¡± * * * Raon realized what he was doing in his trance. He imbued the heartbeat in the first step while thinking about the world he would advance in the future, the lightning that strikes in an instant in the second step, the refracted sunlight upon passing through the window in the third step, and Glenn Zieghart¡¯s dignity in the fourth step. The Supreme Harmony Steps was imbued with the breath and rhythm that he directly witnessed and felt, and it turned into apletely different footwork. The steps could be even faster, slower or majestic. Raon repeated the nine steps of the Supreme Harmony Steps until he grew tired, then finally raised his head. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The tips of his fingers were trembling in excitement. A thrill ran through his body at the realization that it was the true Supreme Harmony Steps. He could say for sure that he was on the same path as Glenn¡¯s demonstration, although the proficiency was iparable yet. He might be able to catch up to his footwork if he kept working hard, over and over again. ¡°Haa!¡± While his heart was throbbing from the sweetness of learning the footwork, a message appeared in front of his eyes. The message was telling him that all stats and the rank of Focus had increased, with a title on top because of the achievement of properly learning the Supreme Harmony Steps. He realized once again that what he did was really great, since even the message was telling him that. What the hell?! Wrath¡¯s eyes were trembling as he read the message. Why would you give him so many rewards for learning some shitty footwork? He was shouting, but his voice wascking his usual confidence. ¡®But didn¡¯t you also admit that the Supreme Harmony Steps was an amazing footwork?¡¯ Th-The King of Essence has never done that¡­ ¡®You said that the learning speed amplifying effect only appears with the best techniques, ones that you might consider learning. You also called the footwork excellent.¡¯ Kuh, damn it! Wrath ground his teeth, unable to say anything else. He had no choice but to admit it, since he couldn¡¯t lie. Damn it! It has only been two days since youst took stats, but if you take them again, then what about me? He seemed to be dying because he took away 5 points after gaining stats recently. You are just so damn lucky! ¡®It¡¯s not luck. It¡¯s thanks to Sir Roenn and you.¡¯ What? ¡®You told me that it¡¯s important to find my own path, by nurturing my heart and mind.¡¯ I-I did say that¡­ Wrath nodded while trembling slightly. ¡®I also moved my mind this time while incorporating the footwork with rhythm. I made so much progress from using the experience I had so far. Half of my achievements this time were thanks to you. Thank you.¡¯ Raon grinned. Wrath was really the giving tree, who gave everything away both physically and mentally. A-Are you making fun of the King of Essence? ¡®You finally realized it.¡¯ I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯m going to keep you and follow you to hell! ¡®But you came from hell initially.¡¯ Kuh! Shut up! Raon snickered. Since Wrath was very helpful this time, he nned to eat all the ice cream, just like he promised that morning. ¡°Raon!¡¯ ¡°Hmm?¡± Burren¡¯s voice could be heard from the garden entrance as he was happily making fun of Wrath. Raon looked around, Burren was bringing Dorian with him, both his eyes turned ck with bruises. ¡°Dorian?¡± It wasn¡¯t just his eyes. His cheek and wrist were also bruised. The wound must¡¯ve been created by a fist, rather than a wooden sword. Considering the fact that there was no reason for him to be in that state, since the Light Wind was currently in a personal training period after the rest, he must¡¯ve been beaten up by someone. Raon¡¯s red eyes were filled with irritation. ¡®Who touched my pouch?¡¯ Chapter 193 Raon went to Dorian and examined his condition. ¡°You were thoroughly beaten up.¡± ¡°Y-You noticed.¡± Dorian awkwardly smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t notice, since they didn¡¯t even try to hide it.¡± Judging from his bruises, Raon could ascertain that those who beat him up weren¡¯t using a weapon. They used their fists and feet instead. H-How could you get beaten up by some strangers when you are supposed to be the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate? How pathetic! Wrath ground his teeth like an older brother that had seen his younger brother getting beaten up. ¡°I-I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look okay, though.¡± Raon frowned. Dorian was a coward, but he could take a beating. Considering the fact that he couldn¡¯t even stand properly, they must¡¯ve used aura in their fists. ¡°D-Dorian!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who did that, but their joke went too far.¡± Yua covered her mouth, and Roenn lowered his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯ll treat Sir Dorian.¡± Roenn used his aura to scatter the remaining aura in Dorian¡¯s body, and his face¡ªwhich was distorted in pain¡ªgot better over time. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Raon turned around. There should¡¯ve been one more person besides Roenn and Yua, but no one was there anymore. He must¡¯ve been mistaken, since he was in a trance. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Dorian groaned from the severe pain during the treatment. ¡°Please endure it for a bit. The aura inside your body needs to be removed for a quick recovery.¡± Unlike his gentle voice, Roenn was controlling a tremendous amount of aura to remove the murky energy crushing Dorian¡¯s inside. ¡°Who was it?¡± Raon turned to look at Burren after confirming that Dorian¡¯s face looked better. ¡°Garon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Garon Zieghart?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the squad leader of Golden Crest, affiliated to the True Martial Pce.¡± ¡°The Golden Crest of the True Martial Pce¡­¡± He remembered the name from Judiel¡¯s book. It was written that he was a thirty-year-old young master in charge of the Golden Crest as the second son of Balder, the True Martial Pce¡¯s master, and Raden¡¯s older brother. ¡°Was it because of me?¡± Raon clicked his tongue while looking at Dorian. As soon as he heard that he was affiliated to True Martial Pce, he could understand why he did it. He must¡¯ve been trying to take his revenge for beating up Raden and causing the activity suspension for the True Martial Pce. ¡°It should be mostly because of you, but there¡¯s more to it.¡± Burren shook his head in irritation. ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. The way he said there was another reason sounded questionable. ¡°He said the Golden Crest¡¯s activity has stopped despite being a new squad because of the suspension on the True Martial Pce after the sword duel between you and Raden. Also, they didn¡¯t get any rewards or reputation for their sessful mission.¡± Burren continued, pointing at the True Martial Pce that they could see from afar. ¡°On the other hand, the Light Wind haspletely removed a White Blood Religion¡¯s branch on their first mission and rescued the hostages. Since we built up enough reputation to be known throughout the house, and even the continent, he must¡¯ve been annoyed.¡± ¡°So, his target isn¡¯t just me, but¡­¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s targeting the entire Light Wind.¡± ¡°I understand now.¡± Raon smiled coldly. He finally understood why Golden Crest attacked Dorian. They were jealous of Light Wind, which had a different start from theirs. And their anger should have been mostly directed at Raon, who ended up being the reason for it. ¡°What a bunch of idiots. Are they really using the same method as Raden?¡± ¡°No, they are different from Raden. They¡­¡± Burren told Raon about what happened in the cafeteria. ¡°They are ying dirty.¡± Raon clenched his fists. Honestly, they couldn¡¯t be considered guilty. They couldn¡¯t be med for staying in the restaurant, and they would just say they unconsciously punched Dorian because their cherished clothes were stained if he tried to me them for beating Dorian up. Even if the department of justice dealt with the case, they would only give them a few days of probation instead of arger punishment. It was meaningless to report the incident at that point. ¡°So, they want a duel, do they?¡± ¡°Yes. They asked for duels between the Light Wind and the Golden Crest¡¯s swordsmen.¡± ¡°They are trying to take away our reputation.¡± They must¡¯ve plotted that in order to make the Light Wind¡¯s reputation of crushing the White Blood Religion and defeating an apostle and archbishop their own. His method was iparably dirtier than Raden. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I shall ept.¡± ¡°Is it really okay to decide immediately?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good opportunity.¡± He got lucky, since he wanted to test how much the Supreme Harmony Steps could do since he finished acquiring it. Since the Golden Crest squad¡¯s leader Garon recently became a Master, he was a good test subject. ¡®And he won¡¯t be careless, either.¡¯ The seventh apostle ended up that way because he kept looking down on him. Raon wanted to try winning against a Master that wasn¡¯t careless. ¡°The Golden Crest is powerful. Although it¡¯s a rtively new organization, their members should be at least a rank higher than us.¡± Burren reluctantly wrinkled his nose. ¡°Young Master Burren is right. Since the Golden Crest is affiliated to the True Martial Pce, none of them are novices. It will be difficult for the Light Wind to win.¡± Roenn let out a small sigh, standing up once he finished treating Dorian. ¡°You are right. It will be difficult for the ¡®current¡¯ Light Wind to win.¡± Raon smiled slightly. Judiel¡¯s report also considered the Golden Crest to be one rank stronger than the Light Wind. ¡°However, this is also an opportunity for the Light Wind.¡± ¡°You also said that earlier, but what would that opportunity be¡­?¡± ¡°External enemies usually allow for faster development.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Roenn¡¯s eyes widened upon realizing his meaning. ¡°The Light Wind will use this opportunity as a foothold to reach one step higher.¡± Since Glenn already gave them books of martial arts, it was the perfect timing to increase everyone¡¯s might. ¡°And¡­¡± Raon ferociously looked at the bruises all over Dorian¡¯s body. ¡®I¡¯ll make them pay for beating my pouch.¡¯ Yes! Explode all the bastards that beat up the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate! It had been a long time since thest time Raon and Wrath agreed with each other. * * * True Martial Pce Golden Crest¡¯s Headquarters Garon was leaning back against a sofa inside a strange room with dozens of noted swords disyed in the walls. ¡°It was nice to see that the Light Wind guys couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± The Golden Crest¡¯s vice leader, Techly, grinned. He was the one that made Dorian trip and hit his chin in the cafeteria. ¡°Considering the fact that they didn¡¯t even know how to react to us, they must¡¯ve seeded in their mission with sheer luck.¡± ¡°Well, that should be the case.¡± Garon snickered and nodded. There was no way those younglings were skilled enough to destroy the White Blood Religion¡¯s Porvan branch and defeat an apostle. ¡°Considering Burren¡¯s immature reaction, that Raon guy shouldn¡¯t be a big deal either. However¡­¡± Techly licked his lips before he continued. ¡°Rimmer is part of the Light Wind. How shall we deal with that monster?¡± ¡°Monster?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a monster that was called the Sword of Light when he fought right next to the head of house. Even though he is supposed to be injured, shouldn¡¯t we prepare countermeasures against him?¡± ¡°No such thing is necessary against a disabled gambling addict.¡± Garon''s lips curved into a scornful smile. ¡°He¡¯s just an insect that wastes his time gambling after his mana circuit and energy center were broken. He¡¯s simply no match for me.¡± ¡°But considering the rumor that he fought equally against the tenth apostle on hisst mission¡­¡± ¡°And where did that rumore from? From the Light Wind Squad. Moreover, there were no witnesses to the fight, which means no one knows whether he fought equally, or barely managed to survive or begged for his life like trash.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m just looking down on him.¡± Garon stood up. With sharp and sedate energy spreading out from him, the noted swords decorating the room started to resonate at once. Whir! He extended his hand as if he weremanding them, and the size and flow of the swords¡¯ resonances changed to create an orchestra of swords. ¡°I picked the fight because I¡¯m fully confident that I can win, even if Rimmer managed to recover to Master level.¡± Garon stopped the orchestra, and the majestic sword resonances stopped, silence returning to the squad leader¡¯s room. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Techly nodded, his teeth chattering. ¡°How about you, then?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It must be true that Raon managed to defeat the seventh apostle, although he must¡¯ve been lucky, or the apostle was careless. Can you win against him?¡± Garon raised his chin slightly. ¡°Just withdraw if you don¡¯t think you can win. I can just take care of him.¡± ¡°I-I can do it. I¡¯ll win, no matter what.¡± Techly quickly shook his head, his eyes filled with fervor. ¡°No matter what? That sounds like it was worth recruiting you.¡± Garon nodded his head in satisfaction. ¡°But what are you nning to do if they don¡¯t ept the match?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll visit them again.¡± He grinned, touching his Chesire mouth with his finger. ¡°And this time, I will be rougher than before, so they won¡¯t be able to refuse.¡± * * * * * * Raon entrusted Dorian to Burren, then went to the medical detachment, where Rimmer was hospitalized. As he opened the door and entered the room, he could see Rimmer happily humming on the bed. Raon thought he really had a positive personality, since he could hum after getting struck by lightning. ¡°You look happy.¡± Raon smiled slightly, cing the fruits and cookies that Sylvia gave him next to the bed. ¡°Yourplexion is also better than usual.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I would be happy, since it¡¯s so suffocating to do nothing buty here. I feel tired no matter how much I sleep in this hospital room!¡± ¡°But that was already the case.¡± ¡°Shut up, punk!¡± Despite what he said, Rimmer couldn¡¯t stop his mouth from smiling. He was apparently enjoying sleeping as much as he wanted to without working. ¡°Are those yours?¡± ¡°My mother prepared them for you.¡± ¡°Wow, I knew it! She is truly the only sun in this coldnd.¡± He smiled brightly, taking an apple from the fruit basket to start eating. ¡°I have something to report.¡± ¡°Report?¡± ¡°I learned about this incident a moment ago, and apparently the Golden Crest Squad from the True Martial Pce¡­¡± Raon told Rimmer everything about the Golden Crest Squad picking a fight. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s one nasty method right there.¡± Rimmer spat out the apple seeds and frowned. ¡°Is Dorian okay?¡± ¡°Sir Roenn healed him.¡± ¡°That man is reliable.¡± Rimmer nodded, saying that Dorian should be okay. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°What about you? What do you want to do?¡± Rimmer asked back. ¡°I think it would be better to ept the challenge.¡± ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°The Light Wind currently has a higher reputation than their strength. And that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Because of you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s awkward to say so myself, but yes. That¡¯s why I would like to raise the Light Wind¡¯s skills to match up to the reputation. Since they received the books on martial arts from the head of house, having enemies will give them a good opportunity to get stronger.¡± ¡°You are right.¡± Rimmer immediately nodded. ¡°I agree with you, so do as you wish.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°We might end up losing the fight.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Rimmer shrugged, as if that wasn¡¯t a problem at all. ¡°You guys are young. Being young means that you have the opportunity to challenge many things, fail, and get back on your feet. Some unfortunate people don¡¯t even get to have that chance, but you guys are lucky enough to have the house back you up.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Just do it. You will get stronger whether you win or lose, and you will learn from the experience.¡± It was a rare urrence that Rimmer remained serious as he continued talking. He looked like apletely different person. ¡°But I¡¯m not doing it.¡± As Raon was admiring the fact that Rimmer could be like that sometimes, his voice suddenly became frivolous. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I mean the match. Everyone from the members to the squad leaders have to fight. I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m not going to fight.¡± Rimmer continued, munching the cookies. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly fight a greenhorn like him with the long career I have behind me. That¡¯s why you should be the one to fight.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. You realize that many people in the house don¡¯t believe that you managed to defeat the seventh apostle, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. Probably because Rimmer usually praised him a lot, many from the direct line and the coterals believed that his victory was made up. ¡°This is a good opportunity to make them shut up by defeating Garon. Moreover, it will be a great achievement.¡± ¡°Great achievement?¡± ¡°A Master defeating another Master is nothing special. However, defeating Masters twice as an Expert will be a great achievement and make your soul stronger. It¡¯s also going to allow you to establish your position in the house.¡± Rimmer¡¯s blue eyes sparkled in anticipation. ¡®And there¡¯s even more.¡¯ Winning against Garon would increase his stats once again. Fame, reward from the duel, and stats. There were so many things to gain from winning. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Garon, then.¡± ¡°Since you are epting it so quickly, I guess you were nning to defeat him yourself all along.¡± ¡°You can be sharp sometimes.¡± Raon chuckled. Although Rimmer didn¡¯t know about his progress with the Supreme Harmony Steps, he was aware that Raon was targeting Garon already. ¡°Sometimes? I¡¯ve always been the sharpest person.¡± ¡°Are you telling me to believe that when you always go broke in the gambling house?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s because¡­ Erm¡­¡± Rimmer shut his mouth in embarrassment and hung his head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll ept their challenge since you agreed as the squad leader.¡± ¡°A-Alright.¡± Rimmer awkwardly smiled, then drew a circle with his finger. ¡°By the way, where did the lightning even strike you? The weather hasn''t been that bad recently.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I seriously almost cried this time because I was falsely used. I was beaten up because of something I didn¡¯t even do, and seriously¡­¡± ¡°Beaten up? No way, did someone beat you up just like Dorian?¡± It¡¯s understandable that Shitty-ears would get beaten up, since he¡¯s so weak. Actually, he deserves even more beatings! Wrath started giggling upon hearing that Rimmer got beaten up by someone. ¡°Huh? I-I wasn¡¯t beaten up! No one can beat me up!¡± ¡°But you just said¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a figure of speech!¡± He fiercely shook his head and changed the subject. ¡°Since we¡¯ve decided, you should go to them already and tell them you are epting the duels.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make them visit us again.¡± Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Raon had no intention of giving them an ordinary reply for epting their challenge. ¡°My pouch, I mean, Dorian got beaten up. They shall pay for it.¡± * * * Raon didn¡¯t mention anything about the duels against the Golden Crest to the Light Wind members. He just helped them with their training and learning the new skills, without doing anything exceptional. As such, five days passed. The day before Rimmer returned from his holiday in the medical detachment, Dorian was freaking out as he came running. ¡°V-Vice-squad leader!¡± Dorian¡¯s fists were trembling, his eyes filled with anger and fear at the same time. ¡°Th-They are back! They are going wild in the restaurant!¡± ¡°How impatient of them.¡± Raon snickered. As he had expected, the Golden Crest bastards couldn¡¯t even wait for a week and returned after five days. They were asking him to either ept their challenge or admit defeat. ¡°Wh-What shall we do? The squad leader isn¡¯t even back yet¡­¡± ¡°I think we should wait until the squad leader returns.¡± Dorian and Burren anxiously bit their lips, since they didn¡¯t know that they had already decided to ept the challenge. ¡°Let¡¯s go meet them.¡± ¡°Seriously? Just like that?¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t even have a n!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It will work out.¡± Raon smiled to reassure them and went to the restaurant. ¡°Hey, what are you doing right now?¡± ¡°Bring the food already!¡± ¡°Why is the restaurant not taking any orders?¡± ¡°I-I apologize. We don¡¯t have the ingredients for that¡­¡± They could already hear the fussy voices of the swordsmen and the staff¡¯s suffering voices from outside the door. ¡°They are asking for dishes that can¡¯t be made here. They are trying to pressure us by harassing the restaurant staff.¡± ¡°They really act like proper thugs. I wonder where they learned it.¡± Raon snickered, then opened the door. About ten swordsmen wearing white uniforms were sitting all over the ces inside the restaurant, and the staff were trembling, unable to figure out what to do about them. It was a chaotic scene, with many tables and chairs either broken or turned upside down. ¡°I¡¯m telling you I want to eat it right now. Bring it to me right away!¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? Did you turn into a statue or something?¡± The Golden Crest swordsmen ignored Raon¡¯spany despite having noticed them, ring at the staff. ¡°I-It¡¯s him! The tall guy who put his legs on the table! He was the one that beat me up!¡± Dorian pointed at the Golden Crest¡¯s vice leader, just like a kid tattling to his daddy. ¡°Just wait here.¡± Raon nodded, then went to the serving table. He filled his food tray while humming, before turning around. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Th-That crazy bastard¡­¡± The Golden Crest guys dropped their jaws, since they didn¡¯t expect him to start eating in that situation. Raon headed to the rtively intact table with his food tray, pretending to trip over his feet to smash the tray filled with food on the vice leader¡¯s face. Smack! Although the tray was filled with food, it must¡¯ve still had a great impact since the vice leader¡¯s head wavered significantly. ¡°Ah, sorry about that.¡± Raon gathered his hands to apologize, watching the stew and oil flowing down from the vice leader¡¯s face and uniform. ¡°You son of a bitch¡­¡± When the vice leader furiously stood up as if he wanted to kill him, Raon walked up to him instead of backing off and smiled. ¡°Are you trying to hit me now?¡± Raon¡¯s red eyes sparkled in a deadly light. ¡°Do it, if you can.¡± Chapter 194 The vice-squad leader of the Golden Crest, Techly, swallowed nervously as he took in the sight of Raon standing right in front of him. ¡®What is this?¡¯ He stood up to hit Raon, but his limbs were faltering. He felt like his entire body waspletely tied up by some unknown ominous power. ¡®He won¡¯t do that¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s face was filled with mockery, telling him to hit him if he wanted to. There was no way that someone with such an expression on their face would use aura to stop a person from hitting them. Grit. Techly ground his teeth, gathering his aura. He pushed away the energy pressing upon his body and raised his hand. Although he could move his body properly, the ominous feeling became so strong that he could now smell it. ¡®N-No way, this is¡­¡¯ He silently gasped. He finally recognized it. It was from inside, rather than from an outside influence. The ominous feeling that he got, the one that stopped him from raising his hand, wasn¡¯t from Raon¡­ It was his own instincts. The battle instinct that he¡¯d raised from his training and battles was whispering to him, telling him that he shouldn¡¯t fight against Raon. ¡°V-Vice leader!¡± ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°That bastard is looking down on us!¡± The Golden Crest swordsmen behind him were waving their hands and shouting at him to punish Raon. ¡°Are you not going to hit me?¡± Raon smiled arrogantly, shoving his face in front of him to urge him to hit him. ¡°Are you overlooking this when your subordinates are watching you?¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± People tended to gain strength and courage when their loved ones and subordinates were watching them. Techly ignored his instincts and clenched his fist. ¡°Arrgh!¡± Techly surrounded his fist with a thinyer of aura and thrust it. The blue aura twisted like a snake, forming a spear in front of his fist. It was the secret technique of the Fist of Annihtion, which he had learned after joining the Golden Crest. Pssh! The fist was extended like a sh of light, striking Raon¡¯s left cheek. ¡®He¡¯s not a big deal!¡¯ Despite his anxiety, Raon didn¡¯t manage to dodge the Fist of Annihtion. Techly smiled and finished extending his arm. ¡°Huh?¡± However, he felt nothing against his fist. Emptiness was all he could feel, as if he hit a cloth fluttering in the air. Cring! Just as he noticed something was strange, he met Raon¡¯s eyes. His red eyes were zing like the sun. Goosebumps appeared all over his body, as if his head were inside a beast¡¯s mouth. Whoosh! Raon perfectly deflected his Fist of Annihtion by turning his neck, then punched with his right hand. The tremendous amount of energy imbued in his fist was approaching him, exploding the atmosphere. ¡°Huff!¡± Techly lowered his head, quickly using his footwork to step back. ¡®Ugh!¡¯ He raised his head once he reached a safe ce, but the fist was still there. Raon¡¯s fist had followed him, as he had read his escape route. He couldn¡¯t see any way to dodge the fist filling his vision. ¡°Did you think you could get me¡­ Gasp!¡± He hurriedly tried to create a defensive barrier with aura, but his energy center didn¡¯t react. It wasn¡¯t just his energy center¡ªhis entire body wouldn¡¯t move. It was as if he were tied up by a rope. ¡®Th-This is¡­¡¯ It was the aura suppression that he used against Dorian to make him trip. Raon wanted him to be beaten up the exact same way Dorian was framed. ¡°D-damn i¡­ Kueh!¡± Unable to finish swearing, Techly had to allow a direct hit to his face. He couldn¡¯t even deflect the blow from the tremendous shockwave that struck his head. Crack! Hearing the sound of his face getting smashed, Techly lost consciousness. * * * am! Alongside the explosive sound of impact, Techly mmed into the restaurant¡¯s wall on the right. ¡°Ah, excuse me.¡± Raon smiled slightly, while dusting off his hand. ¡°It was an unintentional reaction.¡± After saying that, Raon touched the cheek that Techly¡¯s fist had brushed past. ¡°O-Oh no!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Vice-squad leader!¡± ¡°Stop.¡± As the Golden Crest swordsmen were about to run towards Techly, who had mmed into the wall, Raon raised his hand. That single word was enough to make the swordsmen stop like wooden dummies. ¡°The one with sky-blue hair in the middle,e over here.¡± ¡°Wh-Why¡­¡± The swordsman with sky-blue hair awkwardly came up to him. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m Don.¡± ¡°You must be the next in rank after him, right? Are you a team leader?¡± ¡°Gasp¡­¡± Don¡¯s face hardened when Raon asked whether he was a team leader. He apparently didn¡¯t expect him to determine his rank just by looking at him. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Raon chuckled. He just guessed it because his energy was the strongest after Techly¡¯s, and he was right. ¡°Don, you know who I am, right?¡± ¡°I-I do.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong with that manner of speech? I¡¯m a vice-squad leader, and you are a team leader.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Raon bobbed his fingers in a way that suggested he could turn them into a fist any time he wanted, and Don¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°P-Please excuse me, Sir.¡± Don bowed, addressing him politely with a trembling voice. ¡°Since your vice-squad leader unfortunately turned out that way, I¡¯m going to need to talk to you about the duels.¡± Raon sat on the chair Techly had been sitting in, and Don could only swallow nervously without saying anything. ¡°First of all, the duel will take ce in three months.¡± ¡°Three months? That¡¯s too long!¡± Don¡¯s eyes widened in anger. Garon had told them to appoint the date for the duel in two weeks at thetest. Don was bound to get in big trouble if he told him the duel would happen in three months. ¡°This is our consideration for you guys, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you think that thing will wake up within a month?¡± Raon snickered, pointing at Techly. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Don vacantly stared at Techly. Judging from the strange shape his body was taking inside the wall, it looked like bones all over his body were broken despite being smacked into his face. Factoring in time for his rehabilitation, it was impossible for him to recover in a single month. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I-It is indeed impossible for him to recover. Then, let¡¯s make it three months¡­¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be thanking us at least for our consideration?¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°It was my consideration for you guys. It¡¯s only natural for you to thank me.¡± ¡°Ah, th-thank you!¡± Don bowed, rolling his eyes while his head was lowered. Raon was the reason for Techly¡¯s state, so he was confused why he needed to feel grateful to him. ¡°That¡¯s it for the date. As for the method, let¡¯s make it a group duel where thirty-five participants duel in 1vs1 matches, and the team with more victories wins.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I guess you want Light Wind to cease their activities if you win, right?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Don¡¯s face turned pale, revealing that Raon was right. ¡°You really failed to impress me.¡± Raon chuckled. Just as he suspected, the reason Golden Crest had picked a fight was revenge for the suspension of the True Martial Pce¡¯s activities. ¡°And the duration should be about two years.¡± ¡°¡­You are correct.¡± ¡°I guess he told you to ept any condition from us, right?¡± ¡°Y-You are right about that, as well.¡± Don looked like he had lost his mind from the uracy of Raon¡¯s guesses as he nodded. ¡°Then we will leave our condition nk for now. I¡¯ll decide on it once we win.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Don kept repeating the word ¡®yes¡¯ with unfocused eyes. It looked like he had either lost his mind or was unable to reason anymore. ¡°Next up is¡­ We need a notary for the duels.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call someon¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the notary.¡± As Don was about to move, the restaurant¡¯s door opened, and a purple-haired woman entered. She was a small yet beautiful woman with white skin and thin eyes. However, she was carrying a gray sword diagonally on her back, and a tremendous energy wave was spreading out from her, despite her appearance. There was only one swordswoman in Zieghart that had such an appearance and prowess. ¡®The Heavenly de Division leader¡­¡¯ She was the heroine that had been in charge of the Heavenly de Division, directly affiliated to Glenn Zieghart, for dozens of years. She was also a powerhouse at the level of Grandmaster¡ªthe Heavenly de¡¯s leader Sheryl. ¡®But this energy¡­¡¯ Sheryl¡¯s pressure felt familiar to him. It was the energy he could faintly feel when he entered the trance that day, and when he was focused in the past. ¡°Wh-Why is the Heavenly de¡¯s leader here¡­?¡± Don¡¯s shoulders trembled as he sank on the ground in fear. ¡°Because you guys made everyone unable to enter the restaurant.¡± She pointed at the open door. The technicians and swordsmen, who usually visit the restaurant, left the ce once they realized the situation. ¡°You should decide quickly and disappear. Are you going to duel or not?¡± ¡°We will.¡± ¡°S-Same goes for us.¡± ¡°The Sword Duels will take ce in the great training ground in three months. The method is 1v1 spars between thirty-five members on each side. The Golden Crest wants the Light Wind to cease their activities for two years upon their victory, and the Light Wind will decide on their condition after they win. Am I correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon and Don nodded at the same time. ¡°I¡¯ll be the notary for this duel between the Light Wind and Golden Crest, under the name of Sheryl, the leader of Heavenly de.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Then both of you shall disappear.¡± Sherly shook her hand to urge them to leave, without even epting their gratitude. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Don pulled Techly from the wall, then left the restaurant with the Golden Crest swordsmen. ¡°Are you not leaving?¡± ¡°I have something to do. Dorian.¡± Raon called out to Dorian, who was standing far away with his mouth wide open. ¡°Can you give me the cleaning tools?¡± ¡°What? O-Okay.¡± Dorian was surprised, but took out a broom, mop, and a water bucket from his belly pocket and handed them over. You will be visited with Heaven¡¯s judgment for throwing food away. ¡®Is a demon king really supposed to say Heaven¡¯s judgment?¡¯ Shut up! You are just a youngster that doesn¡¯t know how precious food is because you grew up in a sheltered environment! ¡®I see, I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Ooh! Raon immediately apologized, and Wrath eximed with a strange sound. D-Did you seriously apologize just now? Is the sun going to rise in the west tomorrow? ¡®No way.¡¯ Raon shook his head. He knew better than anyone how important food was, because he had always been hungry in his previous life. However, he wanted to repay them the same way Dorian was beaten up this time. ¡°L-Let me do it, too!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also going to help.¡± Raon cleaned up the floor and destroyed tables and chairs with Dorian and Burren. After that, he went to the confused staff behind them. ¡°Although I had a reason for doing this, I¡¯m sorry for throwing away food. I¡¯ll make sure this won¡¯t happen ever again.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s not a problem!¡± ¡°P-Please don¡¯t do this! The food fell on the ground anyway¡­¡± The restaurant staff¡¯s hands waved. ¡°Those guys won¡¯t return anymore. We will pay for the restaurant¡¯s repairs, so please use the best materials.¡± After telling the restaurant staff what to do in the future, Raon stood in front of Sheryl. ¡°Thank you for being our notary. I¡¯ll get going now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She didn¡¯t respond, just narrowed her eyes and examined him, as if she were trying to read his thoughts. ¡°And please rx your face a little when you follow me in the future. It¡¯s difficult for me to train if you look so scary.¡± ¡°Wh-What?!¡± Sheryl¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon was trying to sound her out because he wasn¡¯t sure, but it was her, after all. The energy that he rarely felt during his trance came from Sheryl. ¡°You, how did you¡­?¡± Raon waved his hand at the confused Sheryl, then left the restaurant. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Sherly bit her lips with a visibly unsettled expression. ¡°Did he really manage to notice my presence?¡± * * * * * * ¡°So, you are telling me¡­¡± Garon ground his teeth while looking down on Don. His threatening pressure caused the des decorating the squad leader¡¯s room to resonate in a grotesque sound. ¡°That Techly turned into that piece of shit from a single punch from Raon, and the duel has been postponed for three months, right?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s right.¡± Don nodded while trembling in fear. ¡°Are you nuts? Did you get a hole in your brain or something?¡± Garon¡¯s eyes glowed savagely, like a fiend. ¡°You are a mere team leader! Why did you decide on the duel on your own ord? And you didn¡¯t even do a good job! Three monthster? Do I seriously have to watch those damn bastards stay free for the whole three months? Huh?¡± ¡°P-Please excuse¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, our vice-squad leader gotpletely fucked up, yet I¡¯m supposed to do nothing about it? How did this even happen?¡± ¡°He said it was a reflex¡­¡± ¡°Reflex? Shall I pluck your eyes out and turn them into a reflex?¡± ¡°I mean, wh-when we were in the restaurant¡­¡± Don described the fight between Raon and Techly in the restaurant. ¡°So. You''re telling me that he turned into this marite with broken strings from Raon¡¯s single punch.¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Screw this shit.¡± Garon pped the unconscious Techly¡¯s cheeks, but that couldn¡¯t wake him up in his critical state. ¡°Haa, let¡¯s go. I can¡¯t ept those stupid conditions for the duel. More than anything, three months are too long.¡± ¡°But we need time to heal and rehabilitate Sir Techly¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need that idiot to win against them. Since the notary is on our side, we can change the terms whenever we want.¡± ¡°A-Actually, we have a different notary than the one we¡¯ve prepared.¡± ¡°What? What kind of dogshit is that?¡± ¡°The Heavenly de¡¯s leader became the duel¡¯s notary.¡± Don continued, with a suffocating expression. ¡°The Heavenly de division leader suddenly appeared and became the notary before I could call the notary we were supposed to have.¡± ¡°That damn witch that doesn¡¯t even age!¡± Garon ground his teeth. He couldn¡¯t understand why she suddenly appeared to volunteer as a stupid notary when she usually just passed by without showing any interest. ¡°Damn it. She¡¯s a stubborn bitch. She¡¯s never going to let us change things.¡± The Heavenly de leader was infamous for being the strictest person in the house. Since she was as old as Glenn despite her young appearance, tricks and pressure didn¡¯t work against her either. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Increase the training intensity for the squad members for the next three months.¡± Garon clenched his fist, ring at the unconscious Techly. ¡°So that they won¡¯t turn into a piece of shit like him.¡± * * * The Heavenly de¡¯s leader went to Glenn right after she left the restaurant to report what happened. ¡°I see. Golden Crest and the Light Wind are fighting.¡± Glenn nodded slowly, without showing any interest on the outside. ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether Balder was involved or not, but the True Martial Pce was the one that picked this fight for sure. They used a pretty nasty method so that the department of justice won¡¯t be able to interfere.¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve figured he needed a pretext for his actions after he saw Raden being defeated. His method is dirty, but that¡¯s a good method to pressure someone.¡± He chuckled, showing that he didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°Rather than that, did you mention that Raon hit the Golden Crest¡¯s vice leader with a food tray?¡± ¡°Yes. I never imagined a food tray could produce that kind of sound.¡± Sheryl eximed, recalling that ridiculous scene. ¡°He made Techly faint with a single punch when he¡¯s a highest-level Expert. Raon¡¯s strength, agility, and aura control were pretty much at Master level.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Glenn made an ambiguous expression betweenughing and frowning, before covering his mouth. ¡°But why did you suddenly volunteer as a notary? I thought you didn¡¯t like doing such things.¡± ¡°I stepped in because I thought the restaurant staff, technicians, and other swordsmen would fall victim if they continued.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn slowly nodded. ¡°However, I doubt there¡¯s any point in this duel.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I understood why my lord asked me to watch Raon. On top of his exceptional talent that I¡¯ve never seen before, he was diligent and persistent. He should be able to reach my level, or even surpass me to reach the sky one day. However¡­¡± Sheryl furrowed her brows and continued. ¡°Raon isn¡¯t the only one fighting in this duel. It is a group fight. A duel between Light Wind and Golden Crest. Everyone from Light Wind except for Raon, Rimmer, and the three team leaders are going to lose.¡± She shook her head, telling him that the result was already decided. ¡°Do you remember what Rimmer said?¡± ¡°Which statement do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°About Raon having the qualities of a king.¡± ¡°Of course, I remember. I¡¯ve grown tired of it, since he keeps saying that whenever I see him.¡± Sheryl frowned. Rimmer had started constantly murmuring that Raon had the qualities of a king, as if he were trying to brainwash people. ¡°However, I believe a king needs more than just talents in martial arts.¡± ¡°I agree. I acknowledge his unprecedented talent, but bing a king, the master of this house, is a different story.¡± Glenn raised his hand with a cold smile. ¡°Bing a king requires excellent vassals. If Light Wind really ends up winning against Golden Crest this time, Raon might really have the qualities of a king.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sheryl closed her mouth tightly without responding. She couldn¡¯t say anything because she suddenly remembered that Raon had found out about her secretly observing him. She didn¡¯t do her best in concealing herself, but the fact that she was found out hurt her pride. ¡°It looks like you still don¡¯t believe me. Then, let¡¯s make a bet.¡± ¡°D-Did you just say a bet?¡± Sheryl¡¯s eyes widened. Glenn wasn¡¯t the type of person to say such a thing, unlike the gambling addict Rimmer. ¡®Something is changing.¡¯ * * * Before the afternoon training started, Raon gathered every member of Light Wind and stood on the tform. ¡°Attention.¡± He slowly opened his mouth after meeting the eyes of the swordsmen looking up on the tform. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone is aware that Golden Crest picked a fight with us. They wanted to challenge us to a duel. The squad leader and I decided to ept the duel.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Huu!¡± The swordsmen either anxiously bit their lips or clenched their fists. ¡°A group duel will be held in the great training ground in three months. Thirty-five people will participate from each side, and the team with the most victories will be the winner.¡± ¡°E-Erm¡­¡± One of the third team¡¯s swordsmen raised his hand. ¡°What happens if we lose?¡± ¡°Our activities will be suspended for two years.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°A-Activity suspension? And two whole years, on top of that?¡± The swordsmen dropped their jaws from learning that their activities might get suspended for two years. ¡°I¡¯m fine with a group duel, but isn¡¯t it difficult for us to win against the Golden Crest?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have any novice swordsmen like us.¡± ¡°Two years of suspension¡­¡± ¡°We are only getting started, but it¡¯s already over for us!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Their expressions turned gloomy, as if they had already lost the fight. ¡°You idiots! Why are you barking like lost dogs already? You need to shut up!¡± Martha turned back to look at them and ground her teeth. ¡°She¡¯s right. We haven¡¯t even started yet, so why are you already talking about the results?¡± Burren nodded in agreement with Martha. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan was¡­ the same as always. ¡°Thank you for backing me up, but you are wrong, unfortunately.¡± Raon shook his head at Martha and Burren. ¡°We will definitely lose if we fought them right now, and we will also lose in three months if we keep training like we do right now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wh-What!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Why did you ept the fight, then?¡± All the swordsmen, including Burren and Martha, started shouting. Their eyes were wide. ¡°Because we can win.¡± Raon nonchntly looked down on everyone. ¡°We will definitely lose at this rate, but if we train ording to the n that the squad leader and I have devised, every single one of you are going to be able to defeat the Golden Crest wimps in three months.¡± ¡°n?¡± ¡°S-Seriously?¡± ¡°Can we really win against the Golden Crest guys in three months?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll make you capable of winning, as long as you properly follow our systematic n.¡± Raon affirmed, and cheerfulness returned to the swordsmen¡¯s faces. It was a natural course of action, since they all trusted Raon, who had never lied or failed before. ¡°What are we doing then? Let¡¯s start training already.¡± ¡°What is that systematic n?¡± ¡°Vice leader!¡± The swordsmen were brimming with smiles as they called for Raon, since they thought they could quickly get stronger. ¡°Can I assume that everyone agrees to follow my n?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The swordsmen¡¯s loud and clear response resounded throughout the training ground. ¡°I like how you are smiling. Let¡¯s start immediately.¡± Raon smiled gently and walked down the tform. Shring. He immediately drew his sword, then pointed at Burren, who was in the front row. ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°Wh-What are you doing?¡± ¡°What did you draw your sword after saying that we were going to train¡­?¡± It wasn¡¯t just Burren¡ªeveryone was clearly confused. ¡°For your training, you are going to spar against me. Since you are going to fight every day and every hour from now on, you¡¯d better brace yourselves.¡± ¡°Huh? Huuh?¡± ¡°S-Spar? With the vice-squad leader?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? How am I supposed to spar against someone that defeated an apostle?¡± The swordsmen protested with trembling lips, saying that it was absolutely ridiculous. ¡°Moreover, how dare you call this a systematic n? It¡¯s just stupid sparring every day!¡± ¡°The more you fight, the stronger you get. This is the most systematic n in the world.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s not what systematic means¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, you already admitted that you agreed to my n. There¡¯s no escape for you.¡± The Light Wind members turned pale in the face of Raon¡¯s scary smile. They finally realized they had fallen into a trap that they couldn¡¯t escape from. ¡°Come at me.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll kill you, I mean, I¡¯ll make you stronger.¡¯ Didn¡¯t you just say you will kill them? ¡®You are just hearing things.¡¯ Chapter 195 If Raon were asked¡ªback in the days when he was an assassin¡ªwhat the most physically difficult training was, he could answer without a second¡¯s thought. It was the spar against instructors. The instructors would viciously keep targeting his vitals with an iron rod, and the training consisted in defending and counter attacking against them. Since the instructors never went easy on him, it was a given that he would get bloody bruises, and he often ended up with fractured bones orcerations. The worst part was the fact that the instructors increased their strength and speed when the children seemed to get used to their attacks, targeting arger variety of vital spots and weaknesses in order to make it impossible for the children to defend against them. While enduring the deadly pain every day, the kids contemted how they could survive. As a result, they ended up removing their openings, and became capable of targeting the instructor¡¯s openings instead. It was a really difficult and painful training, one where he felt like he was in hell, but it was certainly efficient at nurturing his skills. In fact, the instinct that was engraved in his body during that training did manage to save his life in the past. Since the Light Wind managed to obtain books on martial arts thanks to Glenn¡¯s consideration, it was the perfect timing for them to start such instinct training. ¡°Burren.¡± Raon bobbed his hand at Burren toe out from the center of the training ground. ¡°How long are you nning to keep watching?¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Burren came out, chewing his lips. Because he had only recently been defeated in an all-out fight, anxiety was flowing down his face. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t need a warm-up. Come at me.¡± ¡°Haap!¡± Burren mustered as much aura as he could and kicked the ground. The moment he tried to strike with his Barren Wind Sword at close quarters, Raon slipped away by using the Supreme Harmony Steps. ¡°Wh-Where?¡± ¡°Here.¡± The moment Burren panicked, Raon used his hesitation to rush at him from the side and kicked his leg. Smack! Since Burren¡¯s leg was kicked while he was using footwork, he fell down in an unsightly manner. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The damage wasn¡¯t too great, but Burren¡¯s face turned red because his pride was hurt. ¡°You aren¡¯t invincible just because you are using footwork. You should move more carefully while observing the surroundings.¡± ¡°U-Understood.¡± Burren ground his teeth, then charged at him again. Raon smoothly deflected his blow, like a rainwater flowing down the roof, before thrusting his training sword. Cring! The training sword wavered like a reed, multiplying into dozens of des and targeting the opening Burren presented him with. ¡°Haap!¡± In his confusion, Burren still managed to use his aura to spread his aura de in the shape of a round shield. Wham! However, it was impossible to fend off Raon¡¯s sword with an aura formed in such a short time period. The training sword, glowing red with heat, tore apart his light green aura and smacked Burren. Smaack! Of course, it wasn¡¯t just an ordinary attack. Burren¡¯s current weakness and openings were mercilessly pummeled. ¡°Kueh! Stop!¡± Burren fell back with an unsightly scream. He crouched down in order to survive, not to defend himself. ¡°I lost! I-I said I lost!¡± ¡°Your reaction was fast, but the response wasn¡¯t great.¡± Raon lowered his training sword and pointed at Burren¡¯s aura, which was scattered into the air. ¡°You would¡¯ve noticed the weaker part of my strike if you were more careful, but since you decided to rely on power to defend yourself, it was only natural that your shield shattered.¡± ¡°Wh-When did you learn a variable sword like that¡­?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really learn the variable sword. I was just trying it out.¡± It wasn¡¯t a technique he learned¡ªjust a strike using the changing nature of the me Spirit. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened so much that they looked like they would pop out. He looked even more shocked than when he got smacked. ¡°Since it will be your turn again after I go through all thirty-three people, you should think about what you should¡¯ve done in the previous situation.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Burren¡¯s face turned pale when Raon told him he would get another spar after a round with the others. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan was rolling her eyes after taking a nce at Burren, who got beaten up. She usually didn¡¯t act that way, but she didn¡¯t seem afraid. She seemed to have realized it was different from when Raon was practicing the Fangs of Insanity. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± Raon nodded, and she immediately froze the ground and thrusted her sword quickly, like lightning. The training ground¡¯s temperature was quickly lowered, and the emerging frost stiffened his body. m! With a single stomp, Raon wiped away all the frost covering the ground and air before striking. The training sword, swaying like a twig, multiplied into five to target Runaan¡¯s head and shoulder at the same time. Thud! Runaan bounced back as stically as a rubber band, but she didn¡¯t surpass Raon¡¯s prediction. Whoosh! Raon followed her movement like a ma and shed at a speed that would be difficult for her to react to. Smack! He hit Runaan¡¯s wrist as she was trying to defend herself in that short time period, before stabbing the ten openings she had at the same time. ¡°Ack.¡± Runaan¡¯s scream was silent. She lowered her eyes while grabbing the vitals that were attacked. She looked like a wet puppy in the rain. Be honest. You are from Devildom, aren¡¯t you? ¡®What the hell are you talking about?¡¯ Look at the ice cream girl. How can you hit her ten times in that short instant, even though she¡¯s so precious? You are a real devil! ¡®This is necessary to make her stronger.¡¯ Looking at Runaan¡¯s expression made him feel sorry for her, but he had to steel his heart. It was for their sake, after all. ¡°The stic footwork was nice, but you didn¡¯t properly check for your direction nor determine my attack. You need to analyze the opponent¡¯s sword before deciding whether you will dodge, block, or counterattack.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll attack the exact same way during the next spar, so you should think about how to counter it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan didn¡¯t reply for the first time as she went away. ¡°It¡¯s my turn, then.¡± Martha came up to the arena with a grin on her face. She fearlessly raised her training sword like a challenger. ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± Without any starting signal, she immediately charged to strike. Her sword, imbued with a powerful strength and speed, was falling down on Raon¡¯s head. ng! Raon swung his training sword like a snaking wave to deflect Martha¡¯s strike before striking her opening. Smack! Although her body faltered from the powerful impact, she kept swinging her sword without interruption. It looked like she intended to attack one more time if she had time to defend or flinch from the pain. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s the correct decision.¡± Raon chuckled, deflecting every single one of Martha¡¯s attacks before mercilessly smacking her weaknesses and openings. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Martha¡¯s face turned into a scary frown from the intense pain and the fact that she didn¡¯tnd a single strike. ¡°Your powerful strength and endurance are your biggest weapons, but they don¡¯t always work. The opponent might be simply better than you in all aspects, or they might be capable of nullifying your attack like me.¡± Raon swung his sword horizontally. The de spread out into five in an instant, and mercilessly pierced through her aura. ¡°Kyah!¡± Although Martha had been enduring the attacks while gritting her teeth, she ended up falling down with a scream. ¡°It¡¯s fine to trust the defensive abilities of the Titan¡¯s aura, but you have way too many openings. You should learn how to discern between what hits to take and what hits to dodge.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Her ck eyes were filled with anger as she red at him while grabbing the spots where she was attacked. ¡°V-Vice-squad leader, isn¡¯t this too much?¡± Dorian broke out in a cold sweat, his face pale. ¡°The spar needs to be like a real fight for you guys to improve.¡± Raon smiled, then pointed at Dorian, who just asked the question. ¡°It was good timing for you to ask a question, since you are next, Dorian.¡± ¡°Hieee!¡± * * * When the half-moon reached the center of the sky, the screams finally stopped in the fifth training ground. ¡°We will stop here for today.¡± Raon grinned, carrying his training sword on his shoulder. ¡°Uaah!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m saved¡­¡± ¡°I really thought I was going to die.¡± ¡°Haaa¡­¡± The swordsmen couldn¡¯t even answer properly, copsing on the training ground like wobbling zombies. Their visible skin was filled with bruises, and their training outfits had turned white because of their sweat. It must have been painful and difficult, but Raon thought they would be somewhat recovered by the next morning, since he made sure there wouldn¡¯t be any aftereffects. ¡°You should keep thinking and pondering about why you got hit, and how you can avoid getting hit. You should be able to progress faster if you make use of the new martial arts you learned.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s not something you can do in a single day!¡± Burren barely managed to raise his head. From the third time he got beaten up, all his respect disappeared from his speech. ¡°You will just get beaten up if you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Keuh!¡± He just ground his teeth, as he couldn¡¯t refute that. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Damn it. Damn it! God damn it!¡± Runaan couldn¡¯t stand up, her head on the ground, and Martha kept swearing in frustration while looking up at the sky. ¡°Uaah!¡± ¡°I¡¯m dying¡­¡± ¡°E-Every single part of my body hurts.¡± The swordsmen kept moaning whileying down in different postures. ¡°I went easy on you because it¡¯s the first day. Since I won¡¯t do that anymore starting tomorrow morning, you shoulde here at daybreak and warm yourselves up in preparation.¡± ¡°E-Easy? You call this easy? And did you just say you aren¡¯t going easy anymore?¡± ¡°And from morning, on top of that?¡± ¡°Are you seriously trying to kill us¡­?¡± ¡°S-Squad leader! Where are you? The vice-squad leader is trying to kill us!¡± The Light Wind members screamed while grabbing their heads. ¡°If you have the energy to be screaming, you should leave and think about a way to avoid getting hit instead, since it will be even more difficult tomorrow.¡± Raon smiled coldly at them before leaving the training ground. Thud! As soon as Raon left, Dorian put his hand in his belly pocket, and took out a luxurious sled. ¡°I¡¯m going home!¡± * * * Instead of entering the annex building, Raon went to the open area. Judiel, who was watching theke where moonlight was spreading, bowed to him. ¡°Fortunately, I managed to obtain the sword technique you mentioned.¡± Judiel nodded, giving him a thin booklet. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon smiled faintly and epted Judiel¡¯s booklet. The swordsmanship¡¯s posture and exnation were written inside. ¡°So, this is the White Fragrance Sword.¡± White Fragrance Sword was the martial art granted to the Golden Crest swordsmen by Garon, and it was an excellent advanced technique that had both diversity and great space control. He had asked Judiel to investigate it so that he could use it to beat up the Light Wind members¡ªor, rather, teach them¡ªand she managed to obtain it before it was toote. Considering the fact that she personally drew the pictures and added the exnations, she clearly had excellent senses and sharp eyes. Raon carefully read the booklet about the White Fragrance Sword twice before burning it with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡°I¡¯m going to try using it now. Can you watch me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Judiel nodded, then stepped back. Cling! Raon turned his wrist, drawing his sword. Whoosh! The silver de, carried by the wind, spread around like the fragrance of the spring flowers as it drew four different curves. The des¡ªwith shy diversities, like a kaleidoscope¡ªspread around at different speeds and trajectories to sh the moon that was reflected on theke into dozens of pieces. ¡°How was it?¡± After demonstrating all the different techniques of the White Fragrance Sword, Raon went to Judiel. ¡°I-It was almost perfect¡­¡± Judiel¡¯s eyes trembled intensely. She apparently didn¡¯t expect him to reenact the White Fragrance Sword from reading the booklet twice. ¡°However, I think it was slightly faster and the trajectories¡¯ spreads were wider.¡± ¡°Like this?¡± Taking into ount her advice, Raon used the White Fragrance Sword once again. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s exactly the White Fragrance Sword that I saw. How did you do that after just reading the booklet twice¡­?¡± Her eyes were trembling violently at the ridiculousness of what he had just shown her. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to an enlightenment I recently got.¡± The Ring of Fire and the me Spirit significantly increased his understanding of variable swords and illusion swords. That was the reason he was capable of reenacting the White Fragrance Sword just from reading the exnation and seeing the pictures. ¡°If you are at this level, why did you ask me to gather information about the White Fragrance Sword? You must¡¯ve already learned much better techniques.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not for me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to split and divide this White Fragrance Sword and use it to train the Light Wind members.¡± He was nning to attack the Light Wind members by using the diversity and space domination of the White Fragrance Sword, all in order to engrave an instinct in them. An instinct that could overwhelm and pulverize the Golden Crest¡¯s swords. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Judiel¡¯s eyes lost focus upon realizing the meaning of his words. It looked like surprise wasn¡¯t enough to describe her astonishment. ¡°Good job. You should return and rest.¡± ¡°Wh-What about the young master¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stay here to hone this swordsmanship a bit more.¡± ¡°But you must be tired from fighting the swordsmen all day long.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much time. I need to finish learning it properly to make the members stronger.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll get going, then.¡± Judiel nodded, then returned to the annex building. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this quickly.¡¯ Since you said you will finish it quickly, I bet you will continue until morning. Wrath frowned,ining that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep once again. ¡°I¡¯ll make it quick.¡± Raon gave him a small smile, before using the White Fragrance Sword. He split the diversity and space domination of the different techniques into small pieces, putting them in his own sword. The White Fragrance Sword was thoroughly dismantled and became the fertilizer for Raon¡¯s growth. While he was focused on learning the technique, Judiel brought a sandwich and ced it on the tree stump located next to the open area. In order to avoid disturbing Raon¡¯s concentration, Judiel stayed far away from him and silently watched him practicing the White Fragrance Sword. She was thinking about whether there was anything she could do to help him. * * * * * * The Light Wind kept doing nothing but sparring for their training for a month. Whenever the Light Wind members started getting used to the fast and diverse attacks, Raon increased the intensity to make sure they could never get used to it. The Light Wind members trained, got beaten up, and pondered every day¡ªyet they still felt like their skills hadn¡¯t increased at all. It was truly a strange swamp. ¡°I-I¡¯m losing my sanity.¡± ¡°I wanna die. Please, end me¡­¡± ¡°I wanna see my mom. Mom¡­¡± Even during their sparse break times, they couldn¡¯t properly rest and couldn¡¯te back to their senses as they kept rubbing their faces on the floor. Obviously, many swordsmen tried to run away, but they had all given up after realizing they couldn¡¯t hide from Raon¡¯s perception. ¡°Amazing!¡± Rimmer shook his head as he saw the state the swordsmen were in, his face plump from doing nothing but eating and ying around, since he didn¡¯t even need to oversee training anymore. ¡°I would¡¯ve already given up on being a swordsman if I was you. Oh my god!¡± ¡°S-Squad leader.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna thank god that I¡¯m not in your position.¡± Apparently, he was serious about that, as he gathered his hands and started praying. ¡°Hnng.¡± Rimmer went away while humming, and he looked even more detestable than Raon. ¡°S-Sir Burren. Are you going to keep up with this? We are seriously going to die at this rate!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We are all going to die because of a monster among us instead of the enemy outside!¡± ¡°Damn vice-squad leader! He¡¯s smiling every day now. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s enjoying beating us up!¡± The Light Wind members went to Burren toin, since he was the only one they could talk to. In fact, Runaanpletely stopped talking altogether and Martha couldn¡¯t say anything other than swear words, making Burren the only person who could still discuss things with them. ¡°It¡¯s also difficult for me, but there¡¯s no other way. The squad leader left the matter entirely to Raon, and that damn Raon is so determined to never go easy on us.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t exactly need to stop sparring.¡± Krein raised his head. He could pretty much be called Burren¡¯s faithful vassal at this point. ¡°We could take a few days'' break from these hellish spars.¡± ¡°Break? How would you do that?¡± ¡°For example, this ground.¡± Krein pointed at the training ground¡¯s floor. ¡°The existence of soil absorbs the impact and allows us to avoid serious injuries, but if we didn¡¯t have that, even Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to go too hard on us. He might even postpone the spars until we get new soft soil.¡± ¡°Hmm, indeed.¡± Burren nodded. Since all training grounds were full nowadays, it was also impossible to go to another training ground to continue the spars. If it became impossible to keep sparring in the fifth training ground, they might really end up getting a few days¡¯ break. ¡°You heard that there¡¯s going to be a powerful typhoon tonight, right? Since there¡¯s no way the vice-squad leader¡¯s going to be guarding this ce at night, how about using that typhoon for our advantage?¡± ¡°Use the typhoon?¡± ¡°Yes. We will throw away the soil, and mess the ground up, and tell him that it was all the typhoon''s doing. Even the vice-squad leader won¡¯t be able to me us for that. Since the training ground¡¯s going to need maintenance, we won¡¯t be able to spar for two to three days.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Burren bit his lips. He would normally never have epted such a proposition, but he really felt like he was going to die at the rate they were going. ¡®Yes, just a few days. Let¡¯s rest for a few days. It¡¯s not for me, but for the kids, because they really are going to die.¡¯ Since he hadn¡¯t been able to sleep for over two weeks straight, he convinced himself with nonsensical reasoning and nodded. ¡°Alright, gather everyone who can agree.¡± Burren gathered everyone except for Runaan, Martha, and Dorian¡ªwho was pretty much Raon¡¯s direct subordinate¡ªand exined the n to them. * * * That night, thirty members of the Light Wind gathered in the fifth training ground with wobbly legs after the light went off. ¡°Let¡¯s start the operation.¡± Burren pointed at the soil on the ground once everyone was gathered. ¡°The first group will throw away all the soft soil on the training ground. Don¡¯t leave a single bit behind.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Keep your voice low.¡± ¡°The second group will make a mess on the ground. Since we need to pretend it was the typhoon¡¯s fault, you gotta make it look as natural as possible.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Keep your voice low, I said!¡± Since the training had just finished, the swordsmen were not in their right mind. ¡°The third group will make a mess outside the training ground. Remember that making it look natural is the most important thing in this operation and start working.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I said to keep your voice low! Please!¡± Burren started the operation without realizing that he was the loudest one. Craving a week¡¯s break, or just a few days'' break at least, the swordsmen threw away the soil and made a mess of the ground. It was truly a touching sight where they were working hard for their survival, but they didn¡¯t realize that there was a pair of red eyes watching everything from above, on the training ground¡¯s roof. * * * The next morning, Raon entered the training ground at the same time as usual, but it had turned into apletely different ce from the day before. The entire training ground had turned into a mess, as if it were bombed overnight. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I heard yesterday¡¯s typhoon passed around this area.¡± Burren came up to him and frowned. ¡°Typhoon? Ah, they did say there was going to be a typhoon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It does look like a typhoon¡¯s doing.¡± Raon licked his lips while looking on the shambled ground. ¡°V-Vice-squad leader.¡± Krein stood next to Burren, his hands gathered together. ¡°We might end up with a serious injury if we keep sparring here, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s impossible to spar here.¡± Raon nodded, looking regrettable. ¡°Since we need to talk, gather everyone in front of the tform.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Burren and the swordsmen were filled with excitement, since they figured it was going ording to their n. Their wobbly steps almost looked cheerful at that point. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon went up on the tform and sighed. ¡°As everyone saw, the training ground isn¡¯t in good condition right now. We need to do its maintenance today.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Finally!¡± Cheerful expressions became clearly visible on the faces of the swordsmen upon hearing Raon¡¯s deration. However, Raon hadn¡¯t finished talking yet. ¡°However! Fortunately, we still have a way.¡± ¡°A w-way?¡± ¡°What way?¡± ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon gestured with his hand, and Dorian sighed heavily before walking up to the tform. He had some difficulties, but he managed to take out arge sack from his belly pocket. ¡°It¡¯s the soft soil we requested at Porvan¡¯s city hall. It¡¯s the best soil for softness and safety.¡± Raon smiled, pointing at the soft soil that Dorian started to take out. That soft soil was the first thing he requested when he visited Porvan''s mayor. ¡°It happened to arrive two days ago. I was nning to change it after this training was over, but let¡¯s use this opportunity. Take them all out, Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dorian responded with a tired voice, before taking out a hundred soft soil sacks and cing them in front of the tform. His unfocused eyes showed that he had already given up on everything. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°A-Am I dreaming right now¡­?¡± The swordsmen, who were filled with happiness just a moment ago, had to drop their jaws. The way they looked suggested that they had just fallen into the pit of hell, revealing that they had never expected such a development. ¡°Since we don¡¯t have much time, let¡¯s finish it today. Bring the shovels and the maintenance tools.¡± The swordsmen turned around with trembling limbs upon hearing Raon¡¯s order. ¡°D-Damn it¡­¡± ¡°We even skipped sleep to do all that shit¡­¡± ¡°That damn idiot!¡± ¡°It was all for naught!¡± They all red at Krein, who had initially devised the n. ¡°B-But there won¡¯t be any sparring for a day, for today at least. Let¡¯s findfort in that.¡± Krein broke out in cold sweat as he shook his hands. ¡°You would¡¯ve been already dead if we didn¡¯t get that going for us, at least.¡± ¡°Haa, alright. Let¡¯s rest for today, at least.¡± ¡°I guess one day is pretty good already.¡± ¡°Where are you going right now?¡± While the swordsmen were trying to find hope in their despair, Raon¡¯s brusque voice could be heard. ¡°What?¡± ¡°B-But you just asked us to bring the tools¡­¡± ¡°We need to start the maintenance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just maintenance. Not everyone needs to go.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully and opened one of the sacks to spread the contents on the ground in front of the tform. He used aura to harden the ground, immediately creating a temporary training ground. ¡°Time is gold, and the duels are happening soon. The spars need to continue.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± The swordsmen¡¯s faces turned pale upon witnessing the temporary training ground being created in a sh. Raon, who was holding his chin up high while standing on the training ground, looked like a death god from hell. ¡°As expected of the soft soil, it feels nice to step on.¡± After properly hardening the ground, he bobbed his hand at Burren. ¡°Come at me already. What are you waiting for?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. We always start with Burren, you know?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Burren looked like he was about to cry as he took the training sword that Dorian gave him. ¡°Daaamn it! Kuh!¡± He charged at him along with a shout of concentration that sounded like a scream but was beaten up immediately and rolled on the ground, covered with soft soil. ¡°It hurts less because we have soft ground now, doesn¡¯t it? I think we can increase the training intensity from today onward.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°What is life¡­?¡± Raon grinned, and the swordsmen¡¯s faces turned pale as they held maintenance tools in their hands. Are you really human? Wrath left a singlement after watching the entire situation. The more I watch you, the more I¡¯m certain that you are one of us. Chapter 196 Once night fell, Raon was the only person standing on their feet in the fifth training ground. ¡°We managed to spar like always on top of doing the training ground¡¯s maintenance.¡± Raon grinned while looking at the neat training ground and the swordsmen, who were gasping like fish outside water. ¡°I should thank the typhoon.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Upon hearing Raon¡¯s cheerful voice, the swordsmen¡ªespecially the thirty who messed up the training ground the day before¡ªshed tears of blood while grasping the soft soil. ¡°Yaawn¡­¡± Rimmer, who had been lying down on the tform and having a sweet dream, stood up while wiping his saliva. ¡°Is it over?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yikes, this is seriously scary.¡± His shoulders trembled as he took a look at the swordsmen lying all over the ce. ¡°I¡¯m really d that I¡¯m your superior.¡± Rimmer tapped on Raon¡¯s shoulders while grinning. ¡°It won¡¯t take a long time.¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡± Raon smiled without answering. It went without saying that he meant it wouldn¡¯t take a long time until he would be Rimmer¡¯s superior and make him work. Stopping Rimmer from gambling and making him work was one of the reasons Raon wanted to quickly get stronger and climb in ranks. ¡°I¡¯m getting a bad feeling from your smile¡­¡± Rimmer broke out into a cold sweat before turning around. ¡°A-Anyway, I¡¯m leaving. Everyone should leave before you overexert yourselves.¡± Since the swordsmen had already overexerted themselves, they just stayed on the ground without responding. ¡°R-Raon¡­¡± Burren raised himself while trembling like a leaf fluttering into the wind. ¡°I¡¯m fine with training. I love training, b-but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unnecessary to spar like this every day? We have other types of training, like the footwork training, polishing our swordsmanship, tempering our stamina and bodies, and the group training with sword formations.¡± He continued with his hands gathered together, as if he were praying or apologizing. ¡°Since we did enough sparring for thest month, let¡¯s try something else now. I want a systematic and more diversified training, just like you said in the beginning!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Raon tilted his head with a sour expression on his face. ¡°Isn¡¯t sparring the most systematic way of training?¡± ¡°If it was the only method for training in the world! It can¡¯t even be called training at this point since we are just getting beaten up all day long!¡± ¡°Listen. You temper your body by getting beaten up by me in the training grounds, and dodging my attacks increases your stamina. Moreover, you practice your footwork and swordsmanship all night long in order to stop getting beaten up by me.¡± Raon raised his fingers one by one to list the training Burren wanted. ¡°Tempering the body, increasing stamina, practicing swordsmanship and footwork. Everything you mentioned is included in spars. This is clearly the most systematic training in the world.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s a sophistry! Swordsmanship and footwork practices aren¡¯t included in the spars, and there¡¯s no way we are tempering our bodies by getting beaten up!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right! It tempers jack shit, since the pain hasn¡¯t decreased in the slightest, even though we got beaten up for a whole month!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not training! It¡¯s a desperate struggle to survive!¡± Burren shouted. The other swordsmen also stood up to raise their hands in agreement. ¡°The fastest time for a living creature to get stronger is when their lives are in danger. Just endure it for a bit longer.¡± ¡°H-He said, a living creature. He doesn¡¯t even consider us humans anymore!¡± ¡°Damn it! Nothing¡¯s getting through to him! It feels like I¡¯m talking to a wall!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The swordsmen screamed, punching the ground. The fact that barely any dust was rising from their action because of theirck of strength made Raon very slightly sad for them. However, the current training was already significantly lower in intensitypared to the one he had received. He made sure to never leave any aftereffects on them, while his previous life¡¯s training often involved bone fractures and attacks that could leave him disabled. ¡°Then, from now on¡­¡± ¡°We will continue sparring.¡± ¡°Uaaah!¡± ¡°Kyah.¡± ¡°Shit¡­¡± Burren smashed his head on the ground in desperation, Runaan screamed silently, and Martha¡¯s swearing sounded weak for the first time. * * * After all the other swordsmen left, Raon was standing alone in the training ground as he drew Heavenly Drive. Shring. He swung Heavenly Drive with determination, trying to cut through his own shadow as it was created by the moonlight. Whoosh! He wasn¡¯t using any swordsmanship nor footwork, yet Heavenly Drive smoothly vibrated and left a silver trajectory in his shadow, as if he were using some noble technique. He kept going, his sword following his heartbeat instead of his brain¡¯s directions. The aloof moonlight on the white de of the Heavenly Drive spread around the majestic light of the sword. And that sword contained the techniques, principles, and breath that he had learned so far. The different properties of sword techniques that couldn¡¯t harmonize with each other were mixing together slowly to create a spirit that hadn¡¯t appeared before. A killer would¡¯ve called it a killing de, a knight would call it a righteous de, and a dancer would¡¯ve called it an elegant sword dance. That was how mysterious Raon¡¯s sword was. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon¡¯s sword only stopped when the dappled moonlight started flowing down his shoulders. ¡®I¡¯ve progressed.¡¯ He thought his own development would be halted, but he managed to progress instead. Although he started the training with the intention of making the other swordsmen stronger, he was the one that managed to achieve the most progress. ¡°How did this even happen?¡± It was mysterious how he became more aplished with martial arts when all he did was cheerfully beat up the swordsmen, who gradually got stronger. He apparently had some characteristic of getting stronger when he beat up other people, just like Sloth, who became stronger when he slept. ¡°Shall I beat them up even more?¡± Raon chuckled while unsheathing Heavenly Drive. What you said just now¡­ Wrath nodded, pointing his finger at him. You are definitely one of us. ¡°I said I¡¯m not!¡± * * * Vice-squad leader Techly came up to Garon, who had his feet ced on the desk. His fractured limbs were reattached, but his face was covered with arge bandage, showing that his shattered cheekbone hadn¡¯t recovered yet. Thud! Techly knelt in front of Garon and smashed his head on the ground. ¡°I beg your pardon!¡± He didn¡¯t raise his head despite his broken cheekbone touching the ground. ¡°I-I was careless! Please forgive me, since it¡¯s never going to happen ever again!¡± ¡°Do you know what I hate to hear the most?¡± Garon smiled coldly and raised himself. ¡°It¡¯s carelessness. You hear?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°All the idiots keep bbering that ¡®I lost because I was careless.¡¯, ¡®I would¡¯ve won if I wasn¡¯t careless.¡¯, ¡®Because I was careless.¡¯. Do you realize that¡¯s all because of theirck of ability?¡± His smile deepened, and the swords decorating the squad leader¡¯s room created a deadly resonance. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Techly¡¯s face turned pale as he stiffened. ¡°If you have an overwhelming ability, you can kill your opponent even if you were careless or whatever shit they did. You were weak, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°We are supposed to increase our reputation right now, yet shame isn¡¯t enough to describe the humiliation you brought to us. You¡¯d better tell me the reason I shouldn¡¯t behead you right now.¡± Garon drew one of the swords from the wall, pointing it at Techly¡¯s neck as if he really were going to kill him. ¡°I¡¯ll go all-out this time from the beginning. Raon Zieghart, I¡¯ll bury that arrogant guy with my own hands, so please give me one more chance!¡± Although blood was spurting from his cheek and forehead, he didn¡¯t stop mming his head on the marble floor. ¡°That sounds like bullshiting from the guy who fainted from a single punch!¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly because it was a punch. I¡¯m never going to lose to him in swordsmanship!¡± It was true that he had an ominous feeling from the monster called Raon, but it was because they were in a fistfight. Techly was confident he could return the humiliation if they fought with swords. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Garon slowly lowered his sword, which he was about to swing. ¡°I¡¯ll cut him into pieces with the technique you¡¯ve bestowed on me! Please, give me onest chance!¡± ¡°Well, fine. Since I did put lots of effort into you, it would be a waste to discard you right now.¡± ¡°Ah, th-thank you!¡± ¡°However!¡± Garon¡¯s eyes glowed like a demon as he red at Techly. ¡°If you lose again, then you are going to be the one cut into pieces.¡± * * * * * * Rimmer received Glenn¡¯s summons and visited the audience chamber of the lord¡¯s manor, which he hadn¡¯t visited in a long time. ¡°It looks like your life is nice andfortable, since you became all plump.¡± Glenn frowned upon seeing Rimmer¡¯s chubby cheeks. ¡°Why would you say that? You almost look like you are preying on a poor rabbit.¡± Rimmer¡¯s chin trembled as he pretended that he was scared. ¡°What have you even been doing to gain weight like that? Are you idling without even training the children anymore? ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s nothing for me to do.¡± ¡°You have nothing to do?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually, Raon¡­¡± He told Glenn everything that happened during the past month. ¡°¡­That¡¯s why my boys are getting beaten up every day.¡± ¡°Are they not resisting?¡± Glenn asked, tilting his head slightly. ¡°Of course they are. Some of them didn¡¯t show up, ran away, hid their training swords, and they evenpletely messed up the entire training groundst week.¡± ¡°And how did Raon react?¡± ¡°He shattered all of their ns. He made them do the training ground¡¯s maintenance by bringing the soil right away, he used Dorian¡¯s pouch to resolve the issue with the training sword, and I don¡¯t even know what he did with the guys that were faking sickness, but I saw them return in apletely terrified state.¡± Rimmer giggled, calling Raon a really amazing fellow. ¡°The children must¡¯ve gotten stronger, then.¡± ¡°Yes. Since they kept training in order to survive every day, their growth is so noticeable. It¡¯s like a firefly bing a beam of moonlight.¡± ¡°To that extent?¡± ¡°They are pretty much different people from before, since they also became adept with the martial arts that you¡¯ve rewarded them with. Though, they haven¡¯t really noticed that, since they keep getting beaten up.¡± ¡°I want to see them in action after hearing that from you.¡± Glenn nodded, saying that he was going to watch them when the duel happened. His stiff mouth became rxed. ¡°The more I watch Raon, the more I realize how gifted he is.¡± Rimmer continued with a smile. ¡°I used to think he was a genius that specialized in getting stronger himself, but that wasn¡¯t the case. He is also extremely talented at making others stronger. Just as I thought, my dear student must have the qualities of a king.¡± ¡°He was my grandson before bing your student.¡± ¡°He was my student first, though?¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?¡± Wrinkles appeared on the faces of the two people that were smiling while talking about Raon¡¯s greatness until a moment ago. ¡°You can¡¯t say that when you usually don¡¯t even treat him as your grandson! You are only allowed to say that after you stop being embarrassed in front of Raon and tell him, ¡®My lovely grandson, let this grandpa hug you!¡¯, and only after tha¡­ah!¡± Rimmer quickly started shaking his head after noticing the ck cloud expanding above his head. ¡°I-I correct myself! He is your grandson! Of course he is!¡± He could really die if he got hit once again. He needed to avoid it at all costs. Whooo! The cloud disappeared the moment Rimmer apologized, even though it used to look like lightning would strike from it at any moment. ¡°So, there¡¯s no problem.¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s one problem.¡± Even though it was a problem, it was really easy for Rimmer to say it. ¡°What can that possibly be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obviously the swordsmen. Their stress has been umting for over a month, and it¡¯s pretty much reached the maximum right now. It¡¯s likely that they are soon going to say, ¡®screw it, kill me if you want.¡¯¡± Since the Light Wind kept training overnight and got beaten up during the day, their minds had almost reached their limits. It wasn¡¯t going to take long until theypletely lost it. ¡°And how is Raon preparing against it?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t doing anything, though there¡¯s no way he isn¡¯t aware of the problem. In fact, he¡¯s increasing the training intensity instead.¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s as if he is asking them to rebel.¡± * * * Before Sunrise The Light Wind swordsmen, who used to be filled with vitality, were now wobbling like zombies with unfocused eyes. Their stamina and willpower had both reached their limits. ¡°I¡¯m dying.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Burren, Runaan, and Martha were the same, even though they had the strongest willpower among them. They held out a bit longer than the others, but they wobbled the same way soon enough. ¡°E-Erm, Sir Burren¡­¡± Krein came up to Burren and copsed. ¡°We are really going to die at this rate.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go on strike.¡± ¡°Strike?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s just lie down and ignore the vice-squad leader¡¯s orders.¡± He raised his voice slightly so that everyone could hear him. The swordsmen that were interested in his n slowly turned their heads. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he beat us up even more?¡± ¡°Beat us even more? We are getting beaten up every day, and every moment. How can we possibly get beaten up even more? Moreover, we aren¡¯t doing this in order to rest, but in order to survive!¡± Krein raised his finger and pointed at the swordsmen. ¡°Look at them. Do they really look like teenagers who are supposed to be energetic? They are all dying because they lost all their energy! Let¡¯s ask him to give us a few days'' rest so that we can survive. We are seriously going to either die or be severely wounded at this rate.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren bit his lips. Krein didn¡¯t really sound trustworthy because of the previous incident, but what he said was true. Since even himself, Runaan, and Martha had reached their limits, the other swordsmen must¡¯ve been struggling even more. They could really end up with an injury that couldn¡¯t be healed at that rate. ¡°The vice-squad leader is strong, but I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s still a novice when ites down to training others. Look at how he keeps giving us the stick, when he should also be giving us a carrot after the stick!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Just as Krein said, Raon kept giving them the stick for two months straight. It was enough time for even excellent horses to die. ¡°If everyone just lies down and protests, says that they are out of stamina and can¡¯t move anymore, even the vice-squad leader is going to have no choice but to surrender.¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s try that.¡± ¡°I-I also agree.¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t continue anymore.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to Krein, but he is right this time.¡± ¡°Even the vice-squad leader won¡¯t be able to do anything about it if we all refuse to listen.¡± The swordsmen gathered around Burren and Krein. And Runaan, Martha, and Dorian were among them. Even those three people would do anything for some rest because they couldn¡¯t sleep for the past two months. ¡°Then we¡¯ve decided on lying down once Raon arrives, and we aren¡¯t going to move. Traitors will be executed!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The thirty-three members of Light Wind, except for Raon and Rimmer, became united for the first time. Soon enough, when it was time for the morning training, Raon entered while carrying arge bag on his back. He frowned upon seeing the swordsmen lying down on the training ground. ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t continue anymore.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t move a single finger.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve reached my limits.¡± ¡°I¡¯m dying¡­¡± The swordsmen stayed on the ground,ining they couldn¡¯t get up. ¡°I really want to keep training hard, but I¡¯mpletely out of energy and stamina. I¡¯m just out of strength.¡± Burren continued, pointing at his half-focused eye with his finger. ¡°Please give us some rest, or you can kill us if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Every swordsman lying in the training ground followed his example and spread their limbs into a big X-shape. ¡°Does that mean that you can keep training as long as you have the stamina and energy?¡± ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why we need at least three days of rest.¡± ¡°We will never ept less than three days. It has to be at least three days!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The swordsmen, including Burren, protested that they needed some rest. They were simply out of stamina and strength, despite their willingness to train. ¡°Stamina, I see. That¡¯s perfect.¡± Raon put down the bag he was carrying and opened it, and over thirty wooden boxes came out from it. ¡°Because the second reward we requested at the Porvan city, the Elixirs of Blessings, have arrived.¡± He smiled, showing them a wooden box containing an Elixir of Blessings. Although it was a cheerful and refreshing smile, it felt as terrifying as a devil¡¯s smile for them. ¡°E-Elixir?¡± ¡°Why did that arrive at this time¡­?¡± ¡°Uah, how did this happen¡­¡± The swordsmen couldn¡¯t rejoice nor cry at the sight of the wooden boxes. That was because, while they were happy about getting an elixir, they realized the elixir would heal their stamina and energy and they would have to get beaten up once again. ¡°Since your stamina and energy will return once you take the elixir, you should be able to keep training, right?¡± Raon chuckled, watching the trainees making strange expressions with trembling hands. ¡®I already know what you are thinking.¡¯ Of course, the elixir didn¡¯t just happen to arrive at the right time. It had arrived at the same time as the soft soil, but he kept that hidden from everyone because he had predicted that such an incident would happen. ¡°Kuh! Damn it! Daamn it!¡± Burren screamed before standing up and taking an elixir. He med the gods for sending the elixir at that exact moment, when any time earlier orter would¡¯ve been fine. They mentioned that Raon didn¡¯t give them any carrots, but he was damn well giving them carrots now. And they were poisoned carrots! ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s all over. I have to get beaten up again.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t run away. I can¡¯t see any way of running away!¡± ¡°God is dead.¡± The swordsmen bit their lips, elixir boxes in their hands. They were happy about getting elixirs, but the fact that they had to get beaten up again made tears well up in their eyes. ¡°I-It can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s take the elixir for now, and gather herete¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± As Burren was telling them to return after taking the elixir, Raon raised his hand. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t take that right now.¡± ¡°What? What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°You realize the elixir of blessing is more efficient if you take it after exhausting your stamina and aura, right? Let¡¯s spar with me for now and take it tonight after it¡¯s over.¡± Raon tapped the floor to urge them toe at him with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m gonna need to use some strength today in order to maximize the elixir¡¯s efficiency.¡± His training sword started spinning violently like a windmill. The wind pressure emerging from the de made people¡¯s teeth tter. ¡°What are you doing? Come at me already.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren could ascertain it as he saw Raon gently bobbing his hand at him. ¡®That bastard is a devil.¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s not just any devil. He must be the demon king!¡¯ * * * Three months, with manyints and problems, passed. The morning of the duel between Light Wind and Golden Crest arrived. The great training ground, where the duel was supposed to take ce, was alreadypletely packed with people. ¡°I wonder who¡¯s going to win today?¡± ¡°It¡¯spletely obvious that the Golden Crest will be the winner. Although the Light Wind are rising stars, you can already tell from the names of the members that they are on different levels.¡± ¡°No one even knows what missions the Golden Crest have done. We are living in the Light Wind¡¯s era right now.¡± ¡°But they willpete with their skills today, not with their reputations. The Golden Crest is clearly at an advantage because they are stronger overall.¡± ¡°Since there are duels between thirty-five people, I¡¯m guessing that the Golden Crest is going to win at around a 30:5 score.¡± ¡°But the Light Wind has Raon Zieghart, who has defeated an apostle!¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one Raon. Even if he wins his match, it¡¯s not really going to change the oue.¡± Although the people in the spectator seats didn¡¯t really know each other, they kept chattering about the oue, filled with anticipation for the uing match. Most of them expected the Golden Crest to win, even though they did acknowledge Light Wind¡¯s potential. While everyone was anticipating the duels, the great training ground¡¯s main door opened up and the Golden Crest entered. Spreading around their sharp pressures, they went towards the arena at the center of the training ground. ¡°Can¡¯t you feel that pressure? Do you seriously think they are going to lose to the Light Wind members, who are still in their teens?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they would¡¯ve gained more fame than the Light Wind if it weren¡¯t for the activity suspension.¡± ¡°I know, right? Look at those eyes. They look like hungry beasts!¡± Feeling their powerful pressure from the Golden Crest confirmed their estimations. Rumble! Soon after Golden Crest made their appearance, the main door opened for the second time, and the Light Wind entered. They didn¡¯t have any of the confidence or spirit that the Golden Crest had shown. In fact, the way they silently walked towards the arena made people worry for them instead. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± ¡°They look too depressed.¡± ¡°Maybe they became afraid after feeling the Golden Crest¡¯s pressure.¡± ¡°I guess that would be the case, since they must¡¯ve realized they are a few levels stronger than them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over for me! I bet my entire fortune on Light Wind because I trusted Raon!¡± ¡°It looks like the match¡¯s not going to be fun at all.¡± People bbered that the duel was going to end in a one-sided victory after witnessing the Light Wind¡¯s low spirit. Raon smiled while looking around the training ground, as if he was enjoying their reactions. ¡°They are right. This match isn¡¯t going to be fun.¡± Since it would end in a one-sided victory for them. Chapter 197 ¡°Since it will begin soon, you should warm yourselves up.¡± When Raon ordered the swordsmen to warm up, a tall and slender swordsman walked towards him from the other side of the arena. ¡®Garon Zieghart.¡¯ He looked simr to Raden, who he had crushedst time, but the energy wave emanating from him was on apletely different level. His entire body was surrounded with powerful energy, characteristic of those who surpassed the wall. ¡°Are you Raon?¡± Garon approached Raon, stepping close enough that the sound of his breathing could be heard, andughed coldly. He raised his chin while emanating a tremendous energy wave, as if he were trying to crush him. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nonchntly nodded under his pressure. ¡°Hmm.¡± Garon furrowed his brow. He apparently didn¡¯t expect Raon to take his pressure so easily. ¡°I heard you beat my vice-squad leader with a single punch, and you do look like you are capable enough.¡± ¡°It was because he wasn¡¯t that strong.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t that strong? Techly?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That is an excessive amount of arrogance you¡¯ve got, just because you became a little famous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance. I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡± Raon wasn¡¯t taunting norughing at him. It really was his honest opinion. ¡°I didn¡¯t appoint Techly as the vice-squad leader for his fist, but because of his sword. I assure you that he will be in a different dimension once he wields a sword.¡± ¡°In that case, do you want to make a bet with me?¡± ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°If I defeat your vice-squad leader in a single strike once again, please be my next opponent, squad leader.¡± Raon continued, while watching Techly grind his teeth. ¡°After all, I won¡¯t have enough fun if the fight ends with a single strike.¡± ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Techly, who was listening to them, came over while grinding his teeth. ¡°I wasn¡¯t using my sword back th¡­¡± ¡°The vice-squad leader dares to interrupt, swearing, when I¡¯m talking with the squad leader. I guess the Golden Crest¡¯s hierarchy is a mess.¡± Raon sneered. ¡°P-Please excuse me.¡± Techly returned to his position once Garon gave him a cold look. His fist had turned red from clenching so hard, showing how angry he was. ¡°Raon Zieghart. That¡¯s an excessive amount of arrogance over such a small amount of fame.¡± ¡°I suppose. It might be too much for the Golden Crest squad leader, who has no fame at all.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± ¡°So, why aren¡¯t you giving me your answer about the bet I suggested earlier? Do you not trust your subordinate?¡± ¡°Haa. I heard about your eloquence, but they were right about it. You are really good at taunting others.¡± Garon took a deep breath as a scary smile appeared on his face. ¡®I guess there¡¯s no way he would yield to a provocation like this.¡¯ Raon snickered. He was apparently better than Raden in that regard. As Raon decided to use another method, Garon took a step forward. ¡°Fine. Since I should live up to my words, I¡¯ll y along with your taunt. However, you will have to ept five years of activity suspension if you lose.¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s enough?¡± Raon tapped his scabbard while looking at Garon. ¡°If I can¡¯t neutralize Techly in a single strike, I¡¯ll never wield a sword ever again.¡± ¡°You bastard, do you really have a death wish?¡± Garon¡¯s pressure was filled with an intense killing intent. He apparently couldn¡¯t endure the second provocation. Rumble! Without losing his smile, Raon brushed past Garon¡¯s powerful energy wave like a flowing river. ¡°I¡¯m not a very mature person. Do you want me to end you right here and now?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad. Come at me.¡± As two people¡¯s pressures were about to soar towards the sky, creating sparks between them, a majestic resonance urred from the training ground¡¯s entrance. Rumble! ¡°Zieghart¡¯s true heaven, the head of house. Glenn Zieghart makes his entrance!¡± Everyone inside the training ground knelt upon hearing the gatekeepers shouting their heads off. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± While bowing his head, Raon examined Glenn, who was entering through the wide-open entrance. ¡®He¡¯s be evenrger than before¡­¡¯ The Glenn looked evenrger and more majestic than three months previously. His prowess truly seemed to be endless, since he looked different each time Raon got stronger. Neither Glenn nor the Heavenly de squad leader paid anyone any attention. He simply went to sit on the throne on the tform, looking down at the Light Wind and Golden Crest. Tsk, that should¡¯ve been the King of Essence¡¯s ce. Wrath licked his lips, ring at Glenn. ¡®My wrist is the best ce for you.¡¯ The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom! I can¡¯t live in a bracelet like this forever! ¡®Just live there. I¡¯ll let you taste every food on the continent.¡¯ Huh? Hmm¡­ Sh-Shut up! Apparently, Wrath had to consider the option, since his response was significantly dyed. It was pretty funny, since Raon could confirm that gluttony was the reason for his actions, not wrath. ¡°Where¡¯s the Light Wind squad leader?¡± ¡°He is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± As Raon was about to respond, Rimmer¡¯s voice came from behind him. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, and it was obvious at a nce that it was a gambling slip. ¡°Haa, you can begin.¡± Glenn gave Rimmer a killing re before waving his hand. The swordsmen raised themselves upon hearing his low voice. ¡°We are going to start the group duel between Light Wind and Golden Crest! The first participants shalle to the arena!¡± As soon as the host finished talking, a long-armed swordsman from the Golden Crest¡¯s side entered the arena. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Who is our first?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, we haven''t decided yet.¡± ¡°Squad leader?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± The swordsmen looked at Rimmer, but he simply shrugged his shoulders, as if he didn¡¯t have anything to do with it. ¡°It¡¯s obvious who¡¯s the first.¡± Raon came up to them and pointed at the green hair at the end of the line. ¡°M-Me?¡± Dorian, who was anxiously rubbing his belly pocket, freaked out and stepped back. ¡°Since this incident started with you, you should signal the start of the spars as well.¡± Raon grabbed Dorian¡¯s shoulder with a grin. ¡°Go, and release the anger that has umted for thest three months.¡± * * * Dorian bit his lips upon seeing the Golden Crest swordsman in front of him. ¡®Anger?¡¯ He was indeed angry, but it wasn¡¯t directed at the Golden Crest in front of him. He was angry at Raon instead. Since he was beaten up by Raon so much that he even forgot that Golden Crest beat him up, he couldn¡¯t even remember why he was fighting them. ¡®He looks strong.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know his name, but his energy wave and appearance were already telling him he was an outstanding swordsman. He couldn¡¯t understand why Raon sent him first, despite being capable of urately assessing people¡¯s fighting potential. ¡®I can¡¯t lose this fight¡­¡¯ The spearhead was the most important one when it came to a group battle. The spearhead needed to do a good job for the rest to continue smoothly, yet Dorian wasn¡¯t confident in winning at all. ¡°The participants shall step forward.¡± Heeding the host¡¯s call, Dorian walked ahead while sighing deeply. ¡°State your names.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Dorian.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Belkill.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Dorian¡¯s mouth shrunk into a round shape. ¡®Even his name is scary¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just his face that looked strong. Even his name sounded strong. He got the urge to immediately run away from the arena. ¡®Yet, I¡¯m not even sure if I got any stronger at all¡­¡¯ He suffered so much that he could die for the threest months, but he couldn¡¯t exactly say that he got stronger. Since Raon¡¯s sword kept precisely targeting his weakness no matter how much martial arts he learned and pondered how to defend and counterattack against him, there was no way he could gain any confidence at all. ¡°Start the spar!¡± Although he wasn¡¯t mentally ready yet, the spar had already started. As soon as the host went down the arena, Belkill charged at him. His sword twisted into a curve like a cumulus cloud, then fell down upon him. His swordsmanship was both shy and confusing at the same time. ¡°Hiee¡­ Huh?¡± Dorian freaked out and started to step back, but his eyes widened. ¡®Wh-What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He could clearly see the flow of Belkill¡¯s variable sword. Where his sword was targeting and how it was moving, he could see all of it. ¡®Is he making fun of me?¡¯ Dorian judged that Belkill was ying with him and quickly used his footwork, but Belkill¡¯s sword fell down exactly where he had expected without the slightest error. ¡°You have some sharp eyes.¡± Belkill jeered and dashed once again. ¡°But it will be different this time!¡± He stabbed along with a shout of concentration. The sword¡¯s extremity instantly split into three, targeting Dorian¡¯s chest, wrist and head, respectively. ¡®I can see everything again.¡¯ Although he had never seen that swordsmanship before, he could read the flow and direction entirely. He dodged once again just in case, but the sword''s trajectory didn¡¯t diverge from his expectation at all once again. ¡°You mean rat!¡± Belkill¡¯s swordsmanship became faster and more diverse, but it didn¡¯t make much difference. Dorian could see all his movements and openings. ¡°Haap!¡± Dorian used the Supply Forest Footwork that he had recently learned to dodge Belkill¡¯s sword, and smacked his side, which was wide open. Smaack! Along with the sound of a clean hit, Belkill screamed as he was knocked down in the arena. ¡°Kuaah¡­¡± Since his vital point was hit, he groaned while grabbing his ribs before fainting. ¡®That hurts.¡¯ Because Dorian got hit by Raon over and over, he knew what kind of pain and effect each vital point had. Getting hit on that location made you unable to breathe until you fainted. ¡®So, what¡¯s happening right now?¡¯ ¡®Why did I win just now?¡¯ Dorian swallowed nervously while looking at Raon instead of Belkill, who he¡¯d just defeated. ¡®What the hell are you?¡¯ ¡®What have you done to me!¡¯ * * * * * * Raon chuckled, looking at Dorian¡¯s puzzled expression. ¡®You must be confused.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t strange that he was shocked, since he managed to defeat a Golden Crest swordsman that was supposed to be far stronger than him in a single strike despite not believing that he had gotten stronger at all. The Light Wind members must¡¯ve thought that their skills hadn¡¯t increased at all, but in reality, they¡¯d been getting stronger at a constant rate for the past three months. Golden Crest was nothing for them, since they managed to endure those hellish times. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Garon¡¯s eyes widened, as he didn¡¯t expect that result either. He was even more surprised, because Belkill¡ªwho he sent out as the first participant¡ªwas right under the team leaders in terms of strength. ¡°F-First match is the Light Wind¡¯s victory!¡± The host, who was dumbfounded, managed to snap out of it and raise his hand to the Light Wind¡¯s side. ¡°I-Isn¡¯t this a conspiracy?¡± ¡°How could he lose so easily?¡± ¡°Woaaaaah!¡± ¡°Light Wind! Light Wind!¡± There were twopletely different reactions from the spectators, depending on the side they were rooting for. Those who expected Golden Crest to win had to clutch their heads, and those who were supporting the Light Wind kept cheering their heads off. ¡°He was just lucky. Ogin, you are next!¡± Garon forced himself to look rxed, sending out his second team leader. It looked like he was determined to win the second match no matter what. ¡°Burren, it¡¯s your turn. You can definitely win, so just entrust your body to your sword.¡± ¡°Hmm, understood.¡± Burren reluctantly nodded and entered the arena. ¡°I¡¯m Ogin Petere.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Burren Zieghart.¡± ¡°Begin!¡± Once they greeted each other before the duel and took a step back, the host announced the start of the battle. Whoosh! Ogin immediately pressured Burren¡¯s space with his variable sword,bined with his long arms, in order to turn the tide in his favor. ¡°Hmm?¡± Burren dodged Ogin¡¯s sword at a paper-thin difference, while feeling that something was strange. ¡°Try blocking this!¡± Ogin spread his aura like flower petals to dominate the space, but Burren easily blocked all his strikes with a single swing of his sword, as if he were chasing a fly away. ¡°Wh-What¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit strange, but it¡¯s my turn now, right?¡± Burren kicked the ground. He leaped into the unsettled Ogin¡¯s space to stab. The windy aura ripped apart the variable sword¡¯s trajectory and smacked Ogin¡¯s sr plexus. Smack! Since Burren didn¡¯t control his strength as he hit him with the t of his sword, Ogin copsed without even letting out a scream. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°A single strike again? But Ogin is a team leader!¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± One time urrence could be considered as a coincidence, but the second time couldn¡¯t. The spectators dropped their jaws from witnessing the Light Wind¡¯s prowess, which defeated even a team leader in a single strike. Burren ran up to Raon as soon as he left the arena. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Why can I see all of his attacks?¡± He told him he could see all the variations and flows from Ogin¡¯s swordsmanship with a trembling chin. ¡°Me, too. I was also able to see everything about my opponent¡¯s sword!¡± Dorian¡¯s face was still red, since he still couldn¡¯t ept reality. ¡°I told you in the beginning that I¡¯d make you win if you follow my systematic training.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that training that was nothing but beating us up was really effective?¡± ¡°S-Systematic? That¡¯s not the definition of systematic I know¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just Burren and Dorian. The other swordsmen also stared at Raon in half-daze, as if they were looking at a monster. ¡°Stop being surprised and prepare for the next match already.¡± Because the Light Wind members were spacing out, Raon tapped their shoulders and pointed at the arena. ¡°We still have thirty-three more wins to get, so go fetch them.¡± Without missing a single one. * * * Smaack! Along with the sound of a clean hit simr to a drumming sound, the third team leader of Golden Crest was thrashed on the ground. Runaan, who was standing in the arena and staring nkly at her opponent for a while with vacant eyes, as if she had just woken up. She then returned to the Light Wind¡¯s side. That made it thirty-three victories and zero defeats. It was an overwhelming victory for the Light Wind. The match would¡¯ve already been over if it were an ordinary match, and the only reason it wasn¡¯t was because it was a duel. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± Garon¡¯s lips trembled upon seeing the scoreboard. 33:0. He never imagined that his team would have zero in that score. ¡°What the hell is this? You guys must¡¯ve conspired! This can¡¯t be happening otherwise!¡± He screamed, grabbing the host and the referee by their cors. ¡°W-We didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°We only went ording to the results¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! Can you say that again after seeing what happened? What are your eyes for¡­ Gasp!¡± As Garon looked like he was about to kill the referee and the host, an enormous energy wave burst from the tform. Rumble! The one that spread the pressure that could oppress the entire training ground, or even the entirety of Zieghart, was Glenn Zieghart. Naturally. Rumble! Glenn¡¯s eyes had been closed as if he were bored, but now he was looking down on Garon with a frown. ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°G-Grandfather! This doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t an informal meeting. You should address me correctly.¡± His gaze became even colder, ignoring Garon¡¯s pleas. ¡°And no one cheated in today¡¯s matches. What you should me isn¡¯t the host¡¯s eyes but your own abilities.¡± Glenn waved his hand at the host, signaling him to continue. ¡°Ah, yes! N-Next swordsmen, enter the arena.¡± The host pulled himself together, then called for the next participants. ¡°Squad leader.¡± Techly, who was thest remaining member, went to Garon. ¡°We have to win, at least. If the two of us win against Raon and Rimmer, the Golden Crest can recover.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Garon nodded. The other members could simply be reced. As long as he and Techly won, they could create a new Golden Crest to reach even higher peaks. It was funny that Garon pinned his hopes on Techly, despite having been looking down on him,ughing at him, and even threatening him. ¡°Please believe in me.¡± Techly entered the arena, wielding his long sword. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would fight you again.¡± Raon smiled at Techly. He had a higher willpower than Raon had expected, since he thought he would withdraw in fear. ¡°You arrogant bastard! How dare you make a bet on the match against me? And you even bet on defeating me on a single strike!¡± Techly¡¯s eyes glowed like a demon¡¯s. ¡°I admit I couldn¡¯t do anything when I lost to youst time, but it would¡¯ve been different if I was using a sword!¡± Just as he said, Judiel¡¯s document also described Techly as an excellent swordsman with his long sword. ¡°I¡¯ll make you unable to wield your sword ever again!¡± ¡°I wonder. That might be the case.¡± Raon smiled casually and drew Heavenly Drive. ¡°Begin!¡± Techly rushed forward as soon as the host left. He nimbly controlled his long sword as if it were a dagger, targeting Raon¡¯s head, neck, and wrist at the same time. Cring! It was clearly a shy swordsmanship with solid basics, an advanced martial art where strength, speed, and variety were in harmony. However. ¡®I can see everything.¡¯ Since Raon split the White Fragrance Sword and the techniques from the Light Wind members into small pieces to make his own technique for the past three months, Techly¡¯s sword looked as simple as a child¡¯s y for him. Speed, flow, breathing, trajectory. Everything was in the grasp of his hand. It became clear to him. The Light Wind members weren¡¯t the only ones that became stronger. Since he¡¯d been beating them up every day¡ªI mean, finding their weaknesses to help them progress further¡ªhis prowess had also increased beyond recognition. ¡°Haaaap!¡± Techy approached with footwork and swung his long sword. The aura from his long de twisted like vines, trying to coil around Raon¡¯s body. ¡®You are full of openings.¡¯ It certainly had enough splendid variety and powerful strength to be called Techly¡¯s special technique, but it was meaningless to Raon, as he could feel all his flow and breathing. Cring! Raon raised Heavenly Drive and stabbed the opening made from Techly¡¯s swordsmanship. am! The de, imbued with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura, created a huge explosion of me and mmed Techly into the ground. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Techly couldn¡¯t raise his trembling neck, fainting immediately. A single strike. Just as he had dered, Raon defeated Techly with a single swing. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Garon¡¯s eyes widened as his lips trembled. He looked bbergasted, since he never imagined that would happen. ¡°I¡¯ve won our small bet.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Come up now.¡± Raon¡¯s red eyes were zing like raging fires. His expression couldn¡¯t be any more arrogant as he looked down on Garon. ¡°Let¡¯s fight, without caring about our ranks.¡± It was time to create a new legend. Chapter 198 ¡°Umm¡­¡± Sheryl, the Heavenly de division leader, groaned a little from where she stood next to Glenn. ¡°I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m watching right now.¡± Her eyes were shaking as she watched the arena. ¡®They won all their matches. How is this even possible?¡¯ The score so far was thirty wins to zero losses, favoring the Light Wind. Light Wind had actually managed to grasp victories in every single one of the thirty matches. ¡®And all of those victories were one-sided.¡¯ The Light Wind overwhelmed the Golden Crest, as if their skills were on another level. Many of the matches ended in a single strike, and many of the Light Wind members were venting their anger on the Golden Crest by beating them up. ¡®I¡¯m sure they are on a simr level, though¡­¡¯ The Light Wind managed to achieve a perfect victory, as if they knew everything about the Golden Crest¡¯s martial arts¡ªin and out. The way they fended off their opponent¡¯s attacks and attacked openings in return came from truebat experience. She couldn¡¯t understand how they had suddenly be sopetent in a mere three months. ¡°I heard they did nothing but spar.¡± Glenn moved the hand supporting his chin, then continued. ¡°They didn¡¯t rest a single day during thest three months, sparring nonstop and practicing targeting vital points and openings.¡± ¡°Sparring and practicing striking vital points and openings¡­¡± ¡°Because he targeted different weaknesses and openings whenever they became used to it, the Light Wind children were beaten up every day and learned martial arts every night in order to survive.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Sheryl¡¯s chin trembled slightly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that pretty much a living hell?¡± Poking at a new weakness whenever they managed to defend one, and attacking another one if they defended again, was not a method an ordinary person would think of. ¡°Yes. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t train them that way, nor could they receive such training. However, Raon and the Light Wind managed to do it, and we are witnessing the result right now.¡± Glenn pointed at the thirty-first match, which was just beginning. ¡°Uaaah! Die!¡± The long-haired swordsman named Krein was charging at the Golden Crest swordsman. ¡°We¡¯ve been living in hell for thest three months because of you guys!¡± He single-handedly fended off the wave of aura de created by the Golden Crest swordsman, then struck him like a madman. ¡°I really thought I was going to die because of that demon who kept shattering my ns over! and over! and over again!¡± ¡°Kuh, I-I didn¡¯t do anythin¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just die!¡± Krein screamed as he shed, and his de cut into the Golden Crest swordsman¡¯s weakness perfectly. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°How dare you faint! Wake up! Come at me! Feel the pain of getting your vital points beaten all day long!¡± The Golden Crest swordsman had fainted in a single hit, his eyes rolled back, while Krein kept attacking the fainted man. He still wanted to vent more anger on him. ¡°You guys also need to suffer from the demon! I can¡¯t be the only one!¡± ¡°S-Stop!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already over!¡± The host and the referee had to hold Krein by his arms and legs to stop him. And it wasn¡¯t the first time that it happened. The Light Wind swordsmen were spacing out in the beginning, since their confidence was at rock bottom, but once they realized they had gotten stronger¡­ One out of three people started rampaging to vent their anger, just like Krein. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl narrowed her eyes, seeing the next participant enter the arena. Martha Zieghart. Since she had a violent personality to begin with, she couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what she was going to do. ¡°Begin.¡± As soon as the host signaled the start of the match, Martha kicked the ground. ¡°Shit! Shiiit!¡± She kept swearing as if she couldn¡¯t speak humannguage anymore as she dashed at the Golden Crest team leader. am! Her linguistic ability wasn¡¯t the only inhuman part about her. Shepletely shattered the Golden Crest team leader¡¯s strike with her enormous strength. Rumble! Martha stepped on the exploding stones of the arena to advance, attacking twelve of the Golden Crest team leader¡¯s vital points at the same time. ¡°Kuaah!¡± The way the Golden Crest team leader was knocked into the air like a leaf fluttering in the wind, looking like an acrobat¡­ Until he fell head-first into the ground. ¡°Shit!¡± Martial only said swear words until the end before leaving the arena. She really looked like a beast. Fortunately, Runaan¡ªwho was the next person¡ªsilently made her opponent team leader faint. However, she also hit the face and the most painful vital points. She was apparently pretty angry as well. And Raon, who was the thirty-fourth participant, easily dodged the Golden Crest vice-squad leader¡¯s attacks, making him faint in a single strike. From members to the vice-squad leader, everyone one single-handedly overwhelmed their opponents. It was the first time a group duel had ended that way. ¡°My lord.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Glenn was trying to stop his corners of lips from rising. He looked pleased by the fact that Raon managed to create such a situation. ¡°It¡¯s true that the Light Wind children became stronger, but¡­¡± Sheryl swallowed nervously while looking at the Light Wind members, who were roaring like beasts. ¡°Is that really the right direction for them? They almost look like beasts that were raised by a demon.¡± ¡°Cough¡­¡± Glenn cleared his throat and looked away without responding. * * * Rumble! A breathtakingly ominous energy was rising from Garon¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Do you really want to die?¡± His teeth could be seen as he smiled. The energy wave emanating from him was on a different dimension from before. ¡°Are you really asking me to decapitate you right now?¡± ¡°We will see whose head will fall.¡± Raon smiled coldly as he swirled Heavenly Drive. ¡°How many people do you think expected the Light Wind to win when this duel first started?¡± ¡°Are you trying to tell me that the same goes for this duel, and that either of us could be the winner?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be the winner.¡± ¡°Hah! Did you lose all your respect just because I¡¯ve been going easy on you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to respect someone that picked a fight with me.¡± Raon shook his hand, looking straight at Garon. ¡°Moreover, you won¡¯t be a squad leader for long. There¡¯s no reason for me to respect you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve forgotten that I didn¡¯t decide on the reward for when I won the bet.¡± Raon pointed his finger at the score behind the host. 34:0. ¡°The result is already decided. I¡¯m going to disband the Golden Crest after the spar against you.¡± ¡°D-Disband the Golden Crest?¡± Garon¡¯s hands were shaking. He apparently never imagined his squad could be disbanded. ¡°Do you believe it can be disbanded so easily?¡± ¡°The head of house is watching, and our notary is the Heavenly de leader. Of course it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t stop it from happening unless the True Martial Pce master makes his move. And it doesn¡¯t look like he has any intention of doing so.¡± Likely because he was punished during Raden¡¯s incident, the True Martial Pce master was still, his arms crossed. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Garon¡¯s energy became clear enough to be visible to the bare eyes. Breathtaking pressure was crushing his body. Whir! Raon resonated the rings of fire to casually take on Garon¡¯s energy wave. ¡°This is yourst chance. Golden Crest will be disbanded unless you manage to kill me here.¡± ¡°You must be insane to provoke me in this situation.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t do this if I wasn¡¯t insane.¡± He continued while pointing at the Light Wind members. ¡°They have gone crazy because of you guys for the past three months. It¡¯s time to make you pay for thest time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, though?¡± ¡°We went crazy because of you¡­¡± ¡°Demon¡­¡± Raon ignored the strange things they were saying behind him. ¡°Anyway, use your full power from the beginning, so you can¡¯tin about having been carelesster.¡± Raon bobbed his fingers on his hand, grabbing Heavenly Drive. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that, since carelessness is the word that I hate the most.¡± Garon stood in front of him while grinding his teeth. ¡°W-Wait! This match is the duel between the squad leaders!¡± The host interfered between the powerful energy waves and shook his head. He was an extremely responsible person. ¡°Ah, Raon is taking my ce because I¡¯m injured.¡± Rimmer smiled, eating strawberries on the side. ¡°What the¡­?¡± The host¡¯s eyes widened. He clearly found it ridiculous that a perfectly healthy person could say that with a straight face. ¡°Since they have both agreed, ignore that idiot and continue the match.¡± Glenn nodded, telling him it was fine. ¡°Ah, alright.¡± The host lowered his hand, wiping off the cold sweat from his forehead. ¡°Then, please get ready.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Start it already.¡± Raon and Garon nodded at once. ¡°Begin the final match!¡± The moment the referee raised his hand, a blue me burst from Garon¡¯s de. The raging me of magnificent energy was the symbol of a Master: astral energy. Whoosh! As if he were proving what he said about not being careless, Garon closed the distance in an instant, thrusting his astral energy-covered sword. Crackle! Although Raon was facing astral energy that held the intent to kill, his eyes didn¡¯t waver. ¡®Now.¡¯ The moment astral energy was about to reach his Adam''s apple, Raon extended his left foot. The first step, extending like a ray of light, was the first step of the Supreme Harmony Steps. It waned like moonlight and deflected the astral energy. Thud! And it was followed by the second step. The steps of extreme quickness dashed like a gust of wind to reach the space behind Garon. Cring! Raon¡¯s Heavenly Drive was at Garon¡¯s neck, and Garon could only tremble, unable to react while looking at the other side. * * * * * * ¡°H-How¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s already over.¡± ¡°I-I was careless! I didn¡¯t show my true ability¡­¡± ¡°I thought you said carelessness was your most hated word.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Garon grit his teeth, unable to refute that, since it was exactly what he¡¯d said before the match began. ¡°You pretend to be different from your younger brother, but you are the same.¡± Raon snickered, smacking Garon¡¯s face with the fist holding Heavenly Drive. Smaack! Along with the sound of a bursting drum, Garon was sent flying andnded on his knees. Spit¡­ Garon spat out two teeth while grasping his distorted cheeks. ¡°You are rather sturdy.¡± Considering he only lost two teeth even though Raon went all-out on that hit, bing Master must¡¯ve had the effect on enhancing one¡¯s endurance. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you finish it?¡± ¡°Because I gave your younger brother a chance in the past. It won¡¯t be fair if I didn¡¯t give you any.¡± ¡°Haa, not delivering a finishing blow just now will be something you regret for the rest of your life. No, you won¡¯t be able to regret it, since you are going to die here!¡± Garon chewed his lips and brandished his de. He threw away his impatience from before and lowered his posture. The nervousness in his eyes revealed that he was considering his opponent his equal now. ¡°Huu¡­¡± Raon slowly caught his breath. ¡®Yes, this is it.¡¯ His skin was shivering from Garon''s murderous intent. He wanted to win against a Master that was doing his best, since there was no point in winning against one that was careless or sloppy. The real fight was only getting started. Your spirit pursues nothing but power. Wrath nodded. I knew demon was a more suitable thing to call yo¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll eat something delicious after the match. Silence.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Since Wrath kept saying stupid things, Raon made him shut up and brandished Heavenly Drive. He needed to focus more than he ever had before. Whir! Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Ring of Fire to the maximum. Crimson me ignited along the de of Heavenly Drive. Although it was just aura threads, it was as clear as an astral de. ¡®I have to destroy his technique.¡¯ Garon¡¯s swordsmanship was an advanced martial art, where a shy and diversified variable sword and a heavy sword that swallowed the space were in harmony. It was necessary to break the variety and distort the heaviness in order to reach him. Thud! Garon disappeared from his sight with the violent sound of footsteps. He could feel an energy wave that could tear apart his flesh on the right. Raon bent his upper body backwards. Whoosh! The astral de brushed past, right above his forehead, and the severed hairs melted. ng! The surprise attack wasn¡¯t over. He parried the strike that was falling from the sky. Whaam! Crimson sparks appeared from the shes between swords and auras. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon frowned at the trembling in his wrist. ¡®He is at the same level as the seventh apostle.¡¯ Garon¡¯s astral de was at a simr level to the seventh apostle that he fought before. However, he was even more dangerous than the seventh apostle, since he was doing his best. Although they only shed once so far, his breathing was already affected. ¡®However, I can hold out longer than before.¡¯ He would end up being injured internally if he kept shing against him, but the situation was a lot better than the fight against the seventh apostle. Both his body and martial art had gotten better. ¡°I told you that you would regret not finishing me off in the beginning.¡± Garon narrowed his eyes while brandishing his sword, which was imbued with astral energy. ¡°This is the difference between an astral de and aura thread. You can¡¯t win against me.¡± He sted the floor with his explosively bloated thigh to charge at him. ¡°Because I won¡¯t be careless anymore!¡± ¡°Fine with me.¡± Raon smiled coldly and used Supreme Harmony Steps. Garon¡¯s astral energy looked like it could tear through space, but Raon dodged it with a paper-thin difference and smacked the Fangs of Insanity against his face. ¡°The whole point is defeating you in your current state.¡± He wanted clear evidence that he had defeated a Master while being an Expert. That was the reason he was participating in that duel. ¡°You bastard!¡± Garon pulled back his sword and brought it in front of his face. ng! Likely because his timing was a bit off, the shock was weaker despite colliding with astral energy. ¡®Which means¡­¡¯ If he could lead the fight at his pace, he wouldn¡¯t exactly lose to the astral energy. ¡°You bastard!¡± Garon squeezed into his space in an instant to sh at him. His sword looked like it had multiplied into six as it rained him with astral energy. Rumble! The intense pressure crushed his shoulders and his legs creaked. The sword pressure was trying to limit his movements. ¡®Sword of Halting Rain.¡¯ It must¡¯ve been the effect of the Sword of Halting Rain that he was told Garon could use. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s first step. He crossed the space and reached behind Garon. He spread the Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation towards his heart. sh! The moment the des of fire revolving like a cogwheel were discharged, Garon¡¯s sword sparkled. A barrier of astral energy melted down the Revolving Sky. Despite his nasty personality, his martial arts were properly trained. ¡°I admit you are as fast as a mean rat, but your sword doesn¡¯t work against me!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m here to break through that.¡± The part he had an advantage over Garon was footwork. He needed to utilize the Supreme Harmony Steps as much as possible to make his sword reach him. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s second step. His vision narrowed for an instant, and he could see Garon¡¯s eyes once it expanded back. ¡°What?¡± To Garon''s surprise, Raon thrusted the Fangs of Insanity towards his shoulder. Heavenly Drive pierced through Garon¡¯s defenses, surrounded by a thickyer of energy as it cut through his shoulder. ¡°Kuh!¡± Garon groaned and frowned. It was just a superficial wound, but he stepped back in panic while pointing his sword forward. Raon¡¯s eyes sparkled. If Garon decided to withdraw instead of advance, it was his chance to continue his attacks. He exploded the Fangs of Insanity consecutively, aiming at Garon¡¯s side where an opening was created. m! am! aam! Each time the swords shed with each other, an explosive sound burst out. The straggling pieces of astral energy from the explosion tore apart Raon¡¯s flesh and uniform, but he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Garon withdrew once again, and Raon advanced once again. Creak! Facing Raon¡¯s eyes, which were filled with madness as he refused to fall back while facing astral energy, Garon¡¯s eyes wavered like a boat in a violent ocean. ¡°H-How can a mere aura thread do this?¡± ¡°Astral energy isn¡¯t invincible.¡± Raon smiled faintly. Astral energy was certainly powerful, but it wasn¡¯t invincible. He used the Star Connecting Sword consecutively to deflect Garon¡¯s attacks, piercing him with the Fangs of Insanity. ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not taking any damage, though.¡¯ He was already feeling nauseous. Although his body and skills could already be called inhuman, it was still impossible topletely negate astral energy¡¯s power. ¡°Huff!¡± He couldn¡¯t show his weakness on the outside. He bit his tongue as he kept pressing Garon back. ¡°Kuh!¡± Garon¡¯s wavering intensified. It looked like he couldn¡¯t believe he was being pushed back. ¡°You¡¯ve never fought against someone stronger than you, have you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can smell it.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes sparkled in the same color as the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡°The scent of a coward who has only fought those weaker than him.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Garon screamed and swung his sword. His astral energy spread around like rainwater to block Raon¡¯s every single escape route. The tremendous energy was crushing his body from all directions. Raon grit his teeth. Heavenly Drive rotated elegantly to draw a majestic circle. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes. me Spirit. The flower buds appearing from the silver trajectory blossomed to cover the arena with crimson flower petals. Whaam! The sh between the flower petals of me and the astral energy devouring the space created a huge firestorm. Creak! Raon grasped his messed-up stomach and used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the maximum. The fiercely raging me engulfed the astral energy and advanced. Although he wascking in power, his spirit didn¡¯t lose. Whir! He turned his wrist while pushing Garon into a corner. The Frost Pond¡¯s de of extreme quickness scratched Garon¡¯s chest. The injury was light, but it couldn¡¯t be overlooked. Red blood dripped down from the severed skin. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Garon grasped the flowing blood and ground his teeth. His eyes were glowing like a ghost. ¡°I¡¯ll tear you apart until there¡¯s no trace of you left!¡± Garon stomped the ground, intensifying his aura to the point that it became visible to the naked eye. Garon¡¯s astral energy stormed at him between the pieces of the ground that were scattering from the explosion. ¡°Die!¡± He charged at a tremendous speed, aiming to strike Raon. The curved de of astral energy multiplied into ten in an instant, and a powerful load was applied to Raon¡¯s limbs. The pressure didn¡¯t allow proper movement. It must¡¯ve been the Sword of Halting Rain¡¯s true power. ¡®I can¡¯t face him head on.¡¯ Raon distanced himself from Garon¡¯s space by using the Supreme Harmony¡¯s first step and second step one after the other. It was impossible for him to deflect the countless strikes aimed at him. He needed to dodge and look for an opportunity. ¡°You won¡¯t!¡± However, Garon was also at Master level as a warrior. He followed him with an extremely quick reaction and swung his sword. Whoosh! The wavering de shed past his chest. His uniform was cut apart, and blood spurted out. Swoosh! The astral de soaring like lightning was aimed at his neck. Thud! Raon used his footwork to push the ground and stepped back. The moment Garon¡¯s sword hit the ground, Raon dashed ahead to strike with the Fangs of Insanity. ng! ang! ng! Raon ceaselessly rotated the Ring of Fire, canceling out Garon¡¯s astral energy with his sword technique, strength and footwork. ¡®This is the only way to win.¡¯ It was impossible to injure Garon through his all-out astral energy. The only way to achieve victory was by piercing into the barrier of astral energy and striking him with either me Dragon Art or Frost Pond. That was why it was necessary to first analyze the Sword of Halting Rain¡¯s flow and breathing, although it was a swordsmanship of the highest grade. Whoosh! Raon dodged the barrage of attacks with a paper-thin difference by utilizing the Supreme Harmony Steps to the maximum. Although a single mistake or a single error in judgment could result in his limbs being severed, he dashed towards him instead. Blood spurted from the astral energy brushing past his cheek, and his uniform was burned into pieces, but he kept running as if he didn¡¯t care. The only images reflected in his red eyes were the Sword of Halting Rain¡¯s trajectory and breathing. ¡®Right side.¡¯ Garon¡¯s sword, falling on his right side, grazed his shoulder slightly. ¡®Underneath.¡¯ The astral energy soaring from below, like raging fire, cut through his thigh. ¡®It¡¯s superficial, but I can see it.¡¯ Maybe because the White Fragrance Sword¡ªwhich could be called the Sword of Halting Rain¡¯s foundation¡ªwas engraved in his brain and heart alongside the countless martial arts of the Light Wind members, Raon¡¯s eyes were starting to get used to Garon¡¯s breathing and flow despite him trying his best to defeat him. ¡®Left side.¡¯ A horizontal sh was aimed at the left side of his chest. There were three des, but only one of them was real. ang! Raon lowered his posture, holding Heavenly Drive vertically and pushing back the astral energy. ¡®Bottom left again.¡¯ An even faster and stronger energy was trying to stab his left thigh. Thud! Raon moved his foot and advanced. The me on Heavenly Drive rotated violently to push back Garon¡¯s barrier of astral energy. ¡®I¡¯m getting used to it.¡¯ With his eyes getting used to Garon¡¯s swordsmanship, he became capable of dodging his attacks at close quarters. ¡®It¡¯s throbbing.¡¯ Countless martial arts were released, as if they were reacting to the throbbing of his heart. The techniques and principles that he¡¯d seen, felt and destroyed so far, were acting of their own ord to thoroughly analyze Garon¡¯s sword. Whir! The de thrusted at his head to change direction to his heart, the astral energy multiplying into ten to stab him, the techniques trying to mutte his body¡ªhe could dodge all of them without a single scratch. However. ¡®Something iscking.¡¯ Even though he was dodging Garon¡¯s attack with the Supreme Harmony Step¡¯s miraculous movement, he still got the feeling that something was missing. He felt like his heart was telling him to extend his hand at the same time he was dodging. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t, but why?¡¯ Even though he still didn¡¯t manage to grasp the opportunity to pierce through Garon¡¯s astral energy, the Ring of Fire was telling him to advance one step further. It was shouting at him to thrust his sword. ¡°Die!¡± Garon¡¯s sword fell vertically. A deadly heavy sword with reduced variety and increased weight was falling upon him. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ Raon decided to trust the Ring of Fire and used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s sixth step, He used the Star Connecting Sword along with the smoothest step. Rumble! The stabilitying from his legs and the flexibility from his wrist flowed into the white de. Heavenly Drive perfectly deflected the astral energy radiating with a fierce light,nding a counterattack at Garon¡¯s waist like lightning. sh! Garon withdrew while groaning, grasping his waist. Red blood was pouring out from his hand. Gulp. Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®Is this the Supreme Harmony Steps?¡¯ The Ring of Fire didn¡¯t lie to him. Deflecting by mixing the Supreme Harmony Steps with his swordsmanship reduced the shock to an iparable degree. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Garon grit his teeth. He pointed his sword towards the sky, exploding all of his remaining energy. The astral de that was reaching the sky multiplied into several dozens to cover the entire arena. ¡®This is the Great Heavy Rainfall.¡¯ The ultimate technique of the Sword of Halting Rain. It was a cruel technique, meant to mutte the opponent after limiting their movement by enclosing the entire space with astral energy. Rumble! A huge wall of astral energy was approaching. He couldn¡¯t see any way to escape. Throb! ¡®How can I defend?¡¯ While he was wondering, his heart¡ªresonating with rings of fire¡ªtold him. ¡®It¡¯s time to advance.¡¯ Raon trusted in the martial arts that he had been cultivating and fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive. Whir! In his extremely focused state, he could see the mana particles fluttering in the air. They were reflecting Glenn¡¯s image from that night three months ago. ¡°I¡¯ve created the Supreme Harmony Steps to match me. You should learn my Supreme Harmony Steps, then turn it into your own toplete it.¡± Lighting struck his brain upon remembering that sentence, which he had only slid by in the past. ¡®My own Supreme Harmony Steps.¡¯ ¡®I finally understand.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t telling him to create a new Supreme Harmony Steps. He was telling him to maximize the swordsmanship¡¯s effect by using the Supreme Harmony Steps that best harmonized with his technique. Wham! Raon stomped the ground. The Supreme Harmony¡¯s fifth step. With steps as sharp as a spearhead, he pulled back Heavenly Drive. Rumble! He exploded all his remaining Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy in his energy center. The me bursting on his silver de was glowing like the sun. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes. me Dragon Art. The roar of the me dragon pierced through the center of the blue tidal wave. Chapter 199 Rumble! The enormous wave of astral energy melted down and Garon¡¯s appearance was revealed from where he had been hiding behind it. He was coughing up blood, his chest caved in as if he had been hit by a hammer. It was a miracle that came from the harmony between the Supreme Harmony Steps and the me Dragon Art. However, Garon wasn¡¯t the only one who had suffered damage. ¡°Cough!¡± Raon was also coughing up blood while leaning forward. It was a severe internal injury. It would¡¯ve been strange if he was fine after shing through astral energy of that intensity. ¡°Kuh!¡± Garon stepped back while grasping his chest. His eyes were wavering violently, as if he were in an earthquake. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Raon swallowed the blood welling up in his throat and kicked the ground. While Garon withdrew, Raon advanced. His head felt dizzy from his insides beingpletely messed up, but he endured and kept using the Supreme Harmony Steps. ¡°Kuaah! Get away! I¡¯m telling you to get away!¡± Garon screamed, using the Sword of Halting Rain again and again. Although he looked like he was thrashing around, his sword still contained astral energy, and his trajectory was precise. ¡®That¡¯s why.¡¯ ¡®I can dodge it.¡¯ The resonating six rings had perfectly analyzed the principles of the Sword of Halting Rain. Thud! Raon bent his knees to dodge the strike, curving towards him like a rake before using the Supreme Harmony¡¯s second step. His vision narrowed down and he could see Garon¡¯s panicked expression. Raon surrounded his wrist with the principles of speed and thrust with the me Spirit. Whir! The crimson flower petals decorating the space were flowers that bloomed at the end of the spring, when summer was nigh. The rotation of radiantly fluttering pieces of me was barely visible as they enclosed Garon''s body. ¡°Ack!¡± Garon tried to explode the astral energy that he had gathered, but it was already toote. The crimson flower petals were already right next to him. ¡°W-Wait!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no waiting during a fight.¡± Raonughed, and the me Spirit¡¯s flower petals reached Garon at the same moment, exploding. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Engulfed by the storm of raging fire, Garon screamed and fell to his knees. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon coughed up blood once again. He clenched his fist, enduring the pain that was tearing apart his stomach. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± Garon barely managed to muster enough aura to extinguish the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire and asked with trembling lips. ¡°How can you fight in that state?¡± Focus had disappeared from his eyes in his awe. He apparently couldn¡¯t believe that Raon was still moving despite being even more heavily injured than himself. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve never fought against someone stronger than you.¡± Raon smiled, wiping away the blood that was flowing from his mouth. ¡°You kept trying to run away, didn¡¯t you?¡± Garon fiercely attacked when he was in an advantage, but he withdrew whenever it was even, or he couldn¡¯t understand the situation. The reason he lost was because of his fear. It was a problem that stemmed from the fact that he had never experienced a fight of life and death against a stronger opponent. ¡°You can reach a high level by training alone or winning against those weaker than you. However, you can¡¯t be a strong person.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°If you only want to fight winning matches, then you should stay in the True Martial Pce and hang around with your subordinates¡ªand no one else!¡± Raon clenched his fist to smack Garon¡¯s chin. Smaack! Garon couldn¡¯t even defend properly, his body rolling on the ground. ¡°Kuha¡­¡± Raon walked up to him while controlling the Ring of Fire. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect to be rolling on the ground right now, did you? That¡¯s why the world is interesting.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Garon couldn¡¯t close his mouth because his jaw had been dislocated. He stepped back once again, blood flowing from the empty space his front teeth used to fill. ¡°St-Stop! I los¡­ Huff!¡± Raon covered Garon¡¯s mouth with his scabbard. ¡°Just like your younger brother. You act exactly like him.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°My guys had to suffer for three months because of you. You have to take responsibility for it.¡± He smacked Garon¡¯s chin in the opposite direction to stop him from talking. Smaack! Garon was shoved to the ground at the edge of the arena. ¡°But the vice-squad leader is the one who beat us up, not him.¡± ¡°We really got beaten up so hard that I thought I¡¯d die. I don¡¯t even know at this point why he had to beat us up.¡± ¡°I did get stronger, but I feel like it wasn¡¯t worth it.¡± ¡°Should he really be doing that?¡± Raon decided to ignore the questioning voices from the Light Wind. ¡°Kuh!¡± Garon couldn¡¯t speak because his mouth was full of blood, so he tried to extend his hand to the ground in order to lose by touching the ground outside the arena. ¡°Where are you trying to go?¡± Raon grabbed Garon by his ankle and threw him to the other side of the arena. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let this end here, since we are only getting started.¡± He smiled at Garon, who was coughing up blood. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to kill you.¡± Raon smiled coldly while raising his clenched fist. Nice! If someone picks a fight with you, you gotta first win the fight, then thoroughly trample them so they can never challenge you ever again. I¡¯m finally starting to like you. Wrath nodded with a grin on his face. Do you want to try running for Demon King? ¡®Shut up!¡¯ * * * The entire great training ground was covered in heavy silence after Raon started beating Garon up with his fist. m! Once Garon finally fainted and fell to the ground after getting beaten up like a sandbag, the spectators started to open their mouths one by one. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°H-He won. Raon won!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe Sir Garon lost so miserably¡­¡± ¡°A-Am I dreaming right now?¡± Since the spectators had been expecting Raon¡¯s defeat and Garon¡¯s victory until just a moment ago, their jaws dropped upon facing the ridiculous oue. ¡°Has any Expert managed to defeat a Master in history?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one over there. It happened three months ago.¡± ¡°Wh-Which means, the story about him defeating the seventh apostle was¡­¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°A seventeen-year-old Expert who defeated two Masters.¡± ¡°Once can be a coincidence, but twice means it was his skills.¡± ¡°This is going to go down in Zieghart¡¯s history¡ªrather, the continent¡¯s history.¡± The spectators filling the great training ground couldn¡¯t take their eyes off Raon as they swallowed nervously. ¡°I¡¯m the winner, as I managed to witness this duel! I¡¯m d I took a day off!¡± ¡°I agree. I lost so much money, but I don¡¯t regret it at all.¡± ¡°Me, too! I bet my entire sry for the month, but I¡¯m justughing right now.¡± ¡°You areughing because you are sad.¡± ¡°That''s a real light wind right there.¡± An unforeseen urrence was bound to excite the crowd. The spectators sent a round of apuse to Raon with a smile, despite having lost their money. They rejoiced at the appearance of an unprecedented genius in the house, which was a natural reaction from warriors that pursued strength. ¡°Woaah!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Light Wind! Light Wind!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to your activities in the future!¡± Therge number of swordsmen in the great training ground cheered for Raon and the Light Wind. However, there were people who were showing an opposite reaction. ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°That idiot¡­¡± ¡°He should¡¯ve ended him right there.¡± ¡°How could he lose to such a shabby technique? It¡¯s a disgrace to call him a Master.¡± The members of the direct line and the coterals following them couldn¡¯t ept the turnabout and ground their teeth. Raon¡¯s imposing appearance was reflected in their angry eyes. * * * * * * Crack! The throne¡¯s armrest was crushed like scrap metal. He had identally put too much strength in his hand, crumpling it like a piece of paper. His red eyes that always looked bored, as if he had lost all emotion, were clearly trembling now. ¡°Huh!¡± Glenn¡¯s back pulled away from the throne as he eximed. ¡®He actually managed to realize the Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ true meaning in that short period of time¡­¡¯ The Supreme Harmony Steps was not a mere footwork. It was a technique that could amplify the swordsmanship¡¯s properties with footwork. He thought it would take Raon a year at the very least to realize that, but he actually did it in less than four months. Since he was the one who personally taught him, he could only gasp at the impossible oue. ¡®It¡¯s not just about the Supreme Harmony Steps. This is¡­¡¯ His temperament as a human being. The result was created by Raon¡¯s personality, as one who doesn¡¯t run away from a crisis and advances instead. No one would believe that a seventeen-year-old swordsman was capable of fearlessly advancing in front of astral energy unless they saw him. ¡°Seriously.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes softened. He was truly happy that such a brave young man was his grandson. ¡°¡­He really doesn¡¯t move ording to my predictions.¡± The Heavenly de leader¡¯s voice was trembling slightly. He¡¯d been with her for a long time, but it had been a long time since thest time she had such a flustered voice. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a child like that before.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn nodded, without realizing that he was smiling. ¡°He also exceeded my expectations.¡± Raon was an unpredictable troublemaker for him, as well. In a good way, of course. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s my first time seeing my lord smiling while looking at his grandson.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Glenn immediately raised his hand to force the corners of his lips back down. ¡°He wasn¡¯t like that three months ago. I don¡¯t understand what could¡¯ve even happened in the meantime.¡± Sheryl narrowed her narrow eyes even more. ¡°I¡¯m also surprised. I thought it would take him at least a year to harmonize the Supreme Harmony Steps with his swordsmanship.¡± Glenn nodded. He had calcted a year by taking into ount Raon¡¯s talent, so doing it in three months waspletely unexpected. ¡°He also trained the other children in the meantime.¡± Raon wasn¡¯t the only one to get stronger, but he achieved his enormous growth while making the Light Wind members stronger. Amazing wasn¡¯t enough to describe his achievements. ¡°Garon hadn¡¯t been careless after Raon punched him in the beginning.¡± Sheryl licked her lips while looking at Raon, who managed to make Garon faint. ¡°An Expert won in an all-out fight against a Master. He¡¯s really rewriting history.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth rose slightly once again. Many people didn¡¯t believe that Raon had defeated the seventh apostle, but the duel was going topletely remove their doubts. He was proud of Raon for making it into an irrefutable fact. ¡°I can finally understand why he kept talking about Raon every single time I saw him.¡± ¡°I hit the jackpot! I¡¯m rich now!¡± Sheryl pointed at Rimmer, who was shouting from the Light Wind¡¯s side with his hands raised. ¡°I¡¯m rich! Worship the great me!¡± He was causing a scene with his gambling slips in his hand. ¡°Ahem. Despite how he acts, he does have sharp eyes for people.¡± Glenn cleared his throat and leaned back against the throne. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the qualities of a king, but his talents are certainly extraordinary. His unyielding spirit is what I like the most about him.¡± Sheryl¡¯s eyes reflected the favorable impression she had begun to make about Raon. Apparently, she was finally starting to acknowledge him. ¡°He will be even stronger in the future.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a given, since he destroyed the wall.¡± ¡°D-Did you just say he destroyed the wall?¡± ¡°Yes. Raon didn¡¯t surpass the wall between Master and Expert. Instead, he destroyed it.¡± ¡°But he is still¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He is still not a Master.¡± Glenn nodded slowly. ¡°Most people enter a trance upon reaching Master. The martial arts they¡¯ve been umting for a long time be their enlightenment that allows them to naturally surpass the wall.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Sheryl nodded. The first time she entered the trance was when she became a Master as well. ¡°However, he is different.¡± Glenn pointed at Raon, who was looking up in the air. ¡°He organized and established the martial arts he has learned so far during this spar to destroy the wall itself. He understands exactly what he did, and what level he has reached.¡± ¡°Which means, in the future as well¡­¡± ¡°He will be able to keep climbing even after he bes a Master, with no period of stagnation.¡± When a warrior became a Master and awakened from their trance, they often suffered from a decrease in their skills. They usually regained their prowess by awakening themselves through much training and meditation, but Glenn was saying that Raon wouldn¡¯t have that period of stagnation. ¡°His natural talent¡­ No, he is both hardworking and talented, with luck on top of it.¡± ¡°There is barely anyone like him.¡± Glenn smiled faintly while supporting his chin on his hand. ¡°He just needs a small opportunity now to reach beyond the destroyed wall.¡± ¡°Then, what about making him enter the Room of Ego? He should easily be able to achieve the beginner level of Master¡ªeven the apprentice level of Master.¡± Sheryl suggested a way to make Raon stronger. ¡°One can enter the Room of Ego only once in their lifetime. It would be a waste to go there right now.¡± Glenn slowly shook his head. ¡°What height do you think he would be able to reach?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Sheryn narrowed her eyes. She couldn¡¯t predict his future since he was already at the precipice Master level at seventeen years of age. She felt like she was looking up at a mountain where the fog was preventing her from seeing the summit. ¡°Not sure. At the very least, I think he will surpass me before he reaches forty.¡± ¡°Since he won¡¯t have any periods of stagnation, it will take him an even shorter amount of time.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She nodded. She wanted to deny it, but she had the feeling he was right after witnessing such an outrageous battle. ¡°We shall pick up the tab now.¡± Glenn softly raised his hand. ¡°Which tab¡­?¡± ¡°We made a bet about this duel¡¯s oue, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Sheryl swallowed nervously. She did bet against Glenn about who was going to be the winner of that duel. Just like the Golden Crest, who lost, she hadpletely lost the bet. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll tell you what I want.¡± Glenn¡¯s mouth slowly opened while watching Raon throw away Garon. ¡°That boy¡­¡± * * * ¡°Th-The match is over! Light Wind emerges victorious from the group duel at thirty-five to zero!¡± The host¡¯s trembling voice announced the end of the spar that felt long and short at the same time. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s finally over!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to get beaten up anymore! We won¡¯t get beaten up!¡± ¡°We won¡¯t face that demon ever again!¡± ¡°Shiiiit!¡± The Light Wind members shouted that they wouldn¡¯t be beaten up anymore while wiping away their tears. They were rejoicing over the fact that they wouldn''t need to fight Raon, rather than the victory against Golden Crest. However, the happiest person was somebody else. ¡°I¡¯m rich!¡± Rimmer¡¯s hand trembled, holding the gambling slip. ¡°Ehehehe! I¡¯m rich now!¡± Since he was the only person who bet on andslide victory, with no defeat for Light Wind, the odds were unimaginable. His eyes were raging with madness. ¡°Woah, this is a mess¡­¡± He stared at Raon, as he couldn¡¯t keep the rampaging Light Wind under control. ¡°Silence, everyone.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Umm.¡± One word from Raon was enough to make every single member of Light Wind shut their mouths. The entertaining part was the fact that even Rimmer fell silent. ¡°S-Since you won, Sir, it¡¯s time for you to announce your victory condition to the Golden Crest.¡± The host, who used to address him casually, was now speaking to him with respect in his voice. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon stood at the center of the arena and looked up to the tform. ¡°What Light Wind wants from the Golden Crest¡­¡± He stopped for a moment, and every eye in the great training ground was focused on him. Admiration, praise, surprise, hatred, jealousy. While enjoying the countless emotions in their gazes, Raon continued. ¡°Is their dissolution.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the great training ground fell silent once again. ¡°Wh-What did he just say¡­?¡± ¡°Dissolution? Seriously?¡± ¡°I heard him too. He said dissolution¡­¡± ¡°I-Isn¡¯t he tantly picking a fight against the True Martial Pce at this point?¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes widened, as they didn¡¯t expect him to really disband the Golden Crest. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± The True Martial Pce master, Balder, stood up¡ªdestroying his chair in the process¡ªdespite having remained silent. Fierce energy oppressed Raon¡¯s body, iparable to Garon¡¯s. ¡°Did you just say you are going to disband the Golden Crest?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Are you insane? How can you say that if that is not the case?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m allowed to.¡± Blood flowed from Raon¡¯s lips. Balder¡¯s enormous pressure opened up the internal injury that he had temporarily suppressed. Although it was extremely painful, he endured it by biting the inside of his cheek. ¡°The Golden Crest leader said he would ept any request from our side. That means there¡¯s no reason I can¡¯t make them disband.¡± ¡°Even then, the dissolution of a squad isn¡¯t a matter that someone like you can¡­¡± ¡°He can.¡± A low voice interrupted Balder¡¯s speech from the highest tform. It was Sheryl, the Heavenly de division leader. She nodded while looking at Balder and Raon. ¡°I¡¯m telling you as the notary. He absolutely can ask for the dissolution of the Golden Crest.¡± ¡°Heavenly de leader!¡± ¡°Why are you calling out to me, True Martial Pce master?¡± ¡°This is unreasonable! Who would even think about requesting to dissolve a squad for a small bet like this?¡± ¡°That one right there thought about it.¡± Sheryl calmly raised her hand to point at Raon. ¡°Golden Crest requested the duel first, and they were the ones who told him to decide on any condition. What is the problem here?¡± ¡°Th-The establishment and dissolution of a squad needs the permission from the head of house¡­¡± ¡°The head of house has already allowed it.¡± She took a nce at Glenn behind him and nodded. ¡°True Martial Pce master, if you think there was a problem in the conditions, you should¡¯ve changed them before the match started. bbering after it¡¯s all over is just showing how much of a loser you are.¡± ¡°Heavenly de division leader¡­¡± Balder¡¯s enormous energy wave stormed at the Heavenly de leader, but she remained there with her arms crossed, smiling as if she wereughing at him. ¡°It looks like you have manyints. If that¡¯s the case, you should¡¯ve won.¡± Raon interfered between them with a smile. The Light Wind was the protagonist of the day. He couldn¡¯t allow others to attract the people¡¯s attention. ¡°You bastard, it¡¯s all because of you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of me. It¡¯s because of your sons, pce master. All I did was ept today¡¯s spar.¡± He tapped his scabbard as he continued. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you teach them manners and how to judge people before teaching them swordsmanship?¡± ¡°Are you trying to take it to the bitter end?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± ¡°However.¡± Balder¡¯s eyes turned red in rage, and Raon raised his finger before he exploded. ¡°Since I¡¯ll look cruel if dissolution is your only option, I¡¯ll give you another choice.¡± ¡°Another choice?¡± ¡°Yes. The Golden Crest shall give eighty percent of their profits and rewards from their activities to Light Wind for the next four years.¡± ¡°E-Eighty percent of profits¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s a pretty good condition inparison to their dissolution.¡± ¡°Four years are too much!¡± ¡°I only added one year, since the Golden Crest was trying to suspend our activities for three years.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Since the Golden Crest was the one that started the incident, Balder had to bite his lips, unable to respond. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he ept that condition without anyints?¡± ¡°It¡¯s way better than dissolution. If they were to disband their squad after a humiliation like this, it will take at least ten years to reestablish it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a pretty long time period, and lots of money, but it¡¯s better than dissolution.¡± ¡°He¡¯s letting them live at least. What a nice guy.¡± The spectators nodded, while saying that Balder should ept that condition without anyints. Raon smiled as he listened to their reactions. ¡®Of course they would say that.¡¯ Eighty percent for four years was pretty much turning them into ves, but they believed that his condition was reasonable because it was far more generous than the dissolution he asked for in the beginning. ¡°Any chance the duration and percentage could be changed?¡± ¡°No. You can just pick the dissolution if you don¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°R-Rimmer!¡± Raon adamantly shook his head, and Balder turned his face to look at Rimmer. ¡°Is this how you are going to act until the end? You are the ones who will suffer from being on bad terms with us!¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s actually true¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips, because Balder¡¯s words were convincing. ¡°We will use half of the money from Golden Crest as public funds, and share the rest with everyone in the squa¡­¡± ¡°Raon! Let¡¯s make it ten years instead of four and get all of their money! Let¡¯s do that, alright? We don¡¯t need to go easy on them!¡± As soon as Raon mentioned they would share the money, Rimmer stopped even looking at Balder and fervently asked to increase the ratio. The scariest part was that he waspletely serious. ¡°You heard him.¡± Raon confidently walked towards Balder. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Choose now, please. You can either disband or give us the money.¡± He raised two of his fingers and smiled. It was necessary to show everyone the unfiltered truth. They would be ruined if they offended him¡ªor, rather, the Light Wind. Chapter 200 ¡°D-Damn it¡­¡± Balder bit his lip, unable to respond immediately. Raon casually watched the trembling Balder, his arms crossed. ¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯s thinking about how to reduce the duration and percentage rather than which choice to pick.¡¯ It was obvious what der was thinking. He was going to pick the option that had them giving up their wages and rewards, while trying to reduce the duration, percentage, or both. ¡®But I won¡¯t allow that.¡¯ He would¡¯ve gone easy on him if he were from a different organization, but that was the second incident caused by the True Martial Pce. It was necessary to thoroughly punish him. ¡®I guess I need to help him.¡¯ Raon took another step towards Balder, smiling faintly. ¡°Since you look like you are having difficulties choosing, I think I¡¯ll follow my squad leader¡¯s opinion.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll raise the duration of Golden Crest giving us their wages and rewards to four years and six months.¡± Raon increased the duration that was initially four years to four years and six months. ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Balder freaked out and jumped down from the tform. He couldn¡¯t attack him because Glenn was watching them, but he ground his teeth as if he wanted to kill him. ¡°Who in the world would increase the duration by half a year just because I didn¡¯t respond immediately?¡± ¡°I would.¡± ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯ve already pronounced your suggestion!¡± ¡°And you are the one who didn¡¯t ept that suggestion, pce master.¡± ¡°Kuh! But¡­¡± ¡°Eighty-five percent on top of four years and six months.¡± Raon increased the ratio from eighty percent to eighty-five percent while maintaining a smile on his face. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Balder¡¯s jaw dropped at his ridiculous behavior. ¡°Good job, Raon! You are the best!¡± Rimmer cheered, praising his student. He looked like a firefly that only cared about the money in front of him, regardless of the True Martial Pce bing an enemy or not. ¡°F-Fine! I¡¯ll ept it, so let¡¯s go with the initial condition! We¡¯ll give you eighty percent for four months.¡± ¡°Pce master, can you recover the river water that already flew past?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No one can catch the river water that¡¯s already gone. That ratio and duration are already a matter of the past.¡± ¡°Seriously, you crazy bastard!¡± A raging fire appeared in Balder¡¯s eyes. The ground he was standing on started to crumple because of his patience reaching its limit. ¡°Balder.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Balder¡¯s body froze upon hearing Glenn¡¯s voice. Judging from the way he freaked out just from hearing his voice in the middle of his rage, Glenn must¡¯ve beaten him up severely in the past. ¡°If you don¡¯t like this condition either, then I have no choice but to raise it again. Then, how about five years¡­¡± ¡°Stop! I get it! I get it!¡± Balder raised his hands in resignation, although his face was still ferocious and deadly. ¡°Eighty-five percent of the gold and rewards that the Golden Crest gets for the next four years and six months will be the Light Wind¡¯s possession. Do you ept the condition?¡± ¡°Haa, I ept.¡± He replied, voice sounding as pained as if Raon were chewing his bones, then nodded. ¡°Perfect.¡± Raon nodded, then looked at the host. ¡°Th-This concludes the group duel between Golden Crest and Light Wind!¡± The sound of the gong followed his deration, announcing the end of the match. ¡°You¡¯d better not think this is over.¡± Balder gave him a killing re, then left the training ground while carrying the unconscious Garon on his shoulder. His expression and attitude suggested that he was going to take revenge instead of giving up. ¡®He still cares for his son, at least.¡¯ Although he had a violent personality, he was way better than the cold-blooded man who threw his son away just because he didn¡¯t meet his expectations. ¡®It¡¯s ove¡­¡¯ ¡°Oh, my lucky charm!¡± Raon breathed out a sigh of relief and was about to leave when Rimmer ran up to him and started shaking him by his shoulders. ¡°My beloved vice-squad leader, you are making me feel alive! You are the light of my life!¡± Rimmer prostrated in front of him as if he were worshiping him. He took a nce behind him to bob his hand at the Light Wind members. ¡°What are you doing right now? Your vice-squad leader brought us lots of money just now!¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°Wh-What about that?¡± ¡°You need to thank him!¡± ¡°But we just got beaten up for three months straight¡­¡± ¡°Whatever,e here already!¡± Although Rimmer smiled towards Raon, he frowned towards the other Light Wind members. I saw what you did just now. Wrath slowly raised himself to float in front of Raon¡¯s eyes. The way you made a fool of your opponent until the end to take all of the profit, you should really be a demon instead. ¡°Worship our light and salt, the vice-squad leader¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, all of you!¡± * * * ¡°I-Is he really seventeen years old?¡± ¡°He has the True Martial Pce master in the palm of his hand, even though they should have a huge difference in experience.¡± ¡°He looks even better in a battle of words than in a battle of swords.¡± ¡°He has the prowess and judgment to defeat a Master on top of his appearance. My life feels so sad. What¡¯s the temperature of the Terin River?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before he bes a squad leader at this point.¡± ¡°How did they raise a monster like him?¡± Because Raon managed to overwhelm Balder both with his speech and situation, he looked like a monster to the Zieghart swordsmen. ¡°One thing that¡¯s certain is that Rimmer isn¡¯t the one who did it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. He didn¡¯t do anything today, either.¡± ¡°I heard that¡¯s what he usually does. He justys down.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he just a squad leader in name only then?¡± ¡°As expected of Sir Rimmer, I guess.¡± They snickered, watching Rimmer tossing Raon into the air. Although most of the spectators were either surprised or enjoying the event, Karoon Zieghart was frowning. ¡°Tsk.¡± Karoon clicked his tongue while watching Balder leaving with Garon on his shoulder. ¡®That idiot¡­¡¯ He could understand Balder panicking because of Garon¡¯s loss against Raon, but what he said and did after that was the worst. He was toyed with by the lowest rank coteral, who was no better than an insect, and a seventeen-year-old child on top of that! It was so stupid that he couldn¡¯t evenugh at that point. ¡®He¡¯s still as thoughtless as ever.¡¯ Since the Golden Crest leader fainted and he was the one who asked for the duel, he just needed to postpone the negotiation and pressure him with the power of the True Martial Pce. There was no need for him to conclude the matter on the spot, but he was toyed with by Raon like an idiot and messed everything up. ¡®He just ended up giving him various supporters.¡¯ Raon won against a Master that day, and literally toyed with Balder, the True Martial Pce master. That incident would be a huge hope for the coterals and people from outside who were defying the direct line. ¡®It will be annoying for a while¡­ No, this is even better.¡¯ A cold light appeared in Karoon¡¯s eyes for an instant. ¡®They will never try defying us ever again if Ipletely destroy the hope that has appeared after such a long time.¡± His face turned sour as he watched Burren throw Raon into the air. ¡®Maybe I need to call that insect back.¡¯ * * * Knock Knock. A clear knocking sound could be heard as Derus Robert was looking out of his office window, where sunlight was flooding in. ¡°Enter.¡± A butler whose silver-gray hair was hiding one of his eyes opened the door and entered before bowing at him. ¡°My lord, we have received the results of the investigation you orderedst time.¡± Derus slowly turned his head. He slowly nodded, his expression not changing in the slightest. ¡°Is it the investigation on Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The butler nodded, gathering his hands in front of him. ¡°The ck market reported that the rumor about Raon Zieghart defeating the seventh apostle is ny percent true.¡± ¡°If the ck market said it was ny percent, then it means it is pretty much certain.¡± Auctioning rare items and gambling weren¡¯t the main sources of ie of the ck market. It had the best intelligence capabilities, and that was their real source of money. And if they said it was 90% true, then it was pretty much certain. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s unbelievable, but it seems to be the truth. They said that the story about the young sword demon who jumped down from Habun Castle¡¯s walls to stop the monster wave was also true.¡± ¡°What about his age?¡± ¡°He is indeed seventeen years old.¡± ¡°A seventeen-year-old Expert defeated a Master¡­¡± Derus eximed at the unbelievable information. Bing an Expert at seventeen years of age wasmon, but a seventeen-year-old expert defeating a Master was an unprecedented urrence in the history of the continent. Even his youngest son, who became one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent after being called an unprecedented genius, was nothingpared to him when he was seventeen years old. He wanted to meet Raon, to see what kind of person he was. ¡°Is there any other information?¡± ¡°It looked like the ck market was also having difficulties because Zieghart usually doesn¡¯t disclose their information. All of the remaining information was mostly trivial.¡± The butler lowered his head to apologize. ¡°What about the shadows I sent to the north?¡± ¡°They are barely getting any information either, as they haven''t managed to settle down yet. I think it would be better to recover those that were recently dispatched¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Derus shook his head with a frown. ¡°Dispatch more of them.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Make sure to investigate the matter thoroughly. Everything, including whose son he is, who taught him, what kind of swordsmanship he learned, and who is close to him.¡± ¡°Hmm, his talent is certainly outrageous, but do we really need to go that far? He shouldn¡¯t even be a Master yet¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s even more frightening because he¡¯s not a Master.¡± Derus¡¯s face was frozen. ¡°A young boy who hasn¡¯t even be a Master managed to defeat a Master. If he ended up bing a Master, or even reached a higher level, what do you think will happen? He might end up rewriting the entire history of the continent, and even reach my position eventually.¡± He pointed at the position of House Robert¡¯s head of house, which he was currently upying. ¡°That is how fearsome he is, because his talent is on a different level.¡± ¡°U-Understood.¡± ¡°We are bound to sh against Zieghart one day. Follow the n and renew all the information about Zieghart, including information on the boy named Raon.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The butler answered firmly, as if he were trying to make up for his mistake. ¡°How did it go with House Yonaan?¡± Derus nodded in satisfaction at the butler¡¯s response before sitting at the window. ¡°We¡¯ve injected it into the youngest daughter of the head of house. Since the doctors, healers, and even the priests couldn¡¯t do anything for her, he shall start requesting aid everywhere now.¡± ¡°Make sure to not respond immediately. We need to slowly extend a helping hand while pretending that it is a coincidence. That way, we can earn as much as possible from his stubborn bloodline.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The butler bowed before leaving the office. ¡°Soon. It¡¯s really happening soon.¡± Derus narrowed his eyes, looking out the window. ¡°I shall remove every obstacle beforehand.¡± * * * * * * Raon went to the medical detachment to take care of his internal injury, then returned to the annex building. His insides were still hurt, but he was in a much better condition than when he fought against the seventh apostle. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move for the next two days, okay?¡± Sylviaid him in bed to make him rest and grabbed his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m going to tie you up if you move around again!¡± Raon could see the determination in her eyes, probably because he coughed up a lot of blood. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t even think about leaving the bed, since the maids are also going to take turns guarding the room twenty-four hours a day.¡± Even Helen narrowed her eyes at him, although he thought she¡¯d be on his side. ¡°Haa, I got it.¡± Raon sighed heavily and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll rest quietly until I recover. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching.¡± ¡°I believe in you.¡± The two left only after Raon gave them his answer. ¡®This isn¡¯t too bad either.¡¯ Because no one told him anything like that in his previous life, and he knew that they were worried about him, he didn¡¯t really dislike their nagging. That¡¯s not how you should be. Wrath popped up on the bracelet with a frown on his face. Demons don¡¯t need anything like a family¡¯s love. Power. Having all your desires focused on getting stronger is how a demon should be. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your desire, not a demon¡¯s? I¡¯m sure that not every demon lives like you do.¡± Of course! The King of Essence is special. No one is as focused on getting stronger as the King of Essence. That¡¯s why I¡¯m revered as the monarch of Wrath, and as the strongest among the demon kings¡­ ¡°It should be gluttony, not wrath.¡± You are wrong! Stop taking me for that weak rabbit! He screamed, shaking his head violently. Anyway! You are still far too weak right now, but I took a liking to your personality, your insatiable hunger for power, and your fighting spirit. Wrath lowered the corners of his lips slightly and nodded. The King of Essence will take good care of you if you be a demon. ¡°Can a human being even be a demon?¡± Of course. Many humans have be demons in the past. ¡°How do I do that?¡± You first offer your body to the King of Essence¡­ ¡°I refuse.¡± Raon waved his hand, then closed his eyes. He wanted to see what he was going to tell him, but it was pointless. I-It¡¯s true! You will obtain an iparable power if the King of Essence descends upon you and increases the level of your body and soul! ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not buying it.¡± He shook his hand, as if he were chasing away a door-to-door salesperson. He thought Wrath had given up because he hadn¡¯t spoken about it for a while, but that was apparently not the case. He was still targeting his body. Tsk, it didn¡¯t work. Wrath clicked his tongue in regret. ¡°Obviously. Do you think I¡¯m an idiot?¡± However, I wasn¡¯t lying about taking a liking to you. If you want, I¡¯ll tell you how a human being can be a demon. First of all¡­ ¡®Wait.¡¯ As he was about to tell Raon how to be a demon, messages appeared in front of his eyes. They were the messages from receiving the achievement of defeating a Master while being an Expert himself. The rank of the Perception of the Snow Flower and all stats had increased at the same time. Ugh! ¡°Wow¡­¡± While Raon was admiring and reading the message, a second set of messages appeared. Looking at the points that had increased once again, Raon clenched his fist while inhaling deeply. Whir! The change in his body created a burning pain before soaking his entire body in a refreshing vitality, as if he were bathing in cold water. The pain from his internal injury had alsopletely disappeared. ¡°Thirteen points in one go¡­¡± Raon smiled, grasping his throbbing heart. He could feel his increased power because he had gained so many stats at once. It looked like he would need to focus on training for a while to get used to the stats. ¡°And I even got another rank in the Perception of the Snow Flower.¡± Perception of the Snow Flower was a trait that increased the range and sensitivity of his aura perception. He liked it even more because it had a great synergy with him, as he was an assassin in his past life. D-Damn it¡­ Wrath was crushed by the rising messages, his eyes trembling. Do you really believe you deserve to gain so much from an inferior achievement like that? Spit it out, if you have a conscience! ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± Raon resolutely shook his head. ¡°You told me I was like a demon. Did you ever see a demon spitting out what they already ate?¡± Kuh, Aren¡¯t you even going to ask how to spit it out? ¡°That would be an unnecessary question.¡± He had no intention of spitting out a reward like that, not even if his stomach burst. You are really more demonic than a demon. ¡°Is that apliment?¡± Kuh! Raon smiled at Wrath, who was trembling in anger. ¡°Ah, by the way, what did you say earlier? How do I be a demon?¡± I¡¯m never going to tell you! Wrath violently shook his head. The whole of Devildom will be sucked dry if you be a demon! * * * One weekter, Raon hadpletely recovered from his internal injury, and went out to the annex building¡¯s open area. Naturally, he felt excited as he felt the wind for the first time in a long time. After a light warm-up, he drew Heavenly Drive. Holding the sword¡¯s grip made him feel alive. It looked like he¡¯d be a real swordsman. Whoosh! He used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s sixth step along with the Star Connecting Sword. The aura appearing on the white silver de flew away like an aloof river to engulf the entire open area. The principle of softness that was already incorporated in the Star Connecting Sword was maximized by the Supreme Harmony¡¯s sixth step. The way even the dappled sunlight was deflected by his sword was such a mysterious sight. Screech! He then used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s fifth step while striking with the Fangs of Insanity. The untamed beast¡¯s fangs became even sharper, shredding the atmosphere. ¡°I knew it wasn¡¯t just my imagination.¡± Just like he felt during the fight against Garon, the Supreme Harmony Steps were capable of enhancing a swordsmanship¡¯s characteristics and power. Using the sixth step at the same time as a soft technique enabled a robust defense that could deflect astral energy, and using the fifth step along with a powerful technique created a ferocious de that could even pierce through ayer of astral energy. Attack, defense, evasion, and counterattack. It was an extraordinary footwork that could be used in many ways. ¡®It¡¯s giving me internal injuries, though.¡¯ It could strengthen one¡¯s swordsmanship, but the recoil was also significant. The internal injury he received during thest fight was partly because of the Supreme Harmony Steps. ¡®I suppose nothing is perfect in the world.¡¯ There were bound to be demerits if there were merits. Since the Supreme Harmony Steps were made by Glenn when he was at a higher level than him, it was overexerting his body in his current state. He would¡¯ve still been lying in bed like a dead man if the stats weren¡¯t strengthening his body. ¡°Let¡¯s try it.¡± Raon gathered all of his aura and poured it into Heavenly Drive. Cring! With a majestic sword resonance, a red light appeared on the de. The aura des that were as thin as thread tangled with each other to be aura thread, and the aura threads gathered like flower petals to form a gorgeous line. Burst! An extensive light simr to aet appeared on the de of Heavenly Drive. The gathering of vivid aura was astral energy. Screech! However, the astral energy didn¡¯tst long and withered like candlelight in front of the wind. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue and lowered Heavenly Drive. ¡°I knew it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± The Master wall that was right in front of his eyes certainly copsed after he refined the martial arts he¡¯d learned so far during the spar against Garon. However, he didn¡¯t manage to be a Master. He was in a strange situation where he couldn¡¯t surpass the copsed wall. ¡®I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ He didn¡¯t seem to be an Expert nor a Master. He had killed Masters in his previous life, but since he had never be a Master himself, he couldn¡¯t understand what state he was in. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ What¡¯s up? ¡®What is my current level? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m an Expert nor a Master.¡¯ Why are you asking the King of Essence? ¡®I¡¯ve recently been eating anything you want to eat. Can¡¯t you answer that, at least?¡¯ While he was resting in the annex building, he ate every food and snack that Wrath wanted to eat. And Wrath was praising every single dish to the point that he forgot his stats had been taken away. Hmm¡­ Wrath licked his lips, feeling guilty. You are at the border. ¡®Border?¡¯ The thing you humans call the Master wall. You are currently standing on the copsed wall. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Just as he expected, he wasn¡¯t currently a Master nor an Expert. ¡®How can I advance one step forward from here?¡¯ You need a trigger. ¡®Trigger?¡¯ Yes, a trigger that will make you extend your foot. ¡®And how can I find that trigger?¡¯ I don¡¯t know. ¡®What?¡¯ The King of Essence couldn¡¯t even feel a trivial wall like that. I leapt over two or three levels at once at the beginning. Since I¡¯ve never worried about anything like that, I obviously don¡¯t know. ¡®How condescending¡­¡¯ The demon king waspletely useless in that aspect. ¡®I should try a bit more.¡¯ He tried creating astral energy a few more times, but the aura kept melting down, unable to maintain its form¡ªjust like before. ¡®I guess I can¡¯t do it right now.¡¯ Raon licked his lips in regret. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t try too hard, then.¡¯ In fact, he was already growing at a rate that couldn¡¯t be called human. If he just kept doing his best at training like he had so far, he should be able to advance before he knew it. ¡°I¡¯ll continue just as I always have¡­ Hmm?¡± As he fixed his grip and was about to practice his swordsmanship, the Perception of the Snow Flower, which had leveled up recently, managed to detect someone¡¯s presence. It was from above the tree behind him. ¡°Pleasee out.¡± Since it was a familiar presence, he bobbed his hand towards the person at the top of the tree. ¡°I know you are there.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± A purple-haired woman jumped down, grumbling. The person, with narrow eyes and a small body, was the Heavenly de leader, Sheryl. She had a noticeable sword on her back. ¡°How did you notice me?¡± ¡°You lost your breath for an instant.¡± ¡°Of course, I would! I witnessed something ridiculous.¡± Sheryl walked up to Raon with a frown, standing in front of him. Her eyes were trembling slightly in bewilderment. ¡°Do you have anything to tell me?¡± He thought he wouldn¡¯t need to see her ever again, but he ended up encountering her already. ¡°How¡¯s your body?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve almost recovered.¡± ¡°That should be fine, then.¡± Sheryl examined Raon¡¯s body from the top to bottom, as if she were trying to confirm his condition, before extending her hand. ¡°Take care of a matter with me.¡± Chapter 201 Raon stared into Sheryl¡¯s eyes. ¡°When you say ¡®matter¡¯, do you mean a mission?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sheryl nodded, as if it were obvious. ¡°Isn¡¯t the Heavenly de enough for it?¡± ¡°The Heavenly de exists to defend the house and the head of house. Its role is different from the other armed organizations.¡± He did hear from Judiel that the Heavenly de swordsmen protected every important base of the house. In fact, the swordsmen protecting the annex building were also from the Heavenly de. ¡°Moreover, thirty percent of the division is currently away because of recent missions. I don¡¯t have many people I can use right now.¡± Sheryl¡¯s eyes calmed as she said she didn¡¯t have many swordsmen she could use. Despite what she said, she didn¡¯t look like she needed him that much. Raon felt like she wouldn¡¯t really care even if he declined the offer. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon licked his lips. ¡®This could be an opportunity.¡¯ Since the Heavenly de leader was a powerhouse at Grandmaster level, observing her would allow him to learn many things. ¡®But it might be dangerous, too.¡¯ A mission where the Heavenly de leader had to move personally was bound to be an extraordinary matter. He might end up dying or lose all of the reputation that he¡¯d gained if he failed. ¡®But I will gain even more if I seed.¡¯ He should be able to earn the Heavenly de leader¡¯s trust, as well as plenty of rewards, from properlypleting the mission. There was a clear advantage and disadvantage in taking the mission. ¡°May I ask what kind of mission it is?¡± ¡°Of course. I shall tell you.¡± Sheryl raised her index finger. ¡°This is an escort mission.¡± ¡°Escort? Then, is it about escorting the head of house¡­?¡± ¡°No. You are going to escort another important guest during this mission.¡± ¡°Why is the Heavenly de in charge of that?¡± Just as Sheryl had said a moment ago, the Heavenly de¡¯s role was to protect the house and the head of house, so it was strange for her to have a mission like that. ¡°That is because a debt has been called on.¡± ¡°Debt?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a debt the head of house left when he used to be a sessor. Since he left it under the name Glenn Zieghart, the Heavenly de has to take care of it.¡± She strained her eyes, telling him it was her duty. ¡°Can you exin a bit further?¡± ¡°The daughter of a prestigious family is suffering from a mysterious disease. The priests, healers, and doctors have all given up on her. Our mission is to bring her to Retran, where the Ragged Saint is located.¡± ¡°Ragged Saint¡­¡± ¡°You are also acquainted with him, I believe.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. The Ragged Saint Federick was the one who visited him every year, from when he was a baby to when he was five years old, to check his condition and give him an elixir with fire attribute. ¡°That means the reason why you chose me was¡­¡± ¡°It was partly because yourst spar was impressive, but mostly, it was because you are acquainted with the Ragged Saint. ¡°I see.¡± He finally understood why Sheryl visited him despite being pretty much unrted to him. She only chose him because of the small connection he had with the Ragged Saint. ¡°It looks like you also understood why we have to bring her to him.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s because the Saint doesn¡¯t choose his patients.¡± The Ragged Saint Federick wouldn¡¯t care even if a king called on him and wouldn¡¯t refuse a patient even if they were a ve. He healed everyone, regardless of whether they were an enemy or not, and the most important person to him was the patient in front of him. Even for a prestigious family, it was pretty much impossible to call for Federick. ¡®I still need to thank him.¡¯ The way he visited him every year to check on his condition and give him an elixir was really exceptional. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Raon owed him his life. ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound bad.¡¯ The mission itself didn¡¯t sound dangerous, and the rewards should be sufficient, as they involved the daughter of a prestigious family. ¡®And I want to see him, since it¡¯s been a long time.¡¯ Actually, he was more interested in meeting with the Ragged Saint to express his gratitude than the mission itself. He also became curious about what the Saint would tell him, since he almost finished oveing the Curse of Frost. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°We will depart at daybreak in two days. You should bring six people with you, including the team leaders of the Light Wind.¡± ¡°Are six people enough?¡± ¡°Since we are also going to have the guards from that house, we don¡¯t need that many people. Having too many people will slow down the journey andplicate matters. We only need six of you.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Sheryl nodded, expressing neither positive nor negative emotions. ¡°Can I ask you one thing?¡± She was about to leave, but she turned back to stand in front of Raon. ¡°Please, go ahead.¡± ¡°You were practicing making astral energy just now, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since he knew that Sheryl had been watching all along, he nodded honestly. ¡°Why did you give up and go back to basic training? You should be aware that you are right on the cusp of bing a Master, right?¡± ¡°Of course, I do. However, I figured I don¡¯t need to be too focused on astral energy.¡± ¡°Y-You don¡¯t need to be focused?¡± ¡°I realized after trying a few times that I can¡¯t achieve astral energy at this rate, even if I practice for ten years.¡± Raon stared at Heavenly Drive. What had appeared on the de was nothing but concentrated aura, which couldn¡¯t be called martial arts. Something like that was bound to be meaningless, even if he practiced it for years. ¡°I figured I would naturally reach the area beyond as long as I slowly train my martial arts, just as I¡¯ve always done. ¡°Seriously, you are¡­¡± The Heavenly de leader frowned, gripping her left wrist tightly with her right hand. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± She quickly hid her surprise and turned around. ¡°Since we are departing in the morning two days from now, make sure to be on time.¡± ¡°May I ask a question as well?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Which house is our escort target from?¡± ¡°Yonaan.¡± ¡°Yonaan¡­¡± Yonaan wasn¡¯t famous for their might, but they were a house that specialized in crafting,peting with Balkar in artifact crafting. ¡°Our mission is to escort the youngest daughter of that family to Retran, where a war is currently ongoing.¡± The Heavenly de leader turned around and smiled slightly. ¡°Since the mission isn¡¯t really going to be difficult, you should rest assured.¡± * * * The Heavenly de leader went straight to the audience chamber and stood in front of Glenn. ¡°Raon epted the mission.¡± ¡°Did he ept immediately?¡± Glenn tilted his head while smoothing his hand over his chin. ¡°He epted after confirming the contents of the mission and giving it enough thought.¡± ¡°How was the condition of his body?¡± ¡°He¡¯spletely healed. His internal aura and body were both stable.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn slightly nodded, satisfied with that answer. ¡°You should already be aware, but this mission isn¡¯t going to be smooth. Make them work hard for it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sheryl nodded, her hand on her chest. ¡°Since I need to make my preparations as well, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± As she was about to turn back, Glenn raised his hand. ¡°What happened? You don¡¯t look well.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl let out a small sigh and looked at Glenn. ¡°Raon¡­ That boy isn¡¯t normal.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Glenn raised his voice for once and suddenly stood up from his chair. ¡°When I went to visit him¡­¡± Sheryl told him about Raon deciding to give up on practicing astral de, instead returning to basic training. ¡°Mymon sense can¡¯t understand that.¡± Astral energy was the dream and objective of all warriors, and the ones that were about to be Masters were bound to chase after that brilliant light all day long. ¡®It¡¯s often referred to as being bewitched by astral energy.¡¯ They normally trained to achieve astral energy every day without listening to other people¡¯s advice, and only realized that it wasn¡¯t the correct path muchter. Even she had wasted almost a whole year on that stupidity, but Raon gave up on forming astral energy after a few tries, returning to basic training. ¡®I had goosebumps.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes were as calm as theke in the middle of the night. She had unconsciously grabbed her wrist because she had goosebumps from his decision to return to the basics and forget about astral energy. A warrior who was about to be a Master should be extremely desperate to achieve astral energy. It was her first time witnessing someone giving up on it so easily. ¡°I can only describe him as a monster.¡± Just as Glenn had said, she had a feeling that Raon would surpass the Grandmaster wall before he reached forty. ¡°Ahem, w-was that what you meant?¡± Glenn awkwardly cleared his throat and leaned back against the throne. ¡°I keep telling you that he¡¯s special.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a limit to how special he can be. That¡¯s too excessive. I¡¯m more amazed by his mind, rather than his talent in martial arts.¡± Sheryl sighed deeply. Raon¡¯s first impression was average, but she got more surprised the more she saw him. It was her first time seeing a boy like him, despite having seen countless swordsmen in the past. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable, but Raon should be a Master by the time we return, even if I don¡¯t do anything. He will achieve it with his own power.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything. Just show him the martial arts you¡¯ve umted in various ways. If the Light Wind children don¡¯t realize it, that¡¯s their problem.¡± Glenn emphasized that she was to help the Light Wind, rather than Raon. ¡°Understood.¡± Sheryl nodded and stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, then.¡± She left the lord¡¯s manor right after. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± A strange sound could be heard inside the lord¡¯s manor, where Glenn was the only one left. It was as if he was trying to hold back hisughter. * * * * * * Raon went to the fifth training ground, where every Light Wind member was gathered. Since their individual training time was over, they were already gathered in the training ground. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± Runaan came running at him before anyone else. Her expression was nk, but her voice was filled with worry. ¡°I¡¯mpletely healed.¡± Raon gave her a small smile, and Runaan nodded with an unnoticeable smile. ¡°Also, thank you for the ice cream.¡± It was great! Runaan paid him a visit with bead ice cream while he was bedridden, and Wrath enjoyed it more than him because they were all mint chocte vored. ¡°You¡¯ve returned rather quickly.¡± Dorian came up to him while eating snacks. It looked like he ate a lot while resting, since his cheeks had be plump. ¡°You¡¯ve gained weight. It looks like you are taking it easy.¡± ¡°E-Easy? Not at all!¡± He freaked out and shook his head. ¡°H-He said he took it easy.¡± ¡°No way, is he about to start it again?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be it. The spars are already over!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way! It can¡¯t be!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Light Wind members stepped away from him while trying to read his intentions, as they couldn¡¯t forget their hellish three months. ¡°Have you already recovered? Are you an iron man or something?¡± ¡°What a stupidly healthy body.¡± Burren and Martha¡¯s manner of speech was brusque, as if they were not weing him¡ªbut they had a small smile on their faces. m! As he was about to call those three over to tell them about the mission, the training ground¡¯s door burst open, and Rimmer entered wearing a golden coat. All kinds of jewels were dazzling on his fingers, wrist, and neck. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon eximed. He¡¯d never seen anyone who looked more like an upstart than him. ¡°S-Squad leader, why are you¡­¡± Burren¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°I had nowhere to spend my money because I had too much. That¡¯s why I started by buying some jewels.¡± He violently shook his hands and fingers to show them off. How annoying. Trample upon him and burn them all up! Wrath also growled in displeasure at him. Rimmer was truly a peculiar person. While he was pitiful when he didn¡¯t have any money, he looked irritating now that he had be rich. ¡°Are you training again? Just take it easy. We are just trying to make a living here.¡± Rimmer grinned, looking at the swordsmen one after the other. His voice was softer than usual, probably because his mind had be moreid back. Though, that wasn¡¯t something a squad leader should be saying. ¡°Oh, Raon! My lucky charm is here! Have youpletely recovered?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Nice, nice. I¡¯ve been praying for your fast recovery.¡± ¡°But it looks like you¡¯ve been so busy that you wouldn''t have any time for prayers.¡± He pointed at Rimmer¡¯s clothes and jewels with a cold smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy, and I prayed each time I spent money. I prayed for Raon¡¯s long life, since he allowed me to earn all the money!¡± ¡°Long life¡­¡± Raon fell speechless. He apparently went as far as praying for his long life instead of his fast recovery. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening. I¡¯ll grant you any wish!¡± Rimmer immediately nodded. It looked like he would do anything for him¡ªexcept for giving away his money. ¡°A moment ago¡­¡± Raon told him about the Heavenly de leader visiting him and asked him whether he could go on a mission with the team leaders and two additional members. ¡°The Heavenly de Division leader? Of course! You should go!¡± Rimmer pped his hands. ¡°She knows all of the different characteristics of swordsmanship. I¡¯m sure you will learn a lot from her if you follow her.¡± He said it was a great opportunity for him, and he definitely should go. ¡°To begin with, I mentioned we will be reinforcing others a lot when I first made the squad. You should go.¡± ¡°A-A mission with the Heavenly de leader? This is a great opportunity!¡± Burren shouted with joy once Rimmer gave his permission. ¡°The Heavenly de Division leader?¡± ¡°Hmph. I heard she¡¯s the strongest swordswoman in the house, but let¡¯s see if she really deserves that title.¡± Runaan looked like she didn¡¯t really care as she tilted her head. On the other hand, Martha couldn¡¯t hide her trembling fingers, despite snorting on the outside. ¡°You have four people, including you. Who are the two other people you are going to bring?¡± Rimmer asked, pointing at the remaining Light Wind members. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll take my pouch.¡± ¡°Pouch?¡± ¡°Ah, I mean Dorian. I think he needs to lose some weight.¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at Dorian. ¡°Hiee!¡± The pouch¡ªor rather, Dorian¡ªfreaked out and dropped his snack. His plump cheeks were trembling. ¡°Then, what about thest person?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked around at the rest of the Light Wind members. Most of them were rolling their eyes, pretending they couldn¡¯t hear them. It seemed they didn¡¯t really want to go. ¡°Krein,e forward.¡± He bobbed his hand at the long-haired swordsman, who was hiding at the very back. ¡°M-Me? Why me¡­?¡± Krein¡¯s eyes widened so much they looked like they would explode. ¡°I saw during the spar that you had manyints about me.¡± Raon tapped his scabbard with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s have a heart-to-heart talk during the mission.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Krein fell back, remembering that he had called Raon a demon and a crazy bastard at the arena. ¡°I¡¯m so dead¡­¡± He closed his eyes while drooling from his mouth, as if he had already been beaten up. ¡°Since it should take some time, please take care of the squad members in the meantime.¡± Raon told the other five members going on the mission the schedule, then bowed at Rimmer. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be saying that to you, since I¡¯m the squad leader?¡± ¡°Do you even have the intention of doing the job of a squad leader?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± He proudly shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s why I said that. You should stop gambling, too, since you¡¯ve earned a lot now.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Rimmer shook his two hands, gesturing that he took his hands away from gambling. ¡°Try learning a lot from Sheryl. It¡¯s not just her swordsmanship, but also her postures, footsteps, breathing techniques that are all worth learning, so steal everything from her.¡± It had been a long time since thest time his voice was so serious. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the magic word that you can use if there¡¯s ever a problem.¡± ¡°A magic word?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rimmer continued with a grin. ¡°Tell Sheryl¡­¡± * * * Two Days Later Daybreak Raon was holding Heavenly Drive with two hands in the annex building¡¯s open area. It was the middle posture, which was the most basic posture. Holding the hilt in front of his energy center, he pointed his de forward and spread his pressure without any movement. Whir! Raon¡¯s energy wave flew as slowly as a cloud floating in the sky, engulfing the open area at an extremely slow pace. When approximately ten minutes had passed, Raon¡¯s pressure had filled the entire open area, and the entire space vibrated with his breath. The space was in Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon scattered his pressure, which was dominating the open area, in an instant. He caught his breath. You are so damn slow. I almost died from boredom. Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic performance. ¡°That¡¯s because this is a heavy technique.¡± Are you trying to swallow the space with the heaviness? ¡°Yes. During thest fight against Garon¡­¡± Who is Garon? ¡°You know, the man who fought against me recently.¡± Ah, that insect? Considering Wrath couldn¡¯t even remember him despite it being a recent incident, Garon must¡¯ve been mere riffraff to Wrath, even though he was still a Master. ¡°Anyway, he used a quick sword that could block the space, and I figured heaviness would be better than speed to dominate the space.¡± Garon¡¯s sword was certainly powerful and fast, but it had many ws when it came to dominating the space. Raon felt like it would be better to make sure to engulf the entire space by sacrificing speed instead of forcibly increasing the speed. That¡¯s true, but I wonder when you will ever reach your enemy at your snail¡¯s pace. ¡°I should reach it one day, as long as I keep working hard.¡± He understood the space sword to a certain extent, thanks to witnessing Garon¡¯s sword. Constant practice in the future should allow him to harmonize the heaviness and space dominance. Raon opened the status window for thest time before leaving. Looking at the stats and the trait ranks, which had grown a lot since thest time he had looked at them, was enough to make him smile. ¡®I¡¯ll be there soon.¡¯ He clenched his fist, resolving to change the title into something rted to Master and achieve harmony between heavy sword and space sword by the time he returned to the house. ¡®I¡¯m curious.¡¯ He was already filled with anticipation about how his swordsmanship would change once he became a Master with those inhuman stats. ¡®I should get going.¡¯ As Raon was about to leave the open area after picking up the backpack he had left on the side, Judiel approached him. ¡°I didn¡¯t manage to investigate much because I didn¡¯t have much time.¡± She spoke as she handed over a thin booklet. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± It was information about the youngest daughter of the Yonaan family and the Retran province, where the Ragged Saint was located. ¡°Ah!¡± Raon opened the booklet. The name of the youngest daughter of the Yonaan family was written in the most recognizable size. ¡°Encia Yonaan, a genius artifact crafter?¡± It was written under her name that she was an excellent crafter even among the members of House Yonaan. ¡°She¡¯s supposedly unmatched when ites to essory-type artifact crafting, despite being only in her mid-twenties. Considering the fact the Central Martial Pce isn¡¯t aware of her case, her illness seems to be top secret.¡± ¡®Exactly¡¯, Raon thought. Since the mission came to Sheryl directly from Glenn, he could guess there would be an extremely small number of people who knew about her illness. ¡°Since her name is rather famous in the central area, many people will target her once she leaves House Yonaan.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Despite what Sheryl said, escorting someone as talented as her couldn¡¯t possibly be afortable journey. ¡®That¡¯s even better.¡¯ Something like afortable journey was nothing but a waste of time. He was ready to even walk down to hell if it meant he could advance faster and reach a higher ce. After all, it was obvious that he would get stronger from hardships and difficulties. ¡®It will be interesting.¡¯ Crimson mes shone in Raon¡¯s eyes. Chapter 202 Raon memorized everything written in Judiel¡¯s booklet before heading to the main entrance of Zieghart. Although it wasn¡¯t time for them to depart yet, Sheryl, five members of the Heavenly de, and the five members of Light Wind were already gathered. ¡®The Heavenly de Division¡­¡¯ They were clearly different. Their pressure was as sharp as an excellent de. Even though the Light Wind had grown during the most recent incident, they still looked like kidspared to them. ¡°Oh! Who is this? Isn¡¯t he the vice-squad leader Raon?¡± The middle-aged man standing next to Sheryl waved his hand at him. Despite his gentle appearance, his healthy body looked extremely strong. ¡°Is he the fellow who is supposed to apany us?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to go on a mission with the swordsman who rewrote history!¡± He giggled as he walked up to him and extended his hand. ¡°Your duel was breathtaking. I¡¯m the vice-division leader of Heavenly de, Ekan.¡± He was mentioned in Judiel¡¯s list of personnels. He was one of the two vice-division leaders of Heavenly de, and he was a power-oriented swordsman who used powerful swordsmanship and heavy swordsmanships to destroy his opponents. ¡°I¡¯m Raon from the Light Wind squad. Nice to meet you.¡± Raon bowed while holding Ekan¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s a mission, but let¡¯s have fun together. I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± He didn¡¯t say what exactly he was looking forward to. He simply tapped Raon¡¯s shoulder before returning to Sheryl¡¯s side. ¡°Why did you arrive sote?¡± ¡°Everyone has been here for a while now!¡± Burren and Martha frowned, scolding him for noting earlier. ¡°I arrived earlier than the appointed time.¡± Raon pointed at the sky, where the sun hadn¡¯t risen yet. ¡°You shoulde earlier! The Heavenly de members were waiting for you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care about them, but it¡¯s better toe earlier.¡± Judging from their slightly red eyes, they must¡¯ve had difficulties falling asleep in their anticipation. ¡°Yawn¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s eyes were also yawning. As for her, it wasn¡¯t because of anticipation. It was because she was simply not a morning person. ¡°C-Can we really return alive?¡± Dorian¡¯s chin was trembling as he fiddled with his belly pocket. He was apparently worried. ¡°O-Of course we will. The Heavenly de is with us¡­¡± Krein bit his lip, his face even paler than Dorian¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make you return alive at all costs.¡± Raon smiled, meeting the eyes of the five Light Wind members. Since they were hispanions who he had spent a long time with, he resolved himself to protect them no matter what. ¡°Mhm!¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t need it. I¡¯ll take care of myself.¡± Runaan gave a big nod, while Burren awkwardly scratched his head and Martha suddenly turned her head away. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that ¡®at all costs¡¯ sound scary to you?¡± ¡°I know, right? Aww, what is he going to do this time¡­?¡± Krein and Dorian¡¯s gazes were filled with suspicion. They seemed to still hold a grudge against him for beating them up for three months straight. ¡°Gather up if you¡¯ve finished greeting each other.¡± Sheryl lightly tapped her coat and turned around, her eyes fiercely sparkling. ¡°We will leave right now. We won¡¯t rest until evening.¡± * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Heavenly de¡¯s vice-division leader, Ekan, came up to Sheryl, who was riding a horse. ¡°Division leader, can¡¯t we just get along with them? I took a liking to that fellow.¡± He took a nce at Raon, who was following them from behind, and grinned. ¡°You like him?¡± ¡°Yes. I was kinda deeply impressed when I saw his spar against Garon.¡± Ekan clenched his fist and continued. ¡°You can¡¯t call yourself a warrior if your blood doesn¡¯t boil after witnessing him charging at an astral de while only using an aura de himself. I would even bring him to our division to make him stronger if I could.¡± ¡°Make him stronger¡­¡± Sheryl shook her head. ¡®He isn¡¯t the type of guy that someone else can make stronger.¡¯ She acknowledged Ekan¡¯s abilities, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle Raon. Raon¡¯s talent and qualities wouldn¡¯t allow him to stay under someone else. He was like the aloof star of the northern sea that shines alone. ¡°How about just bringing him to our division¡­?¡± ¡°Shut up and do what I told you.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t like harassing people like a loser!¡± ¡°What are you saying? You used to be a disciplinarian before bing a vice-division leader!¡± Ekan was currently smiling like a gentle man, but he was originally the disciplinarian of the Heavenly de. He was very skilled at harassing others by nitpicking at them. ¡°And if he ends up challenging you because he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, then make sure to work him over.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, but did he do something wrong?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± Ekan tilted his head in bewilderment. ¡°Raon often tries to solve problems with violence. He¡¯s certainly strong for his age, but the world doesn¡¯t care about age. We need to teach him that another sky exists above the sky.¡± ¡°Ah! So, it wasn¡¯t because you dislike him, but because you are worried about him! That he might end up dying in vain in the outside world!¡± He grinned after looking back at Raon once again. ¡°I can ept that. I¡¯ll wholeheartedly harass him, since I¡¯m also curious how he will react.¡± * * * When the sun began to set, Sheryl stopped at a small open area. ¡°We will stop for today.¡± She got off her horse and disappeared after telling them she had something to do. ¡°We will check the surrounding area, so we¡¯ll leave the camp preparations to you.¡± Ekan winked before entering the forest with the Heavenly de. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded, getting down from his horse. He put down his backpack and looked at the Light Wind members. ¡°We will start the preparations. Burren and Dorian, put up the tents. Runaan and Krein, gather firewood.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Martha walked up to him while pointing at herself with her finger. ¡°You will cook with me.¡± ¡°Cook? Why would I?¡± ¡°Since you are the only person here that can make human food.¡± It was what he had learned during his trainee days, and Martha was the only person who was somewhat capable of cooking in Light Wind. ¡°You know how the food will turn out if we leave it to them.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon pointed at Runaan and Burren, and Martha could only frown. ¡°Haa, alright.¡± She nodded, then found a ce at the center of the camping ground to dig into the ground in order to start a fire. ¡°Dorian, take out a pot, tableware, and the ingredients.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian immediately responded, taking out all kinds of tools, ingredients, and even the tableware from his belly pocket. Raon brought the tools and tableware and ced them next to Martha. Hmph! Wrath secretly came up, licking his lips while watching Martha prepare the ingredients. The beef girl is pretty good at cookingpared to the others. ¡®You are well aware.¡¯ It¡¯s because I lost my appetite from eating their food. Although Wrath only cared about the quantity, it was still difficult for him to bear with the Light Wind¡¯s cooking. Hmm? ¡°What¡¯s up?¡¯ There¡¯s a big problem! ¡®Big problem?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes upon hearing Wrath¡¯s serious voice. When he grabbed the hilt of his sword and was about to spread his aura perception, Wrath continued. That beef is of poor quality. It doesn¡¯t have any marbling at all. ¡®¡­Is that the big problem?¡¯ He thought someone was attacking them or there was a huge incident, but Wrath casually mentioned the meat¡¯s marbling. He was filled with the urge to smack Wrath¡¯s head. Marbling is as important as life for beef! How could it not be the most important problem? ¡®Mr. Self-proimed Demon King, we aren¡¯t at a high-ss restaurant right now.¡¯ Ugh, it can¡¯t be helped. The King of Essence will put up with it this time. And I¡¯m not self-proimed. Wrath started bbering about something stupid along the lines of not epting meat like that next time. ¡°Phew.¡± Raon sighed. When he was about to start the fire, Wrath poked his head out again. ¡®What¡¯s up again?¡¯ Are you nning on leaving them alone? He pointed at the forest where the Heavenly de entered a while ago. ¡®That¡¯s my n for now.¡¯ Raon looked at the direction Wrath pointed and slightly raised his chin. ¡®I¡¯ll just watch for now, and if I feel like it¡¯s no good¡­¡¯ Raon slightly raised the corners of his lips. ¡®I¡¯ll ram them.¡¯ * * * * * * Ekan and the Heavenly de only returned to the camp after the meal and tents were ready, as if they conspired together. ¡°Have you already finished?¡± Ekan whistled, while looking at the tents that were neatly set up. ¡°I was going to help you, but that was really fast.¡± ¡°It looks like you are rather experienced in outdoor missions.¡± ¡°Ah, but this tent looks a bit nasty.¡± ¡°There are some wrinkles, and this part is folded.¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if you dug the hole a bit lower.¡± ¡°This one¡¯s also slightly insufficient.¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen started to nitpick while examining the tents as soon as they returned. ¡°From tomorrow onward, you should make sure to fix what we pointed out.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. We are saying this for your sake, you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to use this opportunity to properly learn, so you can use it againter.¡± They kept nitpicking useless things while pretending they were doing them some huge favor. ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Burren and Krein visibly nodded, believing that they were really giving them advice. ¡°Division leader, please eat first.¡± Ekan brought the beef stew and bread to Sheryl before starting to eat. She was chewing well and eating extremely slowly, like a kid. It¡¯s not a bad taste despite the sloppy ingredients. Just like the saying, hunger is the best sauce. Wrath smiled slightly, satisfied with the beef stew. ¡°The food is also bad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s salty.¡± ¡°I know, right? There¡¯s too much seasoning.¡± ¡°Did you pour the salt into it?¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen were talking once again. They keptining and clicking their tongues, despite the stew being pretty good. ¡°Fuc¡­¡± ¡°We will prepare decent food next time.¡± Raon covered Martha¡¯s mouth when she immediately started swearing, then looked at Ekan. ¡°Please do, since we are quite sensitive to the taste.¡± He smiled gently, then started eating the stew again. Despite having said that the taste was strange, the Heavenly de swordsmen ate everything in their dishes. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± ¡°Although the taste wasn¡¯t too great.¡± ¡°Please use less seasoning tomorrow.¡± They kept leaving hatefulments while bringing the empty dishes to the Light Wind. ¡°Argh! You¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Raon tightly grabbed Martha¡¯s wrist as she started to go crazy. ¡°There¡¯s a clean valley over there. You can wash the dishes over there. As for us, we need some rest since we went pretty far away just now.¡± Ekan didn¡¯t even pretend to help them, he just took out cards from his chest and started ying poker with the other swordsmen. He was telling them that he wasn¡¯t going to help them with the clean up either. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon watched them for a bit before heading to where the valley was supposed to be located with the Light Wind members. It was further than he thought, and the direction was also different from where they had pointed. ¡°Are you going to do nothing about them when they are trying to screw us over?¡± Martha frowned, soaking the dishes in the valley¡¯s water. ¡°Martha, be careful of what you say. A Heavenly de swordsman is as strong as an average division team leader.¡± Burren sat next to her and shook his head. ¡°Team leader or whatever, are you telling me to put up with them when they are trying to make me angry?¡± ¡°Since they went around to scout while we were in charge of cooking and setting up the tents, it¡¯s not exactly unfair for us.¡± ¡°Scout? I bet they didn¡¯t even scout! There¡¯s nothing to scout here!¡± ¡°The Heavenly de aren¡¯t losers like that.¡± Martha seemed to be already disappointed, and Burren seemed to still trust the Heavenly de. ¡°Fight after washing.¡± Runaan urged them to wash while yawning. She apparently wanted to go to sleep already. ¡°She¡¯s right. Wash the dishes first.¡± Raon intruded between them and wiped the grease off the dish. ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Burren and Martha violently turned their heads away, then started wiping their dishes. When Raon returned from washing the dishes with the Light Wind members, Ekan and the Heavenly de swordsmen were still ying poker. Sheryl was nowhere to be seen, since she had already gone inside a tent. ¡°Good job!¡± Ekan smiled, while waving the hand holding his cards. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep now, since we are leaving at daybreak tomorrow once again.¡± He stood up while putting the cards in his inner pocket. ¡°You know the night watch is usually done by the newer people, right? I¡¯ll leave it to you for today.¡± Ekan dered in a way that the Light Wind members couldn¡¯t argue with, then went inside his tent. ¡°Thank you for your work.¡± ¡°We can sleepfortably tonight.¡± ¡°I can rest assured with the Light Wind vice-squad leader keeping a night watch for us.¡± The other Heavenly de swordsmen also hurriedly went inside their tents before anyone could call for them. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I-I somehow feel like we are in charge of all menialbor.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Burren, Dorian, and Krein stared at the tents with a bad taste in their mouths. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just menialbor, they are treating us as servants! You idiots!¡± Runaan was silently arranging the dishes, and Martha ground her teeth. ¡°You should go to sleep. I¡¯ll take care of the night watch.¡± Raon sat in front of the bonfire and closed his eyes. ¡°Are you doing it alone, vice-squad leader?¡± Dorian moved next to him and asked. ¡°Yes, since I have something to think about. You should go to sleep.¡± Raon was nning to analyze the heavy sword while keeping a night watch. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Burren and Martha shook their heads at the same time. ¡°We don¡¯t need a consideration like that. Let¡¯s keep a night watch for two hours with groups of two.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not okay!¡± Martha frowned, then sat next to him. ¡°You should go to sleep, since I¡¯ll wake you up in two hours.¡± She frowned with her hands crossed. ¡°Make sure to wake us up.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll sleep first, then.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan, Burren, Dorian, and Krein went inside their tents after telling her to wake them up. ¡°Hey.¡± Martha watched the burning bonfire before turning her head. ¡°You are aware that they are annoying us on purpose, right?¡± ¡°Only idiots wouldn¡¯t notice.¡± ¡°Are you nning to leave them alone?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you happy at first because we were on a mission with the Heavenly de?¡± Raon chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they were such narrow-minded bastards!¡± Martha blushed and shook her head. ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Stop smiling, just tell me! Are you going to do anything about them? If you aren¡¯t, then I will¡­¡± ¡°Three days.¡± Raon raised three fingers. ¡°If they keep behaving the same way for three days, then I¡¯ll take care of them.¡± ¡°Can you even take care of them? There¡¯s nothing we can do if they use their position or might to crush you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon¡¯s red eyes turned serious. ¡°I have a method to thoroughly crush them.¡± * * * Three days passed. Naturally, nothing changed. The Heavenly de were now requesting a bunch of stuff even during lunch and break times, and Burren, Dorian, and Krein had to work their asses off. And of course, the worst part was during the camp preparation. From the tent instation, dinner preparation, horse management, dish washing, cleaning up, and even night watch¡ªeverything was the Light Wind¡¯s job. Honestly, the Heavenly de didn¡¯t do anything except for moving while carrying their bags. Moreover. ¡°It wasn¡¯t salty enough today.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you underestimating the seasoning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s even more sad because it¡¯s slightly off every day.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be a little bit more careful tomorrow, okay? Just a little bit.¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen kept grating on their nerves by constantlyining about food, cleaning, tents¡ªeverything. The most annoying part was that they were actuallyining after emptying all the dishes, when they shouldn¡¯t be eating if they didn¡¯t like the food. ¡°Let¡¯s start again today.¡± ¡°Who was first?¡± They didn¡¯t even pretend to consider helping with the dish washing, and immediately started ying poker. ¡°Kuh, those motherfuckers¡­¡± ¡°They are tantly provoking us.¡± Martha was about to explode, and a vein was bulging on Burren¡¯s forehead. ¡°You guys should go without me today.¡± Raon stood up, leaving the dirty dishes behind. ¡°What about the vice-squad leader?¡± Dorian tilted his head while picking up the dishes. ¡°I have something to do.¡± ¡°Something to do?¡± ¡°My patience has reached its limit.¡± A savage look appeared in Raon¡¯s eyes as he watched Ekan distribute the cards. ¡°V-Vice-squad leader! No!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right! Th-They are the Heavenly de!¡± Dorian and Burren grabbed his arms and shook their heads. ¡°The Heavenly de leader won¡¯t overlook it if you beat them up!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. Please stop causing problems! You are making us suffer!¡± ¡°Why are you already assuming that the Heavenly de will get beaten up?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Marthamented, and Burren and Dorian flinched. They realized they just casually assumed that the Heavenly de would get beaten up instead of Raon. ¡°B-Because he always beats up everyone¡­¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve never seen him lose before¡­¡± Burren and Dorian scratched their heads in the exact same way. ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of trust in me.¡± Raon chuckled, then tapped their shoulders. ¡°Your worries aren¡¯t going toe true, so just wait.¡± He waved his hand to everyone, then went to Sheryl, who was sitting on a tree. ¡°It¡¯s a bit unexpected.¡± The Heavenly de leader looked beneath her coldly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I thought the Heavenly de leader would do something when she saw the division members ying poker.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what my members do in their free time. As long as they do their job, whether they y poker or y roulette is none of my business.¡± ¡°Which means, you won¡¯t mind if I do something about them.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The Heavenly de leader nodded. A blue light shone in her eyes, as if she¡¯d been waiting for him to say that. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded, then turned around. He managed to get her confirmation that she wouldn¡¯t do anything. It was now time to ram them. ¡°Hmm.¡± A faint smile appeared on the Heavenly de division leader¡¯s face as she watched Raon¡¯s back. ¡®It¡¯s finally starting.¡¯ She was expecting Raon to visit Ekan and challenge him for a spar because he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡®And he will lose.¡¯ Ekan¡¯s prowess was iparable to Garon. No matter how many miracles Raon was capable of creating, there was no way he could reach him. ¡®He needs to experience defeat.¡¯ She was the one who personally instructed the Heavenly de to annoy and make fun of the Light Wind. It was her n to teach Raon how scary the world was, since he tended to use violence to solve most of his problems, and create an opportunity for him to rise to Master level. ¡°Vice-division leader.¡± She could see Raon calling out to Ekan, standing in front of him. She was about to go down in order to be the referee for the spar that was about to happen when she heard somethingpletely unexpected. ¡°Arm wrestle with me.¡± ¡°Eek?¡± Sheryl¡¯s surprised voice resounded throughout the darkness. * * * Raon smiled faintly when he heard Sheryl¡¯s shout from behind him while watching Ekan¡¯s jaw drop in front of him. ¡®I won¡¯t let it happen as you nned.¡¯ Ekan was definitely stronger than him at the moment. Sheryl must¡¯ve been hoping that he would challenge Ekan to a fight just to be defeated, but there was no way he would choose a method that would make him lose, since he was already perfectly aware of their thoughts. ¡°Did you just say arm wrestling?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you again. You said arm wrestling, not spar, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s set conditions upon victory for each side and have an arm wrestling match without any aura.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m a Master. And I use swordsmanship focused on power.¡± ¡°I already know that.¡± ¡°Physical strength increases drastically upon bing a Master. It¡¯s impossible for an Expert to win against me even if I don''t use aura.¡± Ekan clenched his fist to flex his strength, and thick blood vessels became visible on his hand. ¡°Then I guess the vice-division leader has an advantage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just an advantage. It¡¯s obvious that I¡¯ll win!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do it.¡± Raon raised his hand, urging him topete. ¡°Hah, seriously?¡± Ekan eximed while looking at Raon¡¯s arm, which did look sturdy, but couldn¡¯t be called thick by any means. ¡°You are more likely to win against me in a sword fight than arm wrestling, but I still want to bet on this one.¡± ¡°Fine. Since you are so eager to lose, there¡¯s no reason for me to refuse.¡± He nodded. It looked like his pride was slightly hurt. ¡°Tell me your conditions.¡± ¡°If I win, the Heavenly de shall take care of all the chores that we¡¯ve been doing until the end of the mission.¡± ¡°What if you lose?¡± ¡°We will continue all the chores, and we will also carry all the bags that the Heavenly de have.¡± ¡°Hmm, the condition upon your defeat is a lot weaker than the other, but whatever. I¡¯m going to win anyway.¡± He easily epted the conditions, believing that there was no way he would lose. ¡°R-Raon!¡± ¡°Vice-squad leader!¡± Burren and Krein came running at him with shouts of horror. ¡°Sir Ekan uses a heavy sword and a powerful sword!¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s right! He doesn¡¯t lose to anyone when ites to strength!¡± They whispered at him in both ears and tried to advise him to cancel the match. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance in consideration for your teammates. You should withdraw now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in withdrawing.¡± Raon resolutely shook his head, then extended his arm. ¡°I heard you were confident in your strength, but I guess I need to teach you how vast the world is.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ekan grabbed his hand with a grin on his face. A tremendous amount of strength could be felt in Raon¡¯s hand, as his boulder-like arm muscles buffed up. ¡°What¡¯s up? Do you regret it now?¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon smiled, his eyespletely unwavering. ¡®You are the one who is about to feel regret.¡¯ His strength was already at Master level when he was at Habun Castle. He couldn¡¯t even tell how strong he was anymore. ¡®Was my strength stat 181?¡¯ Raon put strength into his hand with a cold smile. Chapter 203 Ekan slowly gathered his strength with a grin on his face. ¡®He¡¯s so confident. It¡¯s gotta be because he¡¯s so young. He¡¯s just a child at this point.¡¯ Raon just waged everything on the oue of apetition that even a three-year-old child would say was obvious. Just like Sheryl said, Raon was conceited. ¡®This method is a bit unexpected, but I¡¯ll teach him a proper lesson.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t gotten Sheryl¡¯s permission yet, but it should be fine. After all, he just needed to break Raon¡¯s spirits. ¡°Can I start?¡± Ekan jerked his chin, strengthening his grip. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± His grip was strong enough to make decent swordsmen scream, but Raon¡¯s casual expression hadn¡¯t changed at all. ¡®So, he¡¯s gotta be somewhat strong. I guess that¡¯s why he challenged me in arm-wrestling.¡¯ There were some swordsmen who were unexpectedly strong despite their skinny appearances. Ekan guessed that Raon was one of them and must¡¯ve possessed muscles optimized for battle. ¡®It¡¯s useless though.¡¯ Ekan smiled, then gestured at a Heavenly de swordsman next to him with his eyes. ¡°Are you both ready?¡± The Heavenly de swordsman asked while shaking Raon and Ekan¡¯s hands, which were sped. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡± As soon as it started, Ekan strengthened his arm fully. He was nning to just overwhelm him with power, without even trying to push Raon¡¯s arm onto the table. Rumble! The sh of power in their hands was making the boulder supporting their arms tremble violently. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Although he was using a significant amount of strength, Raon¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. His hand was also holding on without getting crushed. ¡®This is a bit strange.¡¯ He was already using over 70% of his full power. A pretty powerful swordsman should¡¯ve already freaked out and shook off his grip, yet Raon¡¯s face looked so rxed that he almost looked like he was drinking tea. ¡°Vice-division leader, you are trying right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Raon lowered his eyebrows slightly, asking him whether or not he was properly trying. ¡°Hah!¡± A vein popped on Ekan¡¯s forehead. ¡®I was going to go easy on him¡­¡¯ He gave up the thought of going easy on him because he liked his fighting spirit. That arrogance needed to be fixed for sure. ¡°Of course not! The real deal is only getting started!¡± Ekan strengthened his entire arm to push Raon back. Rumble! Even the ground connected to the boulder started to vibrate from the monstrous power. ¡®This is going to hurt!¡¯ He aimed to crush Raon by exploding all of the strength that his body could muster. However. ¡®Wh-What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Ekan¡¯s lips trembled. ¡®Why isn¡¯t he being pushed back?¡¯ Why was he not falling? Raon¡¯s arm didn¡¯t get pushed back¡ªinstead, it remainedpletely immobile, like a thousand-year-old tree. He looked like a huge wall¡ªno, an endless mountain standing in front of him. ¡°Argh!¡± He gritted his teeth and raised his head to look at Raon. ¡°Ah¡­¡± His hair stood on end when he met Raon¡¯s red eyes, which were as calm as ake in the middle of the night. Although he was using his full power, Raon¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon tilted his head, as if he found it strange. ¡°Let me ask you again. Are you sure you are trying right now?¡± ¡°You, how did you¡­?¡± Even his voice was calm. It was impossible. There was no way anyone could be so strong. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now. I¡¯m starting.¡± As soon as he said that, a tremendous amount of power struck him. He felt like a tidal wave that could reach the end of the sky in height had just pped him. ¡°Kuh!¡± It wasn¡¯t just his arm¡¯s strength. He unconsciously groaned from the powerful grip that was crushing his fingers. ¡°Uaah!¡± He bit his lips until they bled to strengthen his arm, but willpower wasn¡¯t enough to fight back against Raon¡¯s strength. ¡®T-Troll? No, even an ogre is weaker than this!¡¯ The monstrous strength that even monsters themselves couldn¡¯tpare to was making his shoulder fall apart. It was so strong that he almost unconsciously used his aura. ¡®No! I¡¯ll never do that!¡¯ Even if he lost, he couldn¡¯t win by cheating. He returned his surging aura back to his energy center. ¡°Uaaah!¡± Ekan screamed, mustering all his remaining strength. He wanted to win at all costs because of his position as the Heavenly de¡¯s vice-division leader and the way he looked down on Raon before thepetition. Boom! The boulder finally copsed from the tremendous strength between the two. Once the rising dust was cleared away, Ekan¡¯s hand could be seen, knocked to the ground. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± A small groan slipped from Ekan. The extreme pain felt like all his bones had shattered in his hand, but he couldn¡¯t even show it outside because of the embarrassment. He raised his head to look at Raon. He was dusting off his hand without even sweating in the slightest. ¡®M-Monster¡­¡¯ That was the only word he could think of. That single word was all that remained in his head. ¡°You are weaker than I thought.¡± Raon licked his lips. ¡°Those muscles.¡± He pointed at Ekan¡¯s buffed muscles on his right arm. ¡°Did you make them to show off?¡± ¡°Sh-Show off? Did you just call me and my perfectly trained muscles a showoff?¡± Ekan¡¯s chin was trembling. Calling people who trained to get stronger showoffs was the worst kind of insult. ¡°L-Left hand!¡± Ekan pulled back his shattered right hand, then extended his left hand. ¡°I¡¯m left-handed! We need a rematch with our left hands!¡± * * * * * * Instead of Ekan, who was gritting his teeth while extending his left hand, Raon looked at Sheryl, who was standing behind him. ¡®So, the Heavenly de leader isn¡¯tpletely expressionless.¡¯ Sheryl¡¯s narrow eyes looked almost as round as the full moon. ¡°How¡­?¡± She looked like she had lost half of her soul. She apparently didn¡¯t even consider the possibility of Ekan¡¯s loss. ¡°Gasp¡­¡± ¡°D-Did the vice-division leader lose just now? And in apetition of strength?¡± ¡°What is happening¡­?¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen¡¯s chins were trembling because of the unimaginable oue. It felt great to see them shut their mouths, since they had been nitpicking them all day long. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Vice-squad leader!¡± ¡°Shit! We are free from the chores!¡± On the other hand, the Light Wind swordsmen hugged each other and cheered for the victory that they didn¡¯t have much hope for. ¡°Let¡¯s do it again with the left hand! I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m left-handed!¡± Ekan red at the rejoicing Light Wind before extending his left hand. It looked like his pride was hurt because his muscles had been insulted. ¡°Why would I?¡± Raon tilted his head with a smile. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already the winner, so there¡¯s no need to continue.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you and the other Heavenly de members be deciding who will be in charge of the chores?¡± ¡°Bags!¡± Ekan pointed at the bags ced next to the tent. ¡°Just like you suggested, we will carry your bags if I lose again this time!¡± ¡°Ah, we don¡¯t need that. Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon snapped his fingers, and Dorian went to the tent while brimming with happiness. He juggled with the swordsmen¡¯s bags before putting them inside his belly pocket one by one, as if he were performing a show. ¡°You saw him. We don¡¯t need you to carry our bags, since we have the best quartermaster.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ekan¡¯s left arm trembled upon witnessing that scene. ¡°However.¡± Raon pointed at Ekan¡¯s sword around his waist. ¡°I¡¯ll do the rematch if you teach us the heavy sword and powerful sword every evening.¡± ¡°T-Teach?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t want a sloppy lesson, so if you promise to properly teach us the true meaning of the heavy sword and powerful sword, then I¡¯ll ept a match using our left hands.¡± ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine with that!¡± Ekan looked like he would even risk his life if it meant he could get a rematch. ¡°Then you will go back to doing the chores if I win, and you will apologize to the muscles that you insulted!¡± He seriously asked him to apologize to his muscles. The pride of a muscle lover was more impressive than he thought. ¡°Alright, I ept.¡± ¡°Good! Let¡¯s do it!¡± Ekan rested on his belly and extended his left arm. ¡°Are we doing it on the ground?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t properly use my strength just now because the boulder was tilted in my direction! Since my sleeve can¡¯t bother me anymore, it¡¯s going to be different this time!¡± Left-handed, tilted boulder, and even his fluttering sleeve. He really had a lot of excuses. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon smiled lightly and took Ekan¡¯s hand. What an idiot! Wrath frowned while looking at Ekan. Do you truly believe a muscled pig like you can defeat the King of Essence¡¯s elegant and stic power? He called Ekan pathetic while tapping on his head. ¡°S-Start the match!¡± ¡°Uryaaa!¡± As soon as it started, Ekan exploded all his power in his body to push Raon back. Apparently, he was really left-handed, since he was a lot stronger than thest time. ¡®It¡¯s pointless though.¡¯ Since Raon had the system, it didn¡¯t matter whether he was using his right or left hand. Both of his hands could use the 181 points of strength, and he could even use his King of Destruction title if he thought about destroying something. No matter how strong Ekan was, he couldn¡¯t force his arm down because he was just a human being. ¡°Since I¡¯m getting bored, I¡¯ll end this quickly.¡± ¡°What?¡± Despite the fact that Ekan¡¯s left hand was trembling from all the strength he put in, Raon easily put down his hand. am! Although he didn¡¯t use any aura to push it down, arge crater was created on the ground. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ekan¡¯s left hand was buried in the crater. ¡°Th-This is impossible!¡± He was drooling from his mouth. He was apparently too shocked from the consecutive defeats. ¡°How could he muster so much power from that thin arm? How could he be so strong when he has nothing but small muscles?¡± ¡°Unlike your fashion muscles, my muscles are the concentrated muscles meant for battle. They are also called the CMB.¡± ¡°F-Fashion muscle? My muscles are fashion muscles¡­¡± Because he already lost two times, he couldn¡¯t argue against the fashion musclesment and buried his head in the ground. ¡°D-Did he lose again?¡± ¡°¡­That wasn¡¯t even close.¡± ¡°It was too one-sided!¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen¡¯s eyes turned nk in despair as they sank to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Sheryl had also lost her usual cool expression. Her lips were trembling, and her face had turned pale. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s clean up.¡± Raon stood up and shook off the dirt on his clothes and hands. ¡°Managing the horses, dish washing, cooking, tent instation, etc. Those are the chores that the Light Wind has been doing that the Heavenly de are going to be in charge from now on, and we are going to get a swordsmanship lesson from the vice-division leader Ekan every evening. Correct?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± No one responded. Ekan, Sheryl, and the Heavenly de members alike¡ªthey were just standing there nkly, unable to recover from the shock. ¡°We are free from the chores!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°We can now take it easy!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show them how much I can nitpick.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen burst intoughter in anticipation of repaying all the nitpicking they had received. ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want to do this from the beginning!¡± Ekan stood up with an extreme frown on his face. He shook his dirty left arm towards Sheryl. ¡°I told you I was bad at picking on people like a kid!¡± He quickly signaled the dazing Heavenly de swordsmen with his eyes. ¡°Th-That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°It was so difficult to find fault in them because they were so good at everything.¡± ¡°It was hard to nitpick them as ordered.¡± They started sighing, saying that the Light Wind¡¯s camp preparation was perfect to the point that there was nothing to criticize. ¡°Did you just say you nitpicked us as ordered?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Martha and Burren tilted their heads. ¡°You must¡¯ve realized it, but our criticisms were unreasonable.¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to annoy you guys, we were just ordered to do so.¡± ¡°We wanted to do it in moderation, but you were too patient¡­¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen awkwardly scratched their heads. ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°Did the Heavenly de Division leader actually order you to do that?¡± Every Light Wind members¡¯ eyes were focused on the Heavenly de leader. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheryl sighed and nodded. She looked rather enervated. ¡°Yes. I ordered it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Since the Light Wind has been excellent in both missions and sparring, I wanted to take you down a peg or two so that you wouldn¡¯t be arrogant. However, it looks like I didn¡¯t need to worry about you, considering how you solved this issue. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She closed her eyes and sincerely apologized. ¡°We are sorry as well.¡± ¡°You did a good job. It was difficult to find fault in you.¡± ¡°Yes, we had to act more and more childish because of that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look like newbies at all. I¡¯m sure you will achieve great things.¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen also bowed in apology and showered them withpliments. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I did find it strange.¡± ¡°Everything was for our sake.¡± The Light Wind members nodded, tricked by Ekan and the Heavenly de¡¯s plot. ¡°Hmm, I understand if you did it for our sake.¡± Raon also smiled while looking at Sheryl and the Heavenly de. ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± ¡°Yes, you are as open-minded as you are strong.¡± ¡°As expected of the students of Sir Rimmer!¡± ¡°However.¡± When the Heavenly de swordsmen were about to brush it off, Raon raised his hand. ¡°Since the deal is a different story, you have to do your work.¡± The reason everyone started to apologize, from Ekan to the Heavenly de leader, was obvious. They wanted to get their leadership positions back without having to do all of the chores. ¡®Do you take me for an idiot?¡¯ They must¡¯ve hoped to share the chores equally by appealing to their hearts, but apologies and the bet were different stories. The chores were still theirs to do. ¡°You can see them, right?¡± Raon pointed at the dishes piled up behind him. ¡°You should wash those dishes first and fix the night watch order after that.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ekan and the Heavenly de members turned pale. They didn¡¯t expect him to remain so cold-hearted despite their apology. Hmph, what a bunch of idiots. Wrath raised his chin while looking at the Heavenly de. Did you really believe this guy would overlook it when he is like a venomous snake? He will bite you and won¡¯t release you until the very end. He was right. There was no way Raon would miss such a hard-earned opportunity to train. ¡°Since you promised, you shall do the chores.¡± Sheryl let out a small sigh, looking at the Heavenly de swordsmen. ¡°You will be in charge of the chores until the end of the mission. Start with the dish washing for now¡­¡± ¡°Why are you talking as if it¡¯s someone else¡¯s matter?¡± Raon tilted his head while looking at Sheryl. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Remember what happened when we started this bet. What did I say?¡± ¡°Wh-What do you mean?¡± ¡°I said, ¡®If I win, the ¡®Heavenly de¡¯ shall take care of all the chores that we¡¯ve been doing until the end of the mission.¡¯ And I meant the ¡®Heavenly de¡¯!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sheryl¡¯s face turned pale upon hearing that. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything when I suggested the bet earlier, so I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t going to deny it now, right? Since you are the Heavenly de Division leader!¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Her face turned red from her panic. A Grandmaster being unable to manage her expression was a refreshing sight to behold. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s crazy. Seriously¡­¡± ¡°Did you n all this from the beginning?¡± ¡°Is he really human?¡± The Light Wind and the Heavenly de swordsmen eximed at once at the sight of Raon dominating the situation. ¡°I-I just made a vow. I¡¯m never going to offend him ever again. I¡¯d rather die than make him my enemy.¡± ¡°You are slow. I already made that vow at Habun Castle.¡± Krein and Dorian shook their heads. Huh, are you even keeping her on a leash? You really are nasty! Even in Devildom, there¡¯s no one worse than you! Wrath was also shocked at seeing how Sheryl ended up. ¡°Well now, we don¡¯t have much time.¡± Raon pped his hands to gather everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°The Heavenly de Division leader and the members should go wash dishes, and please gather some firewood on the way back. The vice-division leader needs to teach us the heavy sword now, so let¡¯s move quickly.¡± Raon grinned as he looked at the speechless Heavenly de and Light Wind. ¡®Six people added to my list of doormats.¡¯ * * * Since the Heavenly de went to discuss the matter, Raon was sitting in front of the bonfire along with Light Wind members. ¡°A-Are you sure this is okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy about not having to work, but is it really alright to annoy the Heavenly de¡­?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m a bit afraid of the consequences.¡± Burren, Dorian, and Krein nervously licked their lips, looking at the Heavenly de behind them. ¡°Just think about the lessons.¡± ¡°Do you prefer getting pushed around like pushovers? Why are you so scared when you are wielding a sword?¡± Runaan looked happy in anticipation for the lesson, and Martha was smiling since she managed to vent her frustration. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They aren¡¯t the type of people to hold a grudge over something like this.¡± Judging from the Heavenly de¡¯s actions and speech so far, and their leader¡¯s personality, they weren¡¯t going to harm them just because of an incident like that. It was okay for them to stay rxed and enjoy themselves. ¡°Th-They wouldn¡¯t, right?¡± Dorian nodded and took out a snack from his belly pocket. ¡°Sigh, I feel like I caught some stomach disease recently.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Burren and Krein frowned, grasping their stomachs. ¡°But it does feel nice to not have to do the chores.¡± ¡°Night watch is the best part for me. I really hate having to wake up in the middle of sleeping.¡± ¡°As for me, I hated washing the dishes the most.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Now that you mentioned, the dish washing was the worst.¡± As Raon was listening to the Light Wind¡¯s chatter with a smile on his face, footsteps could be heard from behind him. Step. It sounded like someone wasing to teach them, but the small sound couldn¡¯t be Ekan¡¯s footsteps. Once the footsteps stopped in front of him, he raised his head. And the Heavenly de leader was standing there, her purple hair fluttering in the wind. ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge of the swordsmanship lesson instead of the vice-division leader Ekan.¡± She was gently looking down on the Light Wind members with her arms crossed. ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°Th-The Heavenly de leader is going to teach us?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Wh-Why?¡± The Light Wind members dropped their jaws while looking at the Heavenly de leader. ¡®It went ording to my n.¡¯ Raon chuckled while looking at her. He was hoping that would happen when he made her do the chores and bet the swordsmanship lesson in his wager with Ekan, and it went exactly as he expected. S-Stop your bullshit! You couldn¡¯t have possibly thought this far unless you are a god! Wrath stuttered. He apparently couldn¡¯t believe him. ¡®It¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon chuckled, looking at the Heavenly de leader, who was slightly blushing. ¡®Because I figured even a Grandmaster would hate to wash dishes.¡¯ Chapter 204 ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡± The Heavenly de leader looked around at Raon and the Light Wind members coldly. ¡°I-I don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t!¡± Burren and Martha shouted at the same time. They were both steaming from their noses from excitement at the thought of learning swordsmanship from a Grandmaster. ¡°Me, neither!¡± It was a rare sight that even Runaan clenched her fist while sticking her head out. ¡°How about you?¡± Sheryl looked at Raon, who didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I¡¯m also fine with it.¡± Raon nodded his head with a small smile on his face. Since the Heavenly de leader had mastered all sorts of different principles of swordsmanship as a warrior, learning from her was a huge opportunity. ¡°Although the bet only involved the heavy sword and powerful sword, I¡¯ll also exin other swordsmanships until we reach House Yonaan, as a token of apology for misjudging you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± Raon and every member of Light Wind bowed to her. ¡°We will start with the heavy sword today.¡± Sheryl immediately started the lesson without any further dy or useless chatter. ¡°Heavy sword¡¯s basics involve cing your body¡¯s weight on your sword and aura. Even the basic moves¡ªsuch as vertical shes, horizontal shes, and stabs¡ªcan be a lot more powerful by including your weight. Mixing in the principles of the powerful sword on top of that will double their power. However, focusing on strength and power means that speed will suffer. That is why you should be careful when you mix the principles of different swordsmanships¡­¡± She taught them about the basics of the heavy sword and the principles of swordsmanship with a in voice. Her simple and precise exnation was very easy to understand. ¡°What do you think will happen if you keep practicing the heavy sword?¡± Sheryl picked up the small dagger that she had ced on the ground. ¡°It will be too heavy for the opponent to face.¡± ¡°It will be strong enough to defeat any opponent in a single strike!¡± ¡°That only happens when you are fighting against weaker opponents. Let¡¯s assume that you practiced a heavy sword, and your opponent uses a quick sword at the same level as you.¡± Sheryl shook her head at Dorian and Krein¡¯s answers. ¡°How can a slow, heavy sword catch up to a swordsman who moves as fast as the wind?¡± ¡°Hmm, I think it would be difficult¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hit your opponent.¡± ¡°Your footwork will be slower as well.¡± ¡°You have to endure until you can get one powerful strike in.¡± The swordsmen tilted their heads, saying that it would be a disadvantageous fight. ¡°That¡¯s what normally happens. However, it¡¯s a different story once you be strong enough. A heavy swordsman doesn¡¯t lose at all to a quick swordsman.¡± The gray energy emerging from Sheryl¡¯s body engulfed the dagger¡¯s de. Rumble! The moment the gray aura was imbued in the dagger, a tremendous amount of pressure weighed down on the entire space. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen fell to their knees, unable to endure the pressure. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon frowned. He felt like two huge pirs were crushing his shoulders. ¡®So, this is the heavy sword demonstrated by a Grandmaster¡­¡¯ Although she wasn¡¯t using astral energy, the heaviness and space domination were on a different dimension from Garon¡¯s sword. It was so heavy that it was difficult to stay up, even with his physical abilities. ¡°This is the mid-level heavy sword. It doesn¡¯t simply incorporate heaviness on the de¡ªit can weigh down the space itself.¡± Sheryl slowly raised her dagger and the pressure decreased, which allowed them to raise themselves back up. ¡°Then, what do you think you need to do in order to incorporate the de and the space itself with heaviness?¡± ¡°H-How about filling the de with aura¡­¡± ¡°No, you should use the aura you spread around you¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen told their opinions, but Sheryl didn¡¯t nod to their answers. ¡°The mental image.¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted after he gave it enough thought. ¡°You have to create a mental image of incorporating heaviness to your de.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Sheryl gave him a small nod, then lowered her dagger once again. Wham! The pressure crushing their bodies was at least twice as strong as before. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Krein and Dorian were the first ones to start screaming, and Burren, Martha, and Runaan also fell to the ground while groaning. ¡°Ugh!¡± Raon was the only one still standing. ¡°What I incorporated into my de earlier was a log, and the one just now was a boulder. Can you tell the difference?¡± ¡°Th-They are both goddamn heavy¡­¡± Martha responded while grinding her teeth. ¡°You might get that impression, but didn¡¯t you feel that the earlier one weighed down on one part of your body, while this one is pressing on your entire body?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon nodded. Just as Sheryl said, while the earlier one only pressed down on his shoulders, the current one was crushing his whole body. ¡°You don¡¯t achieve a heavy sword just by thinking about incorporating heaviness into your de. You need to be immersed in the form to a point where you can use your sword while sleeping and figure out what you want to achieve with that swordsmanship.¡± Sheryl raised her dagger once again. ¡°The more details your mental image has, the stronger the effect will be. If you want to advance further and higher, then you should allocate time each day to practice drawing mental images.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Every member of the Light Wind responded loud and clear, since it was a priceless lesson. ¡°We will stop here for today.¡± She put down the dagger and returned to her tent. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so easy to understand when she beats it into my body.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty difficult, but I think I get what she means.¡± ¡°I know, right? A Grandmaster¡¯s teaching is different, after all.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen were all smiling, impressed by Sheryl¡¯s lesson. ¡®This confirms that mental image is the important part.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes were shining as he looked at the dagger Sheryl left behind. Wrath, Glenn, Rimmer, and Sheryl. Every single powerhouse ced great importance on the mental image. He could guess that the might umted with mental image became the decisive factor in battles the stronger they got. The King of Essence already told you that you just need to practice your mental image, and the rest will follow. ¡®You are right.¡¯ The fact that the king of doormats Wrath kept repeating the same thing made him decide to allocate more time into mental image training in the future. Hmm? My nose is tickling. ¡®Nose?¡¯ You bastard, you must¡¯ve been thinking some rude things about the King of Essence. ¡®You are just imagining things.¡¯ Raon smiled awkwardly. * * * ¡°Half of you can remove the tents, and the other half can take care of the cooking. You should decide who does what.¡± As soon as Raon woke up at daybreak, he woke up the Heavenly de and made them work. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t a dream.¡± ¡°What a state we are in! It¡¯s all because of the vice-division leader.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t have possibly known that he was such a monster!¡± Ekan and the Heavenly de members realized that what happened the day before wasn¡¯t a dream and started moving to do their jobs. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl joined the tent removal team. She apparently wasn¡¯t confident in cooking. ¡°Sh-Shouldn¡¯t we be helping them as well?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Raon stopped the Light Wind members, who were about to act up. ¡°You are going to train while the Heavenly de does the chores.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Are you telling us to train right now?¡± ¡°And right here?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yes. You should start training, since the Heavenly de members sacrificed themselves to give us time. You are the weakest ones in this group, after all.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t argue against that¡­¡± Krein and Dorian frowned while scratching their necks. Raon closed his eyes after confirming that the Light Wind members warmed themselves up and started their respective training. ¡®Heaviness¡­¡¯ He thought about the heavy sword Sheryl had shown him the day before. He wanted to master that sword, the one that was capable of crushing the body and even the soul. ¡®I think I¡¯m going to need a different mental image for that.¡¯ Raon was walking up the stairs to be stronger, step by step, during the short time where people were preparing food and removing the tents. ¡°Hah!¡± Ekan eximed once he saw the Light Wind¡¯s training. ¡°Did he seriously order them to train right now? Is he really seventeen years old?¡± He thought Raon wouldugh at them or start picking on them, but he ordered the swordsmen to train instead. He was an unexpectable guy. ¡°Division leader, they are training right now instead of ying around in their free time. It looks like we really did something unnecessary.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Sheryl scowled while looking at Raon¡¯s meditation. ¡®I really did something pointless.¡¯ She really liked that Raon made them train instead of wasting the time they got from the Heavenly de doing the chores. ¡°But please don¡¯t tell me we are really going to continue doing the chores until the end of the mission.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we will. Since they are smart kids, they will stop at some point.¡± Sheryl said, and the Heavenly de swordsmen¡ªincluding Ekan¡ªnodded in agreement. It was only natural that, no matter how crazy Raon was, he would split the work half-and-half at some point. However. ¡°We are going to rest here for today. The Heavenly de will scout, cook, and install the tents now.¡± Raon kept making the Heavenly de do all of the chores for four days straight, which was one day longer than the duration the Heavenly de harassed the Light Wind. ¡°Ah, please gather lots of firewood as well, since the temperature gets pretty low at daybreak. We also need some clubs to use for our training.¡± He ordered the Heavenly de around like servants without any hesitation at all. ¡°Please put in a lot of meat today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Yesterday¡¯s food was delicious, but it didn¡¯t have enough meat.¡± ¡°The amount of meat is the most important part of a stew.¡± The Light Wind members that felt sorry for them in the beginning were now tantly making various requests. ¡°I want it cool.¡± ¡°C-Cool¡­¡± Ekan bit his lip while looking at Runaan. The girl from House Sullion was really making it difficult for him by asking for a cool meal every single time. ¡°You should start training now.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As soon as Raon gave the order, the Light Wind members spread around to start doing the training they needed. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ekan groaned. Since the Light Wind members were training instead of ying around, he couldn¡¯t even criticize them. It was literally a checkmate, with no way to escape. ¡°Vice-division leader¡­¡± ¡°Do we really have to continue this?¡± ¡°Give up already. It can¡¯t be helped anymore.¡± Ekan shook his head. He looked like he wanted to apologize for causing it all. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a big treat once we retur¡­¡± ¡°Vice-division leader, there wasn¡¯t enough food for the horses. Go gather some dry grass.¡± Raon pointed at the horses that were tied to the nearby trees. ¡°Huh? But there are the grasses we brought.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t like them because they got stale.¡± ¡°B-But it¡¯s difficult to find dry grass right now because it rained yesterday¡­¡± ¡°The grass shouldn¡¯t have gotten wet deep inside the forest.¡± The smile he showed before returning was telling him that he should figure it out himself. ¡®H-He¡¯s a demon¡­¡¯ Ekan ttered his teeth. It was true that they started it first, but he couldn¡¯t believe that Raon was making them work so much in return. ¡°D-Division leader!¡± He looked at Sheryl, but she quickly turned her head away, pretending she wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°Kuh! We¡¯re screwed!¡± Ekan mmed the ground with his hands, which had turned ck from starting the fire. ¡°We picked on the wrong opponent!¡± * * * * * * Raon¡¯s journey couldn¡¯t be any morefortable until he reached Dembell City, where House Yonaan was located. Since it was a warm region, the buildings were located at elevated ces in order to avoid the geothermal heat and harmful insects. ¡°The division leader should take back the lead from here on out.¡± Raon stepped back with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Does that mean that the condition is now ove¡­¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Sheryl showed her anticipation, but Raon simply shook his head. ¡°Just as promised, you will continue doing the chores until we return to the house after the mission.¡± There was no way he would release the doormats that kept the night watch for them, cooked for them, and even gave them lessons. He was nning to thoroughly use them until the end. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a real demon¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m never going on a mission with the Light Wind ever again.¡± Ekan and the Heavenly de shook their heads, saying that they never wanted to get involved with Raon ever again. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheryl sighed, then headed to the house that House Yonaan was located in, which was in the central area of Dembell City. She apparently had been there before, since she quickly managed to find the way. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s really big!¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised that this is a house of crafters.¡± In fact, they didn¡¯t even need to find the way, since House Yonaan was upying enoughnd to be a quarter of Dembell City. ¡®This is pretty much a castle.¡¯ The walls were as high as castle walls, and it was impossible to see inside, as if the entire house were wrapped in a ck cloth. It looked like it was an artifact¡¯s effect. ¡°What is your identity and business?¡± The guards standing in front of the main entrance grasped their spears while cautiously looking at them. ¡°We came from Zieghart.¡± Sheryl stepped forward and showed them the te with Zieghart¡¯s symbol. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Z-Zieghart!¡± The guards hurriedly bowed and stepped aside upon confirming the te, and the gate opened right after. They could apparently tell what was happening from the inside. Scree! The huge iron gate opened up and they could see the interior. The way workshops with different shapes were lined up on both sides was befitting their reputation as a house of artifact artisans. ¡°Wee.¡± A middle-aged man wearing a suit walked up to them through the opened gate and bowed. ¡°My name is Arun, the general administrator of Yonaan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sheryl from the Heavenly de Division.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well acquainted with the Heavenly de leader¡¯s widespread name. I¡¯m honored to meet you.¡± Befitting his title of general administrator of a prestigious family, he politely greeted them without panicking upon hearing Sheryl¡¯s name. ¡°Please, follow me. The head of house is waiting for you.¡± He extended his hand to point in front of them. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Everyone followed Arun into the ten-story building located at the center of House Yonaan. The magical device inside the building allowed them to reach the tenth floor without walking up the stairs. ¡®That door¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes upon seeing the only door on the tenth floor. The door looked like it was made of iron, wood, or paper at the same time. ¡®It must be an artifact as well.¡¯ He could guess that those who were allowed to enter could open the door as if it were a piece of paper, while it would turn to sturdy steel against those who didn¡¯t have permission. ¡°Please, enter.¡± Arun pointed ahead of him, and the two doors opened up automatically. The delicate light spread out to reveal the interior, giving the impression that the room had just been illuminated. Countless artifacts with unknown functions were lying all around the ce, to the point where there was no gap to set foot in, and a middle-aged woman was sitting on the sofa in the middle with her red hair flowing over her left shoulder. Her masculine appearance underlined her cool beauty. ¡®Michelle Yonaan.¡¯ That middle-aged woman was the head of House Yonaan, and the great artisan, who was regarded as one of the top three artifact crafters. ¡°Greeting the head of house.¡± Sheryl was the first one to bow. She was showing courtesy to the head of another house. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Heavenly de Division leader.¡± Michelle Yonaan returned the greeting with a smile. ¡°Please,e this way.¡± Sheryl skillfully avoided stepping on the artifacts covering the ground, then sat on the sofa on the other side of Michelle. ¡°Thank you foring all the way here.¡± ¡°It is simply our duty.¡± Sheryl responded, looking at the tablet Michelle was holding in her hand. Glenn¡¯s name was written on the tablet with a red sword symbol. That must¡¯ve been the debt Glenn was supposed to have left behind. ¡°How has Vice-Division Leader Ekan been doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you. You¡¯ve be even more beautiful and younger.¡± Despite his muscles, Ekan casually said that embarrassing line. ¡°Huhu, that¡¯s not true. And is he¡­¡± Michelle waved her hand before looking at Raon. ¡°I¡¯m Raon, the vice-leader of the Light Wind squad. I¡¯m pleased to meet the master of Yonaan.¡± Raon bowed politely. ¡°Ah! You are the one who defeated the seventh apostle!¡± Michelle¡¯s eyes widened. The rumor about the seventh apostle¡¯s defeat had apparently spread all the way to Yonaan. ¡°I was just lucky.¡± ¡°You are really handsome.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted in surprise at his appearance beingplimented instead of his might. ¡°I heard that you were amazingly powerful, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so handsome. You are different from any jewel.¡± She eximed while watching Raon¡¯s face from different angles. Her eyes looked like she was admiring a piece of art, rather than looking at a person¡¯s face. ¡°Dear head of house, let¡¯s talk about the work, since we don¡¯t have much time.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s an upational habit.¡± Sheryl reproached, and Michelle apologized while tapping on her cheek. ¡°I have a daughter named Encia.¡± Michelle slowly opened her mouth while pushing Glenn¡¯s tablet to the center of the table. ¡°She has a bright and energetic personality because she was loved by everyone as the youngest daughter, and she was also extremely talented at artifact crafting. She was pretty much my greatest masterpiece, since I even considered passing my position onto her.¡± She honestly revealed the circumstances around her sessor despite facing people from Zieghart, who were outsiders. ¡°However, a problem started to ur in her body in the middle ofst year.¡± ¡°What would that problem be¡­?¡± ¡°At first, she said that one of her knuckles hurt, as if a hot needle were pricking it. I thought she must¡¯ve gotten a splinter in her finger, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Since the healer and doctor both said there were no problems, I thought it was just a temporary issue. However.¡± Michelle bit her lip. ¡°One monthter, it was her finger that hurt, and another monthter, it was her entire hand.¡± ¡°Did it transfer from a knuckle from the entire hand?¡± ¡°Yes. And the pain became more and more intense, and she felt like she was being stabbed by a heated de instead of a needle.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Since the Heavenly de and the Light Wind were all aware of how intense that pain was, everyone frowned. ¡°You can guess what happened afterward, but it kept getting worse. From the hand to the wrist, forearm, arm, left hand, and right leg. More than half of her body is currently in pain right now.¡± Michelle¡¯s face turned ck from the terror. Her hand was trembling as if she was telling them that she wanted to suffer instead of her child. ¡°Even the famous priests and doctors haven¡¯t managed to figure out how to heal her, let alone determine the cause. She¡¯s even refusing treatment and just wants to die now because her seizures are happening more and more often, and her pain is getting worse.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. If she really was feeling a stabbing pain in more than half of her body, then that must be worse than death itself. ¡®And it would be difficult to examine her.¡¯ It was understandable that she would refuse treatment, since the pain would be worse if somebody else touched her during it. ¡®But this feels familiar for some reason¡­¡¯ A stabbing pain going from needle to de, and the affected part spreading to the entire body was bothering him. ¡°That¡¯s why we decided to anchor our hope on the Ragged Saint. However¡­¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t contact him.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Michelle nodded, grasping her heart. ¡®Naturally.¡¯ The patients in front of his eyes were the highest priority for the Ragged Saint Federick. He wouldn¡¯t go to House Yonaan to save Michelle¡¯s daughter unless all of the patients in his region disappeared. ¡°That¡¯s why I decided to use this tablet. I want you to bring my daughter to the Ragged Saint to save her.¡± ¡°Alright. We ept the mission.¡± Sheryl nodded after looking at the tablet that had Glenn¡¯s name engraved on it. ¡°Shall we leave immediately, then¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this, but can you leave in a few days?¡± ¡°Is there a reason for it?¡± ¡°I got the news that the healer Temas is currently in a vige nearby, so I¡¯d like you to leave after he examines her.¡± ¡°Temas¡­¡± Raon clenched his fist behind his back. ¡®It¡¯s been a long time since thest time I heard his dirty name.¡¯ Temas was a healer from House Robert, famous throughout the continent for his skill¡ªand one of Derus¡¯s confidants, who were aware of his dark side. ¡°I think Encia will most likely refuse treatment from Sir Temas, but I¡¯m going to force her if I need to.¡± Michelle¡¯s face waspletely dry. Herplexion didn¡¯t look good at all, between the worries for her daughter and anxiety for the treatment. ¡®This smells fishy.¡¯ Robert had always liked using the method of creating a debt or killing the head of apetent house to subjugate them. Moreover, he wouldn¡¯t send out Temas for no reason, since he was an important vassal for him. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Raon raised his hand for the first time. ¡°Can I meet your daughter?¡± ¡°Do you want to meet Encia?¡± ¡°Yes. I think we need to check the current condition and problem in order to make appropriate preparations for when we move out.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. I think we need to see her to devise a n.¡± Sheryl also nodded in agreement. ¡°Hmm¡­ She¡¯s really sensitive right now because she¡¯s been sick for over a year. Recently, she even refuses to allow anyone to feel her pulse or check her condition¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. We just want to see her.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon asked again, and Michelle sighed in resignation and stood up. ¡°You might be alright.¡± She said something strange while looking at Raon¡¯s face. * * * Raon followed Michelle to the deepest room on the ninth floor. They opened the pink door and entered, and they could see a young woman lying on arge bed. Just like Michelle, she was a beautiful woman, but her dry lips and pale skin were evidence of her bad condition. Moreover, her left hand, which was sticking out of the nket, was swollen and red, like heated ss. ¡®She¡¯s in serious condition.¡¯ Raon frowned. If she was in that condition without any external injuries, she must¡¯ve been going through a pain that no ordinary person would have been able to endure. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl seemed to also have realized that fact, since she didn¡¯t look so good. ¡°There¡¯s not enough energy inside her. We need to be careful when we move.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve prepared the carriage. It¡¯s excellent at absorbing shock, so that she wouldn¡¯t be affected during¡­¡± While they were talking about the carriage, Raon walked towards Encia. ¡®If Derus is behind this¡­¡¯ As Raon gathered his aura slightly in order to examine her¡­ ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Encia opened her eyes, letting out a small groan. Her orange eyes looked around at the people inside the room before stopping on Raon. ¡°E-Encia! Don¡¯t be surprised! They are¡ª!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± While Michelle was approaching her in surprise, something no one could¡¯ve imagined came from Encia¡¯s lips. ¡°He¡¯s so freaking handsome¡­¡± Chapter 205 On the central road of Dembell City, leading to house Yonaan, a middle-aged man in white clothes that was holding a cane was walking up the road with a young man carrying a sword around his waist. Although they were talking between them, their voices and footsteps couldn¡¯t be heard at all. ¡°They¡¯ve finally contacted us.¡± The young man smiled while looking at the long wall of House Yonaan. ¡°I would¡¯ve lost my patience and burned all of that trash if they took any longer.¡± Despite his gentle appearance, the old man brushed dust off his hand while saying scary things. ¡°You saw how those worms that don¡¯t even know their ces kept visiting me when they are better off dead. I would¡¯ve poisoned the well or something if it weren¡¯t for his order.¡± The young man was also saying nasty things with his soft mouth. ¡°Why not? We can do that after the mission. You know my hobby.¡± ¡°Of course, I do. It¡¯s to nt an even more painful disease in patients that you¡¯ve personally saved.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only continuing this job because of that.¡± The old man smiled while lifting his sleeve. ¡°Our job should go well, right? It would be troublesome if they suddenly decided to visit Federick.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we shall feed them.¡± ¡°Feed them?¡± The young man tilted his head in confusion. ¡°No one has managed to improve Encia Yonaan¡¯s condition so far. And of course, they wouldn¡¯t, since it¡¯s neither a disease nor a curse.¡± ¡°Indeed. We are the only ones who know its existence.¡± ¡°What do you think will happen if we visit them and relieve her pain when they are about to visit that madman Federick as ast resort?¡± ¡°They will go crazy. They will offer everything they have in order to save her¡ªby any means necessary!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. They will abandon their n of visiting Federick and will offer everything to us.¡± The old man nodded. An evil energy was glowing on top of his slightly raised lips. ¡°We just need to take Yonaan¡¯s money and artifacts while pretending to treat that young woman and nt some moles. It¡¯s not that hard.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s why you said we will feed them!¡± ¡°Yes. We will slowly tame them, just like feeding a dog. Don¡¯t forget about constantly giving them hope.¡± It was such a nasty story, but he said it casually, with a gentle smile. ¡°We can¡¯t let the treatment end. Just one year. In a single year, half of Yonaan will have be ours. And getting the rest afterwards will be a piece of cake.¡± ¡°On top of mastering medicine and sorcery, you are even excellent at scheming! You have my highest respect, master!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be your job in the future, so make sure to learn it properly.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± By the time they finished their conversation, they had reached the entrance of House Yonaan. ¡°Hmm.¡± The old man erased the energy barrier blocking the sound, then walked up to the guard with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m the healer Temas, who came to examine Lady Encia¡¯s condition.¡± * * * Raon was dumbfounded as he stared at Encia. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her? Did she just say I¡¯m handsome out of nowhere?¡¯ He could confidently say that he was capable of analyzing most people¡¯s psyches, but he couldn¡¯t read the thoughts of the woman who woke up just then. ¡°You are so damn perfect.¡± Encia¡¯s lips parted as she stared at Raon with half unfocused eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-What is going on¡­?¡± ¡°Raon is indeed handsome, but¡­¡± ¡°Wh-What?¡± Sheryl and the other swordsmen also dropped their jaws at the unexpected situation. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Michelle gasped and lowered her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. But can you exin to me a little¡­?¡± Raon scratched his cheek. He was aware that his appearance wasn¡¯t too bad, but he was flustered because it was his first time someone other than Sylvia and Helen had called him handsome while t out staring at him. ¡°Do you know about the eye for beauty?¡± Michelle turned around, leaving Encia¡ªwho couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of Raon¡ªbehind. ¡°Eye for beauty?¡± ¡°It means discernment in finding beautiful things. Because House Yonaan has been a house of artists and artisans for generations, our members are born with better eye for beauty than other people.¡± She pointed at the jewels decorating different parts of the room. Although the jewels were only refined, without any further processing, they were still shining beautifully. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why all of Encia¡¯s artifacts were extremely popr. On the other hand, she sometimes just stares at jewels without sleeping or eating for days, all because her eye for beauty is too potent.¡± Apparently, Michelle wasn¡¯t just boasting when she mentioned Encia¡¯s amazing abilities earlier. ¡°Which means, right now¡­¡± ¡°She is seeing you as a jewel. Moreover, she thinks that you are a perfect jewel that has already been refined by an artisa...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just thinking it. He is a jewel!¡± Encia interrupted before Michelle could even finish her sentence. ¡°It¡¯s crazy¡­ The hair color, the gaze, the sharp nose. How are you so perfect in every way?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s face kept reddening as she spoke. ¡®This is difficult.¡¯ He would¡¯ve rather fought the seventh apostle again. He felt ufortable hearing herplimenting his appearance. A great eye for beauty? Wrath popped out of the bracelet and raised his chin. Give me your body for a moment. ¡®What¡¯s up with you now?¡¯ The King of Essence wants to try showing that human my own face. She will definitely faint, unable to face the absolute beauty of it. Then, she will follow the King of Essence for the rest of her life¡­ ¡®Ah, I see.¡¯ Raon ignored him, since his bragging was bound to be endless. Hey! Listen! I¡¯m telling you to listen! Wrath swayed his arms, and Raon forced him away before looking at Encia. ¡°You are the best. You are so freaking perfect¡­ Ack!¡± She was staring at Raon as if she were bewitched by his beauty, but she suddenly screamed and frowned. ¡°Who are those people?¡± Encia turned her head, her eyes calming a little. That question should¡¯ve been the first thing she said, but she was only asking it now. It must¡¯ve been true that she sometimes stared at jewels all day long. ¡°They are the people from Zieghart who came to escort you to Retran.¡± Michelle opened her mouth before Raon could speak. ¡°Zieghart¡­¡± Encia¡¯s blue eyes sparkled as she looked at Raon and no one else. ¡°I know that the treatment makes you suffer, but let¡¯s try twost times. Mom won¡¯t ask you anymore after that.¡± Michelle met Encia¡¯s eyes with her hands gathered together. ¡°Does that mean that he is going to escort me?¡± Encia raised her hand with difficulty and pointed at Raon. ¡°Yes. You will go with him and the other Zieghart swordsmen.¡± Michelle nodded, pointing at the swordsmen behind her. ¡°Ah! They are also¡­¡± Encia¡¯s eyes sparkled upon seeing Sheryl, Burren, Runaan, and Martha. The eye for beauty apparently appreciated people with excellent appearance regardless of gender. However, her eyes fixated on Raon once again after she examined everyone. ¡°What is your name, Sir Swordsman?¡± ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Raon, your name is also awesome¡­¡± Encia murmured Raon¡¯s name with bewitched eyes. ¡°Is Sir Raon also going to Retran with me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going. I¡¯ll get treated over there!¡± Unlike what Michelle said before, Encia immediately shouted that she would go without refusing the treatment. ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes. But I need him toe with me!¡± Encia raised her hand with difficulty and pointed at Raon. ¡®I guess this is better than refusing.¡¯ Raon sighed slightly. He was embarrassed, but he figured it would be easier to approach her with her liking him so much. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s so sad to be ugly.¡± ¡°I know, right? I suddenly want to kill myself.¡± ¡°Is the river water warm nowadays?¡± The swordsmen behind them sighed as they smoothed their hands down their faces. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I keep staring at you. I¡¯m getting ideas from watching Sir Raon¡­¡± Encia¡¯s red swollen right hand was trembling. ¡°Ideas?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t enter the workshop nor work for over a year after I became like this. I gave up on everything and was just waiting for my death, but I got the urge to create a perfect and more beautiful masterpiece from watching Sir Raon¡¯s face.¡± She said she couldn¡¯t stay still because she kept getting ideas for what she wanted to make. ¡°I see.¡± As expected, she wasn¡¯t seeing him as a man. She was appreciating him as a piece of art. Though, that made him even more embarrassed. ¡°It went easier than I thought.¡± Sherylughed bitterly while looking at Raon and Encia. ¡°I agree. I somewhat expected this to happen, but I didn¡¯t think she would like him so much.¡± Michelle also smiled dly, watching Encia regain her hope. ¡°Encia, won¡¯t you receive just one more treatment before leaving to meet the Ragged Saint?¡± ¡°Sir Temas?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s also a famous doctor. Since I¡¯ve already asked him, he shall be here soon.¡± ¡°But I want to leave right away¡­¡± Encia shook her head, just staring at Raon. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon frowned slightly. ¡®The timing for Temas¡¯s appearance is just too perfect.¡¯ Since Temas was one of Derus Robert¡¯s confidants, he never moved around without reason. There was definitely another reason behind his appearance. ¡°Lady Encia.¡± Raon approached Encia. ¡°Yes? Yes!¡± ¡°Can I try feeling your pulse?¡± ¡°P-Pulse? Of course, you can!¡± Encia immediately extended her arm, as if there were no issues with it whatsoever. ¡°Do you even know anything about medicine?¡± Sheryl came up to him and narrowed her eyes. ¡°A little.¡± ¡°From whom?¡± ¡°I heard the theory from Sir Federick when I was small, and I learnedter from the squad leader when I was a trainee.¡± ¡°Federick is understandable, but Rimmer? Are you telling me that the slob actually taught you medicine?¡± ¡°Yes, it just happened.¡± ¡°I guess he really treasures you.¡± Sheryl withdrew with a frown once Raon said Rimmer taught him. ¡®Amazing Rimmer Pass!¡¯ He just said it because he witnessed Rimmer quickly stabilizing injured people¡¯s conditions, but it worked. Using the Rimmer Pass was always the correct answer. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Raon gently held Encia¡¯s wrist as she extended her entire arm. Her skin was so hot that it was unbelievable that it belonged to a human being. ¡°Ack.¡± Although he held her gently, as if he were grabbing a fragile piece of cloth, Encia still groaned, her shoulders trembling. She was apparently feeling extreme pain just from being touched by someone else. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Despite the situation, Encia didn¡¯t take her eyes off from Raon¡¯s face, her cheeks turning red. ¡°Your face is so crazy.¡± Judging from her admiring tone of voice, she would never turn her head away even if she died. Whir. Raon sliced with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura as thinly as possible. He flew the aura into Encia¡¯s mana circuit while trying to avoid affecting her as much as possible. ¡°Ack¡­¡± Although he was controlling the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation as slowly as possible, Encia still seemed to feel pain since she closed her eyes and bit her lips. ¡®I need to finish this as quickly as possible.¡¯ Raon frowned, examining Encia¡¯s condition. ¡®It¡¯s serious.¡¯ Her mana circuit was narrower than a hair, and her energy center seemed to have already melted down. Her condition was the worst, to the point where it was difficult to understand how she had managed to survive. He could understand why she wanted to give up on her life. ¡®Narrowed mana circuit and a continuous pain of getting stabbed by a de. Everything¡¯s simr.¡¯ After examining Encia¡¯s overall body, he focused on her upper body. Her body temperature was even higher, and the mana circuit was so narrow that the passage was almost nonexistent. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Her trembling intensified. He needed to control his aura more quickly and precisely. He focused as much as possible as he controlled his aura in a way that kept him from touching her mana circuit at all, examining her head. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s different.¡¯ Derus Robert researched how to nt sorcery or a bug around a human brain. He thought that would¡¯ve been what he did again this time, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything there. ¡®Maybe I was oversensitive¡­¡¯ Since that cursed project, the Hell Worm, was already scrapped. Hell Worm was a project to research a worm that could causesting pain to a human, but it was scrapped because the worm took away the host¡¯s life in an instant instead of giving continuous pain. ¡®But just in case.¡¯ Raon recovered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and inserted cier¡¯s coldness inside her. The high purity coldness started to cool down Encia¡¯s heated mana circuit. ¡°Ack!¡± Encia groaned even more loudly. She was also feeling pain from the coldness. Raon bit his lips as he felt her trembling wrist, then went up to her upper body once again. The moment coldness passed through the neck and was going to the head, an extremely tiny movement was detected from her brain. ¡®It¡¯s him!¡¯ Raon clenched his fist. He could feel a movement inside Encia¡¯s head, even smaller than a millet grain. Judging from the intense heat, it must¡¯ve been the bug that was once named Hell Worm. ¡®Did the research end up seeding?¡¯ As soon as the worm showed itself, the heat spreading throughout her body intensified. That was the reason behind Encia¡¯s current condition. ¡®Seriously, those crazy bastards!¡¯ He ground his teeth. Derus and Temas gave up on being humans, and even nted a worm inside a human brain like madmen. The outrage almost made him lose control of his aura¡¯s flow for a moment. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Eliminating it right away would be the best oue. When he was calmly trying to enter even deeper¡ª ¡°Kyaah!¡± Encia screamed, unable to endure the pain anymore. The Hell Worm stimted her to give her more extreme pain the moment Raon¡¯s coldness tried to attack it. ¡®Where did it go¡­?¡¯ And at the same time, its presence had disappeared. It looked like it hid away from the coldness, but it was an instinctive movement rather than mechanical. It seemed to have an ego, unlike the rage worm. ¡®It¡¯s dangerous.¡¯ Encia¡¯s condition was too bad for him to force his way in to find and remove it. She would end up dying from the pain. ¡®The Saint should be able to improve her condition.¡¯ Since he could even affect his own body, which had the Curse of Frost, the medicine and acupuncture of the Ragged Saint Federick should be able to recover Encia¡¯s condition. ¡®We still need to go, I guess.¡¯ Raon nodded, then released Encia¡¯s wrist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making it painful.¡± ¡°No, I-I feel a lot better now.¡± Encia¡¯s lips were trembling as she fidgeted. ¡°The pain has subsided a lot!¡± Just like she said, the heat from her swollen arm and leg had decreased slightly. ¡°R-Really?¡± Michelle gasped,ing up to her to grab her hand. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m better now.¡± ¡°Encia¡­¡± Tears welled up in Michelle¡¯s eyes as she admitted that it had been a long time since thest time she held her daughter¡¯s hands. ¡®It¡¯s hiding.¡¯ Encia¡¯s condition must¡¯ve gotten better because the Hell Worm was hiding away from cier¡¯s coldness. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Sheryl came up next to him and asked. ¡°There¡¯s something spreading the heat around her head.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Michelle and Encia briskly turned their heads to face him, and the other swordsmen¡¯s eyes also widened in surprise. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s impossible to treat her in her current condition.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Her body won¡¯t endure the treatment because she has been sick for too long.¡± ¡°Th-Then, what should we¡­?¡± Michelle came to him with trembling hands. Hope had finally appeared in front of her, and her hands were trying to seize that visible hope by any means necessary. ¡°We have to visit the Ragged Saint at Retran. I can heal her once Sir Federick improves Lady Encia¡¯s condition.¡± Since Raon managed to figure out the cause, he could definitely treat her once her body¡¯s condition was improved. ¡°Is that really possible?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sheryl asked again, and Raon immediately nodded. ¡°I-I¡¯ll go!¡± Encia raised her hand. ¡°I want to live now!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Michelle bit her lip, looking at Encia and on the verge of tears. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll get the carriage¡­¡± As she was about to order the servant to prepare the carriage¡ª Knock Knock. The general administrator, Arun, entered along with a knocking sound. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Sir Temas, who you¡¯ve been waiting for, has arrived.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Michelle pped her hands. ¡°Sir Raon, wouldn¡¯t Sir Temas be enough? I heard he doesn¡¯t lose to Sir Federick in medicine¡­¡± ¡°No, we need Sir Federick to guarantee her treatment.¡± Since Temas was pretty much the perpetrator behind it, letting him treat Encia was the same as setting a fox loose in a hen house. Much of the House¡¯s property would be transferred to Derus as a result. ¡°I-I see. It can¡¯t be helped, then. We should make him leav¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s see what he does, since I¡¯m curious what kind of judgment he is going to make.¡± It was better to call Temas in order to double check the incident and in order to kill him. ¡°Are you okay with that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, but¡­¡± Raon raised his finger to cover his mouth. ¡°Please keep the fact that I can heal Lady Encia a secret until he gives his diagnosis.¡± * * * * * * Temas entered Encia¡¯s room on the ninth floor, guided by Yonaan¡¯s general administrator Arun. There were twelve swordsmen, as well as Michelle and Encia inside. ¡®Zieghart?¡¯ Temas narrowed his eyes upon noticing the burning sword emblem on the uniforms. ¡®They must¡¯ve been called to bring her to that Federick bastard.¡¯ He immediately understood the situation and smiled faintly towards the swordsmen. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s nothing for you to do here.¡¯ Since he would improve Encia¡¯s condition, they would end up returning to the barrennd in the north without achieving anything. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived!¡± Michelle, who was standing next to Encia¡¯s bed, came up to him with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte. I was treating some patients.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem, I¡¯m thankful enough that you are here now.¡± ¡°Can I see the patient, then?¡± Temas pointed at Encia, pretending that he only thought about the patient, with no other intentions behind it. ¡°Of course. Encia, are you okay with that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Encia pretended to consider before nodding. ¡®Just what I thought.¡¯ Temas licked his lips. Considering the red, swollen skin and the fact that checking her pulse was the extent of the treatment she could get because of the pain, the Hell Worm must¡¯ve been doing its job properly. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± He grabbed Encia¡¯s wrist and examined her for a while. ¡®Narrowed mana circuit, body trembling from the pain, broken energy center, and¡­¡¯ Temas confirmed the Hell Worm¡¯s presence in her head before nodding. Although it was moving slightly slowly, it did its job properly. ¡®You should stay asleep for a bit.¡¯ He made the Hell Worm fall asleep before releasing Encia¡¯s wrist. ¡°How are you now?¡± ¡°Ah, m-my pain has decreased.¡± Encia fiercely nodded while clenching her fist. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Michelle also came up to her in surprise and grabbed her. ¡°H-How did you do that?¡± ¡°Heat has gathered in Lady Encia¡¯s body.¡± Temas continued bitterly. ¡°It looks like other people haven¡¯t managed to find it because it is located in an extremely dangerous ce.¡± ¡°Where is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in her upper body. It¡¯s not good.¡± He frowned and licked his lips. ¡°Ah, then how about the treatment¡­?¡± ¡°Fortunately, I think I can treat her, since it¡¯s rted to what I¡¯m currently researching.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes. But since I¡¯ve never seen these symptoms before, I think I¡¯ll need quite a lot of time and money. It¡¯s also because the patient is in really bad condition¡­¡± Temas narrowed his eyes in the middle of his speech. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Everyone in Yonaan was aware of the fact that Encia was Michelle¡¯s most precious daughter. He just said he could heal her treasure, yet her reaction was too calm. ¡®This is strange.¡¯ She should¡¯ve been saying that she would give him everything¡ªmoney, people, or artifacts. ¡°A-Anyway, I can definitely heal her, although it¡¯s going to take a long time.¡± ¡°How long would it take?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell the exact time right now, because it¡¯s my first time seeing these symptoms, as I mentioned before¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t tell her the exact time, since he needed to take over the house step by step. ¡°Mom, I want to be treated by Sir Raon instead.¡± ¡°T-Treated?¡± Temas¡¯s eyes widened as she said she would get treated. ¡°The swordsman who came from Zieghart also said that he could treat her symptom.¡± Michelle pointed at a handsome blond man standing behind her. ¡°H-How is that possible!¡± Some people knew about the Rage Worm, but the only people who could remove the Hell Worm were himself and a few people from House Robert. It was impossible for a greenhorn like him to treat her. ¡°It¡¯s nonsense! How could a swordsman treat her when he¡¯s not even a healer?¡± ¡°Sir Raon also managed to decrease my pain, just like you did.¡± Encia stared at Raon with bewitched eyes. ¡°Since you said it would take a long time, I¡¯ll get treated by Sir Raon!¡± She decisively raised her hand without even looking at Temas. ¡®Raon? Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ He remembered Derus ordering people to investigate Raon Zieghart before. Since there was no way two people would be using the same name in the same house, he must¡¯ve been that Raon. ¡°D-Do you know what those symptoms are?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then how can you even treat her?!¡± ¡°But you also said you didn¡¯t know about those symptoms.¡± ¡°B-But I¡­¡± Temas¡¯ lips trembled, since he ended up falling into his own trap. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m not trying to treat her on my own. I¡¯m going to bring Lady Encia to Retran and treat her with Sir Federick.¡± ¡°It might be dangerous. She¡¯s already in so much pain when she¡¯s not moving, so the pain will be unbearable once you start moving.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. I realized how to reduce the pain.¡± Raon responded so calmly that it was almost irritating. ¡°But you are a swordsman, not a healer!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also a healer. I learned medicine from Sir Federick when I was small, and from my teacherter on.¡± ¡°D-Did you really learn medicine from the Saint? Then, who is your teacher?¡± ¡°Sir Rimmer is my teacher.¡± ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light!¡± Temar frowned. He was aware of the fact that the stupid elf was well versed in sundry techniques, but he didn¡¯t know that he had even learned medicine. ¡°No matter how excellent they are, I don¡¯t think you would¡¯ve inherited all of their abilities. You will bring disaster if you try to treat a patient with sloppy medicinal skills.¡± ¡°Sir Temas mentioned earlier that the heat was gathered in her upper body, right?¡± ¡°I-I did.¡± ¡°And I even perfectly located the heat.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Head.¡± Raon pointed at his head with a faint smile. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Temas bit his lip, his benevolent smile shattering. ¡°H-Head of house.¡± He realized he wouldn¡¯t be able to convince Raon and called for Michelle. ¡°Please trust me. I¡¯ve dedicated my entire life to medicine. If you move Lady Encia right now, you will get into big trouble before reaching the Ragged Saint.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Since it concerns me and it¡¯s about my life, I¡¯ll be the one to decide.¡± While Michelle bit her lips in consideration, Encia raised her hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to follow Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Wh-What?¡± He furiously shouted after hearing the unexpected answer. ¡°He¡¯s a swordsman, and I¡¯m a healer that has dedicated his entire life to medicine! I¡¯m one of the ten best doctors on the continent! Why did you choose that swordsman when your life''s on the line?¡± ¡°The reason is simple.¡± Encia smiled, as if there was only one possible answer. ¡°Because he is handsome.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re crazy! You might die if he makes a mistake in his treatment or if he does it toote! How can you say such a strange thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with dying if that means I¡¯ll be with that face.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± A bunch of veins appeared on Temas¡¯s forehead. Chapter 206 ¡°You are crazy. You are really crazy!¡± Temas¡¯s mouth twisted. ¡°How could you say such a thing? Did you go crazy from the pain?!¡± He violently shook his head. He apparently couldn¡¯t ept the fact that his entire career as a healer had just lost to Raon¡¯s face. ¡°Head of House, are you really going to let them do that? It¡¯s in to see that they are going to die! You have to stop them!¡± Temas shouted. His voice showed clear anger, rather than worry for the patient. ¡®Hah.¡¯ Raon snickered while looking at Temas. ¡®He got so angry from getting his facepared to mine.¡¯ Sinceposure was one of Temas¡¯ strong points, he had never seen him get so angry before, not even in his previous life. Getting his facepared to Raon¡¯s must¡¯ve seriously crushed his pride. ¡®This is getting interesting.¡¯ It was impossible to blow his cover because he had too much reputation behind him, but Raon figured there was a lot to gain from the situation. ¡°Head of House!¡± Temas called out to Michelle once again to urge her. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Michelle bit her lip in consideration. She apparently wasn¡¯t sure who to trust between Raon and Temas. ¡°Unlike your daughter, I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t going to decide just from looking at the face, are you? The head of house was the one who called me here in the first ce!¡± ¡°The face isn¡¯t all I¡¯ve got. I¡¯m rather confident in my swordsmanship and medicine.¡± Raon smiled brilliantly at Temas, who was scowling. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you!¡± As soon as Raon mentioned his face, Temas started ring even more fiercely. ¡°Head of House, I¡¯ve healed countless people so far, regardless of their country and house. I can proudly announce that I¡¯ve never lied before concerning the patient and treatment!¡± Woof woof. It was dogshit. He used his noble image and his medicine to kill countless people and turn them into his ves. He was indeed Derus¡¯s confidant, since he was capable of lying without flinching. ¡°If your daughter moves right now, there¡¯s bound to be a danger on the way. Moreover, Retran is currently at war, and there¡¯s no guarantee that the Saint will properly treat her even if they manage to arrive there!¡± Temas appealed with teary eyes, as if he really were worried about Encia. ¡°Although I¡¯m stillcking as a healer, I¡¯ve got way more experience and put in a lot more effort than him. You are definitely going to regret it if you trust him just because he was lucky enough to find the cause.¡± Although he was trying to convince her politely, he was pretty much threatening her by saying that Encia was going to die if she didn¡¯t listen to him. ¡°Was your name Raon?¡± Raon nodded without responding. Another tendon popped on Temas¡¯ forehead. ¡°You said earlier that the heat¡¯s source was located around the patient¡¯s head, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Why do you think the other healers didn¡¯t manage to find it? Because they were lesspetent than you? No. It¡¯s because they were careful in their examination since a small mistake in her head could cause the death of the patient.¡± Temas lowered his eyebrows and continued. ¡°You were lucky this time, but if you keep searching through the patient¡¯s mana circuit with your immature skills, you will end up killing your patient or disabling them. If you want to call yourself a healer, you should stop taking care of your face and learn how dangerous it is to deal with the head¡­¡± ¡°One hundred and eight.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There are one hundred and eight ces that can endanger you if an aura touches them.¡± Raon nonchntly spoke with his arms crossed. ¡°B-But how did you¡­¡± Temas¡¯ jaw dropped, unable to believe Raon knew that. ¡°Uhh?¡± ¡°H-He even knows such a thing?¡± ¡°Was he really the Saint¡¯s student?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The other swordsmen also looked up at Raon, who managed to unsettle Temas. ¡°It would be strange if I didn¡¯t know that.¡± Raon snickered, enjoying Temas¡¯ astonishment. ¡®Because you told me about that.¡¯ What upation needed as much knowledge of a human body as a doctor? It¡¯s that of an assassin. You needed to know better than anyone else which parts you needed to hit to kill or disable your opponent in order to be a fully-fledged assassin. ¡®And I needed to learn it even more thoroughly because Derus was a perfectionist.¡¯ Since he often needed to disguise the deaths of his enemies and allies for his ns, he periodically received lessons from Temas about weaknesses and vital points in the human body. The knowledge he learned from Temas was extremely helpful this time as well, when he examined Encia''s head. ¡°Ah, let me add one more thing.¡± Raon raised his finger to point at his face. ¡°I don''t really take care of my face. I was just born with this face.¡± ¡°You¡­ Why are you talking back to me like that?¡± Temas red fiercely at Raon. ¡°Because that''s how you''ve been talking to me.¡± ¡°What? I¡­¡± ¡°I already gave you enough respect. I''ve been answering your questions honestly and politely.¡± Raon smiled coldly and tilted his chin. ¡°But you were simply disrespectful towards me even though you didn''t even know what position I have in Zieghart, nor what I represent. Do I have any reason to remain polite to someone who has no manners?¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Temas'' cheeks trembled. His face turned so red that he was nowparable to Encia''s skin. ¡°Wow, he even looks handsome when he''s making fun of him.¡± Encia eximed while staring at Raon with her hands gathered. Temas looked even more angry because of Encia¡¯s interjection. ¡°Do you even realize who Sir Temas is to behave like that?¡± The young man next to Temas stepped up with a frown. ¡°He''s a saint that bestowed his benevolence on countless people in the continent without even receiving any rewards! He''s on a different level as a doctor, especiallypared to you!¡± ¡°Are you telling me that manners are unnecessary just because he''s on a different level?¡± ¡°But his experience¡­¡± ¡°His experience, I see¡­¡± Raon smiled coldly. ¡°Do you remember who taught me medicine?¡± ¡°Th-The Ragged Saint and Zieghart''s Sword of Light¡­¡± ¡°I don''t think my standing is that different from his, since I was taught from those two.¡± ¡°That''s¡­¡± The young man who seemed to be Temas''s disciple fell speechless. ¡°You should stay back.¡± Temas came up with a frown. ¡°It was my mistake. I was too flustered and forgot I needed to keep my manners towards you. I apologize.¡± He said it with a voice full of respect as he bowed. ¡°In that case, I apologize as well.¡± A smile appeared on Raon''s face while his head was lowered. ''It hit the mark.'' Temas hadn''t calmed down. His head only cooled down because he wanted to kill him too much. He was definitely going toe to personally kill him during the mission, or at another time. ¡°Head of House, please make your decision.¡± Temas turned his head towards Michelle. ¡°My opinion hasn''t changed. It''s extremely dangerous to send your daughter to Retran, since it''s pretty much certain that she is going to die. If you leave her to me, I''ll do my best to treat her within a year.¡± He even gave a one-year time limit, unlike before. ¡°I''ll also tell this to you for thest time. I can definitely treat her once we meet the Saint at Retran. Since the Heavenly Division leader is going to lead the group, no one is going to be able toy a finger on Lady Encia, regardless of who they are.¡± Raon dered that he could definitely treat her without any hesitation in his voice. The Heavenly de leader also nodded confidently. ¡°Heavenly de leader¡­¡± Temas'' expression distorted in an indescribable manner as he bit his lip. He apparently didn''t notice the Heavenly de leader before. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Michelle sighed deeply between them, since she couldn''t decide. She was well known for her bold personality, but she was apparently too worried when it came down to her youngest daughter¡¯s health. ¡°Mom.¡± Encia raised her hand. ¡°My opinion hasn''t changed. I want to go with Sir Raon.¡± ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± ¡°Choosing Sir Temas wouldn''t be a bad idea, but I think Sir Raon is going to make me recover faster.¡± ¡°How do you know that!?¡± ¡°Because he''s handsome!¡± Her argument was his face once again. ¡°There''s no way someone as handsome as him would lie!¡± ¡°Encia¡­¡± ¡°His face is my medicine and my treatment. I don''t feel any pain as long as I''m watching him.¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± Michelle sighed, frowning while grabbing her temple. After clutching her head for a while, she slowly raised her head. The hesitation had disappeared from her eyes, which used to waver. ¡°I''m sorry, Sir Temas.¡± She bowed at Temas. ¡°It is said that no parent ever persuaded a determined child to do otherwise. I would like to grant her wish.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Temas nodded silently after looking at Michelle, Encia, Raon, and Sheryl. ¡°I see. The patient and her guardian''s decision is the most important.¡± He smiled gently and lowered his raised sleeve. ''That bastard¡­'' Raon narrowed his eyes. ''He made up his mind.'' Judging from his expression and voice, Temas already decided that he would kill Raon. It was obvious that he would kill Encia as well after taking full advantage of her symptoms. ¡°I''ll pay the treatment fee that I promised¡­¡± ¡°No, I couldn''t treat her, and I never nned to take fees to begin with.¡± He shook his hand with a smile. ¡°And as for you, please excuse my rudeness. I was just too agitated.¡± ¡°It''s okay. I understand.¡± He managed to appease his anger and behave so calmly in that situation. He was indeed an extraordinary person. ¡°I''ll be taking my leave now. I''ll be hoping for yourplete recovery from afar.¡± Temas left Encia''s room alongside his disciple, as if he didn¡¯t care anymore. ¡°General administrator, please see Sir Temas off.¡± ¡°U-Understood.¡± The general administrator, who couldn''t keep up with the situation, hurriedly ran after Temas. ¡°Haa, I wonder if I made the correct decision.¡± Michelle sighed deeply. ¡°I''ll make sure you won''t regret it.¡± It wasn''t just a correct decision, but she had pretty much taken the hand of a savior. If she chose Temas, the entire house would''ve been taken over by Robert. ¡°The way he guarantees is also super handsome.¡± Encia''s eyes were sparkling as she eximed. ¡°Then, when are leav¡­¡± ¡°Ack!¡± As Michelle was about to discuss their departure, Encia groaned and copsed on the bed. ¡°Encia!¡± * * * * * * Raon immediately went to Encia, inserting cier''s coldness into her mana circuit. ''I just need to scare it off.'' If he attacked the Hell Worm, it would most likely bring pain to Encia. He used his coldness to scare it off, instead of moving quickly like before. Whir! He slowly followed Encia''s mana circuit upwards while pushing away the heat with cier''s coldness, and the Hell Worm''s presence disappeared. In turn, the heat spreading throughout Encia''s body subsided. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Encia''s lips parted after she tried clenching her fist. ¡°It doesn''t even hurt, and I feel even better than before!¡± She smiled while being surprised at the same time as she looked at the relieved swelling in her arm. ''I should continue like this.'' He estimated that he just needed to scare the Hell Worm off to make it hide for Encia tost until they reached Retran. ¡°It''s a relief.¡± Michelle nodded while grabbing Encia''s hand. ¡°Then, when are you going to leave? Are you going to leave right no¡­¡± ¡°No. I''m nning to leave tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes. We have some preparations to make. Is that okay, division leader?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sheryl nodded, showing her agreement. ¡°Then, how many people from our side can you bring with you?¡± ¡°Since we need to move as quickly as possible, I''m only nning to bring Lady Encia.¡± ¡°What? But she can''t do anything by herself!¡± Michelle shook her hand, telling him it was impossible. ¡°Since we have female swordsmen with us, you don''t need to worry.¡± ¡°But at least one person¡­¡± ¡°It would be a bother.¡± Raon stood firm, giving additional instruction to Michelle through an aura message. [Head of house, please make every maid leave the room right now, as naturally as possible.] Michelle flinched for a moment, but she nodded imperceptibly once she understood his message. ¡°Th-Then, we need to quickly prepare. You girls should go check the carriage and prepare the food and necessities for the swordsmen.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The maids inside the room nodded, then left the room. Whir! As soon as the door closed, Raon created an energy barrier to stop the sound from going out. ¡°What''s the matter?¡± ¡°We need to catch the culprit.¡± ¡°C-Culprit?¡± ¡°The energy inside Lady Encia''s head isn''t a natural symptom or disease, but an artificial phenomenon.¡± ¡°Wh-Which means¡­¡± ¡°Somebody was targeting Lady Encia.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Encia and Michelle''s lips started to tremble upon hearing that. ¡°Had you ever been injured outside before your finger started to hurt?¡± ¡°N-No, I hadn''t. I''ve always just worked in my workshop¡­¡± ¡°Which means someone inside the house did it.¡± Raon dered with certainty. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sheryl came up to him with a frown. ¡°You have to be careful about this kind of matter.¡± ¡°I''m sure. I don''t know who did this, but this is definitely unnatural.¡± He wouldn''t have been so sure if Temas hadn''te to visit, but he could ascertain it after he saw Temas'' reaction. There must''ve been a House Robert spy among them. ¡°Hmm, there''s no way¡­¡± ¡°E-Everyone I met in the workshop was my trustworthy family!¡± Michelle and Encia shook their heads. It looked like they didn''t want to believe it. ¡°If you don''t want to find the culprit, then I''ll withdraw. It''s not our mission, nor is it our house''s business. However, this is your only chance if you want to find the culprit.¡± Raon dered it was theirst chance, then closed his eyes. He was telling them he didn''t mind if they refused. ¡°C-Can you really find them?¡± Michelle swallowed nervously. ¡°Since I''ve set a trap, they are bound to step on it.¡± ¡°A trap?¡± Sheryl also stepped towards him in curiosity. ¡°The culprit must''ve made Lady Encia fall in that state with an objective in mind. There must''ve been something to gain from her sickness.¡± Although he already knew that it was Robert''s n to take over the house, he unfortunately couldn''t tell them about it. ¡°Since I showed them I could appease Lady Encia''s condition, and said that I would leave with her tomorrow, the culprit must be impatient right now. After all, if she gets treated instead of staying sick, whatever n is will be foiled.¡± ¡°Th-Then, before Encia leaves¡­¡± ¡°Indeed. They will try to worsen her condition so that she won''t be able to leave.¡± Raon nodded. Since he said he would leave the next day, and wouldn''t bring anyone from House Yonaan, that night was the only opportunity for them to worsen her condition. ¡°Which means there''s an extremely high possibility that they will visit Lady Encia tonight.¡± ¡°Ah, so that was why you asked me to make them leave in a natural manner¡­¡± Michelle¡¯s jaw dropped upon realizing the meaning of Raon''s aura message. ¡°How long have you been thinking about that?¡± ¡°From the beginning.¡± ¡°¡­You are crazy.¡± Sheryl narrowed her eyes as she looked into Raon''s eyes. ''How can someone like him exist?'' Medicinal knowledge surpassing Temas, and the ability to predict the existence of a culprit and immediatelyy out a trap wasn''t something even she was capable of. ''How the hell did he grow up?'' Might, nning, knowledge,posure, and even his face. She was speechless to learn that a seventeen-year-old swordsman could be perfect in every aspect. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Did he really think about that from the beginning?¡± ¡°Our vice-squad leader is s-so scary¡­¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± The Light Wind and Heavenly de were also dumbfounded as they looked at Raon. ¡°Th-Then, what shall we do now? We can''t just leave Encia like this.¡± Michelle impatiently bit her fingernail. ¡°Of course we can''t.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°That''s why we need something.¡± ¡°Something?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard that Yonaan possesses ''that artifact''¡­¡± * * * Boom! Explosions urred one after another around the forest on the outskirts of Dembell City. ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Daaaamn it!¡± Temas crushed everything in sight by continuously shooting his aura around him, regardless of the forest being destroyed. Tssh! The trees and grass didn''t simply get destroyed¡ªthey turned into ck ash and melted down. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± The rage from getting thoroughly defeated by Raon at House Yonaan seemed to have exploded, turning his eyespletely red. ¡°I''ll kill you. I''ll melt your face alive. I''ll make sure you won''t have an easy death!¡± Temas screamed like a monster, spreading enough aura around him to crush the entire forest. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Temas'' disciple, Yufen, could only bite his lip in fear while staying far back. ¡°I need to stay further awa¡­ Hmm?¡± When Yufen was about to step back, a crow with white eyes surged from his shadow. Caw! The crow sat on his shoulder, then opened its sharp beak to spit out a ck piece of paper. ¡°This!¡± Yufen''s eyes widened after reading the paper''s contents. ¡°M-Master! We are in trouble!¡± Yufen ran towards Temas, who was still destroying the forest, with the paper in his hand. ¡°They are going to leave tomorrow, without bringing a single maid or servant.¡± ¡°What?¡± Focus returned to Temas''s eyes upon hearing that. ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°It''s apparently in order to move as fast as possible, since there are female swordsmen among Zieghart people¡­¡± ¡°Those damn bastards keep doing that!¡± Temas ground his teeth. He only pretended to not care anymore because he had spies in House Yonaan, but it had be more problematic. ¡°Wh-What should we do?¡± ¡°Haa, tell them to increase the Hell Worm''s activity to eighty percent tonight. ¡°Isn''t eighty percent going to be dangerous?¡± ¡°She will feel pain worse than death itself, but she should survive. Since we need to dy their departure, that''s the minimum we need.¡± ¡°Dy their departure?¡± Yufen tilted his head. He couldn''t understand why he would dy them instead of just preventing it. ¡° I won''t get the opportunity to kill that damn bastard if they can''t depart at all.¡± ¡°What? But they have the Heavenly de leader on their side¡­¡± ¡°I''m going to call the Shadows.¡± ¡°Even the Shadows are unable to stop the Heavenly de leader.¡± ¡°I''m not nning on killing her. I''m only targeting Raon Zieghart, no one else. I''m going to use Shadows to stop the Heavenly de leader and insert the ''Ash Poison'' in him. They will have to leave if he ends up dying.¡± He clenched his fist, determined to kill him. ¡°Raon, I''m going to kill that arrogant bastard. I''m definitely going to melt down all his skin and watch him suffer.¡± ¡°U-Understood. I''ll make preparations for that.¡± ¡°One more thing!¡± Yufen nodded, and when he was about to write the message to convey it through the crow, Temas raised his hand. ¡°Send an assassin to that madman in Retran.¡± Temas ground his teeth. ¡°We need the power of House Yonaan for our future n. We can''t let Zieghart or the Saint help them.¡± * * * During the dim night where the moon was hiding behind dark clouds, the pink door located at the deepest part of the ninth floor of House Yonaan silently opened, and a ck shape entered the room. The ck shape seemed familiar with the room as it went to the center, where the bed was located. Encia was sleeping there, drenched in a cold sweat because of the pain. ¡°My Lady.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± Although her name was called, Encia only groaned without waking up. Her skin had turned even more red than usual because of the intense heat. Rustle. The shape took out a small piece of cloth. It took out the red needle that was wrapped inside and pressed it to the middle of Encia¡¯s forehead. ¡°Huh?¡± However, the needle was unable to prate Encia''s skin. The tip bent as if it had just stabbed a rock. ¡°H-How is this possi¡­ Gasp!¡± Just as it was about to remove the needle, Encia opened her eyes. ¡°It was you.¡± Instead of blue eyes simr to an ocean, crimson eyes that sparked in a frightening manner and seemed to bring death appeared. Chapter 207 ¡°N-No¡­ Kuh!¡± ¡®Encia¡¯ grabbed the ck shape by its neck and threw it to the ground before it could speak. m! The ck shape coughed out blood, and Encia''s room trembled. The monstrous strength couldn''t possiblye from someone who was bedridden for over a year. ¡°M-My Lady, just how¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± While ¡®Encia¡¯ was suppressing the ck shape with a cold smile, the door opened up and Sheryl entered alongside the swordsmen and turned the light on. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°I-It was true.¡± ¡°It happened exactly the way Sir Raon predicted¡­¡± The swordsmen dropped their jaws upon seeing the young woman in a maid outfit under ¡®Encia¡¯. ¡°That woman is the maid that has been staying right next to Lady Encia all this time!¡± ¡°Yes, she''s the person who has been assisting her all along.¡± Martha growled, and Burren frowned. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Encia was thest person to enter, supported by Michelle. Her lips were trembling as she spotted the maid on the ground. ¡°L-Loren, was it you?¡± Encia''s sky blue eyes teared up. It looked like rain was going to fall soon. ¡°Why did you do this¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-Why are there two Ladies¡­¡± The maid named Loren¡¯s eyes widened, looking back and forth between the blue-eyed Encia in front of her and the red-eyed ¡®Encia¡¯ who was suppressing her. ¡°I''m sorry, but I''m not your Lady.¡± The red-eyed ¡®Encia¡¯ tapped on his face. The gray mantle fell from his shoulders and Raon''s face was revealed. ¡°D-Doppelganger''s mantle¡­¡± Loren swallowed nervously when she saw the mantle on the ground. It looked like she finally realized what was going on. ¡°I was pretending a little, since I figured you would be here.¡± Raon grabbed the Doppelganger''s mantle and snickered. That mantle was a legendary artifact, capable of changing someone''s appearance into that of another¡¯s. There were multiple drawbacks, but it was certainly effective. ¡°Loren.¡± ¡°Why did you¡­?¡± Encia and Michelle''s eyes were trembling like boats facing a tidal wave. It looked like they didn''t want to believe the situation. On the other hand, Raon calmly looked down on Loren as if it were a natural course of action. ''It was obvious.'' Since the Hell Worm needed to be directly inserted through the mouth or nose, the spy was bound to be someone close to Encia. He figured it must''ve been one of Encia''s two maids, and House Robert¡¯s spy ended up being Loren, who had been assisting Encia all along. ¡°How could you do this to me when we''ve been together since I was eight¡­?¡± Encia sank to the ground while covering her mouth. ''Eight years old.'' House Robert made children start their assassination or spying activities between the age of six and eight. Hearing that age made him even more certain. ''Though, I''m sure she doesn''t even know who she is working for. Derus'' spies are sporadicallyworked, and he doesn''t even tell them what their real affiliation is. The spies only obey orders, since they are brainwashed to do so. ¡°Sir Raon, was it Loren''s doing? D-Did Loren really do that?¡± Encia''s lips parted after a long time. The way her dry lips were trembling almost looked pitiful. ¡°She is the spy.¡± ¡°No! I didn''t do anything!¡± Loren forcibly shook her head. ¡°What are you saying after you tried to stab this needle into the middle of my forehead?¡± Raon showed Loren the crooked needle on the ground. ¡°Th-That''s medicine!¡± Loren screamed, veins showing in her eyes. ¡°Medicine?¡± Encia bit her lips while looking at the needle. It looked like she was pinning herst hope on the words. ¡°Do you remember thepetent pharmacist who visited us a few months ago? This is a medicine I got from him, it lowers the heat.¡± ¡°Then why did you smear that on a needle and try to stab me with it in the middle of the night?¡± ¡°I-I was only following the pharmacist''s instructions. He said that an extremely weak stab of this needle smeared with medicine during my Lady¡¯s sleep would reduce the heat.¡± Loren continued to lie without even blinking. ¡°I injected the medicine from time to time whenever my Lady was in too much pain. I only did that for my Lady''s sake¡­ Sniff!¡± She lowered her teary face. Her acting was good enough to make unrted people believe her words. ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± Encia''s eyes were trembling violently. She was shaken by her nonsensical excuses. ''I guess it can''t be helped.'' That was the scariest part about a long-term spy. They would give some unreasonable excuses, and that was enough to cloud their victim¡¯s judgment because of the long time they''d spent together. Moreover, since Encia said she grew up together with her ever since she was eight, she must¡¯ve wanted to believe her even more. ''However.'' While that could work against Encia and Michelle, it didn''t work against him, since he was a stranger. ¡°But if your stab was extremely weak as you said, then the needle wouldn''t have been crooked like this. You were obviously going for a deep stab and failed.¡± Raon pointed at the tip of the bent needle. ¡°Moreover, we will be able to tell if it''s really a medicine or a poison once we investigate the smeared medicine.¡± ¡°N-No, it''s a misunderstanding¡­¡± Loren was rolling her eyes so quickly in order to find a new excuse, to the point where it was scary. ¡°L-Loren¡­¡± Encia forced herself to clench her fist. She was biting her lip in pain. ¡°I-I was really just worried about my Lad¡­ Kuh!¡± Raon dislocated Loren''s chin in the middle of her speech. ¡°Since it looks like you''ve epted it to a certain extent, I think I can show you the real proof.¡± ¡°Proof?¡± ¡°Spies hide poison in their mouths, since they never know when their identities might be discovered.¡± ¡°That''s not the case for her. We checked it before Loren joined us.¡± Michelle shook her head, saying that it couldn''t be true. ¡°It''s because she didn''t have the poison back then.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°At first, they do their work properly, as if they were really part of the house. At that point, they don''t steal information. They only get their missions as a spy and the poison in their teeth after they gain enough trust from the people inside the house while acting as an ordinary child.¡± Robert''s method took advantage of people''s affection and psychology. ¡°You will know once you see.¡± ¡°Mhh!¡± Raon put his hand inside Loren''s mouth and took out a white bead that was hidden in her mr. Despite its color, it was a nasty poison that could melt her intestines and kill her the moment she bit it. ¡°Awh!¡± Loren looked up at Raon with scared eyes. She was apparently surprised by his knowledge that had allowed him to predict her visit and find the poison inside her mouth in an instant. ''Don''t be surprised.'' Raon smiled bitterly. ''I only know all of this because I''ve experienced it in the past.'' That poison bead was always stuck between his teeth when he used to live as an assassin. He was only aware of that fact because he used to live like a ve who could be forced to die at any time, just like her. ¡°Loren¡­¡± Strength left Encia''s arms. Apparently, she even lost the strength to be angry at her. ¡°Why did you do that? Just why?¡± ¡°My Lady! Please listen¡­Kuh!¡± Loren tried to give excuses despite having her chin dislocated, but Raon sent a shock to her heart to make her faint. It was a measure taken in order to take care of the Rage Worm that might exist in her heart. ¡°General Administrator Arun.¡± Raon called Arun, who was frowning from behind them, since he was the only person in his right mind. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°We should imprison her for now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Arun hurriedly nodded, then took Loren outside. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked at the copsed Encia. The intense trembling of her eyes was slowly stabilizing. ''She must''ve epted reality.'' The reason he went through all that work despite the fact that he could''ve just neutralized and removed the poison from Loren from the beginning was to make sure Encia and Michelle wouldn''t have any regrets. Although she was immensely shocked, she fortunately looked like she had epted the reality of it all. ''There''s no point in interrogating Loren.'' The spies worked as discrete groups, unlike the assassins. Since the spies usually had to go through at least four to five contacts to reach Derus or Temas, there was no way she would reveal their names or the treatment method for Encia. ¡°We are going to leave in the morning in two days instead of tomorrow, so please rest well.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Raon.¡± epting Michelle and Encia''s weak thanks, Raon went outside. ¡°Raon.¡± Sheryl''s voice called out to him when he was about to return to his lodgings. He turned around to look, and the Heavenly de and the Light Wind were staring at him with dumbfounded expressions. ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Sheryl walked up to him with a frown. ''He didn''t just create a situation for the spy to act, but alsopletely understood the spy''s identity and psychology.'' She allowed Raon''s n because it seemed realistic, but she never thought everything would be solved so easily. ''What the hell is this guy?'' Great might? She could understand it as a result of his natural talent and endless efforts. However, the trap and the n he had devised that day was the sort that came from an extremely experienced person, and she couldn''t believe he was just a novice swordsman on his second mission. It was more and more ridiculous, the more she thought about it. ¡°I''m also curious about what you have in that small head of yours.¡± Ekan also seemed unable to understand it as heughed bitterly. ¡°I already knew you were smart, but I didn''t know you could do this.¡± ¡°Raon. Amazing. Handsome.¡± ¡°Well, he''s pretty smart, I guess.¡± Burren gasped, Runaan gave a thumbs up, and Martha slowly nodded. ¡°I-I''m a bit scared at this point¡­¡± ¡°I know, right? He''s almost like a ghost¡­¡± Dorian and Krein''s chins were trembling violently. ¡°I was just lucky.¡± Raon shrugged, facing the swordsmen''s surprised eyes. ¡°Because I wasn''t certain either.¡± ¡°It looked like you were certain, though?¡± Raon just smiled at Sheryl, who was narrowing her eyes. ¡°It looks like you have no intention of answering me. Anyway, good job. We did manage to find the spy thanks to you. However, since the spies usually go through at least one connection, you can hardly obtain any information from them. You most likely won''t get any information from her by interrogating her, so don''t get your hopes up too much.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded in agreement. ¡°Haa, I don''t even know if I''m talking to a seventeen-year-old or a seventy-one-year-old.¡± Sheryl shook her hand in disgust and returned to Encia''s room. However, there was one fact she wasn¡¯t aware of. ''We did gain something from this.'' And it was a huge gain. Derus Robert was a perfectionist. He must''ve spent a lot of time and manpower in order to take over House Yonaan, yet that n had been foiled in an instant. He was bound to start rampaging like a madman now, blowing his cover as a gentleman. ''My only regret is that I can''t watch the shape he''s going to take.'' Raon snickered, thinking about Derus Robert, who should have been in the south. * * * When Sheryl returned to the room, Encia was already fast asleep, and Michelle was holding her hand. ¡°I''ll guard her from now on, so the head of house should rest as well.¡± Sheryl went next to Encia''s bed and looked at Michelle. ¡°Thank you.¡± Michelle caught her breath and bowed. ¡°We are simply repaying our debt.¡± ¡°Even then, you are being considerate of us in many ways, especially Sir Raon.¡± As expected of the master of a house, she was aware of the fact that Raon was being considerate in many ways. ¡°Who the hell is he?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The way he uses his head, his judgment, and decisiveness. He doesn''t look like a young man in any of those aspects.¡± Michelle shook her head, while looking at the ground where Raon had subdued Loren. ¡°Is the Destructive King of the North teaching him personally?¡± ¡°That''s not the case. He does have a teacher, but he mostly grew up on his own. And¡­¡± Sheryl shook her head and looked back at the door. ¡°I''m also curious about his true abilities.¡± Just what were the limits of his abilities? * * * * * * Temas was looking at the sun that was defeating the dim night from the forest. His face was fiercely distorted, despite the dazzling sunlight. ¡°Why is there no contact?¡± Temas red, smacking the big tree next to him. am! Along with the sound of an earthquake, the tree fell down in a single hit and turned to ash before disappearing. ¡°She should''ve contacted us a long time ago! Why is she not contacting us?¡± ¡°I-I''m not sure. Theworking branch is just saying that there was no contact¡­¡± Yufen lowered his head with trembling shoulders. ¡°Are you sure you gave her proper instructions?¡± ¡°Yes. She should''ve gotten them before evening.¡± ¡°That means she was found out!¡± Temas stomped on the ground. The grass around the ck energy emerging from the ground was crumbling as if a drought had been going on for a long time. ¡°That stupid bitch! How could she be found out when it was just a simple task of stabbing her with a needle?¡± Temas'' eyes were glowing maliciously, his anger returning to him after all his efforts at appeasing it. ¡°Th-Then, I''m going to contact him right awa¡­ Kuh!¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± As Yufen summoned a crow from his shadow, Temas grabbed his neck. ¡°We''ve been preparing to take over House Yonaan for over fifteen years now. If he ends up learning about this, we¡¯ll both be beheaded.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Yufen¡¯s teeth chattered as he grabbed his own neck. ¡°Even if you want to make a report, you have to do it after getting results. It''s not going to end well for us if you do it right now.¡± Temas calmly took a deep breath to appease his erupting anger. ¡°But we can''t hide it from him¡­¡± ¡°That''s why we need to conclude this matter as soon as possible! Where are the shadows right now?¡± ¡°They are already nearby. They should be able to catch up to us, even if we leave tomorrow.¡± Yufen responded quickly and lowered his head. ¡°Call everyone around us, including the shadows. We don''t need to chase them quickly. It''s okay to be slow, so tell them to take every weapon and poison from the branch.¡± ¡°A-All of them?¡± ¡°Our opponent is the Heavenly Division leader. We need to use all the poisons and smokescreens in order to have any hope of stopping her for a moment.¡± Temas ground his teeth, thinking about the Heavenly Division leader he saw that day. ''It''s impossible to kill her.'' Although she seemed like a feather when she was hiding her presence, she became bigger than a mountain once she showed it on the outside. Her prowess was even better than the rumors. ¡°Raon! Just make sure to kill Roan Zieghart. We can recover everything once that happens.¡± ck energy was emerging from Temas'' hand. ¡°I''ll tear his nice face off while he''s alive.¡± * * * Raon went to the head of house''s office the next afternoon. The room was still a mess, but Michelle''s expression was bright, unlike the day before. ¡°Wee.¡± Michelle''s greeting was a lot more polite than the day before. ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± Raon asked, bowing in return. ¡°I still feel suffocated, but I quickly recovered my senses thanks to Sir Raon showing me Loren''s true identity. The shock treatment must''ve been effective.¡± She smiled awkwardly, saying that she could ept it now. ¡°The general administrator interrogated Loren all night long, but nothing was gained. He said she didn''t seem to know anything.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It was as expected. The only thing Loren knew must''ve been how to contact the discrete group right above her. ¡°In the end, we need to send her to Retran in order to treat her. You are leaving tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Since we managed to catch the spy, I think it would be better to bring a maid to help Lady Encia.¡± ¡°Yes, I''ll get one prepared.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Raon interrupted himself, as if he were worried about something. ¡°You can tell me without hesitation.¡± Michelle leaned forward, gesturing to him to tell her anything he had to say. ¡°I think this journey to escort Lady Encia isn''t going to be an easy one.¡± ¡°Wh-What do you mean?¡± ¡°Considering the way they were openly targeting Lady Encia, there must be something they want from House Yonaan.¡± Those bastards were the Roberts. That''s what he wanted to say, but he managed to suppress his urge. ¡°There''s no way they would let this opportunity slip. I''m sure they are going to thoroughly prepare, and attack us and Lady Encia.¡± ¡°What shall we do then?¡± ¡°Since they are most likely going to use a strange power or poison just like they did to Lady Encia, can the head of house help us a little?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She opened her hands, saying that it was only natural for her to help. ¡°Our family is famous for artifacts. Tell me anything you want.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Raon smiled faintly and took out a piece of paper from his inner pocket and gave it to her. ¡°Evade poison artifact, Venttor, Radiating stone, Strength enhancement artifact, Night vision artifact, Agility enhancement, zing brazier, wind gem¡­¡± Her voice trembled more and more as she read out aloud the endless list one by one. ¡°A-Are you sure you need all of those¡­¡± ¡°Yes. The Evade poison artifact is especially important.¡± Cure poison was capable of healing the poison, but the evade poison could actively negate the poison. That was why the evade poison artifact was far better and more expensive than the cure poison artifact. ¡°I-I can see some unnecessary items on the list¡­¡± ¡°We need all of them in order to return with everyone alive.¡± What nonsense are you spouting?! Wrath popped up on the bracelet, then started shouting at his nonsense. That might be the case for the Evade poison artifact, but you don''t need the strength enhancement or agility enhancement artifact! ''Those are mine.'' That''s why I''m saying you are scamming her right now! ''Not at all.'' Raon calmly shook his head. ''Our chance of survival bes higher if I be stronger to protect everyone. I didn''t lie at all.'' Kuuh! Wrath red at Michelle, unable to refute that strange argument, which was unreasonable and reasonable at the same time. Hey, woman! You should never give them to him! This bastard is an evil demon, even worse than Greed! However, Michelle seemed to have made up her mind already despite Wrath''s wish. ¡°Everyone''s safe return¡­¡± She murmured what he said about returning with everyone alive, then nodded. ''Yes, I can trust him.'' They only managed to find the spy because of Raon''s n, without being affected by their affection for Loren. She could trust him at that point, regardless of what he said. ¡°Alright, we will have them prepared by tomorrow.¡± Michelle nodded. Kuah! Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking at Michelle. How could you grant all of those wishes? Do you have too much money or something? Why does everyone crave to do everything for him? Coldness was emanating from him in his displeasure. ¡°If Enciapletely recovers and everyone returns safely just like you said, I''ll grant all of your wishes.¡± Michelle spoke, her hands gathered together to show her sincerity. N-No! Wrath¡¯s eyes widened. He is really going to say all of his wishes! ¡°Are you serious?¡± Raon smiled faintly, pushing away Wrath, who was violently shaking his hand. ¡°Yes, I promise on my name.¡± ¡°Make sure to remember that.¡± Raon stood up with a smile on his face. ''There''s no reason for me to refuse if she''s willing to give me what I want.'' He was confident he could extort so much from her that she would feel like the list she saw just then was generous. He could guarantee that Michelle would regret what she just promised. I''m going nuts! Wrath violently shook his head. Why are all the doormatsing to you of their own ord? You must teach the King of Essence how to attract those doormats! ''I wonder¡­'' Raon snickered while watching Wrath flounder. ¡®It''s probably because the king of doormats is right next to me.¡¯ He was attracting other doormats on top of giving him everything he had. The Giving Wrath was the best in the world. * * * Once Raon returned from visiting Michelle, Runaan was preparing herself to go outside. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°There was a bead ice cream shop.¡± She murmured that she needed to go there at all costs because there was a new product. R-Raon. Wrath slowly climbed up his forearm. How about going there as well? ''Why should I?'' Ice cream is delicious. It makes you feel better if you eat it. ''Not for me.'' Raon shook his head. It was delicious, but training was better at making him feel good. You crazy training addict¡­ ''Is that all you had to say?'' W-Wait, then how about this? ¡®What?¡¯ The King of Essence will help you as long as I don¡¯t have to use wrath. ''Help?'' Yes, like checking other people''s cards in the casino or telling you when other people are approaching. Wrath was desperately rolling his eyes. It looked like he wanted to eat the ice cream at all costs. ''I can now use him for free.'' Since they were going to leave the next day, he was nning to go out with Runaan anyway. He could onlyugh at getting an additional benefit like that. ''Alright.'' Raon nodded, then went to Runaan. ¡°Let''s go together.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Runaan nodded, her lips curving up into a small smile. We came at the wrong time. ''Indeed.'' As Raon clicked his tongue, the main gate of House Yonaan opened up and they could see a silver-haired man walking through it. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan stepped back with trembling lips as she saw him. ¡°I heard you came here, and it was true.¡± The silver-haired man, Syria Sullion, waved his hand while smiling. ¡°Runaan, it''s been a long time.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s been a long time.¡± Raon stepped up in front of Runaan and smiled coldly. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± A small crack appeared in Syria Sullion''s refreshing smile. Chapter 208 Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Syria Sullion. ''It looks like he is still a psychopath.'' Just likest time, his eyes weren''t moving even though his mouth was smiling. Other people would call it a brilliant smile, but he could only see it as a grotesque face, since he was aware of his true nature. The timing isn''t good. ''Indeed.'' He only managed to notice Syria''s approach after the gate opened because he didn''t have his aura perception expanded. Though, it was also because his presence waspletely concealed. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± He could hear Runaan''s groan from behind him. She managed to ovee her fear of blood, but it seemed it was still difficult for her to face Syria, who was the source of that trauma. ¡°What brings you here?¡± He took a step forward in order to hide Runaan from Syria''s gaze. ¡°I was passing by Dembell City because of a mission, and I heard Zieghart''s swordsmen had entered House Yonaan. I came here just in case, since they said there was a beautiful silver-haired girl among the swordsmen.¡± Syria smiled, throwing a nce at Runaan over Raon''s shoulder. ¡°Just in case?¡± Raon tilted his chin and snickered. ¡°It looks like you were certain she would be here, though.¡± Syria was carrying a bead ice cream box in his left hand. If he really hadn¡¯t been sure, he wouldn''t have been carrying that. ¡°Just like before, you still don''t believe what people say.¡± ¡°I do believe what ''people'' say.¡± ¡®But you are a monster, not a person.¡¯ Since Syria was famous for traveling throughout the continent to aplish missions and practice his swordsmanship, his visit could truly be a coincidence. However, considering his expression and the atmosphere around him, he could ascertain that he''d been keeping track of Runaan''s movements. ¡°Runaan. Are you not even going to greet me when you are seeing your big brother for the first time in such a long time?¡± Syria raised the ice cream box he was holding. ¡°I even brought the bead ice cream you like.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Runaan didn''t raise her head even after he mentioned the ice cream. And that condition of hers was the better version, since she previously couldn''t even show her fear in front of him. ¡°Hmm, are you sick? I need to examine you.¡± ¡°Please stop. This is Yonaan''s domain.¡± As Syria was about to enter, the warriors of House Yonaan stopped him. ¡°Reveal your identity, and the objective of your visit¡­¡± ¡°Ah, my name is Syria Sullion. I''m that girl''s big brother. Can I enter for a moment? My sister looks like she''s not doing too well.¡± Syria pointed at Runaan behind Raon. ¡°S-Syria Sullion?¡± ¡°The Azure Sword of Twelve Stars of the Continent!¡± The warriors from House Yonaan, who were guarding the door, hurriedly made a path for him upon learning Syria''s identity. Since he was a famous person with a kind appearance, they had to let him enter once he mentioned his sister being there. ¡°Your big brother''s going to check your conditio¡­¡± ¡°Please step back.¡± Raon extended his right hand to stop Syria''s approach. ¡°What are you trying right now?¡± Syria lowered his eyebrows while maintaining his smile. The gentle energy emanating from him sharpened like a fierce de. The energy wave felt like sharp needles were piercing Raon skin. ¡°Jokes shouldn''t be taken too far, Raon Zieghart.¡± He rolled up the corners of his mouth, then took another step forward. ¡°Who do you think you are to stop me?¡± ¡°I''m stopping you because Runaan doesn''t want it.¡± ¡°Runaan didn''t say anything, though?¡± ¡°I can tell without her saying anything.¡± ¡°You must be delusional. I''m Runaan''s big brother, and you are just a stranger. You have no right to stop me.¡± Syria shook his hand, gesturing to him to step back. An enormous wave of aura emerged from him and started to push him away. ''What a frightening amount of power¡­'' The Twelve Stars of the Continent were the strongest among the young warriors, and he didn''t have that title for no reason. The energy wave pressing upon him was on a different level from the seventh apostle and Garon. However, he couldn''t afford to withdraw. ¡°Right?¡± Raon overcame Syria''s pressure, straightening his back. His tall stature didn¡¯t lose to Syria¡¯s anymore as he met his eyes. ¡°I have more than enough right.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I''m Runaan''s direct superior, and we are currently on a mission. Even if you are her family, you cannot meet her without my permission.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He mentioned his position as the vice-squad leader of Light Wind, and Syria stopped smiling. He apparently didn''t expect that argument. ¡°Since it looks like your business is done now, please leave.¡± Rano shook his hand in the exact same way Syria did. The energy wave emanating from him pushed Syria back in return, fluttering his clothes and hair like crazy. ¡°I heard Raon Zieghart''s mouth was more dangerous than his sword, and it was true.¡± Syria twisted his lips to create a smile. ¡°You''ve grown so much in only a few years. I''m almost surprised.¡± His eyes turned ck, as if they were staring into darkness. The pressure flowing from his elongated pupils was scary enough to make hair stand on end. ¡°However, your arrogance has grown just as much. It''s be far worse than before.¡± Despite stating that he''d gotten more arrogant, his voice didn''t sound angry or irritated. It felt like his dry voice, devoid of all emotion, was crushing his heart. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon frowned while looking at the warriors from House Yonaan tilting their heads from behind Syria. ''He''s gotten stronger as well.'' That scary pressure was only targeting him. Befitting his reputation as the Azure Sword, Syria Sullion also became a lot stronger than before. ¡°You are right. It can''t be helped if you are on a mission, but¡­¡± Syria pointed at Runaan, who was wearing casual clothes. ¡°It doesn''t like you are on a mission right now.¡± ¡°The fact that she''s not wearing a uniform doesn''t change the fact that we are on a mission.¡± ¡°What mission is it?¡± ¡°I have no reason to answer that question.¡± Syria''s pressure became bigger and bigger, but Raon didn''t withdraw. He pressed thend with his feet while resonating the Ring of Fire. ¡°I really haven''t seen Runaan for a long time. I want to check whether my sister is healthy and uninjured, no matter what.¡± ¡°I said this already, but you can''t.¡± ¡°Isn''t it strange to stop a big brother who is worried about his little sister to this extent? There must be a problem here.¡± ¡°Worried, huh¡­?¡± Raon smiled coldly. Syria''s pupils stretched as he said he wanted to meet his sister. Worry wasn''t the emotion inside them¡ªit was desire. Raon had goosebumps from looking into those greedy eyes that saw her as his possession. ¡°Even if you are her superior, I need to confirm her safety as her big brother.¡± Syria gathered his aura. He apparently decided to force his way through because he realized he couldn''t win the argument. ¡°You are revealing your true nature.¡± Raon put his hand on Heavenly Drive''s hilt. He rotated the Ring of Fire and controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation so that he could draw his sword at any moment. Rumble! Syria also looked like he had no intention of withdrawing as he raised his chin, touching the grip of the greatsword on his back. The light was gone from his eyes. He was the same emotionless monster that he''d seen before. You can''t win in your current state. Wrath popped out from the bracelet and frowned. Give your body to the King of Essence. The pervert who is trying to hurt the King of Essence''s maid shall be frozen whole. He was apparently feeling bad about Runaan, who he cherished, since he kept shaking his sleeve to urge him to give him Raon¡¯s body. ''Silence. I need to focus.'' Raon ignored Wrath and caught his breath. ''I know I''ll lose.'' Syria was already a fully-fledged Master when he met himst time. Since he must''ve climbed at least another level during thest few years, it was pretty much impossible for him to win. That''s why I''m asking you to withdraw! ''You sometimes have to fight even if you know you will lose.'' Since Runaan was behind him, he couldn''t step away. He needed to show her that Syria could be ovee, since she was still trembling from the trauma. ¡°Are you still stopping me? You must''ve done something to my sister.¡± Syria was still minding other people''s gazes in that situation. He really was a crazy bastard. ¡°Considering the fact that you are still trying to approach your sister when she doesn''t want it, I''m sure you must''ve done something to her. For example, you might have threatened her with something? Like blood, perhaps?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Raon attacked back, and Syria''s face became even colder. He grasped the hilt, nothing but murderous intent in his eyes. Rumble! As Raon and Syria were about to draw their swords, an even more overwhelming energy wave exploded up from next to them. ¡°Stop right there.¡± * * * * * * Sheryl was approaching them with eyes as cold as the northern wind. ¡°How dare you show off your strength here?¡± She red at Raon and Syria''s pathetic behavior with a frown. ¡°Heavenly de division leader. Long time, no see.¡± Syria instantly suppressed his energy wave and smiled. ¡°I didn''t notice because you were too silent.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Sheryl snorted at Syria¡¯s words. ¡°What''s the matter? What even happened to start a fight in someone else''s house?¡± ¡°It''s not a big deal. I just wanted to see my sister, but the Light Wind''s vice-squad leader was stopping me.¡± ¡°I simply declined the request because we are currently on a mission.¡± Raon exined to Sheryl what happened. ¡°Hmm, I guess both sides make sense, at least.¡± Sheryl looked at Raon and Syria one after the other before she nodded. She should''ve sent Syria back in that situation, but she was incapable of reading the atmosphere. ¡°If you are both unwilling to withdraw, then you should have a sword duel.¡± She nodded, then raised a finger. ¡°Sword duel?¡± Both Raon and Syria''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Since we are at someone else''s house, let''s make it a small sword duel that ends in a single strike.¡± ¡°Single strike means¡­¡± ¡°The winner will be decided in a single strike.¡± Sheryl tapped her scabbard while smiling faintly. ¡°If you win, you will get some time to talk with Runaan, and you will withdraw if Raon wins. How about it?¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± ¡°However, since you are on different levels, you are forbidden from using astral energy.¡± ¡°I ept.¡± Syria nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Heavenly de leader, I¡­¡± [Do it.] As Raon was about to tell her he didn''t want to make a bet with the frightened Runaan on the line, Sheryl''s aura message could be heard. [Syria is one of the most talented swordsmen in the entire continent. Even though the match will end in a single strike, it will be extremely helpful for your growth. Show me what you can do with all the lessons I gave you so far, and all the training you did every night.] Raon''s lips parted upon hearing that. ''Did she do all that for me in this situation?'' When his mouth was opening in surprise, she continued. [Don''t worry about Runaan. I''ll never give her to him, even if you lose.] Sheryl''s eyes sparkled as she took a nce at her. She wasn''t actually unable to read the atmosphere, she just created that situation while having noticed everything. ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Raon nodded, then turned to look back at Runaan. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Runaan raised her head for the first time. ¡°Watch what I do.¡± Raon spoke, before stepping forward. What a showoff¡­ ''Shut up.'' Because he said all that, he couldn''t lose anymore. He needed to show Runaan that Syria wasn''t an unbreakable wall. ¡°A single strike match. How interesting.¡± Syria unsheathed the greatsword from his back with a smile. The energy emanating from the jet-ck de was so powerful that it felt suffocating. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon caught his breath and raised Heavenly Drive. Pure energy was storming above the white de, contrasting with the greatsword''s color. ¡°Ready.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Sheryl''s signal, Raon lowered his posture and pulled his sword back. He took the me Dragon Art''s posture, and a small light sparkled from Syria''s eyes. ''I knew he would know this technique.'' Considering Syria''s personality, he must''ve investigated Raon while he was checking on Runaan. It was in obvious that he would know about the me Dragon Art he had used to defeat Garon. Shiish. Syria very slightly turned his ankle and pulled his greatsword a bit more to the side. ''Quick sword.'' He must''ve been nning to deflect the me Dragon Art before it could gain momentum by adding speed into the greatsword''s power. ¡°Begin.¡± As soon as Sheryl finished speaking, Syria''s greatsword pounced at him. The jet-ck de pierced into the space and a tremendous amount of energy exploded. ''Just as I expected.'' He could ascertain that Syria was trying to interrupt the me Dragon Art with power and speed before it could show its true abilities. However, Syria''s strike was overflowing with wisdom, despite being a simple sh. It almost looked like it was an extremely polished strike. Taking it on with a sloppy strike would break Heavenly Drive and give him a fatal injury. ''There''s no reason to use a weapon he has already analyzed.'' Raon poured all his energy into Heavenly Drive as he thrusted it. A powerful me was engulfing the de, but the shape wasn''t that of fierce dragon¡ªit was a heavy mountain instead. ''Heavy sword.'' It was the heavy sword he got the hint of from Garon, thenter understood through Sheryl''s lessons. Rumble! Heavenly Drive was imbued with the principles that he''d mixed on his own and created a thick line. The glimmering crimson light on the de turned into a heavy tidal wave and flooded the atmosphere. Whir! Raon''s heavy de advanced while dominating the sky, shing against Syria''s greatsword. Baam! With an earth-shattering sound, a tremendous shockwave stormed through the surrounding area. Cring! Syria''s greatsword was still emanating a huge amount of power without being pushed back by the shockwave, but its sword resonance sounded like it was screaming once it was blocked by Heavenly Drive, which was advancing while burning up the aura. ¡°H-How is this¡­?!¡± Astonishment was reflected in Syria''s dim pupils. His reaction revealed that he never thought his sword would be stopped. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while maintaining the heaviness in Heavenly Drive''s de. ''This was the correct answer.'' Using a new heavy sword against Syria, who knew about the me Dragon Art, was a game-changer. Not losing the bet was a great achievement, but his understanding of the heavy sword became iparable to before thanks to that single sh. ''Hmm¡­'' Sheryl silently groaned while watching the greatsword and Heavenly Drive''spetition. ''A draw?'' She was nning to make Syria withdraw by mentioning their ages and experience after Raon showed some skill. She didn''t even imagine he would manage to end the match in a draw. ''Even though Syria didn''t use astral energy, he''s still one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent¡­'' Although he fought with a disadvantage, it was ridiculous that he managed to achieve equality in a single strike match. Sheryl couldn''t even keep her face straight. Creak! She came back to her senses upon hearing the sword resonanceing from the sh and snapped her fingers. ¡°The match is over.¡± She shot her aura to separate them. ¡°Since your attack was stopped midway, it''s a draw.¡± ¡°N-No! This is¡­¡± ¡°There is no reason to say ¡®no¡¯. This match was about a single strike. Since you''ve been stopped, it is a draw.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Syria lookedpletely irritated for the first time as he bit his lip. ¡°No one came out victorious, but it''s obvious that Raoncks experience and ability. This match is Raon''s victory.¡± Sheryl shook her hand while stating the line she had prepared. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Syria red at Raon fiercely without responding. The emotion in his gaze was crystal clear. ¡°Syria, step back. You lost.¡± ¡°Heavenly Division leader¡­¡± ¡°If you haveints, I''ll be your opponent.¡± Sheryl crossed her arms and blocked Syria''s path. She was small, but the energy wave emanating from her overwhelmed Syria and soared to reach the end of the sky. ¡°¡­Alright. I have no choice since I cannot ''currently'' win against you, Raon. I lost. Your sword was amazing.¡± Syria really was an outstanding guy. He managed to regain hisposure and smiled despite what happened. ¡°Runaan, I''ll returnter since it looks like you aren''t doing too well today. You should share this with yourpanions.¡± He smiled gently and extended the hand holding the ice cream box. It could be called amazing that he was still pretending to be a kind older brother. ¡°She doesn''t need th¡­¡± ¡°I''ll tell him.¡± As Raon was about to refuse, Runaan stepped forward. ¡°Runaan?¡± * * * Runaan watched the entire situation from behind Raon''s back. She wanted to tell Syria to leave herself, but she couldn''t move her body because she remembered Syria''s voice telling her that he would kill everyone. Even though it was her business, she entrusted everything to Raon and hoped that Syria would disappear while covering her ears. When all sound became an unrecognizable ringing in her ears, Raon turned around and opened his mouth. ¡°Watch me properly.¡± Although she had covered her ears, she could hear him perfectly. She raised her head for the first time. Rumble! The tremendous energy exploding from Syria''s greatsword looked like the sky itself. Runaan screamed upon seeing the strike that could split apart everything in the world. ¡°Dodge!¡± However, Raon didn''t withdraw and slowly thrust his sword. The me on his de was extended like a wall, encroaching on the space. nk! Although Syria''s greatsword looked like it could even split the ocean apart, it couldn''t ovee Heavenly de''s thin de and let out a strange groan once it was stopped in the middle. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan eximed with trembling lips. ''He blocked it¡­'' Syria was a matchless existence in her head, someone that no one was able to stop. Once his sword was stopped by Raon, the jet-ck rain clouds filling her head fell with red rain. ''He wasn''t unstoppable.'' Syria wasn''t invincible. His voice, which used to resound in her head, and his presence that used to cover the entire sky, started to decrease little by little. Shatter! She felt refreshed, as if she had been freed from the shackles binding her hands and feet. ''Raon.'' Released from her shackles, Runaan turned around and smiled faintly while looking at Raon''s eyes, which widened in surprise. If Syria taught her death for the first time, Raon taught her about unbreakable will for the first time. He taught her that Syria could be ovee. He would be more than a lifelong benefactor. ¡°Thank you.¡± She expressed her gratitude, then took a step towards Syria, looking straight at him. ''I''m scared.'' She was still scared. She wanted to avert her eyes. However, she was able to face him because of Raon''s warm energy behind her. ¡°I-I don''t have anything to talk about with you, big brother.¡± Runaan raised her head while biting her lip. A small amount of confidence was sprouting in her purple eyes, surrounded by sunlight. ¡°Don''te to me until I visit you.¡± Her voice was trembling, but she told Syria what she wanted to say for the first time. ¡°R-Runaan¡­¡± The mask covering Syria''s face shattered into pieces for the first time. Chapter 209 Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Syria. ''Is that his true face?'' Apparently, Syria''s anger and emotionless facade were also an act, since his face after his mask had shattered was twisted in a grotesque manner. He didn''t even look like a human being anymore, resembling a beast straight from the wilderness. ''And a starving beast on top of that.'' There was no trace of reason in his glowing purple eyes. There was only ferocity and desire, raging like a fire. ''He might start attacking us.'' Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive. He couldn''t predict his actions, since it was his first time seeing him in that state. He needed to be prepared, since he could start attacking Runaan or himself. ¡°Hmm.¡± Sheryl came up next to them and narrowed her eyes. She apparently thought the same. ¡°Runaan¡­¡± Syria called Runaan with a much more affectionate voice than usual. ¡°What did you say just now?¡± He looked down on Runaan with a strange posture, his waist pulled back and his upper body leaning forward. A gloomy energy was emerging from above his shoulders. ¡°I-I told you to note.¡± Runaan didn''t withdraw, facing Syria''s creepy eyes. ¡°I''m going to stop you, big brother. I''m not going to stand still and do nothing like before!¡± She finished what she wanted to tell him even though her hands, gathered in front of her chest, were trembling. ¡°Haa¡­¡± White steam came out of Syria''s mouth. ¡°You will stop me? Stop me, huh¡­¡± ¡°Uhh!¡± Runaan''s legs faltered in the face of that extremely ominous energy. ¡°Good job on saying it.¡± Raon came up next to Runaan and held her shoulder. He raised Heavenly Drive to mid-height in order to react to any situation. ¡°Runaan. Ahu, my little sister¡­¡± Syria didn''t even take a nce at Raon, opening his mouth widely while staring at Runaan. ¡°When? When did you start making those eyes towards me? Why are you looking at me with those cold eyes?¡± He extended his wide-open hand,ughing in a strange manner. ¡°Scram!¡± Raon fended off Syria''s approach with the Fangs of Insanity. ang! Syria blocked the blow by holding his greatsword in a reverse grip, but he was pushed back to his original position. ¡°Runaan, how could my Runaan look at me like that? Aah¡­¡± ¡°The winner told you to leave.¡± When Syria started running towards them once again, Sheryl made her move. She lightly kicked the ground to advance, extending her right fist. am! A gray light sparkled, and Syria bounced away like a rubber ball, without even having time to defend himself before he was mmed into the ground. It was difficult to believe that such power came from a simple punch, without any preparatory movement. ''It was fast, and powerful.'' Sheryl''s punch was fast, powerful, and precise at the same time. The ability to harmonize all different principles in a punch in such a short time was indeed the skills of a Grandmaster. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Blood was flowing from Syria''s mouth from the damage, and Runaan was watching him with her lips tightly closed. ¡°There''s no ce for the loser here. You shall disappear, as you promised.¡± Raon coldly looked at him and pointed his sword. ¡°Runaan, the same blood flows in our veins.¡± Syria stood up while faltering and looked down on Runaan. ¡°You can''t run away, nor escape from this blood.¡± He grinned, drenching his lips with the blood flowing from his mouth. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Runaan''s eyes were trembling violently. Fear was emerging inside her, just like before she overcame her fear of blood. ¡°I-I¡­¡± ¡°She can.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, standing next to Runaan. ¡°She can run away, escape, and even beat you up.¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Syria''s gaze was directed at Raon for the first time. ¡°Watch him properly. He''s just a human being who can spill blood. You don''t need to be afraid. You can defeat him in the future with your own sword.¡± ¡°Do you really believe that''s possible?¡± ¡°I''ll make it possible.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Syria''s chin was trembling at hearing the serious resolution in Raon''s voice. ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan clenched her hand, which was no longer trembling, into a fist. She looked at Raon instead of Syria. ¡°Runaan! Where are you looking? Look at me! Don''t look at him, and look at me instea¡­¡± ¡°I told you to scram.¡± When Syria came running at Runaan in order to return her gaze to him, Raon ignited the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. m! Heavenly Drive''s burning de fended off Syria''s greatsword once again. ¡°Kuuh¡­¡± Syria groaned after being pushed back, his greatsword mming into the ground. ¡°You are getting in my way until the end¡­¡± ¡°Syria Sullion.¡± As Syria was about to approach with the intention to kill, a tremendous energy wave exploded like an eruption from the right. ¡°I''ll cut you if you take one more step forward.¡± Sheryl stood in front of Syria, her hand on the sword behind her. ¡°Keep your promise.¡± The deadly coldness flowing from her eyes showed that she was serious about what she said. ¡°You should disappear since you lost. There''s no ce for you here.¡± Raon also red at Syria, using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Syria grinned while looking at Raon and Runaan. His eyes were alsoughing for the first time, but his face looked like a devil''s smile instead of a human''s. ¡°Kuhuhuhu¡­¡± He giggled for a long time with his head lowered before straightening his back. ¡°You should¡­¡± ¡°It''s true that I have to leave now, since I lost.¡± As Raon was about to force him to leave, Syria raised his head. He managed to rece his thick mask in that short time period and was now making a fake smile. ¡°I''ll leave as promised. Runaan, I wish you good luck in war.¡± ¡°We don''t need good luck from you.¡± Raon shook his hand. ¡°Hah.¡± Syria snickered, then turned around. He even said goodbye to the warriors of House Yonaan and left, as if he had no lingering attachment. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Runaan finally sank on her knees and exhaled heavily. ¡°Good job on enduring it.¡± Raon patted Runaan''s shoulder with a smile. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded weakly, but her eyes were brighter than ever. ¡°Is that the Azure Sword''s true nature?¡± Sheryl narrowed his eyes, looking at Syria''s back. ¡°I did think he was hiding a lot behind his back, but he''s a lot more serious than I thought. He''s pretty much a madman at this point.¡± She eximed while helping Runaan stand as she caught her breath. ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°Anyway, good job. She must''ve plucked up the courage thanks to you, as well.¡± Sheryl smiled while tapping his back to praise him. It was Raon''s first time seeing her smile, but her smile looked kind rather than refreshing. He''s not an average madman. Wrath wrinkled his nose. He''s apletely perverted wack. If the King of Essence had a body, he would''ve been frozen already just to get his limbs torn into pieces! He regrettably shook his clenched fist. Even in Devildom, there aren''t many demons like him. How could a human be so crazy¡­? ''Are there more things like that?'' One of them is even a demon king. Uhh¡­ Wrath shuddered. It looked like he didn''t even want to think about it. ''Demon king, huh¡­'' Stop thinking about useless things and look at the ice cream girl. As Raon was about to ask again, Wrath hung on his shoulder. ''What?'' The ice cream girl is suffering right now. You shouldfort her already. ''But she managed to stand up on her own. Shouldn''t I beplimenting her instead offorting her?'' No, she''s currently going through a hard time, so she needs to beforted by something extremely delicious. ''¡­Delicious?'' Go to the bead ice cream shop right now and buy an ice cream for the girl. That''s the best way tofort her! Wrath violently swayed his arms, urging him to do it. ''It''s not tofort her. You just want to eat it.'' Raon sighed. That''s slightly¡ªvery slightly¡ªtrue, but the King of Essence is doing it for her sake. You feel better when you eat sweet stuff, so the depression should disappear. ''Hmm¡­'' When Raon thought about it, he remembered Helen mentioning that eating sweet food made you feel better. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Raon went to Runaan and extended his hand. ¡°Where?¡± Runaan raised her head, her eyes once more nk. ¡°We don''t need to cancel our ns just because of him.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Come with us, Heavenly de leader. I''ll buy.¡± Raon looked at Sheryl after making Runaan stand. ¡°Me, too?¡± * * * Probably because it was a hot region, the bead ice cream shop in Dembell City was a lot bigger than the one in Cameloon. Dozens of different bead ice creams were filling the cab on the other side of the ss window, and ice cream desserts were also disyed in a line. ¡°There''s a lot. It''s big¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s eyes were wide, looking all around and examining the ice cream on the other side of the ss. ¡°Hmm, they all look pretty good.¡± Sheryl was also examining the ice cream desserts while sticking right next to the ss window. Considering the fact that she always ate at least a small chocte after a meal, she must''ve loved desserts like them. Kuh! Wrath sniffled while looking at Runaan''s back. I''m proud of her! I''m so proud of her! ''What?'' The ice cream girl broke the shell on her own and came out! I''m so proud of her that I want to pat her shoulder! He nodded, with teary blue eyes. The King of Essence wanted to devour that perverted bastard alive, but your choice of letting the bead ice cream girl ovee it by herself was the correct one. I''m so relieved. Wrath was looking at Runaan warmly, saying that he was proud of her. ''Hmm¡­'' Raon licked his lips. ¡®Is he really a demon king?¡¯ Except for his doormat nature that he showed sometimes¡ªor rather, often¡ªhe felt more like a busybody middle-aged man or woman. When I look at the ice cream girl standing on her two feet, I''m satisfied without even eating. ''Then let''s skip your ice cream.'' Shut up! Wrath pped his hands, telling him to stop kidding. The King of Essence is hungry! Go right now and order every single ice cream in this shop! ''I knew you wanted toe here because you were hungry.'' That''s not true, the King of Essence¡­ As Wrath was stubbornly trying to refute his words, the messages appeared. [You''ve achieved equality against an opponent with an overwhelming difference.] [All stats have increased by 6.] [Your heavy sword''s proficiency has increased significantly.] The message was telling him that all of his stats and the heavy sword''s proficiency had improved thanks to fighting equally against Syria, who was a lot stronger than him. ''Six whole points?'' Considering it gave six whole points despite just being facing him on equal footing, Syria must''ve been really strong. Raon was still feeling a bit bitter, but reading the message made all his irritation disappear. Uuh¡­ On the other hand, Wrath, who was excited about eating the ice cream, widened his eyes to a point where they could pop out. This stupid system! Why are you giving him stats when that pervert bastard had a handicap? This is an unreasonable reward! Wrath ground his teeth, arguing that he shouldn''t get stats since Syria had a handicap and it was just a draw. ''It''s because I overcame a disadvantageous fight.'' Raon snickered. Even though Syria couldn''t use the best of his abilities, he was still at a huge disadvantage. Since the victory was achieved through strategy and instantaneous judgment, it wasn''t strange to receive so many rewards. Hnng! I lost my appetite! Wrath briskly turned his head to express his displeasure. ¡°What are you going to eat, Raon?¡± Runaan, who was still choosing the ice cream after having already picked ten of them, turned around and shouted. ''I''ll skip them since you said you don''t have an appetite, alright?'' Huh? Huuh? Raon shook his hand at Wrath and looked at Runaan. ¡°Ah, I lost my appetite¡­¡± Mint chocte! Wrath screeched, despite having said he lost appetite. Tell her you want mint chocte! ''But your appetite¡­'' Mint chocaate! * * * * * * Dembell City Northern Castle Wall Syria Sullion¡¯s fervent eyes were shaking as he watched Runaan and Raon exit the ice cream shop. ¡°Sir Syria.¡± A man covering his whole body with a white robe came up to him and bowed. ¡°The others have already arrived in the vicinity. You need to leave now.¡± ¡°Do I really need to go?¡± ¡°Since there''s an item we need to get from him, we need to make sure to finish him off this time.¡± The robed man narrowed his eyes while looking at Runaan and Raon. ¡°Although the White Blood Religion is going to kill him anyway, I''ll devise a n to dispose of Raon Zieghart if you tell me to.¡± ¡°No.¡± Syria slowly shook his head. ¡°Let him be. I saw something great today.¡± ¡°Wh-What would that be¡­?¡± The robed man raised his head slightly. The madness in Syria''s voice was overflowing and he soundedpletely different from usual. ¡°Runaan, I didn''t expect her to show those eyes. They were beautiful. Chills ran down my spine the moment I saw myself reflected in her transparent purple eyes.¡± Syria grinned, tearing at his left arm to the point that it bled. ¡°Those eyes, that face of hers when she looked at me. Aah, it was great.¡± ¡°S-Sir Syria?¡± The robed man swallowed nervously. ¡°You know, I thought an apple needed to be grown inside a ss bottle. I believed that it needed to be raised with extreme care, so that no pests nor rain could touch it.¡± Syria continued his strange story while licking his lips. ¡°But I was wrong. It''s brimming with vitality from receiving real sunlight outside of the bottle and fighting pests. My heart is trembling from just looking at it. That''s why¡­¡± He turned around and covered the robed man''s mouth. ¡°Don''t even think about touching those pests. Get it?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes!¡± The robed man just nodded, unable to think at all. He''d been with Syria for over ten years now, but it was the first time he was spreading so much madness. ¡°The faster Runaan grows, the more beneficial it is for me. Because that girl will be mine in the end.¡± Syria smiled like a Cheshire cat while watching the tiny smile on Runaan¡¯s face as she ate the ice cream. Whir. Once Runaan left his vision, the madnessing from Syria slowly subsided. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He caught his breath and slowly turned around. The monstrous man from before, who couldn''t hide his excitement was now gone, and he had returned to being the Azure Sword Syria Sullion, praised by the world. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Syria shook the dust off his clothes with a refreshing smile. ¡°I should block his path at least, in order to ingratiate myself with those seniors.¡± * * * The next day, Raon looked up to the four-horse carriage parked at the main entrance of House Yonaan. ¡°It''s amazing.¡± The harmony between straight and curved lines created a beautiful outside appearance, a shock absorbing device was installed inside to reduce the shaking, and its durability was even better than steel. He heard it was personally made by the head of house, Michelle Yonaan, and judging from its outer appearance and the interior, it seemed to be the only carriage in the world made for Encia. It looked even more beautiful, because he could feel her love towards her daughter. ¡°Wow! The carriage is awesome! As expected of House Yonaan.¡± Dorian fidgeted with his fingers while looking at the carriage. It looked like he would put it in his belly pocket if no one was watching. ¡°Raon, is it really okay for us to ept this?¡± Burren pointed at the round ne hanging under his neck. ¡°An evade poison artifact of this degree is a priceless item.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I agree, it''s a bit too expensive.¡± Martha and Krein also narrowed their eyes while looking at their evade poison artifacts. ¡°We just need to return them after using them. Don''t worry about it.¡± Raon shook his hand with a smile. Those items needed to be returned anyway. The real rewards were the ones they were going to obtain once the mission was over. ¡°Prepare to depart!¡± Sheryl and Michelle wereing down from the building inside the house while supporting Encia. Encia''s expression was slightly brighter than before frompletely epting the reality of the situation. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Light Wind and Heavenly de answered loud and clear, before examining the carriage and mounting their horses. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Raon went to Encia and examined her condition. ¡°Yes, I''m okay now.¡± She responded ambiguously while smiling faintly. ¡°If you ever have a problem, please tell us immediately.¡± ¡°Thank you. You are freaking handsome today as well.¡± Encia started staring at Raon''s face even though she was about to enter the carriage. ¡°Stop it already! You silly girl!¡± ¡°Ah, Mom! Let me look at Sir Raon''s face a little bit longer¡­¡± ¡°Do itter!¡± Michelle frowned, personally pushing Encia in the carriage. Raon smiled faintly while watching the quarrel between mother and daughter. It was a relief that they looked like they managed to ovee the betrayal of someone who was pretty much their family. ¡°We are finally getting started.¡± Raon grasped the ne Michelle gave him while looking at the blue sky that seemed to be a good omen for their safe return. ''I''m fully prepared.'' ¡®Come at me, Robert dogs.¡¯ * * * ¡°We will stay here for tonight.¡± Sheryl dismounted from her horse and pointed at the open area located on the forest''s outskirts. It wasn''t a wide area, but it was a decent ce to spend a night. ¡°Prepare to camp!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Following her order, the Heavenly de swordsmen casually scattered away. ¡°Hmm?¡± Encia left the carriage, narrowing her eyes. It''s because she saw the busy Heavenly de and the Light Wind slowly preparing for their training. ¡°What a curious sight. I thought the Heavenly de people were the seniors.¡± ¡°They are indeed seniors. They are far more experienced than us.¡± Dorian smiled while walking up to Encia. ¡°What? But why are the Heavenly de people the only ones to work?¡± ¡°Ah, there''s a really interesting story behind this. Actually, our vice-squad leader¡­¡± He told her about the arm-wrestling incident that happened before. ¡°Wow, he''s handsome and smart, and strong as well?¡± Encia''s eyes lookedpletely impressed as she stared at Raon with her hands gathered together. ¡°You areplimenting me too much.¡± ¡°It''s not too much. You are so damn handsome.¡± It was mysterious that she only used ng whenever she called him handsome. She was a mysterious person in many ways. ¡°Is your body alright?¡± ¡°Yes. I''m feeling a lot better than when I was at home.¡± Encia smiled, showing her forearm, where the heat had decreased. ¡°That''s a relief. I''m going to quickly check the surroundings before Ie back.¡± Raon turned around and called the Light Wind. ¡°Don''t y around, do your guard duty properly.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Don''t you trust me?¡± ¡°Affirmative!¡± Hearing the responses that were so full of personality, Raon went to the deeper part of the forest. He looked around for about thirty minutes to see if there was anything dangerous, but he couldn''t find any bandits nor monsters since it was an area close to Dembell City. ''I should swing my sword a little before returning.'' Since Sheryl and Ekan were at camp, he figured it was okay to warm himself up before returning. Do you never get tired of it? Wrath frowned, unable to understand him. ''Tired of it? But it''s fun for me.'' Since he could never experience the feeling of getting better and progressing in his previous life, there was no way it wouldn''t be fun. Raon pushed away Wrath, who keptining, and drew Heavenly Drive. ''Let''s start with the heavy sword.'' The feeling of the heavy sword that pushed Syria back was still vivid in his head. He raised his sword in order to feel that sensation once again. ''Heavy, it needs to be heavier than anything.'' He swung his sword, incorporating the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s energy into Heavenly Drive''s de. Rumble! The powerful pressure spreading from the thin de copsed thend that he didn''t even touch. ¡°It''s still not enough.¡± Probably because he became more proficient in the heavy sword, or because he wasn''t in an actual battle, he felt like something was amiss. However, he couldn''t tell what he was missing. Step. As he raised his sword again to strike, small footsteps could be heard. Since they were familiar steps, he calmly turned his head around. ¡°Are you training?¡± Sheryl was approaching him with indifferent eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded, then lowered Heavenly Drive. ¡°I''d like to find the feeling I had during the fight against Syria.¡± ¡°That wasn''t too bad.¡± Sheryl nonchntly nodded. ¡°But it couldn''t exactly be called mid-level.¡± ¡°I know. However¡­¡± ¡°Are you not sure what exactly you arecking?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Then I''ll teach you what you arecking.¡± The light of aura was reflected in Sheryl''s calm eyes. ¡°Raise your sword.¡± Chapter 210 North Grave Mountain Midpoint Rimmer was licking his lips while leaning his back against a long boulder that looked like a leafid on the ground horizontally. ¡°My lord.¡± He raised his head to look at the top of the boulder. ¡°Why did you entrust Raon to that inflexible woman?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn didn''t respond, instead he just stared at the annex building, where faint light was emerging from the darkness. ¡°What are you going to do if Raon learns to be as strict as Sheryl?¡± Rimmer''s hand was trembling, terrified by that possibility. ¡°He''s already meticulous as he is right now, and if he takes after Sheryl on top of that¡­ Aww! I don''t even want to think about it!¡± He shook his head, telling him that shouldn''t be allowed to happen. ¡°That boy was trying to create his own swordsmanship.¡± Glenn opened his mouth, slowly looking up. ¡°Yes. He''s currently researching the heavy sword.¡± Rimmer nodded, thinking about the way Raon was practicing the heavy sword. ¡°The Heavenly de leader has trained all different sword''s properties to the extreme. She''s the most helpful person for him right now.¡± Glenn nonchntly exined the reason he entrusted Raon to Sheryl. ¡°So, you were taking care of Raon once again. You are really a grandson''s grandfather, since you even moved the Heavenly de in order to teach him.¡± ¡°Silence.¡± ¡°If you like Raon so much, and want to take care of him, you should just say it! Or you should at least personally take care of him! It feels so frustrating to watch!¡± Rimmer mmed his chest. ¡°Head of House, you might end up dying without even telling him your feelings a single time! You know, people at our age can die at any time¡­¡± ¡°I guess you get sores in your mouth if you don¡¯t get beaten at least once a month.¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Crimson sparks appeared in Glenn''s hand, and Rimmer shut his mouth tightly. However, it looked like he couldn''t bear the silence, since he opened his mouth again in less than ten seconds. ¡°It''s okay that you did it for Raon''s sake, but you made a mistake this time.¡± ¡°Mistake?¡± ¡°There''s no way that inflexible woman would teach him swordsmanship.¡± Rimmer frowned intensely. ¡°She will teach him properly once she starts, but I don''t think that''s going to happen.¡± Sheryl was the strictest person in Zieghart. There was no way she would easily decide to teach Raon. ¡°Raon is amazing in many ways, but he''s going to need at least ten missions with her in order to open her mind.¡± Rimmer swayed his arms in circles. ¡°It''s better to open the library and show him various books on swordsmanship than to wait for that to happen.¡± Although he acknowledged Raon''s abilities, he couldn''t imagine Raon oveing Sheryl''s strictness. ¡°What do you think will happen if Sheryl teaches swordsmanship to Raon?¡± ¡°Hmm, it will be extremely helpful for him if she does teach him.¡± Rimmer continued while scratching his chin. ¡°She does teach properly, since she is such a strict person. I''m sure that will allow him to grow a lot.¡± If Sheryl decided to teach him, she would keep teaching him until he realized the true meaning. In that case, his proficiency was bound to reach a different level by the time he returned. ¡°Then there''s nothing to worry about.¡± Glenn took out an opened letter from his inner pocket. ¡°Because the Heavenly de leader is currently teaching not only Raon, but also the other children.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± Rimmer''s jaw dropped. ¡°N-No way! How did that even happen?¡± ¡°She was tricked by Raon.¡± ¡°T-Tricked? That Sheryl was?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rimmer''s lips were trembling. He never imagined that Sheryl could be tricked by Raon''s ns, despite her meticulous personality. He really was an amazing guy. ¡°She said she would properly teach Raon the heavy sword.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°He''s going to grow up a lot by the time he returns.¡± Glenn smiled faintly, enjoying Rimmer''s surprised reaction. ¡°I''m looking forward to it a little.¡± * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Sheryl, who stopped in front of him. ¡°Did you run away again because you didn''t want to cook?¡± ¡°Wh-What are you saying right now?¡± Sheryl was quickly blinking her eyes in panic. ¡°You also ran away when we wereing to House Yonaan because you messed up the cooking multiple times¡­¡± It was mysterious that cooking was the one thing Sheryl was bad at, even though she was good at everything else. It was truly a mystery that her food tasted like mud, when mud wasn''t even one of the ingredients. That was terrible¡­ Wrath sighed. Even the demon king of voracity surrendered to Sheryl''s food,beling it not made for humans. ¡°That did happen back then, but that''s not the case this time!¡± She violently shook her head, telling him that he was mistaken. ¡°Then why did you suddenly decide toe here?¡± ¡°Haa, I told you I would teach you the heavy sword¡­¡± Sheryl''s voice was weak, probably because she realized the situation was already unfolding differently from what she wanted. ¡°I properly see it through once I start something. I didn''t finish my lesson about the heavy sword.¡± She narrowed her eyes while pointing at Heavenly Drive. ¡°There''s a huge weakness in your heavy sword right now. I came here to teach you about that, not because of the food. It''s true!¡± ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡± Raon awkwardly nodded. Judging from the way she emphasized it, the cooking must''ve been part of the reason. ¡°I have a question before I teach you the heavy sword.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Why are you trying to create a new swordsmanship instead of learning an existing one?¡± Sheryl was apparently aware that he was trying to create a new swordsmanship through the principles of the heavy sword. ¡°Can you answer?¡± ¡°I can, since it''s not a big deal.¡± Raon nodded nonchntly. ¡°I kept training the Star Connecting Sword, even after I learned advanced swordsmanship. I was just trying to warm up and remind myself of the basics, but the swordsmanship started to transform to match my tendencies at some point.¡± ¡°Transform?¡± ¡°The Star Connecting Sword is originally more focused on defense than offense, but the one I''ve been using is more focused on offense. The swordsmanship has evolved to match my personality and aura.¡± He was enlightened after he reached the highest level of Expert and created Frost Pond. He was capable of changing a swordsmanship''s flow itself once he learned it to the extreme. ¡°However, it was stillckingpared to the swordsmanship I had created myself, despite all the changes. Just as custom clothes feel morefortable than ready-made clothes, the swordsmanship I created myself was more powerful and reactive, with more possibilities for progress.¡± ¡°I see. It should suit you better than any other swordsmanship, since you can use it the way you want to. However, it''s an extremely difficult path.¡± Sheryl nonchntly looked at Heavenly Drive. ¡°Creating a new swordsmanship is a matter of enlightenment. The door might not open, even if you learn countless swordsmanship styles and increase their proficiencies.¡± ¡°I don''t mind it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even if I don''t manage to create a new swordsmanship, I''m already enjoying training and getting stronger.¡± Raon smiled. He wasn''t lying. Just like he told Wrath, the joy of progressing and getting better was bringing him more happiness than any other emotion. ¡°I see. So that was why.¡± Sheryl nodded with a faint smile on her face. ''He really isn¡¯t an ordinary guy.'' His response was brimming with wisdom. She was wondering how he got the temperament of a young founder, and it was because his willpower and his soul level werepletely different from ordinary people. ''That''s pretty good.'' His confident and lenient answer was pretty good, but the fact that he practiced the basic swordsmanship Star Connecting Sword to the extreme was even better. ¡°Did that answer your question?¡± Raon slightly lowered his chin while looking at Sheryl as she indulged in her thoughts. ¡°Yes, it did.¡± Although he didn''t say anything special, Sheryl seemed satisfied, since a graceful smile had appeared around her mouth. ¡°Since I heard your answer, it should be my turn now.¡± Sheryl took her sword from behind her back along with its scabbard. ¡°We will do it the same way as your match against Syria. You shall strike me with the best heavy sword you can currently use. I''ll match my heavy sword to your strength and proficiency in response.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She was nning to teach him by shing against him, and Raon preferred that methodpared to theory lessons since it felt easier for him. ¡°Come at me.¡± Sheryl turned her palm face up, bending four fingers towards herself in a e at me¡¯ gesture. Rumble! Raon raised Heavenly Drive to head''s level, gathering the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme. He exploded the energy of the raging fire dashing through his mana circuit at Sheryl. am! He swung Heavenly Drive down in one fell swoop, incorporating heaviness. His image was a mountain. The de was engulfed by the weight of the North Grave Mountain, which surrounded the entirety of Zieghart. ¡°Is that all?¡± Sheryl swung her scabbard upward with cold light reflected in her eyes. Rumble! The huge power exploding out of it looked like a sudden tidal wave emerging from a peaceful ocean, and that power shed against Heavenly Drive. Baam! The terrifying shockwave emerging from the sh between Heavenly Drive and Sheryl''s scabbard created fissures on thend in the shape of a spiderweb. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon grit his teeth, while looking at Sheryl''s scabbard, which was emanating a fearsome amount of power. ''I''m getting pushed back!'' Although he was definitely using a simr amount of aura and heaviness as her, he was being pushed back one-sidedly, as if he were trying to block steel with a tree branch. Tssh! Unable to ovee the tremendous weight in Sheryl''s scabbard, he had to take five whole steps back. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± He couldn''t understand. Just like she promised, Sheryl was only using the same amount of aura and heavy sword principles as him, but he got pushed back way too easily, as if he were a kidpeting against an adult. ''Moreover, I had the upper hand.'' In a sh between a downward swing and an upward swing of a heavy sword, the downward swing obviously had the advantage. He couldn''t understand how he was still pushed back despite that fact. ¡°Can I try it again?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sheryl nodded, lowering her scabbard. She was telling him to swing down once again. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon resonated the Ring of Fire and swirled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He maximized his focus as if he were in a fight of life and death, then kicked the ground. Whir! The crimson me created on Heavenly Drive''s de harmonized with the heaviness to generate a tremendous amount of pressure. The heaviness that used to stay on the de now engulfed the space as it rushed towards Sheryl. ''I need to properly watch it.'' While attacking with everything he had, Raon focused entirely on Sheryl''s sword. Cring! The gray aura spreading like heat haze on the scabbard dominated the space a lot faster than him and soared. ''The sword wasn''t the only one!'' The heaviness of her strike didn''t simplye from the de. Even the strands of aura spreading on the scabbard incorporated the principles of heavy sword. am! Heavenly Drive and the scabbard shed once again, and Raon was bounced back like a rubber ball. He knelt on the ground. ¡°I-I finally understood.¡± Raon raised himself while exhaling roughly. ¡°How to incorporate heaviness.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I''ve only been incorporating heaviness in the de. I dominated the space with the heaviness on the de, just like a fish following the flow of water. However, the Heavenly de leader''s strike was different.¡± He pointed at her scabbard, then continued. ¡°The heaviness wasn''t only on the de, but also in the strands of aura spreading around the de. That''s why it could dominate the space faster and wider, resulting in my loss.¡± That was the reason he was pushed back despite using the same aura and principles of the heavy sword. She had incorporated heaviness into the aura spreading from the de on top of the de itself. ¡°Correct.¡± Sheryl nodded with a smile. ¡°The heaviness only remained on your de. Even though it''s still powerful, thanks to your aura and your physical strength, it can only swallow a narrow amount of space.¡± ¡°You are right.¡± ¡°However, if you incorporate aura on the spreading aura on top of the de, the power, speed, and range will be doubled. And¡­¡± She raised her scabbard for the first time. The gray energy gathered and merged on top of the scabbard, forming perfectly materialized astral energy. Whaaam! Although she was just standing still, an outrageous amount of pressure spread out from her. Raon felt like his entire body was being crushed despite using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, as if the heavy sword she''d shown during her previous lesson was mere child''s y. Rumble. It wasn''t just him. The entire open space was getting crushed. The whole space was pretty much in the palm of her hand. ¡°Using astral energy and the true heavy sword creates this result. The only people who can fight in this domain are warriors who have reached the same level as me.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Don''t be too focused on the de, practice incorporating the sword''s properties in your aura and the space. Just like I mentioned before, the mental image is the hint.¡± Sheryl removed the astral energy, then put her scabbard behind her back. ¡°Your swordsmanship should be able to advance to the next dimension once you achieve that. And that''s¡­¡± She stopped speaking for a moment, then looked up to the sky. ¡°One of the ways to achieve Sword Field Creation.¡± ¡°Sword Field Creation¡­¡± He unconsciously swallowed at the mention of Sword Field Creation. ¡°I thought it would take a long time, but it finished so quickly. It''s not fun to teach you.¡± Sheryl chuckled, then turned around. She went towards camp as if she had nothing left to do with him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at Sheryl''s back as she left. ''She''s different from what I thought.'' When he saw Sheryl for the first time, he thought she was just a strict swordswoman like the rumors said, but he could see different sides of her from traveling with her. She was a much more warmhearted and considerate person than he¡¯d thought. ¡°Since I''ve learned it, I need some practice now.¡± You should be able to do some sloppy technique like that without even practicing. Let''s go eat instead. ''I need to practice because I''m not a demon king.'' What are you talking about? Your mindset is already that of a fully-fledged demon king! Even the King of Essence needs to take after you in some respects! Wrath''s eyes turned round. It looked like he was serious about that. ¡°Is that apliment or an insult¡­?¡± Raon sighed, then incorporated Heavenly Drive''s de with the principles of heaviness. ''Not only the de, but also the aura¡­'' He incorporated the heavy sword''s principles in the mes spreading from the de like a heat haze. However, the mes scattered into the air before they could contain the weight, making it difficult to properly strengthen them. ''This is not easy.'' There was a reason Sheryl called it a true heavy sword. It was extremely difficult to incorporate the heavy sword''s principles in the scattering aura. ''This is going to be interesting.'' He unconsciously smiled. It was certainly going to be difficult, but he could only smile in anticipation for how his heavy sword would be once he managed to achieve that. ¡°And¡­¡± Sword Field Creation. He''d been avoiding thinking about it on purpose because he was still too far away from it, but he remembered that name thanks to Sheryl. ¡°I might be able to achieve that¡­¡± He swung his sword, filling the silver-white de with the principles of the heavy sword. am! Unlike before, the aura on the right side contained heaviness, bursting the ground on the right side and charring it in ck. ¡°I''ll reach it.¡± Raon smiled, then raised Heavenly Drive above his head once again. Wherever it is. * * * * * * Once Raon returned from his training, the tents were alreadypleted and the meal was ready, the entire camp filled with a mouthwatering fragrance. That''s a nice fragrance. Duck seems to be today''s meat. Roasted duck with butter is bound to be delicious. Listening to Wrath''s mumbling as he guessed the food from nothing but the scent, he went to Encia''s carriage. A small bonfire was ignited in front of the carriage, and Encia, Runaan, Dorian, and Krein were sitting around it in a circle. ¡°Erm, Lady Encia?¡± Dorian threw firewood into the bonfire, then waved his hand at Encia. ¡°I heard you had an excellent eye for beauty. Is that true?¡± ¡°It''s not that great. I''m just slightly better than others in that aspect.¡± Encia smiled lightly, telling him it wasn''t a big deal. ¡°Then can you check me as well? How is my face?¡± Dorian raised his finger and pointed at his face. ¡°Hmm.¡± Encia narrowed his eyes and examined Dorian''s face from different angles before nodding. ¡°You look cute.¡± ¡°R-Rather than cute, how about being handsome¡­¡± ¡°You look kind.¡± Sheforted Dorian by describing him with words that were used when she couldn''t find anything topliment. ¡°No, instead of kind, there''s that other word! The thing you tell the vice-squad leader all the time!¡± ¡°Those clothes look good on you.¡± She smiled, never calling him handsome. She was apparently the type of person who couldn''t lie. ¡°Can you check me as well?¡± Krein swept up his bangs, which were covering his left eye, to the side and stood in front of Encia. Judging from the way he lowered his voice, he apparently wanted to be called handsome at all costs. ¡°I don''t really lose in terms of appearance¡­ ¡° ¡°You look cool.¡± ¡°No, but I''m asking whether I''m handsome or not¡­¡± ¡°You look nice.¡± Once again, Encia just smiled without telling Krein what he wanted. ¡°Then, how about Sir Raon''s face¡­?¡± ¡°That goes without saying! He''s so damn handsome!¡± Encia raised her voice while looking at Raon, who was spectating from behind, as if she''d been waiting for that opportunity. ¡°His hair, skin, nose¡­ Everything''s crazy¡­¡± ¡°No, but lots of people told me I''m handsome¡­¡± ¡°He''s matchless!¡± She got angry at him instead, as if she were scolding him about asking that useless question. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Krein called out to Dorian, and Dorian slowly nodded as he stood up. ¡°Let''s die.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± They nodded, groaning in sadness with their eyes closed. ¡°Why would you do that when appearance isn''t even that important¡­?¡± Raon clicked his tongue while looking at them. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°That¡¯s going too far!¡± Dorian and Krein ran into the forest while wiping around their eyes with their sleeves. You should really be a demon king instead. * * * The journey was smooth. The road was well paved, there were no monsters nor bandits, and since Encia was holding out pretty well, it looked like they would be able to arrive at Retran faster than they''d estimated. ¡°We will be at Retran once we cross this forest. Brace yourselves, since we are going to move without resting!¡± Sheryl pointed at Krun Forest, which was filled with broad-leaved trees and grasses as dense as an animal''s fur. Since going around would take them an extra three days, crossing the forest was the fastest route to Retran. ¡°Enter!¡± Once she confirmed everyone was ready, she took the lead and entered Krun Forest. ¡°Enter!¡± Raon and the swordsmen repeated after her and followed her. Raon advanced through the forest road while focusing on his aura perception, but he couldn''t feel anything yet. ''Are they still noting?'' He was looking forward to the Robert bastards, since Krun Forest was the best ce for them to attack, yet he could only sense animals and monsters. ''I''m sure they won''t miss this opportunity though, considering their personalities.'' ¡°Vice-squad leader.¡± While he was trying to predict Temas''s thoughts, Dorian came up next to him. ¡°I heard the war in Retran has been going on for multiple months. What are they even fighting for?¡± He asked while scratching his cheek. It looked like he finally got curious about it. The other swordsmen also seemed interested, since they secretly looked at them. ¡°What are you even expecting? Wars don''t break out because of important reasons.¡± ¡°What? What else?¡± ¡°The reason is usually trivial. And the same goes for Retran.¡± Raon continued while looking at the swordsmen, including Dorian. ¡°The houses currently fighting in Retran are Basin and Trian, and the reason why they are fighting¡­¡± ¡°Wh-What is the reason?¡± ¡°It''s because of one child.¡± ¡°Child?¡± ¡°Child?¡± He was sure, since he heard it from Judiel, and confirmed it in Dembell City. There was only one reason for Retran''s war, and it was because the two sides wanted to take a young boy with genius talents. ¡°H-How is that even possible? How can a war even break out just because of one single boy¡­?¡± ¡°The boy was the trigger, but you know how the two houses are sharing Retran between them. He triggered a battle of pride, which aggravated into a war.¡± ¡°Then what happened to that boy?¡± ¡°I don''t think they are even interested in him anymore. They are just fighting for their pride.¡± A conflict like that was extremelymon in the continent. It was the same in his previous life, where people often fought because of a small portion ofnd or some item that wasn''t even amazing. ¡°The Saint must be going through lots of trouble.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Raon started nodding, then narrowed his eyes in the middle. Whoosh! Once they entered an area where the leaves from the wide-leaved trees became a bit darker, the atmosphere became cooler, and he could feel extremely small presences. ''They are here after all.'' He was worried they might have given up because they didn''t show any signs of movement, but that wasn''t the case. Temas didn''t betray his expectations¡ªhe went there before them to install formations and have assassins waiting for them. Sheryl and Ekan''s eyes were serious. Apparently, they were already aware of their presences, but were nning to use the situation to teach the Light Wind. Rumble. The moment Encia''s carriage passed next to an oak tree with a huge hole, the presences covering the entire forest moved at once. ¡°Enemies are here!¡± ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± As soon as Sheryl and Ekan gave the order, the Heavenly de spread out in four directions and created a defensive formation. ¡°Light Wind, create the small sword formation and stay behind the carriage!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Burren understood the situation, taking the swordsmen behind the carriage to create a sword formation. ¡°No one''s going to die if you move ording to orders!¡± Raon encouraged the nervous Light Wind members, then turned his head. Tchng! Looking at the twisted forest as if it had been engulfed by a storm, which was the result of the formation, Raon calmly smiled. ¡°Did you wait for a long time?¡± ¡®Just like you''ve been waiting for me, I''ve also been waiting for you.¡¯ Chapter 211 Hill Above Krun Forest¡¯s Entrance ¡°They are finally here.¡± Temas narrowed his eyes, looking at the carriage and Zieghart swordsmen entering the forest. His gaze wasn''t focused on the Heavenly de division leader or vice-division leader, but the blonde swordsman who was moving right next to the carriage instead. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Temas was blurting out Raon''s name, as if he wanted to chew him up alive. Since it was his first time being so humiliated by a kid even younger than his son''s generation, he was still boiling with anger. ¡°I''ll kill you no matter what, even if it''s just you.¡± If only he could kill Raon, he didn''t even care what happened to the others. ''You were so good at running your mouth. Let me see what you are going to say when you die.¡± He couldn''t even sleep because he kept remembering how he toyed with him with words. He was looking forward to finally having a sound sleep by using his scream as his luby. ¡°Encia Yonaan¡­¡± Temas ground his teeth, looking at Encia opening the carriage''s window and looking around the forest. ''She said it was his face!'' It was so humiliating that he lost because of his face, rather than his ability or fame as a doctor. His hand started to tremble in anger at the memory of that scene. ''I won''t kill you right here, but you won''t live for a long time, either.'' He''d decided to let her barely survive and make her feel a hellish pain when he devoured House Yonaan before eventually killing her. ¡°Yufen.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Temas bobbed his hand, and his disciple Yufen came to him and knelt. ¡°How are the preparations?¡± ¡°Formation, silencing bombs, poisons, and poisonous insects. Everything has been confirmed three times over. The assassins are also waiting in their respective positions.¡± Yufen continued with a cold smile. ¡°That insect bastard who humiliated master is going to be erased from the world without even leaving a bone behind.¡± ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°However, I''m worried about one thing.¡± Yufen''s eyes were trembling slightly in anxiety. ¡°Worried?¡± ¡°I thought the Heavenly de division leader might discover our location¡­¡± ¡°Even a Grandmaster isn''t a god. Since we are using two formations to conceal our presence on top of watching them from afar, she wouldn''t be able to find us unless she was Glenn Zieghart himself.¡± Temas snorted and shook his head. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Yufen breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled. ¡°Stop worrying about unnecessary things and get ready to send the signal.¡± Temas turned his gaze towards Encia''s carriage once again. The carriage was entering the area where the forest was getting gradually darker. ''It''s over once they get trapped inside the formation.'' The formation installed in that ce was the Bloody Mountain Formation, capable of disturbing the senses and crushing the body with intense pressure. Since experts were more sensitive to the change in their senses, it should''ve also worked against the Heavenly de and their division leader. ''After that, I''ll block their vision and spread poison.'' The silencing bombs and poisons would be spread right after the formation''s activation in order to block their vision and disturb their aura flow before the assassins charged at them. ''However, that''s not the real danger.'' Temas looked at the ground, which was covered with gray soil. Dozens of poisonous insects that were more than capable of killing a Master were buried under that ce. The n was to use the poisonous insects to assassinate Raon while the Heavenly de leader was busy protecting the carriage from the poison powders and assassins. ¡°They are almost there. Get them ready.¡± Temas gestured with his hand, looking at the carriage entering the inner part of the forest. ¡°Yes.¡± Yufen brought the silver flute to his mouth while staying right next to Temas. The moment the carriage entered the center of the formation, he blew the flute vigorously. Tchng! As soon as the tiny sound¡ªsimr to a grass bug¡ªresounded from the flute, the silver energy narrowed down like a trap to lock up the carriage and the swordsmen. ¡°It''s activated.¡± Temas rolled the corners of his mouth up into a vicious smile. ¡°I''ll kill you without even leaving bones behind!¡± Thud! The resounding noise was like the sky was copsing. The forest rotated in a spiral to create a scene that they''d never viewed before. They were at the top of a mountain, so high that they couldn''t even see thend below because of the fog, without many ces to set foot on. ¡°Wh-What is this ce?!¡± ¡°Why are we suddenly on a mountain?¡± ¡°Woaagh!¡± ¡°Be careful! You are going to fall.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen were surprised by the sudden change of terrain and started screaming. ¡°It''s a formation!¡± ¡°Don''t move from your position!¡± ¡°Stay on high alert!¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen were also surprised, but they immediately changed their stance to prepare for the assault. ''This is nostalgic.'' Raon smiled while looking at the ground without the slightest panic. ¡®Bloody Mountain Formation.¡¯ That strange phenomenon wasn''t teleportation magic, but a formation intended to kill people used by Robert''s shadows, the Bloody Mountain Formation. The Bloody Mountain Formation had the ability to dull people''s senses, create heavy pressure to limit movement and breathing, and even gave the impression that they were transported to another location. That was how the cold wind was currently storming at them as if they were at the peak of a mountain. ''The biggest advantage of Bloody Mountain Formation is its durability.'' A fair amount of power wasn¡¯t enough to break through the Bloody Mountain Formation. Sheryl could probably do it if she went all-out, but it was impossible for Ekan or himself to pierce through it. That was how high its durability was. Boom! As soon as the formation waspleted, ck smoke appeared from all directions to cover his vision. It was the silencing bomb, a special smokescreen capable of disturbing an aura''s flow. ''It''s exactly the same as before.'' Their method of attacking after causing failure to the five senses and aura bybining the Bloody Mountain Formation and silencing bomb hadn''t changed at all. It was about time the assassins started attacking. ¡°You don''t need to be scared, as it''s not a real mountain! Stay in formation!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°I''ll smack your head if you move, so shut up and draw your swords!¡± Burren, Runaan, and Martha enhanced their guards without panicking, despite the situation. ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°U-Understood!¡± Dorian and Krein also fixed their stance, encouraged by their spirit. Their reaction made Raon proud for having constantly trained them. ''However¡­'' Raon looked in front of the carriage. The Heavenly de, including Sheryl and Ekan, were strangely silent. [Are you not moving?] As Raon was about to talk to her, an aura message could be heard. [Since they are attacking us as you said, I guess you are also prepared.] ''Of course.'' [I''ll protect the carriage no matter what. You can y to your heart''s content.] As soon as she finished saying that, the silencing bomb''s smoke was easily pierced through, and Sheryl''s unwavering eyes could be seen. Her expression was telling him to show her what he had prepared. ''In that case, I shouldn''t disappoint her.¡¯ However, it wasn''t time for him to move yet. He needed to wait a little bit longer in order to push the one who had caused that situation into despair. Whir! Along with the tiny sound of sand flying in the wind, something started spreading in the ck smoke. ''Poison, and three kinds!'' Three kinds of poisons with different particles were spreading between the silencing bombs. ''It''s really him.'' He could ascertain it now. Judging from the poison''s types, the one behind the assassins must''ve been Temas. As expected, he was too proud to put up with the humiliation and followed them all the way to try assassinating them. It was a given that he must''ve been watching them from afar. ''Wee.'' * * * * * * Raon smiled coldly. He must''ve thought that they were in a tight box, but instead it was Temas who was inside the box. Swoosh! As the poison spread around, he could hear the sound of a raging wind. However, it wasn''t real wind. It was a phenomenon caused by the Bloody Mountain Formation, covering the assassins'' sound of movement. Whoosh! The assassins were currently dashing towards them like crazy with antidotes in their mouths. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon checked from which direction the fastest andrgest number of assassins wereing from, then turned around. ¡°Burren! Martha! Runaan! Towards the north and west!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Bring it on!¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan tightened the green bracelets in their arms and shed. Swaa! The blue light bursting from the bracelets seeped into their swords, creating a huge storm. The wind soared like a waterspout to spread out in an instant, dispersing all of the vision-blocking smoke¡ªfrom the silencing bombs to the poison powders¡ªaway. Whir! Once the fake darkness dissipated, the green world returned. The vision control, poison, and surprise attack¡ªthat single strike had managed to foil three of the enemy''s ns. ''As expected of the venttor.'' That bracelet was an artifact called the venttor, which was capable of creating a huge swirl of wind. With thebination of three people''s aura, the effect was strong enough to send away all the silencing bombs and poison powders with a single move. ''And the evade poison artifact is more than enough to defend against the remaining poison.'' Since most of the poison was gone, the evade poison could easily block the remaining poison. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± The approaching assassins stopped in their tracks, surprised by the poison and the smoke''s sudden disappearance. They apparently didn''t expect their n to be foiled so easily, since their astonishment could be felt straight through their masks. ¡°Move. They''ve already inhaled the silencing bomb, and we still have the Bloody Mountain Formation!¡± The one that looked like their leader ordered them to move, and the assassins resumed their movements. ¡°I''m sorry, but nothing''s going to work.¡± Raon tapped his ne and smiled. Since the silencing bomb''s ability to limit aura usage was also using poison, it waspletely blocked by the evade poison artifact. No one in that ce had any problem using their aura. ¡°The Bloody Mountain Formation is also no problem.¡± Raon took a round bead from his inner pocket and threw it on the ground. Ting! Blue light spread out from the bead andpletely covered the Bloody Mountain Formation. ¡°Wh-What?¡± ¡°My body became lighter!¡± ¡°Is this also an artifact?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen''s eyes became round open upon feeling the reduction of the formation''s effect. ¡°It''s the radiating stone.¡± Despite its simple name, it was an artifact of the highest grade that had the ability to hinder formations'' effects by using the lighting from the stone. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°D-Did you even prepare something like this?¡± ¡°You are crazy¡­¡± The Light Wind dropped their jaws, looking at the way Raon shattered the enemy''s ns one by one. ¡°Woaah!¡± And despite the situation, Dorian sent him a round of apuse topliment his supplying ability. ¡°You are really well prepared.¡± Sheryl chuckled, swinging her sword at the group of dozens of assassins charging at her. The harmony between powerful sword and heavy sword distorted the space in front of her like a heat haze in the summer. am! The single strike was enough to make dozens of assassins copse, blood flying. Her gaze turned towards him. She gestured at him with her chin to try the same thing. ''She really likes teaching.'' Raon smiled faintly, then drew Heavenly Drive. Using the principles of the heavy sword he''d been umting, he unleashed the strike towards the dashing assassins. The principle of heavy sword was incorporated on the aura streams spreading out from the de to pressure the space itself. Swaa! The assassins that were running towards them like rays of light were wiped out like sand particles, without even properly thrusting the swords in their hands. ¡°Did you learn that again in that short time period?¡± Sheryl furrowed her brows upon seeing that scene. ¡°You really aren¡¯t fun.¡± She sighed faintly, then turned her head. Raon could only see her from behind, but it looked like her corners of lips were slightly raised. ¡°Open formation!¡± ¡°Open formation!¡± The Light Wind was also shing the assassins that were charging at the carriage from behind. Unable to pierce through the Light Wind, who were tightly weaved together, they ended up dying. However, they kept ignoring their deaths like fireflies to thrust their sword and spread their poison. It almost looked like they were waiting for something. ''I knew there was more to it.'' Considering Temas'' personality, there was no way that was all he had prepared. He must''ve nned something in order to make sure to kill him. ''It should be underground.'' Temas'' main weapons were poison, medicine, and bugs. Since spreading poison from afar had a high chance of failure, it was obvious that he must''ve buried the poisonous insects underground. sh! He even cut off the assassins that managed to approach during the downtime, and the assassins started to step back as if they were terrified. ''What an obvious performance.'' Raon chased the assassins and parted from the carriage, pretending he didn''t notice anything, and he could feel a tiny flow from the ground. It was small enough that he wouldn''t have noticed if he weren''t ready because he was inside the formation, or if the radiating stone weren¡¯t there. He shed the assassin in front of him, and when he took another step forward, the energy under him exploded in an instant. Dozens of poisonous insects were charging at him with their fangs inside the cloud of dust. ¡°I knew it!¡± Raon smiled coldly and gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme. The energy of raging fire spread out to his mana circuits in an instant, and the flower petals of fire blooming from the sword''s extremity were released to the wind. Whir! The pieces of me Spirit spread out like the vestige of sunlight to melt down all the poisonous insectsing out of the ground. Rumble! The poisonous insects that had been waiting for the opportunity for a long time underground turned into ash and disappeared, without even using their sharp poison fangs. ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°H-How could this be?!¡± ¡°Just how¡­?¡± The assassins that weren''t even screaming upon their deaths, widened their eyes upon seeing Raon melting down all the poisonous insects. Surprise didn''t seem to be enough to describe their astonishment at all their ns being shattered. However, it was too early to be surprised. sh! Raon sliced the assassins that stopped moving in one fell swoop, then opened the ocean of perception from Ring of Fire and cier at the same time. ''I found it.'' He looked for the formation cores to maintain the Bloody Mountain Formation and destroyed them one by one. Thud! Along with a huge noise simr to when the formation was first activated, the mountain returned to the original forest. Once the formation disappeared, the radiating stone also exhausted its power and lost its light. ¡°You really managed everything on your own.¡± Sherylughed bitterly after cutting down thest assassin. She also seemed surprised at the way he managed to destroy everything, including the smoke, poison, poisonous insects, and the formation. ¡°It''s not over yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We need to catch the perpetrators behind this.¡± He didn''t make all the preparations in order to defeat small fries like them. It was necessary to kill Temas to inflict a huge damage to Derus. ''And I also have my personal grudges.'' Temas was the one who performed a living experiment on the assassins. He had also tortured Raon by tearing off his flesh under the pretext of education. He had been forcing himself to not think about it, because the murderous intent would''ve slipped out of him if he did during his encounter in House Yonaan. ¡°Unfortunately, even I am unable to find their location.¡± Sheryl calmly shook her head. ¡°I still want to try finding them.¡± ¡°You must''ve obtained a hint of some sort.¡± She shook her hand, gesturing to him to do whatever he wanted. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon smiled faintly and bowed. ''Wrath.'' He tapped on the ice flower bracelet and called for Wrath. What''s up? Is it already time for food? Wrath stretched himself while yawning. Apparently, he didn''t even care when Raon was fighting. ''You remember the man who called himself a doctor when we met Encia for the first time, don''t you?'' Of course, I do. He was fun to look at when he was looked down on because of his ugly face. Wrath giggled, remembering that funny moment. ''That doctor should be around here right now. Find him for me.'' Wrath''s perception was on a different level, although he usually didn''t say anything about it. Raon could guess that he should''ve been able to locate Temas, who even Sheryl wasn''t capable of finding. Why should the King of Essence do that? It''s a mere human''s business¡­ ''You promised when I bought you an ice cream recently, didn''t you? You said you would grant me one request.'' Uuh¡­ His mouth widened, finally remembering that. ''Do your job, Wrath.'' Raon smiled, then ced Heavenly Drive on his shoulder. * * * ¡°Wh-What?¡± Temas ttered his teeth while looking below them. ¡°What''s going on?!¡± He mmed the ground while screaming. ¡°I-I didn''t expect this situation either¡­¡± Yufen swallowed nervously while sitting on his knees. He lookedpletely terrified. ¡°H-How could this happen¡­?¡± Temas bit his lips so hard they could bleed. ''How could he even stop all of my ns?!'' The silencing bomb and three types of poison were sent away through the winding from the sword, and the formation''s effect was minimized by the radiating stone. Because of that, the assassins'' attack wasn''t a surprise attack on the panicking enemies anymore, and they were simply massacred like a bunch of flies by the perfectly prepared swordsmen. ''And he even reacted to the poisonous insects in that situation¡­'' He maintained his focus until the end to control the poisonous insects, but Raon reacted in that instant and burned all the poisonous insects. He couldn''t close his mouth because of how unbelievable it was that not a single n actually worked out. Thud! He looked below them once again, hearing the huge sound of something splitting the ground. It was the sound of Bloody Mountain Formation shattering and returning thend to how it used to be. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Judging from the situation, that bastard Raon must''ve shattered the formation as well. He waspletely speechless. He couldn''t understand what the hell was wrong with that guy. ¡°God damn it! God freaking dammit!¡± Temas'' clenched fist was trembling violently. He was so angry that he felt like his head was going to burst, but he couldn''t do anything. It would''ve been suicide to personally attack when the Heavenly de division leader was over there. ''This is going to be a huge problem when I return.'' Since he failed after nning everything without notifying Derus, a simple scolding wasn''t all he was going to get. ¡°M-Master.¡± Yufen swallowed nervously and pointed below them. ¡°I can''t see that monster bastard.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That Raon guy has disappeared!¡± His shoulders were trembling in panic. ¡°I-Isn''t heing here? If hees¡­¡± Yufen''s eyes were trembling, afraid of Raon, who easily shattered all their ns. ¡°Stop speaking nonsense.¡± ¡°Uha!¡± Temas frowned, pping Yufen''s cheek. ¡°Not only are we far enough away, but this formation is also installed with a doubleyer. Do you really believe someone like him can find us when even the Heavenly de leader is unable to feel our presence?¡± ¡°But he managed to shatter everything we''ve prepared. H-He''s even more ominous than the Heavenly de leader!¡± Yufen violently shook his head, despite what Temas said. ¡°Stop spouting dogshit and prepare to leave.¡± ¡°A-Already?¡± ¡°We don''t need to stay here, since we''ve already failed.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Yufen''s face brightened when he said they were leaving. He looked like he wanted to run away from the impossible situation as fast as possible. ¡°Haa, let''s go.¡± Temas red at Encia''s carriage for ast time before turning around. ¡°Yes.¡± Yufen nodded, leaving the formation first. ¡°Ah, Master. The remaining shadows shall be used as bait¡­¡± Just as he was about to turn around once again, a crimson light sparked, and Yufen''s head fell to the ground. ¡°Y-Yufen!¡± When Temas screamed, the doubleyer formation shattered like a thin ss window, and the appearance of a swordsman wearing a uniform soaked in blood was revealed. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°You''ve been hiding here like rats all along.¡± Crimson tidal waves emerged from Raon''s eyes. ¡°I wanted to see you.¡± For a very long time. Chapter 212 Raon smiled coldly, his eyes on Temas¡¯ astonished face. ''I can hear the rolling sound of his eyes from all the way from here.'' Temas was racking his brain the fastest he had ever had in his entire life in order to find a way to escape the situation. Raon was filled with anticipation for what kind of excuses he was about to give. ¡°Y-You crazy bastard!¡± Temas pointed his finger at him while biting his lip. He''d apparently finished thinking. ¡°What are you doing right now? Why did you even kill my disciple?¡± He shouted, pretending he waspletely unrted to the incident, and he was just attacked by him instead. ¡°Ah, is that how you want to y?¡± Raon chuckled, while twirling Heavenly Drive, which had blood flowing down the de. ¡°Your excuse is too one-dimensional. If that''s all you can give me after I gave you enough time to rack your brain, I''m rather disappointed.¡± ¡°Wh-What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I''m asking you why you are spouting dogshit after you attacked us.¡± ¡°Why would I even attack you? We were just waiting here in case patients appeared¡­¡± ¡°Are you still giving me thatme excuse when this flute is right here?¡± Raon picked up the silver flute that Temas'' disciple had dropped. ¡°Wh-What about it? It just makes a sound that is simr to a grass whistle¡­¡± ¡°You are underestimating me too much.¡± Raon chuckled, pointing at the strange pattern engraved inside the flute. ¡°This is a Flute of Inscription.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°The highest-grade artifact that can activate a formation.¡± The Flute of Inscription was a special flute, capable of activating a pre-installed formation from afar. Since the pattern inside the Flute of Inscription needed to be modified ording to the formation, he couldn¡¯t make any excuses. ¡°That was a reallyme excuse to give after locking us up in that formation. I guess you didn''t expect to be discovered.¡± ¡°Wh-What the hell are you¡­?¡± Temas'' chin was trembling violently. He looked like half his soul had left his body. ¡°What the hell are you? How are you shattering all my ns instead of dying? How did you even find out I was here?¡± ¡°I have a friend with good perception.¡± Raon shrugged, enjoying Temas'' astonishment. Of course. The King of Essence''s perception is on a different level from a mere human¡¯s¡­ What are you saying right now? Why would the King of Essence be your friend? ''It''s just a figure of speech.'' He pushed Wrath¡ªwho kept telling him he couldn''t be a human''s friend¡ªaway and took another step towards Temas. ¡°I wonder what''s going to happen if people learn that Sir Temas, famous for his benevolence, was the perpetrator behind the assassins and the poison? Moreover, he did that to a patient he was trying to treat but was denied.¡± Temas was extremely sensitive to his reputation and rumors. A cold sweat started flowing down his face at the threat that his fame would plummet through the ground and below. ¡°Even if you died here, you would be remembered as the worst healer in the continent. Don''t you agree?¡± ¡°Kuuh!¡± Temas ttered his teeth while stepping backward. ''I-It''s all over! I''m ruined!'' As long as Raon had the flute, as long as he had the proof that he was controlling the formation, there was no escape for him. Even if he managed to survive, Derus Robert was going to pretend he didn¡¯t know him. ''Who the hell is this guy? How can he possibly be seventeen years old?'' He not only shattered all of his ns, but he even discovered his location and the proof of Temas¡¯ actions. His head felt so dizzy that he could faint from the ridiculousness of the situation. ¡°Since many people are waiting for us, let''s finish this quickly.¡± Raon brandished his sword and approached him. ¡°W-Wait, listen to me. I''m¡­hmm?¡± In the middle of shaking his hand to stop his approach, Temas narrowed his eyes. Although the concealing formation was broken a long time ago, he couldn''t feel any other presence than Raon''s. ¡°No way, did youe here on your own?¡± ¡°What do you expect? We don''t need two people to catch you.¡± Raon nodded, telling him it was obvious. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Temas exhaled a deep breath while grasping his chest. ''The heavens haven''t abandoned me yet!'' That young bastard still believed that he was a normal doctor. He could escape before the Heavenly de leader arrived if he just melted him down in an instant with poison arts. Whir. He slowly gathered the poison with his left hand, which was hidden behind his back. He needed to melt Raon''s heart or throat while he was still careless. ''This ce is going to be your grave, not mine.'' He hid his intentions, waiting for Raon''s approach while pretending to be terrified. ¡°Hmph.¡± Raon snorted while looking at Temas, who was biting his lip harshly. ''You¡¯re making it all too clear that you are plotting something.'' Although his expression looked like he was in despair or afraid, Raon could see his killing intent deep inside his eyes. It was so obvious that his hidden left hand-held poison. ¡°Let''s end this.¡± Raon approached Temas with his sword lowered, pretending he didn''t notice anything. Once the distance between them became no more than five steps, Temas'' eyes sparkled viciously. ¡°Die!¡± Temas suddenly thrust his left hand like lightning. The purple energy in his hand extended like a spear towards Raon''s heart. ¡°Of course you''d do that.¡± Raon immediately stomped the ground, incorporating the principles of the quick sword into Heavenly Drive. St! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s me sparked like lightning to sever Temas'' poisonous left arm entirely. ¡°Kuaah!¡± As Temas stepped back while screaming, Raon caught up to him and stabbed Heavenly Drive into his right shoulder, mming him into the ground. ¡°Kueeh!¡± Both of Temas'' arms became unusable in an instant, and his whole body trembled as he coughed up blood. Raon immediately put his hand in Temas''s mouth to take out the poison pill hidden in his mr. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Your underlings didn''t even scream once, yet you are making such a fuss.¡± ¡°H-How did you even know about the poison pill? Wh-Who the hell are you?¡± Temas'' chin was trembling, his face pale. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°I''m not talking about that name. I''m asking what your true identity is! How can you do this when you haven''t even reached adulthood, no matter how I look at you?¡± ¡°There''s no reason for me to satisfy your curiosity.¡± Raon ced his right hand on Temas'' stomach and created an impact. ¡°Kuha!¡± The powerful impact on his heart made his neck bend backward. He wasn''t trying to kill him, since it was a temporary treatment to stop the rage worm that might have existed in his heart. ¡°Wake up.¡± Raon immediately pped Temas¡¯ cheeks to wake him up. ¡°Kuuh¡­¡± Temas looked up to Raon while swallowing nervously. ¡°What did you do just now¡­?¡± ¡°It was just in case your master engraved a worm in your heart.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Temas''s eyes were trembling violently. It looked like his entire body was locked in terror. ¡°No way, do you even know about the shadows¡­?¡± ¡°I know more than that. I also know that your master is the ruler of the south.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Temas'' jaw dropped to the point that his lips were about to tear. He seemed even more shocked than when he lost his arms. ¡°Since the rage worm should be unconscious by now, you should just answer my questions.¡± ¡°Y-You idiot. There''s no rage worm inside me.¡± ¡°That''s a relief, since I can now easily interrogate you.¡± Raon smiled coldly and took Temas by his cor to pressure his body. ¡°Kuh¡­ Hmm? Kuhahaha!¡± Even though he used to be scared stiff, he suddenly burst intoughter after taking a look at Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°Why are youughing?¡± ¡°Because you are the one who''s going to die here, not me!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My blood is a nasty poison. Even you will end up dead.¡± Temas pointed at the red blood on Raon''s hand with his eyes. It was scattered there when he severed Temas'' arm a moment ago. ¡°This?¡± Raon snickered while looking at the blood. ¡°Did you really believe I wouldn''t know about this?¡± Temas'' blood contained a powerful poison called Blood Poison. However, with the evade poison artifact and the Ring of Fire protecting his organs and mana circuit, and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation burning all of the poison that managed to work its way inside of him, the poison couldn''t damage him in the slightest outside of a slight feeling of nausea. ¡°It''s impossible for someone like you to endure my poiso¡­¡± ¡°So, when am I going to die? I got this blood on me a long time ago.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Raon calmly smiled at him, and Temas'' eyes widened to a point that they looked like they would pop out. ¡°E-Even the poison is not working?!¡± ¡°If you are done, it''s my turn to ask questions.¡± Raon slightly lowered his chin while pressing upon Temas. ¡°I-I don''t know what you take me for, but I''ll never open my mouth! Kill me!¡± ¡°Ah, so your mouth is heavy, huh?¡± ¡°Yes. You can''t make me speak with mere tortur¡­¡± ¡°That''s okay. I''ve learned what to do in a situation like this.¡± Raon raised his chin and smiled coldly. From you. * * * * * * ¡°Th-The previous factories are still operating the same way as before, and we''ve also created an additional factory to raise shadows in a vige near Balkar. The children can be easily supplied there because there are lots of cities and v-viges nearby¡­¡± Temas'' eyes were crushed by pain and fear, twisted like scrap metal. He was disclosing all of the Robert''s secrets, unable to endure the torture method that he had once taught Raon. ''The old factories still remain, and four more have been added in the meantime.'' The factories were the ces they raised the shadows and spies. Robert''s sins had be even worse in the past twenty years. ¡°What is your master''s objective?¡± ¡°I-I don''t know either. H-He only said that he had something to do.¡± Temas said, his pale lips trembling. ¡°I guess he''s still bbering about the future while hiding in the House''s underground.¡± ¡°H-How are you even rted to him?!¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Raon smiled. He wanted to tell him about his story of reincarnation, but he couldn''t tell him because Wrath was enjoying the spectacle too much. What a nice torture method. The King of Essence wants to learn it as well. I knew you were closer to a demon than a human¡­ Raon ignored his rambling and looked at Temas again. ¡°What is your master''s current level in terms of might?¡± ¡°I-I don''t know that, either. I''m sure he''s reached the absolute, but I don''t know any more than that¡­¡± Since he was still not answering despite the situation he was in, it meant that he really didn''t know. ''I guess there''s no way he would reveal information about himself.'' Derus Robert was an extremely cold-hearted man. Even though Temas was his confidant, he wouldn''t have told him how strong he was nor what martial arts he had learned. ¡°Did youe here on your master''s order?¡± ¡°N-No. It was my own decision¡­¡± ¡°Because of the humiliation you received over your face?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As expected, the reason Temas had attacked him wasn¡¯t because of Derus¡¯s orders, but because he was so angry that his medicine and fame had lost to his face. ¡°Since I''ve pretty much heard all the information I needed.¡± Raon pulled Heavenly Drive from Temas'' shoulder. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°You are a captive now. Once we return to Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± As he was trying to grab Temas, he suddenly had a seizure while coughing out blood. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Veins appeared on his entire face, and he started screaming in pain, even worse than when he was getting tortured. The veins popped at the same time, and he stopped breathing. ¡°But of course.¡± Raon frowned while looking at dead Temas. Despite what he said, there was a rage worm in his heart. ''There was no way he wouldn''t have had it.'' Derus didn''t trust anyone other than himself. Even though Temas was his confidant, it was only natural that he had a rage worm. Derus must''ve sensed his emotional state and killed him before he could reveal information. ''He''s cutting him off.'' Temas actually belonged to Robert''s faction, but he officially had no affiliation. The reason Derus had been using him without having him join the House must''ve been in preparation for a situation like the current one. ''What a nasty guy.'' Raon turned his head, shaking the blood from Heavenly Drive. ''But he must be angry.'' Incredibly angry. Although Derus killed Temas himself, he shouldn''t know anything about why his life was endangered and how that situation even happened, so he must have been really frustrated. ''It''s too early to be surprised.'' Raon was only getting started. It was the first step towards his revenge against Derus Robert, the devil. ''Let''s head ba¡­hmm?'' Just as he was about to return while carrying Temas'' corpse on his shoulder, a message appeared in front of his eyes. [You''ve ovee the Blood Poison by yourself. All stats have increased by 1. The Trait Poison Resistance has been created.] The message was telling him that he had gotten an extra stat and poison resistance from resisting the poison in Temas''s blood. Huh? Huuh? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the message. Wh-What kind of nonsense is this? How can you give him stats for resisting a weak poison like that? He mmed the ground with his hands, saying that it was bullshit. Such a weak poison can be found everywhere in Devildom! Even in the grass and water! ''We are currently in the human realm.'' Awwgh! Raon clenched his fist while listening to Wrath¡¯s desperate scream... ''I should say thank you, I suppose.'' Since he got thetest information about Derus, managed to foil their n, and even got a poison resistance trait that could prove to be their weakness, he¡¯d killed three birds with one stone. Who are you trying to thank? You should thank me instead! * * * ¡°When did Temas start nning that attack?¡± Derus Robert was looking at his butler with a faint smile on his face. It was difficult to believe that the expression and atmosphere came from someone who had just killed one of his precious confidants. ¡°Th-That''s¡­¡± ¡°It''s okay. Tell me.¡± ¡°I think he did that after he failed to be Encia Yonaan''s personal doctor at House Yonaan. It looks like he stopped thework and gathered the shadows at the northern part of the continent to attack Encia Yonaan, who was going to visit Federick.¡± The butler quickly told him everything he had investigated. ¡°Which means that he was defeated when he was trying to make up for his failure.¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Well, fine. I''m fine with everything, but why am I getting that information sote?¡± Derus was still smiling, but the atmosphere was bing heavier and heavier. ¡°Network, branches, factories. I believe all of those ces should be sending me their information before anyone else.¡± ¡°T-Temas lied and said that it was the master''s order to prevent information from leaking.¡± The butler continued, looking at the floor because he was unable to look Derus straight in the eyes. ¡°Moreover, i-it took some time for the information to reach us, b-because the branches and factories near that location were the only ones involved.¡± ¡°This is why I shouldn''t give them important titles.¡± Derus snickered, caressing his hardwood desk. ¡°Look at the way he believed he wasn''t an insect anymore just because he received a name.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°He should''ve done it properly at least, but he dared attack a carriage escorted by the Heavenly de leader. He should''ve known his ce!¡± The emotion transferred through Temas'' rage worm were fear, shock, pain, and resignation. Since those emotions signified that there was no way for him to survive, he stimted the rage worm to kill him before the information could leak. ¡°What an idiot.¡± It was so obvious even though he hadn''t seen the scene. Temas must''ve attacked them because he couldn''t put up with his pride getting hurt, just to have the Heavenly de leader grab him by his cor. ¡°Cut off all connections between Temas and us.¡± Temas was officially unaffiliated. His identity wouldn''t be revealed as long as the connections were properly cut off. ¡°We are doing it right now.¡± The butler immediately nodded. Since he knew Derus'' personality, he''d started doing that as soon as he obtained that information. ¡°A tool should live as a tool. It shouldn''t try to think by itself.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± ¡°And a tool shouldn''t act without its master''s orders. Change all of the leaders of the branches, factories, andwork.¡± ¡°D-Does that involve the ces unrted to this incident?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I-If we try changing everyone, it would be more than a hundred people¡­¡± The butler swallowed nervously, as Derus''s order didn''t mean to reelect a new order, but to kill all of those people. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Derus'' eyes were calm despite having given the order to kill his subordinates, who were mostly innocent. That was the scariest part about him. ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°Change the system so that all informationes to me first, no matter how small it is.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°One more thing.¡± Derus raised his finger. ¡°Investigate everyone involved in this incident. Including those who were alongside the Heavenly de division leader, and who found out our spy. Everything.¡± ¡°Shouldn''t the Heavenly de leader be the one who did all that?¡± ¡°That might be the case, but it might not. It could be Ekan''s doing, or the Light Wind younglings who are supposed to be with her.¡± It looked like he was nning to prepare for the future by perfectly investigating the incident with his fastidious personality. ¡°You may leave now.¡± ¡°Yes! I''ll take care of it quickly and give you my report.¡± The terrified butler immediately bowed, then left Derus''s office. Whir! The atmosphere in the office changed the moment the butler disappeared. An unbearable coldness covered the entire space, as if one of the northern ocean''s tidal waves were pouring into the room. ¡°Huhu.¡± Derus''s mouth rolled up into a smile. ¡°So, the n I''ve been preparing for twenty years has been foiled.¡± The n to take over House Yonaan had started twenty whole years ago. He was boiling in anger because his entire n was destroyed by Zieghart and an insect bastard. He couldn''t even begin to imagine how much time and money he needed to recover from it. Snap. Probably because he hadn¡¯t gotten that angry in a long time, red blood poured from the scar on the back of his hand and seeped into the desk. ¡°I''ll kill them.¡± Derus licked the scar on the back of his hand with a brilliant smile that looked almost terrifying. ¡°I''ll rip the heads off everyone who was involved in this incident.¡± Chapter 213 ¡°Heavenly de leader.¡± Burren came up to Sheryl with his eyebrows slightly lowered. ¡°Raon is veryte in returning. Shouldn''t we look for him?¡± ¡°He''s quitete indeed.¡± Martha also nodded, taking her back off the tree. ¡°Are you worried about him?¡± Sheryl looked back at Burren and Martha with peaceful eyes. ¡°I-I''m not worried! I''m definitely not worried about him!¡± Martha quickly shook her head, saying that it was nonsense. ¡°She''s right. It''s just because our departure is being dyed¡­¡± Burren lowered his eyes and scratched his head. ¡°I see.¡± Sheryl smiled slightly while watching them violently shake their hands. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Runaan was nkly looking up to the sky, following Raon''s order to stay near the carriage. ¡°Are you not worried, Lady Runaan?¡± Encia poked her head out of the carriage''s window and called out to Runaan. ¡°Worried?¡± ¡°Because Sir Raon went away on his own and hasn''t returned yet.¡± Since she was also aware of the situation, her hand was trembling in worry. ¡°You don''t need to worry about him.¡± Runaan calmly shook her head. ¡°Raon won''t lose.¡± Her peaceful expression and short answer revealed how much she trusted Raon. ¡°I heard that the Light Wind wasn''t created that long ago. It''s marvelous how much they trust each other.¡± Encia smiled while looking at the Light Wind members. ¡°That''s only natural, since we''ve been together for almost six years now, including our trainee period.¡± ¡°Ah! So, were you together as trainees and joined the same squad altogether?¡± ¡°Indeed. But he''s slightlyte toda¡­ Ah! Vice squad leader!¡± As Dorian was looking around, Raon wasing out from the forest road on the right side. He was carrying someone on his shoulder that Dorian didn''t recognize. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Why are you sote?¡± ¡°I was worried for nothing.¡± Runaan came running at him, Martha frowned, and Burren smiled faintly. ¡°He was a bit far away.¡± Raon smiled in the face of the three different reactions, then went to Sheryl. ¡°Have you finished?¡± Sheryl narrowed her eyes while looking at Temas'' corpse. ¡°Yes, but there might be a little problem.¡± Raon put down Temas'' corpse. ¡°A problem¡­¡± Sheryl remained calm despite noticing that the corpse was Temas. She must''ve realized he was the perpetrator the moment the formation concealing his presence was shattered. ¡°W-Wait!¡± ¡°That''s the doctor from before!¡± ¡°S-Sir Temas?¡± ¡°Huuh? That doctor attacked us? But why?¡± ¡°That''s crazy¡­¡± Everyone, from the Heavenly de to the Light Wind, were shocked to see Temas'' corpse and their jaws dropped. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Encia''s lips were trembling as she grasped her own wrist, the one that Temas had held to feel her pulse. ¡°Do you have any proof that he was the one who ordered the attack?¡± ¡°I have this Flute of Inscription for now. What happened over there¡­¡± Raon exined the Flute of Inscription to her, then told her about Temas using the poison art, and that his heart had suddenly stopped as he was interrogating him. ¡°It''s a rage worm.¡± Sheryl frowned while looking at Temas'' corpse, noting the way the veins had popped. ¡°It looks like someone is behind Temas¡¯ actions.¡± She immediately recognized the rage worm, and even realized that someone was behind his actions. Her knowledge was really surprising. ¡°Did he not tell you who it was?¡± ¡°No, he didn''t.¡± Raon shook his head. ''Now isn''t the time.'' As long as he didn''t have definite proof that Derus Robert was involved, it wasn''t a good idea to mention his name. After all, there wasn''t enough pretext, which meant many innocent people could end up dying if a war broke out between House Zieghart and House Robert. ''And he''s mine.'' He didn''t want Derus to have an easy death. He was nning to show him despair by destroying his precious forces one by one, before cutting his head off at the veryst moment. ¡°I see.¡± Sheryl nodded, as if she had expected that answer. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I''ll disclose it as if I was the one who resolved this incident.¡± She created scars on Temas''s body with her sword before he could stop her. ¡°D-Division leader?¡± ¡°Why would you do that¡­?¡± People''s eyes widened as she dered she would take all of the fame from solving the case. ¡°N-No way, are you trying to take all the fame¡­ Hupp!¡± Raon covered Krein''s mouth as he started saying stupid things, then looked at Sheryl. ¡°Can you exin the reason?¡± ¡°Temas is a doctor, renowned throughout the continent for his good deeds. Even though we have the Blood Poison, the hole in his teeth, and the Flute of Inscription as proof, some people still won''t believe it and will even try to attack you.¡± Sheryl continued as nonchntly as usual. ¡°Which means, the fame you get from killing him isn''t the good sort. Moreover, the ringleader behind Temas is most likely going to take revenge against you and the Light Wind. It''s better to disclose this matter as my own doing.¡± ''I knew she was trying to protect us.'' Sheryl said that she would take the achievement for the matter in order to protect Raon and the Light Wind from the ringleader behind Temas. ''She''s a nice person.'' Despite her cold-hearted and strict appearance, she had a warm heart that could make many considerations for others. ¡°Thank you for your consideration, but that won''t do.¡± Raon slowly shook his head. ''I don''t want other people to be harmed because of me.'' If that was how the information spread, Derus might start targeting the Heavenly de leader. He couldn''t ept his revenge causing problems for others. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Since we don''t know who is behind Temas, I can''t shift the matter¡¯s responsibility to the Heavenly de leader. I''m the one who humiliated Temas and brought Lady Encia with us, so I''ll¡­¡± In the middle of his speech, Sheryl''s right hand approached him. With her thumb holding her middle finger back, she flicked his forehead. ¡°Ack!¡± Raon unconsciously groaned from the sudden pain. ¡°Arrogant kid, who are you worrying about when you aren''t even wet behind your ears?¡± Sheryl furrowed her brows. ¡°I''m the person responsible for this mission. I''m the one who decides on the results and the process.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I''m sure I ordered you to do as you wish, and you followed my order. Since I''m the one who created this result, I''m going to take responsibility for it.¡± ¡°Heavenly de leader¡­¡± ¡°And who do you think I am?¡± A fearsome amount of energy was emanating from her entire body, making him shudder. ¡°I''m the first sword protecting the head of house. As long as it''s not him, it doesn''t matter who my opponent is, even if it is the head of one of the Six Kings or Five Demons.¡± Sheryl mentioned the head of one of the Six Kings or the Five Demons as if she knew something about the ringleader before turning around. She went around to spread her aura throughout the entire forest, just like she did to Temas. ¡°Kuu¡­¡± ¡°As expected of our division leader!¡± ¡°Of course our division leader wouldn''t care about fame like that!¡± ¡°I fell in love again with your confident demeanor!¡± The Heavenly de swordsmen smiled, since they knew she¡¯d say that. ¡°Wow. That is how you take responsibility.¡± ¡°She''s different. She''spletely different.¡± ¡°If it was him, he would''ve shifted the responsibility to Raon by all means¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen licked their lips while thinking about the red-haired elf, who was on the opposite side of the spectrum from Sheryl. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon exhaled faintly, while looking at Sheryl''s back. ''It looks like I need to create an opportunity.'' He felt the necessity to create an opportunity to disclose to Sheryl the fact that Derus was the perpetrator behind it. Though, he figured she still wouldn''t change her mind. ''Anyway, I managed to buy some time.'' Thanks to Sheryl, it looked like he could significantly dy the time until Derus learned his name. He should''ve been able to shatter his ns one by one during that time frame. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at Sheryl, who was creating traces of battle in different parts of the forest. ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± When he raised his head, Dorian was running at him with his face turned red. ¡°I''ve witnessed the god of supplies today! Please teach me!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The way youpletely prevented the situation by utilizing artifacts ording to the situation was extremely impressive! I''ll serve you as my master!¡± He went t on his belly. His eyes were almost shining, impressed by the way he¡¯d perfectly stopped the enemy attack by using appropriate tools. ¡°That was just a coincidence.¡± He managed to do all that thanks to his memories of previous life. It wasn''t his supplying abilities in action. ¡°Vice squad leader is pretty much the god of supplies. You must''ve been testing me so far! Please teach me!¡± Dorian violently shook his head in denial and shouted to ask for lessons. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± Encia came down from the carriage and came up to him with her eyes in a daze. ¡°You are handsome, but also strong, and you are handsome but also perfectly prepared, and you are handsome but also smart. And you are so damn handsome!¡± Her eyes were sparkling like jewels. ¡°Raon, handsome. Well prepared, and rich!¡± Runaan raised her fist while sticking next to Dorian. It felt less embarrassing than others because her eyes were nk, unlike the others. ¡°Uhh!¡± Raon frowned, stepping back from the three people''s gazes. ''My followers are increasing¡­'' * * * * * * Raon recorded the assassins and the forest with an artifact that could save a scene as an image before heading to Retran. Since there could be another attack, they kept moving without rest, and managed to reach the end of Krun Forest the next evening. ¡°We''ve finally arrived.¡± ¡°Aww, we can finally rest.¡± Dorian smiled while looking at the round forest road, which led outside. Krein also nodded as he saw the exit, where the bright light wasing from. ¡°Our mission isn''t over until we treat Lady Encia and return. Stay alert.¡± Burren narrowed his eyes as he looked back at those two. ¡°Did you not hear that they are at war here? You will lose your head if you don''t pay attention.¡± Martha also frowned while tapping Dorian and Krein''s shoulders. ¡°I-I''m sorry.¡± ¡°You don''t need to worry so much.¡± Ekan, who was at the lead, looked back with a smile. ¡°The longer a warsts, the less serious it bes. They are just facing each other to keep their pride, so we should be able to treat her without probl¡­ huh?¡± Although he was maintaining his smile, he stiffened like a marite that lost its string the moment he left the forest. ¡°What is¡­?¡± Raon also followed Ekan out and stopped. Although it was evening, the area was so bright, it was as if the sun had risen once again. ¡°Ah!¡± It wasn''t because of the moonlight. The effect was caused by the fire engulfing Retran. ¡°We have a problem.¡± Sheryl frowned while looking at Retran engulfed in mes. ¡°The Light Wind wille with me, and the Heavenly de will bring the carriage.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She ran out before even hearing Ekan''s answer. ¡°Let''s go!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon also chased after Sheryl after gesturing at the Light Wind to follow them with his hand. ''What is happening here¡­?'' Unless the two houses sharing Retran went crazy, there was no way they would fight at that scale. There must''ve been another incident besides the war. Tap! Raon followed Sheryl and jumped over Retran''s castle gate to stand on the castle walls. The mes were on the outskirts, and the city was filled with corpses and blood. ng! He looked to the left, where the shing sound of swords wasing from. Mysterious men wearing green and red hoods were swinging their swords and axes at thebatants and civilians alike. ¡°Eden¡­¡± ¡°Green Demon and Red Demon!¡± Burren and Martha''s surprised voices could be heard from behind them. Since they had already fought them before in Cebu vige, everyone in Light Wind recognized Eden''s demons in an instant. And there were more than red and green demons. Their officers, wearing monster armor, could also be found in various locations. ¡°Since we don''t have any time to waste, I''ll give you my order immediately. y every single red and green demon in the city. We don''t even need to interrogate anyone, save as many people as possible!¡± Right after giving them the order, Sheryl ran through the central avenue. She was apparently targeting Eden''s officers, who were ughtering the warriors from the center of the city. ¡°Kill the red and green demons in ordance with the Heavenly de leader''s order before gathering at the center of the city.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Raon gave them an additional order before jumping down from the castle wall. He ran towards the left, where he could feel thergest amount of red and green demons'' energies. ''Terrible bastards¡­'' The blood flowing down from the hill wasn¡¯t even dry yet, and the corpses that still retained their body heat were lying around with their eyes wide open. The red and green demons kept swinging their swords and axes against the civilians while screaming like monsters, not realizing that Raon was there. am! Raon stomped the ground hard enough for thend to explode, stopping everyone. The green and red demons turned around, holding their blood-covered weapons. ¡°Zieghart?¡± ¡°Why is Zieghart here?¡± Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps without responding. He advanced over the folding ground, swinging Heavenly Drive. The silver de brushed past the green and red demons without any hesitation at all. Whir! Before they could react, Raon turned to the right, unleashing the second strike. The me filling the de split apart into a spiral and shed all of the remaining green and red demons. Thud! Thud! In the blink of an eye, the ten heads of the red and green demons were rolling on the ground. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The people who were saved from almost dying to the green demons sank to the ground while exhaling violently. ¡°Wh-Who are you¡­?¡± ¡°I''m from Zieghart. Go to the center of the city. That''s how you can live.¡± He didn''t have time to exin. He needed to y the ughtering Eden''s demons as fast as possible. Whir! He opened cier''s perception. He moved following the murderous intent, ying all of the demons that were ughtering people. ''Those crazy bastards¡­'' Although he had only recently arrived in the city, he already had in over thirty green and red demons. The Eden bastards were apparently trying to erase the entire city. ''Is that thest one?'' Raon ran to the building with a smoothly curved appearance. ¡°Kyaah!¡± It was a temple worshiping the goddess of fertility, but the entrance was already destroyed, and an urgent scream could be heard from inside. am! Once he entered, an Eden demon wearing orc fighter armor was swinging his deadly de towards swordsmen wearing brown uniforms. Corpses were piled up to the sides, and people who seemed to be civilians were trembling with their eyes closed behind the swordsmen. ''Green War Demon? No, that''s different.'' He was stronger than the one he killed in Cebu Vige and was different in nature. It looked like both the magic stone and the person inside were different. ¡°Who are you?¡± The Green War Demon interrupted his swing and turned around. ¡°I don''t like getting my meal interrupt¡ªKuh!¡± Raon didn''t give him the chance to speak. He used the Supreme Harmony''s second step to leap inside in an instant. sh! The blue de was reflecting the moonlight, spreading between the bars of the broken window as it shed diagonally. ¡°Krrr¡­¡± The Green War Demon crumbled to the ground while grasping his neck, where blood was gushing out. Even a snail can advance. Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking at the Green War Demon''s corpse. That strange armor¡­ Isn''t that energy the same as the one you fought four years ago? You barely managed to win back then, but you can now y him in a single strike. ''That¡¯s because a long time has passed since then.'' Since a lot of time had passed, and he made much effort and use out of the doormat, that difference was a natural result. ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°H-He''s in the Green War Demon in a single strike¡­¡± ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± The swordsmen in brown uniform widened their eyes, more surprised by the fact that the Green War Demon had perished in a single strike than their survival. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Raon lowered his sword and went towards the survivors. ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± They finally came to their senses, bowing at him while crying. ¡°What even happened here?¡± Raon went to the swordsman who was in a position to protect everyone. Since he''d managed to take care of most of Eden''s demons outside, it was time to listen to their story. ¡°Th-That''s¡­¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, where did the Saint go? The situation wouldn''t have gotten so bad if he were around.¡± The Ragged Saint Federick was also a warrior at Master level. His might was significantly outshone by his medicine, but his prowess definitely couldn''t be called weak. ¡°I-I''ll exin it.¡± A priestess who seemed to be in her early twenties raised her hand. ¡°You are¡­¡± ¡°I''m the priestess Rosy, who assisted the Saint during his stay.¡± Rosy sighed and stood in front of Raon. Her legs were still trembling in fear. ¡°The assassins suddenly appeared when we were treating the patients from both houses around noon, along with the Saint.¡± ¡°Assassins¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. Temas apparently also targeted Federick on top of himself. ¡°Since the houses Basin and Trian had received a lot of help from the Saint, they paused the war for the time being and worked together to fend off the assassins. The atmosphere between them didn''t look too bad, as they were wielding their swords against amon enemy.¡± That was to be expected, since the Houses Basin and Trian must''ve been willing to finish the dragging war. ¡°That''s why they decided to prolong the temporary armistice and promised to have a meal together, but the city''s outskirts were suddenly set aze.¡± Raon frowned when she mentioned the fire. He could guess the overall situation. ¡°The warriors from the two houses scattered around to extinguish the fire, and Eden''s demons used that opportunity to attack. Many demons from Eden have been killed, but the damage was even worse for the houses'' swordsmen, who were scattered around.¡± Rosy couldn''t stop herself from biting her lips. ¡°Did the Saint not do anything?¡± ¡°Naturally, he moved in order to save people. However, he shouldn''t have done that.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± He couldn''t understand what she was telling him. ¡°Because the Saint was Eden''s target.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°As soon as the Saint made his move, Eden deployed four demons at Master level, as if they''d been waiting for him. Two of them ughtered people from the center of the city to attract attention, and two others attacked the Saint. The situation made it obvious that the Saint was their objective.¡± Rosy sighed deeply. ¡°Realizing that he was Eden''s objective, he left Retran with Yulius. That''s why we''ve managed to survive so far.¡± ¡°Yulius?¡± ¡°He''s the reason the war broke out between the two houses in the city.¡± Raon understood who that was. He must''ve been the boy with genius talents that was the cause of the war. ¡°No way, is Eden¡­¡± ¡°Yes, they were targeting both the Saint and the boy.¡± ¡°Why are they targeting the Saint?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. Since Eden always looked for people to wear their armor, it was understandable that they would target the boy¡ªbut he couldn''t think of any reason they would go so far for Federick. ¡°It''s because of the flower that the Saint possesses.¡± ¡°What flower can that be¡­?¡± ¡°Raysin.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°It''s a treasure that is supposed to be capable of saving ten thousand people if you make a medicine out of it, and capable of killing a hundred thousand people if you make a poison out of it.¡± Rosy''s trembling hand was grasping her chest. ¡°Eden is targeting the boy and the Saint''s lives, and also the Raysin.¡± * * * Raon sent Rosy and others to a safe ce before heading to the center, where Sheryl was headed. The Eden officers that used to be there had all lost their heads, and the Light Wind and the carriage were also there. ¡°I''ll exin it in simple terms. Eden is currently targeting the Saint''s life and the boy. The Saint left the city with the boy in order to avoid its destruction, and they must be still chasing after him.¡± She apparently also heard their story, since she already knew that the Saint brought Yulius with him. However, she didn''t know about the Raysin yet. ¡°There''s one more reason.¡± Raon raised his hand. ¡°Eden is targeting the Raysin that the Saint possesses.¡± ¡°Raysin¡­¡± The swordsman''s faces became even more distorted as they recognized the name. ¡°Are they even targeting Raysin on top of the boy and the Saint? That''s too much greed for demons.¡± Sherylughed coldly and clenched her fist. ¡°Ekan, Raon. You shall protect Lady Encia and Retran''s civilians alongside the swordsmen.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ekan immediately responded, but Raon silently walked up to Sheryl. ¡°Please bring me with you.¡± ¡°This is not a game.¡± Sheryl shook her head while frowning her face. ¡°From what I heard here, there are at least four demons at Master level, and there should be even more actually chasing after the Saint. It''s not something you can handle.¡± ¡°He saved my life.¡± Raon took another step forward. ¡°If I don''t repay that favor, I''d be no different from a beast.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Please give me a chance.¡± Sheryl''s eyes wavered slightly in the face of Raon''s polite attitude. Chapter 214 Sheryl chewed her lips slightly and shook her head. ¡°You still can''t.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Raon frowned. He thought she would ept since her eyes wavered, but she apparently changed her mind at thest second. ¡°Because it''s dangerous.¡± Sheryl shook her head, telling him that it was obvious. ¡°Like I said before, I''m the person responsible for this mission. I can''t lead you to your death just as you are about to spread your wings.¡± Her resolute voice told him that she had already made up her mind. ¡°I have something I need to do. I''m not going to die before then.¡± ¡°Do you think others dig their own graves before dying? Death does not discriminate. You can never tell when it wille for you.¡± Sheryl''s words weren''t those of simple refusal¡ªthey also included various meanings from her experience. ''I still can''t back down here.'' Because he came to visit him every year to help him until he turned five years old. Moreover, he didn''te unprepared. He learned a new way to treat him each time in order to increase his body''s vitality, and he even gave him a high-grade elixir. Since it was his first time receiving so much consideration and care from someone outside of his family, he''d decided to repay that favor no matter what. ''And now is the time.'' Raon clenched his fist. He didn''t want to ignore his benefactor and be a beast, just because he needed to take his revenge. Even if he couldn''t help him that much, even if buying a tiny amount of time was all he was capable of, he still wanted to help him¡ªno matter what. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl fell speechless upon reading the determination in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Protecting this ce is also an important task.¡± ¡°That''s true. But we have Sir Ekan and the other swordsmen here.¡± ¡°Eden''s demons might start swarming here¡­¡± ¡°Eden''s targets are the boy named Yulius and the Raysin. Since we have neither of those here, it''s very unlikely for them to send powerful demons to this location. I''m sure Sir Ekan and the swordsmen are more than enough to defend this ce.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheryl sighed deeply while furrowing her brows. ¡°Look at this ce.¡± She pointed at Retran, where more than half of the city had turned into ashes. ¡°Eden swings their swords regardless of the situation once they receive an order. They don''t even care whether they are against the civilians or little children. They are even more nasty and straightforward than the White Blood Religion in a sense.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Although the White Blood Religion has morebatants, Eden is stronger when ites to the powerhouses. There should be more than four Masters chasing after the Saint.¡± ¡°I know that as well.¡± ¡°But you still want toe?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded without the slightest hesitation. ¡°I''ve already broken the prejudice that an Expert couldn''t win against a Master. ¡°That''s¡­¡± Sheryl couldn''t refute, since even she was speechless about that. ¡°If you judge that I''m not helpful at all or am incapable of following you, you can just leave me midway.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, if you tell me so from the bottom of your heart, I''ll return.¡± That was as much as he could insist. If she really told him he wasn''t helpful at all, then it was better to withdraw rather than bothering her. However, his intuition was telling him that following her was the correct decision. It was an opportunity to repay his gratitude to the man who saved his life, and to fight to death against powerful enemies. Raon met Sheryl''s eyes as she stared at him while grasping Heavenly Drive''s hilt tightly. ''What a shame.'' If he had been a Master, she would''ve brought him with her without hesitation. The fact that he needed to wait for her decision because he couldn''t take that one step forward made him feel bitter. ¡°Tsk, fine. I''ll give you five minutes. Prepare yourself.¡± Sheryl reluctantly clicked her tongue. ¡°Division leader!¡± ¡°Please bring us as wel¡­¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± She firmly shook her head while looking at Burren and Martha. ¡°You can''t even buy time at your current level.¡± Sheryl''s voice was so firm that she almost sounded cold-hearted. Unlike Raon''s case, she was cutting them off like a de. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± Unable to refute that fact, Burren and Martha bit their lips. They were aware that they didn''t have enough ability to insist like Raon did. ¡°If you are frustrated, then get stronger. You will be fighting against the Five Demons for the rest of your lives.¡± She turned around after saying that. ''She''s really not a cold person.'' After watching Sheryl''s back for a moment, Raon went to Dorian. ¡°A-Are you really okay with that? Wouldn''t it be better to leave the matter to the division leader?¡± ¡°It''s okay, so give me things like hemostatics, medicines, and bandages.¡± Since anything could happen, he needed to prepare medicine first. ¡°This is an expensive one, so you have to return no matter what.¡± Dorian gave him the medicines with trembling hands. ¡°Raon, let''s go to the ice cream shop again once youe back.¡± Runaan, who''d been silent, came up to him and blinked her eyes. It was her way of telling him goodbye while wishing for his safe return. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Dorian, Runaan, and also Burren and Martha, who were looking at him. ¡°S-Sir swordsman!¡± As he finished his preparations and was about to go to Sheryl, Rosy came running at him from the temple. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°I''m listening.¡± ¡°Lots of warriors went outside in order to help the Saint. If you ever happen to meet them¡­¡± Her voice was trembling from embarrassment at making a request in such a situation, as well as with anticipation and hope for their survival. ¡°I''ll save them if they are still alive.¡± Raon nodded, since he felt the same as her. ¡°Let''s leave if you are ready.¡± Sheryl kicked the ground without even looking back. She jumped over the buildings in an instant and reached the castle wall. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon slowly caught his breath and gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He followed Sheryl while using the Supreme Harmony Steps, gritting his teeth. ''I''ll never fall behind.'' * * * * * * An old man wearing ragged clothes was running through a dense forest while carrying an approximately ten-year-old body on his back. Blood was dripping from between his old clothes, showing that he was injured. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Although the old man was moving even faster than a decent horse, he kept anxiously looking behind him. ¡°Saint.¡± The boy raised his head, a serious voice that didn¡¯t suit his age flowing out from him. ¡°I heard I was their target. You should just leave me behind and save yourself at least¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± The Ragged Saint, Federick, yelled at the boy. ¡°Yulius! What are you even talking about right now?¡± ¡°Saint¡­¡± ¡°The reason why they are targeting you is in order to make you wear monster armor. Do you really want to abandon your humanity and be a devil?¡± Federick shook his head, telling him to never say such a thing ever again. ¡°But they will eventually catch up to us if you continue carrying me on your back.¡± Yulius lowered his eyebrows, worried about Federick. ¡°Don''t worry. Even though I''m old, I''m still a fast runner. We are going to reach my friend''s region soon enough, and they won''t be able to follow us anymore.¡± Federick smiled gently at the boy so that he wouldn''t be scared anymore. ¡°Moreover, they will keep following me even if I leave you behind.¡± ¡°Are they trying to make you wear the armor as well?¡± ¡°No, it''s because of the flower I have.¡± ¡°Flower?¡± Yulius tilted his head to show his confusion. ¡°It can save lots of people if it''s used in a good way, and it can hurt even more people if it''s used in a bad way.¡± ¡°Then I guess they are trying to use it in a bad way.¡± ¡°Haa, you already realized it.¡± Federick nodded, exhaling heavily. ¡°They aren''t only targeting you, they are also targeting me. You should sleep a little instead of worrying about it, since it''s time for you to sleep.¡± ¡°It would be impolite for me to sleep when the Saint is suffering right now.¡± A mature answer came from Yulius''s lips. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°What are you going to say this time?¡± ¡°There were some uncles following us. I''m worried for their safety.¡± ¡°Since we are the only targets, they should be safe.¡± Federick caressed Yulius''s hair before jumping over a rocky hill in one fell swoop. ''I need to save this boy at least¡­'' It was okay for him to die because he was already old, but he couldn''t allow Eden to turn such a kind-hearted boy into a demon. ¡°You remind me of someone.¡± ¡°Do I remind you of someone?¡± ¡°Yes. He was a peculiar boy who didn''t even cry nor smile when he was still an unweaned baby.¡± ¡°I cry and smile, though.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Federick smiled faintly and looked up to the sky. ¡°That boy was suffering from the worst constitution in the world from the moment of his birth. Intense pain was a given, and he couldn''t even move his body properly. I believed that he couldn''t be a warrior. However¡­¡± Federick smiled while looking into Yulius''s red eyes. ¡°He shattered my diagnosis, and became an extremely splendid warrior, making a name for himself in the world. He won the victory over himself.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes, isn''t he amazing?¡± ¡°It sounds really cool that he overcame his own condition.¡± Yulius nodded, his expression brighter than before. ¡°Then let''s go meet him together. I''m sure he will be a good stimtion¡­¡± ¡°Can you bring me there as well?¡± As Federick was smiling, a cold voice could be heard from in front of him. The moonlight was reflected on the voice''s owner between the twisted bushes. It was a man d in red armor in the shape of a lion''s mane, with a wolf helmet on his head, where the sharp teeth were glowing. ¡°Red Wolf Demon¡­¡± Federick swallowed nervously. The monstrous man in front of him was Eden''s officer, who inherited the Lycanthrope chief''s power, and a fighter at Master level. Rumble! The problem was the fact that he wasn''t alone. ¡°I knew you woulde this way.¡± The man d in ck armor with wings attached to the back smoothly dropped down. Fearsome blue eyes were sparkling from his demonic, two-horned helmet. ¡°ck Winged Demon.¡± The owner of the winged armor was another officer of Eden, one who inherited the power of the gargoyle lord. He was also a powerhouse at Master level, and he was even more difficult to deal with than the Red Wolf Demon because of his flying ability. ¡°Ah, I''m also here.¡± ¡°Even the Evil Goat Demon is here.¡± He looked to the right upon hearing a cheerful voice that didn''t match the situation. The man cheerfully waving his hand was wearing armor that looked like a goat on the bottom half and a knight on the upper half, with a goat''s helmet. The horns on the helmet were pointing downwards. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Federick bit his lip. He was already injured from facing the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon. Since the Evil Goat Demon was the strongest of the three, he would have no other choice than death if he joined the fight. ¡°Ah, don''t worry about me. I have no intention of attacking you as long as you don''te my way, since my mission today is to block the path.¡± It was unsure whether he could be trusted or not, but he leaned his back towards a tree with his arms crossed. ¡°I''m tired of chasing after him now.¡± ¡°Old man meat is too tough, but I supposed Saint meat would be different.¡± The crimson wave of astral energy burst from the Red Wolf Demon''s ws and the ck Winged Demon''s dagger. ¡°Yulius, stay behind me.¡± ¡°S-Saint¡­¡± ¡°You don''t need to worry. I''ll keep my promise.¡± Federick opened his hands while catching his breath. After adding astral energy into his hands, he stomped the ground. ¡°I won''t give anything to people like you!¡± * * * Raon frowned while looking at Sheryl, who was running ahead of him. ''Is she trying to make me fall behind?'' Sheryl was apparently trying to lose him with her footwork, since she kept moving faster and faster. Although the distance between them was only ten meters at first, it was now closer to twenty meters. Thud! Raon stomped the ground with the Supreme Harmony Steps. He managed to close the distance for a moment, but he couldn''t catch up to her in the end, and the distance started growing once again. ''I can''t keep using the Supreme Harmony Steps.'' Supreme Harmony Steps had a high aura consumption. He couldn''t keep using that just to exhaust himself before fighting, since he was about to encounter Master level enemies. ''Then, what should I do¡­?'' Raon raised his head to look at Sheryl. Instead of her stepping on the ground, it looked like the ground wasing to her to be stepped on as she quickly advanced. ''She''s a bit different from the squad leader.'' Rimmer''s footwork felt like he was flying while being carried by the wind, but Sheryl looked more like she was using the explosive power of her lower body to shoot herself forward like an arrow. Raon resonated the Ring of Fire to examine her lower body in detail. The principles of the quick sword that she had exined to him before was incorporated into her legs as she kicked the ground. ''I finally understand.'' He understood why there was so much difference between them, even though Sheryl was only using basic footwork. She had changed the principles of martial arts in her footwork into the quick sword''s principles to increase her speed. ''I''m not capable of doing that right now. I can''t reduce the wind resistance like the squad leader did, either. However¡­'' Raon figured he could use a mixture of the two. Creak! He kicked the ground by utilizing the principles Sheryl taught him and the principles behind Frost Pond, all while using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s energy like Rimmer''s wind to sever the atmosphere. Thud! Although he used less strength than before to kick the ground, he managed to advance faster and farther. Sheryl''s back, which kept getting further away, was getting closer to him instead. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl looked back for the first time. She frowned, her eyes widening almost twice the usual size. ¡°I did it!'' He couldn''t exactly use that in a battle because it was still sloppy, but he didn''t lose to Sheryl in terms of speed, at least. ¡°I caught up to you.¡± Raon smiled while running next to Sheryl. ¡°I was nning to just lose you like that.¡± Sheryl licked her lips in regret. However, her eyes were still filled with surprise. ¡°I told you that I won''t be a bother.¡± ¡°Did you mix my movement and Rimmer''s movement half and half?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Seriously, you are not fun to teach.¡± She shook her head, as if she were already tired of it. ¡°But don''t be overconfident, since you are only getting started. I''m going to leave you behind immediately if you don''t meet my expectations.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Raon nodded. Just like she said, the real fight hadn''t even started yet. Cring! As he advanced alongside Sheryl, he could hear the shing sound of metal. It was a blunt sound, signifying a one-sided battle. ¡°This way.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sheryl had already changed her direction and was moving towards the location of the sound. Raon used the new movement technique to follow her. ang! At the end of a scorched-ck field, a demon of Eden was standing there wearing a hyena-shaped helmet. His long axe and armor were covered in blood, showing that he had already ughtered many people. ¡°Brutal Yellow Demon.¡± The monster with the hyena''s head and human body was a knoll warrior, and he was Eden¡¯s demon with the knoll warrior''s power, the Brutal Yellow Demon. ¡°Kihihihi!¡± The Brutal Yellow Demon wasn''t even slightly injured, but the surviving warriors were covered with injuries and blood. He was apparently toying with them without killing them. ¡°That bastard.¡± Sheryl stopped, pointing at the Brutal Yellow Demon without helping them. ¡°He is at the highest level of Expert, just like you. Kill him within ten strikes.¡± ¡°Ten strikes¡­¡± ¡°You will turn back if you can''t. You won''t be able to fight if you can''t even do that.¡± She wasn''t even blinking, showing that she had no intention ofpromising. It seemed to be her final test for him. ¡°I''ll finish him off in five strikes instead of ten. In return, please don''t tell me to go back ever again.¡± Raon walked towards the Brutal Yellow Demon without waiting for Sheryl''s response. ¡°Ten strikes? Five strikes?¡± The Brutal Yellow Demon turned around. He apparently heard their conversation, as he looked at Raon savagely. Sheryl must''ve expected that to happen as well. ¡°You must be looking down on me just because I stayed here.¡± The Brutal Yellow Demon''s teeth could be seen as he smiled while twirling his axe. ¡°Fine! I''ll cut your head off in ten strikes!¡± He lowered himself like a beast and kicked the ground. It was a strange posture, but his speed was abnormally fast. He dashed at him from the left in an instant and swung down his axe. Combative energy with the intention to crush his bones and flesh together was raging like a fire. Whir! Raon watched him until the axe reached his corbone while using the Ring of Fire. ''It includes heaviness.'' The aura incorporated into the Brutal Yellow Demon''s axe was heaviness. However, it was only focused on the edge of the axe''s de instead of the entire de. ''Then, I only need to twist it.'' The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s fire on Heavenly Drive cut through the heaviness of the axe. Raon shed the second strike into the thin opening that was created from it. ang! Last start, first attack. Even though Heavenly Drive was thest one to start moving, Brutal Yellow Demon''s axe was bounced back instead. ¡°Kuh!¡± Befitting his level as a highest-grade Expert, the Brutal Yellow Demon quickly recovered his axe and unleashed his second strike. Multiple auras were added to the powerful energy wave charging straight at Raon, increasing its power and speed. ''Let''s try using that.'' Raon was thinking about the Brutal Yellow Demon''s strike from before. He created an image of focusing the heaviness at one part of the de to concentrate his aura at the extremity of Heavenly Drive. Baam! He amplified the strength by stomping the ground, thrusting Heavenly Drive with a new aura. Heavenly Drive''s de was surrounded by a thick, concentrated aura thread as it shed head-on against the Brutal Yellow Demon''s axe. Creak! Despite the difference in weight between their weapons, Brutal Yellow Demon''s axe was the one that got pushed back¡ªor, rather, shattered. The axe''s de, which used to emanate a fearsome murderous intent, shattered like ss and was reflected Brutal Yellow Demon''s astonished eyes. ¡°I-It''s not over yet!¡± As an expert who went through countless fierce battles, the Brutal Yellow Demon thrusted his left hand towards Raon''s heart despite his panic. An energy as powerful as his axe could be felt from his hand, sharpened like a de. ¡°You are too inexperienced.¡± Raon used the Supreme Harmony''s third step. He deflected the Brutal Yellow Demon''s hand like a cloud floating in the sky before unleashing the principles of quick sword in Heavenly Drive, starting from his shoulder. ash! The silver de fell down like lightning, and the Brutal Yellow Demon''s movements stopped like a marite that lost its string. ¡°You, you¡­¡± The Brutal Yellow Demon tried to flounder his hands, but couldn''t grab his head, which was falling to the ground. Thud! Leaving behind the Brutal Yellow Demon''s headless corpse, Raon walked up to Sheryl. ¡°Four strikes.¡± He shook the blood from Heavenly Drive, then stood in front of her. ¡°Now you are forbidden from telling me to return.¡± Chapter 215 ¡°Ugh.¡± Sheryl let out a short groan. Her eyes were filled with regret. Apparently, she thought she could leave him behind for sure from that. ¡°That was your one-sided offer.¡± ¡°You should''ve refused before if you wanted to. I''m sure you''ve already experienced it before.¡± Raon simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Ack!¡± Sheryl frowned. She must''ve remembered how she ended up being in charge of dish washing because she didn''t stop Ekan from arm wrestling with Raon. ¡°You have to surpass expectations in moderation to be somewhat understandable. You are way too unconventional.¡± She sighed, shaking her head. ¡°But a promise is still a promise. I won''t tell you to go back. Instead, you should obey my orders no matter what. I''m not negotiating on this one.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon smiled, in contrast to the frowning Sheryl. ¡°But where did you learn the concentration of heavy sword?¡± Sheryl narrowed her eyes while looking at the extremity of Heavenly Drive''s de. ¡°Concentration of heavy sword?¡± ¡°I''m talking about the strike that shattered the Brutal Yellow Demon''s axe just now.¡± She pointed at thepletely shattered de of the Brutal Yellow Demon''s axe. ¡°You concentrated the heavy sword''s power in one area instead of on the entire de.¡± ¡°I was just copying him.¡± Raon casually pointed his finger at the copsed Brutal Yellow Demon. ¡°He was gathering the energy of a heavy sword in one spot in his axe, so I tried doing the same since I figured I could.¡± ¡°So, you tried it and it worked?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What a mind-blowing talent¡­¡± Sheryl''s voice was trembling slightly. Her expression was telling him that she''d witnessed something impossible. That''s not a big deal. The King of Essence is even capable of showing a far more advanced version of a technique he¡¯s only seen once, let alone copying it. Wrath frowned in displeasure. ''Is that so?'' Raon smiled dly, since the mere fact that he was saying that proved that he did something amazing. ''Though, it''s not actually my own talent.'' He could analyze his opponent''s technique thanks to the Ring of Fire, and the reason he managed to achieve the concentration of heavy sword was thanks to continuously practicing his heavy sword recently. Since thebination of luck and effort had created that result, it wasn''t exactly thanks to a mind-blowing talent. ¡°Don''t tell anyone that you learned a technique that way.¡± ¡°I only told you because you are the Heavenly de leader.¡± ¡°Hmph, you are just trying to tter me.¡± Sheryl snorted, then turned around. Despite what she said, her mouth seemed to be curved into a small smile. ¡°Thank you for saving us!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± As he was preparing to leave again, the warriors who managed to survive the Brutal Yellow Demon''s axe came to them and bowed. Considering their white and brown uniforms, they seemed to be the warriors from House Basin and House Trian in Retran. ¡°The priestess Rosy was worried about you. You should return to Retran.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± The warrior in white uniforms nodded, but the ones in brown uniforms took another step towards him while biting his lips. ¡°Our head of house went after the Saint, but he hasn''t returned yet. If you can find him¡­¡± ¡°O-Our head of house also went with him!¡± They were talking about different heads of houses. ¡°Are you telling me that the heads of both House Basin and House Trian came out?¡± ¡°Yes. They came to help the Saint, while entrusting the city to the vice heads of houses. But we got separated mid-way¡­¡± The warriors were telling him that both heads acted in order to save Federick, but they couldn''t find them anymore after they were separated. ''That''s why I couldn''t find the heads of houses there.'' He thought they''d perished while protecting the city since he couldn''t find them, but they were apparently chasing after the Saint. ''How admirable.'' The heads of houses must''ve decided on that dangerous venture of chasing Eden because they were aware of the fact that Eden obtaining the Raysin after killing the Saint would be detrimental to the entire continent. Since it wasn''t easy to make such a decision, Raon unconsciously admired it. ¡°Since we are also chasing the Saint, we will tell them to return if we meet them.¡± Raon nodded at them. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°We lost a lot of time. Let''s move on.¡± Sheryl dashed like an arrow bouncing off a bowstring without waiting for his response. ¡°I hope everything ends well¡­¡± Voicing his small wish, Raon used footwork to follow her. As they were traversing the field, copsed corpses could be seen from different ces. They were wearing the same uniform as the warriors they had just encountered, which meant they were from the houses Basin and Trian. ¡°They are the real warriors.¡± Sheryl, who was running ahead of him, closed her eyes towards the corpses. ¡°They advanced in order to help the Saint, despite knowing that they were going to die. Some people might call them stupid, but I''d like to show my respect to their conviction.¡± ¡°Same goes for me.¡± Raon nodded. ''Because I''m the same as them.'' When he used to be an assassin, he would''ve just snorted if he heard that someone risked their lives for another person''s sake. He would¡¯veughed at them, calling them stupid. However, a huge amount of people had helped them in his life as Raon Zieghart. Since he was now aware how precious the emotions and rtionships were, he wanted to apud their courage. Raon closed his eyes for a moment to pay respect to the fallen warriors before opening them again. * * * * * * Raon and Sheryl followed the corpses and the traces of battle to chase after Federick. The surviving demons of Eden tried to block their path, but they mowed them instantly and continued their advance. ¡°A battle between Masters took ce here. They didn''t go too far.¡± Sheryl narrowed her eyes, while looking at the ground, which was cracked in the shape of a spiderweb. ¡°Judging from the traces, he must be inside that forest.¡± She pointed at a forest far to the north. Even moonlight could hardly prate the dense trees and grass within the forest. ¡°Let''s speed up a little.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He moved while fully focusing on his footwork¡ªthen, he heard a breathing sound from the direction of a boulder. It was such a weak breath,ing from someone close to death. Raon changed directions and ran towards the boulder. A middle-aged man had copsed behind the boulder with his white uniform covered in blood, and his right arm and left leg were torn off as if they were eaten by a beast. ''I can''t save him.'' Judging from the splendid white uniform and high-quality sword, he looked like the head of house Basin mentioned by the people he''d saved earlier. However, there was no way to save him because he was bleeding too much. ¡°Are you the head of House Basin, Dempt Basin?¡± ¡°I-I am.¡± He barely managed to nod. ¡°It''s impossible. We can''t save him even if we spend more time here.¡± Sheryl turned her head away, saying that it couldn''t be helped. Just as she said, Dempt couldn''t live for long. ¡°W-Wait¡­¡± Dempt desperately looked at them with a trembling chin. ¡°I-I''m not asking you to save me. P-Please listen to me.¡± As Raon was about to move on while biting his lips, he raised his remaining arm with difficulty. ¡°Th-There was a spy in Retran.¡± ¡°Spy? Who was it?¡± Sheryl walked up to Dempt, her eyebrows lowered. ¡°Th-The head of House Trian, Stain Trian. H-He was Eden''s spy¡­¡± Dempt spat out Stain Trian''s name as if he wanted to kill him. Raon could feel his anger from his voice despite his weakened state. ¡°Are you telling me the head of House Trian is Eden''s spy? Since when?!¡± ¡°I-I don''t know either. I chased after Eden with him until we arrived here, but he suddenly wore an o-ogre''s helmet and did this to me¡­¡± Raon could guess the rest of the story from his state. He must''ve enhanced his abilities with the ogre''s helmet to put Dempt in that condition. ¡°Ogre¡­¡± Raon grit his teeth. The Eden bastards had apparently managed to find the Blood Raving Demon''s sessor, on top of the Green War Demon that he''d encountered before. ¡°I-I suggested sending the vice heads of houses to chase after him and manage the city first, but Stain insisted that we definitely needed to chase them for the sake of the great cause, since the continent would be endangered if we didn''t save the Saint. I-I was impressed, believing that I witnessed how much he cared for the world for the first time, but how could this happen¡­?¡± Dempt''s clenched fist powerlessly fell to the ground. ¡°Stain didn''t only lie to me, but also to his own house and the entire city. I-I''m sure he was the one who opened Retran''s gate to let Eden inside. Now that I think about it, it''s impossible that the entire city was set on fire at the same time as Eden¡¯s appearance.¡± Dempt continued, while forcing his lips to part. ¡°Kuh, h-he must be nning to take over Retran after killing me. Th-That should never be allowed to happen¡­¡± He breathed hisst breath. He couldn''t even close his bloodshot eyes from the frustration and chagrin. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Sheryl coldly looked at the forest. Although her voice was the same as always, her pressure was filled with explosive anger. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon closed Dempt Basin''s eyes and stood up. Thud! Without any signal, they kicked the ground at the same time. ¡°I''ll enter the forest and bring the Saint out. You shall guard the entrance, so that the Eden bastards won''t be able to enter.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded. He wanted to go inside with her to fight, but he was aware that he was only going to be a hindrance to her. Blocking the path from outside was the best thing he could do. As they approached the forest Federick had entered, he could detect more presences of people and monsters. It looked like the Eden bastards were surrounding the entire forest. ''This many of them¡­'' Raon frowned. Eden apparently wanted to obtain the boy, Yulius, and the Raysin no matter what. ''The boy is important too, but I can never let them have the Raysin.'' Raysin was capable of killing a hundred thousand people if it was used as a poison. Even if it was exaggerated, it should be able to cause a ughter on a scale of tens of thousands at least, which needed to be prevented at all costs. ''Blocking the path¡­'' Raon tightly grasped Heavenly Drive''s hilt. They were many in number, but he couldn''t feel any Masters among them. He should''ve been more than capable of holding them back until Sheryl returned from Federick''s rescue. Hmm. While he was running towards the forest while reading the movements of low-ranking officers, the red demons and the green demons, Wrath licked his lips. It looks like you made a mistake. ''What?'' Wrath didn''t respond, simply murmuring that it was getting interesting. ''There seems to be something else.'' There was no way the Demon King, who loved to show off his knowledge, said that for no reason. There must''ve been something else in there. ''It doesn''t matter what they have. I just need to do my job.¡¯ Sheryl would definitely bring Federick back. He only needed to be a wall to stop anyone from entering. Raon steeled himself once again and kicked the ground. With the forest entering his vision, he could reach the entrance by using footwork a few more times. ¡°Stop.¡± As he was about to speed up, Sheryl stopped running and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°What? Are you not going in?¡± Raon pointed at the forest. A fierce battle was happening inside, and the Saint needed to be rescued before he died. ¡°We are changing the n.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Haa!¡± Sheryl turned around while gritting her teeth. She exhaled roughly, while looking back at the path they came from. Rumble! ''I can handle this much on my own¡­ hmm?¡¯ As Raon was watching the swarming demons of Eden, ck foam emerged, and the air twisted like grapevines. Once the foam gathered into a round shape, they turned into a humans'' face. Whir! With a wide brimmed hat on top, the nose as long as a carrot and forehead full of wrinkles formed the appearance of an old woman¡¯s mask. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the mask. ''Merlin!'' She was the witch of betrayal Merlin, who he''d seen at Habun Castle when he killed the doppelganger. However, unlike thest time, where only her head had appeared, her robe-covered body also appeared. ¡°Merlin¡­¡± Sheryl furrowed her brows upon recognizing Merlin. ¡°Wow, it''s Sheryl.¡± Merlin pped her hands whileughing in excitement. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sheryl stood in front of Raon to prevent Merlin from seeing him. ¡°Because I''m the one who devised this n.¡± Merlin said without hesitation. ¡°I needed to create a clear-cut result because I made a mistakest time. I worked hard on this one.¡± The mistake she mentioned must''ve been about her failure to take Yua at Habun Castle. ¡°Is that why you targeted the boy and the Saint at the same time?¡± Sheryl''s lips twisted as she realized that. ¡°I don''t care whether the Saint dies or not. I just need to get the item he has.¡± ¡°What are you nning to do with the Raysin?¡± ¡°It''s obvious. Did you believe I''d use it as a medicine?¡± Merlin giggled. As expected, she must''ve been nning to use it as a poison. ¡°But I''m not nning to start a genocide with it. I''m just going topress it over and over again to create a poison that can even kill a Grandmaster in an instant.¡± She raised her long finger and drew a circle. ¡°You are crazy¡­¡± ¡°By the way, Sheryl. The boy behind you is Raon, isn''t he?¡± Merlin''s voice filled with passion. ¡°It''s been a while, Raon.¡± ¡°Were we close enough to greet each other?¡± Raon red at Merlin with cold eyes. ¡°Your eyes became even better. I''ve been collecting all of your stories. Did you make up your mind toe with me now?¡± ¡°I''d rather die than go with you.¡± ¡°I like thatposure of yours.¡± Merlin''s old woman mask twisted into a grotesque smile. ¡°The fact that we met each other again here must mean that we are connected by fate.¡± ¡°That''s not what fate means.¡± ¡°What a nice answer, and what a nice gaze. Aah¡­¡± Her manner of speech was simr to Encia, but Merlin''s words felt so unpleasant that a chill ran down his spine. ¡°I can even bring you with me now. What a relief.¡± Merlin''s eyes sparkled white behind the mask. ¡°Your helmet is already ready. It''s made for you and no one else in the world.¡± Her voice was as kind as an older sister talking to her younger brother. Raon started to feel nauseous, probably because she was using some sorcery with it. ¡°Come with me. I''ll make you surpass Master and even reach Grandmaster.¡± ¡°Crazy bitch.¡± Sheryl took one step forward. Her powerful pressure was ignited to distort Merlin''s flow of mana. ¡°Raon, we are changing the n.¡± She continued without looking back at him. ¡°I''ll block the path here. You enter the forest. Check the Saint and the boy''s conditions. If he is fighting against three or more Masters, you should just take the boy and escape.¡± ¡°Heavenly de leader?¡± ¡°Do you know what the worst-case scenario in a rescue operation is?¡± Sheryl ced her hand on the sword on her back and turned her head. ¡°It''s when the people who came for the rescue end up dying. They were thoroughly prepared this time, and we are normally supposed to withdraw right away.¡± ¡°Exactly. You are very experienced indeed.¡± Merlin nodded while smiling. Raon couldn''t understand how she could express her emotions so well despite wearing a mask. ¡°However, I have no intention of letting anyone escape. And even if some people end up escaping, I''m going to take you with me, Raon, no matter what.¡± She snapped her finger, and heavy footsteps could be heard from the dark forest. Thud! The forest''s grassy entrance opened up like a curtain, and a giant made his appearance, d in red armor and wearing an ogre''s helmet with a single horn. ¡°Blood Raving Demon, capture that boy alive.¡± ¡°Can I just kill him instead?¡± He was different from the Blood Raving Demon he''d seen before. His low voice was filled with the desire to kill. He must''ve been Stain Trian, the head of House Trian. ¡°Shall I tear you apart along with your armor?¡± Merlin''s eyes twisted fiercely. The atmosphere started to tremble from her serious anger. ¡°Hmph.¡± The Blood Raving Demon approached with a cold smile. The intense pressureing from his tall stature and his enormousbative energy was crushing Raon''s body. ¡°It must be nice to be loved by her.¡± ¡°I don''t need something like that.¡± ¡°How can you refuse when she''s offering you a chance to get stronger? Do you trust your talent?¡± His eyes were glowing with crimson madness. ¡°I guess you would, since you have the talent to reach the highest level of Expert at your age and even defeat the seventh apostle.¡± ¡°Your words are overflowing with inferiority. Was that inferiority what drove you to betray your house and the people who trusted you, just to kiss Eden''s ass? Stain Trian.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Stain Trian, who was wearing the Blood Raving Demon''s skin, stopped moving upon hearing Raon''s cold voice. ¡°I purposefully granted him a slow death, but he must''ve run his mouth.¡± Realizing that Dempt Basin was the source of information, the Blood Raving Demon tantly sneered. ¡°Yes, I did it. I didn''t only take Eden''s side, but also opened the castle gate to allow Eden''s demons to enter and helped them prepare to set fire.¡± ¡°Just why¡­¡± ¡°It''s exactly what you said. Inferiority! I couldn''t bear my inferiorityplex and yielded to Eden''s temptation. However, I regret it now¡­¡± ¡°Regret?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. That word didn''t match the situation at all. ¡°Yes. I regret not having yielded earlier! I should''ve taken their side way before!¡± The Blood Raving Demon slowly lowered his head. He startedughing like a madman, looking at him with a gaze terrifying enough to give him goosebumps. ¡°This strength! This power! I''m satisfied with everything! I can even create as much astral energy as I want, which used to be impossible!¡± Crimsonbative energy was raging like a fire on top of the Blood Raving Demon''s fist. ¡°You shouldn''t be able to understand me since you reached the highest level of Expert at your young age. How painful it was to be unable to surpass my limits even though I''ve been training for my entire life! How desperate it was to have younger ones surpass me!¡± He raved in grief. ¡°You can never understand me, since you are brimming with talent!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Raon walked up to the Blood Raving Demon with extremely cold eyes, to the point where he looked heartless. ''I understand it too well.'' During his life as an assassin, he''d never trained on his own ord. Everything was for the sake of killing people, and his life was nothing but aponent for Derus''s n. The despair he felt for his entire life was on a different dimension from Stain, who was at least allowed to train in order to be stronger. ¡°Bullshit! There''s no way¡­¡± ¡°Are you enjoying how much stronger you got? Are you happy that you can finally use astral energy?¡± ¡°Of course! That Dempt bastard, who has been my rival for my entire life, couldn''t even take a single strike from me! I''ve obtained power that won''t lose to anyone!¡± Crimsonbative energy was overflowing from the Blood Raving Demon''s shoulders. ''Power?'' He was certainly powerful. The energy waveing from him didn''t lose to the Blood Raving Demon from Cebu Vige at all. However, he didn''t feel any of the despair he felt that time. A power without effort and enlightenment wasn''t scary at all. ¡°Do you realize how many times people asked me to save you? They were so worried about you that they asked me to at least bring news on you.¡± ¡°So what?¡± The Blood Raving Demon rolled his eyes, filled with murderous intent. He had apparently already abandoned human emotions. ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I won''t feel any regret from killing you.¡± ¡°You arrogant bastard¡­¡± ¡°Come at me.¡± Raon drew Heavenly Drive. The me bursting from his upright pressure seemed capable of even incinerating the moonlight. ¡°I''ll show you how insignificant power that you''ve obtained through evil sorcery is.¡± Chapter 216 Raon gathered Ten Thousand mes Cultivation while pointing his sword at the Blood Raving Demon. ''I need to finish this fight while avoiding as many injuries as possible.'' ording to Rosy, there were four Masters total. Since the Blood Raving Demon was right in front of him, there must''ve been three Masters in the forest. It was necessary to save as much power as possible in order to rescue the Saint from them. Do you really believe that''s possible? Wrath snorted, telling him it was pointless. Give your body to the King of Essence. The King of Essence will freeze the woman who desires his body and the insects rampaging in that forest for you. He extended his round hand. That''s the only way to save your benefactor. ''Didn''t you mention before that you¡¯d fall into a frenzy upon entering my body?'' Th-That''s true, but the King of Essence can return quickly! I just need to retain my sanity¡­ ''Stop saying stupid things. Just stay away.'' During the encounter with Sloth, Wrath mentioned that he would enter a frenzy upon entering his body because his soul had been away from his body for too long. Giving his body to Wrath would definitely kill Federick and the boy inside the forest, though Sheryl might be okay. ¡°Haa¡­¡± White steam came from the Blood Raving Demon''s mouth, as if he were smoking. ¡°You are way too overconfident. It must be because you are brimming with talent after being born to a prestigious house.¡± His eyes were glowing red with jealousy and murderous intent. ¡°Are you still holding on to that inferiorityplex despite having reached Master level? How pitiful.¡± Raon raised his chin andughed at him. ¡°Shut up!¡± The Blood Raving Demon thrust his fist while screaming like a monster. The raging astral energy made ofbative energy sted the air in its path. Whir! Raon watched the Blood Raving Demon''s fist covering his entire vision before pulling his left foot back at thest moment. Although the fist didn''t even touch him, the winding from it was powerful enough to tear his skin. ''The power itself doesn''t lose to the Blood Raving Demon from before, and the trajectory is also simr.'' His punch wasn''t really different from the previous Blood Raving Demon, who he''d fought in Cebu Vige. ''How about the next one?'' Raon lightly stepped back while lowering Heavenly Drive, and the Blood Raving Demon caught up to him like a leech and swung his entire arm at him. There was very little room to dodge because his entire arm was burning withbative energy. ''I knew it.'' The second attack also used the same method as the previous Blood Raving Demon. Raon leaned his body backward to dodge the straightforward attack perfectly. ang! Raon straightened his back and incorporated Heavenly Drive with the principles of the quick sword. The de turned red from the heat, then became a ray of light to brush past the Blood Raving Demon''s forearm. Crack. Blood was dripping from the crack in his armor. The Blood Raving Demon lowered his head and spaced out while looking at his own blood. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon caught his breath and turned his wrist. ''Eden isn''t even aware of the fact that I fought the Blood Raving Demon before.'' He figured he could use thatck of information to turn the fight in his favor. ¡°Haa, you actually dodged that and counterattacked.¡± Merlin seriously admired him. ¡°I knew I wasn''t mistaken about you. Raon, you have toe with me.¡± Even though her voice was polite, it was overflowing with uncontroble desire. ¡°It must be nice to be blessed with talent.¡± The Blood Raving Demon slowly raised his head. His red eyes were distorted with madness and anger. ¡°Not only did you be famous thanks to that talent, but you''ve also earned her favor. It must be nice!¡± His pressure intensified. Thebative energy burning from fist spread to his entire body. ¡°Your sword is unable to reach me now!¡± The Blood Raving Demon charged at him while roaring like an ogre. He didn''t feel human anymore at that point¡ªit felt like a mountain was charging at him. ''This is also the same.'' Since he had broken his left armpletely when trying to block that charge before, there was no way he could forget about it. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony''s third step. His footsteps of softness dodged the Blood Raving Demon''s charge like raindrops seeping into a boulder. ¡°You bastard!¡± The Blood Raving Demon instantly changed directions to catch up to him. He extended both his arms, trying to grab him and smash him. Cring! Raon used River Footwork consecutively to escape from the Blood Raving Demon''s grasp, igniting Ten Thousand mes Cultivation at full power. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten mes me Spirit. The flower petals of me created from the silvernd engulfed the Blood Raving Demon, but they dissipated like a fog, unable to prate through hisbative energy. ¡°I already told you!¡± The Blood Raving Demon charged at him again,ughing like a madman. ¡°Your sword doesn''t work against me!¡± He kept thrusting his boulder-like fists one after another. The enormous energy wave kept sting the air and thend. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon kept stepping back while barely deflecting or blocking the Blood Raving Demon''s punches. He looked like he was in a desperate crisis, but his eyes weren''t wavering in the slightest. ''It''s going as nned.'' He was pretending to barely manage to dodge the punches, even though he was capable of perfectly dodging them. After all, he had already analyzed all the trajectories of the previous Blood Raving Demon''s punches. The reason he was doing that was simple: it was in order to kill the Blood Raving Demon in a single strike. ''He''s still inexperienced.'' Judging from Dempt''s testimony, Stain must''ve gained the Blood Raving Demon''s power recently. The astral fist made from thebative energy was even more powerful than the seventh apostle, but he was clearly notpleted yet. That weakness could definitely be used. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon used Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s techniques one after the other to make the Blood Raving Demon believe that his attacks didn''t work against him. ¡°I''m different from the seventh apostle you fought against! Your me doesn''t work against me!¡± He was saying the exact same thing as the previous Blood Raving Demon, and it confirmed once again they weren''t aware of the fact that Raon had fought against the previous Blood Raving Demon. ¡°This is the end!¡± The Blood Raving Demon pulled back his right fist and thrust it. Thebative energy from his fist surged like a tornado to create a huge wave. ¡°Finally.¡± Raon smiled while looking at the spreadingbative energy, powerful enough to stop his eyes from opening. ''It''s here!'' The wave ofbative energy created by the Blood Raving Demon was the punch that Rimmer had severed with his de of wind. Since he''d witnessed the way to shatter that move right personally, he could pinpoint its weakness right away. Cring! He thrust Heavenly Drive at the small weakness. The blue light on Heavenly Drive''s de dashed through the air like a line traced by a brush containing blue paint. Ssh! The Blood Raving Demon''s armor was torn apart, and blood gushed from his chest. ¡°You bastaard!¡± The Blood Raving Demon''s eyes almost popped out. In his agitated state, he was still raising his right arm. He seemed to have instinctively sensed Frost Pond''s second strike. ''And I expected that, too.'' Raon stomped the ground with full strength. He changed Heavenly Drive''s grip to reverse once it reached his opponent''s right side, shing to the left. Swaa! Frost Pond''s icy stream and the silver de surging from the other side crossed each other. Creak! The two strikes, unleashed at the same time, pierced through the Blood Raving Demon''sbative energy and severed his heart. ¡°Kuh, you, you¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon grasped his chest, where blood was gushing out like a fountain, and knelt. ¡°Haa, I told you.¡± Raon looked down at the Blood Raving Demon while catching his breath roughly. ¡°Power obtained by evil sorcery is pointless.¡± ¡°I-I¡­ I wanted the talent¡­¡± The Blood Raving Demon extended his arm until the very end, but it fell to the ground, unable to reach Raon. Thud! It was a strange turn of fate that the man who betrayed his family,panions, and even his lifelong rival in order to be a Master was defeated by a swordsman who hadn''t yet be a Master. ¡°Blood Raving Demon¡­?¡± It looked like even Merlin hadn''t predicted that oue, since the strange expression on her mask stiffened for the first time. ¡°Raon! You seriously did it!¡± Sheryl¡¯s eyes also widened in surprise, to the point that her narrow eyes looked round. ¡°Heavenly de leader, shall I move ording to the mission you gave me earlier?¡± Raon looked at Sheryl''s back while grasping Heavenly Drive. ¡°Yes! Go!¡± She nodded, telling him to go immediately. ¡°Go? Where would you go? You aren''t allowed!¡± Merlin returned to her senses and gathered her hands. A huge magic array that looked like a sun and a moon appeared behind her, and countless magics burst from that magic array. ¡°Catch him!¡± ¡°Stop him from entering the forest at all costs!¡± ¡°Kuaaa!¡± And there was more. The green and red demons and monsters who''d been watching from afar started swarming at him like a tidal wave. ¡°Raon, why are you still there when I told you to go?¡± Sheryl turned her head around. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Do you still not realize who I am?¡± She smiled faintly, drawing the sword on her back. ¡°I''m his first sword, and thest shield.¡± Two swords surged from one scabbard¡ªone ck and the other white. Swords of entirely opposite colors were twisting the darkness. ¡°The ck and White Twin Swords! Why do you have those?!¡± Merlin screamed. ¡°Nothing shall pass through me!¡± The white sword pointed to the ground, while the ck sword pointed to the sky. Whaam! The gray glow on the two swords spread out to the sky andnd, and Merlin''s magic instantly turned into dust, while the demons charging at Raon were wiped out like sand carried away by a wave. ¡°I order you again.¡± Sheryl pointed behind her after deleting all the magic and monsters that used to fill their vision. ¡°Raon Zieghart, save the Saint.¡± * * * * * * Whaam! The entire forest convulsed from the huge shockwave. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The Ragged Saint Federick faltered like a drunkard as he was pushed back. The rags he always wore had crumbled like dry leaves into an unrecognizable shape. ''Damn it¡­'' Federick looked at his shivering hand. The pain in his arms told him they were both broken, and strength was leaving his legs. He felt like he could sink to the ground at any moment. ¡°You are so damn tenacious, despite being old.¡± Eden''s demon that inherited the gargoyle lord''s power, ck Winged Demon, grinned while floating in the air. ¡°Don''t let your guard down. The Saint is always recovering his body.¡± The Red Wolf Demon''s cold voice could be heard. d in the lycanthrope''s armor, the ck ws he had raised were overflowing withbative energy. ¡°Haap!¡± Federick forced aura into his wavering hands to use a palm technique. A yellow astral palm incorporating the rotation of Coiling Power gushed towards the two demons'' openings. Whaam! Thebative energy in the Red Wolf Demon''s ws created a powerful wind pressure, bursting the astral palm. The straightforwardbative energy was used at the perfect time. He must''ve properly learned martial arts, rather than gaining it through some dirty means. ¡°Is that all?¡± The ck Winged Demon brushed the atmosphere with the winds on his armor and evaded the astral palm. His movement showed the prowess of the gargoyle lord that dominated the sky. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Federick frowned and caught his breath. He was recovering his internal and external injuries through Syltia''s energy, but the speed was slow because a sh between astral energies had created those wounds. It was rapidly getting more disadvantageous for him as he fought. ¡°Grr!¡± The Red Wolf Demon pounced at him while leaning forward like a wolf. His fearsome speed gave the impression that he had burst from the ground as he spread hisbative energy. ¡°Ehehehe!¡± Contrary to the Red Wolf Demon, the ck Winged Demon flew around him towards his back. Whaam! Fedrick opened both of his hands and created the Heaven Shattering Final Palm. The collision between the concentrated energy in his hand and thebative energy created a terrifying explosion. ¡°Kuh!¡± Federick withdrew while protecting Yulius from the explosion. He was more than capable of defeating them in a one-on-one situation, but taking on both of them at once was too difficult for him. The ck Winged Demon was especially annoying because he kept targeting his weakness from mid-air while the Red Wolf Demon attacked him from the front. ''Moreover¡­'' There was one more enemy for him. The Evil Goat Demon, who was just leaning his back against a tree. He was just spectating, as if it wasn''t his business, but he was going to act as soon as the two others were defeated or were in danger. Federick needed to remember that he was fighting a three-on-one battle. ¡°Where are you looking?¡± The ck Winged Demon was falling straight at him while thrusting his dagger. With his wrist turning like rubber, he was targeting the Saint''s neck in a strange trajectory. ¡°Grrr!¡± The Red Wolf Demon wasn''t staying still either. Thebative energying from his w as he thrust it, all while dashing at him from the left, was so powerful that it was difficult to block it. Whir! Federick gathered Syltia''s energy and put his hands together as if he were praying. The aura wave, starting from his hands, spread out in all directions to push back the ck Winged Demon and the Red Wolf Demon''sbative energies. It was the Great Cloud Palm¡¯s special technique, Palm Barrier. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The ck Winged Demon and the Red Wolf Demon were bounced back like rubber balls, unable to ovee the sudden repulsion. Federick''s old eyes sparkled for an instant. Without missing the ck Winged Demon''s opening, he kicked the ground and thrust his palm. Whaam! With the astral palm brushing past his waist, the ck Winged Demon was mmed into the ground before he could spread his wings. ''I need to finish him off!'' He finally got an opportunity. It was necessary to push ahead to reduce their numbers, even if that meant he needed to overexert himself. Just as he was about to strike with his palm filled with astral energy, a fearsome amount ofbative energy could be felt. It wasing from the Red Wolf Demon, who''d already caught up to him. ''Damn it!'' He would''ve been able to kill the ck Winged Demon if he kept advancing, but he would end up dying or severely wounded at the very least. He hesitated for a moment between withdrawing and advancing, and that was his worst mistake. Because that short moment felt like an eternity to experts. The Red Wolf Demon noticed Federick''s slow reaction and pounced on that weakness. sh! Before Federick could turn back to harden his defense, the Red Wolf Demon''s w shed past the right side of his chest. ¡°Kuh!¡± Federick didn''t even have time to feel the pain, since the ck Winged Demon was flying at him while fiercely spreading hisbative energy. Thud! He managed to avoid losing his head by suddenly using a palm technique, but his body was already in serious condition. Thebative energies were attacking him one after another, not giving him time to stop the bleeding. m! am! Each time he shed against thebative energy, he experienced the pain of his chest melting down. His internal injury was severe. Federick swallowed the blood that was rising up his throat. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Although he shouldn''t have been impatient, he couldn''t remain calm because of the situation. He regretted it, but he''d already crossed a point of no return. ''Still!'' He couldn''t give up. He had to protect Yulius, who was covering his mouth behind him without even screaming. m! am! However, the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon kept forcing shes to make his injuries worse, tightening their grips around his throat. They knew perfectly well how to pressure a cornered rat. ''I really am going to die at this rate.'' His internal and external injuries became so bad that he couldn''t recover any further duringbat. He needed to finish the fight before he copsed. Federick used his footwork to avoid shes as much as possible, but the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Wolf Demon were tenaciously targeting his wounds. ''Yes,e at me.'' That was exactly what he wanted, since he wasying a trap to defeat them at once by using the ultimate technique of Great Cloud Palm once they carelessly approached him. sh! The ck Winged Demon charged at him while hiding behind the Red Wolf Demon to tear at his side. ¡°Ugh!¡± Federick groaned, stopping his faltering feet. The Red Wolf Demon kicked the ground to thrust hisbative energy, and the ck Winged Demon was charging at him with his crimson burning dagger,ughing through his teeth. ''Now is the time!'' He opened his energy center to explode all the energy he had concentrated in his mana circuits. It was the Great Cloud Palm''s ultimate technique, Fist of Extinguishment, which was capable of wiping out everything in the surrounding area. Baam! The entire forest trembled from the tremendous explosion. Rumble! Everything he could see waspletely destroyed, but Federick didn¡¯t rejoice. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± He gritted his teeth and looked up into the air. The ck Winged Demon was smiling in a grotesque manner while carrying the Red Wolf Demon. Their conditions were too good, disregarding the few scars they had. ¡°Old man, you are too obvious.¡± ¡°I guess even the Saint is helpless in this situation.¡± The ck Winged Demonughed at him, and the Red Wolf Demon was coldly looking at his regrettable performance. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Federick bit his lips so hard they could bleed. There was no way experts like them wouldn''t recognize his impatience. His trap had caught him instead of the demons. ''I''mpletely empty.'' There was nothing left in his energy center and mana circuit. ¡°Hah.¡± He could onlyugh, utterly discouraged by the death shadow that was already right under his nose. ''Is it over?'' He could feel Yulius''s gaze from behind him. ''He must be still holding back his tears while biting his lip.'' He was so proud of him for holding back from crying and screaming until the end in order to avoid disturbing his battle. ''I''m sorry.'' He couldn''t keep his promise to see Raon with him, nor the promise of escaping together. He wanted to fight until the end, but he had nothing left. He just felt so sorry for Yulius. ¡°Let''s end this. You fought better than I expected.¡± ¡°I''ll grant you a painless death, befitting your title of saint.¡± ¡°I don''t want that! I''m going to devour him alive!¡± ¡°Did your brain also turn into a beast just because you are wearing a monster''s skin?¡± The ck Winged Demon and the Red Wolf Demon were slowly approaching him. They were also tired from using a lot of power, but they couldn''t bepared to Federick, who hadpletely exhausted his strength. Whir! Even in that situation, they didn''t lower their guards and were spreading as muchbative energy as they could. Federick''s entire vision was filled with astral energy. ''Oh god, I don''t mind dying myself.'' He bit his tongue, screaming on the inside instead of praying. ''But please, save the boy behind me! He is too pure to go with those evil demons! I don''t care what you do with this old body of mine! Please, save the boy!'' He''d been called the Saint, but he didn''t believe in God. He only considered it a healing tool, but he was actually praying for the first time. However, nothing had changed. It was apparently toote. Whaam! Looking at thebative energy filling his vision, Federick turned around. ¡°Yulius, I won''t be able to keep the promise.¡± ¡°S-Saint¡­¡± ¡°Stay strong and live.¡± He smiled gently at Yulius, whose chin was trembling. He turned around and waited for his death. However, even though God had abandoned them, the thread of fate was still connected. Along with a thunderous sound destroying the earth, a refreshing wind blew towards them. Red and blue lights crossed each other diagonally, shredding the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon''sbative energies into pieces. One man was standing in the glimmering light of fire. His tall stature and blond hair fluttered in the air, reminding Federick of his dear friend. ¡°Y-You are¡­¡± He looked around. His upright red eyes that seemed familiar for some reason seemed extremely d to see him. ¡°It''s been a while.¡± His heart throbbed intensely from hearing that man''s low voice. ¡°I came to pay my debt.¡± Chapter 217 ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed while looking at the scattering remnants ofbative energy. ''I barely managed to block it.'' He managed to sever the wall of astral energy by using Ten Thousand mes Cultivation with Heavenly Drive and cier with the de of Requiem. He had to dual wield¡ªwhich he wanted to use as a surprise attack¡ªfrom the beginning and ended up with an internal injury that was making him nauseous, but he didn''t regret it. ''Because they are alive.'' Since Federick and the boy were alive, giving up on the surprise attack while gaining an internal injury was worth it. ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± Federick''s voice was the same as before. A small smile appeared on Raon''s face as he remembered the times when he patted his back to pour energy into him. ¡°Please step back for now. I''ll tell youter.¡± Raon pointed behind him and looked ahead. Unfortunately, Federick had no energy left. Raon was alone for the next fight. ''Can I do it?'' It seemed difficult. The original n was to fight alongside Federick against the three Masters. Honestly, it was the worst situation he could''ve been in. Whir! Once the exploding dust calmed, he could see the two demons d in armor. ''The Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon.'' A warrior wearing red armor and a wolf head helmet, and a man d in ck armor with a pair of wings on his back were looking at him fiercely. He could feel their powerful pressures despite the fact that they were only probing him. They were both monsters at Master level. ''And¡­'' Raon swallowed nervously and looked behind them. A man was leaning his back against a tree while wearing armor made of a goat as his lower body and a knight as his upper body with a goat helmet on his head. ''Evil Goat Demon.'' Of course it had to be Baphomet. Lycanthrope and gargoyle lords were both powerful boss-rank monsters, but Baphomet was on a different level. Baphomet was a highest-rank monster capable of using great techniques at sword master level and seventh-circle magic at the same time, all while also being intelligent enough to bamboozle humans. Since the Evil Goat Demon inherited the Baphomet¡¯s power, he couldn''t be considered an average Master. Honestly, he felt more danger from the Evil Goat Demon than the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demonbined. ''The fortunate part is the fact that he''s alone.'' Baphomets usually moved in small groups and did whatever they wanted. Judging from the fact that he was alone, he must not have beenplete yet. ¡°An Expert capable of shing through astral energy. Are you Raon Zieghart?¡± The Red Wolf Demon examined Raon from top to bottom and nodded. ¡°R-Raon? Are you Raon?¡± Federick, who was taking care of the boy behind him, widened his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Federick and nodded. ¡°I was wondering how you could defeat the seventh apostle, and it was because you could use both fire and water attributes.¡± The Red Wolf Demon narrowed his eyes while looking at the de of Requiem and Heavenly Drive. He apparently knew about him already. ¡°Can I kill that bastard? Right? I don''t like his face!¡± Crimsonbative energy burst from the ck Winged Demon''s dagger. He looked like he would attack him at any moment. ''I have no chance of victory if all three of them attack altogether¡­'' Raon checked the Evil Goat Demon. He apparently didn''t have any intention of fighting, since he wasn''t taking his back off the tree. ¡°My job is to block this path. I have no intention to join as long as you don''te this way.¡± The Evil Goat Demon smiled at Raon as he noticed his gaze. It almost felt strange how carefree his voice was, as if a little kid were the one speaking behind the mask. ¡°Are you really doing that?¡± The Red Wolf Demon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Evil Goat Demon. ¡°You heard it too, didn''t you? They asked me to block the path. We are just doing our respective jobs.¡± The Evil Goat Demon shrugged, as if he were asking them ''so what?''. Although they were both affiliated with Eden, they didn''t seem to agree with each other. ¡°He''s telling the truth. He didn''t act even when his allies were in danger.¡± Federick nodded, telling him that the Evil Goat Demon didn''t make his move during his fight, either. ''I should still be careful about him.'' Baphomet was a self-centered monster. He couldn''t be careless against him, since he could change his mind at any time. ¡°I can¡¯t stand him! I don''t care whether he is a Zieghart or whatever! He''s so arrogant when he''s just an Expert!¡± The ck Winged Demon spread his wings. He smoothly floated into the air like a balloon and fell down like lightning. His dagger, filled withbative energy, was rushing towards Raon''s neck. The moment the red dagger was about to sever his neck, Raon twisted his shoulder. Since his eyes were used to the current ofbative energy from the fight against the Blood Raving Demon earlier, his reaction time was fast. Raon thrust Heavenly Drive in return, aiming at the ck Winged Demon''s neck. The moment the silver de imbued with the quickness of Frost Pond was about to sever the ck armor, his wings bent at a different angle. Swaa! Alongside a violent wind, he soared into the sky. Whoosh! A red line was filling the spot the ck Winged Demon left. The Red Wolf Demon hade running to sh at him with his ws. ''Fast!'' He seemed better than the flying ck Winged Demon in terms of pure speed. He was already right under Raon¡¯s nose before he realized it. Whir! The astral energy ofbative energy engulfed his entire body. As an expert of the w technique, his advanced martial art was already blocking all of the directions Raon could potentially dodge to. However, Raon''s footwork was even better than that. The first step of Supreme Harmony Steps allowed him to deflect the Red Wolf Demon''s ws. Raon stomped the ground, using the me Wheel of Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The cogwheel of crimson me made the atmosphere tremble. ¡°Hmph!¡± Upon feeling the aura wave, the Red Wolf Demon bounced back before dashing at him again. Baam! The sh between me Wheel and astral energy created a powerful explosion. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon bit his lip. Even though he''d managed to react quickly, he still received a powerful impact inside his body. The Red Wolf Demon''s astral energy was apparently capable of prating through aura. ¡°Die!¡± However, he didn''t have time to think about that, since the ck Winged Demon¡ªwho had been looking for an opportunity from the sky¡ªwas charging towards him and aiming for his heart with his dagger, which was burning withbative energy. Raon used Supreme Harmony''s second step to shake off the red dust, then unleashed the quick sword. A blue de incorporating the Supreme Harmony Step''s mysterious power parried the dagger that was glowing withbative energy. ang! The impact felt like a lump of steel was smacking against his body. The ck Winged Demon''s aura was as solid as an agglomeration of ground steel. It didn''t look like it would be easy to pierce through. ¡°Grr!¡± The Red Wolf Demon was mming into him with his body this time. Raon didn''t even have time to catch his breath and stepped back by using Supreme Harmony''s third step, incorporating Heavenly Drive with the principles of softness at the same time. aang! With a huge sound like splitting boulders, livid blood spread on his wrist. His vein had popped from the power of his charge. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly. ''And they aren''t even supposed to be in their best condition.'' The Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon must''ve spent their power during their fight against Federick, yet he was barely able to defend himself. He could feel nausea simr to motion sickness. That meant that his internal injury was getting gradually worse. ''I''m still going to endure.'' Raon brandished his two swords, counting on the Ring of Fire''s abilities to analyze and recover. Just like the fight against the Blood Raving Demon, he needed to end the fight in an instant and it was necessary to analyze their martial arts beforehand for that purpose. ¡°You arrogant bastard!¡± The ck Winged Demon got extremely angry and spread his wings wide to dive towards him. He maintained his speed, shooting astral energy like an arrow from his dagger. Raon gritted his teeth and raised the de of Requiem. He deflected the dagger with a strike incorporating the softness of Supreme Harmony''s third step before using the Fangs of Insanity with Heavenly Drive. ng! Heavenly Drive''s de shed the ck Winged Demon''s opening, but the sword was unable to cut through the armor and bounced back instead. ''What durability¡­'' Although it wasn''t d inbative energy, the armor was more durable than the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s, which was wrapped withbative energy. The sturdiness of his armor and weapon were almost abnormal, befitting his characteristics as a gargoyle lord. Swoosh! As Raon was pushed back, the Red Wolf Demon didn''t miss the opportunity and dashed at him. The fearsomebative energy in his ws were targeting Raon''s heart. ''I need to deflect it.'' It wasn''t a good idea to sh head-on against the Red Wolf Demon''sbative energy. ng! Raon twisted his ankle to incorporate Coiling Power into the de of Requiem. The spiral rotation in his de parried the w, which was exploding with murderous intent. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon frowned. Although he managed to deflect most of the power, the damage he received made him feel like a de was stabbing his organs. ¡°It''s far from being over yet!¡± The two demons seemed to have no intention of letting him rest, as they kept storming at him with a tremendous amount ofbative energy while dominating the sky andnd. Since Raon needed to defend against astral energy, his aura was quickly exhausted even though not much time had passed, and an intense paining from his stomach felt like a furnace was burning him from the inside. ¡°Do you finally regret it?¡± ¡°You can''t even retreat anymore. This ce is going to be your grave.¡± The Red Wolf Demon smiled coldly, and the ck Winged Demon smiled a toothy smile. They apparently believed the fight was over, since they had rxed themselves and were walking towards him. ¡°Regret?¡± Raon smiled, swallowing the blood that was rising from his throat. ¡°I threw that away a long time ago.¡± There was no regret even if he died right there. The life-saving favor would be repaid with life. He was determined to save Federick, no matter what. ''Wrath.'' You''ve finally decided. Let the King of Essence descend upon thisnd to eradicate them al¡­ ''Let''s make a trade.'' What? Wrath stopped in the middle of popping out of the bracelet. ''I''ll take your wrath, so heal my internal injuries and aura in return.'' It''s pointless. It''s impossible for you to win against those two even if you recover. ''I''ll give my body to you right away if I feel like I''m going to die.'' Y-You are crazy¡­ ''If you are scared, forget it.'' Fine! Bring it on! Pure energy flew towards him from the ice flower bracelet. The stabbing pain of a heated awl in his abdomen subsided and his empty energy center was refilled like spring water. [20 points of wrath have been created ording to the contract with ¡®Wrath¡¯.] [Bet against has been created.] Raon nodded without even reading the messages. ''I can win.'' Ever since he cut through the Blood Raving Demon''s astral energy, multiple lines that he was unable to understand had been appearing in his head. Whenever he closed his eyes tightly and opened them again, the sparkling lines in front of his eyes became clearer the fiercer the battle was. He was certain that connecting the countless lines into one would allow him to advance to a new height. ''I have to advance right now.'' It was a deadly trial, and an opportunity to advance one step further at the same time. Cring! Raon raised Heavenly Drive and Fangs of Insanity to point towards the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon. ¡°Come at me!¡± * * * * * * Baam! The shes between dozens of strikes and magics scattered magnificent rings of light into the dim sky of the night. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Merlin frowned, drawing a magic array even bigger than the moon. ¡°I told you, no one shall pass.¡± Sheryl smiled coldly while pointing her White Sword at Merlin. ¡°You idiot! There are three Masters in there! Even Raon isn¡¯t capable of winning against them!¡± Merlin looked seriously worried about Raon, intense passion in her eyes. ¡°I need to stop them before they kill him! Step aside already!¡± ¡°And you will try to take Raon to Eden.¡± Sheryl snickered, telling her she already guessed her intentions. ¡°It''s better than dying!¡± ¡°He won''t die. Raon has never betrayed his own words before. Moreover¡­¡± She continued while smiling. ¡°He creates miracles. Rather than dying, I''m sure he will return even stronger.¡± ¡°You must be crazy.¡± Merlin opened her hand while biting her lip. The bracelet around her wrist started shining in ck to increase the magic array''s size and power. ¡°I''m going to kill you and go greet Raon.¡± ¡°Try it, if you can.¡± Sheryl smiled coldly and raised the White Sword. The gray energy surged from the White Sword to reach the end of the sky. Swaaa! The ck tidal wave gushing out from the magic array shed against the single line emerging from the White Sword. * * * Unlike the grandiose sh between Sheryl and Merlin, the battle between Raon, the Red Wolf Demon, and the ck Winged Demon was critical and offered no breathing room. Raon kicked the ground while wiping the blood flowing from his mouth with his sleeve. Creak! He thrust Heavenly Drive towards the Red Wolf Demon, who dashed at him while showing his fangs and attacking with astral ws, and used the de of Requiem in a reverse grip to push back the ck Winged Demon''s attack that was targeting his neck from behind. Rumble! The explosion created from both sides turned thend upside down, and the intense trembling of the forest felt like it could copse at any moment. The moment Raon escaped the impact by using the Supreme Harmony Steps, the ck Winged Demon''s wings caught up to him. He was flying towards him with the intention of cutting him with his wings. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon exhaled roughly and parried with the Fangs of Insanity. ng! He was proficient enough to even surround his wings with astral energy. The impact passed through his bone and muscle to reach his organs. The internal injury he managed to heal by taking wrath from Wrath had already returned to him. However, he didn''t have time to feel pain. The red wolf¡ªwho would pounce whenever he saw an opportunity¡ªwas already right under his nose. Raon used the Supreme Harmony''s second step to use the me Dragon Art. Although its power had decreased, it was as fast as a ray of light. am! Despite the decreased power, the me Dragon Art was still powerful. It didn''t lose, despite facing Red Wolf Demon''s astral energy. However, Raon''s insides were turning upside down. He swallowed the blood rising in his throat and used the Spear sh of the Fangs of Insanity. ng! He managed to twist the ck dagger targeting his neck. The ck Winged Demon clicked his tongue, floating into the air once again. ¡°Haa.¡± His internal injury was spreading like a forest fire. The intense heat filling him felt like his entire abdomen was burning, but his mind only became clearer. Whaam! The Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon charged at him at the same time. The way thebative energies in their ws and dagger were vibrating the atmosphere and shattering thend told him that they were using their respective special techniques. Raon pulled back Heavenly Drive to his left shoulder, and the de of Requiem to the right side of his waist before thrusting them at the same time. The harmony between Revolving Sky and Frost Pond created an explosion of red and blue sparks. Baam! Raon was pushed five steps back, coughing out the blood he''d been holding back. His abdomen felt like it was burning, telling him his internal injury had been aggravated. ''It''s okay.'' Raon caught his breath while chewing on his lip. It was because, while they didn''t manage to pierce through his strike, he was starting to see their martial arts. Whir! He could see the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon inside the subsiding sandy dust. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± ¡°H-How is this even possible?¡± They were biting their lips as if they''d witnessed something unbelievable. A thin line of blood was flowing down from their mouths. ¡°That bastard¡­ He thrust his sword at Bone Shattering w''s opening.¡± ¡°Me, too! He pierced through the Punishing Flying Sword''s weakness!¡± The Red Wolf Demon''s eyes sparkled heartlessly, while the ck Winged Demon''s eyes inside the helmet were glowing with murderous intent. Wham! The two monsters realized they needed to finish the fight as soon as possible and used their footwork to the best of their abilities. ''Right side!'' The Red Wolf Demon was storming from the blind spot on the right side. Raon used the Star Connecting Sword to deflect the end of the sharp astral energy rising towards him, then shed with Heavenly Drive into the me Spirit. Swaa! The firestorm bursting from the sword pushed the Red Wolf Demon back, and the coldness from the de of Requiem in his reverse grip emerged like an icicle to parry the ck Winged Demon''s wings. Thebative energies of the two demons turned into violent waves to storm at him, but Raon''s des became a high embankment to block all of thebative energies. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Blood wasing from his mouth, but he could only smile. That was because the weakness found through the Ring of Fire was definitely working. ng! ang! Heavenly Drive perfectly parried the Red Wolf Demon''s twisted astral energy, and the de of Requiem pushed back the ck Winged Demon''s wing in an instant. ''Just a little bit more¡­'' Like a cksmith hammering a de to sharpen it, his mind was getting more and more focused. He could perfectly feel the Ring of Fire spinning around his heart. ¡°That shitty bastard!¡± ¡°Kill him as fast as possible!¡± The ck Winged Demon and the Red Wolf Demon were targeting his upper body and lower body, respectively. The raging astral energy in their hand and de were the same as before. ''Haa¡­'' Raon polished his focus even more. Probably because of their impatience, the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon''s martial arts were getting more twisted as they dashed towards him. ''They are also getting tired.'' The two demons had spent a lot of their energy attacking Retran and fighting against Federick. It was possible for Raon to win if he held out until the end. ''I''m confident in my endurance.'' After all, he''d endured a lot while living as an assassin, so he was confident he could endure better than anyone. He gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier to the maximum. Enduring the pain of his mana circuits falling apart, he thrust the Fangs of Insanity. ang! The red and blue strikes stormed through the space to sever the opening in the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon''sbative energies. ¡°Keep chasing!¡± ¡°Grr!¡± He gained distance from them by using Supreme Harmony Steps, but they chased after him like a leech to unleash astral energy. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, targeting the weaknesses of the two demons'' martial arts. Bam! Baam! The huge shockwaves spread out consecutively, and the forest that used to be dense was turning into a barren field. ''I need to focus even more.'' Since his internal injury had been aggravated so much, the only way to hold out even longer was by targeting their weaknesses. He raised his focus one more time upon reaching his limit. ''I need to erase everything that''s unnecessary.'' The sky andnd were erased from his vision. The forest disappeared, and even the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon scattered away. The only things left were two lines. They were the flows ofbative energying from the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon. He pushed back and parried the two demons''bative energy, which were still extremely powerful. Probably because he was only watching the flow, it became a lot easier to block the attacks and see the current. He even started feeling like time had stopped, and the lines of astral energy slowly extended towards him. ''They are different somehow.'' Those lines were simr to the lines drawn in his head, and different at the same time. The emotion he felt was desire, or maybe obsession, as he just kept watching those lines until they reached right in front of his eyes. The thin lines spread around like fire to fill his vision. ''This is¡ª!'' He finally understood. The red lines that were drawn in his head and appeared in front of his eyes weren¡¯ting from someone else. It was his life, and his sword. In that instant, he remembered the millions of swings he''d practiced before, and a lightning bolt starting from his brain pierced through his mind and body. Spark! The crimson lightning hit something sturdy stuck around his sr plexus, shattering it into small pieces. Rumble! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s energy from his mana circuit brushed past that space to emanate an even stronger and sturdier energy. Cring! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s energy blooming on Heavenly Drive twisted andbined into a clear source of light. Whap! A perfectly materialized me. The astral energy of raging me seemed capable of burning anything in the world as it spread its brilliance. ''Is this astral energy¡­?'' It feltpletely different from the aura de and aura thread. The crimson me was incorporating an extreme sharpness, capable of severing anything. ¡°Astral energy?¡± ¡°K-Kill him! Kill him right now!¡± The Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon mustered as muchbative energy as they could. Their impatience made them use all of the power they''d been saving up to create an astral energy even more violent than in the beginning. Whir. Raon was contemting himself instead of the two demons, who were running towards him. ''There''s more than this.'' ¡®I can take another step forward.¡¯ ¡®While others crossed the wall, I destroyed it.¡¯ Raon took another step forward, using the martial arts he''d been umting so far as fuel. Lightning struck inside his head for a second time. He had the feeling that his soul had reached the next dimension for a moment. The principles he couldn''t understand before mixed into one to create a new trajectory for his sword. Raon thrust Heavenly Drive towards the single line in front of his eyes. The ckish-red astral energy merged at the end of his white de. The lightning spreading from the condensed energy distorted the space. ¡°What a sloppy strike!¡± ¡°It''s slow!¡± The Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon tried to dodge whileughing at it, but it didn''t matter. They wouldn''t be able to escape the area. Whir! The gravitying from the sphere formed at the extremity of the de prevented the two demons¡¯ attempts to move away and pulled them towards the center. ¡°No way, is this the heavy sword''s¡­?¡± ¡°I-I''m being pulled!¡± The two demons'' chins were trembling as they failed to escape the gravity created from the crimson astral energy. ¡°Block!¡± ¡°M-Maximize the astral barrier¡­¡± ¡°It''s pointless.¡± As Raon stomped the ground, thend trembled and the concentrated energy exploded at the same time. Raon Zieghart style technique. Second Form, Heavenly Heavy Cannon. The mighty heat extending from Heavenly Drive pierced through the crimsonbative energy. Chapter 218 Raon didn''t rx his concentration despite seeing the copsing wall ofbative energy. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°D-Damn it!¡± Raon could see the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon struggle to run away with trembling lips between the shattered pieces of that red wall. Whir! He used the force of attraction emerging from the de''s extremity to pull them in, and added more power to his hand holding the Heavenly Drive. Whaam! The crimson glow that managed to destroy the astral energy ended up crushing the Red Wolf Demon''s right shoulder and the ck Winged Demon''s left arm. m! The two demons couldn''t ovee the heaviness in the Heavenly Heavy Cannon, mming into the ground while coughing up blood. ¡°Aaack!¡± ¡°Kuuh...¡± The Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon screamed while grasping their arm and shoulder. ''I need to finish them off right now.'' Raon kicked the ground. He dashed towards the copsed Red Wolf Demon and unleashed the Fangs of Insanity. ¡°You bastard!¡± The Red Wolf Demon raised himself up using only his legs and thrust his left hand. His ws, which resembled a rake, were covered withbative energy. ''I don''t need to deflect it anymore.'' Raon bit his lip and swung down with Fangs of Insanity. The burning fang of a savage beast incinerated the astral energy that wasposed ofbative energy. ¡°H-How is that possible?!¡± The Red Wolf Demon''s eyes, which had been calm, started to waver like a tidal wave. ¡°There''s still a lot more.¡± Raon stomped the ground and unleashed the Spear sh of the Fangs of Insanity. A sharp light made of fire pierced through the Red Wolf Demon¡¯s hand like a general¡¯s spear thrust in a battlefield. ¡°Kuaah!¡± The Red Wolf Demon screamed for a second time, as he was about to lose his left hand on top of his right. Just as Raon was about to behead him, a fiercebative energy stormed at him from behind. ¡®ck Winged Demon.¡¯ It was obvious who it was without even looking at him. He must¡¯ve decided to fly towards his opening. ¡®You won¡¯t get me anymore.¡¯ He¡¯d been running because he¡¯dcked strength, but he didn¡¯t need to do that anymore. Cring! Raon turned around and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s technique. Burning astral energy burst out like a spike to sh against the ck Winged Demon¡¯s dagger. ang! Powerful shockwave spread out in all directions. He would¡¯ve been pushed back by that in the past, but he had changed. The astral energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation was advancing with him by burning thebative energy. ¡°Wh-Who are you? How can you be so powerful right after your awakening¡­?¡± The ck Winged Demon¡¯s lips were trembling. His eyes were submerged in astonishment at the unbelievable sight. ¡°Because it¡¯s not an awakening.¡± Raon smiled coldly, pushing Heavenly Drive with both hands. ¡®I just walked through my path.¡¯ He didn¡¯t surpass the wall like other people, he simply walked over the wall he¡¯d destroyed before. There was no reason for him to be weaker. ¡°Argh!¡± The ck Winged Demon¡¯s feet were embedding into the ground more and more, unable to deal with the huge amount of powering from Heavenly Drive. ¡°Uaaah!¡± The ck Winged Demon screamed to explode all of his remaining energy, but he was unable to change the situation. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± His chin trembled in horror as he realized that he couldn¡¯t push Heavenly Drive back, despite using his full power. ¡°ck Winged Demon! Hang on!¡± Realizing it was thest chance he had, the Red Wolf Demon incorporated hispletelycerated hand with an enormous amount of astral energy as he charged at Raon. Smack! Raon kicked the ck Winged Demon away and turned around. Swaa! He thrust me Dragon Art towards thebative energy assaulting him like a giant¡¯s hand. The astral energy covering the entire de formed the shape of a dragon to breathe out a massive me. Kieee! The me Dragon Art¡¯s roar, made from astral energy instead of aura thread, shed through thest of the Red Wolf Demon¡¯sbative energy and created a jet-ck hole in his chest. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± The Red Wolf Demon stared at the hole in his chest, where even blood had been evaporated by the me, before copsing onto his back. ¡°Hieek! Hiee!¡± The ck Winged Demon, who¡¯d been looking for an opportunity, freaked out and stepped backward. He ran towards the tree where the Evil Goat Demon was leaning, pping his only wing. ¡°P-Please save¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t go anywhere!¡± Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. The ck Winged Demon was capable of flying, but he was slower than the Red Wolf Demon on the ground. He caught up to him in an instant, stabbing Heavenly Drive into his heart. ¡°Y-You monstrous bastard!¡± The ck Winged Demon turned around upon feeling his murderous intent. He raised his dagger diagonally, holding it in a reverse grip. ¡®Deflection?¡¯ He must¡¯ve been trying to deflect the blow, because he¡¯d realized he couldn¡¯t win in terms of strength. It was a good idea, since his dagger was an excellent de that even astral energy couldn¡¯t easily destroy. However. ¡®It won¡¯t work against me.¡¯ Since he learned how to deflect while fighting against opponents more powerful than him, he obviously knew how to counter his opponents when they were deflecting. Cring! He incorporated the softness of flowing water into Heavenly Drive. He took advantage of the ck Winged Demon¡¯s deflection to stab Heavenly Drive into him. Crack! Heavenly Drive¡¯s de pierced through the ck armor, mming into the ck Winged Demon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Kuaah!¡± He red at him with cold eyes and raised his chin. ¡°Deflecting is my specialty.¡± ¡°W-Wait! Listen to m¡­¡± ¡°You made the wrong move.¡± Raon simply shed with Heavenly Drive, which was stabbing the ck Winged Demon¡¯s shoulder. The extremely sturdy armor was severed like tofu, and the de even managed to cut through his heart. ¡°Kuah, you¡­¡± He breathed hisst, unable to finish his final sentence. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon exhaled heavily while looking at the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon¡¯s corpses. He could feel the pain in his chest once the tension decreased. He was apparently just forgetting about the pain from the excitement. ¡®A little longer.¡¯ He gritted his teeth and straightened his back. The pain became even worse, but he raised Heavenly Drive to point at the Evil Goat Demon, not showing his pain. * * * * * * ¡°S-Sir Saint.¡± Yulius violently shook Federick¡¯s hand, as if he were trying to pull it off. ¡°He won, right? Did he really win?¡± The boy was hopping in excitement, his face turnedpletely red. ¡°Who is that man? How can he defeat those monsters when he¡¯s so young?¡± Yulius¡¯s eyes were sparkling in admiration even though he¡¯d been remaining calm despite his age. ¡°Do you remember what I told you earlier?¡± ¡°What did you tell me?¡± ¡°I told you I wanted to introduce someone to you.¡± ¡°Ah, the one who couldn¡¯t be a warrior because he had a bad constitution¡­¡± ¡°The boy in that story is him.¡± Federick swallowed nervously and pointed at Raon¡¯s back. ¡®He¡¯s exactly the same.¡¯ His blond hair and red eyes that were so simr to Glenn, and his gaze that remained calm in any situation were the exact same as before. He could understand why he felt familiar ever since their first encounter. ¡°S-Seriously?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s here, but hepletely shattered my expectations.¡± Heughed bitterly while looking at Raon¡¯s back. ¡®Is Raon seventeen years old now? No, he must be eighteen years old now since another year has passed. Even so, he still broke the youngest record by five years.¡¯ Upon witnessing the boy he¡¯d believed wouldn¡¯t even manage to be an average warrior actually reach Master level at the youngest age in the continent, Federick felt like he was losing his mind from the absurdity of the situation. ¡®I thought someone woulde to help him, but he finished them off on his own.¡¯ He thought Zieghart¡¯s squad leader or division leader woulde with him, but Raon simply yed the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon by surpassing the wall through enlightenment. Federick honestly still felt like he was dreaming. ¡®However, it¡¯s still not over.¡¯ He bit his lip while looking at the Evil Goat Demon, who Raon was pointing his sword at. ¡®Because the real fight starts now.¡¯ The Evil Goat Demon was clearly stronger than the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon. Even Federick himself was incapable of estimating how much power he was hiding. ¡®Moreover, he hasn¡¯t used any aura nor stamina.¡¯ Unlike the Red Wolf Demon, the ck Winged Demon, and the Blood Raving Demon, he hadn¡¯t even spent the slightest bit of power yet. Back in the vige, he was just ying around while setting ces on fire, and he didn¡¯t interfere at all in the fight inside the forest. He was at full power. Even though Raon seemed to have advanced another step after his awakening, it doesn¡¯t return the aura he¡¯d consumed, nor remove the injuries he¡¯d received. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed impossible for Raon to defeat the Evil Goat Demon. However, Raon wasn¡¯t wavering in the slightest. Even though he was aware how powerful the Evil Goat Demon was, and how bad his body¡¯s condition was, he was still raising his sword even more confidently than in the beginning. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ That power wasn¡¯ting from his might, but from the level of his human soul. Raon¡¯s soul had reached an unimaginably high level. ¡°Sir Saint.¡± He looked down at hearing Yulius¡¯s excited voice. ¡°Does that mean we can finally return?¡± His eyes were filled with hope as he stared at Raon. ¡°Yes, we shall be able to.¡± Federick grabbed Yulius¡¯s shoulder with a gentle smile, hiding his thoughts. ¡°We shall.¡± He nodded, without realizing that he was unconsciously strengthening his grip. * * * Raon chewed his lips while looking at the Evil Goat Demon. ¡®I think this guy is even stronger than I thought¡­¡¯ He could see his might because he¡¯d reached Master level. He seemed even stronger than the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demonbined. Did you only realize that now? Wrath giggled, soaring on the bracelet. Your awakening was unexpected, but he¡¯s on a different level. He was already strong by himself, but he became even stronger thanks to that weird armor. His smile deepened as he examined the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s entire body. It¡¯s impossible for you to defeat him, even if you got your stamina and aura back. ¡®Is that why you epted the bet? Asking me to make all three of them disappear?¡¯ Of course. You shouldn¡¯t believe that the King of Essence would lose over and over. The King of Essence wins this time! Wrath confidently harrumphed, touching his nonexistent nose. Just give up and give me your body now. There¡¯s no hope for yo¡­ ¡®I won¡¯t know until I try.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t lower his sword, resonating the Ring of Fire and circting the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®It¡¯s true that I¡¯m in bad shape. However, I¡¯ve also gained a lot.¡¯ The sensation of a cold rope tightly squeezing him had disappeared, and his middle energy center around his sr plexus had opened. His aura was quickly recovering, and his internal injury was also slowly healing. It was possible he would get an opportunity to win as long as hested and analyzed just like he did against the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Evil Goat Demon nodded slightly, unfolding his arms. ¡®Is he making his move?¡¯ As Raon tightened his grip of Heavenly Drive from the nervousness, a pping sound could be heard. p! p! p! p! It was the Evil Goat Demon. He was causing the dull pping sound while still leaning his back against the tree. ¡°That was amazing. It was a really interesting sight.¡± The Evil Goat Demon smiled while looking at the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon¡¯s corpses as if he werepletely unrted to them. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Raon frowned. ¡°What are you trying to achieve?¡± ¡°I told you before.¡± The Evil Goat Demon leisurely shrugged his shoulders. ¡°My mission is to block this path. I¡¯m just doing my job.¡± He still wasn¡¯t taking his back off the tree, as if he still wasn¡¯t nning on moving. His carefree attitude made Raon feel like he was talking to a kid. ¡°That means¡­ Are you not going to act as long as I don¡¯t go in that direction?¡± ¡°Well, indeed.¡± The Evil Goat Demon nodded while scratching his chin. ¡°What the hell.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. He¡¯d managed to understand most people¡¯s psychology from his two lives, but he couldn¡¯t understand him at all. He couldn¡¯t read anything about him, as if a thick fog were blocking him. ¡®However¡­¡¯ It was a bit curious that his temperament didn¡¯t feelpletely unfamiliar. He was trying to figure out where he had seen someone like him before, but he couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°There¡¯s nothing too strange about this.¡± The Evil Goat Demon raised one of his fingers. ¡°You guys in Zieghart aren¡¯tpletely united either.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Not everyone in Zieghart agrees with each other. Some people want to make the house grow even further, some want to maintain the current state, and some might even want to ruin the house.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the factions?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Evil Goat Demon, who was slowly raising his fingers. ording to what he said, Eden must¡¯ve had different factions. ¡°Correct. I knew you were smart.¡± The Evil Goat Demon gave him a big nod. His goat horns were swaying as if they were alive. ¡°My opinion differs from those two and the mad woman out there.¡± He pointed at the dead Red Wolf Demon, ck Winged Demon, and Merlin outside the forest, one after the other. ¡°Which means, can we really return now?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not fun fighting someone who is already exhausted, after all¡­ is what I would like to say, but¡­¡± The Evil Goat Demon separated from the tree for the first time. He raised his chin and slowly walked towards Raon. ¡°I might get criticized a lot if I don¡¯t do anything in this situation, so¡­¡± He raised his hand in the air and a jet-ck greatsword emerged from the distorted space. Creak! The Evil Goat Demon smiled cheerfully while grasping the hilt. ¡°Let¡¯s have a single-strike match.¡± ¡°Single strike?¡± ¡°Yes, the winner will be decided after a single strike. I¡¯ll let you go if you manage to survive, along with the two others behind you.¡± He pointed at Federick and the boy behind Raon. ¡°Be ready.¡± The moment the Evil Goat Demon raised his sword to point it at Raon, the evil energy soared while engulfing thend to reach the end of the sky. Rumble! Raon unconsciously swallowed nervously from the tremendous amount of energy that even surpassed his perception¡¯s range. Arrgh! Wrath popped up from the bracelet and ground his teeth. What is that idiot saying right now? Use that sword right now to attack him! He was freaking out and trembling his entire body from witnessing a situation that was different from his expectations. ¡®Calm down a bit. The bet isn¡¯t over yet.¡¯ He pushed away Wrath, who was floundering his arms like a kid throwing a tantrum, and slowly inhaled. ¡®A single strike.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes. He thought about his body¡¯s condition and his remaining aura. If it was a single strike¡­ If it was just a single strike, he felt like he could survive that tremendous amount of power. ¡°Raon!¡± Federick¡¯s voice could be heard from behind him. Although his voice was the same as before, a different emotion could be heard in it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a n.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Federick and the boy. He waved at them to reassure them before standing in front of the Evil Goat Demon. ¡®This is insane.¡¯ Raon couldpletely feel his might once he stood in front of him. He felt like the vicious pressure that matched too well with his atrocious greatsword was stabbing through his skin. Even though he wasn¡¯t even d in armor, like the Blood Raving Demon, he was clearly at a higher stage of Master than Raon. Since he was even capable of using advanced magic on top of that, he was literally a monster. ¡°Be ready.¡± The Evil Goat Demon raised his greatsword over his head. He must not have been lying about going all-out in a single strike, since an unimaginable amount of power could be felt from his greatsword. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon caught his breath, then gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The energy hardened after passing through the lower and middle part of his body, clustering together to create the astral energy of a raging me on his de. ¡®I need to incorporate the enlightenment I had just now.¡¯ The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation was a martial art that became stronger with its user. That was the enlightenment he needed to incorporate into his de. ¡°We will start once this falls to the ground.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded, and the Evil Goat Demon threw the leaf he was holding in his left hand into the air. As the leaf that was floating on the night wind slowly fell down, a crimson light was reflected in Raon¡¯s eyes. He incorporated the enlightenment of the Ten Thousand Fames Cultivation that he got as he reached Master into Heavenly Drive. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. The ten mes flourishing on the silver trajectory spread around like shadows to blossom into a hundred flowers. The dazzling crimson light distorting the de was discharged towards the ck greatsword, crumbling the sky. ang! Chapter 219 Raon grit his teeth so hard they felt like they¡¯d break. ¡®So much power.¡¯ The Evil Goat Demon¡¯s strike was so powerful that it felt like the sky itself was copsing on him. Even though he was using the Hundred mes of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation at full power and had mustered as much physical strength as he could, his feet were getting rammed into the ground. ¡°Kuh!¡± He felt like his skin was getting torn apart and his bones were shattering from the ck greatsword¡¯s pressure. The heat from his abdomen¡¯s internal injury had also gotten more intense. He couldn¡¯t even tell where exactly it hurt anymore, not with how intense the pain was. Rumble! The Evil Goat Demon¡¯s strike was getting more and more powerful. Both his wrists and shoulders were trembling as if they were about to be shattered into pieces. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ If only he were in his normal condition without any injuries, or if he could perfectly use the Hundred mes of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t have been pushed back so much. That thought made him boil with anger. ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t think like that.¡¯ Raon shook his head. ¡®I should just stay in the house forever if I always expect to fight in my best condition.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t possibly be in normal condition every single time. He needed to be d that he¡¯d managed to survive after defeating the two Masters, and muster as much power as he could in the given situation. You are doing great! Crush him now! Destroy him! Wrath popped out from his wrist, starting to shake his hand violently to cheer him up. Because that will make this bastard give his body to the King of Essence! I¡¯ll let you live, goat head, if you do that! Raon ignored the demon king of gluttony that was standing on the wrong side, instead focusing his mind again. Creak! Even his shin was getting rammed in the ground from the intense pressure. At the rate things were going, he would be crushed to death just as Wrath said. ¡®Focus, I need to focus.¡¯ The only way to survive was to analyze his opponent¡¯s sword. He started resonating Ring of Fire once again¡ªsomething he had stopped doing because of the pain in his heart. Whir! He forced his eyes open to examine the energy and properties incorporated in the ck sword. ¡®Heavy sword and powerful sword.¡¯ The principles dwelling in the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s greatsword were heaviness and power. It was an oppressive strike using nothing but sheer strength. ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s even more difficult.¡¯ If it were variety, illusion, or softness, he could¡¯ve shattered it by using other principles. However, it was difficult to escape when sheer power was pressing upon him. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± His lower and middle energy centers were hurting as if they were about to break. The intense pain could also be felt in his mana circuits, which felt like they were about to explode. ¡®I can¡¯t die like this.¡¯ He still had many things to do. He couldn¡¯t be defeated¡ªhe needed to at least settle the messes that he¡¯d created. ¡®I need to focus even more.¡¯ He rotated the Ring of Fire around his heart to the extreme. Probably because he¡¯d be a Master, he felt like the entire world had stopped. He red at the ck greatsword in that advanced world. ¡®How can I push back the heavy sword¡­?¡¯ It was impossible to achieve it with power. He wascking in both the quality and quantity of his aura. He needed to find another method. His head was working harder than ever. He recalled every single sword from the techniques he¡¯d learned in the past, up to the Heavenly Heavy Cannon, to look for a way to survive. ¡®Wait! Heavenly Heavy Cannon?¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously and looked at the shaking Heavenly Drive. ¡®If I can use the Heavenly Heavy Cannon¡¯s gravity the other way around¡­¡¯ The Heavenly Heavy Cannon had a slow activation topensate for its enormous power. The gravity was there to make up for that drawback, and he figured he might be able to escape from that powerful strike if he could reverse that ability to push it back instead. ¡®It¡¯s not impossible.¡¯ Though, it would hurt so much. Since he needed to change the normal flow of his mana circuit, it was going to be extremely difficult, and he would feel a deadly pain¡­ but he was certain it was possible. ¡®I need toplete it in one fell swoop.¡¯ A poor activation would destroy his body and he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain his current bnce. He needed to activate it in one go the moment the Evil Goat Demon released his power. Whir! He mustered his aura, which was scraping at the bottom, as he looked into the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s eyes. A strange passion was glowing in his eyes, which were a burning red. ¡°You are weaker than I thought.¡± Raon forcibly opened his mouth and smiled. ¡°I thought you would be able to y me in a single strike because I¡¯m so exhausted.¡± ¡°What a sloppy provocation.¡± The Evil Goat Demon snickered while raising his chin. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± He knew it was sloppy, but he was running out of time. He was going to exhaust all of his strength at the rate he was going, just from holding out against him. ¡°However, I¡¯ll y along with your provocation, since I¡¯m curious about what you¡¯ve been preparing.¡± A powerful light glimmered from Baphomet¡¯s eyes under his helmet, and the energy covering the greatsword exploded outward. ¡®He looks confident that he can kill anything in his path. However, this one¡¯s going to be different.¡¯ Because he was going to push it back instead of blocking. Red lightning brushed past Raon¡¯s red eyes. The moment the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s strike reached its peak performance, Raon controlled his concentrated aura in an opposite way than he did with the Heavenly Heavy Cannon. Crack! His mana circuit expanded to a point where it could burst, resulting in intense pain. Raon endured the pain that was iparable to the internal injury or a bone fracture, activating all of his remaining energy. Raon Zieghart Style Technique. Second Form, Reversed Heavenly Heavy Cannon. The sphere of astral energy gathered at Heavenly Drive¡¯s extremity spread out in all directions instead of condensing to create a huge impact. Baam! With the thunderous sound of an explosion¡ªas if the entire world were copsing¡ªthe auras pushed each other, and the Evil Goat Demon took two steps backward with his ck greatsword. Bam! The extreme powering from his feet made the ground tremble so hard that it felt like it was about to split apart. Rumble! Raon bounced back like a ball and rolled on the ground. He was unable to do anything and was pushed back dozens of meters by the stupidly fierce sh of power, before getting mmed into arge tree. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon coughed out blood while grasping his chest. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Because of the severity of his internal injury, even his blood was ck. As he was about to lose his bnce and copse on the ground, he drove his sword into the ground to keep standing. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± He extended his trembling hand towards Federick and the boy, who were about to run towards him. ¡°D-Don¡¯te.¡± He shook his head, forcefully parting his dry lips. The fight was not over yet, and he needed to stand on his own. ¡°Huff.¡± His head felt dizzy from the pain even though breathing was all he¡¯d done. He would¡¯ve already fallen and howled from the anguish if he hadn¡¯t experienced the tortures of his previous life. ¡®He¡¯s still fine.¡¯ The Evil Goat Demon was perfectly fine, without the slightest injury. However, his purple eyes were expressing his astonishment, since he probably didn¡¯t expect Raon to use such a method to escape. Crack. He grit his mrs so hard that they felt like they¡¯d break, then pulled Heavenly Drive from the ground. He forced his wavering legs to stand and slowly raised Heavenly Drive. ¡°Single strike match. I¡¯m still standing.¡± Raon spat the blood filling his mouth, pointing the silver de¡ªstill shining¡ªtowards the Evil Goat Demon. ¡°Do you ept it?¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± The Evil Goat Demon didn¡¯t respond. He looked even more surprised since he just kept staring at him with his mouth wide open. The emotions reflected in his eyes were inner conflict, contemtion, and something simr to a desire. ¡°Kuk, kuh!¡± After a long time had passed that almost felt boring, the Evil Goat Demon grasped Baphomet''s helmet with a trembling chin. ¡°Kuhahahaha!¡± He startedughing so hard that even the trees trembled. ¡°Did you push it back because you wouldn¡¯t be able to win in raw power? That was smart. I can understand how you are still standing there.¡± The Evil Goat Demon threw the greatsword in his hand into the air, and the greatsword looked like it melted down as it disappeared into darkness. ¡°I ept it.¡± He nodded, crossing his arms just like in the beginning. ¡°Today¡¯s match is a draw.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled heavily. Although he was trying to catch his breath, he was still running out of breath. He forcibly stopped his body from rxing. ¡°I think I made the right choice in letting you live.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± The Evil Goat Demon closed his eyes without answering. ¡°Let¡¯s settle today¡¯s draw the next time we meet.¡± He waved his hand and slowly walked away, following the path he had been blocking. Hey, hey! Goat head! Where are you going right now? Wrath swung his fist filled with coldness. Where are you going instead of finishing him off? You damned idiot! Lifting your finger is enough to kill him, why are you calling this a draw? He screeched, unable to understand the situation. Why does this shit keep happening to the King of Essence?! ¡°Huff!¡± Raon sank to the ground while listening to Wrath¡¯s scream of despair. He really didn¡¯t have any strength left anymore. ¡®I-I really might die at this rate¡­¡¯ He could feel an unbearable pain throughout his body. He couldn¡¯t even breathe properly, probably because his lungs were crushed. He endured the pain and rotated the Ring of Fire in order to survive. ¡°Raon!¡± Federick almost fell as he hurriedly ran towards Raon and knelt in front of him. ¡°A-Are you okay?¡± ¡°How about you, Sir Saint¡­?¡± Federick¡¯s hands were trembling as Raon worried about him instead. ¡°You, seriously¡­¡± Federick tightly bit his lip. He felt like he would start shedding tears if he didn¡¯t do that, even though it wasn¡¯t the time for that. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all since thest time I saw you.¡± ¡°Stop talking and lie down!¡± He grabbed Raon¡¯s wrist and inserted his energy, which he had barely managed to recover. ¡°Gasp!¡± Federick covered his mouth to stop himself from screaming. ¡®D-Did he really fight until the end in this condition?¡¯ Raon could die at any moment in his current condition. Multiple bones were fractured, his muscles and mana circuits were ruptured, and barely any organs were maintaining their condition. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that his entire body was destroyed. ¡®How could he¡­?¡¯ If he were in Raon¡¯s stead, he would¡¯ve fallen already and started screaming without being able to lift a single finger. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Since he was nonchntly enduring the pain, the tears he¡¯d been holding back started to unconsciously flow down. ¡°I-I¡¯ll get you treated right away. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help you before! I¡¯m really¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, and now isn¡¯t the time for treatment.¡± Raon smiled helplessly and shook his head. He wiped the blood from around his mouth while looking out of the forest. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Tsk.¡± Sheryl snorted, severing the ice and fire pirs raining at her from both sides. Swaaa! After that, she used the White Sword to sever the light brown wave pouring from the sky. Rip! Merlin¡¯spletely irritated face could be seen through the fissured mana wave. ¡°You damn bitch! Why are you getting in my way every single time?!¡± ¡°You are the one getting in my way of my mission.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what''s happening in there either! Step aside!¡± ¡°I¡¯m the type of person who keeps her promise.¡± Sherylughed coldly and swung the White Sword. She was pointing the ck Sword in her left hand towards the monsters, prepared to act at any moment. Although she was maintaining a calm and challenging appearance, her stomach was turning upside down. ¡®Raon, are you still alive?¡¯ Because of the barrier around the forest and Merlin¡¯s mana that kept flowing and exploding, she couldn¡¯t find out what was happening inside the forest. Even though she could tell that there were countless intense shes, she couldn¡¯t determine who the victor and loser was at all. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ She did send Raon there because she acknowledged his abilities, but she kept regretting her decision over and over again after that. She kept wondering if that was the correct choice, and if there was anything else she could¡¯ve done. However, no matter how hard she racked her brain, trusting Raon was the only method. ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do about it anymore.¡¯ Only thing she could do was to pray and wait for Raon toe out of the forest while stopping Merlin and the monsters. ¡°Step aside, you damned bitch!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how you should act¡ªafter all, you are the witch of betrayal, Merlin.¡± Sheryl stopped Merlin and Eden¡¯s attacks on her own, as if she were a divine general of heaven. Not a single insect was able to pass by her. ¡°Argh! I¡¯m going to crush you!¡± Merlin gathered her hands as if she were praying, then she started to chant for the first time. Whir! Nature¡¯s mana condensed in an instant, causing blue and red spheres to rain down from the sky andnd. The tremendous energy made her feel like she had lost all sensation for a moment. ¡°Haap.¡± Sheryl gathered her aura and lowered the White Sword while raising the ck Sword. As she was about to cut through the mana, the forest¡¯s entrance started to shake. ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Merlin, who was about to attack with her magic, and Sheryl, who was about to sh, both looked at the forest¡¯s entrance at once. Rustle. Along with the rustling sound of dried-up leaves, Raon walked out. Even though he looked exhausted, his eyes were extremely clear. The Ragged Saint Federick and the boy were behind him as well. ¡°Raon? Raon!¡± Sheryl was almost screaming as she called Raon¡¯s name. ¡®He¡¯s not just alive, but he also managed to save both of them!¡¯ Just managing to survive or saving the boy would¡¯ve been nothing short of a miracle, yet Raon had returned with both of them, with all four limbs still attached to his body. Her heart started pounding with her turbulent emotion. Even though she¡¯d spent dozens of years on battlefields, it was her first time being overwhelmed by emotions to such an extent. ¡®He even managed to reach Master level, and he¡¯s at the novice level already! Seriously, this guy¡­!¡¯ She was curious how he¡¯d managed to survive in the forest, and it was because Raon had managed to ovee the Master wall that he¡¯d destroyed before and walked even further. Just like Glenn had said, the stagnant period upon reaching Master didn¡¯t exist for Raon. ¡°Raon¡­¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes lost focus. ¡°You were alive! You came out alive!¡± Her eyes were even more passionate as she looked at Raon. She apparently didn¡¯t even care about her shattered n anymore. ¡°I knew you had toe with me. You should stay right next to me, instead of with Zieghart!¡± Merlin¡¯s smile deepened, to the point where her true expression could show through her mask. ¡°What can you do for me if I go there? Do you really have a helmet for me?¡± Raon looked up to Merlin, as if he were interested in her offer. ¡°What? What did you just say¡­?¡± ¡°You apparently really get stronger upon wearing a helmet. Can I wear one as well?¡± ¡°Of course! Of course, you can!¡± Merlin hurriedly nodded. ¡°If you wear the helmet I¡¯ve prepared for you, you should be able to reach Grandmaster¡¯s level in a few years. Even that bitch won¡¯t be able to face you!¡± She smiled a toothy smile while pointing at Sheryl. ¡°A few years¡­¡± ¡°Raon! Wh-Why would you?!¡± Sheryl¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Raon. ¡°I couldn¡¯t defeat one of them. He was really, extremely powerful. I¡¯ll do anything if I can defeat him.¡± Raon flicked the hand holding the hilt, as if he were contemting it. The pinky finger on his right hand was pointing upward. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Sheryl narrowed his eyes. ¡®Is that a sign?¡¯ Raon must¡¯ve been trying to give her an opening to take care of Merlin. ¡°Then let¡¯s go right now, since I¡¯m about to faint from exhaustion.¡± ¡°Alright! Sure!¡± Merlin extended her left hand with a grotesque smile on her face. A blue magic array was created on the ground, and her mana spheres wavered at the same time. ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ Sheryl stomped on the ground. She shed at Merlin¡¯s opening by using her aura, which had gathered to the extreme. The gray halo dappling around the two des of different colors severed the sky and thend. Whaam! The tremendous power in the gray trajectory cut through her magic, trying to sh Merlin as well. ¡°Kuuh! Raon! Raon!¡± Although a fatal amount of blood was gushing from Merlin, she maintained the magic array on the ground. It was a disy of her crazy obsession, as she tried to take Raon with her at all costs. Raon walked up to that magic array and raised his foot. ¡°Raon?¡± When Sheryl¡¯s lips parted in panic, Raon stomped the ground in front of the magic array instead of setting foot inside. m! The ground exploded, shattering the magic array that Merlin was barely able to maintain. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than wear a helmet like that.¡± ¡°Raaaon!¡± With thest of her magic crushed, Merlin melted down into a gray light while leaving a frightening scream behind. ¡°Huff.¡± Raon sank to the ground right afterwards, coughing up blood. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± Sheryl and Federick ran up to him in a fright, aiming to catch him. ¡°Seriously, you have no sense. You should¡¯ve finished her off faster.¡± Raon shook his head while leering at Sheryl. ¡°No, I¡­¡± Sheryl¡¯s eyes rounded. No one would¡¯ve expected him to create an opening for Merlin in that situation. ¡°I need to rest now. I¡¯m really going to die at this rate.¡± Raon smiled faintly and tilted his head back. Let alone standing, he didn¡¯t even have energy to stay conscious. [¡­Master level.] [¡­Curse of Frost¡­] [¡­unprecedented in the continent.] [Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡­] The messages about the achievements he¡¯d gotten so far appeared at once. Wh-Why are there so many of them?! Raon closed his eyes as Wrath popped up. He had a feeling he would get a nice andfortable sleep, all while using Wrath¡¯s angry voice as his luby. Chapter 220 ¡°Raon!¡± Federick grabbed Raon¡¯s wrist. His eyes were closed. ¡®His wound became even worse.¡¯ His condition had worsened because he strained himself when he should¡¯ve been focusing on his recovery. At that rate, he really could end up dying after fainting. Whir. He controlled Syltia¡¯s energy that he¡¯d barely managed to gather. He used the flow of the high purity mana to melt down the remnants of thebative energy that was killing Raon¡¯s body. ¡°Raon¡­¡± Sheryl bit her lips after examining Raon¡¯s condition. His bones, muscles, and mana circuits¡ªshe couldn¡¯t find anything in his body that was uninjured. ¡®Such injury¡­¡¯ Although she¡¯d experienced countless battlefields, it was her first time seeing such a broken state on a human body. Most people would end up dying before reaching that state. ¡±Damn it!¡± She was relieved that Raon had managed to reach Master level and save the Saint and the boy, but it was a huge mistake. ¡®I was wrong to believe that everyone had returned safely.¡¯ He must¡¯ve sacrificed himself. She was certain that Raon had sacrificed himself in order to save the two. That was the only way to exin his body¡¯s condition. ¡°What even happened?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Federick exhaled heavily while inserting Syltia¡¯s energy in Raon¡¯s body. ¡°When I was prepared to die, Raon appeared. Even though he was still an Expert, he didn¡¯t lose against the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon.¡± ¡°Red Wolf Demon and ck Winged Demon¡­¡± They were both at Master level. Moreover, the ck Winged Demon had a sturdy body with a flying ability, making it impossible for anyone less than Master to face him. ¡°Raon endured over and over, looking for an opportunity¡­¡± Federick told her everything about the way Raon became a Master to kill the two demons, and even ended up in a draw in a single strike match against the Evil Goat Demon. ¡°¡­This boy held out until the end, and me and Yulius managed to survive thanks to that.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Sheryl bit her lip so hard that she could bleed while looking at Raon. ¡®It was a mistake, and an extremely huge mistake¡­¡¯ The tips of her fingers were trembling. She¡¯d ended up making that decision to make her life easier after getting caught up in the atmosphere, trusting the boy¡¯s potential. Smack! Sheryl smacked her own face and knelt. ¡°Sir Saint, please return him to his original condition by all means. I¡¯ll do anything!¡± She stared at Federick, without even wiping the blood flowing from her mouth. ¡°I feel the same way. I¡¯m going to do everything I can, since I only managed to survive thanks to Raon.¡± Federick nodded respectfully, then closed his eyes. He endured the pain from his internal injury in order to continue using Syltia¡¯s energy. ¡®I need time¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t use his usual energy because he was also severely injured, and the medicine he usually brought with him had been left behind in the city. It was a bad situation in many ways. ¡®I can¡¯t use Raysin either.¡¯ Although Raysin was certainly an extremely effective medicine, it needed to be refined before being used because its healing and poisonous properties were too strong. The only thing he could do was to stop Raon¡¯s condition from worsening. ¡°Ah! About that, we have the stuff he brought!¡± Sheryl took out the hemostatic and the internal injury medicine Raon had gotten from Dorian. ¡°They are pretty high-quality medicines. They will be helpfu¡­huh?¡± Fedrick¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ Although Raon was about to die, his body condition slowly started to recover. It wasn¡¯t the effect of Syltia¡¯s energy, since his recovery wasn¡¯t limited to the mana circuit and energy center, but even his bones and flesh were repairing at an extremely slow pace. ¡®Breathing. Is it because of his breathing?¡¯ It looked like nature''s mana was healing his body each time he slowly inhaled and exhaled in his sleep. ¡°This is amazing.¡± Federick¡¯s jaw dropped. Surprise wasn¡¯t enough to describe his astonishment as he witnessed such a broken body recovering just from sleeping. ¡°I-Is there a problem? No way¡­¡± Sheryl moved right next to Federick with trembling eyes. ¡°No, it¡¯s a good thing!¡± Federick shook his head and pointed at Raon. ¡°Carry him, since we need to return to Retran to immediately.¡± ¡°But if we move him¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but Raon¡¯s body is currently regenerating itself. He should survive without any problem until we return.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Sheryl nodded and gently carried Raon in her arms. Although he was a lot taller than her, she didn¡¯t mind the appearance and focused on figuring out how to carry him while minimizing her shaking. ¡®I¡¯ll return you to your original state no matter what, at all costs.¡¯ She closed her eyes, resolving herself like a knight pledging to his king. * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yulius stared at Raon, who was being carried on the Heavenly de division leader¡¯s back. When that young swordsman named Raon made his first appearance, he looked like a hero of the old stories. He believed that the hero would defeat the evil monsters of Eden and save himself and the Saint, just like in the novels and myths. In fact, he did manage to endure the fearsome attacks of the two demons on his own and managed to defeat both of them. That remarkable performance was exactly what he would¡¯ve imagined from a hero. He believed that he would also defeat the goat head monster and casually allow them to return home. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. He waspletely exhausted from fighting the two monsters, and his body was injured all over. Although he wasn¡¯t in a condition to keep fighting, he still challenged the goat head monster, shing against him in a single strike. Raon¡¯s face didn¡¯t look like a hero when he shed against the goat head monster. He wasn¡¯t ying his enemy in a single strike like a hero from a story or novel¡ªhe endured and held out while contorting his face from the deadly pain. He wasn¡¯t the hero that he¡¯d imagined. He was just a human being, filled with determination to endure and save them, no matter what. That was why he touched his heart. Yulius waspletely speechless because he could perfectly feel Raon¡¯s emotions. No, he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth. When he witnessed Raon pointing his sword against the Evil Goat Demon once again after the match, while standing on his faltering legs, Yulius could feel his heart pounding more violently than ever in his life. Because he understood why he was doing that, his emotions went out of control. The goat headed monster acknowledged the draw and left, and Raon¡¯s breath sounded like he was dying as he sank to the ground. His breath was so weak that even his grandfather¡¯s dying breath wasn¡¯t as weak as Raon¡¯s. However, he still didn¡¯t faint despite that condition. He left the forest and helped to defeat the magician, the one who was the perpetrator behind the incident. The fact that he held his sword and expressed his intention to fight in that condition was a shock, and Yulius was filled with admiration. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Yulius clenched his fist tightly while murmuring Raon¡¯s name to himself. That was the moment a boy, who was suffering through hardships, decided his own path from meeting a human who wasn¡¯t a hero¡ªone who stood up with his own determination. * * * * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon groaned and opened his eyes. He could see an unfamiliar ceiling, the color of the ocean. ¡®Argh, it hurts so damn much.¡¯ He could feel the pain as soon as he regained consciousness. He hurt everywhere, from head to toe. ¡®Am I still notpletely recovered despite Sloth¡¯s effect and the Saint¡¯s treatment?¡¯ Considering the fact that so much pain still remained despite Federick¡¯s treatment and Sloth¡¯s sleeping effect, he seriously must have been on the verge of death. ¡°Haa¡­Hmm?¡± When he sighed and was about to get up, he saw Runaan¡¯s head on the bed. It looked like she fell asleep while nursing him, since she was purring with her eyes slightly wet. The ice cream girl isn¡¯t the only one. Everyone visited you and literally started rampaging around in order to save you. It was so damn noisy. Wrath¡¯s cold voice could be heard as he came up on the bracelet. ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Raon silently stared at the sleeping Runaan. It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling to have someone worrying about him. Honestly, it was a heartwarming feeling. You idiot. You strained yourself way too much. You really were on the verge of death! Wrath continued, looking at him sharply in displeasure. Your idiocy is unmatched even in Devildom! ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon chuckled while looking at the quivering Wrath. He did all that because he was certain he could reach Master level, but he was too foolish, just like Wrath said. However, his choice wouldn¡¯t have changed even if he¡¯d returned to the past. A life had to be repaid with life. He would¡¯ve chosen to save Federick, even if that cost him his life. Moreover, is fainting a habit of yours now? ¡®What?¡¯ The King of Essence is suffering because of your weak constitution that makes you faint whenever something happens. ¡®No, but you didn¡¯t really do anything¡­¡¯ You keep causing problems even though you are just a weakling! Know your ce! Wrath clicked his tongue at his hopelessness. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips. ¡®He isn¡¯t exactly wrong.¡¯ Raon admitted that he did cause many problems, despite not having achieved anything yet. He didn¡¯t originally have that kind of personality, but he figured he must¡¯ve changed during his current life, even though he couldn¡¯t tell whether that was for the better or worse. Because of you, the King of Essence was unable to ea¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± As Wrath was about to grumble about his gluttony once again, messages appeared in front of his eyes. [You have reached Master level.] [Your soul level has increased greatly.] [All stats have increased by 10.] [Your middle energy center has been opened. Your aura¡¯s condensation will be a lot harder and denser, with a decreased aura consumption.] [You¡¯ve achieved the title ¡®Youngest Master¡¯, unprecedented in the continent.] [All stats have increased by 10.] The messages he saw before closing his eyes hade back in more detail. Argh! Wrath bit his lip upon seeing the messages. He was apparently getting another sh of anger, despite having seen those messages before. ¡°Master¡­¡± Raon clenched his powerless fist. His heart was racing as he realized that he¡¯d achieved the level that he had never been able to reach in his previous life. ¡®I¡¯ve finally achieved it.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t afford to think about it during the fight, as the situation was far too urgent. He was fully focused on finishing the fight as quickly as possible. Reading the message about bing a Master after his safety was secured filled him with uncontroble emotions. ¡®So, this was the middle energy center.¡¯ The middle energy center that was supposed to open upon bing a Master was located near the sr plexus. The feeling he had when something simr to a boulder blocking the middle energy center was unclogged, allowing him to create astral energy, was extremely thrilling. ¡®Its effect is so overpowered.¡¯ That was why an Expert couldn¡¯t win against a Master. Creating astral energy wasn¡¯t the middle energy center¡¯s only function. It also reduced aura consumption, and condensed aura more strongly to help onest longer in battles. The difference in one¡¯s middle energy center was the reason no Expert had defeated a Master before him. ¡®And the stats are bonuses.¡¯ He had gotten an extra ten stats thanks to the title stating he was the first in the continent. Those messages told him he already received twenty stats, which was a ridiculous amount of reward. ¡®And that¡¯s not all.¡¯ Raon smiled, looking lower. [Ten Thousand mes Cultivation has reached Five-Stars.] [Fire Resistance has reached Five-Stars.] [cier has reached Five-Stars.] [Water Resistance has reached Six-Stars.] The messages informed him that Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier had both reached five-stars. He didn¡¯t need the message to tell him about them, since he¡¯d already checked his aura in his energy center right after waking up. Even though he wasn¡¯tpletely full yet, he already had more aura than before bing a Master. He guessed he would be able to defeat the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon even more easily in his current state. ¡®The resistances have increased as well.¡¯ He could fight an average fire magician or water magician while tanking their damage with his resistances. However, there were even more messages. [Two strands of ¡®Curse of Frost¡¯ have melted down.] [The ¡®Curse of Frost¡¯ has disappeared from your status.] [Title ¡®The One Who Overcame the Frozen Fate¡¯ has been added.] [Soul level has increased.] The next message was about the Curse of Frost that had been stuck with him like a leech since he was born. ¡®I wasn¡¯t mistaken.¡¯ He had the feeling that a string binding his wrists and ankles was broken upon bing a Master, and he was right. It was the effect of his body returning to normal from the disappearance of Curse of Frost. ¡®The repressing feeling haspletely disappeared.¡¯ He used to feel ufortable upon moving or using aura, but that hadpletely disappeared as well. He figured he would be able to feel the difference even more clearly once his body recovered. The One Who Overcame the Frozen Fate This title is given to someone who overcame an ordeal given to them by heaven. Effect: All stats increased by 15, Cold Resistance greatly increased. In addition to 15 points in all stats, it also increased his cold resistance¡ªand greatly, on top of that. Having the six-star water resistance and cold resistance together should allow him to bepletely unscathed from up to sixth circle cold magic. ¡°I hit the jackpot.¡± Raon smiled after reading all the messages. Every single one was a jackpot, as if they were telling him that it was worth the wait. He wanted to test how much stronger he¡¯d be right away. ¡®I need to recover quickly¡­¡¯ It¡¯s crazy! You and the system are both crazy! Wrath was ring at the message as if he wanted to kill it while grinding his teeth. How could it give you so many rewards for bing a mere Master? Ridiculous! ¡®Because I¡¯m not a mere Master. I became a Master at eighteen years of age.¡¯ That¡¯s why it¡¯s a ¡®mere¡¯ Master! The King of Essence would¡¯ve be a Master at ten years old! ¡®I met you when I was twelve years old. Ten is simply impossible.¡¯ S-Silence! Wrath barked and gathered the energy of wrath. I don¡¯t like those stupid rewards, but I hate it even more because all I could eat during the week you¡¯ve been unconscious was watery porridge! I almost died from boredom! He was apparently angrier about being unable to eat proper meals than the rewards. Whir! An enormous amount of energy emerged from Wrath. Even though Raon had be a Master, his stomach hurt from the sheer amount of emotion and cold. ¡°Ack¡­¡± Raon frowned, grasping his chest. ¡®I did receive wrath from him, I see.¡¯ He had received twenty points of wrath from Wrath in order to survive in the forest. The pressure felt as powerful as when he first met Wrath, probably because of the significant increase in wrath. You¡¯ve made a mistake. You shouldn¡¯t have taken in the King of Essence¡¯s wrath so easily! Just as he said, his wrath was on another level as it seeped into his entire body and crushed his soul. ¡®It¡¯s still okay.¡¯ Raon shook his head. Stats weren¡¯t the only things he had obtained. His soul level and resistances had increased, while the Coldness of the Frost hadpletely disappeared. Twenty points of wrath was definitely a huge disadvantage, but his growth was even greater than that. He was fully capable of enduring it. Most of all, his mana circuit was as clean as a newborn baby¡¯s because of the disappearance of the Coldness of the Frost. Cring! cier moved in an instant to block Wrath¡¯s coldness, and the Ring of Fire rotated more violently than ever to increase his soul level. Rumble! His entire body trembled from the explosive sh of power inside his body. His injuries worsened to make it extremely painful for him, but he gritted his teeth and endured in order to leave no hope for Wrath. Stop enduring it and give your body to the King of Essence! The King of Essence is going to eat with his own mouth from now on! As expected, the reason he was angry was because of the food. ¡®That¡¯s not enough.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly and continuously controlled the Ring of Fire and cier. ¡®I won¡¯t lose in a fight of tactics and endurance.¡¯ It was pretty much chess, since he needed to defend where his opponent was aiming in order to show his strength. Raon blocked all of Wrath¡¯s attacks while maintaining a peaceful expression. I won¡¯t lose this time! Wrath kept flooding him with wrath and coldness without giving up. He seemed to be counting on the increase in the emotion of wrath. ¡®This is a necessary stimtion.¡¯ Raon chewed the inside of his cheek and endured the pain that felt like his soul itself was turning upside down. It was a good amount of exercise after staying bedridden for an entire week. He smiled, enduring the extreme pain. Are you smiling? Are you seriously smiling? Wrath¡¯s pressure became even more powerful, angered by his smiling face. He poured all of his gathered energy at once into Raon¡¯s body. ¡®Come at me as much as you want.¡¯ It happened when Raon was continuously circting the coldness at the same time as catching his breath. [Your sleep¡¯s extreme quality and duration has enhanced Sloth¡¯s effect. All stats have increased by 1.] The message appeared, telling him that he gained another point in all stats thanks to Sloth¡¯s effect. Argh! The moment Wrath lost his focus from the surprise, another message appeared. [You overcame Wrath¡¯s interruption. Stamina has increased by 1.] The message was dering his victory against Wrath. Daaamn it! Why the hell? Wrath started to scream while grasping his head. I gave him twenty whole points of wrath, so why am I still unable to win? You nasty bastard! Does the sensation of pain even exist for you?? ¡®It did hurt.¡¯ Raon shook his head. ¡®However, I¡¯m used to pain like this.¡¯ Ever since his previous life, he¡¯d constantly been feeling physical and mental pain. Even though it was painful, it was nothing he couldn¡¯t endure. H-How dreadful. You really are dreadful! Wrath¡¯s chin was trembling in disgust. Meeting you was the worst mistake in the King of Essence¡¯s life. The King of Essence shouldn¡¯t have associated with you¡­ ¡®Don¡¯t hate me so much.¡¯ How can I not hate you¡­? ¡®I¡¯ll buy you the specialty food in this region.¡¯ Wrath closed his mouth tightly upon hearing the words ¡®specialty food¡¯ from him. His lips slowly parted after a moment. R-Really? ¡®Yes.¡¯ Well, in that case¡­ Wrath tried to see if Raon was angry before nodding. Th-The King of Essence saw that this city is famous for its seasonings. There must be dishes utilizing those, so look out for them. ¡®Alright.¡¯ Recover quickly, you need to recover quickly so that you can go out to eat. Wrath was now worrying about his body as if he¡¯d never tried to kill him. He really was a simple and easy demon king. ¡®Then¡­ huh?¡¯ As Raon was about to raise himself up, a new message appeared. What? What else this time? ¡®Was there something else?¡¯ Raon tilted his head and checked the message. [You¡¯ve won the bet against Wrath.] The message was about the bet he¡¯d made upon receiving wrath from Wrath. This is so wrong! Wrath quickly shook his head. You didn¡¯t manage to win against those three! Victory belongs to the King of Essence! You should be taking in more wrath instead¡­ ¡®That¡¯s not the case.¡¯ Raon managed to grasp the situation and smiled subtly. ¡®What you said back then was, word for word, ¡®All three of them have to disappear!¡¯. Since all three of them disappeared from the forest, I¡¯m the winner of this bet.¡¯ Th-That obviously means to kill those three! ¡®You should¡¯ve said that from the beginning.¡¯ Raon simply shrugged it off. ¡®Let¡¯s see what rewards I got from this bet.¡¯ Damnnn it! ¡®How nice.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s scream was a good luby, but it wasn¡¯t too bad as an rm, either. Chapter 221 [A random trait of ¡®Wrath¡¯ is being generated.] Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the message. ¡®It was a trait.¡¯ He didn¡¯t realize since he¡¯d epted the bet without even checking the rewards, but Wrath had apparently wagered a trait as reward. ¡®The title ¡®Monarch of Devildom¡¯ suits him at a time like this.¡¯ As a demon king, Wrath never lied or scammed during bets. He was simr to Glenn in that aspect, since he gave away what he needed to, no matter how much he disliked Raon. ¡®A trait is pretty good.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s trait ¡®Perception of the Snow Flower¡¯ had allowed him to avert crises and gain opportunities countless times in the past. Raon gulped nervously, hoping for a good trait to appear once again. [The ¡®Evil Eye of Wrath¡¯ has been chosen.] [The ¡®Evil Eye of Wrath (One-Star)¡¯ has been added to traits.] Raon had never heard of the Evil Eye that was created. He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what kind of trait it was from the name. Huff! Wrath briefly gasped upon reading the message. ¡®It must be a good trait.¡¯ Considering the fact that he was reacting even more violently than when he obtained the Perception of the Snow Flower, it must¡¯ve been a pretty good trait. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ He pressed the message to check the trait¡¯s abilities. Evil Eye of Wrath (One-Star) You can see even more. Raon frowned upon reading the message. ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯ The exnation was so simple that he had no idea what kind of ability it was. He remembered asking Wrath about the Perception of the Snow Flower because there was no exnation about it at all. ¡®What kind of trait is this?¡¯ Hmph! Why would the King of Essence exin it to you? Wrath snorted, having no intention of helping him. The King of Essence has nothing to teach to the scammer who keeps stealing away the King of Essence¡¯s power and abilities, one after the other! ¡®Why am I a scammer?¡¯ You used an urgent situation to scam¡­ ¡®I did suggest a trade, but who do you think suggested a bet?¡¯ Th-The King of Essence did¡­ ¡®And who set the conditions for the bet?¡¯ Th-The King of Essence did that, as well¡­ ¡®Then why am I the scammer here? I only epted the conditions of a bet that you created.¡¯ Kuh¡­ Raon cheerfully smiled at him, and Wrath fell speechless, his shoulders trembling. ¡®Moreover, I¡¯m not even stealing from you. The stats are just flowing into me while I¡¯m not doing anything. Shall I throw them away? Would you throw them away if you were in my ce?¡¯ Damn it! This demon''s life is doomed! Wrath scowled and quickly looked away. ¡®So, what kind of ability is this?¡¯ ¡­¡­ He wasn¡¯t even responding because of his grudge. ¡®I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s going to work, but I guess it¡¯s worth trying.¡¯ Raon slowly opened his mouth while looking at Wrath¡¯s smooth head. ¡®I¡¯ll add one more specialty dish.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Wrath¡¯s round tail started wagging very slightly. ¡®I¡¯ll add two specialty dishes.¡¯ ¡­? His head looked like it would turn around with one more push. ¡®And I¡¯ll order two more desserts that you want!¡¯ ¡­! Wrath turned around with his eyes wide. R-Really? The irritation filling his blue eyes hadpletely disappeared. His desire for food was the only thing that remained. ¡®He really is too easy¡­¡¯ Was he really a demon king? * * * In short, this ability allows you to see what you couldn¡¯t see before. Wrath narrowed his eyes slightly while pointing at the Evil Eye of Wrath. ¡®See what I couldn¡¯t see before?¡¯ One-Star should only slightly increase your eyesight or allow you to see through things. The effect should gradually increase each time it levels up and will allow you to see more. ¡®It allows me to see through things and grants enhanced vision¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips. Although the aura perception had been mostly recing his five senses recently, having better vision or being capable of seeing through things wasn¡¯t exactly bad. How one used the ability was more important than the ability itself, anyway. ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯ Raon liked the part where he could see more once it leveled up more than the see-through and vision enhancement that were immediately avable. However, you shouldn¡¯t be able to use it. ¡®Why?¡¯ Look at the name of the trait. It¡¯s the Evil Eye of Wrath. Since you aren¡¯t a demon, you shouldn¡¯t be able to use it. ¡®That¡¯s not true.¡¯ Raon stared at the Evil Eye of Wrath before shaking his head. What is not true? ¡®I¡¯m not rted to the ¡®evil eye¡¯ part, but I¡¯m rted to the ¡®wrath¡¯ part.¡¯ What are you talking about? Why are you rted to wrath¡­ Huh? ¡®You gave me wrath.¡¯ Even though he wasn¡¯t a demon, he still had a whole 45 points of wrath that he¡¯d received from Wrath. Th-That can¡¯t be¡­ Wrath realized his mistake and his jaw dropped. ¡®How do I use this?¡¯ Can he use it the same way Wrath controlled his wrath? Raon closed his eyes. ¡®He should be a good enough target.¡¯ Raon thought about Derus Robert and copied the Wrath was rampaging earlier to pull up his emotions of wrath, the ones that were seething at the deepest parts of his soul. Whir! His wrath slowly came out to spread into his entire body. ¡®I can¡¯t move it properly.¡¯ Unlike the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation or cier¡¯s energy, wrath just moved around on its own uncontrobly. Even though it resided in his soul, the fact that it originally belonged to Wrath was probably the reason why. Y-You idiot! Did you honestly believe you could control the King of Essence¡¯s energy so easily? Wrath shook his head, telling him he stood no chance. ¡®I know a method that works in a situation like this.¡¯ Raon rotated the Ring of Fire. The rings resonated violently with each other to increase the level of his soul, where the wrath was residing. Rumble! With the soul level soaring to the next dimension, the wrath that was romping like an untamed animal gradually started toe under his control. Raon endured the pressure created by wrath, filling his two with its energy. Whir! Once the energy of wrath dwelled in his eyes, he could see a luxurious corridor painted in red through the thick door. A ck-haired woman was walking towards his room from the end of the corridor, carrying a basin and a towel. ¡®Martha.¡¯ The ck-haired woman was Martha. He wasn¡¯t feeling her presence through his perception, but he could see her directly through the door. ¡®Is this how I use it?¡¯ It was a strange sensation, as if he were using a strange sword with des on its hilt that could even harm its owner. ¡®This is so tiring.¡¯ Probably because he wasn¡¯t suited to using it, just like Wrath had said, his entire body was filled with extreme exhaustion. He figured it would be difficult to use it in an actual battle if straining his eyes was enough to exhaust him to that extent. He immediately released it because of his body¡¯s condition. H-How? Did you¡­ Huh? Wrath was unable to finish his sentence in disbelief. A huge amount of blue coldness left him through his dropped jaw. H-How could this happen? How are you using wrath? ¡®There¡¯s a saying that even a dog can use an aura de if it lives in Zieghart for three years. It would be strange if I couldn¡¯t do this much, since I¡¯ve been watching you using wrath for six whole years.¡¯ Raon shrugged, saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. What the hell are you? You must¡¯ve been targeting me from the beginning! Who sent you as a spy? Wrath even forgot to speak like a king, instead starting to yell like a kid. Who the hell are you?! Raon was even using the wrath he had nted inside him to take over his body one day. Wrath couldn¡¯t even understand how someone could be so crazy. He felt like fear or giving up didn¡¯t exist in Raon¡¯s head. ¡®There¡¯s no such monster, even in Devildom¡­¡¯ Utilizing a demon king¡¯s energy on top of oveing it waspletely unimaginable. Wrath had never seen a freak like him in his long life. Are you sure you are human? Maybe you are half dragon, or¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not really sure. I don¡¯t even know who my father¡­¡¯ The door opened and Martha entered the room before Raon could finish his response. ¡°We are switching. You should return¡­ gasp!¡± Martha dropped the basin she brought on the ground upon realizing that Raon was out of his bed. ¡°Hey! Why are you out of your bed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m out of my bed because I woke up.¡± ¡°You were unconscious for a whole week! You idiot!¡± ¡°One week? That was a pretty long sleep.¡± Raon smiled faintly, then tried clenching his fist before opening it. ¡°You are insane! You were seriously almost dead back then! Lie back down already!¡± Martha ran up to him and grabbed his shoulders to return him to the bed. ¡°Hmm?¡± Upon hearing Martha¡¯s loud voice, Runaan raised her head and blinked her eyes. ¡°Raon!¡± Her voice was at least two pitches higher than usual as she called out to him. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Raon nodded, while looking at the frowning Martha and wide-eyed Runaan. ¡°You aren¡¯t alright at all!¡± Martha threw the towel she brought at him before turning around. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the Saint, so stay right here without moving a single finger!¡± She ran outside after saying that. ¡°We are currently at Retran, right?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve finished cleaning up.¡± Apparently, Raon¡¯s awakening was enough to make Runaan happy, since her expression had be brighter. However, her eyes were even more nk than usual, probably because she just woke up. ¡°Eden''s demons came back afterward, but we defeated all of them.¡± As expected, there were apparently more demons from Eden. ¡®They must¡¯ve been trying to make the Blood Raving Demon into a hero.¡¯ Eden must¡¯ve been nning to have Stain Trian return to the city to defeat the red and green demons, all to make him a hero and bring the city under their control. Leaving the swordsmen in the city was the correct decision. ¡°Did anyone get injured?¡± ¡°No one except Raon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Raon chuckled. Runaan and Martha had both grown up slightly, thanks to the battle they went through. ¡°Then, how about Lady Encia¡­?¡± When he was trying to ask about Encia, Martha and Federick entered the room along with hasty footsteps. ¡°Raon!¡± Federick even used footwork to reach Raon. ¡°How did you wake up?!¡± His jaw dropped. He apparently didn¡¯t expect him to wake up in a single week. ¡°My eyes just opened¡­¡± ¡°C-Can you give me your hand for a moment?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nodded, letting Federick hold his wrist. A warm and pure energy entered his body from Federick before spreading throughout his body. ¡°Huh¡­¡± A momentter, Federick took his hand off with an expression of disbelief. ¡°Even though Sheryl fed you Dawn¡¯s Glow, how could you wake up so early¡­?¡± ¡®Dawn¡¯s Glow¡­¡¯ Dawn¡¯s Glow was a medicinal herb with an unsurpassed invigorating effect for the human body, even though it didn¡¯t have any enhancement effect for aura or body. Sheryl apparently acquired the herb and fed it to him while he was asleep. ¡°Did you find some dragon heart to eat while sleeping or something? How did you recover so quickly?¡± Federick¡¯s eyes were trembling in disbelief. ¡°It must be thanks to the martial art I¡¯ve learned.¡± Raon shook his head with serious eyes. ¡®It must be the result of abination between Sloth, Ring of Fire, and the Dawn¡¯s Glow.¡± He must¡¯ve recovered quickly thanks to Sloth¡¯s sleeping effect and Ring of Fire maximizing Dawn¡¯s Glow¡¯s healing abilities. It wasn¡¯t strange that even Saint Federick was surprised by that. ¡°I¡¯ve tended to countless patients in my life, but it¡¯s my first time seeing someone like you.¡± Federick shook his head, sounding like Wrath. ¡°What happened to Lady Encia?¡± ¡°Ah, about that¡­¡± Federick interrupted himself and looked at Martha and Runaan. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go. We have something to do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, though?¡± ¡°You do!¡± While Runaan was standing there nkly, Martha grabbed her wrist and dragged her out the room. ¡°She is more sensible than I thought.¡± ¡°She is.¡± Raon nodded and turned around. ¡°Raon, why did you lie about being my disciple to push Temas away?¡± Federick narrowed his eyes. ¡°When I first heard about that, I was so surprised that I couldn¡¯t even think anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon lowered his head. Even though it was an emergency, taking advantage of his name was clearly his fault. ¡®That is indeed problematic.¡¯ You always me shitty ears, though? ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t respond, pretending he didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. Since you saved my life, I wouldn''t mind it even if you said you were my teacher.¡± Federick shook his hand, saying that he didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°What I¡¯m curious about is what aspect of Temas made you doubt him.¡± ¡°When I visited Cameloon¡¯s underground auction house, I happened to hear that the houses treated by Temas gradually changed over time.¡± Of course, that never happened. He was just making up a believable story, since there were all kinds of rumors in Cameloon¡¯s underground auction house. ¡°I saw his eyes at House Yonaan, and I noticed a very small amount of obscurity in his eyes despite the rumors of him being the next saint.¡± That was true. A small amount of obscurity flew out from his eyes when he was diagnosing Encia. ¡°I tested him, just in case, and I ascertained that he wasn¡¯t the rumored saint by judging the way he changed his words each time.¡± Raon told him about how he confronted Temas at House Yonaan. ¡°Good job.¡± Unexpectedly, Federick patted his shoulder. ¡°Temas has been getting close to the rich and powerful houses while pretending it was a coincidence. Just as you said, the houses that he¡¯d visited have all changed in a bad way, little by little. I was nning to find him soon, but you did a good job.¡± He had apparently already guessed Temas¡¯s identity to a certain extent. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about having killed him, either. I personally confirmed the proof of Temas¡¯s assault on your group, so no one is going to harm you.¡± Apparently, Federick had already solved the issue Sheryl was worried about. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded. Since Federick¡¯s achievements were iparable to Temas¡¯, hardly anyone would doubt his words. ¡°Is Lady Encia alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve improved her body¡¯s condition, since that was the reason you came looking for me. However, there¡¯s a problem.¡± ¡°A problem¡­?¡± ¡°Once her condition improved, the heat in her head also became stronger. It¡¯s as strong as a mythical creature, and I have no idea how to approach her treatment.¡± He regrettably shook his head. ¡°I think that heat is alive. It might be a bug or a nt.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon gasped. Federick had almost figured out that there was a hell worm inside Encia¡¯s head in a single week. He wasn¡¯t called Saint for no reason. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You came to me because you believed in me, but I think it¡¯s going to take more time. I need to research and investigate it.¡± ¡°You said you¡¯ve improved her condition, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Though, the pain got even worse for the patient.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry in that case.¡± Raon smiled faintly and stood up. ¡°I can take care of the rest.¡± * * * * * * Federick tried to dissuade Raon by telling him he should rest one more day, but Raon refused it and went to the room Encia was lying down in. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She was groaning as if she were going to die, her eyes closed. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sheryl was by Encia¡¯s side but started walking to him with an angry re on her face. ¡°Why is a patient walking around?¡± ¡°I figured I¡¯d rest after finishing my job.¡± Raon smiled while looking into Sheryl¡¯s worry-filled eyes. ¡°Your job?¡± ¡°I have to settle the reason why we came all the way here.¡± Raon pointed at Encia, whose flesh had bepletely swollen from the heat. ¡°The treatment isn¡¯t over yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but you should worry about yourself for now¡­¡± ¡°I got a lot better.¡± He clenched his fist then opened it, before shaking his hand at her. ¡°I can treat her without straining myself.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been bedridden for only a few days, but it was painful enough. Since Lady Encia has been enduring that pain for several years, I¡¯d like to treat her as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheryl eximed. She was making a dumbfounded expression that Raon had never seen before. What he had just said apparently surprised her a lot once again. ¡°Sir Saint!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s watch him for now.¡± ¡°Haa, seriously, you are¡­¡± Since even Federick gave his approval, Sheryl had no choice but to withdraw while frowning. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at Sheryl before going to Encia. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Encia barely managed to open her eyes, smiling weakly. ¡°Y-You are still so damn handsome, even though you just woke up after a week.¡± She smiled like always, despite the heat making her semi-conscious. She was a strong person. ¡°You will be okay now.¡± Raon smiled at Encia in return, then knelt in front of the bed. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± He grabbed Encia¡¯s red and swollen wrist, then injected cier¡¯s coldness into her mana circuit. Tssh! The entire mana circuit was filled with heat, as ifva were flowing inside. Even though the circuit itself had be broader, it waspletely filled with an intense heat. ¡®It¡¯s just like the Saint¡¯s description.¡¯ The medicine and treatment he gave Encia in order to improve her condition had also strengthened the hell worm inside her head. ¡®It must¡¯ve been painful to endure.¡¯ Contrary to her improved condition, the pain must¡¯ve increased exponentially. It was surprising that she managed to endure so far without fainting. ¡®I need to cool down the heat first.¡¯ He cooled down the heat in her mana circuit with cier¡¯s frost, reducing the strain on her body. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Encia¡¯s eyelids were shivering as she exhaled heavily from the subsiding heat. She normally would have called him handsome once again, but considering she didn¡¯t do that, she must¡¯ve been going through a lot of pain. ¡®I need to remove it quickly.¡¯ Once the coldness in her wrist flowed past her lower body to reach her shoulder, the hell worm hiding in her head started to move. Raon was moving the coldness in all of her mana circuits around her head in order to threaten it like before, but the hell worm started to emanate even more heat instead of running away or hiding. It felt like a threat, telling him that it would attack Encia if he approached even further. ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯ He should¡¯ve removed it immediately once Encia¡¯s condition was better. Taking his time while scaring it away must¡¯ve been a bad move. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue. ¡®What shall I do with that heat¡­?¡¯ The hell worm¡¯s heat was as powerful as a young mythical creature thanks to Federick¡¯s treatment. It was difficult to deal with because it was too close to her brain. ¡®If only I could reduce the heat¡­hmm?¡¯ While he was blocking the passage with cier¡¯s coldness, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy emerged on its own from his energy center. Whir! Raon licked his lips while feeling the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy, which had be even stronger upon getting to five stars. ¡®Wait, it might be possible to¡­¡¯ Take the hell worm¡¯s energy for himself. Chapter 222 ¡°Can you really do it?¡± Federick came up to him with his eyebrows lowered in worry. ¡°It¡¯s a bit different from my expectations, but I think I can.¡± Raon nodded, then took his hand off Encia¡¯s wrist. Once cier¡¯s coldness left her, she started to groan once again. ¡°Heavenly de division leader.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but can you find me a transparent ss bottle with a lid?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sheryl left the room without questioning the request. Raon must¡¯ve gained quite a bit of trust through thest incident. ¡°Sir Saint, please watch Lady Encia¡¯s condition. I¡¯m going to need to gather some aura.¡± ¡°Sure, I can do that much.¡± Seeing that Federick had grabbed Encia¡¯s wrist, Raon sat on the ground and closed his eyes. ¡®I need to use both Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier.¡¯ He needed all three¡ªRing of Fire, Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and cier¡ªin order to absorb the hell worm¡¯s energy and remove it alive. Even though the Evil Eye of Wrath was difficult to use, it would allow him to precisely locate where the hell worm was hiding. Raon circted the Ten Thousand mes Cirction while drawing the image of removing the hell worm in his mind with his eyes closed. All three energies were important, but the Five-Star Ten Thousand mes Cultivation was the protagonist of the day. Whir! He activated the formerly stiff Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and opened his eyes. Sheryl had already returned, and a ss bottle was ced on the table. ¡°A-Are you starting it now?¡± ¡°Yes. Everything will be done once you wake up from a short sleep.¡± Raon smiled, pressing down slightly on a specific ce on the back of Encia¡¯s neck. She briefly groaned before closing her eyes, her head hanging down. ¡°I¡¯m going to begin. Sir Saint should improve Lady Encia¡¯s vitality.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even remember thest time I assisted in a treatment.¡± Federick put his hand on Encia¡¯s shoulder while standing on the other side of Raon. He had apparently decided to trust him until the end since it had already started. Whir! Raon gently controlled cier¡¯s coldness, as if he were dealing with a baby, and inserted it inside Encia¡¯s mana circuit. Even though it looked like he was cooling down Encia¡¯s body and starting from the bottom, he didn¡¯tpletely fill her mana circuit with coldness¡ªhe left the bottom part empty. That space was going to be the passage to enable him to absorb the hell worm¡¯s energy. Tssh! cier¡¯s pure coldness cooled down her mana circuits one after the other. The moment it was headed to Encia¡¯s neck, the hell worm came out of hiding to spread heat. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Although Encia was put to sleep, her body was shivering. Raon could feel the hell worm¡¯s heat even though her wrist was the only contact he had. ¡®It¡¯s only getting started.¡¯ Raon resonated with the Ring of Fire to increase his focus to control the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The Five-Star Ten Thousand mes Cultivation smoothly seeped into the empty space of Encia¡¯s mana circuit, the area that had been filled with cier. Whir! Raon sent the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the mana circuit in Encia¡¯s head, pretending it was the hell worm¡¯s heat. The hell worm was only paying attention to the coldness, while believing that the pure heat from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation belonged to it. ¡®I knew it!¡¯ It was going ording to n. He needed to progress to the second stage. Whir! Raon used Absorption, which became avable once Ten Thousand mes Cultivation reached five-stars. ¡®I can devour its heat by using this technique.¡¯ The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Absorption was a special technique capable of absorbing heat. Even though it wasn¡¯t capable of taking a lot of energy at once, it was a perfect ability against opponents like hell worms, which slowly spread heat around. Whir! He controlled Absorption at an extremely slow pace to take in the hell worm¡¯s heat. The heat neatly piled up in his lower energy center, which had enough room to spare after he became a Master, resulting in a faster recovery speed for his body. Whap! The hell worm kept emanating heat without even realizing it was getting taken away. ¡®It¡¯s pretty much a frog in boiling water.¡¯ The frog would jump out right away if it were ced inside boiling water, but it wouldn¡¯t realize the danger if the water¡¯s temperature gradually increased until it was boiled to death. The hell worm was no different from that frog. Forcing it to continuously emit heat would leave it empty once it exhausted its power. ¡®And I just need to absorb all of it.¡¯ All the wasted energy from the hell worm became Raon¡¯s aura and stamina, without any exceptions, while even increasing his proficiency in Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. It was pretty much an elixir getting automatically absorbed. While feeling the exhration of his injuries getting healed and Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura being umted, Raon easily took in the hell worm¡¯s heat. Once three hours had passed, the hell worm¡¯s heat had be significantly weaker, and Raon¡¯s energy center waspletely full of Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy. ¡®It¡¯s even more than before.¡¯ He could onlyugh. He was still injured, yet he already had much more aura than before he fought against the Masters. ¡®He¡¯s going to be pretty angry once he finds out.¡¯ The hell worm developed by Derus Robert through dozens of years of research became an extremely delicious elixir for Raon. A smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face from the joy of havingpletely shattered his n. How is this even happening? Wrath popped out from the bracelet and ground his teeth. Are you even obtaining power from a worm now? Why does the entire world crave giving you all of the power? He pounded his chest while ming the unfair world. Take care of the King of Essence now! ¡®I¡¯ll take care of youter, so calm down for now.¡¯ Raon stopped the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Absorption while leaving cier on one side only. ¡®I need to finish it now.¡¯ ¡°Haa¡­¡± He secretly caught his breath and pulled out his wrath to focus on his eyes. Creak! Once he thought he wanted to see the hell worm inside Encia¡¯s head, his vision became capable of seeing inside of her head. A very small red worm was extending its body on top of an unidentifiable membrane located inside her skull. ¡®It became even more grotesque than before.¡¯ The hell worm had a repulsive appearance, with four teeth protruding from its mouth and ten legs as sharp as thorns attached to its body. It was trembling significantly, like a man panting from exhaustion. ¡®It must be hungry, since it lost a lot of energy.¡¯ The hell worm had used up most of its heat. Since the despondency should¡¯ve been unbearable, it was bound to be attracted to the heat. Raon brought Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat, which had achieved an even higher purity, around Encia¡¯s head. He controlled the aura¡¯s movement while examining the hell worm¡¯s state through the Evil Eye of Wrath. ¡®It¡¯s moving.¡¯ The hell worm carefully moved its legs upon feeling the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat. It moved towards Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s location while paying attention to cier, which was located in the mana circuit on the other side. ¡®I¡¯m d I took it out in advance.¡¯ The hell worm moved away from where it had been staying for several years, following Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura to the lower part. Raon controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy like a fishing pole to lure a fish, slowly making the worm move down. Thanks to the Evil Eye of Wrath, it wasn¡¯t difficult to lead the hell worm to the exit. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ His head was hurting, probably because his body wasn¡¯t suited to use the Evil Eye of Wrath, but he endured the pain to maintain his focus in order to lead the hell worm towards Encia¡¯s nasal cavity. ¡®It¡¯s almost there.¡¯ Raon opened his eyes and looked at Encia¡¯s nose. The moment the tip of her nose trembled slightly, he put his finger inside to grab the hell worm. ¡°Heavenly de leader!¡± ¡°I got it!¡± Sheryl immediately realized what he wanted, throwing the ss bottle in her hands at him. Raon caught it right away, putting the hell worm inside before closing the lid. Tap Tap Tap! The hell worm finally realized it had been tricked. It started to scratch the hell out of the bottle. The way the ten legs wriggled at the same time was extremely creepy. ¡®I¡¯m d she¡¯s sleeping now.¡¯ Raon sighed while looking at Encia. No matter how cool her personality was, she was bound to be shocked if she saw the worming out of her nose. Making her fall asleep before starting the treatment was the correct decision. ¡°W-Was this inside Encia¡¯s body?¡± Federick came next to him with his eyes wide and examined the hell worm. ¡°Yes, this worm is the one that has been emanating heat from Lady Encia¡¯s head.¡± Raon nodded and showed the worm to Federick and Sheryl. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Hiee!¡± Unlike Federick, who was speechless, Sheryl freaked out and took a step back. ¡°Can you bring this worm with you and research it, Sir Saint?¡± ¡°Research?¡± ¡°Considering the fact that Temas was targeting Lady Encia, there should be more worms like this. Since it might have been used on other people as well, we need a systematic method to remove it.¡± That was the reason he removed the hell worm. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t guarantee sess. I¡¯ve never seen this before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. And can you also look into how to deal with rage worms?¡± ¡°Rage worm¡­ That also must be because of Temas.¡± Since Federick had heard the entire story, he was aware that the rage worm was the cause of Temas¡¯ death. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± He gave a big nod, despite the difficulty of the issue. ¡°Ah, and one more thing.¡± ¡°Again? Is there one more?¡± Cold sweat appeared on Federick¡¯s forehead. He really started feeling ufortable about it. ¡°The maid who injected that worm into Lady Encia must¡¯ve been brainwashed.¡± ¡°Brainwash?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to find a way to undo that brainwashing.¡± A crimson me was ignited in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®It¡¯s the foremost priority in order to shatter Derus¡¯ ns.¡¯ Dealing with the people manipted by him was necessary in order to destroy Derus Robert. Destroying the hell worm, rage worm, and brainwashing should remove one third of his power. And the best expert suitable for the job was the Ragged Saint Federick standing in front of him. ¡°You must be worried about the ringleader behind this incident.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do my best to investigate them.¡± Federick nodded with serious eyes. ¡°About brainwashing, I know an expert in that area. Talking with him should do the job.¡± He apparently already had a n, as his eyes sparkled while looking at the hell worm inside the bottle. He looked rather interested in it himself. ¡°As thest one.¡± Raon grabbed Encia¡¯s wrist once again. He absorbed all of the remaining hell worm¡¯s heat inside her before cleansing her mana circuit with cier. Federick treated her after that, and her skin¡ªwhich used to be swollen and red¡ªreturned to the original color. ¡°Lady Encia.¡± Raon called out Encia¡¯s name while standing next to her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Encia slowly opened her eyes before slowly raising herself. ¡°Wow, Sir Raon is so damn handsome, even though I was looking at you sideways while lying down. How is that even possible?¡± She eximed while staring at Raon¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s literally a piece of art¡­ Huh?¡± She raised her hand to express her feelings, then suddenly stopped. ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± Encia turned her head once she noticed that her arm and hand had be thin and white. ¡°What is happening¡­?¡± Her lips were trembling as she looked around at Raon, Federick, and Sheryl, one after the other. ¡°I-It doesn¡¯t hurt, either. It¡¯s not painful at all! And my body feels cool!¡± Tears started to drip from her big eyes. ¡°Am I cured now? A-Am I not going to suffer anymore?¡± Her lips were shivering. ¡°I-I can work again, right? Can I chase my dream once again?¡± ¡°You are fine now.¡± Raon nodded at her while looking at the wave pouring from Encia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Th-Thank you. Thank¡­ sniff!¡± Encia covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Her cries were storming with all kinds of emotions, the ones that she had been suppressing so far. Raon, Federick, and Sheryl smiled faintly as they silently watched Encia¡¯smenting wail. * * * * * * ¡°My lord! My looooord!¡± Rimmer shouted while kicking the audience chamber¡¯s door open to enter, just like when he usually entered the training ground. ¡°Th-That news is apparently true!¡± ¡°What?¡± Glenn briskly stood up from the throne. It was an extremely rare reactioning from him, but neither Rimmer nor Roenn paid any attention to that. ¡°It¡¯s true that Raon became a Master and saved the Saint by ying the Blood Raving Demon, Red Wolf Demon, and ck Winged Demon! The Shadow Agents have confirmed it!¡± Rimmer violently shook the letter in his hand. He was so surprised when he first heard the news that he figured it must¡¯ve been a lie or an exaggeration at least. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Raon really became a Master to y three Masters from Eden and managed to save the Saint. Because of that outrageous feat, his name was spreading throughout the continent, let alone inside Zieghart. ¡°Hmph!¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes, and the letter in Rimmer¡¯s hand floated by itself to fly towards the throne. He opened the letter to read the contents. Just like Rimmer had said, it was about Raon¡¯s actions, and the seal of the Shadow Agents leader was stamped on it. ¡°I knew he would be a Master sooner orter, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon, and I never imagined he would y three Masters right after bing one!¡± Rimmer fell onto his back while speaking about how ridiculous that was. ¡°Honestly, I can only describe it as crazy.¡± Roenn was also standing there dumbfounded, his jaw dropped, despite the way he usually maintained his smile. ¡°Eighteen years old! Our Raon is the youngest Master in the continent¡¯s history!¡± Rimmer started dancing, rejoicing Raon¡¯s feat as if it were his own business. ¡°Calm down a little.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes and shook his hand, but he couldn¡¯t hide the fact that the corners of his lips were about to reach the ceiling. ¡°You should say that again after hiding your smile.¡± Rimmer giggled, pointing at Glenn¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and forced himself to grimace, but a faint smile reappeared on his face before he knew it. ¡°Was he injured?¡± ¡°I read about that as well. It said he was severely injured, but there won¡¯t be anysting effects! I guess that¡¯s obvious, since the Saint is right next to him.¡± Rimmer immediately responded, since he¡¯d already checked that part as well. ¡°Honestly, we all knew that Raon would be a Master.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Roenn nodded. ¡°However, I¡¯m sure no one would¡¯ve even imagined that he could y the Blood Raving Demon before bing a Master, and y both Red Wolf Demon and ck Winged Demon together right after bing one. He doesn¡¯t just surpassmon sense, but even imagination!¡± Rimmer jumped around in excitement, just like when he won arge amount of money from gambling. ¡°My lord, you should give him a grand wee once he returns! He¡¯s the youngest Master and has in three Masters of Eden, and even managed to save your dear friend the Saint, after all!¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m nning to reward him ordingly¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that! Not as the head of house!¡± Rimmer pounded his chest in irritation. ¡°I¡¯m saying that you should praise your grandson and tell him that he did a good job, as a grandfather! How long are you nning to sit back and watch? You love him so much, yet why do you never tell him about it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn was unable to respond, simply closing his eyes. Once he managed to sort out his thoughts, he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s true that he¡¯s my grandson and has achieved a great feat. I¡¯m going to give him enough rewards for his achievement. However, I¡¯m only doing that as the head of house. I¡¯ve never given any special treatment to my sons or daughters.¡± ¡°Argh! Seriously!¡± Rimmer violently shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore! I¡¯m so annoyed that I need to gamble today!¡± He swirled his hand before leaving through the door of the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°Hmm, I agree with Sir Rimmer this time. I think it would be better to at least express some of your feelings.¡± Roenn politely bowed before leaving the lord¡¯s manor, just like Rimmer. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn stared at the door for a moment before leaning back on his throne. He frowned while looking at his right hand, where a long scar still remained. ¡°Of course, I know that. However¡­¡± When Sylvia had a hard time in the house, with no one to help her, and when she gave up everything and left the house¡­ He¡¯d never done anything for her. Hepletely forgot about his youngest daughter¡¯s existence and focused on getting stronger and shedding his enemies¡¯ blood. He looked for Sylvia when he finally realized his mistake, but it was toote. His granddaughter and son-inw were already dead before he could even see their faces. It was impossible for him to show affection to Raon and Sylvia after everything he¡¯d done. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn closed his eyes. His face wasn¡¯t an emotionless god of war anymore, but a human being in distress. * * * Every member of Light Wind, including Runaan, were gathered inside Raon¡¯s room. It was an unusual sight, since they were calmly staring at Raon¡¯s mouth. ¡°First of all, the middle energy center opens once you be a Master. You get a shattering feeling of a small wall inside your body, and your aura bes a lot sturdier.¡± Raon pointed at his middle energy center at his sr plexus. ¡°How did it feel when your middle energy center opened? Did it feel refreshing?¡± Dorian asked, his eyes wide. ¡°Rather than refreshing, it¡¯s thrilling. It felt like lightning passed through me from head to toe.¡± ¡°Then, do you be capable of using astral energy as soon as that middle energy center opens? Do you automatically get knowledge about astral energy?¡± Burren shoved his head forward, with nervous gazes. ¡°You don¡¯t get the knowledge, but you instinctively realize how to use the middle energy center.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it be slower to circte your aura if it goes past the middle energy center?¡± ¡°That makes sense, but the mana circuit bes more activated once the middle energy center opens, making the cirction even faster overall.¡± ¡°How much faster does it get?¡± Martha, who was pretending she wasn¡¯t interested, also stepped up to him and asked. ¡°It bes at least twice as fast, and the aura¡¯s quantity and qualities also increase. It almost felt like I became apletely different person, even though it was a single wall¡¯s difference.¡± Since Raon also used to be curious about Master level when he was an Expert, he answered every single one of their questions. ¡°Which ice cream do you prefer?¡± Runaan asked a strange question. She apparently thought that was enough questions about Master level. Mint chocte! Raon ignored Wrath and looked at Runaan, and her face was serious. It was apparently a serious question. ¡°Hmm, I prefer cookies and cream¡­¡± When he was about to answer, a knocking sound could be heard at the door, and Federick entered after opening the door. ¡°Sir Saint?¡± ¡°I heard you are leaving in two days.¡± Federick smiled faintly while walking inside. ¡°Yes. We shall return to Yonaan, since we¡¯ve finished Lady Encia¡¯s treatment.¡± ¡°Since the war has ended here, I¡¯ll go with you. I need to observe Encia¡¯s condition for a bit longer, and I also need to see the maid over there.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°Hmm, and I need to talk to you about something¡­¡± Federick cleared his throat and averted his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go, since there¡¯s nothing more for us to hear.¡± Martha was once again the first one to realize his intentions and stood up. ¡°I didn¡¯t get his answer though? About the ice cream¡­¡± ¡°You can do thatter!¡± She took the slow Runaan out of the room, and Burren, Dorian, and Krein followed them. Tap. After confirming that the door waspletely closed, Federick straightened his back and walked up to Raon. ¡°I realized that I hadn¡¯t properly said this to you yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You saved this old man¡¯s life, and Yulius¡¯ as well. I¡¯m really grateful.¡± He politely bowed, despite his position and rank. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this!¡± Raon briskly stood up in surprise. He never thought the Saint would do that to him. ¡°I was only returning the favor for your actions during my childhood. I actually didn¡¯t even manage to return itpletely, since there¡¯s a lot more left to be repaid.¡± He wasn¡¯t being humble. He only managed to be a Master at a young age because of Federick visiting him every year to activate his body and give him an elixir. What he did was only a portion of what needed to be repaid. ¡°Yes, I need to talk about that, as well.¡± Federick sighed deeply and sat on the ground. ¡°I have something to tell you about your childhood.¡± Chapter 223 ¡°My childhood?¡± Raon frowned, meeting Federick¡¯s awkward gaze. He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what he was about to tell him. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Let me exin. I was wondering how long I needed to hide this, but this is a good asion.¡± Federick gestured for him to sit down. Raon sat down opposite him. ¡°You must remember me visiting you when you were four or five years old, but I actually visited you six times in total.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon briefly licked his lips. ¡®I remember all of them.¡¯ Since he was capable of thinking from the moment he was born, he remembered every single instance of Federick¡¯s visits. He¡¯d seen him for the first time when he was one hundred days old, and Federick visited every year after that until he was five years old to treat him and give him an elixir. ¡°I went to Zieghart on my own ord to check on your condition when you were between the ages of one and five, but the first instance wasn''t of my own volition¡­ And it wasn¡¯t a coincidence, either.¡± ¡°What?¡± The first time was shortly after he¡¯d received his name from Glenn. ¡°I told Sylvia that I dropped by because I heard the news that she had a baby, but¡­¡± Federick let out a small sigh and lowered his head. It looked like he was still hesitating, as he kept sighing. ¡°Sir Saint.¡± ¡°Alright, I need to put an end to this, since I¡¯ve already started. I actually went to the annex building at someone¡¯s request.¡± ¡°Request?¡± ¡°They asked me toe to Zieghart immediately to check on your condition, and to find an appropriate treatment. It was almost an order at that point.¡± He chuckled, saying that it was the first time someone had made such an unreasonable request. ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said ¡®someone¡¯ if I was going to disclose their identity.¡± Federick smiled faintly. His smile felt like he was telling him he should know who it was. ¡°I told them that you had the Curse of Frost, which had no proper cure. Once I mentioned it was necessary to warm your body up with an elixir, ¡®that person¡¯ took out a fire attribute elixir and asked me to hand it over to Sylvia.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted. ¡®The elixir from back then?¡¯ He swallowed nervously as he learned that the elixir Sylvia warmed up in a bowl for him wasn¡¯t from the Saint, but from ¡®that person¡¯. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t tell you before. I had no choice, since they asked me to keep it a secret no matter what.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t need to feel sorry.¡± He just felt thankful that he was telling him the story that should¡¯ve been kept a secret. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m apologizing to you. You risked your life to save me, but I¡¯m not actually the person who helped you back then.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that.¡± Raon shook his head firmly. ¡°I¡¯m thankful to you.¡± The Saint was an extraordinary person that many people wanted to serve but were unable to. Even though his first visit was due to a request, it was extremely unlikely that anyone would visit Zieghart five more times after that to treat him and give him the elixirs. Even though Federick told him the truth, Raon still didn¡¯t have any regrets for saving him. ¡°Thank you for saying that. I feel like I¡¯m now indebted to you.¡± Federickughed softly while stroking his beard. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best and research what you¡¯ve requested in order to repay that debt.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t consider it a debt. Please don¡¯t feel obligated.¡± ¡°That makes me feel even more obligated, boy!¡± Raon and Federick looked at each other warmly andughed. ¡°So, did you figure out who called me back then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon closed his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t realize.¡± The person called for the Ragged Saint Federick, immediately gave him three high grade elixirs, and discovered his negative symptoms. If he was still unable to figure out who it was, he would¡¯ve been better off biting his tongue to kill himself. Who is that? Who the hell wasted those elixirs on you? Wrath tilted his head, unable to figure out who it was. ¡®Glenn Zieghart.¡¯ That¡¯s¡­ ¡®The head of house called for the Saint.¡¯ It was unimaginable, but there was no mistake. The head of house, Glenn Zieghart, called for the Saint back then. ¡®So, he knew about my condition all along.¡¯ Glenn must¡¯ve realized when he named Raon that he was suffering from the Coldness of the Frost. ¡®Then¡­ Why?¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he feigned ignorance, as if he weren¡¯t interested in him. ¡®I thought he disliked me.¡¯ The fact that he let the direct lines and even the coterals humiliate him and his request to the Saint were contradictory. ¡°Hmm.¡± Federick¡¯s mouth twitched as he watched Raon contemting that knowledge with lowered eyebrows. ¡®He must¡¯ve realized it was Glenn¡¯s doing.¡¯ Federick thought Raon must¡¯ve figured out it was Glenn before he got all the hints, since he was a smart boy. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, iron mask.¡¯ Federick secretly apologized to Glenn, who shouldn¡¯t have been aware of the situation at all. ¡®However, I still kept it a secret that you visited Raon every day to pour aura into him, and even used the tablet.¡¯ Glenn cherished Raon more than anyone else. He had visited him every day to push out the coldness and had used the godly tablet in order to call Federick, which could only be used once in a lifetime. ¡®Stop being stupid now, get along in the future.¡¯ A small smile appeared on Federick¡¯s face as he wished for the awkward grandfather and grandson to be more intimate, since their rtionship looked as apathetic as the one between a cow and a chicken on the outside. ¡°Sir Saint.¡± Raon looked like he had many questions to ask. ¡°Other than the first time, did you visit me without him making a request?¡± ¡°Correct. He didn¡¯t say anything to me.¡± ¡°In that case, can I ask you a question?¡± Federick gave a big nod, telling him to ask whatever he wanted. ¡°The first time was because of a request, but why did you visit me every year for the next five years? It must¡¯ve been difficult for you toe to Zieghart, since you travel throughout the continent to treat people.¡± Federick always traveled throughout the continent in order to treat people, rather than staying in one ce. It was really exceptional that he visited him every year to treat him despite that. ¡°It was because of your eyes.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How shall I say it¡­?¡± He scratched his head as he chose his words. ¡°You weren¡¯t crying orughing even though you were just a newborn baby. Your eyes were as calm andposed as an adult¡¯s. I might sound crazy, but your eyes felt like you were determined to stand alone, as if you¡¯d gone through long years of difficulties.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon averted his eyes and chewed his lip. ¡®That¡¯s exactly it.¡¯ Because he was betrayed in his previous life, he was nning to grow up without epting anyone¡¯s help in Zieghart before leaving. However, he changed his mind after he associated with many people, starting with Sylvia and Helen. ¡°I wanted to change those eyes. I wanted to teach you that there are people in this world who help and love others without anything in return, and to see your smile. Though, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand that at your age, not back then.¡± Federick awkwardly scratched the back of his head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon clenched his fist. Federick¡¯s sincere feelings tugged at his heartstrings. ¡°Since you asked me a question, let me make a request.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°Are you going to grant it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since Federick had just disyed his sincerity, there was no way he could refuse. ¡°Then, try smiling for once.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± Because it was apletely unexpected request, his eyes rounded like the moon. ¡°I told you I wanted to see your smile. Since I¡¯ve never saw you smiling in your childhood, you should try smiling now.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say just now that you¡¯d grant any of my requests?¡± ¡°Uhh.¡± Raon covered his cheeks with his hands and frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to frown. I asked you to smile.¡± ¡°I-Isn¡¯t there anything else I can do for you?¡± It would¡¯ve been better if he was asked to fight Eden one more time. Suddenly being asked to smile made his cheeks feel hot in embarrassment. ¡°Ahem!¡± Federick loudly cleared his throat, urging him to do it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply. When he thought about it, he had never smiled before while Federick was treating him. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Raon pinched his cheeks to stretch them before turning his head around. He smiled as naturally as possible in order to meet Federick¡¯s expectations. It was extremely embarrassing, but he maintained the smile until the end in order to return his feelings. ¡°Huhu.¡± Federick nodded and smiled softly. ¡°Just like Encia said, you look so damn handsome.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed, left alone in the room. ¡®I don¡¯t understand him.¡¯ He could understand why Glenn called for Federick. Since his grandson was sick, calling an excellent healer to check his condition was a natural course of action. ¡®But why did he hide it?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why he hid everything after calling for the Saint, the best healer ever, and gave away three whole elixirs. ¡®Was he trying to avoid the attention of direct lines and coterals?¡¯ That was also unlikely. Glenn held absolute power in Zieghart. Since his influence covered the entirety of Zieghart, a single word would¡¯ve been enough to stop the pce masters from messing around with the annex building. ¡®It¡¯s difficult to say that he cherishes me.¡¯ Glenn never gave him anything for no reason. The Judgment Ceremony was the only time he¡¯d met Glenn until he was twelve years old, and he¡¯d never received any gifts from him. Since he¡¯d always rewarded him ording to his achievements, he¡¯d never had the thought that Glenn might cherish him. ¡®No, he was a bit different when he taught me the Supreme Harmony Steps.¡¯ Instead of telling him the Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ principles or giving him a book, he personally demonstrated it for him. Now that he thought about it, Glenn looked different back then. ¡®I don¡¯t get it.¡¯ Raon pulled on his hair. It felt more mysterious the more he thought about it. Tsk, it¡¯s obvious. Wrath came up on the bracelet and clicked his tongue. ¡®Obvious?¡¯ Yes. He¡¯s trying to use you. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Since you are the King of Essence¡¯s vessel, you must¡¯ve been extraordinary from birth. That old man must¡¯ve realized your talent, and he must be trying to bring fame to the house by using you. He murmured that the human realm was the exact same as Devildom. ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon frowned. Naturally, he¡¯d considered that possibility, but Wrath telling him about it irritated him. ¡®I need to check the head of house¡¯s reaction once we return.¡¯ He figured he needed to check that in order to find out his intention. Since he was thoroughly used in his previous life, he was certain he would be able to recognize if Glenn was really trying to use him. Knock Knock. Once Raon finished sorting through his thoughts, a small knocking sound could be heard from the door. It was a familiar sound, since he¡¯d heard it multiple times in the city. ¡°You can enter.¡± The door opened as soon as he answered, a boy withposed eyes despite his slightly arrogant appearance entered. He was Yulius, the one who had escaped alongside the Saint. ¡°Hello.¡± Yulius bowed politely. ¡°Hello. You aren¡¯t hurt, are you?¡± Raon smiled gently and nodded. Ever since he woke up, Yulius had been visiting him almost every day to greet him politely. His actions werepletely different from his appearance. ¡°You don¡¯t need to keep visiting me. You shouldn¡¯t feel obligated just because I saved you.¡± Just like Federick¡¯s act of kindness when he was a baby, he didn¡¯t want anything from Yulius in return either. He just wished for him to grow up well without being traumatized by the incident. ¡°Ah, I¡­¡± Yulius hesitantly bit his lips. He looked different from his usual smart appearance. ¡°You can tell me anything you want. It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Would you mind me going with you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to go with you, Sir Swordsman.¡± Yulius made the request with a straight gaze. His determination could be felt from his unwavering eyes. ¡°Why would you do that all of the sudden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not sudden. I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since you saved me and the Saint. I heard you were leaving in two days, and I thought now would be the only time to ask you.¡± Raon already had the feeling that his speech was well bnced, despite his young age. He must¡¯ve been properly educated in courtesy. ¡°What about your family?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any. I¡¯ve been alone ever since my grandfather perished.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± His nonchnt voice surprised Raon. ¡®I see.¡¯ Judging from the situation, the war over Yulius must¡¯ve happened after his grandfather¡¯s death. Raon controlled his aura perception while looking into Yulius¡¯s firm andposed eyes. ¡®His body is sturdy and flexible. His mana circuit is¡­ huh?¡¯ He thought Yulius was in a pretty good physical condition as he examined inside him before his jaw dropped. ¡®How is a kid¡¯s mana circuit¡­?¡¯ His mana circuit was even thicker and wider than a decent swordsman at a Sword User¡¯s level. The interior was clean, and the energy center was also bigger and sturdier than others. He should¡¯ve been able to gather aura faster than anyone else if he learned how to cultivate it. ¡®This is why everyone was crazy over him.¡¯ His physical condition was pretty good, but his insides were the real deal. Yulius had an amazing talent to reach higher. However, what Raon liked the most wasn¡¯t those conditions. He liked the calm and mature mentality he had, which were rare for children of his age. ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to take you with us, but this is your hometown. Are you really fine leaving it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I can never return here, and I think it¡¯s fine to keep my hometown in mind.¡± Yulius¡¯ eyes sparkled, once more sounding older than his young years. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll tell the Heavenly de leader about it, since it¡¯s not a difficult request.¡± Raon smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°But why did youe to me? It would¡¯ve been easier if you went to the Heavenly de leader in the first ce.¡± ¡°Because you are the one who made me want to go to Zieghart, Sir Swordsman.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon could guess what the kid was thinking. He must¡¯ve been mistaking him for a hero that came to save him. ¡°Then you should change your mind. It¡¯s not a good idea toe to Zieghart just because of me.¡± ¡°No.¡± Yulius quickly shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a simple decision at all. I felt a human¡¯s fragrance from Sir Swordsman, rather than a hero.¡± ¡°A human¡¯s fragrance?¡± ¡°I want to be a swordsman that can carry through my goal, with a strong resolution even if I¡¯m not strong enough. I really thought deeply about it, so please ept me.¡± The words ¡®human¡¯s fragrance¡¯ and ¡®one who can carry through his goal¡¯ left a strong impression on Raon. ¡®Is that how he saw me¡­?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure what part of Raon made Yulius describe him as such, but it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling. ¡°Alright. We will be leaving in two days, so don¡¯t bete.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Yulius bowed deeply before leaving the room. Hmm. Wrath licked his lips while staring at Yulius¡¯ back. Why does this guy get all those¡­? ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Raon looked down at Wrath. ¡®Is there something special about that kid?¡¯ No idea! Wrath returned to the bracelet, showing that he had no intention of telling him. ¡®I need to check¡­¡¯ * * * Two dayster. Raon left the mansion he was staying in, ready to leave Retran. Everyone had already finished their preparations and were waiting in front of Encia¡¯s carriage. ¡°You are toote, just because you are the protagonist.¡± Sheryl frowned, leaning her back against the carriage. ¡°It¡¯s not the appointed time for departure yet, though.¡± ¡°You have to win all arguments, don¡¯t you?¡± Raon pointed at the sky, and Sheryl chuckled before going to the front of the carriage. ¡°Sir Raon?¡± The carriage¡¯s window opened, and Encia came out. With her swelling having died out, her refreshing appearance was shining brilliantly under the sunlight. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± It wasn¡¯t just her face¡ªher entire upper body came out of the window as she waved her hand. ¡°Woaah! You are so freaking handsome today as well! It¡¯s the best so far! You look even more handsome now that I can open my eyes wide!¡± ¡°Mydy!¡± ¡°Please, stop!¡± Encia barely avoided falling out from the carriage¡¯s window thanks to the maids grabbing her. ¡®She¡¯s even more excited.¡¯ Raon scratched his chin. Encia was rampaging even more now, shouting about his handsomeness, because her pain had disappeared. ¡°Do you feel any difort?¡± ¡°My back used to hurt a bit, but it doesn¡¯t anymore! Sir Raon¡¯s face is my medicine, and his face is my food!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dealing with her felt ufortable, but he at least felt relieved from how much brighter she¡¯d gottenpared to when she used to suffer so much from the pain. ¡°I thought my impression would change when the pain faded away, but not at all! He¡¯s just soo handsome! He¡¯s a good person even though he¡¯s handsome, he¡¯s smart even though he¡¯s handsome, and he¡¯s even a Master on top of being handsome!¡± Encia was almost praising his handsomeness even after she got dragged back into the carriage by her maids. ¡°Haa, she got even worse¡­¡± ¡°The ugly ones are just so sad.¡± ¡°I want to die¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that yet. The river is cold.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ugly, stupid, and still an Expert!¡± The Heavenly de members and the Light Wind members standing around the carriage started screaming while grasping their heads. ¡°Huhu!¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Federick giggled as he watched them, and Yulius just stared nkly at them. ¡°Mhm, damn handsome, freaking handsome. A Master on top of being handsome¡­¡± Runaan nodded, repeating Encia¡¯s words several times. She was apparently trying to remember them. ¡°Get ready if you are done ying around!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon followed Sheryl¡¯s order and mounted his horse. The other swordsmen also got into positions in front of the horses and the carriage, waiting for the order to leave. ¡°Our destination is House Yonaan! The mission isn¡¯t over! Never let your guard down!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Depart!¡± Just likest time, Sheryl rode her horse in the front row, and everyone else followed. As they slowly followed the main street on their horses, people swarmed around them from both sides. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen! Thank you for saving us!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The citizens were waving their hands to cheer for all of the swordsmen. Their clear eyes expressed their thanks after having ovee their sadness. ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to repay the favor of saving my life!¡± ¡°Please call me anytime you need me!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go anywhere to help!¡± The surviving swordsmen from Houses Basin and Trian were saluting with their swords, holding their swords down vertically. It was an expression of their resolution to repay the great debt they¡¯d received. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You should return and start training.¡± Sheryl shook her hand at the swordsmen with a faint smile on her face. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°The Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± ¡°We will be looking forward to hearing from you! Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± When Raon passed by them, they cheered louder than all the other timesbined. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened at the ear-splitting sound. ¡°Frostfire Sword of Valor?¡± Raon tilted his head, since it was his first time hearing about it. ¡°They are talking about you.¡± Burren came up next to him and pointed at him with his chin. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a new nickname for Raon Zieghart, an honorable swordsman who ran into Eden¡¯s trap without hesitation in order to repay his gratitude from his childhood, only to y the Blood Raving Demon, the Red Wolf Demon, and the ck Winged Demon.¡± He smiled happily as if it were his own matter. ¡°And the best part is the single strike match against the Evil Goat Demon. The entire continent was deeply impressed by the fact that you didn¡¯t lower your sword until the very end in order to protect the Saint and the boy.¡± Dorian frowned, saying that it was a shame he didn¡¯t witness that scene directly. ¡°But why the Frostfire Sword of Valor¡­?¡± ¡°It must mean that you are a valiant swordsman who can use ice and fire at the same time, while also meaning flower* at the same time. Anyway, it¡¯s a really nice title!¡± ¡°I also want a nickname like that¡­¡± Krein came up next to him and nodded, saying that he was jealous. Raon waved his hand at the people who were smiling brightly while calling his name and nickname. Their cheers became even louder, to the point where his hearing grew muffled, and his heart started pounding. After what happened at Habun Castle, he realized once again that he felt a strange excitement from people cheering for his name and creating a nickname for him. Rosy and the other priests came to them from the castle gate and bowed. Once they raised their hands towards the sky, a white light surged to surround everyone in the party. ¡°May the blessings be with the heroes.¡± Rosy and the priests raised their heads and smiled gently. ¡°May the blessings be with you.¡± Raon bowed to the priests after Sheryl¡¯s greeting, before leaving Retran. Even though they were outside the city, they could still hear the people¡¯s cheers. ¡°I thought I was going to die from my heart pounding so hard.¡± ¡°I know, right? My heart is still pounding.¡± Dorian and Krein were blushing with awkward smiles on their faces. ¡°Tsk, that wasn¡¯t even a big deal.¡± ¡°Get a grip!¡± Despite what they said, Martha and Burren¡¯s faces also looked excited. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan was the mostposed among them, eyes as nk as the horses¡¯. Raon smiled faintly at them before looking at the sky. Since their job was over, there was just one thing left to do. ¡®Rewards afterpleting the mission.¡¯ It was already decided. Mere artifacts weren¡¯t what he wanted from House Yonaan. * T/N: Fire and Flower use the same characters. It¡¯s also why the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation has flower petals made of fire. Chapter 224 Raon grasped the hilt of his sword after looking around Krun Forest. ¡®All of the corpses have disappeared.¡¯ All of the corpses of the assassins that had attacked the carriage before they¡¯d arrived in Retran were nowhere to be seen. Judging from the countless non-human footprints around, monsters or animals must¡¯ve carried them away. ¡®Or it might¡¯ve been Derus Robert¡¯s doing.¡¯ That crazy bastard was fully capable of discarding the assassins¡¯ corpses¡ªjust in case. ¡®Anyway, it feels great since it must¡¯ve been a heavy blow to him.¡¯ He had to be unbearably angry. Derus was an extreme perfectionist. He always nned ahead, and only made his move when he was absolutely certain of his sess. Since his n to control House Yonaan waspletely shattered, despite more than ten years of preparation, he must¡¯ve been going out of his mind. ¡®He also must¡¯ve heard the rumors.¡¯ Zieghart, on the other hand, gained the youngest Master in the continent through the incident, even bing closer to House Yonaan. Derus must¡¯ve been clenching his teeth from the irritation he felt over the matter. ¡®I¡¯d like to see that face.¡¯ Raon grinned while imagining the distorted face of Derus Robert. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s so handsome even though he¡¯s just smiling to himself. The sun is useless at this point.¡± Encia was staring nkly at Raon with her arms ced across the window. The maids were trying to stop her, but it was pointless. ¡°Dorian, you shouldn¡¯t go that way. There¡¯s a devil over there who will destroy your self-esteem.¡± Krein tried to stop Dorian from sticking next to Raon. ¡°I know, but I was curious about why he was smiling to himself.¡± Dorian tilted his head, while looking at Raon¡¯s face from the side. ¡°Just think about it. He became a Sword Master at eighteen years of age, obtained the nickname Frostfire Sword of Valor from saving the Saint, and he is even handsome on top of all. There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t be smiling.¡± Krein frowned. ¡°If I were him, I would¡¯ve been grinning like an idiot the entire day!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Dorian frowned and averted his gaze. ¡°Hmm?¡± There was a kid on his right who was staring at Raon as much as Encia did. ¡®I think his name was Yulius.¡¯ He¡¯d never talked to him before, but he knew that he was extremely talented in martial arts and was following Raon to join Zieghart. ¡°Isn¡¯t the forest dark?¡± Dorian went next to Yulius with the intention of chatting with him a little. ¡°I know, this ce can be scary for kids.¡± Krein lowered his pitch, as if he were trying to scare him. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a rumor that ghosts appear¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Yulius politely bowed to Dorian and Krein. ¡°Can you move away? I can¡¯t see Sir Raon anymore.¡± He furrowed his brows, asking them to quickly get out of his sight. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Huuh?¡± Yulius¡¯pletely unexpected reaction made Dorian and Krein drop their jaws. ¡°Wh-What did you say just now¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning my future while watching Sir Raon. I¡¯m sorry, but please get away.¡± Even though his intonation was extremely polite, he was basically telling them to ¡®get away because I don¡¯t wanna see people like you¡¯. ¡°Hmm, what kind of future are you nning while looking at the vice-squad leader?¡± Dorian barely managed to control his facial expression as he looked at Yulius. ¡°Grandfather told me there are many things to learn from a powerful warrior, even if they aren¡¯t doing anything. I was thinking about what I can learn from him from the way he examines the world and rides his horse.¡± Yulius responded politely, but his eyes were telling him to get away already. ¡°Ah. In that case, you can just look at me.¡± Krein pointed at himself with his thumb and grinned. ¡°I¡¯m also pretty good with a sword and am really great at horse riding. Honestly, I¡¯m even better than the vice-squad leader at riding a horse! I¡¯ll give you special permission to observe me.¡± He murmured that he¡¯d been riding a horse ever since he was five to brag. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± However, Yulius¡¯ expression froze up instead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m only nning to learn from someone I¡¯ve acknowledged.¡± The kid shook his hand, gesturing to him to get away already since he wasn¡¯t interested in him. ¡°H-How about me, then?¡± Dorian made the grave mistake of asking that question, despite knowing the answer. ¡°Haa¡­¡­¡± Yulius just sighed without even responding. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Dorian and Krein¡¯s eyes lost focus from the new shock. ¡°I-I was already ugly, and now I¡¯m even getting looked down on by a kid¡­¡­¡± ¡°I want to die. As soon as the river bes warmer, I¡¯m going to¡­¡­¡± Theyid t on their horses, as if they¡¯d lost consciousness. ¡°Pfft.¡± Burren chuckled and went to Yulius. ¡°You made the right decision. There¡¯s not much to learn from those guys.¡± He tapped his scabbard and nodded at Yulius. ¡°I like your noble etiquette. You are very well educated.¡± ¡°Grandfather told me that a human being without courtesy is pretty much an animal.¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve been a nice grandfather. Alright. I¡¯ll check your talent once we arrive at Zieghart.¡± Burren smiled gently with his sharp eyes and patted Yulius¡¯ shoulder. ¡°What is your name, Sir Swordsman?¡± ¡°Burren. My name is Burren Zieghart.¡± ¡°Your demeanor is also excellent, Sir Burren. I can tell just from looking at your riding posture that you are a noble man.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Burren¡¯s nose reached one inch higher from Yulius¡¯pliment. ¡°However, I said this before, but I¡¯d only like to learn from the people I¡¯ve acknowledged. Please excuse me.¡± ¡°k!¡± Burren¡¯s jaw dropped to the ground. ¡°I-I¡¯ve also failed? Who the hell did you even acknowledge?¡± ¡°Sir Raon, Lady Sheryl, Sir Saint, and Sir Ekan.¡± Yulius listed the four people¡¯s names as if it were obvious. All of them were already at Master level. ¡°D-Do I need to be a Master to earn his recognition?¡± ¡°Kids nowadays¡­ They are scary.¡± ¡°Sniff! Appearance there, and ability here! Is there anywhere in the world average people like us can even live?¡± Burren, Krein, and Dorian looked at Yulius¡¯ gaze with trembling chins, since his arrogance was reaching the stratosphere despite his polite intonation. ¡°Hmph, what a bunch of idiots.¡± Martha snorted,ughing at their idiocy. Of course, she didn¡¯t go to Yulius herself. ¡°Please get away, everyone. I need to watch Sir Raon right now.¡± Yulius squeezed in between them to examine Raon, telling them to get away already. Raon chuckled, as he heard their conversation. ¡®The trip isn¡¯t going to be boring.¡¯ It would be better if my mouth weren¡¯t bored either. Try eating beef jerky. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ * * * ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived.¡± Dorian rubbed his belly pocket while looking up at House Yonaan¡¯s main gate. ¡°It was a bit boring because nothing happened.¡± Krein licked his lips in regret. ¡°Who would be crazy enough to attack a party with one Grandmaster and three Masters?¡± Burren clicked his tongue and went towards the gate. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon nodded while looking at the carriage that was stopped in front of the gate. Just like Burren said, no one had attacked them on their way back to House Yonaan, and even animals and monsters had beenpletely avoiding them. He had more difficulties dealing with people who recognized him and came to greet him, telling him that they were deeply impressed by what he¡¯d done. ¡°Sh-She¡¯s back! Ourdy is back!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The gatekeepers, who were guarding House Yonaan¡¯s main gate, violently hit the yellow bell upon noticing the carriage. The gatekeeper on the right started to open the gate even before the bell started to resound. ¡°Wow!¡± Encia jumped out through the carriage¡¯s window before running towards the gatekeepers. ¡°Shihan, Kapin! I¡¯m back!¡± She hugged the two gatekeepers while calling their names. ¡°M-Mydy!¡± ¡°You really got better!¡± House Yonaan¡¯s gatekeepers smiled brightly as they saw that Encia hadpletely recovered. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Mydy!¡± ¡°Lady Encia!¡± House Yonaan¡¯s artisans and servants came out after hearing the bell, swarming towards Encia. ¡°Kichi, Tean, Istirin, Yede, Piskal, Terei, Doyan!¡± Encia smiled like the sun while calling every single name of the people who came to her. The tears flowing from her eyes were as bright as her smile. ¡°Uwaa!¡± ¡°You are finally back!¡± ¡°Mydy! It¡¯s a relief! Seriously¡­¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± The people from House Yonaan surrounded Encia, shedding tears full of affection and smiles. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon tilted his head while watching Encia and the people from House Yonaan. ¡®How curious.¡¯ It was curious that Encia knew every single name of those people, and the way they were all congratting her from the bottom of their hearts. ¡®Are there no factions here at all?¡¯ Large houses usually had factions. For example, if Burren managed to cure his incurable disease, not everyone in Zieghart would¡¯ve been happy about it. However, the people in that house were all screaming in joy, from the gatekeepers to the general administrator. Since it felt simr to the annex building, where Sylvia and Helen were waiting for him, a smile unconsciously appeared on his face. ¡°Express your gratitude to them, everyone! I only managed to recover like this thanks to Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen and Sir Saint!¡± Encia turned around and pointed at the swordsmen after enjoying the reunion with the house¡¯s people. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Wee to House Yonaan, benefactors!¡± People from House Yonaan bowed deeply, until their heads reached the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± When Raon and the swordsmen were about to shake their hands to stop them, Encia continued. ¡°And he is the most amazing star on the continent! Sir Raon himself! His face shines like the sun!¡± She suddenly pointed at Raon and shouted that he was amazing. ¡°Ooh! He¡¯s the one!¡± ¡°I saw him before, but he¡¯s really amazing when I see him close up like this.¡± ¡°His facial features have golden proportions!¡± ¡°I want to use him as a model for my work!¡± ¡°How could a living human have such a face?¡± The artisans from House Yonaan ran up to Raon with a fervent glow in their eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Raon stepped back and looked around, but he couldn¡¯t find anyone that could help him. Everyone had already moved far back. ¡®I thought there was only one Encia!¡¯ All of the artisans¡¯ eyes were glittering. They were apparently holding back before because of Encia¡¯s sickness. Tsk, it¡¯s a shame that they can¡¯t see the King of Essence¡¯s absolute beauty. They would¡¯ve be the King of Essence¡¯s ves if they did. p! As Raon ignored Wrath and backed away from them, and a loud pping sound could be heard. ¡°Calm down, everyone! They are our guests!¡± ¡°Aww.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an upational disease¡­¡­¡± Michelle Yonaan, the head of House Yonaan and Encia¡¯s mother, smiled gently from behind them. The artisans backed off at once, even though they were swarming him like zombies craving flesh. ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Encia!¡± Encia looked like she was flying into the sky as she ran into Michelle¡¯s embrace, and Michelle epted her weight before patting her back. ¡°You¡¯ve done a great job.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± The mother and daughter held each other¡¯s hands tightly and didn¡¯t separate for a long time. Even though Raon couldn¡¯t see their faces, he could imagine what kind of expression they were making. ¡°Watching them made my exhaustion disappear.¡± Dorian wiped away tears while watching Encia and Michelle. Hmm, that¡¯s not a big deal. Wrath averted his eyes and sniffled. Raon simply nodded without arguing with them. Just as they said, just watching them was enough to warm his heart. ¡°Indeed.¡± * * * * * * After the touching reunion, Raon was guided to Michelle¡¯s office along with Sheryl and Federick. Although the room was still in a mess, it was cleaner than thest time. She must¡¯ve cleaned it up to wee guests. ¡°I need to express my gratitude before anything else. Thank you very much for saving my daughter.¡± Michelle stood up from the sofa and bowed politely. ¡°I¡¯ll never forget about it for the rest of my life.¡± Her slightly shivering voice revealed that her words wereing from the bottom of her heart. ¡°We only did our job.¡± Sheryl also seemed to be in a better mood than usual as she smiled deeply. ¡°And he took care of pretty much everything on this mission. You should thank him instead.¡± ¡°Same goes for me. I don¡¯t deserve so much gratitude.¡± Federick and Sheryl pointed at Raon at the same time. ¡°Thank you, Sir Raon the swordsman.¡± Despite her status as head of house, Michelle bowed deeply at Raon, who was far younger than herself. ¡°I¡¯ve only done my best for the mission.¡± ¡°You sound really trustworthy.¡± She nodded with a refreshing smile on her face. ¡°As the head of House Yonaan, I dere that the mission we requested from Zieghart is now officially over.¡± Michelle took out the tablet with Glenn¡¯s name engraved on it and ced it on the table. The red sword emblem embedded at the center was sparkling. ¡°As an agent sent by Glenn Zieghart, I confirm the end of the mission.¡± Sheryl bowed, taking the tablet and putting it in her inner pocket. It signaled the removal of the debt Glenn had towards House Yonaan. ¡°I¡¯m going to return what I¡¯ve borrowed, then.¡± After they finished their conversation, Raon ced the ck bag on the table that he had put underneath it before. It contained the artifacts he¡¯d borrowed, except for the consumable ones that had disappeared after being used. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Michelle bit her lip as she examined the artifacts that looked brand new because they were neatly maintained. Astonishment could be seen in her gaze even with her lowered head. ¡®Is he really returning all of them?¡¯ In order to save Encia, Raon had argued against Temas, had defeated countless assassins, and had risked his life to rescue the Saint from Eden. She was extremely thankful to him, since he¡¯d saved her daughter¡¯s life¡ªwhich was even more important than her own life. She wouldn¡¯t haveined even if he took all those items and asked for legendary artifacts on top of them. And yet, he was returning them all. It was simply unbelievable. ¡®He really is extraordinary.¡¯ Michelle raised her head to look at Raon. She could feel how trustworthy he was from his unwavering eyes. She could understand why the word ¡®valor¡¯ was included in his nickname. ¡°Thank you.¡± Facing his courageous red eyes, she had to thank him even though he was only returning her items. ¡°Sir Raon, you can keep them all! It¡¯s way better that way than us keeping them in storage!¡± Encia suddenly interfered, despite having been silently staring at Raon¡¯s face. ¡°Be quiet! You little rascal!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Michelle smacked Encia¡¯s back. She looked worried for a second when Encia screamed, but she sighed once she realized Encia had recovered. ¡°I told you before you left.¡± Michelle scattered the artifacts around the floor. She was almost demonstrating why the room was so dirty at that point. ¡°I said that I would grant any wish you have once Encia was healed and returned safely. Do you remember?¡± ¡°Of course, I do.¡± Sheryl nodded. ¡°Please tell me your wish. I¡¯ll try my best to grant any wishes you have.¡± She brought up the subject, showing that she was serious about it. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Since you handled this mission, you should tell her.¡± Sheryl gave away the amazing opportunity to Raon without hesitating in the slightest. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at Sheryl, then closed his eyes. ¡®That should be the best.¡¯ In order to achieve his objective, he needed to benefit the house rather than himself. He needed something better than just an effective artifact. ¡°I¡­¡­¡± He slowly opened his eyes, his lips parting as he looked straight at Michelle. ¡°Want the pre-exclusive rights of House Yonaan¡¯s artifacts.¡± ¡°Pre-exclusive rights?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like House Yonaan to prioritize Zieghart in the future whenever you produce unique or higher-grade artifacts for sale. We will pay handsomely for them.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­¡± Michelle and Sheryl¡¯s eyes widened, as they didn¡¯t expect him to suggest a trade between houses instead of asking for some great artifact. ¡°Additionally, I¡¯d like you to prioritize the Light Wind squad for the sale if the artifact can be used for training.¡± Raon added one more request, because the growth of the Light Wind squad was his first priority. ¡°Raon, that¡¯s not something we can decide on the spot.¡± Sheryl sighed and shook her head. ¡°Even a head of house can¡¯t easily decide on that matter. You should stop making such a difficult demand.¡± ¡°Hmm, I agree. There are countless people who want to buy House Yonaan¡¯s artifacts. Even though it¡¯s just a pre-exclusive right, it¡¯s too important to be decided right now.¡± Sheryl and Federick shook their heads, telling him that it couldn¡¯t be decided so easily. ¡°Mom! What are you even thinking about? You obviously have to ept it!¡± On the other hand, Encia frowned while massaging Michelle¡¯s shoulder, and told her she shouldn¡¯t be contemting over such an obvious decision. ¡°Sir Raon is always right, since he is handsome! He is smart on top of being handsome, he is strong on top of being handsome, and he is kind on top of being handsome! Moreover, I can meet Sir Raon whenever you show him the artifacts!¡± Her real intentions came out at the end. ¡°Jeez!¡± Michelle pushed Encia aside and sighed. ¡°I know you need some time to think over it. I¡¯ll give you enough time to decide¡­¡­¡± Raon calmly looked at Michelle. Just as the other people mentioned, it wasn¡¯t an easy decision to make, and he expected her to take a pretty long time. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Michelle shook her head after a short contemtion. Raon frowned, because her response was too fast. ¡®An immediate refusal?¡¯ As he was about to ask her to reconsider because her decision was too quick, Michelle continued. ¡°We really will pay a reasonable price¡­¡­¡± ¡°I ept.¡± ¡°What?¡± Unexpectedly, she epted his suggestion right away. It was so fast that Raon was surprised, despite being the one who made that suggestion. ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡­¡± Sheryl and Federick¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°We need to decide on the details, but I ept the pre-exclusive rights.¡± Her serious gaze as she nodded told him that she wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°Why?¡± Sheryl came up to her and asked. Her eyes were disclosing her confusion. ¡°I¡¯m basically an artisan, but I¡¯m also a merchant responsible for an entire house. Even though I don¡¯t have a knack for business, I¡¯m aware that an investment has to be properly made when ites down to it.¡± With her fingers locked together in front of her, Michelle looked around Sheryl, Federick, and Raon, one after the other. ¡°I believe now is the right moment to invest in House Zieghart¡ªor, rather, Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Are you investing in me?¡± Raon swallowed nervously. He didn¡¯t expect her to say that she would invest in him rather than Zieghart. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sheryl and Federick remainedposed. They were apparently expecting that answer from her. ¡°I¡¯ve seen countless people as the head of House Yonaan, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone who had such trustworthy eyes. I chose Sir Raon instead of Temas because of those red eyes that even a ruby wouldn¡¯tpare to. I¡¯m going to trust those eyes one more time.¡± Michelle winked with a cool smile. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone as handsome as Sir Raon either!¡± ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± Michelle caressed Encia¡¯s head, then reached out her right hand on the table. ¡°I ept your suggestion about pre-exclusive rights.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at the hand in front of him. Even though that was what he wanted, he felt a heavy responsibility because his name was at stake. ¡°Raon.¡± He turned his head around at hearing Sheryl¡¯s voice. ¡°It¡¯s faster than I thought, but this will allow you to advance to the whole continent. Congrattions.¡± ¡°If he managed to reach this position at eighteen years of age, he shall be even bigger than him.¡± The two people were looking at him with faint smiles on their faces, urging him to grab her hand. ¡®The worldly matters don¡¯t go as nned.¡¯ Raon let out a small sigh before grabbing Michelle¡¯s hand. ¡°The trade has been established.¡± Michelle smiled brightly. ¡°I¡¯m jealous¡­¡­¡± Encia licked her lips while staring at Michelle, who was holding Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°In that case, you should be the head of house in my stead.¡± ¡°Yes! I will! I¡¯ll definitely be the head of house!¡± She clenched her fist, resolving herself to be the head. Michelle watched her cheerful daughter¡¯s resolution with a smile before extending her hand towards the ground. She took a box with a crossed emblem of red and blue dragons, cing it on the table. ¡°Please ept this as a gift to celebrate the pre-exclusive contract between Yonaan and Zieghart.¡± She pushed the box towards him with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a legendary artifact. I hope it will be useful to you, Sir Raon.¡± Chapter 225 Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the box with red and blue dragons embedded on it. ¡®Is this really a legendary artifact?¡¯ Michelle had taken the box from among lumps of junk instead of a separate location. The way she gave it to him looked like she picked up a pebble on the ground, yet she was¡ªsurprisingly¡ªtelling him it was a legendary artifact. ¡®I guess that¡¯s how she stores all of her artifacts.¡¯ The high-grade artifacts he¡¯d returned earlier were also scattered around on the ground. It just seemed to be her personality that meant she never organized anything. ¡°Try opening it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon opened the box, after facing Michelle¡¯s anticipatory gaze. ¡®A ring?¡¯ There was a ring inside the box, and it had a peculiar shape. It was a strange figure, resembling red and blue dragons biting each other¡¯s tails. ¡®What amazing craftsmanship¡­¡¯ The two dragons forming the rings were so nicely made that everything from their facial features to every single scale looked alive. Only famous artisans should¡¯ve been able to engrave so many details into such a small ring. ¡°This artifact is called the Blue and Red Ring. That ring should be helpful for Sir Raon, since you can use both fire and water attributes.¡± ¡°Fire and water attributes?¡± ¡°Yes. It has the ability to amplify the power of fire and water attribute mana and absorb the impact inside your body.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted as he looked at the Blue and Red Ring. If it was truly capable of enhancing the two attributes¡¯ aura and reducing internal injury, it was a perfect artifact for him. ¡®Did she prepare this in advance for me?¡¯ Michelle must¡¯ve picked the artifact he needed the most after hearing the story of his battle. ¡°I was nning to keep it tomemorate the moment instead of selling it, but it found the right owner in the end.¡± Michelle¡¯s eyes seemed sentimental as she looked at the Blue and Red Ring. There must¡¯ve been a story behind it. ¡°Is it really okay for me to ept this?¡± Raon licked his lips while caressing the box that contained the Blue and Red Ring. Since the pre-exclusive rights were already a huge reward for him, he felt ufortable about receiving such a ring in addition. Moreover, he felt especially reluctant because the mission was about saving someone¡¯s life. ¡°Of course. This artifact¡¯s creator is also going to be d if Sir Raon epts it.¡± ¡°Creator?¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Michelle looked aside whileughing lightly. ¡°Sir Raon is so damn handsome, whether you are under the natural light or indoor lighting.¡± Encia was grinning there like a fool while staring at Raon, who was holding the Blue and Red Ring. ¡°By any chance¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Blue and Red Ring is the first legendary artifact crafted by Encia. Though, we couldn¡¯t even advertise it because her illness appeared right after she made it.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon gasped at Encia. ¡®How is this possible?¡¯ Encia looked in her early- to mid-twenties at most. Since she had copsed two years ago, that meant that she managed to create a legendary artifact at around twenty years of age. Raon couldn¡¯t close his mouth at how ridiculous it was. ¡°She is another genius who will cause an uproar throughout the continent.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone crafting a legendary artifact in their twenties¡­¡± Sheryl and Federick¡¯s eyes widened, also surprised by the fact that Encia had made the Blue and Red Ring. ¡°Uhuhu.¡± The genius herself was just smiling like a fool while watching Raon, not even realizing that she was beingplimented. ¡°Encia.¡± ¡°He¡¯s so freaking handsome.¡± ¡°Encia?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never get bored of watching¡­ Ack!¡± Focus finally returned to Encia¡¯s eyes after Michelle smacked her back. ¡°Encia, is it okay if we give the Blue and Red Ring to Sir Raon?¡± ¡°Of course. A piece of work is onlypleted upon meeting a good master, after all.¡± Encia¡¯s ocean blue eyes glowed with wisdom. It seemed to be the true appearance of the artisan who created a legendary artifact in her twenties. ¡°Actually, that ring has one more effect.¡± ¡°Is there another effect on top of mana enhancement and internal injury reduction?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Encia nodded while radiating confidence with her entire body. ¡®She really is extraordinary.¡¯ There was no way the sessor candidate of House Yonaan, who created a legendary artifact in her twenties, would be an idiot who only cared about appearance. ¡°Then, what¡¯s thest ability?¡± Raon was filled with anticipation as he opened his mouth, just like when he met Encia the first time. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to have that ability either, but it makes your skin smoother and brighter.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon tilted his chin as he heard apletely unexpected ability. ¡°In short, it¡¯s a cosmetic ability! I¡¯m looking forward to how much more handsome you are going to be once you wear it, Sir Raon!¡± Encia stuck out her face while rubbing her hands. It looked like she was going to drool from her open mouth like that. ¡°Try wearing it already!¡± She broadly swayed her hand, urging him to wear the Blue and Red Ring. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®It was my mistake.¡¯ The way she only cared about appearance was her true form, and the mysterious atmosphere she had earlier must¡¯ve been fake. ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Hmm, alright.¡± He let out a small sigh and put on the Blue and Red Ring. He expected it to be rough, but his finger fit into the ring smoothly instead. Whir! The moment hepletely equipped the Blue and Red Ring, blue and red lights radiated from the two dragons¡¯ eyes, and energy pierced into his mana circuit like a thread to harmonize with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier in his energy center. Whir! The energies of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier, which activated by themselves, had apletely different sturdiness and size than before. The mana enhancement effect of the Blue and Red Ring was bigger and faster than he¡¯d thought. ¡®I can also understand how it protects my insides.¡¯ Countless mana particles, which were soft and small at the same time, were spread out inside his body. They seemed to be the ones reducing the impact on his system. ¡®Amazing¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes sparkled as he looked at the Blue and Red Ring. It was a legendary artifact for a good reason, since he could immediately feel the aura enhancement and the internal injury reduction effects. What the hellll?! Wrath came up on the bracelet, his nose wrinkled. Why are there so many pushovers in the world? Why does everyone crave giving you all the good stuff? He screamed, saying that he couldn¡¯t possibly get so many rewards from a single mission. He must¡¯ve been irritated because Raon got all those rewards after getting so many stats from him. Stupid pushovers! Raon snickered while watching Wrath breath out cold steam over his head. ¡®And you are the biggest one of them all.¡¯ Since he shouldn¡¯t cut the giving tree, he didn¡¯t tell Wrath that he was also one of those pushovers. ¡°This is amazing.¡± Raon smiled in excitement while lifting the Blue and Red Ring. ¡°Huh?¡± However, the other people weren¡¯t looking at the Blue and Red Ring, but at Raon¡¯s face instead¡ªtheir eyes wide. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°H-His face is really shining¡­¡± ¡°He became twice as handsome! His face is literally filled with handsomeness!¡± Michelle and Federick gasped, and Encia¡¯s eyes became so big that they could pop out. ¡°Th-That ring is pretty effective. I can feel your spirit from your face.¡± Even Sheryl stuttered, even though she didn¡¯t normally care about appearances. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon took off the Blue and Red Ring from his finger, sighing briefly. ¡®I think I should only wear this ring during fights.¡¯ * * * * * * Daybreak, Three Days Later. Raon and the Zieghart swordsmen relieved their fatigue and finished their preparations to return. The swordsmen were wearing new essories on their wrists and fingers, which were all gifts from Encia. ¡°Prepare to leave. Double check that you haven¡¯t left anything behind.¡± Like always, Sheryl came out before anyone else to check on the condition of the swordsmen. ¡°Yes!¡± Raon and the swordsmen nodded, checking their equipment and bags once again. ¡°I¡¯m really sad that I can¡¯t see Sir Raon anymore for a while.¡± Encia covered her mouth and frowned, bags under her eyes. She looked like she couldn¡¯t sleep at all the night before. ¡°I almost want to fall sick once again. I¡¯m not even joking.¡± Herpletely unwavering eyes were telling him she was serious. Raon started to feel a bit afraid of her. ¡°Damn, and freaking handsome over and over again, I¡¯m so tired of it.¡± ¡°But today is thest time we have to see that self-esteem thief. Be patient.¡± Dorian and Krein shook their heads while staying away from Encia. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m the one who will visit Zieghart in the future for exclusive trades! I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you again, so thank you in advance for your cooperation!¡± Encia looked around at them and smiled brightly. ¡°That self-esteem demon ising. She¡¯s following us to Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s die.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Krein and Dorian¡¯s faces twisted as they sank to the ground. ¡°Lady Encia.¡± Burren went to Encia while touching the turquoise ne around his neck. ¡°Is it really okay for me to have something like this?¡± ¡°I agree. We barely did anythingpared to Raon.¡± Martha also frowned while looking at the brown bracelet around her wrist. She must¡¯ve also felt ufortable about it. ¡°Of course, it is. You¡¯ve defended me against the assassins¡¯ attack, and also saved Retran. Please feel free to keep them.¡± Encia nodded with a refreshing smile on her face. ¡°Moreover, Yonaan and Zieghart are going to advance together in the future. You can consider it a gift and a bribe to remember that contract.¡± She joked while shaking her hand in order to relieve their pressure. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll dly ept it in that case.¡± Burren politely bowed. Martha also nodded to express her thanks. ¡®Even her personality is nice.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while watching Encia greet the swordsmen. She had many considerations on top of her excellent abilities. He could understand why everyone in House Yonaan cherished her so much. ¡°Sir Raon! Can¡¯t you just stay and live here? I¡¯m almost addicted to your face! It¡¯s a drug!¡± It would¡¯ve been great if she didn¡¯t have that aspect to her¡­ Raon sighed and turned around. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± Michelle walked up to him with a small smile. ¡°I¡¯d like to have a word with you. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded and followed Michelle. ¡°I should¡¯ve said this before, but I only managed to bring this up now.¡± She stopped at the garden entrance, where two trees entwined with each other. ¡°Do you have a marriage partner by any chance?¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. He thought she would talk about business, but Michelle was talking about marriage, which waspletely unexpected for him. ¡°Judging from your expression, you must not have one.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then, what do you think about my daughter as your spouse?¡± Michelle looked at Encia, who was holding Runaan¡¯s hands to teach her strange words. ¡°I¡¯m not saying this because she¡¯s my daughter. I think she objectively has a pretty good personality, appearance, and ability. Not to mention, our house is remarkable enough as well.¡± She continued while smiling faintly. ¡°Since she loves Sir Raon a lot, can you give it a thought?¡± Michelle¡¯s tone waspletely calm. That meant that she was serious, with no jokes involved. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon briefly exhaled. ¡®I haven¡¯t really thought about that.¡¯ The first objective for his new life was revenge, and the second objective was Sylvia and the annex building upants¡¯ happiness. After that, he started many troubles, and the number of enemies increased even further. It was impossible to shove Derus into the gutter without risking his life. Since he could die at any moment, he never thought about his own future. He¡¯d been only focusing on getting stronger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I never thought about that. I don¡¯t have any room for that, either.¡± Raon lowered his head and expressed his refusal in a roundabout way. ¡°I see.¡± Michelle nodded, as if she expected that answer. ¡°Do you remember when I mentioned your eyes made me trust you, Sir Raon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that I saw sincerity in your serious eyes, but I couldn¡¯t see any rest nor anticipation in them either. I¡¯d like you to take care of yourself a bit more.¡± She smiled softly while meeting his eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. Just like all the streams that met with each other to be one in the ocean, the masters¡ªregardless of their craft¡ªseemed to have an extraordinary perception. ¡®Future.¡¯ He thought it might not be a bad idea to think about his future a little, since he might still be alive after he finished everything, even though the chances were extremely small. ¡°Thank you for your advice.¡± Raon bowed politely. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t serious about my suggestion earlier.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Please consider taking Encia as your partner in that future.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still a coteral now. You should choose her partner from the direct line¡­¡± ¡°Considering you said ¡®still¡¯, you must be confident that it will change in the future. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Michelle waved her hand in a circle before going to Sheryl. ¡°Haha.¡± Raon turned his head towards the heartyughter. Federick was smiling there whileing out of the mansion. ¡°You must feel defeated.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon scratched his red cheek. None of the people who¡¯d reached the position of the head of house were easy to deal with. ¡°Were you checking on that maid?¡± Considering the amount of fatigue covering Federick¡¯s face, he must¡¯ve examined the maid¡¯s condition all night long. She was the maid who had injected the hell worm into Encia. ¡°The brainwashing was stronger than I thought. I guess it¡¯s only natural since she¡¯s been constantly brainwashed over a long period of time.¡± He was exactly right. Just like his previous life, that maid¡¯s head must¡¯ve been engraved with fear and brainwashing since her childhood. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about it. I called someone who is extremely knowledgeable in this field, so we should be able to find a way to treat her, even though it might take some time.¡± ¡°I believe in you.¡± Raon nodded. Since Federick was the most trustworthy person for that matter, trusting and waiting was the best thing he could do. ¡°Are you really noting with us? It¡¯s okay to dy the brainwashing treatment¡­¡± ¡°Brainwashing is one thing, but I also have the homework you gave me, and the patients that Temas was treating before. I¡¯m going to be too busy for that.¡± He shrugged, telling him that he had too much work to do. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Raon straightened up and bowed. ¡°Thank you for everything so far.¡± ¡°I should be the one to thank you, boy!¡± Federick chuckled, tapping Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be speechless if you thank me after saving my life! Are you trying to boast?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I would do that.¡± Raon shook his head with a faint smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you for everything you¡¯ve done, from my childhood to now.¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± Federick¡¯s mouth curved into a smooth smile. He apparently didn¡¯t dislike the thanksing from the bottom of Raon¡¯s heart. ¡°Please stay healthy.¡± ¡°Ah, wait!¡± As Raon was about to return after bowing to him, Federick grabbed his shoulder. ¡°If you ever want to learn about his true feelings, do that thing you did before¡­¡± He told him a method to find out Glenn¡¯s true feelings before returning to the mansion. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work at all. ¡®I agree.¡¯ Raon furrowed his brows as he watched Federick return to the mansion. * * * The long mission finally ended. They went to Retran City from House Yonaan, only to return afterward. The swordsmen¡ªincluding Raon¡ªfinally arrived at Zieghart¡¯s main gate. The extremely tall silver gate and the perpetual snow around it always ignited a swordsman¡¯s ambition whenever they saw them. ¡°The Heavenly de division and Light Wind squad have returned afterpleting a mission from the head of house.¡± Sheryl walked up to the gate and announced their return. ¡°Greeting the Heavenly de division leader!¡± ¡°Great job on your mission!¡± The swordsmen guarding the door called for the door to open. They weren¡¯t looking at Sheryl, but Raon, who was standing behind her. ¡®Did the rumor already spread all the way here?¡¯ Raon licked his lips as he felt the gatekeepers and the swordsmen on top of the castle walls looking at him. Considering the way everyone kept staring at him, the rumor about him bing a Master must¡¯ve reached Zieghart already. ¡°All the attention you are going to get is going to give you a hard time.¡± Ekan came up next to him and chuckled. ¡°You should be more careful with your behavior from now on. More people in the upper echelon are going to try finding fault in you.¡± Since they got close to each other during the mission, his advice was filled with warmth. ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡± Raon nodded while looking at the opening gate. A high position came with responsibility and attention. He was ready to take on everything, whether it was attention, jealousy, or a challenge. Rumble! The huge gate opened wide. As Raon was wondering what Glenn would tell him while watching that majestic sight, a red-haired man came out. ¡°Raon! Boys and girls! Wee back!¡± It was Rimmer. He ran towards them with widespread arms to wee them. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the approaching Rimmer. ¡®How did he be penniless again?¡¯ Chapter 226 Raon frowned as he looked at Rimmer. ¡®What could¡¯ve even happened?¡¯ Rimmer was wearing apletely worn out uniform and cracked leather boots, with disheveled hair that looked like the stem of seaweed. ¡®I¡¯m sure he was the definition of a nouveau riche before we left¡­¡¯ He¡¯d earned a tremendous amount of money by betting on the Light Wind winning every single match against the Golden Crest, since he was the only one who had bet on that one. He even used to wear rings on his fingers and toes in order to show off his money, so Raon couldn¡¯t understand how he became so poor while they were gone. ¡®That should¡¯ve been too much money to waste on gambling.¡¯ There was an upper limit to the amount of money wagered on bets. He couldn¡¯t believe that he would¡¯ve wasted all of that money gambling. However, that was the only exnation, considering the fact that he couldn¡¯t even keep his clothes. ¡°Raon! You really became a Master!¡± A natural smile appeared on Rimmer¡¯s face as he felt that Raon¡¯s pressure had be even more natural, like flowing water. ¡°I believed in you! I knew you would make it!¡± ¡°Thank you, squad leader.¡± Raon bowed at Rimmer. Even though he looked like a beggar, Raon was thankful that Rimmer was so happy about it. ¡°One of my students became the youngest Master in the continent! And at eighteen years old, at that! I¡¯m so overjoyed right now!¡± Rimmer smiled in satisfaction and turned around. ¡°You guys also did great. I heard you saved many lives, and I was so proud of you even though I was far away.¡± He examined the conditions of everyone in Light Wind before sticking next to Raon once again, grabbing his shoulder. ¡°The fact that you defeated three demons of Eden was pretty much the only thing I heard. Let¡¯s have a drink together so you can exin to me in more detail¡­¡± ¡°Fuck off!¡± Sheryl kicked Rimmer¡¯s waist, as he was about to take Raon away with him. ¡°Kuh!¡± Rimmer¡¯s chin was trembling as he grasped his waist. ¡°Wh-Why¡­?¡± ¡°Why would you be drinking when we haven¡¯t even reported the mission yet? Stop bothering us when you¡¯ve been doing nothing but gambling here.¡± Sheryl shook her hand, shooing him away. She was also certain that Rimmer had lost all his money from gambling. ¡°Squad leader, did you really gamble again?¡± ¡°You are seriously pathetic.¡± Burren sighed while looking down on Rimmer, and Martha narrowed her eyes coldly. Runaan was just staring nkly at Rimmer, either because she didn¡¯t realize the difference or simply didn¡¯t care. ¡°N-No! I swear, I was almost there this time! I was so close topleting the ¡®Promise of Three¡¯, but I ended up losing everything with a tiny difference! If you give me one more chance, I¡­¡± ¡®Promise of Three?¡¯ Raon tilted his head. He had heard about it before, but he couldn¡¯t remember exactly what it was. ¡°Snap out of it already, you idiot!¡± Sheryl kicked Rimmer one more time before bobbing her hand in front of her. She was gesturing for them to stop minding the idiot and to follow her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Once Raon followed Sheryl, the Heavenly de members obviously followed her and even the Light Wind swordsmen ignored Rimmer and entered through the main gate. ¡°G-Guys?¡± No one turned to look at Rimmer even though he desperately reached out his hand. ¡°Hey! You bastards! How could you do this after everything I¡¯ve done for you? I didn¡¯t even ask to lend me money yet!¡± Everyone shook their heads, because he was babbling and saying what they were expecting him to say. ¡°That¡¯s how a gambling addict ends up.¡± Dorian was looking at Yulius to teach him that he should never be like him. ¡°He¡¯s really strong, but I don¡¯t want to acknowledge him for some reason.¡± Yulius reluctantly shook his head. He¡¯s always so pathetic. He¡¯s actually amazing in a way. Wrath also clicked his tongue, calling him pathetic. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ Raon nodded, following Sheryl through the main avenue. Every swordsman around them stopped in their tracks to watch them, as if they were the heroes returning from a victorious battle. ¡°He¡¯s a Master¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t nonsense. His pressure is on a different level from before.¡± ¡°He really became a master at eighteen years of age. Did God bless him or something?¡± ¡°He was cursed by God, not blessed. He¡¯s standing there right now because he overcame that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Even the Saint was unable to treat his condition.¡± The swordsmen whispered to each other, not even hiding the surprise in their eyes as they watched Raon. ¡°I heard he slew the Blood Raving Demon before bing a Master and killed the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon after bing one.¡± ¡°From what I heard, they were all exhausted after fighting against the Saint.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I heard, too. They couldn¡¯t even use astral energy from exhaustion.¡± ¡°So, do you guys have the courage to enter a forest full of Masters without hesitation as an Expert? Saying that when he returned safely after killing three Masters only shows how disgusting you are.¡± ¡°They said the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon attacked him together. If they cooperated with each other, exhaustion meant nothing.¡± ¡°Since he even achieved a draw against the Evil Goat Demon at the end, he¡¯s pretty much proved his skills.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. Unlike the other times, he could hear people defending him against those who were trying to discredit him in jealousy. Some of the swordsmen were even arguing against each other. ¡®It looks like things have changed a little.¡¯ In the past, no one tried correcting people who were trying to deride his achievements, or even those who resented or insulted him. People in the house were apparently seeing him in a slightly different light now that he had be a Master and made a great achievement. ¡°Vice-squad leader Raon.¡± ¡°Congrattions on bing a Master.¡± ¡°I heard you held out to thest in an extremely fierce battle. I was deeply impressed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Jekal from the Blue Battle Squad. Would you mind if I requested a duelter?¡± On top of those watching from afar, some people even came to speak with him. Their excited eyes revealed the favorable impression they had for Raon. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon awkwardly nodded. Since he felt a bit awkward, he went right next to Sheryl, who no one dared approach. ¡°You must be embarrassed over the fact that they are approaching you so casually.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve gained power.¡± Sheryl tapped her scabbard and smiled cheerfully. ¡°Power turns disinterest into interest and turns interest into favor. And¡­¡± She snickered while looking at the swordsmen looking at him with cold eyes. ¡°Power also turns jealousy and envy into malice. It will be a lot more annoying in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready to face them.¡± Raon nodded. He was honestly more used to the dirty side of human beings than people being kind to him. That much malice waspletely fine with him. ¡°One more thing.¡± Sheryl turned around, examining the people who sneered at him with cold eyes. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Hieee!¡± They freaked out and fell on their backs from just meeting her eyes. ¡°If you have absolute power, you can even crush other people¡¯s malice. You should strive to advance further and higher, rather than being satisfied with your current position.¡± She tapped his shoulder and smiled kindly at him. Clumsy hands is right. ¡®Clumsy hands?¡¯ She is so freaking bad at cooking. Wrath frowned heavily. ¡®Ah, you are right about that.¡¯ Anyway, just like Clumsy hands said, no one is going to defy you as long as you are powerful enough. Back in Devildom, countless demonsbined their forces to attack the King of Essence, but he simply froze them all with a single wave of coldness, and no one has dared to attack him since. Ah, the wave of coldness is one of the King of Essence¡¯s skills, which¡­ Wrath started bragging about Devildom, which he hadn¡¯t done for a while. While Raon was halfheartedly listening to him, he briskly turned his head. ¡­That¡¯s why you should give your body to the King of Essence. I¡¯ll turn you into the supreme being that no one would be able to defy. ¡®So, that¡¯s the conclusion, like always.¡¯ Raon snickered and easily pushed Wrath away as he tried to jump at him. While he was listening to his long chatter, they had already arrived in front of the main building. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon calmly exhaled while looking at the lord¡¯s manor at the center of the main building. ¡®Everywhere is a war.¡¯ He needed to get the rewards he deserved, but he also needed to use that opportunity to determine Glenn¡¯s true intentions. * * * * * * Raon looked around to the sides while kneeling at the center of the audience chamber. Every single squad leader and division leader in the house were gathered in the room. Glenn must¡¯ve summoned them. ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± ¡°I-It was true.¡± ¡°An eighteen-year-old Master¡­¡± ¡°I thought it was obviously bullshit.¡± The division leaders¡¯ eyes were trembling violently, like reeds under the wind, as they noticed Raon¡¯s prowess. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± Karoon and Balder bit their lips in order to pretendposure, but they couldn¡¯t hide their trembling lips. However, one person was different from the rest. Glenn was sitting on the golden throne on the tform with a void and cold-hearted expression on his face¡ªlike he was bored. Raon frowned while looking up to meet Glenn¡¯s gaze. ¡®Did he really give me the elixirs?¡¯ He started doubting what Federick had told him because of how emotionless Glenn¡¯s eyes were. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn called his name, and Raon lowered his head while sitting on his knees. ¡°I heard you were the center of this mission this time. Tell me what happened with your own mouth.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon closed his eyes before opening them again as he stood up. ¡°Once we arrived at House Yonaan and finished the preparations to move to Retran, Temas came to visit¡­¡± Since many people were listening to his story, adding exaggeration coulde back to bite at him. He told him exactly what happened during the mission without including anything extra. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how we finished treating Lady Encia and returned to the house.¡± ¡°Everything he said is true.¡± Sheryl nodded in agreement, and the division leaders and the squad leaders had their eyes even wider than their mouths. ¡°Huh, three Masters from Eden? I¡¯m honestly not confident I could have defeated them myself¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m astonished that he managed to win against the ck Winged Demon and the Red Wolf Demon when they were cooperating with each other.¡± ¡°A real monster has been born from our house.¡± ¡°I can feel that he¡¯s already past the beginner¡¯s level. He¡¯s pretty much already at the novice level. How did he erase the stagnation period?¡± ¡°His spirit is astonishing, and his aura de is powerful enough to make shivers run down the spine. It won¡¯t take long until his name echoed throughout the continent.¡± Challenging and admiring gazes were directed at him from the division leaders, who were surprised by his prowess. ¡°He managed to discover Temas¡¯s weakness and prepared for the surprise attack. His mind is also extraordinary.¡± ¡°He¡¯s different from the muscleheads who only follow their instincts. He has theposure to perfectly grasp a situation before making his move.¡± ¡°Not just prowess, but his mind is also surprising for an eighteen-year-old. I should¡¯ve brought him to my side.¡± While some swordsmen were admiring his ability to discern, n, and prepare¡­ ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°Why is there someone like him now¡­¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°The coterals are going to rampage around in happiness now.¡± Others were silently swearing, ring fiercely at him. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡± Glenn examined all the swordsmen who¡¯d returned from the mission one after the other, before nodding. Although he said, ¡®good job¡¯, his expression was still extremely cold. Except for the fact that the corners of his mouth were unnoticeably twitching, he almost looked like he was at a funeral. ¡°I acknowledge your aplishment ofpleting the mission despite multiple unexpected disturbances during the mission, and I shall reward you ordingly.¡± The direct lines red fiercely at him as Glenn dered he would reward him while somewhatplimenting him. However, no one tried to confront him. ¡®Those gazes can be called cute.¡¯ Raon easily took on their gazes and smiled. Such gazes had no effect on him anymore. ¡°In that case.¡± Sheryl nced back and stepped aside. ¡°Heavenly de division leader?¡± ¡°This mission has been my job all along. I can¡¯t ept a reward for having done my job.¡± She pointed ahead while murmuring, ¡®it¡¯s your turn¡¯. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ekan followed Sheryl to the left. ¡°Raon Zieghart,e up.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon followed Glenn¡¯s dignified voice and went onto the tform. Glenn looked bigger each time he went up a stair. He used to be as big as a boulder, but he eventually looked like a great mountain at the end of the sky. ¡®I still can¡¯t see it¡­.¡¯ Even though he¡¯d be a Master, he was still incapable of even estimating Glenn¡¯s prowess. His power must¡¯ve been literally beyond the sky. ¡°Your judgment allowed you to predict the enemy¡¯s movement before making your move, and your courage allowed you to confront a powerful opponent without running away. The mixture of those two aspects resulted in this overwhelming aplishment, and you even brought fame to the house by bing a Master at eighteen years of age. Everything was excellent.¡± Once Glenn voiced the word ¡®excellent¡¯ topliment him, the gazesing from the direct lines became as fierce as ferocious beasts in front of an enemy. ¡°I¡¯ll reward the Light Wind¡¯s vice-squad leader, Raon Zieghart, with a golden tablet and the right to enter the Treasure Repository.¡± ¡®Treasure Repository?¡¯ The Treasure Repository was the head of house¡¯s treasure warehouse, where Zieghart¡¯s riches were saved. The library Glenn opened for him sometimes was also from the Treasure Repository. Raon unconsciously clenched his fist, realizing that he would be able to enter that ce. ¡°My lord.¡± Balder Zieghart raised his hand, standing right under the tform. ¡°I agree that the Light Wind¡¯s vice-squad leader brought excellent results, but I believe the Treasure Repository is too much of a reward. Since no one has been rewarded with a golden tablet in the past ten years, the tablet alone should be enough.¡± ¡°Hmm, I also think that the ess to the Treasure Depository is an excessive rewardpared to his aplishment.¡± ¡°I think you should pick one of those two¡­¡± The direct line and coteral division leaders agreed with Balder, trying to form a public opinion. ¡°His aplishmentpletely deserves the ess to the Treasure Depository in addition to the tablet.¡± ¡°I know, right? He has in three demons of Eden!¡± ¡°He even made Zieghart¡¯s name echo throughout the continent by bing the continent¡¯s youngest Master.¡± Some division and squad leaders tried to defend him, but their voices weren¡¯t loud enough because they were fewer in number. ¡°Huhu.¡± Considering the fact that Karoon¡¯s mouth was curving into a smile, the direct line must¡¯ve been trying to create a messy situation where different opinions collided. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn wasn¡¯t moving, resting his chin on his hands. Raon couldn¡¯t tell whether he was thinking or simply didn¡¯t care about the situation, but he felt like Glenn¡¯s eyes were telling him to convince them on his own. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ He briefly clicked his tongue. He obviously knew that the direct lines would react in such a way, since stopping him from getting the rewards was worth risking Glenn¡¯s punishment for them. That was why he didn¡¯t mention one of his biggest aplishments on purpose. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one thing I forgot to mention.¡± Raon turned around and raised a finger. ¡°What would have you gotten from House Yonaan? An artifact?¡± ¡°One artifact wouldn¡¯t be a big deal¡­¡± ¡°Pre-exclusive contract.¡± Once the division leaders heard the words ¡®pre-exclusive contract¡¯, their eyes started wavering like a sailboat in a storming ocean. ¡°I¡¯ve acquired the pre-exclusive rights to buy the unique rank artifacts produced in House Yonaan before anyone else.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Uhh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy, a pre-exclusive right?¡± ¡°S-Seriously?¡± The leaders who were defending him, and even the direct lines who were against him, turned pale with shock. ¡°Yes. The envoy from House Yonaan will soon arrive for trade. You should be able to confirm when that happens.¡± Raon raised his chin and looked down on the direct lines. His clear red eyes were crushing their jealous gazes. ¡°Does anyone still believe that those rewards are excessive?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Uhh!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Naturally, no one raised their hand or stepped up. ¡°Puhahaha! Serves you right!¡± Rimmer¡¯sughter pierced through the heavy atmosphere from the end of the line and reached the ceiling. ¡°I see.¡± Raon turned around and examined Glenn. His expression remained the same, probably because he already knew about the contract. The increased amount of twitching around his mouth was the only change that existed. ¡®It¡¯s a bit irritating.¡¯ Raon wanted to destroy that iron mask he was wearing at all costs. ¡®I have no choice.¡¯ It was a bit embarrassing, but he decided to use the secret weapon Federick had taught him. ¡°Raon Zieghart, step forward.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He nodded, then went in front of the throne. ¡°Since you¡¯ve brilliantly aplished the mission, I¡¯ll reward you with the golden tablet and one-time ess to the Treasure Repository¡­ ugh!¡± The moment Glenn stepped up in order to give him the golden tablet, Raon smiled brightly, just like he did when Federick asked him to show him his smile. Chapter 227 It happened at House Yonaan before Raon returned to Zieghart. ¡°Are you telling me to smile?¡± Raon scowled while looking at Federick and listening to his silly snickering. His advice was strange, since he¡¯d told Raon to smile brightly in front of Glenn if he wanted to see his true face. ¡°Yes. Show him a bright smile, just like showed me two days ago.¡± ¡°What difference does smiling make?¡± Raon tilted his head. ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to change anything.¡¯ Glenn was simply going to reward him with an expressionless face once again. Raon thought that he would never be able to take off his iron mask. ¡°Just try it. I guarantee that something¡¯s going to change.¡± Federick nodded confidently, then added that Raon should smile from the bottom of his heart. ¡°But the head of house isn¡¯t like Lady Encia¡­¡± He had somewhat realized how special his appearance was, but he couldn¡¯t imagine that it would work against Glenn. ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯ll be even more effective on that iron mask than Encia.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Because you are his grandson, and he is your grandfather.¡± Federick was now tantly telling him it was Glenn. ¡°Let alone grandchildren, the head of house doesn¡¯t show any emotion to his children.¡± Glenn didn¡¯t really seem interested in Sylvia, nor his other sons. He couldn¡¯t understand why he would react to his smile. ¡°Grandfathers usually love whatever their grandchildren do, but you are an excellent grandson who became a Master at eighteen years of age and became famous throughout the continent as an honorable man. Since he must be extremely happy about your actions, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be able to suppress his smile if you surprise him with yours.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Moreover, you and Sylvia¡­ nevermind.¡± Federick interrupted himself, licking his lips. ¡°Anyway, you should just try it. You won¡¯t regret it.¡± He left after strongly advising him to try smiling at Glenn. * * * Raon examined Glenn¡¯s face while maintaining his smile. ¡®What is this expression?¡¯ Glenn¡¯s expression was as wrinkled as an old tree bark, and as crumpled as a paper under stress. In short, he looked extremely awkward. ¡®He¡¯s not smiling at all, though?¡¯ However, it couldn¡¯t be described as a smile at all, despite what Federick had guaranteed. But there was a change, at least. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. The corners of Glenn¡¯s mouth were twitching even harder than his wrinkles, and his deep and serious eyes were wavering like ake a rock had just fallen into. ¡°Pfft!¡± Rimmer¡¯sughter from below shattered the strange atmosphere. Raon furtively looked behind him. Since Glenn and Roenn were the only people who saw his smile, the other division leaders were confused and didn¡¯t know what was going on. ¡°You, I mean, Raon Zieghart¡­¡± After Glenn¡¯s throat fluctuated noticeably, his expression returned to his usual cold expression¡ªor, rather, even worse than that. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything strange.¡± His voice was cold enough to send a chill down Raon¡¯s spine before he signaled to Roenn with his hand. ¡°Yes.¡± Roenn woke up from his bewilderment and brought a red board with the golden tablet ced on top. ¡°The Light Wind¡¯s vice-squad leader will be bestowed with the golden tablet and one-time ess to the Treasure Repository for having splendidlypleted the mission.¡± Unlike before, Glenn was calling him by his position as he gave him the golden tablet. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon epted the golden tablet with two hands and bowed. ¡®He didn¡¯t smile, but his expression did change.¡¯ Even though he couldn¡¯t see Glenn¡¯s smile, his smile did seem to have an effect on him. ¡®I¡¯m not sure what it means.¡¯ Since both his previous and current lives were far from being normal, he couldn¡¯t exactly tell what Glenn¡¯s reaction meant. He at least felt like Glenn didn¡¯t exactly hate him, just like Federick said. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Good job, Raon! As expected of our vice-squad leader!¡± The Light Wind and the Heavenly de burst into cheers, and Rimmer violently shook his hand. Sheryl was also sending him a round of apuse with a smile on her face. Raon turned around and smiled faintly. ¡®I¡¯m more used to those.¡¯ Unlike Glenn¡¯s emotion, which left himpletely in the dark, he could immediately tell what emotions in the countless gazes directed at him were. Admiration, praise, challenge, jealousy, and even malice. Raon came down from the tform while epting the gazes that held various emotions. ¡°Burren Zieghart, step forward.¡± Burren stood up and climbed the stairs upon hearing Glenn¡¯s rather silent call. ¡°Even though the squad leader and the vice-squad leader were absent, you managed to protect the people and contributed to the mission¡¯spletion by properly distributing people and making decisions. You will be rewarded with a bronze tablet for that aplishment.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Burren shouted loudly and bowed. ¡°Woaah!¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± The Light Wind and the Heavenly de cheered once again. However, Karoon was just pping his hands like other people instead of ignoring him or getting irritated, which were the reactions that Raon had expected. ¡®Is he plotting something?¡¯ Raon lowered his brows while examining Karoon Zieghart. There was no way a heartless guy like him, someone who¡¯d already abandoned his son, would simply apud him. He must¡¯ve been plotting something. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren¡¯s eyes were also wide open in surprise as he came down the stairs. ¡°Next up is Martha Zieghart.¡± After Burren, Glenn awarded a bronze tablet to everyone who apanied him on the mission, which were Martha, Runaan, Dorian, and even Krein. Raon congratted everyone as they were awarded and examined the golden tablet in the meantime. He clenched his fist while looking at the burning sword emblem engraved at the center of the tablet. ¡®I wonder how many of these I will need to restore my mother¡¯s position to the direct line¡­¡¯ Since so many people were already against his ess to the Treasure Repository, it was bound to be difficult. However, it was totally possible if he could bring a few more results that were surprising enough to shut everyone¡¯s mouth, just like he had earlier. Raon grinned, facing the direct lines¡¯ bloody gazes. ¡®Just you wait. I¡¯ll be in the same position as you¡ªno, I¡¯ll look down on you from a higher position.¡¯ * * * Robert¡¯s Domain An Old Pub Even though the sun was still shining brilliantly, the pub waspletely full of people and the powerful melody of violin was resounding from the stage at the center of the pub. The man dressed like an adventurer was telling someone¡¯s heroic tales alongside the clear sound of violin. ¡°He was looking for an opportunity while dodging the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s huge fist. The moment the Blood Raving Demon went for a big move, he thrust his sword with lightning speed to pierce his heart! He¡¯d in a Master as an Expert, which had never happened before on the continent. However, his bravery didn¡¯t end there!¡± The man continued the tension, as he extended his long hand towards the other side of the pub. ¡°He entered the pitch-dark forest without any hesitation to sever the Red Wolf Demon and the ck Winged Demon¡¯s astral energy, and managed to save the Saint and the boy, who were prepared to die! The intense battle continued after that¡­¡± He raised his voice to match the intensifying sound of violin, and even stamped his feet to vividly describe the battle between Raon and the two demons. ¡°¡­And what happened in the end was the best part of this battle. The Evil Goat Demon and Raon Zieghart decided to battle it out with a single-strike match and shed against each other all out! Obviously, Raon was pushed back because he¡¯d already exhausted his strength and was already injured from the previous battle, but he kept enduring it until the end without copsing. Why? Because he had people he needed to protect behind him! Even though he was mmed into a tree from the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s power, he stood back up to raise his sword. Even the Evil Goat Demon was impressed by his spirit and called it a draw before leaving!¡± The man¡¯s pping sound resounded throughout the pub. ¡°His tale almost feels like a myth. The people who heard this story gave the nickname Frostfire Sword of Valor to Raon Zieghart, who risked his life to repay the favor he¡¯d received in his childhood! The Frostfire Sword of Valor¡¯s heroic tale is currently spreading throughout the continent!¡± He shouted to announce that the news about the genius swordsman, who became a Master at eighteen years of age, that was currently resounding throughout the continent. ¡°Woaaaah!¡± ¡°Such a brave person also existed in the north!¡± ¡°Zieghart! The dominator of the North is still alive!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame that a swordsman with such an unshakable conviction that knows to repay a favor hasn¡¯t been born in House Robert!¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve been even better if he was from here!¡± ¡°An eighteen-year-old Master, I wonder how many years he has shortened the age for the youngest Master.¡± ¡°What a hero. I¡¯m sure he will get along with our head of house, Derus.¡± Everyone in the pub cheered and shouted Raon¡¯s name. Some of them were calling it a lie or an exaggerated rumor, but most people didn¡¯t pay attention to them because they were too immersed in the man¡¯s performance. ¡°Hey! Tell us more about him!¡± ¡°What happened after that?¡± ¡°Did he really be a Master at eighteen years of age?¡± ¡°That¡¯s much faster than our young master, who became one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent!¡± People shouted at the man and the violin yer to urge them to continue the story, all while throwing money at them and ordering food and drink for them. ¡°Of course! I have more stories about him. This is about the healing abilities of the swordsman Raon¡­¡± As the minstrel was about to start another story, a young man wearing shabby clothes stood up from the corner of the pub. He ced a gold coin on his table with a trembling hand before leaving the pub. He soon started jogging towards the great mansion of House Robert. Even though he was wearing worse clothes than a traveler, no one dared stop him. Instead, everyone politely bowed and greeted him. While epting people¡¯s greetings, he entered the lord¡¯s manor located at the center of House Robert. ¡°Father! Father!¡± He ran inside the lord¡¯s manor, knocking on Robert''s office door, which was located at the deepest part. ¡°You may enter.¡± Upon hearing the gentle voiceing from inside, the young man nodded and opened the door. ¡°Lephon, what could¡¯ve happened to make you so impatient?¡± Derus Robert smiled gently while sweeping the silver hair flowing on his shoulders back. ¡°Did you hear the rumors about Raon Zieghart, by any chance?¡± The youngest son of Derus, Lephon clenched his fist with a trembling chin. ¡°Raon Zieghart?¡± Derus repeated the name withposed eyes. ¡°Yes! The undefeated swordsman who has in three demons of Eden and became a Master at eighteen years of age! The Frostfire Sword of Valor, Raon Zieghart! The rumor has already spread out throughout the domain!¡± Lephon¡¯s eyes were sparkling as he steamed from his nose in excitement. ¡°He¡¯s only three years older than me, yet he became a Master after oveing such a desperate battle! He¡¯s worthy of admiration!¡± ¡°Ah, I heard about him as well. He¡¯s an amazing boy. No, I should call him a swordsman instead.¡± ¡°Most of all, I¡¯m so excited about the single-strike match he had against the Evil Goat Demon. His unyielding fighting spirit! It¡¯s my dream to be a hero like him!¡± ¡°Yes, that was your dream.¡± Derus nodded while smiling faintly. ¡°However, you shouldn¡¯t be wasting time like this if you are to be such a hero, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Going to the pub while skipping training shouldn¡¯t happen, either.¡± ¡°Ugh! I-I¡¯m going to train right now!¡± Lephon briefly shuddered and stepped back. Before leaving the room, he furtively looked back. ¡°Can I be like Sir Raon if I keep training hard?¡± ¡°It might take some time, but I¡¯m sure you will be able to.¡± Derus smiled gently and nodded. ¡°Alright!¡± Lephon clenched his fist and left the room. Whir. Once Derus was alone in his office, he was smiling the same as when Lephon was there, but the atmosphere inside the room became extremely cold. It was cold enough to even freeze the sunlight entering through the window. ¡°Martio.¡± A ck shadow fell from the ceiling to heed his call. The shadow sshed like a puddle under the wind, then transformed into a man wearing ck outerwear for night actions, his face hidden by a mask. ¡°Report.¡± ¡°They said Sheryl is the one who shattered Temas¡¯ traps and slew him. Traces of Sheryl¡¯s energy could be found in the corpses as well. Raon Zieghart was also in action, but they said he was only assisting her, and didn¡¯t do anything special.¡± The masked man called Martio continued with the exact same intonation, as if he were a machine. ¡°The rumors mentioned that the one who made House Yonaan refuse Temas¡¯ treatment and revealed the maid¡¯s identity was also Sheryl, but some earlier rumors said that Raon was the one who did it.¡± ¡°How about the information about Raon Zieghart bing a Master?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. The ck market confirmed that Raon Zieghart is currently at Master level.¡± ¡°An eighteen-year-old Master¡­¡± Derus smiled. He lightly tapped the desk as he smiled that cold smile. Rumble! The office¡¯s atmosphere changed one more time. Neither the desk nor the bookshelves were trembling in the slightest, but the mana covering the entire space became so heavy that it was difficult to breathe. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Martio groaned, unable to endure that pressure. ¡°Isn¡¯t it interesting?¡± Derus¡¯s smile deepened as he tilted his chin. ¡°That an eighteen-year-old Master has been born from Zieghart because of that idiot Temas?¡± If only Temas properly took care of the matter, Raon would¡¯ve never be a Master, nor would they have failed their n to dominate House Yonaan. It was amazing how a single insect managed to mess things up so badly. Moreover, the title of youngest Master used to belong to Robert before Raon became a Master. He barely managed to suppress the boiling urge to destroy everything in sight after all of his ns were shattered. ¡°You said Sheryl was the one who did all that, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Martio answered with ck blood flowing down from his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different from what she usually does. I¡¯m certain that Raon Zieghart interfered at some point.¡± Derus reduced his pressure, which seemed capable of crushing the whole world. ¡°Huff!¡± Martio¡¯s body faltered as if he would copse at any moment. ¡°Investigate Raon. About his mother and father, people close to him, his objective, and even the martial arts he has learned. His weakness, as well.¡± ¡°We are already doing our best to investigate them¡­¡± ¡°Best? I don¡¯t need your best. What I want are the results.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You can leave everything else. Just focus on gathering information about him.¡± Although Derus¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, Martio¡¯s eyes were trembling as if he¡¯d heard a monster¡¯s roar. ¡°Bing a Master at eighteen years old means that he has the ability to change the continent¡¯s spectrum in the future. That means that Zieghart might prevail once again, just like before Glenn stopped himself.¡± An intense murderous intent flew out from Derus¡¯s icy cold eyes. ¡°He needs to die before that happens, no matter what.¡± * * * * * * After Glenn finished awarding the Heavenly de division¡¯s swordsmen, he looked at Yulius at the very back. ¡°Come forward.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Yulius slowly took a deep breath and politely walked up to the tform. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Glenn looked down at Yulius with a gaze that wasn¡¯t as cold as before. ¡°M-My name is Yulius Porzan!¡± ¡°There was a good reason behind his rmendation. Do your best in order to not waste your talent.¡± ¡®The Saint must¡¯ve informed him already.¡¯ Raon gave a small nod while looking at Yulius. Judging from what Glenn said, the Saint must¡¯ve sent the information about Yulius already. ¡°Yes! Thank you!¡± Yulius knelt and bowed at him. He looked perfectly used to noble etiquette. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Is he talented enough for him to say that?¡± ¡°What did he bring this time?¡± The division leaders finally noticed Yulius and controlled their aura perception in order to examine the talent that Glenn had acknowledged. ¡°How can mana circuits be so broad¡­?¡± ¡°His energy center is also twice as big as an average child of his age.¡± ¡°He is a bit small, but his insides have even more potential than a member of the direct line.¡± The division leaders¡¯ gazes were filled with greed upon confirming Yulius¡¯s talent. They looked like they would forcefully bring him with them once they got out. ¡°Raon Zieghart, you shall take responsibility for the boy since you are the one who brought him here.¡± Glenn decided on his affiliation as if he already knew what they were thinking. ¡°At yourmand.¡± Raon bowed. Since he was already nning to bring him to the annex building, he obviously epted his order. ¡°It¡¯s over for today. You may leave.¡± Glenn shook his hand as if he were telling them to get away already because they were annoying. The division and squad leaders silently bowed and left the audience chamber. It looked like they were used to his behavior. However, the direct lines and their follower coterals kept ring at Raon until the end, not even hiding their malice. ¡°Pfft.¡± Raon snorted and brought Yulius to the audience chamber¡¯s door. He looked back at Glenn before leaving, and his expression was as void and bored as in the beginning. Raon bowed at him, then left before closing the door. Go faster! I miss the annex building¡¯s food so much! Wrath was dancing with his shoulders on the bracelet, saying that he was looking forward to Yua¡¯s cooking. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Raon!¡± Raon chuckled. As he was about to leave the lord¡¯s manor, Rimmer and Sheryl¡¯s voices could be heard at the same time. ¡°Congrattions.¡± Rimmer gave him a thumbs up and grinned. ¡°I expected him to give you a golden tablet, but I didn¡¯t think he would even grant you ess to the Treasure Repository.¡± ¡°That idiot¡¯s right. Getting ess to the Treasure Repository is a special asion. It will be a great opportunity for you.¡± Sheryl pushed Rimmer away and nodded. ¡°When shall I use it?¡± ¡°Not now. That¡¯s the least I can tell you.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right. You should wait.¡± Rimmer came up right next to Sheryl and shook his hand. ¡°There are various items inside the repository, including weapons, artifacts, skill books, and elixirs. Since even the head of house doesn¡¯t rashly use those treasures, you should enter when you feel like you need something.¡± ¡°Howe a gambling addict is actually giving proper advice?¡± ¡°However, in my experience, money is the best! There¡¯s a jewel in there called a Span Long Sun, and you can sell it to make enough money for the rest of your li¡­ Kuh!¡± Sheryl kicked Rimmer in his ribs and frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. Lots of things in the world are more valuable than money. You should use it as an opportunity to fill what you arecking.¡± She smiled faintly while advising him to leave it forter. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon smiled and bowed to the two people who gave him serious advice in their own way. ¡°I¡¯ll get going¡­ ah!¡± He was about to leave, but he suddenly remembered something and went to Rimmer, who was trying to stand up while grasping his side. ¡°The Three Promises you mentioned earlier, you meant the Three Promises from the Gambling Monster, right?¡± ¡°Huh? How do you know that?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ If the Gambling Monster was involved, it was understandable that Rimmer lost all of his money. ¡°Which means you really lost everything.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Rimmer averted his eyes, unable to respond. ¡°Idiot.¡± Sheryl clicked her tongue at his pathetic demeanor. Raon frowned after examining Rimmer¡¯s miserable appearance. He acknowledged the Gambling Monster¡¯s gambling skills, but he couldn¡¯t overlook him for having continuously taken away his money. ¡®I need to take back the money the Gambling Monster took.¡¯ ¡­What about your money, though? * * * Once the audience chamber becamepletely empty, Roenn came up on the tform and smiled faintly. ¡°It was a dangerous moment.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Glenn covered his eyes with his hand and sighed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t keep myposure because of his sudden actions.¡± The way everyone shut their mouths from hearing Raon¡¯s great deeds was already satisfying enough, and the way he suddenly smiled so brightly made his head go nk for an instant. ¡®What a destructive power.¡¯ Because his grandson didn¡¯t usually show his emotions, his smile looked as brilliant as a hundred radiating stones that had all turned on at the same time, and his head wentpletely nk. The shock was powerful enough to make his heart skip a beat, which hadn¡¯t happened in decades, but he managed to maintain his expression by controlling aura in that instant. If he was just a littlete at doing that, he would¡¯ve shown his happy expression to everyone. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why he suddenly smiled.¡± Glenn furrowed his brows. Raon¡¯s smile almost hurt his heart, as it was a pure smile that wasn¡¯t from the happiness of getting rewards. ¡°I don¡¯t understand either. However, it was also powerful enough for me.¡± Roenn nodded in agreement. Because he¡¯d been watching Raon ever since his childhood and had been sad for him, Raon¡¯s smile was more dangerous than a de for him as well. ¡°I need to be careful in the future¡­¡± Glenn shook his head. ¡°I think it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped?¡± ¡°He became the youngest Master in the continent, unprecedented in history at eighteen years of age, and even gained a nickname ¡®Sword of Valor¡¯ because of his righteousness. Since even his appearance is excellent, there¡¯s no way you wouldn¡¯t cherish him.¡± Roenn smiled gently at Glenn, who looked enervated. ¡°If young master Raon were my grandson, I would¡¯ve gone everywhere to brag about him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn closed his eyes. He imagined himself doing that, and it was really unsightly. ¡®However¡­ Why do I want to do that?¡¯ He knew that it was unsightly and ugly, but he was getting a strange urge to do it. He wouldn¡¯t stop after going everywhere, but he would increase the scale to let the entire continent know about Raon¡¯s existence. ¡°Haa.¡± Glenn sighed slowly. ¡®I must be crazy.¡¯ He decided that he was having strange thoughts because the tension had left and shook his head. ¡°I¡­¡± As he was about to tell him that he would never do anything stupid like that, someone opened the audience chamber¡¯s door without even knocking. ¡°Puhahahaha! My lord! You were surprised when you saw Raon¡¯s smile, right? I¡¯ve never seen such a stupid face from you befo¡­Kuah!¡± Glenn stretched his arm out before Rimmer finished bbering. Rumble! Crimson lightning emerged from the ground in an instant and surrounded Rimmer¡¯s body. ¡°Kuaah¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s body was burnedpletely ck and rolled on the ground because the lightning was powerful enough to even melt a lump of steel. Sheryl clicked her tongue again while looking at the pathetic sight. ¡°Idiot.¡± Chapter 228 Rimmer was scorched ck, and Sheryl threw the fallen elf into a corner before walking up to Glenn. ¡°My lord, were you really making that expression earlier because you were trying to hold back your smile?¡± Glenn simply frowned without answering and stretched out his arm. Rumble! Lightning appeared from the ceiling and fell on Rimmer¡¯s shoulder on the ground. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Although Rimmer was almost unconscious, he screamed and instinctively stood up. ¡°Why? Why me¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t even properlyin, mming his head on the ground once again. ¡°Because you started this.¡± Glenn clenched his fist, showing his disappointment that he couldn¡¯t beat him up anymore. ¡°My lord.¡± Sheryl closed her eyes and took another step towards him. ¡°I understood why my lord asked me to bring Raon on a mission.¡± She opened her eyes while smiling faintly. ¡°At first, I thought he was just a lucky boy blessed with heavenly talents, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. He focused on his training whenever he had time, even during the mission. Even though no swordsman in Zieghart takes their training lightly, I¡¯ve never seen anyone work as hard as Raon.¡± At the smallest breaks he could find, Raon practiced his sword or started meditating. Sheryl had witnessed countless swordsmen before, but it was her first time seeing someone as obsessed with training as Raon. ¡°I thought he had a cold-hearted personality from his appearance, but he actually watches everyone in detail despite hisck of expression. I took a liking to him during the short time we¡¯ve been together, and I ended up looking after him in various ways.¡± Sheryl¡¯s voice was filled with her affection towards Raon. ¡°I understand why that idiot called him the future head of house, and why he is special to my lord as well. It was really interesting to watch him.¡± ¡°Ahem. I see.¡± Glenn cleared his throat and slightly raised his chin. The corners of his mouth that he¡¯d been suppressing started to rise. ¡°That boy has the potential to be a great swordsman and a great leader. I¡¯m also going to watch him closely from now on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s up to you.¡± He rested his chin on his hands, pretending he didn¡¯t care about it, but the corners of his mouth were rising to break through the stratosphere. ¡°Ah, by the way.¡± Sheryl frowned, looking up at Glenn. ¡°Raon is apparently nning to see the Gambling Monster.¡± ¡°Gambling Monster? Why would he do that?¡± ¡°I think he wants to visit him because he found out how that idiot lost all his money.¡± She pointed at Rimmer, who was panting in a corner. ¡°I was wondering why you became dirt poor again. It was because of gambling?¡± ¡°I-It was really close this time.¡± Rimmer scratched his head while trying to see if Glenn was angry. ¡°I would¡¯ve won everything if I got thatst card, but I missed that one¡­¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± Sheryl sighed and shook her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time you stopped?¡± Glenn furrowed his brows. He looked different from the other times he scolded him. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what everyone wanted from you.¡± ¡°This is the only method I know.¡± Rimmer smiled bitterly and shrugged. ¡°Haa.¡± Glenn sighed briefly and turned his head. ¡°Putting aside that idiot, why is Raon going to visit the Gambling Monster?¡± ¡°Since he smiled after mentioning the Promise of Three, I¡¯m pretty sure he is nning to win back the money that gambling addict lost.¡± Sheryl told him about the conversation they had with Raon a moment ago. ¡°We need to be careful, since the Gambling Monster isn¡¯t a Zieghart anymore, even though he¡¯s still affiliated with Zieghart. Shall I stop him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Glenn slowly shook his head. ¡°He needs to experience a defeating from his mistake. Leave him alone.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Sheryl stepped back without arguing with him. ¡°And¡­¡­¡± ¡°Uh? Uuh?¡± Glenn stretched his arm, and Rimmer floated in the air even though he was trying to leave the audience chamber without making any noise. ¡°Why are you doing this to me¡­?¡± ¡°Because you are the one who taught Raon about that useless gambling.¡± ¡°I said this before, but I¡¯ve never done that! It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Who else would¡¯ve taught him about gambling if it wasn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, but I said I didn¡¯t because I really didn¡¯t¡­ Kuaah!¡± Rimmer¡¯s voice as he tried to prove his innocence from the false usations was buried in the ground by thunder. ¡°Roenn.¡± Glenn removed the grimace from his face and waved at Roenn, who was watching them with a smile on his face. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°About what you mentioned earlier.¡± ¡°Which one¡­?¡± ¡°About how you would¡¯ve spread the rumor everywhere if Raon was your grandson, you know.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Roenn nodded. ¡°Just like you said before, how about we spread Raon¡¯s story a bit more? I mean, it¡¯s not exactly because of Raon, but in order to raise our house¡¯s reputation as the ce where the youngest Master has been born. Hmm, that¡¯s right. We are doing it for the house.¡± Glenn was maintaining his cold-hearted facade like always, but his voice was trembling slightly, which only the closest people to him would notice. ¡°We could promote our house. That sounds rather good. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°I also agree it¡¯s a pretty good idea.¡± Roenn nodded with a smile, and Sheryl smiled faintly. ¡°N-No, rather than that¡­¡± Rimmer stood up while breathing heavily. ¡°Forget about promotion or whatever, and just show how much you cherish Raon on the outside! I mean, you don¡¯t even need to promote him. You just need to hug your grandson tightly as a grandfather and tell him, ¡®Good job, Raon. My beloved grandson!¡¯. What¡¯s so hard about i¡ªKyagh!¡± He got hit by crimson lightning that emerged from above and below at the same time, then rolled on the ground. Psssh! ck smoke was rising from his body and clothes. ¡°You need to take more time to think when ites to suggesting something like that.¡± Sheryl shook her head while looking at Rimmer, who was still alive after getting hit by the lightning four times in total. ¡°Idiot.¡± * * * Raon went past the annex building¡¯s garden with Yulius. Yulius¡¯s hands started to shake slightly once they got close to the annex building. ¡®He must be nervous.¡¯ Since he was about to settle down in a new ce after leaving his hometown, Raon couldpletely understand why Yulius was trembling nervously. He remembered that Yua was simr to him when he brought her there before. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. They are all nice people.¡± ¡°Yes, I see.¡± Yulius took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a child there who is the same age as you.¡± ¡°Did you just say that they are the same age as me?¡± Yulius¡¯s eyes sparkled upon hearing that she was the same age. He must¡¯ve felt rivalry towards her. ¡°Yes, I hope you get along.¡± Raon chuckled, then opened the annex building¡¯s door. ¡°Oh!¡± Yua¡¯s eyes widened. She was carrying a food tray with a beret on her head. ¡°Young master!¡± Yua came running to him while carrying the food tray, which had a freshly cooked pie on it. ¡°You¡¯ve finally returned!¡± The twin tails flowing down from her hat fluttered like a butterfly in the wind. ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°Great, of course!¡± Yua nodded far more cheerfully than before. ¡°We¡¯ve been preparing food with everyone because we heard you were back. Please wash yourself quickly and join us, since it¡¯s almost done.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°But, erm¡­¡± Raon nodded, and as he was about to leave for the washing room, Yua tilted her head while looking at Yulius. ¡°He¡¯s going to be staying with us from now on. Since he is the same age as you, please get along with each other.¡± ¡°Same age? Wow! My name is Yua. Nice to meet you!¡± Yua smiled cheerfully, tilting her head slightly. Even though she was carrying a food tray, she greeted him as kindly as possible. ¡°I¡¯m Yulius Porzan.¡± Even though she was introduced as being the same age as him, he bowed politely. ¡°You should also wash yourself quickly ande to the table!¡± Yua smiled gently and ran towards the kitchen. ¡°Is she the one that you mentioned earlier?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A sense of relief could be seen on Yulius¡¯s serious face. ¡°She¡¯s a warrior.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She¡¯s only recently started, but she is currently walking the path of warrior. And just like you, she was targeted by Eden because of her talent.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Yulius¡¯ jaw dropped. His eyes burned with passion, showing that his rivalry had returned to him. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± Sylvia and the maids came running out of the kitchen and the dining room. Yua must¡¯ve told them about Raon¡¯s return. ¡°M-My son, you look so much thinner than before! Are your injuriespletely healed? Tell me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you went around without having proper meals like always! Hey, girls!¡± ¡°Yes! We will prepare the food immediately!¡± Sylvia sniffled while touching his face, and Helen bit her lip while holding his hand. The other maids also sighed bitterly as they ran back to the dining room. Raon smiled faintly while watching everyone¡¯s reaction. ¡®They are always the same.¡¯ Sylvia and Helen hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest, even though he¡¯d be a Master. They were more worried about his well-being and his injuries than the fact that he¡¯d in the demons of Eden. Raon could feelfort in his heart. ¡°I¡¯mpletely healed. I¡¯m okay now.¡± Raon tightened his grip and nodded. ¡°I just grew taller, not thinner. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sylvia had to confirm three times before she breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°By the way, who is this boy¡­?¡± Her eyes widened upon seeing Yulius, who was standing on Raon¡¯s right. ¡°He¡¯s going to live with us from now on. What happened in Retran was¡­¡± Raon briefly told her Yulius¡¯ story. ¡°Those demonic guys did it again¡­¡± Sylvia bit her lips and leaned forward to meet Yulius¡¯ eyes. ¡°Wee. Monsters won¡¯t attack you anymore.¡± ¡°No, since I¡¯m aspiring to be a warrior, I need to be prepared to fight whenever and wherever¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Sylvia hugged Yulius tightly while he was shaking his head. ¡®Did she remember that again?¡¯ Because Sylvia had lost her husband and her daughter to the demons of Eden, she despised Eden and feared them at the same time. The turbulent emotions she was showing must¡¯ve been because she remembered those memories. ¡°Ugh, wh-why are you doing this¡­?¡± Yulius was confused, but he was enduring it while biting his lips tightly. He apparently didn¡¯t dislike the warmth that came from the bottom of her heart. Even though he had been suppressing his emotions, he was still a kid. It must¡¯ve been hard for him. Raon smiled gently at Yulius, whose face was turnedpletely red in embarrassment. ¡°Wee to Zieghart¡¯s annex building.¡± * * * * * * Raon entered the dining room after washing himself. Dishes filled the long and rectangr table, and the maids were standing behind the chairs with a smile. A momentter, Helen, Yua, and Silvia brought out a pot filled with a white stew and ced it on the table. ¡°Sit down, everyone.¡± Sylvia signaled, and Raon and the maids sat in their respective seats. ¡°Tomemorate Raon¡¯s return today, and Raon bing a Master! And Raon bing a hero, and Raon being awarded a golden tablet, and Raon gaining the title Frostfire Sword of Valor¡­¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Sylvia finally stopped once Raon frowned and shook his head. ¡°Ah, alright. Let¡¯s stop there.¡± Sylvia smiled brightly and pped her hands. ¡°Since everyone must be hungry, before you eat! Give a round of apuse for Raon, who became the youngest Master!¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°I knew Sir Raon could do it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You''ve been working so hard!¡± Helen and the maids apuded for him with smiles on their faces, congratting him. Raon met everyone¡¯s gaze and smiled. ¡®This feels so much better.¡¯ Their heartfelt apuse was making him feel so much warmer and morefortable whenpared to him dealing with the swindlers who only pretended to apud him while talking behind his back. ¡°Let¡¯s start eating before it gets cold!¡± Before starting to dig in her own dish, Sylvia scooped a bowl of stew and ced it in front of Raon. ¡°This stew is a new recipe. We¡¯ve used lots of beef, vegetables, and fruits in it!¡± Ooh! My mouth is watering already just from listening to her! Wrath sshed on the bracelet like a carp. Eat it already! Lead the King of Essence to the newnd of taste! Wrath majestically dered, as if they were going to war, and Raon pushed him away before grabbing the bowl. ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded at Sylvia and put a spoonful of the stew in his mouth. It was such a mysterious taste, filled with the concentrated vor of beef at first, with the salty softness of stew following it. The fruit¡¯s delicate and sweet vor marked the end. Haa, the three tastes are stirring the tongue in harmony. What an amazing piece of art. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Raon nodded. He thought it wouldn¡¯t be that good because fruits were used as ingredients, but it was perfectly harmonizing with other ingredients as if it were all calcted. And it doesn¡¯t stray away from the basics either. The new vors are properly incorporated in this heartfelt dish. The King of Essence likes it. Wrath nodded in satisfaction. Nothing beats a meal from home. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon fell speechless as he stared at Wrath. ¡®Devildom is your home, though.¡¯ * * * How nice. After finishing the meal, Raon returned to the room with Wrath, who was patting his stomach. While he was unpacking his bag, he could hear three knocks. ¡°Enter.¡± Judiel opened the door without responding and entered, bowing at him. ¡°Did anything happen?¡± ¡°Nothing happened until recently, but¡­¡± Judiel briefly licked her lips and continued. ¡°I¡¯ve received an order from the Central Martial Pce to check whether Sir Raon had any noticeable injuries or is suffering from any aftereffects.¡± ¡°Aftereffects¡­¡± Raon snickered. He had the thought that Karoon really didn¡¯t change. ¡°How shall I deal with it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything for now. He will suspect you if you reply immediately.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Judiel immediately nodded. She was apparently thinking the same thing. ¡°I have a request.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Can you investigate the Gambling Monster?¡± ¡°Are you talking about the Gambling Monster of the famous Gambling Monster¡¯s Promise of Three?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded after cing the unloaded bag aside. ¡°Apparently, the squad leader hasn¡¯t been losing all of his money in gambling house to an ordinary gambler, but to the Gambling Monster. I shall take my money back, in that case.¡± I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s not your money. Wrath shook his head and corrected his statement. ¡°Understood. It will take some time, since he was only active in the past, but I¡¯ll look for the newest information as much as possible.¡± Judiel left the room after giving a reliable response. What is the Gambling Monster that you¡¯ve been talking about? ¡®He¡¯s an old man who likes gambling, drinking, and fighting.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and sat on the bed. ¡°Wrath, are you in a good mood?¡± Hmm, kinda. I¡¯ll feel even better if you have a good rest now. ¡°Don¡¯t you want some ice cream?¡± I do! I really want an ice cream, probably because we just finished eating! Wrath immediately nodded, his tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly. Raon grinned while enjoying his reaction. ¡°Then I have a job for you.¡± * * * The next day, Raon brought Yua and Yulius to the garden managed by Roenn. ¡°Sir Roenn!¡± Yua must¡¯ve gotten a lot closer to him in the time Raon was gone, since she ran towards him while waving her hand. Meanwhile, Yulius awkwardly followed behind Raon. ¡°The vice-squad leader is also here today.¡± Roenn smiled gently at Raon after grabbing Yua¡¯s hand. ¡°I wanted to see how much Yua has learned. And¡­¡± Raon gave a small push on Yulius¡¯s back to send him forward. ¡°I taught him the basic postures on our way back, but I¡¯d like to entrust him to you as well, since he needs a good teacher.¡± ¡°Huhu, it¡¯s not a bad idea to have them learn together, since they are almost the same age.¡± Roenn nodded while looking back and forth between Yua and Yulius. ¡®He understands quickly, like always.¡¯ He must¡¯ve also figured that it would be a good idea to grow a rivalry between Yua and Yulius. ¡°Then let¡¯s warm up before we start.¡± Roenn turned his wrists and ankles to demonstrate. It was a warmup exercise that started with a small motion that gradually became bigger in order to warm up the entire body. ¡°What did Sir Yulius learn from Sir Raon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned the basic postures of martial arts. I¡¯ve learned the waiting posture, the three basic postures, and training methods like the horse-riding stance.¡± Yulius told him about the basics he¡¯d learned on the way, one after the other. ¡°I see.¡± Roenn calmly examined Yulius and nodded. ¡°In that case, you should start with running.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°This garden is good for running, since the ground is soft. How about running tenps as a start?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yulius stared at Roenn with round eyes before biting his lip. ¡°Alright!¡± He got himself ready and started running around the garden. ¡°Hmm. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t refuse.¡± Roenn shrugged, saying that he didn¡¯t expect him to do that. ¡°He acknowledged you.¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at Yulius¡¯ back as he ran. ¡°Acknowledged?¡± ¡°He said he only listens to those he has acknowledged. He must be following your orders because he has acknowledged you, Sir Roenn.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± Roenn watched Yulius until he disappeared between the bushes, then turned his head. ¡°We should also get started.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yua followed Roenn to the center of the garden. ¡°Sounds can be heard from everything in the world. The wind brushing past your head, this beautiful and lively flower, and even the sword made from tempering steel create sounds.¡± ¡°Yes! I know.¡± Yua pricked her twin tails like a rabbit. ¡°It¡¯s fine to enjoy nature''s sound as-is, but people like us can make that sound even more enjoyable to the ears.¡± Roenn raised his left and right hand at the same time and pped lightly. Bang! The moment the clear pping sound spread throughout the garden, Raon¡¯s mind was refreshed as if he was enjoying a cool wind, and the fatigue and drowsiness from the trip disappeared in an instant. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so cool!¡± Yua jumped on the spot and nodded. She must¡¯ve felt the same thing. ¡°I created the sound earlier by incorporating a special method to clear your mind into the atmosphere¡¯s mana.¡± Roenn smiled gently. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. He knew about the existence of a martial art utilizing sound, but he never expected a single p of the hands could make him feel like he¡¯d been meditating. ¡°Sir Roenn.¡± Raon raised his hand. ¡°Contrary to the sound just now, is it possible to ki¡­ I mean, attack the opponent with a single p?¡± He was about to say kill, but he changed the word once he realized Yua was listening. ¡°Of course you can.¡± Roenn turned around with a scary smile on his face. ¡°Do you want to try experiencing it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. He resonated the Ring of Fire and focused on Roenn. ¡°In that case¡­¡± Roenn spread his hands a bit wider before pping them. The aura in his energy center engulfed the atmosphere and created a ferocious wave. Beep! Since Raon didn¡¯t take any countermeasures in order to properly feel its effect, his body froze up as if it were paralyzed alongside an intense tinnitus, and he felt nauseous. ¡®It¡¯s done by spreading aura into the atmosphere through the pping sound.¡¯ The martial art of sound, capable of both awakening and harming the mind, was pretty much the same as swordsmanship. It just consisted of incorporating aura into the produced sound to attack or encourage the target. ¡®I¡¯m not sure about the principles, but I think I can somewhat copy him.¡¯ Since he was resonating the Ring of Fire and Roenn¡¯s demonstration was really clear, he had the feeling that he could copy the ferocious pping he¡¯d witnessed. ¡®I can use sword resonance instead of pping.¡¯ The sounding from the friction upon drawing the sword and the vibration of sword resonance, which was the sword¡¯s howl, could be used to imitate it. ¡°The young master really knows how to learn.¡± Roenn smiled pleasantly, since he wasn¡¯t expecting Raon to take on the attack without using his aura. ¡°Can I give it a try?¡± ¡°The technique I showed you just now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Of course. Go ahead.¡± Roenn nodded while spreading his legs shoulder¡¯s width apart in anticipation. ¡°Yua,e behind me.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Raon sent Yua behind him, then checked Yulius¡¯s position. After confirming that he wouldn¡¯t be damaging those two, he grabbed Heavenly Drive by its hilt. ¡®The key point is almost the same.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t a big difference between swordsmanship and the martial art of sound. The important part was how quickly he could properly incorporate his aura into the sound. ¡°I¡¯m starting now.¡± The moment crimson light shed in Raon¡¯s eyes, Heavenly Drive howled while baring its silver teeth. Chapter 229 Roenn smiled faintly while watching Raon get into position. ¡®It should be difficult for him since it¡¯s his first time.¡¯ Even though the martial art of sound was a branch of martial arts, the way one had to activate and control aura was significantly different from swordsmanship. Even though Raon was a talented swordsman at Master level, it was still impossible for him to imitate him after watching the demonstration once. ¡®But I like how confident he is.¡¯ Probably because he was still young, or had piled up a lot of aplishments, Raon¡¯s eyes seemed fully confident that he could do it on his first attempt. Roenn nodded pleasantly, since he liked the youth and confidence Raon had. ¡®He must be starting now.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes suggested that he was about to start. He removed his defense and focused his hearing in order to give him advice. Creak! The silver de scratched the edge of his scabbard and soared. The dissonant sound of friction vibrated the air, and a clear sword resonance burst out like a ferocious roar. Whir! The heated aura dashed through that sound, creating a powerful vibration in Roenn¡¯s ears. That perfectly clear sound cleared his head as if he had covered himself with cold water. ¡°Huh!¡± Roenn nervously gulped. ¡®How is this happening¡­?¡¯ He was so confused that he couldn¡¯t even think straight. The only thing he knew was that Raon had managed to incorporate aura into sound on his first attempt, which waspletely insane. ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ He thought he had recognized that Raon was a genius, but it must¡¯ve been a serious mistake. Raon was a monster far beyond his imagination. ¡®The process of producing sounds and the way he incorporated aura in them were both perfect.¡¯ Raon had created the sounds by using the friction during the draw and the sword resonance after drawing the sword, and he even managed to incorporate aura into those sounds. It was an unbelievable achievement for his first time. ¡®I would¡¯ve been in danger if he managed to use that sound as an attack.¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t use his sound and aura for offense. It looked like he was just focusing on incorporating aura into sound, although that was already surprising enough to make his strength leave his legs. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Roenn narrowed his eyes while looking at Raon¡¯s slightly frowning face. ¡®Is he thinking about the reason for his failure?¡¯ Raon looked like he was wondering why he didn¡¯t manage to use his sound as an attack. ¡®It¡¯s obvious.¡¯ Since he had never seen anyone attacking with sound, it would¡¯ve been strange if he¡¯d managed to do that. His desire for progress, which was making him think about the next step right after achieving something outrageous like that, was truly surprising. ¡®I¡¯m sure he can manage on his own.¡¯ Raon had the qualities of a founder, who could create martial arts on his own. He would be able to figure out how to attack with the sound on his own, but Roenn wanted to speed up the process for him and create an opportunity for him to produce an even better technique. Roenn¡¯s smile looked like he¡¯d made a decision as he watched Raon tilting his head. * * * ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at Heavenly Drive. ¡®It¡¯s a shame.¡¯ Although he¡¯d sent the sword resonance to Roenn with the intention of attacking him, his will wasn¡¯t transferred into the sound. The result was nothing more than arge explosive sound that was incorporated with aura. ¡®It¡¯s a lot more difficult than using a sword.¡¯ Unlike swordsmanship, which used a solid medium, it was really difficult to incorporate aura into sound that was transmitting at an extreme speed. Thinking about further including his will to attack was giving him a headache. ¡®But it¡¯s not impossible.¡¯ Since he¡¯d sessfully incorporated aura into sound on his first try, he figured he would be able to attack the vestibr organs in his opponent¡¯s ears if he kept trying for some time. ¡®I could use the principles I have to create this¡­¡­¡¯ He could estimate that he would be able to create a technique that could incorporate anything he wanted into sound if he mixed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ring of Fire, and the principles from the other martial arts he¡¯d learned so far. ¡°Vice-squad leader.¡± As Raon decided on his objective and was about to start working towards it, Roenn came towards him. His visibly wavering eyes were showing his agitation. ¡°That was amazing. I honestly didn¡¯t expect you to seed on your first attempt.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t even aplete sess.¡± ¡°You must be talking about the intention to attack.¡± ¡°Yes. This is as difficult as when I first learned the heavy sword.¡± Raon nodded. Although he wasn¡¯t looking down on the martial art of sound, he felt like he would need a lot more time and effort in order to master it. ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to incorporate aura into sound. You are going to need a principle to make into the medium, since it doesn¡¯t use any sort of material. Lady Yua, you shoulde over here as well.¡± Roenn called for Yua, who was standing nkly to the side, to make her stand next to him. ¡°Since I was nning to teach Lady Yua anyway, now seems to be a good time to do this.¡± He raised his finger and smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you a martial art of sound called the Sound Fragrance Art. You should be able to spread sound as naturally as a fragrance once you master it.¡± ¡°A-Are you teaching this to me, as well?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. He could understand why Roenn would teach the technique to Yua, since he considered her his disciple, but he never thought Roenn would also teach him. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± Even though they were from the same house, it was extremely rare for anyone to teach their personal martial arts to anyone other than their disciples and families. Moreover, since Roenn had been living as an assassin, he didn¡¯t think he would teach his technique so easily. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s difficult for me to answer that question. I can¡¯t really reveal all of my thoughts, after all.¡± Roenn scratched his chin and smiled. ¡°But if I were to be a bit honest, Sir Raon is interesting to watch and help.¡± ¡°What?¡± His lips unconsciously parted because of his unexpected answer. ¡°When you didn¡¯t manage to incorporate your will into the sound earlier, you were thinking about what the problem was and how you could fix it, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I was.¡± Raon nodded. Roenn was right. He had been wondering why he had failed to incorporate his will into the sound. ¡°Most people would¡¯ve asked a question before thinking about it by themselves. It¡¯s extremely rare for anyone to seek the answer by themselves in that situation. That¡¯s why I wanted to help you.¡± Roenn¡¯s expression was totallyposed. The wavering that he¡¯d shown a moment ago waspletely gone. ¡°I-Is it okay if I¡¯m also here to listen, Sir Roenn?¡± ¡°Of course. I was nning to teach Lady Yua about it soon, anyway.¡± Since Yua had learned an aura cultivation technique from Roenn, he must¡¯ve been nning to teach both of them at the same time. ¡°I wish for you to create sounds of your own by improving the Sound Fragrance Art even further.¡± Roenn smiled, then told them the principles of the Sound Fragrance Art. ¡°Huff!¡± Yulius exhaled roughly while looking at the three people having a nice time together. ¡°Did you forget about me by any chance¡­?¡± * * * When it was almost time for lunch, Runaan left her room and went to House Sullion¡¯s training grounds. ¡°Oh, Runaan!¡± Rokan Sullion had been watching the swordsmen practice in the training ground, and hurriedly came running at Runaan as soon as he saw her. ¡°Are you already going to practice when you only just returned yesterday? It¡¯s okay to rest for today.¡± Since Rokan was nning to quickly finish practice in order to enjoy a snack with Runaan, he stood in her way with a troubled expression on his face. ¡°No.¡± Runaan simply shook her head. Her eyes were nk, but a strong determination was glowing from inside. ¡°I even prepared ice cream, though.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± A small crack appeared in Runaan¡¯s determined expression from hearing the phrase ¡®ice cream¡¯. ¡°I-It¡¯s still not okay. I¡¯m going to save the ice cream forter.¡± After a moment of hesitation, Runaan covered her ears and turned around. ¡°Huh, she even refused the ice cream¡­¡± Rokan gasped. The fact that Runaan refused the ice cream meant that it was an emergency. There must¡¯ve been a serious problem. ¡°Wh-What happened? Did you get hurt or something?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°I need to get stronger.¡± Runaan tightened her lips while grasping Snow Flower¡¯s hilt around her waist. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rokan bit his lip. He could understand why Runaan even refused the ice cream in order to practice. ¡®It must be because of that damn Raon.¡¯ Runaan must¡¯ve been trying to catch up to Raon¡¯s astonishing growth. ¡°Runaan, it¡¯s honestly difficult to catch up to that Raon bastard, I mean, Raon. You should leave a monster like him alone, and walk your own path where you stand¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Runaan tilted her head. ¡°W-Weren¡¯t you going so far as refusing a snack in order to practice to catch up to Raon?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± Rokan¡¯s mouth widened because of her unexpected answer. ¡°I¡¯m going to protect Dad, Mom, and the other people.¡± Runaan calmly announced that she wanted to protect everyone in the house. ¡°P-Protect?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to protect everyone, so that he will never be able toy his hands on them.¡± She nodded with her hands gathered together. ¡°Huff!¡± Rokan fell on his knees while grasping his chest. His heart would¡¯ve popped out if he didn¡¯t do that. ¡°Kuh, she¡¯s back! My kindhearted daughter is back!¡± He was so excited that he felt like he could fly, since his daughter was paying attention to her family once again instead of Raon. ¡°Raon! You bastard! In the end, our daughter chose me instead of yo¡­¡± ¡°Why do you keep mentioning the damn handsome Raon?¡± ¡°Huh? D-Damn handsome?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how he is described. Simrly, you can also say ¡®freaking handsome¡¯.¡± Runaan casually exined the expressions ¡®damn handsome¡¯ and ¡®freaking handsome¡¯. Encia¡¯s teaching by rote was super effective. ¡°So, you are telling me that Raon¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Raon is freaking handsome and damn handsome.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± Rokan bit his lip. He wanted to deny that, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. When he saw Raonst time, he could only describe him as handsome even from a man¡¯s perspective. ¡®No! It doesn''t matter!¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter whether Raon was handsome or not. The return of his daughter¡¯s attention was already good enough. ¡°Runaan, why did you suddenly decide to protect your family?¡± Rokan asked her a new question in order to return Runaan¡¯s attention to himself. However, he shouldn¡¯t have asked that question. ¡°The damn handsome Raon said it. He said I have to protect my family with my own hands. I¡¯m definitely going to protect Mom and Dad.¡± Runaan gave him a big nod, then went to a corner of the training grounds to swing her sword. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Rokan¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched her walk away. ¡°Wh-Which means¡­ Her attention didn¡¯t actually return to me¡­¡± She only said that because of that damn Raon bastard, right? He was happy because her attention had returned. He¡¯d figured that she finally got tired of Raon, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Runaan had actually be aplete believer of Raon¡¯s words. ¡°God daaaamn it!¡± Rokan shouted towards the sky. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill myself.¡± He grasped the sword¡¯s hilt with a vacant expression on his face, as if he had given up on everything. ¡°I just want to die!¡± ¡°Uaaah!¡± ¡°Stop him!¡± ¡°Grab him!¡± House Sullion¡¯s swordsmen, who had been watching the situation, quickly ran up to him and grabbed his four limbs. ¡°Let me go! I can¡¯t live like this! How could a punk like him influence my cute and lovely Runaan?!¡± The swordsmen got swept away by Rokan¡¯s enraged movements. ¡°Th-The mistress! Call the mistress!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Since only one person was capable of stopping him, the swordsman closest to the mansion started to run towards the mansion swiftly. ¡°Damn handsome.¡± Runaan kept swinging her sword while murmuring the words she¡¯d learned from Encia, not caring about what was happening around her. * * * * * * One week had passed since Raon learned the Sound Fragrance Art. The principles of the Sound Fragrance Art became the line connecting aura and sound to their killing potential, and he became capable of stopping a low-rank swordsman¡¯s movements with a single footstep. Raon prepared to draw his sword and controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy. He raised the wrist of the hand that was grabbing the hilt slightly, drawing Heavenly Drive. Whir! Friction appeared between the de and the scabbard, and the thunderous sound of sword resonance spread out at the same time. Bam! The soundwave spreading out in an instant created a huge wave in theke in front of him. A deep cavity appeared at the center of theke, as if a magic explosion had urred, before spouting the blue stream of water up like a fountain. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the water drops falling down like rain. ¡®It¡¯s not enough.¡¯ He got somewhat used to incorporating aura and killing power into sound through the Sound Fragrance Art, but he wasn¡¯t getting much progress beyond that. Haa, it¡¯s enough! What do you even mean, ¡®it¡¯s not enough¡¯? Wrath popped out while covering his ears because Raon was too noisy. I haven¡¯t been able to sleep for a whole week because of you. Please, stop it already! ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Raon inclined his head towards Wrath. Even though Wrath was just a tenant, Raon immediately apologized since it was the minimum courtesy to be had. The King of Essence can tell that your current technique is on the same line as that old man¡¯s demonstration. Since yourck of proficiency should be resolved over time, please stop and sleep already! ¡®Ah! I see.¡¯ Raon pped his hands and grabbed the hilt once again. Nooooo! You just said. ¡®I see¡¯! Why are you holding your sword? ¡®I understood what I wascking.¡¯ You are a demon! Raon drew Heavenly Drive while ignoring Wrath¡¯s scream. The sound created from friction advanced to sh theke diagonally with the aura¡¯s support. ¡®I did it!¡¯ He¡¯d made the sound and aura even faster by mixing the principles of swift sword into the principles of the Sound Fragrance Art. Raon unconsciously smiled, since it was his first sess at incorporating a swordsmanship¡¯s principles into sound. What the hell?! Wrath also realized that fact and his jaw dropped. H-How did you do that so quickly¡­? ¡®You gave me a hint.¡¯ Huh? ¡®It¡¯s a difference in proficiency. Since I¡¯m more proficient with a sword than the Sound Fragrance Art, I focused more on swordsmanship than sound.¡¯ He¡¯d increased the speed of sound and aura by drawing the mental image of shooting an extremely fast sword aura. The sess was all thanks to Wrath¡¯s hint about proficiency and his mention of how mental image could solve all problems. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon waved his hand at Wrath with a grin on his face. Ah, it was the King of Essence¡­ The King of Essence¡¯s mouth did it¡­ Wrath smacked his own mouth and sank to the ground. ¡®Next up.¡¯ Since he managed to incorporate the principles of swiftness into sound, he wanted to try heaviness next. He grabbed his hilt once again with that goal in mind. ¡°Young master.¡± Judiel¡¯s voice could be heard from behind him when he was about to draw his sword. ¡°I brought some snacks.¡± She said, cing a food tray on the table. However, there was a thin piece of paper ced under the cake¡¯s te. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon wiped his hand with a handkerchief before sitting at the table. He drank a cup of tea before opening the booklet ced underneath. ¡°The Gambling Monster was originally part of Zieghart¡¯s direct line and one of the elders, but his current affiliation is obscure.¡± Judiel¡¯s eyes became serious. ¡°Obscure?¡± ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t know about it either, since it happened a long time ago, but he apparently gained freedom through some kind of negotiation with the head of house. Even though he currently has the Zieghart name, he doesn¡¯t exactly belong to Zieghart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why he was able to travel throughout the continent as he wished.¡± Raon nodded while turning the page. There were countless stories about his strange actions as he traveled throughout the continent with his excellent skills in gambling, drinking, and martial arts. ¡®And the Promise of Three is the best among them.¡¯ The most famous story was the Promise of Three, and it was a promise that the Gambling Monster would grant any wish of the person who gained his acknowledgment in terms of gambling, drinking, and martial arts. Countless people challenged it, yet no one had ever seeded, and the Gambling Monster was still looking for victims to make fun of. ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was such a strange person in Zieghart.¡± He couldn¡¯t understand at all why he returned to the house after going through all the trouble to leave. The booklet didn¡¯t mention anything about it, either. ¡°That is still unknown, since the Gambling Monster doesn¡¯t tend to reveal his personal stories. He usually likes to travel around, but he¡¯s currently staying for a rtively long period of time here.¡± ¡°I know the reason for that. Of course he would want to stay here with the doormat elf periodically offering money for free.¡± Raon chuckled. He would also want to stay here forever if the doormat elf came to give all of his money every time he got his sry¡ªor, rather, every time he got any kind of money. ¡°Is the young master nning to achieve the Promise of Three with the Gambling Monster?¡± ¡°Yes. I need to take back the money because he took too much.¡± ¡°Gambling is a problem, but the Gambling Monster is extremely good at drinking. To my knowledge, the young master has never even had a drink before. I¡¯m sure he will realize it if you are nning to remove the alcohol with aura.¡± Judiel frowned in worry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I never get drunk.¡± Raon shook his hand. In fact, his confidence wasn¡¯t based on his high alcohol tolerance. ¡®I have the Ring of Fire.¡¯ One of the Ring of Fire¡¯s effects kept his body and mind in peak condition. Since even Glenn was unable to discover about the Ring of Fire, there was no way the Gambling Monster would realize its effect. ¡®Drinking isn¡¯t a problem.¡¯ The result was pretty much decided if hepeted against the Gambling Monster, since while the Ring of Fire would keep cleansing his body, the intoxication would keep piling up little by little for the Gambling Monster. The gambling was the same, since there was no way he would lose with the pushover¡ªor rather, the demon king¡ªnext to him. ¡®The real problem is¡­¡¯ The martial arts. He needed to gain his recognition on the third bet, which was martial arts, in order to ask him to grant his wish. ¡®I¡¯m far from being enough.¡¯ Raon ced the teacup down and stood up. He had Wrath for gambling, and the Ring of Fire for drinking, but he didn¡¯t have anything for martial arts. All he could do was improve himself through training. Raon returned to theke and drew his sword. A thunderous noise burst from the silver de to crush the center of theke. Judiel bowed at Raon, then silently stepped back to leave. * * * Three weekster. Raon was still standing in front of theke. He waspletely immobile as he looked down on theke for a long time. He almost looked like he was appreciating the scenery. He nodded and ced his hand on his sword¡¯s hilt. It looked like he had finally made up his mind. The moment his eyes glowed in a different color, his hand flowed like a cloud. Shring. The sword was drawn. Unlike the creepy sound of friction that previously took ce, the smooth sound of cutting through tofu advanced alongside a refined sword resonance. The sharp de produced a clear sound into the world, but nothing changed. There were nothing more than small ripples on theke, created by a gentle wind. Raon¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest as he returned Heavenly Drive to its scabbard. At that moment¡ª Baam! A huge explosion urred from the center of theke, and the water spurted high enough to reach the clouds. ¡°I did it.¡± Raon tapped on his scabbard and smiled. He had just seeded in using the principle ofpression. It was a new special technique consisting ofpressing the aura sound to create a huge explosion by using the soundpression method mentioned in the Sound Fragrance Art¡¯s application. He managed to incorporate the swordsmanship¡¯s principle into the martial art of sound through his sleepless training for the past three weeks, and he got used to the new principle he¡¯d learned. He unconsciously clenched his fist, as he felt like his efforts finally bore fruit. I¡¯m seriously bored to death. Wrath emerged from the bracelet like smoke. His eyes were slightly bloodshot as he looked up. Aren¡¯t you getting bored after repeating the same thing every day? ¡®I¡¯m having fun though.¡¯ There was no way he would be bored when he could feel his progress every day. He was just having so much fun. Please move on now! Gambling, drinking, or whatever¡ªjust finish them quickly and offer some ice cream to the King of Essence! ¡®You don¡¯t need to tell me. I was nning to go anyway.¡¯ Raon nodded. Even though he wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the Gambling Monster, he waspletely confident that he could gain his recognition. Raon took the outer garment he had hung on a chair and went towards the annex building. But where did all the money that you¡¯ve been raking in so far go? Don¡¯t you need that money to gamble against him? Wrath curiously tilted his head. ¡®I have it in my wallet.¡¯ Wallet? But you don¡¯t bring a wallet around with you. ¡®I called it, so it should be here soon enough.¡¯ A-Are you telling me that a wallet ising? What kind of madness¡­? ¡°Ah, over there.¡± Raon raised his finger and pointed towards the garden. ¡°Vice-squad leader!¡± Dorian was running towards him while waving his hand. He¡¯d gained some weight during the rest period. ¡°It¡¯s over there. He¡¯s my wallet.¡± Raon grinned, while looking at Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. Huh¡­ Wrath shook his head at Raon as he casually called a human being his wallet. Is he seriously human? He definitely looked like he should be in Devildom instead¡­ Chapter 230 Roenn was standing halfway up the North Grave Mountain, gasping while watching Raon. ¡®He ended up learning it.¡¯ It didn¡¯t even take a month for Raon to learn the Sound Fragrance Art, and even mix in his own martial art. ¡®No, he did more than that.¡¯ He didn¡¯t just further develop the Sound Fragrance Art using his other techniques. Raon also used the Sound Fragrance Art to increase his swordsmanship¡¯s proficiency. It was still imperfect, but the fact that he¡¯d managed to achieve all of that in a single month left Roenn unable to close his mouth. ¡°What did you think about it? My lord.¡± Roenn turned around and called out to Glenn, who was standing with his hands behind his back. ¡°He must¡¯ve taken the principles ofpression from the Sound Fragrance Art.¡± Glenn¡¯s cid voice sounded like he didn¡¯t really care about it, but the corners of his mouth were soaring to the sky. ¡°That boy doesn¡¯t simply follow a well-paved road. He¡¯s a greedy one who creates an even better path by utilizing what he has.¡± ¡°I agree with you.¡± Roenn nodded with a faint smile on his face. Just as Glenn said, Raon was a monster capable of improving a martial art¡¯s rank itself through endless efforts and excellent talent. ¡°The way he created sound with a sword draw and sword resonance was truly original. Since he¡¯s using two different sounds, it will be difficult for his opponent to figure it out, while also being easily applicable for other uses. I think he¡¯s going to create a nice technique.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not wrong¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s smile deepened, and his movement became bigger as Roennplimented Raon. ¡®Seriously.¡¯ Roenn smiled faintly while watching Glenn¡¯s reaction. ¡®He¡¯s so dishonest.¡¯ The way he was so pleased to hear thepliment to his grandson was definitely the reaction of a doting grandfather. ¡®It would be nice if he could be a bit more honest.¡¯ He was aware of the reason Glenn was keeping his distance from Raon and Sylvia, but that was one thing he agreed with Rimmer about. He was hoping that Glenn would open his heart to them before it was toote and recover their rtionship. ¡°Judging from how fast he is progressing, he should be able to create his own martial art in around half a year if he keeps training regrly.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes were sparkling in anticipation of his grandson¡¯s growth. ¡°And that half a year isn¡¯t the time it takes for him to learn a martial art. It¡¯s actually almost scary that he can create a new technique in such a short time.¡± Roenn gasped while looking at theke that had regained its peace. ¡°However, no matter how skilled he is, he still won¡¯t stand a chance against Sir Herrian.¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s name was Herrian Zieghart. Although it was a long time ago, his skills had even gained Glenn¡¯s recognition. It was simply impossible for Raon to win against him. ¡°He won¡¯t even get topete in martial arts.¡± Glenn briefly clicked his tongue. ¡°Let alone drinking, he won¡¯t even be able to pass in gambling.¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s gambling skills were famous throughout the continent, as his nickname implied. There was no way Raon would win against him, not with the poor gambling skills he learned from Rimmer. ¡°And¡­¡± Glenn turned around after watching Raon until he was gone. ¡°He should learn how to drink from the elders. Ahem!¡± He briefly cleared his throat before disappearing like smoke. ¡°Huhu.¡± Roenn smiled faintly while looking at the ce Glenn had disappeared from. ¡°Of course, it would be best for him to learn from his grandfather.¡± * * * Raon arrived at the gambling house that Rimmer had told him about before with Dorian, who was trembling in fear. ¡°A-Are you really going in there?¡± Dorian was violently shivering while looking at the entrance of the gambling house. ¡°Gambling Monster! It¡¯s the Gambling Monster, famous throughout the continent for his gambling skills! He¡¯s different from the riffraff you¡¯ve won against so far!¡± Dorian violently shook his head, telling him to stop. ¡°They weren¡¯t exactly riffraff.¡± Raon smiled at him. The gamblers that he¡¯d destroyed before were pros among pros. It was all thanks to Wrath that he¡¯d won against them, and such an overwhelming difference wouldn¡¯t have been possible without him. ¡°Take it easy and follow me.¡± Raon tapped Dorian¡¯s shoulder and entered the gambling house. Even though they were in broad daylight, the gambling house was filled with people and the lively atmosphere felt dark and dreary. ¡®She said he would be at the center.¡¯ ording to Judiel¡¯s information, the Gambling Monster would always y in the center of the gambling house. Raon looked around the center and found arge table, where many people had gathered. ¡°Ah!¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened after examining the table. It wasn¡¯t because he¡¯d found the Gambling Monster, but because the red-haired elf sitting on the outer side of the table looked too familiar. ¡°Kuaaah! Damn it!¡± The red-haired elf, Rimmer screamed while pulling on his hair. He must¡¯ve gone broke once again after betting money he got from somewhere. ¡°I was so close again! Goddamn it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny that you keep challenging me without getting tired, just like a zombie.¡± Hearing the mockery from a slightly shrill voice, Raon looked at the side opposite of Rimmer. A ck-haired giant with broad shoulders was grinning at Rimmer, cards between his fingers. ¡®He must be the Gambling Monster¡­¡¯ ck hair and red eyes. His body was as huge as a monster¡¯s and heinous tattoos covering his body¡ªthat was the exact appearance from Judiel¡¯s information. The manughing like a beast was the Gambling Monster, Herrian Zieghart. ¡®He¡¯s stronger than I expected.¡¯ Raon frowned. He expected him to be rusty because he was rumored to be a gambling and drinking addict, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. Even though he was simply standing andughing, there was an unbelievable number of energy waves emanating from him. ¡°If you are broke, then take off all your clothes and get out.¡± Gold coins were piled up in front of him like a mountain. He must¡¯ve also won against people other than Rimmer. That was another special aspect of Gambling Monster, since he always used gold coins for gambling instead of chips. ¡°Damn it! I¡¯ll be back! I¡¯ll return no matter what!¡± Rimmer stood up after sounding like a third-rate viin. ¡°I-It looks like the squad leader lost all his money again. Are you really going now? I don¡¯t want to witness both my squad leader and vice-squad leader going broke!¡± ¡°I¡¯m different from our squad leader.¡± Raon briefly licked his lips before walking forward. He sat at the opposite seat of the Gambling Monster, which became empty after Rimmer left. ¡°Let¡¯s y a game.¡± Raon smiled, meeting the Gambling Monster¡¯s red eyes. ¡°You are still wet behind your ears. This is not a ce a kid like you should be.¡± ¡°Oh! He¡¯s the Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Why is the youngest Master of the continent here?¡± ¡°No way, did hee to take revenge for his squad leader?¡± He didn¡¯t even need to introduce himself, since other people did it for him. ¡°R-Raon?¡± Rimmer widened his eyes. He had already thrown away his clothes and was in the middle of taking off his shoes. ¡°Did you reallye here?¡± ¡°What else? Would I have identallye here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, you punk!¡± Rimmer came running at him and grabbed his shoulders. ¡°That guy really is the worst! He¡¯s never going to let you go as long as you still have money to be taken away! Stand up right now!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m simr to him.¡± ¡°Huh? Th-That¡¯s actually true¡­¡± He murmured that the two of them were really simr. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Gambling is nothing but a starting point.¡± ¡°Are you really¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to do it. The Promise of Three.¡± Raon nodded with a refreshing smile on his face. ¡®Because it¡¯s a great opportunity.¡¯ The money Rimmer had lost obviously had to return to him, and his real objective was to tell the Gambling Monster his wish bypleting the Promise of Three. ¡°Are you Raon Zieghart, the famous youngest Master in the continent¡¯s history?¡± The Gambling Monster apparently didn¡¯t know his face and only heard about him from the rumors. That much was expected from someone who didn¡¯t belong to Zieghart anymore. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Raon nodded while sitting back in his chair. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good name you¡¯ve made. But what you need in a gambling house isn¡¯t reputation, but mone¡­¡± ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon interrupted the Gambling Monster and called on his wallet, or rather, Dorian. ¡°Phew.¡± Dorian sighed and put his hand inside his belly pocket. When his hand came back out, he was holding five heavy bags. Swaa! Raon opened the bags and poured everything on the table. ¡°There are five hundred gold coins. I believe this is enough, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You know what¡¯s up, buddy.¡± The Gambling Monster licked his lips while looking at the pile of gold coins on the table. However, the emotion reflected in his eyes didn¡¯t seem to be desire. ¡°You said you are challenging the Promise of Three, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you aware that you have to leave all your clothes here before getting kicked out if you lose?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded. The loser had to leave everything behind before getting kicked out, and that was why Rimmer always looked so miserable after his attempts. ¡°Alright, I ept your Promise of Three.¡± He nodded, then ced his hand on the table. The card between his fingers was swaying. ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he the youngest challenger ever?¡± ¡°He is! No one would try the Promise of Three at eighteen years of age!¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy! It¡¯s a match between the Frostfire Sword of Valor and the Gambling Monster!¡± ¡°Shall we start gambling on them, too?¡± ¡°But the first match is gambling, not a duel. I don¡¯t think he will even reach the drinking match, since he won¡¯t be able to pass the first¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. He can¡¯t possibly have much experience in gambling, since he¡¯s only eighteen years old.¡± ¡°Oh no, I wanted to watch a fight between them¡­¡± People were enjoying thepletely unexpected match, but started to lick their lips in regret upon realizing that Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to pass the gambling and drinking trials. ¡°What kind of gamble do you prefer? Cards? Dice? Roulette?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders while smiling. ¡°I like your confidence. In that case, let¡¯s start with poker.¡± The Gambling Monster smiled in a simr manner and took the cards. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a piece of advice, since it¡¯s your first time. This ce has different rules than the outside. It¡¯s okay if you cheat, since the one that didn¡¯t find out is the one that¡¯s stupid and wrong. Do you understand?¡± He swayed his card again between his fingers. It seemed to be his habit, but it was extremely irritating. ¡°In short, cheats and tricks are justice as long as they aren¡¯t found out.¡± ¡°What if I manage to find out those tricks?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pointless to discuss something impossible.¡± ¡°In that case, will you have a match of pure skills with me if I manage to find out your tricks?¡± ¡°Haa, some people just can¡¯t understand.¡± The Gambling Monster sneered, shaking his head. ¡°Alright, do it if you can.¡± The corners of his lips rolled up as he told Raon to try whatever he wanted. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Raon called upon Wrath while watching the Gambling Monster shuffle the cards. A blue light emerged from the bracelet. ¡®It¡¯s your turn. Please find everything that can be used for cheating on the Gambling Monster¡¯s body.¡¯ I don¡¯t want to. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Finding everything would be too muchpared to what the King of Essence has received. Wrath briskly turned his head around in refusal. ¡®Why now?¡¯ Raon was confused about his sudden change of behavior, since he¡¯d been acting like he would do it for him. Raon controlled his expression to prevent the Gambling Monster from finding out, calling upon Wrath once again. ¡®You told me toe here quickly, since you were going to help.¡¯ It¡¯s already toote! ¡®I had no other choice, since I needed to be prepared.¡¯ You are asking me to find out all of that well-concealed energy after making me wait for an entire month. No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s not fair for the King of Essence. That¡¯s why¡­ Wrath lowered his voice, implying that he wanted something else. Raon swallowed nervously, expecting him to ask to hand over his body. ¡®I can¡¯t do that right now, though.¡¯ He was wondering what he should do, since it was an impossible request¡­ However, what Wrath actually said waspletely different from what he was worried about. One more bead ice cream shall be added. The King of Essence wants three boxes of bead ice cream! Wrath dered that he wanted ice cream in a majestic voice that made it sound like he was about to conquer the world. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon closed his eyes before quickly opening them again. ¡®I-Ice cream?¡¯ Yes! And all of them shall be chosen to fit the King of Essence¡¯s taste! It was unbelievable, but that was a request he was more than willing to grant. ¡®I got it, and I¡¯ll even add one more box!¡¯ The King of Essence will do his best! Wrath bounced towards the Gambling Monster. Since his perception was far beyond a human¡¯s level, there was no way Wrath wouldn¡¯t find out about the tricks even though Rimmer was deceived by them. First of all, this ring. It seems capable of removing sound. And this ne has the ability to distract one¡¯s vision. ¡®I can see how he¡¯s going to use them.¡¯ He likely nned to remove the sound upon dealing from the bottom of the deck, and the ne should¡¯ve been useful to distract his opponent the moment he cheated. Considering the fact that the mana flowing from them was extremely faint, to the point that he couldn¡¯t even sense them, they must¡¯ve been the highest-grade artifacts created for the sake of gambling. The tattoo on the back of his hand is also strange. It seems to be connected to the cards. The mana is too faint, and the King of Essence only managed to figure out through its scent. ¡®Alright.¡¯ Raon nodded, then raised his chin. ¡°Sir Gambling Monster, you should take off your ring and ne for now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s hand stopped as he went to distribute the cards. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°I told you to take off your ring and ne.¡± Raon precisely pointed out the ring and ne that had the special abilities. ¡°They are just cosmetic¡­¡± ¡°The ring on the index finger of your right hand is capable of reducing sound when you want, and the ne can distract one¡¯s vision. You should stop with those poor excuses.¡± ¡°¡­How did you find out?¡± The Gambling Monster stopped smiling for the first time. He was rolling his eyes with a trembling chin, as he couldn¡¯t believe he was found out. ¡°I have pretty good senses.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shrugged. Senses? Bullshit! It¡¯s the King of Essence¡¯s power! Wrath shook his hand, telling him to stop his bullshit. ¡°S-Seriously?¡± ¡°Did he just discover the Gambling Monster¡¯s tricks right away?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± ¡°I-Is it even possible to discover the tricks when the game hasn¡¯t even started yet?¡± The spectators¡¯ jaws dropped as they watched Raon instantly figure out the Gambling Monster¡¯s secrets. ¡°Ha, alright. I said I would stop cheating if you found out, so I¡¯ll keep my promise.¡± The Gambling Monster took off his ne and ring and ced them on the edge of the table. ¡°If you are going to stop cheating, you should also erase that.¡± Raon pointed at the tattoo at the back of the Gambling Monster¡¯s hand. ¡°I know you can check my cards by using that.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± The Gambling Monster cackled and rubbed the back of his hand. The tattoo that looked like it would stay there forever disappeared like it had never been there. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± Although he was discovered cheating, he didn¡¯t look embarrassed at all. The way he sounded suggested that it had merely be slightly annoying as he dealt the new cards, showing that he didn¡¯t be famous throughout the continent for no reason. ¡°Then let¡¯s get started now.¡± The Gambling Monster giggled, distributing the cards. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the card between the Gambling Monster¡¯s fingers. ¡®Cheating is justice as long as no one finds out¡­ Which means, I¡¯m going to be the justice today.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon was holding his cards, and the Gambling Monster rubbed his fingers while staring into Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®Does he believe that he will be able to win against me as long as I don¡¯t cheat?¡¯ There were some idiots in the world who believed that cheating was all he did to reach his current position. However, he only cheated to make it easier to extort money from the newbies, and reading his opponent¡¯s thoughts was what determined the victor in a game between real pros. The senses he had at his young age were certainly surprising, but it was simply impossible for him to win. It wouldn¡¯t take long until all of his expressions and actions would be analyzed, and he got kicked out. ¡°Shall we take it easy for the first match with a hundred gold coins?¡± The Gambling Monster pushed a hundred gold coins onto the table without even looking at his cards. He was testing his opponent¡¯s reactions and what kind of decisions he would make. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon nonchntly checked his cards and poured a hundred gold coins into the center of the table. ¡°Let¡¯s check now.¡± The Gambling Monster revealed his hand. There were multiple cards with the same number, meaning that he had three of a kind. ¡°Back straight. I won this round.¡± Raon¡¯s hand was a back straight, with numbers going from one to five. He took two hundred gold coins for himself with a faint smile on his face. Even though the Gambling Monster had just lost a hundred gold coins, he lookedpletely unaffected. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter how much I lose, since I¡¯ll be the winner in the end.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t nicknamed the Gambling Monster for no reason. He was confident that he was the best at reading his opponent¡¯s thoughts, in martial arts and gambling alike. ¡°I¡¯ll distribute the cards this time.¡± Raon mixed the cards and distributed the cards. Once again, the Gambling Monster observed Raon¡¯s expression instead of looking at his cards. ¡®The face expresses without talking.¡¯ People¡¯s expressions showed a lot more than what they said, and it became most noticeable while gambling, since all kinds of emotions were involved. It was pretty much a piece of cake for him to read the thoughts of a youngster like him. ¡°Two hundred gold coins.¡± The Gambling Monster pushed twice as much money in than he did the first time. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon didn¡¯t refuse either, pouring all of the money he¡¯d won into the center of the table. The Gambling Monster revealed his cards. He had one pair, and when he looked ahead to check Raon¡¯s cards, he had two pairs. ¡°I won this time as well.¡± Raon took the cards again with a small smile on his face. ¡°Nice, let¡¯s continue.¡± The Gambling Monster smiled. Money was the most fearsome weapon. He was expecting Raon¡¯s face to show his ruin as the amount of money on the table increased. However. After they¡¯d yed ten games, the Gambling Monster¡¯s confidence had be as faint as mist. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ The Gambling Monster silently groaned. ¡®What the hell is this guy?¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter whether Raon had a good hand or a bad hand, his expression didn¡¯t change at all. He couldn¡¯t read his thoughts at all, as if he was wearing a mask. ¡®I can¡¯t believe an eighteen-year-old can have those expressions.¡¯ His expressions were so faint that he almost felt like he was facing a veteran gambler, spy, or assassin rather than an eighteen-year-old boy. ¡®Moreover, I¡¯m the one losing all my money right now.¡¯ The scores were even at 5:5 after ten matches, but he was the one who lost money overall. Whenever he had good cards, Raon somehow knew like a demon and didn¡¯t call, or simply bet a small amount of money and never lost anything. The Gambling Monster checked his cards without showing his agitation. ¡®One pair.¡¯ With two cards having the same number, one pair was a bad hand. Since the number was a five, it even had a low rank. However, he wanted to try destroying Raon¡¯s nd expression. ¡°1500 gold coins.¡± The Gambling Monster bet as many gold coins as Raon had, pouring them onto the table. He examined Raon¡¯s eyes, which were reflecting the dazzling gold color. ¡®Huh? Howe I can¡¯t see any anxiety?¡¯ Raon¡¯s red eyes didn¡¯t waver even though he was looking at the gold coins piled up like a mountain. They werepletely peaceful, just like they¡¯d been so far. ¡°I call.¡± Raon poured out all his gold coins. His calm eyes almost looked like he was drinking a cup of tea. ¡®What does he even have in his hand? Straight flush?¡¯ Since he decided to bet 1500 gold coins at once, he must¡¯ve had at least four cards or a straight flush. He chewed the inside of his cheek and waited for Raon to reveal his hand. However, his hand was far from what he¡¯d expected. ¡°O-One pair?¡± Raon¡¯s hand was one pair, just like him. However, the number was six, which was ranked higher than his five. ¡°I won.¡± Raon threw the two six cards on the table and smiled. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± ¡°Did they just wager 3000 gold coins in total for two one-pairs?¡± ¡°Th-They¡¯re crazy! They¡¯re both insane!¡± ¡°By the way, hasn¡¯t the Frostfire Sword of Valor been winning this whole time?¡± ¡°I know, right? The Gambling Monster is losing one-sidedly!¡± The spectators nervously gulped while looking at the gold coins soaring to the ceiling on Raon¡¯s side. ¡°I-It must be beginner''s luck. It¡¯s not going tost for a long time.¡± ¡°Yes, the situation¡¯s going to be reversed any time now. Just you wait!¡± ¡°The Gambling Monster is a slow starter! He¡¯s only getting started now!¡± The people who still believed in the Gambling Monster were bbering that it was only getting started, but they all fell silent after they yed five more games. ¡°How is this possible¡­?¡± The Gambling Monster couldn¡¯t stop himself anymore and widened his mouth. He won three games out of the five, and only lost two games, yet Raon was the one who won more money overall. There weren''t even fifty gold coins left on his side of the table. ¡®How is this happening¡­?¡¯ It was the first time it had happened to him. No matter how good his beginner¡¯s luck was, it was impossible to dodge every single time he had a good hand. ¡®Wait¡­ No way!¡¯ The Gambling Monster swallowed nervously. ¡®Did he manage to read my thoughts?¡¯ If he kept losing money while his opponent won a lot, despite having 5:5 in odds, the reason was obvious. Raon had managed to read him through his expressions and reactions. ¡°Ugh.¡± He raised his head while forcing himself to manage his expression. Raon¡¯s serious eyes were directed at him. Facing his clear crimson eyes was giving him goosebumps. ¡®One thing¡¯s for sure. He knows what cards I have.¡¯ There was the only way to exin all of his losses. ¡°You must¡¯ve done something!¡± ¡°Did I do something?¡± Raon calmly smiled, just like when he received his cards. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Stop lying. Look how I keep losing money when we have the same scores! I¡¯ve gambled countless times before, but this has never happened!¡± ¡°No, I really didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Because Sir Gambling Monster said it himself. It¡¯s not cheating if you don¡¯t get found out. It¡¯s justice.¡± Raon grinned while smoothing down the gold coins piled up next to him. ¡°The one who gets tricked is the idiot.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The Gambling Monster unconsciously crumpled the cards in his grasp. Chapter 231 ¡°Uwaaah!¡± Rimmer unconsciously screamed in a strange voice. ¡°He won! Raon won!¡± He raised his tightly clenched fist while looking at the 3,000 gold coins piled up in front of Raon. ¡°Hey, guys! He¡¯s our Raon! My student did it!¡± Rimmer ced his arm around the shoulders of the spectators that he¡¯d never seen before and started to dance in a circle. ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± As he kept calling Raon¡¯s name, the other spectators in the gambling house also started to shout his name. ¡°Huuh!¡± Rimmer looked like he was crying and smiling at the same time as he wept. ¡®It wasn¡¯t just a mere victory, it was andslide victory!¡¯ Rimmer had never once won against the Gambling Monster in his countless challenges, yet Raon had discovered all of the Gambling Monster¡¯s tricks and tricked him in return. That boldness filled him with amazement. ¡°If I¡¯m lucky¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips. ¡®I might be rich once again.¡¯ There was a bet on the counter a moment ago about who was going to win, Raon or the Gambling Monster. Rimmer had bet on Raon¡¯s victory in all three of the matches using all of his hidden money, and he had even borrowed money from Dorian to do so. He was filled with anticipation, as he would be rich once again at that rate. ¡°Raon! Defeat him! Show them the power of Zieghart¡¯s Light Wind Squad! I believe in yooou!¡± Rimmer shouted Raon¡¯s name until his throat started to bleed. * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while observing Rimmer¡¯s shabby appearance, which even a beggar would have tried to avoid. ¡®I don¡¯t know about the Light Wind Squad¡¯s power, but you are showing everyone the Light Wind Squad¡¯s shabbiness.¡¯ He was pretty amazing in a way, since he didn¡¯t seem ashamed of himself at all despite his miserable state, even though he was the leader of one of Zieghart¡¯s armed organizations. ¡®Judging from what he¡¯s doing, he must¡¯ve bet on me.¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s eyes were filled with greed as he cheered for him. Raon was certain that he¡¯d bet on his victory with money he¡¯d been hiding somewhere. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect my words toe back to bite me.¡± The corners of Gambling Monster¡¯s lips rolled up on the sides. As a gambler, he was trying to manage his expression¡ªbut the card pile in his hand had already turned into dust. He must¡¯ve felt unbearably upset. Raon smiled faintly while looking at the fluttering pieces of card. ¡®I never liked how he was holding his card, but he crumpled it on his own.¡¯ He¡¯d been disliking the way the Gambling Monster was swaying the card between his fingers, and it felt so nice to see him crush it on his own ord. Hmph! Stop being so proud of yourself! Wrath frowned in displeasure. It¡¯s all thanks to the King of Essence, who told you about that ogre man¡¯s hand! ¡®Of course. I know that. That¡¯s why I was thinking about what ice cream I should buy to make you happy.¡¯ Raon nodded at Wrath, who had turned grumpy from theck of attention. R-Really? In that case, is there anything more you want from the King of Essence? Tell me, whatever you want! Wrath nodded, telling him to make any request. Raon simply smiled at Wrath¡¯s behavior. He really was the Giving Wrath, after all. Four boxes of ice cream for ordering a demon king around was crazy cheap. Such efficiency shouldn¡¯t exist anywhere else in the continent. ¡®It¡¯s okay now.¡¯ After all, it looked like the card game was over. The Gambling Monster wasn¡¯t a fool. Since he realized Raon was cheating, there was no way they would continue with the poker game. ¡°My words came right back to bite me. I¡¯ve never experienced such humiliation before.¡± The Gambling Monster grinned pleasantly. Even though he waspletely irritated, he was barely expressing it on the outside. He was a natural gambler indeed. ¡°Let¡¯s stop with the cards and I¡¯ll make my decision.¡± ¡°Decision?¡± ¡°Yes. My decision to acknowledge you.¡± ¡°I thought it was already over, though?¡± Raon tilted his head. He thought the game was obviously over, since there weren¡¯t many gold coins left on the Gambling Monster¡¯s table. ¡°Of course not.¡± The Gambling Monster pped his hands, and the spectators made way for the dealers toe and pour the gold coins on the table. It was roughly as much as the 3,000 gold coins he¡¯d won so far. ¡°This is 3,000 gold coins. Let¡¯s use that to finish the gamble between you and me.¡± ¡°I guess we aren¡¯t using cards, right?¡± ¡°Of course not. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d walk straight into the unknown trap of a cheater.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an unknown trap. It¡¯s justice.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Since that was what he¡¯d said, his face twisted as if he had chewed on rotten food. ¡°The method is simple.¡± The Gambling Monster picked up the gray cup that was ced in front of him. He poured the liquor inside on the ground, then mmed it on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll ce three dice in this cup.¡± He extended his hand, and the dealer on his right side ced three white dice inside the cup. Tap! Tap! Tap! The Gambling Monster shook the cup like a bartender before mming it on the ground. Once he picked up the cup, the dice had different numbers of spots¡ª3, 5, and 6¡ªfacing the sky. ¡°It¡¯s a dice game where you guess the numbers on the dice inside the cup. This is my favorite gamble, since it¡¯s simple and intuitive at the same time.¡± That dice game was popr throughout the continent, and Raon had already yed it in Cameloon¡¯s underground casino. ¡°Let¡¯s continue until one of us guesses the correct answer.¡± The Gambling Monster pushed 3,000 gold coins to the center of the table, suggesting that they would see the end of it. ¡®Dice.¡¯ Since there were three dice, the number went from 3 to 18. It was almost impossible to guess the correct answer on the first attempt, but he wouldn¡¯t get a second chance. He was certain that the first attempt was going to be his final one. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Nope. Wrath returned to his wrist after examining the cup and the dice. The cup and dice are all ordinary. He shook his head, saying that there was no trick to them. ¡®So, he¡¯s counting on his skills.¡¯ Since the Gambling Monster was unable to cheat nor figure out Raon¡¯s tricks, he must¡¯ve been nning to finish it with his own technique. ¡°Woow!¡± ¡°The dice are the best finishers!¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple, yet it¡¯s so heart-wrenching.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to finding out whether the Frostfire Sword of Valor¡¯s gambling skills are going to work with the dice or not.¡± ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s going to ept the match.¡± ¡°Of course he will. He can¡¯t continue with the Promise of Three if he doesn¡¯t.¡± The spectators were watching them in anticipation, expecting him to ept the gamble. ¡°Alright. In that case, let me suggest something.¡± Raon nodded, then looked at the Gambling Monster sitting beyond the mountain of gold coins. ¡°You have a suggestion?¡± ¡°Since you chose the game, let me call the number first and raise the cup. Is that possible?¡± Those two suggestions were one of the few methods to stop an opponent¡¯s tricks. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°He¡¯s gotta ept it.¡± ¡°Yes. Since the Frostfire Sword of Valor epted the game of dice, he¡¯s entitled to make such a demand.¡± ¡°Indeed. The Gambling Monster is the one shaking the dice, after all.¡± The spectators nodded in agreement with Raon, saying that the Gambling Monster had to ept the conditions. ¡°Alright. However, you should take off all your artifacts beforehand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡± Raon nodded, then gave all of the equipment and artifacts that he had equipped to Dorian. He pushed forward the 3,000 gold coins he¡¯d won, filling the entire table with golden waves. The nervous gulping sounds of the people around them could be heard from all around the table. ¡°I¡¯ll shake the dice now.¡± The Gambling Monster separated the three dice on the table, then shook the cup to take them in one by one. The sound of dice hitting the cup was like the majestic ensemble of an orchestra, and it suddenly stopped when the Gambling Monster stopped his hand. ¡°It¡¯s your turn, just like you wanted.¡± Hepletely took his hand off the cup, implying that it was all up to Raon. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon exhaled faintly, then sat back in his chair. This has to be the King of Essence¡¯s turn once again. Wrath got ready to fly like a reliable eagle. ¡®No, this is my turn.¡¯ What? How are you nning to see that? He asked, then added that Raon didn¡¯t even have time to differentiate between the sounds likest time. ¡®I have the thing you gave me instead.¡¯ That I gave you? What are you talking abou¡­Ah! Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped. N-No way¡­ ¡®Yes. The Evil Eye of Wrath.¡¯ Wrath cursed him with his eyes, and Raon took out his anger from the bottom of his soul while looking at his eyes. ¡®I have a see-through ability now, you know?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t maintain the Evil Eye of Wrath during the poker game because itsted for a long time, but it was possible with the dice game since there was only one round. ¡®And¡­¡¯ He expected that the dice inside the cup wouldn¡¯t be in an ordinary state. It was necessary to confirm with his own eyes. ¡°Hmm?¡± The Gambling Monster felt strange and frowned, but he only tilted his head since he couldn¡¯t exactly grasp what was wrong. ¡®So, he can¡¯t feel it after all.¡¯ The angry emotion must¡¯ve been the only thing he¡¯d sensed. Raon felt relieved and drew the wrath into his eyes. Enduring the pressure in his eyes¡ªwhich felt like they were going to explode¡ªhe focused his gaze on the cup. Whir. The steel cup opened up, and the insides were revealed. ¡®Huh.¡¯ Raon gasped. ¡®That¡¯s pretty smart of him.¡¯ The three dice inside the cup were piled up on top of each other like a tower, and there was only one spot facing the sky, which came from the topmost dice. However, the tower of dice was extremely unstable. The topmost dice was touching the cup, and it was bound to copse if the cup was removed straight up. ¡®He made a double trap just in case I might figure out the number on the dice.¡¯ The first trap was to pile the dice into a tower to create the number one, which was normally impossible to get, and the second trap was to copse the dice upon removing the cup to create a new number in case Raon guessed one. The Gambling Monster must¡¯ve controlled the angle of dice so that they would fall into a number that he expected. His dexterity was truly amazing. ¡®It¡¯s pointless though.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly. Since he figured out all of his tricks through the Evil Eye of Wrath, it was pointless against him. Personally examining the inside of the cup was the correct decision. ¡°Do you need more time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with one.¡± Raon nodded lightly. ¡°One? Why is he calling one? It should be at least three.¡± ¡°I know right? Why is he doing that now? That¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°But it can be one if the dice pile up into a tower!¡± ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s possible? It¡¯s just impossible!¡± ¡°It¡¯spletely possible if you take into ount the Gambling Monster¡¯s dice skills.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not an average gambler, after all.¡± The spectators swallowed nervously, wondering about the oue. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Gambling Monster scratched his chin while looking at the cup. Raon admired his nerve of steel that allowed him to maintain his expression even though he¡¯d said the right answer. The Gambling Monster closed his eyes before opening them again, then nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go with twelve, then.¡± He finished his calction and raised his hands. He meant to say that he wasn¡¯t going to y any tricks. ¡°I¡¯m raising it now.¡± Raon moved his hand towards the cup. Not a single breath could be heard, and he could feel that every gaze in the gambling house was following his hand. Tap. He slightly tilted the cup to the left side as he raised it. He could feel the dice touching the right side of the cup being pushed to the other side. ¡°Ugh!¡± Alongside the Gambling Monster¡¯s agitated groan, the steel cave opened up and the dice were revealed. The three dice were forming a tower, and only one spot was facing the sky. * * * * * * ¡°Woaaaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s one! He really guessed right when it¡¯s just one!¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane! That¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°This is how you gamble!¡± ¡°Wow! He just won 6,000 gold coins with that number one!¡± ¡°The Gambling Monster just lost all of the money that he¡¯s won here so far!¡± The spectators burst into cheers as if they were the ones who won the gamble. They were excited by the fact that the underdog Raon had defeated the Gambling Monster, who was an absolute being when it came to gambling. Tap. Raon furtively pushed the dice to make them form the number that they would¡¯ve gotten if he didn¡¯t pay special attention while opening the cup. The first and second dice fell on the ground to make up to twelve spots in total. As he expected, everything fell under the Gambling Monster¡¯s calctions. ¡®That¡¯s a nice expression he has.¡¯ Contrary to the shining gold coins, the Gambling Monster¡¯s face looked like he¡¯d just eaten shit. He must not have expected Raon to figure out both of his tricks. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s face gradually turned red. He apparently stopped trying to hold himself back, since the bet was over. ¡°How did you even figure it out?¡± ¡°I just thought about it. About why you suggested this method, and what your n would be.¡± Raon picked up one of the gold coins filling the table, then continued. ¡°Since I humiliated you, you must¡¯ve wanted to return the humiliation. Because you would be prepared for all scenarios, I thought you would make the number one for the dice, as that¡¯s not something people would normally think of, and make the dice touch the cup just in case I did figure it out.¡± Although he actually found out through the Evil Eye of Wrath, it was easy to make up a believable excuse. The Gambling Monster¡¯s face gradually turned pale as he listened. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Were they actuallypeting with tactics there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that they are both crazy. How did they even think about something like that?¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± The souls left through the gamblers¡¯ eyes as they heard Raon¡¯s exnation. ¡°D-Did you actually predict that?¡± The Gambling Monster bit his lip tightly. ¡°Yes. I was counting on your gambling skills.¡± Raon nodded calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve been in the palm of your hand from start to finish.¡± ¡°I was just lucky.¡± ¡°Kuaaaaah!¡± The Gambling Monster bent his body backward and shouted. The roaring from hisrge body shook the entire gambling house. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Gambling Monster exhaled deeply as he lowered his head. His face looked like he had lifted a weight off his mind. ¡°You are the first person to make me lose so much money and sanity.¡± He nodded, then opened his big hand to point at the gold coins piled up on the table like an ocean. ¡°Take them. You deserve them.¡± The Gambling Monster stood up, while saying that he acknowledged Raon. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded, then checked the mountain of gold. ¡®6,000 gold coins¡­¡¯ It would be difficult to use up that amount even if he lived in luxury for the rest of his life. It looked like he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about money anymore. ¡®Let¡¯s start by expanding the annex building.¡¯ Raon decided on the first expenditure and looked aside. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes? Ah, yes!¡± Dorian was just standing there, unable to close his mouth in astonishment. He hurriedly came to the table to pour all of the gold coins into his belly pocket. ¡°L-Let me help you too!¡± Rimmer quickly came towards them and took the gold coins. He put half of them into Dorian¡¯s belly pocket and the other half into his pants, but Raon didn¡¯t say anything¡ªhe just needed to take them backter. ¡°The Frostfire Sword of Valor won the first match of the Promise of Three.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a really long time since thest time I saw Sir Gambling Monster lose a bet. I think it¡¯s been over ten years.¡± ¡°I wonder if the Promise of Three will finally be conquered today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We¡¯ve got the drinking match next. I¡¯ve never seen him get drunk before.¡± ¡°You said that before the gambling match as well. We don¡¯t know who¡¯s going to win until it happens.¡± The spectators licked their lips in anticipation for the second match. Smack! The Gambling Monster, who¡¯d been thinking about something while staring at the sky, kicked the emptied table. Therge table destroyed the ceiling and flew away. Although he looked like he got a weight off his mind, he also looked extremely angry. ¡°Let¡¯s start the second match now. Bring the White Dragon!¡± Following the Gambling Monster¡¯s hand gesture, a round table and a huge pot were brought out from the inner part of the gambling house. The pot was filled with liquid that was as transparent as water. ¡°This liquor is called the White Dragon. It¡¯s so cool that it feels like your blood has been frozen.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the transparent liquor brimming inside the pot. ¡®He brought a strong one.¡¯ Just like the saying, ¡¯deeper ocean is darker, and stronger liquor is more transparent¡¯, the White Dragon was one of the three strongest liquors on the continent. He really must¡¯ve wanted to win, considering he brought that one out when the liquor was often called poison. ¡°You lose if you use aura or an artifact to remove the intoxication.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡± ¡°I like your answer.¡± The Gambling Monster filled arge bucketpletely by scooping up the liquor from the pot. ¡°The side dish will be here soon. Let¡¯s get started with the first shot!¡± He poured the White Dragon in the bucket into his mouth without any hesitation. ¡°Kaah!¡± The way he wasughing while showing his teeth after swallowing such a strong alcohol gave Raon goosebumps. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed, then rotated the Ring of Fire. Feeling the heat inside his heart, he scooped up the liquor with a bucket and slowly gobbled it down. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± It felt like a fireball was passing through his mouth and throat. It wasn¡¯t tasty at all¡ªit was just painful instead, full of the stench of alcohol. He felt dizzy from drinking the extremely strong liquor at once, but the Ring of Fire resonated to disintegrate the alcohol¡¯s poison in an instant. ¡®As expected. I can easilyst for a long time now. The Ring of Fire was relieving the pain in his mouth and throat, on top of removing the intoxication. It was more than tolerable, since it could be considered training to increase the Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency. Ssh. Raon looked at the Gambling Monster sitting in front of him, who went ahead and scooped up with the bucket a second time. His eyes were wavering significantly, just like the liquor inside the pot, since he didn¡¯t expect Raon to be so unaffected. ¡°A-Are you really okay?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad.¡± Raon nodded after drinking all of the White Dragon inside the bucket. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now, Sir Gambling Monster.¡± Raon grinned and raised his hand. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The Gambling Monster scowled, then picked up his bucket. ¡°Fine! This contest isn¡¯t going to end today until one of us copses!¡± He dered, then poured the liquor into his mouth from the bucket. Raon smiled while watching his trembling throat. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but the one who is going to copse has already been decided.¡¯ While intoxication had no effect at all on him, the pain and intoxication would keep umting on the Gambling Monster¡¯s side, little by little. It was already obvious how the match would end. However, there was apparently more than one person who had to copse. Kueeeh! It¡¯s disgusting! It¡¯s too strong! It hurts! Wrath screamed while grasping his neck. Why would anyone drink something like this? It feels like my tongue is burning! He was rolling on the ground in pain, since he shared Raon¡¯s sense of taste. ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯ Raon decided that he would buy everything Wrath wanted afterwards. Chapter 232 The Gambling Monster furrowed his brow while watching Raon gobble down the White Dragon as if it was water. ¡®There¡¯s no way this is right.¡¯ Even arge monster would throw up the undiluted White Dragon because it was such a strong alcohol. No matter how outstanding a Master¡¯s stamina and regeneration were, it wasn¡¯t a liquor that a human being could tolerate¡ªand yet, the young man was casually pouring the White Dragon into his throat as if he were drinking tea. ¡®What the hell is that bastard¡­?¡¯ He could understand his gambling skills, since he could¡¯ve learned them from some expert living in seclusion on the continent. It was rather unbelievable, but he couldpromise somehow. However, the pure White Dragon wasn¡¯t something he could handle with luck or skills. He couldn¡¯t believe that the youngster who didn¡¯t look like he had ever had a drink before was drinking even better than himself. ¡°Are you not drinking?¡± Raon grinned at him after easily clearing his bucket. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now, Sir Gambling Monster.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The Gambling Monster ground his teeth and picked up the bucket. He poured the liquor into his mouth, suppressing his boiling emotions. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± It was so strong. The liquor was supposed to be taken slowly after diluting it, yet he was drinking it pure¡ªand quickly. It wasn¡¯t an enjoyable experience at all. It was simply painful. He wanted to give up, but his pride wouldn¡¯t let him back down. He forced himself to stiffen his trembling hand, then kept draining his bucket. ¡°Kuah! I-It¡¯s your turn!¡± The Gambling Monster put down the bucket with a strange smile on his face. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me. I was going to drink anyway.¡± Raon emptied his bucket with aposed smile on his face, just like when he was gambling. His soft smile made it look like he wasn¡¯t experiencing any pain at all. ¡®He¡¯s not using aura to erase it, either.¡¯ Raon¡¯s aura wasn¡¯t moving at all, just like when he was gambling. It was staying still inside his energy center as if it were sleeping, yet he didn¡¯t even look tipsy. He looked like he was just drinking water. ¡°Hiee! How does liquor smell so strong?!¡± ¡°The scent alone is giving me pain. How are they even drinking it?¡± ¡°Augh, I don¡¯t even want to get close.¡± ¡°They are both so tough!¡± The spectators couldn¡¯t even endure the two people¡¯s breath after drinking and had to step back. ¡°You are pretty good at drinking, too. What kind of liquor do you usually enjoy?¡± The Gambling Monster asked Raon in order to catch his breath. ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is my first time drinking.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully while filling his bucket with liquor. ¡°The way it warms up my throat doesn¡¯t feel too bad. I can understand why people like to drink.¡± He easily emptied his bucket once again, as if he was trying to prove what he said. ¡°Huh? Huuh?¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s feignedposure was ruthlessly shattered. ¡®First time?¡¯ Did he just say it was his first time? He couldn¡¯t believe that he was drinking White Dragon so easily when it was his first time. ¡®No, he¡¯s telling the truth¡­¡¯ He could tell since he¡¯d been gambling with that monstrous guy until a moment ago. He must¡¯ve been telling the truth when he said it was his first time. ¡®What the hell is this monster?¡¯ Monster wasn¡¯t even enough to describe him. He was more like an unknown being. ¡®Even so, I can¡¯t lose here! I¡¯ll never lose!¡¯ The Gambling Monster¡¯s pride spoke up, since he didn¡¯t lose to anyone when it came to gambling and drinking. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be defeated by someone who was drinking for the first time. ¡°Bring one more pot of liquor!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Gambling Monster suppressed the pain from his stomach, which felt like an internal injury, and red at the second pot that immediately came out. Since his pride was at stake, he needed to endure with sheer willpower. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon frowned slightly upon seeing the second pot. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are scared now.¡± ¡°No way, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this is going to be enough, so let¡¯s prepare an extra pot.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s chin was trembling violently. The bastard must¡¯ve been insane beyond imagination. He could feel the intense trembling of his hands, but he couldn¡¯t show weakness. ¡°Y-You¡¯re right about that. Alright! Bring one more!¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s all the White Dragon we have.¡± ¡°Bring something else then! Bring the strongest liquor you have!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The subordinates were way too obedient for some reason. They could¡¯ve brought some moderate alcohol, but the evenrger pot they brought contained a liquor with a simr percentage of alcohol as the White Dragon. ¡°Let¡¯s resume the match.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± It was almost irritating how easily Raon was emptying his cup. ¡°Kuh!¡± The Gambling Monster barely managed to empty his cup, clenching his teeth while looking at Raon. ¡®I¡¯m never going to lose! I won¡¯t be defeated, even if I have to die!¡¯ * * * Raon suppressed hisughter while looking at the Gambling Monster. ¡®He looks like he¡¯s going to die.¡¯ The Gambling Monster waspletely wasted, and the focus was almost gone from his eyes. He was barely fighting off the intoxication with his willpower, but he didn¡¯t look like he wouldst for much longer. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now. Drink.¡± He couldn¡¯t even articte properly. It looked like he¡¯d reached his limit. ¡®That¡¯s pretty amazing.¡¯ The White Dragon and the liquor brought out after that both had high enough alcohol percentages to make people drunk from the scent alone. It was amazing that he could maintain his consciousness after drinking them like water. ¡°D-Drink it, dude.¡± Considering he was calling him dude, his consciousness must¡¯ve been hanging off a cliff. ¡°Sure.¡± Raon smiled pleasantly, then easily emptied his bucket. Cring! The Ring of Fire was still rotating and dissipating the strong intoxication that entered his body. ¡®I¡¯m killing two birds with one stone.¡¯ He could only smile because of the strangeness of the situation. The proficiency of the Ring of Fire was increasing during the drinking contest against the Gambling Monster. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening right now?¡± ¡°The Frostfire Sword of Valor doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s drunk at all. He¡¯s even smiling now!¡± ¡°Is this really his first time drinking?¡± ¡°B-But the Gambling Monster looks like he¡¯s dying¡­¡± ¡°How is this even happening?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even expect that this drinking session wouldst until morning.¡± The spectators¡¯ chins were trembling as they looked back and forth between the faltering Gambling Monster¡ªwho resembled a broken marite¡ªand thepletely unaffected Raon. ¡°D-Did you just smile?¡± The Gambling Monster barely managed to bring the liquor to his mouth with his trembling hand. He could only drink half of it since he was dropping the other half, but Raon didn¡¯t really bother interrupting him. It didn¡¯t even matter at that point. However, there was someone else who was suffering as much as the Gambling Monster. Kueeeh! Wrath screamed like a dying pig and stuck his tongue out. Please stop! Please stop already! You demonic bastard! Wrath¡¯s face had turnedpletely pale from the drinking contest, whichsted from evening to morning. When is this torture going to end? I won¡¯t eat any ice cream anymore! I won¡¯t eat any food, either, so please stop drinking already! He also went insane because of the strong liquor. Raon ended up unintentionally torturing Wrath. ¡®Just endure a little longer¡­¡¯ How long is that little? I¡¯m really going to die! You really are a devil! Wrath grasped his head and rolled on the table, saying that it was the worst torture he¡¯d experienced so far. ¡°Kuh, i-is it my turn?¡± The Gambling Monster scooped up the liquor with trembling shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll do it with you.¡± Raon filled his bucket at the same time as the Gambling Monster, raising it. ¡°Shall we toast? Since we haven''t done that yet.¡± ¡°F-Fine. Bring it on!¡± Raon brought his bucket forward, and the Gambling Monster clinked the sses with a trembling hand. Raon easily drank the liquor, and the Gambling Monster¡¯s hand violently trembled as he drank. Smash! Along with the pleasant sound of shattering ss, the Gambling Monster copsed onto his back. At the same time, Wrath, who was supporting his chin on the table, also fell to the ground. ¡°You devil¡­¡± You devil¡­ The man and demon king murmured the same thing before closing their eyes. They both seemed to have fainted, since rough breathing was all that could be heard from them. [Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency has increased.] Raon put down the cup while reading the message. He nodded while smiling nonchntly. ¡®The second trial has been cleared!¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°H-He also won the drinking match¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the copsed Gambling Monster. ¡°Squad leader! Sir Raon has also won the second trial!¡± Rimmer was just standing nkly next to him. Dorian grabbed him by his cor and started screaming. ¡°Why is he so good at everything?¡± He¡¯d just won against the Gambling Monster, who was famous throughout the continent for his gambling and drinking skills, by an overwhelming difference. Even though he was aware of how special Raon was, he¡¯d never expected that to happen. He felt like he was dreaming. ¡°Woaah!¡± Although he felt like he¡¯d turned into Raon¡¯s wallet somehow, he cheered for him because he got excited for some reason. ¡°Uuuh!¡± Rimmer¡¯s clenched fist was trembling. ¡°It¡¯sing. It¡¯sing!¡± ¡°What? What¡¯sing?¡± ¡°My golden age ising back!¡± He slowly caught his breath while suppressing his excitement. ¡®He just needs to win one more time.¡¯ He¡¯d wagered all of his hidden and borrowed money on Raon¡¯s sess at the Promise of Three. Since he was the only person who bet on it, the gain was bound to be tremendous if he won. ¡°Please¡­¡± Rimmer gathered his hands while looking at Raon, who was just staring at the copsed Gambling Monster. ¡®Oh, my god of wealth! Please bestow on me the golden rain!¡¯ * * * While Raon finished removing the small amount of intoxication left in his body using aura, white steam was endlesslying from the Gambling Monster¡¯s body, which was lying on the ground. Tssh! An extremely powerful scent of alcohol covered the entire gambling house once that smoke spread out, and the poor drinkers among people copsed at once. That was because the Gambling Monster was removing all of the intoxication in his body with aura. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Gambling Monster sighed after just raising his upper body. He sighed a second time after slowly raising his head to look at Raon. ¡°I lost.¡± He conceded his defeat with a scowl that suggested that he didn¡¯t want to ept it. ¡°I even lost the drinking match after the gambling one. I honestly feel like I was possessed by a devil.¡± The Gambling Monster looked up at the hole in the ceiling that he¡¯d created himself. The sunlight was pouring in, as if it were stretching after the night. ¡°Let me ask you one question.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Was that really your first time drinking?¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s face was serious. He must¡¯ve been really curious about that part. ¡°Yes.¡± It was my first time in my current life. Raon honestly nodded. F-Finally. Wrath raised his head while faltering. It¡¯s finally over! Uaaah! He knelt on the ground and raised his open hands, just like a prisoner who managed to break out of prison. ¡°I never thought I would suffer an overwhelming defeat in gambling and drinking by an eighteen-year-old boy. I¡¯ll admit everything.¡± The Gambling Monster slowly raised himself. He gestured with his chin. ¡°Let¡¯s start the third trial. Follow me.¡± * * * Raon was standing at the open area behind the gambling house alongside Rimmer and Dorian. ¡°I know that you are a Master, but that¡¯s not enough for me.¡± The Gambling Monster slowly turned his wrists and ankles to warm himself up before the match. ¡°I want to ask you to win against me to pass this trial because of the humiliation I received in the drinking and gambling contests, but I shouldn¡¯t ask you to do the impossible.¡± He raised his thick finger. ¡°I¡¯m going to first confirm if you have enough skills topete against me in martial arts. Come at me. I¡¯ll give you proper conditions if you manage tond an attack on me, or if I like your strike.¡± ¡°Are you really going to be okay when you¡¯ve just regained consciousness?¡± Raon tapped his scabbard with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Ugh, I didn¡¯t fall unconscious. I was just resting for a moment.¡± The Gambling Monster frowned and shook his head. Raon could perfectly read his expression after having been with him since the afternoon of the day before. The Gambling Monster was really embarrassed about it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s say that was the case.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just saying it. It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± While the Gambling Monsterined, Raon ced his hand on the hilt and lowered his posture. It was the sword draw position. ¡°You are rather conservative, even though you are young.¡± The Gambling Monster chuckled, pointing his sword forward. Despite his size, the sword wasn¡¯t much bigger than Heavenly Drive. ¡®He thinks that I¡¯m going for a sword draw.¡¯ He was just preparing to block a swift strike. He must¡¯ve thought that Raon was obviously nning for a sword draw. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon briefly exhaled. ¡®This is a good opportunity.¡¯ He was nning to use the martial arts of sound instead of the sword draw. It was his new technique that could tear apart his ear with the principles of extreme swiftness. Raon lightly grabbed the hilt. He kicked the ground while enjoying the pleasant cold sensation filling his hand. The aura that had be sturdier after passing through the middle energy center dashed through the mana circuits all around his body. The silver de became a tempest and soared, all while grazing the end of his scabbard to create an intense sword resonance. Whir! The real part was only getting started. Raon added the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy to the sound spreading through the atmosphere. Even though the sound was bending like lightning, he delicately controlled its direction to strike the Gambling Monster¡¯s ear¡ªmore specifically, the vestibr organ inside of it. Pssh! The sword wind exploded inside the Gambling Monster¡¯s ear, but he only faltered instead of copsing. However, his widened eyes almost looked like they would pop out in astonishment. Thud! Raon noticed his opening, then used Supreme Harmony¡¯s second step. The moment he soared like a flower petal carried by the wind, the Gambling Monster quickly collected his mind and thrust his sword towards Raon. His energy, undting in the air, looked like it would crush the sky. Rumble! The sword strike was so powerful that a storming sound could be heard from the aura. Raon twisted Heavenly Drive to deflect his sword, then shed with Sword of Insanity. ¡°Khmm!¡± The Gambling Monster retrieved his sword in an instant and pummeled down right after. The pressure felt like a mountain was falling down on him, and the Gambling Monster apparently had no intention of going easy on him. Cring! Raon¡¯s sword swayed in the shape of the moon and created an arc in the air. The wave of astral energy spread to push back the Gambling Monster¡¯s sword, creating a small cut on his sleeve. m! Raon and the Gambling Monster were pushed back at the same time by the following collision between the swords. ¡°I-It¡¯s not an aura de, but sound? Is this a martial art of sound?¡± The Gambling Monster widened his eyes, not caring about the cut on his sleeve. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Raon nodded. He didn¡¯t need to hide it, since it had already been discovered. ¡°Hmm, I never imagined you would use the martial art of sound.¡± The Gambling Monster frowned while grasping his left ear, where the sound had exploded. He¡¯d managed to defend himself at thest moment, but he still must¡¯ve taken a decent amount of damage. ¡®I guess he would, since I hit his vestibr organ.¡¯ The vestibr organ was an organ that dealt with one¡¯s sense of bnce. Since it was too close to the nervous system and could cause dizziness, it was impossible for the Gambling Monster to show his normal performance after getting hit there. If Raon hadn¡¯t used the martial art of sound as his first strike, he would¡¯ve been defeated from the second sh. ¡°Tsk.¡± The Gambling Monster clicked his tongue while looking at his severed sleeve. ¡°It looks like I underestimated you once again.¡± He closed his hand and opened it before he nodded. ¡°I apologize. Gambling, drinking, and martial arts. You are qualified to clear the Promise of Three.¡± ¡°That was a very fast acknowledgement.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I never thought someone like you would exist in the world.¡± The Gambling Monster chuckled, then raised both of his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s start thest exam now.¡± He extended his sword in a reverse grip. ¡°Thest exam is an escape.¡± ¡°Escape? Where am I escaping from?¡± Raon looked around. He couldn¡¯t understand what kind of escape he was talking about when they were in an open area. ¡°From here.¡± The Gambling Monster pointed at the ground with his sword in a reverse grip and pointed at the sky with his fingers joined together. ¡®That posture¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s jaw dropped, because there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize the posture. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s voice resounded from all directions. ¡°The ck de.¡± The Gambling Voice¡¯s shrill voice could be heard as the world was covered in darkness, not giving him any time to escape. ¡°Try to escape from my world.¡± Chapter 233 It was dark. Darkness was the only thing he could see, as if he were forcefully closing his eyes. Raon squinted his eyes. ¡®Is this the Gambling Monster¡¯s Sword Field?¡¯ The Gambling Monster¡¯s name was Herrian Zieghart. Since he was originally one of the elders, and his extreme skills had far surpassed Master level, it wasn¡¯t strange for him to be capable of creating a Sword Field. ¡®However¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t expect him to create a Sword Field like that. The pitch-ck darkness was as peaceful and calm as the abyss. It was far different from the Gambling Monster¡¯s rowdy personality that he saw during the gambling and drinking. ¡®I can¡¯t tell what my position is.¡¯ Not only could he not see anything, he also couldn¡¯t smell, hear, nor feel anything. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ He controlled his aura to spread the aura perception that he¡¯d been relying on even more than his vision recently. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®What is happening¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t move his aura perception. The aura simply dissipated like smoke upon leaving his body, instead of spreading around to the outside. He tried it one more time, but he couldn¡¯t move his aura at all upon leaving his body. ¡®Is it because of this space?¡¯ The ck Sword Field must¡¯ve been stopping his aura perception. ¡®In that case.¡¯ He controlled the energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, imbuing Heavenly Drive with it. The me covering the crimson de waspletely unwavering, unlike his aura perception. ¡®Is this field just blocking my aura perception?¡¯ There were no issues with the other five senses either. The Gambling Monster¡¯s Sword Field seemed capable of minimizing the effect of aura perception without affecting anything else. ¡®How curious.¡¯ He had the same thought when Rimmer was ying the Blood Raving Demon, but the Sword Field Creation felt different in nature. What a strange barrier. The joints are crude, but the interior ispletely full. Wrath nodded with his arms crossed. It looked like the field had piqued his interest. The King of Essence will solve this problem for you. Let¡¯s finish this quickly and go eat the bead ice cream¡­ ¡®Don¡¯t do it.¡¯ Raon firmly shook his head. The King of Essence said it was crude, but that¡¯s in his standard. It¡¯s going to take a pretty long time for you to dismantle it and leave. ¡®Even so, I need to do it myself.¡¯ It was different from the gambling and drinking matches. He needed to gain the Gambling Monster¡¯s acknowledgement with his own martial arts in order to remain proud in front of him. ¡®Stay inside, since I won¡¯t take that long.¡¯ Tsk. You are being stubborn for no reason. Wrath clicked his tongue, then returned to the bracelet. ¡®He told me to escape.¡¯ Even though the Gambling Monster told him to try escaping from his world, he couldn¡¯t find any exits, nor any method to leave. He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how he was supposed to leave. ¡°Huu.¡± Raon calmly caught his breath, then wielded Heavenly Drive. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be making the first move.¡¯ Darkness was the only thing he could see, his aura perception waspletely useless, and the ce was pretty much his opponent¡¯s home field. Since the situation was too disadvantageous for him, moving was the worst thing he could possibly do. ¡®That¡¯s why¡­ I need to move.¡¯ The Gambling Monster must¡¯ve beenpletely aware of his reaction. Rather than standing still to be an easy target, it was better to try understanding that ce by moving around. He lowered his posture to be ready to swing his sword anytime, he slowly started walking. He decreased his stride to one fourth of his usual one, advancing as slowly as a turtle. Five steps. Ten steps. And thirty steps. He¡¯d reached the end of the dark world, but there were no obstacles nor attacks. The dark space waspletely empty. ¡®Just what¡­?¡¯ Raon frowned. A sense of anxiety crept along his spine, as the situation was too different from his expectations. Where did the Gambling Monster go? Why was he not attacking? How was he supposed to escape? His head was filled with all kinds of questions. ¡®Shall I try to shatter this field?¡¯ He thought about trying to destroy the field by using Frost Pond, me Dragon Art, or the Heavenly Heavy Cannon, but he immediately discarded the idea. He wouldn¡¯t be able to respond if the Gambling Monster attacked him while he was performing a powerful attack. The only thing he could do in the given situation was to remain vignt and move around. Relying on his five senses, as he was unable to use his aura perception, kept him nervous to the point that his head started to hurt. He even felt like he was seeing hallucinations in the darkness surrounding him. Tap. Tap. The moment he returned to his original position at an extremely slow pace, he could hear something falling to the ground. It was a familiar sound. It was the sound of three dice rolling on the ground. Once the sound stopped, the numbers 5, 3, and 6¡ªa total of fourteen spots¡ªappeared on the dark ground before disappearing. ¡°Fourteen?¡± As he stayed alert while looking at the ground where the spots had disappeared, the darkness in front of him split like a tidal wave and a huge human figure appeared. The swordsman had his pitch-dark ck hair tucked behind his ears, and a wild appearance that exposed iron muscles. He was the Gambling Monster, Herrian Zieghart. ¡°How daring of you. It must be because you are still young.¡± The Gambling Monster raised his chin and chuckled. ¡°You actually decided to move in this space.¡± ¡°What were the dice just now?¡± Raon loosely grabbed Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt, prepared to swing it at any moment. ¡°That¡¯s up to you to find out.¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s mouth curled up as he raised his sword. ¡°Do whatever you can to try surviving now!¡± He crushed the ground and started dashing. A dark glow was covering the de that was falling towards Raon¡¯s side. sh! Raon incorporated the principles of Fangs of Insanity into Heavenly Drive, thrusting it at lightning speed. The paining from the shockwave that burst from the collision between the two swords made it feel like his skin was getting torn apart. ¡°Haap!¡± Raon endured the pain and took a step forward with his left foot. He used Heavenly Drive, which was glowing with a crimson light, to deliver a heavy strike. m! The extremely heavy strike pushed the Gambling Monster back as if he were sliding on ice. ¡®I need to continue.¡¯ Since the Gambling Monster was at a much higher level than him, it was necessary to push ahead when he had the chance. ¡°Ack!¡± When he turned around to use the me Spirit of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, he could feel a heated pain from his side. When he looked aside, he noticed blood flowing down from a long cut in his uniform. ¡®What¡¯s happening? I was sure I blocked that. His vision wavered, as he didn¡¯t expect that to happen. He couldn¡¯t understand why blood was flowing down from his side when his defense was perfect. ¡°Can¡¯t you even defend properly?¡± The Gambling Monster chuckled as he charged at him. The thrusting sword multiplied into ten and dashed towards the vital points all over Raon''s body. ¡®Illusion sword!¡¯ He¡¯d heard that the illusion sword was the Gambling Monster¡¯s specialty. It must¡¯ve been true, since all ten of his swords looked extremely sharp without exception. Thud! Raon stomped the ground. The raging energy drawn out from his knees brushed past his middle energy center to dwell inside Heavenly Drive. The me of astral energy gathering on his de spread out like a fan to create a circr astral barrier. ng! The collision between the astral de and shield created a tremendous shockwave. Inside the wavering darkness, the Gambling Monster withdrew one step, while Raon took five steps back. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon looked down and frowned. Blood was gushing out from thecerations on his left forearm and right thigh. ¡®Just how¡­?¡¯ Those were indeed the Gambling Monster¡¯s targets, but his defense was perfect. He couldn¡¯t understand how he got those wounds when he¡¯d managed to block all of the strikes he saw, and the Gambling Monster¡¯s de hadn¡¯t even reached his skin. Drip, drip. The blood flowing down from his forearm and thigh were creating ripples on the ground, where the blood from his side was gathered. It almost looked like it was representing Raon¡¯s confusion. ¡°Are you confused?¡± The Gambling Monster smiled, twirling his sword. His deep smile made it look like he was trying to make up for the smile he¡¯d lost during the gambling and drinking. ¡°You must be wondering, ¡®why did I get hit when I¡¯m sure I managed to block his aura and sword?¡¯ Right?¡± ¡°Since you know how I¡¯m feeling, are you giving me a hint?¡± ¡°No way.¡± The Gambling Monster raised his sword once again. ¡°Because it¡¯s your fault for being tricked!¡± The ck light covered the Gambling Monster¡¯s de like darkness. The thrust from the ck de spread out like a kaleidoscope topletely fill his vision. ¡®This is not a simple illusion sword.¡¯ Even though it was an illusion sword, it contained more power than a powerful sword. There was a good reason why his nickname was famous throughout the continent. Whir! Raon increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output to the maximum. He leaned forward, thrusting Heavenly Drive. The me seeping inside the de surged like a turbulent wave and the me dragon¡¯s roar burst out. Crack! With the thunderous noise of crushing steel, Raon bounced back. ¡°Ack¡­¡± Raon groaned slightly as he grasped his shoulder. Red blood was gushing out from both of his shoulders. ¡®That one was dangerous.¡¯ The shoulder was right next to the neck. If the attack was directed a bit more to the left or right, he would¡¯ve lost his head. He raised his head and looked at the Gambling Monster. His eyes, as vicious as a starving wolf, revealed that he had no intention of going easy on him. Raon thought he might really end up dying if he couldn¡¯t figure out the secret of the space. ¡°Fear is filling your eyes.¡± He raised his chin. He looked like he was enjoying the situation where he had the upper hand. ¡°You are still so bad at reading people.¡± ¡°You should give up instead of bluffing. You can¡¯t leave this ce.¡± ¡°Give up? What does that mean?¡± Raon straightened his spine. A faint smile appeared on his face as he equipped the Blue and Red Ring on his finger, the one that Dorian had returned to him. ¡°Stop talking ande at me.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Wh-What is this now?¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while looking at the ck spherical space that had swallowed Raon and the Gambling Monster. ¡°The ck de. It¡¯s the Gambling Monster¡¯s Sword Field Creation.¡± Rimmer warmed up his neck with his arms crossed. ¡°S-Sword Field Creation? The Gambling Monster can use Sword Field Creation?¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? He¡¯s an old man that was originally part of the senate. That¡¯s not a big deal.¡± He shrugged his shoulders, telling him that it wasn¡¯t something to be surprised about. ¡°Why has he been drinking and wandering around the continent when he¡¯s part of the senate?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s not affiliated with Zieghart. No, I should say that he¡¯s half-affiliated with them.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± Dorian¡¯s mouth widened. He couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying at all, because it was an unimaginable story. ¡°Why is he not with Zieghart?¡± ¡°About that¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Rimmer hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°Wait, it doesn¡¯t matter whether he¡¯s with Zieghart or not. Isn¡¯t this a serious situation? It¡¯s just a trial to check his might, yet he even used Sword Field Creation! I¡¯m sure he¡¯s trying to take revenge for the gambling and drinking matches!¡± Dorian moved his hand as if he would draw his sword at any time, telling him that they needed to save him as fast as possible. ¡°Calm down.¡± Rimmer shook his head and stopped Dorian¡¯s hand from drawing the sword. ¡°The Gambling Monster isn¡¯t such a narrow-minded old man. His anger must¡¯ve dispersed as soon as he faced Raon¡¯s sword. He isn¡¯t intending to seriously attack Raon.¡± ¡°Then why did he use Sword Field Creation¡­?¡± ¡°Even though he freed himself from Zieghart, his heart didn¡¯t leave itpletely.¡± Rimmer closed his eyes, smiling inmentation. ¡°He wants to witness what kind of guy Zieghart¡¯s Future is.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Raon is going to gain the Gambling Monster¡¯s recognition, and break through the Sword Field with his own power. You should believe in him and wait.¡± He nodded with serious eyes. ¡°Squad leader¡­¡± Dorian rubbed his belly pocket. His eyes looked like he was deeply impressed by his words. ¡°I knew that the squad leader has always been thoughtfu¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, it will break the Promise of Three if we stop them now. If that happens, the gamble will be ruined, and my n for the future will be brought to naught!¡± He gathered his hands and knelt in front of the ck barrier. ¡°Oh my god of fortune, Raon! Bestow me the gold rain!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s round eyes started to look like he was looking at trash. * * * Raon brushed off the blood flowing from his cheek with the back of his hand. ¡®He got me so many times.¡¯ Blood was all over his body. The internal injuries weren¡¯t exactly serious, but the serious blood loss was causing dizziness. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you.¡± The Gambling Monster grinned, supporting his sword on his shoulder. ¡°You should give up before you get hurt.¡± ¡°Your smile is so full of malice.¡± ¡°It does feel pretty good to see your troubled face.¡± His smile deepened. He looked like he was enjoying the situation. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed heavily and lowered his head. The blood flowing down from his shoulder turned into strands to fall on the ground. Even though he was trying to stop the bleeding with aura, he couldn¡¯tpletely stop it because there were too many injuries. ¡°You are going to die from blood loss if you get even more injuries.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. I recover faster than others.¡± ¡°Your lips are trembling as you speak. This is as far as you go. Just give up.¡± The Gambling Monster increased his pressure while targeting Raon¡¯s heart with his sword. The powerful energy, filled with murderous intent, became a needle to poke into Raon¡¯s skin. ¡°I said that I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± Raon chuckled, brandishing his sword. The crimson me surged on Heavenly Drive¡¯s de, and a magnificent sword resonance burst out. ¡°What an idiot!¡± The Gambling Monster disappeared into darkness. Before Raon could even exhale, a powerful wave appeared from his left side. The Gambling Monster¡¯s de spread out like a beast¡¯s jaw and rushed at Raon as if it would devour his upper body. Tssh! Raon held his breath and drew a line with Heavenly Drive. The line was faster than anything, the blue light severing the dark horizon swept up the spread de. ng! The sh between Frost Pond and the Gambling Monster¡¯s illusion sword sttered the distorted astral energy in all directions. Cring! Raon got pushed back by the Gambling Monster¡¯s superior strength and kicked the ground. He smoothly turned around like a leaf riding the wind, shing with his sword. ng! After the consecutive sounds of collision between metal, the ck de hiding in darkness was finally revealed. ¡°I knew it.¡± Raon used Heavenly Drive to push back the ck de targeting his chest. ¡°What a cute thing you¡¯ve been hiding.¡± Heughed coldly, then tilted his head. ¡°That¡¯s why I kept getting cut through my defense.¡± The de was the reason he kept getting injured despite having properly defended. It was hiding inside the darkness, shing him when he was getting pushed back or when he was trying to make his move. ¡°You managed to find one de, but it¡¯s already toote.¡± Even though his trick was revealed, the smile didn¡¯t disappear from the Gambling Monster¡¯s face. ¡°Even though you can¡¯t use your aura perception, your senses are too dull. You are far too different from the rumors.¡± He approached him while sneering at him fiercely. ¡°If you live on with those stupid senses, you are just going to end up dying in vai¡­¡± ¡°Fourteen.¡± The Gambling Monster stopped talking upon hearing Raon¡¯s low voice. ¡°There are fourteen des hidden in this space. Those are the ¡®ck des¡¯ that only appear when you swing your sword.¡± ¡°H-How did you find out¡­?¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯sposed smile shattered like ss. However, he looked a bit more awkward than the other times. ¡°Even though we are inside a Sword Field, you are still relying on tricks. I¡¯m starting to admire you at this point.¡± ¡°Hmph! Finding out about that won¡¯t change anything.¡± The Gambling Monster frowned, aiming his sword at Raon. ¡°Because it¡¯s impossible to dodge those des while fighting against me!¡± Hisrge body turned into a ray of light and rushed at him. The pitch-ck de twisted into a curve, aiming a sh at his arms and legs. Cring! Raon used the principles of the soft sword and deflected the two strikes soaring at him, like snakes pouncing on their prey. Even though he utilized the softness as much as he could, he got pushed back once again because he was unable topletely dissipate the energy in the Gambling Monster¡¯s swords. Tap! Raon folded his shoulders and pulled himself back behind his knees to safelynd on the ground. There were no injuries on him, despite having shed against the Gambling Monster. ¡°Huh?¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s chin started to tremble upon noticing that Raon waspletely intact as he stood back up. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± ¡°The de disappears and reappears, but I noticed that the position doesn¡¯t change.¡± ¡°¡­Are you telling me you memorized all those positions? In the middle of a fight?¡± ¡°My blood told me about them.¡± Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive, his hand red from the dried blood. ¡°Since I¡¯m starting to understand what this Sword Field is,¡± The light of aura glowing from his red eyes illuminated the darkness. ¡°Let¡¯s start the real fight.¡± Chapter 234 Raon smiled faintly as he saw the Gambling Monster¡¯s widened eyes. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ The Gambling Monster¡¯s Sword Field Creation wasn¡¯t an enhancement-type like Rimmer¡¯s, which strengthened his sword¡¯s power. Instead, it was an instation-type, which consisted of creating a dark space with invisible des that were set up at desired locations. ¡®I didn¡¯t know there were Sword Fields like this.¡¯ The Gambling Monster was striking from the front with an illusion sword that could be blocked, while materializing the pre-installed ck des from behind to cut the opponent¡¯s weakness. Since the world was weakening aura perception, there was no way anyone could avoid the attack. Raon had thought that a Sword Field would be always about enhancing physical abilities, aura, or attributes, and had never imagined that it could deceive an opponent like that. ¡®He¡¯s really consistent.¡¯ At the Gambling Monster¡¯s level, he could¡¯ve created a more powerful Sword Field, yet his Sword Field was about toying with his opponent instead. He was a true gambler, down to his bones. Thanks to him, Raon started to understand Sword Field. Sword Field wasn¡¯t a simple technique, unlike swordsmanship or footwork. It was the flow of a warrior¡¯s life, including their personality and the way they¡¯d been living. ¡®I don¡¯t think I can use it yet.¡¯ Probably because he didn¡¯t have enough experience, he couldn¡¯t see the flow. However, that was nothing to be sad about, since it was just a matter of time. ¡°Are you telling me that you found all fourteen of my des?¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s irritated frown looked like rotten tree bark. Since Raon had analyzed his expression during the gambling and drinking matches, he could feel that his scowl was very slightly awkward. ¡®I need to focus.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t over yet. He only managed to stand equally against the Gambling Monster by discovering the Sword Field¡¯s secret. No, he was actually still at a great disadvantage. He was still inside the Sword Field, and stopping the bleeding was all he could do. ¡®I need to use the ck des in order to win.¡¯ The Gambling Monster still had one more trick hidden up his sleeve, and Raon had already noticed the trick. He needed to finish the fight in an instant after creating an opportunity by pretending he didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Nice. Very nice.¡± The Gambling Monster bit his lip. His voice was trembling slightly in anticipation and excitement. ¡°However, I¡¯ll show you that knowing all that isn¡¯t going to make any difference!¡± He reached in front of Raon in the blink of an eye, as if he had traveled through darkness, and shed. The de that was filled with the principles of an illusion sword started spinning in a spiral, creating dozens of des rising towards him. It was an oppressive sight, as if dozens of soldiers were thrusting their spears at once towards his vitals. Whir! Raon lowered his posture by a lot to dodge the ck de passing right above his head, before increasing the output of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy to the maximum. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Spirit. The red glow on the de spread out through the wind. The astral energies of raging fires numbered over a hundred as they covered the dark space. They looked like flower petals falling down at their most beautiful moment. Baam! The sh between the dark de and the beam of fire created a powerful explosion. Raon and the Gambling Monster were bounced back at the same time from the impact, which was strong enough to shake the barrier itself. Raon considered the ck des set up behind him while getting pushed back. ¡®Right bottom, left middle, and two locations diagonally.¡¯ He turned himself, as flexible as a reed under the autumn wind, to dodge the ck des filling the space. Wham! The Gambling Monster broke through the aftereffect of the explosion with his body to thrust his sword. He must¡¯ve been irritated that his move was brought to naught once again. The sharp de reached right under Raon¡¯s nose in an instant, followed by his huge body. Cring! The single de multiplied into two, then turned into four before bing eight. Raon¡¯s entire vision was filled with the Gambling Monster¡¯s des in an instant. ¡®This swordsmanship is so annoying.¡¯ Regardless of his weakened aura perception, the spreading speed and reality of his illusion sword were on a different level, making Raden Zieghart and Garon Zieghart¡¯s techniques look like child''s y. ¡®I have to shatter!¡¯ Raon resonated the Ring of Fire and held his sword horizontally. His stride as he advanced looked powerful enough to destroy the barrier. Whir! A crimson circle appeared in front of the tip of the sword that was thrusted at lightning speed, and a tremendous amount of energy gathered on it. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. Heavenly Heavy Cannon. The Gambling Monster¡¯s illusion swords were attracted by the Heavenly Heavy Cannon¡¯s gravity, and the darkness was removed for an instant. ¡°Is this¡ª?!¡± When the Gambling Monster¡¯s eyes widened and he tried to get away from the gravity, Raon exploded the Heavenly Heavy Cannon. Baaam! Hundreds of des and the concentrated astral energy of a raging fire exploded, inting the Sword Field to the point that it looked like it would explode. Rumble! As an aftermath of the explosion, the astral energy stormed at Raon and the Gambling Monster with its dark jaw. Raon leapt into the storm without any hesitation, and the Gambling Monster also kicked the ground. Wham! The two swordsmen spread mighty strikes at each other inside the storm that could crush their flesh if they showed any weakness. ng! ng! Raon shed against the Gambling Monster¡¯s sword, avoided the astral energy radiating from the storm, and deflected the ck des targeting his limbs. The sense of crisis was soaking his body, since he felt like he was fighting against three people at the same time, but a strange smile unconsciously appeared on his face. ¡®This is fun.¡¯ Even though the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and cier¡¯s outputs were at the maximum, and his head felt like it would break because he was wrecking it too hard in order to predict the Gambling Monster¡¯s move, he was still having fun. The joy of fighting with everything he had made him tighten his grip. ¡°Are you smiling now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange, but this is so fun.¡± He parried the Gambling Monster¡¯s illusion sword that was targeting his shoulder with Revolving Sky, then pulled back his left foot to render two ck des useless. Wham! He left the subsiding storm of astral energy to control his body. He incorporated the spiral rotation into Heavenly Drive to create a frozen whirlwind. The Gambling Monster shed upward with his sword pointing towards the bottom. The de ovepped with another de¡¯s point to create a pitch-ck flower of steel. He was initiating his own technique, Dazzling de of Destructive Illusion. ang! The sh between the silver storm and the group of steel flowers created the ear-splitting sound of an explosion. ¡°Seriously, you are too annoying!¡± The Gambling Monster severed the wavering astral energy and thrust his sword. The sword¡¯s extremity kept shaking in order to make it difficult to figure out its target. Whir! Even though Raon couldn¡¯t use his aura perception, he still had the Ring of Fire. He increased his focus to the point that his brain felt like it was burning in order to enhance the speed of his awareness. ¡®Left side!¡¯ In his slowed vision, he could see where the Gambling Monster¡¯s de was moving. The right side of his chest. He was targeting Raon¡¯s lung. ng! Just like rainwater flowing down from the roof, Raon held Heavenly Drive vertically to parry the Gambling Monster¡¯s sword, then immediately turned the de. Creak! Heavenly Drive¡¯s me soared after scratching the ground, and the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s sharp fang was added. The deadly de managed to scratch the Gambling Monster¡¯s thigh. ng! The Gambling Monster managed to defend by holding his sword horizontally, but he was pushed back by Heavenly Drive¡¯s fierce power. ¡°Kuh!¡± He bared his teeth like a savage beast, a small groan slipping from him that suggested that his pride was hurt. Rumble. Raon lowered his waist, putting force into his big toe on his left foot. He controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier to the point that his energy center started to hurt, then exploded his bunched muscles to leap forward like a bouncing rubber band. ¡®I have to finish here.¡¯ Prudence glowed in Raon¡¯s eyes. It was time to decide the match. * * * * * * The Gambling Monster forcefully weakened his grip as he watched Raon passionately dashing at him. He maintained his panicked expression, taking three more steps back. ¡®He¡¯s amazing.¡¯ Many people had seen through the secret of his space, but Raon was the fastest person to discover all of the des¡¯ locations. ¡®He has enough skill to be the youngest Master on the continent.¡¯ He could understand why all of the powerful people¡ªincluding Rimmer¡ªkept calling Raon¡¯s name and looking forward to his future. His skills were on a different level, and he had enough talent to fly through the sky, just like the current head of house that he took after. ¡®But he¡¯s still impatient.¡¯ His might, judgment, and insight were all excellent, but he still seemed immature because he was so young. Raon believed that there were fourteen des in total hidden inside the barrier, but that wasn¡¯t the actual number. There were sixteen des set up inside the darkness, which was two more than his prediction. ¡®I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ After all, that was what he¡¯d made him believe. He¡¯d shown him the dice before he¡¯d appeared in order to influence his belief that there were fourteen des prepared in that space. That must¡¯ve been why Raon made the mistake of thinking that there were fourteen des in total. However, that was a trick. The dice werepletely irrelevant, and there had been sixteen des from the beginning. And one of them was targeting Raon¡¯s right shoulder, while the other one was targeting Raon¡¯s left ankle as he dashed towards him. ¡®He will be able to learn a lesson from this defeat.¡¯ Even though he was certainly the most talented person in the continent, he was still way too young and inexperienced to gain his recognition. It would¡¯ve been a different story if Raon was a few years older, but the Gambling Monster had no intention of letting him win in his current state. ¡®Come.¡¯ He lowered his sword while looking forward to Raon¡¯s expression when he fell for his tricks, all while believing that he had figured everything out. Whoosh! Raon reached the front of the fifteenth ck de,pletely unaware of it. The moment the pitch-dark de was about to stab his shoulder, his body vanished into thin air. He then turned his body to even dodge the sixteenth de, before approaching him at lightning speed. Whir! The hair all over his body stood on end upon facing Raon¡¯s red eyes, as deep as the abyss. ¡®H-He knew about them all along!¡¯ His calm eyes and the perfect evasion. He must¡¯ve been aware of the fact that there were sixteen hidden des all along. ¡°Perish the thought!¡± The Gambling Monster grit his teeth. The fact that he¡¯d figured out about those des was astonishing enough, but there was enough time for the Gambling Monster to react. When he tried to block the crimson de falling towards him, Raon¡¯s left hand moved to his waist. Crack! Along with a blunt sound of friction, like grinding a log, a crimson dagger was drawn to spread out frozen streams. Whir! The sword resonance burst out at the same time. The strange roar that exploded like thunder sounded clear and wicked at the same time. ¡°O-Oh, no!¡± The Gambling Monster widened his eyes. He couldn¡¯t react in time, because he didn¡¯t expect Raon to draw the dagger that he had yet to use, nor that he would use the martial art of sound with it. The strange sound resonance didn¡¯t miss that opportunity, piercing his ears at lightning speed. Creak! The thunderous noise of frost exploded inside his ears to impair his vestibr organ¡¯s abilities. His vision started spinning, and he couldn¡¯t regain his bnce. Whoosh! As if Raon had been looking forward to it, he smoothly followed through with a sh of Heavenly Drive. The zing me surrounding the silver de severed the darkness. ¡°You bastard!¡± The Gambling Monster screamed. His body had lost bnce, but he forcefully stopped himself from copsing by using aura, shing at Raon as he approached. ng! The red de and the ck de shed diagonally, creating a huge shockwave. Whaam! Raon and the Gambling Monster were bounced back at the same time, just like rubber balls. ¡°Kuh!¡± The Gambling Monster stopped himself by sticking his sword into the ground, and Raon rolled on the ground while dodging the ck des in the meantime. ¡°Huff.¡± Raon faltered as he stood up. Blood was flowing down from the deepceration created by a sword on his chest. ¡°Were you aware that there were sixteen ck des in total?¡± The Gambling Monster scowled, a vicious look in his eyes. ¡°Well, yes.¡± Raon nodded while grasping the wound on his chest. ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°I became certain once I saw this Sword Field. You are a gambler at heart.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way a gambler like you can¡¯t hit eighteen with his dice. That¡¯s why I figured the number you showed me with the dice in the beginning was fake.¡± The Gambling Monster was skilled enough to form the number one with three dice. There was no way he would make fourteen in such an important match. The dice were just a trap from the beginning. ¡°Which means, you realized that I was trying to trick you¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I pretended that I was tricked. After all, the best opportunity to trick your enemy is when the opponent is plotting something.¡± ¡°Hmm, then how did you even find those des? It¡¯s impossible to find them just from looking at your injuries.¡± ¡°I used this.¡± Raon raised the de of Requiem, which was still howling. ¡°I created a sword resonance to find your hidden des.¡± ¡°Sword resonance? A-Are you telling me that you have been continuously creating sword resonances because¡­¡± ¡°Indeed. That wasn¡¯t for the fight, but in order to find the hidden des. After all, my hearing was intact, unlike my aura perception.¡± ¡°How could you pretend all along after you had discovered everything¡­?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s your fault for being tricked.¡± Raon smiled faintly. The Gambling Monster had no idea about Raon¡¯s tricks because he was busy trying to trick him, and that was the result. ¡°You¡¯re saying that again¡­¡± The Gambling Monster bit his lip. ¡°Did a de stab you in the head or something? How can you make such a judgment at your age?¡± Although he had experienced countless matches throughout the continent in his life, no one¡¯s scheming abilities ever came close to Raon¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t understand how he was even better with tricks than the weeds in the underworld when he was a sheltered flower in a garden that fed him with sunlight and water. ¡°I need to make you pay for my blood, because my blood is expensive.¡± Raon chuckled, pointing at the Gambling Monster¡¯s chest. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Gambling Monster closed his eyes. He nodded along with a deep sigh. ¡°Alright, it would be ugly of me if I didn¡¯t acknowledge you after you got me so hard.¡± The moment he gave his acknowledgment, red blood gushed from his chest. His wound, which he had been suppressing with his aura so far, exploded outwards with blood. Whir! The Gambling Monster earnestly smiled for the first time inside the darkness that was fading away. ¡°I acknowledge you. You¡¯vepleted the Promise of Three.¡± * * * Raon narrowed his eyes from the sudden explosive glow. The darkness disappeared like the night fading away from the morning sun, and he returned to the backstreet where he was before. ¡°V-Vice-squad leader!¡± Dorian hurriedly came running at him. His eyes were shivering like a leaf upon noticing the injuries all over Raon¡¯s body. ¡°You are so badly injured!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± Raon shook his head. He didn¡¯t end up severely injured because the Gambling Monster controlled his power. He would¡¯ve been in serious danger if he had decided to harm him. ¡°Raon! You did it! I believed in you!¡± Rimmer quickly noticed the wound on the Gambling Monster¡¯s chest, then cheered. ¡°I knew I always win whenever I bet on Raon! Oh my god of fortune!¡± He gathered his hand and closed his eyes to pray. ¡°Haa, I don¡¯t understand how someone like you came to be under a stupid teacher like him.¡± The Gambling Monster clicked his tongue while looking at Rimmer. He rubbed the blooding out of his open wound before taking out a container of white medicine from his inner pocket to apply to his injury. ¡°You should use this, too.¡± The Gambling Monster threw the medicine to him with the lid open. ¡°It¡¯s a medicine for external injuries called Consolidating Ointment. An injury like that will be healed easily.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded, applying the medicine to the wound on his chest. The pain immediately subsided significantly alongside a cool sensation, which meant that it was probably an expensive medicine. ¡°This is very helpful.¡± After applying the medicine to therge wound, he returned the Consolidating Ointment to the Gambling Monster. ¡°Since there¡¯s not much left inside, you can just keep it.¡± The Gambling Monster shook his hand, then turned around. ¡°Gambling, drinking, and martial arts. I acknowledge your abilities under the Gambling Monster¡¯s name.¡± He stomped the ground and straightened his back. Hisrge body and fierce eyes were emanating a powerful pressure, with plenty of room to spare, unlike Raon. ¡°As the first winner of the Promise of Three, tell me your wish. I¡¯ll grant anything you say.¡± The Gambling Monster extended his hand, a cheerful smile that looked like he would be fine with anything on his face. His expression was telling him that he would dly ept anything because he¡¯d acknowledged him. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ He was petty when he was using his tricks, but he was apparently clean with the person he acknowledged. ¡°Th-This scene could go down in history¡­¡± ¡°Raon! I told you what the most important thing in the world is before!¡± Dorian¡¯s chin was trembling with his deep emotions, and Rimmer created a circle with his fingers, telling him to extort more money from him. ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s underlings couldn¡¯t take their eyes off of the scene either, swallowing nervously as they watched on. Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive with everyone¡¯s gazes on him. ¡®I could ask him for more money or ask him to teach me martial arts. However¡­¡¯ He had already decided on the wish he would ask of the Gambling Monster before he started the Promise of Three. ¡®I can make the best use of him with this method.¡¯ Raon grinned as he looked at the Gambling Monster. ¡°I¡­¡± Chapter 235 ¡°I want you to be my subordinate.¡± Raon nonchntly dered his wish forpleting the Promise of Three. Gulp! Probably because no one had expected such a wish, the nervous gulping sounds were all that could be heard, even though there were more than ten people around. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Dorian caught his dropping jaw with both hands, and Rimmer dropped the gold coins he was hiding in surprise. ¡°Hup!¡± ¡°Huuh!¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s underlings were chewing on their fingernails while looking at the Gambling Monster withpletely terrified eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Gambling Monster was frozen stiff, his hand extended towards Raon. Hisplexion had turned pale, suggesting that the wish waspletely unexpected for him as well. He looked like he would copse if someone gave him a little push. ¡°Wh-What did you just say?¡± ¡°I said that I want you to be my subordinate.¡± ¡°Are you telling me, the Gambling Monster, to be your servant?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Raon slowly shook his head. Everyone was agitated, but he was the only one that was keeping hisposure after making such a suggestion. ¡°It¡¯s not a servant. I want you to be my subordinate.¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡± The Gambling Monster rotated his neck while exhaling a hot breath. The ferocity in his eyes suggested that he would start a second match at any time. ¡°Do you really believe I would grant you a wish like that?¡± ¡°You said it yourself. ¡®As the first winner of the Promise of Three, tell me your wish. I¡¯ll grant anything you say.¡¯ Wasn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Raon maintained his smile, repeating exactly what the Gambling Monster had said before. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that you already forgot what you said.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± The Gambling Monster wrinkled his nose, suppressing the pressure that was boiling like magma. ¡°I didn¡¯t think the continent¡¯s celebrity, the Gambling Monster, would attempt to go back on his word.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± He could only bite his lip, once again unable to find a way to refute him. He couldn¡¯t do anything, just like a trapped rat, because of his fame and what he¡¯d said already. ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t look great in many ways, since you are much older than me and you are famous throughout the continent.¡± Raon raised the pitch of his voice a little, scratching his chin. ¡°Th-That¡¯s right. Despite how I look, I¡¯m as old as the head of house! It will be too humiliating to be your subordinate!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll make another wish. Can you grant it this time?¡± ¡°Of course! Just say it!¡± The Gambling Monster clenched his fist, showing his willingness to do anything as long as he wouldn¡¯t be his subordinate. ¡°Our Light Wind Squad has lots of shortages because we are a new organization. For instance, we need an instructor that can systematically and efficiently teach the members instead of me and the squad leader.¡± ¡°Hmm, instructor!¡± The Gambling Monster gave a big nod, as he figured that an instructor would be alright. However, Raon¡¯s wish wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°Other than the instructor, we also need a manager. I¡¯ve been in charge of it so far, but we need someone to systematically deal with ounting, supply, and human resource management.¡± ¡°Ahem, the squad¡¯s administrative officer¡­¡± ¡°And since we are a new organization, we also need more money. We need an independent financial officer that has means to acquire money on their own.¡± ¡°F-Financial officer¡­¡± ¡°And since I¡¯m often away on missions, I¡¯d like to have someone who can follow my instructions and act in the annex building and the fifth training ground.¡± Raon calmly continued while looking at the Gambling Monster, who was breaking out in cold sweat. ¡°I¡¯d like Sir Gambling Monster to do those things.¡± ¡°Ah, are you telling me to do everything you mentioned just now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon firmly nodded. ¡°Uh, so. Instructing, ounting, supplying, human resource management¡­¡± ¡°He also mentioned financing and dealing with his personal matters.¡± Dorian and Rimmer dropped their jaws after counting how many things Raon had mentioned with their fingers. ¡®Isn¡¯t he pretty much his servant if he does all those?¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s no difference at all!¡¯ They swallowed their thoughts and nkly stared at Raon. Their eyes were trembling violently. ¡°How about it? You can do this much, can¡¯t you? Hmm, since you have to manage various matters, your position will be a general administrator, and you will be affiliated with the annex building.¡± Raon even created his position, without waiting for his answer. He was nailing down the agreement so that the Gambling Monster couldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°H-How is that any different from the first suggestion?¡± The Gambling Monster asked, while tightly gripping his wrist. His hoarse voice sounded like he had caught a cold. ¡°You are getting the nice title of a general administrator. You are also affiliated to the annex building instead of me. Ah, you are also getting some freedom as well.¡± Raon nodded, saying that it was good enough. ¡°I¡¯ve backed down a lot, so I believe you aren¡¯t going to refuse this second wish as well.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The Gambling Monster hung his head while biting his lip. His trembling chin revealed his extremely turbulent emotions. ¡°Ah, and one more thing.¡± Raon raised his hand. ¡°You only need to listen to me, Sir General Administrator. You don¡¯t need to obey the squad leader.¡± ¡°Hey! What are you talking about? He obviously has to obey me, since he¡¯s a general administrator!¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened even though he had been grinning until a moment ago. ¡°He¡¯s the annex building¡¯s general administrator, not the Light Wind Squad¡¯s general administrator. Since he¡¯s just helping the Light Wind, it¡¯s natural that he only listens to me. After all, he¡¯d gamble all day long if I let the squad leader order him around.¡± ¡°Kuah¡­¡± Rimmer couldn¡¯t close his mouth as he groaned, because Raon hit the nail on the head. ¡°Haa, that¡¯s the only part I like about the suggestion.¡± The Gambling Monster sighed, the sound as sticky and deep as a swamp. He raised his head to re at Raon. ¡°It¡¯s really shitty to admit it.¡± Even though he was not entirely part of the house, asking an elder from the house like him to be his subordinate was a type of madness that he¡¯d never expected him to spout. He was honestly wondering how someone could be so crazy. ¡®He¡¯s not crazy. He thoroughly nned everything.¡¯ Raon had started strong by asking him to be his subordinate, so that he could turn him into his general administrator. The Gambling Monster was now given a hellish choice, where he had to be a general administrator in order to avoid bing a subordinate. Moreover, Raon even gave him a small freedom in the end by telling him he didn¡¯t need to obey Rimmer¡¯s orders, all to make him feel slightly better. Considering his scheming ability from the beginning to the end, he should¡¯ve gotten a dirty nickname like the Gambling Demon or Plotting Demon instead of a cool nickname Frostfire Sword of Valor. ¡°Damn it!¡± He couldn¡¯t find any way to escape the situation, since he was the one who first told him he would grant any wish. ¡°Thank you for ¡®voluntarily¡¯ bing my general administrator.¡± Raon bowed at the Gambling Monster, who was swearing. ¡°V-Voluntarily? Did you just say it was voluntary?¡± ¡°It was your choice when you were given two different choices. Therefore, it was voluntary.¡± ¡°Do you even know what the word voluntary mea¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your cooperation.¡± Raon interrupted the Gambling Monster, who was about to explode in anger, and bowed once again. ¡°Damn it!¡± The Gambling Monster ground his teeth so hard that they were close to breaking before turning around. He looked like he was about to leave immediately. ¡°Ah, please wait.¡± Raon walked up behind the Gambling Monster and smiled brilliantly. ¡°Since regr training starts tomorrow, pleasee to the fifth training ground before sunrise.¡± ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s scream shook the ground as substitution for his answer when he left. ¡°He answered so loud and clear.¡± Tsk, tsk. Wrath wriggled up to the bracelet and clicked his tongue. He gave you all of that money, ruined his liver, and even turned into a ve. He really is the worst doormat. ¡®I wonder.¡¯ Raon snickered. It was funny that Wrath was judging others when he was the biggest doormat in the world. ¡°We should also return.¡± He turned around to gesture for Rimmer and Dorian toe before returning to the gambling house. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Frostfire Sword of Valor! Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± ¡°The Gambling Monster has been defeated for the first time! He¡¯spleted the Promise of Three!¡± ¡°He was acknowledged in gambling, drinking, and martial arts. This is a new legend!¡± The people who stayed inside the gambling house burst into cheers while shouting Raon¡¯s name. They were excited by the story of a neer defeating someone who was standing at the top. ¡°I thought you were a stubborn nerd who did nothing but train, but I¡¯m seeing you in a different light!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep cheering for you, so have a match with me next time! Drinking and gambling are both fine!¡± ¡°Please be the head of house and build arge casino in Zieghart!¡± ¡°Tell us about the wish you made to the Gambling Monster!¡± Everyone was smiling. He had apparently gained their favor through the incident. ¡°Thank you for supporting me.¡± Raon waved his hand at the cheering people, then left the gambling house. ¡°Ah, I actually have something to do. You should go ahead and head back!¡± Rimmer suddenly stopped following them and went to the gambling house¡¯s counter. He was so fast that his feet weren¡¯t even touching the ground. Soon after, his shout could be heard from inside, saying, "I¡¯m rich again!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes turned serious, just like when he was targeting the Gambling Monster. ¡°I wonder if you can really be rich.¡± * * * * * * Since there was regr training the next day, the fifth training ground was already filled with the Light Wind swordsmen at daybreak. When everyone settled in front of the tform, the training ground¡¯s door smoothly opened, and Raon entered while wearing the dark red formalwear and coat. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why is he wearing formalwear¡­?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to have regr training today?¡± The swordsmen tilted their heads upon seeing Raon, who was wearing formalwear instead of a training outfit. ¡°I have someone to introduce. Silence.¡± Raon shook his hand, then went up on the tform. ¡°You must be already aware of this fact, but the Light Wind Squad is inadequate in many aspects because it is a new armed organization.¡± He continued while facing the curious gazes. ¡°We don¡¯t have an instructor, we don¡¯t have enough training materials or equipment, and the management staff and funds are also insufficient.¡± Since everyone knew about that already, they just nodded their heads. ¡°Since we can¡¯t leave the shortages forever, I¡¯ve brought a special guest to fill what our squad iscking.¡± ¡°A special guest?¡± ¡°We did need someone for sure.¡± ¡°You are right. We don¡¯t have enough personnel nor fundspared to other organizations.¡± ¡°And what we need the most right now is an excellent instructor.¡± All of the swordsmen nodded in agreement. ¡°Wee him with a round of apuse, everyone.¡± Raon raised his hand to point at the door, and Dorian opened the double doors. Arge, ck-haired man wearing the Light Wind uniform entered with a frown on his face. ¡°Who is that person?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him before¡­¡± ¡°H-He is really tall.¡± ¡°He looks more like a thug than an instructor¡­¡± The swordsmen apuded at him with doubtful gazes. ¡°Huh? W-Wait!¡± Krein suddenly stood up in surprise. ¡°I-I saw himing out from the gambling house before! He¡¯s the Gambling Monster!¡± ¡°Heh?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The swordsmen widened their mouths upon hearing that he was the Gambling Monster. Crack. The Gambling Monster ground his teeth, regardless of what swordsmen were saying, and went up onto the tform. ¡°He¡¯s the Gambling Monster, Sir Herrian Zieghart, who is going to oversee our training, manage the training ground, take care of the ounting, manage the human resources, and even the finances for us. Give him another round of apuse!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Raon started pping his hands, and the swordsmen followed him with bewildered eyes, but the sound of their pping was dull. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The wrinkles on the Gambling Monster¡¯s forehead increased in number each time he heard the pping sound. Although one day had already passed, he didn¡¯t seem to have epted reality yet. ¡°His name is Herrian Zieghart. He¡¯s newly appointed as the general administrator to the annex building, but he ¡®voluntarily¡¯ decided to help the Light Wind¡¯s affairs.¡± Raon stepped up and smiled. ¡°Kuh!¡± The Gambling Monster convulsed slightly upon hearing the word ¡®voluntary¡¯. ¡°If you are having trouble while learning martial arts, or if there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to learn, you should ask him without reserve. He¡¯s going to teach you very kindly. Am I right, Sir General Administrator?¡± ¡°He. Is. Right.¡± The Gambling Monster was grinding his teeth. His face didn¡¯t look kind at all. ¡°If you need some training tools or equipment, you should also look for him. The general administrator is going to win the money¡ªI mean, supply the money in order to fill the coffers that our squad iscking. You shouldn¡¯t worry about it, justfortably ask him whatever you need. Do you agree, Sir General Administrator?¡± Raon smiled, while making a pose to worship the Gambling Monster. ¡°In.Deed.¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s ears were turning red as he hung his head. ¡°Sir General Administrator ¡®voluntarily¡¯ came to support the Light Wind squad. He said that he would do everything for free, and just win the money by himself, I mean, earn the money! Send a big round of apuse and cheer for him once again, everyone!¡± Raon pointed at the Gambling Monster and opened his hands wide to apud loudly. ¡°Woaaah!¡± The swordsmen also apuded respectfully by pping their hands. Their faces stiffened in bewilderment as they watched the Gambling Monster bite his lip. ¡®Are you sure about this?¡¯ ¡®I-I¡¯m thankful for his support, but¡­¡¯ ¡®Isn¡¯t this strange?¡¯ They swallowed nervously, watching Raon¡¯s grin and the Gambling Monster, who looked like he was about to kill someone. ¡®What did he do now? Seriously!¡¯ * * * m! By the time Raon finished introducing every member of Light Wind squad one by one to the Gambling Monster, Rimmer entered. Unlike his miserable appearance from the day before, he was wearing luxurious clothes and shining shoes, with a golden ring around his finger. ¡°Oh, everyone¡¯s here.¡± ¡°You arete! Something important happened today!¡± Burren walked up to Rimmer while frowning. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was a bit busy yesterday.¡± Rimmer tapped Burren¡¯s shoulder with an easygoing expression and went to the tform. ¡°Wow, old man. The clothes look so good on you!¡± He giggled, while looking at the Gambling Monster wearing the Light Wind squad¡¯s uniform. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s trembling fists looked like they could explode at any time, as he was trying to stop his rage. ¡°Ah, squad leader. I have something to tell you.¡± Raon came down from the tform and walked up to Rimmer. ¡°Something to tell me?¡± ¡°You should return the money you borrowed yesterday.¡± ¡°B-Borrowed money? What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°When Dorian was taking the gold coins from the table¡­¡± ¡°Ah! Aah!¡± Rimmer quickly interrupted Raon and violently nodded. ¡°Th-That¡¯s true! I borrowed some money. Yes, indeed!¡± Since he didn¡¯t want to reveal his shameful side to everyone, he easily took the bait. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon smiled faintly. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Rimmer seemed to believe that acknowledging that he ¡®borrowed¡¯ the money would allow him to escape the situation, but it was a trap. He should¡¯ve never acknowledged it. ¡°Are you returning it, then?¡± ¡°Oh, of course I will. How much was it? 100 coins?¡± ¡°372 gold coins total.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It was precisely 372 coins.¡± Because Raon¡¯s response was so firm, Rimmer turned stiff while bringing his hand in his pocket. ¡°Th-Three hundred¡­¡± ¡°That is exact. Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes! I checked the pocket yesterday, and there were 5628 gold coins. Which means that you borrowed 372 coins, just like he said.¡± Dorian came up next to him and nodded. It was pretty amazing that Rimmer had actually managed to put almost 400 gold coins in his pants during that short time period. ¡°Hmm, I see. I¡¯ll give it back.¡± Rimmer swallowed nervously before entering the squad leader¡¯s room. After rustling around for a while, he brought out a big pouch containing gold coins. ¡°Here you go, 372 gold coins!¡± He threw the pouch at him so that Raon wouldn¡¯t talk about it anymore. Raon epted the gold pouch, but he simply smiled instead of going away. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong with that expression? I returned all the money!¡± ¡°You also have to give me the interest.¡± ¡°Interest? What interest?¡± ¡°There is obviously interest if you borrow money.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°I-I only borrowed it for a day. Who would even charge interest for it?¡± ¡°I would.¡± Raon proudly straightened his back. ¡°Haa! Alright, how much is the interest?¡± Rimmer flicked his fingers, urging him to continue. ¡°372 gold coins.¡± ¡°Huh? Whaat?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw was trembling, on the verge of falling down. ¡°Who the hell charges the same amount as the principal as interest after a single day?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°You are a demon! Even loan sharks aren¡¯t as bad as you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about them. Just give me the interest.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t! Kill me if you will!¡± Rimmer ced his body t on the ground, telling him that he would never give him all of that money. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon turned his head to look at the Gambling Monster. ¡°Sir General Administrator. I¡¯ve got my first request.¡± ¡°F-First request?¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s eyes were shivering violently in anxiety. ¡°Please take the Light Wind squad¡¯s management fund from our leader.¡± ¡°M-Management fund?¡± ¡°Did you just say management fund?¡± Rimmer and the Gambling Monster raised their voices at the same time. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon smiled innocently. Even if Rimmer had money, he would spend everything on something useless. It was much better to use that money to buy one more training sword for the squad. ¡°I was nning to use the squad leader¡¯s interest as a management fund to buy equipment for the squad, since I can¡¯t burden you too much so soon after you were appointed as the general administrator.¡± Raon created the situation where Rimmer and the Gambling Monster had to sh against each other, then stepped back. ¡®It must be an interesting suggestion.¡¯ The Gambling Monster should be trying to save money, since he lost 6,000 gold from his previous gamble, and Rimmer should be trying to keep his money, since he was originally crazy for money. The sh between the two was inevitable. ¡°Ah, the money is buried under the right pir of the squad leader¡¯s room.¡± Raon told him the position of Rimmer¡¯s coffers, which he saw with the Evil Eye of Wrath. ¡°Kuah! How do you even know about that?¡± Raon simply shrugged at Rimmer¡¯s astonishment. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, then.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully, then withdrew next to the Light Wind members. ¡°You have a damn amazing student.¡± The Gambling Monster tightly bit his lip, then ced his hand on the hilt of his sword. ¡°I know, right? I didn¡¯t know that he was so damn excellent either.¡± Rimmer tapped his hilt with a fierce look in his eyes. ¡°Give me the money.¡± ¡°But you heard him, old man. How can he ask for 100% interest after a single day?¡± ¡°That¡¯s up to the money¡¯s original owner!¡± ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t even borrow the money! It¡¯s that demon ying a trick!¡± ¡°He¡¯s an evil demon who even managed to trick me. An idiot like you is pretty much in the palm of his hand! Give it to me already!¡± The Gambling Monster drew his sword and aimed it at Rimmer. ¡°I won¡¯t! This is thest hope I have!¡± Rimmer also raised his sword around the height of his waist. Thud! The Gambling Monster and Rimmer red at each other for a while, before kicking the ground at the same time. ang! The sh between the tremendous energies emanating from the two des created an explosive sound, as if the sky were copsing. ¡°Watch them well.¡± Raon signaled for the Light Wind members to watch the battle between the two. ¡°It¡¯s extremely rare to be able to witness an all-out fight between warriors at that level.¡± By taking money from Rimmer to add to the Light Wind¡¯s management fund, he was even able to show the Gambling Monster¡¯s prowess in order to help the members increase their knowledge. Raon broke into a smile, because he was catching three birds with one stone. ¡°Good job, Sir General Administrator!¡± Raon waved his fist to cheer for the Gambling Monster. ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Rimmer, the Gambling Monster, and every swordsman who heard his voice thought the same thing. ¡®What a demonic bastard¡­¡¯ And the real demon in the room said¡­ I knew you didn¡¯t belong to this ce. Come to Devildom with the King of Essence! He was trying to recruit him. Chapter 236 The Gambling Monster approached him with exhausted steps. He ced the gold pouch on the tform and exhaled roughly. ¡°This is the interest that idiot owed you.¡± He furrowed his brows in displeasure while pushing the gold pouch towards the center. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon looked at Rimmer, who was panting on the ground. Naturally, they didn¡¯t go all-out in their fight, and Rimmer seemed to have backed down for the Gambling Monster because it was his first appearance in the squad. ¡°Good job.¡± Raon faintly smiled, then pushed the gold pouch back. ¡°Just as I mentioned before, please use this as a management fund for the Light Wind squad.¡± Raon returned all of the gold that Gambling Monster had brought him. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The Gambling Monster knew how to increase money. Leaving it to him would allow it to be multiplied several times and make the Light Wind rich. ¡°This is so shitty when it¡¯s only the first day.¡± The Gambling Monster ground his teeth and straightened his back. ¡°That idiot elf. Even though he got weaker, became even more tenacious¡ªlike a leech.¡± ¡°Same goes for you, old man. How did you get even stronger when you went senile and stopped using a sword?¡± Rimmer snickered while getting up. Considering the fact that they¡¯d managed to catch their breath in a moment, they both still had plenty of room to spare. Even though they¡¯d just finished an uninvited fight, they didn¡¯t look like they hated it. In fact, the faint smiles that could be seen around their lips revealed that they were feeling refreshed instead. ¡°Since I¡¯ve followed your instructions, I¡¯m going to leave now. I have lots of things to do in order to change this miserable c¡­¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t even started with today¡¯s schedule.¡± ¡°What?¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s chin was trembling. He showed a lot of emotions when he wasn¡¯t gambling. ¡°The other tasks are also important, but the most urgent task is to increase the prowess of Light Wind members.¡± Raon pointed at the Light Wind members, who were standing by after finishing their preparations to start training. ¡°The instructor should be here with them, since training is about to start.¡± ¡°You must be nning to work this old man to the bone.¡± ¡°Since I went through so many hardships in order to obtain an important person like you, I should obviously make the best use of you.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± The Gambling Monster sighed deeply before leaning his back against the tform. He nodded his head with his arms crossed, which seemed to be a gesture to urge him to continue. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at the Gambling Monster, then stood in front of the Light Wind members. ¡°You must¡¯ve witnessed our instructor¡¯s might. Since you are going to show your skills to him for the first time, you should do your best!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The swordsmen shouted loud and clear, since they admired the Gambling Monster, whose prowess didn¡¯t lose to Rimmer at all. Raon smiled and drew his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s start the regr training.¡± * * * Raon finished the personal swordsmanship, footwork, sword formation, and situational understanding training before going to the tform. The Gambling Monster was leaning his back against the tform just like in the beginning, and Rimmer was snoring while lying down on the tform. ¡°What did you think about them?¡± ¡°Everyone must be around your age, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°They are not bad. Those three are especially nice.¡± The Gambling Monster pointed at Burren, Runaan, and Martha one after the other with his chin, then nodded. ¡°They have the qualities to be famous throughout the continent once they gain more experience.¡± He¡¯d noticed the team leaders¡¯ abilities at a nce, which should¡¯ve been expected. ¡°The other ones aren¡¯t too bad, either. Even among the Ziegharts, they are stronger and more experienced than what we¡¯d expect from their age.¡± He said that the other swordsmen were also pretty good. It was an unexpectedly precise evaluation. ¡°I think I won¡¯t be bored of teaching them. However¡­¡± The Gambling Monster furrowed his brows while examining Raon up and down. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You grew up with them, so howe you are the only one who became such a monster?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really a monste¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve be a novice level Master at eighteen years of age. If you aren¡¯t a monster, who else would be?¡± He shook his hand in a wide arc, telling Raon to stop joking. ¡°That¡¯s all thanks to me.¡± Rimmer, who¡¯d been rolling on the tform, poked his head up. His face had be gaunt, probably because his money was taken away. ¡°Raon became such a powerful monster because of the great me¡¯s teaching.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh. It¡¯s impossible for a beggar like you to raise a monster like him!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s true! Am I right, Raon?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong.¡± Raon nodded while smiling faintly. He¡¯d taught him swordsmanship, aura, and even the mindset. Rimmer was indeed an excellent teacher, except for the gambling part. ¡°You were like an evil demon earlier, but now you are acting polite. I can¡¯t tell which one is your true self.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been polite, though.¡± ¡°Hmph. I thought your manners were in your stomach because you ate them with your stew.¡± The Gambling Monster snorted while uncrossing his arms. ¡°Since I¡¯ve seen what I needed to, I¡¯ll think about what training you guys need.¡± He moved away from the tform and warmed up his neck. He looked like he was about to leave. ¡°But you haven¡¯t seen my swordsmanship yet.¡± ¡°I saw plenty of that yesterday. I have nothing to teach you, so you should work on your own.¡± ¡°In that case, can I ask you a question?¡± Raon blocked the Gambling Monster¡¯s path as he was trying to leave, his eyes sparkling with respect. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°What is the illusion sword?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Gambling Monster closed his eyes and wrinkles appeared on his forehead. ¡°Haa, even the questions you ask are so annoying.¡± He could only sigh. It would¡¯ve been easy to answer if he¡¯d asked him to teach him about the illusion sword, or how to be good at using the illusion sword, or even important aspects in using the illusion sword. However, his question was piercing right through his life. It was a truly difficult question to answer. ¡°I think it¡¯s an illusion you show to the enemy.¡± ¡°Illusion?¡± ¡°No matter how splendid and shy a swordsmanship is, taking the enemy¡¯s life is the objective in the end. The illusion sword consists of creating a false image in the enemy¡¯s eyes before cutting their head off.¡± ¡°Enemy¡¯s eyes¡­¡± ¡°This is something newbies with an illusion sword¡ªno, even the more experienced ones often make a mistake with.¡± The Gambling Monster drew his sword. The de came out without any preliminary motion to rotate in a circle, creating a beautiful and jagged flower petal. ¡°Like this.¡± He sheathed his sword, then tilted his chin. ¡°In my opinion, the key point of the illusion sword is to consider how my opponent will see my swordsmanship, rather than how I see it.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon closed his eyes while feeling the remnant of the aura that still existed in the air. ¡®I think I get what he means.¡¯ He felt enlightened. It wasn¡¯t about himself, but the enemy. He needed to think about which illusion to show to the enemy and with what method and intention in order to create the best illusion sword. ¡®I think this can also be applied to the other swordsmanships.¡¯ Let alone the illusion sword, the advice could be applied to the other swordsmanships, such as the swift sword. The Gambling Monster sounded carefree, but his words included the principles of illusion sword that he¡¯d learned through decades of his life. ¡°I think I should use a mirror.¡± ¡°Yes. A mirror is what you need the most upon learning the illusion sword, even more than a sword.¡± ¡°Thank you for your advice.¡± Raon bowed politely at the Gambling Monster. Since he didn¡¯t expect him to give such sincere advice, he was really thankful to him. ¡°Whatever. It wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± ¡°No, it was really helpful to me.¡± He bowed once again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Gambling Monster was apparently satisfied with his honest expression of gratitude, as his reaction became smoother. ¡°I also have something I haven''t mentioned yet.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If you win against me in a drinking or gambling contest, I¡¯ll release you right away.¡± ¡°A-Are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon smiled. ¡°Then let¡¯s do it right awa¡­¡± ¡°We only just finished the match yesterday, so we can¡¯t do it again right away. The chances are over for this year. You can try again next year.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± He lowered his hand that he¡¯d started to raise, biting his lip. Huh. Wrath eximed, popping out from the bracelet. There¡¯s no way that old man is going to win against you in gambling or drinking. You are feeding him hope in order to make him do his job. You are truly the nastiest guy of all. He shook his head in admiration. The King of Essence would like to learn how you can even think like that. How about giving some lessons? ¡®That¡¯s not true.¡¯ Raon chuckled, then approached the Gambling Monster. ¡°One more thing.¡± He raised his finger and continued. ¡°You can leave whenever you judge that I¡¯m not meeting your expectations, Sir General Administrator.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t meet my expectations?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that it¡¯s okay for me to leave right away?¡± ¡°Of course you can. However, I know that you won¡¯t.¡± Raon smiled faintly. ¡®He¡¯s not that type of person.¡¯ The Gambling Monster usually cheated andughed at his opponents while gambling, but he didn¡¯t give a serious penalty upon losing. He just chased them away naked, and continuously gave them the chance to challenge him again. Even during the fight against Raon, his attacks had always been non-lethal, and he never targeted his vital points. Considering the fact that he came all the way to the training ground in order to keep his promise, he must¡¯ve been a good person to be acquainted with. ¡°Kuh.¡± The Gambling Monster frowned in displeasure. His ears had turnedpletely red. ¡°I really don¡¯t like you.¡± ¡°I hope we get along well in the future.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully, then returned to the Light Wind members in order to finish the training. Ooh! Wrath sshed up into the air. You are now trying to steal his mind! You are indeed more like a demon, rather than a human! Come to the King of Essence¡­ ¡®I¡¯m really not.¡¯ Raonughed bitterly and pushed Wrath back. ¡°That guy.¡± The Gambling Monster exhaled roughly while looking at Raon¡¯s back. ¡°What the hell is that guy? Which one is his true self?¡± He looked like a seasoned gambler in the gambling house and a demon on the training ground, yet the way he was acting just a moment ago was polite and respectful. All those sides he¡¯d shown him looked likepletely different people. He couldn¡¯t even tell which one was the true Raon Zieghart. ¡°All of them are Raon.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, as if he were used to him. ¡°He¡¯s always been like that. From what you are saying, it looks like you took a liking to him as well, old man.¡± He giggled and tapped on the Gambling Monster¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t care what that youngling does.¡± The Gambling Monster pulled himself away from the tform with an irritated expression on his face. ¡°Staying here makes me ufortable. I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± When he was about to leave, Rimmer grabbed his sleeve. ¡°You need to go somewhere with me.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°The head of house has summoned you, old man.¡± Rimmer pointed at the lord¡¯s manor, which could be seen from afar. ¡°Did you tell him about this?¡± ¡°Why would I do something so annoying? It would make less sense if the head of house didn¡¯t know about your return.¡± ¡°Hmm, I guess I should greet him at least.¡± The Gambling Monster awkwardly scratched his chin. ¡°You should be careful then.¡± Rimmer grinned while swirling his finger. ¡°Since he might be a bit angry right now.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Greeting my lord.¡± The Gambling Monster knelt in front of Glenn Zieghart, then bowed. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Glenn raised his chin from his hand and nodded slightly. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve been doing well recently.¡± The Gambling Monster grinned, then raised himself. ¡°Have I been doing well?¡± ¡°You look like you are brimming with vitalitypared to before.¡± ¡°That would be the case for you, since you ran away while saying that you¡¯d live however you felt like living.¡± Glenn shook his head with a cold smile. ¡°You said that you wouldn¡¯t return because it reminds you of the past. Why did you return now?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Gambling Monster sighed deeply and looked up to Glenn. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to that excellent grandson you have, my lord.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart, that impudent brat¡­¡± He told Glenn everything that happened, as if he was trying to vent the frustration that Raon caused him. Rimmer smiled while looking at theining Gambling Monster and Glenn, who was listening to him attentively. ¡®The Gambling Monster must not have realized why the head of house is listening to him right now.¡¯ Glenn was already aware of everything that had happened. He wasn¡¯t exactly curious about the Gambling Monster¡¯s side of the story¡ªhe just wanted to hear about Raon¡¯s great actions directly from the Gambling Monster. ¡®What an amazing love for his grandson.¡¯ Moreover, the fact that he acted coldly towards Raon on the outside despite his thoughts made him even more amazing. ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I ended up as the annex building¡¯s general administrator against my will.¡± The Gambling Monster sighed deeply in embarrassment. ¡°Was he that good at gambling?¡± Glenn asked, the corners of his lips raising slightly. ¡°It was mind blowing. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t lose even against a gambler that is famous throughout the continent.¡± The Gambling Monster murmured that he felt despair while gambling against Raon. ¡°In that case, he must not have learned it from him.¡± Glenn pointed at Rimmer, who was just standing in the back. ¡°There are cases of disciples surpassing their masters, but that idiot is the biggest loser when ites to gambling. He¡¯spletely different from Raon. There¡¯s no way he was taught by him.¡± ¡°Aha! I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Rimmer stepped up and frowned. ¡°It feels pretty bad to be called a loser, but I really didn¡¯t do it! I¡¯m not the one who taught Raon about gambling!¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± ¡°Apologize to me! My bones still hurt because you kept beating me up over and over because of that!¡± Because Glenn misunderstood that Rimmer had taught Raon about gambling, he had to be struck by lightning three times over. Since someone was there to prove his innocence, he couldn¡¯t overlook the incident anymore. ¡°Apologize! Apologize! Apologize!¡± Rimmer protested by punching the air with his fist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was my mistake.¡± ¡°Do something! Do something! Do something!¡± He raised his voice even more in order to use the opportunity to obtain something else. His objective was obviously gold coins. ¡°Since I don¡¯t need lip service, give me a properpensatio¡­¡± Rumble! When Rimmer extended his hand in order to ask for money, lightning appeared from thin air and fell down on him. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Because the lightning had literally appeared in an instant, Rimmer couldn¡¯t even think about dodging it and copsed while screaming. ¡°Y-You demon¡­¡± Rimmer shivered, raising his head with difficulty. ¡®The grandfather and grandson are so simr.¡¯ He had a feeling that Glenn was a more shameless version of Raon. The way they looked so simr reminded him that they were grandfather and grandson for a good reason. ¡°Herrian, I have a question for you.¡± Glenn pointed at Herrian with his chin, not even looking at Rimmer. His pressure was filled with an unusually ufortable atmosphere, suggesting it might turn into a tidal wave to overwhelm the entire audience chamber. ¡°P-Please do.¡± The Gambling Monster swallowed nervously because of the sudden heaviness of the atmosphere. ¡°Did the liquor taste good when you drank it with Raon?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I asked you whether the liquor tasted good or not when you drank it while facing Raon.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s eyes were shivering like a reed because of thepletely unexpected question. ¡°Hup.¡± Rimmer covered his mouth in order to stop himself fromughing. ¡®He got mad because he couldn¡¯t be the one to teach his grandson how to drink for the first time.¡¯ Glenn¡¯s pressure had be ufortable because the Gambling Monster had taken away Raon¡¯s first drinking experience. Glenn must¡¯ve been angry because his grandson¡¯s first drink, the one that he¡¯d been looking forward to, was taken away by his old subordinate. ¡°Hmm, I think it wasn¡¯t too bad.¡± The Gambling Monster slowly nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad?¡± Glenn¡¯s voice was getting heated. He sounded like he was getting angry. ¡°No one is normally capable of catching up to my drinking speed, but that boy was even faster than me as he taunted me. Since it has never happened to me before, it was mysterious, and I somehow didn¡¯t feel lonely. The feeling that I was actually with other people was something I haven¡¯t experienced in a long time.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit awkward for me to say this because he has defeated me, but you have a really nice grandson.¡± Unlike the sarcasm from before, he wasplimenting him from the bottom of his heart. The Gambling Monster¡¯s suddenpliment about Raon suddenly extinguished Glenn¡¯s tremendous pressure like a candlelight. ¡°I thought at first that he was just a greenhorn who didn¡¯t know his ce. I now see him as a great tiger who is trying to be the master of a mountain after having experienced all kinds of hardships, despite his young age. I¡¯ve faced countless talents during my journey in the continent, yet the real deal was here in Zieghart.¡± The Gambling Monster ced his hand on the left side of his chest with a faint smile on his face. ¡°I have to apologize to my lord, since you are my previous master, because I think I¡¯m going to have to serve the young master for a while. I can¡¯t break the promise that I¡¯ve made under my name, after all.¡± He lowered his head from that posture. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rimmer gasped. ¡®Did he really ept him already?¡¯ Although he must¡¯ve been aware of the fact that Raon was a coteral, the Gambling Monster was trying to help Raon from the bottom of his heart. He must¡¯ve really taken a liking to him through the previous incident. ¡®Did he remind him of the past?¡¯ The Gambling Monster must¡¯ve thought about the times when everyone was together back then. ¡®Seriously, that guy¡­¡¯ The way Raon told him in the end that he could leave if he didn¡¯t like him must¡¯ve pulled at his heartstrings. Raon must not be aware of that fact, but that was simr to what Glenn had told the Gambling Monster before. ¡°Ahem.¡± He raised his head to look at Glenn. He was trying to force the corners of his mouth toe back down from the sky. Rimmer chuckled. ¡®He really is simple at times like this.¡¯ He was enraged until a moment ago over his grandson¡¯s first drinking experience being taken away, yet he was now so happy just because the Gambling Monster acknowledged Raon from the bottom of his heart. He was the definition of a doting grandfather. ¡°Which means you didn¡¯t actually join Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m affiliated with the annex building. I¡¯m going to have to obey them, instead.¡± The Gambling Monster calmly dered that Raon was his boss, rather than Zieghart. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn¡¯s mouth and eyes were wavering violently. It signified that he liked it even more. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, since I personally released you back then.¡± Glenn furrowed his brows and nodded. He naturally covered his mouth with his hand, probably trying to hide the smile on his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± The Gambling Monster politely knelt and bowed at him. He didn¡¯t seem to have realized Glenn¡¯s reaction yet. ¡°Rimmer.¡± Glenn called Rimmer¡¯s name. His eyes were brimming with excitement. ¡°I have something to tell you, as well.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll make good use of thepensation¡­¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit are you spouting again?¡± He frowned, waving his hand. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about money. It¡¯s about a mission for the Light Wind squad.¡± Chapter 237 Rimmer calmly stood up and beat the dust off his clothes. He went down on one knee, then punched the ground with his fist while lowering his head. ¡°The Light Wind squad leader is receiving my lord¡¯smand.¡± The solemn atmosphere burst from his shoulders alongside his low voice. It was difficult to believe that the powerful energy wave spreading throughout the audience chamber came from someone who had just been beaten up while joking around. His green eyes, which always used to be mischievous, had turned serious. However, Glenn and the Gambling Monster weren¡¯t surprised at all. They were acting like it was only natural that Rimmer would do that, since he was that kind of person to begin with. ¡°The mission hasn¡¯t been decided yet.¡± ¡°Haa, you should¡¯ve said so from the beginning! It¡¯s so much effort to strain my eyes!¡± Rimmer sighed deeply and stood up. He scratched his head while murmuring that it was such a disappointment. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn frowned, then flicked his finger on the armrest. He seemed to be contemting whether he should strike him with lightning or not. ¡°So, what kind of mission is it, since you mentioned before it even began?¡± ¡°Do you know Gazel River, the one connected to Rable River?¡± ¡°Of course I do. That¡¯s where the Blue Lugh tribe lives.¡± Rimmer nodded. Gazel River was located at the edge of Zieghart¡¯s domain, and was the residence of the Blue Lugh tribe, which was one of the demi human races. ¡°I¡¯ve stayed at Doran Vige next to the river before. It was afortable and peaceful ce, just like the forest.¡± Rimmer remembered that he could rest in a serene and quiet atmosphere simr to his home forest, and that the vigers were extremely kind. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty good ce. Watching the Blue Lughs ying around in a clean river is strangely charming.¡± A faint smile also appeared on the Gambling Monster¡¯s face. He¡¯d apparently been there before as well. ¡°I agree. The Blue Lughs are pretty nice to watch because they kinda look like cats.¡± Rimmer nodded in agreement. ¡°Those Blue Lughs have apparently attacked people.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± The smile disappeared from Rimmer¡¯s face as his jaw dropped. ¡°Th-There¡¯s no way that could¡¯ve happened¡­¡± The Blue Lugh tribe resided inside or near the river, and they were a timid race that tended to immediately hide upon seeing people or boats. They were a powerful race, yet they didn¡¯t try to show off, like benevolent wizards¡ªwhich made it difficult to believe that they had actually attacked people. ¡°Who did they attack?¡± ¡°The fishermen from Doran Vige, apparently.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rimmer scratched his chin. Since Doran Vige was the only group in a symbiotic rtionship with the Blue Lugh tribe, it was difficult to believe that they had attacked them. ¡°Maybe they touched the Blue Lugh¡¯s children? I have never heard of a case where they attacked others preemptively.¡± The Gambling Monster also tilted his head in bewilderment. ¡°The Shadow Agents are gathering information, and nothing like that happened. They were crossing the Gazel River just like always and were suddenly attacked. Their boat was destroyed.¡± Glenn slowly shook his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve also seen the Blue Lugh before. They immediately ran away upon noticing me, and they weren¡¯t aggressive at all. They just seemed slightly curious.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying! They are extremely innocent¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know that. Since the Blue Lughs never go far from water, we don¡¯t really know what kind of personality they have.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Rimmer nodded. Just like Glenn said, not much was known about the Blue Lughs. There could¡¯ve been other aspects that he didn¡¯t see from them. ¡°You have some time, since I¡¯ll deliver the mission after the Shadow Agents gather enough information. You should get ready to leave in the meantime.¡± ¡°Alright, but¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips as he met Glenn¡¯s gaze. ¡°What exactly is the mission about? Are we supposed to stop the Blue Lughs? Or chase them away? Or¡­¡± He purposefully didn¡¯t finish his sentence. ¡°You should discover the reason the Blue Lughs have turned violent and stop them. However, you will need to get rid of them if that ends up being impossible.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn nodded coldly, without the slightest hesitation. ¡°Understood.¡± Rimmer epted the order without trying to argue against him, even though he had a pretty good impression of the Blue Lughs. However, his eyes had turned a lot deeper and more soulful than usual. ¡°Rimmer.¡± Glenn called Rimmer¡¯s name to change the subject. ¡°Are you going to stop gambling now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rimmer closed his eyes without responding. ¡°You didn¡¯t manage to do it yourself, but your student has achieved it. It should be fine to stop now.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He smiled faintly while looking at the Gambling Monster. ¡°That¡¯s not wrong. Since I just wished to see someoneplete the Promise of Three against that old geezer.¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s red eyes were quietly wavering like a windyke upon hearing that. ¡°I think I¡¯ll just gamble for fun now. I¡¯ll still need to make some money, though.¡± Rimmerughed, then rotated his shoulders. ¡°Rimmer, lingering attachments should be left to flow away. Holding on to someone else¡¯s attachment is both painful and foolish at the same time.¡± Glenn¡¯s voice was even more void than usual. ¡°I have a different opinion about that.¡± Rimmer shook his head. ¡°I think attachments are worth clinging on to. A deceased person¡¯s lingering attachments should be realized, and it¡¯s even more the case for someone who is still alive.¡± The sad expression from beforepletely disappeared from his face as he smiled like a sly fox. ¡°I think my lord¡¯s attachments need to be realized.¡± ¡°I have no such thing.¡± ¡°No way! You do, since you love Raon so muc¡­Gasp!¡± Rimmer hurriedly used footwork to dodge the lightning sparking from Glenn¡¯s hand. ¡°It looks like you can take more beatings, since you started talking again. Shall we start the real round?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll take my leave now, since I need to get ready for the mission!¡± He kicked the audience chamber¡¯s door open and ran away. ¡°What was he talking about Raon just now?¡± ¡°Just ignore him, he was just spouting nonsense.¡± Glenn quickly shook his head, telling him to not even think about it. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Gambling Monster narrowed his eyes while looking at Glenn before straightening his posture. ¡°I¡¯m also going to leave now.¡± He politely bowed, then turned around. ¡°Herrian.¡± Glenn called his name as the Gambling Monster was about to open the audience chamber¡¯s door to leave. ¡°Wee back.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± The Gambling Monster nodded while smiling faintly. He looked at Glenn for a moment before leaving the audience chamber. ¡°Haa.¡± Glenn frowned while looking at the door where Rimmer and the Gambling Monster went past. ¡°You idiots. No one would me you even if you livedfortably now¡­¡± * * * * * * Raon went to the main street alongside Yua and Yulius. The reason he was going to the main street instead of training was because of the tenant in his bracelet. You don¡¯t even try to keep your promise if the King of Essence doesn¡¯t talk about it! Wrath snorted while sitting on Raon¡¯s right shoulder with his arms crossed. You pretended you would do everything for the King of Essence when you made him work, yet you act like none of that ever happened once it¡¯s over! ¡®I was going to buy you some anyway.¡¯ Stop making meugh! If the King of Essence didn¡¯t mention it, you would¡¯ve been standing in front of a mirror like a ghost still, practicing the illusion sword from daybreak. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Raon groaned, since Wrath was telling the truth. He had no excuse because he kept training swordsmanship in front of a mirror after the Gambling Monster gave him advice. ¡®But I¡¯m outside now.¡¯ Raon came out to the main street at lunchtime in order to calm Wrath¡¯s anger. Since Yua and Yulius also happened to be idle without any lessons, he brought them with him to cheer them up. ¡°It¡¯s your first time being here, right? I¡¯ll guide you.¡± Yua cheerfully ran around the main street. ¡°Yua!¡± ¡°Wee, Yua! These apples just came in. Try one!¡± ¡°Yua! The pork is great today! It will be delicious if you grill it!¡± The merchants forming long lines on both sides of the street waved their hands at Yua. Since she usually did the grocery shopping with the maids, everyone recognized her with brilliant smiles on their faces. ¡°I-I know, too.¡± Yulius pretended that he already knew about the ce even though it was his first time being there. His pride must¡¯ve been unable to acknowledge his ignorance. ¡°Really? Then what is that shop over there?¡± ¡°Huh? Th-They sell clothes¡­¡± ¡°Wrong! It¡¯s a bakery!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Yua burst intoughter, and Yulius¡¯s face turned red. ¡®They areplete opposites.¡¯ Raon chuckled while watching the two. Yua still just thought of Yulius as a friend, and Yulius considered Yua a rival. Since they were thinking differently about each other, their rtionship was interesting. Those kids are pretty fun to watch. Wrath also giggled while looking at them. ¡®Did you like kids?¡¯ The King of Essence originally cared for talented people. Moreover, the pineapple girl is the King of Essence¡¯s third maid. It¡¯s obvious he would take care of her regardless of her talent. He was still calling Yua his maid. He was apparently serious about taking care of her and cherishing her, even though he didn¡¯t actually do anything for her. ¡®But why are you like that towards me, then?¡¯ You¡­ You bastard! You¡¯ve taken away everything from the King of Essence! Wrath looked like he was about to explode as he emanated wrath and coldness. His energy swarmed through Raon¡¯s mana circuits. Was that a provocation? The King of Essence will never overlook this! ¡°Sir Raon! We¡¯ve arrived!¡± Yua waved her hand at him from the bead ice cream shop. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon didn¡¯t move in order to defend against Wrath¡¯s attack, but his wrath and coldness dissipated from his body in an instant, like the falling tide. What are you waiting for? Go inside already! Wrath poked his tongue out like a puppy to urge him to eat the ice cream already. He seemed to have forgotten that he was angry. ¡®What a great demon king you are¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head, then entered the ice cream shop. ¡°You should pick whatever you want to eat.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Is it really okay for me to eat? I¡¯ve already received so much favor¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You should also choose for the annex building¡¯s people.¡± Raon interrupted Yulius¡¯s inflexible words and smiled. ¡®How about you¡­ Guh?¡¯ As he was about to tell Wrath to choose his ice cream as well, the back of a head that he could see at the disy window looked extremely familiar. ¡°Runaan?¡± ¡°Mhm?¡± The silver-haired woman was literally sticking her face on the window at that point. When she briskly turned her head, Raon could see that she was Runaan, as expected. ¡°Why are you here¡­? Ah.¡± He realized that was an unnecessary question. It was the same kind of story as a cat passing by a fish shop. ¡°I was watching.¡± Runaan¡¯s nk eyes were filled with regret. ¡°Watching?¡± Raon tilted his head. She was rich enough to buy the entire shop if she wanted, so he couldn¡¯t understand why she was so troubled. ¡°Mom told me to eat only one per day.¡± She hung her head while saying that. It looked like tears would start dripping from her purple eyes. ¡°Hmm, do you want to pick one as well?¡± ¡°No, I promised Mom¡­¡± Runaan shook her head. Even though she wanted to eat them so badly, she was still keeping her promise. That was just like her. ¡°Then let¡¯s eatter.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Raon left Runaan alone as she quietly nodded, going to the disy stand. ¡®Which one would you like?¡¯ Hmm, I¡¯ve felt this before, but there are too few types of ice cream in this shop. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Zieghart¡¯s region was cold all year long. Even though most of the residents were resistant to cold thanks to the martial arts they learned, they still preferred warm food over ice cream, so the shop was bound to be rtively small. I¡¯ll take a box of mint choctes. ¡®An entire box of mint chocte¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip. His head was already starting to hurt from thinking about eating an entire box of that. Wait, shall I make it into two boxes? Let me think¡­ Hmm? Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking at the poster on the wall. What is that? He pointed at the poster with the drawing of ice cream between bread, like a sandwich. ¡®I¡¯m not sure.¡¯ Raon turned his head around to call the store manager. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a new product that I¡¯ve made.¡± The manager with a mustache nodded from the counter. ¡°Did you make it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried making it as a temporary measure because the sales were pretty bad recently.¡± He awkwardly scratched his cheek. ¡°There is ice cream ced between castes that are made soft by using a lot of milk. It¡¯s called bead ice cream sandwich.¡± ¡°Ice cream sandwich¡­¡± Raon licked his lips. Eating ice cream along with bread could be called innovative. Hey! What are you waiting for? Order it already! Right now! me was raging in Wrath¡¯s eyes like a puppy in front of food as he pounded Raon¡¯s arm with his fist as soft as a cotton ball. ¡°Can I have one of these?¡± ¡°Which vor would you like?¡± ¡°Cookies and cream, please.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll take the same one as Sir Raon, please.¡± Yua and Yulius also raised their hands, telling him they would also like the sandwich. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Raon took a nce at Runaan, who was standing nkly behind him, before raising four fingers. ¡°Give me four.¡± ¡°Yes! Order received for four cookies and cream sandwich!¡± The manager went inside with a smile. You bastard! You should¡¯ve picked mint chocte! ¡®Ah, you are right. Shall I change it now?¡¯ Whatever. We can just add mint chocte in the order. Wrath licked his lips while looking at the ice cream. He seemed to be nning to try them all out. ¡°Here you go.¡± Probably because the preparations were already made, it didn¡¯t take too long until he finished making it. ¡°Here you go, Runaan.¡± Raon first gave Runaan the sandwich. ¡°Mhm? But I¡­¡± ¡°This is a sandwich, not a bead ice cream. It should be okay, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Runaan¡¯s lips loosened and turned into a smile. It was a smile that Raon had never seen before. ¡°Mhm! Thank you.¡± She nodded, then took the ice cream sandwich. She turned it around to look at it from different angles with a very small smile on her face. ¡°This is the sandwich¡­¡± The way the cookies and cream ice cream was stuck between the thin caste bread, which was as soft as cotton, was mouth-watering. Because the round shape was so pretty, he felt like it would be a shame to just eat it up. This is not the time to admire it! Eat it already! ¡®You aren¡¯t a gourmet, no matter how I see it.¡¯ Gourmets usually appreciated the appearance of food as well, yet Wrath never did that. He was just a glutton who only cared about the quantity. Raon shook his head before putting the sandwich in his mouth. ¡°Huh!¡± He unconsciously eximed. The castes surrounding the ice cream from top and bottom gently melted like soaked paper to create a spongy texture, and the ice cream ced between them engulfed the tongue with sweet and crispy vors. He could only smile because of the unexpected harmony in the taste. I-It¡¯s here¡­ Wrath raised his eyes sharply. The King of Essence has been living for thousands of years without knowing about such a taste. His entire life was a waste! He murmured some strange things and called the demon god. He was the definition of a lunatic. The two ingredients are tasty by themselves, but they are making the drawbacks disappear. This is the perfect food! Wrath¡¯s body was trembling as if he were about to faint. ¡®Drawbacks?¡¯ The caste¡¯s brittle texture is fixed by the ice cream, and the ice cream¡¯s cold and hard texture is being softened by the caste¡¯s softness. This is the perfect food! ¡®Harmony and softening¡­¡¯ Raon nkly stared at the half-eaten sandwich he was holding. All ingredients have strengths and weaknesses. This is the best food because it manages to kill the weaknesses by using the strengths. The King of Essence would like to keep eating this for the rest of his life! ¡®So the strengths from each one can offset the weaknesses.¡¯ If you finally understand, you should stop mumbling about it and finish eating it! The King of Essence can¡¯t wait any longer! Wrath started dancing by shaking his body. Raon nodded, then put the rest of the ice cream sandwich in his mouth. After hearing Wrath¡¯s exnation, he could clearly notice that the strengths of the ingredients were killing the weaknesses. Kuuu! This is great! Order the mint chocte sandwich now! The King of Essence¡¯s hand is trembling in excitement! Wrath¡¯s body was really trembling in anticipation. ¡®Harmony¡­¡¯ However, Raon wasn¡¯t listening to Wrath. He kept murmuring about harmony while staring at the flier about ice cream sandwiches. ¡®Maybe I can create a harmony between swordsmanships just like this¡­¡¯ What are you doing? ¡®If I can utilize the impact from the sound sword to make up for the illusion sword¡¯s slow activation¡­¡¯ Raon Zieghart? Hey! You bastard! Raon didn¡¯t react, even though Wrath smacked his forearm and shoulder. What kind of torture is this? Are you really going into a trance now after eating a single serving of this delicious food? Wrath screamed, but Raon¡¯s pupils softly lost focus. You demonic bastard! * * * ¡°This ce¡­¡± Raon blinked his eyes. ¡°What happened?¡± He was in his room in the annex building. Thest thing he remembered was eating an ice cream sandwich in the shop, yet he had returned to his room before he knew it. ¡¯What happened?¡¯ my ass! You are just crazy! Wrath¡¯s angry voice could be heard from the top of his shoulder. ¡°Huh?¡± You went into a trance while eating a stupid ice cream sandwich! You must have a hole in your brain! ¡°Ah!¡± Raon chuckled. He remembered that he started thinking about how to achieve harmony between the principles of two different swordsmanships while eating the sandwich. Are youughing? Are you reallyughing right now? Wrath shoved his face into him while grinding his teeth. His round eyes were bubbling like boiling water. You said that you would buy everything I wanted when we went there, yet the King of Essence only managed to eat one of them! Moreover, it was cookies and cream instead of mint chocte! Seriously, cookies and cream! ¡°It was still delicious, though. Wasn¡¯t it?¡± That¡¯s true¡­ But! Wrath briskly rolled his eyes. Anyway, you didn¡¯t keep your promise to buy me the ice cream set! You¡¯d better remember it, so you won¡¯t say otherwiseter on! ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Raon slowly nodded. ¡°Did I make the payment?¡± Despite your state, you paid for the ice cream girl and the kids, and even bought the maids¡¯ portions! The King of Essence is the only one you didn¡¯t care for! Kuh! Wrath furiously pounded his chest. I seriously can¡¯te to like you at all! The King of Essence really wanted to try out the mint chocte sandwich! ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Let¡¯s go there again tomorrow.¡± Raon smiled faintly, patting Wrath on the back. Are you taking the King of Essence for an idiot? He won¡¯t be fooled by your sweet words anymore! Wrath briskly turned his head away. He seemed determined to not trust him anymore. ¡°It¡¯s true this time.¡± Hmm¡­ Wrath started rolling his round eyes. He looked like he had already forgotten about what he said a second ago. It was a mystery at that point that a demon king could be so innocent in front of food. I can¡¯t trust you. ¡°I managed to save lots of time thanks to your hint.¡± Raon tapped on his scabbard and smiled. Hint? The King of Essence only remembers insulting you, though. I called you a crazy bastard, blockhead, and hoped you would get stabbed to death¡­ Wrath tilted his head in bewilderment while repeating the insults he said before. ¡°What you said before that helped me. The thing about offsetting the weaknesses.¡± Raon stood in front of the full-length mirror he had brought for training purposes. He grinned while facing the reflected sparkling red eyes. ¡°I had an idea about a new swordsmanship thanks to you.¡± Chapter 238 You got an idea for a new swordsmanship? While eating a freaking ice cream? Wrath tilted his round head since he was unable toprehend what he was hearing. ¡°I didn¡¯t eat a freaking ice cream. It was just a normal ice cream.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Wrath as he rolled his eyes. What kind of swordsmanship did youe up with? ¡°A harmony between the illusion sword and the sound sword.¡± During his trance, he managed to imagine a new swordsmanship that could harmonize the sound sword he had recently learned with the illusion sword that he¡¯d been continuously practicing for a while. Even though he only had an image, continuous practice should allow him to create a swordsmanship that only one person in the world was capable of using. A harmony between illusion and sound¡­ ¡°What you said about erasing weakness by using strength was extremely helpful.¡± Raon raised his lips into a smile and tapped Wrath¡¯s head. ¡®He really is the Giving Wrath.¡¯ Wrath wasn¡¯t simply offering stats and traits. He was also giving away hints to help Raon¡¯s growth through words and behavior. He was exactly like the Giving Tree that offered fruits in its early stage, logs after it grew up, and eventually became a resting ce once it got old. ¡°Thank you.¡± H-How dare a mere human hit the King of Essence¡¯s head! Such insolence! Wrath¡¯s face turned red like a volcano nearing its eruption. The King of Essence shall take this opportunity to teach you who the King of Essence really is! Wrath¡¯s coldness pierced into Raon¡¯s mana circuit like an awl. The wrath that was stuck to his soul like a leech also emerged at the same time. Rumble! The coldness was freezing his bones, and the heaviness of his wrath was crushing his body. I shall take the ice cream sandwich¡¯s revenge! ¡°The ice cream sandwich isn¡¯t dead yet, though.¡± Shut up! Wrath must¡¯ve been really angry from being unable to eat the ice cream sandwich. An extremely powerful coldness and wrath were pressuring his body. ¡®He¡¯s getting stronger and stronger, too.¡¯ Though, it was pretty much pointless. Raon resonated the Ring of Fire with a faint smile on his face. The serene pressure spread out from his heart to pierce through the wrath trying to oppress his soul, and the blue and red energies bursting out from his energy center pushed back the coldness that had pierced into his mana circuit. Rumble! Powerful energies shed against each other inside his mana circuit, which had be as broad as an avenue after the Curse of Frost was lifted, but it was obvious who was going to win. God damn it! Wrath screamed and mustered all of his power, but he couldn¡¯t win against the energies of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier. He was gradually pushed back, losing his standing just like a beast who had lost its territory. It¡¯s not over yet! The King of Essence is the king of Devildom, and the monarch of wrath! Giving up is not an option! Wrath mustered his wrath once again, shouting his determination to win. ¡®He¡¯s really helpful.¡¯ Raon smiled. Thanks to Wrath¡¯s attack, he was able to train the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, cier, and the Ring of Fire at the same time. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ [You¡¯ve sessfully endured Wrath¡¯s interruption.] [Strength has increased by 1.] [Energy has increased by 1.] He was even giving away all those stats. Just like the Giving Tree, the demon king Wrath was useful in every single aspect. Kuuh! Wrath grasped his head and withdrew, then started grinding his teeth. I¡¯m not going to talk to you anymore! You are going to regret this one day! Hisst words almost sounded like a curse before he returned to the bracelet. ¡°I was nning to go to the ice cream shop tomorrow, but I guess I don¡¯t need to go there anymore since you aren¡¯t talking to me.¡± The flower bracelet violently twitched as he said that. It didn¡¯t even take three seconds before Wrath''s face slowly emerged from the bracelet. I¡¯m¡­ ¡°You are?¡± I¡¯m canceling it. ¡°Hah!¡± Raon burst intoughter. The ice cream sandwich must¡¯ve been really delicious, since the demon king¡¯s pride was bent in just three seconds. ¡®I guess I should take care of him a bit more.¡¯ Since he was the one who didn¡¯t keep his promise to begin with, and Wrath didn¡¯t even interfere during his trance even though he could¡¯ve interrupted it on top of helping him before. Doing everything he wanted to make up for his mistake was the correct course of action. ¡°Let¡¯s go tomorrow, then. You should think about what you want to eat among the ones we saw today.¡± That¡¯s already decided! The King of Essence is going to try out everything, starting with the mint chocte sandwich! Wrath cheerfully waved his hand. His anger was gone so quickly. ¡°Alright, do whatever you want.¡± But¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± You aren¡¯t going to enter another trance, are you? ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Since he¡¯d already finished drawing the new technique¡¯s image in his mind, he wasn¡¯t going to enter another trance for a while. Probably. You seriously entered a trance while eating ice cream. At this rate, you are going to enter a trance one day while pooping. You will be inside the restroom all day long! ¡°That sounds fun.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully. Hmph. So, what kind of swordsmanship did youe up with? Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive while looking at the mirror. He nodded, looking at the silver de that stretched out without the slightest noise. ¡°A sword draw.¡± Sword draw? But you already have that. ¡°It¡¯s different from that. This sword draw will be able to cut through an opponent for sure.¡± The previous sword draw consisted of disabling the opponent¡¯s vestibr organ through sound, but the new technique he came up with was a sword draw to directly cut through the opponent. The King of Essence thought you¡¯d startmitting genocide with sound. ¡®Genocide?¡¯ The old butler told you before that the sound sword¡¯s advantage is that it can be used against multiple opponents. I thought you would wipe people out with the de of sound, but you aren¡¯t very fun. ¡®de of sound¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips and started thinking about the de of sound. The red color in his eyes started to turn pale once again. Huh? Wrath dropped his jaw as he saw his eyes. No way? Tell me it¡¯s not happening! ¡°What if I go even deeper than the vestibr organs¡­¡± Raon murmured about swordsmanship without responding to Wrath. Hey! ¡°I can reach the nervous system with a sound sword¡­¡± Seriously! You are too crazy about swords! * * * * * * One weekter. Raon went to a corner of the training ground as soon as he finished afternoon training. He unsheathed and drew his sword over and over with the full-length mirror in front of him that he¡¯d brought in advance. You¡¯ve been doing nothing but draw your damn sword for the entire week. Wrath sighed from on top of his shoulder. Since Raon had bought ice cream for him to his stomach¡¯s content right after he came out of his second trance, Wrath¡¯s appeased anger could be called mild. Isn¡¯t it boring for you? ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Creating a new swordsmanship was simr to drawing a map. It was necessary to personally travel through countless routes to find the best path. The harmony between sound and illusion swords that he was trying to achieve had never been attempted by anyone before. It was obvious that it was a difficult and time consuming task. ¡®And I¡¯m trying to learn two different techniques.¡¯ He managed to imagine two different swordsmanships thanks to Wrath¡¯s hint. The first one was a sword draw specialized in one-on-one situations, which would allow him to cut through his opponent in an instant through the harmony between the sound and illusion swords. The second one was a sword draw specialized in dealing multiple opponents, which would allow him to neutralize or kill multiple opponents at once. He didn¡¯t even have time to sleep, since he wanted toplete both techniques. ¡®And most importantly, this is fun.¡¯ F-Fun? Are you really having fun when you are doing nothing but drawing your sword in front of a mirror? ¡®I can feel my progress.¡¯ Practicing a sword draw for the entire week had allowed him to freely control the speed, direction, and sound of his sword draw. Since he managed to incorporate the illusion sword little by little, he would be able to create a technique that can be used in actualbat if he kept practicing it. You are really crazy about swords. Wrath scowled. He shook his head and returned to the bracelet. p! Raon chuckled, and as he was about to draw Heavenly Drive once again, a pping sound could be heard. It wasing from Rimmer, who was lying t on the tform. ¡®Why is he still here?¡¯ Since the Gambling Monster was around recently, Rimmer didn¡¯t even wait for the end of training to disappear, yet he was still there for once. Though, his posture made him wonder whether Rimmer thought of the ce as a training ground or his home. ¡°Gather, everyone.¡± Since the swordsmen were all doing their personal training, every single member of the Light Wind squad gathered in front of the tform. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Raon looked up at the tform while standing in front of the Light Wind members. ¡°The Light Wind squad has received their second mission.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Mission!¡± The excited breaths from the swordsmen could be heard from behind him. Raon looked around. The glittering eyes¡ªfrom team leaders Burren and Martha to every member¡ªrevealed their anticipation. Of course, Runaan seemed as nk as always, and Dorian looked slightly scared. ¡°Please tell us.¡± Raon nodded at Rimmer. ¡°Anyone know about the Gazel River?¡± ¡°Gazel River¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly a famous ce, but it was known as the Blue Lugh tribe¡¯s habitat, with pure and clean water that was almost transparent. ¡°Gazel River is connected to the Label River that runs across the continent, and the demi-human tribe Blue Lugh lives there.¡± Rimmer mentioned the Blue Lugh tribe, which Raon was expecting. ¡°Apparently, the Blue Lughs sank a fishing boat and killed people recently.¡± ¡°But I heard the Blue Lugh tribe has never attacked anyone before¡­¡± Burren frowned. Just like he said, the Blue Lughs have never been the first one to attack. Since they were afraid of people, it was difficult to believe that they sank a boat and killed people. ¡°Same goes for me, but this is a fact that has been directly investigated by the Shadow Agents.¡± Rimmer slowly shook his hand. His careful voice implied that he also thought the incident was unexpected. ¡°They were only trying to intimidate at first, but they turned more and more aggressive and ended up destroying the fishing boat crossing the Gazel River three days ago, drowning the upants of the boat. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Since the victims were just fishermen instead of warriors, the Light Wind member¡¯s gazes turned stiff. ¡°Our mission is to determine the reason the Blue Lughs have turned violent and return them to their original state. However, we will have to eliminate them if it ends up being impossible.¡± Rimmer dered simply, then stood up. He looked down at everyone with his cold green gaze. ¡°The Blue Lughs are powerful. Their physical abilities are even better than those of a monster, and they are capable of using blood sorcery. Since every single one of them is as powerful as an Expert under water, you will have to be careful. However, there are other people that you need to be even more cautious about.¡± He interrupted himself, then frowned. ¡°The South-North Union that rules over the Rable River. Those thieves have been passing by the area recently.¡± ¡°Th-The South-North Union!¡± ¡°Indeed. The Rable River is their territory, after all!¡± ¡°Hmm, the South-North Union from the five demons¡­¡± The swordsmen groaned upon hearing that the South-North Union was involved. They were bound to be nervous, since they weren¡¯tmon thieves. They were a huge organization with a proper system and martial arts. ¡°Even though the South-North Union is rather neutral and can be spoken with, they are still one of the five demons. You should be careful, since we might end up fighting them.¡± ¡°South-North Union¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. The mention of South-North Union reminded him of the young leader Raptor that he met during his first mission as trainee. ¡®He must¡¯ve be even stronger.¡¯ He was curious about what level he would have now, since he was already at Master level back then. ¡°One more thing! Doran Vige, which is our destination, is outside Zieghart¡¯s domain.¡± ¡°Why are we going all the way out there?¡± Burren tilted his head. ¡°Because Yuin Vige, located right behind Doran Vige, is our domain.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°We need to stop the incident before it spreads to Yuin Vige, and it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to expand ourselves up to Doran Vige on this asion.¡± The Gambling Monster came forward instead of Rimmer. ¡°It must be your first time fighting at a river, but the recent training should allow some decent movement on top of a boat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what all those training sessions were for ¡­¡± Raon nodded. He thought it was strange that the Gambling Monster made them practice keeping their bnce. It must¡¯ve been in preparation for the mission. ¡°Everyone should gather here at daybreak tomorrow, after you pack wherever you will need during the mission.¡± Since Rimmer finished saying everything that he had to say, he simply waved his hand and left the training ground. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon turned around and examined the Light Wind members¡¯ eyes one after the other. Some of them were filled with anticipation, while others were nervous, and some looked slightly afraid. ¡°Encounters on the river shall be inevitable, although our opponents could be either the Blue Lughs or the South-North Union. You should think about how you will deal with all sorts of situations to thoroughly prepare yourselves.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind members nodded, then left the training ground one after the other. ¡°I¡¯ll get going, too.¡± ¡°Please wait.¡± As the Gambling Monster was about to leave, Raon stopped him. ¡°I have a request I¡¯d like to make.¡± ¡°Are you talking about protecting the annex building?¡± He nonchntly replied, as if he already knew what he was going to ask. ¡°Did you know about it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already investigated everything you¡¯ve been doing. You¡¯ve created so many enemies from inside and outside.¡± The Gambling Monster snorted because of how ridiculous that was. ¡°I understand why you appointed me as the annex building¡¯s general administrator.¡± ¡°Hmm, actually¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I keep my promises.¡± As Raon was trying to exin himself, the Gambling Monster turned around. ¡°You¡¯d better return with good news, because I¡¯m going to leave immediately if I don¡¯t like what you did.¡± He raised his hand while walking towards the training ground¡¯s exit. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon stared at the Gambling Monster¡¯s reliable back, then bowed. * * * One week passed since they departed for the Gazel River. Since they were using a mountain road instead of the usual path, nothing special happened except hungry monsters who¡¯d been starving during winter trying to attack them a couple times a day. Raon kept drawing the image of his two swordsmanships in his head during the journey. He kept polishing the sound sword and illusion sword in his mental image and harmonized the two to strive towards creating a new technique. Because he was so focused, the sun had already set and risen again before he knew it. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the dim sky. It was already evening while he was drawing the swordsmanship¡¯s image in his technique. ¡°We will rest here for tonight!¡± He pulled up his horse in an open space where all directions were clear. Since Rimmer had gone limp on his horse in order to sleep, Raon needed to do the squad leader¡¯s job even though he was focused on training. ¡°Each team should prepare for camping!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind members dismounted from their hoses at the same time. Since the team leaders had learned about camping from the Heavenly de swordsmen, they managed to quickly set up the tents and start a fire under theirmand. ¡°Aww, is it already night?¡± Rimmer walked up to him while yawning. He apparently managed to sleep soundly on top of a running horse. ¡°A day passes so quickly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you keep thinking about swordsmanship all day long. Isn¡¯t it boring?¡± He shook his head, sounding like Wrath. ¡°It¡¯s pretty fun.¡± ¡°You are a born swordsman.¡± Rimmer chuckled, looking at the forest on his right side. ¡°There are a lot of annoying things in this direction.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded and tapped his scabbard. A red gaze sparkled from the dark forest soon after that. ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°Grrr.¡± The monsters¡¯ growls and the scent of blood were being carried by the wind that was blowing towards them. ¡°But the ones this time are rtively worth fighting.¡± Rimmer whistled and looked back. ¡°Whose turn is it this time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s our third team¡¯s turn.¡± Burren raised his hand. He had just finished setting up the tent. ¡°Then, you¡­¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll do it, since I have something I¡¯d like to test.¡± Raon shook his head, then went to the forest. He ced his hand on Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt, looking at the forest. Red eyes were revealed under moonlight once they finished probing. The monsters were a group of huge ice trolls, covered from head to toe in silver fur. ¡®Eight ice trolls.¡¯ That was pretty good. It was a perfect number and level to try out the second technique. ¡°Grrr!¡± ¡°Gwaah!¡± The ice trolls came running at Raon while showing their yellow teeth. Because the ground was covered with snow, they were as fast as seasoned swordsmen. ¡°Cover your ears, everyone.¡± Raon gave his warning, then slightly lowered his posture. He lightly grabbed the hilt with peaceful eyes. The moment ice trolls came close enough to be within ten steps of him, he unsheathed Heavenly Drive. Cring! The resonance was different from before. The sword resonance seeping into the atmosphere was elegant and creepy at the same time, as if a devil were ying a violin. ¡°Grr¡­¡± ¡°Gr¡­¡± Even though the ice trolls were running at him, their eyes rolled back the moment they heard the sword¡¯s outcry and they copsed, rolling up to Raon¡¯s feet. Dead. Even though the trolls¡¯ eyes were filled with madness just a moment ago, vitality was leaving them. Their lives had been severed from a single sword resonance of his sword draw. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rimmer gasped as he saw the dead ice trolls. It looked like the de had cut through their necks. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ He was aware that Raon was capable of causing harm to the auditory organs through sword resonance, but he didn¡¯t expect him to straight up sever the nerves. He was unable to close his mouth because of how ridiculous that was. ¡°Uhh!¡± ¡°Th-The sound just now¡­¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± However, it seemed to have influenced the Light Wind members behind him, as it wasn¡¯t a perfect technique yet. Everyone was on their knees while grasping their ears. Once they collected their wits a momentter, their lips started to tremble upon finding the dead ice trolls. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°That guy, seriously¡­¡± Burren was shocked, Runaan was honestly surprised, and Martha bit her lip. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°D-Did he just kill the monsters with sound?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just sound. It was a sword resonance.¡± ¡°What a crazy technique¡­¡± ¡°Is this the sword draw he¡¯s been practicing all along at the training ground?¡± The Light Wind members swallowed nervously while looking at the dead ice trolls and thinking about the sword resonance they¡¯d heard. Their faces looked like they¡¯d witnessed something that shouldn¡¯t have existed in the world. ¡°It¡¯s still not enough.¡± Rimmer licked his lips whileing up next to him. ¡°Indeed. I can hardly differentiate between enemies and allies, and controlling the power is also difficult.¡± ¡°Mental image is usually different from reality, after all.¡± ¡°True.¡± Raon nodded and sighed. Just like Rimmer said, drawing the image in his head was certainly different from using it in an actual fight. ¡°But weren¡¯t you practicing something else in the training ground?¡± ¡°Have you been watching me? I thought you were just sleeping.¡± ¡°I keep my eyes open even when I sleep.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m currently trying to create two techniques. The first one is specialized in one-on-one situations, and this one is for when I have to fight multiple enemies¡­¡± Raon quickly exined the two swordsmanships. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer scratched his chin and nodded. ¡°Then, try using the first technique on me.¡± He chuckled, then stepped aside. ¡°I¡¯llplete your technique for you.¡± Chapter 239 Raon narrowed his eyes while staring at Rimmer, whose chin was smugly raised. ¡°Are you telling me to use the technique right here?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He clumped fingers and flicked them at him to signal for Raon to attack right away. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for your help, but¡­¡± Raon shook his head while looking at Heavenly Drive. ¡°As I said before, this swordsmanship isn¡¯tplete yet. I can¡¯t control the power yet.¡± The sound sword he had used a moment ago also had influence on the Light Wind members behind him because he couldn¡¯t control it properly. Since the first swordsmanship was even more difficult to use than the second one, it could be dangerous. ¡°Huh? Are you worried about me right now?¡± Rimmer furrowed his brows, shoving his face towards him. ¡°Do you know who I am? Hello? I¡¯m Rimmer! It¡¯s me! Rimmer!¡± He was so stupefied that he said ¡®I¡¯ and ¡®Rimmer¡¯ six times total in that short time period. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips. ¡®Of course I know how strong he is. But¡­ I can¡¯t trust him.¡¯ He still had a long way to go before catching up to Rimmer. He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how he could defeat Rimmer if he used the Sword Field Creation. However, because of the fact that he usually behaved like a beggar, it was difficult to trust him. ¡°You know I¡¯m pretty knowledgeable. Stop worrying about it and attack me. I¡¯ll tell you what you need to improve and what you need to remove.¡± Rimmer gently turned his neck and drew his sword from around his waist. ¡°You guys should also watch properly. Since it¡¯s a lucky asion for you to be able to witness Raon¡¯s sword up close, you should try analyzing everything he has and take what you can use.¡± He grinned at the Light Wind members behind him while telling him to watch him as hard as they could. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The Light Wind members stopped doing whatever they¡¯d been doing, gathering together to sit down and focus on watching them. They were flustered at first, but their eyes soon started to sparkle in excitement, since they were swordsmen as well. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon exhaled lightly before returning Heavenly Drive to its scabbard. ¡®I¡¯ll give my best since it came down to it.¡¯ The technique he was about to use was different from the ordinary sword draw that used speed to its advantage to defeat the enemy. Since it was a new type of sword draw that utilized the harmony between sound and illusion to end the opponent¡¯s life, it was necessary to properly analyze the opponent¡¯s behavior. ¡°Haa.¡± After putting his thoughts in order, Raon closed his eyes. As he caught his breath, he opened them again. He held the hilt, his serene eyes looking like a red moon reflected on ake. ¡°Here I go.¡± * * * A faint smile appeared on Rimmer¡¯s face as he watched Raon grab his sword. ¡®I can roughly guess what he¡¯sing up with.¡¯ Raon had mentioned that he was creating a sword draw that used the illusion sword and the sound sword. Considering the swordsmanships he¡¯d used before and the training he¡¯d been doing recently, it was pretty obvious what kind of technique he was about to use. ¡®He should be trying to create problems in the vestibr organs before going for the vitals with the illusion sword.¡¯ An expert was capable of blocking sound before it could reach the nervous system. That¡¯s why, instead of directly cutting the nerves like he did a moment ago, Raon should be trying to stimte the vestibr organs before targeting multiple vitals at the same time with the illusion sword. ¡®Come at me with everything you have. You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡¯ Rimmer licked his lips while slowly controlling his aura. ¡®Those are some nice eyes.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes looked frightening, as if he were facing an enemy. Rimmer liked that personality of his, where he really gave his best when it came down to it. Raon¡¯s hand started to move. It looked like he¡¯d finished getting focused. He lightly grabbed Heavenly Drive and drew it out. Rimmer focused on his hearing in order to properly listen to the sound. He was expecting a loud sword resonance bursting out, but the flickering sword resonance sounded like the growling of an extremely small and young animal. Crack! The moment that entric sound reached his ears, all of the hair on his body stood on ends. His heart started to pound like crazy. ¡®It¡¯s fast.¡¯ The aura inside the sound pierced his ears. It was so fast that anyone less than a Master wouldn¡¯t be able to defend against it. Even though it wasn¡¯t as loud as the sword resonance he¡¯d created before, it was far faster than it. ¡®This¡­¡¯ Rimmer frowned. It wasn¡¯t just affecting his vestibr organs, but it was decreasing his hearing. He couldn¡¯t even hear the sound properly. ¡®Is he decreasing the enemy¡¯s hearing capabilities before connecting to the next hit?¡¯ It was a surprising way of using the sound sword, but something like that wouldn¡¯t work against an expert. Rimmer looked down at Raon¡¯s illusion sword, which wasing straight at him at almost the same time as the sound. Cring! Heavenly Drive was targeting his neck. It looked like a swift sword rather than an illusion sword since it was charging towards him straight, without any variation nor illusion. ¡®Did he make a mistak¡­Ah!¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened. The real de was targeting his heart, hiding under Heavenly Drive¡¯s shadow as it charged towards his neck. Cring! Chills ran down through his spine at the sight, because his sharp strike seemed capable of piercing right through his heart. ¡°Kuh!¡± Rimmer exploded all of the aura he¡¯d been controlling at once to strike with his sword. ang! A powerful shockwave was created, and Raon was sent flying like a piece of paper before he rolled on the ground. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon stabbed the ground with his sword and frowned. ¡°That was a bit excessive.¡± ¡°I was too surprised.¡± Rimmer gasped. His sleepy face was clearly filled with astonishment. ¡°At least you weren¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Raon easily raised himself. ¡°You managed to trick me.¡± Rimmer licked his lips. His eyes were filled with admiration. ¡°The hearing wasn¡¯t the only thing killed by the sword resonance.¡± The sword resonance created from Raon¡¯s sword draw didn¡¯t simply kill the opponent¡¯s hearing, but also reduced their vision, sense of smell, touch, and even aura perception. ¡®That¡¯s why my reaction was so slow.¡¯ It was partly because of how excellent Raon¡¯s illusion sword was, but by killing all of his senses in that instant, Raon made him feel like the illusion sword was the real one. It was bound to dy the opponent¡¯s reaction, even for an expert. ¡°You¡¯ve surpassed my imagination.¡± Rimmer grinned, pping his hands. ¡°That¡¯s a really crazy technique you¡¯ve created.¡± He couldn¡¯t believe that a mere eighteen-year-old boy had created such an insane swordsmanship. Raon wasn¡¯t just a genius, he was a monster of the sword with the qualities of a founder. However, Raon¡¯s eyes remained casual after having used such an outrageous technique. ¡°Squad leader.¡± He sheathed Heavenly de beforeing up to Rimmer. ¡°How shall Iplete this sword?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer swirled his sword while putting his thoughts together before he nodded. ¡°First of all, the sound.¡± ¡°The sound?¡± ¡°I felt something strange from the beast¡¯s roar that burst out when you drew your sword. Anyone at intermediate level Master¡ªno, even a novice Master would be cautious of that sound.¡± He was even more focused on that sound in order to properly watch Raon¡¯s sword, but that unusual sword was bound to alert an expert. ¡°A real expert of the sword draw doesn¡¯t make any sound upon drawing their sword.¡± Rimmer drew his sword in an instant. There was no reverberation at all as the de emerged to reach Raon¡¯s neck. ¡°If you make itpletely silent like this, the opponent is going to be fully focused on the speed because they will believe that it¡¯s really a sword draw.¡± ¡°But if I don¡¯t make any sound¡­¡± ¡°Harpies can stop people¡¯s movement with ultrasonic waves created with mana.¡± He continued while swirling his finger into a circle. ¡°It should be extremely difficult to use a sound sword without making any sound to kill the opponent¡¯s senses, but it should be possible to achieve by using mana like a harpy.¡± ¡°Sound¡­¡± Raon gave a small nod. He looked like he had figured something out. ¡°Secondly, the illusion sword.¡± Rimmer raised his index finger. ¡°It was nice that you hid the real de under the shadow of the illusory sword that was fast enough to make your opponent believe that you were using a swift sword. However¡­¡± He performed a strike in order to demonstrate once again. The de of wind was stretched out like lightning. ¡°You have to make it even faster, and the timing where the real de gets separated from the real sword should be dyed.¡± ¡°So, the illusory sword and the real sword should stay together for even longer.¡± ¡°Yes. If you dy the timing of their separation, it will be difficult to dodge even if they knew about it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded while looking at Heavenly Drive. He seemed to be trying to remember his advice. ¡°I admit that your sword draw is revolutionary, but it¡¯s not going to work all the time. It can easily y an amateur, but it should still be avoidable for those at the same level as you.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°However, if you can achieve perfection in the aspects I mentioned¡ªthe sound, speed, and dying the illusory sword¡­¡± Rimmer cheerfully smiled with serious eyes. ¡°You should even be able to y an intermediate Master in a single strike, let alone those at the same level as you.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Who didn¡¯t understand?¡± Rimmer looked around the Light Wind members after giving Raon his advice. Everyone¡ªincluding Burren, Martha, and Runaan¡ªraised their hands. Apparently, even those three were unable toprehend it. ¡°In that case, this great Rimmer is going to his job for once and exin it to you.¡± He walked in front of the Light Wind members while giggling to exin how Raon was using his sword. Raon watched Rimmer as he exined the principles of his sword to the other swordsmen before turning his head around. ¡®Sound, speed, and dy¡­¡¯ It was the right choice to show him. Rimmer managed to point out the weaknesses after watching it a single time, as if he knew about it all along. He was really an extraordinary person. ¡®I think I can fix them all.¡¯ Sound was the most difficult part among his advice, but there was a method he could use. ¡®The memories from my previous life.¡¯ Since he¡¯d been an assassin for his entire life, he was confident he was better than anyone at remaining silent. He was going to need to research and practice a lot, but he figured he would be able to fix it by mixing the principles of shadow into it. ¡°This is going to be interesting.¡± Since he¡¯d finished hardening the floor and creating the foundation, he just needed to build the building now. He unconsciously smiled in anticipation of how his two techniques would develop. Hmm. Wrath came up on the bracelet while licking his lips. It¡¯s such a mystery that Shitty-ears is actually working now. He frowned while looking at Rimmer¡¯s back. ¡®I agree.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to hate Rimmer, because he showed his serious side sometimes despite his usual miserable demeanor. ¡±Raon!¡± As he was about to start sword draw practice, Rimmer came up to him. It looked like he¡¯d finished the exnation, since the swordsmen were separated into groups to discuss it among themselves. ¡°I realized I forgot to mention something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± He was filled with anticipation for the new advice as he focused, but the words Rimmer said were beyond his imagination. ¡°The tuition fee.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You should pay an appropriate fee since you got amazing advice like this.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t mention anything about tuition fees.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that it was free, either.¡± He grinned while extending his hand. ¡°Since it¡¯s you, I did all that work to get some money. Give me the tuition fee, please.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon visibly pouted and sighed. ¡®Seriously, this miserable elf¡­¡¯ * * * Rimmer led the Light Wind squad after the short lesson. Although it had always been his job, Raon couldn¡¯t help being d because Rimmer had always been cking on it. That must¡¯ve been a response to a negative learning experience. Anyway, he managed to get some time to practice his swordsmanship thanks to Rimmer doing his job for once. He stayed at the back of the line while moving in order to research a method to decrease or increase the sound of his sword draw. He drew his sword during break time in order to practice his swift sword, and he kept a watch at night in order to ponder about how to make his illusion sword more perfect. He kept tempering his sound sword, illusion sword, and swift sword all day long as if the journey were a training journey for swordsmanship, and they arrived near the Gazel River before he knew it. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Are we really near the Gazel River?¡± ¡°This is different from what I heard.¡± ¡°I thought the water here was clean enough to drink¡­¡± The Light Wind members tilted their heads as they saw the cobalt colored water. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the dark Gazel River, which wasn¡¯t transparent anymore. ¡®The color has changed.¡¯ When he visited that ce before, the river was clean enough to see the fish below, yet it was so dark now that he couldn¡¯t even see an inch inside. ¡°It looks like the Blue Lughs aren¡¯t the only problems here. There must be an issue with the river as well.¡± Rimmer frowned and held the horse by the reins. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly move on. Doran Vige is right in front of us.¡± They followed Rimmer and they could start to see Doran Vige¡¯s entrance. ¡°Quickly!¡± ¡°Move quickly!¡± ¡°Do we have enough weapons?¡± ¡°We need to push them back for now, so take anything you can!¡± People swarmed out from inside the vige. They ran towards the river while holding weapons like spears, harpoons, and bows in their hands. ¡°We are changing the n.¡± Rimmer turned around. His eyes, which usually contained a cheerful wind, were reflecting his seriousness. ¡°We are going to follow them.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Since the vigers weren¡¯t warriors, they could catch up to them in no time. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Rimmer approached the bulky middle-aged man who was taking the lead. ¡°Who are you?¡± The middle-aged man cautiously examined Rimmer from top to bottom. ¡°We are from Zieghart.¡± Rimmer rolled up his robe to show the burning sword emblem engraved on his uniform. ¡°Ah! Zieghart!¡± The middle-aged man nodded heavily. However, his expression wasn¡¯t exactly bright, and it didn¡¯t feel like he was simply weing them. ¡°The Blue Lughs are currently attacking a fishing boat upstream. We were running there in order to save them somehow.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°You just have to keep going in that direction.¡± He pointed towards the northwest. ¡°You heard him.¡± Rimmer looked back. ¡°Sprint at full speed!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind members nodded. When they were running in the direction the old man had told them, an explosive sound could be heard from the water. They followed the sound and they could see a river twice asrge as the ce they¡¯d been before, with a merchant ship floating at the center. ¡°Uaaah!¡± ¡°Why are you doing this to us?¡± ¡°Go away!¡± The crew on the merchant ship were freaking out as they stabbed their long spears towards the river and shot arrows. ¡°This¡­¡± Raon was looking at the river water instead of the ship and the crews. Something was wriggling inside the water that was even darker than before. Boom! A huge explosion urred from inside the water. It seemed to be created by a burst of magic, and the merchant ship looked like it would sink at any moment as it thrashed. Rumble! The blue waterspout surged after that to reveal the ones under the river. They had simr appearance to a human, yet they were significantly different. Their skin was light blue, with ears asrge as a hand, with wave-like fins attached to their forearms and backs. Their fingers were webbed. ¡°The Blue Lugh tribe.¡± They had the same appearance as the ones he¡¯d seen before, but one thing was different. Their eyes. The innocent gazes that filled with fear upon seeing him in his previous life weren¡¯t there anymore. The crimson glitter in their eyes only reflected their anger and killing intent. ¡°Kieee!¡± ¡°Kiaaa!¡± The Blue Lughs sshed the water in order to drown the crew, smacking the keel, which was the center of the ship. Crack! Alongside the loud noise of wood splitting into two, the ship started to sink little by little. ¡°Runaan!¡± Raon called Runaan¡¯s name as he ran towards the river. He figured he could reach the ship by freezing the water with Runaan. ¡°Mhm!¡± Runaan immediately understood his intentions and came up next to him. Vrrr! Once he put his hand in the water and met Runaan¡¯s eyes in order to control the coldness, a majestic sound of horn could be heard from the ship. Raon raised his head. He could see arge warship approaching from behind the merchant ship. The warship was plowing through the waves with powerful energy waves, and the word ¡®Union¡¯ written in blue was fluttering on its g. Raon frowned and clenched his fist. ¡°South-North Union¡­¡± Chapter 240 As soon as the warship appeared, the merchant ship¡¯s keel was destroyed under the Blue Lughs¡¯ assault. The ship was snapped in half and started to sink under the water. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± ¡°S-Save me!¡± ¡°Please! Do something about those monsters!¡± The crew screamed while hanging onto the sinking merchant ship. Tssh! When Raon put his hand back inside the river water while using cier, red objects poured out from the South-North Union¡¯s warship. Those long and round objects fell right in front of the crew, who fell in the water, as if they had eyes of their own. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m alive.¡± They were floating on the water despite supporting the crews¡¯ weight. It seemed they were made with some special material. ¡°Alright, guys!¡± A majestic voice filled with aura burst from the deck of the warship. ¡°Wipe them all out!¡± The owner of the voice jumped down on the river as he said that. With long purple hair reaching his back, he had soft and well-defined facial features, and his skin was as clean as white paper. The young warrior looked like an exemry young nobleman. ¡°Woaah!¡± ¡°Sir Tyler is here!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been saved!¡± The crew cheered while shouting his name, even though they were barely floating on the water. ¡°Hap!¡± The man called Tyler ran on the surface of the water, as if he were on the ground. Raon could guess that he was using footwork designed to run on the surface of water, judging from the ripples of mana that appeared where he stepped. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Raon resonated the Ring of Fire to take a close look at the mysterious footwork that the man was using. Cring! The man reached the group of Blue Lughs in no time, piercing the center of the river with the spear he was carrying on his shoulder. Whaam! The blue astral energy flowing from the tip of his spear started to rotate in a spiral to create a huge explosion. ¡°Keeee!¡± ¡°Kieee!¡± The Blue Lughs were unable to withstand the huge wave, faltering like leaves inside a storm. ¡°Woow!¡± ¡°They are mere beasts, no different from monsters!¡± ¡°Kill them all!¡± The warriors on the deck shot the aura des and aura spears towards the Blue Lughs, throwing spears and harpoons at the same time. ¡°Kiee!¡± ¡°Kiaa!¡± The Blue Lughs hurriedly withdrew, unable to endure the powerful attack from the South-North Union¡¯s warriors. Green blood was flowing from their skin where they were hit by the aura des and aura spears. ¡°Kuaah!¡± An entric roar burst from the biggest among the Blue Lughs, and the river water surged like an upside down waterfall to block their vision, a blue cloudy fog forming. ¡°Kieeh!¡± The Blue Lughs didn¡¯t miss the confusion, diving underwater to disappear. ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere!¡± Tyler snorted, kicking the thrashing water. He held his spear in a reverse grip, stabbing underwater as if he were trying to catch a fish. Whaam! The river water peeled back into a semi-circle, and the young, small Blue Lugh that used to be under him could be seen on the spear,pletely in tatters. ¡°I won¡¯t let all of you escape.¡± He swirled his spear to cut the young Blue Lugh¡¯s body in half and gave a cool smile. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°As expected of our captain!¡± ¡°Those dirty monster bastards!¡± The South-North Union¡¯s warriors giggled from the top of the warship while watching the green blood pouring out from the dead Blue Lugh¡¯s youngling. ¡°Uha!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m alive.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± ¡°Sir Tyler! Thank you for saving us!¡± The crew that managed to survive bowed at Tyler from the river. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Tyler smiled brightly, reversing his spear to swing it as if he were trying to row. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard about him.¡± Rimmer scratched his chin while looking at the man called Tyler. ¡°Tyler Sayton. He¡¯s the fifth disciple of the leader of South-North Union, and he¡¯s a warrior at Master level. Because of his excellent appearance and the countless good deeds he¡¯s done, I heard he¡¯s called the Graceful Knight of the Tide by the people.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve also heard about him.¡± Raon nodded. Just like Rimmer had said, Tyler was a virtuous man with many supporters from the Six Kings because of his heroic deeds, despite being from the South-North Union. ¡°Graceful Knight of the Tide?¡± Martha frowned while looking at Tyler. ¡°No matter how I look at him, he looks like a traitor with a cringy and disgusting face.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Burren came next to Martha and shook his head. ¡°Even though he¡¯s affiliated to the South-North Union, he¡¯s done a lot of good and heroic deeds. He¡¯spletely different from an average bandit.¡± ¡°Oh, are you even defending a bandit now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not defending him. I¡¯m just stating the truth.¡± Those two were arguing with each other, just like always. ¡°He¡¯s not damn handsome.¡± Runaan shook her head after looking back and forth between Raon and Tyler. [We aren¡¯t attacking him, are we?] Raon sent an aura message to Rimmer, his eyes fixated on Tyler, who was riding the tide towards them. [I can¡¯t just start swinging my sword at him when he¡¯s bringing the people he¡¯s saved. A war is going to break out if we attack him now.] Rimmer chuckled while answering him. Tyler brought out the crew from the water, then treated their wounds beforeing towards them. ¡°Oh?¡± His mouth became round open upon noticing the burning sword emblem on the Light Wind¡¯s uniform. ¡°You are from Zieghart!¡± Even though he found out at a nce that they were from Zieghart, he turned his spear backwards as if he wasn¡¯t cautious of them at all. His eyes rolled as quickly as a bead rolling down from a hill. They stopped for a very short instant on Runaan, Martha, Raon, and Rimmer. ¡°N-No way, are you the Sword of Light from Zieghart?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet you!¡± Tyler¡¯s expression turned bright as he bowed. ¡°Honored?¡± ¡°Yes! I keep hearing about you, that you are a real guard and virtuous man who protects his lord! I¡¯ve really wanted to meet you!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! Among Sir Rimmer¡¯s great deeds, I especially like the great victory at the Dark Mountain¡­¡± Tyler told him about Rimmer¡¯s great actions one after the other. He was apparently not lying about having wanted to meet him. ¡°Wow! You are so knowledgeable, buddy!¡± Rimmer smiled brightly and patted Tyler¡¯s shoulder. He seemed to be in a good mood. ¡°And this person here must be the Frostfire Sword of Valor.¡± Tyler punched the shaft of his spear with his fist. ¡°You even know about me?¡± ¡°I was deeply impressed when I heard the story about how you jumped head-first into fatal danger in order to save your benefactor from childhood. I¡¯m honored to meet the young hero.¡± ¡°Is it really okay for you to say that, when I¡¯ve in the people from Eden, which is allied to the South-North Union?¡± Raon calmly met Tyler¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°Allies¡­ In fact, we can¡¯t exactly be called allies since we have different goals.¡± A soft smile appeared on Tyler¡¯s face. ¡°People live differently even if they are from the same ce. Not all of Five Demons agree with each other, and the same goes within the South-North Union.¡± ¡°Hmm! That¡¯s true.¡± Rimmer nodded in agreement. He seemed to like Tyler because he had praised him. ¡°What brought you here, by the way?¡± Raon asked, while looking at the warship that Tyler came with. ¡°We¡¯ve been patrolling around Doran Vige once per day at their request.¡± Tyler smiled gently at the Doran vigers who were taking care of the crew. ¡°And what brought the Light Wind here? I don¡¯t think you would be just passing by¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve also received a request for help from Doran Vige.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Tyler¡¯s smooth talking was interrupted for a moment. ¡°Who did¡ªAh. I guess that¡¯s understandable, since Zieghart¡¯s domain is pretty close. However, it looks like we were slightly faster this time.¡± He said that as a joke in order to avoid hurting their feelings and looked at the Doran vigers. The crew and the rescue team from Doran Vige were all looking at the warriors from South-North Union with admiration. They looked like people who had met their heroes. ¡°We should be seeing each other pretty often for a while. I hope we get along.¡± ¡°Same goes for us.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get going, then!¡± Tyler bowed slightly, then walked on the river once again. ¡°Huh? Are you already leaving?¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t even thank you properly yet¡­¡± ¡°Sir Tyler!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to mind it, since it wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± The crews raised their hands, but Tyler smiled softly and withdrew. His footwork that allowed him to run on the water made him look like he was flying as he returned to the warship. ¡°Let¡¯s return, everyone!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± They didn¡¯t ask for any reward, and left Gazel River without hesitation. ¡°He¡¯s a pretty nice guy.¡± Rimmer whistled, while looking at the leaving warship. ¡°He¡¯s just like I heard.¡± Burren also smiled in satisfaction. ¡°I didn¡¯t like him though. It felt like he had mayonnaise all over his face. People like him are huge snakes on the inside.¡± ¡°I agree. He¡¯s all glossy.¡± It was almost the first time that Martha and Runaan agreed with each other. ¡®Did the Blue Lughs really leave?¡¯ Raon used the Evil Eye of Wrath, just in case. It looked like all of them had run away, since he couldn¡¯t see any of them. ¡®I guess they would, since they were attacked like that¡­ Hmm?¡¯ When he was about to put away his wrath, he could see a Blue Lugh staying alone, deep under the Gazel River. He looked more simr to a human than the Blue Lughs that he¡¯d seen a moment ago because of his small webbing and fins, and his eyes were as clear as the former Gazel River. The Blue Lugh stared in Raon¡¯s direction for a while before disappearing deeper into the water. ¡®What a surprise.¡¯ The Blue Lugh was different from the innocent ones he¡¯d seen before, and the monstrous ones he¡¯d seen a moment ago. He felt like he was meeting the eyes of a human being. ¡°They are reallying every day.¡± ¡°I told you that we should leave the vige in Sir Tyler¡¯s hands.¡± ¡°I know, right? He¡¯s saving us without asking for anything in return. I don¡¯t know about the South-North Union, but we can trust Sir Tyler.¡± The vigers were still talking about Tyler, even though he had left a long time ago. Raon licked his lips while watching the excited vigers. ¡®They are absolutely fond of him.¡¯ Considering the reactions of the crew and the vigers, the vige was pretty much under the South-North Union¡¯s control¡ªor, more specifically, Tyler¡¯s control. ¡®This isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡¯ It looked like it would be difficult to set up Zieghart¡¯s g in the vige. ¡®But it was already beneficial toe here.¡¯ Raon smiled while thinking about the water walking technique Tyler had shown him earlier. ¡®I learned something nice.¡¯ * * * * * * Raon and the Light Wind squad returned to visit the vige chief. Even though the vige chief was well advanced in years, he had a sturdy body. Judging from his hands, he must¡¯ve been still working on something that required strength. ¡°Thank you foring.¡± The vige chief bowed with a smile, but he couldn¡¯t hide the reluctance around his mouth. ¡°Can you tell us about the situation for now?¡± Raon asked after greeting him back. Since Rimmer didn¡¯t like doing something annoying like that, Raon needed to do his job instead. ¡°Hmm, the Blue Lughs started to leave their residence to hang all around the Gazel River a few months ago. We didn¡¯t mind them because they weren¡¯t harming us, but the problems started to ur two months ago.¡± The vige chief sighed, then continued. ¡°The Blue Lughs usually hide away as soon as they hear the sound of a ship, yet they suddenly attacked a fishing boat. It would be difficult to believe for those who knew about the Blue Lughs, but I saw that happen with my own eyes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon nodded. It was the same thing he¡¯d heard when Rimmer told them about the mission. ¡°They became more and more aggressive over time and ended up sinking the boat¡ªthey even started to attack people. Now, they even attacked the big merchant ship that you saw earlier.¡± ¡°Why are they attacking the ships and the people?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± The vige chief helplessly shook his head. ¡°Unlike the other demi-humans, the Blue Lughs are unable to speak the humannguage. The situation is troublesome in various ways, because we have barely any connection with them despite having seen each other for a long time.¡± His clenched fist was trembling. ¡°When we were wondering what to do about the continued attack of Blue Lughs, the warriors from South-North Union acted on our behalf, as they happened to pass by on the river. They defeated the Blue Lughs in an instant even though they were supposed to be invincible in the water, and even saved the people who fell in.¡± A smile appeared on the vige chief¡¯s face as soon as he mentioned the South-North Union. ¡°Sir Tyler dly epted our request for asional patrol and is currently checking around Gazel River every single day. The same went for today, when he immediately came to save the crew upon hearing the news about the Blue Lughs¡¯ attack. He hesitated for a while before slowly opening his mouth. ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry for the Zieghart swordsmen who came all the way here, but we are thinking about leaving the vige¡¯s protection to the South-North Union.¡± The vige chief finished his sentence despite his trembling lips. ¡°I see.¡± Since Raon was expecting it, he simply nodded. Everyone inside the vige was currently fond of Tyler. ¡®And they are also closer.¡¯ The South-North Union was closer than Zieghart to the vige. It wasn¡¯t strange for them to ask help from the people who would visit them more often because they were located nearby. ¡°I-I also have a question. Including the Zieghart¡¯s investigators who came earlier, whose request did you receive toe here¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I requested them.¡± When Raon was about to answer, a deep voice could be heard from outside. The door sprang open, and two young men entered the room. One of them had a build as sturdy as a general, and the other one had clear eyes despite being thin. ¡°Belga! Morin! Why did you do that?¡± The vige chief frowned, but the young men didn¡¯t care about him and simply bowed to Raon and Rimmer. ¡°Thank you foring.¡± ¡°Did the two of you call us?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The bulky young man called Belga nodded. ¡°Why did you call us when it looks like you are on good terms with the South-North Union?¡± Rimmer tilted his head. ¡°That¡¯s because we can¡¯t trust them.¡± ¡°B-Belga! You rascal!¡± ¡°Even though they are pretending to be kind neighbors, they were originally bandits. They are people who steal from others, and don¡¯t value lives.¡± Belga continued, despite the vige chief trying to stop him. Raon created an aura barrier around the ce just in case, so that they wouldn¡¯t be heard from the outside. ¡°Bandits create a road at least, but pirates simply extort money by cing a ship on a river that already exists. Tyler is no different. He¡¯s pretending to be a hero, but what he¡¯s doing is still the behavior of a pirate. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t trust them.¡± ¡°N-Nonsense! He asked nothing in return after helping us!¡± ¡°Gazel River will be included in their domain once they take over our vige. I¡¯m sure they are stopping themselves from extorting from us because of all the potential gains!¡± ¡°Seriously, you rascal!¡± ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s strange that the South-North Union made their move as soon as the Blue Lughs changed¡­¡± ¡°Belga! Morin!¡± The vige chief shouted so loud that the room felt like it was trembling, and Belga and Morin closed their mouths in surprise. ¡°Be careful of what you say. The entire vige could end up burning because of a single word from you.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Kids have no say in this matter! Since the Blue Lughs are gone, you should set sail as nned! Morin, you should also go there to help them!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Belga bit his lip. He looked at Raon for a moment before bowing at him and left. ¡°Huhuhu! They are just too young. I¡¯ll apologize in their stead.¡± The vige chief smiled awkwardly and wiped off the sweat falling from his temple. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand. Young ones are bound to act up,¡± Rimmer insisted while grinning. ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± ¡°About that, I heard this ce had some famous liquor.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the White Red Wine?¡± ¡°Yes, that one! Can I have a taste of that? I¡¯d like some liquor because I came a long way.¡± ¡°S-Sure.¡± He requested some liquor while pretending he wasn¡¯t interested in the mission. He was bobbing his finger at the same time. He was apparently telling Raon to go outside to talk to the young men. Raon silently stood up and left the vige chief¡¯s room. The two young men he saw a moment ago were walking towards the vige¡¯s outskirts. The smaller one among them was limping, and that must¡¯ve been why they were still nearby. ¡°We met a moment ago.¡± Raon caught up to them in no time, blocking their way. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Th-The Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± It looked like they knew who Raon was, since they didn¡¯t hide their surprise, unlike when they were in the room. ¡°I-I¡¯m honored to meet you. My name is Belga!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Morin.¡± They nodded, Belga vigorously and Morin calmly. ¡°I came to see you because I was curious about something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What did you mean when you mentioned earlier that there was something strange about the South-North Union and the Blue Lughs?¡± ¡°Pleasee here for a moment.¡± Belga looked around him as he guided him to a narrow alley. He leaned his back towards a wooden wall and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°The South-North Union originally didn''t use this waterway. However, they suddenly appeared when the Blue Lughs became extremely aggressive and started to attack people, bing heroes in the process.¡± Belga frowned. ¡°The timing was just too perfect to be a coincidence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m d they¡¯ve saved the people, but it¡¯s just too big of a coincidence.¡± Morin nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for them to know when people are dying, no matter how knowledgeable they are about the waterway.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips. They were right about that, but that couldn¡¯t be considered proof. ¡°Additionally, people¡¯s impression of those thieves is currently too good because the South-North Union had no influence on our vige before.¡± Belga sighed. ¡°I have a friend in a vige that went under the South-North Union a few years ago. He said that he was happy about that at first because it became safer, but he turned into apletely different person in a few years. He just kept chasing after money, with no room to think about anything else.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me the reason why, but he kept freaking out whenever I mentioned the South-North Union. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve done something to them.¡± Morin also shook his head, telling him that the South-North Union shouldn¡¯t be trusted. ¡°The elders forgot about the fact that the South-North Union can¡¯t easily attack us because we are located right next to Zieghart¡¯s domain, and they are being too optimistic about receiving the South-North Union¡¯s help.¡± ¡°We will convince him, so can you give us some time?¡± The two people begged him as they bowed. ¡°I¡­¡± As Raon was about to respond, someone was shaking their hands towards them from the vige¡¯s main entrance. ¡°Belga!¡± ¡°Come here already!¡± They seemed to be Belga¡¯spanions who were about to go fishing with him. ¡°You should go. We should continue this talkter.¡± ¡°Yes! We will visit you again after putting our thoughts together.¡± ¡°See you.¡± They bowed at him again, then ran out of the vige. ¡°Tyler from the South-North Union.¡± He remembered the way Martha said that people like Tyler were huge snakes on the inside. Her judgment about appearances was unexpectedly correct sometimes. ¡®She might¡¯ve been right about that.¡¯ He couldn¡¯tpletely believe what Belga and Morin had said, but he did find Tyler¡¯s reaction slightly strange. It was probably a good idea to prepare to fight the South-North Union, on top of the Blue Lughs. Raon smiled while thinking about the wave of Tyler¡¯s footwork. ¡®Shall I try walking on the water?¡¯ Chapter 241 Raon went to the river on his own. The flowing river water looked like it had already forgotten about the battle that had happened a moment ago. ¡°The color is still dark.¡± The Gazel River was wavering with its turquoise color, as if green tea leaves were scattered in it. The cloudiness made it difficult to believe that it was the same ce as the clear river he¡¯d seen in his previous life. ¡®They said that this was unrted to the Blue Lughs¡¯ change.¡¯ He had asked the crew just in case, but they said that the aggression from the Blue Lughs had started a long time after the river turned darker. ¡®It¡¯s still strange, though.¡¯ The Blue Lughs knew more about water than any other race. It was simply impossible that their onught was unrted to the change in the water. ¡®I would¡¯ve been nice if they could talk.¡¯ It was really a shame that the Blue Lughs were unable to talk, unlike the other demi-humans. Raon shook his head after staring into the water for a while. ¡®Let¡¯s think about the waterter.¡¯ There were too many unknown factors concerning the change of the Blue Lugh tribe and the river¡¯s color. It was necessary to find the clues step by step during his stay. ¡®I need to prepare for battle now.¡¯ The biggest reason the Doran Vigers and the crew at the Gazel River were so fond of Tyler was because of his water walking footwork. ¡®Because the sailors are afraid of water.¡¯ People living near rivers and oceans were, ironically, afraid of the river and the ocean. The reason they periodically performed rites and prayed for safety was because they were afraid of the water. ¡®And that¡¯s the reason Tyler is admired so much.¡¯ Tyler trampled on the river that everyone was afraid of to chase away the Blue Lughs and save people. Since his appearance was as dignified as the god of water, it wasn¡¯t strange that the vigers were shouting his name as they cheered for him. Raon smiled faintly while thinking about Tyler¡¯s footwork that allowed him to move around the rough water as if he were on the ground. ¡°There¡¯s no reason why I shouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡± ¡®Since I¡¯ve already finished extracting all of the principles.¡¯ Raon slowly closed his eyes, resonating the Ring of Fire to the extreme. He focused his mind on the majestic flow created by the sh between the rings. Emission was the base. Tyler¡¯s footwork consisted in emitting aura from the mana circuit at the center of his feet, just like spreading aura from a sword, to float on the water. Since it wasn¡¯t too difficult to achieve as long as he knew the principles, he practiced multiple times on the ground before going to the river. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon inhaled deeply. He controlled cier just like Tyler had done, then stepped on the river water. Ssh. His body floated on the water, while the aura spreading from his feet created concentric waves. He could feel the sticky and soft sensations at the same time, as if he were stepping in shallow mud. ¡°Ugh!¡± Raon frowned while floundering his limbs. ¡°This is more difficult than I thought¡­¡± It was extremely difficult to keep his bnce, unlike when he practiced on the ground. His body was faltering left and right because of the difference between the auras in his feet. ¡°Oh no!¡± Raon iled his arms like reeds fluttering into the wind, eventually falling into the water. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± He sighed while wading to the riverbank. He figured that he needed to achieve bnce in his body and perfect harmony with the mana in his feet in order to stand on the surface of water. ¡°I¡¯ll try again.¡± He slightly increased cier¡¯s intensity and stepped on the water. He tried walking this time, instead of standing still. Pssh! cier created a thinyer of ice on the surface, enabling him to walk slowly. It was easier to keep his bnce while walking instead of standing still. Raon slowly walked step by step like a toddler learning to walk, engraving the sensation that allowed him to stand on the water into his body and brain. After he walked on the river for about two hours, he started to get a grasp on it. He stopped his steps, standing at the center of the Gazel River. ¡°Perfect.¡± Raon smirked while looking at the calm surface of water around his feet. Thanks to forcing the sensation of walking on the water into his body, his stance on the water was as stable as standing on the ground. You¡¯ve copied the footwork of that guy earlier with the cringy face. Wrath secretly came up on the bracelet and frowned. That¡¯s really a shitty ability. He shook his head while watching Raon¡¯s feet slowly freeze the surface of water. ¡°I¡¯m only getting started.¡± Started? ¡°It¡¯s onlypleted once I can use footwork on the water, rather than just walking.¡± He wasn¡¯t satisfied with that much. It was necessary to show footwork surpassing Tyler¡¯s in order to awaken the interest of the people who were so fond of the South-North Union. ¡®It¡¯s surprising when I think about it.¡¯ Raonughed bitterly. He originally had no attachment to the Zieghart name. He thought he was unrted to it, whether it was praised or looked down upon. He thought the people in the annex building and the Light Wind squad were the only important ones to him. ¡®That wasn¡¯t the case.¡¯ When the Doran vigers kept shouting Tyler¡¯s name instead of Zieghart, it hurt his feelings. He wanted to show them what kind of ce Zieghart was. House Zieghart was apparently more important to him than he thought. But you don¡¯t know any footwork that allows water walking. ¡®I have River Footwork.¡¯ Raon grinned and extended his foot forward. River? Wasn¡¯t that the shitty footwork that you learned when you were new? ¡®The River Footwork takes after the flow of a river. It¡¯s perfect to use here.¡¯ The River Footwork incorporated the prevalent flow of river water. Since he¡¯d spent the longest time practicing it while it was also simr to the movement of a river, he figured it would be the best one to use. Raon modified the River Footwork to be used on the water, and used the first step, Fluidity. Wham! His footsteps flowed along the stream like a flower petal floating on the water. Since he wasn¡¯t going against the current, his advance was fast and stable. Thud! The second step, Discharge, could go against the stream. Even though he was walking in the opposite direction of the flow, he could advance even faster rather than slowing down. His lower body and aura allowed that feat. His legs were keeping bnce, while cier¡¯s energy silently spread around its flow to cut through the stream and create a nimble movement. Raon used the modified steps of the River Footwork one after the other to freely move around the Gazel River. Since he was using footwork that he¡¯d already learned before, it quickly became as natural as if he¡¯d been using it for his entire life. It looked like his footwork would reach the same level as Tyler¡¯s with a little more practice. ¡°And¡­¡± Raon gave a powerful stomp to the surface. Whaam! A tremendous amount of coldness exploded from the point of impact with his shoes, and dozens of frost shards made of ice des sprouted on the water in an instant. It had an elegant appearance, resembling a bundle of ice flowers and the king of frost¡¯s crown at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good.¡± It wasn¡¯t the River Footwork, but a new footwork created from the principles of emission that he had extracted from Tyler. Since it was capable of suppressing and attacking the opponent, it was going to be useful on the water. ¡°I¡¯ll name it¡­¡± Hoo! As Raon was thinking about a name for his new footwork, Wrath licked his lips. It¡¯s rather graceful. It looks simr to the ice flower crown that the King of Essence created. He nodded in satisfaction while looking at the ice shards sprouting on the water in the shape of a crown. ¡®Really?¡¯ It¡¯s a pretty good shape considering it was made by a savage. The King of Essence will make an exception and name it for you. ¡®Why all of a sudden?¡¯ Wrath had been rather cooperative recently, probably because Raon kept feeding him delicious food and desserts for a while. Watery Blossom should be a good name. ¡®A flower blossoming from water.¡¯ It didn¡¯t sound bad, as the technique looked like an ice flower blooming from the river. ¡®You still like flowers.¡¯ Respect my personal taste. Forget about it if you don¡¯t like it! Wrath turned his head away, telling him to do whatever he wanted. ¡®No, I like it.¡¯ Raon chuckled and patted Wrath¡¯s shoulder. ¡®I¡¯ve gained a lot today once again.¡¯ What else do you have now? ¡®I think I can increase the sword draw speed thanks to emission.¡¯ He figured his new swordsmanship could be brought closer topletion by using the principle of emission he learned from watching Tyler. Glenn¡¯s advice about how life itself being a lesson for martial arts wasn¡¯t wrong. Hmph. Even then, it¡¯s nothingpared to the King of Essence¡¯s skills¡­ As Wrath was snorting, messages appeared in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve created a new footwork for the first time.] [Watery Blossom¡¯s abilities are enhanced with Young Founder¡¯s effect.] [You were recognized by Wrath.] [All stats have increased by 1.] They were rewarding him for creating Watery Blossom. Noooo! Wrath burst out in rage and started screaming, despite having been as calm as the river. Why would you even give him all those rewards for creating poor footwork like that? That shouldn¡¯t be allowed! ¡®But you recognized it.¡¯ When?! ¡®You said it had a pretty good shape, and even named it for me.¡¯ That was just out of courtesy! The King of Essence said it without really meaning it because you kept offering good food! Wrath shouted ¡®hello?¡¯ in differentnguages. ¡®The system apparently disagrees.¡¯ Raon smiled from the exhration of having his stats raised. Wrath really was a honey jar with infinite refills, considering he was giving away benefits even in that situation. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to the next time.¡± Raon waved at Wrath and turned around. Th-The King of Essence is definitely going to destroy that system the moment he reims his body. Once Raon left the Gazel River, the demon king¡¯s scream resounded from the center to be unheard by anyone. At all costs! * * * * * * When he returned to Doran Vige, the Light Wind squad was training in front of their temporary lodging. ¡°How was it?¡± Raon came up next to Burren, who was wiping away his sweat, and leaned his back against the wall. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m a stranger here. The young people weed us, but the older ones only liked the South-North Union. Wepletely lost the initiative.¡± Burren frowned and sat on the ground. ¡°They are extremely favorable to the South-North Union, and Tyler specifically. They kept praising him, saying that he can walk on water and control the water.¡± Krein sighed. ¡°I¡¯d rather fight them with my fists. It¡¯s really irritating to see their reluctant smiles whenever I meet their eyes!¡± Martha wrinkled her nose with her arms crossed. ¡°And there¡¯s no ice cream shop.¡± Runaan¡¯s shoulders drooped. She apparently finished eating all the ice cream she¡¯d brought with her. Gasp! Wrath dropped his jaw from the shock. Her disappointment was apparently contagious. ¡°Where is the squad leader and Dorian?¡± Raon tilted his head upon noticing that those two were the only ones missing. ¡°They are getting along with people because of how friendly they are. The squad leader is drinking with the vige chief, and Dorian is ying around in different ces.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Since they were both known for easily associating with people, Raon simply chuckled. ¡°So, what¡¯s your n now? Are we going to keep staying here?¡± ¡°We need to gather more information, but the Blue Lugh¡¯s onught doesn¡¯t seem to be the only problem in this incident.¡± Even without the information provided by Belga and Morin, the South-North Union wasn¡¯t as good as what vigers believed. Raon thought that they were bound to sh against them. ¡°Keep going with your training, since we are going to use our strength soon enough.¡± Raon smiled while holding Heavenly Drive¡¯s pommel. ¡°So that they won¡¯t call the South-North Union¡¯s name in front of us ever again.¡± * * * The next evening, an old yetrge fishing ship was flowing through the Gazel River. It was cutting through the tide in the dark river without any problem thanks to the bright moonlight andmps lighting the ship from different locations. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since thest time we were fully loaded like this!¡± The brown-haired young man guarding the deck turned around with a smile. He went next to Belga, who was standing in front of the rudder and sat on the ground. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your face, when our ship ispletely full of fish?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too worrying when you think about the vige.¡± Belga sighed deeply while holding the rudder. ¡°Because of the South-North Union?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°They looked okay, though. They were full of energy.¡± The brown haired man clenched his fist. ¡°I¡¯m telling you that they were just acting.¡± Belga shook his head. ¡°But it¡¯s true that the South-North Union is protecting us. They aren¡¯t asking for money, either.¡± The brown haired man tilted his head since he couldn¡¯t understand him. ¡°Our vige is right next to Zieghart¡¯s domain. They haven¡¯t been attacking us because they wanted to avoid shing with Zieghart. But what do you think will happen if we submit ourselves to the South-North Union?¡± Belga pointed at the dark river passing next to them. ¡°They will extort money whenever we cross the Gazel River and extort even more money whenever we catch fish. They are going to start plundering us in broad daylight, and our future will be as dark as that river, where we can¡¯t see anything below the surface.¡± ¡°N-No way. They wouldn¡¯t do that¡­¡± ¡°Once they start doing that, we won¡¯t even get a handful of fish among what¡¯s filling the ship right now.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. All of the viges affiliated to the South-North Union looked okay on the outside but were rotten to the core inside. They were literally a tyrannical kingdom where everyone chased money and couldn¡¯tin at all about the South-North Union. ¡°You and the vige elders are all being deceived by them.¡± Since he¡¯d obtained that information by paying a friend that he¡¯d met during the journey, it was bound to be true. The vige elders weren''t aware of that fact because they¡¯d spent a long time in that small world, but the South-North Union were definitely not good people. There was no reason for Tyler to be any different. ¡°Uuh, I¡¯m a bit scared now after hearing that.¡± The blue-haired young man¡¯s chin was trembling as he stood on the ship¡¯s rear. ¡°By the way, I wonder what happened to the Blue Lughs.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s also rted to the South-North Union.¡± Belga narrowed his eyes while looking at the dark water. ¡°That¡¯s also rted?¡± ¡°Because the South-North Union appeared exactly when I was about to ask for help from Zieghart, bing the heroes of the day. Moreover, it doesn¡¯t make too much sense that someone like Tyler would keep visiting us in order to protect us¡­ Huh?¡± He interrupted himself and looked ahead. The wave rising from the calm river was dyed a pitch-ck color, with ten pairs of red eyes glowing from below. ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± People who had been rxing on the ground swallowed nervously as they stood up. Grit. Belga bit his lips while tightening his grip to the rudder to a point that it could break. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± * * * On the second day of stay in Doran Vige, Raon returned to the vige after training with the Light Wind squad. He wasn¡¯t worried too much and only returned in the evening because Rimmer stayed in the vige, but there was a big hustle there as if a fire broke out. ¡°S-Sir Raon!¡± Morin came running to him while limping on his leg. He was the one who came to see him alongside Belga the day before. ¡°We are in big trouble!¡± ¡°Big trouble?¡± ¡°Th-The Blue Lughs have returned to attack Belga¡¯s fishing ship. The ship is about to be destroyed right now! Please¡­¡± He fell on his knees, begging him to save his friend. ¡°What about our squad leader¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve looked for him, but we couldn¡¯t find him anywhere!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Seriously, that guy¡­ Raon sighed deeply and gathered his aura. ¡°Where is the location?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit downstreampared to where the Blue Lughs appeared yesterday. You can go in that direction¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I know that ce!¡± He couldn¡¯t exactly tell the position, but Dorian raised his hand, telling him that he went there the day before. He was going around everywhere to make friends, and he ended up being helpful. ¡°The third team will stand by, and the first and the second team will go with me.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Dorian, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon ran after Dorian, who started sprinting at full speed. Since it wasn¡¯t too far from the vige, he could see the lightsing from the vigers¡¯ torches soon enough. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± ¡°Kiaaa!¡± Therge fishing ship was half destroyed at the center of Gazel river, and the Blue Lughs were raising clouds of sprays around it to shatter the ship. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± ¡°P-Please save me!¡± The crew was holding onto the handrails of the sinking ship, and it was a relief that the ship wasrge enough because they would¡¯ve already died if it were smaller. ¡°I-It¡¯s dangerous!¡± As he was about to run onto the water, the vige chief, who was there before them, stood in his way. ¡°The deeper the water, the more powerful the Blue Lughs are! It¡¯s pretty much a suicide to swim all the way there right now.¡± ¡°Just leave this matter to the South-North Union. They are going to be here soon, since we¡¯ve called them.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. It¡¯s impossible to fight the Blue Lughs underwater unless you have a warship like the South-North Union.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty much suicide to jump into the water unless you can walk on the water like Sir Tyler!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the vige chief. Every single viger was shaking their heads, saying that they needed the South-North Union. Whir! A haze of blue coldness started to rage from the wet sand under the water Raon was setting foot on. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± ¡°Wh-What is this¡­?¡± People unconsciously stepped aside to create a path upon feeling that chilly yet majestic energy wave. ¡°South-North Union. South-North Union.¡± Raon looked around the vigers while repeating that name. ¡°Mere South-North Union can¡¯t be an equal to Zieghart.¡± ¡°N-no¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what we meant!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you personally.¡± Raon confidently jumped on the river. Splud! Even though he stomped on the water with two feet, his body wasn¡¯t sinking at all. He was floating on the water as naturally as a leaf. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s floating on the water!¡± ¡°Does that mean that Sir Raon is just like Sir Tyler¡­?¡± ¡°No! He¡¯s different! Sir Raon feels like he¡¯s riding the water!¡± The vigers¡¯ eyes widened as they saw Raon floating on the water. ¡°You should wait and see from there.¡± Raon smiled coldly while looking down on the people from the river. ¡°What kind of ce Zieghart is.¡± He used the River Footwork after saying that. His footsteps had be even smoother than the day before as he quickly advanced while freezing the surface of water. Raon was polishing his footwork and increasing the level of his martial art even at that very moment. He advanced through the tide like a dolphin riding the wave to reach the center of the river in no time. Thud! He kicked the water and jumped into the air. He dragged cier¡¯s coldness from his energy center to his right thigh, then his ankle, and emanated a huge amount of concentrated power from his feet. Whoosh! A huge crown soared from the center of the river, with Watery Blossom exploding through the surface. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± ¡°Kiaaa!¡± The Watery Blossom¡¯s crown tied up the limbs of the Blue Lughs who were about to attack the ship and the people, leaving them no choice but to scream. ¡°Huaah!¡± ¡°Uah!¡± The crew, who were holding onto the handrail, breathed out a sigh of relief while supporting themselves on the round ice shard created at the center. ¡°Three?¡± Raon frowned. There were only three people standing on the ice. He couldn¡¯t find Belga, who he¡¯d met the day before. When he spread his aura perception, he could feel a human¡¯s weak breath and a Blue Lugh¡¯s urgent breath from his right. He turned his head, and he saw Belga was swimming through the river with two Blue Lughs chasing after him. Ssh! Raon used the footwork once again. He charged at the Blue Lughs by using River Footwork that became even moreplete and burst out with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me. ¡°Kiaah!¡± The majestic heat melted the Blue Lughs¡¯ skin, and they ran away underwater. ¡°Sir Belga! It¡¯s oka¡­ Huh?¡± He was about to extend his hand towards Belga, but he looked like he was unconscious, his eyes closed. Raon could see a small Blue Lugh underneath him, hiding underwater. ¡°Tsk!¡± Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive. As he was about to strike, the Blue Lugh released Belga and violently shook his hand. ¡°No! I¡¯m different!¡± His speech was awkward, but he was clearly speaking humannguage. Strength left Raon¡¯s hand upon hearing it. ¡°He¡¯s talking?¡± Chapter 242 Raon narrowed his eyes while carrying Belga on his shoulder. ¡®A Blue Lugh is talking¡­¡¯ The Blue Lughs normallymunicated with each other through cries, just like the beasts. His speech was slightly awkward, but the fact that he had spoken the humannguage was unbelievable. ¡°Who are you?¡± Raon asked while creating a wall with cier to prevent the young Blue Lugh from escaping. ¡°I-I can¡¯t be found out.¡± He looked around and plunged his head beneath the water. His trembling pupils were reflecting his extreme anxiety. Raon examined the young Blue Lugh from top to bottom. His flesh was violently torn on his arm, leg, and waist, green blood flowing from the wounds. ¡®Those injuries¡­¡¯ They weren¡¯t caused by a human. The scars suggested that he was injured by a beast¡¯s ws or fangs. ¡®Did he save Belga?¡¯ Belga was floating on the water in an unconscious state, and the Blue Lughs were chasing after him. Judging from the situation, the young Blue Lugh must¡¯ve been the one who saved Belga from the others. ¡°Did you save this person?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The Blue Lugh nodded, his head still underwater. The clear eyes peeking at him and the ears that were as small as a human¡¯s looked familiar. ¡°Ah!¡± Raon¡¯s eyes turned round as he watched the young Blue Lugh. He was the small Blue Lugh who looked in his direction from the water when the South-North Union chased away the Blue Lughs the day before. ¡°You saw me before, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You were looking at me from the river yesterday.¡± ¡°N-No, this is my first time.¡± The young Blue Lugh shook his head in denial. ¡®I¡¯m sure he was looking towards m¡­ No way.¡¯ There was something other than the Light Wind squad and Tyler next to the river the day before. There was a Blue Lugh corpse. The corpse of the Blue Lugh that Tyler had killed was sinking into the river, and he must¡¯ve been watching that corpse. ¡®Is that why he looked so sad back then?¡¯ The reason Raon felt like the Blue Lugh¡¯s eyes were clear and sad at the same time was because of his kin. ¡°R-Release us.¡± The young Blue Lugh pointed at the Blue Lughs who were screaming with their arms and legs stuck in the Watery Blossoms. ¡°Th-They aren¡¯t doing this because they want to.¡± He clearlymunicated his will despite his awkward speech. His sincerity could be seen from his clean eyes. ¡°They aren¡¯t doing this because they want to?¡± Raon could ascertain that the Blue Lugh¡¯s onught was due to an external factor. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have one.¡± The young Blue Lugh interrupted himself for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°W-We don¡¯t have much time. I can¡¯t be found out.¡± He hid his face while repeating something he¡¯d already said before. ¡°If we can¡¯t do it now, can youe outter?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The Blue Lugh nkly raised his head. He stared at Raon, his blue eyes trembling in fear, before he slowly nodded. ¡®It should be fine to trust him.¡¯ He ended up getting hurt while saving Belga, and he was the only one who had the same eyes as the Blue Lughs that he¡¯d seen in his previous life. Raon decided to try trusting him. Whap! Raon nodded, then brought forth the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The ice on the surface melted down, and white steam covered the surroundings. ¡°Come back here when the moon reaches the center of the sky.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± The Blue Lugh curiously looked around before disappearing into the water. Raon noticed that he also had arge scar on his back and neck. He must¡¯ve been injured a long time ago since they were already healed up, but it was almost scary how big they were. ¡°Kieeh!¡± ¡°Kiaah!¡± Once the ice binding the limbs of the other Blue Lughs melted, they hurriedly escaped. Raon clenched his fist while looking at the young Blue Lugh who disappeared in the other direction of the rest of the Blue Lughs. ¡°I finally found a clue.¡± * * * Doran Vige¡¯s chief looked mesmerized as he stared at Raon. ¡®I¡¯m not dreaming right now, am I?¡¯ He¡¯d been near the Gazel River every single day of his life after being born in Doran Vige. The water flooded once up to the vige during a rainy season, there was an asion where an earthquakepletely divided the stream, and there was even a huge tidal wave at some points. Since he¡¯d witnessed various incidents, he thought he would never be surprised by anything anymore, but his heart pounded after watching Raon¡¯s amazing performance. ¡°H-He created ice¡­¡± Raon created a huge crown of ice just by stepping on water. Although the ice had appeared in an instant, the Blue Lughs couldn¡¯t escape from them at all, proving how solid they were. ¡®He¡¯s even better than Sir Tyler.¡¯ Walking on water was the only thing Tyler could do, since he used his long spear on his back to attack. However, Raon had concluded the entire incident by a single stomp on the river. ¡®He looks like the god of ice¡­¡¯ Because he was freely moving on the water as if he were riding the tide and created an ice prison by stomping with his foot, Raon looked like the god of ice or water to him. ¡°H-How could he create ice like that?¡± ¡°Whoa¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°How is a human being capable of such a feat?¡± The other vigers were also unable to close their mouths in surprise. Although they¡¯d been shouting the South-North Union¡¯s name until a moment ago, they were now staring at Raon as if they were possessed. ¡°Hmm.¡± The vige chief swallowed nervously as he watched Raon return while carrying everyone on the ice. ¡®How is he even capable of doing that at such a young age?¡¯ Tyler was in his thirties, and Raon wasn¡¯t even twenty years old. He couldn¡¯t believe that such a young man had shown better abilities than Tyler, who was personally taught by the boss of South-North Union. ¡°So that is a Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The vige chief looked aside in astonishment while murmuring Zieghart¡¯s name. ¡°Isn¡¯t our Raon amazing?¡± Rimmer was there before he knew it, waving his hand with a grin on his face. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t expect him to show such prowess despite being so young. That was a marvelous sight.¡± ¡°That guy is special. Zieghart is also special.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Many people were underestimating us just because we stopped walking for a moment.¡± Rimmer looked at the vige chief while smiling softly. ¡°Ah, I-I¡­¡± ¡°I understand. The South-North Union is closer to the vige, and since you live next to the river, you are bound to be under their influence. However¡­¡± He tapped his scabbard without removing the smile around his mouth. ¡°Once a Zieghart draws their sword, no one can make a name in front of us.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The vige chief¡¯s chin was trembling. There was no hostility nor pressureing from Rimmer. He was simply speaking in a low voice, yet a shiver ran down his spine. Rimmer was bringing him into submission with a mere deration, rather than a threat. ¡®H-He¡¯s different.¡¯ He looked like any other loafer when he was drinking with him earlier, but he now felt like he was facing a huge and irresistible storm. ¡°You should give it lots of consideration.¡± Rimmer waved his hand while walking towards the river to meet Raon, who was approaching the shore. ¡°Because you won¡¯t be able to turn back once you make the wrong decision.¡± * * * Once the time for promise with the nameless Blue Lugh was nigh, Raon returned to the river. While he was listening to the silent sound of flowing water, a round head poked out from the river right in front of him. ¡°Hello.¡± The Blue Lugh bowed slightly. ¡°You really came.¡± He was worried about what to do if he didn¡¯te, but he was there on time. ¡°B-Because I promised.¡± The Blue Lugh quietly raised his head. ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded, sitting on a boulder. The Blue Lugh came out of the water and sat on the ground. ¡®He¡¯s certainly small.¡¯ He must¡¯ve still been a child, since he was smaller than the other Blue Lughs. However, his small fins and webbing that created an appearance simr to a human must¡¯ve been his own characteristics. ¡°Are you aware that we call you the Blue Lughs?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The Blue Lugh calmly nodded. ¡°From my knowledge, the Blue Lughs were an independent race that didn¡¯t interact with others. They never attacked humans before, and they ran away or avoided them whenever they saw them instead.¡± Raon continued while thinking about the innocent Blue Lughs he¡¯d seen before. ¡°So why did they change now?¡± He asked the biggest question he had from the beginning. ¡°I-It¡¯s my fault.¡± The Blue Lugh¡¯s lips were trembling as he grasped his knees with his hands. ¡°How is it your fault?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ve ruined everything.¡± Transparent tears were welling up in his eyes. He looked like he would start crying at any moment. Ugh, what an annoying guy. Wrath clicked his tongue in displeasure. ¡®Just wait there a little.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath back and looked into the Blue Lugh¡¯s eyes once again. ¡°What do you mean? Is it rted to how you are capable of talking?¡± ¡°Haaa!¡± The Blue Lugh sighed deeply. ¡°I¡­¡± * * * * * * I knew that I was different from my siblings the moment I was born. Even though our appearances were the same, the tribe¡¯snguage, which had less than thirty variations of sound to express emotions, couldn¡¯t satisfy my desires. That was why I disobeyed my parents and approached humans. Of course, I didn¡¯t have the courage to face them head-on. I silently listened to theirnguage while hiding away from their sight. I was thrilled to learn that countless expressions were possible throughnguage, expression, gesture, and intonation. I kept listening to the humannguage while sticking under the ships, and I became capable of understanding them at some point. Some more time passed, and I could even talk¡ªthough, it was a bit awkward. I wanted to try talking to a human, but I was too scared to approach them. I was a loner because I couldn¡¯t mingle with my own tribe nor approach the humans. And that was when he made his appearance. ¡°Can you speak the humannguage?¡± Tyler. He was the human who spoke to me for the first time upon finding me when I was practicing the humannguage under the ship. I don¡¯t remember exactly what I said the first time, but I clearly remember that I was more excited than afraid. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s my first time seeing a talking Blue Lugh.¡± He found me interesting instead of strange and started teaching me the humannguage. Thanks to him, I even became capable of reading books on top of speaking more fluently. ¡°Shall we be friends?¡± Tyler suggested that we be friends at some point. ¡°Friends?¡± I¡¯d heard about it, but I didn¡¯t know exactly what that word meant. ¡°Yes. People who are close to each other and get along with each other are called friends.¡± I immediately nodded. I was happy. The way he called me ¡®people¡¯, and the fact that someone could finally understand me made me so happy that I thought I would have no regrets even if I died. Tyler taught me more about the world, since he was aware of my desire for knowledge. Thanks to him, I gained various bits of knowledge and even learned to read a map. ¡°Can I make a request?¡± Once I learned various things about the river and ocean, Tyler extended his hand with a smile. ¡°A request?¡± ¡°Yes. Friends usually grant each other¡¯s requests.¡± I immediately nodded without even considering it because he said it was a friend¡¯s request. ¡°This area is dangerous for ships to pass because of the amount of sunken rocks. I¡¯d like you to create a waterway.¡± Since I was already capable of reading a map and had various pieces of knowledge, it wasn¡¯t a difficult request. I went around to various rivers from morning to night every day to create waterways for Tyler. Human viges were burned, and countless people died every time a waterway waspleted, but Tyler simply said that it was human culture and smiled gently at me. I trusted him because he was my friend. I simply epted what he said like an idiot. ¡°Can you tell me more about your people?¡± Once Ipleted half of the Gazel River¡¯s waterways, Tyler asked me to teach him about the Blue Lughs. I was happy. I was so d that my friend was interested in me, just like the way I was interested in humans. I told Tyler about the Blue Lugh tribe. I told him how wemunicated with each other, how we lived, and what we liked and disliked. However, he wanted even more. He wanted to know how the Blue Lughs were using water sorcery, what weaknesses we had, and why the Gazel River was cleaner than other rivers. Even though I had a feeling that I shouldn¡¯t answer those questions, he didn¡¯t hesitate to ask them all. I hesitated, then shook my head in the end. I wasn¡¯t too sure, but I had a feeling that I shouldn¡¯t answer him. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed. You don¡¯t even want to grant the request of the only friend you have.¡± Tyler left after saying that. I was anxious. Because the only person who could understand me had disappeared, my hands trembled and I was unable to breathe. I couldn¡¯t even eat anything from the anxiety, and I stayed awake all night long. Tyler returned one weekter and gave me a gift instead of being angry at me. He apologized to me while giving me some human food and new books. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just wanted to know more about my friend¡¯s race.¡± His words blew away my anxiety and nervousness at once. I was so unbearably happy that I ended up telling him every secret of the Blue Lugh tribe. I told him about the Water God Stone, which was the tribe¡¯s treasure and allowed us to purify water andmand the Blue Lughs. I told him that the Blue Lughs became emotionally agitated if they were in dirty water, and I also exined to him our custom treasures children. When I think about it now, I answered him because of anxiety, not because of happiness. I offered them as a hostage, because I was terrified that Tyler might leave me. Tyler thanked me while smiling brightly, and my anxiety disappeared upon seeing his smile. He returned two dayster and asked me to visit Siren River, since he had a gift for me over there. I was overjoyed and swam to Siren River without rest, but I couldn¡¯t find the gift, no matter how long I looked for it. I waited until sunset, but I still couldn¡¯t find anything. I figured that Tyler must¡¯ve made a mistake and returned. And I saw it. The bloodbath filled with screams, with green blood flowing into that clean Gazel River. The corpses of my tribe were spread all over the ground, and those who were alive had iron cors around their necks. ¡°Oh, you are back.¡± Tyler casually waved his hand while smiling like always. The blood of my siblings was smeared all over his hand and face. ¡°I easily managed to get them thanks to you.¡± He lifted the Water God Stone while stepping on the chieftain¡¯s head. ¡°They went on their knees once I took a child hostage. Thank you, friend.¡± I lunged at him while screaming loudly for the first time in my life, and I can¡¯t remember what happened after that. When I regained my consciousness, I was alone deep under the Gazel River, and the corpses of my parents and siblings were ced on top of me. Therge scar on my back suggested that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if I were dead. They must¡¯ve believed that I was dead because of my family and left me alone. I cried. I cried and fainted. I repeated that process over and over for an entire week. I piled up all my hard feelings in my heart and chased after my tribe. I did my best to stop my tribe from killing people while staying deep and far enough to avoid Tyler finding out about me. However, there was nothing I could do. All I could do was save a few people, and I couldn¡¯t muster the courage to ask for help from other people because of what happened with Tyler. Whenever I witnessed Tyler bing a hero by killing the Blue Lughs that he was controlling himself, my heart kept falling into darkness. Just like always, I despaired today because I was incapable of saving people, and a human appeared in front of me. Even though he looked far scarier than Tyler, I could feel warmth from his gaze for some reason. That was why I unconsciously spoke the humannguage that I hadn¡¯t used for a very long time. * * * ¡°¡­I see.¡± Raon closed his eyes. ¡®That¡¯s too harsh.¡¯ Pitiful wasn¡¯t enough to describe him. The Blue Lugh¡¯s life was so deplorable that he could say that it was almost as bad as his previous life. ¡®But¡­ Why am I getting angry right now?¡¯ Even though Raon waspletely unrted to him, he couldn¡¯t suppress his anger. It wasn¡¯t just the emotion he had received from Wrath, but the wrath he had from the beginning was also being stimted. He opened his eyes and looked at the flowing water. The young Blue Lugh¡¯s eyes were reflecting on the surface because he was sitting close to the river. ¡®Is it because he¡¯s simr to me?¡¯ The way the Blue Lughs were attacking people, with Tyler leading them with cors, looked exactly like his previous life. The life where he had to murder people against his will because of the brainwashing he was under. The Blue Lughs were a reflection of his previous self, who used to be controlled by Derus. That was the reason he was getting so agitated. ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m telling you about this either.¡± The Blue Lugh tilted his head in bewilderment. ¡°I have a few questions for you.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Raon looked around and the Blue Lugh nodded. ¡°I heard that the Blue Lugh¡¯s aggression started a long time after the Gazel River turned muddy. Why did that happen?¡± ¡°Th-They purposely dyed it to prevent people from making the connection between the river¡¯s change and the Blue Lugh¡¯s aggression. In the meantime, he ordered my tribe to investigate the sunken rocks and the depth of the river in order to create a waterway in this river.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The crew had mentioned that the Blue Lughs were moving all around the ce after the water turned muddy. They must¡¯ve been working on investigating the sunken rocks and the depth of the river because of Tyler¡¯s orders. ¡°So, Tyler must be controlling the Blue Lughs with that so-called Water God Stone to attack people, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And his purpose should be taking over this ce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. H-He said he¡¯s going to own the entire Gazel River.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon chuckled. Considering that he was trying to create a waterway through the entire Gazel River, Tyler must¡¯ve been nning to bring everything around the river under the South-North Union¡¯s submission, including Doran Vige. ¡®They must be underestimating Zieghart.¡¯ Considering the fact that he was even targeting Zieghart¡¯s domain, Zieghart must¡¯ve looked easy for Tyler. ¡®I need to teach him a lesson.¡¯ Since he was the first one to pick a fight, Raon decided to teach him what happened to anyone who bothered Zieghart. ¡°Th-Then¡­¡± The Blue Lugh stood up, since he finished telling his story. Kuuh! Wrath bit his lip despite having been silently listening to the Blue Lugh¡¯s story without saying anything. Raon! Are you nning to let him go like that? Why aren¡¯t you being nosy like you always are? He was sniffing as if he were going to start crying at any moment. Raon chuckled. ¡®Demon king, huh¡­¡¯ Wrath was brought to tears from the Blue Lugh¡¯s story, while Tyler took advantage of the young Blue Lugh¡¯s psychology to turn the Blue Lughs into his ves when he was pretty much an infant. Raon couldn¡¯t tell which one of the two was the real demon king. Hey! You bastard! ¡®Just wait and see.¡¯ Raon was about to call out the young Blue Lugh but stopped himself. Just like himself in his previous life, the young one didn¡¯t even have a name. His back looked so small and pathetic because of the lonely life he¡¯d been leading, unable to be a part of any group. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t have a name.¡± The Blue Lugh stopped walking upon hearing Raon¡¯s low voice. ¡°What did Tyler call you?¡± ¡°He called me ¡®you¡¯, or ¡®friend¡¯¡­¡± The Blue Lugh shuddered without looking back. ¡°Did he not create a name for you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Considering the fact that he didn¡¯t even name him, Tyler must¡¯ve been nning to take advantage of him all along. Raon was filled with disgust. ¡°Did you not name yourself?¡± ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to have a name that no one would use.¡± His words were tugging on his heartstrings. Raon raised himself up. He walked next to the Blue Lugh and looked at the river. ¡°Do you know the word ¡®flumen¡¯?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°It means ¡®clean river¡¯ in an ancientnguage.¡± ¡°Clean river¡­¡± ¡°Your name shall be Flumen.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Blue Lugh¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked back. ¡°Since Tyler doesn¡¯t know his ce and dared to breach Zieghart¡¯s domain, I¡¯m going to get rid of him.¡± Raon extended his hand. He decided to lend the helping hand that he¡¯d never received from anyone in his previous life. ¡°You shall help me, Flumen.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Flumen didn¡¯t respond. He stared nkly at him before gritting his teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t trust humans!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why did you tell me your story? Why did you save humans?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± He slowly opened his mouth after hesitating for a long time. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t want my tribe to kill people¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon smiled faintly. Flumen¡¯s words made him make up his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Tyler. You shall save your tribe.¡± ¡°No, Tyler is powerful. I can see it.¡± Flumen¡¯s eyes were shivering. ¡°Tyler¡¯s mana is greater than yours.¡± ¡°I guess his would be.¡± Tyler was a monster who was about to reach the intermediate level of Master. He was obviously stronger than Raon, who was only at the novice level of Master. However, that couldn¡¯t be a reason why he would be incapable of killing him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon smiled and grabbed the hilt of his sword. The dark eyes reflected on the surface of the river were sparkling with crimson lightning. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at getting rid of trash.¡± Chapter 243 ¡°You failed?¡± Tyler Sayton slowly turned his head. The pirate with a long scar on his cheek shamefully lowered his head. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± The pirate¡¯s head went even lower. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask whether you were sorry or not. I asked why that happened.¡± Tyler smiled. His bright smile was brimming with malice. ¡°You had enough time to sink the ship before those Zieghart bastards arrived.¡± They had attacked the ship at that hour in order to show the vigers and the Zieghart insects the sight of a sinking ship and drowning crews. Since it was a perfect n, he was irritated that it had failed. ¡°Th-The Blue Lughs suddenly stopped moving while attacking the ship.¡± ¡°They stopped moving?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact reason, but th-they stayed still underwater instead of destroying the ship.¡± The pirate¡¯s hands were trembling while being unable to meet Tyler¡¯s eyes. ¡°Th-The Blue Lughs started moving again soon after that, but the Zieghart bastards arrived in time because of the dy and saved the crew.¡± ¡°Did it break or something? They are seriously imbecilic.¡± Tyler smacked the cheek of a Blue Lugh who was kneeling on the ground. Even though they were beaten until they bled, the Blue Lughs weren¡¯t even groaning in the slightest. ¡°Rimmer must¡¯ve acted from Zieghart¡¯s side.¡± ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t Rimmer. It was Raon.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Raon jumped on the water and froze the Blue Lughs in an instant to save people.¡± The pirate exined that Raon pushed back the Blue Lughs and saved the crew. ¡°His level of martial arts shouldn¡¯t allow him to float on the water. Did Zieghart have a water walking technique?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯spletely possible. However, it¡¯s strange for Raon Zieghart to have learned it, since he¡¯s been living on the ground so far¡­¡± He frowned for the first time in displeasure. ¡°How did the vigers react?¡± ¡°I heard they were astonished to see him create an ice ind in the middle of the river, on top of floating on the water. Th-They were saying that the god of water and ice has descended. Some of them must¡¯ve be really fond of him.¡± ¡°Haa, what a son of a bitch. Is he seriously trying to lick the candy that someone else has imed? He deserves to have his eyeballs pulled out. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°I-I do.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t like him anyway from the first time I saw him. I wanted to tear his tongue out because of how arrogant he was just because he got some fame despite being a child.¡± Tyler¡¯s evil smile lookedpletely different from the polite appearance he had in front of the Light Wind squad. ¡°Everything is that bastard¡¯s fault. We would¡¯ve already taken over the Gazel River if only he was still with us.¡± He sighed in irritation while saying that it was a shame. ¡°Are you talking about the talking Blue Lugh?¡± The response came from behind him. He was a middle-aged man whose pressure was as magnificent as an iron tower. It was Haeckel, the vice-captain of Tyler¡¯s warship, the White Spear. ¡°Yes. I thought that all of the Blue Lughs would be like him once I educated them, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all.¡± Tyler clicked his tongue. No matter how much he taught them, the Blue Lughs were incapable of speaking or reading the humannguage. Since he couldn¡¯tmunicate with them, it took too much time to make a simple waterway. The Blue Lugh who had learned humannguage on his own was a special case. ¡°All of them are idiots with smooth brains.¡± He raised his feet to step on the head of the Blue Lugh kneeling on the ground. The Blue Lugh¡¯s head was dragged on the ground and started bleeding, but he couldn¡¯t put up the slightest resistance. ¡°If I let him live, we would¡¯ve already finished all of the waterways on the rivers branching from the Rable River downstream.¡± If he hadn¡¯t killed that talking Blue Lugh, Gazel river¡¯s waterway would¡¯ve been already perfectlypleted, allowing them to take over Doran Vige and even Yuin Vige. The Blue Lughs other than him were all morons that were only useful inbat. ¡®I would¡¯ve spared him if I knew this was going to happen.¡¯ He had killed him because he thought he had no more use for him, but he shouldn¡¯t have done that. He regretted making that decision on an impulse. ¡°I¡¯ve always been curious about this. How did you even convince that Blue Lugh to tell you the secret? He must¡¯ve refused at first.¡± ¡°That was simple.¡± Tyler smiled brightly after kicking away the Blue Lugh he had been stepping on. ¡°I arranged it so that I would be the only one that existed in his world. I visited him every single day, then stopped visiting him for a week so that he would be filled with worry and anxiety.¡± If the only person one can talk to, the one capable of understanding them, ended up disappearing¡­ the anxiety was bound to overflow and engulf the entire body. He didn¡¯t show himself in front of him for a week so that the pain from that would gnaw at his heart. ¡°The rest was even easier. I gave that monster a gift and made him feel even more sorry. Because he was afraid of the pain he¡¯d feel once I disappeared again, and thankful and sorry for me at the same time since I gave him an unexpected gift, the monster was bound to open his mouth.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°He was even smarter than a human, but his emotions were even worse than a child¡¯s. It was a piece of cake to control his feelings.¡± He set it up in a way that the Blue Lugh would meet no one other than himself in order to control his feelings. It was extremely easy to take advantage of such a naive monster¡¯s psychology. ¡°I knew the captain was the worst viin.¡± Haeckel grinned, holding onto the ship¡¯s handrail. ¡°I¡¯m not being evil, just efficient. Viins and heroes die at a young age, but being efficient never fails you.¡± Tyler rested his chin on the handrail. His calm eyes were reflecting a vige being destroyed. It was the fishing vige where Belga met his friend. ¡°But do we really need to annihte that ce? It feels like a waste¡­¡± ¡°We are trimming a dead branch. We need to do that for the other branches to grow up clean.¡± He smiled cheerfully while watching the vige being crushed. * * * Raon returned to Doran Vige after making Flumen wear a robe. Since he¡¯d previously told the Light Wind squad to wait for him, they were waiting for him at the lodging. ¡°Why are you sote?¡± Burren frowned and asked what he¡¯d been doing to be sote. ¡°It¡¯s obvious. He must¡¯ve been training again.¡± Martha shook her head, saying that she was already sick and tired of it. ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan nkly stared at his face after simply calling his name. The way she was blinking looked like she was about to copse and fall asleep. All three of them were breathing heavily. They must¡¯ve been training all along. ¡°By the way, who¡¯s that behind you?¡± Rimmer pointed at Flumen behind him. He was the only one whose breathing was rxed, to the point that he looked drowsy. He apparently felt the energy of water, since he was tilting his head in bewilderment. ¡°Did the vice-squad leader bring someone?¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Is that a viger?¡± The other swordsmen also poked their heads out, since they didn¡¯t expect him to bring someone at such ate hour. ¡°Sit down, everyone. I have something to tell you.¡± Raon created an energy barrier to stop sound from spreading out, then looked at Flumen. ¡°I-I¡¯m ready.¡± Once Flumen nodded, Raon took off his robe. ¡°A-A Blue Lugh!¡± ¡°Why is a Blue Lugh here?!¡± ¡°I-Isn¡¯t he dangerous?¡± The swordsmen¡¯s eyes widened as they brought their hands to their swords around their waists. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Flumen stepped back in surprise. ¡°You guys, look at his eyes.¡± Rimmer pointed at Flumen¡¯s eyes. ¡°They are clear and transparent. He doesn¡¯t look hostile, unlike the other Blue Lughs.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°His eyes aren¡¯t red.¡± ¡°Is that what a real Blue Lugh looks like?¡± The swordsmen nodded upon seeing his clear eyes, which they¡¯d heard that Blue Lughs were supposed to have. ¡°So, who is this kid?¡± Martha examined Flumen. Her expression suggested that she was still being cautious of him. ¡°That¡¯s what I was about to tell you. His name is Flumen. I met him for the first time when we were saving people at the river earlier¡­¡± Raon exined how he met him to everyone and told them the story that Flumen told him. ¡°What fucking trash!¡± Burren ground his teeth while saying that he wanted to tear off the mouth that had praised Tyler. Since he liked noble behavior, it was an extremely rare urrence that he swore at someone. ¡°Shit! That motherfucking bastard¡­¡± Martha looked like she was about to run outside with her aura bursting out from her. Since she had lost her mother because of the White Blood Religion, she was bound to be even more affected by his story. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Even Runaan seemed to be angry as she bit her lip. Cold light was glowing from her eyes, which used to be nk. ¡°Kuh!¡± Dorian was shedding tears while covering his mouth. ¡°You worked so hard.¡± He went to Flumen and took out crackers and candies from his belly pocket. ¡°You should eat those for now. Yes, just like that.¡± ¡°Ah, th-thank you.¡± Both of Flumen¡¯s hands became full of the crackers and candies he¡¯d received as he nodded. His awkward response implied that he didn¡¯t exactly know what those were. ¡°Come on, boy!¡± Dorian couldn¡¯t stop himself and hugged Flumen tightly. Yes, you should hug him in the King of Essence¡¯s stead! Wrath clenched his fist, praising his response. Raon realized once again that those two had the softest hearts among the people around him. ¡°You were the one who stopped the Blue Lughs from attacking the ship, right?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah¡­¡± Flumen nodded. ¡°He stopped the Blue Lughs?¡± ¡°They said that the Blue Lughs were staying still for a few minutes before we arrived. I thought it was strange, and I figured that it was his doing.¡± ¡°I can stop my tribe. Though, I can¡¯t do it for a long time because it drains my strength¡­¡± He said that he had gained that ability when he returned from death from being stabbed by Tyler¡¯s spear. ¡°You were trying to save humans, when a human did all that to you¡­¡± ¡°How can life be so harsh?¡± ¡°Suffering isn¡¯t enough to describe it.¡± ¡°But his mistake was too huge. He shouldn¡¯t have told such secrets¡­¡± ¡°Haa, I don¡¯t even know how I should beforting him.¡± A few people med Flumen for his mistake in revealing his tribe¡¯s secret, but most people simply felt sorry for him. ¡°Regardless of what happened to Flumen¡­¡± Raon started talking while meeting everyone¡¯s gazes. ¡°Tyler from South-North Union is targeting our domain. We are obviously not letting him get his way, and that means war.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to say that.¡± Martha grabbed her sword as if she were about to fight them right away. ¡°This is intolerable even for me.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren and Runaan also nodded in agreement. ¡°I know how angry you are, but we can¡¯t simply make our move.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°They are holding the Blue Lughs hostages.¡± Since they found out the truth, the Blue Lughs were hostages instead of enemies. They couldn¡¯t attack recklessly unless they had a n to rescue them. ¡®We need to find the Water God Stone first.¡¯ There was nothing they could do until they found the Water God Stone in Tyler¡¯s possession. ¡°Do you know the Water God Stone¡¯s location?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s inside the ship, but I don¡¯t know the exact location.¡± Flumen shook his head. ¡°Wait, you said that the Water God Stone had the ability tomand the Blue Lughs, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And you also have the ability to stop the Blue Lughs temporarily.¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah.¡± Flumen tilted his head because he was asking a question that he already knew the answer to. ¡°Do you know where the Blue Lughs are staying?¡± ¡°They are hiding at the intersection between Gazel River and Rable River.¡± ¡°Why are they staying there?¡± ¡°Gazel River isn¡¯t the only ce Tyler is using the Blue Lughs. He made their shelter next to the Rable River, so that they can reach anywhere.¡± Raon nodded while listening to Flumen¡¯s response. His fluent answer made him guess that he had prepared a lot by himself in order to resolve the incident. ¡°What does the Water God Stone look like?¡± ¡°It¡¯s round and transparent, just like a jellyfish.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon used cier to create a spherical bead on his hand. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s bigger.¡± ¡°Then how about this?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Flumen finally nodded once Raon made the bead as big as a person¡¯s head. ¡°White beads move inside like smoke, and it incorporates the mana of pure water.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not difficult.¡± Raon inserted cier¡¯s pure coldness inside the ice bead that he had created. Pssh! The coldness flew inside the bead like a stream, creating smoke just like Flumen had mentioned. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it! It looks exactly like that.¡± Flumen nodded. ¡°I think we can do this.¡± Raon smiled faintly. If things went as nned, Tyler was going to tell them the Water God Stone¡¯s location personally. ¡°Are you saying that we can save the Blue Lughs?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yes. I have a n to take away the Water God Stone.¡± Raon turned to look at Dorian. ¡°Dorian. Ask the vige chief to call Tyler tomorrow. Pick an hour when he has enough time.¡± ¡°Already? Aren¡¯t you being too hasty?¡± Martha narrowed her eyes, telling him to calm down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We can save them for sure. However, the squad leader has to y a big part in this¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, I see.¡± Rimmer raised himself up with a smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s finally my turn. I just need to beautifully behead that trash bastard, right?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m the one who is going to y him.¡± ¡°Huh? H-He should be too difficult to handle for yo¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m ying him.¡± Raon firmly shook his head. ¡°S-Sure.¡± Rimmer awkwardly nodded upon facing Raon¡¯s burning, passionate eyes. ¡°What am I supposed to do, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a really important job.¡± Raon grinned, raising his finger. ¡°You are the protagonist of this mission.¡± * * * * * * Since they decided to call Tyler in three days, Raon climbed the mountain to practice swordsmanship in the meantime. It could be considered his daily routine, but one thing was different from usual. You idiot! Your sword is too slow! You shouldn¡¯t do that right there! The illusion sword needs to be changed eventer! The sound is too loud! Wrath was enraged by Tyler¡¯s wrongdoing and was going out of his way to point out the iplete parts in Raon¡¯s swordsmanship. Do you really believe you can y him in your current state? You need to tear his limbs apart and freeze his body to make him face a slow death! ¡°You sounded like a real demon king just now.¡± Raon chuckled. He sounded like a human when he was extremely saddened from hearing Flumen''s story, and he turned into a demon king when he talked about killing Tyler. He was such a mysterious guy. Stopughing and swing your sword instead! ¡°I¡¯ll do that a bitter.¡± He shook his head and looked at the mountain path. Belga and Morin appeared from there in a moment along with a rustling sound. ¡°S-Sir Raon!¡± Belga was still covered in bandages as he knelt, since his injuries weren¡¯tpletely healed yet, and Morin was also limping his leg as he bowed. ¡°Why, all of a sudden¡­?¡± Since they had already thanked him enough, he couldn¡¯t understand why they were bowing at him aftering all the way there. ¡°M-My friend. The vige of my friend, who told me about the South-North Union, has been massacred.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s a small vige called Peren located next to the Rable River, and the news said that everyone has perished¡­¡± Because he put too much strength in his teeth, his lip tore apart and the blood trickled down his chin. ¡°Th-They said that it was from the Blue Lughs¡¯ attack, but that can¡¯t possibly be true! I¡¯m sure they made an example out of them because they told Belga about the South-North Union!¡± Morin¡¯s hands were trembling as he gritted his teeth. ¡°Th-They should¡¯ve just killed me. Why did they attack there instead¡­?¡± Belga was coughing blood while grasping his chest. He must¡¯ve been thinking that it was his fault that all of that had happened. However, that wasn¡¯t his fault at all. It was simply bound to happen as long as they were under Tyler¡¯s influence. ¡°P-Please! Please stop them!¡± ¡°I beg you!¡± The two of them lowered their heads while scratching the ground until they bled. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled heavily and closed his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s a relief.¡¯ Relief? You crazy bastard! ¡®That¡¯s not what I mean. I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s a relief that I didn¡¯t immediately kill Tyler.¡¯ What? ¡®People like him shouldn¡¯t be given an easy death. They need to be thoroughly trampled and destroyed.¡¯ Raon suppressed his boiling anger and walked up to the two. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon smiled coldly while making Belga and Morin stand. ¡°I¡¯ll drag him down from his position of hero to the trash where he belongs before getting rid of him.¡± * * * Two dayster, Raon was sitting in front of Tyler in Doran Vige¡¯s conference room. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve saved people with your godly abilities recently. You are really amazing. I think the rumors aren¡¯t enough to describe your skills.¡± Tyler smiled brightly, just like when they met for the first time. ¡°No, it was a drop in the bucketpared to Sir Tyler¡¯s prowess.¡± Raon humbly shook his head. ¡°You are also good at praising people. So, why did you want to see me today?¡± ¡°Before we start, I¡¯d like to apologize for calling you here when you must be busy.¡± ¡°No, I was free today since there was no work.¡± Tyler shook his hand to tell him that it was fine. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Raon smiled faintly and continued. ¡°The reason I called Sir Tyler is because I managed to find the Blue Lugh¡¯s hideout.¡± ¡°H-Hideout? Did you really manage to find their hideout?¡± Tyler¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°I certainly did.¡± Raon nonchntly nodded. ¡°Where¡¯s the location¡­?¡± ¡°They were hiding between the Gazel River and the Rable River. I¡¯ll tell you the exact location as we go.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tyler hesitated without responding. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you are satisfied with it. Is something the matter?¡± ¡°N-No. I¡¯m just feeling d that we can finally put an end to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Raon smiled faintly, raising his finger. ¡°Since you mentioned that it¡¯s the end, shall we make a bet?¡± ¡°Bet?¡± ¡°Yes. How about having the side who y more ¡®monsters¡¯ today stick the g in this vige?¡± ¡°Haha, using the vige for a bet doesn¡¯t sound too good for me. We aren¡¯t too interested in tha¡­¡± ¡°In that case, are you fine with us protecting the vige?¡± Tyler¡¯s smile turned stiff like a ster upon hearing what Raon said. ¡°We¡¯ve only been here for a short time, but the vige chief and the other vigers liked us quite a lot. If Sir Tyler is okay with that, we¡¯d like to set Zieghart¡¯s g in Doran Vige. Since Yuin Vige right next to here is also our domain, it shouldn¡¯t have any issues or consequences.¡± ¡°Haha, that sounds a bit inconvenient.¡± Tyler bit his lip very slightly, turning his head towards the chief and the executives of the vige. ¡°I also got rather close to the people here, but it would be difficult for me to see them again if it became Zieghart¡¯s domain.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The vige chief and the executives averted their eyes instead of answering Tyler. ¡°Hmm?¡± Tyler furrowed his brow. His face was saying that he didn¡¯t expect the vige chief and the executives to react that way. Raon snickered while looking at Tyler and the vige chief. ¡®It was the right choice to show them my footwork.¡¯ The vige chief and vigers became extremely favorable to Zieghart after witnessing the Watery Blossom. Thanks to Rimmer and Dorian¡¯s friendly attitudes on top of that, the vigers¡¯ opinions were currently divided in half between South-North Union and Zieghart. ¡°It won¡¯t be difficult to see them. We don¡¯t have any regtions, so you can visit them whenever you want.¡± ¡°Hmm. Even then, I won¡¯t be able to freely visit this ce.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s really fine. You can visit whenever.¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at Tyler¡¯s trembling mouth. ¡®Yes, I know you aren¡¯t going to simply let it go.¡¯ Tyler was trying to take over the different river streams in order to umte enough power and money topete with the other disciples of the South-North Union¡¯s boss. Since he¡¯d put an exceptional amount of effort into the Gazel River, he wouldn¡¯t let it go no matter what. ¡®And taking over this ce has a symbolic meaning.¡¯ Half of Gazel River was Zieghart¡¯s domain. He must¡¯ve been trying to gain fame for taking over Zieghart¡¯snd and river. ¡°By the way, our squad leader isn¡¯t going to participate in this battle because he has other missions.¡± Raon threw another bait. ¡°This is really troublesome.¡± Tyler rolled up the corners of his mouth. He was smiling just like a moment ago, but the atmosphere around him waspletely cold instead. ¡°Regardless of killing the Blue Lughs, I think it would be better for us to protect this vige for various reasons. Zieghart is pretty far away from here, after all.¡± ¡°That problem can be solved by simply setting up a branch here.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I personally don¡¯t like having a long argument, so let¡¯s quickly conclude it. Are you going to ept it? Or are you going to give up?¡± Raon asked while tapping the table with his finger. ¡°Haa, you leave me no choice. I¡¯ll take on that bet for the sake of the vige.¡± Tyler added that it was for the vige¡¯s sake, not showing his true color to the end. ¡°I knew you would ept. Though, I didn¡¯t expect you to drag this out with unnecessary talks.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Raon snickered while implying something with his words, and Tyler¡¯s face turned frighteningly stiff for an instant before returning to normal. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Sir Raon to be so¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡± Raon interrupted Tyler¡¯s mumbling and pointed outside. ¡°R-Right away?¡± ¡°Yes, we should be able to finish it today, since it¡¯s not even noon yet.¡± ¡°But we need more time¡­¡± ¡°You mentioned earlier that you werepletely free today, though.¡± He couldn¡¯t give any time to Tyler and South-North Union. That was the reason he¡¯d asked the vige chief to call Tyler when he had free time. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon smiled while looking down on Tyler like a savage beast looking at his prey. ¡°Let¡¯s annihte all the ¡®monsters¡¯ today and put an end to this.¡± * * * While those two were in a fight without swords¡­ ¡°Ah, damn it¡­¡± Someone¡¯s mumbling slowly sounded from under the floor of the White Spear, Tyler''s warship. ¡°How is this even happening? Why do I have to hang on here while beingpletely wet?¡± Rimmer was grinding his teeth while sticking to the ship¡¯s floor. ¡°I¡¯m the squad leader, and he¡¯s the vice-squad leader. Why do I have to do all the hard work? Hey, you also saw how he was ring at me, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°B-Be patient.¡± Flumen shook his hand from the water tofort the angry Rimmer. ¡°This is not how a protagonist should be!¡± Chapter 244 Tyler went to his warship as soon as he left the conference room. ¡°Why did they call you?¡± Vice-Captain Haeckel walked up to him with a smile on his face. ¡°We are in trouble.¡± Tyler frowned while taking a nce to the back. ¡°Raon Zieghart discovered where we hid the Blue Lughs.¡± ¡°H-How did that¡­?¡± Haeckel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®But that¡¯s impossible.¡¯ The Blue Lughs were hidden in a corner where no one would visit, and they were even ordered to nevere out. He couldn¡¯t understand how the location could have been discovered. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure, since he mentioned that they were between Rable River and Gazel River.¡± Tyler firmly shook his head. ¡®There¡¯s no way someone like him would make a mistake.¡¯ There was no way someone of Raon¡¯s caliber wouldn¡¯t have confirmed the most important information. It would¡¯ve been foolish to hope that he was mistaken. ¡°What on earth even happened there?¡± ¡°What happened there was¡­¡± Tyler told Haeckel about the conversation in the conference room. ¡°How could he¡­?¡± Haeckel frowned, since he couldn¡¯t understand why he¡¯d done that. ¡°The reason doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± Tyler briefly clicked his tongue. ¡®He got me good.¡¯ A war of words was decided by how much knowledge and preparation they had. Since he¡¯d gone there while being unaware of the situation, he had no choice but to be devoured by that young bastard. ¡°Th-Then, what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°We have that thing that they are still unaware of.¡± ¡°Ah! The Water God Stone!¡± ¡°Since that Raon bastard must be cautious of me, you should give them orders through the Water God Stone. Tell the Blue Lughs to hide and nevere out, no matter what happens. And then¡­ nevermind!¡± Tyler shook his head and shoved his face at Haeckel. ¡°Five. Send around five of them to me.¡± ¡°Five?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve bet on who will kill more Blue Lughs. If I kill five of the Blue Lughs, and let the rest of them escape, Doran Vige is going to be ours for free.¡± No matter how thoroughly Raon prepared, there was no way he could¡¯ve known about the Water God Stone. He figured that he could easily win the bet by controlling the Blue Lughs through the Water God Stone. ¡®It¡¯s actually better this way.¡¯ If everything went well, they could take over Doran Vige without any casualties and could even obtain Yuin Vige after that. ¡°You dug your own grave, Raon Zieghart.¡± Tyler smiled while looking down on Raon and the Light Wind squad, who were approaching the ship. ¡°Thank you for handing over Gazel River.¡± * * * Raon looked at the front part of the ship, which was submerged underwater, before boarding the ship. No one should¡¯ve been aware of the fact that Rimmer and Flumen were hiding under that part. [Did you just smile?] Rimmer¡¯s aura message came from underwater. [You just shoved your squad leader¡ªwho also happens to be your teacher¡ªunderwater, just to enjoy the warm sunlight for yourself. Are you actually smiling in this situation?] Judging from the direction the aura message wasing from, Rimmer must¡¯ve been sticking his back towards the ship like a remora. [I¡¯m smiling because the squad leader is so reliable.] [Stop kidding me! It¡¯s all because of you that I¡­] [Gold.] [Ugh!] Rimmer shut his mouth as soon as Raon mentioned the gold. [Flumen! The scariest thing in the human realm isn''t a sword, but gold. Gold! Money is what you should be wary of the most!] Rimmer sent an aura message to Raon and Flumen at the same time with his supreme technique. It seemed like Flumen simply nodded instead of responding to him. [A human being bes shabby if they don¡¯t have any money, regardless of their age! Look at me. Despite my age, I¡­ Kuh!] [You will be able to earn a lot once everything¡¯s over.] [Oh? Really?] [I¡¯m counting on you.] Raon bowed very slightly, which looked like he was simply warming up his neck. [Sure!] Despite Rimmer¡¯s carefree appearance, he was the type of person who would make sure toplete any request. That was why he was more trustworthy than anyone else. Raon imagined how Flumen would try tofort Rimmer, then boarded the White Spear¡ªTyler¡¯s warship¡ªwith the Light Wind squad. ¡®It¡¯s bigger than I thought.¡¯ The deck was bigger and more splendid than what he had expected when he saw it from below. It looked like a military warship rather than a pirate ship. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°It¡¯s huge.¡± ¡°This is what a South-North Union¡¯s warship looks like¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen eximed and looked around the ship. However, they weren¡¯t actually admiring it. They were observing the ship in preparation for when they would have to fight there. ¡°How do you like my ship? As Raon was probing the White Spear¡¯s deck along with the others, Tyler walked up to him with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m worried that it might not look good enough for the Frostfire Sword of Valor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a splendid and stylish warship. However, it¡¯s a lot smaller than the Graceful Knight of the Tide¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, since my position inside the Union isn¡¯t that high.¡± Raon provoked him by calling the ship small, but Tyler brushed it off with a smile. He even mentioned that his standing was low in the Union. Raon smiled faintly while observing Tyler¡¯s reaction. ¡®He regained hisposure.¡¯ The reason Tyler¡¯s face looked sofortable was because he believed that he could win the bet by controlling the Blue Lughs through the Water God Stone. ¡®I guess he is going to lure a few Blue Lughs out with the Water God Stone.¡¯ Raon was sure that his n was to draw three to six Blue Lughs with the Water God Stone, then order the rest to hide so that he would be the only one to kill the Blue Lughs and end the bet in his victory. ¡®He¡¯s too obvious.¡¯ Since Raon had expected Tyler¡¯s move the moment he had devised the n, he could clearly read his thoughts. ¡®Because he can¡¯t even begin to guess that I¡¯m aware of the Water God Stone¡¯s existence.¡¯ Thanks to Flumen¡¯s information, the bet¡ªor, rather, the war¡¯s oue¡ªwas already decided. ¡°Howe your position isn¡¯t high? You are the Graceful Knight of the Tide, a Master level warrior. You are being too humble.¡± Raon opened his ocean of perception with cier while praising Tyler. ¡®So, who¡¯s going to make their move?¡¯ Since Tyler was themander, he could be expected to stay on the deck. Since it was necessary to be close enough to see the Blue Lughs in order to send orders through the Water God Stone, it must have been hidden somewhere inside the ship, and someone other than Tyler had to move there in order to use it. ¡®That man.¡¯ A middle-aged man with a sturdy body looked like he was inspecting the ship as he checked different parts of the ship. Considering the huge amount of solid energy in his energy center, he must¡¯ve been the vice-captain of the ship, Haeckel. ¡®His appearance is also exactly like I heard.¡¯ He¡¯d heard that he had a sturdy body with snake-like eyes, which matched his appearance. He was most likely going to operate the Water God Stone instead of Tyler. ¡°It feels nice to think that we aren¡¯t going to need to see the annoying Blue Lughs ever again.¡± Tyler smiled while murmuring that a weight was going to be lifted. ¡°Yes. The monsters are soon going to disappear.¡± Raon nodded while making sure to remember Haeckel¡¯s presence. ¡°Weigh anchor!¡± ¡°Weigh anchor!¡± ¡°Set sail!¡± Every pirate repeated Tyler¡¯s shout, setting the ship afloat. Rumble! Even though a huge ship was moving, it wasn¡¯t trembling that much. Considering that mana could be felt throughout the ship, magic must¡¯ve been cast to resist the waves. ¡°By the way, do we really need that ship to follow us?¡± Tyler pointed at themercial ship from Doran Vige that was following the warship. The vige chief and the vigers were filling that ship, which was asrge as the warship. ¡°I don¡¯t believe any of us is going to be narrow-minded enough to refuse to admit their defeat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of the bet. It¡¯s because I wanted to show them how we eliminate the ¡®monsters¡¯ since they have suffered a lot.¡± ¡°Wow, you are crueler than I thought.¡± ¡°That might be true.¡± Raon smiled faintly. However, that was obviously not the real reason. It was in order to show the vigers what kind of people Tyler and the South-North Union were. ¡®Moreover, this ship has to disappear.¡¯ Since he was nning to destroy the warship, themercial ship had to follow. * * * The Blue Lugh¡¯s dwelling that Flumen had told about him wasn¡¯t too far away. They were already at the destination before he knew it while he was double checking the n. ¡°Are they around here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon pointed at the estuary full of sharp rocks, making it difficult for arge ship to enter. ¡°I can¡¯t see any Blue Lugh for now. Are you sure they are in there?¡± Tyler asked. At the same time, Haeckel started moving towards the captain¡¯s cabin. Raon immediately noticed his movements, since he¡¯d been keeping track of him. He was moving ording to his prediction, but that wasn¡¯t enough. He needed something to rm all the pirates, including Tyler and Haeckel. ¡°Of course. Dorian.¡± Raon called Dorian toe up next to him before that man could make his move. ¡°Take out that thing.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian came up next to him and put his hand in his belly pocket. A white sphere the size of a human¡¯s head came out from the pocket, settled on his slightly round hand. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Tyler and Haeckel, who was about to open the room to the captain¡¯s cabin, groaned at the same time. ¡°Wh-Where did you get that?¡± Tyler¡¯s chin was trembling, unable to hide his emotions. ¡°I received it from the person who told me about this location.¡± Raon smiled while epting the fake Water God Stone that he¡¯d made in advance from Dorian. ¡°They said I can bring the Blue Lughs out with this sphere.¡± ¡°Wh-Who said¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. He was a small person wearing a ck robe, but his speech was really awkward. However, I had to believe him because he showed me his ability to control the Blue Lughs first-hand. Judging from the strong energy of water he had, he might not have been human¡­¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Tyler¡¯s face crumpled like paper being crushed by hand. ¡®He must¡¯ve remembered.¡¯ The questions about Flumen¡¯s survival and whether that sphere was the real Water God Stone or not must¡¯ve been deeply engraved in Tyler¡¯s brain. Since he had to think about that, it was obvious how he was going to act afterwards. ¡°In¡­ In that case, can you try controlling them?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Raon used cier while reaching out the hand holding the fake Water God Stone towards the river. The Water God Stone sparkled in white, and blue mana spread inside the sphere in streams. Gurgle! Bubbles appeared between the sharp rocks, and dozens of Blue Lughs appeared at the same time. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Th-They are really here!¡± ¡°It was true!¡± ¡°What the hell is that sphere?¡± The Doran vigers on the merchant ship¡¯s jaws dropped upon seeing that the Blue Lughs had really appeared. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Tyler and the pirates looked like they had lost their souls. ¡®Flumen did a good job.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the Water God Stone¡¯s power, but Flumen¡¯s ability. He was the one who¡¯d taken out the Blue Lughs, who were staying on the river floor. Raon noticed a very small movement of Tyler¡¯s aura through the Ring of Fire. He must¡¯ve been ordering Haeckel to quickly find the Water God Stone. ¡®We are getting started now.¡¯ * * * * * * Tyler swallowed nervously while looking at the Water God Stone in Raon¡¯s hand. ¡®It¡¯s the Water God Stone. It¡¯s the real one.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t seem to know how to use it properly, but it was the real Water God Stone. [Haeckel! When did youst check on the Water God Stone?] Tyler immediately sent an aura message to Haeckel, clenching his fist. [I-I checked two days ago.] [Go there right now! Go and confirm whether that bastard stole the Water God Stone or it¡¯s a second Water God Stone that he has!] [Wh-What should I do if it¡¯s still there¡­?] [In that case, send the orders ording to the n! Send five of them to me and tell the rest to escape upstream to hide!] [U-Understood!] Haeckel entered the captain¡¯s cabin as soon as he received Tyler¡¯s order. He silently opened the hatch on the ground before climbing down thedder to the lowest part, opening the round door. ¡°Kieeh¡­¡± ¡°Kiaaa¡­¡± Young Blue Lughs were locked in a cage there. Their scales were jagged, and their flesh was cracked like a field during a drought because they¡¯d been away from water. ¡°Shut up!¡± Haeckel swore at the young Blue Lughs before going to the wall. He tapped different locations of the wall with his finger, which split the wall in half. Gold and jewels could be seen inside. He didn¡¯t pay attention to any of them, staring at the transparent sphere at the center. Blue streams were wavering inside the sphere. ¡°It¡¯s here! Which means, the one he has is¡­¡± ¡°A fake.¡± ¡°Wh-Wh¡­Kuh!¡± Haeckel tried to quickly turn around upon hearing a drowsy voice from behind him. However, his opponent was faster than him. Pssh! A de shining with an icy cold light was protruding from the left side of his chest. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Haeckel coughed up blood, turn his head. A red-haired elf was waving his hand at him with a smile. ¡°Wh-When did you get behind me¡­?¡± ¡°When you opened the hatch.¡± Rimmer twisted the sword that was stabbing Haeckel¡¯s heart. ¡°Kuaah!¡± ¡°Raon. Just like that damned boy thought, both you and Tyler were too agitated to notice me. I silently followed your lead.¡± ¡°D-Damn it¡­¡± Haeckel copsed on the dry floor while grasping his chest. He couldn¡¯t put up any sort of resistance. ¡°Tsk.¡± Rimmer frowned while looking at the young Blue Lughs that were trembling in fear inside the cage. Each time their bodies shivered, a bunch of dry scales were falling down while green blood trickled from their cracked skin. ¡°They are trash.¡± Flumen had mentioned that the Blue Lughs valued their children. The young Blue Lughs must¡¯ve been locked up as hostages just in case there was a problem with the Water God Stone. ¡®This reminds me of bad memories.¡¯ Watching the young Blue Lughs¡¯ eyes, filled with fear and despair, reminded him of when he first came to the human realm. ¡°Step back, everyone.¡± The Blue Lughs crouched upon seeing Rimmer¡¯s hand gesture. ang! A light swing of Rimmer¡¯s sword cut through the cage¡¯s entrance like tofu. ¡°Kiee¡­¡± ¡°Ki¡­¡± The eyes of the terrified Blue Lughs widened upon noticing that the entrance was open. ¡°It¡¯s time to go home.¡± Rimmer picked up the real Water God Stone from inside the storage, then smiled at the confused young Blue Lughs. ¡°But before that¡­¡± He licked his lips while taking a nce at the shining jewels behind him. ¡°It should be fine if I take just a few gold coins.¡± It was really sad to be poor¡­ * * * Raon smiled coldly while watching Tyler¡¯s eyes roll all around the ce. ¡®He must have a lot to think about.¡¯ His head must¡¯ve been about to explode from the questions, such as whether that was the real Water God Stone or a second one, whether Flumen was alive or not, what Flumen would¡¯ve told him. ¡®And the worst part must be¡­¡¯ The fact that Haeckel stopped contacting him. He should¡¯ve returned after sending the order through the Water God Stone, but he hadn¡¯t returned yet, which must¡¯ve been driving him crazy with anxiety. Thud. A tremor strong enough for everyone to feel spread out from inside the ship. It was Rimmer¡¯s signal to tell them that his job was done. ¡°What was that just now¡­?¡± ¡°Sir Tyler, I actually heard one more thing about this sphere.¡± Raon started talking to Tyler, since he realized it was time to start his part. ¡°Wh-What did you hear?¡± Tyler¡¯s face was filled with so much anxiety that anyone could tell if they saw him. ¡°I heard that destroying this sphere while the Blue Lughs are watching makes all of them perish.¡± ¡°Wh-What kind of nonsense¡­¡± ¡°Since we won¡¯t lose anything from doing that, let¡¯s try it.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Raon threw the fake Water God Stone into the air. As he was about to draw his sword in order to sh it, Tyler hurriedly jumped to catch the Water God Stone. ¡°But it might have a different use!¡± He turned around in the air while hugging the Water God Stone. That movement was also ording to Raon¡¯s prediction. ck! Raon snapped his finger. Baaam! The fake Water God Stone exploded, covering Tyler¡¯s body with ice. Crack! As expected of a Master, he controlled his aura in that short instant to prevent his skin from freezing up, but his clothes and equipment ended up shattering. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Tyler ground his teeth while crumbling one of the few shards left from the fake Water God Stone. ¡°The way you jumped to catch a bomb was really funny.¡± Raon turned his head to the side and snorted. ¡°How could you attack me? You must¡¯ve gone insane¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± As soon as Raon said that, a huge explosion happened from the center of the warship. Baaam! The lower part of the warship was shredded to pieces and Rimmer appeared. ¡°Hey, vige chief! Get the ship closer!¡± He waved his hand at the Doran vigers and vige chief, who still hadn¡¯t managed to grasp the situation. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Why is Sir Rimmer over there¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s obvious.¡± Rimmer used the wind to send all of the young Blue Lughs to Doran Vige¡¯s merchant ship before boarding it himself. ¡°Those pirate bastards have been controlling the Blue Lughs by using this sphere and the Blue Lugh children.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-What did you just say¡­?¡± ¡°Why would they do such a thing¡­?¡± The vigers¡¯ teeth chattered in disbelief. Since the South-North Union and Tyler were too favorable towards them up to that point, they could hardly believe that they¡¯d just been acting. ¡°Then, how can you exin that I found the children in such a state on their ship?¡± Rimmer pointed at the young Blue Lughs, whose skins were in tatters, and the cages that still remained in the destroyed center of the ship. ¡°Moreover, this sphere¡­¡± He gave a brief exnation to the vigers about what had happened so far. ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°How could that happen¡­?¡± ¡°H-How inhuman¡­¡± The vigers bit their lips while looking at the clear eyes of the Blue Lughs and their injured skin. When they raised their heads once again to look at Tyler and the pirates, their eyes were filled with disgust. ¡°Th-They are demons!¡± ¡°How can a human being do such a thing¡­?¡± ¡°Even a beast doesn''t do something like this!¡± Since the Doran vigers believed that they¡¯d been coexisting with the Blue Lughs ever since their childhood, they started to hurl insults at Tyler and the South-North Union from the extreme rage they felt. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Tyler exhaled roughly. A powerful aura burst out to shatter the frost stuck to his body. ¡°How¡­ How did you realize it? Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°Your friend told me about it.¡± ¡°Friend? What kind of bullshit¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I should say a former friend instead. Flumen!¡± Flumen was covered in a robe as he climbed up on the deck following Raon¡¯s call. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Flumen nodded, then threw away the robe he was wearing. ¡°You¡­ You!¡± The moment the ck robe rode the wind to float into the air, Tyler¡¯s bloodshot eyes started to waver violently like a boat on a turbulent ocean. ¡°How are you still alive?!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Flumen tightly bit his lip, then looked into Tyler¡¯s fiendish eyes. ¡°I-I came to save my family!¡± His body was trembling, and he looked like he would start crying at any moment, but he didn¡¯t avert his eyes from Tyler¡¯s gaze. ¡°Haah! I can finally understand it. It was all because of you.¡± Tyler took the long spear from his back with his trembling hands. He nodded, as if he understood everything. ¡°You bastard, you sold me out!¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t sell you out. I only did what I had to¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! You are just the son of a monster who can¡¯t join any group!¡± The spear he was holding was thrust at Flumen like lightning by incorporating the principles of extreme swiftness. ¡°How hasty of you.¡± Raonughed coldly, drawing Heavenly Drive. He shed with the Fangs of Insanity, incorporating his de with the principles of swiftness and power¡ªwhich didn¡¯t lose to Tyler¡¯s. ang! The deck looked like it would copse as it trembled violently from the powerful shockwave bursting from the sh. ¡°You idiot!¡± Tyler¡¯s eyes were distorted like a beast¡¯s as he rolled them. His previous polite and respectable appearance could no longer be found. ¡°You dare start a fight against me for the sake of mere beasts like them!¡± ¡°You look more like a beast than them.¡± Raon snorted, then pushed back Tyler¡¯s spear. Rumble! Tyler had to step back because of Raon¡¯s strength and aura, which had already transcended the level of a human. Each time he took a step backward, the entire deck trembled because it was unable to bear the energying from him. ¡°I¡¯m a disciple of the South-North Union¡¯s leader!¡± Tyler screamed while raising his spear. ¡°Are you trying to start a war between Zieghart and South-North Union for the sake of those things that aren¡¯t even human?¡± ¡°Flumen is my friend and is working with me.¡± Raon pressed on the spear shaft with a cold look in his eyes. He pushed Tyler back by creating a fearsome amount of heavy pressure. ¡°It¡¯s only natural to wield my sword for the sake of my friend.¡± Raon straightened his back while remembering the task he hadn¡¯t managed to aplish in his previous life and Sylvia¡¯s wish for him to be a true swordsman. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tears dripped from Flumen¡¯s eyes as his teeth and lips trembled. ¡°Did you say that it¡¯s meaningless to have a name that won¡¯t be called? Flumen, we will call you by your name from now on.¡± Light Wind squad followed behind Raon, drawing their swords. An oppressive energy wave spread out throughout the deck. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°What is this pressureing from such young children¡­?¡± The pirates swallowed nervously as their hands trembled, as did the weapons they were holding. ¡°You crazy bastard! You are all crazy! I¡¯m Tyler Sayton, the Graceful Knight of the Tide! The South-North Union is going to start moving the moment you attack me! I¡¯m a disciple of the South-North Union¡¯s leader!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about your name, nor the South-North Union¡¯s leader.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can only see a lowly pirate in front of me.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive and pointed it at Tyler¡¯s heart. The auspicious light emerging majestically from the silver de made everyone fall silent. ¡°Come at me.¡± Chapter 245 ¡°Wipe out the bandits!¡± ¡°You damn trash, I¡¯ll split your heads in two!¡± ¡°Haap!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan charged towards the pirates while spreading powerful auras from their des. The rest of the Light Wind swordsmen followed their respective team leader to pierce into the agitated pirates, swinging their swords at them. Whaam! The frontal sh between the two groups stormed the deck with the winding from the des. The Light Wind squad was using the Large Light Wind formation, and the pirates also used arge-scale formation to face them. Although it looked like the Light Wind squad was running into the jaw of the beast called the South-North Union, the swordsmen shattered the fangs of the beast instead, pushing the pirates back. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t even be considered human! Don¡¯t show them any mercy!¡± Burren severed the pirates¡¯ weaknesses by creating an aura de imbued with the energy of wind. ¡°Oxygen is wasted on you!¡± Martha shattered the pirates¡¯ formation by striking with a tremendous amount of energy concentrated on her de. The way she wasn¡¯t sparing her power looked like she was trying to sink the entire ship. ¡°Move away.¡± Runaan spread frost to slow down the pirates¡¯ movement before beheading the pirate at the front of the formation without hesitation. ¡°U-Ugh¡­¡± ¡°What the hell is wrong with them?¡± ¡°Why are they so strong despite their young age?!¡± Even though the pirates were around twice asrge in number, they were helpless in front of the Light Wind¡¯s aggression. Raon smiled while watching the frown on Tyler¡¯s face. ¡°We¡¯ve practiced, since we expected to fight on a ship. There will be no idents.¡± While pointing his sword at Tyler, Raon activated the mana circuits throughout his body. ¡°Actually, there might be one. The situation should change if you manage to defeat me. However¡­¡± Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to advance. He struck down with Heavenly Drive, engulfing it with the energying from the footwork of extreme swiftness. ¡°That¡¯s simply impossible.¡± ¡°You arrogant bastard!¡± Tyler roared, swinging his spear. The blue energy surrounding the spearhead was burning up in streams. ng! The thunderous noise sounded like the ship was splitting in half. The wind made of astral energy soared into the sky at the same time. Cring! Raon grinned while looking at Tyler, who was shing his spear against Heavenly Drive. ¡°Let¡¯s move away, since my boys won¡¯t be able to have fun if we fight here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to get out of here.¡± Raon twisted Heavenly Drive and kicked Tyler. Since he was using all of his physical abilities, Tyler destroyed the deck as he was sent flying towards the Rable River. ¡°Kuuh!¡± Even though Tyler was confused, he still managed to spin in the air in a circle. He dissipated all of the kic energy andnded softly on the river. ¡°I can trust you, right?¡± Raon was looking at the Light Wind squad instead of Tyler, who was grinding his teeth. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Mind your own business.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Raon smiled at Burren, Martha, and Runaan¡¯s responses before jumping down from the ship. Ssh. Even though he had jumped down from a high position, Raon didn¡¯t sink beneath the water, nor did the water scatter at all. Tyler scowled even harder upon witnessing that sight. ¡°Are you trying to fight me on the river despite knowing what I¡¯m called by the people?¡± Tyler twirled his spear. The blue energy wavering in his spear thrashed along with the river. ¡°You must be praying for your death!¡± He swung down his spear, and the violent astral energy created a wave rushing towards Raon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon snickered while looking at the wave that wasrge enough to swallow the ship. ¡°Because I¡¯ve been nning to defeat you on your home turf from the beginning!¡± He gathered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, unleashing the Star Connecting Sword. The wave of astral energy was mercilessly shredded to pieces by the de, severing it like starlight. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Tyler¡¯spletely irritated eyes could be seen between the severed red and blue astral energies. ¡®He¡¯s not going all-out right now.¡¯ Tyler was saving his strength in preparation to fight Rimmer. It was meaningless to defeat him when he was saving his strength. ¡°Stop being stupid. Fight me properly.¡± Raon snorted, bobbing his finger. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Tyler sighed heavily while covering his eyes with his hand. His shoulders trembled as he giggled, before he lowered his hand. His face was twisted like a fiend. He looked a lot better like that, probably because that was his real face, unlike when he was making that cringey face. ¡°Alright. I shouldn¡¯t care about Zieghart¡¯s Light Sword or whatever. I shall finish you off first.¡± He extended his left foot far to the front, wielding his spear in one hand as if he were holding a sword. ¡°I¡¯ll grant your wish and tear your head off!¡± Tyler disappeared from Raon¡¯s vision before his words could even reach his ears. Raon predicted his movement by using the remaining wave on the floor. ¡°Right side!¡± Raon turned his ankle to change direction. Tyler looked like he¡¯d teleported when he suddenly appeared and thrust his spear. Astral energy was emerging from the deadly de of his spear in a spiral. Whaap! Raon lowered his posture in order to keep himself from getting pushed back, igniting the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He defeated the spearhead¡¯s rotation with his heated de. ang! The collision between the tip of the de and the tip of the spearhead distorted the astral energy. A deep crater was created on the surface of the river before the water gushed back out to make the masses of river water fall back down like a rain shower. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Raon caught his breath by resonating the Rings of Fire. ¡®It¡¯s manageable.¡¯ Tyler¡¯s prowess was superior to his own, but he managed to defend without gaining any internal injuries thanks to the Blue and Red Ring and his perfect defense. ¡°I¡¯m only getting started!¡± Tyler red at him and swung his spear. The wave emerging from under his feet was even bigger than the previous one. Whaam! He advanced by stepping on the wave, then thrust his spear. The astral energy incorporating the principles of the Coiling Power was sshing on the spearhead, charging like lightning. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon felt like the energy wave gushing out from the spear was tearing apart his flesh. The spear attack was so powerful that it was enough to give him goosebumps. Whaap! Raon pulled his shoulders back, drawing Heavenly Drive back. He increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output to the maximum, then thrust his de, which was burning with crimson mes. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Dragon Art. The heat busting from the tip of the de turned into a dragon¡¯s head and breathed out fire that seemed capable of burning the entire world. Baaam! The sh between the blue wave and red dragon created a huge explosion. The intensepetition between water and fire covered the entire river with white steam. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon quickly caught his breath. The frontal sh was making his stomach feel nauseous. It was a sign of an internal injury, which was inevitable because he was using his physical abilities to make up for his lower level of martial arts. ¡®But it¡¯s still manageable.¡¯ As he was preparing to fight again, he could feel the coldness appearing behind his back. However, that wasn¡¯t the real one. Thud! Raon unleashed the Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to his left. ang! The me rotated in a spiral above his de, deflecting the spearhead thrust towards him diagonally. The perfect mixture between power and deception was an excellent attack, befitting a warrior who had almost reached the intermediate level of Master¡ªbut it didn¡¯t work against Raon, who had already figured out the Gambling Monster¡¯s tricks. ¡°Are you sure you are doing your best right now?¡± Raon smiled while meeting Tyler¡¯s eyes, which could be seen through the rising steam. ¡°I told you to attack with everything you have.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll finish you off right away!¡± Tyler dipped the spear shaft in the water before jumping into the air. He stepped on the wave that surged along with the spear shaft as he thrust his spear. Rumble! The astral energy on his spear wasn¡¯t the only one rotating. The spear itself was rotating in Tyler¡¯s hand. The intense rotation was causing the spear to buzz in Raon¡¯s ears. It was his first time witnessing a martial art containing so much Coiling Power. Whir! Raon kicked the ground while carefully watching the rotation created by Tyler. Cring! He looked like he was riding on the river as he withdrew by freezing the surface. ¡°You aren¡¯t running anywhere!¡± ¡°Running?¡± Raon¡¯s lips curved up into a smile as he brought Heavenly Drive forward with both hands. ¡°Such a thing isn¡¯t in my dictionary.¡± The moment the spear shaft reached in front of him while creating a storm, Raon instantly focused his aura on Heavenly Drive. A round sphere formed on top of the snow white de, generating a powerful spark. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Second Form, Heavenly Heavy Cannon. The concentrated energy of the heavy sword was making Tyler¡¯s spearhead even faster. The moment Tyler lost his bnce, Raon detonated the Heavenly Heavy Cannon. Boom! The explosion of astral energy that incorporated an extreme amount of rotation and heaviness caused the wave and aura to mix into a huge waterspout, surging into the air. Thud! Raon kicked the water. He looked like he was pushing back the surface as he rode the wave with River Footwork to charge towards Tyler. ¡°You insolent bastard!¡± Tyler must¡¯ve thought the same thing, as he attacked with his spear while trampling on the wave. The Coiling Power was as big as a human¡¯s body as it rotated in a spiral. Rumble! Raon smiled coldly, fixing his grip on the sword. He struck Tyler¡¯s neck with his astral energy of raging fire, which was capable of incinerating the wave. ang! * * * ¡°Hmm.¡± Rimmer lightly kicked the ground to board the warship. The deck was crammed with the pirate corpses. A few pirates that seemed to be the executives were still resisting, but it didn¡¯t take long for them to be turned into corpses by Burren, Martha, and Runaan¡¯s des. Eventually, the Light Wind squad were the only ones standing on the deck. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°We won!¡± ¡°This is Zieghart¡¯s power!¡± ¡°The South-North Union is no match for us!¡± The Light Wind squad burst into cheers while pointing their swords at the sky. Many of them were injured, but no one had any serious injuries. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call it a perfect victory. ¡®I can¡¯t see Flumen anywhere.¡¯ Although he couldn¡¯t find Flumen, who used to be on the deck, he didn¡¯t try to look for him since he guessed he would be talking to the Blue Lughs who had regained their sanity. ¡°Come here, everyone.¡± Rimmer pointed at the surging waterspout by sucking in all the river water. Raon and Tyler were shing with their sword and spear in there. ¡°That fight is as important as thebat experience. Watch it carefully without even blinking your eyes.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Even though it was difficult to see them, recognizing the flow was going to be helpful for them. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Rimmer frowned while feeling the energies emerging from the waterspout. ¡®So, Raon¡¯s losing after all.¡¯ It was natural that Raon was falling behind, as there was a huge difference between them in terms of time spent polishing their martial arts. Raon was holding out with his monstrous physical abilities and stamina, but it seemed difficult. ¡®They are taking apletely different approach to fight on the river.¡¯ Tyler was crushing the river to dominate it, and Raon was riding the wave as if he were getting along with it. Tyler was currently overwhelming him because of his higher level, but Raon could reach higher over time because he was following the flow of nature. ¡®He¡¯s really amazing.¡¯ Rimmer chuckled, rotating his shoulder. He focused on the fight while preparing himself to join whenever he needed to. However, the fight didn¡¯t end easily. Even though Raon was losing in the frontal sh, he kept following up to swing his sword. ¡°Huh?¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes as he saw Raon deflect Tyler¡¯s spear. The loud sound of the sh had reached his location, but he wasn¡¯t surprised because of that. ¡®What is that¡­?¡¯ The rotation and astral energy in Tyler¡¯s spear was only getting stronger over time, but Raon was deflecting and parrying the spear more easily than in the beginning. Even though Raon was only at the beginning level of Master, he was starting to gain the upper hand against Tyler, who was almost at the intermediate level. ¡®Wait! No way¡­¡¯ Rimmer turned around to look at Burren. He remembered what happened in the past. It was the first time that Raon had shocked him. ¡°He¡¯s doing it again!¡± * * * * * * Raon¡¯s Heavenly Drive rose, incorporated with the principles of the Fangs of Insanity, towards the spear being thrust at his heart. ang! Heavenly Drive was pushed back significantly more than the spear, creating an opening around his waist. ¡°Die!¡± Tyler swung his spear shaft towards that location. The fact that it wasn¡¯t a ded weapon wasn¡¯t a reason to underestimate it. Since the astral energy was also rotating around the spear shaft, Raon¡¯s body was going to be ripped into half if he allowed Tyler tond the hit. Thud! Raon used the River Footwork to escape the spear shaft¡¯s trajectory. Tyler looked like he¡¯d predicted his move, as he quickly followed with his spear shaft, but Raon bent his body backward to dodge. The spear shaft brushed past his chest, scattering his ripped uniform into the air. ¡°You mean rat!¡± Tyler shot the astral spear by holding the center of the shaft. It rotated in a spiral, just like the waterspout surrounding them. Even though the principle of Coiling Power was powerful enough to crush steel upon contact, Raon simply watched it until the end. ¡®Rotating to the right.¡¯ He analyzed the direction of the astral energy¡¯s rotation on the spearhead, then swirled the astral energy on Heavenly Drive in the opposite direction. Crack! Along with a vibration that felt like the entire river was being split apart, Raon and Tyler were thrown out from the waterspout. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Tyler started to dash towards him once again as soon as his feet reached the river, an expression of disbelief on his face. He held his spear around his waist with two hands before thrusting it. Raon¡¯s lips trembled from the tremendous speed and power. ¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯ Raon raised his eyes while enduring the nausea. He knew he was fully capable of blocking it as long he watched it properly. ¡®To the left, this time.¡¯ As soon as he saw that the rotation was in the opposite direction from before, he controlled cier. He bent his knees to gather the energy from his ankles, exploding it at the tip of the de. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. First Form, Frost Pond. The first strike shed against the spearhead, and the frost wave spreading out afterwards joined the river water to deflect Tyler¡¯s astral energy. Whaaam! Raon and Tyler were pushed back at once, and the ice pir surged between them as a result of Frost Pond. m! Tyler struck the pir with his spear shaft to destroy it, advancing forward. Not only his eyes, but also his face had also turnedpletely red, as if they were about to explode. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon leisurely shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m asking how you managed to stop my spear! How could you do that, when I¡¯m better than you in terms of both aura and martial arts?!¡± Tyler¡¯s hands holding the spear were trembling. He looked like he couldn¡¯t understand how it was happening. ¡°Because I¡¯ve done it before.¡± Raon fixed the grip on his sword and chuckled. ¡®I did it to teach a lesson to an arrogant brat.¡¯ He thought about Burren when he used to be arrogant the moment he saw Tyler¡¯s Coiling Power. ¡®If I can¡¯t overpower the rotation, I can just cancel it out instead.¡¯ He applied the Void Tiger Fist¡¯s principles that he got from Burren to create a rotation in the opposite direction from Tyler¡¯s to neutralize his strike. It was a bit difficult because his Coiling Power was rather unique, but he¡¯d already finished analyzing it because the fight had continued for a while. There was nothing he could do about the internal injuries he¡¯d received, but he was finally capable of fighting equally. ¡°Nonsense! That can¡¯t be true!¡± Tyler strained his left foot, which was extended to the front. The intense rotation of his spear started to spread a sound simr to the buzzing of a swarm of bees in all directions. Whir! Raon felt like his body was being pulled into the tremendous rotation of Tyler¡¯s spear. Cring! He stomped the ground to drive his feet into the river, rotating the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation in the opposite direction to resist it. Rumble! The spear¡¯s assault sounded like thunder. Raon focused his aura to his lower body in order to avoid falling down, then shed with me Spirit. Whaap! The flower petals covered his entire vision to revolve in curved lines, sweeping over the astral energy of Tyler¡¯s spear. Whoosh! The blue spearhead pierced through the space where the astral energies were violently fighting against each other. The surprise attack would¡¯ve been difficult to predict, but Raon¡¯s senses had already predicted the attack. He pulled his right foot back to turn his body, increasing the output of cier¡¯s coldness to the maximum at the same time. Raon imbued the Coiling Power of extreme swiftness in his de while hearing the freezing sound of the river. Cring! The de and the spearhead surrounded by astral energies visibly curved to the point that they looked like they would break before getting bounced back. Rumble! Both Raon and Tyler were pushed back, unable to withstand the energies on their weapons. Their path left a white crevice on the river, which made it look like the river was separated in two. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Tyler turned his head while wiping off the water covering his face. His eyes were glowing murderously. ¡°You¡¯ve erased the rotation in my spear¡­¡± ¡°You realized it sote.¡± Raon smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°Talent. What a crazy talent you have.¡± ¡°You tter me.¡± ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever wanted to kill someone so much.¡± Tyler started spinning his spear with his fingers. The spear shaft rotated like a pinwheel, but it became gradually faster, and the rotation eventually became so fast that it couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye. Whir! The river water kept rising as the spear¡¯s rotation elerated, and it eventually became high enough to reach the sky. ¡°That smile is thest one you¡¯ll have in your life.¡± Tyler kicked the ground while grasping the spear that had created an extensive rotation. The wave created behind him moved at the same time, covering Raon¡¯s entire vision with his astral energy. Celestial Spear of Flooding Ocean. It was Tyler¡¯s ultimate technique, one that was rumored to be capable of eradicating his enemy by using all of the water of the Rable River. Raon bit his lip. ¡®I need to watch properly.¡¯ Although it was extremely powerful, the principle itself remained simr. The problem was the fact that the rotation kept changing over and over. ¡®The solution is simple.¡¯ He ignited the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation on the Heavenly Drive in his right hand, then imbued cier on the de of Requiem in his left hand. He applied rotations with different directions to the astral energies on the two des before he walked forward. Crack! He crossed his two swords when the Celestial Spear of Flooding Ocean was right in front of him. The perfectbination between Frost Pond and me Spirit nullified the Coiling Power in the spear, and the wave of astral energy was split into a cross shape. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon could see Tyler¡¯s eyes getting distorted between the shredded waves. The injury appearing on his chest had the same shape as the cut in the wave, and blood gushed out violently from it. ¡°H-How could this be¡­?¡± Tyler¡¯s chin was trembling as he grasped theceration on his chest. His expression was filled with disbelief over the fact that his best technique had been defeated. ¡°You showed me too much of your abilities.¡± Raon supported Heavenly Drive on his shoulder and returned the de of Requiem to its scabbard. ¡°That¡¯s how I would¡¯ve looked if you fought me with everything you had from the beginning instead of saving your power until now.¡± Tyler kept trying to save his power as he used his spear techniques because he¡¯d been aware of Rimmer. Since Raon could easily analyze his martial arts through the Ring of Fire, the oue was only natural. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this fight.¡± Raon pointed Heavenly Drive at Tyler¡¯s neck. ¡°Th-This can¡¯t be.¡± Tyler screamed and charged at him. Even though he was enraged, his spearmanship was still sharp and powerful. It was an excellent martial art,parable to any Six King¡¯s sessor despite being a pirate. ¡®It¡¯s meaningless, though.¡¯ Raon easily deflected the blow by applying a reverse rotation to Heavenly Drive. ng! Tyler¡¯s arm holding the spear looked like it would break as it trembled violently. ¡°Shit!¡± Tyler gritted his teeth and attacked consecutively, but Raon deflected all of them and unleashed the Fangs of Insanity. Whoosh! The waveing from the Fangs of Insanity snapped the tip of the spear, shing Tyler¡¯s waist. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Because the cut was even deeper than theceration on his chest, red blood started to flow down from his waist. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Tyler exhaled roughly while grasping his spear shaft that had been shortened. Even though he still had a significant amount of physical strength and aura left, he looked like his mind had reached its limit. ¡°I told you it¡¯s over.¡± Even though Raon¡¯s muscles were extremely damaged, his bones were at their limits, and he had to keep swallowing the blood gushing up from his internal injuries, he kept smiling without showing his pain. ¡°Haaaap!¡± Tyler stepped back and created a wave. It was the biggest wave so far, which seemed even capable of affecting the people behind Raon. ¡°The same thing again.¡± Raon stomped the ground. The extreme coldness surging from the middle of his foot froze the wave that was soaring to the sky in an instant. It was the maximized power of Watery Blossom. Rumble! The frozen water lost its momentum and crumbled on the spot. However, Tyler couldn¡¯t be seen there, even though he should¡¯ve been behind it. ¡®No way!¡¯ Raon turned his head to the left. He could see Tyler advancing through the wave. He was running towards a small fishing ship that came to a halt because of the raging wave. ¡°That crazy bastard!¡± Raon kicked the water. He alternated between River Footwork and Supreme Harmony Steps to run as fast as he could. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he would stoop so low.¡¯ He didn¡¯t expect him to run away from his opponent to take hostages during a life-or-death battle. He was one of the worst people he¡¯d ever met. ¡®Damn it! I¡¯ll bet¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t catch up to Tyler because of histe start. He racked his brain to think of a solution, but there was nothing he could do. Whir! As Raon was chasing him with everything he had, the fishing ship and the people on board disappeared like a fog. He felt their presence on his right side, where Flumen¡¯s hand was poking out from the surface of the water. ¡®Was that his doing?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure what he¡¯d done, but considering he¡¯d sensed the movement of water mana, Flumen must¡¯ve hidden the ship and the people. ¡°A mere monster dares to disturb me until the end!¡± Tyler also realized that it was Flumen¡¯s doing, grinding his teeth. ¡°Good job! Run away no¡­¡± Raon was shouting at him to run, but Flumen was immobilized while his eyelids quivered. It looked like he had exhausted his power. ¡°What an idiot!¡± Tyler used the wave to change his direction in an instant, catching Flumen, who was about to sink underwater. Heughed, grabbing Flumen by his neck as he turned around. ¡°Oh no? You ended up like this when you tried to disturb me.¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s okay.¡± Flumen smiled faintly, even though he couldn¡¯t speak properly because Tyler was grabbing him by his neck. ¡°I-I knew you would do this. Because you are a shameless person.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± ¡°Please kill Tyler. It¡¯s okay if you kill me at the same time¡­¡± He smiled. He looked like he was fully prepared to face his death. ¡°Lots of people and my tribe members have died because of me. I¡¯m okay, so please cut me down with him.¡± ¡°Flumen¡­¡± Raon frowned. He must¡¯ve been aware of the fact that making the ship disappear would leave him unable to move. He was asking him to cut him down without the slightest hint of hesitation. ¡°Wh-What kind of bullshit are you spouting?!¡± Tyler violently shook his head as Raon grasped the hilt. ¡°Isn¡¯t he your friend? Are you nning to kill your friend that¡¯s been taken hostage?¡± He gritted his teeth because he couldn¡¯t miss the hard-won opportunity that he managed to get. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Frostfire Sword of Valor? How can a valiant man kill his friend in order to y his opponent?¡± Tyler forcefully curved his lips into a smile. ¡°Drop your sword if you want to save this monster! Right now!¡± ¡°Flumen.¡± Raon stared at Flumen instead of dropping his sword. His face looked like he didn¡¯t care about his life anymore. His round eyes were filled with guilt and pain. ¡°I-I¡¯vemitted too many sins. I-I¡¯m really okay with dying because I finally got a friend. Please just ki¡­ Kuh!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Tyler smacked Flumen¡¯s mouth to stop him from talking any further. ¡°Drop your sword! I¡¯m telling you to drop it!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you not dropping it? I know you would do that. Valor! It¡¯s such an empty word! Even though I¡¯m also referred to as a knight, I never believed in chivalry!¡± He grinned as if that was something to boast about. ¡°The fact that you aren¡¯t dropping your sword means that you are the exact same as me. And it¡¯s only natural! No one puts others above themselves. Something like chivalry doesn¡¯t exist in this world.¡± ¡°That might be the case.¡± Raon nodded, then returned Heavenly Drive to its scabbard. He had never tried to be a valiant man. He¡¯d only been walking his path, the one he believed in, and the one his heart desired¡ªjust like Sylvia had told him. ¡°I don¡¯t know about those virtues. I don¡¯t even know if they exist. I¡¯m simply walking my own path.¡± He threw Heavenly Drive into the river along with its scabbard as he said that. Ssh. Tyler made his move even before that sound could finish. He was thrusting his spear at the fastest speed so far, with as much power as he could muster. ¡°What an idiot!¡± Even though his spear was incorporating all of his remaining power, he was still hugging Flumen in preparation for Raon¡¯s counterattack. He was really annoying, but his movement was so predictable. Red lightning sparkled in Raon¡¯s eyes. Cring! cier¡¯s energy, which he had set up inside the scabbard, started to rotate and jump out of the water by itself. Swaa! By the time thepletely drenched scabbard reached Raon¡¯s hand, Tyler¡¯s spearhead was right under his nose. Raon could feel the sharp astral spear tear his flesh apart. Whir! The Ring of Fire resounded to the extreme. Inside the slowed-down world, Raon could totally feel his blood and aura flowing with his heartbeat. He divided the instant into smaller moments, extending his left foot and holding the hilt with his right hand. Feeling the cold sensation that seemed to awaken his mind, he briefly inhaled. The principles of sound sword and illusion sword were spread out everywhere in discord, as they couldn¡¯t find their ces. However, as they found thest piece¡ªrotation¡ªthunder roared inside his head. Feeling the supreme thrill running down his spine, Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive. All of the martial arts he¡¯d learned so far turned into an auspicious light to strike his enemy. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Third Form, Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream. The crimson de erased the sound from the world. Chapter 246 Tyler didn¡¯t stop even though he saw Raon holding the sword. ¡®I knew he would do that.¡¯ There was no way such a rational guy was going to allow himself to be killed. He was holding his sword instead of the dagger that Tyler was anticipating, but he was fully prepared for it. No rotation. Unlike before, he didn¡¯t apply any rotation to his spear and astral energy, instead charging at Raon¡¯s heart using only strength and speed. It was a strike of nothingness, without any technique whatsoever. ¡®And I also have this guy.¡¯ He covered his upper body with the Blue Lugh to use the fact that Raon was being affected by his friendship to narrow down the space he could swing his sword to the extreme. His perfect attack was prepared for all scenarios. Raon unsheathed his sword right before the spear reached his heart. The crimson de emerged without the slightest sound, soaring diagonally from his waist. It looked like he was targeting Tyler¡¯s right arm, which was holding the spear. Tyler grinned. ¡®Too slow!¡¯ Even though that was an excellent proficiency he had for the sword draw, he was far too slow because the time frame was too short. Tyler was confident that he could pierce through Raon¡¯s heart before the sword could stop the spear. ¡®Die and me your own foolishness!¡¯ He bit his lip tightly and finished thrusting the spear. However, even though Raon was right in front of him, the spear was unable to prate and didn¡¯t move from the air. It was as if it had been stopped by something. ¡®M-My senses¡­¡¯ Strength left his hand and legs. It felt like he couldn¡¯t control his body anymore. For some reason, the senses throughout his body were extremely weakened. ¡®Is it because of my wounds? No.¡¯ There was no way such a thing was happening because of a few cuts. Raon must¡¯ve done something while drawing his sword. Tyler gritted his teeth so hard they felt like they could break. ¡®I¡¯m not sure what he did¡­ But I¡¯m faster!¡¯ Even though his five senses were weakened, his spear was going to reach its target faster than Raon¡¯s sword. Moreover, he was covering his body with the Blue Lugh. There was no way he would lose. He continued to attack. He was about to smile upon feeling the spear piercing into his skin. ¡®It¡¯s ov¡­huh?¡¯ He could feel a slight pain from his left arm, which was holding the Blue Lugh. ¡®Wh-What?¡¯ He turned his head. It was almost scary how neatly his left arm was cut off. It was floating in the air, and the Blue Lugh he used to be holding was falling into the river. ¡®...What is happening?¡¯ It felt so surreal that he felt like he was in a dream. He couldn¡¯t understand a single thing about the situation¡ªwhy his arm was cut off even though he had the initiative, and why his left arm was cut off even though Raon was targeting his right arm. Screech! His senses returned along with a zing tinnitus that echoed in his ears. A tremendous amount of pain was covering his body. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Tyler¡¯s chin trembled violently as he screamed his throat raw. ¡°What? Whaat?!¡± He couldn¡¯t think straight due to the intense pain. He stopped the bleeding of his left arm, which waspletely cut off, and scrambled backward like crazy. ¡°What have you done to me?!¡± * * * ¡°Are you okay?¡± Raon ignored Tyler¡¯s horrible shriek and extended his hand towards Flumen, who fell into the water. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Flumen hung his head as he took his hand. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I think he became careless because he took you hostage. I managed to cut his arm off thanks to you.¡± He pointed at Tyler, who was ring at him with distorted eyes, as he was still unable to understand the situation. ¡°Since you saved these people and even weakened Tyler, you did everything you could.¡± Raon swirled Heavenly Drive around before returning it to its scabbard. ¡°I¡¯ll finish him off now.¡± He smiled faintly at him before walking ahead. Tyler swallowed nervously, stepping backwards. ¡°What the hell are you? What the hell?!¡± ¡°The one who¡¯s about to kill you.¡± Raon pushed his chest forward and bent his knees. He was in a ssic posture of a sword draw as he kicked the surface of the river. Cring! The blue water filling his vision brushed past him like starlight, and he could see Tyler¡¯s distorted face like a fiend. ¡°You demon! Please die already!¡± Tyler thrust the spear that he was holding around his waist. He used the Celestial Spear of Flooding Ocean for the second time. However, blood gushed from his left arm¡ªwhich he¡¯d stopped the bleeding on¡ªagain because he used all of his remaining aura. Swaaa! Raon stomped the water, drawing Heavenly Drive towards the wave of astral energy storming towards him. The silver deing out from the scabbard contained the principles of Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream. The moment Heavenly depletely came out of the scabbard, an inaudible sound spread out to minimize Tyler¡¯s senses. Since Tyler also realized that fact, he could only bite his lip. Raon incorporated extreme swiftness into his sword and thrust it towards his heart. Tyler noticed the direction, changing the trajectory of his spear. ¡®I got him.¡¯ However, that was a deception created from the illusion sword. The real strike wasing up vertically from below. ¡°Kuh!¡± Tyler quickly rotated his spear in order to avoid taking damage from the same technique twice, but Heavenly Drive had already reached its destination. Crack! Tyler¡¯s right hand nted diagonally, splitting from his body along with the spear in his hand. A dangerous amount of blood gushed out from both arms. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The shriek he made as soon as his senses returned to him sounded like hundreds of birds chirping at the same time. ¡°U-Ugh!¡± Tyler knelt on the river and started to howl. He apparently didn¡¯t even have the strength left to run away. Since he couldn¡¯t regain hisposure because of the pain, he started to sink into the water. Pssh! Raon froze the ground to prevent him from drowning. An easy death would¡¯ve been too merciful for him. ¡°I heard that the pain of losing parents and siblings was simr to that of having your limbs ripped apart.¡± Raon raised his chin after shaking off the blood from Heavenly Drive. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯ve been doing so far.¡± Actually, it was still far from being enough. Tyler killed the innocent Blue Lughs, robbed them of their treasure, and took children as hostages to make their parents murder for him. Killing him then reviving him just to kill him one more time wasn¡¯t enough punishment for his sins. ¡°The broken hearts you¡¯ve created.¡± Raon fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive and walked up to Tyler. ¡°People say that parents feel the pain of their intestines being cut out when they lose their children.¡± Raon pointed at Tyler¡¯s abdomen with Heavenly Drive. ¡°W-Wait!¡± Tyler shook his head with a trembling chin. ¡°I-I¡¯m the disciple of the South-North Union¡¯s boss! The South-North Union won¡¯t stay still if you kill me! Do you believe you can handle them?!¡± His shout sounded like hisst desperate struggle. ¡°I believe I already told you that I don¡¯t care about them.¡± ¡°Y-You would be fine because you can simply return to Zieghart, but what about the people behind you? The pirates will send them to the watery grave as soon as you leave!¡± ¡°Your worries are unnecessary. Doran Vige will belong to Zieghart starting from today.¡± ¡°Kuhuhu! Do you even have the right to decide that? There¡¯s no way Zieghart would ept them when they will be in a war against the South-North Union!¡± Tyler grinned, saying that it was impossible. ¡°Think wisely. This is thest opportunity you have. If you leave me alive¡­ Kuh!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Raon interrupted Tyler, stabbing his sword into Tyler¡¯s stomach. ¡°Kuuh¡­¡± ¡°The head of house isn¡¯t afraid of anyone.¡± The Glenn Zieghart he¡¯d seen so far was the type of person who would erase the entire group of anyone who picked a fight with him. There was no way he would fear the mere name ¡®South-North Union¡¯. ¡°However, if by any chance the Zieghart happens to give up on protecting Doran Vige, I will dere thisnd and this river as my own domain.¡± ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll protect thisnd under Raon Zieghart¡¯s name, rather than Zieghart.¡± Raon twisted the de of Heavenly Drive to cause Tyler extreme pain. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Raon pulled out the sword while listening to his scream. ¡°That is my valor.¡± ¡°W-Wait, I still have more to tell¡­Kuh!¡± Heavenly Drive¡¯s de brushed past the sunlight reflected on the river, and Tyler¡¯s head sunk under the river. His wide eyes looked like he was still unable to believe his own death as his head disappeared into the darkness. ¡°Kuh. Kuuh¡­¡± Raon turned around upon hearing the suppressed groan that sounded like it was being squeezed out from the throat. Flumen was shedding tears with trembling hands. It looked like his pent up emotions were exploding because of the time he¡¯d spent with Tyler and the suffering he had to experience because of him ovepping in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s all over.¡± Raon walked up to Flumen and held his trembling shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Are you saying that Raon is going to sh against the South-North Union?¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes while resting his chin on his hand on the throne. ¡°Yes. Whether the change in the Blue Lugh tribe is artificial or natural, the South-North Union is trying to take over the entire Gazel River.¡± Roenn continued while looking at the report that the Shadow Agents had created. ¡°Since they must be nning to take over Yuin Vige on top of Doran Vige, they are bound to sh against the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°Rimmer will take care of them.¡± Glenn closed his eyes, showing his disinterest. ¡°Do you really think so? With Sir Rimmer¡¯s current state?¡± Roenn frowned, telling him to stop saying such nonsense. ¡°Ugh.¡± Glenn grunted painfully and slowly opened his eyes. ¡°How long is that damn bastard nning to stay that way¡­?¡± He sighed and shook his head. ¡°Anyway, young master Raon is currently leading the Light Wind squad, and since his opponent is Tyler Sayton, I¡¯m expecting a frontal sh between them.¡± Roenn licked his lips after taking a nce at the report. ¡°ording to the report, Tyler isn¡¯t actually a hero¡ªhe¡¯s a fake. A big fight will most likely ur between them, and they will try to kill each other.¡± ¡°That sounds about right.¡± ¡°The South-North Union is different from the White Blood Religion that doesn¡¯t fear death. Tyler is going to beg for his life by using the fact that he¡¯s the disciple of the South-North Union¡¯s boss. How do you think Young Master Raon will react when that happens?¡± ¡°He will obviously y him.¡± Glenn immediately responded, as if there was nothing to think about. ¡°He¡¯s my grandson and is inheriting my will. There¡¯s no way he would be afraid of such lowly fame.¡± Heughed coldly, saying that it was obvious. ¡°What are you going to do if Young Master Raon is defeated by Tyler and returns with a serious injury?¡± ¡°I shall punish him for being weak. And¡­¡± Glenn clenched his fist with the hand that was grabbing the throne. ¡°Isn¡¯t the location for the South-North Union¡¯s main base already known?¡± ¡°What? Ah, yes.¡± Roenn nodded. Unlike Eden and the White Blood Religion¡¯s main bases, which were hidden in the dark, the location for the South-North Union¡¯s main base was roughly known already. ¡°I¡¯ll erase the South-North Union.¡± The pressure emerging from Glenn was powerful enough to crush the entire world to prove that he was serious about it. ¡°I knew my lord cherishes the young master the most, after all¡­¡± ¡°Ahem! It¡¯s not because of R-Raon or the other kids. I¡¯m just paying them back for having underestimated Zieghart!¡± Glenn shook his head inplete denial. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Roenn¡¯s lips twisted slightly as he tried to suppress hisughter. ¡°Then what did you mean earlier when you called Sir Raon your grandson who is inheriting your will?¡± ¡°Wh-When did I say that?¡± ¡°You said that. You said that there was no way your grandson would ever do that because he is inheriting your will.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± A faint smile appeared on Roenn¡¯s face as he watched the blushing Glenn. ¡®Young master, please return quickly. Your grandfather is eagerly waiting for you while only thinking about you.¡¯ * * * Rimmer chuckled while watching Tyler¡¯s corpse sink beneath the river. ¡°It¡¯s all over.¡± All of the Blue Lughs had been rescued, the evil deeds of the South-North Union¡¯s pirates had been revealed, and the death of thest remaining pirate¡ªTyler¡ªput an end to the incident. It was a perfect victory, without any casualties and only light injuries. ¡®The Blue Lughs will recover soon enough.¡¯ Once the Water God Stone was returned to the Blue Lughs, the Gazel River would return to the original color, and they would be able to return to their previous lifestyle. ¡®They will need some time to forget the sadness, though.¡¯ Obviously, that was only the materialistic and physical aspects. The psychological aspect would need a lot more time to recover from. Rimmer watched the Blue Lughs shedding tears from Tyler¡¯s death for a while before turning his head. Raon was holding Flumen¡¯s shoulder tofort him as he fell on his knees, crying loudly. ¡®He said he would dere it as his domain.¡¯ Raon said that he would dere Doran Vige as his own domain if Zieghart refused to protect it. That magnificent spirit and will was making Rimmer unconsciously clench his fist, his hair standing on end all over his body. ¡®He¡¯s simr.¡¯ Raon and Glenn¡¯s personalities were extremely simr, as if he were trying to prove that he was his grandson. Actually, Raon tended to brute force things a bit more in a more detailedparison. Rimmer smiled brightly. ¡®He¡¯s too good to remain in a squad or a division.¡¯ Raon¡¯s personality and talent were closer to bing the head of house than anyone else he¡¯d seen in Zieghart so far. Once he gained more experience, he could be expected to reach the sky by riding the Light Wind. ¡°Squad leader.¡± Burren walked up to him as he watched Raon¡¯s return. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Can we also reach his level one day?¡± That question wasn¡¯t unique to Burren. Martha, Runaan, and everyone in the Light Wind squad were staring at him. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you honestly, since you already know that I don¡¯t like ttery. You can reach it one day. However¡­¡± Rimmer smiled while nodding his head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t try to catch up to Raon. You should let him go ahead and learn while watching his back as you walk your own path.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°You are already growing rtively fast even among the Six Kings. One of the reasons for that is because you¡¯ve umted various experiences from following Raon. If you climb step by step, you shall be able to reach even higher than his current level.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Although it was just an honest answer that wasn¡¯t intended to give them hope, the expressions of every Light Wind member turned bright upon hearing him. That hope was created by none other than Raon himself. It was a bit funny to admit, but Raon was truly a born leader. ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Martha frowned slightly, and Runaan simply blinked, but Rimmer left them alone since they always did that. Rimmer smiled softly while watching the Light Wind swordsmen, who were looking at Raon. ¡®It will be even more interesting in the future. Mytter years aren¡¯t going to be boring.¡¯ * * * Ssh! Wet footsteps could be heard as Raon and Flumen boarded the ship. ¡°The fight here is also over.¡± Raon chuckled while looking at the deck, where not a single pirate remained. ¡°You are the one who finished toote.¡± Rimmer shrugged with his arms crossed. He¡¯s right. Wrath emerged from the bracelet with a frown on his face, despite having been silent. Why did you take so much time when you could¡¯ve killed him faster and more easily? He yawned, telling him that it was boring to watch such a low level fight. ¡°I wanted to test my new technique.¡± Raon smiled faintly and tapped his sword. ¡®And I had another reason.¡¯ Another reason? ¡®Yes. Because I get better rewards if the fight is more difficult.¡¯ He would¡¯ve been able to defeat Tyler faster and more easily, just like Wrath said, if he was fully focused on winning. However, he managed to create a new swordsmanship afterpletely destroying all of the martial arts Tyler had learned instead of simply defeating him. The rewards that he was going to receive were bound to be a lot bigger. A-Are you telling me you took your time to increase the rewards from the system? ¡®I didn¡¯t take my time. I made the fight more difficult.¡¯ You sneaky bastard! Do you think the stats areing from nowhere? They are the King of Essence¡¯s belongings! ¡®I know.¡¯ Since Raon was obviously aware of it, he simply nodded. You are truly evil. You are the real fiend in this story! ¡®That might be true.¡¯ Kuaah! I want to kill you! I really want to kill you! Raon kept responding like a sly fox, and Wrath ended up screaming while shivering violently. ¡°Raon.¡± As Raon was making fun of Wrath, Rimmer came up to him and extended his hand. ¡°You should give it to me now.¡± ¡°Give what?¡± ¡°You are supposed to give me the gold coins.¡± ¡°I already gave them to you, though.¡± ¡°Huh? When?¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve gotten the gold coins and jewels when you were stealing the Water God Stone.¡± Raon tilted his head while pointing under the deck. ¡°H-How did you know that¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped. He even forgot that he should¡¯ve been trying to lie to Raon. ¡°It¡¯s obvious, since they are pirates.¡± ¡°No, but that¡¯s an exception. You promised that you would personally give me money!¡± ¡°I simply said gold coins.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Drool was flowing from Rimmer¡¯s dropped jaw. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon really said ¡®gold coins¡¯ back then. He never mentioned that he would personally give them to him. ¡°Y-You are a devil!¡± You fiend! One elf and one demon king were screaming in despair over the same person. ¡°Well, since our job is over, let¡¯s wrap it up. To begin with, we should destroy this ship¡­¡± Raon was about tomand the swordsmen while ignoring the two of them when the loud sound of a ship resounded from the north. Vrrr! A huge and majestic ck ship has appeared, plowing through the rough waves of the Rable River. ¡°Why is that ship here¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened upon noticing the ck ship. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°The Misfortune.¡± Raon could hear him swallow nervously. ¡°It¡¯s the second warship of South-North Union, the Misfortune.¡± Chapter 247 The ck ship cut through the rough waves, where the traces of the battle still remained, as if its front was a huge de. Raon examined the huge warship that he couldn¡¯t even see in its entirety and exhaled briefly. ¡®The Misfortune¡­¡¯ Even though he had never seen it before, he had heard its name. The Grandmaster Roman was famous as one of the strongest members of the South-North Union, and the warship was his gship. It was known to have never been defeated, and people often called it invincible. ¡®There were rumors that he¡¯s crazy for martial arts.¡¯ Roman was famous for his prowess, but he was also famous for how crazy he was for martial arts. Even the reason he¡¯d joined the South-North Union was rumored to be because of a contract to spar with the South-North Union¡¯s leader. ¡°T-The Misfortune?¡± ¡°Why is the Misfortune all the way out here?¡± ¡°I-Is it here because of Tyler? What should we do¡­?¡± The Doran vigers on the White Spear watched the pitch-ck Misfortune with trembling eyes. ¡°Sh-Shouldn¡¯t we be running away right now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already toote. They will catch up to us before we manage to escape!¡± ¡°They will immediately sink the ship if we start moving.¡± The vige chief softly bit his lower lip. ¡®He¡¯s right about that.¡¯ Raon nodded in agreement with the vige chief. He could see countless gray cannons from the front and sides of the Misfortune. The cannonballs imbued with war magic would turn the entire river into a zing inferno the moment they made the slightest movement. ¡°Haa.¡± Rimmer exhaled briefly and turned around. The usual carefree smile on his face looked like he¡¯d been nervous in the first ce. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Why is a South-North Union¡¯s shiping this way?¡± ¡°Who is boarding that¡­?¡± ¡°S-Squad leader.¡± The hands of the Light Wind swordsmen were trembling as they held their swords, terrified by the powerful energy wave from the Misfortune. ¡°I have no idea why they areing. However, I know who¡¯s boarding.¡± Rimmer licked his lips while leaning his back towards the handrail. ¡°Roman Reycal. He¡¯s one of the closest vassals of the South-North Union¡¯s leader, and a monster at the Grandmaster¡¯s level.¡± ¡°R-Roman Reycal!¡± ¡°The Axe King, Roman¡­¡± ¡°But he¡¯s still just a pirate!¡± Burren seemed to recognize Roman as he swallowed nervously, while Martha fearlessly showed her fighting spirit. ¡°Hmm.¡± Since Runaan obviously didn¡¯t know about Roman¡¯s name, she was staring nkly at the approaching ship. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Flumen was shivering even more violently than the vigers. It looked like he was instinctively trembling in fear over the Misfortune¡¯s pressure. ¡°Well, don¡¯t be so nervous.¡± Rimmer casually waved his hand. ¡°We should be able to return without much trouble.¡± He smiled while saying that nothing special was going to happen, then turned back around. Rumble! Although the Misfortune had reached right in front of the White Spear, its speed wasn¡¯t decreasing at all. It looked like it was trying to ram into it to destroy it. After watching the Misfortune filling his entire vision, Raon closed his eyes. He circted his aura to inspect his body. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ His body was injured, with damaged muscles and internal injuries, but it wasn¡¯t as serious as after fighting with Eden. Since he¡¯d been continuously rotating the Ring of Fire to heal his body and aura, he was more than capable of fighting. ¡®I could y a Master.¡¯ He obviously couldn¡¯t win against Roman, but he was confident he could win against someone at Tyler¡¯s level. He figured that they could win if he quickly defeated the others while Rimmer fended off Roman, then joined him and fought together. Raon imagined how the battle against the Misfortune would go in his head before opening his eyes. As predicted, the Misfortune still didn¡¯t stop. It was ramming into the White Spear as if it were trying to split it in half. Whir! Raon stepped back to create an aura barrier to protect the vigers and Flumen on the deck. aam! The Misfortune crushed the White Spear¡¯s side with its bow. The huge mass only came to a stop after destroying half of the deck. Thud! He could hear somebody kicking the ground from the Misfortune. It was a middle-aged man with white hair. He stopped for a moment in the air to examine the entirety of the White Spear underneath him before slowly descending on the deck. With dull, white hair kept back, he was wearing a long jacket in pitch-ck color. The powerful pressure wriggling on the dragon head shaped axe that he was holding felt like it could sever the entire world. Despite the strong wind, his hair and jacket weren¡¯t being swayed in the slightest. That meant that both his insides and outsides were perfectly tempered as a warrior. Raon softly clenched his back teeth. ¡®That man is the Axe King, Roman Reycal.¡¯ His energy wave was embracing the entire Rable River, and the only thing he¡¯d done so far was make his appearance. Raon could understand why people called him the Axe King. Thud. The atmosphere changed once again the moment his feet reached the deck. The powerful pressure pouring out from him couldn¡¯t be simply described as heavy, as everyone facing him felt like they were being suffocated. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Wh-What is this¡­?¡± ¡°Huff!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen grasped their chests, unable to breathe because of the energy wave spreading out from Roman. Whoosh! The wind blew towards them as they were about to start drooling from their mouths. The refreshing green wind, different from the river wind, swept away Roman¡¯s energy wave. ¡°You still like to harass children.¡± Rimmer chuckled while tilting his chin to the side. ¡°They are simply weak.¡± Roman raised his head without even looking at the Light Wind squad. They apparently knew each other, since they started to speak without even introducing themselves. ¡°Where is the owner of this ship, and why are you here instead of him? Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light.¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± Rimmer announced Tyler¡¯s death as if he just went out to y. ¡°Did you kill him?¡± Roman wasn¡¯t surprised. His unchanging expression implied that he¡¯d been expecting it from the beginning. ¡°No, our vice-squad leader slew him in a single strike.¡± Roman¡¯s gaze turned towards Raon for the first time upon hearing that. Whir! Raon chewed inside his cheek. ¡®Powerful.¡¯ The hair all over his body stood on end upon facing those eyes that were as dark as the abyss. The pressure weighing on his shoulders intensified, and his heart felt like it was getting crushed. ¡®However¡­¡¯ He¡¯d already withstood more powerful pressures twice in the past. Glenn and Wrath. Since he had already ovee the energy wavesing from those two monsters, Roman¡¯s pressure was nothing inparison. Raon straightened his back and looked straight into Roman¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hmm.¡± Roman¡¯s dark eyes started to glow. They were reflecting his surprise over Raon, who managed to withstand his energy wave. ¡°Who are yo¡­¡± ¡°Wow! It¡¯s been a while.¡± A second person jumped down from the Misfortune. He was a man wearing a grizzly bear leather jacket. The yellow bandana wrapped around his forehead was fluttering in the wind, and he had a cool smile on his face. Thud. He somersaulted in the air,nding lightly on the deck. He had a carefree atmosphere around him, unlike Roman. ¡°Raon Zieghart, right?¡± ¡°Raptor.¡± Raptor was one of the party bosses from the South-North Union that he¡¯d met during his first mission after killing the bandit leader and the snake user. ¡®He didn¡¯t change at all.¡¯ Even though a long time had passed, his appearance was the same. Even his outfit was simr to the one he wore in the past. The only difference was that the tiger skin was reced by a bear skin. ¡°Kuh! I knew it would be you. Your aura was overflowing even though I was too far away to watch!¡± Raptor nodded as he eximed. ¡°Raon Zieghart? Is he the Frostfire Sword of Valor?¡± Roman narrowed his eyes while looking at him. ¡®Does he know me?¡¯ Raon was surprised that a warrior of his caliber was aware of his name. The nickname Frostfire Sword of Valor must¡¯ve been spread more widely than he¡¯d thought. ¡°He is! He¡¯s the Frostfire Sword of Valor! I¡¯m really d I gave you my blessings.¡± Raptor grinned while nodding his head. ¡°Blessings?¡± ¡°Yes. I told him that I hoped to hear his name from the Terukan mountains and Rable River.¡± He gave Raon a thumbs up while looking at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you before, but that¡¯s a pretty good blessing. It¡¯s one of the few nice words that the South-North Union says to others.¡± ¡°Should I be thanking you?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to go that far. I only did it because I wanted to.¡± Raptor shrugged his shoulders. He seemed to have be more carefree as he¡¯d gotten stronger. ¡°What brought you here?¡± ¡°I managed to tempt my big bros into going to the vige downstream because I heard something interesting happened there. But what was happening here was even more interesting.¡± He grinned while pointing at the White Spear. ¡®So he didn¡¯t know what happened here before he came.¡¯ Roman and Raptor apparently just happened to pass by Rable River and came to them after noticing the trouble on the White Spear. ¡°We¡¯ve also met each other before, haven¡¯t we?¡± Raptor licked his lips while looking at Rimmer. ¡°It was a nice decision to run away back then. I didn¡¯t know you were the Sword of Light.¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Rimmer nodded at Raptor. ¡°So, did this ship¡¯s owner die?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rather troublesome¡­¡± Raptor tilted his head before snapping his fingers. Rumble! As soon as that sound spread out, arge number of bandits and pirates jumped down from the Misfortune. Every single one of them were powerful warriors at the Expert level, capable of controlling their pressures. ¡°Why did you kill him?¡± Roman¡¯s serious gaze turned towards them. The fact that he was asking that question implied that he had the intention of talking it out. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell them about it.¡± As Rimmer was about to respond, Raon stepped forward. Since he was the most involved in the incident, he felt like he needed to tell them personally. ¡°This incident was a result of Tyler¡¯s greed¡­¡± * * * * * * Raptor licked his lips, while watching Raon tell the story of the incident that happened on the Gazel River. ¡®That idiot hasn¡¯t changed.¡¯ Tyler had always been obsessed with small gains instead of looking at the big picture. The reason he lost to the fifth disciple despite being the fourth disciple of the leader was because he didn¡¯t realize his own shorings. Raptor thought that Tyler had finally learned his lesson when he heard he was bringing multiple rivers and viges into submission, but he ended up dying to Zieghart¡¯s rising star after causing brainless problems. He could onlyugh because it was a death befitting an idiot like him. ¡®Good riddance.¡¯ Even though Tyler was a sessor candidate, there was pretty much no chance at all that he would be the next leader of the Union. Since he wasn¡¯t in his faction, and he would only bring harm to the union, Raptor was actually d that Tyler ended up dying so quickly. ¡®Although, he shall be enraged¡­¡¯ Tyler¡¯s grandfather was a senator that contributed the most to making him into the leader¡¯s disciple. He would be enraged upon hearing the news, but it was none of Raptor¡¯s business. ¡®Rather than that¡­¡¯ Raptor smiled after examining Raon¡¯s body as he calmly exined the situation. ¡®He grew up nicely.¡¯ His prowess was already surpassing his age back then, and the level he¡¯d attained now was iparable to before. An eighteen-year-old Master. Moreover, he was powerful enough to y Tyler, who was almost at the intermediate level, which was almost difficult to believe. ¡®I made the correct decision by not killing him back then.¡¯ The threat from Rimmer from the top of a tree was one of the reasons, but the reason he even gave him the blessing of South-North Union was because he was curious about how far the genius would go. Of course, he hadn¡¯t even begun to imagine that he would grow up so splendidly. ¡®And he has more than that excellent might.¡¯ The way he was calmly telling the tale despite the powerful pressure spreading from Roman revealed how mature his mind was. He almost looked like a warrior that had gone through countless battles. ¡®I¡¯m a bit jealous. I should¡¯ve taken him with me at all costs back then.¡¯ The might of the leader and the number of powerhouses was important for an armed organization, but the talent of the rising star was almost as important. Raon Zieghart had be a Master at the age of eighteen to y two executives of Eden. Now that he had even managed to defeat Tyler, his fame was bound to soar to reach the sky. ¡®Well, that¡¯s only going to happen if he manages to survive here.¡¯ Considering Roman¡¯s personality, Raptor guessed that he would try to erase all of the Ziegharts in front of his eyes regardless of Tyler¡¯s sins. Raptor smiled while leaning his back against the handrail. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going to happen.¡± * * * ¡°¡­That¡¯s how I ended up beheading Tyler.¡± Raon told Roman and the pirates what had happened up to their arrival. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Did he give up on being human?¡± ¡°I thought it was strange that I kept hearing good things about him.¡± Even the warriors from the South-North Warriors frowned, disgusted by Tyler¡¯s fiendish behavior by toying with the lives of an entire tribe. ¡°So what?¡± However, Roman¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. His apathetic attitude almost felt like he already knew what happened. ¡°Which part of your story justifies the killing of a sessor?¡± He turned his jaw, telling him that it wasn¡¯t a good enough reason. ¡°He targeted Zieghart¡¯s domain, he attacked the Blue Lughs¡ªwho were living peacefully¡ªby taking their children as hostages and forcing them to attack people, and he even tried to kill me to keep it a secret as soon as he was caught red-handed. Shall I continue, since there are many more reasons?¡± Raon raised his fingers one by one to tell him the reasons. Huh? But you attacked him first. ¡®Shut up.¡¯ All of the witnesses were dead anyway. The important part was creating a believable reason and justification for his action. ¡°Those are nothing special.¡± Roman shook his head, implying that it was meaningless for him to continue. He looked like he was even looking down on Zieghart¡¯s name, but it matched him because of his powerful pressure. ¡°So you had no intention of listening from the beginning.¡± He must¡¯ve had no intention of letting them go from the moment he¡¯d reached the area. ¡°A sessor of the South-North Union has died. I don¡¯t care about the reason. The South-North Union¡¯s rules state that blood shall be repaid with blood.¡± ¡°Wow, are you sure you don¡¯t need to unclog your ears?¡± Rimmer stepped forward while picking his ears. ¡°Your sessor attacked first, and fucking died from a counterattack. Are you incapable of understanding that?¡± ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light. Do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°Can you even do it?¡± ¡°Stop bluffing. The rumor about your energy center breaking and rendering you disabled has spread all the way to the Rable River.¡± ¡°Then, shall we make a bet?¡± ¡°Bet?¡± ¡°Since you told me about the South-North Union¡¯s rule, I¡¯ll tell you about a legend on the Rable River.¡± He grinned and pointed at the fluctuating waves. ¡°You must know about the legend that states that three strikes of the Rable River¡¯s waves can turn any kind of boat upside down. Don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fend off three hits from you, just like the legend. You can do whatever you want with us if you manage to defeat me. However, if I manage to withstand the three hits, then you will withdraw.¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips curved into a smile to provoke Roman. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering? No way, are you too afraid that you can¡¯t defeat me in three strikes, even though my energy center is broken?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve definitely gotten better at taunting.¡± Roman slowly closed his eyes before opening them again and stretching out his shoulders. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll yield to your provocation.¡± He raised the red axe that was crushing the ground. The mere wielding of a weapon made his heaviness increase exponentially. Rumble! Roman¡¯s energy wave was weighing down on the entire deck, as if he were the only person existing in that space. ¡°Squad leader¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t try to interfere in a fight between adults.¡± Rimmer shook his hand towards Raon when he tried to approach him. ¡°Watch me properly from behind.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You should trust me sometimes.¡± He smiled cheerfully like always before standing in front of Roman. ¡°You guys should also step back.¡± Raptor also made the pirates and bandits withdraw, since they¡¯de over to the White Spear. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± Roman held his favorite weapon, the Red Dragon Axe, with two hands and raised it above his head. The wind stopped blowing on the river, and the clouds in the sky were crushed in half. It felt like the energy from all over the world was gathering towards him. ¡°I won¡¯t even need three strikes. I¡¯ll finish you off in a single strike.¡± ¡°That will prove difficult.¡± Rimmer raised his sword around his waist. Green light gathered to dapple his white de. ¡°Because I haven¡¯t just been ying around either.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Roman stomped the ground, striking down his axe. The pitch-ck astral energy was zing on the red axe. Swaa! It felt like the sky was copsing as the tremendous amount of energy poured down, straight onto Rimmer. Even though Rimmer was facing the powerful axe strike that was even distorting the space, he didn¡¯t step back. He pointed his de at the sky and pointed his hand towards the river. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± His sedate voice resounded in all directions to change the flow of the world. ¡°Eye of the Storm.¡± A green storm soared towards the copsing sky. Chapter 248 Raon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®The Sword Field Creation¡­¡¯ A windless area has been created, just like when Rimmer killed the previous Blood Raving Demon. The Axe King Roman¡¯s pressure and the astral energy on his axe were swept away into the outskirts of the windless area. The wind was erased, and the flow of air disappeared. The crushing pressure made it feel like gravity had doubled. Whir! Inside the circr area where everything seemed to have stopped, Rimmer¡¯s sword was covered with a dark green wind. The dignified resonanceing from his de awakened Raon¡¯s mind. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the wind covering Rimmer¡¯s sword. ¡®It¡¯s different.¡¯ Even though it was simr to the Eye of the Storm that he¡¯d witnessed before, it had a different degree ofpletion. The windless area was more than twice asrge, and the wind covering the de was so condensed that it was pretty much part of the de itself. The pressure he felt and the power of the wind storming from his de were both iparable to before. Whir! As expected of a warrior who was called the Axe King by the people, he didn¡¯t panic despite witnessing the perfected Sword Field Creation. He curved his mouth into a smile under the heavy pressure and scattering aura, only to unleash an even more powerful blow. Rimmer didn¡¯t try to dodge either. His smile showed his intention to take it head on as he stretched the de of wind that he pulled out from his energy center. It looked like he could even sever the sky. Crack! The space distorted for an instant as the ckish-red de of the axe and the dark green de of the sword shed against each other. Yellow spark covered the entire deck, and the calm surface of the river surged up by itself to rain down from the clear sky. Rumble! The wave created by the two monsters spread out in a spiral, the violently wavering ship looking like it could split in half at any moment. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Kuuh!¡± ¡°D-Damn it¡­¡± ¡°They are such monsters!¡± The Light Wind members groaned,ying on the ground. Raon wanted to help them, but he couldn¡¯t afford to do so. That was because the vigers and Flumen would explode into pieces the moment he moved away from his position. Raon licked his lips and focused on watching them. ¡®This is also an opportunity.¡¯ How would Roman respond to the sword field? How was Rimmer focusing the wind covering his de? Watching the frontal sh between those two was already a great learning experience. Raon resonated the Ring of Fire to ensure that he remembered the flow of the fight. Cring! The des of the axe and the sword deflected each other, and the powerful energy gathering at the center exploded at once. Baam! A tremendous explosion and roar spread out to the entire river. Sounds of destruction kept following it endlessly. However, the deck where Rimmer and Roman were standing didn''t copse, despite all of that. That was because the two monsters were maintaining the bnce of power in order to prevent the ship from getting destroyed. Thud! As soon as their weapons parted from each other, both Rimmer and Roman took a step back. Their steps were as heavy as a mountain as they withdrew. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± Roman furrowed his brows while supporting his axe on his shoulder. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to use that method.¡± ¡°One¡¯s gotta do anything to live.¡± Rimmer turned his head while swirling his sword. His gaze wasposed. He looked fully confident that he could take him on as much as he wanted. ¡®Is he okay?¡¯ Rimmer looked more cheerful than usual, but Raon couldn¡¯t tell if he was just holding it in or he was really fine. ¡°I felt your power. I thought you were pretty much disabled, but you are making this fun for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m indeed disabled. I¡¯m leading a nasty life in various ways.¡± Rimmer chuckled and shook his hand. ¡°I haven¡¯t been so excited in a long time.¡± Roman took the axe from his shoulder with both his hands and dragged it down. His posture looked like a modified version of a swordsman holding down their sword as he raised his head. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste our time. Next up is the Great Mountain Crusher.¡± Probably because it was a match, Roman told him the name of the technique he was about to use. ¡°Bring it on.¡± Rimmer fixed the grip on his sword, raising it on top of his head. It was a posture for a downward sh. Their postures and trajectories were the opposite of what they were in the first sh. ¡°Come this way.¡± Raon gestured with his chin for the Light Wind swordsmen toe towards him, as they were barely retaining their consciousness. ¡°It¡¯s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You should watch them properly.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I-I know!¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan managed to respond, but the other swordsmen crawled up to him and barely managed to nod. ¡°Do you even get enlightened while watching a fight like this?¡± Raptor came up next to them and grinned. ¡°Rather than an enlightenment, I¡¯m trying to find what I can learn from them.¡± ¡°Wow! Amazing. There was a reason you managed to reach that level at your young age!¡± He gave a light round of apuse before moving away. His personality was simr to Rimmer¡¯s, yet different in some ways. Raon couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking, just like during their first encounter. Rumble! Raon turned his head upon hearing the sound of aura getting distorted. The astral energy raging around Roman¡¯s axe gathered in one spot, condensing into a ckish-red sphere. ¡®Astral sphere¡­¡¯ The astral sphere was a symbolic technique of Grandmasters, which consisted of condensing astral energy with the principles of martial arts to multiply its power and duration several times over. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer briefly caught his breath. The Sword Field Creation¡¯s range expanded even wider than in the beginning, despite having been narrowed down after the first sh. Cring! The power of the astral sphere covering Roman¡¯s axe was decreased, while the green wind covering Rimmer¡¯s sword shone even more majestically. Just like thest time, Roman didn¡¯t seem to care about his decreased output as he smiled a toothy smile, shing his axe upward. Even though the trajectory was simple, an unimaginable number of principles of martial arts were weaved inside like a spiderweb. Rimmer smiled in return as he struck down with his sword. The extremely polished de of wind condensed even further to reflect a fearsome amount of sharpness. The extreme sharpness waspletely filled with the sole intention of shing. Craack! The sh between the falling sword and rising axe opened the sky covered in thunderclouds and split the river apart. Thepetition of two monsters¡¯ power spread its aftershock to the surroundings, and an energy wave powerful enough to tear the skin poured onto Raon. He controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme in order to prevent harm from befalling the people behind him. Whir! On the other side, Raptor was also canceling out the aftershock in order to avoid damage to the pirates. Creak! Rimmer¡¯s de of wind poured down on the round astral sphere covering Roman¡¯s axe. The distorted astral sphere looked like it could explode at any moment, and the de of wind was shaking violently, as if it were going to shatter. Baaam! Rimmer and Roman¡¯s energies intertwined with each other in a spiral and exploded with an earsplitting roar. The remnants of the two energies fell on the river like a meteor shower during the night, creating violent explosions. Thud! Roman took three steps back while Rimmer took four steps back. Those heavy steps created ck footprints on the deck. It was a disy of their superhuman control of their powers. ¡°Marvelous, Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light.¡± Roman smiled deeply as he smashed the axe into the floor. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m back to the past!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Rimmer chuckled, warming up his neck and shoulder. His peaceful expression was making it difficult to believe that he had caused that terrifying sh a moment ago. ¡°You can continue, right?¡± ¡°Did you forget how to count? Why are you asking, when that was the second strike?¡± ¡°Of course you can! You look like the real Sword of Light now!¡± Roman nodded fiercely in satisfaction. It looked like the side of him that was crazy for martial arts wasing out from behind his heavy personality. ¡°However, if you don¡¯t have more than what you showed me just now, you won¡¯t have any future.¡± ¡°Stop talking and start it already. I¡¯m getting bored already.¡± Rimmer gathered four fingers to crook them at him, urging him to attack. ¡°Even your personality must¡¯ve returned to the past alongside your might. Alright.¡± Roman leaped backwards. He held his axe vertically to the side and red at Rimmer. Rumble! A tremendous amount of energy gathered around the axe once again. The volume of the astral sphere expanded twice as much as before, then started to rotate. It was an extremely advanced martial art, including principles to create an astral sphere and even control it on top. ¡®What the¡­?¡¯ It was a crazy level of martial arts, but Rimmer¡¯s eyes werepletely rxed, as if he were drinking in broad daylight while he swirled his sword. ¡°Thest strike will be the Revolving Void Axe Strike.¡± Roman thrust his axe at the same time as he said that. The astral spheres rose in front of the de, spreading out to the sides to emanate a tremendous amount of energy. It looked exactly like a cannon. The pitch-ck aura wave was advancing forward just like the Heavenly Heavy Cannon. Whaaam! Even though Roman¡¯s attack was powerful enough to erase not only Rimmer but also the people behind him, that was not the end of it. He instantly appeared in front of Rimmer, pushing his thrusting axe ahead. It was a marvelous strike thatbined a direct attack with the wave of the astral sphere. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Who gave you permission?¡± The moment Rimmer snickered, crimson lightning sparkled on top of his de, bursting out with dark green wind. Spark! Lighting energy surged from his de. It was the type of aura that possessed the highest power among the applications of the wind attribute. ¡°Lightning energy? How can you use the lightning energy?!¡± ¡°I became capable of using it after I got hit by it so many times.¡± Rimmer bit his lower lip and stomped the ground. He thrust his sword, enveloped in abination of lighting energy and wind, towards the Revolving Void Axe Strike that was covering his vision in ck. Cring! The auras of two different attributes condensed at the tip of the de, creating a light sphere that was spreading an auspicious light. Wind and Lightning¡¯s Harmonized sh of Light. The sphere created from a harmony between wind and lightning energy turned into an auspicious light, sweeping away the wave of darkness. Rumble! Roman¡¯s Revolving Void Axe Strike that seemed capable of severing the entire river was blocked by the sh of the Wind and Lightning¡¯s Harmonized sh of Light, and the destructive sound of a huge tidal wave striking thend spread out in all directions. The energies of light and darkness kept engaging with each other endlessly while spinning in concentric circles. They were devouring each other¡¯s energy as they spread around a heavy and sharp energy wave. Rumble!! Thepetition between the two colossal energies erased the rain clouds covering the sky, and the blue sky was revealed. The way sunlight was shining down brightly under the furiously exploding energies could only be described as entric. Boom! Rimmer and Roman¡¯s energies intertwined with each other to be condensed even further, and eventually exploded upon exceeding the limit. White light burst from the space between the sword and axe to erase everything. * * * * * * Raon opened his eyes, frowning. The way all of the clouds were gone looked like the sky had opened up, and the wavering river only had half of its previous depth. Whir! Rimmer and Roman were still standing in the same spot, and they both looked perfectly fine¡ªas if a fight had never urred between them. ¡°Third strike.¡± Rimmer was the first one to speak. ¡°I fended it off.¡± His faint smile seemed to say that it wasn¡¯t a big deal as he lowered his sword. ¡°I admit it.¡± Roman nodded, stabbing the ground with his axe. ¡°You managed to defend against all three of my strikes. I lost the bet.¡± He admitted his defeat so easily. ¡°Thank you for admitting it so quickly.¡± ¡°And I apologize for underestimating you.¡± Roman turned his chin slightly as he continued. ¡°I insulted you by calling you a disabled person, but your prowess reminded me of your prime. You amazed me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still far from getting ther¡­¡± ¡°The Sword Field Creation is normally a blood line type technique that only Zieghart¡¯s descendants are capable of using. It¡¯s impossible for you to use because you are a vassal and an elf.¡± Rimmer shut his mouth because of Roman¡¯s suddenment. ¡°You¡¯ve created your sword field by using your extreme wind affinity.¡± ¡°You understood so much when you only saw it once.¡± ¡°I also saw that you sacrificed a lot for that.¡± He raised his chin while caressing his axe. ¡°Spending aura, willpower and stamina is a given. And it also chips away at your lifespan because you stimted the mana circuits instead of your energy center.¡± Roman narrowed his eyes while examining Rimmer from top to bottom. ¡°Although you looked as powerful as before, the stability and endurance are the worst. I¡¯m sure you are in so much pain that you could copse at any time.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Rimmer swirled his sword and brandished to the front. ¡°I can fight all day long.¡± ¡°You are bluffing.¡± Roman shook his head. ¡°Bluffing or not, you should disappear already since you admitted your defeat. I want to take a nap.¡± Rimmer waved his hand, urging him to go away. ¡°Is there any reason for me to do that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I admit that you are unexpectedly powerful, but the situation indicates that we are at an advantage in every aspect.¡± ¡°What are you¡­?¡± ¡°Your underlings have been weakened from the previous battle. As long as Raptor stops Raon Zieghart, we can kill everyone in less than a minute. Is there any reason for me to leave without doing anything when this is the perfect chance to bury you and Zieghart¡¯s future prospects?¡± Roman looked at him coldly. It looked like he had already finished his calctions. ¡°Are you telling me that you aren¡¯t going to keep your promise?¡± Rimmer frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot since thest time I saw you.¡± ¡°People change, just like the flowing river.¡± Roman smiled, showing that he wasn¡¯t ashamed of himself in the slightest. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I wasn¡¯t nning to do this from the beginning. However, I can¡¯t stop myself anymore after seeing that your me of life can be extinguished at any moment. I want to fight you to death before you meet your end.¡± He raised his axe and pointed at Rimmer. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will use all of your remaining lifespan to increase your power if your underlings start to die.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± ¡°Raptor!¡± Roman called on Raptor to ask him to move. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so annoying¡­¡± Raptor licked his lips. It looked like he was contemting what to do. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light. Show me everything you have if you want to save even one person among them.¡± ¡°You will end up losing your life if that happens.¡± ¡°Death is always wee for a warrior.¡± ¡°You nasty, martial arts lunatic!¡± Animosity started to fill Rimmer¡¯s green eyes. The murderous intent suffocating the atmosphere was as fearsome as the death god¡¯s advent. Whir! The lightning energy and wind burst out like a me from his de. Rimmer¡¯s skin quickly dried up. It looked like he was increasing his output to the extreme by using his lifespan, just like Roman asked him to do. ¡°Ack!¡± Raon frowned and pressed on his temple. ¡®What was that just now¡­?¡¯ The moment he saw Rimmer¡¯s skin drying up, he saw an image along with a headache. The entire deck was filled with blood, the Light Wind squad¡¯s corpses were scattered all around underneath, and Rimmer copsed on the ground, as dry as a mummy. ¡®Was that a dream?¡¯ No, there is no way that would be the case. There was no way he fell asleep in that situation. It might have been a warning for the future,ing from thebat experience he¡¯d umted so far. It was telling him that everyone was going to die at that rate. ¡®I need to stop them.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t let the situation unfold ording to Roman¡¯s n. He needed to take the lead of the situation instead. ¡°Raptor! Move!¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Guys! Start working¡­¡± Raon advanced before Raptor could step up. He held the hilt with his right hand, drawing Heavenly Drive by using the thumb of his left hand at the same time. Cring! cier was spread out. Blue frost melted down on the silver-white de. Dozens of melodies advanced through the atmosphere as if it were sheet music, incorporating the distant sound of falling rain. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Fourth Form, Blue Rain. The moment Heavenly Drive¡¯s de revealed itself to boast its elegant vibration, dozens of bandits behind Raptor copsed at once. Cring! Raon pointed his de at Roman, a cold light flickering on it. ¡°It won¡¯t go ording to your n.¡± A crimson luminance was glowing from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be your opponent.¡± Chapter 249 You can¡¯t even properly analyze your opponent¡¯s abilities¡­ Wrath frowned at his ridiculous behavior. A second de must¡¯ve stabbed your brain. He clicked his tongue, saying that Raon picked a fight against an opponent that was impossible to win against. Raon ignored Wrath¡¯s mockery and tightened his grip on Heavenly Drive. Of course I know that. He was obviously aware of the fact that he couldn¡¯t possibly win against Roman. His action was a gamble. He was throwing a coin, which might allow everyone to survive. Raon exhaled the murky breath filling his lungs, examining Roman. His eyes turned towards him for the first time. ¡®He¡¯s looking at my sword.¡¯ He was looking at cier¡¯s coldness on Heavenly Drive instead of Raon himself, who picked a fight with him. He must¡¯ve been trying to analyze the Blue Rain that defeated all of the warriors from the South North Union a moment ago. ¡®I knew he would do that.¡¯ Considering that his aura was the first thing he was looking at despite the situation, Roman must¡¯ve been as crazy about martial arts as the rumors said he was. His chance of survival became higher than 30%. ¡°Did you make them faint by incorporating aura to the sword resonance?¡± Roman narrowed his eyes while looking at the unconscious pirates, foaming from their mouths. ¡°You affected their nervous system by controlling your aura during the split second when the sound of friction and sword resonance spread out. You could¡¯ve killed them already if you wanted.¡± He analyzed Blue Rain¡¯s function at a nce, then nodded in excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve seen many people attacking with musical instruments before, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone influence the nervous system with sword resonance. It¡¯s creative and effective. However, the method is also extremelyplicated. It must be difficult to imitate.¡± Roman chuckled while caressing the de of his axe. ¡°I feel enlightened. Since you showed me something nice, I¡¯ll brush off what you just said as a mistake. Step back.¡± He smiled in satisfaction and looked away. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a mistake. I¡¯ll be your opponent.¡± Raon firmly shook his head. Thud! Roman mmed the ground with the axe he was holding. Roman was simply straining his eyes, but an incredible amount of pressure weighed down on Raon. ¡°Are you really trying to face me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon resonated the Ring of Fire. He pulled out his soul level that Wrath had allowed to grow to push back Roman¡¯s pressure. ¡°Not bad. You are a lot better than the rumors. However¡­¡± Roman slowly nodded before spreading his pressure. The weight crushing Raon¡¯s body was on a different level from before. ¡°You should know your ce.¡± Probably because he was interrupting his battle against Rimmer, crimson rage was emerging from his eyes. ¡°Someone like you can¡¯t even take one hit from me.¡± Roman raised his axe. An astral sphere appeared in front of the red de of the axe, creating a powerful airflow. ¡°This is myst warning. Step back before I split your head in two.¡± Even though it was a powerful warning, Raon neither withdrew nor lowered his sword. ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer, who¡¯d been watching how the situation would unfold, blocked Raon¡¯s way. ¡°He¡¯s right. He¡¯s not an opponent you can handle yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I can¡¯t win against him ¡®right now¡¯.¡± Raon nodded and smiled faintly. ¡°Right now? Do you believe that you can win against me in the future? Brat, you really don¡¯t know your ce.¡± Roman snorted and lowered his axe. The astral sphere that was gathering towards him dissipated like smoke. It was an expression of hisplete disrespect for Raon. ¡°It looked like you wanted to fight a powerful martial art.¡± Raon faced Roman¡¯s scornful gaze and turned his chin. ¡°Of course. The more powerful the better. It¡¯s even better if they can cut my head off.¡± Roman¡¯s cool smile implied that he was serious about that. Raon could confirm the rumors about the reason he was in the South-North Union being because of the spar against the Union¡¯s leader. He could finish the fight if everything went as he nned. ¡°I¡¯ll show you then. I¡¯ll be stronger than you and visit you with a martial art that can take your life away.¡± Raon¡¯s pressure emerged like a raging me as he said that. The powerful pressure wriggling all around his body didn¡¯t lose to even Roman and Rimmer. ¡°You must be crazy. There¡¯s no point in you visiting me when I¡¯m at death¡¯s door.¡± ¡°Three years.¡± Raon raised his left hand and stretched his fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll visit you in three years to kill you with a martial art that you will be shocked to see.¡± The deckpletely fell silent when he said three years. ¡°Puhahahaha!¡± Rimmer burst out intoughter despite the serious atmosphere. ¡°That¡¯s right. Since it¡¯s Raon we are talking about, three years are more than enough.¡± He nodded, saying that it was plenty of time for him. ¡°The Light Wind squad must be full of lunatics.¡± Roman scowled. A tremendous amount of pressure came out from him as his scowl expressed his disgust. ¡°Are you looking down on Grandmaster because you became a Master at a young age?¡± The wavering ck aura raging on the axe looked like it would explode at any moment. ¡°The age of bing a Master is unrted to reaching the Grandmaster level. If you never get the enlightenment you need, you won¡¯t be able to reach that level for the rest of your life. It¡¯s pointless to talk about a level that you won¡¯t ever be able to reac¡­¡± ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Raon smiled coldly. ¡°You said that you wanted to die from a powerful martial art, yet you are afraid of what I will be in three years?¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve gone insane¡­.¡± ¡°Three years is more than enough time toe up with a martial art that you will be satisfied with and cut off your head.¡± ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s admit that it can possibly happen. Why should I let all of you go?¡± Roman showed his teeth and smiled. The ferocious smile made him look like a beast. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be even stronger in order to take revenge if I killed everyone here except for you?¡± He raised his axe in a threatening manner, creating an astral sphere with condensed aura. ¡°Humans tend to be stronger when they crave revenge. If what you say is true, then I¡¯d be better off killing everything except you.¡± Roman raised his chin as if he had figured out all of Raon¡¯s ns. ¡°You are gravely mistaken about one part.¡± Raon rolled up the corners of his lips while watching the astral sphere waver in front of the axe. ¡°You are also going to die if we fight here.¡± ¡°What madness are you spoutin¡­¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve realized that our squad leader can fight you equally. While our squad leader fends you off, I¡¯ll defeat Raptor alongside the Light Wind members and join forces with him. You won¡¯t be able to survive that.¡± ¡°Do you truly believe that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Many of us will die. The squad leader might die, and all of our members might end up dying. However, everyone on your side is also going to die, and I¡¯ll make sure to cut off your head with the simplest sword swing I know instead of your beloved martial art.¡± Because Raon sounded like he was merely stating the truth, Roman and Raptor¡¯s expressions turned stiff. ¡°Raptor. What do you think about what he said?¡± Roman asked the question without even looking at Raptor. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s quite usible.¡± Raptor slowly nodded. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You must not be aware of it, big brother, but the reason why Raon Zieghart¡¯s name is spread throughout the continent is because he¡¯s always ying someone more powerful than him as he grows. He¡¯s even defeated a Master-level apostle in the past, despite being an Expert himself.¡± He continued with a faint smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m currently at a higher level than Raon, but considering how unscathed he is after defeating Tyler and the sword resonance technique he showed us before, he must be hiding another decisive move. If the Light Wind squad joined forces with him, it¡¯spletely possible for me to lose.¡± Raptor nonchntly dered that he might lose to them. ¡°Tsk.¡± Roman briefly clicked his tongue. He seemed to agree with Raptor. ¡°What a shitty way to beg for your lif¡­¡± ¡°You must be mistaken. I¡¯m not begging for my life, nor making a request. I¡¯m simply making a suggestion.¡± Raon clenched his fist. Request meant reaching out his hand while kneeling down, while a suggestion meant reaching out his hand in an equal standing. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to depreciate himself to a lower standing. ¡°I¡¯m giving you a choice. You can die miserably here from abined attack, or die in three years by a martial art that surpasses you.¡± ¡°Kuk! Kuhahahaha!¡± Roman grasped his forehead and started tough like a madman. His crazyughter continued for a while before he lowered his head. ¡°What¡¯s the name of your martial art that you used to create the sword resonance?¡± ¡°Blue Rain.¡± ¡°Blue Rain. Yes. I certainly heard the sound of rain. It was elegant and silent at the same time.¡± He closed his eyes for a moment to remember that sound before opening them again. ¡°I could feel your personality from that martial art. Did you create it by yourself?¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond. ¡°The reason I can¡¯t simply scoff and im that your bluff is a lie is because of that martial art, Blue Rain. I¡¯ve never seen such a mysterious technique from anyone else, so it¡¯s only natural for me to be interested in it.¡± Roman nodded, pulling his axe back. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll ept your ¡®suggestion¡¯.¡± It went ording to his n, but Raon didn¡¯t rx. That was because Roman hadn¡¯t finished talking. ¡°However, if it was a nasty lie in order to escape the situation, you¡¯d better take it back right now. Because I¡¯ll spread the rumor about your promise for a life and death battle in three years to the entire continent as soon as I return.¡± ¡°Unlike you, I don¡¯t lie.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°I swear under Zieghart¡¯s name¡ªno, under the name of Frostfire Sword of Valor, Raon Zieghart. I¡¯ll duel you in three years, at the intersection between Zieghart¡¯s domain and the Rable River.¡± ¡°I like analyzing the sound of my opponent¡¯s heartbeat.¡± Roman chuckled, pounding on the left side of his chest. ¡°Your heartbeat is strangely calm. The fact that you believe from the bottom of your heart that you can win against me in three years is funny, yet it fills me with anticipation at the same time.¡± He turned his gaze towards Rimmer, who was smiling next to Raon. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light. Your life was spared thanks to your subordinate.¡± ¡°Do you still need to unclog your ears? Raon just said that you were the one whose life was spared.¡± Rimmer giggled. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion? Do you really believe that he can surpass me in three years?¡± ¡°No need to say more.¡± He shook his hand, implying that it was too obvious. ¡°He¡¯s my student and my subordinate at the same time. It¡¯s only natural that he will be looking down on you from far above you in three years.¡± ¡°This is my first time witnessing the case of a student surpassing his teacher.¡± Roman chuckled, supporting his axe on his shoulder. ¡°Raon Zieghart, I¡¯ll be looking forward to three years from now. You willplete the Blue Rain by then.¡± He grinned, kicking the deck to jump onto the Misfortune. The pirates climbed down the ropes soon after to take the unconscious warriors with them. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that everything ended nicely.¡± Raptor walked up to Raon and smiled after watching the pirates do their work. ¡°Why did you help us?¡± Raon cautiously stared at Raptor. The matter wouldn¡¯t have ended so easily if he¡¯d said that he wanted to fight to the end. ¡°I figured it would be more interesting.¡± ¡°Interesting?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve gotten curious about what kind of height you will reach in three years.¡± He smiled while saying that he wanted to witness that future. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡®I don¡¯t understand him.¡¯ Unlike Roman, who was crazy for martial arts, Raptor¡¯s mind was difficult to understand. He couldn¡¯t tell at all what he was thinking, nor what his intentions were. ¡°Ah, but you shouldn¡¯t misunderstand. We aren¡¯t overlooking this matter.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t looking for the White Spear. We only happened to meet you on our way to a dungeon.¡± ¡°A dungeon?¡± ¡°We were going to a dungeon after hearing the rumors of a famous magician¡¯s dungeon being discovered in the Norris region. We just dropped by here on the way there.¡± Raptor murmured a few different names. He was apparently confused about the name. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s Lohengreen!¡± ¡°Lohengreen¡­¡± Raon had heard of that name before. That was the name of a person who lived in the same period as Merlin, the Witch of Betrayal. He was a magician whose name was passed down in history because of his excellent talent in astrology and alchemy in addition to magic. ¡°Yes. We happened to see you guys on our way to that magician¡¯s dungeon. Of course, if they learn about everything you told me, no one in the South-North Union will try to attack you¡ªthough, there is one person who is an exception.¡± ¡°One person?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an old monster who is Tyler¡¯s grandfather and a senator of the Union. Actually, the reason Tyler became the leader¡¯s disciple in the first ce was because of his influence.¡± Raptor¡¯s smiling face stiffened. ¡°Since he might make his move, you should be careful.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± ¡°Because it won¡¯t be fun if you die within three years.¡± The carefree smile returned to his face. ¡°Raptor! We are going to leave you behind if you don¡¯te!¡± ¡°Ah, I got it!¡± Because of Roman¡¯s voice calling him from behind, Raptor hurriedly kicked the ground and boarded the Misfortune. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the Union!¡± ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t we going to the dungeon?¡± ¡°I got hyped up.¡± Roman was looking down in Raon¡¯s direction from the Misfortune¡¯s deck. ¡°Since I have a new prey, I shall prepare to bite.¡± He turned around after showing a frightening smile. Vrrr! The Misfortune left with a majestic sound, just like when it first arrived. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer finally removed the Sword Field Creation after the Misfortune disappeared from his vision and sighed. He faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his bnce. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± He shook his hand, telling him it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Are you sure you are okay?¡± ¡°Do you not know me? It¡¯s me. The Sword of Light of Zieghart! Sir Rimmer! I would¡¯ve won against that axe murderer even if a fight broke out!¡± ¡°Well, I suppose.¡± Raon felt relieved because Rimmer¡¯s voice was the same as usual. He smiled at him and returned Heavenly Drive to its scabbard. ¡°Good job.¡± When Raon was about to take care of the Light Wind squad, Rimmer came up to him and ced his hand on his head. ¡°Squad leader?¡± ¡°Everyone would¡¯ve died just like you said if we fought them back then. My response was slow because blood rushed to my head. You¡¯ve saved everyone.¡± He pointed behind him with a smile on his face. The Light Wind squad and the vigers were staring at them. ¡°I¡¯ve done what I must as the vice squad leader.¡± Gratitude and joy seemed to be reflected in everyone¡¯s eyes. Raon felt embarrassed for some reason and lowered his head. ¡°But are you really confident about it?¡± ¡°Confident?¡± ¡°Confident that you will be able to defeat Roman in three years.¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Raon nonchntly nodded. Since he had the giving doormat demon king with him, three years was a long enough time as he probably would reach the Grandmaster level even faster than that. Hmm? Why are my ears tickling? Wrath started picking his ears while wondering what happened. ¡®You are imagining things.¡¯ * * * * * * Raon was looking down while standing upstream on the Gazel River. The Blue Lugh tribe¡¯s chief lifted the Water God Stone and chanted a spell that sounded like a chirping bird. A strange pattern was engraved on the Water God Stone, and the white energy inside started to rotate. ¡°Krr.¡± He nodded towards the others and entered the Gazel River, the other Blue Lughs following him while chanting the same spell as him. Pssh! The pattern engraved on the Water God Stone¡¯s surface started to radiate blue light the moment it touched the river water. The tribe chief kept chanting the spell andpletely submerged the Water God Stone. Whir! The flickering light of the Water God Stone spread out, following the flow of the river. Even though the light came from such a small sphere, it spread throughout the entire river in no time. Whap! The Blue Lugh tribe¡¯s chief and the Blue Lughs said the word ¡®solido¡¯ at the end, and the light radiating from the Water God Stone intensified so much that it was difficult to open the eyes. When Raon frowned because of the dazzling light, he could hear the clear sound of the flowing river, as if he were suddenly enlightened. ¡°Ah!¡± Raon slowly opened his eyes. He could see the river. The river was so clear that it was difficult to believe he was in the same ce as the muddy river he was before. Even the grains of sand covering the ground were clean to the point where he could count them. ¡®It¡¯s exactly what I saw in my previous life.¡¯ Watching the clean river contrasting the dark muddy river from before, some kind of emotion burst from his heart. ¡°I-Is this really the Gazel River?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a clean river before.¡± ¡°It was really the cleanest river in the continent!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen widened their mouths as they watched the Gazel river. They looked like they had never imagined the river could be so clean, even though they heard that it was supposed to be clean. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Haha! This is what the Gazel River should look like! Of course!¡± ¡°It¡¯s back! It¡¯s back!¡± ¡°Haa, finally¡­¡± The vigers¡¯ eyes welled up with tears with smiles around their mouths as they watched the transparent Gazel River. ¡°W-We connected the Water God Stone to the river. It will always stay clean from now on, just like before.¡± Flumen returned after chanting the spell, scratching his cheek. ¡°By the way, Flumen.¡± Raon was looking at Flumen and the Blue Lughs instead of the clean river. ¡°Is that really fine? People learned a lot of things about your race.¡± Even though Roman and the pirates were still unaware of it, many people got to learn about the Water God Stone and the secret of the Blue Lugh tribe. Their decision to keep living in that ce was rather unexpected. ¡°Yeah. I was also worried about it, but the chief said that we should stay here. It¡¯s because¡­¡± Flumen hesitated for a moment before pointing at Raon with his finger. ¡°Of Raon.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah. I told him that you are the chief that protects this ce, and he said that we should stay here because it¡¯s a trustworthy tribe. I also mentioned that you were my¡­ my¡­¡± ¡°My?¡± ¡°My friend, and he said that we should trust you even more.¡± His face turned red in embarrassment as he dropped his head. ¡°I see.¡± Raon smiled faintly and looked at the Blue Lugh chief. He put his hands together and lowered his head. He was apparently trying to copy people¡¯s etiquette that he had observed. Raon bowed at him in return. ¡°Which means you are going to have lots of work in the future.¡± ¡°Huh? Me?¡± ¡°You are the only one who can speak both the Blue Lugh and humannguages. You can be the passage that connects the humans and the Blue Lughs.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Flumen¡¯s eyes turned round. ¡°What you¡¯ve done before can¡¯t be undone, no matter what you do. Some of your tribe members might even resent you for that.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Flumen¡¯s shoulders trembled. Raon was apparently right about that. ¡°But even if that¡¯s the case, you can¡¯t just let the guilty conscience take over your head and live like a sinner for the rest of your life. You should connect the passage so that the Blue Lughs can coexist with humans to lead a better life.¡± ¡°Passage¡­¡± ¡°The Gazel River and the river viges will be affiliated to Zieghart from today on. Since no one is going to attack you, you shouldn¡¯t worry about it. Instead, find a way to make everyone happy.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Flumen answered vigorously for the first time since Raon had met him as he nodded. ¡°Krrgh!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The Blue Lugh chief shouted and Flumen nced at the back. ¡°He¡¯s telling me toe because we need to settle down.¡± ¡°Come to the vige once it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Flumen smiled faintly and dove into the water with the other Blue Lughs. Even though the transparent river water allowed Raon to see below the surface, they quickly disappeared from his vision. It was apparently another bit of sorcery. Raon stared at the area the Blue Lughs disappeared from for a while before turning around. ¡°We should return as well.¡± His smile looked simr to Flumen''s as he walked up to the Light Wind squad. * * * ¡°Squad leader.¡± Raon came up next to Rimmer on their way to the lodgings. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± ¡°I already said I¡¯m okay. You saw how I deflected all of his light axe strikes.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, telling him to stop worrying about it. Raon examined his condition through aura perception, and he couldn¡¯t find any major problem. However, he had a bad feeling about it somehow, even though Rimmer¡¯s expression was the same as usual. ¡°You should take this, at least.¡± Raon took the medicine for internal injuries that the Saint gave him before from Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a medicine for internal injuries.¡± ¡°Is it bitter?¡± ¡°It should be, since it¡¯s medicine.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m not eatin¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and take it!¡± Raon forced the medicine into Rimmer¡¯s mouth as he shook his head, making him swallow it. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t pointlessly wander around. Go home to start cultivating instead.¡± ¡°Kuh, it¡¯s so damn bitter. Do you have any candy?¡± ¡°Please!¡± ¡°Haa, you are really a demon¡­¡± Rimmer frowned and waved his hand. ¡°Good job, everyone. Let¡¯s rest for today and continue tomorro¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wrap it up, so please just go inside and rest.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Rimmer chuckled and entered the lodging first. ¡°Hmm, everyone did a great job today. Since even a small injury can worsen if you ignore it, anyone who¡¯s injured should make sure to treat their wounds before resting.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Since it was an order from the vice squad leader, everyone responded loud and clear. All of them had smiles on their faces because they¡¯dpleted the mission without losing anyone. ¡°You should rest now.¡± He gave the order and turned around after looking at Rimmer¡¯s room for a moment. As he was about to enter his room to treat his internal injuries, Wrath¡¯s mumbling could be heard. Damn it. It¡¯sing soon. It must being. There¡¯s no way it¡¯s not¡­ ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯ Raon tilted his head while looking at Wrath¡¯s wrinkled face. He looked terrified and enraged at the same time. Do you really not know? ¡®What are you talking about? Who ising now?¡¯ Raon became nervous because it reminded him of what Raptor had told him before. That idiot that functions automatically without a brain ising soon¡­ As soon as he said that, messages popped up in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve achieved victory against a warrior¡­] [The proficiency of Ring of Fire has¡­] [You¡¯ve created a new swords¡­] Multiple messages appeared one after the other, covering his vision. Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. Wrath was apparently afraid of those messages. I-I knew it! Wrath screamed while looking at the messages. I knew it would give you everything. It¡¯s so inflexible! ¡°Huh¡­¡± On top of giving all those stats, Wrath was even working as an rm for when the messages wereing. ¡®I really made a suitable nickname for him.¡¯ No one in the world would be able to beat the name ¡®giving Wrath¡¯. ¡®I should easily be a Grandmaster within three years since he is with me.¡¯ The King of Essence can¡¯t live like this! This is too much! Raon smiled as he watched Wrath scream while iling his limbs around. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to your continued cooperation.¡¯ Chapter 250 Burren bit his lip while watching Raon¡¯s back as he entered the lodgings. ¡®Is he really fine with that?¡¯ The Axe King Roman was a warrior who became famous throughout the continent by using a single axe. Dering that he would fight such a monster in three years could only be described as madness. ¡®He made that impossible promise in order to save us.¡¯ The reason Raon had suggested such nonsense to Roman was in order to save everyone on the ship. Raon was apanion that had helped him a lot in the past. The fact that he¡¯d paid Raon¡¯s life as a price for his survival was hurting his heart. ¡®What should I do? I really don¡¯t know.¡¯ He could put his own life on the line in order to help Raon, but he couldn¡¯t figure out anything he could do or prepare. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sighed to relieve the suffocating feeling in his heart. ¡°Why do you look so depressed?¡± Martha stopped as she passed by him and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s because of Raon.¡± ¡°Raon?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s sacrificed himself for our sake, but I can¡¯t do anything for him¡­¡± ¡°Your head is filled with flowers. It must be because you are a sheltered young master.¡± She clicked her tongue, telling him it was such a stupid thing to worry about. ¡°Aren¡¯t you even worried about Raon?¡± Burren furrowed his brows and red at Martha. ¡°He promised the Axe King under Zieghart¡¯s name. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t be anxious since he has to fight that monster in three yea¡­¡± ¡°And why did that happen?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking why he had to promise that duel, you idiot!¡± Martha¡¯s ck eyes were filled with irritation and anger. Those emotions weren¡¯t directed at anyone but herself. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Because we are weak. Including you and me¡ªeveryone¡¯s too weak. It was because we didn¡¯t have the ability to swing our swords even once in that situation that he ended up making that promise!¡± Burren swallowed nervously. Blood was dripping from Martha¡¯s clenched fist. She wasn¡¯t unaware of it. She had been enduring it all along while being fully aware of the situation. ¡°Now, isn¡¯t it obvious what we need to do?¡± ¡°¡­We need to get stronger.¡± ¡°You can finally think. We can¡¯t do anything about what has already happened. What we need to do is to prevent the same thing from happening again. We need to put our lives on the line to get stronger in order to reduce the burden on his shoulders.¡± Martha briskly turned her back on him, heading towards the open area attached to the lodgings. She must¡¯ve been nning to train right away. ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Runaan gave a big nod after silently listening in from behind them. ¡°We can¡¯t shift everything to Raon.¡± It was a rare asion that she said such a long sentence. She followed Martha after that. ¡°Ahem!¡± ¡°I also need to warm myself up a little¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I also felt like I didn¡¯t exercise enough today.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s restter then.¡± The other Light Wind members also went to the open area while scratching their cheeks. Shouts of concentration could be heard loud and clear from the open area soon enough. ¡°I was the idiot.¡± Burren smacked his head so hard that a whacking sound could be heard. ¡°It was so simple. I just need to get stronger.¡± He smiled, heading towards the open area after everyone else. * * * Raon chuckled while leaning his back against the door in his room. ¡°They could just rest, though.¡± The Light Wind squad emerged victorious against pirates that were more than twice their number and protected themselves from Roman¡¯s energy waves. They must¡¯ve been tired both physically and mentally. Even though they were being so passionate, it was better to rest rather than train. ¡®What a bunch of idiots.¡¯ Since Raon was aware of the reason they kept swinging their swords without resting, a painful warmth sprouted from his heart. He had the same feeling every single time, but they really were worth helping out. However, they were mistaken about one thing. The Light Wind squad was extremely experienced and powerful considering their age. Their prowess could work anywhere in the world, but they were feeling like they were weaklings because they kept encountering monstrous opponents. Raon plopped down on the ground after enjoying the shouting of the Light Wind squad. ¡®And¡­¡¯ They really didn¡¯t need to worry about him. Raon smiled faintly and brought out the messages that had appeared earlier. [You¡¯ve achieved victory against a warrior stronger than yourself.] [All stats have increased by 3.] All stats increased by 3 thanks to defeating Tyler, who was right before the intermediate level of Master, while being at the beginner level himself. [The proficiency of Ring of Fire has increased.] [You¡¯ve created a new swordsmanship.] [Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream and Blue Rain¡¯s powers have been enhanced due to the title Young Founder¡¯s effect.] [All stats have increased by 5.] There were even more rewards after that. The Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency had increased thanks to resonating it during the entire battle, and he got 5 whole extra points in all stats thanks topleting the two swordsmanships. ¡®And there are even more.¡¯ All stats had increased by 8, the Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency had increased, and the effects of two techniques had been enhanced, but there were even more messages remaining. [You¡¯ve perfectly canceled out the opponent¡¯s attacks.] [Spiral Power trait has been created.] [All stats have increased by 1.] Raon checked the trait¡¯s description right away. [Spiral Power (One-Star) A more powerful and faster rotation can be created upon using Coiling Power with martial arts.] Raon understood the meaning as soon as he read the description. The trait was added because he canceled out the rotation in Tyler¡¯s spear with a rotation in the opposite direction. ¡®I knew it!¡¯ Wrath¡¯s system had an overpowered ability to add rewards ording to the achievements he¡¯d aplished. Spiral Power and the additional stats were only added because he analyzed everything about Tyler instead of simply defeating him. ¡°See! I was right!¡± Raon grinned and turned his head. ¡°I got better rewards from destroying his martial art itself instead of simply defeating him.¡± Kuh! Wrath violently ground his teeth while looking up at the messages. You damn pig! Are you even considering the efficiency now on top of stealing the King of Essence¡¯s stats? ¡°Since you are giving them to me anyway, I might as well get more¡­¡± Are you teaching the owner how to steal better now when you are just a thief? Are you sure this world is okay? Wrath started to scream. It looked like he had finally lost it. Even Greed is going to run away when he sees you! I hope your stomach explodes to death after devouring everything like a hungry demon! Wrath and coldness burst out at once from Wrath¡¯s round shoulders. I can¡¯t suppress my anger anymore! The King of Essence is going to take over your body today to make the world a better ce! ¡®I don¡¯t think you should do it, though.¡¯ Raon shook his hand. Even though he was the Giving Wrath, he had already given so much that day. Raon didn¡¯t need even more stats. ¡®You know you will only end up giving me more stats by trying to fight me.¡¯ Kuh! Wrath immediately stopped upon hearing that. His stiffened face showed that he was also aware of how it would end up. D-Damn it! Wrath¡¯s clenched fist was trembling, as he couldn¡¯t vent his anger anywhere. ¡®It won¡¯t be difficult for me to fend off your attacks today because my internal injuries aren¡¯t too serious. You should suppress your ange¡­¡¯ I can¡¯t! You damn fiend! Before Raon could tell him to suppress his anger, Wrath started attacking him. He stuck himself to his shoulder to explode coldness and wrath. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡®I wanted to receive it in moderation though.¡¯ Raon shook his head and resonated the Ring of Fire, controlling the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time. One hourter. [You¡¯ve endured Wrath¡¯s interruption.] [Stamina has increased.] [Energy has increased.] Waah! Wrath went limp on the ground like a deted balloon and started to cry. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to stop.¡± Raon sighed. A doormat was apparently bound to be a doormat forever. * * * * * * Raptor turned around after watching the river brushing past the ship. He walked up to Roman, who was staring at the front with his hands behind his back. ¡°Big brother, why did you ept Raon¡¯s suggestion?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you also want me to ept his suggestion?¡± Roman narrowed his eyes and looked down on Raptor. ¡°Of course I did. I figured it would be more interesting that way. However, I didn¡¯t expect you to ept his suggestion right away.¡± ¡°That martial art called Blue Rain¡­ It was interesting.¡± ¡°Ah, it was also the first time I have seen something like that.¡± ¡°No one has tried to incorporate aura into sword resonance and the sound of friction before, and it¡¯s also difficult to imitate. The more interesting part is¡­¡± He turned his head back to the river and rolled up the corners of his lips. ¡°The fact that he created that martial art himself.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I could smell that Raon kid¡¯s scent from that martial art. Someone probably helped him, but he certainly created it himself.¡± Roman closed his eyes, remembering Blue Rain¡¯s resonance. ¡°Do you know about the geniuses called the Twelve Stars of the Continent?¡± ¡°Of course I do. The fifth young master is one of them.¡± ¡°Even though they are called the Twelve Stars of the Continent, they aren¡¯t as good as the leaders of the Six Kings and the Five Demons, because they are monsters far surpassing the level of genius.¡± He raised his chin and smiled coldly. ¡°However, that Raon kid was different. He¡¯s a monster that grows up by devouring geniuses. He has the potential to reach absolute transcendence.¡± ¡°Monster. He certainly has that side to him.¡± Raptor slowly nodded. He didn¡¯t look like a child even on his first encounter. ¡°His eyes were filled with determination to defeat me in three years instead of the intention to escape the situation. I could onlyugh.¡± Roman chuckled, taking the handle of the axe mmed into the ground in front of him. ¡°I had no choice but to let him go in anticipation for what will be of him in three years.¡± ¡°What are you going to do if Sir ¡®Siran¡¯ ends up killing Raon before three years have passed?¡± ¡°That would mean that he wasn¡¯t that good to begin with. I won¡¯t need to pay attention to him anymore. However, that¡¯s not going to happen. I haven¡¯t seen anyone who smells even more delicious than Rimmer in a long time.¡± ¡°You are stillparing the warriors to taste like you¡¯ve always done.¡± Raptor shook his head. ¡°You are the same.¡± Roman slowly turned his gaze to look at Raptor. ¡°I believe you can satisfy me if you fight properly.¡± ¡°Oh no, brother. You are overestimating me. I¡¯m not that great of a warrior.¡± Raptor quickly shook his hands in denial and bowed to him. ¡°Haa, you are so good at killing the fun.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Let me ask you a question in return. Why do you favor Raon? I believe there was no reason to tell him about that geezer.¡± ¡°The reason is simr to yours.¡± He smiled. ¡°I thought he looked interesting from the first time I saw him, and I want to watch how he grows up.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Probably?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t understand what you are thinking about.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t think at all.¡± Raptor smiled like a fool, as if he were trying to prove that he was really not thinking anything. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a shame. I really wanted to visit that magician¡¯s dungeon¡­¡± ¡°Lohengreen?¡± ¡°Yes. Since he was also interested in elixir making and alchemy, I¡¯m sure there would be lots of elixirs and treasure¡­¡± ¡°Rather than that, you should be more concerned about how to report this incident after we return.¡± ¡°Huh? Am I the one reporting it?¡± ¡°What else? Did you think I would be reporting it?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raptor secretly groaned upon receiving Roman¡¯s cold gaze. ¡°B-But Old Man Siran is going to try to kill me!¡± He started to scream while grasping his head, saying that nothing was working out. * * * Raon applied medicine to the wound he had received when fighting against Tyler, controlling the Ring of Fire and his aura to ease his internal injuries before opening his eyes. Kuuh¡­ Wrath was still weeping on the ground. Even though he was enraged, he kept the promise he¡¯d made in the past and didn¡¯t attack while Raon was controlling his aura. Considering how he was keeping a promise, he must¡¯ve been a king indeed. ¡®Stop being so sad.¡¯ Shut up. ¡®I¡¯ll ask Yua to let you eat some pineapple pizza once we return¡­¡¯ ¡­¡­ He didn¡¯t say anything. He simply stopped weeping and raised his eyes while lying down on his belly. ¡®Then I¡¯ll get pineapple cookies added on top of the pineapple pizz¡­ Huh?¡¯ Raon interrupted himself and turned around. He could hear the Light Wind squad from outside. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wh-Where are you going without finishing your sentence? You should finish what you were saying since you¡¯ve already started¡­ ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon pushed Wrath back as he tried to stick onto him and went outside. The Light Wind swordsmen, including Burren, were gathered in front of Rimmer¡¯s room. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°We wanted to ask him about the next item on the schedule because he must¡¯ve finished cultivating by now, but he¡¯s not responding.¡± Burren tilted his head in bewilderment. Raon frowned. The more powerful a warrior was, the less time it took to cultivate. Since Rimmer didn¡¯t have any significant injuries, he should¡¯vee out a long time ago to roll around on the ground and enjoy the bright sunlight. ¡°I¡¯ll open it.¡± Raon made the Light Wind members withdraw and carefully opened the door. Rimmer was lying t on the ground with his eyes closed. ¡°Ah, was he sleeping?¡± ¡°I guess he would be tired after what happened.¡± ¡°I was worried for nothing.¡± The swordsmen¡¯sughter sounded like a deted balloon as they saw Rimmer. They must¡¯ve been relieved because Rimmer¡¯s posture was the exact same as how he used to be on the training ground¡¯s tform. However, he was different from back then. ¡°No.¡± Raon bit his lip and ran up to Rimmer. ¡®He¡¯spletely unconscious.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sleeping. He was actually unconscious. Whir! He grabbed Rimmer¡¯s shoulder and inserted the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation into his body to examine his condition. ¡®Is this really his mana circuit?¡¯ He unconsciously swallowed. Rimmer¡¯s mana circuits were even more narrow than his own when he was still suffering from the Curse of Frost. Unlike his mana circuit back then¡ªwhich was narrowed down because of the ice clogging the passage¡ªin Rimmer¡¯s case, his mana circuit itself had be narrower. Raon meticulously controlled his aura to pass through Rimmer¡¯s mana circuit as if he were trying to thread a needle and examined his energy center. ¡®How can an energy center be so¡­?¡¯ The cracked energy center looked like it would shatter with the smallest impact, and the walls were as thin as paper. It was so unstable that he felt like it would immediately explode the moment he made a mistake. ¡®This was the reason¡­¡¯ It was because his lower energy center couldn¡¯t maintain its stability that his mana circuits were overburdened and became as constricted as a grain of sand. Since he¡¯d even used lightning energy, his body¡¯s condition must¡¯ve worsened. He could fight equally against the Axe King Roman in that state. Raon could hardly imagine how powerful he would¡¯ve been if his energy center were intact. ¡®The pain must¡¯ve been unbearable.¡¯ Raon softly clenched his teeth. He was fully aware of what kind of pain a mana circuit could cause because of the Curse of Frost. He felt bitter as he remembered Rimmer¡¯s false smile when he tried to hide the intense pain he was feeling. Whir! Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier one after the other to untie the twisted mana circuits, but the weakened condition of the energy center was making it difficult. ¡®This is a waste of time.¡¯ He could¡¯ve helped him if it were an internal injury he had received from the battle, but his aura couldn¡¯t do anything about it because his body¡¯s condition was already bad before it became even worse after overexerting himself. Rimmer would wake up over time, but he still had a time-limited life. He would gradually wither and run towards his death. What he needed in order to heal the fool was an elixir, and it needed to be a special elixir that could rx the stiffened mana circuits or protect the energy center. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon took his hand off after retrieving his aura from Rimmer. ¡°H-How is he doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine, right?¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan came running at him at once. Their faces were covered with worry. ¡°It¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I-Is his injury that serious?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t get injured from the previous fight. He has been like this the whole time¡­¡± Raon briefly exined Rimmer¡¯s condition. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± ¡°That idiot¡­¡± The swordsmen started to chew on their lips to the point where they started to bleed upon learning that Rimmer was overexerting himself despite his bad condition. p! Raon pped his hands. It sounded simr to how Rimmer tried to attract attention. ¡°I¡¯m giving you a mission.¡± ¡°M-Mission?¡± ¡°Yes. Burren, you should lead the third team to return to the house to get an elixir that can solve the squad leader¡¯s case. If they don¡¯t want to give it¡­¡± He called Dorian with his hand. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°Take that out.¡± ¡°Ah, that one, right?¡± Even though he didn¡¯t mention what that was, Dorian took out a golden tablet from his belly pocket. ¡°G-Golden tablet?¡± ¡°Did you seriously entrust that precious item to Dorian?¡± ¡°I left it in my wallet because it¡¯s important.¡± ¡°W-Wallet¡­¡± Raon gave the golden tablet to Burren, who had dropped his jaw. ¡°They should give it to you even without this, but take it with you just in case.¡± He was gathering the golden tablets in order to restore the direct line status to Sylvia, but he couldn¡¯t afford to think about that. ¡®There¡¯s most likely no such elixir in the house, but it would be better to try.¡¯ Glenn was close to Rimmer. If Zieghart had an elixir to restore the energy center, he would¡¯ve already fed it to Rimmer. He was sending Burren to Zieghart, but he didn¡¯t have high expectations for it. ¡°I-I got it.¡± Burren epted the golden tablet with trembling hands. ¡°Martha, you should go to therge city nearby and look into the auction house. Gather all of the elixirs that can recover the mana circuit and energy center.¡± He took out a pouch containing a thousand gold coins from inside Dorian¡¯s pocket and gave it to her. ¡°You can do it, right?¡± ¡°¡­Of course.¡± Martha nodded with her mouth tightly closed, unlike usual. ¡°Runaan, your job is the most important one. You need to protect the squad leader and the vige along with the second team.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Runaan clenched both of her fists and nodded. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to protect the squad leader yourself?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened because he thought Raon was obviously going to stay to protect them. ¡°I have somewhere to go.¡± ¡°Somewhere to go? Where would you even g¡­¡± ¡°Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon.¡± Raon stood up while exhaling softly. Since the dungeon belonged to a magician who was skilled in both alchemy and elixir making, he might be able to find an elixir that could improve Rimmer¡¯s condition. ¡°D-Dungeon?¡± ¡°Are you talking about that ce that Raptor mentioned?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous! There are traps, barriers, and monsters everywhere in a magician¡¯s dungeon!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The visitors there must be extraordinary as well!¡± Burren and Martha shoved their faces towards him at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon smiled faintly while remembering the times he used to live as an assassin. ¡®Traps and barriers, I can find them all.¡¯ Chapter 251 Raon watched the flowing river from Belga¡¯s fishing ship. ¡®A dungeon¡­¡¯ It had been a long time. There were two types of dungeons that people usually spoke about. The first type was the domain of monsters created inside a cave in order to avoid the eyes of their predators or develop into an evenrger faction. The second type was the hideout of an excellent magician created in order to prevent anyone from disturbing them as they researched magic. Of the two, the second is clearly more dangerous. The first one could be easily conquered by checking what kinds of monsters lived inside the dungeon before entering, then preparing proper countermeasures against them. However, a magician¡¯s dungeon was different. Because magicians were extremely serious about protecting their magical research, they installed countless barriers, magic traps, and devices. Since he needed to enter without knowing what kinds of magic they used and what kinds of devices awaited him, he was pretty much a moth flying into a me. ¡®I went to so many dungeons before.¡¯ Because Derus Robert was extremely interested in gathering artifacts, elixirs, and the research done by magicians, he kept sending Shadows whenever he found dungeons made by magicians. Raon wasn¡¯t an exception in his previous life and had explored many dungeons. He overcame countless life-or-death crises, and even gained many scars thatsted for his entire life. After risking his life to go into so many dungeons, he became capable of understanding the patterns magicians had when installing the barriers, traps, and devices. The reason he was keeping hisposure despite going to the famous magician Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon was the memories of his previous life. ¡®There are enough possibilities to find an elixir there.¡¯ Even though Lohengreen was one of the heroes that defeated Merlin the Witch of Betrayal and the monster army, and the best water magician in the continent, it was rumored that he was interested in peculiar fields such as alchemy, elixir making, and astrology after he retired. Since the dungeon had been left behind by such a magician, it was highly likely that it contained various elixirs and relics. ¡®The problem is¡­¡¯ The fact that a long time had passed. Since even Raptor and Roman had heard the rumor from the main base of South-North Union and tried to go there, many people must¡¯ve already been aware of the dungeon¡¯s existence. Moreover, since the Norris region was almost neutral, countless factions must¡¯ve been gathered from all over the ce. Discovering the dungeon¡¯s location and finding the relics before those who entered before him was honestly a difficult task. ¡®But there is an advantage to it.¡¯ Since many people were trying, Raon figured that a careful examination of their tracks would allow him to find the dungeon without wasting too much time. Uhmm¡­ While Raon was devising a n, a small groan could be heard from Wrath. When he looked around, Wrath was sighing while supporting his chin on the handrail. ¡®Are you still not over it? I told you I¡¯ll get you a pineapple set once we return.¡¯ That¡¯s not the problem! Do you believe the King of Essence only cares about food or something? ¡®Huh? But I¡¯ve never seen you contemting anything other than food.¡¯ The only time Raon had seen Wrath¡¯s contemtion was when he was facing a menu. It was surprising that Wrath was capable of worrying about anything else. S-Seriously, you bastard¡­ ¡®So, what are you worried about?¡¯ Raon caught Wrath to stop him from rampaging around and asked him about it. The Lohengreen that you mentioned. I keep thinking about that name. ¡®You keep thinking about it?¡¯ Yes. It¡¯s familiar for some reason. ¡®But you don¡¯t call others by their names, though.¡¯ Wrath didn¡¯t call people by their names. Just like the way he called Burren shitty eyes and Rimmer shitty ears, he gave nicknames to people that emphasized their characteristic features. The only one he called by name was himself. The King of Essence doesn¡¯t understand either. The name is definitely new, but it feels familiar for some reason. ¡®Maybe you met him before?¡¯ There was no way a name like that would feel familiar unless he¡¯d met him before. Hmm, that might be the case¡­ Wrath shook his head, as he couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°Vice squad leader.¡± As Raon was being surprised about the unusual urrence, Dorian came next to him. Raon had obviously brought the pocket with him in order to take all the relics from the dungeon. You call yourpanion a pocket¡­ Wrath gasped and shook his head. You are the real demon, no matter how I look at it. ¡®I¡¯m just calling him by a friendly nickname, just like you do.¡¯ There¡¯s no way that¡¯s friendly! And you really consider him a pocket who takes items out for you just by calling his name! ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ He had no excuse for that, as Dorian actually gave him the items he needed every single time, as if he were reading his mind. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Raon pushed Wrath back as he kept calling him an evil demon, turning his head towards Dorian. ¡°I-Is this really going to be okay?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve never been to a dungeon before. I¡¯m sure there will be all kinds of traps¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s lips were trembling with worry. ¡°It will be fine. There won¡¯t be any problems as long as we properly read the flow of mana and keep our ears open.¡± He wasn¡¯t just saying it. Magicians created magic traps and barriers by very slightly distorting nature''s mana. It was possible to break through the dungeon without any problems as long as he could read the small flow of mana particles. ¡®And that¡¯s my specialty.¡¯ Since he had the Ring of Fire with him, he was confident he could read the flow even better than someone who had reached the higher levels of martial arts. ¡°Just rest assured.¡± Raon patted the terrified Dorian¡¯s shoulder, then went to Belga on the deck. ¡°Ah, you are back.¡± Belga and his crew bowed at him. ¡°It looks like a dungeon really has appeared in the Norris region just like you said, but a lot of warriors and magicians have already gone there.¡± He told him about the Norris region, which he had asked the passing ships about. ¡°Some of them were from famous groups and others were less famous.¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± Raon nodded. Lohengreen was a magician whose name went down in history. It was obvious that countless warriors and magicians would gather upon hearing the rumor about his dungeon. ¡°When did they start gathering?¡± ¡°The number increased little by little during daybreak and morning today, and it increased explosively at lunch¡ªto the point that it¡¯s difficult to set foot inside.¡± ¡°Daybreak¡­¡± The groups that had already gathered at daybreak must¡¯ve been the powerful ones with more information, and the ones that gathered after lunch must¡¯ve been the randoms. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t toote, considering the time. Raon clenched his fist, looking at the Norris region that could be seen in the distance. ¡®It should be possible.¡¯ * * * Inside the majestic pce, where a king sea serpent¡¯s skin was covering the forty stairs without the slightest wrinkle, warriors were lined up in front of the blue pirs on the sides and spreading powerful pressures. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how Tyler ended up dying to Raon.¡± Raptor was standing at the center, telling the South-North Union¡¯s executives Raon and Tyler¡¯s story. ¡°T-Tyler has died? To a child from Zieghart?¡± ¡°I heard he was only eighteen years old. That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± ¡°Does he not even have a stagnation period? How could he reach the beginner level as soon as he became a Master?¡± ¡°Tyler was about to reach the intermediate level. He might even be at the intermediate level, rather than beginner.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that he promised the Axe King that he would fight him in three years. It¡¯s not something an average warrior woulde up with. He has the bearing of a hero.¡± The South-North Union¡¯s executives were more interested in Raon¡¯s prowess and personality rather than the dead Tyler. ¡°Chepin.¡± A quiet voice could be heard from the tform on top of the stairs. His voice was low, but it had the power to make everyone in that ce fall silent. ¡°Yes, leader!¡± The middle-aged man, who was standing next to the third pir on the right side, bowed to him. ¡°Properly investigate whether the Boss of Eternity¡¯s story is true or not.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The middle-aged man bowed to him again before leaving the pce. ¡°Eternal Commander. What was Raon Zieghart¡¯s actual might?¡± The eyes of South-North Union¡¯s leader sparkled from the top of the forty stairs towards Raptor. ¡°He seemed to be at the beginner level of Master.¡± Raptor lowered his head while remembering Raon¡¯s level. ¡°Tyler was about to reach the intermediate level, yet are you telling me he lost to a beginner level Master, and an eighteen-year-old child on top of that?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t simply lose. He seemed to have lost with an overwhelming difference. I couldn¡¯t find any significant injuries on Raon.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The voice of the South-North Union¡¯s leader was filled with subtle curiosity. ¡°The technique called Blue Rain and that unreasonable existence are both interesting.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± A red-skinned old man came forward from the second pir on the left side. His lips were shivering visibly. ¡°Why did you not kill him?!¡± ¡°I told you already. Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light was still going strong, and we would¡¯ve been in danger if we kept fighting.¡± ¡°Tyler is one of the South-North Union¡¯s sessors! Taking his head should¡¯ve been more important than your lives! A promise in three years? Why did you even do something so crazy?!¡± The red-skinned old man was screaming while grasping his head. ¡°Tyler started the problem. He acted like a swindler instead of a hero. Since we didn¡¯t have any pretext and the powers were equal, there was nothing to gain from fighting them.¡± Raptor finished what he had to say while enduring the old man¡¯s fearsome energy wave. ¡°Problem? The Blue Lughs are just monsters! What¡¯s the problem with killing some monsters and making use of them?¡± ¡°The problem is the fact that he ordered the Blue Lughs to attack the merchants and vigers. That act puts the Union¡¯s reputation in the dirt and cuts off our source of food. Sir Siran, please calm down¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The old man named Siran shouted, and the entire pce trembled. ¡°Roman! You are also part of the problem! You should¡¯ve been able to easily kill a crippled man like Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light! I¡¯m sure you let them go because you were blinded by that kid¡¯s talent!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t speak carelessly about something you haven¡¯t seen yourself, vice head of the senators.¡± ¡°What? How can you talk to me like th¡­¡± Roman and Siran increased their pressures at the same time. The entire pce started to tremble, as if it would copse. ¡°Stop.¡± Hearing the low voiceing from upstairs, the two extinguished their pressures and stepped back. ¡°L-Leader! A sessor of the union has died. We can¡¯t overlook this matter!¡± Siran stepped forward and put his hands together. ¡°This old man is going to take the lead! Please dere war so that we can kill those Zieghart bastards¡­¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°Leader!¡± ¡°It¡¯d be understandable if some youngsters said that, since Zieghart stopped their steps for a long time. However, that¡¯s not something the vice head of the senators should be saying.¡± A frightening apprehension was contained in the voice of the South-North Union¡¯s leader. Everyone inside the pce trembled in fear. ¡°You should know better than anyone what kind of ce Zieghart is.¡± ¡°Th-They came to a stop, and we¡¯ve been advancing this whole time! We don¡¯t need to fear mere Ziegharts anymore!¡± ¡°Even though Glenn Zieghart is still alive?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°There is no guarantee that the Destructive King of the North would move just because we killed that young man. However, if he ever happens to move¡­¡± The low voice of South-North Union¡¯s leader echoed throughout the room. ¡°Half of the union will be turned into ashes in an instant. Is that your desire?¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Siran could only bite his lip, as he was unable to respond. ¡°And Zieghart also has the pretext. I don¡¯t know how he did it, but if the story about him controlling the Blue Lughs to attack the ships crossing the river were to spread, the Union would only end up losing trust. Just wait three years. Roman is going to shred that child apart even if you don¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Haa, you are so coldhearted when your disciple has died.¡± Siran ground his teeth while looking up into the Union leader¡¯s peaceful eyes. ¡°I gave that boy plenty of opportunities to save face, vice head of the senators. I don¡¯t want to pay tribute to an idiot who kicked away all of the opportunities he received and dug his own grave.¡± The leader¡¯s eyes wavered coldly, like the wind of the northern sea. ¡°I¡­¡± Siran bit his lip. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± He briskly ran out of the pce. ¡°He¡¯s bound to cause some issues over this. Shall I chase him?¡± Raptor bowed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± The South-North Union¡¯s leader slowly shook his hand. ¡°The vice head of the senators is more afraid of Glenn than any of us.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°However, if he still decides to act¡­¡± He rolled up the corners of his mouth and stared at the door that Siran left through. ¡°I shall allow him to pay for the blood.¡± * * * * * * Raon and Dorian left the ship as soon as they arrived at the Norris region. ¡°Come back safely!¡± ¡°We will be waiting for you here!¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± Raon waved at bowing Belga and the crew, then left the riverside and headed towards the road. No one was passing by, and the gray fog was making it difficult to see the surrounding area. ¡°How do we find the dungeon since there¡¯s no one around here?¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while looking at the empty passage. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon knelt down and examined the footprints on the road. ¡®They must¡¯ve moved to the same spot.¡¯ The reason rumors about Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon had spread was because someone had the map. Since the location must¡¯ve already been discovered, many people must¡¯ve moved in the same direction. Raon was almost crawling as he picked the direction that thergest number of people had moved recently. ¡®Northwest.¡¯ There were so many sets of footprints because too many people used the road, but northwest was the direction that thergest number of people took on that specific day. Raon raised his head to look in that direction. He could barely see a mountain shape inside the heavy fog. Most people who came to look for Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon must¡¯ve been headed there. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon dusted off his knee after standing up, then called Dorian. ¡°What? D-Did you find it already? But there are so many of them!¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped after he looked around at the messy footprints on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s confusing because there are too many, but you can also do it.¡± Raon chuckled, then started running towards the mountain. ¡°I-I don¡¯t think I can¡­¡± Dorian mumbled, then used footwork to follow him. After running for a while, they reached the entrance of the mountain. The footprints scattered in different directions implied that people¡¯s opinions differed. ¡°It¡¯s too chaotic over here.¡± Dorian frowned while examining the footprints. ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Raon nodded. Because footprints of different sizes were embedded everywhere in a chaotic manner, he couldn¡¯t really see where he should be going. He turned on the Perception of the Snow Flower and spread his aura perception. Countless people were moving around on the mountain, just like the footprints suggested. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon clicked his tongue. He couldn¡¯t grasp the location of the dungeon¡¯s entrance because warriors and magicians were scattered around everywhere like a swarm of ants. ¡°What should we do in this situation?¡± Dorian seemed to have also realized that fact, since his eyebrows drooped down. ¡°We need to check down below.¡± ¡°Below?¡± ¡°Yes. The ones who came here before. We need to find out where the people with information and power went.¡± Raon stroked the footprints to examine the traces of the first ones to climb the mountain that day. Since they were more focused on speed than stealth, a tiny amount of mana had remained on the ground. Raon used the Ring of Fire to examine that evidence of mana. ¡®To the east¡­¡¯ Most of the footprints at the very bottom, which were also made by powerful footwork, were mostly directed to the east. Raon spread the aura perception once again to examine the east. There were a bit more people gathered around a canyon between the mountainspared to the other locations. ¡®Over there.¡¯ Raon confidently stood up. He went to the location where people were gathered alongside Dorian. Warriors and magicians were spread around the canyon, and nothing could be seen inside the canyon because of a heavy fog that was even thicker than in the other ces. ¡®Barrier.¡¯ That blue fog wasn¡¯t a natural one. It was a barrier created by distorting the flow of mana. ¡®It¡¯s trying to confuse people about the location.¡¯ He must¡¯ve used water attribute mana to create a fog barrier, which prevented people from finding the entrance. ¡®I should be able to sh through it.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes and analyzed the flow of the barrier. He had the feeling that he could break through without too much difficulty, probably because it was made from water attribute mana. Kuh¡­ Wrath groaned briefly as he watched the fog. ¡®What now?¡¯ Nothing. He shook his head after examining the barrier from top to bottom with a frown on his face. ¡°Can I have your attention please?¡± As Raon was about to approach the barrier with the hilt of his sword in his hand, a brown-haired, middle-aged man raised his hand. ¡°On top of famous powerhouses, even some of the Six Kings and Five Demons are currently inside that dungeon. It¡¯s meaningless to hold each other in check between us.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Everyone who¡¯d been pressuring each other shut their mouths upon hearing that. ¡°We should stop antagonizing each other and work together to break through the barrier and enter! We need to cooperate aspanions who dash through the continent together¡­¡± In short, he was suggesting theybine their forces to confront the powerhouses. In fact, it was extremelymon for small- or medium-sized groups to form alliances when information about a dungeon or treasure was revealed. However, it was definitely not a great method. Even if they formed an alliance, there was bound to be a difference of power between them. The weak groups would be ced in charge of difficult and dangerous tasks, while powerful people saved their strength and remained behind, only to end up betraying them most of the time. ¡®Moreover, it¡¯s slow.¡¯ There were already plenty of footprints from people entering the barrier on the ground. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t have been a bad idea to stay behind them to take advantage of them, but there was no time for that. He needed to move as quickly as he could without worrying about his strength being revealed. ¡°Thank you for agreeing with me, everyone! Let¡¯s brace ourselves and find the legacy of Lohengreen¡­¡± While the gathered people were forming an alliance, Raon walked past them towards the barrier. ¡°Wait! Where are you going right now?¡± The middle-aged man, who became the leader of the group, blocked his way. ¡°I¡¯m trying to enter the dungeon.¡± ¡°Our alliance took over this location first! You aren¡¯t allowed to enter if you don¡¯t join us.¡± ¡°But I believe the first ones to actually find this location must¡¯ve already entered.¡± Raon pointed inside the barrier with his chin. ¡°Th-That¡¯s why we need tobine our forces. We can safely reach further if we go together!¡± The middle-aged man extended his hand with a forced smile on his face. ¡°Since it looks like you¡¯ve got a decent amount of sword aura, let¡¯s go together¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t need to go far. I just want to go quickly.¡± ¡°Then I can¡¯t allow you to enter. It would be foolish to let you go ahead of u¡­¡± Raon interrupted the middle-aged man¡¯s speech and drew Heavenly Drive. The following blue sh ripped the fog filling the barrier in half. Swoosh! The barrier¡¯s flow was severed, and the cave rising inside the canyon was revealed. ¡°Uuh!¡± ¡°D-Did he just split the barrier in half?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s craz¡­¡± Raon turned to look at the warriors who lost their jaws and tilted his chin. ¡°What was it that you were saying?¡± ¡°N-Nothing!¡± The middle-aged man hurriedly shook his hand, as he was quick to realize the situation. ¡°You should go back to avoid wasting your time.¡± A red light glowed from Raon¡¯s eyes as he looked inside the dark cave. ¡°Because I have no intention of leaving anything in there.¡± Chapter 252 The temporary leader of the alliance, Vittern, swallowed nervously while watching Raon¡¯s back as he walked towards the dungeon¡¯s entrance. ¡®Wh-What the hell is that guy?¡¯ How could he destroy the barrier in a single strike¡­? He¡¯d decided to talk to him because he figured he could take advantage of him as soon as he saw his young, almost child-like face. However, the monstrous power he showed him waspletely unexpected. ¡®He¡¯s not simply strong.¡¯ One needed to be at least at the Master level to destroy a barrier of that caliber with brute force alone. Considering the fact that he¡¯d destroyed it with an aura de instead of astral energy, he must¡¯ve read the flow of aura. ¡®His aura de has almost reached perfection, and he can even read a barrier¡­¡¯ He was a monster. Vittern admitted his mistake. The smile he saw from him in the beginning wasn¡¯ting from his inexperience, but from his confidence andposure. ¡°Vittern!¡± ¡°Wh-What should we do?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going in right now.¡± ¡°Are you just letting him go?¡± The guildpanions that came with him from the beginning walked up to him. All of their faces had turned pale from panic. ¡°You idiots. This works out better for us.¡± Vittern smiled coldly while looking at Raon, who was examining the entrance. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-Which part about this is better?¡± ¡°What are you talking about when everyone is afraid¡­¡± The guild members frowned, unable to understand what he was talking about. ¡°There are people from the Six Kings, the Five Demons, and huge factions simr to them inside. He will have to advance carefully anyway.¡± ¡°Ah, which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes. We can just follow him while keeping a decent amount of distance.¡± Vittern slowly nodded. ¡°If we safely follow him while waiting for him to remove the danger from the dungeon, we should be able to get some leftovers.¡± It was better that way. By following that young man, they could use him as an excellent meat shield that was even better than the alliance members. They wouldn¡¯t be able to get a huge amount of loot, but their lives should be safe at least. ¡°Get ready. Start running as soon as he enters the dungeon. We need to reach it before the barrier reappears.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Vittern gave orders to the alliance members and lowered his posture. He lowered his hand as soon as Raon entered the dungeon. ¡°Run!¡± All of the alliance members started to run towards the dungeon the moment he said that. ¡®The barrier isn¡¯t reappearing.¡¯ Vittern grinned. It must¡¯ve been a really nice cut, since the barrier was still split in half. ¡°Let¡¯s enter right awa¡­Huh?¡± His jaw dropped and he came to a halt. Rumble! The dungeon¡¯s entrance started to tremble as if a sudden earthquake had urred, and it was being buried underground. ¡°Wh-What the hell?!¡± ¡°That bastard destroyed the entrance!¡± ¡°D-Dig! We have to do it now, because we won¡¯t be able to enter otherwise, not once it¡¯s buried even deeper!¡± Vittern hurriedly started to dig the ground with his hands, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it because rocks and sand kept falling down from the canyon. Whir! To add into the trouble, the severed barrier also recovered itself and a heavy fog started to appear. ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Vittern screamed towards Raon, who hadpletely destroyed the entrance. * * * ¡°Uuh!¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes were trembling as he watched the copsing entrance. ¡°A-Are you sure about this? What if we can¡¯t leaveter on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon grinned afterpletely blocking off the entrance. ¡°Y-You just smiled! You really smiled after destroying the entrance!¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders were trembling violently. He was apparently more terrified by that fact than anything else. ¡°This is the correct move. It will be dangerous for us if they attack us from behind.¡± Magic traps, devices, and barriers weren¡¯t the only dangers when it came to exploring a magician¡¯s dungeon. Thepetitors who could attack from behind at any time were as dangerous as the traps. The ones behind them weren¡¯t exactly dangerous for them, but Raon decided topletely block the entrance because other powerful people might arriveter on. ¡°Well, enemies can¡¯t enter, but we can¡¯t exit either! It¡¯s pointless to get the relics if we have to die here!¡± ¡°A magician¡¯s dungeon doesn¡¯t have a single entrance.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just think about it. Do you think the magician would live here all the time? Don¡¯t you think they want to go outside sometimes to eat or buy some magic ingredients?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true.¡± Dorian nodded with his nk eyes. ¡°Now, do you think they would use this passage every single time? When they¡¯ve set up a bunch of traps and barriers?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°The answer is no. They usually create a passage that no one else can use at the bottom part of the dungeon. We can just leave through there.¡± Every single one of the magician dungeons that he¡¯d visited before had a secret passage. Raon expected that the exit would be a lot easier than the entry. ¡°Wh-What if we don¡¯t find one?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll need to breach through here.¡± ¡°How can we even breach through that pile¡­¡± ¡°You have a shovel, right?¡± Raon pointed at Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. ¡°I-I do.¡± ¡°You also have a pickaxe, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Indeed. I even have a mana stone powered excavator and a handcart¡­¡± Dorian took out a tool that looked like a spear with a spiral spearhead and a cart. ¡°D-Did you even have those?¡± Raon did expect him to have a shovel, but he never thought he would bring a mana stone powered excavator around with him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a must have.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. We¡¯ll just need to excavate.¡± ¡°Ah, you are right.¡± Dorian immediately nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± He smiled while saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal when he thought about it. It was really convenient that he was so simple. ¡°We just need to pay attention to the front now.¡± Raon took a nce behind them before sheathing Heavenly Drive. ¡°I¡¯m not giving my stuff to anyone else.¡± Since he was already there, it was uneptable to return empty handed. No matter what or who awaited him from below, he was going to get the relic that could help Rimmer before leaving. ¡°¡­H-How are they yours already?¡± Dorian was amazed by his greed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon went ahead and walked through the cave. Since there was only one passage without any traps or barriers, he was able to advance quickly. ¡®It¡¯s getting cold.¡¯ The temperature had decreased drastically upon entering the dungeon. Since the owner was a famous magician of the water attribute, he must¡¯ve lowered the overall temperature of the dungeon. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon ced the piece of frost that was floating in the air on his hand, narrowing his eyes. ¡®But this coldness¡­¡¯ Why did it feel familiar? The familiar feeling was growing as the coldness intensified. It was simr to cier, but different at the same time. He felt like he was meeting someone from his hometown in a farawaynd. Hmm¡­ Wrath was also squinting his eyes. He seemed to be pondering about something while watching the coldness. ¡®Wrath. Does this coldness happen to¡­¡¯ ¡°Kuuh! It¡¯s so damn cold! My bones are freezing!¡± Just as Raon was about to ask Wrath about it, Dorian¡¯s scream could be heard. He took a fur coat made from ice troll skin from his belly pocket and wore it because of the unbearable cold. ¡°Do you also want one, vice squad leader?¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡®It¡¯s meaningless for me.¡¯ Since his water resistance was at six-stars, the coldness like that had no effect on him. ¡®It¡¯s actually better this way.¡¯ After all, since the people who entered before had to have been having a hard time because of the cold, it was working to his advantage. Swaa! The coldness intensified as they kept going lower. Steam starteding out from their mouths, and their heads started to be covered with frost. ¡°Th-There¡¯s a hole over there!¡± Dorian pointed at the oval shaped door at the end of the passage while stamping his feet from the cold. ¡°I¡¯ll enter first.¡± Raon examined the other side of the door while checking to see if anyone was present. There was an extremelyrge cavern inside, and it was even colder than outside. It almost felt like the fourth circle magic, ice field, was applied to the entire space. Whir! As he was about to enter, the de of Requiem¡¯s quiet sword resonance could be heard from around his waist. There was only one reason for the de of Requiem¡¯s call. The presence of the White Blood Religion. ¡®So it was the White Blood Religion.¡¯ Raon was wondering about it when he heard from outside that people from the Five Demons were there, and it was apparently the White Blood Religion. ¡®I guess they are the fastest ones to react.¡¯ The White Blood Religion¡¯s congregation was rooted in the entire continent. Since they must¡¯ve had a branch pretty much everywhere, they could act faster than anyone as long as they had the information. ¡°The White Blood Religion is here. Enter carefully.¡± ¡°Eek?¡± Dorian covered his mouth to express his shock. Raon entered carefully. The floor was covered in corpses, and they must¡¯ve been from small- or medium-sized groups, considering their emblems. They had sword wounds on their bodies, but they also had bite marks in various spots, as if they had been defeated by beasts. ¡®They even devoured their flesh.¡¯ Judging from their appearances, they must¡¯ve had a feast, despite how cold it was. He expected nothing less from the bloody demons who got drunk on power and abandoned humanity. Whir! The de of Requiem resonated more violently than previously upon realizing that fact. ¡®This works out. I can kill two birds with one stone.¡¯ It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of the vampires who didn¡¯t deserve to live on top of obtaining the relics. Raon minimized his pressure and went towards the center of the cavern while pretending he didn¡¯t notice anything. ¡°Are they new guests?¡± ¡°Two people? That¡¯s too few.¡± ¡°I know, right? I¡¯m pretty sure there were more people outside.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t even fill my stomach.¡± Twenty White Blood Fanatics were walking towards them over the frozen blood from all around the cavern. Their teeth and lips were covered in human flesh and blood, while their des were glowing red. ¡°I like the left one. The handsome ones tend to have tender flesh.¡± ¡°I prefer the right one. I can eat a lot with all the meat he has.¡± Five of the White Blood Fanatics had lines drawn on their robes. They were the priests, unlike the other low rank fanatics. ¡°Shut up and kill them. We can¡¯t allow the smallest disturbance.¡± The White Blood Fanatic who was standing at the center stepped up. Considering the fact that he had two lines drawn on his robe, he was the bishop in charge of the group. Raon licked his lips while holding the hilt. ¡®Perfect timing.¡¯ Because he wanted to test something. He¡¯d been curious about what would happen if he used Blue Rain with the de of Requiem¡¯s resentment against the White Blood Religion. Since the ones in front of him deserved death, he decided to try it out right away. Thud! All the White Blood Fanatics exploded their bloody energies to charge towards them upon the bishop¡¯s signal. Cring! When the stench of blooding from the White Blood Fanatics brushed past Raon¡¯s nose, he controlled cier and drew the de of Requiem. The upright principles of Blue Rain brushed past the de, which was covered in ghastly energy, to create a frightening spark. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Alternative Fourth Form. Blood Rain. The zing fire turned the red de crimson, and a devil¡¯s roar came from it. The grotesque melody severed the atmosphere, shredding the inside of the ears of the White Blood Fanatics. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Cough!!¡± Upon hearing that grotesque sound, blood gushed from the eyes, ears, nose, and mouths of the White Blood Fanatics as they knelt on the ground. They screamed in pain as they rubbed the floor before they became breathless. Whir! The de of Requiem finally stopped its roar once it finished absorbing all of the bloody energying from the White Blood Fanatics. ¡°This is crazy.¡± Raon gasped while looking at the de of Requiem¡¯s crimson color, which had be even deeper than before. Even though it could only target the White Blood Religion, its destructive power was on a different level from Blue Rain. Raon could guess that he could even y an archbishop with that. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ It was a bit cruel, but the de of Requiem looked so satisfied because it gave so much pain to the White Blood Fanatics before killing them. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Raon turned around to look at Dorian. He was slightly worried about him because it was a really cruel melody. ¡°I-I¡¯m perfectly fine. But¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°It sounded extremely sad. I¡¯m not sure how to describe it, but I felt my heart breaking.¡± Tears were welling up in Dorian¡¯s eyes to justify his impression. ¡®I guess so.¡¯ Raon nodded. de of Requiem was forged in order to pay respect to the souls who died to the White Blood Religion. Since the sadness of losing their families outweighed their desire for vengeance, the sword resonance must¡¯ve incorporated that feeling into the strike. ¡®We should be able to put an end to them one day.¡¯ Raon made that promise to the de of Requiem one more time before returning it to its sheath. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± * * * * * * Raon went through the passage that the White Blood Fanatics were guarding. The temperature was dropping even lower. It looked like even their breath was being frozen because it was even colder than Habun Castle. ¡°Ack! I feel like all of my organs are freezing!¡± Dorian murmured that it was driving him mad, and took out a woolen hat, woolen shoes, and a heat generating magical pack. He finished the process of taking them out of his belly pocket to switch into them as fast as lightning. ¡°Huh? What is this flower?¡± He narrowed his eyes while looking at the ice flowers sprouting from different locations on the ground. The ice flowers were simr to the one on his bracelet, but were also different at the same time. Moreover, blue coldness was emerging from the walls. ¡®This coldness¡­ It¡¯s not ordinary.¡¯ It was a barrier. The ice flowers and the coldness spreading from the walls and floors weren¡¯t simply there to lower the temperature. It was a dangerous barrier that could freeze a person¡¯s respiratory organs upon entering the human body because of their viscosity. If they foolishly endured the coldness while thinking it was just about the temperature, respiratory failure would kill them before long. In fact, corpses were lying around in the corners of the passage, their bodiespletely frozen. Whaap! Raon controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to melt down the coldness directed at him and Dorian. Even though he had to consume some aura doing that, it was the better course of action. ¡°Th-Thank you! It feels like I drank a warm bowl of stew.¡± ¡°I need to protect my pocket after all.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Raon smiled faintly, walking ahead. A dim light was radiating from the end of the passage. ¡°This ce¡­¡± Once he entered the area, he could see a beautiful glowing blueke. ¡°Ake? Are we supposed to cross it?¡± Dorian smiled faintly after looking at the border of theke. ¡°It looks easy. The distance is short¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Raon frowned and grabbed the hilt of his sword. Rumble! At the same time, theke fluctuated like a wave and gathered towards the center of the room. The agglomeration of water surged like a fountain, forming a huge, human shape. It was a 5-meter-tall ice golem with different kinds of ice flowers engraved on the body and red light radiating from its eyes. ¡°Argh!¡± Dorian dropped his jaw, withdrawing with trembling fingers. ¡°I-It¡¯s a golem! An ice golem!¡± ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s rather difficult to deal with.¡± It wasn¡¯t an ordinary ice golem. Since it was capable of shifting its form between a liquid and a solid state, it had an extremely high regeneration¡ªwhich meant it was necessary to melt down its entire body or destroy the core in order to defeat it. ¡®It is so well made.¡¯ The flow of mana was constant. He tried spreading his aura perception through the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, but he couldn¡¯t really feel the core inside the golem. Considering the fact that he couldn¡¯t see it when he used the Evil Eye of Wrath either, it had to be taking the shape of a particle of ice just like the rest to hide among them. ¡®Just in case¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t have the time to search for the core because he was far behind those who went ahead, but he tried controlling cier because the coldness in the area felt familiar to him. Whir! As soon as he examined the golem with the high purity coldness, he could feel that a semicircr ice shard inside the golem¡¯s right shoulder was very slightly different from the rest. ¡®Is that the core?¡¯ He double checked to be sure, and the flowing from the golem¡¯s right shoulder was slightly different from the other parts. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and dashed forward. Rumble! The golem reacted immediately, walloping down his fist¡ªwhich was the size of a human body¡ªas fast as the lightning. Because it was in a liquid state, the movement was as smooth as it was fast. Thud! The moment the golem¡¯s fist fell towards him, Raon kicked the ground to leap and stabbed his de towards the semicircr shard that he¡¯d found with cier. Crack! With the sound of shattering ss, the golem stopped moving. Rumble! The golem¡¯s entire body convulsed before turning into green liquid, pouring down onto the ground like a sandcastle meeting a wave. ¡°Huh? Huuh?¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped as he stared at Heavenly Drive. ¡°W-Wasn¡¯t that a simple stab just now? How did you shatter the golem with a single stab?¡± ¡°I destroyed its core.¡± ¡°Did you find the core in a single attempt? Are you a magician or something?¡± ¡°I was lucky.¡± Raon shook off the ice shard from Heavenly Drive and licked his lips. ¡®How curious.¡¯ Even though cier¡¯s aura of coldness had an extremely high purity, it wasn¡¯t normal to find the location of a golem¡¯s core. ¡®Hey. By any chance, does the coldness in this ce feel familiar to you?¡¯ Raon asked Wrath, who was dwelling in his forearm. Ugh¡­ Wrath grunted instead of responding. ¡®Wrath?¡¯ Be quiet. I have something to think about. He shook his hand, ring at the flower pattern engraved on the golem. ¡®That¡¯s so unusual of him.¡¯ Raon chuckled. He opened the door the golem used to guard and entered. He went through a short and dark passage, and three dark caves appeared. He couldn¡¯t see anything inside the caves because of the pitch-ck darkness. ¡°Where should we go?¡± Dorian looked around the caves one after the other, murmuring that they had the exact same shape and size. Whir! Raon tried to check the inside with aura perception, but the connection was cut off before it could reach deep enough. The coldness inside the caves was disturbing his aura perception¡¯s movement. Raon knelt and examined the traces on the ground. Most of the people followed the human instinct to go to the right or to the middle, but a decent number of people also went to the left. ¡®Where should I go?¡¯ He didn¡¯t have much time. Even though he managed to save a lot of time so far, he was still significantly behind whenpared to the ones who went on ahead. He was most likely going to fall too far behind if he chose the wrong cave. ¡®Just in case¡­¡¯ He figured that cier might be helpful once again, gathering the coldness inside his body. Whir! He used the high purity coldness to examine the cave on the right, the middle, and on the left. Unlike when he used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, the aura perception didn¡¯t get cut off, allowing him to continue to the deeper part. ¡°So, cier is more helpful here after all¡­ Hmm?¡± When he examined the left cave, he could feel a very small gap on the left wall. There was an extremely small hole that even a thin thread wouldn¡¯t be able to pass through. ¡®Maybe this hole is¡­¡¯ Raon shoved cier¡¯s coldness into that gap. Screech! Along with the sound of splitting rock, the darkness dissipated to create a passage that one person could pass at a time. There must¡¯ve been a secret barrier there. ¡®He¡¯s using people¡¯s psychology on top of his detailed control of mana.¡¯ Lohengreen¡¯s mana control was on a different level from the other magician dungeons that Raon had visited before. It was so natural that even he had difficulties finding it. ¡®So this is why no one managed to find it yet.¡¯ The least number of people had entered the left cave. Moreover, a barrier-type secret passage was set up right next to the entrance, which made it obvious that no one else managed to find it before. ¡®I should keep cier on.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just his impression. The coldness inside the cave and cier were actually simr in many ways. Raon had the feeling that he could advance faster and more easily by using cier all the time. ¡°H-How did you find it this time?¡± Dorian¡¯s chin was trembling in disbelief that a human being was capable of such a thing. ¡°Young master¡­ By any chance, did you make this dungeon?¡± He was calling him ¡®young master¡¯ like he did in the past. It showed how confused he was. ¡°It¡¯s just a coincidence. Let¡¯s go.¡± [Did you really find this ce?] Raon chuckled. As he was about to advance, an admiring voice could be heard from behind him. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ Did he miss someone¡¯s presence? Raon grabbed the hilt of his sword and quickly turned around. An old man wearing a blue robe with a long beard reaching the floor was floating in the air. His legs couldn¡¯t be seen, and his entire body was transparent. He literally looked like a ghost. ¡°¡­Wh-Who are you?¡± [Eek? Can you see me?] The old man¡¯s jaw dropped, and he came towards him. Raon couldn¡¯t feel any presence from him, and all he could feel was the coldness filling the air. [Oh! God of Wrath! Finally!] He shouted with joy while jumping like a child. Even though he was transparent, he looked so happy that his face almost looked like he was blushing. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dorian tilted his head. He was apparently unable to see the old man. ¡®Is he really a ghost¡­ Wait.¡¯ There was only one person who would¡¯ve be a ghost in such a ce. Lohengreen. He was a lot older than expected, but the round sses, blue robe with flower patterns on it, and the narrow eyes perfectly matched the descriptions he¡¯d read of Lohengreen in the books. ¡°Are you Lohengreen, Sir?¡± [Yes! I¡¯m Lohengreen!] He looked very pleased as he nodded. ¡°But why are you in such a ¡ª¡± Haa, I got it. As Raon was trying to ask him a question, Wrath sighed deeply while looking at Lohengreen. ¡®What did you get?¡¯ I finally understand why the coldness in this ce and the name felt so familiar to me. Wrath raised his finger to point at Lohengreen. His real name is Lohenyellow. He¡¯s the King of Essence¡¯s servant that borrowed his power. ¡°Ah!¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened as far as they could upon hearing that. ¡®So that¡¯s why the coldness felt so familiar.¡¯ The reason the coldness felt familiar to him, the reason he could find the golem¡¯s core and the passage through cier, must¡¯ve been because Lohengreen inherited Wrath¡¯s coldness. ¡®Which means¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while looking at Lohengreen. Another doormat? Chapter 253 [You really can see me, right? Say something again! Quickly!] Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Lohengreen writhing in the air. ¡®Is he really your servant?¡¯ Indeed. Wrath nodded while wrinkling his nose. ¡®Then why did you not realize it before?¡¯ It was understandable that he wouldn¡¯t notice from the name because he was using a different name as Lohengreen. However, it wasn¡¯t normal that he didn¡¯t notice his own power. Do you still not realize it? ¡®Realize what?¡¯ He¡¯s already dead. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously. He forgot about it because Lohengreen looked so lively as he spoke and moved, but his transparent appearance¡ªmissing his legs¡ªwas what a ghost would look like. Most of the power that the King of Essence lent to that four-eyes has already returned to his main body. Wrath shook his head while looking at the ice flower pattern on Lohengreen¡¯s robes. Since his death changed his energy, recognizing it is as difficult as finding a cup of beer that you poured into a river upstream when standing downstream. ¡®I see.¡¯ That was actually normal. Lohengreen was one of the heroes who fought against Merlin the Witch of Betrayal hundreds of years ago. No matter how long the Masters and advanced magicians lived, it was impossible for him to still be alive. ¡®Then why is he in that state? Did he really be a ghost?¡¯ Raon asked while looking at Lohengreen¡¯s transparent tail, which was sticking out from his blue robes. That¡¯s not a ghost. It¡¯s a remnant of his mind. The shell of his soul that couldn¡¯t leave the world because of regrets. Wrath dered in irritation. Just like the shabby dagger you have contains the resentment of people, he also turned into that wretched state because of the lingering attachments he had. ¡®What lingering attachments did he have?¡¯ Raon got curious about what kind of lingering attachment he could¡¯ve had when he was an excellent magician who was praised as a hero. There¡¯s¡­ ¡®There¡¯s?¡¯ There¡¯s no way the King of Essence would know that! Wrath shook his hand widely. ¡®But why would you not know? Haven¡¯t you watched him all along?¡¯ Raon tilted his head. He couldn¡¯t understand why Wrath didn¡¯t know about it since he must¡¯ve been sticking with Lohengreen just like he was with Raon himself. Not everyone is like you¡­ Wrath ground his teeth so hard that a grating sound could be heard. The King of Essence generously granted that four-eyes his power on a whim! His eyes filled with burning anger. And you! You called on the King of Essence and robbed away everything he had! There¡¯s a huge difference between you two! ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon slowly lowered his eyes. ¡®I see.¡¯ Wrath kept screaming that it had never happened to him before and fainted whenever Raon took away his stats. Considering that reaction and what he¡¯d just said, Lohengreen¡¯s case must¡¯ve been theplete opposite from his. [Can¡¯t you hear me? Answer me already!] Raon didn¡¯t look at Lohengreen. He looked down at Wrath in order to obtain some more information. ¡®You mentioned generosity and whim. What did you mean?¡¯ There¡¯s no reason for the King of Essence to tell you! ¡®I¡¯ll give you two more pineapple pizzas.¡¯ Are you going to keep taking the King of Essence for a glutton? ¡®But Yua told me that she was going to make a shrimp pizza before we left.¡¯ Sh-Shrimp? ¡®A beef will be added on top of the shrimp, with two pieces of pineapple on top¡­¡¯ He was simr to you in the beginning. That¡¯s when¡­ Wrath immediately started to talk. He was fast and cheerful. * * * When the war against Pride had ended, the King of Essence was resting in his castle. That was when he could feel someone¡¯s wrath. Since the wrath wasing from a different dimension from Devildom, it aroused his curiosity. He used his clone to distract the mediators and went to the source of that powerful wave of wrath. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The city was engulfed in mes. A young man was screaming desperately on and covered with corpses and blood with his green hair dyed red. ¡°I¡¯ll kill them! I¡¯m going to kill them! I¡¯ll kill all of them!¡± As he shouted his resentment against someone, ck blood was flowing down from his eyes and mouth. The emotion of wrath was killing his mind. How obvious. The emotion of wrath was usually caused by someone else. His heart was burning from the wrath of losing his family and the vige at someone else¡¯s hand. The King of Essence went to the young man and asked him what he wanted. He stared at his eyes for a long time before he started to talk. ¡°Power! I want the power to kill all of the devils who are wearing human skin!¡± That was also obvious. The wrathful ones who desired vengeance always wanted power. It was a waste of time. As the King of Essence was about to return, the young man¡¯sst words brushed past his ears. ¡°There are fiends that shouldn¡¯t be allowed to walk around. I¡¯m going to freeze them alive, to make them feel an eternal pain that they will never escape from!¡± The King of Essence¡¯s footsteps came to a halt at hearing those words, which sounded like he wanted to crush their bones, recited. It was because that was the exact same thing the King of Essence usually said to other demons. He asked his name. ¡°My name is Lohenyellow.¡± The young man answered, while sweeping up his green hair. It could¡¯ve been generosity or a whim. The King of Essence engraved his coldness and water affinity into the young man by using the system. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lohenyellow immediately realized that he¡¯d gained power and lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯ll offer my soul once my revenge is over, o¡¯ god of wrath!¡± He must¡¯ve read too many novels. The King of Essence told him that his emotion of wrath was enough for him and shook his head. Some weak human¡¯s soul wasn¡¯t necessary for the demon king. ¡°In that case, please tell me anything you want!¡± The King of Essence told him he didn¡¯t need anything, but the young man held onto his leg and didn¡¯t give up. ¡°I¡¯m really fine with you taking my soul!¡± Since it was annoying, the King of Essence told him to improve the traits that he gave him. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Lohenyellow finally let him go. ¡°I swear under the name Lohenyellow to live for the sake of the god after Iplete my revenge!¡± The King of Essence told him to change his name instead of doing stupid shit. The name Lohenyellow didn¡¯t match his green hair at all, after all. Even after returning to Devildom, the King of Essence checked on Lohenyellow from time to time. He developed his power and gathered people to get stronger. Since his emotion of wrath grewrger as he got stronger, it was a decent snack. By the time the young man who used to kill himself with wrath became an old man, he managed toplete his revenge alongside hispanions, and he left behind all of the wrath he had. It wasn¡¯t too bad. Since it was quite interesting despite being a result of his caprice, he told him to have a good life as a farewell and cut off the connection with him. And that incident happened soon after that. Once the King of Essence woke up, he had to meet a real demon that even Devildom wouldn¡¯t be a match against. * * * * * * Raon slowly nodded while looking at Wrath. ¡®I see. I can understand it now.¡¯ Why did the dungeon feel familiar to him? How could he find the golem¡¯s core on his first attempt, and find the passage inside the cave? All of those questions had been answered. ¡®It was thanks to cier.¡¯ It was because the dungeon¡¯s creator Lohengreen was Wrath¡¯s servant, who¡¯d received the coldness and water affinity from him before Raon. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ He could onlyugh at the situation. Even though Lohengreen was different from him since he used magic instead of swordsmanship, he was pretty much his fellow disciple. ¡®His life must not have been easy either.¡¯ Raon had thought that he was a ssic and boring hero when he read his story from the book, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. Even though he was helped by Wrath, he was a real hero who¡¯d achieved his objective after oveing intense sadness and pain. ¡®In that case, what could be his lingering attachment?¡¯ All of the other questions he had were answered, but he still couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of lingering attachment he had when he managed to finish his revenge for his family and vige. ¡®Are we the only ones who can see Lohengreen because we can use cier?¡¯ That¡¯s probably the case. Ahem, I ended up telling the whole story somehow¡­ Wrath awkwardly scratched his chin. If you have any conscience in your mind, you shouldn¡¯t even think about taking advantage of him. You should help him instea¡­ ¡°I¡¯m a priest who worships Wrath, the God of Wrath.¡± Raon spoke in a low voice to prevent Dorian from hearing him. Judging from how he shouted about the god of wrath when they first met, he must¡¯ve still considered Wrath as a god. Hey! Wrath shouted, but Raon ignored him and raised his head. [What insolence is that? How am I supposed to believe that you are a priest of the God of Wrath?] ¡°Are you really suspecting me when I opened this secret passage and am currently watching you?¡± [Th-That¡¯s¡­] ¡°I¡¯ll show you then.¡± Raon chuckled, spreading out the wrath inside his soul, which he got from Wrath, and cier at the same time. Whir! Lohengreen¡¯s lips parted upon witnessing the me of wrath slowly rising from his shoulders. [Gasp! That blue wrath is the same as his!] ¡°Do you finally understand?¡± [This lowly servant is pleased to meet the priest!] Lohengreen knelt in the air and bowed to Raon. ¡®I knew this would work on him.¡¯ A small amount of truth, an borate lie, and casual acting are necessary in order to deceive a target, and Raon had all of those. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t be deceived. ¡°Considering you turned into a remnant of mind, you must have a lot of lingering attachments to the world.¡± [You noticed in a single nce. You are truly the priest, Sir!] Lohengreen nodded his head in admiration. Y-You are just repeating what the King of Essence said! You bastaaard! You heatless fiend! Wrath screamed as he charged at Raon. ¡®Just think about it.¡¯ Wrath calmly stopped him. ¡®Your servant turned into a ghost like that because of lingering attachments, right?¡¯ Yes! And you are trying to take advantage of him¡­ ¡®And I¡¯m the only person who can solve his problem, right?¡¯ I-I guess? Wrath murmured that since other people couldn¡¯t see him¡­ ¡®And I¡¯m currently above, while people who entered the dungeon before me should be below me, along with Lohengreen¡¯s legacy.¡¯ S-So what? ¡®If I don¡¯t obtain the legacy, do you truly believe that I will properly resolve his problem? Don¡¯t you think that I would start doing something strange because I¡¯ll be so sad that I didn¡¯t get the legacy? Ah, I don¡¯t even know anymore.¡¯ Uhh¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®Th-That¡¯s totally possible.¡¯ He was totally going to do that! The Raon Zieghart he¡¯d been watching was a heartless demon that did anything for his objective. He might even try to bind Lohenyellow in the world of living forever. ¡®That¡¯s uneptable.¡¯ Even though it was his whim or generosity that took Lohenyellow as his servant, he couldn¡¯t allow his servant to stay in that wretched state forever. Damn it¡­ Raon smiled faintly while watching Wrath agonize over the decision. ¡®He must really believe that I¡¯m a demon.¡¯ Raon was nning to get rid of Lohengreen¡¯s lingering attachments regardless of the legacy. He just wanted to explore the dungeon faster and more easily since he happened to meet him. ¡°What are your lingering attachments?¡± [Can I tell you about them from downstairs? I¡¯ll guide you.] Lohengreen bowed apologetically. ¡°Pfft.¡± Uuugh! Raon grinned as he averted his gaze, and Wrath hung his head, filled with despair. ¡°Please guide me.¡± [Yes.] Lohengreen told him to follow, going through the passage created inside the cave. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon bobbed his hand towards Dorian and followed Lohengreen. ¡°But¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while watching Raon¡¯s back. ¡°Wh-What are you doing right now? Why are you talking to yourself in a way that I can¡¯t even hear, and why do you keep looking into the air?¡± He sped his hands together with a trembling chin. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of this kind of thing! Tell me now if there are ghosts! Tell me! Hey!¡± * * * ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± Krein looked back, wiping his sweat flowing down his forehead. The teammates who were running towards him werepletely pale, and the way their limbs were limping looked like the smallest impact would make them copse. ¡®This is a natural result.¡¯ It was only natural that everyone¡¯s minds and bodies were exhausted, as they¡¯d abandoned their horses and had been using their footwork as fast as they could for almost an entire day. ¡°T-Team leader.¡± Krein called out to Burren, who was running at the very front. Burren nced at him without responding. ¡°W-We should rest for a moment. Everyone¡¯s going to copse at this rate.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren¡¯s steps came to a halt as he saw his members¡¯ crumpled faces and heard their heavy breaths. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for ten minutes.¡± ¡°Uhaa!¡± ¡°Hoo!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m dying¡­¡± As soon as he gave the order to rest, the swordsmen sank to the ground and gasped for breath. ¡°Erm, team leader. I mean, Sir Burren.¡± Krein came up next to Burren after catching his breath. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be moving more slowly? I know that it¡¯s an urgent matter, but everyone¡¯s going to copse at this rate.¡± Using footwork to move quickly and using footwork to move as fast as they could generated apletely different amount of exhaustion. If they maintained their current speed, everyone was going to run out of aura and copse. The other swordsmen must¡¯ve agreed with him, since they were staring at Burren with exhausted eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware that it¡¯s difficult for you guys.¡± Burren sighed and turned his head around. ¡°But the squad leader fell in that state because he strained himself too much for our sake, and Raon went to a dungeon in order to save the squad leader, taking only a single person with him.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Considering that even the South-North Union heard about the dungeon¡¯s rumors, the Six Kings, Five Demons, and even the other big factions must be inside.¡± Raon must¡¯ve been struggling to fight against the otherpetitors on top of the magician Lohengreen¡¯s traps, barriers, and monsters. ¡®And he must be in a hurry because he¡¯ste.¡¯ Considering when Raptor told him about the rumor of the dungeon and Raon¡¯s personality, it was obvious that he would be overexerting himself to break through the dungeon. ¡°Raon isn¡¯t going to withdraw no matter who he encounters inside the dungeon. He will reach the end of the dungeon at all costs, whether he can find an elixir or not. That¡¯s why we also need to run, even if we end up copsing from exhaustion!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Haa, you are right.¡± ¡°The vice squad leader would totally do that.¡± As soon as Burren finished his speech, the third team of the Light Wind raised themselves up. They were still exhausted, but a light of determination was glowing from their tired eyes. ¡°You guys¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve finished resting.¡± ¡°Yes, strength returned to our bodies once we thought about the squad leader and the vice squad leader.¡± ¡°They must be suffering way more than us right now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The Light Wind members turned their ankles with smiles on their faces. ¡°Alright.¡± Burren nodded while facing their bright eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go again! We won¡¯t stop until we reach the branch!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind¡¯s third team looked even more energetic then when they first left as they advanced. * * * After going through the secret passage, Raon continued going down the dungeon through a regr route. [That steppingstone is a trap. Once someone steps on it, it will freeze their body as soon as they take off their step just like a mine.] [That space is a barrier that I named ¡®Frozen Hell¡¯. Spheres with dozens of ice spikes are scattered throughout the barrier.] [Ah, that passage leads to the top. The other side is a long and difficult passage. The middle one is the fast route with the smallest number of traps.] Lohengreen stayed next to Raon to tell him about the locations of traps and barriers, and even told him which way was faster and easier. ¡®I gained a lot of time.¡¯ Since the route he was taking was personally given to him by the magician who created the dungeon, he was advancing far faster than those who came before him. Considering the fact that the traces were clearer than before, he guessed that he could catch up to them soon enough. ¡®And there¡¯s even more of an advantage.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly, pointing at the trap that Lohengreen had warned him about a moment ago. ¡°How did you make this one?¡± [Ah, I used the coldness to create a sphere, and incorporated the explosion as an image and configured it in a way that the spikes would be created upon finding an enem¡­] As expected of a magician, Lohengreen kept giving him detailed answers whenever Raon asked him about how the traps and barriers were made. Thanks to him, Raon got some ideas about how to apply the magic¡¯s mental image into his martial art. [The ground over there is thest trap of the third floor. We should reach the fourth cavern soon.] ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded, effortlessly jumping over the trap on the ground. ¡®This is so easy.¡¯ He almost felt drowsy because it was too easy, on top of being fast and safe. And it went without saying that it was thanks to Wrath that he got himself such a guide. He was truly the giving Wrath who gave him everything, whenever and wherever. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Argh! Raon grinned at Wrath, and his shoulders trembled in irritation. ¡®It should be fine to ask him about the legacy now.¡¯ He had been suppressing his urge in order to avoid any suspicion, but he figured it wasn¡¯t strange to ask him about it by then. ¡°I have a question.¡± [I¡¯m listening.] ¡°Is there any relic in here that can recover a broken energy center or mana circuits?¡± [Hmm¡­] Lohengreen pondered for a moment before he slowly lowered his gaze. [There should be two of them.] ¡°Two of them.¡± Raon nodded while hiding his excitement. ¡°The God of Wrath wants both of them.¡± You bastard! Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Raon followed Lohengreen into the fourth cavern. ¡®This ce is also full of corpses.¡¯ The corpses were lying all around the cavern, and their wounds told him that they had died while fighting against each other. [O¡¯ priest of Wrath.] Lohengreen turned around after looking around the cavern. [Is what you told me just now really true?] ¡°What did I say just now?¡± Raon asked back, even though he knew what Lohengreen was talking about. [Is it true that the God of Wrath wants an item to fix the energy center?] Lohengreen spoke extremely carefully and lowered his gaze. ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded while looking up at Lohengreen. He smiled gently, without a single trace of dishonesty in his expression. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would lie under his name. It¡¯s obviously true.¡± That one just now! You are lying right now! Wrath floundered his arms like a drunkard. The King of Essence said nothing about it, yet you are making up everything as you please! He started to flutter his feet while lying in the air. He was apparently going insane from the irritation. [Hmm, I can¡¯t understand it. When I saw him back then, he was literallythegod. He didn¡¯t even need an energy center since his entire body was filled with extreme power and wrath. I don¡¯t understand why he would need an item to fix the energy center.] ¡°Ah, you misunderstood me.¡± [What would be that misunderstanding¡­?] ¡°He¡¯s not the one who needs the item.¡± [What?] ¡°It will be bestowed upon his servant.¡± Raon closed his eyes and smiled. You bastaaaard! Wrath climbed up to his left ear and screamed. Why would that shitty ears be the King of Essence¡¯s servant? The King of Essence doesn¡¯t have the smallest intentions of healing that guy! ¡°Since Sir Lohengreen has also served him before, you must be aware of this fact.¡± Raon pretended to touch his ear to push Wrath back. ¡°The God of Wrath is extremely considerate towards his believers.¡± [Of course! He gave me so many things, yet he never wanted anything in return!] Lohengreen¡¯s eyes sparkled in passion as soon as they started talking about Wrath. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ It was going as expected. Raon had noticed that Wrath always helped and took care of whoever he started calling his servant. ¡®He saved Dorian, and also helped Runaan.¡¯ He warned Raon when Dorian was in danger, and he also told him when Syria tried to brainwash Runaan once again. There was also an asion where he was considerate towards Yua at Habun Castle. ¡®Lohengreen must also be aware of that side of him.¡¯ Raon could tell from the way Wrath cut off the connection and told him to live his own life right after Lohengreenpleted his revenge. Even though Wrath looked coldhearted, he took care of his people properly. You damn weasel! How much of a fool are you trying to make of me? Say something at least! He even gave up on speaking like a king and started to shout like a child. Considering the red color on his face, he was about to explode. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon ignored Wrath¡¯s anger and looked at Lohengreen. ¡°There¡¯s another priest that follows his will. He was injured during a mission, and the God of Wrath is extremely worried about him.¡± The King of Essence isn¡¯t! Wrath violently shook his head and spread around coldness. The King of Essence has never wanted to save that shitty ears! He wants to smack him instead! ¡®I¡¯m perfectly aware.¡¯ Just like he said, Wrath always hated how Rimmer kept idling around on the ground. However, there was nothing he could do, since no one could hear him. ¡°There are two reasons for mying here. First, to get rid of Sir Lohengreen¡¯s lingering attachments. Second, to find a method to fix the other priest¡¯s energy center.¡± [Hmm, I see.] Lohengreen briefly licked his lips. ¡®He¡¯s slightly suspicious of me.¡¯ It looked like he didn¡¯tpletely trust him because Raon said Wrath couldn¡¯t treat his priest despite being omnipotent in his opinion. ¡®I need to put an end to his doubt.¡¯ Raon rolled up the corners of his lips while looking at Wrath instead of Lohengreen. ¡®What can you do? Your servant can¡¯t hear you at all, and I¡¯m the only one who can talk to him.¡¯ Kuh¡­ Wrath¡¯s eyes were wavering like a boat in a turbulent ocean. He was incapable of thinking straight because his head was filled with wrath. ¡®If you really want to tell him something, I might convey it to him if you properly ask me by saying ¡®esteemed Sir Raon, please¡¯¡­¡¯ Kuaaah! I can¡¯t take it anymore! You evil fiend! Raon made the same sly smile he always made whenever he made fun of him, and Wrath suddenly flipped out. Rumble! As expected of the Demon King of Wrath, who couldn¡¯t even read the situation, he exploded the coldness of wrath that pierced into Raon¡¯s mana circuit. ¡®I did it.¡¯ Raon smiled. He endured the wrath and coldnessing from Wrath without using theRing of Fireand aura that he would¡¯ve normally used. Rumble! Thebination between Wrath¡¯s anger and the wrath inside his soul created a blue me of wrath, bursting out from his head to toe. [Ah!] Lohengrin widened his mouth upon witnessing the blue wrath bursting from Raon¡¯s body. [Wh-What an amazing wrath and coldness. It almost feels like I¡¯m facing the god himself!] Raon smiled gently while enduring the pain. ¡®Yes, he is indeed in front of you.¡¯ Although the others couldn¡¯t see what was happening, Lohengreen was capable of feeling the tremendous amount of wrath bursting from Raon¡¯s body because he had received the wrath and coldness from Wrath in the past. ¡°He bestowed an evenrger amount of wrath and coldness on me so that I canplete this task. His kindness and consideration for his believers must be peerless.¡± Raon deepened his smile while enduring the pain. [Aah! Please forgive this lowly servant!] Lohengreen went down on his knees and lowered his head. [I believe you, priest! I¡¯ll give you all of the elixirs and artifacts I have!] The trace of doubtpletely disappeared from his eyes. Raon bowed back with a faint smile on his face. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ Lohengreen¡¯s voice was filled withplete trust after facing the wrathing from the real Wrath. Huh? Wrath started to blink his round eyes instead of continuing to emit his wrath. He must¡¯vee back to his senses upon seeing Lohengreen¡¯s reaction. Wh-What¡¯s happening¡­? ¡®Lohengreen trusts mepletely now thanks to your wrath.¡¯ Raon smiled from the bottom of his heart, waving his hand at Wrath. ¡®Thank you, Wrath.¡¯ Y-You¡­ Wrath wrinkled his forehead like a piece of paper. You took advantage of the King of Essence again! You damned snake! ¡®It just happened.¡¯ It just happened? You nned it all along, and you im it just happened? Argh! He roared, and an evenrger amount of wrath and coldness stormed into Raon¡¯s body. [The wrath is increasing even more.] ¡°He must be counting on me a lot.¡± C-Counting on you? Cooooounting? You must¡¯ve meant crap! You are the definition of evil! I¡¯ll put an end to your life right now for the sake of the world! Raon controlled theRing of Fireandcierto block the wrath and coldnessing from Wrath. Since he¡¯d already gained Lohengreen¡¯s trust, he didn¡¯t need to endure them anymore. I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you even if it¡¯s thest thing I do! For the sake of the world! ¡®It¡¯s pointless.¡¯ Wrath used all of the wrath and coldness that he¡¯d been umting, but they were obviously incapable of breaching theRing of Fireandcier. Chapter 255 Raon decided to assassinate the fourth apostle, then turned around to call for Dorian. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± Dorian shuddered while carrying a luxurious, shining white desk. He pointed the desk forward as if he were staying alert with a sword. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°¡­What the hell is that?¡± Why was he carrying a desk around with him? Raon could onlyugh. He could understand why he did it if he¡¯d had a sword in his hand instead, but he couldn¡¯t understand why he was holding the desk like a sword. Moreover, the fact that the desk was so pretty for no reason was making it more ridiculous. ¡°I-It¡¯s a desk¡­¡± ¡°I can see that. I¡¯m asking why you are carrying a desk with you.¡± ¡°Ghost¡­¡± ¡°Ghost?¡± ¡°Th-This desk is made of the white wood, so I figured it would be useful to chase away the ghost.¡± Dorian blushed in embarrassment as he lowered his head. ¡®A desk made of the white wood¡­¡¯ White wood as material was extremely efficient at driving away ghosts and evil spirits. In fact, priests usually used artifacts and weapons made of white wood. ¡®Did I scare him too much?¡¯ Ignoring the fact that Dorian took out a white wood desk from his belly pocket, Raon could only smile at seeing him try to chase away the ghost with the desk. ¡°Isn¡¯t it heavy?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s fine.¡± He was lifting and lowering the desk as if he were holding a twig thanks to his excellent strength. Though, his face waspletely pale from the fear. ¡°Does that work against you?¡± Raon pointed at the white wood desk and looked at Lohengreen. [No way. I¡¯m not an evil spirit.] Lohengreen shook his head andughed. Stop treating the King of Essence¡¯s servant like an evil spirit! ¡®But isn¡¯t Dorian also your servant?¡¯ He¡¯s just stupid. You need to understand. Wrath frowned in displeasure, as he thought Raon was belittling Lohengreen. Raon thought it was such a mystery how considerate he was despite the situation. ¡°He said it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± Dorian sank to the ground while holding the back of his neck. Considering the fact that he was still holding onto the desk in his hand, he must¡¯ve been really scared of him. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not the important part right now.¡± ¡°What could possibly be more important than a ghost?!¡± ¡°First of all, the mister here isn¡¯t a ghost. And below us¡­¡± Raon pointed at the floor of the passage with his finger. ¡°There¡¯s a White Blood Religion apostle.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The desk, which was almost hanging from Dorian¡¯s hand, finally fell to the floor. ¡°A-An apostle?¡± ¡°Morell from Sman is also there, and the bitch princess as well.¡± ¡°Does that mean that Balkar is currently fighting against the White Blood Religion?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°L-Let¡¯s sneak in. Since they are fighting against each other, let¡¯s ask the mister ghost to guide us¡­¡± ¡°Sneaking in isn¡¯t an option. It¡¯s better to properly clear them out, because theboratory is right below it. That¡¯s why¡­¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s why?¡± Dorian swallowed nervously. ¡®I¡¯m sure the vice squad leader is going to make it possible even if there isn¡¯t any option.¡¯ Since Raon had alwayse up with the best solution in any situation, Dorian believed that he would manage to find a way to advance deeper without fighting the White Blood Religion and Balkar. ¡°I¡¯m nning on assassinating the apostle.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Assassination? Dorian felt like his heart skipped a beat. It was even more ridiculous than digging a tunnel or walking around. ¡°D-Did you just dere that you are going to assassinate an a-apostle?¡± It was so ridiculous that his voice trembled like a leaf fluttering into the air. ¡°Yes. I think the White Blood Religion is going to wipe out Morell and Balkar and reach theboratory before us at this rate. That¡¯s why I wanna kill the apostle to prevent that.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Drool was dripping from Dorian¡¯s widened mouth. ¡®Does he think of an apostle as a fly or something?¡¯ They wouldn¡¯t die so easily! Dorian would have understood if he said that he would fight them one-on-one, but since he said that he would assassinate him instead, he was just dumbfounded. The worst part was Raon¡¯s casual expression. Dorian realized it because he¡¯d been with him for such a long time, that Raon truly believed from the bottom of his heart that he could assassinate the apostle. ¡°Wh-Which apostle is inside the cavern right now?¡± ¡°The fourth apostle.¡± ¡°I-I believe he¡¯s at the intermediate level of Master¡­¡± Dorian had investigated the White Blood Religion¡¯s apostles after encountering the tenth and seventh apostles in Porvan. The identity and prowess of most of them were hidden, but the fourth apostle¡¯s might was somewhat known to the public. An intermediate Master¡ªand that was two years ago, so he could¡¯ve been even stronger. ¡°That¡¯s probably correct.¡± Raon nodded while looking at Lohengreen¡¯s crystal ball. Judging from his movement and energy waveing from him, he must¡¯ve been an extremely powerful warrior at the intermediate level of Master. ¡°How are you even supposed to kill a monster like that through assassination? If we can¡¯t avoid them, we should ask Sir Morell to work with us¡­¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be too bad, but it would be a shame to throw away a situation where the enemy doesn¡¯t know of our presence yet. Moreover, working with them has the disadvantage of weakening our voice even if we win. If I just kill the apostle when all of them are in danger, I can control the entire situation.¡± ¡°I mean, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s lips parted like a goldfish, as he was unable toprehend how Raon thought that was even possible. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything¡¯s going to be okay.¡± Raon smiled and tapped his scabbard. ¡°And I have a n if it goes wrong.¡± ¡°You mean sneaking into the enemy and killing them in a single blow when you said assassination, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Then how are you even nning to hide from the fourth apostle¡¯s aura perception to stab him?! He¡¯s an intermediate Master!¡± ¡°With skills.¡± ¡°Huaah¡­¡± The ¡®skills¡¯ made Dorian drop his jaw on the ground. ¡°I knew it! You have no n whatsoever! You have never assassinated anyone before, either!¡± ¡°You are right. I¡¯ve never done a proper assassination before.¡± Raon nodded with a smile on his face. ¡°But I can still do it.¡± ¡®Since I¡¯ve done it countless times in my previous life.¡¯ * * * The second team members sighed while staring at Runaan, who was standing on the tower built in the middle of the vige. They were the ones who were assigned to stay in Doran Vige. Runaan¡¯s eyes were still as nk as ever as she looked around the entire vige, but her determination was different from usual. ¡°How long has it been?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a bit over two days.¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t slept at all for two whole days¡­¡± Runaan climbed the tower after Raon and the other teams left on their missions, and she guarded the vige without sleeping at all. Even though the team members told her toe down to rest and continue, she didn¡¯t listen to them. ¡°I think she¡¯s overexerting herself¡­.¡± ¡°I know, right? I¡¯ve never seen her do that before.¡± ¡°Even though she loves to sleep so much¡­¡± Runaan liked to sleep as much as Rimmer. Since she usually stayed nk and often started dozing off during the morning meetings, it was surprising that she wasn¡¯t sleeping for such a long time. ¡°It must be difficult for her, since she¡¯s not simply keeping guard.¡± Instead of just looking around to keep guard, Runaan was probing the surrounding areas through a detailed control of her aura. She was bound to be extremely exhausted from that. ¡°I¡¯ll try telling her again.¡± The second team¡¯s vice leader, Ebby, sighed faintly and climbed the tower. ¡°Team leader.¡± Runaan turned her head as Ebby called out to her. Even though she couldn¡¯t sleep at all, there was no trace of exhaustion in her eyes. ¡°You should rest for a moment, at least. At this rate, you won¡¯t be able to fight at your full potential when the timees.¡± Since telling her to take care of health wasn¡¯t going to work, Ebby used the mission as a reason. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Runaan slowly shook her head. ¡°I practiced continuing on without sleeping.¡± ¡°What? Wh-When did you practice something like that¡­?¡± Ebby¡¯s jaw dropped. The fact that Runaan had practiced fighting back sleep waspletely new to her. ¡°Raon told me that I can¡¯t stay the same forever.¡± Runaan closed her eyes while grasping the hilt of Snow Flower. ¡®I can¡¯t be a burden to him forever.¡¯ Even though Raon¡¯s position of vice squad leader was high enough, he always allowed the other swordsmen to rest by personally keeping the night watch and guards. Since she felt sorry about him continuing to help the others while he couldn¡¯t even rest, she had asked her papa to teach her a guarding technique that used a low amount of stamina by spreading aura to observe the surroundings. She wanted to give up in the beginning because of how difficult it was. She liked sleeping as much as bead ice cream, after all. ¡®But that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t give up.¡¯ When she realized that Raon must¡¯ve been going through the same pain all that time, she became even more determined. She continuously practiced whenever she returned home, and she managed to learn the guarding technique Cloud Thread, which allowed her to carefully examine the surrounding area while decreasing the necessary amount of sleep. ¡°I can still continue.¡± Runaan shook her head and examined the vige¡¯s scenery. ¡°I¡¯ll protect this ce no matter what.¡± Her purple eyes were glowing with determination toplete Raon¡¯s mission no matter what. * * * * * * Raon was standing in front of the sixth cavern, where Morell and the fourth apostle were fighting against each other. Even though he couldn¡¯t see them, he could feel the impact of the sh between Morell¡¯s magic and the fourth apostle¡¯s bloody energy. ¡®Are they equal? No. Morell is losing.¡¯ Even though magic and martial arts weren¡¯t exactly the same, Morell was stronger than the fourth apostle overall. The reason he was losing despite being stronger seemed to be because the fourth apostle¡¯s bloody energy and his longsword were capable of cutting through magic. ¡®That longsword¡­¡¯ Raon looked at the jet ck longsword that the fourth apostle was holding through Lohengreen¡¯s crystal ball. It cut through Morell¡¯s fire magic in a single sh as he watched, and he could feel the evil energying from it. ¡®Is it interfering with magic? Can it also interfere with aura¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell exactly what kind of power the longsword had from simply watching through the crystal ball. ¡®I need to thoroughly analyze it.¡¯ Even though he didn¡¯t have much time, it was necessary to urately analyze the enemy in order to increase the assassination¡¯s chance of sess. He needed to figure out whether the longsword or the bloody energy was causing the phenomenon. Whir. Raon opened the ocean of perception by controlling cier. He connected his senses with the coldness covering the entire dungeon, and even activated the Perception of the Snow Flower to examine the flow of the fourth apostle¡¯s bloody energy. Whaaap! Dozens of me serpents emerged from Morell¡¯s hands. They were as thick as a pir from a building. It was the fire attribute spell that had the same name as his nickname, Snake of Raging me. The snakes that were d in scales of me rampaged around as if every single one of them were alive, all in order to take the fourth apostle¡¯s life. Rumble! The fourth apostle bent himself to the side, shing the longsword down. White bloody energy was ignited on the dark de like embers. Whaam! The sh and magic were equal in power. However, a strange vibration urred from the longsword. The heads of the snakes were cut off in an instant, creating a violent explosion. ¡®What he did just now¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡®The bloody energy emerged from the longsword to interfere with the flow of magic.¡¯ The bloody energy emerging from the fourth apostle¡¯s longsword didn¡¯t cut through the magic, instead interfering with the flow of mana to weaken Morell¡¯s spell. ¡®That¡¯s how he did it.¡¯ Raon nodded while looking at the fourth apostle¡¯s longsword as it shed through the flow of magic. ¡®It wasn¡¯t the bloody energy¡¯s ability, but the longsword¡¯s.¡¯ The bloody energy was generally strong against aura and magic, but he¡¯d never heard before that it had an ability like that. It was the longsword that was allowing him to easily cut through the magic. ¡®It won¡¯t be too difficult.¡¯ If it was the weapon¡¯s ability instead of the fourth apostle himself, then it wasn¡¯t going to be an obstacle for assassination. [Hmm, priest of Wrath.] Lohengreen groaned briefly, then came up next to Raon. [That mongrel using the bloody energy is more powerful than you. Since you aren¡¯t even prepared, shouldn¡¯t you reconsider the assassination?] On top of Dorian, even Lohengreen was worried about him because Raon was clearly weaker than the fourth apostle. He¡¯s right. You are just going to die in vain without solving Four-Eyes¡¯s problem if you do something stupid like that. You should just cooperate with your fellow weaklings and fight together. You shouldn¡¯t underestimate assassination, you weasel, swindler, and devil! Wrath spoke with a frown on his face. Considering the fact that he was calling him by all kinds of names in the end, he must¡¯ve still been angry. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It will be over soon.¡± Raon nodded while pushing Wrath away. Assassination meant to kill in a single strike. Since there was a high risk upon failure, it was natural for them to be worried about him. However, they didn¡¯t need to worry about him. The coldness filling the dungeon was giving him all of the preparation he needed. Whir! Raon controlled cier. Hepletely suppressed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy and filled the mana circuits all around his body with cier¡¯s coldness. He made cier¡¯s energy, which wasing from his energy center, resonate with the coldness filling the entire dungeon to turn it into one single flow. ¡®A little bit more¡­¡¯ It was not enough yet. He needed to erase his presence to a point that the fourth apostle wouldn¡¯t be able to notice him. He assimted cier¡¯s energy into the coldness surrounding him so that he would be seen as a single frost shard floating in the air. ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while watching Raon¡¯s back. ¡®Why can¡¯t I feel his presence?¡¯ Even though Raon was right in front of him, he couldn¡¯t feel his existence at all. If he hadn¡¯t been looking right at him, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed that he was right in front of him. [Huh!] Lohengreen eximed as he sensed that Raon¡¯s presence hadpletely assimted into the dungeon¡¯s coldness. ¡®My worry was unnecessary.¡¯ It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t mistaken. There was no way that the God of Wrath would¡¯ve assigned an idiot who didn¡¯t even know the limits of his abilities as his priest. Lohengreen was ashamed of himself for doubting him for no reason. Swish. Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem. Ominous energy was glowing on the red de. Whir! The powerful ghastly energy and unusually intense sword resonance were showing its excitement for killing an apostle. ¡®No.¡¯ Raon grasped the de of Requiem tightly and shook his head. ¡®He will find out if you keep being so loud. Hide your murderous intent behind the enemy¡¯s and lower your presence.¡¯ The de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy was rampaging like a tidal wave, but Raon put it under control to synchronize with the flow he¡¯d created. Whir. Although the ghastly energy used to be as violent as an erupting volcano, it started to flow as quietly as a small stream. After lowering the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy to the point that he could hide it with cier¡¯s coldness, Raon finally nodded. He collected his senses and stood at the sixth cavern¡¯s entrance. Since his presence waspletely gone, no one was paying attention to him. Morell, the fourth apostle, the White Blood Fanatics, and Balkar¡¯s magicians were still attacking each other with aura and magic, their eyes filled with murderous intent. Raon closed his eyes as he watched them. When was a beast the most vulnerable to attack? When they were sleeping? Or when they were eating? No. It was when they were about to kill their prey. Since they fought with the determination that they would die from hunger if they failed to catch their prey, they were fully focused on their enemy right before they killed them. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon slowly caught his breath and overwrote his soul with the senses of his previous life, when he was at the peak, as he smoothly fixed his grip on the de of Requiem¡¯s hilt. He lowered his posture, his eyes fixated on Morell, who was drenched in cold sweat as he was pushed back by the fourth apostle¡¯s bloody energy. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Kyaah!¡± Inield and Princess Jayna were mmed into the ground, unable to withstand the archbishop¡¯s bloody energy. The archbishop didn¡¯t miss the opportunity, creating dozens of spears with bloody energy. ¡°Damn it!¡± Morell gritted his teeth and discharged a powerful wave of me. The sphere produced as a result was extremely powerful. However, that magic shouldn¡¯t have been used at that moment. He was feeding his opponent because he was too desperate to finish his battle to save the princess. Creak! Alongside the fourth apostle¡¯s evilughter, ferocious bloody energy burst from his ck longsword, distorting the flow of Morell¡¯s magic. ¡°You were too hasty, Snake of Raging me!¡± The apostle tilted his body and shed down with his longsword. Morell¡¯s me was entangled with the longsword¡¯s bloody energy and started to lose its power. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ Raon shook his head. He was going to notice him if he moved at that moment. He needed to wait a bit longer. Cring! The fourth apostle¡¯s de severed the huge me sphere, piercing Morell¡¯s shoulder. Pssh! A dangerous amount of blood gushed from Morell¡¯s corbone, and the fourth apostle¡¯s murderous intent intensified. He changed the trajectory of his longsword with the intention of beheading him in a single strike. ¡®Now!¡¯ Raon gritted his teeth and kicked the ground. The maximized Supreme Harmony Steps allowed him to ignore the space between them as he reached right next to the fourth apostle. He suppressed his emotions and stopped breathingpletely. He stood in the fourth apostle¡¯s shadow, as silently as the blue frost floating around the dungeon. Whoosh! The moment the fourth apostle¡¯s ck longsword was about to pierce Morell¡¯s neck, Raon stomped the ground and thrust the de of Requiem. Creak! The de, as red as blood, shredded the flow of bloody energy into pieces as it pierced the left side of the fourth apostle¡¯s chest. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± The fourth apostle gritted his teeth and tried to pull himself away, but it was already toote. Boom! The concentrated ghastly energy and coldness inside the de of Requiem burst out in an instant, creating a powerful explosion inside the fourth apostle¡¯s chest. Chapter 256 Raon looked at the fourth apostle through the current created by an explosion of powerful ghastly energy and coldness. The left side of his upper body was violently ripped apart, as if a beast had devoured him. Pssh! A scary amount of gray blood was pouring from his wound, which looked like a saw had cut through his chest and shoulder. ¡°Kuk¡­¡± His eyes flipped over, and the fourth apostle copsed without even letting out a scream. His breathing slowly died out. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled the breath that he¡¯d been holding. He was only holding his breath for a short time, but he felt tired because he had exploded his power at once. ¡®I think I was nervous because I haven¡¯t done it in so long.¡¯ Although assassination was a daily matter in his previous life, he felt awkward about doing it in his current one. However, he didn¡¯t dislike that feeling. After all, it signified that he was closer to being a swordsman than an assassin. Raon chuckled while looking down on de of Requiem, which was covered in gray blood. ¡®This was actually my first time.¡¯ It was actually his first time assassinating an enemy of his own volition, rather than on Derus Robert¡¯s order. Even though he¡¯d tried it against the Green War Demon before, he decided to count it as an exception since that instance had ended up a failure. You bastard¡­ Wrath popped up on the bracelet and red at Raon. When did you learn assassination techniques? When Raon tried to cut the head off the helmeted bastard before and ended up cutting his shoulder instead, his skills were so poor that it wasn¡¯t even funny¡ªbut the assassination he¡¯d just carried out was different. He stabbed the enemy¡¯s heart before he could react and exploded the suppressed power at once. That was a perfect way of assassinating a Master with an excellent defensive ability, and something a skilled assassin would do. That wasn¡¯t a method that a beginner can use. Raon shrugged his shoulders while holding de of Requiem. ¡®It¡¯s simr to how all streams be one eventually. I got better at assassination because my swordsmanship skills have improved.¡¯ Since he couldn¡¯t tell Wrath about his previous life, he simply gave a random excuse. I keep thinking it, but you really are crazy. ¡®Are youplimenting me?¡¯ I¡¯m obviously insulting you! And¡­ ¡®And?¡¯ Hmph, nothing. Wrath shook his hand with a cold smile on his face. His furtive smile seemed to suggest he knew something about it, but Raon was already aware of what he was thinking. ¡°You¡­¡± Raon turned his head upon hearing a perplexed voiceing from right in front of him. Morell¡¯s lips were trembling as he grabbed his neck, where blood was gushing from him. ¡°Wh-When did you¡­? How¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t properly formte his question from his panic. ¡°I interfered because it looked extremely dangerous for you. I hope it wasn¡¯t unwarranted.¡± ¡°Haa, of course not.¡± The stench of blood was mixed in Morell¡¯s sigh as he looked at Raon with tired eyes. ¡°You saved my life. Thank you.¡± He bowed without the slightest hesitation. The expression of gratitude seemed to be for saving everyone from Balkar in that ce, rather than just himself. ¡°Thank you?¡± Raon tilted his head. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t forget something?¡± ¡°Th-Thank you, Sir¡­ Wait! The respectful speech was only supposed to be used in Porvan City.¡± ¡°Ah, you are right.¡± Raon snickered and nodded his head. ¡°Even though I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time, you are still so¡­¡± ¡°Use this one.¡± Raon snickered and threw him an ointment. Since Morell was a reasonable person who admitted his ws when he had to, he didn¡¯t have a bad impression of him¡ªunlike the bitch princess. Whoosh! As soon as Morell received the ointment, the aura storm created by ghastly energy and coldness subsided and the fourth apostle¡¯s copsed body on the ground was revealed to everyone. ¡°Uaaah!¡± ¡°A-Apostle!¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± The White Blood Fanatics screamed in terror upon seeing the fourth apostle on the ground, unmoving. ¡°S-Sir Raon?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°Why is he in this ce¡­?¡± ¡°W-Wait, did he just defeat the apostle?¡± On the other hand, the jaws of the magicians and knights from the Balkar kingdom dropped upon finding Raon in front of the apostle. ¡°Hua¡­¡± Princess Jayna looked especially surprised, her eyes as wide as they could go, even more than when the archbishop was cornering her. Everyone looked like they couldn¡¯t understand the situation. ¡°Raon? Is he Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the one who defeated the seventh apostle.¡± ¡°Wh-When did you even get here?¡± Crimson me burst from the White Blood Fanatics¡¯ eyes upon noticing Raon¡¯s identity. They were burning with anger and grinding their teeth over the fact that Raon had defeated the fourth apostle after having defeated the seventh apostle in the past. ¡°D-Did he get him?¡± Dorian shouted upon seeing the fourth apostle once he finally entered the cavern. ¡®Seriously, that guy¡­¡¯ That idiot! [Haha. Dear me¡­] Raon, Wrath, and Lohengreen red at Dorian at the same time, as he said the worst thing he could¡¯ve said after defeating an enemy. ¡°You defeated him! I expected no less from you, vice squad leader!¡± Dorian smiled happily while voicing something he shouldn¡¯t be saying once again. ¡°Kill them! Kill every single one of them! Don¡¯t let them leave alive, no matter what!¡± The archbishop shouted, using her staff to spray spears of bloody energy all around the ce. The White Blood Fanatics scattered around became a wave to rush towards him. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless, though.¡± Raon fixed his grip on the de of Requiem while furtively ncing at the fourth apostle instead of the White Blood Fanatics. ¡®I¡¯m talking about everything you are trying to do.¡¯ * * * Dorian¡¯s curse had worked, since the fourth apostle was crouching while holding his breath instead of dying. ¡®I almost died.¡¯ He really would have died if his decision was any slower. He barely managed to survive, thanks to having moved the bloody energy towards his heart the moment the red de pierced through his skin. He lost his left shoulder and upper body, and he was on the brink of death from the critical injury, but it was still fine. Everything was going to be fine as long as he killed the man in front of him. Whir. The fourth apostle bit his tongue to endure the pain. He controlled his bloody energy at an extremely slow pace, pretending that the energy remaining inside the corpse was simply dissipating. No one should¡¯ve been able to notice him. ¡®I¡¯ll kill you the exact same way.¡¯ Just like he had suddenly been attacked from behind, he was nning to burst his heart from behind. He suppressed the urge to grasp his longsword, waiting for the right moment. ¡°Kill him!¡± The archbishop spread bloody energy and cried out for revenge, ordering an attack. The fourth apostle could feel the turbulent bloody energy as the Fanatics rushed towards Raon. Thud! Raon¡¯s footsteps could be heard. He had turned around to charge towards the archbishop. ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ The fourth apostle stood up while exploding all of the bloody energy he¡¯d been gathering. He pulled back his longsword in order to pierce Raon¡¯s heart in a single strike. However¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Why is he watching me? Even though Raon Zieghart should''ve been looking at the archbishop instead, he was looking straight at him instead. ¡°Are you done ying dead?¡± Goosebumps appeared on his skin upon seeing the soaring corners of Roan¡¯s lips when he spoke in a low voice. ¡®H-He knew about it all alon¡­Kuh!¡¯ Before he could thrust the longsword he had pulled back, Raon¡¯s dagger shed by his neck. Strength left his body alongside a cold sensation. ¡°Why¡­?¡± The fourth apostle¡¯s chin was trembling as he used his only hand to grasp the red line drawn on his neck. ¡°You already know the answer¡­¡± Raon chuckled as he watched the fourth apostle copse onto his back. ¡°Because a beast is the most vulnerable to attack when it is hunting its prey.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The fourth apostle used his regeneration skill by swirling the bloody energy that couldn¡¯t achieve its objective. Even though he focused everything he had on regeneration, the torn flesh and the wound on his neck weren¡¯t recovering at all. ¡°Wh-What? Why is the regeneration¡­¡± His White Spirit Aura was even capable of regenerating a wound caused by astral energy, yet he couldn¡¯t regenerate the wound created by that dagger for some reason. It felt like the streams of bloody energy couldn¡¯t be connected to each other. ¡°Is your regeneration not working?¡± ¡°Wh-What the hell is that dagger¡­?¡± ¡°This one only exists to kill you all. Bloody energy won¡¯t be enough to stop it.¡± ¡°W-Wai¡­Kuh!¡± Raon held the de of Requiem in a reverse grip. He used the Evil Eye of Wrath to confirm the location of the apostle¡¯s heart, which was pushed to the right side, and stabbed him right after. Pssh! The concentrated ghastly energy at the tip of the de of Requiem burst from the fourth apostle¡¯s heart, and the gray blood and bloody energy filling his heart gushed out like a fountain. ¡°Hua¡­¡± The vitality in the fourth apostle¡¯s eyes started to wither. With the de of Requiem sucking out all of the White Spirit Aura that he¡¯d been umting in his heart, his life couldn¡¯t be saved even if the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader himself were there. ¡°Wow, he was alive¡­¡± Dorian scratched his head like an idiot. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say something like ¡®did he get him?¡¯ It¡¯s seriously a curse.¡± Raon chuckled at Dorian. ¡°A-Apostle!¡± ¡°Save the apostle!¡± ¡°St-Stop him!¡± ¡°Uwaah!¡± Upon realizing that the apostle was really dying, the White Blood Fanatics threw themselves at Raon while using all of the bloody energy left in their bodies. Cring! Raon returned the de of Requiem to its scabbard. He used the Ring of Fire to purify the tainted ghastly energy and cier¡¯s energy and unsheathed the de of Requiem once again. Tsshing! The melody of Blood Rain reverberated from the red de to fill the entire cavern. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Kuah¡­¡± ¡°Uah¡­¡± The White Blood Fanatics copsed onto the ground, blood gushing from all seven holes on their faces. The archbishop was the only person still standing among them. On the other hand, it didn¡¯t have any effect at all on anyone else in that ce. The Blood Rain was literally only affecting the White Blood Fanatics. ¡°Th-That dagger¡­¡± The archbishop¡¯s hand holding the staff was trembling as she muttered. The blood covering her mouth could be seen through the thin gap as she said it. ¡°It¡¯s a technique dedicated to you.¡± Raon walked towards the archbishop while twirling the de of Requiem. ¡°D-Don¡¯te any closer!¡± The archbishop raised her staff while stepping back. Countless white des of bloody energy poured down from the staff. ¡®They are just randomly falling down.¡¯ The bloody energy spears were raining down on the entire area instead of being focused on a target. It was making it easy to avoid or deflect them. Whir! Raon read the direction of bloody energy and kicked the ground. ¡°What an idiot!¡± The archbishop changed the direction of the bloody energy while rolling up the corners of her lips. The spears that were spreading in a cone started to gather towards Raon¡¯s vitals as sharply as an awl. ¡®She could change their direction.¡¯ Even though the storm of bloody energy was covering the entire area, she was capable of changing the direction in an instant. She must¡¯ve been stronger than the archbishop he¡¯d met in Porvan city before. However. ¡®So what?¡¯ Raon smiled coldly, controlling the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The de of Requiem¡¯s edge turned crimson as a bunch of me flowers burst from it. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Spirit. Flower petals of raging me blossomed from the tip of the de, fluttering through the wind to sh against the bloody energy. Wham! Wham! The particles of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation contained the power of ghastly energy and melted down all of the bloody energy from the archbishop without exception. Whap! The magnificent light from me Spirit filled the cavern as the bloody energypletely disappeared. ¡°Are you finished?¡± Raon walked between the descending pieces of me Spirit to stand in front of the archbishop. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The archbishop stepped back with a trembling chin. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off no¡­¡± ¡°Die!¡± The archbishop suddenly stopped her steps and charged forward. She used all of her remaining bloody energy to stab Raon¡¯s heart with her staff. ¡°But of course.¡± Raon nodded with his cold gaze fixated on her. ¡®This is how the White Blood Religion should be.¡¯ The White Blood Religion never admitted their sins, nor begged for their lives or for forgiveness. They were lunatics who believed that they were just, and that they were always right. That was the only way they could justify their eating human flesh and drinking human blood. Raon used the River Footwork. He pierced into the archbishop¡¯s chest, stabbing her heart with the de of Requiem. The white blood seeping into the ground was blurrier than the apostle¡¯s. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The archbishop¡¯s eyes rolled, filled with frustration instead of resentment as she copsed. [The de of Requiem has absorbed a tremendous amount of bloody energy.] [The de of Requiem is purifying the bloody energy.] * * * * * * The de of Requiem started to vibrate powerfully. ¡®I have never obtained so much bloody energy before.¡¯ Since he¡¯d absorbed the bloody energy from both an apostle and an archbishop, he couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how many stats he¡¯d gained from that. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to how much I¡¯ll get. Don¡¯t you agree?¡¯ Shut up! You are taking them away from the King of Essence¡­ Kuh¡­ Wrath bit his lip. He was apparently already worrying about it. Raon raised his head after shaking the blood off of the de of Requiem. The cavern waspletely silent. ¡°Th-That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± ¡°How could he kill an apostle and an archbishop so easily¡­?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart. Is he that genius called the Frostfire Sword of Valor?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be described as a genius. He¡¯s a monster.¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯s not even twenty years old¡­¡± People from the Balkar kingdom, warriors from smaller groups, and the shadows were all expressing their astonishment with their widened eyes. Since Raon had pretty much in the strongest faction in the cavern on his own, their reaction was only natural. ¡°S-Sir Raon!¡± Zatice walked up to him while smiling brightly. ¡°Thank you for saving me!¡± He bowed. His bright smile had no trace of displeasure. Just like before, he was thanking him for what he¡¯d done without considering the conflict between the groups. ¡°I really have no excuse, since you¡¯ve helped me every single time.¡± Zatice scratched the back of his head in shame. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Raon shook his head. Zatice had also gotten stronger than when they met in Porvan before. He believed that Zatice would be able to reach a great height as long as he maintained his unbiased personality. ¡°Well, then¡­¡± Raon stomped the ground powerfully enough to make the entire cavern tremble, causing everyone from Balkar, the smaller groups, and the shadows to flinch and step back. ¡°I¡¯ll make it clear. Zieghart has no intention of sharing Lohengreen¡¯s legacy. If you have a problem with it, we will need to fight it out here.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Naturally, no one could argue against him. Since he was the monster that had in the White Blood Religion¡¯s apostle in a single strike, no one was able to defy him. Even though Morell was the only person who was a match for him, he couldn¡¯t say anything, as Raon had just saved his life. As a result, no one was able to speak up. ¡°A-Are you saying that Zieghart is going to take all of that?¡± After a brief silence, a gray-haired middle-aged man stepped forward from the smaller groups. He was a warrior at the highest level of Expert. He seemed to be the representative of the smaller groups. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded without hesitating in the slightest. ¡°Isn¡¯t that excessive? Balkar has also¡­¡± ¡°Haa!¡± Morell sighed to interrupt the middle-aged man¡¯s speech. ¡°Raon Zieghart has saved our lives. Sman will withdraw now.¡± He walked up to Raon and returned the ointment. ¡°You better not try to call it even with that.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m not. I¡¯m not as nasty as your squad leader.¡± ¡°You sound a lot more trustworthy now that you said that.¡± Raon nodded, and Morell frowned before he turned his head. ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡± ¡°W-Wait!¡± Princess Jayna briskly stood up in denial. ¡°We can¡¯t simply return after having reached all the way here¡­¡± ¡°Princess, for instance¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Princess Jayna.¡± Raon interrupted Morell and walked up to Princess Jayna. He moved his mouth in the shape of the word ¡®contract¡¯ with a smile on his face. ¡°Hiee!¡± Her face turned pale. She seemed to have finally remembered signing a contract with him. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s been a while, Sir.¡± Jayna nodded with trembling lips. ¡°So, do you have any problem with my suggestion?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± She sniffled without even raising her head. She was apparently overwhelmed by shame and frustration at the same time. ¡°Hmm, this is the second time I¡¯ve saved you, Princess Jayna. Maybe I deserve a reward for this.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you agree? I¡¯ve saved the princess who is supposed to be the cherished daughter of Balkar, so I should get a present or a godly tablet at least¡­¡± ¡°Balkar aren¡¯t shameless people. You don¡¯t need to worry about it, since we repay lives with lives and blood for blood.¡± Morell spoke while looking at her, and her entire body started to tremble. She put her hand in her inner pocket and took out a golden tablet. Jayna¡¯s name was written on it. ¡°Here¡­¡± Her trembling hand made it look like she was having a stroke as she handed over the godly tablet. ¡°How nice of you, princess.¡± Raon didn¡¯t refuse it, immediately taking her tablet. ¡®It was the right decision to get something to threaten her with.¡¯ Raon figured that he could use the tablet to make a request from Balkar¡¯s king instead of Jayna herself, since it was widely known that Balkar¡¯s king cherished Jayna a great deal. Raon unconsciously smiled, as it was a pretty good treasure. ¡°Take this one too.¡± As Raon was nodding in satisfaction, Morell threw a red colored tablet towards him. It was a hexagonal tablet with a snake engraved in the center. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s mine. You should use it when you need it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to try refusing?¡± ¡°Why would I ever refuse a treasure?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Morell chuckled and turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s head back. Support the princess.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The female knights supported Jayna upon hearing him. Morell stopped before leaving the cavern and turned around. ¡°Raon Zieghart. I¡¯ll make sure to repay this favor.¡± He expressed his gratitude one more time before going upstairs. Zatice also nodded with a faint smile on his face. Jayna seemed to be grinding her teeth, and Inield waspletely ignoring him. ¡°W-We are also going to leave!¡± ¡°Thank you for saving us!¡± ¡°Thank you very much! We will repay this favor no matter what.¡± The warriors from the smaller groups bowed to him as soon as Balkar left, their lips trembling. ¡°Are you really thankful to me?¡± ¡°Of course we are!¡± ¡°So you are going to repay the favor, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Ah, I appreciate that a lot. Dorian!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Dorian was watching Balkar¡¯s people leave from the entrance. He briskly turned his head around upon hearing his call. ¡°Those people are leaving. Write down their names and affiliations.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Dorian nodded and put down the desk he was holding in front of the entrance, taking out a piece of paper and a pen. ¡°E-Excuse me, why would you need our names¡­?¡± ¡°You just said that you would repay the favor. If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s better to properly organize it.¡± A faint smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he looked at the warriors from the smaller groups. A faint but cold pressure emerged from his smile. Gulp! The warriors from smaller groups swallowed nervously upon seeing Raon¡¯s smile. ¡®N-No way, is he¡­¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s right. He¡¯s telling us to bring money or gifts, just like the Balkar did a moment ago¡­¡¯ ¡®Wh-What the¡­?¡¯ ¡®Wasn¡¯t he the Frostfire Sword of Valor? He was supposed to be an honorable man!¡¯ ¡®B-But it looks like he¡¯s going to kill us if we don¡¯t.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s all your fault for speaking up! We could¡¯ve just thanked him and none of this would¡¯ve happened!¡¯ The warriors broke out in cold sweat upon realizing Raon¡¯s intentions. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Raon bobbed his chin to urge them to continue, and the warriors from the smaller groups clenched their teeth and walked towards Dorian. ¡°Yes! First person! Give me your name!¡± Dorian was sitting in front of the white wood desk on a white wood chair that he had taken out at some point. The way the desk and chair were shining white in color and contrasting with the corpses filling the cavern looked rather out of ce. ¡°I¡¯m Reekel from the Purple Eagle guild¡­¡± ¡°Alright, Sir Reekel from the Purple Eagle guild¡­¡± He quickly wrote down their names and affiliations with experienced movements. Raon turned his head to look at thest group. They were Derus Robert¡¯s shadows. He met the eyes of the assassins that were the exact same as himself in his previous life. ¡®This is a nostalgic feeling.¡¯ The eyes of the shadows reminded him of the past. It was the hellish days where he had to give up humanity and turn into a hunting dog in order to aplish the missions he was assigned. When he thought about the past, he didn¡¯t want to kill them anymore. After all, they had been brainwashed after getting kidnapped or sold off to Derus Robert. ¡®Shall I try making them return?¡¯ The shadows had a simple pattern of action. If they even had a 0.1% chance of sess, they would disregard their lives to fight, but they would withdraw instead if it waspletely impossible. And the possibility of sess was decided through the senses engraved in their bodies and brain. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± Raon resonated the Ring of Fire and ignited the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The powerful energy wave of a Master burst out endlessly. Rubble started to fall down from the ceiling, and the floor started to copse. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Kuu¡­¡± The shadows trembled upon facing that powerful pressure. Their calm eyes now looked like they were about to pop out as they trembled violently. Tap! The shadows withdrew upon realizing that they had no chance of winning against Raon. They leapt over the warriors of the smaller groups that were lined up in front of Dorian, leaving through the passage. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°A-Are you just releasing them?¡± ¡°But they are assassins!¡± The warriors from the smaller groups widened their mouths, since they weren¡¯t expecting him to release the assassins. ¡°I¡¯m not a murderer. I¡¯m not going to kill them if they aren¡¯t trying to fight me.¡± Raon shook his hand while smiling faintly. ¡°Then you should make them write down their names just like we are doing!¡± ¡°Do you think assassins would reveal their names? They would rather kill themselves.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t try writing a fake name or affiliation, because I have a pretty good memory.¡± Raon murmured that he remembered all of their faces, and the people who had finished writing came back running towards Dorian. ¡°I-I made a mistake!¡± ¡°Me too! My name is actually¡­¡± Raon chuckled and turned around. You are evil! You are truly evil! Did you used to be a demon king in another dimension or something? Wrath¡¯s mouth was wide open. Raon couldn¡¯t tell whether he was impressed or shocked by him. [Hahaha! I should¡¯ve expected no less from the priest. My preparations werepletely unnecessary.] Lohengreen also eximed in admiration. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal. I just¡­Hmm?¡± Raon interrupted himself and looked at the de of Requiem in his hand. The de had been silent because it was busy absorbing the bloody energy, but it started to vibrate violently. Whir! The de of Requiem roared and guided Raon. He followed its guidance, and he could see the fourth apostle¡¯s corpse. ¡°But you already finished absorbing the bloody energy.¡± Whir! The de of Requiem pointed at the fourth apostle¡¯s hand instead. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The longsword that the fourth apostle was swinging was located in that direction. Whir! Raon swallowed nervously while staring at the longsword. ¡°Are you telling me that you can make the power of that longsword yours?¡± Chapter 257 Raon looked down at the de of Requiem¡¯s crimson de, which almost looked like it came straight out of a furnace. The endless sword resonanceing from it sounded like a shout of its desire to get stronger. ¡®You''re telling me that you can take over the power of this longsword, right?¡¯ The de of Requiem vibrated violently in confirmation. Bullshit. Wrath snorted while looking down on the de of Requiem from Raon¡¯s shoulder. There¡¯s no way an insignificant creature like this has such an ability. ¡®Is that such a rare ability to have?¡¯ Since your insignificant dagger was created for the sake of killing those mongrels, it¡¯s only natural for it to be capable of erasing their energy. However¡­ Wrath examined the longsword lying on the ground with an expression of displeasure on his face. Absorbing the ability of that longsword is a different story. The King of Essence can do it, but there¡¯s no way an insignificant creature like that is capable of such a feat. He shook his hand, brushing it off as nonsense. Stop wasting your time and go ahead to solve Four Eyes¡¯s problem already. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked around. He still had lots of time, since Dorian, the warriors, and the magicians were still writing their names. ¡®I guess I don¡¯t lose anything from trying.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know exactly what that longsword was, as he didn¡¯t even know its name, but he knew what kind of ability it had at least. Magic forcefield. Most magicians used the mana circle created around their heart to cast magic. The longsword was capable of creating a small disturbance in the circle¡¯s flow of mana through a strange vibration of the de. If the de of Requiem could really obtain that ability, it could be extremely advantageous for him during fights against magicians. Whaap! Raon picked up the ck longsword. Although he was simply holding it, the longsword¡¯s bloody energy pierced into his body. It couldn¡¯t do anything to him though, since it was crushed by the Ring of Fire and chased out. ¡®What should I do with this?¡¯ The de of Requiem¡¯s vibrations intensified. It looked like it was getting excited. ¡°Are you telling me to shatter it? Using only ghastly energy?¡± He unconsciously said that out aloud in his surprise. The de of Requiem was telling him to shatter the longsword¡¯s de by using its own de. Whir! The de of Requiem resonated once again to confirm. Do you really believe you can take over the sword¡¯s ability by just shattering it? Wrath called him foolish and turned his head away. It¡¯s pointless. ¡®Be quiet please.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath and raised the de of Requiem. ¡®It¡¯s not a difficult task.¡¯ Shattering the longsword when the fourth apostle was wielding it would¡¯ve been a different story, but shattering the longsword when it was just lying around was a piece of cake. Whir! He used the Adaptation to Ghastly Energy to increase the ghastly energy¡¯s output to the maximum and struck it down. ang! The de of Requiem¡¯s powerful ghastly energy shattered the long, dark de like ss. Whaap! The bloody energy was creeping out from the shattered longsword. The dark energy was absorbed into the de of Requiem¡¯s crimson de before it could put up any kind of resistance. Whir! The de of Requiem¡¯s vibration intensified as it devoured all the gas flowing from the longsword until none of it remained. Once it absorbed all of the longsword¡¯s energy, the color had be even deeper than before. [The de of Requiem is absorbing the Blood Sword¡¯s energy.] [A new skill will be created in the de of Requiem once the absorption ends.] The system also worked for the de of Requiem, probably because it belonged to Raon. Ugh! Wrath¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the de of Requiem. H-How is this even possible? But it¡¯s just an insignificant creature! ¡®It might have been insignificant in the beginning, but it kept growing with me.¡¯ Wrath would¡¯ve been right if the de of Requiem had remained in the same state as when Raon first got it. It must¡¯ve obtained that ability through absorbing the bloody energy of countless White Blood Fanatics and drinking the blood of the apostle and archbishop after the previous encounter. Kuh, growth¡­ Wrath frowned heavily. He seemed very slightly irritated that the de of Requiem was ratherpetent despite the fact that he considered it insignificant. ¡®I think his expression means that it¡¯s an amazing ability.¡¯ Considering Wrath¡¯s reaction, Raon figured that he could look forward to the de of Requiem¡¯s new ability. ¡°Huff, huff! I¡¯ve finished.¡± Dorian came up to Raon after getting all of the signatures. He was still carrying the desk on his head. ¡°When are you going to stop bringing that around with you?¡± ¡°When Mister Ghost leaves.¡± He turned his head left and right, as he couldn¡¯t see Lohengreen, who was right above him. ¡°By the way, you look rather happy.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± ¡°Yes. You look super excited, just like when your training goes well.¡± ¡°I guess I do.¡± Raon grinned while looking at the de of Requiem¡¯s slightly vibrating edge. ¡®Because I hit a jackpot.¡¯ * * * Raon followed Lohengreen¡¯s lead until he reached thest floor of the dungeon, where hisboratory was located. However, there was no room to be found andrge walls were all that existed in that ce. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here, though.¡± Dorian tried tapping and kicking the wall, but it waspletely meaningless. Raon nodded. He tried spreading cier¡¯s aura perception and using the Evil Eye of Wrath, but boulders were all that he could find behind the wall. ¡°Try calling Mister Ghost already.¡± Dorian ced the white wood desk on top of his head after he spoke. [Huhu.] Lohengreenughed gently while watching them. [I can finally stop feeling ashamed of myself, since you can¡¯t find it.] ¡°So it was here after all.¡± Lohengreen was a powerful magician who was praised as a hero. It wasn¡¯t that strange that Raon couldn¡¯t find his secret. ¡°How can I enter?¡± [It¡¯s simple. ce your hand at the center of the wall and use cier.] ¡°I can¡¯t feel any of cier¡¯s energy from it, though¡­¡± [That¡¯s because it¡¯s hidden. Just try it.] Raon nodded and ced his hand on the wall. Then he used cier. Rumble! The blue coldness permeated into the cracks between the boulders, and the wall split in two to reveal a white room behind it. ¡°Huh, it worked¡­¡± He didn¡¯t expect the wall to open because he couldn¡¯t feel cier¡¯s energy from it at all. [I¡¯ve used the coldness like the earth attribute.] Lohengreen smiled while pointing at the wall. ¡°Earth attribute?¡± [Yes. You must¡¯ve seen how the God of Wrath turns the coldness into a me. I¡¯ve turned the coldness into a boulder in a simr way.] He must¡¯ve changed the flow itself instead of simply changing the shape of the coldness. It must¡¯ve been possible because he was a magician. [Please enter.] Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Lohengreen¡¯sboratory. ¡®This is a bit different from what I expected.¡¯ Unexpectedly, hisboratory wasn¡¯t thatrge. It was alsopletely clean, without a speck of dust to be seen. He figured that cleaning magic must¡¯ve been applied to the room. It was a relief, since it meant that the elixirs and artifacts should¡¯ve been properly preserved instead of decaying. Books filled the wall on the left side, and plenty of unknown artifacts and materials were disyed on the right side. And at the center¡­ ¡°Hieee!¡± Dorian screamed upon seeing the skeleton copsed on the desk. It was wearing a blue robe that was embroidered with ice flower patterns. Round sses fell down from its face. [Huhu, how embarrassing¡­] Lohengreen smiled awkwardly and stroked his beard, since it was his skeleton. [I ended up showing a shameful side of me.] ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon shook his head, since he was expecting that to happen. ¡°M-Mister Ghost, nice to meet¡­ No, wait. He must be here with us. I-I hope we get along. Thank you for guiding us along the way! Eeh, and I¡¯m sorry for the arrogance of our vice squad leader!¡± Dorian kept bowing at Lohengreen¡¯s skeleton while carrying the desk on his shoulders. [He¡¯s a nice person.] ¡°But he¡¯s an idiot.¡± Raon smiled faintly, then turned his head. ¡°Can you tell me about it now? What kind of lingering attachment do you have?¡± Even though he looked around theboratory, he still couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of lingering attachment he had. He needed Lohengreen to tell him about it personally. [Since it will be a long story, let¡¯s achieve your objective first, esteemed priest.] He asked him to take out a golden bead and a wooden box from the middle of the disy. [That bead is an artificial energy center.] ¡°An artificial energy center?¡± [Yes. It¡¯s an artifact created for those whose energy centers are broken, or those who don¡¯t have any energy centers. Once it is connected to the mana circuits, it can be used like a real energy center.] ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon licked his lips. ¡®This will be useful.¡¯ Since Rimmer¡¯s energy center was already broken to the extreme, he figured creating a new energy center with that artifact would work. [The drawback is that they have to start all over. Since the energy center is going to be entirely switched, they will need to umte the aura inside the energy center all over again. It wouldn¡¯t be a big deal for novices, but experts are going to have a hard time, even though it won¡¯t take that long.] ¡®Indeed¡­¡¯ Filling the energy center with aura wasn¡¯t an easy task. Since Rimmer¡¯s level was extremely high, he should¡¯ve been able to gather the aura a lot faster than others, but he would also have an extremely hard time in the meantime. ¡°Then what is this one?¡± Raon pointed at the wooden box. [That contains the Elixir of Eternal Flow, which can recover damaged mana circuits.] ¡°Mana circuit¡­¡± [Yes. A torn or distorted mana circuit can be recovered with this.] ¡°I see.¡± Raon finally felt relieved, since those two items were capable of recovering Rimmer¡¯s condition. However, he wanted a bit more than that. ¡°Do you know how to create those two items by any chance?¡± He asked desperately, since he also wanted to recover Sylvia¡¯s in addition to Rimmer¡¯s. [Hmm, I do know how to make the Elixir of Eternal Flow, but I don¡¯t know about the artificial energy center, since I¡¯m not the one who made it. I just happened to obtain it. I¡¯m sorry.] ¡°No, that¡¯s enough.¡± Raon shook his head. That much was enough. Since he learned that such an artifact existed in the world, he figured he could recover Sylvia¡¯s condition one day. ¡°Now, please tell me. What lingering attachments do you have, Sir Lohengreen?¡± [Hmm¡­] Lohengreen scratched his forehead and hesitated. [I¡¯ll have to tell you about my past before talking about it.] He smiled faintly while looking at his skeleton. [I¡­] * * * * * * Merlin the Witch and the monsters she controlledpletely destroyed the city called Remia over a single night. My mother who always patted my head with a smile, my kindhearted father who only looked scary on the outside, and my friends who used to y with me in the mountains and fields every day had all been fed to the monsters right in front of my eyes. The knights who protected the city were turned to ash by Merlin¡¯s fire, and the kingdom¡¯s magicians who hurriedly came to their rescue were also annihted by the witch¡¯s spells that fell down on them like starfall. Are you curious how I managed to survive? There was no special reason. Merlin just wanted to brag about it. ¡°Ahh, I got too excited. There wouldn¡¯t be anyone to tell my story if I killed everyone.¡± That crazy bitch told me to let the continent know that she had destroyed Remia City before she left. I was enraged. I cursed the witch, enraged by the fact that I was left alone, that I couldn¡¯t die with everyone else. I desperately screamed that I was fine with selling my soul to a devil if it allowed me to take my revenge against that crazy bitch. And that was when that person appeared. I couldn¡¯t even tell whether they were a man or a woman. No, I should¡¯ve been more worried about whether he was a devil or a god, as his huge presence descended upon me. He asked me what was wrong, and my mouth opened by itself regardless of my will. Even though I told him the entire story, he looked rather disinterested. He looked like he was about to leave as he turned around, but he still bestowed power upon me while telling me that he liked thest thing I said. It was the power of frost that would allow me to take my revenge against the witch. You won¡¯t be able to achieve anything with this much power. If your wrathes from the bottom of your heart, you will have to work hard to prove it. Kill that merman or whatever with your own hand. ¡°She is Merlin the Witch.¡± Anyway, if you allow the wrath inside you to burst out, your ability shall be stronger at the same time. I asked him what he wanted from me. I told him I would even offer my soul, but he refused me. Soul? What¡¯s wrong with you? I don¡¯t need it. I held on to him and asked him to tell me anything else he wanted from him. Then try researching the power the King of Essence has bestowed upon you! Stop bugging me! That was thest thing he said before he disappeared, and I also left the city that was turned to ash. His ability was mysterious. Even though I¡¯d just gotten it, I realized how to use it just like I knew how to breathe. I traveled throughout the continent to fight during the day and research the magic and coldness at night. Countless days and nights passed, and I started to gain some fame¡­ But I had to despair. There was an extreme difference between Merlin the Witch and me. The height that she had reached as one of the strongest existences of the continent and the worst Witch in the world was making me despair. And that was when he appeared once again. What kind of bullshit are you spouting? You just need to get stronger if you are too weak. Even if it takes you all of your life, you just need to get stronger and kill her. It was such simple advice, but it was pretty much a divine revtion for me back then. You are so annoying when you are just dealing with some weakling called merman or whatever. ¡°She¡¯s Merlin the Witch.¡± Anyway, stop agonizing over some weakling that the King of Essence could kill by snorting. You just need to get stronger. He clicked his tongue at my pathetic behavior and disappeared. I got stronger. I trained and researched to fight over and over again. I grew strong enough to match Merlin¡¯s power, but there was a problem. Countless monsters and powerful people were following her. It was impossible to win the war by myself. I gathered people to attack the witch¡¯s castle. A few people answered my call, as they also craved revenge, but most people brushed it off as impossible. Everyone said that it was impossible, that I should just give up. Because even my friends were saying that to me, I lost my will to continue. I started to doubt whether revenge was really possible, and I drank every night to forget the pain. When our party that gathered for revenge started to lose our purpose, he descended upon me once again. You really are unsightly. If so many people are afraid of that melon or whatever, you just need to get stronger to make them obey you. ¡°She¡¯s Merlin the Witch.¡± Only losers say that it¡¯s impossible. They are the insects that have already admitted their defeat against the world. You will only bring the ones who think it¡¯s possible and advance. You have the potential, after all. He shook his hand while telling him to stop bothering him, then disappeared. The entire continent was terrified by Merlin the Witch of Betrayal. However, the way he was scoffing her off as nothing, as her name wasn¡¯t even worthy enough to remember, made the fear disappear from inside me. I didn¡¯t listen to anyone else. I believed that it wouldn''t be a big deal, just like he said, and cultivated my power while I gathered thepanions who believed it was possible. Since I was showing confidence in my actions, those who used to say that it was impossible started to gather under me, and those who had left returned to me as well. And exactly forty years after Merlin had turned Remia City to ash, I destroyed the witch¡¯s castle alongside mypanions, and killed Merlin. The entire world shouted with joy, and we became heroes. However, that wasn¡¯t important to me at all. I was satisfied by the fact that my revenge waspleted despite the fact that everyone called it impossible, and that I¡¯d managed tofort the souls of the dead. One year passed, and by the time the entire case was sorted out, he visited me once again. You finally finished it. That was really slow. There wasn¡¯t a single word of praise, but I could only smile because that was just like him. I told him that I would offer my soul to him, because I was ready to offer my life and afterlife both when I was craving revenge. You are saying that stupid shit again. He snorted and shook his hand. I don¡¯t need the soul of a weakling like you. Your wrath was a decent snack for the King of Essence, so that¡¯s enough. I was so confused. It was because I got to learn that the existence I was facing wasn¡¯t a human nor a god as I got stronger. I believed that he would obviously take my soul, but he didn¡¯t want anything from me. He just said that it was fun to watch. Since you managed to kill that mellow, you should live your own life from now on, Four Eyes. He still didn¡¯t remember Merlin¡¯s name as he disappeared. I couldn¡¯t even thank him properly, yet he simply left without taking my soul or the power he¡¯d bestowed upon me. And that was when I realized that he was the true god for me. I enjoyed my life in the world for one year before creating a dungeon. Why, you ask? It was simple. It was in order to research cier, which was the one request I managed to get from him when I pleaded while holding onto him. I had pretty much forced him to ask me to do that, but I at least wanted to grant that request. I worked even harder than when I was trying to take my revenge, and controlled cier¡¯s coldness. However, it was far too perfect, as expected of a power made by the god. Since it was obvious that some poor modification would make it even worse than the original, I felt like it was better to give up. Of course, I didn¡¯t give up. Since he gave me the power and guided my mind without expecting anything in return, I spent all the time I had left to create a method to solidify cier¡¯s coldness even further. It was nothing but one application of the coldness, but that was the limit of my abilities. Everything was going to be over once I returned the coldness to him while expressing my gratitude. However, I couldn¡¯t contact him anymore. It wasn¡¯t him who cut off the connection¡ªthe connection wasn¡¯t working at all. I waited. One year, ten years, and even twenty years passed, yet there was still no contact, and my life wasing to an end. I was fine with dying. I didn¡¯t mind that all of my research came to naught, either. My only regret was that I couldn¡¯t express my gratitude to him before I disappeared. It was probably because of that lingering attachment that I had that I managed to be reborn from the border of life and death. So, I waited again. For the day of his return. * * * Raon lowered his head and bit his lip. ¡°Which means, your lingering attachment is¡­¡± [Yes, I want to express my gratitude to him, and tell him about the new way of using cier that I created.] Lohengreen smiled, saying that it was everything he wanted. Th-That idiot! Wrath frowned hard, to the point that his eyes looked distorted as he jumped towards Lohengreen. I thought I told you to live your life since you dedicated your entire life to your revenge! Wrath¡¯s clenched fist was trembling in anger¡­ or in sadness. [I¡¯m really d that Sir Raon managed to reach this ce instead of others.] Lohengreen was unable to see Wrath, who was right in front of him, and held Raon¡¯s hand. [The new way of using cier is over there. The coldness I have shall return to him once I disappear.] You stupid four eyes! You should stop thinking about that stupid shit and worry about yourself instead! Wrath ground his teeth while calling him foolish. A transparent sphere formed around his eyes. [I¡¯m really d that I met you. I really had lots of fun, which I haven¡¯t had in a long time.] Lohengreen¡¯s hazy body started to slowly fade away, proving that he didn¡¯t have any other lingering attachments to life. Hey! Lohenyellow! ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Raon caught Wrath with a frown on his face. Release me! ¡®Are you really going to let him go like that?¡¯ What? ¡®This is thest time you will see him. Are you really going to keep being angry at him as he leaves?¡¯ Th-The King of Essence¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll lend you my body.¡¯ Raon made the difficult decision. What? ¡®I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯ll lend you my body so that you canmunicate with him, as long as you promise to return it to me right after.¡¯ Raon repeated himself, since he trusted the fact that Wrath had kept his promises so far, and the fact that a hero like Lohengreen admired him so much. Kuh, that won¡¯t work. ¡®Why?¡¯ As soon as the King of Essence enters your body, you will go out of control, regardless of his intentions. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip. Wrath did mention before that it would go out of control because his soul had been separated from his body for too long. Instead¡­ * * * Lohengreen could feel the warmth entering his body. He felt like his heart was pounding, with blood flowing through his veins, just like when he used to be alive. ¡®It really is time for me to go.¡¯ He was feelingfortable about it, probably because he managed to clear his mind. It was regrettable that he didn¡¯t manage to meet the venerable Wrath, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. He was satisfied with having expressed his thanks to his priest instead. He was tired. It was the first time he felt tired after he had entered that state. He had the feeling that he wouldn¡¯t be able to open his eyes ever again if he closed them. He was about to close his eyes while looking at the priest, who looked simr to him for some reason. Whaap! Blue mes of wrath were burning on top of Raon¡¯s shoulders¡ªor, rather, his entire body. His eyes suddenly widened, because the wrath was almost simr to the venerable one when he first met him. What an idiot. [Y-You are¡­] He was certain that the noble yet vulgar speech he had just heard was definitelying from him. [D-Dear Wrath?] ¡°The King of Essence already told you to live your own life. Who asked you to do something so stupid and annoying?¡± [Hahaha!] Lohengreen could onlyugh. He knew that Wrath would tell him something like that. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? You four eyes!¡± [My lord. I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t what you wanted, but this is my way of living my life.] ¡°You¡¯ve always been so pathetic, even from the first time I met you, you idiot!¡± Lohengreen simply smiled despite being insulted. His smile looked like he was enjoying the moment. [But I was happy to meet you, my lord.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wrath didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. He raised his head with a faint smile on his face. A small warmth was glowing inside his enraged gaze. ¡°Were you really happy?¡± [I¡¯ve been happy thanks to you. Thank you very much.] ¡°¡­That¡¯s fine.¡± Wrath simply shook his hand. ¡°Lohenyellow. You did a good job. See youter.¡± [Yes!] Lohengreen immediately nodded with a smile filled with extreme happiness. He slowly sank to the ground, blue frost fluttering around him like distant starlight. Once Lohengreen¡¯s frostpletely melted, Raon finally put away the wrath that he had received from Wrath. ¡®Are you satisfied?¡¯ Thank you. Wrath nodded while expressing his gratitude, which was an extremely rare thing for him to do. His eyes were still staring into the air where Lohengreen had disappeared. He was really different from what a demon king should¡¯ve been. ¡°Then let¡¯s get the other items¡­¡± As he was about to order Dorian to get the other items, messages appeared in front of his eyes. [The abilities of Lohengreen¡¯s remnant of mind have been absorbed.] [Trait Water Affinity has been created.] [Lohengreen¡¯s knowledge of cier has been engraved.] [All stats have increased by 6.] ? ¡°?¡± Raon and Wrath tilted their heads at the same time. Wh-Why are you getting those¡­? ¡®I don¡¯t know either.¡¯ Although Raon thought that Lohengreen¡¯s abilities would obviously go to Wrath¡¯s main body, they wereing into him instead. He could feel cier¡¯s energy inside his energy center getting even harder. W-Wait! How does this even make any sense? The King of Essence gave them to him, so they should return to the King of Essence! Why are you getting them instead?! ¡®Even if youin to me¡­¡¯ You bastard! Who else would Iin to? Wrath started to scream, as he couldn¡¯t suppress his anger anymore. Why are you devouring them all with that greedy mouth of yours?! ¡®Wait, w-we were getting along just now. We just had a touching scene¡­¡¯ Shut up! Chapter 258 Raon tried to calm Wrath down for a while as he rampaged inside Lohengreen¡¯sboratory. It was so bad that Dorian even hid under his desk, asking whether Mister Ghost had gone out of control. ¡®Have you finally calmed down?¡¯ Silence. Wrath frowned, but he wasn¡¯t swearing anymore. The promise Raon made about giving him shrimp pizza and pineapple pizza at the same time once they returned was apparently effective. Raon chuckled, loading the messages back up since he hadn¡¯t managed to read them properly. ¡®So, Water Affinity must be different from Water Resistance.¡¯ The affinity trait he had gotten seemed to be more focused on offense, unlike the resistance he had before. It¡¯s exactly what the name implies. Wrath frowned. He still seemed to be displeased about the situation. While Water Resistance can block the coldness attacking you from the outside, Water Affinity can enhance the coldness inside you. ¡®Enhance?¡¯ Indeed. The power, speed, range, and intensity of your coldness are all going to be stronger than before. Ah¡­ His hands started to tremble as he interrupted himself. ¡®What¡¯s the matter? Are you sick or something?¡¯ I just thought about it, and it made me angry again! I can¡¯t stand it anymore! Wrath started to rampage for the second time, but he fortunately calmed down faster than the first time. Haa! Haa! ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Wrath breathed heavily, as if he had just finished sprinting. Raon licked his lips while watching him. ¡®I should avoid talking about this for a while.¡¯ He had the feeling that Wrath would start rampaging if he showed him the message, so he turned his body around to prevent Wrath from seeing the message. ¡®Lohengreen¡¯s knowledge¡­¡¯ Lohengreen¡¯s knowledge about cier, as mentioned in the second message, signified the knowledge Lohengreen had from researching and using cier. ¡®I can¡¯t remember all of it.¡¯ He could remember the basics, but details were blurry. It seemed to be happening because he suddenly inherited someone else¡¯s knowledge. ¡®But this is already pretty decent.¡¯ He would likely be able to remember other theories as time passed, but the theories and knowledge he already knew seemed to be enough to increase cier¡¯s power and intensity already. Raon smiled, certain that he could improve Frost Pond and Blue Rain even further. ¡®My stats have also increased.¡¯ He checked thest message about the increase in stats. Raon could guess that he got all of the energy that Lohengreen had left in him when he left, since he had received six whole points from him. Raon was extremely thankful to him. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Of course, the biggest harvest was the artificial energy center and the Elixir of Eternal Flow. He didn¡¯t know whether Rimmer would decide to switch to the artificial energy center after breaking his current one, or to simply recover his mana circuits with the Elixir of Eternal Flow, but he should be able to return to how he used to be either way. Raon finally felt relieved. ¡®I came here for the sake of the squad leader, but I¡¯ve gained even more for myself.¡¯ Raon smiled while patting the de of Requiem. Since the stats he would receive once the de of Requiem finished purifying the bloody energy was bound to berger than the ones that he received from Lohengreen, he couldn¡¯t suppress his smile. Damn it¡­ Wrath frowned heavily. He must¡¯ve realized the same thing. ¡®By the way, why are you so bad at remembering people¡¯s names?¡¯ What do you mean? ¡®Why do you keep calling Merlin by strange names like melon and mellow?¡¯ Hmph, why would the King of Essence ever need to remember the name of some shitter? ¡®But you also met the witch wearing Merlin¡¯s mask when you were with me. Even though she wasn¡¯t Merlin herself¡­¡¯ He had encountered the old woman from Eden wearing Merlin¡¯s mask, first at Habun Castle and again when he was saving the Saint. The King of Essence has never seen the real one before, so there¡¯s no way he would recognize her. ¡®How did you not even see her when Sir Lohengreen was fighting against her all along?¡¯ There¡¯s no fun in watching some inferior fight like that. Enjoying the wrathing from him was the whole point. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡®He¡¯s not the type of person to do that though.¡¯ Raon was sure of it, as he had seen the way he sent Lohengreen off. Wrath was the type of person who took care of and protected whoever he decided was one of his people. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t have watched the fight just because it was a fight between weaklings. ¡®Ah! No way¡­¡¯ Was he like a nervous parent? Back when he was a trainee, parents were sometimes allowed to observe the tests. Some of the parents would close their eyes or go outside to pray because they couldn¡¯t bear watching their children. Of course, it wasn¡¯t because they hated their children. It was because they loved them too much and hoped for the best, which made it difficult for them to watch. Raon thought that Wrath must¡¯ve been the same. ¡®By any chance¡­¡¯ Hmm? ¡®Did you actually avoid watching Sir Lohengreen¡¯s fight because you were nervous? That would exin why you can¡¯t even remember her name¡­¡¯ Wh-What kind of bullshit is that! Wrath¡¯s ears were shivering violently. Why would the King of Essence care so much about someone like him?! He was simply not interested in it! ¡®Heh¡­¡¯ His hypersensitive reaction confirmed Raon¡¯s suspicion. He must¡¯ve been unable to watch his servant¡¯s fight because he was too nervous about the oue. I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s not true! ¡®Okay, okay.¡¯ Hey, you bastard! You are wrong! You are seriously wrong! Raon chuckled and shook his hand. He was almost jealous of how much Wrath and Lohengreen were meant for each other. ¡°Is Mister Ghost gone now?¡± While Wrath was shouting at him, Dorian walked up to him. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°The atmosphere, maybe? I felt like this space became warmer and colder at the same time.¡± ¡°Warmer and colder at the same time?¡± ¡°I know it sounds strange, but it feels somewhat lonely, even though the temperature has risen.¡± Even though they¡¯d been together for a short time, Dorian had noticed Lohengreen¡¯s disappearance. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s gone to a better ce.¡± ¡°Hmm, thank you for everything so far.¡± Dorian finally returned the white wood desk to his belly pocket, then bowed at Lohengreen¡¯s skeleton. ¡®What do you want to do? Shall I gather his remains¡­¡¯ You don¡¯t need to. Wrath shook his hand. He¡¯s always been a homebody who didn¡¯t like going outside. He would feel morefortable here. ¡®So you¡¯ve been properly watching over him after all.¡¯ Th-That¡¯s not true! ¡®I know.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and straightened Lohengreen¡¯s clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap it up now.¡± Raon pped his hands and turned to look at Dorian. ¡°Dorian, pack up all of the books and items here!¡± ¡°A-All of them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Dorian cheerfully bounced up, then started pouring all of the books from the bookshelves into his belly pocket. The fact that he looked so happy about it made Raon think that Dorian had the perfect personality to be in charge of supplies. Wh-Why are you taking them now? They belong to Lohenyellow! ¡®Sir Lohengreen would be d that we¡¯re going to make good use of them. He even gave his permission earlier.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t just saying that. Lohengreen had nodded with a gentle smile on his face when Raon had mentioned that he would take all of the relics. But he didn¡¯t actually respond! Stop that mutt already! He was grumpy. Wrath was just trying to bother him even though he was perfectly aware that Lohengreen would¡¯ve allowed him to take them. ¡®In that case, I have a solution.¡¯ S-Solution? ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ Raon gathered his hands and closed his eyes. He stayed like that for a while before he opened his eyes and nodded. ¡®Hmm, alright.¡¯ Wh-What? What did you do just now? Wrath¡¯s eyes were trembling in anxiety. ¡®I talked it out with the owner.¡¯ Talk it out? With the owner? ¡®Yes. Sir Lohengreen told me to take them.¡¯ Wh-What madness are you spoutin¡­ ¡®I asked him just now when I was praying.¡¯ Raon grinned while pointing towards the sky. You evil bastard! * * * * * * Bzzt! Inside the wavering darkness, the space split open and the Evil Goat Demon entered. He was wearing knight armor on his upper body, goat armor on his lower body, and a goat helmet on his head. Someone¡¯s blood was dripping from the dark greatsword he was carrying on his back. As the Evil Goat Demon was about to walk inside, the space opened up on his left and a white hand appeared from it. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± A long nose, pitted with pockmarks, appeared after the hand. It was Merlin, who was wearing an ugly old woman¡¯s mask. ¡°Ah, indeed. We haven¡¯t seen each other since we went to that forest together, right? What was the name again¡­?¡± The Evil Goat Demon chuckled with his arms crossed. ¡°Why did youe sote, even though I kept calling you?¡± Merlin¡¯s voice was gentle, but a scary amount of coldness wasing from her as she spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy, of course. I still need to move in order to reach anywhere because I¡¯m in the realm of humans. Please forgive me.¡± The Evil Goat Demon gathered his hands and smiled inside his helmet. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s understandable. However¡­¡± Merlin¡¯s old woman mask floated in front of the Evil Goat Demon. ¡°Why did you let Raon go in that situation?¡± ¡°I let him go? Why would I even do that?¡± The Evil Goat Demon shook his head inplete denial. ¡°I¡¯m d that you think highly of my abilities, but the Saint was with him back then. I had to suggest that bet because it would¡¯ve been dangerous if they attacked me together.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you would¡¯ve lost? Seriously?¡± Merlin snorted coldly. ¡°Even if the Saint were in his best condition, they would¡¯ve been no match for your sword. Raon bing a Master doesn¡¯t change that fact. I¡¯m sure you could kill them in a single strike, or even capture them. Why did you release them instead? ¡°I¡¯m telling you that¡¯s not true. Moreover, I was only supposed to block the passage. Your usation makes me sad when I even risked my life to block that passage.¡± The Evil Goat Demon tilted his head. He was still smiling, but a heavy pressure started toe from him. ¡°You must¡¯ve seen something in that boy, just like I did.¡± Merlin smiled while raising the chin of her mask. ¡°I guess it¡¯s natural, since he¡¯s a special boy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Evil Goat Demon stared at Merlin without responding. ¡°I decided to prepare properly myself thanks to you.¡± ¡°Did you just say you are going to prepare yourself?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Merlin took a hexagonal box from her robe. It looked like a wooden box that usually contained an elixir, but strange horns were drawn all over its surface and a dark air was slowly rising from it. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The Evil Goat Demon eximed, losing his smile for the first time. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a relic that can only be used once?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are nning to use it on Raon.¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Merlin immediately nodded, implying that it was such an obvious question. ¡°What part of Raon even made you decide to use the Spirit Orb?¡± ¡°I knew your opinion about him differed from mine.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I also thought in the beginning that he would be extremely helpful for our goal, and nothing more. I wanted to have him at all costs because he managed to injure me.¡± She slowly smoothed down her face inside the mask. ¡°However, I was mistaken about him. Raon is a real deal. No one in this ce can rece him.¡± Merlin spread her hand to point at the entirety of Eden¡¯s headquarters. ¡°That much¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you realized what kind of power dwells within that boy.¡± She squeezed tightly her neck. She smiled brightly while cutting off her own breath. ¡®I¡¯m the only one who realized it.¡¯ * * * The master of the Shadow Agents, Chad, was hurriedly running through the corridor of the lord¡¯s manor. He never would have done that normally, but he had no choice because of the urgency of the matter. m! m! He knocked on the door with his fist to urge them to open it once he reached the audience chamber. Roenn opened the door before the loud sound finished echoing through the floor. ¡°The master of the Shadow Agents?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an emergency. Is the head of house¡­?¡± ¡°He¡¯s inside. Please enter.¡± Roenn nodded and opened the door. ¡°Thank you.¡± The Shadow Agents master entered quickly after thanking him. Glenn Zieghart was looking down on the lord¡¯s manor¡ªor, rather, the entire world¡ªwhile sitting on his throne on the tform. ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± The Shadow Agents master knelt on the ground with trembling lips. Since he had only recently be a master of the Shadow Agents, he was extremely nervous whenever he faced Glenn¡¯s powerful pressure. ¡°What is wrong?¡± He asked him to go straight into business, as he¡¯d heard his conversation with Roenn before he entered. ¡°The Light Wind Squad has shed against the South-North Union at the Gazel River.¡± ¡°sh?¡± ¡°The Light Wind¡¯s third team leader, Burren, has reported in at a branch. They shed against Tyler, the disciple of the South-North Union¡¯s leader.¡± The Shadow Agents master took out a document from his inner pocket. ¡°What happened with the Blue Lughs was¡­¡± He told Glenn what happened in Doran Vige and at the Gazel River while looking at the document he had personallypiled based on Burren¡¯s story. ¡°How serious is Rimmer¡¯s injury?¡± ¡°The fight itself hardly gave him any injuries, but his energy center and mana circuits were heavily damaged from the recoil of increasing his output beyond his limits. Even though he¡¯s probably not going to die any time soon, his lifespan has decreased, and he might never be able to use aura ever again¡­¡± The Shadow Agents master bit his lip, as if it were his mistake. ¡°Seriously, that idiot¡­ Rimmer¡­¡± Glenn frowned. ¡°He wasn¡¯t even facing the union¡¯s leader. He¡¯s still so weak, copsing after taking three hits from the Axe King. ¡° The Heavenly de division leader clicked her tongue. She¡¯s been listening to them while leaning her back towards a pir. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The eyes of the Shadow Agents master turned round. ¡®Wh-What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Rimmer was one of Glenn¡¯s closest subordinates, yet the news about his injury didn¡¯t create any reaction from Glenn and Sheryl. She actually sounded like she wasughing at him instead of worrying about him. ¡°Is Burren still at the branch?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s been on standby. And¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°He requested an elixir to save the Light Wind squad leader. And if there¡¯s any problem¡­¡± The Shadow Agents master took out a golden tablet from his inner pocket. ¡°He asked to use this golden tablet to give him an elixir capable of recovering an energy center or mana circuit.¡± ¡°What is that golden tablet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Raon Zieghart¡¯s tablet, the vice leader of Light Wind squad. It was sent through transmission.¡± He swallowed nervously while holding the golden tablet tightly. ¡°Even though Rimmer is the leader of his squad, he decided to use his golden tablet without any hesitation. The vice squad leader Raon truly deserves his nickname, the Sword of Valor. I¡¯m impressed.¡± He was honestly bbergasted when the golden tablet had arrived through transmission. ¡°Ahemm¡­¡± Glenn covered his mouth with his hand upon hearing that it was Raon¡¯s tablet. His eyes, which were turning slightly round, must¡¯ve been a result of trying to suppress his smile. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Sheryl and Roenn smiled in satisfaction while watching Glenn¡¯s expression. ¡®Wh-What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Is Sir Glenn really smiling? He¡¯d lived in Zieghart his entire life, but he¡¯d never seen Glenn Zieghart¡¯s smile before. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was smiling from an incident like that. ¡°The golden tablet is unnecessary.¡± Glenn snapped his fingers and the space opened up in the shape of a plus sign. A rectangr wooden box came out of the dimension that was filled with golden mes. ¡°This is the Tear of Shetty. It is extremely effective at stabilizing damaged mana circuits. Send this and the golden tablet back to him.¡± Glenn waved his hand and the wooden box slowly floated and fell into the Shadow Agents¡¯ hand. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s another serious matter besides the Light Wind squad leader getting injured.¡± ¡°A serious matter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Shadow Agents master nodded. He¡¯d only said one of the two issues because he figured it would be better to focus on one before dealing with the other. ¡°At the end of the incident, the Axe King from the Misfortune¡­¡± He told Glenn about Raon promising to fight the Axe King to the death in three years. ¡°In my opinion, we need to talk to the South-North Union¡¯s leader¡­ Ack!¡± The Shadow Agents master swallowed nervously and interrupted himself. Actually, it was more correct to say that he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence because of the terrifying pressure bursting from the top of the tform, capable of crushing the entire world. ¡°Shadow Agents master.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± He barely managed to answer by mustering all of his power. ¡°Did you determine the location of the South-North Union?¡± ¡°W-We have a rough estimation. With a little bit more time, we can¡­¡± ¡°Keep investigating it to determine the exact location. Heavenly de division leader.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes and turned his head. ¡°Can you attack the South-North Union?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sheryl bowed without any hesitation. Her eyes were burning with anger, despite the way she wasughing at Rimmer a moment ago. ¡°I¡¯ll shred all of those shabby bandits to pieces.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the Union¡¯s leader. I need to cut his hand off before anything, since he didn¡¯t properly teach his subordinate.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll cut off the Axe King¡¯s head. He dared to target someone he shouldn¡¯t have, after all.¡± Glenn and Sheryl smiled towards each other, burning fiercely with murderous intent. They looked like they would start attacking the South-North Union at any time. Rumble! The powerful pressure surging from them created a tremor in the audience chamber. ¡®Wh-What is wrong with these people?!¡¯ The Shadow Agents master¡¯s teeth ttered. ¡®This is a war! A war!¡¯ It was not a game! Moreover, the opponent wasn¡¯t some random group¡ªthey were the South-North Union from the Five Demons, who were rumored to be the strongest in the mountains and rivers. The two most influential people in Zieghart suddenly intended to dere war in the South-North Union¡¯s headquarters. ¡®A-Are they insane?¡¯ It was apletely different reaction from when she hadughed at the squad leader Rimmer, calling him incapable of killing a mere Axe King. The difference was enough to make Rimmer wake up from hisa toin. ¡°P-Please think about it before¡­¡± ¡°You are both too excited. Please calm down for now.¡± As he was trying to stop them, Roenn stepped up before him. ¡°H-He is right. We need to be calm.¡± The Shadow Agents master immediately nodded. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ He figured he could support Roenn¡¯s argument to stop them, since he was the only one maintaining his calm. ¡°As far as I know, young master Raon has always gotten stronger whenever he ovees a crisis. Since he has three years this time, I¡¯m sure he will grow up splendidly.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Shadow Agents master¡¯s eyes widened as he turned his head towards Roenn. ¡®H-He¡¯s the same!¡¯ Roenn wasn¡¯t trying to stop the war. He was just suggesting that they leave them alone to help Raon¡¯s growth. ¡°But the Axe King is a Grandmaster. It can¡¯t bepared to the crises he had before, as it¡¯s impossible for Raon to be a Grandmaster in three years.¡± Sheryl slowly shook her head. ¡°I agree with that, but I¡¯m sure it will allow him to grow up a lot in those three years. And if the worstes to worse¡­¡± The Shadow Agents master stared at Roenn¡¯s mouth while clenching his fist. He was hoping that he wouldn¡¯t suggest anything ridiculous like a war, but what Roenn ended up saying was beyond his imagination. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him. One night is enough for an Axe King, after all.¡± He gestured with his hand to cut his neck. ¡°What? But I want to kill the Axe King myself.¡± ¡°Haha! It¡¯s faster and easier to assassinate him. The Heavenly de division leader can take care of the aftermath.¡± ¡°I guess our casualties will be drastically reduced if we attack the South-North Union after killing the Axe King. I¡¯ll be the vanguard.¡± Sheryl nodded while licking her lips. ¡°Not bad.¡± Glenn nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Huhu.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The Shadow Agents master¡¯s teeth ttered as he observed Glenn, Sheryl, and Roenn¡¯s scary smiles. ¡®Wh-What¡¯s wrong with them!? I¡¯m scared!¡¯ Chapter 259 Chad, the master of Shadow Agents, ran to the highest floor of the Shadow Agents office building as soon as he left the lord¡¯s manor. The entirety of Zieghart¡¯s main building could be seen from the luxurious office room, and a middle-aged woman¡ªher long white hair tied back neatly¡ªwas reading a small book the size of her hand through her round sses. ¡°Master!¡± Chad shoved his face towards the white-haired woman. ¡°Get away from me, I¡¯m not curious about your face.¡± The middle-aged woman pushed Chad¡¯s face away without taking her eyes off of the book. ¡°And you are the master now, not me. How long are you nning to call me master?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true. It just happened because I was too panicked.¡± Chad blushed and hung his head. ¡°Let me correct myself. Lady Alissa.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She looked at Chad for the first time as he called her by her name. ¡°We are in big trouble!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a serious matter since it managed to make you panic. However¡­¡± Alissa sighed and closed her book. ¡°Like I mentioned earlier, you are the master of the Shadow Agents now, not me, and you are the one who needs to make the decisions. You are never going to grow up if you keep asking me for advice and act ording to it.¡± She patted Chad¡¯s shoulder like a grandmother admonishing her grandson. ¡°I-I know, but¡­¡± ¡°Then this talk is over. You should leave now, since the previous master of the Shadow Agents likes to idle around here.¡± She shook her hand while saying that he should stop bothering a retired person. ¡°War!¡± Chad shouted. ¡°The head of house is trying to dere a war!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Alissa dropped her book. She was apparently not expecting that. ¡°He¡¯s trying to dere a war? Right now?¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s not doing it right now, but in three years.¡± ¡°Haa, go ahead and exin.¡± Alissa took off her sses and turned around. Even though that was all she did, the atmosphere around her changedpletely. The gentle middle-aged woman wasn¡¯t there anymore. The person looking at Chad was the gant woman who single handedly controlled the Shadow Agents running all around the continent. ¡°The Light Wind squad¡­¡± Chad told her about the incidents that happened at the Gazel River and in the Lord¡¯s manor. ¡°I think those three really cherish Raon Zieghart. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s simply because of his excellent talents, because it feels like they really consider him something special¡­¡± ¡°Huhu!¡± Alissa smiled gently at Chad. ¡°I-It¡¯s not funny! The war is really going to happen!¡± ¡°You are still too immature.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are mistaken about them.¡± She shook her hand and leaned back in her chair. ¡°The head of house is a lot more coldhearted than he looks. His objective always takes precedence over his children. His heartless gaze and pressure were the exact same as before when I saw himst time, so I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re smoking.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true! He¡¯s trying to erase the entire South-North Union for Raon¡¯s sake!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not for Raon¡¯s sake.¡± Alissaughed. ¡°But it¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°You know who I am, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Tell me who I am.¡± ¡°You are Alissa the white hawk, the queen of information who has always guided Zieghart to victory!¡± Chad straightened his back and shouted Alissa¡¯s nickname. It looked like he must¡¯ve done that many times before. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Alissa. Do you not trust me?¡± She wasn¡¯t talking like a gentle old woman anymore. It was how she used to talk when she was young. ¡°The reason the head of house, the Heavenly de division leader, and Sir Roenn are angry is the same. It¡¯s because the South-North Union scums didn¡¯t know their ce and dared to try trespassing into our domain. They were just annoyed because Zieghart¡¯s name has been disrespected.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s what I thought in the beginning, but they are giving Raon special treatment¡­¡± ¡°Tsk, who am I again?¡± Alissa frowned and licked her lips. ¡°The queen of information! Alissa the white hawk!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Alissa. Who do you think spent more time with the head of house? You or me?¡± ¡°The white hawk Alissa spent more time with him!¡± ¡°Then who is correct in this case?¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve normally said that Lady Alissa is correct, but this is really¡­¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± ¡°The white hawk Alissa is correct!¡± Chad closed his eyes tightly and bowed. ¡®But it¡¯s really different.¡¯ Glenn, Sheryl, and Roenn¡¯s anger didn¡¯t simplye from the enemies trespassing into their domain. The terrifying atmosphere they had was exactly like the parents whose cherished child was beaten up by someone else. They really looked like they wouldpletely annihte the South-North Union, but Alissa was unable toprehend that. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°But they lookedpletely disinterested in what happened to Sir Rimmer. Yet, they started getting angry as soon as I told them about what happened to Raon¡­¡± ¡°Haa, Chad. Come on.¡± Alissa sighed. She wasmenting Chad¡¯sck of insight. ¡°It¡¯s not just the head of house. The Heavenly de division leader is also extremely coldhearted. Even though they got close from doing a mission together, she¡¯s not the type of person who would say that she would take the vanguard just because of that.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°And the case with Sir Roenn is even worse. He hasn¡¯t assassinated anyone for decades now. And yet, you¡¯re telling me that he volunteered for an assassination because of Raon. How do you think that makes any sense?¡± ¡°But Raon¡¯s information has always gone straight to the lord¡¯s manor¡­¡± ¡°Of course they would be interested in Raon. He is the youngest Master, after all, and he has excellent talents. However, it simply doesn¡¯t make any sense for them to dere a war because of that boy. Just use yourmon sense!¡± She shook her hand while saying that it waspletely impossible. ¡°Kuh!¡± Chad tried to suppress his groan. ¡®Common sense.¡¯ Indeed,mon sense was telling him it was impossible. There was no way they could dere war just because Raon was offended. However, it was actually happening, no matter how ridiculous that was. ¡°Do you finally understand?¡± ¡°But they are really¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, you bastard¡­¡± ¡°No! Alissa the white hawk is correct!¡± Alissa red at him, and Chad just nodded his head. ¡°War doesn¡¯t break out so easily. And Zieghart is especially unlikely to move.¡± ¡°Is it because of the mediators?¡± ¡°They are one of the reasons.¡± Alissa nodded. ¡°Anyway, war isn¡¯t going to happen because the South-North Union is going to stay low.¡± ¡°What do you mean by them staying low¡­?¡± ¡°If you think about it, they should be trying to pressure us by now because of Tyler¡¯s death, yet they haven¡¯t done anything. They are staying silent because they are afraid of us.¡± ¡°I know that much.¡± Chad nodded. Zieghart was capable ofpletely destroying the South-North Union if they decided to. However, they were bound to take heavy damage in return, since the South-North Union is one of the Five Demons. ¡°Damage? We will suffer a pretty big loss indeed. However, it¡¯s not as bad as you think.¡± ¡°What? But¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever told you about how powerful our upper echelon is.¡± Alissa decided to take that opportunity to tell him about them and smiled faintly. ¡°Sir Roenn mentioned that he only needed one night to assassinate the Axe King Roman, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°He was exaggerating.¡± ¡°Of course. I know he wa¡­¡± ¡°But he can do it for sure in about four days. Lady Sheryl must¡¯ve also been exaggerating. However, the head of house is different.¡± She pointed at the ceiling, or rather the sky above it with a frightening smile on her face. ¡°The South-North Union will be annihted if the head of house decides to act.¡± * * * * * * Raon returned to Doran Vige after buying whatever Rimmer would need from a city nearby. Light Wind¡¯s second team and the vigers greeted him with a smile, which was a relief since it meant that nothing bad happened in the meantime. ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan jumped down from the tower and ran up to him. Her unfocused eyes were even more nk than usual. ¡®She must¡¯ve worked hard.¡¯ Considering the way her eyes were shaking like a tidal wave, she must¡¯ve been mentally exhausted. ¡°Did you find it?¡± ¡°Yes. Good job on guarding this ce.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raon praised her, and an extremely small smile appeared on her face. She started nodding, then suddenly copsed. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon caught Runaan and examined her condition right away. He couldn¡¯t feel anything like an injury. She must¡¯ve been simply exhausted from spending stamina and aura beyond her limits. ¡°Runaan?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t sleep at all.¡± The second team¡¯s vice leader, Ebby, walked up to him and sighed. ¡°She hasn¡¯t slept since you left the vige, she just kept guarding this ce.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon smiled while watching Runaan purr like a kitten. ¡®I wasn¡¯t asking her to strain herself so much.¡¯ Even though he said that protecting the vige was an important task, he didn¡¯t expect her to go as far as skipping sleep to stand guard. He patted her back lightly, as he felt thankful to and sorry for her at the same time. ¡°How about the squad leader?¡± ¡°He hasn''t woken up yet. He¡¯s in the exact same condition as before. It didn¡¯t get worse, nor did it get better.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll take Runaan to bed before I go.¡± Raon ced Runaan on the bed inside her lodging before checking on Rimmer. Just like Ebby said, his condition was exactly the same as when he copsed. ¡®This isn''t good.¡¯ Because he was staying in the worst condition, where his energy center was at the brink of destruction and his mana circuit was narrowed down to the extreme, his lifespan must¡¯ve been continuously decreasing. Since it was necessary to wake him up before starting the treatment, Raon had to inject vitality to his body through aura. Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to massage Rimmer¡¯s body and went outside. Martha and the first team were already back. ¡°I thought you would be back before me.¡± Martha walked up to him with a frown on her forehead. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t find anything. We¡¯ve searched two cities from top to bottom, but there was no elixir that could help him.¡± She sighed, saying that it was so damn rare. ¡°On the other hand, we managed to find an artifact that can reduce the stimulus on the energy center and mana circuits. It should be at least helpful to that loser.¡± Martha took out a golden bracelet. Therge amount of energy he could feel from it implied that it was an outstanding artifact. It must¡¯ve been at least a unique grade. Raon nodded while epting the bracelet. ¡°Good job.¡± Such an artifact must¡¯ve been difficult to find. The way she was talking suggested that it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but she must¡¯ve worked really hard for it. ¡°Good job, my ass.¡± Martha snorted and turned her head slightly. ¡°How did it go for you?¡± ¡°I managed to find it.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha sighed deeply as she sank to the ground. ¡°What a welief.¡± She said it with her mouth poking out slightly. Her pronunciation was a bit strange, probably because the tension left her tongue. ¡°We?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You just said welief¡­¡± ¡°I-I never said that!¡± ¡°You heard her too, right?¡± ¡°Sh-Shut up!¡± Martha shook her head violently in denial before running into the vige. ¡°Are you going to the lodgwing?¡± ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± Her face waspletely red as she raised her fist. She ran straight to her lodging after that. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the team leader being so cute before.¡± ¡°She said welief¡­¡± ¡°She does speak like that sometimes.¡± The first team¡¯s members burst intoughter at Martha¡¯s behavior. They all looked relieved that Rimmer could be saved. You have an extreme talent for making fun of others. Wrath licked his lips. Won¡¯t you try bing the demon king of mockery? I¡¯m sure the people in Devildom will have a st. He bbered that Raon should definitely visit Devildom with himter so that the other demons could learn what a real fiend was. * * * That evening, Burren reached the vige. His hand was cradling the elixir that the head of house gave him. ¡°I got this one for now, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s going to be enough.¡± He sighed while giving him the elixir and the golden tablet. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve also managed to get the cure.¡± ¡°Y-You got the cure?¡± ¡°Did you really go to the dungeon to obtain that?¡± ¡°It was seriously amazing!¡± Dorian came forward as he responded instead of Raon, opening his hands. ¡°We met Sir Lohengreen, who turned into a ghost, and even fought an apostle!¡± ¡°A-Apostle?¡± ¡°The apostle from White Blood Religion?¡± Since Raon only said that he got the elixir as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, everyone¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I can tell you now since everyone¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Let me tell them!¡± Dorian was panting like a puppy in front of food. He apparently wanted to tell them about what happened in the dungeon. ¡°Okay.¡± Raon nodded and Dorian stood in front of the Light Wind members with a bright smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll start with how we found the dungeon. We¡­¡± Dorian told everyone about his experience in the dungeon, not missing a single detail. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°The fourth apostle¡­ I-Isn¡¯t he an intermediate Master?¡± ¡°I-Is it even possible to y an apostle in three strikes?¡± ¡°Are you a Grandmaster or something?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy. Really crazy!¡± The Light Wind members couldn¡¯t close their mouths for a while after hearing that he killed the apostle in three strikes. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how we managed to get Sir Lohengreen¡¯s legacy, thanks to his generosity. H-He was slightly scary, but he was a kindhearted person.¡± Dorian sniffled, saying that he missed him. It was funny that he could say that after never letting go of that white wood desk until the end. ¡°That sounds even more mysterious to me than the way he slew the apostle.¡± ¡°I know, right? Howe even a ghost is helping him?¡± ¡°I guess everything goes well for him.¡± The Light Wind members gasped, surprised at how he managed to obtain all of Lohengreen¡¯s legacy. ¡°So it¡¯s possible to save the squad leader with the elixir you obtained there, right?¡± Burren was unable to breathe when he heard Raon slew the apostle, but he finally managed to recover and asked his question. ¡°Yes. It should return him to his previous state, at least.¡± ¡°Haa, I finally feel relieved.¡± Burren let out a sigh of relief, a small smile on his face. It was when Raon was about to talk about the artificial energy center that Martha, who had been staying by Rimmer¡¯s side, shouted. ¡°He woke up!¡± ¡°Did the squad leader wake up?¡± Everyone immediately ran into the lodging. ¡°Umm¡­¡± When they entered the room, Rimmer was raising himself up while faltering. His pale face and rough breathing werepletely different from how he usually looked. ¡°Why do you look so serious? Did I wake up a little bitte?¡± He smiled faintly, trying to pretend it was nothing once again¡ªbut he couldn¡¯t stop his eyebrows from trembling because of the pain. ¡°Everyone knows.¡± Raon sat in front of Rimmer and shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to lie anymore.¡± ¡°What lie? It¡¯s not that bad. I¡¯ll be better once I return and have a good slee¡­¡± ¡°I told you, everyone knows.¡± Raon held Rimmer¡¯s trembling shoulders. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed, lying down once again. ¡°Damn it! I wanted to be a perfect and handsome squad leader for you guys! But what¡¯s this poor state I¡¯m in now?¡± He kicked and screamed like a kid, saying that he didn¡¯t want them to see him in such an ugly state. ¡°But you¡¯ve always behaved in an unsightly manner in front of us¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The only thing I learned from him is that I shouldn¡¯t live like him.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan tilted their heads at Rimmer¡¯s nonsense. ¡°You are killing me a second time with your words. You are hurting my feelings, and it¡¯s even worse than my body. Kuh!¡± Rimmer stood up while grasping his chest. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m fine! I¡¯ll recover once I sleep to my heart¡¯s content after we return.¡± He was trying to scoff it off as nothing, and Raon ced the golden bracelet that Martha brought, the Tear of Shetty that Burren got from the head of house, and the Elixir of Eternal Flow that Raon had obtained in the dungeon in front of Rimmer one after the other. ¡°What are those things?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve found these for you.¡± Raon briefly exined what happened up to that point. ¡°So you went to the branch without even resting, searched two whole cities, and guarded me without sleeping? And¡­¡± Rimmer looked at Burren, Martha, and Runaan, then finally reached Raon. ¡°You even defeated an apostle to bring back Lohengreen¡¯s legacy¡­¡± He lowered his head while biting his lip. It looked like he was getting overwhelmed with emotions. ¡°It¡¯s really embarrassing. I¡¯ve never felt this way before in my life. I¡¯m happy but embarrassed at the same time. Even though my heart feels so warm, I can¡¯t raise my head.¡± Rimmer¡¯s voice was quivering. His emotions seemed to be going out of control. ¡°Since you¡¯ve always helped us, it¡¯s not strange for us to help you in return.¡± Raon smiled faintly while watching Rimmer act embarrassed. ¡®He really helped me countless times.¡¯ Rimmer gave him countless pieces of advice and helped him when he was learning basic techniques, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and various swordsmanships and footworks. Since he had even saved his life multiple times in the past and even taught him about human emotions, Raon felt like what he¡¯d done for him was far from being enough to repay the favor. ¡°Squad leader. You have to decide now.¡± ¡°Decide?¡± ¡°If you take the Tear of Shetty and the Elixir of Eternal Flow, they should recover your mana circuits and you should be able to return to your previous condition. However, something like this is going to happen again if you overexert yourself like when you fought against Roman.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°However¡­¡± Raon took the artificial energy center from his inner pocket and ced it in front of Rimmer. ¡°If you destroy your own energy center and use this artificial energy center instead, you should be able to return to how you used to be when you were Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light, before your energy center was damaged. It will take lots of practice, though, and you will have to gather your aura all over again.¡± ¡°A-Artificial energy center¡­¡± ¡°You should decide for yourself which one you want.¡± Raon pushed the elixir and artificial energy center towards Rimmer. Rimmer clenched his fist after looking at the artificial energy center and the elixir one after the other with trembling eyes. ¡°I¡­¡± Chapter 260 Rimmer swallowed nervously while looking at the artificial energy center, the two elixirs, and the bracelet artifact. ¡®An artificial energy center and elixirs that can recover the mana circuits¡­ Can I return to how I used to be in the past if I use those?¡¯ His heart started pounding once he imagined fixing his energy center, where the aura was leaking like water from a bottomless pot, and his mana circuit that was giving him stabbing pains whenever he tried to use the aura. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± However, he couldn¡¯t easily take them. It wasn¡¯t because he doubted whether he could return to the past or not, but because he felt like he didn¡¯t deserve the artificial energy center and the elixirs. ¡®The elixir from the head of house must¡¯ve been reserved for me.¡¯ The Tear of Shetty that Burren received from the branch must¡¯ve been prepared in advance by Glenn. He didn¡¯t mind taking that one, since it was meant for him to begin with. ¡®However.¡¯ Rimmer sighed faintly, looking at the artificial energy center and the Elixir of Eternal Flow. ¡®Those two are different.¡¯ Raon risked his life in a dungeon in order to obtain the artificial energy center and the Elixir of Eternal Flow. He couldn¡¯t easily take them because there was one more person in Zieghart who could use them. ¡®This guy¡­¡¯ Rimmer slowly raised his head to look at Raon. Heughed bitterly upon facing his red eyes, as unwavering as the moon in the middle of the night sky. ¡®Is he testing me or something?¡¯ Raon¡¯s mother Sylvia also had a broken energy center and mana circuits. She would be able to obtain a new life if he gave those to her, so he couldn¡¯t understand why he was giving them to him. ¡®No, regardless of that¡­¡¯ Rimmer closed his eyes. He chuckled while thinking about the Light Wind swordsmen, who he was familiar enough with to read all their thoughts and emotions just from looking at their eyes. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to protect them if I have to start all over.¡¯ Recovering his previous might by using the artificial energy center was definitely a great thing. He could feel the pounding of his heart from the anticipation as he thought about it. However, it required a lot of time to recover his might. Even though he was an extremely powerful warrior himself, umting the aura all over again was an entirely different matter. Rimmer slowly opened his eyes. He smiled faintly while looking at his students one after the other, all of whom looked exactly like how he imagined a moment ago. ¡®I can¡¯t betray the ones who trust me and follow me.¡¯ It was regrettable for sure, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. He didn¡¯t want to entrust them to someone else yet. ¡®Just a little bit longer.¡¯ He wanted to stay by their side just a tiny bit longer if he could. He wanted to watch Runaan¡¯s bright smile, Burren gaining Karoon¡¯s acknowledgment, and Martha finishing her revenge to regain her mental security. And¡­ In the end, he met Raon¡¯s eyes, which were glowing as calmly as before. ¡®I want to watch him be Zieghart¡¯s king.¡¯ It was probably impossible, though. Rimmer made his decision while looking at Raon¡¯s gaze. It might have been different if no one else needed it, but since that wasn¡¯t the case, he thought it was better for everyone to back down. ¡°The hell? It¡¯s going to take forever to umte the aura all over again! That sounds so annoying, I won¡¯t do it! I¡¯m just taking the elixir.¡± He refused, and violently shook his head. ¡°Instead, let¡¯s sell this artificial energy center and the other elixir to the auction and split it fifty-fifty between u¡­¡± Rimmer giggled, and when he extended his hand to grab the elixir, Raon caught his wrist. ¡°R-Raon?¡± ¡°Is that really your decision, squad leader?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking whether that decision reallyes from the bottom of your heart or not.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer couldn¡¯t respond because Raon¡¯s red eyes felt like he was reading straight into his soul. * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while holding Rimmer¡¯s wrist. ¡®I knew he would answer like that.¡¯ Raon had considered how Rimmer would react on his way back to Doran Vige. Despite his carefree appearance, he was actually more serious than anyone on the inside. Since Raon was aware of that fact, it was obvious how he would react. ¡®He¡¯s only going to take the elixir to recover his mana circuit, all so that he can protect us.¡¯ It was bound to take a pretty long time to recover his previous might after using the artificial energy center. Since the Light Wind squad wouldn¡¯t be able to fight without him for such a long time, he must¡¯ve been trying to only take the elixir to recover his mana circuits. ¡®And he must¡¯ve also remembered my mother.¡¯ Sylvia¡¯s energy center was also broken. Rimmer must¡¯ve backed down so that she could use the artificial energy center and the elixir instead. However, Rimmer was wrong on both ounts. ¡°R-Raon? I¡¯m a patient¡­¡± Rimmer frowned while pointing at his wrist, which was turning red from his grip. ¡°Are you really choosing the elixir?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m pretty old, you know? It¡¯s going to take forever to umte my aura. It¡¯s so annoying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the reason.¡± Raon shook his head without releasing Rimmer¡¯s wrist. ¡°There are two reasons, right?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened as Raon mentioned there being two reasons. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the first reason. Those two items can¡¯t fix my mother¡¯s condition.¡± ¡°What are you mea¡­¡± ¡°The artificial energy center should be able to rece her broken energy center, but the Elixir of Eternal Flow isn¡¯t enough to recover her mana circuits.¡± If Rimmer¡¯s mana circuits could bepared to a torn and dry hose from overexertion, Sylvia¡¯s mana circuits were a hose that waspletely cut apart with scissors. Water simply could not circte through such a hose. Even though the Elixir of Eternal Flow could recover the condition of the mana circuits, it couldn¡¯t reconnect Sylvia¡¯s severed mana circuits. ¡®It¡¯s not good enough yet.¡¯ In order to reconnect her mana circuits, it was necessary to improve the elixir by telling the Saint how to produce it. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°And the second reason.¡± Raon released Rimmer¡¯s wrist, then pointed at the Light Wind members behind him. ¡°We are strong. No, we will be strong enough that we won¡¯t lose to anyone. We will be waiting for you, so you should follow your heart, squad leader.¡± Rimmer was a warrior, and he had reached the highest level as a swordsman. Since it was impossible to reach such a height unless he loved swinging his sword, he must¡¯ve desired the recovery of his energy center. He was just holding back for the Light Wind¡¯s sake and because he wanted Sylvia to recover instead of him. ¡°H-He¡¯s right. We can wait!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you always try to back down that you keep losing when gambling.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan nodded. They must¡¯ve also realized Rimmer¡¯s intentions. ¡°Squad leader! Aren¡¯t you underestimating us too much?¡± ¡°Please recoverpletely ande back, since we will be waiting!¡± ¡°Squad leader, you are the one who gathered all of us together. You have to believe in us!¡± The Light Wind members waved their fists and shouted, asking him to believe in them. ¡°Your Sword Field Creation.¡± Raon looked straight into Rimmer¡¯s eyes while scratching the ground with his hand. ¡°You told me before that you created that technique in order to fight against powerful opponents without straining your energy center, right?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°But you have to use your vitality to fuel that sword field. Moreover, it even reduces your lifespan.¡± ¡°H-How did you realiz¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips were shivering. ¡°We don¡¯t want to see our squad leader make such a sacrifice.¡± Raon clenched his teeth, while meeting Rimmer¡¯s wavering green eyes. ¡°We want you to live properly.¡± ¡°Squad leader!¡± The Light Wind members behind Raon agreed with him as they bowed to Rimmer. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Rimmerughed bitterly while covering his eyes with his hand. His shoulders moved up and down for a while before he finally spoke. ¡°Can you really endure without me?¡± ¡°Of course we can.¡± Raon nodded firmly. ¡®I won¡¯t allow anyone to die.¡¯ No matter what. Light Wind squad was his second family, with the first being the annex building. He was determined to keep everyone alive, even if he had to give up everything he had. ¡°Alright. A teacher needs to believe in their students, I guess.¡± Rimmer called them his students, which he hadn¡¯t done in a long time, and lowered the hand that was covering his eyes. A clear glow was radiating from his green eyes, which resembled a leaf. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take both the artificial energy center and the elixirs¡­¡± When he extended his hand to grab them, Raon took the artificial energy center before him. ¡°Eek?¡± Rimmer dropped his jaw upon realizing that he had only caught the air. ¡°Wh-Why would you do that now¡­?¡° ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you, but we need to first confirm whether this artificial energy center can be duplicated or not beforehand.¡± It wasn¡¯t very likely considering what Lohengreen had said, but he wanted to check just in case. ¡°Since Lady Encia is soon going to visit Zieghart, I¡¯ll ask her about it before giving it to you. You should equip the bracelet and use the Tear of Shetty to improve your mana circuits¡¯ condition first.¡± Raon returned the artificial energy center to his inner pocket after saying that. ¡°Y-You should¡¯ve given it to meter if that was your n! Why would you take it away when I was so ready to use it?¡± ¡°I just realized that it¡¯s safer to use it after we return to the house. And I figured that it¡¯s better to check about the artificial energy center before using it too.¡± ¡°God damn it! You should give it to me right now! I was so excited! I was looking forward to it so much!¡± Rimmer floundered around on the ground like a kid, telling him to do something about his mood. Hmm! Wrath nodded in acknowledgment from the top of Raon¡¯s shoulder. That was a nice way of making fun of him, as expected of the King of Mockery! I knew you were better suited to be in Devildo¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not!¡¯ * * * * * * Raon helped Rimmer recover his mana circuits after taking the Tear of Shetty before climbing the tower located at the center of the vige. The tower wasn¡¯t that high as he watched over Doran Vige, and it waspletely peaceful. People¡¯s faces were brimming with smiles, and their conversations were full of kindness and hope. He felt relieved that he managed to protect their smiles and kindness. ¡®I was lucky.¡¯ It was a close call once again. The encounter with Flumen allowed him to discover Tyler¡¯s true character, Rimmer¡¯s protection allowed him to survive the encounter with the Axe King Roman, and Lohengreen being Wrath¡¯s servant allowed him to bring back the artificial energy center and the Elixir of Eternal Flow. There wasn¡¯t actually much that he did by himself. ¡®The fights in the future shouldn¡¯t be this way.¡¯ He felt fear upon encountering the Axe King Roman. It wasn¡¯t afraid of his own death, but the death of the others. He was so scared that the Light Wind squad might die, since they were his family andpanions at the same time, that his excellent teacher Rimmer might die even though he acted like an immature brat, and that Flumen might die when he could finally get along with his tribe. It was a relief that Roman could be convinced to leave. If he was facing a Grandmaster from Eden or the White Blood Religion instead, Rimmer would¡¯ve ended up dying and the Light Wind squad most likely would¡¯ve been annihted as well. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. ¡®It¡¯s scary.¡¯ Leading the people was scary. Even though he used to be an officer of the shadows in his previous life, he didn¡¯t really care about hispanions back then. Since he was raised as a hunting dog that didn¡¯t care about his subordinates¡¯ deaths, nor his own death since mission took priority over everything else, fear simply couldn¡¯t exist. However, it was different in his current life. Since he¡¯d been watching the lives of the Light Wind members from right next to them, and because he was aware of what kind of person Rimmer was, he didn¡¯t want to let anyone die. ¡®What I need to do to save everyone is simple. I need to get stronger.¡¯ It was necessary to get stronger even faster, by training and fighting even more intensely than before. ¡°Moreover¡­¡± Raon clenched the hand holding the hilt of his sword. ¡®It¡¯s not just about me. Everyone has to get stronger.¡¯ Just like he told Rimmer before, everyone in the Light Wind needed to get stronger in addition to himself. It was necessary to get strong enough and gain enough experience to be capable of escaping against any opponent in any situation. ¡®The squad leader would¡¯ve been fine after thest incident if we were strong enough.¡¯ Rimmer had to overexert himself because the Light Wind squad was weaker than the South-North Union. If he was capable of winning against Raptor, and the Light Wind squad could defeat the pirates from the Misfortune, Rimmer would¡¯ve never needed to push himself to the limits to drive Roman away. Everything was the Light Wind squad¡¯s fault for being too weak. Raon smiled faintly while looking back at the squad¡¯s lodgings behind him. ¡®You should rest as much as you want while you can.¡¯ ¡®Because I won¡¯t let you sleep once we return.¡¯ Since he was nning to do some excruciating training in order to prepare himself for the duel to the death against the Axe King that was going to happen in three years, he decided to make the Light Wind members train beyond their limits alongside him. ¡®Tempering steel only makes it harder.¡¯ He could only smile, because he could already imagine the Light Wind members crying. ¡®As for him, I¡¯m also going to¡­¡¯ Hmph! As Raon was smiling, Wrath popped out of the ice flower bracelet and snorted. You won¡¯t get stronger just by thinking about it. There would be no weakling in the world if that were the case. ¡®I¡¯m going to do my best.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t matter whether you do your best or not. What you are going to do is the important part. In the King of Essence¡¯s opinion, you and your servants have a clear limit. He pulled his cheeks to lengthen his mouth and giggled. I can see it. I can already see your pathetic appearance as you beg for the King of Essence¡¯s help because there¡¯s no Shitty Ears to help you. It¡¯s as clear as day! Wrath started dancing with his shoulders, saying that he would be able to inject more wrath into him. Your body is soon going to belong to the King of Essence¡­ Whir! Wrath¡¯sughter intensified, and the de of Requiem vibrated violently. ¡°Hmm?¡± Messages appeared in front of Raon¡¯s eyes as soon as he took the de of Requiem¡¯s hilt in hand. [The de of Requiem has purified an enormous amount of bloody energy.] [The de of Requiem offers purified bloody energy.] Energy with extremely high purity rushed into his body like a tidal wave from his left hand, which was the one holding the de. Whir! It was an unprecedented amount of bloody energy. Since the purity was also at the same level as nature''s mana, shivers ran down his spine from absorbing so much energy. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ The purified bloody energy depended on the quality and quantity of the bloody energy that had been absorbed. It was obvious that he was getting an unprecedented quality and quantity of purified bloody energy, since it was the bloody energy of an archbishop and an apostle that he¡¯d defeated and fed to the de of Requiem. Whir! He circted the high purity energies that he received from the de of Requiem through his mana circuits ording to cier and Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s principles, then settled them in his energy center. Even though his energy center had grown even further upon bing a Master, it throbbed violently before he could take in all of the energy. [All stats have increased by 10.] [Trait Adaptation to Ghastly Energy has increased to Four-Stars.] [Trait Backstab has increased to Four-Stars.] Wh-Why is this message here? I mean, why is it here now of all times? Wrath widened his eyes upon seeing the messages. His astonishment could be seen from his trembling eyes. Argh! I¡¯m sure it¡¯s listening to the King of Essence! There¡¯s no way it¡¯s not, considering how it appeared with the worst timing¡­ He shouted, saying that it couldn¡¯t be happening, but it was too early to be surprised. Because there was one more message left. [A new ability has been created in the de of Requiem.] Stooop! Chapter 261 ¡®A new ability!¡¯ Damn it! Raon eximed in contrast to Wrath¡¯s despair as they watched the de of Requiem¡¯s sword resonance. [Ghastly Flow of Mana (One-Star) has been added to the de of Requiem¡¯s traits.] A ck line appeared on the de of Requiem¡¯s edge at the same time as the message appeared. The ck line on the red de looked mysterious and stylish at the same time. Wh-What? No way, it really got¡­ Wrath bit his lip, trying to deny reality. ¡®I should check it out for now.¡¯ Raon checked the trait Ghastly Flow of Mana¡¯s description through the status window. Ghastly Flow of Mana (One-Star) Upon facing a magic, it can insert ghastly energy into the mana¡¯s flow to disturb the magic¡¯s activation. Raon understood what the Ghastly Flow of Mana was about from reading that single line. Magic disruption. It was a crazy trait that could prevent the activation of magic by shoving ghastly energy into a magician¡¯s flow of mana. And that¡­ ¡®Is an improved version of the fourth apostle¡¯s ck sword.¡¯ The magic forcefield ability from the fourth apostle¡¯s ck sword was capable of disrupting a magic that had already activated, while the de of Requiem¡¯s Ghastly Flow of Mana was capable of preventing the activation itself. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ He never imagined that it would obtain an improved version of the ck sword¡¯s ability, since he thought that copying the ck sword¡¯s ability would¡¯ve already been great. He could only gasp at how good that was. ¡®It¡¯s literally broken.¡¯ Unlike swordsmen who rely on their instincts and reactions, a magician¡¯s fight was about precise calction and prediction. The one-time opportunity that erasing the magic would give him could prove fatal to even the high-ranking magicians. Since there were a lot of magicians from the Six Kings and the Five Demons, he was bound to sh against them many times in the future. He unconsciously smiled, realizing that he had just received an ability that would be useful in all future battles against magicians. ¡®Moreover, it can grow even further.¡¯ Considering it had (One-Star) attached to the name, it must¡¯ve been possible to improve it, just like the other traits. ¡®This ability uses bloody energy to develop, right?¡¯ Whir! The de of Requiem¡¯s clear swords resonance sounded like an agreement. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ A possessed de that grows stronger and stronger from absorbing bloody energy was pretty much the White Blood Religion¡¯s worst nightmare. Though, they didn¡¯t have the right toin, since they were reaping what they sowed. Kuuh¡­ Wrath red at the de of Requiem while grinding his teeth in irritation. How dare you attempt to make fun of the King of Essence when you are nothing but an insignificant creature? Unforgivable! Coldness gushed towards the de of Requiem as he said something that some third-rate viins would say. Whir! The de of Requiem created a wall of ghastly energy to fend off Wrath¡¯s coldness. It was nice to see its growth, as it wasn¡¯t capable of doing that before. Raon ignored them as theypeted against each other with ghastly energy and coldness, looking at the message before the one about the Ghastly Flow of Mana. ¡®I got ten whole stats at once¡­¡¯ An apostle¡¯s bloody energy must¡¯ve been on a different dimension from the other White Blood Fanatics, since he got so many stats at once even though part of it was because he was a lot stronger than before. ¡®I also got two rank ups from traits.¡¯ The Adaptation to Ghastly Energy must¡¯ve increased because of the de of Requiem getting stronger after absorbing so much bloody energy, and Backstab must¡¯ve increased because he¡¯d incapacitated the fourth apostle by assassinating him. ¡®This is so efficient.¡¯ The system increased the stats and trait ranks ording to the owner¡¯s actions and achievements. He had to admit that it was a really well made system, even though his other actions were rather questionable. Rumble! He turned around after checking the message. The blue coldness and yellow ghastly energy were still shing against each other. Y-You bastard! Wrath wrinkled his nose, surprised at the fact that he couldn¡¯t easily win against the de of Requiem anymore. Whir! Whiir! Whiiir! The de of Requiem¡¯s sword resonance sounded like music. It must¡¯ve been making fun of Wrath. Kuuh! You little shit! Wrath¡¯s eyes turned red. The King of Essence was just going easy on you! You need a thorough beating to learn your lesson! He started pressuring the de of Requiem by spreading the wrath and coldness he¡¯d been umting. Rumble! Even though the de of Requiem had gotten stronger, it couldn¡¯t win against the wrath from Wrath. The yellow wall of ghastly energy was shattered in no time. I won¡¯t forgive you even if you kneel down and beg¡­ ¡®Stop, both of you.¡¯ Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier to separate Wrath and the de of Requiem. Don¡¯t stop the King of Essence! You saw that the insignificant creature over there started this fight by making fun of the King of Essence! ¡®But you made fun of me before that.¡¯ The King of Essence never did that! ¡®You said that I was obviously going to ask you for help because I wouldn¡¯t be able to surpass the clear limits I had. You even told me that you would obtain my body.¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath widened his mouth. It looked like he finally remembered what he said. ¡°The de of Requiem got angry on my behalf because it considers me as its owner.¡± Whir! The de of Requiem¡¯s faint sword resonance sounded like it was agreeing with Raon. That wasn¡¯t even a big deal. Both the de and its owner are so narrow-minded. ¡°You are the narrow-minded one here.¡± It was such a stupid thing to say, because the mister demon king right there was the pettiest among them all. Whir! The de of Requiem resonated towards Wrath once again. What? You want me to apologize? Seeeeriously? Are you really telling the King of Essence, the monarch of Devildom, to apologize to a mere human? Wrath showed his teeth while fidgeting his round fingers. In Devildom, an insignificant creature like you wouldn¡¯t even be allowed to look at the King of Essence! How dare you¡­ Whir! G-Go back to Devildom if I don¡¯t like it? H-How dare you! Since they couldn¡¯t physically fight against each other anymore, they started fighting with their mouths. It was almost unbearable how childish they were. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed, pulling up the status window since it had been a long time. Status Window Name: Raon Zieghart. Title: ¡®Youngest Sword Master¡¯. State: None Trait: Wrath, Sloth, Ring of Fire (Six-Stars), Water Resistance (Six-Stars), Perception of the Snow Flower (Four-Stars), Ten Thousand mes Cultivation (Five-Stars), cier (Five-Stars), Fire Resistance (Five-Stars), Bleeding Curse (One-Star), Backstab (Four-Stars), Iron Will (Three-Stars), Adaptation to Ghastly Energy (Four-Stars), Focus (Four-Stars), Poison Resistance (One-Star), Evil Eye of Wrath (One-Star), Spiral Power (One-Star), Water Affinity (One-Star). Strength: 225 Agility: 220 Stamina: 223 Energy: 225 Perception: 246 Wrath: 45 Raon gasped in surprise. There were so many traits that he couldn¡¯t even read all of them at a nce, and all his stats exceeded 200. The reason he was able to perfectly analyze Tyler¡¯s attacks and single-handedly defeat the fourth apostle in a surprise attack were because of those stats and traits. Just you wait! You will see how your owner is going to plead to the King of Essence while licking his feet! Whir! Wh-What? I won¡¯t be able to eat delicious food anymore? Hmph! The King of Essence doesn¡¯t care about something like food! H-He doesn¡¯t need it¡­ You stingy bastard! Raon smiled while watching Wrath and the de of Requiem argue with each other. ¡®Did you say that I won¡¯t be able to grow past my limits? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s ever going to happen, thanks to you.¡¯ Raon could ascertain it after checking the status window. Since the giving doormat¡ªoops, the giving Wrath¡ªwas with him, his limit was different from the others. He could keep growing endlessly. ¡°I want to return already to start training with everyone.¡± Raon rolled up the corners of his mouth while saying something that the other Light Wind members would have fainted upon hearing. * * * * * * m! The lodging¡¯s innermost door was mmed open, and Rimmer made his appearance after a week. His green eyes, which used to be distorted from the pain and exhaustion, were filled withziness once again. ¡°Aww, I¡¯m dying.¡± Rimmer shook his head, while massaging his shoulders. ¡°A-Are you okay?¡± Dorian, who was organizing the items in his belly pocket in front of the lodgings, ran up to him upon seeing him. ¡°Do I look okay to you? I seriously almost died.¡± Rimmer shook his head, bobbing his hand at Dorian. ¡°You got beer, right? Take one out for me. I want a cool one¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Raon stopped Dorian, shaking his head. ¡°You should drink soup since this is your first time out in a week. You can¡¯t have any beer.¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m just thirsty¡­¡± ¡°Then drink some water instead. Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon extended his hand to the side, and Dorian took a silver water bottle from his belly pocket and gave it to him. ¡°Squad leader¡­¡± ¡°He must be doing pretty well now, since he wants a beer first thing.¡± Burren shook his head at his pathetic demeanor, and Martha snorted. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Runaan was just dozing off at the lodging¡¯s front yard, with no care for the situation. ¡°Haa, it¡¯s so sad to be a patient.¡± Rimmer sighed, epting the water bottle and slowly drinking the water. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them to prepare the meal, so please wait inside. I¡¯ll be out for a moment.¡± ¡°Huh? Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to visit a friend.¡± ¡°Friend? Aah.¡± Rimmer nodded. He must¡¯ve realized who that was. ¡°Have fun with that, and since I feel like having some fatty food right now, tell them to prepare grilled meats¡­¡± ¡°Sure, soup will be ready for you.¡± ¡°Stop that!¡± Raon went to the kitchen without listening to Rimmer¡¯sints. He asked them to prepare soup for him no matter what before heading to the Gazel River. The river water was so clean that he could even see the patterns on the pebbles. He realized once again that he¡¯d saved that ce, and a smile appeared on his face. While Raon was watching the small fish moving at the bottom of the Gazel River, a green wave gently approached him from afar. Bubbles came up from his right side, and Flumen¡¯s face poked out from below the surface. ¡°R-Raon.¡± Flumen came out to the ground. Raon could see how d he was from his round eyes. ¡°How have you been?¡± Raon smiled and waved his hand. ¡°Yeah.¡± Flumen nodded, then sat on the boulder next to him. ¡°Did your tribe manage to find a new settlement?¡± ¡°Th-There was a decent ce at the upper region of the river.¡± ¡°And are there good ways to escape?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s open in all four directions, and we¡¯ll be able to escape anywhere from there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a nice ce.¡± Raon had given him some advice about the settlement¡¯s terrain just in case someone like Tyler targeted them again, and they seemed to have found a nice ce. ¡°D-Do you want to know?¡± ¡°The settlement¡¯s location?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But I might decide to do something strange to you guys.¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°B-Because you are my friend.¡± Flumen said friend, and tried to read his mood in embarrassment. ¡°I see.¡± Raon chuckled. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯ll be helpful to know. We might have to contact each other in the future, after all.¡± ¡°Yeah. E-Even the chief said that I can tell you about it, Raon.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Raon thought about the Blue Lugh chief, who was at least three times bigger than Flumen as he chanted that strange spell. ¡°Yeah. He also told me that we should definitely repay our debt. And I agree with hi¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his head while looking at Flumen. ¡°Why not? Isn¡¯t it the same with humans? They usually say that the debts have to be repaid.¡± ¡°Because we are friends.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Friends aren¡¯t supposed to be bothered with something like that.¡± ¡®Though, I¡¯m not sure about it either.¡¯ Since Raon didn¡¯t have any friends in his previous life and the Light Wind squad were more like hispanions and family, he didn¡¯t really know what it was like to have a real friend. Hmph. You are just a mosquito or a flea who sucks other people¡¯s blood and money! Wrath popped out from the ice flower bracelet and frowned. ¡®When did I ever do that?¡¯ The King of Essence! You are sucking all his abilities and traits dry! ¡®Ah, that¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon chuckled. Since it wasing from Wrath, he had no choice but to admit it. ¡°Yeah! I see.¡± Flumen nodded with a bright smile on his face. ¡°I-In return, I¡¯ll help you whenever you need help, Raon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two of them smiled, watching the flowing river. ¡°Are you going to leave?¡± Flumen was the first one to open his mouth after watching a leaf flowing on the river. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°D-Does that mean that we won¡¯t be able to see each other again?¡± Flumen¡¯s shoulders drooped down like a wet towel. ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°I told you before that I¡¯ll protect this river under my name. I¡¯ll be back in order to protect the vige and the river. I¡¯ll also want to see my friend.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Flumen gathered his hands and hung his head. ¡°Is there anything Raon wants to do?¡± ¡°Something I want to do, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Raon exhaled softly and stared at the river. ¡°There are a few things I want to do, but they are pretty difficult to achieve. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to do them.¡± The objective with the highest priority was to recover Sylvia¡¯s position, and the second one was to reveal Derus Robert¡¯s true nature to everyone before finishing him off. The first one was difficult to achieve, but the second one was pretty much impossible. He wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to aplish them. ¡°I¡¯ll be stronger and be the chief.¡± ¡°Chief?¡± Raon looked at Flumen because he said he wanted to be the chief out of nowhere. Flumen slowly raised his head, and the determination that could be seen in his blue eyes waspletely different from before. ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to be the chief. I¡¯ll do it to apologize to my tribe for what I¡¯ve done, and to be able to help you, Raon.¡± ¡°Help me?¡± ¡°You said it¡¯s difficult to achieve. I¡¯ll definitely help you, and I¡¯ll get stronger for that purpose.¡± Flumen raised his fists. It seemed he wanted Raon to trust him. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Raon was about to respond that it was unnecessary, but interrupted himself and closed his mouth. ¡®A friend, huh¡­ I heard friends are supposed to be equals.¡¯ From his knowledge, friends were supposed to be in equal positions. Flumen must¡¯ve wanted to help him, just like how he wanted to help Flumen. Regardless of whether he could be really helpful or not, a friend wasn¡¯t supposed to refuse that offer. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon smiled and nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Flumen¡¯s answer was louder than any other time as he smiled. Sniff¡­ Wrath sniffled while looking at Flumen. Even though he¡¯s so young¡­ That¡¯s so nice of him¡­ He bit his lip tightly, saying that it was praiseworthy that he¡¯d made that decision by himself. It was such a mystery that a demon king could be so emotional. You should take good care of him. He¡¯s a nice guy. ¡®I know.¡¯ Kuh, he could¡¯ve been the King of Essence¡¯s servant if he gave him some food, though¡­ Was giving food a necessary condition to bing a servant? When Raon thought about it, Dorian, Runaan, Martha, and Yua had given him crackers, ice cream, beef, and pineapple, respectively. ¡®Hah¡­¡¯ He was speechless from realizing that ridiculous fact. There was no way Wrath wasn¡¯t a demon king of gluttony, or rather the Demon King of Useless Mouths. What¡¯s up? ¡®Nothing.¡¯ Raon simply shook his hand, since he figured Wrath would start rampaging again if he called him the Demon King of Useless Mouths. ¡°Flumen, I went to a magician¡¯s dungeon recently. And what happened there¡­¡± Raon told him about what happened in Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon. Since Flumen was curious by nature, his eyes were sparkling as he listened to him. He told him about the dungeon and other stories, and the sun started to set. What he told him wasn¡¯t really interesting, but he feltfortable just from talking with him. Pity was part of the reason he lent a helping hand to Flumen at first, but he felt like he¡¯d be a real friend. Brrr! They were watching the surface of the river get darker after they finished talking, and bubbles surfaced from the center of the river. ¡°Ah.¡± Flumen raised himself up upon noticing the bubbles. ¡°I-I need to go now. I still need to put things together.¡± He walked towards the river but looked back after every single step. He must¡¯ve really wanted to stay with Raon for a bit longer. ¡°See you again.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Raon raised his hand, and Flumen gave a big nod, to the point where his chin reached his waist. ¡°See you again!¡± He swung his hand like a windmill before disappearing into the river, which started to reflect the moon in the sky. It¡¯s admirable that he can be so bright after experiencing such pain. He was a perfect candidate to be the King of Essence¡¯s servant¡­ Wrath licked his lips in regret. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon figured he would ask Flumen to bring him a fish or something next time. Since Wrath was a doormat by nature, he was bound to help him in the future. Are you going back now? Wrath asked the question while looking at the moon reflected on the river. ¡°Yes. Since the squad leader woke up now.¡± Since Rimmer had recovered decently, and he¡¯d finished telling the people from the branch what to do, it was time to leave. Raon chuckled and turned around. The corners of his lips rolled up as he looked at Doran Vige, which could be seen from afar. ¡°I wonder if everyone¡¯s ready to suffer.¡± Chapter 262 The next day at daybreak, Raon was checking on the Light Wind members as they prepared for departure. Since they¡¯d managed toplete the mission without a single fatality, everyone¡¯s mouths were curved into slight smiles. Though, Runaan and Rimmer were exceptions, since they were too sleepy and their heads¡ªwhich were leaning against a wall¡ªwere bobbing slightly. ¡°Squad leader.¡± Raon went to Rimmer and extended his hand. ¡°D-Do you want money from me? You¡¯ve really be a bully¡­¡± Rimmer shuddered. His eyes were nk because he¡¯d just woken up. ¡°What are you talking about? Show me your wrist.¡± ¡°Why do you want to see my wrist?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to examine your condition.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine though.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t trust you anymore when you say that you are okay.¡± ¡°Haa, seriously¡­¡± He murmured that it was so annoying, but still gave him his wrist. ¡°I¡¯ll finish it quickly.¡± Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to examine Rimmer¡¯s mana circuits. ¡®They became better for sure.¡¯ The mana circuits were reattached. Although his energy center was still broken, the fissured and constrained mana circuits had gotten a lot better. Obviously, it was still going to take a long time until he couldpletely recover to his previous condition, but they shouldn¡¯t disturb his daily life at least. ¡°You really got better.¡± Raon nodded, releasing Rimmer¡¯s wrist. ¡°I told you I was fine.¡± ¡°Our squad leader lies all the time like nothing, even though he always gets demolished when gambling. You should check more thoroughly.¡± Martha wrinkled her nose while watching Rimmer¡¯s grin. ¡°Y-You shouldn¡¯t be talking about me like that. I¡¯m your squad leader, after al¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, since the squad leader has lied so many times before.¡± Burren came next to Martha and nodded. ¡°There was a day back when we were trainees when every single thing he said during the day was a lie.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be more difficult to find him telling the truth.¡± The other Light Wind members also sighed while looking at Rimmer. ¡°I¡¯m so sad right now¡­¡± Rimmer lowered his eyebrows while looking at the Light Wind members. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan was sleeping as soundly as a baby, regardless of all the banter around her. ¡°I have a question before we leave.¡± Raon turned around to meet everyone¡¯s eyes once they got ready to leave. ¡°You were serious when you said you wanted to get stronger one week ago, right?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll focus my life on training from now on!¡± ¡°I can do anything as long as I can get stronger!¡± Since they¡¯dpleted the mission and Rimmer had also recovered, everyone from the Light Wind squad nodded while telling him that they were serious about it. ¡°What a relief.¡± Raon smiled, then looked at Burren. ¡°Burren.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Was it difficult to use footwork until the branch without a single rest in between?¡± ¡°It was difficult. I realized how difficult it was to go all-out with aura for an extended period of time. It wasn¡¯t just difficult, but it was actually painful.¡± ¡°But you must¡¯ve been able to feel your growth after that.¡± ¡°Th-The amount of aura did increase slightly¡­¡± Burren¡¯s eyes were trembling. An unknown insecurity must¡¯ve struck him. ¡°You heard him, right? Burren just proved that the simple action of running while using your aura to the maximum improves aura capacity, endurance, and physical ability. We won¡¯t have many opportunities to train during a mission like this.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Wh-Which means¡­¡± The Light Wind members¡¯ chins were trembling as they watched Raon. ¡°You guessed it right. We will run to Zieghart at full speed, starting from here.¡± Raon gave them a big nod. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Hey, you crazy bastard!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Burren freaked out, while Martha swore at him¡ªwhich she hadn¡¯t done for a while¡ªand Runaan screamed as she woke up from her sleep. ¡°I-It¡¯s impossible! We felt like we were dying from running out of breath, and we were only going to the branchst time!¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m scared¡­¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to die if we do that! Everyone¡¯s going to die!¡± The third team members who ran with Burrenst time were shaking their heads like spinning tops. ¡°I-It¡¯s true that we are going to train, but¡­¡± ¡°Yes, but we¡¯ll do that once we return, after resting a little¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the swordsmen. ¡°You just said that you would focus your life on training. You said that you¡¯d do anything in order to get stronger.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± The Light Wind members¡¯ chins were trembling as they met Raon¡¯s nonchnt gaze. ¡®Uhh¡­ I¡¯m screwed¡­¡¯ ¡®That fiendish bastard!¡¯ ¡®He must¡¯ve asked that question in order to create this situation. I¡¯m sure that was his intention all along!¡¯ Since they had already fallen into Raon¡¯s trap, they realized there was no escape from it. All they could do was bite their lips. ¡°Warm yourselves up first, because we need to run at full speed¡­¡± ¡°W-Wait! Lady Runaan!¡± As Raon was about to instruct them to warm themselves up before starting to run, Krein pointed at Runaan, who¡¯d just woken up. ¡°Lady Runaan didn¡¯t agree to following any kind of training!¡± Krein violently shook his hands, drooling from his mouth, since he wanted to live no matter what. ¡°Hmm.¡± He was pretty sharp. Krein was right about that. Runaan couldn¡¯t answer him because she¡¯d been sleeping until a moment ago. ¡°Lady Runaan!¡± ¡°Please save us!¡± ¡°Runaan! You won¡¯t even be able to sleep anymore!¡± Everyone in the Light Wind squad ran up to Runaan and knelt in front of her. They were screaming that they wanted to return normally at least, even if they had to go through hellish training afterwards. ¡°Sleep¡­¡± Runaan nodded. It looked like the fact that she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep anymore had convinced her. ¡°Raon, I¡­¡± ¡°Runaan.¡± Raon interrupted her before she could refuse. ¡°You areing with us, right? Let¡¯s go to the ice cream shop together once we are done.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Raon bobbed his hand while smiling gently, and Runaan immediately nodded with nk eyes. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s all over.¡± ¡°We are dead¡­¡± Light disappeared from the Light Wind members¡¯ eyes. ¡°Everyone has agreed now. Time to keep your promise. Get ready now.¡± Raon gestured with his chin to urge them to prepare themselves, a frightening smile on his face. ¡°Squad leader!¡± ¡°Please stop him!¡± ¡°We are finally returning after perfectlypleting the mission, so how could this be happening?!¡± The Light Wind members gathered around Rimmer, since he was theirst hope. ¡°R-Raon, since I¡¯m a patient and they¡¯ve justpleted the mission, let¡¯s take it easy¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared a horse for you, squad leader.¡± Raon bobbed his hand, and Belga and Morin brought him a ck horse. They were pretty much Raon¡¯s subordinates at that point. The horse was an excellent breed, with sparkling eyes on his face. Its coat was shining slightly. ¡°Since it has a good pedigree, it should be able to keep running until the next vig¡­¡± ¡°Heave ho!¡± Rimmer mounted the horse before Raon could even finish his sentence. ¡°You guys are way too weak, and no amount of training would be enough! I¡¯ll take the lead, so you shall follow right after!¡± Rimmer was relieved by the fact that he didn¡¯t have to run at least, and ran his horse to the front. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Seriously, that guy!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan reluctantly started to run, and the other Light Wind swordsmen followed them. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Arrrrgh!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Although it was an excellent horse, capable of running at high speed, Rimmer was making it sprint¡ªwhich forced the other swordsmen to run as fast as they could. Uhh! Wrath frowned while looking at Rimmer¡¯s back. That Shitty Ears is truly detestable! He¡¯s so cheeky! ¡®Don¡¯t worry.¡¯ Raon shook his hand with a faint smile on his face. ¡®He¡¯s going to suffer the most after we return.¡¯ * * * * * * It was a strange space, with pirs the color of blood rising on top of the snow white marble. The tenth apostle wasn¡¯t moving in the slightest as he stared at the tform on top of transparent stairs. Shoo! The tenth apostle slowly closed his eyes before opening them again, and a silhouette with a feminine body could be seen from behind the red curtain covering the tform. ¡°Greeting the master.¡± The tenth apostle went down on his knees. She was the only existence that an apostle would bow to, the White Blood¡¯s cult leader. Although the atmosphere around her was as gentle as the spring wind, her appearance was extremely impactful. Even the tenth apostle¡¯s powerful pressure paled in front of her mysterious atmosphere. ¡°You must¡¯ve investigated the fourth apostle¡¯s death.¡± The sweet voice flowing from the tform felt like it could melt the soul. ¡°Yes.¡± The tenth apostle answered without raising his head. ¡°The fourth apostle has been killed by Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Raon? I thought it would be Morell, but Raon Zieghart?¡± She asked again in surprise, even though she¡¯d remained unfazed upon learning about the apostle¡¯s death, who was also her disciple, ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Raon must be that boy who defeated Rudkin, right?¡± Rudkin was the seventh apostle¡¯s name. The cult leader was the only person in the White Blood Religion who was allowed to call an apostle by their name. ¡°I heard he became a Master, so how is he already strong enough to kill Terun?¡± ¡°I also couldn¡¯t believe it at first, but it is true.¡± The tenth apostle softly sighed, while raising his head. ¡®It¡¯s been a really long time since thest time I saw my master¡¯s surprise.¡¯ The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader had realized the fourth apostle¡¯s death the moment he died, but she wasn¡¯t surprised even then. She simply epted his death, thinking that he must¡¯ve been defeated by a powerful person from Balkar or one of the other Six Kings or Five Demons, as he was at Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon. Despite how indifferent she was, she was shocked by the fact that Raon was the one who had killed the fourth apostle. ¡®No, it¡¯s only natural.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a powerful person who had already reached their peak that killed the fourth apostle, but Raon Zieghart, who had only just started to spread his wings. The tenth apostle himself still had difficulties believing that a brat who had been a Master for less than a year had defeated the fourth apostle. ¡°Since all kinds of things happen in the world, it¡¯s not impossible for Raon Zieghart to defeat the fourth apostle, even though he hasn¡¯t been a Master for a long time.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader regained herposure. Her voice sounded like always as she raised her chin. ¡°You must know how that happened.¡± ¡°Yes. It wasn¡¯t a frontal sh, but a surprise attack.¡± ¡°Surprise attack?¡± ¡°I heard Raon stabbed the fourth apostle from the back, while he was fighting against Morell. The fourth apostle feigned death in order to look for an opportunity, but Raon noticed and used it against him¡­¡± The tenth apostle repeated exactly what the survivors from Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon had told him. ¡°He is even capable of mental warfare, despite being so young. What a smart boy.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader smiled passionately. She seemed to be even more interested in him. ¡°And the dagger he used must¡¯ve been the dagger with ghastly energy thatcerated Rudkin¡¯s chest, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°The most talented genius in the continent even has a weapon that can counter us. That¡¯s interesting.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader grabbed her knees with her hands, smiling in excitement. ¡°How is Rudkin doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯spletely recovered now thanks to the holy blood you bestowed upon him, and he even managed to surpass the wall.¡± ¡°There should be more, right?¡± ¡°Yes. He became even stronger by taking in the flesh and blood of powerful people.¡± The tenth apostle told her about what the seventh apostle had been doing. It almost sounded like he¡¯d been watching him all along. ¡°He will be perfect for the test.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader bobbed her long finger. ¡°Send Rudkin to determine how strong Raon Zieghart is, and his personality. You know what you have to do after that, right?¡± ¡°But he is the grandson of Glenn Zieghart.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Should I still bring him?¡± ¡°Are you telling me that I should be afraid of that old fart?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tenth apostle furrowed his brows slightly without responding. ¡°A great talent should be put to a greater use.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader leaned her back on her chair and curved her lips into a long smile. ¡°I¡¯m nning to turn him into my apostle.¡± * * * Raon and the Light Wind squad arrived at Zieghart¡¯s front gate. The return trip was a lot shorter than when they went to the Gazel River. ¡°I-I¡¯m dying¡­¡± ¡°That lunatic. H-He really made us run all the way here¡­¡± ¡°Hieee¡­¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan tried to catch their breath while leaning forward. Their uniforms and hair were all drenched in sweat. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m going to puke.¡± ¡°I want to die¡­¡± Since even the team leaders were exhausted, the other swordsmen were rolling on the ground, unable to stand up. Fluids were flowing from their eyes, noses, and mouths, and their faces had turned pale. ¡°I-I¡¯m going home! I can¡¯t stand living like this!¡± Dorian screamed that he was going home after taking out the luxurious sledge that he hadn¡¯t used for a long time. ¡°Haa, what a bunch of weaklings. How are you nning to get stronger when you can¡¯t even stand this much training?¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue at the Light Wind members, since he had an easy journey by changing horses multiple times on the way. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The Light Wind members furiously ground their teeth as they watched Rimmer elegantly riding his horse towards the main gate. ¡®Seriously, that guy!¡¯ ¡®I hate him. I hate him so much. I can¡¯t hate him any more than this¡­¡¯ ¡®I shouldn¡¯t haveforted him when he was sick¡­¡¯ Raon was running alongside him at least, even though he was the one who made them go through all that. Since Rimmer had been riding a horse all along, they could only grind their teeth. ¡°We¡¯ve reached the main gate of the house. Line up, everyone.¡± Raon made sure that the Light Wind squad was in a presentable state, then went to the castle gate and raised his head. ¡°The Light Wind squad has returned afterpleting our mission.¡± As soon as he finished saying that, the castle gate¡ªtoorge to be seen at a nce¡ªsplit into half with a majestic sound. ¡°Light Wind squad.¡± The foreign minister Illiune came out from inside and smiled nicely. ¡°Wee back.¡± ¡°You look like you are doing great. It must feel nice to stay home.¡± Rimmer dismounted his horse and snickered. ¡°It¡¯s not as nice as you, who happens to have some good subordinates.¡± Illiune licked his lips while looking at Raon and the Light Wind squad. ¡°How did they even grow like that under your teaching?¡± ¡°Life is all about luck. Are you jealous?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty jealous indeed.¡± Illiune chuckled and nodded his head. ¡°The head of house is waiting for you.¡± He told them to go to the lord¡¯s manor immediately, since the other division leaders were also gathered with him. ¡°I see. I thought that would be the case.¡± Rimmer nodded and turned around. ¡°Tidy up your clothes. We are going to the lord¡¯s manor.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon and the Light Wind squad quickly fixed their hair and clothes before following Rimmer towards the Lord¡¯s manor. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon was following behind everyone else, and the foreign minister Illiune bobbed his hand towards him. ¡°You are the first one who¡¯s in disciples of both the South-North Union and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leaders in a single mission.¡± He patted his shoulder and smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Thank you for proving that Zieghart¡¯s name is still alive.¡± ¡°My pleasure.¡± Raon bowed at Illiune before following the Light Wind squad. ¡®Everyone¡¯s the same.¡¯ Although Illiune looked coldhearted and disinterested on the outside, he was still a warrior from Zieghart. He was rejoicing from the bottom of his heart over the fact that Raon had humiliated the South-North Union and the White Blood Religion at the same time. ¡°So, today¡­¡± ¡°Hey, look at that¡­¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The swordsmen bantering around the road stopped talking as they passed and turned their heads towards them. Their gazes brushed past the Light Wind members one by one, eventually fixating on Raon and stopping there. ¡°His pressure ispletely different from before.¡± ¡°I heard he slew Tyler from the South-North Union.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t simply kill him. He even revealed Tyler¡¯s evil deeds. He used to be a hero, but he instantly turned into a fiend.¡± ¡°I heard he saved everyone by making a bet with the Axe King Roman. How could he suggest a fight in three years? He¡¯s so daring even though he¡¯s just a kid who isn¡¯t even twenty years old¡­¡± ¡°Is he not having any sort of stagnation period? Howe he¡¯s getting stronger and stronger?¡± The swordsmen swallowed nervously upon feeling Raon¡¯s energy wave, which flowed as naturally as water. ¡°There¡¯s even more. He slew the fourth apostle when he went to Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon, and that¡¯s an amazing achievement.¡± ¡°How could a young swordsman that¡¯s barely neen years old even y an apostle? Has this ever happened before?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a rude remark. Since he¡¯s almost reached the peak, his age doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I heard it was a surprise attack, not a proper fight. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t have managed to return if he¡¯d fought normally.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. I heard it was a surprise attack on the fourth apostle, who was fighting against Morell.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not too good for a Zieghart¡¯s swordsman to resort to a surprise attack.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that you can kill an apostle with a surprise attack? It¡¯s not even a spar. Surprise attack or whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter because they are an enemy.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. The bloody demons from the White Blood Religion shouldn¡¯t be considered human.¡± Some swordsmen were trying to depreciate Raon¡¯s achievement somehow, but the other swordsmen made them shut their mouths. Raon could feel their emotions through their gazes. While feeling their favor, disfavor, and animosity at the same time, he smiled faintly. ¡®She said I can crush the people who spread jealousy if I have the power.¡¯ Raon remembered what Sheryl had told him before. She¡¯d advised him that he could crush the other people¡¯s malice if he had an absolute amount of power. ¡®I can¡¯t crush everyone yet, but¡­¡¯ Raon turned around. He spread his pressure while looking at the swordsmen who called him unsightly because of his surprise attack. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Upon receiving the icy cold and sharp energy wave, the swordsmen fell on their asses while their limbs trembled. ¡°You should go home and rest if you aren¡¯t feeling well.¡± Raon looked down on their eyes, trembling in fear, and smiled. Hmph! Wrath emerged on the ice flower bracelet and nodded. It¡¯s been a while, but I like what you did just now. The ones who bber and deride behind people¡¯s back need to have their limbs frozen. ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Using wrath is the most efficient way. If you had used wrath just now, all of them would¡¯ve pissed their pants. ¡®Wrath?¡¯ Indeed. The King of Essence''s wrath is the most effective against people like them. ¡®How do I use it?¡¯ Alright! The King of Essence is going to give you some lessons¡­ Raon went to the lord¡¯s manor, while gulping down the Giving Wrath¡¯s advice once again. * * * Inside the audience chamber of the Lord¡¯s manor, the important officers of Zieghart were standing in lines on the sides. Raon and the Light Wind squad followed Rimmer, walking down the carpet ced at the center of the audience chamber, then went down on one knee. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± The Light Wind squad¡¯s voice resounded throughout the audience chamber. Their volume seemed to match the aplishment they¡¯d achieved. ¡°The Light Wind squad has returned afterpleting the mission.¡± Rimmer was thest one to kneel and lowered his head. ¡°Stand up.¡± They raised themselves up while listening to Glenn¡¯spletely emotionless voice. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon took one step forward. He lowered his head while standing on the same line as Rimmer. ¡°I heard you were the center of the incidents at both the Gazel River and Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon. You will exin by yourself.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He¡¯d put his thoughts together on the way back. Raon slowly caught his breath and opened his mouth. ¡°When we first arrived at the Gazel River, we encountered Tyler, who was boarded on the White Spear. We¡­ Huh?¡± Raon naturally looked up to Glenn as he talked, but he interrupted himself and swallowed nervously. ¡®Th-The head of house¡¯s expression¡­¡¯ What¡¯s wrong with him? Chapter 263 ¡°The South-North Union was pretending to save the Doran vigers from the Blue Lughs, who had turned violent, but they were actually controlling the Blue Lughs from the shadows and causing the problems¡­¡± Raon rolled his eyes as he continued his story, examining Glenn¡¯s expression. ¡®What does that mean?¡¯ His neck and shoulders were slightly crouched, his frowning eyes were shivering, and the corners of his lips were twitching like an earthquake. He wasn¡¯t smiling nor crying, nor was he exactly angry. The atmosphere and pressure around him were asposed as always, but his expression waspletely iprehensible. ¡®I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s being like that.¡¯ Even though he¡¯d in the disciples of the leaders of the South-North Union and the White Blood Religion¡ªTyler and the fourth apostle¡ªand even obtained an item that could recover Rimmer¡¯s condition, Glenn didn¡¯t look that happy about it. ¡®The face he¡¯s making¡­¡¯ Looks like he¡¯s trying to hold in his poop. Wrath¡¯s round face poked out of the ice flower bracelet. That expression is the face people make when they strain the sphincter. He snickered, saying that that was the only exnation for his face. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon silently groaned. He didn¡¯t think that he was trying to hold in his bodily functions, but he did seem to be trying to hold something in. He can¡¯t even properly control the physiological phenomena. I knew he wasn¡¯t a match for the King of Essence. He should be an easy kill after around a few tens of thousands of strikes. Wrath shook his hand, saying that the oue was quite obvious. ¡®Didn¡¯t you say thousands of strikes before?¡¯ Raon clearly remembered him saying thousands of strikes when he first saw Glenn, yet it had changed to tens of thousands of strikes. Easy kill after tens of thousands of strikes. It was such a strange thing to say, which was a result of his always honest personality and the way he loved to brag as the monarch of Devildom. ¡°I promised to fight the Axe King Roman to death in three years in order to save the Light Wind squad and escape the situation. After that, I went to Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon in order to save our squad leader¡­¡± Once he started talking about Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon, the trembling in Glenn¡¯s eyes and mouth intensified even further. It almost looked like someone was grabbing his skin from the side to shake him. The fortunate part was the fact that he was the only person who could see Glenn¡¯s expression, since everyone else was looking at him. He honestly wanted to signal him to control his expression. ¡°Pfft.¡± Rimmer¡¯sughter could be heard. He must¡¯ve also realized the situation. It must be really urgent. You should make it short. ¡®You¡¯re right.¡¯ Raon slightly nodded and started talking faster. With the faster speed, Glenn¡¯s expression of holding something back seemed to rx a little. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how I managed to obtain the artificial energy center and elixir from Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon.¡± Glenn¡¯s expression returned to his usual cold face as soon as Raon finished the story. The twitching of his mouth and the ring of his nostrils werepletely gone. ¡°He managed to y the disciple of the South-North Union¡¯s leader, and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader¡­¡± ¡°But they are both stronger than the Light Wind squad¡¯s vice leader. How is that even possible?¡± ¡°Even though it was a surprise attack, that¡¯s an amazing achievement.¡± ¡°How is he winning against someone stronger than him every single time? He must be blessed by the god of war.¡± ¡°Doing it once is a coincidence, and twice can be luck. However, doing it three times is the result of his skills. It¡¯s more reasonable to conclude that something allows the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader to defeat someone stronger than him.¡± The division leaders and squad leaders spoke to each other with faces full of surprise. ¡°Since he¡¯s in two officers from the Five Demons¡ªwho also happened to be sessors¡ªand even squashed the evil deeds of the South-North Union, he deserves to receive a golden tablet.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the first time anyone ever received two golden tablets in a row?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing strange about it, considering the achievement.¡± ¡°He became a Master at eighteen years of age and even has two golden tablets¡­ I¡¯m afraid of what he will be in the future.¡± ¡°Rather than that, I¡¯m more jealous of the fellowship inside the Light Wind squad. He immediately went to the dungeon as soon as he found out Sir Rimmer was injured. No one else would¡¯ve done that unless their family was injured.¡± ¡°Haa, I should¡¯ve brought him to my side no matter what.¡± The division leaders and squad leaders standing on the sides were eximing at his amazing achievement. Many of them were saying that they envied Rimmer for being blessed with nice subordinates. ¡°Tsk!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°He only managed to kill the fourth apostle through a surprise attack. That¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to be dead anyway in three years. Don¡¯t mind him.¡± Since the Central Martial Pce master Karoon and the True Martial Pce Master Balder¡ªwho usually started quarrels¡ªwere absent, the members of the direct lines couldn¡¯t talk back to him directly. They just degraded him behind his back and bbered some nasty things, iming that he wouldn¡¯t live long. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Glenn called out to him in a low voice, and all the babbling inside the audience chamber disappeared at once. He bobbed his chin while looking at him coldly, just like any other time. ¡°I just have one question.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the duel to death against the Axe King in three years. Are you confident about winning?¡± ¡°Of course I am. I¡¯m never going to disgrace Zieghart¡¯s name.¡± Raon firmly replied, without the slightest hint of hesitation. ¡°Hah, I see.¡± Glenn smiled faintly and nodded. He looked rather disinterested in it, but he also looked like he might believe. ¡°Come up here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon climbed the stairs to reach him. Even the stairs felt like they were reflecting Glenn¡¯s dignity. ¡°In regard to your excellent aplishment during the mission, and the courageous decision to conquer a dungeon in order to save the Light Wind squad leader, I¡¯ll bestow upon you a golden tablet and a pyroxene ne.¡± Glenn gestured with his hand, and Roenn came up to him while carrying the golden tablet and the pyroxene ne on a white te. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon took a step forward and knelt. ¡°Good¡­ Ahem! Good job.¡± Glenn¡¯s hand holding the golden tablet and the ne started to tremble after he saw Raon¡¯s face. He bestowed the tablet and the ne on him with the strange expression he had before. ¡®He¡¯s so strange¡­¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t understand at all why Glenn was acting like that. ¡°Light Wind squad¡¯s team leaders,e forth.¡± After giving him the tablet and the ne, Glenn¡¯s expression instantly returned to normal, and he called the team leaders of the Light Wind squad forward. He bestowed a bronze tablet to each of the team leaders for leading their teams toplete the mission to save Rimmer. ¡°Thank you!¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan awkwardly epted the tablets. They must¡¯ve not expected to be rewarded for that. ¡°Everyone did a great job. The Light Wind squad should rest now and wait for the next mission.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± He shook his hand, as if he were telling them to go away already. ¡°Vice squad leader Raon, how about visiting our training ground to have a spar?¡± ¡°As for me, I want to drink with you. I want to listen to the story about Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon in more detail.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with training exchanges, so just contact me anytime you want to.¡± Division leaders and squad leaders came up to them with a smile. Most of them were those who were trying to recruit him before. ¡°Yes, sure.¡± Raon nodded, since there was no demerit in getting closer to the division leaders. ¡°Look at him boast when he only killed him through a surprise attack¡­¡± ¡°How unsightly.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to lose to the Axe King in three years anyway. Leave him alone.¡± The members of the direct line looked at Raon sideways with narrowed eyes as they left. They were pretty much cursing him to die. Raon smiled slyly while watching them leave the audience chamber. ¡®You won¡¯t be able to talk behind my back for much longer.¡¯ He would soon be able to make them shut their mouths, just like he made the swordsmen fall on their asses. He grasped the tablet while remembering every single face of the members of the direct line. ¡°Why are you not leaving?¡± Glenn tilted his head as he saw Raon and the Light Wind squad staying in ce instead of leaving. The Light Wind squad was unable to leave because Raon wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°I have a request.¡± Raon went on his knee once again and lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°The Light Wind squad leader is nning topletely shatter his fissured energy center to use the artificial energy center instead. Since it¡¯s going to take a pretty long time to gather enough aura to fight, I¡¯d like to be the squad leader in his stead in the meantime.¡± ¡°Why are you saying that?¡± Rimmer crawled up to Raon on his knees. He must¡¯ve been really confused. ¡°I know being the squad leader takes lots of your time and ces a heavy burden on you. You should focus on recovering your body for a while, squad leader.¡± ¡°Kuh, Raon!¡± His exmation sounded like he just drank some beer. He must¡¯ve been really impressed. ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll allow it.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes and nodded. Even though he was allowing it, he didn¡¯t look like he was too happy about it. ¡°I have one more request.¡± Raon looked up to Glenn white staying on the ground. ¡°Ever since my childhood, I suffered from the Curse of Frost, which made all my mana circuits freeze up. I have managed to ovee it now. Since the Light Wind squad leader¡¯s symptoms are simr to mine, I¡¯d like to oversee his rehabilitation.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn scratched his chin. The way he furrowed his brows looked like he was even more dissatisfied, but he nodded his head eventually. ¡°Fine. You shall do that.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed to Glenn. ¡°Raon! You are the only one who cares about me so much!¡± Rimmer was moved to tears, but it was too early to celebrate. Raon was indeed nning to help him, but he was also going to make him suffer to the point that he¡¯d wish he were dead. ¡®Smile while you still can.¡¯ ¡­Are you a loan shark or something? * * * * * * Although everyone else from the Light Wind squad had left, Rimmer remained in the audience chamber. ¡°You were helped by the children instead of helping them. How pathetic.¡± Glenn snorted while looking down at Rimmer. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t call yourself Zieghart''s Sword of Light anymore.¡± ¡°Haa! You should mind your own business.¡± Rimmer ignored Glenn¡¯s mockery and sighed deeply. ¡°H-How dare you!¡± ¡°Your expression!¡± He briskly stood up and put his hand on the sides of his mouth and eyes. ¡°My lord, did you realize your lips and eyes were shaking like a fly¡¯s wings because you couldn¡¯t hold back your smile when you were listening to Raon¡¯s story?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°You looked exactly like this.¡± Rimmer made the face Glenn had when he was looking at Raon, showing him directly. ¡°Th-There¡¯s no way I made an expression like that!¡± ¡°It was actually even worse! I thought you were holding back your poop!¡± He frowned, sounding like Wrath. ¡°Do you understand why you ended up making that expression? It¡¯s because you¡¯ve reached your limit.¡± ¡°Limit?¡±¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you are reluctantly holding yourself back even though you are full of love towards your grandson. That¡¯s why you made a weird face like that. Raon must¡¯ve beenpletely shocked. Be honest, did you want to hug him while telling him he did a good job when you were giving him the golden tablet?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes widened with trembling lips. He must have hit the crux of the matter dead-on. ¡°That¡¯s why I kept telling you that you will be a patient if you are too patient with it. You should just tell him about it now. ¡®Oh, my grandson is back! My kitten! Come here and sit on grandpa''s knee!¡¯¡ªthat¡¯s what you should tell him.¡± Rimmer grinned once again while making the strange expression that Glenn had made. ¡°Rimmer¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha! D-Did I go too far?¡± Rimmer scratched the back of his head upon noticing the spark on Glenn¡¯s hand. ¡°Anyway, what I¡¯m trying to say is that you should just show him how much you care about him instead of taking care of him from behind the scenes.¡± He sighed and looked at Roenn. ¡°The pyroxene ne he gave to Raon, it must not be an ordinary item, right?¡± A pyroxene ne was capable of protecting the body, but there was no way Glenn would¡¯ve gifted such an average item to Raon. ¡°I wonder.¡± Roenn shrugged after taking a nce at Glenn. His reaction was enough to conclude that Raon¡¯s ne had some kind of special ability. ¡°I knew it! That¡¯s why I told you to stop helping him from the shadows and just straight up open the treasury for him! And appoint him as the sessor! You know! Eat together with him! And help him in various ways! Well, let¡¯s start with the way you speak. Repeat after me! My kitten¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Alongside the quiet sound of his breathing, the throne¡¯s armrest was crushed. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Rimmer swallowed nervously as he saw the red sparks spreading all around the audience chamber. ¡°M-My lord? You shouldn¡¯t do this right now. I¡¯m a patient¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can easily engrave pain into you without affecting your mana circuits and energy center.¡± ¡°W-Wait! There¡¯s no wa¡­Kuaaah!¡± The moment the red lighting fell upon Rimmer, his scream echoed throughout the lord¡¯s manor, which hadn¡¯t happened in a while. * * * Raon lined the Light Wind members up in front of the Lord¡¯s manor. His lips slowly parted, as he met the anticipatory gazes of the swordsmen. ¡°As you¡¯ve heard, I¡¯m going to be the temporary recement for the squad leader starting from today. I¡¯ll be supervising both your training and rest.¡± Every member of the Light Wind squad swallowed nervously upon hearing him. ¡°Since you worked so hard, you should rest for today ande to the training ground before tomorrow at daybreak.¡± ¡°T-Today? Just today?¡± ¡°You bastard! Are you trying to kill us?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren grasped his chest with trembling hands, Martha grabbed him by his cor, and Runaan stared into the thin air with vacant eyes. ¡°One day of rest is too short!¡± ¡°Even Sir Rimmer wasn¡¯t as bad as you!¡± ¡°H-He must¡¯ve gone nuts!¡± Their lips were trembling in despair. ¡°I-It¡¯s not even a day of rest, since the sun is already setting! We are really going to die at this rate!¡± Dorian anxiously rubbed his belly pocket as he shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s right! Give us some time to at least relieve our exhaustion!¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to copse right now¡­¡± ¡°J-Just give us one more day, please.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be generous this time.¡± Raon nodded when Burren asked him to give one more day. ¡°Since you are so desperate, I¡¯ll give you one more day.¡± ¡°Wooow!¡± ¡°We can rest one more day!¡± ¡°He finally listened to our opinion!¡± The Light Wind squad cheered in joy, even though they only had an extra day of rest. ¡°Come to the training ground before daybreak in two days then. Dismissed.¡± Raon turned around while listening to the Light Wind squad¡¯s cheers. ¡®It went as I nned. I was nning to give them two days to begin with.¡¯ Long and painful training required an adequate amount of rest. He figured that they would ask for more if he gave them two days, so he decided to start by giving them a single day. It became two days in the end, and they were also happy about it. You nasty bastard. Wrath rose on the ice flower bracelet and furrowed his brows. You are the nastiest human that the King of Essence has ever seen. You are the definition of a demon in a human body! ¡®Are youplimenting me?¡¯ I¡¯m not! ¡®But this worked out great. Since they were going to get the same amount of holiday anyway, I might as well make them happy, since that also makes me happy.¡¯ Raon grinned and turned around. While everyone was scattering in different directions, Burren was the only person talking to someone in front of the Lord¡¯s manor. ¡®That person¡­ I saw him in the audience chamber, I think.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t said a single thing, even though he was alongside the direct line division leaders. Raon noticed that he looked very simr to Burren. ¡®He must be his brother.¡¯ Raon could ascertain it once he noticed the dark blue hair, eyes that looked slightly ferocious, and the fine sword hanging around his waist. He must¡¯ve been Burren¡¯s second oldest brother¡ªGelmia, the leader of the Severing Steeds squad. Judging from the faint smile on Burren¡¯s face, he didn¡¯t seem to be getting scolded or arguing with him. ¡®It looks like he is getting along with his brother at least.¡¯ Unlike the trashy Karoon, his brother Gelmia seemed to be on good terms with Burren. Raon watched Burren and Gelmia before heading to the annex building. * * * Raon smiled as he passed across the annex building¡¯s garden. It was mysterious how he felt sofortable whenever he passed the area. It almost felt like the umted fatigue from everything that happened was being washed away. ¡®People said they loved to be at home.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand it in his previous life, but he finally understood. Having a precious home was bound to bring a smile to people¡¯s faces when they returned. Hnng! Wrath was moving his shoulder up and down while humming cheerfully. ¡®Why do you look so happy?¡¯ We are finally home. The scent I¡¯m smelling from all the way over here tells me that Pineapple Girl must¡¯ve prepared some delicious food. ¡®Home¡­ Is this really your home?¡¯ It was ridiculous that someone who called himself a demon king was calling the annex building his home. ¡®He¡¯s pretty much human now.¡¯ Raon shook his head and opened the door to the annex building. Then he froze. ¡°Huh?¡± Someone who shouldn¡¯t have been there was standing in the lobby, wearing a maid outfit. Huh? ¡°Why are you here¡­?¡± Chapter 264 ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon rubbed his eyes and looked in the lobby once again. Nothing had changed. Encia Yonaan, the rumored genius of artifact crafting and the sessor of House Yonaan, was bowing to him in a maid outfit. ¡°Wee back!¡± Raon swallowed nervously as Encia bowed with a bright smile on her face. ¡°Wh-Why is Lady Encia here? Before that, the outfit you are wearing¡­ Uhh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s voice was shaking. He was honestly even more shocked than when he encountered the Axe King Roman. ¡®Why is she here?¡¯ And what was wrong with her outfit?! He couldn¡¯t understand why she was there already when she was supposed to visit in a month, and why she was wearing a maid outfit of all things or staying in the annex building of all ces. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Encia stepped up with her hands gathered together. Her blue eyes started to lose focus and turn blurry. ¡°The way you return is also freaking handsome. I¡¯m so d that I¡¯m the first one to see you. Haa¡­¡± Instead of answering Raon¡¯s question, she simply blushed while calling him freaking handsome. She¡¯s the only person in the world who can make you panic. Wrath giggled. He looked like he was having so much fun. The King of Essence would also like to say it. So freaking handsome! ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away and looked at Encia again. ¡°Erm¡­ Lady Encia?¡± ¡°Sir Raon doesn¡¯t even need natural lighting to be beautiful. Your eyes are sparkling like blood rubies.¡± She hadn¡¯t changed at all¡ªshe kept staring at his face without even listening to him. ¡°Since I saw Sir Raon¡¯s freaking handsome face, I don¡¯t need any side dishes for dinner.¡± She was still saying strange things, but Raon figured that a conversation would be possible since the light had begun to return in her eyes. ¡°Why is Lady Encia here? I believe this is way too early for your appointed visit.¡± ¡°I came here because I wanted to see Sir Raon.¡± Encia¡¯s smile looked like she was wondering why he was asking such an obvious question. ¡°I-I see. In that case, how about the training artifacts that I requested before¡­?¡± ¡°Ipleted all of them.¡± ¡°For every member of the Light Wind squad?¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted. Since he had requested all those artifacts to be handmade, as they had to be specially suited for the Light Wind squad, he couldn¡¯t believe that she hadpleted all of them. ¡°I could work four times more efficiently once I applied the ideas I had from watching Sir Raon¡¯s face. My hands just kept moving.¡± ¡®¡­What ideas did you even get from my face?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand how staring at a face could give her ideas that made her four times faster. He was aware of how entric the artisans usually were, but Encia was peerless in that aspect. ¡°It has never happened to me before. I knew handsome was the best. Aah!¡± Since her eyes started losing focus once again, Raon quickly responded. ¡°I-In that case, why are you staying in the annex building? Aren¡¯t guests supposed to stay in a different ce?¡± ¡°I wanted to meet Sir Raon¡¯s mother and find out how beautiful she is, since she brought you out into the world. I caught the person who guided me and asked him about it. I¡¯m really d I did, because Lady Sylvia was as beautiful as Sir Raon, and Yua is also cute. This ce is erupting with ideas.¡± It felt pretty good to hear herpliment Sylvia, but there was something he needed to ask. ¡°Myst question is, why are you wearing that maid outfit¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I told them that I wanted to stay here instead of at the guest house. Lady Sylvia readily epted my request, but I figured I shouldn¡¯t be a useless mouth. I shall work for my food.¡± Encia grinned while cing her hands on her waist. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®What an amazing ability to take action¡­¡¯ The fact that one of the sessors from House Yonaan personally visited the annex building to volunteer as a maid was so ridiculous that he was left speechless. Raon was certain that no one in the world would¡¯ve believed it. ¡°Huaa¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Sir Raon!¡± As he was shaking his head, Yua came walking out from the right side corridor with some kitchen tools in her hands. ¡°No, I should be saying freaking handsome Sir Raon!¡± Yua slightly bit her tongue and voiced out the word that only Encia would use. ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°I said it correctly, right? Encia?¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right, Yua!¡± Encia caressed Yua¡¯s hair and smiled gently. ¡°Raon?¡± ¡°Young Master!¡± Sylvia and Helen came running down from the second floor. They must¡¯ve heard Yua¡¯s voice. ¡°That¡¯s that right, Lady Sylvia and Lady Helen.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right! Freaking handsome Raon, wee back!¡± ¡°Freaking handsome young master, wee back!¡± Sylvia and Helen smiled brightly at Raon. ¡°Oh my, freaking handsome young master!¡± ¡°Please wash yourself first since dinner is going to take some time, freaking handsome Sir Raon!¡± Even the maids who were upied with other tasks added the ¡®freaking handsome¡¯ at the end of their greetings. ¡°Erm, what is¡­?¡± ¡°I told you before, but Sir Raon¡¯s face is a gift from god! That¡¯s why I told everyone how to express it.¡± Raon couldn¡¯t tell whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that Encia was apparently getting along with Sylvia and even the maids. She was as good at making friends as Dorian. Puhahaha! Wrath couldn¡¯t suppress hisughter, rolling on the floor while covering his stomach. That finger woman is your natural enemy! ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes as Encia smiled brightly while the maids kept calling him freaking handsome. ¡®I¡¯m so tired.¡¯ Home felt so tiring now. * * * Burren licked his lips while looking around the Central Martial Pce¡¯s training ground, which he hadn¡¯t visited in a long time. ¡®It feels a bit awkward.¡¯ Even though he used to train there every day, he felt strange because it was his first time visiting since he¡¯d joined the Light Wind squad. ¡®Am I the one who has changed?¡¯ He felt bitter because he felt alienated even though the wall scratched by his sword and the tree that used to shade him from the sun were still in the same ces. ¡°Does it remind you of old memories because you are visiting here for the first time in such a long time?¡± His second brother Gelmia, the squad leader of the Severing Steeds, walked up to him with a bright smile on his face. ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t expect to return here like this.¡± He remembered his childhood, where the only objective in his life was to be a swordsman of the Central Martial Pce and be recognized by his father. He felt slightly suffocated from thinking about it because he belonged to the Light Wind squad after getting kicked out of the Central Martial Pce. ¡°Would you have wanted it to be otherwise?¡± Gelmia came up next to him and asked his question. ¡°For sure. You know that my dream was to be recognized by our father and follow in his footsteps.¡± Burren smiled bitterly while touching the scratch on the wall that was made by his own sword. ¡®That¡¯s when heplimented me for the first time.¡¯ He remembered how his father patted his head, telling him that it was a sharp strike. It was the firstpliment he had ever received, and the only time he got a head pat. ¡°I¡¯m fine now though.¡± Burren took his hand off the scratch on the wall and smiled faintly. ¡°Are you fine?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s because I belong to a ce where people need me.¡± The Light Wind squad. Being with those guys, who¡¯d been with him for even longer than his brothers, could even wash away the sadness of getting kicked out of the Central Martial Pce. The Light Wind squad¡¯s lodgings felt more like his real home than the Central Martial Pce. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that you found your ce.¡± Gelmia smiled gently while patting Burren¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°However, Burren. What would you do if I told you that you could return here?¡± ¡°What?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened and he looked back at Gelmia. ¡°What are you talking abou¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking what your decision would be if you had the right to return to the Central Martial Pce and join the organization that you wanted to.¡± Gelmia¡¯s eyes were serious. He didn¡¯t seem to be joking in the slightest. ¡°What are you trying to tell me?¡± ¡°If you can perform two tasks, I can let you join the Central Martial Pce. It won¡¯t be too difficult to achieve your dream of being acknowledged by Father after that.¡± Burren¡¯s throat violently wavered upon hearing that. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be disinterested, at least.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren bit his lip. Getting acknowledged by his father was still his dream and objective. Even though he joined the Light Wind squad, his objective remained the same. ¡°My requests aren¡¯t too difficult to achieve.¡± ¡°What are the requests?¡± Burren nodded, since he figured that it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to check them out since he might decide to return thereter. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡¯s weakness.¡± ¡°Brother?¡± ¡°You must know since you¡¯ve been with him ever since you were trainees. I want you to tell me his weakness.¡± Gelmia waspletely casual as he asked about Raon, who was actually his younger cousin, and his weakness. It was so tant that it almost felt like he was asking about his preference in order to prepare a gift for him. ¡°Is it strange?¡± Gelmia snickered. ¡°Burren, you know. Raon''s rate of growth is unprecedented in the continent. He is an absolute monster. Are you nning to let him stay like that?¡± His eyes turned diamond shaped like a snake¡¯s. ¡°If we don¡¯t deal with him properly right now, you will have to fall behind him for the rest of your life. Your name won¡¯t be heard of anywhere, as Raon Zieghart¡¯s name will be engraved anywhere you go. Do you want that to happen?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Burren bit his lip. ¡®I know.¡¯ He knew it better than anyone. It was shameful to admit that he couldn¡¯t even tell him that he would catch up to him anymore because the difference in might between them had grown toorge. ¡°You just need to secretly tell me his weakness and bring him to an appointed location. I¡¯ll properly take care of him without making any noise, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± A frightening smile appeared on Gelmia¡¯s face as he murmured that no one would find out. ¡°I¡¯m sure you need some time to decide. Since you are supposed to start training in two days, you should decide by tomorrow evening¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Burren clenched his teeth while looking at Gelmia. ¡°I refuse.¡± He shook his head while firmly voicing his refusal. ¡®There¡¯s no way I can do that.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t know Raon¡¯s weakness. Raon was his benefactor who had enlightened him from his nasty way of thinking in the past, and even saved his life. Even though that would allow him to achieve his objective and his dream, there was no way he could do that. ¡°He has no weakness whatsoever, and I wouldn¡¯t tell you about it even if he had one!¡± Burren scowled and turned his head away. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone about this because you¡¯ve helped me in the past, but you should stop doing this kind of thing. You will have to go through me before attacking him.¡± Burren ground his teeth and went to the exit. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, brother. Don¡¯t contact me ever again in the futur¡­Ah.¡± He turned around to give a final warning, but Gelmia wasn¡¯t there anymore. ¡°You are making this difficult.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Darkness filled Burren¡¯s sight alongside Gelmia¡¯s quiet voice. * * * * * * Raon pleaded to everyone in the lobby to stop saying ¡®freaking handsome¡¯ before following Sylvia into her room. ¡°Come over here.¡± Sylvia tapped the table ced between the sofas where she was sitting, asking him to sit on the other side. ¡°Okay.¡± Raon nodded and sat opposite her. ¡®She¡¯s getting started.¡¯ Since he could guess what she¡¯d called on him for, he unconsciously shrank back. ¡°The duel to death against the Axe King Roman in three years.¡± Sylvia said exactly what Raon was expecting her to say. His mouth felt dry, because her voice was gentle yet sad. ¡°You made such a reckless bet in order to save the others, right?¡± As Raon was wondering how he should relieve her worries, she smiled faintly. ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°After everything you¡¯ve achieved and shown me, of course I know that much.¡± Sylvia smiled even more gently as she grabbed Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°You must be still remembering what I told you when you first took up your sword.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She was right. She¡¯d told him to be like the former Zieghart, who helped the weak without running away from the strong, when he first took his sword. That was something he¡¯d always remembered even as she spoke. ¡°I honestly feel like I shouldn¡¯t have said that. My heart skips a beat whenever you get into trouble during your missions.¡± Her eyebrows drooped. ¡°Your mom knows how amazing you are because she¡¯s led a warrior¡¯s life before.¡± Her warmth could be felt from the hands she was holding, and he felt like all of his worries had melted away, even though they were tangled up like a web. ¡°I thought I was getting used to it, but it feels really suffocating this time. It¡¯s the Axe King Roman, after all¡­¡± Sylvia sighed heavily. Her breathing seemed to reflect the heaviness of her worries. ¡®She would be¡­¡¯ Since her son had only recently be a Master, his promise with a monster at the Grandmaster level in just three years was naturally something to be worried about for a mother. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m never going to die.¡± Raon smiled and tightened his grip. ¡°I¡¯ll return alive no matter what, even if I have to beg for my life.¡± ¡°Why would you say that?! This is where you should say that you will get stronger and win against him!¡± Sylvia chuckled. Raon told her that he would return alive, since she was wishing for his safety rather than his victory, and it apparently worked. ¡°Alright, I have to trust you. Since I already decided to trust you, I have no choice but to watch you.¡± She nodded. Her expression was slightly brighter than before. ¡°I¡¯m okay as long as you are fine with it. Go wash up, dinner is going to be ready pretty soon.¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon caught Sylvia¡¯s wrist as she tried to stand up. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you want to get back up?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking whether you want to fix your mana circuits and energy center.¡± Raon bit his slightly trembling lip. ¡®I wonder what she wants¡­¡¯ He hesitated a lot before saying that. ¡®Because she¡¯s important to me.¡¯ Since Sylvia was also important to him, he wanted her to stay away from battles without fixing her mana circuits and energy center. ¡®But that¡¯s¡­¡¯ The same as when she tried to stop him. It was the exact same mistake Sylvia had made before, the one where she forced him to stop bing a trainee. Even though he could help her and give her the method to cure her condition, she was the one who needed to make that decision. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sylvia couldn¡¯t easily answer, probably because it was an unexpected question. ¡°This is an artificial energy center that can rece the energy center, and the one next to it is the Elixir of Eternal Flow that can heal the damage to the mana circuits.¡± Raon ced the artificial energy center and the Elixir of Eternal Flow on the table. ¡°It¡¯s not effective for Mom, since your mana circuits arepletely severed, but the Saint should be able to improve the effect to the point that it can reconnect the circuits.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°If you want, I¡¯ll find a way to get another artificial energy center and a way to recover your mana circuits no matter what.¡± Raon closed his mouth after saying that, waiting for Sylvia¡¯s answer. ¡°Uhm. Hmm! Hmmmm!¡± Sylvia grasped her hair to consider the possibility for a while before she mmed her head on the table. ¡°M-Mom?¡± ¡°Do you remember what I told you before?¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°The one where I said I never regretted giving birth to you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon gave her a small nod. ¡®Of course I remember.¡¯ She¡¯d told him that she never regretted meeting his father and giving birth to him. She¡¯d told him that she was extremely happy to have him with her. ¡°And I still think the same. I¡¯m fine the way I am currently.¡± Sylvia slowly raised her head. She smiled while rubbing her forehead, which had turned slightly red. ¡°However.¡± She raised her finger. ¡°I¡¯d like to grasp the opportunity if I had one. I don¡¯t exactly want to get stronger, but I want to protect you and the people in the annex building.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly. ¡®She¡¯s the same as me.¡¯ She was thinking the exact same thing as him. Protecting the annex building was a simple yet unchanging wish they had. ¡°Just you wait.¡± Raon clenched his fist and stood up. ¡®I¡¯ll get you back on your feet no matter what.¡¯ * * * Raon brought Encia to the garden once he left Sylvia¡¯s room. ¡°What a shame.¡± Encia licked her lips. ¡°I went through so much trouble to get them to say that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone other than Lady Encia to say something like that.¡± ¡°Huh? I suddenly feel better when you put it that way.¡± She smiled happily while covering her cheeks. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips. Something always went wrong whenever he talked to her. ¡°What did you want to talk about with just the two of us? You are wee any time though.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to check this one.¡± Raon took out the artificial energy center from his inner pocket and handed it out to Encia. ¡°Hmm?¡± Encia¡¯s eyes, which had always been fixated on Raon¡¯s face, briskly went down for the first time. ¡°Wh-What is¡­¡± ¡°This is an artificial energy center that I obtained from a dungeon.¡± ¡°Artificial energy center¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to know if it¡¯s possible to replicate this.¡± Encia couldn¡¯t hear him because she was too focused on the artificial energy center. ¡°The patterns on this energy center are in the ancientnguage. It¡¯s been more than a thousand years since this item was made. Moreover, it has the perfect proportion. It¡¯s capable of supporting any kind of aura and mana. What a beautiful performance, on top of its proud appearance.¡± She examined the artificial energy center for a long time. Her eyes were filled with astonishment and admiration. ¡°The creator of this energy center must¡¯ve been a genius. I don¡¯t think I can match up to them.¡± Encia sighed after examining the energy center for a while. Raon hadn¡¯t seen such a serious expression on her face in a long time. ¡°Does that mean that it¡¯s impossible to replicate it?¡± ¡°Yes. Even if I tried dismantling this one, I can¡¯t guarantee that I would be able to create the same one. I¡¯d likely just end up breaking this energy center in the end.¡± ¡°Then how about the head of House Yonaan¡­¡± ¡°Mother wouldn¡¯t be able to do it either. Artifacts with ancient letters are usually designed to break as soon as they are opened.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon frowned. He did hear about how the items created from the previous era tended to break as soon as people tried dismantling them because replication prevention measures were applied to them. ¡°However, I think I can make something simr¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It will have a different shape and performance from that one, but I think I¡¯ll be able to create an artificial energy center.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Watching Sir Raon¡¯s face and this artificial energy center¡¯s perfect proportion gave me so many ideas.¡± She said she should be able to do it while licking her lips as she looked at the artificial energy center. ¡°Though, it¡¯s going to take an extremely long time, and I¡¯ll need lots of materials¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Raon came close to Encia and grabbed her hands. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Encia¡¯s face turned red in an instant upon seeing Raon¡¯s face up close. ¡°I-I-It¡¯s possible! Of course!¡± Encia¡¯s lips were trembling as she watched Raon¡¯s face. ¡®He¡¯s way too handsome.¡¯ His skin was as white as ceramic, while his eyes looked like brilliant gems, and his nose ridge looked as proud as the moon in the sky. ¡°Please do this for me!¡± Encia couldn¡¯t refuse upon hearing Raon¡¯s silvery voice. ¡°Yep!¡± * * * The next morning, Raon got the artificial energy center back from Encia and went to the highest floor of the Light Wind¡¯s lodgings. There was only one room up there, and it was used by the previous head instructor, current Light Wind¡¯s squad leader. m! Raon kicked the door after checking the presence inside. The door burst open, and the screaming from the inside sounded like a rooster crowing. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± Rimmer came out while screaming, hairpletely disheveled. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on? D-Did you just destroy the door?¡± ¡°No, I just opened the door.¡± Raon pointed his finger at the shaking door. ¡°Who even opens a door so violently? The entire building¡¯s going to blow up if you tried opening two doors!¡± ¡°But this is what you did every day, Sir Rimmer.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped. Since he¡¯d kicked the training ground door open so many times before, he was unable to refute it. ¡°Wh-Whatever, the door doesn¡¯t matter. Why did youe here so early in the morning?¡± ¡°We should get started.¡± Raon took the artificial energy center and the Elixir of Eternal Flow from his inner pocket. ¡°Huh? D-Do you want to start that today?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to wait. We should strike the iron while it¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°I meaaaaan! We just returned yesterday. I didn¡¯t even manage to recover my stamina¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even spend any stamina to begin with because you were riding the horse all the way back.¡± ¡°Riding a horse requires stamina!¡± ¡°Enough of your excuses. Get ready now.¡± Raon shook his hand while ignoring Rimmer¡¯s excuses. ¡°I-I won¡¯t do it! There¡¯s supposed to be a drinking party today to celebrate our return!¡± He violently shook his head, saying that he had an appointment at the pub. ¡°But you already had a drink. Just cancel the appointment.¡± Raon furrowed his brows while looking at the liquor bottles spread all around the room. ¡°No! I¡¯m the squad leader here, despite how I look. How dare you give me orders¡­¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t anymore, though.¡± Raon shook his head, pointing at the armband on his forearm. It had the blue wind symbol engraved on it, which signified he was the Light Wind squad leader. ¡°Sir Rimmer is just an ordinary member of the Light Wind squad from today on, and I¡¯m the temporary squad leader. You must¡¯ve heard him yesterday.¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped, since he never thought he would bring that up in such a situation. ¡°I even received the right to supervise your training from the head of house. I¡¯ll consider it as a case of disobedience if you run away now.¡± ¡°C-Case of disobedience¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s teeth ttered. ¡®N-No way, this guy¡­ I thought what he did yesterday was for my sake, but was it just to have an easier time handling me?¡¯ He could finally think straight. He realized that was the reason Raon asked for authority of the Light Wind squad and his training. ¡°R-Raon? Let¡¯s talk it out¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to talk. Let¡¯s go to the cultivation room.¡± Raon bobbed his hand without listening to what Rimmer had to say. ¡°Argh! I won¡¯t go! I wanna y today!¡± Rimmer jumped out the window after covering himself with whatever random clothes he could find. However, that was a huge mistake. ¡°Ugh! Why are you here?¡± ¡°Why else? I was called over by the monster you raised.¡± The Gambling Monster had been waiting in front of the lodgings all along. He grinned and caught Rimmer by his neck as he tried to run. ¡°Aaah¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes were trembling. He never would have imagined that Raon would even call the Gambling Monster over that early in the morning. ¡°So, let¡¯s go.¡± Raon was already outside as he bobbed his hand. ¡°We need to shatter your energy center today.¡± ¡°Noooooooo!¡± Rimmer¡¯s scream could be heard from behind him, but Raon didn¡¯t pay any attention. ...Are you a gangster? Wrath¡¯s shoulders were trembling in fear. Chapter 265 Raon threw Rimmer into the cultivation room as he struggled. ¡°Hey! Treat me more carefully! I¡¯m a patient right now!¡± Raon ignored his rambling and turned around. ¡°General Administrator, I leave the rest to you.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Gambling Monster sighed and crossed his arms. ¡°I really have to guard someone at this age¡­ I¡¯m going through all kinds of pain.¡± Even though heined, he turned around and stood in front of the door. ¡°It¡¯s because I needed someone trustworthy to guard him.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed to the Gambling Monster¡¯s back as he snorted, then entered the cultivation room. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. Are you going to break your energy center on your own? Or shall I break it for you?¡± ¡°You sound like you are breaking an egg or something!¡± Rimmer stepped back, murmuring that he was such a scary guy. ¡°But haven¡¯t you already decided?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true, but I need to mentally prepare¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told you how to use the artificial energy center on our way back, and even told you to brace yourself.¡± Raon had already told him to brace himself while telling him how to use the artificial energy center on their way back. Rimmer was dozing off on his horse, and he was apparently not listening to him. ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°The sooner you start, the sooner you¡¯ll get stronger. You should know that better than anyone.¡± ¡°Alright, I get it! I get it! You heartless bastard!¡± Rimmer screamed and sat on the ground. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sighed and closed his eyes. He controlled his aura from his fissured energy center. The energy he¡¯d been umting over his entire life flew through his mana circuits. The smooth flow felt like it was saying goodbye. ¡®I never thought I would experience something like this.¡¯ He was about to recover his mana circuits that were torn apart and break his energy center to create a new one. He would be able to live a new life thanks to Raon and the other kids. He was so thankful to them, but also apologetic for being such an inadequate teacher. Whir! He controlled his aura to his heart¡¯s content to enjoy its final moment before opening his eyes. ¡°Raon. Don¡¯t miss the opportunity.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°You will realize soon enough.¡± Rimmer closed his eyes once again after saying that. He amplified the aura inside his energy center just like when he used astral energy to explode it at once. Crack! The fissures on the energy center deepened, and the explosive aura started to burst out. ¡®This is going to take forever. I¡¯m going to destroy it in one fell swoop!¡¯ Rimmer tightly bit his lip, then amplified his aura one more time. ng! The huge noise sounded like hundreds of sses were shattering at the same time. His extremely thin energy center melted down like a snowkending on a finger. ¡®Kuuh!¡¯ Extreme pain was crushing his body, but the vanity piercing into his soul was even worse than that. The chaos filled his head to the point that he could lose consciousness at any time. Rumble! Once his aura lost its path, it started spreading into the air through his mana circuits. A hurricane of high purity aura was created inside the cultivation room. ¡°Huff!¡± Rimmer breathed heavily before opening his eyes. ¡°Raon. Take my aura.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You must be able to feel it. The mana I¡¯ve umted so far is currently rampaging in this room. Its attribute is different from yours, but it should still be helpful to you. You should take it.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Get the artificial energy center right now and control your aura¡­¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve obviously done it if I could! But there¡¯s no time for that.¡± Rimmer smiled bitterly as he shook his head. ¡°The aura already came into contact with nature''s mana. It¡¯s not even going tost a few minutes before it disappears. You are the only person right now who can take it.¡± He honestly wanted to give him all of the aura he had in his energy center, but that would most likely shred his mana circuits, which had barely managed to recover. ¡°I¡¯m not here for that. I only followed you to check on your condition.¡± Raon bit his lip. He hadn¡¯t intended to take Rimmer¡¯s aura. He just wanted to create a new energy center for him. ¡°I know.¡± Rimmer nodded with a smile. ¡°I know how you are. I¡¯m perfectly aware that you don¡¯t consider your own benefit even though you are considerate of others.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Rambling can be saved forter. I¡¯m telling you to cultivate the aura right now! Come on!¡± He said that they were really running out of time before chewing down the Elixir of Eternal Flow and gulping down the artificial energy center. ¡°I¡¯m going to make the energy center, so you should cultivate your aura right now. See you again after we are done!¡± That was thest thing he said before closing his eyes. Raon could feel a high purity mana from nature moving inside his body despite how empty it used to be. ¡®The energies from the artificial energy center and the Elixir of Eternal Flow are moving.¡¯ Even though the artificial energy center used to have no attributes, it changed its shape to match Rimmer¡¯s body and aura''s characteristics, and the Elixir of Eternal Flow¡¯s energy naturally seeped into his mana circuits to heal the wounds that couldn¡¯t be removed before. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon nodded while looking at the aura that was still lingering in the air. ¡®I should take some of it at least.¡¯ Since Rimmer was stabilized and the Gambling Monster was guarding them, he figured it was fine for him to start cultivating. Whir! Raon closed his eyes and controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time. Flowing through different circuits, the aura created countless trajectories to suck in the wind attribute aura from the outside. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brows upon feeling the aura circte in his mana circuits. ¡®It¡¯s not going to work at this rate.¡¯ As Rimmer had said, the aura spread around the room had the wind attribute. The fact that not much remained was a problem, but the difference in attribute was making it difficult to properly absorb it. ¡®But there¡¯s a method I can use.¡¯ Raon rotated the Ring of Fire. The six rings resonated with each other at once, then started to pull out the pure energy at the deepest part of the aura of wind. Although the quantity wasn¡¯t that high, the power and purity were a lot better than decent elixirs because it used to belong to Rimmer, who had a high affinity with nature. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon absorbed the energy that the Ring of Fire had purified through the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier before opening his eyes. Even though it wasn¡¯t arge amount, his energy center still felt full. [The Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [cier¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [All stats have increased by 3.] Although he¡¯d only been cultivating for a few hours, the proficiency for his cultivation techniques had increased drastically, his stats had increased, and the aura inside his energy center became even stronger. He felt like all the time Rimmer had spent umting his aura became a pir to support him. Raon looked at Rimmer with a smile on his face. ¡®It¡¯s not going to take much longer.¡¯ Considering the fact that the change was only limited to the outer part of the artificial energy center, the process must¡¯ve been nearing the end. Tap. Raon took out two wooden boxes from his inner pocket and ced them in front of Rimmer, who was focused on creating his energy center. ¡®This is a gift from me.¡¯ The first box contained the elixir that he bought on his way back, and the second one was the wind attribute elixir that he had gotten in exchange for a bronze tablet he had received before. He¡¯d prepared those gifts because he figured Rimmer would be disappointed once he realized his energy center was empty. ¡®Is this the rtionship between a teacher and a student?¡¯ Just like the way he¡¯d prepared the elixirs for Rimmer¡¯s sake, Rimmer had also told him to take his aura so that his student could benefit from it. He could only smile, because the way they were caring for each other reminded him of the rtionship between a teacher and a student that he¡¯d only seen in stories and books. ¡®You shoulde out quickly.¡¯ Raon smiled while watching Rimmer¡¯s back as he created his energy center. ¡®Because I have plenty of training ns prepared for you.¡¯ Hmm¡­ Wrath narrowed his eyes, while emerging from the ice flower bracelet. Are you sure what you just said is suitable in this situation? * * * * * * ¡°Ugh.¡± Burren groaned as he opened his eyes. ¡°Where am I¡­?¡± He looked around while enduring the headache. He was inside a dim room with a small radiating stone lighting up his surroundings. Considering how damp it was, he must¡¯ve been underground. ¡°Why am I here¡­ Huh?¡± He tried to move, but he couldn¡¯t move at all because something was binding his arms and legs. He looked down and saw that his wrists and ankles were shackled by manacles connected to metal chains. ¡°Wh-What? What¡¯s going on?!¡± Burren bit his lip and tried to control his aura, but his aura waspletely immobile. Something waspletely blocking his mana circuits. ¡°Ah!¡± He remembered. He remembered darkness covering his vision after hearing his second eldest brother¡¯s voice. It was him. Gelmia must¡¯ve made him faint and brought him there. ¡®But why?¡¯ Burren frowned. He couldn¡¯t believe that his brother had kidnapped him just because he didn¡¯t grant his nonsensical request. Creak! While he was shaking his hazy head, a frightening sound could be heard as the cell door opened. ¡°Brother! Why would you do this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not Sir Gelmia.¡± Just like he said, he wasn¡¯t his second brother. He was a small and red-haired middle-aged man who gave off a gentle impression. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Burren.¡± ¡°n?¡± The person who entered the room was n, the second team leader of the Severing Steads squad, which was led by Gelmia. Since he¡¯d been his brother¡¯s subordinate ever since childhood, they used to see each other pretty often. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. You can recognize me even though it¡¯s been a pretty long time since west met.¡± He smiled gently, bringing over a chair to sit opposite him. ¡°Where¡¯s my brother? Release me right now and let me¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Sir Burren has no right to give me orders.¡± n¡¯s smile was the same as before, but his eyes were extremely cold. ¡°What are you nning to do¡­?¡± ¡°Sir Gelmia is a distrustful person. He cannot trust Sir Burren to remain silent about his request.¡± ¡°I-Is that why he kidnapped me? Doesn¡¯t he realize that this is an even more serious matter?¡± ¡°Of course he does. That¡¯s why he sent me here.¡± n nodded with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°What does that even mean¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m really good at, except for swordsmanship. It¡¯s called brainwashing.¡± ¡°You idiot!¡± Burren clenched his teeth. ¡°Do you really believe that the seniors in the house won¡¯t even realize that? Even the Light Wind squad¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. The brainwashing I¡¯m going to use isn¡¯t that powerful or conspicuous.¡± n grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to very slowly change your mindset. It¡¯s weak and slow, but the change of your thoughts should happen in a very natural way. Sir Burren should be fine to be released in about ten days. Though, I cannot guarantee that Sir Burren will be the same as he is right now.¡± His grin showed his confidence in his results. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest opportunity before that. If you give us the information about Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Burren spat on n¡¯s face as he started to bber. ¡°I''m a Zieghart! I¡¯m never going to sell out mypanion! And you know nothing about Raon! I¡¯m sure he will find this ce even if he had to destroy this entire building!¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry about that either.¡± n grinned while wiping the spit from his cheek. ¡°Because we¡¯ve already made preparations for that.¡± * * * ¡°A family event?¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at Burren¡¯s butler, Tias, who came to visit the fifth training ground. ¡°Yes. He said that he wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in the training for about ten days because of a scheduled event at the Central Martial Pce.¡± Tias bowed to Raon, telling him that Burren wouldn¡¯t be able to join in on training for a while because of an affair at the Central Martial Pce. ¡°I see.¡± Raon remembered Burren talking to his brother Gelmia when they returned to the house. He guessed that he must¡¯ve been doing something with him. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped if it¡¯s a family event.¡± Raon examined Tias while slowly nodding his head. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Something seemed fishy. Ever since Raon had made Burren stand back on his feet at the Central Martial Pce, Tias had always been smiling at him from the bottom of his heart. However, the Tias he was facing had a cold atmosphere around him, like the way he used to be before that event. ¡°...Thank you for understanding.¡± He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, then politely bowed to Raon before he left. ¡®I¡¯m going to need some information here.¡¯ He figured he needed to ask Judiel to find out what Burren and Gelmia were doing once he returned to the annex building. ¡°How is Burren the only one getting special treatment? I also have businesses to attend to!¡± Martha exploded in anger, saying that it couldn¡¯t be allowed to happen. ¡°What business?¡± ¡°Wh-What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking what business you have.¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t answer that question if you ask it right away! Argh!¡± She panicked from the direct question and ended up biting her tongue a little. ¡°It¡¯s fwine since you don¡¯t have any.¡± ¡°Stop copying me! I didn¡¯t do that on purpose!¡± Raon snickered and looked around at the Light Wind members. Their healthy faces made him guess that they must¡¯ve focused on resting since they had only one day of rest. ¡°How is the squad leader doing?¡± Krein raised his hand. Everyone else must¡¯ve been curious about it as well, since their eyes turned round. Runaan was dozing off, but she even raised her eyelids to reveal her nk eyes. ¡°He¡¯spleted his energy center and he is currently gathering aura.¡± He pointed at the innermost cultivation room that the Gambling Monster was guarding. Rimmer hadpleted his energy center in the morning, and he was absorbing the elixirs as he spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him and focus on your training, since he can handle his own business.¡± Raon grinned and opened the box that was ced on the tform. ¡°Equip these on your wrists and ankles as soon as you get them.¡± He threw a pair of ck bracelets and anklets to each of the swordsmen. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s thi¡­ Uhah!¡± ¡°M-My aura is getting sucked out!¡± ¡°Kuah! Why is this so heavy?!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s a ghost! There¡¯s a ghost dwelling in the bracelet!¡± The swordsmen freaked out upon noticing that the bracelets and anklets were taking away their aura and started to struggle. ¡°Your aura isn¡¯t getting taken away. It¡¯s simply being used to add weight to your bracelets and anklets. That¡¯s why it bes heavier the more aura you have.¡± While their chins were trembling, Raon exined about the training artifact, the ck Converters, that Encia had made for them. ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to take that off in the future without my permission. You should have them equipped all the time, even when you eat and use the restroom.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?¡± ¡°How can I have this always on when I can¡¯t even move properly¡­?¡± ¡°I-Impossible¡­¡± The swordsman''s lips were trembling as theyined that they couldn¡¯t even move while wearing them. ¡°Your bodies haven¡¯t finished maturing yet. Training the body is bound to develop your energy center and mana circuits, and that¡¯s the goal of this training.¡± Raon raised his finger while telling them that it wasn¡¯t going to be that hard. ¡°You should get used to it soon enough because humans adapt. Let¡¯s start with long distance running.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°You are the only one who¡¯s getting used to this!¡± ¡°H-How am I supposed to stay alive while wearing this?¡± The swordsmen shook their hands, brushing it off as nonsense. ¡°In that case, I have another training n prepared for you.¡± Raon nodded and raised his finger. ¡°Another training n?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that one instead!¡± The swordsmen walked up to him, saying that it sounded like a better idea. ¡°Spar against me one-on-one until sunset.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m ready to run!¡± ¡°Stop dreaming! I¡¯ll be the fastest!¡± ¡°How manyps should I run?¡± The swordsmen leapt back and got ready to run. They violently shook their heads, trying to deny the spar at all costs, even if they had to go through difficult training. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to see how motivated you are to train.¡± Raon folded his hands behind his back and nodded. ¡°Kuuh!¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s a demon. He¡¯s a demon!¡± ¡°The squad leader feels like an angel inparison¡­¡± ¡°If only I had the power, I would¡¯ve¡­¡± The swordsmen swallowed their tears and got ready to run. ¡°Everyone, run!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Martha gave a killing re at her bracelets and anklets while Runaan sighed deeply before they both started running around the training ground. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°This is madness!¡± ¡°Sir Burren is taking the easy way out while we are all suffering!¡± Once the team leaders started running, the other swordsman had no choice but to start running around the training ground. ¡°Martha, your body is leaning forward too much. Runaan, pull back your chin, and Dorian, you need to stand up already!¡± Raon stayed on the tform and generously gave away advice for the swordsmen on running properly, even though it sounded like he was nagging at them. ¡®They are doing pretty well.¡¯ They were running at full speed while enduring the ck Converter¡¯s weight, even though it wasn¡¯t clear whether they were just trying to avoid the spar or if it was because of all the difficult training they¡¯d done in the past. ¡®It should be fine to proceed ording to the n.¡¯ He was going to make their schedule a little bit easier if they were having trouble, but he figured it wasn¡¯t necessary to do so. ¡°Listen while running. We are going to do some survival training in the North Grave Mountain. You will hide by reducing your presence, and I¡¯ll try finding and attacking you. You should think of a strategy to survive in advance.¡± Raon told them about the survival training that he¡¯d been nning as they ran. ¡°Survival?¡± ¡°What a shitty way to train¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m already terrified even though I just heard about it¡­¡± The faces of the swordsmen turned white from fear as they sighed. ¡°When are we going to do that?¡± Dorian stopped running while panting. He was trying to rest while pretending to ask a question. ¡°This evening.¡± Every single member of the Light Wind squad stopped in their tracks and looked back at Raon upon hearing him. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened to the point that it looked like their eyes would pop out of their heads. ¡°This evening¡­?¡± ¡°Damn it! You crazy bastard!¡± Runaan and Martha dropped their jaws in shock. ¡°Did you just say this evening?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°Even that scummy Rimmer gave us a day to prepare ourselves!¡± Everyone shouted at him, saying that it couldn¡¯t be happening. ¡°That¡¯s your problem. You should start thinking about it if you don¡¯t want to suffer. Think about how to survive on that mountain.¡± ¡°Y-You aren¡¯t even human!¡± ¡°A demon. He must be a devil!¡± Raon smiled while looking at the Light Wind squad¡¯s terrified faces. ¡®Ah, this is so fun.¡¯ He looked at the cultivation room while enjoying the threatening res of the Light Wind members. ¡®I just need him toe out now.¡¯ His heart was pounding in anticipation, since he was confident he could make Rimmer suffer more than anyone else. You are being recognized by everyone now. Wrath gave him a big nod. He looked impressed. The King of Essence knew you were too talented to stay here. Come to Devildom with the King of Essence¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not buying it.¡¯ Chapter 266 Raon returned to the annex building after letting the Light Wind swordsmen have lunch. He wanted to thank Encia for making the ck Converter for him, but she was nowhere to be seen. ¡°She hasn¡¯te out of her room all day, not since she said she had some great ideas earlier this morning.¡± Judiel came to him instead of Encia, casually shaking her head. ¡°I guess she doesn¡¯t really need to find out how well they did.¡± ¡°She seems confident.¡± ¡°Yeah. She must¡¯ve considered them perfect.¡± The fact that she went to her room without even hearing about the ck Converter¡¯s performance signified that she was confident in her artifact¡¯s quality. Although she was still young, her skills and mindset already seemed to be that of a seasoned artisan. ¡°I have something to report.¡± When Raon was about to ask Judiel about how the Central Martial Pce was doing, she started talking about it first. ¡°The Central Martial Pce ordered me to renew the information about you, young master.¡± ¡°Renew the information?¡± ¡°Yes. They asked to investigate your injuries, new equipment, hidden techniques and achievements. I was ordered to proceed carefully.¡± She added that the order hadn¡¯t been as detailed in a long time. ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon rolled up his lips. It was intensifying his doubt, that the incongruence he felt from Burren¡¯s butler¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t just an impression. ¡°How is the Central Martial Pce doing nowadays?¡± ¡°It¡¯s silent.¡± ¡°Silent?¡± ¡°The squad leader of Severing Steads, Gelmia Zieghart, is temporarily in charge of the Central Martial Pce because Karoon Zieghart is on a mission. It¡¯s a lot quieter than usual. And that¡¯s¡­¡± Her eyes turned as dark as a bottomless well. ¡°The calm before the storm.¡± Raon nodded and continued Judiel¡¯s sentence. ¡°From behind, or from below. They must be preparing something.¡± ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t find out for sure because the information is controlled, but that¡¯s most likely the case.¡± ¡°Controlling the information¡­¡± It was the first time Judiel mentioned information control. Raon figured he needed to investigate Gelmia Zieghart. ¡°What kind of person is Gelmia?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a young powerhouse in charge of Severing Steads and is supposed to be at the intermediate level of Master. The swordsmanship he uses is focused on precise and fast stabs, and he¡¯s known under the name of Sword of Pleasant Wind after ying a squad leader from the Heavenly Martial Pce.¡± Judiel exhaled briefly before she continued. ¡°And you might have guessed from his nickname, but people have an extremely good impression of him. People say that he¡¯s generous to his allies while beingpletely merciless against his enemies. However, he is actually a coldhearted person who will even y his allies if they end up being a hindrance. Many people inside the Central Martial Pce are afraid of him as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue. ¡®Information control, Tias¡¯ reaction, Gelmia¡¯s true personality, and Burren skipping training¡­¡¯ Adding up all the information made an ominous feeling run down his spine. Everything was strange, but the fact that Burren was skipping training was the strangest of them all. ¡®Because there¡¯s no way he¡¯d skip training.¡¯ Burren was the most responsible person in the Light Wind squad. It didn¡¯t make any sense that he would be skipping training¡ªand even if he did, he would¡¯ve visited him personally to exin his situation. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it through.¡¯ He was careless because Tias was the one who came to inform him of the news, and he was Burren¡¯s closest subordinate as well as the person who cherished him the most. ¡°You mentioned that the inside information of the Central Martial Pce was being controlled, right?¡± ¡°Yes. A lot of it is restricted. They are proceeding with extreme caution.¡± ¡°I have a request.¡± Raon pointed at the golden pin attached to his training outfit. It was one of the artifacts he¡¯d gotten from Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon. ¡°I¡¯ll give you information about this artifact, so please determine Burren¡¯s location in the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the information about an artifact should work, but why would you want to know about Sir Burren¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wild guess, but I have a feeling that he¡¯s suffering right now.¡± Raon turned around with a cold smile on his face. ¡°I shall look after him, since he¡¯s my underling.¡± * * * That night, Raon looked down on the Light Wind members standing in front of the North Grave Mountain. He smiled as he saw the anger, fear, and irritation in their eyes. ¡°The procedure is simple. You will hide and I will seek, and we will fight if we meet. See? It¡¯s that easy.¡± ¡°You damn boar! How are we even supposed to win against you?¡± Martha ground her teeth, telling him to stop speaking bullshit. She looked like she would run up to him to grab him by his cor at any time. ¡°Damn handsome Raon. I can¡¯t win.¡± Runaan shook her head, saying that it was impossible. Raon heard she¡¯d met Encia the day before. That must¡¯ve been why she started saying ¡®damn handsome¡¯ once again. ¡°They are right! How would we even win against the temporary squad leader?¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t even win against you when you weren¡¯t a Master. You are literally an unsurpassable wall right now!¡± ¡°This is unreasonable!¡± The Light Wind members alsoined while shaking their fists, saying that it was impossible to win against him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We aren¡¯t just fighting.¡± Raon snickered, then equipped the ck Converters on his wrists and ankles. ¡°I¡¯ll equip the ck Converters and you will take them off. That means that I¡¯ll be looking for you without using the aura. This sounds fair, right?¡± ¡°A-Are you really not using aura?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Th-That sounds more reasonable!¡± The Light Wind members swallowed nervously, saying that it was possible. ¡°No! There¡¯s one more!¡± Martha frowned and walked up to him. ¡°How about the battle? Don¡¯t tell me you are suddenly going to take off the bracelet and start attacking us?¡± ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll be fighting like this.¡± ¡°Alright! That sounds doable. I¡¯m going to smack your face!¡± Martha tightly bit her lip, raising her fist. ¡°Me too! He makes me so angry nowadays!¡± ¡°Even today, we had to roll on the ground all day long!¡± ¡°Kuh, I won¡¯t forgive him!¡± Every single member of the Light Wind squad was grinding their teeth in anger. ¡°I¡¯ll let you rest for tomorrow if you manage to hide from me until the end or manage to defeat me.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Rest!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m going to hide no matter what! I¡¯ll dig a tunnel underground if I have to.¡± Once Raon mentioned that he¡¯d even give them a day of rest, their faces turned red. They were extremely motivated to either hide or attack him. Except for Runaan, who was just nkly looking up to the North Grave Mountain with no care for her surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m going to start moving in an hour. Start moving!¡± Raon grinned and pped his hands. It was probably because he saw Rimmer doing it too many times¡ªthe movement was unconscious. ¡°Let¡¯s goooo!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to hold my breath until the day ends.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to beat Sir Raon up! This is the only opportunity to smack that hateful face of his.¡± The Light Wind members climbed the mountain while shouting. They were brimming with energy since they hadn¡¯t been using aura during the day¡¯s training. Raon turned around while listening to the sound of the swordsmen climbing the mountain. Since the Light Wind members weren¡¯t idiots, they only shouted in the beginning and fellpletely silent after that. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this look fun?¡± Hmph! There¡¯s no fun in child¡¯s y. ¡°They are going to struggle with everything they have because I told them I¡¯d let them rest tomorrow. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be fun to shatter that hope?¡± Kaah! Wrath¡¯s exmation sounded like he had just chugged down a cup of beer. The King of Essence couldn¡¯t even reach such an evil thought! You are really¡­ ¡®You are getting started again.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he tried to cling onto him and closed his eyes. Since one hour was a long time, he meditated to polish his swordsmanship, as he couldn¡¯t use his aura to pass the time. ¡°The time is up.¡± Once five more minutes passed after the one hour mark, Raon opened his eyes and walked towards the mountain. ¡°Not bad.¡± Some of them had used footwork in order to move faster, but most of them climbed quietly without leaving any traces. A smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face, since he could see the results of his teachings. ¡®That doesn¡¯t mean that I won¡¯t be able to find you, though.¡¯ The ground wasn¡¯t the only thing that held evidence in a mountain. He could use the traces found from the curved branches or leaves, the scentsing through the wind or the psychology of people climbing the mountain. There were plenty of hints he could use without any footprints. ¡®Many of them went to the right side.¡¯ Judging from the traces on the ground and branches, more than eight people seemed to have taken the right path. ¡®I shall take care of them first.¡¯ Raon confirmed the exact direction of the traces and ran that way. ¡®The traces are bing clearer.¡¯ Unlike the entrance of the mountain, the traces were tantly pointing towards the hill once he went halfway up. ¡®I can clearly read your thoughts.¡¯ Raon snickered. As soon as he climbed the hill, the training swords fiercely rushed towards him from both sides and from the top of a tree. ¡°Give us!¡± ¡°A day!¡± ¡°Of rest!¡± ¡°Die!¡± The swordsmen from the third team of Light Wind squad were shouting as they struck him with their training swords. Their positioning, timing, and reaction speed were all satisfactory, even though there was one strange word mixed in there that he didn¡¯t really like. ¡°That¡¯s a nice surprise attack.¡± Raon smiled gently and took a step forward. Whoosh! That single step made the swordsmen¡¯s swords sh the thin air, and Raon used that opportunity to smack the abdomen of two swordsmen on his right side. ¡°Kuaah!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Although it was a simple punch to the stomach, they were unable to stand up as they foamed at the mouth. ¡°Hey! What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°It was just a punch! He didn¡¯t even use his sword!¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be able to stand.¡± Raon shook his head and stepped forward. Since he stopped restricting his strength and agility to make up for not using his aura, it was impossible for them to stand up. ¡°Sniff!¡± ¡°Th-This can¡¯t be happening!¡± ¡°He can¡¯t use his aura, though! We will be able to win as long as we fight him together!¡± Since Burren wasn¡¯t there, the third team¡¯s vice leader Krein encouraged everyone to attack together. Pang! Raon easily fended off the five training swords thrust at his waist with the back of his hand and his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t simply follow what you can see. Use aura perception as much as possible to understand your opponent¡¯s location and his distance from you!¡± He deflected every single de thrust at him like rose thorns before smacking them with his fist one after the other. Smack! Smack! The Light Wind¡¯s third team had to roll on the ground because of his storming flurry. The only one left was Krein, the vice team leader. ¡°Hieeh! H-How is this happening¡­?¡± Krein ttered his teeth and stepped back with a trembling chin. His eyes were trembling like a pendulum in disbelief. ¡°You said ¡®die¡¯ earlier, right?¡± ¡°M-Me? There¡¯s no way I would say that!¡± ¡°No, I heard it for sure. That¡¯s why you are the only one left now.¡± Raon smiled and turned his wrist. ¡°W-Wait!¡± ¡°You are going to need plenty of beatings.¡± ¡°Arrrgh!¡± * * * * * * Raon was back at the mountain¡¯s entrance, and the Light Wind swordsmen were rubbing their bruises while kneeling in front of him. Martha straight up challenged him to a duel just to get beaten up like crazy, and Runaan tried to hide until the very end, but she ended up surrendering because Raon found her location. ¡°It was impossible for you to hide from me to begin with, since you never learned proper search and hiding techniques.¡± Raon raised his finger while meeting everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°What should you have done?¡± ¡°We needed to prepare to fight from the start.¡± Martha frowned while rubbing her chin, which had been bruised. ¡°Correct. And the decision you have to make is how you fight.¡± Raon nodded and continued. ¡°Bing a Master raises your physical abilities and senses to another level. Even though I¡¯m not allowed to use aura, I still have an advantage. So, what¡¯s the best way to fight a warrior like that?¡± ¡°Just charge at him and smack him!¡± ¡°Surprise attack!¡± ¡°Surround him with numbers!¡± The first answer obviously came from Martha. Everyone gave their own opinions, but no one gave the correct answer. ¡°There is no correct answer.¡± ¡°No answer?¡± ¡°Eeeh? That¡¯s not fair!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at the confused Light Wind members. ¡°There¡¯s no correct answer since it depends on the geography, timing, and situation. However, there is a solution. Focus. You need to think and focus until your head breaks, thinking about how tost longer and how to defeat your opponent in the given situation.¡± Raon passionately looked down at the Light Wind members. ¡°Since I might find you and start fighting you at any moment, you need to maintain extreme focus from the beginning. You need to stay alert and use your head in order to start the fight with an advantage, no matter what happens. I¡¯m emphasizing again that focus is important. You need to maintain extreme focus until the end of training.¡± Every member of the Light Wind squad swallowed nervously as they heard him and clenched their fists. Raon could see the motivation in their eyes. ¡°Climb now if you understand what I said. Let¡¯s start the second round.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The swordsmen weren¡¯tining anymore. Since they were embarrassed from being defeated by Raon, who wasn¡¯t even using his aura, and impressed by the exciting advice, they braced themselves and silently climbed the mountain. Raon turned around after watching the Light Wind squad carefully climb the mountain. He started walking towards the training ground instead of the mountain. Huh? Where are you going now? Wrath was yawning on his shoulder but tilted his head upon noticing his strange behavior. ¡®To the training ground.¡¯ Aren¡¯t you going to that mountain? ¡®Why would I go there?¡¯ Well, you just told those kids to climb¡­ ¡®I told them to climb, but I never said that I¡¯d climb after them.¡¯ Uhh¡­ His jaw dropped. He apparently never thought about that. ¡®What they need right now is to be able to maintain their focus.¡¯ Raon looked around with a grin on his face. ¡®They are going to stay alert and maintain focus forever since I could be there at any moment. It¡¯s going to be a little bit of a struggle, but I¡¯m sure they will grow a lot in a short period of time.¡¯ Honestly, it wasn¡¯t a little bit of a struggle, but a deadly struggle. However, their growth was going to be worth it. ¡®I need some training for myself now.¡¯ Raon shrugged his shoulders and grabbed Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. N-No matter how I look at it, you aren¡¯t human! Wrath¡¯s chin was shivering intensely. That¡¯s not how a human being is supposed to think! ¡®I guess I¡¯m not human then.¡¯ You admitted it! You finally admitted it! Alright! The King of Essence willy out a royal road for you¡­ ¡®I told you I¡¯m not buying it.¡¯ * * * Raon returned to the fifth training ground and closed his eyes. He slowly controlled the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He heated up the mana circuits throughout his body with the energy of fire before drawing Heavenly Drive. Whir! A heat powerful enough to distort the atmosphere flew from his body like river water flowing past gravel. Tssh! The soft sand covering the ground was scorched, with gray smoke rising from it. ¡®This is the Firewall from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation.¡¯ Firewall was a defensive technique that consisted in burning up an opponent¡¯s aura by increasing body heat, useful for cases where it would be impossible to avoid an opponent¡¯s attack. ¡®The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation has so many useful techniques.¡¯ When he became a Master, the techniques of Hundred mes of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation showed up in his head as images. He¡¯d been avoiding them so far because he was busy creating and developing his own techniques, but it was about time he started learning them. Whoosh! Raon migrated the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy surrounding his body to Heavenly Drive. He turned the raging astral energy on the de into thin slices, just like when he used an aura de to create a single line. Whap! The sand on the ground shrunk from the line of flowing heat on his de, and the space looked distorted, as if he were in the middle of a heat haze. That was the Crimson sh. Contrary to Firewall, it was an aggressive technique that consisted of destroying an opponent¡¯s defense by adding an overwhelming amount of firepower into the astral energy. Raon slowly shed down with his sword. Even though a sharp hole was created in the scorched sand, the sand next to it wasn¡¯t filling up the hole. It felt like even the atmosphere was melting down from the heat of Crimson sh. ¡®Pretty good.¡¯ An opponent on the same level or lower than him would never be able to defend against it, and it was even capable of breaching through a stronger opponent¡¯s defenses. It was truly a shocking amount of power. ¡®It has a high aura consumption though.¡¯ Since Firewall and Crimson sh were both from the Hundred mes, their aura consumption was iparable to the basic techniques. Although they were great techniques, he figured that it was necessary to carefully decide when to use them. Raon smiled in satisfaction and tried using the techniques he¡¯d already learned, as well as those he could potentially learn, one after the other to test them out. As he was too immersed in his swordsmanship practice, the sun was already rising. ¡®It¡¯s about time I took them back.¡¯ Are they like objects to you? Wrath gasped at his ridiculous remark. ¡®No way. They are my precious subordinates.¡¯ He sheathed Heavenly Drive in order to call the Light Wind members that he¡¯d been neglecting, or rather, that he¡¯d left them to train. He turned around in order to climb the North Grave Mountain, and Judiel was standing in front of the training ground, holding a lunchbox in her hand. ¡°Greeting the young master.¡± Judiel slightly bent her knees to greet him before walking up to him. ¡°What¡¯s up so early in the morning?¡± ¡°I prepared some snacks since I figured you would be training.¡± She stood in front of him with a faint smile on her face. The fact that she was smiling despite the fact that she usually didn¡¯t signified that there was something she needed to tell him. ¡°Ah, thank you. Come this way.¡± Raon smiled and brought Judiel to the resting room. He created an aura barrier to stop the sound from leaking out. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotten the information.¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°I investigated it pretty quickly, since it seemed to be an urgent matter.¡± She casually nodded. ¡°This is just my guess. That should be taken into ount when you hear this.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Sir Burren couldn¡¯t be found in any of the training grounds in the Central Martial Pce. He¡¯s supposed to be inside the Central Martial Pce, but no one has seen him. On the other hand, Gelmia has been seen in various locations. And there¡¯s one more person who couldn¡¯t be found.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°n. He¡¯s one of the Severing Stead¡¯s team leaders, and an extremely skilled swordsman. However, he has one more special skill than swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Special skill?¡± ¡°Yes. Brainwashing.¡± Judiel frowned slightly as she continued. ¡°It¡¯s not a simple method that consists of causing physical pain. He uses words and a small amount of drugs to cause mental shock, so it¡¯s difficult to find someone that was brainwashed. The weak brainwashing that I used to be subjected to used the same method.¡± The brainwashing was removed because of Raon¡¯s murderous intent, but she used to be brainwashed by the same method as n¡¯s. ¡°So you are telling me¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I might be wrong, but n is most likely brainwashing Sir Burren.¡± ¡°It needs to be pretty much certain.¡± Raon furrowed his brow. She mentioned that she might be wrong, but her eyes were certain about it. ¡°Is that Gelmia guy a son of a bitch who can even lock up his own brother?¡± ¡°I do believe so.¡± ¡°Haa, I guess it must¡¯ve been because of me that he did all that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Judiel didn¡¯t respond. Her silence meant that she wasn¡¯t sure about that one, but that was making her guesses even more trustworthy. ¡°The Rofence style brainwashing that n uses takes about one week to ten days. It¡¯s also necessary to regrly call them afterwards toplete the brainwashing.¡± ¡°Ten days¡­¡± Raon nodded. He remembered Tias mentioning that Burren wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in training for ten days. It¡¯s certain now. ¡®Yes, it¡¯s certain.¡¯ That was all he needed to hear. Tias was forced to visit the training ground even though he knew what was going on. The reason his reaction was different from usual was because he was trying to ask for help to find Burren. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± ¡°Are the minimal number of troops and the Severing Steads the only ones in the Central Martial Pce right now?¡± ¡°Yes. They are the only ones left there, since Karoon went to fight the barbarians.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Raon licked his lips and nodded. ¡°The Severing Steads should be perfect as training materials for the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°A-Are you nning to attack the Central Martial Pce?¡± ¡°Yes. My squad is about to turn into rabid dogs right now, you know?¡± A frightening smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he looked up at the North Grave Mountain. ¡°I¡¯m sure they will be really good at biting.¡± But that¡¯s your fault! I¡¯m sure they would prefer to bite you instead! ¡®Even rabid dogs don¡¯t bite their master.¡¯ As Raon was about to push Wrath away, the sound of an explosion could be heard from the cultivation room. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon immediately left the resting room. The cultivation room¡¯s entrance was covered in a cloud of dust, and Rimmer emerged with disheveled red eyes. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡­What the hell was wrong with him now? Chapter 267 Raon narrowed his eyes as he saw Rimmer coughing inside the cloud he¡¯d created. ¡®He¡¯spleted his energy center.¡¯ The artificial energy center used to have an immature shape, yet it was perfectly rooted in Rimmer¡¯s body and was even connected to the mana circuits. He looked like fabric that was perfectly woven together without the slightest error. ¡®He¡¯s gotten even better than I expected.¡¯ Raon was filled with anticipation about how powerful Rimmer would be with his new energy center and perfectly healed mana circuits. ¡°Kuh, what¡¯s wrong with all this dust?¡± ¡°The sand exploded because you destroyed the door!¡± Rimmer frowned and the Gambling Monster kicked his ass. ¡®But that guy¡­¡¯ Raon frowned while watching Rimmer fall down with a scream. ¡®Why is his aura so bad?¡¯ The quantity was way too small. The amount of aura Rimmer had in his energy center was much smaller than he expected. He couldn¡¯t understand why that was all he¡¯d managed to gather even though he¡¯d gifted him two mid-grade elixirs and enough time to cultivate. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ A crazy hypothesis came to mind. Other people never would have done it, but that weirdo elf absolutely would have. ¡°Squad leader.¡± Raon walked up to Rimmer. He clenched his fist while watching Rimmer rub his ass on the ground. ¡°You hid them in order to sell themter, right?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± Rimmer tilted his head as if he had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°You didn¡¯t take the elixirs I left in the room so that you can sell themter to use as gambling funds, right?¡± That was the exnation for Rimmer¡¯s aura being so small. ¡°I even used a bronze tablet to get that elixir, yet you are trying to sell them instead of taking them! How could you do that?!¡± ¡°Hah! Don¡¯t tell me you tried to sell the elixir he left for you.¡± The Gambling Monster eximed. He also seemed to find it ridiculous. ¡°No! It¡¯s not true!¡± Rimmer violently shook his hands in denial. ¡°Squad leader is pretty much a newborn baby right now. You can absorb the entirety of an elixir¡¯s energy.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible that the aura you have is all you absorbed after taking two mid-grade elixirs in your state.¡± Raon bit his lip slightly and walked up to Rimmer. ¡°I filtered it!¡± Rimmer swallowed nervously, then screamed in response. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know! Even an elixir¡¯s mana isn¡¯tpletely pure.¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Elixirs weren¡¯t made of pure mana. Whether it was an artificial or natural elixir, the process of consolidating nature¡¯s mana was bound to include arge amount of impurities. ¡°I¡¯ve filtered out all the impurities and only absorbed the pure mana from the elixir!¡± Rimmer wrinkled his nose while pointing at his energy center. ¡®I was so thankful to you. There¡¯s no way I would¡¯ve done that.¡¯ He was so thankful that he almost cried when he saw the elixir Raon had left behind. He¡¯d always thought that he had to help his students as a teacher, yet he was being helped instead to an extreme degree. It made him overwhelmed with emotions. ¡®That¡¯s why I took it one step further.¡¯ Since he was so thankful to Raon and the Light Wind members, he pondered how to get stronger faster and even stronger than before and managed to find a way. ¡®Raon Zieghart. You were the answer.¡¯ Raon¡¯s aura was as pure as nature''s fire or ice. The high purity was the reason even a small amount could be extremely powerful. That cultivation technique was only possible because he waspletely empty, with no aura whatsoever. He used a special cultivation technique that only elves could use to absorb the essences of the two elixirs in his energy center. That was why the aura in his energy center was extremely small in quantity, but its purity was as powerful as Raon¡¯s. ¡°Look.¡± Rimmer briefly exhaled, then raised his finger. Pssh! Green energy soared from his finger, and a refreshing green wind swept through the atmosphere. ¡°Is this¡­¡± Raon controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to make it emerge from his finger. A crimson me blossomed like a flower upon meeting the wind. ¡®They are simr.¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s energy was as pure as nature itself, just like the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy. Even though it was extremely small, Raon could feel that its power far surpassed its size. ¡®If he manages toplete this¡­¡¯ He could guess that Rimmer would be able to reach another height once he managed to fill his perfected energy center and mana circuits with that aura. ¡°Is that an elven cultivation technique?¡± ¡°Yes. Everyone threw it away because it¡¯s so slow at creating aura, but I tried it out because I¡¯m currently capable of increasing the speed.¡± Rimmer chuckled, saying that he wasn¡¯t patient enough when he was younger. ¡°Are you admitting it now?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± Raon nodded. Despite his usual personality, Rimmer had actually taken the elixir and only absorbed the pure mana in his energy center. It was a nice decision. ¡°But where are the other kids? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be training?¡± ¡°Yes. They are training right now.¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at the North Grave Mountain. ¡°Young Master.¡± Judiel bowed to him. She¡¯d been standing behind him all along. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡± Raon smiled while pointing at the sandwich that he was still holding in his hand. Judiel gave him a fake smile before leaving the training ground. ¡°Squad leader.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°When can I perform thepulsory execution on the squad members for disobedience?¡± Even though Burren was kidnapped, he needed a justifiable cause to barge into the Central Martial Pce, since he wasn¡¯t certain about it yet. He was nning to use thepulsory execution as an excuse. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d know that?¡± Rimmer snorted with his arms crossed, as if he were proud of himself. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Four days.¡± While Raon was sighing, the Gambling Monster gave him the answer. ¡°You can activate it immediately during a war, but you need four days at a time like this.¡± ¡°So we can make our move on the fifth day.¡± Since she mentioned that it took a week to ten days toplete the brainwashing, Raon figured that going to save him on the fifth day wouldn¡¯t be an issue. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Why did you ask that out of nowhere?¡± The two of them approached him at the same time. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to need to save an idiot.¡± Raon bit his lip slightly while looking in the direction of the Central Martial Pce. * * * ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Grr!¡± Raon closed his eyes after seeing the Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s furious gazes. They were showing their teeth as they growled, as if they had really turned into dogs. They must¡¯ve been really angry that he¡¯d been neglecting them. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why they were turning into beasts when he was only trying to raise them as powerful warriors with sturdy bodies and minds. ¡®I need to harden my heart even more in a case like this.¡¯ Although he felt sorry for making them suffer, it was going to interfere in future training if he went easy on them. It was necessary to be strong, even if he had to apologizeter on. ¡°Good job.¡± Raon nonchntly nodded. ¡°Good job? Goooood job? Fuck! You son of a bitch!¡± Martha stood up with a ck me burning in her eyes. ¡°Damn handsome Raon, that was too mean¡­¡± Even though Runaan usually took his side, she red at him white grasping her hair. ¡°It wasn¡¯t even all night long. You even left us there until morning, and all you have to say is good job?¡± ¡°That was really excessive this time! I felt like my head was breaking.¡± ¡°It was really too hard. Argh, I still feel like puking¡­¡± ¡°Sir Burren should¡¯ve experienced this with us¡­¡± Since they¡¯d maintained their focus all night long and even in the morning, they still looked tired after resting for about an hour. All they had left was their anger towards Raon. ¡®Still.¡¯ That was the important moment. Since the physically and mentally exhausted state was the perfect time to engrave the postures and techniques in their bodies, it was necessary to make the best use of that moment. ¡°Neglected you, huh¡­?¡± Raon snorted and looked down on the Light Wind squad. ¡°That was this training¡¯s purpose all along.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your focus is too short and shallow.¡± He crushed the confused Light Wind members with his powerful energy wave. ¡°We are going to encounter more and more powerful enemies in the future. What do you think is the most important quality to have upon fighting an equal or stronger opponent? The first is obviously prowess, and the second is focus.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes sank into darkness. The Light Wind members swallowed nervously upon meeting his frightening gaze. ¡°If you want to analyze your opponent¡¯s martial art and lead the fight to your advantage, you need to be able to maintain extreme focus for not just a few minutes, but a few hours at least.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°So you weren¡¯t neglecting us¡­¡± ¡°Indeed. I was leaving you alone so that you could increase your focus. It was your first time, right? I bet you¡¯ve never stayed nervous and focused for such a long time before.¡± Every member of the Light Wind squad slowly nodded at what Raon said. ¡°You must¡¯ve felt like you couldn¡¯t think straight, and your body felt heavy¡ªas if it was drenched in water. If you had experienced it for the first time during a real fight, you would most likely have died to an enemy. I was giving you an opportunity to avoid your first death.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Even Martha hung her head, unable to refute him. ¡°We are going to keep doing this training in the future. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to be extremely painful, but consider it earning a life point every time you do this training. Raise your hand now if you don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ll allow you to skip it.¡± Naturally, no one raised their hand. ¡°Then equip the ck Converter now. We are restarting the training.¡± ¡°Haa!¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped¡­¡± ¡°Argh, I¡¯m so jealous of Sir Burren¡­¡± The Light Wind members were whining and grinding their teeth, but they still immediately equipped the ck Converters. All of them wanted to get stronger, after all. ¡°Just like always, we are starting with sprinting. Everyone, sprint as fast as you can!¡± ¡°Uaaah!¡± ¡°Iyaaah!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The Light Wind members shouted and started running around the training ground. Their acrimony was probably making them run even faster than the day before despite not having slept and having the ck Converters equipped. ¡°Puhahahaha!¡± Rimmer giggled while watching the Light Wind members. ¡°They aren¡¯t even allowed to sleep as they train. How pitiful. I¡¯m so d I¡¯m not one of them.¡± ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± Raon tilted his head at Rimmer¡¯s grin. ¡°You know, it¡¯s funny. I¡¯ll leave after watching them a littl¡­¡± ¡°I mean, what are you doing right now instead of running with them?¡± ¡°Huh? M-Me too?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped as he pointed at himself. ¡°I ordered everyone to run as fast as they could.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m the squad leader¡­¡± ¡°I said this before, but I¡¯m the one holding the rights to supervise training and order the Light Wind members right now. The same goes for your rehabilitation, squad leader.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m a bit too strong to be running¡­¡± ¡°You should visit the head of house if you want toin about it.¡± Raon grinned while returning what Rimmer had told him when he used to be a trainee right back at him. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you again. Run!¡± ¡°You damn deeeeemon!¡± Rimmer screamed and started running around the training ground. ¡°Puhahaha!¡± ¡°Oh my god, serves you right!¡± ¡°I knew he would end up like that!¡± The Light Wind members were the ones giggling at Rimmer instead as he ran around the training ground. * * * * * * Raon gathered everyone at the center of the training ground after they finished their basic stamina training. ¡°Since you must be warmed up by now, let¡¯s start the spars now. It¡¯s not going to be a simple fight, but I¡¯ll drive you to the brink of death to raise your focus to the maximum. You should brace yourselves.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t even sleep at night, then ran and suffered, and now the spar ising¡­¡± ¡°The temporary squad leader is going to kill us before the enemies do!¡± The Light Wind members hung their heads while panting. Even then, no one was telling him they didn¡¯t want to do it. ¡°Who is the opponent?¡± Martha narrowed his eyes and asked the important question. ¡°It¡¯s obviously¡­¡± Raon raised his training sword with a cold smile on his face. ¡°Me.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°You must be insane!¡± ¡°Wh-Why would you do that, though?!¡± Every member of the Light Wind squad, including Martha and Runaan, stepped back in surprise. ¡°I told you already that we need to be prepared to fight an opponent stronger than ourselves, instead of the weaker ones. I¡¯m the perfect candidate to simte that.¡± Raon raised his chin while supporting his training sword on his shoulder. ¡°You aren¡¯t just strong, but way too strong!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You just want to beat us up!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have the ck Converters equipped!¡± ¡°Y-You must be out of your mind¡­¡± ¡°You fiend¡­¡± The Light Wind squad ground their teeth, enraged by Raon¡¯s arrogant expression. ¡°Haa, you really don¡¯t understand.¡± Rimmer sighed deeply while wiping off the tear flowing down his forehead. ¡°Having a warrior like Raon as a sparring partner is an extremely special opportunity. You should be thinking about how to make the best use of this opportunity instead. If you keep being angry at him like this, you will simply get knocked out in a single strike and get nothing out of it.¡± He clicked his tongue while bbering that they should make use of that opportunity. ¡°As expected of the squad leader, that was really great advice you just gave.¡± Raon smiled at Rimmer. ¡°Right? I¡¯ve always been great at giving advic¡­¡± ¡°So let¡¯s have the squad leader be my first sparring partner.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s mouth widened to an unprecedented size. ¡°The senior should show the example in a case like this.¡± Raon twirled the training sword before pointing it at Rimmer. ¡°You will be the perfect example.¡± ¡°You bastard! I was trying to help you just now!¡± ¡°Draw your sword instead of talking.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, and Raon ignored him as he drew his training sword. ¡°Alright! Even if I¡¯ve gotten weake¡­Eeh?¡± His eyes lost focus upon witnessing the ming astral energy burning on Raon¡¯s de. ¡°A-Astral energy?¡± ¡°I shall go all-out while we are at it.¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m a patient¡­¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t anymore, though.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard! You saw that I have almost no aura at all!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s still you. Let¡¯s get started.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully and raised his sword to around shoulder height. ¡°This guy has gone nuts! He must¡¯ve gone insane!¡± Rimmer screamed while saying the same thing as the Light Wind swordsmen that he was just making fun of. ¡°I¡¯m starting.¡± Raon used the River Footwork to move in front of Rimmer and swung his sword down. The astral energy of raging mes burned up the atmosphere and scratched the space to rip it apart. Whap! Rimmer barely managed to deflect the astral energy by using the small amount of aura he had. His sleeve melted from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat, fluttering in the air. ¡°H-He¡¯s doing it for real!¡± He stepped back, his eyes shivering in fear. ¡°This crazy bastard is killing his teacher! He¡¯s trying to kill me!¡± E-Even demons care for their teachers¡­ Wrath swallowed nervously as he heard Rimmer¡¯s scream. Who the hell are you¡­? * * * Tias sighed deeply upon returning to his room in the Central Martial Pce. ¡°Haa¡­¡± It was suffocating. He felt nauseous and woozy because he hadn¡¯t been able to sleep for thest few days. He felt like he would fall asleep immediately if he were toy down, but he was too anxious to close his eyes. ¡®Is this really what I should¡¯ve done? Was there anything else I could¡¯ve done?¡¯ Because Gelmia was threatening him by using Burren¡¯s life, he couldn¡¯t ask Raon for help and had to lie to him that Burren was doing well. He wanted to contact himter, but he couldn¡¯t move anywhere because someone was watching him. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Tias gritted his teeth and smashed his bed. He would offer his old life to save Burren if he could, but there was nothing he could do. He felt so pathetic for being unable to do anything. ¡°What can I do¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± He felt like his heart skipped a beat upon hearing a voiceing from the darkness of the night. ¡°Y-You¡­¡± A tall man was walking towards the window where moonlight was shining in. Splendid blond hair and red eyes could be seen. It was Raon Zieghart. ¡°...How did you get here, Sir Raon?¡± ¡°I came to ask a question.¡± Raon smiled faintly and leaned his back towards the wall. ¡°Y-You shouldn¡¯t be here. Someone is watchin¡­¡± Tias swallowed nervously. Since someone had been observing him ever since Burren was kidnapped, he couldn¡¯t let them witness him meeting up with Raon. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. The one who was watching Sir Tias is now gone.¡± Raon shook his hand with a faint smile on his face. It seemed like he already knew about his situation all along. ¡°Where is Burren?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I called him for training, but there was no response from him for four days straight. Apulsory execution needs to be carried out in order to punish him.¡± He said that he was going to punish him since Burren never responded when he tried calling him. ¡°¡­Wh-What are you talking about? I¡¯m sure I visited you to notify you about it.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°It was four days ag¡­Ah!¡± Tias swallowed nervously as he saw Raon¡¯s eyes. His clear red eyes ring in the darkness of the night didn¡¯t have the slightest sign of wavering. ¡®H-He already knows everything that¡¯s happening!¡¯ Raon was already aware of the fact that Burren was kidnapped, and he was using thepulsory execution as an excuse to save him. Which meant that there were two answers that Raon was looking for. One was that Tias had never notified him about Burren¡¯s situation, and the other one was Burren¡¯s current location. ¡®If it¡¯s him¡­¡¯ He was convinced that Raon would be able to save Burren. ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure.¡± Tias bit his lip tightly and shook his head. ¡°H-He might be at the Mansion of Wisdom in the Central Martial Pce.¡± He voiced the name of the building Burren was locked in and exhaled a heated breath. ¡°Thepulsory execution can apparently be carried out five days after the order. Since tomorrow is the fifth day, please leave this ce ande to the fifth training ground at night.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully and opened the window. ¡°Wait! Th-Thank¡­¡± Raon covered his mouth with his finger when he was trying to thank him. ¡°Why would you thank me? I¡¯m just trying to find my underling, who snuck away from training.¡± He chuckled and melted into the air like the mist under the sunlight. ¡°Sniff. Thank you.¡± Tias murmured his thanks in a low voice towards the window where Raon had disappeared. ¡°I really appreciate it¡­¡± * * * The next evening¡­ ¡°Krr.¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± ¡°Kie¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, upon seeing the crimson eyes and hearing the beastly growls of the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡®They really are turning into rabid dogs¡­¡¯ The extremely sharp pressureing from the swordsmen could be called ferocious at that point, even though it hadn¡¯t even been a week. He figured that the assassin training that he¡¯d received in his previous life, which minimized time sleeping, was a bit excessive for them. ¡®But they got stronger for sure.¡¯ Even though their prowess hadn¡¯t changed that much, they became capable of maintaining their focus for more than twice as long as before, and their stamina and fighting spirit had increased drastically. Those aspects could make a huge difference in an actual battle. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ Judging from the Light Wind squad¡¯s state, he figured that they would be a good match for the Severing Steads, who were supposed to be stronger than them. It was a perfect situation to give them some realbat experience while saving Burren in the meantime. ¡°Burren.¡± ¡°Grr?¡± ¡°That traitor!¡± ¡°Me kill!¡± ¡°Uaaah!¡± As soon as he voiced Burren¡¯s name, every single member of the Light Wind squad started to grind their teeth. The violent reaction came from the fact that they couldn¡¯t forgive Burren for having an easy time while everyone else was suffering. Even Krein was saying that he would kill him despite how he used to always follow him. ¡°There¡¯s one thing you aren¡¯t aware of. Burren is¡­¡± ¡°Kill!¡± ¡°That traitor idler!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll smack his head open!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t continue speaking because they started insulting him as soon as he said Burren¡¯s name. ¡°Please calm down and listen. Burren is¡­¡± Raon briefly exined Burren¡¯s situation to the Light Wind squad. ¡°That¡¯s why we are going to attack the Severing Steads today, since they are currently locking Burren up. We are going to save Burren after defeating them.¡± ¡°So you are telling us that some shitty bastards are stopping Burren from training, right?¡± ¡°They deserve death! How dare they make Burren skip this training when everyone else is suffering?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill them all, and make Burren be the only one who trains.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± Since they were already going crazy upon hearing Burren¡¯s name, they were unable to properly understand the story. Their heads were filled with the goal of forcing Burren into that hellish training regardless of their opponents. Having to fight the Severing Steads or the Five Demons didn¡¯t even matter anymore. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon shrugged while feeling the Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s fierce pressures stinging his skin. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± Although their reaction was unexpected, Raon figured it was fine since they were even more motivated to fight. What do you mean ¡®whatever¡¯? They have a whole different purpose! Wrath¡¯s chin was trembling as he watched the Light Wind squad. They are just rabid dogs that can¡¯t evenprehend human speech! They aren¡¯t Light Wind anymore. They are Crazy Dogs! ¡®We need those crazy dogs right now.¡¯ Raon raised his hand and pointed towards the Central Martial Pce. ¡°Let¡¯s catch Burren and make him train twice as much to make up for what he missed so far!¡± ¡°Woaaaah!¡± ¡°The squad leader is taking all the responsibility! Destroy everything!¡± ¡°Hyaaaah!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The shout bursting from the fifth training ground was loud enough to shake thend. ¡°Huh? Me?¡± Rimmer had been silently standing next to the tform since he was aware of the story, but he dropped his jaw upon hearing their reaction. ¡°The head of house is really going to kill me if I cause any more trouble!¡± * * * The Central Martial Pce¡¯s front gate was even more luxurious than the other constructions of Zieghart¡¯s main buildings. Two swordsmen were chatting in front of that main building. ¡°I told him that I¡¯m a warrior from the Central Martial Pce, and that idiot suddenly started toy low and tried to not get on my nerves.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, since he can easily end up dying from a single mistake.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really d that I joined the Central Martial Pc¡­Huh?¡± The swordsmen were giggling, but narrowed their eyes upon finding around thirty people approaching them from the darkness. ¡°Who could being sote at night?¡± ¡°I wonder. I think I¡¯ve seen the person in the middle befor¡­ Gasp! He¡¯s Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°R-Raon?¡± They swallowed nervously upon finding Raon walking in the middle of the group. It was only natural for them to be nervous because of how frightening he looked in the middle of darkness. ¡°P-Please stop! This is the Central Martial Pce¡¯s domain. You aren¡¯t allowed to enter unless you have an appointment!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an appointment, but I have an objective.¡± Raon climbed the stairs while responding to the swordsman from Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°O-Objective?¡± ¡°Yes. Burren Zieghart. I came to seize that arrogant guy who ignored my summons.¡± He walked past the warriors with a cold smile on his face. ¡°W-Wai¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s apulsory execution!¡± Raon grinned and kicked the Central Martial Pce¡¯s main gate. m! It activated the King of Destruction trait, and the two doors were mercilessly shattered. ¡°Wh-What?¡± ¡°What is that sudden noise?¡± ¡°An enemy attack?¡± Even before the door was destroyed, warriors gathered towards them after feeling their powerful aura. ¡®Pretty decent.¡¯ Judging from the energy wave they were emitting and the amount of aura they had, they were worthy opponents for the Light Wind squad. ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart, the temporary leader of the Light Wind squad.¡± Raon tilted his head while looking down on the Severing Steads swordsmen who gathered around him. ¡°I came here to seize the culprit, Burren Zieghart. I¡¯ll make you look like that door if you try to stop me.¡± ¡°Th-That crazy bastard!¡± ¡°How dare you act like that here!¡± ¡°Stop him! Don¡¯t allow him to enter!¡± The Severing Steads drew their swords while with devilishly twisted faces. ¡°So you are trying to obstruct justice.¡± Raon nodded and looked around. ¡°Hey, guys.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°Roar!¡± He smiled at the growling Light Wind members while pointing at the Severing Steads warriors. ¡°Bite!¡± Chapter 268 Raon trampled over the crushed door and entered the Central Martial Pce. His footsteps echoed in the night as he walked over the shattered pieces of the door. ¡°Get in position, everyone!¡± ¡°Get into the Severing Steads formation!¡± ¡°Protect the manor!¡± ¡°Stop them at all costs! We are the warriors of the Central Martial Pce!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± They seemed to be trained for invasion, since they quickly moved into their respective positions and drew their swords, following their team leaders¡¯ orders. Their polished pressure burst out at the same time as their extremely sharp aura des. ¡°Pretty decent.¡± Raon smiled while feeling the Severing Steads¡¯ energy wave piercing into his skin. He figured they would be good training material for the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°Stop right there!¡± ¡°The lowly Light Wind squad dares to intrude here!¡± The Severing Steads swordsmen in their sword formation were giving him killing res, but Raon¡¯s steps didn¡¯t stop. He pierced through their pressure and advanced. ¡°Attack him!¡± It was when the Severing Steads swordsmen were trying to attack him at the same time¡­ Rumble! The Light Wind squad poured out from behind Raon, crimson fighting spirit burning in their eyes. ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°Grrr!¡± ¡°Kieee!¡± The Light Wind squad charged at the Severing Steads with growls that justified Raon¡¯s order to ¡®bite¡¯. They looked like they were moving as they pleased at first nce, but they were actually following the Light Wind formation¡¯s flow. Cring! They rotated counterclockwise toplete the Great Light Wind formation in no time and shed against the Severing Steads head-on. m! The explosion created by powerful waves caused lights of different colors to soar into the sky. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon nodded while watching the Light Wind squad fight against the Severing Steads. Watching them fight equally against opponents slightly stronger than them made him feel like it was worth training them. ¡°Temporary squad leader! Go already!¡± ¡°Seize that punk, Burren!¡± ¡°I have so much training I want to make him go through!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make him spend a sleepless night on that mountain first. That was the worst one!¡± While pushing the Severing Steads back, the Light Wind members shouted at Raon to drag Burren out so that they could force him to train instead of saving him. It almost sounded like Raon had never exined the situation to them. ¡®You must¡¯ve enjoyed it so much.¡¯ Raon could only smile at witnessing the Light Wind squad¡¯spanionship¡ªthey wanted their friend to share the same great experience they had. Raon figured that he should make the next training session 1.5 times more difficult and longer. The Light Wind members would have fainted if they heard what Raon was murmuring, but he simply stared beyond the battlefield. A blue-haired swordsman wasn¡¯t trying to join the fight, instead running in the opposite direction. ¡®Is he the messenger?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t running away. He must¡¯ve been the messenger who was going to tell Gelmia about the situation, since he was the one leading the Central Martial Pce in Karoon¡¯s absence. ¡®Which means Gelmia must be in a ce where it¡¯s difficult to notice what¡¯s going on.¡¯ Judging from Judiel¡¯s information and Tias¡¯ testimony, Burren must¡¯ve been locked up deep inside the Mansion of Wisdom, so that it would be difficult to find him through aura or sound. If his presence couldn¡¯t be felt from the outside, anyone inside couldn¡¯t feel the presence from outside, either. Raon could conclude that Gelmia most likely was unaware of the incident. ¡®I won¡¯t let him go so easily.¡¯ After all, it was better to have the perfect proof. Raon controlled cier. He copied the way Rimmer used his wind and flicked his finger to shoot the frozen energy at the running blue-haired swordsman. Tsssh! The blue energy shed like a ray of light and stuck on the blue-haired swordsman¡¯s shoe and freezing his ankle. ¡°Gasp!¡± The swordsman used his aura to try removing cier¡¯s ice, but obviously, it didn¡¯t disappear so easily. Raon was about to walk towards him with a faint smile on his face¡­ ¡°Stop!¡± A middle-aged swordsman with a scar under his eye was charging towards him from the Severing Steads¡¯ side. ¡®This man¡­¡¯ He remembered reading about the swordsman with a scar under his eye from Judiel¡¯s book. He was Herron, the first team leader of the Severing Steads. ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to enter!¡± Herron gritted his teeth and swung down his sword. Even though the sharp aura de was charging towards him, he kept walking without hesitation. ng! As the deadly de was about to reach Raon¡¯s forehead, a ck shadow emerged from behind him and crushed Herron¡¯s aura de. ¡°Grr!¡± Martha was there. She was so excited that gray steam wasing out of her mouth as she shed towards Herron¡¯s waist. ¡°You littless!¡± ¡°Roar!¡± Upon being called a littless, Martha turned even more furious. Her de, pointing to the sky, unleashed a strike powerful enough to make Herron panic. ¡°Kuh!¡± Herron groaned and had to step back upon facing her sturdy and ferocious strike. ¡°Haap!¡± Martha followed up and shed at his shoulder. She seemed to have no intention of missing the opportunity she¡¯d received. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Herron barely managed to block her sword, but his wrist was trembling from the pain. His expression suggested that he¡¯d also received an internal injury. ¡®Nice.¡¯ Martha had excellent instincts. With Raon¡¯s teachings on how to efficiently use the aura perception added to her instincts, she was able to pressure Herron, who was stronger than her. ¡°Martha, I weave it to you.¡± Raon waved his hand and walked past Martha. ¡°I told you to stop talking like that! You bastard!¡± Even though she¡¯d only been growling like a beast, she ground her teeth and turned around. Raon was relieved that she hadn¡¯tpletely turned into a beast. ¡°Tsk!¡± A swordswoman with sharp eyes that wasmanding the formation on the left clicked her tongue and ran towards him. Swoosh! She closed the distance in an instant and thrust her rapier. The single de multiplied into five towards the vitals all around Raon¡¯s body. ¡®Is it the third team leader¡¯s turn now?¡¯ Judging from her sharp aura de and slim body, she must¡¯ve been the Severing Steads¡¯ third team leader, Kuran. ¡®Her aura de isn¡¯t half bad.¡¯ Once again, Raon¡¯s steps didn¡¯t falter. He walked in between the aura des without even drawing his sword. Whoosh! As Kuran¡¯s aura de was about to pierce his body, a wall of frost emerged right in front of him. Crack! Runaan deleted all of Kuran¡¯s aura des with her silver wall, then fixed the grip on Snow Flower as she walked forward. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this. Bring Burren.¡± Runaan kicked the ground with her nk eyes showing her anger mysteriously. ¡°Argh! Go away!¡± Kuran performed the extremely fast and sharp stabs consecutively, as if she were using a spear, but Runaan swung her sword to smoothly block all of her attacks as if she¡¯d read through all of the trajectories. ng! The dissonance kept resounding one after the other as the aura de and frost shed between Runaan and Kuran. ¡®It was worth teaching her.¡¯ Since Raon had nurtured Martha and Runaan¡¯s strong points and erased their weaknesses, he could immediately see the results despite the short time they¡¯d spent training. Although their opponents were stronger than them in terms of prowess alone, they were still overwhelming them in terms of fighting spirit. Raon simply waved his hand towards the Light Wind members, then went to the blue-haired swordsman that had his leg frozen. ¡°Stop him, even if you have to grab his leg!¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be able to kill us anyway!¡± Since Herron and Kuran couldn¡¯t move because of Martha and Runaan, they called on the Central Martial Pce¡¯s guards, who were swallowing nervously. ¡°The team leaders are right!¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be able to kill us!¡± ¡°L-Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Stop him at all costs!¡± ¡°Stick to him, everyone!¡± What the team leaders said gave them courage and they ran towards Raon with so much determination. ¡°That¡¯s not wrong.¡± Raon chuckled as he nodded. Since finding Burren was thepulsory execution¡¯s purpose instead of destroying the Central Martial Pce, Raon couldn¡¯t exactly kill them. ¡°However, that¡­¡± Only applied if they were capable ofing close to him. An intense heat was rising from his steps, crushing thend. The resonance between the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Ring of Fire supporting it created a fearsome amount of pressure, covering the battlefield. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°H-How am I even supposed to stop this monster¡­?¡± Because of his energy wave, which was raging like a volcano, the swordsmen couldn¡¯t even think abouting close to him. They were drenched in cold sweat in their ces. Raon simply smiled at the swordsmen who couldn¡¯t move anymore and continued his way towards the Mansion of Wisdom. ¡®I still can¡¯t feel them.¡¯ Even though he was near the building, he still couldn¡¯t feel Burren or Gelmia¡¯s energy. ¡®So, it must be a secret room, after all.¡¯ Since secret rooms with the purpose ofpletely erasing a person¡¯s presence were usually created deep underground by using multiple devices, it took quite a long time to create one. Raon figured that the site would serve as evidence without even needing Burren¡¯s testimony. ¡°That works¡­¡± As Raon was about to enter the Mansion of Wisdom, a ck shadow appeared from the sky. Raon kicked the ground to slide to the side. Thud! A middle-aged red-haired man with a stern face made his appearance by copsing the ground. ¡°How dare you intrude upon this ce?¡± His murderous intent could be felt from his angry voice. ¡°You must be Sir Goman.¡± He was Goman Trock, one of Karoon¡¯s guards. He must¡¯ve stayed behind instead of following him onto the battlefield. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance! Leave immediately!¡± His fearsome pressure was telling him he would never allow him to pass. ng! Goman snapped his finger and the coldness binding the blue-haired swordsman¡¯s ankle behind Raon shattered easily. ¡°Go!¡± ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± The blue-haired swordsman couldn¡¯t even afford to bow at him as he entered the Mansion of Wisdom. ¡®His might is at a slightly higher level than mine.¡¯ Goman seemed to be at the intermediate level of Master at least. Raon figured that he would be able to win against him, but taking too much time could give time for Gelmia to hide Burren. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you aren¡¯t my opponent.¡± ¡°What? You arrogant¡­¡± ¡°I leave him to you.¡± Raon bowed while looking behind him instead of Goman. Rumble! The Central Martial Pce¡¯s wall was violently torn apart, and the Gambling Monster made his appearance. Hisrge body made Goman look small inparison. ¡°G-Gambling Monster!¡± ¡°Gambling Monster? What insolence. Do you even have the right to call me by that name?¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­¡± Goman swallowed nervously, oppressed by the Gambling Monster¡¯s pressure. ¡°Since you are acting so arrogantly, you must¡¯ve gotten better.¡± The Gambling Monster grinned and shed down with his sword. ¡°Kuh!¡± Goman quickly drew his sword to counterattack, but he was gradually pushed back by the Gambling Monster¡¯s strength. ¡°Wow, you are so famous. I¡¯m jealous.¡± The Gambling Monster briskly turned his head and scowled intensely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Raon smiled faintly and entered the Mansion of Wisdom. ¡°I needed to give some time for my guide to go.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Burren lowered his chin while panting in exhaustion. ¡°Wow!¡± n eximed while looking down on Burren. ¡°Your willpower is stronger than I thought. I should¡¯ve expected nothing less from Zieghart¡¯s bloodline.¡± He pped his hands in admiration. ¡°Shut up!¡± Burren raised his head and ground his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll never surrender to someone like you!¡± ¡°Surrender¡­¡± n chuckled and swirled his finger. ¡°Do you remember what I told you at the start, by any chance?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told you that my brainwashing method was slightly different from the others, that it isn¡¯t a powerful brainwashing that is applied all at once.¡± ¡°Why are you talking about that now¡­?¡± ¡°My brainwashing has already been applied to Sir Burren. It naturally seeped into your brain just like the straw that broke the camel''s back.¡± ¡°Wh-What?!¡± Burren swallowed nervously. He couldn¡¯t understand how he would¡¯ve been brainwashed when he hadn¡¯t answered n¡¯s question so far. ¡°The questions are meaningless. My voice, choice of words, and gestures. All of that was the preparation needed to engrave exhaustion and pain into Sir Burren¡¯s brain.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren realized that n had never allowed him to close his eyes and ears. He kept asking questions and bbering about various things even though he¡¯d never answered him. ¡°I just need one hour of finishing touches toplete the base of the brainwashing. It will look like nothing has changed on the outside, but there¡¯s going to be a storm inside your brain, Sir Burren.¡± n¡¯s voice was full of conviction. He smiled gently before quietly stepping back. ¡°I¡¯d like toplete the process right now, but there¡¯s someone who would like to see you before that.¡± The secret room¡¯s door opened as he spoke and Gelmia Zieghart entered. ¡°Gelmia!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you even going to call me brother? How sad.¡± Gelmia smiled and walked up to him. n bowed to him, then set a chair in front of Gelmia. ¡°Good job.¡± Gelmia waved his hand at n and sat in front of Burren. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this to my real brother, either. So how is it? Did you change your mind?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking whether you are ready to help me get rid of Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Burren nted his head and snorted. ¡°My answer won¡¯t change. I¡¯d rather die than betray mypanion!¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Gelmia chuckled and leaned his back in the chair. ¡°Were you aware? Everyone in this house has been doing the nasty things that you are thinking about right now.¡± ¡°Wh-What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°The heads of this house have been stabbing theirpanions in the back, beheading their brothers, and selling out their subordinates in order to reach a higher position.¡± He stretched his arms to the side and smiled coldly. ¡°Do you think that only happens here? The Six King and the Five Demons, and all of therge forces thate close to them, have developed like that. They¡¯ve always trampled on those ahead of them or those who are a hindrance to them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m perfectly aware of that! But we belong to the same house! This method¡­¡± ¡°This is how everyone has been doing it. Me, our father that you respect so much, and even the head of house. All of us stabbed our family or rtives in the back to reach a higher position.¡± A frightening glow appeared in Gelmia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Zieghart¡­ This hugend is a castle build on all that bloodshed.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Burren was unable to respond, his lips trembling. ¡°You don¡¯t have a moniker yet, right?¡± Gelmia smiled while cing his hands on his knees with fingers sped together. He looked like he was trying to change the heavy atmosphere. ¡°Why are you asking that¡­?¡± ¡°I heard Raon Zieghart has had a moniker since he was fifteen. He was called Habun Castle¡¯s guardian angel or Young Sword Demon, and he even received the cool moniker Frostfire Sword of Valor recently. But how are you doing inparison?¡± He sneered and looked down on Burren. ¡°You are just the Light Wind squad¡¯s team leader,cking any sort of moniker. A random swordsman who follows Raon Zieghart. That¡¯s how the world sees you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart will be in front of you for the rest of your life. Wherever you go, people will be calling Raon¡¯s name instead of you, Burren.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Burren bit his lip tightly. His eyes were trembling violently. ¡°Are you confident that you still won¡¯t be jealous of him when that happens? Can you really rejoice in yourpanion¡¯s sess without jealousy?¡± Gelmia¡¯s voice slowed down and resounded in his heart. It felt like it was pounding his heart with a fist. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren sighed deeply and closed his eyes before opening them again. His eyes had regained hisposure in that short interval. ¡°What¡­?¡± Gelmia swallowed nervously upon facing Burren¡¯s eyes, which lookedpletely immobile. ¡°I was jealous of him when I was twelve years old. I thought he was an irritating bastard who had nothing but talent.¡± He thought he was a bastard who had an easy life with his talent, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. ¡®He is talented for sure, but he makes a lot more effort than that.¡¯ Burren realized that upon seeing the worn out shoes in Raon¡¯s locker. His efforts far surpassed his talent. His tenacity to keep swinging his sword without sleeping or eating if there was something he needed to achieve was worse than anyone else¡¯s. ¡®How can I be jealous of someone like him?¡¯ Despite the fact that he worked harder than anyone else, he also tried his best to make hispanions stronger. Being jealous of him when he taught him how to get stronger on top of saving his life would be exposing his ugly side for the entire world to see. Burren grinned while looking into Gelmia¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡°Be honest. You aren¡¯t doing this because you are worried about me, but because you are afraid of him. You must¡¯ve figured out that Raon will soon catch up to you. No, wait. He¡¯s probably already caught up to you.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°You are the one who¡¯s jealous here. Did you believe that you would look less ugly if you used me as an excuse? How pathetic.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Gelmia frowned for the first time as he shouted. ¡°n!¡± He kicked his chair to stand up and called n. ¡°Start it right now!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± n¡¯s faint smile implied that he knew that was going to happen. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Gelmia exhaled deeply to try to calm his anger, leaning his back against the wall. ¡°What a shame, since Sir Burren is also extremely talented. You should be able to catch up to me in a few years¡­¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? I can already defeat someone like you in my current state.¡± Burren snorted and lowered his eyebrows. ¡°I like your confidence.¡± ¡°Confidence? It¡¯s true. I¡¯ve watched Raon defeat someone stronger than him countless times as I stayed behind him.¡± ¡°I see.¡± n gently brushed it off, but his voice became sharper. He sounded irritated for the first time. ¡®If everything goes well¡­¡¯ Burren figured that he might be able to provoke them and gain an opportunity to escape. ¡°Try fighting me if you can¡¯t believe me.¡± As he was trying to provoke n, mming sounds could be heard from outside multiple times. ¡®Did this room have multipleyers?¡¯ Considering the sounds, the secret room must¡¯ve had more than oneyer. They must¡¯ve been really crazy to make something like that. The sound of opening doors could be heard multiple times before someone violently opened the metallic door in the secret room. ¡°S-Squad leader!¡± The blue-haired swordsman bowed to him with trembling eyes after opening the door. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Leave it forter if it¡¯s not an emergenc¡­¡± ¡°Th-The Light Wind squad is attacking us!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Gelmia and n¡¯s jaws dropped as they looked at the swordsman. ¡°The Light Wind squad?¡± ¡°Why would the Light Wind squad attack us?¡± The response came from the ceiling instead of the blue-haired swordsman. m! With the thunderous noise of a copsing mountain, the ceiling caved in at once. Whoosh! Fearsome red eyes were shining from the rising ck dust. ¡°Who are you?¡± Gelmia spread his pressure while holding his sword, but the red-eyed man simply looked at Burren instead of responding to him. ¡°Are you a princess or something? Why are you getting locked up underground all the time?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Burren¡¯s chin trembled as he recognized his voice. ¡°Raon!¡± The moment he called his name, dust soared toward the sky and Raon¡¯s appearance was revealed. With fluttering blond hair and glowing red eyes, the way his chin was slightly raised made him look arrogant, but it also perfectly matched him. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Raon smiled coldly while holding Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. ¡°To the rabid dogs¡ªI mean, the Light Wind squad, who are eagerly awaiting your return.¡± Chapter 269

Chapter 269

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 269 Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Burren¡¯s jaw drop. ¡®I must¡¯ve arrived in time.¡¯ His eyes were still alive. He was worried because Judiel was certain that he was being brainwashed, and he fortunately seemed to be alright. His eyes were also clear instead of being cloudy. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart? How did you get here?¡± Gelmia Zieghart¡¯s lips were trembling violently. He was unable to hide the astonishment in his eyes. ¡°I had a guide.¡± Raon pointed at the blue-haired swordsman standing in front of the door. Gelmia¡¯s eyes looked like he wanted to kill him as he red at him. ¡°Dire, how dare you¡­¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not true! I didn¡¯t do that!¡± The swordsman named Dire desperately shook his hand. ¡°He was a really good guide. It was so easy to arrive here thanks to him.¡± It was because he simply followed Dire that he managed to arrive without triggering any formations or traps. He¡¯d destroyed the ceiling because he figured Burren might be taken hostage if he entered through the door, and it worked perfectly. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Gelmia punched the wall with his fist. Even though the secret room¡¯s door was extremely solid, it turned to powder and copsed. ¡°I¡¯m asking how did you find out that Burren was here?¡± ¡°Ah, you were curious about that? Actually¡­¡± Raon snickered and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Nevermind. I don¡¯t need to tell you.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± A crushing sound could be heard from Gelmia¡¯s mouth. He must¡¯ve been extremely angry. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you one thing.¡± Raon raised his finger to point at Burren behind him. ¡°You underestimated your brother too much.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Burren has the strongest sense of responsibility among the Light Wind swordsmen. He¡¯s so stubborn that he would personally visit to exin his situation to everyone if he couldn¡¯t participate in training.¡± It didn¡¯t make any sense that the stubborn vice-vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad would send his butler to notify Raon that he was going to skip training. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren bit his lip while watching Raon¡¯s back. His heart was pounding violently, probably because he wasplimented in that situation. Tears were almost welling up in his eyes because he was so thankful to Raon, who¡¯d acknowledged him and came to save him. ¡°Raon, thank yo¡­¡± ¡°Why are you even calling me? You should be ashamed that you got locked up like an idiot.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± His heart suddenly stopped pounding upon hearing his unexpectedly cold answer. ¡°What happened to Goman and the Severing Steads?¡± ¡°You should find it out on your own.¡± Raon responded whileughing at him. Even the ce above the destroyed ceiling was specially built as a part of the secret room. Raon guessed that Gelmia couldn¡¯t determine what was happening outside. ¡°If you can, that is.¡± Since he was nning topletely destroy Gelmia¡¯sposure, he yed around without answering his question. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Frightening pressure emerged from Gelmia. He looked like he would start attacking at any moment. ¡®It worked.¡¯ Even a Master couldn¡¯t avoid that. Because Gelmia was discovered kidnapping his brother, he ended up losing hisposure and seemedpletely confused. ¡°Why did you even get locked up here?¡± Raon turned his head to look at Burren. ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Why are you even hesitating? Do you still consider that thing your brother?¡± Raon pointed his finger at Gelmia, who was rolling his eyes and trying to find a way to get out of the situation. ¡°Haa, alright. That¡¯s true. He¡¯s not my brother anymore.¡± Burren exhaled the grudge against him through a long breath and chuckled. ¡°He was targeting you. He said that he wanted to kill you before you reach even higher.¡± He continued while ring at Gelmia with cold eyes. ¡°He said that he needed my help in order to kill you. He wanted me to find out your weakness and lure you to a location of his choosing.¡± ¡°Burren!¡± Gelmia screamed, but Burren didn¡¯t stop speaking. ¡°I refused and he made that guy start brainwashing me.¡± Burren pointed at n with his chin. n¡¯s hand was trembling as he stood next to Gelmia. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really amazing.¡± Raon sneered while looking at Gelmia¡¯s glowing eyes. ¡®Everything was exactly the way I expected it to be¡­¡¯ Just like he¡¯d guessed in the beginning, Gelmia was trying to use Burren in order to get rid of him. An older brother kidnapping his younger brother in order to brainwash him was truly the worst. ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing someone falling even lower than dog food.¡± . Most of the warriors he¡¯d met before carried a weight that matched their prowess. Even though Gelmia was more aplished as a swordsman than himself, what he¡¯d done made him look like the smallest person in the world. ¡°Are you so afraid of me?¡± Raon grinned at Gelmia, his eyes filled with murderous intent. ¡°Shut up before I cut your mouth off of your face.¡± Gelmia shouted in a threatening voice and unsheathed his sword. His sword, slightly thicker than a rapier, was a thin sword that could be also used for shing. ¡°Burren, is your mind alright?¡± ¡°I can even fight!¡± Burren bit his lip tightly and nodded. ¡°What a relief.¡± Raon chuckled, drawing Heavenly Drive. He swirled his right hand, which was holding the sword, as if he were trying to warm up his wrist. Rattle! Before the sword made an entire circle to return to the original ce, the handcuffs and shackles binding Burren were ripped apart. ¡°Uhah¡­¡± Burren was unable to keep his bnce and ended up falling forward. ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry! It only happened because I¡¯ve been tied up for a long time.¡± He shook his head and immediately stood up to show that he was fine. However, his trembling limbs revealed that he was having difficulties, despite what he¡¯d said. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon nodded while looking at Burren¡¯s firm eyes instead of his body. ¡®Pretty good.¡¯ It was difficult to believe that his pressure wasing from someone who¡¯d been tied up for a week while being brainwashed. He could also feel a strange energy flowing over his head and a frightening amount of focus from him. Hmm, he¡¯s entered an awakening state. Wrath furrowed his brows while looking at Burren. ¡®Awakening state?¡¯ It¡¯s the state before the trance that you enter pretty much every day. The person¡¯s focus bes extremely high in that state. ¡®It does look simr.¡¯ Whenever he endured for a long time without sleeping, his urge to sleep suddenly disappeared and his mind became extremely clear from time to time. Burren¡¯s state was simr to that, either because of the brainwashing or because of the particr situation. ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯m not making use of this.¡¯ Raon pointed his sword at Gelmia. ¡°Shall we get started?¡± Raon violently kicked the ground and charged forward. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll cut your arrogant mouth off as a starter!¡± Gelmia caught his breath and controlled his aura. The frightening energy wave rushing from him felt like a huge and sharp spear piercing his heart. Thud! After pretending to charge towards Gelmia, Raon used Supreme Harmony¡¯s third step. He changed directions like flowing water and kicked Dire away from the door. Smack! Because it was such a sudden attack, Dire was mmed into the wall before he could even start screaming, dropping the sword from his hand. Tap! Raon easily took the sword and withdrew next to Burren. He¡¯s giving you his sword now after guiding the way. What an idiot, he¡¯s a giving guy. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon barely managed to suppress the urge to respond ¡®not as much as you¡¯. ¡°Take this.¡± Raon gave the sword he¡¯d just obtained to Burren and pointed at n. ¡°You can defeat that guy at least, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Burren exhaled roughly and stood up, tightly grasping his sword. His eyes were brimming with fighting spirit as he looked at n. ¡°Let¡¯s get started then.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon smiled faintly and used Supreme Harmony¡¯s first step. Thud! He pierced into the distance between him and Gelmia, getting a frightening feeling from above as he was about to sh upwards. It was an astral de. Gelmia¡¯s astral energy, powerful enough to smash his skull, was falling towards him. ¡®His might is the real deal.¡¯ The way he immediately swung down his sword by predicting the Supreme Harmony Steps¡¯ speed and direction was befitting the rumored Sword of Pleasant Wind Gelmia. ¡®However.¡¯ Raon strengthened his left foot and turned at the waist.? He incorporated the rotationing from the muscles along his spine to his de and unleashed the Revolving Sky from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Rumble! The collision between the heat rotating like saw des on his sword and the blue energy of wind in Gelmia¡¯s thin sword created a tremendous shockwave. Even though the secret room¡¯s walls were extremely solid, they were shredded to pieces. ¡°This ce is too narrow, isn¡¯t it?¡± Raon stomped the ground and forced Heavenly Drive into an upward swing at full power. Because it happened in the middle of a sh, the tremendous power made Gelmia soar into the hole in the ceiling. ¡°Y-You bastard!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow you right after. Just you wait.¡± Raon waved his hand at Gelmia as he flew into the air and turned around. ¡°Don¡¯t die, because many p-people are waiting for you.¡± Raon stuttered the word people slightly for some reason, then jumped into the broken ceiling to follow Gelmia. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Burren bit his lip tightly and nodded. ¡°I have no intention of dying in a ce like this.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± n eximed and walked towards the center. ¡°Raon Zieghart is exactly as the rumors described him. I can understand why Young Master Gelmia decided to do something like this.¡± He shook his head while looking up to the destroyed ceiling. ¡°Draw your sword.¡± Burren pointed his sword at n. ¡°Sword? What¡¯s the point of that in this situation? I¡¯m bound to die whether I win or lose.¡± He raised his hands, saying that it was already all over. ¡°You seemed rather angry when I told you earlier that I could win against you. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you confirm that I was right about that before you go. Bring it on.¡± ¡°You are so bad at provoking people, unlike the monster that just went upwards.¡± n snickered and drew his sword. ¡°Since I¡¯m going to die anyway, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to bring a member of Zieghart¡¯s direct line with me.¡± He kicked the ground before even finishing his sentence. He lunged from Burren¡¯s left side for a downward sh. As the silver de drew a semi-circr trajectory, it multiplied into five. The fast and shy strike was evidence that he¡¯d properly trained his swordsmanship. ng! Burren tried to deflect his blow by using all of the aura sleeping in his energy center, but n used his strength instead to push into him even faster. ¡°I told you already.¡± n snorted and raised his chin. ¡°No matter how talented you are, you can¡¯t win against time. You haven¡¯t reached my level yet.¡± ¡°Time? Level? Those things have shattered countless times under my watch.¡± Burren clenched his teeth softly and deflected the blow. His strike that was blocking n¡¯s assault looked as elegant and aloof as a noble¡¯s dance. Cring! The collision between the des created a frightening metallic sound. ¡®I won¡¯t be able tost long.¡¯ Because he¡¯d been tied up and was unable to sleep for a whole week, it was impossible tost for a long time. It was necessary to shatter n¡¯s technique in a single strike. Whoosh! However, n¡¯s sword kept charging towards him with shy varieties and extreme power. It was difficult to figure out where he was targeting, and the speed was making it even more difficult to block. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren caught his breath, then remembered the conversation he had with Raon before. ¡°How to defeat an illusion sword and a variable sword? It¡¯s simple. Most of the illusion and variable swords reveal their true form at the very end. You will be able to see their trajectories if you ovee your fear and impatience and wait until the end.¡± That was Raon¡¯s answer to Burren¡¯s question about how he managed to erase Garon¡¯s variation when he was a Master back then. ¡®He¡¯s always been like that.¡¯ Whenever he asked Raon about martial arts, he always gave him an answer. Other people would¡¯ve tried hiding the secret no matter what, but he¡¯d never done that. He was such a strange guy, one who came back the next day to give him the answer if he had difficulties finding the right answer. ¡®How can I ever betray an idiot like him?¡¯ Burren bit his lip and looked straight into n¡¯s sword as it charged towards his neck and chest. He suppressed the urge to withdraw or swing his sword right away, instead keeping his eyes on it until the very end. Whoosh! Right before n¡¯s sword reached him, the five desbined into one and started descending towards his chest instead of striking his neck. ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ Burren grasped the hilt of his sword tightly and unleashed the Barren Wind Sword¡¯s Azure Star¡¯s de of Wind. The wind de connected itself like a constetion to deflect n¡¯s sword, which had stopped changing, and pierced into his shoulder. ¡°Kuh!¡± n hurriedly tried to step back, but it was the worst mistake he could have made. The best part about Barren Wind Sword was that the attacks continued one after the other once it got started. Rip! The deadly wind in his de cut apart n¡¯s shoulder before he could escape. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Lacerated from shoulder to waist, n sank on the ground with a trembling chin. His eyes were full of disbelief as he looked up to Burren. ¡°H-How¡­?¡± ¡°You told me that I would be looking at Raon¡¯s back for the rest of my life, right?¡± Burren exhaled in exhaustion after sticking his sword into the ground. ¡°You are right about that. It would be difficult for me to surpass Raon. However, I haven¡¯t been simply watching his back. I hardened my foundations while watching Raon¡¯s fights from up close.¡± He smiled while tightening the grip on his sword. ¡°I¡¯m different from you guys, who are trying to kill Raon because you gave up onpeting against him.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be allowed to die an easy death. You shall pay the price for your sins before you go.¡± Burren smacked him with his fist to make him faint and stopped his bleeding. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He fell on his ass because all of his strength left his body. He sighed deeply and raised his head. ¡°How did I manage toplete the Azure Star¡¯s de of Wind in this situation¡­?¡± He could onlyugh because he¡¯d managed to use a technique he¡¯d never seeded in using before. ¡°Haa!¡± Burren licked his lips while looking up to the ceiling. ¡°I kept my promise.¡± * * * ¡°It looks like they are done below us.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Gelmia as his sword shed against his. ¡°We should get started as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest opportunity.¡± With a twisted upward swing of his rapier, Gelmia gained distance. ¡°Leave now. I can cover up the situation if you do.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that you can cover up this situation?¡± Raon snickered while listening to the shoutsing from the ceiling, which was even more broken than before. ¡°We are currently inside the Central Martial Pce. Even the department of justice can¡¯t easily interfere.¡± ¡°We are interfering though.¡± ¡°Other people aren¡¯t as crazy as you!¡± Gelmia scowled while showing his white teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll give Burren back to you. If you stay silent as if nothing happened, I won¡¯t punish you for your crimes.¡± ¡°Are you defective? No, you must becking this thing here.¡± Raon tapped his forehead with his finger. He called him brainless, and Gelmia¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°You are the ones whomitted a crime. I only came here to find my underling.¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve lost your fear.¡± Threatening pressure emerged from Gelmia¡¯s body. ¡°Why would I be afraid of you when you kidnapped your brother and brainwashed him because you were so afraid of a junior?¡± ¡°I was only afraid of your future. I can easily kill you in your current state!¡± The sharp pressure emanating from him felt like it could rip his skin apart. Even though he yed dirty, he was certainly at the intermediate level of Master. ¡°This is yourst opportunity. Withdraw with everyone, and stay quiet as if nothing happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s already toote.¡± Raon grinned, while pointing his finger to the top. ¡°Because I already called the department of justice. Can¡¯t you hear the sound of their whistles?¡± He had already sent a letter to the department of justice so that they could arrive after the Light Wind defeated the Severing Steads. It was about time the swordsmen from the department of justice barged in. You are really crazy. Wrath gasped while watching Gemlia¡¯s face turn red before turning yellow. The King of Essence has never seen anyone mock his opponent so much. The King of Essence needs lessons from you, because there¡¯s someone he would like to make fun of¡­ ¡®Later.¡¯ He pushed Wrath away as he said that he would give the fee after the lesson ended, focusing on Gelmia instead. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± Gelmia kicked the ground, unable to suppress his anger. His face was distorted like a fiend as he tried stabbing him with his rapier. The astral de incorporating the wind reached his heart in an instant. It was a precise strike,ing from an extreme speed. A shiver ran down his spine from the prowess. ¡°Haap.¡± Raon extended his left foot and lowered his body. He gathered his physical strength all the way from the tip of his toes, then added the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy that went past the middle energy center. ng! Heavenly Drive, engulfed in the astral energy of raging mes, shed against Gelmia¡¯s extremely fast stab. Whaam! The contest between Heavenly Drive and the thin sword at around shoulder¡¯s height created a storm of crimson me, covering the underground. ¡°I¡¯m at the intermediate level of Master! I can kill you whenever I feel like it, since you are only at the beginner level!¡± ¡°Beginner, intermediate, and advanced only matter when you are training.¡± Raon smiled coldly while looking down on Gelmia, whose forehead was touching his. ¡°Rank doesn¡¯t matter once the fight begins. You should talk with your sword if you are a real warrior.¡± He incorporated Coiling Power into the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s astral energy. The raging firestorm bursting from his de mercilessly scorched Gelmia¡¯s wind. ¡°So you chose punishment in the end. Alright.¡± Gelmia pointed at Raon''s heart with his thin sword, ring at him with the intention of killing him. ¡°I¡¯ll start by cutting out your arrogant tongue.¡± The energy of winding from him became powerful enough to make his ears ring. It was the full power of an intermediate Master. He was using all of his strength. ¡°It¡¯s finally getting interesting.¡± Crimson lightning sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Come at me.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 270

Chapter 270

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 270 ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Somebody was eximing loud and clear from the fifth training ground¡¯s tform. ¡°Great! This is great! This is what I live for!¡± Rimmer. He was grinning while having a solo drinking party on the tform, since he was the only one left in the fifth training ground. ¡°I¡¯ll take this shot for Raon! And the second shot is for Burren!¡± He raised his ss towards the moon and kept drinking. ¡°They are both still alive!¡± Tias shook his head from under the tform. ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t mean their death. I was just wishing them good luck.¡± Rimmer smiled at him, then took a bite of the grilled pig he had gotten from the restaurant. ¡°Wow! This is utopia!¡± He devoured the meat in an instant, rinsing his mouth with alcohol before patting his stomach. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to eat properly because that damn Raon bastard even interfered with my diet. He really is the worst.¡± Rimmer sighed, murmuring that he needed to recover his strength as fast as possible. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about them as the Light Wind squad leader?¡± Tias bit his lip while looking in the direction of the Central Martial Pce. ¡°The Severing Steads are powerful. They can¡¯t bepared to a division, but they are among the top three of the most powerful squads.¡± Even if the Severing Steads were the only ones that remained in the Central Martial Pce, he couldn¡¯t imagine the Light Wind squad¡¯s victory. He was worried that they might end up being defeated instead of saving Burren. ¡°Haa, my heart is pounding so hard that I feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡± He would¡¯ve already run to the Central Martial Pce if Raon hadn¡¯t ordered him to stay in the fifth training ground. ¡°You know, a novel¡¯s protagonist is brimming with power when they need to save theirpanions.¡± Rimmer drew a circle with his finger. ¡°That¡¯s notpletely fake. You saw the overflowing confidence in my kids¡¯ eyes when they headed to the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°Hmm, those eyes¡­¡± Tias swallowed nervously. It was ferocity that was glowing in their eyes, not confidence. It almost felt like they were going to kidnap theirpanion instead of saving him. ¡°Anyway, you can just rest assured and wait. They will bring Burren back on their own.¡± ¡°That would be nice, but¡­¡± If both the Light Wind squad and Burren returned safely, that would¡¯ve been the best oue. ¡°Is there something else you are worried about?¡± Rimmerid t on the tform and turned his head. He really was feeling at home up there. ¡°Gelmia has reached the intermediate level of Master as a swordsman. Because he has such a calm personality, I¡¯m worried about whether Raon will be able to win against him¡­¡± More than half of the Severing Steads¡¯ prowess came from Gelmia¡¯s might. He was worried that Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to face him. ¡°Ahaha! You don¡¯t need to worry about that monster. He¡¯s absolutely going to win.¡± Rimmer firmly predicted Raon¡¯s victory, looking up at the moon in the sky. ¡°But Gelmia is an intermediate Master¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s only an intermediate Master. He won¡¯t be able to stop Raon with just that.¡± He grinned while tossing a peanut into his mouth. ¡°We just need to wait and look forward to what that monster is going to bring back this time.¡± * * * ng! Raon and Gelmia¡¯s swords shed against each other over ten times in an instant, spreading sparks into the air like a fountain. Whoosh! Gelmia¡¯s stab pierced through the extremely small pieces of cinders and rushed towards him. Raon narrowed his eyes while taking half a step forward. ¡®He¡¯s almost mastered his technique.¡¯ The harmony between speed, precision, and power in his strike had almost reached perfection. It was a wless technique, and he couldn¡¯t see even the smallest opening. ng! Raon stretched the Fangs of Insanity to smack the center of the thin sword Gelmia had thrust. ¡®Kuh¡­¡¯ He almost groaned from the powerful aura affecting his bones. He was an ugly bastard who went as far as kidnapping his own brother to brainwash him, but his skills were the real deal. ¡°Try taking this one.¡± Gelmia lowered his elbow slightly and thrust his sword. Even though all he did was lower the starting point of his stab slightly, an intense vibration was created on his sword and made it impossible to read its trajectory. ¡°Bring it on.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive diagonally and to the left. He used the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s sharpness like a dragon¡¯s w to strike the upper part of Gelmia¡¯s sword before it could gain momentum. ng! His hand was trembling even though he¡¯d managed to prevent the technique from reachingpletion. The damage prating his astral energy was befitting a Master who had reached the extremity of stabs. nk! He consecutively shed with the Star Connecting Sword. The flow of his sword looked like a constetion as it deflected Gelmia¡¯s stab. Tap! He turned his right foot towards the left, spreading the energy of raging fire into Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Spirit. Countless ming petals emerged from the sword¡¯s tip and fluttered into the secret room, eventually engulfing the entire space. Whaap! Every single one of those me pieces were made of astral energy. They turned into a red storm to attack Gelmia. ¡°Hmph!¡± Gelmia snorted, then pulled his shoulder back before thrusting his thin sword. The tip of his sword, surrounded by astral energy, multiplied into a hundred to sever the entire firestorm. ¡°Huh.¡± Raon eximed. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ Despite the extreme speed in his stab, the power hadn¡¯t decreased at all, and it was capable of drawing a precise trajectory. It was an exemry swordy worthy of admiration. ¡®He¡¯spressing the wind to burst it.¡¯ It was to be expected from Burren¡¯s brother to have a high wind affinity. He was exploding the energy of wind, which he¡¯dpressed beforehand, the moment he was stabbing in order to maximize the power and speed. It was rumored that Gelmia could use the Wind Master Swordy, which was a swordsmanship at the highest rank, and it was definitely worthy of the reputation. ¡°Are you dumbfounded? It¡¯s too early to regret it, since I¡¯m only getting started!¡± Gelmia dered in a cold voice, piercing through the distance. The stab he¡¯d used a moment ago was unleashed one more time from his hand. Whoosh! Raon couldn¡¯t find an escape. His entire vision was filled with the silver tips of Gelmia¡¯s sword. ¡°Where did your arrogance go?¡± Gelmia thrust his sword while showing his teeth as heughed. He must¡¯ve believed that his victory was guaranteed. The moment hundreds of des surrounded with astral energy were about to pierce through Raon¡¯s body, he shed Heavenly Drive upwards. Whaam! A wall of ice emerged ording to the trajectory of his sword to block every single one of Gelmia¡¯s astral energies. Rumble! The ice wall melted down soon enough, like a spring¡¯s snow, but not even the smallest astral de was allowed to pass. ¡®This is also pretty useful.¡¯ He¡¯d tried creating a wall by using the application of cier that he¡¯d learned from Lohengreen¡¯s knowledge, and its defensive capabilities were even better than the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation when he considered that it was capable of blocking an intermediate Master¡¯s astral de. ¡°Arrogance? I¡¯ve never been arrogant.¡± Raon¡¯s lips rolled up into a smile as he watched Gelmia¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡°Because it¡¯s true that you kidnapped your own brother and tried to brainwash him because you were so afraid of me.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Gelmia thrust his sword in an effort to hide his panic. Instead of using astral energy, he was trying to directly stab him with a huge amount of power concentrated on the de. It was iparably faster and more powerful than before. Whir! Raon increased his focus by maximizing the resonance of the Ring of Fire. ¡®The principles are the same.¡¯ The astral energy with extreme pration and the extremely fast and powerful stab using the explosive wind utilized the same method despite having a difference in power and speed. Cring! The powerful energy spreading from his thin de caused him intense pain, feeling like it was tearing at his skin even though it hadn¡¯t even reached it. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps after observing Gelmia¡¯s stab until thest moment. Whoosh! His hair was cut by Gelmia¡¯s sword and fluttered above it. He could onlyugh as he saw the stab follow him like a guiding missile even when he used footwork. ¡®He¡¯s certainly strong, but¡­¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to win. It was clear that Gelmia was far stronger than Tyler, but since he¡¯d already finished analyzing his technique, using his full power would¡¯ve been more than enough to win against him. ¡®However¡­ I want to learn.¡¯ Despite his personality, his stab had almost reached perfection. He wouldn¡¯t be able to copy the exact technique because he had a different attribute, but he wanted to be the owner of that perfection. Raon licked his lip while looking at Gelmia¡¯s confident eyes. ¡®Thank you for your swordsmanship.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Gelmia smiled coldly as Raon couldn¡¯t do anything but continuously withdraw from his assault. ¡®It was my mistake.¡¯ He never needed to fear someone like him in the first ce. Warriors were capable of reading their opponent¡¯s mindset and their thoughts from the simple sh of their swords. Raon Zieghart waspletely focused on running away from his Wind Master Swordy because he was terrified by its technique. ¡°How pathetic. How could you run your mouth when all you can do is run away from me?¡± ¡°Do you not know the strategy of taking a step back in order to take two steps forward in the future? You are so stupid.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile on his face. ¡°Y-You bastard¡­¡± Instead of yielding to his provocation, Raon provoked him instead,pletely focused on dodging the stabs. Gelmia¡¯s irritation intensified as he watched him dodge the sword at the veryst moment¡ªafter watching it until the end. ¡®Do you really believe that I don¡¯t know what you are trying?¡¯ When it came to a fight between masters, focus was even more important. Raon must¡¯ve been trying to create an opening by agitating him psychologically. ¡®I¡¯ve done countless battles like that before.¡¯ Gelmia chewed inside of his cheek. He focused his mind to maintain hisposure and swung his sword. ¡®A trick like that is never going to work against me!¡¯ He inhaled deeply and unleashed the Wind Master Swordy¡¯s techniques one after the other. Raon¡¯s aura was shredded apart by his stabs, which used the explosive power of the wind. ¡°It¡¯s toote to apologize now. I¡¯m going to kill you and change the whole situation!¡± ¡°You can say that again after actually doing it.¡± ¡°You dare to keep that attitude, you bastard!¡± His bbering mouth would float on the water even if he drowned. He wanted to tear his mouth off so that he would finally stop talking. Whoosh! Gemia clenched his teeth and unleashed the Wind Master Swordy¡¯s special technique, Explosive Stinger. The strike aimed at Raon¡¯s shoulder had the maximized speed and sharpness. Clench. Raon slightly turned the hand that was holding his sword and thrust it forward. His stab was somewhat simr to the Explosive Stinger. Whaam! The sh between Explosive Stinger and Raon¡¯s strike created an explosion powerful enough to shake the entire underground room. Rumble! Obviously, Raon was the one who was pushed back from that powerful sh. ¡°You are like a goby trying to copy a jumping mullet.¡± Gelmia¡¯s mouth twisted upon seeing Raon take five steps back. ¡°Did you really believe that you could copy the Wind Master Swordy with your meager skills?¡± A huge amount of aura wasn¡¯t the only requirement for the highest-ss swordsmanship Wind Master Swordy, and utilizing the wind element was also necessary for it. Never mind thepression, Raon wasn¡¯t even capable of using the wind. Gelmia could only snort at the way he tried to copy the Wind Master Swordy. ¡°We won¡¯t know until I try.¡± Raon regained his posture and bobbed his finger. The way he was pretending to take it easy despite having gotten an internal injury from the previous sh made Gelmia boil with anger. ¡°Try doing it again.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly the case with his sword, but he was certainly good with provocation. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off in an instant!¡± Gelmia gritted his teeth and unleashed the Condensed Stab of a Thousand Winds, which was one of the Wind Master Swordy¡¯s special techniques. Thepressed energy of wind exploded from his shoulder to attack Raon¡¯s heart. Whaam! The extreme power and speed gave the illusion of the space itself being cracked. Raon looked like he was trying to copy the Condensed Stab of a Thousand Winds, as he lowered his shoulder slightly before gathering his crimson aura to unleash it towards him. ang! The two swords intertwined with each other like rose vines to create an explosive sound simr to a copsing mountain. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± Gelmia didn''t move at all from where he was standing, but Raon had to take four steps back as he groaned. ¡°I told you, you can¡¯t!¡± Gelmia ground his teeth and pierced into Raon¡¯s left side. He mmed down his sword, which was raised from the previous strike. It was the Wind Master Swordy¡¯s Hundred Rain of Lightnings. It was an extremely fast attack, consisting of stabbing a hundred times in an instant. ¡°Haa!¡± Apparently Raon had no intention of withdrawing, as he turned the direction of his wrist slightly to copy the Hundred Rain of Lightning. Whaam! The endless sh between the swords created a wave of astral energy, soaring into the sky. Everything around them copsed under the red tidal wave. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless. I¡¯ll turn you into a skewer right awa¡­ Huh?¡± Gelmia swallowed nervously as he noticed Raon¡¯s sword. ¡®What is happening?¡¯ Raon¡¯s stabs were changing little by little as he kept unleashing the Hundred Rain of Lightning. They were getting faster, stronger, and more precise. The stabs that used to be nothing more than decent were transforming into perfection. Raon was taking to his swordsmanship just like a baby that tried to walk like their mother. ¡®I-Impossible¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe that he was gaining his stab¡¯s proficiency during such an intense battle. He was unable to stop his trembling chin. ¡®In that case!¡¯ Gelmia stopped the Hundred Rain of Lightning and turned around midair. He kicked a copsed pir and smashed at him with his sword. It was the Wind Master Swordy¡¯s special technique, Metal Wolf¡¯s Dive. Whoosh! The strike was aimed at Raon¡¯s head, like a wolf¡¯s fangs diving on its prey. Raon lowered his posture. He slightly raised his elbow just like when Gelmia used the Metal Wolf¡¯s Dive and thrust his sword into the air. ¡®You will never be able to copy this one!¡¯ The Metal Wolf¡¯s Dive was the Wind Master Swordy technique that utilized the wind the most. It was impossible for Raon to copy that one, since he was only capable of using fire and ice. ¡®I¡¯ll make a hole in your head!¡¯ As he was about to smash Raon¡¯s head with Metal Wolf¡¯s Dive, an ominous light sparkled from his eyes. The power of wind emerged from his thrusting wrist, and the me from the tip of his sword exploded out. ¡®H-How is this happening?¡¯ While the trajectory and speed were simr, it was even more powerful than Metal Wolf¡¯s Dive. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as he witnessed the strike. am! A me pir huge enough to even shake the ground above soared into the sky, and both Raon and Gelmia took two steps back. ¡°Wh-What the hell are you?¡± Gelmia¡¯s eyes were wavering like a sailboat in the middle of a turbulent ocean. ¡°How do you even have the energy of wind?¡± * * * Raon snickered while watching Gelmia¡¯s eyes widen even more than when he¡¯d arrived to save Burren. ¡®Energy of wind¡­¡¯ Raon was also surprised. He noticed it when he was trying to learn Gelmia¡¯s stab. It was impossible to perfectly copy his techniques with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, which had the fire attribute. When he was about to stop while convincing himself that raising the stab¡¯s proficiency was good enough, clear energy surged from his energy center. It was mixed into the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, but it didn¡¯t originally have the fire attribute. It was the aura of wind that Rimmer had given to him previously. Using the Ring of Fire to control the energy of wind mixed into the me made it possible to copy everything from the Wind Master Swordy. ¡®It was worth working on the basics.¡¯ The basic techniques that he still practiced every day, the energy of wind that he got from Rimmer, and the Ring of Fire being at the peak of six-stars allowed him to aplish what he did. ¡°I-Impossible! This can¡¯t be happening!¡± Gelmia charged at him while screaming. He mustered all of his aura and physical strength to stab. It was even more powerful and faster than before, and even the trajectory was twisted. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon caught his breath and fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive. ¡®I can advance even further now.¡¯ A smile appeared on his face from realizing that his swordsmanship would be able to move closer topletion. Whir! He used the Ring of Fire to read the flow of Gelmia¡¯s stab, then thrust Heavenly Drive ording to it. ng! Even though Raon¡¯s stab startedter than Gelmia¡¯s, he wasn¡¯t getting pushed back at all. Rumble! Crimson sparks appeared, distorting the space where the two swords were shing against each other at their extremities. ¡°Wh-Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°No one asked your name! I¡¯m asking how the hell you managed to copy my technique!¡± ¡°With skills.¡± ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Gelmia looked like he was losing his mind as he unleashed his stabs, his eyes turned red. Even though he was enraged, there were no openings in his stabs. ¡®This is a great opportunity to learn.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and absorbed all of the principles of stabs that Gelmia was disying for him. The movements of his wrist and shoulder depending on the direction of the stab, the way he controlled his aura to add pration and explosive power to the strike, and the sharpness that resulted in a change of trajectory from noticing an opening in an instant. Raon absorbed all of the strengths of what Gelmia had learned up to that moment, throwing away the weaknesses. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Raon caught his breath and incorporated the principles of stabs that he¡¯d learned into the Fangs of Insanity. The Twin Bloody Strike of the Fangs of Insanity shing against Gelmia¡¯s Wind Master Swordy was on a different level in terms of speed and power than in the beginning. Whoosh! The sh between the extremities of the two swords created a fearsome shockwave¡­ and Gelmia was the one who ended up being pushed back after the huge sh of powers. ¡°Ah¡­¡± His chin was trembling in disbelief. ¡°H-How¡­¡± ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t done yet.¡± Raon bobbed his finger. ¡°You can do better.¡± ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Gelmia rushed at him. A fearsome amount of murderous intent could be felt from him. His thin sword unleashed the Wind Master Swordy¡¯s special techniques one after the other, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult for Raon to fend them off because he¡¯d already read their flow. ¡®Just a little bit more.¡¯ Raon kept polishing his stab while deflecting all of Gelmia¡¯s strikes. The pration and explosive power of his aura was making him nauseous, and his bones were aching, but he was perfectly fine with enduring it because he was overjoyed with his growth. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Gelmia¡¯s hand holding the sword was trembling. ¡®I can¡¯t lose like this!¡¯ It was necessary to kill that monstrous bastard and Burren in order to survive. If he ended up losing the fight, his life was going to be worse than death in the future. ¡®Stabs aren¡¯t going to work anymore.¡¯ Judging from what happened so far, the Wind Master Swordy didn¡¯t work against Raon. It was necessary to change the technique. ¡®I need to bait him out.¡¯ There was only one solution left for him. He needed to use the Wind Master Swordy¡¯s special technique as bait and target his back with a new swordsmanship he¡¯d learned. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Gelmia caught his breath. He increased his aura to the point where his energy center started to ache and kicked the ground. Azure Dragon¡¯s de of Wind. The ultimate technique of the Wind Master Swordy rode the wind flowing down from the ceiling to stretch towards Raon. It was a single stab, yet it was a thousand stabs at the same time. The endless barrage was enough to make any opponent lose their fighting spirit. ¡®This is a fake.¡¯ However, he didn¡¯t incorporate that much aura into the Azure Dragon¡¯s de of Wind. The real attack was the Silent Demonic de hiding behind its shy performance. The de of darkness contained a tremendous amount of power as it assaulted Raon¡¯s neck. ¡°This¡­¡± Gelmia could see the frown on Raon¡¯s face as he faced the spreading wave of astral energy. He looked like he waspletely focused on the Azure Dragon¡¯s de of Wind. ¡®It worked!¡¯ Gelmia clenched his fist. It was impossible for anyone to fend off the Silent Demonic de hiding behind the Azure Dragon¡¯s de of Wind. Even though Raon was a monster, it was a perfectbination that left him no choice but to lose his head. ¡°You didn¡¯t believe in yourself.¡± Just as Gelmia was confident about his victory while he unleashed the Silent Demonic de, Raon¡¯s cold voice echoed throughout the space. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have given up on your stabs.¡± A dragon followed his words. The red dragon looked like it came straight from Raon¡¯s eyes as its jaw became wide open, devouring the Silent Demonic de. Rumble! ____ ____ Chapter 271

Chapter 271

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 271 Thud! Gelmia was unable to ovee the me Dragon Art, which had be even more powerful than before, and was mmed into the wall. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± He barely managed to extinguish the me Dragon Art that was spreading like hellfire, letting out a rough exhale that made it sound like he was at death¡¯s door. ¡°Wh-Who the hell are you? What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Gelmia screamed. He was unable to hide his astonishment as his lips trembled violently. Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and walked up to Gelmia. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never skipped basic training for even a single day since I started wielding the sword.¡± Basic techniques were horizontal sh, vertical sh, diagonal sh, and stab. Although most people tended to overlook the basic techniques once they learned proper swordsmanship, Raon had been polishing the basics every single day. ¡°I was rather confident in stabs, but your swordsmanship enlightened me. I really admired you, that you were able to achieve such a variety and power by using nothing but stabs. However¡­¡± Raon ground his teeth while ring at Gelmia. ¡°What was that unsightly cut you showed me at the end?¡± During the final sh, Gelmia had created hundreds of astral energies to charge towards his vitals with a single stab. The technique was marvelous enough to unconsciously widen his mouth, but it waspletely empty inside. The real strike was the technique that had nothing but power hiding behind the Wind Master Swordy. ¡°Your pathetic disy ruined the fun of it.¡± It was an opportunity to climb even higher. The me Dragon Art from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation that he¡¯d been using could have evolved into another level, yet the ugly attempt of that damn bastard had ruined the flow. It was such a shame, enough of one that Raon was boiling in anger. ¡°I¡¯m never going to forgive you for this.¡± A frightening amount of murderous intent surged from Raon¡¯s red eyes. Huh¡­? Wrath tilted his head in bewilderment. S-So what you are saying is that you are angry at him because he didn¡¯t swing his sword the way you wanted? It was ridiculous. The mistake made by that idiot Gga or Gelforce or whatever was one thing, but he was certain that Raon had gone crazy because he was angry at his opponent for not using the technique he wanted. You are seriously nuts! He¡¯d seen many humans throughout his long life, but no one had ever been as crazy as him. How did he even turn into a monster like that? Was the environment the important factor after all? He thought in the beginning that Raon was a coldhearted, calm, and patient kid, but the person in front of him was literally a crazy bastard. He figured that it must¡¯ve been because of the influences from Shitty Ears, the clumsy handed woman, and that head of house geezer. There¡¯s no one like him even among the demons¡­ Wrath decided once again that he would bring that crazy bastard to Devildom in order to revive the demon race. ¡°Sh-Shut up!¡± A nasty amount of murderous intent wasing from Gelmia as he raised himself up. ¡°I¡¯m not letting it end like this!¡± He thrust his sword with all of his rage. The explosive power of the Silent Demonic de burst from the thin sword. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless.¡± Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He advanced like lightning to swing Heavenly Drive at him, the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s principles unleashed upon the de. ng! The silver de¡¯s fierce roar shattered Gelmia¡¯s strike in an instant and pierced his waist. ¡°Kuh!¡± Gelmia stepped back while covering his waist. ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± His lips were trembling in disbelief, facing the reality where his Silent Demonic de was defeated by just a simple swing of his sword. Thud! Raon immediately kicked the ground. He seemed to have no intention of giving him a breather. ¡°G-Get away from me!¡± Gelmia hurriedly thrust his sword. It was the Wind Master Swordy¡¯s stab with maximized pration and explosive power, but it was meaningless at that point. Tshing! Raon charged from the left side and shed with Frost Pond. The Heavenly de, incorporating the principles of extreme swiftness, deflected the thin sword as the de of frost dashed along the silver trajectory and shed Gelmia¡¯s upper body. Pssh! Gelmia¡¯s uniform was cut, and blood gushed from his chest. His face turned pale from fear, as he was getting overwhelmed in terms of might. ¡°I-Impossible¡­ How could you, when you are just at the beginner level of Master¡­?¡± ¡°I already told you that it doesn¡¯t matter once the fight begins.¡± Raon tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯d better do your best, because I might end up cutting your head off with the next strike.¡± ¡°A-Are you trying to kill me? Inside the Central Martial Pce?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Gelmia had been targeting his neck and heart from the beginning of the fight. Since he was the one who tried to kill him first, there was no reason for Raon to hold back. Creak. Gelmia clenched the grip of his sword. The blood flowing from his mouth was proof that he¡¯d increased his output to a point where he injured himself internally. Rumble! It felt like the entire underground space would copse from the earthquake created by his tremendous energy wave. The rubble from the destroyed walls and ceiling was floating in the air. ¡°I¡¯m never ever going to let it end like this!¡¯ Gelmia screamed and kicked the ground. He pounced like a furious tiger and thrust his thin sword. Cring! The single de multiplied into hundreds to cover Raon¡¯s entire vision. It almost looked like a rain of astral energy. Rumble! Although the previous usage was nothing but an empty shell, it was different from that time. The perfect stab was dominating the space without leaving the smallest room for escape. ¡°It¡¯s already toote.¡± Raon made his deration in a cold voice as he raised his sword above his head. He swung down, the crimson light radiating from the de like ink drawing a straight line on a white paper. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. Crimson sh. The sh looked like the sunlight as it melted away the rain of astral energy and distorted the space. Crack! The Wind Master Swordy¡¯s special technique was shredded, and Gelmia¡¯s right arm was getting torn apart behind it. Shock and fear were overflowing from his distorted green eyes. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Alongside an extremely painful scream, his right arm fell to the ground. ¡°Kuh! M-My arm¡­¡± ¡°I went easy on you.¡± Raon walked up to Gelmia with a cruel look in his eyes. ¡°I could¡¯ve killed you instead.¡± Since the direct line of the house was involved, the lord¡¯s manor had to put an end to the incident. It was unfortunate that he couldn¡¯t just finish him off right there. ¡°M-My father is definitely going to kill you! He will never¡­¡± ¡°Crying for Papa now?¡± Raon snickered and looked down at Gelmia. ¡°Your pettiness is making me speechless. You are going to need some another beating.¡± ¡°W-Wait!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth if you want to keep your tongue in one piece.¡± ¡°L-Listen to m¡­Kuah!¡± Raon raised his strength to the maximum and smacked Gelmia¡¯s chin. Smaaack! * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * The second team leader of the department of justice, Terrond, brought everyone left in the department of justice to the Central Martial Pce as soon as he heard the news of the Light Wind¡¯s forcible execution. ¡®The Light Wind squad is in danger!¡¯ The Severing Steads was a powerful squad. The Light Wind squad was no match against them no matter how motivated they were, since they were pretty much newbies. Gelmia was especially dangerous because of how cruel he was, despite his appearance. Even though the Light Wind had Raon with them, it was possible that they would end up being killed. ¡®Th-The door is destroyed¡­¡¯ His anxiousness puffed up like a balloon as soon as he witnessed the destroyed main gate of the Central Martial Pce. ¡®Stay alive, please.¡¯ He walked over the destroyed gate and entered the Central Martial Pce, praying for no fatalities. ¡°Stop the fight right now! The department of justice is now¡­ Huh?¡± Terrond started shouting in order to stop the fight, but his jaw dropped. ¡®Wh-What¡¯s happening¡­?¡¯ The fight was already over. That was something he¡¯d expected, but the result was far different from his expectation. ¡®Why are the Light Wind members standing while the Severing Steads are on the ground?¡¯ The Severing Steads were lying on the ground in their green uniforms, their mouths wide open, and the Light Wind members were standing on two feet even though they looked rather exhausted. ¡®I-Is this a dream?¡¯ The Severing Steads were veteran swordsmen who¡¯dpleted countless missions already with Gelmia Zieghart as their head. He couldn¡¯t believe that they¡¯d lost against the Light Wind squad, which was only getting started. ¡°Wh-What?¡± ¡°The Light Wind squad won?¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°How is this even possible?¡± The swordsmen of the department of justice swallowed nervously. The situation was difficult to believe for them, just like it was for Terrond. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Terrond took a deep breath in order toe back to his senses and looked around him. ¡®I can¡¯t see Raon or Gelmia!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t find Raon nor Gelmia, even though they were the most important people in the incident as the leaders of the two squads. His heart pounded violently, as it could be a catastrophe if one of them died from the fight. ¡°Sir Gambling Monster!¡± Terrond ran up to the Gambling Monster, who had Goman kneeling in front of him. ¡°Where is Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°He is right below us.¡± He pointed at the floor with his finger. Terrond tried using his aura perception, and he could hear the small banging sounds from underneath. ¡°N-No way, is he currently fighting Gelmia Zieghart¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. They must be having a good fight.¡± ¡°Then why are you standing here doing nothing? You should be stopping him!¡± ¡°Stop him? Stop who?¡± ¡°I¡¯m obviously talking about Gelmia! He might end up killing Raon!¡± ¡°Kuhahahaha!¡± The Gambling Monster covered his forehead with his palm and burst intoughter despite the seriousness of the situation. ¡°S-Sir Gambling Monster?¡± ¡°A weakling like Gelmia, kill that monster? I didn¡¯t expect a team leader from the department of justice could make such a funny joke.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen. It might be the other way around though.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Terrond sighed and shook his head. It was impossible to talk sense with him, which was the feeling he already had from the man¡¯s time as a senator. ¡°I¡¯m going to get those two. The second team should clean up the mess here¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s unnecessary.¡± The Gambling Monster casually shook his hand. He grinned while pointing at the ground once again. ¡°They wille out soon enough.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for jokes! It would be a huge problem if one of them ended up dea¡­¡± Terrond ignored Gambling Monster¡¯s and was about to enter the Mansion of Wisdom. Baaam! An earthquake engulfed the entire Central Martial Pce, and a huge hole was created at the location the Gambling Monster had pointed, where one person surged up like a fountain. ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡ª!¡± The Severing Steads squad leader? It was Gelmia. He was flying into the air with his eyes rolled back, missing his right arm. ¡®Why is he there?¡¯ His mind went nk because he was unable toprehend the situation. He felt like his brain was rusted over. ¡°I-It¡¯s not time for that!¡± It wasn¡¯t the time to think about such a thing. Gelmia was obviously going to die if he fell from that height. Thud! As he was about to run towards him, another person soared from the hole in the ground and caught Gelmia. Noticing his blond hair and red eyes, Terrond realized that it was Raon Zieghart, who was supposed to be fighting against Gelmia. ¡°Brat, you are too slow.¡± The Gambling Monster snorted at Raon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon smiled faintly after putting Gelmia down on the ground. ¡°There was something I wanted to learn.¡± ¡°Learn? You are scaring me again.¡± The Gambling Monster frowned, murmuring that he was doing it again. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Terrond¡¯s mouth widened like an idiot, as he was still unable to ept the situation. ¡®Wh-What¡¯s happening right now?¡¯ The situation clearly implied that there was a fight between Raon and Gelmia, yet Raon waspletely fine despite being a beginner, while Gelmia lost an arm and fainted despite being an intermediate. ¡°So this¡­¡± It was actually a simple matter, but his brain was incapable of epting it. ¡®Did Raon really win against Gelmia?¡¯ Was that even possible? The level of difference was wider the stronger the person was. Even though Raon could be considered above average in the beginner level of Master, and Gelmia was right in the middle of the intermediate level, their difference should¡¯ve been tremendous. He simply couldn¡¯t understand how such a result was possible. ¡°Ah, you are from the department of justice.¡± As he was trying to think with a brain that was refusing to function, Raon came up to him. ¡°I-I¡¯m the second team leader of the department of justice, Terrond.¡± Terrond straightened his back and introduced himself. ¡®I can¡¯t show a disgraceful side anymore.¡¯ He was shocked because the situation was too surprising in various ways, but it was necessary to regain hisposure. Terrond resolved to stop being surprised, no matter what happened. ¡°What is this situation right now, when I heard that you were carrying out a forcible execution for Burren Zieghart, who was hiding inside the Central Martial Pce? If you can¡¯t give a proper exnation, you might be sentenced to death.¡± Terrond red coldly at Raon. ¡°Gelmia and the Severing Steads kidnapped Burren and locked him up below. They said they were trying to control him by brainwashing him.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The reason they tried to brainwash him was in order to kill me.¡± The casual smile on Raon¡¯s face made it look like he was talking about somebody else¡¯s business. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Terrond¡¯s jaw dropped. He¡¯d resolved himself to not be surprised anymore, yet it didn¡¯t evenst for ten seconds. ¡°S-Seriously?¡± ¡°You can confirm by checking the secret room down there.¡± Raon pointed at the hole in the ground. Terron went to his knees to examine it, and he could see multipleyers of walls made of special materials. ¡°The victim ising out over there.¡± Raon pointed at the Mansion of Wisdom behind him. With silent footsteps, Burren made his appearance. He was dragging out a team leader from the Severing Steads with a bruised and emaciated face and tattered clothes. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Did they really kidnap him? He couldn¡¯t tell about the brainwashing yet, but his appearance suggested that he really had been kidnapped. He was dumbfounded that Gelmia was crazy enough to kidnap his own brother in his home. ¡°L-Let me organize my thoughts.¡± Terrond pped his own cheeks and closed his eyes. Raon chuckled while watching Terrond¡¯s behavior. ¡®He must be confused.¡¯ He must¡¯ve been there to simply stop the fight between the Light Wind squad and the Central Martial Pce, yet it ended up being an extraordinary event where Gelmia had kidnapped his own brother to brainwash him. Raon could understand his reaction. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Raon left him alone so that he could calmly think about it, and looked at Burren instead as he walked towards him. ¡°I told you, you can count on me.¡± Burren raised his fist with a grin on his face. Judging from his satisfied expression, he must¡¯ve gained something from the fight against n. Raon thought that it was worth counting on him. ¡°Yes, good jo¡­¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Sir Burren is here!¡± ¡°Sir Burren is back!¡± ¡°Burren! Burren! Burren!¡± As Raon was nodding his head, the Light Wind swordsmen burst into cheers as they found Burren. ¡°E-Everyone¡­¡± Burren covered his mouth, overwhelmed with emotions. ¡°Woaaaah!¡± ¡°Sir Burren! I missed you so much!¡± ¡°Burren! Burren! Burren!¡± They were apparently not satisfied with calling his name. They even used footwork to run up to him and started tossing him into the air. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m really thankful and sorry for making you worry¡­¡± Tears welled up in Burren¡¯s eyes. It was natural to be moved to tears, as hispanions had risked their lives to save him, unlike the brother who¡¯d kidnapped him to brainwash him. ¡°Where was that¡­ Ah! Let him ride this!¡± Dorian took out arge sedan chair from his belly pocket and ced Burren on top of it. The Light Wind members took the legs of the sedan chair and raised Burren. ¡°Burren! Burren! Burren!¡± The Light Wind squad kept shouting Burren¡¯s name as they went towards the main gate of the Central Martial Pce. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Wh-What is going on¡­?¡± The swordsmen from the department of justice watched them nkly instead of stopping them because their behavior was far too unpredictable. ¡°It¡¯s enough. Your feelings have reached my heart.¡± Burren gave them a big nod after wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. He looked like he was moved from the bottom of his heart. ¡°My life will be for the Light Wind squad from now on. I¡¯ll sacrifice everything I have for you¡­¡± ¡°Burren! Burren! Burren!¡± Burren made his deration, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop the sedan chair. They left the Central Martial Pce and went to the right, where the North Grave Mountain was located. ¡°H-Hey? We aren¡¯t heading to the base right now. Why are we going to the mountain¡­?¡± ¡°Burren! Burren! Burren!¡± ¡°Grrr! Training!¡± ¡°Woof! Training!¡± The eyes of the Light Wind swordsmen gradually turned red as they looked at the North Grave Mountain. The madness they¡¯d vented on the Severing Steads was returning to them. ¡°T-Training? What? What¡¯s wrong with your eyes? They arepletely red! Hey!¡± ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°L-Let me down! You bastard!¡± Burren finally realized that something was going wrong and tried to get out, but the swordsmen squeezed up while holding the sedan chair to leave no room for escape. Raon nodded in satisfaction while watching the reunion between Burren and the Light Wind squad. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s perfect.¡± What the hell is perfect? You guys are all crazy! Wrath¡¯s lips were trembling as he watched the panicking Burren. Shitty Eyes was confined for a whole week and even had to fight afterwards! He¡¯s really going to die at this rate! ¡®People don¡¯t die so easily.¡¯ Raon shook his hand, telling him it was okay. Aah¡­ Wrath covered his forehead with his palm and sighed deeply. It was impossible to talk sense to him. It felt like everyone¡¯s brains were turned upside down. You are all crazy! This is madness! He was so confused over a situation where humans were showing their malice towards Burren when even he was worried about him despite being a demon king. ¡®Wait, maybe this is actually Devildom, and where I used to live is the human world.¡¯ Wrath started to seriously reconsider his identity while scratching his chin. ¡°Stop, everyone!¡± When the Light Wind squad was really about to climb the North Grave Mountain while carrying Burren, Terrond shouted by using his aura. ¡°This incident has surpassed my jurisdiction. You will have to apany me to the lord¡¯s manor!¡± He bit his lip, since there was no other way. Raon nodded with a smile on his face, since he knew it was bound to happen. ¡°Of course.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 272

Chapter 272

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 272 ¡°Before that¡­¡± Raon called the Light Wind squad with his hand because they were about to start climbing the mountain. . ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of him.¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to get rid of him. We were going to make him suffer to the point that death would look like a better option.¡± ¡°Oh, true. My bad.¡± ¡°Consider yourself lucky.¡± The Light Wind members frowned and returned to the Central Martial Pce. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± Burren swallowed nervously, noticing that the Light Wind squad hadpletely changed in a single week¡ªto the point that they looked like ferocious beasts. ¡°Let¡¯s tend to the wounded first.¡± Raon pointed at the returning Light Wind squad and the Central Martial Pce warriors that were lying around. Except for the Severing Steads, most of them shouldn¡¯t have even been aware of the fact that Burren had been kidnapped. ¡°Four of us are enough to exin this matter to the head of house.¡± Himself, Burren, Gelmia, and n were the only ones that needed to visit the lord¡¯s manor, as they were at the center of the incident. ¡°In that case, Sir Gambling Monster and Sir Goman¡­¡± Terrond carefully asked about the Gambling Monster, because he was the strongest one among them. ¡°Our general administrator doesn¡¯t do anything annoying like that. It would be pretty strange for him to kneel and report, after all.¡± ¡°Ahem! You are right.¡± The Gambling Monster cleared his throat and nodded, pleased by Raon¡¯s words. ¡°Instead, Sir Gambling Monster is going to treat the wounded.¡± ¡°M-Me?¡± ¡°You are doing it, right?¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s face instantly stiffened upon facing Raon¡¯s smile. He was asking to choose between facing Glenn or managing the kids, and the answer was obvious even though it was annoying. ¡°How much are you nning to make this old man work? You damn bastard!¡± He responded with insults. ¡°I knew our general administrator cherished them more than anyone in the world.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± He shook his hand, telling him to get out of his sight already. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Terrond¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched Raon standing next to the Gambling Monster with a smile on his face. ¡®Howe he¡¯s handling the Gambling Monster so easily?¡¯ The Gambling Monster was famous for his entric personality. He was already hard enough to deal with when he was one of the senators, and after he gained his freedom, he was considered a natural disaster because of how uncontroble he was. He could onlyugh upon witnessing such a young swordsman ying him like a fiddle. ¡®I knew that might wasn¡¯t the only thing he had.¡¯ The most important quality for Raon wasn¡¯t the talent and might that had allowed him to be the youngest Master on the continent, but his decisiveness to act quickly upon noticing Gelmia¡¯s n and his ability to control the situation the way he wanted. ¡®He¡¯s worthy of admiration.¡¯ Even though attacking the Central Martial Pce must¡¯ve been an extremely difficult decision, he made that decision in order to save hispanion and acted with determination. Amazing wasn¡¯t even enough to describe his deeds. He never expected to harbor such feelings towards a swordsman who was much younger than himself. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon dragged the unconscious Gelmia and n outside. ¡°A-Are you nning on carrying them like that?¡± Terrond swallowed nervously while pointing at Gelmia and n, who were inplete tatters. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to give a nice treatment to the criminals.¡± ¡°B-But we still¡­¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one more person that we need.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon smiled and raised his finger. ¡°Please make sure to bring him along, as he¡¯s an extremely important person.¡± * * * Rimmer looked aside with his jaw dropped. He could see Raon, Burren, Gelmia without an arm, and n with unfocused eyes. He slowly raised his head. Glenn¡¯s cold gaze was looking down on the world from the top of the golden tform connected to the red stairs. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Why was he there? He was happily having a drinking party in the training ground, so he couldn¡¯t understand why he was suddenly in such a ce. He honestly didn¡¯t remember at all. He was at the lord¡¯s manor when he came to, and the audience chamber could be seen when he opened his eyes. Raon chuckled while looking at Rimmer¡¯s dumbfounded expression. Terrond had brought him there, and he still didn¡¯t seem to be in his right mind. ¡°Greeting my lor¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need the greetings.¡± Raon was trying to greet him, but Glenn shook his hand. Although he¡¯d seen him since he was five years old, it was his first time seeing such a cold gazeing from him. ¡°Exin the situation.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin it.¡± Burren stepped forward before Raon could open his mouth. He wanted to exin it personally because he was the victim of the incident. ¡°B-Burren.¡± Gelmia waved his hand at Burren. ¡°Please¡­¡± His trembling voice was begging for his life, since it was hisst chance to survive. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren didn¡¯t look back. He sighed deeply, with Glenn being the only person reflected in his eyes. ¡°The Severing Steads squad leader came to me right after we returned from the mission. We went to the Central Martial Pce together to talk because we haven¡¯t seen each other in a really long time. We talked about various matters, and the Severing Steads squad leader suddenly mentioned Raon¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Raon?¡± ¡°Yes. He asked me about his weakness because he wanted to kill Raon.¡± ¡°Kill¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s red eyes rolled towards the right side. His energy wave, which was crushing Gelmia, was as threatening as it could get. ¡°Kuh!¡± Gelmia sank to the ground, grasping his heart with his left hand. Even though the bleeding on his right shoulder was stopped as a temporary treatment, the blood gushed from it once again. ¡°H-Head of house. P-Please save m¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s pressure didn¡¯t decrease in the slightest, despite Gelmia¡¯s plea. Whir! Even Roenn and Sheryl standing next to Glenn were spreading threatening pressures while ring harshly at Gelmia. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Because of the three people¡¯s pressures, Gelmia was unable to move his single finger, his entire body trembling in fear. ¡°H-He asked me for his weakness, and even asked me to lure him away in order to kill him. I refused the offer, and I was attacked when I was about to leave the Central Martial Pce. When I opened my eyes, I was in a secret room that I¡¯d never seen before¡­¡± Rumble! Glenn¡¯s powerful pressure interrupted Burren¡¯s testimony. Although his pressure used to be just as cold as ice, it turned into a sharp icepick to take Gelmia and n¡¯s breaths away. ¡°Kuaah!¡± ¡°Sniff¡­¡± The two criminals prostrated like dogs while groaning from the pain of their hearts being stopped. ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°He kept asking me to help kill Raon after tying me up, but I refused. That¡¯s when the Severing Steads¡¯ second team leader, n, made his appearance to start brainwashing me¡­¡± Burren told him of how he spent the week inside the secret room before looking at Raon. ¡°When I was about topletely give up, Raon came to save me. I would¡¯ve been brainwashed by n by now if it weren¡¯t for him.¡± He clenched his fist while looking back at Gelmia and n. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± Glenn¡¯s pressure was still crushing Gelmia and n. Their lips were bleeding from biting them too hard, with their bodies drenched in cold sweat. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze turned to Raon, who was kneeling at the center of the group. ¡°How did you notice that Burren was kidnapped?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t certain.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t certain?¡± ¡°Indeed, because I was just doubtful about it in the beginning.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°As far as I know, Burren has a strong sense of responsibility. The doubt started because he sent his butler to notify me of his absence, even though he is the type of person who would personally visit to apologize to everyone.¡± Burren¡¯s shoulders trembled slightly as he spoke, and Glenn¡¯s pressure subsided. ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sheryl and Roenn nodded to praise him, their lips curved into slight smiles. ¡°I figured that his butler must¡¯ve been aware of his circumstances, so I secretly visited him to ask about the real situation. After that¡­¡± Raon exined everything that happened to Glenn. ¡°N-No, my lord! I¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze was enough to smash Gelmia¡¯s head onto the ground. Blood started to flow on the marble floor. ¡°I never permitted you to speak.¡± ¡°I-I beg your pardon¡­¡± The sound of Gelmia¡¯s ttering teeth resounded in the audience chamber. ¡°Gelmia.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°Tell me. Which part are you trying to deny?¡± Glenn slightly turned his chin. He was apparently trying to give him an opportunity, but his oppressive pressure didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t serious about it. It was just a little prank, because I wanted to see how strong my brother had be. I-It¡¯s true that I locked him up, but I¡¯ve never harmed Burren in any way.¡± Gelmia started bbering while coughing up blood because he didn¡¯t want to miss the one opportunity he had. He desperately rambled nonsensical excuses. ¡°I-It all went wrong because Raon appeared when I was about to give Burren a gift after the prank was over. I-It¡¯s true! Please believe me!¡± ¡°How strange.¡± Raon interrupted Gelmia and chuckled. Even though no one seemed to believe what Gelmia was saying, it was better to make sure. ¡°What kind of pranksts for a whole week? Moreover, you tried to kill me as soon as you saw me. In fact, your sword had constantly been targeting my neck and heart during the fight¡­ Cough!¡± He started coughing blood out of his mouth as he spoke because of the internal injuries he¡¯d received during the fight. Thud! The moment Raon¡¯s red blood touched the floor, Glenn¡¯s body wavered significantly on the throne. Sheryl and Roenn also clenched their fists and increased their pressures. Whir! The tremendous pressures emerging from the three at the exact same time made the entire audience chamber¡ªthe lord¡¯s manor, even¡ªtremble. ¡°¡­Ugh!¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Gelmia and n could only tremble on the ground while lying as t as a trampled tomato. Their coughing implied that they couldn¡¯t even breathe. ¡°Terrond.¡± Glenn bobbed his hand at Terrond, who was standing further on the right. ¡°Yes.¡± Terrond stepped forward and knelt in front of him. ¡°Which one of them is telling the correct story?¡± ¡°The investigation isn¡¯t perfect because we didn¡¯t have much time¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Tell me your opinion.¡± ¡°Considering the situation in the secret chamber, the testimonies from the Severing Steads and the Central Martial Pce swordsmen, and n¡¯s brainwashing ability, I¡¯m more than 95% certain that the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader is telling the truth.¡± ¡°Thank you for your work.¡± Glenn nodded and Terrond returned to his original position. ¡°Gelmia.¡± Glenn¡¯s pressure suddenly disappeared like a candlelight. However, his eyes were as dark as a bottomless abyss. ¡°You just kicked away thest opportunity given to you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°The Severing Steads squad will disband today. The swordsmen from the Severing Steads can no longer return to the Central Martial Pce, and the Central Martial Pce will also share the responsibility. They will halt their activities for two years.¡± He continued while looking down on Gelmia with emotionless eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to reattach your arm for the rest of your life, and you are ordered to practice wall-facing abstinence for the next twenty years.¡± ¡°T-Twenty years?¡± Gelmia raised his head with his chin trembling violently. ¡°T-Twenty years of abstinence, without even reattaching my arm? Are you asking me to die?¡± ¡°You are the one who kidnapped your own brother and tried to kill the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader.¡± ¡°But what I did was no different from the others!¡± Probably because he realized he would be stuck in a cave for the next twenty years, he started shouting at Glenn. ¡°I just tried to erase a hindrance, just like everyone who''s reached the top of the house! Just like my father, and my lord! You¡¯ve all walked the same path!¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ve walked that kind of path. I have no intention of denying it.¡± Glenn nodded his chin, which was slightly tilted. ¡°However, the way I dealt with them has always been perfect. I made sure multiple times that no one would know about it, that no one would hear about what I¡¯d done. And I became stronger after that, so that no one would be able to argue or fight against me even if they found out about my weakness.¡± The energy emerging from him was emotionless to a frightening degree as it pierced through Gelmia¡¯s soul. ¡°I¡¯m different from you, who created an opening because you didn¡¯t even understand your brother¡¯s personality.¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± Gelmia¡¯s eyes lost focus. His widened mouth as he stared into thin air suggested that he couldn¡¯t think straight anymore. ¡°The second team leader of Severing Steads, n, joined his superior¡¯s evil deed instead of stopping him. He tried to brainwash a member of Zieghart¡¯s direct line. He will be sentenced to death.¡± ¡°Huhuhuhu!¡± It looked like n had lost his sanity from Glenn¡¯s pressure, as he was drooling non-stop. ¡°And Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You are also in the wrong.¡± Raon bowed without responding. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t try to directly solve a matter of the house. You should¡¯ve contacted the department of justice instead. Even though it ended in a good way, it had a wrong start.¡± ¡°I apologize.¡± Raon lowered his gaze since he expected the scolding. ¡°I thought I might give Gelmia the time to react if I resolved the incident through the department of justice.¡± ¡°Give him the time to react?¡± ¡°Yes. Since he was even capable of ordering Burren¡¯s butler around, I figured that he might have connections to the department of justice. In fact, Gelmia bbered that even the department of justice couldn¡¯t interfere with the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Terrond red fiercely at Gelmia upon hearing him. He looked like his pride was severely hurt. ¡°My squad leader and I are fine with any punishment. We are just satisfied with saving a member of our squad.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Rimmer. ¡°Huh? Why me?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes turned round as he pointed at himself. ¡°The squad leader gave his permission for my reckless n, and even sent a letter to the department of justice for us. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to decide to attack the Central Martial Pce so easily if it weren¡¯t for you, dear squad leader.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± What madness was that bastard bbering? It was ridiculous that he was trying to shift the me even though he was the one who¡¯d nned everything. Rimmer realized what ¡®responsibility without pleasure¡¯ meant. [Hey, you bastard! What are you trying to do right now?] Rimmer immediately sent an aura message to Raon. [You know the Light Wind boys are super motivated to train right now.] Raon responded without showing the slightest sign of agitation. [I know, but¡­] [They will miss their opportunity to get stronger if they are punished right now. That¡¯s why we should take the responsibility in their stead, just you and me.] The Light Wind squad¡¯s confidence and focus were at their peak. Since one day¡¯s training could be as effective as a whole month¡¯s worth of training, it would¡¯ve been a shame to give up on the opportunity. [Ugh¡­] Rimmer bit his lip. He couldn¡¯t refute him when he was using the squad members to argue. [Squad leader, I know you are close to the head of house. Please ask him to weaken our punishment.] [I-I¡¯m indeed close to him¡­] He couldn¡¯t tell him that he usually got beaten up by him because of the small pride he had left. ¡°This incident is mostly our squad leader and my fault. Please punish us.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon bowed calmly, and Rimmer looked like he was about to cry as he leaned forward. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn looked down on Raon and Rimmer coldly. ¡°Even though the process was problematic, considering the fact that no one ended up dying and that Burren Zieghart was actually kidnapped and almost brainwashed, Raon Zieghart will be ced on probation for a week.¡± ¡°M-My lord! Raon only did that for my sake¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Burren tried to speak up, but Raon grabbed him by his sleeve and pulled him back. ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± ¡°You two will leave now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon stood up and looked at Rimmer, and he bobbed his chin to tell him to leave since he was going to be alright. Raon bowed at Glenn alongside Burren and left the audience chamber. ¡°Terrond, handle the case ording to the regtions.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Terrond also left the audience chamber, dragging Gelmia and n¡ªwho were pretty much out of their minds¡ªout with him. ¡°Haa, it¡¯s nice that kids nowadays are brimming with energy.¡± Rimmer smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. ¡°You heard the aura message, right? I didn¡¯t actually do anything¡­¡± ¡°How dare you drink when your squad members go off to fight?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes turned emotionless, just like when he was looking at Gelmia. ¡°Ehh?¡± Rimmer swallowed nervously. ¡®I¡¯vepletely removed the intoxication though!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand how Glenn had found out, as he¡¯dpletely erased the liquor¡¯s influence when he heard that he was summoned to the audience chamber. ¡°It¡¯s the stench.¡± Sheryl sighed and shook her head. ¡°The scent of alcohol spread when you were removing the intoxication, and it¡¯spletely seeping into your clothes!¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t smell anything though¡­¡± ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t smell anything! You were the one who drank it! You idiot!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Rimmer¡¯s chin trembled. She was right. He had been made to enter the audience chamber before he had the time to remove the scent of alcohol in his clothes, and that must¡¯ve been how he figured it out. ¡°Th-The head of house should agree. A guardian¡¯s trust is important for the children¡¯s growth. I simply trusted the kids¡­¡± Rimmer tried to look up and shut his mouth. Glenn, Sheryl, and Roenn¡¯s gazes were fixated on the blood that Raon had coughed up earlier. ¡°H-Hey, please listen to m¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± With Glenn¡¯s nod as a signal, the three of them came down from the tform with their eyes full of indignation. ¡°Please? I-I¡¯m a patient! I haven¡¯tpletely recovered yet¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± ¡°Of course not. There¡¯s no way my beatings will cause problems for youter on.¡± Glenn and Sheryl clenched their fists with their pressures emerging from them. Rimmer swallowed nervously and turned around, and Roenn was already blocking his way out. ¡°S-Sir Roenn?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make it more painful than the pain the young master has suffered.¡± Roenn smiled gently and pped his hands. ¡°Are you doing it with three people now?¡± As soon as he said it, crimson lightning and blue energy fell down from the ceiling. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the trembling lord¡¯s manor. He thought that he could hear someone¡¯s scream, but it must¡¯ve been a mistake since it stopped soon enough. Raon tilted his head and went outside. The Light Wind squad had already finished the treatment and was waiting for him. ¡°Raon¡­¡± ¡°How did it go?¡± Runaan and Martha ran up to him. ¡°You won¡¯t have to see Gelmia or n in the future.¡± Since Gelmia was sentenced to face the wall for twenty years without using his aura, the punishment was even worse than death in a way. It was safe to assume that he wouldn¡¯t need to see him ever again. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that I won¡¯t see that irritating face ever agai¡­Hmm.¡± Martha started to nder him, but stopped speaking once she noticed Burren. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Burren smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯mpletely disgusted now, even though I still had some attachment before. I¡¯m never going to join the Central Martial Pce now.¡± Although he hadn¡¯t shown it on the outside, Burren had still wanted to join the Central Martial Pce even after joining the Light Wind squad. The small attachment he had must¡¯vepletely disappeared from the incident. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since I¡¯ll devote my life to the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°Burren¡­¡± ¡°Sir Burren!¡± ¡°I knew our team leader would say that!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be together forever!¡± The eyes of the Light Wind swordsmen sparkled red from his deration. ¡°Which means¡­¡± ¡°We can finally get started.¡± Martha signaled with her head and Dorian took out the same sedan chair from his belly pocket. ¡°W-Wait!¡± ¡°Burren! Burren! Burren!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen carried Burren on the sedan chair once again, starting to climb the North Grave Mountain that was located right behind the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°Burren! Burren! Burren!¡± ¡°You need to have a taste of this suffering!¡± ¡°Grrr!¡± ¡°The pain bes even more painful if you share it!¡± ¡°Kieee!¡± The swordsmen growled, their eyes glowing like ferocious beasts. ¡°Raon! Please save me! Why the hell did they even turn into beasts?¡± Burren trembled like a puppy in the rain, since he couldn¡¯t understand the situation. ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Raon raised his hand, and the Light Wind squad stopped climbing the mountain like wild boars. Huh? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped in surprise. D-Did you actually regain a human heart? ¡®I should at least exin the situation.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and stepped up next to Burren. ¡°Burren, can you see that the Light Wind squad has be a lot stronger than before?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± He murmured that he didn¡¯t want to be like them. ¡°That¡¯s how effective their focus training was. You should also go through focus training, since you are one of us.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve been locked up for a whole week! I don¡¯t even have the strength left to stand!¡± Burren raised his trembling hand. ¡°Burren, how does a crisis read if you reverse it?¡± ¡°S-Sisirc? It is meaningless, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯spletely meaningless. I¡¯m telling you to just do it.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± You damn crazy bastard! Burren and Wrath¡¯s jaws dropped at his ridiculous statement. ¡°I expected no less from our temporary squad leader.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way! That¡¯s how the real Light Wind squad should be.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen nodded with their eyes turned red. ¡°Let¡¯s go again!¡± Raon smiled, while tapping the sedan chair. ¡°Burren! Burren! Burren!¡± The Light Wind squad¡¯s repeated shout of Burren¡¯s name sounded like some kind of ritual as they climbed the North Grave Mountain. ¡°Ah, let Burren down now, and you should get to hiding as well. We are going to start the second episode of the focus training.¡± ¡°Burre¡­¡± The Light wind squad suddenly stopped shouting upon hearing him. When they turned around, the light was gone from their eyes. ¡°What did you just say¡­?¡± ¡°That you are training with him.¡± Raon grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll be on probation for a week, starting from the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ll engrave the training into your bodies before that happens.¡± He was nning to train them for the short time he had left since he didn¡¯t want to dy their growth at all, and the Gambling Monster would be able to take care of the rest. ¡°I-I can¡¯t stop myself anymore¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s kill him.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the only way for us to survive.¡± The Light Wind members put down the sedan chair and gritted their teeth. They drew their swords while using all of the energy they had. ¡°Dieeee!¡± ¡°Uaaaah!¡± Starting with Martha¡¯s shout, the Light Wind squad shifted into the great Light Wind formation and charged at him. The brutal pressure overflowing from their swords suggested that they were seriously trying to kill him. Huh¡­ Wrath sighed. The ones the King of Essence have seen so far have been nothing but fakes. They are the only ones with true madness. He closed his eyes as he pitied the Light Wind squad charging at Raon. ¡°This makes it easier.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive and its scabbard, a grin on his face. ¡°This is going to be a long night.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 273

Chapter 273

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 273 The Light Wind squad had to do focus training all night long on the North Grave Mountain before training their stamina at daybreak, sparring in the morning, and even partaking in supplementary training in the afternoon for the parts they werecking. Because they spent twenty-four hours of the day training, all of them copsed as soon as it was dinnertime. ¡°Uaah¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m dying. We are all going to die at this rate¡­¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Th-The pain isn¡¯t fading¡­¡± ¡°Kuh, why does it still hurt when I was beaten up in the morning?¡± The Light Wind members were unable to stand up, their faces buried in the sand of the training ground. Their weak breathing was the only sign of life. Raon smiled in satisfaction while looking around at them. ¡®Pretty good.¡¯ It had to have been properly engraved in their brains. He was able to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the swordsmen at a nce thanks to the Ring of Fire. He beat them up to make them learn what their weaknesses were during the spars with their bodies, so it must¡¯ve been impossible for them to forget about it. ¡°Good job, everyone. You should follow the general administrator¡¯s instructions during training starting tomorrow.¡± Since he did their focus training, sparring, and even taught them the parts they werecking, he figured that it was fine to leave the rest to the Gambling Monster. ¡°Raon, not freaking handsome anymore.¡± Runaan barely managed to raise her head. Her eyes were even more nk than usual as she pouted. Raon realized that it was his first time hearing Runaanin. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Since he didn¡¯t really care about his appearance, he nodded at her dly. ¡°So hateful¡­¡± That was thest thing she said before burying her head back into the sand. ¡°K-Kill me instead, you crazy bastard.¡± Martha closed her eyes tightly while lying t on the ground. She also seemed to be sick and tired of training where she had to give her all for twenty-four hours straight despite how tenacious she was. ¡°I can¡¯t do it anymore. I don¡¯t even have the strength to move my fwinger. Oops!¡± She opened her eyes in surprise because her tongue identally slipped from exhaustion. ¡°Then how about your towes?¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± Martha screamed while raising her neck. ¡°I guess you can move your neck, unlike your fingers and toes.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± She ground her teeth in irritation and turned her head away. ¡°D-Did you really survive this for a week?¡± Burren sank on the ground with a pale face even though he was trying to endure until the end. ¡°Everyone¡¯s crazy. You guys and that freak, all of you are crazy!¡± He was calling Raon a freak, even though he¡¯d said he would repay the favor for the rest of his life just twenty-four hours ago. ¡°Even your gratitude over my saving your life didn¡¯tst for that long.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m a patient! How can you make me go through all of this training?¡± ¡°Does being a patient make you immune to des?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You need to train properly when you can to avoid getting into that kind of situation again.¡± ¡°No, but it wasn¡¯t because I was weak this time. Gelmia just attacked me from behi¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Raon interrupted Burren¡¯s excuses and shook his hand. ¡°Since you are a week behind, you better be ready to catch up. I¡¯m going to train you separately as soon as my probation ends.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Burren¡¯s eyes wavered like the turbulent ocean. ¡°¡­Wh-Why am I missing the days I spent being abducted?¡± He stared into the sky with a sad expression on his face before he copsed. ¡°See you again in a week. You should be ready to face the consequences if there¡¯s no noticeable change by the time I return.¡± Raon waved his hand while smiling in anticipation. ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°H-He is a demon. He must be a demon¡­¡± ¡°The vice squad leader is heartless! His human heart must¡¯ve been worn down!¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± The Light Wind members were trembling on the ground, lying around in different postures from when they copsed. Some of them were even growling like animals. ¡°I¡¯ll leave them to you from tomorrow on.¡± Raon walked up to the Gambling Monster, who was on the tform, and bowed to him. ¡°A-Are you trying to kill them?¡± The Gambling Monster gasped at his terrifying behavior. ¡°Of course not. I adjusted the level of their training perfectly so that they would be able to handle it.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. He¡¯d examined everyone¡¯s aura and stamina through the Ring of Fire and made them work to their limits. It would¡¯ve been as painful as death, but it was within their capabilities. ¡°I see¡­¡± He nodded awkwardly while looking at the Light Wind members that couldn¡¯t even move at all. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now.¡± Raon said his goodbyes and was about to leave¡­ m! The training ground¡¯s door burst open. There was only one person who would open the door so violently, to the point where it could break. ¡°Where have you been? The squad leader also needs to trai¡­¡± Raon started to go out to greet Rimmer, but he suddenly stopped. ¡®Why is he¡­¡¯ Looking so shabby again? Rimmer¡¯s red eyes were scorched ck as if he had been set on fire, his clothes were ripped apart, and bruises could be seen on various parts of his body. It almost looked like he was beaten up by someone and rolled on the ground. ¡°Grr¡­¡± As soon as Rimmer noticed him, he ground his teeth like a savage beast with trembling hands. ¡°Did you go gambling again?¡± ¡°Grrr!¡± As soon as Raon tried talking to him, his growling intensified. Do you have a talent for raising beasts? Wrath tilted his head while watching Rimmer. Why does everyone turn into rabid dogs when they hang out with you? Raon shrugged while watching Rimmer grind his teeth. ¡®I have no clue.¡¯ You are really a demon¡­ * * * That evening. The department of justice tried to stop the rumor about the sh between the Light Wind squad and the Severing Steads squad, but it was bound to spread regardless. The details weren¡¯t revealed, but the news about the sh between the Light Wind squad and the Severing Steads squad spread throughout Zieghart within a single day. People were also babbling in the pub that Rimmer frequented about the incident. ¡°If it was a fight between the Severing Steads and the Light Wind, it should be obvious who the winner was, right?¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been the Severing Steads¡¯ndslide victory.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Their experiences are on a different level. If wepare the Light Wind squad to a cat, the Severing Steads squad would be a tiger!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just about their members. It¡¯s also obvious how the fight between their squad leaders would end. It would be a different story if Rimmer participated in the battle, but Raon is no match for Gelmia yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so obvious that I¡¯m not even looking forward to the result.¡± People inside the pub were naturally expecting the Severing Steads¡¯ victory, since they hadpleted more missions and had been polishing their martial arts for a longer period of time. ¡°Th-The Light Wind squad defeated the Severing Steads!¡± However, the whole pub was filled with shock after an hour because of the result of the battle, given by a red-haired swordsman that came running from the main building to tell them the results. ¡°Wh-Who was the winner again? The Light Wind squad?¡± ¡°Do you even think that makes any sense? The Light Wind squad is a new organization! The Severing Steads have a history behind them!¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°H-How the hell did they even win? They must¡¯ve yed dirty, right?¡± ¡°Apparently, they didn¡¯t. I checked the details at the department of justice, and they said they only fought using their swords.¡± ¡°I keep hearing the Light Wind¡¯s name recently, and there¡¯s a good reason for that. How can they be so strong already¡­?¡± They kept tossing back their beers, since they couldn¡¯t think straight anymore after learning of the Light Wind squad¡¯s victory. ¡°Th-Then how did the fight between the squad leaders go?¡± ¡°Good question! Raon must¡¯ve fought against Gelmia, right?¡± ¡°Wait, why did the fight even break out to begin with?¡± ¡°Of course, I have the news about the fight between Raon and Gelmia. First of all, they fought in the Central Martial Pce¡¯s basement. The reason they fought in the basement was¡­ oh, I¡¯m so thirsty right now because I came running all the way here.¡± The red-haired man who¡¯d brought the details cleared his throat while rubbing his neck. ¡°That¡¯s the ultimate technique of suddenly cutting the story!¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s a demonic technique! Bartender! Beer!¡± ¡°Stop bringing a ss! Just bring a whole bottle!¡± ¡°Order all of the side dishes on the menu!¡± ¡°I¡¯m rich! Take my money and say it already!¡± ¡°Next chapter! Give the next chapter before I force Nadin bread down your throat!¡± The people inside the pub threw money at the man wildly and shouted at him to continue his story. One of them was even telling him he would force him to eat the Nadin bread that Wrath hated the most because it tasted like rubber. ¡°Aah, wait a second.¡± The red-haired man lowered his hand to calm everyone down. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you step by step. The first thing you should know is that the incident started because of the Light Wind squad¡¯s third team leader, Burren.¡± ¡°Burren? Why are you suddenly bringing him up¡­?¡± ¡°Actually, the Severing Steads squad leader Gelmia kidnapped his brother, Burren¡­¡± The man told them the reason the fight broke out between the two squads as if he¡¯d directly witnessed the scene. ¡°Huh! He didn¡¯t only kidnap his own brother, but even tried brainwashing him?¡± ¡°What a son of a bitch! They are seriously the worst!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. The guys from the Central Martial Pce are strong, but they are failures as human beings.¡± ¡°On the other hand, the Light Wind squad is amazing. They even decided to attack the Central Martial Pce in order to save theirpanion¡­¡± ¡°I thought they were just brats, but I¡¯m seeing them in a new light,.¡± ¡°Light Wind squad! Light Wind squad!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± The people inside the pub shouted Raon and the Light Wind squad¡¯s names in admiration over how they fought against the Severing Steads to save Burren. ¡°And herees thest and the best part of the story. The fight between the Severing Steads squad leader Gelmia and the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader Raon! Even though it was a fight between an intermediate Master and a beginner Master, Raon was the one who led the fight despite everyone¡¯s expectations. Each time their swords shed¡­¡± The red-haired man nodded in satisfaction as people ndered the Central Martial Pce, telling them about thest battle. He kept praising Raon, telling them that it was Raon¡¯sndslide victory despite only using stabs¡ªeven though that was Gelmia¡¯s area of expertise. ¡°D-Did he really crush him with stabs?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s really cool. I never thought I would describe a kid that hasn¡¯t even lived for twenty years this way, but he¡¯s so cool, personality and everything.¡± ¡°This is such a mystery. How could a beginner even manage to overwhelm an intermediate and even cut his arm off?¡± ¡°He¡¯s defeated an apostle in the past while being an Expert himself.¡± ¡°At this point, we should just admit that Raon is strong regardless of his level.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore! I¡¯m going to root for the Light Wind squad and the Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± Because the red-haired man was such a smooth talker and the results were as cool as the beer, everyone inside the pub burst into cheers while shouting Raon¡¯s name and moniker. ¡°Hmm.¡± The red-haired man watched the people inside the pub chat with each other for a while, before he finished off his ss of beer and left the pub. Rip! He covered his face with his hand. Once he lowered his hand after that, themon face of a middle-aged man had disappeared, and Rimmer¡¯s sly face appeared. ¡°Raon, you should thank me. Even though you betrayed me, I only spread good rumors about you.¡± Rimmer pounded his chest in satisfaction. ¡°This is what you call a true teacher.¡± He nodded with a grin on his face, then his eyes rolled towards the package wrapped in a cloth in his right hand. ¡°Ahem, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Rimmer cleared his throat for no reason, discreetly opening the wrap. His eyes lost focus upon seeing the coins radiating golden and silvery lights. ¡°How much money is this? Our Raon is truly my god of wealth!¡± He closed the wrap tightly and raised both of his arms towards the sky. ¡°I¡¯m feeling alive thanks to you!¡± Rumble! ¡°Huah!¡± The clear sky suddenly started thundering, and Rimmer freaked out and jumped into the air. ¡°Y-You aren¡¯t here, right?¡± He rubbed his hands like a fly as he looked around, breathing out a sigh of relief upon confirming that no one was around. However, he still remained careful as he secretly disappeared into the back alley. ¡°He¡¯s really not here, right?¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon returned to his room in the annex building. Probation at Zieghart was pretty much a suspension, so he wasn¡¯t allowed to perform his duties as temporary squad leader in the meantime. He had no choice but to wait in his house. ¡®This works out.¡¯ Since he was overlooking his own training slightly while trying to raise the Light Wind squad¡¯s might and focus, it was the perfect time to make up for that. ¡®I can just make them work even harder if they don¡¯t meet my expectations when I return in a week.¡¯ Since he managed to learn how to make them work to their bones, he¡¯d gained confidence in handling the Light Wind squad. A-Are you telling me that you can make them suffer even more than they already have? Wrath furrowed his brows in terror. ¡®Even a dry mop has a small amount of water inside, you know.¡¯ Huh! His eyes turned round as he eximed. Raon Zieghart! No matter how the King of Essence thinks about it, you are too talented to stay here! Come to Devildom with the King of Essence¡­ ¡®I said I¡¯m not buying it.¡¯ Raon shook his hand at Wrath, who tried to cling to him and sat on the ground. He enjoyed the moonlight entering from the window for a while before he closed his eyes. ¡®I know what I have to do.¡¯ The Ring of Fire. Since it had reached the upper limit of six-stars from the countless battles and training he¡¯d done, it was time to carve a new path for it. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he would be able to finish it in a week, but if he managed to do it, he would be able to drastically increase his skills and render the Light Wind squad¡¯s training even more efficient. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He slowly caught his breath and controlled the Ring of Fire. The six rings rotating around his heart shed against each other countless times like ss beads inside a container, creating a clear sound resonance. ¡®So, I have to create a new ring while avoiding all of those, huh?¡¯ He could onlyugh. It was already hard enough to create a new one while avoiding five of them, but he now had to avoid six of them to form a seventh. It was only natural to be nervous about it. ¡®But I should still try.¡¯ He tried creating a new ring while avoiding the six rings that were revolving without a fixed trajectory. While the new ring was still a weak fragment that couldn¡¯t even be called a ring yet, the fifth ring came up to it and smacked it from the side. ng! Along with a clear resonance, the ring he¡¯d been making shattered in an instant. ¡°Tsk.¡± The first attempt came to an end in such a short time. Raon clicked his tongue in regret. What kind of stupid shit are you doing this time? Wrath frowned in displeasure. Stop being useless and go eat already. ¡®But not even an hour has passed since dinner.¡¯ What are you talking about? This is the perfect time to eat, since you don¡¯t usually eat properly. You are still growing. You should eat two more meals before midnight. Because he was looking forward to eating the annex building¡¯s meal instead of the training ground¡¯s disgusting food, he was asking him to take breakfast when dinner was less than an hour ago. ¡®I¡¯m busy right now.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away with the back of his hand and started controlling the Ring of Fire again. When the new ring grew up to the size of one crease of his finger, the third ring charged at it like a wild boar to melt it down like snow. ¡®This is difficult.¡¯ He¡¯d expected it to happen, but it was really difficult to achieve. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Let¡¯s get some snacks if you don¡¯t want a meal. Eating is winning. Wrath ran up to him whenever Raon opened his eyes, bbering at him to put something in his mouth. Was he really a demon king? Raon wanted toin to whoever turned him into the demon king of Wrath. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how Gluttony would act, considering the way Wrath was behaving. Cring! Raon ignored Wrath asking for food and started controlling the Ring of Fire once again. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He took a deep breath from deep in his lungs and cleared his mind. He blocked his five senses, including his vision and hearing, and straightened his back. ¡®Doing a sloppy job would be pointless.¡¯ Being extremely focused to create a proper ring was more important than doing multiple attempts. Raon thought to himself that it was hisst opportunity and gathered his mana. He maintained the highest focus to materialize the seventh ring. The process was extremely slow, to the point that he couldn¡¯t even feel the progress, much like the way he couldn¡¯t feel his nails growing. He extended the ring little by little, as if he were putting a puzzle together, and cleared away the thoughts and anguish that kept appearing in his mind. The thoughts about the Light Wind squad¡¯s training, Rimmer¡¯s recovery, the Central Martial Pce¡¯s plot¡ªeven the recovery of Sylvia¡¯s status to the direct line and his revenge against Derus Robert, which were buried deep inside his mind, were cleared away. The Ring of Fire was the only thing that remained in his mind. Cring! Once all of his attention was focused on the Ring of Fire, the six rings rotating around his heart looked many times slower than before, and a resonance was echoing throughout his spine. It was a phenomenon resulting from thebination of the highest focus and his extreme mastery of martial arts. Raon felt like his focus had increased, probably because he¡¯d made the squad members train their focus. The third ring charged at the new ring like a furious tidal wave. Raon used the principles of the swift sword to quickly turn the ring around to dodge it. The sixth ring stormed towards it while spinning in a spiral. The principles of the soft sword allowed him to deflect it. Raonughed bitterly. His focus had increased thanks to the training he¡¯d forced upon hispanions, and the swordsmanship he¡¯d learned from them was allowing him to dodge the other rings. It was such a strange feeling. He¡¯d heard people say that all flows united into one in the end. It meant that rivers and streamsbined together upon reaching the ocean, but he was actually experiencing the way it applied to the martial arts. As he maintained his focus to dodge the six rings, the two ends of the new ring started to meet. ¡®The most difficult part is only just beginning.¡¯ The longer the ring, the more likely it was to collide with the others. Raon focused his mind to the point that he could even feel the particles of mana he was inhaling. Cring! It almost felt like the six rings were cooperating to stop him from creating a new one, as they were taking turns like a cogwheel to attack the seventh ring. Raon was barely able to dodge them, and he couldn¡¯t even try to create the new ring. Once his focus reached the maximum, he managed to increase the length by a tiny amount. He felt like the tension was taking away his breathpletely. Once the seventh ring was almostplete, even the pounding of his heart started to feel painful. ¡®I can¡¯t do it like this.¡¯ Although he only needed to materialize it as a finishing touch, the six rings kept passing next to it one after the other, which made it pretty much impossible toplete it. It was necessary to wait for the moment where the six rings happened to move in the same direction. ¡°Haaa.¡± Raon calmly exhaled. He had always been confident in his patience ever since his previous life. He was willing to wait as long as he needed. Time passed. So much time has passed, as much as the amount of cold sweat flowing down his forehead. Multiple hours, multiple days, or even a month. He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how much time had passed. He forgot about everything and simply waited. The focus that he used to think it was the maximum he could ever muster increased one step further. The flow of the six rings resonating with each other and their future movement could be drawn in his mind like a blueprint. Raon swallowed nervously and waited for the right moment. What he needed was an instant where the six rings moved the same way, just like the eclipse, where the moon hid the sun. Cring! The rings distorted upon ovepping with each other, turning into one. It was even shorter than a split second, but it was the only opportunity to create the seventh ring. Raon bit his lip and filled in thest part of the ring. Whaam! The palpitation felt like the two lines of his soul and body were finally connected into a single line as golden lightning shed inside his mind. ____ ____ Chapter 274 Raon¡¯s aura sparkled as brightly as sunlight when he opened his eyes. He tried putting his hand on his chest. The violent rotation of the seven rings told him that what happened before wasn¡¯t just a dream. ¡°¡­Is it finallyplete?¡± The new ring was spinning around his heart. It was the seventh ring that he struggled so hard toplete. ¡®It was so close.¡¯ It was also difficult to create the sixth ring, but it was still way easier than the seventh. It didn¡¯t actually take that much time, but it was so difficult that his whole body was drenched in cold sweat. He would¡¯ve fallen sick for a few days if he failed to do it. Whir! Raon slowly exhaled while listening to the resonance from his heart. ¡®The aura is the first to change.¡¯ The seven rings started to purify the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the cier¡¯s energies inside of his energy center to make them even cleaner. He thought the purity was already perfect when he only had six rings, but it could be even better. ¡®My senses have also changed.¡¯ Not only the vision and hearing, but all senses and his aura perception could detect even more than before. He felt like the flow of the world had changed once again. ¡®The foundation has solidified even further.¡¯ Even though the Ring of Fire¡¯s rank didn¡¯t directly affect his prowess, it broadened and deepened his foundations to allow him to get even stronger in the future at a faster pace. Since it could allow him to surpass the Master level and reach even higher, an unconscious smile appeared on his face. ¡°How mysterious.¡± The rings of fire were so annoying when he was trying to create a new ring, as if they were trying to defend their territory, but they were giving a warm wee to the new ring after itspletion. The clear resonanceing from the six rings sounded like they were rejoicing in the seventh ring¡¯s creation. Raon smiled while enjoying the resonance. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that it didn¡¯t take that long.¡± Although he stopped noticing the flow of time at some point, only about two days had to have passed when you considered the fact that he didn¡¯t feel hungry nor sleepy. Didn¡¯t take long? Seriously? Wrath slowly emerged from the ice flower bracelet. Did you really just say it didn¡¯t take that long? He shoved his face into him while grinding his teeth fiercely. How could you say it didn¡¯t take a long time when you¡¯ve been useless for an entire week? ¡°An entire week?¡± That¡¯s right! You didn¡¯t move at all for a whole week! ¡°Is that so?¡± It was unexpected that it took a whole week to create a new ring, since the process should¡¯ve taken a lot shorter than something like aura cultivation after taking an elixir. ¡®I didn¡¯t know this amount of focus was possible for a human being.¡¯ It was his first time maintaining his focus for that long. Realizing that he¡¯d been underestimating the human potential, his heart pounded in anticipation of how much better he could get. The King of Essence¡­ the King of Essence¡­ Wrath¡¯s fists clenched, trembling in frustration. Couldn¡¯t eat a single meal for a whole week! Not a single one! ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Wrath¡¯sint was exactly what Raon was expecting from him. His behavior kept confirming that he wasn¡¯t faking his gluttony at all, and it was perfectly genuine. That fact made it even more surprising. ¡°But I kept all my promises about foo¡­¡± Shut up! Wrath raised two of his fingers. He must¡¯ve been threatening him to poke his eyes if he kept talking. Did you know that? ¡°K-Know what?¡± Your maids left your meal in front of the door whenever it was time for food. He tightly bit his lip, while pointing at the gap under the door. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks in between! Five meals were ced in front of that door per day, and you missed all of them! Thirty-five meals were missed as the King of Essence watched! Wrath grasped his head and started shaking it. His eyes looked like tears were welling up in them. Do you realize the sadness and despair the King of Essence felt as he was unable to eat despite the hunger and the smelling from the door? It was hell! Hell is the only way to describe it! ¡®But hell is your home¡­ Oh, was it Devildom? I guess hell and Devildom were pretty much the same.¡¯ Anyway, he could onlyugh at the ridiculous sight of a demon king wailing just because he¡¯d missed a few meals. Did you justugh? How can you evenugh in this situation? How dare you curve your lips into a smile after tormenting the monarch of Wrath? Wrath ground his teeth so hard that the cracking sound could be heard. The King of Essence has never felt this amount of wrath before. I could endure the hunger if I couldn¡¯t see the food, but I could clearly see and smell it! By the way, yesterday¡¯s meal was pineapple pizza! Pineapple!! ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m sorry, but¡­.¡± Raon gathered his hands to apologize. ¡°There¡¯s something you will be even more angry about.¡± Bullshit! Nothing could make the King of Essence angrier than he currently¡­ Messages appeared in front of his eyes before Wrath could finish his sentence. [A new ring of fire has been created.] [Ring of Fire has reached seven-stars.] [Your vision and senses have been expanded.] [Your soul level has increased.] [Trait Iron Will has been increased to four-stars.] [Trait Focus has been increased to five-stars.] [All stats have increased by 7.] His vision was filled with the rewards he had received frompleting the new ring of fire. Argh! Wrath¡¯s eyes erged so much that they looked like they would pop out, despite him babbling that he couldn¡¯t get any angrier. ¡°I managed to get some results for what I did for a week. I figured it was going to show up.¡± Raon smiled while reading the messages. Even his stats and the rank of traits had increased from just creating a new ring of fire. He realized once again how lucky it was to have Wrath with him. Kuhh¡­ His veins became visible on his forehead, and the coldness of wrath started to burst from his shoulders. Raon was ready to use his newly obtained seven rings in preparation for his attack, but he simply bit his lip and didn¡¯t make his move. ¡°Oh my god. Are you actually being patient?¡± D-Don¡¯t underestimate the King of Essence. He¡¯s not about to do something that would benefit you even further! ¡°Wrath has acquired Patience.¡± Shut up! Raon spoke like the system, and another vein was added to Wrath¡¯s forehead. ¡°No, that was a wise choice.¡± Anything Wrath tried to do could be rendered pointless by rotating the seven rings of fire. He was right about the fact that he would¡¯ve only ended up giving away more stats if he tried attacking Raon. However, he could onlyugh because of how ironic the situation was, since the monarch of Wrath was holding back his wrath. If you have any conscience at all, you will go outside right now and prepare a meal! A pizza would be perfect. Let¡¯s make it a pineapple and shrimp pizza. Wrath growled and gave a detailed order. He was unsurprising in many ways. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do that.¡± Raon pointed at the window, where moonlight was shining. ¡°Everyone should be sleeping right now, and I would end up waking them up.¡± But they are just your subordinates! It¡¯s fine to wake them up! ¡°They aren¡¯t my subordinates, and I don¡¯t want to wake them up.¡± He shook his hand at Wrath, dismissing his idea. ¡°I¡¯ll eat something delicious as soon as the sun rises tomorrow. Just wait a little bit longer.¡± How is the King of Essence even supposed to wait even longer when he¡¯s been waiting for a whole week? ¡°If you really can¡¯t, we can do this.¡± You must being up with something crazy again. The King of Essence doesn¡¯t care! Wrath snorted, saying that he wasn¡¯t interested at all. ¡°But you can regain the week¡¯s worth of meals that you¡¯ve lost with this method.¡± R-Regain the week¡¯s worth of meals? What is the method? As soon as Raon stated that he could regain the week he lost, Wrath started hopping like a rabbit. Raon grinned and opened the wrapping cloth that was ced on the table. Nicely cooked round loaves of bread made their appearance, and there were seven of them. ¡°This is Nadine bread. Since a single one can fill your stomach for a whole day, eating all seven will allow you to regain the week you lost.¡± Haa¡­ Wrath¡¯s eyes lost their light and only the pitch-ck darkness remained. You shouldn¡¯t exist in this world¡­ His wrath and coldness intensified to an unprecedented degree as he charged at Raon. Dieeeee! Raon managed to gain two extra points that night. * * * * * * Faint moonlight was shining down on the office in the lord¡¯s manor of House Robert. Derus Robert was working on documents like a machine when his hands suddenly stopped. His cold gaze was directed at the back of the hand that was holding the quill. Drip. Crimson blood was flowing from the scar at the back of his hand,nding on the document. The blood spread on the white paper, erasing the wet ink. ¡°¡­Did it berger?¡± Derus narrowed his eyes while staring at the scar on the back of his hand. It looked like the bite mark left by a dog he was raising, the one that he hadn¡¯t been able to remove for the past twenty years, had be slightly bigger than before. ¡®It even feels painful¡­¡¯ It never really felt painful before, even though it would asionally bleed, but it was different because the pain he was feeling was rather intense. ¡®They said it was a curse.¡¯ He tried meeting priests, healers, magicians, and even shamans in order to remove the scar, but no one had been able to heal him. They said that it was a curse with a deep rooted resentment, and it couldn¡¯t be removed for the rest of his life. They said that the only way to remove it was to resolve the resentment of the person who left it on him. However, the one who left that curse was Raon, and he was already dead¡ªhis corpse had even been incinerated. He¡¯d been ignoring it, thinking that a curse left by a mere spirit was meaningless, yet the scar opened up for the first time. ¡®Did the curse be stronger?¡¯ Thest person he met was a shaman, and he¡¯d told him that the scar could get bigger if the curse got stronger. Derus figured that Raon¡¯s curse dwelling in the scar had gotten stronger. ¡°Interesting. Did you resent me so much that you would try hurting me even after your death?¡± Derus licked the blood flowing down from the scar as his mouth curved into a smile. Whap. As soon as he ced his hand on the document, the white paper burned up in an instant and turned to ash. It was a disy of his godly skills, as he only burned up the document smeared with blood while the desk and other documents remainedpletely intact. ¡°Martio.¡± Derus bobbed his hand, and a ck shadow surged up from the floor. The shadow wavered like ake reflecting the moonlight before taking the shape of a man wearing a ck night traveling outfit with his face covered by a mask. He silently knelt in front of Derus. ¡°Did you gather the information about Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°We managed to connect the line to the north. We are currently putting the information that the shadows managed to obtain from what happened at the Gazel River and Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon together.¡± ¡°He¡¯s supposed to have assassinated the fourth apostle in Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon, right?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t manage to kill him, but he inflicted a critical wound.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. An assassination¡­¡± He smiled faintly as he nodded. ¡°Tell the shadows in the north.¡± Derus Robert rolled his lips up into a smile while looking at the scar on the back of his hand. ¡°The information about Raon Zieghart is to be considered as important as information about Glenn Zieghart.¡± ¡°D-Did you just say that he¡¯s as important as Glenn Zieghart?¡± ¡°He deserves that much.¡± Raon Zieghart was a monster that managed to behead Tyler from the South-North Union at eighteen years of age, and even managed to shatter the fourth apostle¡¯s heart. He wasn¡¯t just a future prospect with many rumors around him¡ªhe was actually already affecting the continent¡¯s situation. That was why it was worth gathering information about him. ¡°Understood.¡± Martio briefly bowed, then turned into a shadow to disappear just like he appeared. ¡°Hmm.¡± Derus turned his chair to look at the moonlight shining down from the window. ¡°Raon, what is your true identity? Are you just a genius? Or¡­¡± * * * Raon ate a hearty breakfast to appease Wrath¡¯s anger and went to the training ground. He opened the door and entered, and the Light Wind swordsmen were already training hard. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°The temporary squad leader is back!¡± ¡°It took exactly one week.¡± The Light Wind members waved their hands as soon as they saw him. The smiles on their faces showed their confidence about the progress they¡¯d achieved while he was gone. ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Raon smiled while meeting the gazes of the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡®Their confidence is understandable.¡¯ They must¡¯ve trained as hard as they could, as they werepletely different from a week prior. Their clear eyes and bodies brimming with power suggested that they¡¯d been resting properly between sessions, and no one was growling like a rabid dog anymore. ¡®They must¡¯ve gotten a lot more motivated after defeating the Severing Steads.¡¯ They wouldn¡¯t have realized it during the incident a week before because they were too exhausted from theck of sleep, but they must¡¯ve gotten motivated once they realized they¡¯d won against the Severing Steads after getting a proper rest. It was only natural, as the joy of victory was even more exhrating than a drug. Raon enjoyed the powerful pressureing from the Light Wind squad as he went up next to the Gambling Monster. ¡°General administrator, you did a great job.¡± ¡°They were a handful, but they weren¡¯t too bad.¡± The Gambling Monster nodded. He seemed to be rather satisfied with the time he spent with them. ¡°Where did the squad leader go?¡± ¡°No idea. He didn¡¯t show up at all.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon wasn¡¯t even surprised at that point because he¡¯d always been like that. He figured he must¡¯ve been gambling somewhere as he nodded. Raon looked into the eyes of the Light Wind swordsmen while standing on the edge of the tform. He could see their determination and power in their spirited eyes. ¡°Good job, everyone. You managed to surpass my expectations.¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± Raon nodded with a smile, and every member of the Light Wind squad shouted with joy. ¡°Raon is damn handsome again.¡± Runaan breathed out a sigh of relief while closing her nk eyes. ¡°Even that guy has a proper conscience.¡± Martha snickered and covered the back of her head with her hands with fingers locked together. Although she was acting casually, the bead of sweat flowing down from her forehead revealed how anxious she was. ¡°I-I still have to train more¡­ I guess?¡± Because Burren¡¯s supplementary training had already been decided before he left, he hung his head with a pale face. ¡°It¡¯s finally over!¡± ¡°Ahehehe, I¡¯m alive! I can live now!¡± ¡°It was worth surviving those painful days!¡± ¡°Haa, I really thought I was going to die.¡± ¡°I like getting stronger, but humans need some rest after all.¡± Bright smiles were blooming like flowers on their faces, as they believed the hellish training was finally over. ¡°What has the temporary squad leader been doing?¡± Dorian raised his hand, his face as bright as the color of his hair. The sweet smile around his mouth suggested that he totally believed that the training was over. ¡°Good question.¡± Raon nodded at Dorian. ¡°I didn¡¯t leave my room for the past week.¡± ¡°Even though you were on probation, you shouldn¡¯t have needed to go that far.¡± ¡°I know, right? It would¡¯ve been fine to do whatever you wanted as long as you stayed in the annex building.¡± ¡°You are so strict.¡± The Light Wind members shook their heads, saying that he was following the rules too strictly. ¡°That¡¯s not what happened. I was just too focused on cultivation and lost track of the time. Even though I spent an entire week doing it, it didn¡¯t even feel like a day. And that taught me a lesson.¡± Raon¡¯s mouth curved into a smile as he examined the Light Wind members¡¯ eyes one after the other. ¡°Focus and stamina are limitless. Even the peak of the mountain that you¡¯d think is the highest part has a sky above it.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± The Light Wind members looked wary, realizing that something was going astray. ¡°Fire needs good firewood to growrge and furious. I wasn¡¯t good firewood for you to reach your highest potential.¡± Raon clenched his fist. He wanted the Light Wind squad to share the extreme focus and exhration he felt while creating his new ring of fire. A-Are you trulycking the human heart? Wrath¡¯s chin started to tremble as he realized what Raon was thinking. ¡°Wh-What is that bastard talking about right now?¡± ¡°I-I think he means that we are going to train even more.¡± ¡°Raon?¡± Martha, Burren, and even Runaan swallowed nervously upon facing Raon¡¯s frightening gaze. ¡°Starting from today, I¡¯ll help you raise the upper limit of your abilities as high as possible. This is a promise. Our objective is simple.¡± Raon raised his index finger. ¡°A beginner Expert should aim to be an intermediate, an intermediate will be an advanced, while an advanced will aim for the highest level. Your goal is to surpass your current limit by the new year in three months.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The training ground fellpletely silent at his deration. Even the flow of the air seemed to have stopped, their rough breathing being the only sound that could be heard. Cring. The sound of the sword draw followed. They weren¡¯t drawing their training swords, since thirty real swords were drawn at the same time. ¡°Kill him. We need to kill him right now.¡± ¡°We are going to die instead if we don¡¯t kill him¡­¡± ¡°Three months? We aren¡¯t even going tost for three days before the suffering kills us¡­¡± ¡°Grrr¡­¡± ¡°Rawr!¡± The Light Wind members were filled with murderous intent as they looked up at Raon. Many of them were growling like beasts, reverting to the state they were in a week before. Rumble! Burren got into the Barren Wind Sword posture, while Martha mustered as much Titan¡¯s aura as she could, and the floor started to freeze silver from Runaan¡¯s icy aura. ¡°Arrgh! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Dorian took out a three meter long harpoon designed to fightrge monsters from his belly pocket and set it up for use. ¡°Uaaah!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± ¡°We need to kill him no matter what!¡± Raon resonated the seven rings of fire as he watched the Light Wind members scream as they charged at him. He nodded in satisfaction with a smile on his face. ¡°Voluntary participation is always wee.¡± * * * Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon was renderedpletely inessible because Raon had destroyed the entrance and the exit. Inside the lowest floor, where Lohengreen¡¯s bones remained, the cking sound of shoes could be heard. ck. ck. ck. The one hiding in a ck robe stood in front of theboratory, their footsteps sharp. Once they raised their white hand, the stone wall disappeared despite only being possible to open by using cier, and theboratory¡¯s interior could be seen. The one wearing the robe entered theboratory and took a deep breath before exhaling. Blue eyes were sparkling from inside the robe, which used to only contain darkness. ¡°Wrath?¡± Chapter 275

Chapter 275

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 275 Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the Light Wind squad fight against the Gambling Monster by using the great Light Wind formation. ¡®I can see them so much better now.¡¯ Thanks to the Ring of Fire reaching seven-stars, he could see the weaknesses that each swordsman had and the problematic parts of the sword formation easily. ¡°Martha, lower your posture a bit more and hold your sword a bit lower. It¡¯s important that you fight more safely from the front so that your team members can remain assured from the back.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Martha swore, lowering her posture and cing her sword in front of her energy center. The way she was instantly correcting her w showed the huge amount of progress she had made over the past month. ¡°Runaan, you are getting slower at using your aura. You should polish your aura in more detail to stop the general administrator¡¯s movements.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded, the silver energy spreading out from the tip of her sword like mist to dominate the Gambling Monster¡¯s space. ¡°Burren, you have too many unnecessary worries. You should attack more boldly when you see an opportunity. You didn¡¯t do anything after noticing the general administrator¡¯s opening, and that¡¯s a mistake.¡± ¡°I thought it was a trap¡­¡± ¡°And knowing how to differentiate between a trap and a weakness is part of your ability. You should work on it.¡± ¡°Kuh, I know!¡± Burren shouted, charging at the Gambling Monster head-on. Cold wind was emerging from his decisive strike. ¡°Let¡¯s join him!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Martha and Runaan followed him and charged from the sides to perform their respective attacks. Whenever the Gambling Monster overwhelmed them with astral energy, the Light Wind squad withdrew while maintaining formation, attacking his weakness whenever he was weakened. ¡®Everyone¡¯s doing so well.¡¯ Even though the Gambling Monster was going easy on them, they were still fighting equally against someone who could use astral energy. Raon figured that even the Light Wind members would be proud and satisfied with themselves. Satisfied? Wrath gasped and pointed at the Light Wind squad. Are your shitty eyes really seeing them as ¡®satisfied¡¯? Raon examined the Light Wind squad once again, focusing on where Wrath was pointing his finger. Their eyes were slightly unfocused, their breathing was rough, and their hands were trembling. They must¡¯ve been pushing themselves far beyond their limits. It could be called a natural phenomenon since they¡¯d been training all week long with almost no rest. However, it waspletely necessary for them to go through that training in order to reach their maximum potential. ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s painful, but it will be toote if they experience that state during an actual fight.¡¯ Even Tyler, the Axe King, and the fourth apostle that he encountered during thest mission were difficult opponents to face. Moreover, the Axe King was even capable of annihting the entire squad. In order to avoid repeating such a scenario in the future, it was necessary to increase the might and willpower for everyone in the Light Wind squad¡ªincluding himself. Hmm, well. That¡¯s not wrong. Wrath nodded, saying that he couldn¡¯t argue against that. The ice cream girl and the beef girl need to survive, after all. ¡®And there¡¯s one more person.¡¯ Raon pointed at Dorian who was staying at the rear of the sword formation because he was too scared. Ugh¡­ Wrath slowly nodded, since he had no other choice. I-I know. He was my first servant¡­ He sighed, while murmuring and questioning why he¡¯d ever made him his servant. Tell that coward to move ahead. The formation¡¯s flow is getting pushed back because of him. Wrath pointed out Dorian¡¯s drawback with a frown on his face. Regardless of how he acted, he cared for his subordinates from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yees?¡± ¡°Stop being afraid. Move forward. You shouldn¡¯t keep hiding, since you are the strongest among them.¡± ¡°O-Okay.¡± Dorian swallowed nervously, then moved the foot that was slightly outside the formation. Rumble! That was enough to render the formation even more effective. Everyonebined their forces to pressure the Gambling Monster. However, power wasn¡¯t all they needed. The Gambling Monster attacked the center of the storming strike with his astral energy. Whaam! Since the Light Wind squad was too focused on attacking, they were scattered in all directions from the Gambling Monster¡¯s power, which managed to shatter the center of the formation. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°D-Damn it¡­¡± ¡°We were too hasty¡­¡± The Light Wind members groaned, lying t on the ground. Thanks to the various experiences and battles they¡¯d gone through before, they were perfectly aware of their mistake. Raon smiled faintly while standing at the edge of the tform. ¡°I¡¯m repeating this once again. The moment you strike is the best moment for your opponent to counterattack. You should always keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°U-Understood.¡± The Light Wind squad barely managed to nod their heads with weakened voices. ¡°And next up¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do this anymore! You crazy bastard! Kill me already!¡± Martha raised her head from the ground and shouted at him. ¡°I-I¡¯ve also reached my limit. O-Oh my god¡­¡± Burren gathered his hands to pray for his life. ¡°I¡¯m sleeping¡­¡± Runaan closed her eyes without caring about what could happen to her anymore. Her steady breath told him that she really had fallen asleep. ¡°Listen to the end. The next training exercise will be tomorrow, so you should head out and rest for today.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°S-Seriously?¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± The Light Wind squad widened their mouths while looking at the sun, which hadn¡¯t even set yet. Because training hadn¡¯t ended before sunset for the past week, they all shouted with joy. ¡°You should brace yourselves for the next session, since we are going to spar against other squads.¡± ¡°Spar against the other squads?¡± ¡°It is necessary to try out your aura de against opponents on a simr level.¡± The spar against Raon or the Gambling Monster was sometimes meaningless because the difference in skill was toorge. Experiencing an all-out fight against an opponent on the same level was bound to be extremely helpful for them. ¡°We are going to take their titles.¡± ¡°I like it!¡± Martha grinned and raised her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything if it means I can get stronger.¡± Burren also nodded. ¡°Mmmh¡­¡± Runaan was sleeping. ¡°So when are we starting this? Let¡¯s thoroughly prepare ourselves for andslide victor¡­¡± ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Raon grinned and pointed at the fifth training ground. ¡°Tomorrow at noon, we are going to fight the Blue Hawk squad right here.¡± Every member of the Light Wind squad widened their eyes and raised themselves upon hearing him. Even the idea of rest couldn¡¯t create such a reaction from them. ¡°Th-The Blue Hawk squad?¡± ¡°But they have so many people!¡± ¡°W-We don¡¯t even have one day until noon!¡± ¡°You bastard! Even the squad leader gave us one day to prepare!¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°If demons exist in this world, they should take him away with them already!¡± The Light Wind squad pleaded to the gods and demons while smashing their faces on the ground. I-I¡¯m sorry. Wrath sighed, unable to raise his eyes from the ground. Even the King of Essence was defeated¡­ * * * Cring! The sad resonance of the de of Requiem resounded throughout the small garden. ¡®Good job.¡¯ Raon caressed the de of Requiem, which sounded like it was weeping, before returning it to the scabbard hanging around his waist. ¡°This is the Blood Rain. How did you find it?¡± He looked at his right side with a faint smile on his face. Roenn, Yua, and Yulius were staring nkly at him. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Yua pouted and she started to sob. ¡°The melody itself is cheerful, but I can¡¯t stop my tears because the sword was crying so sadly¡­¡± She was unable to continue as her tears ended up dropping to the ground. She must¡¯ve felt the sadness of the souls involved in the Blood Rain thanks to her talent in music. ¡°I-I was impressed! I honestly don¡¯t really understand the Blood Rain, but the Blue Rain makes my heart boil. It makes me want to immediately start swinging my sword!¡± Yulius smiled while grasping the wooden sword around his waist tightly. His flushed face suggested that he really liked the Blue Rain. Raon smiled at him, because that personality was the stereotype of swordsmen. ¡°You are really amazing.¡± Roenn nodded while smiling. Raon¡¯s demonstration was the result of his request to see the Blue Rain and the Blood Rain when he came to take Yua and Yulius back home, and Roenn¡¯s expression revealed his admiration. ¡°The Blue Rain seems to have advanced one step¡ªno, multiple steps since thest demonstration. Both the power and range are iparable to before.¡± ¡°You are ttering me.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. ¡°And the Blood Rain¡­¡± Roenn narrowed his eyes and waited before he continued. ¡°Is a sad song, just as Lady Yua has described. Resentment, screaming, pain, and even yearning can be found in it.¡± He managed to discern all of the emotions contained in the Blood Rain from listening to it a single time. He was truly an extraordinary warrior. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t really inflict any damage to ordinary people for now, but it can potentially endanger the normal people once the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader or the de of Requiem grows a bit stronger.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Honestly, I had to control it slightly this time.¡± Roenn pointed at Yua and Yulius with a smile. Although the Blood Rain only used to affect the White Blood fanatics that could use the bloody energy, it seemed to also affect regr people after the de of Requiem absorbed the apostle¡¯s bloody energy. ¡°Thank you for telling me about it.¡± His advice was extremely helpful because he hadn¡¯t used the Blood Rain for long. ¡°You should be able to master a more detailed control of your aura by practicing the control of the Blood Rain and Blue Rain¡¯s output and range. It will be difficult to achieve, but it will be an important lesson.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll try.¡± Raon nodded. He figured it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to control the Blue Rain and Blood Rain because his Ring of Fire had reached the seven-stars. ¡°Ah, do you still have the pyroxene ne that the head of house bestowed upon you previously?¡± Roenn looked like he just remembered it as he raised his finger and pointed to his neck. ¡°I¡¯m not wearing it right now since I left it at the annex building.¡± He left the ne in his room because it seemed to be a cosmetic item without many effects. ¡°That ne is made of refined pyroxene, which grants it a higher protection ability against internal and external injuries and mental attackspared to other pyroxene nes. You should definitely wear it all the time.¡± ¡°Ah, I will do that. Thank you.¡± Raon nodded and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He left for the annex building alongside Yua and Yulius. Roenn smiled while watching Raon¡¯s back getting further away. ¡°He¡¯s always looking above him.¡± Even though he was looking above him, he wasn¡¯t neglecting the ones below him either. He was like the ideal warrior despite being so young. ¡°Good luck in your uing battles.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * The bright sunlight was shining down Zieghart¡¯s lord¡¯s manor on the first day of the new year. While Glenn was listening to Sheryl¡¯s report about the Heavenly de division¡¯s activities, the audience chamber¡¯s door opened and Roenn and Chad, the Shadow Agents¡¯ leader, entered. ¡°M-My lord. We are in trouble.¡± Chad ran up to the center and went down on his knee. ¡°Trouble?¡± Rimmer was standing on the side while leaning his back against a pir. He tilted his head upon hearing from Chad. ¡°W-We already knew it would happen though¡­¡± Chad sighed deeply while lifting the document he brought. ¡°The Axe King Roman sent a l-letter to announce his duel to the death against the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader on the first day of the year in three years.¡± ¡°Ah, that one.¡± Rimmer snapped his finger while pulling his back away from the pir. ¡°He gave him some extra time by making it three years after the new year. Although he¡¯s a loser, he still has some redeeming features.¡± They thought it was going to be three years after their encounter with Roman, but the way he gave them three years after the new year revealed that he wasn¡¯t apletely shameless person. ¡°So in three years¡­ Huh?¡± Rimmer looked up on the tform upon realizing that the audience chamber had suddenly fallen silent. Glenn, Sheryl¡ªwho was standing in front of him¡ªand Roenn from next to the entrance were ring at him as if they wanted to kill him. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong with all of you? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Rimmer swallowed nervously while facing their murderous gazes. ¡°The matter wouldn¡¯t have escted so badly if you had done your job.¡± ¡°You are pretty much a cockroach at this point. Did you really have to survive by mooching off of your subordinate?¡± ¡°Huhu, I think Sir Rimmer is really bad at showing his worth.¡± Glenn, Sheryl, and Roenn were digging a hole in his heart with their words instead of swords. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Rimmer grasped his heart and stepped back. ¡°Those words are too hars¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like words, shall we use something else instead?¡± Crimson sparks shed from Glenn¡¯s hand. ¡°No! I like the words! Please keep ndering me!¡± Rimmer violently shook his head with an awkward smile on his face. Glenn red coldly at Rimmer for a while before looking at Chad instead. ¡°Was the letter sent under Roman¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Yes, it was under the Axe King Roman¡¯s name instead of the South-North Union.¡± Chad nodded while frowning. ¡°He must be trying to prevent any kind of interference from us by only using his name. The dirty pirate bastard is trying to use his head!¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a nasty method. He wants this fight to happen no matter what, while avoiding the harm that could be brought to the South-North Union.¡± Sheryl and Roenn clicked their tongues before ring at Rimmer again. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer secretly stepped away from them while trying to avoid provoking them any further. Whir! Sheryl tapped the sword on her back and cold pressure started to spread out from her. ¡°My lord, shouldn¡¯t we just destroy the South-North Union already to remove the burden on Raon¡¯s shoulders? We already have their location, after all.¡± She looked at Chad, asking for his approval. ¡°Ah, yes. W-We managed to locate their headquarters.¡± Chad nodded. Since Glenn had ordered them to investigate it with the highest priority, he¡¯d managed to locate the South-North Union¡¯s headquarters by forcing the agents to move. However, their war potential still remained unknown. Rumble! As he was about to report that the South-North Union¡¯s war potential was still unknown, a tremendous amount of destructive pressure boiled up from Glenn¡¯s feet. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s about time we got rid of the trash that doesn¡¯t even know their ce.¡± He stood up. He looked like he was about to attack the South-North Union right away, and the entire lord¡¯s manor trembled from his presence, as if a vast mountain was making its move. ¡°P-Please wait! We haven''t managed to find out about their members¡­¡± Chad tried to stop him, but Glenn¡¯s gaze remainedpletely firm. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who they are or how many they are. I just need to remove all of them.¡± ¡°I expected no less from my lord!¡± Sheryl raised her fist in joy. ¡°Our Heavenly de division will be the vanguard!¡± ¡°W-Wait¡­¡± ¡°You are too excited.¡± While Chad couldn¡¯t do anything with a trembling chin, Roenn stood in their way with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°I said this before, but an objective makes people stronger. I think it¡¯s better to leave the matter as it is, since the young master Raon is currently getting stronger at an even faster pace than before as he prepares for the duel against the Axe King Roman.¡± He smiled while remembering how Raon demonstrated the improved Blood Rain for him recently. ¡°I suggest we wait for two and half years, when he is going to die from a disease.¡± ¡°D-Disease? I never heard that Roman had a diseas¡­¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just an assassination method that I¡¯ve been researching recently. It¡¯s very simple.¡± Roenn gathered his fingers to gesture a cut to his own neck with a cold smile on his face. ¡°Hmm, not bad.¡± Glenn slowly nodded before burying himself on the throne once again. Sheryl also stepped back while turning her wrist. They sounded like the South-North Union was like a pebble on the road to be removed. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The trembling in Chad¡¯s chin intensified because of the way they treated the South-North Union like a pebble. He could never get used to them. ¡°What is the Light Wind squad doing nowadays?¡± Glenn looked at Rimmer, who was shrinking in a corner. ¡°Th-They are training by mostly sparring against the other squads.¡± Rimmer red at Chad while murmuring that he came to the lord¡¯s manor to report on it. His eyes said that he resented him for being there at the worst time. ¡°I heard some strange rumors about the Light Wind squad recently.¡± Sheryl narrowed her eyes while looking at Rimmer. ¡°Huh? What rumors?¡± ¡°That they are the Mad Dog squad rather than the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer bit his lip tightly and looked up on the tform. Lightning was sparking from Glenn¡¯s eyes, which were directed at him. ¡°Why are they being called mad dogs?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°They are being called that way because they never back off in front of an opponent and bite until the end to achieve victory. I heard they also bark like dogs sometimes, but I¡¯ve never seen that happen¡­¡± Sheryl told him the reason they were called the Mad Dog squad instead of Rimmer. ¡°Anyway, their win rate is pretty high.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If I remember it correctly, it was even better than twenty-five wins out of thirty matches. They¡¯ve been pretty much undefeated recently.¡± Chad nodded while supporting Sheryl¡¯s statement. ¡°And Raon is being called the Mad Dog squad leader, since he tames the mad dogs.¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± Glenn slowly nodded. He was apparently satisfied with his new nickname and the Light Wind squad¡¯s win rate. ¡°Young Master Raon seems to be talented at raising people, on top of his martial art.¡± ¡°I remember that his team leaders were very obedient to him when we went on a mission togetherst time.¡± Roenn and Sheryl also smiled. ¡°Rimmer.¡± Glenn suddenly stopped smiling and looked at Rimmer. ¡°Yes?¡± A chill suddenly ran down Rimmer¡¯s spine as he swallowed nervously. ¡°You must be d that the Light Wind squad got so much stronger.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m just thankful that the kids are following my teachings so nicely.¡± ¡°In that case, who was their sparring partner yesterday?¡± ¡°¡­What? Yesterday?¡± Did they spar yesterday? He waspletely unaware of it because he¡¯d been cultivating all day long the day before, since Raon and the Gambling Monster were in charge of their training recently. ¡®He will kill me if I say I don¡¯t know¡­¡¯ The experience engraved in his cells was telling him that he was going to die if he couldn¡¯t answer the question. ¡®Their first partner was the Blue Hawk squad, and the next up was the Soaring Sky division. The third was¡­¡¯ He racked his brain to look for the answer as if his life depended on it, and he managed to remember the only organization that didn¡¯t have a spar yet. ¡°The Warring Steel squad! It¡¯s the Warring Steel squad!¡± Rimmer raised his fist and shouted. However, Glenn¡¯s pressure didn¡¯t subside¡ªit doubled instead and crushed his shoulder. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Erm, th-the Warring Steel squad was promoted to the Warring Steel divisionst year.¡± Chad turned his head towards him slightly and whispered. ¡°Even though you are the squad leader, you seriously don¡¯t even know what kind of training your members go through, or who they are sparring against?¡± ¡°A-Actually, what I did yesterday was¡­¡± Glenn shook his hand to dismiss his excuses, and Sheryl and Roenn slowly walked towards him. ¡°You are really hopeless. You must¡¯ve been ying in the gambling house again to lose more money.¡± ¡°This makes me a bit angry despite how I usually stay calm. Huhuhu.¡± They walked up in front of Rimmer with murderous gazes. ¡°I was cultivating all day long yesterday! That bastard Raon keeps making me trai¡­¡± ¡°Bastard Raon? Did you just dare to insult our lord¡¯s grandson with your meager mouth?¡± ¡°Ahu!¡± Sheryl kicked Rimmer¡¯s side to throw him into a corner and started to beat him up. Whack! Smack! Smaaack! Chad swallowed nervously as he watched Rimmer getting mercilessly beaten up. ¡®Th-This confirms it.¡¯ The head of house cherished Raon Zieghart the most. The previous leader of Shadow Agents Alissa¡¯s prediction was wrong. And Glenn wasn¡¯t the only one. Even Sheryl and Roenn, who held pretty much the highest authority, cherished Raon the most in the world. ¡®I need to do something.¡¯ He figured it was necessary to gain Raon¡¯s favor in order to survive in Zieghart. Chad started to think about how to greet Raon in order to leave a good impression while listening to Rimmer¡¯s screams. ¡°The leader of the Shadow Agents.¡± Glenn closed his eyes before opening them again to look at Chad. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We recently got a request about the White Blood Religion, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a request from the Grand Seville. Lots of people suddenly started to go missing at the end of thest year, and a corpse was recently found at Molve Lake with its flesh chewed off, which makes the White Blood Religion the most likely suspect.¡± Chad nodded while remembering the mission request they had received a few days prior. ¡°Did the client have any specific requests?¡± ¡°They asked toe as fast as possible, and asked for the Light Wind squad if possible. It must be because the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader¡ªno, I should call him ¡®the venerable Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader¡¯¡ªmanaged to y the fourth apostle.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°They¡¯ve rested enough since it¡¯s already been three months.¡± Since training and spars were all they¡¯d been doing, it was about time to let them experience another mission. ¡°I¡¯m giving the Light Wind squad a new mission.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 276

Chapter 276

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 276 The Light Wind members were spread around the training ground, polishing their respective martial arts. Even though they looked tired, their eyes were sparkling brightly, and the tips of their swords weren¡¯t wavering in the slightest. Tsk. While everyone was focused on swinging their swords, someone briefly clicked their tongue from the tform. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The small sound was enough to make everyone stop swinging their swords, and they awkwardly looked around like wooden dolls. Raon was frowning from the tform. He must¡¯ve been dissatisfied about something. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s chin was trembling violently as he noticed Raon¡¯s eyebrows lowering. ¡®What¡¯s wrong this time?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what was bothering him because he¡¯d been focused on his training. Because the expression Raon was making usually signaled the start of a training session to test how much a human being could suffer, cold sweat started to flow down everyone¡¯s back. ¡®It¡¯s only been two weeks since the one hundred-hour survival in the North Grave Mountain¡­¡¯ They¡¯d experienced living hell during that session. Whenever they encountered Raon, who chased them like crazy and attacked them with his sword, they felt like their hearts were going to explode. They didn¡¯t even want to think about it. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with that crazy bastard now?¡± Martha came up next to him and frowned. ¡°Why does he look so annoyed when we won the spar yesterday? What kind of fuckery is he about to drop on us this time?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure either.¡± ¡°But you are his closest friend.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true, but I¡¯m not just a friend. I¡¯m¡­¡± Dorian bit his lip tightly. He couldn¡¯t tell her that he was being used as his wallet. ¡°He¡¯s been rtively mild recently, but he¡¯s getting started again¡­¡± Burren sighed deeply while looking at the tform. ¡°No matter how much I brace myself, I can¡¯t stop myself from trembling whenever hees up with a new training method.¡± He must¡¯ve also been thinking about the training they went through two weeks ago as he bit his lip. ¡°A new training¡­¡± Runaan stared into the air with her usual nk eyes. She looked calm, but it wasn¡¯t the case. She was sleeping with her eyes open. She ran away from reality into her dreams. ¡°I-It¡¯s over¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem this time?¡± ¡°Sh-Should we run away?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t even take an hour before he catches us all! It¡¯s pointless!¡± They¡¯d tried running away in different directions two months ago because the training was too difficult, but it didn¡¯t even take an hour for Raon to neutralize everyone and bring them back. Since they couldn''t run away or fight him, despair was the only thing that awaited them. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. It¡¯s all over¡­¡± ¡°L-Let¡¯s beg! That should make the vice squad leader go easy on us, since he¡¯s still a human.¡± ¡°Are you really saying that after experiencing what he¡¯d done to us so far?¡± ¡°Sniff, I miss the days we spent under Squad Leader Rimmer.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The Light Wind members hung their heads, grieving over the new training that was pretty much decided in their minds. However, Raon didn¡¯t click his tongue because of the Light Wind squad, but because of the self-proimed demon king of wrath that was staying on his wrist. ¡®Why do you suddenly want ice cream?¡¯ You haven¡¯t gotten any for a while now! Bring me the mint chocte right now! ¡®I don¡¯t like it.¡¯ We need to fight! * * * Raon licked his lips while watching the Light Wind squad training somewhat awkwardly. ¡®Did I go too hard on them?¡¯ The faces of the swordsmen werepletely pale. It wasn¡¯t simply from exhaustion, and they almost looked painful. ¡®I guess it can¡¯t be helped, because they kept doing their best without any rest.¡¯ He could understand why they looked so tired, as they¡¯d been continuously training for three months. ¡®I should probably give them some rest.¡¯ For just a single day though. The objective wasn¡¯tpletely achieved yet, but he figured it was a good idea to let them rest a little because they¡¯d managed a lot of results already. Raon made up his mind and got down from the tform. ¡°Good job, everyone. As for tomorrow¡­¡± ¡®You can rest¡¯ was what he was going to say, but every member of the Light Wind squad pulled away from him at the same time. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Wh-What is it this time? This is happening again!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Martha, Burren, and Runaan¡¯s eyes were shivering like a herbivore¡¯s that was facing a predator. ¡°Hieeeh!¡± ¡°H-He¡¯sing¡­¡± And the other members were also swallowing nervously as they leaned backwards. ¡°No, listen to m¡­¡± ¡°Waaah!¡± ¡°Save me!¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± All Raon had done was simply extend his hand to calm them down, but the Light Wind members freaked out as if he were trying to stab them and pulled away even further. Raon gasped and scratched his chin. ¡®This is a bit shocking.¡¯ He was slightly confused because he was only trying to tell them to rest. Shocking? You shouldn¡¯t be saying that right now if you have a conscience! Wrath ndered him, disregarding it as nonsense. Even in Devildom, no one treated their subordinates like you! You are a fiend! ¡®Devildom is really humane, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ He didn¡¯t expect such an intense reaction, because all he did was let them experience the training he¡¯d done when he used to be an assassin, modified to fit their levels. Raon realized that he was really treated as a dog instead of a human being in his previous life. Raon smiled faintly while watching the Light Wind squad tremble in fear. ¡®Now that I think about it, this doesn¡¯t seem too bad. Since they are reacting this way, we might as well keep training.¡¯ He figured it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to meet their expectations, since they seemed to have already decided that a new training session was about toe. S-Seriously, where did youe from? Who the hell are you? Wrath was shocked and said that he¡¯d never seen anyone like him in the human realm or in Devildom. Your mind ispletely dark! ¡®Just kidding.¡¯ Raon stood in front of the Light Wind squad. He smiled while meeting their terrified gazes. ¡°Good job, everyone. You can rest tomorrow.¡± Even though he told them to rest, there wasn¡¯t much reaction from them. ¡°Rest¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-What does rest even mean?¡± ¡°I wonder? What is that¡­?¡± The Light Wind members tilted their heads, their eyes as nk as Runaan¡¯s. Their brain seemed to have stopped functioning upon hearing the unexpected word. ¡°W-Wait, rest?¡± ¡°Is he giving us a rest? Seriously?¡± Martha and Burren¡¯s jaws dropped. They were the first ones to realize it. ¡°You did a good job. Let¡¯s continue training until evening, and then rest tomorrow.¡± ¡°Woaaaah!¡± ¡°Finally! My wish came true! The prayer I¡¯ve been doing for three months was finally heard!¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± Every member of the Light Wind squad raised their hands and celebrated. They were shouting ¡®oh my god¡¯ like before, but the meaning was theplete opposite. ¡°Raon! Damn handsome!¡± Runaan also gave him a thumbs up, her mouth curved very slightly into a smile. It was an extremely rare smile, one that might be seen once a year. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± It waspletely meaningless, but Runaan seemed to believe that it was an extremely effectivepliment. ¡°But you should still do your best for today.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon smiled while listening to the Light Wind squad¡¯s shout of joy when someone carefully opened the training ground¡¯s door and an unfriendly looking middle-aged man entered. ¡®That person¡­¡¯ Was his name Chad? Raon remembered seeing him before. He was the leader of Shadow Agents, Chad, who was in the audience chamber when he was reporting to Glenn. However, he had no clue why he was visiting them. ¡°How are you?¡± Despite his unfriendly appearance, he smiled gently as he walked up to Raon and bowed to him. ¡°This is my first time personally greeting you. I¡¯m the leader of Shadow Agents, Chad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the temporary squad leader of the Light Wind squad, Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon greeted him back while meeting Chad¡¯s slightly trembling eyes. ¡®What a polite person.¡¯ The leader of the Shadow Agents held a lot of power since he was in charge of the information for the house. He was being extremely polite, despite being far superior to him both in terms of age and rank. ¡°I¡¯m here to convey something. Please excuse my visit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Pleasee this way.¡± Raon shook his head and guided him to the squad leader¡¯s room. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * ¡°Hmm, this is a rather serious matter. Please take a look at this for now.¡± Chad ced a document on the table and pushed it towards Raon as soon as he sat on his chair. ¡°This is the letter sent by the Axe King Roman to you, the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader. He¡¯s asking for a duel to the death on the first day of the year in three years.¡± ¡°First day of the year in three years?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see.¡± Raon smiled faintly while reading the document. ¡®Is he being considerate?¡¯ He wasn¡¯tpletely shameless. Since it was three years after the new year instead of three years after the day they made the bet, he must¡¯ve been being considerate to him. ¡®I¡¯ll be fighting him when I¡¯m twenty-two years old.¡¯ Since he was neen years old in the new year, the duel to death was going to happen after he turned twenty-two years old. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ After all, Wrath was with him. It was impossible to be a Grandmaster in three years by just training, but it waspletely possible since the Giving Wrath was with him. Why are you looking at me? ¡®Nevermind.¡¯ Raon smiled and shook his hand at Wrath, who frowned from receiving his gaze. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Chad swallowed nervously while watching Raon¡¯s smile. ¡®Did he just smile?¡¯ He was so brave, even though he was not even twenty years old yet¡­ Raon wasn¡¯t aware of what Glenn, Roenn, and Sheryl had said. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was smiling when his duel against the Grandmaster Axe King Roman was decided to be in three years. ¡®They don¡¯t cherish him for no reason.¡¯ He thought they adored him because of the extreme talent that made him the youngest Master on the continent, but he realized that wasn¡¯t the case at all. Raon Zieghart was a gem, a star that shone brightly just by existing. He could start to understand why the aforementioned three people loved him so much. Raon pushed the document aside and looked at Chad again. ¡°So what¡¯s the second piece of business?¡± ¡°¡­How did you know about that?¡± ¡°Since you told me to take a look at the document for now, I figured that you had another matter to discuss.¡± ¡°I see. You got me right there.¡± Chad smiled awkwardly and took the second document from his inner pocket. ¡°The second business is about the mission for the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°Mission? But why are you conveying that to us? Our squad leader must¡¯ve been at the lord¡¯s manor. No way, was he cking again¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not the case.¡± Chad hurriedly shook his head. ¡°I came to tell you instead because of some circumstances.¡± Since it would¡¯ve been too sad to tell him that Rimmer was getting beaten up by Glenn, Sheryl, and Roenn, he simply gave an evasive answer. ¡°Anyway, this is the Light Wind squad¡¯s new mission.¡± Chad turned the document upside down and pushed it towards Raon. ¡°Grand Seville must be that city famous for its entertainment.¡± Raon nodded upon reading the location mentioned on the document. ¡°That¡¯s correct. It¡¯s a bit small to be called a city, but it¡¯s an entertainment quarter where you can drink, gamble, and eat delicious food. There are even drugs and an arena there.¡± Just as Chad said, Grand Seville was one of the few regions in the continent that had so much entertainment value. It was possible to enjoy boating on Molve Lake right in front of it, and countless temptations lured people in at night, when the city turned even brighter. Delicious food? Wrath was yawning in boredom, but suddenly stood up upon hearing the word. ept the mission! ept it right now! He violently shook his hand, telling him that it was the only detail he needed. ¡°White Blood Religion¡­¡± Raon pushed Wrath back because he kept clinging onto him and focused on the document again. It was written that the White Blood Religion was the most likely suspect because of the frequent cases of missing people and the corpse found at Molve Lake. ¡°They also requested the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°Yes. They didn¡¯t insist upon it, but they did mention that it would be nice if the Light Wind squad epted the mission.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± If the White Blood Religion was involved, he needed to be careful because it could¡¯ve been a trapid by the seventh apostle. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to refuse at this point because there have been too many clients asking for the Light Wind squad for the past months.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm? Were you not aware? The number of people asking for the Light Wind squad has multiplied several times after youpleted the mission at the Gazel River.¡± Chad told him that he was getting a mission asking for the Light Wind squad once every three days¡ªwithout exaggerating. ¡°That¡¯s so many missions¡­¡± ¡°The Light Wind squad did great, but it¡¯s mostly because of you, vice squad leader.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. You shattered Tyler¡¯s n at the Gazel river, survived the Axe King Roman, and even beheaded the fourth apostle. That rumor spread throughout the continent, and now many people are asking for the Frostfire Sword of Valor.¡± ¡°Then why am I only getting a mission now¡­?¡± ¡°The Light Wind¡¯s squad leader refused all of them. He said that they needed to harden their foundation.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon leaned backward and exhaled faintly. ¡®Seriously. This is why I can¡¯t hate him.¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s actions were sometimes asking for a beating, but it was impossible to hate him because of the serious side he showed from time to time. ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded after reading the entire document. ¡®It sounds pretty good.¡¯ The perpetrator could¡¯ve been the White Blood Religion, the ck Tower, or a group of kidnappers, but he figured it would be a good idea for the members to give some hands-on experience, regardless of who they were going to face. ¡°I ept the mission.¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°A mission! We got a mission!¡± ¡°We are finally released from hell!¡± ¡°We can go outside!¡± The Light Wind members raised their arms and burst into cheers upon realizing that they didn¡¯t need to train anymore. ¡°Th-The squad members are so lively.¡± Chad swallowed nervously as he faced the Light Wind members¡¯ delighted reaction. ¡°They must be happy about it because they haven¡¯t had a mission for a while.¡± Raon smiled faintly at the Light Wind squad. ¡°Th-This is a present from me.¡± Chad gave him a box with luxurious packaging. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just a popr dessert in the southern region.¡± ¡°Dessert?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a snack that has cream between meringue cookies. It¡¯s called macaron.¡± Actually, the dessert was delivered to the previous leader of the Shadow Agents, Alissa, but he stole it from her in order to gain Raon¡¯s favor. ¡°Ah, thank you. But I have nothing to giv¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Chad shook his hand when Raon was looking around to try and find something he could give in return. ¡°I just brought it as a greeting gift, since it¡¯s my first time meeting you. You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s really fine. I¡¯ll be taking my leave, then.¡± He bowed to Raon, who tried to stop him, and left the fifth training ground. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Chad sighed faintly, while looking back at the fifth training ground¡¯s door. ¡®That should¡¯ve left a pretty good first impression.¡¯ His behavior was extremely polite, he treated him with respect, and even gave him detailed exnations and a gift. It might not have been perfect, but he guessed that there was nothing negative about the impression he left. ¡®I need to keep gaining his trust in the future.¡¯ He was certain that the vice squad leader of the small Light Wind squad were going to be the most important people in the house, rather than the pce masters or division leaders. ¡°Huhu.¡± Chad patted his shoulder in satisfaction and returned to the Shadow Agents. He had a feeling he was going to have a great day. . * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the gift that Chad left behind. ¡®The leader of Shadow Agents, Chad¡­ I need to be careful of him.¡¯ The Shadow Agents were at the center of Zieghart¡¯s authority, and it was one of the organizations that held the greatest amount of power. The fact that their leader Chad was being so careful towards him, who was nothing but a vice squad leader, meant that he was plotting something behind the scenes. ¡®He might be a spy from the Central Martial Pce or the True Martial Pce.¡¯ Since Karoon and Balder hated him the most among the people from Zieghart, he guessed that he might be secretly following their orders. ¡®I can¡¯t be careless around him.¡¯ People who smiled easily in public were the most dangerous type of people. It was necessary to stay alert until he determined his true intentions. ¡®I should cancel the day of rest and keep training tomorrow¡­¡¯ Hey! Wrath grabbed his sleeve with a frown on his face. Stop thinking about training! Take out that dessert called ¡®maroon¡¯. ¡®It¡¯s macaron.¡¯ Whatever! Show it to the King of Essence already. He¡¯s curious about how it looks! ¡®You just want to eat it.¡¯ Raon shook his head because it was so obvious what he was thinking. Ugh. If you aren¡¯t going to eat any ice cream, you should eat that instead! The King of Essence has the right to eat delicious food! It¡¯s human rights! ¡®A demon king doesn¡¯t have any human rights. You should return to your hometown.¡¯ Raon snickered at Wrath, who was angry with him. You are being prejudiced! ____ ____ Chapter 277

Chapter 277

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] . Chapter 277 Raon finished all of the work that Rimmer had been procrastinating on before leaving the training ground. As he was about to return to the annex building in order to get his equipment, he found Runaan, who was nkly staring at the sky. ¡°Hmm?¡± He went next to her and looked up to see what she was looking at. He couldn¡¯t understand why she was staring at the sky, where the moon was only half visible because of all the rain clouds. ¡°Runaan, why are you not leaving?¡± ¡°That looks like bead ice cream.¡± Runaan licked her lips while pointing at the blue moon that could be seen between the clouds. She was miraculously mistaking the moon for ice cream, probably because she couldn¡¯t even eat any ice cream because of all the training recently. ¡°That¡¯s not true¡­ Ah!¡± Raon took out the box that he was carrying under his arm. It was the dessert that Chad had given him earlier. ¡°In that case, do you want to eat this instead? It¡¯s a dessert called ¡®macaron¡¯.¡± ¡°Macaron?¡± A purple me was ignited inside Runaan¡¯s nk eyes. She looked like she would follow him all the way to the annex building if he refused to give it to her. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon chuckled and removed the package before opening the lid. There were around twenty pastries inside, with different kinds of cream stuck between two round meringue cookies¡ªjust like the sandwiches. ¡°Pick whichever you want.¡± Since Runaan had been sharing lots of food with him, he was more than willing to give snacks like those. Ooh! However, Wrath was reacting faster than Runaan. The King of Essence can smell the sweet and cool fragrance. Raon Zieghart! The King of Essence is choosing that green one at the edge! It must be mint chocte! Wrath picked the green macaron that contained the chocte cream. The way he was calling Raon¡¯s name signified that he was desperate. ¡®I don¡¯t really like mint chocte though.¡¯ You should do the King of Essence a favor at a time like this at least! ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Raon licked his lips while meeting Wrath¡¯s pleading gaze. ¡®That¡¯s not wrong.¡¯ Even a giving tree needed to be fertilized from time to time. Since it wasn¡¯t exactly a difficult task, Raon decided to grant Wrath¡¯s wish. ¡°Mhh?¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue and picked up the macaron that Wrath wanted, and Runaan suddenly shuddered. The way she was nkly staring at the green macaron in his hand implied that she was also about to pick that one. ¡®What shall we do? I think the ice cream girl also wants to eat the mint chocte macaron.¡¯ Ugh¡­ ¡®She¡¯s your subordinate. You should show your consideration, right? Shall I give it to her? Do I give it?¡¯ D-Damn it! Wrath violently ground his teeth. His eyes were swaying like a pendulum from trying to make the difficult decision between his subordinate and the food. ¡®I¡¯ll help you make the decision.¡¯ W-Wait¡­ Raon shook off Wrath, who was sticking to his wrist, before giving the macaron to Runaan. ¡°You can have it.¡± ¡°No.¡± Runaan shook her head. Despite his expectations, she didn¡¯t look sad about it at all. Instead, she actually looked happy. ¡°We are the same.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Raon also likes mint chocte. It¡¯s okay.¡± She nodded in satisfaction before taking the cookies and cream macaron next to where the mint chocte one used to be. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one. Thank you.¡± Runaan nodded before heading to the carriage waiting in front of the training ground. She must¡¯ve been waiting for the carriage to return home. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while watching the leaving carriage. ¡®That was the only one I wanted to try out.¡¯ Because the color made it obvious that it was the cookies and cream macaron, it was the only one he wanted to eat among them¡ªyet Runaan had taken it away from him. However, he was more irritated by the fact that Runaan mistakenly believed that he loved mint chocte. Wahahaha! You can¡¯t get everything you want all the time! Serves you right! Completely! ¡®I think it will crumble so easily¡­¡¯ Raon forced his fingers to destroy the macaron. The thin powders started falling on the ground. W-W-Wait! Stop it! ¡®Stop it?¡¯ Kuh¡­ ¡®Stop it?¡¯ Th-The King of Essence apologizes¡­ Tears welled up in Wrath¡¯s eyes as he shook his head. The food must¡¯ve been more important to him than the pride as a demon king. Was he really the demon king of wrath? No matter how Raon thought about it, his attribute was wrong. Wrath should¡¯ve been either a binge eater or a bizarre eater instead. ¡®You should be more careful in the future.¡¯ Raon tapped on Wrath before putting the mint chocte macaron in his mouth. The first taste upon biting the cookie was its sweetness. Moreover, it was such an intense sweetness that he¡¯d never tasted before, to a point that his tongue felt slightly numb. Next up was the mint chocte cream. The slightly cold cream spread throughout his mouth to ry the refreshing sweetness and the pungent taste. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed heavily and shook his head. ¡®What is wrong with this taste¡­?¡¯ Thebination of extremely sweet cookies and mint chocte cream was something he never wanted to taste ever again. He almost wanted to me Chad for giving him the macaron. ¡°Wrath, you don¡¯t like it eithe¡­ Huh?¡± He lowered his head to check Wrath¡¯s reaction, and he was drooling from his widened mouth. H-How could such a dessert exist in this world¡­? Wrath was moaning in excitement while covering his cheeks. This is crazy! The sweet cookies and the mint chocte create a perfect harmony! This is a real delicacy, and a real dessert! He was saying that there were so many delicacies in the vast world with a big grin on his face. Next! Try eating the next one! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Because Wrath was so excited, Raon¡¯s mouth also became watery. He picked the chocte macaron as the next one, since it was pretty clear what it was made from. ¡°Kuah¡­¡± Although it was better than the mint chocte, the sweetness became even more intense. It was so sweet that it almost tasted bitter. Huaah! Wrath was wriggling on his shoulder with an ecstatic expression on his face. He looked like a cat rolling in catnip. More! More! Let¡¯s eat a bit more! Today is going to be remembered as a new chapter in the delicacy''s history¡­ Raon tightly closed the macaron box''s lid, while listening to Wrath¡¯s shout. Man! ¡®I can¡¯t eat anymore. I¡¯m going to return and give them to Sylvia and the maids.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon gave the macarons to the maids before returning to his room. It was almost a mystery that Sylvia and the maids loved the macarons so much. Raon asked them if it wasn¡¯t too sweet, and apparently that was the part they enjoyed. Raon started thinking that his own sense of taste was the strange one and Wrath was right all along. Kuh, how can you give away all of that good stuff¡­ Wrath was murmuring that he could only eat two of them with teary eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll buy some bead ice cream for youter. Please be satisfied with that.¡± Really? ¡°I¡¯ll eat them after returning from the mission, so please stay silent.¡± Of course! The King of Essence is famous for how reticent he is. Don¡¯t worry about it! By the way, back in Devildom, the King of Essence¡¯s subordinates asked him to express himself a bit more because of how silent he was¡­ ¡°Haa¡­¡± He mentioned the ice cream to make him fall silent, but he was being even louder than before. Raon shook his head and packed the items to bring on his mission. As he was putting the equipment and consumables in his bag, someone¡¯s presence could be felt around the window. He immediately opened the window because he was fully aware of who it was. ¡°It¡¯s been a while!¡± Rimmer grinned and walked up to him, his eyes covered by sunsses. ¡°Why are you wearing sunsses in the middle of the night?¡± ¡°Ah, this? It¡¯s for the style.¡± Rimmer awkwardly shook his hand, asking how he couldn¡¯t notice how stylish he was. ¡°I heard you were leaving for a mission in two days.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m guessing you are staying behind, right?¡± The mission document from Chad mentioned that Raon was the person in charge, which meant that Rimmer was staying behind. ¡°I¡¯d like to go with you, but there¡¯s not going to be anything I can do to help in my current state.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Raon nodded. Because Rimmer decided to gather wind aura of the highest purity, he still hadn¡¯t managed to umte enough aura. It was better for him to just stay at the house to cultivate instead of wasting time by moving around. ¡°I-It makes me a bit sad when you put it that way.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s what you said, squad leader.¡± ¡°Still! You should beforting me when I¡¯m sad! I¡¯m your teacher and your superior! You will never be a great person with how inconsiderate you are!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon could only sigh, since he was the second most annoying person in the world after Wrath. ¡°You just thought I was being annoying!¡± And he could even read his mind. ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough joking around.¡± Rimmer chuckled and leaned on his elbow on the window. ¡°You are going to be in charge from now on, starting from this mission. No one is going to be watching your back like before. Your decision could annihte the entire Light Wind squad, or allow them to survive.¡± The light reflected in his eyes was as clear as the moonlight. ¡°Responsibility might feel lighter than you think, and heavier than you think.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that it depends on how I look at it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rimmer snapped his fingers. ¡°You should be careful to not be crushed by that heaviness, and don¡¯t let the lightness get to your head. I¡¯m sure you will manage on your own though.¡± ¡°Have you been super light all the time, squad leader?¡± ¡°Wow, that hurts. Why are people¡¯s tongues so sharp nowadays?¡± He pretended to be in pain while grasping his chest before he raised his chin. ¡°You are wearing the pyroxene ne, right?¡± ¡°This one?¡± Raon raised the pyroxene ne that was hanging inside his clothes from his neck. He¡¯d been equipping it at all times ever since Roenn told him about its effects. ¡°Yes, that one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t give you this. I¡¯m sure you are just going to sell it to fund your gambling¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not about to extort from my subordinate no matter how bad I am!¡± He violently shook his head in denial. ¡°Who do you even think I am?¡± ¡°A gambling addict, scammer,zybone, thief?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer grasped his chest once again and faltered. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that.¡± He chuckled and leaned his back against the window. ¡°Raon. I entrust the Light Wind squad to you.¡± His serious voice was filled with worry. He must¡¯ve been serious when he said he wanted to go with them. ¡°I¡¯ll bring everyone back safely.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for your return.¡± Rimmer casually waved his hand before he left. Raon sighed quietly while watching his back. ¡®Responsibility¡­¡¯ Even though he thought he¡¯s always been shouldering most of Rimmer¡¯s responsibilities, realizing that he was now the only person responsible for the Light Wind squad ced a heavy burden on his heart. After all, Rimmer had always been watching everyone from the back, despite how he pretended to be ying around and sleeping. Raon bowed in the direction Rimmer had left in. ¡®I¡¯ll be looking forward to the day we can be together once again.¡¯ * * * Chad went to the fifth training ground when the Light Wind squad was supposed to leave. ¡°¡­The squad leader isn¡¯t going with us this time. Since we need to handle everything on our own, you should brace yourselves to maintain yourposure in all situations.¡± Raon¡¯s voice could be heard from the training ground. He seemed to be encouraging everyone since they were leaving on the mission without their squad leader. ¡®He even knows how to lead his people.¡¯ The way he was trying to restrain the squad members instead of trying to gain achievements from his first mission as a leader showed his qualities as a leader. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The training ground¡¯s door opened following the quiet voice, and the Light Wind members came out in a line. Chad waited on the side, then went to Raon as soon as he came out. ¡°Vice squad leader.¡± ¡°The Shadow Agents¡¯ leader?¡± His eyes turned round. He apparently didn¡¯t expect him to be there at all. ¡°What brought you here¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got some information about Grand Seville and the White Blood Religion, and I brought it to you since it would be a waste to not do anything with it. I hope it can be helpful.¡± Chad smiled faintly, giving him a booklet containing the information they had gathered. ¡°I was on my way back home after working overnight yesterday. Please don¡¯t feel pressured.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Raon awkwardly epted the booklet. ¡°I wish you good fortune in your uing battles.¡± Chad smiled faintly and turned around as if that was all he came to do. ¡®Perfect!¡¯ In fact, he¡¯dpiled the booklet the day before, and he woke up early in the morning to wait for them instead of heading back, but he was just giving some believable excuses in order to avoid pressuring Raon. It was the perfect method to leave a good impression without pressuring him. ¡®I shall prepare for the next task now.¡¯ Chad praised himself for his excellent performance as he returned to the Shadow Agents. * * * Raon burned Chad¡¯s booklet after reading all the contents. He narrowed his eyes while looking at the ashes fluttering into the air. ¡®The information is way too detailed.¡¯ It was high quality information, not only about the Grand Seville but also about the White Blood Religion¡¯s recent activities and methods. ¡®Chad, the leader of Shadow Agents¡­¡¯ He was getting more and more suspicious. It was extremely strange that such an important person from the house was visiting the training ground so early in the morning to give him such information, especially because the leaders of information agencies tended to be overbearing and disliked moving around themselves. Even though Chad was rtively young, it wasn¡¯t normal for him to take care of him so much. ¡®The White Blood Religion might not be our enemies.¡¯ Unlike what the mission stated, he had the strong impression that the White Blood Religion wouldn¡¯t be their enemies during the mission¡ªinstead, assassins from the Central Martial Pce or the True Martial Pce would being for them. ¡®This is slightly dangerous.¡¯ It could turn into a bad situation, as they were aware of their war potential, unlike the White Blood Religion. ¡®There¡¯s a method I can use in a situation like this.¡¯ It was an extremely simple method. He just needed to increase the Light Wind squad¡¯s prowess before reaching Grand Seville to surpass the information they had. ¡®Moreover.¡¯ Raon looked at Martha, who was leaning her back against a tree, separate from the group. She¡¯d been like that ever since she heard that they were most likely going to fight the White Blood Religion. Even the first team was unable to approach her because of the murderous aura and wrath around her, on top of how she had be even more powerful. ¡®In order to snap her out of it, it is even more necessary to do so.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly at the Light Wind squad, who were finally getting some rest after half a day''s travel. ¡°Get up, everyone.¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t even rest for ten minutes though.¡± The Light Wind squad was whining that they wanted to rest a bit more. ¡°Then you should stay on the ground and listen.¡± He nodded and met the Light Wind squad¡¯s gazes. ¡°I told you this when we left, but this mission might be a trapid by our enemies. This means that we might end up fighting people that know who we are. What do you think we need to do in that case?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± They only tilted their heads, unable to find the answer. ¡°You must be aware that it will take a pretty long time for us to reach Grand Seville. Do you think we should just waste all that time?¡± ¡°Uuh¡­?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± The Light Wind squad felt that something was going wrong and swallowed nervously. ¡°You guessed right. We are going to train while moving.¡± ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± ¡°Can you please stop?¡± The Light Wind members mmed the ground in despair. ¡°W-Wait! What if we exhaust ourselves from training? We might have to fight as soon as we arrive, or we might get ambushed during the journey!¡± Burren raised his hand and shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will take a shortcut to avoid their ambush, and I¡¯ll adjust the schedule so that you will be at your best by the time we reach Grand Seville.¡± Since he¡¯d been to Grand Seville many times in his previous life, he knew multiple shortcuts and hideouts along the way. He couldpletely avoid encountering assassins on their way. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°D-Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Why does he even know that kind of stuff?¡± Burren and the Light Wind members sprawled hopelessly on the ground, as they couldn¡¯t argue against him. ¡°I-It¡¯s okay!¡± Krein tapped his wrist and ankle with a smile on his face. ¡°We don¡¯t have the ck Converters. We can endure the training as long as we don¡¯t have those¡­¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t need to worry about that. Dorian.¡± Raon bobbed his hand, and Dorian came up with a depressed expression on his face. He bit his lip tightly, putting his hand in his belly pocket and taking out a bunch of ck Converters. ¡°I asked Dorian to bring them just in case.¡± Raon smiled faintly and waved his hand. ¡°Everyone, equip them and get ready to run.¡± ¡°NOOOOOO!¡± The Light Wind squad¡¯s scream of despair echoed throughout the mountain. * * * The fancy and colorful buildings had so much variety that each of them felt unique, and that was the case for all of the buildings filling the hexagram-shaped domain. Moreover, theke behind them was shining brightly as it reflected the afternoon¡¯s sunlight, as if it contained molten gold instead of water. The size was far smaller than the other kingdoms and cities he had visited before, but Grand Seville¡¯s splendor didn¡¯t lose to them at all. Raon nodded after looking around Grand Seville over the low rampart. ¡®This ce is the same as before.¡¯ Entertainment sectors tended to be extremely attractive. It was the best ce for assassination, and he¡¯d done countless missions in that city. ¡®But my feelings are different.¡¯ That was because, unlike how he visited the city to kill people in his previous life, he was there in his current life in order to save people. It gave him apletely different feeling. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Is this Grand Seville?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s as shy as the rumors.¡± The Light Wind members¡¯ jaws dropped as they stared at Grand Seville and Molve Lake¡¯s shy appearance. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha, on the other hand, was ring at Grand Seville. Her pressure was even sharper than before. She still must¡¯ve been thinking about the White Blood Religion. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon pointed at the city with his chin before taking the lead, and the Light Wind squad caught their breath before following him. Raon showed the mercenary namete that he got from the house to the guard in front of the gate, and he bobbed his hand for them to enter without even checking properly. ¡®And this is also the same as before.¡¯ If Cameloon had a good bnce between shadow and light, Grand Seville was far more shady than there, which was why the inspection was nothing but a formality. Once Raon got the namete back, he passed through the low gate and entered Grand Seville. Whir. An intense vibration could be felt from the de of Requiem as soon as his feetnded on Grand Seville¡¯s soil. ¡®Look at this.¡¯ Raon grasped the wailing de of Requiem¡¯s hilt tightly. His mouth curved into a cold smile as he looked down on the splendid city. There were as many of them as cockroaches. ____ ____ Chapter 278

Chapter 278

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 278 Raon narrowed his eyes while resonating the Ring of Fire. ¡®They don¡¯t just have the numbers¡­¡¯ There were even some strong ones among them. The White Blood Fanatics increased their bloody energy by devouring people¡¯s blood and flesh. Judging from the bloody energy mixed into the flow of mana, just like oil floating on water, he could guess that arge number of powerful warriors had fallen in that city. ¡®I can¡¯t track them.¡¯ He tried to determine the source of the bloody energy, but he couldn¡¯t reach that far. The de of Requiem¡¯s energy was cut off midway, just like when a long rubber band would snap. ¡®I need to be careful.¡¯ Considering the faint stench of bloody energy and the fact that the bloody demons couldn¡¯t be found at all, he figured it would be better to follow his initial n and pretend to be a novice mercenary while investigating. ¡°All of the buildings look so funny.¡± Burren was whistling while looking up to the peculiar buildings of Grand Seville. He must¡¯ve been interested in how different they looked from Zieghart¡¯s buildings, which were all rectangr and uninteresting. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Runaan was the same as always. She didn¡¯t seem too interested in the buildings as she simply stared at Molve Lake on the other side of Grand Seville. She must¡¯ve been thinking that it was a good ce to doze off. ¡°Wow, the inside is even more splendid.¡± ¡°H-How is everything sparkling so much?¡± ¡°This is how it looks during the day, but I heard it bes even more crazy at night.¡± ¡°This city is so crazy.¡± The other swordsmen were also busy looking around. None of them were able to sense the bloody energy. Raon smiled faintly while watching their reactions, which would make others look down on them. ¡®This is even better because they aren¡¯t acting.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t too bad, because they really looked like mercenaries from the countryside that hade to Grand Seville for the first time. No one would believe that they were from Zieghart. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha exhaled roughly and clenched her fist. She didn¡¯t notice the bloody energy, but she seemed to have instinctively noticed the White Blood Religion¡¯s scent of blood inside Grand Seville. ¡®Is it because they are her archenemies?¡¯ People said that archenemies could be found with heart instead of brain, and Martha seemed to have found the White Blood Fanatics with her soul. She was simr to the de of Requiem in a way. ¡°Stop acting like country bumpkins, it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Raon shook his hand at the Light Wind members that were standing there like idiots. He purposefully used a vulgar manner of speech in order to pretend to be a mercenary captain. ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­¡± ¡°I know you are also excited, captain.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. You are the biggest country bumpkin of us all, captain.¡± ¡°Huhuhu¡­¡± The Light Wind members acted like a small-scale mercenary corps, just like they were taught on the way to Grand Seville. ¡°They are so out of style.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal since they came from the countryside.¡± ¡°Another set of soft touches have arrived.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they will lose all their money before they go back home.¡± ¡°Some of them will stay here forever after that.¡± The passersby and the guards behind them wereughing at them, which proved that their acting was working as intended. ¡°Shut up and follow me! Let¡¯s get the lodgings first before I let you y however you want!¡± Raon smiled faintly and went towards the inn he¡¯d stayed in his previous life. * * * Raon called the team leaders Martha, Runaan, and Burren to his room. He created an aura barrier around them and let them sit in the room. ¡°The Shadow Agents¡¯ prediction was correct. The White Blood Religion¡¯s bloody demons are here.¡± The extremely faint bloody energy he found with the Ring of Fire and the de of Requiem were the remnants of a powerful warrior¡¯s energy, one that was devoured by the White Blood Fanatics. Considering how big it should¡¯ve been initially, the one hiding inside the city must¡¯ve been at least an archbishop. Grit. Martha violently ground her teeth. Because he confirmed that their enemy was the White Blood Religion, the pressure she¡¯d been suppressing was slowly rising with her wrath. ¡°Martha.¡± Raon looked down on Martha with cold eyes. ¡°You should drop out from the mission if you can¡¯t control your emotions.¡± The way he spoke was so ruthless that Burren turned his head in surprise. ¡°No one will be looking after us during this mission. We will need to withdraw if there¡¯s someone at the advanced or highest level of Master, or even a Grandmaster among the enemies. If you get too excited and lose control of yourself, you aren¡¯t the only one who will die. You will also be bringing other squad members down with you.¡± Neither Rimmer nor Sheryl were with them. Because the Light Wind squad had to deal with everything on their own, it was necessary to always keep a tactical retreat in mind. ¡°I know¡­¡± Martha clenched her fist and slowly breathed out. As the impure energy flew from her mouth, her boiling pressure started to subside. Her eyes returned to being clear once she appeased her anger by controlling her emotions. The way he taught her to control her emotions through training on the way was showing results. ¡°Let¡¯s get started, then.¡± Raon nodded in satisfaction before looking at the three team leaders. ¡°Our first objective is finding them. Considering the fact that even the de of Requiem was unable to find their location, the leader of White Blood Fanatics in the city isn¡¯t going to be revealed so easily.¡± Since even the de of Requiem was unable to find any traces of them, they must¡¯ve been concealing their bloody energy by using some kind of formation or martial art. ¡°Which means we need to find their tail and work upwards. You shouldn¡¯t attack them even if you manage to find a White Blood Fanatic. You should release them, pretending you didn¡¯t notice, and track them to find their main base.¡± Torture didn¡¯t work against the White Blood Religion because they were fanatics. That was why it was necessary to secretly chase them in order to locate their base. ¡°Sounds good. Alright.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren and Runaan immediately nodded in agreement. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha closed her eyes instead of responding. ¡®This memory never fades away.¡¯ Whenever she closed her eyes, she could see the memories of that day, the hellish scene where the tenth apostle and the bloody demons were devouring the vigers¡¯ blood and flesh as they dragged her mom away from her. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to forget about it for the rest of my life.¡¯ That scene repeated every day in her dream. Even if she managed to y the tenth apostle and save her mom, the nightmare might follow her for the rest of her life. ¡®I¡¯ve been making excuses to myself so far.¡¯ Because something like that had happened to her, because she was having that nightmare every night. She told herself that it was normal to lose control as soon as she saw a White Blood Fanatic. She kept reminding herself that it was only natural that her hand moved before she knew it and her head turned empty. ¡®But I can¡¯t stay that way.¡¯ She needed to stopforting herself like that. Because she wasn¡¯t a kid anymore. She couldn¡¯t be an ipetent kid forever. She needed to take a step forward, just like she promised Raon and the first team members. ¡®By the way, he really is a monster.¡¯ Although it hadn¡¯t even been an hour since they¡¯d arrived at Grand Seville, Raon had already noticed that the White Blood Religion was hiding inside, and even suggested their course of action. She realized once again that Raon¡¯s might wasn¡¯t the only amazing part about him, since even his insight and experience were as seasoned as a division leader¡¯s. ¡®I need to learn all of that from him.¡¯ There were so many things to learn from him, but what she needed right away wasposure. She wanted to take after Raon¡¯s calmness that allowed him to remainposed in all situations. Martha calmed herself down before opening her eyes. Her eyes weren¡¯t wavering in the slightest as she looked at Raon. ¡°Pretty good.¡± Raon chuckled after noticing Martha¡¯s unfazed gaze. ¡°Convey what I told you to the team members. We will use the buddy system and move in the groups of three that I assigned you to before.¡± It was necessary to have groups of three to report and react at the same time in case something happened. That was the most efficient way to investigate, considering the situation they were in. ¡°Disband if you don¡¯t have any questions.¡± Raon waved his hand at the team leaders, asking them to leave. ¡°Are you moving on your own?¡± Burren turned his head when he was about to leave. ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be worried about a monster.¡± He scratched his cheek while smiling awkwardly. ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± Martha asked next, narrowing her eyes. ¡°I shall meet him.¡± Raon raised himself up with a faint smile on his face. ¡°The client that called us here.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon left the inn on his own. He peeked into different shops like a newbie mercenary before entering an antique shop located on the corner of an alley. ¡°Wee.¡± An old man wearing a monocle briefly bobbed his head. He didn¡¯t seem to be weing him at all. Raon slowly looked around the disyed misceneous items as he walked towards the old man¡¯s counter. ¡°Why are you looking around so much? Are you going to buy something or not?¡± The old man examined Raon from top to bottom and furrowed his brows. ¡°I came to borrow.¡± ¡°Borrow what?¡± ¡°The axe to cut down arge tree.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The old man slowly stood up. His irritated eyes immediately turned as transparent as a bead, removing all emotions inside. ¡°Come this way.¡± Raon followed the old man and entered the room behind the counter. He passed through multiple rooms with questionable purposes, and he arrived at the deepest room with a gray window on the lower part of the wall. ¡°It¡¯s in here.¡± When he opened the window, the space behind it was wavering and white stairs were revealed. It was a secret passage, hidden with magic. Raon nodded and went downstairs. He could feel the presence of a few people in the darkness, but he ignored them as he kept walking down. Humans always hide underground even though they are capable of facing the sun. How pathetic of them. Wrath clicked his tongue. Something was apparently grating on his nerves. What kind of ce is this? ¡®It¡¯s the dwelling of this mission¡¯s client.¡¯ Why would a client be hiding underground? ¡®The ck Market is usually full of people who like to hide.¡¯ Raon chuckled. He was currently going to the ck Market, which was an information agency spread throughout the entire continent, with the countless casinos and pubs of Grand Seville under its wing. Why did people like that make such a request? ¡®Because their money is leaking.¡¯ No matter how much people liked entertainment, they wouldn¡¯t be risking their lives for it. The increasing number of missing people likely reduced the number of visitors, and sales plummeted as a result. Hmph, so the doormats are gone. ¡®Indeed. Even doormats need the right environment to offer up all of their money.¡± Raon stared at Wrath as he spoke. ¡®This is a lesson for me.¡¯ He decided to provide plenty of food for Wrath in order to prevent the Giving Wrath from running away. Except for macaron. Hmm? Wh-Why are you starting at the King of Essence like that? ¡®No reason.¡¯ Raon shook his hand and snickered. Tap. As he finished descending the stairs, dim lighting turned on in the dark corridor. They were telling them to follow. Raon followed the light, and an antique door appeared. Creak. He opened the door and entered. A woman wearing a purple robe with the hood hiding her face was sitting in front of a round table. ¡°Please sit.¡± The woman bowed slightly and pointed at the seat in front of her. ¡°My name is Denning Rose, the ck Market¡¯s branch manager for Grand Seville.¡± Denning Rose introduced herself and took off her robe. She was a short-haired beauty with remarkable red hair, and she was wearing an eyepatch on her right eye with a ck rose drawn on it. ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart, the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader.¡± Raon sat in front of Denning Rose and bowed. ¡°Are you disguised as a mercenary?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s best to be treated as mercenaries when investigating something.¡± The mercenaries were mostly uncontroble because of their carefree personalities. Even in his previous life, he mostly disguised himself as a mercenary. ¡°What a shame. I wanted to see the face that made the youngest artisan of House Yonaan fall in love with you.¡± Denning Rose smiled faintly and ced a document on the table. ¡°The situation has slightly changed from when I made the request.¡± The smile disappeared from her face as she pushed the document towards him. ¡°You must¡¯ve confirmed the presence of White Blood Fanatics, and a high ranked one at that.¡± ¡°H-How did you know that¡­?¡± Denning Rose¡¯s left eye widened. ¡°I could feel a faint bloody energy floating in the air when I arrived in this city. A famous powerhouse must¡¯ve been defeated.¡± ¡°Correct¡­¡± Her chin was trembling in surprise. ¡°Warriors powerful enough to be called powerhouses have been dying every day recently. There¡¯s most likely an archbishop or an apostle among them.¡± Denning Rose pointed at the lower part of the document. The names of the people who had gone missing recently were listed there. They were people at the intermediate, advanced, and highest level of Expert, and one of them was even a Master, although he was far past his prime. ¡°All of them have¡­¡± ¡°Yes. They¡¯ve disappeared recently, after I made the request.¡± ¡°Even a Master disappeared without a trace¡­¡± Raon realized that it was even more dangerous than he had anticipated. ¡°Is there any information about which apostle or which archbishop is behind all this?¡± ¡°Not at all. We managed to catch a White Blood Fanatic a few days ago, but he immediately killed himself, and we didn¡¯t manage to get anything out of him.¡± Denning Rose furrowed her brows, thinking about the missed opportunity. ¡°Our agent caught him while he was secretly working on propagation. That¡¯s why it will be even harder to catch them now.¡± ¡°Even the ck Market is unable to find the White Blood Religion.¡± Raon licked his lips while reading the document. He thought he¡¯d learn something about them upon visiting the ck Market, but there was nothing more than what he¡¯d learned upon arriving in the city. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed to say that the White Blood Religion is pretty much our natural enemy.¡± Denning Rose sighed deeply. ¡°We are an organization created by the people at the rock bottom of society to protect themselves. In terms of Grand Seville, it¡¯s countless people¡ªlike gamblers, thieves, prostitutes, clerks, servants, and the like¡ªwho gather information for us. However, the White Blood Religion can¡¯t be found by people like them.¡± ¡°Fanatics¡­¡± ¡°Yes. They never reveal their identity to anyone other than those who worship the Blood God. It¡¯s also difficult to find them because the lower-ranked fanatics have a blood color simr to ordinary people.¡± ¡°And Grand Seville¡¯s sales must be plummeting as a result.¡± ¡°Once again, how did you¡­?¡± ¡°Because there aren¡¯t that many people in the world who are crazy enough to risk their lives for entertainment.¡± He told Wrath about it before, but most people wouldn¡¯t risk their lives for entertainment. There were many cities on a simr orrger scale as Grand Seville that were able to serve as an alternative, after all. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Denning Rose swallowed nervously as he looked into Raon¡¯sposed eyes. ¡®He¡¯s certainly distinguished.¡¯ He managed to recognize the presence of the White Blood Religion by sensing bloody energy as soon as he arrived at Grand Seville. Since no one else was able to notice such a thing, she thought that he was in a different league from average Masters. ¡®He shouldn¡¯t even lose to the Twelve Stars of the Continent.¡¯ Even the Twelve Stars of the Continent that she¡¯d met before hadn¡¯t managed to surprise her so much. She guessed that Raon would be capable of fighting equally against the Twelve Stars of the Continent despite being far younger than them. ¡®How can a human being be sopetent despite being so young?¡¯ His personality and intelligence were even more surprising. She thought he¡¯d be an arrogant boy because he had everything¡ªmight and fame included¡ªat a young age, but he didn¡¯t give off that impression at all. He was solely focused on the mission, all while staying decently polite, and he was extremely fast at processing information. ¡®He¡¯s a dangerous man.¡¯ The world was only focused on Raon¡¯s might, but his judgment and insight were probably his greatest qualities. ¡°We will do anything we can to support you. You don¡¯t need to eliminate all of the White Blood Fanatics, so please y the high ranking fanatics in the city.¡± Denning Rose bowed to him after putting her thoughts in order. Since Grand Seville was a very profitable citypared to its size, she could do anything for him as long as he could drive away the White Blood Fanatics. ¡°Anything¡­¡± Raon smiled and raised himself up. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± * * * After meeting Denning Rose, Raon went to drink and toured all around Grand Seville before heading to Molve Lake. Because many people were enjoying sailing with prostitutes, he suppressed his presence and walked over theke. He climbed the hill on the other side of theke, examining Grand Seville below it. What are you doing now? Are you nning on missing dinner? But you said this city is famous for delicacies! ¡®Delicacies or whatever, workes first.¡¯ You know the saying, ¡®if a demon eats well, they will look pretty even in the afterlife¡¯! ¡®I need to work to earn money to buy food.¡¯ Food! ¡®Work.¡¯ Raon threw Wrath into theke as he kept shouting food, then looked down on Grand Seville. The more he dyed, the more the Light Wind members and the ordinary people would be ced in danger. It was necessary to discover the secret of the city as quickly as possible. ¡®It¡¯s way too shy.¡¯ Once night fell, brilliant lights began shining everywhere, and the city became far more splendid than during the day. It looked like everyone was having so much fun, without even thinking about the missing people, cases of murder, and the bloody religion. ¡®Something¡¯s wrong with this ce.¡¯ A dreary stench could be felt from the city at night that was unlike during the day. The flow of bloody energy became even more discreet, and the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy was losing its strength as if something were suppressing it. The White Blood Religion must¡¯ve done something to the whole city. ¡®I should be able to do it from here.¡¯ He¡¯d climbed the hill where he could see the city¡¯s overallndscape from because it was necessary to look at the forest instead of trees. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon closed his eyes and exhaled the breath filling the deepest part of his lungs. The suffocating feeling left alongside the breath as he opened his eyes. Whir! He resonated the Ring of Fire, all seven rings. His heart started to pound faster, and the flow of the world became slower as it brushed past him. The waves on theke, the movement of the wind, and even the clouds were slowed down to a snail¡¯s pace. Cring! Raon intensified the ring¡¯s rotation, which was already fast enough. The clear resonance of the rings became one with his mind, and he grasped the de of Requiem at that moment. Whir! As if the de of Requiem had turned into the eighth ring, it resonated with the rings of fire spinning around his heart, spreading around its majestic aura. ¡®And I¡¯ll add one more.¡¯ Raon bit his lip tightly and used the Evil Eye of Wrath. The wrath stuck to his soul pierced into his vision, smearing it with red. Once the Ring of Fire, capable of showing the flow of the world, the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy that could locate bloody energy, and the seeing ability of the Evil Eye of Wrathbined into one, an unimaginable sight could be seen. ¡°Those bastards really are crazy.¡± A frightening spark appeared in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did they seriously do all this shit?¡± ____ ____ Chapter 279

Chapter 279

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 279 A scarlet fog was wrapped above the brilliant Grand Seville¡¯s nightndscape like a rain cloud. The way the scarlet fog spread its grotesque energy as it endlessly engulfed the atmosphere above the city was creepy enough to make a chill run down one¡¯s spine just from looking at it. Raon clenched his teeth. ¡®A sorcery array¡­¡¯ There was no way the scarlet fog was a natural fog, as he needed to use the Ring of Fire, the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy and even the Evil Eye of Wrath in order to barely manage to discover it. It must¡¯ve been an array created by a White Blood Fanatic, a high ranking officer capable of using advanced sorcery. ¡®Do the bloody demons seriously not know moderation?¡¯ They were literally crazy. Even though Grand Seville wasn¡¯t arge city, it was unimaginable to cover the entire city with a sorcery array. It could only be described as mad. ¡®The bloody energy I felt before must¡¯ve also leaked from that.¡¯ It was impossible to perfectly maintain such arge array unless the blood religion¡¯s leader or the highest-ranking apostle was personally attending to it. The faint bloody energy that he felt when he first arrived in the city must¡¯ve leaked out from the gap in the sorcery array. Did you finally realize it? You are always so slow. Wrath snorted, calling him a snail. His reaction told him that he¡¯d already been aware of it for a long time. Whir! A sword resonance filled with wrath and resentment burst from the de of Requiem upon feeling the bloody sorcery. Raon caressed the wailing de of Requiem and narrowed his eyes. ¡®So¡­¡¯ What kind of array was that? They must¡¯ve had a particr objective, considering the fact that they went as far as concealing such a huge array so well that even a Master couldn¡¯t notice it easily. ¡®It¡¯s not trying to block the entrance or exit¡­¡¯ Considering the fact that people had no issue entering and exiting Grand Seville, it didn¡¯t seem to be creating a restricted area. Judging from the way the bloody energy kept inting from the fog, it must¡¯ve been an extremely dangerous piece of sorcery. ¡®I can¡¯t tell from here.¡¯ Since he looked at the forest from afar, it was necessary to enter the forest to examine what kinds of trees it had. Raon eased the energies he was using and descended from the hill. He hid his presence just like when he went to the hill, crossing Molve Lake and returning to Grand Seville. Since he had already seen it once, he managed to find the sorcery by using only the Ring of Fire, without the help of the de of Requiem and the Evil Eye of Wrath. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon frowned slightly while examining the scarlet fog. ¡®It looks like something is mixed into the bloody energy.¡¯ It was different from the bloody energy so far. A somewhat familiar energy could be felt from the scarlet fog floating in the sky. That power must¡¯ve been one of the reasons the bloody energy could remain hidden. Raon exhaled roughly while looking at the suffocating scarlet wave. ¡®Considering how bad it is, they must¡¯ve already killed hundreds of people at least.¡¯ He was almost overwhelmed by the range and size of the sorcery array as he watched it from below. They must¡¯ve killed the warriors and ordinary people indiscriminately in order to contribute to the bloody sorcery¡¯s formation. ¡®The only relief is the fact that it¡¯s not too dense.¡¯ However, the problem still persisted. If they could concentrate the huge bloody energy in a single spot, it would be powerful enough to blow up half of the city in an instant. Tsk. It¡¯s checkmate. If he told people about the sorcery and tried to evacuate them, they would detonate the spell and blow the city up. However, leaving it alone would lead to the sorcery¡¯spletion, and its activation couldn¡¯t be any better than the previous scenario. All choices led to a dead end. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ There was one more problem. It was almost impossible to stay hidden while deploying such a huge sorcery, no matter how skilled they were. It implied that the number of White Blood Fanatics inside Grand Seville was probably twice as many as his expectations. They also could have infiltrated the ck Market, and both cases could be true at the same time. ¡®This is so suffocating.¡¯ He could only rely on the Light Wind squad¡ªthe information wascking, and the sorcery could explode at any time. All of those facts were suffocating and upset him. You are so pathetic. Wrath snorted while struggling to climb up his shoulder. The King of Essence is feeling so much better from watching you being useless on your own. ¡®How about you then? Do you know what kind of sorcery it is?¡¯ Hmph, the King of Essence doesn¡¯t know about such a lowly power. ¡®You are bragging when you don''t even know.¡¯ It¡¯s different! The King of Essence wasn¡¯t bragging. He simply doesn¡¯t need to know. He clicked his tongue while looking up at the sky above Grand Seville. The King of Essence would¡¯ve straight up shattered such insignificant energy into pieces. He told you before already, but petty tricks are meaningless in front of absolute power! Back in Devildom, many demons were boasting with their petty tricks, but the King of Essence smashed all of their heads¡­ ¡®Straight up shattering it¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while repeating Wrath¡¯s words. ¡®If I want to destroy the sorcery array¡­Ah!¡¯ He just needed to dispel it. Dispel. Since the array was maintaining the sorcery, he simply needed to dispel the array. That was going to straight up shatter the sorcery. ¡®I can do it.¡¯ Since he was somewhat knowledgeable in sorcery, and he knew a lot about array techniques. Since he had the Ring of Fire to see the flow of energy and the de of Requiem to destroy the bloody energy, it wasn¡¯t impossible to destroy such a huge array. ¡®I might be able to use this situation in my favor if everything goes well.¡¯ Considering the small gap in the sorcery, it was definitely not made by a high ranking apostle at the Grandmaster level. And as long as it wasn¡¯t a high ranking apostle, it was impossible to activate such a huge sorcery from afar. He could just wait there until the caster revealed themselves in order to activate the array. He could then destroy the array and y the caster, which would put an end to the entire incident. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Raon patted Wrath¡¯s back with a grin on his face. ¡®You are the only one who helps me.¡¯ Wh-What are you talking about? How did the King of Essence even help you? ¡®You can guess.¡¯ What is it? Tell me already! Wrath swallowed anxiously. What is iiiiit?! * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Ssh. A middle-aged man with a white robe covering him from head to toe was walking through a dim corridor. Although his footsteps should¡¯ve sounded like he was walking on a hard floor, they were sinking under the sticky red fluid covering the ground. He passed through the sticky floor and entered a cavern, where dim lighting was spreading from. The corpses of men and women of different ages were piled up on the right side of the cavern, and the blood flowing from them was painting the floor red. ¡°Esteemed apostle.¡± The robed man knelt in front of the young man who was standing next to the mountain of corpses. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± The young man was biting the shoulder off a child whose top was removed, and the dried up child was groaning faintly, showing that he was still alive. ¡°Tius. I believe I already warned you about disturbing me during a meal.¡± The young man red at the robed man with an irritated gaze. A scar left by a sword was twitching from his chest. He was the seventh apostle, and the scar left by Raon remained on him. ¡°Raon Zieghart has made his appearance.¡± The middle-aged man named Tius bowed to him. ¡°Raon? Raon Zieghart?¡± The seventh apostle bit the neck off the child and threw him aside. His mouth, covered in blood, twisted into a smile. ¡°Did he reallye?¡± ¡°Yes. He entered Grand Seville this afternoon.¡± ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± Heughed like a madman while sweeping his hair up with his bloody hand. ¡°The Blood God didn¡¯t abandon me.¡± A frightening smile appeared on the seventh apostle¡¯s face as he wiped the blood flowing down from his chin away with the back of his hand. ¡°How long will it take for the sorcery to bepleted?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t even take a week thanks to sacrificing Bhool, who was a Master.¡± ¡°Speed it up. I want itpleted tomorrow night.¡± ¡°B-But we haven¡¯t gathered enough bloody energy to activate the sorcery yet! It might result in the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array¡¯s copse!¡± Tius bowed, asking him to reconsider. ¡°No, we have enough. A new sacrifice came to us on his own.¡± The seventh apostle snickered and shook his head. ¡°Wh-Which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Raon Zieghart. We will sacrifice his blood to feed the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array intopletion. That should be enough, right?¡± ¡°Hmm, shouldn¡¯t we deal with him afterpleting the sorcery?¡± ¡°You know nothing about Raon.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tius swallowed nervously. The seventh apostle¡¯s voice was so excited that he almost sounded like he was looking forward to meeting a lover that he¡¯d been waiting for. He could rip his head off if he made the slightest mistake in his excited state. ¡°He¡¯s a crazy bastard who destroysmon sense. He might manage to discover the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array if we leave him alone.¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s no way¡­¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader was the one who created the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array, and the covertness in its design would¡¯ve made it difficult for even a Grandmaster to discover it. Since the array was made by Tius, it was obvious it wasn¡¯t as good as the leader¡¯s, but it was still impossible for Raon to discover it since he was just a Master. ¡°It¡¯s not because I don¡¯t trust you, but because he¡¯s just special. He managed to break through my astral energy to injure me despite being a mere Expert, after all.¡± The seventh apostle grinned while caressing the scar on his chest, which was carved into it by the de of Requiem. ¡°Moreover, it would be rude to make them wait for so long when they came all the way here. We should give him a warm wee, befitting his grand name of Frostfire Sword of Valor, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Tius furrowed his brow slightly in worry. ¡°Are you telling me that you can¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°N-Not at all!¡± Tius shuddered as he bowed. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s understandable because the fourth apostle was killed by him after getting stabbed in the back. However, my current self is stronger than the fourth apostle.¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s low voice was brimming with confidence andposure, and the glimpse of his wrath that could be heard in the end of his voice made his presence even stronger. ¡°You should just focus onpleting the sorcery. I¡¯ll draw the blood of the youngest Master of the continent in two days and give it to you.¡± His frightening voice echoed throughout the cavern. ¡°I¡¯m curious what kind of decision the great Frostfire Sword of Valor is going to make.¡± * * * Martha wandered around Grand Seville without a precise destination. She examined various locations while pretending to be a drunk mercenary, but all she could see were the shy lightings of the city and the moths lured in by the lights. ¡°Team leader, we should stop for today and return.¡± The team member who was apanying her because of the buddy system came up next to her and whispered. ¡°People might start suspecting us because we kept moving around without doing anything else.¡± ¡°Tsk, alright.¡± Martha clicked her tongue and nodded. She wanted to continue the search on her own if she could, but she didn¡¯t want to repeat her previous mistake. She calmed her impatience and turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s re¡­¡± As she was about to tell them ¡®let¡¯s return¡¯, a slightly dirty little girl bumped into her. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The little girl bowed to her, before running into the alley between the pubs. ¡°She¡¯s so cute that it makes me angry.¡± Martha snickered while looking at the girl¡¯s back. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wait here for a moment.¡± She waved her hand at the team members and went to the alley the girl ran into earlier. The girl must¡¯ve already left, as the alley was already empty. ¡°But of course.¡± Martha nodded, since she knew that would be the case, and went through the alley before heading to the right. The girl she met earlier was checking the wallet in the deeper part of the alley. ¡°Gasp!¡± The girl tried to run away in surprise, but Martha ran over the wall to reach behind her in an instant and block her retreat. ¡°Give it back before it gets violent.¡± ¡°G-Give what back?¡± The girl bit her lip and hid the wallet behind her. ¡®She¡¯s the exact same.¡¯ She reminded Martha of herself in the past. Martha calmly examined the girl. Even with her dirty appearance, bruises could be seen on various parts of her body. She felt slightly nostalgic, as it reminded her of her childhood. However, they were different stories. She had no intention of overlooking a pickpocket. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a choice. You can either get beaten to death before giving it back, or give it back right now while I¡¯m being nice.¡± Martha bobbed her finger while speaking as kindly as possible. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The girl couldn¡¯t easily hand over the wallet even though her chin was trembling in fear. And Martha knew exactly why. ¡®She needs to pay tribute.¡¯ Considering her shabby appearance, someone must¡¯ve been extorting her. The fact that she tried to steal from Martha, who was disguised as a mercenary, implied that she couldn¡¯t afford to pick her target. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha tapped the girl¡¯s head and bobbed her finger once again. ¡°Give it back. I¡¯ll give you the money for a meal if you give it right now.¡± She would¡¯ve normally destroyed the ones extorting her, but she had no time for that because she was on a mission. She decided to give her a silver coin as apromise and leave her alone. ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°You could get beaten up instead.¡± ¡°No!¡± The girl shook her head and handed out the wallet with both hands. ¡°That¡¯s righ¡­Huh?¡± Martha chuckled and tried to take the wallet, but suddenly stopped. She swallowed nervously upon noticing the scar on the girl¡¯s wrist. ¡°H-Hey, what¡¯s wrong with this?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who left this scar on you?¡± ¡°Wh-Why are you asking me about that?¡± ¡°I need to know.¡± Martha grabbed the girl¡¯s wrist while grinding her teeth. She needed to know at all costs. Because a small amount of bloody energy could be felt from her wrist. * * * Raon went around the entirety of Grand Seville to examine the array¡¯s flow. No one suspected him because lots of people were walking around despite it being the middle of night, and because Raon was holding a bottle in his hand to pretend to be a drunkard. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He leaned his back against the rampart and sighed quietly. ¡®I¡¯m getting a bit dizzy.¡¯ Even the examination was difficult because the scale was sorge. However, precisely because the scale wasrge, small openings could be seen asionally. It must¡¯ve been impossible to achieve a desirable amount of durability because they were too focused on remaining covert. ¡®I can totally do it.¡¯ Raon became certain of it after checking the entire sorcery array covering Grand Seville. He needed some time, but he figured it was more than possible to dispel the array by using the Ring of Fire and the ghastly energy from the de of Requiem. ¡®I first need to figure that out in order to dispel it.¡¯ The first thing he needed to do was to determine the origin of the other energy mixed into the bloody energy. Having that knowledge was going to make it a lot easier to dispel the array. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m familiar with this energy¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips and raised his head. The clear moon was approaching the fog covering Grand Seville at an extremely slow pace. ¡°It¡¯s so bright for no reaso¡­Huh?¡± While he was watching the rity of the moon contradicting the severity of the situation, dreary bloody energy was secretly spreading out from the city. ¡®Bloody energy?¡¯ Raon frowned and ran towards the origin of the bloody energy. Once he arrived at the central avenue that had thergest number of passersby in Grand Seville, his chin started to tremble. ¡®Wh-What¡¯s going on here¡­?¡¯ He could feel the bloody energy from everyone in front of him. The maning out of the pub, the prostitute sending him off, the cartman in the middle of transportation, and even the young clerk weing clients into his shop. He could feel the bloody energy from everyone breathing in that area. Although others couldn¡¯t feel anything about them, Raon was certain about it because he¡¯d been investigating the array. Even though it was extremely faint and disappeared too quickly to be from a White Blood Fanatic, the people definitely had bloody energy in them. ¡®Are they really White Blood Fanatics? This many people? That¡¯s definitely not true.¡¯ White Blood Fanatics acquired White Spirit Aura to gather the aura in their hearts just like the magicians. However, the bloody energy in those people weren¡¯t focused on their hearts, but scattered throughout their bodies instead. Since there was no way the bloody demons would go against their doctrine, they definitely were not White Blood Fanatics. Raon swallowed nervously and raised his head. He clenched his fist while watching the bloody fog spread like a cloud. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, that array¡¯s purpose is¡­¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 280

Chapter 280

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 280 Raon remembered a conversation between Derus Robert and Martio that he happened to hear in his previous life. ¡°The real reason why the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader is difficult to deal with isn¡¯t because of her powerful might, but because of her dirty sorcery. You can¡¯t even get close to her because you don¡¯t know when and how her sorcery will take effect.¡± Derus had briefly clicked his tongue while saying that. ¡°Fighting the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader in a location where she has set up her sorcery arrays is pretty much asking to be killed. The shadows we sent to Ritten Vige recently have been annihted, do you remember?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Martio nodded. He was as stiff as a wooden doll. ¡°That was also from the sorcery of the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader. She engraved the bloody energy into the people inside her sorcery array to turn them into puppets that can¡¯t disobey the caster. She then draws out the bloody energy with increased quantity and purity to devour them alive. It¡¯s a parasitic bloody energy. Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡± Derus had ordered Martio to analyze and research into that array technique, calling it a beautiful and efficient method. Even though it ended in a failure, Raon had managed to pick up a lot of knowledge about sorcery and array technique. Raon bit his lip while reminiscing about that conversation from the past. ¡®It¡¯s that sorcery. I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯ Even though the form and the method were a lot different from before, the objective remained the same. The array covering Grand Seville was inserting bloody energy into the people inside the city with the purpose of harvesting once it grew bigger, with increased purity. It was a ranch. Grand Seville was turning into a human ranch to help White Blood Fanatics to gain more bloody energy. ¡®How can they evene up with something like this?¡¯ Even though he¡¯d witnessed countless atrocities in his previous life as a hunting dog and evenmitted them himself, what was unfolding in front of his eyes was on apletely different scale. It was too much, even for monsters wearing human skin. ¡®All of those people will be sacrifices¡­¡¯ The countless people he was watching were going to turn into food for the White Blood Fanatics as soon as the sorcery array waspleted. They would still believe that they were leading a free life, but they would be nothing more than cattle controlled by bloody energy, waiting to be fed to their master. ¡®I can¡¯t let this continue.¡¯ Raon remembered Sylvia¡¯s voice. She wanted him to wield his sword for the weak, just like a Zieghart¡¯s swordsman should, and that was the only request she had ever made of him. ¡®Rather than that¡­¡¯ Regardless of Sylvia¡¯s request, doing nothing about the situation would disqualify him as a swordsman, and even as a human being. ¡°Ahahaha!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so lucky today. Let¡¯s y another game!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the drink? Bring all the alcohol!¡± ¡°Thank you for everything today.¡± ¡°See you next time.¡± Raon stared into the sky, standing in the middle of the extremely noisy central avenue of Grand Seville. He braced himself as he red at the bloody fog spreading like a cumulus cloud. ¡®I¡¯ll destroy it. No matter what.¡¯ * * * Martha went down on her knees to meet the eyes of the girl, who stopped speaking. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Because she didn¡¯t want to talk about her scar, she decided to talk about something else. ¡°Runa.¡± ¡°Runa? Your name sounds simr to a stupid girl that I know.¡± ¡°Stupid girl?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s an idiot who has unfocused eyes every day of the year.¡± ¡°No one like that exists in the world!¡± ¡°She exists. I¡¯ll let you meet herter if I get a chance.¡± Martha chuckled while remembering Runaan¡¯s always nk expression. ¡°My name is Martha.¡± ¡°Martha¡­¡± ¡°Runa. I¡¯m asking because it¡¯s a really important matter. Can you tell me how you got that scar?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Despite acting like a child, Runa closed her mouth tightly as soon as Martha started talking about the scar. ¡°You must¡¯ve gotten this scar pretty recently. Please tell me who made this cut.¡± Martha narrowed her eyes while looking at the scar on Runa¡¯s wrist. The shape was suggested that it was made by some kind of de. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t harmed by anyone. And¡­¡± Runa closed her mouth tightly once again and refused to answer. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha sighed deeply and threw the wallet Runa had returned to her into the air before catching it. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, then. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wh-Where are we going?¡± ¡°Naturally, I¡¯m bringing you to the guards. I just caught a pickpocket red-handed, so I can¡¯t just overlook it. Ah! Wait, I should bring you to that guy first.¡± ¡°That guy?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s a dork who can turn humans into dogs, and rabid dogs on top of that.¡± A frightening smile appeared on Martha¡¯s face as she looked down on Runa. ¡°N-No! I have to return today!¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of my business.¡± ¡°Please! I have a younger brother!¡± Runa desperately grabbed her sleeve. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Martha bit her lip slightly. ¡®So that was the reason.¡¯ It wasmon sense for pickpockets to avoid targeting mercenaries or warriors because they could easily lose their hand if a powerful person caught them. She thought Runa didn¡¯t know about it yet because she was too young, but she must¡¯ve been too impatient despite knowing about it. . ¡°Is it because of the tribute?¡± ¡°Yes. Tomorrow is the due date¡­¡± Runa nodded, her chin trembling. The embarrassment and desperation of a child could be felt in her bones. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you this whole thing if you tell me about it.¡± Martha pointed at the wallet she was holding. ¡°A-All of that?¡± ¡°Yes, all of it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Runa¡¯s eyes quickly rolled left and right. Her eyes glowed with fear, shame, and anxiety before slowlying to a halt. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Martha threw the wallet at Runa without hesitating in the slightest. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Runa sighed deeply while fiddling with the wallet. ¡°Actually, this scar isn¡¯t from getting beaten up.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was working on burying a stone in the ground, and the stone identally cut me to leave this scar.¡± She furrowed her brows while touching the scar, which wasn¡¯t healed up yet. ¡°Burying a stone?¡± ¡°Yes. They give money for burying a stone in a designated ce. I was doing that work when I got this cut. And it¡¯s still not recovered, even though it¡¯s been a pretty long time.¡± Martha carefully examined Runa¡¯s arm. Taking her story into consideration, the scar looked like it was made by a thick edge rather than a sword. It seemed possible that a sharp stone was the cause. ¡°Who asked you to set that stone up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You promised you would tell me about it.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a merchant named Tius.¡± ¡°Merchant?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s a nice guy who buys food and snacks for homeless children and even makes a shelter for them, and he sometimes asks us to do some work for him while giving us some money.¡± Runa smiled faintly while talking about Tius. She looked rather fond of him. ¡°And why did he ask you to bury that stone?¡± ¡°He said that the stone protects the city from evil spirits.¡± ¡°And are other people aware of it?¡± ¡°Yes, they are. They don¡¯t really care about it anymore because he¡¯s known to believe in superstitions. However, he recently told us to not tell others about it anymore¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Martha clenched her fist while listening to Runa. ¡®I got him.¡¯ The man named Tius must¡¯ve been a White Blood Fanatic. He must¡¯ve been plotting some nasty things in the city by making use of a child to avoid people¡¯s suspicion. ¡®He must¡¯ve given them normal stones in the beginning so that people would stop paying attention to him before incorporating the new stones with bloody energy.¡¯ The stone he gave her in the beginning must¡¯ve been normal, while the ones he gave her after people stopped paying attention to him must¡¯ve had bloody energy inside. He was a smart one. ¡°Runa, thank you.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Runa bit her lip tightly with a guilty expression on her face. ¡°You probably just saved this city.¡± ¡°What? How did I save the city?¡± ¡°You will realizeter.¡± Martha smiled faintly and patted Runa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be able to find the real evil spirit because of you.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon smiled faintly after hearing Martha¡¯s story. ¡°I was thinking I¡¯d need to tie you up next time because you were returning toote, but you actually brought such valuable information.¡± The clue that Martha brought was extremely important. He was even more surprised because he wasn¡¯t expecting anything at all from her. ¡°I¡¯m different from that guy, who is all talk, and the sleepyhead over there.¡± Martha snorted while looking at Burren and Runaan. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Burren frowned in irritation, and Runaan simply blinked without any care in the world. ¡°This is the stone Runa mentioned.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Not you!¡± Runaan turned her head and Martha shook her hand at her before giving Raon the palm-sized stone. ¡°I can¡¯t feel anything from it though.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes as he examined the stone Martha gave him. ¡®It has it for sure.¡¯ Once he utilized the Ring of Fire to the maximum capacity, he managed to find the trace of bloody energy that used to remain in the deepest part of the stone. It was so faint that he wouldn¡¯t have managed to find it out if his senses hadn¡¯t increased so much. ¡®He even used a child. He¡¯s a smart one.¡¯ No one paid attention to abandoned children. Even the ck Market didn¡¯t really care about the children, saying that countless paths were waiting in a child¡¯s future. It would¡¯ve been a different story if they were fairly old or managed to get a job, but no one paid attention to the children who were pretty much beggars. ¡®Moreover, he even took advantage of human psychology.¡¯ The way he pretended to be a kindhearted merchant by giving money to the children while asking them to bury worthless stones before setting up the stones with bloody energy once everyone¡¯s suspicion was gone implied that he was an extremely cautious person. ¡®And it must''ve been used to create that array.¡¯ The man named Tius must¡¯ve asked the kids to bury the stone in order to fortify the array floating above Grand Seville. ¡°I also managed to discover something.¡± Raon asked Burren, Martha, and Runaan to sit down before telling them what he managed to learn. ¡°Th-That¡¯s so crazy¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Burren bit his lip so hard that it could start bleeding, and even Runaan drew her sword in a rage despite her usualck of reaction. ¡°I need to find Runa. She will be in danger if she told Tius about her encounter with me!¡± Martha turned around and was about to run outside. She told Runa to not tell anyone about it, and Runa did respond that she wouldn¡¯t, but she couldn¡¯t help being anxious. ¡°Martha, you should go outside, but Runa isn¡¯t the one that you should check out.¡± Raon slowly shook his head. ¡°The man named Tius is soon going to call for Runa. You should watch him.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that Tius is going to call for Runa?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s because the array is nearing itspletion.¡± Considering how much bloody energy was floating in the air, the array would likely be activated in the near future. Taking Tius¡¯s careful personality into ount, Raon guessed that he was going to use the children once again. ¡°Martha and the first team should discover Tius¡¯s location and watch him. Burren and the third team will support the first team. Runaan and the second team will keep investigating the White Blood Religion like you¡¯ve been doing so far.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan nodded before leaving the room. ¡®I shall get going as well.¡¯ Raon opened the door without making any noise at all and left the room. Even though it was before daybreak, Grand Seville was as shiny and noisy as always. Raon went to an old pub¡¯s rooftop without letting anyone see him, then looked up into the sky. ¡°It¡¯s so clear.¡± When he just looked at it, it was a clear night sky without a single spec of rain clouds. Raon chuckled and used the Ring of Fire, and the bloody clouds filling the clear sky covered his entire vision. Raon swept his hair up whileughing at the scarlet fog. ¡°Let¡¯s see who wins.¡± * * * A dim light was spreading out from the underground cavern. The seventh apostle extended his arm to put his hand on the ground that was covered with blood. White light radiated from his hand, and the blood started to boil. The heated blood moved, as flexible as a snake, to draw a hexagram on the ground. The angle on the right side was slightly dented, showing that it was the same shape as Grand Seville. The seventh apostle smiled in satisfaction while looking at the hexagram drawn in blood. ¡°Tius.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tius, who was standing behind him, knelt on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve finished the preparations. How about you?¡± ¡°The preparations are finished. I just need to tune the sorcery before setting up the bloodstone tomorrow night.¡± Tius¡¯s speech was extremely polite, as if he were talking to a god. ¡°Are you using those stupid brats again?¡± ¡°Yes. This is the most inconspicuous method, since I¡¯ve done some preliminary work.¡± ¡°You are so smart, huh.¡± The seventh apostle snickered while nting his chin. ¡°Those brats should be delicious. After all, they must have a significant amount of bloody energy smeared on them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but those children can¡¯t be eaten.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They will turn into dry mummies the moment the sorcery activates, with the bloodstone sucking all of their vitality out of them.¡± Tius bowed, treating the children¡¯s lives like pebbles on the road. ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± The seventh apostleughed like a madman while leaning his back against the wall. ¡°I tried to tease you because you seemed to like children, but it proved unnecessary.¡± He grinned while looking down on Tius. ¡°I¡¯m so proud to have you as our believer. The Blood God¡¯s blessings shall always be with you.¡± ¡°You are ttering me.¡± Tius was overwhelmed with emotions and his shoulders trembled violently. ¡°What has Raon been doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as yesterday. He¡¯s just been moving around Grand Seville, trying to find the believers.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± The seventh apostle grinned while scratching the scar on his chest. ¡°We will follow the n. We will release the sorcery tonight and activate it tomorrow night.¡± ¡°Your wish is mymand.¡± Tius bowed and sank into the ground. ¡°Tomorrow. It¡¯s finally happening tomorrow.¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s sparkling eyes were as red as the bloody energy covering the floor. ¡°Raon Zieghart. You don¡¯t realize how long I¡¯ve been looking forward to this day.¡± I¡¯ll devour your flesh and blood while you¡¯re still alive. * * * Raon went around Grand Seville once again the next day. He checked the sorcery array from various locations before he stopped at an unfrequented alley when the moon was about to rise. ¡®This isn¡¯t easy.¡¯ The unknown energy inside the bloody energy kept swirling around to prevent analysis of the sorcery. It was impossible to properly understand the flow because it kept interfering with the bloody energy. ¡®I really can¡¯t tell what it is.¡¯ It certainly felt familiar, but he couldn¡¯t understand what it was because it was sticking to the bloody energy like gum to avoid showing itself. He knew dispelling was a difficult task, but he didn¡¯t expect to be still unable to understand its identity in the evening. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply before looking at the sorcery array once again. The scarlet fog was like a woman with red lips,ughing at him while telling him that he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. You damn bastard¡­ Wrath extended his nails with a trembling chin. Stop the stupid drinking already! Let¡¯s have a meal already! He floundered his limbs, telling him that the stench of alcoholing from his mouth was killing him. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ It was regrettable to tell him that he had no time to eat food because the sorcery¡¯s analysis wasn¡¯t progressing as much as he wanted. Argh, the King of Essence can smell the food¡¯s delicious fragrance all around him, yet he can¡¯t even eat! How long is this misfortune going to continue?! ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon rubbed his stomach. He did feel rather hungry because he hadn¡¯t eaten for two days. This is a saying from Devildom. ¡®A loaf of bread is better than the song of many sirens.¡¯ You are definitely going to have a good idea once you fill your stomach. Wrath kept telling him to eat something while mentioning a strange proverb. ¡°I get it.¡± Raon nodded, since he figured it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to have a small rest because he¡¯d been using the Ring of Fire for too long. ¡®Where do you want to go?¡¯ A-Are you serious? Are we really going to eat? ¡®Answer quickly before I change my mind.¡¯ The King of Essence wants to go to the restaurant on the right. The smell of barbecueing from that shop is driving him crazy! ¡®Barbecue¡­¡¯ Raon chuckled and started walking in the direction Wrath mentioned. He examined the sorcery array onest time before entering the noisy restaurant. ¡®It¡¯s still the sam¡­Huh?¡¯ When he was about to stop using the Ring of Fire, the bloody energy in the air suddenly wavered significantly, creating a change that had never happened before. Rumble! Crimson bloody energy and an energy that was a deep yellow color emerged from the entirety of Grand Seville to gather towards the bloody cloud. Wh-What about the food¡­? ¡®Be quiet.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath back and bit his lip while watching the yellow energy mixing into the bloody energy. ¡°Ghastly energy.¡± It¡¯s been ghastly energy all along¡­ The familiar energy mixed into the scarlet fog was none other than ghastly energy. Raon ground his teeth violently. ¡®Those crazy bastards.¡¯ People with negative emotions¡ªsuch as fear, resentment, and wrath¡ªleave an evil energy behind upon death called ghastly energy. The bloody demons must¡¯ve improved the sorcery array by even making use of the ghastly energy left behind by people they ughtered. The reason he couldn¡¯t see how to dispel the array was because of the ghastly energy mixed into the bloody energy. Whir! The de of Requiem also seemed to have realized it, as it created a powerful sword resonance. It was a howl of wrath, resentment, and pain. Th-The meal should be postponed for now¡­ Right? Umm¡­ Even Wrath decided to stop clinging to him. Raon grasped the hilt of the de of Requiem as it trembled violently, then entered an alley that was almost never visited by anyone. Cring! He caught his breath and used the Ring of Fire. The seven rings became one with the de of Requiem¡¯s painful scream to create a powerful resonance, as if Raon¡¯s body had turned into a wind instrument. It almost felt like his body had turned into a furnace to increase his concentration. Raon focused his enhanced senses solely on analyzing the sorcery. His brain was functioning at full capacity in his immersion. Whir! The scarlet fog¡¯s disarrayed flow became as clear as day. The bloody energy was dashing through a fixed trajectory inside the cloud, just like the aura that only flew through the mana circuits. His heart was pounding violently, but his head was as clear as ake. He read the flow of bloody energy and registered it in his head, as if he were taking a picture. His body was brimming with vitality, as if his previously exhausted state was that of apletely different person. The bloody energy kept getting bigger, but he could perfectly understand its formation and its flow. He raised his finger to draw a line. A red light emerged from his finger to follow a trajectory that went against the flow of the sorcery. It was a perfect dispel. The light spreading from his finger was the solution that could erase the huge sorcery at any moment. ¡°Haa¡­¡± A hot breath was flowing from Raon¡¯s lips. The moon had already set at some point, and the sun was shining down its red sunlight as if it were congratting him. He¡¯d realized it. He realized the true nature of the array, and the solution to remove it was engraved in his head. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ He could destroy the sorcery array at any moment if he wanted. His mouth naturally curved into a wide smile. ¡°Wrath.¡± Raon caught Wrath by his neck because he was limping like a sleepy dog. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡± R-Really? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped because he didn¡¯t expect to be able to eat so soon. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m also pretty hungry right now.¡± Even though his head was clear, his stomach was demanding food because he¡¯d burned up too much stamina and willpower. Wow, we are finally on the same page! Let¡¯s go to that restaurant we were trying to go to before. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully. His hunger was one thing, but he felt thankful to Wrath for waiting for him without saying anything. That was why he decided to eat whatever he wanted for breakfast. The King of Essence is finally starting to like you. Yes, this is the symbiotic rtionship we¡¯ve always needed to coexist. You should now¡­ As Wrath was grinning, messages appeared in front Raon¡¯s eyes. [You¡¯ve managed to analyze a sorcery array at the absolute rank.] [Title Sorcery Analyst has been created.] [Trait Array Analysis has been created.] [All stats have increased by 5.] The system was rewarding him for analyzing a sorcery of the highest difficulty. ¡°?¡± ? Raon and Wrath¡¯s eyes lost focus at the same time as they smiled at each other. Although their expressions were simr, their emotions were theplete opposite. ¡®Am I really getting all of this?¡¯ Why would it even give you all of this?! ____ ____ Chapter 281

Chapter 281

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 281 Raon entered the restaurant next to the alley and ordered a sandwich. Ugh¡­ Wrath was grunting in displeasure. This isn¡¯t what you promised! ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do about it, the restaurant is closed.¡¯ The restaurant he wanted to go to was already closed, probably because it was open all night long. There weren¡¯t that many restaurants open in the morning because Grand Seville was more active at night than during the day, leaving him with only a few choices. Even though the King of Essence resolved himself to never trust your mouth ever again, he was tricked once again! Wrath¡¯s hand, ced on the table, was trembling violently in anger. He will never trust you ever agai¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll try out all the delicacies in the city once the mission is over.¡¯ You are lying! You must be lying once again! ¡®You must also be aware that it won¡¯tst that long.¡¯ Raon pointed his finger up. It wasn¡¯t directed at the ceiling, but the sorcery array above it. ¡®That sorcery array was released yesterday, which means that it will be activated today.¡¯ The ghastly energy and bloody energy he felt when he was trying to enter the restaurant was a fragment of the power that was spread out from the array¡¯s release. Since the sorcery was released, it would be activated pretty soon in order to avoid the energy dissipating. From what the King of Essence can see, that power isn¡¯t perfect yet. It didn¡¯t manage to fill its vessel yet. ¡®You are right, but it has its sacrifice right here.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and pointed at himself. Are you saying that you are the sacrifice? ¡®Yes. I¡¯m sure they are aware of my arrival.¡¯ Judging from the situation, the White Blood Fanatics must¡¯ve already infiltrated the ck Market. Since he was pretty much the White Blood Religion¡¯s archenemy because of him defeating the seventh apostle and killing the fourth apostle, there was no way they would overlook information about him. ¡®They will try to attack me. Stay patient for a little longer, since it won¡¯t take that long. R-Really? Wrath was blinking innocently. He must¡¯vepletely forgotten what he said twenty seconds ago. ¡®Of course.¡¯ Ugh¡­ ¡°Your food is ready.¡± While Wrath was probing him with a doubtful gaze, the clerk brought two sandwiches with eggs and ham inside. ¡°Thank you.¡± He ced the dish on the table because he was still talking to Wrath. What are you doing right now? ¡®I¡¯m trying to tell you that you can really trust me this tim¡­¡¯ Shut up and eat already. The King of Essence is starving right now! ¡®Hah.¡¯ Raon eximed. He thought they were talking about food for ater time, but the sandwiches in front of his eyes were apparently more important to Wrath. His behavior made it difficult to believe that he was really a demon king. Raon reluctantly took a bite of the sandwich. The crispy bread surrounding the thick ham, cheese, and soft egg formed a perfect harmony to fill his mouth with nutty and rich vors. ¡®This is pretty good.¡¯ Wow, this is not bad. Anything goes when you are starving, after all. A single sandwich was enough to bring happiness to Wrath¡¯s face. The bread is tilted! Fix the ham¡¯s position! The bnce will be broken otherwise! ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while watching Wrath¡¯s happy expression. ¡®I feel like I¡¯ve been the bad one.¡¯ Because he was being way too passionate over a single sandwich, Raon decided that he would eat some nice food for him after the mission was over. He figured it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to reserve an entire restaurant to eat with everyone in the Light Wind squad. ¡®I should check that out.¡¯ He loaded the reward window, which he hadn¡¯t managed to properly check because of Wrath¡¯s rampage. Sorcery Analyst Title given to the one who managed to analyze a high-level piece of sorcery by themselves. Effect: All stats +5. ¡®It even gives some stats.¡¯ He thought the title wouldn¡¯t have any value, but it was even increasing his stats. A smile appeared on his face because of the unexpected gift. Array Analysis (One-Star) Insight and focus is increased upon analyzing all kinds of arrays, including sword formation, martial formation, and sorcery array. The Array Analysis ability didn¡¯t give any extra stats, but allowed him to better analyze all kinds of arrays¡ªincluding the sword formation, which was a type of array technique. Since its star rating could be further raised, he figured that it would be much more useful than a few stats once it was properly developed. ¡®Moreover, I got some extra stats.¡¯ Thest message told him that he¡¯d gained five points in all stats. All of the rewards he had received before the battle even started almost felt like the blessing of the goddess of victory to lead him into a guaranteed win. Wow¡­ Wrath was so happy while eating his sandwich, but bit his lip tightly upon seeing the message. How can it even give you all those rewards when it was just a bit of sorcery that you analyzed? ¡®It¡¯s fair when you think about it.¡¯ Raon shook his hand. ¡®The system gives rewards ording to achievements. It¡¯s only natural for me to get a nice reward because I managed to analyze that massive sorcery array.¡¯ The system always took the most efficient course of action. Even though he didn¡¯t actually have a battle, what he managed to do was worthy enough to be called an achievement, and the system was simply rewarding him ordingly. That was why the rewards he got were all rted to sorcery and arrays. Ugh¡­ Wrath ground his teeth violently, unable to refute him. Once the King of Essence returns to Devildom, he will start by destroying the system! ¡®If you want.¡¯ Raon shrugged. It didn¡¯t really matter for him, since he would¡¯ve already achieved everything he wanted to do by the time Wrath returned. ¡®I should get going since I¡¯ve finished eating.¡¯ He pushed the empty dish to the side. Wh-What?! Where are you going now when you ate nothing but sandwiches? ¡®To the others.¡¯ Raon ced the payment on the table and stood up. ¡®I need to tell them the n to destroy the White Blood Religion.¡¯ * * * Martha had been following Runa ever since Raon gave her the order. Just like she mentioned before, Runa was living in a shack alongside two younger siblings. Martha had thought they would get some nice food for the day at least because of all the money she gave her, but they were filling their stomachs with hard and dry bread, probably because all of their money had been extorted. ¡°Runa, you should eat this one.¡± Runa¡¯s little sister tried to give her half of her bread. His little brother, who was even younger than the little sister, sniffled and also tried to give her his half-eaten bread. ¡°I already ate when I was outside, so you shouldn¡¯t worry about me. You just finish it up.¡± Runa smiled faintly and pushed the bread towards her siblings. Martha frowned while watching Runa. ¡®They abused her.¡¯ The bruise on her face suggested that she was beaten on top of having her money taken away when she went to pay tribute. ¡®Those cursed bastards¡­¡¯ Watching Runa endure her hunger to allow her siblings to eat reminded Martha of her past and made her slightly angry. ¡®Should I beat them up? After all, that was my money.¡¯ She got more and more angry as she watched the beaten children fill their stomachs with dry bread. She even wanted to beat them up by using her money as an excuse. ¡°Are they the ones you mentioned?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Raon¡¯s casual voice could be heard from behind her as she was thinking about it. She almost shouted in surprise, but she managed to hold it back thanks to Raon covering her mouth. ¡°You damn bastard! You should stop hiding your presence when youe!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that here though.¡± Raon smiled gently and created an aura barrier to stop the sound from escaping. He slightly narrowed his eyes as he saw Runa. He nodded while murmuring that it was just as he anticipated. ¡°Sh-She has bloody energy all around her body? Can you even see something like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m in a pretty good state right now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡®I can¡¯t feel anything at all though.¡¯ She wouldn¡¯t have noticed the presence of bloody energy at all if it wasn¡¯t for the scar. Raon looked like a monster to her because he was capable of feeling the bloody energy inside of Runa¡¯s body from afar. ¡°Because this wasn¡¯t the first time she buried the stone, she has a fair amount of bloody energy umted in her body from being repeatedly exposed to it each time she did that job. It¡¯s rampaging inside her because it¡¯s not being controlled by anyone.¡± ¡°Wh-What happens in that case?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine right now, but she¡¯s going to die the moment the sorcery array activates.¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to die?¡± ¡°Yes. The sorcery array we have right now isn¡¯t designed to be activated in apleted state. It¡¯s going to feed on those kids first, as they are close to it and are highly exposed to the bloody energy.¡± A frightening light sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes as he clenched his fist. ¡°Wh-What should we do? Don¡¯t tell me you are going to let them be sacrifices!¡± ¡°Did you take a liking to them already? You are being different from your usual self.¡± ¡°Shut up and answer!¡± Martha mmed the ground. She was too embarrassed to tell him that they reminded her of herself before joining Zieghart. ¡°It might be dangerous.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Any kind of injury was a fair price to pay in order to destroy the White Blood Religion¡¯s n to sacrifice such young children. Raon nodded with a smile on his face. ¡°That man named Tius is going to call for those children soon. When that happens, you and the first team should secretly follow each of the children and¡­¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Denning Rose, the ck Market¡¯s Grand Seville branch manager, was walking through an underground passage with dried blood stuck to the ground. ¡®I thought this ce was already destroyed.¡¯ She¡¯d personally confirmed the passage¡¯s copse when she was first assigned to Grand Seville. However, the passage she was seeing waspletely open, and traces of dried blood covered the floor. ¡®No, regardless of why this passage is open¡­ Why am I even here?¡¯ She was walking on her own, but she couldn¡¯t understand why she was there and why she was walking through the corridor. It felt like her body wasn¡¯t obeying her brain¡¯smand. She was unable to stop her steps, nor sit down on the ground. The only thing she could do was to keep walking. She walked through the bloody and sticky underground passage for a while, and a round passage could be seen, with red light spreading out from inside. She went through the passage even though she was unable toprehend why she was doing it. There was arge cavern at the end of the passage with dim lighting simr to moonlight. A handsome young man was sitting at the center of that ce, where a nauseating amount of corpses were piled up like a mountain. ¡®That man¡­¡¯ Denning Rose swallowed nervously. His purple hair, thin eyes, and the scar created by a sword on his chest were the characteristics that a ck Market¡¯s branch manager was bound to recognize. He was the seventh apostle of the White Blood Religion. ¡°This is our first time seeing each other even though we¡¯ve been living in the same city, Denning Rose.¡± The seventh apostle raised himself up, and his lips curved into a gentle smile. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Denning Rose unconsciously knelt and bowed to him. It wasn¡¯t because she was afraid of the seventh apostle, but her body was simply reacting on its own, just as it had when she came all the way there. ¡°I don¡¯t really like women who bow at first sight.¡± The seventh apostle chuckled and walked up to stand in front of her. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Denning Rose clenched her teeth. She was trying everything to stand up, but she couldn¡¯t move her body at all. Her limbs felt as heavy as rocks. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Can¡¯t you move your body as you wish?¡± ¡°Wh-What have you done to me¡­?¡± She barely managed to move her tongue to speak. It almost felt like she was talking through another person¡¯s mouth. ¡°I wonder.¡± The seventh apostle tilted his head and bobbed his finger, and Denning Rose raised her head. ¡°Shall I tell you why you didn¡¯t manage to discover us?¡± ¡°It must be because of your spies¡­¡± Denning Rose sighed while meeting the seventh apostle¡¯s thin eyes. She became certain that a spy was among them when she realized the information about Raon was leaked. ¡®Moreover, it¡¯s one of the higher ups.¡¯ Since the information about Raon was treated as top secret, only the higher ups were capable of learning about it. She felt suffocated upon realizing that she was going to die right there, unable to carry out the n that she¡¯d finished devising in order to find him. ¡°You are not aplete idiot at least.¡± The seventh apostle slowly nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Then who do you think it was?¡± He snapped his fingers, and five people wearing white robes stepped forward from the cavern¡¯s background. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Denning Rose¡¯s eyes widened. All five of them were the ck Market¡¯s people, and one of them was an officer. Moreover, he was the one she had hoped wouldn¡¯t be a spy, since he was Philip, the man in charge of an antique shop directly connected to the ck Market¡¯s branch. ¡°Philip, why would you¡­?¡± They didn¡¯t respond to her question. They simply knelt in front of the seventh apostle and bowed to him. ¡°Do you understand why I¡¯m telling you all of this?¡± ¡°You must be nning to kill me.¡± ¡°Incorrect.¡± The seventh apostle snorted and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s because your body doesn¡¯t belong to you anymore.¡± ¡°A-Are you telling me that my current state is¡­¡± ¡°Correct. I¡¯m currently controlling you.¡± He bobbed his finger as if he were controlling a marite. ¡°It¡¯s not just you. All of those bugs on the ground are also under my control. All I would need to do is tell them to kill themselves and they would stab their own hearts with a knife.¡± ¡°Wh-What are you trying to¡­¡± ¡°Grand Seville is going to be a huge ranch from today onward. The ignorant masses who are only focused on having fun are going to offer their money and blood without even realizing that their lives are being taken away. This sorcery is meant to achieve that.¡± The seventh apostle pointed at the ceiling. A huge mass of bloody energy was twitching over the dim lighting. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I need you to keep on living as Grand Seville¡¯s branch manager.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Denning Rose¡¯s lips were trembling violently. Brainwashing would have been a different story, but she couldn¡¯t even report the case to the ck Market¡¯s headquarters because she couldn¡¯t resist his will. It was terrifying to think that she might be forced to live under the seventh apostle¡¯s control for the rest of her life. ¡°Denning Rose.¡± The seventh apostle looked down into Denning Rose¡¯s distorted eyes and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll give you your first mission. Bring me Raon Zieghart, since he shall be thest piece toplete this ranch.¡± * * * Raon raised his head after he finished checking the changes his increased stats brought to his body and aura. The dark sky told him that the sun had already set. Even though it was too early to even have an evening glow, the whole world was engulfed in darkness. It was a grotesque sky with no moon, no stars, and no clouds whatsoever. Step. A light footstep could be heard from behind. When he turned, he found the ck Market¡¯s branch manager, Denning Rose, walking towards him. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± Denning Rose walked up to him and bowed politely. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to catch a White Blood Fanatic.¡± ¡°A White Blood Fanatic?¡± ¡°Yes. We are nning on interrogating him. Would you mind joining us in the process?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Raon nodded and put on the coat that was hanging on the wall. ¡°Thank you.¡± Denning Rose smiled gently, and Raon followed her to Grand Seville¡¯s main avenue. Whap! The peculiar buildings and shy lighting were still shining as brightly as before, but there was one differencepared to the day before. It was the people. Even though they were at the main avenue, which was frequented by countless people, not a single person was around them. Denning Rose kept walking with the exact same footsteps and speed as before. She didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by that fact in the slightest. After she kept walking for a while, she finally stopped at the center of the avenue. Even though it was the most popted ce in the city, not a single person could be found. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± Denning Rose slowly turned around. A single tear flew down from her ck, rose-patterned eyepatch. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± That was the only thing she said before she stepped back. At the same time, the people hiding inside the buildings came running out. They surrounded Raon with a gray gaze radiating from their eyes, and they numbered at least a hundred at a nce. The White Blood Fanatics wearing snow white robes lined up behind them, and the way the bloody energy was emerging from them with weapons in their hands looked like they were trying to threaten Raon. Rumble. Raon frowned while facing the people who were trying to kill him, and a white puddle appeared next to Denning Rose. The liquid was stirred up like bubbles on the surface of a beer before surging up to form a human shape. The purple hair and narrow eyes were the unforgettable characteristics of the seventh apostle, and he smiled confidently at Raon. ¡°I should probably be saying that it¡¯s been a while.¡± The seventh apostle raised his white hand after dusting off his coat. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Seventh apostle.¡± Raon lowered his eyebrows slightly as he looked at the seventh apostle. ¡°Have you been the perpetrator behind this?¡± ¡°Yes. Did you enjoy my masterpiece? I didn¡¯t expect you toe here at the perfect timing, though.¡± He giggled and spread his arms to the sides. ¡°So, how did you like my greeting?¡± ¡°Do you call this a greeting?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes and grabbed the de of Requiem¡¯s hilt, which was hanging behind his back. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty. I haven¡¯t finished talking yet.¡± The seventh apostle casually shook his head. ¡°You should realize that those people aren¡¯t our believers.¡± He raised his finger to point towards the sky. Rumble! Raon could see a huge rain cloud of bloody energy, even though he wasn¡¯t even using the Ring of Fire. ¡°Did you finally realize it?¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s smile deepened upon noticing the panic on Raon¡¯s face. ¡°They inadvertently absorbed the bloody energy because of that sorcery. They aren¡¯t our believers, but ordinary worms living in this city.¡± He caught Denning Rose next to him by her hair and lifted her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even though she must¡¯ve been feeling the pain of her hair getting pulled from her head being lifted so high, she wasn¡¯t even groaning, and her expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. ¡°I know how effective your dagger is. I heard it can sing a song of sword resonance to bring death to all fanatics who possess bloody energy. However, you will end up killing all of these worms alongside them if you try using it here.¡± The seventh apostle pointed at Denning Rose, then the people filling the avenue. ¡°Sir Raon¡­¡± Probably because the seventh apostle weakened his control, Denning Rose¡¯s suffocated voice could be heard. The incongruence created by the desperation in her voice despite her casual expression was grotesque enough to cause goosebumps. ¡°I heard the Frostfire Sword of Valor wields his sword for other people¡¯s sake, but I wonder how it actually is. Are you going to kill innocent people to save yourself, or are you going to run away?¡± He snapped his fingers as if he were giving him a choice. Upon hearing the snapping sound, the people took out all kinds of weapons and started walking towards Raon. A frightening light was glowing from their eyes, which were filled with gray energy. ¡°For other people¡¯s sake? I¡¯ve never wanted such a reputation for myself.¡± Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem without hesitation. Rumble! Once the red de was revealed, the thunderous roar of ghastly energy resounded throughout the entire avenue. ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Themoners with bloody energy and the White Blood Fanatics behind them have all copsed on the ground with blood gushing from them. ¡°Kuhahahahaha!¡± The seventh apostle covered his forehead and startedughing like a madman. ¡°Yes, I knew you would do that! That¡¯s just how you are! The world doesn¡¯t know your true personality. I¡¯m the only person who understands your cruel and evil nature!¡± He opened his robe to show him the scar on his chest created by the de of Requiem. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. Your blood shall¡­¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s chin started to tremble upon noticing Denning Rose¡¯s state right next to him. She was still breathing weakly instead of being dead. And it wasn¡¯t just Denning Rose. Everyone who had bloody energy injected into them was still alive. The fanatics behind them were the only people who had died from the attack. ¡°What did you just¡­¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s eyes rolled as he was unable toprehend the situation. . ¡°You have crossed the line.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The White Blood Religion will have to flee at the mere sight of my shadow from this moment on.¡± Raon raised the de of Requiem to point it towards the seventh apostle. The eerie glow from the de was the same color as his eyes. ¡°Because I won¡¯t leave a single bloody demon alive on thisnd.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 282 The seventh apostle narrowed his eyes while looking at the people lying around on the ground. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ None of the people who¡¯d received bloody energy from the Blood Haze Array had died. Forget being dead, they didn¡¯t even seem injured. On the other hand, the fanatics surrounding them had all perished. ¡®How is this even possible?¡¯ He expected the fanatics to die, since Raon¡¯s resonance even managed to slightly affect him despite him being fully prepared for his possessed de. Even though the fanatics¡¯ death wasn¡¯t that surprising, he couldn¡¯t believe that the worms had only fainted despite being closer to Raon than the fanatics. ¡®It¡¯s impossible unless he has a superhuman control of his aura¡­¡¯ The result implied that he minimized the influence of his sword resonance to the people close to him while increasing it against those further away, but he had the feeling that such a detailed control of aura was impossible to achieve even for himself. ¡°You don¡¯t betray my expectations.¡± The seventh apostle raised his head to look at Raon, who was pointing his possessed de towards him. ¡°That was amazing.¡± He admitted his surprise at the unexpected situation and pped his hands to show hisposure. ¡®This much deviation is eptable, since this isn¡¯t everything I¡¯ve prepared.¡¯ The reason he had brought the people with bloody energy to create a scene where Raon had to decide between killing them or saving them was in order tough at him and destroy his mind. The real weapon he had was the sorcery array in the sky, which was getting even bigger as they spoke¡ªthe Surreal Blood Manifestation Array. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± The seventh apostle raised his finger to point at the sky. ¡°That sorcery is called the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array. Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond, keeping his sword pointed at him. ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t, since you shouldn¡¯t even have noticed that sorcery¡¯s presence. The name means that it¡¯s going to manifest the surreal side of blood in the world. It¡¯s a way to describe the worms who are going to be our food, and it also¡­¡± Bloody energy burst from the seventh apostle as a frightening smile appeared on his face. The eruption of an extremely powerful bloody energy started to dry up his surroundings. ¡°Means that our believers will be stronger under that sorcery¡¯s influence. However, what you are seeing right now isn¡¯t even a glimpse of its power, since its amplification effect on bloody energy is going to grow more than twice as strong as it is right now once the array is properly activated.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even though a tremendous amount of bloody energy was bursting from the seventh apostle, Raon¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. He was simply examining the seventh apostle with aposed expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring true despair to you. Die under the bloody star.¡± The seventh apostle snapped his fingers. He was signaling for Tius to activate the array. ¡°Hmm?¡± However, nothing changed. The Surreal Blood Manifestation Array just kept getting bigger by absorbing the energy in the surrounding area. Snap! He snapped a bit harder, but the array remained unchanged. ¡°Tius!¡± He tried calling his name, but nothing changed. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Did you mention that I didn¡¯t know about the array?¡± He raised his head upon hearing Raon¡¯s cold voice. ¡°You are right about the fact that I didn¡¯t know its name. However¡­¡± He sneered and pointed at the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I know more than you do about that sorcery array.¡± ¡°What have you done to Tius?!¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s eyes wavered violently, despite how calm he was until a moment ago. ¡°Out of everything you¡¯ve done, you never should¡¯ve used children. Even though you have the appearance of a human, you are even worse than a beast for trying to sacrifice those children.¡± Raon looked down on the seventh apostle with a frightening gaze. ¡°And the one who is in charge of handling him hates that kind of nasty act the most, so that Tius guy you are looking for must¡¯ve lost his head by now.¡± The seventh apostle swallowed nervously while meeting Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®D-Did he really notice it? But it¡¯s the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array. How? Just how?!¡¯ He was even aware of the fact that the children who were located the closest to the array would be the sacrifices upon activation, which implied that he really had managed to understand the array¡¯s functions. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ If Tius ended up dying just like Raon said, things were going to get difficult. He suddenly became extremely anxious. Snap! The seventh apostle snapped his fingers, and the White Blood Fanatics who had been hiding nearby jumped out at once. The fanatics, numbering over thirty, were unfazed at the situation as they released their bloody energy. ¡°Help Tius! Spread in all directions as you go!¡± He immediately ordered them to move since they couldn¡¯t be there when Raon sent another wave of sword resonance. However, Raon turned his head instead of creating a sword resonance. ¡°Light Wind Squad!¡± Raon¡¯s shout echoed throughout the atmosphere and the Light Wind swordsmen made their appearance, encircling the White Blood Fanatics. ¡°This trash doesn¡¯t deserve to live.¡± Raon red at the White Blood Fanatics with cold and deadly eyes. ¡°Kill them all.¡± As soon as he gave the order, contrary to the way the Light Wind swordsmen looked almost emotionless at first, they unleashed their majestic energies to start wiping out the White Blood Fanatics. They weren¡¯t even shouting as they fought. The only sound on the battlefield was the shing sound of swords and the sound of the White Blood Fanatics¡¯ heads falling to the ground. ¡°We should also get started.¡± Raon brandished the de of Requiem in his left hand and Heavenly Drive in his right hand. ¡°Since we should save the oxygen that you are using to breathe.¡± * * * Two hours prior. Martha swallowed nervously as she watched Runa talking to Tius. ¡®He was right.¡¯ Just as Raon predicted, Tius called the backstreet kids¡ªincluding Runa¡ªto his shop. ¡®So, that¡¯s Tius.¡¯ Tius was a middle-aged man with blue hair, and his gentle appearance was bound to leave a good impression on people. ¡®And he did all of that nasty shit with that face¡­¡¯ It must¡¯ve been even easier to take advantage of the children because of his gentle face, because the abandoned children tended to yearn for people¡¯s kindness. ¡®Son of a bitch.¡¯ She was struck by the urge to jump out and smack his mouth. ¡°I leave it to you once again.¡± Tius gave stones the size of an adult man¡¯s fist and silver coins to the kids with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± The kids smiled brightly and nodded, happy about getting some money. ¡°Mister, I got five silver coins though.¡± ¡°Huh? I also got five.¡± ¡°You usually only give one or two of them. You made a mistake.¡± Instead of being happy about getting five silver coins, the kids found it strange and tilted their heads. ¡®That damn bastard¡­ Is that money supposed to be the coins for the dead?¡¯ It was obvious why he was giving them more money than usual. He was paying them to be sacrifices, since he was nning to sacrifice them just as Raon predicted. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s because I have one more request today.¡± ¡°One more?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Instead of burying the stones right away, please wait at the spot and bury it when I send the signal.¡± Tius smiled while saying please. ¡°How are you going to send the signal?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be shouting, so you should be able to hear me.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The kids went to their respective spots withoutining, since they got five whole silver coins. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± However, Runa wasn¡¯t leaving unlike the others, and Tius faced her once the kids in front of her left. ¡°Runa?¡± ¡°Mister, I¡­¡± Her lips slowly parted, trying to tell him something. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°N-Nothing!¡± Runa examined Tius from top to bottom before she shook her head and stepped away. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after today¡¯s job.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Tius nodded gently, telling her to follow her heart. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha sighed quietly. She was contemting on what to do if Runa told him about her the encounter, but her continuous attempt at convincing her that Tius was a dangerous person seemed to have worked. Once all the kids left, ten people appeared next to Tius with emotionless looks on their faces. Although they were wearing ordinary clothes, they were definitely White Blood Fanatics. ¡°Go.¡± As soon as Tius gave the order, they scattered in the directions the children went. ¡°It¡¯s our turn now. Scatter to your assigned positions.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Martha shook her hand, and the first team¡¯s swordsmen left to follow the White Blood Fanatics. They were hunting those doing the hunting. Martha didn¡¯t move from behind the signboard on the rooftop and kept watching Tius. Once an hour had passed, the sun finally disappeared, and night fell. People ying around in the city entered the nearest buildings at the same time, leaving the noisy citypletely empty. ¡®This is also¡­¡¯ Exactly ording to Raon¡¯s expectations. Raon had told her that once the sun set after the kids left, people were going to disappear. It went exactly as he said it would. ¡®He¡¯s the real monster here.¡¯ On top of his unmatched talent for swordsmanship, his ability to analyze a situation and make decisions ordingly was truly astonishing. She couldn¡¯t even be jealous at that point. Tap. Once the sun set and all of the people disappeared, Tius finally came outside. His outfit waspletely different before. He walked through the empty road wearing an archbishop¡¯s robe. ¡®It¡¯s my turn now.¡¯ Martha faded away into darkness while forcing herself to suppress the boiling urge to kill him. * * * * * * Runa sank weakly to the ground where she was supposed to bury the stone. She sighed deeply while looking down on the silver coins she got from Tius. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I should¡¯ve told him. There was no way Mister Tius was a bad person, since he was the only one who took care of abandoned kids like her. It didn¡¯t feel like Martha was lying to her the day before, but she felt bad about it because she felt like she was betraying Mister Tius. ¡®Alright, I¡¯ll tell him about herter. I think I should do that.¡¯ Runa nodded, deciding to confess to Tius about what happened the previous night. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± Everything had turned dark before she realized it. It was so dark that it almost felt like the middle of the night. ¡®There¡¯s no way so much time has passed, though.¡¯ She had been lost in thought, but it couldn¡¯t have been that long. It was impossible for the time to skip from afternoon to night in such a short amount of time. ¡°Gasp!¡± She found it strange and raised her head to look around. A scarlet cloud in the sky was expanding like a balloon. ¡°What is that cloud¡­?¡± ¡°Runa.¡± Runa turned her head upon hearing a voiceing from behind her. Tius was walking towards her with a gentle smile on his face. Even though it was the same smile as always, it felt different somehow. A chill ran down her spine, as if she had met a savage beast in the middle of a mountain. ¡°M-Mister?¡± Runa¡¯s lips were trembling as she pointed at the dark sky and the scarlet cloud. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening right now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Tius smiled, telling her that it was nothing to worry about. ¡°Rather than that, what were you trying to tell me earlier?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking about the thing that you said you would tell meter.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Runa couldn¡¯t tell him about it. The incongruence she felt from Tius¡¯s appearance matched Martha¡¯s warning from the day before. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to tell me.¡± Tius shook his hand gently. ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t matter what you say once you are dead.¡± ¡°Wh-What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Bury the stone now.¡± ¡°Mister?¡± Runa tried to refuse Tius¡¯s order, but her body moved against her will and turned around. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ She wanted to stop, but her limbs weren''t following hermand. She almost felt like she was inside a different person¡¯s body. ¡°Runa, I¡¯m really thankful to you in various ways. It¡¯s thanks to you that the other kids also started to trust me.¡± Tius¡¯s voice was the same as always, but the coldness in it sent a chill down her spine. ¡°That¡¯s why I considered guiding you into bing a believer, but you unfortunately injured your body. You could only live for another year at most. However, your younger siblings were pretty decent.¡± He flicked his tongue out as an evil smile appeared on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of those kids.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡®No, don¡¯t do that!¡¯ She was trying to scream in denial, but a quiet groan was all that came out of her mouth. Runa¡¯s body betrayed her will and walked towards the spot where she was supposed to bury the stone. Her hand feltpletely stiff as she dug a hole and picked up the stone. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Her hand hurt. The intense pain almost felt like the stone in her hand had spikes around it. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it too much, since the blood stone is currently sucking out the bloody energy inside your body.¡± Tius whispered the words with a gentle voice. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡°Your pain will fade away soon enough.¡± Despite what he said, the pain only kept getting stronger. ¡°Ah, but I guess I should hear your voice since this is going to be yourst moment.¡± Tius shook his hand, and her mouth could finally move. However, the first sound she made was obviously a scream. ¡°Aaaah!¡± She screamed her throat raw from the intense pain that felt like her hand was inside a raging fire. She even started to lose her mind and her eyes started to close. ¡®Please¡­ Somebody please help me¡­¡¯ Anyone was fine. She didn¡¯t mind it if she ended up dying. She just kept praying over and over that her siblings wouldn¡¯t be taken away by that demon at least. However, nothing changed. Just like when she was trying to cover her siblings with a nk in the rainy backstreet, God didn¡¯t exist in the world. ¡®Fuck you god! Curse you god!¡¯ It was when she was cursing the damned god¡­ ng! Something was sent flying from behind her, shattering the red stone in her hand into pieces. ¡°Who¡­ Kuh!¡± The moment she heard Tius¡¯s scream, she could start moving her body once again. She hurriedly turned around. Drip. Drip. Tius¡¯s left arm was on the ground, and Martha, who she¡¯d met the previous day, was standing in front of him with gray blood flowing down from the sword in her hand. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Runa thought that Martha¡¯s insult didn¡¯t match her appearance as she charged at Tius. ¡°Kuuh¡­¡± Tius hurriedly stepped back and swung his only arm. A white current spread out from his hand to create a wall, meant to stop Martha¡¯s advance. ¡°Uaaaah!¡± Martha shouted and destroyed the wall in an instant to charge at Tius. ¡°You damn bitch!¡± Tius frowned to the point that his gentle face looked distorted as he chanted in a strangenguage. Cring! Red spikes emerged from the ground and the thin air and stormed towards Martha. ¡°Are you a caterpir or something? Everything you do is nasty, just like your appearance!¡± Martha broke through the bloody spikes by covering her body with aura before striking him with her sword. ¡°Hmph! I just needed some time!¡± Tius stopped running away and gathered his index and middle fingers to chant a spell. m! am! The bloody sorcery started to block Martha¡¯s strikes, proving what he had said. The bloody wall became gradually thicker, and the sharp spikes protruding from it were tearing her skin apart. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Cloudy steam came out from Martha¡¯s mouth. Her ck eyes turned crimson, and the brown aura circling her grew twice asrge. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± She charged at least twice as fast as before, her eyes glowing red. Whaam! She destroyed the bloody wall and spikes in an instant and dashed towards Tius. ¡°Kuh!¡± Tius narrowed his eyes while using the Bloody Shadow Footwork to withdraw. ¡®Is that the Berserk skill¡­?¡¯ Her crimson eyes¡ªand her physical abilities and aura being amplified by around 1.5 times¡ªconfirmed it. She must¡¯ve used the Berserk skill, which was the specialty of the Saiyan Canyon warriors during the great wars against monsters. ¡®What a stupid bitch.¡¯ Berserk had a huge drawback. She wouldn¡¯t be able to tell her allies from her enemies and would only end up attacking the one in front of her. The way she kept smashing the walls that just appeared one after the other proved that fact. ¡°Huhu.¡± Tius smiled coldly and summoned a bloody humanoid created with bloody energy. ¡°Kuaah!¡± As expected, Martha attacked the bloody humanoid summoned right next to her instead of Tius himself. ¡®I¡¯ll finish you off in a single strike.¡¯ In order to avoid an unforeseen ident, he created twoyers of bloody walls and started chanting an advanced sorcery capable of ying Martha in an instant. ¡®The Demonic Blood Spear of Extermination should be enough.¡¯ He quickly chanted the spell for the Demonic Blood Spear of Extermination and was about to throw it at Martha. am! Even though she should¡¯ve been distracted by the bloody humanoid, she instantly destroyed the walls and dashed towards him. ¡°It¡¯s already toote!¡± Tius quickly jumped back and unleashed the Demonic Blood Spear of Extermination. A berserker was bound to face it head-on. He expected her to try destroying it with her sword, and that was going to be thest thing she did in her life. However, what happened was theplete opposite of what he anticipated. Whoosh! Intelligence gleamed in Martha¡¯s red eyes as she deflected the spear and attacked him with the sword that was raised above her head. ¡°Kuh!¡± Tius hurriedly tried to create a bloody shield, but it was already toote. Smash! Martha¡¯s sword cut through the bloody energy and created a diagonal fissure in Tius¡¯s chest. ¡°Kuah¡­¡± Tius copsed onto his back, his chin trembling in disbelief. Gray blood kept flowing from his open wound. ¡°B-But I¡¯m sure you went berserk¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already ovee the penalty of losing my mind.¡± Martha twirled her sword as she walked up to Tius. ¡°I can¡¯t have the same wall blocking me forever.¡± She wiped off the blood flowing down from her cheek with the back of her hand before taking her sword in a reverse grip. ¡°Apologize to the people you took advantage of as you die! You fucking bastard!¡± Martha shouted, stabbing Tius in the heart. ¡°Kuh, wh-why do I even need to apologize? They should be thanking me instead, because I allowed them to receive the Bloody God¡¯s blessings¡­¡± Tius didn¡¯t feel regret even in hisst moments, which should¡¯ve been expected of a fanatic. The only relief was that he felt an extreme amount of pain as he died. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Martha dropped her sword and sank to the ground. She felt like her stomach was turning over from using Berserk while maintaining her reason with her body being full of injuries created by bloody energy. ¡°M-Miss¡­¡± Runa bit her lips tightly as she approached. Her wavering eyes reflected her fear, apology, and shock. ¡°Come here!¡± Martha angrily bobbed her hand, and Runa shrunk as she walked towards her. ¡°Show me your hand.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Are you deaf? Show me your hand!¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Runa opened her hand to show it to Martha. Her red hand was full of cracks, as if she grasped the skin of a pineapple tightly. ¡°Tsk, I should¡¯ve acted earlier.¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not your fault! I was the one who didn¡¯t trust you¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Martha frowned and used the small amount of aura remaining in her to drive away the bloody energy in Runa¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You would have to be stupid to trust someone you met for the first time, you idiot!¡± Runa¡¯s shoulders were trembling as she felt the gentle energy tickling her hand. Her coarsenguage that didn¡¯t match her kind-heartedness reminded her of the warmth she felt in the old days that she couldn¡¯t even fully remember anymore. * * * am! A huge shockwave urred from the frontal sh between Heavenly Drive and the saw sword. The shy buildings around them copsed like sandcastles, and Raon shed against the seventh apostle once again in between the falling debris. ng! They shed five times total in an instant. They werepletely equal in terms of power and speed. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The seventh apostle red at him and shed upwards with his saw sword. The huge surge of bloody energy looked like a tidal wave in an ocean. Whir! Raon smiled coldly as he shed with the de of Requiem. The sharp ghastly energy of the dagger and the heavy astral energy mingled with each other in harmony to create a bright light. Whaam! Thend trembled and the space became distorted from the collision between aura and bloody energy. Whack! Raon kicked the seventh apostle¡¯s stomach while crossing swords with him. The seventh apostle bounced back like a rubber ball and rolled on the ground. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± He violently ground his teeth from his pride getting hurt. ¡°You must¡¯ve also realized it.¡± Raon walked up to the seventh apostle with his sword supported on his shoulder. ¡°That the Tius guy you were looking for has perished.¡± He snickered and pointed behind him. The second and third teams of the Light Wind squad had also finished their jobs, and the corpses of the White Blood Fanatics were lying all around the street. ¡°You are the only one left.¡± Raon raised his chin and smiled. ¡°Since we are going to have a feast after this, I¡¯ll finish you off quickly.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­ Kuhahahaha!¡± The seventh apostle startedughing like a madman from the ground. He started apuding while raising his narrow eyes. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll admit it. Your n, strategy, and might¡­ They are all worthy of admiration.¡± He slowly raised himself. A cold re was radiating from his eyes as the energy covering his body became a lot more powerful than before. ¡°However, you are mistaken about one thing.¡± ¡°What am I mistaken about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about that spell. Killing the caster isn''t actually enough to finish it off.¡± The seventh apostle grabbed the saw sword with both hands and started chanting some iprehensible spell. He finished his chant before Raon had time to stop him, and a violent throbbing urred from the bloody clouds filling the sky. ¡°The Surreal Blood Manifestation Array is going to explode now.¡± He smiled, and the bloody rain cloud expanded out of control at the same time to spread around a tremendous amount of energy. Huge wasn¡¯t enough to describe its size. The bloody sphere covering the entire sky expanded to no end and slowly started to fall down. ¡°Once that thing explodes, this city is going to bepletely blown away. You and I are probably going to be the only ones left in a tattered state.¡± The seventh apostle stretched his arms to the sides and giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll suck out your blood until thest drop.¡± ¡°Did you forget what I told you earlier?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I told you I¡¯m more knowledgeable than you about that sorcery array.¡± Raon smiled faintly and increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output to the maximum. Thud! He stomped the ground to mix the resonance rising from the ground with the powerful heat in the de of Requiem before shooting them towards the sky. Rumble! The de of Requiem, surrounded by crimson me and yellow ghastly energy, became reversed lightning and soared into the sphere that kept growing endlessly. However, there was no change at all to the sphere, despite being pierced by the de of Requiem. Instead, its energy was getting amplified even further. ¡°Kuhahahaha!¡± The seventh apostleughed at him while pointing at the stabilizing bloody energy. ¡°Even though you can use ghastly energy, what were you trying to achieve with a single dagger? That sphere contains more than a thousand people¡¯s blood! It¡¯s not something a weakling like you can remove!¡± Raon nonchntly raised his right hand. ¡°I noticed you like to unt your power. Let me copy that.¡± He smiled faintly and snapped his fingers. Snap! The sound resonated through the air, and the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array started to tremble, as if a storm were blowing on it. Tssssh! A loud noise that sounded like thousands of birds were chirping at the same time echoed as the bloody sphere came to aplete halt. Whir! Alongside the sound of something violently piercing through the wind in a spiral, the de drew a thin line on the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array. That extremely thin line started to spread all around the red sphere like a spider web. Baaam! Yellow light started leaking out from the cracks and the Surreal Blood Manifestation array exploded. The explosion seemed loud enough to resound throughout the continent, and it deviated from Grand Seville¡¯s sky to fall down outside the city. ¡°Seventh apostle.¡± With the bloody lights falling behind him like a meteor shower, Raon stood in front of the seventh apostle. He smiled while looking at the seventh apostle¡¯s wide, astonished eyes. ¡°You know, I never lose against an opponent that I¡¯ve already won against before.¡± He fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive and kicked the ground. ng! He smashed the saw sword by incorporating his sword with a rotating me to press the attack. ¡°Kuh!¡± The seventh apostle still managed to get into the perfect defensive posture despite his panic, but his agitation was as clear as day. Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to charge at him and sh with Frost Pond. Blue lights dashed through the silver trajectory to sever the space. ¡°I already know about that technique!¡± The seventh apostle shed down with his saw sword diagonally topletely block the two strikes of Frost Pond. ¡°Then how about this one?¡± Raon stretched his left hand in the air. Tap! The de of Requiem returned from destroying the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array, settling in his hand in a reverse grip, and created a frightening sword resonance. The Blood Rain bursting from point-nk distance paralyzed the seventh apostle¡¯s body for an instant. ¡°Kuh!¡± The seventh apostle quickly withdrew, but Raon didn¡¯t miss that small opening and thrust the de of Requiem. Pssh! The seventh apostle¡¯s scar, the one created by Frost Pond in the past, ruptured once again to spread around his impure blood. ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°I promise.¡± Crimson lightning was sparkling from Raon¡¯s eyes as he looked down on the seventh apostle, who was bending forward. ¡°You are going to die here.¡± Chapter 283 Burren swallowed nervously as he watched the meteor shower of bloody energy. ¡®He really destroyed that¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even move a single finger when the sun disappeared and the sorcery array revealed itself. He was overwhelmed by the huge scale of the bloody energy covering the entirety of Grand Seville, and swallowing nervously was the only thing he could do. The same went for the others. Even Runaan was visibly breaking out in a cold sweat, despite the fact that she usually looked like she was incapable of feeling panic. While every member of the Light Wind squad was staring at it nervously with trembling hands, Raon¡¯s aura message could be heard. [You look like chickens.] Hearing his vulgar voice in the serious situation made a vein bulge on his forehead. [I didn¡¯t teach you to be such weaklings.] His cold voice reminded him of the training he had to go through. The tag game of death, sleepless spars, training camps aimed to destroy his humanity, and more. Just thinking about those hellish times was enough to send a chill down his spine. ¡®He¡¯s right. We can¡¯t die to sorcery like that now, aftering all the way here.¡¯ Burren grasped his sword tightly. Because he¡¯d already experienced true hell before, his fighting spirit returned to him. ¡°I can¡¯t die before punching that shithead.¡± ¡°Yes, we are definitely going to smack him real good.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s survive.¡± ¡°This is nothingpared to that bastard¡¯s training.¡± The other Light Wind members also braced themselves and red at the sorcery array. Their eyes weren¡¯t reflecting fear anymore, but their confidence in oveing the situation. [I like those eyes.] Raon nodded in satisfaction, without even looking at them. [Don¡¯t worry about the sorcery array, because I¡¯m going to destroy that one. You should focus on your task.] And Raon ended up destroying the sorcery array on his own, just like he promised, and even managed to stab the seventh apostle. Burren and the Light Wind squad clenched their fists as they watched Raon. The man, who once used to be nothing but a fellow trainee, had be theirpanion at some point and was now standing in front of them. They prayed for his victory as they watched his back. * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the injury he left on the seventh apostle. ¡®It could¡¯ve been better. It wasn¡¯t deep enough.¡¯ The seventh apostle managed to avoid a fatal injury by bending himself backward the moment the de of Requiem was thrust at him. He even lowered his posture after that while stopping the bleeding on his chest to prepare against the next attack. ¡®So, he isn¡¯t going out of control.¡¯ He was agitated for sure, but he still remained reasonable. He must¡¯ve learned from the previous fight that losing his mind would lead to his loss. ¡°I have to confess.¡± The seventh apostle nodded while pressing on his wound to stop the bleeding. He must¡¯ve been feeling extreme pain because of the ghastly energy even if he managed to stop the bleeding, but he wasn¡¯t really showing it on the outside. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to stab me like this. This is rather original.¡± ¡°Are you a professional confessor or something? Why do you keep admitting to things no one cares about?¡± Raon snorted and twirled Heavenly Drive. ¡°I don¡¯t need your acknowledgement. I just want your head.¡± He caught his breath and crossed his arms while holding the two swords. ¡®I should finish him off quickly.¡¯ He was trying to pretend he didn¡¯t, but he had to spend a lot of aura to destroy the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array. Raon decided to quickly finish him off without dy. ¡°You are just an insect¡­¡± The seventh apostle frowned heavily as he raised his saw sword towards him. Raon¡¯s mockery was apparently more irritating than the blow he took. The bloody energy burst from the saw sword was threatening enough to make his hair stand on end. Thud! Raon violently kicked the ground. He used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step to charge at the seventh apostle from the front like lightning. ¡°You bastard!¡± He must¡¯ve thought Raon was underestimating him because he was attacking from the front like that. He swung his saw sword. Whoosh! The deadly de, surrounded by powerful bloody energy, reached right in front of Raon¡¯s eyes. It was fast, heavy, and sharp at the same time. ¡®Even his technique has changed.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t only be more powerful. He had even learned a new swordsmanship of the highest grade. Thud! Raon turned his left foot slightly to step forward. His smooth step made it look like he was walking on water as he brushed the atmosphere with Star Connecting Sword. ng! The silver de, incorporating icy cold energy, flowed like a constetion to block the seventh apostle¡¯s saw sword. Raon leaned forward. It was time to attack, since he managed to defend. He grabbed the de of Requiem lightly to use the me Spirit. The yellow and red flower petals blooming from the short de turned into a sharp storm to engulf the seventh apostle. ¡°I¡¯ve also seen this one before.¡± The seventh apostle stepped back softly. He spun the saw sword like a windmill to create a barrier of bloody energy. ¡°It will be different from back then.¡± As soon as Raon¡¯s voice could be heard, the movements of flower petals changed. The pieces of mes advanced like living organisms to explode their raging heat in front of the seventh apostle¡¯s vital points. Whaaam! The seventh apostle¡¯s bloody barrier faltered violently from the consecutive sts. ¡°Kuh, this power¡­¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who got stronger.¡± Raon jerked his chin and raised his lips into a smile. ¡°You are going to die before you try anything if you keep believing that you are still ahead of me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You were weaker than me in the past, and you are still weaker than me right now. Stop bbering and die.¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s trembling chin almost looked anxious upon hearing Raon¡¯s confident deration. ¡°You arrogant bastard!¡± He screamed and charged at Raon. His explosive power came from a fit of rage, but his attacks became even sharper than before. He¡¯d managed to strengthen his attacks without losing his reason. ng! Raon held the de of Requiem in a reverse grip to block the seventh apostle¡¯s strike, which was charging at him like a wild boar. The all-out blow was powerful enough to numb his shoulder and arm, and the impact even managed to reach his stomach. ¡°You little worm! I¡¯ll crush you right away, so you won¡¯t be able to hold a sword ever again!¡± The seventh apostle must¡¯ve predicted that Raon would block his strike, since he immediately turned his wrist to follow up with a second strike. Whap! The bloody energy on the saw sword expanded three times in an instant to crush Raon¡¯s body. It seemed to be a special technique with maximized weight and power¡ªto the detriment of sharpness. ¡®It¡¯s powerful for sure.¡¯ The seventh apostle¡¯s strike was as powerful as that of an advanced level Master. However, he didn¡¯t actually reach the advanced level. He was only an intermediate at best. ¡®In that case¡­ I have the upper hand.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t catch up to his level, but he was more than capable of catching up in terms of power, speed, and aura. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon exhaled the impure energy in his lungs and resonated the Ring of Fire as fast as he could. Cring! The falling saw sword of the seventh apostle became slower, and the flow of power became visible. ¡®His proficiency isn¡¯t that high.¡¯ He polished his focus to find the opening in the seventh apostle¡¯s downward strike. He could feel the weakness around the sword¡¯s tip in the midst of the raging bloody energy. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. Crimson sh. A line of raging fire dashed over Heavenly Drive¡¯s de like a ray of light to smack the saw sword¡¯s tip. ng! The saw sword was violently bounced back despite the tremendous power it contained. ¡°H-How dare you?!¡± The seventh apostle tried to slip away like a loach, and Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He folded the space to catch up to him and swung down with the de of Requiem, aiming for his shoulder. Crack! The seventh apostle¡¯s corbone was torn apart, and impure blood gushed out like a fountain. ¡°Kuaah!¡± He grasped his shoulder and screamed in pain while stepping back. ¡°H-How did you manage to shatter the Demon¡¯s Heavy Blood Art?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond, instead using the Supreme Harmony Steps once again. His advance looked like he was riding the tide as he pierced into his left side. ¡°Get away!¡± As expected of a Master level warrior, the seventh apostle quickly stopped his panic and swung his saw sword. His strike was almost as powerful as the previous one. ¡®I knew he would put up this much resistance.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t withdraw. He used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to create a sphere on top of the de of Requiem, which he was holding in a reverse grip. Cring! It was Firewall of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The raging heat emerged like a shield to fend off the seventh apostle¡¯s saw sword. Raon followed up with Heavenly Drive, brimming with cier¡¯s coldness. ang! The saw sword was trembling violently in between the two swords, and it looked like it could break at any moment. Pssh! Blood gushed from the injuries on the seventh apostle¡¯s chest and shoulder, which he¡¯d barely managed to stop from bleeding earlier. ¡°Argh!¡± Raon pushed the seventh apostle back by adding in all his physical strength on top of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier. Rumble! Thend copsed from the overwhelming power and the seventh apostle fell. Are you not going to do what you usually do? Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking at the crumblednd. ¡®What do I usually do?¡¯ You know, that dirty trick where you steal the opponent¡¯s techniques while making fun of them. ¡®I don¡¯t need anything from him.¡¯ Raon shook his head and followed the seventh apostle down the hole. There was a huge cavern below, and countless corpses were spread around in the outer part. The floor was brimming with traces of dried blood. ¡®Because they aren¡¯t even worth learning.¡¯ The cavern must¡¯ve been used by the seventh apostle and Tius to gather their bloody energy by killing people. He didn¡¯t want a technique from scum like him. He was nning to finish him off after overwhelming him enough to make him afraid. ¡°You little insect¡­¡± The seventh apostle ground his teeth violently and held the saw sword with both hands. He almost looked like he had be one with his sword as the extremely sharp bloody energy soared to no end. Raon¡¯s me was small inparison, but intensified even further as he kicked off the blood-covered ground to strike him. Wham! * * * * * * The seventh apostle bit his lip while blocking Raon¡¯s blows with difficulty. ¡®Why is this happening? Just why!¡¯ ¡®Why can¡¯t I win against this bastard when I¡¯m close to reaching the advanced level of Master?!¡¯ ¡®Why is it so difficult to block the sword of a mere novice?¡¯ Even though his stage was higher, and the amount of his bloody energy was much higher than Raon¡¯s, the impact reverberated throughout his organs each time he blocked his strikes. Moreover, he was rapidly losing the bloody energy from his body because his wounds, which he had barely managed to stop from bleeding, opened up again. ¡®How is this even possible?¡¯ The stage and amount of aura were the most important factors when it came to a duel between warriors. It was rare for a warrior at a lower stage to win against one at a higher stage, no matter how great their skills were. However, Raon Zieghart¡¯s de was reaching him, just like in the past. And his de had be even sharper and more powerful than before. He couldn¡¯t understand how that was even possible. ¡°Uryaaaa!¡± The seventh apostle screamed, exploding all of his remaining bloody energy. He d himself with that powerful energy to unleash the special technique of the Celestial Blood Art, Blood Spirit sh that he¡¯d learned from the religious leader. Swaaa! Two sparks could be seen between his all-out strike. The blue and red lights told him that Raon¡¯s attacks contained coldness and heat. ang! The shing from the two swords mowed down the Blood Spirit sh, and the seventh apostle was bounced back into the wall. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s chin was trembling as he looked at the bloody rubble falling towards him. ¡®Even the Blood Spirit sh lost against him¡­¡¯ The Blood Spirit sh was the Celestial Blood Art¡¯s most powerful technique. The loss of Blood Spirit sh implied that it was impossible for him to win in terms of power. Step. He raised his head upon hearing a footstep weighing down on the sticky ground. Raon Zieghart was walking towards him with a frightening gaze. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± That bastard was nothing but an insect that he believed he could easily crush to death, yet he looked like a giant. Not only did he look even taller than himself, but he also seemed like he was huge enough to fill the whole cavern. ¡®I-Is this fear? Am I afraid of him?¡¯ That wasn¡¯t allowed to happen. Since he was the Blood God¡¯s apostle and a disciple of the Blood Religion¡¯s leader, he was never allowed to be afraid of an insect like him. ¡®I need a way! But how?¡¯ The seventh apostle¡¯s eyes rolled, and he noticed the blood filling the cracks on the floor and the walls. ¡®Ah!¡¯ The seventh apostle secretly nodded. ¡®I can do it. I can kill him!¡¯ The cavern was where they activated the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array and replenished the bloody energy. The bloody energy that flew out from the array was gathering back in that ce, and he figured he would be able to kill Raon by absorbing it. ¡°Huff!¡± The seventh apostle maximized his footwork to move aside. He unleashed the White Spirit Aura at the same time to absorb the bloody energy gathering inside the cavern. ¡®Alright, it should be possible.¡¯ Even though he had only cultivated for a short time, he managed to gather a significant amount of bloody energy. He figured he just needed to buy a small amount of time to gather enough bloody energy to recover from his injuries and kill Raon. ¡®I need to focus on footwork as much as possible.¡¯ He looked aside in order to run away from Raon, but he wasn¡¯t chasing him¡ªinstead, he mmed his possessed dagger into the ground. ¡°What are you doing¡­huh?¡± The seventh apostle¡¯s jaw dropped. The bloody energy that was gathering towards him split into two, and half of it was now flowing towards Raon. Whir! The dagger¡¯s ghastly energy was increasing as it devoured the bloody energy. ¡°Kuh! That¡¯s mine! Why are you absorbing the bloody energy?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t bloody energy. It¡¯s the resentment of the people that you¡¯ve killed.¡± A cold light shone from Raon¡¯s eyes as he pulled the dagger from the ground. ¡°Those people¡­¡± The clusters of bloody energy gushed into the air. Raon could be seen lifting his two des through the bloody fog. ¡°¡­Are asking me to make you experience hell before you die.¡± * * * Raon tightened his grip as he felt the powerful energy transferred from the de of Requiem. Whir! A painful sword resonance could be heard from the de of Requiem. It was telling him that the original owners of the bloody energy, the vengeful spirits of the people who were killed by the seventh apostle, craved vengeance. There was more bloody energy gathering towards the de of Requiem than the seventh apostle, as if they were trying to prove it and give him a tremendous amount of power. ¡®I shall grant their request.¡¯ Raon lowered his posture and charged towards the seventh apostle. Wham! The de of Requiem, wrapped in the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s principles, shed against the seventh apostle¡¯s saw sword. The power of resentment and desperation in the small dagger single-handedly pushed the saw sword back. The frightening amount of ghastly energy crushed the bloody energy. ¡°Kuh! It¡¯s just the power of weaklings!¡± ¡°You are the weakling here.¡± Raon held his breath and pulled Heavenly Drive backwards. The me dragon descended upon the silver de and opened its jaw. Once its yellow eyes sparkled, a raging breath was unleashed. Swaaa! Multiple veins became visible on the seventh apostle¡¯s face as he witnessed the tremendous power of the me Dragon Art. Rumble! He was fending off the de of Requiem and Heavenly Drive at the same time by the explosive power of bloody energy, but the hand holding his saw sword was visibly trembling, showing that he was reaching his limits. Cring! Raon leaned forward to add more power to his swords. The blue and red energies pushed the seventh apostle back like a great mountain. Thud! The seventh apostle¡¯s legs mmed into the bloody floor, and his body faltered like a paper doll. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°The people you¡¯ve killed couldn¡¯t even put up a resistance.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes were burning like a me as he looked down on the seventh apostle. ¡°I¡¯ll trample you to death like one of the insects you like so much.¡± Raon stomped the ground to advance even further. He used the ghastly energy transferred from the de of Requiem to amplify the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and cier. ¡°Uaaaah!¡± The seventh apostle screamed desperately and struggled for thest time, but Raon ignored his efforts and gathered all of the power he could muster to crush the seventh apostle. Creak! The intensified pressure created a white crack on the saw sword. ng! There was only one fissure at first, but the number increased exponentially and shattered the saw sword into pieces. The seventh apostle¡¯s astonishment could be seen in his eyes between the fluttering pieces of the saw sword. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Daaaamn iiiit!¡± Raon lifted the de of Requiem and Heavenly Driver to behead the seventh apostle as he screamed. Whoosh! A frightening energy charged at him like lightning from behind. Someone¡¯s hand was stretching towards him at a speed far surpassing a Master¡¯s. Raon twisted his waist and thrust Heavenly Drive behind him. Raon Zieghart style swordy. Second form, Reversed Heavenly Heavy Cannon. The Heavenly Heavy Cannon with maximized repelling force instead of force of attraction fended off the person who charged at him from behind. ¡°Kuh!¡± The seventh apostle didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and tried to run away. ¡®I can¡¯t let him escape.¡¯ Raon grit his teeth. He endured the burning pain of his mana circuits and shed down with the de of Requiem on his left hand. ¡°Fuck off already!¡± The seventh apostle swung his shattered saw sword. He was trying to buy time for the one behind Raon to approach by blocking the de of Requiem. Cring! As the saw sword rose towards him from below, blue light sparked in Raon¡¯s eyes. Raon Zieghart style swordy. Third form, Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream. A blue aurora brushed past them like a dream, and the de of Requiem was thrust into the seventh apostle¡¯s neck. Whack! Raon turned to look at the new challenger and twisted his lips. ¡°You won¡¯t get me a second time.¡± Chapter 284

Chapter 284

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 284 With the de of Requiem mmed into the seventh apostle¡¯s neck, Raon surrounded his neck with his left arm and stepped back. Taking the seventh apostle hostage, he looked back at the man who came to interrupt him. He was a middle-aged man wearing a white coat with ten beads engraved on the left side of his chest. There was a gray line in the middle of his ck hair and a ferocious look in his eyes, much like a savage beast. ¡®It was the tenth apostle after all.¡¯ The bloody energy he felt from behind him was the same as what he felt in Porvan City from the tenth apostle. It was his second attempt to stop him, and Raon was faster than him the second time. Whir. The tenth apostle¡¯s eyes slowly raised. His eyes were as dry as a drought, unwavering despite the situation where the seventh apostle could be killed at any moment. Raon bit the inside of his cheek. ¡®He¡¯s so damn strong.¡¯ He couldpletely feel the tenth apostle¡¯s prowess, probably because he became a Master. His pressure alone was overwhelming him, making it difficult to breathe. ¡®It seems impossible for now.¡¯ Nothing would¡¯ve changed even if he was in his best condition, without spending his aura and stamina. It was impossible to win against a Grandmaster in his current state, no matter what he tried. It was necessary to find a way to survive without fighting against him. ¡®There¡¯s one thing I can do, but¡­¡¯ Raon rolled his eyes to the right side. Who are you looking at with those arrogant eyes? Wrath was yawning despite the urgency of the situation and frowned as Raon looked at him. ¡®Nothing.¡¯ Raon shook his head. ¡®I can¡¯t use him right now.¡¯ Getting Wrath to control his body would allow him to survive even against the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader. Since the Ring of Fire had reached seven-stars, he guessed he would also be able to reim his body afterwards. However, since Wrath previously mentioned that he was definitely going to lose control as soon as he took over his body, the people aboveground were also bound to be harmed. ¡®I shall observe the situation for now.¡¯ Raon snickered and tilted his head. ¡°I never knew that the White Blood Religion cared so much for each other.¡± While making fun of the White Blood Religion, he resonated the Ring of Fire and gathered his aura to prepare himself to react to the tenth apostle¡¯s move. ¡°Even though he¡¯s an apostle, you are following a Master everywhere to take care of him. Don¡¯t you think you are being overprotective? Don¡¯t tell me you are also feeding him personally.¡± ¡°Release him.¡± The tenth apostle looked down on him as if he had the upper hand. ¡°Don¡¯t order me around.¡± Raon smiled coldly, twisting the de of Requiem stabbing the seventh apostle¡¯s neck slightly. His flesh was torn as a result, and lumps of gray blood fell on the ground. ¡°Kuah!¡± The seventh apostle groaned in pain from the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy. ¡°S-Senior¡­¡± The seventh apostle stretched his hand towards the tenth apostle. He was begging for him to save his life. ¡°Even though the White Blood Religion doesn¡¯t fear death, it should still be difficult to fill the empty spot for apostles, right?¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon tightened his grip on the de of Requiem¡¯s hilt. The resulting vibration was enough to make the seventh apostle tremble in pain. ¡°The seat of the fourth apostle that I killed should be still waiting to be filled. You will have two empty seats if I end up killing this guy. Don¡¯t you think you will be disqualified as Five Demons because you will be too weak?¡± Even though the White Blood Religion had thergest number of members among the Six Kings and Five Demons, it wasn¡¯t easy to rece a powerhouse like an apostle. Raon needed to find a way to survive by using the seventh apostle that he was holding hostage. ¡°As you said, the fourth apostle¡¯s seat is still empty. However¡­¡± The tenth apostle slowly shook his head. He looked down on Raon and the seventh apostle with a dry gaze. ¡°Apostles aren¡¯t the only powerful people in our religion. The reason apostles are important isn¡¯t because of their might, but because they exist to teach people about the Blood God¡¯s greatness and truth.¡± The tenth apostle slowly opened his mouth and started speaking in a dry voice. His words reflected his faith despite his cruel expression. ¡®There are people even stronger than the apostles, he said?¡¯ He¡¯d never heard about them before, even in his previous life, and the information from the Shadow Agents had no mention of it either. ¡®Whether it¡¯s true or not, he can¡¯t easily abandon this guy.¡¯ The White Blood Religion was a religious organization rather than an armed organization. The fact that apostles were ranked higher than those who were stronger than them implied that the seventh apostle was worthy enough to be taken hostage. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether the apostles beg for food or whatever. My request¡­¡± When he was about to tell the tenth apostle to withdraw, footsteps could be heard through the hole in the ceiling. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± ¡°Are you alive?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen, including Runaan and Burren, waved their hands at Raon while looking down the hole. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°W-Wait! That man¡­¡± ¡°The tenth apostle!¡± ¡°Why is that monster here?!¡± They instantly recognized the tenth apostle and swallowed nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± As the tenth apostle was about to raise his head, Raon unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He gathered as much power as he could muster and tightened his grip on the de of Requiem. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The ghastly energy of the de of Requiem was amplified by the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and the seventh apostle¡¯s groan intensified. ¡°He is going to die if you take a single step.¡± The tenth apostle didn¡¯t respond¡ªhe simply stared at him. Raon couldn¡¯t tell whether his threat was working or not, but it was the right time to tell them. ¡°Burren! Runaan! Take everyone in the city and escape!¡± Raon shouted at the ceiling in order to use the only method avable to save everyone. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Vice squad leader! No!¡± ¡°We went through all that training in order to fight together!¡± The Light Wind squad didn¡¯t go away, instead expressing their willingness to fight. They looked like they were about to jump down at any moment. ¡®Those guys¡­¡¯ Raon felt like it was worth teaching them, since they were still capable of saying that after feeling the tenth apostle¡¯s tremendous pressure. Even though he felt proud of them, he couldn¡¯t tell them to fight alongside him. Even if theybined forces, they were about as strong as an egg trying to break a boulder, and they all would die in vain. ¡°This is an exception. I can survive, so stop worrying about me and escape with everyone!¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly while meeting Runaan and Burren¡¯s worried gazes. ¡°You know I¡¯ve never lied in my life, right?¡± It was true. If the Light Wind squad manage to evacuate everyone, he could call Wrath into his body and possibly y the tenth apostle instead. ¡°See youter.¡± The Light Wind members, who were leaning forward, stood up the moment he spoke. ¡°The Light Wind squad will obey the vice squad leader¡¯s order!¡± ¡°Everyone, move!¡± They scattered in all directions without even looking back. Runaan stayed behind to look at Raon the longest, but she eventually bit her lip and left. ¡°S-Senior. Why are you not doing anything? You can just take them hostages¡­Kuh!¡± Raon covered the seventh apostle¡¯s mouth and looked at the tenth apostle. ¡®This is strange.¡¯ Just like the seventh apostle had said, it was the perfect opportunity for the tenth apostle. Even though he could gain the upper hand by taking the Light Wind squad hostage, he really wasn¡¯t doing anything. It was as if nothing else mattered to him for his objective. ¡®Wait. Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ The tenth apostle was a Grandmaster, not a Master. It was impossible for Raon to defend himself against the surprise attack of a Grandmaster. He should¡¯ve already been dead if he had been going all-out from the beginning. He thought about what happened so far, and a frightening hypothesis came to mind. ¡®No way, is he¡­ Actually targeting me?¡¯ It was totally possible, considering the fact that he didn¡¯t even try to catch the Light Wind members, didn¡¯t really care about the seventh apostle, and he could¡¯ve been trying to capture him alive instead of killing him through his surprise attack. ¡®Moreover, he gave that unnecessary exnation about the apostles.¡¯ The tenth apostle just exined to him about the apostle¡¯s role even though he never needed to do that. Considering his silent personality, that exnation must¡¯ve had a reason behind it. ¡°Are you trying to make me into your apostle?¡± Raon¡¯s silent voice changed the tenth apostle¡¯s expression for the first time. His widened eyes revealed his surprise. ¡°I can finally understand why that person asked me to bring you. It¡¯s an insight befitting the one who observes the entire world from her seat.¡± The tenth apostle slowly closed his eyes before opening them again. His wavering eyes stiffened like the winter swamp. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m here to take you, Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Wh-What do you mean? Th-This bastard is my archenemy! How can he be an apostle?¡± The seventh apostle still managed toin despite having a de stabbing into his neck. ¡°It¡¯s the master¡¯s order.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± He couldn¡¯tin once he heard that it was the order from the religious leader. ¡°Raon Zieghart. You have no choice. None of your subordinates are going to survive if you refuse.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see what¡¯s happening to your junior?¡± Raon twisted the de of Requiem stabbing the seventh apostle¡¯s neck once again. Along with the sound of tearing flesh, arge amount of blood flew down from his neck. ¡°You can kill him if you want.¡± ¡°S-Senior?¡± ¡°We are better off without an apostle who lost to the same opponent twice, especially when the opponent in question had a lower stage than him.¡± The tenth apostle¡¯s gaze and voice were cold. His cold expression almost looked like he was about to kill the seventh apostle himself. ¡®The hostage isn¡¯t effective.¡¯ He felt like he was bluffing, considering the exnation he gave about the apostles, but the situation was still turning disadvantageous for him. ¡®I need to buy time¡­¡¯ The Light Wind squad and the people still hadn¡¯t managed to escape the city. It was necessary to drag out the chat with pointless chatter if it meant he could buy some time. ¡°If I be an apostle¡­¡± Raon slightly bit his lip as he looked at the tenth apostle. ¡°Is the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader going to personally teach me martial arts?¡± ¡°Of course. Bing her disciple is the first step of an apostle.¡± ¡°Receiving the teachings of one of the strongest people in the continent doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡± Even though he had no intention of bing an apostle, he was bbering in order to buy time. That was when the Ring of Fire noticed the faint flow of mana appearing in the air. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously while watching the flow of mana. ¡®If everything goes well¡­ I might be able to survive without having Wrath take over.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Burren lied to the people who managed to escape the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array¡¯s influence, iming that the tenth apostle had appeared and was trying to destroy Grand Seville to make them leave the city. Since the White Blood Religion¡¯s bloody energy remained all around the city and the buildings had copsed like sandcastles, it wasn¡¯t really difficult to convince people to leave. ¡°What about the first team?¡± ¡°They are supposed to gather at Martha¡¯s location, so they should be outside right now! Don¡¯t worry about them and run!¡± ¡°What about you, team leader¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to confirm the evacuation and follow you.¡± Along with Runaan, Burren confirmed that every single person had left the city before he looked at the hole where Raon and the tenth apostle were located. He wanted to help, but he was aware that he would only be a burden even if he tried. He could only bite his lip and leave the city. Once he reached Martha¡¯s location, every member of the Light Wind squad could be seen. ¡°What is happening right now? Why is everyoneing out?¡± ¡°The tenth apostle has appeared.¡± ¡°Tenth apostle¡­¡± Martha¡¯s body trembled as she stood up while holding a child. A tremendous amount of energy surged from her energy center, which should¡¯ve beenpletely empty. It didn¡¯t seem to be her aura, but the me of her life. ¡°And why are you here when that bastard has appeared?!¡± ¡°Raon said¡­¡± ¡°And you just left? We should be killing him together!¡± Burren exined the situation, and Martha grasped the hilt of her sword, as if she were about to run for help right away. ¡°No.¡± Runaan grasped Martha¡¯s wrist tightly. ¡°Let me go! I need to kill the tenth apostle! It¡¯s impossible for Raon to do it on his own!¡± ¡°Raon said he would return. He told us to trust him.¡± Even though Martha shook her hand violently, Runaan didn¡¯t release her wrist. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°Martha. I know that the tenth apostle is your archenemy, but now isn¡¯t the time. We are only going to be a burden even if we tried to help him.¡± Blood flew out of Burren¡¯s mouth. ¡°Damn it!¡± Martha stomped the ground upon noticing Burren¡¯s lips covered in blood. ¡°Why is this happening every single tim¡­ Ack!¡± As she was about to sit down while cursing the situation, Runaan smacked the back of her head with her hands gathered together. Smack! Martha couldn¡¯t understand the situation and rolled on the ground from the sudden attack. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°R-Runaan?¡± ¡°Second team leader¡­¡± Every member of the Light Wind squad¡¯s jaws dropped while looking at Runaan. ¡°What do you think you are doing, you crazy bitch?!¡± Martha shouted while shaking off the dirt from her face. ¡°I was trying to stop you because you looked like you were about to run.¡± ¡°Who the hell stops people like that?¡± ¡°You.¡± Runaan pointed at Martha. ¡°When did I ever¡­ Wait, is this¡­?¡± Martha frowned. She¡¯d hit the back of Runaan¡¯s head to make her faint when she started to struggle when they faced the Blood Raving Demon in the past, and she must¡¯ve been talking about that. ¡°Is this revenge from that time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not revenge. I was just trying to stop you.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s revenge!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Martha was about to punch Runaan and stopped. ¡®This girl¡­¡¯ Runaan¡¯s eyes were wavering violently despite how they usually remained nk. She must¡¯ve been worried about Raon, who was left behind alone. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha didn¡¯t want to run to help Raon any more after seeing Runaan¡¯s eyes. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Martha bit her lip and turned around. The children that the first team had rescued were all trembling in fear. ¡°Hey, is there anything to eat for the kids¡­ Huh?¡± Martha frowned after looking around at the Light Wind members. ¡°Where is that guy?¡± * * * Raon smiled faintly while pretending he didn¡¯t notice the new flow of mana. ¡°Am I also getting some elixirs if I be an apostle?¡± ¡°Not just elixirs, she might even bestow her blood upon you. Since she took a liking to you, you will be able to surpass your current stage in no time.¡± ¡°That blood must be the reason why he became stronger.¡± He moved the de of Requiem to slightly push the seventh apostle forward. ¡°Correct. You will receive a simr blessing if you believe in the Blood God and devote yourself.¡± The tenth apostle slowly raised his hand. The energy ignited from his hand was so white that it almost looked pure. It was the White Blood Energy, the epitome of bloody energy. ¡°Join the White Blood Religion. You shall be granted the honor to serve the god from a higher position than myself.¡± ¡°God? God, I see¡­¡± Raon smiled coldly while looking at the white me burning over the tenth apostle¡¯s hand. ¡°But I don¡¯t believe in god.¡± It wasn¡¯t just his current life. He didn¡¯t believe in god in his previous life either. ¡°I¡¯m not even interested in the creator god or holy god. You must be joking, asking me to believe in the Blood God.¡± Even though he belittled their god, the tenth apostle didn¡¯t react. ¡°¡®I¡¯ am the only one I believe in.¡± Raon pounded his chest with his right hand. ¡°That¡¯s how I am, and I made a promise just a moment ago.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a promise with those people.¡± He raised his head with a grim smile on his face. The mountain of corpses inside the cavern could be seen. The countless corpses, whose faces were distorted in pain and fear and couldn¡¯t even be recognized anymore, were staring at them with resentment. ¡°I pledged to kill him for them. You know, a god who doesn¡¯t keep their promise is bound to be unpopr. I have no intention of leaving their resentment as it is.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± As the seventh apostle felt the change in Raon¡¯s pressure, his fear and trembling could be felt. ¡°You¡­¡± The tenth apostle¡¯s eyes also started to waver upon noticing the ominous signs in Raon¡¯s behavior. ¡°I guess fellow disciples are still important for you, despite what you done.¡± Raon¡¯s smile suddenly stopped. ¡°It¡¯s disgusting.¡± At the same time as he said that, he pushed the de of Requiem forward from inside the seventh apostle¡¯s neck. Crimson me severed the seventh apostle¡¯s neck, contrasting with the gray color of his blood. Creak! Along with the frightening sound of his bones and flesh being torn apart, a dangerous amount of blood gushed from the seventh apostle¡¯s neck. ¡°S-Sa¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence because of theceration in his neck, and he sank to the ground with trembling hands. His eyes widened painfully, reflecting only his death. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± The tenth apostle walked towards him, his fierce eyes brimming with wrath. He thrust his hand, and an unimaginable amount of power exploded from it. Rumble! Raon quietly exhaled and wielded his two des. When he gathered all of his remaining aura trying to defend himself, the space distorted in a diagonal to radiate colorful lights. ng! The dimensional rift managed to fend off the tenth apostle¡¯s attack, opening up to reveal a woman wearing a ck robe, who walked out of it. ¡°Merlin?¡± The tenth apostle frowned upon noticing the old woman¡¯s mask, which was covered in wrinkles. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Merlin sighed in excitement while looking back at Raon instead of the tenth apostle. ¡°I knew you were the only one who should wear that helmet.¡± The pupils behind her mask were reflecting her desire. Her longing gaze had be worse than when he¡¯d met her for the first time at Habun Castle and when she fought against Sheryl. ¡°Come with me, Raon. You should look at me and no one else for the rest of your life¡­¡± ¡°Merlin from Eden.¡± The tenth apostle red at Merlin. The bloody energy emanating from him was on apletely different level from before. The white bloody energy burning around him melted down the distortion of space that Merlin created. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to interfere right now. Get out of my sight.¡± ¡°You are the one who is interfering between Raon and I.¡± ¡°Are you trying to breach the agreement between the Five Demons?¡± ¡°Agreement? Did we have something like that?¡± Merlin casually floated in the air and spread her arms. She smiled while unleashing a powerful mana that didn¡¯t lose at all against the tenth apostle¡¯s bloody energy. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Merlin¡¯s back. ¡®She was here after all.¡¯ When he pretended to be interested in joining the White Blood Religion in order to buy some time, the Ring of Fire had noticed a wave of mana. It was Merlin¡¯s doing, as he¡¯d suspected. ¡®She¡¯s been targeting me ever since the first time we met.¡¯ Merlin revealed her desire the first time they met at Habun Castle, and she showed a crazy obsession on the battlefield they encountered the second time. That was why Raon figured that she would stop the tenth apostle from taking him away. That was why he killed the seventh apostle, who would have survived if everything went wrong, and left the rest to her. She was acting exactly ording to his predictions. Whir! The tenth apostle and Merlin were both monsters who overcame the wall to be Grandmasters. Their pressures alone were enough to create a whirlwind of mana, reaching the end of the sky. ¡®I don¡¯t think they are going to fight to the death.¡¯ The agreement between Five Demons. Even though it was in name only, they weren¡¯t about to kill each other, since they were both high ranked officers. ¡®And that¡¯s what I need to break.¡¯ ¡®Because they both want me.¡¯ He decided to do something that was only possible because all of the conditions had been met. He leapt backwards and leaned his back against the wall. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hey?¡± ¡°You two will fight.¡± Raon raised his chin while watching the two monsters widen their eyes in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m going to follow the winner.¡± Seriously, this guy¡­ Wrath¡¯s lips twisted upon seeing Raon¡¯s confident smile. What a madd. ____ ____ Chapter 285

Chapter 285

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 285 Raon licked his lips while watching the tenth apostle and Merlin. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He crossed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem to tell them to start fighting already. ¡°Do you have too much time to waste? Start fighting already so we can be done with it.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± The tenth apostle¡¯s fierce eyes lost focus, and Merlin moaned in ecstasy. ¡®What¡¯s going to happen now?¡¯ He smiled while casually receiving the gazesing from the two Grandmasters. Of course it¡¯s not going to work! Do you even have a brain to think? Wrath frowned, saying that it was obviously not going to work. ¡®It¡¯s totally possible.¡¯ You idiot! Even though they are nothingpared to the King of Essence, they are still rtively powerful in your world. ¡®Well, that¡¯s true.¡¯ Moreover, they are allies. Do you truly believe that people who managed to ascend to their ranks are stupid enough to fight for you? They are definitely going to try taking you away by using a different method! ¡®I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ He shook his head while looking into the tenth apostle and Merlin¡¯s eyes, which were reflecting different emotions. That method wouldn¡¯t work against the other Five Demons, but it was definitely going to work against Eden and the White Blood Religion. Because¡­ They were both crazy. Even though the Five Demons were all crazy, Eden and the White Blood Religion were about a quarter crazier than the others. If the crazy people had the same objective, it was obvious they were going to sh against each other regardless of their alliance. ¡°Merlin, don¡¯t tell me you are going to listen to that guy.¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, of course¡­ I will.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I decided to do everything he wants.¡± Merlin stretched her hands with a smile full of affection. Magic circles of water and fire attributes appeared behind her, and the mana around her started to boil. ¡°Merlin!¡± The tenth apostle controlled his white bloody energy. His murderous re, directed at Merlin, was violent enough to make anyone terrified just from looking at his eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? We are being tested.¡± Merlin wagged her finger left and right. ¡°Tested? What kind of bullshit are you spouting?!¡± ¡°He¡¯s testing us, telling us to show our strength if we want to have him. Do you really fail to realize that he intends to join the stronger one?¡± She interpreted Raon¡¯s intention to her convenience. ¡°Killing you is a trivial task if it means I can bring Raon with me.¡± Crimson water gushed from Merlin¡¯s right hand, and blue mes burst from her left hand to be discharged towards the tenth apostle from the front. Whaam! The two streams of magic increased in size and power as they advanced and filled half of the cavern. ¡°You crazy bitch!¡± The tenth apostle stretched his hand towards the sky. A crack appeared and a spear as white as a snow flower emerged from it to fit into his grasp. The violent bloody energy gushed from the spearhead to sh against Merlin¡¯s magic. Boom! The huge impact distorted the cavern¡¯s floor, and the ceiling copsed like a sandcastle. ¡°You should withdraw if you don¡¯t want to fight. I¡¯ll be generous enough to take it as your loss.¡± Merlin sneered while unleashing four magic spells at once with one hand. ¡°It¡¯s an order from the religious leader. I¡¯m not going to stop, even if I have to return to the Blood God¡¯s embrace as a result.¡± The tenth apostle clenched his teeth and aimed his white spear forward. ¡°It¡¯s decided.¡± The magic circle behind Merlin expanded twice as much as before. Her amplified mana was also iparable to before. ¡°Come at me to your heart¡¯s content.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tear off your mask and enjoy your wailing face.¡± The look in the tenth apostle¡¯s eyes changed. It felt like the leash of a ferocious yetposed beast had been removed, his eyes reflecting his madness. Whaam! The spear and magic. The entirety of Grand Seville trembled from the sh between the two monsters. Wh-What¡¯s going on? Wrath swallowed nervously as he watched Merlin and the tenth apostle fight against each other violently enough to create huge sparks around them. Why are those idiots even fighting against each other? ¡®The tenth apostle gave you the answer earlier. It¡¯s because they are crazy.¡¯ That was really the only reason. Merlin and the tenth apostle were as crazy as they were strong, which made their fight a natural course of action. ¡®Moreover, Merlin is obsessed with me.¡¯ Since her crazy obsession had been increasing at each encounter, it was as clear as day that she was going to start a fight with the tenth apostle. The tenth apostle was no different. He pretended to beposed, but he was still a bloody demon who fed on people¡¯s flesh. He was obviously going to rampage around once the trigger was pulled. ¡®Do you want to see something even more interesting?¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and called on Merlin, who was using wind and fire magic at the same time. ¡°Merlin, do I lose myself if I wear that helmet?¡± ¡°Are you interested? You must be! I knew it!¡± Merlin turned to look back and smiled brightly. The way her old woman mask was smiling could only be described as grotesque. ¡°No, you will still remain yourself. However, you will change slightly once you wear the helmet. You will realize what I mean as soon as you try it. You can be much stronger than right now. I¡¯ll make it happen.¡± She gently exined that the mysterious power in the helmet would increase his potential. ¡°She¡¯s lying.¡± The tenth apostle ground his teeth while deflecting Merlin¡¯s magic. ¡°The souls of countless monsters dwell inside Eden¡¯s helmets and masks. You are bound to lose your free will as soon as you use them!¡± He continued speaking while pushing Merlin back with the bloody energy storming around his spear. ¡°We are different. The religious leader is capable of making you stronger while you still remain yourself. You just need to ept her bloody energy. Come with me, you will be the strongest apost¡ª¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen.¡± Merlin created a translucent space to absorb the tenth apostle¡¯s strike and smiled gently. ¡°Monsters souls indeed dwell inside the helmets, but it¡¯s not bound to devour you. You might be able to prevail against it. Moreover, once you take off the helmet, you will return to your usual self. Nothing will change. You should just consider it as you gaining a new power called bative energy¡¯.¡± She blew her breath on the small wind emerging from her finger. The bit of wind was smaller than a fingernail, but it turned into arge whirlwind to storm at the tenth apostle. ¡°Once you ept bloody energy, you will have to live as a monster who devours human flesh for the rest of your life. Are you fine with that? Moreover, the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader is ¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± The tenth apostle severed through the storm and attacked with his spear. Merlin used Blink to gain distance before she barraged him with magic spells, spreading all kinds of lights around them. Whaam! Merlin and the tenth apostle stopped talking once again and tried to kill each other with their violent attacks. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while thinking about what Merlin and the tenth apostle said. ¡®Monster souls dwell inside the helmet¡­ I might be able to use that.¡¯ It was a good piece of information that could benefit him in his current state. He was really thankful to them for being so crazy. ¡®See?¡¯ Raon shrugged his shoulders while looking at Wrath. ¡®I can even get information out of them.¡¯ Uuh¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at Raon. ¡®Is he really human¡­?¡¯ Even though the enemies were far stronger than him, he wasn¡¯t intimidated¡ªinstead, he used their way of thinking to make them fight against each other, and even obtained information from them. Something like that had never happened even in his imagination. ¡®Ridiculous.¡¯ Raon was the weakest of them all, but he was still dominating the situation. The way the weakest person was standing confidently in front of stronger people made him look like a great man for the first time. Although his might was still that of a greenhorn for sure, his willpower and nning ability were already pretty much mature. Ahem! ¡®This is going to be useful.¡¯ Wrath cleared his throat and erged his left hand, then started writing what happened that day with the index finger of his right hand. The King of Essence had a surprising experience today. The weak dominated the strong¡­ ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ Raon tilted his head as he watched Wrath start to mumble while writing something on his hand all of the sudden. Taking notes. ¡®Notes?¡¯ Indeed. ¡®What notes?¡¯ It¡¯s a note to remind myself of how you manipted those two idiots. The King of Essence is definitely going to learn this method and make that arrogant Pride and ugly Greed fight against each other. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Wrath called it impossible at first and didn¡¯t believe him, but he seemed to be fascinated by the method after seeing it happen. The King of Essence even thought of a cool line. ¡®Line?¡¯ Yes. ¡®You shall kill each other now!¡¯ Isn¡¯t it cool? Wrath held his nose in the air, praising himself foring up with such an amazing idea. I¡¯m looking forward to your lessons in the future. The young demons in Devildom should also learn from you¡­ He licked his lips while saying that it was regrettable that it couldn¡¯t happen, and repeated the line once again. ¡®But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen so easily¡­¡¯ The reason why his scheme seeded was because Merlin was really crazy from the bottom of her heart. It wasn¡¯t going to happen unless his target was truly insane. ¡®Rather than that¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while watching Wrath celebrate the good lesson he learned. ¡®Did he really give up?¡¯ Wrath seemed to have pretty much given up on taking over his body after getting beaten up for more than ten years straight. He was nothing more than an illegal tenant who was borrowing a portion of his body at that point. He was an affectionate and naive monarch of Wrath who liked strange food. He was truly full of surprises. Whaam! As Raon was murmuring ¡®how curious¡¯ while watching the back of Wrath¡¯s head, arge explosion urred in Grand Seville¡¯s sky. Merlin and the tenth apostle had left the small cavern to fight in the sky instead, and the impact created by the two monsters¡¯ mana was making him nauseous despite being so far away. What are you nning on doing next? Are you going to run away? ¡®No.¡¯ Raon shook his head. They could easily catch him even if he tried to run, and they would only gain hostages from it. Something like that wouldn¡¯t be the correct course of action. Whap! He ced his hand on the ground and released the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The me spread in all directions, following the dried blood on the floor to surround the dead. Are you trying to cremate them in this situation? ¡®I¡¯m doing it precisely because we are in this situation.¡¯ Those people had their blood and flesh devoured by the seventh apostle. He decided tofort the dead to send them off, since they could turn into evil spirits or something bad if they were left alone. Whir! The de of Requiem released its ghastly energy to amplify the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me. ¡®I see.¡¯ The de of Requiem¡¯s clear sword resonance sounded like it was praying for them to end up differently than itself. Whap! The mixture of pure heat and ghastly energy turned the resentful corpses into ash and scattered it into the air. ¡®I hope you can find peace in the otherworld.¡¯ Raon gathered his hands and closed his eyes. He paid tribute to the deceased for a while, without even realizing that an auspicious light emerged from the ashes to dwell inside the de of Requiem. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Rumble! Mighty lightning sparked from the rain clouds filling the sky. Countless lightning strikes rained down from the spectacle, where yellow chains were coiling around the sky. Cring! The wave of bloody energy unleashed from the tenth apostle¡¯s white spear soared from the ground to the sky and engulfed the entirety of Grand Seville. Whaam! The sh between the peaks of magic and martial art crushed the city like a lump of mud. The small piece of mana bursting from the aftermath of the sh was enough to turn theke upside down and copse the mountain. Whir! The tenth apostle frowned as he watched the red and blue mana gathering in Merlin¡¯s hands. ¡°You must¡¯ve also realized that we are both going to die if we continue fighting each other. Are you really trying to see the end of it?¡± ¡°When did your leader start to target Raon?¡± Merlin didn¡¯t answer his question, instead changing the subject to somethingpletely different. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It must be when the fourth apostle died by Raon, right?¡± The tenth apostle responded with silence. ¡°On the other hand, I¡¯ve been targeting him from the beginning. I fell in love with him the first time I saw him, and I became certain when I saw him the second time. We are fated for each other.¡± Merlin¡¯s smile deepened and the density and fragrance of mana flowing around her grew exponentially. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tenth apostle narrowed his eyes as he watched the madness flowing from Merlin¡¯s eyes. ¡°I started to prepare to fight you the moment I noticed your appearance here. You can have the victory, but Raon wille with me.¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes sparkled with a frightening light, and countless magic circles appeared behind her. Swaa! Every single magic spell that fell like a meteor shower was as powerful as an astral sphere, and perfectly surrounded the tenth apostle by raining down from all directions. ¡°Merlin!¡± Bloody energy powerful enough to shatter the sky burst from the tenth apostle¡¯s spear to sever the magic, but a new magic immediately reced it as if he were cutting through a waterfall. ¡°Those are ten thousand magic strikes that I¡¯ve prepared for you. Have fun with them.¡± ¡°Meeeeerlin!¡± Merlin ignored the tenth apostle¡¯s scream and went back down to the cavern. * * * Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Merlining back down. ¡®This is unexpected.¡¯ Considering the fact that she even made that much preparation, she wasn¡¯t just crazy¡ªshe waspletely crazy. ¡®However¡­¡¯ ¡®This is more convenient.¡¯ It was far better to face Merlin¡¯s magic than fighting the tenth apostle¡¯s martial art. ¡®Because I have the de of Requiem.¡¯ Since he had the de of Requiem¡¯s ability, the Ghastly Flow of Mana that he got from destroying the ck sword in Lohengreen¡¯s dungeon, he was confident he couldst until the tenth apostle broke through Merlin¡¯s magic. You always have a n! He brandished the de of Requiem while listening to Wrath¡¯s admiring voice. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Merlin sent a round of apuse with a bright smile on her face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve grown once again and have a countermeasure prepared, right?¡± Her smile deepened as she slightly lowered her chin. ¡°I really want to see it, but we don¡¯t have the time right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have plenty of time. I really want to see the result of your fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± A hexagonal box emerged from Merlin¡¯s hand. A ck haze burst out like embers from the box covered with strange patterns. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. He had a bad feeling about it just from looking at it. ¡°Did you know that there are consumable items among the legendary artifacts with only one use?¡± ¡°A legendary consumable?¡± ¡°And this is one of those. It¡¯s called the Cage of Eternal Darkness.¡± Chill ran down his spine, making Raon step back. He resonated the Ring of Fire as fast as he could in order to react to all situations. ¡°Release!¡± Merlin didn¡¯t even try to chase him and pushed her mana inside the box. Cring! Eighteen holes appeared on the hexagonal box and steam spewed from it. ¡®What is th¡ªhuh?¡¯ He tried to raise his sword, but his body wasn¡¯t moving. He lowered his eyes, and he could see ck chains emerging from his shadow to bind his whole body. ¡°Th-This is¡­¡± ¡°The Cage of Eternal Darkness is a prison that can confine an existence that has a smaller amount of mana than the user. You won¡¯t be able to move, since the shadow chains are binding your soul.¡± She was right. It wasn¡¯t his body that he couldn¡¯t move. His soul wasn¡¯t moving at all even though it needed tomand his body. He couldn¡¯t even move his soul aside for Wrath to take his ce because of that. ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡± Merlin smiled gently and shook the Cage of Eternal Darkness, and his vision turned dark. Because your mana pool is so small, even the King of Essence is incapable of moving. But this must be one of your schemes, right? Alright, let¡¯s go wherever it takes us! Wrath was grinning happily despite Raon¡¯s frustration. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± Raon was grinding his teeth when he heard a familiar voice from the hole in the ceiling. He barely managed to raise his eyes, and he could see green hair fluttering into the wind. It was Dorian. He took something out from his belly pocket and threw it at him. ¡°You idiot, run¡­¡± Raon ground his teeth as he red at Merlin. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll kill you¡­ if you harm my boys¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Just close your eyes for a moment and everything will be over by the time you wake up.¡± Merlin¡¯s gentleughter could be heard as she shook her hand. When he saw that her finger, which was drawing a circle, returned to its original position, his vision turnedpletely dark. ____ ____ Chapter 286 Whaam! The tenth apostle shredded hundreds of magic spells in an instant by creating a tremendous spark of bloody energy. He had injuries all over his body, and the madness burning in his eyes was even more powerful than in the beginning. ¡°Merlin!¡± ¡°Toote. The date is already over.¡± Merlin smiled brightly while holding the Cage of Eternal Darkness, which had Raon sealed inside. ¡°How dare you, you crazy bitch!¡± The tenth apostle ground his teeth and thrust his white spear downward. The spear strike was falling upon Merlin¡¯s head with a tremendous amount of bloody energy condensed inside of it. ¡°We will stop here for today.¡± Merlin snapped her fingers, and her body shone like the stars and blurred. ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be popr with women if you are so persistent.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The tenth leapt in the air to personally charge into the cavern. Frightening explosions urred consecutively from below. ¡°Argh!¡± Dorian¡¯s hands were trembling in fear as he raised himself up. He punched his legs, which didn¡¯t want to move, so that he could run over the copsingnd. ¡®Damn it! I was hoping that this would never happen¡­¡¯ He knew Raon better than anyone else because he was the closest person to him, and had been ever since they were trainees. Even though Raon always looked like he overcame a crisis with wisdom, he¡¯d always pushed himself to his limits. He overcame his fear that made him want to hide and watch because Raon was an idiot who put other people above his own life, and the oue was the worst thing that could happen. ¡®Vice squad leader¡­¡¯ Even when Raon was getting sealed inside Merlin¡¯s box, his eyes were worried about him, telling him to run away. Because he was that kind of person, he wanted to help him, even if it cost him his life. However, there was nothing he could do. ¡®Th-This is the best thing I can do.¡¯ He could probably locate a device to counter the box if he looked through everything he had in his belly pocket, but it was pointless. Even if Raon managed to escape, there was no way they could run away from those two. The best thing he could do was to keep moving with Raon¡¯s retrieval in mind. ¡°Merlin!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Dorian swallowed nervously upon hearing the tenth apostle¡¯s shouting from the cavern. It was so terrifying that he wanted to sink to the ground and start crying. He might have if the situation weren¡¯t so urgent. ¡®I-I need to run away.¡¯ If the monster caught him, he wasn¡¯t simply going to die¡ªthe possibility of Raon¡¯s retrieval was going to disappear with him. It was because he would fail to deliver ¡®it¡¯. ¡®I need to go as fast as possible¡­ Ah!¡¯ Dorian was trying to run as far as possible from the tenth apostle, but suddenly stopped. ¡®He said that I shouldn¡¯t move in a situation like this¡­¡¯ He remembered what Raon had told him during a recent training session in the North Grave Mountain. ¡°If you are trying to escape from a master, hiding is better than running away. It only takes them being a Master to single-handedly discover your presence and catch up to you. On the other hand, if you control your breath while hiding, you are highly likely to survive.¡± ¡°Control my breath?¡± ¡°Yes. If you are on a mountain, pretend to be a wild animal. If you are in a ce with lots of people around, you should pretend to be an ordinary person. Rxing is the most important part. If you manage to rx and suppress your presence, it will be difficult to find you.¡± He suppressed his breath while thinking about the focus enhancement training that he went through with Raon. He breathed as slowly and as weakly as the dead¡ªor, rather, a person who was about to die¡ªand hid himself under a wall. ¡®He¡¯s right about that.¡¯ The tenth apostle was supposed to be a Grandmaster. Since he might end up following him even if he managed to escape the city, it was better to feign death and hide. Maybe Raon predicted that such a situation would ur, since the training that he considered useless was saving his life. He felt thankful to him once again. ¡®Sir Raon always thinks about the future.¡¯ Just in case¡­ He took out a small ss bottle containing red liquid from his belly pocket and squeezed it inside his sleeve, then he covered his mouth and lowered his body a bit more. Whack! Whaam! It sounded like the enraged tenth apostle was destroying everything around him. The crashing sound that continued for a while eventually subsided, and the tenth apostle¡¯s energy scattered like dust in the wind despite how fiercely he spread around his madness. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian only raised himself once thirty minutes had passed after that. He was still trembling in fear. His pounding heart didn¡¯t want to stop, as he went overboard despite being a coward. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m dying.¡± He grasped his head, feeling dizzy from being unable to breathe properly, and moved towards the Light Wind squad¡¯s location. He suppressed his presence just in case and went around the street to leave the city. As he was about to leave the city, a bit more than thirty people were entering. He didn¡¯t recognize some of them, but most of them were the Light Wind squad members. ¡°Team leaders!¡± Dorian ran at Burren while suppressing his tears from bursting out. ¡°This guy!¡± ¡°Hey, fatty! Where have you been?¡± Burren and Martha came running at him with frowns on their faces. Even though they were angry at him, their eyes were filled with worry. ¡°Ugh!¡± Dorian bit his lip tightly while meeting the Light Wind squad¡¯s eyes. ¡°S-Sir Raon¡­¡± He pounded his chest to breathe out the air clogging his lungs. ¡°Sir Raon has been kidnapped.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Shit¡­¡± Burren and Martha clenched their fists while lowering their gazes to the ground. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°That ended up happening¡­¡± ¡°The one who was fighting against the tenth apostle was wearing an old woman¡¯s mask. She must¡¯ve been Merlin, who had been targeting the vice squad leader.¡± The Light Wind squad seemed to somewhat expect that result, as they watched the fight between the tenth apostle and Merlin. ¡°That idiot! What can he even do against two Grandmasters?!¡± Martha pounded the ground with her fist. The emotions filling her fist instead of aura pulled at everyone¡¯s heartstrings. ¡°He¡¯s sacrificed himself once again in order to save us.¡± Burren violently ground his teeth. He clenched his fist to the point that he nearly bled as he lowered his head. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± Runaan sank to the ground on the spot with trembling hands. She seemed to be in aplete panic. ¡°Which one kidnapped him?¡± ¡°It was Merlin from Eden. He was absorbed into a strange box¡­¡± Dorian described the situation he witnessed. ¡°Sh-She had to use teleportation of all things¡­¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make it impossible to find him?¡± ¡°No! We just need to act quickly¡­¡± ¡°But even the tenth apostle lost her. A magician like Merlin won¡¯t even leave a trace from teleportation¡­¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Light Wind members¡¯ faces turned pale. Everyone was stuttering, the focus leaving their eyes. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Raon, that damn bastard¡­¡± Even the sound of weeping could be heard. ¡°Th-There¡¯s a way to find him.¡± Light Wind squad¡¯s gazes sparked upon hearing Dorian¡¯s hoarse voice. ¡°A way? What is it?¡± Runaan stood up from the ground like a tumbling doll and grasped Dorian¡¯s head. ¡°Dorian!¡± ¡°Spit it out! Quick!¡± ¡°Say it already!¡± Every member of the Light Wind squad rushed at him and grabbed him by his cor, shoulders, and arms. ¡°Let me go first!¡± Dorian stepped back, then took a small ss bottle that contained red liquid from his pocket. ¡°A ss bottle?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a liquid made from crushing the Snake Tail Red Flower.¡± He opened the ss bottle¡¯s lid. A faint fragrance tickled his nose. ¡°The Continent Chaser Fragrance!¡± The young woman wearing a rose patterned eyepatch, who¡¯d been mixed into the Light Wind members, shouted. ¡°You must¡¯ve sprayed the Continent Chaser Fragrance on him!¡± ¡°Huh? Who is she¡­?¡± Dorian tilted his head since he¡¯d never seen her before. ¡°She¡¯s Miss Denning Rose, the branch manager of ck Market. Exin that first.¡± ¡°Ah! Just like she said, this is called the Continent Chaser Fragrance, and it¡¯s used for tracking people, since people say that its fragrance can be scented from House Robert in the south all the way to Zieghart in the north.¡± ¡°Wh-Which means, you¡­¡± ¡°Please tell me!¡± ¡°Yes. I sprayed this liquid on Sir Raon before he was absorbed into the box.¡± Dorian nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°You punk!¡± ¡°How did you do that when you are such a coward?!¡± Runaan, Burren, and Martha hugged Dorian in their arms, and the Light Wind squad also smiled at the hope they felt. ¡°But I can barely smell anything from it. Are you sure we can find him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because a strong fragrance is bound to be removed quickly. We need a special artifact to feel the fragrance.¡± Dorian nodded, then took a ring from his belly pocket. It was an artifact with a red jewel embedded in the center. ¡°You can smell the fragrance of Snake Tail Red Flower if you wear this ring, which means that we can find young master Raon wherever he i¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± A chill ran down his spine upon hearing the cold voice behind him. The Light Wind squad¡¯s astonished eyes reflected the tenth apostle. ¡°Gasp!¡± Dorian quickly put the bottle and the ring in his belly pocket. He immediately tried to run away, but his entire body started to stiffen, starting from his neck. He quickly shook off his sleeve before he couldn¡¯t move his hand anymore. ¡°I need you toe with me.¡± The tenth apostle grabbed Dorian by his neck and raised him up. He couldn¡¯t resist because he waspletely petrified, like a stone statue. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Die!¡± Runaan and Martha were the first ones to react. They instantly unsheathed their swords and charged at the tenth apostle. Thud! The tenth apostle shook his hand. Bloody energy emerged from the simple swing of his hand, dashing towards their hearts. ¡°That bastard!¡± ¡°Haap!¡± Runaan created a frozen wall in front of Martha, who couldn¡¯t think straight anymore. ng! The powerful bloody energy mercilessly shattered the frozen wall, and Runaan coughed up blood as she bounced back. ¡°Kuh!¡± Martha used Berserk upon noticing Runaan¡¯s gaze telling her to continue. She exploded all of her remaining aura to strike. Thud! The tenth apostle flicked his fingers. The line of bloody energy emerging from his index finger shattered Martha¡¯s sword and pierced through her chest. ¡°Open formation! Stop him at the cost of your lives!¡± Burren and the Light Wind squad bit their tongues and dashed at him. Everyone prepared for death and unleashed their special techniques to the best of their abilities. ¡°How annoying.¡± The tenth apostle stretched his hand. The bloody wave emerging from his hand instantly shattered the Light Wind formation. Every single one of the swordsmen were mmed on the ground, coughing up blood. ¡°Huaa¡­¡± Martha bit her lip and raised her sword as if she didn¡¯t care about her injury at all. The old and worn out droplet ne was swaying over her torn uniform. ¡°I-I¡¯m definitely going to kill you! You won¡¯t have Raon, nor Dorian!¡± She screamed as she thrust her sword. Tap. The tenth apostle grabbed Martha¡¯s powerless sword and narrowed his eyes while looking at her ne. ¡°I see. You are from back then.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± He briefly clicked his tongue and flicked his fingers, and Martha rolled on the ground as a result, like a marite that had lost its strings. ¡°Forget about Raon and this guy.¡± The tenth apostle shook his hand, and a red puddle appeared beneath him. ¡°Because that¡¯s the only way for you to survive.¡± Before he even finished talking, he sank into the puddle with Dorian. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± Runaan screamed and crawled at it to pound on the ground where the tenth apostle had disappeared with her bare hands. Her hands started to bleed and her flesh was getting torn apart, but she didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Burren came up next to Runaan while wiping away the blood flowing from his mouth. He looked like he had finally lost it as he started digging at the ground. ¡°Dorian¡­¡± ¡°Dorian!¡± ¡°Those sons of bitches!¡± Every swordsman from the Light Wind squad except for Martha, who had fainted, came next to them to m the ground. Denning Rose watched them for a while before she noticed the ss bottle rolling from the right side. Her eyes widened. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± She picked up the ss bottle and called out to everyone. ¡°We can find him if we have this!¡± ¡°B-But the ring¡­¡± ¡°We also use the Continent Chaser Fragrance. We can make the artifact to find him if we have this fragrance!¡± She couldn¡¯t understand why the Continent Chaser Fragrance was there when the tenth apostle was supposed to have it, but it was totally possible to find him by using it. ¡°I¡¯ll find him no matter what.¡± The only eye that Denning Rose had sparkled brightly. ¡°I swear it under the name of the fourth sessor of the ck Market¡¯s master.¡± * * * * * * Dorian swallowed nervously while rolling his eyes. ¡®This ce¡­¡¯ The snow-white room didn¡¯t have a single speck of dust, the red pirs looked like they were smeared with blood, and a luxurious tform was erected on top. No matter how slow he was, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t realize whose room it was. The tenth apostle walked up to the center of the room before he knelt. ¡°Greeting the master.¡± ¡®Huff!¡¯ His bad feelings were always right. There was only one person an apostle would refer to as their master. The owner of the strange room was the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader, who he never wanted to meet in his life. Whap. A woman¡¯s curvy shadow appeared from behind the red curtain covering the tform. Although nothing had taken effect at all, her presence suddenly appeared as if she had just appeared out of nowhere. ¡®This¡­¡¯ He felt like his paralyzed chin was trembling. The mysterious air spreading all over the room was different from Glenn¡¯s powerful pressure. It was a huge shock that she was capable of creating such an atmosphere despite being hidden behind the red curtain. ¡°The seventh has returned to the Blood God¡¯s embrace.¡± The gentle voiceing from behind the curtain almost felt warm. He felt like happiness, sadness, kindness, and contempt were mixed into one in her voice. ¡°I beg your pardon.¡± The tenth apostle closed his eyes and lowered his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry, since it was simply his fault. Don¡¯t worry about it, since the Blood God is going to take him into their embrace.¡± Laughter was mixed into the voice of the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader. Dorian couldn¡¯t understand why she wasughing when her disciple had died, and that made it even more terrifying. ¡°What about Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Haa¡­ When I managed to find him¡­¡± The tenth apostle opened his eyes and told her about what happened at Grand Seville. ¡°Merlin. Merlin, I see. She¡¯s being a hindrance once again.¡± Her voice was still gentle, but she sounded slightly irritated and angry. ¡°So, who is that boy?¡± ¡°I brought him here because he sprayed the Continent Chaser Fragrance on Raon and has the artifact that will allow us to find him.¡± ¡°Artifact?¡± ¡°Yes. He has it in that belly pocket, but I can¡¯t take it out.¡± The tenth apostle frowned while looking at Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. ¡°It looks like a special artifact.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader gently waved her hand from behind the curtain, and Dorian¡¯s body floated into the air. He was dragged towards the tform as if he were being pulled by strings. ¡®Hieeh!¡¯ Dorian screamed on the inside. His heart was tightening so hard that he felt like he was going to die at any moment. ¡®I-I¡¯m sure she¡¯s going to kill me. Still¡­¡¯ ¡®I won¡¯t give away the ring.¡¯ The ring couldn¡¯t be handed over considering everything Raon had done for him. Since he left the Continent Chaser Fragrance that he had in his sleeve behind, they should¡¯ve been able to create another artifact to find him. All he could do was to somehow survive while believing that the others would rescue Raon. Tap! Dorian gentlynded on the tform just like when he started to float. It looked like the mana circuits that the tenth apostle had blocked were unclogged, since he could move his limbs once again. ¡°Th-The pocket is never going to open if you kill me! I¡¯ll never give you the ring¡­¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been difficult.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± He expected her to start torturing him right away, but a gentle voice was all that came from the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader. ¡°You were hiding in that intense battlefield in order to help your master. I¡¯m proud of you.¡± A hand came out of the red curtain. The snow-white hand, which was frighteningly beautiful, caressed his dusty head. The warmth and softness of her touch made his chin tremble in fear. ¡°I know how much you¡¯ve suffered.¡± ¡°Ugh, no matter what you try¡­ Ah!¡± He raised his head to tell her that he wasn¡¯t going to yield, meeting the ck eyes behind the small opening of the curtains. His head turnedpletely empty upon meeting the pitch-ck eyes. ¡°At this rate, your master¡¯s soul will be fed to a monster that¡¯s even worse than a beast.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Give me the ring.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader reached out her hand that she was using to caress Dorian¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll retrieve your master and let him ascend to a higher stage.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Dorian nkly nodded, then took out the ring with a red jewel embedded on it and gave it to the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader. ¡°Thank you.¡± She waved her hand, and Dorian copsed to the side. ¡°It looks like the journey to find a new disciple is going to be rather interesting.¡± She smiled faintly while looking at the shiny red ring. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to see the old faces that I¡¯ve been missing.¡± * * * The leader of Shadow Agents, Chad, went to the audience chamber more urgently than ever before. He would¡¯ve normally waited after knocking on the door, but he immediately opened the door and entered. ¡°The leader of Shadow Agents?¡± ¡°Sir Chad?¡± Sheryl was grabbing Rimmer by his cor and Roenn was smiling behind them, and they both tilted their heads upon noticing him. ¡°Oh! Are you here to save me?¡± Rimmer waved his hand with a bruise on his eye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s an emergency!¡± Chad didn¡¯t respond to them, instead kneeling in the center, where he could see Glenn. ¡°It''s urgent news from Grand Seville¡¯s ck Market! Th-The vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad has been kidnapped by Merlin from Eden!¡± Chad¡¯s lips were trembling violently as he spoke. He anxiously raised his head, as he was unable to guess how they were going to react. Whir! Rimmer¡¯s yful eyes were sparkling like a demon¡¯s, Sheryl¡¯s eyes revealed her intense murderous intent, and the atmosphere around Roenn turned icy cold in an instant. ¡°borate.¡± Glenn¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. He looked as coldhearted as he was in the beginning, but that made it even more scary. ¡°borate in more detail.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. The Light Wind squad¡¯s vice leader noticed that an array was set up all over Grand Seville and¡­¡± Chad summarized Denning Rose¡¯s letter as briefly as he could and reported. ¡°Eden, that trash¡­¡± ¡°Do they believe that the entire world belongs to them just because we let them do as they please?¡± ¡°Their lives have been spared for too long.¡± The energy wavesing from Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn intensified. The entire audience chamber was trembling from their wrath. ¡°Chad.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Goosebumps appeared all over his body upon hearing Glenn¡¯s emotionless voice. His heavy voice contained a wrath even worse than the other three¡¯s. ¡°How about the pyroxene¡¯s signal that I gave to Raon?¡± ¡°I tried looking for it, but it¡¯sing from the sky and in the middle of the ocean. He must be in a location with a distorted timespace.¡± The pyroxene ne that Glenn gave to Raon had a sonar-like ability, and it could be found anywhere in the continent. However, the signal couldn¡¯t be detected properly. He must¡¯ve been hidden inside an extremely sophisticated barrier. ¡°¡­Does that mean that we can¡¯t find him?¡± ¡°No.¡± Chad quickly shook his head. ¡°We currently need his physical location, and the boy named Dorian solved that issue. We can find him by using both the ne and Continent Chaser Fragrance. It won¡¯t take a long time, since the ck Market seems to be also actively working on it.¡± One of the ck Market¡¯s sessors dered that she would start the search as soon as she finished making the artifact. Since they were experts at finding people and objects, they were bound to find him pretty soon. ¡°Sheryl, summon all of the officers of the house. Roenn, summon the heads of the vassal houses.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They immediately left the audience chamber with threatening looks in their eyes. ¡°Chad. Investigate Eden and the White Blood Religion¡¯s movements, even if you have to mobilize all of the divisions and squads for it. You have to do it as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Is the White Blood Religion also included in this?¡± ¡°The White Blood Religion can use sorcery to distort thews of the world. If they get their hands on the ring and find the Continent Chaser Fragrance, they are most likely going to discover Raon¡¯s location.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°And the boy they kidnapped is also a Zieghart.¡± ¡°Ah, understood!¡± Chad clenched his fist and stood up. His deration that they would to save a Zieghart made him proud of his house and his heart pounded violently. ¡°Rimmer, you should help Chad.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rimmer silently stood behind Chad. His always-yful atmosphere had turned as cold as the northern wind. ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell the annex building about this.¡± Rimmer bowed to Glenn and left the audience chamber alongside Chad. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn bit his lip and grasped the handles of the throne. He grasped them so hard that the red iron turned into powder and fluttered in the air. ¡°Eden, White Blood Religion.¡± His eyes glowed with a bloody light. ¡°I¡¯ll remove all of you from this world.¡± ¡®No matter where you are hiding.¡¯ * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the ceiling that seemed to be made of log. ¡®Where is this¡­?¡¯ Along with a small headache, he remembered that he was caught by the Cage of Eternal Darkness that Merlin used. ¡®She even used a legendary consumable for me.¡¯ A legendary artifact was extremely valuable. Moreover, what she used on him was a consumable that had only one use. He realized that he¡¯d been underestimating her insanity. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He raised himself up. He put away the extremely soft nket, and he could see that he was wearing white clothes that didn¡¯t have a single speck of dust on them. Merlin must¡¯ve changed him into them. ¡®The ne is here. Huh? The sword is also here¡­¡¯ The pyroxene ne wasn¡¯t the only item there, since his uniform was neatly folded alongside the de of Requiem and Heavenly Drive above his head. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Have I really been kidnapped? The uniform and ne were understandable, but he couldn¡¯t understand why the de of Requiem and Heavenly Drive were there. Did you finally wake up? Wrath shoved his face into him, ready to take notes. So, what are you going to do next? It¡¯s time to give the King of Essence a lesson. He smiled in anticipation,pletely confident that Raon had a n for everything happening in the future. ¡®n¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lip while grabbing Heavenly Drive. ¡®This isn¡¯t too bad when I think about it.¡¯ When he heard the conversation between Merlin and the tenth apostle, he thought that being kidnapped by Eden would be far better than the White Blood Religion if it had to happen. ¡®Because she said that a powerful monster¡¯s soul dwells inside the helmet.¡¯ Since he¡¯d been fighting against a self-proimed demon king ever since his childhood, he was confident he could emerge victorious regardless of who he had to fight inside the helmet. ¡®And escape is more than possible.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t be simply escaping, either. He could be far stronger than before by the time he escaped. ¡®I have to thank the Giving Wrath once ag¡­ Huh?¡¯ Raon was smiling while holding the de of Requiem when he felt a piercing gaze from behind him. Whir! At the same time that the de of Requiem warned him, he turned around and unsheathed his sword. ng! A white skull helmet was floating on the ck longsword that blocked the de of Requiem. The golden spark shining from its empty eyes gave off the stench of death. ¡°Death knight¡¯s helmet¡­¡± Chapter 287

Chapter 287

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 287 Shortly after bing a trainee, Dorian had once bbered about rumors and incidents in the continent. Since he usually talked too much, Raon only listened to his random stories half-heartedly, but there was one interesting story among them. It was about the appearance of a new monster in Eden. It was the story of a mysterious man wearing a death knight¡¯s helmet annihting a knight order from the Owen kingdom on his own. Raon had nodded because he figured a demon from Eden would be capable of achieving such a feat, and Dorian added a surprising detail. It was the fact that the knight order¡¯s name was the Blue Horse Knights. The Blue Horse Knights were one of the Owen Kingdom¡¯s knight orders with a long history behind them, and their captain was Marquis Orn Parron, who had reached the realm of Grandmaster. Owen¡¯s King personally drew his sword and looked for the demon wearing the death knight¡¯s helmet, but he simply disappeared after that and never showed his face again. People called that mysterious man the Soul Severing Sword to express their fear of him because he managed to y Marquis Parron and annihte the Blue Horse Knights on his own. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the swordsman wearing a death knight¡¯s helmet, who managed to stop the de of Requiem. ¡®Are you the Soul Severing Sword?¡¯ A clear golden me was burning in the eyes behind his helmet. He was a tall man with a slim build, and his armor was made of white bones. His appearance perfectly matched the rumor that Dorian had told him about. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t even notice that he was there at first, but he could feel a tremendous amount ofbative energy and the aura of the deceased after he made his appearance. He was another one of those extremely powerful warriors at the Grandmaster¡¯s realm. Creak! Raon pushed the de of Requiem, which had been blocked by the longsword, a bit harder and examined Soul Severing Sword¡¯s eyes. Even though they were pointing swords at each other, he couldn¡¯t see any emotion in his eyes. Anger, confusion, surprise, happiness. None of those emotions could be seen. They werepletely empty, just like firewood that had turned to ash after burning up. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon tried to ask him a question, but he didn¡¯t respond. The death knight simply stared at him with emotionless eyes. ¡°Are you the Soul Severing Sword?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He still didn¡¯t respond. Since it was impossible for him to defeat the Soul Severing Sword, he pulled the de of Requiem back. Shring. Soul Severing Sword also returned his longsword to the scabbard, as if he¡¯d been waiting for it. ¡®When did he get here?¡¯ He was here even before you woke up. ¡®He must be observing me.¡¯ Raon exhaled faintly. Merlin must¡¯ve assigned Soul Severing Sword to observe him, and that must¡¯ve been the reason his weapons and artifacts weren¡¯t taken away. ¡®Well, whatever.¡¯ Raon chuckled and put on the uniform. Since Eden¡¯s objective was to make him wear their helmet, they weren¡¯t going to kill him. Therefore, he decided to go outside. Raon finished putting on his clothes and started to equip his swords, but Soul Severing Sword remained immobile and kept staring at his face. Is he the same as that woman? ¡®That woman?¡¯ You know, the one who loves your face too much. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Wrath was talking about Encia. He must¡¯ve been thinking that Encia, who kept calling him damn handsome, and Soul Severing Sword, who kept staring at his face, were the same type of people. ¡®He¡¯s just observing me.¡¯ Hmm¡­ It feels a bit different though¡­ Wrath licked his lips, saying that something felt wrong to him. ¡®There¡¯s no way.¡¯ Just as Raon finished equipping the de of Requiem, the door opened and Merlin entered the room. ¡°Did you finally wake u¡­ Why are you here?¡± Merlin¡¯s kind voice turned cold as soon as she noticed Soul Severing Sword. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword kept staring at Raon without responding to Merlin¡¯s question. ¡°I see.¡± Merlin snorted and patted Soul Severing Sword¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Go out. You aren¡¯t supposed to be here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword nodded extremely slowly and went outside. ¡°I bought you some new clothes. Why are you wearing those dirty clothes again?¡± Merlin handed over the clothes she was holding. Her kind voice made her seem like apletely different person from when she was talking to Soul Severing Sword. ¡°Is he Soul Severing Sword?¡± ¡°Yes. You already realized it.¡± ¡°Why did you get angry at him when you must¡¯ve ordered him to observe me?¡± Raon lowered his eyebrows slightly upon noticing the frightening change in the atmosphere around Merlin. ¡°I never had him observe you.¡± Merlin shook her head firmly. ¡°He always moves around as he pleases. Don¡¯t worry about him.¡± Sheughed behind her mask, calling him a meaningless existence. ¡°Are you telling me that no one was observing me? Weren¡¯t you worried that I would escape through there?¡± Raon pointed at the rectangr window on the wall. The window, where sunlight was entering, wasrge enough to leave through. ¡°Escape¡­¡± Merlin nodded smoothly. ¡°You can try it if you want.¡± She pointed at the window. ¡®There must be something stopping me.¡¯ That was the only exnation for her carefree behavior. ¡°What happened to the Light Wind squad?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to them, just like I promised.¡± Merlin¡¯s smile suggested that she wasn¡¯t interested in them at all as she ced the ck clothes she brought with her on the bed. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t seem to be lying, but he couldn¡¯t help being worried about them because of the tenth apostle. He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what he was going to do in his enraged state. Raon prayed for their safety and clenched his fist. ¡°Let¡¯s get you changed first. Those clothes are stained with blood.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Really? In that case¡­¡± Merlin snapped her fingers, and the blood covering the uniform disappeared in an instant. Even the torn part was fixed as if it were sewn back into shape. ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll let you know why I don¡¯t need to observe you.¡± Merlin opened the door and left after talking like she was dealing with an old friend, or a child. ¡®I should follow her.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t change the fact that he was kidnapped. Since it had already happened, it was necessary to find out where he was, and how he was being confined. Raon took a deep breath before following Merlin. The scenery changed as soon as he went through the door. The log cabin that gave off a warm feeling had disappeared, and a cold ck corridor was in front of him. ¡°This ce¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a new Eden branch that opened recently. Even though it¡¯s just a branch, it¡¯s asrge as the headquarters. Shall we hold hands, since you might end up getting lost?¡± Merlin extended her hand with a bright smile on her face. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon ignored her hand and stood a bit behind her. ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t be attractive if you were too obedient.¡± Merlin bobbed her finger and advanced. Whir! Different kinds of doors appeared on the solid and cold looking walls before they disappeared, and Eden¡¯s demons¡ªwearing helmets and masks of different shapes and colors¡ªwent past them. They didn¡¯t just bow to Merlin, but also paid respect to Raon. ¡°Why are they bowing at me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because we have a hierarchy here. I¡¯m your immediate superior, which means you start with seven stars from the beginning.¡± Merlin went to the end of the corridor whileughing in excitement. Once Raon went outside with her, darkness was waiting for him. ¡®The moon?¡¯ Unlike in the log cabin, the sky was dark, and a yellow moon was floating in the middle of it. ¡®Is it a barrier?¡¯ Time seemed to be distorted where they were. He lowered his head to look at the other buildings. The buildings were simr to the ones in the north, which were designed to withstand the cold weather, but they had a more antique feeling to them. Considering the fact that the walls and ceiling were rtively thin, they must¡¯ve been located in a more southern area than Zieghart. A barrennd could be seen beyond the buildings. There seemed to be a city far in the distance, but he wasn¡¯t too sure because it was too far away. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°Look behind you.¡± Raon turned around to look at where Merlin was pointing at. He could see a huge city behind the temple-like building that they had juste from. It was also pretty far away, but there was no way he wouldn¡¯t notice. It was the merchant city Cameloon, which he¡¯d visited before going to Habun Castle. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, we are currently at¡­¡± ¡°Yes. We are right under Cameloon.¡± Merlin nodded and told him the answer that he was thinking of was correct. ¡°This is crazy¡­¡± Cameloon was a neutral city under the influence of Zieghart, Owen, and Balkar at the same time. He couldn¡¯t believe that they ignored three of the six kings and set up their base right under their noses. ¡°It¡¯s because all three of them are present here. They keep holding each other in check, which makes it easier for us to move.¡± Merlin murmured that it was easy to set up the branch because the Six Kings keptpeting with each other. ¡°But this location should make it easy for me to escape.¡± Zieghart was further away, but Owen was pretty close by. He just needed an opportunity, and he would be able to escape. ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy.¡± Merlin snapped her fingers. Mana emerged from her white fingers, floating in the air and radiating a magnificent light. Whir! The silver line spread throughout the night sky, revealing the huge magic array surrounding them. Geometrical patterns¡ªincluding the sun, moon, and stars¡ªwere spread throughout the branch. ¡°This is¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. Even though he¡¯d been using the Ring of Fire at maximum output from the beginning, he couldn¡¯t really analyze the barrier¡¯s secret. The wriggling mixture of magic, dark magic, martial arts, sorcery,bative energy, and some unknown energy made it pretty much impossible to analyze it. ¡®It¡¯s not just the variety of energies.¡¯ The flow of the energies kept changing randomly, without a pattern. The disorder he witnessed made him think that the way the sun from the log cabin suddenly changed into a moon less than five minutes ago was a natural course of action. He could understand why Merlin said that she didn¡¯t need to observe him. ¡°What do you think? Do you think you can remove that barrier and escape?¡± Merlin met his eyes and smiled faintly. Her smile showed her confidence that he would never be able to escape. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond. It was honestly impossible to analyze that array in his current state. ¡°Moreover¡­¡± Merlin pointed to the right. Soul Severing Sword, who¡¯d shed his sword against him in the room, was staring at him. The warrior next to him was wearing a horned snake helmet, and his energy was at least at the intermediate level of Master even though he wasn¡¯t a Grandmaster. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to stay still if you try to escape.¡± ¡®They shouldn¡¯t be the only ones.¡¯ He could feel three more people¡¯s energies who were at the Master realm. It was impossible to force his way out. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can escape for now.¡± ¡°You are giving up faster than I thought. Well, that¡¯s also pretty good¡­¡± ¡°You are mistaken.¡± Raon smiled coldly while meeting Merlin¡¯s overjoyed eyes. ¡°I never had any intention of escaping from the beginning.¡± ¡®Because I¡¯m nning to devour all of your powers here.¡¯ It was another opportunity for him. He was nning to absorb everything Eden could offer before leaving. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Merlin must¡¯ve misunderstood him once again since she started panting in excitement. She extended her white hand to smooth down his chin. ¡°You want to stay with me, right? Yes, I¡¯ll always be with you, forever.¡± ¡°Stop your nonsense.¡± Raon frowned and repelled Merlin¡¯s hand. ¡°Get to the point already. What¡¯s the mask that you wanted to make me wear?¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Merlin slightly raised the lower part of her mask. Her red lips curved up into a smile as she pointed at Soul Severing Sword and the man wearing a snake helmet. ¡°What I¡¯ve prepared for you is on a different dimension from what they are wearing.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Elixirs of frost with famous names were lined up on the round table. A rectangr box was ced in the center, and it had a vintage pattern with angel wings and a demon¡¯s horn carved onto it. Merlin ced the elixirs brimming beautifully with vitality inside the box one after the other while humming. Once she put in thest elixir, she lifted the ss bottle ced at the edge of the table. Pssh. She opened the lid of the ss bottle and sprinkled the sshing ck liquid onto the elixirs. Once the liquid reached the elixirs, some kind of evil energy started to rise alongside a stench. Merlin savored the dark fragrance that was killing the elixirs¡¯ vitality before closing the box. Whir! It sounded like a small storm was rampaging inside the rectangr box once the elixirs and the liquid mixed with each other. ¡°Huhu.¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes deeply curved into a smile while watching the box, where the elixirs were being mixed. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ ¡®You are really a lovely boy.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t panic even though he was in a crisis he couldn¡¯t escape from, and he didn¡¯t show any impatience either. He was preparing for the future while considering what he could gain. She already knew that his willpower was even more excellent than his might, but she didn¡¯t expect him to show so muchposure despite being kidnapped. ¡®He was worth using the Cage of Eternal Darkness on after all.¡¯ Some people rebuked her for using the Cage of Eternal Darkness for a mere Master, but she couldn¡¯t regret her choice after she witnessed Raon remaining calm after being kidnapped. It was the best decision she could¡¯ve made, which she knew would be the case. Merlin bobbed her finger while watching the box slowly stop its rotation. ¡®Of course, that¡¯s not always going to work in my favor. However.¡¯ Raon¡¯s willpower was as solid as an advanced Master, or even the highest level of Master, despite being at the novice level. The soul inside thepleted helmet should¡¯ve been more than enough to break through his willpower, but she prepared that elixir just in case. ¡®The Cold Jade Elixir.¡¯ Since it was basically a mixture of excellent elixirs of frost, it was bound to drastically improve aura and physical abilities¡ªbut the most important part was the Soul Nullifying Water that was added at the end. The Soul Nullifying Water was the epitome of ck magic that could destroy the soul¡¯s control. Since the evil energy became even more effective after absorbing the Cold Jade Elixir¡¯s energy, Raon¡¯s mind was bound to copse no matter how strong his willpower was. Tap! The storming sound inside the box finally stopped, and the lid opened by itself. A smoothly refined round pill was ced under the gray steam. ¡°Raon.¡± Merlin smiled in satisfaction as she felt the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s presence smear into the deepest part of the elixir. ¡°It¡¯s time to be an even more lovely boy.¡± * * * Raon returned to his room after looking around the entire branch. ¡®It¡¯s night here once again.¡¯ How the time inside the room was opposite from the outside was a mystery. If it was night outside, it was day inside, and if it was day outside, the night inside. ¡®This isn¡¯t even funny.¡¯ No one from Eden tried to stop him from going anywhere, probably because of Merlin''s insistence. Even the Soul Severing Sword and the snake head warrior simply watched him and didn¡¯t really interfere. He was apparently allowed to do anything as long as he didn¡¯t try to escape. The King of Essence actually kind of likes this ce. Wrath licked his lips while looking at the cookies ced on the center of the table. The food and snacks are delicious. It¡¯s almost as delicious as the food at the annex building. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon thought that Wrath would wag his tail for anyone as long as they fed him a lot. His impression of him, which had be pretty good over time, suddenly plummeted. ¡®Who the hell started calling you Wrat¡­¡¯ Just as he was about to ask the question that he¡¯d been curious about for a while, the door was opened and Merlin entered. She casually sat on the bed and shoved her shoulder towards him. ¡°How is this ce? Are you doing okay?¡± ¡°Except that I¡¯m getting bored.¡± Raon looked at Merlin nonchntly. He responded to her question honestly instead of trying to hide his weakness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You should be able to leave pretty soon.¡± ¡°After I wear that helmet you mentioned, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Merlin slowly nodded and came even closer to him. She offered him a small wooden box, a sweet fragranceing from her body. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an elixir.¡± She opened the wooden box. There was a blue elixir inside with a clean energy flowing from it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon frowned while looking at the inside of the elixir instead of the outside. ¡®Something is mixed in.¡¯ It looked like an elixir of frost from the outside, but there was some unknown evil mixed inside. ¡®It must affect the mind.¡¯ The tenth apostle had mentioned that the soul dwelling inside the helmet tried to crush the soul to take over the body. Considering what he said, the elixir was bound to have a bad influence on his mind. ¡°What if I refuse?¡± ¡°I also would love to feed you. Shall I use my mouth to do it?¡± Merlin raised her mask slightly and brushed her lips with her finger. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± She was telling him that she would force-feed him if he didn¡¯t want to consume it by himself. Refusal wasn¡¯t an option to begin with, as there were two Grandmasters and a bunch of Masters around. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon briefly exhaled, then threw the elixir inside his mouth. ¡®I have no choice but to trust the Ring of Fire.¡¯ He chewed the elixir while counting on the seven rings that managed topletely remove the Curse of Frost, which even the Saint hadn¡¯t managed to heal. Merlin¡¯s elixir turned into liquid the moment his teeth touched it and went down his throat effortlessly. Whir! The Ring of Fire rotated violently to control the elixir¡¯s flow. The frost of high purity came from high quality elixirs, such as the Herb of Eternal Coldness, Derum¡¯s Energy Core, Bloody White Flower, Tree of Isted Valley, and more, but a lone evil energy emerged from between them. Cring! It secretly headed towards his head, unlike the icy energy. It would¡¯ve been difficult to recognize if he hadn¡¯t been using the Ring of Fire. Its destination wasn¡¯t his brain. The upper energy center, the dwelling of his soul, was its target. ¡®So, she¡¯s trying to attack my mind after all.¡¯ He¡¯d expected it. She was obviously trying to destroy his will before he wore the helmet. The evil energy sharpened itself and started knocking on the upper energy center¡¯s wall, which protected his soul. Thud! Raon furrowed his brows as he felt the knocking. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ ¡®Why is this so weak?¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 288

Chapter 288

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 288 Banging your head against a brick wall. Feeling the evil energy knocking on his upper energy center¡¯s wall felt like the very picture of that saying. Raonughed bitterly. ¡®This is far too weak. Did she add the wrong amount of Soul Nullifying Water?¡¯ Soul Nullifying Water was the only evil energy that would secretly hide upon entering his body, only to start attacking his upper energy center. However, the Soul Nullifying Water was far too weak, to the point that Raon started thinking that Merlin must¡¯ve made a mistake. It was never going to manage to break through his willpower, just as it was meaningless to smack a steel shield thousands of times with a branch. ¡®It¡¯s even worse than Wrath when I first met him.¡¯ The mental attack was even weaker than when Wrath tried to take over his body when he first met him, which left him dumbfounded. That¡¯s simply obvious. Wrath crawled up on the ice flower bracelet. If you lost to such paltry energy when you¡¯ve been enduring the King of Essence¡¯s wrath and coldness ever since you were a baby, the King of Essence would¡¯ve bit his tongue to kill himself. He sat on his arm and snorted. ¡®You are right.¡¯ Raon nodded while looking at Wrath. ¡®It wasn¡¯t a problem with the Soul Nullifying Water¡­ My willpower has be too strong.¡¯ His willpower was already enhanced from his previous life, and the Ring of Fire was amplifying it. The encounters with Wrath made it develop even further. There was probably no drug in the world capable of destroying his willpower. ¡®I can probably just sleep at this rate.¡¯ He had the feeling that he could just fall asleep instead of using the Ring of Fire, and the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s energy would still end up using up its power and disappearing before it managed to breach into his mind. ¡®But there¡¯s no reason to be so wasteful.¡¯ Raon pointed to the door and looked at Merlin, who was leaning her shoulder against him. ¡°I need to cultivate now. Can you leave me alone?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m a woman who can wait.¡± With a strange passion dwelling in her eyes, Merlin stroked his shoulder before leaving the room. ¡®She should be waiting outside.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t properly feel her presence because of the strangeness of the ce they were in, but he guessed that she would be waiting outside when he considered Merlin¡¯s personality so far. Obviously, she wasn¡¯t trying to guard him¡ªshe was watching him. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon closed his eyes and resonated the rings of fire. The majestic resonance of the rings spread throughout his body, and the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s energy flinched and stopped moving. Whap! When the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s energy tried to sneak away, he used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to block the mana circuit it was trying to escape to. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ He examined the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s energy, which seemed to be trembling in fear. The outer covering was evil, but the mana it contained was extremely pure. ¡®I should be able to absorb it once I purify it.¡¯ The resonance of seven rings of fire could easily erase the evil energy of the Soul Nullifying Water. Since most of the elixir¡¯s energies were frost, converting the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s pure energy with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation would be perfect for the bnce. Raon smiled and rotated the Ring of Fire as fast as he could. The clean energy emerging from the seven rings started to cleanse the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s evil energy. Whir! Each time the rings¡¯ resonance intensified, the dark shell of the Soul Nullifying Water was peeled off, and the pure mana inside was revealed. ¡®It¡¯s even better than I thought.¡¯ The mana inside the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s dark energy had an even higher purity than he expected. It was so pure that he could absorb it without further processing. Rumble! Raon nodded and guided the extracted mana into the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s flow. The mana that used to bepletely evil until just a moment ago began to incorporate the auspicious heat, only to be absorbed into his energy center. ¡®Haa.¡¯ Raon exhaled a heated breath. Since he managed to turn the Soul Nullifying Water¡¯s energy into the heat of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, the next step was to turn the frost from therge amount of elixirs into cier¡¯s energy. ¡®I don¡¯t need to absorb everything.¡¯ Even though itbined the good parts of the different elixirs, the coldness still contained a lot of impurities. Absorbing all of them would end up being disadvantageous. Whir! He rotated the Ring of Fire once again. He peeled off the coldness, which was even bigger than his fist, multiple times until all of the impurities had melted down. The high purity coldness was the only thing left in the end. The cold energy the size of a fist had been reduced to the size of a fingernail, but it was enough. That was because the small energy was even more powerful than therge coldness from before. Raon smiled in satisfaction and controlled the refined coldness with cier¡¯s principles to settle it down in his energy center before opening his eyes. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He raised his head to look out the window. The sun had already set, moonlight shining down. Although he didn¡¯t feel like he¡¯d been cultivating for a while, more than half a day had passed. You are slow. Too slow. Wrath shoved his face into him and clicked his tongue. The King of Essence would¡¯ve absorbed such a paltry elixir in less than a minute, including all the impurities. He shook his head, calling him pathetic. He acknowledges your nning abilities, but your might is still way too weak. ¡®I know.¡¯ Raon chuckled and nodded. Wrath was right that he still had a long way to go in terms of might. Once again, he couldn¡¯t do anything when put between the two powerhousesst time. It was necessary to keep polishing his skills nonstop in order to achieve his objective. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ It was thanks to Wrath that he managed to withstand Merlin¡¯s mental attacks, and he was also thankful for his objective advice, which was why he thanked him sincerely. Wh-What?! Wrath briskly stepped back in surprise with trembling shoulders. The thing you just said! What do you mean by that?! ¡®What?¡¯ Why did you curse the King of Essence?! ¡®Curse? I was really thankful to you¡­¡¯ There was nothing like a curse. He only thanked him because he was truly thankful to him. Cancel it! There¡¯s no way an evil demon like you would express his gratitude! Wrath ground his teeth. He looked like he would start attacking him if he didn¡¯t cancel it. Quick! ¡®Hah, I¡¯m canceling it.¡¯ Haa! Wrath sighed deeply and nodded. Even the King of Essence doesn¡¯t idle around all of the time. He¡¯s learned a lot from you, so a curse like that won¡¯t work against him. Raon¡¯s eyes were brimming with sadness as he stared at Wrath. He got curious about what kind of creature he was in the Demon King¡¯s imagination. ¡®I was really¡­¡¯ He was trying to tell Wrath that it was a misunderstanding. [Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [cier¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [All stats have increased by five.] The messages told him that the proficiencies of his cultivation techniques had increased from absorbing Merlin¡¯s elixir, and his stats had increased as a reward. Th-The curse! You didn¡¯t cancel the curse that you cast on the King of Essence! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ You even extorted the stats from your student, how cruel¡­ Wrathpletely believed that everything was done ording to Raon¡¯s n. It was impossible to talk sense into him. Raon shook his head to the helpless situation and the door opened. ¡°Did you finish?¡± Merlin entered while pulling up her sleeve slightly and smiled at him. ¡®She¡¯s been watching after all.¡¯ Raon bit the inside of his cheek while looking at the excitement in her eyes. Considering the fact that she entered as soon as he finished his cultivation, she must¡¯ve been waiting right outside the room as he¡¯d expected. ¡°You even gave me such an elixir. What are you nning?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while hiding his real thoughts. ¡°I told you already. I will always care for you, and everything I do is for your sake.¡± Merlin said it in a seductive voice and clung to him. She started fiddling with the thread protruding from Raon¡¯s sleeve as she smiled. ¡°I feel dizzy. It¡¯s probably because I¡¯ve been cultivating for a long time. Let me rest a bit.¡± Raon frowned and rubbed his forehead. Dizziness was a characteristic symptom of people affected by the Soul Nullifying Water. He pretended to be perfectly exposed to the mental attack, as if his upper energy center had been breached. ¡°Do you feel a bit dizzy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable since I included plenty of elixirs of coldness.¡± Merlin came even closer and met his eyes. Raon rxed his eyes like Runaan while looking into her narrowed eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Merlin rubbed the lips on her mask slightly with her finger. ¡°You should have another one tomorrow.¡± ¡°What? Again?¡± Raon forcefully suppressed his pounding heart and raised his voice. ¡®How is everything going so well?¡¯ He purposefully told her that his head was only slightly dizzy and rxed his eyes only a little since she might end up giving him another elixir if he did that, and his n had worked perfectly. ¡°Yes. Just one more. I¡¯ll adjust the amount this time.¡± Merlin shoved her face against him, and some unknown flower¡¯s fragrance wafted from her. Are you really giving him another one? Wrath widened his eyes at the ridiculous situation. Why the hell are you giving him another one? Why would you ever give all of those elixirs to him when he¡¯s just a hostage?! He shouted that he needed a lesson since he couldn¡¯t understand at all. ¡°Do you not want it?¡± ¡°Haa, alright.¡± Since epting people¡¯s requests or obeying their orders was another characteristic of the Soul Nullifying Water, he nodded while frowning¡ªpretending that he was epting it reluctantly. ¡°You are so obedient. What a nice boy.¡± ¡°I just understand the situation I¡¯m in.¡± Raon pushed Merlin¡¯s hand away as she tried to pat his head and turned his head. ¡®She also looks like¡­¡¯ ¡®A doormat.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Inside of a rectangr workshop thatcked even a single window, around twenty people were sitting in front of desks to craft essories such as rings, bracelets, and nes under the dim lighting. Even the sound of breathing couldn¡¯t be heard in their extremely focused state, and the white-haired old man sitting at the front stood up from his chair. ¡°I¡¯ve finished.¡± He brought the red ring that he crafted to Denning Rose at the center of the workshop. ¡°Hmm!¡± Denning Rose nodded in satisfaction after examining the ring through her monocle. ¡°The master artisan Carol is as skilled as before. Don¡¯t you think you retired too early?¡± ¡°Hmph, of course my skills are the same as before. I only retired because I figured I would end up dying before I spent the money I¡¯ve earned.¡± ¡°Thank you, mister.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. This isn¡¯t enough to make up for all the help you gave me.¡± Carol slowly shook his head. ¡°By the way, it must be an extremely urgent matter, right? Since you called all those people, after all.¡± He pointed at the crafters behind him. Every single one of them were famous artifact crafters, whose names he knew just from looking at their faces. ¡°Yes. I need to save someone no matter what.¡± Denning Rose nodded heavily. ¡®At all costs.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t just a savior for Denning Rose, but a hero who saved the lives of everyone in Grand Seville. He didn¡¯t even withdraw while facing the monsters called the tenth apostle and Merlin, instead trying to sacrifice himself until the end to save everyone else. If she could save that man, she was willing to give up on her position as the fourth sessor of the ck Market. ¡®I need to save him no matter what.¡¯ She¡¯d witnessed and met countless heroes during her career as the ck Market¡¯s branch manager, but it was her first time seeing someone like Raon. It wasn¡¯t just about his prowess. It was because he was bound to have a positive influence on the world that she couldn¡¯t let him die like that. ¡®I can definitely save him.¡¯ Since Zieghart mentioned that Raon had a ne that would allow them to find his location,bining it with the tracking artifact would allow her to find him no matter where he was. ¡°Hmm, I guess I shouldn¡¯t leave yet.¡± Carol returned to his seat after noticing Denning Rose¡¯s trembling hands. ¡°I¡¯ll make the same one for you. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll give you enough rewards for your work.¡± ¡°Of course you should. I wouldn¡¯t be working here for free.¡± He smiled faintly and started the second craft. Denning Rose stood up with Carol¡¯s ring in her hand. ¡®I should tell them first.¡¯ She left the workshop in order to meet with the people who were desperately waiting for the news about Raon. However, her secretary hurriedly came to her when she was about to go upstairs. ¡°We got a visitor.¡± ¡°A visitor?¡± * * * The Light Wind squad was gathered in the lobby of the inn that Denning Rose reserved for them in a vige near Grand Seville. ¡°How long is it going to take to bepleted?¡± Martha clenched the arm of the sofa with thick bandages covering her shoulder in multipleyers. ¡°Aren¡¯t they taking way too long?¡± She was chewing on her lips anxiously. ¡°Lady Denning Rose must be making the preparations to the best of her abilities. You should calm down and wait.¡± Burren shook his head with his hands gathered together. However, his legs were trembling nervously despite what he said. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan was still silently staring into the air in a corner. Her hand and fingers were still covered in blood because she didn¡¯t get treated, unlike the other swordsmen. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Have two days already passed¡­?¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°It feels so suffocating because there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen grasped their heads with bandages covering various parts of their bodies. They wanted to do something, but there was nothing they could do. The fact that they were powerless made them despair. Thud! As the Light Wind members started to fall silent, the door was opened, and Denning Rose entered the room. ¡°The tracking artifact has beenpleted!¡± She ran up to the Light Wind members and showed them the ring in her hand. ¡°It took some time to amplify the Continent Chaser Fragrance¡¯s effect, but it should work now!¡± Denning Rose¡¯s face was as pale as the Light Wind squad, showing how much inner struggle she¡¯d been having. ¡°We can now start looking for hi¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Runaan raised her hand. Her bloody nail could be immediately noticed. ¡°I¡¯m also going.¡± The powerful stare of her purple eyes seemed to express her determination to join the search. ¡°I¡¯ll join as well.¡± Martha stood in front of Denning Rose while grasping her punctured shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m going to die over there if I have to.¡± Her heated voice expressed her unyielding resolution. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t push yourselves so much. I¡¯ve already recruited the continent¡¯s best experts in the area. I¡¯ll make them depart right away, so you shouldn¡¯t worry about it so much and¡­¡± ¡°Please!¡± ¡°Let us join the search!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t leave Raon and Dorian like that. Even if we can¡¯t fight, please allow us to help find them!¡± ¡°Yes, please allow us to help!¡± It wasn¡¯t just Runaan and Martha. Every single swordsman of the Light Wind squad stood up and bowed to Denning Rose. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Denning Rose bit her lip and stepped back. ¡®I understand their feelings, but¡­¡¯ They were cursing themselves for doing nothing when Raon and Dorian were kidnapped. Since they were so disappointed in themselves, who were powerless at an important moment, she couldn¡¯t voice her refusal. ¡°Stop making it difficult for the branch manager.¡± Burren sighed and stopped the swordsmen. ¡°We are only going to be a hindrance since they¡¯ve gathered tracking experts.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t stand here and do nothing when I don¡¯t even know how Raon and Dorian are doing!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going with them.¡± ¡°We are just a burden in our current state! And a heavy burden at that!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right about that.¡± Everyone turned their heads upon suddenly hearing a familiar cheerful voice. ¡°Huh¡­?¡¯ ¡°This voice¡­¡± ¡°S-Squad leader!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Rimmer. With his red hair tied back, he was waving his hand while leaning his shoulder against the door. ¡°You are so badly hurt.¡± He briefly clicked his tongue and stood in front of the Light Wind squad. ¡°Wh-Why is the squad leader here¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural that I would be here since you are all here. I got some motion sickness because I haven¡¯t used the dimensional door in a long time, but it¡¯s nice to see your faces.¡± Rimmer examined everyone¡¯s faces one after the other, starting from the three team leaders, before he nodded. ¡°Burren is right. The tracking should be left to the tracking experts. You aren¡¯t going to be helpful. It¡¯s a waste of time.¡± The Light Wind squad hung their heads upon hearing his sharp voice. The fact that they weren¡¯t helpful pierced deep inside their hearts. ¡°However, it¡¯s also true that you can¡¯t stay here doing nothing.¡± Rimmer¡¯s mouth curved into a smile. It was the usual warm smile they used to see at the training ground. ¡°Your job isn¡¯t to find him, but to wield your swords. Prepare yourselves to fight.¡± ¡°P-Prepare to fight?¡± ¡°But we couldn¡¯t do anything against the tenth apostle.¡± ¡°W-We couldn¡¯t interfere at all when Merlin and the tenth apostle fought against each other. Watching from afar was all we could do¡­¡± ¡°We left all of the burden to Raon!¡± ¡°We tried hard, so hard that we almost thought we were going to die, but there was nothing we could do¡­¡± The Light Wind squad voiced their pent up emotions and bit their lips. ¡°You should prepare for your fight. The monster will be in by a monster.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes turned dark like a bottomless pit. ¡°The Zieghart is moving.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 289 Wow! Wrath eximed after having the breakfast Merlin had brought for Raon. The is exactly what the King of Essence wanted, and the taste is amazing. Even though shrimp pizza and pineapple pizza were both pretty heavy for breakfast, he was enjoying it as if it were light morning bread with a grin on his face. Try the ice cream over there. The King of Essence¡¯s mouth feels stuffy right now. Wrath fidgeted his fingers while pointing at the ice cup containing the ice cream. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed while looking at the cup containing the mint chocte ice cream. ¡®She even prepared all this¡­¡¯ Was she a stalker or something? Merlin must¡¯ve investigated what he usually ate since she brought the shrimp pizza, pineapple pizza, and even the mint chocte ice cream when he didn¡¯t even ask for it. He thought that she was scarier than he¡¯d previously thought, and there was one more problem. ¡®I don¡¯t like any of this.¡¯ None of the food she brought him was to his liking. Shrimp pizza, pineapple pizza, and mint chocte ice cream weren¡¯t his favorite foods, they were the favorite foods of the Demon King of Strange Taste. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Since it was obvious that Wrath was going to start rampaging around if he refused the food right in front of his eyes, he had no choice but to eat it. Uhuhuhu! Wrath¡¯s eyes closed partially, like crescent moons, as soon as the mint chocte ice cream touched his tongue. ¡®Is he really a demon king¡­?¡¯ People were definitely going to start a mutiny if a demon king smiled like that after eating ice cream. He was definitely not a demon king, no matter how he thought about it. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon shook his head after finishing the mint chocte ice cream. He kept eating it because of Wrath, but he still didn¡¯t find it delicious. He couldn¡¯t understand why Runaan or Wrath liked it so much. It¡¯s because you grew up in a sheltered environment with no difficulties. Wrath sighed deeply while looking at the now-empty ice cream cup. The mint chocte is so sweet for the King of Essence because he went through so many hardships. ¡®Bullshit¡¯, was what he wanted to tell him, but he barely managed to suppress his urge. He told himself that he would ask Merlin to change the menu to prevent Wrath from saying that ever again. Haa, this is nice. This is heaven. ¡®But that¡¯s not where you should be.¡¯ Raon stared at Wrath with a dumbfounded expression on his face before he stood up. Are you visiting the chef? ¡®Why would I do that?¡¯ Where are you going then? ¡®I feel like I¡¯m going to gain weight at this rate.¡¯ He rubbed his stomach. Because the food was even better than when he was in Zieghart, he almost looked like he was on a vacation instead of being kidnapped. ¡®I¡¯m going to do some exercises.¡¯ Training again? You really never get tired of it. Wrath shook his hand at his persistence. ¡®I¡¯m not going to train. It¡¯s something that I can only do here.¡¯ Raon left the room. He went through the strange corridor where the rooms kept appearing and disappearing and went outside. He walked up to the border of the branch and ced his hand on the wall. Cring! Along with a small spark, the translucent barrier covering the branch made its appearance. The aloof energy spreading from the extensive barrier with sun, moon, and star patterns felt like it was telling him that he would never be able to escape. ¡®It¡¯s almost ridiculous howplicated it is.¡¯ Considering the fact that all kinds of energies were spreading out from the barrier, it must¡¯ve been made bybining forces between a warrior, magician, dark magician, and a shaman above the Grandmaster¡¯s realm. It was too difficult for him to destroy in his current state. Did youe to look at it? It¡¯s impossible in your current state. Wrath snorted, telling him to know his ce. ¡®I know.¡¯ ¡®I know better than anyone.¡¯ Raon chuckled and examined the barrier. ¡°You should take your hand off.¡± A cold voice could be heard from behind him. ¡°I¡¯ll cut your hand off if you try touching it one more time.¡± Raon turned around upon feeling the sharp murderous intent. The man wearing the horned snake helmet was standing there like a hoodlum. The Soul Severing Sword was staring at him from way behind him with his arms crossed. ¡°Do you want to cut my hand off? That¡¯s pretty good.¡± Raon smiled faintly and ced his hand on the wall once again. Along with a powerful spark, the barrier became even clearer. ¡°Come at me.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± The man wearing the snake helmetughed bitterly at the unexpected situation. ¡°Do you even realize who I am?¡± ¡°You must be a swordsman who inherited a basilisk¡¯s power.¡± There weren¡¯t that many monsters with a horned snake¡¯s shape. It must¡¯ve been the basilisk, which was a huge snake living in the desert with the power of petrification. ¡°Basilisk, huh¡­¡± The snake helmet snickered. It was impossible to tell whether he was right or wrong about it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if it¡¯s not a basilisk. You look a lot easier to fight against than the person behind you.¡± Raon pointed at the Soul Severing Sword. ¡°So you were picking a fight on purpose.¡± The snake helmet eximed while tilting his head. Don¡¯t tell me that you are trying to¡­ ¡®You guessed right.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist and smiled. ¡®I can¡¯t miss this opportunity to fight Eden¡¯s bloody demons.¡¯ Both the snake helmet and the Soul Severing Sword behind him were stronger than him as warriors. Since they were unable to kill him because of Merlin¡¯s order, it was the perfect opportunity to steal their martial arts. ¡°This is perfect, since I was getting bored. Let¡¯s see the skills of the Frostfire Sword of Valor, who is rumored to be the greatest genius on the continent.¡± The snake helmet drew his sword. The de was thicker than an average sword, making it look like a greatsword. ¡°Before you turn into a cripple from wearing the helmet.¡± ¡°Crippled from wearing the helmet, huh¡­?¡± Raon smiled faintly and grasped Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°You can call me Unfaceable Snake.¡± The snake helmet introduced himself as Unfaceable Snake and lowered his posture. ¡°Attack with everything you have.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go for the kill.¡± Unfaceable Snake charged at him without even a shout of concentration. His fast and soft movement was the result of his footwork, which really resembled that of a snake. Whoosh! He rushed to his left side in an instant and swung down his sword. The powerfulbative energy dwelling in his de was falling onto his head. ¡®There¡¯s no variation.¡¯ Unfaceable Snake was striking in a straight line to maximize the power. The powerful pressure was telling him that his neck was going to snap if he blocked it in an inappropriate way. Whir! Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive while rotating the Ring of Fire. The sword draw immediately connected into a sh, and his sword shed against Unfaceable Snake¡¯s sword head-on. ng! Although he was properly prepared, the strike was powerful enough to make his knees tremble slightly and his shoulders sink. ¡®I knew he would be strong.¡¯ The sword¡¯s weight waspletely different from the seventh apostle. Just like he thought at first, Unfaceable Snake¡¯s realm had far surpassed the intermediate level of Master. He was a powerful warrior at the advanced level of Master. A warrior of his caliber wasn¡¯t even known to the public, which made him realize once again how crazy Eden was. Wham! Unfaceable Snake¡¯s strike dashed from the left, and Raon blocked his blow. The impact transferred through his elbow and made him bite his lip. ¡®He¡¯s the perfect opponent.¡¯ Since it was time to beat an advanced Master after beating an intermediate. Unfaceable Snake was the strongest opponent he¡¯d ever faced, but he was still weaker than the real monsters. If he couldn¡¯t even fight equally against him, it was pretty much impossible to escape. ng! He unleashed the Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation through Heavenly Drive. The mes, rotating like a saw de, were about to reach Unfaceable Snake¡¯s waist when his sword suddenly fell. Whir. The redbative energy bursting from his de solidified like a rock andpletely stopped the mes of the Revolving Sky. ¡®He was a basilisk after all.¡¯ Petrifying an enemy wasn¡¯t the basilisk¡¯s only ability. It was also capable of hardening its own body to the point where even astral energy wouldn¡¯t be able to prate it. The hardness of his aura confirmed his suspicion that he was using a basilisk¡¯s power. ¡®This is going to be interesting.¡¯ He got excited, anticipating destroying hisbative energy, which was even harder than steel. ¡°That was pretty good. However.¡± Unfaceable Snake¡¯s eyes narrowed vertically, like a snake¡¯s, and hisbative energy grew more than twice as big as before. He charged from the right and swung his sword. Rumble! The pressure crushing his body felt like a copsing mountain. His legs trembled from thebative energy¡¯s weight. Unfaceable Snake must¡¯ve been using a special technique. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s already over.¡± ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m not even getting started yet.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully and used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s fifth step. As his footsteps resounded throughout thend, he unleashed the principles of powerful sword dwelling in his silver-white de. am! A shockwave burst from the sh between the two powerful swords, violently engulfing their surroundings. ¡°Let¡¯s make it even more interesting!¡± Murderous intent was added to Unfaceable Snake¡¯s eyes. He instantly charged head-on to strike. Thebative lightning striking in a straight line changed its trajectory slightly to block Raon¡¯s escape route. ¡®He must still have more room to spare.¡¯ Raon chuckled while facing the powerful strike from Unfaceable Snake. Judging from the way hisbative energy became even stronger than before, he must¡¯ve been still conserving his strength. ¡®I¡¯ll draw out even more from you.¡¯ He fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive and dashed forward. The heaviness embodied in the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire straight up shed against Unfaceable Snake¡¯s strike once again. ang! The impact was powerful enough to create a crater on the ground protected by the barrier, and both Raon and the Unfaceable Snake took five steps backwards. * * * * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Unfaceable Snake narrowed his eyes and looked down on Raon. ¡°What did you do just now? The sword suddenly turned heavier.¡± ¡°I told you, I wasn¡¯t even getting started yet.¡± Raon calmed down the nausea with the Ring of Fire and smiled. Although it was true that Unfaceable Snake¡¯s realm was two stages higher than his own, Raon still had the stats and traits that he had gotten from Wrath. Even if he ended up losing, he wasn¡¯t going to lose without putting up a fight. ¡°Interesting.¡± Unfaceable Snake smiled coldly and kicked the ground. He approached as smoothly as a snake dashing through the desert, barraging him with strikes. A single sh created five different waves, surrounding him from all directions. ¡®I can¡¯t dodge this one.¡¯ Raon briefly clicked his tongue and unleashed the Firewall of the Hundred mes of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The fireshield burst from Heavenly Drive to sh diagonally against Unfaceable Snake¡¯sbative energy. Whaam! The overwhelming impact was powerful enough to crumble his posture. Unfaceable Snake must¡¯ve been going all-out. His entire body trembled from the hand holding the sword up to the shoulder, and the heated pain felt like magma was passing through the center of his chest. ¡®He is clearly different.¡¯ A high-end intermediate Master and an advanced Master were clearly different. Unfaceable Snake was capable of unleashing power befitting his stage with a perfect understanding of his swordsmanship. ¡°You will lose your head if you let your guard down. I¡¯m not done yet!¡± The Unfaceable Snake dashed through the shockwave. He pierced into his space in an instant and thrust his fist. Thebative energy dwelling in his attack was powerful enough to break his bones. Thud! Raon turned his elbow to parry Unfaceable Snake¡¯s fist. ¡°You are pretty good!¡± He said it in admiration, and Raon closed distance before thrusting Heavenly Drive. The principles of the Fangs of Insanity dwelling in the silver de revealed their ferocious fangs. ¡°Hmph!¡± Unfaceable Snake deflected the Fangs of Insanity by twisting his body like a snake running away from a predator before shing his sword upwards. Cring! The rising strike was even faster than its descent. It almost looked like red lightning soaring into the sky. Cring! Raon¡¯s eyes sparked with blue. His aura switched in an instant, and cier¡¯s coldness surrounded Heavenly Drive. Frost Pond¡¯s de parried the weak point of thebative energy, and the following blue wave dashed towards Unfaceable Snake¡¯s neck. ¡°Two strikes, I see.¡± Unfaceable Snake stomped the ground with a grin on his face, and a powerfulbative energy burst from around his body to withstand Frost Pond without blocking it. A single drop of blood was flowing down from his lips, showing that it wasn¡¯tpletely ineffective. ¡°An ice de following the trace of the sword¡­¡± He smiled in satisfaction as he raised his sword. Hisbative energy spread around in a round shape, like a log to storm, in front of him. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon bit his lips and shed down the Fangs of Insanity. ¡®This is going to hurt a little.¡¯ Considering the size of unleashedbative energy, it was going to be difficult to face it. He condensed as much astral energy as he could and shed head-on. ang! Raon had to take ten steps back while faltering from the sh between the swords, and Unfaceable Snake only withdrew six steps. ¡®I agree with him. This is fun.¡¯ Raon wiped the blood from around his mouth and smiled. The main strengths of Unfaceable Snake¡¯s strikes were their toughness and softness. Even though it was even harder than steel, it also wriggled like a snake, which made it extremely difficult to fight against. ¡®It was the correct decision to try fighting him in advance.¡¯ He would¡¯ve been in big trouble if he had to sh against Unfaceable Snake for the first time when he tried to escape. Picking a fight with him was an excellent choice. ¡®Because I have the Ring of Fire.¡¯ He had gotten somewhat used to his swordsmanship thanks to using the Ring of Fire. He was confident he wouldn¡¯t be at such a disadvantage next time if they ended up fighting again. ¡®Moreover, I shall now¡­¡¯ Watch more than his swordsmanship. It was time to check out his greatest special techniques, the real power Unfaceable Snake possessed. ¡°You are a rather sturdy guy!¡± Unfaceable Snake closed the distance to strike. His diagonal sh suddenly fell. It was a technique that he¡¯d already seen before. ng! Raon used the Fangs of Insanity to violently deflect Unfaceable Snake¡¯s strike before pulling Heavenly Drive back. He amplified the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation that he¡¯d prepared to thrust forward. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Dragon Art. The fire dragon¡¯s roar was unleashed at Unfaceable Snake from the front. It had be even more powerful after absorbing the Soul Nullifying Water. ¡°This is¡­¡± Unfaceable Snake grasped his sword. His eyes turned serious as he straightened his wrist to sh down towards him. Cring! Thebative energy on his sword spread around in a conical shape, radiating its sturdiness. It almost looked like a huge mountain had emerged. Whaam! The fire dragon trying to rise to the sky shed against the great mountain blocking its way, and a huge crater was created on thend. The tremendous explosion created as a result was followed by a dark whirlwind of astral energy. Raon used the Evil Eye of Wrath to observe the flow of swords inside the explosion. ¡®He piled upbative energy on top ofbative energy to create multipleyers.¡¯ The power of Unfaceable Snake¡¯s strike was on apletely different level from before, and it was thanks to piling upbative energy and forming it intoyers. Even though the me Dragon Art was facing it, he felt like his shoulder was about to be dislocated from the astonishing amount of power. ¡®Let¡¯s try getting a bit more out of him.¡¯ Raon maximized the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output and stomped the ground. He unleashed the Great Severing Smash, which was the heaviest strike among the Fangs of Insanity, while surrounding it with the principles of heaviness as much as he could. Rumble! Heaviness was added on top of the heavy strike, and his de descended upon Unfaceable Snake, looking like it was about to smash his head into pieces. ¡°Nice,e at me.¡± Unfaceable Snake turned his shoulder. His rough movement made him look like a stone statue trying to stand up, but thebative energy dwelling in his movement was evenrger than the previous strike. Raon figured that it must¡¯ve been another one of his special techniques. Whaam! Alongside a crimson spark, a huge cluster ofbative energy surged from below. Rumble! The impact was powerful enough to shake the barrier on the ground, and the demons of Eden around them were all sent flying. ¡°You can still continue, right?¡± Unfaceable Snake took his sword with two hands. A sphere of condensedbative energy emerged from his de. The sphere expanded continuously until it filled the entire space. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Merlin will heal you as long as you don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°You must be feeling very relieved right now.¡± Raon smiled coldly and thrust his sword. A powerful current burst from the silver de to create a red sphere. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes Heavenly Heavy Cannon. It was smaller than the sphere ofbative energy that emerged from Unfaceable Snake¡¯s sword, but the energy¡ªsurrounded by powerful lightning¡ªwas even more condensed than his. ¡°Let¡¯s see the bitter end!¡± As Unfaceable Snake and Raon were about to unleash their attacks at the same time¡­ Whoosh! A dark lightning strike, containing the energy of the dead, struck the ground between them. Whaam! The ck energy rotated violently and remainedpletely intact despite taking Raon and Unfaceable Snake¡¯s special techniques at the same time. Tap. Once the ck light dissipated, Soul Severing Sword could be seen lowering his ck sword. The way he tilted his chin slightly made it seem as if he were telling them to stop the fight. ¡°He¡¯s pouring aura on our parade.¡± Unfaceable Snake clicked his tongue at Soul Severing Sword. ¡°He¡¯s no fun.¡± He frowned and lowered his sword. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon also sheathed Heavenly Drive after briefly licking his lips. ¡°Let¡¯s keep it forter. He¡¯s not the only problem, since I think Merlin is going to get angry if we continue.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword was staring at him with his ck sword once more in his scabbard. His eyes werepletely emotionless, just like the day before. ¡°Can I challenge you if I manage to defeat him?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He kept staring without responding or changing his expression. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Raon smiled faintly and waved his hand. ¡°See youter.¡± ¡®I¡¯m liking this ce more and more.¡¯ It was pretty much heaven, just like Wrath had said, since they were giving him elixirs and sparring opponents wereing to find him on their own. Raon returned with a faint smile on his face. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword turned his right shoulder slightly to watch Raon returning to the building until the end. * * * ¡°Haa.¡± Merlin sighed briefly while applying ointment to Raon¡¯s shoulder and waist. ¡°You really are a troublemaker. You couldn¡¯t even wait for a short time without causing problems.¡± She shook her head as sheughed bitterly. ¡°You are the first one to pick a fight with Unfaceable Snake and ask him for a spar. Everyone was surprised.¡± ¡°I wanted to see how strong he was.¡± Raon turned his neck lightly and closed his eyes. He responded to her question honestly since it was impossible to hide it from her anyway. ¡°Warriors are like that.¡± Merlin finished applying the ointment and moved aside slightly. It must¡¯ve been a really effective medicine, since the pain in his bones and muscles had already subsided. ¡°You can deal with the internal injury with an elixir, right?¡± She sighed and ced the same elixir box as the one she brought the day before on the table. ¡°I adjusted the ratio a little since you said that your head felt dizzy. It should be a lot better than yesterday.¡± Raon opened the box. The coldness tickling his nose was slightly milder than the day before. ¡®She did adjust the ratio. She added even more Soul Nullifying Water.¡¯ Judging from the look, she must¡¯ve reduced the amount of coldness and added even more Soul Nullifying Water. With thebined dose from the two days, he shouldn¡¯t even be able to feel the dizziness, since he should be feeling all foggy. ¡°And.¡± Merlin extended her right hand. Blue light emerged from her white hand and a helmet appeared to float in the air. It had two horns and diamond shaped, de-sharp scales. With a light blue mane stretching behind it, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize it. ¡°Dragon¡¯s helmet¡­¡± Chapter 290 A witch and a dragon. The fairy tale of a witch controlling an evil dragon and devouring people was Merlin¡¯s story. Hundreds of years ago, Merlin betrayed humanity and sided with monsters to start a war and ended up destroying an entire kingdom. Back in the days when Merlin was called the Witch of Betrayal, the stories said that a blue scaled dragon was at her side. The stories about the evil dragon capable of freezing hundreds of knights in an instant were passed down through generations, and the helmet must¡¯ve been made with that dragon¡¯s magic stone. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the helmet floating above Merlin¡¯s hand. ¡®There¡¯s no mistake. It¡¯s the dragon from the story.¡¯ The sharp blue scales and the light blue mane fluttering in the air definitely belonged to the dragon that Merlin controlled in the past. ¡®This is the reason she gave me the elixirs of coldness.¡¯ He was wondering why the elixir contained nothing but frost, but it must¡¯ve been a gift for that dragon. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Even though he hadn¡¯t even worn the helmet yet, she tried to increase his frost in advance by giving him the elixirs. Devotion was the only way to describe her actions. ¡®But isn¡¯t it going to be dangerous if this is that dragon?¡¯ The stories only mentioned it as an evil dragon that Merlin controlled. It could¡¯ve been a weak dragon like a sky dragon or an earth dragon, but it could be dangerous if it was a powerful one. ¡®A dragon is the strongest creature in the world, after all.¡¯ People also referred to dragons as the strongest race, or the mediators of the continent. If the soul dwelling inside the helmet really was a dragon, it could be dangerous despite Raon having the Ring of Fire. Hmph! Why are you worried about a paltry dragon? Wrath snorted at the dragon helmet. The King of Essence roasted dragons, boiled them, and even made stir fry with them. ¡®You did?¡¯ Indeed! The King of Essence is the Monarch of Wrath! He can easily trample a paltry dragon! ¡®I see, I see.¡± Hey! Listen to me! Raon gave a small nod while Wrath kept trying to punch him. ¡®He isn¡¯t lying.¡¯ Wrath never lied. Considering what he said, he must¡¯ve killed at least three dragons in the past. ¡®It might end up being easier than I thought.¡¯ Raon watched Wrath pouting while snorting for a while before raising his head. ¡°Is this helmet made from a dragon¡¯s soul?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Merlinughed quietly as she closed her eyes. ¡°You will find out tomorrow.¡± She didn¡¯t give a definite answer, telling him that he would find out once he put it on. ¡°I¡¯ll ask another question then.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Are you the real Merlin?¡± Raon looked into Merlin¡¯s eyes behind the old woman¡¯s mask. The mysterious color of her eyes sparkled with passion. ¡°What¡¯s your guess?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t too sure, but after seeing this helmet, I think that you are the real one.¡± Merlin had told him during their second encounter that she¡¯d prepared a perfect helmet for him. Considering the fact that she was so obsessed, to the point that she used a legendary consumable item to kidnap him and make him wear the helmet, Raon started thinking that she might be the real one. ¡®There are a few questionable parts though.¡¯ The skin outside of her helmet was snow-white andpletely smooth, without a single wrinkle. She looked like she was around Encia¡¯s age at most. ¡®Moreover, Lohengreen said that he killed Merlin with his own hands.¡¯ When Lohengreen exined his past, he mentioned that he destroyed the witch¡¯s castle and killed Merlin himself. Since it was impossible for a dead person toe back to life, there was no way the woman in front of him was the real Merlin. ¡®No.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes widened, and he swallowed nervously. ¡®I was also reincarnated.¡¯ Just like he was reincarnated from the assassin Raon into Raon Zieghart, it was also possible for Merlin to be reincarnated for some reason. ¡°You will also get the answer to that question once you wear the helmet.¡± Merlin pointed at the helmet¡¯s lips, while telling him that he would learn everything once he experienced it personally. ¡°When am I going to wear the helmet?¡± ¡°Tomorrow.¡± She shook her hand, and the dragon helmet floating in the air disappeared like smoke. ¡°We will start when the full moon rises tomorrow evening.¡± The passion in Merlin¡¯s eyes heated up even further. ¡°You should make that elixir¡¯s energy into yours until then.¡± Merlin raised her finger to point at the elixir ced on the table. ¡°Because you will need that to retain your ego, as faint as it might be.¡± She stroked Raon¡¯s cheek as she breathed out in excitement. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Merlin waved her hand and left the room. She must¡¯ve finished everything she wanted to do. ¡°My chance of winning, huh¡­¡± Raon opened the wooden box. He chuckled while looking at the elixir spreading its coldness around it. ¡®It will bepletely impossible to win if I eat this.¡¯ Judging from the higher ratio of Soul Nullifying Water than the day before, Raon could guess that Merlin was nning topletely demolish the wall protecting his soul. How can she help this demonic bastard instead of stopping him!? Wrath clicked his tongue while staring at the door that Merlin used to leave. She thinks she¡¯s smart, but she¡¯s so stupid. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon nodded. Merlin must¡¯ve prepared the Soul Nullifying Water in order to help the dragon inside the helmet, but it was instead helping him develop the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, which would be extremely helpful to fight against it. Wrath was right, since she was pretty much helping her enemy. Hmph, the King of Essence never does anything that would benefit the enemy. Knowing what kind of consequences one¡¯s actions will create is called wisdom. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s lips parted as he watched Wrath nod his head like freshly made cotton candy. Heughed bitterly in bewilderment, as Wrath was still unaware of the fact that he was the monarch of doormat. How did he even be a demon king? ¡®What kind of idiot even made him into one?¡¯ * * * * * * Raon opened his eyes. The faint moonlight shining down the window allowed him to guess that the sun must¡¯ve risen once again on the outside. ¡®I got even more than yesterday.¡¯ He smiled faintly while feeling how much sturdier and bigger his aura had bepared to when he was in the house. ¡®I managed to get so much stronger in just two days.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier. Even the Ring of Fire had gained proficiency from purifying the Soul Nullifying Water. He actually became stronger than before despite being kidnapped by the enemy. People would smack his cheek while calling it nonsense if he told others about it, but it was actually happening. ¡®I wonder if she has a few more elixirs.¡¯ The efficiency decreased if he took multiple of the same kind of elixir, but he wanted to get a few more since he wouldn¡¯t get to drink more Soul Nullifying Water in the future anyway. Wow, you must be the only one who tries to extort people in the enemy base! ¡®That¡¯s what we call boldness.¡¯ Raon chuckled and raised himself up. As he started a light exercise to remove stiffness from his body, the door was opened, and Merlin entered. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°It went fine¡­¡± He nodded, eyes even more unfocusedpared to the day before. Since he¡¯d been with Runaan for a long time, he was confident in making a nk expression. ¡°Not bad.¡± Merlin nodded in satisfaction when she saw his eyes. Her lips under the slightly raised mask twisted up like vines. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t y with you today. I need to prepare for tonight.¡± She ced the meal she brought on the table, her eyes sparkling with a faint red color. ¡°I¡¯lle back to get you in the evening.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Raon simply nodded with a nk expression on his face. ¡°Huhu.¡± Merlin patted his head before leaving the room. Raon immediately shook his head and sat at the table. He quickly finished eating before leaving the room. He walked through the corridor in order to leave the building, and the gazes he could feel were quite different from the day before. Eden¡¯s demons were greeting him more politely than before. ¡®Are they really epting me now?¡¯ They seemed to consider him a real officer of Eden because he was going to officially wear the helmetter. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but it won¡¯t go ording to your expectations.¡¯ The King of Essence keeps thinking about it, but don¡¯t you ever feel anxious at all? Wrath frowned while resting his chin on Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡®Anxious?¡¯ You are currently alone in the enemy base, and you might even end up losing your body. Your guts are inhuman, no matter how you look at it. ¡®Not at all.¡¯ Raon shook his head. ¡®There¡¯s no way I would be afraid, since I won against you.¡¯ As soon as Wrath mentioned he¡¯d defeated dragons, his anxiousness was extinguished like candlelight. Since he easily won against the monarch of wrath in terms of willpower, he was confident in his victory regardless of his opponent. He even had thest resort in case they realized that the mental attack didn¡¯t work against him and started pressuring him with physical power. He could just unleash Wrath and destroy everything in that ce before escaping. ¡®Because I don¡¯t need to protect anyone here.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t have been able to recklessly allow Wrath to take over if the Light Wind squad was with him, but he had nothing but enemies around him. He was feeling even more at ease than when he had allies alongside him. Since he was confident that he could escape one way or the other after taking advantage of everything he could get, he wasn¡¯t feeling anxious at all, and everything was fun. You are such a mystery. Wrath frowned, since he didn¡¯t realize Raon could rest assured thanks to him. Where are you going this time? ¡®You will see.¡¯ Raon casually epted the greetings of the robed and masked demons as if it were normal, then went outside. He went to the border of the barrier and ced his hand on it. Whir! As soon as the barrier showed itself upon using his aura, the presence he¡¯d felt the day before burst from behind him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today?¡± Unfaceable Snake tilted his chin with an annoyed expression on his face. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Soul Severing Sword appeared in front of the wall and stared at him like a stone statue. Shring! Raon pointed Heavenly Drive at Unfaceable Snake with a smile on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s go for another round today.¡± Wrath and Unfaceable Snake dropped their jaws at the same time. ¡°You madman!¡± You madman! * * * ng! Unfaceable Snake furrowed his brow while blocking Raon¡¯s strike. ¡®What¡¯s happening? He¡¯s a bit different from yesterday.¡¯ Even though he could easily deflect Raon¡¯s blows the day before, he couldn¡¯t do that anymore. Raon pierced into his openings as artfully as a savage beast hunting its prey when he thrust his sword. ¡°Tsk!¡± Unfaceable Snake clicked his tongue and straightened his wrist. He removed the softness from his sword and added even more power and weight. ¡®I¡¯m going to crush you.¡¯ He gripped his sword with both hands and smashed it down with the intention of overwhelming him with sheer power and aura. The lightning strike falling diagonally was the Falling Lightning sh. Zap! Just as the Falling Lightning sh was about to smash Raon¡¯s head into half, his movements suddenly changed. He pulled his feet half step back, then turned his waist to the right to smack the center of the Falling Lightning sh with his sword, which was surrounded by a storming heat. ng! His attack twisted the Falling Lightning Strike before it could unleash its full power, and even Unfaceable Snake himself ended up losing bnce. Woosh! Raon immediately dashed at him like lightning and swung his sword. Explosive energy burst from his silver-white de. ¡®What an idiot!¡¯ He could see a small opening in Raon¡¯s attack, probably because he got too hasty from the opportunity he saw. ¡°Scram!¡± Unfaceable Snake snorted, thrusting Red Rising Star at Raon. His deadly de should¡¯ve been able to mercilessly break through his opening. Cring! The moment Red Rising Star was about to hit Raon¡¯s opening, Raon¡¯s eyes sparked red. Whir! Raon¡¯s strike solidified as if the sparking light of his eyes had seeped into his de. The thickened aura perfectly stopped Red Rising Star¡¯s flow and kickstarted a frightening counterattack. Whap! The two streams of fire surrounding his de started to rotate violently towards his neck and chest. ¡°Hup!¡± Unfaceable Snake quickly turned his sword to unleash the defensive special technique, Bundled sh. ng! The sh between the two powerful swords created a huge shockwave. Raon stepped eight steps back over the crushednd, and Unfaceable Snake took six steps back. Even though the sh was the same as the day before, Raon took two less steps back and Unfaceable Snake had to take one more step. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Unfaceable Snake stared at Raon in bewilderment. ¡®How is this happening right now?¡¯ Even though he¡¯d applied even morebative energy than the day before, Raon countered the blow more easily and even managed to counterattack. His lips trembled in disbelief. ¡®Is it even possible to get this much stronger in a single day?¡¯ Since Merlin was feeding Raon elixirs, it was normal for his aura to get stronger. However, the change wasn¡¯t because of his aura. His technique waspletely different from the day before. It was impossible for him to get so much better in a single day, even if he was enlightened. He couldn¡¯t understand what kind of magic it was. ¡®If he keeps getting better at this rate¡­ It¡¯s going to be dangerous.¡¯ Unfaceable Snake swallowed nervously. If he really kept getting better at the same rate, he could guess that Raon would be at the same level as him in their tenth fight at thetest. ¡®Haa.¡¯ Unfaceable Snake lowered his sword and straightened his back. ¡°What a shame.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about your talent. It would¡¯ve been fun if we could go for a few more rounds.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon also lowered Heavenly Drive as he raised his head. ¡°Am I going to lose myself once I wear Eden¡¯s helmet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s assimtion, to be precise.¡± ¡°Assimtion?¡± ¡°Yes. Your soul will be absorbed into the existence inside the helmet.¡± Unfaceable Snake smiled while tapping his snake helmet. ¡°The assimtion can happen right away, or it might take a long time. If you start casually doing something that you normally wouldn¡¯t, it signals the start of the assimtion.¡± ¡°Can I start usingbative energy from that point?¡± ¡°Are you still thinking about getting stronger when your ego might end up disappearing? You truly are a madman. I can understand how you became so powerful at your age.¡± He covered his forehead andughed. He must¡¯ve found Raon¡¯s personality interesting. ¡°That¡¯s right. You can instinctively start using thebative energy once the assimtion starts. That¡¯s how it works.¡± Unfaceable Snake stared at Raon for a while before he returned his sword to its scabbard. ¡°Let¡¯s stop for today. I lost the fun of it.¡± He turned around and waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯lle back tomorrow.¡± Raon said it quietly while looking at Unfaceable Snake¡¯s back. ¡°There¡¯s no point.¡± Unfaceable Snake chuckled and disappeared like smoke in the wind. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword didn¡¯t go away even though Unfaceable Snake had already left, continuing to stare at him while standing in the same posture. His emotionless golden gaze seemed to be trying to tell him something, but Raon couldn¡¯t understand what he meant. ¡°And you¡­¡± ¡°Raon!¡± Just as Raon was about to walk up to Soul Severing Sword, the space became distorted, and Merlin popped out from it. ¡°Did you fight against that idiot once again?¡± She furrowed her brows while looking at the crushednd. ¡°Stop ying with that dirty snake. The dirtiness will be transferred onto you.¡± ¡°I have nothing else to do. Swinging my sword eases my mind.¡± Raon removed the focus from his eyes slightly before he spoke. She didn¡¯t suspect him because people tended to act instinctively when they felt dizzy. ¡°You will be able to easily crush that stupid snake after today.¡± Merlin grabbed his hand with a gentle smile on her face. She stroked the back of his hand with a strange warmth while curving her lips up into a smile. ¡°The preparations are finished now. It¡¯s time for you to be reborn into a stronger being.¡± Raon licked his lips while facing Merlin¡¯s gaze, which was burning with anticipation. ¡®My preparations are also finished.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m ready to devour your dragon.¡¯ Chapter 291

Chapter 291

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 291 Raon¡¯s lips curved into a smile as he watched Merlin walking in front of him. ¡®She looks happy.¡¯ Her feather-light steps made it look like she was brimming with anticipation for what he would be after he wore the helmet. ¡®She must be looking forward to meeting the one inside the helmet.¡¯ Merlin had to have been hoping for the soul inside the helmet to take over his body, but that simply couldn¡¯t happen. Raon wasn¡¯t going to lose in terms of willpower no matter who he faced. ¡°How are you feeling? Are you nervous?¡± Merlin stopped walking and turned around, probably because she noticed he was staring at her. Desire was glowing from the eyes behind her mask. ¡°A little.¡± He nodded honestly, since he did feel very slightly nervous. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so nervous. You just need to give yourself to the helmet.¡± Merlin smiled, telling him that he just needed to fall into afortable sleep after putting on the helmet. ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡± Raon pointed at Soul Severing Sword. He never used to enter the building, so he found it strange for him to follow them all of the way there. ¡°You will be defenseless once you wear the helmet. I asked him toe with us in order to protect you.¡± Merlin didn¡¯t even look at Soul Severing Sword, instead continuing to stare at Raon while sweeping her lips with her hand. ¡°I won¡¯t allow the smallest trouble in your Soul Offering Ceremony.¡± She called the helmet wearing event the Soul Offering Ceremony. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Soul Severing Sword¡¯s eyes, which were burning with a golden light. ¡®He seems different somehow.¡¯ Unlike the Eden warriors he¡¯d met so far,bative energy wasn¡¯t the only thing he could feel from Soul Severing Sword. He could also smell some indescribable stench of death. It almost looked like they made a dead person wear a helmet. ¡®None of them are normal.¡¯ Raon shook his head and stopped in front of Merlin¡¯s log cabin. However, Merlin kept walking forward, implying that it wasn¡¯t their destination. ¡°Your Soul Offering Ceremony will happen in another room. You¡¯re special, after all.¡± Merlin bobbed her long finger, asking him to follow. She kept walking for a while after that until she reached the wall at the end of the building. Whir! Merlin tapped the gray wall and a passage formed in the middle of it, a white light spreading from it. A ck haze was crawling out of the passage. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Merlin smiled with her eyes and went ahead into the passage. Hmm¡­ Wrath frowned while looking at the energy flowing out from the wall. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Nothing. Despite what he said, his eyes were full of irritation as he continued staring at the passage on the wall. ¡®He¡¯s actually the strongest one among them.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and entered the passage. He couldn¡¯t open his eyes fully because of the dazzling light, and he found arge square space at the end of it. Pentagram-shaped magic circles with different patterns were drawn on the four walls and the ceiling in addition to the floor inside the grand room. Haa. The ck haze he saw earlier was rising from the magic circles like smoke. However, he couldn¡¯t feel any evil energy from them. Instead, they seemed to be pure mana. So, it must be him after all. Wrath clicked his tongue while looking at the energy flowing from the magic circles. ¡®Him?¡¯ You don¡¯t need to know. He¡¯s an extremely stupid guy. He closed his mouth after that. He apparently didn¡¯t want to talk about him. ¡°Sit down over there.¡± Just as Raon was about to ask about him again, Merlin pointed at the gray chair ced in the center of the magic circle. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon stared into Soul Severing Sword¡¯s emotionless eyes for a while before going to the spot Merlin pointed at, sitting on the chair. ¡°It¡¯s really nice that you are a smart boy.¡± Merlin walked up to him and extended her hand. The dragon helmet he saw the day before floated up from her hand. The de-sharp scales and light blue mane that was brimming with vitality made the helmet look like a living dragon. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon briefly exhaled and took the helmet with two hands. Unlike its appearance, the helmet was as light as paper and as stic as rubber. It looked like it would fit on anyone, regardless of their head¡¯s size. ¡°Wait a moment please.¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes shifted into a crescent shape, and she put her hands together. Six magic circles emerged from her hands. They had the same shape as the magic circles in the room. Whir! The magic circles in the walls and the ceiling started to vibrate as if they were resonating with her mana, and a dark light spread from them. ¡°Raon.¡± Merlin nodded, signaling for him to put on the helmet. Raon closed his eyes and opened them before putting on the dragon helmet. Even though the helmet was slightly bigger than his head, it shrunk to perfectly fit him and a strange energy started flowing inside his body. ¡°Have a nice trip.¡± Merlin raised her mask slightly. Her mouth curved into a thin smile as she kissed the helmet¡¯s mouth with her red lips. ¡°Everything will be over by the time you wake up.¡± That was thest thing he heard before his vision darkened. * * * Zieghart Lord¡¯s Manor, Audience Chamber Even though all of the officers and the heads of vassal houses were gathered in one ce, the audience chamber was as cold as ice. The officers¡¯ expressions werepletely dreary, and it was because of one person¡¯s presence. Glenn Zieghart. He was sitting on the throne of Northern Destruction, and the tremendous amount of powerful energy spreading from him was making everyone nervous. ¡°My lord, everyone¡¯s gathered.¡± Roenn stepped up next to him and bowed. Tap, tap. Glenn lightly tapped on the throne while looking down on the officers and the heads of houses. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s steps have been stopped for quite a long time now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Radiance Pce squad leader¡¯s shoulders trembled upon hearing his cold voice. ¡°I thought we didn¡¯t need to shed any more blood because we¡¯ve proven that Zieghart is capable of taking over half the continent.¡± Glenn¡¯s cold gaze turned to the right. ¡°We stopped our steps on our own. Zieghart needed the rest, and I don¡¯t regret that decision.¡± Sheryl slowly nodded, standing next to the pir on the right. ¡°However, it looks like others¡¯ opinions differ.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes started glowing with a bloody light. ¡°You must be all aware of the kidnapping of Raon Zieghart and Dorian Sephia.¡± The officers and the heads of houses nodded heavily. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have summoned you if the White Blood Religion and Eden killed the Light Wind squad on the spot. I would¡¯ve made Rimmer lead a squad to avenge them.¡± He was right about that. Zieghart had never gathered everyone before because of the annihtion of a squad or a division. ¡°However, they dared to kidnap the swordsmen bearing Zieghart¡¯s name. What does this imply, in your opinion?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes moved around the room. A deadly re sparked from the eyes of the swordsmen, who used to be trembling in fear because of him. ¡°They¡¯ve underestimated the Zieghart.¡± Sheryl responded to represent everyone¡¯s thoughts and clenched her fists. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it means. Kidnapping a swordsman under Zieghart¡¯s name signifies that they are treating us like random warriors. That means they have no fear of our swords.¡± His powerful pressure subsided as he continued speaking. However, that only meant that he was truly angry, from the bottom of his heart. Whir! On the other hand, the pressuresing from Zieghart¡¯s officers and the heads of the vassal families intensified gradually. The lord¡¯s manor started to tremble from everyone¡¯s pressures. ¡°I¡¯m sure some of you dislike Raon or the Light Wind squad. I respect that, regardless of the reason. However, this incident isn¡¯t an internal matter, but an external matter. You shall think about Zieghart¡¯s name instead of Raon.¡± Glenn raised himself up. Even though there wasn¡¯t the slightest pressure around him, his presence grew asrge as a great mountain. ¡°The search has already begun. Find Raon Zieghart and Dorian Sephia alongside the ck Market. It doesn¡¯t matter whether the Five Demons or the Six Kings lie at the end of that path. Destroy everyone rted to the kidnapping of the children.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The entire lord¡¯s manor pounded violently, as if it had turned into a single heart. ¡°Do not fear, regardless of our enemies.¡± Glenn stood at the edge of the tform. His red gaze was boiling like the sun that covered the entire world. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking the lead.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * When Raon opened his eyes, he could see the dark sky. It was an endless ceiling. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon raised himself up and turned his head to the right. He could see the frozennd beyond the small dark space. There was a pce even bigger than Zieghart¡¯s domain that waspletely frozen with silver frost. ¡®That coldness¡­¡¯ There was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize the familiar energy. It was cier¡¯s coldness. ¡®This is Lohengreen¡¯s doing.¡¯ Considering the fact that it was frozen from cier¡¯s coldness, it must¡¯ve been Merlin¡¯s castle from the stories. The pce¡ªwhich appeared to have been abandoned for a long time¡ªlooked lonely, even eerie at that point. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon was about to stand up after seeing the pce, but he had to frown. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Something was different from the usual. He noticed that his eye level was slightly different because he was perfectly ustomed to his body. He examined his hands and clothes. He couldn¡¯t see the ice flower bracelet that could never be removed, and he was wearing a night traveling outfit instead of the Light Wind squad¡¯s uniform. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Raon looked at his reflection on the white frozen ground. His blond hair and red eyes, which had been with him for almost twenty years, were gone. Instead, a young man d in darkness with ck hair and ck eyes was staring at him with widened eyes. ¡°It¡¯s me¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t his current self, but his previous life. It was the appearance of the assassin Raon, who¡¯d lived as Derus Robert¡¯s dog for his entire life. Tap. He stepped backwards and he stumbled on something. He looked down and he found a small dagger and a longsword ced next to each other. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ There was no mistake. It was the dagger and the longsword he¡¯d used in his previous life. They were the weapons that stayed with him until Derus Robert killed him. ¡°Was this what she meant when she said I would face my own soul?¡± Considering the fact that he had his previous life¡¯s appearance instead of that of Raon Zieghart, he really must¡¯ve been facing his own soul. ¡®That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t find Wrath either.¡¯ He was wondering why he wasn¡¯t talking at all despite how noisy he usually was, and it must¡¯ve been because the dimension had separated them. Raon picked up the weapons of his previous life, which he hadn¡¯t used in a long time, with a faint smile on his face. ¡°So¡­¡± When is my fooding to make me healthier? As soon as he finished that thought, the entire ce started to tremble. Rumble! The pce copsed, and a huge dragon¡¯s neck¡ªcovered in sharp blue scales¡ªburst out. The blue gaze sparking from his eyes made it seem like he was enraged at the world. Roar! The ice covering the entire pce shattered like ss, and the majestic roar of the dragon echoed throughout the world. Wham! Once his wings¡ªas huge as the horizon¡ªspread out, the entire pce copsed. Raon could see a small log cabin that didn¡¯t seem to belong to that space in the midst of raining rubble and ice, but it soon disappeared, buried beneath the dust. Whoosh! The blue dragon kicked the frozennd and soared into the sky. The dragon violently floated around the endless sky for a while before falling down like lightning upon noticing Raon¡¯s presence. m! The blue dragon¡¯s descent crushed the whitend. Raon could feel a tremendous pressure from its eyes, diverging like a snake¡¯s tongue. Raon clenched his teeth and met the blue dragon¡¯s vicious gaze. Whir! White light emerged from the blue dragon¡¯s body, and its huge body gradually reduced to the size of a human. A young man walked out of the majestic light. The handsome man with ocean blue eyes was d in knight¡¯s armor. He was handsome enough for Encia to immediately shout ¡®damn handsome¡¯ upon seeing him. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± The blue-haired man furrowed his brows slightly. ¡°ording to the princess, the wall of your mind should¡¯ve already copsed, and this world should¡¯ve never taken ce. Howe you are standing in front of me right now?¡± He tilted his head at the strange course of the event. ¡®So that was why she gave me the Soul Nullifying Water.¡¯ Judging from what he said, if the Soul Nullifying Water managed to destroy the wall of his mind, that space would¡¯ve never been created, and the dragon¡¯s soul would¡¯ve destroyed his own without extra steps. ¡®But did he just call her ¡®princess¡¯?¡¯ There was no way he was referring to someone else. He must¡¯ve been talking about Merlin when he said ¡®princess¡¯. ¡°Is Merlin a princess?¡± ¡°Did you not know?¡± The dragon lowered his eyebrows, asking him how ignorant he could be. ¡°I guess you were simply abducted by the princess.¡± He briefly clicked his tongue while looking down on him. ¡°You aren¡¯t a dragon.¡± Raon¡¯s lips became twisted as he looked up at the blue-haired man. ¡®There¡¯s no way he¡¯s a dragon.¡¯ Dragons were the proudest creatures in the world, as they were the strongest race. It would¡¯ve been a different story if they were disguising themselves, but if they had already revealed their true identity, there was no way they would call a human being ¡®princess¡¯. ¡®Which means he is¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes sparked. If he wasn¡¯t a dragon despite having a dragon shape with transformation ability, there was only one possibility. Draconian. ¡®Draconian¡¯ designated dragons and their children with other races. Although most of them were just stronger or had better mana affinities than their original races, there were rare urrences of Draconians born with the ability to transform into the shape of a dragon, and that must¡¯ve been the case for the man in front of him. ¡°Are you draconian?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The blue-haired man nodded proudly. ¡°My name is Loctar Defort. I¡¯m the son of the blue dragon Cronos Defort, and the captain of Sirken¡¯s royal knights.¡± Just like his appearance, as his armor and sword implied, he introduced himself as a knight. ¡°I have no animosity towards you. I¡¯m a sinner who didn¡¯t manage to protect the princess. I¡¯ll pay for my sins after my death. I will make it painless if you just hand over your bod¡­¡± ¡°Fuck off.¡± Raon smiled coldly. It was probably because he was in his previous life¡¯s body that he immediately started insulting him, which he wouldn¡¯t have done as Raon Zieghart. ¡°You kidnapped me against my will, and now you want to pay for your sin after your death? You should stop with your bullshit already.¡± ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to resist.¡± Loctar lowered his eyes. He was treating him as a pathetic man. ¡°Look below you.¡± Raon looked down as he said. He could see the darknd in contrast to the whitend that Loctar was standing on. ¡°That darknd is all you had in your life.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There was nothing else than thatnd and those two swords engraved in your soul. On the other hand¡­¡± Rockstar pointed behind him. ¡°My world came to a stop in this frozen castle, but its size and firmness is iparable to yours.¡± Coldness and despair from the experience of death emerged from his eyes. ¡°I can immediately destroy your small and narrow world if I wanted. I¡¯m giving you onest chance. Step back, since I don¡¯t want to use my power against a weakling.¡± It wasn¡¯t even funny that Loctar kept spouting bullshit. He must¡¯ve believed that he was still a knight. ¡°It¡¯s normal for a weak dog to bark louder.¡± Raon snorted and bobbed his finger. ¡°Stop talking ande at me, you halfling lizard.¡± ¡°So you chose pain when I rmended another way out.¡± A deadly spark radiated from Loctar¡¯s eyes, and a wave of coldness was created on the frozennd he was standing on. Swaaa! The white tidal wave engulfed the darknd to expand its domain. The sensation of his mana circuits being frozen was a simr pain to Wrath¡¯s attacks, which he¡¯d experienced pretty much every day. ¡®So this was the reason. This is why she called this a Soul Offering Ceremony.¡¯ He could finally understand it. That space was the visualization of his everyday fight against Wrath, and Loctar¡¯s soul had already taken over most of the space because his power was bigger than Raon¡¯s. Rumble! Loctar¡¯s coldness and despair intensified, and the dark space was being reduced extremely quickly. With the entire space being frozen, the only space he had left was the handspan ofnd he was setting foot on. ¡°I told you.¡± Loctar sneered at him tantly. He was pretending to be a knight, but he was no different from Merlin. ¡°Whatever you do is meaningless. It¡¯s impossible for you to win against me in this world.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m far more experienced than you. This must be your first time in this space, but I¡¯ve always been fighting in this world ever since I was alive. I must¡¯ve already had a hundred battles at least.¡± ¡°A hundred, huh?¡± Raon rolled up his lips into a smile. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He unleashed the Ring of Fire and stomped on the ground. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s mes spread out from his feet to engulf the frozennd. Whap! The crimson me melted down the endless coldness and despair in an instant and started devouring the frozennd in return. Its speed was on a different level from Loctar¡¯s coldness. ¡°Wh-What is this me?!¡± Raon smiled while looking at Loctar¡¯s eyes, which had widened as far as they could. ¡°As for me, I¡¯ve been harassed by an annoying cotton candy for half of my life. I¡¯ve gone through battles like this at least a thousand times, rather than a hundred.¡± With his cold smile contrasting with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat, he walked over the zingnd. Step. The sound of footsteps made with worn out shoes was engulfed by the mes that clearly turned solid. His ck pants and top turned into the Light Wind squad¡¯s uniform, which was brimming with softness, and his ck hair burned up to turn into fluttering blond hair simr to molten gold. Thud! The nothingness filling his ck eyes turned into a sun as his red eyes pierced through Loctar¡¯s soul. Whap! The endless fire spread around, and the fifth training ground and Zieghart¡¯sndscape appeared behind him. The loneliness of the darknd was gradually filled with the connections he made during his life. His world wasn¡¯t empty anymore. ¡°Wh-What the hell are you? How can a human mind go through such a drastic change¡­?¡± Loctar¡¯s chin was trembling as he witnessed Raon transforming into apletely different person. The iprehensible situation must¡¯ve made him panic¡ªterrified, even. Whap! Regardless of his surprise, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat melted down the frozennd and started to reach the pce that Loctar had destroyed. ¡°I¡¯m an ordinary human.¡± Raon grasped the hilt of his sword with a serious look in his eyes. ¡°A human released from his leash, who finally managed to gain the life of a human being.¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit is that?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be the one to tell you that you and your princess will never be able to get what you wanted from m¡­ Hmm?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Raon stopped speaking and looked to the right. Loctar also turned his head around at the same time. Swaaa! Blue threads were tangling with each other to create a strange area on top of the ground burning from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡°Wh-What is that?! Howe there¡¯s an intruder in this space?!¡± Loctar¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°You bastard! Who are you trying to summon?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not summoning anyone. He¡¯sing here by himself.¡± Raon frowned while looking at the ice flower bracelet that appeared on his wrist. ¡°He¡¯s an illegal tenant.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 292 Rip! With the loud sound of an entire book being ripped apart, a diamond shaped blue fissure in the space opened all the way to the sky. Wrath made his appearance in a dimension that was as turbulent as the ocean. Whir! Wrath was looking down on the world, d with absolute power¡ªbefitting his title of Monarch of Wrath. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon frowned while watching Wrath cross dimensions. ¡®But why is he the same as before? No, more importantly¡­ Why is he so big?¡¯ Wrath looked like blue cotton candy, just like always, but he was a bit bigger than before. No, it was correct to say that he was a lot bigger than before. He was about a hundred times as big as he usually was when he popped out of the ice flower bracelet. ¡°Uah!¡± As soon as he entered the dimension, he couldn¡¯t keep his bnce and fell on the ground with an unsightly scream. Rumble! He must¡¯ve also gotten heavier after getting bigger, since the entire space trembled from his fall. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Wrath raised his head slightly, his brow furrowed. ¡°You are such a snail! What have you even been doing for this tost for so long?!¡± He could hear Wrath¡¯s voice for the first time. His voice entered through his ears instead of ringing inside his head. ¡°And where is the lizard? I want some roasted dragon since it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡®Wait, did you mean that you literally ate dragons when you said it back then?¡¯ Raonughed bitterly. He thought it was a figure of speech to say that he¡¯d won against a dragon, but he apparently really ate one. He couldn¡¯t understand why he wasn¡¯t the monarch of gluttony no matter how he thought about it. ¡°Stop staring at me and talk. Where¡¯s the dragon? The King of Essence wants some healthy food!¡± ¡°He¡¯s beneath you.¡± Raon shook his head and pointed to the ground. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You justnded on him.¡± Loctar must not have expected the blue cotton candy to fall down right after it made its appearance, as he ended up crushed under Wrath¡¯s belly. Judging from the faint blue energy rising from him, he must¡¯ve still been alive at least. Raon felt relieved, because being crushed to death by a cotton candy¡¯s belly would¡¯ve been such a miserable death. ¡°Hmm?¡± Wrath licked his lips while lowering his gaze. ¡°A dragon waffle?¡± Wrath waspletely insane, no matter how Raon thought about it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and looked up at Wrath. ¡°Why do you look like that?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking why you still look like cotton candy when souls are supposed to regain their shapes in this space.¡± ¡°Cotton candy? What is cotton candy?¡± Wrath started asking about cotton candy instead of answering his question. ¡°It¡¯s candy made by heating up thick sugar and turning it into a thin thread. It¡¯s then bundled up like cotton. It looks exactly like you right now.¡± ¡°Is it delicious?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t too surprised, since he expected him to ask that question. ¡°It just tastes like sugar.¡± ¡°The King of Essence will need to try it out in the future.¡± Wrath licked his lips once again. ¡°More importantly, I¡¯m asking you why you look like cotton candy instead of your supposedly beautiful and amazing appearance?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Wrath frowned, treating it like a stupid question. ¡°This world is the result of a sh between the walls of the minds of you and the lizard. It would¡¯ve been strange if the King of Essence regained his appearance here.¡± ¡°But your wrath is dwelling in my soul.¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to your wrath that the King of Essence managed to gain such a fine appearance.¡± He smiled while looking at his plump arm. He seemed rather satisfied with his body, which had grown bigger than before. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon gasped while looking at Wrath. It was impossible to understand what cotton candy was thinking. ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± Just as he was about to start talking to Wrath once again¡ª Rumble! Thend started to tremble and Wrath sprung up into the air. ¡°Kwaaaa!¡± Loctar shouted and unleashed a tremendous amount of coldness and despair from below Wrath. ¡°How dare you ambush me, you coward!¡± Loctar ground his teeth while ring at Wrath, who was sent flying into the air. ¡°I¡¯ll tear your lump of flesh into pieces!¡± His eyes were overflowing with madness. Getting run over by Wrath¡¯s belly must¡¯ve been shocking to him. ¡°You aren¡¯t even a proper lizard. That¡¯s so much arroganceing from a halfling.¡± Wrath red at Loctar while floating in the air. ¡°What are you waiting for? Take care of him already, as the King of Essence¡¯s servant!¡± ¡°Do you wanna make a bet, since we haven¡¯t done it for a while?¡± Raon smiled while pointing at Loctar. ¡°Bet? What kind of bet are you talking about?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s bet on who can neutralize him first.¡± ¡°You arrogant bastard! Do you truly believe you can defeat the King of Essence?!¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve been defeating you my entire life.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± His words pierced Wrath¡¯s heart and his lips trembled, as he was unable to refute them. ¡°Fine! I ept that bet!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t kill him because I have something to ask him. You only win if you manage to make him surrender before I do.¡± ¡°I know!¡± A message appeared in front of his eyes right after he said that. It was the bet message, which he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. [Wrath is suggesting a bet. Condition: Be the first one to make the draconian surrender. Upon victory: +10 in all stats, rank up of two traits. Upon loss: 25 points of emotion of Wrath.] Raon nodded after checking the message. ¡°I ept.¡± As soon as he voiced out his consent, the message disappeared. ¡°A bet? You dare look down on me!¡± Loctar ground his teeth violently while ring at Raon and Wrath. ¡°As long as I¡¯m inside this space, I won¡¯t lose to anyone!¡± He drew his sword and dazzling light burst from the de. ¡°You should stay back!¡± ¡°You stay back!¡± However, Raon and Wrath shook their hands at Loctar and looked at each other instead. ¡°Despite how he looks, he¡¯s far stronger than you. Do you really believe you can do it?¡± Wrath sneered. However, Raon didn¡¯t really feel angry, probably because he looked like arge cotton candy. ¡°It was you who taught me.¡± ¡°The King of Essence did? What did he teach you?¡± ¡°That willpower and imagination are the most important factors in a fight like this.¡± Since the world was the representation of the fight he usually had in his body, he was confident he wouldn¡¯t lose anyone as long as he maintained a firm will and soul. ¡°I¡¯m the one who won¡¯t lose to anyone here.¡± A heated smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he raised Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡°Hmph, you won¡¯t even get an opportunity!¡± Wrath lightly waved his hand. The simple wave of his handpletely froze the ground under Loctar¡¯s feet. Creak! The ice was powerful enough to freeze a draconian, who was supposed to possess an extreme resistance against coldness. It was an unbelievable disy of power. Whap! When cier¡¯s coldness¡ªcreated by Wrath¡ªwas about to freeze Loctar alive, a powerful me burst out to remove all of the frost. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that.¡± Raon was smiling, Heavenly Drive extended forward. ¡°You are getting in the way!¡± ¡°You never said that I wasn¡¯t allowed to disturb you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still meaningless!¡± Wrath¡¯s eyes sparked blue, and thousands¡ªand even tens of thousands¡ªof icy des appeared in the air. Whaam! The des fell down in no time towards Raon and Loctar at the same time. Raon thrust Heavenly Drive forward. Thousands of flower buds were created in the direction the sword was pointing before blooming with red. The cluster of fire flowers filling the space melted down every single one of Wrath¡¯s ice des. ¡®I really can do it.¡¯ He would lose to Wrath in a single strike if it were a real fight, but the particrity of the space allowed him to stop Wrath. ¡®Nothing has changed from before.¡¯ The battle they were having was the exact same as the sh of their souls. Using the Ring of Fire to increase his soul level allowed him to easily trample on the demon king. Raon curved his lips into a thin smile while watching Wrath¡¯s frown. ¡®A demon king and a draconian. So many healthy meals for me.¡¯ * * * * * * White Blood Religion Leader¡¯s Audience Chamber The sounding from therge room, where white and red colors were creating a beautiful harmony, was simr to a woman¡¯s moan. ¡°Aaah.¡± The sound wasing from midair. The ring and the ss bottle containing the Continent Chaser Fragrance were floating in the air, surrounded by a white energy. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dorian was staring nkly at the slow rotation of the ss bottle and the ring while standing next to a pir on the right. Thud! The ring and the ss bottle finally stopped spinning, and the white energy surrounding them started to draw a strange pattern in the air. ¡°Hmm.¡± The White Blood Religion leader¡¯s heated breath could be heard, the red curtain swaying on the tform. ¡°It took a while.¡± Her morous gaze brushed past the ring and the ss bottle, and she examined the white pattern floating in the air. ¡°I see.¡± She raised her long leg to rest her chin on her knee and smiled gently. ¡°He seems to be taken away to an interesting ce.¡± She bobbed her finger and the ring and the ss bottle slowly fell into Dorian¡¯s hand. Step. Quiet footsteps could be heard from outside of the audience chamber, and the tenth apostle opened the door before entering the room. ¡°Have you finished?¡± ¡°I managed to get a rough estimation of his location.¡± She nodded slowly while looking at the tenth apostle. ¡°Was the Demon Night White Chasing Spell not enough to find his exact location?¡± ¡°They must be hiding him behind a thick barrier.¡± She drew a circle with her finger, and a map of the continent appeared in the air. One location on the map was sparkling white, near the merchant city Cameloon. ¡°Cameloon?¡± The tenth apostle¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing the light sparkling from Cameloon. ¡°No way, is Eden actually based in Cameloon?¡± ¡°They must be in the vicinity.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader shook her head while smoothing her hand down her neck. ¡°But three out of six kings are currently involved with Cameloon¡­¡± ¡°That would¡¯ve made it even easier for them to hide there.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The tenth apostle nodded slightly, realizing why that would be the case. ¡°It must be because they are keeping each other in check.¡± ¡°Correct. They are allied under the name of the Six Kings, but they are always keeping each other in check.¡± A faint smile appeared on her face. ¡°But such boldness isn¡¯t exactlymon. They are smart and bold at the same time. It must be ¡®his¡¯ doing.¡± She slowly raised herself up as if she were bored of life. ¡°Are you going to go there in person?¡± ¡°Yes, because I don¡¯t think you will be enough for the task.¡± Even though she was belittling his ability, the tenth apostle didn¡¯t show any reaction. The religion¡¯s leader was pretty much a god to him. He believed that there must¡¯ve been a good reason behind it if the god said he wouldn¡¯t be enough. ¡°I¡¯ll make the preparations.¡± The tenth apostle bowed and left the room. ¡°It would be nice if he became even more polished¡­¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader smiled morously towards Dorian, who was standing with the ring and the ss bottle in his hand. ¡°You shoulde with me.¡± * * * Loctar¡¯s chin was trembling as he raised his head. Wham! A young human boy and a monster that looked like a cloud were in the middle of a frightening battle as they spread fire and ice towards each other. ¡®Th-There¡¯s no mistaking it. It¡¯s that man¡¯s coldness!¡¯ He was certain that the cloud-like monster¡¯s energy was the same as Lohengreen¡¯s coldness, which made his time to stop. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Even though the coldness was even more powerful than Lohengreen¡¯s, it helplessly melted down upon facing the young human¡¯s me. ¡®That young boy is even worse than the monster.¡¯ Loctar swallowed nervously while watching Raon¡¯s fight. He couldn¡¯t understand how he could possess such a great willpower and high level soul when he didn¡¯t even look like he was twenty years old yet. ¡®No, that¡¯s not the important part right now. This is an opportunity for me. It¡¯s my opportunity to kill both of them at once.¡¯ He figured that a surprise attack while they were fighting against each other would allow him to aplish his revenge against Lohengreen and take over Raon¡¯s body at the same time. He kept polishing his willpower non-stop after he woke up in order to take his revenge against Lohengreen and protect the princess. It was time to show the results. ¡®I¡¯ll make you regret underestimating me. No, you won¡¯t even get to regret it, because you are going to disappear right away!¡¯ Loctar unleashed his true soul. His body sparked blue and returned to the shape of a blue dragon. Rumble! He gathered the power of his soul and the emotion of despair from the height where humans looked even smaller than worms. Ice breath. All of the willpower he¡¯d been umting up to that point exploded with the strongest attack he¡¯d received from his father. Swaa! The extreme coldness pouring from Loctar¡¯srge jaw engulfed Raon and Wrath. Although they were unleashing fire and frost towards each other, they stopped their fight and turned to look at him with frowns on their faces. ¡°You are being annoying.¡± ¡°How dare you, you scum!¡± Raon and Wrath¡¯s eyes were filled with anger over having their fight interrupted. ¡°I told you to stay quietly in a corner since it¡¯s none of your business!¡± The energies of different colors gushed from their fists, tearing Loctar¡¯s ice breath into pieces in a second. Smack! The tremendous amount of coldness and heat mingled with each other in a spiral and smashed violently into Loctar¡¯s chest. Thud! Despite hisrge body, he was sent flying like a piece of paper and mmed into the ground. ¡°Kuh!¡± His mind became hazy and he closed his eyes while watching Raon and Wrath, who continued their fight without even looking at him. ¡°Those crazy bastards¡­¡± ¡®It is my business though¡­¡¯ * * * Raon smiled while pointing at Loctar, who had fainted with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. ¡°You saw how he just copsed, right? I won the bet.¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit are you spouting?! The King of Essence¡¯s ice was what shattered his mind!¡± ¡°My me did it before your ice.¡± ¡°Bullshit! The King of Essence¡¯s ice was about a handspan faster! Your me reached him wayter than mine!¡± ¡°It was mine.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t!¡± Wrath violently shook his head, saying that it was definitely not the case. Raon could onlyugh because he still looked like cotton candy. ¡°Kuh, whatever. The King of Essence will take this opportunity to defeat you and engrave his wrath into your soul.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Raon tilted his head and snickered. ¡°I have the upper hand in this space.¡± ¡°Hmph! It doesn''t matter!¡± Wrath snorted, a blue re shooting from his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a simple task to defeat you as long as the King of Essence uses his true power!¡± ¡°True power?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes upon seeing Wrath¡¯s confident nod. ¡°Indeed. He can¡¯t unleash all of his willpower in this form. He is going to show you the true form of the King of Essence that everyone in Devildom admired.¡± Wrath opened his hands. His frost spread all over the ce, gathering to the center as his size started to decrease. He must¡¯ve been returning to his original shape, the shape from when he was revered as the demon king. Rumble! As his size became smaller and the coldness was condensed, his power was growing exponentially. The tremendous amount of ice and the emotion of wrath was endlessly pouring out of him. ¡°But you know.¡± Raon snickered and walked up to Wrath. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to wait for your transformation to end.¡± He spoke and kicked Wrath¡¯s body at the same time at full power, since his body was curled up into a sphere because he was trying to transform. Smaack! Along with the sound of an exploding rubber ball, Wrath¡¯s body soared into the sky. ¡°Kuaah! Wh-What do you think you are doing right now?¡± Wrath widened his eyes and screamed. ¡°Why would you attack when he said he would return to his original form?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Raon kicked the falling Wrath once again, sending him flying into Loctar¡¯s face. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Wrath and Loctar groaned at once from the collision. ¡°This is fun.¡± Raon ran up to him with a smile on his face and smacked him. Along with a bang, Wrath bounced on the ground like a skipping stone and mmed into the copsed castle wall. Whaam! Wrath violently swayed his hands inside thepletely destroyed wall. ¡°Hey! You lunatic!¡± Wrath screamed while quickly blinking his eyes. ¡°Even demons don¡¯t attack during transformations! They at least give their opponent time to gather power!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not a demon.¡± Raon even used footwork to reach him faster, smacking Wrath¡¯s face before he finished his transformation. ¡°Kuaah¡­¡± Wrath swayed left and right like a sandbag from getting hit with both fists, and he was unable to recover his senses. ¡°Y-You fiend. No, you are even worse than a fiend¡­¡± Smack! Smack! Loctar trembled in fear as he watched Raon beat Wrath to a pulp with a smile on his face. ¡®He¡¯s the real deal. A real madman!¡¯ Loctar had seen countless humans in his long life alongside Merlin, but he¡¯d never seen anyone like him before. That unyielding willpower and cruelty. Chills ran down his spine from his fear of the true monster. ¡®Princess¡­ Why did you have to send a monster like that?!¡¯ Loctar started to resent Merlin instead, since defying Raon wasn¡¯t even an option at that point. He couldn¡¯t imagine himself winning against the monster, no matter what he tried. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The moment he surrendered from the bottom of his heart and put his hands on the ground, a message appeared in front of Raon¡¯s eyes. [You¡¯ve won the bet against Wrath.] Raon stopped his hands upon seeing the message. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Wrath was coughing up blood while looking at the message, since he had almost fainted from Raon¡¯s barrage. ¡°Th-This is unfair! The King of Essence will never acknowledge this result! He started attacking during the transformation!¡± Wrath used the small interval where Raon¡¯s fists stopped moving to twist his body and explode all of the coldness in his body at the same time. Whaam! The blue frost soared into the sky with a majestic radiance. ¡°Finally.¡± Raon¡¯s mind and soul trembled upon hearing a voice filled with powerful wrath and coldness. Rumble! A long, human shape made its appearance from the blue storm of frost. Whir! A chill ran down his spine upon facing the blue re of the existence that appeared. ¡°Wrath¡­?¡± Chapter 293 Whoosh! The blue ice storm subsided, and Wrath¡¯s appearance was revealed. Raon swallowed nervously and narrowed his eyes. ¡®¡­Is that what Wrath normally looks like?¡¯ The most noticeable part was his eyes. The light blue eyes were thin and deep at the same time, and they were shining faintly¡ªlike ss beads. The distinct facial features, despite the thin contours, attracted the gaze like a ckhole. ¡®He wasn¡¯t lying back then.¡¯ It was questionable whether he had the best appearance in Devildom, but it would¡¯ve been difficult to find anyone in the continent who matched up to him. Even though Raon wasn¡¯t really interested in aesthetics, he could describe him as mysterious or beautiful, rather than pretty or handsome. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that is the gluttonous cotton candy¡¯s true form.¡¯ It was his first time seeing someone¡¯s appearance and personality being discordant to such an extent. Raon thought that he needed to reconsider his prejudices about people¡¯s appearance. ¡®I wonder what Encia would say if she saw him.¡¯ He suddenly got curious about what Encia would say about Wrath. However, as a w in the crystal, there were two regrettable aspects. First was his clothes. Wrath was wearing navy blue clothes that were rumpled and trailing like an angel in the legend. Second was the fact that he didn¡¯t have any horns or wings. A demon king, in his imagination, had ck horns and wings¡ªbut he didn¡¯t have either. ¡°It¡¯s been a really long time since thest time I took this form.¡± Wrath smiled faintly while uncurling his long and white fingers. He slowly raised his eyes to look at him. ¡°I had to go through all kinds of shit because of you.¡± ¡°Is that your true form?¡± ¡°Indeed. The King of Essence has the best appearance in Devildom, just like he said. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell because I¡¯ve never been to Devildom.¡± Raon tilted his head mildly. ¡°Hmph, he knew you would say that, since you know nothing about aesthetics despite having that face.¡± Wrath frowned, and the impact of a hammer striking his head stormed throughout his body. Wrath didn¡¯t even attack him. Raon felt like his heart skipped a beat when all he did was increase his wrathful pressure. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ He even forgot to breathe from the unbelievable pressure. He breathed out roughly with a frown on his face. ¡°You should already be feeling it. The King of Essence¡¯s power is different from before.¡± ¡°What have you done?¡± They were in the spiritual world, created from the sh of souls between himself and Loctar. It should¡¯ve been impossible for Wrath to exhibit power surpassing the amount of wrath he currently had. He couldn¡¯t understand how he managed toe into possession of that much willpower. ¡°Insects tend to consider the soul and body separately, but the soul and body are bound to be together in the end.¡± Wrath raised his chin and looked down on his ignorance. ¡°The King of Essence materialized his soul in the shape of his original body and became capable of using a portion of his original authority.¡± He took another step forward. The powerful coldness and wrath emerging from beneath him made Raon¡¯s chin tremble. ¡°The King of Essence had to make a huge sacrifice, but it worked out in the end. He will be able to make up for all of the losses by taking over your body right now.¡± Wrath smiled coldly and stomped the ground. An unfathomable amount of wrath and coldness emerged in a wave. Thud! Before he could sense anything, huge cial mountains burst from his sides and from behind him. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon rolled his eyes with trembling lips. The huge frozen mountain was touching his shoulder. He would¡¯ve already lost his arm if it had appeared an inch to the side. ¡®It burst out? Is that really what happened?¡¯ He honestly didn¡¯t even manage to see how the cial mountain burst out. That meant he would¡¯ve already died and disappeared if Wrath were trying to achieve that. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Wrath curved his lips into a smile while spinning his finger. He was sneering like always, but he looked elegant because of his appearance. ¡°The King of Essence is merciful. He won¡¯t let it end until he manages to make up for all of the grief he¡¯s had to experience so far.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not called mercy. That¡¯s cruelty.¡± ¡°That might be the case.¡± Even before hisughing voice ended, the huge amount of frost emerging from Wrath¡¯s feet flooded onto Raon like a tidal wave. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while unleashing the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®It would be a mistake to believe he would be the same as before.¡¯ The wave had the same size as when Wrath used to look like cotton candy, but the energy incorporated inside of it was on apletely different level. It was definitely impossible to stop it with the same amount of power he¡¯d used before. Rumble! Raon rotated the seven rings of fire at the same time and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He figured he could end up dying if he made the slightest mistake and decided to go all out from the beginning. Crack! Raon grit his teeth. He poured all his energy into Heavenly Drive¡¯s de to unleash the me Dragon Art. Wham! The me breath gushing from the silver de advanced forward to sh against the wave of frosting from Wrath. Rumble! The wave of frost didn¡¯t melt down as easily as before. It was pushing back the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire instead, despite the maximized output of the Ring of Fire. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡®I won¡¯tst at this rate.¡¯ Switching to a different technique or using footwork wasn¡¯t an option either. He needed to find a way to somehow escape the attack while using the me Dragon Art. ¡®Focus. I need to somehow¡­ huh?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s right. Focus.¡¯ Raon nodded. The usual me Dragon Art was never going tost. What he needed was to focus the power on a single spot. Rumble! He condensed the power of the me Dragon Art to the size of his shoulder¡¯s width. The focused output started to slowly push back Wrath¡¯s coldness. Whap! The areas that the me Dragon Art was unable to cover had turned into a blue hill from the storming coldness. ¡°Haah!¡± Raon gasped for breath and frowned. He would¡¯ve be a part of the frozen hill if he hadn¡¯t managed to stop the wave of ice. It was terrifying to even think about it. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. We are currently in the mental world, so how did you manage to get so much power just from shaping yourself into your main body?¡± Raon frowned while looking at the smiling Wrath. ¡°The King of Essence told you about this before, but the body is the dwelling of a soul, and a settlement. Without a proper body, even the King of Essence is incapable of using his true strength. Even a demon king¡¯s soul requires a shape simr to his body to use his power.¡± Wrath wagged his finger. He was doing the same thing as always, but he didn¡¯t look funny anymore and only made Raon nervous because of the different appearance and prowess he had. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The King of Essence has no intention of killing you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Considering all the time we spent together, he will lock you up in a corner to repay all of the humiliation he had to endure.¡± He opened his arm once again. The ground started to shake, and frozen spikes burst out. Whaap! Raon swung down his sword with the Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Even though the spikes shed against the de of fire, only a few of them were cut off. ¡®It¡¯s impossible to cut all of them.¡¯ ¡®I should dodge them instead.¡¯ Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to withdraw. However, the ice spikes emerged wherever he set foot on to attack his soul. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue, then used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s second step to escape the area where the spikes kept appearing. ¡°You are so slow.¡± Wrath turned his hand around, and the frozen spikes started falling from the sky instead. ¡°Damn it!¡± Raon stomped the ground and thrust Heavenly Drive towards the sky. He unleashed the Heavenly Heavy Cannon by maximizing the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output. Creak! The powerful gravity created by the Heavenly Heavy Cannon gathered all of the ice pieces trying to kill Raon. Wham! Raon made the Heavenly Heavy Cannon explode the moment the hundreds of spikes gathered in one spot to destroy all of them at once. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon bent his knees slightly while grasping his chest from the nausea. His head was feeling dizzy from spending too much willpower at once. ¡°The King of Essence had a great idea.¡± ¡°What is it this time¡­?¡± ¡°The King of Essence is going to start eating mint choctes three times a day instead of meals as soon as he takes over your body. It¡¯s great to just think about it!¡± He licked his lips, showing how excited he was to carry out his n. ¡°That¡¯s a humble dreaming from a demon king.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t mind it being humble as long as it can make you suffer!¡± Wrath snapped his fingers with a grin on his face. Blue clouds appeared in the sky and countless raindrops started pouring down from them. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s hands were trembling. Every single raindrop was a powerful frost, capable of piercing through his soul. ¡®It¡¯s impossible to block them.¡¯ However, it was also preposterous to try dodging them, because the cloud was covering the entire area. ¡®But I still have to do something about them.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t let them turn him into an ice skewer without trying anything. He gritted his teeth and used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s second step. Thud! The frozen rain created by Wrath changed its direction to where Raon was moving, as if it was expecting Raon to move. ¡°You are running like a rat under the rain. What a sight you are!¡± Wrath covered his stomach and giggled. Although his vulgarughter didn¡¯t match his good looks, it also matched him perfectly at the same time. ¡°Do you want to know an interesting fact?¡± ¡°An interesting fact?¡± ¡°This world could be the hint about the Sword Field Creation that you¡¯ve wanted to learn so much.¡± * * * * * * ¡°What are you saying¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s focus shattered from the sudden mention of the Sword Field Creation. ¡°The advanced technique that you humans call Sword Field Creation consists in materializing your world through your sword. That¡¯s why this mental world, where you can achieve anything with imagination, can be the foundation of the Sword Field Creation. Of course¡­¡± Wrath snickered and shook his hand. ¡°It would be impossible for you, who is being crushed by the King of Essence.¡± He created even more frost while telling him it was the reason he exined so much to him. The increased amount of rainfall almost fell like the sky had turned into a turbulent ocean. ¡®He was just trying to make fun of me.¡¯ Raon bit his lips to the brim. The damned demon king was talking about the Sword Field Creation in order to obstruct his focus and make fun of him. Pssh! The falling rain brushed past his left arm, and the resulting pain felt like his entire body was being stabbed by a de instead of just his shoulder. He could guess that his entire body was hurting because his soul was forming his body. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to escape at this rate¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Raon turned around to use footwork again before his eyes widened. Fire was spreading beneath the frozen mountains and hills that Wrath had created with his first attack. ¡®That me¡­¡¯ It was the me of his soul that he¡¯d created in order to take over the space when he started the fight against Loctar. That ember wasn¡¯t being reduced in size despite Wrath¡¯s ice, and it kept spreading even further. ¡®Why is it not disappearing?¡¯ His willpower was far weakerpared to the wrath and iceing from Wrath. He couldn¡¯t understand why the me wasn¡¯t fading away despite being under the ice¡¯s influence. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the giggling Wrath and Loctar kneeling in front of the copsed castle. ¡®Is it because he¡¯s not the owner of this space?¡¯ A hypothesis came to his mind. The world was created from the sh of minds between himself and Loctar, and Loctar had already admitted his defeat. That was probably making the world Raon¡¯s, regardless of Wrath¡ªwho was nothing but an intruder. ¡®Yes, he also mentioned something like that.¡¯ When Wrath arrived in that space for the first time, he did say that he wasn¡¯t really rted to the ce. ¡®Which means¡­ I just need tost until the fire covers the castle, and¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll be able to escape from Wrath.¡¯ ¡°You won¡¯t be able tost for long if you keep dozing off like that.¡± Along with Wrath¡¯s sneer, a wave of frost emerged from the ground. The ice shower falling from the top and the wave of frost emerging from the bottom were a disaster on top of a disaster. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to dodge them.¡¯ Raon stopped running. He judged that it was impossible to dodge Wrath¡¯s attack with his current level of martial art. ¡®Even then¡­¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s still something I can do.¡¯ If he was really capable of achieving anything through imagination in that space, he just needed to use something other than martial arts. Raon caught his breath and extended his left foot. What he imagined was the strongest warrior, Glenn Zieghart. He thought about the day he taught him the Supreme Harmony Steps. The single step capable of bringing him anywhere in the world. Even though he wasn¡¯t able to achieve that step in real life, he thought about his step and kicked the ground. Whoosh! His footstep didn¡¯t simply fold the space¡ªit distorted thews of reality to leap through the space and reach Wrath¡¯s back in an instant. It was a single step. He managed to dodge all of the ice that Wrath had unleashed with a single step. ¡°How is this happening¡­?¡± Wrath turned his head and his eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You are the same Wrath I know.¡± Raon nodded with an exhausted smile on his face. ¡°You are indeed the Giving Wrath. After all, you just gave a trial and a hint at the same time.¡± Even though his frost was engulfing the entire space, he still told him how to escape the situation. Although his appearance was different, he was the same Wrath, the Giving Tree, like before. ¡°Shut up. This is nothing but entertainment for the King of Essence.¡± Wrath stretched out both of his hands. A blue light glimmered from his hands, and countless storms of frost emerged from the ground and the sky. Rumble! The storms shed against each other to be even bigger and more powerful. ¡°You will never be able to stop this one!¡± ¡°You are right about that. But I can just dodge it instead.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to!¡± Wrath started moving his finger to directly control the storms. ¡°We will see.¡± Raon wiped off the cold sweat flowing down from his forehead and extended his right foot. The Supreme Harmony¡¯s second step advanced like a ray of light to evade the storm covering the entire space. ¡°Hmm!¡± Wrath changed the shape of his coldness to try attacking Raon¡¯s soul, but he managed to reenact Glenn¡¯s Supreme Harmony Steps to escape the affected area every single time. ¡®I knew this was going to work.¡¯ Glenn¡¯s Supreme Harmony Steps were advanced enough to make Wrath admire them to the point that he had even wanted to learn it for himself. The way it mysteriously managed to dodge all of the coldness covering the entire world was to be expected from such an amazing technique. ¡°Haa.¡± Wrath frowned while exhaling a cold breath. ¡°It was a mistake. The King of Essence ended up giving you some leeway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote to feel regret.¡± Even though it was only in the mental world, he was capable of using Glenn¡¯s Supreme Harmony Steps. Raon was confident that he could escape, regardless of what Wrath tried to do. ¡°No, it¡¯s not toote.¡± Wrath pointed at the sky with his right hand and pointed to the ground with his left. Rumble! The two hands slowly gathered in the middle, and waves of frost appeared from the sky and the ground at the same time. Therge-scale attack was leaving no room for Raon to escape, neither into the sky nor onnd. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to avoid an attack like this.¡± Wrath¡¯s mouth curved into a wide smile, believing that Raon would be finished with that attack. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t kill you, just like he said before. You will stay alive inside the King of Essence!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed while looking at the ceiling of frost that started to touch his head. ¡°Wahahahaha! That¡¯s such a funny expression that you are making! His revenge is finallying to pass¡ªhuh?¡± Wrath burst intoughter, but suddenly stopped. When Raon lowered his head, his face was smiling instead of being filled with despair. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°No, I was right that it¡¯s already toote.¡± Raon returned his sword to his scabbard with an easygoing smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s pointless to bluff! If you get crushed like this, you won¡¯t be able to¡­ Ehh?¡± Wrath tried to point his finger at Raon before his lips parted. ¡®Why are they so short?¡¯ His long and beautiful arms and fingers were short, and his legs weren¡¯t even there anymore. The small, blue hand told him that he¡¯d returned to the shape that usually got bullied by Raon. ¡°Ugh¡­ What is this? Why am I looking like this?!¡± He couldn¡¯t understand how his body suddenly returned to its original shape when he was just about to mess Raon up. ¡°What did you even do?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Raon snickered and pointed to the ground. The frozennd and the pce that was brought by Loctar¡¯s soul were gone, and Zieghart¡¯s buildings¡ªincluding the annex building¡ªwere the only ones left in the space. ¡°The master of this space has been decided.¡± His me devoured the world after Loctar admitted his defeat, resulting in the disappearance of Wrath¡¯s power, which required the shape of his main body. ¡°Because you are just an outsider in this space.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Wrath also understood the situation and scratched the back of his hand with an awkward smile on his face. ¡°H-How did you find it? Did you enjoy the King of Essence¡¯s joke? Ehehe!¡± ¡°You are the perfect size for a beating.¡± Raon clenched his fists and walked towards Wrath. ¡°H-Hey, the King of Essence just wanted to eat mint choct¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it after the beating.¡± Chapter 294

Chapter 294

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 294 ¡°Uhh¡­¡± A weak groan fell from Raon¡¯s lips, despite him having been as still as the dead after putting on the helmet. Merlin¡¯s lips curved up into a smile as she observed Raon¡¯s trembling chin. ¡°It must be almost over.¡± Considering the fact that his body was showing a reaction, she figured the fight between Loctar and Raon in the mental world must¡¯ve ended. ¡®His willpower was even stronger than I expected¡­¡¯ She expected him to wake up right after Loctar got used to his new body, but it took more than three hours for him to take over. Merlin realized that Raon¡¯s willpower was far more powerful than she¡¯d thought. ¡®Loctar still ended up winning, though.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes were red. Considering the blue light radiating from the mask¡¯s eye sockets, Loctar must¡¯ve emerged victorious. ¡®I did a good job of feeding him the Soul Nullifying Water beforehand.¡¯ If she hadn¡¯t added the Soul Nullifying Water into the elixirs, the battle inside his mental world would¡¯ve been prolonged and Loctar might even have ended up losing. She had used up most of the elixirs she possessed, but she was satisfied with the result. Whir! Merlin made Raon float from his chair with psychokinesis andid him on the ground. Since it was necessary to prevent all kinds of external stimtion after the soul started taking over the body, it was far better to make him lie on the ground rather than sit on the chair. ¡®Am I finally going to get to see him¡­?¡¯ Loctar was a knight who protected her, but more importantly, he was her family and had been with her for her entire life. Her heart was already pounding from the anticipation of being reunited with Loctar after hundreds of years. Even though she hadn¡¯t even slept or rested for over a week, she didn¡¯t feel tired at all. She just wanted to see him. Merlin confirmed Raon¡¯s safety before stepping away and looking around. Soul Severing Sword was staring at Raon with the exact same posture he¡¯d been in since the beginning. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword didn¡¯t respond to Merlin¡¯s question, he just kept staring at Raon. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel ticklish?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword¡¯s shoulders trembled very slightly. Merlin narrowed her eyes while looking at Soul Severing Sword, as if she expected his reaction. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡± She turned her head back to the front. She bit her lip while looking at the blue light emerging from the dragon helmet. ¡°I¡¯m also desperate. I can¡¯t back down on this.¡± * * * ¡°Aww¡­¡± Wrath sniffled, rubbing his bruised eye with his round hand. ¡°You are the fifth person who has punched the King of Essence.¡± ¡°Fifth? You¡¯ve been beaten up by so many people before.¡± Raon chuckled while looking at Wrath, who had turned blue¡ªlike a tropical fruit vored cotton candy. ¡°Are you sure you are a demon king?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand! It¡¯s the number of people who tried to punch him, and not all of them have managed! You are the first one to beat him up so badly among those five!¡± Wrath screamed in resentment. ¡°Kuh, he can¡¯t even count how many times he was beaten up anymore!¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve been counting. I hit you exactly 294 times.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped, since he didn¡¯t expect the number to be so high. ¡°294 times? Seriously, 294 times? Don¡¯t you ever get tired?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have realized it, but you are so fun to beat up in your current form.¡± Raon smiled faintly at the growling Wrath. Wrath waspletely full inside, despite having a round shape, and he was the perfect size to beat up. He was pretty much the highest-grade sandbag floating in the air. Raon was almost getting addicted to beating him up. ¡°The King of Essence¡­ even though he is the monarch of Devildom, a mere human beat him 294 whole times. This is a dream. This has to be a dream¡­¡± Wrath must¡¯ve been really sad about it, since he buried his face in his plump arms and shivered. Despite the overwhelming power and beauty he showed earlier, he was despairing at the reality of the fact that he was nothing but a tropical cotton candy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my revenge hasn¡¯t even gotten started.¡± Raon smiled coldly at the whining Wrath. ¡°H-Howe you haven¡¯t even gotten started? You can¡¯t possibly be nning to beat him up even more! You already beat him up 294 whole times, yet you still want to hit him even more. You must have no conscience at all!¡± Wrath was rambling at least twice as fast as usual. He must¡¯ve really wanted to avoid getting beaten up even more. ¡°I¡¯m not going to beat you up anymore. I¡¯m a reasonable person, after all.¡± ¡°Th-Then what¡­¡± ¡°You told me earlier that you were going to force me to eat mint chocte three times a day, right?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Wrath¡¯s eyes trembled like a pendulum. He seemed to be even more afraid then when he thought he would get beaten up even further. ¡°The meals from now on are going to be a single Nadine bread. I¡¯m not going to eat anything else at all.¡± ¡°You freak! The King of Essence enjoys eating mint chocte ice cream, at least! I¡¯m sure you also hate that bread, which tastes like rubber!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with it.¡± Raon nodded nonchntly. Since he never cared about taste because of his previous life, he didn¡¯t really mind the taste as long as it filled his stomach. ¡°Err¡­¡± Wrath realized that Raon was serious about it upon seeing his eyes. ¡°No! That¡¯s thest thing he can allow!¡± He unleashed his wrath and coldness, shouting that it could never be allowed to happen. However, they were extremely weak because he¡¯d exhausted too much power from manifesting his main body. ¡°Eating Nadine bread is a torture! Even real rubber would taste better than that!¡± Wrath punched Raon with his coldness, trying to rebel with the small amount of power he had. ¡°There¡¯s a saying in the human realm.¡± Raon tilted his chin and raised his right fist. ¡°Punch my back, and I¡¯ll punch yours.¡± Raon punched Wrath at the same moment Wrath pounced at him. Wrath was bounced back like a rubber ball and mmed into a corner. ¡°Kuah, y-you hit him so damn hard¡­¡± Wrath was t on the ground. His jaw dropped. ¡°I went easy on you.¡± Raon snickered. If he hadn¡¯t controlled his power, Wrath would¡¯ve beenpletely crushed and snapped. ¡°A-Anything but Nadine bread. Beat the King of Essence up instead if you will.¡± Wrath closed his eyes as he spoke. He was trying to change the menu until the moment he fainted. Raon was almost amazed at how much obsession he had with food. ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished talking though.¡± He was also going to mention that he was never going to eat mint chocte ever again, but he held himself back because he felt like Wrath really would die from shock. Raon turned his head to the right. A baby dragon that looked like a lizard was t on the ground. It was Loctar, who had lost the ownership of the space after admitting his defeat. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now. Do you want another beating before we start? Or do you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already admitted my defeat. Ask anything you want before I disappear.¡± Loctar sighed briefly and closed his eyes. ¡°Disappear?¡± ¡°The loser of a battle of souls is bound to be absorbed into the winner¡¯s soul and disappear. That¡¯s why it¡¯s pointless to beat me up right now.¡± He bowed calmly. It was probably because he wanted to be a knight in hisst moments that he looked so different from his first impression. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Loctar. ¡®He did be blurrier for sure.¡¯ Unlike Wrath, who was still maintaining his shape after getting beaten up almost 300 times, Loctar¡¯s appearance had be translucent. Just like Loctar had said, the loser was apparently bound to be absorbed into the winner¡¯s soul and disappear. ¡°Since we don¡¯t have much time, I¡¯ll ask the questions quickly. Is the Merlin outside the real Merlin?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How is she still alive even though she is a historical figure from hundreds of years ago?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t alive.¡± ¡°Does that mean that she died and got revived?¡± ¡°The magician who was allied with us back then retrieved her soul from her frozen corpse after she perished.¡± ¡°Does that mean that the magician in question is something like one of Eden''s ancestors, and their descendent engraved Merlin¡¯s soul into a mask?¡± He thought it was strange from the first time he saw Merlin. It was because her white hands and lips couldn¡¯t possibly belong to an old woman. ¡°Yes, as far as I know.¡± Loctar nodded, telling him that Merlin¡¯s voice had told him so. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know the whole story. I¡¯ve been locked up in here all along, and the asional voice of the princess was all I could hear.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He was right. The information he needed to get from Loctar wasn¡¯t about Eden, but about the world they were currently in. ¡°What¡¯s going to change if your soul gets absorbed into mine?¡± ¡°Your soul level is going to increase drastically. You will also be able to use my abilities.¡± ¡°Your abilities?¡± ¡°In short, your aura will increase, and you will acquire the swordsmanship and coldness maniption that I used to use. They will allow you to reach a higher level of martial arts.¡± Loctar seemed to have made up his mind as he told him everything because his death was near. It was rather unexpected, because Raon thought he was going to resist or try to buy some time. ¡°So I¡¯m getting even stronger¡­¡± Raon clenched his fist. He¡¯d already won the bet with Wrath, but he was going to get even stronger from absorbing Loctar¡¯s soul, which should increase his stats and prowess. It wasn¡¯t an overstatement to say that he was killing three birds with one stone instead of two, since he was getting even more than that. ¡°One more question. How do you develop this mental world?¡± He wanted to know more about it because Wrath had told him that the mental world was the clue to achieving Sword Field Creation. ¡°Experience is the key.¡± ¡°Experience?¡± ¡°People feel and learn different things from the same experiences. This world is simr to a building, raised on top of a foundation built upon your countless experiences in the past. You will be able to reach higher by looking upwards and harden the foundation by looking downwards.¡± Loctar said that the world was going to change depending on what kind of experience he had, with what kind of intentions. ¡®Wrath was right.¡¯ Just like the crushed cotton candy had said, Raon figured that he would be able to turn his own world into the Sword Field Creation by experiencing various things to develop his mental world. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * ¡°The next question is about you.¡± Raon asked about Loctar¡¯s personality and preferences. It was because he wanted to pretend to be Loctar once that world came to an end because of Merlin. ¡°As I said before, my name is Loctar Defort. I¡¯m the blue dragon¡­¡± Unexpectedly, Loctar properly answered everything he wanted to know. After finding out Loctar¡¯s personal information, Raon asked about Merlin. ¡°She wants to revive me and stay together like before.¡± ¡°Stay together? Is she trying to start a ughter like in her previous life?¡± Lohengreen said that Merlin had ughtered countless people by controlling monsters. Raon figured they must¡¯ve been trying to reproduce the same scene. ¡°That¡¯s not true. She just wants to live with me. I¡¯m the only family left to her.¡± Loctar lowered his eyes. ¡°Live with you as a family, you say?¡± Now that I think about it¡­ Raon turned his head towards the ce where the frozen castle used to be. Raon remembered seeing a log house simr to Merlin¡¯s room when the castle copsed. ¡°Lady Merlin was the princess of the Sirken kingdom. She lost everything she had, and I was the only family left for her in the end.¡± ¡°Is Sirken the kingdom that you founded after destroying the other kingdom?¡± ¡°Indeed. However, the kingdom copsed as well before we managed to establish it. Hmm, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have the time for detailed exnations.¡± Loctar nonchntly smiled while looking at his faint body. ¡°The princess is a pitiful person. She had various circumstances¡­¡± ¡°Is that why you were answering my questions so nicely?¡± Raon stared at Loctar coldly. He was wondering why he was answering all of his questions, and it must¡¯ve been because he wanted to entrust Merlin to him afterwards. ¡°Everyone has circumstances.¡± Everyone in the world had circumstances, and Merlin had gone too far to ask for understanding. ¡°I guess. The princess and I are both aware that we¡¯vemitted a grave sin. However, she just¡­¡± Loctar turned into icy bubbles and disappeared before he could say hisst words. Curiously, he didn¡¯t seem too saddened by it. Thud! Once Loctar disappearedpletely, the mental world started to tremble. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°What else? The halfling waspletely absorbed into your world, and this world¡¯s chaos came to an end.¡± Wrath crawled up to him like arva and sighed deeply. ¡°Does that mean that we are about to return to reality?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon smiled while looking at his own world, which looked like an earthquake was urring in it. ¡®I¡¯ve gained a lot more than I thought.¡¯ The winning reward from the bet against Wrath and the abilities from absorbing Loctar¡¯s soul were such an unexpected harvest. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Raon turned around to remember his world, which was still small and weak. He closed his eyes, hoping for his small world to change into something that could achieve the Sword Field Creation from his experiences in the future. ¡°I¡¯ll be backter.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± As his consciousness was about to fade away in the trembling world, Raon could hear Wrath¡¯s whisper. ¡°Y-You aren¡¯t seriously nning to eat Nadine bread only, are you?¡± He was still thinking about food in that situation. He must¡¯ve been serious when he said that he just wanted to eat mint chocte to his heart¡¯s content. He was such an amazing guy. That was why Raon decided to tell him his honest answer. ¡®Yes, I am.¡¯ * * * ¡°Umm¡­¡± Raon opened his eyes. Before he could finish checking on the magic circles on the ceiling, Merlin shoved her face into him with her old woman¡¯s mask. ¡°Do you recognize me?¡± Her impatience could be felt from her voice for the first time. The voice was filled with anticipation and madness. Raon slowly raised himself up and met Merlin¡¯s wavering eyes. ¡°¡­Are you the princess?¡± He imitated Loctar¡¯s speech with a slightly trembling voice. . ¡°Ah¡­¡± Merlin lost strength in her legs and fell backwards. The eyes behind her mask were trembling violently. ¡°Loctar. Loctar. Loctar!¡± She hugged Raon and kept calling Loctar¡¯s name over and over. ¡°You are finally here! We are finally re¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my memories are still messy. Raon Zieghart¡¯s memories and my memories are jumbled up¡­¡± Raon kept imitating Loctar¡¯s speech as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Time will solve everything, You will return to your original self.¡± Merlin hugged Raon tightly around neck and sobbed. Unexpectedly, the fragrance of spring flowers wafted from her. ¡®She is speaking from the heart.¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Merlin¡¯s trembling arms. Because he was supposed to be thest of her family, Merlin wasn¡¯t just d about the reunion¡ªshe was actually treating it as a miracle. ¡°How are you doing, princess?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Merlin shook her head and smiled. ¡°You must be hungry, right? I¡¯ve prepared your favorite foods.¡± Food? Wrath was reacting to the food despite the situation. That was really amazing. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ Ah.¡± Merlin bobbed her hand towards Raon and suddenly copsed. ¡°Princess?¡± Raon caught Merlin and examined her condition. She had no strength left in her at all. She seemed to have lost consciousness due to extreme exhaustion. ¡®She even fainted from exhaustion.¡¯ Raon realized that he hadn¡¯t seen Merlin rest even once. She had been doing something constantly, like personally preparing his meals and bringing things to him. Considering the huge amount of mana dwelling in the six magic circles, he could assume that the ceremony wasn¡¯t supposed to be carried out by a single person. ¡®She overexerted herself.¡¯ She had been preparing for the ceremony without even sleeping, and that must¡¯ve been why she fainted when the tension left her body. Raon held Merlin in his arms and stood up. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword was still standing on the same spot, just like when he wore the dragon helmet. ¡°I need to let the princess rest. Move away.¡± Raon pointed with his chin to ask him to move away while holding Merlin as carefully as possible. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword didn¡¯t immediately move away, instead staring at his eyes under the helmet. His emotionless golden eyes were radiating an indescribably strange light. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? I told you to move away.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon had to repeat himself before Soul Severing Sword finally moved away. Once he stepped aside, the exit appeared¡ªjust like when he entered through the wall. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded at Soul Severing Sword and left through the passage. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword stayed still like a stone statue until Raon brought Merlin out of the room. When the rotating passage closed up, his hands were trembling slightly. * * * Upon returning to the room in the log house, Raon ced Merlin on the bed and stared at the old woman¡¯s mask. Aren¡¯t you going to try removing it? Wrath pointed at Merlin¡¯s mask while looking like a small cotton candy once again. ¡®It will be annoying if she wakes up.¡¯ Merlin wasn¡¯t going to let him go if touching the mask ended up waking her. There was no reason to risk limiting his actions. It was necessary to examine Loctar¡¯s memory while she fainted to create a perfect script. You are so stubborn. The King of Essence would¡¯ve removed her mask out of sheer curiosity. Wrath murmured that it was why he went as far as beating up someone 294 times in total. ¡®That was because you deserved the beatings.¡¯ Raon snickered and sat on the ground. ¡®Be quiet, since I need to focus.¡¯ Loctar¡¯s memories were as faint as the cloud floating on the sky. It was necessary to focus and grasp those memories in order to perfectly deceive Merlin. Hmph, the King of Essence doesn¡¯t want to talk anyway. Wrath briskly turned his head away, trying to show his displeasure. Just as Raon was about to focus, as Wrath was always like that, messages appeared in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve won the bet against Wrath. All stats have increased by 10.] [Trait Poison Resistance has ranked up.] [Trait Spiral Power has ranked up.] The messages announced the rewards he had received from winning the bet against Wrath. There were many rewards, but there were still a lot more messages after that. [You¡¯ve achieved the eighth victory against Wrath.] [Stats have further increased from the eight consecutive victories.] [Strength has increased by 3.] [Agility has increased by 3.] [Perception has increased by 4.] It was the message about consecutive victories. It was telling him that he had received additional stats from winning eight times in a row against Wrath. Therge increase in stats made a thrill run down his spine from ecstasy. Argh¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped while reading the messages. The stats were also surprising, but he seemed to be mostly shocked by the fact that he¡¯d lost eight whole times in a row. However, the messages weren¡¯t over yet. [You have absorbed the soul of the draconian, Loctar Defort.] The rewards from absorbing Loctar¡¯s soul were disyed like a carpet below the others. Kuaah! Wrath ground his teeth while looking at the messages. How is he even supposed to stay silent when this kind of shit is happening?! His eyes were violently wavering up and down. Why did the King of Essence have to get beaten up 294 times in total and even get his stats taken? You damn fiend! ____ ____ Chapter 295

Chapter 295

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 295 This is unbearable! There¡¯s no food, and stats are always taken away! This is not how life should be! ¡®Please stay quiet.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept wailing and checked the rewards he got from absorbing Loctar¡¯s soul. [All stats have increased by 10.] [cier¡¯s proficiency has increased drastically.] [Water Affinity¡¯s rank has increased.] [Water Resistance¡¯s rank has increased.] [The Blizzard Sword Art has been carved into your memory.] Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as soon as he read the messages. The rewards were even better than the ones he got from winning the bet against Wrath. ¡®All stats have increased by 10 once again.¡¯ It felt like his hair was standing on end from the exhration of gaining ten additional stat points. ¡®I need to get used to them again.¡¯ Because he¡¯d received twenty points total in all stats, and his strength and agility had further increased by three, he needed some time to practice and get used to the changes in his body. Whir. Raon gathered the coldness from his energy center while looking at the message about cier¡¯s increased proficiency. The blue coldness, which had be even thicker than before, created a small storm on his hand. ¡®It looks like it¡¯s gotten even denser than before.¡¯ He could sense that the coldness had be far stronger than before he put on the helmet. Damn it¡­ Wrath frowned, and that was enough to confirm that his coldness had reached one stage higher than before. Psh! Raon removed the coldness from his hand and smiled faintly. ¡®This is going to be slightly unbnced.¡¯ He¡¯d been purposefully maintaining the bnce between the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier, but the amount and proficiency of his coldness had surpassed the heat from absorbing Loctar¡¯s soul. Since Water Affinity and Water Resistance¡¯s ranks had also increased, the difference must¡¯ve grown even further. Raon figured it was necessary to examine his coldness while checking on the changes in his physical abilities. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Raon closed his eyes and thought about the swordsmanship that appeared in his head a moment ago. It was a peculiar swordsmanship that was as cold as the wind in the northern ocean, with decisive moves meant to cut off an opponent¡¯s attacks. ¡®It¡¯s called the Blizzard Sword Art.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t really say that he had mastered the technique, but he could clearly remember the forms and the principles of it. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ ¡®No, this swordsmanship is rather excellent.¡¯ The Blizzard Sword Art was a severing sword capable of cutting off an opponent¡¯s swordsmanship. Since it waspletely different from the techniques he¡¯d learned before, he wanted to try it out as soon as possible. Stats, water attribute enhancements, and a swordsmanship technique were all excellent rewards, but they weren¡¯t the most important part. ¡®My martial art¡¯s realm has increased.¡¯ Either because he fought against Loctar¡ªwho was an excellent warrior¡ªor because his soul had been absorbed, the wall that used to block him off waspletely destroyed, and Raon had reached the intermediate level of Master. ¡®I should be able to put up a good fight against him now.¡¯ He figured he should¡¯ve been able to fight equally with¡ªor even defeat¡ªUnfaceable Snake, who was at the advanced level of Master. ¡®This is a nice gift that he gave me.¡¯ Raon smiled while caressing the blue dragon helmet. Despite the unstable emotions that he¡¯d shown in the end, Loctar gave him many abilities before he perished. ¡®I can¡¯t exactly say that I¡¯ll be returning the favor, but I¡¯ll send your master off as painlessly as possible.¡¯ Even though Merlin had her own circumstances, she couldn¡¯t simply be forgiven. She had to pay for her sins. Raon decided to send her off painlessly when the time came for him to kill her. ¡®Then let¡¯s remember¡­¡¯ Kuah! Just as Raon was trying to think about Loctar¡¯s memories and the Blizzard Sword Art, he could hear Wrath¡¯s groan. You damn mosquito! ¡®What''s the matter now?¡¯ Because you are sucking away at the King of Essence¡¯s stats and traits like a summer mosquito! ¡®You are on about that again.¡¯ Raon snickered. Even if you live as long as an average human, there will be nothing but bones left in the King of Essence¡¯s main body! His shoulders were trembling in fear at the thought of such a scenario happening. ¡®You brought it upon yourself.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t have lost the rewards for the bet if he didn¡¯t try to attack Raon to take over his body. Everything was Wrath¡¯s fault. Damn it¡­ Since Wrath was also aware of that fact, he buried his face in his plump arms and started to sob. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at the back of Wrath¡¯s round head. ¡®He feels kinda pitiful, since he¡¯s the demon king, after all.¡¯ The crouching cotton candy looked slightly pitiful, probably because he¡¯d witnessed Wrath¡¯s main body, which was elegant and mighty at the same time, ¡®Alright, I¡¯m taking back what I said about the Nadine bread.¡¯ As soon as he said that, Wrath suddenly stopped sobbing. He slowly raised his head. He narrowed his eyes and rolled his round eyeballs. A-Are you serious? ¡®Yes.¡¯ Haa! What a relief! Nadine bread is even worse than losing a hundred stats! Wrath breathed out a sigh of relief. Even though you are such a fiend, you still have some conscience left in you. ¡®However.¡¯ Raon shook his head while tapping on Wrath, who was smiling happily. ¡®You won¡¯t get any mint chocte in the future.¡¯ Wh-What do you mean by that?! ¡®I¡¯m not going to eat mint chocte anymore.¡¯ Why?! ¡®I don¡¯t like it.¡¯ Howe you don¡¯t understand the happiness of the cool and sweet vor filling your mouth at the same time? ¡®Is he trying to describe mint chocte? I¡¯ve never tasted something like that before.¡¯ The King of Essence pities you for being unable to realize mint chocte¡¯s greatness! ¡®I don¡¯t care about it, and it¡¯s your turn to choose. Are you going to eat normal meals instead of Nadine bread? Or are you going to ept Nadine bread and get mint chocte as well?¡¯ Raon shrugged, showing that he didn¡¯t care whatever he decided to choose. E-Even a devil wouldn¡¯t offer choices like those! Wrath¡¯s eyes trembled like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean. That¡¯s as bad as asking someone to choose between their mother and father! You unfilial bastard! ¡®Did you just call me unfilial despite being a demon¡­?¡¯ Raon shook his head. Wrath was the real lunatic, no matter how he thought about it. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon raised himself up upon noticing the moonlight seeping in through the window. Since it was night in the log cabin, the sun must¡¯ve already risen in the real world. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Merlin was lying on the bed, and Raon ced his hand on her shoulder to examine her condition. ¡®She won¡¯t be able to wake up for a long time.¡¯ She¡¯d ruined her body from using her mana excessively without a proper rest. Raon figured she wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up for two days at least. ¡®It should be fine to go outside now.¡¯ Since he¡¯d spent more than half a day inside the room recalling Loctar¡¯s memories and the Blizzard Sword Art, he figured no one would find it strange if he left the room. Raon stared at Merlin¡¯s quiet breathing for a moment before he left the room. Eden¡¯s demons, who he crossed on the corridor, bowed as politely to him as if they were facing Merlin herself. He waspletely epted as one of Eden''s members. ¡®Loctar would¡¯ve ignored them.¡¯ Since Loctar was a proud knight, he would¡¯ve ignored the demons¡¯ greetings. Raon ignored them and left the building. He went to the edge of the barrier where he used to spar against Unfaceable Snake and warmed himself up. ¡®I¡¯ve certainly changed.¡¯ Thanks to therge increase in stats, his body could move faster and more powerfully than before. ¡®Getting stronger isn¡¯t always better though.¡¯ The drastic increase in speed and power wouldn¡¯t matter if he faced an opponent weaker than himself, but if he was dealing with someone stronger than him, the important part was to have perfect control of his body. It was necessary topletely understand the limits of his physical abilities and be ready for any kind of fight. Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive. Instead of the usual swordsmanship that he practiced, he tried using the Blizzard Sword Art that he¡¯d learned. Whoosh! He performed the first technique while using cier, and the cold wind emerging from the wind drew a silver line in the air. The steady and cold energy dwelling in the strike looked firm enough to deflect any attack from an opponent. Cring! The second technique was a rising strike from bottom to top, and the tight fit of the aura in a fast strike created an unbreakable tendency¡ªlike a shield. Raon tried out all of the Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s techniques before he lowered his sword. ¡®This is the severing sword.¡¯ The severing sword was specialized in cutting flows. It had the frightening characteristic of cutting off the opponent¡¯s flow of martial arts to follow up with a critical counterattack. Since Raon was capable of analyzing an opponent with the Ring of Fire, the severing sword was as efficient as the Fangs of Insanity for him. ¡¯I should be able to create something interesting bybining the Blizzard Sword Art and the Fangs of Insanity.¡¯ The Fangs of Insanity was capable of creating an opening from the opponent, and the Blizzard Sword Art was capable of cutting off an opponent¡¯s flow. Raon had the feeling thatbining the two principles would result in an extraordinary technique. Raon identified the changes in his body by performing the Blizzard Sword Art techniques one after the other, carving the technique in his body before he turned around. ¡°How long are you nning to keep watching?¡± He narrowed his eyes while looking up to the empty roof. ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate to watch a knight¡¯s training without permission.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your swordsmanship. I¡¯ve been just observing you to prevent you from escaping.¡± A portion of the roof turned blurry and Unfaceable Snake appeared. He shook his hand with a slightly enervated voice. ¡°I have no intention of leaving while the princess is here.¡± ¡°Princess, huh¡­?¡± The Unfaceable Snake snickered while meeting Raon¡¯s eyes under the dragon helmet. ¡°She was really a princess, I guess. Though, she hasn¡¯t been called one for hundreds of years.¡± ¡°Are you mocking her?¡± Raon frowned at Unfaceable Snake. He red at him, pretending that he was getting angry. ¡°No, I was simply stating the truth.¡± Unfaceable Snake shrugged casually. ¡°If you have nothing else to do, how about having a spar with me?¡± ¡°A spar?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been difficult to get used to this body. Having a proper fight should allow me to adapt faster.¡± Raon tapped his scabbard with a slightly agitated tone to his voice. ¡®I wonder what he¡¯s going to say.¡¯ Unfaceable Snake was the only person in Eden that conversed with him other than Merlin. If he fell to his deception, it meant that he didn¡¯t have to worry about being found out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unfaceable Snake stared at Raon instead of responding. ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like it. You should look for another opponent.¡± He shook his head after a moment of silence. His voice sounded slightly irritated. ¡®It worked.¡¯ Raon bit inside his cheek. Unfaceable Snake¡¯s attitude was clearly different from the day before. He was treating him as Loctar instead of Raon. ¡°In that case, I have another question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the treasury to get a new weapon and armor? Those swords aren¡¯t exactlypatible with me.¡± Raon pointed at Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡°It¡¯s inside. It¡¯s right next to the room where you did the Soul Offering Ceremony.¡± Unfaceable Snake shook his head to tell him to leave already before heid on the roof. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon slowly turned around. He clenched his fist while walking towards the building. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t need to be too careful anymore.¡¯ Since he managed to deceive Unfaceable Snake, he just needed to be careful of Soul Severing Sword, whose thoughts couldn¡¯t be read at all. Seriously, what¡¯s wrong with you? Wrath frowned while looking at Raon from top to bottom. Let¡¯s say we ignore everything else. Howe you are so good at acting? ¡®It¡¯s just a basic quality.¡¯ Why would acting be a basic quality?! You aren¡¯t even part of a theatrical troupe or a circus! Of course, it wasn¡¯t a basic quality as a member of a house of swordsmen, but a basic quality of an assassin. Perfect acting to go with all kinds of disguises was required to carry out assassinations. By the way, why are you looking for a new sword? A knight should be able to use any sword. There should be no reason to pretend that you are using a different weapon. ¡®Because I¡¯m not looking for a sword.¡¯ He asked Unfaceable Snake for the location of the treasury because he wanted to get a new sword and armor, but he was actually already aware of the treasury¡¯s location, and he wasn¡¯t looking for a sword or armor either. He was looking for another object in the treasury. Wh-What is that? ¡®You will know once you see it.¡¯ Raon shook his head at the nervous Wrath and entered the building. He was heading to the room right next to the wall he¡¯d gone through for the Soul Offering Ceremony. Whir! Just as Raon was about to enter the room, a dimensional rift appeared from the floor and two warriors wearing goblin helmets emerged from it. ¡°You need to be at least eight stars or have the permission of an eight star to be allowed entry into the martial treasury.¡± ¡°Was I ranked seven stars?¡± Merlin was previously bragging about how he was starting at seven stars. ¡°Indeed.¡± The warriors wearing the goblin helmets responded without any change in their intonation. ¡®They are strong.¡¯ Even though they were wearing goblin helmets, an intense pressure could be felt from them. Raon figured that the souls dwelling in their helmets must¡¯ve been extraordinary goblins. ¡°The princess is currently unconscious. I need a sword and armor in order to protect her.¡± ¡°You need to be at least eight stars or have the permission of an eight star to be allowed entry into the treasury.¡± The goblin helmet warriors repeated the exact same thing as before and shook their heads. ¡°Tsk.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue. He thought seven stars would be enough to enter the treasury, but their defense was tighter than he expected. ¡®I need to get it before Merlin wakes up and starts following me around¡­ Hmm?¡¯ While he was licking his lips, a huge presence could be felt from behind him. He quickly turned his head around, and Soul Severing Sword was standing there silently. ¡®Seriously, this guy¡­¡¯ Amazing wasn¡¯t enough to describe his ability, since he managed to bypass Raon¡¯s perception to get behind him. Raon figured that he must¡¯ve had some kind of technique to disturb the senses. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword stared at Raon for a while before walking up to ce his hand on the door. Whir! The door split into half like a kaleidoscope, and a passage with faint lighting opened up. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword stepped aside instead of entering. ¡°Are you telling me to enter?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He didn¡¯t respond, instead standing still. Judging from experience, Raon figured it was a yes. ¡®What is he even thinking?¡¯ Raon was confident at reading other people¡¯s thoughts, but he was definitely an exception. Since he never spoke and never showed any reactions, it waspletely impossible to understand his thoughts. However, since there was no harm in epting his help, he decided to take it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded and went inside. Since Soul Severing Sword gave permission, the goblin helmet warriors were just standing still instead of stopping him. Whir! Once Raon entered the treasury, it was difficult to believe he was inside the room that he saw from the outside because of how wide it was. Equipment of highest grade¡ªincluding weapons, armors, and shields¡ªwas neatly disyed inside the room. Raon turned around after looking around the equipment. Soul Severing Sword apparently wasn¡¯t nning on entering, since the passage was closing up. ¡®He might be suspicious of me for taking a weapon, but it¡¯s going to be pointless.¡¯ After all, he wasn¡¯t nning on taking anything. Raon went to the location where armor was disyed. He walked past the highest grade armors and headed towards the two monster helmets. Raon picked up the helmet with a crocodile¡¯s shape and smiled. ¡®I was looking for this one.¡¯ After absorbing Loctar¡¯s soul, he became capable of feeling the other helmets¡¯ presences. Since he noticed that the helmet with a monster''s soul was there, he asked Unfaceable Snake for the treasury¡¯s location. D-Don¡¯t tell me, are you nning to¡­? ¡®You guessed right.¡¯ Raon smiled. ¡®I¡¯m also going to make the ones in the other helmets mine.¡¯ Instead of being satisfied with Loctar, he was nning to extort everything from Eden by absorbing all of the souls of the helmets in the treasury. ¡®I¡¯ll make you regret kidnapping me.¡¯ * * * Cameloon On a small hill. On the hill that Raon had first fought against the White Blood Religion, a bloody red sedan could be seen climbing the slope. It was a peculiar sedan chair, as a beautiful woman, a healthy man, a child that looked around ten years old, and an old man that could copse at any moment were carrying one leg each. A red curtain was covering the seat, and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader was lying on her back as she looked down on the light brownnd. ¡°My children have perished on thisnd.¡± She looked sentimental as she stared at the ground thatcked a single trace of blood before closing her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Blood God will take you into their embrace.¡± She finished a brief prayer and opened her eyes as the four carriers of the sedan chair advanced to the edge of the hill. Since the sun had already risen, they could even discern a faraway city in addition to Cameloon. ¡°Hah.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader looked down the hill with pitch-dark eyes, like a bottomless pit. She examined the surrounding areas of Cameloon, and her red lips let out a faint exmation. ¡°How cute of them.¡± She rolled her lips into a smile while looking at the field slightly away from Cameloon. ¡°They were hiding in such a ce.¡± ¡°Did you manage to find them?¡± The tenth apostle, who¡¯d been standing still behind her like a statue, came up next to the sedan chair. ¡°Yes. Can¡¯t you see them?¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader raised her white, almost transparent fingers, pointing at the empty field. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tenth apostle furrowed his brows. He looked like he couldn¡¯t manage to see anything through aura perception. ¡°It might be too difficult for you.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader smiled faintly and bobbed her finger. A white current appeared and was absorbed into the tenth apostle¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ah!¡± The tenth apostle eximed. Once her energy covered his eyeballs, he could see arge array on the prairie that previously looked ordinary. There were sun, moon, and star patterns engraved on the array, and its scale was huge enough to cover the entire field. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Sun and moon. It must be his doing.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader nodded while looking at the sun and moon patterns engraved on the array. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She pointed with her chin and the sedan chair started moving forward. Even though the carriers started stepping midair instead of the ground, the sedan chair kept moving as smoothly as before. ¡°Since I already marked him as mine¡­¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader smiled pleasantly while resting her chin on the armrest of the sedan chair. ¡°I shall find and take him no matter where he is.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 296

Chapter 296

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 296 Inside the underground training ground, where sunlight couldn¡¯t reach, shouts of concentration were resonating like cries of despair across the fine sand covering the ground. The ones making those shouts were the Light Wind squad. Every member of the Light Wind squad was gathered in the training ground, practicing sword formations. Even though little time had passed, and they still hadn¡¯t recovered from their injuries, their spirit waspletely different from before. They hadn¡¯t simply be stronger¡ªthe endless stream of ferocious aura des emerging from them made them look likepletely different people. ¡°Rest for twenty minutes.¡± Burren ordered them to rest after the training ended. ¡°Rest for twenty minutes!¡± Even though the Light Wind swordsmen heard the order to rest, they didn¡¯t simply sit down. They distanced themselves a bit from each other and started their personal training. Even though it was break time,? the sound of the swinging swords and footsteps were the only things that could be heard in the training ground. Their expressions were extremely ferocious, as if they were facing an enemy even though it was just training. After consecutively performing the Barren Wind Sword five times, Burren straightened his back. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ A moment. A brief moment of idleness was enough for horrible thoughts to appear in his mind. Raon might have ended up wearing Eden¡¯s mask, or Dorian might have been turned into a bloody demon and would be drinking blood by then. Even thoughts about the worst-case scenario, where both of them had already died, kept crawling around in his mind. ¡®Please stay alive, both of you.¡¯ He¡¯d developed an indescribable amount of gratitude for Raon. As even his soul had been saved, on top of his life, he wanted Raon to stay alive even if he had to die himself. ¡®Please.¡¯ While Burren was praying for their safety while biting his lip, Martha walked up to him. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He nodded and looked at Martha. Her face was pale. She wasn¡¯t in a good condition at all because she was supposed to focus on recovery instead of training. However, he couldn¡¯t tell her to rest. She wasn¡¯t going toply anyway, and he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how she must¡¯ve been feeling when her archenemy had kidnapped herpanion. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Instead, do something about that.¡± Martha seemed to have realized what Burren was thinking as she furrowed her brows, then pointed behind her. Runaan was swinging a sword of frost with a frightening atmosphere around her. ¡°She¡¯s gonepletely nuts. She¡¯s been swinging her sword nonstop, not even sleeping. She¡¯s really going to die at this rate.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren bit his lip while looking at Runaan. Even though Runaan¡¯s injury was as severe as Martha¡¯s, she kept training violently, to the point that it was difficult to approach her. The girl who stared nkly at the sky wasn¡¯t there anymore, and a bloodthirsty swordswoman had reced her. ¡°I can¡¯t stop her.¡± Burren sighed deeply and shook his head. It wasn¡¯t just Runaan and Martha. Others also kept swinging their swords like madmen while thinking about Raon and Dorian. Since he understood their feelings, it was impossible for him to stop them. ¡°Gather up! We are going to resume the Light Wind Formation¡¯s practic¡ª¡± Creak. Just as he was about to resume formation practice, the training ground¡¯s door opened smoothly and Rimmer entered the room. His eyes were calm, unlike his usual appearance, and emotionless to a scary extent. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to locate Raon.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen suddenly stopped moving upon hearing Rimmer¡¯s quiet voice. A ray of hope sparked in their exhausted eyes. ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Is Raon still alive/¡± ¡°Wh-what happened to Dorian¡­?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen ran up to Rimmer and barraged him with questions that they''d been waiting to ask. ¡°He¡¯s located near Cameloon, and I don¡¯t know the details yet.¡± Rimmer shook his head. ¡°The ck Market is preparing arge-scale dimensional shift. We will be using a dimensional door to reach Cameloon. Since we still have some time before that happens, tell me now if you want to withdraw.¡± No one answered his question. They were telling him that all of them wanted to join the operation. ¡°Despite your resolve, your eyes are brimming with nervousness.¡± Rimmer smiled lightly, like always. ¡°You must be worried that you might not be helpful in the fight, or about how many enemies will be waiting for you and how strong they will be. However, you will regret it forever if you don¡¯t join the operation today.¡± His words removed their doubts, and they clenched their fists. ¡°I can¡¯t solve the other anxieties, but there¡¯s one thing that I can guarantee. It doesn¡¯t matter who we have to face, or how many.¡± A frightening smile appeared on Rimmer¡¯s face as he met the Light Wind squad¡¯s fervent gazes. ¡°Because the strongest person in the continent is wielding his sword once again.¡± * * * Raon licked his lips while looking at the red crocodile mask in his hand. ¡®I think it¡¯s some kind of Crocodile.¡¯ The sharp andrge teeth and the bumps on its skin suggested that it was therge monster, Crocodile. ¡®I wonder which one it is.¡¯ Crocodiles appeared in various ces in the continent, and judging from the red color of the mask, it was most likely a Crocodile from a warm region or a desert. ¡®And it must be a king.¡¯ Eden didn¡¯t use average monsters. Instead, they used the magic stones left behind by chieftains or kings to craft helmets like the one he was holding. Raon could guess with certainty that the soul dwelling inside the helmet was from the Crocodile king. Aren¡¯t they going to find out if someone else enters while you are wearing that helmet? Wrath frowned while pointing at the treasury¡¯s door. ¡®That might happen.¡¯ Wrath was right, since wearing the helmet after telling them he was looking for armor and a weapon was enough to gain anyone¡¯s suspicion. ¡®That¡¯s why I¡¯m not nning to put it on.¡¯ What? But you said you were going to wear¡­ ¡®I have a method to connect into the mental world without wearing it.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while cing his hand inside the helmet. N-nonsense! You are a human being. It¡¯s impossible for you to control your soul as you please! ¡®It¡¯s true. It would¡¯ve been impossible by myself.¡¯ He nodded and looked at Wrath, who was tilting his head. ¡®But I have your wrath.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s wrath was stuck to his soul. Using that wrath was going to allow him to sh against the monster¡¯s soul without wearing the helmet. ¡®You are really the best door¡ªI mean, helper.¡¯ The wrath must¡¯ve been nted in him in order to help Wrath take over the body one day, but it was proving helpful to him in various ways. Wrath ended up benefitting him even though he was trying to harm him. Even the Giving Tree from the story wasn¡¯t as good as him. Ack! Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped, as he hadn¡¯t expected that at all. N-no way! Why is the wrath helping you when it¡¯s supposed to be a hindrance? Why are you using it as if it were yours to begin with? He burst out in a rage and iled his fists around to attack him. Obviously, it hurt even less than a cotton swab because he was too weak. ¡®Thank you for your continuous donations.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath back with a grin on his face. Damn it! Raon gathered the wrath attached to his soul while watching Wrath turn blue from depression. Sparks appeared from his right hand, which was holding the helmet, and his vision turned white. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Once he opened his eyes again, the world had changed. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * The silent treasury wasn¡¯t there anymore, and an erupting volcano could be seen instead. The dry, heated air was storming through his lungs. ¡®I got the perfect one.¡¯ Raon smiled while watching the boilingva. He thought it was going to be a desert, but he was at a volcano instead. The mask must¡¯ve belonged to a Lava Crocodile King. Rumble! As Raon examined the area around the volcano with a satisfied smile on his face, an extremelyrge eruption urred at the center of the volcano. Wham! A huge shadow appeared behind theva surging to the sky. It was the Lava Crocodile King. The Crocodile with a crimson re in its eyes was bigger than any other Crocodile he¡¯d seen before. Even though his power was far weaker than Loctar, his size alone wasparable to his dragon form. ¡°Are you the human who will be offering their body to me?¡± The Lava Crocodile King raised his chin and looked down on Raon. ]. ¡°No.¡± Raon snickered and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m the human who came here to boil you up and eat you.¡± ¡°What a fearless one.¡± The Lava Crocodile King snorted. ¡°Humans who tried to hunt me have always looked like you. However, they all ended up in my stomach, without exception.¡± He arrogantly shook his snout. ¡°A mere human is nothing but food. That¡¯s how it went in the past, and the same goes in the present.¡± The Lava Crocodile King confidently stomped the ground. ¡®That¡¯s understandable.¡¯ The volcanic area was the worst terrain, one that could make people run out of breath and exhaust their stamina just from walking through it. Even the excellent knights and magicians would have had difficulty ying the Lava Crocodile King, who could casually stroll around the volcanic area. ¡®This is different, though.¡¯ Their current location wasn¡¯t an actual volcanic area, but a mental world. Theva¡¯s influence could be easily stopped with willpower. ¡°I¡¯m missing the softness of the human flesh after seeing you. I¡¯m going to have a feast right after I devour your soul and leave this ce. Don¡¯t try making this difficult, let¡¯s quickly¡­¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s finish this off quickly.¡± Raon nodded and drew Heavenly Drive. ¡°Before the more annoying one arrives here.¡± ¡°Such arrogance!¡± The Lava Crocodile King widened his mouth, crimsonva gushing from his throat. Swaaa! Raon lowered Heavenly Drive until it almost reached the ground before striking upwards. The blue frost emerging from the silver de turned into a majestic wall to sh against theva. Pssh! The huge wall didn¡¯t melt down from the Lava Crocodile King¡¯sva, instead staying the exact same as it had been in the beginning. It wasn¡¯t because Raon¡¯s coldness was stronger than the crocodile¡¯s heat, but because of the difference in willpower. ¡°Wh-what? How could mere ice stop myva?!¡± The Lava Crocodile King¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°Such a tiny ice shard should be unable tost even an instant against theva!¡± ¡°It is not simple ice.¡± Raon chuckled and took a step forward. Blue frost was bursting from Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. ¡°I guess you are rather ignorant about this ce.¡± Probably because he didn¡¯t get a proper exnation after the helmet was made, he seemed to bepletely ignorant about battles of willpower. Raon smoothly kicked the ground. ¡°You are digging your own grave, you idiot!¡± As soon as Raon jumped into the air, the Lava Crocodile King stomped the ground. Lava erupted from the fissures on thend and surged towards Raon¡¯s body. ¡°Are you calling an attack of this level my grave?¡± Raon made the rings of fire resonate. He increased his soul level and unleashed the Silver Cyclone of the Blizzard Sword Art. Whoosh! The storming frost spread out from the de and froze the five streams ofva created by the Lava Crocodile King. ¡°H-how is this happening?!¡± The Lava Crocodile King stepped backwards. His chin was trembling in fear, overwhelmed by the resonance of the soul created by the Ring of Fire. ¡°Where are you trying to go?¡± Raon kicked the frozenva and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art techniques one after the other. A sharp wind of frost severed through the Lava Crocodile King¡¯s skin and tore his flesh apart. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The Lava Crocodile King screamed in pain. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that he¡¯s different from Loctar.¡¯ Raon would¡¯ve been reluctant to kill him if the crocodile acted like a knight just like Loctar did, but he was just a beast who wanted to feed on humans. Raon didn¡¯t feel guilty about killing him at all. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± The Lava Crocodile King engulfed his body withva. ¡°I¡¯ll make you disappearpletely!¡± He turned into a lump ofva to charge at Raon. He could attack and defend himself at the same time with that strategy. ¡°That¡¯s impossible, unfortunately.¡± Raon stomped the ground. He crushed theva covering the ground and thrust Heavenly Drive, which he¡¯d pulled back and to the left. Swoosh! The sharp silver line severed through the thickva, the frozen de following up to dash into the Lava Crocodile King¡¯s head and pierced through it. ¡°Kuaah¡­¡± The Lava Crocodile King mmed on the ground and groaned. ¡°H-how is it even possible, when I¡¯m the king of the volcano¡­?¡± He copsed without even realizing what hit him. The light slowly faded from his crimson eyes. ¡°Was he the weak one? Or¡­¡± ¡®Is it because I got stronger?¡¯ It was probably because his willpower had grown a lot stronger than he thought after absorbing Loctar¡¯s soul. Raon felt like it was unlikely for him to lose unless he faced an opponent like Wrath. Rumble! The volcanic area copsed, and the Lava Crocodile King¡¯s corpse disappeared. It was signaling the end of the world. Cring! As Raon was waiting to return to the real world, the blue dimension opened up in the air. ¡°The King of Essence has arrived¡­ Why is it already over?!¡± The cotton candy who was about to cross the dimension, widened his mouth upon seeing the copsing volcanic area. ¡°You bastard! That was way too fas¡ª¡± Even before Wrath could finish talking, his vision turned ck. ¡®Why did he evene here?¡¯ * * * Raon opened his eyes. He could see the Lava Crocodile King¡¯s helmet in his hand. ¡®The color faded slightly.¡¯ Probably because it lost the Lava Crocodile King¡¯s soul, the helmet looked slightly paler than before. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Raon tapped on the ice flower bracelet where Wrath was dwelling. ¡®How long has it been?¡¯ Kuh, the King of Essence doesn¡¯t know either. Wrath turned his head away. He sounded slightly salty. ¡®Why not?¡¯ H-he was too focused on getting into your mental world¡­ ¡®He¡¯s really useless.¡¯ ¡®Why did you even get there when you have already exhausted your energy?¡¯ H-he was just curious¡­ ¡®Do you have nothing better to do?¡¯ Raon shook his head at Wrath, carefully cing the Lava Crocodile Helmet back in its original spot. What kind of nonsense is that? The King of Essence has lots of things to do! He needs to n for future meals and check the food¡¯sponents¡­ Raon covered Wrath¡¯s mouth upon seeing the messages appearing in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve absorbed the Lava Crocodile King¡¯s soul.] [All stats have increased by 6.] [Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [The Trait Fire Affinity has been created.] Those were the rewards he had received from absorbing the Lava Crocodile King¡¯s soul. It was absorbed faster than thest time, probably because the soul was smaller than Loctar¡¯s. ¡®This is also pretty good.¡¯ The messages were telling him that all of his stats had increased, as well as the proficiency for the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He didn¡¯t gain a new martial art because it wasn¡¯t a humanoid monster, but he had received a new trait that was even more satisfactory. ¡®Fire Affinity.¡¯ Just as Water Affinity could enhance coldness, Fire Affinity was capable of enhancing heat, which was extremely satisfactory for him. H-how does this even make any sense?! Wrath¡¯s eyes were trembling as he watched the messages. Howe everything is going so well for you?! Why is the entire world spinning in your favor?! He ground his teeth violently, saying that he had never received so many benefits when he was using the system himself. Why are you taking everything for yourself when the King of Essence can¡¯t even eat meals because of you? ¡®Because I¡¯ve been a good person?¡¯ Woof, woof! That¡¯s a freeaking dogshit! Wrath red at him while barking like a puppy. You have the worst personality among any of the humans and demons the King of Essence has seen so far! No one is worse than you, even in Devildom! ¡®Is that what Devildom feels like?¡¯ Devildom felt familiar because he kept hearing about it. Raon felt like it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to visit Devildom one day, since it didn¡¯t sound like it was a bad ce. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at the exit of the treasury. ¡®I don¡¯t think too much time has passed, but¡­¡¯ He felt like not even an hour had passed, but he could¡¯ve been wrong about it because time passed differently in the mental world. ¡®I should leave for now.¡¯ He wanted to get the other helmets but shook his head. ¡®They might grow more suspicious of me if I spend too much time here.¡¯ He figured he should just take a sword ande backter to devour the other helmets¡¯ souls. Raon took a longsword that looked simr to the one Loctar used from the table where swords were disyed in a line. Rumble! Just as he was about to leave with the sword equipped around his waist, the room¡ªor, rather, the entirend¡ªstarted to tremble. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ On top of the trembling, Raon could feel that people were busily moving around outside of the treasury. Raon turned around with a frown on his face, and the treasury¡¯s floor opened up. The warrior wearing a goblin helmet who¡¯d been waiting outside climbed into the room. ¡°We are in trouble. Pleasee outside, since the treasury needs to be sealed.¡± ¡°Trouble?¡± ¡°An intruder has passed the Lunar Barrier.¡± ¡°An intruder? Who is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that either.¡± ¡®Can it be¡­?¡¯ Raon¡¯s heart started pounding violently upon hearing about the intruder. Raon spread his aura perception as wide as possible while leaving the treasury. His eyes filled with anticipation, turning dark before he even left the pce. ¡°Huh¡­¡± His steps came to a halt because of the overwhelming presenceing from outside. ¡®What is this?¡¯ He thought that someone like Sheryl or a division leader hade to his rescue from Zieghart, but that was definitely not the case. The mysterious presence he felt didn¡¯t even lose to Glenn himself. Raon swallowed nervously and went to leave the building. ¡®What kind of monster is that?¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 297

Chapter 297

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 297 ¡°Tsk.¡± Unfaceable Snake briefly clicked his tongue, lying on the roof. ¡®I don¡¯t like it.¡¯ People wearing helmets or ending up dead was normally none of his business, but the fact that Raon Zieghart had turned into a halfling dragon was making him oddly irritated. ¡®Is it because I¡¯ve never seen such a madman before?¡¯ Raon Zieghart waspletely insane, to the point that he challenged him to a duel despite having been captured by the enemy camp. He took a liking to his odd personality, but his disappearance was making him depressed. He¡¯d refused the sparring request from the Blue Dragon helmet for that exact reason. ¡®I was slightly looking forward to it.¡¯ He was looking forward to seeing Raon again because he sounded so confident when he¡¯d previously said goodbye, but obviously, no one was capable of winning against the souls dwelling in the helmets and masks. ¡®It¡¯s going to be boring for a while.¡¯ The spar against Raon was the only fun part of the boring mission to guard the barrier, and he was slightly saddened by the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to experience it anymore. ¡°No, what am I even thinking right now?¡± Unfaceable Snakeughed coldly and pped his own cheeks. ¡®He was bound to disappear.¡¯ He already knew from the beginning that Raon¡¯s soul was going to disappear. There was no reason for him to harbor such thoughts. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sighed briefly and closed his eyes. Since no one could even see the barrier, let alone enter it, he was about to rest for a while. Whir! He could sense someone at the Lunar Barrier. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Unfaceable Snake briskly stood and ran towards the troubled part of the barrier. ¡®What is that¡­?¡¯ A man, a woman, a senior, and a child. Four average-looking people were holding a bloody red sedan chair, and a white hand was reaching out of the curtain to stroke the barrier. ¡®Howe I didn¡¯t even feel their presence?¡¯ The four were certainly powerful, but he definitely should¡¯ve been able to feel their presence. After all, he specialized in detecting presences. ¡®Which means, that woman¡­¡¯ Unfaceable Snake swallowed nervously and looked at the center of the sedan chair. Even though there was no pressure at all, the presence felt like it was covering the entire world. It almost felt like an otherworldly existence was pretending to be a human. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader. She looked a lot different from thest time he had seen her, but it was definitely that crazy bitch. ¡®They are going to break through.¡¯ Even the Lunar Barrier was incapable of stopping that monster. They might take some time, but the barrier was obviously going to be breached eventually. Whir! Unfaceable Snake grit his teeth and activated the barrier. The barrier¡¯s interior grew thicker than before, and the rm started ringing inside the building. ¡°It¡¯s pointless.¡± A sweet voice came from the red sedan chair, tickling his ears. The barrier wavered and opened up a path for the sedan chair to pass before the voice even faded away. ¡®D-did she just open it?¡¯ She didn¡¯t even destroy the barrier¡ªshe opened it instead. He¡¯d never even imagined such a possibility. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m acquainted with him.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader waved her hand, and the tenth apostle took the lead in entering the barrier. The sedan chair advanced behind him, and the fifth apostle followed from the rear. Whir! Archbishops, priests, and fanatics entered the barrier in a line. ¡°A-are you trying to breach the convention and dere war?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry so much.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader rolled up her red lips into a thin smile while looking at Unfaceable Snake. ¡°Because I only came here to retrieve what belongs to me.¡± * * * Raon frowned while looking at Merlin¡¯s room. ¡®I need to decide.¡¯ ording to Loctar¡¯s personality, he would¡¯ve guarded Merlin in the room regardless of what was happening outside, since Merlin was the important person for him¡ªnot Eden. However, he could end up reacting toote if he did that, as he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand the situation. ¡®Because I can¡¯t tell who the intruder is.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell at all who was attacking Eden''s base because one single overwhelming presence was covering up everyone else. ¡®Can¡¯t you feel anything here?¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath groaned in response and his shoulders slumped. Th-the King of Essence exhausted too much of his power. He can¡¯t tell anything at all. He was murmuring that he spent all the power he¡¯d been gathering by manifesting his main body and breaking through the dimension twice in a row. ¡®You can¡¯t be any more useless than this¡­¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath didn¡¯t try to deny Raon¡¯s belittlingment, and that was proof that he really was exhausted. ¡®I have no choice but to go there myself.¡¯ The situation was leaving him no choice. Since Merlin was still unconscious, it was necessary for him to go there himself to understand the situation. Raon hid his presence and mixed himself in with the other demons of Eden to leave the building. ¡®¡­A sedan chair?¡¯ He could see a red sedan chair as soon as he left the gate. He could feel a tremendous presence from the woman¡¯s shadow reflecting on the light pink curtain that was covering the sedan chair¡¯s seat. She was continuously attracting his gaze, as if his eyes were fixated by a nail. He wasn¡¯t the only one, since Eden''s demons were also unable to take their eyes off of her. ¡®Kuh¡­¡¯ Raon grabbed his chin with his hand to force himself to avert his gaze. He could see the four people carrying the sedan chair. ¡®They are strong.¡¯ He could feel a great power from them, as if they were trying to prove they were worthy enough to carry the sedan chair. It was difficult to precisely discern their levels because of the one on the sedan chair, but each of them was more powerful than himself. Raon next examined the side of the sedan chair, then widened his eyes. ¡®The tenth apostle? And is that the fifth apostle?¡¯ The tenth apostle, with ten beads engraved on his coat, and the fifth apostle, with five beads, were standing on either side of the sedan chair with their hands gathered together. ¡®Wh-which means, she is¡­¡¯ He looked at the sedan chair once again. He bit his lip while examining thezy hand gesture of the woman behind the red curtain. ¡®The White Blood Religion''s leader!¡¯ Considering how much courtesy the apostles were showing, the person behind the curtain couldn¡¯t be anyone else. No, regardless of all that, the answer was obvious from the beginning¡ªafter all, her presence was on par with Glenn¡¯s. The woman was the master of the White Blood Religion, the White Blood Religion''s leader. Hmph! Wrath narrowed his eyes while ring at the curtain. She¡¯s pretty good. Wrath had never acknowledged anyone except for Glenn. Hisment implied that her might was as sublime as Glenn¡¯s. ¡®However¡­¡¯ ¡®Why is the White Blood Religion''s leader visiting this ce?¡¯ She didn¡¯t exactly destroy the barrier to enter, but she didn¡¯t seem to have an appointment either, judging from Eden¡¯s reaction. He couldn¡¯t understand why the monster was there when her presence was enough to cause ruckus anywhere in the world. ¡®Maybe she came to take me away?¡¯ It might sound like he had an overinted ego, but the White Blood Religion had tried kidnapping him through the tenth apostle. Even though it sounded crazy, it wasn¡¯tpletely impossible. You idiot. Wrath snorted and shook his hand. Even in Devildom, there are few existences with such prowess. Why would shee all the way here to take you away? This is why kids with protagonist syndrome¡­ ¡°Where is Raon Zieghart?¡± As he was snorting, a smooth voice came from the red curtain, practically melting in people¡¯s ears. Ehh? ¡®Huh?¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away, as he was obstructing his vision, and his jaw dropped. It looked like the monster really hade to take him away. ¡°We don¡¯t have anyone like that.¡± Unfaceable Snake responded with a hoarse voice. ¡°How dare you spout lies in front of her majesty?¡± The murderous aura burst out around the fifth apostle as he red at Unfaceable Snake. He clenched his fist as if he would start attacking him at any moment. ¡°Kneel immediately. The noble existence in front of you is¡­¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader casually shook her hand. ¡°Did you say that Raon Zieghart isn¡¯t here? Why not?¡± ¡°H-he¡¯s¡­ no longer alive.¡± Unfaceable Snake hesitated until the end and spoke in a semi-formal manner instead of formal. The way he still avoided honorific speech made his prideful personality evident. ¡°No longer alive. I see¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leaderughed faintly. ¡°That must mean that he¡¯s wearing a helmet.¡± ¡°Indeed. He can pretend to be Raon Zieghart, but the real Raon Zieghart has already parted from this world.¡± Unfaceable Snake nodded with trembling lips. Raon hid his presence even further and lowered himself slightly. ¡®Why is she trying to turn me into an apostle?¡¯ The White Blood Religion''s leader was a monster powerful enough to gain Wrath¡¯s acknowledgment. Even though people called him a genius, he was only at the intermediate level of Master, and he couldn¡¯t understand why she would want to take him so badly that she would personally make a move. ¡°In that case¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader bobbed her finger while leaning back in the seat. ¡°I¡¯m going to take that boy instead.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * ¡°Th-that would be impossible.¡± Unfaceable Snake frowned and shook his head. ¡°Eden doesn¡¯t easily give away the members who have already joined. Since he¡¯s already wearing a helmet¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know your ce.¡± The fifth apostle stood in front of Unfaceable Snake with a fearsome amount of murderous aura bursting from him. ¡°You¡¯d better bring Raon Zieghart here before I crush your mouth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you right now.¡± Unfaceable Snake ground his teeth at the fifth apostle before looking at the White Blood Religion''s leader instead. ¡°You said you aren¡¯t nning to fight, but you are trying to take away a member of Eden. What are you even trying to do?¡± ¡°It solely depends on you. I would have to get rid of you if you tried standing on my way.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader tilted her head slightly. Because of herpletelyposed voice, it even felt like they were at the White Blood Religion¡¯s base instead of Eden¡¯s Cameloon branch. ¡°Kuh, are you trying to breach the convention of the Five Demons?¡± Unfaceable Snake opened his mouth while faltering. Even though the White Blood Religion''s leader wasn¡¯t spreading any pressure nor energy, her tremendous presence was making it difficult for even Unfaceable Snake to speak despite, being him an advanced Master. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for the convention to be breached if you hand over that boy.¡± ¡°What nonsense¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± The tenth apostle stepped forward, despite having stayed back. He red at Unfaceable Snake with ferocious eyes under his calm appearance. ¡°She¡¯s not a person that someone like you can speak to carelessly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As the tenth apostle¡¯s powerful energy wave stormed at Unfaceable Snake, Soul Severing Sword stood in the way. Rumble! The entirend started to tremble from the standoffs between the tenth apostle against the Soul Severing Sword, and Unfaceable Snake against the fifth apostle. ¡°I¡¯m not a patient person.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader wagged her finger along with a quietugh. The powerful energy waves shing against each other subsided in an instant, and Unfaceable Snake knelt on the ground. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword didn¡¯t kneel, but he must¡¯ve received an impact powerful enough to make him falter since his eyes were twice as wide as before while he stared at the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking Raon Zieghart with me.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader nodded, and the sedan chair started to advance. Even though no one could stop their advance, Soul Severing Sword forcefully regained his bnce to remain standing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword increased the amount of his energy wave without speaking, just like always. The pitch-ckbative energy of death engulfed his body. ¡°Hoo.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader eximed. She seemed to find his behavior interesting. ¡°Interesting. Are you trying to stop me even though you deviated from the bnce?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for the religious leader to act.¡± The tenth apostle stood in front of Soul Severing Sword and red coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unlike before, the energy waves bursting from the tenth apostle and Soul Severing Sword looked like they were really trying to kill each other as they grasped their spear and sword. ¡®I can¡¯t run away from this one.¡¯ Raon bit his lip. He might have been able to run away by using their sh if Eden and the White Blood Religion were equal in power, but the White Blood Religion¡¯s side was far more powerful in the present situation. Raon judged that it was impossible to escape. ¡°You¡¯ve been right in front of me all along.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader swirled her finger in the air before pointing at Eden¡¯s demons. The demons copsed one after the other as if they were falling asleep to reveal Raon hiding behind them. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± She pointed at Raon with a distant-soundingugh. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to see you.¡± Even though an extreme heat surrounded him, it felt asfortable as a mother¡¯s womb. He had the urge to walk up to her and rest in her arms the moment he heard her voice. ¡®Kuh¡­¡¯ Raon forced his legs to stop. He used the Ring of Fire to erase the voice of the White Blood Religion''s leader, which had managed to prate into his head. ¡°Who are you?¡± He pretended to be Loctar, who didn¡¯t know anything about the current world, with a slightly trembling voice. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader rested her chin on her hand and stared at him. The gazeing from behind the curtain almost felt hot as it pierced into Raon. ¡°How ambiguous.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ambiguous?¡± ¡°The fragrance of the helmet¡¯s demon is too faint. Did you actually ovee it?¡± Even though her gaze had to pass through the red curtain, it pierced into Raon¡¯s soul like a sharp spearhead. ¡°What are you even talking about?¡± Raon bit the inside of his cheek to the brim in order to avoid showing his agitation. ¡®Damn it¡­ How was she able to tell?¡¯ Even Eden''s demons were deceived by his perfect control of his aura and acting, but it wasn¡¯t working against that monster. She said it was ambiguous, but her voice was telling him that she was certain about it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you were devoured or not.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader gently bobbed her finger. ¡°Come with me. I¡¯ll show you a new world.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± His head became fuzzy as he watched the finger¡¯s shadow reflected on the curtain, but he made the rings of fire resonate and awaken his mind. ¡°It¡¯s rare to find such willpower. I¡¯m liking you even more.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader smiled in satisfaction. She seemed to be rejoicing at the fact that her sorcery didn¡¯t work on him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave since I have my family here.¡± Raon grasped the hilt of his new sword while trying to sound like Loctar. ¡°In that case, I just need to kill that family of yours.¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit is that?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving you a choice. You can either follow me after your family dies, or follow me right now.¡± There was no emphasis nor emotion in her voice. She was simply voicing her will, as if it were a natural course of action. ¡®She can¡¯t be considered sane either.¡¯ There was not a single sane person among the White Blood Religion and Eden, as if they were gatherings of lunatics. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Raon secretly lowered his eyes to look at Wrath inside the ice flower bracelet. ¡®Can you fight against her if you enter my body?¡¯ He would¡¯ve believed in his victory in normal circumstances, but Wrath had exhausted his power doing useless things. He needed Wrath¡¯s answer first, because he couldn¡¯t tell how the situation was going to unfold. What a useless question. Wrath frowned in displeasure because of the reason he asked the question. O-of course he can destroy her. ¡®Then please get ready.¡¯ His voice was trembling slightly, but letting Wrath control his body was the only solution he had left. Everyone in the area was his enemy, so it was fine even if Wrath went out of control and ended up killing them. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line.¡± As Raon was calmly catching his breath, Unfaceable Snake stepped up. ¡°This is Eden''s domain. Even though you are the head of the White Blood Religion, there are things that should not be done.¡± ¡°You are as bold as the number of your heads. I like it.¡± Unfaceable Snake widened his eyes upon hearing her response. ¡°However, what you said is wrong.¡± ¡°What¡ª?¡± ¡°Wherever I am is the White Blood Religion.¡± She stretched out her hand. That single movement caused a red stream to emerge from the White Blood Fanatics¡¯ gazes next to her. ¡°Bring Raon Zieghart to me. You can kill whoever tries to stop you.¡± Even though the White Blood Fanatics approached with a murderous aura around them, Eden¡¯s demons were unable to move. It was because the mysterious and pure energying from the White Blood Religion''s leader was encircling them. Rumble! The first ones who prepared for a sh were the tenth apostle and Soul Severing Sword. The powerful energies soaring on top of their sword and spear were the manifestation of their murderous intent towards each other. Whap! The moment the two grandmasters¡¯ swords were about to sh, the sky split wide open. The sun setting at the western mountain started to rise once again, and a bright light spread throughout the world. A single man appeared in the midst of that majestic brilliance. He was wearing a young man¡¯s mask that almost looked dazzling from how handsome it was, and the lips curved smoothly into a smile as if it were a real face. An angel¡¯s wing and a demon¡¯s horn were engraved on the gray outfit that he was wearing, and a halo was floating on his head with sun and moon¡¯s emblems mixed together. It was a sacred sight, yet profane at the same time. The heavens were singing a hymn for him, while thend revealed its spite as it remembered him. Aaaah! Raon bit his lip tightly while listening to the grotesque sound, simr to the wailing of an angel and a devil. ¡®The Fallen¡­¡¯ The monster d in holy and demonic aura at the same time was one of the two pirs of Eden, who the outsiders had named the Fallen. Whir! The Fallen slowly descended with a majestic wave that didn¡¯t even lose to the White Blood Religion''s leader. Raon clenched his fist. ¡®This is a favorable opportunity for me.¡¯ The Fallen¡¯s appearance fixed the bnce between Eden and the White Blood Religion. He figured he might be able to escape without having to use Wrath. That guy¡­ As he was nning his escape, Wrath furrowed his brows so intensely to a point where his eyes looked distorted. He¡¯s a mixture. ____ ____ Chapter 298

Chapter 298

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 298 The Fallen slowly descended as if he were walking down the stairs from the sky. The holy and demonic aura emanating from his body gave off a strange impression, as if chaos and order were mixed together into his body. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Fallen, who was spreading an inhuman presence. ¡®So, the Fallen is the one who came.¡¯ Although there were two people among Eden who were capable of stopping the White Blood Religion''s leader, only one of them was active. That was why the Fallen was the only one who could help them. ¡®I can¡¯t even feel his presence.¡¯ Because the Fallen¡¯s mana was too massive, he couldn¡¯t even feel his energy. It felt like he was facing an endless ocean. ¡®So.¡¯ Raon forced himself to lower his gaze and tap on Wrath. ¡®What did you mean when you said he¡¯s a mixture?¡¯ He meant what he said. Wrath responded without taking his eyes off the Fallen. The power of one of the demon kings is dwelling inside him. ¡®¡­A demon king?¡¯ As soon as he mentioned a demon king, Raon thought about Sloth, who he¡¯d encountered at Habun Castle. His overwhelming energy wave seemed capable of destroying heaven. Even though he¡¯d be an intermediate Master, he had the feeling he would still be unable to stand in front of Sloth. And the interesting part is the fact that half of him still has holy power of highest purity. Was he called the Fallen? That¡¯s such a suitable name for him. Wrath sneered while looking up to the Fallen. There¡¯s only one existence in the world crazy enough to do something like that. ¡®And who is such a crazy existence?¡¯ Pride. Wrath wrinkled his nose while ring at the Fallen. He continued with an extremely irritated expression on his face, one that Raon had never seen before. He¡¯s the monarch of Pride. ¡®Pride¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously while mumbling the word ¡®Pride¡¯. A chill ran down his spine just from hearing the name. ¡®Now that I think about it, he mentioned that name pretty often.¡¯ Wrath had spoken about Pride multiple times in the past, but he didn¡¯t seem happy about him whenever he did. Considering his personality, Pride must¡¯ve been as powerful as Wrath as a demon king. ¡®Does that mean that Pride is bound to his body just like you and me?¡¯ That¡¯s not the case. I can¡¯t feel Pride''s existence in him. Wrath shook his head in dissatisfaction. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s hand holding the sword started to tremble. ¡®Eden¡¯s head is rted to a demon king¡­¡¯ Since it waspletely unexpected, it was even more surprising than the appearance of the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡®Then how about that woman?¡¯ He pointed at the White Blood Religion''s leader, who was leisurely staring at the Fallen from her sedan chair. The King of Essence can¡¯t tell. ¡®Huh?¡¯ She¡¯s thoroughly concealing her power. It normally wouldn¡¯t be like this, but he¡¯s running out of power and he can¡¯t check what¡¯s lying behind it. Wrath shook his head with a depressed expression on his face. He was just useless when it counted. Thud. The Fallen descended on thend with a noble appearance. His entire existence was sparkling to the point that his face almost looked like it was glowing. Raon thought that he would¡¯ve believed it was a god¡¯s descent if he was an ignorant and ordinary person. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled the impurities from his lungs. ¡®I have no choice at this point.¡¯ It would be pointless to be intimidated by them. What he needed was to use the situation as an opportunity to somehow think of a way to escape. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, White Blood Religion''s leader.¡± The Fallen walked up to the sedan chair that the White Blood Religion''s leader was riding. A gentle expression was formed on the handsome man¡¯s mask. ¡°You¡¯ve once again changed your appearance in that time.¡± He slightly tilted his head while looking at the White Blood Religion''s leader over the red curtain. ¡°It was about time.¡± Even though she was facing the Fallen, the White Blood Religion''s leader didn¡¯t seem flustered at all, and disinterestedughter could be heard from behind the curtains. ¡°Is this the first time we¡¯ve seen each other since the establishment of the Five Demons convention?¡± ¡°No, we met one more time after that.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± The nice atmosphere around them made it seem like they were meeting an acquaintance that they hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. However, the cold pressures deep inside their voices was frightening enough to freeze the blood of those who listened. ¡°I would¡¯ve visited you if you asked. What has brought you all the way here?¡± The Fallen took a step towards the sedan chair and smoothed down his sleeve. Every single one of his movements was brimming with elegance, either because of his mask or the atmosphere around him. ¡°There was something I wanted to have.¡± ¡°What would that be¡­?¡± ¡°That boy.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader extended her finger outside the red curtain to point at Raon. ¡°I want to take him with me.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The Fallen turned his head to look at Raon. The mouth of his mask formed a strange curve that looked like a smile. ¡°Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to grant that request.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader confidently asked once again, as if he belonged to her to begin with. ¡°Everyone in Eden has gathered for the sake of restoration. Abandoning our members is one thing that we won¡¯t do.¡± The Fallen gave her the same response as Unfaceable Snake. ¡°And that helmet is special.¡± ¡°How is it special?¡± ¡°That blue dragon helmet wasn¡¯t made by me. Merlin crafted it all the way from the beginning. Both the helmet and the one wearing the helmet do not belong to me, so there¡¯s no way I can decide to give him to you.¡± He responded as politely as possible before shaking his head. Raon bit his lip. ¡®This is so nerve wracking.¡¯ The two monsters were being tooposed despite what he expected, giving him no room to interfere. He cleared his head by controlling the Ring of Fire and waited for an opportunity. ¡°Merlin, you say.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader smiled while caressing her lips with her thin fingers. ¡°That makes me want to return empty-handed even less. She was the one who suddenly barged into our n and snatched Raon away.¡± ¡°Something like that happened? I see.¡± The Fallen briefly licked his lips, showing that he didn¡¯t know about that. However, his expression remained unchanged, as if he were asking, ¡®so what?¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but he¡¯s already wearing the helmet. I repeat, Eden never abandons ourpanions.¡± Raon huffed when he heard he was being called apanion. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he should be thanking him or calling him crazy for saying that to the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°Then let¡¯s make a bet.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader raised her finger. ¡°What kind of bet would that be?¡± ¡°Since you mentioned that the boy was a member of Eden, it¡¯s going to be a bet about that.¡± She continued while telling him that it¡¯s going to be simple and fun at the same time. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Fallen turned to look at Raon. He smoothed down his mask slightly in contemtion. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ It was more advantageous for him that the Fallen epted the bet, since that would make it easier to provoke a fight between them. He wanted to make him ept it at all costs. ¡°I don¡¯t belong to you. The princess is the only person who can order me around.¡± He roughly dered to grate on his nerves. ¡®I hope it works.¡¯ Since his power was supposedly bestowed by Pride, he must¡¯ve had an arrogant personality despite his polite appearance. Considering the fact that he wasn¡¯t yielding anything against the White Blood Religion''s leader, he wasn¡¯t the type of person who would stay unprovoked after hearing that. ¡°I have a responsibility to protect mypanions. However, that¡­¡± The Fallen slightly narrowed his eyes. ¡°Only applies if he¡¯s one of us who has the restoration as his objective.¡± He turned his head to look at the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°Please, tell me. What kind of bet are you suggesting?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. I¡¯ll take my hands off if the helmet¡¯s soul has already devoured that boy. However, I¡¯ll take him with me if he managed to ovee the helmet¡¯s soul.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader leisurely shook her hand. ¡°After all, it shouldn¡¯t matter that I take him in that case, since he¡¯s not one of you.¡± ¡°And how are you nning to determine whether the helmet¡¯s soul has devoured him or not?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a way I can tell.¡± She smiled while saying that she had the perfect way to determine it. ¡°Alright, I ept. However, I have one condition.¡± ¡°A condition?¡± ¡°Yes. If Merlin acknowledges it after testing your method, I¡¯ll allow him to be taken away.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader nodded confidently. ¡°Then please show me how you are nning to determine whether he was devoured by the helmet or not.¡± The Fallen opened his arms, telling her to try whatever she wanted. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen. ¡®They are both certain of their victory.¡¯ Neither of them had the slightest intention of losing, regardless of the oue of the bet. They were bothpletely confident that they would have Raon in their possession no matter what. ¡®This makes it easier.¡¯ He had already fully memorized Loctar¡¯s behavior patterns. Since he¡¯d already absorbed his soul, there was no way his speech or behavior would give away his identity. The best oue was for a war to break out between Eden and the White Blood Religion. He calmed himself down while reminding himself of that objective. ¡°Good.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader nodded in satisfaction. She looked aside, and the fifth apostle stepped up. The fifth apostle controlled his bloody energy and a gray puddle appeared under his feet. A man surrounded in gray energy popped out from it. Whoosh! The bloody energy scattered, and his appearance was revealed. The fluttering green hair and innocent, puppy-like eyes could be seen. There was no way Raon wouldn¡¯t recognize them. ¡®Why? Why is he here¡­?¡¯ Dorian. Raon¡¯s heart skipped a beat upon seeing his unfocused eyes. His appearance waspletely unexpected for him. Raon crushed his tongue with his teeth in order to hide his surprise. What? Why is your pocket over there? ¡®It must¡¯ve been from back then¡­¡¯ He remembered Dorian throwing something at him when he was getting sucked into Merlin¡¯s box. He must¡¯ve gotten caught by the tenth apostle after that. ¡°We managed toe all the way here thanks to this boy spreading the Continent Chaser Fragrance on Raon.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader caressed Dorian¡¯s head. His hair, which was protruding like an antenna, was tidied up. ¡®Continent Chaser Fragrance. That was what happened. The tenth apostle must¡¯ve found out that he spread it on me.¡¯ The White Blood Religion must¡¯ve found Eden''s base by using Dorian¡¯s Continent Chaser Fragrance. ¡®It¡¯s getting soplicated.¡¯ Dorian must¡¯ve used the Continent Chaser Fragrance in order to save him, but the situation was turning into the worst case scenario. He couldn¡¯t think straight because it was apletely unexpected turn of events. ¡°That¡¯s a great feat that he¡¯s achieved.¡± Even though the Fallen realized the situation, he didn¡¯t lose hisposure as he nodded. Pride. Raon could realize once again that he¡¯d been bestowed the power from Pride. ¡°You should¡¯ve realized by now what kind of bet I¡¯m about to suggest.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader pointed with her finger, and the fifth apostle brought Dorian in front of Raon. ¡°If Raon kills this boy, I¡¯ll admit my defeat. However, I¡¯ll be taking him with me if he doesn¡¯t kill him.¡± She smiled, convinced of her victory. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Raon could feel the cold sweat flowing down his back. The fact that he was wearing a helmet was a relief, because they would¡¯ve found him out already if they could see his expression. ¡®There¡¯s no way out.¡¯ With Dorian there, he couldn¡¯t exactly let Wrath take over his body. It was obvious that he was going to kill Dorian before anyone else once he went out of control. ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but it¡¯s still a bit uncertain.¡± The Fallen tilted his head while looking at Dorian. ¡°Even if his soul was devoured, he wouldn¡¯t immediately turn into a different person. It was only yesterday that he put on the helmet. The soul and body must not have reached a perfect harmony yet.¡± ¡®I have to take action right now.¡¯ Raon bit his lip tightly while looking at the Fallen, who was expressing his dissatisfaction about the bet. ¡°Regardless of that, why do I even have to kill him?¡± He red at Dorian, telling them that he couldn¡¯t understand why he had to do that. ¡°I¡¯m a knight. I don¡¯t swing my sword at anyone for no reason.¡± He shook his head while voicing something that Loctar would¡¯ve said. ¡®Please¡­¡¯ He was maintaining a casual expression, but his thoughts werepletely different. He clenched his fist while hoping that the Fallen would refuse the bet. ¡°Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s acting right now?¡± The eyes of the White Blood Religion''s leader sparkled from behind the red curtain. ¡°It looks like I¡¯m the winner of this bet.¡± ¡°No.¡± The Fallen shook his head. ¡°The soul of that helmet is the draconian knight captain, Loctar Defort. It¡¯s not strange for a knight to be saying something like that.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we need to properly exin it to him.¡± He went next to Dorian. He pointed at the reversed sword emblem on his uniform. ¡°Can you see this? This reversed sword is the emblem of our biggest enemy. It means that he¡¯s the enemy of Merlin, who is your master.¡± The Fallen smiled while touching Zieghart¡¯s emblem. ¡°Merlin recently received a heavy injury on her chest, and that was also their doing.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon quietly exhaled, pretending to be enraged. ¡®He¡¯s not lying about that.¡¯ He remembered Sheryl striking Merlin with her twin swords when she chased her away. The Fallen was talking about that incident. ¡°That swordsman is our enemy, and one of the perpetrators who hurt Merlin. That should be enough reason, right?¡± It was enough. Loctar would¡¯ve already cut Dorian off, since his whole world revolved around Merlin. However, he wasn¡¯t actually Loctar. As Raon Zieghart, there was no way he could y Dorian. ¡°Shall I make it easier for you?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader snapped her fingers. As the snapping sound resounded throughout the air, light returned to Dorian¡¯srge eyes. ¡°Huh? Wh-where am I¡­ Uah!¡± Dorian gasped upon noticing the strange sedan chair, the White Blood Fanatics surrounding it, and the demons wearing helmets. He saw the tenth apostle in the end, and his chin started to tremble violently from remembering how he got kidnapped. ¡®She¡¯s so obstinate.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t helping him, she was pretty much stabbing him with a sword. The White Blood Religion''s leader was definitely aware of the fact that he wasn¡¯t devoured by the helmet. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Dorian kept rolling his eyes from anxiety, and eventually stopped upon noticing Raon. His eyes widened upon seeing the blue dragon helmet with his uniform and sword. ¡°V-vice squad leader?¡± Goosebumps appeared all over Raon¡¯s body upon hearing his innocent voice. His sense of crisis was warning him of the iing danger. Everyone could end up dying if he made a wrong move. ¡°Let me tell you one more time. This man belongs to one of our worst enemies, Zieghart. ying him would be helping Merlin.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Raon grasped his sword and looked at Dorian. ¡°Ah!¡± Dorian shut his mouth upon seeing his eyes under the helmet. His terrified eyes were trembling violently. ¡®He noticed me.¡¯ Probably because they¡¯d been together for such a long time, he seemed to have noticed that he wasn¡¯t devoured by the helmet. ¡°So you are taking the bet, right?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader waved at the Fallen with a grin on her face. ¡°Yes. Just like I said before, I¡¯ll send him off after getting Merlin¡¯s consent. However, he doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s about to move any time soon. We didn¡¯t set a time limit, did we?¡± The Fallen faintly smiled and shook his head. ¡°Aah, I¡¯d rather have it decided quickly.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader turned her head to the right, and the old man who¡¯d been carrying the sedan chair stepped forward. Even though only three people were carrying the chair, it didn¡¯t tremble in the slightest. Whir! The old man stomped on the ground, and a long passage of bloody energy opened up on the ground. Ten people of different genders appeared from the obscure bloody energy, and none of their eyes had focus, just like Dorian¡¯s used to be. ¡°I heard a knight doesn¡¯t overlook injustice. It will be one person per minute.¡± As soon as herughing voice ended, the old man sank his teeth into the flesh of the young man who was closest to Raon, starting to devour his flesh. Crack! The blood gushing from the beheaded corpse fell upon Raon¡¯s shoulders. ¡°The religious leader hasn¡¯t changed at all. Well, I guess ending this quickly isn¡¯t a bad deal for me.¡± The Fallen smiled as innocently as a child while looking at the red blood covering the ground. ¡°Aaah!¡± Dorian¡¯s lips trembled violently as he saw the person next to him lose his head in an instant. His eyes kept wavering endlessly. Clench. Raon grasped Heavenly Drive¡¯s de to the point that it seemed like it would break. ¡®He also knows.¡¯ The Fallen was also aware of the fact that he wasn¡¯t devoured by the helmet. He knew, and he was making fun of him. He was just enjoying the situation. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Theughtering from the two monsters didn¡¯t sound human at all. Raon¡¯s heart tightened upon seeing the smiles of the fiends¡¯ who considered humans as nothing but food. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He could sense the scent of death from his inhaled breath. It would make it easier for him to escape if a fight broke out between them, but that would only be the case if they were trying to keep him alive. The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen were both the type of people who would rather kill him if they couldn¡¯t have him for themselves. It was the worst situation he could be in, and one that he wasn¡¯t expecting at all. Kuh¡­ Raon violently exhaled while looking at the terrified Dorian and the nine people who werepletely ignorant of the situation one after the other. ¡°What are you doing? One minute¡¯s almost up.¡± ¡°Please y Merlin¡¯s enemy like a knight you are.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen quietly urged him on, showing that they were getting bored. Psh! Even though one minute hadn¡¯t even passed, the old man smashed the second woman¡¯s heart. The woman copsed, unaware of her own death. ¡°That¡¯s two.¡± ¡°I wonder how long it¡¯s going tost.¡± They were crazy bastards. Even if he included his previous life, he¡¯d never seen anyone as crazy as them before. Even though they were trying to bring him with them, they weren¡¯t even considering what he would do afterwards. It was a terrifying amount of arrogance. However, he wasn¡¯t allowed to resist. The atmosphere was telling him that he would end up dying if he tried anything funny. The hair all over his body stood on end from the formless pressureing from the supreme beings. Some thoughts started to appear in his head one by one, trying tofort him. They were going to die anyway. It¡¯s not my fault, the White Blood Religion was going to feed on them regardless. I have something I need to achieve. I can¡¯t end up dying here for their sake. And Dorian, Dorian¡­ Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Dorian. He¡¯d spent the longest amount of time with Dorian¡ªoutside of his family¡ªand he was the one he¡¯d revealed his heart to the most. He couldn¡¯t say that he would abandon him, even if he tried to lie to himself. ¡®I need a way. A way to escape this situation¡­¡¯ If he didn¡¯t kill Dorian, he would be killed by the Fallen, and if he didn¡¯t kill Dorian, he would be the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s target. Dorian would end up dying even if he decided to have Wrath take over his body. He felt like he was standing at the crossroad of death with no escape avable. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± Dorian red at Raon. ¡°You idiot!¡± He chewed on his lip while screaming. The blood flowing from his lip dripped on the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t like you from the first time I saw you! I knew you would end up like this with how much you¡¯ve been boasting. I¡¯ve never ever been happy while I¡¯ve been with you, not a single day!¡± Dorian¡¯s wavering eyes looked almost distorted. ¡°Remember this! It¡¯s not just me¡ªno one likes an arrogant bastard like you!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Kill me! All you can do is run your mouth! Run your mouth right now and kill me!¡± Raon grasped the hilt of his sword even more tightly. ¡®Dorian¡­¡¯ Dorian¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t wavering anymore. He was prepared to die. That stupid coward was asking him to kill him by mustering the courage that he didn¡¯t have. Instead of the resentment or insults that a dying person would usually speak, all he said were criticisms towards him. He was worried about him until thest moment. ¡°Hah!¡± Raon eximed and lowered his head. ¡®He doesn¡¯t even know how to insult people properly. But he¡¯s a brave one. A lot braver than me.¡¯ He was a lot more amazing than him, since he was trying to find a way to escape while giving dirty excuses. ¡®It¡¯s meaningless to survive by kissing the ground.¡¯ He¡¯d already lived long enough as a mean rat in his previous life. He didn¡¯t want to finish his current life the same way. He managed to resolve himself thanks to Dorian¡¯s courage. ¡°This is getting interesting.¡± ¡°This is why humans are interesting.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen smiled at the same time. Their evil smiles revealed their confidence that they could deal with any kind of development. Raon wasn¡¯t looking at them anymore. He started walking towards Dorian and the hostages and wielded Heavenly Drive. ¡®Wrath, I¡¯ll take your wrath. Even for an instant¡­¡¯ It¡¯s unnecessary. The King of Essence is also enraged. Wrath frowned while looking at Dorian, who was on the verge of tears. He¡¯s still the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate, no matter how stupid and slow he is. The King of Essence will help you as much as he can. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Raon nodded and stood in between Dorian and the hostages. ¡°An idiot, you said?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian braced for death and closed his eyes. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon unsheathed his two swords at the same time. The Blizzard Sword Art stormed from the de of Requiem in his right hand, and the Fangs of Insanity bared its teeth from Heavenly Drive in his left. The de of Requiem mmed into the fifth apostle¡¯s neck, who was holding Dorian, and Heavenly Drive pierced through the old man¡¯s chest. Pssh! He pulled out the two swords at the same time, and a deadly amount of blood gushed from the fifth apostle¡¯s neck, while the old man went to his knees before he copsed. ¡°If I have to survive through dirty means.¡± Raon took off the blue dragon helmet. His eyes were shining bright red, not losing their color despite facing absolute beings. ¡°I¡¯d rather die right here and now.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 299

Chapter 299

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 299 ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s chin trembled violently as he watched Raon y the fifth apostle and the chair carrier old man. ¡°Wh-what do you think you are doing right now?!¡± He was hoping for Raon to survive in his stead, yet he ended up doing something unimaginable. ¡°You idiot! Stupid!¡± He couldn¡¯t even speak properly at that point, surprised at the way Raon kicked away his only chance to survive. ¡°You are still so bad at insulting people.¡± Raon chuckled at Dorian. ¡°A-are youughing right now? You won¡¯t be able to survive anymore, young master! We are all going to die!¡± Dorian called him young master, which he hadn¡¯t done in a long time, with trembling eyes. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to survive by begging for life.¡± ¡°B-but the young master is different from¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m the same.¡± Raon slowly shook his head. ¡°I only have one life, just like you and everyone else.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°People always judge from the results. They rank people by their prowess, from how old they were when they became an Expert and to started using their aura de.¡± He¡¯d been umting results in his previous life in order to survive, and he¡¯d been creating results in order to advance in his current life. ¡®However, there is something more important than results.¡¯ Raon straightened his back. He bit his lip while meeting the eyes of the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen, who were at the peak of the continent. ¡°I won¡¯t achieve happiness even if I manage to create the same results as them through dirty means.¡± Even if he became a Grandmaster or reached an even higher realm by having Dorian and the hostages killed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to forget about what happened that day for the rest of his life. If he had to survive with such regret in his heart, he preferred death instead. ¡®I won¡¯t leave any regrets anymore. I don¡¯t need another life full of mistakes.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t alone in his life. Since there were people who believed in him, he was going to achieve results through means that he could be proud of. ¡°No matter what you try¡­¡± He controlled the Ring of Fire and increased his soul level. His determination started to dwell in his voice. ¡°I won¡¯t be defeated.¡± As warm blood flew down from Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, Raon pointed them at the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ However, the two monsters¡¯ reactions werepletely different from his expectations. ¡®They are smiling?¡¯ They were smiling as if they were enjoying the situation. They didn¡¯t even care about the fifth apostle and the old man who had copsed on the ground¡ªinstead, they kept staring at him. ¡°I¡¯m a bit disappointed because I think results are everything that counts.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader shook her hand lightly. ¡°I like him even more. An excellent result can¡¯t be created without a good process, after all.¡± The Fallen nodded, saying that he had heard something nice. ¡°How about withdrawing now if you didn¡¯t like what he said?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that. He¡¯s already killed two of our apostles. It¡¯s a huge loss.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to count, we¡¯ve suffered an even bigger loss. We¡¯ve already lost four Masters.¡± They were still trying to judge him. Crazy wasn¡¯t even enough to describe them anymore. ¡°By the way, it looks like you were aware of it all along.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader drew a circle with her finger while looking at the Fallen. ¡°You must be underestimating me too much. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t notice when you also realized it.¡± The Fallen smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°Why did you ept the bet despite knowing about it?¡± ¡°I wanted to see what kind of person he was since Merlin kept saying that she wanted to have him.¡± ¡°So, what was your impression?¡± The fervent gaze of the White Blood Religion''s leader pierced into the Fallen through the red curtain. ¡°He has an excellent talent in swordsmanship, with extraordinary guts, and I also liked the righteous spirit he showed at the end. I agree with Merlin that it¡¯s worth bringing him to our side even if we have to make sacrifices.¡± The eyes behind the Fallen¡¯s mask glowed intensely. His eyes were brimming with desire, unlike before. ¡°It¡¯s toote, as the bet is already over. That boy is part of our religion now.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader leaned back in the sedan chair and raised her chin. ¡°That¡¯s not true, as Merlin hasn¡¯t given her consent yet.¡± ¡°Do you believe that Merlin would forgive him when he devoured her precious soul? I think she would try to kill him instead.¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± The Fallen shook his head, saying that he wasn¡¯t sure about that. ¡°Then how about making a second bet?¡± ¡°You really love to bet.¡± ¡°Betting is the best way to resolve such aplicated situation.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader nodded casually, looking at the fifth apostle and the old man, who were working hard on their recovery. ¡°I have never seen Raon¡¯s swordsmanship. Let¡¯s send out one person from each side and see which one manages to neutralize him first. How about it? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be interesting?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, since we only saw his surprise attack.¡± ¡°Come here, both of you.¡± The fifth apostle and the old man walked up to the sedan chair to heed her call. The old man with a hole in his chest remainedposed, but the fifth apostle was giving Raon a murderous re because his throat had been ripped into by the de of Requiem. ¡°That¡¯s a severe wound.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader casually stroked the fifth apostle¡¯s neck and the blood suddenly stopped gushing out. The injury started to heal up as if it were being scorched by fire. Raon swallowed nervously upon witnessing that scene. ¡®Did she really manage to immediately heal that wound?¡¯ Considering the fact that she was capable of healing a wound filled with ghastly energy, which was the worst opponent for the bloody energy, the White Blood Religion''s leader had more than prowess to her. She was a monster who could even use mysterious abilities. ¡°Since you¡¯ve been attacked, it would be only natural to return the favor.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader raised her finger to point at Raon. ¡°He will be your junior in the future. Don¡¯t be too rough with him.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Despite his answer, a powerful murderous intent was emerging from the fifth apostle. ¡°Considering his level¡­¡± The Fallen looked to his left and signaled with his eyes. Unfaceable Snake stepped up. ¡°You can do it, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Unfaceable Snake bowed at the Fallen before standing next to the fifth apostle. ¡°The first one to inflict a critical wound on Raon will be the winner. You can do whatever you want, as long as you don¡¯t kill hi¡ª¡± ¡°Can I join that bet?¡± Raon stepped up and cut her words off. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen turned their heads towards him instead of refusing. ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯ They were still looking at the situation as entertainment. The basis for that was obviously their might. They could maintain their confidence because they believed their advantage couldn¡¯t be lost no matter what he tried. ¡®And I need to use that fact.¡¯ The bet was nothing but a show to witness his might. It was necessary to make use of that carelessness of theirs. ¡®Wrath, can you break through that barrier?¡¯ It should be possible to create a hole in his current condition. Shall he do it now? ¡®No, please keep your power for now.¡¯ Hmm? ¡®They underestimated me and gave me some time. I can¡¯t waste it.¡¯ They were right in front of Cameloon, and Owen and Balkar were also located nearby. Their chance of survival would be a lot higher as long as they could break out of the barrier. ¡®It¡¯s still extremely small though.¡¯ Raon erased his hasty emotions and calmly pulled himself together. ¡°How are you nning to participate?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader nodded, telling him to continue. ¡°You will withdraw if I manage to defeat both of them.¡± Raon was currently at the intermediate level of Master, while the fifth apostle and Unfaceable Snake were at the advanced level. They likely believed that there was no way they could lose. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader slowly turned her head. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I said this before, but I took a liking to his guts. I¡¯m going to ept.¡± ¡°In that case, I''m also okay with it.¡± They nodded at the same time. ¡®I can¡¯t trust their words.¡¯ Even though they were the monsters at the peak of the White Blood Religion and Eden, they were also evil enough to break their promises if they wanted. Raon was certain that they wouldn¡¯t keep their promises even if he won the bet. The reason he volunteered to join the bet was in order to carve a path for his escape. ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon gave the sword that he got from the treasury to Dorian. ¡°Wh-what about this¡­?¡± ¡°You should protect them.¡± He pointed at the people who were starting to regain consciousness. ¡°Show your determination as a Zieghart swordsman.¡± ¡°U-understood.¡± Dorian took the sword despite his surprise. He tried hiding his fear as much as possible and went in front of them, drawing his sword. ¡°I made you wait.¡± Raon stood in front of the fifth apostle and Unfaceable Snake, fixing his grip on his sword. ¡°You deceived me perfectly. How cute of you.¡± Unfaceable Snake narrowed his eyes. ¡°I told you that I would be back.¡± ¡°Hmph. No one would believe something like that.¡± ¡°Anyway, thank you for taking my side earlier.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± He ground his teeth, his eyes filled with irritation. ¡°Yes, you should talk while you can.¡± The fifth apostle interfered between Unfaceable Snake and Raon while spreading bloody energy around him. The powerful bloody energy was engulfing his fist, which looked as stout as a boulder. ¡°I¡¯ll destroy both of you once we start fighting.¡± His powerful energy wave was also directed at Unfaceable Snake in addition to Raon. ¡°I¡¯d rather have a duel against you at this point.¡± Unfaceable Snake spat on the ground and frowned. ¡°Begin now.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader gestured with her hand and Unfaceable Snake and the fifth apostle kicked the ground at the same time. The powerful energy bursting from their sword and fist showed that they had no intention of going easy on him. Raon licked his lips while looking at the de piercing toward him like an awl and the fist charging at him like a hammer. ¡®This fight is just a process.¡¯ The fight was a small part of the n. He could afford to injure his body, but he needed to quickly finish the fight in order to maintain his aura¡¯s integrity as much as possible. Thud! Raon stomped the ground. He controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time to deflect Unfaceable Snake¡¯s strike with Heavenly Drive and sever the fifth apostle¡¯s punch with the de of Requiem. Rumble! The sh between the swords and fist created a huge shockwave, strong enough to make thend tremble. ¡°Hmph!¡± The fifth apostle snorted and started a rotational force from his shoulder to incorporate in his fist. The astral fist, imbued with a tremendous coiling power, was thrust at his chest. ¡°Tsk.¡± Unfaceable Snake briefly clicked his tongue and mmed down his sword, which he had swirled upwards. The strike was surrounded by de-sharpbative energy as it fell onto Raon¡¯s head. ¡®Now!¡¯ Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. The moment his left foot was pushed into the ground, his vision instantly changed. He leaped through the space and gained distance from them. It was the Supreme Harmony Steps utilization that was further improved from his mental world. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The fifth apostle and Unfaceable Snake shed against each other instead of hitting Raon, as they were attacking him from both sides at the same time. ng! They were equal in might. They both withdrew ten steps back. The deep footprints carved onto the ground showed just how fierce their sh was. ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Watch who you are¡­¡± As soon as they stopped moving, Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step. Just like an arrow that left the bowstring, he pierced into Unfaceable Snake in an instant. ¡°Are you looking down on me?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just more used to you.¡± Raon bit his lip and thrust the de of Requiem. The me bursting from the short de rotated violently towards Unfaceable Snake¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve already analyzed that technique!¡± Unfaceable Snake shed down diagonally. Hisbative energy spread out like a wave to erase the Revolving Sky¡¯s me. However, that was just a feint. The real one came after. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Thud! He gathered his energy from his energy center and shot it out from his right hand. Blue light flickered on Heavenly Drive¡¯s de as it lunged into Unfaceable Snake¡¯s chest. Raon Zieghart Style Technique. First Form, Frost Pond. ¡°I¡¯ve already seen that, too!¡± Unfaceable Snake lowered his center of gravity. He raised his sword from the bottom to lower it back from mid-height. The two strikes surrounded bybative energy stopped Frost Pond¡¯s first de. ng! The sh between the swords created a tremendous impact. ¡°Huh?¡± Unfaceable Snake¡¯s widened eyes looked like they would pop out. His sword was unable to withstand the first strike and was bounced back instead. ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Raon clenched his teeth and unleashed the second strike of Frost Pond. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten stronger than before.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Unfaceable Snake gathered hisbative energy to try defending against it, but the second de was faster than him. cier¡¯s coldness, which had be even stronger than before from absorbing Loctar¡¯s soul, pierced through his redbative energy and stabbed his chest. ¡®It was a direct hit.¡¯ It was the result of unleashing the technique he knew at a speed and power surpassing his expectations. The fight wouldn¡¯t have ended so easily if Unfaceable Snake weren¡¯t so careless about it. ¡°Kuah!¡± Unfaceable Snake stepped backwards with the de of coldness stabbing him and copsed on the ground. Thud! Without having time to rejoice over his victory against Unfaceable Snake, he immediately turned around. ¡°You arrogant bastard!¡± The fifth apostle was punching him while catching up to him like a shadow. Gray stream was bursting from his fist, targeting his heart. Cring! Raon used the momentum from turning to strike the de of Requiem upwards. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire harmonized with the ghastly energy to increase the heat. ng! It was a powerful impact. However, it wasn¡¯t over yet. The fifth apostle was punching him once again with his left fist. ¡®I need to see the flow¡­¡¯ He made the Ring of Fire resonate as fast as possible. The approaching fifth apostle¡¯s fist slowed down gradually. He could see the wrinkles and scars covering the fist, and the flow of bloody energy following it. ¡®Power, variety, and speed.¡¯ The fifth apostle¡¯s fist incorporated power, speed, and variety. The fist multiplied into ten to hit the vitals all over his body. ¡®I can¡¯t dodge all of them.¡¯ It was impossible to dodge all of those fists in his current condition. He gave up on evasion. Since his decision was fast, the movement of his aura was also extremely swift. Whap! Raon swirled Heavenly Drive to unleash the Firewall of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Rumble! The impact from the fifth apostle¡¯s fist hitting the Firewall was transferred throughout his body. Raon held back his nausea and advanced to bend the de of Requiem. Whaap! The me blooming from the red de was even redder than the de itself. The me petals leaving the flower bud turned into a violent firestorm to attack the fifth apostle¡¯s neck. ¡°You won¡¯t get me a second time!¡± The fifth apostle didn¡¯t waver even though the firestorm was charging at him in a straight line. He thrust a powerful punch to the front to erase the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me Spirit in an instant. Thud! The moment the fifth apostle¡¯s fist neutralized the me Spirit, Raon took another step forward. Cring! He drew the de of Requiem that he¡¯d sheathed after using the me Spirit. The principles of illusion seeped into the red de to burst out the melody of resentment and despair. Raon Zieghart Style Technique. Third Form, Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream. The fifth apostle¡¯s senses were extremely reduced, and the de of Requiem incorporated the principles of Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream to advance towards his neck. ¡°Kuh!¡± The fifth apostle snapped out of it in an instant and defended his neck with his left hand while punching with his right. It was an astonishing reaction. He wasn¡¯t at the advanced level of Master for no reason, since he was capable of defending and attacking at the same time in that short instant. ¡®However, that reaction is going to get you killed. Because I¡¯m not currently targeting your neck.¡¯ Since he¡¯d been continuously targeting his neck, during his surprise attack and during the fight itself, the fifth apostle could only think about defending his neck. His current attack was an illusory sword that was baiting him into defending his neck. Cring! The Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream¡¯s strike hiding behind the fake de was charging towards the fifth apostle¡¯s heart. ¡°Argh!¡± The fifth apostle hurriedly canceled his punch, but it was already toote. The de of Requiem was already about to crunch its prey with its jaws. Crack! The de of Requiem cut through the bloody energy and pierced into the left side of the fifth apostle. Just as Raon was about to destroy his heart with ghastly energy, his hand suddenly lost its strength. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader was extending her hand towards him. Raon couldn¡¯t understand how she was stopping his body since she wasn¡¯t even using her bloody energy. ¡°I¡¯d like to avoid having any more apostles die on me.¡± She casually waved her hand, and the fifth apostle with a hole in his chest was dragged towards the sedan chair. ¡°He¡¯s really more powerful than his realm, just like the Evil Goat Demon told me.¡± The Fallen apuded him without even looking at Unfaceable Snake, who was copsed on the ground. The desire dwelling in his eyes was burning even more powerfully than before. ¡°Sir Raon has won the bet. Are you nning to let him go?¡± His question was directed at the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°No.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader immediately shook her head without even considering it in the slightest. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would do that.¡± Her gaze could be felt from behind the red curtain. The desire surrounding her eyes was even more powerful than the Fallen¡¯s as her gaze pierced into Raon¡¯s heart. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly miss out on such a gem, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I expected no less. I agree with you.¡± The Fallen nodded in agreement. ¡°What kind of bullshit is that?!¡± Raon ground his teeth violently while looking at the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen. ¡°You said you¡¯d let me go if I won!¡± ¡°A promise doesn¡¯t need to be kept.¡± ¡°Promises actually exist to be broken.¡± ¡°Are you still calling yourselves the heads of Five Demons?¡± ¡°This is why we could be the heads of Five Demons.¡± The Fallen curved his lips into a smile as he made fun of Raon. ¡°It would be awkward to say this in return, but I¡¯ll be giving you a choice.¡± He bobbed his finger. ¡°You should choose yourself which one to join, Eden or the White Blood Religion.¡± That was also bullshit. It was obvious that the other side was going to attack with everything they had if he chose one of them. ¡°Damn it!¡± Raon bit his lip and knelt on the ground. Despite the despair that he was pretending to feel on the outside, his mind was calmer than ever. ¡®Wrath, give me your power and let me use that one.¡¯ That one? ¡®You know, the first technique you used after returning to your original form.¡¯ It was therge-scale ice skill that managed to freeze everything he could see in an instant. Raon figured he would be able to stop those two temporarily if he used that technique. Are you talking about the Frozen World? ¡®If that¡¯s the technique you used to freeze the mental world in an instant, then that¡¯s the correct one.¡¯ Hmm, there¡¯s something called causality in the world. There has to be a cause for an effect to be created. You can¡¯t achieve anything just because you want it to happen. ¡®Are you saying that it¡¯s impossible?¡¯ It would be difficult. Wrath briefly sighed. There¡¯s a clear limit to the amount of energy the King of Essence can give to you, but that¡¯s going to be enough to destroy your body. You might end up fainting from the extreme pain. ¡®It¡¯s okay. I can endure it.¡¯ He was used to pain thanks to the experience he had in his previous life. He was confident he could endure it as long as he stayed alive. Tsk. Seriously. Wrath clicked his tongue and stuck to his wrist. Leave your body to the King of Essence. He¡¯s not telling you to give up your body. Follow the flow that the King of Essence is about to create. As soon as he finished speaking, a tremendous amount of energy entered him like a rising tide through the wrath in his soul. Do it now! Wrath opened a new path through the coldness circting in his mana circuits. Raon followed the flow to control Wrath¡¯s energy that was filling his body. He was also controlling his aura at the same time. ¡®Ack!¡¯ He could only grit his teeth. His entire body ached from the tremendous amount of energy passing through his mana circuits, and the sshing energy center felt like it was about to explode. You must continue! ¡®I know!¡¯ His vision went red, implying that his blood vessels had ruptured, and extreme pain coursed through his body¡ªbut Raon endured everything to keep controlling the energy until the end. Imagine it now. All of them will freeze! Raon closed his eyes while listening to Wrath¡¯s voice resounding in his ears. He imagined the Frozen World that he¡¯d performed in his main body and exploded all of the energy he¡¯d gathered in his hands. Whoosh! Everything fellpletely silent. The coldness burst out while ignoring even time and space to freeze every single powerhouse from the White Blood Religion and Eden¡ªincluding the religious leader and the Fallen. You imagined it right. ¡°Dorian!¡± Raon stood up while coughing up blood. He was severely injured inside because of using a huge amount of power in an instant, but he didn¡¯t have time to tend to his wound. ¡°Bring them!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± He walked up to the barrier with heavy steps. He still had some aura left. He needed to use the coldness that Wrath would send him afterwards to destroy the barrier. ¡®Wrath, next up is that wave.¡¯ Alright. He followed Wrath and stretched his hand. An extremely cold tidal wave was created from his hand to strike the barrier. Creak! A blue fissure was created along with the sound of thend being destroyed. However, he didn¡¯t manage topletely destroy it. ¡®Even Wrath¡¯s power wasn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously while watching the recovering barrier. Because Wrath¡¯s judgment had never been wrong, it waspletely unexpected that he didn¡¯t even manage to create a hole in the barrier. ¡°You must be disappointed.¡± Raon hurriedly turned his head upon hearing a gentle voiceing from behind him. The huge ciers covering the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen had melted down in an instant. ¡°The barrier fortifies even further whenever I¡¯m inside. I can confidently say that no one should be able to destroy it in its current state.¡± The Fallen smiled kindly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be hiding so much power. Even I could¡¯ve turnedpletely immobile if I had been careless. I¡¯m really curious about how an intermediate Master managed to unleash power that even surpasses a Grandmaster.¡± The red lips of his mask curved up in a strange manner. ¡°I thought you were a diamond in the rough, but I was wrong.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader raised her chin. She lifted the curtain slightly and looked at him directly. Raon¡¯s heart skipped a beat once he faced her eyes that looked like ck pearls. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon gritted his teeth. He looked around, and he could see Dorian and the hostages kneeling on the ground with their eyes filled with sadness. ¡®Is it over¡­?¡¯ All of his ns had been shattered. It was apparently impossible to stop them with his current body and aura despite Wrath¡¯s help. ¡®Gambling is the only solution left now.¡¯ There was only one solution left. It was to risk his life and give his body to Wrath. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ ¡­The King of Essence shall try since his subordinate is here. An unusual nervousness could be heard in his voice. ¡°You are mine.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be allowed to happen. I¡¯m never letting him go after seeing what he did just now.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen¡¯s eyes were glowing in an evil light. It was as if their desires had materialized. The two monsters were extending their huge hands towards Raon while saying that he had to be theirs. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon clenched his fist as tightly as he could while looking at the two monsters¡¯ hands as they tried to grasp his head. ¡®Wrath, I¡¯ll give you¡­¡¯ Just as he was about to give his body to Wrath, the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen suddenly stopped. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°Oh no.¡± Their eyes widened and they looked up at the sky. Raon had never seen their surprised expressions before. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Raon raised his trembling head to follow their gazes. A golden star was shining from the dark night sky. ¡®A golden star?¡¯ The moment he met the red eyes of the star, the entire world turned crimson. ____ ____ Chapter 300

Chapter 300

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 300 The red lightning covered the extent of the dark sky. As if the lightning dragon of the sky had descended on the world, the entire world sparked red. The lightning energy, which was spreading out like a spider¡¯s web, gathered on top of the barrier to create a majestic line. Rumble! Even before the tremendous sound of thunder faded away, the lightning strikes twisted with each other like a chain to pierce through the Lunar barrier. Whaam! The Lunar Barrier that he imed to be invincible was shredded as easily as a piece of paper. The moon and star emblems that previously managed to withstand Wrath¡¯s coldness were shattered into pieces and mmed onto the ground. A lone man descended upon the destroyed barrier. His red eyes, looking down on the whole world, crushed the surrounding area. The moon that used to hide from darkness in fear returned to support him with an auspicious light, and the distorted starlight returned to its original position to gleam down upon him. The bnce of the world, twisted by the demonic power, was being fixed by a single person¡¯s presence. ¡°Glenn Zieghart¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader ground her teeth while looking at the man who was overwhelming the entire world with his presence. ¡°How could you appear without any sign? Did you even bend thews of nature?¡± The Fallen¡¯s eyes were trembling as he looked up at the red sky, which was still sparkling. ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­?¡± ¡°Glenn Zieghart!¡± ¡°I-is that truly the Destructive King of the North?¡± ¡°I never imagined that this would happen¡­¡± The White Blood Religion and Eden officers were crushed under Glenn¡¯s destructive pressure, unable to even straighten their backs. ¡°Human scum has crossed the line.¡± Glenn¡¯s quiet voice drove away the darkness from thend. ¡°You will die if you move.¡± His voice became a deration that resounded throughout thend. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The fifth apostle groaned, unable to endure the pain in his chest caused by the de of Requiem, and a red line was created on his face. Pssh! The line widened to the sides and the fifth apostle¡¯s body split in half. His regeneration ability didn¡¯t even have time to be activated. He instantly died. He didn¡¯t even swing his sword or use his aura. Even though there was no cause, the result still existed, which was that the fifth apostle had been in. Raon swallowed nervously while watching Glenn¡¯s back. ¡®This is the Destructive King of the North¡­¡¯ He was the man who dominated the continental war and was called the lightning god as a result. His reputation as the closest swordsman to being the strongest man on the continent wasn¡¯t for naught. ¡®Is he even stronger than him?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t seen Derus Robert for over twenty years, but he couldn¡¯t imagine him being stronger than Glenn. As expected of the King of Essence¡¯s rival. Wrath nodded with an enervated voice. He would¡¯ve put up a good fight if only he could bring his main body here. He frowned, saying that it was regrettable that he couldn¡¯t use his main body. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± While Raon was ignoring the bluffing Wrath, Glenn¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°You¡¯ve been kidnapped despite wearing Zieghart¡¯s name. That¡¯s so pathetic of you. However¡­¡± He continued without looking back. It should¡¯ve been a mistake that Glenn¡¯s voice sounded like it was trembling. ¡°Good job on holding out until now.¡± His voice seeped into his heart. His nose was tingling, likely because it was the first bit of warmth he¡¯d felt from him. Raon bit his lip to prevent his vision from turning blurry with tears. ¡°How dare youe here when you are just an old man who doesn¡¯t even have the strength to wield a sword?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader raised her upper body. Formless energy spread out from her on top of the mysterious presence she had. ¡°Your grandson must be pretty important for you to bring you all the way here. However¡­¡± The Fallen raised his hand and narrowed his eyes. His energy wave engulfed the entire area in an instant. ¡°It looks like you are on your own.¡± The Fallen¡¯s lips rolled up into a thin smile upon realizing that Glenn didn¡¯t bring anyone with him. ¡°So what?¡± Glenn raised his chin slightly. His extremely arrogant expression gave the impression that he was the one who received the demon king of Pride¡¯s power instead of the Fallen. ¡°Since you came to your grave on your ord, I shall treat you ordingly.¡± The Fallen opened his hands and looked at the sedan chair of the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s work together for the time being.¡± The sedan chair¡¯s curtain was gently lifted, and her face was revealed. She was a peerless beauty with ck eyes and ck hair, and her skin was as transparent as the first snow. She was wearing a blood-red dress that revealed the line of her body, and a sweet fragranceing from her tickled the nose. ¡®That¡¯s the White Blood Religion''s leader.¡¯ Despite how she acted, she looked like she was only in her mid-twenties. Raon¡¯s head felt dizzy just from looking at her. It felt like she was spreading a charming spell just by existing there. ¡®But¡­ Have I seen her before?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t pinpoint why, but her appearance felt familiar somehow. ¡°It¡¯s extremely painful to see the branch being destroyed, but it will be worth it if I can take the life of the Destructive King of the North.¡± The Fallen¡¯s murderous intent was dripping from his quiet voice. Light and darkness crawled from his hands. ¡°You would¡¯ve been able to die from old age if you stayed in your hole in the north.¡± White energy spread from the White Blood Religion''s leader. The peak of bloody energy bursting towards the sky had an even higher purity than nature''s mana. ¡®Ack!¡¯ Raon went to his knees while grasping his chest. Even though he was using the Ring of Fire, he couldn¡¯t even breathe because of the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen¡¯s pressures. He felt like his throat waspletely blocked by wet paper. Glenn lookedpletely unaffected despite being the sole target of the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen¡¯s pressures. He was simply looking down on everything in front of him, just like when he was sitting on the audience chamber¡¯s throne. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon barely managed to open his mouth to continue his weak breathing. ¡®I have to watch this fight even if I end up dying as a result.¡¯ Glenn Zieghart, the White Blood Religion''s leader, and the Fallen were some of the strongest people of the continent as the heads of the Six Kings and Five Demons. Witnessing the fight until the end to make it into his own was bound to allow him to progress even further. ¡°Stay back¡­¡± Glenn slightly tilted his chin and spoke to him. ¡°¡­and watch carefully.¡± As soon as his voice reached him, the pressuresing from the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen became weaker and it became a lot easier to breathe. ¡®Is he helping me?¡¯ He thought Glenn would¡¯ve left him to survive on his own considering his usual demeanor, but it wasn¡¯t the case. Raon felt like the Glenn he was watching was slightly different from the one he¡¯d been seeing in the audience chamber. ¡°Two of the Five Demons.¡± Glenn pointed at the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen with his chin while looking at them with icy cold eyes. ¡°Not too bad for a warm-up. Come at me.¡± ¡°You old man¡­¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen frowned at the same time upon hearing Glenn¡¯s arrogant voice. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± The Fallen¡¯s mouth curved into a thin smile. His prideful smile was brimming with murderous intent. His murderous aura manifested in the world by turning thendpletely dark. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t believe that it will be the same as thirty years ago. You¡¯ve gotten older, and we¡¯ve gotten stronger since then.¡± The White Blood spread around the White Blood Religion''s leader. Thend melted down and the sky started to scream. Rumble! The entire world trembled from the sh of power between the three supreme beings. It almost felt like the whole world was about to copse. Whap! The White Blood Religion''s leader signaled the start of the battle. The moment her hands touched each other, her bloody energy created a me that burst from the ground. The firepower that engulfed Glenn¡¯s body was something that Raon had never seen before. Swoosh! The Fallen stretched his hands forward. The holy and demonic powers, the light and darkness, crossed each other as they advanced towards Glenn¡¯s upper body. The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen¡¯s attacks were activated in an instant, just like Wrath¡¯s Frozen World. It felt like their energies had already reached Glenn¡¯s body the moment they appeared. Glenn¡¯s expression didn¡¯t even change as he faced the two monsters¡¯ attacks, which were targeting his lower and upper body at the same time. It felt like his serene expression was telling them that their attacks were unworthy of his emotions as he stomped the ground. Thud! The entirend trembled from the simple step as red lightning appeared. The sky looked distorted from the powerful lightning, and the fire and light created by the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen dissipated from it. ¡°Warming up is unnecessary.¡± Glenn bobbed his hand while looking down on the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen. ¡°Come at me with everything you have.¡± ¡°Blood Explosion!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader gathered her hands once again. The bloody energy zing around her expanded in size and changed its shape. Snap! Thend split apart, and a white tidal wave was created to engulf the entire branch. Every single one of the bloody waves was more powerful than an astral sphere. Raon never thought it was possible to create such a phenomenon with bloody energy. Even though she was an enemy, her prowess was worthy of admiration. Cring! The Fallen raised his hand. The white sphere rising from his hand spread around to materialize thousands of swords of light. They were holy swords. Every single one of them was an extremely powerful sword and magic at the same time. A thousand des fell upon him, and the bloody tidal wave flooded onto him. Raon couldn¡¯t see any way to dodge the attack. Even though Glenn was facing a fearsome attack that had surpassed the boundaries of reality, he slowly raised his sword. ¡°Lightning Quake.¡± A red light glimmered on Heavenly Tremor as if the lightning were dwelling inside, and Glenn used the sword to sever the sky and thend. Crack! The holy swords dominating the sky and the Blood Explosion crushing thend shed against the de, capable of ying everything in the world. The sh of power crushed Eden¡¯s buildings into powder, and the surface of thend revealed its interior. Whaam! The majestic sound of an explosion engulfed the world. The lightning spread out like a me to make the bloody wave disappear and shatter the swords of light. The absolute power was capable of dealing with the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen at the same time. Glenn¡¯s title as the strongest in the continent wasn¡¯t excessive at all. ¡°Is that all you have after acting all high and mighty?¡± Glenn scornfully narrowed his eyes. ¡°You are jumping to conclusions.¡± ¡°We are only getting started.¡± The Fallen and the White Blood Religion''s leaderughed coldly and gathered the ck light and the bloody energy. Their power only grew stronger. They weren¡¯t using their full strength in their previous attack. ¡°I shall be on offense this time.¡± Glenn¡¯s left foot crushed thend and his body appeared in front of the Fallen at the same time. It was thepleted version of the Supreme Harmony Steps, capable of leaping through space. Cring! Glenn looked like he was simply getting rid of a hindrance as he shed down with Heavenly Tremor. It was a fast yet simple strike, and that made it extremely powerful. The de stretched out like a ray of light, and the darkness appeared the moment it reached the Fallen¡¯s neck. Growl! The darkness grabbed Heavenly Tremor as if it were a living creature and refused to let it go. ¡°Hold it tightly.¡± A huge whip in the shape of a dragon¡¯s tail was in the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s grasp. It was a bloody whip created with white blood energy. Cring! The falling whip multiplied into hundreds to coil around Glenn¡¯s body. Whap! Even though it was a crisis, Glenn¡¯sposed eyes weren¡¯t wavering in the slightest. Heavenly Tremor started to incorporate the intense red light of the sun to push the darkness back. ¡°The demonic power is getting pushed back!?¡± The Fallen stepped back with a frown on his face and Glenn¡¯s sword created a long, elliptical trajectory. Zap! A powerful lightning strike was created at the same time as the de¡¯s trajectory to dash through thend like the distant horizon. Whaam! The lightning sh severed the hundreds of bloody whips and even managed to cut through the Fallen¡¯s darkness. Baam! Eden¡¯s entire branch started to copse from the tremendous shockwave, and cracks appeared on thend like the earth during a drought. Glenn clicked his tongue while looking at thend being split apart. ¡°It¡¯s too narrow.¡± He extended his right foot and shed upwards with Heavenly Tremor. The storming lightning and tempest pushed back the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen. Thud! Glenn used the Supreme Harmony Steps once again to appear in front of the White Blood Religion''s leader. Wham! The White Blood Religion''s leader noticed his move and defended herself by turning her bloody energy into a sword. The Fallen licked his lips and created darkness to interfere between them. m! A magnificent radiance spread out to the surroundings from the endless shes between the white, red, and ck lights. The three supreme beings gradually moved away from the branch and started to show their prowess in the sky over an empty field. Rumble! Even though Raon was at a significant distance away from them, it was difficult to stay standing because of the shockwaveing from their powers. Bang! The sound of an explosion could be heard from the copsed building. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon turned around while breathing roughly. Merlin was looking at him with widened eyes. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening here¡­?¡± ¡°The Destructive King of the North personally came to attack us because of the man you kidnapped, you bitch. Ack¡­¡± Unfaceable Snake ground his teeth while trying to stop his bleeding after escaping the ice pir. ¡°And the reason you kidnapped him was all for naught as well.¡± He raised his finger to point at Raon¡¯s face. ¡°That bastard managed to devour your dragon instead.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Merlin turned her head around, as stiff as a machine. Her eyes became extremely distorted upon noticing that Raon wasn¡¯t wearing the helmet. ¡°¡­Loctar?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± Raon frowned while grasping his stomach to hold back his nausea. ¡®I can¡¯t lie to her.¡¯ Taking advantage of her would¡¯ve made it easier to escape the situation, but he couldn¡¯t lie to her¡ªprobably because Loctar¡¯s soul was absorbed into his own. ¡°I won the duel in the mental world.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Merlin sank to the ground. Her eyes behind the mask lost focus. She looked like she waspletely out of her mind. ¡°Argh!¡± The tenth apostle who¡¯d been crushed under Glenn¡¯s pressure managed to snap out of it from Merlin¡¯s scream and stood up. ¡°Now is the time. Capture Raon Zieghart.¡± As soon as he gave the order, the four people who were carrying the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s sedan chair moved at the same time. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soul Severing Sword stretched out his hand from the other side, and Eden¡¯s officers also started running at him. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. ¡®I don¡¯t have any strength left to resist.¡± His body waspletely messed up from spending Wrath¡¯s energy. He wasn¡¯t even able to lift Heavenly Drive. ¡®But I shouldn¡¯t be a hindrance to him.¡¯ Since Glenn was currently fighting against two of the Five Demons¡¯ heads, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to be a burden to him. He resonated the Ring of Fire. He lifted his two swords while enduring the throbbing pain in his heart. ¡®I¡¯ll resist until thest moment, even if I have to die!¡¯ It was as he was about to force himself to swing his sword at the old man running from the right and the ck orc helmet approaching from the left side that it happened. The wind started to blow. With emerald wind ruffling his hair, a tall elf appeared in front of him. m! The familiar swordsmanship performed from his hand turned into green wind to fend off the old man and the ck orc helmet at the same time. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the fluttering red hair. ¡°You look miserable right now.¡± Rimmer turned around with a gentle smile on his face. His smile expressed his worries and anger at the same time. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Sword of Light!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The tenth apostle and Soul Severing Sword moved at once to attack Rimmer. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who came here though.¡± The moment Rimmer shrugged his shoulders, a de as thin as an awl pierced into the tenth apostle¡¯s neck. ¡°Kuh!¡± The tenth apostle hurriedly swung his spear to defend himself, but blood was flowing down from his neck. ¡°I was nning to finish him off in a single strike.¡± A man holding a blue rapier somersaulted beforending on the ground. It was Roenn, the old butler, with his hair neatlybed back. ¡°My skills must¡¯ve gotten rusty.¡± ¡°The Assassin King¡­¡± The tenth apostle violently ground his teeth while covering his neck. Whack! Raon turned his head to the right upon hearing a boulder-shattering sound. A purple-haired woman was holding twin swords of different colors in her hands, stopping Soul Severing Sword head-on. Rumble! Even though Soul Severing Sword was at least twice as big as her, the way she was pushing him back with sheer strength almost looked like a miracle. ¡°Raon.¡± The Heavenly de division leader, Sheryl, lowered her swords and turned her head. ¡°I¡¯m d you are safe.¡± Her lips slightly curved upwards into a faint smile. Raon¡¯s chin trembled as he watched the three people who came to help him. His heart was pounding violently. It felt like his turbulent emotions, which he¡¯d been trying to hold back after hearing Glenn¡¯s voice, were about to explode. ¡°Raon Zieghart can¡¯t even move a single finger right now! Capture him at all costs!¡± The tenth apostle ordered everyone before grasping his spear to charge at Roenn. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The same went for Soul Severing Sword as he narrowed his eyes slightly before gathering his aura of death andbative energy to attack Sheryl with his sword. ¡°My bad, I misspoke.¡± Rimmer snickered and pointed at the sky. ¡°I should¡¯ve said that we aren¡¯t the only ones who came here.¡± At the same time as he sneered, dozens of dimensional gates opened up in the air. Whir! Swordsmen wearing Zieghart¡¯s emblem came running out from every single one of the dimensional rifts. The Heavenly de division, the White Lotus division, the Void Sword division, the Crimson Ultimate division, the Tiger Strike squad. The armed groups that he¡¯d frequently interacted with weren''t the only ones there, and even the swordsmen who were on a mission outside the house had gathered in the same ce. Rumble! The swordsmen surrounded Eden''s branch with an icy cold gaze in their eyes. A blockade was formed in no time, where not a single person would be able to escape. Familiar people came out from thest dimensional rift that appeared. Burren, Martha, and Runaan. The Light Wind squad looked a lot more mature than before as they came running at him. ¡°Light Wind squad! Protect the vice squad leader!¡± Rimmer shouted, and the Light Wind squad formed the Light Wind formation to stand in front of Raon. They didn¡¯t say anything about how worried they were, how relieved they were, or how d they were to see him safe. Their voices were reced by the unshakeable determination to protect him no matter what, visible in the lines of their backs. Rumble! The auras bursting from hundreds of Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen merged into one and engulfed the world. Raon clenched the hilt of his sword to the point that his hand started to bleed. ¡®Am I not alone anymore?¡¯ Unlike his previous life, where his head was cut off at the same time as his cor, people were currently standing next to him. They were together with him in his life and his sword. ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer grabbed his trembling right hand to make him point at the enemy. ¡°Since you went through so much hardship, I¡¯ll let you have the most delicious part.¡± He grinned. Every other swordsman, including Sheryl and Roenn, was looking at him as they fixed their grips on their swords. ¡°Destroy¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. He shouted out the exalted feeling surging from his mind. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s enemy!¡± At Raon¡¯s silvery voice, Zieghart started to move. ____ ____ Chapter 301

Chapter 301

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 301 The Fallen raised his left hand. The night sky was dragged into his hand, then turned into an enormous darkness. Screech! The grotesque darkness stretched out dozens of long and stic legs to surround Glenn from every direction he could potentially move. Whoosh! An inhumannguage wasing from the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader at an extreme speed. The strands of bloody energy flowing around her tangled with each other over and over until a white spear was created. Whir! The condensed white blood energy on the spearhead was huge, sharp enough to even y a god. ¡°Dark Enigma.¡± The Fallen clenched his left hand into a fist. The darkness surrounding Glenn gathered on him to be a prison meant to confine him. Zap! Once Dark Enigma started to constrict Glenn, the bloody spear created by the White Blood Religion''s leader dashed at him like a ray of light. Smack! The bloody spear smashed into the direct center of the Dark Enigma. Rumble! A powerful shockwave spread inside the Dark Enigma. The darkness split apart, and the bloody spear was pushed out alongside red sparks. Rumble! Glenn was pushing the wall of darkness and the bloody spear back at the same time with a single thin sword. It was truly a shocking sight to behold. Crack! The huge bloody spear split in half and fell to the ground, and the prison of darkness was also split in half and scattered into the air. ¡°That damn lightning¡­¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader clicked her tongue, and the Fallen twisted his lips. Their expressions revealed their dissatisfaction with the situation. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve both gotten worse than before.¡± Glenn tilted his head while looking down on the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen. ¡°There¡¯s no need to drag this out.¡± He used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He advanced by folding the space to reach the area in front of the Fallen. Whoosh! The Fallen¡¯s eyes widened and Glenn¡¯s Heavenly Tremor shed at him. The Fallen¡¯s body split into half in an instant, as if he were struck by lightning. ¡°You are faster than I thought.¡± Even though the Fallen¡¯s body was divided in two, he was still alive. He fluttered like a ripped piece of paper before merging with the darkness and returning to his original shape. ¡°Is that magic?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a little bit of that. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just me, and¡­¡± The moment the Fallen¡¯s eyes rolled to the left, a bloody fog emerged behind Glenn. Whoosh! Blood gushed from Glenn¡¯s back. He immediately parried it with Heavenly Tremor, but the bloody fog didn¡¯t disappear and remained floating in ce. ¡°I¡¯ll slowly kill you after toying with you.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s voice could be heard from the fog. It was simr to a vampire¡¯s ability to turn into mist, but the sorcery she was using was far more advanced than that, considering the fact that even his sword was unable to cut it despite his will dwelling inside of it. ¡°So that the grandson you came to save would be able to admire your corpse.¡± ¡°Death, you say.¡± Glennughed coldly as he raised Heavenly Tremor over his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad if you can do it.¡± The lightning from Heavenly Tremor spread around in a cone shape to create majestic lightning all over the sky. Zap! The lightning strikes covering the sky interlocked with each other like a web to fall to the ground. Just like the saying that the dense and vast web on the sky wouldn¡¯t miss a single bit of prey, Glenn¡¯s lightning web didn¡¯t miss the White Blood Religion''s leader, who had turned into fog, nor the Fallen, who was hiding inside the darkness. ¡°A celestial web?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader put her hands together with a frown on her face. An advanced sorcery waspleted in the blink of an eye and a wall burst out from the ground, made from her bloody energy. ¡°Oh no!¡± The Fallen clicked his tongue and turned his right hand clockwise. The white light emerging from his hand turned into a huge sphere simr to the sun and surrounded his body. ang! A tremendous explosion urred as the lightning strike¡ªwhich had turned into a web¡ªdestroyed the bloody wall and the white light. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen weren¡¯t looking optimistic anymore, even though the lightning didn¡¯t directly touch them. Their intense frowns showed that they¡¯d received a significant amount of damage. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s unnecessary to save our power.¡± Light and darkness floated at once from the Fallen¡¯s hands. The huge power rampaging in the air looked like it were the manifestation of the day and night. ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s no point in dragging this on.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader gave him a small nod before gathering her hands in front of her. The white bloody energy bursting from her shoulders became fainter, and eventually turned as transparent as water. Whir! The supreme energy wave created by the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen started to distort the space as a warped fissure appeared in the air. Rumble! Glenn raised Heavenly Tremor and stomped the ground. Red lightning burst from the tramplednd to engulf the surrounding area in all directions. Rumble! A tremendous mana storm was created from the sh of their power. The moment the storm soaring from thend reached the sky, the three people¡¯s shapes moved at once. m! * * * Raon clenched his teeth. He looked forward after raising his right arm all the way over his head despite how it was screaming to let it down already. ¡°Those fiends don¡¯t deserve to live! Kill them all!¡± ¡°White Lotus division, charge!¡± ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s training will be twice as hard if you lose to the White Lotus division! Void Sword division, attack!¡± Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen were charging at Eden''s demons and the White Blood fanatics with intense mes bursting from their eyes. ¡°Damn it!¡± The tenth apostle fended off Roenn¡¯s blow before stretching out his hand. He pointed at the Zieghart swordsmen withpletely irritated eyes. ¡°Kill them all!¡± The White Blood fanatics withdrew and lined up for battle upon hearing his order. They drew their weapons as dreary bloody energy emerged from them. ng! Soul Severing Sword and Sheryl were fighting head-to-head at the center of the battlefield. The entirend trembled from the violent sh between thebative energy and aura of death against the white and ck twin swords. ¡°Ack¡­¡± Unfaceable Snake stood up while covering his stomach, which Raon had injured. Since Soul Severing Sword was being stopped by the Heavenly de division leader, he was the next inmand. ¡°You will die the moment you try to run away! Fight to the bitter end!¡± Eden¡¯s demons spread theirbative energies around upon hearing his shout. The crimsonbative energy soared into the sky to create the shape of a devil. Whaam! The warriors of Zieghart, Eden, and the White Blood Religion shed at the center. Thepeting aura, bloody energy, andbative energy created endless sparks and shockwaves. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong with those bastards?!¡± ¡°Hold your ground! Withdrawing would be even more dangerous!¡± ¡°Are they wild boars or something?¡± Even though their powers were pretty much equal, the White Blood fanatics and the bloody demons lost their heads every time the des shed on the battlefield. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the battlefield. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why are they also looking so motivated?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the armed organization that he was already acquainted with. Even the direct-line swordsmen who despised him so much looked extremely angry as they swung their swords at the enemies. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why they were doing that, as they ignored him whenever he saw them in the house. ¡°Are you wondering why they are fighting so hard? The reason is simple.¡± Rimmer smiled while ncing at the back. ¡°It¡¯s because we belong to the same house.¡± ¡°The same house?¡± That reason confused him even more. The direct-line swordsmen had always pretended that he never existed, after all. ¡°Even though we are wary of each other and fight amongst ourselves, we wield our swords as one upon facing an external enemy. That¡¯s what it means to be a house, and that¡¯s how Zieghart is.¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes while watching the Void Sword division push the White Blood fanatics into a corner. ¡°Moreover, the White Blood Religion and Eden were looking down on Zieghart. Honor is even more important than life for swordsmen. Since the honor of the house was trampled upon, it¡¯s only natural for everyone to be enraged.¡± He clenched his teeth, showing that he was also angry himself. ¡°House¡­¡± Raon bit his lip and watched the battlefield. The word was full of vanity in his previous life, yet the same word was warming his heart. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Burren slowly turned his head around. His eyes were trembling as his lips parted. ¡°A-are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°Y-you are okay? There¡¯s no way that would be true!¡± He widened his mouth, saying that it was impossible. ¡°Say that again after checking what you look like! You are bleeding everywhere from head to toe! You idiot!¡± Martha frowned after examining Raon¡¯s body. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon checked his own body. His entire body was covered in blood because his blood vessels and skin had ruptured from utilizing Wrath¡¯s energy. ¡°Raon¡­¡± Runaan bit her lip tightly and walked up to him. Her nk stare wasn¡¯t there anymore, and her purple eyes were wavering with sadness and anger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t save you.¡± She kept apologizing to him while wiping off his blood with her handkerchief. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being sote.¡± ¡°It¡¯s oka¡ª¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± As he was trying to tell her it was okay, Dorian crawled up to him with teary eyes. ¡°I seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY thought I was going to die!¡± He mmed the fissured ground with his fist and violently shook his head. ¡°Why were you sote? I even left the Continent Chaser Fragrance behind!¡± ¡°It took some time to find this ce because it waspletely shrouded from the detection.¡± Rimmer shook his head, ashamed to admit their incapability. ¡°But it was all thanks to you that both Raon and you managed to survive.¡± He smiled while caressing Dorian¡¯s head. ¡°You did a great job.¡± ¡°Waah!¡± Dorian buried his face on the ground and started wailing. Raon smiled while watching the crying Dorian. ¡®This is how he should be.¡¯ Watching Dorian¡¯s cowardly and crying facade was finally making him feelfortable. Yes, that¡¯s how he should be. Wrath also chuckled, saying that he knew he was going to do that. ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved that we get to see each other again!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve really wanted to see you!¡± ¡°Wee back!¡± The Light Wind members also turned around while maintaining formation with relieved smiles on their faces. ¡°Same.¡± His heart pounded upon hearing the Light Wind squad¡¯s voices. The pleasant throbbing felt like he was riding a cloud. ¡°The same goes for me.¡± He nodded while meeting everyone¡¯s gazes. ¡®I never thought I would say something like this.¡¯ He never thought he would tell anyone that he wanted to meet them. Raon felt like a drastic change in his life was urring. ¡°Hey, hey. The battle isn¡¯t over yet.¡± Rimmer lightly pped his hands. ¡°Ready to defend. We are going to defend Raon, Dorian, and the hostages until the end!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Once the swordsmen focused on the Light Wind formation once again, a powerful energy wave appeared from three different directions. Thud! A ck orc helmet from the right side, the sedan chair¡¯s old man from the center, and a bison helmet from the left side wereing towards them. ¡®They areing to capture me.¡¯ Raon frowned. They were trying to get him as a hostage, even if they had to sacrifice their subordinates. ¡°Protective Formation!¡± ¡°Protective Formation!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen gathered to the center upon hearing Burren¡¯s shout and an unshakable aura de burst from them. ¡°You are being annoying.¡± Rimmer lightly kicked the ground to advance and deflected the bloody energy andbative energying from the sedan chair¡¯s old man and the bison helmet warrior. ng! The Light Wind squad focused on defending the center of the formation and fending off the ck orc helmet¡¯s de. Rumble! The swordsmen were faltering from the powerful impact, but not a single one of them copsed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡®They are different from before.¡¯ Even though the strike was powerful enough to destroy the formation, the swordsmen managed to endure the strike with sheer determination. Their prowess had also be stronger, but their willpower felt as sturdy as a boulder. Whoosh! In the middle of Raon¡¯s admiration, a wretched pressure emerged from behind him. He hurriedly turned around, and a child with gray eyes jumped out of his shadow. He was the bloody demon with a child''s appearance who used to carry the religious leader¡¯s sedan chair. Pssh. He must¡¯ve been hiding in his shadow to wait for an opportunity, even though the White Blood fanatics and Eden''s demons were dying all over the ce. ¡®He¡¯s dangerous.¡¯ The bloody energy bursting from his hand was extremely powerful. His might was at the highest level of Master, and it would¡¯ve been difficult to defend against his attacks even without the injuries. ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn widened their eyes at once while looking back at the kid. ¡®I need to do it somehow.¡¯ As Raon tried to wield his sword while enduring the pain of his skin being split apart, a blue wall emerged in front of him. ng! The wall managed to stop the kid¡¯s hand and he bounced back. ¡°Wh-what do you think you are doing?!¡± He ground his teeth while looking to his right. ¡°Merlin!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merlin had been sitting on the ground like a dead person, but she slowly stood up. The madness in her eyes was glowing even more intensely than before. ¡°You are Raon, not Loctar.¡± Her eyes widened to the brim as she looked at him. ¡°You are Loctar, not Raon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter either way. You are now Loctar, since he¡¯s dwelling in you.¡± Murmuring that it had to be the case, Merlin released her mana. Powerful spells rained down like a shower from the dozens of magic circles floating in the air. ¡°That crazy bitch!¡± The bloody demon used both his hands to create an astral barrier, but he couldn¡¯t avoid being pushed back by Merlin¡¯s endless barrage of magic. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°Y-young master Raon?¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening right now? Why is that crazy bitch¡­?¡± Rimmer, Roenn, and Sheryl¡¯s jaws dropped while watching Merlin and Raon. ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± Raon shook his head. She¡¯s really crazy. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Wrath was right. Merlin¡¯s insanity was truly extraordinary, as she was protecting him when she should¡¯ve been trying to take revenge on him. ¡°Merlin! You shouldn¡¯t be doing that right now! We need to change the situation somehow¡­¡± As Unfaceable Snake was trying to give an order to Merlin since he was the onemanding Eden¡¯s demons, a bolt of majestic lightning fell from the turbulent sky. Whaam! The lightning strike pierced through the sky and thend, and Glenn, the White Blood Religion''s leader, and the Fallennded on the ground at the same time. Rumble! Transcendental pressures were emerging from them as they stood in front of the armies of Zieghart, the White Blood Religion, and Eden respectively. Raon¡¯s chin trembled as he watched Glenn. ¡®This is not good.¡¯ Glenn¡¯s uniform was tattered, and ck blood was flowing down from the wounds on his shoulder, waist, and back. Apparently, even the Destructive King of the North couldn¡¯t deal with the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen at the same time. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Martha suddenly dropped the sword from her hand and sank to the ground. ¡°Martha?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time we finish off this fight.¡± When Raon was trying to go to Martha, the White Blood Religion''s leader gathered her hands in front of her. The sorcery spread out from her red lips to create a magnificent white light. Whir! A goddess¡¯s figure appeared =behind her. The goddess with forty-four arms, three eyes, and white skin slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were different colors, and red blood was flowing down from them. The Goddess of Blood Devouring Anguish. It was the manifestation of the enigma that was also called the Blood God. Wham! The Fallen sted the white bead and the ck bead from his grasp at the same time, and eight wings grew from his back. The wings on the right side had white feathers like an angel, and the sharp ck wings on the left side looked like a demon¡¯s wings. Whir! A majestic halo appeared from behind the wings. The sun and moon shining upon him were showing that Yin and Yang were on his side. Rumble! The pressure spreading from the two supreme beings was making people cough blood and copse. Even the Masters were unable to stand straight upon facing the fearsome energy wave. ¡°Gaah!¡± Raon¡¯s chin was trembling as he dropped to his knees. He couldn¡¯t raise his eyes or breathe. He felt like a huge hammer was crushing his body. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°D-damn it!¡± The others were also unable to stand on their own two feet. They were panting for breath as they knelt and mmed their heads on the ground. ¡®Th-that¡¯s impossible to stop¡­¡¯ Because the two supreme beings¡¯ attacks seemed capable of destroying heaven, it seemedpletely impossible to stop them. Raon had the feeling that even Glenn wouldn¡¯t be able to win against theirbined attack. ¡°Raise your heads.¡± Glenn took a step forward. The warm energy emerging from his feet drove away the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen¡¯s energy waves that were crushing their souls. ¡°A swordsman should look at the sky instead of the ground.¡± Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen clenched their teeth and raised themselves up upon hearing his voice. Their eyes were brimming with pride as they looked at Glenn. His broad and trustworthy back seemed to be telling them to follow him. ¡°That¡¯s how it should be.¡± Glenn smiled faintly and raised Heavenly Tremor. The lightning aura bursting from his de spread throughout the world to create a red aurora. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± His quiet voice became a line to connect the sky to the ground. ¡°Seamless Perfection.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 302

Chapter 302

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 302 Glenn¡¯s sword field wasn¡¯t a vacuum area like Rimmer¡¯s, nor a dark room like the Gambling Monster¡¯s. He was just standing in the same spot. Nothing had changed except for one thing. Heavenly Tremor had turned into a sword of light, engulfed in lightning energy. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Glenn¡¯s back. ¡®What¡¯s happening? I can¡¯t feel anything special from him.¡¯ Even though he had used the Sword Field Creation, Raon couldn¡¯t notice any change at all. ¡®Is it because my realm is too low?¡¯ He slowly raised his head to look at the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen. Even though the entire world was trembling from their presence, their eyes widened as they stared at Glenn below them. ¡®This confirms that something must¡¯ve changed in him.¡¯ Yes, he¡¯s changed. So damn much¡­ Wrath¡¯s chin was trembling slightly. He was an even bigger monster than the King of Essence¡¯s expectation. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Glenn¡¯s back as he voiced his surprise. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ There was no way Glenn would¡¯ve made a mistake. He must¡¯ve achieved some kind of change with his sword field. Whir! Raon controlled the Ring of Fire. Resonating the rings already made him feel like he was about to faint because of his miserable condition, but he bit his tongue to endure it. As the rings rotated, he started to see the flow of mana. ¡®A sword¡­?¡¯ A single sword could be seen through Glenn. He had turned into a sword himself. ¡®What is that sword¡­?¡¯ It waspletely different from the way proficient swordsmen could be one with their swords. Glenn had turned into a sword himself. He was fast, light, powerful, flexible, variable, profound, slow, heavy, straight, sharp, and firm at the same time. All of the swordsmanship principles that he¡¯d learned before were dwelling in Glenn, and principles that he¡¯d never seen before could also be found in him. ¡®Is this the head of house¡¯s sword field?¡¯ Seamless Perfection signified that perfect clothes didn¡¯t even have visible seams. Just like the name implied, Glenn had turned into a perfect sword. Tshing! The Fallen raised his hand, and the sun sparkled from his back and spread around its majestic light. Countless shes reached Glenn¡¯s heart in an instant. The shes were extremely fast and were powerful enough to pierce through anything. Just as they were about to pierce into him, Glenn¡¯s sword of light shed. Whoosh! The arrow of light disappeared from the simple swing of his sword. His sword didn¡¯t cut it¡ªdidn¡¯t even collide against it. It simply dissipated. ¡°Argh!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader twisted her lips and gathered her hands. Along with a chant performed at an extreme speed, weapons of bloody energy burst from the Blood God¡¯s palm. Rumble! Sword, saber, spear, scimitar, bow, ax, hammer, javelin, whip, shield, il, and more. All kinds of weapons came into her grasp while spreading an extremely powerful bloody energy. The White Blood Religion''s leader unleashed a second chant, and the Blood God¡¯s three eyes sparkled in different colors and threw the weapons from her hands. Rumble! The forty-four arms were moving at the same time, and each of them showed the ultimate way of handling each weapon. The Blood God¡¯s attack was powerful enough to crumble the entirend, but Glenn responded with a simple rising sh. Whoosh! The Blood God¡¯s destructive attackpletely disappeared upon facing the lightning de rising from the floor. It was just a simple swing, yet both the bloody energy and the physical momentum hadpletely disappeared. Raon bit his lip tightly while watching Glenn¡¯s sword. ¡®This is the ultimate swordsman¡­¡¯ The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen¡¯s attacks were both powerful enough to single-handedly y everyone in the area. However, Glenn¡¯s simple swing was enough to dissipate the power that could destroy the entire area. The way the opponent¡¯s attackpletely disappeared from his sword gave the impression that his swordsmanship was capable of erasing the phenomenon itself. It was truly prowess befitting a sword god. It felt like nothing was impossible for him in his current state. ¡°Is that all?¡± Glenn tilted his chin and smiled coldly. ¡°I¡¯m sure I told you this already. You should attack with everything you have.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The wrinkles on the Fallen and the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s faces deepened like crumpled paper upon hearing his sneer. ¡°This geezer must¡¯ve been practicing running his mouth!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader ground her teeth and quickly chanted a different type of sorcery. As she revealed her true power, an old droplet ne came of from her red dress. Rumble! The Blood God removed the weapon in her hand and gathered her hands just like the White Blood Religion''s leader. Once she put the forty-four hands together, the entire world was covered in bloody light. ¡°He should¡¯ve been here instead of me today. We are going to suffer a great loss.¡± The Fallen briefly clicked his tongue and stretched his arms. While the sun¡¯s halo spread its bright light, the moon¡¯s halo covered the world in darkness. Tssh! The light and darkness mingled with each other into a whirlwind. The endless mixture of white and ck created a purple-colored chaos. There was no sound or wave. The Fallen¡¯s chaos had already engulfed the world. ¡°Ah.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®This is the same as my previous life¡­¡¯ The fragrance of death he was feeling was the exact same as the one he felt right before Derus Robert cut his head off. One second¡ªno, not even a quarter of a second was enough to make everyone in the area lose their lives. Zap! When the inevitable death was about to fall upon them, Glenn¡¯s lightning sword sparked. ¡°Storm of Life.¡± Glenn¡¯s strike spread out diagonally alongside his calm voice. The sword of his soul stretched out like a flying eagle¡¯s wings topletely erase the Fallen¡¯s chaos. ¡°Disappear!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader lowered her gathered hands, and the tremendous amount of bloody energy that the Blood God had been gathering fell to the ground and amplified even further. Rumble! The bloody energy kept expanding over and over and engulfed the entire sky and thend. She must¡¯ve been trying to destroy the entire area. ¡°Land sh.¡± Glenn¡¯s lightning sword dashed through the horizon, and the bloody pir that was trying to devour the entirend was severed into half. Smash! Even though the bloody pir was powerful enough topletely destroy the merchant city Cameloon, it dissipated in an instant like the dust in the wind. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Red blood was flowing from Glenn¡¯s lips as he raised his sword. ¡°He¡¯s getting tired! Finish him off!¡± ¡°I know!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen mustered all of their remaining power. The bloody energy and radiance of chaos burst from the two monsters¡¯ hands and dashed towards Glenn. Whaam! Because they had simply condensed their power, their attacks had surpassed any other moves in terms of power alone. The bloody energy and the chaos twisted with each other in a spiral to radiate a strange light. Whir! Glenn wiped away the blood flowing from his lips and held his sword with both hands to raise it above his head. ¡°Heavenly de.¡± Heaven turned into a sword to descend upon thend. Along with the tremendous sound of an explosion splitting the continent, the entire world turned red once again. Rumble! By the time the red light covering the entire world subsided, there was nothing left in front of his eyes. The White Blood Religion''s leader, the Fallen, the Eden, and the White Blood Religion. Everything around him was gone. All he could see was a majestic trace that looked like a heavenly god¡¯s sword strike. Glenn slowly raised his head. His radiating red eyes seemed to be asking whether he could follow. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon was unable to respond to his question as he closed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t maintain his senses because he was far too exhausted. The three strikes that Glenn had shown him appeared in his mind as his vision went dark. ¡®I¡¯ll never be able to forget this.¡¯ Raon smiled in satisfaction and fell asleep. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * When Raon started to copse, Glenn was already next to him, catching his shoulder. Even though his blood was overflowing from his throat, he simply gulped it down and examined Raon¡¯s condition. ¡°This is not good.¡± ¡°Yes, when I examined him earlier, his blood vessels were torn apart and his mana circuits were ruptured.¡± Rimmer nodded while looking at Raon. ¡°I couldn¡¯t touch him at all because he was too focused on your fight, my lord.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn took medicine from his pocket and fed it to Raon before using his aura to loosen his insides. Color slowly started to return to Raon¡¯s pale face. ¡°Are you alright, my lord?¡± Roenn¡¯s eyes were full of worry as he approached. His clothes were also tattered, showing that he¡¯d gone through a violent battle. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Glenn responded and shook his head. He seemed asposed as always. ¡°Is that so?¡± Rimmer smiled faintly while looking at Glenn and Raon. ¡®They are the exact same.¡¯ Raon was telling him he was fine even though his blood vessels and muscles were ripped apart and his mana circuits were ruptured, and Glenn said the exact same when he¡¯d just received a serious internal injury from fighting the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen at the same time. Their simrity brought a smile to his face. Even though others might call thempletely different, the grandfather and the grandson were the exact same both in terms of appearance and personality. ¡®It would be nice if they could get closer to each other through this asion.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t say anything further because there were too many people around him, but he was wishing for Glenn and Raon to open their hearts to each other through that asion. ¡°Tsk.¡± Glenn briefly clocked his tongue while looking down on the scene he¡¯d created. He seemed dissatisfied about something. ¡°Did they manage to escape?¡± Sheryl walked up to him while returning her twin swords to their scabbards. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I certainly felt the cut, but they possess so many strange powers.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes. He definitely would¡¯ve managed to finish them off in a one-on-one battle, but he couldn¡¯t be sure because it was a two-on-one fight. He stared at the sky for a moment before he turned around. He faced the fervent gazes of the Zieghart swordsmen and nodded his head. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°We won!¡± ¡°Cheers for Zieghart!¡± Their voices were loud enough to reach the sky. Since they had just witnessed Glenn removing Eden and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leaders at once from their sight, it was obvious that they would be extremely proud. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Cheers for Zieghart!¡± The swordsmen stabbed the sky with their swords while enjoying their pounding hearts. ¡°Hmm?¡± Rimmer was trying to carry Raon on his back but suddenly stopped. Martha was kneeling on the ground and wasn¡¯t standing up. ¡®Is she moved to tears?¡¯ Since she was extremely interested in might, she must¡¯ve been moved to tears from seeing Glenn¡¯s sword. ¡°You will be able to achieve that realm one day¡­ Hmm?¡± He was trying to encourage Martha but had to shut his mouth. Her expression was telling him she wasn¡¯t moved at all. She was shocked, and she even seemed to be feeling despair. ¡°Martha, what even happened¡­?¡± * * * Two people appeared on the hill located north of Cameloon after Zieghart left. One of them was the Evil Goat Demon, who was wearing Baphomet¡¯s helmet, and the other person was wearing a dragon helmet simr to the one Raon was forced to wear. ¡°Wow. I heard he turned senile from old age, but that wasplete bullshit.¡± The Evil Goat Demon whistled while looking at the area that had been literally deleted from Glenn¡¯s sword. ¡°The Destructive King of the North is truly the Destructive King. He got even stronger than the rumors, it seems.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± A hoarse voice came from the dragon helmet, as if it were scratching through their throat. ¡°He¡¯s gotten iparably stronger than before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The Evil Goat Demon¡¯s eyes widened and he turned around. The dragon helmet slowly nodded. ¡°Even though he didn¡¯t fight anyone after the continental war, he managed to achieve that realm on his own. It¡¯s just ridiculous.¡± He narrowed his eyes while saying that he couldn¡¯t understand how that happened. ¡°Then who do you think is going to win if he fights against you?¡± The Evil Goat Demon sat on the ground and threw a yful nce at the dragon helmet. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The dragon helmet didn¡¯t respond, instead staring at the area Glenn¡¯s sword had severed. ¡°You must mean that you aren¡¯t going to lose at least.¡± The Evil Goat Demon chuckled and nodded his head. ¡°There are so many monsters in the world, after all.¡± He sighed deeply with his arms crossed. ¡°Those people should also be alive. Your junior is having such a hard time because he has a long way to go.¡± ¡°You will get caught up from below if you keep looking up.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the Zieghart¡¯s boy, the one who was the trigger of this incident.¡± The man wearing the dragon helmet turned around. His slit-like reptilian pupils were radiating arrogance as he looked down upon the entire world. ¡°He will get even stronger in the future. No, I should say that he has no other choice but to get stronger.¡± * * * Raon opened his eyes with a frown on his face. He could see a white ceiling above him. ¡®Is this the hospital?¡¯ Because he had seen an unfamiliar ceiling too many times, he was starting to be able to tell which ceiling was which. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ His entire body was hurting. Skin, muscles, and even his bones were screaming with pain. It was difficult to find a ce that didn¡¯t hurt. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ An intense pain urred even though he was just trying to move his finger. He could bear with it because he was used to the pain, but an ordinary person would¡¯ve fainted once again. Hmph. Wrath popped up from the ice flower bracelet and wrinkled his nose. Considering the fact that he had turned into a slightly bigger cotton candy, he must¡¯ve recovered his strength a little. You¡¯ve used the King of Essence¡¯s power that you don¡¯t deserve. Even though it ended in failure, it¡¯s only natural that you are paying the price since you used an energy that surpasses your limits. ¡®I expected no less.¡¯ Raon nodded. He thought his body was going to explode when he was controlling Wrath¡¯s wrath and coldness. His energy was still too powerful for his current self. You are too pathetic. When are you nning to get stronger? Wrath clicked his tongue with his arms crossed. ¡®I¡¯ll get stronger eventually, I guess.¡¯ Raon chuckled. The simple act of smiling was hurting him, but he still felt happy. Are you really smiling right now? ¡®I am. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t smile.¡¯ He could clearly remember if he closed his eyes. Glenn was descending from the sky by shattering the barrier, and Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen majestically appeared by opening a dimensional gate. ¡®The house came to save me. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t be smiling after that. I won¡¯t be able to forget about that for the rest of my life.¡¯ He was so thankful to the people who came running for his rescue that he felt like he could smile even if he died right there. That¡¯s the usual affection that humans show to each other. And it¡¯s especially true since you are rted by blood. ¡®I didn¡¯t really know it existed. After all, I used to be a sacrificial pawn in my previous life.¡¯ Even though he was called the leader of the shadows and all that, he was just a hunting dog that was slightly bigger and better than the other dogs. Because of those memories of his previous life, he wanted to achieve what he wanted and obtain what he needed before leaving the house. However, the previous day¡¯s incident changed his mind. Zieghart was his house, and Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen were hispanions. Once he realized that fact, his vision widened and the world became brighter. You are such a strange guy. ¡®And you too.¡¯ Raon looked at Wrath with a faint smile on his face. Hmm? What¡¯s up with the King of Essence? Wrath tilted his head, asking what he was talking about. ¡®You gave me your power to save me and Dorian.¡¯ Wrath normally would¡¯ve given him the power and wrath at the same time, but he only gave him the power during the incident without asking for anything in return. ¡®I¡¯m seeing you in a different light.¡¯ Wrath was truly caring for his subordinates. Raon had been considering him as a demon king of gluttony, an idiot, and a giving doormat, but that incident made him see him in a different light. Hmph! Th-the King of Essence isn¡¯t happy at all even if a mere humanpliments him! Wrath briskly turned his head away. The edges of his lips were slightly trembling. ¡®Thank you, Wrath.¡¯ The King of Essence was just trying to save his subordinate. He doesn¡¯t care about you at all! ¡®I¡¯ll buy you everything you want as soon as I recover.¡¯ ¡­R-really? . Raon thanked him from the bottom of his heart, and Wrath rolled his eyes. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Ahem! Actually, the King of Essence didn¡¯t dislike you so much during thest incident. Wrath cleared his throat and gave him a big nod. He looked extremely satisfied. You are a pretty decent human being, which makes it rather fun to watch¡­ While he was rambling in excitement, messages appeared in front of his eyes. [¡­ a transcended sword.] [All stats¡­] [¡­traces of the sword¡­.] [¡­sword¡¯s properties.] [Title¡­] There were so many messages, probably because he maintained his focus while watching Glenn¡¯s swordsmanship in that extreme situation. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even feel the pain anymore because he was so excited to read all of the messages. ¡­It¡¯s not fun to watch at all! Wrath had been quietly speaking, but he suddenly shouted. He was grinding his teeth while looking at the messages. The King of Essence was the one who used his power, so why are you getting all the rewards?! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ You damned thief! It can¡¯t be helped. Raon had the feeling that the Giving Doormat title had to remain. ____ ____ Chapter 303

Chapter 303

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 303 Even though the King of Essence is extremely merciful, he can¡¯t overlook this matter! ¡®You call yourself merciful? That¡¯s such bullshit.¡¯ Raon sighed. Wrath was flipping out, and his rampage was about to start. Raon ignored him and checked the messages that had appeared. [You¡¯ve witnessed a transcended sword.] [All stats have increased by 10.] [Three traces of the sword have been engraved in the mental world.] [The proficiency has increased for the sword¡¯s properties.] [Title The Survivor has been created.] Raon couldn¡¯t stop his exmation as he read the messages. ¡®There are so many rewards¡­ No, this might be natural.¡¯ He went through a fierce battle, utilized Wrath¡¯s power, and even watched a fight between the transcenders. Considering what all he did, the number of rewards he received wasn¡¯t exactly strange. Uaaaah! Damn it! Mr. Giving Doormat was screaming in denial though. Whap! The ten-point increase in all stats removed his pain as if he had been healedpletely. ¡®Gaining stats always feels great.¡¯ His injuries weren¡¯t actually healed, but the exhration from getting stats removed the pain. He felt like he could finally think straight. ¡®What are the three traces of the sword engraved in the mental world?¡¯ It was telling him that three traces of sword were engraved in the space where he fought against Loctar and endured Wrath¡¯s assault, but he couldn¡¯t exactly understand what it meant. It is what it says. Wrath red at him. It seemed to be an expression of his irritation, but he didn¡¯t look scary at all because he looked like cotton candy. It¡¯s not just the mental world. It means that the trace of the sword you¡¯ve witnessed will be engraved in your brain. ¡®Trace of the sword? Does it mean¡­¡¯ You guessed right. The three techniques your head of house used after opening the sword field were engraved in your head. ¡®¡­That¡¯s crazy¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s chin trembled unconsciously. ¡®His techniques are being engraved in my head? Those three strikes?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t really aware of what kind of techniques they were, but he was aware that they were part of one of the few transcendental swordsmanship on the continent. His heart pounded like crazy from realizing that such a great swordsmanship was engraved in his head. ¡®Then can I also use those¡­?¡¯ You can¡¯t. Wrath shook his head firmly. This is your current realm. He raised his hand by the width of the pillow on the bed. Actually, I¡¯m overestimating you a little, considering how fast you¡¯ve grown so far. ¡®How about the head of house, then?¡¯ That old man¡­ Wrath furrowed his brows and floated into the air to point at the ceiling. ¡®The ceiling?¡¯ He already went through the roof and reached the sky. You are even weaker than one of that old man¡¯s fingers in your current state. He ground his teeth, telling him that he shouldn¡¯t even hope to achieve Glenn¡¯s level. ¡®I thought so.¡¯ Raon chuckled and nodded. Wrath had previously mentioned that he needed to exchange tens of thousands of blows to defeat Glenn, and he must¡¯ve gotten even stronger since then. Raon was too weak to look up to such a transcender. ¡®Does that mean that I¡¯ll realize what kind of swordsmanship that was once my realm bes higher?¡¯ Indeed. Although that might never happen. Wrath told him that he might never be able to find out what kind of technique Glenn had used, as if he were making fun of him. ¡®That¡¯s fine, then.¡¯ Raon was satisfied with that. He was fine as long as he could one day learn what kind of technique Glenn had used. ¡®Because I have no intention of copying it as-is.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t going to copy Glenn¡¯s sword¡ªjust use it as a reference to create his own sword field. Copying other people¡¯s techniques wasn¡¯t going to allow him to ascend to a higher realm. ¡®I¡¯ll reach it eventually if I keep sucking the stats out of you.¡¯ Argh¡­ Raon shook his hand with a snicker, and Wrath¡¯s eyes became distorted. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he kept provoking him with words when he should¡¯ve learned by then that he couldn¡¯t possibly win. Raon easily defeated Wrath and looked at the next message. ¡®The proficiency increased for the sword¡¯s properties.¡¯ It was telling him that the proficiency of his swordsmanship principles had increased after watching Glenn¡¯s technique through the Ring of Fire. And the message implied that all of his swordsmanships had improved instead of a specific one. Raon couldn¡¯t believe his eyes even though the message was right in front of him. ¡®They are both so¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell whether he should be praising the Ring of Fire or Glenn. ¡®And finally.¡¯ Raon checked the title after seeing the message at the bottom. [The Survivor This title is given to the one who looked for a way to survive in a crisis instead of losing their calm. Effect: All stats +5, the head cools down during a crisis.] Judging from the description, he must¡¯ve gotten the title because he took Eden¡¯s treasures to get stronger despite being kidnapped. ¡®This is pretty good.¡¯ Even though he¡¯d been an assassin, the crisis still managed to shock him sometimes. The title should be helpful if he had to face such dangerous situations. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon checked all of the messages before smiling in satisfaction. ¡®These are the best rewards so far.¡¯ He especially liked the part where his swordsmanship had improved, and Glenn¡¯s techniques had been engraved in his mental world. ¡®I¡¯ve gotten closer to the Sword Field Creation.¡¯ Since the rewards had further developed his mental world, it wasn¡¯t an overstatement to say that he¡¯d gotten closer to the Sword Field Creation. ¡®I want to try moving my body already.¡¯ His limbs were itching for action. He wanted to try swinging a sword already. Hey! ¡®Are you still unhappy about it? Isn¡¯t it about time you stopped¡­¡¯ That¡¯s not it! Raon sighed in response, and Wrath shoved his face into him. The King of Essence has a question for you. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes. Despite his expectations, Wrath¡¯s face waspletely calm. You mentioned that the halfling was one of the two heads of the helmet group, didn¡¯t you? ¡®Are you talking about the Fallen?¡¯ That¡¯s right. You said that he was one of the two people who could deal with the bloody demon. ¡®I did.¡¯ Who is the other one, and where are they? Wrath¡¯s face waspletely stiff, which was rareing from him. ¡®I don¡¯t really know either.¡¯ You don¡¯t know? ¡®I said that there are two people in Eden who can deal with the White Blood¡¯ Religion¡¯s leader, but only one of them is active.¡¯ Are they inactive because of an injury? ¡®I don¡¯t know about that, either.¡¯ Raon shook his head. What do you mean¡­? ¡®There was a prestigious house called Rumen a few dozen years ago. They were famous for their spear techniques.¡¯ Rumen? ¡®Yes. They weren¡¯t as strong as the Six Kings and the Five Demons, but they were prominent enough to be ranked right under them. However, that house¡­ was ruined overnight.¡¯ House Rumen¡¯s spearmanship was excellent enough to be considered the best in the continent. They would¡¯ve be the seventh king if they¡¯d kept umting power for dozens of years, yet the huge house had perished overnight. ¡®Eden¡¯s second head was the perpetrator of that incident. However, that¡¯s what Eden said, and no one survived or witnessed it. That¡¯s why no one knows whether he really exists or if he¡¯s just made up.¡¯ Because House Rumen¡¯s sudden downfall was such shocking news, there were countless rumors about Eden''s second head, but he had never appeared nor acted after that. Some people even started to believe that he never existed in the first ce. ¡®But why are you asking¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, are you thinking that he must be another demon king?¡¯ Indeed. Wrath nodded. He must be thinking that the other head must¡¯ve been rted to the Demon King of Pride, as the Fallen had the power of the Monarch of Pride. What is his name? ¡®The Heavenly Demon.¡¯ There was no way to know which helmet he wore, whether he was a man or a woman, or whether he really existed or not, but Eden¡¯s demons called him the Heavenly Demon. The fallen heaven and the heaven of demons¡­ Wrath frowned. He looked like he realized something. Is that¡­ Just as he was about to ask another question, the ward¡¯s door opened. ¡°Huh? Raon?¡± Runaan had brought a wet towel and bandages for him, and her eyes turned round upon seeing him. Her surprised voice resounded, and people¡¯s screams followed right after. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Did you finally wake up?¡± The Light Wind squad gathered around Runaan andpletely covered the door. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°He¡¯s finally awake!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± Starting with Runaan, Burren, and Dorian, every member of the Light Wind squad ran into the room. ¡°Woah!¡± Raon tried to stop them with his hand, but the Light Wind squad ran straight up to him and pounced on the bed like puppies weing their master. ¡°You are finally awake¡­¡± ¡°It looks like there are no major problem.¡± ¡°Sniff! I¡¯m really d!¡± Runaan pouted while holding his hand, Burren breathed out a sigh of relief, and Dorian sniffled with teary eyes. ¡°You took way too long to wake up!¡± ¡°How are your injuries?¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± Everyone from the Light Wind squad was crushing him on the bed. The pain was a secondary problem because he couldn¡¯t even breathe. ¡°What a heartwarming sight.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Rimmer was there before he knew it, and grinned at him while saying that it must be nice to be young even though Raon was running out of breath. Raon realized once again that he waspletely useless. ¡°You bastards, I¡¯m a patient right now¡­¡± Raon barely managed to move his finger with unfocused eyes. ¡°M-move back, everyone!¡± Burren finally realized the situation and made everyone move away. However, Dorian and Runaan were determined to stay next to him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly and wiped off his cold sweat. ¡®I almost died right there.¡¯ A little bit longer and he would¡¯ve be famous for suffocating to death at the hands of hispanions after surviving Eden and the White Blood Religion. ¡®Still¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling. It was because Raon was aware that they were worrying about him from the bottom of their hearts. Zieghart had taken an important ce in his heart through the incident, and he felt like the Light Wind squad had be even more important to him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon examined the Light Wind swordsmen one after the other with a faint smile on his face, but tilted his head upon noticing someone was missing. ¡°Where¡¯s Martha? Was she injured or something?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Rimmer shook his head in front of the door. ¡°It¡¯s not because of an injury, but she looked shocked for some reason.¡± ¡°Shocked? ¡°I can¡¯t tell what the problem is because she refused to say anything, but she hasn¡¯te out of her room for two days now.¡± Burren shook his head, saying that it was an unusual behavioring from her. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Raon remembered Martha dropping her sword upon seeing the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Fallen. Even though they were such powerful opponents, it was strange for her to do that considering her personality. Beef Girl indeed fell silent after seeing those two. Wrath also nodded, saying that it wasn¡¯t normal. ¡®The Fallen and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader.¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while remembering their appearances. ¡®I¡¯m gonna need to visit her.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon got up after the Light Wind squad finally calmed down and left the room. Various parts of his body were still hurting, but it wasn¡¯t exactly unbearable. He wanted to visit Martha since he needed to exercise for rehabilitation anyway, but Runaan refused to leave his side. It looked like she wanted to guard him because she was too upset when he got kidnapped. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine here, though.¡± ¡°Just in case.¡± Runaan shook her head and looked around with her nk eyes. ¡®I¡¯m still d that her nk eyes returned.¡¯ Runaan¡¯s eyes were extremely sharp and had even turned into a frightening red color during the incident, but they had returned to the nk purple color. Her slightly unfocused eyes gave him a sense of relief. ¡°Alright. Please guide me to Martha¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded and headed to Martha¡¯s room, which was located at the deepest part of the lodging area. What¡¯s up with you? You normally prefer training over caring about her. Wrath approached him while floating in the air. Is this another scheme of yours? ¡®¡­How could this be a scheme?¡¯ Raonughed bitterly. Wrath apparently believed that he was nning something in every move he made. ¡®I just wanted to check how she was doing.¡¯ Really? When you only care about something if there¡¯s something to gain? ¡®I used to do that, but it will be different in the future.¡¯ Wrath was right. If the same thing had happened before the kidnapping event, he would¡¯ve brushed it off as nothing special. However, everyone hade to save him, and Martha was one of them. That was why he wanted to check on her condition and help her if there was anything he could do. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Runaan pointed at the tightly closed door at the deepest part of the corridor. Untouched food was ced on a tray in front of the door. Raon could guess that she hadn¡¯t eaten for the two days she had stayed in her room. Knock. Knock. Raon knocked lightly. Even though he could sense a person¡¯s presence inside the room, there was no reaction. ¡°Martha.¡± He called her name, and a small bit of movement was detected inside the room. However, the door still didn¡¯t open. ¡°I¡¯m entering. Tell me if you don¡¯t want me to.¡± Raon picked up the food tray and approached the door. ¡°I don¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m entering because you didn¡¯t respond.¡± He opened the door and entered before she could say no. Since the windows were covered by curtains, the room waspletely dark. He couldn¡¯t find Martha on the bed or the chair. ¡°Why did you enter?¡± A dry voice could be heard from a corner. Martha was crouching in a corner with a nket covering her. Is she really Beef Girl? ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the depressed nt of Martha¡¯s shoulders. Her situation seemed more serious than he thought. ¡°Because you didn¡¯t respond.¡± ¡°Seriously, you bastard¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m turning the light on.¡± He could still see Martha even without the magicmp, but he decided to light it because he figured it would be better to have a bright room. ¡°Ack!¡± Martha briefly groaned, as she hadn¡¯t seen the light for a long time. Raon ced the food tray on the table before sitting on a chair. That food is pretty good. Are you going to eat it? ¡®Are you serious about that?¡¯ Raon decided to ignore Wrath since he was spouting nonsense, instead looking at Martha. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°¡­Nothing happened. Leave already, because I want to be alone right now.¡± Martha helplessly shook her hand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon briefly sighed, as it was difficult to believe that such a weak gesture came from Martha. ¡°You know, I always thought I was alone.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It was the same when Eden kidnapped me. I never thought someone was going toe to my rescue. I just braced myself to survive on my own.¡± It was true. The reason he took the elixirs, sparred against Unfaceable Snake, and absorbed the helmet¡¯s soul was to catch the opportunity whenever one presented itself to him. The houseing for his rescue was beyond his imagination. ¡°However, my mindset haspletely changed thanks to all of youing to save me.¡± Raon lightly tapped on the table with his finger. A pleasant sound resonated throughout the silent room. ¡°It was all thanks to you, Runaan, and everyoneing to save me that I could gain this sense of belonging.¡± He looked at Martha before looking at Runaan standing behind him and nodded. He¡¯d been treating them with a small amount ofpanionship and the intention of repaying his debt of gratitude, but it felt like that kind of calction hadpletely disappeared. ¡°There are many problems in the world that can¡¯t be solved on my own. I should actually say that it¡¯s more improbable that I could solve anything on my own. We aren¡¯t the head of house, after all.¡± Raon smiled faintly and stood up from the chair. ¡°Since I just managed to realize I wasn¡¯t alone, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m entitled to give any advice. However, you should still tell me if anything is worrying you, as I¡¯ll worry about it with you as if it¡¯s my business.¡± Raon was about to leave to give Martha some time to think about it when he could hear the sound of the nket dropping onto the ground. ¡°My mom¡­¡± Her wet voice echoed throughout the room. Raon looked around, and dull light was radiating from the droplet ne that she was holding onto tightly. ¡°My mom was there.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 304

Chapter 304

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 304 Raon¡¯s chin trembled as he met Martha¡¯s bloodshot eyes. ¡°You found your mom on that battlefield?¡± Martha had never told him about her story. Raon had only guessed that the tenth apostle had attacked her vige from how things went. He thought it was a sad thing to happen because the White Blood Religion took people away to feed them to the bloody demons, and that¡¯s why it waspletely unexpected for him that she¡¯d seen her mother. ¡°Yes.¡± Martha nodded. Her ck eyes were trembling violently. ¡°My mom was there.¡± ¡°Which one was she?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha didn¡¯t respond, looking up at the magicmp hanging on the ceiling. ¡°She¡¯s younger and prettier than before, but she was definitely my mom. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t recognize her¡­¡± She bit her lip tightly, saying that there was no mistake about it. ¡°Martha?¡± Raon called her name, and her gaze lowered. Her unfocused eyes were reflecting her despair and vanity. ¡°The¡­ White Blood Religion''s leader.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Raon gasped. His mind went nk from thepletely unexpected response, and he couldn¡¯t think about anything at all. ¡°Ah?¡± Runaan also stepped back in surprise. The water bottle on the ground was knocked over and created a blunt noise. ¡°The White Blood Religion''s leader had my mom¡¯s appearance.¡± Martha said it with certainty. Her dying eyes seemed to be screaming. ¡°Are you saying that she looked simr in appearance?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not just simr. The White Blood Religion''s leader is my mom.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± Raon started shaking his head before looking at the droplet ne in Martha¡¯s hand. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ It was the ne that appeared around her neck when they went through a difficult training one summer when they were trainees. He¡¯d seen her putting it back inside as soon as it came out, which showed how precious it was to her. ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen that somewhere. Ah!¡¯ Raon sank to the ground, unable to control his trembling legs. ¡®The White Blood Religion''s leader. It¡¯s the same one she had¡­¡¯ When the White Blood Religion''s leader summoned the Blood God and went all-out against Glenn, a ne came out from under her dress and swayed. The color was different, but the shape was exactly the same as the ne that Martha was holding. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ She also looks simr.¡¯ Both the White Blood Religion''s leader and Martha had ck hair and ck eyes. Raon finally remembered that he had the impression that she somehow looked familiar, and it was because she looked simr to Martha. Martha¡¯s appearance gave an elegant impression despite her personality, and Raon figured that she would look simr to the White Blood Religion''s leader once she gained some charm from getting older. ¡®Does that mean that the White Blood Religion''s leader is really her mother?¡¯ He waspletely speechless. The feeling that her conviction was actually true was pounding violently in his brain. Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®How is this¡­?¡¯ Even though he was supposed to console her, he waspletely clueless about what to tell her. The fact that he hadn¡¯t led a normal life in his previous life wasing back to haunt him. ¡®Wrath, what shall I do? Do you have any good ideas on what I should tell her?¡¯ M-maybe we should feed her? ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Obviously, Wrath was also useless because his life wasn¡¯t normal either. ¡°Martha, the White Blood Religion''s leader¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my mom.¡± She hung her head once again after the sudden deration. ¡°That face and body definitely belong to my mom, but the one inside is a different bitch.¡± She clenched her fist while scratching the ground. ¡°My mom doesn¡¯tugh in such a dirty way. She can¡¯t even insult people, let alone kill them. There¡¯s no way my mom would¡¯ve be the head of the bloody demon bastards!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan went to Martha to grab her trembling hand. Martha would¡¯ve normally pushed her away, but she quietly epted Runaan¡¯s warmth instead. Raon narrowed his eyes while brushing his neck. ¡®Does that mean that the soul of the White Blood Religion''s leader is dwelling inside Martha¡¯s mother¡¯s body?¡¯ That seemedpletely possible after what happened from wearing Eden¡¯s helmet. A monster of her level would¡¯ve made it possible to transfer her soul somehow, whether she used necromancy, blood magic, or sorcery. Indeed. That¡¯s not exactly a difficult task. Wrath clicked his tongue in displeasure. There are lots of parasites like her in Devildom. They are hungry demons who try to devour a healthy body with their dirty souls. ¡®¡­But you also tried to take over my body, just like them.¡¯ Raon licked his lips. Wrath wasn¡¯t any different from them when it came down to it. Th-the King of Essence only came to you because of your wish! It¡¯s you who wanted it! ¡®I didn¡¯t, though?¡¯ You did! You damn fiend! ¡®Well, sure.¡¯ Aaaaargh! Wrath grasped his head and started to scream. ¡®Can you move away?¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he writhed in agony, then fiddled with his fingers. ¡®Is that why the White Blood Religion keeps abducting people?¡¯ Whenever the White Blood Religion attacked a vige or a city, they usually killed half of the people and took the other half to their base. Raon had been thinking it must¡¯ve been some kind of doctrine, but Martha¡¯s story was pointing at the possibility that it was to find a body for their religious leader¡¯s soul. ¡®Is there a way to revert it?¡¯ Ugh, it¡¯s normally impossible. However, it depends on the situation. ¡®Situation? Which situation is that?¡¯ Raon held onto Wrath since he was implying that it wasn¡¯tpletely impossible. It depends on whether she devoured the original soul of the body or simply locked it up. Wrath continued while struggling to escape. You experienced it during thest incident. You absorbed the halfling dragon¡¯s soul, which means it can¡¯t be returned anymore, but you could¡¯ve also locked him up in that mental world. When that happens, it¡¯s possible to recover the soul. ¡®Hmm, that means that there¡¯s no way Martha¡¯s mother is still alive¡­¡¯ Raon frowned. There was no way the White Blood Religion''s leader would have spared the soul considering how she treated other people as worthless worms. That¡¯s not exactly true. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Do you remember what the King of Essence told you about the causality? ¡®Yes, it¡¯s the cause and effect rtionship.¡¯ A powerful ability is bound to have a recoil. You can¡¯t guarantee that she would¡¯ve killed the soul just because she¡¯s evil, as we don¡¯t know what kind of contract and conditions she had. Wrath murmured that it could be either way while watching Martha¡¯s trembling neck. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon bit his lip slightly. He couldn¡¯t tell Martha about it because he didn¡¯t want to give her a futile hope. ¡®I wonder if there¡¯s anything that can confirm¡­¡¯ He silently sighed, and he noticed the ne in Martha¡¯s hand. ¡®Wait¡­ That¡¯s a bit strange.¡¯ There was no way Martha¡¯s mom would still be wearing the ne if the White Blood Religion''s leader hadpletely taken over. It was a cheap and simple worn-out ne, after all¡ªit didn¡¯t even look pretty. Considering the fact that she was still wearing an old ne that she shouldn¡¯t even care about, it seemed possible that Martha¡¯s mom was really locked up in the mental world after losing to the White Blood Religion''s leader. Whir! The de of Requiem hanging around his waist suddenly started to vibrate, as if it were trying to confirm his guess. ¡°Martha.¡± Raon clenched his fist and stood up. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t bepletely impossible to save her.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you speaking¡­?¡± ¡°That ne.¡± He pointed at the droplet ne in Martha¡¯s grip. ¡°The White Blood Religion''s leader was also wearing that ne.¡± Martha slowly raised her head upon hearing that. A faint ray of light returned to her dying eyes. ¡°There would be no reason for her to be wearing that ne if your mother¡¯s soul has been devoured by the White Blood Religion''s leader. It¡¯s close to impossible, but the hope still exists.¡± He told her about the conversation he had with Wrath, and Martha¡¯s eyes turned slightly brighter. ¡®Ah, wait.¡¯ Raon averted his eyes from Martha and frowned. ¡®We don¡¯t even know whether the White Blood Religion''s leader is still alive or not¡­¡¯ She¡¯s still alive. Wrath casually responded. He sounded like he was simply stating the obvious. Both she and the halfling Pride survived. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Merchant City Cameloon Outskirts Many people had gathered in front of an antique and luxurious mansion. A merchant passing by the avenue tilted his head upon noticing the people around the mansion. He couldn¡¯t suppress his curiosity and turned to the old man, who was right next to him. ¡°Wasn¡¯t this a vacant mansion? Why is everyone gathered here?¡± ¡°The Destructive King of the North is currently staying here.¡± The old man briefly responded while looking up to the highest floor of the annex building. ¡°Th-the Destructive King of the North? Are you talking about Glenn Zieghart?¡± The merchant was following the old man¡¯s gaze as he listened before he stepped back in surprise. ¡°Tsk! You shouldn¡¯t call his name so carelessly. Be more careful!¡± ¡°Ah, I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s here that all those peddlers have gathered to get on his side.¡± The old man chuckled, saying that it was pointless. ¡°But why did the Destructive King of the North visit Cameloon?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you even know about that? What have you even been doing so far?¡± ¡°I just arrived here from Robert today.¡± The merchant showed him the seasonings he brought from the south. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s understandable.¡± The old man nodded and pointed at the west. ¡°Those Eden bastards had set up a branch at the west of Cameloon. That¡¯s where¡­¡± The old man told him about the rumor that had already spread throughout Cameloon. ¡°D-did he really fight the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen on his own? The Destructive King of the North did? Huh¡­¡± The merchant¡¯s jaw dropped. Even though many people used to consider Glenn Zieghart the strongest in the continent, many started to think that the other supreme beings were stronger than him after Zieghart¡¯s activities came to a halt. Lots of people even considered the Destructive King of the North a retired old man, which was why it waspletely unexpected that he could fight two of the Five Demons'' heads on his own. ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± The old man swirled his finger. ¡°His grandson, Raon Zieghart¡¯s, achievement doesn¡¯t lose to him either. Even though he was kidnapped, he killed the fifth apostle and cut down an advanced Master swordsman called Unfaceable Snake to save the hostages. He even did that while the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen were watching.¡± He grinned, praising the young swordsman¡¯s amazing guts. ¡°I honestly think he¡¯s even more amazing. That¡¯s not something a warrior that hasn¡¯t even reached his twenties can achieve.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true.¡± The merchant nodded awkwardly. ¡®Zieghart¡­¡¯ Zieghart hadn¡¯t really been making a name for themselves recently. Because they weren¡¯t really doing anything in the center of the continent, they were usually considered average among the Six Kings. However, the incident was bound to cause rumors that the northern sword had be even colder and stronger. Zieghart''s name couldn¡¯t be underestimated, after all. The merchant went to the back of the crowd and ced his bag down. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going somewhere?¡± The old man narrowed his eyes while pointing at the merchant¡¯s bag. ¡°I realized while listening to your story that I have a more important thing to do than my business right now.¡± The merchant chuckled and sat on the ground. ¡°Since the current strongest man of the continent and the future strongest man in the continent are staying in this mansion, I¡¯d like to see their faces at least.¡± * * * An old woman was watching the crowd gathered around the mansion from the highest floor of the mansion. She turned towards the center of the room with a smile on her face. ¡°Everyone¡¯s so eager to meet the famous head of house.¡± She smiled with her eyes while looking at Glenn, who was sitting at the center of the room. ¡°How about greeting them? I¡¯m sure they would love it.¡± ¡°They can turn their wings at any time like migrating birds. It¡¯s pointless.¡± Glenn shook his head without standing up from his chair. There was no reason to meet people who only wanted to see him after what happened, as they could¡¯ve visited him at any time if they wanted to trade with Zieghart. There were countless people who could trade with him anyway, even if he refused them all. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The old woman nodded with a faint smile on her face. ¡°So, why did youe here, master of the ck Market?¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at the old woman. That kind-looking old woman was the master of the ck Market, which was one of the best intelligence organizations in the continent. Although the ck Market¡¯s influence used to be limited to the center of the continent, that old woman had managed to expand it to their current state, which made it necessary to stay alert against her. ¡°Our trade should be over.¡± ¡°The trade is over. However, the favor still remains.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master walked up to Glenn and bowed to him. Her slightly trembling neck showed that she was struggling to do so, but she still lowered her head politely. ¡°Favor?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve put a lot of effort into Grand Seville. We were nning on making it into the entertainment city Grand Seville, just like the merchant city Cameloon.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ve dispatched many talented agents to Grand Seville. I¡¯ve even sent one of my sessors here.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the girl wearing an eyepatch?¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes. He remembered the ck Market¡¯s branch manager who had earnestly helped him. ¡°Indeed.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master nodded gently. ¡°She managed to survive the seventh apostle thanks to the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader. She begged me to save Sir Raon no matter what.¡± She bowed at Glenn once again with a kindhearted smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m thanking you once again for saving my daughter, esteemed Destructive King of the North.¡± ¡°She was really sincere, so much so that I¡¯d like to thank her. However¡­¡± Glenn tapped the armrest with his finger while staring at the ck Market¡¯s master. ¡°I can hardly ept the ck Market master¡¯s gratitude. I can¡¯t tell what you are thinking, after all.¡± ¡°You are being too cautious around me. I¡¯m just thankful to you this time. Please don¡¯t doubt this maiden¡¯s feelings.¡± ¡°Maiden, you say.¡± Glenn chuckled and nodded. ¡°Alright. However, I¡¯m not the one you should be thanking, and the same goes for that girl.¡± ¡°I know. She¡¯s alsoing this way, so we will be greeting the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader together.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master looked up to Glenn with a faint smile on her face. ¡®He cherishes the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader a lot more than I thought.¡¯ People in Glenn¡¯s position tended to simply ept other¡¯s gratitude. The way he casually passed the glory on to Raon implied that he truly cherished that boy named Raon. ¡®I guess he wouldn¡¯t even be here to save him if that wasn¡¯t the case.¡¯ Although he was acting under the pretext that they had underestimated Zieghart, the fact that the head of house had personally made a move implied that the boy named Raon was as important as a sessor to him. ¡®It¡¯s understandable.¡¯ Raon Zieghart had reached the intermediate level of Master at the age of neen, and he was a monster that managed to kill three apostles and five Master-tier demons. Even though he was still young, he was capable enough to stand at the end of the line of the sessors. ¡°I have something to discuss with the head of house.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master leaned forward to look at Glenn. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I believe the ck Market will be antagonized by Eden and the White Blood Religion after this incident.¡± ¡°That should be the case.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to request a temporary alliance to fight the Eden and the White Blood Religion.¡± ¡°Are you nning to borrow our might in exchange for information?¡± ¡°Indeed. We will deal with whatever we can by ourselves, but we expect an extreme amount of casualties if we have to fight one of the strongest apostles¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Glenn nodded after closing his eyes for a moment. The ck Market¡¯s master bowed. ¡®Is this also because of Raon?¡¯ Since Glenn originally had a self-reliant personality, he wouldn¡¯t have epted the alliance so easily. He must¡¯ve been still angry at the White Blood Religion and Eden for kidnapping Raon. ¡®I shall prepare a gift for Raon.¡¯ Since there was no disadvantage in getting on his good side in advance, she figured she should prepare a gift to improve his condition. ¡°I¡¯ll write up the paperwork and visit again with my fourth daughter.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master bowed to him and left the room. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem too bad.¡± Sheryl, who¡¯d been standing away from them, walked up to him with a subtle smile on her face. ¡°Since our information is limited to the north and the center, we should gain a lot from borrowing the ck Market¡¯s abilities.¡± ¡°I agree. The war has already started, and it¡¯s better to annihte them if we can¡¯t avoid it.¡± Roenn caressed the rapier hanging around his waist. Murderous intent was radiating from his usually gentle eyes. ¡°Please calm down.¡± Sheryl chuckled and raised her hand. ¡°Hmm, please excuse me.¡± Roenn awkwardly scratched the back of his head. However, the murderous intenting from his eyes didn¡¯t fade away. ¡°But I still can¡¯t forgive the bastards who dared to harm young master Raon. I¡¯ll have to warm myself up in preparation.¡± He grabbed the hilt of his sword, saying that he was going to regain the abilities of his prime. ¡°I understand. I also would have searched throughout the continent for them if something bad happened to Raon.¡± Sheryl also clenched her fist with a frightening look in her eyes. ¡°Indeed.¡± Glenn nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to let such scum live. Make sure to kill them whenever you get a report.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Frightening gazes were radiating from them as they looked at each other. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Rimmer eximed while looking at Roenn, Sheryl, and Glenn. ¡®They always called me out for doting on him so much, but now they are even worse.¡¯ They used to scold him for taking care of him so much, yet they looked like they were about to overthrow the continent because of Raon. Rimmer couldn¡¯t understand how it even happened. ¡®It¡¯s really strange.¡¯ Sherly didn¡¯t really like children, and Roenn had an extremely coldhearted personality despite his gentle appearance. It was aplete mystery that those two grew so fond of Raon. ¡®I guess he¡¯s a charming boy.¡¯ Despite being a child, Raon had never acted spoiled or asked for help. It was probably because he was a hard worker who kept running towards the top instead of a simple genius that their hearts were attracted to him. ¡°Err¡­¡± When Rimmer was about to talk to Glenn, a knocking sound could be heard. ¡°I¡¯m the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader, Raon Zieghart. I¡¯m here because I¡¯d like to see the head of house.¡± Raon¡¯s slightly nervous voice could be heard after the knocking. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Roenn and Sheryl¡¯s murderous auras disappeared at once, like candlelight that had been smothered. ¡°I¡¯ll open the door.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Just as Roenn was about to walk towards the door like always, Rimmer created an aura barrier to stop the sound from escaping. ¡°My lord.¡± He narrowed his eyes while looking at Glenn. ¡°You are nning to act cold towards him once again, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve realized from this incident that danger will happen countless times as long as he lives as a warrior. You might never be able to tell him your true feelings.¡± Rimmer red at Glenn with a serious gaze, which was rareing from him. ¡°Please tell him your true feelings now. No one is going to criticize you for cherishing your grandson!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Glenn shuddered for the first time against Rimmer. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to deny everything the drunkard says, but he¡¯s right this time.¡± Sheryl gave a big nod. ¡°I also agree.¡± Roenn smiled gently from the door. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware what kind of person you are, my lord. I¡¯m not asking for much here.¡± Rimmer sighed and raised his index finger. ¡°Worry! Tell him that you were worried, you must say that to him at least!¡± He clenched his fist to plead for it before walking up to the door. ¡°Wait!¡± Glenn raised his hand. Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn turned around to look at him at the same time. ¡°Ahem.¡± He cleared his throat with apletely nervous voice. ¡°I-is my voice okay right now? I don¡¯t sound strange, do I?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The three were frowning because they were expecting another excuse from him, but their faces all turned nk at the same time. ____ ____ Chapter 305

Chapter 305

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 305 Raon narrowed his eyes while standing in front of the door to Glenn¡¯s room. ¡®Are they having a secret conversation?¡¯ The noise had disappeared from inside the room. Raon could guess that someone had created an aura barrier to remove the sound. ¡®Is it because of the person who left earlier?¡¯ He met the eyes of an old woman who seemed to be a ck Market executive on the way to Glenn¡¯s room, and Raon guessed that they must¡¯ve blocked the sound to hide the conversation they had with her. Tap. While Raon was making sure to remember the old woman¡¯s face, the door was opened and Roenn appeared. The gentle smile on his face was the same as always. ¡®He¡¯spletely different from back then.¡¯ The extremely coldhearted assassin who pushed the tenth apostle back with a single rapier was no longer there. Instead, he looked like an average old man taking a walk in a vige. ¡°How is your body?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± Raon tried clenching his fist and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Please enter.¡± Roenn stepped aside to make way. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded and entered the room. Rimmer was leaning his back against the wall with a frown on his face, and Sheryl was looking at him with a subtle smile on hers. ¡°Greeting my lord.¡± He walked to the center and stood in front of Glenn. Glenn¡¯s inhospitable expression was the exact same as when they were in the audience chamber. No, his face was even stiffer than usual, and Raon guessed that it must¡¯ve been because the talk with the old woman didn¡¯t end up so well. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Considering his slightly hoarse voice, his internal injury must not have been healed yet. ¡°I came to express my gratitude.¡± ¡°Your gratitude?¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you for saving my life.¡± Raon knelt and bowed to him. Since he wasn¡¯t expecting him toe to his rescue at all, he felt even more thankful to him. Seeing Glenn reminded him of the moment death was right in front of him, making him tremble in fear even though it was already over. ¡°It wasn¡¯t for your sake.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes turned as cold as the winter. ¡°I only made that scum pay the price for underestimating Zieghart.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Raon couldn¡¯t understand why, but Rimmer smacked his own forehead as soon as Glenn spoke. ¡°Even then, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I managed to survive thanks to my lord. Thank you for saving me, and mypanions.¡± Since Raon had somewhat expected that answer, he smiled faintly and bowed once again. ¡°Raon Zieghart. You are too arrogant.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes. The sharp energy wave pierced into his chest like an aura de. ¡°The might you¡¯ve achieved at your age is certainly not bad. However, there are countless people stronger than you in the world. They won¡¯t go easy on you just because you are young and brimming with talent.¡± He was right. He was too reckless because he was overconfident about his growth. ¡®I ended up running head-first into danger.¡¯ He thought he could win against an average apostle, and he did manage to y the seventh apostle. However, the tenth apostle and Merlin¡¯s appearance that followed werepletely beyond his expectations. It was necessary to create an escape path before he acted in order to shatter the ns of those monsters. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon epted Glenn¡¯s scolding and lowered his head. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheryl gave an unusual sigh and turned around to look out the window. ¡°This kind of miracle is never going to happen ever again.¡± Glenn frowned while resting his chin on his hand. His gaze turned even colder. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that is out of line. Interference without might is a meaningless sacrifice.¡± ¡°Haap.¡± Roenn covered his mouth with his hand and closed his eyes. Raon had never seen him do that before, since he¡¯d been treating Glenn like a god. ¡®He¡¯s right about that, too.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why the other three were acting like that, but Glenn was right. Jumping into danger to save others without having enough might was pretty much asking to be killed together. Motivation alone could never achieve anything after all. ¡°I¡¯ll carve your advice into my bones, my lord.¡± Raon closed his eyes while taking Glenn¡¯s advice from the bottom of his heart. ¡®By the way, is my lord okay right now?¡¯ He saw him bleeding before, and his expression didn¡¯t seem so good. Raon was slightly worried about him. ¡°My lord, how are your internal injuries?¡± ¡°Ahem, you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Glenn¡¯s face seriously stiffened like a dried-up leaf. His internal injury seemed to still be hurting him. ¡°¡­How about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing too bad. I should be able to return to duty in about a week.¡± ¡°Did you already forget what I told you just now?¡± Dignity was weighing on him from his voice. Raon¡¯s shoulders trembled from the intense pressure. ¡°I told you to stop being arrogant, not cross the line. You barely managed to escape death. You shall rest thoroughly until your body ispletely recovered!¡± ¡°Hmm, understood.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s lowered voice sounded like it was trembling slightly. ¡°I¡¯m d you are safe.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon briskly raised his head. His jaw dropped, as he didn¡¯t expect Glenn to say something like that to him at all. However, Glenn¡¯s expression was as cold as before. He must¡¯ve meant it as a simple formality, but Raon¡¯s nose was tingling because it was his first time hearing Glenn say that he was worried about him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon hung his head. ¡°Ahem.¡± Glenn cleared his throat and burrowed his back deep into the chair. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Woah.¡± Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn¡ªwho¡¯d been facing the other way around¡ªlooked at them at once and quietly eximed. ¡°If you have nothing else to say, then¡­¡± ¡°I have. I might be mistaken, but it looks like the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen managed to escape alive.¡± Since there was no way Wrath was lying about it, it must¡¯ve been true that they were still alive. It was necessary to tell Glenn about them as fast as possible. ¡°I know.¡± Glenn nodded without showing any sign of surprise. ¡°Trying to kill both of them at once was my mistake. I should¡¯ve focused on the Fallen, but I was too greedy, and I ended up giving them an opening.¡± Despite Raon¡¯s expectation, he admitted his mistake and frowned. His irritation was directed at himself rather than other people. ¡®He¡¯s really different.¡¯ People in important positions tend to avoid admitting their mistakes. Derus Robert was a narrow-minded man who always med his subordinates for his mistakes, but Glenn casually admitted his mistake despite standing above everyone. That fact was as surprising as his prowess. ¡°Is that what you wanted to talk about?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s one more thing. It¡¯s about Martha¡­¡± Raon told him what Martha had told him about the White Blood Religion''s leader, as well as everything he had guessed from the story. ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer was grinding his teeth violently, Sheryl¡¯s chin was trembling, and Roenn closed his eyes. Everyone seemed shocked. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn¡¯s coldhearted appearance was also gone as he groaned. ¡°How is Martha doing?¡± ¡°She fell asleep after eating a meal.¡± Once Martha heard that there was still hope, she had eaten the food before falling asleep. ¡°Haa.¡± He slowly sighed and looked out the window, where the sunlight was entering the room. ¡°When I met the White Blood Religion''s leader for the first time, she was a little girl with red hair and blue eyes, and she was a blonde, purple-eyed woman in her twenties on our second encounter. Just like you guessed, the White Blood Religion''s leader is capable of using a Soul Transfer sorcery to change into a different body.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s a bit different from the average Soul Transfer.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Since the Soul Transfer consists of taking over another person¡¯s body, the user normally loses most of their powers and won¡¯t be able to use their physical abilities anymore. However, that monster¡¯s Soul Transfer doesn¡¯t have those drawbacks.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes became distorted. He was apparently getting angry at the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°The White Blood Religion''s leader is capable of using all of her powers and sorcery immediately after settling into a new body. The limitations don¡¯t apply at all to her.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± ¡°However, it feels like her secret has been slightly unraveled thanks to you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible to create results without any cause. The fact that she¡¯s wearing the same ne as Martha must hold some kind of secret.¡± He narrowed his eyes while mentioning causality, just like Wrath did. All of the powerful people were apparently aware of thatw of nature. ¡°Is there any way to save Martha¡¯s mother, by any chance?¡± ¡°It¡¯s normally impossible. However¡­¡± Glenn calmly closed his eyes. ¡°If one can overwhelm the White Blood Religion''s leader in terms of willpower on top of prowess, it shouldn¡¯t bepletely impossible.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon clenched his fist. Since Glenn was saying that, it definitely wasn¡¯t impossible. However, the possibility was extremely slim because it involved defeating the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Glenn suddenly praised him with a big nod. ¡°If we manage to unravel the secret behind the White Blood Religion''s leader, half of it shall be your achievement. Good job.¡± ¡°N-no, I was just trying to help¡­¡± He only racked his brain tofort Martha and to understand the situation. That was an excessivepliment. ¡°Caring for yourpanions is always the right thing to do. You should never forget that mindset.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bear that in mind.¡± ¡°Once Martha wakes up, you all should look after her. I¡¯ll call upon her after we return to the house.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. ¡®What a relief.¡¯ He was worried that Glenn might have a bad opinion of Martha because she was the daughter of the White Blood Religion''s leader, but he was worried about her instead. Even though he was coldhearted, he still had a heart for other people. ¡°You should leave now.¡± Glenn shook his hand as if he were trying to chase away a fly, just like he usually did. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded and stood up. ¡°Thank you, and¡­¡± He wanted to say something to Glenn for giving him sharp yet humane advice, but nothing good came to his mind. The only thing he could think of was the blood flowing out of his mouth recently. ¡°P-please live a long life.¡± Raon spat out those words and hurriedly left the room as if he were trying to run away. ¡°Oh my god! Live a long life? Are you really supposed to say that right now? In my opinion, the problem also lies with him!¡± Rimmer sighed while looking at the door that Raon had left through. ¡°I hate to admit it, but I agree with you today. This is so annoying.¡± Sheryl sighed deeply. ¡°They should get gradually better in the future.¡± Roenn patted Rimmer and Sheryl¡¯s shoulders, saying that they should be understanding. ¡°Argh¡­¡± The three of them turned their heads upon hearing the groaning sound. Glenn was biting his lip tightly while grasping the left side of his chest. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°M-my lord?¡± ¡°Is it because of the internal injury?¡± Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn were extremely surprised and started to approach Glenn, and he turned his head around. His lips were trembling violently. ¡°He told me to live a long life¡­¡± He was moved to tears as he stared at the door. ¡°And he even cared so much for Martha. He¡¯s such an innocent and kindhearted boy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The three¡¯s gazes froze once again. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon took a seat and controlled the Ring of Fire after returning to his room. The resonance of the rings decreased the intense pain throughout his body and elerated the recovery of his body. ¡®This is clearly different.¡¯ The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier were both excellent cultivation techniques, but the Ring of Fire was even more special. He could even feel the slow recovery of his ruptured blood vessels and damaged skin. Whir! He even forgot the flow of time as he focused on cultivation, and by the time he managed to recover four lines of his mana circuits, he could hear people approaching his room. Knock. Knock. After the footsteps, a knocking sound and Dorian¡¯s voice followed. ¡°Vice squad leader, you are having some visitors!¡± Raon opened his eyes upon hearing that someone hade to visit him. He could feel that two other people were standing behind Dorian. ¡®Who could they be?¡¯ Raon stood and opened the door. ¡°You look better than before.¡± Dorian grinned, and two women walked up to him from behind him. The one in front of him was the old woman who previously came out from Glenn¡¯s room, and the one standing next to her was Denning Rose, the branch manager of the ck Market in Grand Seville. ¡°Haa¡­¡± . Denning Rose covered her mouth, then bumped her shoulder onto the wall as she couldn¡¯t keep her bnce. ¡°It¡¯s a relief. I¡¯m really relieved¡­¡± She bit her lip tightly while grasping her chest. ¡°Branch manager?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The strength left her body from witnessing the vice squad leader¡¯s survival.¡± The old woman smiled gently while patting Denning Rose¡¯s back. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon slightly nodded while looking at Denning Rose, who was breathing faintly with her eyes closed. ¡®I heard she worked hard.¡¯ He¡¯d heard about Denning Rose when the Light Wind squad told him what happened while he was gone. She¡¯d apparentlymanded the ck Market¡¯s agents all night long in order to find Eden''s branch location, and the tension must¡¯ve finally left her after seeing him. ¡°Thank you. I managed to survive thanks to you.¡± Raon nodded courteously at Denning Rose. ¡°No.¡± Denning Rose shook her head. Considering how quickly she regained herposure and her calm gaze, she was truly an extraordinary intelligence agent. ¡°I would¡¯ve already died in humiliation at the seventh apostle¡¯s hands if it wasn¡¯t for the vice squad leader.¡± She smiled faintly, saying that she was only repaying the favor. ¡°But who is she¡­?¡± Raon looked at the old woman who was holding Denning Rose¡¯s shoulder tightly. Considering the way she was treating the branch manager, she must¡¯ve been an executive from the ck Market just like he¡¯d previously thought. ¡°My name is Roseline, and I¡¯m in charge of the ck Market. I¡¯m d to see you.¡± ¡°The ck Market¡¯s master?¡± She said that she was in charge of the ck Market, not a branch. It could only mean that she was the master of the ck Market, able to influence the entire continent. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m currently managing the ck Market even though I¡¯m unworthy.¡± She smiled as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Ah, I apologize for myte introduction. I¡¯m the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader, Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon bowed to Roseline. ¡®Unworthy, huh¡­ There¡¯s no way that is true.¡¯ The ck Market¡¯s current master was the one who expanded the ck Market to its current state, and that was the woman standing in front of him. She was simply acting humble because she held all of the power of the ck Market. ¡°Please enter for now.¡± Since he couldn¡¯t keep them standing in front of the door, he brought them inside and let them sit in front of a table. ¡°Dorian, I¡¯m sorry, but can you bring some te¡ª¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dorian answered but didn¡¯t leave the room. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s here.¡± He took three teacups and a teapot from his belly pocket. He put red tea leaves inside the pot, and the pot suddenly started to boil, steaming from it. Pssh! The heavy yet clear fragrance of tea emerged from the pot and warmed up the room. ¡®Seriously.¡¯ Raon chuckled. His pocket and tools were always such a mystery, and they managed to surprise him once again. ¡°This is Benzar green tea. It should have a nice fragrance since it was dried properly.¡± Dorian poured the tea into the three teacups with a smile on his face, as if he were a butler. ¡°The mister over here was also from an extraordinary house.¡± Roseline was looking at Dorian¡¯s belly pocket with a subtle smile. She took a sip of the tea before cing a wooden box on the table. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ubo¡¯s panacea.¡± ¡°Ubo¡¯s panacea? Why is it¡­¡± ¡°This is my gift for the vice squad leader.¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. Ubo was a master elixir craftsman, and people called him the Medicine Saint. They said that his panacea was even capable of reviving the dead, and Raon didn¡¯t expect her to give him such a precious item as a gift at all. ¡°Why would you give this to me¡­?¡± ¡°We were partly responsible for the vice squad leader¡¯s kidnapping. We should¡¯ve been helping you, but we only ended up being helped instead. That¡¯s why this much is necessary to show our gratitude.¡± She pushed the panacea¡¯s wooden box towards him. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon was looking at Roseline instead of the panacea. Her peaceful eyes were clear enough, without a speck of ulterior motive, but he couldn¡¯t exactly trust that. He secretly flicked his eyes over to look at Denning Rose. She wasn¡¯t reacting at all despite seeing the panacea, as if it were only obvious that it would be given to him. ¡®Their reactions are slightly different.¡¯ Roseline felt like he was giving Ubo¡¯s panacea because of the head of house instead of himself, while Denning Rose felt like she was giving it to him out of pure worry. However, they seemed to agree that it was an appropriate gift for him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head, picked up the wooden box, and brought it in front of him. It was light, but the warmthing from inside felt rather heavy. ¡°This much is obvious.¡± Roseline simply shook her hand and took a sip of the tea. ¡°This tea is nice.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Dorian smiled while holding the teapot. So, is it delicious? You should try it too! Wrath couldn¡¯t read the atmosphere and suddenly interfered to point at the teacup. ¡®You aren¡¯t going to like it.¡¯ That¡¯s up to the King of Essence to decide! ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon sighed and took a sip of the tea. Tsk! This is so nd. Wrath clicked his tongue and returned to the ice flower bracelet. Raon was dumbfounded at his behavior¡ªit almost felt like he was raising a child. ¡°Then let¡¯s proceed to the next topic.¡± Roseline ced the teacup on the table and smiled. ¡°The next topic?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her which rewards you wanted afterpleting the mission. I should actually say that you didn¡¯t have any opportunity for that. Since she said she¡¯d do anything for you, we will keep that promise.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± She did say that before, and Raon had a list of things to ask from her. However, he couldn¡¯t actually say that. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon slowly shook his head. ¡°I heard that the entire ck Market worked hard on my rescue. I was already helped in return, so any further reward would be excessive.¡± It was true. Too much greed woulde back to bite him. Since everyone had survived, that was enough for him. ¡®It would be shameless to ept that reward.¡¯ He would¡¯ve taken the promised rewards and information if the incident ended after defeating the seventh apostle at Grand Seville, but the situation went so wrong afterward, and the ck Market had helped him in return. Getting the original reward for the mission was fine, but making additional requests would¡¯ve been unreasonable. ¡°This girl is the ck Market¡¯s branch manager, and one of my sessors.¡± Roseline caressed Denning Rose¡¯s head. ¡°Even though our history isn¡¯t as long as Zieghart, we can¡¯t exactly break a sessor¡¯s promise.¡± She stared at Raon with a faint smile on her face. ¡°Please tell me what you want.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 306

Chapter 306

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 306 The ck Market¡¯s master, Roseline, narrowed her eyes while watching Raon as he considered her offer. ¡®Frostfire Sword of Valor¡­¡¯ Such an honorable name wasn¡¯t always a good thing. The warriors with honorable aliases were usually merciless against the viins while being extremely merciful to the ordinary people. Fair and just would be the best description of their personalities. They looked cool and amazing, but they led the most ufortable lives. ¡®Because they need to keep thinking about how the people see them.¡¯ The honorable warriors managed to gain their aliases by showing exemry behavior, so they were bound to pay attention to their reputations. They had to be careful when drinking, they couldn¡¯t entertain themselves as much as they wanted, and the situations where they could use their powers were rather limited. Even if they had an urgent matter to attend to, they were sometimes forced to resolve the injustices in front of them instead. That was how difficult it was to have an honorable alias, specifically because of its impressive meaning. ¡®Of course, this boy is no different.¡¯ She tantly told him to make his request, and that had the effect of making it difficult to ask for anything. ¡®It¡¯s only natural.¡¯ The ck Market had spent an astronomical amount of money in order to find Eden''s branch. Since Raon was obviously aware of that fact, as he was in charge of the finances of the Light Wind squad, he couldn¡¯t easily ask for anything. A subtle smile appeared on Roseline¡¯s face. ¡®And that¡¯s why I told him that I¡¯d grant any of his requests.¡¯ The ck Market master¡¯s promise was pretty much a vow made by the ck Market itself. She would need to grant anything he would ask for, but she still made such a suggestion because she expected Raon to decline making any requests at all because had he gained such a great alias at a young age. ¡®This move only has advantages without any drawbacks. After all, it will allow me to gain the trust of the Destructive King of the North.¡¯ It was absolutely certain that Glenn Zieghart cherished Raon. If the rumor spread that she suggested that she would grant Raon anything that he wanted, the Destructive King of the North would also be satisfied. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ She turned her head upon noticing a piercing gaze from the side, and Denning Rose was staring at her, ming her for being so mean. ¡®It¡¯s exactly because I¡¯ve been living this way that I can be the master of the ck Market.¡¯ A real pro didn¡¯t try to meddle with the conditions, instead targeting an opponent¡¯s psychology. She felt slightly sorry for him, but it was exactly thanks to that way of living that she had managed to expand the ck Market to its current state. ¡°Erm¡­¡± Raon¡¯s mouth slowly opened. ¡°Yes, please tell me.¡± Roseline licked her lips slightly before smiling at him again. ¡®It¡¯s happening now.¡¯ Since Raon was obviously going to refuse, she just needed to praise him for that and casually get it over with. She was confident in doing that because she¡¯d always done it before. ¡°You can askter if you can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to need information about the Six Kings and the Five Demons.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Despite her expectations, he made his request with honest eyes. ¡°Th-the Six Kings and the Five Demons? ¡°Yes. I need detailed information about them. Their members, locations, tendencies, and the level of their might. The information about every single powerful person above the realm of Master must be included, as they are the most important members.¡± Raon dered his request clearly, without hesitating at all. The reason he stayed silent for a while seemed to be because he was thinking about the request. ¡°Please send the information to Zieghart¡¯s annex building instead of the main building. And¡­¡± Roseline¡¯s lips parted. ¡®He¡¯s making another request?¡¯ The information about the Six Kings and Five Demons was expensive enough that a single line would cost more than a gold coin. Moreover, Raon was asking for information about powerful people, and that was extremely expensive. Actually, a lot of information couldn¡¯t even be bought with money. She couldn¡¯t even begin to guess about how she¡¯d deal with his request. ¡°I¡¯d like to find the location of the phoenix.¡± ¡°Ph-phoenix¡­¡± The phoenix was a monster that actually existed, but encountering it was extremely rare¡ªto the point that people had begun to believe that they were myths. They were even more difficult to find than dragons in terms of rarity alone, and she couldn¡¯t understand how she was supposed to find something like that. Her heart suddenly started to tremble. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Roseline¡¯s chin was trembling as she met Raon¡¯s glowing eyes. ¡®I-is he really an honorable warrior?¡¯ She realized her mistake. Raon¡¯s eyes were glowing with greed. Rather than the Frostfire Sword of Valor, he should¡¯ve been called the Frostfire Sword of Greed. ¡°And finally¡­¡± ¡®Another one?¡¯ Roseline barely managed to control her expression and turned her head. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Denning Rose¡¯s eyes were also violently trembling, as she didn¡¯t expect that he would make so many requests either. ¡°I¡¯d like to find a person and an object.¡± ¡°Wh-which person and object would that be?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll write that down properly after I return to the house and send it to you.¡± ¡°Ah, I-I see.¡± Even though her face was still smiling, she couldn¡¯t stop her voice from trembling. ¡®That must be an extraordinary request as well.¡¯ There was no way anything he was asking could be an easy task. It shouldn¡¯t be as bad as the information about the Six Kings and Five Demons, but it was clearly going to be a difficult task. Sip. Roseline drank her tea because of the burning feeling in her throat. Even though the tea had such a clear taste until just a moment ago, it tasted extremely bitter instead. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t even estimate how much money she was going to lose because of the deal she made in that short timeframe. ¡®And I can¡¯t cancel it now, either.¡¯ Since people saw her and Denning Rose entering Raon¡¯s room, Glenn must¡¯ve heard about it as well. If she tried to cancel her suggestion, the trust she managed to gain was bound to plummet. ¡®I have to do it.¡¯ Since it was a deration made under the name of the ck Market¡¯s master, instead of a mere branch manager, she had to grant his request no matter what. She felt like it was the end of the world because of the unexpected checkmate. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± Raon bowed with a smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Roseline smiled awkwardly and racked her brain to think about how to make up for the astronomical amount of losses she just made. Obviously, there was no solution to it. ¡°Since I¡¯ve heard the vice squad leader¡¯s request, I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± She smiled faintly and stood up. She needed to return to the main branch and make the calctions in order toe back to her senses. ¡°Vice squad leader, get well soon.¡± Denning Rose also stood up after nodding at him. Her slightly trembling legs showed that she was also shocked by Raon¡¯s requests. ¡°ck Market¡¯s master and branch manager.¡± When those two were about to leave the room, Raon¡¯s voice could be heard. Roseline and Denning Rose slowly turned around. Raon¡¯s red eyes were radiating with a dignified light from reflecting the sunlight entering through the window. While they were staring nkly at his eyes, which looked like rubies, his lips parted. ¡°You won¡¯t regret it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s voice was as quiet as Glenn Zieghart¡¯s, and their hearts tightened upon hearing it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Roseline swept her disheveled hair up. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± She lowered her head slightly with a faint smile on her face before leaving the room. Denning Rose must¡¯ve also noticed something was different, as she followed her with a stiff expression on her face. They didn¡¯t say anything until they got on the carriage and were leaving the mansion. It was only after the carriage¡¯s door was closed that Roseline¡¯s lips twisted up. ¡°He got me good.¡± Raon didn¡¯t make that request out of sheer greed. He had perfectly understood her thought process before showing his de that couldn¡¯t be refused. ¡®When was thest time I was thoroughly defeated like this?¡¯ She didn¡¯t make proper preparations because shepletely underestimated him, but it was still unexpected that such a young boy would seize her by her hair. She figured that his might wasn¡¯t the only thing she should be seeing in him. He was already a dangerous person with his might alone, and she felt the necessity to raise the rank one step higher. ¡°How was he in your eyes?¡± Roseline narrowed her eyes while looking at Denning Rose. ¡°He seemed to have matured even further during that short time period, both in martial arts and in mentality. I could see aposure and nervousness that he didn¡¯t have before.¡± Denning Rose looked back at the mansion that was getting further away and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Are you saying that he matured even though he became nervous?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded without any hesitation. ¡°The Raon Zieghart that I saw in the past was brimming with confidence. He believed that he could solve anything on his own. However, he looked different today.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°He seemed to have realized the possibility of failure, and the fact that he can¡¯t solve everything on his own.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Roseline caressed Denning Rose¡¯s head with a faint smile on her face. ¡®You¡¯ve also matured, just like him.¡¯ Denning Rose originally had an indecisive personality, and she often postponed her judgment or left others to decide the oue. The incident seemed to have matured her in that aspect. ¡°Then how do you like him as a man?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Denning Rose¡¯s face froze. ¡°Appearance, might, house, personality, and insight. He isn¡¯tcking in any aspect, so I¡¯ll be the matchmaker if you are interested.¡± Roseline stroked Denning Rose¡¯s hand while saying that she was serious. ¡°I may look otherwise, but the number of couples who got married thanks to me must be numbering over a hundred by now.¡± ¡°I-I need to serve my master. I have no intention of getting married until you retire, master.¡± Denning Rose shook her head, her entire face turned red except for her ck eyepatch. ¡°The ones who say that are usually the first ones to get married.¡± Roseline chuckled and shook her hand. ¡°You should say that again after hiding that plum color from your face.¡± ¡°Master!¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Raon snickered while fiddling with the box containing Ubo¡¯s panacea. ¡®She couldn¡¯t have expected that she¡¯d take a blow here.¡¯ He was originally nning to refuse, as it was obviously the reasonable thing to do, but he changed his mind upon seeing Roseline¡¯s eyes. She looked gentle and kind, but her eyes clearly said that she knew he was never going to ask anything from her. Since those were the eyes of an experienced merchant, Raon decided to take advantage of her, and it ended up in aplete sess. ¡®I gained way more than I thought.¡¯ An astronomical sum of money was required to buy information about the Six Kings and the Five Demons, and a lot of top-secret information couldn¡¯t even be bought with money alone. Although he wasn¡¯t expecting to get all of it, he should be able to find out a decent amount about them, which was already a huge gain for him. Hmph! Wrath flowed from the ice flower bracelet and grinned. Even though you are such a fiend, you still must have some consideration in you. You decided to keep your promise already. ¡®Consideration? What are you talking about?¡¯ You must¡¯ve asked that granny about the phoenix¡¯s location in order to invigorate the King of Essence¡¯s body. You were trying to keep the promise that you made about feeding him something delicious. He licked his lips while looking into the air. Pheonix meat is tender and crispy at the same time, and it even increases your appetite. The King of Essence is looking forward to it, as he hasn¡¯t eaten anything invigorating for a while. ¡®Have you even eaten a phoenix before?¡¯ But of course. I couldn¡¯t eat it that often, but it was one of my favorite special dishes. Heh! Raon¡¯s jaw dropped while watching the grinning Wrath. It was a dragonst time and now a phoenix. The glutton must¡¯ve really tasted all kinds of monsters before. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not nning to hunt down the phoenix.¡¯ What? ¡®I¡¯m looking for the phoenix¡¯s location rather than the phoenix itself.¡¯ What do you mean? Why would you not eat the phoenix if you manage to find one? It¡¯s only natural to eat food if it¡¯s ced in front of you! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Even though a phoenix was nothing short of being called legendary, the crazy Wrath was treating it as food. ¡®Dear customer, we don¡¯t sell phoenixes.¡¯ Hey, you rascal! Wrath shoved his face into Raon¡¯s, and Raon shook his head while pushing him away. The reason he was looking for a phoenix was in order to get stronger instead of hunting it. He could end up killing the phoenix, but it waspletely fine if he didn¡¯t. Munch! Raon turned his head upon hearing the munching sound of some snack. Dorian was lying sideways on the bed, eating something that he took from his belly pocket. He¡¯d been eating that snack, which looked like a potato chip, ever since he was a trainee, and Raon started to wonder when he was ever going to stop. ¡°You won in psychological warfare against the ck Market¡¯s master. That was really amazing.¡± ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s so mean¡­¡± Dorian dropped the snack from his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly win against her.¡± ¡°But you won everything you wanted, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she underestimated me too much.¡± If Roseline was fully prepared before she visited him, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to make any kind of request. The gains were only possible because she considered him inexperienced and even misjudged his personality. ¡°Rather than that, aren¡¯t you going back home?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You almost died this time. How about taking a vacation and visiting your home?¡± Raon tried asking him because he remembered how Roseline called him extraordinary after seeing Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t think I really need to return¡­¡± Dorian suddenly stood up while smiling awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ll go thereter, I guess.¡± He scratched his head and quickly left the room. ¡®Does he have some circumstances?¡¯ It was still difficult for Raon to maintain the correct distance from the others. Since family situations needed to be dealt with using extreme caution, he couldn¡¯t stop Dorian from leaving. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at Ubo¡¯s panacea in his hand. ¡°What should I do with this?¡± He didn¡¯t really need to take the panacea because the Ring of Fire¡¯s recovery ability was enough. What else? You are nning to eat it anyway because you are such a greedy guy. How does it taste, by the way? ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Wrath became an even bigger glutton after he exhausted his power from manifesting into his main body. It almost felt like his gluttony was driving him mad. ¡®Yes, I guess I should do that.¡¯ He suddenly had the urge to act against him because Wrath called him greedy. He went back upstairs with Ubo¡¯s panacea in his hand and knocked on the door to Glenn¡¯s room. Knock. Knock. Roenn opened the door even before the knocking sound ended, unlike thest time. ¡°You are back.¡± ¡°I have a gift for the head of house.¡± ¡°Please enter.¡± His face was brimming with joy when he noticed the wooden box in his hand as he stepped aside. . ¡°What are you giving him?¡± ¡°Is it something good?¡± Sheryl and Rimmer were also full of anticipation for some reason as they stared at him. Raon walked ahead with the gazes of the three on him. ¡°What is it?¡± Glenn looked down on him. He looked annoyed at his repeated visit. ¡°If I understood correctly, your internal injury hasn¡¯t beenpletely healed.¡± Raon offered Ubo''s panacea. ¡°This is Ubo¡¯s panacea that the ck Market¡¯s master gave to me. I brought it for you because I figured it would be better for the head of house to take it rather than myself.¡± Even though he was extremely strong, his internal injury must not have been healed yet. Since Glenn had helped him, it was only natural to return the favor. Raon decided to give the panacea to Glenn. ¡®I have the Ring of Fire and Sloth anyway.¡¯ He could heal himself through the Ring of Fire during the day, and Sloth¡¯s healing effect would automatically activate at night. Since one week was going to be enough to mostly recover his injuries, Ubo¡¯s panacea wasn¡¯t even needed. ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn smiled brightly and gave him a thumbs-up topliment him. Rumble! However, Glenn¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good at all even though Raon offered him the panacea. He bit his lip tightly, his cold eyes brimming with anger. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯ He thought he would ept it because he felt rather nice during the previous visit, but it must¡¯ve been his mistake. The atmosphere turned colder and colder. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you to stop being arrogant?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You arrogant brat. You still don¡¯t know your ce. My internal injury? You are a hundred years too early to worry about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I can recover from my injuries, but my lord¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± Glenn shook his head with a cold gaze. ¡°You should put that panacea in your mouth right after you leave this room. I¡¯ll be punishing you the day we return to the house in one week if your recovery doesn¡¯t meet my standards.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Raon took Ubo¡¯s panacea and stood up. He bowed to him before leaving the room. Step. As soon as Raon¡¯s footsteps faded away, the three people standing in front of the door briskly turned around. ¡°You damn geezer! How can you send him off like that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right! You should pretend to ept it at least, or say thank you!¡± ¡°This is seriously annoying.¡± Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn screamed at Glenn one after the other. ¡°Seriously, our head of house¡­ Hmm?¡± They were about to scold him even more, but their eyes turned round upon noticing that Glenn was grasping his forehead. ¡°Wow, how can he possibly be so kindhearted¡­?¡± Glenn gritted his teeth, unable to control his overwhelming emotions. The energy wave spreading around him made the objects inside the room float into the air and vibrate. ¡°He is worried about me even though his own condition is worse. He really is an angel!¡± ¡°I mean, if you know he is, then you should¡­¡± ¡°I need to do something.¡± He raised his finger. Golden light spread out from his hand. The room and even the entire building started to tremble. ¡°Gasp! Y-you shouldn¡¯t open the treasury here!¡± Roenn hurriedly ran up to him and held Glenn¡¯s arm. ¡°My lord, the building is going to copse! Moreover, it will cause issues for the treasury¡¯s security!¡± Sheryl also used footwork to stop Glenn¡¯s finger. ¡°Unhand me. I have to give Raon a gift right now¡­¡± ¡°You know better than anyone that opening the treasury from outside the house will cause issues!¡± Zieghart¡¯s treasury was a magical storage designed in a way that it could only be opened from the domain. Opening it from another ce could mess with the coordinates and cause security issues. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just need to kill anyone who tries to steal from the treasury. Raon is more important right now¡­¡± Glenn stretched his hand, saying that it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed deeply while witnessing that scene. ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore.¡± He locked his fingers together to support the back of his head and left the room. ¡°I¡¯m going to the gambling house since it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Hey! You should be stopping him!¡± * * * One weekter. Raon went outside the mansion. On top of the Light Wind squad, the Heavenly de division and the Void Sword division were lined up, as they hadn¡¯t returned to the house yet. He met Glenn¡¯s eyes, as the man was standing in front of them. He stared at Raon for a while before briskly turning his head. ¡®Haa¡­ I guess I passed. What a relief.¡¯ He quietly breathed out a sigh of relief. He¡¯d been using the Ring of Fire like crazy and slept a lot in order to save Ubo¡¯s panacea, and his body had significantly recovered thanks to that. A fight against a warrior at a higher realm would have still been difficult, but his condition was good enough to easily deal with an average Master. ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡± Glenn shook his hand and the mansion¡¯s gate opened. As the Zieghart swordsmen went outside, loud cheers burst out from the surroundings. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Zieghart!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Light Wind squad! Light Wind squad!¡± ¡°Sir Raon! Thank you for saving us!¡± ¡°Light Wind squad! I¡¯ll be cheering for you for the rest of my life!¡± The people gathered around the mansion yelled out a cheer upon seeing Raon and the Light Wind squad. Raon narrowed his eyes. He thought they were merchants trying to get on Zieghart¡¯s good side, but that wasn¡¯t the case. They were the people who were kept as hostages in Grand Seville and by the White Blood Religion inside the barrier. They managed to survive thanks to himself and the Light Wind squad, and they hade all the way to Cameloon to shout their heads off. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Oh, man.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything special.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen looked awkward, but still happy about it as they waved their hands with grins on their faces. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon also realized he was clenching his fist. He¡¯d never known in his previous life that the expression of gratitude could tug on his heartstrings so hard. ¡®Mother was right.¡¯ A swordsman who made people follow from the heart. It was thanks to her advice about living a life befitting a Zieghart swordsman that he could be who he was. He was truly thankful to her for guiding him to the correct decision. Raon raised his head to look forward. ¡°Woooow!¡± ¡°Destructive King of the North! Destructive King of the North!¡± ¡°Glenn Zieghart!¡± The cheers directed at Glenn were louder than anyone else, but he was simply riding the horse without responding to them. Raon clenched Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt while watching Glenn¡¯s back. ¡®One day¡­¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 307 Raon closed his eyes upon seeing Zieghart¡¯s walls from afar. ¡®I¡¯m finally back.¡¯ Watching the walls that managed to survive over countless years reminded him of the people¡¯s gazes he had met on the way back. ¡®Awe.¡¯ Their gazes were different from before the incident. Their eyes were filled with admiration and awe as they stared at Zieghart. Zieghart was already a great house as one of the Six Kings and Five Demons, but their reputation wasn¡¯t that great. ¡°A sinking ship.¡± ¡°The forgotten conqueror.¡± ¡°The power in the ruins.¡± ¡°A rusted sword.¡± Because their advance came to a halt a long time ago, people even called Zieghart by names that would describe some of the ruined houses. However, the incident had changed everything. ¡®Everyone has begun looking up to us.¡¯ Everyone he met on the way back was shouting and cheering that Zieghart was the strongest house, their eyes sparkling with awe. Even though the Six Kings and the Five Demons were the peaks of the continent, Zieghart was being called the top among them. ¡®And this is all¡­¡¯ Raon clenched his back teeth while looking at Glenn¡¯s back as he rode the horse in front of everyone. ¡®Thanks to the head of house.¡¯ That was the only reason. The single transcender who managed to drive away the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Fallen on his own had made the Zieghart name pierce through the stratosphere. ¡®He really is different.¡¯ He was truly worthy of astonishment, as the entire continent was in tremor because of a single person¡¯s might. Raon¡¯s current strength couldn¡¯t even reach the edge of his sleeves. Tsk, tsk. Wrath popped up from the ice flower bracelet and clicked his tongue. You are just admiring that geezer instead of trying to be like him. You can¡¯t be any more unsightly. ¡®I¡¯m not simply admiring him.¡¯ What? ¡®I¡¯m watching his back in order to catch up to him.¡¯ Even though Glenn¡¯s level was as high as the sky, he wasn¡¯t nning to just look up to him forever. ¡®I will stretch my hand. I¡¯m also changing now.¡¯ He managed to perfectly reach the intermediate level of Master, his swordsmanship and aura had gotten a lot better than before, and his physical abilities were iparably stronger than before. ¡®I even got a hint for the Sword Field Creation.¡¯ He managed to find a clue on how to achieve the Sword Field Creation by experiencing the mental world directly. Many things that had happened were beyond his abilities, but the rewards he received were even better and he was satisfied with the result. ¡®It still could¡¯ve been better though.¡¯ He wanted to train and spar once his body was somewhat recovered, but he couldn¡¯t exactly do anything because Glenn was going to scold him for that. It was regrettable that he couldn¡¯t spar or fight for a while. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± While he was focused on his thoughts, they had already arrived at the gate. The swordsmen guarding the gate shouted wildly as they opened the door. He entered through the gate after Glenn, and he noticed familiar faces from the left side. ¡°Raon¡­¡± ¡°Young master!¡± Sylvia, Helen, and the maids were waiting for him on the other side of the walls. Their eyes werepletely red, and it looked like the smallest provocation would be enough to make them cry. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± His heart was throbbing as he saw them. He wanted to run up to them, but he couldn¡¯t exactly move out of his position since the return hadn¡¯t ended yet. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡± Glenn stared at Sylvia for a moment before he coldly turned his head. ¡°Disband.¡± He simply shook his head before heading to the main building. ¡°Thank you for your effort!¡± The house¡¯s swordsmen immediately dismounted from their horses and bowed to Glenn. Raon also bowed to Glenn before running towards Sylvia and the maids. ¡°I¡¯m bac¡ª¡± ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°Young master¡­¡± Everyone almost headbutted into him as they ran at him before he could even finish talking. ¡°Raon. Raon. Raon¡­¡± Sylvia kept calling his name while hugging his neck. Her hands were trembling violently. ¡°What a relief! I¡¯m really d!¡± Helen was holding his hand tightly with tears flowing endlessly from her eyes. Raon felt like it was his first time seeing Helen cry so much. ¡°Uwaaah! Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± Yua was crying loudly while holding onto his pants, and Yulius was simply pouting while holding back his tears¡ªsince he was a warrior, after all. ¡°Young master, are you okay?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t hurt anywhere, right?¡± ¡°Uwaaah!¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± The maids also clung to him with tears dripping from their eyes. Raon almost felt like all of his clothes were getting wet. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Judiel was the only one who wasn¡¯t crying as she silently stood in the back. ¡®Wh-what¡¯s happening¡­?¡¯ Hnng! While Raon was being flustered, Wrath sniffled and looked up to the sky. What¡¯s happening? Making people worry about you is a sin! Wrath frowned while saying something that a demon king shouldn¡¯t be saying. You should treat them better in the future! They are the only ones who care about you unconditionally. ¡®I know.¡¯ Raon bit his lip tightly. ¡®I was a fool.¡¯ He simply thought that everyone was going to be happy about it since he managed to return alive. However, their worry had surpassed their joy. They couldn¡¯t control their own emotions because of the worry that kept getting worse had burst out at once. ¡°I returned toote.¡± Raon closed his eyes while embracing Sylvia, Helen, and the maids at once. He opened his mouth from the bottom of his throbbing heart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you.¡± * * * * * * ¡°¡­That¡¯s how I managed to survive, thanks to the head of house.¡± Raon told Sylvia what happened up to that point while holding her hand in her bedroom. ¡°I-I¡¯m really d.¡± Clear water started to well up in her eyes. There was apparently still some moisture in her even though she cried so much. ¡°I should visit my father to express my gratitude.¡± Sylvia wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and smiled happily. ¡°Are you visiting him?¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t managed to forget about your father and sister. I wasn¡¯t confident I could live on if Eden took you away from me.¡± ¡°Please stop saying that.¡± It felt like her words were stabbing his heart like a de. He could understand a little how everyone felt when they were worried about him. ¡°Alright.¡± Sylvia patted the back of his hand to express her consent with a smile on her face. ¡°By the way¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What kind of person was my dad?¡± He¡¯d never asked before because he wasn¡¯t interested in him, but he suddenly became curious after learning the meaning of a house during thest incident. ¡°Your dad was an idiot.¡± ¡°An idiot?¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t good at anything. Ah, I guess he was tall, at least. He was even taller than your current self. He almost looked like a pir.¡± Sylvia smiled faintly as she looked up at the ceiling. ¡°His swordsmanship was also pretty amazing if you looked at his skills alone. He had no talent at all in aura, though.¡± ¡°But why¡­¡± ¡°Are you curious why I married him?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Even though she was treated as an outcast in the house, Sylvia was still a member of the direct line and a genius swordswoman with a beautiful appearance. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why she went out with a man who had nothing good except for his swordsmanship skills. ¡°He was cool. He never stopped his efforts even though he was clearly aware of his own limits, and he wielded his sword for the sake of others instead of himself.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°He never stopped smiling, even though he kept losing his money instead of earning it. He was an interesting person.¡± Sylvia¡¯s voice was filled with vigor and nostalgia at the same time. ¡°He¡¯s simr to you in a way. He would¡¯ve been just like you if he were stronger.¡± Raon could feel that Sylvia¡¯s hand, the one holding the back of his, was trembling. ¡°I told you that I wanted you to understand other people¡¯s pain and live a life befitting a Zieghart swordsman, but I regretted it so much when I heard you were kidnapped.¡± Sylvia apologized and exhaled faintly. ¡°I really am a sinful mother¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon clenched Sylvia¡¯s trembling hand as he shook his head. ¡°I managed to survive thanks to what you told me.¡± Sylvia¡¯s advice was extremely helpful in allowing him to be a real human being. He would¡¯ve still been living a lonely life where he only cared about himself, just like his previous life, if she hadn¡¯t told him about it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon gently patted Sylvia¡¯s shoulder. However, she wasn¡¯t responding. She seemed to have fallen asleep because the tension had left her body. Raon covered her with a nket before leaving her bedroom. He returned to his room, filled with an unknown feeling of satisfaction. Probably because he was prepared for death, he felt like it had been years since thest time he¡¯d been in his room. ¡®By the way¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the ice flower bracelet around his wrist. ¡®Why are you so silent?¡¯ He should¡¯ve been shouting at him to feed him, and his unexpected silence felt rather surprising. The King of Essence is an aloof and beautiful monarch of wrath who knows when to interfere. Wrath popped up on the bracelet with a frown on his face. Since he didn¡¯t break the atmosphere, you will eat whatever the King of Essence wants for dinner. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s dignified attitude despite a cotton candy appearance was making himugh, but he was still thankful to him. Since the dinner was going to be massive anyway, Raon decided to eat everything Wrath wanted. Knock. Knock. Knock. Raon chuckled, and three knocking sounds could be heard when he took off his outer garment. It was Judiel¡¯s signal, which he hadn¡¯t heard in a while. ¡°Enter.¡± The door was opened, and Judiel entered with the same facial expression as always. ¡°Dinner will be ready soon.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°The mistress should be sleeping by now.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°She has barely slept since she heard the news about the young master¡¯s kidnapping. It wasn¡¯t just her¡ªeveryone in the annex building was the same.¡± She seemed to be included in that ¡®everyone¡¯. Raon felt sorry for them, but he also felt slightly happy, which was a strange feeling. ¡°And¡­¡± Judiel gave him a paper. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a letter that Lady Encia left behind.¡± ¡°She left it behind?¡± ¡°She left before hearing the news about Sir Raon¡¯s kidnapping.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Raon nodded. He thought the annex building was unusually quiet, and it was because Encia wasn¡¯t there. ¡®Did I get used to her already?¡¯ He chuckled and opened the letter. Three letter papers were included in the envelope. [Dear Sir Raon, the Damn Handsome. I¡¯m so sad that I can¡¯t witness that beautiful face before I leave. I¡¯ll be preparing some amazing expressions to describe your face¡­] ¡°Haa.¡± The entire first page was pretty much talking about his face. He immediately moved on to the next page. [I¡¯ve somewhat finished the blueprint for Lady Sylvia¡¯s artificial energy center. There¡¯s a problem though, which is that it requires a rather precious material. A dragon heart¡­] ¡°Dragon heart?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped at the mention of that ridiculous material. [¡­would be too difficult to acquire, so I need a drake¡¯s heart and a sea serpent¡¯s heart. Connecting those two should create an energy center that can withstand a Master-tier aura.] The end of the second page informed him that she returned to her house to perfect the blueprint and gather the materials. [I feel so sad that I have to return now. I wanted to see Sir Raon¡¯s freaking face before¡­] The third page was also talking about his face. The second page was the only one that had decent contents. ¡®That¡¯s just like Lady Encia.¡¯ Raon chuckled and returned the letter to the envelope. ¡®Drake and sea serpent¡­¡¯ They were both monsters of the highest rank, called flying dragons and ocean dragons, with a mana heart in their necks. They were both powerful and rare, but they weren¡¯tpletely impossible to find. ¡®I should be able to do this.¡¯ He clenched his fist, realizing that he should be able to create Sylvia¡¯s energy center, which felt like a dream. ¡°I have a report about the Central Martial Pce as well.¡± Judiel knelt and bowed to him. ¡°The Central Martial Pce master Karoon has returned, but he¡¯s not showing any particr movements. I¡¯m assuming that he¡¯s being wary of the head of house.¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± The Central Martial Pce¡¯s sword division was also involved in the assault on Eden¡¯s branch despite being suspended. Since they would be trying to remove the suspension somehow, he shouldn¡¯t have any room to plot something else. ¡°I¡¯ll look into their activities in detail from now on.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m counting on you.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s it for now¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Raon stopped Judiel, who was about to leave the room. ¡°I¡¯d like to request something.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± She nodded formally, like an emotionless doll. ¡°The ck Market should send me information about the Six Kings and the Five Demons soon. I want you to analyze it to sort the necessary information from the unnecessary bits.¡± ¡°The ck Market is sending information?¡± ¡°Yes. What happened was¡­¡± Raon told Judiel about the way he took advantage of the ck Market master¡¯s visit. ¡°H-how could you prevail against the ck Market¡¯s master in a battle of wits¡­?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything that great. She was just underestimating me too much, and¡­¡± He slowly shook his head as he continued. ¡°Tell me about your brother.¡± ¡°What?¡± Judiel¡¯s eyes wavered visibly. ¡°Wh-why would you ask that¡­?¡± ¡°I told the ck Market¡¯s master that I would ask her to find someone because I promised you before that I¡¯d find your brother.¡± Raon sat on the bed and smiled at her. ¡°I-I thought you forgot about it.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± He just couldn¡¯t help her because he didn''t have an opportunity to do so, but he never forgot the promise he made about finding her little brother. Since it was a promise with the ck Market¡¯s master, it should be possible to determine his condition, at least. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Judiel¡¯s chin was trembling as she stared at Raon. ¡®He was actually serious about it.¡¯ Although Judiel trusted Raon, he wasn¡¯t showing any sign of starting to look for her brother. Since she was aware it was a difficult task to achieve, she had pretty much given up at that point, but Raon had asked the ck Market¡¯s master for it¡ªwhich waspletely unexpected. ¡®He could¡¯ve made a different request instead¡­¡¯ Only the people from great houses and the highest executives of the kingdoms were allowed to meet the ck Market¡¯s master. She couldn¡¯t believe that Raon had used the opportunity to make a request from such an amazing person for her sake. ¡°C-can I really use up that chance? She¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°A promise will be kept.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s nod didn¡¯t have any strings attached, and Judiel felt nauseous, her head going nk upon realizing that fact. Her vision turned hazy, and she couldn¡¯t even see what was in front of her properly anymore. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just tell me about your brother.¡± ¡°M-my brother¡¯s name is Juvel. He should be twenty-one years old by now. He¡¯s from Entinker Vige, and he has brown hair, blue eyes, and a small scar on his forehead. He was sold to the Central Martial Pce along with me, and I n-never saw him afterward¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded while remembering the information about Juvel. He wanted to find her brother as soon as he had a chance when realized the importance of family, but he couldn¡¯t follow through with his promise before, and he was feeling sorry about it. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m really¡­¡± Judiel bowed, her face pale. Her true expression had surfaced, which hadn¡¯t happened in a long time, as tears dripped from her eyes. ¡°We should be able to find him.¡± Raon patted her shoulder with a faint smile on his face. Haah! In the midst of the heartwarming scene, Wrath suddenly sighed deeply. When are you nning to eat? Wrath started spinning in the air and expanded himself. He turned into arge cotton candy and shouted at him. The food is getting cold! * * * One weekter. Raon went to the fifth training ground after a long break. Because everyone was still supposed to be resting, there was no one in the training ground. However, it almost looked like someone had cleaned it up the day before because of how clean it was. Raon slowly warmed himself up. His body felt light. He was perfectly recovered, and he didn¡¯t need to hide from Glenn or Sylvia anymore. ¡°Haa.¡± He caught his breath and drew Heavenly Drive. Cring! The clear resonance of the sword was pulling at his heartstrings. Once he used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, the aura of raging fire dashed through his mana circuits and burst out explosively. Whir! Crimson me emerged upon Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. The astral energy was arising as naturally as the flowing river. Its beautiful shape was as majestic as the dappling sunlight. ¡®It¡¯s clearly different. Even my martial art¡¯s realm has increased, on top of my swordsmanship.¡¯ The increase in his swordsmanship¡¯s realm made him better at controlling the astral energy. Everything¡ªincluding power, durability, and sustainability¡ªwas far better than before. ¡®And the amount of aura has also increased drastically.¡¯ It looked like the mana from Loctar and the Lava Crocodile King¡¯s souls were finally finished being absorbed, as his energy center¡ªand cier and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation inside of it¡ªgrew obviouslyrger than before. Cring! Raon stepped forward with his left foot and unleashed the Fangs of Insanity. The de pummeled the atmosphere as fiercely as a hungry beast¡¯s fangs piercing into its prey. Whoosh! The second strike following from the left side felt sharp enough to cut through the air itself. Every single strike of the Fangs of Insanity was thrashing with life. Raon could clearly feel that he¡¯d gotten better than before. ¡®But still¡­ It¡¯s going to take a while to regain my fighting senses.¡¯ His martial arts¡ªincluding his swordsmanship and aura¡ªhad clearly improved, but he spent too much time without swinging his sword. He needed plenty of hands-on experience to get perfectly ustomed to the improved stats and realm. ¡®I wonder if there¡¯s any good opponents for me.¡¯ While Raon started practicing the Blizzard Sword Art once again after licking his lip, the training ground¡¯s door burst open. ¡°I knew you would be here.¡± Rimmer chuckled and entered the training ground. ¡°You tenacious brat. I knew you would be doing this.¡± ¡°Squad leader, you came at the perfect time.¡± Raon bowed at him with a smile on his face. ¡°Huh? Your smile is ominous. I have a bad feeling about this.¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes and secretly moved away. He was so quick to notice something like that. ¡°Please have a spar with me.¡± ¡°S-spar?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to improve my senses, as I haven¡¯t swung my sword in a long time. Fight me.¡± ¡°Fight you? Are you a gangster or something?¡± His jaw dropped because of Raon¡¯s ridiculous behavior. ¡°Please let me off the hook. I¡¯m already getting beaten up by the higher-ups all the time, and my sanity won¡¯tst if even you end up beating me now.¡± Rimmer shook his head, saying that he wasn¡¯t ready for a spar yet. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m still a patient¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon twirled Heavenly Drive with a bright smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll be a light, a very light spar.¡± ¡°It might be light for you, but it¡¯s extremely heavy for others!¡± Rimmer screamed. Since he had already witnessed him beating up the Light Wind squad all the time, he could guess he would be beaten into a pulp if he tried sparring with his current amount of aura. ¡°Please don¡¯t decline¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡± A deep voice came from the door. The Gambling Monster was slowly entering the training ground. ¡°I know a ce that has plenty of sparring partners for you, instead of that wimp.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Conference of Six Kings.¡± The Gambling Monster twisted his lips up while looking at Raon. ¡°They are holding the Conference of Six Kings.¡± Chapter 308

Chapter 308

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 308 Raon¡¯s lips parted as he looked at the Gambling Monster. ¡°The Conference of the Six Kings would be¡­¡± ¡°As the name implies, it¡¯s an asion for the heads of the Six Kings to gather in one ce to discuss the past and the future.¡± The Gambling Monster slowly nodded. ¡°I see¡­¡± The Conference of the Six Kings was held back when he was working under Derus Robert. Obviously, he wasn¡¯t allowed to get anywhere near the conference hall and had to stay underground, as he was a dweller of the underworld. ¡°But why are they suddenly holding the Conference of Six Kings?¡± Raon tilted his head. ¡®It shouldn¡¯t be time for it yet.¡¯ He knew that the Conference of Six Kings took ce periodically, and it wasn¡¯t time for it yet. Considering they broke that rule, something serious must¡¯ve happened. ¡®Hmm? Wait a second. Could it be¡­?¡¯ As he was wondering about the Conference of the Six Kings, an appropriate reason came to his mind. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve realized it.¡± The Gambling Monster chuckled and raised his finger. His thick finger was directed at none other than Raon. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because of you.¡± ¡°Because of Raon?¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes, asking what the hell he was on about. ¡°It was all thanks to him that we managed to find out that Eden had set up a branch in Cameloon¡¯s vicinity, and that the White Blood Religion kidnapped people from a neutral city in broad daylight and set up their sorcery array.¡± The Gambling Monster clicked his tongue,ining that he shouldn¡¯t need to exin the obvious details. ¡°The conference will be about how to deal with Eden and White Blood Religion, who are getting more and more active and violent.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Rimmer grinned and nodded his head. ¡°But how did you find out about this, old man? You aren¡¯t usually interested in stuff like this.¡± He murmured that it was unexpected while looking at the Gambling Monster. ¡°Guess why.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve been ying around for a whole week without even leaving a message! That¡¯s why the news reached me!¡± The Gambling Monster ground his teeth violently while ring at Rimmer. ¡°You obviously didn¡¯t even realize what was happening with the Conference of the Six Kings because you don¡¯t care about your work! You stupid, long-eared bastard!¡± Raon sighed deeply while watching the Gambling Monster¡¯s fist tremble violently at Rimmer, who was going ¡®Ehe~¡¯ with a smile on his face. ¡®He¡¯s right about that.¡¯ There was normally no way Rimmer would be unaware of the Conference of the Six Kings. He must¡¯ve been too focused on ying around during his vacation. ¡°Ahahaha. I have no excuse.¡± Rimmer smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. He looked like a gambler whose cards were found out. ¡°I didn¡¯t even see you at the gambling house you usually frequent. Where the hell have you been?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have too much luck around here.¡± He licked his lips while rubbing his fingers against each other. His eyes were halfway closed. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply. One day, Shitty Ears is going to either ruin the house or bring glory to the house. Crazy bastards like him never stay average. ¡®That might be true.¡¯ However, he felt so peaceful as he watched Rimmer being scolded for gambling. He felt like he was finally back home. ¡°Let¡¯s save our talk forter.¡± The Gambling Monster raised his fist towards Rimmer before turning his head towards Raon. ¡°You said you wanted a sparring partner, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The heads of respective factions aren¡¯t the only ones who participate in the Conference of the Six Kings. The brats that have started getting famous will also be there. It¡¯s to allow the future prospects of the houses an opportunity to get to know each other.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know about that because he wasn¡¯t really interested in the Conference of the Six Kings. ¡°Even though it¡¯s supposed to be a social meeting, it¡¯s actually a bragging meeting.¡± Rimmer snickered and shook his hand. ¡°The kids imitate the adults and say stuff like ¡®I¡¯m better than you¡¯, ¡®you are better than me¡¯. It¡¯s pretty fun to watch.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s not exactly wrong.¡± The Gambling Monster nodded in agreement even though he was still acting aggressively towards Rimmer. ¡°They even hold spars between the brats in the social meeting. It should be the perfect ce for you to find sparring opponents, as they¡¯ve learned the best martial arts properly despite being young.¡± ¡°Moreover, guys usually like to show off because they want to look cool in front of the girls. They will start picking a fight on their own even if you don¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Raon nodded. ¡®I can already see it happening.¡¯ Young warriors were usually impatient and didn¡¯t have many opportunities to use their skills. Since it was a gathering of young warriors from the strongest factions¡ªthe Six Kings¡ªand men and women would be in the same ce, they were bound to contend for supremacy for one reason or another. ¡°That sounds pretty good.¡± Although he should¡¯ve been far weaker than them, experiencing the best martial arts of the other Six Kings with his eyes and body should allow a drastic improvement to his realm. ¡°Actually, your participation ispulsory.¡± ¡°Compulsory?¡± ¡°Yes. The lord¡¯s manor sent an official document stating that you must participate no matter what. You should get ready¡ªthey are departing in a week.¡± The Gambling Monster murmured that he shouldin to them if he wanted to refuse. ¡°Is the head of house also going there?¡± ¡°The head of house has never personally attended the conference. He¡¯s always sent a proxy instead. That hoodlum has also acted as a proxy once.¡± ¡°Ah, indeed.¡± He pointed at Rimmer, and Rimmer waved his hand with a grin on his face. ¡°Where¡¯s the location?¡± ¡°Owen.¡± ¡°Owen¡­¡± The name Owen reminded him of their third prince, Greer se Owen, whom he met when he was a trainee. Since a long time had passed since they¡¯dst met in Cameloon, Raon guessed that he must¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger since then. ¡°The Conference of the Six Kings will be more helpful than you think.¡± Rimmer chuckled and drew a small circle with his finger. ¡°Because kids aren¡¯t the only ones who will be participating.¡± He climbed the training ground¡¯s wall after telling him to look forward to it. ¡°Where do you think you are going? I told you we need to talk!¡± ¡°Ah, let me go! Why do the old men love me so much?¡± The Gambling Monster hurriedly chased after him when he realized he was running away, but Rimmer had already jumped under the wall. ¡°Argh¡­¡± The Gambling Monster ground his teeth while ring at the wall that Rimmer had climbed over. ¡°Why is he turning into a kid?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He¡¯s always been like that.¡± ¡°He¡¯s like a troublemaker brat.¡± ¡°Then would you be my opponent instead of the brat, Sir Gambling Monster?¡± Raon smiled faintly and walked towards the Gambling Monster. ¡°I received some enlightenment when I was kidnapped. I¡¯d like to piece it together.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± The Gambling Monster eximed and furrowed his brows. ¡°I thought my eyes were ying a trick on me because of how much aura you had when I first saw you, but that wasn¡¯t the case. How did you get stronger than before when you were kidnapped by Eden, out of all groups?!¡± ¡°I know it sounds strange, but it just happened.¡± Raon simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°You must be aware that I¡¯ve been craving revenge.¡± The Gambling Monster smiled coldly and raised his sword. ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded and clenched Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. ¡°Come at me.¡± As soon as the Gambling Monster bobbed his finger, Raon stomped the ground. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat dashed through his mana circuits, which had be even thicker and broader after recovering from his injuries. The powerful energy engulfed his entire body in an instant to create a crimson me on Heavenly Drive. ¡°Hmm!¡± The Gambling Monster¡¯s pupils expanded upon witnessing how quickly he was controlling his aura. Raon loosened his grip slightly and finished drawing Heavenly Drive. Cring! A clear sword resonance burst from the violent scratch of the de on the scabbard. The Blue Rain¡¯s resonance dashed towards the Gambling Monster¡¯s eardrums, even more powerful than before. ng! Although the Blue Rain¡¯s speed and power were iparable to the past, the Gambling Monster shed the aura wave inside the sound with a simple swing of his sword. ¡°You¡­¡± However, the Gambling Monster¡¯s face didn¡¯t look too good. His extremely distorted face revealed his feelings¡ªhe¡¯d witnessed something that shouldn¡¯t have been possible. ¡°It¡¯s not just your aura, but even your swordsmanship has improved. What did you even eat over there?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too early to be surprised.¡± Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to advance. When his diagonal sh was about to reach the Gambling Monster, des rained down from the thin air. The energy spreading from the dark des felt powerful enough to shatter the earth. Thud! Raon regained his posture by using the River Footwork before shing Heavenly Drive upwards. The Fangs of Insanity¡¯s ferocious teeth dwelling on the silver de roared violently. ang! The earth-shattering strike from the Gambling Monster and the sky-splitting strike from Raon shed in the middle. ng! As soon as the two swords bounced away from each other, Raon and the Gambling Monster used their footwork to advance once again. Whap! Raon engulfed his de with the rotating me of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and shed downwards. It almost looked like the sun covering the entire sky after turning into a sword to fall upon him. ¡°Hmm!¡± The Gambling Monster frowned and swirled his sword. His de multiplied in a conical shape to create dozens of ck lines. ang! Raon and the Gambling Monster were pushed back at the same time from the frontal sh between the swords. Pssh! A long cut on the Gambling Monster¡¯s sleeve was making it flutter in the air. ¡°You¡­¡± He frowned while looking at therge cut on his sleeve. ¡°Was it the same technique you used during our first fight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°I chose it because that way, I can show you how much stronger I¡¯ve gotten.¡± He used the exact same technique that he¡¯d used during the Promise of Three. He wanted the Gambling Monster to witness his growth, and he looked even more surprised than he thought. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous how much stronger you got. I almost want to pull your hair out in irritation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a relief that I have lots of hair.¡± ¡°And your arrogance also became worse.¡± The Gambling Monster smiled coldly as he pointed his sword forward. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the real fight.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Raon nodded and increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output to the maximum. They kicked the ground at the same time, and the two swords showed their fangs against each other¡¯s necks. ang! * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * ¡°Wow!¡± Rimmer eximed while watching the fight between Raon and the Gambling Monster from above a tree behind the fifth training ground. ¡°This is great.¡± He took out the liquor bottle hanging around his waist and gulped it down. Drinking the cool and sweet liquor was awakening his mind. The liquor and weather were both great, and the fight was icing on the cake. ¡°By the way.¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes as he watched Raon push the Gambling Monster back. ¡°He got stronger once again.¡± He was surprised when he saw him at Eden¡¯s branch because he was already stronger than before, but he¡¯d gotten even stronger than he was then. He couldn¡¯t understand how he managed to increase his realm when he¡¯d been bedridden all along. ¡°Is he sucking away the powers of an extremely powerful existence or something?¡± It waspletely nonsensical, but he couldn¡¯t help imagining it. It was normally impossible to grow so quickly, after all. ¡®He should be able to defeat even an advanced Master right now.¡¯ Even though Raon was an intermediate Master, Rimmer had the feeling that he would be able to defeat an advanced Master if he tried. ¡®This is terrifying.¡¯ It was frightening to think that a neen-year-old monster who kept getting stronger all the time could even exist. Rimmer thought he would have nightmares every day if he were an enemy of such a person. ¡®That geezer must be feeling a chill running down his spine right now.¡¯ It looked like the Gambling Monster was soon going to have to fight with his full power, considering the rate of Raon¡¯s growth. Rimmer was relieved that he wasn¡¯t the one facing him. ¡°The Conference of the Six Kings¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips while watching Raon control fire and ice at the same time. ¡®It¡¯s going to be interesting.¡¯ The only reason Zieghart¡¯s reputation was piercing through the sky was the head of house. Although Raon had shown his heroic side, he ended up getting kidnapped and he only managed to escape through others¡¯ help. ¡®Which means, Raon¡­ Will be most likely looked down on during the conference.¡¯ Raon became famous throughout the continent until the incident because of his continuous victories against the apostles and Eden¡¯s demons, but peoplepletely stopped talking about his might after the kidnapping urred. Glenn was all everyone was talking about, and no one even mentioned Raon¡¯s might. Rimmer could guess that there would be enough people picking a fight with Raon at the Conference of the Six Kings to fill a cart. ¡®Ah, this is going to be so fun.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t hold back his smile in anticipation of the monster trampling over the arrogant children of the Six Kings. ¡®They are going to need at least the Twelve Stars of the Continent if they want to stop Raon.¡¯ Even though the Twelve Stars of the Continent were expected to be the supreme beings in the future, that was how strong they needed to be to stop Raon. Someone with poor skills wouldn¡¯t even be able to swing their sword against him. Rimmer grinned and finished emptying the bottle. ¡°I need to follow him.¡± Since Glenn wasn¡¯t going to participate in the Conference of the Six Kings anyway, he decided to follow Sheryl, who should be acting as the proxy, to have some fun. He wanted to enjoy watching the great descendants of the Six Kings be trampled over by Raon¡¯s feet. ¡°You damn bastard! Fine! Let¡¯s see the bitter end!¡± The Gambling Monster ground his teeth and lowered his finger. ck energy spread out from the ground under his feet to engulf Raon¡¯s body. ¡°Hmm.¡± Even though Raon was getting dragged into the Gambling Monster¡¯s sword field, he didn¡¯t seem surprised at all and watched him with sparkling eyes instead. It almost looked like he was probing something. ¡°Huh?¡± Rimmer gasped while watching Raon disappear into the dark sphere. ¡®Is he already probing into the sword field? In this case¡­¡¯ He could even trample half of the Twelve Stars of the Continent. * * * Zieghart Lord¡¯s Manor Audience Chamber Glenn¡¯s lips slowly parted as he looked at Martha, who was lowering her head. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Martha slowly raised her head. Her eyes were clear and straight, without any sign of wavering. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± The colors of her eyes and hair, and even her appearance were extremely simr to the White Blood Religion''s leader. Her body must¡¯ve originally belonged to Martha¡¯s family, just as Raon suspected. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Martha nodded firmly. ¡°I heard that even the head of house mentioned that there should be an opportunity to save my mother. I have no time for sadness or despair when my mother is going through difficult times.¡± Her eyes were frighteningly calm. She seemed topletely believe in what Glenn and Raon had said. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear that.¡± Glenn smiled faintly. He was nning to scold her if she was depressed, but her clear eyes made him proud. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask a question.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°What should I do to get stronger?¡± Martha bit her lips tightly. ¡°You are already pretty strong, even if we don¡¯t consider your age. Trying to advance at a faster pace would turn you into a sandcastle with holes in it.¡± ¡°But Raon¡­¡± ¡°Raon is iparable to even myself in the past. His advance has apletely different pace, so you shouldn¡¯t try to catch up to him. Try to learn from behind him instead.¡± Glenn slowly closed his eyes before opening them. ¡°Your strength is your instinct that allows you to notice the enemy¡¯s weakness and your swordsmanship thatbines attack and defense through Titan¡¯s aura. You are currently nurturing your power by focusing on that strength, but you should try arger variety.¡± ¡°Arger variety¡­¡± ¡°You should watch the other martial arts and learn them to understand their pros and cons by yourself. You are still too young to narrow down your choice. You need to experience arger variety if you want to reach higher and further.¡± He smiled gently and raised his hand. ¡°The Conference of the Six Kings will be held. You shall join it as well.¡± ¡°Understood. May I ask another question?¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Glenn nodded, and Martha bit her lip tightly before she opened her mouth. ¡°W-will I be able to use the Sword Field Creation?¡± ¡°Sword Field Creation is a bloodline martial art that is only avable to Zieghart¡¯s lineage. It¡¯s impossible for you to use it since there¡¯s not even a faint trace of Zieghart blood in you¡­ was what I used to think. However, you must know that there¡¯s a man who broke that rule.¡± ¡°The squad leader¡­¡± ¡°He maximized the power of his affinity to make up for the flow dwelling in Zieghart''s blood. You should be able to gain some hints if you ask him directly. However, I don¡¯t exactly rmend it.¡± He nodded, telling her to ask Rimmer about it if she was really curious about it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Martha straightened her back and bowed confidently. ¡°You may leave.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She turned around without hesitation and left the audience chamber. ¡°I like her confident behavior.¡± A refreshing smile appeared on Sheryl¡¯s face as she looked at the door Martha had left through. ¡°Yes. I was worried about her, but she seems even more determined.¡± Roenn also smiled faintly as he nodded. ¡°Denier got himself a really nice daughter. I¡¯m looking forward to her future.¡± Glenn also nodded. He seemed satisfied with the conversation he had with Martha. ¡°Then how about you act the same way towards Raon? It was perfect today.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Roenn narrowed his eyes, and Glenn turned around while clearing his throat. ¡®I know I should.¡¯ And he obviously wanted to do so. He wanted to be kind towards Raon, but his body and face stiffened whenever he saw Raon. ¡°My lord.¡± Sheryl stepped forward and stood in front of Glenn. ¡°Shall I participate in the Conference of the Six Kings just like thest time?¡± Glenn had never participated in the Conference of the Six Kings before. She figured he wasn¡¯t nning to participate like always and volunteered to go. ¡°Since we will be bringing Raon and the children, I shall¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Glenn slowly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be going this time.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Sheryl and Roenn widened their eyes at the same time. Their faces were filled with astonishment because it waspletely unexpected. ¡°Are you really nning to join the conference in person, my lord?¡± ¡°Are you sure about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time I joined.¡± Glenn closed his eyes as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°And I could brag about him, too.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Glenn shook his head towards those two and suddenly furrowed his brows. ¡°Sheryl, Roenn.¡± Glenn called their names with a serious face. ¡°Stay outside for a while.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They stared at Glenn¡¯s stiffened expression before they nodded and left the audience chamber. Cring! Glenn raised his chin inside the audience chamber, which had been engulfed in silence. ¡°Come forward.¡± As soon as his quiet voice faded away, a dimensional rift was created in front of the door. Cring! The space was torn apart like paper and an old man with long blond hair hanging down his back came walking out. A mysterious, otherworldly atmosphere and an overwhelming flow of mana surrounded him at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± The old blond man walked to the center of the audience chamber, supporting himself on a cane. The weak resonance of his voice felt like it wasing from an entirely different world. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a very long time.¡± Glenn furrowed his brows while looking down on the old man. ¡°Lord.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 309

Chapter 309

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 309 ¡°Glenn Zieghart.¡± The old blond man called Lord narrowed his eyes while looking up at Glenn. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t need to exin the reason for my visit, as you should already be aware of it.¡± ¡°The reason, you say¡­¡± Glenn shook his head slightly while looking down at the old man. ¡°The deal with the dragon should be already over.¡± ¡°Are you ying with words even though you are already aware? This is not like you.¡± The old man¡¯s gaze looked slightly angry as he scolded him. ¡°What is like me? Were we friendly enough to tell each other something like that?¡± Glennughed coldly while supporting his chin on the back of his hand. ¡®What an annoying visitor.¡¯ The old blond man in front of his eyes was a dragon. Moreover, he was the dragon lord whomanded all other dragons. Because he always brought bad news with his visits, Glenn was getting irritated just from seeing his face. ¡°Haa, fine. In that case, I¡¯ll tell you this personally.¡± The dragon lord briefly clicked his tongue and straightened his back and neck. His elegant attitude seemed to be the definition of nobility itself. ¡°As I mentioned before, your might is powerful enough to destroy the bnce of the continent. You even surpass us, the mediators of the world.¡± His eyes, directed at Glenn, looked slightly frustrated. ¡°It was the case for both the ancestor of Zieghart and you. I don¡¯t understand how a human being managed to gain such power, but that power is wrong.¡± ¡°Wrong?¡± ¡°Your power is bound to destroy the heart of the world the more you use it. It¡¯s a power that even ignores causality.¡± ¡°But the dragon''s power also destroys the bnce. It¡¯sughable for the strongest race to say such a thing.¡± Glenn snorted at the dragon lord. ¡°We slowly umte our power over a long period of time. We are different from you, who managed to reach heaven in less than a hundred years, which is an extremely short time inparison.¡± The dragon lord frowned slightly while making a long line with his finger. ¡°Are you asking me to stay here doing nothing when my family is kidnapped? Even though I have the power to save him?¡± ¡°You should look at the bigger picture. Even family is nothing but a speckpared to the world. Someone like you, who managed to reach heaven, should think about the great cause, the flow of the world, and the bnce.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°What did you just say¡­?¡± ¡°I said it was bullshit.¡± Glenn¡¯s smile deepened, and a powerful murderous intent emerged from him to cover the room. ¡°The dragons flock together to annihte the race of those who harm your hatchlings whenever it happens, yet you speak such bullshit in front of me?¡± ¡®Hatchling¡¯ designated dragons who were less than 500 years old, and they were protected by every dragon in the world. Multiple kingdoms and houses had been annihted by groups of dragons after attacking a hatchling. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± The dragon lord was unable to respond and furrowed his brows. ¡°We are different from humans! The dragons have the mission to protect the bnce of the continent and mediate the distortions¡­¡± ¡°In the end, you are applying a double standard where you are allowed to do anything you wish while we aren¡¯t. It¡¯s such aughable thing to say for the ones who call themselves the protectors and the mediators of the continent. I guess that attitude is the very reason why you let him escape back then. No, it should be more correct to say that he managed to run away.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Great cause, the bnce of the continent, or whatever¡ªI allowed myself to be tricked by that tongue of yours in the past, but this time will be different.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t be described as cold anymore as he red at the dragon lord with a frightening gaze. ¡°My grandson is more precious than hundreds of your hatchlings. I don¡¯t regret what I did, so you should shut your mouth and leave.¡± ¡°You should already be aware.¡± The dragon lord bit his lip instead of leaving. ¡°You don¡¯t have much time left. This incident must¡¯ve further shortened that short time you have.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Glenn Zieghart. The cause you left behind will return as a greater result to engulf this house. It¡¯s not toote to reconside¡ª¡± ¡°Bullshit again.¡± Glenn¡¯s dry voice blocked the dragon lord¡¯s throat. ¡°I¡¯ll be bringing my karma with me. I won¡¯t be passing it to anyone else.¡± ¡°I-if you do such a thing, even if it¡¯s you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if I can¡¯t ascend to heaven.¡± His sedate eyes didn¡¯t show any sign of wavering. ¡°Because I¡¯ve never followed a given path. It was the case in the past, and it remains true in the present.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Once more.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze was directed at the dragon lord. The energy wave emanating from his determined eyes was sharp enough to make a chill run down his spine. ¡°You¡¯d better have enough resolution if you try attacking my children. I¡¯ll cut down every single dragon¡¯s throat in the world, even if it results in the continent¡¯s copse or annihtion.¡± He brought his hand to the hilt of his sword, as if he would start fighting him at any moment. ¡°Haah¡­ It¡¯se to this. We don¡¯t have any intention of fighting you. However¡­¡± The dragon lord sighed and raised his finger. The space behind them split apart and opened a new dimension, just like when he first appeared. ¡°You are definitely going to regret it if you disregard my advice, Glenn Zieghart.¡± He shook his head and disappeared into the dimensional rift. ¡°Regret?¡± Glennughed coldly while looking at the space where the dragon lord disappeared from. ¡°I¡¯ve always had regrets in my heart.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Cring! The dark sphere covering the entire training ground split apart, and Raon and the Gambling Monster jumped out at the same time. ¡°Ahem.¡± The Gambling Monster frowned while looking at the disappearing sword field. ¡°You got used to it even faster than before, even though I increased the number of dark des¡­¡± Even though he was more serious than the first time they fought, Raon managed to break through the sword field a lot easier than before. It was so ridiculous that it only left the Gambling Monster with bitterughter. ¡®He didn¡¯t just get stronger. He¡¯s getting closer to the sword field.¡¯ Considering the fact that he even managed to determine the location of a de that he had thoroughly hidden in a way that even sound wouldn¡¯t give away its location, Raon must¡¯ve taken a step towards the true meaning of the Sword Field Creation instead of simply increasing his realm and amount of aura. ¡®I can only describe him as a madman.¡¯ Raon was nothing but a neen-year-old brat. Although it was an age where people could barely use their aura de, that monstrous young man had not only reached the intermediate level of Master but had also gotten close to achieving the sword field. It felt like his soul was being pulled out of his body. ¡°You bastard, what did you even do in Eden?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe he was simply kidnapped there no matter how he thought about it. He must¡¯ve taken some elixirs and received some swordsmanship lessons from someone. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at the Gambling Monster¡¯s surprise. ¡°I guess it can be called training.¡± He¡¯d gotten two elixirs out of Merlin, raised his fighting sense from sparring with Unfaceable Snake, and wore masks to absorb their souls. When he thought about it, it wasn¡¯t excessive to say that it was an even better training regimen than what he did in the house. ¡°Haa, I¡¯m getting a headache. I¡¯m so tired of you.¡± The Gambling Monster murmured that he was going to need a drink and left the training ground. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and sighed. ¡®This feels a bit insufficient.¡¯ He felt slightly bitter because the match ended when it was just getting interesting. He wanted to swing his sword a bit more. ¡®I should go around to look for the squad leader tomorrow.¡¯ Shitty Ears? ¡®Yes. I think he will serve as a warm-up if I tell him I¡¯d like to check how much aura he¡¯s gained.¡¯ ¡­He¡¯ll be wailing again tomorrow. Wrath slowly closed his eyes while saying, ¡®Rest in peace, Shitty Ears.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll go easy on him.¡¯ The King of Essence guarantees that your definition of easy and Shitty Ears¡¯s definition of easy are as different as mint chocte and cookie and cream. ¡®Cookie and cream is better, right? Bullshit! Mint chocte is obviously way better! ¡®I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ Just as he was about to start training on his own while talking about useless things with Wrath, the door was opened once again and the Shadow Agents¡¯ leader, Chad, entered the training ground. ¡°Shadow Agents¡¯ leader?¡± ¡°Sir Raon, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± Chad walked up to him and smiled faintly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Raon lowered his head and examined Chad¡¯s condition at the same time. He had an awkward expression on his face, and he couldn¡¯t look straight at him. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ When Chad gave him the information about Grand Seville, it didn¡¯t mention anything about the seventh apostle, let alone the tenth apostle. He must¡¯ve suffered a lot because of the kidnapping incident. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not exactly the Shadow Agents¡¯ fault.¡¯ Even Denning Rose wasn¡¯t aware of the apostles¡¯ and Merlin¡¯s presence despite being the ck Market¡¯s branch manager for Grand Seville. It was only natural for the Shadow Agents¡¯ leader to be ignorant about them since he was far from there. ¡®But regardless of that¡­¡¯ He still couldn¡¯t trust Chad. There were too many suspicious aspects of his behavior. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Chad immediately lowered his head despite his position. ¡°I should¡¯ve investigated more thoroughly, but I made a mistake that ended up causing trouble for Sir Raon. I¡¯m really sorry!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon shook his hand. He was somewhat expecting that he was going to apologize, but such a polite apology was beyond his expectations. ¡°Even the ck Market wasn¡¯t aware of them. It would¡¯ve been impossible for the Shadow Agents to know about the tenth apostle or Merlin¡¯s presence.¡± ¡°Even then! I didn¡¯t do my job as the Shadow Agents¡¯ leader!¡± Chad bowed at 90 degrees and lowered his head. ¡®I definitely can¡¯t leave a bad impression here!¡¯ The incident confirmed Chad¡¯s suspicion. The person that the head of house cherished the most wasn¡¯t his son nor his daughter, but his youngest grandson, Raon Zieghart. If he ended up leaving a bad impression on him, his head would be separated from his body regardless of his position as the Shadow Agents¡¯ leader. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this.¡± Raon grabbed Chad¡¯s shoulder and forced him to stand. ¡®He¡¯s really strange.¡¯ Just like Raon mentioned, the Shadow Agents weren''t at fault for the incident. It was understandable to apologize, but there was no reason for such an excessive apology. ¡®I think he¡¯s doing this to gain my trust¡­¡¯ Chad¡¯s actions and words were excessive. That was the only conclusion he could make the more he thought about it. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t be suspicious. ¡®Is it Karoon or Balder¡¯s doing? No, it might be another one from the direct line.¡¯ Since the war against the external threat had ended, it was totally possible that someone from inside would start picking a fight or causing trouble. ¡°Please ept this.¡± . Chad offered him a wooden box. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a tonic. It can invigorate your stamina and willpower. I heard you werepletely recovered, but I brought it for you just in case.¡± He also brought a brochure from his inner pocket. ¡°I¡¯ve written down here the list of people and circumstances you should watch out for during the Conference of the Six Kings. Please use it as a reference!¡± ¡°Ehh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Chad lowered his head once again before he turned around. ¡®Alright, perfect.¡¯ The mistake couldn¡¯t be helped, but the clean-up was perfect. He had the feeling that it perfectly worked, considering Raon¡¯s expression. ¡®Of course it would.¡¯ Since he gave him an expensive tonic and information about the Conference of the Six Kings, he was bound to be happy about them. Chad was satisfied with the result as he left the fifth training ground. * * * Raon frowned while watching Chad¡¯s back as he got further away. ¡®He¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Nothing is free in the world. The kindnessing from someone you aren¡¯t even close with holds the biggest potential danger. Wrath was also murmuring that something was wrong while looking at Chad. ¡®I see.¡¯ Even the assassination lessons taught him to not trust any kindness without a proper reason. Raon narrowed his eyes while fiddling with Chad¡¯s tonic. ¡®Chad¡­ I need to be wary of him.¡¯ * * * One weekter, countless swordsmen were lined up on both sides of Zieghart¡¯s main gate. They were positioned there in order to send Glenn off to Owen. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon also finished his preparations and was looking at the Light Wind squad¡¯s back while standing at the center. ¡®Martha looks okay now.¡¯ There was no sign of resignation nor despair in her, and the advice he gave Martha must¡¯ve been helpful. She looked even more energetic than usual. ¡®Burren and Runaan are the same as always.¡¯ The mere fact that Burren was participating in the Conference of the Six Kings was enough to cover his face with a happy grin, and Runaan didn¡¯t have her sharp gaze anymore, once more staring nkly at the sky. Raon felt relieved when he saw that she wasn¡¯t even moving when a butterfly flew over her tond on her head. ¡®But those guys¡­¡¯ Did they actually practice in the meantime? He thought they¡¯d been idling around because he hadn¡¯t seen them in the training ground over the past two weeks, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. The auras and realms of the Light Wind swordsmen had both increased in that short time period. Considering how apparent their improvement was, Raon could guess that they kept practicing without even getting enough sleep. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ He even started to think that he was thezy one after witnessing their achievements. While he was surprised, he also felt proud of them at the same time. It¡¯s nothing special. Wrath shook his head while looking at the Light Wind squad from above his head. The ones who realize their own ipetence and resolve to ovee it are bound to get stronger. ¡®Ipetence?¡¯ They were watching you get kidnapped right in front of their eyes. That despair became the driving force for them to act. ¡®¡­I see.¡¯ His heart felt like it was burning upon realizing why they kept swinging their swords even during the holiday. ¡°The head of house ising out!¡± Upon hearing the majestic voiceing from behind them, all of the swordsmen standing on the sides and the swordsmen who were waiting for departure went to their knees at once. ¡°Greeting my lord!¡± Raon also knelt and lowered his head. Glenn walked past him with the footsteps of a conqueror. The terrifying might, which he could feel better thanks to his development, flew along his shoulder and goosebumps rose on his skin. ¡°Rise.¡± Glenn mounted on his horse in front of everyone just like thest time. Raon had the feeling once again that he must¡¯ve been the type of leader who carved the path in front of his subordinates. He was theplete opposite of Derus Robert, who always sent his subordinates ahead of him. ¡°I¡¯m not asking much from you.¡± Glenn looked around. His red eyes reflected hisposure. ¡°Just show them what is currently dwelling in Zieghart.¡± It was the only thing he said before he took the lead and advanced. Roenn followed him from his left, and Sheryl was moving on his right. The Heavenly de division was protecting him with a tremendous amount of aura des emanating from them. The way they followed Glenn unconditionally, without any sign of doubt, resembled the way the Light Wind squad cared about Raon. Raon clenched his fist while looking at Glenn at the very front. ¡®I¡¯m not nning to be the head of house, but I want to take after the head of house.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t his absolute power that he wanted to take after. He wanted to be a man who fought in front of everyone to lead hispanions with his back. Raon advanced while engraving Glenn¡¯s back in his eyes and mind. * * * ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°All hail the Zieghart!¡± ¡°Glenn Zieghart!¡± ¡°Destructive King of the North! Destructive King of the North! Destructive King of the North!¡± When they reached Tortin City in Owen Kingdom¡¯s vicinity, the citizens came out to shout Zieghart¡¯s name¡ªor, more specifically, Glenn Zieghart¡¯s name. Countless people¡¯s gazes were all focused on Glenn. It was a natural oue, as he managed to defeat the Fallen and the White Blood Religion''s leaders¡ªwho were pretty much catastrophes for ordinary people¡ªon his own. Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen proudly crossed the city as if thepliment directed at Glenn was also apliment to them. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Destructive King of the North! Destructive King of the North!¡± ¡°Glenn Zieghart!¡± Glenn turned around even though he was heading to the inn regardless of the people¡¯s cheers and waves. He waved his hand at Raon to ask him toe forward. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Raon stepped up next to Glenn and started walking at the same speed as him. ¡°Can you hear those cheers?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The only reason they are currently shouting Zieghart¡¯s name is me.¡± Glenn¡¯s cold gaze looked around the people. ¡°They are cheering like that because I crushed the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen.¡± He was right, as most of the cheers were calling Glenn¡¯s name. ¡°Then what do you think would happen if I was gone?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Raon avoided answering, as he wasn¡¯t sure what exactly he was asking. ¡°The cheers will be put in the dirt, and the malice that was being suppressed by Zieghart¡ªor myself more specifically¡ªwill arise like a raging fire. What are you going to do if they all start nning to attack Zieghart?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon slowly closed his eyes. Glenn must¡¯ve been thinking about what would happen after his death. He wasn¡¯t sure why he was asking him that question, but he tried imagining such a future, as it was a good opportunity to organize the recent thoughts he had. ¡®My previous self would¡¯ve simply left.¡¯ If it was before Eden had kidnapped him, he would¡¯ve simply left the house along with the annex building¡¯s people. Zieghart didn¡¯t hold any meaning to him back then. ¡®But it¡¯s different now.¡¯ The incident drastically changed the meaning of Zieghart in his head. Regardless of the house, people, and the annex building, he couldn¡¯t separate himself from Zieghart''s name anymore. If the house ended up disappointing him, he¡¯d rather cut off the dirty parts than leave it. ¡®In that case, I shall do what I¡¯m best at.¡¯ He wanted to help the house no matter how small it would be. ¡°I¡¯ll work them to the bone.¡± ¡°Work them to the bone? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯d make Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen train so hard that they would rather die to make them stronger. I¡¯d make people fear the Zieghart name itself, rather than the single leader, Glenn Zieghart.¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at the setting sun. ¡°The sun rises again after it sets. I think the same goes for the house¡¯s name. The house might set for a moment after the head of house¡¯s disappearance, but I¡¯ll create an unbreakable solid foothold by working everyone to the bone so that the house can rise once again.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you would be the head of house?¡± ¡°I have no intention to do so. I¡¯ll be simply doing my job in my own position.¡± He shook his head firmly, as he wasn¡¯t really interested in bing the head of house. ¡°I see.¡± After a somewhat stiff nod, Glenn averted his gaze. He didn¡¯t even seem interested in him anymore. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lip before returning to his position. ¡®Is he not satisfied with my answer?¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be helped even if that was the case. It was his honest answer, and he didn¡¯t regret it. * * * That night, a powerful tremor spread out from the mountain surrounding Tortin City. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn exhaled faintly while leaning his back against therge boulder that was split in half. ¡°What an absurd amount of wisdom!¡± When he asked Raon about the future, he believed that there was only one possible answer. He thought Raon would say that he would get stronger to be a wall to protect the house. It was a ssic answer, but it was the most suitable one for that situation. Anyone would¡¯ve said the same, after all. However, Raon was different. ¡®He said he¡¯d work everyone to the bone¡­¡¯ Instead of getting stronger by himself, he intended to get stronger alongside everyone. His will to grow as a house instead of an individual left a huge impression on his heart. ¡®Because that has been my objective since I was enlightened.¡¯ That was the true objective that he managed to reach after a long time of confusion, yet Raon had already reached it. He couldn¡¯t suppress his smile because of how happy he was. He barely managed to stop his urge to hug Raon tightly. ¡°Isn¡¯t he trulyudable?¡± ¡°He is.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sheryl and Roenn, standing next to Glenn, nodded at once to his question. ¡°Raon seems to have realized the meaning of the house through this incident.¡± A gentle smile appeared on Sheryl¡¯s face. ¡°Yes. His mind is maturing alongside his might. I¡¯m looking forward to his future even more now.¡± Roenn also smiled happily while looking at Glenn. ¡°I¡¯m not saying this because he¡¯s my grandson, but he will make it big. I wish everyone knew what kind of boy Raon is.¡± Glenn frowned in irritation. ¡°You should write down what he said today. It was an exemry answer that everyone should follow.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed deeply at Glenn. ¡°Rather than that, you should first let him know that you cherish your grandson.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 310 ¡°I¡¯m so sick of it.¡± Rimmer shook his head while returning to his room. ¡®Why the hell can¡¯t he just say it?¡¯ He could understand Glenn¡¯s determination to not hug Raon with his hands full of regrets. However, he couldn¡¯t understand why he kept acting like a coldhearted man. ¡®He loves him so much¡­¡¯ Ultimately, Glenn made Roenn write Raon¡¯s words in a notebook. He was going as far as making an analect for his grandson, and Rimmer was baffled at how he couldn¡¯t even express his love despite that. ¡°Haa.¡± Rimmer sighed deeply and closed his eyes. ¡®He never listens even though I kept telling him.¡¯ He told him to reveal his heart at least if he couldn¡¯t bring himself to approach, but Glenn refused to take his advice with his stubborn head and kept frowning at Raon with a cold attitude. ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore.¡± His head hurt even more than when he forced himself to gamble. He wanted to just drink some sweet liquor and fall asleep. ¡°Hmm?¡± Just as he reached the foot of the mountain and was about to enter the city, he could feel multiple presences from the bushes. ¡°Come out.¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes and bobbed his fingers. With a rustling sound from the bushes on his right, Martha¡ªher hair as dark as the night sky and flowing down on her shoulders¡ªstepped out. ¡°You should¡¯ve told me earlier if you knew I was here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what you should be saying when you were the one hiding¡­¡± Rimmerughed bitterly with a sour expression on his face. ¡°What brought you here?¡± ¡°I was trying to visit the squad leader, but you suddenly went outside the city. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been waiting here.¡± Martha must¡¯ve seen him climb the mountain after Glenn. ¡°You should¡¯ve waited at the inn.¡± ¡°I have a personal request.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Rimmer created an aura barrier and leaned his back against a tree. ¡°I want to learn the Sword Field Creation.¡± An unwavering determination could be seen in Martha¡¯s ck eyes as they stared at him. ¡°Sword Field Creation, I see¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips before looking at the bushes on his left. ¡°You shoulde out as well.¡± Once he told them toe out, Runaan slowly crawled out from the bushes on the left, and Burren jumped down from the tree behind him. ¡°Wh-what?! Were you here this whole time?¡± Rimmer chuckled at Martha¡¯s surprise. She was apparently unaware that they¡¯d been following her because she was too focused on trailing him. ¡°Sword Field Creation. Me, too.¡± Runaan quietly raised her hand. She apparently also wanted to learn the Sword Field Creation. ¡°I¡¯d also like to learn!¡± Burren straightened his neck and shouted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? This is so annoying.¡± Rimmer slowly shook his hand at the three of them. ¡°I told you before, it¡¯s rare to find anyone at your level even among the Six Kings. No, there should be almost no one like that.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. Because they went through life-and-death crises multiple times alongside Raon, the Light Wind squad was pretty much the strongest among their age group. It just didn¡¯t feel like it because Raon was far too strong. That said, they would be treated as future prospects wherever they went. ¡°That¡¯s not enough.¡± Martha stepped up while biting his lip. ¡°The bastards that I need to y are far above the sky. I won¡¯t be able to fight them as long as my feet remain on the ground!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. Martha¡¯s enemies were the tenth apostle and the White Blood Religion''s leader¡ªand the White Blood Religion''s leader was a real monster that Rimmer himself wouldn¡¯t be a match against even if he regained his powers. ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°Raon and Martha are mypanions. I don¡¯t want to stand and watch them being kidnapped or suffer anymore.¡± Burren clenched his fist, saying that the enemies of hispanions were also his enemies. ¡°¡­I agree.¡± Runaan was trying to say something, but she must¡¯ve found it annoying since she simply gave a big nod in agreement. ¡°Sh-shut up! It¡¯s my own business! You stay out of¡ª¡± ¡°As long as you belong to the Light Wind squad, nothing is your own business.¡± When Martha was trying to shake her hand, Raon fell from the tree Burren had jumped down from. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Raon?¡± ¡°Wh-what?! How are youing down from there? I¡¯m sure no one was around me!¡± Martha¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, Runaan¡¯s eyes were sparkling, and Burren looked like he¡¯d just seen a ghost as he stepped back. ¡°I figured it¡¯d be fun because I saw you moving one after the other.¡± Raon simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°You¡¯ve changed so much.¡± Rimmer giggled while looking at the four of them. ¡°Martha, Raon is right.¡± He shook his head at Martha, who was frowning. ¡°No one in the Light Wind squad currently considers a squad member¡¯s circumstance as none of their business. That is even more true after Raon¡¯s kidnapping incident. You should know that better than anyone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°If you are going to deal with them on your own because it¡¯s your own business, I¡¯m also going to fight the White Blood Religion on my own ord.¡± Raon raised his chin aftering to stand next to Martha. ¡°Me, too.¡± Runaan came up to her from the other side and gave a small push to her shoulder with her own. She seemed slightly grumpy because of what Martha had said. ¡°And of course, I¡¯m also with you. No, just like the squad leader said, the entire Light Wind squad will be with you, even if we all end up dying together!¡± Burren snorted with his arms crossed. He looked like he was never going to yield. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Martha clenched her teeth but was unable to keep talking and closed her mouth. ¡°Martha.¡± Rimmer leaned forward slightly to meet Martha¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m a bit embarrassed to advise you because I¡¯ve almost never acted like a proper teacher, but the pain halves if you share it. Once you harden your heart, you should consider telling yourpanions about your circumstances. It should take a burden off your heart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Martha didn¡¯t respond, but she didn¡¯t seem to dislike the idea. p! Rimmer gathered everyone¡¯s attention with a loud pping of his hands. ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about the main issue. You all want to learn the Sword Field Creation, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I do!¡± ¡°I¡¯m honestly annoyed by this, but you found the right person.¡± Rimmer nodded confidently. ¡°Because I had to work so hard while shedding blood, sweat, and tears in order to create a Sword Field that was supposedly unique to Zieghart¡¯s bloodline.¡± He sniffled while wiping his nonexistent tears. ¡°Thanks to my recovery, I even created the principles to minimize the side effects.¡± ¡°I-in that case¡­¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t simply give away the secret method that contains my tremendous amount of effort.¡± He was going to tell them anyway, but he was nning to get back some of the money that Raon had extorted from him. Rimmer curved his thumb and index finger to create a circle. The gesture signified gold coins. ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything to you if you give fifty of them. For instance¡­¡± As soon as he said that, the sound of a heavy object falling on the ground could be heard. It was the gold pouch that Raon immediately threw at him. ¡°You can start now.¡± Raon bobbed his finger, urging him to continue. ¡®Th-that bastard¡­¡¯ The fun part about such a deal was to start with a heavy call and increase the number of coins even further if they tried to negotiate. However, it was already over because the rich guy threw fifty gold coins down from the get-go. * * * * * * . ¡®Damn it! I should¡¯ve asked for one hundred coins!¡¯ ¡°You look frustrated even though I gave you the money. Just start already.¡± Raon snickered, showing that he knew everything Rimmer was thinking. ¡°I really can¡¯t win against you.¡± Rimmer sighed deeply and pushed the gold pouch aside. Considering the weight, he figured that there were probably more than fifty coins inside. ¡°First of all, it¡¯s possible for all four of you to use the Sword Field Creation. Raon and Burren should be able to use the original version, and Runaan and Martha should use my method.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference between the two?¡± Martha swallowed nervously and walked up to him. ¡°Raon and Burren¡¯s Sword Fields are going to be free. They can use an attribute or not, and they can use another method other than swordsmanship. They can develop it in any way they want. However, Runaan, Martha, and I have to rely on our own attributes.¡± ¡°Ah, which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Runaan¡¯s must be of water attribute and Martha¡¯s will be of earth attribute. And this can never be changed, because we are recing the power dwelling in their blood with an extreme power of attribute. It should be called an Attribute Field rather than a Sword Field, to be exact.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly and pointed at Runaan and Martha. ¡°And this is only possible because your affinities to your attributes are as high as an elf¡¯s. You should thank your inborn talent.¡± He looked at all four of them once again. ¡°Because the Sword Field and the Attribute Field are different, you have to use different methods to create them. Martha and Runaan will go through training to increase the power of their attributes and mental image training starting today. This is separate from the basic training. You will have to do this on top of it.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± They both nodded, saying it was the natural thing to do. ¡°Raon and Burren, you should focus on your mental image. You will meditate to increase your imagination. This is also going to be additional training.¡± ¡°Is it different from the mental image we use during the swordsmanship training?¡± Burren tilted his head. ¡°Good question. A Sword Field is, in short, a barrier or a formation. This means that you are going to draw the enemies into your own space. What do you think you will need to achieve that?¡± ¡°I need to know what I¡¯m good at, and what aspects I have the advantage in. It should be also important to know how the opponent sees me.¡± Raon responded without hesitation. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes. ¡®I knew he already took a step inside.¡¯ Considering what he said, Raon had already stepped into the Sword Field, unlike the others. He barely managed to suppress his urge to scream in surprise. ¡®But it should still take a while.¡¯ Since he was only getting started, Rimmer guessed that it would take at least three years for him to open an iplete Sword Field. He figured it would be perfect if Raon reached the Sword Field before the duel against the Axe King. ¡°Raon is right. You need to keep imagining what you are good at, and how your opponent sees you. How can you get stronger, and what do you need to do in order to defeat your enemies? You need to break through the limit of your imagination to advance even deeper and further.¡± The most important part about the Sword Field was the experience they had so far and the imagination to utilize the experience. As long as they had those two qualities, all four of them were more than capable of using the Sword Field. Rimmer figured that it was time for thest piece of advice. ¡°What is that?¡± Rimmer raised his finger to point at the moon. ¡°It¡¯s the moon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a red moon.¡± ¡°Moon?¡± ¡°No, I pointed at the sky.¡± Rimmer smiled as if he was teasing them. ¡°What?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°In the end, the moon is just floating in the sky.¡± Burren and Martha tried to argue against him while Raon and Runaan remained still. ¡°There¡¯s the saying that people look at a person¡¯s finger like idiots when it¡¯s pointing at the moon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°You need to focus on your swordsmanship and aura for now. As long as you don¡¯t improve the realm of your martial art, the Sword Field will never be as effective as you think, even if you manage toplete it.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes sparkled seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t make the mistake of looking at the finger pointing at the moon¡ªinstead, focus on your martial arts and aura cultivation. Practice the Sword Field after that if you have spare time. You should be able to understand what it means.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Raon, Burren, Martha, and Runaan nodded at once. ¡°You should go now. Martha and Runaan should stay next to me tomorrow since I need to tell you the principles to enhance the attributes.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan bowed at Rimmer before returning to their rooms. ¡°Squad leader.¡± Raon stood in front of Rimmer instead of following them. ¡°You are being a proper teacher today.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t y any prank after seeing your eyes.¡± ¡°I added a bit more in there because I thought that would happen. Thank you.¡± He nodded politely before heading to his room. ¡°Hmm!¡± Rimmer smiled in satisfaction and picked up the gold coin pouch from the ground. ¡®It¡¯s clearly heavy.¡¯ He already noticed it when he pushed it aside, but the weight was definitely more than fifty gold coins. It seemed to be at least a hundred at a rough estimation. ¡®I guess he wouldn¡¯t be carrying fifty in a pouch.¡¯ Rimmer murmured jackpot and opened the pouch. ¡°Huh?¡± He froze. ¡°Th-that¡¯s a lot. There¡¯s a lot, but¡­¡± There was indeed a lot of money inside the pouch. However, the color wasn¡¯t that bright gold¡ªit was a dull silver instead. ¡°Those are silver coins!¡± Rimmer screamed and ran towards Raon. ¡°You damn scammer! How dare you give me silver coins¡­¡± ¡°Scammer? I even gave you 108 of them!¡± Raon¡¯s mouth turned round, as if he were the one who was surprised by his absurd behavior. ¡°108 doesn¡¯t matter! These are silver coins instead of gold coins!¡± ¡°I never mentioned I¡¯d give gold coins, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I said gold¡­¡± ¡°You never said gold coins, squad leader.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes flicked to the side. ¡®I-it¡¯s true I didn¡¯t mention¡­¡¯ It was his mistake for not specifying gold coins because he didn¡¯t want to look greedy when the squad members had a nice ambiance recently. However, no one should¡¯ve taken it as silver coins. It should¡¯ve been understood without saying that he was talking about gold coins. ¡°You obviously have to give gold coins for learning such a secret technique! Who would teach it for silver¡­¡± ¡°Oh, you are even teaching me in this aspect. I wasn¡¯t aware because I haven¡¯t experienced many trades like this.¡± Raon scratched his head with a smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful next time.¡± It was thest thing he said before he left while waving his hand. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer dropped the pouch from his hand. ¡°You damn fiend¡­¡± ¡®He will make it big. So damn big¡­¡¯ * * * Raon clicked his tongue while following the party as slowly as a zombie. ¡®This is not easy.¡¯ Even though Raon had been using his sword in his mental world for a few years thanks to Rimmer and Wrath¡¯s advice, creating the Sword Field was a whole different story. Because he had to consider different factors, like which technique could reach the furthest, which technique he was best at, and which technique was the most effective at dealing with different types of enemies, he couldn¡¯t make any progress at all. ¡®This is endless.¡¯ He could understand why Rimmer told them to keep doing basic training and only practice the Sword Field after everything else. ¡®But I should get better eventually.¡¯ He didn¡¯t give up either in his previous life or his current life. Even if it took ten years to achieve the Sword Field, he was determined to keep working on it to reach it. Hey. As Raon was about to resume his sword training in his mental world, Wrath¡¯s head popped up from the ice flower bracelet. He¡¯s about to die. Wrath pointed at Rimmer, who was drooping on his horse. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while looking at Rimmer¡¯s lifeless eyes. ¡®He still hasn¡¯t recovered from that.¡¯ He must¡¯ve been extremely shocked by the fact that the gold coin pouch contained silver coins, as Rimmer was still out of his mind even though four days had passed. ¡®I should give him a bit more.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t really trying to tease Rimmer, he just gave him whatever he had at that time¡ªwhich happened to be the silver coins. Raon decided that he would prepare enough lesson fees for him as soon as they returned. If you are taking care of Shitty Ears, you should also take care of the King of Essence. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ One set of mint chocte bead ice cream will be enough. Raon was speechless at how shameless he was. He couldn¡¯t even understand how such a cotton candy came to exist. ¡®Seriously, you¡­¡¯ When Raon was about to push Wrath away, the ones at the forefront had stopped over the hill. He followed the fresh footsteps to advance, and he could see a huge silver castle under the hill. Whir! The royal castle was emanating a proud pressure like a warrior. ¡®It¡¯s different from Zieghart.¡¯ If rough and violent were the correct words to describe Zieghart, Owen¡¯s royal castle was straight and sharp. Hmm! Wrath eximed, his face pretty much crushed from being pushed away by Raon¡¯s hand. There¡¯s a decent person in there as well. I can feel his power from all the way over here. ¡®I guess.¡¯ Raon clenched the hilt of his sword while looking at the center of the castle. ¡®Because he¡¯s there.¡¯ The third transcender of the Six Kings. It was time to meet the man called the Silent Sword Sovereign. Chapter 311 Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the steep castle wall in front of his eyes. ¡®The kingdom of knights, Owen¡­ It¡¯s a perfect name.¡¯ Just like the name implied, the relentless pressure grew more powerful as they approached the beautiful castle. It wasn¡¯t the aura de of an individual, but the aura of an entire army that wasbined into one and spreading throughout the castle. ¡°They must¡¯vee out to greet us.¡± Rimmer chuckled and pointed in front of the castle¡¯s gate. Raon looked at where his hand was pointing, and he found a young man and a middle-aged man standing in front of a gaterge enough for a giant to pass through it. ¡®They are¡­¡¯ He immediately remembered their names, because their faces hadn¡¯t changed that much. They were the ones who visited Zieghart five years prior¡ªthe third prince, Greer De Owen, and Duke Tartan. ¡°Greeting the Destructive King of the North!¡± Prince Greer and Duke Tartan went down on one knee and lowered their heads as soon as Glenn reached the gate. It was the biggest courtesy they could show inside their own kingdom. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Glenn nodded and told Duke Tartan to stand up with his hand. ¡°Since this is the first time we¡¯ve seen one another since we visited Zieghart, it should¡¯ve been five years.¡± ¡°I can feel the flow of the time with how much you¡¯ve grown.¡± ¡°N-no! I¡¯m still a greenhornpared to the swordsman Raon!¡± The third prince blushed upon hearing the suddenpliment and pointed at Raon, who was behind Glenn. ¡°Ahem, I see.¡± Glenn cleared his throat and patted the third prince¡¯s shoulder. The strangely gentle and kind patting was different from Glenn¡¯s usual appearance. ¡°Yes. I think he didn¡¯t mention anything about it, but the swordsman Raon even saved my life.¡± The third prince told him about the battle they had against the White Blood Religion at the hill near Cameloon. It was the battle where the de of Requiem had shown its first performance. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that happened.¡± Glenn looked around and narrowed his eyes. It felt like he was scolding Raon for not telling him about it. ¡°Because he doesn¡¯t say anything unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotten the impression that the swordsman Raon is an exemry warrior. He¡¯s different from those who only pretend to be humble on the outside.¡± ¡°Ahem. He¡¯s just a quiet one, but you can interpret it that way.¡± Glenn cleared his throat a bit more loudly before massaging the third prince¡¯s shoulder more strongly than before. The third prince looked extremely happy, probably because he¡¯d always looked up to Glenn. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon tilted his head while watching Glenn and the third prince smiling faintly at each other. ¡®They are hitting it off surprisingly well.¡¯ It was so strange that they were getting along like old friends. It was such a mystery to Raon. ¡®Rather than that, he¡¯s clearly gotten stronger than before.¡¯ The third prince looked almost like apletely different person from when he saw him at Cameloon because of how much he¡¯d improved. He was still far away from being a Master, but he had already stepped into the highest level of Sword Expert. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Raon turned his head to look behind him. Burren was admiring the royal castle, Runaan was nkly staring at the sky, and Martha was focused on her mental image training. Raon smiled while looking at them. ¡®Their growth is even more dazzling.¡¯ Burren, Runaan, and Martha used to be below the third prince five years ago, when they watched his fight, but their realm had surpassed him even though it was by a small margin. ¡®Moreover, they aren¡¯t nning to stop at all.¡¯ For their own sake and the sake of theirpanions, Burren, Martha, and Runaan were still brimming with the desire to get stronger. Since their passion wouldn¡¯t fade away until they achieved the Sword Field Creation, the difference was bound to grow even further. ¡°I heard the Destructive King of the North was also amazing. My blood boiled when I heard the story of defeating the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Fallen on your own.¡± The third prince smiled brightly while mentioning Glenn¡¯s deed in order to continue the nice atmosphere they had. ¡°I see.¡± However, Glenn¡¯s expression turned cid upon hearing thepliment about him. He took his hand off the third prince¡¯s shoulder and even averted his gaze. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s enter instead of talking here. His majesty is waiting.¡± ¡°Ah, indeed.¡± Duke Tartan noticed that the atmosphere was hitting rock bottom and held the third prince¡¯s shoulder with a faint smile on his face. The third prince realized his mistake and stepped aside. Rumble! The huge gate split in half, opening up and allowing the pressure from the royal castle to emerge like a raging me. It was the pressure of the knights standing in a line in front of the gate. ¡®Powerful.¡¯ They must¡¯ve been guarding the royal castle for a good reason, as every single one of them was powerful enough to be called a powerhouse. ¡®I¡¯m d I came.¡¯ Raon figured it would be already great enough if he could have a spar against them even if he couldn¡¯t fight the other descendants of the Six Kings. ¡°Swordsman Raon.¡± The third prince approached him from the side while he was licking his lips in anticipation. His gaze looked more mature than before, but the smile on his face remained the same. ¡°How is your body? I was extremely worried when I heard that you were kidnapped.¡± Considering the fact that the first thing he mentioned was his worry about Raon¡¯s condition, his personality also seemed unchanged. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was lucky.¡± ¡°Luck, you say? I think others believe that, but I beg to differ.¡± The third prince¡¯s blue eyes were glowing intensely like the deep sea. ¡°I¡¯m aware of how powerful and wise the swordsman Raon is, and how evil Eden and the White Blood Religion are. If luck was all there was to it, the swordsman Raon wouldn¡¯t be standing here.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡®It¡¯s a bit regrettable.¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow slightly. The third prince had an unfortunately good understanding of him. Why is it regrettable? Wrath tilted his head because he found it strange. Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that he¡¯s acknowledging you? ¡®I can¡¯t have an all-out fight against the prince like that.¡¯ What¡­? ¡®He should¡¯ve learned Owen''s secret technique by now, and I won¡¯t be able to witness it.¡¯ The third prince already understood that he was no match for him. Because of that, he was most likely going to hide his secret technique even if they ended up sparring. ¡®The best opponents to steal martial arts from are the ones who underestimate me.¡¯ People had begun to underestimate him once again after the rumors spread from Eden''s kidnapping incident, mentioning that the Frostfire Sword of Valor¡¯s reputation was nothing but bubbles. He was looking forward to trampling on the arrogant children of the Six Kings who picked a fight with him and stealing their martial arts, but the third prince¡¯s gaze was telling him that it would be difficult to do that against Owen. Did you grease your brain or something? How is it running so smoothly¡­? Wrath sighed, saying that it was almost creepy. ¡°How have you been, your highness?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to say that I¡¯ve been doing well, but I had to face many dangerous situations. The White Blood Religion is truly everywhere. What happenedst time was¡­¡± The third prince must¡¯ve been continuously fighting against the White Blood Religion, as he said that the mere sight of bloody energy disgusted him. As they continued making the small talk, they were already arriving at the center of the castle before he realized it. They went past the hallway with a noble red carpet covering the floor and stopped in front of an iron door decorated with a bunch of diagonal lines that looked like swords piled up on top of each other. ¡°This is his majesty¡¯s audience chamber.¡± Duke Tartan raised his hands to point at the door. His passionate eyes revealed how much respect he held for the king. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously while looking up at the majestic iron door. He could feel a sharpness that felt like a de horned for hundreds of years from beyond the door. His energy wave didn¡¯t even lose to Glenn¡¯s. * * * * * * Rumble! After Duke Tartan knocked on it, the audience chamber¡¯s door was smoothly opened, and the interior was revealed. Knights were standing in front of brown pirs that gave off a warm impression, and their power was on apletely different level from the ones they¡¯d seen so far. They were the strongest shield, meant to protect the king¡ªthe royal guards of Owen. Whir! He went past the wall of knights d in powerful energy, and a middle-aged man sitting on the throne at the center entered his sight. His blond hair and blue eyes looked simr to the third prince, but he looked sharper than him. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Raon bit his lip tightly while looking at the middle-aged man. ¡®This is intense.¡¯ Even though the middle-aged man wasn¡¯t spreading any pressure, goosebumps were appearing on his arms. The natural energy spreading out from him as he breathed was already reaching the sky. Those with a low realm wouldn¡¯t feel anything from him, but everyone above Master was swallowing nervously as they looked at the middle-aged man. ¡®Is this Owen¡¯s king?¡¯ It should go without saying that the king wasn¡¯t always the strongest person in the kingdom. In fact, the kings from most kingdoms weren¡¯t powerful at all. However, Owen was different. Owen¡¯s kings had always been the strongest, and they wielded their swords at the forefront of the battlefield. ¡®The Silent Sword Sovereign, Lecross.¡¯ And the same went for the middle-aged man sitting on the throne. He was the current king of Owen, and the one holding the title of strongest knight: the Silent Sword Sovereign, Lacrosse Albert De Owen. He doesn¡¯t betray my expectations. Wrath showed a toothy smile while looking at Lecross. He¡¯s not at your old man¡¯s level, but he¡¯s properly umted his martial art. Humans have progressed in their own way. He nodded in admiration. The fact that even Wrath was acknowledging him signified that Lecross¡¯s might was also reaching the sky. ¡°Wee.¡± Lecross stood up from the throne toe down from the tform. A king would have normally never done such a thing, but that was the respect he showed towards Glenn. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Destructive King of the North.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s been a really long time. This is the first time we¡¯ve met since the war ended.¡± Lecross and Glenn smiled faintly at each other. The rumors about Glenn and Lecross being the only ones to have a good rtionship with each other must¡¯ve been true. ¡°I heard you¡¯ve in the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Fallen at the same time, and I can see it was true. You seem to have reached a height that I can¡¯t even catch up to.¡± Lecross¡¯s appearance and voice gave off a gentle impression despite his extremely sharp energy wave. Raon was feelingfortable as he watched him. ¡°I¡¯m ttered. The Silent Sword Sovereign is also iparable to before.¡± Glenn gave a heavy nod to the Silent Sword Sovereign. It meant that he was impressed from the bottom of his heart. ¡°I¡¯m the one who is ttered. My sword is working on its own because I¡¯ve gotten too old.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a new way of boasting about reaching another realm.¡± ¡°The head of house is the only one who can understand something like this, after all.¡± Lecross shook his head before looking behind Glenn. The first one his eyes got fixated on was Raon, instead of Sheryl, Roenn, or Rimmer. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Lecross¡¯s blue eyes curved. ¡°Are you Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Pardon myte greetings. My name is Raon Zieghart, the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader, Your Majesty.¡± Raon ced his hand on his chest and politely bowed. ¡°I heard you were one year younger than my third son. Does that mean you are neen years old right now?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°I heard the rumors about the Frostfire Sword of Valor, but I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve already reached the level of intermediate Master at the age of neen. No, that¡¯s not all you have. Your might could be even greater if you put your mind to it.¡± Lecross was filled with amazement at the ridiculous sight he was witnessing. ¡°I was wondering how you managed to survive in Eden¡¯s den, and there was a good reason behind it.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°A-an intermediate Master?¡± ¡°A neen-year-old intermediate Master, how is that even possible¡­?¡± Even the royal guards standing in front of the pirs let out quiet groans, their straight faces broken from the surprise. ¡°I thought my third son wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone, but he¡¯s pretty much cheating at this point.¡± Lecross gasped while looking at Glenn once again. ¡°It must be reassuring to have such a grandson.¡± An envious smile appeared on his face. ¡°He¡¯s not that great. He¡¯s just a hardworking boy.¡± Glenn shook his hand, brushing it off as nothing special. His voice had turned as gentle as when he first met the third prince. ¡°This is on a whole different level. Even the bnce between the Six Kings and the Five Demons is going to break if he grows up at this rate.¡± Reaching the level of intermediate Master at the age of neen must¡¯ve surprised even the Silent Sword Sovereign, as he was unable to close his widened mouth. His cheerful gaze didn¡¯t contain any jealousy or envy. The way he rejoiced at how powerful he was despite being from a different faction showed his broad-minded personality, just like the rumors. ¡°Ahem! You should be aware that only a few of those future prospects actually get to shine. It¡¯s still a story of the far future for him.¡± Glenn brought his fist to his mouth to clear his throat before he narrowed his eyes. Judging from his slightly trembling voice, he must¡¯ve disliked thepliment about Raon. ¡°You are as strict as before. That¡¯s probably why you managed to raise a boy like him.¡± Lecross looked at Raon with a gentle smile on his face, contrary to Glenn. ¡°You should keep devoting yourself to martial arts. Meeting an excellent warrior brings me great joy, after all.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed once again. ¡°Do you want some tea? I¡¯ve gotten some excellent tea leaves imported from the West.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Glenn nodded gently to Lecross¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Greer.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Show our Zieghart visitors the castle.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The third prince turned around to look at the Zieghart party. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± Before Raon followed the third prince, he turned around to look at Glenn and Lecross smiling at each other. He was curious because it was his first time seeing Glenn smile like that. Hmm¡­ They went down the hallway and when they were about to leave, Wrath suddenly frowned. ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ Another one ising. He licked his lips while looking outside. He has a dreary nature despite his bright appearance. He¡¯s even stronger than the previous guy¡­ ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Raon was about to respond but suddenly stopped. His heart started pounding violently. Cold sweat was flowing down from his forehead, and a chill ran down his spine. Step. A single footstep was the only thing that could be heard despite therge traffic in the hallway. The sound resounding in his ears was an extremely familiar one¡ªone that he never wanted to hear. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± His chin trembled violently and his teeth frantically ttered. He clenched his fist to the brim, and blood started to drip from it. Raon gritted his teeth and raised his head. A single man was approaching in the midst of swordsmen wearing blue uniforms. With silver hair that looked likebed ice, he was a man with extremely cold blue eyes and snow-white skin that looked like it had never been exposed to sunlight and steep and straight facial features. Derus Robert. The face he had never forgotten, even after his death and revival, was approaching him. Chapter 312

Chapter 312

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 312 Thump! Thump! He could hear the sound of his pounding heart as soon as he saw Derus Robert. The heavy palpitations were resounding throughout his body as if dozens of people were drumming at the same time. Zip. Raon bit the flesh inside of his cheek harshly. The metallic taste of the blood filled his mouth. ¡®Grr¡­¡¯ His head refused to cool down despite the intense pain. His mind was heated, and his hands and feet were clenched powerfully. ¡®I need to suppress it. I have to suppress it at all costs.¡¯ Derus Robert was the most skeptical and careful person he knew. Showing his murderous aura or wrath even by a small amount was bound to be troublesome. ¡®Please. Please.¡¯ Fortunately, Derus was still far away from him. He needed to regain hisposure before he approached even closer. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ He was trying so hard to suppress his emotions, but it was rising even more powerfully, like a rebounding rubber. What are you doing right now? Wrath came up next to him and frowned. Why are you showing so much wrath after seeing that beanpole? ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t even afford to y around with Wrath. He focused solely on suppressing his emotions. Hmm, now that the King of Essence thinks about it, this is the same kind of wrath that you showed when you called him¡­ ¡®Ah!¡¯ Immediately after Wrath tilted his head, Raon remembered the time when he first met him. ¡®The Ring of Fire!¡¯ Raon briefly exhaled and controlled the Ring of Fire. Whir! The seven rings resonated with each other to calm his boiling emotions. His head started to clear up as if a blue wave had swept past the red haze in his brain. ¡®I even forgot about the Ring of Fire¡­ I waspletely out of my mind.¡¯ Considering the fact that he was angry enough to even forget about using the Ring of Fire, his desire for revenge must¡¯ve hardened even further. ¡®No, it was probably normal that I couldn¡¯t keep my sanity.¡¯ Even though twenty years had passed, he still clearly remembered the way he lost his head at Derus Robert¡¯s hand. His copsing body, Derus¡¯s cold gaze looking at him as if he were a dirty worm, and the moon turning upside down. The memories of his death were still vividly engraved in his mind. No one would¡¯ve been able to maintain their sanity upon seeing the archenemy who yed with their lives before discarding them once they weren¡¯t useful anymore. Haa. Raon slowly breathed and controlled the Ring of Fire to the best of his ability. The maximized resonance of the rings decreased his soul level. Unlike how he increased his soul duringbat, he concealed everything about him¡ªjust like hiding in the shadows. He suppressed all of his energies so that Derus wouldn¡¯t notice anything more than his current strength. Hey, you are being strange today. Wrath narrowed his eyes, wondering what the hell was going on. ¡®It¡¯s not a big deal.¡¯ Raon shook his head at Wrath with a smile. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that Wrath is with me.¡¯ It was thanks to the cotton candy¡¯s warning about Derus¡¯s presence and his hint about the Ring of Fire that he managed to suppress his explosion before their encounter. The Giving Wrath¡¯s work even stretched to the Owen Kingdom, since he still managed to help him in that situation. ¡°Huh, even the Sky Sword Saint is here.¡± The third prince smiled at Derus, who was walking towards them. ¡®Sky Sword Saint. Yes, that was the damned bastard¡¯s alias.¡¯ Sky Sword Saint signified that he was a saint of the sword that reached the sky. If people knew what kind of person Derus was, they would¡¯ve called him trash rather than Sky Sword Saint, but he still managed to keep an alias with such a great meaning. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Derus, who was nearby. ¡®He might have noticed it a little.¡¯ . Judging from his memory, Derus might have noticed his violent emotion from a moment ago. Raon calmed down his mind in order to retain hisposure no matter what question he asked. ¡°Greeting the Sky Sword Saint!¡± The third prince walked up to Derus and went down on one knee. He was showing the same level of courtesy as when he greeted Glenn. ¡°Greeting the Sky Sword Saint.¡± Sheryl and Rimmer simply lowered their heads without kneeling. Raon pretended to be surprised and lowered his head just like them. ¡°You must be Mister Greer and the heroes from Zieghart. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Derus nodded with a gentle smile on his face. He was treating the third prince and the Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen with courtesy even though they were far lower than him in terms of age and position. ¡®This is the disgusting part about him.¡¯ Even though hemanded the assassins, spies, and ves in the underworld, he always treated others with courtesy while pretending that human rights belonged to everyone. That aspect about him was extremely disgusting. ¡°I can¡¯t see the Destructive King of the North here.¡± ¡°He¡¯s currently enjoying tea with his majesty.¡± The third prince smiled while looking back at the audience chamber. ¡°Teatime with the Destructive King of the North and the Silent Sword Sovereign? I can¡¯t possibly miss this chance. Hmm?¡± Derus smiled pleasantly. He started walking towards the audience chamber but met Raon¡¯s eyes as he did so. ¡°Blond hair and red eyes. Are you actually¡­¡± ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart.¡± He held back his urge to throw up and lowered his head. ¡°The Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± Derus pped his hands and gave him a deep nod. ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough of the Frostfire Sword of Valor¡¯s fame. Even the south was in an uproar from the stories of the new hero.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so ttered.¡± ¡°Now that I see you, I can tell that they weren¡¯t groundless rumors. Your achievement is truly outstanding. I believe no one around your age can match up to you. However¡­¡± Faint darkness spouted from his blue eyes. ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯ The others wouldn¡¯t have noticed it, but Raon could understand because he¡¯d been rotting under his reign. His gaze signified that something was bothering him. ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood earlier. Did something happen?¡± Derus¡¯s dreary gaze, the way he was looking down on him as he spoke, made his heart clench to the point it felt like it could explode. ¡®He noticed it after all.¡¯ His turbulent emotions onlysted for an instant, but Derus hadn¡¯t missed that short moment. His eyes were full of suspicion as he looked at Raon. ¡®It¡¯s a relief I did.¡¯ It was a relief that he¡¯d prepared for a situation like that. ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head with a faint smile on his face. He settled his emotions to the best of his ability through the Ring of Fire. ¡°Nothing happened, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I was shocked when I saw the Silent Sword Sovereign because his pressure was a different type from the head of house¡¯s. Its sharpness felt like it could pierce through my heart, and I was so nervous that my emotions started to rampage before I knew it, I think.¡± ¡°Huh! You can already feel what type of martial arts someone has. That¡¯s trulymendable!¡± Derus eximed in surprise. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that great. It was all thanks to the two who showed themselves to me.¡± Raon examined Derus¡¯s gaze while maintaining his smile. Even though his face was smiling, his eyes weren¡¯t. The deepest part of his eyes glowed briefly. He could fool other people, but he would never be able to fool Raon, since he used to serve him from right next to him. Raon noticed that Derus¡¯s malice didn¡¯te from what happened earlier, and he¡¯d been holding a grudge against him even before they met. ¡®Has he been targeting me after all?¡¯ A sense of crisis filled his head before he could feel a sense of relief for clearing up the suspicion. ¡®I guess it¡¯s understandable since I shattered his ns.¡¯ Since he was the one whopletely shattered Derus¡¯s long-awaited n of taking over House Yonaan, his reaction was understandable. ¡®I bet he wants to kill me.¡¯ Derus was smiling on the outside, he must¡¯ve been holding back the urge to snap Raon¡¯s neck immediately. ¡®No, maybe his n is already ongoing.¡¯ Since Raon was the youngest Master of a rival house that destroyed his n, it was possible that he already started a n to attack him. ¡°My youngest son is a big fan of you, the Frostfire Sword of Valor. I¡¯d like you to have a simple conversation with himter on in the banquet.¡± Derus drew a boy standing behind him forward. His silver hair and blue eyes were simr to Derus''s, but his passionately sparkling eyes still retained his innocence. ¡°M-my name is Lephon Robert!¡± Raon had never seen him in his previous life. His age suggested that he must¡¯ve been born after he died. ¡®He¡¯s really amazing.¡¯ The way he hid his murderous intent and introduced Raon to his son with a gentle smile on his face made him look like a kindhearted father. It was an attitude that Raon had to learn, as he almost ruined everything a moment ago because of his exploding emotions. ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon lowered his head with a faint smile, and Lephon¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Uuh, uuh! Ever since that battle where you saved the Saint¡ªno, ever since the battle where you saved Habun Castle¡¯s soldiers, I¡¯ve admired¡ª¡± ¡°Lephon, let¡¯s save the talk forter and greet the Sword Sovereign for now.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°See youter.¡± Lephon answered while chattering and followed Derus, who walked ahead. A young man who looked simr to Derus nodded at Raon slightly after they passed. His eyes and mouth were curved into a sneer. ¡®He¡¯s also here.¡¯ Raon knew about him. He was the third son of Derus, and one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent, Cadis Robert. After Robert''s swordsmen passed next to him, Raon left the royal castle. ¡°Pleasee this way. I¡¯ll introduce you to the sword graveyard first, which is Owen Castle¡¯s pride.¡± The third prince guided the Zieghart party while smiling brightly. Raon opened his fist while following them. Blood was flowing from the injury created by his nails digging into his skin. ¡®It¡¯s a relief¡¯ He smiled while looking back at the castle. ¡®Because my desire for revenge still hasn¡¯t faded away, and because you¡¯ve reached even higher than twenty years ago.¡¯ He was worried that Derus might have ended up retiring or dying, but he didn¡¯t need to do that at all. Derus had be even stronger and was standing at an even higher position than before. ¡®Just wait a little longer.¡¯ Raon smiled while shaking the blood off his hand. ¡®I¡¯ll crush you into the ground from all the way in the sky.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Roenn narrowed his eyes while watching Glenn enjoy the tea¡¯s bitter fragrance. ¡®He looks extremely pleased.¡¯ Glenn was drinking tea with an expressionless face, but he was overwhelmed with joy on the inside. ¡®And that¡¯s because¡­¡¯ That was all thanks to Owen¡¯s king Lecross, who was sitting in front of him, and the third prince who guided them to the castle. ¡°I used to believe that growing up healthy was all I wanted from the children, but the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader changed my opinion a little.¡± Lecross smiled after smoothly swallowing his tea. ¡°His might already surpasses that of an intermediate Master at the age of neen. There¡¯s normally a huge difference between each stage of Master, but it looks like he would put up a good fight even against an advanced Master.¡± He briefly eximed in surprise. ¡°How did you even raise someone like him? Please tell me your secret.¡± Roenn smiled faintly while listening to King Lecross. ¡®It¡¯s all thanks to thesepliments.¡¯ Not only the third prince of Owen but also King Lecross wasplimenting Raon. That was why Glenn¡¯s mood was already floating above the clouds. Considering the way his hands were trembling slightly, Roenn expected him to start leakingughter that he wouldn¡¯t be able to suppress anymore. ¡°Ahem, he did all of that by himself. I didn¡¯t do anything special.¡± Glenn covered his mouth and cleared his throat while shaking his hand. His gesture was brushing it off as nothing, but those who watched him from behind could see a deep cavity around his mouth. ¡®He¡¯s such a helpless doting grandfather.¡¯ It must¡¯ve been a side effect of trying so hard to hide his emotions from his grandson that he couldn¡¯t hide his expression from others at all. Whenever anyoneplimented Raon, he cleared his throat and his lips curved into a smile. It was an automatic reflex at that point. ¡®It would be nice if he could be honest to him.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been nice if he opened his heart and showed his love for the grandson, but Roenn could understand Glenn¡¯s reasoning because he¡¯d been serving him right next to him. ¡®But I still want to see the three of them getting along.¡¯ He used to think that he had no more regrets because he¡¯d achieved everything he wanted, but he really wanted to see Glenn, Raon, and Sylvia getting along with each other and eating together with smiles on their faces. While Roenn was imagining Glenn and Raon smiling at each other, the grand chambein entered the reception room. ¡°Your majesty, the Sky Sword Saint and House Robert have arrived.¡± ¡°They arrived faster than scheduled.¡± King Lecross licked his lips and stood up. ¡°It looks like one more person will be added to this meeting. Are you fine with that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind it.¡± Glenn nodded, telling him to do whatever he wanted. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± The king smiled faintly and left the reception room. ¡°The Sky Sword Saint¡­¡± Roenn briefly licked his lips while looking at the door of the reception room. ¡°I remember my lord mentioning that his talent was outstanding. He must¡¯ve gotten a lot better than before.¡± Although the Sky Sword Saint, Derus Robert, was the youngest and weakest of the current heads of the Six Kings, Glenn had given the highest evaluation to him. ¡°Indeed.¡± Glenn nodded slowly after putting down his empty teacup. ¡°However, my expectations turned out to be incorrect.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°His talent surpassed my expectations.¡± He turned his head to look at the slowly opening door of the reception room. His lips curved into a cold smile while looking at Derus Robert¡¯s smile. * * * The sword graveyard was a bright ce despite its gloomy name. Green trees were brimming with vitality, and all kinds of sword shards created an elegant atmosphere. It looked more like a properly tended garden than a graveyard. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon eximed while looking at the thickets groomed into the shape of a sword. ¡®It¡¯s not made by ordinary means.¡¯ The thicket he was looking at wasn¡¯t groomed by gardening scissors. Judging from the rapier pressure emerging from the tip of the thicket, it must¡¯ve been carved into the shape of a sword by a sword technique. ¡®This is amazing.¡¯ Hey. While he was admiring the thicket, Wrath shoved his face into him. Who was that guy just now? ¡®What?¡¯ The King of Essence is asking about your rtionship with that sly-looking beanpole. Wrath¡¯s eyes were sparkling blue like melted ice. The emotion of wrath that came from you was almost the same as the one you had when you first summoned the King of Essence. Is he the target of your wrath? ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s sharp at a time like this.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s intuition was sharp when it concerned the emotion of wrath. It must¡¯ve been the quality of the monarch of wrath. ¡®I can¡¯t tell him though.¡¯ Even though his rtionship with Wrath had improved drastically, it was still too early to tell him about his reincarnation. ¡®I need to give an evasive answer.¡¯ Raon made up his mind and nodded slightly. ¡®He is my archenemy.¡¯ He told him the truth, as that was a part that he couldn¡¯t lie about. I knew it. But that¡¯s rather strange. Wrath narrowed his eyes. It looked like it was his first time seeing you. Moreover, weren¡¯t you too young back then? How did you even develop a grudge against him? ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Say it. ¡®F-food.¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯te up with anything no matter how he racked his brain, so he said a word that Wrath would believe. Food, you say? ¡®When I was small, that bastard took away thest dish of the s-stew I had. You know, people treated me as an invisible person back then and he probably didn¡¯t realize that was me.¡¯ Raon bit his lip tightly. ¡®There¡¯s no way this is going to work.¡¯ Raon thought it wasplete bullshit even though he was the one who said it. No matter how stupid Wrath was, it crossed the line a bit too much. Even though Raon was the one who said it, he was almost dumbfounded by how ridiculous that was. Ugh, this bastard¡­ And Wrath was confirming his suspicion. His mouth looked like it was about to yell at him. You should¡¯ve said so already if that¡¯s what happened! ¡®Huh?¡¯ Babies are more attached to food. Moreover, it was thest dish! I¡¯m surprised you managed to suppress the urge to smash his head in! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon slowly closed his eyes. Wrath¡¯s foolishness about food had far surpassed his expectations. While he was thankful for that fact, he also felt sad at the same time. The King of Essence would¡¯ve helped you if you said so earlier! You are such an inflexible guy! ¡®¡­I see.¡¯ A grudge over food is extremely deep, especially if it was thest dish. Even though he¡¯s rather strong for a human, you will carry out your vengeance no matter what! Wrath mumbled that Raon should definitely take revenge on him since he was going to help him. He was even cheering for him. ¡°Hah¡­¡± A deting sound came from Raon¡¯sughter as he watched Wrath¡¯s trembling fist. ¡®Should I be thanking him for this¡­?¡¯ Wrath¡¯s help felt as reassuring as thousands of troops even though he usually gave away everything, but gaining his support in that manner waspletely unexpected for him. Life was truly full of surprises. Argh, the King of Essence is so angry about this. If anyone took away the King of Essence¡¯sst mint chocte, he would¡¯ve smashed their head in and frozen them up to thest cell. ¡®Th-that¡¯s true¡­¡¯ Because Raon felt thankful and sorry at the same time, he decided to fill Wrath¡¯s stomach to his heart¡¯s content during the banquet in the evening. Raon shook his head and followed the others. As he followed the white road in the sword graveyard, a sword that had been mmed into the ground entered his vision. The rusted de and the shattered hilt implied that it hadn¡¯t had an owner for a long time. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the only sword. Countless rusty swords were mmed into the ground all over the ce. Some of them were noted swords that still hadn¡¯t lost their light, and arge number of them were low-end swords and werepletely worn out. ¡°This ce¡­¡± ¡°This is the real graveyard of swords.¡± The third prince turned around and smiled brightly. ¡°All of these embedded swords belonged to the heroes who fought for Owen. Whether they were Grandmasters or ordinary soldiers who couldn¡¯t use aura, everyone who wields their sword under Owen¡¯s g is allowed to leave their sword in this ce.¡± His face was overflowing with pride. His eyes told that he was brimming with anticipation for the day his sword would be embedded in the graveyard. Creak. Raon clenched his teeth. The memories of his previous life surfaced in his head like a kaleidoscope. They were hellish days where he devoted his entire life to Robert, yet he ended up cooking him like a dog in a pot. ¡®They are different.¡¯ There was a tremendous difference between Owen and Robert, as even the ordinary soldiers could leave their names behind. His calmed wrath started to boil up again. ¡®It¡¯s a little early, but I should get started.¡¯ Started on what? ¡®My revenge.¡¯ Since it was impossible to immediately attack Derus himself, it was necessary to slowly encroach on him from his surroundings. ¡®And I shall start with¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s lips rolled up into a smile while thinking about Cadis, who sneered while passing him by. ____ ____ Chapter 313

Chapter 313

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 313 The second location that the third prince guided them to was a training ground. However, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary training ground since the Silver Knights, who boasted the strongest offensive capabilities in the Owen Kingdom, were training there. Raon narrowed his eyes and watched the Silver Knights. ¡®Their sharpness is almost frightening.¡¯ If the royal guards could bepared to a sturdy pir or shield, the Silver Knights looked like swords that had been polished endlessly. Their might was clearly different from the knights he saw on the way to the capital. The sharpness emerging from them almost gave him goosebumps. ¡®Nice.¡¯ The Silver Knights¡¯ swordsmanship embodied the Owen Kingdom¡¯s characteristic sharp sword and straight sword techniques. He could understand the flow of their swords at a nce, probably thanks to the drastic increase in his realm. ¡®This is going to be pretty helpful.¡¯ They weren¡¯t revealing all of their skills, but it was a good lesson for him because of how excellent the swordsmanship was. ¡®In particr¡­¡¯ He looked at the young man on the right who was thrusting his sword at the slowest speed. The man with navy blue hair and brown eyes still looked young, but his energy was on apletely different level from the other knights. However, his energy felt familiar. He remembered detecting it, even though it was quite a long time ago. ¡°You really have a good insight.¡± Rimmer came next to him with a grin on his face. ¡°That guy is Borini Kitten.¡± ¡°Borini Kitten?¡± ¡°Borini Kitten of the Twelve Stars of the Continent. He¡¯s one of the geniuses of the previous generation.¡± He pointed at the blue-haired young man who was spreading a proud pressure like a sword even though he was simply standing there. ¡°You knew him!¡± The third prince smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. He is the Azure Razor Sword, Sir Borini Kitten. I didn¡¯t expect the Sword of Light to know about him.¡± He smiled brightly. He looked like he was rejoicing over the fact that Rimmer recognized Borini Kitten. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that I know about the Twelve Stars of the Continent. After all, people in pubs and gambling houses keep talking about which of the Twelve Stars of the Continent is stronger.¡± Rimmer bbered that everyone who frequented the gambling houses were bound to know about them even if they didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Do you also want to try it out? I¡¯ll show you the world of adults¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth already.¡± Sheryl frowned and jabbed her elbow into Rimmer¡¯s side. ¡°Kuah!¡± Rimmer escaped to the back while grasping his side. ¡°Hmm.¡± Borini Kitten noticed their gazes and lowered his sword beforeing towards them. ¡°Your Highness.¡± The first thing he did was offer a polite bow to the third prince. ¡°I think you already know, but these are the guests from Zieghart.¡± ¡°My name is Borini Kitten of the Silver Knights.¡± Borini Kitten¡¯s bow wasn¡¯t excessive or insufficient. ¡°I¡¯m Zieghart¡¯s Heavenly de division leader, Sheryl.¡± Sheryl returned his greeting and nodded since she was pretty much the party¡¯s leader. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet the Heavenly de¡¯s division leader!¡± The pitch of his voice turned higher than before, showing that he really meant it. ¡°And who is he¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about him.¡± He looked at Rimmer, who was still covering his side, but Sheryl covered his view. ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart, the Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader.¡± Since Raon was the next in line, he went next to Sheryl and bowed to Borini Kitten. ¡®I finally figured out where I saw him before.¡¯ Once he got closer, he remembered when he felt Borini¡¯s presence. It was during the battle against the White Blood Religion he had on a hill nearby Cameloon. The presence that had appeared in the distance back then was the exact same as that of Borini Kitten, who was standing in front of him. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Borini Kitten¡¯s eyes wavered violently. ¡®He grew up so much.¡¯ He¡¯d observed Raon in the past when he was secretly guarding the third prince. Raon was already extremely powerful and elegant for his age, but he looked like apletely different person from that time. ¡®This is absurd.¡¯ Even though there used to be multiplerge mountains between Raon and himself back then, every single one of them had been breached. The young swordsman who hadn¡¯t even reached his twenties had already caught up to him, right under his nose. ¡®How is this even possible?¡¯ He heard about the great stories of the Frostfire Sword of Valor, but he had actually somewhat disregarded him because he was kidnapped by Eden. However, the meeting with Raon made him realize that no one could possibly underestimate the warrior called Raon. The might he possessed was unimaginable for his age. ¡®Other people won¡¯t even realize it.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t even have noticed Raon¡¯s skills if he hadn¡¯t learned Owen''s special detection technique that allowed him to discover his opponent¡¯s power, or if his might was lower than what it currently was. His head started to spin. ¡°Sir Borini?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± As the third prince called his name, Borini Kitten barely managed toe back to his senses and nodded. ¡°Wee to the Silver Knights. The captain is unfortunately absent right now. I¡¯ll be guiding you instead, although I might be inadequate.¡± Borini Kitten bowed politely and told them to follow. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon kept staring at his back instead of the training ground¡¯s equipment or the knights that he introduced. ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯ There was a huge difference in skills before he went to Habun Castle, to the point that he could barely feel Borini¡¯s presence, but that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. His realm was still higher, but Raon managed to catch up close enough that he might be able to win in an all-out fight. ¡®I¡¯m d to be here.¡¯ Raon smiled while tapping on his scabbard. ¡®I should be able to gain a lot from this.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Derus Robert smiled gently after taking a sip of the tea. ¡°It surely has a nice taste and fragrance. The bitter taste in the beginning and the sweetness at the end show how well the velvet coral dried.¡± He put down his teacup and briefly licked his lips. ¡°Velvet coral tea of this quality would be difficult to acquire even for me, as someone from House Robert. This is truly amazing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d for the recognition.¡± King Lecross smiled with his eyes. He nodded, rejoicing over Derus recognizing the tea¡¯s taste¡ªunlike Glenn. ¡°By the way, I met the Frostfire Sword of Valor on the way here.¡± Derus raised his teacup once again and looked at Glenn. ¡°I understand why the head of house looks so much happier than before. He is the most outstanding among all the young swordsmen I¡¯ve seen before.¡± ¡°The Sky Sword Saint agrees with me after all.¡± King Lecross smiled, saying that he thought the same thing. ¡°Everyone¡¯s bound to agree since he even reached the intermediate Master at the age of neen. He even managed to notice the difference between our martial art types.¡± ¡±The types?¡± ¡°Yes. Since he said he got nervous upon feeling Your Majesty¡¯s sharp and straight pressure, he must¡¯ve correctly figured it out.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± King Lecross gasped and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s truly a frightening amount of talent.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure he will grow even more splendidly in the future.¡± Derus examined Glenn¡¯s expression whileplimenting Raon. ¡®He¡¯s emotionless. No, is he slightly d about it?¡¯ Glenn¡¯s expression looked as cold as during their first encounter, but the corners of his lips were slightly raised. He was pretending he wasn¡¯t, but it looked like he cherished Raon. ¡°Even against the Twelve Stars of the Continent, he should be able to prevail against the four weakest ones and put up an equal fight against the four intermediate ones.¡± Derus offered even heavierpliments to check Glenn¡¯s reaction. ¡®Hmm, maybe not.¡¯ Even though they were all called the Twelve Stars of the Continent, they naturally weren¡¯t exactly equal in strength. Because of the difference in age, talent, and martial arts, they were divided into the four weakest, the four intermediate, and the four strongest. Although the four intermediates were veteran warriors whose names were already known throughout the continent, Glenn¡¯s expression remained unchanged when Raon waspared to them. ¡°I felt the same way.¡± King Lecross slowly nodded. ¡°Our Borini is an intermediate, and I think he would put up a good fight against him.¡± ¡°Yes. It would be an interesting match if he ended up fighting our Cadis.¡± Derus examined Glenn¡¯s expression once again while mentioning Cadis. His eyes had turned even colder than before. ¡®Hmm, I guess I was mistaken.¡¯ The level of fame and achievements of Borini Kitten and Cadis Robert were iparable to Raon. Considering the fact that his expression wasn¡¯t changing at all despite his grandson beingpared to them, Glenn didn¡¯t seem to cherish Raon that much. ¡®I guess that coldhearted man would never cherish anyone.¡¯ The Glenn he knew didn¡¯t even care about his children, let alone a grandson. The previous attack on Eden must¡¯ve simply been from the anger of Eden underestimating Zieghart, and it was obvious that he had no intention of saving Raon. ¡®It should be fine to start my n.¡¯ Derus smiled faintly and put down the teacup. ¡°Since this is a nice asion where we¡¯ve all gathered in one ce, how about holding an interesting contest?¡± ¡°A contest?¡± ¡°What contest are you talking about?¡± Glenn and Lecross turned their heads toward Derus at the same time. ¡°Since this is a rare asion where the young warriors are gathered in one ce, let¡¯s hold a friendly tournament. It would be interesting if we divide them between Experts and Masters.¡± Derus smiled while lightly tapping on the table with his finger. ¡°Since I¡¯m curious about what¡¯s going to happen if the Frostfire Sword of Valor really fought against the Twelve Stars of the Continent, I¡¯ll make my child participate.¡± ¡°The de of Shattering Wave, Cadis? Isn¡¯t he ranked the highest among the intermediates?¡± The de of Shattering Wave, Cadis Robert, was the fifth strongest among the Twelve Stars of the Continent. He was a bit too strong for Raon. ¡°It¡¯s a friendly match anyway. There will be no danger.¡± ¡°Hmm, it shall be interesting at least. We will also get the Azure Razor Sword to participate.¡± ¡°How about the head of house¡­?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Glenn nodded without showing any emotion. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to which of the future prospects will prevail in the end.¡± Derus gathered his hands with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Sir Derus?¡± Roenn narrowed his eyes and called Derus¡¯s name. ¡°Blood is flowing from your glove.¡± Just like he said, blood was dripping from his ck glove. Derus simply smiled without being surprised in the slightest. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± He stroked his hand, and the blood waspletely cleaned up. ¡°I¡¯ll announce it during the banquet. I think we should prepare the gifts for the children.¡± ¡°Hmm, indeed.¡± ¡°I will take my leave now. Until the banquet.¡± Derus bowed to Glenn and King Lecross before leaving the reception room. ¡°I¡¯m also going to leave now.¡± Glenn put down his empty teacup before he stood up. ¡°Please make yourself at home.¡± Glenn nodded at Lecross, who came to send him off, before leaving the reception room. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Roenn narrowed his eyes while following Glenn through the hallway. ¡®He looks like he¡¯s suddenly in a bad mood.¡¯ It was only a moment ago that Glenn was happily listening to thepliments about Raon, yet his gaze had turnedpletely cold. ¡®I don¡¯t understand why.¡¯ Even though he believed that he knew everything about Glenn, he was still clueless when Raon was concerned. ¡°My lord, did something happen?¡± Roenn couldn¡¯t suppress his curiosity and created an aura barrier beforeing up next to Glenn. ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t be angry when he said ¡®that¡¯.¡± ¡°What would ¡®that¡¯ be¡­?¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± ¡°Raon?¡± ¡°Waspared to the mere Twelve Stars of the Continent! His talent and virtues are on a different level from them! Even his personality is way better than theirs!¡± Glenn furrowed his brows and clenched his fist, suggesting that he was truly angry. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t even satisfied when Raon waspared to the Twelve Stars of the Continent, who were expected to be transcenders in the future. Roenn realized he¡¯d been underestimating this grandfather who loved his grandson too much. However, he wasn¡¯t wrong about it. Although it might not be the case at the moment, the Twelve Stars of the Continent were bound to kneel under Raon in the future. Roenn smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. We should be able to show it to them this time.¡± * * * Derus Robert immediately returned to his room and called for the two butlers. ¡°Martio.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The butler standing on his left lowered his head to heed his call. He was the butler of the underworld who never took off his mask. ¡°Can you recognize the assassins you¡¯ve raised?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Martio nodded without hesitation. ¡°The assassins have a characteristic gesture and atmosphere around them, and that can¡¯t be erased no matter how much time has passed. If it¡¯s someone I¡¯ve raised myself, I¡¯m confident I can recognize them.¡± ¡°Even if twenty years have passed and they learned a different martial art?¡± ¡°I use the bird¡¯s imprinting method in my education techniques, and it would be impossible to ovee it even if they were reborn.¡± He dered as much, his eyes brimming with confidence. Derus smiled faintly and took off his glove. The blood that spilled from the scar on the back of his hand had already dried up. ¡°Hmm?¡± He looked towards the window while still holding the glove. ¡°Did anything happen?¡± ¡°¡­Nevermind.¡± Derus narrowed his eyes and turned his head back. ¡°Do you remember Raon by any chance?¡± ¡°¡­Is this about the Raon I¡¯m thinking about?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Of course, I remember him.¡± Martio nodded with serious eyes. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t forget about the hunting dog that left an unremovable scar on the back of his master¡¯s hand, even though he¡¯d raised him ever since his childhood. ¡°Observe Raon Zieghart from now on.¡± Derus tore off the blood clot from the back of his hand and smiled coldly. ¡°Try to find the traces of an assassin that you¡¯ve raised yourself.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± It was such an absurd order, as he was implying that Raon Zieghart was rted to the shadow Raon, yet Martio didn¡¯t question him. His reaction was the exact same as that of a dog that simply obeys its master¡¯s order. Derus put his glove back on with a frightening smile on his face. ¡°I already made the opportunity for you.¡± * * * Raon returned to his room and changed into his formal suit. Aren¡¯t you going to rest? Wrath tilted his head, asking why he was changing clothes. ¡®There¡¯s going to be a weing ceremony.¡¯ Hmph, humans always hold those annoying ceremonies. The King of Essence can¡¯t understand¡­ ¡®There will be all kinds of food since it¡¯s a banquet.¡¯ What are you waiting for?! Wrath was snorting, but he was in front of the door before Raon realized with a frown on his face. The King of Essence really loves banquets! Let¡¯s go already! The food is getting cold! ¡®It¡¯s not the time for it yet.¡¯ Raon shook his head. He never thought he would get the impression that he could never get bored of watching the demon king. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed deeply andy on the bed. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Food time? ¡®It hasn¡¯t even been a minute yet¡­¡¯ Although it hadn¡¯t even been a minute since Raon told him it wasn¡¯t time for the banquet, Wrath was already asking for food. Considering the way he was deceived by thest stew story earlier, Raon realized once again that Wrath was truly crazy for food. ¡®It¡¯s not because of that. You remember the king we saw today and my archenemy, right?¡± Of course. ¡®Which one of the two is stronger?¡¯ Derus must¡¯ve been stronger judging from what Wrath had said, but Raon asked just in case. The King of Essence can answer that question without any doubt. The thief that took away yoursh dish is stronger. ¡®¡­I see.¡¯ Raon frowned. ¡®He leaped into another realm.¡¯ Derus used to be considered the weakest leader among the Six Kings twenty years ago. It was a natural course of action, since he was the youngest among them, but he seemed to have ovee that difference. Raon was aware that he had an excellent talent despite his shitty personality, but he didn¡¯t expect him to catch up to another leader of the Six Kings despite the difference in the length of time they had lived. Don¡¯t worry. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ The King of Essence will open the path of your revenge. Wrath patted his shoulder while looking like a frowning cotton candy. It must¡¯ve been his fault that you turned into a madman who can casually eat Nadine bread and ignore delicious food to train instead. ¡®Uhh¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. The reason he didn¡¯t care about the taste was because of the assassin training he went through. The wrath from food is the King of Essence¡¯s wrath! He shall help you smack the thief¡¯s face! ¡®Huh.¡¯ Food was all he was talking about at that point. Raon couldn¡¯t believe that he was the monarch of wrath. ¡®Are you nning to give me some stats or traits?¡¯ No, that¡¯s not it¡­ ¡®I thought so.¡¯ Raon chuckled. There was no way Wrath would volunteer to give them up, not when he was stingy when it came to the stats and traits. ¡®Then what¡ª¡¯ When he was about to ask one more time, he was able to sense a small movement under the window. He turned his head and saw a juvenile squirrel in front of the window. ¡°A squirrel?¡± He saw small animals like squirrels in the sword graveyard and the garden, but it was abnormal for a squirrel to approach a window because they were normally afraid of people. Tap. Tap. The squirrel tapped the window. It looked like it was asking him to open it. ¡®Is it someone¡¯s pet?¡¯ He tried spreading his aura perception, but he couldn¡¯t feel any special energy from the squirrel. ¡®Did you just say you found some strange energy from that squirrel?¡¯ It looks like an ordinary squirrel, but there¡¯s an extremely faint presence of mana inside. It¡¯s probably been tamed over a long period of time. Wrath frowned, telling him that he couldn¡¯t tell for sure. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon ced his hand on the de of Requiem¡¯s hilt and walked up to the window. He opened the window while staying alert, nning on cutting it down if it did anything dangerous. Tap. The squirrel pushed itself into the small gap in the window and entered the room. It casually jumped down to the drawer located right underneath it. ¡°Who are you¡ª?¡± ¡°Why did it take you so long?¡± The squirrel was talking in the humannguage. Its speech was clear despite being awkward, and the tone reminded him of a certain person. Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the squirrel¡¯s grin, which looked rather human. ¡°Merlin¡­?¡± ____ ____ Chapter 314

Chapter 314

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 314 Raon rubbed his eyes before looking at the squirrel on the dresser. ¡®It¡¯s really a squirrel though¡­ Am I in a dream right now?¡¯ There was nothing special about it no matter how he looked at it. It was an ordinary squirrel without any sign of magic, sorcery,bative energy, no aura around it. He couldn¡¯t believe that such a squirrel was talking. ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing if you stare at me like that.¡± The squirrel turned her head slightly with a gentle smile on her face. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°You already called me by my name.¡± The squirrel smiled faintly and lowered her extremely small hands. It looked like the squirrel was embarrassed. Raon realized for the first time that a squirrel was capable of such a detailed expression of emotion. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Raon.¡± ¡°Merlin¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. His first impression was correct. Merlin¡¯s soul really was dwelling in the squirrel. ¡°It¡¯s so exciting when you call my name with your voice.¡± Merlin swept her hair up. Well, she was trying to sweep her hair up, but she looked like she was rubbing her fur around her head because she was just a squirrel. I-is it that clingy woman? Wrath freaked out and ran away from her. I knew she didn¡¯t die back then, but she followed you all the way here! She¡¯s so crazy that it¡¯s unbearable! His chin was trembling from the shock. Kuh, I¡¯m getting PTSD. Wrath grasped his head and fell on the bed. ¡®You should¡¯ve told me if you knew she didn¡¯t die.¡¯ Raon frowned at Wrath, who was writhing on the bed. ¡°Where are you looking when I¡¯m right here?¡± Merlin bobbed her finger, sitting on the dresser. She was apparently trying to look seductive, but her fluffy, wavering tail was drawing too much attention. ¡°You were alive?¡± ¡°Were you worried about me? I¡¯m so happy!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon could only sigh. The fact that it was impossible tomunicate with her confirmed that it was the real Merlin. ¡°How did you even survive?¡± ¡°Even rabbits create a hole to escape. It¡¯s normal for humans to prepare means for survival.¡± Merlin shook her hand, saying that it was an obvious question. ¡°But I still had to sacrifice a lot thanks to your grandfather.¡± Her expression turned bitter as she continued. The expressions of happiness and sadness made Raon wonder how she could express so many emotions as a squirrel. ¡°Is Unfaceable Snake also alive?¡± ¡°¡®Unfaceable Snake¡¯ is dead.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Her tone was slightly strange, but Raon simply nodded. ¡°Did you turn into a squirrel then, in order to survive?¡± ¡°No, my body is currently at a different ce. Why are you asking? Do you want to see me?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Raon sighed deeply and shook his head. He was already feeling exhausted even though he¡¯d only spoken to her for a short time. ¡°Then why are you looking like that?¡± ¡°When I heard the news about the Conference of the Six Kings, I used a very slow method to transfer my thoughts into this squirrel. I didn¡¯t interfere with this one¡¯s body or soul, so that¡¯s why no one noticed me.¡± It must¡¯ve been because she didn¡¯t use any mana or magic and had no intention of harming anyone as a squirrel that everyone believed that she was a normal squirrel. ¡°But how did you know that I was going to participate in the Conference of the Six Kings? Moreover, the location of the conference must¡¯ve been kept secret until recently.¡± ¡°I figured you would participate because you are directly involved with the topic of the conference. I¡¯ve also scattered animals small enough to avoid suspicion all over the Six Kings just in case.¡± Merlin smiled bashfully while covering her mouth with her finger. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± That was the only thing Raon could say. ¡®This is getting scary¡­¡¯ He was getting goosebumps because she¡¯d predicted his movements and even scattered the small animals all over the Six Kings to prepare herself for all kinds of situations. Kuh! Wrath covered his ears, showing that he didn¡¯t want to listen to her anymore. He must¡¯ve suffered from someone¡¯s obsession in the past. ¡°So why are you visiting me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural to stay with family.¡± Merlin smiled as if it were the natural thing to do. ¡°I¡¯m just sad that I can¡¯t hug you likest time because I look like this.¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit¡­¡± ¡°Who else do you thinkid you on the bed? You even slept on myp when you were wearing the mask.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon actually didn¡¯t remember that. All he remembered was that he lost consciousness in the chair and was lying on the floor when he woke up. ¡°Stop the useless talk and tell me honestly. Why are you here?¡± /p> ¡°I was worried about you.¡± Merlin¡¯s excited voice turned serious for the first time. ¡°I have my head of house with me, and he can easily defeat your boss. There¡¯s nothing to worry about¡­¡± ¡°The Fallen is targeting you.¡± When Raon was trying to mention Glenn, Merlin shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s targeting me?¡± Raon frowned at Merlin. ¡°Is it because the head of house came to retrieve me and delivered a devastating blow to Eden?¡± ¡°No.¡± Merlin firmly shook her head. Raon was getting used to her appearance. ¡°It¡¯s because of your future.¡± ¡°Future?¡± ¡°The Fallen believes that you will be the biggest obstacle in achieving Eden''s ideal, and he¡¯s nning to use this opportunity to kill you.¡± ¡°This opportunity?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t move freely right now because he¡¯s exhausted his power in multiple ways.¡± She smiled, saying that everything would be okay as long as he overcame the oing crisis. ¡°I¡¯m not sure when exactly he¡¯s going to attack. It won¡¯t be when the heads of the Six Kings like your grandfather are nearby, at least.¡± Raon agreed with her, as the Fallen couldn¡¯t avoid Glenn¡¯s eyes no matter how stealthy he was. ¡°Did you go as far as borrowing an animal¡¯s body to warn me about that?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while pointing at Merlin, who¡¯d turned into a squirrel. ¡°Of course I did. We¡¯re family.¡± Merlin nodded while rubbing her head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. ¡®What should I even tell her?¡¯ He already thought she was crazy when she did her best to stop the White Blood Religion and Eden, and he could¡¯ve never even guessed that she would tell him so much information. He could somewhat understand why she was doing it, and he felt sorry for her. ¡°Erm, I¡­¡± ¡°Ah, one more thing.¡± Merlin raised her finger. ¡°I heard this on the way, but Derus Robert mentioned your name.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon raised his head violently because he didn¡¯t expect that she would suddenly talk about Derus. ¡°I casually approached him because the way he was looking at you bothered me, and he mentioned your name twice in a single sentence. Raon and Raon Zieghart. Isn¡¯t that strange?¡± ¡°What did he say after that?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear it because of the aura barrier. This body would¡¯ve been shattered into pieces if I got any closer.¡± She licked her lips, saying that she should¡¯ve enhanced the squirrel¡¯s hearing ability a bit more. ¡°Raon and Raon Zieghart. He mentioned me twice¡­?¡± Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®No way.¡¯ People usually didn¡¯t mention a person¡¯s name twice in a single sentence. Moreover, the fact that he said Raon and Raon Zieghart was a dangerous sign. Does that bastard actually suspect that I¡¯m rted to my previous self? It should¡¯ve been impossible, but that was the most likely scenario considering what Merlin had said. ¡®I need to think about this. How many times have I used assassination skills in this life?¡¯ The first time was when he attacked the Green War Demon from behind, but there were no unrted witnesses to the incident. The second time was when he had in the fourth apostle, and many people had witnessed it. ¡®But that¡¯s not enough to give me away.¡¯ He¡¯d used the swordsmanship he¡¯d learned in order to assassinate the fourth apostle instead of the assassination technique of House Robert specifically to avoid any suspicion. The warriors who were present on the scene should¡¯ve been too weak to recognize him. ¡®Which means he should still be uncertain.¡¯ If Derus was certain about it, he would¡¯ve definitely tried to sound him out during theirst encounter. Considering the situation so far, Derus¡¯s suspicion couldn¡¯t be that big. ¡®I get it now.¡¯ The reason Derus was acting strange despite them only just having their first encounter was because he suspected that he was the Raon from the previous life, not because of the incident at House Yonaan. ¡®Why is he suspecting me? He shouldn¡¯t be crazy enough topare me to him just because I have the same name.¡¯ No matter how he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t figure out why Derus was suspecting him of being the Raon from his previous life. ¡®No, that¡¯s not the important part right now. I need to figure out how to avoid his suspicions.¡¯ ¡°Haaa.¡± Raon exhaled all the oxygen from his lungs and closed his eyes. ¡®Since he¡¯s suspecting me, his next move is¡­ It¡¯s obvious. He¡¯s going to order Martio to check if I still have the traces of an assassin.¡¯ Martio was Derus¡¯s closest vassal and the butler of the underworld¡ªand the one who brainwashed Raon and oversaw his assassin training. Derus was definitely going to order him to observe every single move to find traces of that training. ¡®It will be pointless, though.¡¯ A cold smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he bit his lip. ¡®Because I¡¯ve erased them all already.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Once he realized Roenn was an assassin, he removed every single habit of an assassin in order to avoid giving him any reason to suspect him. Also, his mindset had be that of a swordsman thanks to Sylvia. That was why it should¡¯ve been impossible for Martio to recognize him even though he was the one who brainwashed and taught him in the past. ¡®But just in case¡­¡¯ He imagined his actions in the future. He examined the way he moved his body in various ways before he nodded. ¡°Did you finish thinking about it?¡± Merlin was smiling awkwardly while nibbling on the dresser. She was apparently unable to perfectly control the squirrel¡¯s instincts. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Raon bowed to Merlin. It happened because of her misunderstanding, but she was extremely helpful to him. He thanked her from the bottom of his heart. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that to your family.¡± Merlin said the exact same thing Sylvia had told him in the past. Raon¡¯s heart felt heavy. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say that.¡± She came down from the dresser and put her small hand on Raon¡¯s. He could feel her warmth through her extremely small fingers. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon considered taking advantage of her misunderstanding for a very brief moment. After all, a Grandmaster magician¡¯s one-sided affection was bound to be extremely helpful. ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡¯ Raon violently smacked his own cheek. The tearing sound of his flesh resounded throughout the silent room. ¡°Raon?¡± H-have you finally gone insane? Merlin and Wrath widened their eyes. ¡®Yes, that would be insane.¡¯ If he took advantage of Merlin¡¯s feelings, he would be no different from Derus Robert, who was still inciting his desire for revenge even after his reincarnation. Even though she was an enemy, mocking a person¡¯s life wasn¡¯t an option. ¡°Let me say it one more time. Thank you for telling me about it. However, I¡¯m not your family, as I¡¯m not Loctar Defort. His soul has already been absorbed into me.¡± Raon honestly told Merlin about what happened in the mental world. ¡°He doesn¡¯t exist in the world anymore, and I¡¯m your archenemy. You shouldn¡¯t be helping me like this.¡± ¡°Did Loctar say anything before he parted?¡± ¡°He¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes. Hisst word was still engraved in his memory. It wasn¡¯t anything special, but he would never be able to forget about it for the rest of his life. ¡°Was worried about you. He told me that you¡¯vemitted sins, but there was a reason behind them.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s what he said¡­¡± Raon waited for her resentment in return, but she didn¡¯t say anything for a while. ¡°Raon, you are really Loctar after all.¡± Merlin smiled happily. She looked like a squirrel that had filled its belly with sunflower seeds to its heart¡¯s content. ¡°Because Loctar never brings shame to himself since he¡¯s a knight.¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯m not Loctar!¡± ¡°I said this before. Since Loctar¡¯s soul is dwelling inside you, you are Loctar to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call you by that name. Raon.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. She was starting to insist once again even though he thought she was getting better. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it even if my love ends up being one-sided. That¡¯s what family is, after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your famil¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, the time is up now.¡± Merlin¡¯s voice started to tremble, and the squirrel¡¯s fur stood on their ends. ¡°Keeping my thoughts here would strain this one. I¡¯ll be praying for your survival.¡± She smiled for thest time and waved her hand. She looked like a cute squirrel, but Raon felt like the real Merlin was waving at him. ¡°Please feed this one after I¡¯m gone. That was the trade we had.¡± After she said that, the squirrel¡¯s eyes turned clear. Squeak? The squirrel that returned to normal stared at Raon for a while before hiding in a corner. That was a crazy amount of obsession. It was almost frightening¡­ Wrath¡¯s chin was trembling as he looked at the dresser where Merlin was standing. ¡®You might be right.¡¯ The King of Essence doesn¡¯t understand why everyone around you is so crazy! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell him that he was the strangest one of them all. Knock. Knock. Raon shook his head, and when he was about to call the squirrel¡ªwho had gone under the bed¡ªa knocking sound could be heard. ¡°Vice squad leader! Why are you noting? It¡¯s time for us to make our entrance!¡± Dorian was hurriedly calling him. ¡°Dorian,e inside for a moment.¡± ¡°What?¡± Dorian opened the door and entered the room. ¡°Do you have any nuts?¡± ¡°Of course I do. What do you want? Peanuts? Almonds? Walnuts? Pistachios? Sunflower seeds? Pine nuts? Pumpkin seeds? Cashew nuts? I¡¯ve got them all.¡± Raon took notice of his amazing level of preparedness, which he hadn¡¯te across in a while. ¡°Sunflower seeds and peanuts.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian nodded and took out a cylindrical box filled with nuts from his belly pocket to give him the sunflower seeds and peanuts. ¡°Come over here.¡± Raon slowly pushed the peanuts and the sunflower seeds under the bed, and the squirrel put them in its mouth one after the other and came out from under the bed. ¡°Eeh? A squirrel? Why is a squirrel here?¡± ¡°I was hungry for affection.¡± Raon smiled bitterly and picked up the squirrel, which filled its cheek pocket with all of the sunflower seeds in his hand, before putting it down next to the window. The squirrel turned its head for a moment and tilted its head before disappearing towards the garden. Raon put on his coat after watching the sunset for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± * * * Once he followed Dorian into the banquet hall, the Zieghart swordsmen were the only ones who were waiting in front of the door. ¡®We were thest ones after all.¡¯ Since the people with lower rank and age were supposed to make the first entrance to the banquet, Zieghart was thest in the line. ¡°Wow, Raon. Look at how much you¡¯ve grown up. You even made me wait for you!¡± Rimmer swaggered towards him with a frown on his face. ¡°How dare you make a squad leader wait when you are just a vice squad lead¡ªAck!¡± ¡°You are the one wasting our time here.¡± He ended up getting smacked by Sheryl and shrunk to the side. ¡°Raon, did anything happen?¡± Runaan walked up to him and tilted her head. ¡°No, nothing special.¡± Raon shook his head with a faint smile on his face. The matter was worrying him, but he couldn¡¯t exactly tell others about it. ¡°My lord, everyone is here.¡± Sheryl bowed towards the waiting room on the right side, and the door opened as Glenn made his appearance. He was wearing his uniform instead of a formal suit, but he looked even better in it. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He narrowed his eyes while looking at Raon for a moment before he nodded. ¡°Yes!¡± With Sheryl as their leader, the Zieghart swordsmen responded and followed Glenn to the banquet hall¡¯s door. ¡°Wee, Zieghart¡¯s heroes!¡± The knights guarding the door mmed their spears on the ground before opening the door. At the same time, the majestic shout of the master of ceremonies resounded throughout the banquet hall from inside. ¡°The conqueror of North, Glenn Zieghart, and the Zieghart heroes are making their entrance!¡± The hectic atmosphere of the banquet hall went silent at once, and everyone turned to look at them. ¡°That man is the Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart.¡± ¡°Th-this is no joke. How can a human being¡¯s pressure be so¡­¡± ¡°Argh, I can¡¯t breathe.¡± ¡°So it was true that he crushed the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Fallen on his own¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s even stronger than before. I can¡¯t even meet his eyes¡­¡± As Glenn made his entrance, people were overwhelmed by his powerful pressure and couldn¡¯t even raise their eyes or meet his gaze. They were simply standing there with trembling chins. ¡®It must be frightening.¡¯ Although powerful people usually controlled their pressure, Glenn usually revealed it instead, which made everyone turn pale. ¡®This is nice.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly upon noticing that the excitement had died down. Because no one will be interested in me. Since everyone was focused on Glenn, Raon didn¡¯t even need to try so hard to hide his presence anymore. He figured he would be able to achieve his objective at that rate. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± King Lecross, who was sitting on the tform as the host, smiled at him while pointing next to him. Derus was already sitting on his left side. Raon examined Derus while pretending to watch Glenn¡¯s back as he walked up to the tform and met his eyes. Derus smiled at him as if he were d to see him again. His fake smile made Raon¡¯s head heat up once again. You idiot¡­ Wrath frowned upon noticing the wrath boiling in his mind. ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m okay now.¡¯ Raon suppressed his emerging wrath with the Ring of Fire. He bowed to Derus with a wless smile on his face. Once he raised his head, Derus¡¯s face had stiffened slightly. Raon examined the two butlers behind him with a neutral expression on his face. ¡®The one on the right.¡¯ The old butler on his left was nothing but a servant in charge ofwful activities, and the friendly-looking middle-aged butler on his right must¡¯ve been Martio in disguise¡ªthe one who had the actual authority. ¡®This is why the world is so unpredictable.¡¯ He was testing them instead of being tested thanks to Merlin¡¯s interference, which no one could¡¯ve expected. Raon turned away from them with a cold smile on his face. ¡®It¡¯s been a while, instructor.¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 315

Chapter 315

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 315 Yeah! Wrath shouted in excitement. Excellent, the great taste dances in the mouth! ¡®I¡¯m d to hear that.¡¯ Wrath chuckled while putting his fork down on the empty te. This is how food should be. Truly artistic! People nowadays only follow a recipe and can¡¯t incorporate their devotion and philosophy into food. Raon thought it had to be hard to be a chef if they even had to incorporate philosophy into their cooking. More! Bring more food! The King of Essence is still hungry! Wrath pointed at the buffet in the outer area of the banquet hall while patting his bloated belly, which served to make him look even more like cotton candy. ¡®This is already the tenth dish, though.¡¯ It¡¯s ONLY the tenth dish! ¡®Haa, this is endless.¡¯ Raon shook his head and went towards the buffet. ¡®He¡¯s watching me again.¡¯ He could feel Martio¡¯s gaze from where he was standing behind Derus. Even though he¡¯d been watching him in a natural manner before, his gaze had turned more tant. He must¡¯ve been trying to test his reaction. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon turned back to look at Martio in a neutral manner. Martio lowered his head with an awkward expression on his face. ¡®This is the best way to deal with it.¡¯ Ignoring such a powerful gaze was a bad move. The best solution to that situation was to pretend to be curious about why he was watching him instead of acting like he was suspicious. ¡®Merlin ended up being really helpful.¡¯ /p> If not for Merlin¡¯s warning, he might have made a mistake because of Martio¡¯s gaze. If he managed to shake off his suspicion, it wouldn¡¯t be excessive to say that it was all thanks to her. Grr¡­ Wrath ground his teeth and red at Derus, who was savoring his wine on the tform. It¡¯s all because of that beanpole that you became such a small eater! Resentment over food shall never be forgiven! He showed his teeth and growled at Derus. He must¡¯ve been serious about helping him. That¡¯s why you should take that pie over there. The blueberries are seducing the King of Essence right now. Raon chuckled and put the pie on his te before returning to the table. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s enough for you? You should eat more.¡± ¡°This is the eleventh dish though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only the eleventh.¡± Martha narrowed her eyes while saying the same thing as Wrath. ¡°No one but you is evening over here.¡± She was right, since Runaan was treating the ice cream stand like her home, and Burren was talking to the Owen knights with a smile on his face. ¡°Leave them alone.¡± Raon shook his hand and took a bite of the pie. The sweet taste of blueberry smeared into the crunchy crust filled his mouth. Woaah! This taste is brimming with the confectioner¡¯s devotion! The King of Essence wants to bring him to his castle. Raon watched Wrath shouting in satisfaction for a while before he closed his eyes. Even though twenty years had passed, and he¡¯d even reincarnated since then, he still remembered the old days whenever he closed his eyes. He wasn¡¯t even treated as a human being as he learned assassination techniques in his previous life. He wasn¡¯t even allowed to sleep for over a month because the hunting dogs or the senior assassins chased him around during his training, and he had to leave on a mission with a dagger in his hand even though he was young enough that he should¡¯ve still been in the parents¡¯ embrace. Although Derus Robert was the one who ordered everything, the butler of the underworld, Martio, was the one who¡¯d carried it out. He¡¯d threatened him with violence during his childhood and threatened him with freedom after he was brainwashed. Raon remembered Martio¡¯s false face as he taught him as a dog. ¡®I won¡¯t let him live.¡¯ Derus Robert wasn¡¯t the only target of his revenge. Those who worked for him in the underworld were also included in it. Raon wanted to thoroughly destroy everything he possessed. ¡®But it¡¯s impossible for now.¡¯ Martio¡¯s realm was no less than Roenn¡¯s, and he was even more difficult to deal with because of his assassination techniques. ¡®The best thing I can do for now is analyze his energy.¡¯ Raon focused on probing into his energy through his gaze. When he even activated the Ring of Fire to feel his energy, Wrath suddenly turned his head to look behind him. Two more have arrived. Wrath mumbled, and the outside became noisy at the same time. Thud! The door was opened alongside the sound of the knights outside the banquet hall mming the floor with their spears. ¡°Sir Chamber, the archmage of Eternal me and Balkar¡¯s heroes are making their entrance!¡± People¡¯s gazes focused on the entrance upon hearing the shout. The magicians and knights entering the banquet hall were wearing robes and armor instead of formal dress. They must¡¯ve just arrived at the castle. Many people were entering at the same time, but everyone¡¯s gazes were focused on the beautiful woman with short red hair at the center. She confidently strode through the center of the banquet hall with sparkling golden eyes. Despite how young she looked, the mana wavering from her was as huge as the ocean. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± The red-haired woman waved her hand at the leaders of the Six Kings on the tform and smiled brightly. ¡®She is the archmage of Eternal me, Chamber.¡¯ She was one of the three archmages of the continent, and the transcender who led the royal mages of Balkar. ¡®She looks even younger than me.¡¯ Powerful people tended to age more slowly, but Chamber was an extreme case. She looked like she was in her early twenties even though she should¡¯ve been older than Owen¡¯s king or Derus. ¡°Mister Glenn really came!¡± Chamber went on the tform while referring to Glenn as ¡®mister¡¯. ¡°You are as loose-tongued as before.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Glenn frowned, but Chamber didn¡¯t even seem to care and sat next to him. ¡°Hah.¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. He couldn¡¯t believe that she actually said ¡®Mister Glenn¡¯. ¡®All the transcenders are strange.¡¯ He shook his head and examined the people who entered after her. That was when he noticed a familiar face. ¡®She¡¯s also here after all.¡¯ It should¡¯ve been obvious, but Jayna was participating in the banquet as Balkar¡¯s princess. ¡®I guess she didn¡¯t know I would be here.¡¯ He guessed that she didn¡¯t know about his attendance. After all, she wouldn¡¯t have been there if she did. ¡°Haap!¡± Jayna was walking as confidently as Chamber but let out a brief scream upon meeting Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Jayna?¡± ¡°Princess?¡± The people around her stopped walking and stared at her. ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing.¡± She leaned forward before walking forward. Unlike her previous demeanor, her hands were trembling violently. ¡®This is going to be another gain.¡¯ While Raon was thinking about what to extort from the bitch princess with a smile on his face, a fierce and powerful pressure surged from the entrance. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Wrath said they were two, not one. Raon hurriedly turned his head. ¡°W-we haven¡¯t introduced you yet¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need such a thing.¡± The gigantic man who created a tremor with his entrance wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt under his coat. He looked over two meters tall, his eyes were as sharp as those of a savage beast, and his solid pressure felt like he wouldn¡¯t bleed even from a needle poking into his skin. ¡®The Beast Union¡¯s leader, the Beast King Ogram!¡¯ Judging from his beast-like ferocity, attitude that didn¡¯t even care about courtesy, and the lion emblem engraved on his sky dragon coat, he was definitely the Beast King Ogram. He was the one who united the countless tribes of the West and became the leader of the Beast Union. Whir! The entire banquet hall fell silent from the wild energy wave spreading from him. ¡°Glenn Zieghart.¡± Ogram walked up to the tform and stood before Glenn, not even looking at anyone else. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Ogram.¡± Glenn calmly nodded. ¡°Your face is as haughty as before.¡± ¡°The same goes for your arrogant eyes.¡± ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± Ogram burst into cheerfulughter and nodded. ¡°And your personality is also the same. I never believed it when people said you were washed up.¡± He jumped on the tform and sat next to Derus. Even though Chamber and Ogram¡¯s entrances were both peculiar, Glenn, Derus, and King Lecross didn¡¯t really care about it. It felt like they were used to it. ¡®Five of the Six Kings are here.¡¯ Every single one of them could cause an uproar in the continent, and having the five of them together made it feel like the banquet hall was trembling even though they weren¡¯t doing anything. Interesting. Wrath grinned while looking at the five transcenders. They managed to gather so much power despite being paltry humans. The King of Essence will have to acknowledge your potential for a race with such a short lifespan. He gave a big nod of admiration. ¡®Potential¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips and examined the people from the Balkar Kingdom and the Beast Union. ¡®There¡¯s a member of the Twelve Stars of the Continent in each of their camps.¡¯ Both the Balkar and Beast Union had a genius who rose to the Twelve Stars of the Continent¡¯s seat among their ranks. ¡®I can gain even more now.¡¯ The appearance of new faces signified that he would be able to gain even more in the social meeting. In particr, he wanted to witness the Beast Union¡¯s martial arts no matter what, since they were rumored to have the strongest bodies. You should be bringing more food right now! It won¡¯tst long since there are even more people now! ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Raon turned his head upon hearing Wrath¡¯s shout. While the magicians and knights from the Balkar kingdom were having a light meal in their seats, the warriors from the Beast Union were chowing down on the food with the intention of finishing off all of it just like Wrath had said. Quickly! ¡®Haa.¡¯ Since he¡¯d already promised that he would eat to his heart¡¯s content, he was about to move towards the buffet when the transcenders¡¯ voices could be heard from the tform. ¡°Hmm! That sounds interesting. I agree.¡± Chamber raised her hand while swaying her legs and agreed to Derus. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it. My kids are going to win all the trophies.¡± Ogram grinned while chewing on a big leg of pork. ¡°That settles it.¡± Derus nodded, his hands gathered together to express his relief. ¡°Your majesty, can you announce it to everyone?¡± He smiled at Lecross, who was sitting at the center. ¡°Alright.¡± King Lecross stood up from his throne and moved to the edge of the tform. Even though he hadn¡¯t said anything yet, everyone focused on him because of his presence. ¡°Is everyone enjoying the banquet?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone in the hall answered and bowed to him. ¡°Since this is an extremely rare asion where five of us have gathered in the Conference of the Six Kings, we¡¯ve prepared a special event.¡± ¡°What would be that special event¡­?¡± ¡°We decided to hold a martial tournament for the young warriors and magicians who would stand at the peak of the continent in the future.¡± Everyone in the banquet hall looked at him with sparkling eyes upon hearing the news about the tournament. ¡°It will be divided between Experts and Masters. The winner will be granted the honor of the title of ¡®the strongest warrior¡¯, as well as an extra reward from us. The preliminary will start in two days, so those who wish to participate should register until tomorrow.¡± King Lecross smiled gently and looked around at the warriors in the banquet hall. ¡°Since we will be watching the finale, I hope you all get good results.¡± He returned to his seat after that. ¡°Martial tournament!¡± ¡°Moreover, the Six Kings are spectating it!¡± ¡°They¡¯ve even prepared a present!¡± ¡°This is crazy! I¡¯m definitely going to participate!¡± The warriors from the five factions started talking about the tournament amongst each other. ¡°It sounds interesting.¡± Martha¡¯s eyes were zing with passion as she crumpled the fork she was holding. ¡°It¡¯s going to be so fun to trample upon the elites.¡± She was smiling a toothy smile even though she was also an elite herself. ¡°This is a great opportunity to see the other factions¡¯ martial arts. I¡¯m d to be here.¡± Burren also clenched his fist with excited eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Runaan wasn¡¯t really interested in the tournament, and which ice cream to try out first seemed to be the only thing on her mind. Raon! The King of Essence wants it too! Give that to the King of Essence! Wrath stuck his tongue out like a puppy while looking at the mint chocte that was forming the first floor of Runaan¡¯s ice cream pile. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon shook his head at Wrath. He was such a childish demon king. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the Frostfire Sword of Valor is obviously going to participate. Am I right?¡± When he started walking towards the buffet in order to get the ice cream, a silver-haired young man blocked his path. He was Cadis Robert, the son of Derus and the fifth rank of Twelve Stars of the Continent. ¡°I¡¯d like to witness the might that defeated Eden, the White Blood Religion, and even the South-North Union. I¡¯m hoping for your participation.¡± Cadis smiled gently. Although it looked like a friendly smile from the side, it looked like a sneer from the front because his eyes weren¡¯t smiling. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it wouldn¡¯t be good enough for the de of Shattering Wave¡¯s eyes.¡± Raon smiled while meeting Cadis¡¯s eyes. ¡°It should be plenty¡­ unless the rumor was a fake. I¡¯m sure it will be fun.¡± ¡®It is a sneer after all.¡¯ Cadis waspletely looking down on him. His egoistic personality from his childhood hadn¡¯t changed at all. ¡®I should ept his challenge here.¡¯ Since Cadis had an arrogant and impertinent personality, he was a hypocrite who couldn¡¯t bear with other people¡¯s provocation. Raon decided to try provoking him in return. ¡°I enjoy fighting opponents at the same level as me, but I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s even going to happen here.¡± Raon smiled while taunting him by saying that ¡®someone like you can¡¯t even be an enjoyment for me¡¯. ¡°¡­That¡¯s an amazing amount of confidence.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t that confident before, but I grew slightly confident thanks to the de of Shattering Wave¡¯spliment.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Cadis fell speechless because Raon returned his own words right back to him. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to facing you in the finals.¡± He said those words while stressing each one. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that would be possible, but sure¡ªif you can manage it to make it fun for me.¡± Raon nodded and moved past Cadis. His expression didn¡¯t change, nor did he spread his pressure, but the calm atmosphere around him became turbulent. ¡®He¡¯s so obvious.¡¯ He was trying to taunt Raon, yet he was speechless from being taunted in return despite being much older than him. It was as clear as day that he must¡¯ve been boiling in anger. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Raon was about to put the ice cream on his te but suddenly stopped. Hmm? What are you doing right now instead of dishing up? Wrath pounded his shoulder, urging him to continue. Raon smiled coldly while looking at the ice cream¡¯s mixed colors together. ¡®Maybe I can¡­¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * After the Banquet Derus Robert¡¯s Room Martio was standing in front of Derus, who was sitting on his chair with his legs crossed. ¡°How was he?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t confirm it yet, but it seems to be a no from what I¡¯ve seen so far.¡± Martio lowered his head apologetically. ¡°A no?¡± ¡°The assassins have characteristic footsteps. They always walk with the tip of their toes instead of the back to stay ready for assassination. However, it looks normal on the outside because they shouldn¡¯t give off their identity.¡± He continued while pointing at his own shoes. ¡°However, Raon Zieghart¡¯s shoes werepletely worn out, and his footsteps were that of an ordinary swordsman or knight.¡± ¡°Even his shoes?¡± Derus narrowed his eyes. He could¡¯ve changed his footsteps because so many people were around, but the fact that his shoes were worn out ordingly signified that it was his usual way of walking. ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason. Assassins secretly stay alert even when they are eating, but he wasn¡¯t doing that at all. He did over ten round trips to the buffet to enjoy his food. He was eating like a horse.¡± Martio furrowed his brow because of his unexpected behavior. ¡°Lastly, he didn¡¯t show any unnatural reactions when I tantly stared at him. I haven¡¯t seen him fight yet, but his usual behavior was far from an assassin.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Derus licked his lips while supporting his chin on his fist. He looked displeased as he stared out the window for a while before he nodded. ¡°Will you be able to confirm after watching Raon Zieghart¡¯s battle?¡± ¡°Yes. He definitely won¡¯t be able to hide it during an all-out battle.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve appointed you as the referee for the martial tournament. Make sure to determine his identity from up close.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Martio nodded before he disappeared from the room. A knocking sound could be heard soon after. ¡°Enter.¡± Derus waved his hand, and the door opened as Cadis Robert entered. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°I saw that you got taunted in return when you were trying to taunt him.¡± ¡°You even heard all that. That¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Cadis smiled without changing his expression at all, but his eyes were boiling in anger. ¡°You can win, right?¡± Darkness was dwelling in Derus¡¯s eyes as he asked his question. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Beast Union to be present, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m ready to defeat even the four strongest of the Twelve Stars.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll add one more request.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°Cut Raon Zieghart¡¯s arm if you end up encountering him.¡± ¡°Ohh.¡± Cadis¡¯s mouth curved into a long smile. ¡°Are you sure about that? Even though Glenn is around?¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve smashed your mouth if you mentioned any other name, but Glenn is different.¡± Derus nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve already probed his intentions. Killing him would be a different story, but cutting his arms off wouldn¡¯t be enough to cause any reaction from Glenn. Use a severing strike to leave a disability forever, even if he manages to reattach it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow your orders.¡± Cadis bowed politely despite his tone before leaving the room. ¡°If I¡¯m not sure about the answer¡­¡± A frighteningly cold smile appeared on Derus¡¯s face as he stared outside the window where the moonlight was entering the room with no one else around. ¡°Removing the problem itself can be a solution.¡± * * * After the banquet ended, Raon brought the Light Wind squad to the castle¡¯s outskirts. ¡°Where are we going? Are you sure we''re allowed here?¡± Burren reluctantly looked around him. ¡°The friendly match is in two days. We need to train in preparation after a small rest.¡± Martha furrowed her brow, saying that she wanted to sleep in order to check her swordsmanship the next day. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan looked like she was thinking about the ice cream she had eaten earlier. She looked extremely satisfied, as she kept humming. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Trying to relieve the Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s anxiety, Raon stopped in front of the door near a small garden. He removed the hardtch from the door before opening it, and a properly maintained training ground could be seen. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°A training ground?¡± ¡°Did you reserve this for our training?¡± They seemed d, as they needed a ce to train before the friendly match anyway. ¡°I asked the third prince to let us use an empty training ground.¡± Raon smiled while watching the Light Wind squad rejoice themselves. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°You are really the only person who cares about us, vice squad leader!¡± ¡°We can all use this together since it¡¯srge enough!¡± The Light Wind squad looked around the training ground and smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Since it¡¯s already gettingte today, I guess we should start tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s start training at daybreak.¡± ¡°I need to get my training outfit and equipment¡­¡± Thud! The Light Wind squad members were talking about the next day¡¯s training when they heard the sudden mming sound of the door. They flinched in surprise and turned to look at the door. Raon wastching the training ground¡¯s door. ¡°R-Raon?¡± ¡°Why is the door locked?¡± ¡°Wh-why did you lock the door?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen swallowed nervously because of Raon¡¯s sudden behavior. ¡°Tomorrow? There¡¯s no such thing as tomorrow.¡± Raon raised his head while saying that. Crimson mes were burning in his eyes. ¡°Losing to House Robert is one thing I can¡¯t tolerate.¡± Since teaching them about how to counter House Robert¡¯s swordsmanship could end up revealing his identity, awakening their bodies and minds through a powerful attack was the best method avable. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him now?¡± ¡°Why did he go crazy this time?¡± ¡°Th-those eyes are the same as when we did the focus enhancement training!¡± Martha and the Light Wind squad stepped backward with trembling chins. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine with training, but let me rest beforehand. We just finished eating a moment ago!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We should start it tomorrow since it¡¯s already toote.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t even bring our training outfits or training swords¡­¡± On the other hand, a few swordsmen¡ªincluding Burren¡ªwere shaking their hands, trying to convince him somehow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon snapped his finger, and Dorian quickly stepped up next to him. ¡°You got them, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Dorian sniffled before putting his hand in his belly pocket. The Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s training outfits and training swords came out from the pocket one after the other. ¡°You know you missed something.¡± ¡°Uwah¡­¡± He wiped his tears away and took the ck Converter from his belly pocket and put it on the ground. ¡°The ck Converter!¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t they destroyed it yet?¡± ¡°God damn it!¡± The Light Wind squad started freaking out once they saw the ck Converter and stepped away. Even though they¡¯d hardened their resolution, the ck Converter was still scary for them. Raon stared at the ck Converter for a while before he shook his head. ¡°Ah, I made a mistake.¡± The Light Wind squad¡¯s paleplexions turned slightly brighter. They wanted to train, but they all wanted to avoid the hellish training with Raon. ¡°Y-yes, you were too impatient!¡± ¡°I like the idea of training, but we shouldn¡¯t go too hard because we are having the match right after.¡± ¡°L-let¡¯s take it slow.¡± The Light Wind squad took the opportunity and wiped their cold sweat away while walking up to Raon. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. Since five out of the Six Kings are participating, you are most likely going to encounter the others before fighting House Robert.¡± The pressure spreading from Raon turned as sharp as a needle. ¡°That¡¯s why we need to make enough preparations against all four of them.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The swordsmen finally realized that they¡¯dpletely misunderstood his intentions and their jaws dropped. ¡°But you don¡¯t need to worry about it. Two days will be enough.¡± The Light Wind squad¡¯s faces froze, but a frightening smile appeared around Raon¡¯s mouth in contrast. He bobbed his finger while holding Heavenly Drive and its scabbard. ¡°Let¡¯s start the killin¡ªI mean, training.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 316 ¡°I-I¡¯m really going to die¡­ Everyone¡¯s going to die at this rate¡­¡± Dorian crawled on the floor of the training ground with a trembling chin. His eyes didn¡¯t have any focus. ¡°It¡¯s already morning. Kukekekeke!¡± Burren was lying t on the ground and burst intoughter while watching the rising sun. He looked a bit crazed in contrast to his usualposure. ¡°Shit, shit, shiiit!¡± Martha was rhythmically swearing towards the sky at the same pace as her breathing. Her voice was getting weaker and weaker from her exhaustion. ¡°Raon is the ugliest person in the world¡­¡± Runaan kept calling him ugly with her head mmed on the ground. She sometimes murmured that she missed the ice cream from the previous night. ¡°H-how the hell is his training always so difficult?¡± ¡°I can never get used to it. The intensity increases whenever I¡¯m getting used to it, and it¡¯s really killing me¡­¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s partly because of the ck Converter.¡± ¡°I told you to destroy it already!¡± ¡°It¡¯s pointless to destroy it. It gets multiplied inside that Dorian bastard¡¯s belly pocket.¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s destroy Dorian.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen were also lying on the training ground. They looked like they had finally lost it since they kept saying nonsense. Raon stood in front of the Light Wind squad with the exact same appearance as when he started the training session. ¡°Listen while you rest.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you trying to do this time¡­?¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes werepletely terrified, and his hands were trembling. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you theory from now on.¡± Raon straightened his back like the instructors who used to teach them when they were trainees and folded his hands behind his back. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the Owen Kingdom. The characteristic of Owen¡¯s swordsmanship is its sharpness and precision. It won¡¯t miss the smallest opening and will pierce through without fail.¡± ¡°Opening¡­¡± ¡°Precision, hmm.¡± ¡°Moreover, they have a great perception. Their ability to notice their opponent¡¯s weakness and flow are the best among the Six Kings. You can¡¯t be careless against them even for an instant.¡± The Light Wind squad swallowed nervously upon hearing that they had the best eyes among the Six Kings. ¡°Next up is the Beast Union.¡± Raon raised a second finger. ¡°The Beast Union¡¯s warriors have the best physical abilities among the Six Kings and the Five Demons. Their bodies can even withstand a sharpened sword without using aura.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they just monsters, then?¡± ¡°You said it. They are monsters.¡± Raon nodded at the swordsman who called them monsters. ¡°People in the continent usually call them monsters. Their bodies are as sturdy as steel, their superstrength can even tear a boulder apart, and their martial art has been polished through their beastly instincts. Even though they don¡¯t use any weapons, they are many times more dangerous than warriors who wield a weapon.¡± ¡°But they looked like simpletons.¡± ¡°Yeah, they felt simr to monsters.¡± The swordsmen licked their lips while thinking about the Beast Union warriors they saw in the banquet hall. ¡°They are even more fearsome because they are simple. Your knees will be shaking when you see them charging towards you like wild boars while enduring aura des with their bodies without any strategy.¡± Raon smiled coldly and created his aura on his fist. His fist was engulfed in fire that expanded to the size of a boulder. If anyone were to be hit by it, injuries would be the least of their worries. It was powerful enough to burst their bodies. ¡°This is how the Beast Union uses their aura.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s a bit scary.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s going to kill me if it hits me¡­¡± Chills ran down their spines, and their bodies started to tremble. ¡°Third is Balkar¡¯s magicians and knights. Balkar magician¡¯s characteristic is their fast casting speed. Thanks to the blessing of mana they have, their chanting is fast and precise at the same time. You shouldn¡¯t try to quickly end the fight like you would against the ordinary magicians, as you¡¯ll get knocked out instead.¡± Raon raised the third finger and briefly clicked his tongue. ¡°On the other hand, Balkar¡¯s knights are mainly focused on protecting their magicians, and that¡¯s why their swordsmanship and aura are focused on defense. It won¡¯t be easy to break through their defensive swordsmanship. It¡¯s even harder than steel.¡± Magicians were the main forces of the Balkar Kingdom, but that didn¡¯t mean the knights were weak. Even the warriors from the other Six Kings had a hard time breaking through their defense when they protected the magicians. ¡°Lastly, Robert.¡± Raon used the Ring of Fire in order to stop the rage he felt as he mentioned Robert. ¡°Their swordsmanship is simr to the southern ocean.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the southern ocean clean and calm?¡± Dorian asked while raising his eyes. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s even calmer than Gazel River, which we¡¯ve to been before. Their swordsmanship took after that ocean and is characterized by its softness and fluidity. It¡¯s even capable of removing the aura and flow from the opponent¡¯s swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Th-they can remove the aura and flow from swordsmanship¡­?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they practically invincible in that case?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s jaws dropped upon hearing that they could remove the flow. ¡°It¡¯s even worse. The waves of the southern ocean rise high enough to reach the sky for about a month every year. Just like that wave, Robert¡¯s swordsmanship can create a destructive wave upon finding an opportunity after defending with softness and fluidity. You need to be careful about it, as their attack bes even more powerful than the other Six Kings when that happens.¡± Raon quietly sighed after exining about House Robert¡¯s swordsmanship. ¡®It¡¯s frustrating because I can¡¯t tell them more than the basics.¡¯ He wanted to teach them how topletely counter Robert¡¯s swordsmanship, but that would only aggravate Derus¡¯s suspicion. The Light Wind squad had to defeat them with their own skills. ¡°But how do you even know about all of this, vice squad leader? You¡¯ve never been to the other Six Kings before.¡± Dorian tilted his head. ¡°¡­The squad leader taught me.¡± Raon pondered for a short time, but he just med Rimmer like always. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°C-can I really win against those monsters?¡± ¡°All of them are older than us.¡± ¡°Argh, I¡¯m feeling nauseous.¡± Their lips were trembling in fear after they heard the four factions¡¯ characteristics. ¡°You cowards!¡± Martha stood up while wobbling. ¡°Do you really believe there¡¯s anyone in the world who¡¯s experienced more difficulty than us? They are just shitters!¡± She ground her teeth while ring at the swordsmen behind her. ¡°You are right for once.¡± Burren snickered and nodded his head. ¡°We¡¯ve ovee life and death crises multiple times already. Even though they are Six Kings, it¡¯s unlikely for them to have experienced something like that.¡± He clenched his fist and smiled. ¡°We already decided that we won¡¯t be protected forever.¡± Runaan¡¯s eyes were sparkling like stars as she looked at Raon, unlike her usual nk expression. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Yes. We are Zieghart¡¯s Light Wind squad. We won¡¯t be frightened before the fight even begins.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s think about how to defeat our opponents.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen were encouraged by the team leaders and stood up to get into their positions. ¡°I like your eyes.¡± Raon smiled while looking at the passionate eyes of the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡°Let¡¯s start with Owen. What would be the best way to deal with their sharp and precise swordsmanship?¡± ¡°First strike for the win. It should work if we attack faster than them, right?¡± Krein raised his hand and answered. ¡°Or we could also focus on defense until they get exhausted and attack.¡± Burren stood up and licked his lips. ¡°They are both decent, but I have a better way.¡± ¡°A-a better way?¡± Martha¡¯s voice was trembling. She must¡¯ve noticed something bad wasing. ¡°Yes. You just need to not have any openings.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Are you telling us to remove our openings?¡± ¡°I-is that even possible?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve only got one day until the match though!?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s possible.¡± A cold smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face. Even though the sun had already risen, his smile looked even darker than during the night. ¡°Humans definitely get better if they are pushed to the brink of death. I know it because I¡¯ve done it before.¡± ¡°B-brink of death?¡± ¡°P-push them?¡± ¡°H-his eyes flipped over! They flipped even harder than yesterday! His eyes are gonna pop out!¡± Dorian crawled back on all fours. He started taking out boulders and sand from his belly pocket to build a wall. ¡°You are just imagining things.¡± Raon walked up to the Light Wind squad with a gentle voice. mes burst from Heavenly Drive as he destroyed Dorian¡¯s wall. am! Raon¡¯s red eyes sparkled in between the falling rubble. ¡°Hiee!¡± ¡°Uaah!¡± ¡°Kyah!¡± Dorian wasn¡¯t the only one. Every single Light Wind member was screaming in fright. ¡°I¡¯ll kill yo¡ªI mean, I¡¯ll draw your true potential until tomorrow.¡± * * * * * * ¡°I think he¡¯s drawing out their inner rabid dog rather than their true potential.¡± Rimmer gasped while secretly observing the training ground where Raon and the Light Wind squad were practicing. His lips were trembling as he watched Raon¡¯s eyes burning even more intensely than the sun itself. ¡°Tut. I¡¯d rather not have them called the Mad Dog Squad.¡± ¡°I like it though.¡± Sheryl smiled faintly while watching the Light Wind squad, who could only tremble in fear since they couldn¡¯t even run away. ¡°Crazy dogs that bite anything in their path are better than cowards that tremble in fear even before the fight starts. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± She turned her head to ask for agreement. ¡°I concur.¡± Roenn slowly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s better to bite the head off and die together instead of losing.¡± He was saying something frightening despite his gentle appearance. ¡®Everyone here must¡¯ve gone insane.¡¯ Rimmer shook his head and turned his head towards Glenn, who was standing right next to him. ¡°What do you think, my lord?¡± ¡°Raon¡¯s training method consists in drawing out the hidden potential from their bodies and minds. It¡¯s not about a martial art they haven¡¯t learned before. He¡¯s trying to surface the parts of them that they¡¯ve already learned but haven¡¯t gotten used to yet.¡± Glenn nodded while watching Raon corner the Light Wind squad. ¡°How does he even know about such a training method? I don¡¯t even understand how he grew up to be so smart and wise.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look at how kind he is. He¡¯s teaching hispanions instead of minding his own business right before the tournament because he cares so much about them. He really is a wless boy.¡± ¡°Kind, you say?¡± Rimmer frowned and turned his head towards the training ground. ¡®He¡¯s being kind? He¡¯s literally a demon!¡¯ Raon¡¯s face looked like an evil spirit as he kept beating up the Light Wind squad. Rimmer couldn¡¯t understand which part of him looked kind at all. ¡°You can see that his eyes are flipped¡­¡± ¡°He must be tired from teaching the kids all night long.¡± ¡°No, but they are screamin¡ª¡± ¡°I like their shouts of concentration. They all seem to be enjoying it.¡± Nothing was going through Glenn¡¯s head because he was already blinded by love towards his youngest grandson. ¡°Rimmer.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to teach him all that knowledge about the Six Kings. I guess you do your job sometimes.¡± Glenn patted Rimmer¡¯s shoulder to praise him before jumping down from the tree. ¡°You aren¡¯tpletely useless.¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Sheryl and Roenn followed Glenn with smiles on their faces. ¡°Ahahaha! That¡¯s how good I am.¡± Rimmer scratched the back of his head with a grin on his face because he wasplimented for once. ¡°But¡­¡± He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head while looking at Raon. ¡°Did I actually tell him about that?¡± * * * Day of the Martial Tournament Preliminaries Although there was still an hour left until the start of the preliminary, the arena was already jam-packed with spectators from various ces. ¡°Wow, I never thought I would see the fight between warriors from the Six Kings with my very eyes. Nothing¡¯s going to make me cry ever again.¡± ¡°You can never watch something like this if you miss this priceless opportunity.¡± ¡°Even though they are just future prospects, it feels so exciting because they are carrying the names of the Six Kings!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait anymore. When are they starting?¡± The spectators in the stands were happily talking to each other in anticipation of the matches they would get to witness. ¡°Who is going to win, I wonder?¡± ¡°Owen is obviously going to win. The hosting party is bound to have an advantage when ites to a suddenly organizedpetition like this.¡± ¡°But there are too many outstanding participants to conclude that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing his highness the third prince is going to win the tournament between the Experts.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t know until it happens. Malcor from the Beast Union shredded a bishop from the White Blood Religion with his bare hands.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget Princess Jayna from Balkar. You can¡¯t stop her magic even if she casts it right in front of your eyes.¡± ¡°Every single swordsman from House Roberts is also excellent.¡± The spectators licked their lips while guessing who was going to win the tournament. Some people had even started gambling while hiding from the knights. ¡°Then what about the battle between the Masters, which is the main dish today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s obviously the fifth rank of the Twelve Stars of the Continent, Cadis Robert.¡± ¡°I guess you are right, as no one participated between first and fourth ce.¡± ¡°No, I heard the seventh ce, Borini Kitten, has gotten a lot better than before.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget Garona the Dragon ying Beast from the Beast Union. I heard he¡¯s pretty much an advanced Master even though he¡¯s not one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent.¡± ¡°Ah, my heart is beating too fast. I wish they would start already.¡± The spectators clenched their fists while imagining the duels between the Masters that were nned after the Experts¡¯ matches. ¡°How about Zieghart?¡± ¡°Hmm, they aren¡¯t too bad, but it¡¯s difficult to say that they can win.¡± ¡°First of all, theyck experience and agepared to the others.¡± ¡°Two years is a huge difference at that age. It¡¯s too early for them to catch up to the other participants.¡± ¡°Honestly, they are easy opponents.¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve been a different story if that guy was participating though. You know, the second ce of the Twelve Stars of the Continent¡­¡± ¡°I admit that Sir Glenn is the strongest among the Six Kings, but the other swordsmen are honestly not good enough.¡± Because Glenn got all of the spotlight recently because of his achievement, everyone was focused on him, and the other swordsmen were hardly noticed. ¡°But they have Raon Zieghart, the Frostfire Sword of Valor.¡± ¡°He¡¯d been doing pretty well, but he ended up getting kidnapped by the enemies.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He didn¡¯t even manage to escape on his own, and the house had to help him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just too young. It¡¯s impossible for him to fight against the Azure Razor Sword or the de of Shattering Wave, who are rumored to have reached advanced Master.¡± The spectators shook their hands, saying that Raon wouldn¡¯t have a great result from the Masters¡¯ tournament since he was still too young. Thud! While everyone was looking forward to the preliminary with different thoughts in their heads, the arena¡¯s main gate opened up. ck. Along with a tense sound of metal shing against each other, Owen¡¯s knights¡ªd in silver armor¡ªentered the arena. The knights walked towards the center with proud gazesing from their eyes. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Owen! Owen! Owen!¡± ¡°They are the Blue Eagle knights!¡± ¡°The Stratus Cloud knights are also here!¡± ¡°Azure Razor Sword!¡± Since they were inside Owen¡¯s domain, the spectators filling the arena shouted their heads off. Whoosh. A cool breeze brushed past them like a tidal wave. The second to enter were swordsmen from House Robert. Robert''s swordsmen were wearing blue uniforms, going to the right with gentle smiles on their faces. ¡°Woaah!¡± ¡°House Robert!¡± ¡°The Swift Lotus Sword Division is here!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the de of Shattering Wave! Cadis Robert, the de of Shattering Wave!¡± ¡°Twelve Stars of the Continent!¡± Although their cheers weren¡¯t as loud as when Owen made their entrance, it was still loud enough to match their fame. m! The footsteps were enough to tremble thend. The Beast Union warriors, who weren¡¯t even wearing any protective equipment, entered the arena while spreading wild energy waves from their bodies. ¡°The Beast Union is here!¡± ¡°Woooow!¡± ¡°The Dragon ying Beast is at the lead!¡± ¡°There are so many of them from the Evil-Eyed Tribe!¡± ¡°This is going to be so interesting!¡± The Beast Union, who fought violent battles with their strong bodies without using any equipment or weapons, was almost as popr as the Owen Kingdom. Cring! Along with a resonance of refined mana, Balkar¡¯s magicians entered the arena. A visible blessing of mana was surrounding the magicians, who were d in silky robes. ¡°Woaah!¡± ¡°Balkaaaar!¡± ¡°I knew Sman would be here!¡± ¡°Princess Jayna! You are killing me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Magician of Annihting Strike!¡± Since Balkar was located near the Owen Kingdom, they were extremely famous as well. Step. The resonance engulfing the arena was different from before. It wasn¡¯t as proud as Owen, nor as soft as Robert, nor as heavy as the Best Union, nor as mysterious as Balkar. Step. There was nothing but toughness in those steps, but it was strangely making everyone prick up their ears and turn their attention towards them. Step. Along with footsteps drawing everyone¡¯s attention, Raon and the Light Wind squad passed through the gate. Golden madness was boiling from their eyes, which were as deep as the abyss. ¡°Woaah¡­¡± ¡°I-is this¡­¡± ¡°Zieghart?¡± ¡°Th-they feel different somehow.¡± ¡°¡­Who called them easy?¡± The ferocious madness emerging from Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen was oppressing the spectators, and they couldn¡¯t even cheer for them. ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Those guys¡­¡± ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± The warriors and magicians from the other Six Kings were also swallowing nervously upon feeling the frightening pressureing from the Zieghart swordsmen. Haaa! After bringing silence to the arena, Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen went to the left and exhaled roughly. It looked like gray smoke was surrounding them. Whir. Raon turned around after everyone got into position. He smiled in satisfaction while watching the heated murderous aura and cold madness enveloping their eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve done well following my instructions for the past two days.¡± While watching the Light Wind squad, who were insulting him with their eyes, he destroyed the invisible chain that was binding them. ¡°It¡¯s time to bite.¡± Chapter 317 Raon smiled coldly while feeling gazesing from all directions. ¡®They are underestimating us.¡¯ Although they were briefly intimidated by the Light Wind squad¡¯s madness when they entered the arena, the spectators were still tantly looking down on them. They were belittling the Light Wind swordsmen because of their ages, experience, and fame. ¡®It¡¯s understandable.¡¯ The Light Wind squad was younger than the warriors from the other factions. They were the youngest among the ones present in the arena. Since the difference in age signified the amount of time they spent training, Raon could understand why they would underestimate them. ¡®However, age isn¡¯t all that matters. Our experience is on a whole different level.¡¯ The battles and the training the Light Wind squad had to experience didn¡¯t lose to any other faction. The hellish scenes they went through were more than enough to make up for a couple of years of experience. The King of Essence is almost scared of you at this point. Wrath came out of the ice flower bracelet and furrowed his brow. The King of Essence is also the type of king who doesn¡¯t let the subordinates have an easy time, but he¡¯s not as bad as you. Even that Envy bastard who is supposed to be the harshest towards his subordinates would be amazed by you! Wrath¡¯s chin was trembling in fear after watching the Light Wind squad¡¯s training for the past two days. ¡®Really?¡¯ Raon chuckled while looking at Wrath¡¯s surprised expression. ¡®They shouldn¡¯t lose now, since they went through a training that even managed to impress Wrath.¡¯ Even though the training¡¯s intensity was even higher than back at the house because they didn¡¯t have much time, none of the Light Wind members fell behind and managed to draw out the potential hidden under their bodies and minds. The match was bound to be decided in an instant if their opponents underestimated the Light Wind squad that was d in madness and capable of utilizing their full potential. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon smiled in satisfaction and looked into the Light Wind squad¡¯s eyes. The golden madness was dwelling faintly in the middle of their eyes. ¡®I don¡¯t even know if I should be happy or sad about it, because that madness is directed at me.¡¯ The Light Wind squad looked like they wanted to beat Raon up instead of the Six Kings¡¯ warriors they were about to face, as Raon was the one who made them go through all that hardship for two days. ¡°We are revealing the list of matches now!¡± The master of ceremonies shook his hand, and the magicians revealed the list of matches for the Experts bracket in the air. There were 128 rounds because of the huge number of participants. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°The third prince is in the sixth match! He¡¯s fighting against the Beast Union!¡± ¡°Princess Jayna! Please win!¡± ¡°Look at all those names. There¡¯s not a single match that doesn¡¯t look interesting.¡± Since most of the participants were famous warriors and magicians, the spectators burst into cheers as they waited for the tournament to start. ¡®The first one to fight among us is¡­¡¯ Raon looked for the first match for the Light Wind squad while the others were cheering. ¡®Burren.¡¯ Since Burren was pretty much the eldest brother of the Light Wind members, Raon was satisfied with him getting the first match. ¡®And his opponent is Rickel Robert.¡¯ Although he wasn¡¯t a member of the direct line of House Robert, he was a swordsman in his early twenties who managed to get somewhat famous with his shy swordsmanship. It would have normally been difficult for Burren to fight him, but Raon guessed that it would be fine since the previous training made him stronger. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Th-that person looks way stronger than me, though¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m screwed.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen hardened their faces upon seeing their opponents from the list of matches. The spectators saying that the match was already decided in their opponent¡¯s favor intimidated them, and they seemed to agree that their reputation was a lot shabbier than those famous seniors. ¡°Focus, everyone.¡± Raon pped his hands to gather their attention. ¡°You must¡¯ve realized it by now. No one in this arena is expecting Zieghart to win.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The Light Wind squad ground their teeth. Even though they were half-mad, it still managed to hurt their pride. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be angry about it though.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders while watching their anger. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Burren tilted his head. His cheeks had be hollow after the two days of training. ¡°This is a stage prepared for you.¡± Raon opened his arms and pointed at the spectators crowding in all directions. ¡°It will be fun to fill those arrogant faces with astonishment since they are underestimating you and expecting you to lose, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The madness disappeared from the Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s eyes, and a me of passion was ignited instead. They clenched their fists tightly while looking at the spectators. ¡°You are right. It sounds fun.¡± Martha licked her lips while looking at the spectators. She had huge bags under her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t even need any side dishes for dinner if I can see those idiots dropping their jaws.¡± ¡°I definitely want that to happen.¡± ¡°My heart is pounding.¡± The Light Wind squad bit their lips while looking at the spectators. Their excitement seemed to have surpassed their madness. ¡®I need them a little bit hotter.¡¯ Their state wasn¡¯t too bad, but they needed a little more madness in order to show their best performance. ¡°From what I see, all of you have opponents that you can win against.¡± Raon raised his chin at the Light Wind squad. ¡°If you even end up losing before fighting another Light Wind member¡­¡± His lips rolled up into a smile, madness burning in his eyes even more powerfully than the Light Wind squad. ¡°You will have to repeat the training we did over the twost days for a whole month after we return to the house.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡±Kuah¡­¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± A breathtaking groan could be heard from the Light Wind squad. The madness that was dying down from their eyes rose back up like wildfire. Rumble! Raon smiled while facing their madness, which was even more frightening than a murderous aura. ¡°It¡¯s hot enough now.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Victory goes to Charlie WeeBin from the Owen Kingdom!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± The Owen Kingdom¡¯s young knight raised his hands to answer the spectators¡¯ cheers after winning against a Balkar knight. He enjoyed the moment of his victory for a short time before he left the stage with a smile on his face, and the defeated knight bit his lip, his face pale. ¡°We will start the next match. Burren Zieghart versus Rickel Robert!¡± ¡°Uooooh! It¡¯s Zieghart versus Robert!¡± ¡°A match between the swordsman houses!¡± ¡°But I think it will be a short match.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Rickel reached the highest level of Expert a long time ago. He¡¯s even gained the name ¡®Sword of a Hundred Beasts¡¯.¡± The spectators were already acting as if Rickel had won even before the match began. They didn¡¯t even hesitate to do so because the more famous one had always won so far. ¡°Haa.¡± Rickel Robert exhaled briefly after entering the stage. ¡®I¡¯m against Burren Zieghart. It will be an easy win.¡¯ He was just a neen-year-old kid who he had never even heard of. He was still a team leader, but that was probably because he was a member of the direct line, and there was no way he could match up to him. ¡®It¡¯s Zieghart anyway. Glenn carries that entire house.¡¯ That house was considered the weakest among the Six Kings until Glenn overwhelmed the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Fallen on his own. He believed Glenn was the only strong one there, and the others were nothing but weaklings. That¡¯s why he had no doubt of his victory. ¡®I should finish this quickly.¡¯ Since it was a tournament, he didn¡¯t want to waste any stamina against a greenhorn from Zieghart. He wanted to finish it as fast as possible in preparation for the next battle. Step. The boy called Burren entered the stage from the opposite side. He must¡¯ve been nervous because his name was called a while ago. ¡®It should be even easier if he¡¯s nervous.¡¯ He smiled faintly and examined Burren. With thin blue hair, his eyes¡­ ¡®What¡¯s wrong with his eyes? The colors havepletely changed!?¡¯ The madness burning from Burren¡¯s eyes was even more intense than when he entered the stage. Rickel felt like he was facing a real battle instead of a spar, and a life-and-death battle on top of that. ¡°Erm, hey. Are you both ready?¡± The master of ceremonies was swallowing nervously. He must¡¯ve also noticed that something was wrong. ¡°Yes.¡± Burren nodded. He looked like he was possessed by something. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m ready.¡± Rickel Robert nodded with narrowed eyes, and the master of ceremonies left the stage. ¡°The sixth match is starting now!¡± As soon as the master of ceremonies lowered his hand, Rickel Robert kicked the ground. ¡®As fast as possible!¡¯ Burren¡¯s gaze was making a chill run down his spine. Rickel charged from the left and swung his sword down with the intention of finishing the match in a single strike. The Hundred Wave Sword¡¯s powerful attack imitated a tidal wave and struck diagonally towards him. ng! Even though it was a surprise attack, Burren simply turned his sword to deflect the Hundred Wave Sword¡¯s technique. ¡°It¡¯s pointless!¡± Rickel turned his wrist to connect into the second strike. The attack contained a slightly more powerful aura and flow than the previous one, and it was a technique called the Tiger King of a Hundred Beasts of the Hundred Wave Sword. Cring! However, Rickel¡¯s strike failed to pierce through Burren¡¯s defense once again and faded away. ¡®Not bad, I guess he has at least one trick in his sleeve.¡¯ He was still a member of the direct line of Zieghart despite his young age. Rickel realized he shouldn¡¯t underestimate him. Whir! Rickel calmly caught his breath and took out more than half of his aura from his energy center. ¡°Try stopping this now!¡± He pounced from the left and swung down his sword. The sword strike that was targeting Burren¡¯s wrist was even faster and more powerful than before. ¡°Haap!¡± Burren remainedposed even though his sh was on a different level from before. He lightly stepped aside and unleashed a strike that was surrounded by cold wind. ng! The two strikes were equal in power. Burren was staring at Rickel without even taking a single step back. ¡°How is this possible¡­?¡± Rickel¡¯s chin was trembling. He couldn¡¯t push that Burren guy back even though he¡¯d used more than sixty percent of his power. He couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡± Burren¡¯s breath looked like dark smoke. ¡°I have a reason why I can¡¯t lose. It¡¯s even more true against you guys¡­¡± He ground his teeth and dashed towards him. ¡°You arrogant bastard!¡± Rickel gathered all of his remaining aura and thrust his sword. The silver de wavered to create a powerful tidal wave of aura des. ¡®You won¡¯t be able to block this!¡¯ He was using the Hundred Wave Sword¡¯s special technique, which got stronger if the enemy tried to defend or evade. He was saving it for the next opponent, but he couldn¡¯t afford that anymore. ¡°It¡¯s ove¡ªHuh?¡± Rickel widened his eyes. Burren was charging at him through the powerful aura de instead of dodging or withdrawing. ¡°H-how do you know how to counter this technique?¡± ¡°Counter? I don¡¯t know anything like that!¡± A shout of madness burst from Burren¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯m going to die if I lose this match!¡± His sword fell down at the same time. Whaam! The tremendous resolution and energy dwelling in his sword destroyed Rickel¡¯s special technique and cut into his shoulder. ¡°Kuah!¡± Rickel screamed and sank to the ground. He even dropped his sword, his eyes trembling like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean as he looked up at Burren. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Did Rickel just lose?¡± ¡°How is this even possible?¡± ¡°But he¡¯s way older than him!¡± ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± The spectators¡¯ chins were trembling violently upon witnessing that unbelievable scene. They were all staring at Burren with wide eyes. ¡°H-how did you¡­?¡± Rickel was talking to Burren with trembling hands, but Burren was simply staring at his own hands. ¡®What is going on¡­?¡¯ All he did was swing his sword in the midst of his madness because he didn¡¯t want to die from taking on Raon¡¯s training, but Rickel was defeated before he knew it. ¡®How did I even win?¡¯ Rickel was a pretty famous swordsman. Although he wasn¡¯t expected to win the tournament, people guessed he would easily reach the quarterfinals at least, yet Burren had defeated him way too easily. ¡°Th-the victory goes to Burren Zieghart!¡± Burren turned around to look behind him while listening to the deration of his victory. The faint smile on Raon¡¯s face looked like he was praising him. ¡®What did you do to us this time?! You damn demon king!¡¯ * * * Whaam! Unlike Burren, Martha charged at her opponent from the beginning and started attacking him. Although the Balkar knights were supposed to have the best defense, his armor was torn apart from her attack¡ªwhich was even fiercer than one from the Beast Union¡ªand he rolled on the ground. ¡°This makes ten wins out of ten.¡± If Martha ended up winning, the Light Wind squad would score ten victories out of ten. They were the only ones who emerged victorious in every single match. ¡°Is this really happening right now?¡± ¡°W-was the Light Wind squad always this powerful?¡± ¡°They are still kids, but how¡­?¡± ¡°I-I know I shouldn¡¯t be saying this, but don¡¯t the Zieghart swordsmen look like rabid dogs?¡± ¡°I know, right? They should be called Mad Dog Squad instead of Light Wind¡­¡± The spectators couldn¡¯t even gasp anymore because of their violently trembling lips. Hmm. Wrath narrowed his eyes while watching Martha sever the knight¡¯s breastte in two. The growth you¡¯ve achieved through training and battle usually doesn¡¯t get converted into your skills right away. It stays at the deepest part of your body and mind, slowly appearingter. ¡®You are right. Might increases step by step.¡¯ Raon nodded. Most warriors improved step by step unless they had stats like himself. They didn¡¯t immediately get better, and they needed enough time to get used to it in order to get stronger. However, you stered those iplete steps to drag them up. People can¡¯t normally do it even if they knew how it worked, but you¡­ How terrible¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not being terrible. It¡¯s all thanks to their hard work.¡¯ The instructor¡¯s efforts weren¡¯t enough to draw out people¡¯s skills. It was because the Light Wind swordsmen managed to follow his teachings that they got stronger. Hard work? They almost died! Wrath looked at Martha in the arena with a trembling chin. Beef Girl has always been ferocious, but she wasn¡¯t that bad! She¡¯s not even human at that point, she¡¯s just a rabid dog! Raon looked at the arena. Although she¡¯d already won the match, her ck eyes were still glowing gold. ¡®It¡¯s perfect.¡¯ Raon nodded with a smile on his face. ¡®A little bit of madness is necessary for humans.¡¯ A little? Wrath shook his head. That¡¯s not a little! She¡¯s literally a crazy bitch! * * * On the highest floor of Owen Castle, five transcenders were gathered in the conference room, which was usually used for discussing important matters of the royal family. ¡°The quarterfinals were supposed to end today, right?¡± The archmage of Eternal me, Chamber, licked her lips while twisting her red hair with her finger. ¡°Yes. The semifinals and the finals will be held tomorrow. We will be watching them when that happens.¡± Derus smiled faintly as he nodded. ¡°Those matches are pointless. I¡¯m sure our kids will be in the finals both for the Expert and Master divisions.¡± The Beast King Ogram chugged his wine down in an instant and smiled a toothy smile. ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy. The others weren¡¯t ying around either.¡± King Lecross casually shook his hand. His eyes were also brimming with confidence. ¡°You¡¯ve always been powerless against us throughout history.¡± Chamber sneered at Ogram. ¡°You are probably gonna get thoroughly defeated once again, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Ogram smashed the ss in his hand into powder and red at her. ¡°Our swordsmen aren¡¯t going to lose that easily either.¡± Derus tapped the table with his finger with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Because some of them got enlightened recently.¡± ¡°Enlightened? An average enlightenment won¡¯t be enough to pierce a trained body with a stick.¡± Ogram twisted his lips while looking at Derus. ¡°Those proud bodies of yours have always been pierced by our magic though.¡± Chamber giggled at Ogram. ¡°You shut up!¡± Ogram couldn¡¯t refute it because it was true that they were weak against magicians. ¡°Well, that might be the case. However, I¡¯m confident we will win the Master¡¯s tournament.¡± Unwavering trust was dwelling in Derus¡¯s eyes, which were as clear as the ocean. ¡°You must be talking about the de of Shattering Wave. It¡¯s true that his growth was remarkable. However¡­¡± King Lecross continued after slowly nodding his head. ¡°Sir Borini Kitten has also reached another realm. It would be interesting if those two ended up fighting each other.¡± ¡°Hmph, those kids weren¡¯t half bad. However, Garona will smash their limbs like squeezing a mob if he manages to catch them. After all, he tore apart a drake with his bare hands.¡± Ogram raised his huge hand as he made his confident deration. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed even though you got older. Don¡¯t you ever get tired of it?¡± Chamber swept her hair up from her forehead and chuckled. She looked at Glenn, who¡¯d remained silent so far. ¡°How about you, mister? They were called the Light Wind squad, right? How far do you think they are going to reach?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond, instead remaining still while supporting his chin on his hand. He lookedpletely disinterested in the topic. ¡°You are no fun.¡± Chamber briefly clicked her tongue before turning her head. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. After all, he should know better than anyone that they have no chance of winning.¡± Ogram smiled coldly at Glenn. ¡°Even the boy named Raon who is participating in the Master division has been kidnapped before. How can a warrior even get kidnapped? I would¡¯ve bitten my tongue to kill myself if I was him. I¡¯m sure none of the kids with Zieghart¡¯s name will be in the semifinals. They all looked naive after all.¡± ¡°Hmm, that couldn¡¯t be helped. Since Merlin and the tenth apostle were involved, no one would¡¯ve been able to easily escape that situation.¡± Derus licked his lips while defending Glenn. ¡°However, it¡¯s true that it¡¯s unlikely for the Frostfire Sword of Valor to reach the semifinals in his current state. It might be a different story in a few years though¡­¡± ¡°Ahem, I have a slightly different opinion, but let¡¯s talk about the matchester.¡± King Lecross shook his hand and looked behind him. The servant who had been waiting off to the side brought the documents and ced them on the table. ¡°Semifinals? You sure love to talk rubbish.¡± Once the documents were ced in front of the leaders of the Six Kings and the servants left the room, Glenn opened his mouth for the first time. ¡°The experience that Raon and the Light Wind squad went through transcends their age. Their determination is zing even more fiercely than before after experiencing defeat.¡± The other leaders shut their mouths upon hearing his cold voice, which almost sounded threatening. ¡°They definitely won¡¯t lose, not in terms of might nor in terms of willpower. Moreover¡­¡± The leaders¡¯ hands trembled slightly because of the frightening look in Glenn¡¯s eyes. ¡°Our kids are the cutest.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Chapter 318

Chapter 318

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 318 The royal conference room fell silent. None of the Six Kings¡¯ heads nor the assistants behind them could say anything as they stared at Glenn. ¡°Erm¡­¡± Chamber¡¯s lips parted about ten secondster. ¡°Did I hear that correctly? Did Mister just call them cute?¡± Her eyes were trembling in disbelief. ¡°Huhu. I didn¡¯t expect the Destructive King of the North to say such a thing either.¡± King Lecrossughed bitterly with an awkward smile on his face. ¡°Kuhahahaha! Geezer, did you go senile in the meantime? Cute? Cuteness is meaningless for warriors! You should know that better than anyone else!¡± Ogram startedughing like a madman while covering his forehead. The fact that he was intimidated by Glenn¡¯s pressure must¡¯ve hurt his pride, as the entire conference hall was trembling from his loudughter. ¡°Hmm, is it¡­¡± Derus didn¡¯t immediately react, staying silent for a little longer before he started speaking. ¡°Because the Beast King said they had a naive appearance that you called them cute?¡± He narrowed his eyes while thinking about what the Beast King had said before Glenn spread his pressure. ¡°Ah!¡± Chamber pped her hands and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it. The musclebrain did say something like that.¡± She chuckled and leered at Ogram. ¡°It¡¯s true that the Light Wind babies are a lot cuter than their kids, who are as plump as a balloon.¡± ¡°I told you to shut your mouth!¡± Ogram ground his teeth while ring at Chamber. ¡°Leave my mouth alone and mind your own business.¡± Chamber confronted his gaze without falling back. ¡°Huhu, that was what you meant. It¡¯s true that they have a spectacr appearance. Raon, in particr, was one of the most handsome men I¡¯ve seen before.¡± King Lecross smiled while stepping between Ogram and Chamber. ¡°He was noticeable even in the banquet hall. It¡¯s true that he has an amazing appearance, as it¡¯s umon for humans to be more handsome than an elf.¡± Chamber nodded in agreement with King Lecross. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Glenn covered his mouth and cleared his throat while easing the powerful pressure engulfing the conference hall. ¡°Appearance? I already said this before, but might is the important aspect of a warrior, not their appearance. Overwhelming and simplistic violence is what determines their true value.¡± Ogram clenched his fist on the table. That simple action made the entire castle tremble as if an earthquake were urring. ¡°You keep rambling so much.¡± Glenn smiled coldly while looking down on Ogram. ¡°Even in terms of strength that you love so much, our kids are stronger than your kids with fashion muscles.¡± He was certain that the Light Wind squad was going to win against the warriors of the Beast Union. ¡°Kyahahaha!¡± Chamber came up on the table and burst intoughter while swinging her legs. ¡°Fashion muscles he said! Fashion muscles! He¡¯s so right! Their size is the only advantage they have! How did you be so funny, mister?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Pfft!¡± King Lecross was trying to stop her but couldn¡¯t suppress hisughter and had to cover his mouth. ¡°Haa.¡± Sheryl sighed faintly while watching the situation from behind Glenn. ¡®No one would believe that they are the leaders of the Six Kings.¡¯ They didn¡¯t hesitate to make fun of each other. If anyone who didn¡¯t know about them was present in the scene, they would¡¯ve believed that they were ordinary old men and women having fun with idle chatter. ¡®The head of house is really simr to Raon.¡¯ Raon had called the Heavenly de¡¯s vice division leader, Ekan, a fashion muscle when he showed off his strength before. The grandson and the grandfather must¡¯ve had something inmon. ¡°Geezer.¡± Ogram red at Glenn fiercely. The powerful pressure bursting out around him almost seemed to be limitless. ¡°If you are so confident about them, make a personal bet with me.¡± ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°Yes. Since you said you believe in the Light Wind or Mad Dog or whatever squad, let¡¯s make a bet on who is going to win the match.¡± He took a small wooden box from his inner pocket and ced it on the table. ¡°This is an elixir made with our tribe¡¯s secret technique, the Four Clouds Elixir. It can increase the aura and even the size of the body. It¡¯s a highest-grade elixir even by your standards.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Glenn untied Heavenly Tremor from around his waist and ced it on the table without the slightest hesitation. ¡°Th-the sword?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Heavenly Tremor!¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Huh!¡± King Lecross, Chamber, Derus, and Ogram¡¯s jaws dropped as they looked at Heavenly Tremor on the table. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°The sword¡­?¡± Even the assistants who¡¯d been standing still like dolls had to widen their eyes in surprise. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Since Sheryl and Roenn had absolute trust in Glenn, they didn¡¯t show any reaction, their hands sped behind their backs. ¡°M-mister, are you really betting that? The price is iparable.¡± Chamber tried to stop him, but Glenn simply shook his head. ¡°This much is obvious if you are confident about it. Are you betting an elixir? You sure love to show off your small caliber.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Ogram bit his lips tightly and mmed the table. ¡°Fine!¡± He took off the coat that was wrapped around his bulky body and ced it on the table. ¡°An elixir wouldn¡¯t be a match for that sword. If your grandson wins the tournament, I¡¯ll give you as many elixirs as the number of your kids along with this coat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s far from enough, but I ept the bet.¡± Glenn nonchntly nodded. ¡°Wow, can I also participate? Let me in! I love this kind of stuff!¡± ¡°Stay out of this already!¡± Chamber threw her staff on the table, asking them to let her join the bet, but they didn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Well now, let¡¯s start the conference. Please remember why we¡¯ve gathered here.¡± King Lecross lightly tapped the table and handed over the documents. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Derus didn¡¯t say anything until the bet was established, continuing to stare at Glenn with serious eyes. * * * ng! Along with the powerful sound of shing swords, Runaan and a knight from Owen took five steps away from the center of the arena. ¡°Hmph!¡± The knight, who¡¯d introduced herself as Jenna, dashed like the wind to thrust her sword towards the left side of Runaan¡¯s waist. The sharp strike was piercing into her like lightning. ¡®Waist.¡¯ Runaan blinked her eyes while looking at the sword¡¯s tip approaching her shoulder and abdomen. ¡®It¡¯s slower than Raon¡¯s.¡¯ When she was training, Raon¡¯s sword kept piercing into her opening at a frightening speed and power. It didn¡¯t even feel like he was piercing it at that point, since it was shattering it instead. Compared to that terrifying attack, Jenna¡¯s attack was nothing but a twig. ng! Runaan lowered her body and mmed Snow Flower down. The de that was enchanted with blue frost easily fended off Jenna¡¯s strike. ¡°Not bad! But I¡¯m only getting started!¡± Jenna smiled coldly and dashed at her once again, swinging her sword. The prevalent flow of her strike connected like a river. ¡°Me too.¡± Runaan casually nodded and unleashed her frost. ¡°I¡¯m also getting started.¡± She lightly kicked the ground to charge towards Jenna. She advanced faster than her opponent¡¯s stab and shed down with Snow Flower. ng! The two swordswomen unleashed various techniques to continuously target their opponent¡¯s opening at a frightening pace. Jenna seemed to have the upper hand by far in the beginning, but she was gradually pushed back once Runaan started using a swordsmanship that looked like moonlight. ¡°It¡¯s not over¡­yet?¡± Jenna was bounced back by Runaan¡¯s strike, and she was trying to charge back in like a bull when she suddenly stopped. ¡°Ice?¡± Her armor and boots werepletely frozen, and she couldn¡¯t take them off the ground. The armor and boots weren¡¯t the only problem, since her arms and legs weren¡¯t moving as she wished either. ¡°Wh-when did you do this¡­?¡± ¡°From the beginning.¡± Runaan removed the frost rising from her sword and blinked. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Jenna tried to force them to move, but she had to stop because even the inside of the armor and her body were filled with coldness. ¡°I-I lost.¡± She lifted her left hand, which was the only part she could move, to admit her loss. ¡°It was a good fight.¡± Runaan nodded and walked up to Jenna to remove the ice that was binding her. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Runaan! Runaan! Runaan!¡± ¡°Azure Lunar de!¡± ¡°She won again!¡± ¡°Ziegharts are so crazy! They never lose unless they fight against each other!¡± ¡°Who could¡¯ve known the Light Wind squad was so powerful¡­?¡± Although the spectators had been looking down on Zieghart before the tournament started, they cheered their heads off at Runaan¡¯s victory. ¡°B-but they are a bit scary, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I know, right? They are all seasoned fighters. They never fall back.¡± ¡°Rather than seasoned fighters, they are more like dogs. Mad dogs.¡± ¡°Mad Dog instead of Light Wind, huh¡­¡± ¡°I like that name better. It¡¯s so cool.¡± The Light Wind squad quickly turned into the Mad Dog squad¡ªeven faster than Rimmer was concerned they would. However, they liked them even more because they all loved their martial arts. ¡°Good job.¡± Raon nodded at Runaan, who left the arena after winning her match. ¡°Mhm, by the way, Raon¡­¡± Runaan puttered up to him and lowered her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t need the focus enhancement training anymore, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Raon shook his head firmly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet because you¡¯ve only met opponents weaker than you so far.¡± Upon hearing that it wasn¡¯t enough, Runaan frowned very slightly. ¡°You are so ugly¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Runaan kept talking about his appearance, probably from Encia¡¯s influence, but it waspletely ineffective against Raon because he didn¡¯t really care about it. ¡°Hmph.¡± Runaan wrinkled her nose and went towards the other Light Wind members. Raon watched her back for a moment before turning his head towards the spectators. ¡®The quarterfinals are about to start¡­ So what is that guy even doing?¡¯ Unlike Sheryl and Roenn, who were supposed to assist Glenn, Rimmer should¡¯ve been there with them¡ªbut he never showed up. Raon couldn¡¯t understand what he was even doing when he should¡¯ve been with the squad. ¡°Wow! I won!¡± Raon was shaking his head when he heard the familiar voice shouting from the spectator seats. He¡¯s over there¡­ ¡®He¡¯s over there.¡¯ Even Wrath furrowed his brow upon noticing that Rimmer was among the spectators. Someone like him needs to be taught a lesson. The King of Essence will¡­ Ah. He started raising his fist but gave up on it. Y-you are more suited to the job¡­ Wrath remembered the inhumane training the Light Wind squad had to go through and powerlessly lowered his hand. His chin was trembling as he called Raon even worse than a demon king despite being a human. ¡®Don¡¯t worry. As soon as I reach a higher stage than him, I¡¯ll kill hi¡ªI mean, teach him a lesson.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly as he red at Rimmer. ¡®Then the next up is¡­¡¯ Raon turned his gaze to look at the list of matches floating in the air. ¡®Everyone¡¯s doing well.¡¯ The Light Wind squad never lost unless they had to fight with each other or their opponent was clearly stronger than them. Burren, Runaan, and Krein had already reached the quarterfinals, and Martha was also going to reach it soon enough. ¡®Four out of eight in the quarterfinals¡­ Only two of them are going to reach the semifinals.¡¯ Unfortunately, Runaan and Burren had to fight each other, and Krein¡¯s next match was against the third prince. He would probably lose that match. The only ones who could reach the semifinals were Martha and the winner between Runaan and Burren. ¡®Shall I tell them to lose on purpose?¡¯ He turned around while thinking about whether he should ask one of them to lose in order to guarantee victory in the tournament. Burren and Runaan were polishing their focus in preparation to meet their opponent. ¡®I don¡¯t need to do that, I guess.¡¯ Victory wasn¡¯t the only important part. It was an excellent asion to develop their abilities, and there was no reason to ask them to lose on purpose. ¡®I also need to start getting ready now.¡¯ The quarterfinals were thest matches for the day. Since the semifinals were scheduled for the next day, he needed to get ready for the Master division¡¯s matches. He narrowed his eyes while looking at the man wearing a referee¡¯s clothes under the list of matches. ¡®Martio.¡¯ The fact that Martio was assigned as a referee implied that Derus was nning to thoroughly observe him. His secretive gaze was probing into Raon instead of the arena. ¡®He¡¯s not the only dangerous one.¡¯ The Fallen. ording to Merlin, he was also targeting him. Since the leaders of the Six Kings were supposed to spectate the next day¡¯s semifinals and finals, the Fallen was bound to attack him before then. Since the futures of the other Six Kings were also participating in addition to himself, Raon was certain that Fallen was going to attack that day. ¡®Oh, wait.¡¯ Raon lowered her gaze from the sky to look at Martio, who was a referee, and licked his lips. ¡®I just need to decide the moment of the Fallen¡¯s attack.¡¯ Since the Fallen was bound to aim for an opening, he could bait his attack by creating an opening. Raon clenched Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt and smiled in excitement. ¡®I can blow up all of the annoying ones.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * After a brief rest, a different master of ceremonies entered the stage. ¡°Thank you for waiting! The quarterfinals for the Expert division are starting now!¡± His shout was slightly more cheerful than the previous master of ceremonies. He must¡¯ve been trying to liven up the mood. ¡°Unfortunately, the Balkar knight Rikki Raron has forfeited the match, and the swordswoman Martha Zieghart has advanced to the semifinals without a fight!¡± Martha automatically advanced to the semifinals because the Balkar knight who was supposed to be her opponent forfeited from injury. ¡°Damn it! He ran away!¡± Martha ground her teeth violently. She looked frustrated that she couldn¡¯t fight before reaching the semifinals. ¡°You should die on the stage if you are a warrior!¡± She stomped on the ground while insulting Rikki Raron, who should¡¯ve been unconscious in the medical room. ¡°We will start the first match. Wow! We got a double! It¡¯s a fight between the swordsman Burren from Zieghart, and swordswoman Runaan from Zieghart!¡± The master of ceremonies shouted, and Burren and Runaan entered the arena from the left and right sides, respectively. ¡°Who do you think will win?¡± Martha moved next to Raon and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Raon sighed faintly while watching Burren¡¯s intense gaze and Runaan¡¯sposed eyes. ¡°It could be either of them.¡± Martha was clearly the strongest one in the Light Wind squad, excluding himself and Rimmer. However, the matches between Burren and Runaan, who were right beneath, her had never been decided. Ever since they were trainees, neither of them had managed to get the upper hand on the other. ¡°This won¡¯t be fun. Even though they are Mad Dogs, they should still recognize theirpanion.¡± ¡°I know right? No matter how crazy Zieghart is, they have the semifinals right ahead of them. One of them should give up.¡± ¡°Is Burren going to advance? He was absurdly fast.¡± ¡°Runaan wasn¡¯t any worse. She already mastered the art of stopping her opponent¡¯s movement with the ice.¡± Since it was a fight between Ziegharts and the next match was the semifinals, the spectators were convinced that they wouldn¡¯t go all-out during the match. ¡°What a bunch of idiots.¡± Martha snorted at the spectators. ¡°Idiots who don¡¯t do their best in an iing fight aren¡¯t allowed to wear the Light Wind squad¡¯s name of Zieghart! Am I right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so true!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen nodded in agreement with Martha. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon turned around to look at their eyes. Their eyes werepletely convinced that they obviously had to fight to the best of their abilities. ¡®They grew up so nicely.¡¯ Although their martial arts were still immature, they had taken another step forward in terms of a warrior¡¯s mentality. The satisfaction of that face created a smile on his face. ¡°The first match of the quarterfinals is starting now!¡± The master of ceremonies came down from the stage and raised his hand. Thud! Burren and Runaan started moving at the same time before his hand pointed at the sky. ang! Their swords powerfully crashed at the center of the arena, and an extremely cold wind surged into the air. Blue ice was raining down around the stage. Crack! They attacked each other once again at point-nk distance. The dropping de of wind and the soaring de of ice shed against each other to radiate a majestic blue light. ¡°Kuuh!¡± ¡°Haap!¡± Burren and Runaan looked like they were facing an enemy they had to kill at all costs instead of apanion from Zieghart as they unleashed all of their martial arts. Whaam! The endless shes between the wind and ice created a deadly storm bursting from the stage. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°They are on the same side!¡± ¡°Why are you fighting with everything you have?! You have the semifinals tomorrow!¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t just fighting with everything they have. They are trying to k-kill each other!¡± ¡°They don¡¯t even care who it is as long as they can bite!?¡± ¡°Th-they really are Mad Dogs¡­¡± The spectators¡¯ jaws dropped as they watched Burren and Runaan thrusting their swords against each other without any hesitation. They werepletely shocked because they didn¡¯t expect them to fight so seriously amongst themselves right before the semifinals. ng! Regardless of what they said, Runaan and Burren didn¡¯t stop swinging their swords. They kept shing at each other at point-nk range, where they could hear each other¡¯s breathing, with the intention of ending their opponent¡¯s life. Whoosh! The frozen de with a slowing effect dominated the space and severed the barren wind, while the wind de¡¯s roar tore the atmosphere apart to crush the coldness. Their determination for victory was dwelling in those sword strikes, and which attribute was supposed to have the upper hand in that matchup didn¡¯t even matter anymore. As they kept fighting to the best of their abilities, they were rising towards a higher realm. ng! After shing for a long time, Burren and Runaan were bounced back at the same time and stood at the borders of the arena. ¡°Huff¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Their rough breathing showed their exhaustion, but their eyes weren¡¯t wavering at all. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to defeat you ever since we were trainees.¡± Burren clenched his teeth and brandished his sword. The sharp barren wind of the northern sea burst from his silvery de. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this match.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the winner.¡± Runaan nodded before holding Snow Flower with both hands and pulling it back like a bowstring. The blue frost twisted like moonlight to create a magnificent energy wave. Whir! The spectators fell silent as their energy waves intensified. Once the seats turned as silent as a library, one of the spectators dropped his beer ss from his nervously trembling hand. Tap! The moment the beer ss shattered into pieces, Burren and Runaan kicked the ground at the same time. Tching! The barren wind that was capable of severing the northern sea burst from Burren¡¯s sword, and the moonlight glimmering from Runaan¡¯s sword seemed powerful enough to freeze the entire continent. Whaam! The sh between the two powerful aura des with different attributes created a huge wave of aura that soared into the sky. Whoosh. Once the storm of ice and wind subsided, the arena could be seen once again. Runaan and Burren both copsed at the center of the arena with their eyes closed. They must¡¯ve been enduring the impact of that huge sh of power to unleash their techniques until thest moment. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon breathed out a sigh of relief after examining their conditions through the Ring of Fire. ¡®They weren¡¯t wounded too badly.¡¯ They were just exhausted from mustering everyst bit of their auras. There were no serious injuries to be found on their bodies. ¡°B-Burren and Runaan have been incapacitated! Th-there¡¯s no winner in this match!¡± The master of ceremonies swallowed nervously because of the unbelievable situation and announced their elimination. ¡°S-stretcher! Bring it right away!¡± The healers who¡¯d been standing by took them to the medical facility. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± ¡°Wooooow!¡± ¡°This is crazy! For real!¡± ¡°Are they really from the same house? Why did they fight so desperately?!¡± ¡°Zieghart! Zieghart!¡± ¡°Light Wind squad! Light Wind squad!¡± The spectators who originally underestimated Zieghart and looked down on them were shouting their heads off after witnessing their powerful might and indiscriminate fighting spirit. In the end, Zieghart got the loudest cheers from the spectators among the Six Kings. ¡°Azure Lunar de! Azure Lunar de!¡± ¡°de of Tempest! de of Tempest!¡± The spectators gave the nicknames of Azure Lunar de and de of Tempest to Runaan and Burren respectively and kept cheering loudly enough for them to hear despite their unconscious state. ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Are they really insane?¡± ¡°Why would they even do that against their ownpanions¡­?¡± ¡°They are the real Mad Dogs¡­¡± The warriors from other factions were also surprised by their actions and watched them with trembling eyes. ¡®Even that guy was surprised.¡¯ Raon smiled while looking at Martio¡¯s awkward expression. ¡®You should watch as hard as you can right now. Today will be thest day you can be a referee.¡¯ Are you nning to get rid of him? How? Wrath narrowed his eyes in confusion. ¡®Yes. I won¡¯t be able to kill him, but I can get rid of him at least.¡¯ But how? ¡®Let poison deal with poison.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly while looking up at the sky. ¡®Yes, poison shall take care of poison.¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 319

Chapter 319

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 319 Thud! The Beast Union warrior was scorched ck, and his body¡ªwhich was asrge as a bison¡ªcopsed on the ground. Princess Jayna smiled coldly at him from the opposite side of the arena and raised her chin. ¡°Princess Jayna from the Balkar Kingdom is thest one to advance to the semifinals!¡± The master of ceremonies entered the stage and raised his fist. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Princess!¡± ¡°Princess Jayna! You are killing me!¡± ¡°Balkar really is the natural counter for the Beast Union!¡± ¡°She defeated that monster effortlessly! She is perfect in every aspect, beauty and skill alike!¡± ¡°The participants for the Expert division¡¯s semifinals have been decided! It¡¯s unfortunate that one of the slots turned out to be vacant, but you are probably satisfied after watching an exciting fight that was enough to make up for it!¡± The master of ceremonies mentioned the dynamic match between Burren and Runaan once again, before telling the audience to look forward to the next day¡¯s matches. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon slowly nodded while looking at the list of matches. ¡®So it hase down to this.¡¯ The first position for the semifinals ended up being empty, Owen''s third prince Greer was in second position, Martha in the third, and Jayna in the fourth. Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen could¡¯ve had two out of four positions in the semifinals, but Raon didn¡¯t feel bad about it, because Martha was going to win anyway. Raon smiled coldly and looked at Jayna, who was enjoying the crowd cheering for her. ¡°Ack!¡± As soon as she noticed his gaze, her shoulders trembled violently and she hurriedly left the stage. Hmm. Wrath licked his lips while watching Jayna¡¯s back. That bitch, you were holding her on a leash, right? ¡®Yes. That¡¯s why she¡¯s being so careful of me.¡¯ Since she had to sign a special contract that stated that she had to grant three of his wishes, Raon was pretty much holding her leash. Can¡¯t you make her forfeit using that? ¡®I can, but Martha would kill me if I did that.¡¯ Even in the past, when she used to be so stubborn, she already hated petty tricks. She was going to create a huge ruckus if he forced Princess Jayna to forfeit. ¡®And she can win even without that. I¡¯m sure you know that.¡¯ She would¡¯ve been in a disadvantageous positionpared to the third prince, who got a free pass to the finals, but Raon believed in Martha¡¯s victory. The King of Essence just wanted to give Beef Girl a slightly better chance. ¡®For real though.¡¯ Raon chuckled. Wrath really cherished his subordinate despite being a demon king. Raon thought once again that he really was an interesting guy. ¡°That was today¡¯sst match for the Expert division. However, you shouldn¡¯t be sad about it! The Master division matches are about to follow!¡± The master of ceremonies stretched his hand towards the sky, and the magicians created lines of mana in the air to draw the list of matches. Although the Expert division had been 128 rounds, the Master division only had sixteen participants. No, sixteen was already a big number. Since all of the sixteen masters participating in the tournament were youngsters who hadn¡¯t even reached their forties, it would¡¯ve never happened if it weren¡¯t for the gathering of huge organizations like the Six Kings. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°de of Shattering Wind! de of Shattering Wind!¡± ¡°Azure Razor Sword! Azure Razor Sword!¡± ¡°It looks like those two are going to fight at the finals.¡± ¡°Nonsense! Garona is right there! He even tore a dragon apart!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see Matisse the ck Armor¡¯s name? Ordinary swordsmanship techniques will be snapped like twigs in front of him!¡± The spectators raised their voices while calling the names of the ones who they believed would win the tournament. ¡°Raon Zieghart should be pretty decent, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I know, right? After seeing how the Zieghart kids fought in the Expert division, I¡¯ve got high expectations for the Frostfire Sword of Valor.¡± ¡°Hah! That can¡¯t be true! Master is a whole different story from Expert!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. The Frostfire Sword of Valor got kidnapped by enemies and was rescued like a princess!¡± ¡°Even without the kidnapping, he is just less skilled than the rest.¡± A few spectators tried saying that Raon could potentially win, but they soon fell silent because of how famous the other participants were. Raon didn¡¯t care about them and flicked his finger while reading the list of matches. ¡®My first opponent is Matisse from Balkar, whose alias is the ck Armor.¡¯ As the armor in his alias implied, Matisse specialized in defense and had a legendary reputation. No magician had ever died when he was on guard. ¡®The next match should be against Borini Kitten.¡¯ The favorite of the tournament, Borini Kitten from the Owen Kingdom, seemed to be the next opponent after the ck Armor. Raon figured that he should encounter the Dragon ying Beast Garona in the semifinals and the de of Shattering Wave, Cadis Robert, in the finals the next day. ¡®The powerful people are mostly on the first half of the list.¡¯ Because most of the powerful participants were concentrated in the first half, Cadis Robert was going to fight a rtively easy opponent. ¡®Is this also your doing?¡¯ It could be a coincidence, but Raon thought that it could¡¯ve been Robert''s doing because Martio had be a referee. ¡°Haah?¡± Martha frowned while looking at the list of matches. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too disadvantageous for you?¡± She frowned while reading the names of the powerful people he had to fight. ¡°The other side is so mild. It almost looks like they cheated for this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually d this happened.¡± Raon smiled softly while reading the list of matches once again. ¡°What?¡± ¡°They are giving me the opportunity to fight powerful people. I almost want to pay them for the effort.¡± Since his original purpose for participating in the social meeting was to fight powerful people from the other factions, he was d for the opportunity that was presented to him. ¡®And I have the perfect opponent for today¡¯s final match.¡¯ Since Borini Kitten was a powerful warrior even by his standards, he was the perfect opponent to bait out the Fallen¡¯s attack. ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± Martha simply sighed, since it wasn¡¯t her first time seeing him act like that. She watched the spectators for a moment before she twisted her lips and turned her head. ¡°But isn¡¯t this strange?¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°There¡¯s so few people who are expecting you to win. I know the squad¡¯s reputation was at rock bottom, but why are they also underestimating you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I got kidnapped by Merlin. Raon shrugged his shoulders. ¡°The kidnapping? What the fuck?! What kind of bullshit is that? It was Merlin and the tenth apostle who decided to kidnap you. Who else could stay safe in that situation?! I don¡¯t see anyone on that list at least!¡± She pointed at the list of matches and got angry in his stead. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter to them. All they see is the result, which shows that I was kidnapped and got rescued by the house.¡± Martha was right. No one else in the tournament would¡¯ve been able to resist the kidnapping, but he was the one who got kidnapped in the end. It was meaningless to tell them about it. ¡°But people are still expecting more from me thanks to all of you.¡± Raon calmly looked at the arena. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon held Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt and smiled coldly. Martha unconsciously swallowed from nervousness. ¡°I¡¯ll bring Zieghart¡¯s name to the peak.¡± * * * ¡°It¡¯s boring! The conference is so boring!¡± Chamber was sitting on the table, pouting while swinging her legs. ¡°Seriously, that mouth of yours just won¡¯t stop running.¡± Ogram ground his teeth while ring at Chamber. ¡°We are having a conference to prepare countermeasures. Did you think it would be fun?¡± ¡°I forgot because it¡¯s been such a long time since thest time we had one. I should¡¯ve just sent the king instead.¡± Chamber smiled while mentioning Balkar¡¯s king as if he were some errand boy. ¡°Since I¡¯m getting bored, let¡¯s check the results.¡± She briefly blinked her eyes and connected the line of mana into the air. The Expert division¡¯s semifinal list of matches and the Master division¡¯s list of matches appeared on the table. They were the same ones that were floating in the arena. ¡°Oh, the mister¡¯s granddaughter and our princess managed to advance. And your third son is winning by default!? He¡¯s going straight into the finals! He got so lucky!¡± The others were ignoring her, pretending they weren¡¯t interested in it. However, their eyes turned clear as they looked at the list of matches once it appeared. ¡°Goddamn it!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ogram and Derus frowned, noticing that their names weren¡¯t included in the Expert division¡¯s semifinals. ¡°Huh? It looked like the Ziegharts fought each other in the quarterfinals and both got eliminated.¡± Chamber brought the previous list of matches and started giggling. ¡°They are such idiots! Why did they even fight each other to both get eliminated? They could¡¯ve just yielded!¡± ¡°No.¡± Glenn shook his head. He was looking at Burren and Runaan¡¯s names with a satisfied smile on his face. ¡°This is enough.¡± ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t understand swordsmen who have nothing but swords in their heads.¡± Chamber gave him a sidelong nce before bringing the Master division¡¯s list of matches up. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s the same here! Mister¡¯s grandson is fighting our boy once again!¡± She grinned while pointing at Matisse¡¯s name. ¡°You are in big trouble! Matisse¡¯s nickname is the ck Armor!¡± ¡°ck Armor?¡± ¡°He¡¯s armor, not a sword. It means that he¡¯s as sturdy as armor made of ck steel which is an extremely hard metal.¡± Chamber licked her lips while looking at Raon¡¯s name next to him. ¡°Matisse even managed to withstand an advanced Master¡¯s sword. I wonder if Raon will be able to break through his defense.¡± ¡°And their next opponent seems to be our knight, Borini Kitten.¡± King Lecross smiled while looking at Borini Kitten¡¯s name. Since his opponent was way weaker than him, Lecross considered it a given that Borini would advance to the quarterfinals. ¡°It will be a fun match regardless of who his opponent might be.¡± ¡°All of that is pointless.¡± Ogram mmed the table with his fist and showed his sharp teeth. ¡°Garona will tear them apart tomorrow no matter who manages to win among the three.¡± The deep smile in his eyes was brimming with confidence. ¡°Hmm, my son is getting easy matches. He got rather lucky.¡± Derus licked his lips while looking at Cadis¡¯s name at thest position of the sixteen matches. ¡°Hey, geezer. I¡¯ll give you a chance to take back what you said.¡± Ogram raised his chin with a cold smile on his face. ¡°Do you really expect him to win after defeating the ck Armor, the Azure Razor Sword, and even the Dragon ying Beast? I admit he¡¯s a genius, but this is just impossible.¡± He shook his hand, saying that it couldn¡¯t possibly happen. ¡°You should take it back now. You will be put to shame and even lose your sword otherwise.¡± ¡°Ogram, you became such a bbermouth in the time we haven¡¯t seen each other.¡± Glenn pushed Heavenly Tremor on the table even further towards the center with aposed smile on his face. ¡°Is that how much confidence you have for your son?¡± He nonchntly shook his head. ¡°I believe in Zieghart¡¯s children.¡± Along with Glenn¡¯s casual voice, warmth spread into the conference room instead of the powerful pressure. ¡°Wow, mister! You got even cooler in the meantime!¡± Chamber came up next to Glenn with a cheerful smile on her face. ¡°I can feel your tender nature behind that cold appearance. I also prefer the current Lord Glenn.¡± King Lecross nodded while smiling. ¡°It¡¯s indeed nice to see.¡± Derus smiled brightly as he looked at Heavenly Tremor on the table. However, his eyes weren¡¯t showing any sign of smiling, unlike his lips. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * ¡°The first match of sixteen is starting now. The Frostfire Sword of Valor, Raon Zieghart, versus the ck Armor, Matisse Kiselm!¡± Raon went to the arena as the master of ceremonies called his name. A knight of average height but extremely sturdy build¡ªmuch like a dwarf¡ªentered the stage from the opposite side. ¡®His pressure is solid.¡¯ He looked older than the Twelve Stars of the Continent participating in the tournament, but his skills didn¡¯t lose to them. He was an intermediate Master. His aura de showed that he trained himself properly. ¡°Are you both ready?¡± The master of ceremonies looked at them one after the other with sparkling eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Raon and Matisse nodded at each other without even looking at the master of ceremonies. ¡°Well then, the second match is starting now!¡± The master of ceremonies left the stage and raised his hand. Whir! Although he signaled the start of the match, neither Raon nor Matisse made any moves. They silently increased their pressure while staring at each other. ¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t see any openings at all. Matisse almost looked like a shield or armor crafted by a master cksmith. ¡®That doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s imprable though.¡¯ Raon was confident that an all-out attack from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s special technique or a technique he¡¯d made would be able to pierce through his defense. ¡®However¡­ That would defeat the purpose ofing all the way here.¡¯ The reason he came to the Conference of the Six Kings was in order to witness other people¡¯s swordsmanship and develop the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art even further, since they were still iplete. He definitely didn¡¯t want to miss that perfect opportunity. ¡®It will be fun to pierce through his defense.¡¯ The Fangs of Insanity was an Intuition Sword that specialized in creating an opening from an opponent, and the Blizzard Sword Art was a Severing Sword capable of cutting off an enemy¡¯s flow and breath. Matisse was the perfect opponent to improve those two techniques. ¡®By the way, it¡¯s annoying how hard he¡¯s staring at me.¡¯ He could feel Martio¡¯s tant gaze from behind him. He wasn¡¯t trying to disturb the fight, but his gaze alone was irritating him. ¡®I really need to get rid of him.¡¯ He would be able to get rid of his annoying gaze during the next match against Borini Kitten if everything went ording to n. ¡°Since you seem to be ready¡­¡± Raon focused on Matisse once again and kicked the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s get started!¡± He pierced into Matisse¡¯s left side and mmed into him with the Beastly Strike of the Fangs of Insanity. The strike fell like lightning and looked like a savage beast piercing its prey with its fangs. ¡°Hmph!¡± Matisse raised his de diagonally without showing any sign of panic. His unshakable aura followed it naturally. ng! The sh between the swords filled the air with crimson sparks. Creak! Both Raon and Matisse withstood the shockwave and pushed their swords against each other. ¡®Is hepletely unaffected?¡¯ Although it was the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s maximum output, Martio¡¯s bnce remained firm. It almost felt like he¡¯d mmed a boulder with his sword. ¡®He¡¯s even sturdier than he looks.¡¯ Raon twisted Heavenly Drive to lower it before striking upwards with the Blood Fang sh of the Fangs of Insanity. The technique was originally supposed to be used downwards, but he became capable of using it in all directions after getting used to it. Whap! The ferocious de, enchanted with the power of raging fire, ignited Matisse¡¯s aura. However, he unleashed an even more powerful astral energy in that split second to block the Blood Fang sh. Whaam! The severed astral energy fell to a corner of the arena. If the arena hadn¡¯t been protected by magic, it would¡¯ve created a hole in the floor. ¡°You are only neen years old, yet your strike is even sharper than Owen¡¯s and even stronger than the Beast Union¡¯s¡­¡± Matisse¡¯s trembling lips parted. ¡°This is absurd.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that amazing.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. ¡°A mere kidnapping incident shouldn¡¯t have put a dent in your reputation.¡± Matisse swirled his sword and got into his stance. ¡°But it¡¯s not enough yet. I won¡¯t yield this victory to you.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know until we try.¡± Raon lowered his posture. He unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. The trail left behind as he charged at Matisse from the front looked like a fire demon¡¯s footprints. Whaam! The barrage of the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s consecutive strikes turned into a firestorm to assault Matisse. ng! ng! Even though the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s attacks became gradually fiercer, Matisse didn¡¯t step back nor was he pushed back. He managed to defend against all of his strikes, without moving an inch from the spot. His prowess was truly befitting his name as armor. ¡®It¡¯s time to change.¡¯ Raon controlled cier to unleash the Blizzard Sword Art. The icy wind fell down like a waterfall. ng! Even though the swordsmanship¡¯s flow became theplete opposite, Matisse¡¯s defense still remained solid. ¡°Are you trying ice now because fire didn¡¯t work? How simple.¡± ¡°You should say that again after the match ends.¡± Raon¡¯s smile was as cold as the frost dwelling on his de as he kicked the ground. * * * Matisse narrowed his eyes while blocking Raon¡¯s endless barrage. ¡®How crude.¡¯ Raon seemed to have changed his technique because he couldn¡¯t pierce through his defense, but he was a lot less experienced with itpared to the fire technique he¡¯d used before. ¡®He¡¯s just a child, after all.¡¯ Raon must¡¯ve gotten impatient because he couldn¡¯t prate his defense and ended up using an even weaker technique. Even though he had amazing skills, theck of experience was inevitable. ¡®No, this is the natural oue.¡¯ Matisse had been wielding his sword for even longer than Raon¡¯s entire lifetime. The difference in skills was inevitable, and the gap was obviously even bigger in terms of experience. In fact, he was amazed that a neen-year-old boy managed to get that far against him. ¡®It¡¯s about time I finished this match.¡¯ Even though Raon¡¯s swordsmanship was still inexperienced, its power couldn¡¯t be underestimated. It could influence the next match if he took any damage, so he decided to quickly finish the fight. ¡®Now then¡­ Hmm?¡¯ He was trying to neutralize Raon¡¯s swordsmanship with a perfect defense before going for a counterattack, but he couldn¡¯t see any openings for some reason. ¡®What is happening¡­?¡¯ He had to correct himself. Being unable to see his opening was the least of his problems, as Raon¡¯s technique started to shake his defense. ng! His wrist was pushed back from the powerful impact. ¡®...Did I get pushed back just now?¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t even afford to be surprised. Raon¡¯s sword was still assaulting him. ng! ng! The impact from the consecutive sword shes reverberated throughout his arms and his legs started to falter. ¡®Did he get better during the fight?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t simply using more strength. It was like his swordsmanship¡¯s proficiency was increasing at a ridiculous pace. ¡°You¡­ What did you¡­¡± ¡°Not yet. I still have a long way to go.¡± Raon wasn¡¯t sneering at him or taking him lightly. His eyes were serious. He waspletely focused on that instant, swinging his sword. Thud! Matisse forcefully turned his sword to the side to create the Blood Metal Shield of the Heavy Straight Sword, but Raon¡¯s frigid de cut through the aura¡¯s flow to deal powerful damage to his insides. ¡°Kuh!¡± Matisse tried to endure it, but the groan fell from his lips because of the pain of his tearing muscles. ¡®What the hell is wrong with this guy?¡¯ His swordsmanship was definitely crude. He was confident it wouldn¡¯t work against him, yet his technique and aura started to create a perfect sort of harmony at some point and it became difficult to defend against. ¡®I¡¯m going to lose at this rate. I need to try something!¡¯ He felt goosebumps rise on his skin upon realizing he was going to lose before he tried anything if he kept defending himself. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Matisse stomped the ground with a war cry. He raised his de, which was pointing at the ground, and burst out everyst bit of his aura. Whaam! Defense was the best offense. An extremely powerful flow was unleashed from his sword as he stood in a defensive posture. It was the Heavy Straight Sword¡¯s special technique, the Heavy Flow Cannon. The astral energy advanced in a spiral towards Raon¡¯s abdomen. Thud! Raon¡¯s steps didn¡¯t falter. He pierced into his space even faster and mmed his sword down with both hands. A blue lightning burst from the de to sh against the Heavy Flow Cannon. Creak! The coldness surrounding his de spread out like an aurora to refract the Heavy Flow Cannon in a different direction. ¡®What the hell?! He just twisted the flow!¡¯ Matisse finally understood why it was so difficult to defend against his attacks. Why Raon¡¯s strikes were getting harder and harder to block. Raon¡¯s swordsmanship was powerful, but that wasn¡¯t the only characteristic it had. It was actually capable of messing with his opponent¡¯s flow. It was the severing sword¡¯s ability, which was extremely rare nowadays. ¡°Damn it!¡± Matisse stepped back and unleashed the Heavy Straight Sword¡¯s defensive technique, but Raon was faster than him. He closed the distance in an instant to shatter his iplete defense and punched his abdomen with his left fist. Smack! The ck steel armor was crushed, and a huge amount of impact was transferred to his abdomen. ¡°Kuaah¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even breathe, but that was the least of his concerns since he couldn¡¯t even think. ¡®What is this strength¡­?¡¯ His head was going nk from the pain even though he¡¯d focused his aura around his abdomen to defend against his strike. It was even more powerful than a Beast Union Master, who was supposed to pack the strongest punches in the world. Wham! Raon didn¡¯t miss that opportunity, smacking the back of his neck with the side of his sword. Matisse couldn¡¯t even scream before he copsed in the arena. ¡°Thank you for the fight.¡± Raon casually nodded at him to show his respect. His uniform was slightly dusty, and that was the price he paid to defeat the Balkar Master called the ck Armor. * * * The spectators, referee, and the master of ceremonies alike fellpletely speechless as they kept staring at Raon standing on the arena. ¡°Wh-what did I just witness just now?¡± ¡°How could the ck Armor Matisse be defeated so easily?¡± ¡°No, but Matisse had the upper hand throughout the fight. How did it even end up this way?¡± ¡°H-his swordsmanship looked crude though¡­¡± ¡°He improved his swordsmanship during the battle. I don¡¯t even know anymore.¡± The spectators gasped, their faces nk from disbelief. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone break through Matisse¡¯s defense like that.¡± ¡°Did he really improve during the battle? Wasn¡¯t he simply hiding his abilities?¡± The participants who were waiting for their turn were also narrowing their eyes in disbelief. ¡°Th-the swordsman Raon Zieghart emerges victorious from the first match! He didn¡¯t even get a single injury, so I can¡¯t even tell if I should call this an easy win or a difficult fight!¡± The master of ceremonies announced Raon¡¯s victory with a trembling voice. Raon gave him a small nod before leaving the stage. ¡°The next match is between the Azure Razor Sword, Sir Borini Kitten, versus the Metal Core Spear, Sir Graton Borren!¡± Although the warriors for the second match had already entered the stage, the spectators were still talking about Raon¡¯s fight. Raon licked his lips while watching the arena, where the fervor still remained. ¡®The Fallen should target me during the next match.¡¯ His opponent for the quarterfinals was going to be Borini Kitten, who had just entered the stage, and the match wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as the first one. ¡®Which makes this the perfect opportunity for him.¡¯ The participants weren¡¯t the only ones that would be focused during a frontal sh between two powerful people. Since everyone else would be extremely focused on the fight, it was the perfect opportunity for an ambush. There was no way the Fallen would miss the chance to blow up everyone in the area. ¡®Of course, I won¡¯t let that happen.¡¯ Raon watched the start of the second match with a cold smile on his face. ¡®I¡¯ll take advantage of your ambush perfectly.¡¯ ____ ____ Chapter 320

Chapter 320

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 320 Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the list of matches after the round ended. ¡®Nothing unexpected has happened so far.¡¯ Borini Kitten the Azure Razor Sword, Garona the Dragon ying Beast Garona, Cadis the de of Shattering Wave, and Ron the Magician of Annihting Strike¡ªwho was the ninth rank of the Twelve Stars of the Continent¡ªhad all won their matches. The rounds went exactly as he thought they would when he first saw the list. ¡®It will be interesting.¡¯ He got excited thinking about fighting Borini Kitten, Garona the Dragon ying Beast after that, and even Cadis Robert in the finals. Don¡¯t forget your n before then. Wrath crawled up on the ice flower bracelet. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Raon licked his lips while looking at Martio standing under the list of matches. He was Derus¡¯s direct subordinate. ¡®I need to take care of him and the Fallen¡¯s ambush at the same time.¡¯ How are you even nning to achieve that? The King of Essence is really curious. ¡®With skills.¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath ground his teeth violently, a creaking sound following it while he red at Raon. P-people with many secrets don¡¯t get to live for a long time. You have the glory of the King of Essence listening to you. Just say it right now! He must¡¯ve been really curious since he kept asking while suppressing his wrath. ¡®I¡¯d rather have many secrets and have a short life.¡¯ How dare you insist, you damn bastard! Wrath couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore and started attacking him while spreading his coldness. ¡®I¡¯ll y with youter since I have the quarterfinals waiting for me.¡¯ Raon tapped on Wrath¡¯s face to push him away. ¡®Ah! Wrath.¡¯ Raon grabbed him from the back of his neck instead of pushing him. He wanted to make sure of his prediction. What do you want?! He briskly turned his head. He seemed to be sulking. ¡®You remember the purple magic that the Fallen usedst time, don¡¯t you?¡¯ Of course. That halfling¡¯s magic suited a halfling like him. Wrath slowly nodded. It¡¯s a harmony of light and darkness. The power is called Chaos. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡®Do you know how to stop that?¡¯ Hmm¡­ It¡¯s impossible with your skills! So you were nning to borrow the King of Essence¡¯s power in the end! The King of Essence has no intention of helping an arrogant bastard like you! Wrath clicked his tongue and grinned, finally getting the chance to make fun of him. ¡®You are right. It¡¯s impossible for me to stop Chaos. However, I can just deal with it before it gets mixed up¡ªwhen it¡¯s still separated as light and darkness, can¡¯t I?¡¯ If Chaos was too powerful for him to stop, he just needed to deal with it before the light and darknessbined. Uhh¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped in the middle of clicking his tongue. That¡¯s actually true. He started nodding with a vacant expression on his face before he stopped himself. N-no, that won¡¯t be enoug¡ª ¡®Alright, that¡¯s it.¡¯ Y-you idiot! You missed an important detail! What if that halfling has Chaos from the start¡ª ¡®That¡¯s not going to happen.¡¯ Chaos was extremely powerful. The heads of the Six Kings were bound toe out immediately if he used that as it was, so the Fallen was definitely going to send the light and darkness separately and mix them in the arena. ¡®Thank you. It¡¯s all thanks to you that I¡¯m sure about my n now.¡¯ Raon patted Wrath¡¯s head, which was protruding like a small bundle of cotton candy. Y-you are definitely going to receive divine punishment! If the gods don¡¯t punish you, the King of Essence will¡ª ¡®You really love to talk about gods when you are a demon king, huh?¡¯ That again! You are being prejudiced again! ¡®But it¡¯s true that you aren¡¯t even a human.¡¯ Demon Kings also have rights! While Wrath was shouting at him, the master of ceremonies entered the stage. ¡°The quarterfinals for the Master division are going to start now!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°The quarterfinals are finally happening!¡± ¡°It was such a long wait that I thought I was going to die!¡± ¡°Please start already! This is suffocating!¡± The master of ceremonies waved his hand at the spectators to answer their cheers and pointed at the first slot of the list of matches. ¡°The first match of the quarterfinals is Raon Zieghart, the Frostfire Sword of Valor, versus Borini Kitten, the Azure Razor Sword, who is ranked seventh amongst the Twelve Stars of the Continent!¡± He announced the match, and the entire arena started shaking from people¡¯s cheers. ¡°Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± ¡°Azure Razor Sword! Azure Razor Sword! Azure Razor Sword!¡± ¡°The Frostfire Sword of Valor was a lot more amazing than I thought, but he can¡¯t hold a candle against the Azure Razor Sword.¡± ¡°Did you even watch his match? He literally destroyed the ck Armor.¡± Most people still expected Borini Kitten¡¯s victory, but the number of people rooting for Raon had increased drasticallypared to during his match. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon entered the stage while listening to the spectators¡¯ cheers, which felt like they were pushing against his back. Borini Kitten entered the arena from the opposite side with steady steps, with his blue hair fluttering in the air, eyes as sharp as a spearhead, and a proud pressure surrounding him. He almost looked like a humanized version of an old pine tree. ¡®He¡¯s on a whole different dimensionpared to Matisse.¡¯ Unlike Matisse Kiselm, who was an intermediate Master, Borini Kitten was clearly an advanced Master. Raon would be defeated in an instant if he underestimated him. ¡°This is our first time personally talking to each other. I¡¯m looking forward to a great match.¡± Borini Kitten nodded at him while walking towards him. His quiet voice was brimming with righteous spirit and politeness. ¡°It looks like the others are underestimating you, Swordsman Raon, but I have a different opinion from them.¡± He slowly spread his pressure. The energy wave emerging from the bottom of his feet felt as sharp as an awl piercing into the skin. ¡°I consider the swordsman Raon to be the most dangerous favorite to win among all of the participants.¡± He must¡¯ve been serious about it, as his pressure didn¡¯t decrease at all. That must¡¯ve been his deration about going all-out from the start. ¡°Thank you for having high expectations for me, but I should be clearly weaker than the Dragon ying Beast or the de of Shattering Wave.¡± ¡°No, I believe you are on the same level as them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a slightly excessive amount of expectations.¡± Raon confronted Borini Kitten¡¯s pressure with a faint smile on his face. Whir! Although the match hadn¡¯t even started yet, the sh between Raon and Borini Kitten¡¯s energy waves made the rubble and sand float on the arena. ¡°I-it¡¯s already getting so heated up.¡± The master of ceremonies broke out into a cold sweat and swallowed nervously upon facing their pressures. ¡°Two moreyers of protective magic will be added from the quarterfinals onward! You can show your skills without reserve!¡± He left the stage and raised his hand. ¡°The first match of the quarterfinals is starting now!¡± The moment the master of ceremonies pointed his hand at the sky, Raon and Borini Kitten disappeared from the stage. ang! They had unsheathed their swords in a blink of an eye and shed at the center of the arena. Their sword draws had connected in an attack in an instant. Whir! Ferocious and sharp sword resonances were bursting from the two swords pressing against each other. ¡°I knew you would be able to react.¡± Borini Kitten nodded, saying that he expected it to happen. ¡°I shall meet your expectations for me.¡± Raon nodded and unleashed the Fangs of Insanity. The diagonal sh falling down upon Borini Kitten seemed capable of severing the atmosphere itself. ¡°Hmph!¡± Borini Kitten didn¡¯t panic, raising his sword. The astral energy surrounding his de became even sharper as it shed against the Fangs of Insanity. ang! The second sh was also equal. It was such a close match, one where neither of them was getting pushed back at all. Rumble! Raon strained his left ankle to push Heavenly Drive forward. Even though Borini Kitten¡¯s aura was sharper and more powerful than his, he was confident he could overpower him because his physical abilities were way better than Borini Kitten¡¯s. Cring! Borini Kitten realized he was losing in terms of strength and deflected his de to withdraw. ¡°You have this much strength despite your build. Isn¡¯t this pretty much cheating at this point?¡± He frowned while turning his wrist. He looked like he had taken some damage. ¡°I haven¡¯t even started yet.¡± Raon smiled coldly and kicked the ground. He shed upwards with the Fangs of Insanity while advancing towards him. He looked like a viper on the ground that was baring its poisonous fangs against a falling bird. It was the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s Viper¡¯s Flow. ng! Borini Kitten took one step back with his left foot to create a space to work with before smacking the center of the Viper¡¯s Flow. ¡°Hmm!¡± Raon narrowed his eyes and quietly groaned. The powerful impact was reverberating throughout the bones of his arm. ¡®He hit the right spot. I was rather confident with Fangs of Insanity.¡¯ He managed to strike the extremely small opening of his swordsmanship, which was even harder to find than a person¡¯s opening. The Azure Razor Sword¡¯s reputation as one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent wasn¡¯t exaggerated at all. Whoosh! It was time for Borini Kitten¡¯s counterattack. His sword was raised to the left after parrying the Viper¡¯s Flow, and he shed downwards with it. The strike falling on Raon¡¯s head was fast and sharp at the same time. Thud! Raon twisted his ankle. He thrust with the physical strength he mustered from the gastremius muscles and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat that he gathered from his energy center. Whaam! The raging me erupted like a volcano around his de to sh against Borini Kitten¡¯s strike, falling down like lightning. Zap! Thepetition between the two astral energies created crimson sparks and spread throughout the arena. ¡®Did he really manage to target my opening in that short time?¡¯ Borini Kitten managed to decrease his output by hitting the opening of the rising strike. It was an absurd amount of observation and sharpness. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon licked his lips. ¡®I need to get those.¡¯ Raon decided what he was going to learn from the match against Borini Kitten. His instantaneous decision-making, ability to precisely target his opening, and his proficient Sharp Sword and Straight Sword that was capable of piercing into that opening. Those three aspects were what he decided to get. Aren¡¯t you being too greedy? ¡®It¡¯s better than not being greedy at all.¡¯ Greed will want to be friends with you once he meets you. ¡®I like more doormats.¡¯ Raon fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive and smiled. ¡°You have a different atmosphere around you.¡± Borini Kitten narrowed his eyes and wielded his sword around the height of his stomach. ¡°I still won¡¯t be careless against you. I¡¯ll attack with everything I have.¡± He pushed the ground to close the distance to scatter his strikes. The frightening sensation of the de piercing towards his neck sent chills running down his spine. It was Borini Kitten¡¯s Razor Blood Sword Art, which was a martial art of the highest tier. Whir! Raon made the Rings of Fire resonate. The consecutive resonance between the seven rings made the world around him slow down. Whoosh! The tip of Borini Kitten¡¯s sword could be seen. It was advancing straight towards the opening he found without the slightest sign of wavering. ¡®For now, I don¡¯t see any¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see any openings in Borini Kitten¡¯s attack even though he was using the Ring of Fire. However, that didn¡¯t really matter. ¡®I just need to create one if he has no opening.¡¯ He lowered his center of gravity and clenched his grip. The coldness bursting from the ground was signaling the Blizzard Sword Art and cier¡¯s energy. ang! The Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s Azure Cloud Torrent became distorted as it shed against the Razor Blood Sword Art. Raon and Borini Kitten brushed past each other and their eyes met. Swoosh! Borini Kitten quickly turned his ankle to unleash the second strike. Raon simply stretched his left foot instead of taking immediate retaliation. ¡®Three openings.¡¯ The Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s distortion had created three openings from Borini Kitten. However, not all three of them were real. It was necessary to filter out the fakes and find the real one. ¡®Right side of the waist.¡¯ The wavering in his neck and heart were too straightforward. It almost felt like they were asking to be stabbed, and they had to be fake openings, as there was no way Borini Kitten would expose those vital spots. Raon quickly decided and thrust Heavenly Drive at Borini Kitten¡¯s waist. He mixed the Straight Sword with the Sharp Sword in order to perfectly hit the opening. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Borini Kitten redirected his attack into defense to block the de from his waist. Cring! Borini Kitten was pushed back, then straightened his back with a frown. ¡°It feels like your nature haspletely changed from before.¡± He narrowed his eyes while clenching his sword. ¡°It almost feels like I¡¯m fighting against my own reflection.¡± ¡°I just happened to enjoy targeting my opponent¡¯s openings.¡± ¡°In that case, we need to find out who is better at it.¡± Borini Kitten gritted his teeth and dashed at him. Even his footwork was sharp. He was moving like a de to pierce into him from behind. ¡°Bring it on.¡± Raon smiled coldly and thrust the Blizzard Sword Art. Borini Kitten also charged at him by unleashing the Razor Blood Sword to the best of his abilities. Crack! The red and blue aura des severed the setting sun. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * The waves were gently rolling on the sandy beach. Under the orange light of the sun setting towards the horizon, two masked men were sitting in front of a wooden table. ¡°Are you really doing it?¡± The man who asked the question while watching the setting sun was wearing a red snake helmet with two horns attached to it. ¡°Of course I am.¡± The Fallen was wearing a handsome young man¡¯s mask, which looked even younger than when he fought against Glenn. He smiled gently and tapped on the map ced on the table. He was pointing at the central area of Owen Castle on the map¡ªthe arena. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly leave him alone, since he might reach Glenn¡¯s level in the future¡ªno, I should say that he could be even stronger than him. Moreover, I can remove the other futures of the Six Kings. This is truly a golden opportunity.¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°Ah, that reminds me. He¡¯s defeated you before, Red Demonic Snake.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°Oh, I misspoke.¡± The Fallen smiled faintly. He said it was a mistake, but he didn¡¯t seem apologetic at all. ¡°And that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The Red Demonic Snake slowly shook his hand. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± The Fallen nodded his head before he looked away. The Soul Severing Sword was staring far into the ocean with his feet immersed in the shallow water. ¡°Huhu.¡± He briefly smiled while watching the Soul Severing Sword¡¯s back before he raised his index and middle fingers. Whir! Sparkling white and ck lights emerged from his fingers. ¡°Although the Six Kings are in the conference room, there should be powerful people in the arena.¡± ¡°People tend to miss other things when they are focused on something. That is human nature.¡± The Fallen smiled while looking at the white and ck lights floating above his finger. ¡°Once their battle reaches its peak, they won¡¯t even notice the light and darkness descending high up into the sky. It¡¯s even more true since the evening glow will be overshadowing them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to say goodbye.¡± The Fallen lowered his hand, and the two lights on his finger rotated in a semi-circle to seep into the map. ¡°Since today will be thest day for the Twelve Stars of the Continent and Raon Zieghart.¡± Along with an innocent, child-likeugh, a magnificent light spread out from the map. * * * Cring! The resonance spreading from the red storm of astral energy sounded like a saw de scratching a lump of metal. The earsplitting sound was the result of the barrages that Raon Zieghart and Borini Kitten were unleashing at each other. The astral energies bursting from their des were as sharp as an awl. Their astral des were polished to the extreme in order to pierce their opponents¡¯ weaknesses with the highest precision and sharpness. ng! ng! The shes between the astral energies created powerful shockwaves, but neither Raon nor Borini Kitten took a single step back. Even though they should¡¯ve been feeling a huge amount of pain from the astral energies scorching theircerated wounds, they were solely focused on unleashing their sword arts with the intention of ending their opponent¡¯s life. Crimson light sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®Right shoulder and left knee. The knee is the real one.¡¯ He could tell which one was real as soon as he saw the opening. He hacked the Blizzard Sword Art towards his left knee. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Borini Kitten couldn¡¯t perfectly cancel out the cold strike and had to take two steps back. Thud! Raon stretched his right foot to stomp the ground. He added a powerful heat to the power surging from his femoral muscles and made them rotate. It was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Revolving Sky. A tremendous amount of power was dwelling in that ming saw de that snapped down toward his opponent. Whaam! Borini Kitten was unable to handle that power and had to step back towards the edge of the arena. The powerful attack even managed to leave footprints on the arena despite the protective magic. Whoosh! Once the astral storm subsided, the two warriors could be seen in the arena. Multiple parts of Raon¡¯s clothes were torn apart and smeared with red, while Borini Kitten¡¯s armor was also crushed and shattered, blood flowing down from it. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°Wh-who the hell said that it would be a one-sided match?! This is so close!¡± ¡°No, Raon even seems to have the upper hand now!¡± ¡°Is that the true power of the Frostfire Sword of Valor¡­?¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, the kidnapping couldn¡¯t be helped! He had to deal with the tenth apostle and Merlin!¡± ¡°Yes, we shouldn¡¯t have been concerned about the kidnapping. It didn¡¯t mean a thing.¡± ¡°If you think about it, the Frostfire Sword of Valor has already defeated two apostles!¡± The spectators dropped their jaws as they watched the equal fight Raon put up against Borini Kitten. Lots of them were even drooling from their mouths from surprise. ¡°I haven¡¯t had such a fun fight in a long time.¡± Borini Kitten¡¯s hands were trembling slightly as he fixed his grip on his sword. He said it was a fight instead of a match or a spar. That meant that he was taking it seriously, like a real battle. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded with a smile. ¡®It was a really educational spar.¡¯ Raon learned a lot from the close-quarter fight against him. How to discern between real and fake openings, how to decide which opening to prioritize, and he even gained proficiency with the Sharp Sword and Straight Sword. Borini Kitten was pretty much teaching him everything by showing him his techniques. ¡°I heard there are monsters in the world who get better while fighting, but it¡¯s truly frightening to see one right in front of my eyes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot thanks to you.¡± Borini Kitten¡¯s personality was also perfect as a knight. Raon thanked him from the bottom of his heart instead of being sarcastic. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable, but we should put an end to this fight now.¡± Borini Kitten smiled. He raised his sword above his head and pulled his left foot backward. He mustered everyst bit of his aura with the posture of a spearman dealing with an enemy from medium range. Whir! The astral energy engulfing him decreased as his aura got stronger. He was literally turning into a single spear by polishing his astral energy over and over. Raon¡¯s heart tightened from the pressure that seemed capable of tearing apart any kind of shield. Raon bit his lips and smiled. He mustered the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time. Using them in such a way was bound to create a huge burden on his mana circuits, but he couldn¡¯t afford to care about that. Whap! He ignited the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation on Heavenly Drive from his right hand to point it at Borini Kitten and clenched the de of Requiem¡¯s hilt with his left hand behind his back. Rumble! The entire arena started to tremble as if an earthquake was urring from the sh between their all-out energy waves. ¡°Huff.¡± Raon licked his lips while inhaling. ¡®It¡¯s so hot.¡¯ He could feel Borini Kitten¡¯s intense gaze. He could also feel that Martio was watching him with widened eyes, the master of ceremonies was swallowing nervously, and all of the spectators were extremely focused on their fight. ¡®It should being soon.¡¯ Since everyone¡¯s gazes and minds were focused on the fight, it should¡¯ve been the moment the Fallen was looking for. Cring! He increased the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower¡¯s outputs to the maximum. Time slowed down even further. His senses became detailed enough to even notice the weight of a speck of dust on his finger, and he used that to observe the sky. ¡®It¡¯s here¡­¡¯ The extremely polished perception managed to pinpoint the light and darkness secretly falling down from high up in the sky. His prediction was correct, and the Fallen was sending the light and darkness separately to mix themter on. ¡®I need to do it right now.¡¯ Raon clenched his teeth. He¡¯d already gathered his power to fight Borini Kitten, and hepressed it even further. Thud! The heat surrounding Heavenly Drive waspressed in an instant, and Borini Kitten charged at him at the same time. He must¡¯ve been attacking because he thought Raon finished getting ready. ¡®I can¡¯t block this.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the Fallen¡¯s energies falling from the sky if he tried to defend. They would get mixed up toplete the chaos. ¡®I¡¯ll endure.¡¯ He twisted his body while using the Supreme Harmony Steps. Borini Kitten widened his eyes. He tried to withdraw his sword upon realizing something was going wrong, but it was already toote. Pssh! A longceration was created on the right side of his waist and red blood gushed from it. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Borini Kitten¡¯s chin was trembling violently. He must¡¯ve been asking why Raon suddenly stopped fighting. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the intruder first.¡± Raon smiled weakly and kicked the ground to soar into the sky by unleashing the power he¡¯d been gathering. Whoosh! As he advanced towards the light and darkness that were getting closer to each other, Rimmer came out from the stand on the right side. ¡®Has the squad leader also been waiting for this?¡¯ Raon thought he was just gambling, but he must¡¯ve been standing by in case of an incident. Rimmer asked a question with his eyes with a smile on his face. He seemed to be asking whether Raon could do it by himself. Raon nodded and his smile deepened. ¡°Come back safely!¡± Rimmer unsheathed his sword to put it under Raon¡¯s feet before hitting him up. Raon managed to reach the sky even faster than his full power thanks to him. Zap! In the midst of the evening glow signaling the border of day and night, the light and darkness were approaching each other like mas. Purple sparks of chaos started to re up between the two powers. However, the sparks spreading in Raon¡¯s red eyes were even more powerful than them. He unleashed the me bursting from Heavenly Drive and the frost emerging from the de of Requiem towards the two lights. Whaam! ____ ____ Chapter 321

Chapter 321

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 321 ¡°We are finally making progress.¡± King Lecross smiled faintly, covering up the thick pile of documents. He looked delighted that the slow conference was finallying to an end. ¡°The magic tower will be in charge of creating the manawork to exchange information about the White Blood Religion and Eden.¡± ¡°Are thosezybones from the magic tower really doing such annoying work?¡± Chamber¡¯s eyes widened because she didn¡¯t expect them to do so. ¡°Yes. The tower¡¯s master mentioned that he would take care of it in return for being unable to participate in the conference.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, why are they absent this time?¡± She tilted her head while looking at King Lecross. ¡°Howe you only got around to asking that question now? What have you been doing?¡± Ogramughed bitterly at Chamber. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really interested in the others. I only came to see the mister.¡± Chamber smiled cheerfully, pointing at Glenn. ¡°I wanted to see how much stronger he got, and he didn¡¯t betray my expectations.¡± She moistened her red lips with her tongue. ¡°So why are those magic tower guys absent?¡± ¡°They¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± As King Lecross was about to answer her question, Glenn¡¯s eyes suddenly widened while he was looking over the documents, and he turned his head towards the window. ¡°My lord?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Oh shit!¡± While Sheryl and Roenn tilted their heads at Glenn¡¯s reaction, Derus, Chamber, Ogram, and King Lecross turned their heads in the same direction Glenn was looking. ¡°That scum!¡± Glenn destroyed the window of the conference room and ran outside. The other heads of the Six Kings hurriedly followed him. Whap! Their eyes grew distorted upon finding the light and darkness falling towards the arena from afar. ¡°Light and darkness! Is it the Fallen¡¯s doing?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too far away! We will be toote!¡± Ogram ground his teeth, and King Lecross bit his lip. ¡°They are interfering with the coordinates. I can¡¯t teleport.¡± Chamber furrowed her brow after finishing her calction. ¡°I¡¯m going to shoot it down from here.¡± She pointed her staff at the falling light and darkness, and Glenn raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Mister?¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Glenn¡¯s cold eyes were staring at the falling light and darkness. Even before they had time to breathe in once, a swordsman¡ªhair glowing golden in the evening glow¡ªjumped up between the light and darkness. ¡°That boy is your grandson, geezer!¡± Ogram narrowed his eyes while watching Raon fly toward the Fallen¡¯s mana. ¡°Did you really go senile? There¡¯s no way that kid can remove the Fallen¡¯s magic!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also against this. It¡¯s still impossible for him.¡± ¡°I also believe we should deal with it first.¡± Chamber and King Lecross also shook their heads in disagreement. Derus was silently staring at Raon without saying anything. ¡°Raon has witnessed the Fallen¡¯s power from behind me.¡± Glenn slowly lowered his hand to reassure them. He watched Raon¡¯s flight with a faint smile on his face. ¡°And he wouldn''t act for no reason.¡± * * * ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon bit his lips tightly. He used his full power while smacking the light and darkness with Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, but he was still getting pushed back. The mana wasn¡¯t that big, but his hands were trembling as if he¡¯d punched a huge lump of metal with his bare fists. It was such a powerful rebound. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to destroy it at this rate.¡¯ His n required him to blow up more than half of the light and darkness in front of him, but it was more powerful than he thought. At the rate he was going, the light and darkness would merge into one and Chaos would explode, killing everyone in the arena. ¡®I wanted to keep it hidden, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Raon fixed his grip on the de of Requiem and exploded the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s energies. ¡®I¡¯m counting on you.¡¯ Whir! The powerful sword resonance burst out from the de of Requiem and covered the sky. It almost looked like the de was answering his call. Whap! Raon turned his body mid-air to scatter the heat and coldness at the same time. The two energies spread out like a fountain and turned into hundreds of flower petals fluttering into the sky. He was using the me Spirit by utilizing the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and cier¡¯s coldness at the same time. ¡®Kuh¡­¡¯ Raon endured the intense pain in his mana circuits to sh until the end. The red and blue shards of astral energy spread under the evening glow, covering the entire sky. That¡¯s not enough. Wrath snorted while looking at the me Spirit that he¡¯d unleashed towards the light and darkness. Even the King of Essence recognizes that halfling¡¯s abilities as a magician. Even though Chaos isn¡¯tplete yet, his power isn¡¯t something you can deal with¡­ Hmm? Despite his confident deration, the me Spirit¡¯s flower petals started to chip away at the Fallen¡¯s monstrous light and darkness. Creak! Arge amount of light and darkness got torn apart¡ªas if a carving knife were cutting through a piece of wood. H-how¡­? ¡®Did you already forget about it when you got so angry back then?¡¯ Raon pointed at the de of Requiem¡¯s de. The golden ghastly energy had carved letters on the red de. The Magic Forcefield! ¡®It¡¯s the Ghastly Flow of Mana.¡¯ The Ghastly Flow of Mana was a unique trait for the de of Requiem that he had obtained from destroying the fourth apostle¡¯s ck sword. It was capable of shoving ghastly energy in between the flow of mana to suppress the magic¡¯s activation. Even though Fallen¡¯s light and darkness were magic, he couldn¡¯t suppress them because they had already been activated¡ªbut obstructing them was still possible. ¡®It¡¯s still not enough.¡¯ Although the me Spirit had cut off a significant amount of energy, the light and darkness were still approaching one another. It was necessary to confront them directly. Creak! Raon clenched the de of Requiem¡¯s hilt as hard as he could and gritted his teeth. ¡®I need to cut off the flow.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the light and darkness that he needed to remove but also their tendency tobine with each other. ¡®And in order to achieve that¡­¡¯ He quickly turned his wrist to unleash the Blizzard Sword Art, which had reached a whole different realm. The Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s special technique, Silent Wind of Silvery Ocean, was unleashed between the light and darkness alongside the Ghastly Flow of Mana. Rumble! The light and darkness were on theirst legs, but they wouldn¡¯t be defeated easily. Raon¡¯s wrist felt like it was being snapped, but he endured the pain to finish unleashing the strike. Slice! The Ghastly Flow of Mana merged into the Blizzard Sword Art and managed to sever the light and darkness in their desperate struggle. The Fallen¡¯s two aspects started to scatter into the air without merging, but it wasn¡¯t over yet. Raon smiled coldly at the light and darkness sticking on Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ He was wondering about it when he saw the faint traces of light and darkness on Glenn¡¯s sword during his previous battle against the Fallen, and it confirmed his suspicion. The power wasn¡¯t the only problem with his energy. It was also capable of dealing damage a second time by sticking to the opponent. The Fallen must¡¯ve devised that adhesion to allow him to attack his enemy, but Raon was about to use that to his advantage. ¡®Derus must be watching me right now.¡¯ The transcenders like Glenn and Derus must¡¯ve already noticed the situation and should¡¯ve been watching him. It was necessary to take advantage of the situation in a way they wouldn¡¯t notice. Raon looked around with a frantic expression on his face. ¡®I need to show them that I have nowhere to get rid of this energy.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t simply acting. It was true that there were people everywhere even outside the arena, and the energy was bound to cause casualties no matter where he tried to dispose of it. ¡®Which means, there¡¯s only one possibility left for me to deal with it safely.¡¯ Raon looked below him with a cold smile on his face. Since the stage was protected by multipleyers of protective magic, it was the safest ce around him. ¡°Kuh!¡± He bit his lips, pretending to endure the paining from his waist, and turned around. With an expression that looked like he couldn¡¯t handle the power dwelling in the two swords, he mmed the swords at the arena¡¯s corner¡ªthe spot Martio was standing right in front of. ¡°Argh!¡± Martio hurriedly tried to defend himself, but it was already toote. Even though it was reduced in power, there was no way the Fallen¡¯s energy would be easy to deal with. Zap! The light and darkness between the swordsbined and burst, an extremely small-scale of Chaos aimed towards Martio. Whaam! The six protective magics surrounding the arena were destroyedpletely, and Martio was sent flying back violently. He mmed into the ground, his arms and legs snapping backward and blood flowing from his eyes and nose. ¡®I never thought the day woulde where I would see him lying t on the ground.¡¯ Raon examined Martio¡¯s expression while pretending to falter. Seeing his usually expressionless face distorted from pain and confusion was making all of his pain disappear. ¡°Kuh, why¡­?¡± Martio narrowed his eyes with a pained expression on his face. The hit was super effective. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon lowered his head at Martio while spitting the blood from his mouth. ¡°I couldn¡¯t send it anywhere else because there were people everywhere. This location was the safest one since there were barriers around it, and I figured you would be able to take it on.¡± He wasn¡¯t bullshitting. The arena was indeed the safest ce around him thanks to the protective magics, and the referees were indeed the most powerful people among them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He lowered his head once again while suppressing the urge to burst intoughter. ¡°O-oh, no¡­¡± Martio couldn¡¯t finish his sentence as he closed his eyes. He unfortunately didn¡¯t die, and only fainted from the extreme shock. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What happened just now? Why did the Frostfire Sword of Valor just soar into the sky and why did he even attack the referee?¡± ¡°I think someone was attacking from the sky.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t see it too well, but there was a tremendous sh of powers.¡± ¡°Does that mean the Frostfire Sword of Valor jumped up in order to stop that attack? That¡¯s really amazing.¡± The spectators were unable toprehend the situation and kept looking around them. ¡°Someone tried to attack? But was it really necessary to try defending against it?¡± ¡°The protective magic should be able to fend off most of the attacks.¡± ¡°I know right? The referee ended up fainting for no reason.¡± ¡°Maybe he jumped up because he figured he was going to lose the match. That¡¯s so cheap¡­¡± ¡°Wow, people are really insulting him when he just saved your asses.¡± The deriding voices from the spectators that kept happening even before the Master division¡¯s matches had started were put to an end by a cold voice. ¡°If that pretty boy didn¡¯t act up, all of you would¡¯ve been goners, not leaving a single bone behind.¡± Chamber was there before anyone knew it and was floating above the stand. ¡°After all, it was the Fallen¡¯s magic.¡± ¡°F-Fallen?¡± ¡°The Fallen from Eden?¡± ¡°I-impossible, the Fallen was attacking us¡­¡± The spectators¡¯ chins started to tremble upon hearing that the magic falling from the sky was the Fallen¡¯s doing. They finally realized that they¡¯d just survived a deadly situation thanks to Raon. * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Whir! Glenn¡¯s zing pressure felt like he could tear people¡¯s hearts apart with his gaze. He was standing in front of the stage and was sending his murderous aura towards the people who wereughing at Raon. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Waah¡­¡± They got crushed by Glenn¡¯s pressure and fainted while foaming from their mouths, their eyes rolling back. ¡°Frostfire Sword of Valor. That¡¯s a perfect name for him.¡± King Lecross smiled gently while watching Raon, who was still standing there while faltering. ¡°Hmph, he¡¯s a crazy one. However, he¡¯s crazy in a good way.¡± Even Ogram burst intoughter. He seemed to admire Raon¡¯s actions despite the fact that he didn¡¯t exactly like him before. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Derus kept staring at Raon without even giving the smallest attention to the unconscious Martio. ¡°The Fallen, she said¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s right! Light and darkness sparked between the evening glow! The Fallen is the only one who uses that magic.¡± ¡°Which means¡­ the Frostfire Sword of Valor¡­¡± ¡°Yes. He let the Azure Razor Sword stab his waist and jumped up in order to save everyone.¡± ¡°Everyone here would¡¯ve died if it weren¡¯t for him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing that he managed to stop it, but Sir Raon was also the only person among all of us who noticed that attack.¡± ¡°Is that Raon Zieghart¡¯s true nature¡­?¡± The spectators finally realized the situation and clenched their fists while feeling admiration and appreciation towards Raon. Their lips were trembling in excitement. Raon breathed out roughly and walked up to Martio before turning his head. ¡°Healers!¡± The dumbfounded healers ran up to him and started examining Martio¡¯s condition upon hearing his call. ¡°He has broken bones and a severe internal injury, but his life is not in danger! Bring him to the medical facility!¡± ¡°How about you, Sir Raon? It looks like you are severely injured around your waist.¡± One of the healers walked up to him, trying to bring him with them. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon shook his head and turned around. Borini Kitten was staring at him with astonished eyes. ¡°The match isn¡¯t over yet.¡± Although he was severely injured around his waist and his mana circuits felt extremely painful, he couldn¡¯t give up on the match. He wanted to win the match and keep fighting the next day in order to improve the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s proficiencies. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s worrying about others despite his condition¡­¡± ¡°Is he nning to keep fighting in that state?¡± ¡°Valor¡­ I¡¯ve seen many warriors with honorable names, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone like him.¡± ¡°The Frostfire Sword of Valor. That name and the rumors weren¡¯t exaggerated at all¡­¡± The spectators gasped in admiration for Raon¡¯s willpower even though he was younger than them. ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Frostfire Sword of Valor! Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°I¡¯m from Owen, but I¡¯m definitely going to root for you for the rest of my life!¡± The spectators filling the arena started shouting Raon¡¯s name. The way they kept yelling Raon¡¯s name gave the impression that they were in Zieghart instead of the Owen Kingdom. ¡®How about Derus¡­?¡¯ Raon looked at Derus while pretending to look around the spectators. Derus wasn¡¯t showing any emotion at all, his face as nk as a piece of paper. ¡®I like his face.¡¯ Other people would think that it was an expression of confusion, but he was actually suppressing his anger. Raon couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling upon realizing that he was the one who turned his expression like that. ¡®Let¡¯s get started again.¡¯ Since he managed to see Derus¡¯s angry face, it was time to finish the match. Raon caught his breath and, just as he was about to enter the arena, Glenn stopped him on the stairs. ¡°You are severely injured.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at theceration on Raon¡¯s waist and his trembling hands. Even though Heavenly Tremor was at stake, he stopped Raon without the slightest hesitation. ¡°You don¡¯t need to fight any further.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. You should stop now.¡± Chamber descended from the sky and stood next to Glenn. ¡°No one will me you for stopping now.¡± She shook her head, telling him to stop. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m here under Zieghart¡¯s name. I can¡¯t be defeated by such a small incident.¡± He¡¯d been following Glenn¡¯s back, the back of a man who was capable of overpowering the Fallen and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader on his own. Regardless of his condition and his swordsmanship¡¯s proficiency, he didn¡¯t really want to step back yet. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn stared into Raon¡¯s eyes before he nodded and stepped away. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded at Glenn and Chamber before entering the stage once again. ¡°You¡­¡± Borini Kitten bit his lip tightly while holding the sword that was still smeared with Raon¡¯s blood. ¡®I¡¯m such an idiot!¡¯ While he was solely focused on the fight on hand, Raon was watching much further away. While he was thrusting his sword, Raon didn¡¯t even counterattack, instead enduring it in order to stop an enemy ambush. Once he realized that he was being a hindrance when he should¡¯ve been helping him, his shame became unbearable. Blood was still dripping from Raon¡¯s waist, his face was pale, and his grip seemed to be weakened. Even though he could faint at any time, he returned to the arena to finish the match. He¡¯d earned his honorable name at such a young age for a good reason. The emotion Borini Kitten felt towards Raon couldn¡¯t be described as admiration anymore. It was reverence that was welling up in his heart. ¡°Swordsman Raon.¡± Borini Kitten sighed deeply before looking at Raon. ¡°I lost this match. I wouldn¡¯t have managed to win against you even if we continued that fight. I¡¯m thoroughly defeated both in terms of might and warrior¡¯s spirit.¡± He hung his head. He must¡¯ve been feeling that way from the bottom of his heart. ¡°I¡¯m going to forfeit the matc¡ª¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Raon¡¯s voice was colder than ever. ¡°Regardless of the situation, I returned to the stage in order to fight against you. Does your knighthood truly exist if you can disregard your opponent and forfeit the match?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I was simply faster to notice and acted ordingly. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve done the same if you noticed it before me. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Borini Kitten was unable to respond right away. Acting when push came to shove was an entirely different story from talking about it. ¡°Our match isn¡¯t over yet.¡± As if the time had reverted to before the Fallen¡¯s magic assaulted them, Raon held Heavenly Drive with both hands and mustered everyst bit of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡°Come at me.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Borini Kitten sighed deeply towards the sky. He stared at the dim sky for a while before he lowered his gaze. The wavering in his eyes had subsided. He must¡¯ve realized something. ¡°I almost made another mistake. Thank you for teaching me.¡± He bowed politely. ¡°I¡¯ll save my gratitude forter. I shall defeat you using the best of my abilities for now.¡± The azure astral energy bursting out around him was as clear as the ocean. He raised his sword above his head before pulling it behind his back. The pressure surrounding him was even sharper than before the Fallen¡¯s magic assault as he took a step forward. ¡°That¡¯s perfect.¡± Raon smiled in satisfaction while feeling Borini Kitten¡¯s pressure, which was making his hair stand on end. ¡®Awesome.¡¯ Stopping the Fallen¡¯s magic and taking his revenge against Martio was a whole different story from resuming his fight in order to get stronger. Raon had no intention of missing anything. You are seriously even greedier than Greed¡­ Wrath shook his head in irritation. ¡®I need to be greedy because I¡¯m not even at the starting line yet.¡¯ Raon smiled and condensed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat on his de. The astral energy became sharply refined instead of getting thicker and burst out like embers. ¡°The technique I¡¯m about to use is the Razor Blood Sword Art¡¯s special technique, Blood Star¡¯s Ultimate sh.¡± Despite telling the name of his technique, his frightening pressure felt like he was facing an archenemy that he needed to kill at all costs. ¡°As for me, I¡¯ll be using a technique called Crimson sh.¡± The Crimson sh was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s special technique. Raon was nning to end the match with the Crimson sh that had gotten even stronger thanks to the proficiency he¡¯d gained with the Sharp Sword and Straight Sword. ¡°Crimson sh, that¡¯s a nice name.¡± Borini Kitten nodded before he narrowed his eyes. The pressure spreading from him became even sharper. He was giving off the same feeling as Raon¡¯s first encounter with King Lecross, where Raon felt like his entire body was getting stabbed by des. Whir! Raon also raised his sword around his waist and increased his output to the maximum. He wasn¡¯t even feeling the pain in his body thanks to the extreme focus he had. Pssh. While they were gritting their teeth to endure each other¡¯s pressures, the edge of the arena that was affected by the Fallen¡¯s attack ended up copsing. Thud! Borini Kitten made the first move. He kicked the ground to advance and thrust his sword. The magnificent light burst from the tip of the sword like a spearhead to coil around Raon¡¯s body. Thud! Raon stomped the ground and raised Heavenly Drive above his head. The crimson me bursting from the silver-white de was intense and profound at the same time. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. Crimson sh. The de of raging fire bore its fangs to severe the sun setting under the western mountain and the blue light at the same time. ____ ____ Chapter 322

Chapter 322

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 322 The Fallen snickered while looking at the map of Owen Castle on the wooden table. ¡°It failed¡­¡± He even distorted the space coordinates in order to make sure to eliminate them, but Chaos didn¡¯t manage to form. Not a single person had died, let alone Raon. It went without saying that the attempt ended in absolute failure. ¡°Did you just say it failed?¡± The Red Demonic Snake¡¯s eyes widened as he turned around to look at the Fallen. He clenched the table in disbelief. ¡°Was it Glenn Zieghart¡ª¡± ¡°No, it was because of Raon Zieghart. He removed the light and darkness before the chaos was formed.¡± The Fallen smoothly raised his hand, and light and darkness crawled up from it. ¡°The battle against Glenn should¡¯ve been the only time he witnessed it, yet he managed to understand the flow of chaos. He¡¯s truly an extraordinary one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the most terrifying part about him.¡± The Red Demonic Snake nodded heavily. ¡°When he tried to fight me, his skills visibly improved every single day. His power isn¡¯t a threat to us yet, but he¡¯s bound to reach another realm soon enough.¡± Raon kept asking for a fight every single day before the branch copsed, and his might reached a new height every single time. It was as if he was apletely different person. Even though the Red Demonic Snake had witnessed many warriors before, it was his first time seeing such a crazy growth rate. ¡°Growth rate¡­¡± The Fallen smiled faintly and turned around. The sun had already set on the horizon and darkness was covering the ocean. The Soul Severing Sword was still staring at the ocean with the exact same posture as before. ¡°What are you nning to do now? We should do it as quickly as possible if you want to eliminate him.¡± The Red Demonic Snake¡¯s serious eyes were staring at the Fallen. Raon Zieghart was growing at apletely unpredictable rate. Drastic measures were necessary if they wanted to kill him. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t exactly afford to do that. I¡¯ve exhausted too much power recently.¡± The Fallen slowly shook his head and raised his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s see further into the future.¡± He closed his eyes while looking at the moon rising above the ocean. He flicked his fingers as if he were enjoying music, and once he opened his eyes once again, two different colors were gleaming within them. ¡°We need to change the way we deal with Raon.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s use him instead of eliminating him.¡± The Fallen¡¯s lips rolled up into a thin smile. ¡°I have a feeling he will be able to contribute to our cause.¡± * * * ang! Borini Kitten¡¯s longsword shattered like ss under Crimson sh¡¯s ray of heat. The heat falling down after that turned the arena as hot as a furnace. Whoosh! Even though his sword was shattered, Borini Kitten¡¯s eyes showed no sign of surrender. He twisted his fingers to hold his half-destroyed longsword and dashed through the arena where heat hazes were rising. Whir! The light bursting from the broken de was the brightest so far. The astral energy gushed out like a ray of light towards Raon¡¯s neck. Raon¡¯s pressure didn¡¯t fade away either. He bent his knees and lowered his body before shing upwards with Heavenly Drive like a soaring swallow. Whaap! The inextinguishable me on the de created a crescent shape to mercilessly shred Borini Kitten¡¯s astral energy¡ªwhich he formed by mustering everyst bit of power he had left¡ªinto pieces. Pssh! Borini Kitten¡¯s sword crumbled to dust without even leaving the hilt behind, and his shiny silver armor fell apart after being crushed. Raon swirled Heavenly Drive to remove the heat from the arena in order to avoid further harm. ¡°Haa.¡± Borini Kitten took off his destroyed armor and sighed deeply. ¡°I lost.¡± He admitted his defeat and bowed to him. ¡°It feels pretty nice to lose after doing my best.¡± Just like he said, his clear eyes said he was satisfied after fighting to the best of his ability. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot.¡± Raon smiled and bowed back at him. ¡°No, I¡¯ve learned even more from you.¡± Borini Kitten shook his head. His eyes weren¡¯t reflecting the slightest sign of malice. ¡°Th-the first match of the quarterfinals! The Frostfire Sword of Valor, Raon Zieghart, emerges victorious!¡± The master of ceremonies, who was trying to read the atmosphere, entered the stage and announced the results of the match. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Frostfire Sword of Valor, I always believed in you!¡± ¡°You showed a true warrior spirit!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be rooting for you forever! Raon Zieghart!¡± The spectators shouted Raon¡¯s name and the entire arena trembled from their cheers. Because they were all raising their voices at the same time, people even started hearing a ringing sound in their ears. Raon looked at the heads of the Six Kings under the stage. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn gave him a small nod. Since he usually didn¡¯t express himself, that small gesture signified that he was satisfied with his performance. ¡°It was a nice match.¡± ¡°You are crazy in a good way. You are a handsome madman!¡± ¡°Both of them are proper warriors.¡± King Lecross apuded at him, Chamber was giggling, and Ogram seemed to have taken a liking to him, a cool smile on his face. ¡°That was such a delightful sight.¡± Derus was also smiling. The others would see it as an entertained smile, but he was actually being pretentious. He was definitely trying his best to suppress his boiling anger. ¡®Damn Robert¡­¡¯ Raon remembered the memories of his previous life. While his hands were smeared in blood and all kinds of filth from the underworld, Derus was being cheered on by everyone from the outside. While Raon was killing the people who tried to rebel against House Robert in the underworld, Derus saved people and earned himself the name of Sky Sword Saint. While Raon was attacking the millionaires to steal their money and information in order to raise the house funds, Derus gave food away to the people and was praised as the wise lord. While Raon and the shadows worked their asses off, Derus grew his power and gained a reputation, only to boil the hunting dogs in a cauldron even though they were the ones who allowed him to achieve everything. Raon could never forgive him for what he¡¯d done, even after his death and even after his rebirth. ¡®I¡¯m the one who allowed you to earn all that power and fame. And I¡¯ll be the one to take them away from you.¡¯¡¯ Raon bit inside his cheek while tightly looking at Derus¡¯s smile. ¡®I¡¯m only getting started.¡¯ The real revenge hadn¡¯t even begun yet. He was nning to thoroughly defeat his son Cadis during the next match, and that was going to be the starting point of his revenge. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed to the heads of the Six Kings, including Derus, while thoroughly concealing his intention. ¡°Sir Swordsman Raon.¡± As he was about to leave the stage, Borini Kitten started talking to him. He even added ¡®Sir¡¯ on top of calling him swordsman. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can you wait a moment, please?¡± He told him that he couldn¡¯t decide by himself because he was affiliated with the kingdom and went to King Lecross. He talked with him for a moment before returning to the arena. ¡°Sir Swordsman Raon.¡± Borini Kitten walked up to him and went on one knee, lowering his head. ¡°The knight Borini Kitten solemnly pledges that he will grant three of your requests, whenever and whatever they might be.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes turned round from the unexpected situation. ¡°What are you talking about right now¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotten three enlightenments from the match against Sir Swordsman Raon. I¡¯ll repay the favor of enlightening this idiotic self by granting your request with my life on the line.¡± Borini Kitten raised his head. His bright face almost gave the impression that the sun had risen again. ¡°What are the three enlightenments?¡± ¡°First was the fact that the situation doesn¡¯t matter when ites to saving people. The second was the path of the true warrior you¡¯ve shown to me. And the third one was that it can be helpful to encourage your enemy.¡± He opened his fingers one after the other with a smile on his face. ¡°Actually, I should be following you for the rest of my life regardless of all that because you saved everyone¡¯s lives, including mine, but please understand I can¡¯t do that because I already have a king that I¡¯ve pledged to serve with my life.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. Borini Kitten was bound to get even stronger in the future. Having the ability to ask him to work three whole times was a priceless advantage. ¡°His Majesty has already given his approval. Please ept it.¡± Borini Kitten lowered his head once again. He must¡¯ve been discussing that pledge with King Lecross earlier. ¡®He actually approved of it¡­¡¯ Raon thought that King Lecross must¡¯ve really taken a liking to him. What are you waiting for? Wrath popped out from the ice flower bracelet with a frown on his face. He¡¯s working for free! You should ept it right now! He loved free stuff, as expected of brainless cotton candy. ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ Raon shook his head and took a step forward to meet Borini Kitten¡¯s eyes. ¡°May I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°What if I requested something that goes against the knight¡¯s honor, or even something that anyone with a humane appearance shouldn¡¯t be doing? Why would you make such a pledge when I could make such a request?¡± Raon was honestly curious. He just wanted to make Derus angry, and that was why he felt ufortable about Borini Kitten¡¯s pledge. ¡°It¡¯s because you said that just now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I might sound arrogant, but most people would immediately ept the pledge if I said I would grant their request. Since they can think about what to requestter on, they would be focused on epting it.¡± Borini Kitten smiled gently and raised his head. ¡°However, you are worried about my honor as a knight instead of epting the pledge. That¡¯s the exact reason why I thought I could trust you.¡± He mmed his chest with his right hand. ¡°I believe that you won¡¯t make any request that makes me abandon my humanity or honor. Please ept my pledge.¡± Raon exhaled faintly before closing his eyes. ept it already since he¡¯s saying all that! Back in Devildom, the King of Essence had countless people like him, but you have no one¡­ ¡®Please go away.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away because he got the feeling that he was starting a long speech. ¡®I¡¯m not sure yet.¡¯ He had no intention of impressing Borini Kitten. All he did was provoke him in order to get stronger himself, yet that was the result. However, his trust was warming his heart. It was the first time that someone he recently met was trusting him so much. Raon made up his mind and opened his eyes. ¡°I ept.¡± He met Borini Kitten¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m also going to offer a pledge. I¡¯ll never request anything that will stain your honor, Sir Borini Kitten.¡± ¡°I believe in you, Sir Swordsman Raon.¡± Raon stretched his hand. He grabbed Borini Kitten¡¯s hand and made him stand. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°This is a real battle of warriors and real friendship of warriors!¡± ¡°So cool!¡± ¡°Azure Razor Sword! Azure Razor Sword!¡± ¡°Frostfire Sword of Valor!¡± The spectators burst into cheers once again and called Raon and Borini Kitten¡¯s names. Raon raised his hand to respond to their cheers before leaving the stage. He licked his lips after looking at Derus¡¯s fake smile and Borini Kitten¡¯s wholehearted smile one after the other. ¡®I think I still don¡¯t understand the people or the world.¡¯ That¡¯s right. You are as good as a demon king at making fun of people, but your humane side is even worse than the King of Essence¡­ ¡®You shut up.¡¯ * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Even though the quarterfinals had ended, people kept talking about Raon and Borini Kitten. It almost felt like Raon and Borini Kitten were the protagonists of the Master Division tournament. Glenn smiled while watching the spectators go wild. He couldn¡¯t help getting excited because everyone was talking about his beloved grandson, and all of them wereplimenting him. ¡®I should be patient.¡¯ He was nning to ask Roenn to assassinate the spectators who were talking shit about Raon, but he decided to forgive them because he was happy. ¡°Let¡¯s retur¡ª¡± ¡°Bring me with you!¡± When he was nning to visit Raon¡¯s medical room along with Sheryl and Roenn, Rimmer jumped down from the stand. ¡°What have you been doing so far? And where have you been?¡± Sheryl gave a sidelong nce at Rimmer. She looked like she was about to smack him if she didn¡¯t like his answer. ¡°Huhu, don¡¯t tell me you were gambling again¡­¡± Roenn was smiling gently, but his eyes shed sharply. ¡°Oh, no way.¡± Rimmer hurriedly shook his head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be aware of it, but I¡¯m the biggest contributor to Raon¡¯s reputation right now.¡± He raised his finger with a grin on his face. ¡°Everyone would¡¯ve been blown up by the Fallen¡¯s chaos if I didn¡¯t push Raon up for him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn stared at Rimmer for a while before turning around to head towards Raon¡¯s medical room. ¡°Bullshit.¡± Sheryl clicked her tongue at Rimmer. She was literally treating him as a pathetic man. ¡°There¡¯s no other choice. You are going to need a good beating before getting sent flying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth! Sir Roenn! You trust me, right?!¡± ¡°Huhu, I need to follow my lord right now.¡± Roenn bowed politely before he followed Glenn. ¡°There¡¯s no way you would¡¯ve helped! It¡¯s obvious you were just gambling around! I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find dozens of gambling tickets if I search your pockets. You aren¡¯t squirming your way out toda¡ª¡± ¡°Heavenly de division leader.¡± Glenn turned around when Sheryl was about to smack Rimmer. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it there and keep moving.¡± ¡°What? Yes!¡± Sheryl tilted her head before she followed Glenn. She narrowed her eyes because of the unexpected order. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed after everyone else left. ¡°What a relief.¡± He grinned while checking the many gambling tickets he was holding all over his body. ¡°I thought she was going to take all of them away.¡± * * * Raon went to the training ground after getting his waist treated in the medical room. Darkness was filling the empty training ground, but he could train just fine thanks to the bright moonlight. Shring. He went to the center of the training ground and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. No way¡­ Wrath swallowed nervously and raised his head. Are you really about to train again? ¡®That¡¯s obvious. Why are you even asking?¡¯ Raon immediately nodded. ¡®You have to review lessons.¡¯ The Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Arts had improved, and he even gained proficiencies for Sharp Sword and Straight Sword through the matches against Matisse and Borini Kitten. He was going to lose that progress if he didn¡¯t check the improvement before going to bed. The boredom isn¡¯t even the problem at this point. You are almost scary¡­ Wrath shook his head and sighed. ¡®You need to put up with that boredom to be an excellent warrior.¡¯ That¡¯s not the issue here! You dreadful bastard! He yelled and sat on Raon¡¯s shoulder with a frown on his face. He looked like he was getting tired of talking. ¡®I¡¯ll stop once Dorian brings her.¡¯ Her? Raon swung Heavenly Drive without responding to his question. The Fangs of Insanity¡¯s ferocious and sharp technique cut through the night air. ¡®Nice.¡¯ The increase in the Sharp Sword and the Straight Sword¡¯s proficiency allowed the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s sharpness¡ªthat of an unleashed beast¡ªto gain precision. Every single one of his strikes contained a frightening amount of sharpness. ¡®And the Blizzard Sword Art has improved even more.¡¯ Although he used tock first-hand experience with the Blizzard Sword Art because he¡¯d been training on his own, it managed to gain frightening fangs. The sharp de that could bite off the enemy¡¯s flow to tear it apart left a deep trace on the training ground. ¡®It¡¯s not over yet. I can get even better in the future.¡¯ Raon lowered his sword after unleashing the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art one after the other. He was smiling in satisfaction when a small crow-tit flew down from the tree tond on the side of the de. ¡°This one¡­¡± He remembered hearing that a highly proficient swordsman¡¯s sword was so natural that the wild animals approached on their own. ¡®Did I manage to reach that realm? I should still be far away from it though.¡¯ He found it strange because he didn¡¯t even know what a natural sword meant, but he felt slightly better. ¡°Training at thiste hour paid off¡­¡± ¡°Good job.¡± Raon was smiling faintly when the crow-tit tilted its head and started talking in a humannguage. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted. He realized who she was from the way she was talking. He quickly created an aura barrier to stop the sound from getting out. ¡°M-Merlin?¡± ¡°You can recognize me right away now.¡± Merlin made a small round smile with the crow-tit¡¯s mouth. ¡°I thought you left.¡± ¡°Why would I leave when you were still in danger?¡± She turned her head to the other side, saying that it wasn¡¯t even a question. Huff! Wrath shuddered upon seeing Merlin. A-a crazy bitch! She¡¯s the real crazy bitch! She has the de of obsession piercing through her brain! He swallowed nervously before hiding inside the ice flower bracelet. ¡°You¡¯ve shaved away the mana before it turned into chaos. That was the perfect countern. It was beautiful.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon¡¯s head started to hurt. He thought he wouldn¡¯t see her for a while because of thest greeting they''d exchanged, but she was already back. The fact that she looked like a crow-tit was making it even more ridiculous. He seriously couldn¡¯t understand her. ¡°You¡¯ve even earned Borini Kitten and King Lecross¡¯s trust. This is probably the best oue you could¡¯ve had.¡± Merlin was grinning. Getting goosebumps and observing the cuteness at the same time was a truly interesting experience. ¡°The Fallen won¡¯t be able to make any reckless moves anymore. You really did a good job.¡± ¡°How long have you been watching?¡± ¡°From the beginning to the end. I¡¯m always watching you.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Goosebumps appeared on his forearm upon hearing her gentle voice. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here for a long time because I¡¯ve been watching your fight through this one.¡± The crow-tits¡¯ wings were shivering with Merlin¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to you flying up to reach even higher.¡± She raised her shivering wing to say goodbye. However, Raon got anxious because he had the feeling that she would appear again soon enough despite what she did. ¡°Ah, please share some grain with this one. It was the promise we had.¡± ¡°Why do you keep pushing your promises on me¡­?¡± Chirp. Raon tried to argue against her, but the crow-tit looked up at him with ck eyes. The soul must¡¯ve already been switched. The crow-tit hopped on the side of his de towards him and tilted its head. It looked like it was asking him for the grain. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and hung his head. That was when Dorien opened the training ground¡¯s door and entered. ¡°Vice squad leader, I¡¯ve called her. She should be here soon.¡± ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Raon bobbed his hand toward Dorian with an awkward smile on his face. ¡°Do you have some grain?¡± ¡°Grain? Of course!¡± Dorian smiled brightly and took out ten cylindric boxes from his belly pocket. ¡°Which one do you want? Barley, rice, millet, bean, sorghum, wheat, or corn? I have even more, so just tell me which one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of this¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly. It was probably Merlin¡¯s fault for appearing so often that the fact that Dorian was carrying everything with him felt so exhausting. ¡°I need to feed this little one, so can you pick something suitable?¡± Raon pointed at the crow-tit. He¡¯d previously heard that birds like feeds made from millet and sorghum, but he wasn¡¯t sure what a crow-tit liked so he asked him to give it all of them. ¡°Oh, you were trying to feed this bird!¡± Dorian opened the box to take out all of the grain while watching the crow-tit, which had reached Raon¡¯s hand. He scattered the grain on a table to make a buffet for it. Chirp! The crow-tit pped its wings to savor the delicious grains of its liking on the grain buffet. ¡°Uhehe, this guy is so cute.¡± While Dorian was smiling at the crow-tit that was lying on the table with its belly turned round, the training ground¡¯s door opened silently. Raon turned around with a cold smile on his face. ¡°You are here.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 323

Chapter 323

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] Chapter 323 The one who opened the training ground door and entered was Balkar¡¯s Princess Jayna. She walked up to Raon while looking like an irritated cat. ¡°Why did you call for me?¡± ¡°Why did I call for you? You need to be taught another lesson. No, maybe you are just stupid.¡± Raon stretched his hand towards Dorian with a cold smile on his face. ¡°Dorian.¡± Yes!¡± Dorian immediately took out a white paper from his belly pocket and gave it to him. It was so convenient that he didn¡¯t even need to say what he wanted. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon spread out the paper he got from Dorian. It was the special contract that he used as a leash to bind Jayna after saving her in Porvan City. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Princess Jayna¡¯s lips trembled violently upon seeing the special contract. She didn¡¯t seem to have forgotten about it, since she looked furious. ¡®So she didn¡¯t forget about it.¡¯ It was just frustrating for her. The reason she spoke like that when she arrived wasn¡¯t because she forgot about the special contract, but because she wanted to rebel against him to vent her frustration. He could somewhat understand her feelings because that Balkar princess in front of him had everything her way so far, with no one stopping her. ¡®However, you can¡¯t behave that way in front of me.¡¯ Others would have shown their understanding because of Jayna¡¯s appearance or background, but Raon was different. The appearance was nothing but a human¡¯s skin for him, and he had no good will nor memories with Jayna. There was no reason for him to look at her with favor. Tsk, tsk. Wrath frowned while looking down at Jayna. She can¡¯t even suppress her feelings and she exposed thempletely. She¡¯s a truly foolish human. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon wanted to rebuke him by saying, ¡®Are you really the one to me her for that?¡¯, but he managed to suppress his urge. ¡°I must¡¯ve told you before to speak politely towards me at all times.¡± Raon shook the special contract with a smile on his face. Jayna¡¯s eyes rolled to follow the special contract. ¡°¡­Why did you call me, sir?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really like it.¡± ¡°Argh, wh-why have you summoned me, sir?¡± It must¡¯ve hurt her pride, as Jayna clenched her fist and hung her head. ¡°I wanted to give you a bit of useful information.¡± ¡°Information?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s information about Martha Zieghart, who you are going to fight tomorrow.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± Jayna¡¯s eyes widened so much that they looked like they would pop out. Her reaction was telling¡ªshe couldn¡¯t understand his intention at all. ¡°Let me ask a few questions before then.¡± Raon raised his chin slightly and bobbed his finger. Jayna furrowed her brow and came one step closer to him. ¡°I heard House Robert and Balkar had frequent contact recently. What was that all about?¡± That information was mentioned by both the leader of the Shadow Agents and Denning Rose. It wasn¡¯t strange for him to ask that question since Zieghart was careful about those two factions. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°Say it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about a mine, Sir.¡± ¡°A mine? At Robert?¡± ¡°They are digging a mine at the coast near Robert territory, and they asked us to invent a magic spell to carefully dig out the soil and the mineral in order to prevent a copse because it¡¯s located under the sea.¡± Jayna immediately told him about the mine. She didn¡¯t seem to consider it a big secret. ¡®A subaquatic mine¡­ I don¡¯t think there was anything like that.¡¯ He¡¯d visited all of the coastlines near House Robert¡¯s domain during his assassin training. He could tell for sure that there was no such thing as a mine under the ocean where he ran ap countless times. ¡®What is he nning¡­ Ah! Is it because that dungeon opened up?¡¯ There was an unknown dungeon under the ocean near House Robert, but it was impossible to open the door no matter what they tried. Judging from the situation, they must¡¯ve managed to open the door. ¡°Didn¡¯t they request any magicians to be sent by any chance?¡± ¡°We also told them that it would be easier for us that way, but they asked for a spell to be invented because they wanted to deal with it themselves.¡± Jayna slightly furrowed his brow, saying that they were being annoying. ¡®He must be trying to keep it a secret.¡¯ Robert and Balkar were on good terms. He would¡¯ve requested specialists for it if he was really trying to dig a mine. The reason he requested a magic spell instead of a magician must¡¯ve been because he was trying to hide the dungeon¡¯s secret. ¡°When did you give them that spell?¡± ¡°During this conference, Sir.¡± Jayna told him that Chamber¡¯s assistant gave the magic tome to Derus¡¯s assistant during the conference. ¡°I see.¡± Raon clenched his fist and smiled. ¡®It means that I still have a chance¡­¡¯ Raon figured that he had another chance to mess with Derus. ¡®It¡¯s fine if I can¡¯t get whatever¡¯s lying there. I just need to prevent him from getting it.¡¯ He had no information about the dungeon, but it didn¡¯t really matter. He could just destroy the dungeon if he felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to get the treasure to prevent Derus from getting it. It was a chance with no drawback for him. ¡°Was there anything else?¡± ¡°They also asked for some other spells, and solidified the alliance¡­¡± Jayna told him a few more things, but they weren¡¯t exactly important. ¡°It¡¯s my turn to tell you now.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Martha has the earth attribute. However, she has a different tendency from the other earth-attribute swordsmen. She likes to barrage her opponent with attacks as sharp as fire or wind, while still retaining the heaviness of the earth. You should be most careful about her technique, the Devastating Heavy Sword, which is focused around power and speed¡­¡± Raon told Jayna about Martha¡¯s current realm and the flow of her swordsmanship. He didn¡¯t tell her every single detail, but it was enough to influence the oue of the match. ¡°You¡­¡± Jayna bit her lip tightly after hearing all of the information about Martha. ¡°What are you plotting¡­ Sir?¡± ¡°Plotting what?¡± ¡°I thought you were going to ask me to forfeit when I heard you called me¡­ Sir. But you are giving me the information about Martha instead. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t help being curious about what''s going on in your head¡­Sir.¡± ¡°Stop with those ellipsis.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your answer?¡± ¡°Alright, Sir.¡± Her pride must¡¯ve been hurt once again since she lowered her gaze. ¡°The reason why I¡¯m giving you the information about Martha is¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes reflected the moonlight, sparking with a crimson light. ¡°Because hardships are necessary for humans to get stronger.¡± ¡°So are you making that hardship by yourself?¡± Jayna¡¯s lips were trembling violently. She looked like she couldn¡¯t understand him at all. ¡°And during this match, where the six factions are fighting for their pride?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded without any hesitation. ¡°What if she loses¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still going to be meaningful. There¡¯s a huge difference between someone who has never been defeated and someone who has experienced defeat.¡± Burren and Runaan managed to grow even further thanks to fighting each other to the best of their abilities. Raon was hoping that Martha would also grow even further, and that was why he was creating such a hardship for her. Martha would likely be able to reach even higher by defeating Jayna, who knew about her weaknesses, and winning against the third prince after that. ¡°I really can¡¯t understand you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your understanding.¡± Raon simply shook his hand to swing the special contract in front of her eyes. ¡°I gave you the information, so you¡¯d better put up a good fight. This contract might end up doing something if you show a poor performance.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°What shall I ask you to do? Maybe I should order you to bring me some national treasures from Balkar?¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Jayna pouted and clenched her trembling fist. She didn¡¯t seem to know how to react because it was her first time getting one-sidedly abused. It felt so good to see her like that, probably because she¡¯d been acting all haughty ever since their first encounter. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She let out a deep sigh before raising her head. She quickly recovered from her emotions since she was still a member of the direct line of the Six Kings. ¡°This removes the two of the orders you can give me, right?¡± ¡°Two of the orders?¡± ¡°I told you about the trade between House Robert and Balkar, and you gave me orders about the fight against Martha Zieghart tomorrow. That makes it two, right?¡± ¡°You seemed to be misunderstanding something.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I never once said that I was ordering you to do any of it.¡± Raon snickered and spread the special contract. It was still written that he had three orders to give her. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Jayna¡¯s eyes crumpled like paper in a grasp. ¡°Y-you did ask me to tell you¡­¡± ¡°It says order on the contract. I asked you to tell me, but never ordered you to do so.¡± It was true. He simply asked her to do it while showing her the contract. He never mentioned that it was an order, not even once. ¡°Argh!¡± She bared her teeth while spreading her mana around her. She looked like she was about to attack him at any moment. ¡°You fiendish bastard! There¡¯s no way you are an honorable warrior! You are a demon who came from Devildom!¡± There¡¯s no one like him even in Devildom¡­ Wrath shook his head while responding to Jayna. ¡°A demon from Devildom? That¡¯s apliment for me.¡± Since both Wrath and the Light Wind squad had been recently calling him a demon king, ¡®demon¡¯ and ¡®fiend¡¯ wasn¡¯t even an insult for him anymore. ¡°We are done with the talk.¡± Raon gave the special contract back to Dorian. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Dorian put the contract in his belly pocket with his neck trembling in fear. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be looking forward to your performance tomorrow.¡± Raon patted Jayna¡¯s shoulder as she violently ground her teeth, then left the training ground. ¡°Daaamn it!¡± Jayna¡¯s swearing voice burst out like a storm from the training ground as he was returning to his room. ¡°I-is this really okay?¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while looking back at the training ground, where she was still screaming. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I didn¡¯t even kill her. Moreover, she¡¯s the one who started it.¡± Jayna was the one who picked a fight with him two whole times even though he gave her a chance. Since she still didn¡¯t seem to regret her actions, it must¡¯ve been a good lesson for her. ¡°Ah, that was a problem, but I¡¯m also worried about Lady Martha¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. She has too much in her arms, so she needs to win that match at least.¡± Raon stopped walking and smiled while looking up at the dark sky. ¡°She should resign as the Light Wind squad¡¯s team leader if she can¡¯t even do that.¡± * * * [Trantor: Kyangi] [Proofreader: Harley] * * * Derus Robert bobbed his chin while sitting in front of Martio¡¯s bed. ¡°Martio.¡± Martio looked like a corpse on the bed, but he opened his eyes upon hearing his call. Anger was briefly reflected in hisposed eyes, but it quickly disappeared. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Martio responded while enduring the pain that could make him faint at any moment. His mind remained cool despite his hoarse voice. ¡°What was your impression of Raon?¡± ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t watch him until the end, but he didn¡¯t move like an assassin at all from what I saw.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Derus narrowed his eyes while looking down on Martio. ¡°Yes. He had the ssic nature and movements of a swordsman from Zieghart. Martio¡¯s chin was trembling as he answered. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. ¡°His posture sometimes looked like an assassin, but it can¡¯t serve as proof since swordsmen can also use those postures. He couldn¡¯t be seen as an assassin at all.¡± ¡°Then what do you think about his assault on you?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martio briefly closed his eyes before opening them again. It was an assassin¡¯s inclination to get rid of his emotions and calm himself down in order to draw an objective conclusion. ¡°Just like he said, the arena was the safest ce in that situation. Since he had received a deep cut on his waist from Borini Kitten and he didn¡¯t have a choice because he had to remove the Fallen¡¯s magic, I honestly don¡¯t think that his decision to m his swords in front of me was a strange choice.¡± Despite his anger towards Raon, he said that Raon¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t strange at all. Instead, he added that it was a wise move. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen so far, I believe Raon Zieghart isn¡¯t rted to Raon.¡± ¡°Is that your judgment as Raon¡¯s instructor?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an objective judgment without involving my emotions.¡± Martio nodded while enduring the tearing pain of his body. ¡°Alright. You should rest.¡± ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± Derus nodded and shook his hand, and Martio closed his eyes and turned his head away. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Derus took off the glove from his hand. The scar on the back of his hand was neatly reduced. ¡°Let¡¯s return for now and let Martio rest.¡± ¡°My lord.¡± As Derus was about to stand up, the butler in charge of legal affairs, Regel, opened his mouth. ¡°It would be better to cancel the order to the young master, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Regel apologetically bowed his head and continued. ¡°From what we¡¯ve seen today, Glenn Zieghart clearly cherishes the Light Wind squad. It could be a problem if the young master ends up cutting off Raon Zieghart¡¯s arm.¡± ¡°You saw it correctly. And Raon seemed to be his favorite among the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s better this way.¡± Derus Robert snickered and shook his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t miss this rare opportunity where I can finally learn what Glenn Zieghart is thinking. Let¡¯s find out if he really cherishes Raon, and what he¡¯s going to do if Raon¡¯s arm is cut off.¡± Even though it could endanger his son¡¯s life, he made his deration with a coldhearted smile on his face. ¡°It should be better to provoke him even further rather than stopping him. He looked really angry already.¡± Derus watched outside the window with a cold smile on his face. Cadis Robert was extremely irritated because he barely got any cheers from the spectators despite the overwhelming performance he showed during his match because they kept calling Raon¡¯s name. ¡°You should provoke Cadis even further.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Even though Regel was worried about Cadis, he got rid of his emotion upon hearing his master¡¯s order and simply nodded. Even though they were acting on different sides, Martio and Regel were both nothing but marites who had to obey Derus¡¯s orders no matter what. ¡°Did you check the spell that Balkar gave us?¡± ¡°Yes. It was exactly as we requested.¡± Regel straightened his back and nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how long it takes. It¡¯s fine even if hundreds end up dying.¡± Bloody greed was glowing in Derus¡¯s eyes. ¡°You just need to bring me the treasure buried underneath.¡± * * * Chirp. Chirp. Raon was sitting on his room¡¯s floor, and he opened his eyes upon hearing the chirping sound. He nervously raised his head, but it was just a normal chirping sound announcing the start of the day alongside the morning sun. ¡®It wasn¡¯t Merlin. Do I have to be nervous for the rest of my life?¡¯ Heughed bitterly because Merlin could pop out anytime from anywhere. You coward. Wrath smiled coldly and shook his head. You got nervous from the fear. You are even worse than a chicken. ¡®But you are the one who is most afraid of her.¡¯ It was such nonsenseing from Wrath because he was hiding from her obsession back then. Th-the King of Essence just has trauma from obsession¡­ ¡®Trauma?¡¯ The one who left a trauma on Wrath must¡¯ve been an extraordinary demon. ¡®They must¡¯ve been really strong since you are so afraid of them.¡¯ H-he¡¯s not afraid! It¡¯s not because I¡¯m afraid that I avoid her. It¡¯s because I don¡¯t want her dirt rubbing off on me! ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon snickered. Devildom was apparently the same, and they preferred avoiding crazy people instead of dealing with them. ¡®She must be pretty strong then.¡¯ She¡¯s just annoying and is no match for the King of Essence! Back in Devildom, the King of Essence was the strongest demon king and his invincibility was unmatched¡­ Wrath suddenly started bragging about himself even though he was trembling from the memory of that obsession a moment ago. It was truly a demon king¡¯s moodiness. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon examined his condition while Wrath¡¯s bragging went in one ear and out the other. The injury on his waist and his swollen mana circuits weren¡¯tpletely healed yet, but he could fight just fine. It was the result of continuously using the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation instead of sleeping. Lots of demons should still be missing the King of Essence. Why do you think they are missing him? That¡¯s right. It¡¯s because of his powerful might! His mana is as vast as an ocean and they fell¡­ ¡®He never stops.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath as he kept bragging about himself. When he started changing into the uniform, messages appeared in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve shed the eternal tier spell, Yin Yang.] [You¡¯ve won against an opponent at a higher realm while being injured.] [The de of Requiem¡¯s trait Ghastly Flow of Mana¡¯s rank has increased by two.] [The de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy has increased.] [The trait Array Analysis¡¯s rank has increased.] [All stats have increased by 8.] He finally got the reward for cutting the Fallen¡¯s magic and defeating Borini Kitten in an injured state the day before. The system must¡¯ve been waiting for his body and mind to be healed. ¡°Two ranks at once?¡± The Ghastly Flow of Mana¡¯s rank leaped to three stars from shaving off the Fallen¡¯s chaos. The Array Analysis also increased, and the de of Requiem even gained more ghastly energy, which was almost excessive for a single sh on a spell. Whir! The de of Requiem¡¯s clear sword resonance told him that it also liked it. Wh-what¡¯s going on?! Wrath was still bragging about himself but suddenly dropped his jaw. Why would you even give so many rewards for cutting through weak magic like that? What about the King of Essence? Are you trying to give away everyst bit of his powe¡ª ¡®But you said you were one of the strongest in Devildom.¡¯ Uhh¡­ ¡®Aren¡¯t you actually weak if you are worried so much about this amount of reward?¡¯ No, but¡­ ¡°For the merciful demon king, this should be as much as a single cup of water from the vast ocean, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ That¡¯s right! That¡¯s how it is! Since Wrath had been bragging so far, he nodded his head while suppressing his tears. Even that aspect about him was just like the giving tree. Raon turned his head around from Wrath, who was smiling awkwardly, to look at thest part of the message. ¡®The rank-ups for the traits are great, but I¡¯m not sure about the stats.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t because it was bad. The extra stats could be a source of error since he was almost perfectly used to his body, and the fact that it was added right before a difficult battle wasn¡¯t too great. ¡®Actually, no. My first opponent is the Dragon ying Beast.¡¯ Since he had to fight the Dragon ying Beast before crushing Cadis, he had the perfect opponent to get used to his enhanced body. ¡®A contest of strength, I like it.¡¯ Raon figured that it would be interesting to fight against a Beast Union warrior with sheer strength since they were supposed to have the strongest bodies among the Six Kings. Raon put his coat on and looked outside the window. He clenched Heavenly Drive while watching the gently waving sunlight. ¡®Today is the day where Zieghart¡¯s name will stand at the peak of the Six Kings.¡¯ Let¡¯s eat something before then. The King of Essence¡¯s stomach is feeling empty because you took away his stats on top of not giving him any sleep. Wrath was rubbing his stomach with rounded eyes. ¡®Please read the mood¡­¡¯ Raon sighed and shook his head. ____ ____ Chapter 324 Raon entered the arena alongside the Light Wind squad just like the day before. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Zieghart has arrived!¡± ¡°The Frostfire Sword of Valor is here!¡± ¡°The de of Tempest is also right next to him!¡± ¡°Azure Lunar de! I want to see your smile!¡± The spectators¡¯ reaction was theplete opposite from the day before. Even though they used to look down on them andugh at them, their cheers as they shouted Zieghart¡¯s name were loud enough to rupture eardrums. That enormous support was all thanks to Burren and Runaan, who fought each other until they fainted despite being on the same team, and Raon, who saved everyone¡¯s lives then even managed to defeat Borini Kitten despite his injuries. Raon walked up to the tform with the Light Wind squad behind him. Unlike the day before, the heads of the Six Kings were sitting on the tform. ¡®I can see their personalities.¡¯ Glenn waspletely expressionless, King Lecross was smiling gently, and Chamber was continuously asking questions directed at Glenn, who wasn¡¯t responding to her. Ogram looked like he was bored, as he was yawning, and Derus was still maintaining his fake smile from the day before. ¡°Your presence is an honor for us all!¡± Raon and the Light Wind squad bowed politely before heading to the waiting area seats on the left side. ¡°They keep calling the name de of Tempest. Who the hell is that?¡± Burren looked around him and tilted his head. ¡°You.¡± Raon chuckled and pointed at Burren. ¡°M-me?¡± Burren widened his eyes, which were half-closed before because he was still notpletely healed. ¡°Yes, the de of Tempest is your nickname. They started calling you the de of Tempest after they saw you using the winding from your sword.¡± ¡°Nickname. My own nickname¡­¡± His neck was trembling as he clenched his fist. Burren kept mentioning that he wanted a nickname for himself, and he must¡¯ve been moved by the nice nickname that people gave him. ¡°Runaan, you are the Azure Lunar de. They said that the azure frost emanating from your de looked like the moonlight in winter.¡± ¡°Azure Lunar de¡­¡± Runaan murmured the name Azure Lunar de a few times and nodded. Her lips were very slightly curved into a smile. She seemed to like that beautiful nickname even though she didn¡¯t tend to express her feelings. ¡°How about me?¡± ¡°You got none.¡± ¡°Why nwaht!¡± It had been a while since thest time Martha¡¯s tongue got twisted. ¡°You didn¡¯t lweave a strong impression like Burren or Runaan because you won by default.¡± Raon giggled and copied Martha¡¯s ent. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that you didn¡¯t get a nickname since you didn¡¯t show them anything.¡± He raised the corners of his lips into a sneer. He said that with the intention of provoking her, but it wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. Martha¡¯s impression wasn¡¯t as strong as Burren''s or Runaan''s because she reached the semifinals without fighting the previous match. ¡°Damn it. I didn¡¯t win by default because I wanted to¡­¡± She bit her lip. She seemed irritated that she was the only one without a nickname. ¡°You will get one even if you don¡¯t want it if you manage to defeat Princess Jayna and Prince Greer today.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes turned serious as he lowered his gaze to look at Martha. ¡°Can you do it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Martha immediately nodded without even considering it. Aren¡¯t you going to tell her about it? ¡®Tell her what?¡¯ That you told that bitch all of Beef Girl¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. ¡®I¡¯ll tell her, butter.¡¯ Hmm? ¡®It will be more fun to tell her when she notices that something¡¯s going wrong during the fight.¡¯ Revealing the secret when Jayna was getting the upper hand by exploiting her weakness would be even more effective. Huh¡­ Wrath dropped his jaw while nkly staring at Raon. Don¡¯t tell anyone that you are a demon. ¡®Hmm? Why?¡¯ No one is as crazy as you even in Devildom! * * * The master of ceremonies went onto the stage and raised his finger towards the sky. His voice was filled with aura and resounded throughout the entire arena. ¡°Thank you for waiting! The semifinals of the Six Kings Expert division tournament is starting now!¡± ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s finally starting!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even sleepst night!¡± ¡°Third prince, I believe in you!¡± ¡°Princess Jayna! Bring honor to Balkar!¡± ¡°Martha! Destroy them all like the other Ziegharts did!¡± The festival got even more heated because of the spectators¡¯ cheers. ¡°We unfortunately only have a single match for the semifinals, but I¡¯m sure it will be even more exciting than two matchesbined! The first match of the day! Martha Zieghart versus Jayna Ruin Balkar! Please enter the arena!¡± Martha briefly exhaled and entered the arena upon hearing his call. Jayna looked like she was still frustrated from what happened the day before as she entered from the other side, ring at Raon before jumping onto the arena. ¡°Are you both ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± They both nodded, and the master of ceremonies left the stage. ¡°The first match of the semifinals for the Six Kings tournament is starting now!¡± As soon as he raised his hand, Martha kicked the ground. She violently charged at her opponent like a wild boar and mmed down her sword. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jayna quietly watched her before getting out from Martha¡¯s distance by leaping through the space. The technique she used was Folding Wind, a movement skill utilizing space magic. Whaam! Martha used the power of her sword mming onto the ground to turn around. She chased Jayna once again and applied even more aura to increase her speed. Thud! Martha¡¯s footwork rapidly increased her speed right before she entered Jayna¡¯s range to close the distance in an instant. ¡°Hmph.¡± Jayna wasn¡¯t surprised and used the Folding Wind to move to the other side as if she knew it was going to happen. ¡®It really was true¡­¡¯ Raon hadn¡¯t lied about Martha¡¯s movement and flow. The explosive footwork could¡¯ve reached her if she hadn¡¯t heard about it in advance. ¡®I don¡¯t understand his intentions, but¡­ I¡¯ll use this in my favor.¡¯ Jayna smiled coldly and dodged Martha¡¯s fierce strike. ¡°Mirror Reflection!¡± She grasped thin air with her right hand and pushed it towards her left, and Martha was bounced back violently, as if she had been struck by an iron hammer. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Martha wiped the blood flowing out from her lips away with the back of her hand and charged at Jayna once again. The speed was even faster since she had warmed up, but the flow of her martial arts remained the same. By utilizing Raon¡¯s advice, Jayna used the Folding Wind multiple times in a row to escape from Martha¡¯s attack before she flicked her finger. Cring! The space folded into a thin shape and red blood gushed from Martha¡¯s shoulder and arm. It was a cutting spell with increased power through space magic. ¡°Huhu.¡± Jayna smiled coldly while looking down at Martha, who was frowning at her. ¡®You are going to lose because your vice squad leader is crazy.¡¯ * * * Whaam! Martha bit her lip while escaping from the space that Jayna had ripped apart. ¡®What the hell is wrong with her?¡¯ She was aware that Jayna¡¯s space magic was dangerous, but she didn¡¯t know that she was also talented at moving her body. She couldn¡¯t hit Jayna at all because it almost felt like Jayna knew all of her movements and aura flows. Moreover, Jayna¡¯s movement spell, which she could use at the most dangerous moment, prevented Martha from taking her by surprise through a feint. It almost felt like Jayna had already seen through all of her cards. ¡°Tsk.¡± Martha briefly clicked her tongue and kicked the ground. She predicted Jayna¡¯s next move and charged at her while blocking the left side, but Jayna used a spell simr to Blink to escape to the right. Martha tried to chase again, but the space magic cast on the floor halted her footwork once again. Cring! Martha frowned and severed the space magic that emerged around her ankles and above her head before scattering her aura des one after the other. Whaam! She blocked Jayna¡¯s vision with aura des and charged from the left side. She also gathered her aura on her left hand, just in case Jayna had withdrawn to the back. Since she was attacking her from all directions, she was certain it was going to work as she mmed down her sword. ¡°Too slow.¡± Jayna snorted and jumped into the air that wasn¡¯t affected by the aura des. She grasped thin air and pushed it back, which teleported her to the opposite side. ¡®Did she even notice that I was nning to attack from behind?¡¯ Considering the fact that she immediately teleported to a different location, she must¡¯ve noticed that she was nning to attack from behind at the same time as the left and right sides. ¡®It almost feels like she knows all the flows of my attacks. I didn¡¯t show enough yet to be analyzed though.¡¯ [First team leader.] As Martha was biting her lip while finding it strange, she could hear Raon¡¯s aura message. ¡®What? I¡¯m busy right now¡ª¡¯ [Don¡¯t you think that the bitch princess knows you too well?] ¡®Huh?¡¯ Martha¡¯s chin started to tremble upon hearing his yful voice. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, you¡­¡¯ [Yes, you guessed right. It was me who told her about you.] Martha turned her head while gritting her teeth. Raon was winking at her with a smile on his face. ¡®Seriously, that damn bastard¡­¡¯ [Do your best, then.] Raon waved his hand to cheer for her. Martha got the urge to pluck his stupid hand off. Raon¡¯s bbering mouth was making her even angrier than Princess Jayna, who was swaggering in front of her. ¡°Are you done struggling?¡± Jayna smiled coldly and lowered her hands in. The space folded down from both sides of Martha and started pressing down on her shoulders. ¡°Struggle? Struggle you said? You dirty bastards!¡± Martha unleashed all of her Titan¡¯s aura with exploding anger. The yellow energy bursting from her energy center pushed Jayna¡¯s space magic back and created a huge me. ¡°Huuuuh!¡± White steam was flowing from her mouth. ¡°Try as much as you want. Your magic is even weaker than rusted scissors, and it¡¯s not going to work against me!¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Jayna frowned and increased the intensity of her space magic. The folding space became even longer andrger, but it was unable to push Martha¡¯s aura back. Whaam! Martha stomped the ground with a fire burning in her eyes. The floor of the arena copsed despite the twoyers of protective spells covering it, and fissures appeared all around her like rice paddies in a drought. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Jayna only lost her bnce for an instant, but it was enough time for Martha. She instantly leaped to reach in front of Jayna. ¡®Blink!¡¯ Jayna didn¡¯t have time to use the Folding Wind, instead having to use Blink to reach behind Martha. ¡®It¡¯s now my turn to attac¡ªHuh?¡¯ She was nning to attack Martha¡¯s leg with space magic once again, but arge fist was already in front of her eyes. ¡°Die!¡± Martha had immediately followed up by predicting the Blink¡¯s simple movement pattern. ¡°You will lose your arm if you keep stretching it!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Jayna managed to set up space magic in that short period of time since she was a member of Balkar¡¯s direct line, after all, but Martha didn¡¯t care about the scratch on her hand and continued to punch Jayna¡¯s chin. Smaack! The tearing sound of a drum resounded throughout the arena. Jayna¡¯s eyes rolled back upon getting hit by Martha¡¯s fist. She rolled on the floor. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± The master of ceremonies was staring nkly at them, then came back to his senses upon hearing Jayna¡¯s groan. ¡°M-Martha Zieghart emerges victor¡ª¡± ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Martha jumped down the stage before the master of ceremonies even finished to announce her victory and grabbed Raon by his cor. ¡°What the fuck is this? Why did you sell my information to her? What did she even give you?¡± ¡°She gave me nothing.¡± ¡°Then why?!¡± ¡°You managed to increase your aura and realm by arge margin, didn¡¯t you?¡± Raon calmly smiled, even though he was grabbed by his cor. ¡°What are you talking abou¡ªHmm?¡± Martha released his cor and fell silent. ¡®They did increase, and they increased quite a lot¡­¡¯ She¡¯d mustered all of her power because she got so angry from Raon¡¯s betrayal despite how much she trusted him, yet her aura and realm had clearly increased when she thought about it. ¡°You¡¯ve been suppressing your anger recently in order to maintain your reason while using Berserk, right?¡± ¡°How did you know¡­?¡± ¡°Anger is one of the origins of your power, and there¡¯s no way you can properly use your strength by suppressing it. Reason is important, but you have to unleash it sometimes.¡± Raon chuckled and shook his hand. ¡°Just like the head of house said, you are too focused on one thing most of the time. Berserk is nice, but you should widen the range of your thoughts. After all, you should be looking for more possibilities right now.¡± ¡°I-is that why you told that bitch about me?¡± ¡°Just get treated for now.¡± Raon pointed at the temporary medical center next to the stage instead of answering her question. Martha couldn¡¯t say anything and absent-mindedly stood there. ¡°Team leader, let¡¯s get treated for now.¡± The first team¡¯s vice team leader, Yeddi, brought Martha to the healer. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha looked at Raon while getting her shoulder and hand treated by the healer. ¡®Did he really give my information to Jayna in order to make me stronger?¡¯ That was the only possibility considering theposure in Raon¡¯s voice and behavior. He must¡¯ve done that in order to help her reach a higher realm. ¡®Seriously, he must be an idiot.¡¯ He should¡¯ve had his hands full with his own fight and his own business, yet he was still caring about her and the other Light Wind swordsmen. It almost felt foolish to her. ¡°Idiot? Foolish?¡± Who am I even calling a fool? Martha bit her lip tightly while looking at the ground. Blood dripped from her lip and soaked into the ground. ¡®I¡¯m the real idiot here.¡¯ The gratitude pulled her heartstrings, and the tingling sensation she got felt like sandpaper was rubbing against her heart. ¡®This isn¡¯t the only time he helped me. Yet I¡­have never done anything for him. I¡¯ve only been bothering him instead of giving him something in return.¡¯ Back when they were trainees, she¡¯d even attacked Raon,ughed at him, and kept picking fights with him. It was immature behavior stemming from her sense of inferiority over being an adopted daughter, with her anger towards the White Blood Religion added on top of it, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that she had attacked Raon. ¡®Moreover, I¡¯ve never apologized to him.¡¯ She avoided confronting the issue after she lost to Raon and had never apologized to him for making fun of him. She had just casually moved on by saying that the loser would obey the winner, and nothing special happened thanks to Raon¡¯s kindness. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha pped her cheeks and looked at Raon and the Light Wind squad. Just looking at them filled her heart with warmth. Even though she couldn¡¯t even stand the sight of them in the past, they had be family to her, and she could even risk her life for their sake. ¡®Is it about time?¡¯ It felt like the time was ripe for her to open her heart and tell her story to herpanions, just like the head of house had advised her. ¡®If I manage to win today¡­¡¯ She decided to defeat the third prince in the finals and tell her story to everyone in the Light Wind squad afterward. And¡­ Martha clenched her fist while looking at Raon. ¡®I¡¯m going to apologize no matter what.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Chamber burst intoughter while looking at Raon standing next to the arena. She must¡¯ve really found it fun since she was even swinging her legs on the chair. ¡°He sold the information about hispanion without getting anything in return!¡± She was aware of their entire conversation. She must¡¯ve read the aura message that Raon had sent to Martha. ¡°That guy is really nuts! He¡¯s so funny!¡± Chamber was grinning on the chair while swinging her legs. ¡°He¡¯s definitely a peculiar one.¡± King Lecrossughed like an old man while stroking his beard. His face was also expressing his joy. ¡°I can tell that he¡¯s always watching over hispanions.¡± ¡°I thought he was a real man, but he was just a madman!¡± Ogram twisted his lips while suppressing hisughter. Even though he called him a madman, he looked even more interested in Raon. ¡°Huhu.¡± Derus silently stared at Raon. His smile was excessively deep and made him look like a doll. ¡°Mister!¡± Chamber stood on her chair and called out to Glenn on the opposite side of her. ¡°How did you even raise him? How do you make someone like him?! Tell me all about it, including how you made him so handsome!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done nothing.¡± Glenn even used his aura to suppress his trembling lips and shook his head. ¡°Ever since he was small, he¡¯s always decided and solved his problems by himself. Neither myself nor the others did anything for him.¡± He gave all the credit to Raon by saying that he didn¡¯t do anything. ¡°It might be because he¡¯d always been thinking on his own that he managed to grow up like that. His might isn¡¯t even a question, and his insight, righteousness, and even his appearance¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s voice was originallyposed, but it gradually became faster and more enthusiastic. ¡°Mister?¡± ¡°Geezer?¡± Chamber and Ogram tilted their heads as they looked at Glenn. They looked rather surprised because they¡¯d never seen him acting like that before. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and stopped speaking. ¡°A-anyway, that¡¯s how it is.¡± They couldn¡¯t understand what it was exactly, but they simply nodded because Glenn said so. ¡°Since there was only a single match for the Expert division¡¯s semifinals and the swordsman Martha Zieghart has been injured, we will continue with the Master division¡¯s semifinal instead of the Expert division¡¯s final!¡± The master of ceremonies announced that the semifinals for the Masters woulde before Martha''s match in order to give her some time to heal. ¡°Oh, does that mean that I¡¯m getting to see Raon with a crazy mind and face right away?¡± ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± Ogram burst into loudughter and looked at Glenn. ¡°How unfortunate, geezer¡¯s kid is getting eliminated now even though he¡¯s been working so hard by himself!¡± He raised his chin while pointing at the Dragon ying Beast, Garona, who was standing on the opposite side. ¡°Some sloppy swordsmanship isn¡¯t going to work against him.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn looked back at Ogram with a cold smile on his face. ¡°Then he will just destroy him in a non-sloppy way. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Open your eyes and watch.¡± His red eyes were sparkling like Raon¡¯s. ¡°That boy is about to destroy your son¡¯s fashion muscles.¡± * * * ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Garona! Garona! Garona!¡± As the two participants entered the stage, the spectators waved their hands while shouting their names. ¡°Haa, I¡¯m so nervous. I wonder who¡¯s going to win?¡± ¡°This is pretty much a battle between a spear and a boulder.¡± ¡°Did you say a boulder instead of a shield?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Garona¡¯s defense isn¡¯t the only good part about him. The game¡¯s over once he gets a single hit in.¡± ¡°But the same goes for Raon. His astral energy even managed to destroy Borini Kitten¡¯s sword. Even Garona won¡¯t be able to endure that!¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a match between Raon¡¯s sharp sword that managed to defeat Matisse and Borini Kitten and Garona¡¯s heavy fist that sent all his opponents flying so far.¡± ¡°A match between strength and technique, I see.¡± ¡°Indeed. Raon¡¯s going to target Garona¡¯s openings.¡± The spectators licked their lips while expecting the match to be a fight between strength and technique. ¡®Strength and technique, huh¡­¡¯ Raon smiled while listening to the spectators¡¯ cheers. ¡®Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be granting that wish.¡¯ Technique wasn¡¯t what he was trying to obtain from the fight against Garona. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Garona raised his head while warming up his fingers, which were as long and thick as a wooden sword¡¯s hilt. ¡°Let me give you a warning.¡± His teeth looked as sharp as a beast as he smiled a toothy smile. ¡°You will get shredded apart in an instant if you rely on that stick.¡± Energy waves burst violently from Garon¡¯s body, as if they were trying to prove his words. That tremendous power was the concentration of his extreme prowess. ¡°Let me give you a warning as well.¡± Raon drew Heavenly Drive with a cold smile on his face. ¡°You will get a hole in that body of yours that has nothing but size to boast if you underestimate this stick.¡± ¡°Kuhahaha! Alright! Do it if you can!¡± Garona mmed his chest, telling him to bring it on. ¡°Ah, a-are you ready?¡± The master of ceremonies must¡¯ve gotten scared, as he was already outside of the arena. ¡°Start it already!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon and Garona nodded, and the master of ceremonies pointed his trembling hand at the sky. ¡°The first match of the Master division¡¯s semifinals is starting now!¡± The moment his hand fell, Garona¡¯s body disappeared from the stage. No, it wasn¡¯t just Garona¡ª-Raon also disappeared from the stage. Baaam! The astral energies shed at the center of the arena, and a tremendous shockwave engulfed the entire area. ¡°Uaaah!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°What is this wind¡­?¡± The spectators couldn¡¯t even open their eyes and had to lower their heads to protect themselves. Whoosh! The gray smoke covering the stage faded away to reveal the two participants¡¯ appearances. Rumble! Raon and Garona were pushing each other at the center of the stage with sheer strength with a tremendous amount of astral energy spreading around them. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on right now¡­?¡± ¡°Raon isn¡¯t getting pushed back!?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a fight between technique and strength, but strength against strength?¡± ¡°Moreover, he¡¯s not even getting pushed back! The Frostfire Sword of Valor isn¡¯t getting pushed back by the Dragon ying Beast!¡± The spectators widened their eyes as they watched Raon stand his ground against Garona. Whaam! The tremendous sh of powers created endless yellow sparks between Raon and Garona. ¡°Kuuh¡­¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile while watching Garona¡¯s growl. ¡®Thank you for teaching me how the Beast Union utilizes their strength.¡¯ Chapter 325 Rumble! As Raon and Garona¡¯s powers intensified, the outrageous pressure weighing upon the arena only got stronger. Five of the protective magics around the arena were destroyed, and the thick floor began to shred, but the two participants didn¡¯t move a single inch. Their feet were rooted in the ground. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Garon red at Raon with his eyes distorted in disbelief. ¡°What have you even done?¡± ¡°What have I done?¡± Raon responded while smiling casually. ¡°You are fighting back right now with your physical strength instead of aura!¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible for your small body to stand against my strength!¡± He stomped the ground while letting out an ear-splitting battle cry. He used his over two-meter-tall body to crush Raon from above. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon silently groaned and focused his strength on his lower body. ¡®Indeed, I¡¯ve never experienced such a powerful strength before.¡¯ Although Garona was simply pushing him with sheer strength without even using any martial arts, Raon felt like his bones were getting crushed. It almost felt like he was fighting an ogre instead of a human being. ¡°You should give up already.¡± Ferocity burst from Garona¡¯s eyes, and he started pushing down even more powerfully. The rumor about him tearing a drake¡¯s head off with bare hands must¡¯ve been true since the stage started to copse and Raon¡¯s feet started to sink into it. ¡°If you refuse to give up, you will be crushed before even having a chance to swing your stick.¡± ¡°Is this your full power?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It would be rather disappointing if this is all you¡¯ve got.¡± Raon didn¡¯t stop smiling even though his hand was trembling from Garona¡¯s pressure. ¡°How dare you bluff when you are about to get crushed?!¡± Garona¡¯s eyes distorted fiercely. ¡°Is it because of those cheers?¡± He rolled his lips into a smile while looking around the spectators shouting Raon¡¯s name. ¡°I¡¯ll give you advice as your senior. Fame and poprity are poisons that lead warriors to death.¡± ¡°Poison?¡± ¡°When you are too focused on cheers and praise, you be unable to understand your own limits and you can¡¯t even discern between what you should do and what you shouldn¡¯t. And that¡¯s exactly how you are right now.¡± Wisdom sparked from the ferociousness of Garona¡¯s eyes. ¡°Unfortunately, this is going to be the end for you.¡± The power emerging from his rough hands exploded once again. The impact made it feel like his skin was being torn apart and the bones all over the body were getting crushed. Rumble! Even though Raon looked like he was about to get crushed in everyone¡¯s eyes, his eyes were as clear as the sunlight reflected on a spring water. ¡®His strength is certainly exceptional.¡¯ Garona¡¯s strength was simply powerful. Even though he wasn¡¯t using any technique and there were no distinct characteristics in the way he was pressing in on him, Raon felt like his body was about to burst. It wasn¡¯t excessive to call him as strong as an ogre lord instead of a normal ogre. ¡®However¡­ This is not what I wanted to see.¡¯ He wanted to see the utilization of that strength instead of simple pressure through tremendous strength. ¡®Because I¡¯m stronger than him in terms of sheer strength.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly and strained the front part of his left foot. His leg muscles expanded explosively to crush the floor and fiveyers of protective spells were destroyed at the same time. Rumble! He straightened his spine while pushing with his right leg. Once the power surging from his lower body reached his upper body, Garona¡¯s huge hands were pushed back for the first time. Raon noticed the panic in his ferocious eyes. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s still a lot more toe.¡± Raon mustered all of the strength and agility from his body that he¡¯d been keeping sealed. Rumble! Heavenly Drive¡¯s de felt like it was being weighed down by a huge mountain as he crushed Garona. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Although Garona¡¯s hand seemed at least twice as big as the average adult man¡¯s hand, it was trembling violently. His knees lowered and were about to reach the floor. ¡°Th-this is impossible!¡± Garona gritted his teeth in disbelief. ¡°How can you be so strong with those thin limbs?! This can¡¯t be happening, no matter how good you are at controlling your aura!¡± ¡°Impossible, you say¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t impossible at all, since it was a natural result. His strength and agility were close to 300 and had transcended the human limits. Even though the Beast Union warriors were supposed to have the strongest bodies, there was no way they couldpete against him. ¡°I said this before to someone, but¡­¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Raon smiled coldly and took one of his hands off Heavenly Drive. Even though he was only using one hand to push him, Garona was still unable to push the sword back. ¡°My perfectlypact muscles are practical muscles, and yours are just for show because they have nothing but size going for them.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Raon pointed at the respective arm muscles with his finger, and a crimson me started burning from Garona¡¯s eyes. ¡°In short, my muscles arepact and practical muscles, and yours are fashion muscles.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Garona couldn¡¯t suppress his anger anymore and raised his arms. Although his strength had only been applied in a straight line, it twisted into a spiral to create a powerful impact. Whaaam! Raon and Garona were pushed back to opposite sides of the arena from the huge explosion. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of ck magic you¡¯ve used, but I admit that your body is stronger than mine.¡± Garona bit his lip and lowered his posture with his left arm to the front and his right arm to the back. ¡°However, you aren¡¯t good at using it. I¡¯ll show you that strength isn¡¯t everything.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Raon nodded with a smile. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ He was fighting him in order to see how the Beast Union used their stronger bodies, so he was simply d that Garona was willing to show him without even being asked. ¡°I¡¯ll erase that irritating smile from your face!¡± Garona kicked the ground. His huge body multiplied into three like an illusion as he charged at Raon. ¡®A footwork with the Illusion Sword¡¯s principles? All of them look real.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t have much time to think since Garona was charging forward at a tremendous speed. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s First Step. When he was about to leap through the space towards the left side, Garona¡¯s movement suddenly changed. The three Garonasbined into one at the left side and caught up to him in an instant. Whoosh! Garona¡¯s fist was already there and covered his vision. His martial art supported the instinctive judgment he made in the split second. His punch was fast and brutal at the same time. Creak! Raon hurriedly bent his body backward. It felt like the wind pressureing from Garona¡¯s fist was tearing the skin of his face. ¡°You idiot!¡± Garona followed up by mming down his left elbow in order to keep his advantage. ¡®I predicted that much.¡¯ Raon pulled his left foot back. He straightened his back and shed upwards with Heavenly Drive. Baam! The sh between the astral sword and fist created a tremendous shockwave that engulfed the surrounding area. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon¡¯s hand that was holding Heavenly Drive was trembling as he was pushed back. Although he¡¯d increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output to the maximum, the impact had even reached his arm through his hand. His bone would¡¯ve been fractured if he¡¯d used less power. ¡®Is it rotation?¡¯ Garona¡¯s fist from the earlier sh contained a powerful rotation. However, it was different from normal Coiling Power or Spiral Power. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Rotation wasn¡¯t the only unusual part of Garona¡¯s punch. His punch had hit twice in total. Raon had endured the first hit, but the second hit followed up right after to impact the bones. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ Raon licked his lips while rotating the Rings of Fire as fast as he could. His footwork could multiply him into three, his punch incorporated a strange rotation, and he even managed to hit twice. There were so many things to learn from him. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t look so calm anymo¡ªyou dare smile?¡± Garona¡¯s mouth twisted upon seeing the smile on Raon¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off in an instant!¡± * * * * * * He inhaled and stomped the ground. The arena was falling apart as if an earthquake was happening as he charged at Raon. He used the footwork to multiply himself into three and punched with his huge fist. Raon narrowed his eyes and used Supreme Harmony¡¯s Fourth Step to withdraw like flowing water. At that moment, the three Garonasbined into one at the center and pierced into him at a speed that couldn¡¯t be seen with eyes. ¡®The reason he multiplied into three is simple.¡¯ The footwork must¡¯ve been created through instinct and reason in order to react to the enemy¡¯s movement wherever they went. ¡®And it¡¯s made possible through¡­an stic ankle.¡¯ Raon looked at Garona¡¯s ankle. His thick ankle kept shaking left and right to create smooth rotations. Aura wasn¡¯t the only thing Garona was using. He was making the best of the joints and muscles inside the ankle to achieve that crazy speed and variation of footwork. Whoosh! Garona was already right under his nose and thrust his fist. The fast and powerful pressure made blood spurt out from the back of Raon¡¯s hand, which hadn¡¯t even been hit by the punch. ¡®The best move in this situation is¡­¡¯ Raon shed Heavenly Drive downwards to create the Firewall from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Hundred mes. The wall of red me shed against Garona¡¯s fist. Whaaam! The powerful rotation of his punch created an opening in the Firewall¡¯s mes, and the second impact pierced through it. Thud! Raon was unable to withstand the second impact and was bounced back. He strained his faltering legs and exhaled roughly. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The powerful impact was making him nauseous, but he could only smile because he managed to learn the secret behind Garona¡¯s martial art. ¡®Rotation was the key once again.¡¯ The Coiling Power and the Spiral Power applied the rotation to the aura as it passed through the mana circuits in order to increase the technique¡¯s power and pration. It was a martial art that had simr principles everywhere, but Garona¡¯s technique was different. ¡®It¡¯s the rotation of muscles.¡¯ Garona¡¯s punches didn¡¯t only use the rotation of aura and joints, but also the muscles inside the waist, shoulder, arm, and wrist. His martial artsbined the rotation of aura, joints, and muscles. ¡®I never thought about using the rotation of muscles.¡¯ It was such a surprising method, moving the muscles one more time than they usually function naturally. The new enlightenment filled his brain with excitement. However, not all of the secrets had been revealed. He still didn¡¯t manage to find out how he was hitting twice. ¡°You tenacious bastard!¡± Garona charged like a ray of light to pound with his fist from above. It must¡¯ve been another martial art from the Beast Union, since his muscles, his wrist, and his aura rotated together to create an impact reaching through his bones. The punch was simple and ferocious, but Raon wasn¡¯t watching the punch itself. He endured the first punch and even the second punch that followed. m! Raon got pushed back to the edge of the arena and blood flowed down from his lips. It was a natural oue because he kept taking Garona¡¯s punches head-on when they were even capable of prating through astral energy. ¡®I see.¡¯ The secret behind the second impact was the fist itself. When Garona thrust his fist, he lightly clenched his fist as if he were holding an egg and clenched it tightly at the moment of impact to explode his aura, which must¡¯ve been the source of the second impact. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon wiped away the blood flowing down from his lips and straightened his back. Even though he had to take internal injuries, he managed to discover all of the secrets behind Garona¡¯s moves. He could only smile in satisfaction. You bastard, why aren¡¯t you wearing your ring? Wrath popped out from the ice flower bracelet and sat on his shoulder. ¡®The Blue and Red Ring?¡¯ Yes. ¡®I¡¯m not wearing it because I wanted to win this with my own skills.¡¯ Hmph. Even though you are usually even worse than a fiend, you are being unexpectedly fair. Even though he was making fun of him with his words, he seemed to be satisfied with Raon¡¯s answer as steamed from his nose. The King of Essence is also like that. Equipment? Artifacts? They are great. That¡¯s fine. But the most important part is your own might. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence¡­ ¡®Keep it forter because I¡¯m busy right now.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away with the back of his hand because he was starting to ramble. He focused on Garona instead. ¡®The fight isn¡¯t over yet.¡¯ Even though he managed to discover that rotation was the secret, learning it from him was a different story. It was necessary to continuously sh against him in order to learn the principle. ¡®I have the perfect technique for that.¡¯ The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Revolving Sky. The Revolving Sky consisted of rotating the wrist and aura to create spinning mes like a saw de. It was the perfect technique to learn the Beast Union¡¯s martial art. ¡°You are the first one who hassted this long in a frontal sh against me.¡± Garona¡¯s face had an ambiguous expression on it. Even though he looked frustrated, he was also smiling faintly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know shing with sheer strength would be so fun. I¡¯m looking forward to finding out how long you are going tost.¡± He smiled brightly while warming up his fingers. He seemed to believe that he would be the winner in the end. Rumble! Garona opened his arms and mustered all his aura. The endlessly burning energy was powerful enough to create a red heat haze on his shoulders. ¡°The real fight begins now!¡± He charged at a tremendous speed and mmed his fist down. Thud! Raon stomped the ground and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation at the maximum output. He followed Garona¡¯s movement ording to what he saw with the Ring of Fire and rotated his body, aura, and muscles at the same time. Whaam! Unlike Garona, who took three steps back, Raon took seven steps back and his hands were trembling. ¡®I can¡¯t do it immediately after all.¡¯ It was difficult because he had to copy the body¡¯s movement instead of an aura¡¯s. It was actually even worse because it was muscle movement specifically. ¡®However¡­ I think I understand how.¡¯ His first attempt was a failure, but he was starting to understand how Garona moved his muscles. ¡®Aura.¡¯ He was creating those detailed movements of muscles through his aura. ¡°We are just getting started!¡± Garona charged at him once again. The ferocious power dwelling in his fist was rushing Raon¡¯s body. The joints, muscles, and astral energy rotated in the same direction, and they created a huge shockwave as a result. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon licked his lips and created a crimson me on Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. ¡°Let¡¯s fight until the end.¡± * * * The sh between Raon and Garona created fissures in the arena floor like rice paddies during a drought. The magicians were continuously casting protection magic, but they kept getting destroyed in an instant and it was pretty much meaningless. ¡°Is this really a fight between human beings?¡± ¡°What is this match¡­?¡± ¡°Why is the Frostfire Sword of Valor even fighting him head-on?! He has those skills that can dodge his moves to target his openings!¡± ¡°I know, right? Why is he fighting with Garona¡¯s specialty instead of using that to his advantage?!¡± The spectators kept eximing in a panic because Raon was fighting Garona face-to-face. ¡°Isn¡¯t he getting ckmailed or something?¡± ¡°Look at him, he¡¯s smiling right now. That¡¯s definitely not the case.¡± ¡°He¡¯s crazy. I¡¯ve never seen such a crazy match in my life¡­¡± ¡°My heart is throbbing so hard. This is the true men¡¯s duel!¡± ¡°Raon! Hang on until the end!¡± ¡°Garona! You must not lose!¡± People kept cheering their heads off for Raon and Garona, who were thrusting their sword and fist against each other. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting this development.¡± Chamber was sticking her head out to watch the arena below. ¡°Did anyone here expect this to be a brawl like this?¡± She asked while turning her head, but no one responded. ¡°Who could¡¯ve expected this?¡± King Lecross shook his head as Raon blocked Garona¡¯s punch. ¡°I thought he would target his opening just like when he defeated Borini Kitten, but he¡¯s actually fighting against Garona head-on¡­¡± Heughed bitterly. He looked like he still couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. ¡°The Frostfire Sword of Valor¡¯s physical abilities have far surpassed my expectations. I don¡¯t even understand how he¡¯s so strong despite the size and shape of his muscles.¡± Derus Robert also seemed surprised by it as he watched the match with narrowed eyes. However, his eyes remained cold, unlike the other heads of the Six Kings. ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± Ogram swept his hair up and startedughing like a madman. ¡°That kid, I¡¯m liking him even more now!¡± He pointed at Raon, who was charging ahead to unleash the Revolving Sky at Garona with a grin on his face. ¡°Muster all your strength to sh from the front! It¡¯s a simple task, but not just anyone can do it. That guy is a true warrior!¡± Ogram turned his head around to look at Glenn. ¡°He¡¯s brimming with beastly blood, unlike you, geezer. I almost want to bring him to the Union.¡± ¡°The Beast Union will disappear from the world if you try.¡± Glenn was ring coldly at Ogram. ¡°You even got better at joking!¡± Ogram startedughing even louder. He seemed to believe that Glenn was joking. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl shuddered upon noticing Glenn¡¯s cold pressure. ¡®I don¡¯t think that was a joke¡­¡¯ Ogram seemed to believe that it was a joke, but Glenn was being serious. If Ogram tried to take Raon away, the Beast Union really could end up disappearing. ¡°I¡¯ll give him my apuse for standing his ground while facing Garona with that small body of his. However, that¡¯s the limit of his abilities.¡± Ogram stared at Raon with his eyes turned serious. It was as if he hadn¡¯t beenughing before. ¡°Garona¡¯s true strength isn¡¯t the destructive power, but his regeneration and durability. If they keep destroying each other from the inside, that kid will be the first to copse.¡± Ogram licked his lips and leaned his back in the chair. ¡°The winner was already decided the moment he decided on a head-on sh. He¡¯s refusing to yield for now, but that won¡¯tst long.¡± ¡°Your eyes are as useless as before.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Look at his sword.¡± Glenn raised his long finger to point at Raon. Whap! Raon¡¯s waist, arm, and wrist were rotating strangely. His me used to simply burn like a saw de, but it was getting concentrated around the tip of his sword to create a red sphere that looked like the sun. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Ogram¡¯s chin was trembling in disbelief as he watched Raon¡¯s move. ¡°The ck Beast Tribe¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That boy starts slowly, but¡­¡± Glenn rolled his lips up into a satisfied smile. ¡°Victory always awaits at the end of his path.¡± Chapter 326 - 326

Chapter 326:

Whaam! Garona''s punch fell down like lightning. His astral energy was spinning violently as it stormed at Raon. "Haap." Once again, Raon didn''t withdraw. He stomped the ground to m his feet into thepletely destroyed arena, unleashing the maximum output of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s fire and controlling the Spiral Power. Baam! The countless shes between the violent astral energies created a red whirlwind that burst into a strange shape. "Huff." The scent of blood was mixed into Raon''s breath as he exhaled. He looked at Garona, who was preparing his next punch in the midst of the vortex of astral energy that was capable of tearing the skin apart. ''I''ve finished analyzing his martial art.'' He had already learned all of Garona''s martial arts during the head-on shes. He was even confident that he could unleash the exact same punches as him. ''However... That''s not what I want right now.'' No matter how good an imitation was, it couldn''t be better than the original. It could blow Garona''s mind for a moment, but winning like that was meaningless. ''Because I''m not looking for a single victory.'' What he wanted was the foundation to reach an even higher realm. His goal was to reach even higher by making Matisse, Borini Kitten, and Garona''s strengths into his own. That was the only reason he was still standing there while enduring such headaches. "You finally stopped smiling." The astral energy bursting from Garona''s fists became distorted as itpressed itself. "You finally reached your limits. You are such a brute." Despite what he said, his lips were curved into a smile. It could''ve been Raon''s mistake, but he got the impression that Garona had taken a liking to him. "Everything that has a beginning is bound to end eventually." "I''ve recognized you as a man and I''ll finish you off ordingly." Garona pulled his right fist behind his shoulder and grabbed the right wrist with his left hand. Raon could only see his back and his eyes, but the powerful pressure emanating from him almost reached the sky. "I don''t need your recognition." Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive. He got into the middle posture, which was the fundamental of swordsmanship, and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the maximum. mes shimmered up from the destroyed floor of the arena and covered the entire space. "I''ll finish you off with this one!" Garona destroyed the arena as he charged at Raon. It only took an instant for his fist to reach close enough to cover Raon''s entire vision. Rumble! The punch was powerful enough to shatter the sky. It was going to crush all of the bones in Raon''s body if he failed to defend properly. Whir! Raon made the rings of fire resonate. The clear resonanceing from the seven rings increased his focus and the level of his existence. Raon extended his left foot in the midst of the slowed flow of time. He rotated the joint and muscles of his ankle and stepped on the ground. Cring! He connected the rotation surging from the ground to his leg muscles before it passed through his arm to reach his wrist. The rotation started as weakly as a breeze, but it had turned into a tornado as it burst from his de. Whaap! Aura, joint, and muscle. Majestic mes burst out from thebination of the three spins that cycled in the same direction. The extremely powerful Spiral Power created by the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s fire condensed around his de''s tip, and it was different from the previous Revolving Sky. "Is that..." Garona''s eyes widened upon witnessing the sphere shining as brightly as the sun above the sword''s tip. "Brace yourself if you don''t want to die." Raon clenched his back teeth and mmed Heavenly Drive down. The Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation fell upon Garona''s punch alongside a powerful rotation and explosive power. "You are making this interesting until the end!" Garona''s eyes shed as he thrust his fist towards the Revolving Sky. It was a fight between powers. Neither Raon nor Garona even tried to think about dodging their opponent''s attack just like they''d always done during the match, instead unleashing their attacks to the best of their abilities on their opponent. Whaam! The drastically improved Revolving Sky shed against Garona''s all-out special technique. Their powers became condensed upon impact before exploding to spread shockwaves in all directions, crumbling thend and removing the clouds from the sky. Cring! Raon and Garona were still pushing each other with their sword and fist in the midst of that impact. Their sword and fist were equal in power, but Garona had one more weapon up his sleeve. Rumble! Garona strengthened his grip, which used to be weakly clenched. The second strike followed the first one. The powerful astral energy was assaulting Raon like a tidal wave. "It''s over!" Garona smiled a toothy smile. He seemed to be convinced of his victory. Spark! It was at that moment that Raon''s eyes glittered. ''Of course, I didn''t forget about it.'' Raon smiled coldly and twisted Heavenly Drive. Since it was impossible to add extra impact to the sword by clenching it like a fist, he turned the de to create the same result. Whaam! It was a sh between second strikes. However, there was a difference between them. Unlike Garona''s strike, which was only using his physical strength, Raon had rotated the joints and muscles of his wrist. It was an extremely weak rotation because he couldn''t use the other joints and muscles, but that was enough to make the difference. Crack! The second spread of the Revolving Sky shattered Garona''s astral energy and shed his chest. Psssh! Red blood gushed from theceration on Garona''s chest. He couldn''t ovee the shock and fell to his hands and knees on the destroyed arena. Although his organs weren''t hurt, his body couldn''t withstand the tremendous power of the strike. "Y-you bastard. Thatst attack... Did you replicate mine?" "Yes." Raon nodded. After all, he did indeede up with that attack after watching his punch. He didn''t mention the rotation of his muscles because Garona would be shocked if he said it. "What a frightening talent you have." Garona breathed roughly as he raised his head. The blood gushing from the scar on his chest had already stopped. ''He''s almost like the White Blood Religion...'' It was a frightening amount of regeneration and durability. He looked more like a troll than a human. "Huff..." Garona shook his head toe back to his senses and raised himself up. "I lose." He grabbed Raon''s hand without any hesitation and raised it. "You won! Raon Zieghart!" Garona''s deration made sound return to the silent arena. "Woaaah!" "Raon! Raon! Raon!" "It was the best match of my life!" "I''ve never seen such a passionate duel before!" "Garona! You were really cool too!" "It was a duel between true warriors!" The voices they''d been suppressing so far exploded at once, and they kept cheering for them endlessly. "Brother, I''m so d that they are cheering for you." Garona smashed Raon''s back with a grin on his face. "Brother?" Raon''s lips parted. He couldn''t understand what that troll guy was even saying. "It''s the ck Beast Tribe''s custom to recognize an opponent as a brother after fighting all-out with body and heart. Your full power reached my heart. That''s why we are brothers from now on! Raon Zieghart!" Garona mmed his own chest with a smile. Raon''s jaw dropped because the chest he mmed was shed a moment ago. "I have no intention of being your brothe¡ª" "Don''t be like that! I''m sure my heart has also reached you! We will be even closer than real brothers who share the same blood running through their veins! The ck Beast Tribe never abandons a brother once it''s decided!" He burst out into cheerfulughter and grabbed Raon''s shoulder. "Brother! Since the match is over, let''s go eat togeth¡ª" "No thanks." "Brother!" Raon sighed and shook his head as he left the arena. "Everyone''s abnormal around here. There are no exceptions..." * * * "Kuhahahaha!" Ogram startedughing like a madman while crushing the armrest of his chair. "Great! This is great!" Even though Garona had lost and Raon had copied the ck Beast Tribe''s special technique, he was still happy about it. "He fought as good as our tribe! He deserves to be his brother!" Ogram shook his hand. He looked satisfied with the fact that Garona and Raon had be brothers. "Geezer, you''ve got a really nice grandson. He''s the first among the Ziegharts that I''ve taken a liking to." "Ahem, you are being too noisy. Shut your mouth already." Glenn shook his hand and turned his head to where no one was watching. His lips secretly curved into a smile. "My heart is pounding from watching their match. I feel like I''ve gotten at least twenty years younger." King Lecross''s face had also flushed from the excitement as he nodded. "The match indeed far surpassed my expectations. I''d like to watch it again if I could." Derus was smiling in surprise, but his eyes were still immobile. "Is that what they call alpha male nowadays?" Chamber swirled her finger while whistling. "Mister, you must be so happy to have such a nice grandson. Everyone''s calling that pretty boy''s name!" She smiled cheerfully as the spectators kept calling Raon''s name. "Their praise is meaningless." Glenn snorted without turning his face around. Even the tip of his fingers were trembling because he was trying his best to stop the corners of his lips, which were trying to soar into the sky. Roenn shook his head while watching Glenn''s shivering cheeks from behind. ''He should just admit it at this point...'' Raon was treated at the medical center before returning to the arena. The second round of the semifinals was only getting started, probably because it took them a long time to fix the arena. The arena waspletely returned to its previous state, and Cadis and the Magician of Annihting Strike, Ron, were facing each other on the stage. Raon started by examining Ron, who was standing on the right. ''Magician of Annihting Strike, huh.'' Ron was also one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent, but he upied one of the lower ranks since he was ranked ninth¡ªunlike Cadis and Borini Kitten, who were ranked in the middle. He was definitely an excellent magician, but he was also clearly less skilled than his opponent, and the match could only have one oue. ''It would be nice if Ron lost without doing anything.'' What did you say? Wrath tilted his head at his ridiculous statement. But he''s the son of your archenemy over the stew. ''Yes, he is.'' Since you aren''t in a great condition right now, it would be better for you if he has a difficult fight right now before meeting you, wouldn''t it? ''That''s not how it works.'' Raon shook his head. ''I have to beat him when he is in the best condition both in terms of aura and body after easily defeating Ron for the best effect. He won''t even be able to raise his head from shame if I did that.'' A simple victory was meaningless. He wanted to defeat Cadis at his best while having spent lots of stamina and aura himself in order to crush his pride even further. Seriously, your mindset isn''t human or demonic. It''s simr to those from that nasty heavenly realm... Wrath''s shoulders were trembling in disgust. "Hmm." Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Cadis. ''He looks upset.'' His expression was as cold as ice. His face was tantly showing his displeasure at the situation. ''I guess he would be.'' Cadis cared about reputation, loving it even more than Derus. He must''ve been extremely irritated because Raon and Garona took everyone''s attention just like the day before. ''Don''t worry about it.'' Raon clenched his fist with a cold smile on his face. ''Your irritation is soon going to turn into despair.'' He was already curious about what face he would make after losing to him in the finals. "The second match of the Master division''s semifinals is starting now!" The master of ceremonies left the stage and lowered his hand. The Magician of Annihting Strike, Ron, was the first one to move instead of Cadis. He opened his hands and orange-colored mana was unleashed. Annihting Strike signified that his strike could make things disappear. Ron''s orange mana of Annihting Strike was a bloodline magic capable of annihting objects and even auras. Cring! ording to the movement of Ron''s hands, the mana of Annihting Strike turned into a sharp spear and was fired at Cadis. Cadis shed downwards in a curve without showing any sign of surprise. The aura dwelling on his de smoothly wavered to deflect the power of Annihting Strike. Whir! It was House Robert''s pride, the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars swordsmanship, which was both a Slow Sword and a Soft Sword. The astral energy swimming throughout the atmosphere looked like it was drawing a picture as it deflected each and every one of Ron''s attacks. In fact, it looked more like the power of Annihting Strike was avoiding Cadis on their own. ''He''s perfectly mastered the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars.'' Cadis was clearly more powerful than the other mid-ranked Twelve Stars of the Continents. The astral energy spreading like flowing water from his sword was heavy and soft at the same time. "Haap!" Ron chanted rapidly and opened his fingers from his gathered hands. Whaap! The orange mana that was scattered in all directions because of Cadis''s sword started to move at once. "Huh!" Raon licked his lips while watching the energy of Annihting Strike that was moving on its own like a living creature. ''Even though he''s at a low rank, he''s still one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent. Has he been nning this?'' He thought that the Annihting Strike lost too easily against Cadis''s sword, but it must''ve been a preparation for that surprise attack. The energies of the Annihting Strike numbered over the hundreds, and they rained down on Cadis at the same time. It should''ve been difficult to fend off all of them, even for Cadis. Thud! Cadis lowered the tip of his sword and rotated his ankle to sh upwards. The swarming mana of the Annihting Strike was dragged like mas toward the flow of astral energy he created. No matter how powerful a river''s stream was, it was bound to be engulfed by the ocean in the end. The energies of the Annihting Strike were devoured by Cadis''s astral energy and returned right back at Ron as a tidal wave. "H-how is this happening?!" Ron tried to endure somehow, but there was no way he could defend against the crashing wave. He was sent flying from the stage violently and mmed onto the ground. "Kuah..." Ron shook his head while coughing up blood. "I-I lost." "Th-the winner is the de of Shattering Wave, Cadis Robert!" Cadis raised his hand upon hearing the master of ceremonies'' announcement. He left the stage and examined Ron''s condition as he bowed at him. "Woaaah!" "That was andslide victory!" "That''s the Twelve Stars of the Continent for you! He couldn''t ovee the difference in rank after all." "This match was pretty cool too. I expected nothing less from the uing sword saint." "Every single scene of this match was great." "Wow! It was also nice that he cared about the loser after winning!" The spectators sent a round of apuse to Cadis, who appeared to care about the loser after his crushing victory. "Hmm?" Raon was watching Cadis''s back, but he turned around and their eyes ended up meeting. Cadis was smiling just like Derus. It looked warm on the outside, but it was actually a sneer. Raon returned the smile by rolling up his lips, and even his eyes were smiling, unlike Cadis''. ''I''ll erase that smile from your face soon enough.'' * * * After the participants finished resting, the spectators gathered in the arena once again. Even though the resting timested for four hours to give them time to recover from their injuries and aura, more than half of the spectators didn''t leave their seats in order to keep the nice spots they had. The master of ceremonies thought that their passion was frightening as he entered the stage. "Thank you for waiting!" He spread his arms and bowed at the spectators. "The final matches for the Six Kings tournament are starting now!" "Woaaah!" "I''ve been waiting for this!" "I stayed here for four whole hours without even eating!" "Start it already!" The spectators violently waved their hands, pleading for him to start the match already. They looked like they were going to kill the master of ceremonies if he dyed it even further. "Ahaha. This burning passion is scorching me. Alright." The master of ceremonies nodded while wiping the cold sweat from his face. "We are going to start with the final match for the Expert division! Martha Zieghart versus Greer De Owen! Please enter the stage!" "Woaaaah!" "Marthaaaaaa!" "Your Highness! Please win!" The spectators cheered loudly once again upon hearing the announcement. There were bound to be many people cheering for the third prince, but just as many people were cheering for Martha. "Haa..." Martha entered the stage and clenched her fist. ''This is enough.'' Her injury was still affecting her, but she was still able to fight. Considering the fact that she managed to get stronger thanks to Raon, she should''ve been able to disy her usual performance at least. She raised her head to look at Owen''s third prince in front of her. He was an annoying weasel when she first saw him, but he grew up to be a dignified man. "I''ve always wanted topete with you from the first time I saw you." The third prince smiled faintly and straightened his shoulders. "I remember it. You told me you wanted to fight me after defeating Raon." When Owen''s envoys came to Zieghart, he underestimated Raon and designated her as his next opponent. "Indeed. And I was thoroughly defeated by the swordsman Raon. I''m still embarrassed whenever I think about what happened back then." The third prince smiled awkwardly in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head. "However, that experience allowed me to get stronger." The atmosphere around him suddenly changed. It was the sharp and proud pressure, characteristic of the Owen knights. His eyes were also glowing in a profound light. "The same goes for me." Martha clenched her sword and nodded. "I also learned my lesson after he wiped the floor with me." "Which means we are both standing here thanks to the swordsman Raon. How interesting." The third prince smiled gently and turned serious. "The swordsman Raon has already reached far above me since I saw himst. I''m nning to win this match no matter what in order to take a small step towards him." "Same goes for me once again." Martha looked at the third prince coldly. "I can''t lose here no matter what because I have something I need to achieve." They slowly unleashed their pressure while looking at each other. The energy waves shing against each other were weaker than the masters, but their spirits had reached the sky at least. "Are you both ready?" "Yes." Martha and the third prince nodded, and the master of ceremonies exhaled deeply before leaving the arena. "The final match of the Expert division is starting now!" As soon as he lowered his hand, Martha kicked the ground and charged. She seemed to be nning to quickly end the match, as she pierced into the third prince''s space in an instant to unleash her strike. Her heavy and fast swordsmanship assaulted him from left and right consecutively. Cring! The third prince narrowed his eyes and lowered his body''s center of gravity. He thrust his aura de in that state to pierce through the opening of Martha''s strike. Martha narrowed her eyes. ''I expected no less from Owen''s eyes.'' He managed to pierce the opening in an instant. It wasn''t an overstatement to say that he was apletely different person from the one who visited Zieghart in the past. ''Even so!'' Martha thrust her sword from the left upon noticing that the third prince''s sword wasing from the right side. However, the third prince took an unhurried step back, as if he expected Martha''s move, before swinging his sword down to defend himself perfectly. Even though Martha had the advantage in terms of strength, the precision and sharpness of his technique were in the third prince''s favor. The match was bound to drag into a long fight at that rate. "Haa..." Martha sighed and withdrew. Since her aura wasn''t in the best condition, she had no choice but to use ''that move''. "Are you already done?" "No, I''m only getting started." ck breath wasing from her red lips. Her ck eyes glowed red and the light brown aura covering her body violently burst from her. Wham! Along with an earth-splitting sound, Martha''s shape disappeared from the stage. She was piercing into the third prince''s space more than twice as fast as the previous sh. ng! The third prince quickly built a wall with his aura de, but Martha violently destroyed it and kept charging at him. "Argh!" The third prince bit his lip and twisted his de to deflect Martha''s sh. ''Is it Berserk?'' Considering the way that Martha''s eyes had darkened and how much her physical abilities and her aura''s quantity had increased, it must''ve been Berserk, the skill that the Saian Canyon''s warriors were supposed to use against monsters. Baam! He felt like his shoulder was being dislocated just from defending. He forced himself to endure the pain and used footwork. ''I can''t fight her head-on.'' He wasn''t Raon Zieghart. Every bone of his body would be broken if he tried confronting that power and speed from the front. ''The only relief is that she won''tst long in that state.'' The Berserk skill of the Saian Canyon''s warriors only multiplied their abilities by 1.5 to 2 times. Since Martha''s abilities had been multiplied by almost 2.5 times, she couldn''t evenst a single minute in that state. Since her movements became simpler than before, he was confident he couldst for that long. "Kuaaah!" Martha shouted like a monster as she mmed her sword down. It was difficult to believe that the strike wasing from an Expert as it crushed the floor. It was a frightening amount of power, but her technique was extremely simple, just like the third prince had expected. ''I just need tost a bit longer... Huh?'' He turned around in order to dodge Martha''s second strike, and her face was right in front of him already. "Huh?" The third prince swallowed nervously, upon seeing Martha''s eyes. ''Why does she have clear eyes?'' Chapter 327 - 327

Chapter 327:

The third prince stopped the sword that he was about to thrust. ''It''s dangerous...'' There was no real reason behind it. It was just instinct. He trusted the chill running down his spine upon witnessing Martha''s clear ck eyes and quickly withdrew. Whaam! As soon as he stepped back, Martha''s sword struck like lightning. The arena floor shattered like a biscuit being smashed by a fist. It was powerful enough to crush his shoulder if he had tried defending head-on. "Huff..." The third prince exhaled roughly as he raised his head. The red color had returned to Martha''s eyes once again. ''What''s going on? I''m sure she is using Berserk though.'' The Berserk skill of the Saian Canyon''s warrior could amplify the physical abilities and aura by 1.5 to 2 times for a short time at the cost of their sanity, leading them to only attack the enemy in front of them. Even though it was certainly a powerful technique, the drawback was also huge. Although she should''ve been following her instinct, Martha was clearly maintaining her sanity. ''How is she even...?'' He believed that he could have an easy win because Martha decided to use Berserk, yet the situation became dire instead. Baam! Martha stomped the ground and charged at him. She closed the distance in an instant. Her speed had already transcended human limits. ng! The third prince deflected Martha''s strike from above by twisting his longsword. ''It''s so heavy.'' Even though he managed to deflect it, he felt like his bones were crushed. The strike was powerful enough to be called the ultimate final blow, but her attacks weren''t over yet. Whoosh! Martha bounced her sword back from below like a rubber band to strike upwards. Her movement was more simr to a beast. ''I can''t deflect this one.'' She changed the direction way too quickly, leaving him no other choice than to block it head-on. He clenched his teeth in order to withstand the strike and unleashed his aura. Rumble! The impact reverberating all around his body made it feel like he had been hit by a hammer instead of a sword. He felt dizzy. ''Still, that should be thest one.'' Because he managed to defend from the front, Martha''s sword had stopped moving¡ªwhich meant it was his turn to attack. Whoosh! He raised his center of gravity and thrust his sword. The strike directed at Martha''s left shoulder was frighteningly sharp. "Argh!" Martha raised her sword vertically in order to fend off the blow directed at her shoulder. ''I got her.'' The attack on her shoulder was a feint. He distracted her with that fake attack and mustered all of his strength on the aura de to attack the right side of her chest. Martha was bound to be deceived by it because she was in the Berserk state. ''I wo¡ªAh!'' When he was certain about his victory, Martha''s sword turned in a semi-circle to violently parry the aura de. "Huh..." The third prince''s eyes widened. The ck color had returned to Martha''s eyes. Her acute senses were sparkling in her gaze. ''Was it not a coincidence?'' He couldn''t believe she managed to maintain her sanity while using Berserk to improve her abilities more than twice. Since he''d never heard nor seen anything like that, she almost looked like a monster to him. "Haa..." Martha''s eyes turned red once again and her aura expanded. ''Is everyone like this in Zieghart?'' Raon was already so far up into the sky that he couldn''t even reach him anymore, and even though he believed Martha was at a simr level to him, she managed to perfectly make another tribe''s technique her own. It felt like Zieghart was full of monsters. ''I still need to endure.'' The loss of sanity wasn''t the only drawback from the Berserk. Since it increased the output, it also exhausted stamina and aura more than twice as fast. He should''ve been able to find a way to win as long as he kept enduring her attacks. ''I can''t lose here, no matter what! We are at Owen Castle right now.'' More than half of the spectators were Owen citizens. An unsightly loss while they were watching wasn''t an option for him. "Haa..." The third prince lowered his posture and fixed his grip. His sharp eyes were glowing with determination. ''Even if I have to use that technique...'' * * * Martha bit her tongue to the point that she started to bleed. ''2.5 times really isn''t easy.'' She had gotten used to maintaining her sanity while amplifying her physical abilities and aura by 1.5 times through Berserk, but 2.5 times was still difficult. It felt like a savage beast was piercing into her head. Her instincts were going to take over the moment she got slightly careless. ''This is so hard.'' She honestly never thought she was going to use Berserk at 2.5 times. Even the warriors from the Saian Canyon only increased the output to 2 times at most. That crazy bastard was the one who destroyed the idea that 2 times was the limit. ''Raon Zieghart.'' That madman told her that there was no way 2 times was the limit of Berserk''s abilities and used her as ab rat, which allowed her to reach 2.5 times with Berserk. ''He even enlightened me.'' She was originally unable to maintain her sanity while using Berserk at 2.5 times, but the previous enlightenment allowed her to retain a small amount of her sanity. ''That''s why I need to win this match. For the sake of that idiot, at least.'' She couldn''t allow herself to lose that match for Raon''s sake since he spent his own precious time helping her grow. Thud! Martha kicked the ground as hard as she could. Her vision narrowed, and the third prince got closer. Even though her sanity was hanging by a thin thread, she managed to maintain it and unleashed the Golden Lotus Sword''s special technique, Golden Light Art. "Kuh!" The third prince used footwork and swung his sword in a curve. It was done in preparation to deflect her strike. ''I need to gain the upper hand.'' He focused and managed to twist Golden Light Art''s trajectory. The strike that was falling upon him in a straight line shifted diagonally and smacked the third prince''s opening. Whack! Despite the crisis, the third prince managed to create another variation on his sword to reduce the impact to the minimum. "Huff!" Martha clenched the hilt of her sword and unleashed another technique from the Golden Lotus Sword. Her stamina, aura, and willpower had all reached their limits. It was necessary to finish the fight while she could still stand thanks to her unyielding spirit. "Kuh..." Fortunately, the third prince''s condition wasn''t normal either. He couldn''t even move his legs anymore and he was only using his upper body to swing his sword. Whaam! Deadly sparks scattered from the sh between the aura des to cover the entire arena. The third prince still managed to shoot his aura de into the Golden Lotus Sword''s opening to reduce the impact. It was a frightening amount of tenacity. "Hmm..." The third prince looked calm on the outside, but he couldn''t hide his faltering legs and arms. ''This is thest attack...'' Martha inhaled deeply and mustered all of her remaining Titan''s aura. She unleashed the White Misty Stream without leaving a single drop of aura in her energy center. Whaam! Although the precision and bnce of her technique had been reduced, the power had increased thanks to Berserk''s effect and the attack fell straight down towards the third prince''s shoulder like lightning. Creak! Blue me burst from the third prince''s eyes at that moment. Martha''s hair stood on end upon seeing his eyes. Thud! The third prince stomped the ground with his faltering legs and thrust his sword. The blue current condensed around the tip of his sword and the powerful energy bursting out as a result was far more powerful than an aura de. ''Was he waiting for this moment?!'' The third prince must''ve been waiting for the right moment to counterattack despite the huge amount of damage he''d received. The frightening sharpness emanating from his sword was on a different level from before. ''I''m still seeing the end of it!'' A paltry trick was meaningless at that point. The only thing left to do was to sh against him with all her mind and body. Rumble! The extremely powerful strike from Martha shed against the third prince''s agglomeration of sharpness. Although their swordsmanship wasn''t asplete as a Master''s, their spirits didn''t lose to them. ang! Their swords shattered like ss, unable to withstand their power. Creak! The de shards surrounded by aura des were scattered in all directions. It was a time of crisis where aimless des were scattered all over the ce, and their reactions differed. "Ugh!" The third prince stepped back in surprise, and Martha charged into the des. Thud! Even though the auras dwelling on the des were tearing her cheeks, the skin around her eyes, and her ears, she stepped forward instead of stopping. That single step. That unyielding step despite the danger of the situation decided the winner of the match. Smack! Martha''s fist, holding the hilt of her sword, violently smacked the third prince''s temple. "Kuah!" The third prince couldn''t endure the impact and was sent flying from the arena, mming into the ground. "Haaa..." Martha fell on her knees in the arena with trembling limbs. ''I-I''m dying...'' She couldn''t even move a single finger from the exhaustion. A tremendous amount of pain was assaulting her from head to toe, but she still felt happy for some reason. She couldn''t fight against the exhaustion and pain anymore andy t on the ground. She could see the clear sky above her. ''Is this the scenery that he always sees?'' Raon had always refused to withdraw in any situation and took another step forward. The fact that she''d been watching his back was the reason she charged into the de shards. ''He ended up helping me once again.'' Martha weakened her grip while smiling from the bottom of her heart for once. "This is nice." The King of Essence has never seen that smile on Beef Girl''s face. Wrath was smiling at Martha, who was grinning on the ground. ''Indeed.'' Raon chuckled while watching Martha''s trembling hands. ''She must feel refreshed.'' It was a feeling that could only be understood by those who had experienced it before. Since she overcame her disadvantage by shing with everything she had, there was no way she wouldn''t be feeling great about it. "G-Greer De Owen, out-of-bounds!" The master of ceremonies raised his hand with a trembling chin. "The winner has been decided after a bloody match! The winner of the Six Kings tournament''s Expert division is Martha Zieghart!" "Woaaah!" The spectators exploded into the cheers that they''d been holding back upon hearing that deration. "Martha! Martha! Martha!" "Martha! I always believed in you!" "I never expected that my hands would be sweating from watching a match between Experts!" "Howe such a swordsman is still nameless?! What''s wrong with Zieghart?!" "Your Highness the third prince has also done great! I''m moved to tears!" The spectators apuded for both Martha and the third prince, who had such a close match. "But she''s a little..." "Yes, sh-she''s scary." "She ran straight into the des. Is she really human...?" "Look at those cuts all over her face. It''s not something that a human being can do." However, a significant number of spectators were trembling after watching how she ran straight into the des to punch the third prince. "R-Rakshasa..." "Rakshasa? Miss Rakshasha? That''s perfect for her. It also sounds good." "The way she has her hair down literally looks like the Rakshasa!" "That''s a great nickname. Miss Rakshasa Martha!" "Miss Rakshasa! Miss Rakshasa! Miss Rakshasa!" They finally decided on Martha''s nickname. Even though she wanted to have a cool name, she was being called by a scary and creepy name¡ªMiss Rakshasa. ''She did look rather scary.'' Even Raon himself would hesitate before running straight into shattered aura des to punch an opponent. It was understandable that the spectators were afraid of her because she''d charged in there without even minding her face. "Oh no." Raon looked aside upon hearing a carefree voice like a mischievous child. Chamber was examining Martha''s face and furrowed her brow. "I don''t normally do anything unnecessary, but I dislike the idea of leaving a scar on a gem." She gently stroked Martha''s face and the scars on her face started to shine. It seemed to be a spell with a maximized regenerative ability. "You should be perfectly fine now once you apply ointment on it." "Th-thank you." "You should entertain me again next time, both of you." Chamber smiled while patting Martha''s head. She turned around and winked at Raon before returning to the tform. "Hmm..." Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Chamber''s back. ''How unexpected.'' The rtionship between Balkar and Zieghart was the worst, and Balkar''s transcender Chamber was known for her self-centered nature. That was why Raon didn''t expect her to go out of her way to treat her. "Haa." Martha sighed deeply and left the arena. She still didn''t seem to care about her face as she frowned. "Why are those guys saying Miss Rakshasa over and over? They are so noisy." "It''s because you are Miss Rakshasa." "Haa?" "It''s you." Raon pointed his finger at Martha, just like when he exined it to Burren. "They said that the way charged in like a madman with your hair hanging loose was frightening." He smiled while even adding the exnation that the spectators never said aloud. "What the fuck?!" Martha stomped the ground and went towards the spectators. "Why am I Miss Rakshasa?! Give me a cool or cute name instead of a shitty one like that!" "Ooh! She''s literally the Rakshasa!" "I''ve never seen anyone with such a perfect nickname!" "If you don''t like Miss Rakshasa, how about the Sword of Rakshasa?" "That''s even better!" "Sword of Rakshasa! Sword of Rakshasa! Sword of Rakshasa!" The spectators started shouting ''Sword of Rakshasa'' even louder as Martha got angry at them. It couldn''t be changed anymore. Her nickname was decided, and it was the Sword of Rakshasa. "You fuckers, do you have a death wish?" Martha barged toward the spectator seats in her injured state. "Martha!" "Haaa!" "Team leader!" The Light Wind members, including Burren, had to stop her before she finally calmed down. "Aah!" Raon turned his head upon hearing the exmation. The third prince who got mmed on the ground was blushing while watching Martha''s back. "She''s beautiful..." Raon closed his eyes and shook his head. ''Seriously, not a single normal person here...'' * * * After a short break to repair the arena that Martha and the third prince had destroyed, the master of ceremonies came out once again. "Thank you for waiting! We are now starting the grand finale of the Six Kings tournament, the Master division final!" "Woaaah!" The master of ceremonies raised his fist and an ear-splitting roar burst from the spectators. "Raon! Raon! Raon!" "I believe in you! Frostfire Sword of Valor!" "Raon! You are going to make history!" "de of Shattering Wave! You are the only one left! Please protect the honor of the Twelve Stars of the Continent!" The spectators violently waved their hands while shouting the name of the one they were rooting for. Even though a lot more people used to support the de of Shattering Wave, Cadis Robert, the voices calling Raon''s name became even louder. ''Let''s get started.'' Raon stood up from his chair while listening to the endless cheers. When he was about to enter the arena, Garona appeared and stood in his way. "Brother." "I already told you, I''m not your brother." "I thought I was going to be the one fighting Cadis in the finals." Garona ignored Raon and continued what he wanted to say. "Cadis is strong, to a point where even I couldn''t guarantee my victory against him. Just like a river bing an ocean, his swordsmanship bes increasingly dangerous over time. You should be careful." "Alright." Raon nodded. ''I''m perfectly aware of it.'' He knew better than anyone how fearsome and annoying Robert''s swordsmanship was. "You look as confident as when you were fighting against me." Garona patted his shoulder with hisrge hand. "I''ll be watching from right next to you and look forward to my brother standing at the peak." "I already said I''m not your brother..." "You can do it!" "I''m not your brothe¡ª" "I believe in you!" "Please!" He didn''t even listen until the end, just like thest time, and went away after saying whatever he had on his mind. He talks so damn much despite hisrge body. Wrath clicked his tongue while watching Garona as if he were pathetic. Ever since ancient times, being taciturn has always been a virtue. Countless people brought harm to themselves by running their mouths. There''s even a saying in Devildom: ''Silence is golden''... ''I see...'' The fact that the ever-talking demon king was saying such a thing was ridiculous. ''Seriously, no one is normal around me.'' Raon sighed before walking towards the arena. Martha was waiting for him in front of the stairs. "I''ve done it." She snorted with bandages covering all around her face and body. That short sentence had many meanings behind it. "It''s your turn now." "Alright." Raon smiled faintly and walked past her. There was no need for words. He just needed to show her with his actions inside the arena. Cadis Robert was already in the arena. Cold anger welled up inside Raon upon seeing his face, which looked extremely simr to Derus''. "I did mention in the banquet hall that I wanted to witness the Frostfire Sword of Valor''s martial art, but I didn''t expect it to actually happen." Cadis smiled gently and greeted him with his eyes. ''He''s sneering at me.'' When he said he didn''t expect it to happen, he must''ve meant that he believed a weakling like Raon wouldn''t be able to reach the finals. "I was lucky to encounter powerful people as opponents in every single round, which allowed me to get stronger as I reached the finals." Raon smiled smoothly and nodded. He sounded humble, but he was actually telling Cadis that he just managed to reach the finals thanks to easy matchups. "Hmm..." Cadis slightly furrowed his brow. He must''ve noticed the meaning behind it. "Regardless of the oue of this match, you will be one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent. Congrattions, swordsman Raon." "I have no intention of bing one of them." Raon shook his head firmly. "What? What do you mean...?" Cadis'' eyes widened, unsure of what he meant. "I heard that the Twelve Stars of the Continent are the star candidates who will be the transcenders of the next generation. It''s definitely a great name, but I''m not nning to stop there." Even though the Twelve Stars of the Continent was a glorious name that everyone looked up to, it wasn''t where he was nning to register. ''Because I need to reach even higher.'' Since he wanted to stand in the same position as the current transcender instead of being the next generation''s transcender, he had no intention of joining the Twelve Stars of the Continent. "How should I say it? You sound a bit arrogant." Cadis bit his lip slightly and narrowed his eyes. His face was full of irritation, like a puffed-up pufferfish. "I can''t lose to you after what you said, definitely not." He drew his sword and a huge amount of power burst from him endlessly like a clean wave on the ocean. "Since the spectators asked for it..." Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive. Lightning sparked in his red eyes in contrast to the silver de. "I''m going to make history today." Chapter 328 - 328

Chapter 328:

"Woaaah!" "Set up Zieghart''s g!" "Show me Robert''s sword!" "Frostfire Sword of Valor!" "Sword of Shattering Wave! Sword of Shattering Wave!" The entire arena was filled with the spectators'' cheers. Most of them just wanted to witness a great duel and a cool fight, but it was a matter of life and death for some of them. "I''m so nervous..." "D-don''t tell me Raon''s going to win, is he?" "Cadis has to win no matter what. I even bet the money to buy soup for my baby..." "Their reputations are on a whole different level. We should believe in the Sword of Shattering Wave." "Correct. Cadis is an advanced Master. He definitely won''t lose." "Raon''s dividend is way higher than his too! Cadis is clearly going to win!" There is a saying that you should watch the dividend of gamblers if you want to guess the oue of a match. It was true that Raon''s poprity had surpassed Cadis, but most people were still betting on Cadis. There actually weren''t that many people who went as far as betting money on Raon''s victory. "He''s so powerful despite being neen years old. Raon Zieghart is definitely an unprecedented monster. However, even monsters have limits. He''s no match for Cadis yet." "He piled up lots of injuries from his fights against Borini Kitten yesterday and Garona today. Since it must''ve drained lots of stamina, he won''t even be able to fight until the end." "I agree. On the other hand, Cadis is in his best condition because he had it rtively easy!" "He''s the fifth rank of the Twelve Stars of the Continent. He''s the most trustworthy one out there." "The majority''s bet always prevails!" The gamblers shouted Cadis''s name while clenching their gambling tickets tightly. "Cadis! Cadis! Cadis!" "de of Shattering Wave! de of Shattering Wave! de of Shattering Wave!" "You are a bunch of fools. Raon is definitely going to win." A different opinion barged into the gamblers'' desperate shouts. "Huh?" "Who said that...?" "It''s me." The gamblers turned their heads around to look at the person who called Raon''s name. An elf was grinning there with his long hair tied back roughly. "Z-Zieghart''s Sword of Light!" "He won every single bet yesterday! He even guessed that Burren and Runaan would have a draw correctly! He''s the gambling god! The real god!" "I-I heard he was a shitter in the gambling house though..." "No way, did you actually bet on Raon?" "Of course I did." Rimmer nodded and waved his gambling ticket. They couldn''t perfectly see the number, but it looked like he had bet at least 500 gold coins. "Gasp!" "D-did you really bet that much money?" "You are insane..." "But you should know better than anyone that Raon''s realm is lower than Cadis''!" The gamblers'' chins were trembling in disbelief. "Of course I do. I''m also fully aware that he''s exhausted and injured." "Then why..." "Because he''s Raon." Rimmer smiled cheerfully while watching Raon focus on Cadis. "As long as he''s in the arena, he''s never lost a single time before. And..." He''s never made me lose money. He gathered his hands and started to pray. ''I''ve always believed in you and still believe in you, my god of fortune!'' * * * The master of ceremonies swallowed nervously after looking at Raon and Cadis one after the other. Even though the match hadn''t even started yet, their pressure felt like des tearing his skin apart. "A-are you both ready?" "Yes." "I''m ready." Raon and Cadis nodded while staring at each other. "Haa..." The master of ceremonies left the arena while grasping his pounding chest. "We are now starting the final match of the Six Kings tournaments! The Master division''s final!" "Yeaaaah!" "Raon! Raon! Raon!" "Cadis! Cadis! Cadis!" People started shouting like raging thunder as soon as he pointed at the arena, but the arena itself waspletely quiet. Raon and Cadis weren''t moving an inch¡ªthey were simply ring at each other, just like before he signaled the start of the match. Just like horses that warmed their legs up to reach the highest speed, they were probing for their opponent''s opening while slowly gathering their aura. As their focus started to reach its peak, the spectators also fell silent one after the other. Eventually, the entire arena fell as silent as a library. Tap. Right before Raon and Cadis''s pressures reached their peaks, a young magician''s wooden staff fell on the ground. Whir! The small noise that echoed throughout the arena was so small that no one would''ve even cared about it any other time. However, it was precisely when a me that seemed as hot as the sun itself burst from Raon''s sword and the astral energy incorporating the ocean''s will surged from Cadis''s sword. Thud! Raon kicked the ground and examined Cadis while he advanced. He must''ve also noticed that the sound was the signal, as he was also approaching with swimming footwork. ''It must be the Shattering Wave''s Stride.'' The Shattering Wave''s Stride represented the ride on a wave, and it was an advanced footwork that allowed him to move freely even in mid-air. Cring! Cadis''s sword reached him in no time, engulfed in sharpness and softness at the same time. The swordsmanship was dominating the space with a continued flow, and It was House Robert''s famous swordsmanship, the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars. ''How nostalgic. So damn nostalgic.'' The swordsmanship that Raon couldn''t learn even though he wanted to was exclusive to Robert''s bloodline, and he felt nauseated at the sight. "Haa." Raon exhaled roughly. ''My body definitely isn''t in good condition.'' His internal injuries from severing the Fallen''s energy the day before and from the fight against Garona a moment ago both still remained, and arge amount of his aura and stamina were already drained. ''However...'' Facing Robert''s bloodline was making strength surge through his body and made his head cool down. He felt like he could achieve anything. ''That sword of yours... I''ll destroy it.'' Raon smiled coldly and swung Heavenly Drive down. The principles of the Fangs of Insanity dwelling in the silver de bared their sharp teeth. ng! The entire arena trembled from the sh between the astral energies, but Cadis didn''t waver in the slightest. He connected the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars as naturally as flowing water to thrust his sword once again. ''I''ll try this now...'' Raon lowered his chin slightly and extended his left foot. He connected the rotation of joints and muscles from the ankle to the waist and all the way to the waist to unleash the Blood Fang Strike of the Fangs of Insanity. Whap! The sharp sh targeting Cadis''s chest looked like a savage beast''s ws, d in fire. "Hmph." Cadis swirled his sword to ce it in the middle of the Blood Fang Strike. His movement was as fluid as drawing a circle with a brush. ng! Despite the Fangs of Insanity''s huge momentum, it failed to unset Cadis''s sword and posture. He connected the flow of the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars with a face that looked like he was enjoying teatime instead of having a match. "This is how it should be." Raon smiled and nodded his head. ''This is the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars that I know.'' The Azure Clouds Flow of Stars was simr to the river''s flow. It flowed and connected endlessly and eventually reached the ocean to create a huge wave. It also meant that the wave was bound to drown him to death if he failed to cut off the solid flow. It was truly a perpetual swordsmanship. ''It''s difficult to achieve through the Fangs of Insanity, just as I thought.'' Cadis was already highly versed in the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars. The Fangs of Insanity could hardly cut off his flow when a huge aura, like the vast ocean, awaited him at the end. ''However, I have a technique that can make it happen.'' The Blizzard Sword Art he''d learned from Loctar had the principles of the severing sword, which had the ability to cut off a martial art''s flow. It wasn''t impossible to cut off the huge flow that Cadis was making. "Haa..." Raon exhaled faintly and switched his posture and aura. He cleansed the ferocity on his de with the frozen wind and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He leaped through the space and reached Cadis''s left side. "It''s an obvious trick." Cadis snorted and continued the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars. It was already the fifth technique. The overflowing astral energy was all over the ce. "You will be engulfed by the waves and copse." "In that case, I should leave the ocean before the waves arrive." Raon clenched his grip and shed with the Blizzard Sword Art''s first technique, Silver Cyclone. Whoosh! The rotation starting from his oblique muscles passed through the joint to create a powerful Spiral Power. The silver wind''s advance looked like an extension of the de, and it bent diagonally to m down on Cadis''s astral energy. Smash! The resonance soundedpletely different from the previous shes. It almost sounded like it was cutting through a thick piece of paper as it severed the flow Cadis was making. "H-how is this happening?!" Raon could see Cadis''s violently trembling eyes through the gap of the severed astral energy. "It''s a mere coincidence!" However, he recovered from his shock extremely quickly, as expected of one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent. Cadis regained hisposure in no time and tried to continue the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars once again. ''I won''t let you.'' Raon used the Supreme Harmony''s Second Step. He charged like lightning and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art''s second technique, White Saint''s Whirling Stab. ng! The White Saint''s Whirling Stab was a dot marked by a saint from heaven. The falling astral energy looked like a straight brush was marking a dot as it pierced through the center of the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars. "Argh!" Cadis stepped back and created another wave of astral energy. He was trying to reconnect the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars'' flow somehow. ''It''s pointless.'' Raon exploded cier''s frost at once and twisted his sword. Cring! The ck Beast Tribe''s secret technique that he learned from Garona created a second impact andpletely stopped the flow of the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars that had just managed to resume. "This is so easy." Raon turned his wrist softly. He was literally overwhelming his opponent. "H-how...?" Cadis'' jaw dropped in disbelief. "You just need to get good." While the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars could bepared to the flowing river, the Blizzard Sword Art was a dam of wind blocking it. Swordsmanship that relied on flow to connect was bound to be countered by the severing sword. ''And I got even better than before.'' The Blizzard Sword Art managed to achieve multiple levels of progress through the matches against Matisse, Borini Kitten, and Garona. On top of the principles to sever the flow, even its power and speed had improved. That was why he managed to cut off the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars despite the fact that Cadis was at a higher realm than himself. "I heard you saying something about a wave or whatever. Don''t tell me you are already giving up?" Raon tilted his hand and bobbed his finger. "You should at least show that you aren''t all talk." "Shut up!" "His severing sword got even better!" Ogram grinned as his back parted from the chair. "He is so proficient with the severing sword, even though the people nowadays don''t even bother looking at it! I expected no less from Garona''s brother! I like him even more the more I watch him!" Even though the fight was still ongoing, he apuded for Raon. "Did kids nowadays stop learning the severing sword?" Since Chamber was a magician, she tilted her head in bewilderment. "Yes. It''s pretty rare for knights or swordsmen to acquire the severing sword." King Lecross stroked his chin and nodded. "Why?" "Because it''s difficult to learn. Cutting off the opponent''s flow obviously requires a high realm in martial arts, and they also need to have good eyes and hands. You have to invest more time, effort, and talent than other techniques. It takes far too long to get results. That''s why most warriors don''t try learning the severing sword." He licked his lips, saying that there weren''t even that many severing sword techniques around. "Even though our knights are supposed to have the best eyes among the Six Kings, there are only a few of them who have learned the severing sword. But a youngster like him is actually using it. It''s truly a frightening amount of talent and dedication. I''m jealous of the head of house at this point." "Ahem, it''s nothing special." Glenn nodded casually with his arms crossed. "Anyone can do that much." He was pretending it wasn''t a big deal as he shook his hand, but his fingers were trembling slightly. "I don''t even understand how he has such high standards. Shouldn''t he be proud of that boy no matter what?" "There was that guy." Chamber smiled while drawing a circle with her finger. "Ah, I see." Ogram slowly nodded in acknowledgement. "He wasn''t as good as that boy, but he was nothing short of a genius. I didn''t exactly like him though." He briefly clicked his tongue and turned his head. "The match is going to be over so easily at this rate." Chamber wagged her finger like a pendulum. Judging from her eyes, she wasn''t being serious, but was trying to stir up others'' reactions. "That''s not certain yet." King Lecross shook his head with his arms crossed. "The Azure Clouds Flow of Stars gets stronger over time. Even though the flow was cut off, it can still reach the ocean eventually if he keeps connecting it little by little. We should watch and see how it goes." The reason the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars became House Robert''s signature swordsmanship despite being well known by the public was because it was capable of connecting the flow even if it was countered. "And that''s not the only reason." Ogram frowned while looking at Derus. "Because the de of Shattering Wave must know more than a single technique. Am I right?" "I wonder." Derus slowly turned his head to look at Ogram. His mouth was curved into the usual smile. "I don''t really care who wins as long as they fight to the best of their abilities." He smiled gently, saying that he was fine with either oue. "You are no fun." Chamber briskly turned her head away and looked at Glenn. "Mister, who is going to win in your opinion?" "Raon is going to win." Glenn immediately voiced Raon''s name without even thinking about it. "Ohh, are you sure?" "..." He responded with his confident gaze. "Wow, mister. How have you be so much cooler since thest time I saw you?" Chamber smiled cheerfully and stuck right next to Glenn. "..." Derus watched Glenn for a while before turning his head. A cold smile appeared on his face. * * * Whaam! After the flow of the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars waspletely destroyed, Cadis was pushed back to the edge of the arena. "Wh-what...?" Cadis''s hand was shivering as he lowered his sword. He looked even more surprised than the first time. He must''ve realized that Raon didn''t cut off his flow by sheer luck. "What have you done? What did you do just now?" He screamed for the first time. He looked like he couldn''t understand how it was happening at all. "You''ve finally revealed your true nature." "What?" "You were pretending to respect me while sneering at me with your eyes. That was really disgusting." "You arrogant..." Cadis violently ground his teeth and raised his sword. His sword was pointing at Raon''s heart. ''He''s so easy.'' Unlike Derus, who maintained hisposure in all situations, it was extremely easy to shatter Cadis''s mask. ''However, I can''t let it end like this. I''m nning to learn even more from you.'' There was no way the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars was the only technique Derus taught Cadis. Raon wanted to experience an even better swordsmanship in preparation for the future. "Do you truly believe you''ve defeated the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars just because you managed to stop it a few times?!" Ferocious pressure emerged from Cadis''s serious eyes. "But I did." Raon shrugged his shoulders. "The Azure Clouds Flow of Stars is ate bloomer. The match is only getting started!" "It was a piece of advice on my part though. It''s so sad that you aren''t even listening." "I told you to shut your mouth!" "No, you told me to shut up." "You bastard!" Cadis red violently and swung his sword. His swordsmanship created an even more detailed flow despite his anger, engulfing the space. His personality was regrettable, but Raon had to acknowledge his skills at least. Whoosh! The river reached the ocean in no time and created a huge flow. The wave of astral energy was covering the entirend. It was the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars'' special technique, Azure Clouds White Wave. ''It''s so powerful.'' The wave of astral energy devouring the space as it approached was so powerful that it was difficult to evade or block it. ''It''s not going to work though.'' Because he just needed to shatter it if he couldn''t block or evade. Thud! Raon stomped the ground and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art''s special technique, Silent Wind of the Silvery Ocean. The silver storm that even managed to annihte the Fallen''s light and darkness shed against the wave of astral energy soaring to the sky. Whaam! The Azure Clouds White Wave''s aura was superior in terms of density and quantity, but the Silent Wind of the Silvery Ocean was the one that gradually prevailed. The principles of the severing sword dwelling in the storm devoured the wave of astral energy to expand in size. "Oh, no..." "This is as far as you go." "Bullshit!" When Raon''s Silent Wind of the Silvery Ocean was about to engulf Cadis after swallowing the Azure Clouds White Wave, a powerful light radiated from his sword. Whaam! A powerful shockwave devastated the arena, and the Silent Wind of the Silvery Ocean melted downpletely. Whir! The majestic blue light surging from Cadis''s sword waspletely different from before. ''The Starlight Sword Art!'' The Starlight Sword Art was an extremely high-level martial art that only the best from House Robert could learn. The will of light and stars dwelled in the swordsmanship, and it was one of Derus''s weapons. ''Thank you.'' Raon licked his lips as if he were hungry and fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive. ''Thank you for the meal.'' Can''t you eat real meals so happily? Wrath suddenly interfered despite being silent so far. ''Please stop!'' Chapter 329 - 329

Chapter 329:

Raon pulled his lower jaw back while carefully watching the majestic blue light emerging from Cadis''s sword. ''Who knew I would get to witness that technique like this?'' Derus was the creator of the Starlight Sword Art. Even though he didn''t show it to many people, it still became known as one of his signature moves, the Saint''s Famous Special Techniques, because well-known viins lost their lives whenever he used it. He had likely created other swordsmanship or learned them since it had been twenty years since then, but it was still true that the Starlight Sword Art was one of Derus''s most used techniques. Understanding the principles behind it would allow him to take another step towards his revenge. ''Moreover... If I manage to destroy Cadis while he uses the Starlight Sword Art, Derus''s pride will be destroyed at the same time.'' Raon''s heart was pounding in anticipation of Derus''s false smile while he hid his extreme irritation. "I didn''t expect to use this swordsmanship against a weakling like you." Cadis bit his lip tightly while holding his sword around waist-level. "However, the oue of this match is obvious now that I decided to use the Starlight Sword Art. You should''ve put an end to it before it happened." "You just said that the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars was only getting started. Are you really switching to another technique?" Raon snickered at Cadis. "Don''t you think you are being unsightly?" "I don''t mind being unsightly." Despite what he said, his eyes were brimming with wrath. "Because it''s better than losing." "I guess that''s true. Winning is all that matters in the end." "You bastard..." Raon nodded in agreement, and Cadis''s pressure intensified. He almost looked like he could kill people with his eyes. ''He is so easy to provoke.'' Even though Cadis sneered at him from the first encounter, he was unable to hide his emotions. It was probably because he was raised in a sheltered environment. ''No, I guess it should be expected.'' Cadis was one of the biggest geniuses who was born with an excellent talent from an excellent house. He must''ve been the protagonist wherever he went, and it wasn''t exactly strange that simple mockery was enough to provoke him. Simple mockery? That was nasty mockery right there! Wrath sighed deeply. Your tongues are way too excessive. Even the King of Essence is angry even though he''s just watching. He ground his teeth, saying that even he got angry. Whir! The light bursting from Cadis''s sword intensified. He made his move once the astral energy turned into an ocean blue. Whaap! He closed the distance in an instant and shed down the blue astral energy diagonally. The flow was majestic and swift. It was simr to the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars, but superior in every way. Cring! Raon controlled cier to the best of his ability and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art''s Silver Cyclone. The rotating wind de pierced into the Starlight Sword Art''s blue light. Whaam! The powerful rebound caused a wrist-splitting pain. Raon forcefully clenched his trembling hand and raised his head. Whir! Cadis''s flow of the Starlight Sword Art was still connected despite the severing sword''s attempt to cut it off. ''So it''s different from the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars.'' Unlike the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars, which was defeated by the Silver Cyclone, the Starlight Sword''s light remained. It was proof of its iparable superiority. ''He almost looks like a different person now. This is so fun.'' Raon was finally starting to feel the tension. The real match was getting started. "See?" Cadis raised his sword with a cold smile on his face. He seemed to believe he had the upper hand. "You will never manage to sever this technique!" "We won''t know until I try." "You arrogant bastard." Cadis frowned and charged at him. He wasn''t hesitating anymore because he managed to determine that the Blizzard Sword Art was incapable of cutting off the Starlight Sword Art''s flow. Whoosh! He closed the distance in an instant through the Shattering Wave Stride and shed down with the Starlight Sword Art''s technique. Thud! Raon resonated the Ring of Fire to the maximum. He advanced along with the throbbing sound of his heart. ''I''ll be pushed into a corner if I withdraw now.'' The Starlight Sword Art specialized in dominating the space¡ªjust like the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars. He definitely couldn''t withdraw since doing that would only make it stronger. Cring! Raon lowered his center of gravity and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art''s Silent Breeze. The weak yet rapid wind was dwelling in his de as it smacked the center of the Starlight Sword Art. ng! Even though it was a preemptive strike, it felt like the muscles in his shoulder were getting torn apart. ''Argh.'' It was painful, but he gritted his teeth to endure the pain and consecutively shed down with the Blizzard Sword Art. Bone-numbing pain filled his brain each time the swords shed. Whir! However, the pain wasn''t the problem. Even though he was unleashing the Blizzard Sword Art to the best of his ability, he couldn''t interrupt the Starlight Sword Art''s flow. Instead, its influence kept expanding and started to dominate the entire arena. ''I still have to continue.'' Raon breathed roughly and extended his left foot. With cier''s maximum output, he used the Blizzard Sword Art''s special technique, the Deadly Wind of Extinguishment. Whaam! The astral energy of extreme coldness rained down like a meteor shower, but the Starlight Sword Art''s radiance didn''t fade away. Even though it was distorted, it still kept flowing endlessly and increased in intensity. m! Raon was unable to block the upright strikeing from the Starlight Sword Art, getting pushed back to the edge of the arena. "Kuh!" The nausea became even worse. The internal injury he had received from Garona had clearly opened up. "Haa..." Raon wiped away the blood flowing from his mouth and straightened his spine. ''What''s the difference?'' The Azure Clouds Flow of Stars and the Starlight Sword Art shared the same core. They both revolved around the idea of connecting the flow to get stronger over time. The Azure Clouds Flow of Stars took after water and the Starlight Sword Art took after stars and light, but that wasn''t enough to exin the difference between them. ''I need to figure out the difference.'' He shook his head to dispel the pain and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He moved behind his opponent and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The de was d in a powerful heat as it fell down upon Cadis''s head. "It''s pointless." Cadis turned his ankle and nimbly shed upwards. The dazzling light soared alongside the de''s trajectory. Whaam! The me beast that used to dominate thend melted down inside the blue light. "It''s pointless even if you switch your swordsmanship." Cadis rolled his lips into a smile while pointing his sword at Raon''s throat. "Because the match has already been decided." He provoked him in return with an arrogant gaze in his eyes. "Did you know that?" "Know what?" "Everyone who said that to me in the past had been mmed into the ground¡ªwithout exception." Raon jumped into the Starlight Sword Art''s blue radiance with his eyes sparking crimson. "Th-the Starlight Sword Art!" "Is he really using the Starlight Sword Art of the Sky Sword Saint?!" "He''s been hiding that secret weapon all along!" "As expected of the de of Shattering Wave! He''s on a whole different level!" The gamblers let out triumphant cries as Cadis overwhelmed Raon. "This is why the favorite always prevails!" "de of Shattering Wind! de of Shattering Wind! de of Shattering Wind!" "I''m finally winning!" "Rena! Dad will bring some delicious food home!" They were grasping their gambling tickets and rejoicing as if the match was already over. "Sir Rimmer, you must be so anxious right now." "It wasn''t even a small amount. You are gonna be so sad if you lose all that money!" "Stop making fun of him. He won''t be able to sleep tonight even if you don''t." "It''s already over. Let''s get our money!" "Over?" Rimmer''s expression didn''t change even though the gamblers wereughing and making fun of him. His eyes were even moreposed when he turned his head. "Which part about this says that it''s over to you?" He shrugged his shoulders, brushing it off as nonsense. "The Frostfire Sword of Valor''s fire and ice are both ineffective. It''s pretty much over, isn''t it?" "That''s right. He managed to defeat Matisse, Borini Kitten, and even Garona with those techniques, yet they are provingpletely ineffective." The gamblers shook their heads, saying that the match was already over. "You guys are so ignorant." Rimmer snickered and raised his finger. "Does his face really look like he''s driven into a corner right now?" His long finger was pointing at Raon''s face. Even though Raon was knocked back by the Starlight Sword Art, his eyes were sparkling as if he were entranced. He looked exactly like a kid who had found a treasure. "Huh...?" "Why is he smiling right now?" "I-is he a pervert?" "What the hell is wrong with that boy...?" The gamblers swallowed nervously upon noticing that Raon was smiling even though blood was gushing from his mouth. "My student is a madd who smiles in a crisis." Rimmer swept his hair up. His eyes were brimming with confidence as he watched Raon with a smile. "He definitely won''t lose if he''s wearing that expression." * * * The gamblers weren''t the only ones discussing the oue of the match. "He''s even using the Starlight Sword Art. The de of Shattering Wave must be determined to win." King Lecross smiled while watching the majestic light radiating from Cadis''s sword. "It''s getting even more interesting." Ogram also nodded in satisfaction. "My hands are itching." His fingers were fidgeting because he also wanted to fight. "Please sit still, you muscle idiot." Chamber shook her hand at Ogram and floated in the air. "Cadis has the upper hand now. I really can''t tell who''s going to win." She blushed while murmuring, ''How interesting''. "Indeed." Derus Robert nodded with a serious look in his eyes. "The Frostfire Sword of Valor''s eyes haven''t yielded yet. It''s too early to tell the oue." Even though he saw that Cadis had the upper hand, he didn''t jump to conclusions. "Mister, what do you think now?" Chamber asked the same question to Glenn. "The same as before." Glenn responded without even looking at Chamber. "Raon is going to win." "It must be love." Chamber chuckled and withdrew. Derus watched Glenn for a while before turning his head to look at Cadis. [Cadis.] He used his will instead of an aura message to prevent others from hearing him as he transmitted his intentions. Cadis lowered his eyes. He seemed to be apologizing for using the Starlight Sword Art. [It''s fine. Destroying him takes priority.] Derus continued gently. [Agitate him and cut off his right arm.] He gave the order, and Cadis gave him a small nod. Derus smiled while looking down at Raon with cold eyes. ''I won''t miss this opportunity to see Glenn''s reaction.'' * * * Spit. Raon spat out the ck blood welling up in his mouth. His internal injury intensified, and the dead blood came up because he continuously shed against the Starlight Sword Art that was filled with astral energy more powerful than his own. ''I still don''t understand.'' He tried using both the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art, but he didn''t manage to determine the Starlight Sword Art''s weakness or cut off its flow. The technique looked pretty much perfect from what he was looking at. ''But a perfect technique doesn''t exist in the world.'' It might have been a different story if his opponent was Derus Robert, but there was no way that Cadis''s swordsmanship was perfect. There was definitely an opening somewhere that he could take advantage of. "You ran your mouth so hard, yet look at how you ended up." Cadis raised his chin and looked down on him arrogantly. "We are in a different league. You won''t be able to break through the Starlight Sword Art." He rolled his mouth into a smile to provoke Raon as he pointed his sword at him. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the magnificent light radiating from Cadis''s sword. ''It can''t be helped. I have to destroy it with sheer power.'' He rxed his shoulders and slowly caught his breath. He fixed his grip on his sword, while controlling cier to the maximum output. Whoosh! Cadis kicked the ground. He pierced into his space like an orca riding the wave and shed. The de brimming with the Starlight Sword Art''s principles engulfed the space. ''Murderous intent?'' Raon noticed the murderous intent his sword was hiding. It was so inconspicuous that he was the only one who would have noticed since he used to be an assassin and was facing him at the moment. ''Is he targeting my arm?'' It looked like he was nning to cut off his arm at the shoulder after taunting him. ''Derus must''ve ordered it.'' Cadis''s sudden change was enough for him to understand the situation. ''I won''t let you get me.'' Raon snorted and shed Heavenly Drive in a straight line through the arena. The blue de, d in extreme speed, shed against the Starlight Sword Art. Crash! The strike was unable to cut through the Starlight Sword Art''s radiance, but it wasn''t over yet. Cring! The ice thorn dashed through the de''s trajectory and pierced into the light. Creak! The Starlight Sword Art''s flow wavered significantly from the powerful coldness, but he still didn''t manage to cut it off. ''Even Frost Pond didn''t work.'' Even the two shes of Frost Pond were unable to sever it. The Starlight Sword Art''s flow was so huge that it almost looked like the real ocean. "Is that all you have?" Cadis was already confident in his victory. He was making preparations to cut Raon''s arm off with his brimming confidence. ''This is an opportunity for me.'' Since he was so focused on the result, it was the perfect time to figure out the Starlight Sword Art''s secret. m! Raon stomped the ground and pulled Heavenly Drive behind his shoulder. The extreme heat burst out in an instant. He was using the me Dragon Art, which was the strongest in terms of power alone. Whap! The me dragon descended upon the deadly de and roared, aiming towards the Starlight Sword Art''s light. "It won''t be enough to break through." Cadis brought the Starlight Sword Art''s flow that was already covering the entire arena to create a wall of astral energy in the me Dragon Art''s path. Rumble! The Starlight Sword Art''s flow still continued despite the explosive sh against the astral energy of fire. The radiance intensified instead and unleashed a majestic ocean of stars. It looked like the entire arena was surrounded by the Starlight Sword Art''s radiance. Raon clenched his fist as he observed that dazzling light. ''Finally...'' He managed to figure out the secret behind the Starlight Sword Art thanks to Frost Pond and the me Dragon Art''s powerful attacks. ''It was theyout of the line.'' He didn''t manage to cut off the Starlight Sword Art''s flow because it used a peculiar method. It consisted ofying out the astral energy in advance in the location of the opponent''s attack. Since it took over the space in advance, it was obviously pretty much impossible to break through the flow. ''It was such a simple method.'' It was difficult to figure it out precisely because it was simple, and it also made it difficult to break through. It was a perfect method to go along with a swordsmanship that dominated the space. "Haa..." Raon exhaled deeply. ''It almost feels like I''m in icy water.'' Even though his nausea intensified, and his hands and feet were trembling because of his internal injuries, a cold exhration washed through his mind. The harmony between the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art. He felt like he finally found thest piece of the puzzle to achieve that. Whir! The Ring of Fire elerated to the point that it set itself on fire and carved countless lines of swordsmanship in his mind. His vision was brimming with endless trajectories. "The ocean of stars is finallyplete thanks to you." Cadis smiled while pointing at the Starlight Sword Art''s radiance that was engulfing the entire arena. The whole space belonged to him. It was impossible for anyone to escape. "This is yourst chance to forfeit." He licked his lips with his tongue. The deadliness of his murderous intent could only be felt by Raon. Even though he was telling him to forfeit, he was actually provoking him. "Forfeit? Was there such a word in the dictionary?" Raon smiled coldly and raised his head. "I knew you would say that." Cadis nodded in satisfaction. "Come at me! Show me everything you got!" He bobbed his hand, telling him to bring it on with all he got as if he had suddenly be broadminded. However, it was a trap. He was ready to counterattack and cut his arm off the moment Raon attacked. ''I know that fact, yet... I still have to do it.'' It was necessary to take a step forward in order toplete the swordsmanship that was making a mess in his head. Just like Martha, who jumped into the shattered des without hesitation, it was his turn to advance. Thud! Raon unleashed all of the remaining power of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and thrust his sword. He gathered the rotation of his muscles and joints from his ankles to connect them all the way to his wrist, adding it to the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s fire. Whap! A violently rotating shiny sphere appeared at the Heavenly Drive''s tip. It was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s Revolving Sky, which had turned into a special technique. The Revolving Sky condensed itself through the violent rotation and a tremendous amount of heat emerged once it exploded. "It''s a nice strike." Cadis smiled coldly and rotated the Starlight Sword Art. The ocean of stars covering the entire area removed the Revolving Sky''s energy in an instant and approached Raon instead. It was a counterattack. The special technique of the Starlight Sword Art had the principles of counterattack, just like the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars. His entire vision was filled with the majestic blue lighting from the Starlight Sword Art. Even though the starlight he was facing should''ve been something to despair over, his brain didn''t stop functioning. The Fangs of Insanity that managed to defeat Matisse, the Blizzard Sword Art that managed to cut off Borini Kitten''s flow, the true rotation and the second strike he learned through the fight against Garona, and Cadis''s Starlight Sword Art that consists ofying out astral energy in advance. All of those experiences erased all the trajectories filling his head and started to draw a single line. Creak! Cadis''s strike had reached his right shoulder. His skin was getting cut apart, and when the blood was about to gush out, the line that was extending as slowly as a baby''s hand reached its destination. Spark! Luminance filled his brain alongside that line. Raon weakened his grip and shed Heavenly Drive alongside the line glimmering in his mind. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy Fifth Form White Shadow sh. A white shadow appeared on his deadly de. The de flowed alongside the white shadow and erased the ocean of starlight. The flows, astral energy, and even the breaths were nullified without leaving anything behind. Chapter 330 - 330

Chapter 330:

King Lecross widened his eyes upon seeing that not the smallest energy remained in the arena. "Wh-what was that technique just now...?" He was wondering whether he should stop the match or not because Cadis''s sh had murderous intent, and that was when Raon''s swordsmanship suddenly changed. A strange white aura appeared and erased all of the flows of the Starlight Sword Art in the arena. He was aware that Zieghart had many peculiar techniques, but it waspletely unexpected that such a martial art even existed. "He didn''t defeat it through sheer power¡ªhepletely erased the astral energy itself. It almost looked like ocean water erasing doodles on the beach." Chamber leaned forward while floating in the air. Her eyes were also widened in surprise. "Has he been hiding such a secret technique all along?" "That''s not the case." Ogram shook his head while watching Raon. "It''s a new martial art he justpleted right here and right now after watching the Starlight Sword Art." He swallowed harshly and narrowed his eyes. "I knew he was an amazing boy, but he even has the qualities of a founder..." An excellent talent for martial arts and a talent for creating a martial art werepletely different. If one out of ten thousand people had the former talent, one out of a hundred thousand had thetter. That was how special it was. "Aah, this is great. So great." Chamber was blushing. Her eyes were a shining blue, just like a cat that had found its prey, as she licked her lips. "He''s literally a beautiful diamond in the rough. I''d like to polish him." "I agree with you for once." Ogram gave her a big nod. "I''m curious about what would happen if I taught him the alliance''s martial art." His eyes were brimming with interest as he watched Raon. "Hey, geezer. How did you even raise him?" Ogram exhaled briefly and turned his head towards Glenn. "Just how... G-geezer?" It was difficult to describe the look on Glenn''s face. He looked extremely happy, but seemed to be trying to suppress it to the best of his ability. Fake smiles usually resulted in a smiling mouth with immobile eyes, but it was the exact opposite in Glenn''s case. His eyes were curved into a crescent shape, but his mouth was forcefully curved downward. That was why his face looked so strange as a result. ''Huh? Is he even breathing right now?'' His face was gradually bing pale. He must''ve forgotten to breathe. "Geezer! Come back to your senses!" "Huff..." Glenn finally started blinking and exhaled after Ogram stood up and waved at him. "What are you even doing right now...?" "Ahem, nothing happened." Glenn cleared his throat and quickly shook his hand. His face returned to his usual empty expression in the blink of an eye. "With what happened just now, is Raon going to win after all?" Chamber grinned at Derus. "No." Derus simply shook his head. "Cadis hasn''t given up yet." He turned his eyes to look at Glenn and the other leaders of the Six Kings and smiled faintly. "A duel like this is extremely helpful for the children''s growth. I think it''s better to leave them, even if it gets a bit violent." "Of course we should!" "I''m having fun! Fine by me!" Ogram nodded as if it wasn''t even a question, and Chamber also raised her finger to draw a circle. "Haa, alright." King Lecross seemed a bit worried, but briefly sighed since it couldn''t be helped. "Yes, you can''t stop them." Glenn slowly nodded. The trembling in his lips had stopped, and a confident smile had reced it. "Because his technique is still iplete." * * * Raon clenched his left fist. ''It''s gone.'' Cadis''s astral energy, which had seemed like it could cover the entire world, was erased like bubbles in the water. Not even the smallest trace of mana remained, as if it didn''t exist to begin with. ''So that line was...'' The single line that managed to erase the countless trajectories filling his head wasn''t an ordinary path. It was a swordsmanship with the power of void, capable of erasing an opponent''s aura, principles, flow, and even breathing. It could erase everything from the opponent in an instant. ''How did such a technique evene to be...?'' He just wanted to mix the Fangs of Insanity''s ability to create an opening and the Blizzard Sword Art''s ability to cut off a martial art''s flow, yet the result was way too advanced¡ªfar exceeding his expectations. He couldn''t evenugh because of how ridiculous it was. ''The most important part is the fact that it''s not evenplete yet.'' He had to stop midway because the strength left his body, but erasing his opponent''s attack wasn''t the finishing line of the White Shadow sh. It was a counterattack. Just like the special technique of the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars and the Starlight Sword Art, the true nature of the White Shadow sh was to perform a counterattack after erasing all of the opponent''s power. ''But it has a huge rebound.'' His brain felt like it was burning the moment he used the White Shadow sh, and he was still feeling dizzy to the point that he felt like he could faint at any moment if he didn''t focus. The aura consumption was also unprecedented, and it was definitely not a technique he could use casually. ''Even so... I need to do it one more time.'' He couldn''t even begin to guess how long it would take him toplete the White Shadow sh if he didn''t do it while his focus and senses were at their peaks. It was extremely painful, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation waspletely exhausted, and cier wasn''t in a good condition either... but it was still necessary to draw out the true form of the White Shadow sh in his current state. ''I also need to take revenge.'' He looked at his shoulder. The sword had deeplycerated his flesh. Even a 0.01 second of dy would''ve been enough to remove his arm. Since he couldn''t let it end after all Cadis did to him, he was definitely going to pay it back. "Haa..." Raon suppressed his nausea and raised his head. Cadis''s hand was trembling in panic, and Raon tilted his head while looking at him. "You should forfeit. Your sword isn''t going to work against me." It was his turn toy a trap. * * * Cadis scratched his temple violently with his nails. ''What''s going on? What happened just now...?'' He was nning to cut off Raon''s arm by using the Starlight Sword Art''s special technique, Azure Light''s Overflow, the moment Raon performed his technique with a powerful heat. ''No, I definitely reached him.'' Blood was still gushing from Raon''s shoulder. It was proof that his sword had reached him. ''And yet...Why did everything disappear?'' His astral energy was filling the entire arena and undting like an ocean, and itpletely disappeared alongside the principles of slow sword inside it and the breathing that caused those principles. ''It was the Starlight Sword Art! It wasn''t the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars but the Starlight Sword Art that I learned from my father!'' Unlike the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars that was well known to the public, the Starlight Sword Art still remained a secret. It was an extremely high level swordsmanship that couldn''t possibly disappear so easily. Gulp. Cadis swallowed nervously and looked at Raon. His sword waspletely empty without the slightest trace of any energy. "What have you done this time?" "I removed it." Raon''s casual voice sounded like he was stating the obvious. "I simply removed it." His eyes were also clear and straight. Even the sarcasm behind his pretense of respect had disappeared. He looked like he was done ying around. "You should forfeit. You have lost, Cadis Robert." Raon shook his hand as if the match were already over. "Bullshit!" Cadis violently ground his teeth. "There''s no way someone like you can defeat the Starlight Sword Art!" He screamed and unleashed all of the aura that he''d been hiding to challenge the higher ranks of the Twelve Stars of the Continent. Whaam! The entire arena trembled from Cadis''s tremendous power, and the shattered pieces floated in the air. ''I must not lose here!'' It would''ve been a different story if he only used the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars during the match, but losing after using the Starlight Sword Art would bring humiliation to the house. He had to risk his life if it meant he could win. "Kuh!" Cadis shouted in anger and unleashed the Starlight Sword Art. The blue starlight started to waver alongside the sword''s trajectory. ''Is he not nning to move?'' Instead of dodging or blocking like before, Raon remained immobile. He was simply standing at the center of the arena with his eyes closed. Hisposure made Cadis even angrier. ''I need to keep my temper.'' Raon was clearly trying to make him yield to his wrath. It was necessary to destroy his technique while holding tightly on to his cold head. ''I''ll make you unable to use your right arm for the rest of your life.'' He decided to cut his tendons and mana circuitspletely so that even healers and priests wouldn''t be able topletely heal him. He unleashed the Starlight Sword Art to the best of his abilities. Swaa! Thebination between the highest degree of the Starlight Sword Art and the Shattering Cloud''s Stride turned the small light reflected on the de into a blue ocean of starlight in no time, covering the entire arena. Whir! That state was called the Azure Silver, and it signaled that the preparations for the Starlight Sword Art''s special technique were done. [Cadis.] When he was about to create the flow of a special technique by raising his sword, Derus''s will was transmitted to him. [Use the Brilliance of a Thousand Stars.] ''The Brilliance of a Thousand Stars?'' The Brilliance of a Thousand Stars was the finishing move of the Starlight Sword Art. It wasn''t excessive to say that the entirety of the Starlight Sword Art dwelled in that special technique. [It''s fine even if the technique gets revealed. Instead, you should make sure to cut him off. Make sure that he won''t be able to reach even higher.] He was telling him to cut his arm off in a way he wouldn''t be able to recover from. He was d that his father was thinking the same thing. Cadis nodded slightly to show his acknowledgment and tightened his grip on his sword. Rumble! He swirled his sword before pointing it at Raon. Majestic starlight spread above the de and the Azure Silver overflowed from the arena and expanded,rge enough to reach the spectators'' seats. "I''ll finish you off!" Cadis took a step forward, and when he was about to unleash the Starlight Sword Art''s special technique, Raon made his move. He looked like he was panicking because he didn''t expect such a huge amount of energy. Cring! Flower petals made of ice bloomed one after the other on top of his de. The frozen shards, d in astral energy, started to spread towards the ocean of starlight. ''What an excellent technique. I must thank you for it.'' The Starlight Sword Art''s true nature resided in its counterattack. It was the perfect situation to cut off his arm at the shoulder, as the return became even more powerful the stronger the opponent''s strike was. Rumble! Cadis waited until Raon''s ice flowers began to cover the entire arena before he swung his sword. The ocean of starlight covering the arena started to move alongside the de''s trajectory. Swaa! The astral energy''s ocean of light devoured the ice flower''s storm in an instant and expanded evenrger. ''Do it now!'' Cadis shed in a cross. The ocean of stars, glimmering like a gxy, spread in all directions to dominate the entire arena. It was the Starlight Sword Art''s special technique Azure Light''s Overflow, which he had used a moment ago. Whir! The tremendous power of the Azure Light''s Overflow moved ording to the de and fell upon Raon''s shoulder. Pssh! Right before the de reached Raon''s shoulder, a white shadow appeared on his de even though it should''ve been impossible. ''This is the one.'' That strange energy must''ve been the martial art that removed the Azure Light''s Overflow during the previous sh. ''It won''t work a second time!'' Cadis stomped the ground and twisted the sword''s trajectory. The smooth flow of the sword briskly bent to create a majestic light. Whir! The ocean of stars filling the surrounding area concentrated on the de to create a tremendous wave. It was the ultimate technique of the Starlight Sword Art, the Brilliance of a Thousand Stars. ''You won''t be able to stop this.'' It wasn''t a simple astral energy anymore, as it grew even stronger from devouring the space itself. No matter how amazing Raon''s technique was, it was simply too powerful to be removed. Rumble! A tremendous power that a human being couldn''t possibly withstand was about topletely annihte Raon''s shoulder, and that was when he thrust his sword, carrying a white shadow. ''It''s pointle¡ªAh!'' It wasn''t fast, nor slow, nor light, nor heavy. The sword was approaching him as if it were a simple phenomenon. Whap! The moment he faced that strange sword, the Brilliance of a Thousand Stars came to a halt despite the concentration of all the energy dwelling in it. The ocean of starlight was torn apart, the astral energy melted down, and the sword''s principles were erased. Nothing could survive the white shadow of the void. It looked so surreal, and it almost felt like a dream. Pssh! With a violent cutting sound, blood started gushing from his right shoulder. He turned his head, and his arm was already on the ground and red blood was gushing from his shoulder like a fountain. "Ah..." He returned to reality from the dream. Extreme pain was welling up from his severed arm. "Arrrrrrgh!" Cadis screamed while grasping his shoulder. The time that had oncee to a halt started to flow once again alongside his shout. "Haa..." Raon exhaled. He sounded like he was about to die. ''I''vepleted it. I''vepleted the true White Shadow sh.'' He understood the truth behind the technique from using the White Shadow sh a second time. The White Shadow sh didn''t simply consist of erasing the opponent''s technique, but also performed an unavoidable attack to the area that the opponent was targeting. The martial art''s true nature was the counterattack. ''That''s why...'' He raised his head to look in front of him. "Uwaaah!" Cadis was screaming like a monster while holding his bloody shoulder tightly. ''His arm got cut off.'' It was because Cadis was targeting his right arm that the White Shadow sh counterattacked by cutting off his right arm. The technique really hated to lose, since it returned the exact thing Cadis was trying to do. ''It serves you right.'' Honestly speaking, Raon was capable of stopping it midway. However, he purposefully didn''t do it. Eye for an eye, blood for blood. Cutting off his arm waspletely intentional. ''Moreover...'' He even focused his coldness on causing devastating damage to his tendons and mana circuits. Cadis''s right arm wouldn''t function like before even if he managed to reattach it. ''You brought it upon yourself.'' Since Cadis was also trying to leave him disabled instead of simply cutting off his arm, Raon didn''t feel the slightest pity for him. ''I guess it''s time to act now.'' Raon exhaled roughly and fell to his knees. He went towards Cadis and grabbed his shoulder. "S-Sir Cadis!" He made his eyes waver and his chin tremble. "I''m sorry! I couldn''t control my strength during the counterattack because I was too exhausted!" He bit his lip while putting it in a way that suggested that he didn''t do it on purpose¡ªthat he only did it because Cadis was the first one to show his murderous intent. "Ugh..." Because of the mental shock and physical pain of his severed arm, Cadis had a seizure and fainted, his eyes rolling back. "H-healer!" "Ah!" "Move!" Raon called for the healer, and the healers who were staring nkly at them ran into the arena. "W-we need to quickly treat hi¡ªKuah!" Raon passed Cadis to the healers and coughed up blood. It mixed into the blood that fell from Cadis''s arm and the floor turnedpletely red. "S-Sir Raon also needs to go with us! You have severe internal injuries!" One of the healers tried to grab his shoulder. "No, p-please take Sir Cadis first. It''s an emergency." Raon turned his face pale by using the small amount of aura remaining in him and gave him Cadis''s severed arm. "Please reattach it no matter what!" "But Sir Raon isn''t looking good either..." "Please!" "U-understood!" Raon bowed at him, and the healer nodded while biting his lip before standing up. ''He looks impressed.'' The healer looked deeply impressed by the way Raon was worrying about Cadis even though he was also severely injured. "Ooooh!" "He''s worrying about his opponent despite his state..." "He is the true warrior! He has a knight''s spirit!" "Raon Zieghart! You are so cool!" "I''m so impressed!" The spectators were surprised when the arm got cut off, but they grew deeply impressed by Raon''s sacrifice and started to cheer for him instead. Huh, you really are a demon. Wrath''s entire body was shivering violently, like cotton candy fluttering in the wind. How can you call yourself a human when you spout such lies? He bit his lip tightly while watching the spectators who were waving their hands. ''It''s because I can''t leave yet.'' Raon grabbed hiscerated shoulder. He used the pain toe back to his senses and raised his head to look at the tform. Ogram and King Lecross were giving him a loud round of apuse while nodding their heads, and Chamber was licking her lips while staring at him with some kind of desire in her eyes. And Glenn... ''What does that face even mean?'' He wasn''t sure if it was alright to describe him in such a manner, but he looked like a puppy that was being trained and was ordered to ''wait'' with food right in front of it. He looked like he was trying his best to suppress something. ''Is he unwell?'' Raon figured that might be the case and looked at thest person. The others were just an appetizer before looking at him. Derus Robert. His smile waspletely gone from his face, and he was as expressionless as a doll for the first time. He wasn''t worried about his son. His mask was cracked because he was so angry that his n went awry. It didn''t look like a big deal, but Raon could tell. Derus was gritting his teeth in order to suppress his boiling anger. ''This is what I wanted. I wanted to see that face from him all along.'' His heart pounded violently. It was so loud that he was getting worried that other people might hear it. He was getting excited. Derus''s angry face was the biggest reward for him, even better than the reputation, elixir, or weaponry that he would get during the award ceremony. ''It''s too early to be surprised.'' Raon clenched his back teeth and narrowed his eyes. ''Because I''m only getting started. I''ll take away everything you possess.'' Chapter 331 - 331

Chapter 331:

The master of ceremonies had been looking for an opportunity and finally entered the arena, bowing to the spectators. "The Six Kings tournament has finally ended." He cleared his throat to fix his hoarse voice and pointed at the sky with his finger. "The warrior who reached the peak of the Master division after bloody battles is the youngest participant of the tournament, Raon Zieghart! The Frostfire Sword of Valor, Raon Zieghart is the winnerrrr!" The master of ceremonies shouted his head off, and the entire arena was filled with excitement. "Woaaah!" "Raon! Raon! Raon!" "He managed to destroy all of the Twelve Stars of the Continent..." "You shouldn''t forget about Matisse and Garona." "I just remembered he was the youngest. He''s just a twenty-year-old boy, yet he managed to defeat all of the famous masters!" "This is really absurd. I''ll never be able to forget about it for the rest of my life." The spectators shouted Raon''s name so loudly that they almost sounded like they were screeching. "By the way, the Expert division''s winner was also from Zieghart. It''s the Sword of Rakshasha, Martha Zieghart!" "All of the rising stars are from Zieghart." "That''s true. They have the de of Tempest and the Azure Lunar de." "Does Zieghart have every single talented person in the world?" "I thought the Destructive King of the North was the only notable person there, but it wasn''t the case. The youngsters there are even more solid!" The spectators weren''t only cheering for Raon, but also for Martha, Runaan, and Burren who showed a great performance during the tournament. Raon looked around the spectator seats while listening to the grand cheers. ''They''ve changed.'' None of them were cheering for Zieghart the first time he arrived. Princess Jayna and Prince Greer were the favorites in the Expert division, and Borini Kitten, Garona, and Cadis were expected to win the Master division. The number of people who believed in Zieghart''s victory could be counted on one hand. "Zieghart!" "Zieghart!" However, once everything was over, Zieghart''s name was the only thing they were shouting in the arena. ''Interesting.'' He was ovee with emotion upon realizing that they managed to influence all of the people who used to look down on them or were simply disinterested. It was a different kind of feeling from the one he felt when people praised him for saving their lives. "Raon, are you okay?" Runaan was next to him before he knew it, and she lowered her eyebrows. She was worrying about him before celebrating his victory, and that was just like her. "I''m perfectly fine." He was almost dying a moment ago, but the pain had decreased drastically from seeing Derus''s distorted face and hearing the spectators'' cheers. It was simr to the effect of a stimnt, but that was enough for the time being. "A-are you sure you are fine?" Martha furrowed her brow while looking at the injury on his shoulder. "Yes. I canst until the awards ceremony." ''There''s no way I can faint in this interesting situation.'' The heads of the Six Kings were supposed to personally give a gift to the winner in the awarding ceremony. It was the perfect opportunity to make fun of Derus once again, and there was no way he would miss it. "Sir Raon, we are going to proceed into the awards ceremony now. Can youst until then?" The master of ceremonies walked up to him and quietly whispered. "If it seems difficult, we can postpone the ceremony forter without the spectators around..." "No." Raon subtly shook his head. "We can do it right now. We can''t postpone it when they are shouting my name so hard." He smiled faintly while pointing at the spectators, who were still calling Raon''s name. "Ah..." The master of ceremonies'' eyes crumpled slightly. "Th-thank you!" Raon only said his honest opinion instead of pretending, but the master of ceremonies was deeply impressed, and his hands were even trembling. "Raon! You are seriously an admirable guy!" Burren walked up to him while biting his lip tightly, then hugged him. He seemed to be moved to tears, as he was sniffling slightly. "By the way, where the hell is that guy again?" Martha frowned and looked around. "We have two winners in the squad, so what the hell is the squad leader doing?!" "I know, right...?" "Haa..." The Light Wind squad frowned while looking around to find Rimmer. "I''m rich now! I''m super duper rich!" Raon started to look around alongside them, and the hoarse voice of a man could be heard from the spectator seats on the right. ''He''s over there.'' Raonughed bitterly while thinking that he was the same Rimmer he always knew. The impression he had about elves was getting worse and worse because of him. "Vice squad leader." Dorian came next to him and waved his hand. "You should get changed for now, as it wouldn''t be a great idea to join the ceremony in that state." "Hmm..." Raon examined his current state. His uniform waspletely tattered, with his blood and Cadis''s blood covering his body and making him look like a zombie. "That''s a good idea." Since it was going to take some time until the awards ceremony began, he figured he should get changed. Raon went down with Dorian and entered the waiting room. "Which one would you like?" Dorian put his hand inside his belly pocket and took out various kinds of clothes one after the other. The table was soon filled with all kinds of formal suits and uniforms. "Why do you even have those dresses?" Raon frowned upon finding dresses among them. "I-it''s because I haven''t finished organizing them yet." Dorianughed awkwardly and put the dress back into his belly pocket. Ask him if he''s got any mint chocte ice cream. ''...'' Raon decided not to ask him because he had the feeling that Dorian really would have some. "I''ll take this one." Raon picked the ck suit that looked the least shy among the formal suits. "Thank you for your consideration." "It was nothing." Dorian quickly shook his head. "Both the vice squad leader and the first team leader won the tournament and spread Zieghart''s name, but I haven''t done anything myself. I should be doing this much at least." He smiled awkwardly and started putting the clothes back into his belly pocket. "That''s not true." Raon closed his eyes before opening them again while taking off the tattered uniform. "We did it together." "What?" "It wasn''t just me or Martha. It was thebined effort of all of us." He raised his finger to point at the ceiling of the waiting room. Even the waiting room was trembling because of the spectators shouting Zieghart''s name. "They are calling this name because all of the Light Wind squad did their best in their matches. They would''ve simply called my name if I was the only one who did it." Raon finished changing himself and patted Dorian''s shoulder. "You should be proud of yourself. Everyone in the Light Wind squad, including you, did their best." "...Yes." Dorian stopped putting the clothes back into his belly pocket and nodded while looking at the floor. "Let''s go." Raon chuckled and left the waiting room. "Woaaah!" "Raon!" "Frostfire Sword of Valor!" "White Sword Dragon!" "White Sword Dragon! I''ll be looking forward to hearing more from you!" People were even calling him with a new alias, White Sword Dragon, instead of Frostfire Sword of Valor. It must''ve been because hisst technique, the White Shadow sh, deeply impressed them. ''Sword Dragon, they say...'' Having ''dragon'' in an alias was the highest honor for young warriors. Even among the Twelve Stars of the Continent, only two out of the four strongest had ''dragon'' in their names. ''The name is getting too good for me.'' Going from Sword of Valor to Sword Dragon made him feel happy and ufortable at the same time. "We are going to start the awards ceremony now!" The master of ceremonies entered the arena and raised his hand. "The Expert division''s winner, Martha Zieghart! Please approach the tform." Martha nodded and walked up to the tform where the heads of the Six Kings were waiting. Glenn was sitting at the very front. "Your fighting spirit was excellent, but you need to learn how to take care of yourself." Glenn patted her shoulder while putting a tinum medal around her neck. "I''ll keep it in mind." "Good job." "Yes!" Martha gave him a big nod and went to the side. "Thank you for enlightening our Greer." King Lecross shook hands with Martha and gave her a sword. "It''s probably not as good as your destroyed sword, but it should be helpful until you obtain a new sword since this is also one of the famous swords." "Thank you!" Martha raised her hands while bending forward to receive the sword. "It won''t leave a scar on your face. I''m relieved." Chamber smiled cheerfully after examining Martha''s face. "It''s fine if I rece the gift with healing your face, right?" "Yes, I don''t mind." Martha nodded. She looked like she was truly fine with that. "Wow, you are so cute!" Chamber giggled and shook her staff on Martha''s hand. A blue light appeared, and a gray bracelet dropped into her hand. "Its ability is a secret!" She covered her mouth with her finger and briskly moved back. "Thank you." Martha stared nkly at the bracelet before she bowed at her. "You are still young, but your warrior spirit doesn''t lose to our children." Ogram stood in front of Martha. Even though Martha was rather tall for a woman, she looked like a childpared to Ogram. "This is a high-grade elixir from the Union. It will help you improve your body to match up to your spirit." He gave her a wooden box containing an elixir and smiled kindly. "Thank you." Martha bowed to Ogram and finally walked up to Derus. "It was a nice match." He gave a book to Martha with a bright smile on his face. "It''s a footwork called the Footwork of Flowing Wave. It should be helpful in making your powerful swordsmanship even more effective." "Thank you!" Martha bowed at the five once again before bowing to the spectators. "Woaaah!" "Martha! Martha!" "Sword of Rakshasa! Sword of Rakshasa!" The spectators were apuding for Martha, but a vein suddenly appeared on her forehead. "I told you to stop calling me the Sword of Rakshasa! You sons of bitches!" Martha ground her teeth violently while hugging the awards that the heads gave to her. tightly "Ahahahaha!" "She''s the real Rakshasa!" "Let''s go back to Miss Rakshasa! The sword isn''t enough to describe her brutality!" "Miss Rakshasa! Miss Rakshasa!" "Sword of Rakshasa! Sword of Rakshasa!" The spectators made fun of her while giggling. Whether it was ''Miss'' or ''Sword'', Martha was represented as Rakshasa. "You fucking bastards!" Martha''s eyes were beaming as she jumped into the spectator seats. "Hey! Stop her!" "Martha!" "Team leader!" The Light Wind members next to her quickly barged in and they managed to gag her mouth and bring her back out. "Ah, w-we apologize for the sudden trouble." The master of ceremonies sighed deeply while wiping the sweat flowing down from his forehead. "Next up is the Master division''s winner, Raon Zieghart. Please approach the tform!" "Woaaaah!" Raon walked up to the tform while listening to the cheers that were loud enough to reach the sky. "Ahem." Glenn''s expression had returned to normal. He cleared his throat and put a tinum medal around his neck. "The skill was an excellent counterattack, capable of erasing the opponent''s attack itself. However, it''s still notplete because it wouldn''t be able to erase a special technique from the highest level of Master." "Yes." He was telling him about the technique instead of praising him, probably because other people were watching. Raon smiled because he felt morefortable that way. "It will be stronger as you witness various swordsmanships and umte experiences. You will keep polishing it." "Thank you." Raon bowed to Glenn and went aside. "I haven''t been this enlightened for a long time. It was an excellent match." Raon could feel King Lecross''s satisfaction from his broad smile. "Since you already have a sword, I should give you something else." He gave Raon a pair of gloves with a rapier emblem engraved on it. Raon epted the gloves, and that was enough to notice how special it was. It seemed to be an extraordinary item. "I''ll be looking forward to hearing your name at an even greater height." "Thank you." King Lecross had always been favorable to him ever since their first encounter. Raon thanked him from the bottom of his heart before standing in front of Chamber. "Do you wannae with me?" Chamber bobbed her finger with a smile on her face. "Lady Chamber..." "Have you gone mad?!" King Lecross and Ogram sitting next to her frowned at the same time. "I was just kidding... Actually, I wasn''t, because I''m really tempted." "What?" "Don''t you wanna learn magic? I''ll teach you personally. You should be my disciple." "The sword is already taking all my efforts." It didn''t matter whether he was talented in magic or not. He wanted to see the end with the sword. Moreover, he didn''t want more strange magicians around him since he already had Merlin. "That''s not true. I think you can!" Chamber examined Raon from top to bottom while murmuring that ''you can do it.''. The desire was glowing in her eyes. "Chamber." "Haa, I get it." Chamber nodded upon hearing Glenn''s quiet voice and extended her staff. "You must be more handsome by the time we see each other again, got it?" A sparkling light fell from her staff and turned into a blue ring. ''Is this an artifact?'' The ring seemed to be another artifact from Balkar, just like the bracelet she gave to Martha. Since the Kingdom was as famous as House Yonaan for artifact crafting, it was definitely a special artifact. "Its ability is also a secret!" "Thank you." Raon bowed to her before standing in front of Ogram. "I didn''t like you at first because you were too thin, but your spirit is the real deal. This Ogram has acknowledged you as a true warrior." He nonchntly patted Raon''s back and gave him a wooden box. "It''s an elixir. It will be enough to recover your injured body and make your mana circuits and energy center even stronger." "Thank you." "I have more things to give, so see youter." "Yes." Ogram chuckled while looking at Glenn. Since Raon didn''t know what he was talking about, he simply bowed and went to Derus. "So..." "I''m sorry! It wasn''t on purpose, but I ended up cutting off the swordsman Cadis''s arm! I have no excuse for this!" He cut off Derus''s speech on purpose and bowed deeply. ''He really hates getting cut off while he''s speaking.'' Derus hated it so much when people cut him off regardless of the situation. That was why Raon did it on purpose to make him even angrier. "...It''s fine." Derus''s voice sounded gentle, but his lips were trembling slightly. It was proof that the anger he managed to suppress was rising once again. "Swordsman Raon..." "But cutting off a warrior''s arm is still an unforgivable matter. I''ll ept any punishment!" Raon cut Derus off once again and bowed at him. "Wow..." "He said he would ept any punishment..." "He really is an amazing warrior." "I know, right? Even though Cadis was the first one to show his murderous intent..." "He''s so cool. I can finally understand why people call Zieghart the conquerors of the North." The spectators were moved to tears and apuded for Raon as he apologized during the awarding ceremony. ''Let''s see...'' Raon raised his head once again. Derus''s smile had be so sullen that it almost looked artificial. The others would''ve seen it as a gentle smile, but Raon could tell that it wasn''t the case at all. Derus''s entire body was filled with wrath up to his neck. ''It''s a natural course of action.'' His n hadpletely failed, his son''s arm got cut off, and he couldn''t even ask forpensation orin about the situation. He must''ve been suppressing his unspeakable urge to squeeze Raon''s neck. ''I should stop for today.'' Raon chewed his cheek to stop hisughter from bursting out. He wanted to make fun of him even more, but he would save it forter. "It''s really fine. He should also ept this result since it was a match." Derus shook his head and gave him a book. "I noticed that the swordsman Raon didn''t have any systematic dagger technique. This dagger technique should be helpful to you." The title Piercing Dagger was written on the cover. "Thank you." Raon bowed to Derus before stepping back. He bowed once again to the heads of the Six Kings and turned around to stand in front of the tform. "Woaah!" "Raon! Raon! Raon!" "Frostfire Sword of Valor! Frostfire Sword of Valor!" "White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon!" They were yelling even louder than when Martha was being awarded. It almost felt like their voices were enough to shake the entire arena. "Thank you." Raon thanked the spectators while feeling the violent pounding of his heart. He tried to stand up after thanking them for supporting him, but the strength left his body. He couldn''t even move a single finger, and his body leaned forward. ''It had to be now of all times...'' He figured he must''ve run out of the energy that he''d gotten from making fun of Derus. The ground was approaching him as he fell. As his eyes were getting closed, he felt someone catch his body. ''Ah... This feeling...'' Raon closed his eyes to a warmth that felt familiar somehow, as if he had experienced it a very long time ago. Raon frowned as he saw the white ceiling. ''Did I faint back then?'' He couldn''t remember anything that happened after thanking the spectators. Thest scene he remembered was the approaching ground. ''I fainted once again even though I got so much stronger. I''m so pathetic.'' He chuckled and raised his body up. ''No, it was probably a natural oue.'' The White Shadow sh had an extremely high consumption in terms of aura and brainpower. Using it once already put a lot of strain on him, yet he''d used it consecutively in a severely injured state. Fainting wasn''t a strange thing to happen at all. ''Wrath.'' As he was trying to ask Wrath about how much time had passed, the medical room''s door opened. "You look fine now." Rimmer was the first one to enter, and he waved his hand with a cheerful smile on his face. "Are you really calling him fine now when he just woke up?" Sheryl kicked Rimmer''s ass. "Vice squad leader, how is your stomach?" Roenn examined various parts of his body with a gentle smile. "Ah, I''m okay." Raon smiled gently, and Glenn entered behind the other three. He walked up to the bed and red at him sharply. ''Is he going to scold me?'' Raon figured that he might get scolded for fainting at an important moment¡ªwhen he was about to leave the scene after thanking the spectators. "A warrior''s best quality..." Glenn narrowed his eyes at the same time as he opened his mouth. "...is to know themselves even better than they know their enemy. A true warrior should always examine themselves to know what they can do, how long they canst, and how far they can reach." His voice felt extremely cold. "You''ve surpassed your limits today. You ended up fainting because the overload on your body and brain spread. You would''ve died right there if no one was there to help you." "I''m sorry." As expected, he was getting scolded. Raon bowed to him because Glenn wasn''t saying anything wrong. "The name and reputation of the house are important, but you should put yourself first." Glenn came one step closer to him and grabbed his shoulder. His hand was warm, but it was trembling slightly, which Raon found strange. "Even then, you did a go¡ª" He was hesitating to say it, but considering how it started, Raon figured that he was going to say ''good job'' topliment him. Since Glenn never gave lip service, beingplimented by him always made him happy. "Go-good meat. You should eat lots of good meat." "..." Because it waspletely unexpected, the medical room fell silent. "Uhh..." Raon tilted his chin. ''What did I hear just now?'' His jaw dropped in bewilderment. "Ahem, I''m taking my leave now." Glenn turned around and immediately left the medical room. "M-my lord." "Young master Raon, see youter." Sheryl and Roenn took a nce at Raon before following Glenn outside. "What the heck?!" Rimmer pretended to spit on the ground and frowned intensely. "That geezer!" He screamed and followed the three others who left. "What just happened...?" Is he telling me to eat meat and get stronger because I''m too weak? His head turned nk because he couldn''t understand the situation. You idiot. Wrath snorted and floated into the air. He''s telling you to eat meat and nurture your strength because you are so pathetically weak! He grasped Raon''s shoulder tightly. An irresistible smile was showing from his mouth. There''s going to be a party today, and you have to participate no matter what! You shall grow as healthy as a demon king if you eat everything that the King of Essence asks you! ''Err... Really?'' * * * "Haaaaa!" Rimmer sighed deeply. "Did you really tell him to eat lots of meat? That was way too pathetic, seriously!" He ground his teeth at Glenn, who was walking in front of him. "How hard is it to say, ''good job, I love you'' to your grandson?'' Glenn ended up misspeaking because he was trying to add that he loved Raon after the good job part. It was so ridiculous that it wasn''t evenughable anymore. "You just need to say it and everything will be smooth in the future!" Glenn didn''t turn around despite all the scolding, and he gradually bent his back. "I''m so frustrated right now!" Rimmer noticed that he had the upper hand and his voice intensified. "Aren''t you going to hug your grandson forever? Aren''t you going to apologize to your daughter? Are you seriously nning to be buried in the ground without doing anything?" "Hmm..." "You were so surprised when Raon fell from the tform that you jumped out without even breathing. I don''t even understand why you feel so embarrassed now! Even Old Man Bock who lives next to my home wouldn''t be as bad as you!" "..." Glenn suddenly stopped walking. "We have a problem." His voice turned low. "What problem did you cause? Shall I solve it for you? What would you have done without me?!" Glenn''s head slowly turned. His icy cold gaze engulfed Rimmer. "Ehh?" "I''m the head of house and you are my vassal, so why am I getting scolded by you?" "What? No, it''s just..." Rimmer''s cheek was trembling violently. He finally realized that he''d said too much. "I-I just said that for your sake, my lord..." "Seize him." "Yes!" Rimmer was trying to withdraw, but Sheryl and Roenn grabbed him by his arms. Spark! A crimson spark emerged from Glenn''s finger. "Huhu..." "I understand what you mean, but you went too far." "Wait a second!" Rimmer even used his aura to struggle his way out. "You can''t do it now! I have the gambling tickets on me that I haven''t converted ye¡ª" He couldn''t even finish his sentence because the huge lightning strike fell from Glenn''s fingers. Rumble! Chapter 332 - 332

Chapter 332:

"Hmm?" Raon tilted his head while watching the sunlight entering through the window. ''Lightning?'' The clear sky didn''t have a single speck of clouds, but he suddenly heard a thundering sound. It was truly a raw lightning strike in the dry sky. ''What a strange thing to happen.'' Raon chuckled and tried clenching his fist. His stamina seemed to have returned to a certain extent, but his aura was still at rock bottom. ''I''ve spent too much aura.'' His recovery was slow despite Sloth''s effect because he''d literally used up all of the aura in his energy center. He figured that it would take some time before he recovered to his best condition. ''I should be starting already.'' A patient had too much time to waste. He decided to utilize the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation at the same time to recover his aura and internal injuries, and he noticed the stuff on the table. "These are..." They were the awards he received from the heads of the Six Kings. The tinum medal was given to him by Glenn, the gloves were from King Lecross, the ring from Chamber, the elixir was from Ogram, and the book of martial arts titled Piercing Dagger was from Derus. The King of Essence''s subordinates ced them there. ''Your subordinates?'' Indeed. Wrath''s subordinates must''ve been the Light Wind members. They must''ve brought the items to the room. ''Let''s see.'' He started by examining the medal. He couldn''t really feel anything special about it. It looked like a memorial given by the head of the faction the winner belonged to. ''I guess the squad leader would like it.'' tinum was ten times more expensive than gold on the continent. Rimmer would''ve gone crazy for it if he saw it. ''Maybe not anymore. After all, he must''ve gained sudden wealth once again.'' Since Rimmer had to have won arge amount of money from gambling in the previous match, he probably won''t even care about such a small amount of tinum. Raon couldn''t suppress his smile because he could already imagine him wearing golden rings on both hands. "Next is..." Raon put the tinum medal down and looked at the gloves from King Lecross. "Huh?" ''Wait, is this really made from tethryl?'' Tethryl was a special metal that could be made into a thread, and it was highly resistant to magic and evil aura on top of its high durability. The gloves were made from tethryl, which was even more expensive than tinum. Raon didn''t expect to receive such a great award at all. ''He gave me such a treasure...'' He didn''t expect it to be such an invaluable treasure. He figured he needed to visit him soon to express his gratitude. Raon calmed his excitement and looked at the ring he got from Chamber. ''What is this?'' There was definitely a significant amount of mana dwelling inside, but he couldn''t tell the function at all. ''I should leave it for now.'' Raon shook his head and opened the wooden box that Ogram gave him. The pure and bitter fragrance crawled outside. ''A ck pill? This is the Four Clouds Elixir.'' The Four Clouds Elixir was made by carefullybining the best medical herbs and poisonous herbs, and it was the highest-grade elixir from the Beast Union. It was a priceless treasure since it was capable of strengthening bones, muscles, and even skin on top of aura. ''I can easily recover from my internal injuries with this.'' Taking the Flour Clouds Elixir would allow him to recover from his internal injuries and aura exhaustion, as well as strengthen his body even further. Raon smiled faintly while thinking about Ogram''s refreshing smile. ''Andstly... Let''s check out that bastard''s gift.'' He opened the book of martial arts called Piercing Dagger that Derus gave to him. ''It''s not at the highest grade, but it''s at least an advanced martial art.'' Piercing Dagger was an borate martial art, capable of dealing with all kinds of opponents through abination of close-quarter dagger techniques and ranged dagger-throwing techniques. ''It''s nice, but... I can''t use it as-is.'' Since Derus was the one who gave him the book, it signified that he knew all of the contents of the book. Because Raon might end up using it to kill Derus one day, it was unthinkable to use it as it was. ''I need to improve it before learning it.'' It would''ve been impossible for others, but Raon was capable of reshaping Piercing Dagger since he had the Ring of Fire. He resolved to create an excellent martial art that was capable of piercing through Derus''s heart and closed the book. Kuh... Wrath was ring at him while steaming from his mouth. How could they give you tethryl gloves and a highest-grade elixir?! ''I also have a book on martial arts.'' Raon waved the book in front of Wrath, trying to make fun of him. Those rewards are far too excessive for such a small tournament! They should''ve just given you some bead ice cream instead of an elixir! Wrath yelled, saying that the rewards were too good for such a small tournament. ''Bead ice cream, huh...?'' Raon chuckled. The only simrity it shared with the elixir was the fact that it was round, but it seemed to be a better reward for Wrath. The King of Essence would''ve simply waved his hand as a reward. They must be crazy to waste so much on yo¡ª As Wrath clicked his tongue and continued, messages appeared in front of his eyes. [You''ve consecutively defeated opponents with a higher realm than you.] [All stats have increased by 15.] [The Ring of Fire''s proficiency has drastically increased.] [The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s proficiency has drastically increased.] [cier''s proficiency has drastically increased.] The messages announced that he had received fifteen points in all stats and a proficiency increase in the Ring of Fire and the two auras he had as a reward for defeating two opponents at a higher realm than himself. ''Fifteen stat points? This is my first time getting fifteen points at once!'' Fifteen points were already big enough as rewards, but there were even more messages. [The trait Iron Will''s rank has increased.] [The trait Bleeding Curse''s rank has increased.] [The trait Spiral Power''s rank has increased by two.] The traits he used during the tournament also increased in rank. ''It was thanks to Iron Will that I managed tost until the end.'' Iron Will''s effect was to enhance willpower in a crisis, and it was the reason he managed to keep standing after he''d exhausted his stamina and aura. ''I wouldn''t have been able to see that face from Derus without it. Those traits are so useful.'' Even the ones that looked like they weren''t a big deal were useful in a way. Raon couldn''t be more thankful to Wrath, who gave him everything. ''You are the only one who cares about me.'' Fi-fifteen in all stats? Is it really fifteen instead of 1.5? Wrath''s chin was trembling violently. ''The system seems to disagree with you. It seems to believe that those rewards aren''t wasted on me.'' Raon snickered while returning Wrath''s earlier remark right back at him. Ugh... Wrath clenched his fists with his head lowered slightly. ''It''sing soon.'' Upon noticing that the trembling from Wrath''s shoulders intensified, Raon put up a sign on the door to not disturb him and locked it. This is unbearable! What have you even done to deserve fifteen whole points?! It must''ve gotten a fork stuck in its brain! Wrath charged at him while screaming. He must''ve been extremely angry, as his eyes had rolled backpletely. Raon took out a Four Clouds Elixir and put it in his mouth as Wrath stuck on his arm. The bitter taste, simr to chewing on a dirty tree root, spread through his mouth as he swallowed the elixir. Heated energy was emerging in all directions. Die! Terrifying coldness and the power of wrath were storming at him from the outside. ''Heat from the inside and coldness from the outside. Perfect.'' Raon smiled while feeling the powerful energiesing from inside and out, then started to circte the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Whir! The Four Clouds Elixir melted down even faster in order to endure the powerful coldness from the outside and enhanced the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He was rapidly absorbing the elixir''s energy, but that wasn''t the only thing he was nning on gaining. ''The coldness from Wrath.'' Since Wrath''s coldness was attacking his mana circuits, it was the perfect opportunity to convert it into cier and absorb it at the same time as the elixir. Wrath didn''t seem to realize it because he was blinded by anger, but he was pretty much massaging Raon to speed up his aura recovery more than twice as fast. ''Let''s see...'' Raon secretly opened his eyes. Wrath was biting his arm like a baby shark while continuously spreading coldness around him. Raon slightly lowered his head while watching him. ''Thank you, Wrath. You are the true giving tree.'' Raon quietly expressed his gratitude and focused on his cultivation. * * * Gulp. Martio swallowed nervously while watching Derus and Cadis in his clinic. Even though it had already been twenty minutes since their arrival, they were sitting there quietly, not saying a single word. "Cadis." Ten more minutes passed before Derus finally started to speak. "I-I''m sorry." Even though Derus simply called his name, Cadis immediately knelt on the ground. "What are you apologizing for?" "I-I lost against him..." "Wrong." Derus''s voice was the same as always. However, there was no trace of emotion behind it. His voice waspletely cid, without any happiness, sadness, anger, or irritation. Cadis and Martio''s faces gradually turned pale because of his inhuman voice. Derus wasn''t getting angry despite the situation, and they were both aware that it was the worst-case scenario for them. "I''m sure I warned you before that you shouldn''t y with your food and quickly end the match." "I-I..." "Losing with the Azure Clouds Flow of Stars is understandable because he could use the severing sword, which is the hard counter for it. However, you could have definitely finished him off with the Starlight Sword Art." Derus''s eyes sank into darkness and the atmosphere in the room started to dry up as if they were in a desert. ''Argh...'' Martio suppressed his urge to squeeze his own neck and clenched his fist until he started to bleed. ''I feel like my throat is burning.'' Just as he was thinking that he was going to die from suffocation, Derus continued. "Not only did you lose to a child much younger than yourself, but you even helped him increase his realm. This oue is the worst of the worst." "I-I''m sorry." Cadis grasped his arm, which they had barely managed to reattach, and lowered his head. The confidence he showed upon their first arrival at Owen had melted under his feet. "I-I''ll definitely kill him next tim¡ª" "Next time?" Derus smiled for the first time. His extremely cold smile looked like it could freeze people at a single touch. "There won''t be a next time." "Pardon?" "He''s a monster who managed to defeat you at the age of neen. He will be already above your head in a year, and there''s no way you will get another chance." "I''ll do my best and put my life on the line! Please give me a chance, and I''ll defeat him no matter wh¡ª" "You won''t be able to seize that chance." Derus''s gaze moved towards Cadis''s bandaged right shoulder. "Because there''s a problem with your arm." "Wh-what do you mean...?" "His coldness caused frostbite on your mana circuits and tendons. You won''t be able to swing your sword as freely as before even if you manage to fully recover." Derus looked down on Cadis. His gaze looked like he was staring at a useless object rather than his son. "Ah..." Cadis''s eyes wavered as violently as a sailboat on a turbulent ocean. "You will return. Think over and over about the reason you were reduced to that state." "...Understood." Derus shook his hand, and Cadis left Martio''s clinic with his head hanging down. "Martio." "Yes." "What did you think about Raon?" Despite his injuries, Martio went to the arena to examine Raon''s movements because of Derus''s order, and he had reached a definitive conclusion. He organized his thoughts before he slowly opened his mouth. "Judging from the fights of Raon Zieghart that I''ve watched so far, he''s different from the assassin Raon that I raised. I couldn''t find even a trace of a shadow''s habits from him." Martio spoke his thoughts from watching Raon for two days straight honestly. "I see." Derus nodded and took off his gloves. Red blood was flowing from his more than twenty-year-old scar. "Interesting." His mouth curved into an evil smile as he licked the scar on the back of his hand. "Hmm..." Martio wiped the cold sweat flowing down his forehead away as he watched that eerie behavior. "Thest banquet will be held tomorrow evening. You will return to the house as soon as it ends." Derus took the magic tome from his clothes and gave it to Martio. "Give him this tome and start conquering the dungeon right away." "What about you, my lord...?" "I need to move around a bit to restore Cadis''s arm. I''ll probably check out the training ground on the way." He furrowed his brow while pointing at the door where Cadis left a moment ago. "I-I see." Martio nodded with a trembling chin. ''He''s such a frightening person...'' Derus wasn''t trying to fix Cadis''s arm for his sake. He was only doing it to look like a good father when people heard the rumors. Martio had been with Derus for a long time, but he was getting more and more terrifying¡ªto the point that he got goosebumps from just looking at him. "Since it came to this, I''m nning on giving Cadis another chance. However, this will be thest one." "Yes..." Derus took out another glove and put it on before he stood up. "Martio." "Yes." "You should remember that you don''t have many chances left for you either." Derus was coldhearted enough to abandon his own family, let alone his subordinates. Another failure was pretty much death for him. "I''ll keep it in mind." Martio bowed. However, Derus didn''t say anything or show any reaction. "Ah..." Martio swallowed nervously and raised his head. He could see Derus''s frightening gaze directed at him as he stood the exact same way as in the beginning. Martio''s heart tightened at the sight. "See youter." Light gradually returned to Derus''s dark eyes. He changed his eyes into a gentle appearance before he patted Martio''s shoulder and left the room. "Haa..." Martio closed his eyes and fell straight on the bed. He had the feeling that he wouldn''t be able to sleep that night. Raon slowly opened his eyes. The moonlight was wavering in the window where the sunlight used to enter. ''I''ve recovered quite a lot.'' Thanks to the energy of the Four Clouds Elixir emerging from the inside and Wrath''s coldness attacking from the outside, Raon managed to recover from most of his internal injuries. Since his aura was also more than half full, he figured he would be able topletely recover soon enough. "Hmm." Argh. Raon raised his hands and stretched his body, and Wrath fell from around his waist like an acorn. H-how did you even endure it in that state...? His arm fluttered in the air, showing that he waspletely exhausted. ''It''s all thanks to you.'' What do you mean...? ''The elixir''s energy was released even faster thanks to your attacks from the outside. It was thanks to thatrge amount of energy that I managed to recover my internal injuries and even my aura.'' Raon waved at him with a grin on his face. Ah, ah... Wrath finally realized what happened and dropped his jaw. ''Thank you for the massage. It felt really good.'' Raon stirred up Wrath''s hair as he stayed dumbfounded and sneered at him. Arrrgh! You damn thief! Wrath gritted his teeth and charged at him, but he could only scratch at thin air before falling down because he waspletely exhausted. D-damn it. I should''ve realized when my strength was leaving too quickly... He murmured that he only ended up benefitting Raon with teary eyes. "Wow, this is nice." Raon stretched himself and stood up. As he was feeling refreshed, he could sense someone''s presence on the other side of the door. "Runaan?" He opened the door and left the room. Runaan was nodding off on a chair. "What have you been doing?" "Guarding." Runaan responded while blinking her nk eyes. "Guarding..." She must''ve been guarding him because she realized that he was cultivating. "Thank you." "Let''s go now." Runaan simply nodded as if it wasn''t a big deal and grabbed his sleeve. "Where are we going?" "To the banquet hall." She licked her lips while pointing at the banquet hall located west of the medical room. "I was told to bring you once you were out." "Who told you to do that?" "The Heavenly de division leader." Runaan picked up the suit hanging next to the chair. Gold and red created harmony in the splendid formal suit. "Wear this one." "I''m not sure about this one..." "You must wear it, they said." Runaan looked slightly entertained as she gave him the suit. "In that case, I''ll pass¡ª" "You can''t." You can''t! Raon tried to refuse and stay in the medical room, but Runaan and Wrath grabbed his arms at the same time. "I want to eat bead ice cream." The King of Essence wants to eat bead ice cream! They frowned while saying the exact same thing. "There is a lot of bead ice cream, just like thest time." Your old man also told you to eat a lot of meat! He was asking you to join the banquet! "Hmm..." Raon wanted to say something, but he shut his mouth. He couldn''t voice his refusal while facing Runaan and Wrath''s sparkling eyes because she''d been guarding him all along and Wrath massaged him, even though it was unintentional. "Well, I guess I need to fill my stomach." "Yes, let''s go." Runaan waved her hand, urging him to get ready. "Raon is damn handsome!" You finally have the right conscience in your mind! Runaan smiled very faintly, and Wrath snorted, saying that his education had finally paid off. ''I want to see what happens when those two mint chocte lovers hang around together. I''m sure they will get along.'' Raon smiled while imagining them fighting over mint chocte. * * * Raon washed his face and changed before going to the banquet hall. It was already noisy inside, probably because the banquet had started a while ago. "The Azure Lunar de?" "The White Sword Dragon!" The knights guarding the entrance to the hall widened their eyes to the max upon recognizing Raon and Runaan, then bowed to them. Their bows were a lot politer than at the previous banquet. "I was deeply impressed by Swordsman Raon''s match." "I''ll be rooting for you in the future." They expressed their feelings with slightly trembling voices before mming the floor with their spears. The banquet hall''s door opened with a thud. "The winner of the Six Kings tournament! The White Sword Dragon, Raon Zieghart, and the Azure Lunar de, Runaan Sullion, are making their entrance!" The door was wide open, and the knights inside shouted at the same time. The noisy banquet hall fellpletely silent as soon as the name of White Sword Dragon echoed. From the heads of the Six Kings on the tform to the countless people below, everyone''s gazes were focused on Raon at the same time. "Let''s go." Even though so many gazes could have made him ufortable, Raon easily ignored them and entered the banquet hall. "Mhm." Hoo! This scent, it''s definitelymb chops! Let''s start with the grilledmb chops! Runaan and Wrath went after the food right after they entered. They looked like people''s gazes didn''t bother them to begin with. ''Let''s first take a seat.'' Raon chuckled. When he was about to move towards the Light Wind squad, the warriors of the Six Kings that were scattered all around the hall gathered towards him like a swarm of bees. "Woaaah!" "The Frostfire Sword of Valor is here!" "He''s the White Sword Dragon now!" "I''ve watched all of your matches without missing a single one, Swordsman Raon! My heart has been pounding from watching them!" "I was so excited that I couldn''t even sleep yesterday!" "Please grant me a handshake!" Countless people of various genders and ages gathered around him to fill his surroundings. It was impossible to back off or advance into the hall. Th-those bastards! The King of Essence needs to eatmb chops! Wrath was crushed like cotton candy squeezed by hands and shouted in anger. "Sir Raon! What is your schedule?" "About the technique that erased the Starlight Sword Art, did you really make that by yourself?" "I heard you also created other techniques. Can you show me when there''s a chanc¡ª" He couldn''t even discern what they were saying because too many people were talking at the same time. ''It looks like I won''t be able to get out of here quietly. I have no other choice.'' Raon was about to spread his pressure to make them back off, but a thunderous noise burst from the central area of the banquet hall and the entire building trembled as a result. Rumble! A tremendous pressure burst from the location of the impact, and the crowd blocking Raon''s way was split and pushed away. Arge body could be seen over the path in the sea of people. Ogram was there. The Best Union''s leader, who used to be on the tform, had descended from it. Ogram walked up to Raon with heavy steps. "You looked like a seasoned beast when you were in the arena, but you finally look like a boy your age." When are we eating the meat...? He patted Raon''s back with a refreshing smile on his face. The patting was rather strong, but it felt nice because there was no trace of malice from him. "I managed to recover from my internal injuries thanks to your elixir. Thank you." The smell ofmb chops is so intense... Raon took the opportunity and thanked him for giving him the Four Clouds Elixir. "That''s not a big deal, since I have to give thirty more in the future." "What?" ''What is he talking about?'' Raon unconsciously gasped because of the sudden mention of thirty Four Clouds Elixirs. "I made a bet with your old man and lost. I wagered that I would have to give away as many Four Cloud Elixirs as the number of you kids." "Does that mean that are you giving the Four Cloud Elixirs to everyone in the Light Wind squad?" "Indeed." Let''s talk about itter and eat for now... Ogram didn''t stop smiling despite talking about his loss. "And..." He took off the coat he was wearing and handed it over. "This ck Dragon Coat is also yours now." It doesn''t matter whether it''s a ck Dragon or an Earthworm cape. Just start eating already! Chapter 333 Instead of taking ck Dragon Coat, Raon stared at Ogram. ¡°Can you tell me what kind of bet you made with my head of house?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a difficult request.¡± Ogram put the ck Dragon Coat on his shoulders and nodded. Raon noticed once more that his personality was so straightforward that it was almost disconcerting. ¡°I was the one who started it. I said that you were a kid with nothing but good looks going for you, then sneered that you would be eliminated from the tournament quickly.¡± Since it wasn¡¯t a strange opinioning from the Beast Union, which valued strength, Raon simply nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s when your old man butted in. He said that the other kids from Zieghart, not just you, wouldn¡¯t lose to the Union kids.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted as he looked at Glenn. He thought he wouldn¡¯t care at all about such a provocation, and that was why his reaction was unexpected. ¡°Ahem.¡± Glenn cleared his throat, pretending he wasn¡¯t interested in their conversation, and averted his gaze to drink his wine. ¡°That¡¯s how we came up with this bet. I bet the Four Cloud Elixirs that I gave you and your old man¡­¡± Ogram raised his finger and pointed at Heavenly Tremor, which was hanging around Glenn¡¯s waist. ¡°He bet that sword.¡± ¡°He bet Heavenly Tremor?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped upon noticing that Ogram¡¯s finger was pointing at Heavenly Tremor. ¡®He even bet his sword¡­¡¯ Heavenly Tremor was pretty much Glenn Zieghart¡¯s symbol. Raon couldn¡¯t believe that he had actually wagered his sword over such a small tournament¡ªand it was for the whole Light Wind squad, not just for Raon. ¡°My lord¡­¡± ¡°You even bet your Heavenly Tremor for our sake¡­¡± Burren and Martha put their hands together while looking up at Glenn. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°My lord! Thank you for believing in us!¡± The other Light Wind swordsmen also bowed to Glenn. Their teary eyes suggested that they would start crying at the smallest impact. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon also straightened his back and shoulder before he bowed politely to Glenn. ¡°It was a simple sideshow.¡± Glenn shook his hand without showing any emotion and scoffed it off as nothing. ¡®He must¡¯ve begun to trust us now.¡¯ Even though he called it a sideshow, a swordsman would never bet their sword unless they were sure of their victory. Raon¡¯s heart pounded violently upon realizing that the group called Light Wind Squad must¡¯ve earned his trust. How about you stop betraying the King of Essence¡¯s trust? Wrath floated into the air and shoved his face into him. He frowned while pointing at his skinny cheek. He¡¯s starving right now! ¡®I¡¯ll let you eat to your heart¡¯s contentter. Please stay out of this for now!¡¯ Argh! Raon pushed Wrath away with the back of his hand and looked at Ogram. ¡°Please continue.¡± ¡°Since he bet his favorite weapon, I also had to act ordingly. I swore to give the Four Cloud Elixirs to every single one of you and bet this ck Dragon Coat on top of that.¡± Ogram continued. His lighthearted speech sounded like it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°And as a result, that slightly crazy girl won the Expert division, and you won the Master division. I was thoroughly defeated with no room for any excuses.¡± His cheerful smile didn¡¯t disappear from his face even though he was talking about his defeat. ¡°I¡¯ll give the elixirs to all of you, and I¡¯d like to give ck Dragon Coat to you since I took a liking to you, and there was no mention of who I should give it to.¡± Ogram picked up the ck Dragon Coat on his shoulder once again and offered it. ¡°The ck Dragon Coat is made from ck dragon scales. Are you sure it¡¯s okay to give it away?¡± Unlike armor made from a pseudo-dragon or a hatchling¡¯s scales, ck Dragon Coat was made from real dragon scales. It looked like an ordinary ck coat, but it was an extremely precious treasure made entirely from dragon scales. ¡°A promise must be kept. The beast tribe doesn¡¯t go back on their word.¡± He nodded and said it was only natural to do so. He waved his hand to urge him to take it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked at Glenn instead of taking the coat right away. Glenn nodded at him, implying that he should do as he wished. ¡°Well, I¡¯m giving it to you, but you won¡¯t be able to use it right away.¡± ¡°What? What does that mean¡­?¡± ¡°I made this with that crazy woman over there. That¡¯s why it chooses its master.¡± Ogram frowned and looked up at the tform. Chamber was eating choctes, her fingers turned ck, and she waved her hand with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s rather picky, and you will need to surpass the wall before being able to handle it.¡± Ogram walked up to him and personally put the coat over Raon¡¯s formal suit. ¡®It¡¯s a bit too long¡­¡¯ Raon was rtively tall, but the coat was dragging on the ground because the previous owner, Ogram, was almost two meters and thirty centimeters tall. Whir! When Raon was contemting whether he should cut it to make it shorter, the ck Dragon Coat shivered and shrunk like fabric absorbing water to turn into the perfect length for his height. Its shape also changed from a rough shape that looked like a windbreaker into a noble and elegant appearance befitting his formal suit. ¡®I feel like it fits my body perfectly.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t feel any inconvenience at all, as if he were wearing a custom-made coat. He couldn¡¯t even notice that he was wearing the ck Dragon Coat over his formal suit. ¡°This is unexpected.¡± Ogram stroked his beard while watching him. ¡°It didn¡¯t ept you as master yet, but it acknowledged you.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready to serve you in the future.¡± He patted Raon¡¯s shoulder, saying that it was an incredible feat. ¡°Does the ck Dragon Coat actually have its own will?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as grandiose as that.¡± Ogram shook his head. ¡°It can just decide whether it acknowledges its master and lends its power or not.¡± He stared at the ck Dragon Coat with an ambiguous look in his eyes before taking another step toward Raon. ¡°It lends its power¡­¡± Raon had the feeling that the ck Dragon Coat would have a special power, like the de of Requiem. ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about the ck Dragon Coat. I was curious, are you married already?¡± Ogram shoved his face forward while standing right in front of Raon. His gaze felt like it was examining all over Raon¡¯s body. ¡°Err¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®Is that all?¡¯ Ogram just gave him the ck Dragon Coat, which was famous all over the continent, yet he didn¡¯t even boast about it. He was almost dumbfounded by how cool his personality was. ¡°¡­No.¡± It was an unexpected question, but Raon immediately shook his head. ¡°Are you going out with anyone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Ogramughed cheerfully and patted Raon on the shoulder. ¡°In that case, how about dating my daughter? She¡¯s a cute and small girl.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± He was troubled by the ¡®small¡¯ part for some reason. ¡°Mona is small indeed.¡± Raon turned his head upon hearing the deep voice from behind him. Garona was near him with a broad smile on his face. ¡°This was roughly her height thest time I saw her.¡± Garona raised his hand to point at his own chin. ¡®Are you calling that small? She must be over 190cm tall!¡¯ Garona¡¯s size was no less than Ogram¡¯s. Since his chin was higher than the top of Raon¡¯s head, she must¡¯ve been at least 190cm tall. He believed that height didn¡¯t really matter for a woman, but he couldn¡¯t ept that 190cm was small. ¡°We will be real brothers once you get married to Mona! Our brotherhood is already real though!¡± ¡°Yes, he is already your brother! You will be a perfect couple as long as Mona consents to it.¡± Garona and Ogram blocked Raon¡¯s way from front and back andughed so loudly that his ears started to hurt. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The pressureing from those giants that far surpassed two meters in height was intense, but he had to say his piece. He had no intention of getting married yet because he had a goal that he intended to risk his life to achieve. ¡°I have no intention to get married ye¡ª¡± ¡°Woah, woah! How dare you take the initiative!¡± When Raon was about to refuse, Chamber appeared from the thin air. ¡°We also have nice girls!¡± She waved her staff slightly, and Princess Jayna appeared right in front of Raon even though she¡¯d been far away from him. ¡°Kyah!¡± Jayna dropped the fork she was holding and screamed. ¡°Our Jayna has a pretty face, a great background, and skills. Her personality is slightly¡­very slightly¡­touchy, but that¡¯s actually a part of her charm.¡± Chamberplimented Jayna regardless of her panic even though it didn¡¯t exactly sound like praise. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Jayna blushed and hurriedly turned her head away upon meeting Raon¡¯s eyes. Raon chuckled upon noticing the mixture of anger and shame in Jayna¡¯s expression. ¡°Ohh?¡± Chamber¡¯s lips parted as she looked back and forth between Jayna and Raon. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What is this? Did the two of you already do it?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Raon immediately shook his hand since she waspletely mistaken. Others might fall for her, but there was no way Raon would be on good terms with Jayna because he knew her real personality. ¡®There¡¯s no way I would go out with that bitch even if the whole world came to an end.¡¯ You bitch! Start eating already! * * * * * * ¡°He¡¯s turning out to be even more interesting.¡± King Lecross smiled gently as he watched Raon say his piece with Ogram and Chamber on both sides of him. ¡°He¡¯s the type of person who isn¡¯t afraid of the strong but cares for the weak. It¡¯s a rare personality nowadays. I can understand why such a young boy earned such an honorable name.¡± ¡°¡­I guess he¡¯s always been different ever since his childhood.¡± Glenn turned his eyes slightly to look at King Lecross and nodded. ¡°It must¡¯ve been fun to watch him grow.¡± ¡°Not really. I wasn¡¯t exactly interested in him.¡± He shook his hand, pretending he didn¡¯t know much about him. ¡°Is that so? What a shame.¡± King Lecross lowered the corners of his lips as he said that it was regrettable that he couldn¡¯t hear the stories of Raon¡¯s childhood. ¡°Ahem.¡± After a few seconds of silence, Glenn cleared his throat and opened his mouth. ¡°The first time he held distinction was when he was a temporary trainee. He used to suffer from a bad constitution, but he kept running until the end without copsing during his first training¡­¡± Sheryl¡¯s jaw dropped as Glenn started to talk about Raon. ¡®Is he really starting with that?¡¯ He was starting with the stories of the temporary trainee period instead of after he grew up a bit more. Glenn must¡¯ve been nning to tell the story of Raon¡¯s entire life. Sherly wanted to tell him to start with what Raon did after he grew up a bit more, but she was unable to stop him. ¡®He looks so happy.¡¯ Glenn looked like he was having so much fun talking about Raon¡¯s childhood, and Sheryl couldn¡¯t stop him from doing it. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ King Lecross also looked interested in that story, probably because he had a great impression of Raon. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how Raon won the first duel he ever had.¡± ¡°Ooh, so he¡¯s been distinguished ever since his childhood. I guess I should''ve expected it since my third son also praised Raon after he visited Zieghart.¡± ¡°I have more stories to tell. After he was finally approved as a trainee and started his real training, Martha¡­¡± As Glenn was moving onto the stories of Raon¡¯s trainee period, Derus slowly came up to the tform. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn stopped the tale and called out to Derus. ¡°How is the de of Shattering Wave doing?¡± ¡°The diagnosis remains the same. It looks like he will be suffering from some aftereffects.¡± Derus lowered his brows slightly and shook his head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± King Lecross frowned. ¡°We can¡¯t sit here doing nothing since it happened in our country. We will do anything we can to help¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Derus shook his head gently. ¡°We are all aware that Cadis was the first one to harm his opponent. He¡¯s reaping what he sowed.¡± ¡°Are you really fine with that?¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at Derus. His serene eyes were telling him that he would help if necessary. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. I have a few ideas about how to heal him. I¡¯m satisfied with this oue, as Cadis must have learned his lesson from this incident.¡± Derus smiled faintly, saying that he was going to leave the next day in order to heal Cadis¡¯s arm. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°What a kind father.¡± Glenn and King Lecross eximed in admiration for how much Derus cherished his son. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Sir Derus I know!¡± ¡°His kindness is unmatched.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the reason the South is so peaceful.¡± The other people in the banquet hall watched him with sparkling eyes upon hearing their conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about sad matters.¡± Derus pped his hands and picked up the wine ss. ¡°Since this is a rare urrence where all of us have gathered, let¡¯s have a toast.¡± He raised his ss, and Glenn and King Lecross also raised theirs. ¡°Ah, let me join!¡± Chamber was there before they knew it and made her juice cup float in the air. ¡°Are you trying to have fun without me?¡± Ogram also jumped onto the tform and raised his beer ss. The five sses clinked, and the eyes of the Six Kings¡¯ leaders were reflected on them. Everyone looked peaceful, except for Derus, whose eyes were as dark as a bottomless abyss. ¡°Woaaah!¡± ¡°Long live the Six Kings!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be together forever!¡± No one inside the banquet hall noticed that fact and cheered for them with a round of apuse, but there was one person who noticed Derus¡¯s mental state. Raon smiled while watching Derus wave his hand in response to people¡¯s cheers. ¡®He¡¯s so angry. He¡¯s extremely angry.¡¯ Not only did his n with Cadis end up in a failure, but Zieghart¡¯s reputation was increased to reach the sky and Cadis was even handicapped. It was truly the worst oue for him. Despite his peaceful appearance, he was probably so angry that he wanted to rampage around. ¡®Derus Robert¡­ You are really an amazing man.¡¯ He was still giving such a gentle smile despite his wrath. Raon had to admit that monstrous ability despite being an enemy. His patience was iparable to Cadis¡¯. ¡®However¡­ You won¡¯t be able to stay patient with whates next.¡¯ Crimson sparks appeared in Raon¡¯s eyes as he watched Derus. ¡®Because the submarine dungeon treasures that you care so much about are going to disappear.¡¯ Chapter 334 - 334

Chapter 334:

Raon smiled faintly while wetting his whistle. ''He said that he was going to heal Cadis''s arm personally. It''s all going ording to n.'' Derus mentioned that he had a few ideas to fix Cadis''s shoulder. Since the best method would be to look for an excellent doctor like the Ragged Saint or an elixir, he wouldn''t be able to return to House Robert for a while. ''I made sure to cut off Cadis''s armpletely in order to elicit that action.'' His revenge was one of the reasons that he twisted Cadis''s muscles and mana circuits when Raon cut off his arm, but the other reason was to force Derus to heal his arm so that he could enter the submarine dungeon in the meantime. Raon quietly looked behind him. Derus was talking to people who approached him with a gentle smile on his face. ''It''s a relief that you are still a snake that I knew.'' Since Raon was perfectly aware of Derus''s nature whether he was wearing a mask or not, it was easy to predict his course of action. The fact that he knew Derus''s true face was bound to be his best weapon to fight him in the future as well. The pizza is getting cold! Raon smiled in satisfaction and Wrath pointed at the dish while pping his hands like a crow tit. ''Ah, my bad.'' Raon nodded and started eating the pizza. The salty taste of cheese, the crunchiness of the crust, and the spicy sauce on the beef formed a perfect harmony while maintaining their characteristics. They can make some fine pizza. It''s not as good as Pineapple Girl''s, but it''s enough to satisfy the King of Essence. Wrath caressed his cheeks with a grin. ''I see.'' Raon chuckled and finished off the remaining pizza in one bite. ''Since I managed to take care of Derus, I just need to figure out how to reach the submarine dungeon.'' He''d heard that they were supposed to return to Zieghart in two days because the Six Kings conference and tournament had both ended. Since he would need to leave on his own instead of returning to the house, he had various ideas to achieve it¡ªhowever, none of them were satisfactory. ''Is there anything better I can do...?'' Wow! While Raon was contemting the matter, Wrath suddenly eximed. It''s not just the cheese. The entire pizza is melting in the mouth! It was an excellent bite! He wavered left and right like a tumbling doll while pointing at the empty dish. Next! The meat and shrimp shalle next! Offer up themb chop and the grilled shrimp that the King of Essence wanted to eat all along! ''Please calm down.'' Wrath''s face turnedpletely red from excitement, and Raon pushed it down before he stood up. He went to the buffet and brought themb chops and the garlic butter shrimp that Wrath wanted to eat. Shrimp. Start with the shrimp! Wrath pointed at the shrimp while tapping the table with his round hand. ''Is it really okay for a demon king to be so petty?'' He looked like a ten-year-old child at most whenever he was faced with food. Raon couldn''t believe that he was a demon king¡ªand the king of Wrath on top. He''s just a good-for-nothing glutton... Raon licked his lips and peeled the shrimp, then ate it. The softness of the butter seeping into the plump meat created a nutty and sweet vor. Moreover, the fragrance of garlic removed the greasiness. Raon felt like he couldn''t get tired of it. It''s filling the mouth! This is real food! Wrath sniffled, saying that he finally felt alive. Lamb chops next! ''Sure, sure.'' Raon chuckled and dug into themb chops. The juiciness of the meat exploded and spread the nutty fragrance throughout his mouth. He didn''t even need to chew much before swallowing it because of the tenderness of the meat. It''s melting in the mouth. It''s pretty much like warm ice cream! ''I see.'' Raon looked around while Wrath was enjoying his bliss. ''She''s still there.'' Runaan still hadn''t left the ice cream sector. She only moved around in the area and ate all kinds of ice cream. ''She must''ve had at least an entire box.'' A rough estimation was telling him that Runaan already had an entire box at least. It looked like her passion for ice cream didn''t lose to Wrath''s. ''Burren is being his usual self. He''s making connections just like in the house.'' Burren was in a group of Six Kings warriors who were talking to each other. It looked like they had be friends since they were patting each other''s shoulders. ''What about Martha...?'' Martha was eating the meat that was filling her table to the brim. It was no different from her usual behavior, but there was one peculiar aspect to note. ''Why is the third prince there?'' Owen''s third prince, Greer, was staring nkly at Martha as she gulped down her meat while sitting in front of her. He wasn''t even eating or drinking anything¡ªhe was just staring at her. "Aren''t you going to eat? Why are you just staring at me? It''s so annoying!" Martha frowned and expressed her displeasure at his behavior. "Watching you eat fills my stomach. Ah, you have food in the corner of your mouth." The third prince took out his handkerchief with a refreshing smile on his face. He extended his hand to wipe the sauce from around Martha''s lips and Martha punched him. "You must be insane!" "Ack!" Martha''s fist smacked the third prince''s forehead and he mmed into the ground. "Oh my god, that was so creepy. I''m getting goosebumps!" Martha''s shoulders trembled and went to the next table to keep eating her meat. Raon snorted while watching the faltering third prince. ''That''s definitely not working on her.'' What he did might work on others because of his excellent background, appearance, and skills but it was a no-go for Martha. Raon could guess that what he did would''ve earned Martha''s hatred instead. "Lst time it was my temple, and she hit my forehead this time." The third prince stood up with a trembling chin. His eyes were bright even though he had just been beaten up. Actually, he looked rather happy. "You are the first person to punch my forehead! I fell in love with y¡ª" "Fuck off!" His futile efforts came to an end as Martha smacked his neck to make him faint. ''That''s not going to work.'' Raon shook his head and stood up. Are you really going over there on your own ord? ''You want desserts now, right?'' The King of Essence''s education is finally bearing fruit! Wrath smiled brightly and nodded. If you serve the King of Essence more earnestly, he might ept you as his subordinate! ''No thanks.'' Raon went to the ice cream stands, and Runaan suddenly turned her head. Her nk eyes were brimming with happiness. ''How many is that?'' The bead ice cream was piled up like bubbles on Runaan''s dish. She must''ve had enough mint chocte, as all kinds of ice cream filled it. "Raon, are you also having ice cream?" "Yes." "I rmend the mint chocte." Runaan blinked her nk eyes and pointed in the direction of the mint chocte. "It is even more delicious today." Mint chocte! That''s the King of Essence''s subordinate for you! Wrath nodded in satisfaction and shoved his face against Raon''s. Follow Ice Cream Girl''s rmendation and scoop the mint chocte. No, you should take the whole box! ''You are gonna make Runaan cry.'' Ahem. In that case, just take five chunks... ''More than anything, I don''t like mint chocte.'' You have such bad taste! Look at how pitiful you are, you don''t even know the greatness of mint chocte''s refreshing taste! ''I see. Since I''m so pitiful, I''m going to eat the cookies and cream that I deserve.'' Raon nodded and scooped two chunks of cookies and cream ice cream into his dish. R-Raon? Wrath called his name in an unusual manner and secretly approached him to stick to his shoulder. My boy Raon, you ate too much greasy food today. Imagine the fragrance of the pine tree. Both your mouth and your stomach will feel refreshed like that if you finish today''s meal with mint choctes! His voice became as soft as a jade marble rolling on silk. ''Maybe I should do that.'' You definitely should! Your stomach will feel great, and you will be able to sleep soundly... ''Nope, I''m going to train tonight.'' Argh, you demon! It didn''t take long before Wrath got angry, even though he was fluttering like a piece of paper because he didn''t have any power left. Raon felt slightly bad about that and walked up to the mint chocte stand. Heeh? Wrath turned his head with a happy smile on his face. Wh-what''s wrong with you today? The King of Essence is so happy about this, but he''s also feeling anxious! Since Raon was usually unkind to him, Wrath managed to make an amazing expression¡ªthe left side of his face was smiling while the right side was frowning. ''Just because.'' He just wanted to make Wrath feel better while he was at it, as he suffered a lot from getting his stats taken away. "Huh?" Raon was about to scoop up some of the mint chocte, but his hand stopped. Unlike the other ice cream, there was no mint chocte. There wasn''t even a half spoon left even if he gathered the leftovers. ''It''s empty.'' It was probably because Runaan ate over half of it, and other people got curious because of her. Arrrgh! Wrath raised both his hands and started to scream. Ice Cream Girl! ''This is how Wrath should be.'' Raon chuckled. Wrath wouldn''t be himself anymore if he could eat to his heart''s content. Despairing from theck of food was more befitting to his image. ''Hmm?'' He ended up getting only cookies and cream, and a red-haired elf passed by like a shadow when he was about to return to his seat. ''What the hell has he done this time?'' Rimmer was roaming like a zombie. The scent of alcohol wafted from him, but he looked more like his spirit had left him rather than being drunk. "Squad leader?" "Huh?" Raon called his name, and he turned his head around in a daze. His eyes had no focus. "O-oh! Hello, Raon, my lucky charm!" "What happened to you?" "Sniff!" Rimmer walked up to him with teary eyes and hung his head. Hey, ice creames first... "Please,e this way." Raon brought Rimmer to a corner and created an aura barrier to block the sound. "What happened to you?" "My money! My savings for retirement! My 5000 gold is all gone!" He mmed the ground like a deranged man. Let''s talk while eating. He''s fine with cookies and cream... "5000 gold?" Raon figured he must''ve won that amount from gambling, but he couldn''t understand how he lost it. "Look at this." Rimmer took out a ckened paper from his pocket. It looked like a gambling ticket, and more than half of it must''ve been burnt, considering its size. "They said they won''t exchange it for money because this stamped part over here got burnt." He fell on his ass and started to cry, saying that his life was ruined. "Hmm..." Raon tried stretching the ticket and nodded. ''It''s broken.'' It was normal that they wouldn''t give him the money because the stamped part that was burned was what allowed them to discern real tickets from fakes. ''But... I might be able to get it.'' There was nothing to lose even if he failed. Raon decided to try and nodded. "I''ll try getting it." "C-can you do it?" "I''m not sure. And I don''t think I''ll manage to get all of it even if I seed." "I''m fine with that! I''m fine with a portion of it, so please!" Rimmer bogged him down and asked him to get something out of him, even if it was just a hundred gold. "Let''s go right now!" "Ah, let me find my wallet before then." "Wallet?" "Dorian!" After Raon finished eating the ice cream, he went to the Ministry of Finance, which organized the gambling during the tournament, alongside Dorian. Wait, gambling is organized officially by the kingdom? Wrath sat on Raon''s shoulder with mixed feelings showing on his face because he didn''t manage to eat mint chocte after the splendid meal. ''It''s only natural because a huge amount of money was at stake.'' Gambling was a popr entertainment on the continent. Countless legal gambling houses existed in the world on top of those in the underworld. Naturally, people also gambled during the tournament, and Owen Kingdom''s Ministry of Finance was in charge of it because they had the absolute trust of the people that they wouldn''t rob them. "Excuse me." Raon entered the office of the person in charge of gambling during the tournament. The officer looked like he was in his thirties, and he started to raise his head before he briskly stood up. "Huff! The White Sword Dragon! Ah, please excuse me! Swordsman Raon!" His eyes were full of panic as he bowed. "It''s fine." Raon smiled faintly and stood in front of the officer''s desk. "I came for the exchange." Raon said and showed Rimmer''s gambling ticket. "Ah, it''s about this..." The officer frowned while looking at the gambling ticket. "I''m sorry. I''ve already exined this to Sir Rimmer, but it can''t be exchanged for money because the stamped part was burned." "But I''m sure no one other than our squad leader requested the 5000 gold from the bet." "That''s true. But the regtion says that a gambling ticket without the stamped part cannot be exchanged for money." The officer took a gambling ticket from his desk. He pulled the fluttering upper part of the gambling part from both sides to split it into two. "The gambling tickets we make can be split into two like this, and we keep one of them while the customer keeps the other one. And..." Hebined the two tickets, and a faint light in the shape of a sword appeared. "We can confirm that it''s a real ticket bybining them like this, but it''s impossible in this case. That''s why it can''t be exchanged for money." The officer lowered his head, saying that he was truly sorry. "Hmm..." Raon nodded. That was exactly what he expected him to say, but the real deal was only getting started. "What is your name, officer?" "I''m called Cyrus." The officer lowered his eyes slightly while pointing at his namete. "Officer, I believe you are aware that our squad leader purchased this gambling ticket. Since it was an expensive one, you must''ve checked his face, and I also heard that many people have witnessed him with the gambling ticket in his possession." "Hmm, that''s true." "Which means that you recognize his identity." "Indeed. Just like I said before, we are ready to give the gold as soon as the stamp has been confirmed." Cyrus nodded. ''That''s half of the work done.'' He recognized Rimmer''s identity, and that implied that the chance of sess was rtively high. "I was in the banquet hall and came out just now." "Ah, I see. I thought it would be the case." Cyrus nodded while looking at Raon''s shy formal suit and the ck Dragon Coat covering it. "I noticed that the heads of the Six Kings became even more intimate with each other. It was probably thanks to the tournament." "It''s understandable, as it also left a deep impression on me multiple times. The way the esteemed White Sword Dragon jumped into the sky in the middle of a match in order to save people was the most impressive part, and I won''t be able to forget that scene for the rest of my life." He bowed once again and thanked him for saving his life. Raon could feel his favor from his gaze. "It looked like our head of house and his majesty were the most intimate among them." "I also noticed that they spoke to each other quite a bit." Cyrus agreed with a smile. "That''s why, once people at the top be aware of this incident, they will order it to be taken care of quietly. In the end, our squad leader will be getting the money." "Hmm..." "However, no matter how quietly you tried to deal with it, bad rumors might spread if people tried to argue about it." "That''s true." "And that''s why the top brass sent me, so that we can prevent that from happening." Raon raised his finger and pointed at the sky. "I-I see." Cyrus got nervous upon hearing that the top brass sent him and swallowed. Top brass? Shitty Ears was the one who asked you though? Wrath tilted his head in bewilderment. ''You are right. But he''s probably thinking that it must''ve been the Heavenly de division leader or the head of house.'' Since Raon spoke about Glenn and King Lecross before getting to the point, Sheryl or Glenn''s face must''vee to the officer''s mind. That was what Raon was aiming for. Was that your goal all along when you talked about your old man? How nasty... Wrath''s lips were trembling in bewilderment. "I''d like to quietly deal with it to avoid troubling the top brass. The money belongs to our squad leader, after all." "B-but we need the gambling ticket..." Cyrus pointed at the gambling ticket while sweating. Raon had a solution for that. "Can you give me a new gambling ticket and a pen?" "Sure, here you go." Cyrus took out an empty gambling ticket and a pen from the drawer. "Hmm..." Raon took the pen and copied Rimmer''s handwriting on the new gambling ticket. He even slightly crumpled the paper to make it look exactly the same as the original. It was the documentary fabrication skill that he had acquired on his own when he was an assassin. ''It''s really helpful.'' The experience from his previous life was very helpful in his new life. "Ah..." Cyrus''s jaw dropped as he witnessed the scene. His face was telling him that he didn''t even know that was possible. "You just need to stamp here now. Dorian." Raon extended his hand to Dorian, who was standing next to him. "Yes." Dorian responded like always and took out a white pouch from his belly pocket. It contained the gold coins that he''d prepared in advance. "I''d like you to use this to wet your whistle since it must be a tiring job." He received the gold pouch and ced it on Cyrus''s desk. His shoulders flinched upon hearing the rattling sound. "Wh-what is this...?" "It''s my token of sincerity to quietly resolve this issue." Raon shook his hand with a smile. "Hmm..." Cyrus couldn''t take his trembling eyes off the gold pouch. He must''ve realized how much money it contained just from hearing the sound, as his job dealt with lots of money. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Cyrus''s trembling chin. ''It worked perfectly.'' Despite his gentle tone, he was pretty much threatening him. He was crushing him with his position, reputation, and money. "Ugh..." Cyrus bit his lip tightly and put down the gold pouch. He took a round seal from the drawer and stamped it on the gambling ticket. He pulled it from both sides to divide it into the customer''s ticket and the confirmation ticket. "I-I''ve confirmed the gambling ticket." He lowered his eyes slightly after pushing the gambling ticket and the confirmation receipt aside. "Do you want to ept the gold right away?" "That would be easier for me." Raon gently nodded. "Alright." Cyrus went to the vault on the right side and opened the door. He took out ten gold pouches from inside and ced them on the desk. The desk was shaking slightly because of how heavy they were. "There are five hundred coins in each of them." "Confirmed." Raon skimmed through each of the pouches and nodded. "The exchange has beenpleted. Have a nice evening." Cyrus''s face returned to his original appearance. He must''ve epted the reality of the situationpletely. "Thank you. Dorian." "Ah, yes!" Raon called Dorian, and he absentmindedly started putting the gold in his belly pocket. What the hell? How is this even possible? Wrath also shook his head in disbelief. "As I already mentioned, it would be best to keep it quiet about this matter¡ªas if nothing special happened." "Did anything happen just now? You just came to exchange the money, didn''t you?" Cyrus tilted his head, pretending nothing happened. Raon was satisfied with his attitude. "Indeed." Raon nodded and turned around. The way he simply opened the door and left looked like he really came for a normal exchange. "Huaah..." Dorian finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I-it really worked!" "That''s because human beings tend to filter what they see and hear." Raon chuckled and looked at Dorian. "Once I give you the signal, take out only five out of the ten pouches we got." "F-five pouches? That''s only half though..." "It''s fine." "Err..." Raon left the Ministry of Finance alongside the confused Dorian. "R-Raon!" Rimmer was gobbling down alcohol while waiting around the garden. He ran up to Raon on all fours as soon as he noticed him. "They said no, didn''t they? Those damn bastards! My money is gone! Sniff..." He threw away the empty bottle and grasped his head. "It was indeed unfortunate..." "Damn it!" "That I only managed to get half of the sum." "Huh? Really?" Rimmer''s eyes widened upon hearing the answer. It looked like his eyes were about to pop out. "Dorian." "Yes..." Dorian took five gold pouches from his belly pocket and ced them down with a trembling chin. "H-how did you do this...?" "I negotiated with them. It was difficult because they also wanted to keep the money, as it could be used as the kingdom''s budget, but I barely managed to get half of it." "That''s good enough! I thought I wasn''t going to get any of it!" Rimmer sniffled while looking at the gold pouch, saying that he was fine with that. "In return, you shouldn''t talk about this to anyone..." "Of course, I won''t! You really are the only one who cares about me!" He suddenly stood up and hugged Raon. "You are the light and salt of my life. You are also my hope and the god of fortune! I really appreciate what you did!" "You are wee." Raon patted Rimmer''s shoulder and his mouth curved into a smile. ''I''m the one who should be thanking you. I''m so thankful for your continued donations.'' Raon snickered. When he looked aside, he met Dorian and Wrath''s terrified trembling eyes. "Aah..." Th-the King of Essence is afraid of you now... * * * Raon left Rimmer alone in his uncontroble happiness and returned to the lodging area alongside Dorian. He opened the door at the entrance, and he was about to enter when a middle-aged man walked up to him from the right side. "Huh?" Dorian seemed to have recognized him since his eyes turned round. "Nice to meet you, White Sword Dragon." The middle-aged man bowed politely. "My name is Tetkal, I am from the Yeonampany." "Ah, I''m Raon Zieghart." Raon greeted him back, but he didn''t recognize him at all. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but may I borrow this man for a moment?" Tetkal pointed at Dorian. Raon judged from their reactions that they were acquaintances. "Ah, he''s my father''s friend." "Ah!" "I''ll be back soon after talking with him." "Alright." Raon nodded, and Dorian went to the garden next to the lodgings alongside Tetkal. Momentster, Tetkal was the first one to leave. Dorian walked out of the garden a long time after that. His steps werepletely depressed. "Hmm..." Raon licked his lips. Not only the steps but even his face looked gloomy. "What happened?" "It was nothing special..." He shook his hand, saying that it wasn''t a big deal. "Your face is telling me that it was special, though." "Uhh..." Dorian rubbed his belly pocket. Raon recognized that it was Dorian''s habit whenever he was nervous. "Well, I won''t pry any further if it''s a secret." "Erm..." Dorian hesitated for a moment before he raised his head. "He told me that my father asked me to visit thepany..." "You did tell me that you were from a merchant house." Dorian had mentioned that he was from apany in the southwest. ''He''s going to thepany... This sounds pretty good.'' Raon licked his lips. He was looking for an excuse to visit the submarine dungeon at House Robert, and bringing Dorian to his home seemed to be the perfect excuse. ''This should work.'' Since he would be escorting a cherished squad member as the vice squad leader, Raon figured that Rimmer would obviously allow it, and even the head of house would. "In that case, you should go." Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face. "You didn''t even visit them after you got kidnapped, so let''s go there while we are nearby. I''ll notify our superiors about it." "Yes..." Dorian nodded reluctantly even though he seemed to hate the idea. ''He seems to have his own reasons.'' Raon previously thought that Dorian wasn''t returning to his house because he couldn''t be bothered, but his expression told him that there must''ve been circumstances around it. "Your family name is Aihpes, right?" Raon tried to remember if he knew anypany or merchant house called Aihpes, but nothing came to his mind. It must''ve been a small house, just like he''d thought in the past. "I-I''m sorry I didn''t tell you about this earlier. That''s a fake name..." Dorian slowly shook his head. "My family name isn''t Aihpes. I had it reversed, my real name is Sephia..." "Sephia?" Raon murmured "Sephia" for a moment before his eyes widened. "Are you really from that Sephiapany?" "You know about them?" "Of course I do!" Sephia was one of the five biggestpanies of the continent, and it was a huge organization that branched out from the southwest to the entire continent. "Wait, you..." Raon''s voice turned gentle for the first time. "Have you been a young master all along?" Chapter 335 - 335

Chapter 335:

Raon licked his lips while observing Dorian''s embarrassment. ''This finally solves the mystery of his belly pocket.'' The Sephiapany dealt with all sorts of items, rather than focusing on just one. The reason Dorian''s belly pocket contained all kinds of surprises was that he was the young master of the Sephiapany. Th-the King of Essence knew it! Wrath was standing in a daze but suddenly nodded. He wouldn''t have epted just anyone as his subordinate! He took him in as a subordinate because he noticed the noble air around him! He conceitedly praised his own insight. ''He really loves to brag...'' Apparently, the way he was bragging didn''t count as a lie because he had no problem saying it. Raon shook his head and looked at Dorian. "You''ve been calling me young master, but I was the one who should''ve been doing it." Dorian has been calling him young master from the first time they met, but it was actually Raon who should''ve been calling him young master instead. "N-no! Definitely not!" Dorian shook his head violently. "Of course I should have. Your background is far better than mine." Since he was considered at the lowest rank of the coterals, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that Dorian''s rank was higher because he was a son of the Sephiapany. "Why did you hide your identity despite being a young master from thepany?" Raon''s eyes turned serious. He didn''t think Dorian was trying to deceive him, considering his personality, but he wanted to know the reason behind it. "Haa..." Dorian sighed and raised his head. "I''m really not a young master. I''m a child of a concubine." He hung his head while rubbing his belly pocket. "Moreover, I''m the youngest son. That''s why I was abused until I left the house." "Abused?" "Yes. The president mostly pretended I didn''t exist, and my brothers and sisters bullied me every day." Dorian''s voice was apathetic, and that made it even sadder. He sounded like he didn''t have any attachment to the Sephiapany at all. ''Has he been kind to me because his life was simr to mine...?'' The reason Dorian acted favorably towards him and spoke to him from the first encounter must''ve been because Raon reminded him of the days he spent at thepany. "I was pretty much an invisible person in the Sephiapany. There''s nothing to gain from knowing my identity, and that''s why I didn''t tell you about it. I''m sorry..." Dorian closed his mouth tightly and lowered his head. "It''s fine. You don''t have an obligation to tell me all of your personal matters." Raon shook his head. Everyone had things they wanted to hide. Even though Dorian was his subordinate and a close friend, he didn''t have to tell Raon everything about himself. "But Sephia is located in the southwest. How did you evene to Zieghart?" "The president gave us a trial." "The president is your father, right?" "Ah, yes." "Hmm..." The way he called him the president instead of ''father'' proved that he really was mistreated in his home. That aspect was also simr to Raon. "What kind of trial was it?" "He said that the person who brought something from thepany and managed to turn it into the biggest treasure would be the sessor. Naturally, all of his descendants participated in it." Dorian sighed deeply while thinking about that moment. "The choice was given by the order of birth, and my brothers and sisters took all of the president''s connections, trading rights, gold, and human resources from thepany. That''s why I had no choice but to take this." Heughed bitterly while stroking his belly pocket. "That pocket looks pretty good though." Dorian''s belly pocket was different from an ordinary subspace pocket. The way it stored objects was rather special, and it didn''t even have any limits on how many it could hold. It must''ve been a priceless treasure. "No one knew what it was because the president didn''t exin anything." "Ah..." That was understandable. Choosing connections, trading rights, or merchandise with clear benefits were obviously better options than an unknown pocket. "Once I realized that this was a subspace pocket, I put everything in thepany''s warehouse into the pocket and ran away. I was nning on never returning after that since I have no intention of inheriting thepany." Dorian''s eyes turned brighter. Raon could tell from his expression how much he''d suffered from thepany. "I was heading North, and I happened to meet a Zieghart swordsman who noticed my talent and rmended me to the training ground. That''s how I got to join everyone." "What about your mother?" "I heard she died while giving birth to me. I''m not even sad about it because I don''t know her face." Dorian raised his hand with an apathetic expression. "That''s all. It wasn''t a fun story, was it?" "Indeed..." Raon nodded. He thought Dorian was a young master, but that wasn''t the case at all. He was born into a rough environment simr to his own, or even worse than his. ''However...'' There were a few questionable parts. The fact that Dorian ended up getting the belly pocket because its ability wasn''t exined, and the fact that a small child managed to steal thepany''s items while no one stopped him, suggested that there could be hidden circumstances around it. Ahem. Wrath wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and sniffled. Poor little thing... ''Seriously, this demon...'' Regardless of his wrath, the title of demon king didn''t match him at all. Raon was curious about how he even ended up as a demon king. "Why are they asking you to return now?" "It''s probably an interim check." "Interim check?" "Yes, because the trial originally had a time limit of ten years, and it''s been almost eight years now. They must be trying to check on what we''ve achieved." Dorian sighed, saying that his siblings must''ve already visited the house. "In that case, we should go." "What?" "We can''t miss this opportunity, since you could be the Sephiapany''s president." "B-but I''m just a son of a concubine..." He shook his head violently, saying that it was impossible. "A Light Wind swordsman shouldn''t give up before even trying." "Ah..." Raon''s gentle yet powerful words broadened Dorian''s eyes like a full moon. "You can be the president if you seed, and you can keep on living as a Light Wind member if you fail. There''s nothing to lose for you. Moreover..." Raon raised his hand and clenched his fist. "It''s the perfect opportunity to beat up¡ªI mean, get revenge on your siblings who bullied you." "Th-that''s true. There''s no reason to be scared, even though I am..." Even though Dorian nodded, his chin was still trembling, as he was a coward. "You should get ready to depart since we can leave at any moment. I''ll be going with you." "Y-you, too?" "I should greet them since it was my fault that you got kidnapped. Moreover, I''d feel uneasy leaving you on your own because you wouldn''t be able to say anything like a wimp." "Ah, okay!" The way his face turned brighter looked like the sun was shining upon him. He nodded brightly and ran into his room. You... Wrath narrowed his eyes and red at him. You aren''t trying to help him, but take advantage of him by turning him into the president, aren''t you? ''You are finally gaining some insight.'' Y-you are even worse than a devil! Your heart must be scorched ck! ''I was kidding.'' Raon smiled while watching Dorian''s back. ''Since he''s been so considerate to me, I shall return the favor.'' It would be nice if he took over thepany, but it was fine even if he didn''t. Raon just wanted to help Dorian once he returned to his home, where he''d been abused so hard that he didn''t even want to return. ''I should also get going now... hmm?'' He could feel someone''s gaze from the garden behind the lodgings. He ced his hand on Heavenly Drive and turned around. ''Is that... an owl?'' A young owl was looking at him from above a tree. ''I must''ve been imagining things.'' He felt like a person was watching him instead of an animal, but it must''ve been a mistake. "Haa." He sighed, and when he was about to visit Glenn''s room, the owl stretched its wings and flew down towards him from the tree. "Peep." The owl gave a cute smile with its eyes and smoothlynded on Raon''s shoulder. "Don''t tell me..." "You guessed it right." Merlin''s voice wasing from the owl''s beak. "Ugh..." Raon created an aura barrier to block the sound and smacked his forehead. ''You crazy stalker...'' He frowned and moved to a corner that wasn''t frequented. Hieeh! Wrath''s chin was trembling when he saw the owl. This is getting so scary! Why the hell is she even following you?! ''...I don''t know either.'' It was a squirrel, then a crow-tit, and she even managed to coax an owl to talk to him. The funny part was the fact that all three of them had cute appearances. "You managed to win in the end. You were really cool." "Did you actually watch?" "I would never miss your great moments. I properly watched the way you made Garona kneel in front of you, and the way you cut off Cadis''s arm." "Our head of house and the other heads of the Six Kings were in the arena though." "They aren''t enough to stop me." Merlin raised her wing and smiled. The owl''s eyes curved into a crescent shape as if it were a human. ''What is wrong with her obsession...?'' Watching the preliminaries was understandable, but the heads of the Six Kings were present in the arena starting from the semifinals. Raon couldn''t believe the fact that Merlin from Eden managed to spectate without being noticed. "I''m looking forward to your future even more now. I''m so impatient to find out what kind of man you will be." Merlin rubbed his chin with her wing. She must''ve been trying to be seductive, but she simply looked cute because she had a young owl''s appearance. "Eden and the White Blood Religion are both going to be unable to act for a while, so you can rampage to your heart''s content." "Even the White Blood Religion?" Raon had already heard that Eden wouldn''t take any action for a while, but he didn''t expect the White Blood Religion to remain silent as well. "They also took a lot of damage thanks to your monstrous grandfather." Merlin smiled cheerfully and pped her wings. "Are you heading to that meek boy''s house next?" "..." Raon stared at the owl instead of responding. "I told you already, but our paths are different. I can''t do anything for you even if you give me all that information." Even if Merlin saw him as Raon instead of Loctar, it didn''t change the fact that their paths differed. He was thankful for the information, but he didn''t want to deceive her while earning her favor. "I also already answered your concern. It doesn''t matter." Merlin giggled and spread her wings. "And our paths are bound toe together eventually. I might be joining you, or you might be joining me." "That''s never going to happen." Raon shook his head firmly. "You won''t know what awaits you at the end of the path until you reach it. We will be together eventually." Merlin''s eyes curved gently. "I''ll keep watching you in the future." She groomed the feathers around the stomach with her beak and shook her wings. "Give some worms to this one." "Again? I keep telling you to stop asking me to keep your promi¡ª" "Grr." Raon wanted to tell her to keep her promise herself, but the owl growled. "Grrr." It tapped Raon''s shoulder with its feet to urge him to give it food. Huhuhu. Wrath raised his chin while watching him. That stalker is so creepy, but it''s so fun to watch you get flustered. He giggled while Raon frowned with the owl urging him to give the food already. "How am I even supposed to get worms here?" "Vice squad leader!" Raon was frowning at the owl, and Dorian came back out from the lodgings. "We aren''t leaving tomorrow, are we?" "No we aren''t. But..." Raon pointed at the young owl on his shoulder and sighed briefly. "Do you have some worms, by any chance?" "..." Dorian stared nkly at the owl for a while before he opened his mouth. "A-are you trying to open a zoo?" After the banquet ended, Glenn returned to his room alongside Roenn and Sheryl to have a simple after-party. "Our Zieghart faction benefited the most from this conference of the Six Kings." Sheryl smiled while having a drink. "Yes. Zieghart''s reputation has reached even higher thanks to Sir Raon and the Light Wind squad''s swordsmen." Roenn nodded in agreement. "The Light Wind squad is rather amazing, but Raon''s growth is phenomenal. He was at the highest rank of Expert when we were on a mission together, but he''s already an intermediate Master. I''ve been watching his growth, but it''s still difficult to believe." Sheryl shook her head and murmured that it was ridiculous. "The more surprising part about him is the burst he shows. Every single one of Raon''s opponents during this tournament was stronger than him. Matisse, Borini Kitten, Garona, and even Cadis. I don''t even understand how he always manages to defeat opponents stronger than himself." "He also surprises me every single time. There''s normally a huge difference in power between the different stages of Master, yet he somehow manages to ovee it." Roenn also eximed, saying that he''d never seen a warrior like Raon before. Theyplimented Raon for a while before looking at Glenn at the same time. "Ahem!" Glenn''s face had turned red. He was supporting his chin with his left hand while doing his best to stop the corners of his lips from soaring into the sky. "Well, he is indeed peculiar in a way. He didn''t get stronger through sheer luck. It was his efforts that allowed him to reach his current position. That''s why his martial art is so solid. A warrior weaker than him can never dream of defeating him, and his continuous training gave him such a high proficiency that it allows him to attack the opening of a warrior even stronger than him. Moreover..." He couldn''t suppress his lips anymore and his mouth was curving into a smile. "He also has the best fighting spirit and righteousness among the children I''ve seen so far. No one else in the world would be stupid enough to jump into the sky in the middle of a match in order to save people!" He was calling him an idiot, but his eyes were filled with pride for Raon. "I totally agree with you." "Definitely." Roenn and Sheryl grinned while listening to Glenn''s excited speech. "The entire continent must''ve learned about Raon''s nature thanks to this tournament." Sheryl tapped the table and smiled. "People even started calling him the White Sword Dragon. He can''t be considered a mere future prospect anymore." Having the word dragon in an alias signified that he was the best among the future prospects. It was proof that people had acknowledged Raon as an equal to the high ranks of the Twelve Stars of the Continent. "Since he''s over halfway to the next realm, he should be able to attain advanced Master next year." "A twenty-year-old advanced Master. He really is history in the making." Sheryl and Roenn kept praising Raon while enjoying Glenn''s reaction as he tried his best to suppress his emotions. "Ahem, I guess he would, because he never stops his efforts on top of being talented. He changes so much every day that I keep looking forward to what he''ll be the next day." Glenn nodded and covered his mouthpletely. However, he couldn''tpletely hide his smile because of his smiling eyes. Knock, knock. While the three of them were having a fun time, someone knocked on the door. Since they were all aware of who would be visiting them, they weren''t really surprised. "I''m going to greet him." Roenn stood up and opened the door. Raon ced his hand on his chest and lowered his head. "I''m sorry for visiting sote." "What brought you here?" Glenn changed his face in an instant and raised his chin while looking at him with a cold gaze. "I''d like to have a word with you." "I''m listening." Raon closed the door and came into the room to stand in front of Glenn. "Someone came to find Dorian earlier, the quartermaster of the Light Wind squad. He..." Raon told Glenn about Dorian''s circumstances. The three of them listened to him without showing any reaction. ''Were they aware of this all along?'' Even though Raon mentioned that Dorian''s family name was Sephia, they didn''t really show any reaction. Raon could assume that they were already aware of that fact. "So, are you nning to go with him?" "Dorian was kidnapped because of me. I''d like to visit them to exin the situation and apologize in order to return a portion of the favor that I''ve received from him." Raon told him his feelings honestly, without any lies involved. "The favor?" "Dorian treated me as a friend when the people in the house were all avoiding me. It might be inadequate, but I''d like to help him as much as possible." "I see." Glenn used the hand that was supporting his chin to cover his mouth and nodded slightly. "Did you consider the possibility that you might get kidnapped again?" "You''ve personally shown what happens to those who dared to kidnap a Zieghart, my lord. No one would be crazy enough to do that again." Eden''s branch had been destroyed, and countless apostles and fanatics from the White Blood Religion had perished. People were bound to avoid targeting a Zieghart swordsman for a while. "However..." Raon touched his uniform and lowered his head slightly. "I''m nning to leave in the middle of our return, just in case. Of course, I''m also going to travel in disguise." "Hmm..." "Please allow me to go." Raon lowered his head. "Hmm..." Glenn stroked his beard and looked at Raon''s hand. "Do you have the ring that Chamber gave to you?" "Ah, I left it in my room." "You should have it equipped at all times." "Is it capable of locating me?" "...It has a simr function." Glenn repeated that Raon should never take it off and narrowed his eyes. "You can leave at Sylphin vige in three days." "Thank you." "Since you are going under Zieghart''s name, you should make sure to resolve the issue." "Understood." Raon bowed politely and left the room. "Huhu." "I would''ve liked to return with him... Hmm?" Roenn and Sheryl were worried that Glenn might be sad to part with Raon as they looked at him. However, Glenn was covering his eyes, contrary to their expectations. "H-he''s such a..." He covered his mouth and looked at the door where Raon left. "Laudable boy! Look at how much he cares about hispanions! How is he so kind...?" Instead of being saddened, Glenn''s hands were trembling in happiness from his grandson''s kindness. "..." Sheryl and Roenn shook their heads while watching him. His condition was so serious that they couldn''t even make fun of him. ''His love for his grandson is a serious disease at this point...'' * * * Two dayster. House Zieghart was the second group to leave the Owen Kingdom, after House Robert. "Woaaah!" "White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon!" "Zieghart! Zieghart!" "I won''t forget that match for the rest of my life!" "Thank you for saving us!" "I''ll be looking forward to hearing news about you!" The Owen Kingdom''s citizens cheered while calling Raon and Zieghart''s names as well as Glenn''s name. It was theplete opposite from when they first arrived in the kingdom. "Wow!" "We are so popr!" "I feel like we already returned to Zieghart even though we are still in Owen." "That''s wrong. People don''t cheer for us so hard even at the house." The Light Wind squad waved their hands to respond to the people''s cheers. "They said the de of Tempest! They are calling my name!" "Stop calling me Miss Rakshasa!" Burren grinned upon hearing his nickname, and Martha gave a deadly re to the person who called her Miss Rakshasa. "Haa..." Dorian let out a depressed sigh. He seemed to be worried because he had to return to his house. "..." Runaan was staring nkly at the sky, and she was the only one with her usual behavior. Raon furrowed his brow while listening to the Light Wind squad''sughter. ''They''ve already gotten dull.'' Raon could tell from their reaction that they wouldn''t be able to focus on training after they returned to the house¡ªthey''d start beingzy. ''I need to put some pressure on them.'' It would''ve been fine if he returned with them, but he was going to be away for a while. That was why he decided to pull them together before he left. Whir. Raon created an aura barrier around just the Light Wind squad and turned around. "You know I''m going to leave tomorrow with Dorian, don''t you?" "Uuh..." "O-of course we do." "We do, but why are you talking about that now...?" Their lips trembled upon hearing Raon''s low voice. "Anyone whose growth I deem unsatisfactory once Ie back..." "Argh!" "Uuh..." Raon examined the Light Wind members with a cold gaze, and they swallowed nervously in terror. "Shall do focus enhancement training for a month." "A-a month?" "What the hell...?" "Th-that''s going to kill us!" "A human being can''t possibly survive that training!" The Light Wind members violently shook their hands and called him insane. "You won''t have to do it if you do your best while I''m gone." "What''s the standard that makes you satisfied? You have to tell us how much we have to grow at least!" Burren raised his hand and pointed out the problem. "I''ll see when I''m back." Raon smiled and swirled his finger. He was telling them to keep training since he would be judging them on his own ord. "Damn it!" "We are screwed!" "We won''t be able to rest even after we return..." "Mom..." The Light Wind squad hugged their horses with teary eyes. "He''s a real demon!" "He''s not a demon. He''s a fucking demon king! He''s the demon king of mockery!" Burren and Martha were also grinding their teeth while looking at Raon. Ooh! Shitty Eyes and Beef Girl understand! This monster''s malice is as bad as a demon king! Even the King of Essence is falling victim to it every day! Wrath flew in front of Burren and Martha and nodded violently. Raon snickered and turned around. ''This solves the issue with their training.'' The Light Wind squad was strong. It was obvious that drawing a line would be pointless since they would easily break through and start resting. That was why he created a reason for them to keep training until he returned. "Vice squad leader, are we heading to my house right away?" "I want to do that, but let''s do a good deed before we go." "A good deed?" "Yes." Raon nodded and looked up to the sky. ''I can''t be defeated again.'' He couldn''t afford to lose again, whether it was against Eden or Derus. He wanted to make sure that Derus would stay away from his house in order to prevent his interference. ''I''ll start by taking away your time.'' Chapter 336 Spire-like buildings stood behind a thick gray rampart. The solid walls and sophisticated buildings belonged to Cameloon, one of the greatest merchant cities on the continent. It received over ten thousand visitors a day. Raon and Dorian were looking at Cameloon¡¯s walls from their horses just like when they visited it five years ago. ¡°This is already the fourth time we¡¯vee here. That¡¯s so many.¡± Dorian licked his lips. His hair was dyed brown. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded. His hair and eye color had both been changed to ck. Since the public was told that they were going back to Zieghart, they changed their hair and eye colors to deceive the others, and they were also wearing windbreakers as clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon bobbed his chin at Dorian and started riding his horse towards Cameloon. ¡°It¡¯s good for me because I can replenish my supplies, but why are we going to Cameloon?¡± ¡°We are sightseeing.¡± ¡°S-sightseeing, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why you should stop being so nervous.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Dorian was confused, but Raon simply tapped his shoulder before showing his fake identity card to the guard at the gate. You aren¡¯t sightseeing at all! Wrath sat on Raon¡¯s shoulder and wrinkled his nose. There¡¯s no way someone as evil as you woulde here for no reason. You must be plotting something. You have so many damn secrets despite being a mere weakling. ¡®Hmm, I was nning to eat lots of delicious food today, but¡­¡¯ R-really? ¡®Yes.¡¯ Wrath briskly stood up and Raon chuckled. ¡®I¡¯m nning to have some fun.¡¯ Raon nodded and entered Cameloon. ¡°Wee! The fruit is in a great state today!¡± ¡°You idiot! You are supposed to bring that over here!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you make it cheaper for me? We are both professionals here.¡± ¡°That price already leaves me with no profit!¡± Cameloon was as lively as always. Their enthusiasm reached Raon¡¯s skin, and he wanted to start swinging his sword to train right away. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Dorian tilted his head once he passed inspection to enter the city. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon didn¡¯t immediately start moving, unlike thest time. He looked around with a puzzled expression on his face, pretending it was his first time in Cameloon. He rolled his eyes for about thirty seconds, and the sound of small approaching footsteps could be heard from the side. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± He looked to the side upon hearing the cheerful voice, and a girl with her blue hair tied into a ponytail was nodding at him. ¡°Is this your first time in Cameloon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon spoke bluntly and nodded at the child. ¡°In that case, shall I guide you into the city? We are professional guides for the tourists called Blue Cloud.¡± The girl pointed at her vest, which had a picture of a cloud on it. ¡°I can guide you to anywhere you want, including must-eat ces, attractions, and even symbolic locations at a small cost of a silver coin!¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Raon opened his mouth while meeting the girl¡¯s clear eyes. ¡°My name is Pine.¡± The girl smiled cheerfully and tilted her head slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll try it out.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Pine raised her hand with a smile on her face. ¡°Where do you want to visit first? We have an ongoing festival right now, and I rmend going there first!¡± ¡°A festival¡­¡± Festival means food! And food means festival! Wrath pulled Raon¡¯s sleeve while telling him to go to the festival already. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with the festival.¡± ¡°Yes! Pleasee this way!¡± Raon nodded, and Pine pleasantly responded then started to move right away. ¡®She looks just like Yua.¡¯ Her clear voice and cheerful steps reminded him of Yua when she used to work in the pub. ¡°E-erm¡­¡± Dorian came up next to him while Raon was following Pine. ¡°It¡¯s not our first timeing here though. Why are we doing this even though it¡¯s our fourth time¡­?¡± He quietly whispered to ask for his reason. ¡°She needs to make a living.¡± Raon pointed at the blue cloud symbol on Pine¡¯s back. ¡°That emblem is a sign that she¡¯s an orphan who makes her own money.¡± ¡°Ah! I-I didn¡¯t know about that.¡± Dorian scratched his cheek in embarrassment. ¡°Since we are going to be sightseeing anyway, it¡¯s better to have a guide, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Dorian smiled pleasantly and nodded. He must¡¯ve liked the idea because it was a good deed. That¡¯s what happened¡­ Wrath wrinkled his mouth while looking at Pine. Give her twice as much money as you are supposed to! She¡¯s already working at her age, what audable girl! ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon sighed. He couldn''t understand how a demon king could be so softhearted. Raon kept walking while talking with Dorian and Wrath, and he arrived at the festival in no time. ¡°This is the festival!¡± Pine raised her hand and pointed at the festival. Almost four whole blocks were being used for it. ¡°This is a lot bigger than I thought!¡± Dorian dropped his jaw. ¡°It¡¯s because we are celebrating the founding of the city! That¡¯s why we have so many people, events, and types of food here!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Dorian patted Pine¡¯s head and smiled. The King of Essence can smell chicken skewers from the left. They are using salt and soy sauce as spices! The fragrance of grilled pork is spreading from the right! Center! There is ice cream at the center! Wrath figured out which food was in which direction as if he were analyzing an enemy¡¯s location and darted his tongue in and out. His ability to identify food was even better than a dog¡¯s sense of smell. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t see any wrath from him. He was just a demon king of gluttony by any measure. ¡°Where do you want to start?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon briefly sighed at Wrath before he raised his head. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the food.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Pine smiled cheerfully and waved her hand. ¡°This way!¡± * * * Night fell over Cameloon. The sky was getting darker and darker, but the darkness couldn¡¯t reach the city because of the heated festival. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Pine lowered her head at the two travelers she guided. ¡°I can only work until six at night ording to our facility¡¯s rules. I have to go now.¡± ¡°Six at night?¡± The brown-haired man with a round overall shape tilted his head. He was the one who¡¯d been talking to her kindly. ¡°Yes. The director believes that kids should have enough sleep and rest. That¡¯s why we aren¡¯t allowed to work after the evening.¡± ¡°Your director must be a nice person.¡± ¡°Yes! She¡¯s really kind to us!¡± Pine smiled brightly while she nodded. ¡°Alright, thank you for your work.¡± The tall man with ck hair and ck eyes gave her the guiding fee. But the number of silver coins in her hand was two instead of one. ¡°This is too much. You even treated me today¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can have it.¡± He said that he was giving her a tip because he was satisfied with her work. ¡°Goodbye.¡± The brown-haired man waved his hand with a smile. ¡°Thank you!¡± Pine smiled cheerfully and bowed. She wildly waved her hand at them before heading to the exit. ¡®They are both nice people.¡¯ Her two clients, who seemed to be travelers, were both polite and kind towards her even though she was just a child. They bought extra food for her each time they bought something from the stalls, and she managed to fill her stomach, which hadn¡¯t happened in a long time. They even packaged some snacks for her friends, which was really encouraging. ¡®I wish all the clients were like them¡­¡¯ Pine left Cameloon and walked for a while, thinking about the happy day she had. She walked for about an hour, and she finally stopped in front of an orphanage called the Cloud¡¯s House. ¡°You are finally back.¡± An old woman was sitting on a chair in front of the orphanage¡¯s entrance with amp in her hand. Her gentle smile gave her a kindhearted appearance. She was the director of Cloud''s House. ¡°How was your day today?¡± ¡°It was fun.¡± Pine cheerfully responded. However, her eyes suddenly lost focus the moment she entered the Cloud¡¯s House. Her eyespletely stopped, as if she had ceased being a human and became a doll instead. ¡°I see, I see. Good job.¡± The director patted her back, and she started walking towards the orphanage with slightly trembling feet. Her cheerful steps at Cameloon were nowhere to be found, and she was as stiff as a marite. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Pine¡¯s lips trembled. ¡®It¡¯s here again.¡¯ She could never get used to that sensation even though she experienced it every day. She was getting goosebumps because it felt like someone else was controlling her body. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just her body, since even her mind was being manipted by someone else. Pine entered the director¡¯s room regardless of her own volition. She pressed a button on the wall to her right and a hole appeared under the desk. Pine entered the hole and walked downstairs without any hesitation. A huge cavern could be found at the end of the long stairway, and children around Pine¡¯s age who were wearing cloud vests were lined up inside. Their faces looked so sad¡ªas if they could start crying at any moment. Men wearing ck clothes and masks were standing at the front and back of the children. And the one standing at the rear bobbed his finger at Pine. ¡°Number 45,e over here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Pine quietly responded and walked up to him. Number 45. That was her real name, not Pine. nk. Number 45 put down the money she earned from the guide work. ¡°Do you have anything else?¡± She took out the snacks that the travelers gave her from her pocket. Crack! The man in ck shattered the snack with his heel and looked at Number 45. ¡°Tell me about them.¡± ¡°ck hair, ck eyes. 187 centimeters tall, 88 kilograms, right-handed, swordsman, lots of openings. Brown hair, blue eyes, 178 centimeters tall, 79 kilograms, right-handed, swordsman, no openings.¡± Number 45 recited the information about the two travelers she met during the day. She didn¡¯t investigate them nor tell him about them because she wanted to. She was simply doing so because she was educated to do so. ¡°Can you kill them?¡± Number 45¡¯s head automatically started the simtion upon hearing the man¡¯s question. ¡°I should be able to eliminate them by guiding them to Gaviel¡¯s pub with the steep stairs and attacking the brown-haired man from behind, then cutting the ck-haired man¡¯s Achille¡¯s tendon before he reacts.¡± Number 45 responded with the result of her simtion. ¡°Good job.¡± The masked man nodded, and Number 45 went to the center of the cavern and joined the other children. Even though she was so happy when she returned from work, her frowning face looked like she was about to cry. Anyone could tell that sad things happened to her because of how natural her expression was. ¡°Number 2.¡± The masked man at the front called Number 2, and the children suddenly curved their mouths into bright smiles even though they¡¯d been crying until a moment ago. It was the happy smile that Number 45 had shown during the guiding duty. Number 45 swallowed nervously while maintaining her perfect smile. ¡®How long do I have to live this way?¡¯ Daytime was the only time she could be free, but it was impossible to run away. Rather than that, she couldn¡¯t even think about running away. Such an option didn¡¯t exist to begin with. ¡®I want to die¡­¡¯ Number 45 wished for her death while smiling as brightly as the sun. * * * * * * After expression training and assassination training, Number 45 finally returned to her room at daybreak. Even though it was called her room, it was an extremely small space with nothing but two old beds. While she was sitting at the creaking bed, the door opened and a red-haired girl entered the room. ¡°Number 86.¡± Number 45 quietly called out to the red-haired girl and bobbed her hand. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Number 86 staggered as she moved next to her. Number 45 put her hand in her pocket without showing any emotion and took out a snack. She was keeping it separate to prevent the masked man from smashing it. ¡°You can have it.¡± She divided the snack into half and gave it to Number 86. ¡°C-can I really have it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Number 45 nodded. Number 86 took the snack with trembling hands and put it in her mouth. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Her expression didn¡¯t change even though the sweetness was filling her mouth. It was because their emotions were being controlled, and they weren¡¯t even allowed to smile freely. ¡°You can also have this.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it because I already ate a lot today.¡± Number 45 also gave the other half to Number 86. ¡°It¡¯s true. Take it.¡± Number 86 had been using the same room as her from the first time she arrived at the orphanage, and they¡¯d beenforting each other ever since. Number 45 wanted to give it to her because she wouldn¡¯t have been able to put up with their life if it wasn¡¯t for Number 86. ¡°Thank you.¡± A tear rolled down her face from her fixated pupils. The two girls hugged each other and fell asleep. * * * Raon licked his lips while looking at the orphanage below from a high hill. ¡®They haven¡¯t changed.¡¯ He had already finished checking the underground facilities with his aura perception and the Evil Eye of Wrath. The Robert bastards were training the children even more cruelly than twenty years ago. ¡®Haa¡­ Damn you, Derus Robert.¡¯ Watching them reminded him of his previous life, and his heart tightened. They are sons of bitches! Wrath shouted at the orphanage. A powerful wave of wrath was bursting from him. Young devils are excused even in Devildom! How can they treat such young and weak things like that?! ¡®That¡¯s why I told you that the real viins are something else.¡¯ Raon tapped on Wrath and clenched his back teeth. ¡°S-so that¡¯s not actually an orphanage, and¡­¡± Dorian bit his lip tightly while looking at the orphanage. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a farm to create young assassins.¡± Since he couldn¡¯t tell him that the facility belonged to Derus, he simply said that it was a facility to raise assassins. ¡°Huff.¡± He exhaled violently. His face was filled with disbelief at the fact that the cute girl who guided them to the festival with a bright smile was actually being trained as an assassin. ¡°It wasn¡¯t her own volition.¡± ¡°Wh-what else¡­?¡± ¡°They are controlling her through brainwashing. She¡¯s made to observe people to practice her perception in the daytime, and they teach her assassination techniques at night. It¡¯s such a nasty and dirty method.¡± Raon¡¯s smile was so cold that it almost felt frightening. ¡°B-by the way, how do you know all of that, vice squad leader?¡± This guy is definitely not telling you. He has so many secrets. Wrath twisted his mouth and frowned. ¡°You know I escorted Lady Encia to look for the Saint along with the Heavenly de division, don¡¯t you?¡± Raon sat on the ground and looked at the orphanage. ¡°Of course! I remember! That¡¯s when people started calling you the Frostfire Sword of Valor.¡± Dorian quickly nodded. ¡°And I killed Temas back then.¡± Temas was the doctor and Derus Robert¡¯s secret vassal. He followed Raon and attacked his party after he attempted to take over House Yonaan while pretending to cure Encia had failed. ¡°Ah!¡± So that was when you heard about it! ¡°I got this information from him.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. He did get the information about the new nest for assassins in Cameloon from torturing him back then. ¡®And I finally got the chance.¡¯ He wanted to save the children as soon as he heard about it, but he had to suppress his urge because he didn¡¯t know Derus¡¯s location. ¡®However¡­ I can do it now.¡¯ Derus was heading towards Balkar with people from House Robert. It was the perfect opportunity to destroy the facility since he was far away, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to easily make his move. ¡°If you go to the left room after entering the orphanage, there¡¯s a spot that connects to the underground under the floor.¡± Raon pointed at the director¡¯s room where the stairs leading to the underground were located. ¡°You should go there and protect the children.¡± ¡°What about you, vice squad leader?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take out the trash from outside.¡± The ones in charge of education were inside the building, and the ones in charge of protection were outside. Since there was a Master among the protectors, Raon had to take care of them. ¡°Only use the swordsmanship that anyone can learn so that they learn your identity.¡± ¡°Why? We are doing a good deed.¡± Dorian tilted his head. ¡°Because we are currently hiding our identities. We might get attacked by one of the Five Demons once again if we get exposed.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Dorian nodded while fiddling with his brown hair. Raon examined the orphanage once again with the Evil Eye of Wrath. ¡®There are even more children than I thought.¡¯ Their number was too high despite their excellent ability to control their emotions and assassination skills. Raon could assume that they would be nning ¡®that training¡¯ soon enough. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they did it tomorrow.¡¯ Once ¡®that training¡¯ was over, the children¡¯s brains would bepletely devoured by Derus Robert¡¯s brainwashing. It was necessary to destroy the facility before that happened. ¡°When are we attacking?¡± ¡°In two days.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes turned darker. ¡®I need more information.¡¯ It was necessary to perfectly analyze how many people there were, how powerful they were, and what the best method to protect the children was before he made his move. ¡®I also need to confirm Derus¡¯s location.¡¯ Derus was heading towards Balkar. He was supposed to reach Balkar in two days, and confirming his location would make the assault safer. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian sighed deeply. He seemed nervous about it. ¡°Thinking about saving the children from the assassins makes me so nervous.¡± ¡°You should return to the inn and rest in that case.¡± ¡°What? What about you, vice squad leader¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll watch them a bit longer before I return.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m also going to stay here.¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. ¡°One person is enough for the job. You should return and rest. That would be more helpful.¡± Raon shook his hand, telling him to go back and sleep. ¡°Ugh, please return before you overexert yourself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Dorian nodded since he had no other choice, then returned to the inn. Raon kept using the Evil Eye of Wrath and his aura perception to observe the orphanage after Dorian left. ¡®The shift must be every twelve hours. It¡¯s the same as before.¡¯ It was a new facility, but it still operated the same way. The lookouts and the shifts were all happening ording to Raon¡¯s expectations. ¡®Everything else is fine because there¡¯s nothing unexpected about them. However¡­ What should I do with the children?¡¯ It was a relief that many of the children were alive because they hadn¡¯t gone through ¡®that training¡¯ yet, but Raon had no idea who he should entrust them to after he got rid of the facility. ¡®What should I do¡­? I can¡¯t bring them with me.¡¯ The children weren¡¯t perfectly brainwashed yet. Since a bright future was lying ahead of them, he wanted to entrust them to a trustworthy person. ¡®A trustworthy person¡­ Those two are the only options right now.¡¯ Raon made his decision and turned around. ¡°You are there, aren¡¯t you?¡± He narrowed his eyes and looked at the bush behind the hill. ¡°Merlin.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± With a cheerful voice, a yellow rabbit that had a simr coloration as the ground jumped out of the bush. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon covered his eyes and sighed. He was just wondering, but she was really there. He was the one who called her, but it still gave him the chills. Uwah¡­ Wrath¡¯s lips were shivering. D-don¡¯t tell me, are you nning to entrust the children to that mad woman? ¡®No, I¡¯m not.¡¯ Raon shook his head and walked up to Merlin, who was twitching her nose. ¡°I have a request.¡± Chapter 337 ¡°Requeeest?¡± Merlin stretched her words like cheese. ¡°It won¡¯t be a difficult task for you.¡± Raon nodded while meeting Merlin¡¯s eyes. ¡°In that case¡­¡± Merlin gently stroked her long ear. ¡°I¡¯m obviously going to grant your request.¡± The rabbit¡¯s red eyes were cute, but also frightening at the same time. ¡°What do you want me to do? Ask me anything.¡± Merlin¡¯s paw wobbled as she announced that she would grant any request. Hmm¡­ Wrath licked his lips while leering at Merlin. She¡¯s be an errand girl who will do anything for you. She¡¯s a bit scary though¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not nning to use her like that.¡¯ The only reason he was asking Merlin about it was because the number of children was unexpectedly high. He definitely wouldn¡¯t have called her if it wasn¡¯t for the children¡¯s sake. You are being strangely gentle now, even though you are usually an emotionless demon. Wrath shook his head because of Raon¡¯s iprehensible behavior. Raon chuckled while watching Wrath click his tongue. ¡®It¡¯s definitely more beneficial for me to take advantage of Merlin, but¡­ I¡¯m never going to control people¡¯s emotions. Never.¡¯ He would¡¯ve been no different from Derus Robert, who bound him with his brainwashing in his previous life, if he decided to control Merlin by taking advantage of her favor. Bing like him was one thing he wanted to avoid at all costs. ¡°I¡¯ll write a letter, and I¡¯d like you to deliver it to someone.¡± ¡°A letter? Is that it?¡± Merlin tilted her head because of his unexpected request. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s enough for me.¡± ¡°But you are nning to rescue the children in that facility. I can lend you my help.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have no intention of asking you to kill people.¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± Merlin stood on all fours while groaning in excitement. Her shoulders were trembling slightly. ¡°That gave me the chills¡­¡± ¡°You are imagining things.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since thest time I felt this way.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply. There seemed to be a serious misunderstanding, but Raon decided to not talk about it because he figured that it would be meaningless to exin. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you are worried about me, but I can grant any of your requests. Just tell me, and I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°I just want you to deliver the letter.¡± Raon shook his hand. He took out the papers that he¡¯d prepared in advance and wrote different things in each of them before giving them to Merlin. ¡°Please deliver the rectangr letter to the Ragged Saint at House Yonaan.¡± Since the Ragged Saint Federick was researching brainwashing, Raon figured he would be able to undo the children¡¯s iplete brainwashing. ¡°Ah, the Ragged Saint. Yes, that¡¯s how I met you the second time.¡± Merlin blushed and looked up to the sky while reminiscing about their encounter. Raon would¡¯ve gotten goosebumps from that, but it was bearable because she looked like a rabbit. ¡°And please deliver the triangr letter to Sir Borini Kitten in the Owen Kingdom.¡± ¡°Borini Kitten? That¡¯s the guy who lost to you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded calmly. ¡®I can trust him.¡¯ He wanted to bring the children to Zieghart, but he couldn¡¯t do that because he needed to hide his identity. Entrusting them to Borini Kitten was the best course of action, since he was trustworthy, and the Owen Kingdom was located nearby. Since he was an exemry knight, Raon expected him to grant his request and personally take care of everything. That stick guy was indeed a nice guy. Wrath nodded while thinking about Borini Kitten. He was theplete opposite of you. You are just a fiend. ¡®That¡¯s why I¡¯m leaving them to him.¡¯ Raon chuckled. ¡°It really is an easy request.¡± Merlin snorted. She seemed disappointed that it was too easy. ¡°I really can kill them all for you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it. When can you deliver the letters?¡± Raon declined by shaking his hand. ¡°I can do it right now.¡± ¡°Then please do so.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Merlin extended her front paw with a smile, and the letters disappeared like spring snow. Raon could guess that she had transferred it to her main body. ¡°Since I granted your request, you also need to grant mine.¡± Merlin lowered her paw and rolled her lips into a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll do it if it doesn¡¯t inconvenience me or other people, while it¡¯s also within my ability and I like the idea.¡± Raon gave a bunch of conditions just in case. ¡°There are so many conditions.¡± Merlin chuckled. She seemed to love the fact that she was talking to Raon. ¡°But I think you will ept it.¡± She waved her front paw while maintaining her smile until the end. ¡°See you next time. You know whates next, don¡¯t you? This one said it likes parsley.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, stop asking me and prepare it in advance by your¡ª¡± Raon walked up to Merlin and shouted, but the rabbit¡¯s eyes had already returned to that of a feral animal. Kyung. The rabbit wrinkled its nose and came up next to Raon to ask for food. ¡°Erm¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously and leaned forward. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have any parsley¡­¡± He¡¯d gotten a bunch of animal feed from Dorian just in case. He had some grains, nuts, strawberries and even some dried bugs but he obviously didn¡¯t have any parsley. ¡°¡­You should pick among those.¡± He awkwardly ced the feed on the ground. Kyung! The rabbit stared at the feed for a while before it kicked the grains and nuts away. It then trampled on the bug and ate one strawberry and took two with its mouth. Tap. Then it kicked Raon¡¯s ankle bone with its back leg before running away into the bush. Wahahaha! Wrath started giggling while watching Raon¡¯s bewilderment. The rabbit just beat you! Look at how unsightly you are! He was so overjoyed that hisughter didn¡¯t show any sign of stopping. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply and sank on the ground. ¡®I¡¯m so tired.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even think¡ªit was as if he had just finished a fierce battle. Talking with Merlin was so exhausting that he wanted to avoid encountering her if possible. So she¡¯s your natural enemy! Wrath took that rare opportunity to continuously make fun of him with a grin on his face. ¡®Please stop.¡¯ Raon shook his head and looked at the orphanage once again, and a blue-haired middle-aged man was walking away from the building. He had a gentle appearance, but his eyes were cold, and a faint scar was carved into his left cheek. ¡®He was the one?¡¯ The Master presence he¡¯d noticed from the orphanage belonged to Lisbon. He was Martio¡¯s henchman, and one of the people Raon knew from his previous life. ¡®He¡¯s in charge of a whole facility now. What a sessful life. Is this what they call fate?¡¯ Raon¡¯s expression turned into a frightening cold smile as he looked down on Lisbon. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll be having a nightmare tonight.¡¯ * * * My life was hell. I was kidnapped even before I lost my milk tooth, and I was confined underground. I couldn¡¯t even tell where I was. The trainers were around me. There were other kids like me, and they taught us how to survive and how to kill while calling us dogs. The torture tore apart our skin and scratched at our bones to teach us how to withstand the pain, the des stabbing our bodies taught us about the lethal parts in the human body, and our battle practice consisted of monsters and beasts chasing after us. I wanted to cry, but I had to smile. I wanted to die, but I was forced to live. I couldn¡¯t even think about running away or improving my situation. I believed the treatment I was receiving was as natural as the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening. Iter learned that it was the brainwashing¡¯s effect. The suggestion was crushing my brain, and the option called escape waspletely removed. It was a hellish day. Disobedience, failure, and a disappointing performance all resulted in death, and I somehow managed to survive by walking on the tightrope dividing life and death. They didn¡¯t even provide the necessities of life, and all human desires were trampled upon. However, there was still one hope. My friend. It was the existence of a friend who was using the same room as me after being kidnapped just like me. He was called Number 9. He had a cute and round face. I didn¡¯t know how old he was, but he was at least older than me. The only time I could be with him was the four hours of bedtime, but my desire for death that kept increasing during the day faded away whenever I spoke to him. He listened to me and told me that a better day would await us if we kept enduring it. I didn¡¯t know what a better day meant because I couldn¡¯t remember my life outside the facility. I just thought it must be a good thing since he said so. We smiled at each other, even though we were starving and there was nothing funny about it. That was the only hope I had back then. Years passed, and by the time our education wasplete, they had gathered all of the kids in the underground cavern. The trainers made the kids who used the same room step forward together. Those two children were made to fight. More precisely, they were forced to kill each other. Obviously, none of them obeyed. The roommate was the only friend they had in that hellish ce. That was the case for me, and the same went for Number 9. We dropped the daggers from our hands and raised our arms. We were determined to die at our trainer¡¯s hands rather than attacking our friends. However, that line of thoughtpletely disappeared the moment the blue-haired trainer with a small scar on his left cheek opened his mouth. ¡°Kill him.¡± As soon as he said that, I was unable to control my brain or my body. I picked up the dagger from the ground and charged at Number 9. Number 9 was also attacking me with his dagger, his eyes turned red with animosity. We unleashed all of the assassination techniques we¡¯d learned with the intention of killing each other. Even though our hands were used to tending each other¡¯s wounds at daybreak, they were thrusting the de instead into the opponent¡¯s vitals. Number 9 and I were evenly matched. My flesh was torn apart and white bone protruded from it. It hurt. It hurt so much, but the pain didn¡¯t even matter. I just didn¡¯t want to fight against my friend. I was hoping that he would kill me instead, but my dagger was stabbing his heart before I realized it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Number 9 didn¡¯t say anything. He gently tapped my shoulder before he died with a smile on his face. That was how my only friend¡¯s life faded away, and I didn¡¯t even know his real name. Tears were flowing from my eyes, and that was thest time I shed tears in my previous life. That was when my emotions sank into darkness. * * * * * * ¡°¡­leader.¡± ¡°¡­squad leader.¡± ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± Raon opened his eyes upon hearing that cheerful voice. Dorian¡¯s round face was floating in front of him. ¡°Is that you, Dorian?¡± Dorian was tilting his head. He looked somewhat simr to Number 9, whom I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you were actually sleeping just now. It¡¯s time to start the operation.¡± Dorian pointed at the dark sky. ¡­¡­ Unexpectedly, Wrath was watching them without saying anything. ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded and stood up. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to have that dream.¡¯ It was probably because he saw Lisbon that he fell asleep right before the operation and even had a dream from his previous life. Raon agreed with Dorian that it was a strange thing to happen. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll protect the children even if I have to die for them!¡± Dorian resolutely nodded. ¡°It¡¯s all meaningless if you end up dying.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°I understand your feelings. You have to survive at all costs.¡± Darkness welled up in Raon¡¯s eyes as he looked down at the orphanage. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Number 45, the girl who worked as a guide under the name Pine, narrowed her eyes while holding Number 86¡¯s hand. ¡°This is rather unusual, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I agree. They aren¡¯t making us work or train.¡± The training never stopped, even during an earthquake or a thunderstorm, but they even got some ptable food on top of skipping training and work. It was an unprecedented urrence since the trainers never allowed that to happen. ¡°It would be nice if it continued this way.¡± Number 86 hoped and smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯m a bit worried about this.¡± Number 45 sighed briefly. Since the trainers had kidnapped them to raise them as assassins, there was no way they were letting them free for no reason. Her hands were trembling with the worry that a terrible thing might ur. ¡°Let¡¯s think positively.¡± Number 86 shook her head and firmly held her hand. ¡°They put a lot of effort into teaching us for the past years, so they wouldn¡¯t kill us for no reason.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Number 45 nodded. She also believed that they wouldn¡¯t simply discard them after all the time they spent educating them. She decided to consider it a break, just like Number 86 had said. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep now.¡± They were about to lie down on the bed since it was time to sleep, but the door was opened, and a masked man bobbed his hand at them. ¡°Come out, both of you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Refusal wasn¡¯t an option. They were forced to obey the moment they heard his voice. Number 45 went out to the cavern along with Number 86. The other kids were already lined up. They stood at the back of the line, and the fourth trainer went onto the tform. ¡°Let¡¯s start the battle. Number 45 and 86,e forward since you were thest ones toe out.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Number 45 and 86 swallowed nervously and went ahead. The other kids were also trembling, and they seemed to have noticed something bad was about to happen. ¡°Hold your daggers.¡± The trainer ordered, and Number 45 and 86 held their deadly sharp daggers in their hands. Number 45 narrowed her eyes upon noticing the extreme sharpness of the dagger. ¡®This isn¡¯t normal.¡¯ They had sparred countless times in the past with real des, but it never felt so frightening before. ¡°Now fight.¡± While Number 45 was staring at Number 86¡¯s trembling eyes with a dagger in her hand, the trainer continued. ¡°Until you kill your opponent.¡± ¡°What?¡± Number 45 widened her eyes and looked around. However, the fourth trainer didn¡¯t exin any further. He simply bobbed his chin, telling them to start the fight. ¡°Wh-what do you mean by kill¡­?¡± ¡°It is what it is. I¡¯m telling you to fight until the opponent in front of you is dead.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing his cold voice. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Number 45 looked ahead of her with ttering teeth. Number 86 must¡¯ve felt the same way because her face waspletely pale. And her appearance reminded her of the time they spent together. They¡¯d beenforting and caring for each other. That memory was the only hope they felt in that underground of despair, and she couldn¡¯t even move her hand anymore. ¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯ Number 45 firmly closed her eyes and dropped her dagger. It was the expression of her resolve, that she was okay with it even if Number 86 killed her. nk. However, the falling sound of the dagger resounded twice. She opened her eyes and noticed that another dagger had been dropped at Number 86¡¯s feet. She understood that Number 86 also didn¡¯t want to attack her. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The fact that they were on the same wavelength, and the fact that the affection was mutual, made her happy¡ªbut she was also sad at the same time because they had to meet in such a cruel ce. She felt like she was going to cry despite the emotional control. ¡°I-I can¡¯t fight against her.¡± Number 45 raised her hand. She expressed her unwillingness to fight and looked at the trainer. She felt like Number 86 and the other kids¡¯ gazes were supporting her from behind. ¡°I see. I knew this was going to happen.¡± The fourth trainer lowered his voice. That nonchnt voice made a chill run down her spine. ¡°¡­Kill her.¡± Kill her. As soon as the order to kill reached her brain, Number 45¡¯s hand picked up the dagger from the ground regardless of her will. Number 86 also straightened her back with a dagger in her hand. Tap! Number 45 charged forward while holding the dagger in a reverse grip. ¡®What? What¡¯s happening?!¡¯ She couldn¡¯t control her body anymore. She was moving faster than ever to m the dagger toward Number 86¡¯s neck. nk! And she wasn¡¯t the only one who was suddenly changed. Number 86 was also trying to kill her with an unprecedented amount of murderous aura around her. The two girls, who became the only reason to live for each other after sharing the room for a long time, were thrusting their daggers against each other like marites. Pssh! Blood spurted from Number 45¡¯s chest, and a lump of flesh got cut from Number 86¡¯s shoulder. However, the two girls didn¡¯t even seem to feel the pain as they charged once again to stab each other. Whaam! Number 45 gritted her teeth as the terrifying sound of impact engulfed her. Because Number 86 had always been less skilled than herself, her movements were getting slower, and her dagger technique was bing dull. She could expect that her dagger was going to take Number 86¡¯s life if it continued. ¡°Argh!¡± Number 45 turned her head to look at the fourth trainer. It was causing her bone-shattering pain, but she endured it. ¡®P-please stop it!¡¯ Her eyes were pleading for him to stop the cruel fight. ¡°This fight will continue until one of you dies.¡± The trainer¡¯s mouth rolled into a thin smile. ¡°You should rejoice. The death of your most precious person is going to turn you into a real shadow.¡± Even though he¡¯d always been a cold-hearted trainer, he sounded like he was having fun. ¡°Kill.¡± Her body was moving slower, but it elerated again upon hearing his order. ¡®Please! It doesn¡¯t matter who, please stop me!¡¯ Regardless of her silent scream of despair, her hand elerated even further to end her friend¡¯s life. ng! Number 86¡¯s dagger couldn¡¯t withstand her strength and was knocked into the air. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Contrary to her feelings, Number 45¡¯s hand was about to stab the dagger into Number 86¡¯s neck. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s how it should be.¡± A cold light sparkled in the trainer¡¯s eyes. ¡°This makes you one of the shadows no¡ªKuah!¡± She came back to her senses upon hearing his scream. The dagger had stopped its advance and had only scratched Number 86¡¯s skin. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± ¡°Shut up and die.¡± A quiet voice could be heard, and blood gushed from the fourth trainer¡¯s heart. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± A tall man appeared from behind the fourth trainer¡¯s copsing body. He felt simr to themselves for some reason, but he also feltpletely different at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± He smiled while taking the bloody dagger from her hand with sorrowful eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll take your names back for you.¡± Chapter 338 ¡°A-an intruder¡ªKwah!¡± The trainer standing behind Raon lost his head just as he was about to scream. ¡°Haa!¡± Dorian appeared after that and gave him a thumbs up. He must¡¯ve been nervous because his finger was trembling slightly. ¡°What a show-off.¡± Raon chuckled and examined the two children in front of him. Their injuries were severe, but fortunately, they weren¡¯t life-threatening. ¡°Good job on surviving until now. It must¡¯ve been difficult.¡± He patted their heads and stopped the bleeding. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± The blue-haired girl, who previously introduced herself as Pine, asked with trembling lips. ¡°A passing viin.¡± He couldn¡¯t reveal his identity since Derus might try to reach the children. ¡°A-a viin? But you said you¡¯d take our names back¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m nning to get your names back and let you escape this ce. I¡¯m a viin who ys viins.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Pine¡¯s expression twisted into an indescribably strange shape. That was because the emotional control made her unable to cry even though she wanted to. Tsk. Raon frowned. Feeling the bitterness rising from his tongue, he examined Pine and the children behind her. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ The kids were at a loss with distorted expressions on their faces, and Raon felt nauseous from seeing them. He felt like he was watching himself from his previous life when he killed Number 9. ¡®I must¡¯ve looked like them back then. No, I must¡¯ve been even worse.¡¯ After all, he hadpletely abandoned his emotions in his previous life because no one came to save him. Even a twisted expression had been impossible for him, and he¡¯d had to smile with a dark mask covering his face. Whir. Raon raised his head to look at the cavern ceiling. They seemed to have noticed the trouble since people were busily moving around from above and below. ¡®Are theying now?¡¯ They were acting faster than he expected. He couldn¡¯t afford to leisurely speak with the children anymore. ¡°Wait here for a moment.¡± Raon lowered his eyes and stimted the mana circuits at the two girls¡¯ necks to make them faint. ¡°W-wait a second¡­¡± ¡°Everything will be over by the time you wake up.¡± The other children were frozen behind Pine. Raon made all of them faint and gathered them in one spot before he walked up to Dorian. ¡°Why are you making them sleep?¡± Dorian tilted his head while looking at the pile of unconscious children. ¡°It¡¯s because the brainwashing might make them attack you while you are protecting them. And¡­¡± Raon¡¯s cold eyes were directed at the passage where the assassins were approaching. ¡°It¡¯s gonna get nasty.¡± He wasn¡¯t nning to hide his animosity at all. It was better for the kids to sleep since it wasn¡¯t going to be a pretty sight. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while poking the copsed children. ¡°Th-they are properly unconscious, right? Don¡¯t tell me they are going to wake up in the middle.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t going to wake up. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Raon smiled faintly and turned his head. ¡°I can leave them to you, right?¡± ¡°O-of course.¡± His voice didn¡¯t sound too confident, but Raon figured it was normal since Dorian was always like that. Raon went to the entrance that he¡¯d used to enter the cavern. Ching! Two masked men were hiding in the shadows from the two passages on the sides and charged at him. Pssh! Raon shed at them with the longsword that Dorian had given him in advance. Spurt! The masked man charging from the right was cut apart diagonally by the longsword with the sharp sword¡¯s principles. A dangerous amount of blood gushed from thecerated wound. ¡°Kuh!¡± The masked man on the left noticed an opportunity and tried to stab him. Raon used his left foot as the axis to turn around and swing the longsword upwards. ng! The extreme sharpness of the strike tore the masked man¡¯s body and the sword in half at the same time. He¡¯d died before he could even scream. Whoosh! A dark de emerged from the shadow beneath him as he walked towards the passage. It was the assassination technique used by Robert''s assassins, the Dark Shadow de. ng! Raon didn¡¯t even turn around and simply thrust his sword backward to fend off the Dark Shadow de. He used the rebound from the impact to smoothly connect into a sh. ¡°Kwah¡­¡± The assassin lost his head before he managed to emerge from the shadows. Whoosh! Trainers and assassins wereing down from the upper passage that was connected to the orphanage. They immediately charged at Raon without shouting and swung their swords and daggers. It was a typical pattern of assassins. ¡°They haven¡¯t changed. They are exactly like before.¡± Raon stomped the ground with his right foot. He shed horizontally with his longsword, which he had pulled back in advance. The principles of power and swiftness were dwelling in the de as it created a crimson wave in the air. Spurt! Even though the masked men were charging like lightning, their bodies split in half alongside their weapons. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± They normally wouldn¡¯t have screamed because of their hellish training, but they couldn¡¯t believe what happened to them as they copsed in a sea of blood. Ssh. Raon stepped on the warm blood covering the ground and stood in front of the passage. Since he had finished off all the assassins that were headed downstairs, it was time to head upstairs and y Director Lisbon. ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon turned around to look at Dorian. He also seemed to be angry at the cruelty of the facility, as his expression hadn¡¯t changed despite having witnessed the gruesome murder. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°I leave them to you.¡± Raon climbed the stairs after issuing that statement. Swords were rushing at him from four different directions as soon as he stepped away from the stairs. The dreary auras dwelling in the des targeted his heart and his neck. Thud! Raon kicked the ground and jumped upwards. Cring! The assassins immediately attacked upwards as if they were waiting for that to happen. Their murderous aura was piercing Raon¡¯s skin like sharp needles. ¡®It¡¯s pointless.¡¯ Raon struck the assassins¡¯ des with his longsword and unleashed the principles of Absorption. Tching! The assassins¡¯ swords shed against the longsword, but they quickly bounced back at the same time. The assassins couldn¡¯t bear the rebound and dropped their swords from their ruptured hands. Swoosh! Raon turned around mid-air and shed down in a curved trajectory. The strike dropped like lightning, and the four assassins lost their heads in an instant. Ssh. Raon wasn¡¯t showing any emotion as he left the director¡¯s room. His steps left a carpet of blood covering the ground. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± The old woman at the exit shook the staff she was holding. She was the director who was waiting for the children¡¯s return at the entrance, and she was the superior of the shadows who were brainwashing the kids. Whap! me burst from the old woman¡¯s staff, and the passage melted like cheese from the extreme heat. Whoosh! However, Raon didn¡¯t take a single step back. He swung his sword to create wind, aimed towards the powerful me. Crack! The extreme sharpness of the wind de severed the firestorm in a diagonal angle. ¡°Wh-who the hell are you?!¡± The old woman red at him and ground her teeth. ¡°A dead woman is talking.¡± ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± The old woman stepped back and tried to cast another spell, but her body was tilting sideways. She was falling in the same direction that the sword wind blew. ¡°You, you¡­¡± Her wide eyes noticed that her body was cut in half before she copsed forward. ¡°You are here.¡± Raon quietly turned around. A middle-aged man with dark blue hair and a de scar on his left cheek stood there like a shadow. He was Lisbon, the trainer who forced Raon to kill Number 9 in his previous life, and Martio¡¯s henchman. ¡°Impressive.¡± Lisbon raised his chin while coldly looking at Raon. ¡°How did you find this ce?¡± ¡°With great skill.¡± ¡°It looks like you are trying to be some hero of justice, but you came to the wrong ce.¡± He slowly drew his sword hanging around his waist. The speed made it feel boring. ¡°Your family, your friends, your acquaintances. Everyone you know will be brought here before being killed. And that¡¯s all your fault.¡± Lisbon pointed his sword at Raon with his frightening speech. ¡®I guess you would.¡¯ Derus, Martio, and Lisbon were narrow-minded bastards who secretly took their revenge from the shadows while pretending to be generous in the light. The malice in his words wasn¡¯t a lie by any means. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing if you can still talk back when that timees.¡± Lisbon smiled coldly. He seemed to believe that Raon was a knight who loved justice. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m kidding? But I¡¯ll make it happen. I¡¯m not going to kill you. I¡¯ll make you witness the death of your family and your friends before I pierce your heart.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Raon snickered. No one among his new family and friends that he had in his new life was easy enough to fall prey to someone like that. A weakling like Lisbon wouldn¡¯t even be able to pass the main gate¡ªhe¡¯d die a gruesome death if he tried to kidnap someone from Zieghart. ¡°Do it if you can.¡± ¡°What an idiot.¡± Raon bobbed his finger, and Lisbon crushed the ground to charge at him. Intense astral energy emerged from his sword to press down on Raon. ¡°I told you that you made a grave mistake. It¡¯s toote to regret!¡± Lisbon sneered and shed downwards. He seemed to believe that Raon was afraid of him. The astral energy burst from his sword and curved diagonally onto Raon. Thud! Raon lowered his center of gravity and stepped on his left foot. He thrust his de at the same time to smack the center of Lisbon¡¯s astral energy. Whack! Even though his longsword was an ordinary one, the astral energy of raging fire emerged from the sword,pletely destroying Lisbon¡¯s astral energy and tearing his arm apart. Because the heat had cauterized the arm, blood didn¡¯t even gush from the cut. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Lisbon noticed that his right arm was gone before he could do anything about it and screamed his throat raw. His eyes were wavering so violently that they looked like they would pop out. Overwhelming was the perfect word to describe the situation. Raon was already strong enough to crush a novice-level Master without even using any technique. Thud! While Lisbon screamed in pain, Raon charged at him and smacked the left side of his chest. He was trying to knock the rage worm in Lisbon¡¯s chest out. ¡°Gah!¡± Lisbon fell on his back violently and rolled on the ground. He used that impact to move to the other side with footwork. ¡®I-I can¡¯t win this fight! I was the one who made a mistake.¡¯ That single sh was enough to make him realize that there was no way he could win. Raon was a monster that he couldn¡¯t win against¡ªno matter what. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ He was nning on acting first and reportingter because the intruders didn¡¯t seem too strong, but that was a mistake. Reporting first was definitely the correct move. ¡®But I can still survive.¡¯ He specialized in shadow footwork instead of swordsmanship. He was confident he could escape through the Dark Shadow Steps no matter how monstrous his opponent was. Whir! Lisbon went right next to the wall in order to hide in the shadows. When he was about to sink into the darkness, his body tilted and copsed on the ground. ¡®Wh-what¡¯s happening?!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t control his legs and felt extreme pain¡ªit was as if his body was on fire. He turned his stiffened neck to look behind him. ¡°Huh? Uwaaaah!¡± His legs were cut off before he even noticed and were littered on the ground. ¡°M-my legs! What happened to my legs?!¡± ¡°You are so unsightly.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Raon walked up to Lisbon with heavy steps. Lisbon¡¯s body trembled each time his footsteps could be heard. ¡°Your underlings didn¡¯t scream even in the moment they died, yet you¡¯ve already screamed twice.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you usually say that an assassin should be ashamed of screaming?¡± The trembling of Lisbon¡¯s body intensified upon hearing that. He raised his head while ttering his teeth. ¡°H-how do you know¡­?¡± ¡°Because you told me.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you¡­?¡± ¡°A revenant.¡± Raon raised his longsword with a frightening smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m a revenant who returned from hell to destroy all of you.¡± He mmed his sword into the left side of Lisbon¡¯s chest. ¡°Kuah!¡± Raon made sure to only touch his heart slightly so that his pain wouldst for a long time. A thin stream of blood was flowing from his chest. ¡°Aaaaaagh!¡± Lisbon screamed and struggled, but he couldn¡¯t remove the sword from his chest no matter what he tried. ¡°Wail.¡± Raon gripped the longsword and red at him with a frightening gaze. ¡°So that the children who lost their lives because of you can hear you. So that the children who had to part from the world full of resentment can hear you. And¡­¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Lisbon¡¯s eyes became distorted upon hearing Raon¡¯s emotionless voice,cking to a frightening degree. ¡®Wail for my nameless friend who should be watching us from heaven.¡¯ Raon clenched his sword while thinking about Number 9, whose name was still unknown to him. ¡°A-are you a shado¡ª¡± ¡°Your scream shall be the requiem for their souls.¡± Raon twisted the longsword to widen Lisbon¡¯s wound. The intense cry of despair he sang was good enough to appease the deceased. ¡°Uwaaaaaah!¡± * * * * * * Raon removed all traces that he left behind before returning to the underground. ¡°I-is it over? I heard a nasty scream¡­¡± Dorian lowered his sword and swallowed nervously. His shoulder and waist were wounded by a sword, and the corpses of assassins were piled up next to him. Raon could guess that his fight must¡¯ve been intense. ¡°Yes. He will never be able to do this again.¡± Raon nodded and pushed all of the corpses towards the passage. He also removed all traces that could reveal their identity. ¡°Shall I wake up the children now?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked at the children, who were still unconscious. Tears from all the hardships they had to go through were finally welling up in their eyes after they had fainted. ¡°No, it¡¯s better to leave them to the people who are about toe, since we can¡¯t take them with us anyway.¡± ¡°I wonder if they will be nice to them.¡± Dorian sighed and caressed the hair of the child in front of him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that there were children in this world who led such a difficult life. I thought my life was rather difficult, but I wasining for nothing.¡± He hung his head in embarrassment. ¡°Your cases arepletely different.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°You are the only one who knows how much you¡¯ve suffered. You shouldn¡¯t me yourself for it.¡± He¡¯s right. Wrath emerged from the ice flower bracelet and nodded. He was being strangely quiet all along. The past isn¡¯t the important part. The future is all that matters. Tell him that he should think about the future and walk forward. Raon chuckled and looked at Dorian. ¡°He¡¯s telling you to think about the future instead of the past. He also said that walking forward is the important part.¡± ¡°Who said that?¡± ¡°A strange person who loves to eat.¡± The King of Essence isn¡¯t a strange person! He¡¯s a proud demon! ¡®I see, I see.¡¯ Raon simply nodded. ¡°That makes me feel a bit better. Please tell that strange person that I appreciate it.¡± Dorian smiled while wiping the tears from the children¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking above him. He could hear the ttering sound of the knights¡¯ armor from afar. The familiar aura he noticed belonged to Borini Kitten, who he¡¯d fought against recently. ¡°It¡¯s time to leave.¡± ¡°Is Sir Borini Kittening here right now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded and scribbled something on two small pieces of paper. He ced one on the tform and the other in Pine¡¯s pocket. He also ced a gold pouch next to them to be used for their sake. ¡°It¡¯s a bit unfortunate. I wanted to see their smiles.¡± Dorian also took out all of the snacks and candies he had in his belly pocket and ced them on the floor. Tears were welling up in his eyes. ¡°You will be able to see them again soon enough, as they will be joining Zieghart.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded and waved his hand. ¡°We should leave now.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He ran into the passage connected to the cavern to avoid running into Borini Kitten. He was about to exit when the Evil Eye of Wrath noticed the presence of a small room behind the wall. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon stopped running upon noticing the bookshelf. A smile appeared on his face. ¡°It looks like they are giving us some loot.¡± * * * Borini Kitten swallowed nervously while looking at the orphanage called the Cloud¡¯s House. ¡®Are they really raising assassins here?¡¯ Because someone had managed to sneak into his room without anyone¡¯s notice to leave a letter, he was nning on ignoring it regardless of the contents. However, his body automatically took action the moment he read the contents. ¡®They said that the kids were kidnapped hand brought ere to be raised as assassins.¡¯ There was absolutely no way a knight could overlook such a thing, and his n to ignore it disappeared at once. Since the letter also mentioned that there might be spies, he only brought the most trustworthy Silver Knights with him and ran there as fast as he could. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°We will find out once we get there, but I can only feel a faint presence from inside.¡± Borini Kitten tapped on his subordinate knight¡¯s back and entered the orphanage. ¡°Blood?¡± Blood was forming a puddle on the floor of the orphanage, and corpses who died from a sword were piled up in a corner. It was the proof of the bloodshed of the masked men who shouldn¡¯t exist in an orphanage. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Borini Kitten bit his lip. ¡®It really was true¡­¡¯ A corpse retained a person¡¯s temperament for a short time after their death, and the dreariness of an assassin was the only thing he could feel from the corpses. ¡°Start the search.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The knights scattered in all directions upon hearing Borini Kitten¡¯s order. ¡°There¡¯s a staircase leading underneath over here.¡± Borini Kitten entered the director¡¯s room upon hearing his subordinate¡¯s report. The floor was covered with blood, and a passage to the underground was wide open. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Borini Kitten nervously went downstairs. He managed to reach the bottom after a long walk. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Their chins started to tremble upon noticing that the children were lying on the bloody floor. ¡°Oh no!¡± Borini Kitten hurriedly ran towards them to examine the children. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡®They are alive!¡¯ Fortunately, none of them were dead. Someone had influenced their mana circuits to make them sleep, and he could guess that the person who wrote the letter in his room was the one to have done it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Borini Kitten finally managed to regain hisposure and examined the children. ¡®They aren¡¯t in a good state.¡¯ They were all wearing ragged clothes, and there were countless de scars on their bodies in contrast to their clean faces. Considering that the scars were at the same location for all the kids, he could ascertain that they¡¯d gone through assassin training. ¡°There are some torture devices over here.¡± ¡°I-I found a room with a pile of children¡¯s skulls.¡± ¡°I found the children¡¯s room, but it¡¯s not a ce where humans should live¡­¡± He got more and more angry as he heard the knights¡¯ reports, and he had to clench his fist. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± He was honestly hoping that the letter was lying to him because it was too sad and cruel to be true. However, his hope didn¡¯te true. That building was a living hell, created for the purpose of raising children to be assassins. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Borini Kitten stood up and sighed deeply. He looked around with a frown on his face, and he noticed a piece of paper on the tform. It was folded into the shape of a triangr, just like the one he¡¯d found in his room. ¡®Is this letter from that same person?¡¯ He spread the paper and noticed the same handwriting as the letter that made hime to the orphanage. [The person who can treat the children will be there soon enough. I leave them to you until he arrives.] They seemed to be asking him to protect the children. Borini Kitten¡¯s hands started to tremble. ¡°So they just want me to deal with the aftermath.¡± He was honestly relieved by that, as he wouldn¡¯t have been able to take appropriate action if the children were taken hostage. ¡®And they even left some money.¡¯ The gold pouch next to the piece of paper must¡¯ve been given to him to be used for the sake of the children. ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°Wake them up carefully. Let¡¯s bring them back with us.¡± ¡°You should also investigate the traces since we need to find out who the perpetrator behind this is.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The knights separated into two groups to wake up the children and gather the evidence. * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Number 45 noticed someone¡¯s touch and opened her eyes. ¡®Is it him?¡¯ She raised her head, thinking that the tall man who had in the fourth trainer before she fainted was next to her. However, the person who was holding her shoulder was a knight in silver armor that she¡¯d never seen before. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± She turned her head while answering. However, she couldn¡¯t find the man who¡¯d saved her, and all she could see were the knights moving around. ¡®Was it a dream? No, it wasn¡¯t.¡¯ She could still feel the warmth from when he patted her head. There was no way she was imagining that warmth. ¡°Number 45¡­¡± She clenched her fist and heard a slightly trembling voice. She turned her head and noticed that Number 86 was looking at her. Tears were falling from her eyes. ¡°Number 86!¡± Number 45 bit her lip and ran up to her to hug her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The knight¡¯s face hardened. He seemed to be shocked by the fact that they were calling each other by numbers. He sighed deeply and walked up to them. ¡°My name is Borini Kitten. I¡¯m a knight from Owen.¡± He slowly extended his hands. ¡°Come with me. You won¡¯t have to live in these terrible conditions if you do so.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Number 45 couldn¡¯t take his hands. She was aware that Borini Kitten wasn¡¯t that kind of person, but she was afraid that the same thing might happen if she blindly followed him. ¡°Err¡­¡± Her shoulders were trembling because she couldn¡¯t decide, and a neatly folded paper fell from her pocket. She picked it up to see what it was, and something was written on it. [We will meet again. Follow the knights.] ¡®This is¡­¡¯ She immediately realized who had written that message. It was from that man who came to their rescue and told them that he¡¯d take their names back. Number 45 carefully folded the paper and put it inside her pocket. She managed to muster her courage while thinking about him and took the knight¡¯s hand. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Chapter 339 - 339

Chapter 339:

Raon and Dorian left the secret passage and returned to the hill, where they could see the orphanage from above. "I really thought I was going to die." Dorian shook his head while wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "I feel dizzy. I think I was too nervous." His unfocused eyes revealed that he''d overexerted himself to protect the children. "You should be applying medicine to your injuries instead. They will scar if you don''t treat them right away." Raon took off the windbreaker he was wearing and shook his hand. "Ah, indeed." Dorian nodded and took a white box containing medicine from his belly pocket. He took out a disinfectant, an ointment, and medicine for internal injury one after the other and ced them on the ground. "You should use them first, vice squad leader." "I''m not injured though." "Whaat?" Dorian''s jaw dropped. "B-but you said there was a Master among them." "I finished him off in no time." Raon tapped the longsword hanging around his waist. "It wasn''t a difficult fight. He was just a beginner-level Master." "H-he was still a Master though, even though he was a beginner level! Is it even possible to y a Master so easily?" "Yes." "W-without leaving any trace?" "Yes, it''s possible." Dorian''s confusion was normal. Since Raon was an intermediate Master, a beginner-level Master should''ve still given him some trouble even if he was about to reach the advanced realm. ''However... It''s possible for me.'' Raon was practically stronger than an advanced Master. He even knew Lisbon''s techniques in advance. That was why killing him was an easy task. "Huh..." Dorian gasped in bewilderment. "I feel like you destroy mymon sense every single time you do something like this." He shook his head and started to apply the ointment to his injuries. Hmph! Wrath snorted in displeasure. The King of Essence could''ve killed him with a single finger¡ªno, he doesn''t even need a finger. He could''ve killed with his tongue! You shouldn''t be proud of yourself for killing him with a sword! He suddenly started to spout bullshit. He seemed dissatisfied by the fact that the person he considered to be his underling was admiring Raon. "It was an average performance. It was not a big deal." Raon nodded his head because Wrath wasn''t exactly wrong. "I should end myself if that was an average performance." Dorian closed the lid of the medical box with a long face. "I already told you. Different people, different talents." Raon chuckled and buried the bloody windbreaker in the ground before burning it up in an instant to prevent the smoke from rising. It was better topletely destroy it instead of wiping off the blood because it was far too bloody. He removed all traces of the burnt windbreaker before taking two books from his clothes. ''I didn''t expect this loot.'' The names of Balkar, Owen, and Cameloon''s executives who were associated with the orphanage were written in the book. He was stillcking evidence to reach all the way to Derus, but it was bound to be usefulter on for revealing his true nature. ''And... This is the best one.'' Raon took a blue bead from his pocket. A single line was carved inside the bead. ''Who would''ve thought they were hiding this relic in that facility?'' The bead was one of the ancient relics with the ability to increase the power of the water attribute mana of the one who possessed it. Its grade was low, but Raon could clearly feel that cier had gotten stronger. ''He''s the same as before.'' Derus had always worked hard on looking for relics, to the point that he had even formed investigation teams dedicated to it. The relic was in the facility because it was a low-grade one, and Derus personally managed all the high-grade relics and above. ''Thank you for the gift.'' Raon put it in his pocket and sneered at the dead Lisbon. When he finished clearing up the traces on the hill, the knights and children started to exit the orphanage''s entrance. "Vice squad leader!" Dorian had finished tending his wound, and he bit his lip while watching them. "I saw." Raon nodded and examined the children''s faces. Pine was standing at the front of the line, and even though she seemed nervous, a faint light of anticipation could be seen in her eyes. "Look at them! They are holding my snacks!" Dorian smiled while pointing at the crackers and candies the children were holding. He seemed extremely happy even though he had just given away all of his favorite snacks. "Good job." Raon patted Dorian''s shoulder. The incident was actuallypletely unrted to Dorian, yet he still helped to the best of his ability. Raon was thankful for that fact. ''He''sing out.'' Thest person who exited the orphanage was Borini Kitten, and he was makingplicated expressions with various emotions. ''I''m sorry, and I leave them to you.'' He honestly didn''t want to get Borini Kitten involved, but he was the only person he could entrust the children to. "They can be treated, can''t they?" Dorian let out a small sigh while watching the quietly walking children. He must''ve been crying, as his voice sounded teary. They will be! Wrath sniffled and nodded. The King of Essence will make it happen if everything else fails! Don''t worry about it! They were on the same page because they were the two most tender-hearted people around Raon. He almost wanted to let them meet each other. "Yes, I''ll have them treated by all means." Raon looked at Dorian and Wrath one after the other and nodded. "Because I promised them that I would get their names back for them." He nodded while watching the children''s faces, which had be slightly brighter than before. The brainwashing wasn''tplete because they didn''t go through with the fighting ceremony, where they had to kill their only friend. Raon was certain that Federick should be able to heal them since he''d been researching brainwashing. ''Derus must''ve gotten the signal by now.'' Derus didn''t even trust his confidants. Lisbon should''ve been no exception and must''ve had the rage worm inside him, and Derus must''ve noticed his death. ''He will personallye here because that''s the kind of person he is.'' Since Derus didn''t trust anyone else, he was definitely going to personally visit the orphanage to investigate the traces. That timeframe was Raon''s goal all along. ''Have fun wasting your time here...'' An extreme coldness sparked in Raon''s eyes. Because I''ll be taking your treasure in the meantime. * * * Duke Babyroon was considered one of the pirs of the Balkar Kingdom. The banquet hall was located at the center of his huge domain, and the music flowing from it was soft and elegant at the same time. Derus was drinking with Duke Babyroon inside the banquet hall. "You even overlooked the man who cut off your son''s arm. You are as broad-minded as always." Duke Babyroon smiled while pouring the wine¡ªcalled Lunatic, which was supposed to be as precious as tinum. "He didn''t do it on purpose, after all." Derus shook his head with a gentle smile on his face. "His murderous intent crossed the line, but it''s understandable because he''s still young. My son was the problem because he couldn''t withstand it." He cleverly ndered Raon''s behavior and showed his own generosity at the same time. "That''s why I admire you! If it were me, I would''ve cut off that Raon''s arm on the spot to make it equal!" Duke Babyroon frowned while saying that he wished he had been there when it happened. "He''s still young, but he''s already infatuated with fame and recklessly uses his de. I''m sure he isn''t going tost for a long time." "You should avoid saying something like that..." "It just makes me angry! We expected so much from the de of Shattering Wave, so how could he cut his arm off in such a horrible manner?! He shows no promise at all!" "But it''s thanks to him that I could meet you and have a fun conversation together." Derus smiled gently and patted Duke Babyroon''s shoulder. "Huhu, I''m the one who is honored to see you." Duke Babyroon lowered his head and twisted his lips slightly. "We will make sure to restore the de of Shattering Wind''s shoulder. We''ve been researching restoration magic for a long time, and I''m sure we can improve his condition." Since Babyroon''s magicians specialized in healing, Duke Babyroon''s words signified that it was possible to heal him even though it might take some time. "Thank you." "I just want House Robert and House Babyroon to remain on good terms in the future." "Of course... We will¡ª" Derus nodded at Duke Babyroon and suddenly stopped. ''The rage worm?!'' The rage worm inside his own head was trembling. He could judge from the sensation that Lisbon''s rage worm had died. Since the method to remove the rage worm without harming the host hadn''t been discovered, the rage worm''s death signified that a problem had urred with Lisbon, who was in charge of the ninth farm. ''What just happened...?'' The ninth farm was where they were raising children who weren''t recognized as shadows yet. Since he''d been extra cautious and was paying attention to that ce, he couldn''t believe that a problem had urred. Tsk. Derus briefly clicked his tongue, quietly enough for the duke to not hear him, and sent a message to his butler, Regel, through his will. [Regel.] [Yes, my lord.] Regel responded with an aura message without moving at all. [Confirm the ninth farm''s state immediately.] [Yes.] Even though it was a sudden order, he didn''t ask any questions. He silently moved away and left the banquet hall. "Balkar and Robert¡ªor, rather, Babyroon and Robert will remain friends in the future." Derus smiled to pretend nothing had happened and clinked sses with Duke Babyroon. nk. Unlike the clear sound of clinking sses, a strange resonance of darkness was echoing in his heart. After the banquet came to an end, Derus went to an annex building that the duke had lent him during the stay. Regel was waiting in front of the entrance, implying that he had already finished gathering information. "What happened?" "Th-there was a problem." Regel''s voice was trembling violently, which was rareing from him. "I couldn''t contact the ninth farm." "You''d better have more things to report." Derus coldly looked down on Regel. "Yes. I ordered a shadow who happened to be nearby to check the farm..." Regel hesitated to continue, a cold sweat flowing down from his forehead. "He said the Owen Kingdom''s knights were seen leaving the farm." "Owen? Why would they do that?!" "That is still unknown. He said that Borini Kitten and the Silver Knights brought the young dogs to Owen." "How is that even..." Derus Robert''s lips were trembling violently. "What about Kabel and Lisbon?!" "None of the shadows in the orphanage managed to survive. On the other hand, all of the young dogs lived." Regel apologetically lowered his head. ''How is this even possible?'' The fact that someone managed to discover the ninth farm''s location was already strange enough, but all of the young dogs managed to survive while Lisbon and Kabel perished. He couldn''t figure out how that was even possible. ''Something went wrong.'' It was possible for Lisbon and Kabel to die. However, they should''ve done something before they died. They were educated to blow up the entire orphanage to erase all evidence and the dogs, yet they couldn''t even carry that out and died in vain. "But we also have the shadows in Owen Castle! Did they report anything about this?!" "B-Borini Kitten apparently only brought the most trustworthy of the Silver Knights with him. He didn''t even tell anyone where he was going, and they couldn''t obtain any information..." "..." Derus wasn''t saying anything. "When did this assault happen?" "It happenedst night." "Does that mean that they didn''t go through the fighting ceremony?" "That''s correct. That''s why all of the dogs in the facility have survived." Regel bit his lip and closed his eyes. "Hah." Derus eximed. "Kuhahahahaha!" He swept his hair up with a vulgarugh that he usually didn''t make. Heughed loudly for a while before he grabbed the table. Tching! The metallic table, which glittered in gold, and the misceneous objects around him were smashed into powder and shattered in the air in an instant. "Investigate. Find out what happened, and who the perpetrator was. Find out everything." Derus''s expression was simr to when he was in the banquet hall, but his eyes werepletely dry, as if all the moisture had evaporated. "Tell them that all of the pigs who were shoved into Owen and Cameloon will lose their heads if they fail to figure this out." * * * Raon and Dorian went to the south and arrived at a city called Motran. The city was like a crossroad, as the Southwestern route led to the Sephia Company''s headquarters while the southern path led to House Robert. "I''m starting to feel a bit nervous since we are so close." Dorian sighed while unpacking the baggage in the inn. "M-maybe we should return to Zieghart now. I''m curious how the others are doing..." "No." Raon caught Dorian''s shoulder as he tried to run away and threw him on the ground. Dorian fell to the ground and sniffled. "I''m telling you, no one is going to wee me over there!" His reaction told Raon that he really had been abused every day at home. "I don''t want you to see me getting insulted by everyone even in my home!" "I''ming with you to stop them from doing that." Dorian was shaking his head but suddenly stopped upon hearing Raon''s response. "What?" "I''m not about to let a Light Wind swordsman be abused at home." His main objective was to destroy the submarine dungeon that Derus was trying so hard to conquer, but he had no intention of doing a half-assed job at Dorian''s house. He was going to make sure to teach everyone who looked down on Dorian in the Sephia Company a lesson. "Ah..." Dorian''s jaw dropped. Raon''s statement must''ve beenpletely unexpected to him. "B-but ourpany is in the top five..." "Don''t worry about it. I''m a vice squad leader from Zieghart of the Six Kings." Raon smiled faintly and tapped on Dorian''s shoulder. "Th-that''s true. People even started calling you the White Sword Dragon..." Dorian swallowed nervously. He was the vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad who was rumored to be the biggest rising star, and he was even given a title with the word dragon in it, which signified that he was the strongest among the young warriors. It was obvious that no one was going to underestimate him. "You should stay around here and resupply. I''ll be away for a few days." "What? Where are you going?" "I''m taking measures to prevent them from attacking the children." Raon stood up with a cold glimmer in his eyes. "I-I also want to help if I can!" Dorian said he also wanted to help the children and followed him. "No, I need to do this alone." Since Martio himself or someone as strong as him would be inside the submarine dungeon, Dorian would be immediately found out if he entered. Raon couldn''t predict at all what was going to happen, and that was why bringing Dorian with him was a terrible idea for both of them. "Uhh, alright..." Dorian hung his head in disappointment. "But you can still help me." "Wh-what can I do?" "Do you have a subspace pocket?" "Of course I do!" He immediately nodded and took a subspace pocket from his belly pocket. "But it can''t hold that many items. Itspression ratio is only ten times." "Hmm..." Raon licked his lips while looking back and forth between the subspace pocket and Dorian''s belly pocket. ''Well, this is more normal.'' A subspace pocket''s value depended on thepression ratio. Even famous warriors and rich people''s subspace pockets had a limit, but Dorian''s belly pocket didn''t have any limits at all. Since such a priceless treasure was given to Dorian just because its function wasn''t exined, Raon could guess that thepany''s president might not hate him after all. "You should stay here and pick a gift for the president in the meantime." "But my house deals with all kinds of items, and there''s nothing new I can bring..." "It doesn''t matter. You should pick something anyway." Raon pressed on Dorian''s shoulder as if he were threatening him. "Ah, yes..." Dorian was trembling as he nodded. "I''ll be back." Raon chuckled, he was going to leave the room, only to turn around instead. "...Do you have some parsley by any chance?" * * * Raon left Motran right away and ran towards House Robert at full speed. Where are you going? Wrath tilted his head in bewilderment. ''You will find out once we are there.'' Ugh, you just have so many secrets... He wrinkled his nose in displeasure. The King of Essence is aware that you aren''t normal. ''Would you like some salt-grilled shrimp for lunch?'' S-salted shrimp... ''With some lobsters on top!'' Ooh! Wrath immediately forgot what he was asking and licked his lips. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wrath. ''This isn''t going to work forever. He might have already realized it in the worst-case scenario.'' However, it was something he had to do. Even if he couldn''t obtain anything from the dungeon, he had to prevent Derus from gaining even more power. ''I don''t have that much time.'' He had to spend four days in Cameloon. He managed to buy some time by destroying the orphanage, but he still needed to destroy the submarine dungeon as fast as possible before reaching the Sephia Company to avoid any suspicion when his trip was disclosed. ''I''m feeling great though. After all, I did everything I wanted to do in Cameloon.'' He managed to get his revenge against Lisbon and saved all of the children. He was satisfied by that, and he couldn''t stop hisughter whenever he thought about how angry Derus would be as he scolded his subordinates. ''The only bad part is that I couldn''t witness that scene.'' He wanted to see that distorted face from Derus, and it was regrettable that he couldn''t. He was getting jealous of Regel, who should''ve witnessed that scene from up close. Raon ran all day long while looking forward to Derus''s distorted face, then set about finding a spot to sleep next to a smallke. "Hmm..." He briefly exhaled while looking at the bush, the area vacant. "Merlin, you must be there. Aren''t you?" His aura perception was telling him that there was nothing but a few wild animals, but Merlin should''ve been among them. "I''ll grant your wish. Come out." Since he had to repay the favor, he preferred to do it sooner rather thanter. He wanted to do it right away if possible. ''I''m fully prepared this time.'' He figured that Merlin liked small animals as her vessel and brought some grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, bugs, candy, and even crackers. He even brought some parsley and celery. He was confident he could deal with any animal she used. Thud. However, Merlin didn''t appear immediately. It took about thirty seconds before a lion pushed its way through the bush with heavy footsteps. "Were you looking for me?" The lion''s voice was heavy, but it had a refreshing tone somehow. Huh. "..." ''I don''t have any food for lions...'' Chapter 340 - 340

Chapter 340:

Raon bit his lip as the lion slowly walked towards him. ''Why is it a lion this time...?'' He''d prepared vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, crackers, choctes, and even some candy in the subspace pocket he got from Dorian. He thought he was prepared for all scenarios, but it was all for naught. ''I''m screwed.'' The rabbit could have some fruit at least, but there was nothing in the pocket that could satisfy a lion. After all, he couldn''t possibly feed that huge carnivorous mouth with chocte. ''Should I give him my arm or something?'' He started wondering whether he should give his own flesh. It was ridiculous, but that was how surprised he was. ''No, but why is it a lion this time?'' Even though it was a rarely-visited ce, there was nothing but a smallke and a small forest nearby. He couldn''t understand why a lion was there. He couldn''t understand what Merlin was thinking at all. Sh-she''s really insane... Wrath shook his head while ring at the lion with Merlin''s mind. The girl who used to follow the King of Essence was also entric, but she''s even worse! She might appear as an elephant next time. You have to kill her now! His shoulders were trembling as he pointed at the lion to ask Raon to stab it. ''You are right.'' Raon nodded while listening to Wrath. ''It''s Merlin''s fault for being crazy, not mine.'' It was Merlin''s fault that a lion suddenly came out, and it was originally Merlin''s job to feed it. He somehow ended up thinking that it was his job to feed it because he kept doing that in the past, but it wasn''t actually his problem. ''I was almost tricked.'' Raon confidently straightened his back while looking down on Merlin. "Huhu." Merlin elegantly sat down in front of Raon. He realized that it was a male lion due to its mane, and that was even more absurd. "Why did you appear as a lion this time?" He asked the biggest question he had. "I told you before, but I don''t one-sidedly control the animals. It''s a trade where we help each other for our needs." "Which means, this one..." "Yes. This one also has something it wants." Merlin winked using the lion''s appearance, and goosebumps appeared on his forearm. "You should grant its wish by yourself before you disappear." Raon frowned deeply. He would''ve fed it himself if he had anything suitable, but he couldn''t deal with the lion at all. "I''ve been watching you." Merlin didn''t respond and said her piece instead. "You were acting differently this time." She raised her chin slightly with a delicate smile on her face. "You''ve always avoided shedding blood so far. Even when you had to kill people, you showed them the overwhelming difference in your power to stop your enemies from attacking you." She was right. He wasn''t exactly afraid of killing people, but he preferred to avoid killing if he could. "However, you didn''t hesitate to kill your enemies this time. Your murderous aura was terrifying." Merlin said it while licking her paw with her tongue. She was grooming herself just like other felines. "Haa..." Raon sighed and closed his eyes. ''This is driving me nuts.'' He couldn''t focus on the conversation at all because the lion was licking itself while talking about a serious matter. "And the way you killed the man who seemed to be in charge was especially strange because you were unnecessarily cruel. I never thought you could be so brutal." "So what? Are you disappointed in me?" "No." Merlin slowly stood up. "I was excited. I was so thrilled that my hands werepletely wet with sweat." "Uhh..." "The clean side, the serious side, and the cruel side of you are all perfect. You are always the best..." The lion''s cheeks were turning red, and its feet started to tremble. It seemed to be expressing Merlin''s emotions. Tsk. Raon briefly clicked his tongue. ''I was hoping that she would stop chasing me because of that.'' He thought Merlin might hate shedding blood because he''d never seen her kill anyone before, but that wasn''t the case. She seemed determined to stalk him no matter what he did. Th-this is the real madness! She''spletely crazy! Wrath groaned and escaped into the ice flower bracelet. "So, what do you want to request this time?" Merlin nodded her head and told him to ask anything he wanted. "I don''t have anything like a request." Raon shook his head and stretched his hand. "Tell me your wish. I don''t want to drag this out any longer, so I''ll have you tell me right now and decide." "My wish, I see." Merlin smiled faintly and took a step towards him. It was a mystery that she could make all those expressions with an animal''s face. "My wish is..." She stopped talking and stared at him. ''I can''t even begin to guess what she''s going to ask.'' She was a crazy woman just like Wrath said, and Raon couldn''t predict what she was about to ask at all. He stared nervously at Merlin''s mouth. "Hug me please." "Haah?" "Have you never heard of hugging? Hug me." Merlin raised her thick front paws and waved them left and right. She was trying to show him what a hug was about, but Raon was baffled because those paws were strong enough to tear off his flesh. "In your current state?" "Yes. I can still feel you in this state. I''ll be satisfied with this for now since it can''t be helped. You can grant this wish, right?" She smiled, convinced that he wouldn''t refuse it. ''She''s right about that.'' He was going to immediately refuse if she asked him to kill someone or leak some information, but he didn''t mind hugging her. Moreover, he wasn''t even hugging Merlin herself, so he was perfectly fine with that. ''However... She might try to kidnap me likest time.'' He couldn''t ept it unconditionally because she might use an artifact to bring him to her like thest time. "I promise with my body and soul on the line, I''ll never do anything harmful to you." Merlin raised her hand, and the mana wavered around her. She was performing a pact of soul and body to restrict herself. "Isn''t this going to harm the lion''s soul and body instead of yours?" "Absolutely not." Merlin shook her head in denial. ...She''s right. Wrath poked his head above the bracelet. She''s pledging on her main body and soul. That madwoman''s soul and body will receive a huge amount of damage if she doesn''t keep her promise. That''s why... His lips trembled violently. She''s even more scary! She''s seriously insane! "...Fine." Raon nodded. He had to grant her wish anyway because he''d promised her that he would. "Uhuhu." Merlin bobbed her paw to ask him to hug her already. "I''m looking forward to it." "Haa..." Raon sighed deeply and stood in front of Merlin. He only needed to bend his knees slightly because the lion was pretty big. ''I only need to bear with it once.'' He closed his eyes and hugged Merlin, or rather the lion. The mane was fluffy, but the skin was as rough as sandpaper. ''I''ll stop after three seconds.'' He was nning to count to three before getting away from the lion, but its body suddenly turned as soft as pudding and also became thinner. Hey! Hey! Look in front of you! ''Wh-what''s going on?'' Raon opened his eyes while Wrath hurriedly called out to him. The lion wasn''t there anymore, and Merlin was standing in front of him with the old woman''s mask on her face. Her elegant fragrance tickled his nose. "This is great. I''m going to have a nice dream tonight." "Hey!" Raon gritted his teeth and pushed Merlin back. "Uhuhuhu!" Merlin leaped backward and shook her hand. "It''s best to feel human warmth directly." "How could you do this even after you pledged...?" "But I didn''t harm you in any way." She shook her hand, saying that it wasn''t a big deal. "Huh..." Raon gasped. Just like she said, she wasn''t trying to harm him, and she wasn''t going against her pledge at all. "I''ve enjoyed every moment we spent together." She floated into the air and disappeared by turning into bubbles. "I won''t be able to see you for a while because I have business to attend to, but I''ll be looking forward to hearing the news of your achievements." That was thest thing she said before her presencepletely disappeared. Raonughed bitterly with drooping shoulders. ''I''m so exhausted.'' Even though he''d been running all day long, it wasn''t as tiring as what happened a moment ago. ''Still...'' "I don''t need to feed the lion anymore." He was d that he didn''t need to feed the lion thanks to Merlin''s disappearance. "I''m so relieved." That was the madwoman''s n all along! Wrath secretly raised his head and rolled his eyes. In the King of Essence''s opinion, that madwoman has your portrait in her head instead of a brain. Wrath''s eyes were trembling because of how frightened he was. He doesn''t even need your body anymore... ''Is it that bad?'' The orphanage, Cloud''s House, used to be filled with the smiles of children on the outside even though they were all screaming inside. It had turned into a deserted house, and Owen''s knights were guarding it. "I still can''t believe that assassins were being raised in this orphanage." The blond knight sighed while looking at the Cloud''s House. "It''s so cruel. I thought kidnapping children to raise them as assassins only happened in novels..." The ck-haired knight lowered his eyes and shook his head. "Cruel isn''t enough to describe it. Whoever was behind this must be a demon wearing a human''s mask." "Yes. It''s not an idea that a human being can possiblye up with." While the two knights ground their teeth while thinking about the perpetrator behind the incident, two knights were walking towards them from Cameloon''s direction. They wereing for the shift. "Freeze! Freeze! Freeze!" The blond knight unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the approaching knights. "Raise your hands! I''ll attack if you move!" The knights stopped walking upon hearing that and raised their hands. "Who are you?" "Ah, it''s me. I''m your colleague." The tall knight raised his helmet and smiled. "Beer." "Chicken." The blond knight finally lowered his sword after he got the password right. "Good job." The newly arrived knights patted the shoulders of the ones who had been guarding the orphanage. "How are the children doing?" The blond knight gathered his equipment and asked the newly arrived knights about the children. "They haven''t changed. They don''t say anything or smile. They only follow orders like machines." "I feel so sad for them whenever I watch them." The knights who came for their shift clicked their tongues. "Is it impossible to recover naturally over time?" "They have been brainwashed for far too long for that." "They said that someone was going toe to treat their condition. We should wait and see." "Seriously, I wish the fiend who did this was in front of me so that I could kill him." "Calm down, you¡ªhuh?" The blond knight started to shake his hand before he suddenly turned around. Step. A tall man wearing a ck cloak was walking towards them. He was wearing a gray mask that covered his whole face including his eyes, and the white pupils of the mask created a creepy atmosphere around him. "Freeze! Freeze! Freeze!" The knights who just arrived drew their swords, but the man kept walking towards them instead of stopping. "Stop!" "We will attack if you approach any further!" All four of the knights drew their swords and spread their murderous intent, but the man continued to walk. "It''s me." He raised his hand above the cloak. "What?" "I said that I''m the one who operated this facility." The man''s mouth curved into a frightening smile. "What the hell?!" "Attack him!" The four knights moved at once. They got into thebined assault formation that they usually trained and dashed at him from four different directions to thrust their aura des. Pssh! The man slowly lowered the hand he had raised, and the knights'' bodies were divided into dozens of pieces and scattered on the ground. It didn''t even look like swordsmanship or aura, it simply seemed to be a natural course of action. "Vermin." He swirled his finger. The knights'' corpses and blood turned into dust and scattered into the air. All traces disappeared in an instant as if no one was there to begin with. Once the man reached the front of the orphanage, people wearing masks and ck clothes surged from the ground behind him like shadows. He took off his mask, and Derus Robert''s face was revealed. His extremely cold expression was frightening enough to make chills run down the spine of those who saw him. "Start it now." Upon hearing his order, the shadows scattered around the orphanage and started to look for traces. Derus personally entered the orphanage after giving the order. His gaze turned as sharp as a de as he examined the floor, walls, and even the remnant of the aura inside the building. After he checked the orphanage, he also examined the underground cavern and the secret passages before returning to the orphanage. ''There''s no trace at all.'' Borini Kitten was an exemry knight, but it was impossible for him to take care of the facility perfectly because of his excellent personality. Someone from the underworld who had done dirty work before must''ve helped him, but there was no trace of them to be found at all. ''This is impossible...'' Even though the knights had rummaged through the ce, he should''ve been able to find a trace. Instead, all of the traces belonged to the shadows and the knights. Even though someone had to have interfered, their presence waspletely gone. "There''s no trace outside the farm." "There''s no trace inside the farm." "There''s no trace in the internal and external passages." Derus'' vein bulged on his forehead each time he heard the shadows'' reports. Whir! Derus Robert''s mouth curved into a frightening smile. He had been patient over and over, starting from Owen, yet his patience had reached its limit and his wrath started to overflow. Whaam! Hollow gray light spread from his eyes, and the underground below the orphanagepletely copsed and crumbled to dust. Whoosh! Derus took off his glove in the midst of the raging sandstorm. He smeared his lips with the blood flowing from the back of his hand and raised his chin. "I''ll kill you." A frightening smile appeared on Derus''s face as he looked down on the world with his dry eyes, which almost looked like even his blood was dried up. "It doesn''t matter where you are nor who you are. I''m definitely going to kill all of you..." * * * Raon used a dimensional door with another identity and went to the south. He teleported to a location that was quite far away from House Robert on purpose and alternated between riding a horse and using his footwork to reach Robert''s domain. He managed to arrive a lot faster than he had nned, but he wasn''t thinking about that at all. All his senses were solely focused on House Robert, which he could see from afar. ''It''s been twenty years...'' The mansions retained their elegance while shining as beautifully as an emerald sea, the swordsmen were brimming with noble spirit, and the vassals supported the house from below. It looked as warm as dappling sunlight, yet none of that was allowed to him. There was no warmth that his hand was allowed to reach. ''Because I belonged to the gutter.'' That ce belonged to those honorable people, and Raon was nothing but a hunting dog who had to keep sharpening his fangs from underground. Whir. Wrath was boiling from the deepest part of his soul. The anger spread through his veins and was trying to control his body, but he scattered it through the Ring of Fire. ''It''s too early for that.'' He didn''t want to unleash his wrath for no reason. It was a precious emotion that needed to serve its purpose during his revenge against every single executive working under Derus. That small house isn''t even worth watching, so why are you standing here for a whole hour?! This is getting so boring! Wrath frowned and grabbed his sleeve. You are seriously a country bumpkin! Just wait and see until you see the King of Essence''s castle, your jaw will drop! ''You might be right.'' Raon chuckled. His depression faded away a little thanks to Wrath. Since you made him bored, you shall offer some specialty food from this region! The King of Essence cannot bear this delicious smell that has been around since earlier! Wrath pointed at the various restaurants while saying that he wanted some seafood. ''Alright. It''s time for lunch anyway.'' Raon chuckled and turned his head. He was going to leave after engraving the sight of the Robert mansion in his memory, but a red-haired boy walked up to him. "It''s cool, isn''t it?" "Hmm?" "I''m talking about that mansion. You''ve been watching it for an hour." Raon figured that the boy approached him because he''d been watching the mansion. "Yes, it''s cool." He nodded. It was true that Robert''s buildings looked more elegant than Zieghart''s. "I''m also going to be a swordsman from that ce one day!" He proudly dered. He must''ve believed that Raon actually liked House Robert. "I''ll be the strongest swordsman in the continent and protect the south, just like the Sky Sword Saint!" Raon lowered his gaze and looked at the boy. He seemed to be in his early teens, and a wooden sword was hanging around his waist. ''He''s around the same age as Pine.'' He looked like his age was simr to the kids that Raon had saved in the orphanage. However, his expression waspletely different. The boy''s yful expression was characteristic of children in their early teens, but the kids¡ªincluding Pine¡ªcouldn''t even make an expression of admiration. Even though they were also humans that were the same age as him, a fiend hadpletely destroyed their personalities. Raon was saddened by the fact that he couldn''t say anything to the boy who wanted to take after that fiend. And that made him realize, once again, what he needed to achieve. "I see." Raon smiled and caressed the boy''s hair. "Good luck." * * * Just like Wrath had requested, Raon ate some lobster pizza, octopus steak, grilled squid, chilly shrimp, gambas, and even some bead ice cream before he finally headed toward the submarine dungeon. What''s up with you?! Wrath massaged his shoulder with a happy smile on his face. It was the expression of the highest degree of his delight. You must''ve finally decided to be the King of Essence''s subordinate! His voice sounded as happy as a m since he managed to enjoy the delicious food to his heart''s content. It had been a long time since thest time Raon heard such a voice from him. ''I already said no.'' Raon shook his head. He only listened to Wrath''s request because of a different reason. He had no intention of bing his subordinate. ''We should quickly move out since it''s about to get messy.'' Wrath kept talking to him endlessly, but Raon simply ignored him and followed the east coast. Even though there were a lot of tourists around House Robert, their numbers decreased as Raon kept following the coastline. ''I should get ready now.'' He changed into clothes from the South to disguise himself as a resident and conceal his presence. Once his presence was low enough that people wouldn''t notice him from right next to him, he continued along the coastline. After a day of travel, he managed to find a line to forbid people''s entrance and a signpost warning about the sea monsters'' appearance. ''It''s here.'' He managed to remember the dungeon''s location because the coastline hadn''t changed that much even though it had been twenty years since thest time he saw it. ''And what makes it certain is...'' He smiled coldly while looking at the sandy beach and the trees. Shadows were hiding on the sandy beach and between the trees to protect the location, and their existence confirmed that he hade to the right ce. He could ascertain that the submarine dungeon was located under the ocean right in front of him. Whir. Raon lowered his presence even further. He even inhibited the pulsation of his organs, so that he would be sensed as a grain of sand instead of a living organism and quietly stared at the ocean. One day had passed and night had fallen, yet Raon still remained immobile. He kept staring at the ocean with the exact same posture as before. Even the shadows hidden in front of him had to move their bodies, but Raon wasn''t even moving a single finger. Ugh! This is so boring! And the King of Essence is hungry! Wrath couldn''t bear it anymore and shouted at Raon. This is torture at this point! Why are you staying immobile all day long without even feeding him?! ''That''s why I gave you a lot to eat two days ago.'' Uuh... His jaw dropped. Th-the King of Essence was wondering why you suddenly bought him all the food he wanted... ''I was feeding you in advance because I knew this was going to happen.'' He doesn''t need such luxury! It''s better to eat three meals a day without missing any! ''Does that mean you are fine with Nadine bread?'' You must be crazy! That''s not even food. It is rubber that somehow fills the stomach! ''But if you are hungry...'' The King of Essence would rather drink the water instead of filling his stomach with that shit! ''Oh, great idea.'' N-no! He misspoke! Wrath violently shook his head. He seemed to believe that Raon was really going to do it. Raon chuckled and continued to stare at the ocean. You are like an evil CEO! You are breaching thew for maximum weekly working hours! You even breached the Food Sanitation Act since you didn''t feed him! ''That''s not what the Food Sanitation Act is about... Be quiet!'' Raon covered Wrath''s mouth and swallowed nervously. Someone wasing out of the ocean after two days. Ssh. Thirty masked men, one woman who seemed to be a magician, and a tall man in ck were carefully walking out from the ocean. ''So, he was here after all.'' Martio. Just like he''d expected, the butler of the underworld, Martio, was in charge of exploring the dungeon while Derus was away. ''On top of destroying the dungeon...'' A crimson light sparked in Raon''s eyes. ''I should be able to get my revenge at the same time.'' Chapter 341 - 341

Chapter 341:

Raon reduced his presence even further and turned his breath as thin as a thread. Once his presence became as small as a pebble, he examined the shadows one after the other. Can you tell them apart even though they are hiding their faces? Wrath clicked his tongue, asking how he was even examining them. ''I can tell through their shapes and auras.'' Even though they were dpletely in ck, there was still a difference in shape, such as height and the width of the shoulders. The auras were also unique to each individual, which made it rtively easy to tell them apart. Hmph, the King of Essence doesn''t even need to tell them apart because they wouldn''t evenst a second against him. ''I guess so.'' When Raon met Wrath''s main body in his mental world, he was both beautiful and powerful at the same time. The demon king was entitled to say such a thing, but the way he kept losing his mind for food was a shame. ''It''s because I''m weak that I need to gather information first and think about how to proceed.'' Huh? Why are you recognizing your own weakness now? What''s wrong with you? ''Because I don''t want to lose anymore.'' After he was kidnapped by Merlin, he kept thinking about that incident. It was true that it was a difficult predicament, but he could''ve been wiser and prevented the kidnapping altogether. Hmm... Wrath licked his lips while looking at Raon. ''Did he grow up?'' There were two kinds of people. Ones who learn from failure, and ones whoforted themselves by iming that they were just unlucky. It was obvious which one could reach higher and further. Raon was bound to reach higher than anyone, both because of his martial arts and his mentality. ''However...'' There was one aspect that made Wrath angry. You gained so much from that incident, you bastard! Wrath scowled while looking at Raon. Are you really saying that now after you took away all of the King of Essence''s stat points?! Do you have a conscience at all? ''No.'' Raon shook his hand. ''I was just lucky.'' The kidnapping made him stronger, and he managed to learn the true meaning of a house, but he didn''t want his life to depend on the enemy''s decision ever again. That was why it was necessary to achieve perfect control of the situation by gathering information and predicting everything. ''And information is even more important this time.'' Since he didn''t know anything about the dungeon at all, it was necessary to learn about the situation through their movements and conversation. "How long is it going to take to reach the end?" Martio turned his head towards the magician as he asked his question. "Hmm... About one week at this rate, I think." The magician took off her mask and answered. A young girl''s face was revealed, her pink hair wet from the seawater. ''Kosini Sion...'' The magician was the shadow magician squad''s vice squad leader, Kosini Sion. He could easily recognize her because her face was the exact same as twenty years ago. ''She''s speaking informally to him.'' Martio''s rank should''ve been higher, even if Kosini was promoted to squad leader. That was why Raon found it strange that she wasn''t addressing him more formally. "Can''t you make it faster?" Martio looked at the ocean and shook his hand. "I can, but it''s most likely going to copse. The foundation is too weak because that ce wasn''t originally made as a dungeon. If we mess with the wrong spot..." Kosini raised her finger, and the sand copsed beneath them. "That is going to happen. You can do it if you want to be buried alive." Raon licked his lips while listening to Kosini. ''It wasn''t originally made as a dungeon, she said?'' She must''ve been implying that it was modified as a dungeon after a certain incident. "Haa..." Martio took off his mask and sighed. He seemed very frustrated. "If it takes one week, we will have toe back two more times in the future." "Well, yes." Kosini nodded and looked upwards. "Why are you in such a hurry when you haven''t even fully recovered from your injuries? I already told you that you will definitely find a high-grade monster at the very least once you reach the area below." Raon clenched his fist slightly upon hearing her words. ''This is an extremely important piece of information.'' The fact that Martio was still recovering was the most precious piece of information so far. The chance of killing him inside the dungeon became a lot higher thanks to that. "I just want to bring the good news to him as fast as possible." Martio sighed while looking in the direction of the Robert mansion. "Is it because of the incident that happened on the farm? I''m also his follower, but I could never catch up to you. I guess that is why he trusts you so much even though you aren''t as good as others in terms of skill." "Shut up." "How long is the rest?" "One day, obviously." "Haa, that''s too short." Kosini sighed and started walking towards House Robert. "Come out." Instead of following her, Martio waved his hand towards the sandy beach. Whap! The four shadows, who''d been hiding on the beach and between the trees, dashed in front of him and prostrated themselves. "Two residents visited four days ago, and ..." They reported who approached the ce or passed by. Obviously, Raon''s name wasn''t mentioned. "Keep guarding this ce." "Yes." The shadows responded and returned to their original locations to hide themselves. "Let''s go." Martio gave the order and the shadows that came out from the ocean followed him. Are you going to enter right away? ''No.'' Raon shook his head. ''It''s not my only objective.'' He could destroy the dungeon right away, but his real goal was to kill Martio and obtain the dungeon''s treasure. For that, he needed to wait until Martio returned to the dungeon. ''There must be shadows inside the dungeon as well.'' That was another reason that he couldn''t enter immediately¡ªit was obvious that Martio would''ve deployed some shadows inside the dungeon, considering his personality. ''But I managed to obtain some nice information.'' Raon smiled faintly. He had managed to find out how long they were going to rest, when they were going to start exploring the dungeon, and even the number of enemies and their strength, which was enough to devise a n. Let''s go eat something then. You didn''t eat anything for two days straight. ''Ah, you are right.'' Raon nodded and carefully stood up and withdrew. Once he reached far enough to barely feel the shadows'' presence anymore, he took a Nadine bread from his subspace pocket. Aaaaaaaaah! ''Please bear with it.'' But you don''t have anything to do for the day! Why won''t you go somewhere and eat something better?! ''Because considering Martio''s personality, he''s definitely going toe back before then.'' Martio was as distrustful as Derus, and he didn''t entrust everything to his subordinates. He could return at any moment to give him more information, and that was why he was nning on waiting there. Raon smiled and ate the Nadine bread. It felt like he was chewing rubber, and the unpleasant taste of bitterness filled his mouth. It really was a suffocating taste. Bleeegh! Wrath widened his mouth, pretending to throw up. I-it''s so disgusting. The King of Essence will tear off the limbs of whoever created this if he finds them! He clenched his cheeks, saying that it was killing him. ''Is it that bad?'' Raon tilted his head while watching him. ''It''s bearable for me though.'' It was true that the taste wasn''t too great, but the fact that a single loaf could fill his stomach for an entire day was extremely convenient. Y-you''ve always been insane, but your tongue is the most insane part about you! You must have a tongue of steel! ''Perhaps.'' Raon filled his stomach before diving into the ocean and used the Dolin breathing technique that he''d learned in his previous life. ''It''s been a while.'' The Dolin breathing technique allowed one to breathe underwater like a fish, and it was perfect for assassination because it didn''t create any bubbles on the surface or show any presence. He lowered his presence as he slowly exhaled with the breathing technique before diving toward the dungeon''s location. He advanced for a while alongside the horizon, and he managed to find a crack simr to one made from an earthquake. ''I found it.'' A trapezoidal crack was located under a magnificent valley surrounded by two cliffs that crossed each other. There was a powerful flow of mana emerging from inside. ''It must''ve been a lot of work to open this.'' Let alone the entrance, the entire valley was originally inessible. Derus managed to pave the way while avoiding a copse, and that showed just how obsessed he was with the dungeon. ''Hmm...'' Raon narrowed his eyes while descending along the other side of the cliff. ''They are here, as expected. He hasn''t changed at all.'' Shadows were waiting inside the crack, just like he had anticipated. Raon managed to figure out that there was a ce where they could breathe inside the crack by examining them. ''Let''s get started.'' He unleashed cier''s energy and made it flow inside the dungeon. It went past the two shadows guarding right behind the entrance and examined underneath. ''They dug so deep.'' Just like Kosini had said, the passage seemed to lead deep down. He noticed the presence of dead monsters and the corpses of shadows from time to time. Raon slowly analyzed the dungeon while remembering the paths and the traps along the way. W-wait! You aren''t nning to stay here the whole time, are you? Wrath''s chin was trembling violently with an expression of disbelief. ''Correct. I''m not going to move for four days, at least.'' What the hell?! Are you nning to starve again? ''There''s this diet technique that became popr recently. Do you know about it?'' A-a diet technique? ''Yes. It''s called intermittent fasting, and it involves skipping meals for a while.'' Raon smiled and kept analyzing the dungeon. You are insane... Wrath ground his teeth while unleashing his wrath. No one is crazy enough to do intermittent fasting for four days straight! "I wonder if Raon is alright. He didn''t seem to be nning to go to the Sephia Company right away." Sheryl licked her lips while putting down her teacup. "Now that I think about it, I should''ve apanied him." She sighed in regret. "I agree. He has the ring, but you never know what might happen..." Roenn nodded while pouring tea into Sheryl''s teacup. "It would be a waste." Glenn shook his head, sitting on the opposite side of Sheryl. "He''s the vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad. He''s a warrior with the duty to protect others, not a child who requires protection." Glenn smiled coldly while raising his teacup. "Hmm..." "Well, that''s true, but..." Roenn and Sheryl narrowed their eyes and stared at him because of his unexpected statement. "Hmph." Glenn smiled faintly while sipping his tea. His lips were slightly trembling, but they were hidden behind the teacup. ''H-he will be fine, right?'' He was worried about Raon more than anyone else, but he was aware that a child couldn''t grow if they were protected too much. It was necessary to believe in him in some cases, so he''d decided to believe in the distinction he''d shown during the Six Kings tournament and wait for his return. "Haa..." He sighed faintly to try to calm himself down, but the door suddenly burst open. "Are you kidding me?!" Rimmer stamped his feet as he entered his room with a scowl on his face. "He''s the biggest genius and treasure of our house, but you sent him off without any guards! Are you out of your mind or what?!" He pointed at Sheryl and continued. "You obviously should''ve sent that idiot with nothing but strength going for her to follow him!" "T-treasure?" "I-idiot?" Roenn and Sheryl''s jaws dropped while they looked at Rimmer. "He''s proven his might by defeating Borini Kitten, Garona, and Cadis during the Six Kings tournament, and even saved the spectators from the Fallen''s attack¡ªearning so much poprity and honor! You should be treating our venerable Raon, the White Sword Dragon, more preciously than that!" Rimmer violently shook his head, saying that he couldn''t believe what happened. A dozen glittering nes were also shaking at the same time. "You could''ve sent the entire Heavenly de division on top of Sheryl, and that wouldn''t even have been excessive. But you sent him off on his own, and I really don''t understand what you were thinking." He frowned while opening his hands equipped with all kinds of jeweled rings. "...Venerable Raon? What''s wrong with him?" Glenn frowned while looking at Rimmer, who seemed to be out of his mind. "I think he managed to use that gambling ticket that got burnt." Sheryl clicked her tongue while looking at the jewels surrounding Rimmer''s hands and neck. "Judging from the situation, the young master Raon must''ve helped him recover his money." Roennughed generously. He seemed to find it interesting. "Ugh, you are so sharp." Rimmer walked up to them with a frown. They realized that he was even wearing a tinum pin in his hair. "A-anyway, I''m not saying that you should take better care of Raon because of the money. Definitely not." "What else is it?" "It''s true that Raon is my god of wealth, hope, light, and salt, but his genius is his real quality! He could be falling prey to any faction right now because he disyed a might and growth outstanding enough to defeat all of the mid-rank Twelve Stars of the Continent! We need to immediately send guards for him! We need to protect our treasure!" He raised his hands and shouted that they should''ve been investing more in Raon. "Why would you even guard a vice squad leader? I''m not interested." "What are you even saying now? I know that you immediately used the dimensional door to return to the house after Raon left because you couldn''t travel with him anymore." "Ugh..." Glenn''s hands trembled violently because Rimmer had nailed it. "You should express your love for Raon, just like me! Smiling while no one is around makes you a useless old man..." "Seize him." Glenn ordered, and Sheryl and Roenn proceeded to grab his arms in an instant. "Uuh..." Rimmer finally returned to his senses and his lips started to tremble. "Ahaha, I was just worried about my lord''s beloved and cherished Raon..." "You''d better worry about yourself now." Glenn pointed at him, a huge bolt of lightning squirming on top of Rimmer''s head. "Die." "You can''t kill me for th¡ªKuaaaah!" * * * "This should be thest time." Kosini was standing at the beach with her hands on her waist and a faint smile on her face. "Did you make sure to thoroughly prepare to prevent any issues?" Martio frowned as she asked as much. "There won''t be any issues as long as you do your job." "You were injured even though you only had the simple job of being a referee. I guess you can still talk after that." "And you won''t stop running your mouth." "That''s what a mouth is for." Kosini shook her hand to make fun of Martio and went into the ocean. "Haa..." Martio sighed deeply and nodded his chin. The shadows behind him quietly dove into the ocean and followed Kosini. Martio examined the surrounding area before walking into the water after everyone left. About an hour passed after all of them disappeared, and Raon finally appeared from below a tree behind the beach. ''It''s finally getting started.'' Sniff... Wrath turned to look back at Raon with teary eyes. You are a psychopath... ''What?'' How can you even stay underwater for three whole days before staying underground for two days after that?! Are you even human at this point? You must believe that you are a mole or a tuna! Raon had indeed stayed underwater for three days straight to examine the dungeon with his aura perception and determine the enemies'' movement. After that, he returned to the shore and obtained another piece of information from the conversation between his enemies. Wrath was going nuts because Raon had been eating nothing but Nadine bread for five days straight and stayed either underwater or underground. Raon shrugged his shoulders while looking at Wrath. ''Isn''t this normal?'' It''s way better than before. He had even stayed over a week inside a pond or underground in the past in order to assassinate his target. Five days wasn''t even a big deal for him, and he even had some food to eat. ...The King of Essence was mistaken. You are the perfect madman for that madwoman. ''You shouldn''t say something like that even as a joke.'' Raon quickly shook his head. What Wrath just said was even scarier than his insults. J-joke? Do you think this is a joke? The King of Essence is serious! A monster should hang out with another monster! ''Anyway.'' Raon pushed Wrath away and slowly stood up. He quietly moved without making any footsteps and went under the tree. He jumped upwards from there and pierced the heart of the shadow heart who''d been hiding above the tree. Mmm... Raon neutralized him while covering his mouth to avoid making any sound at all before moving sideways to pierce the neck of the shadow hiding under the sand. Psh. The shadow''s life faded away, along with the fluttering sound of the sand. Raon took care of all four shadows who''d been hiding by moving around the beach without leaving any trace. ''First stepplete.'' Since he''d been analyzing what they''d been doing for the past five days, it wasn''t really difficult to assassinate them. He erased all traces of himself and the shadows before walking up to the ocean. You didn''t need to kill them, did you? It would''ve been better to leave them there if you were nning to destroy the dungeon. ''That would seem more natural, but...'' Raon''s lips rolled into a smile as he looked up at the Robert mansion. ''I can make him even angrier this time.'' Derus was bound to get angrier if an unknown person stole his treasure from him instead of the dungeon''s natural copse. Hmm, I see... Wrath closed his eyes in contemtion. ''...'' Raon stared at Wrath for a moment before he entered the ocean. He slowly swam while riding the current and went towards the dungeon. Once he arrived at the dungeon''s entrance, which he had only watched from outside three days prior, he jumped inside. Whoosh! The water disappeared once he entered the dungeon, and Raon immediately thrust Heavenly Drive into the air twice. Pssh! The two shadows who''d been using the concealment technique copsed, blood gushing from their hearts. Raon managed to pierce their vitals without the smallest mistake because his aura perception had perfectly located them. "Haa." Raon climbed inside the dungeon and sighed. Just like he''d previously noticed, it was possible to breathe inside the dungeon. ''How peculiar.'' There were many strange cracks inside the dungeon that looked like a child''s doodles. It didn''t look like it was Martio or Kosini''s doing because they seemed to be rather old. ''I should try going down for now... Hmm?'' Raon was about to follow the road that Martio had paved while remembering the traces, but he suddenly stopped. ''What''s happening?'' The moment he saw the crack next to the stairs that Martio had created, the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation activated at the same time. Whir! The two cultivation techniques pulsed at the same time to draw an image in his head. The scene had a blond swordsman wielding a me sword to fight someone inside the dungeon. ''Does this mean that he''d been all the way here?'' Raon swallowed nervously. ''It wasn''t a simple crack. It was a sword trace.'' He ced his hand on the sword trace that showed him the image a moment ago and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Whap! The crimson me that was purified by the Ring of Fire seeped into the countless traces inside the dungeon, and the walls smoothly subsided to reveal a new path. Huh? "Ah!" Raon smiled while looking at the gray passage that no one had gone through before. ''Is he even showing me the way now?'' Chapter 342 - 342

Chapter 342:

Raon entered the newly created passage and examined the cracks all over the walls, ceiling, and floor. ''They aren''t simple traces, they are traces of a battle.'' They implied that the Zieghart ancestor who could use the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation had fought someone in that ce. ''Is this a trace from Revolving Sky?'' There was a sword trace on the right wall that looked like it had been grated in by a saw de. Considering how much was cut off from the wall, his Revolving Sky must''ve been a lot more powerful than Raon''s, even though he had managed to make it stronger than before. ''And those countless holes must''ve been made by the me Spirit.'' Hundreds¡ªeven thousands¡ªof holes covered the left wall, which had to have been left by the flower petals of astral energy scattered by the me Spirit. One difference between it and Raon''s me Spirit was the fact that there was an embarrassing amount of difference in the number of flower petals. Raon swallowed nervously upon finding a huge hole. ''The me Dragon Art...'' The me Dragon Art was a simple technique that focused the most on power among the skills in the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s swordsmanship, and that made the difference even more noticeable. If Raon''s me Dragon Art could bepared to a hatchling''s breath, the trace on the wall was left by an ancient dragon''s breath. "Haa..." Raon wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and kept going down. ''He also used Crimson sh and Firewall.'' The traces that looked like it was hit by lightning and a shield were Crimson sh and Firewall''s traces respectively. More than half of the traces inside the dungeons were the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s sword techniques. ''I don''t know this one...'' He found a trace that was definitely left by his ancestor, but he couldn''t tell what technique it was. It looked like it was devastated by a wave, and it must''ve been a higher-level technique than those he saw before. ''Who could''ve been his opponent if he had to fight so hard...?'' Raon had only seen him through dream-like visions, but he was aware that his ancestor''s might had reached the heavens. The fact that a warrior like him had to unleash so many of his abilities signified that his opponent was also powerful. Raon''s eyes widened as he examined the traces on the other side. ''Was this...made by a sword?'' The traces seemed to be made by a sword and not at the same time. He tried using the Ring of Fire, but it was still difficult to figure out. ''But...'' One thing was certain, and it was the fact that they were extremely powerful. He could tell from the sword traces left by his ancestor''s enemy that their might had also reached the heavens. They were an incredibly powerful person. ''Neither of them managed to overwhelm their opponent.'' The sword traces left by the two suggested that neither of them had managed to emerge victorious. All of the traces told him that they kept fighting each other to the best of their abilities. Hmph, it looks like you finally opened your eyes. Wrath snorted at him. That''s right. He nodded while examining the sword traces. They were left by a fight between powerful beings who managed to polish their sloppy skills. ''Powerful beings...'' Raon narrowed his eyes. ''Which means they were incredibly powerful people.'' Wrath judged people by their might. The fact that he called them powerful meant that they wereplete monsters that had transcended the human realm¡ªafter all, he even looked down on Grandmasters. To be precise, this entire dungeon was created from the battle between those two. ''They created a dungeon from the fight?'' Yes. They still had enough power to fight after creating this passage, and that''s what left those traces on the walls. ''Huh...'' Raon''s jaw dropped as he looked back at Wrath. ''Now that I think about it, this ce is under the ocean.'' The energy was bound to scatter under the ocean, and it was difficult to connect the swordsmanship''s flow. Since the tunnel shouldn''t have existed in the past, they had to have fought while holding their breath, and that fact blew his mind. ''...There''s no end to the path of power.'' But of course. There is a long way in front of a greenhorn like you, since even the King of Essence has a ways to go. Wrath sneered and shook his hand. ''I see. I have a long way to go.'' Raon smiled and examined the sword traces once again. Revolving Sky, me Spirit, me Dragon Art, Crimson sh, and Firewall. He recalled all of them before cing his hand on thest trace that he''d failed to understand. He followed the trace with his hand to better examine it. The trace went from the wall to the floor, but he couldn''t really see the trace on the floor because of the soil. Rustle. Raon carefully dug the soil out and examined the sword traces on the floor. Whir! He used the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation because the soil was harder than he thought, and red light spread out from the traces. Whir! The magnificent linesing from the ancestor''s unknown traces seemed to be telling him to try repeating them. "Ah..." Raon couldn''t think about anything else. The new swordsmanship filled his mind. [The Ring of Fire has observed the wless Sea of Fire.] [You''ve entered an extremely focused state.] Raon didn''t even read the messages that appeared in front of his eyes¡ªhe just focused on the sword traces as he dove into theke of immersion. Again? Are you really entering a trance again? Why would you even get a trance while digging underground?! Wrath''s eyes widened and he grabbed Raon''s shoulders. This should count as cheating! Where''s the god to bring justice?! * * * "Stop." Martio stopped walking and looked upwards. His eyes narrowed. "It felt like the mana above fluctuated just now." He turned his head towards Kosini to ask for her opinion. "Yes, it did fluctuate." Kosini slowly nodded. "It wasn''t just above, because it''s also fluctuating from below." She pointed at the floor with her index finger. "Why is that happening?" "I already told you. There should be a monster protecting the relics down there." Kosini raised her chin slightly and smiled. "It should''ve already noticed our approach, since it''s powerful enough to easily devour the sea monsters we''ve encountered so far." "I haven''t felt anything though." Martio spread his aura perception as much as possible before shaking his head. He tried focusing on probing the lower area, but he didn''t manage to find anything. A small amount of heat was all he could feel. "It should be difficult for you to notice because it almost reached the rank of mythical creatures thanks to the artifact''s power. It''s very simr to the mana of nature." "Which means, this turbulence can only mean that..." "Yes. It''s getting ready to fight us." Kosini nodded and extended her hand forward. Mana spread from her hand to carefully dig out the soil from the ground, tamping down the soil to create a foundation that wouldn''t copse. "I see. It''s understandable. However..." As the ground quickly changed in shape, Martio watched it for a bit before he raised his head. "I feel anxious somehow. I have a bad feeling about this." "Are you talking about what''s happening above?" "Yes." "Haa..." Kosini sighed and shook her head. "Why are you so anxious about this when we have my rm magic and the sentries you ced at various locations?" She furrowed her brow at his pathetic behavior and continued. "It''s because you are such a coward that you lost that position." "You are still running your mouth thoughtlessly. The same goes for you, your mouth is the reason why you are still a vice squad leader." "Hmph..." Kosini lowered her eyes and turned her head away upon meeting Martio''s cold gaze. "Anyway, it''s impossible that anyone woulde here. Even if someone managed to find this ce, they would''ve entered while we were away. No one would be crazy enough to enter while we are all inside!" "Hmm..." Martio stopped talking since he agreed with her. "I''ve far surpassed my weekly working hours. You shouldn''t try to provoke me, because magicians are very sensitive, unlike stupid assassins." Kosini wrinkled her nose and increased the amount of mana she was controlling. The digging and the tamping speed became twice as fast as before. Whoosh! She watched the creation of the tunnel for a while before she turned around. "I''m also curious about something." "What is it?" "Why are you so devoted to him? You''re still blindly following him even though you had to resign from your leadership position, and he''s still bringing you around for some reason. I don''t really understand either of you. It almost feels like you love each other at this point." "Love? It''s not that different actually." Martio''s gaze turned dark. "He''s pretty much God to me. Do I need a reason to devote myself to God with affection?" "...God, you say?" "Yes. I''m just worshiping him, just like the Holy Kingdom worships the goddess." "Hmm..." "I''ll dedicate my life to him until thest drop of blood leaves my body." Kosini swallowed nervously upon seeing Martio''s frightening gaze. ''He''s crazy.'' She was also Derus''s follower, but Martio, Regel, and that man were the only people who loved him so much without being brainwashed. She could understand why Derus kept Martio with him even though his skills had declined. He was pretty much a fanatic at that point. Kosini covered her goosebump-covered arm and twisted her lips. ''It might be very interesting if one of the two ends up dying.'' "Huff..." Rimmer was staggering along the road and sighed deeply while supporting himself on a wall. ''It hurts so damn much.'' His shoulder that Glenn hit him with lightning was sore. He realized once again how hateful the lightning attribute was because he could never get used to it. ''No.'' Rimmer narrowed his eyes while looking at his hand, where he was wearing a bunch of ckened jeweled rings. ''Maybe I can still stand because I''ve gotten used to it already.'' He realized that he used to faint from Glenn''s lightning¡ªand he wouldn''t even wake up for a while before. He had to stay bedridden and limp for a day at least, but he didn''t even faint after the lightning hit him directlyst time. It was difficult to walk, but he was still capable of moving. "Hmm..." Rimmer raised his hand and unleashed the lightning that was still filling his body. Green lightning burst from his fingers with a zapping sound. He''d previously used that lightning energy as a temporary measure, but it looked like the lightning ended up dwelling in his wind attribute mana because of the continued exposure. ''This might be a natural oue.'' He was actually getting hit by that lightning once every three days on average when he tried counting, and he realized it would''ve been stranger if he wasn''t getting any lightning energy in his body after that. "Humans are indeed adaptive." It still hurt, but he managed to realize how mysterious a human body was because it even managed to adapt to the head of house''s lightning energy. ''Wait a second, maybe I can use this for¡ª'' "Haah!" As Rimmer was plotting something shady with a grin on his face, a loud shout of concentration could be heard from the direction of the fifth training ground. ''It''s nighttime, though.'' Even though it was bedtime already, the fifth training ground was as bright as day and many people seemed to be inside. "Hmm?" Rimmer smiled faintly and climbed on the oak tree next to the training ground. ''They are all here.'' Every Light Wind member except for Raon and Dorian was inside the training grounds, and they were practicing their swordsmanship. Moreover, they were properly training to the best of their abilities instead of simply warming themselves up. ''What''s up with them?'' He was curious about why they were still training wholeheartedly even though they had managed to achieve great results from the Six Kings tournament. After all, it hadn''t been a long time since they returned to the house, and Raon wasn''t even around to supervise them. ''It must be thanks to Raon as well.'' He convinced himself that they must''ve been eager to get stronger because Raon''s fighting spirit during the Six Kings tournament had impressed them. ''This is nice.'' He smiled unconsciously and felt proud of Raon, who kept advancing endlessly, and the Light Wind squad, who wanted to follow his example. ''It''s about time.'' He figured that it was time for the squad to advance to the next level. Whoosh. He could hear a small sound of wind from the tree next to him. Rimmer turned his head and smiled. "What do you think, my lord?" His eyes reflected the image of Glenn, who had already climbed the tree. "About what?" "It''s all thanks to your cherished grandson that they are all training like there''s no tomorrow. You must be proud." "Ahem!" Glenn cleared his throat and averted his gaze. His earlobes had turned red. "There''s nothing to be proud of. It''s only natural for warriors to train." "But they don''t usually train so hard right after their return." "Hmm..." "That''s why..." Rimmer raised his hand while noticing that Glenn''s mouth had slightly curved into a smile. "I''d like to change the Mad Dog squad, I mean, Light Wind squad into the Light Wind division once Raon returns. Is that fine with you?" "Light Wind division..." Glenn didn''t respond immediately, stroking his chin while watching the Light Wind squad swing their swords. "You should be aware that you have to pass a test." "Of course." "You will make the request through formal procedures." "Yes!" Rimmer immediately nodded, and the jewels hanging from his neck were fluttering together. "And get rid of that mess." "That won''t do! This is my expression of reverence towards my god of wealth, Raon! I definitely won''t take them off!" He extended his hands while resolutely refusing to obey. "You are bing more and more crazy." Glenn sighed and flicked his fingers to throw something at Rimmer. "Huh?" Rimmer stretched his hand to catch it, and he realized it was a high-quality ointment for burns. "Is this...?" "I''m not giving it to you because you deserve it." That was thest thing he said before he disappeared. "Huh. Is he even giving me medicine just because Iplimented his grandson?" Rimmer''s jaw dropped as he looked at the ointment. It was the first time he''d ever received ointment from him after the countless times he was beaten up. "Raon is so effective that it''s almost frightening..." He shook his head and returned to his room. However, there was one thing that Glenn and Rimmer were both unaware of. The Light Wind squad''s reason for training so hard wasn''t because Raon''s battle had impressed them. "You absolutely can''t stop swinging your swords! That wacky bastard is definitely going to nitpick on our progress once he returns! We need to make sure to get stronger at all costs!" Burren mmed down his sword with bloodshot eyes. The wind created by the sword sounded like a cry of despair. "I even won the tournament though! Shit! Shiiit! Shiiiiit!" Martha kept swearing at every asion as she violently unleashed her swordsmanship. The training ground''s floor was getting cracked because of her wrath. "Uuh...." Runaan seemed to be sleepy because she was nodding off while swinging her sword. Her nk eyes hadpletely lost focus, and they looked like they were covered with a hazy mist. "Sniff!" "I-I wouldn''t have joined the Light Wind squad if I knew this was going to happen..." "He''s a devil. He''s the devil of mockery who sees people as a ything!" "S-save me..." "I want to die... Please kill me..." "A human being can''t live like this!" Because Raon had told them that he would make them go through focus enhancement training if they hadn''t gotten better by the time he returned, all of the Light Wind swordsmen were desperately practicing their swordsmanship. "You are even worse than a devil!" * * * You are even worse than a demon king! Wrath ground his teeth at Raon. Why do you always get these great opportunities?! A trance was a stairway towards enlightenment. It was an even better opportunity than a highest-grade elixir, an ancient artifact, or even equipment forged by a master craftsman. An average person might not even reach a trance once in their entire lifetime, but the madman in front of him was digging in the ground to steal something and suddenly went into a trance. It was so ridiculous that Wrath was left speechless. This is mindblowing... He''d witnessed countless existences in his long life from human, demonic, and heavenly realms, but Raon was definitely the only one who received so many opportunities. He felt like the entire world was helping him. This is so irritating! Wrath grabbed Raon''s shoulders with trembling hands and violently shook him. Wake up! The King of Essence won''t let you have your way after you only gave him Nadine bread for five days straight! "..." Regardless of Wrath, Raon kept staring at the wall in an extremely focused state. ''The swordsmanship isn''t the only thing I should be looking at.'' The traces on the walls were carved during a battle against an enemy. His ancestor wasn''t simply practicing on his own, and he needed to take that into ount to properly figure out the technique. ''The traces are so long...'' It didn''t seem to be a single attack, unlike the Revolving Sky or the me Dragon Art, because the sword traces on the wall reached the area below. Raon descended to keep examining the technique. He felt like he was walking on clouds. ''sh, strike, and block.'' A single swing managed all three of those. A master''s writing was often admired as being written with a single stroke, and that was how the traces on the wall were connecting everything with a single swing. Raon kept descending while keeping his excitement in his mind. The long traces that continued like a snake finally came to an end with a dot. The moment Raon''s heat entered that final dot, a new image was created in his head. Cring! A wave of fire emerged alongside the silver trajectory and engulfed the southern sea. The scenery that his ancestor had created with that technique was filling his view like a panoramdscape. ''What an unbelievable technique...'' It was a special martial art where the technique itself was a principle. ''Kuh...'' A scorching pain could be felt in his heart and brain, where the Ring of Fire was rotating. It must''ve been because he was trying to witness a swordsmanship that far surpassed his realm. ''I know I can''t learn everything from it, and I''m also aware that I''m inadequate. However...I can''t stop.'' He longed for his ancestor''s swordsmanship, just like a child who had eaten a cookie for the first time in his life, and focused his entire mind on it. He couldn''t take his eyes off his ancestor''s swordsmanship¡ªit was as if it were a delicacy that he''d never tasted before. He had to narrow his eyes, but he managed to witness his ancestor''s flow until the very end, and a small explosion urred in his mind. You bastard! You should share some of your luck! He could finally hear Wrath''s voice. Zzt! Raon opened his eyes. For a moment, his eyes sparked gold. Chapter 343 - 343

Chapter 343:

Wrath''s round eyes widened while looking at Raon. ...Gold? Raon''s eyes were supposed to be red like rubies, but they had turned gold. Wrath rubbed his eyes and looked at him again. The bright gold was already gone in the blink of an eye, and Raon''s eyes had returned to their original red color. "Gold? What are you talking about?" Raon tilted his head while looking at his hands. Your damn eyes sparked gold just now. " Gold, you say." His ancestor''s me had a brilliant gold color, unlike his own red mes. He had only seen him through his mental image, but he guessed that it might be caused by the blood flowing through his veins. "Well, I guess that can happen. By the way..." Raon clicked his tongue while leering at Wrath. "Are you sure you should be saying vulgar words like ''damn eyes'' even though you are a king?" "Ahem, your eyeballs were sparking gold. "Eyeballs aren''t that much better though..." Raon couldn''t see him as a demon king whenever he voiced such vulgar words, though his gluttony was also an issue. Despite his noble manner of speech, his choice of words was too boorish. Let''s not talk about the King of Essence''s way of speaking! Wrath shook his hand to dismiss it as a pointless topic. You are such a selfish bastard for keeping all the good stuff for yourself. Did you manage to get it? "No, I didn''t get most of it." Raon sighed briefly and shook his head. Ooh! Wrath''s wrinkled face smoothened like a stiff piece of paper. He seemed to be d that Raon didn''t manage to obtain the technique. This is a lesson for you! You aren''t getting any good results because you keep torturing the King of Essence by feeding him Nadine bread every day! It''s not toote to show your regret! The King of Essence will bestow you a spell to make your life easier if you pay tribute... "I didn''t finish what I was saying though." Huh...? "I wasn''t lying when I said I didn''t get most of it. However, I managed to learn where I can get the rest of it." Raon smiled faintly while caressing the traces of the wless Sea of Fire left behind by his ancestor. What do you mean by that? "This one wasn''t finished." The wless Sea of Fire from his ancestor hadn''t beenpleted there. The opponent''s attack had interrupted him, and that was why it left such a wide trade. ''And that''s why I managed to learn from it.'' Because the ancestor''s swordsmanship had already reached heaven, he probably wouldn''t have been able to learn anything if it was perfectlypleted. Raon managed to achieve some progress in martial arts precisely because it was interrupted. He didn''t manage a huge amount of progress because the trance had onlysted for a short time, but the proficiency of his swordsmanship, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and the Ring of Fire had increased to reach the upper limit of intermediate Master. ''I just need a small opportunity and... I should be able to open the door and reach the advanced Master.'' And Raon was aware of where he could find the key to break through the wall. The key? "Yes. I know where the trace of the perfectly executed wless Sea of me is located. No, on top of that..." Raon shoved the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation in between the sword traces left behind by his ancestor. The heat emerging from the crack transferred to other traces and spread throughout the dungeon. "I can now tell this entire dungeon''syout and the location of my enemies." The dungeon was created from a fight between his ancestor and his enemy. Since the entire dungeon was carved with the traces of their swords, Raon could tell through the Ring of Fire where he needed to go, and where the others were located. "In short, I''m pretty much a magical map right now." Huh! Wrath''s jaw dropped. His widened mouth looked like it was tearing apart because of how shocked he was, and Raon could see his throat. This can''t possibly be happening... "It''s all thanks to my ancestor." ''Thank you, ancestor!'' Raon bowed at the sword trace to express his gratitude to the first head of house and obtained information through the Ring of Fire. ''There are two powerful energies at the very bottom.'' They didn''t seem to be human. One of them was a mythical-grade monster, and the other one was an artifact protected by the monster. ''And the wless Sea of me''s trace is right above them.'' Thepleted wless Sea of me''s trace could be sensed right above the monster and the artifact''s energies. He needed to go there to obtain the treasure and increase his realm. ''And...'' He could feel Martio, Kosini, and the shadows'' energies from a significant distance above the artifact''s location. ''There are too few of them.'' Judging from the fact that there were fewer shadows than what he''d seen on the beach, he could guess that the assassins were standing by in the passage to guard them. ''This makes it easier for me.'' Since he needed to kill all of them anyway, it was better for him if they split up. I-impossible! Bring me your ancestor! The King of Essence will kick his ass! Wrath ground his teeth. He seemed to dislike how well it was going for Raon. "But you should want me to finish this quickly and go outside. You won''t be able to eat anything delicious otherwise. Don''t tell me, did you take a liking to Nadine bread?" Raon took out a Nadine bread and waved it in front of Wrath''s eyes. Hieee... Wrath''s shoulders dropped as his eyes trembled like a kid who had seen a cane. A-alright. He finally realized what was better for him and stepped aside, straightening his back even though it was uncertain it was really his back that he was straightening. Well, do you need any h-help? Wrath''s voice turned cheerful and almost sounded charming. ''You will be helping me by not doing anything.'' Raon chuckled and opened his subspace pocket. He took out Dorian''s makeup tools to turn his eye and hair ck, then painted his skin a pale color before creating a fake scar under his eye to wrap it up. Cring. He created a bit of round ice with his coldness and looked at his reflection on it. He looked like apletely different person than Raon Zieghart. ''Perfect. It''s been twenty years.'' That was the face of the assassin Raon from when he used to be Derus''s shadow. ''It would be a shame to kill him normally.'' Martio was one of the leaders who was involved in everything, including his kidnapping, brainwashing, and education. He had stabbed Raon countless times in his vitals, unleashed wild dogs to devour his flesh, and even skipped meals sometimes¡ªforcing Raon to eat dirty grass for a whole month. ''I''m definitely not allowing you an easy death.'' He had no intention of quickly killing Martio, unlike Lisbon. He was going to make him regret being alive by mentally tormenting him on top of giving him physical pain. Raon equipped Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem around his waist with a frightening smile on his face. Whir! He used the cracks in the wall to find out the closest shadow''s location. ''It would take twenty minutes to get there.'' He figured he could reach him in five minutes if he used a shortcut. Raon decided on his destination and dashed through the passage that his ancestor had created. ''This is easy.'' Even though it was aplex passage, He managed to reach the location the shadows were guarding without getting lost at all, thanks to the Ring of Fire''s senses. Cring! Raon used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to open the wall behind the shadows. "Uhh..." "Int¡ª" The shadows managed to react in that brief moment and tried to step away, but Heavenly Drive was faster than them. Shhink! The de''s trajectory gleamed silver as it cut through the shadows'' necks. "Ack..." "Aah..." With an extremely brief groan, the shadows copsed to their backs while covering their necks. Tap. Raon caught the two shadows'' corpses and leaned them against the wall to avoid detection by Kosini''s magic. Tsk, tsk. Wrath raised his chin while clicking his tongue. You idiot, they already found out. He furrowed his brow while pointing at the corpses. The King of Essence can tell that you have no talent for assassination. You should just swing your sword at their faces without trying anything else. "Pfft!" Raon burst outughing. Why are youughing? "I''m sorry, but I let them hear it on purpose." You let them hear on purpose? "Yes." Raon smiled and shook off the blood from Heavenly Drive. There was no way he would make such a simple mistake after being an assassin for so many years. Killing the shadows before they reacted was a piece of cake for him. Why though? "I want them to know about my presence." He was sending them a signal to notify them that a rather skilled warrior had killed the shadows by letting them hear their groans and making their presence disappear in an instant. ...The way you think is truly a mystery. Wrath was unable to understand him and shook his head. "Assassination''s true goal isn''t to simply kill your target. You have to create the result you want to call it sessful." Raon licked his lips while looking down on the ground where he could feel Martio''s presence. "Open your eyes and watch." ''I''m about to show you the real deal.'' Martio quietly looked upwards. His eyes had turned as cold as a cier. "Listen without showing any reaction." "What''s the matter now?" Kosini frowned while looking back. "This is already tiring enough, so why do you have to be so annoyin¡ª" "There''s an intruder." "Intruder?" She narrowed her eyes while looking upwards. "My rm magic didn''t find anything though? I already said this, but it''s impossible that anyone would barge in¡ª" "The presence of the shadows at the fourth location has disappeared. I even heard a small groan." Martio lowered his chin while looking at Kosini with a serious face. "They would never leave that spot even if they lost their limbs unless I give them the order. They were killed by an intruder." He was focusing on the floors above him because the uneasy feelings didn''t fade away, despite how convinced Kosini was about theck of intruders. That''s how he managed to notice that two shadows had copsed with a small groan. And that was the proof that someone other than them had intruded inside the dungeon. "Moreover, it''s a powerful one." Martio could guess that it must''ve been an extraordinary enemy, considering that they managed to attack the shadows from behind and took care of them before they could even do anything, all while avoiding the rm magic altogether. Martio himself wouldn''t have noticed them either if he wasn''t focused on the upper floors. "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Hmm, I guess you are better than me in that area." Kosini bit her lip while she nodded. Since Martio was far better than her at sensing sounds and people''s presence, she was convinced that there was indeed an intruder. "What shall we do now? Should we stop digging and wait?" "No." Martio shook his head and pointed at the ground. "You should keep digging and pretend you didn''t notice anything. Maintain your speed but decrease the noise." "Alright." Kosini nodded and twirled her finger. The speed of the digging and the tamping of the soil was the same as before, but the noise was more than halved inparison to before. "Hmm..." Martio lowered her eyebrows while following Kosini down the tunnel. "Two more have been defeated. The sound was even smaller than the previous ones. It''s a powerful opponent and they are extremely proficient at assassination." "That''s for sure. The rm magic still didn''t catch anything." Kosini twisted her lips while taking a nce back. "But are we still continuing like this? The damage is only going to increase." "Their lives are worthless anyway. It works out better for us if they can be used to bait them in." "Bait them, you say?" "The intruder should already know our numbers. If we throw out the shadows in groups of two, they will see it as an opportunity and follow us." Martio slowly nodded. "He must be nning to attack us right before we obtain the treasure, as humans are bound to be careless at that moment." "Hmm..." "We will keep digging and pretend we didn''t notice anything until that happens, and counterattack when he tries to get us." "Isn''t it better to chase them now and take care of them?" "It''s too far away. We won''t be able to catch them if they decide to run away, and we can''t have that happen." Martio clenched his fist so hard that it made a cracking sound. ''We need to catch them no matter what.'' Since they were trying to ruin Derus''s important n, Martio was going to discover their identity and their affiliation no matter what, even if he had to torture them. ''Two more have died.'' The fast approach showed that the intruder was bold and level-headed at the same time. It was also proving that trying to bait them instead of chasing them was the correct decision. ''However... This type of enemy is even easier to catch.'' Those who were overconfident about their abilities were easier to kill, whether they were assassins or warriors. And that was all that intruder was going to amount to. Martio''s eyes turned cold as he imagined what was going to happen in the near future. ''I''ll have you spit out everything, including the things you don''t even know about. Come at me, I''m ready.'' * * * ''He must be thinking that he''s fully prepared.'' Raon smiled coldly while he sensed Martio and Kosini''s energies getting closer. ''He is reacting just as I expected.'' Martio was pretending he didn''t notice and was wagging his tail to lure him in and catch him because he believed Raon was following him from behind. He must''ve been trying to catch him to obtain information instead of simply killing him. ''It''s a good method... Except that I''m your opponent this time.'' Raon knew everything about Martio. He knew what kind of person he was, how he was going to think, and how he was going to act. Moreover, he had a full understanding of the dungeon''syout. Martio likely believed that he had the upper hand, but all conditions were pointing at an overwhelming advantage for Raon. Raon smiled faintly and warmed up his fingers. ''My next move is to erase my presence.'' It was necessary to lower his presence a lot further than when he spent four days hiding behind the shadows. Whir. Raon made all of the rings of fire resonate. He usually used them to increase his presence, but he suppressed it to the extreme instead and concealed himself. He turned himself into a tiny piece of mana dwelling inside the dungeon, simr to a small pebble on the ground or a drop of water falling from the ceiling. Whir! He could sense the vibration from Kosini''s digging. It felt like her mana was touching his shoulder. Raon bit his lip tightly. ''Not yet.'' They were definitely nearby, but there was still a chance for Martio to escape even though he was injured. He needed to wait for a little bit longer. ''Haa.'' He suppressed his emotions in addition to his body. He even erased the resentment, wrath, and murderous intent that he had from his previous life. He turned his body and mind into a white canvas, much like a newborn baby. Whir. After Kosini''s magic, the vibrations urring from Martio and the shadows'' steps were tickling his feet. That flow allowed him to imagine Martio and the shadows'' movements. All of them were fully focused behind and above them. ''Now!'' Raon gritted his back teeth and kicked the ground. He wasn''t emerging from the front or behind them but from the wall at the left side. He pushed the wall with the Supreme Harmony Steps that had been further improved and reached Martio''s back in an instant. Cring! It was a blind spot where none of the shadows, nor Kosini nor Martio, were able to react, and a frightening light emerged from Raon''s sword. Chapter 344 - 344

Chapter 344:

Knock, knock. Regel quietly knocked on the door to Derus''s room. "Enter." Derus''s gentle voice could be heard from inside. Regel carefully opened the door and entered the room. "What''s wrong?" Derus raised his head. He was sitting in front of a neatly organized hardwood desk. ''Did he already manage to regain hisposure?'' There was no trace of anger in Derus''s eyes anymore. Even though the ninth farm was destroyed, and the young dogs were released right before the brainwashing becameplete, Derus had already returned to his calm self. ''However, he''s never going to forget about it.'' Borini Kitten wasn''t the perpetrator behind the incident. Because Regel had served him for a long time, he could guess that Derus was going to search the entire continent if he had to and find the perpetrator to destroy everything they owned. Regel bowed, before walking up to the desk. "Martio sent a message. He''s making progress without any problems and said that he would bring good news from the exploration." "I see." Derus slowly nodded and closed his eyes. He seemed to haveplete faith in Martio. "Hmm..." Regel briefly licked his lips while watching Derus''s reaction. "What''s the matter?" "Kosini mentioned that there was a mythical grade monster below the dungeon. I''m worried about them because Martio hasn''tpletely recovered from his injuries yet." Martio was taken under Derus''s wings at the same age as Regel, and they''d managed to survive together all that time. The long time they''d spent together made them like brothers, and that was why Regel was worried about him. "Don''t worry about it. Martio and Kosini are more than capable of dealing with it." Derus simply shook his head. "He''s a responsible person and he even said he would bring good news. That''s why I can trust him this time." Martio still remembered the mistake he made in the Owen Kingdom. His deration was his expression of his resolution to bring the relic from the dungeon by putting his life on the line. "He used to be the head of the underworld, even though he''s been ousted now." He calmly lowered his eyes. "You shall believe in him." * * * Martio swallowed nervously as the de neared him. ''He got me!'' He didn''t expect him to appear from the side because he''d been too focused on his back. He felt like his body waspletely frozen. ''I need to block it...'' But that didn''t mean he was going to die without trying anything. He couldn''t stop the de from stabbing him, but he could minimize the damage at least. However, the tip of the intruder''s sword was shaking, and he couldn''t tell whether he was targeting the neck or the heart. ''In this case...'' Heart. Most assassins would target the heart. Even a small injury to the heart was deadly, unlike the neck, and that was why he decided to defend his chest. "Haap!" Martio bit his lip and twisted his upper body as much as possible. Cring! And his expectations were correct. The intruder''s sword was rushing towards his heart. Pssh! Because he''d curved his back to the breaking point, the intruder''s sword only managed to cut his sr plexus instead of his heart before it was pushed back. Thud! Martio quickly withdrew while covering his chest and stood next to Kosini. ''Ack...'' The intense pain was making him dizzy. The sr plexus was the crossway of mana circuits all over the body, and a vital point that could endanger his life. He managed to avoid having his heart pierced, but the damage was still huge. He estimated that he wouldn''t be able to muster even half of his normal strength. ''However... I canst, at least.'' It could have been dangerous if he were alone, but the shadows and Kosini were with him. Taking care of an assassin like that was an easy task for them. "Catch h¡ªhuh?" Martio pointed at the intruder and started to order the attack, but he had to stop with trembling lips. ''I-impossible...'' A ck-haired and ck-eyed man was standing there. His face was unremarkable, with pale skin, sharp eyes, and a small scar under his right eye. Martio''s hair stood on end upon recognizing such characteristics. "Aah..." It was impossible for that man to be inside the dungeon¡ªor even in the world anymore. "Raon..." His heart tightened and felt like it was going to burst. The assassin Raon. The man in front of him was the previous head of shadows, Raon, who he''d raised with his own hands. "Raon?" Kosini''s eyes widened as her chin trembled. "H-he''s really Raon!" Her voice became hoarse from the astonishment he felt. "How did you get here? No, how are you even alive?!" Martio screamed from the shock. ''This can''t be happening. It''s impossible!'' Derus had killed Raon, and he''d disposed of the corpse with his own hands. He burned his bones and flesh topletely erase any trace of his existence, be he was alive in front of him. He couldn''t understand how it was happening. "I''m back¡ª" Raon shed with a smile on his face. Three shadows'' heads rolled on the ground before they could react. The technique he used was the Dark de of ughter that Martio had taught him in the past. "¡ªto take you and your master with me to hell, since that''s where you belong." "Ah..." Even his voice was the same as before. He''d stopped the bleeding on his sr plexus, but blood gushed from it once again as a chill ran down his spine. "Nonsense! Such things can never happen in the worl¡ªGasp!" Martio''s eyes trembled upon noticing Raon''s sword. "Heavenly Drive?" Raon''s sword was exactly the same as Raon Zieghart''s sword, which he''d seen recently. "So you noticed." He seemed to have no intention of hiding it, as he raised his sword to show him. Martio could be certain of it. It was the same Heavenly Drive that Raon Zieghart had used. "N-no way..." "You guessed right." Raon put his hand on his face and unleashed the me. His face gradually changed with a red haze. His ck hair turned blond, and his ck eyes started to shine red. Whir! The blond hair and red eyes were revealed. Even though they were rare characteristics for humans, they were widely known as Zieghart''s distinctive features. "Raon Zieghart..." "Yes." Raon nodded. He was Raon Zieghart. [I''m the Raon that you raised just to butcher and eat. I''ve returned to drag you down to the depth of hell.] He said that through an aura message, but Martio was too confused to notice. He felt like he''d lost all his ability to think. ''He was... My lord Derus was right!'' Derus believed that the assassin Raon and Raon Zieghart were the same person, and he was right. ''I need to kill him. No, I need to first let him know.'' Even though he was injured, he was confident he could defeat Raon alongside Kosini judging from his past performance in the arena. However, there was no way a monster like him would''vee to a dungeon without any other preparations. ''My first priority is...'' Martio unsheathed his sword and ordered the shadows. [Leave the dungeon right now and inform our lord Derus! Tell him that Raon and Raon Zieghart are the same person!] It should''ve sounded strange, but around twenty shadows inside the cave started running towards the exit while avoiding Raon as soon as they heard the order. "You know." Raon was standing still with a smile on his face instead of chasing the shadows. "I still haven''t forgotten the lesson I learned from you." "What?" "I need to create the situation I want to seed in assassination." He snapped his fingers. The moment the snapping sound spread out, the dungeon started to tremble, and the ceiling copsed from above the shadows who were running away from Raon. Rumble! None of the shadows managed to avoid it and were buried under the rocks and soil. Even though there were more than twenty shadows before, none of them were alive anymore. Step. Raon took one step towards them with a smile. The discrepancy between the soft footstep and the scene he''d created made them swallow nervously. "The only ones who are allowed to leave..." His voice was extremely deep. "...are the dead." Raon smiled coldly while watching Martio and Kosini''s faces turn pale. ''It worked perfectly.'' The only reason he stabbed Martio''s sr plexus even though he could''ve cut his head off with the first strike was to see that face on him. That expression of bewildermenting from the man who''d worn aposed mask made him feel like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders after twenty years. "Y-you..." Martio''s hands were trembling, as was the sword he was holding. He seemed extremely shocked by the situation, and by the way the shadows were annihted because of his order. Raon couldn''t stop his smile upon seeing his expression of despair and astonishment. "Let''s put an end to it, Martio." Raon raised Heavenly Drive and pointed at Martio''s heart. Cold sweat was flowing down from Martio''s forehead because of that frightening pressure. "H-how...?" "You little piece of shit!" Martio was unable to react, and Kosini smacked his cheek. "It''s normal to be surprised! I also felt like my heart skipped a beat. But are you really nning on dying right now? Who do you think is going to be his next target if we end up dying here?" "Ah..." Martio''s trembling faded away upon hearing that. His eyes were regaining hisposure. "You are right about that." Martio nodded and smacked his other cheek himself. "I need to kill him no matter what, for his sake." A suffocating amount of murderous intent was spreading from his eyes. "Kosini, fight him with the determination to die." "I know I need to do that in order to survive." They came to an agreement, and the entire dungeon started to tremble from their pressure. Whir! Martio was naturally the first one to act. He charged in an instant and swung his sword as if the injury had no effect on him. The deep ck astral energy was falling towards Raon''s neck. Swoosh! Raon simply lifted himself and unleashed the ferocious beast inside the de. The Fangs of Insanity''s Carnage Burst was gnawing at Martio''s sword. ng! Willpower wasn''t enough to ovee a serious injury. Martio couldn''t withstand the impact and mmed into the wall. Whir! A powerful wave of mana appeared when Raon tried to chase him. It was Kosini Sion''s doing. The magic piercing into Raon''s brain was her specialty, mind control magic. "It''s pointless." He was pretty much immune to mental attacks while he was using the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire rotated around his heart and made Kosini''s mana disappear like snow in the Spring. Whap! Raon pushed the ground with the front part of his foot to advance. He was right in front of Kosini in an instant and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art''s wind. "Kuh!" Kosini quickly created multipleyers of shield, but Heavenly Drive, engulfed by the blue wind, broke through threeyers and rushed towards her neck. ng! Blood was about to gush out from her neck, but Martio interfered to fend off the de. "You bastard!" Martio''s sword started to rotate, surrounded by ck astral energy. His extremely polished assassination technique was charging toward Raon''s left chest. ''Too slow.'' Raon turned his ankle shed with his wrath. The all-out attack of the Fangs of Insanity was baring its bloody fangs. Whaam! The powerful impact pushed Martio back with his sword and he started coughing up blood. He must''ve taken a huge amount of damage because of his injury from the tournament and the injury to his sr plexus. "Take this!" Kosini extended her hand from behind Martio. Yellow lightning was streaming towards Raon. The spell was Chain Lightning, an electric spell that was her favorite attribute after mind control. Cring! Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem with his left hand while using the Supreme Harmony''s Fifth Step. Even though the swing was as peaceful as the rain flowing down from the roof, the red de mercilessly destroyed the lightning. It was the Ghastly Flow of Mana, with the ability to erase magic. That trait was truly a disaster for magicians. "I''m not done yet!" A sphere of lightning emerged from her hand and dozens of lightning gushed out from it. It was sma Bolt, the strongest magic attack that she could use. "I already told you, it''s pointless." Raon thrust the de of Requiem before the sma Bolt waspleted. The somber ghastly energy interfered with Kosini''s mana to make the sma Bolt explode right before it waspleted. Boom! Kosini was mmed into the ground she was digging because the mana explosion happened right under her nose. "Huff..." Her eyes widened after she coughed up blood, but Raon was already right in front of her. He was trying to sh with Heavenly Drive before she escaped with Blink, but Martio interfered and stopped the de. Cring! Raon twisted his de to use the ck Beast Tribe''s secret technique. The powerful impact created from a point-nk distance made both Martio and Kosini, who was behind him, roll on the ground at the same time. "Kuh..." "Ugh..." Their faces turned pale upon realizing that there was an overwhelming difference in power. "Don''t worry too much, I won''t kill you so easily." Raon looked down on Martio and Kosini with dry eyes. "You will have to tell me everything you know, and everything you don''t know." "Argh!" Kosini''s chin was trembling as she grasped her shoulder. "Th-the mind control and the lightning magic are both ineffective. He''s aplete monster..." [Use...] Martio clenched his fist to the brim and grabbed Kosini''s shoulder. She could hear his aura message. [Use me.] [What?] [I''ll make my vitality run wild. Use Berserker on me.] Kosini''s face hardened as she heard the words. [But if I cast Berserker on you while your vitality is running wild...] [It''s fine.] Martio nodded with unwavering eyes. [His de will reach our lord eventually. I need to finish him off right here.] "Hmm..." Kosini nodded after noticing the determination in his voice. [Alright.] Kosini leaped backward and extended her hand. The mana from her hand distorted in an opposite way of the normal formation and seeped into Martio''s body. It was the most effective berserker magic, Madness Break. Whir! Martio''s eyes turned red, and his muscles puffed up into a rough shape of an orc. The change wasn''t only limited to his body, either. Even his energy erupted like a volcano to fill the entire surrounding area. "Hmm..." Raon furrowed his brow while watching Martio''s change. ''Is he using Vitality Explosion?'' Vitality is the power of life that humans had inside them from the moment of their birth. It was a power that couldn''t be recovered once it was used, yet Martio seemed to be using it. ''Moreover...'' It was further amplified through Kosini''s berserker magic. He''d be about three times more powerful in terms of the raw quantity of his aura. "Die!" Martio shed while crushing the ground. The astral energy dwelling on his de became as long as a spear shaft and as thick as an axe. His Dark de of ughter waspletely under control, unlike Martha when she went berserk. "Show me your desperate struggle." Raon smiled coldly and stomped the ground. "Because I was starting to get sad with how disappointing you were!" He unleashed the Aqua Flower of the Blizzard Sword Art. The astral energy twisted up alongside the wind to sh against Martio''s strike. ng! Bone-shattering pain was felt from the impact. The synergy between Vitality Explosion and Berserker seemed to have multiplied his power by more than three times. Creak! Raon showed a toothy smile while shing with his power. ''Perfect reaction. I can now pay you back with interest.'' m! He deflected Martio''s sword with the Blizzard Sword Art. Once Martio''s de was pushed towards the wall, Raon shed Heavenly Drive upwards. Whap! Countless flower buds of raging fire appeared from his de and spread around. The me Spirit''s flower petals¡ªwhich had be even more powerful thanks to his ancestor''s traces¡ªfilled the entire space. Raon''s sword didn''t stop after unleashing the me Spirit. It was the Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. A sphere emerged from Heavenly Drive''s de and rotated violently to spread powerful mes. Whaam! Thebo between me Spirit and Revolving Sky blocked Martio''s escape in all directions. "This isn''t a big deal!" Martio screamed and thrust his sword. The ck astral energy of his de spread around like spiderwebs to fight back against the mes. It was the Dark de of ughter''s special technique, the Vengeful Spirit''s Howl. Baam! The sh between Raon''s red astral energy and Martio''s ck energy created a tremendous explosion. Rumble! The shockwave spread all the way from the walls to the floor, and the hardened ground copsed. Tap! Raon spun midair tond on the uneven ground. He couldn''t see them properly because of the dust, but he could feel that Martio and Kosini were standing on the other side. ''This is intense.'' The pain felt like he broke his right arm, which was wielding his sword. Martio''s strike was far stronger than it should''ve been because he was burning his own life force and even had Kosini cast a spell on him. ''And that''s what makes it worth defeating him.'' Since he was one of the archenemies that he''d been waiting for twenty whole years for revenge against, he would''ve felt empty if Martio died in vain. His desperate struggle was making it even better for Raon. Whoosh! Raon twirled Heavenly Drive to remove the dust. Martio was ring at him and the red color in his eyes had intensified even further. ''What? Is he getting even stronger?'' Martio''s energy was burning more powerfully than before, just like his eyes. Since vitality was supposed to decrease once it was used, it should''ve been impossible to be stronger. "Did you mention that only the dead can leave this ce?" Martio crushed the ground and charged at him. Even though the techniques he was using were the Dark Shadow Steps and the Dark de of ughter that Raon was well familiar with, the speed and movement were on a whole different level. "The same goes for you. You won''t be able to leave this ce alive!" "I''m an exception. I''m the host of this party." "Shut up!" Raon used Heavenly Drive, which he had pulled back to draw a line, and a blue wave followed the trajectory. The two des of Frost Pond were unleashed towards Martio''s sword and neck. aang! Martio polished his murderous aura and swung his astral de topletely block Frost Pond. He wasn''t even getting pushed back because of the tremendous energy he was using. "It won''t work on me!" His energy intensified even further. The way it kept amplifying over and over felt like gunpowder that was about to explode. ''Gunpowder? Could it be...?'' Raon felt like cold water was pouring on his body. He could guess that Martio was trying to self-destruct with him. "Did you finally realize? I''m pretty much a bomb right now." Martio''s lips curved into a long smile. "Death is the only fate awaiting you, whether you attack me or not." Martio dashed once again. His astral energy was even darker and thicker than before as he assaulted Raon from the left side. Whir! Raon created a line of raging fire on Heavenly Drive''s de. The sh fell upon his opponent like lightning. It was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s Hundred mes, the Crimson sh. Zap! Even the ming sh was unable to cut through Martio''s aura of life. "Kuh!" Martio pushed ahead with sheer strength even though his mouth was coughing up blood. Raon frowned while looking at Martio''s murderous eyes. ''He''s even risking his soul.'' Martio was even sacrificing his soul on top of his vitality through Kosini''s magic to obtain that power. ng! Raon gained distance by using Martio''s strength. ''I''ll be buried alive if he explodes like this.'' Martio''s self-destruction was too much for him to handle even though he had aplete understanding of the topography inside the dungeon. It was necessary to y him before he exploded. ''I should get rid of that power with the White Shadow sh and use the Sword''s Silvery Dream afterward... Hmm?'' He looked around to find a ce to bait Martio in, and he noticed a familiar trace on the wall. It was his ancestor''s technique that he''d seen on the upper part, the sword traces of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s wless Sea of Fire. ''It''s different.'' However, the technique had a different flow. Unlike the entrance, where the traces were all focused on the walls and the floor, the traces of the wless Sea of Fire he was witnessing were connected to the entire area. ''The flow looks like it would break, but it won''t. It''s almost like a huge...'' ''Ocean.'' Unlike House Robert''s swordsmanship, which connected like a river to eventually be an ocean, the wless Sea of Fire''s true objective seemed to be the creation of a vast ocean''s embrace right off the bat. Crackle! A red line struck upon Raon''s head as he realized that fact. The second trance had arrived. Raon''s hands started to flow ording to the traces on the walls. The pinnacle of the ancestor''s swordsmanship was dwelling in Heavenly Drive as he advanced. "I don''t know what you are trying, but it''s already toote." Martio was charging at him with veins bulging on his face. His puffed-up body gradually turned red, like a bomb nearing its explosion. "You are going to die here." The astral energy was endlessly bursting from his sword. It literally looked like the astral energy had managed to build a ck mountain. Fwoosh! A small spark was created by Raon''s sword as the mountain of astral energy fell toward him while devouring the space. The de revolved around ording to the trajectory on the walls and drew an elegant line before soaring toward the sky like a firebird. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. wless Sea of Fire. The de followed the horizon, and a ming tidal wave emerged to swallow the ck mountain. Chapter 345 - 345

Chapter 345:

Raon''s sword didn''t stop even after it unleashed the red tidal wave. He followed his ancestor''s sword traces and drew a magnificent picture as the Ring of Fire enhanced his mind. The ocean''s embrace was waiting at the destination of his brush strokes. The umtion of tidal waves created a vast ocean capable of swallowing the entire world. Snap! The crimson ocean created by the wless Sea of Fire crushed Martio''s ck mountain. Rumble! With a thunderous noise that sounded like the entire world was copsing, Martio''s energy faded away. The attacking astral energy and his concentrated energy for self-destruction both disappeared. "Aah..." He groaned in despair, his right arm torn off. "Huff!" He stepped back with difficulty and his teeth chattered. ''Wh-what was that swordsmanship just now?'' The tidal wave of fire had swallowed everything he had. It wasn''t just the astral energy dwelling in his sword but also the energy he had been gathering in his heart that was wiped away. He couldn''t regain hisposure because he couldn''t understand what happened. ''But that technique... It somehow feels...'' Raon''s technique shared a simrity with House Robert''s swordsmanship. It almost looked like his lord''s technique. However, he didn''t have the time to think about the technique because Raon was standing right in front of him, his eyes a zing crimson¡ªjust like the ocean that burned up everything in his possession. ''Uuh...'' He felt suffocated the moment he met those eyes. Nothing came to his mind. The fear for his life had revived even though he had forgotten it a long time ago. Kosini bit her lip tightly, watching the terrified Martio. ''He''s a monster.'' It was impossible topletely ignore mental magic, even for a Grandmaster. But he was just a Master. The magic should''ve had an effect, no matter how small it was, but he had literally nullified her mind control magic. She was speechless over how absurd that was. ''It''s all over for us...'' There was nothing she could do. Martio''s strike and her most powerful mental magic, Spider Memory, were both ineffective. ''I don''t want to di¡ªHmm?'' Kosini rolled her tongue while watching Raon. ''He... He isn''t interested in me.'' He seemed to be fully focused on Martio. It must''ve been because he had arger grudge against him than her. ''This is my chance.'' Since he was focused on Martio, it was the only opportunity she had to escape from that monster. Whir. Kosini carefully controlled her mana. She set the coordinates above the ocean in order to escape the dungeon and slowly arranged her mana. Whir. However, once she used the arranged mana to activate the teleportation spell, an intense pain could be felt in her shoulder. "Ack!" She looked down to check, and a dagger was buried beneath her shoulder with a strange ghastly energy emanating from it. "This can''t be..." She raised her eyes as goosebumps appeared all over her body. A frightening pair of red eyes were looking down on her. ''I-it''s still fine.'' Even though Raon noticed her escape, it was still okay. She had already finished arranging the mana for her teleport. "You are toote!" Kosini stepped back and activated the teleport. "You are dead meat now. Sir Derus is going to¡ªhuh?" She should''ve disappeared while she cursed him, but the arranged mana wasn''t moving at all. "N-no way..." Kosini looked at the dagger in her shoulder with trembling lips. The ghastly energy emanating from it was preventing the magic''s activation. "You will die if you pull it out." "Ah..." She was trying to grab the dagger with her trembling hand, but Raon''s frightening voice could be heard. She unconsciously lowered her hand with fear running down her spine. "Kosini! Run away! You must tell him!" Martio screamed while holding onto Raon with his only arm and leg. "Ugh!" Kosini gritted her teeth and pulled the dagger from her shoulder. There was still some leftover ghastly energy, but it wasn''t a big deal. Whir! She quickly chanted and tried to cast the teleportation spell once again, but the world became nted. ''Ah...'' She couldn''t even speak, let alone control her mana. All she could see alongside a small impact in her head was that her body was copsing. Martio was crying in despair while Raon stared at her with his red eyes. ''Did I end up dying?'' She realized she was dead, but she felt relieved instead. It was because she finally managed to escape those terrifying red eyes. ''What a relie¡ª'' Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the bloody edge of the de of Requiem. ''It''s literally the worst nightmare of magicians.'' The de of Requiem''s Ghastly Flow of Mana still worked even though he was further away. The fight was pretty much over the moment the de of Requiem stabbed the magician. It might not have worked if Kosini didn''t panic, or if it had been a more advanced magician than her, but it was still surprising that such a thing was possible. ''Thank you for helping me.'' Raon caressed the de of Requiem before equipping it around his waist. Grr... The grinding sound of Wrath''s teeth could be heard. ''You are going to break your teeth if you keep doing that.'' Shut up! He shouted and shoved his face against him. Who the hell are you?! ''Hmm...'' Raon slowed down his breathing, as Wrath seemed to be asking about the situation. ''How can I trick him?'' The most important part was said through aura messages, but he got too excited and ended up revealing some things that he shouldn''t have. It was honestly a hopeless situation. ''This is actually...'' Why the hell are you getting another trance?! ''Ah?'' However, Wrath wasn''t questioning the situation¡ªhe was simply angry about the fact that he went into a trance twice in a row. Is a trance a neighborhood restaurant for you? Are you just going there to fill your freaking stomach whenever you are hungry? Wrathmented the absurdity of the situation. The King of Essence''s life was long enough to be called exhausting, but he has never seen madness like two trances a day before! Were you feeling at home in the trance?! ''I was just lucky.'' He managed to enter the trance because he saw the traces of the wless Sea of Fire in his extremely focused state as he was trying to stop Martio''s self-destruction. He was just lucky. It wasn''t his skills. That was why he had no excuse. You make the King of Essence angry every single time! He''s going nuts! ''Is this what they call an inferiorityplex?'' Bullshit! Even a god would want to punch you if they saw you! ''Haa.'' Raon shook his head and walked up to Martio. "Ack!" He had lost both his arms and was groaning in pain. "Martio." Raon went on his knees to meet Martio''s gaze. [Does it hurt?] "You..." [It also hurt for me.] Wrath must''ve already realized it, but he still used an aura message just in case. [When you stabbed beneath my fingernails and toenails with a needle, when you tore apart the vitals points throughout my body with a de, when savage beasts bit me, and when my only friend had to die... It hurt so much.] Raon took Martio''s sword and stabbed his thigh. That spot could cause intense pain, enough to make the entire body go numb. "Huah..." Martio sounded like he was about to die as he lowered his head. Pssh! The second stab was behind his shin. That spot could cause intense pain that made it feel like ants were devouring the body. "Kuaaah!" Martio screamed while struggling like a caterpir. "Don''t worry. I still have a lot more to pay back." "Uaaah!" Raon struck Martio''s vitals without showing any expression on his face, as if he were wearing a mask. His scream echoed throughout the quiet dungeon. "Is this fun for you?" "Uuh..." "You were smiling while doing this to children who couldn''t even speak properly yet. Was it fun?" He was too excited and said it with his mouth even though he should''ve sent it through an aura message. Actually, he''d been excited ever since he entered the dungeon. However, he didn''t regret it even if Wrath managed to discover the truth. He couldn''t quench the twenty years of waiting for his revenge by simply taking his life. "St-stop..." "The children you''ve killed also begged for their lives and asked you to stop countless times. Have you ever granted their wish?" Raon remembered his previous life. The children who died from the torture, the children who were bitten to death by the wild dogs, the children who turned into the higher-up''s ythings before being murdered, and the children who had to die at their best friend''s hands. He could remember all those young faces that couldn''t even close their eyes in resentment. He gritted his teeth because he felt like he was going to cry otherwise. "Uaah..." Martio''s wavering breath sounded like he was about to die. He was actually on the verge of death because he was being tortured after spending his vitality. "Don''t worry, I won''t let you die." Raon controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time. He shoved cier into his left mana circuits and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation into his right mana circuits. Whir! The two energiesbined in Martio''s wounded sr plexus and created an intense wave. "Kuaaah!" Martio''s explosive scream was the loudest one so far. His eyes distorted shape because of the mixture of mental shock and physical pain. "What is Derus''s goal?" "Uuh..." However, Martio still didn''t respond. It was a behavior befitting a fanatic. "Let''s try increasing the intensity." Raon smiled coldly and amplified cier and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s energies. "Uaaah..." Martio''s eyes rolled back. His limbs crooked like a squid. "I''ve been enduring that pain ever since my birth. It''s a perfectly bearable pain for a human being, so you should endure it." The pain Martio was experiencing was no different from the pain Raon had every day until the Curse of Frost was lifted. "I-I''ve already exhausted my vitality. I''m going to di¡ª" "I already told you that you aren''t going to die." Raon firmly shook his head. "My two auras are shing in your body to create false vitality. You will never be allowed to die until that energy is exhausted." "Ah..." "In short, that pain mightst forever." "Uhaah!" Raon was obviously lying. While it was true that he could extend his life temporarily, he couldn''t make itst forever. "D-damn it..." However, Martio seemed to believe him. His face distorted into an indescribable shape. "I''ll ask for thest time. What is Derus''s goal?" "..." "You don''t need to answer. You can stay in that state until I leave this dungeon." "H-he wants to release fear into the continent..." Martio raised his head when Raon was about to leave. "Fear? Is he nning a war?" "...Yes." Martio nodded. Raon felt exhration from the fact that he managed to defeat the mind of a fanatic who had dedicated his whole existence to Derus. "It must involve the Six Kings and the Five Demons." "Th-that''s also correct." "So, how is he nning to cause this war?" Raon narrowed his eyes. The war couldn''t happen so easily because the Five Demons and the Six Kings had too much to lose. He couldn''t understand how he was nning to start a war. "I-it''s the same as your case." "...Don''t tell me... Is he nning to kidnap the direct lines?" Martio didn''t respond, but his facial expression gave him the answer. "I see." Raon smiled coldly and nodded. "He''s such a nasty guy." "Y-you will end up dying at his han¡ª" Martio couldn''t finish his sentence and perished. Raon had no regrets because it was good enough that he managed to survive so long after spending his vitality. ''I''ve finished everything I wanted to do.'' He managed to traumatize Martio by revealing his identity before causing physical pain as he died, and he even managed to obtain hints about Derus''s n. It wasn''t excessive to call it the best revenge he could''ve had. Raon stabbed Martio''s heart with his sword and closed his eyes. ''Rest in peace, everyone.'' He prayed, hoping that the souls that Martio had killed would be able to rest in peace. "Haa..." He sighed and turned around. * * * Wrath was looking at him with his arms crossed. It was time for an exnation. ''What shall I do...?'' He couldn''t tell him everything about his reincarnation. It was necessary to add some fake reasons. ''Tempting him with food should be the best method.'' Raon licked his lips and walked up to Wrath. "Wrath, what happened this time...." Raon Zieghart. Wrath''s voice sounded heavier than usual as he called Raon''s name. The King of Essence isn''t an idiot. "Hmm..." Wrath seemed to have realized already, just like Raon had expected. But you aren''t indebted to him either. "What?" You don''t have to exin everything that happened to you. Wrath uncrossed his arms and closed his eyes. To be honest, the King of Essence happened to see your dream when you were trying to save the children from the orphanage. Raon had thought it was strange because Wrath wasn''t bbering as much as usual, but he had apparently witnessed the fight to death against Number 9 in his dream. Whether we are on good or bad terms, we can hardly deceive each other. However, that''s not a reason to ask you to reveal your whole story. That''s why he is going to wait. Wrath smiled faintly and raised his hand. You shall tell your story once you are ready. The King of Essence will forget about this until that happens. "Huh..." Raon''s jaw dropped as he stared at Wrath. His casual yet imposing appearance made him look like a demon king, a true monarch, for the first time. "...You are so cool." He was theplete opposite of Raon, who was trying to deceive him no matter what, and that was giving a great impression. The King of Essence has always been cool and beautiful. He''s not someone that a mere human can dare to judge. He turned around and shook his hand. He must''ve been trying to keep that atmosphere around him. "I''ll eat everything you want as soon as we leave this ce." Raon was serious. He was so thankful and apologetic at the same time, and he wanted to do every favor for him that he could. ... Wrath didn''t turn around. It was the first time he didn''t even budge when food was mentioned. "I''m seeing you in a new ligh¡ªhuh?" Raon walked up to Wrath with a smile on his face but suddenly had to stop. We are definitely including pizza, and themb chops fromst time were pretty good. Ah, since we are at the southern sea now, lobsters or grilled fish would be a good idea. We also need some fruit juices to kill the aftertaste... Wrath was writing down the list of food that he wanted to eat on his palm. It hadn''t even been five seconds, yet he had already written more than a whole page. "..." ''I thought he had changed, but I was mistaken.'' Even the dignity of a king couldn''t help his gluttony. Raon shook his head and looked at the ground. He rolled his lips into a smile while feeling the mythical creature''s murderous aura, filled with irritation from all the noise and vibrations they had caused. ''There''s one left now.'' Chapter 346 - 346

Chapter 346:

The Babyroon duchy''s banquet hall was elegantly illuminated, as if starlight was shining above it. Derus Robert and Duke Babyroon were cheerfully clinking their sses on the tform. "The treatment for your son''s shoulder is proceeding without any problems." Duke Babyroon smiled gently at Derus Robert. "He should regain his senses from before he was injured in three months at least, and four months at most." "That''s much faster than I expected. Thank you for your consideration." Derus nodded while meeting Duke Babyroon''s eyes. "There''s no need to thank me. This much is obvious between allies. I would be sad if you thanked me for such a trivial matter." Duke Babyroon shook his hand. His eyes were full of desire despite his humble speech. "I see." Derus''s lips rolled into a smile as he noticed the furtive scent of desire from Duke Babyroon. ''He''s such a greedy pig.'' Duke Babyroon was indeed a skilled man, but he was far too greedy for what he was worth. That greed was the very reason even the marquises had begun to surpass him, and he was called the rotten pir of Balkar. ''However... This fat pig clearly has a lot of meat to offer.'' The pig''s position and power were useful for treating Cadis''s shoulder, but he also needed them to take over Balkar. That was the reason Derus was visiting him instead of the other houses that specialized in healing. "I would still like to express my gratitude. Please tell me anything you want, without reservation." Derus raised his hand slightly while saying that he was fine with anything. "It''s really not necessary. I said this before, but the Sky Sword Saint''s visit to our duchy is already an honor for us." The desire in Babyroon''s eyes intensified as he shook his head despite what he said. "You are as humble as always. However, since you saved my ipetent son¡ªhuff!" Deurs suddenly started to grasp his head in the middle of his speech. ''What...?'' Two rage worms had suddenly died. Moreover, they were the worms he had nted in the two people he trusted, not some random vermin. ''Martio and Kosini have died...?'' Kosini''s mind control magic was capable enough to control mythical creatures¡ªand even the warriors with a higher realm than advanced Master. Derus couldn''t believe that they couldn''t escape and had to die inside the submarine dungeon. It wasn''t possible, no matter how powerful the monster was. ''Moreover... Their deaths were extremely terrifying and painful.'' Rage worms were also capable of determining the host''s emotions. Thest signal he had received from Martio and Kosini''s rage worms was that of astonishment, fear, and pain. ''How is this happening?'' Martio was an assassin who had already erased his normal human emotions. He couldn''t think straight because he couldn''t believe that those violent emotions were thest things he felt before he died. "Dear head of house?" "I need to get some fresh air." He could feel that his face was turning pale. He couldn''t control his expression, nor maintain hisposure like he''d always done. He had to get away from the hall in order to avoid revealing his shock. "Head of house! I can examine it for you if you aren''t feeling too good." "It''s okay." "But it could be a serious diseas¡ª" "I already said I don''t need it!" "Huff!" Duke Babyroon fell on his ass while his fat body trembled in fear upon meeting Derus''s powerful murderous aura in his eyes. Derus red at Duke Babyroon for a while before turning away. ''Damn it...'' He knew that he had to suppress his anger, but he couldn''t. His fingertips were trembling because it reminded him of what happened at the ninth farm recently. Whir! Derus walked across the banquet hall that had fallen silent and went outside. Regel caught up to him at some point and followed him out. "My lord?" "Martio has died." "What...?" Regel was also surprised and fell speechless. "I don''t know the exact reason, but there must''ve been a problem inside the dungeon." However, he couldn''t even begin to guess what could''ve happened inside the dungeon for him to feel such a terrible emotion before death. "I-I''ll take care of it. I''ll gather the shadows for now..." "No." Derus shook his head and put on the coat that he had brought with him. "I''ll go myself." Raon clenched his fist before opening it and examining his body''s condition. ''Not bad.'' The aura consumption was pretty high, but his swordsmanship had be a lot more proficient thanks to the enlightenment he had received from the wless Sea of Fire. He could guess that he could gain extra stats and even increase the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier''s realms by focusing on the cultivation after he was done with the dungeon. ''I''ve gained a lot more than I thought. Maybe I should buy Merlin a meal.'' He was only trying to prevent Derus from obtaining the dungeon''s treasure, but he managed to get his revenge against Martio and even learned a new technique. He wanted to do something for Merlin because she was the one who told him information about the dungeon when she appeared as a squirrel. ''The only thing left now is...'' He just needed to defeat the monster below and take the treasure before destroying the dungeon. Shouldn''t you recover your aura and stamina first and fight it when you''re in your best condition? The monster down there is as powerful as you. "As powerful as me, you say..." He could indeed feel powerful energying from the hostile mythical creature at the bottom of the dungeon. Recovering his stamina and aura before fighting it was indeed the correct move. "I know that it''s the right thing to do. But..." Raon smiled coldly while looking at the ceiling. "I don''t have the time." Time? "Yes. The owner of the dogs ising." Derus had probably already noticed Martio and Kosini''s deaths, and he had likely already left the Babyroon duchy toe to the dungeon, considering his personality. ''Because his patience must''ve reached its limit.'' Raon could guess that the destruction of the ninth farm and the death of his confidant, Martio, must''ve made him lose hisposure. He needed to leave as fast as possible to avoid encountering him. Whir! Raon pointed Heavenly Drive at the ground and focused his aura. His energy concentrated at the tip of the sword before it exploded at once. Thend split apart like a spiderweb and crumbled from the Heavenly Heavy Cannon''s power, which had be even stronger than before. Swish! His hair stood on end upon feeling the frightening amount of murderous auraing from below. Raon lowered his eyes to see what the hostile mythical creature looked like. ''Is that...a jellyfish?'' The jellyfish floating in the air was shining white, like a snowfield. Its body was about four meters in diameter, and the tentacles seemed to be over forty meters long. It''s rather beautiful. Wrath smiled faintly while watching the wavering jellyfish. And it''s obviously not going to be easy to kill it. ''Yes. It''s a ghost jellyfish, after all.'' It was a sea monster called a ''ghost jellyfish'' because of its transparent and smooth body, and the tentacles looked like a floating ghost. However, its size was at least three times bigger than the average ghost jellyfish. Raon frowned. ''This is going to be annoying to deal with.'' The ghost jellyfish had two characteristics, and the first one was that it was capable of elerating to a tremendous speed both underwater and aboveground. It was faster than most warriors, and it was better to think that the tentacle would be right under your nose the moment it recognized you. The second characteristic was worse. The ghost jellyfish had a deadly poison that no toxic substances or poisonous insect could surpass. Even an average ghost jellyfish had a powerful enough poison to melt an aura de, so a mythical jellyfish''s poison could be expected to melt astral energy. Whoosh! The ghost jellyfish stretched its tentacles, intending to kill him. It was even faster than a Master''s swift sword. The monster was trying to attack while Raon couldn''t dodge because he was in midair. Whoosh! As the tentacle approached at the speed of light, Raon shed it with Heavenly Drive. ng! It sounded like a sh between metals even though it was a tentacle. ''It''s strong.'' Raon didn''t manage to cut off the tentacle even though astral energy was bursting from his sword. Even the tentacle''s durability seemed to have increased from bing a mythical monster. Kieee! The ghost jellyfish slowly subsided and spread its body. Dozens and hundreds of tentacles rose at the same time before curving towards Raon to strike. It almost looked like sunlight falling from the sky. Whaam! Each and every tentacle was extremely powerful, and they were moving as sharply as a swordsman. Raon had the impression that he was fighting a warrior who was extremely proficient in variable swords and illusion swords. ''The problem is...'' While a warrior''s sword would have many feints, the monster''s attacks were all real. Thud. Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps and dashed to the left. The ghost jellyfish''s tentacles changed direction in an instant to chase Raon. It almost felt like the tentacles had eyes of their own. ''It''s even smart.'' The ghost jellyfish was ready to move its body at any moment if it needed to dodge, all while using its tentacles to attack. Smack! Whenever the tentacles hit the ground, the area turned white and melted. Sea water was welling up from the resulting holes. ''That''s the scariest part.'' The result created by the extremely effective poison was far from being normal. It confirmed Raon''s guess that it would also work against astral energy. ''This is going to be a difficult fight.'' Kosini would''ve been able to easily defeat the ghost jellyfish with her mind control magic, but he had no option other than breaking through the poison to kill it. He could expect a difficult fight. Whap! The ghost jellyfish seemed to have realized that attacking from one side wasn''t enough and spread its tentacles to both sides to pressure him. It was even capable of making quick decisions on top of its swift movement and reaction. ''However... That''s what I wanted.'' Raon smiled deeply and dashed forward. He was waiting for the tentacles to split in order to attack the ghost jellyfish''s body. Whap! He gathered as much coldness as possible on Heavenly Drive and unleashed Frost Pond. The moment his de and the de of coldness were shing at the same time, white poison spread out from the bell of the ghost jellyfish. Whaam! The de of coldness shed against the poison and disappeared without achieving anything. Just as Raon expected, the ghost jellyfish''s poison was as powerful as astral energy. "Tsk." Raon clicked his tongue and stepped back. ''I have never seen anything like this before.'' He had never seen a ghost jellyfish spread its poison from the bell, as it normally only came from the tentacles. He could guess that the monster obtained that ability when it evolved into a mythical rank monster. Whir! The ghost jellyfish seemed to have noticed the danger, as it reduced its size bypressing itself and started moving all of its tentacles. Swaa! A chill ran down his spine because it looked like hundreds of swordsmen were attacking him at the same time. ''It''s being cautious.'' Unlike the previous attack, it wasn''t using all of its tentacles to attack, instead positioning some of them around its body for defense. It was a smart monster. Creak! Raon scratched the ground with Heavenly Drive and shed upwards to ignite the me Spirit. The flower petals were glowing red as they floated into the air to sh against the poisonous tentacles. Wham! Wham! The shes between the poison and heat created countless explosions in the air. Even the dungeon''s walls split apart. Gray dust spread out from them. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony''s Second Step. He advanced in a sh and closed the distance to the ghost jellyfish''s side. He pulled his sword back and thrust his sword by using eleration. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Dragon Art. The violently unleashed me dragon''s breath had be even stronger thanks to the traces of the first head of Zieghart. Kieee! The ghost jellyfish turned to the left with a grotesque screech. Silver energy was gushing from its bell. It was a deadly poison, even more powerful than the previous one. Whaaam! The frontal sh between the me Dragon Art''s heat and the jellyfish''s deadly poison created a tremendous shockwave. "Hmm..." Raon leaped backward to avoid being affected by the poison. Not bad for an insignificant creature. Wrath chuckled while watching the ghost jellyfish. He seemed to have taken an interest in it. ''Yes. It almost feels like I''m fighting against a warrior.'' Monsters usually had simple movement patterns, but the ghost jellyfish was predicting Raon''s moves¡ªprobably because it had reached the mythical rank. It was a difficult opponent to win against. Whir! The ghost jellyfish predicted where Raon was going to move next and attacked with its tentacles. They weren''t simplying from above anymore, since they were storming from four different directions¡ªincluding the left, right, and below. ''It''spletely blocking my escape. What a scary monster.'' Raon narrowed his eyes and shed Heavenly Drive upwards into a semi-circle. ang! Even though Heavenly Drive was d in astral energy, he was unable to cut off the tentacle. The sword was bounced back instead, as if it were hitting steel. "It''s powerful for sure, but I finished analyzing it." Raon smiled while watching the second wave of tentacles trying to assault him. "I won''t be able to y around with you anymore since I''m too busy." He normally would''ve studied martial arts by observing the ghost jellyfish''s attacks, but he didn''t have time for that because Derus could arrive at any moment through a dimensional door. Thud! He stomped the ground and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to full power. He smacked the tentacles with the raging de of rotating fire. sh! Even though the tentacles felt as hard as steel, they were cut apart like a piece of cloth. Kieeeh! The ghost jellyfish screeched and randomly started to il its severed tentacles. It looked like it was losing control, but it was actually trying to spread poison from inside the tentacles. "That''s not going to work either." He engulfed Heavenly Drive''s de with the principles of the Fangs of Insanity. The burning ws of a savage beast burnt up the deadly poison and ripped apart the tentacles. sh! Each time the raging fire danced in the air, dozens of tentacles were cut into pieces. Kieee! The ghost jellyfish didn''t try to retreat even though it had lost more than half of its tentacles. It kept iling its tentacles to kill Raon at all costs. ''Which means...'' Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the puddle the ghost jellyfish''s body was floating in. ''This dungeon''s treasure must be located under it.'' If a monster became a mythical creature thanks to a relic or an elixir, it would never leave that spot. Considering the way it was persistently staying on the spot, there had to have been an elixir beneath the monster. Thud! Raon pushed the ground with the Supreme Harmony Steps and advanced. Whoosh! The ghost jellyfish gathered all of its remaining tentacles and mmed down on him. Hundreds of tentacles werebined into one huge club, falling down on him. ''It looks like it figured it couldn''t defeat me with individual tentacles. That was a good idea, but it''s toote.'' Raon chuckled and shed Heavenly Drive downward like lightning. It was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation''s Crimson sh. The dazzling light of a raging fire severed thebined tentacle in a single sh. Kiaaaah! The ghost tentacle made its next move while screaming. It d its body with the deadly poison filling the atmosphere and the poison from its bell to charge at Raon. It wasn''t trying to self-destruct. It was the best way to attack in that situation. ''This looks dangerous.'' His fingertips were trembling because of the powerful wave of deadly poison. He was feeling dizzy despite his poison resistance. Cring! Raon smoothly pulled Heavenly Drive out. The ck shadow anchored on the de glimmered white as it spread a majestic light. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Fifth Form, White Shadow sh. The white de flowed, and all of the deadly poison that the ghost jellyfish had gathered disappeared like snow in Spring. Kieee! The ghost jellyfish unleashed a lump of poison from its bell as ast-ditch effort, but it was nothing but a flower bud that would never blossom because of the white shadow it was facing. Whaap! The power of the White Shadow sh exploded after it devoured all of the poison. Cold lightning struck down to split the ghost jellyfish''s body in half. Kieee... The ghost jellyfish spread its poison as it teetered on the verge of death, but it couldn''t ovee the White Shadow sh and faded away like dust in the air. ''This is terrifying.'' Even though it was his own technique, Raon realized once again how overpowered it was to be able to remove all of an opponent''s energy. He figured that an opponent weaker than himself would never be able to defeat him with that skill. Damn it! Wrath shouted. You should''vested longer! Why did you have to lose like this after all the time you spent sucking up the energy in this ce? He pped the tentacle with his hand to express his displeasure at how easily it lost. "It''s time to get my loot." Raon covered his hands with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and rummaged through the ghost jellyfish''s body. ''I found it.'' He managed to find a marble that was a sparkling silver color on the left side of its body. It was the ghost jellyfish''s energy core, and it was brimming with deadly poison. ''I don''t think I can eat it without further processing.'' He figured he couldn''t simply swallow it because of the powerful poison. "Let''s leave it forter." He pushed the ghost jellyfish''s corpse aside. The puddle was finally revealed from under the corpse that kept trying to hide it even after death. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the center of the puddle filled with emerald sea water. "This is..." Chapter 347 An old magician wearing a gray robe bowed to Derus Robert. ¡°I¡¯m honored to serve the Sky Sword Saint.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in your care.¡± Derus nodded and looked at the semi-circr frame next to the old magician. ¡®They forced me to use the dimensional door.¡¯ He normally didn¡¯t entrust his body to others. Since using the dimensional door meant he needed to leave his body to theplete mercy of a magician, he rarely used them unless it was absolutely necessary. He even used a carriage when he went to the Conference of the Six Kings, iming that he wanted to witness the world with his very eyes and walk through thend with his own feet as an excuse. However, he ended up using the dimensional door anyway and that fact enraged him. ¡®I¡¯ll make you regret living.¡¯ Whether it was the mythical creature inside the submarine dungeon or a third party who suddenly interfered, he decided that he would reduce Martio and Kosini¡¯s killer into a state where they were neither living nor dead. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Derus sighed briefly and looked at the old magician. ¡°You may begin.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The old magician bowed once again and mmed the ground with his staff. With a thud, the semi-circr frame started to shine brilliantly. The light intensified and spread into a cone shape, filling the entire frame and turning into a door. ¡°This door is connected to House Robert. Please enter.¡± The old magician stepped aside with a smile. Derus nodded and walked into the dimensional door. Dazzling light filled his vision alongside a floating sensation. ¡°Tsk.¡± He clicked his tongue in irritation because he had to entrust his body to someone else, then turned his head to look back. Regel had also entered the door and was following right behind him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°No.¡± Derus frowned and clenched his fist. ¡°I¡¯m seriously angry now. It¡¯s been a very long time since thest time I felt this way.¡± He was also irritated when the ninth farm was destroyed, but it couldn¡¯t bepared to how he was feeling. His wrath was simr to when Temas died while trying to attack Zieghart on his own ord after he failed to take over House Yonaan. ¡®It¡¯s because I¡¯ve been working on it for a long time.¡¯ He¡¯d been preparing for a long time to obtain the elixir and relic at the submarine dungeon. He¡¯d wiped out the sea monsters around the dungeon and removed the huge boulders blocking the path from above the dungeon, which took several careful years to prevent it from copsing. The preparation took as long as House Yonaan, yet his n had been foiled and he had even lost the two useful people, Martio and Kosini. That fact made him boil in anger to the point that he felt bloated. ¡®I won¡¯t let you escape.¡¯ Martio and Kosini¡¯s deaths couldn¡¯t be undone. What he needed to do was to obtain the treasures under the dungeon no matter what. Whir! He was biting his lip to suppress his anger when the semi-circr door appeared just like when he entered that space. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Derus let out a small sigh and walked towards the door. ¡°My lord! Wee back to the house!¡± House Robert¡¯s swordsmen and magicians were lined up in front of the dimensional door, bowing politely. Derus didn¡¯t even respond to their greetings, throwing away his coat before jumping into the sky. His body turned into a ray of light and rushed towards the dungeon. ¡®Even if you are a god¡­¡¯ mes of wrath sparkled from Derus¡¯s eyes as he kicked the sky to advance. ¡®You won¡¯t be able to escape me.¡¯ * * * Raon swallowed nervously while looking at a flower floating in the puddle. ¡®A blue flower?¡¯ The five petals were sparkling with a navy blue color, the stem was curved as softly as the moonlight, and six transparent leaves were sprouting out of it. It looked so fragile that it seemed like it would break from the smallest touch, yet beautiful at the same time. ¡®Wait, is this¡­?¡¯ ¡®The ocean soul?¡¯ The ocean soul was the name of the flower, and it was a legendary elixir that contained the energy of the entire ocean. It only appeared in the stories of legend and myths, and Raon never expected to find one. I-it is¡­ Wrath nodded. His widened eyes looked like they were about to pop out. It really is the ocean soul. H-how was it even here¡­? His trembling voice revealed his surprise. ¡°I have no idea.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t know about that, but¡­¡¯ His hardened face had turned into a smile before he knew it. Are you smiling? ¡°Should I cry instead? I can do it now if you want.¡± Raon figured that crying would be a reasonable reaction since he had just managed to find an incredible elixir. Argh! Wrath¡¯s clenched fist was trembling violently. What the hell is wrong with you? Why is the entire world helping you so much?! Say something, because it¡¯s getting annoying! He shouted while pointing his finger in the thin air. The King of Essence has never seen anything thates even close to being an elixir for the past hundreds of years, so why is this bastard shoving elixirs in his damn mouth all the time?! Since when did elixirs be asmon as candy?! ¡°You are so loud.¡± Loud? Fine, the King of Essence will make it even louder! Once you hear his story of life in Devildom, you will want to offer that elixir right away, with teary eyes¡­ Wrath started up the long spiel that he hadn¡¯t given in a while. Raon pushed him away because he was going nuts and examined the ocean soul instead. ¡®It¡¯s the real one.¡¯ Both its shape and pure energy were exactly what he heard from the stories. ¡®But¡­ Why can I feel the energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation from this ocean soul?¡¯ He could feel that extremely familiar energy from the ocean soul that should have the energy of the ocean. ¡®I¡¯ll find out once I try.¡¯ Raon slowly caught his breath and carefully ced his hand on the ocean soul¡¯s leaf¡­ And the world changed with a sh of light. * * * The picturesque scenery that he saw when he first entered the dungeon was disyed in front of his eyes. He could see a blond-haired swordsman. Raon could easily recognize that familiar back. He was Zieghart¡¯s first head of house, the one who could use the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Ring of Fire. A mysterious ck man with white pupils and ck eyes was standing opposite of him. He had a simr appearance to the one he had seen in the Central Martial Pce before, but the single horn on his forehead made a difference. They red at each other before they started to move. The sword and saber struck at the same time. Crimson mes burst from his ancestor¡¯s sword, and ck light emanated from the mysterious man¡¯s saber. The sh between tremendous powers turned hundreds of sea monsters into dust and split the submarine mountain in half. A lump of aura fell to the submarine mountain and created a huge hole. The fight was creating the dungeon, the ce where he was in. The power spreading out from the mysterious man¡¯s saber froze the world. The energy was powerful enough to crush heaven as he attacked. Even though the tremendous power was crushing the entire ocean, the first head of Zieghart didn¡¯t run away. He shed his raging de towards the violent trembling of the horizon with a faint smile on his face. The red and ck energy violently shed and tried to devour each other, and the ocean¡¯s water kept evaporating as a result. They were equally matched. The fight between the mysterious man and the ancestor was truly a titanic battle. The two monsters easily moved underwater as if they were onnd until the sun set and rose once again, and they kept striking each other with their sword and saber. After some time, his ancestor was overpowered and mmed into the hole that was previously made in the mountain. The mysterious man sneered and charged at his ancestor and attacked continuously with his saber. The ck energy undted like a cloud to pierce the center of the mountain. His ancestor didn¡¯t panic despite the powerful attack from the mysterious man, calmly unleashing the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s techniques to fend off all attacks. The mysterious man didn¡¯t show any signs of exhaustion, and the ck energy in his de kept growing stronger and bigger. When the violent spread of the ck light was about to devour everything, a blue me burst from his ancestor¡¯s sword¡ªunlike the red color he¡¯d shown up to that point. That me was in no way weaker than the mysterious man¡¯s energy. The two monsters who had far transcended human limits dashed together as their sword and saber shed against each other and created that long and huge passage under the ocean. The sword traces that had allowed Raon to enter the trance were the traces of that battle he was witnessing. The sh between his ancestor and the mysterious man¡¯s energies crushed thend and created a huge cavern. It was that ce where Raon managed to learn the wless Sea of Fire and kill Martio and Kosini. The mysterious man¡¯s energy amplified once again. The ck energy became powerful enough to make the entire ocean tremble, and it was unleashed like the breath of a devil that came straight from hell. The evil in the saber¡¯s strike felt like no swordsmanship in the world could fend it off. The tip of his ancestor¡¯s sword sparked blue. The extremely small spark spread in a spiral to draw a majestic line. The wless Sea of Fire of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The ocean of blue mes shed against the darkness. The blue me undted and spread in four directions, but the mysterious man clenched his huge ck saber and endured it without moving an inch. He screamed, and the ck energy turned even thicker, shing through the blue mes. His ancestor¡¯s smile didn¡¯t fade away even though he saw it happening. He said something to the mysterious man and twisted his de. The blue me suddenly turned gold. The auspicious light burst out endlessly to cover the entire area. The mysterious man exploded his ck energy as ast-ditch effort, but the golden me of his ancestor erased the ck energy and even the mysterious man himself in an instant. His ancestor lowered his sword and stared at the ashes that used to be the mysterious man. He said something with his eyes closed and someone appeared behind him. Raon couldn¡¯t see her face because she was wearing a ck robe, but she seemed to be a female magician, judging from her build. She said something, and his ancestor stomped the ground. The ground was destroyed as a result, and the area Raon found the ocean soul and the ghost jellyfish was created. Seawater was welling up on the ground just like Raon had seen, but a jewel simr to an emerald was floating on it instead of the ocean soul. It seemed to be the ocean soul¡¯s seed. The seed was extremely dry, and a thin sprout was all it had. It seemed to be running out of life. The ancestor went on his knees and stared at the seed. Instead of taking the ocean soul¡¯s seed for himself, he injected it with a small fire before he stood up. The magician shouted in surprise, but the ancestor murmured something with a smile before turning his head. His eyes were directed at Raon. The moment he faced those clear red eyes, his vision turned gold once again. * * * * * * ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon supported himself with his trembling hands. ¡®Those were the techniques from the real Ten Thousand mes Cultivation.¡¯ It was on apletely different level from what he¡¯d felt from the traces. His heart was pounding much too quickly in excitement, enough so that he thought it would pop out. ¡®I think my swordsmanship has improved even further.¡¯ It could¡¯ve been just an impression, but he had the feeling that his swordsmanship had further improved even though it had already improved when he saw the sword traces. [You¡¯ve observed the wless Sea of Fire in its perfected state.] [Proficiency for all swordsmanship has increased.] [The Ring of Fire¡¯s proficiency has increased.] [All stats have increased by 5.] Raon was shaking his head when the messages appeared. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡®It wasn¡¯t just an impression?¡¯ Apparently, he had really gotten stronger from that. His swordsmanship had really improved just like he¡¯d felt. Wh-what¡¯s happening now¡­? Wrath was dumbfounded and his jaw dropped. Why are you suddenly giving him those rewards?! Your body was empty just now, where did you even go?! You damn zombie bastard! He couldn¡¯t understand the situation and violently shook his head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon briefly licked his lips. ¡®I can¡¯t exin it to him.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t say anything because it was obvious he would be called crazy if he said he¡¯d just met his ancestor. What the hell was that? There should at least be a reason for giving rewards! Why are you getting them out of nowhere? Wrath started to cry while mming the ground, asking why Raon was the only one who got everything. ¡°Let¡¯s leave for now¡­¡± You took away his elixir and even his stats! The King of Essence can¡¯t ept this kind of life! He stood in front of the ocean soul and puffed himself up. He looked like the king-sized cotton candy that the cotton candy seller made because he wanted to go home already. ¡®The elixir wasn¡¯t even yours to begin with.¡¯ That was what Raon wanted to tell him, but he figured it would be pointless. He said the only word that was bound to be effective against him. ¡°You need to get away from it already so I can leave and eat delicious food. I told you I¡¯d buy everything you wante¡ª¡± Even before he finished the sentence, Wrath lowered his hands and jumped on Raon¡¯s shoulder. What are you waiting for? Pluck the flower already. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡®This is seriously exhausting.¡¯ Raon sighed and walked up to the ocean flower. The flower reminded him of Zieghart¡¯s ancestor who he¡¯d seen just a moment ago. ¡®The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡­¡¯ It was clear why he could feel the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation from the flower. It was because his ancestor had helped it sprout from the seed. ¡®He really is amazing.¡¯ He could¡¯ve brought the seed with him to raise it by itself, or just eaten it as it was and it would¡¯ve been better than an intermediate-grade elixir. Instead, he¡¯d made the decision to leave it as it was, and it showed how extraordinary he was. Raon plucked the ocean flower alongside its leaves and carefully put it in his subspace pocket. He put the ghost jellyfish¡¯s corpse in a different space, just in case, before he stood up. ¡®It¡¯s time to destroy this ce now.¡¯ The perfect crime was onlypleted bypletely destroying the dungeon. Whap! Raon raised Heavenly Drive and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the maximum output. He shed Heavenly Drive down in a curve, just like the first head of Zieghart had done to destroy the mysterious man. Cring! The red me from the de spread majestically to create a sea of mes. It wasn¡¯t blue or gold, unlike his ancestor¡¯s, but the red me engulfing the space was extremely vivid. Whaam! The improved wless Sea of Fire pierced into the sword traces on the walls and the ceiling to create powerful, extreme fissures throughout the dungeon. The floor and the ceiling started to tremble violently, as if an earthquake were urring. ¡°Perfect.¡± He managed to destroy the frame of the dungeon, and it was bound to copse soon enough. Raon ced both Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem in his subspace pocket and took out skintight blue clothes, putting them on. He lowered his head towards the puddle while thinking about his ancestor, who gave his energy to the ocean flower, before jumping in. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ He straightened his back after he expressed his gratitude to the first head of Zieghart, who gave him a new technique for the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the ocean soul. Who are you thanking right now? ¡®You¡¯d call me crazy if I told you.¡¯ Raon chuckled and shook his hand. Wrath would obviously have sworn, spit flying, if he had witnessed the scene. It made him smile. Raon looked up at the copsing ceiling before he jumped into the puddle where the ocean soul had grown, as it was the only exit from the dungeon. Ssh! It should¡¯ve been expected, as the ocean soul had bloomed from it, but the water wasn¡¯t rotten. The clean fragrance of the water was seeping into his body. ¡®I don¡¯t have much time.¡¯ Since his ancestor couldn¡¯t have expected him to destroy the dungeon before he left, it was necessary to escape as fast as possible before it copsed. Just like when he fought, he increased the Rings of Fire¡¯s resonance to the maximum to reduce his presence and energy to nothingness. Whap! He used cier to assimte himself into the ocean. Even though the ocean looked immobile, it was an origin of life that never ceased to move. He slowly opened his aura perception and could feel the flow of water. ¡®This way should be faster.¡¯ The right was closer to the exit than the left. He swam and followed the flow he felt through his skin while breathing with the Dolin Breathing Technique. The passage waspletely dark because light couldn¡¯t reach it at all, and that was rather frightening. However, cier, the Ring of Fire, and his ancestor¡¯s preparations gave him the courage to keep advancing. A small light was entering the dark passage. Once he followed the light, his entire vision was brimming with sunlight. ¡®I¡¯m out!¡¯ Raon increased his speed to leave the dark passagepletely. He was outside. His vision was filled with the endless vast ocean. ¡®I¡¯ve gotten pretty far.¡¯ He was a long way off from the submarine valley where the dungeon was located because of how long the passage was. Moreover, he¡¯d gone in the direction of the ocean instead of thend, which meant it was going to take a while to return to shore. Rumble! He turned around upon hearing a majestic sound, and he could see that the colossal submarine valley was copsing into the depths of the abyss. Raon¡¯s eyes became serious as he watched the scene. ¡®The ocean has no words.¡¯ No one would be able to learn of his visit and the perpetrator behind Martio and Kosini¡¯s murder. A smile of relief appeared on his face upon realizing that everything was over. ¡®This is what you call an assassination.¡¯ Assassination? Did you just say assassination? Wrath tilted his head because of his ridiculous statement. Does the King of Essence have the wrong definition of assassination? How is this even an assassination when you just killed them all with sheer power without even trying to hide your face? ¡®It¡¯s still an assassination as long as no one witnessed it.¡¯ You must have a de stuck in your brain. He shook his head, saying that it was impossible to reason with him. Raon chuckled and opened his hands. ¡®Let¡¯s leave now.¡¯ Stop. He was trying to move away as fast as possible before Derus arrived, but Wrath suddenly shouted. Raon could guess the reason and immediately stopped breathing. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ He¡¯s here. After a short time, enough to breathe a few times, he could feel the approach of a monster d in a bone-chilling murderous aura from the left sky. His heart tightened. His swimming arms and legs came to a halt because of the suffocating feeling. Raon clenched his back teeth without even looking upwards. ¡®It¡¯s him!¡¯ Derus Robert. The man floating in the sky was that crazy bastard. Chapter 348 Raon swallowed nervously. He wanted to avoid doing it because he was afraid Derus would hear the sound of his throat, but it moved on its own because of the extreme tension. ¡®Not yet¡­ He hasn''t found me yet.¡¯ Derus Robert would¡¯ve been right in front of his eyes if he had managed to find him. Since he was still floating in the sky, he must not have found him yet. Correct. Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking upwards. He just arrived, and he is solely focused on the copsed valley. He hasn''t managed to find you yet, but he will notice right away if you move around recklessly. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Raon nodded with trembling lips. ¡®I know.¡¯ Since he¡¯d been swimming horizontally from the lowest part of the dungeon, he was currently in a deep sea. He was also far away from the shore, and he wouldn¡¯t be found out right away even though it was Derus he was dealing with. ¡®This fragrance, it¡¯s been a long time since Ist felt it.¡¯ The fragrance of death was tickling his nose. It was the exact same fragrance that he felt in his previous life when Derus had killed him. However, unlike his previous life when there was no way for him to survive, a path was leading to his survival among all paths that would lead to his death. Raon raised his head slowly enough to make him feel stiff. He could see a small dot far away in the sky. ¡®Derus Robert.¡¯ He would be able to see him more clearly if he focused aura into his eyes, but he would be found out immediately and captured if he did that. ¡®I can¡¯t panic now. Absolutely not.¡¯ Even when Merlin had kidnapped him, he could¡¯ve changed the oue by acting smarter and making them fight more seriously. What he needed was to maintain hisposure and think about how to escape. Raon clenched his fist. His hand had be cold from the tension. ¡®I need to figure out the situation for now.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t wielding a de, but he was pretty much going through a battle of life and death. Figuring out the advantages and the disadvantages was the first step. ¡®The advantage I have is the fact that my current location can¡¯t be discovered easily.¡¯ Since he was right above the abyss, he was too far away from the shore and deep inside the sea, and it should¡¯ve been difficult for Derus to find him. ¡®And I even made those preparations.¡¯ He dyed his hair and eyes before Derus arrived, he used the Ring of Fire¡¯s resonance to decrease his presence as much as possible, and he used cier to make himself simr to the water. He should¡¯ve been seen as a fish or seaweed since Derus wasn¡¯t aware of that fact. On the other hand, Derus wasn¡¯t even trying to hide his anger. That was the reason Raon noticed him first. He did expect Derus to use the dimensional door, but his arrival was a lot faster than anticipated. The fact that he had be stronger than before must¡¯ve contributed to that oue, but it was mostly because he didn¡¯t spare any effort. ¡®Which means that he¡¯s extremely angry, to the point that he lost hisposure.¡¯ He was still focused on the copsed area around the valley. His vision had narrowed down because of his wrath. Raon strained his arms to stop them from trembling. ¡®I still have a huge problem though¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t move at all unless Derus moved away. Despite how angry he was, he was still capable of finding him immediately if he made any move. Staying as still as a rock was the only option he had. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ His aura perception was the biggest problem. Derus Robert was a transcender, standing above the Grandmasters. He was one of the Ten Heavens of the Continent, just like Glenn. If he expanded his aura perception to the entire area instead of focusing on the valley, Raon was bound to be found out no matter how good he was at concealment. ¡®I need tost until thates up¡­¡¯ He¡¯d made preparations before he destroyed the dungeon since he was aware of the possibility of Derus¡¯s arrival. He had tost somehow until it emerged. ¡®It should being at any moment¡­¡¯ I don¡¯t know what preparation you made, but it seems unlikely. Wrath snorted and pointed below Derus¡¯s feet with his round fingers. Faint energies were spreading around him in spherical shapes. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Raon chewed inside his cheek. ¡®He spread his aura perception in all directions!¡¯ His worries had be a reality. The worst situation he imagined was happening. Derus was spreading his aura perception to the entire shore and ocean instead of focusing on the area around the copsed valley. ¡®You damn psychopath!¡¯ He made the decision to analyze the entire area at once instead of focusing on the dungeon despite the urgency of the situation. He was really too abnormal to be called a human. Raon could guess that he might have been found out immediately if his anger hadn¡¯t narrowed down Derus¡¯s vision. ¡®To make it worse, he¡¯s fast.¡¯ His aura perception was spreading abnormally fast since he was a transcender. The speed wasn¡¯t decreasing at all even though he was probing into the shore, ocean, and even the sky. ¡®You monster¡­¡¯ Raon clenched his chest because his heart was pounding too hard. ¡®It won¡¯t make it in time at this rate.¡¯ Even if his preparation emerged right away, Derus was still going to find him. Being captured afterward was just a matter of time. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ His aura perception had crossed the valley and was nearing him. His shoulders were shivering because of the blue aura¡¯s intense bloodthirst. He felt like a cold de was seeping into his heart as the aura approached. He was getting the impression that cold sweat was flowing down his body despite being underwater. Do you want the King of Essence to hide you? Wrath sneered and extended his round hand. ¡®Hide me?¡¯ Yes. Considering his level, the King of Essence can save you with his trait. ¡®He can save me, huh?¡¯ That was wrong. Raon believed that his own decision was more important than Wrath for his survival. However, it was true that he needed to buy a small amount of time. He did need Wrath to help him. ¡®I¡¯m assuming it won¡¯t be for free.¡¯ You are as quick at ounts as always. He will let you avoid his aura perception for ten points of wrath every ten seconds. Wrath bobbed his fingers, urging him to decide quickly. ¡®Ten points of wrath every ten seconds¡­¡¯ Wrath said he would hide him instead of making him escape. Raon wasn¡¯t going to be able to escape even if he epted the deal. That meant that he was going to take in a tremendous amount of wrath if Derus decided to stay in the sky. Raon gritted his teeth as he noticed that Derus¡¯s aura was right under his nose. ¡®It will be out in about a minute. I leave it to you until then¡­¡¯ He would get the chance to escape soon enough. He just needed tost somehow until that happened. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ He closed his eyes and took Wrath¡¯s hand. Excellent choice! The moment Wrath¡¯sughing voice could be heard, Raon¡¯s body and soul melted into the ocean. He felt like he had fused into the ocean. Whoosh! It didn¡¯t even take a tenth of a second after Raon epted Wrath¡¯s hand before Derus¡¯s aura perception brushed past him. The terrifying sensation felt like a de was stabbing his spine, but Derus kept expanding his aura perception. He didn¡¯t seem like he had noticed anything. ¡®I wasn¡¯t found out¡­¡¯ Wrath deserved his confidence. His ability really was capable of avoiding Derus¡¯s aura perception. This ability is called the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil. It would¡¯ve been dangerous if he had been more careful in his search, but he was more focused on speed and range, which made it possible to avoid him. He snickered while looking at Derus in the sky. This is the power of Wrath, the monarch of Wrath, and the king of Devildom. You will be the King of Essence¡¯s followers from now on. Wrath giggled while moving his shoulders up and down in joy. [Wrath has increased by 10.] Raon breathed a sigh of relief, and the message appeared in front of him. He got the wrath as soon as ten seconds had passed. The system was really urate in matters like that. He might take over your body at this rate. ¡®That¡¯s not going to happen.¡¯ Raon turned Wrath¡¯s chin because he looked too happy, then looked back with a frown. ¡®He¡¯s not stopping.¡¯ Derus was expanding his aura perception endlessly. He seemed to be nning to check the entire ocean. [Wrath has increased by 10.] Ten more seconds passed. Derus¡¯s aura perception finally stopped spreading. However, it wasn¡¯t exactly good news for Raon. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Raon covered his mouth upon noticing that a deep blue light was spreading from below Derus. ¡®You crazy bastard!¡¯ The first aura perception that rapidly expanded was to prevent his target¡¯s movement just in case, and he was using the slower second wave of aura perception to thoroughly examine everything in the ocean. Hmm¡­ Wrath licked his lips while watching him. H-he¡¯s going to find out at this rate. ¡®What?¡¯ It¡¯s difficult to unleash the full power in this spiritual state¡­ He shook his head, saying that he couldn¡¯t do more than that. ¡®But you are the demon king! Please do something!¡¯ He¡¯s powerless because you keep sucking out the King of Essence¡¯s abilities! ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t getting any wrath anymore even though ten more seconds had passed, and that meant that Wrath was also panicking over the situation. Raon red at the copsed valley instead of Wrath. Small particles of dust were rising alongside bubbles. Raon clenched his fist. The preparation he was waiting for had finally arrived. Give your body to the King of Essence if you don¡¯t want to die. There¡¯s no one to help you here! ¡®No.¡¯ He is going to catch you the moment he finds you! Raon shook his head and smiled faintly. ¡®It will be fine.¡¯ What do you mean¡­? ¡®It¡¯s finally here.¡¯ A huge cloud of dust rose from the copsed valley right before Derus¡¯s second aura perception reached Raon¡¯s skin. Whaam! The cloud of dust burst out like an erupting volcano, and the clear emerald ocean turned into dark, muddy water in an instant. What the hell¡­? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw it happen. ¡®It¡¯s the same as sshing the water in a puddle.¡¯ What? ¡®You know how the water bes muddy if you ssh in a puddle because it makes the mud rise. This is an application of that.¡¯ Moving across a puddle caused the soil under the water to rise and turned the water into muddy water. Since he¡¯d violently shed the huge valley with the wless Sea of Fire and destroyed it to make it copse, the mud on the ocean floor rose at once to fill the ocean. Whoosh! The cloud of dust intensified, and Derus¡¯s aura perception quickly subsided as he focused on the abyss where the valley had copsed. ¡°Damn it!¡± Derus shouted from the sky and jumped into the water. His usuallyposed and rxed face waspletely distorted. Raon had never seen such extreme anger from him either in his previous or his new life, and he couldn¡¯t stop his smile even though his life was still in danger. Huh? What¡¯s going on?! ¡®I told you that it would be fine.¡¯ Wrath was so confused. Raon released his hand and slowly breathed. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be hasty.¡¯ Derus coulde back up at any moment if he carelessly moved around. He followed Wrath¡¯s example and melted himself into the water as he moved his limbs. His limbs felt extremely stiff because of the tension, as if he¡¯d turned into a wooden doll. He warmed himself up, starting from his fingers, and carefully started to swim. ¡®It still feels like he¡¯s right behind me.¡¯ A chill ran down his spine because he was getting the impression that Derus¡¯s gaze and aura perception were following him. He wanted to look back, but he suppressed his urge and moved as quietly as possible. Wh-what the¡­? Wrath dropped his jaw. N-no way, did you actually predict that this would happen? ¡®I didn¡¯t exactly predict it. I just made the preparations.¡¯ Raon nodded. ¡®After all, I didn¡¯t want to be defeated again.¡¯ It was a precaution he took because he was aware of the possibility of Derus¡¯s arrival, even though he would¡¯ve died if it wasn¡¯t for Wrath¡¯s help. He was wondering why you were destroying it into such tiny pieces, and it was because you were trying to raise the soil from below. ¡®Correct.¡¯ He made that preparation just in case, as he had learned his lesson from his defeat against Merlin. He would¡¯ve still died if Wrath didn¡¯t help him to buy some time, though. Where are you going now? ¡®To a ce he will definitely not go.¡¯ Raon chuckled and pointed at the east. It was the direction of House Robert, and that was the location where Derus was definitely not going. You even thought about the escape route in advance on top of using that cloud of dust¡­ Wrath frowned in surprise. Your brain would be great research material. ¡®Actually, I think the same about you.¡¯ He wanted to check what Wrath even had inside his brain to be talking about food all the time. He had the feeling that his brain might have already been reced by ice cream. Ah, and¡­ ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Th-the King of Essence was slightly panicked and forgot to give you the thirty extra points of wrath that you should¡¯ve gotten. Let¡¯s do it now¡­ ¡®Huh? It doesn¡¯t work like that.¡¯ Raon shook his hand. ¡®If you miss a carriage, it¡¯s noting back.¡¯ Bullshit! You can raise your hand to make it stop¡­ ¡®It would trample over your hand. End of the story.¡¯ Raon snickered and shook his hand. ¡®Thirty points of wrath should be fine.¡¯ He¡¯d gotten thirty points of wrath total from the trade, and it wasn''t a big deal thanks to his recent growth. It was actually going to be helpful because it would make it easier to use the Evil Eye of Wrath. ¡®I can finally breathe.¡¯ The dumb conversation he was having with Wrath gave him a sense of relief from escaping Derus¡¯s threat. He quickly used the Dolin Breathing Technique to expand his withered lungs, and messages appeared in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve acquired the trait Snow Flower¡¯s Veil.] Snow Flower¡¯s Veil was the ability that Wrath had used to hide him from Derus. Wh-whaat? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as soon as he read the message. Why are you giving it to him? Why are you giving him Snow Flower¡¯s Veil for no reason? He shouted while iling his arms. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Raon snapped his fingers. ¡®I¡¯ve been maintaining the sensation I had when I grabbed your hand all along. I think that¡¯s why it gave me the trait.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Wrath stood nkly for a while with wide eyes before he raised his hands. Hey! Raon is right here! Raon Zieghart is here! He¡¯s all yours! He was shouting loudly enough to shake the ocean, but it was obvious that no one could hear him. ¡®I like this one. Thank you for the gift.¡¯ Raon joined a shoal of fish while humming a tune. * * * * * * Raon stayed underwater and swam all the way to a resort in Robert''s domain. Because he changed his clothes before he surfaced and there were lots of tourists around, no one was paying any attention to him. ¡°Haaaaa¡­¡± He sighed deeply while floating on the water. His bones felt numb, and his skin felt shriveled from escaping the extreme danger. ¡®I almost died right there.¡¯ If it weren¡¯t for Wrath¡¯s help and his preparation of grinding the entire dungeon into pieces, he would have been buried six feet under the ocean floor. No, Derus might have caught him and turned him into a ve once again. He felt extremely exhausted once he realized he managed to survive. You are such a lucky guy¡­ Wrath was grinding his teeth. He should¡¯ve asked you to give up your body right off the bat! He hadn¡¯t done that because he felt bad for Raon after seeing his dream. His hands were trembling from the regret that he should¡¯ve tried taking over his body instead. Take the thirty points of wrath, at least! ¡®Nope, I won¡¯t.¡¯ Raon shook his hand. The case was already closed. He was confident he could deal with the thirty points he got, but sixty could¡¯ve been dangerous. There was no reason for him to take them since he had even obtained the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil. ¡®It feels sofortable.¡¯ He felt drowsy and wanted to sleep because he managed to finish everything he came to do. Just as he was about to close his eyes¡­ Whaaam! A huge tidal wave surged up from the eastern ocean, where the dungeon used to be located. It wasn¡¯t a natural wave. Derus was venting his anger from the abyss, and the wave was the result. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Raon swept his hair up and burst intoughter. ¡®I want to see that face once again.¡¯ A deep smile appeared on his face as he remembered Derus¡¯s distorted expression before he went into the abyss. ¡®He shouldn¡¯t have found anything there.¡¯ He¡¯d removed all of the corpses except for the assassins who died when the ceiling copsed. Derus must¡¯ve found nothing but some corpses under the rubble from searching the entire abyss. You evil bastard, your death won¡¯t be prett¡ª ¡®Shall we go eat something?¡¯ Yes! Wrath immediately stopped cursing and nodded his head. Raon chuckled and left the shore. He went to a restaurant that Wrath had wanted to visit and sat at a table outside. ¡°Wee!¡± A young waitress brought the menu with a cheerful smile. ¡°Our restaurant, the Sea House, has delicious meat dishes on top of seafood¡­¡± Raon opened the menu and the waitress started a long speech. She says the meat dishes are also good, but since there¡¯s no way you will order a lot of dishes, let¡¯s get the lobster pizza first and the grilled shrimp after that¡­ Wrath picked the pizza that was first on the menu and licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll order everything on the menu.¡± Raon smiled while brushing his hand down the menu. Ooh? ¡°E-everything? I thought you were alone.¡± ¡°I can eat everything. And I¡¯d also like a ss of beer.¡± He gave her a silver coin as a tip after he finished ordering the food. ¡°Yes!¡± The waitress smiled cheerfully and ran into the kitchen. Wh-what¡¯s wrong with you? Is the sun going to rise from the west tomorrow? Why did you order all of the dishes?! Wrath¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡®I told you I would buy everything you wanted.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s words from the dungeon still remained in his heart. Just like Sylvia had often told him, repaying gratitude was the correct course of action. ¡°I brought beer first. The dishes should being one by one in a moment.¡± The waitress ced the beer ss on the table and nodded her head before going back to the kitchen. Beer? Are you really drinking in broad daylight? ¡®I feel like drinking today.¡¯ The violent explosion of the waves far in the ocean sounded like the resonance of Derus¡¯s angry roar. Raon raised his beer ss towards the violent wave. ¡®I¡¯vepleted one piece of revenge. Rest in peace, my nameless friend. Raon gulped down the beer while praying for the repose of Number 9¡¯s soul. Chapter 349 Derus Robert emerged from the ocean, which had returned to its emerald color after the cloud of dust subsided. His muddy face was both extremely frightening and evil at the same time, which was quite unlike his usual appearance. Derus Robert shouted towards the sky. The entire ocean started to rage, dozens of waterspouts bursting out. The waterspouts collided with each other andbined into a ck tornado that rampaged through the ocean. Whaam! The huge storm only came to a stop after itpletely destroyed the fish, sea monsters, and even the trees on the shore. Stter! Derus Robertnded on the shore in the midst of the shower of blood and flesh. Not a single drop of blood managed to touch his body and face despite the bloody rain falling from the sky. Derus¡¯s anger didn¡¯t fade away from his face even though he had just ruined the shore and the ocean. The frightening glow in his eyes was extremely terrifying to look at. Derus ground his teeth while looking back at the ocean, where a huge tidal wave was rampaging. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± He¡¯d gone all the way down to the abyss to examine the dungeon¡¯s remains, but he couldn¡¯t feel the presence of the relic or mythical creature anywhere. He tried looking for the corpses after that, but only bones remained because the abyssal fish and monsters had devoured them already. He couldn¡¯t even tell how they¡¯d died, let alone who they were. He managed to find one rtively intact corpse, but all he could tell was that his bones and flesh were crushed, and he must¡¯ve died when the dungeon copsed. ¡®I didn¡¯t get a single clue.¡¯ Martio, Kosini, and the shadows were dead, the relic and the mythical creature were gone, and he couldn¡¯t even tell what happened. It was the worst possible oue, one that he didn¡¯t even imagine would happen. ¡®But there¡¯s one thing I know. This was done by a human.¡¯ Martio was a different story because of his strong sense of responsibility, but there was no way the mythical creature would¡¯ve killed Kosini, who specialized in mind control. She would¡¯ve definitely run away if she decided she wouldn¡¯t be able to kill it. Considering that the relic and the mythical creature were both gone, it must¡¯ve been another person or faction¡¯s doing. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ They must¡¯ve been an extremely powerful person since they managed to kill Martio and Kosini without being noticed before taking away the relic and the mythical creature. Derus guessed that they must¡¯ve been at least a Grandmaster. ¡°Come out.¡± The shadows who¡¯d been hiding in the sandy beach hurriedly jumped out upon hearing Derus¡¯s call and went on their knees. ¡°Did anyone pass by?¡± ¡°The residents of a nearby vige were the only ones.¡± The shadows told him the names and appearances of the residents who¡¯d visited the ce without raising their heads. ¡°Useless.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Derus violently shook his hand and the shadows became unable to move. They turned into red powder and fluttered around the beach before they could even scream. ¡°My lord.¡± Regel had been waiting for him at the beach because he was slower to arrive on the scene, and he gave him a white towel while bowing towards him. Derus took off his top and his gloves before wiping away the mud stuck on his body and face. ¡°M-my lord! The blood¡­¡± Regel¡¯s chin trembled upon noticing the red blood on the towel after Derus used it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t injured.¡± Derus narrowed his eyes while looking at the blood flowing from the scar on the back of his hand. ¡®This is rather curious.¡¯ Blood always flowed from his old scar alongside intense pain whenever he suffered a loss or had a problem. He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was a coincidence or not, but it was a strange thing to happen. ¡°Regel.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Investigate the nearby viges. No, search through the entire domain and find the people who have been acting strange.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Regel calmly nodded even though it was practically an impossible task. Derus smiled coldly while sucking the blood on his hand with his mouth. Dark energy was slowly emerging from his eyes. ¡®I¡¯ll find you even if you run away to the end of the continent. I¡¯m definitely going to catch you.¡¯ * * * Inside a forest near Motran city, violent wind severed the morning air. Dorian was the cause of the wind. He was swinging his sword in a small vacant lot inside the forest. Whoosh! Cold sweat flowed down his forehead each time he swung his sword. The training was called Heavy Strike Training, which consisted of maintaining an extreme focus for each swing as if he were facing an opponent. His training started at daybreak, and the sound of winding from his sword finally stopped when the sun reached the center of the sky. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian sighed and lowered his sword. ¡®The vice squad leader was right. The swordsmanship bes harder and harder as I get stronger.¡¯ He expected it to be easier and simpler once he got stronger, but the swordsmanship kept creating another wall to be surpassed every single time. That must¡¯ve been the reason why people said that the study of martial arts was endless. ¡®I wonder when I¡¯m ever going to be strong.¡¯ He¡¯d been making a steady effort in his training so that he wouldn''t fall behind the other swordsmen who stayed in the house, but it was getting more and more difficult to understand the swordsmanship as he trained. He was definitely making progress, but his mind was filled with such thoughts. ¡®I should eat for now.¡¯ His stomach was rumbling because he¡¯d been training from daybreak to noon. He finished the lunchbox they gave him in the inn and leaned his back against a tree. ¡®I wonder when the vice squad leader will return.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t showing any sign ofing back even though it¡¯d been a while since he left. He was slightly worried because Raon didn¡¯t even tell him his destination. Of course, his worries weren¡¯t directed at Raon, but the other people who would be involved with him. Dorian swallowed nervously while watching the dappling sunlight. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ He¡¯s not picking a fight with the Six Kings or the Five Demons, is he?¡¯ Bulldozer. That was the best way to describe Raon¡¯s behavior up to that point. He barged into an auction house to steal from them, he threatened the princess from another kingdom, he jumped down from the castle walls to wipe out the monsters and he somehow gained weight when he was kidnapped by the Five Demons. That was why Dorian was worried that Raon might really pick a fight with important figures. ¡°N-no! That shouldn¡¯t be the case.¡± Dorian shook his head before he picked his sword up and stood up. ¡®I should focus on training.¡¯ He focused his mind and practiced the Meteor Sword he¡¯d learned recently to get rid of the random thoughts. * * * Dorian sank to the ground after he continuously swung his sword with the Heavy Strike Training method until sunset. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡®This should be enough, right?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t actually practicing his sword because he didn¡¯t want to fall behind, but because he was afraid of Raon. ¡®Who knows what kind of punishment I¡¯ll get if I don''t train enough!¡¯ Raon might force the focus enhancement training or some spars on him if he didn¡¯t get any better, and that was why he was training as hard as possible. ¡®Even that demon won¡¯t be able to scold me with how much I¡¯ve improved.¡¯ His skills had visibly improved because he¡¯d been training every day, from dawn to nighttime, since he¡¯d arrived in the city. Even though Raon waspletely nuts when it came down to training, he was definitely going to praise him once he saw his improvement. ¡®I¡¯ll stop for today.¡¯ Dorian smiled in satisfaction and sheathed his sword before he stood up. p! p! p! The sound of apuse resounded throughout the air when he was about to return to his room after he cleaned up the surroundings. ¡°Wh-who are you?!¡± A tall and red-haired man fell from a tree when Dorian drew his sword, his chin trembling. ¡°Huh?¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped. His hair and eye color had changed, but there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize him. ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± ¡°You recognized me so quickly.¡± ¡°Of course I did!¡± Even though he was disguised, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize him because he¡¯d seen him so many times before. ¡°Did you finish what you were trying to do? How did it go?¡± ¡°Yes, it went well, thanks to you.¡± Raon nodded while swinging the subspace pocket in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. But where did you actually g¡ª?¡± ¡°Rather than that.¡± Raon cut him off and examined his body. ¡°I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°What? Dorian¡¯s lips parted because he couldn¡¯tprehend what he was saying. ¡°What do you mea¡ª?¡± ¡°I thought you would bezing around, but you¡¯ve actually been training so hard.¡± Raon praised him with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian scratched the back of his head and lowered his head. ¡®Was he watching me? I did it!¡¯ Since he¡¯d been swinging his sword all day long except for the mealtimes, Raon was bound to recognize his efforts even though he was the king of devils. ¡°Judging from how much you¡¯ve improved, you must¡¯ve been training all day every day, just like today. I can see the power and principles dwelling in your sword.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Dorian smiled widely from the exhration of beingplimented and the relief that he wouldn¡¯t have to do the extra training. ¡°Just like you said, vice squad leader, I realized that the sword bes more difficult the stronger I get. I still have a long way to go.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Raon eximed in satisfaction. ¡°Impressive!¡± Dorian figured that it went exactly ording to his n upon seeing the broad smile on Raon¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll keep training to the best of my abilities!¡± ¡°I like your determination. I¡¯ll have to give you a gift.¡± ¡°A souvenir? Let¡¯s get moving then. We need to catch up and¡ª¡± ¡°Hmm? Where are you going?¡± Dorian was about to turn around with an excited smile on his face, but Raon caught him by his shoulder. ¡°W-we should return to the inn. It¡¯s already nighttime, after all.¡± ¡°No, I told you I¡¯m giving you a gift.¡± ¡°But you can give the gift after we return to the room¡­¡± ¡°No. I have to give it to you here.¡± ¡°Wh-what is your gift?¡± Raon pointed at himself with a grin on his face. ¡°A spar against me.¡± ¡°What the fuck?¡± Dorian¡¯s mouth widened and unconsciously swore. ¡°Wh-why are we sparring for no reason?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t possibly leave you alone when you¡¯ve been such a good boy and trained so hard on your own. I¡¯ll help you break through the wall that¡¯s blocking you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll break through on my own¡ª¡± ¡°No. All it takes is a small amount of beating¡ªI mean, sparring for you to get better.¡± Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and urged him to get ready. ¡°You just said that you would keep training to the best of your ability, right? Do your best now instead of in the future.¡± ¡°¡­But I¡¯ve been training all day long.¡± ¡°Which means this is the best time to show your skills. Raise your sword already.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± He was trying to avoid sparring or the focus enhancement training by improving his skills, but it was bearing theplete opposite result. ¡®Wh-why is this happening?!¡¯ Dorian raised his head with trembling lips to look at Raon¡¯s eyes. He could understand the reason once he saw the crimson eyes glowing in madness. ¡®Ah, that¡¯s right. He¡¯s a madman¡­¡¯ * * * * * * Raon was impressed by Dorian¡¯s enthusiasm and kept educating him by beating him up until the next morning. ¡°Huaaah¡­¡± Dorian was breathing heavily while limping on the ground like a wet towel. ¡°I-I¡¯m dying¡­¡± He put down the sword in his hand, saying that he couldn¡¯t do it anymore. ¡°Kill me if you want. I can¡¯t even move a finger anymore.¡± Raon chuckled while watching Dorian¡¯s belly, which was puffed up like a frog¡¯s. ¡°I was going to stop anyway.¡± He nodded and returned Heavenly Drive to the sheath. His exhaustion was understandable since he¡¯d been sparring all night long after training all day long. ¡°Well done.¡± ¡°¡­I thought you were going to ask for more.¡± ¡°Do you want to continue?¡± ¡°No! Not at all!¡± Dorian quickly stood up and shook his head so fast that his face couldn¡¯t even be seen. ¡°You might be injured if we continue any further, but it looks like you still have enough strength left in you.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true!¡± Hey back down and started to pant. Pathetic. Wrath shook his head while he watched Dorian. Is that guy really the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate¡­? ¡®But it¡¯s still praiseworthy that he¡¯d been training on his own.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while feeling Dorian¡¯s growth. He¡¯d told him to just idle around because he didn¡¯t want to pressure him before they returned to his home, where he¡¯d been bullied in the past, yet he¡¯d been training instead. Raon was proud of him for that. He was originally nning to cultivate after eating the energy core and the ocean soul. However, when he saw the impressive growth from Dorian, he decided to spar against him to help him improve even further. ¡®Shall I help him a bit more?¡¯ He put his hand in his subspace pocket. He plucked one of the ocean soul¡¯s leaves and gave it to Dorian. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Cultivate after eating it.¡± ¡°A transparent leaf? You brought me something strange once again.¡± Dorian received the leaf with trembling hands because he was out of strength. He didn¡¯t ask any more questions and immediately shoved it in his mouth since he trusted Raon. ¡°I-it¡¯s delicious. And¡­Huh?¡± He chomped on it and sat on the ground to start cultivating right away. He said it¡¯s delicious. Let¡¯s try eating it! Wrath jumped into the air and pointed at the leaf that Dorian had just eaten. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon gave him a sideways nce. ¡®You never change.¡¯ The glutton demon king wanted an elixir just because it was delicious. He was calling Dorian pathetic, but he was even worse. Stop being like that, just try one¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll eat itter. Be patient.¡¯ He pushed Wrath away and told him that he was nning to eat all the remaining leaves and the flower at the same time. Whir! Dark energy was flowing from Dorian¡¯s pores. The ocean soul¡¯s leaf was driving out the impurities from his body through its detoxification ability. ¡®It¡¯s getting started.¡¯ Raon ced his hand on Dorian¡¯s back and shoved his aura into him. He helped the cultivation with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation so that Dorian would absorb the entirety of the ocean soul¡¯s energy, and so that his body¡¯s waste would be excreted more easily. The cultivation started at daybreak, and Dorian finally opened his eyes in the afternoon. ¡°Wow¡­¡± He swallowed nervously while looking at his hands. ¡°Wh-what did you give me? The quantity of my aura has increased. Why am I feeling so light?¡± ¡°The ocean soul¡¯s leaf.¡± ¡°Ocean soul? What was an ocean soul again¡ªah!¡± Dorian briskly stood up in surprise. ¡°Ocean soul? Are you talking about the ocean soul from the legend?¡± His wide eyes looked like they were going to pop out. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon simply nodded. Despite being talkative, Dorian kept secrets when it came down to it, so he didn¡¯t mind telling him about it. ¡°B-but that¡¯s an elixir that only appears in stories! Where did you get such a treasure?¡± ¡°I harvested it in the ocean.¡± ¡°Err¡­Huh?¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped and he fell speechless. ¡®Of course. He harvested it. But there should be more to the story!¡¯ He casually said he harvested it in the ocean as if it were an oyster or something. Dorian could onlyugh at the ridiculous statement. ¡°¡­Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon took out a flower from his subspace pocket. The blue flower petals were sparkling like the ocean, and the transparent leaves were spouting from a smooth stem. It was indeed the ocean soul from the legend. ¡°It really is the ocean soul¡­¡± ¡®Was it even possible for humans to acquire it?¡¯ Even hispany, which was one of the five biggestpanies in the continent, had concluded that the ocean soul didn¡¯t exist in the world. Dorian couldn¡¯t believe the fact that a young man who wasn¡¯t even twenty years old was holding it in his hands right in front of his eyes. ¡°I also have this.¡± Raon put his hand back into the subspace pocket and took out a round bead. The poisonous aura around it felt so ufortable that it was almost suffocating. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°An energy core.¡± ¡°An energy core? Where did you get it?¡± ¡°I killed a mythical creature and pulled it out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dorian closed his eyes tightly. ¡®He said he killed a mythical creature and pulled it out¡­ I can¡¯t follow the story at all! I don¡¯t even know anymore!¡¯ It wasmon sense that a mythical creature protected a natural elixir. However, considering the intensity of the energy core¡¯s poison, the mythical creature must¡¯ve been far more powerful than the average monster, yet Raon had returned without a single injury. Moreover, his casual speech¡ªwhich made it sound like he went out for a walk and got an apple on the way¡ªwas the scariest part. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders trembled in fear as he tried to imagine what was going to happen once Raon was over twenty years old. ¡®He might annihte one of the Six Kings or the Five Demons¡­¡¯ * * * Raon smiled while looking around the vacant lot Dorian had been training in. ¡°You picked a perfect ce. The energy core would have made it difficult to cultivate in the room.¡± It was impossible to cultivate in the inn because the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poison was too powerful. The vacant lot was wide enough and couldn¡¯t be seen from the outside, which made it the perfect ce to cultivate. He set up an illusional array to prevent monsters and people from approaching before going back to the vacant lot. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now. Protect me.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine with protecting you, but is it really okay to eat that energy core?¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while looking at the poisonous aura zing around the energy core. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded after plucking the ocean soul¡¯s flower petals and one of the leaves. The concentrated mana of the ocean dwelled in the flower petals, while the leaf contained high-purity mana along with the ability to cure poison. That was the reason the impurities were removed from Dorian¡¯s body when he ate the leaf. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can handle you anymore, vice squad leader.¡± ¡°Does that mean that you could handle me before?¡± ¡°N-not really¡­ You have a point.¡± Dorian scratched the back of his head and nodded. ¡°Make sure to protect me. I¡¯ll get it done quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll protect you with my life!¡± He ced his hand on his forehead and nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go that far.¡± Raon chuckled and put the flower petals in his mouth. The five petals melted down on his tongue and smoothly went down his throat. They were filling him with pure energy and the fragrance of the ocean. Err¡­ Raon was about to eat the poisonous core and the ocean flower¡¯s leaf, but Wrath suddenly raised his hand. You should wrap some meat in that leaf, it¡¯s definitely going to be delicious¡­ ¡®Go away, please.¡¯ Huff! Raon snapped Wrath away with the back of his hand as if he were chasing away a fly. ¡®I need to focus.¡¯ Being distracted by Wrath would only end up wasting his willpower. He focused once more and put the ghost jellyfish¡¯s energy core in his mouth. The core melted down and lost its previous shape as soon as he put it in his mouth, probably because it was a concentration of mana like the flower petal. The intense poison brimming from the energy core spread around in his mouth and caused a melting pain. Bleeegh! Wrath rolled on the ground and trembled violently. D-disgusting! This is killing him! ¡®Hold on a little.¡¯ Raon chewed the ocean soul¡¯s leaf to bring forth the pure energy and shoved it into his stomach alongside the energy core¡¯s poison. Hey! You won¡¯t be able to taste it if you eat it like that! ¡®Please be quiet.¡¯ A huge amount of energy burst from thebination of the ocean soul¡¯s flower petals, the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poisonous core, and the ocean soul¡¯s leaf. The violent explosion seemed capable of tearing his body apart. The ocean soul¡¯s power of the ocean and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poison violently shed against each other after pushing away the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s flows. ¡®It¡¯s fine.¡¯ He¡¯d been thinking aboutbining the ocean soul¡¯s flower petals, leaf, and the energy core all along on his way back. He was confident he could take them in. Whir! Raon suppressed the urge to cough up blood from the impact and made the Ring of Fire resonate. His trembling lips curved into a smile as he suppressed the two rampaging energies. ¡®This is perfect because I like it rough. I¡¯ll make all of you mine.¡¯ Chapter 350 Raon¡¯s hands trembled from the pain of his organs being crushed. He clenched his fist and forced himself to close his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s almost terrifying how powerful this energy is.¡¯ Both the ocean soul that was supposed to bloom from the concentration of the ocean¡¯s vitality and the energy core of the ghost jellyfish that grew up by sucking the ocean soul¡¯s energy contained a huge amount of energy. Arge area of his mana circuit would¡¯ve ruptured if the ocean soul¡¯s leaf wasn¡¯t there to mitigate the impact between them. ¡®Was this too much?¡¯ Raon thought that eating the ghost jellyfish¡¯s energy core at the same time as the ocean soul might¡¯ve been a bit excessive, as the ocean soul was already difficult enough to absorb on its own. ¡®No. This is the correct move.¡¯ The ghost jellyfish¡¯s energy core was a deadly poison. Eating it separately could have endangered his life despite how strong he¡¯d be. It was necessary to remove the poison with the ocean soul¡¯s leaf and flower petal to filter the pure mana. Whir! While Raon was organizing his thoughts, the ocean soul¡¯s energy shed against the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poison inside his mana circuits once again. Whaam! An impact as powerful as the explosion of a cannonball urred around his sr plexus, which was the center of the body as the crossroad of all mana circuits. His focus was shattered because of the heart-crushing pain. ¡®I should¡¯ve eaten one more leaf.¡¯ One leaf was apparently not enough of a buffer. However, he guessed one more wouldn¡¯t have made a huge difference. He had to deal with it regardless since it had already happened. Cring! He activated the Ring of Fire to the highest output. The clear resonance from the seven rings rotating around his heart reduced the pain in his mind and body, suppressing the ocean soul¡¯s powerful energy and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poison. ¡®I have to act right now.¡¯ Even the Ring of Fire was unable to suppress those powerful energies forever. He had to act ording to the n while the energies of the elixir and the energy core were stopped. Raon bit his lip and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s energies. The heat and coldness left his energy center and dashed through his mana circuits. ¡®Ack¡­¡¯ It was extremely painful because his mana circuits were already stimted, but he gritted his teeth to endure it. He had to advance instead of letting the pain stop him. Whap! He suppressed the energy core¡¯s poison with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat. Since poison was weak against fire, the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poison started to flee from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®This one as well¡­¡¯ The ocean soul¡¯s energy was mostly the high-purity energy of nature, but the water attribute was still predominant. That was why he used cier¡¯s coldness to guide the ocean soul¡¯s energy. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ The two energies started moving through his mana circuits, guided by the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s flows. Raon felt intense pain as they moved because of how big they were. Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®This is so hard.¡¯ Controlling the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time, as well as guiding the ocean soul and the ghost jellyfish''s energies, was difficult¡ªbut he had no other choice. That was the best method to absorb the two energies. Cring! He pulled the two energies into his energy center with the help of the Ring of Fire¡¯s mastery over mana. Whir! The two energies were kicking and screaming in his mana circuit right in front of his energy center like naughty children. The mana circuit was expanding because they were blocking the passage. ¡®Argh! They are so violent. This isn¡¯t good¡­¡¯ Raon unleashed all the remaining energy in the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier. His mana circuits were expanding to a dangerous extent, but he believed in his physical and mental fortitude and kept controlling his auras. Cold sweat was flowing down his back because of the intense pain crushing his body and mind. He bit his lip tightly and circted his auras to the highest output to push the ocean flower and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s energies inside the energy center. Wham! It sounded like a cliff was copsing inside his body. The powerful impacts that followed one after the other really felt like rubble was falling inside of him. ¡®They are being so difficult¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t think straight because of the powerful impact. It was definitely the first time that an elixir had drained his strength and stamina to such an extent. ¡®I¡¯ll endure. I won¡¯t lose to an elixir.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t be defeated by a mere elixir after he managed to get revenge against Martio, Kosini, and Lisbon, and even managed to escape from Derus. Raon clenched his fist and revived his focus that was previously shattered. He squeezed out the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s auras until thest drop, then shoved the ocean soul and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s energies inside his energy center. Whaam! The ocean soul and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s energies were pushed inside the energy center with an imposing sound resembling thousands of drums beating simultaneously. ¡®I did it.¡¯ The two energies were finally inside his energy center. However, they weren¡¯t turning into the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat or cier¡¯s coldness because their flow was artificial. Whir! Since the coldness and the heat weren¡¯t bothering them anymore, the two energies showed their hostilities once again and charged at each other. Whaam! His energy center expanded to the brim from the sh between the two energies. The intense pain almost made him scream, but his mouth curved into a smile instead. ¡®I can make all of this mana mine.¡¯ The ocean soul¡¯s energy and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poison were equally powerful. The sh between them was bound to dissipate arge amount of aura. ¡®However¡­ They are fighting in my energy center.¡¯ Since the sh was happening inside his energy center, the mana that should¡¯ve dissipated was turning into his energy instead. In the end, he was gaining pure mana from the sh, and all he needed to do was endure the pain. ¡®And I can turn them into the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier.¡¯ He pretty much had a generator for high-purity mana inside his energy center, and that fact brought a smile to his face. You must be insane. The King of Essence was aware that you had pasta noodles instead of a brain in your head, but this is even worse¡­ Wrath¡¯s hoarse voice could be heard in his head. People normally don¡¯t use that method even if they know it works. ¡®Why not?¡¯ It hurts too much! Are you really going to endure pain that is as bad as torture? ¡®I can endure this much.¡¯ Probably because he had the experience of being tortured for several days straight in his previous life, he found the pain bearable. Wham! The ocean soul¡¯s energy and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poison shed once again and his body convulsed. It was less painful than before because the amount of energy had decreased. Huh¡­ Wrath gasped and murmured that he couldn¡¯t understand. Whir! Raon left Wrath alone and focused on the movement inside his energy center. The all-out battle between the ocean soul¡¯s energy and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s poison was creating a powerful mana. He guided that mana to the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s flows to turn them into high-purity heat and coldness. Once the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier became even stronger, he used them to pressure the ocean soul and the ghost jellyfish to sh against each other once again. Wham! The sh between them created pure mana once again, and he converted them into heat and coldness. The factory to create heat and coldness for the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier waspleted. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ Raon oversaw the huge flow happening in his body and got absorbed into his mental world. Again? Are you really going there again? Wrath started to scream upon noticing Raon¡¯s extremely focused state. Is the trance your home now? Why would you go in there whenever you feel like it?! * * * Dorian licked his lips while looking back at Raon, who was sitting there with his eyes closed. ¡®I-is he okay?¡¯ Various parts of his body kept expanding before they subsided. They almost looked like a frog or a toad¡¯s stomach. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s energy was growing more powerful every time his body expanded. He seemed to be in pain, but Dorian could at least tell that he was properly absorbing the elixir. ¡®He¡¯s such a mystery.¡¯ He brought an ocean soul that even the five biggestpanies would¡¯ve been unable to acquire after he said he would go y around for a short time. Moreover, the energy core that he must¡¯ve pulled from a mythical creature had such an intense poison that it felt like the scent alone could poison him. He was such an outrageous person. ¡®And the biggest mystery was the fact that he gave me one of the ocean soul¡¯s leaves.¡¯ Even though the ocean soul¡¯s leaf was a priceless treasure, he gave one to him without any hesitation. Moreover, he didn¡¯t have any special reason behind it, he was simply rewarding him for his hard work. ¡®I don¡¯t understand him.¡¯ Dorian had been with him ever since they were twelve, but he still felt like Raon¡¯s mentality was an iprehensible ck box. He kept encountering different sides of Raon, and he could never get used to him. ¡®I thought he was simr to me when I first met him.¡¯ When he first heard about Raon Zieghart¡¯s background, Dorian had thought they were simr since they were both being ill-treated in their respective houses. ¡®But our reactions were different.¡¯ Unlike Dorian, who¡¯d run away from thepany, Raon confronted his house without running away. He umted enough skills that everyone recognized him. The only people in the house who still disliked Raon were the direct lines. ¡®That¡¯s what gave me the courage.¡¯ Since he¡¯d been watching Raon¡¯s growth as his closest friend, he managed to muster the courage to return to thepany. In a way, Raon was his benefactor who¡¯d changed his life. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Dorian bowed politely at Raon, who was still cultivating with his eyes closed. Dorian fixed his grip on his sword with a smile. ¡®Even if you see me as a wallet¡­ I¡¯ll protect you until the end.¡¯ Dorian resolved himself and turned around. A flying squirrel was quietly watching Raon from above his head. * * * * * * The sun set, rose, and set once again. Raon had been as still as a sculpture, but his shoulders suddenly convulsed, and his body floated about the height of one fist. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped upon witnessing that scene. ¡°S-sir Raon!¡± He tried running at Raon in surprise, but a flying squirrel suddenly flew at him and bit his hand. ¡°Aaack! What is this?!¡± Dorian tried to chase it away by shaking his hand, but the flying squirrel stuck to his hand by biting it. ¡°Pee!¡± The flying squirrel desperately stopped Dorian instead of running away. ¡°Argh!¡± Dorian had no choice but to walk up to Raon with the flying squirrel on his hand. When he started to extend his hand, the mana around him rampaged like a storm and was absorbed into Raon. Whir! Auspicious red and blue lights glimmered from Raon¡¯s body before he finallynded on the ground. Spark! Raon opened his eyes and an intense gold light burst from his eyes. ¡°Y-young master?¡± Dorian walked up to Raon while addressing him by the previous title because of how nervous he was. He was too surprised to realize that the flying squirrel was gone. ¡°A-are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m in my best condition.¡± Raon raised his head and smiled at Dorian. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°You were floating into the air just now¡­¡¯ ¡°Huh?¡± Raon tilted his head. He looked like he waspletely unaware of that fact. ¡°You were floating this far into the air.¡± Dorian showed with his hand how far he was floating from the ground. ¡°You are spouting bullshit the first thing after I wake up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Haa, stop kidding and¡ªHmm?¡± Raon frowned at Dorian. ¡°Did you still not take a shower?¡± ¡°Shower?¡± ¡°Your body excreted arge amount of waste. Why haven¡¯t you taken a shower?¡± ¡°But you asked me to guard you!¡± Dorian dropped his jaw. He couldn¡¯t understand why Raon was scolding him when he was the one who asked for a guard. ¡°You should¡¯ve still washed yourself when you had the time.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you even saying¡­ Haa.¡± ¡®Here he goes again.¡¯ The fact that he was saying strange things the first thing after he woke up confirmed that he was the Raon he knew. ¡°I¡¯m taking a shower. I¡¯ll be back.¡± Dorian shook his head and started walking towards the inn in Motran city. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go all the way to the inn. There¡¯s a valley over there.¡¯ Raon raised his finger and pointed at the western area of the forest. ¡°There¡¯s a valley over there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see or hear anything though¡­¡± ¡°You should be able to find some clean water if you keep walking this way.¡± ¡°How did you find out?¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders with a smile. ¡°I just know.¡± * * * Raon looked at his own hands after sending Dorian to the valley. ¡®Advanced Master.¡¯ The cultivation reorganized the umted martial arts and he managed to reach the realm of advanced master. Moreover, he¡¯d advanced far past the wall instead of just oveing it. His senses had drastically increased from it, and that was how he could tell the valley¡¯s location without even spreading his aura perception. The more interesting part was that the ocean soul and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s energies still remained in his body because he couldn¡¯t absorb all of them. They would slowly be absorbed during his sleep due to the Sloth ability. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Raon clenched his fist, and when he was about to muster his aura, a message appeared in front of him. [Ten Thousand mes Cultivation has increased to five-stars.] [Fire Resistance has increased to five-stars.] [Fire Affinity has increased to two-stars.] The first message was telling him that the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation had reached five-stars. The heat inside his body had be noticeably hotter. [cier has increased to five-stars.] [Water Resistance has increased to seven-stars.] [Water Affinity has increased to three-stars.] The next message was about cier¡¯s improvement. The resistances and the affinities had also increased alongside the auras. However, the messages weren¡¯t over yet. [You¡¯ve absorbed an elixir and an energy core of the highest quality.] [All stats have increased by 20.] [Perception of the Snow Flower has increased to five-stars.] [Backstab has increased to five-stars.] [Focus has increased to six-stars] [Snow Flower¡¯s Veil has increased to two-stars.] Raon was getting lost in the midst of endless messages. Wh-what is going on? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the messages filling the air in front of him. You are giving him too much! Why are you giving so many stats and traits?! He scratched the messages in disbelief with his round hands. ¡®Everything that has been umting ising out at once. I didn¡¯t get any messages for a while, you know.¡¯ Except for the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil he¡¯d learned with his own efforts, he hadn¡¯t gotten any stats or trait increases recently. Raon could guess that the high-purity mana served as a trigger to get him all of the rewards at once. The King of Essence¡¯s frustration is what¡¯sing out! Wrath ground his teeth while denying his exnation. How much do you need to drain from him before this hell is over?! Twenty whole stats?! It¡¯s scooping them away with a basin instead of adle now! He cried, saying that he would only have skin and bone left at that rate. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon pushed the cotton candy away since it kept growling like a puppy, and loaded the status window that he hadn¡¯t checked for a while. [Status Window Name: Raon Zieghart. Title: ¡®The Survivor¡¯. State: None Trait: Wrath, Sloth, Ring of Fire (Seven-Stars), Water Resistance (Seven-Stars), Perception of the Snow Flower (Five-Stars), Ten Thousand mes Cultivation (Five-Stars), cier (Five-Stars), Fire Resistance (Five-Stars), Bleeding Curse (Two-Star), Backstab (Five-Stars), Iron Will (Five-Stars), Adaptation to Ghastly Energy (Four-Stars), Focus (Six-Stars), Poison Resistance (Two-Stars), Evil Eye of Wrath (One-Star), Spiral Power (Four-Stars), Water Affinity (Three-Stars), Array Analysis (Two-Stars), Fire Affinity (Two-Stars), Snow Flower¡¯s Veil (Two-Stars). Strength: 336 Agility: 335 Stamina: 333 Energy: 372 Perception: 374 Wrath: 75] Raon¡¯s jaw dropped unconsciously once he saw it. ¡®The stats all managed to surpass 300?!¡¯ Since he had received 20 stats from the recent message, it implied that they had already surpassed 300 before then. That was the reason he managed to overpower the Beast Union with sheer strength even though they had the strongest bodies among the Six Kings. ¡®The strength and agility are both surprising, but the energy¡¯s value is outrageous.¡¯ His energy almost caught up to his perception, probably because he¡¯d absorbed the two elixirs. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s a natural oue.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t actually that strange, considering how much the energy center had further expanded from reaching advanced master. ¡®I feel like I can achieve anything in my current state.¡¯ He felt like he wasn¡¯t even going to lose against a warrior at the highest rank of Master. In fact, he felt like he could win against anyone unless they were Grandmasters. What¡¯s going on?! Wrath ran up to him and mmed his shoulders like he was beating a drum. Why are you so surprised?! He urged him to tell while grinding his teeth. ¡®All of my stats have exceeded 300.¡¯ The stats were, in fact, less efficient the higher they got¡ªbut exceeding 300 made him far surpass the human limits of physical abilities. He felt like he could win against a novice Master without even using his aura. Th-three hundred¡­ Wrath fell on the ground like a deted balloon. Three hundred of the King of Essence¡¯s stats each¡­ Three hundred¡­ Three¡­ He kept murmuring three before he dropped his head while foaming from his mouth. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It was actually halfway up to 400, but Raon didn¡¯t mention any further because he was afraid Wrath would be unable to wake up again. ¡®This is probably the best possible oue.¡¯ He managed to take his revenge against Martio, Kosini, and Lisbon, obtained the elixir for himself while preventing Derus from getting it, and his might had drastically increased. It was truly the best oue, far surpassing his original expectations. Raon smiled in satisfaction, and Dorian walked up to him while shaking the moisture from his hair with a towel. ¡°I really found a valley. The sound of flowing water was cut off by the dense trees.¡± He smiled broadly, saying that the clean water was great. ¡®I just need to take care of his matter now.¡¯ The only thing left to do was to get rid of everyone who¡¯d been looking down on Dorian by visiting his home, the Sephiapany. ¡°You are ready to leave, right?¡± ¡°Of course. I finished the preparations a long time ago since I didn¡¯t know when you were going toe back.¡± Dorian confidently nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take over the Sephiapany now.¡± ¡°¡­What? T-take over, you said?¡± ¡°Ah, I misspoke. Let¡¯s go to the Sephiapany, that¡¯s what I meant.¡± Raon smiled awkwardly and shook his head. ¡°But you just said that you would take over the Sephiapany¡­¡± ¡°You are imagining things. Let¡¯s go.¡± He pointed his finger towards the city, implying that they should sleep in the inn first before leaving the next day. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while watching Raon¡¯s back. ¡®Is it really okay to bring him with me? I have a feeling he¡¯s going to destroy everything¡­¡¯ Chapter 351 Raon and Dorian stayed in Motran City to rest for the rest of the day, then they departed towards Rokan, the metropolis in the southwestern region and the location of the Sephiapany. Since Motran City was located in a remote area, they had to sleep outside on the first night of their trip. They settled on top of a rolling hill. Raon dug into the ground to create a temporary campfire and started cooking garlic chicken stew. His mouth was watering from the sweet and soft fragranceing from the white soup. Taste it! You need to taste it to see whether it¡¯s properly seasoned! Wrath waved his hands towards the pot. He looked like a fluffy puppy asking for food. ¡®It¡¯s not even finished cooking. Wait a moment.¡¯ Increase the firepower! The heat inside your energy center only exists to be used for a time like this! Wrath was frantic about the food because they¡¯d only eaten a hard loaf of bread for lunch. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head while watching the drool flowing from Wrath¡¯s mouth. ¡®He¡¯spletely out of his mind.¡¯ He¡¯d inherited the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation from the first head of Zieghart, yet Wrath was saying that cooking was the reason for its existence. Insane was the only way to describe him. Taste it already. The King of Essence can¡¯t endure this nutty fragrance anymore! ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Uwah! Wrath kept urging him while rolling on the ground, and Raon kicked him away before he slightly increased the campfire¡¯s firepower. ¡®This should be enough.¡¯ Thanks to the increase in rank of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, he became capable of understanding the heat outside his body as much as the heat inside his body. In short, he could easily set the perfect temperature for cooking. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raonughed bitterly because it was so silly that he was feeling the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s improvement for the first time while cooking. The stew slowly boiled, and Raon stirred it before tasting it. The soup gently embraced his tongue with the vor from therge chunks of chicken and the garlic¡¯s sweet and bitter taste. Huh! Wrath eximed and briskly stood up. Did you really make this dish during a trip? This is madness! His eyes widened in surprise. ¡®Pretty good.¡¯ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He slightly increased the firepower to cook it a bit longer, and Dorian¡¯s groan could be heard. Raon turned his head and saw that Dorian was watching the pork while wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. His face looked extremely serious. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t tell if the meat is done or not¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡®He hasn¡¯t changed.¡¯ He was overcooking the meat because he couldn¡¯t tell if the meat was done or not. It was a ssic behavior considering how timid he was. The grease waspletely drained from the pork, and it had turned into dry bacon. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Are you trying to turn it into chips?¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± Dorian awkwardly nodded and brought the overcooked meat on a te. ¡°It really turned into chips.¡± Raon chuckled while looking at the pork, which looked like it would make a crispy sound. You idiot! Wrath ran up to Dorian and smacked him. You are trash! How dare you ruin this high-quality meat?! You won¡¯t be allowed in the kitchen for the next hundred years! However, they weren¡¯t in Devildom¡¯s kitchen, and Wrath wasn¡¯t a chef either. His threat was ridiculous and meaningless at the same time. ¡°You can eat first.¡± Raon scooped the finished chicken stew for Dorian while ignoring Wrath, who waspletely angry. ¡°Thank you for the meal. Whoa!¡± Dorian nodded his head and epted the bowl. He ate a mouthful before his eyes widened. ¡°Wh-what is this? How is this so delicious?¡± This is real cooking! You shall watch and learn! Wrath ced his hands on his waist and snorted, acting as if he was the one who made the stew. ¡°I perfectly controlled the firepower.¡± Raon also took a mouthful of the stew. The refreshing harmony between the greasy chicken broth and the fresh vegetables filled his mouth. Wow! This is delicious! The King of Essence must¡¯ve told you before, but you are more talented at cooking than swordsmanship. Don¡¯t you agree that you picked the wrong path? Wrath patted his shoulder while licking his lips. The King of Essence will hire you as his chef if you want! A weakling like you shall wield a kitchen knife in the future instead of swinging a sword. ¡®Seriously, you¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wrath. ¡®You can only describe taste in a simple manner despite how much you love food.¡¯ Wh-what do you mean?! ¡®The people who love food are usually good at describing the taste. Yet, the only things you ever say are things like ¡°It¡¯s delicious! One more dish! Excellent!¡±.¡¯ Th-that¡¯s not true! The King of Essence can do it better! Wrathpletely denied his im and asked him to try eating the stew once again. Raon nodded and ate the stew and the pork one after the other. Hmm¡­ Wrath was sitting still for a while with his eyes closed but suddenly opened his eyes. The pork has a nice crispy taste, and the moderate greasiness of the stew is delicious! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Wrath was standing confidently with a straight back, but Raon looked down on him as if he were watching something pathetic. ¡®Is that all you can do?¡¯ What else do you want?! ¡®I¡¯ll give you a simple example. This grilled meat¡¯s spicy, smoky fragrance from the fire is exciting for the nose because it was directly cooked on a fire like barbecue, and draining the grease intensified its salty taste and created the crispiness of a cookie, which is entertaining to eat. You can say something like that.¡¯ Uhh¡­ Wrath¡¯s eyes were sparkling more than ever as he looked at Raon. Teach him! The King of Essence wants to learn! ¡®This isn¡¯t something I can teach. You just have to say how you felt¡­¡¯ Teach him anyway! The King of Essence wants to say the same thing! Since he was so serious about food, he wanted to learn how to describe the taste. However, all Raon did was use words that sounded cool. ¡®I don¡¯t know either.¡¯ Wrath charged at Raon. He simply smacked him away like a ball and averted his gaze. Dorian was staring at him while eating the stew. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Vice squad leader, are you nning to continue with that hair color?¡± He put down his stew and pointed at Raon¡¯s hair. ¡°That was my n.¡± Raon nodded while fiddling with his hair, which was as red as the moon. ¡°I figured I wouldn¡¯t be able to see how they treat you if I took my usual appearance.¡± The name Raon Zieghart was widely spread. Since he¡¯d received the new nickname White Sword Dragon during the Six Kings tournament, no one was going to pick a fight against Dorian if he went with his real appearance. That was why he decided to disguise himself as an ordinary member of the Light Wind squad instead of the White Sword Dragon¡ªto find out how Dorian had been living and how everyone treated him. ¡°Hmm, but disguises don¡¯t always work. Since you are so tall, it¡¯s easy to tell who you are.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m bending my knees slightly and I covered myself with a robe beforeing back.¡± He bent his knees to make himself smaller by more than ten centimeters, then covered himself with a robe before he left Robert''s domain. That was done to prevent Derus from finding out about him no matter how thoroughly he searched. ¡°Y-you even changed your height. I didn¡¯t notice that part.¡± Dorian gasped in surprise. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that impressive¡­ Hmm?¡± Raon shook his hand, and a small presence moved behind him when he was about to continue. It wasn¡¯t a de but a small creature. Raon turned around and saw that a flying squirrel was flying towards him. Tap. He raised his hand, and the flying squirrelnded on his hand while hugging his finger. ¡°Woah! That¡¯s¡ª!¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped upon seeing the flying squirrel. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one who bit my hand yesterday when you floated in the air in the middle of cultivation, vice squad leader.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed while looking at the flying squirrel. He figured out the flying squirrel¡¯s identity as soon as he heard that¡­ Actually, he already knew who it was when it came flying at him. ¡®She helped me once again.¡¯ Dorian must¡¯ve been trying to interrupt his cultivation because he was too surprised, and she must¡¯ve helped him by stopping him from doing so. It¡¯s the mad woman! The mad woman has arrived! Wrath was also freaking out with trembling shoulders as he noticed that Merlin was the squirrel. ¡°Pee.¡± The flying squirrel raised its feet. A white piece of paper was tied around it. ¡®Is she not here in person?¡¯ If Merlin was there, she would have talked to him while Dorian wasn¡¯t around. That was why he could guess that she¡¯d used a different spell from the other times. He took the paper from the flying squirrel¡¯s feet and asked Dorian for some peanuts and almonds to feed it. The squirrel put the almond in its mouth and carried the peanuts in its hands before it disappeared into the forest with waddling steps. ¡°What was that? Are you really going to open a zoo?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my informant.¡± Raon smiled faintly and spread the paper. A single line was written on it. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll be able to see the children pretty soon.¡± ¡°The children? Are you talking about the children we met at the orphanage?¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and briskly stood up. ¡°Are they okay now?¡± Are the children alright? The kindhearted Dorian and Wrath asked at the same time. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon smiled while burning the paper that the flying squirrel had brought to him. ¡°Because he went to see the children.¡± * * * * * * Inside a vi near Cameloon, which only allowed the Owen Kingdom¡¯s people inside, Number 45 was nkly staring at the sky from the vi¡¯s training ground. She was the one who used to be called Pine outside the orphanage. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡®It¡¯s suffocating.¡¯ The sky was high and clear, yet her mind felt suffocated. She almost felt like her body was trapped inside a small box, where she couldn¡¯t even move a single finger. ¡®I can¡¯t do anything.¡¯ The devil who¡¯d been torturing the kids had perished and she didn¡¯t have to train anymore, but her emotions and her body weren¡¯t moving ording to her will. She thought she¡¯d finally regained her freedom, but her soul was still trapped in the orphanage¡¯s underground. ¡®I wonder when I¡¯ll be able to see him again¡­ Ack!¡¯ As she tried to think about the swordsman who came to the orphanage to y all the devils and save everyone, a headsplitting pain could be felt. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡®It¡¯s here again.¡¯ The small devils inside her head were pointing their fingers. They were ordering her to stab the knight who was watching her from afar and kill him. It was just another attack that she¡¯d been getting countless times every day ever since she left the orphanage. ¡®I need to suppress it.¡¯ The knights were nice people who came from far away to save the children, and she was thankful for how much they cared for them. She didn¡¯t want to attack them no matter what. ¡®Leave! Leave already!¡¯ However, the resonance in her head kept getting bigger and multiplied no matter how much she endured. [Kill. Kill. Stab him and kill.] The devil in her head kept ordering her to murder and even devised a n to kill the knights. [Pretend you want a hug and use a sharp stone to cut off the Achilles tendon from the knight on the left, then pierce his neck once he goes down on his knees. Once you manage to draw the knight¡¯s sword, you should be able to finish off the knight on the right side as well. Kill!] The murder n was encroaching into her brain even though she didn¡¯t want to think about it. Number 45 bit her lips and closed her eyes. She was hoping that the order was going to subside if she couldn¡¯t see the knights anymore. [You can kill them.] However, the devil rampaged even more once her vision turned dark. [Kill. If you follow my instructions, you can kill those two knights, and even the other ones after that¡­] ¡®Please leave!¡¯ She grasped her head and violently shook it. However, the voice in her head never faded away. ¡°Uaaaaah!¡± While she was barely holding out, someone¡¯s scream could be heard. She opened her eyes and saw that her roommate, Number 86, was charging at a knight with a sharpened twig in her hand. ¡°No!¡± Number 45 ran up to her and grabbed her arm. However, Number 86 was strong, and Number 45 couldn¡¯t muster her strength because she was still trying to disobey the order in her head. ¡°Kyaaa!¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Die!¡± Number 86¡¯s action must¡¯ve served as a trigger, as the other children also ran towards the knights and swung their weapons against them. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Sniff!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The knights easily fended off their weapons. However, that wasn¡¯t enough to stop the children, and they swung their hands and fists instead while crying. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Their hands and fists were rather strong because they were trained for it, but the knights didn¡¯t defend against them to avoid harming the children. ¡°Please stop!¡± Tears dropped from Number 45¡¯s face as she pulled at Number 86, who was trying to punch the knights. ¡®Please¡­¡¯ The devil in the orphanage was turning them into monsters, as if it was prepared for their rescue. They wouldn¡¯t easily faint in that state, and the seizure happened every day, which made it hellish for the knights and the children alike. ¡°Arrgh!¡± Number 86 mmed with her shoulder to throw Number 45 on the ground. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Number 45¡¯s chin trembled. She couldn¡¯t muster her strength to stop Number 86 because she was barely holding on with her mental attacks. That man came to her mind. She was thinking about the tall swordsman who disappeared after saving them in the orphanage. Number 45 took out a piece of paper from her pocket. [We will meet again. Follow the knights.] Her mind cleared up a little upon reading the smooth handwriting of the swordsman. She ran to Number 86 once again to stop her. ¡°Number 86, I know you can endure it! Stop!¡± She held onto Number 86¡¯s shoulder, but she only got dragged around because Number 86 had already lost her sanity. After watching that scene, Borini Kitten bit his lip and walked up to them to hug Number 86. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± Number 86 started to bite his shoulder with her teeth, but Borini Kitten simply patted her back with his eyes closed. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Borini Kitten shook his head with a bitter smile on his face. He seemed to be telling her to let him go since she was only going to hurt herself. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She wanted to cry, but tears weren¡¯ting out. She wanted to scream, but the sound wasn¡¯ting out. There was nothing she could do as she wished. ¡®How long? How long do I have to live like this?¡¯ The pain in her soul felt like her body was decaying. That was when a shadow appeared from above her head. She raised her head and saw that an old man with clear eyes was right next to her. He was wearing some rags like a beggar, but he smelled ratherfortable instead of stinking. ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± The old man raised his finger and tapped Number 86¡¯s forehead. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Number 86 closed her eyes and copsed. Herfortable expression looked like she simply fell asleep. ¡°You should rest as well.¡± The old man tapped her forehead, and the voice in her mind disappeared at once. It felt like it¡¯d been such a long time since thest time she felt so clear in her mind. Actually, it was probably the first time she felt that way. However, an unbearable amount of drowsiness engulfed her before she could enjoy that sensation. Number 45 closed her eyes and fell fast asleep. * * * The old man wearing rags, Saint Federick, caught the two girls to prevent them from falling andid them down on the ground. ¡°N-nice to meet you, Saint!¡± Borini Kitten politely bowed at Federick. ¡°What brought you here¡­?¡± ¡°Wait a moment, please. I¡¯d like to calm the other children before we talk.¡± Federick winked at him before he lightly walked away. The rampaging children turned quiet and copsed into a sleep every time he acted. Borini Kitten¡¯s jaw dropped as he witnessed that sight. ¡®We couldn¡¯t even make them fall asleep recently¡­¡¯ The children¡¯s brainwashing was getting more and more serious over time. They had gotten a lot more violent than before, and it was impossible to make them sleep by pressing on their mana circuits. He couldn¡¯t believe that Federick had made them fall asleep so easily. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Federick dusted his hands off while walking towards him after he put all the children to sleep. ¡°They mentioned someone was going toe to treat the children. Is that¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s me.¡± He nodded and confirmed his suspicion. ¡°Who is that person? How did they even find out about this to give us those instructions?¡± Borini Kitten swallowed nervously and shoved his face onto him. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I just came here because they asked me to save the children.¡± Federick shook his head. He really seemed unaware of the matter. ¡°I-I see. What about the children? Can you save them?¡± Even though he couldn¡¯t find out about that person¡¯s identity, he wasn¡¯t disappointed and immediately asked about the children. ¡°I need some further examinations, but the brainwashing was fortunately interrupted right before it waspleted. The reason the children became violent is because their minds are begging for the brainwashing to bepleted.¡± ¡°Ah, in that case¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I think I can save them.¡± Federick smiled while caressing Number 45¡¯s hair. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Borini Kitten held his hands together and breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡®What a relief.¡¯ He had all kinds of experiences as a knight, but it was the first time he felt so sad and powerless. He wanted to save the children no matter what, and the opportunity presented itself, which made him so relieved. ¡°The Saint¡¯s abilities are so amazing! Thank you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not the amazing one here.¡± Federick slowly shook his head. ¡®That boy Raon is the amazing one.¡¯ It was all thanks to Raon that he could save the children. If he hadn¡¯t asked him to research the brainwashed maid at House Yonaan, he probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to save the poor children¡ªthat, or they would have suffered a lot longer. ¡°I need to start by bringing the children to the north.¡± Federick nodded while watching the sleeping children. ¡°Why are you bringing them to the north¡­?¡± ¡°The cold wind from nature is effective at removing brainwashing.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see. But someone might try to ambush the children¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My friend is running a small house in the north.¡± ¡°Small house? D-don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°You guessed right.¡± He nodded at Borini Kitten, whose eyes had widened. ¡°I¡¯m nning to bring them to Zieghart. I believe he won¡¯t refuse poor children like them.¡± Federick smiled while thinking about Raon¡¯s eyes. The young man always seemed to be looking further into the future, as if he knew everything that was going to happen. ¡®I¡¯ll treat the children and bring them to Zieghart, just like you wanted.¡¯ * * * After the short journey that felt like a long time, Raon and Dorian arrived at the metropolis Rokan, where the Sephiapany was located. ¡®It¡¯s slightly different from Cameloon.¡¯ Unlike Cameloon, which mostly had luxurious and sophisticated buildings, Rokan¡¯s buildings were mostly higher but felt stiffer and dryer at the same time. Unlike Cameloon¡¯s guards, who weren¡¯t exactly strict with their inspection, Rokan¡¯s guards were a lot more numerous. They carefully inspected every single person. The guards weren¡¯t the only ones who were strict. Even the people¡¯s clothes were moderate, and it gave the impression that the entire city was rather strict. However, there were also some simrities. Countless people were passing by since it was arge city, and the marketce inside the city was extremely lively. The sounds of clients and the merchants bargaining against each other sounded like a harmonying from all directions. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian sighed after he looked around the city. He seemed nervous since they had finally arrived near their destination. ¡°Take it easy.¡± Raon smiled while tapping on Dorian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You aren¡¯t the boy who secretly ran away from the house anymore. You are a Zieghart swordsman now.¡± The slight trembling of Dorian¡¯s eyes came to a stop upon hearing that. ¡°Indeed.¡± Dorian nodded with a smile on his face. Raon¡¯s words had calmed the pounding of his heart. He felt like everything would go well as long as Raon was next to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll guide you.¡± Dorian regained his confidence and advanced. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon followed Dorian with a smile. It didn¡¯t take long before he stopped walking. ¡°What¡¯s the matter now? Are you still nervous?¡± ¡°No.¡± Dorian shook his head and pointed in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Hmm? But this is just a shopping district.¡± Raon tilted his head while looking at the countless buildings. ¡°From here to all the way there.¡± Dorian turned his finger to point at all the buildings and licked his lips. ¡°They all belong to the Sephiapany.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®All of them?¡¯ Countless people were visiting the various buildings, and all kinds of objects were going in and out. More than a quarter of the city belonged to the Sephiapany, and they really seemed to deal with all kinds of items. ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon grabbed Dorian¡¯s shoulder and smiled brightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What? Why are you saying that now¡­?¡± Dorian¡¯s lips parted since he couldn¡¯t understand why he was saying that. ¡®So this is the Sephiapany. It¡¯s even bigger than I thought.¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes sparkled just like when he was fighting. ¡®So, all of them are going to be mine¡ªI mean, Dorian¡¯s in the future. Right?¡¯ You must be insane. Wrath gasped upon hearing his ridiculous statement. Even Greed would kneel in the face of your insanity! Chapter 352 Dorian pointed at the biggest building among the various shops of the Sephiapany. ¡°This is the Sephiapany¡¯s central administration building.¡± Raon followed his finger and looked up at the building. ¡®It¡¯s as big as Zieghart¡¯s main building.¡¯ The central administration building of the Sephiapany was tall enough to bepared with Zieghart¡¯s main building. Since it was about 1.5 times wider, it wasn¡¯t an overstatement to say that it was actually even bigger. It looks somewhat stiff. Wrath furrowed his brow after his eyes skimmed over the building. ¡®It does look that way.¡¯ Raon agreed with Wrath, as the rectangr building had angr edges, it was painted gray¡ªwhich gave off the cold impression¡ªand the way the windows were ced right next to each other looked rather suffocating. Raon checked his own condition while standing in front of the door to the central administration. His disguise wasn¡¯t as perfect as when he went to House Robert, but he had changed his hair and eye color while pretending to be weaker than Dorian. ¡®This should be enough.¡¯ Since they were supposedly uninterested in Dorian, he guessed that a shallow disguise would be enough. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Despite his answer, Dorian kept staring at the door instead of opening it. He seemed to be still hesitating. What¡¯s wrong with him? ¡®He hasn¡¯te back home in a long time. He must be trying to make some grand entrance.¡¯ Raon crossed his arms and waited for Dorian to move. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian caught his breath and walked up to the door. He seemed to have finally made up his mind. Tap! When he was about to grab the doorknob, the door opened before he did and someone came out. ¡°Argh!¡± He managed to avoid the door hitting him, but he couldn¡¯t avoid the unsightly behavior because he ended up losing his bnce. However, Raon thought it was more befitting to Dorian than trying to look cool. ¡°It¡¯s telling you to stop acting cool.¡± Raon chuckled and pointed at the opened door. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Dorian scratched the back of his neck, and Raon followed him into the central administration building. There were a lot of people walking around. On top of the staff, there also seemed to be merchants, warriors, mercenaries, and some guests. ¡°Wee to the Sephiapany.¡± The staff inside the lobby at the center of the first floor walked up to them with a pretty smile on her face. ¡°What¡¯s your business?¡± She smiled gently. She didn¡¯t seem to recognize Dorian even though he wasn¡¯t in disguise. ¡°Erm, hmm.¡± Dorian lowered his eyes to look at the floor and said with a trembling voice. ¡°I came to see the president.¡± ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t, but the president called me¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the president¡¯s son, you see.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Her eyes widened so much that they looked like they were about to pop out. ¡°What do you mean¡­ Ah!¡± She nkly stared at Dorian in disbelief before she gave a big nod. ¡°A-are you the young master Dorian?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Ah, please excuse me. I wasn¡¯t informed about your arrival.¡± The staff member apologetically lowered her head. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at her expression. ¡®His presence is indeed weak.¡¯ Considering the fact that they didn¡¯t even inform the staff after summoning him, Raon could guess that Dorian¡¯s presence was a lot weaker than he thought. ¡°I¡¯ll call the president. Please wait over here.¡± The staff member guided them to a waiting room located on the right side of the lobby before she went back out. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian sat on a chair and sighed. The sweat on his forehead showed how nervous he was. ¡°She didn¡¯t even recognize you.¡± Raon sat on a sofa on the opposite side and looked at the door where the staff member left. ¡°She joined thepany after I left. It¡¯s obvious that she wouldn¡¯t recogn¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. Since thepany called you, they should¡¯ve informed the staff at the lobby at least.¡± ¡°Hmm, I expected it to be the case¡­¡± Dorian rubbed his belly pocket while saying that he was fine with that. He had always been a timid guy, but Raon felt sad to look at him because of how pathetic he looked in his home. ¡°Ah, do you want something to eat?¡± Dorian took out a cup, pink tea leaves, a kettle, and potato chips. The water automatically boiled inside the kettle, and he brewed a cup of tea to give it to Raon. ¡°That again.¡± Raon chuckled and epted the tea, drinking it. It tasted bitter in the beginning and the middle, but it tasted very slightly sweet in the end. It¡¯s bitter! Don¡¯t drink it! Wrath stuck his tongue out and called it disgusting. ¡®You have a child¡¯s tastebuds.¡¯ Raon ignored him and kept sipping on the tea. He finished drinking the tea, and another one, and another one. He spent two hours like that, but no one came to fetch them. Raon smiled while touching the teacup that had grown cold a long time ago. ¡®I thought this would happen.¡¯ Why are they not calling us?! Wrath punched in the air with his round fist. The King of Essence was expecting treats since they are so rich, but how long are they nning to make us wait?! Raon had been wondering why Wrath was in such a good mood, and he just learned that he¡¯d been looking forward to the expensive food he would eat. Raon was surprised once again by the demon king¡¯s gluttony. ¡°Haha.¡± Dorian awkwardly scratched his cheek. He looked like he knew it was going to happen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. He¡¯s such a busy person.¡± ¡°I guess he is. You normally have to get an appointment several months before meeting the president of one of the five biggestpanies. However¡­¡± Raon frowned while touching his cold cup. The tea started to boil like magma because of the heat he was emanating with his unpleasant emotions. ¡°Even if he has other appointments, the son who returned after nine years obviously takes priority. Actually, it''s been almost ten years.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°And if he¡¯s going to bete, the staff would¡¯ve returned to notify you about it.¡± Even if the president was making him wait, the situation was abnormal. Raon could guess that someone had interfered. ¡®This is so obvious. Dorian¡¯s siblings must¡¯ve done this.¡¯ It was actually a natural oue, as Dorian¡¯s siblings must¡¯ve strengthened their presence for the nine past years, unlike Dorian. Raon could only smile, as he felt like he already understood what was going on inside thepany. ¡°You said that you have three siblings, right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Dorian was anxiously biting his fingernails and nodded in response. ¡°They are really taking too long. I¡¯ll go out to ask.¡± Dorian grabbed the doorknob with the intention of talking to the staff once again. ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡± Raon shook his hand. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your father isn¡¯t going to contact you even if you ask again. The perpetrator behind this will be here if we keep waiting.¡± He casually crossed his legs and started to drink the now-warm tea. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dorian seemed to have noticed what he meant and sat down to start eating his potato chips. Stop drinking that disgusting tea and eat the chips he¡¯s offering! The King of Essence is hungry! ¡®It¡¯s unhealthy.¡¯ Raon shook his head while looking at the chips. Eating some chips isn¡¯t a big deal! ¡®But the impurities caused by the chips can make the difference during a fight.¡¯ How dare you argue despite being a weakling¡­ ¡®Being a weakling is another reason why I shouldn¡¯t eat it.¡¯ Arrrrgh! Wrath grasped his head and started to shout. That silver tongue of yours is so hateful! ¡®Thank you for yourpliment.¡¯ It¡¯s not apliment! Raon spent two more hours with Wrath screaming right next to him, and a strong presence appeared in front of the door. Tap! The door was gently opened and an elegant woman with tidy green hair entered. The door seemed to have no space left because of herrge body. ¡°Err¡­¡± Dorian stood up with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Is that you, Palen?¡± The woman who was called Palen didn¡¯t respond to Dorian and looked at Raon instead. Her lips slightly rose into a smile upon noticing that he was wearing shabby clothes. Raon had to suppress hisughter while watching Palen¡¯s reaction. ¡®She¡¯spletely underestimating me.¡¯ She must¡¯ve believed that he was Dorian¡¯s subordinate or friend because of his shabby clothes and dirty appearance. He was thankful to her because that was how he wanted them to see him. ¡°Palen? Why are you calling me by name?¡± The woman turned her head towards Dorian and smiled coldly. ¡°Did you still not learn your ce despite your age?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders trembled upon hearing her cold voice. It was difficult to believe that she was his family. ¡°Judging from your appearance, you must be as thoughtless as before.¡± Palen skimmed through Dorian and snorted. ¡°Why is your head still empty? What have you been doing so far?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking what you¡¯ve been doing for the past nine years with that small pocket of yours.¡± She wasn¡¯t simply making fun of him. She really didn¡¯t seem to know what Dorian had been doing so far. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the woman named Palen. ¡®She¡¯s even worse than Burren when he was a trainee.¡¯ She was showing her contempt andughed at Dorian in front of Raon, who was an outsider, and she didn¡¯t even know what Dorian had been doing even though he was still a candidate for session. Those poor qualities made Raon judge that she wasn¡¯t even worthy of his attention. ¡°Ah, I¡­¡± When Dorian was about to respond with trembling lips, the door was opened once again. A middle-aged man with sharp eyes entered the room. ¡°I heard he joined Zieghart to practice swordsmanship.¡± He answered Palen¡¯s question instead of Dorian. ¡°Zieghart?¡± ¡°Moreover, he¡¯s a member of the Light Wind squad, which is the hottest topic nowadays.¡± ¡°Dialon¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while looking at the man that he called Dialon. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The man who was called Dialon nodded slightly at Raon. Raon stood to greet him. ¡®Unlike that idiot named Palen¡­ This one is dangerous.¡¯ The Light Wind squad had indeed be famous, but the names of the members¡ªexcept for Raon and the three team leaders¡ªwere mostly unknown to the public. Considering that he was aware where Dorian had been, and what affiliation he had, Dialon seemed to be an extraordinary person. ¡°The Light Wind squad?¡± Palen frowned while ring at Dorian. ¡°The Light Wind squad of the White Sword Dragon?¡± Her surprise confirmed Raon¡¯s expectation that his name had already spread throughout the Sephiapany. ¡°Yes.¡± Dialon¡¯s eyes became serious as he looked at Dorian. ¡°Hmph! Raon Zieghart is the only famous person from there.¡± Palen red at him and said that it didn¡¯t mean anything. ¡°He must be nothing but a sidekick in there.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dorian couldn¡¯t refute that and hung his head. He seemed to agree with her statement. ¡°You were asked to bring back the biggest treasure, yet you¡¯ve been practicing swordsmanship instead. You are just as idiotic as you¡¯ve always been in the past.¡± The intense scorn was apparent in Palen¡¯s smile. ¡°Only the chosen ones should train with the sword, just like your superior, Raon Zieghart. You don¡¯t even deserve to be a candidate for session.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s chin lowered even further. It was about to reach the ground at that rate. Raon didn¡¯t interfere in the conversation, a faint smile on his face. ¡®This is a familiar atmosphere.¡¯ He found the exact same gazes and atmosphere of discrimination that he got used to during the Judgment Ceremony and his temporary trainee period in Zieghart. It confirmed the simrity between Raon and Dorian, who were discriminated against in their respective houses. ¡®And I know how to destroy this situation. I just need to make them pick a fight with us and destroy them afterward.¡¯ It was a house of merchants instead of warriors, but the fact still remained the same. He just needed to shatter all of their plots with an overwhelming amount of power, and the justification and people¡¯s favors were bound to follow. ¡®It might be too much to bear for Dorian, but¡­ It will be helpful for his future.¡¯ ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon made up his mind and called Dorian¡¯s name. Palen and Dialon also looked at him on top of Dorian. ¡°Are they your siblings that you said you were easily going to defeat to use as a stepping stone for thepany?¡± Raon asked with an innocent expression on his face, as if he waspletely unaware of what he was saying. ¡°Uhh!¡± Dorian¡¯s face turned pale upon hearing that. ¡°Easily defeat us, you say?¡± ¡°Use us as a stepping stone for thepany?¡± On top of Palen, who¡¯d been aggressive all along, even Dialon¡¯s eyes became hostile. ¡°Wh-wh-what¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s chin trembled violently, and he couldn¡¯t even speak properly. The crevices in his eyes were shouting, ¡®I never said that!¡¯. ¡°I forgot to introduce myself because it¡¯s been such a long time since thest time I saw my younger brother.¡± Dialon walked up to Raon and extended his hand. ¡°My name is Dialon Sephia. I¡¯m Dorian¡¯s older brother.¡± ¡°My name is Jeden.¡± Raon introduced himself as Jeden, who was an actual member of the Light Wind squad¡¯s third team, and grabbed his hand. ¡°Ah, I heard that name before. You must be from the Light Wind squad¡¯s third team, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± ¡®He¡¯s certainly extraordinary.¡¯ He must¡¯ve thoroughly gathered the information since he even knew Jeden¡¯s name. He was relieved that he¡¯d dyed his hair red just like Jeden. ¡°Excuse my rudeness, swordsman from the Light Wind squad.¡± Palen came next to Dialon with a frown and very slightly nodded her head. ¡°But what you just said is slightly unsettling. Did Dorian really say that he was going to defeat us?¡± ¡°Yes. He said that he would take over thepany after crushing all of his siblings.¡± Raon responded with a smile, and the atmosphere became even colder. ¡°Ehhhhh¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s groan started to sound like a song. His eyes were trembling left and right, looking like they were about to pop out. ¡°You bastard, you should know your ce¡­¡± Palen was about to walk up to Dorian when a thick knocking sound could be heard. The door was opened, and an old, silver-haired man in a butler outfit entered the room. ¡°Young master Dorian, the president has summoned you.¡± Palen and Dialon stopped walking towards Dorian upon hearing that. ¡°H-how?!¡± Palen turned to look at the old butler with wide eyes. Her face had turned pale in disbelief. ¡®Was she the one who intervened?¡¯ Judging from the situation, she must¡¯ve prevented the news about Dorian¡¯s arrival, but the president ended up summoning him anyway. ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while looking at his two siblings before walking towards the door next to the old butler. His shoulders were violently trembling because he was worried about his siblings¡¯ anger. Whir. Palen and Dialon were giving a killing re at Dorian¡¯s back. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ Raon smiled, while the cold atmosphere made him feel like he was inside an ice cavern. ¡®This is how siblings should be.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Wrath¡¯s round eyes were violently trembling as he watched Raon. Are you really human? * * * * * * Raon followed the old butler to the highest floor of the central administration building, where the president was waiting for them. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Dorian quietly screamed. ¡°When did I even say that?!¡± ¡°Did you not?¡± ¡°Not even close! You saw those eyes! What am I supposed to do now?! My life is ruined!¡± Dorian pressed on his temple, saying that his siblings were going to bully him. His legs must¡¯ve been feeling heavy since he was slowly climbing the stairs. ¡°The brother was the second oldest and the sister was the third, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°The brother was different, but your sister wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to be afraid of her. I told you before, but you are apletely different personpared to when you left the house.¡± Raon chuckled and raised his finger to point at Dorian. ¡°Since you¡¯ve changed, you will act differently and receive a different treatment.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be intimidated by them. The Light Wind squad and I are supporting you from behind.¡± Raon went ahead and climbed the stairs after saying that. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Dorian stopped walking for a moment and stared at Raon¡¯s back. He gave a small nod and followed him. Raon smiled upon noticing that Dorian was trembling a bit less than before. ¡®Your face looks good enough now to show your father, who you haven¡¯t seen for ten years.¡¯ Did you actually provoke his siblings for that purpose? Wrath frowned. He seemed to find it unexpected that Raon was being so caring. ¡®No.¡¯ What is it then? ¡®I figured it would be interesting.¡¯ You are really insane. You shouldn¡¯t exist in this world! Wrath¡¯s face turned yellow from the shock. Raon chuckled and stood behind the old butler, who stopped walking on the highest floor. ¡°This is the president¡¯s office. Please tell me when you are ready.¡± He stepped aside. Hispletely emotionless voice almost sounded like it belonged to a heartless man. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Dorian clenched his fist and responded while Raon nodded his head. ¡°Understood.¡± The butler knocked on the door twice and opened it for them. The door smoothly opened, without any creaking sounds. It must¡¯ve been lubricated properly. A gray desk could be found in the midst of a brown carpet, which was adding to the heavy atmosphere, and furniture made of dark-colored hardwood. An old man wearing a monocle raised his head from behind the desk. He had green hair, and his impression and pressure were extremely cold and stiff despite his round eyes. His appearance was simr to Dorian¡¯s, but the atmosphere around him was theplete opposite. The president first looked at Dorian. He skimmed through Dorian¡¯s body, and Raon noticed that his eyes trembled slightly for an instant even though they looked like they would never waver. ¡®He¡¯s different.¡¯ Unlike Palen or Dialon, who started by checking on the guest, the president examined his son before anything else, which made him different from the others. ¡®But that gaze¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve seen that somewhere before.¡¯ While Raon was trying to remember where he had seen that, the president¡¯s gaze stiffened once again and turned towards him. It was a cold-hearted gaze that felt like he was reading the mind. ¡°Greeting the president!¡± Dorian bowed and shouted loudly. Raon didn¡¯t say anything and leaned forward just like Dorian. ¡°Stand.¡± The president nodded and shook his hand. ¡°Yes.¡± Dorian raised his head with a slightly excited face. His mouth waspletely dry from his nerves. Even though Raon straightened his back once again, the president kept looking at Dorian instead of Raon. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet the White Sword Dragon.¡± Raon was trying to introduce himself, but the president calmly dered. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡®He found out at a nce, even though I didn¡¯t do my best at hiding it¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t expect to be immediately found out, even though he didn¡¯t change his height and skin color like when he went to Robert''s domain. Raon thought the president was no joke, unlike Dorian¡¯s siblings. ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon smiled faintly while meeting the president¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®It looks like this won¡¯t be boring at least.¡¯ Chapter 353 Raon straightened his back. He met the eyes of Adis Sephia, the master of the Sephiapany who was d in solemn pressure. ¡°May I ask how you found out?¡± He didn¡¯t remember acting in a way that could reveal his identity on the way to the Sephiapany, not even once. The most obvious characteristics of Raon Zieghart were his blond hair, red eyes, and two swords. He had hidden all of those aspects, yet he was found out only five hours in, and that fact was rather shocking. ¡°Do you know what you get better at if you keep trading?¡± Adis Sephia tapped on the desk with his finger. His nails were neatly trimmed. ¡°It¡¯s the sense of figuring out people. That sense also bes better as you get older.¡± He continued calmly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident at judging a person¡¯s character because I¡¯ve been a merchant all my life.¡± ¡°You can befortable towards me since you are the father of mypanion. And¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Adis. ¡°That¡¯s not enough as an answer.¡± Adis spoke in a roundabout way, and it wasn''t a proper answer. No matter how good a person was at judging another¡¯s character, it was impossible to determine his identity at a nce. ¡°You should be well aware, as you are the White Sword Dragon, the vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad. The Light Wind squad is the hottest topic all around the continent right now.¡± Adis continued with his manner of speech. His personality seemed as meticulous as his appearance. ¡°It¡¯s a natural oue because the two winners of the Six Kings tournament that took ce in the Owen Kingdom were both from the Light Wind squad. It¡¯s mandatory for merchants to gather information about rising stars like them.¡± He continued with a calm voice, one that hadn¡¯t changed at all since the beginning. ¡°The vice squad leader is the White Sword Dragon. The first team leader is the Sword of Rakshasa. The second team leader is the Azure Lunar de. The third team leader is the de of Tempest. I¡¯ve investigated all of the Light Wind swordsmen, including them, and that¡¯s when I discovered that he also belonged to the squad.¡± ¡°Did you investigate every single member on top of the team leaders?¡± ¡°Indeed. I¡¯ve gathered all of the information I could about the Light Wind swordsmen. Their appearances, personalities, preferences, and rtionships.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously as Adis calmly continued his exnation. ¡®Amazing. Is that why he is the master of one of the five biggestpanies? No, that must be why he managed to be the president.¡¯ It was true that the Light Wind squad had be famous, but they didn¡¯t deserve such attention from the Sephiapany. All they did was to emerge victorious in a tournament between the future prospects. Raon was surprised by the fact that the president had investigated everything to increase the sess rate for a trade that might happen one day. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Dorian has done, but I heard that he¡¯s the closest friend of the vice squad leader and spends time with him the most among the members. That¡¯s why I guessed, from your personality, that you woulde along if he had to return to thepany. You¡¯ve changed your hair and eye color, but you haven¡¯t changed your height and facial features. That¡¯s why I recognized you immediately.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s amazing.¡± Raon admired his skill from the bottom of his heart. ¡®They are simr.¡¯ Merchants were simr to assassins, since they both thoroughly investigated their targets. The purpose differed only because one was trying to kill an opponent while the other tried to open a trade. Th-that old man also seems to be a stalker by nature. Wrath was also surprised by Adis. Why are there so many strange people on this continent?! ¡®You are right. He feels like a stalker. That¡¯s why I find this strange.¡¯ There was a huge difference between the emotionless eyes he was facing and the slightly trembling eyes that Adis showed when he first saw Dorian. ¡®Let¡¯s try sounding him out.¡¯ Raon looked at Dorian, who waspletely flustered. ¡°The reason I spent time with Dorian and even followed him here isn¡¯t really special. It¡¯s because he¡¯s a trustworthypanion. People think that I¡¯vepleted many missions on my own, but he has helped me countless times in the process.¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders rose slightly upon hearing him. ¡°It was also thanks to his courage that I was rescued from Eden. However, he was also kidnapped because of that. I apologize for endangering your son.¡± Raon bowed at Adis politely. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to apologize to me since it was his own decision. Please raise your head.¡± Adis shook his hand and told him to raise his head. Raon figured that he was aware of Dorian¡¯s kidnapping incident since his voice remainedposed. ¡°So you knew about it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s only fair, but you must be very interested in your son.¡± An indirect approach wasn¡¯t going to work against such an experienced opponent. That was why he raised his de and tried stabbing him. ¡°Hmm.¡± Adis wet his mouth with the water inside the cup without even looking at Dorian. ¡®Is he organizing his thoughts?¡¯ He¡¯d been answering Raon''s questions without any hesitation so far. Raon could guess that there was a reason behind the fact that he was taking longer to respond for the first time. ¡°I would need to figure out where he died, at least, since he took a precious object.¡± Adis looked at Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. It was such a cynical response. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian anxiously rubbed his belly pocket and groaned. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard many rumors about the Light Wind squad, but I¡¯ve never heard Dorian¡¯s story among them. You must¡¯ve investigated so much to determine every situation, including the smallest and most trivial pieces of information.¡± ¡°You can believe whatever you want.¡± Adis shook his head with emotionless eyes. ¡®It¡¯s difficult to tell.¡¯ He was such a sly fox. Raon figured he needed more information and time to determine his intentions. Raon took a step back to give room for Dorian and Adis to talk to each other. Adis realized his intention and met Dorian¡¯s eyes. ¡°I told you that the one who brings the biggest treasure would be the sessor. What have you been doing so far?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s hand started to move towards his belly pocket but suddenly stopped. He grasped the scabbard hanging around his waist instead of his belly pocket. ¡°I¡¯ve been training in swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Which treasure were you trying to acquire by training in swordsmanship?¡± Cold pressure was emerging from Adis¡¯s eyes. He wasn¡¯t using any aura, it was simply the atmosphere around him. ¡°I-I decided to do so because I wanted to live a life unrted to thepany.¡± Dorian honestly voiced out his thoughts from childhood. Of course, his voice was still trembling. ¡°A life unrted to thepany¡­¡± Adis nodded. Even that answer didn¡¯t seem to surprise him. ¡°Do you still think the same way?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian slowly exhaled instead of immediately answering his question. ¡°N-no. I kind of want to try getting into the business now.¡± He expressed his feelings with a trembling voice. ¡°You want to try working in thepany now, when you¡¯ve done nothing but swing your sword so far? And kind of, you said? How much are you underestimating the business?!¡± Adis mmed his hand on the desk and red fiercely at him. ¡°Countless people are putting their lives on the line for the business at this very moment. You just disregarded all of their efforts with what you just said!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not disregarding them. I just thought I might be able to do it because I have people who believe in me!¡± Dorian hurriedly shook his hand. ¡°It was the same when I first became a Zieghart trainee. I didn¡¯t think I would be able to be an official swordsman. However, people around me helped me and gave me the courage, and that¡¯s why I managed to reach this position.¡± He turned his gaze to look at Raon. ¡°I-I¡¯m sure the business is also going to be extremely difficult, but I-I just thought that I could do it if I¡¯m determined enough and the people around me helped me.¡± Dorian¡¯s voice was trembling like a bouncing rubber band as he finished talking. ¡°You¡¯ve learned one lesson at least. Asking for help isn¡¯t a shameful act.¡± It felt like Adis¡¯s gaze became slightly less cold. He closed his eyes and lightly tapped on the desk once again. ¡°Since all of your siblings are back, I¡¯ll give you a trial soon enough. You shall participate in it.¡± He shook his hand, implying that he had nothing else to tell him. ¡°You will leave.¡± ¡°U-understood!¡± Dorian bowed at him. Raon licked his lips while looking at Adis and Dorian¡¯s gazes one after the other. ¡®He didn¡¯tpletely give up on Dorian.¡¯ The fact that he was giving Dorian an opportunity even though he had been swinging his sword without doing any work for thepany up to that point, and the fact that he¡¯d scolded him for his mistake, implied that he definitely considered him a candidate for session. ¡®I¡¯ll be able to figure it out after the trial.¡¯ Raon figured he would react more seriously once he saw how much Dorian had changed. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter.¡± Raon bowed at him, and Adis raised his hand when he was about to leave. ¡°Light Wind¡¯s vice squad leader.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to stop with the disguise. I¡¯m worried that the young ones of thepany might make a mistake.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon was taking that appearance to induce that mistake from them, and the president was trying to prevent that from happening. He realized once again how extraordinary the master of such a hugepany was. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded and followed Dorian outside the office. ¡°Haaaaa¡­¡± Dorian sighed deeply while holding onto the stair¡¯s handrail. ¡°I thought I was going to die from nervousness.¡± ¡°You did well though.¡± Raon patted Dorian¡¯s shoulder and chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. My heart was beating so hard that I couldn¡¯t even speak.¡± Dorian shook his head while walking down the stairs. His slightly trembling legs reinforced his im. ¡°Has he always been so nd?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember too well because I was small back then, but I feel like he¡¯s a bit colder than before. Maybe it¡¯s because I haven¡¯t been here for a long time¡­¡± It made sense. Raon figured that he might be sad that his son hadn¡¯t visited him over the course of nine years. This guy looks like he shrunk even more than usual. Wrath frowned while looking at Dorian¡¯s shriveled shoulders. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped. They¡¯ve been mistreating him from the moment of his birth to the moment he left his home.¡¯ Binding a young elephant¡¯s legs with chains to prevent its escape made it believe that it couldn¡¯t escape a thin chain even after it grew bigger. Dorian was the same. Even though he had gotten stronger in terms of might and position, he felt like he¡¯d returned to his abusive childhood upon returning to his house, and that was why he was so intimidated. ¡®I shall shatter that issue.¡¯ Raon nodded while walking down the stairs before he suddenly narrowed his eyes. ¡®This energy from below¡­¡¯ It was the same presence as the one who visited them before they went to Adis. ¡®He didn¡¯t ask me to remove the disguise right away.¡¯ Raon chuckled and raised his voice. ¡°I knew it, Dorian! I¡¯m amazed that you had the guts to tell the president that you would take over thepany!¡± Raon loudly shouted towards the bottom of the stairs. ¡°I-I never said that though. I just said that I was interested¡­¡± ¡°Dorian!¡± Dorian tilted his head, and his third sister, the one who¡¯d visited them in the waiting room, Palen, climbed the stairs while shouting. ¡°Follow me right now.¡± She bobbed her finger with a scowl on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll show you that all the time you spent was meaningless.¡± Considering that her reaction was no different from before, Raon confirmed that she still hadn¡¯t figured out his identity. ¡°Palen? Wh-why are you asking me¡ª?¡± Dorian held onto the handrail tightly, his lips trembling. ¡°Shut up and follow me.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian turned his head towards Raon. His big eyes looked like tears were going to burst out at any moment. ¡°Why are you doing this to me¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect. You were also nning to show her, right?¡± The grinding sound of teeth could be heard from Palen¡¯s mouth as Raon dered. ¡°Let¡¯s go already.¡± Raon patted Dorian¡¯s shoulder while telling him to show her his power. Huh! Wrath gasped in disbelief. Seriously, you are the worst¡­ * * * * * * Raon followed Palen outside the central administration building. Dorian iled his limbs like a prisoner heading to the guillotine as he followed them. ¡°Wh-where are we going¡ª?¡± ¡°I already told you to shut up and follow.¡± Palen walked for a while before she entered a training ground, where the Sephiapany¡¯s warriors seemed to be training. It was still bright despite thete hour, and three warriors with powerful pressures around them were waiting inside. Gulp. Dorian swallowed so loudly that the gulping sound could be heard. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°I already told you, I¡¯m going to show you that the time you spent is meaningless.¡± Palen shook her hand, and a swordsman in his twenties came to stand next to him. He was the youngest-looking warrior among them. ¡°Is it really okay to attack him? I thought he was the president¡¯s son.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just a child of a concubine. Moreover, no one cares about him.¡± Palen snorted and red at Dorian. ¡°P-Palen?¡± ¡°I prepared him for you because you looked so confident about defeating me.¡± Palen pointed at the young swordsman standing next to him. ¡°He is Toten Robel, the Solid de. He¡¯s a famous warrior in the South, and he is also around your age. He¡¯s a perfect opponent for you.¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at the man called Toten Robel. ¡®The Solid de¡­ I remember hearing that name before.¡¯ People in the banquet from the Conference of the Six Kings were saying that he had reached the highest level of Expert despite being young, and he was supposed to be a future prospect of the Six Kings. ¡°A-are you really asking me to spar against him?¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Yes. Prove yourself right now since you said you were going to defeat me.¡± Palen ground her teeth while shoving her face onto Dorian. ¡°I-I never said that¡­¡± ¡°You better be ready, since the match is going to start in ten minutes.¡± Palen turned around without even listening to Dorian. ¡°I heard you were from the Light Wind squad. I¡¯m looking forward to the match.¡± Toten Robel waved his hand before he went away. ¡°H-how strong is he?¡± Dorian hurriedly ran up to Raon and held onto his sleeve. ¡°He¡¯s at the highest level of Expert. He¡¯s definitely an excellent warrior for his age.¡± He wasn¡¯t as good as Burren, Martha, or Runaan, but that realm was rather excellent considering his age was only in his mid-twenties. ¡°H-highest level of Expert? Arrrgh!¡± Dorian started to scream while covering his head. ¡°What are you going to do about this?! I¡¯m gonna get beaten up now because you said those strange things.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can win.¡± Raon shook his hand with a faint smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m only in the advanced realm. There¡¯s no way I can win against a highest-level Expert.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible! I¡¯m so screwed!¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Raon cleared his throat while looking towards Palen and Toten Robel instead of answering Dorian¡¯s cry. ¡°Wh-what are you trying to do this time¡­?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯ll defeat him in no time? Wow, I knew that you were the core of the Light Wind squad, Dorian!¡± Raon dered loudly enough that everyone inside the training ground could hear him. ¡°That bastard said it again¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Palen and Toten Robel turned around to look at them. Palen¡¯s gaze had always been hostile, but even Toten¡¯s eyes turned as deadly as a de even though he used to be carefree. ¡°Aaah¡­¡± Tears welled up in Dorian¡¯s eyes. He started to foam from his mouth. ¡°Wh-why are you doing this to me? There must be a reason!¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t even need any time to prepare yourself against such a weak opponent, you say?¡± Raon weakly pushed Dorian¡¯s back with a grin on his face. Of course, his arms contained a huge amount of power since he¡¯d already surpassed 300 in strength. ¡°I never said that¡ªAaaaah!¡± Dorian couldn¡¯t resist that stupid amount of power and ran toward the center of the training ground while screaming. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t trying to do this¡­¡± ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d do that when you said you can¡¯t wait to beat him up, but you really ran there! You can do it, Dorian!¡± Raon raised his fist towards Dorian. ¡°Get your easy win and shut your sister¡¯s mouth!¡± Raon smiled cheerfully, pretending to be innocent. ¡°Hah!¡± Toten Robelughed and walked up to Dorian. ¡°Your arrogance reaches the sky even though you are from the Zieghart¡¯s Light Wind squad. It¡¯s been a long time since thest time I felt so humiliated.¡± The frightening pressure flowing from his body almost felt like bloodlust. ¡°You are just a son of a concubine. Know your ce¡­¡± Palen was also throwing a deadly re at Dorian. ¡°Ehehe¡­¡± Dorian smiled at them. His eyes had lost focus like the eyes of a rotten fish. He seemed to have almost lost his mind. Raon grinned while feeling the heated atmosphere of the training ground. ¡®Perfect. It¡¯s best to raise the children using hardship.¡¯ Ah¡­ Wrath¡¯s teeth ttered as he looked at Raon. His terrified face had turnedpletely pale. Are you really human, you bastard? Chapter 354 Shing! Toten Robel unsheathed his sword. A frightening atmosphere engulfed the training ground as the sound of friction between his de and the scabbard resounded throughout the area. ¡°Did you say that you were tired of waiting?¡± He pointed his deadly de at Dorian. ¡°I¡¯ll grant your wish. Draw your de right now.¡± ¡°Teach that arrogant mouth a lesson so that he will never be able to bber again.¡± Palen also ground her teeth while ring at Dorian. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s face turned pale as he looked at Raon behind him. His eyes were begging for him to help. I know you have no intention of helping him, but you could give him a piece of advice at least. Wrath frowned while looking at Dorian¡¯s trembling eyes. Rather thancking might, he has a weak mind. ¡®That¡¯s exactly why.¡¯ Raon cheerfully waved his hand towards the terrified Dorian. He even added a cheerful smile as a gift. That¡¯s why, you say? ¡®You should be aware that Dorian definitely isn¡¯t weak.¡¯ He is as weak as an ant from the King of Essence¡¯s perspective. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ What¡¯s wrong? Wrath tilted his head. He apparently wasn¡¯t joking about that. ¡®¡­That¡¯s probably true for you, but you should know that he won¡¯t lose this single-handedly.¡¯ It was true that Toten Robel was at the highest level of Expert, but he had barely managed to pass the entry stage. He was excellent for his age, but he was still far worse than the Light Wind¡¯s team leaders. That¡¯s true. ¡®Dorian believes that he¡¯s at the entry stage of the advanced Expert, but he has actually almost reached the wall towards the highest level Expert.¡¯ Dorian managed to surpass the entry stage with his continuous training while he was alone. His skills escted quickly as he absorbed the ocean soul¡¯s leaf while Raon helped him with the cultivation, and he kept training him on the way with real battle experiences. That was why Dorian was right behind the wall to the highest level of Expert. ¡®However, he doesn¡¯t know that fact.¡¯ Because Raon kept beating him up by adjusting his skills to a novice Master while sparring against Dorian, Dorian was unable to objectively view his own performance. That was why he still believed that he was weak. ¡®The same goes during the tournament in the Owen Kingdom. He lost too easily because he had to face another member of our squad.¡¯ Dorian lost to another Light Wind swordsman during the tournament, but he could¡¯ve won if he had gone all out. And the reason why he didn¡¯t go all out was simple. ¡®He doesn¡¯t use his strength for his own sake.¡¯ Hmm, indeed¡­ Wrath faintly nodded in agreement. ¡®On the other hand, he only uses his strength and mustered his courage for someone else¡¯s sake. You saw how he spread the Continent Chaser Fragrance on me back then, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ Raon closed his eyes and remembered the day when he was kidnapped. ¡®It waspletely unexpected.¡¯ Thest thing he saw before Merlin¡¯s artifact sucked him in was Dorian spreading the Continent Chaser Fragrance on him. No one would¡¯ve expected him to do that since he was the most cowardly person in the Light Wind squad. His surprise was apparent even though he was being kidnapped. ¡®Dorian can do it when ites down to it. The problem is that he does it for other people¡¯s sake.¡¯ Raon slowly opened his eyes. Dorian was standing there with trembling shoulders, without even drawing his sword. He kept ncing backward, hoping for salvation. But this method still seems too harsh. You should use a gentler approach¡­ ¡®I admire how much you care about your subordinates, but you are wrong this time.¡¯ His eyes turned serious as he watched Dorian¡¯s trembling hands reach for the hilt of his sword. ¡®We have to push Dorian down the cliff right now so that he can get strong enough to climb back up on his own.¡¯ It was impossible to change Dorian¡¯s cowardly personality right away. It was even possible that he might not change for the rest of his life. ¡®But he needs to change here at least.¡¯ The reason his personality became like that was because his siblings and their followers kept humiliating him and bullying him. He needed to climb the cliff back up with his own limbs to destroy that past. Push him down the cliff, you say¡­ Wrath was quickly moving his hand with his head turned. Raon looked at him since he got curious about what he was doing. Wrath was writing it down on his palm. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ Can¡¯t you tell from looking? He is writing it down. ¡®Why would you do that?¡¯ The King of Essence is going to raise demons like you when he returns to Devildom. He grinned while saying that Devildom¡¯s domination wasn¡¯t a dream if he had two subordinates like Raon. ¡®I don¡¯t think that will work.¡¯ Nonsense. The King of Essence is going to clone the Raon Ziegharts to rule over the entirety of Devildom and the continent alike! Wrath started telling him about his n to dominate Devildom and thend even though no one asked. ¡®It¡¯s impossible to create a second Raon Zieghart. I don¡¯t even understand my own personality.¡¯ He was an assassin in his previous life. He grew up with Sylvia¡¯s love and contempt from the house in his childhood. Rimmer, who was slightly insane, was the most influential person to him from his trainee period until recently, and Glenn¡¯s character had started to affect him. His personality and character were continuously changing thanks to his new life and the countless people around him. ¡®It must be one of the stepping stones to achieve the Sword Field Creation.¡¯ Sword Field Creation wasn¡¯t a simple technique. It was the representation of life for a Zieghart swordsman. His Sword Field was always being created in his mental world. ¡®Anyway, I¡¯m nning to let Dorian handle his own.¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter whether he managed to break through the wall of the highest-level Expert or not during the fight. Raon was just hoping for him to open his mind and advance. ¡®Well, he¡¯d better defeat someone like him though. After all, I¡¯ve been giving him individual lessons for over a month now.¡¯ By the way, those weren¡¯t spars. They were one-sided beatings¡­ ¡®Same difference.¡¯ No, there¡¯s a huge difference¡­ ¡°Dorian!¡± Raon cut Wrath off and waved his hand towards Dorian, whose chin was trembling. ¡°You said he was a shitter! Beat him up already!¡± ¡­¡­ * * * * * * Dorian¡¯s teeth chattered upon hearing Raon¡¯s voiceing from behind him. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him today?!¡¯ He had always been slightly insane, but he seemed to have breached the midpoint towardsplete insanity. He looked like the worst version of yful Rimmer. ¡°Hey.¡± The frightening glow in Toten Robel¡¯s eyes told him that his patience had reached the limit. ¡°Draw your sword already. I¡¯m going to attack you regardless if you don¡¯t draw within five seconds.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be lying, as his pressure turned into a bloodlust that was meant to oppress his body. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian bit his lip and unsheathed his sword. ¡°I¡¯ll make you unable to run your mouth ever again!¡± Toten Robel kicked the ground and charged at him. He shed while bouncing forward, and the aura de bursting from his sword felt extremely terrifying. ¡°Hieee!¡± Dorian used the Flowing Cloud Footwork to move to the right. ¡°You aren¡¯t running anywhere!¡± Toten Robel suddenly changed his direction to chase him. The auras storming at him from both sides were as sharp as an awl. As a swordsman, he was proficient with Sharp Sword and Swift Sword. ¡°Hwah!¡± Dorian looked like he was gliding as he moved backward and unleashed his swordsmanship, the Ten Flowing Forms. The flow of his aura de was as smooth as silk, and it shed against Toten Robel¡¯s sharp aura de. ng! Dorian was pushed back significantly because of the powerful impact while Toten Robel only took three steps back. ¡°You are skilled enough to justify that big mouth. However¡­¡± Toten Robel frowned while looking at his slightly trembling de. ¡°That¡¯s hardly enough to reach me!¡± He charged once again with an angry re. He was even faster than before and the aura de surrounding his sword turned into a deep blue color, which showed that he was going for real this time. Wham! A small crater was created at the center of the training ground from the second sh. ¡°Kweh!¡± Dorian lost in the contest of power and ended up rolling on the ground while Toten Robel took four steps back by increasing his aura. ¡°What are you doing right now?! Crush him so that he won¡¯t even be able to raise his head!¡± Palen pointed her finger at Toten Robel, who was narrowing his eyes. ¡°Be patient, please.¡± Toten Robel red at Dorian while grinding his teeth. ¡°You¡¯ve been hiding this technique.¡± Arge amount of blue aura undted above his shoulders. It looked like he was intending to use his full power. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have anything like that¡­¡± Dorian gritted his teeth while shaking his head. ¡®This technique? What technique is he talking about?!¡¯ All he did was instinctively deflect the aura de that Toten Robel had unleashed. There was no hidden technique in that. Cring! Toten Robel closed the distance in a sh and consecutively shed. His aura de curved into a circle to assault Dorian from all directions, like a whip hitting a horse. ng! aang! Dorian unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms¡¯ techniques from the beginning to the end. His aura de floated like a cloud and spread around as smoothly as a melody, but it wasn¡¯t enough to withstand Toten Robel¡¯s ferocious aura de. Creak! The Ten Flowing Forms¡¯ aura de was mercilessly torn apart, and Dorian felt nauseous from the rebound. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Dorian suppressed his groan and solidified his defense bybining his swordsmanship and footwork. However, Toten Robel¡¯s attacks continued endlessly. It became more and more difficult to properly react, and he was getting less and less room for escape. ¡°Is that all you have? How dare you boast with those skills? Your head would¡¯ve been rolling already if this was a battlefield!¡± Toten Robel must¡¯ve really believed in what Raon had said, since his strikes kept bing sharper and sharper with his eyes turned red. ¡°I knew it. You won¡¯t get any better even if you practice swordsmanship.¡± Palen crossed her arms and sneered. She seemed to have finally regained herposure. ¡°Dorian! What are you doing?! I know you can destroy him in an instant with your full power! Use your Infinitely Looping Invincible Demonbane Art!¡± Raon smiled while sprouting bullshit once again. ¡®What the hell is Infinitely Looping Invincible Demonbane Art?!¡¯ Dorian got the urge to smack his handsome face for the first time. Dorian gritted his back teeth to the brim. ¡®Why is everyone doing this to me?!¡¯ He got angry at Toten Robel, who was deceived by Raon¡¯s strange acting and was attacking him over and over, his sister Palen, who was still looking down andughing at his brother who had returned after nine years, and Raon, who was taking his joke too far for some reason. Creak. The resonance throughout his body sounded like some kind of shell surrounding the bitterness in his heart had shattered. ¡°Damn it!¡± Dorian swore and engulfed his de with angry emotions. Wham! The Ten Flowing Forms threw away the softness and created a powerful wave to smack Toten Robel¡¯s strike. ¡°Ack!¡± Toten Robel groaned briefly and took five steps back while Dorian rolled on the ground. ¡°You swine!¡± Toten Robel crushed the floor to run at Dorian with his eyes turnedpletely red. He almost looked like a fruit fly attracted to the sweetness of a fruit. ¡°Come at me!¡± Dorian¡¯s feet, which kept running away from him, weren''t moving anymore. He incorporated his boiling anger into his sword without trying to hide it. ¡®I don¡¯t even know anymore!¡¯ Since Raon seemed to have no intention of helping him, he had to solve it by himself. His willingness to beat up all those idiots reached the limit, and the shattering sound of the unknown, bitter shell in his heart could be heard. Whoosh! He unleashed the eighth technique of the Ten Flowing Forms, the Flowing Sky of the Hill. ¡°A technique like that is ineffective against me!¡± Toten Robel must¡¯ve already understood the Flowing Sky of the Hill¡¯s mechanism, as he charged from below to strike upwards. ¡°You idiot. Dumbass!¡± Dorian twisted his wrist sharply. The elegant flow of the Flowing Sky of the Hill¡¯s aura de suddenly changed into a ferocious burst. Whaam! Alongside the powerful explosion, Toten Robel took seven steps back. Rumble. However, Dorian wasn¡¯t rolling on the ground anymore. He had to take ten steps back, but he was still standing. ¡°You¡¯ve been hiding your strength all along. What a nasty guy.¡± Toten Robel started to spout bullshit once again and charged from the right. His sharp aura de was targeting his arms, shoulders, and legs. ¡®He¡¯s definitely a powerful opponent. I almost want to cry from the pain, however¡­ This isn¡¯t as bad as I thought.¡¯ Toten Robel¡¯s aura de was definitely powerful, fast, and sharp at the same time. However, he was no match for Raon Zieghart, who he had to spar against every day on the way to his home. The blue aura de trying to attack him looked weak, probably because he had gotten used to Raon¡¯s sword. Cring! Dorian unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms¡¯ special technique, Spinning Flow¡¯s Heavy Art. His aura de flowed as gently as a cloud to deflect all of Toten Robel¡¯s aura des. The shattered pieces of the aura des faded away after scratching the floor. ¡°What impudence!¡± Toten Robel couldn¡¯t suppress his anger and dashed by himself to strike. Dorian didn¡¯t step back, instead shing upwards while scratching the ground. ng! While the two swords shed, Dorian and Toten Robel met each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Whatever you are hiding isn¡¯t going to change the oue!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything, I said!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± He pushed the sword and turned his wrist. Deadly energies burst out one after the other on his silver de, and dozens of aura des assaulted Dorian at once. It even surrounded him from all directions by turning around, which gave him no room for escape. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to run your mouth ever again!¡± His attacks were mostly targeted at Dorian¡¯s face¡ªhis mouth, to be precise. He must¡¯ve been serious about ruining his mouth. Whoosh! Dorian quickly looked around. Toten Robel was certain about his victory, while Palen was sneering at him and Raon was still smiling. His irritation against those three people exploded once again. ¡°What have I ever done to you?! You damn bastards!¡± He shouted his pent-up emotions, and an explosive noise resounded throughout his body, which sounded like the shell of the bitterness in his heart hadpletely shattered. aang! Power was overflowing from his body¡ªas if his shackles had been released. He felt like he could achieve anything in that state. Whap! Dorian unleashed his aura to the highest output. A tremendous amount of energy that he¡¯d never felt before engulfed his sword and created a huge fog. Thest special technique of the Ten Flowing Forms, the Great Ten Flows sh was making its appearance. ¡°You idiots! I¡¯m telling you I¡¯ve never done thaaaat!¡± He fired his cross-shaped aura de while shouting, and itpletely destroyed Toten Robel¡¯s aura storm before mercilessly pounding his body. Whaam! The entire training ground was filled with brown dust from the huge shockwaveing from the impact. Whoosh! The wind came from somewhere to blow the dust away and revealed the duel¡¯s result. Toten Robel was mmed on the ground with his eyes rolled back while Dorian was catching his breath roughly on top of him. ¡°Ah?¡± Palen looked like her jaw had been dislocated as she witnessed the scene. ¡°H-how is this happening¡­?¡± She was unable to continue in disbelief. Just like Raon had asked, her mouth was perfectly shut down. ¡°I-I won, y-you idiots.¡± Dorian¡¯s trembling hands showed that his excitement still remained. His face had turnedpletely red. ¡°Dorian!¡± Raon called Dorian¡¯s name. Dorian anxiously looked around because he¡¯d been sprouting bullshit all along, and Raon raised his hand with a smile. ¡°Are you nning to end it like this? That¡¯s not cool!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Some kind of emotion surged from his heart upon hearing that. It wasn¡¯t the bitterness anymore, but an aspiration. Dorian bit his lip and bobbed his hand towards the two warriors behind Palen. ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± * * * Raon was making a warm smile while watching Dorian¡¯s confident demeanor. ¡®He finally reached it.¡¯ The highest level of Expert. He should¡¯ve reached it when Raon opened the mana circuits all around his body through cultivation after he ate the ocean soul¡¯s leaf, and the path had finally been connected. Since Raon had been sparring with him at a novice Master¡¯s level all along, defeating Toten Robel was a natural course of action. ¡®But¡­ He¡¯s such a nice guy.¡¯ All he said while burying the hatchet was ¡®It¡¯s not me! You idiots! Dumbasses!¡¯. He was a 100% kind guy who couldn¡¯t even insult his opponent. ¡®See? I was right.¡¯ Wrath had fallen silent, and Raon tapped on his head before pointing at Dorian. ¡®I told you that he could manage this on his own.¡¯ Yes. He saw it. Wrath nodded and rolled his lips into a smile. The emotion he felt upon breaking through his wall was clearly wrath! It¡¯s a perfect choice for the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate! The grin on his face showed his satisfaction towards Dorian¡¯s wrath, which allowed him to break through the wall. ¡®For real.¡¯ Raon kept thinking he was Gluttony because of how much he usually ate, but he really was the demon king of Wrath after all. ¡°Come at me!¡± Dorian bobbed his hand towards the other warriors after flicking his nose with his thumb. ¡®He¡¯s so excited.¡¯ He seemed excessively excited because he managed to win against an opponent more powerful than himself for the first time by unleashing his full power. Raon felt like provoking him was worth it. Shouldn¡¯t you stop him? He¡¯s going too far. ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ Raon shouted with a grin on his face. ¡°Good job, Dorian! Your sister shut her mouth just like you nned!¡± He was talking to Dorian, but Palen could hear him far too well. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Palen ground her teeth, her eyes glowing red. ¡°Beat him up right now!¡± She turned around and red at the two remaining warriors. ¡°Immediately!¡± The two warriors chuckled while looking at each other upon hearing Palen¡¯s shout. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped if that¡¯s ourdy¡¯s will.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± The bulkier man shrugged his shoulders. When he was about to move out, a middle-aged man who looked like a mercenary walked out from the darkness. ¡°I don¡¯t want this night shift to continue.¡± He shook his head and walked up to Dorian. ¡°Come at me at any moment!¡± Dorian swirled his sword, his eyes brimming with emotion. He looked like he was out of his mind from the joy and excitement of reaching the highest level of Expert. Are you nning to let this continue? Wrath frowned while watching Dorian. He¡¯s a Master! He frowned while watching the new challenger unsheathe his saber. ¡®Yes, he¡¯s a Master.¡¯ Moreover, he was a mercenary Master who had more than a bit of battle experience. Don¡¯t tell me that you believe he can win against him. ¡®No, it¡¯ll never happen.¡¯ Why did you provoke him then¡­? ¡®His confidence is now reaching the sky, so I need to drag it down a notch by having him beaten up.¡¯ It was simr to drinking. Children end up developing bad habits if they don''t have any adults to supervise them. It was necessary to properly educate Dorian in his excited state to prevent a futile death on the battlefield. ¡®Well, that¡¯s not the only reason though.¡¯ Raon¡¯s gaze turned cold as he looked at Palen Sephia. ¡®She also needs to learn the lesson. That Dorian¡¯s might isn¡¯t the only thing he¡¯s earned during thest nine years.¡¯ Raon slowly turned his shoulders and ankles to get ready to move out at any moment. A-are you saying that you are nning to watch how cruelly his confidence gets destroyed after you gave him that confidence? ¡®Yes.¡¯ You¡­ Wrath gasped while watching Raon¡¯s scary smile as he warmed himself up. ¡­should really try bing a demon king. How does that sound? ¡®I think he will be the most evil demon king in history!¡¯ Chapter 355 Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the middle-aged mercenary standing in front of Dorian. ¡®A mercenary with a Master¡¯s might¡­¡¯ There were countless Masters in the Six Kings and the Five Demons, and even more in the famous houses and kingdoms. It was only natural that there were so many Masters with there being countless warriors in the world. However, there was one group that had an extremely small number of Masters despite having countless warriors. Mercenaries. Since the mercenaries sold their might and pride for money, they had a lot of battle experiences. However, they were weak overall because they couldn¡¯t receive systematic training. ¡®Moreover, the talented ones stop being mercenaries pretty quickly.¡¯ If they were talented enough to be a Master, it was better to join a prestigious house or kingdom to earn more money, fame, and positions. The only people who kept working as mercenaries despite having talent were those who were trying to be the Mercenary King or those with strange personalities who loved freedom too much. ¡®However¡­¡¯ It was aplete opposite sometimes, even though it was extremely rare. Some of them used to be Masters from a prestigious house or Kingdom, and they despaired from the fact that they couldn¡¯t raise their skills, living like losers until they were banished for causing problems. That was another case where they ended up as a Master mercenary. ¡®And that the same in his case.¡¯ Raon chuckled at the middle-aged old man who was faltering on his single leg. ¡®Mark Goetten.¡¯ He used to be a knight from the Warner Kingdom who was ranked right below the Six Kings, and he managed to be a Master at a young age¡ªhowever, he couldn¡¯t surpass the novice stage for over ten years. He despaired over that fact and ended up causing an ident, leading to his banishment and bing a mercenary. The nickname he received as a result was the ¡®Saber of the Fallen Flower¡¯, which was nder in a sense. He was a novice Master ten, even twenty years ago, and he was still a novice master. ¡®But he¡¯s slightly different from my expectations.¡¯ Raon licked his lips while looking at Mark Goetten¡¯s sharpened saber and conditioned body. He realized once again that rumors shouldn¡¯t be trusted. ¡°Pleasee at me once you are ready!¡± Dorian turned his wrist without realizing that he was facing Mark Goetten. He must¡¯ve been too excited still. ¡°I¡¯m always ready.¡± ¡°It must be nice.¡± Mark Goetten chuckled while looking at the confidence in Dorian¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wh-what is?¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders suddenly started to tremble from anxiety. ¡°You shall reach the Master¡¯s realm before thirty at the rate you are going.¡± Mark Goetten narrowed his eyes without raising his saber. ¡°No, I¡¯m not that great¡­¡± ¡°However, you will never manage to surpass the novice stage of Master.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°The path towards a Master is always open for those with excellent talent and patience. Even if you are old, you can reach it eventually if you have enough talent and tenacity to keep training. However¡­¡± Vanity and despair were welling up in his eyes. ¡°You need to have the real talent that surpasses the notion of talent in order to climb even higher than the novice stage of Master. The vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad, Raon Zieghart, is a good example. However, you unfortunately don¡¯t have that talent.¡± ¡°I-I already know that I¡¯m not as talented as my vice squad leader. But we won¡¯t know until I try¡­¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯m a narrow-minded guy. And I¡¯m extremely narrow-minded at that.¡± Mark Goetten raised his saber with a twisted smile on his face. A frightening pressure spread from his thin de, curving like a crescent moon. ¡°That¡¯s why I get irritated whenever I see a confident greenhorn like you.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian bit his lip. It felt like the temperature was getting lower from his frightening energy wave. However, he clenched his sword and lowered his posture, showing his determination to fight. Hey. Wrath briskly turned his head after noticing Dorian¡¯s resolution. Isn¡¯t he going to die at this rate? ¡®I¡¯m not letting that happen.¡¯ Even though he said he was going to raise him through hardships, Raon had no intention of letting him die or be seriously injured. ¡®I¡¯m just trying to enlighten him.¡¯ Enlighten? ¡®Yes. Both Dorian and that big-mouthed sister of his are gravely mistaken.¡¯ Raon stared at Dorian¡¯s back, his eyes blue like cier¡¯s flower blossom. ¡®And this stupid duel for the sake of that enlightenment.¡¯ * * * Adis Sephia¡¯s Office. Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! The door opened after an urgent knocking sound and a young warrior entered before bowing at him. ¡°Pr-president!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Adis, who had been reading some documents, slowly turned his gaze up. His eyes looked like they werepletely deprived of any emotion. ¡°I¡¯m busy right now. You should save it forter unless it¡¯s an important matter.¡± He looked back at the document as soon as he finished the sentence. His quickly rolling eyes suggested that he was dealing with an emergency. ¡°It¡¯s about your youngest son.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As soon as the warrior mentioned the youngest son, Adis¡¯s eyes suddenly stopped even though they¡¯d been rolling left and right like a pendulum. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Adis raised his head. His curiosity was apparent in his gaze even though it used to be emotionless. ¡°The thirddy took the fourth young master away with her.¡± ¡°Where? You know the location, right?¡± His voice used to be calm, but it started to waver like the ocean. It was almost difficult to understand what he was saying. ¡°They went to the training ground for the guards.¡± ¡°Do you know who they have in there?¡± ¡°They are the warriors that the thirddy has recently hired. Toten Robel, Kelmek, and Mark Goetten are there.¡± ¡°Two highest level Experts and one Master.¡± Adis frowned while tapping on the document with the pen in his hand. He briefly sighed and pressed on his temple. ¡°Did she bring Dorian with her to make him spar against them?¡± ¡°I suppose. She must be trying to show him that the money she¡¯d earned is more powerful than the young master¡¯s might.¡± The old butler, Ligwin, nodded from the right side. ¡°I know she hates him, but she¡¯s already attacking her brother who finally returned after nine years. She seriously never grows up.¡± Adis crumpled the paper where the ink was flowing down. His forehead was getting as wrinkled as the paper. ¡°It¡¯s true that the young master is stronger than other warriors his age, but he won¡¯t be able to win against any of them.¡± The young warrior ced his hand on his chest and bowed. ¡°I¡¯ll run there right away and stop them if you order me!¡± He showed his spirit, asking for the order. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Adis tapped the desk with his pen instead of responding. ¡°Was Dorian the only person who was taken there?¡± ¡°No, the Zieghart swordsman who came with him followed him.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s fine.¡± He chuckled and took out another document from the right side. He lowered his eyes to read the document as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°President?¡± ¡°Leave them alone.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°Nothing bad is going to happen since he is around. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you to leave them.¡± ¡°Who the hell is he¡­?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Raon Ziegh¡ªthe White Sword Dragon!¡± The young warrior stepped back in astonishment. ¡°Why is he here¡­?¡± ¡°He said he brought Dorian here as the vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that I should go there to stop them? The White Sword Dragon might decide not to interfere because it¡¯s a family matter, or his interference might aggravate the situation even further¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. Even a faint smile appeared on Adis¡¯s face from his conviction. ¡®It¡¯s definitely not going to happen.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know much about a warrior¡¯s might since he was a merchant, but Raon¡¯s gaze reminded him of his past. ¡®He almost looked like the heads of the Six Kings or the Five Demons.¡¯ Moreover, he wasn¡¯t thinking about the heads in their youth. The impression he got was simr to when they had already matured during their thirties. ¡®He¡¯s literally a monster.¡¯ He was confident in his ability to judge people, just like he said before, and he was still unable to understand the full extent of Raon Zieghart¡¯s potential. There was no way that a man like him would fall into the third daughter¡¯s plot. He was definitely going to shatter her n and drastically help Dorian. ¡°And the swordsman Raon is more than entitled to interfere.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± The young warrior was nkly standing there but raised his head upon hearing him. ¡°You, Dorian, and Palen are all gravely mistaken.¡± Adis smiled gently and tapped on his desk. ¡°Because might isn¡¯t the only thing he¡¯s gained.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Did you still not realize? It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°President.¡± The old butler, Ligwin, had been silent but suddenly stepped up. ¡°You will have to stay in the office all day long tomorrow if you don¡¯t finish your work right now.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Adis nodded and looked at the document instead. ¡°You need to make the preparations in order to see the young master tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been waiting for this da¡ª¡± He hurriedly shook his head and frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± * * * * * * ¡°Kuh!¡± Dorian let out a painful groan while blocking Mark Goetten¡¯s saber. ¡®Wh-what is wrong with him¡­?¡¯ He thought it would be an easy win because his energy felt weaker than Toten Robel''s, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Theplexity of his saber technique, the aura emerging from him, and his physical abilities were on a whole different level. Even though he¡¯d only blocked the saber once, he already felt exhausted. ¡°Is this already too difficult for you? I guess I overestimated you too much.¡± Mark Goetten nimbly swung his saber. The extreme sharpness of his de fell down upon Dorian alongside a frightening light. ¡°Haap!¡± Dorian unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms¡¯ special technique, Blue Flower Floating Cloud. The blue cloud bloomed like a flower to create a thick barrier of aura de, but Mark Goetten¡¯s saber shattered that powerful barrier in an instant. Whaam! Dorian was pushed all the way back while feeling like a hammer was striking his chest. ¡°Kuah¡­¡± He wanted to suppress it, but his scream broke out from his mouth. He realized that he was injured internally from the extreme nausea that resembled the motion sickness from a long carriage ride. ¡®His saber technique wasn¡¯t even special¡­¡¯ The strike that destroyed his special technique couldn¡¯t even be called a technique. It was proof that there was a huge difference in skills between them. ¡®He¡¯s reached the wall of the highest level, or¡­a Master.¡¯ Dorian¡¯s chin trembled as he looked at Mark Goetten slowly walking towards him. Once he realized that his opponent was far stronger than him, the excitement filling his head cooled down to a freezing degree. ¡°H-hey?¡± Mark Goetten shed diagonally instead of responding. aang! Dorian hurriedly unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms and the Flowing Cloud Footwork at the same time in response, but he couldn¡¯t withstand the powerful impact and was bounced back. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Mark Goetten raised his chin while watching Dorian pant for breath. ¡°Wh-what is your name, Sir¡­?¡± ¡°Mark Goetten.¡± ¡°The Saber of the Fallen Flower? Gasp!¡± Dorian voiced out his nickname before he hurriedly covered his mouth. ¡°You can say it. It¡¯s true that my sword has fallen.¡± Mark Goetten¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change even though his nickname was full of nder. ¡°And I¡¯m your future.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?! You¡¯ve been saying that all along!¡± ¡°There¡¯s this period called stagnancy upon reaching the Master¡¯s realm. Your skills don¡¯t increase for a while as a rebound for surpassing the wall.¡± ¡°I heard about it before¡­¡± Dorian stiffly nodded. Rimmer had told him about that stagnancy period when Raon had reached the Master¡¯s realm in the past. ¡°Some people keep escting towards the sky without any stagnancy period, but some people can never escape from it, just like me.¡± Mark Goetten made a sorrowful expression that was difficult to describe. ¡°That¡¯s why I always get the urge to crush the confident young men like you to teach them their ce.¡± The saber¡¯s aura became gradually thicker. ¡°You talk too much for my liking, but I like the conclusion.¡± Palen snorted and pointed at Dorian. ¡°Start by trampling on his head so that he won¡¯t be able to raise it ever again.¡± ¡°She seems to hate you so much.¡± Mark Goetten snickered after looking back at Palen. The aura concentrated around his saber became twisted to turn into a thick and sharp astral de. Whir! Dorian swallowed nervously upon feeling the powerful resonance of the astral saber. He clenched his sword without taking a single step back or trying to run away. ¡°Are you nning to continue even though you¡¯ve witnessed the astral saber?¡± Mark Goetten frowned while looking at Dorian¡¯s trembling eyes in fear. ¡°I-I¡¯m not anything specialpared to the people around him.¡± Dorian exhaled deeply while looking at Mark Goetten. ¡°I¡¯m worse than them in terms of might and willpower alike.¡± It was obvious when it came down to Raon, and even the team leaders, Burren, Runaan, and Martha were also better than him in every single aspect. Even though Dorian had been watching their backs from right behind them, he¡¯d never managed to gain a single enlightenment. ¡®However, there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned. I should never give up no matter the situation.¡¯ He was scared. He was extremely terrified that he might die or be seriously injured from the astral energy, but he couldn¡¯t simply kneel without trying anything since he was Rano¡¯s subordinate, the one who had been watching him from right next to him. Whir! The light bursting from Dorian¡¯s sword shone more brightly than ever. ¡°I¡¯m not even dreaming about winning, but I have no intention to lose in an unsightly manner!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like those eyes.¡± Mark Goetten ground his teeth and started to move. The astral energy piled up on his de and dug into the space like a saw de as it burst out. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to your knees in a single strike.¡± His saber soared in a twisted manner and turned into red lightning falling down upon Dorian. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± Dorian shouted as he thrust his sword. The Ten Flowing Forms¡¯ special technique, the Great Ten Flows sh that had previously defeated Toten Robel, created a huge cloud for the second time. Crack! The aura de spread around in a cross shape to fill the entire space, but it was helpless against the astral energy. Wham! Even though the fog looked unbreakable, it was severed, and Dorian rolled on the ground while coughing up blood. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Dorian tried to stand back up, but he could only move his neck in his exhausted state. He wasn¡¯t severely injured, but he couldn¡¯t move his body because of the physical damage he received and the rebound from exhausting his aura. ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± Palenughed while pointing her finger at him. ¡°I knew it. This is your ce. You can¡¯t even win against a mercenary I¡¯ve hired no matter how hard you polish your swordsmanship!¡± She looked down on Dorian coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve earned money while you wasted your time swinging your sword. I have enough money to hire mercenaries that can easily crush you, just like he did.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Kneeling in front of me is the most suitable for you. It was the case in the past, and it hasn¡¯t changed now.¡± ¡°Haap¡­¡± Dorian raised himself by supporting himself on the sword. He gritted his teeth while meeting Palen¡¯s eyes. ¡°I-it¡¯s not over yet.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you doing?! He stood up!¡± Palen hurriedly stepped back and pointed her finger at Mark Goetten. ¡°Finish him off already. Destroy his mouth!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mark Goetten walked up to Dorian and furrowed his brow. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be pretty if you keep trying to move in your current state. You might be unable to move for a while from the severe internal injury.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a coward. I don¡¯t like scary things, and I hate painful things even more.¡± Dorian inhaled deeply and raised his sword. His de looked like it was curved because his wrist was trembling from exhaustion. ¡°¡­Even so, I¡¯m aware that I have to stand back up right now to wield my sword.¡± The thought hadn¡¯te to his mind before, but Raon wasn¡¯t the type of person who would make him suffer for no reason. He added strength to his trembling legs while believing in Raon. ¡°I¡¯m disliking your eyes even more now.¡± When Mark Goetten was about to strike him with his saber with a wrinkled face, a red line interrupted like a sh. ng! The deadly de was violently pushed back. Raon¡¯s long sword was floating in front of Dorian''s eyes, d in red mes. ¡°Why are you interfering now? This is a family matter!¡± Palen pointed her finger at him with a frown. ¡°No, I¡¯m rted to this matter.¡± Raon looked down on Palen coldly while pushing Mark Goetten¡¯s saber back. ¡°You said that Dorian¡¯s might was worthlesspared to your money, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What about it?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but his swordsmanship isn¡¯t everything that he has earned.¡± He raised his left hand with a cold smile on his face. ¡°It''s slightly harder than a copper coin.¡± A copper coin fell from his hand. It was split in half. ¡°It¡¯s slightly tougher than a silver coin.¡± A silver coin fell from his hand this time. It was crushed like a cracker. ¡°And it¡¯s slightly stronger than a gold coin.¡± A gold coin fell from his hand for thest time. It was turned into powder and scattered into the air. ¡°What he¡¯s earned is a bond called friendship.¡± ¡°Friendship? What kind of bullshit is that¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been bragging that you made money, but Dorian made bonds in Zieghart. I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯m part of his power.¡± His aura de was burning as powerfully as the sun to crush Mark Goetten¡¯s blue aura. ¡°Every single swordsman in the Light Wind squad, including me, is ready to fight with our lives on the line for his sake. You can never buy that with money.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Palen¡¯s expression twisted as Raon coldlyughed at her. ¡°Make him kneel! Crush himpletely!¡± Palen ground her teeth and pointed her finger at Raon. ¡°I dislike your eyes even more than his. I feel disgusted.¡± Mark Goetten brandished his saber with a frown. Blue astral energy emerged from his de. ¡°Excuse me for being rough.¡± ¡°Your name was the Saber of the Fallen Flower, right?¡± Raon raised his chin and bobbed his finger. Freezing coldness sparked from his blue eyes. ¡°Your astral energy is about to fall by my aura de.¡± Chapter 356 Mark Goetten¡¯s right hand, which was holding his sword, trembled violently. ¡°You want to make my astral energy fall? With your aura de?¡± His anger appeared in his eyes for the first time even though it only used to hold irritation. ¡°You are even worse than that child. Do you have to be good at running your mouth to enter the Light Wind squad?¡± Mark Goetten twisted his lips while looking at Dorian. ¡°That¡¯s kinda true.¡± Raon snickered and grabbed Dorian by his clothes, throwing him back. His body was sent flying violently, but it slowed down and gentlynded on the ground before it reached the wall. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mark Goetten narrowed his eyes after he witnessed the process. ¡°So you aren¡¯t just all talk.¡± He pointed his saber to the front. Astral energy burst out even further from his crescent de. ¡°I guess I can thoroughly beat you up since you aren¡¯t even rted to our benefactor.¡± ¡°Try it if you can.¡± ¡°You arrogant bastard!¡± Mark Goetten dered and disappeared from sight at the same time. He appeared from the left as if he had teleported and mmed his saber down. Whoosh! The saber strike was d with powerful wind and fell rapidly to tear his shoulder apart. Thud! Raon extended his right foot to the right. He tilted his body even faster than the saber¡¯s descent. Whaam! Mark Goetten was unable to cut his shoulder with a paper-thin difference and ended up hitting the ground. ¡°Hmph!¡± Mark Goetten seemed to have expected that to happen and followed up by turning his saber to thrust it from the right side. It was adjusting to Raon¡¯s movement to prevent his escape. ¡®He¡¯s pretty fast.¡¯ Raon turned his left ankle inwards and stepped back. River Footwork was naturally incorporated into his steps to dodge Mark Goetten¡¯s saber. His hair was cut by the astral saber and fluttered in the air. ¡°You are pretty good with footwork. However!¡± Mark Goetten kicked the ground while fiercely ring at him. Creak! He predicted the River Footwork¡¯s direction and shed his saber to where he was about to dodge. It was a fast and decisive strike. The speed and sharpness were the advantages of a saber, and they were properly incorporated into the strike. ¡®I heard he was trapped into pleasure-seeking, but he¡¯s not aplete loser.¡¯ The rumors imed that he epted all kinds of jobs to earn money for his amusement, but he didn¡¯t seem to have skipped his training. The quality and quantity of his aura was rather extraordinary. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ He was the perfect opponent to test his increased stats after he absorbed the ocean soul and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s energy core. Whir! Raon used the River Footwork consecutively to easily dodge Mark Goetten¡¯s frightening strikes. ¡°How long are you nning to run? Weren¡¯t you going to make my astral energy fall?¡± Mark Goetten increased his speed with a frown on his face. He thrust the first saber strike, then he immediately moved behind Raon to unleash the second strike. Astral energies were snapping like lightning to rush at him from front and back. ¡°I was just looking at the situation.¡± Raon turned his ankle and his waist in different directions. His upper body turned as nimbly as a leaf on a flowing river to dodge the first strike. Whoosh! Raon looked at the second strike, which was a direct charge from Mark Goetten. He stopped the River Footwork and lowered his center of gravity. He slightly twisted his wrist to unleash the Star Connecting Sword. ¡°You idiot!¡± Mark Goetten sneered and mmed down his saber. The astral wave brimming from his saber was crushing Raon¡¯s body. ¡®This isn¡¯t a big deal.¡¯ He shattered the astral energy¡¯s pressure through sheer physical strength before he raised his longsword. He unleashed the aura de emerging from his sword into a spiral to chip into the astral energy surrounding the saber. Cring! It almost looked like a red whirlwind was coiling around the astral saber. ¡°It¡¯s pointless¡­ Huh?¡± Mark Goetten was about to strike his lowered saber upwards but suddenly came to a halt. His jaw dropped upon seeing the saber he was holding. ¡®The astral energy was chipped away!?¡¯ Even though the red energy had only scratched it, the astral energy surrounding the saber had a visible hole. It was as if a beast had bitten into it. He had never seen nor heard of an aura de damaging astral energy. He couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened. ¡°You¡­¡± Mark Goetten swallowed nervously and red at Raon. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°I used footwork and swordsmanship. What¡¯s wrong? Do you want to know the name of the technique?¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders with an easygoing attitude. ¡°You are stating the obvious!¡± Mark Goetten refilled his astral energy and dashed at him once again. His saber started to draw a systematic trajectory, unlike before. He was finally using a proper martial art. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the approaching astral saber. ¡®How peculiar.¡¯ It had a violent form where he alternated between left and right, but it was a lot faster and stronger than an ordinary strike. ¡®However¡­ It¡¯s not undefeatable.¡¯ He predicted the saber¡¯s movement and thrust his longsword. Since astral energy was a concentration of arge amount of aura, he could chip it away by repeatedly thrusting the aura de countless times. Creak! The Star Connecting Sword with the true Spiral Power connected like a constetion to tear Mark Goetten¡¯s astral energy. Psh! Raon wasn¡¯t satisfied with defense and advanced even further. After his aura de severed the astral energy, he thrust it like a sh to pierce Mark Goetten¡¯s waist. Blood gushed from theceration. ¡°Kuh!¡± Mark Goetten covered his waist and leaped backward. His eyes were shivering in astonishment. ¡°...A-are you using rotation?¡± He seemed to have realized how his astral energy was cut apart. He wasn¡¯tpletely dull after all. ¡°Yes. I scratched your astral energy by incorporating rotation into my aura de.¡± Raon nodded and pointed his longsword at him. ¡°I-impossible! You don¡¯t even know my Anarchic Lightning Saber¡¯s trajectory. How are you supposed to read my movement to chip at my astral energy?!¡± ¡°I obviously don¡¯t know about your technique, but I could easily read your movement.¡± Mark Goetten¡¯s Anarchic Lightning Saber consisted of shing in an angr trajectory like lightning. It was fast, sharp, and powerful at the same time, but it wasn¡¯t difficult for Raon to read the flow because he was proficient enough in it. ¡°What you¡¯ve achieved is even worse than the most basic footwork and swordsmanship. An aura de is wasted on you.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Mark Goetten ground his teeth so hard that he looked like he was about to bleed. ¡°Talent, is this the difference in talent again?!¡± His pressure intensified to a whole different level. Veins were bulging from his forehead, showing that he was using his full power. ¡°Why do other people have this talent that I don¡¯t?!¡± Mark Goetten shouted and charged at him while crushing the floor. The astral energy bursting from his saber had a terrifying appearance. Even though he was at the novice Master¡¯s realm, the bursting aura was the one he¡¯d been umting for the past dozens of years. Whaam! The astral energy emerged from the saber and created dozens of violent trajectories to form an aura storm. It was powerful enough to tear flesh apart upon the slightest touch. Are you really nning to use nothing more than the aura de? Wrath frowned, saying that it was a pointless shackle. You are going to reveal your identity anyway. Just use astral energy¡­ ¡®A warrior must keep his word.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly and pierced into the storming astral saber. He analyzed the movement of the saber technique before he created a huge flow to engulf its trajectory. Rumble! The flow of his sword was faster, sharper, and more powerful than Mark Goetten¡¯s Anarchic Lightning Saber. A crimson aurora appeared once it surrounded the astral saber¡¯s storm. Whaap! The astral energy covering the entire training ground disappeared without a trace, and Mark Goetten¡¯s saber crumbled into powder. Lacerations caused by the aura de opened up all around his body, and blood gushed from them. They were dangerous injuries that could¡¯ve been fatal if they were any deeper than they were. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mark Goetten weakly went on his knees like a marite whose strings were cut. His trembling limbs showed hisplete exhaustion. ¡°That appearance is more suitable for your name, the Saber of the Fallen Flower.¡± Raon snickered while settling his longsword on his shoulder. ¡°Wh-who the hell are you¡­?¡± Mark Goetten raised his head with difficulty. His eyes were filled with despair. ¡°You managed to erase the Celestial Thunderstorm with an aura de. How is it even possible that there was no rumor about someone like you¡­?¡± ¡°Do you even know my name?¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± Mark Goetten bit his lip. He finally realized that he¡¯d been fighting without even hearing his name. ¡°You were overconfident. Being a Master doesn¡¯t make you invincible, and an aura de doesn¡¯t always lose to astral energy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only possible for someone like you, who is brimming with talent.¡± Mark Goetten spoke with a hoarse voice. ¡°An ordinary person like me can never be like you even if they train their entire lives. What¡¯s the difference between me and you? What have you even done to deserve so much talent?!¡± His shout sounded like he was venting his pent-up frustration. ¡°Talent, everyone says talent. I¡¯m sick and tired of it.¡± Raon frowned while looking down on Mark Goetten. ¡°You are right. I have the talent, and I¡¯m also lucky. However, how is that even rted to your weakness?¡± ¡°If I was as talented as you¡­¡± ¡°Talent isn¡¯tplete from the moment of your birth. You have to experience countless difficulties and despair, and only then is it finally created¡ªlike a sculpted ster figure.¡± Raon had a great environment thanks to his luck and timeline. However, his choices and efforts were what turned that environment into a sess. He had to walk the bloody path dozens of times in the past, and he was on the verge of them in many of them. ¡°You asked me before how I managed to read your saber¡¯s flow, right?¡± Raon looked down on Mark Goetten with cold eyes. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Your technique was too poor. You must¡¯ve been cking on your training.¡± ¡°B-bullshit! I¡¯ve been continuously training my saber until now!¡± ¡°Yes, you must¡¯ve been continuously training on the principles and aura cultivation. When was thest time you practiced all your techniques from A to Z?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t train your techniques because you were too focused on the realm of your martial arts and aura. Your techniques are currently dead. There¡¯s no way you would advance¡ªyou don¡¯t even have the basics of a warrior.¡± Raon got irritated by the fact that the man who didn¡¯t even make the effort was trying to denigrate his talent, the talent that he created through countless pains that ordinary people would prefer death over experiencing. Moreover, since he couldn¡¯t even make any effort even if he wanted to in his previous life, he was even more irritated at Mark Goetten, who kept despairing despite the freedom he had. ¡°How many times were you on the verge of death? Have you ever fainted while training? Have you ever achieved anything distinguished by yourself? What challenges did you take on?¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± Mark Goetten couldn¡¯t answer any of his questions. He kept staring at Raon with a trembling chin. Raon couldn¡¯t tell whether he was speechless or had nothing to say, and he wasn¡¯t interested in his response anyway. ¡°A sheltered person can¡¯t even ovee the smallest trial.¡± Raon clenched his left fist and walked up to Mark Goetten. ¡°Don¡¯t try to cover up yourziness and ipetence by ming talent.¡± He smacked Mark Goetten¡¯s chin while saying that. Mark Goetten was sent flying into the wall before he could even scream. Crack! The wall copsed along with and-splitting noise. Mark Goetten was lying t on the ground, and he couldn¡¯t stand back up anymore. ¡°Wh-what?! What¡¯s happening?!¡± Palen¡¯s chin trembled violently as she saw the smoke rising from the wall¡¯s copse. ¡°Stand up! I spent so much money on you. How dare you lose to a freaking Expert?!¡± She shouted while pointing her finger at Mark Goetten, who had fainted. ¡°Stand up!¡± Palen kept shouting at him, but his consciousness didn¡¯t return. ¡°Hey.¡± Raon walked up to Palen while still supporting his longsword on his shoulder. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Palen frowned but wasn¡¯t exactly intimidated because Raon wasn¡¯t spreading any pressure. ¡°Don¡¯t be mistaken. This isn¡¯t the end.¡± She ground her teeth while ring straight into Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°He¡¯s just vermin that I¡¯ve temporarily hired for this matter. I can crush you at any moment once I bring in the real deal.¡± ¡°Crush me, you say¡­?¡± Raon smiled faintly and raised his chin. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°You are as immature as him. Money can hire anyone. Bond? Do you really believe in that immaterial concept? I can bring anyone to my side, Ziegharts and Roberts included, as long as I have enough money. Making you kneel is an easy task!¡± ¡°Let me ask the question once again.¡± Raon swept up his disheveled hair. The red hair turned into a brilliant golden wave as his hand touched it, and his blue eyes evaporated like an ocean to ignite a crimson me. ¡°Bl-blond hair and red eyes¡­¡± Palen stepped back in surprise. Her strength left her legs, and she quickly fell on her ass. Whir! Raon¡¯s pressure spread around like wildfire. The entire training ground fell under his domination in an instant. ¡°Can you really crush me?¡± ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± Palen¡¯s eyes wavered like a sailboat on a huge tidal wave. She ttered her teeth and her entire body trembled like crazy. ¡®Raon Zieghart¡­ What is that monster here?¡¯ Eden lost the entire branch from kidnapping Raon, and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader was seriously injured. Even if she considered him as an individual, it was difficult to find anyone who could defeat him in terms of might. He was the White Sword Dragon who defeated Borini Kitten, Garona, and Cadis one after the other, and there weren¡¯t many people who could fight against him. However, regardless of all that¡­ She was scared. His eyes were even deeper and darker than the crimson moon, and she couldn¡¯t even think anymore upon seeing them. She wanted to kneel right away to escape from the fear. ¡°Say it. Can you crush me?¡± ¡°...N-no, I can¡¯t.¡± Palen bowed and surrendered to him. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± She ended up fainting and fell backward because she couldn¡¯t withstand the de-sharp pressure and the mental shock. Raon¡¯s gaze turned towards the bulky warrior standing next to Palen. ¡°Will you surrender?¡± ¡°Ah, yes! I have no intention of figh¡ª¡± The bulky warrior violently shook his hand, trying to express that he definitely didn¡¯t want to fight him. ¡°I don¡¯t need your surrender.¡± Raon frowned and smacked the bulky warrior¡¯s face. Wham! Hisrge body was mmed upside down on the ground since he wasn¡¯t going easy on him. ¡°You just admitted your defeat as a warrior without even trying to fight. How unsightly.¡± Raon clicked his tongue and dusted his hands off. Huh¡­ Wrath gasped while looking back and forth between Raon and the warrior mmed on the ground. What the hell is wrong with this crazy bastard?! He was the one who asked for surrender, yet he beat him up when he surrendered. He couldn¡¯t imagine that any demon could be worse than this guy. The King of Essence kept thinking about this, but there¡¯s only one answer. You belong to Devildom instead of thisnd¡­ ¡®Shut up.¡¯ * * * * * * Dorian bit his lip and watched Raon¡¯s back. Raon¡¯s victory against Mark Goetten was a natural oue, as he was powerful enough to defeat an advanced Master. ¡®The surprising part is that he managed to destroy the astral energy with an aura de.¡¯ He didn¡¯t use any astral de until the end. He didn¡¯t use any special martial art and only used an aura de and basic techniques to defeat Mark Goetten. It was difficult to believe even though the entire scene happened right in front of his eyes. ¡®However¡­¡¯ He was stunned that what touched him the most wasn¡¯t his performance, but what he¡¯d said. ¡°You¡¯ve been bragging that you made money, but Dorian made bonds in Zieghart. I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯m part of his power.¡± ¡°Every single swordsman in the Light Wind squad, including myself, is ready to fight with our lives on the line for his sake. You can never buy that with money.¡± Those lines. His cid voice as he spoke those lines kept circling in his head and stabbed powerfully into his heart. Bond. He never expected that such a short word that signified a rtionship between people could pull his heartstrings so hard. Moreover, the fact that Raon Zieghart was the one who said it when he wasn¡¯t the type of person to joke around caused a lump in his throat. ¡®Because he was serious about that.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been a different story if it was something else, but he never lied about the Light Wind squad. The fact that he said that in such a situation signified that every member of the Light Wind squad really cherished him¡­ ¡®I wasn¡¯t the only one.¡¯ The Light Wind squad was his real home, not thepany. He couldn¡¯t suppress his flowing tears because he realized that everyone thought like himself, was ready to risk his life for their sake. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Dorian forced himself to stand by using his sword like a cane. He bowed at Raon, who was standing there proudly. ¡®Thank you for scolding this idiot.¡¯ Raon seemed to be threatening Palen, but his real intention was to enlighten Dorian himself. ¡®¡®You aren¡¯t alone. Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind squad are supporting you.¡¯ That was the enlightenment he was trying to give, and it must¡¯ve been the reason why he had been acting that way.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m really gratefu¡ª¡¯ ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dorian kept bowing at him while wiping his tears, but arge shadow appeared in front of him and Raon¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°I-I¡¯m expressing my gratitu¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, that felt so good.¡± Raon grinned while turning his wrist. ¡°I didn¡¯t like your sister from the first time she spoke to us. I feel a bit better now that I destroyed all of them.¡± ¡°......¡± Dorian started to hup and raised his eyes. ¡°D-does that mean that it wasn¡¯t for my sake¡­?¡± ¡°You? What happened to you? You got defeated after getting beaten up, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, you said that you were supporting me¡­¡± ¡°I said that to shock your sister.¡± Raon snickered and pointed at Palen, who had fallen unconscious. ¡°You were trying to enlighten me¡­¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t though?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously. Palen did fall unconscious from that mental shock, so Raon wasn¡¯t wrong about that. ¡®W-was he not serious?¡¯ He lowered his eyes from the sadness, and Raon tapped on his shoulder. ¡°I was just stating the truth. Good job, you behaved like a real swordsman of the Light Wind squad today.¡± Raon massaged his shoulder before walking towards the training ground exit. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian grasped his pounding chest and bit his lip. He bowed more politely than ever. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your thanks. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He mustered his nonexistent strength to respond and followed Raon. ¡°You are so noisy¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I was just too happy¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you. I have this guy who keeps asking for food.¡± Raon frowned while looking at his wrist, despite saying that he was hungry. He murmured that the cotton candy was annoying before turning his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat for now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable since we didn¡¯t eat anything after lunch.¡± Dorian nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll ask them to prepare a meal.¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°Ah, I need to go to the medical ward before then¡­¡± ¡°Just apply your saliva and you will feel better. Let¡¯s go eat.¡± ¡°No, I was cut by a d¡ª¡± ¡°Do you want to train before we go?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ming!¡± Dorian wiped his tears and shook his head. ¡®Seriously, this guy¡­¡¯ He was moved to tears because Raon looked really cool, but he had turned back into a demon. Dorian realized once again that he couldn¡¯t understand him at all. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian sighed, and when he was about to leave the training ground, he noticed that Raon was looking above a tree in the west instead of following him. ¡°Are you noting?¡± ¡°I feel like I saw a flying squirrel above that tree.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the tree at the western border of the training ground. ¡°A flying squirrel?¡± Dorian tilted his head while looking at the tree. ¡°I don¡¯t think there was anything like that though¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon shook his head and murmured that he must¡¯ve gotten paranoid. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about the flying squirrels, but there are lots of bats around.¡± He looked up towards the sky with a cold smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to their reaction tomorrow.¡± Chapter 357 The door to Adis Sephia¡¯s office was quietly opened. Ligwin, his butler, bowed to him after entering the room. ¡°It¡¯s over, president.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Adis was looking at a document but stopped moving his pen and raised his gaze. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°The White Sword Dragon obviously ended up winning.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°However, there were some peculiarities.¡± ¡°Peculiarities?¡± ¡°Yes. He destroyed astral energy by only using the aura de.¡± ¡°¡­Is that even possible?¡± Adis gasped and put down his pen. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like that before. Moreover, it looked like he didn¡¯t even improvise it, as he removed Mark Goetten¡¯s astral energy without taking a single scratch. He was even more monstrous than the rumors.¡± Ligwin furrowed his brow because of the unbelievable performance. ¡°I guess my discernment isn¡¯tpletely useless yet.¡± Adis chuckled and nodded his head. ¡°How is Dorian doing?¡± ¡°He was injured, but it¡¯s not a serious injury because the White Sword Dragon interfered at the right time.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Adis let out an extremely brief sigh of relief. ¡°There was another peculiarity during the young master Dorian¡¯s match.¡± ¡°What is it this time?¡± ¡°The young master Dorian managed to defeat Toten Robel.¡± ¡°What?¡± Adis mmed the desk and briskly stood up. It was a rare reaction from him with his cynical personality. ¡°D-did he really do it?¡± ¡°Yes. He was having a hard time in the beginning, but he reached the highest level of Expert after he gained enlightenment and defeated Toten Robel.¡± ¡°Then how was Dorian injured¡­?¡± ¡°Mark Goetten inflicted them on him. He stood on his ground without running away from the astral energy. I¡¯m seeing the young master Dorian in a new light.¡± A faint smile appeared on Ligwin¡¯s face. ¡°Huh, huh!¡± Adis started walking in a circle around the desk whileughing in amazement. ¡°That boy managed to go that far¡­¡± ¡°His will was indomitable. On top of his appearance, even his personality felt simr to the mistress.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, he did look simr to her.¡± Adis nodded and returned to his chair. His lips were curved into a gentle smile. ¡°What happened to Palen?¡± ¡°There was no physical injury, and she fainted from the White Sword Dragon¡¯s pressure.¡± ¡°He only made her faint¡­¡± Adis groaned after hearing that. ¡°Raon Zieghart. He is an even more frightening man than I thought.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m pretty sure he even considered the trial that is about to follow.¡± Ligwin nodded his head heavily. ¡°It looks like the young master Dorian is the one who brought the biggest treasure for the time being.¡± ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t expect that he cared about Dorian so much even though he might be the strongest warrior on the continent in the future.¡± Adis lowered his eyes and finished signing thest document. ¡°Instruct everyone toe to dinner tomorrow.¡± He put down his pen with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s start the trial for session.¡± * * * Raon finished eating dinner with Dorian at a restaurant inside the central administration building of thepany. Wow! Wrath eximed while looking at the empty dishes. Excellent! The food was bound to be tasty since the best ingredients were cooked by excellent chefs! He smiled happily, saying that his expectations hade true. However¡­ ¡®However?¡¯ Raon looked back at Wrath while drinking a tea that was brought as a dessert. They arecking affection. ¡®Affection? Did you just say affection?¡¯ Indeed. Those dishes were more delicious than the food made by Pineapple Girl or your head maid, but the annex building¡¯s food was still better. The King of Essence would like to eat it since it¡¯s been a while. ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Raon never expected a demon king would say affection. He had the same feeling many times before, but Wrath really didn¡¯t fit the image of a monarch of Wrath. ¡®It still makes me happy though.¡¯ Heplimented Helen and Yua¡¯s food over the elegant feast of the Sephiapany, and that brought a smile to Raon¡¯s face. Raon finished eating the apple that was brought alongside the tea before he lowered his eyes. ¡®By the way, do you know if Merlin was around earlier or not?¡¯ He did feel the presence of a small animal above a tree, but he wasn¡¯t sure whether that was Merlin or not. There was an animal indeed, but he¡¯s not sure whether that was the mad woman. Honestly, her magic is insane. ¡®Her magic is insane?¡¯ Indeed. It¡¯s extremely inefficient because she can¡¯t attack at all while taking over an animal¡¯s body and it requires a tremendous amount of mana and time to switch back to herself. Wrath gasped while thinking about the time Merlin possessed a lion. That magic was literally made for the sole purpose of stalking you. She¡¯spletely insane. Her desire is on par with Greed¡­ His shoulders were trembling as he called her a truly frightening woman. ¡®Greed¡­¡¯ Wrath had mentioned that name very rarely before. Raon could guess from the name that he must¡¯ve been the demon king of greed, who must¡¯ve been full of desire. ¡®Is he the demon king of greed?¡¯ Indeed. He is extremely keen about money. ¡®Money? Do you even have money in Devildom?¡¯ Raon tilted his head. Since he imagined Devildom as a world where violence and screams were the only things that existed, he didn¡¯t expect that they would have money over there. Don¡¯t underestimate Devildom! Wrath barked while puffing up his cotton candy body. Of course! There is money since it¡¯s a world of intelligent life! ¡®Ah, my bad.¡¯ Raon lowered his eyes and apologized since Wrath was right about that. By the way¡­ ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Are you finally interested in Devildom? Wrath¡¯s eyes were sparkling like a perfectly cleaned window. ¡®This looks pretty good.¡¯ Raon simply nodded, since it was a great opportunity to gain information from a demon king. ¡®So why does Greed gather so much money?¡¯ There¡¯s no special reason. He just gets stronger the more he gathers the money. ¡®¡­He gets stronger from gathering money?¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes widened. Indeed. Humans and demons are the same in the way money reflects their desire. A nice house, nice clothes, good food. The concept of money is a representation of desire for intelligent lifeforms. Blue energy was creeping from his eyes. Greed, that dirty bastard, absorbs human and demonic desires through money and enhances his own abilities. Wrath frowned while calling him a dirty bastard. However, he will still be weaker than the King of Essence even if he manages to collect the money from all around the world! If he told him that he would destroy all his money, Greed would be so terrified that he wouldn¡¯t even leave his home anymore! ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ It sounded slightly exaggerated, but Wrath did seem to have an upper hand. Anyway, let¡¯s stop talking about that dirty bastard. The King of Essence will exin how awesome he is. From the moment he was born, he was different from others¡­ Since it was a useless story, Raon only pretended to listen. ¡®I see.¡¯ Th-the story isn¡¯t over, though. ¡®I listened to the entire story.¡¯ ¡­How you were born into the human realm is truly questionable! The King of Essence is starting it again! From the moment he was born¡­ Raon put a piece of apple in his mouth while ignoring Wrath¡¯s voice. ¡°Erm, vice squad leader.¡± Dorian put down his fork and sighed deeply. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be saying this, but my third sister will probably not be quiet after what happened. She¡¯s definitely going to n her revenge since she¡¯s never lost before¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Raon nodded. He didn¡¯t seem surprised in the slightest. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen countless people like her.¡± Palen Sephia was born as a member of the direct line of the Sephiapany, and she must¡¯ve been living while spending all the money she wanted to do anything she desired. Raon could guess that it was the reason she grew up to be so stubborn. Since she had to kneel for the first time and lower her head, she was bound to prepare to repay the humiliation as soon as she woke up. ¡®I actually let her go for that purpose.¡¯ He¡¯d only scratched her pride in order to finish her off once and for all. His purpose was to take over thepany rather than defeating her, after all. ¡®Well, I have another reason though¡­¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while drinking the tea. ¡°I can consider it as a cute tantrum if she picks a fight by hiring a powerful warrior. However, that¡¯s not going to happen.¡± A warrior that stood a chance against Raon had to be at least the highest level Master or a Grandmaster. Some powerhouses could be hired with money, but it required an astronomical amount of money. Even though Palen was part of the direct line of the Sephiapany, she wouldn¡¯t be able to continue the session war anymore if she did that, since it would exhaust her bank ount. Which meant that there was only one thing she could do. ¡°She¡¯s most likely going to hire an assassin.¡± ¡°I-if you knew that, you should¡¯ve made sure she wouldn¡¯t try anything¡­¡± ¡°Well, she didn¡¯t cross the line for now.¡± Palen and her hired warriors had never shown their bloodlust. It was exactly because they didn¡¯t cross the final line that Raon didn¡¯t inflict any fatal injuries. ¡°Moreover, you are the protagonist this time, not me. I figured you would feel guilty about it if I went too far.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian was the most tender and kindhearted person in Raon¡¯s previous and new lifebined. Since he could end up regretting the decision, he wanted to hear Dorian¡¯s determination before he did it. ¡°You should decide. Can you fight a bloody war against your siblings?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and looked into Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®Seriously¡­ He¡¯s such a mystery.¡¯ Even though he usually acted like a ruffian, he looked like a sage from time to time. He didn¡¯t seem to be considerate at all, but he did act ording to the other person¡¯s will when it counted the most. Raon looked like he was doing whatever he wanted, but sess always awaited at the end of his path. Dorian couldn¡¯t figure him out at all. ¡®But I know two things for sure. I can trust him, and I will follow him for the rest of my life.¡¯ ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian made up his mind and sighed deeply. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t kill them, and d-don¡¯t cut off their limbs¡­¡± Dorian said while scratching his cheek, and Raon giggled. ¡°But they¡¯ve been bullying and looking down on you ever since your childhood. They even tried to chase you away when you finally returned.¡± ¡°But they are still my siblings.¡± Dorian nodded, his eyes full of determination. ¡°Alright. Well, I know plenty of ways to inflict pain without killing them.¡± Raon chuckled and stood up from the chair. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s chin was trembling. He must¡¯ve remembered a few things from the past. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The door was opened when Raon was about to leave the restaurant. Dialon Sephia was there, he was Dorian¡¯s second brother, whom they¡¯d met in the afternoon. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The news must¡¯ve reached him already since he wasn¡¯t surprised even though he saw Raon¡¯s hair and eye color. He couldn¡¯t hide his stiff expression though. ¡°This is my second greeting. I¡¯m honored to meet the White Sword Dragon.¡± He politely bowed. ¡°I apologize for deceiving youst time. My name is Raon Zieghart.¡± Since Dialon had acted politely during the first encounter even though he was only pretending, Raon properly greeted him back. ¡°It must¡¯ve been a big problem, although you¡¯ve just arrived.¡± Dialon slightly lowered his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t run away from a fight, after all.¡± ¡°That sounds frightening. It almost sounds like a threat.¡± ¡°I have no intention of acting unless it¡¯s in retaliation.¡± Raon smiled while looking at Dialon¡¯s gloomy eyes. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dialon sighed and looked at Dorian standing next to Raon. ¡°I honestly thought you wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance in thepetition, but the person you bought with you is too difficult to deal with.¡± He coldly looked at Dorian. ¡°You might be the most dangerous opponent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and raised his head. ¡°I won¡¯t lose to my brothers. I¡¯m not alone anymore.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Dialonughed coldly. ¡°I know, Dorian Sephia from the Light Wind squad.¡± Dialon tapped on Dorian¡¯s shoulder before entering the restaurant. The warriors and servants under him followed him afterward. Their eyes were bright without exception. Raon remembered their presence before he went outside. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say anything strange, did I?¡± Despite how confidently he dered his intent a moment ago, he was already intimidated, his shoulders trembling. Raon found it a mystery. ¡°It was the first time you voiced your intention like that. You were very cool.¡± ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°However¡­¡± Raon smiled and raised his finger. ¡°Your voice was hoarse and waspletely trembling.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Honestly, you sounded like a shitter.¡± ¡°Uaaaah! This is embarrassing!¡± Dorian grasped his head and started to scream. ¡°It will get better since you are only getting started.¡± Raon grinned and went to his lodgings. ¡­That¡¯s how the King of Essence managed to be a monarch of Devildom! ¡®¡­Were you still talking?¡¯ * * * * * * Palen Sephia opened her eyes with difficulty. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She could see a familiar ceiling and feel a familiar soft touch. She was inside her room. ¡°Why am I here¡­? Ah!¡± The memories returned along with an intense headache. She figured that she had fainted because of Raon Zieghart¡¯s pressure after he revealed his red eyes. ¡°Damn it!¡± Palen briskly stood up and started to swear. The memories from the training ground brushed past her head like a dream. ¡°Swin!¡± The door was opened, and a secretary wearing a suit entered the room. ¡°Did you call me?¡± ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± ¡°After mydy fainted¡­¡± ¡°No, from the very beginning!¡± ¡°You went to the training ground with the young master Dorian, and he fought against Toten Robel¡­¡± The secretary named Swin told her everything that happened inside the training ground without leaving out any details. Listening to his story made her remember the incident as vividly as a dreame true. She could only swear at how bad the situation was. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Palen grasped her long hair and ground her teeth. ¡°Damn it!¡± Even though she was a legitimate daughter of the Sephiapany, she knelt in front of another person and surrendered. Humiliation. It was an extreme humiliation. ¡®I was going easy on him¡­¡¯ She was originally nning to simply teach Dorian a lesson since they shared the same father, but she wanted to kill him instead because of how it ended up. In fact, she wanted to beat Raon Zieghart to death even more than Dorian. ¡°We still have the connection with the assassins called ck Snake, don¡¯t you?¡± Palen coldly looked at Swin. ¡°Mydy, they are a bunch of unknown ruffians¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and answer my question.¡± ¡°We do.¡± Swin sighed faintly and nodded. ¡°Contact them. On top of my brothers and Dorian, I will also attack Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°What? I-if you attack Raon Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°I know. Thepany might disappear as a result. That¡¯s why I¡¯m nning to kill him after he leaves. You should just contact them for now.¡± Since the entirepany could be endangered if she tried to attack Raon Zieghart, it was necessary to target him after he left. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Swin sighed deeply and nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± When he was about to leave, Palen raised her hand. ¡°Bring me some liquor. Something strong.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Swin brought her a dark brown whiskey and a few side dishes before leaving the room. Palen started to drink the whiskey while sitting at the table. ¡°Shit¡­¡± Even though she was drinking, she kept thinking about Dorian¡¯s victory and the red eyes of Raon Zieghart. She felt like she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep if she didn¡¯t getpletely drunk. ¡°Hmm?¡± She drank her whiskey without any side dishes before she suddenly heard a small squeaking sound from the window on her right. She turned around to check, and a flying squirrel was sticking to the window. ¡°Fuck off!¡± ¡°Keee!¡± Palen threw the ss at the window. The ss shattered into pieces and the flying squirrel ran away somewhere. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She started to drink the whiskey from the bottle since that wasn¡¯t enough to vent her anger. She finished the entire bottle before sheid on her bed. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to kill him by all means.¡± Palen vowed vengeance against Raon Zieghart while looking at the spinning ceiling. Her eyes closed right after and she fell asleep, thanks to the intoxication and exhaustion. * * * ¡®Huh?¡¯ Palen¡¯s body was trembling. ¡®I can¡¯t move my body.¡¯ She felt perfectly sober, but she couldn¡¯t move a finger. Darkness was the only thing she could see because she couldn¡¯t even raise her eyelids. ¡®Is this a sleep paralysis?¡¯ She had never gotten sleep paralysis before, but it was simr to what she heard from the others. ¡®Hah, I¡¯m even having this now after that unlucky incident.¡¯ She tried moving her finger to remove the sleep paralysis while swearing in her mind, but she couldn¡¯t move her body at all. ¡®How long is this¡­ Hmm?¡¯ She noticed that something was touching her forehead. Her senses still seemed to work during sleep paralysis. At the same time, she could move her eyelids and her eyes. ¡®What is going on¡­?¡¯ Palen opened her eyes while feeling a creeping anxiety fill her. ¡®Aaah!¡¯ She almost fainted right after she opened her eyes. A young woman was looking down with a red cross engraved in her blue eyes, her forehead touching Palen¡¯s. The energy emerging from her distorted eyes feltpletely evil. ¡®Wh-wh-what?! Who the hell is this bitch¡­?¡¯ The demonic woman was simply staring at her without saying anything. The gloomy auraing from her red eyes was making her heart feel painfully tight. ¡°Who are you going to kill?¡± Her short sentence brushed past her ears, and she felt the frightening sensation of a worm digging into her ears. The damp murderous intent emerging from the woman¡¯s eyes was giving her goosebumps. However, it wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill? Who are you going to kill?¡± ¡®Aah¡­¡¯ The pain of tearing flesh could be felt every time she heard the voice. She wanted to scream from the intense pain, but she could only move her eyes. She wanted to force herself to close her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t move her eyelids anymore. She felt like her soul was getting ripped apart by the woman¡¯s eyes in front of her. ¡°Who are you going to kill again?¡± The woman¡¯s hand grabbed her shoulder. An unknown heat entered her body and it started to hurt like an ant gnawing all around her body. ¡®Uwah!¡¯ Her eyes rolled back from the intense pain, but her mind remained intact. She wanted to faint but she was unable to do so. ¡®Pl-please¡­¡¯ She begged for her life with her eyes, but the crazy woman¡¯s expression remained unchanged. She stayed with their foreheads meeting each other, a frightening smile around her mouth. ¡°Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me.¡± The madwoman¡¯s obsession and Palen¡¯s silent scream resounded throughout the Sephiapany all night long. Aaaaaaaaah! * * * Raon opened his eyes after he finished his daybreak cultivation. Sunlight from the window wasnding pleasantly on his shoulders. How can you repeat that boring stuff every single day? Wrath shook his head and said that he couldn¡¯t understand how he could cultivate every day. ¡®Well, I¡¯m just doing it.¡¯ He didn¡¯t find it boring or annoying. He was simply cultivating in order to get stronger, just like he breathed in order to live. ¡®I feel under the weather if I don¡¯t cultivate at this point.¡¯ Just like stretching the body awakens the body after sleep, the cultivation was effective at stimting the mana circuits inside the body. Since it improved the aura and the cultivation, and even had an additional effect of awakening the body, there was no reason to skip it. ¡®Rather than that.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly while looking at the door where he could feel two people¡¯s presence. ¡®They are here faster than I thought.¡¯ Indeed. They might be idiots. Wrath nodded in agreement. ¡®Is she unexpectedly challenging me head-on? Or maybe she¡¯s trying to deceive me.¡¯ Raon snickered and stood up to open the door. Palen Sephia and Mark Goetten, whom he¡¯d met the previous day, were standing on the sides. ¡°What¡¯s the matter¡­?¡± ¡°Please save me!¡± ¡°Please ept me!¡± The two people shouted differently and went on their knees at the same time. ¡°P-please save me! It was my fault!¡± Palen Sephia mmed her head on the ground with tears flowing from her distorted eyes. ¡°Please ept me as your follower! I¡¯m fine with being a servant!¡± Mark Goetten bowed, a thick bandage covering his chin. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The unexpected situation had Raon¡¯s jaw dropping. He was dumbfounded over the unexpected situation. ¡®What is wrong with them?¡¯ Chapter 358 ¡°Please save me! I¡¯ll do anything, please!¡± Palen cried out while rubbing her hands together like a fly. ¡°I can be a servant. Even a ve is fine! Please let me stay around you!¡± Mark Goetten shouted with a serious voice while mming his head on the ground. Hmm¡­ Wrath licked his lips while scratching his chin. The King of Essence doesn¡¯t understand the situation. What have you done to those two? ¡®I didn¡¯t do anything after I beat him up yesterday. I didn¡¯t even beat Palen up because she fainted first.¡¯ Raon slightly lowered his eyebrows while watching Palen and Mark Goetten, who were begging on their knees. Why are they doing this then? ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ They might be nning to smash your head after getting you to let your guard down. ¡®It¡¯s possible, but improbable.¡¯ As far as he saw, Palen¡¯s pride was higher than her ability. She wasn¡¯t the type of person to kneel in front of him and beg even if that was in preparation to defeat him. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Raon twisted his lips slightly while watching Palen¡¯s face. ¡®She looks terrified.¡¯ She must¡¯ve experienced something terrifying when she regained consciousness. That was the only exnation for the face she was making. ¡°Please enter, both of you.¡± Raon was nning to go outside, but he returned to his room. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Palen and Mark Goetten stayed on their knees and crawled into the room. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raonughed bitterly and closed the door before sitting on the bed. ¡°Please stand up and take a seat.¡± He brought over some chairs and pointed at them to sit. ¡°I-it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Same goes for me, I feel morefortable this way.¡± Palen and Mark Goetten shook their heads while staying on their knees instead of standing up. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± Raon rubbed his temple while watching their serious eyes for different reasons. ¡®I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ The same goes for you. ¡®What?¡¯ Why are you being so polite now? It¡¯s theplete opposite of yesterday. Raon wrinkled his nose while looking at Raon. ¡®Because they are being polite.¡¯ Is that enough for you to be polite? When you were being so rude yesterday? ¡®Yes.¡¯ In the King of Essence¡¯s opinion, you aren¡¯t normal either. You are about a quarter-way to insanity. He floated in the air like cigarette smoke and said that he never expected to have so much difficulty understanding a human being. ¡®It¡¯s only natural. Even humans can hardly understand each other.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again and examining Mark. His eyes, which used to be filled with vanity and despair, contained a small and faint brilliance. ¡®He looks easier to talk to.¡¯ Raon figured that it was better to start with Mark Goetten instead of Palen since she was too terrified. ¡°Mark Goetten.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What do you mean by epting you as a servant?¡± ¡°It means what it is.¡± Mark Goetten clenched his fist and mmed the left side of his chest, where his heart was located. ¡°I want to follow you even if I have to be a servant! Please allow me to serve you as my lord!¡± It was difficult to believe that he was the same person as the day before because of how powerful his voice was. ¡°Why are you suddenly asking for that?¡± Raon briefly sighed and supported his arm on his knee. Strength was leaving his body because of how unexpected it was. ¡°If you are nning to stand behind me for revenge, you are gravely mistaken. I don¡¯t trust you at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± ¡°In that case, is it because I¡¯m from Zieghart¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case either! I didn¡¯t know that you were Raon Zieghart when I woke up!¡± Mark Goetten shook his head fiercely. ¡°When I regained consciousness, my heart was hurting the most instead of my injured chin or thecerations on my body. What you said before smacking my chin had be an awl to pierce my heart.¡± He mmed his chest once again. ¡°You are right, Sir Raon. I got cocky with my talent during my childhood and neglected my efforts. Once I got older, I postponed my training because I thought it was already toote and only practiced the areas I wanted.¡± Mark Goetten pressed the floor with his clenched fist. ¡°I kept swinging my saber andforting myself by thinking that I was still trying my hardest, that I was doing my best, but I had no basics, techniques, nor resolve.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± His face had turnedpletely red from the shame but he still continued. ¡°It was ratherte, but I finally returned to my senses thanks to you, Sir Raon. I¡¯ll even be a ve for you if you ept me. I¡¯d like to catch thisst opportunity presented to me while serving at your side.¡± He mmed his head on the ground as he finished. The entire room shook because of how hard he hit. ¡®He looks serious, but¡­¡¯ Raon stroked the back of his neck and asked Wrath with his eyes. ¡®What do you think?¡¯ His distorted eyes used to look like he was on drugs, but they¡¯ve be clear now. He must be serious about this. ¡®What about the possibility of brainwashing?¡¯ It¡¯s impossible to brainwash to that extent in a single day. There¡¯s no such fragrance of mana either. However, we can¡¯t be certain since an artifact could¡¯ve achieved it. Raon agreed with Wrath that Mark was serious, but he couldn¡¯t be certain. It was a great opportunity to gain a novice Master subordinate, but he didn¡¯t want to make any hasty decisions, as they could prove harmfulter on. ¡°I understand now why you are here, but I can¡¯t trust you unconditionally.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Mark Goetten lowered his head. He looked like apletely different soul from the day before. The drastic change was making it more difficult to trust him. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. Please leave for now.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Mark Goetten nodded before heading to the door. He crawled all the way there, just like when he entered. ¡°Please walk!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He finally stood up after Raon asked him to walk and went outside. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon shook his head before looking at Palen. She was still biting her dry lips, looking utterly terrified. ¡°Palen Sephia. Why did youe here?¡± ¡°I-I came to beg for forgiveness.¡± ¡°What forgiveness?¡± ¡°I acted so arrogantly yesterday because I didn¡¯t know my ce, and¡­¡± Palen briefly interrupted herself and swallowed nervously. Her violently shaking eyes revealed her hesitation, but she decided to continue. It looked like she was engulfed by fear of something. ¡°I-I tried to assassinate you.¡± ¡°Assassinate me?¡± Raon¡¯s chin trembled. ¡®What? What is she nning?¡¯ He had expected her to hire assassins, but he never thought she would confess her assassination n. The fact that she told him about the assassination meant that she had revealed everything she had in mind. ¡°You were trying to assassinate me?¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Palen lowered her eyes and nodded. Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Why did you reveal that? I wouldn¡¯t have known about it if you tried to hide it.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to die?¡± ¡°Yes. I-I¡¯m going to die unless I reveal everything to you. No, I¡¯d suffer pain even worse than death¡­¡± ¡°Who is supposed to kill you?¡± ¡°Th-the one with a cross in their eyes¡­ Wh-who was it?¡± Palen nkly stared into the air. ¡®Who was that?¡¯ Even though the intense fear and pain made her want to bite her tongue and end herself, the only thing she remembered was the red cross in their eyes. Her hair stood on end because of how frightening that was. However, there was one thing she knew for sure. What happened overnight wasn¡¯t a dream, and she might end up experiencing that fear and pain for the rest of her life if she didn¡¯t confess to Raon and ask for forgiveness. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not the important part! Please! Please forgive me!¡± Palen said that whoever that was didn¡¯t matter and mmed her head on the ground again while rubbing her hands. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon raised his chin slightly while looking at Palen. It stinks. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Unlike Mark Goetten, who was enlightened on his own, someone else seemed to have interfered with Palen. ¡®I have two candidates¡­¡¯ He had two guesses about the perpetrator. It was either the group of assassins that she was trying to hire that threatened her instead, or¡­ he didn¡¯t want to think about the second one. ¡°Who were you nning to request the assassination?¡± ¡°Th-they are called the ck Snake.¡± ¡°ck Snake¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes froze upon hearing the ck Snake¡¯s name. ¡®Is she really mentioning that name now?¡¯ The ck Snake was the name used by Derus¡¯s underworld group of assassins, the Shadows, when they were involved with outsiders. ¡®You mean rat. You even tried to butt in with them.¡¯ Raon could guess that Derus was trying to extend his influence to the session war of the Sephiapany. Yonaan, the North, and now Sephia. His influence had reached all around the continent. ¡°Th-they shouldn¡¯t have gotten the request yet! I only asked to check the connection. I¡¯ll cancel it right awa¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon slowly shook her head and stopped Palen. ¡°Continue that request.¡± ¡°Yes. What?¡± Palen raised her head in astonishment. Her wide eyes looked like they were about to explode from surprise. ¡°You were also nning to assassinate Dorian and the other siblings, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± ¡°You should cancel the rest and keep going with the requests concerning me and Dorian.¡± ¡°Why are you asking me to do that¡­?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know about it.¡± Raon stood up and walked up to Palen. He grabbed her chin and met her eyes. ¡°You said you¡¯d do anything, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Palen¡¯s lips were trembling. The fear that had crushed her the day before had revived upon meeting the crimson eyes that burned like the sun. No, her fear was even more intense. She was getting drenched with cold sweat because she felt like darkness was crushing her. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Since he was pretty much putting a ve cor around her neck, nodding was the only choice she had. * * * * * * Raon asked the terrified Palen to leave before heading to the training ground where the spars took ce the day before. There was no one inside since it was time for breakfast. Th-the King of Essence doesn¡¯t want to go! You should go on your own! Wrath started to whine while holding onto the door. He must¡¯ve realized who Raon was trying to meet. ¡®I don¡¯t want to go either, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ It was necessary to meet that person to understand the situation. Raon went under the tree where he felt the small presence the day before and created a small aura barrier. He prevented the sound from escaping before he looked upwards. ¡°You are there, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± A flying squirrel jumped out from a branch behind a leaf with a cheerful voice that could be described as silvery. Uwaaaah! Wrath screamed upon seeing Merlin inside the flying squirrel. The madwoman! It really was the madwoman! His lips trembled violently as he said that he couldn¡¯t figure out the difference between her and an ordinary animal. ¡°It was your doing, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± It was ridiculous how brightly she responded. She seemed to have no intention of hiding it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon covered his forehead with his hand and sighed deeply. ¡®It really was Merlin¡¯s doing.¡¯ He could guess because he briefly saw the flying squirrel the day before and Palen looked so terrified in the morning, and it was proven to be correct. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I adjusted in a way that won¡¯t be harmful to you. No one is going to find out about my interference no matter what happens.¡± Merlin twisted her body left and right while fidgeting with her fingers. Raon realized that her voice sounded dreary, exhausted. ¡®Didn¡¯t you feel Merlin¡¯s presence at all yesterday?¡¯ Not at all! He would have woken you up and asked you to run away if he did! Wrath hid behind Raon¡¯s shoulder, calling her the true madwoman. ¡°How did you enter this ce?¡± ¡°No one in the world is cautious about a cute squirrel.¡± Merlin smiled cheerfully while rubbing her head. Raon realized once again that she was way too good at expressing her emotions with an animal¡¯s face. ¡°The training ground is one thing, but there should be rm magic around the mansion.¡± The central administration building had multiple rm magics around it. Their guard became even stronger during the night, so Raon couldn¡¯t understand how she managed to enter. ¡°I analyzed the path I would take in advance since I knew you were going toe here. There are lots of holes in arge building like that.¡± ¡°P-path¡­¡± Raon rubbed his temple with his finger. The fact that she¡¯d analyzed the path sounded way too scary. ¡°Even if there were holes, the rm magic still should¡¯ve¡­¡± ¡°The rm magic catches the mana dwelling deep inside the target¡¯s body. This one only has an extremely small amount of mana, which makes it impossible to be found out.¡± Merlin gently continued, like a teacher giving a lesson to a child. ¡°Then how did you scare Palen?¡± It was another question he had because of what Wrath had told him about Merlin¡¯s magic the day before. ¡°I cast a spell from this state.¡± Impossible! Wrath jumped out from behind Raon¡¯s shoulder and violently shook his head. She just mentioned that it has an extremely small amount of mana and that¡¯s true! There¡¯s no way she can cast a spell in that state! He was right. The squirrel managed to bypass the rm thanks to the small amount of mana it had, so Raon couldn¡¯t understand how she could cast any spell. ¡°I have. Over here.¡± Merlin pointed at the flying squirrel¡¯s chest. ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°Yes, vitality. I¡¯ve inserted my vitality into all of the animals I¡¯ve controlled before, and I used it instead of taking it back. You are so interested in what I did. It makes me happy.¡± Merlinughed as she finished the sentence, and Raon¡¯s hair stood on end from the frightening sensation. He looked at Wrath with trembling lips. I-it¡¯s theoretically possible. Converting vitality into mana isn¡¯t only possible for warriors. But vitality¡­ ¡®Is a person¡¯s lifespan.¡¯ Raon¡¯s heart tightened. Just like how his previous opponent, Martio, enhanced his aura through vitality, magicians were also capable of creating high-purity mana with vitality. Raon realized that the crazy woman had reduced her lifespan to make that happen. ¡°Are you seriously crazy or what?¡± Raon shouted while grasping his head with his hands. ¡°Oh my! Are you worried about me?¡± Merlin jumped down from the tree. She flew andnded on Raon¡¯s trembling hand. ¡°I¡¯m happy¡­¡± She blushed while touching Raon¡¯s finger with the flying squirrel¡¯s small hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine with melting away everything I have for your sake.¡± ¡°Rather than that, how much lifespan did you lose?¡± ¡°Not that much. The invasion was effortless thanks to you, since you destroyed the wall surrounding her mind.¡± Merlin shook her hand, saying that it was less than a month. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything like that ever again. I might need your help at some point, but I won¡¯t allow you to lose your lifespan for it.¡± It wasn¡¯t because he liked Merlin. He just thought that he might be simr to Derus, who once treated Raon¡¯s life like a toy, if he kept taking advantage of her. Even though it was Merlin¡¯s free will, he didn¡¯t want any simrity to Derus at all. ¡°You finally care about me.¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes curved into crescent shapes in happiness. ¡°I shall obey since you said so. Alright¡­¡± She nodded with a deep smile on her face. ¡°This is driving me nuts.¡± Raon sighed while looking up to the sky. She¡¯s not listening at all. Her insanity is on a whole different level¡­ Wrath¡¯s trembling eyes were the only things poking out from behind Raon. He seemed terrified at that point. ¡°What did you do to Mark Goetten?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything to him.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have enough time.¡± Merlin shrugged her shoulders, saying that it was true. ¡®Which means, he was¡­serious.¡¯ He was apparently trying to follow him from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Was I helpful to you?¡± Merlin smiled, with her hands ced on her waist. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes while looking at Merlin. ¡®She was actually helpful.¡¯ She was extremely helpful, since she prevented the plot from happening, and even gave him an opportunity to reduce the Shadows¡¯ forces. However, it definitely was not worth reducing her lifespan. ¡°Yes. However, you didn¡¯t need to step up. Don¡¯t do it ever again.¡± ¡°Yes. By the way¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m too excited because you care so much about me, and the connection is getting lost. I think I overexerted myself yesterday after all.¡± Merlin blushed even more, and her voice started to cut off. ¡°This one worked really hard. That¡¯s why¡­¡± ¡°I knew it, what shall I give this time?¡± Raon looked at the flying squirrel with a smile. He was confident because he brought various types of feed for the squirrel in his subspace pocket. ¡°It wants some bird eggs and rotten meat.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Did you hear me? It wants bird eggs and rotten meat. It also specified that it doesn¡¯t want chicken eggs.¡± ¡°D-do squirrels actually eat such a thing?¡± ¡°Squirrels are omnivores, and their preference changes depending on the season. I leave it to you.¡± She disappeared right after. The affection in the squirrel¡¯s eyes faded away at once. ¡°Pee!¡± The flying squirrel extended its hand, urging him for food. ¡°Ah, hmm, err¡­¡± Raon looked into the subspace pocket, but he obviously didn¡¯t have any eggs or rotten meat. ¡°Y-you have a peculiar preference.¡± ¡°Pee!¡± The flying squirrel tapped on Raon¡¯s hand. It seemed to be telling him to shut up and give it to him already. ¡°So, erm¡­¡± ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± While he was wondering what he should do, the training ground¡¯s door was opened and Dorian entered. ¡°My father invited us to dinner tonight! I think he¡¯s nning to give me the trial that he mentioned befo¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important right now.¡± Raon shook his head and bobbed his hand at Dorian. ¡°Do you have any bird eggs right now? I want some small ones.¡± ¡°Are you giving them to that guy?¡± Dorian put his hand inside his belly pocket while looking at the flying squirrel on Raon¡¯s hand. Two cute and small bird eggs appeared in his hand after a short time. ¡°Pee!¡± The flying squirrel happily jumped on Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°And do you have any rotten meat by any chance¡­?¡± ¡°Does it even eat something like that? How peculiar.¡± Dorian eximed while looking at the flying squirrel. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s too much to ask even for you.¡± Rano nodded. It was only natural. No one would be bringing rotten meat around no matter how much space they had. ¡°Which kind of rotten meat do you want? Beef? Pork? Chicken? I also have some duck meat.¡± Dorian took some vinyl packaged meats one after the other from his belly pocket. ¡°Y-you have them?¡± ¡°Of course I do. They are part of necessities.¡± ¡°Why are they even¡­?¡± What the hell¡­? Wrath shook his head while looking back and forth between Dorian and the flying squirrel. Why do you even have rotten meat on you?! He screamed while grasping his head. Why are there so many crazy humans in this era?! * * * Raon and Dorian answered Adis¡¯s invitation and participated in the dinner banquet. Even though they had arrived twenty minutes before the appointed time, the long rectangr table was already almost full. ¡®They seem to be the subordinates of the sessor candidates.¡¯ Just like Raon, who came with Dorian, the other candidates also had a couple of subordinates next to them. Raon could tell from the brilliance in their eyes that all of them were rather skilled. ¡°The man all the way at the end is my first brother.¡± Dorian came one step closer to him and whispered. The middle-aged man sitting at the right side at the end had a bulky body like a beast man. His neatly trimmed beard and hair gave a level-headed impression despite hisrge body, which could¡¯ve looked unintelligent. ¡®Of course, I know that person.¡¯ Jeser Sephia. Palen and Dialon didn¡¯t learn any martial arts or magic, but Jeser was famous as a warrior on top of as a merchant. He wasn¡¯t exactly a genius, but he was a special case since he managed to achieve a high realm with money. ¡®I heard there are no elixirs that he hasn¡¯t tried yet.¡¯ Adis¡¯s legal wife raised him with extreme care, and that was why he ate all kinds of elixirs and took lessons from Master-tier warriors. That was probably why Raon could feel a huge amount of energy from him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jeser took a nce at him before turning his head away. He didn¡¯t seem too interested in Raon. ¡®He¡¯s just like Dorian said before.¡¯ Unlike Palen and Dialon, who bullied him in the past, Jeser hadpletely ignored his existence ording to his story. Considering how he was treating his younger brother who had returned after nine years, he still seemed to treat him as an outsider from the family. ¡®However¡­ His skills are a real deal.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just his personal might. Even his faction and capital could be expected to be huge. He was the favorite to be the sessor and the most dangerous person for them. ¡°W-wee.¡± Palen stood up from her chair and bowed at him. Her expression seemed extremely awkward. ¡°I knew you would be present. Wee.¡± Even though he said wee, Dialon¡¯s eyes were extremely cold as he lowered his head. ¡°H-hello.¡± Dorian went to the center of the table and bowed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Jeser didn¡¯t react at all, Dialon gave him a small nod, and Palen¡¯s shoulders were trembling. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon sat at the end of the table where Dorian guided him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian sighed while wiping the sweat from his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m a bit nervous.¡± ¡°It will be fine.¡± Raon chuckled and leaned his back in his chair. The fragrance of those high-quality dishes is all around the ce! Wrath pulled his tongue out like a puppy. He must¡¯ve smelled the food from somewhere. Ask them to bring the food already! Land, sea, and air seem to all be present! ¡®They will bring them out when they are ready. Please calm down.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath¡¯s head to force him back into the bracelet, and the dining room door opened. Thud! Adis Sephia and the five great merchants who obeyed him made their entrance. Even though they couldn¡¯t use any martial arts, their huge presence was reaching the ceiling. Tap! Tap! Tap! Everyone sitting at the table stood up and bowed to Adis. ¡°Greeting the president!¡± ¡°Thank you for epting my invitation. Sit down.¡± Adis took the seat of honor in a disciplined manner and nodded at them. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The sessor candidates and their subordinates sat in their seats. p! Adis pped his hands, and the dining room¡¯s door was opened once again. The servants brought steaming dishes into the room. Ooh! Wrath eximed loudly and smiled happily. It looks like we are eating first before getting started! ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Considering that the food was brought out before anything else, Raon figured that they were nning to dine before talking about the trial. What a great choice, befitting the father of the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate! Wrath¡¯s eyes sparkled with desire as he watched the dishes being ced on the table. Start by eating the truffle soup over there. Let¡¯s warm the stomach with soup before we start the real war¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll exin the reason I called everyone while the food is beingid out.¡± While Wrath was deciding on the order of the food in happiness, Adis¡¯s quiet voice resounded throughout the dining room. ¡°I¡¯m going to give a trial to all of you.¡± The dining room was getting slightly noisy but fell silent upon hearing his emotionless voice, which almost sounded coldhearted. ¡®Is he really saying this now?¡¯ He had released the tension and brought it back up right after. He really was an extraordinary person. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ Raon¡¯s entertained gaze was directed at Adis. Ah¡­ Wrath¡¯s shoulders shrunk like a poor little thing, and he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off of the food. Th-the food is getting cold¡­ Chapter 359 All kinds of delicacies wereid out on top of the extremely long rectangr table. Various mouth-watering fragrances were stimting the nose, but none of the people were looking at the table. Every single person in the dining room was looking at Adis Sephia. Why does that geezer have to talk about it now?! He can¡¯t read the freaking atmosphere! Of course, Wrath wasn¡¯t a person, and he was solely focused on the food. The food is better consumed while it¡¯s warm, yet it¡¯s getting cold right now! It must¡¯ve lost twenty percent of its taste and vor already! ¡®Be patient.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath back as he kept clinging onto him and waited for Adis Sephia to continue his speech. ¡°Hmm.¡± As if he forgot what he was going to say, he cut the steak in front of him and put it in his mouth. ¡°Delicious.¡± He slowly chewed the stake before swallowing it, then nodded his head. Since the geezer ate it, we should start eating as well! I said this before, but let¡¯s start with the soup¡­ ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ Raon shook his head and stared at Adis. ¡°An excellent chef can discern better ingredients and create a masterpiece called dish by bringing forth the ingredient¡¯s vor.¡± Adis cut the steak once again to eat before he smiled. ¡°An excellent carpenter can create an antique table from the ckwood that¡¯s supposed to be too hard to even build a simple shape with.¡± He stroked the rectangr table supporting the food and examined the sessor candidates one after the other. ¡°Merchant is an upation that consists of buying objects for cheap and selling them for a higher price to make a profit. Now, how does an excellent merchant distinguish themselves?¡± He asked the question, but no one said anything since they thought he wasn¡¯t looking for an answer. ¡°Dorian?¡± However, Adis was an extraordinary person after all. He spoke like he was going to give the answer himself but called Dorian¡¯s name to answer his question. ¡°Argh!¡± Dorian¡¯s hands on his knees started to tremble because of the sudden question. ¡°Erm¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t answer the question right away and secretly looked at Raon to ask for help. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t say anything with his mouth nor with an aura message, instead averting his gaze. What are you doing right now?! Tell him the answer already! The food is going cold while that slowpoke is thinking about it! ¡®I shouldn¡¯t take away his opportunity to grow.¡¯ People¡¯s evaluation of Dorian was about to change depending on the answer. It was a chance for him to grow, and Raon didn¡¯t want to take it away from him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian bit his lip and looked at Adis. A faint light was circling from his trembling eyes. ¡°I-in my opinion, an excellent merchant is probably someone who can think from the client¡¯s perspective¡­¡± ¡°Do you really believe something like that is more important than making lots of money?¡± ¡°Making money is definitely important for a merchant. H-however, if you are only looking for money, you will end up losing people and trust, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the most important aspect. I think everyone will recognize thepany eventually if one keeps trading while gaining people¡¯s trust.¡± ¡°You are living in a dream world.¡± Adis heavily lowered his eyebrows while looking at Dorian. ¡°Ahem.¡± ¡°Clients, he says¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s too immature.¡± The subordinates of the other sessor candidates rolled their lips into smiles andughed at Dorian. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian hung his head, his face turned red. ¡°Trust between the client and the merchant is aughable concept nowadays since money and time are the only important aspects. However¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders shrunk to the size of a palm, and Adis continued. ¡°That¡¯s how thispany developed.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Father?¡± ¡°President?¡± Everyone inside the dining room turned their heads to look at Adis in surprise. ¡°An excellent merchant needs to know how to satisfy the client¡¯s desire. Suiting other people¡¯s tastes is difficult, annoying, and troublesome. However, the trust and credit you earn that way bes thepany¡¯s name. That¡¯s how the name of the general store Sephia was created.¡± Raon nodded while listening to him. ¡®I expected no less from the giant who developed Sephia to its current state.¡¯ The reason Sephia was called a general store wasn¡¯t simply because they dealt with all kinds of merchandise, but because they also acquired the requested objects for the clients. Raon could see that Adis hadn¡¯t changed at all even after he made Sephia one of the five biggestpanies. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The dining room fell silent. Everyone secretly red at Dorian with their heads lowered. Dorian confidently straightened his spine despite their gazes even though he couldn¡¯t stop his body from trembling from fear. Raon chuckled while watching Dorian. ¡®I told you he could grow through this opportunity.¡¯ He¡¯s slightly changed. However¡­ ¡®However?¡¯ The food is changing drastically! Every minute and second counts! We have to eat it right away! We need to rescue it into the King of Essence¡¯s stomach! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Wrath¡¯s eyes were going insane. Raon decided that he was going to ignore him for a while. ¡°Hmph!¡± Adis wet his throat and looked at the sessor candidates sitting at the table. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten a rather difficult request recently. I would¡¯ve normally taken care of it myself, but I brought it here since I figured it would be perfect for your trial.¡± He started by looking at Palen. ¡°One of you gathered the money.¡± The second person he looked at was Dialon. ¡°One of you gained connections¡­¡± And he turned his head towards Jeser, who was sitting right next to the seat of honor. ¡°And one of you has both the money and connections. That¡¯s why I thought the result was pretty much determined. However¡­¡± Adis¡¯s gaze was finally directed at Dorian. ¡°One of you actually brought bonds, instead of money or connections.¡± He cidly ced his hand on the table. ¡°Since it¡¯s getting interesting, I shall bestow upon you all an interesting trial.¡± Adis quietly opened his mouth while watching the sessor candidates swallow nervously. ¡°It¡¯s a request from the Gray Hammer guild. Bring a drake¡¯s horn, teeth, ws, and bones. It would be even better if you could bring the entire corpse.¡± ¡®Drake!¡¯ Raon clenched his fist under the table as soon as he heard Adis. ¡°The corpse of a drake?¡± ¡°Drake¡­¡± The sessor candidates dropped their jaws because the trial waspletely different from their expectations. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you kill one by yourselves, buy them from someone else, or even steal them. The one who brings the best drake corpse here in fifteen days will be the winner.¡± ¡°Who will decide which one is the best?¡± ¡°The Gray Hammer guild will obviously be the judge since they are the client.¡± Adis shook his hand, and the eyes of the sessors and their subordinates sparkled ferociously. ¡°May I leave now since we¡¯ve finished the dinner?¡± The first son, Jeser, bowed at him without even touching his food. ¡°Do as you wish.¡± ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± As soon as he said that, Jeser and Dialon both stood up. They left the dining room without hesitation alongside their subordinates. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Palen tried to read Raon¡¯s intention instead of leaving. [Palen Sephia.] Raon sent an aura message to her while looking in another direction. [Act like always instead of looking at me. I¡¯ll give you another order soon enough.] Palen gave an unnoticeably small nod before leaving the dining room. Argh¡­ Wrath¡¯s chin trembled as he witnessed the scene. Y-you aren¡¯t about to leave now, are you? The King of Essence is really going to cry if you do that! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ He seemed to be threatening him, but it wasn¡¯t scary at all. However, it was obvious that it was going to be annoying if he left without eating since Wrath was really going to start crying and kicking, so he raised his fork and knife. He said soup! It¡¯s cold now, but still start with the soup! We need the soup first in order to eat more food afterward! ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head and spooned up some soup. The truffle¡¯s nutty vor and the mild taste of the soup formed a perfect harmony. ¡®He¡¯s bing more and more annoying.¡¯ He was cutting the steak while sighing, and Dorian came up next to him. ¡°Vice squad leader, what are you doing right now?! Everyone left already!¡± Dorian made an X sign with his hands with a trembling chin. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to be eating those right now! Everyone must¡¯ve already started to act!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will be the fastest.¡± Raon casually shook the hand holding his fork. ¡°How can we be the fastest when they left before us? Why do you love food so much? What are you even raising in your stomach?¡± ¡°I¡¯m raising something indeed.¡± Raon chuckled while looking at the blue cotton candy¡¯s smile of happiness. ¡®I¡¯m raising a demon king, and he¡¯s a useless mouth.¡¯ * * * * * * Inside the dining room after the dinner ended, Adis and his butler, Ligwin, were enjoying some drinks after everyone else was gone. ¡°He¡¯s really changed a lot.¡± Ligwin smiled while looking at Dorian¡¯s seat. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the young master Dorian to confidently dere his opinion like that.¡± ¡°He should be able to tell his opinion at least since he¡¯s grown up now.¡± Adis shook his head, saying that it was a natural thing to do. ¡°But that opinion was soudable. He almost looked like you back in your youth, President.¡± Ligwin shook his head at Adis. ¡°That¡¯s when the Sephiapany started getting direct requests from clients instead of simply reselling the merchandise. I still clearly remember how you were trying to kill monsters by yourself even though you didn¡¯t even know how to fight.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotten old to be talking about the past like that.¡± Adis furrowed his brow while looking at the wrinkles on Ligwin¡¯s forehead. ¡°I¡¯m old. That¡¯s probably why I¡¯m even more impressed by the young master Dorian¡¯s change.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Adis nodded faintly in agreement. ¡°I believe that the young masters Jeser and Dialon would be able to manage thispany, but the young master Dorian might unexpectedly be able to develop it even further.¡± ¡°That might be the case. However, he can¡¯t achieve that on his own.¡± Adis put down his ss with a smile. His gaze was directed at Raon¡¯s seat, located next to Dorian¡¯s. ¡°Raon Zieghart. Might isn¡¯t everything he has. He was perfectly aware of when to interfere and when to not. He¡¯s also amazing at dealing with people. He has the qualities of a tyrant and a wise king at the same time.¡± ¡°¡­That much?¡± Ligwin¡¯s eyes widened. He¡¯d never imagined that Adis would say tyrant and a wise king, as he rarelyplimented other people. ¡°You saw how he casually finished his food before he left even though everyone else left in a hurry. He¡¯s just so bold, regardless of his age. Even the great merchants were flinching in surprise.¡± He looked at the table in front of Raon¡¯s seat. Unlike the other spots, all the dishes werepletely empty. ¡°A person¡¯s true nature is revealed when they eat. Considering the fact that he didn¡¯t leave any food at all, he¡¯s also extremely greedy. I was honestly getting goosebumps.¡± ¡°I agree. I didn¡¯t expect him to eat so much¡­¡± ¡°I believe that thepany will either stand at the top over the other four or end up being ruined if we join forces with him.¡± The two of them swallowed nervously, but they were gravely mistaken. * * * The next day at noon, Raon went to the downtown area of Rokan with Dorian, whose face waspletely pale. ¡°Did you look into it?¡± ¡°I did, but I¡¯m worried it won¡¯t go too well. I heard my brothers already made their moves¡­¡± ¡°We have the absolute advantage in this trial.¡± ¡®Moreover, we got the advantage before it even started.¡¯ Raon shook his head with a smile. ¡®Because I requested that information a long time ago.¡¯ A drake''s heart and a sea serpent¡¯s heart were the materials to fix Sylvia¡¯s energy center. Since he requested that Denning Rose look for the locations of drakes after Encia told him about those ingredients, he was expecting her to have the answer for him. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Dorian pointed at a small shop dealing with dried fish. ¡°I heard this is the ck Market¡¯s Rokan branch.¡± He was apparently not sure about it, since he was tilting his head while looking at the signboard covered in spider webs. ¡°Do you know the password?¡± ¡°Yes, I did get the password¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and entered the shop. They went through a passage brimming with the scent of dried fish and found an old woman, who was leaning back in a rocking chair. ¡°H-hello.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The old woman didn¡¯t respond, and the creaking sound from the rocking chair greeted him instead. ¡°I-I¡¯m looking for a sea snake that was dried up for ten years. Can I have a salty one without the skin?¡± As soon as he finished talking, the rocking chair stopped moving. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± The old woman slowly stood up. She raised her eyes, and her gaze and voice were far younger than her appearance. She seemed to be a young woman in disguise. Tap! Tap! She guided them into another room and tapped on different locations on the right wall. Swoosh. The wall opened up without the slightest sound or vibration, and the stairway to the underground was revealed. ¡°You can go this way.¡± She bowed at them before returning to the rocking chair. She instantly turned back into an old woman who was too drowsy to do anything else. Raon got the impression once again that everyone in the ck Market was remarkable. They followed the light as they went down the stairs, and they found another market. It was the ck market, as the name implied. They seemed to be dealing with all kinds of objects, from peculiar foods to brightly shining jewels. On the other hand, the bright lighting from the ceiling and the walls made it even brighter than outside. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Since Dorian usually loved getting supplies, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the ck Market¡¯s merchandise. ¡°It looks like they sell a lot of stuff here, unlike in Cameloon.¡± Considering the state of the merchandise, Raon could guess that they weren¡¯t distributed in a normal way. Some of the items still had curses, and a lot of them weren¡¯t even appraised. ¡°Let¡¯s go. You said you don¡¯t have any time to waste.¡± Raon tapped on Dorian¡¯s shoulder and went towards a mansion with a ck g in order to buy information. ¡°It¡¯s pretty amazing, but I also have most of them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dorian followed him after saying something ridiculous. ¡®I need to check what¡¯s inside that pocket one day.¡¯ Maybe he even has a drake inside his stupid belly. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Raon had the feeling that he really might have one considering what happened so far. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t tell me you even have a drake in your pocket.¡± ¡°Hmm, I did take some kind of ws when I ran away¡­¡± Dorian took out two huge ws that looked like thick and curved spearheads. ¡°I checkedter on, and they were a griffon¡¯s ws, not a drake¡¯s.¡± ¡°Griffon¡­¡± Griffons were even rarer than drakes. Raon was dumbstruck by the fact that he even had the ws of such a mysterious creature. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon shook his head and stood in front of a mansion at the end of the ck market. Four warriors with intense gazes were standing in front of therge iron door. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Greetings, White Sword Dragon!¡± The warriors bent forward to greet him with extreme courtesy. ¡°Please enter.¡± They made way and opened the iron door. They seemed to already be aware of the reason for their visit. ¡®Did they already know that I wasing?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes and went through the door. He went past a morefortable dim lightning and luxurious decorations before entering the innermost room, which was where the only presence was located. ¡°Wow, the White Sword Dragon is amazing!¡± Dorian approached him from the side with sparkling eyes. ¡°Is this another benefit from having the title of a Sword Dragon?¡± ¡°Obviously not.¡± Raon snorted and shook his hand. ¡°It looks like someone we know is waiting for us.¡± Once he reached the door at the end of the corridor, the door was automatically opened, and the person inside was revealed. The splendid beauty waiting for them had her red hair flowing to her shoulders like raging fire, and a rose-patterned eyepatch on her right eye. ¡®It was Denning Rose, just as I expected.¡¯ Denning Rose was the one who¡¯d drastically helped him during the rescue operation with Eden, and she stood up beautifully before bowing at him. ¡°Greetings, White Sword Dragon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Raon greeted her and entered the room. ¡°Please take a seat.¡± Denning Rose pointed to the chair opposite her with a faint smile on her face. Raon nodded and sat. ¡°Did you be Rokan¡¯s branch manager?¡± She was in charge of Grand Seville in the past. He didn¡¯t expect to see her in Rokan, since Grand Seville must¡¯ve been busy with reconstruction. ¡°No, I¡¯m still Grand Seville¡¯s branch manager.¡± Rokan and Grand Seville were extremely far apart. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why she was there when she wasn¡¯t even the branch manager. ¡°I happened to be in charge of you, Sir Raon. That¡¯s why I decided to wait here, as it looked like you were going to visit this city.¡± ¡°Did you know¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even a secret at this point that Sir Raon exerts his power for the youngest son of the Sephiapany.¡± Denning Rose quietlyughed. Raon got the impression once again that her expression was rather limited despite her shy appearance. ¡°Moreover, you requested that we look for a drake a long time ago, so it¡¯s only natural for me to be here.¡± She was even aware of what kind of trial Adis had given them. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that other candidates have visited already.¡± Raon figured that Jeser and Dialon must¡¯ve visited the ck Market in order to obtain information. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Denning Rose simply closed her eyes instead of saying anything. However, that was good enough as an answer. ¡°Did you manage to find a drake?¡± Raon wet his throat with the tea on the table before he asked the question. ¡°We did manage to find a location that seemed to be an adult drake¡¯s nest. We wanted to tell you after gathering more information, but the situation has changed.¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Dorian coughed up the tea he was drinking in surprise. ¡°H-how did you prepare in advance?¡± His eyes were trembling in disbelief as he covered his mouth to prevent the tea from flowing out. ¡°I knew it was strange! You get stronger way too fast! What¡¯s your true identity, young master? Are you a god? A devil?!¡± ¡°Your superior.¡± Raon smacked Dorian¡¯s trembling head. ¡°Uaah!¡± He ignored Dorian as he kept rubbing his head and looked at Denning Rose instead. Her gentle smile looked like she was finding their exchange rather interesting. ¡°Ah, excuse me¡­¡± Denning Rose lowered her head slightly before raising it back up. Her sincere smile disappeared, and her fake smile resurfaced in the meantime. ¡°So, you managed to find it, right?¡± ¡°Yes. The drake seemed to have been outside the nest for a long time, but we have the nest¡¯s location for sure. However¡­¡± Her face hardened like a dried-up ster figure. ¡°We¡¯ve obtained information about the ck Tower¡¯s movement towards the location. They seemed to be targeting the drake.¡± ¡°The ck Tower¡­¡± ¡°The ck Tower is rtively unknown among the Five Demons. In my honest opinion, it would be better to avoid shing against them.¡± ¡°The ck Tower, I see¡­¡± ¡®Sounds pretty good.¡¯ As soon as he heard about the ck Tower¡¯s movement, a n formed in his mind that would allow him to obtain what he wanted without doing anything. ¡°Do you happen to have a map of that area?¡± ¡°Did you get an idea?¡± Denning Rose leaned forward with a wide eye. ¡°Yes.¡± A frightening smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he watched Dorian rub his head. ¡°I might be able to catch two fish and even a shrimp as extra.¡± While he was devising the n that would allow him to y both ends against the middle, Wrath¡¯s voice could be heard. Are you going to grill them? ¡®Please stop¡­¡¯ Chapter 360 Denning Rose ced a map on top of the round table. The crisp state of the paper indicated that it must¡¯ve been made for his request. ¡°The drake made his nest in the Jamari mountain range. It¡¯s pretty close from here.¡± She stretched the map out while saying it was in the Jamari mountain range, and the mountains on the map could be made out by a lot of contours. The map was enough to understand the geography around the area, as it seemed to have been thoroughly investigated. Raon looked down on the map with a faint smile on his face. ¡®The Jamari mountain range. Fortunately, I know that ce.¡¯ He had to go far into the west from Rokan City, where the Sephiapany was located, in order to reach the Jamari mountain range. It was a barren mountain area that didn¡¯t have many monsters because of how infertile it was. ¡®Werthers Vige¡­¡¯ He stroked the small vige on the right side on the way to the mountain with his finger. ¡®It looks like it still exists.¡¯ He had visited the vige on his way to a mission when he used to be an assassin, and he had warm memories where the vigers offered him a ce to sleep and a meal despite him being an outsider. ¡°Didn¡¯t the drake attack the people from this vige?¡± ¡°No one has been harmed yet, probably because it¡¯s pretty far from the mountain range and the drake usually goes towards the western sea.¡± Denning Rose shook her head while looking at the map. ¡°Still, wouldn¡¯t it be better for them to stay further away¡­?¡± ¡°Werthers Vige¡¯s regional products are mountain berries and chestnuts. That¡¯s what allows them to live in that infertilend, and they can¡¯t easily move away even if they know of the danger.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She was right. No matter how dangerous the monster was, it wasn¡¯t easy to leave their home. ¡°If you kill the drake this time, the vigers should be able to rest easy.¡± She smiled and asked him to defeat the drake. ¡°Werthers Vige¡¯s mountain berry pies and braided chestnuts are rumored to be the best in the continent. You should make sure to try it out after killing the drake.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t say it.¡¯ Raon tried to stop Denning Rose from saying it, but it was already toote. The word ¡®best in the continent¡¯ had already gone into the gluttonous demon king¡¯s ears. Ooh? Wrath briskly stood up and pointed at the map. Mountain berry pies and braided meats? ¡®Braided chestnuts¡­¡¯ Mountain berry pies and braided chestnuts? Awesome! The King of Essence has always wanted special food like that! It will be perfect as dessert after eating the grilled drake! Let¡¯s go right away! He started repeatedly hitting Raon¡¯s chest, urging him to depart. ¡®Why would you even eat the drake¡­?¡¯ Since it¡¯s difficult to find dragon meat, he¡¯ll be satisfied with that instead. It¡¯s rather chewy as a meat. ¡®Please stop¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head and looked at Denning Rose. ¡°Who came from the ck Tower?¡± ¡°The ck Commander Harrison and his subordinates seem to have been dispatched.¡± ¡°The ck Commander¡­¡± Fortunately, Raon had heard that name before. He was a famous powerhouse despite being from the ck Tower, and the rumors said that he was an advanced Master. Since a long time had passed since then, Raon expected him to be at the highest level of Master. ¡®He can be defeated. I just need to run if it gets dangerous.¡¯ Since he had acquired the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil, he could run away when it got dangerous aftering up with a detailed n. Raon looked at the map once again while determining his n in his mind. ¡®The area is also pretty good.¡¯ The chaoticyout of the vast mountain range created many spots where he could hide. ¡®It¡¯s a perfect location to fish and y them in my favor.¡¯ The ck Tower was trying to kill the drake, and the shadows were going to try killing him. It was the perfect area to make them sh against each other while they tried toplete their respective missions without knowing about the other party¡ªa chance to annihte them all at the same time. ¡°The nest must be located at the peak of the mountain range.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Denning Rose extended her finger to point at the center of the map. Obviously, the drake had made its nest at the highest spot of the mountain range. ¡°Drakes often leave their nests for an extended period of time. That¡¯s why they make their nests in a dangerous location¡ªto prevent other races from intruding.¡± She furrowed her brow, saying that it would be difficult to even reach it. ¡°ording to the investigations, this drake returns to its nest with a period ranging from seven to ten days. Since it supposedly left the nest three days ago, you should be able to get there before it returns.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded. It was enough time to reach the mountain range before the drake returned. And he even had enough time to take care of the ck Tower and the shadows. ¡°By the way, does it have any affinity?¡± ¡°A-affinity?¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes widened and he jumped at him. ¡°Do drakes even have an affinity?¡± ¡°They normally don¡¯t have any, but the ones that lived for a long time or the especially powerful ones have an affinity like dragons do.¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Dorian looked like he wasn¡¯t aware of that at all as his jaw dropped. His chin was trembling in fear. ¡°Unfortunately, it has one.¡± Denning Rose nodded her head heavily. ¡°Kuaah! Wh-what is it?¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and mmed his hands on the table. ¡°It appears to use the ice. Traces of ice breath have been found around its nest.¡± Denning Rose sighed and scratched the map with her nail slightly. ¡°I-i-ice?¡± ¡°Ice, I see.¡± Their reactions were theplete opposite. While Dorian¡¯s face turned suffocatingly pale, Raon couldn¡¯t suppress his smile. ¡®Ice, that¡¯s great.¡¯ His water resistance had reached seven-stars. He could expect to take no damage at all even if the drake¡¯s full-power ice breath tantly hit him. ¡°No, why are youughing now when she just said that the drake is powerful?! Aren¡¯t you worried at all when even the ck Tower ising after it?!¡± Dorian gasped at his ridiculous reaction. ¡°I can just take care of the ck Tower. And you have a higher chance of winning the trial from your father since the drake is so big.¡± The fact that the drake had an attribute implied that it was colossal. He just needed to bring a clean corpse from it, and thepetition was pretty much won. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian and Denning Rose nkly stared at him, unable toprehend his thought process. ¡°Unfortunately, this information isn¡¯tplete.¡± ¡°Which means¡­¡± Raon nodded while looking into Denning Rose¡¯s eyes. ¡®That it wasn¡¯t given to anyone else.¡¯ The ck Market¡¯s information always required uracy. Being iplete signified that they didn¡¯t give the information to anyone else. ¡°Our informant is standing by at the aforementioned Werthers Vige, so they should be able to help you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon stood up and lowered his head at Denning Rose. She¡¯d done pretty much everything she could do, which made him grateful to her. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± Dorian also stood up and bowed at Denning Rose. ¡°Ah, can I make one more request?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If someone asks about the drake¡¯s information at the Jamari mountain range tomorrow, can you simply show that you are positive about its presence?¡± He didn¡¯t expect Derus to make his move from Palen¡¯s information alone. It was thest piece he needed to deceive him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Denning Rose licked her lips and nodded. ¡°Since it won¡¯t be a lie, we are fine with saying that.¡± ¡°Thank you. As for the payment¡­¡± ¡°We already said that the search for the drake would be free.¡± ¡°I still need to pay extra since the ck Tower has interfered.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wouldn¡¯t be here right now if it wasn''t for you, Sir Raon.¡± Denning Rose shook her head with a smile. ¡°¡­If you still insist on giving me something, please bring some mountain berry pies and chestnut braids from Werthers Vige. I¡¯d like to try them out.¡± She smiled, saying that it was enough for her. Ooh! Wrath reacted before Raon. Which means we need to visit the vige! We also need to taste it! We need to buy two just in case and eat the defective one ourselves! Wrath licked his lips for a long time while saying strange things. He sounded full of anticipation. ¡®When will this gluttonous demon king stop being so dumb¡­?¡¯ ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll do that much.¡± Raon pushed Wrath away and nodded at Denning Rose. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you the most delicious pie.¡± * * * * * * Derus Robert¡¯s office. His butler, Regel, entered the room. It felt extremely cold despite the bright sunlight entering from the window. ¡°My lord.¡± ¡°Did you find it?¡± Derus¡¯s gaze was directed at him before Regel even bowed. He was asking whether he managed to find the unknown person who destroyed the submarine dungeon. He should¡¯ve regained hisposure a long time ago, but Derus was still unable to escape from his wrath because he¡¯d lost the elixir, the mythical creature, and even Martio at the same time. ¡°I beg your pardon.¡± Regel silently lowered his head. ¡°We¡¯ve investigated every single outsider, but we didn¡¯t manage to find anyone who set foot inside the dungeon.¡± Since Robert¡¯s domain had beautiful scenery, countless tourists visited it all year long. Finding a suspicious person in the midst of them was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Derus sighed and looked at the ceiling. He lowered his gaze a long time after that, and hisposure had returned. ¡°I have to ept it at this point.¡± ¡°My lord¡­¡± ¡°If you didn¡¯t manage to find it, then what brought you here?¡± ¡°Palen Sephia from the Sephiapany took the bait.¡± Regel took a document from his clothes. ¡°Palen Sephia¡­¡± Derus stroked his chin, his eyes serious. ¡°However, her request is different from our expectations. She asked to kill her youngest brother and his swordsmanpanion instead of the first and the second sons.¡± ¡°The youngest and his swordsmanpanion?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a person that you know, my lord.¡± Regel turned the document and ced it on Derus¡¯s desk. ¡°Hmm?¡± Derus frowned after reading the document. ¡°Raon Zieghart? Why is he there?¡± ¡°The youngest son of the Sephiapany, Dorian Sephia, is from the Light Wind squad. He¡¯s been using a fake family name, and that¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t known so far.¡± ¡°Does that mean that they were the only ones who left Zieghart and headed to Rokan?¡± ¡°That seems to be the case.¡± ¡°When?! Did you find out what they¡¯ve been doing?¡± He raised his chin while crushing his desk with his finger. ¡°They seemed to have moved in disguise because of the kidnapping incident by Eden. It¡¯s unknown when and how they moved.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Derus frowned while looking at Raon Zieghart¡¯s name on the document. ¡®Could it be his doing? No. It¡¯s impossible.¡¯ Even if he assumed that Raon Zieghart had the knowledge of the assassin Raon, he couldn¡¯t possibly have information about the submarine dungeon. The dungeon waspletely blocked when he was alive, and no information had leaked. ¡®However¡­ I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯ Derus was clearly getting an ominous feeling whenever he saw Raon Zieghart¡¯s name. ¡°What did she request exactly?¡± ¡°It appears that the Sephia president¡¯s trial consists of obtaining a drake¡¯s corpse.¡± ¡°A drake¡­¡± ¡°Palen Sephia imed that she wiretapped Dorian''s room to figure out the drake¡¯s location and their destination. She said that she would send the information as soon as we ept.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Derus closed his eyes before opening again while bobbing his finger. ¡°Even though Raon Zieghart came with him, isn¡¯t it strange for her to target the youngest instead of the first and the second sons?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve also investigated it, and she was apparently humiliated the day Raon arrived in the house. More specifically¡­¡± Regel summarized what happened between Raon and Palen. ¡°So it¡¯s for revenge instead ofpetition. That makes sense.¡± Derus slowly nodded. He could understand why Palen was trying to get rid of Raon and Dorian instead of the others after he heard Regel¡¯s story. ¡®It¡¯s getting interesting.¡¯ He was the one who threw the bait at Palen, but he didn¡¯t expect much from it since it was rather improbable that she would take it. He was nning for a different approach, but Raon ended up giving him an opportunity, which was rather surprising. ¡°Is Tenebre still not avable?¡± Derus lightly tapped on the desk. ¡°He¡¯s probably going to take two more weeks at least.¡± ¡°In that case, send Loktan and his poisonous crew.¡± ¡°Loktan¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to use a different method than might to kill Raon Zieghart. Loktan should be able to take him down with his own life at the very least.¡± His cold smile looked like he could imagine the situation already. ¡°Understood.¡± Naturally, Regel simply bowed without questioning anything. ¡°We will make the preparations as soon as Palen contacts us again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make your move right away. Buy information from the ck Market andpare it to make it sure.¡± Derus was thorough until the end, and even told him to double-check the information. ¡°Yes.¡± Regel bowed politely before leaving the room. Whap! Derus turned Regel¡¯s document into ash with a cold smile on his face. ¡®I thought you were a hindrance every single time, but you are giving me an opportunity this time. I¡¯ll grant you a painful death as a reward.¡¯ * * * The next day at noon, Palen Sephia walked up to the window and took a letter from the window¡¯s frame. She ced it on top of a table at the center of the room instead of reading it. ¡°Th-the response has arrived.¡± ¡°Good job.¡± Raon smiled and picked up the letter before opening it. It was written that they had epted the assassination request, and it was asking her to send them the information about Raon and Dorian until evening. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ If the ck Snake was an ordinary organization of assassins, they would¡¯ve never epted the request. However, Derus Robert was behind them. Raon had expected them to ept the request to kill him and shackle Palen Sephia afterward, and that was exactly what happened. Raon burned up the letter with Ten Thousand mes Cultivation before he took out a piece of paper from his clothes. ¡°Please write a letter with the contents of this paper and ce it in the window frame.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Palen Sephia received the letter with a trembling chin. She opened the paper and her eyes widened after she checked the contents. ¡°E-erm¡­¡± She swallowed nervously while holding the paper with a trembling hand. ¡°Ca-can I ask a question?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why are you baiting the assassins? The ck Snake is an organization that has never failed before. Isn¡¯t this going to be dangerous, even for you?¡± ¡°It is dangerous, but I can¡¯t leave them alone since they are making money out of human lives.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon coldly looked down on Palen Sephia. Her throat was trembling like a frog facing a snake. Bullshit. There¡¯s no way you would think like that. Wrath frowned and pointed out how absurd it was. ¡®You are right, however¡­ It works against other people. The ¡®honorable¡¯ nickname is useful at a time like this.¡¯ Since he was named Frostfire Sword of Valor, no one would rebuke him when he said something like that. The name was usually annoying, but it was extremely convenient to pretend he was working for a great cause. ¡°You just need to follow my instructions. You will be able to sleep soundly tonight if you do so.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Palen gave a stiff nod like a marite upon hearing that she could sleep soundly. ¡®I don¡¯t know what she did to her, but she¡¯s perfectly traumatized.¡¯ He could estimate that she needed at least a year to ovee the mental shock. In fact, it could take even longer since Palen was a prideful person with an immature mentality. ¡®And in the meantime¡­ She¡¯s pretty much my underling.¡¯ By the time Palen regained her sanity, thepany would already be Dorian¡¯s. Raon watched Palen write the information about the Jamari mountain range and the drake on a piece of paper before he stood up. ¡°A-are you leaving?¡± ¡°I need to get there in advance to make preparations.¡± Raon turned around before he left the room. ¡°Remember that she might be watching you at any moment.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You should behave normally.¡± ¡°U-understood!¡± Palen¡¯s body trembled as she nodded. What a terrifying threat. Wrath pinched his own arm, saying that it was giving him goosebumps. Raon chuckled and left Palen¡¯s room after removing his presence. * * * Raon finished his preparations and left the central administration building. Dorian was stamping his feet in front of the door while waiting. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware that we need to go as fast as possible, but I¡¯m reluctant to leave because the ck Tower is supposed to being¡­¡± Dorian grasped his head,ining that scary things had to happen every single time. Tsk! Wrath clicked his tongue while watching Dorian. He was giving the impression that he¡¯d changed, but he¡¯s still a coward. ¡®A human being can¡¯t change that quickly.¡¯ Raon chuckled and tapped on his scabbard. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We aren¡¯t the ones who are going to fight the ck Tower.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve called in reinforcements.¡± ¡°R-really? Did you call the Light Wind squad or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not them, but they are really good with the sword.¡± ¡®Although their sword is targeting our lives.¡¯ Aren¡¯t you going to tell him about you calling the assassins? ¡®He¡¯d start crying and refuse to leave if he knew.¡¯ That¡¯s reasonable. He would definitely do that. Wrath giggled at Dorian, who was breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon tapped on Dorian¡¯s shoulder and went ahead. ¡°We need to settle there before the ck Tower arrives.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian nodded with a brightened expression on his face and followed him. When they were about to leave the city while riding on a horse that they got from thepany, a noblewoman who was hiding her face with a parasol came towards them. ¡®That woman¡­¡¯ There was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize her. He could feel Denning Rose¡¯s presence from her. ¡®Why is she here?¡¯ Just like the name implied, the ck Market¡¯s officers never showed up outside. That was why her appearance was implying that an unexpected incident had urred. Whir. Raon created an aura barrier to block the sound. ¡°A problem has urred.¡± Denning Rose stepped up right next to him and raised her parasol slightly. ¡°The ck Tower managed to find the drake¡¯s location.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve already expected that to happen, didn¡¯t we?¡± Since the ck Tower was moving towards the Jamari mountain range, it could be guessed that they had already found out about the drake¡¯s nest. However, it didn¡¯t really matter since he had enough time until the drake¡¯s return. ¡°Yes. However, the ck Tower took a detour instead of heading straight to the mountain range.¡± Blood was flowing from Denning Rose¡¯s lips, which could be seen under the parasol. ¡°They attacked Werthers Vige.¡± Chapter 361 A middle-aged man with half of his brown hair turned white was walking out of a small forest while carrying a string bag on his back. The string bag was filled with chestnuts, and theirrge and lustrous appearance looked extremely delicious at a nce. ¡°Neji!¡± The middle-aged man called someone¡¯s name towards the iron door located at the center of the stone wall. ¡°Huh?¡± A young man who seemed to be in his twenties poked his head out above the iron door. ¡°Mister Joren, you returned early today. It¡¯s understandable since the other people aren¡¯t even working today since it¡¯s the weekend.¡± The young man named Neji smiled at the middle-aged man. ¡°I quickly finished the job since I had to go to the city afterward. I still brought quite a lot though.¡± The middle-aged man named Joren pointed at the string bag on his back. ¡°Wow, those are some fat chestnuts. We can take it easy this year.¡± Neji nodded with a cheerful smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s not just the chestnuts. The berries are also great this year.¡± ¡°I noticed they are rather expensive nowadays too. Won¡¯t we be able to expand the vige at this rate?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m heading to the city.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes. We need more manpower, so I¡¯m nning to find the workers in advance in the city.¡± ¡°Wow! What are you waiting for?! Come inside already!¡± Neji¡¯s footsteps could be heard as he ran downstairs, and the iron door split in half and opened up right after. ¡°It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t open the door before.¡± Joren smiled. When he was about to enter the vige, heavy footsteps were heard from behind him. He looked around and found that a group of people d in ck robes were walking towards the vige. ¡®Who are they¡­?¡¯ There were some infrequent visitors to Werthers Vige because they were famous for their berries and chestnuts, but their unexcited appearance didn¡¯t suggest that they were tourists at all. ¡®They are dangerous¡­¡¯ The intuition of his thirty years of life as a mercenary was whispering to him, telling him to run away as fast as possible. However, he couldn¡¯t simply run and leave his home and family behind. Joren hurriedly closed the iron door that was being open and stood in front of the door. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There were a lot of people, but none of them responded. They continued walking and arrived right in front of the vige¡¯s entrance. The man at the very front raised his head. His ck eyes looked like they werepletely scorched. Goosebumps appeared all over his body upon seeing his eyes. ¡°M-mister! Who are they¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯te outside!¡± Joren shook his hand at Neji before leaning his back towards the door. ¡°Is this Werthers Vige?¡± The ck-eyed man opened his mouth. His voice was an embodiment of unknown darkness, and it echoed as if he were talking from deep underground. ¡°Aah¡­¡± His heart skipped a beat just from hearing the voice. His strength left his body, and he couldn¡¯t do anything at all. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Joren bit his lip tightly and nodded. ¡°How many people live in this vige?¡± ¡°Why are you asking that question?¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but¡­¡± ¡°Your opportunity ran out.¡± The ck-eyed man shook his hand as if he were chasing a fly away. ¡°What do you mea¡ªah!¡± The dark ws emerged from his hand, and Joren¡¯s body was cut into four pieces. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± ¡°Silence.¡± Neji, who¡¯d been watching from above, started to scream and tried to ring the bell, but the man¡¯s hand lowered smoothly, as if he were directing an orchestra. Crack! The dark ws dwelling in his hand fell diagonally. The iron door and the stone walls burst without leaving any trace, and even Neji¡ªwho was standing below¡ªturned into a pool of blood and fell. ¡°Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening¡­?¡± Werthers Vigers watched the scene from below the walls and sank to the ground as if they couldn¡¯t control their bodies. The terror they felt from the ck-eyed man¡¯s intense energy was that great. ¡°Gather every viger in one ce.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The ck-robed men scattered like ghosts upon hearing the ck-eyed man¡¯smand. ¡°Aah!¡± ¡°L-let me go!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The ck-robed men dug holes into people¡¯s bodies with hooks that were covered with dark energy and dragged them like cattle toward the center. ¡°There¡¯s a mean rat over there.¡± The ck-eyed man shook his hand towards the right side. Dark ws extended from his hand, then fell upon a sturdy house topletely crush it, creating a huge scar on the ground. Pssh! A dangerous amount of flesh and blood flowed to the ground along with someone¡¯s shoulder from behind the copsing wall. Rumble! The house copsed, and the person who lost their arm was crushed under the debris before they could even scream. The ck-eyed man stared at the copsed house for a moment before he turned his head. The vigers were only looking at the ground with their faces turned pale. ¡°Thirty-nine. Their number is enough for the sacrifice.¡± He nodded while looking at them. ¡°How are the preparations going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s done. We finished injecting the demonic energy into everyone.¡± A woman nodded. Her robe was dragging on the ground because of her small height. ¡°We are bringing all of them.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The small woman stood in front of the people upon hearing his order. A strange resonanceing out from her mouth wasn¡¯t a humannguage, and the people lost focus in their eyes upon hearing it. They stood up while wobbling like zombies and started walking towards the Jamari mountain range. The ck-eyed man rolled his lips into a smile while watching them. ¡°I¡¯m curious about what kind of monster they will make once they are reborn.¡± * * * Raon couldn¡¯t stop himself anymore and turned his head towards Denning Rose. ¡°What do you mean? Why did they attack Werthers Vige?¡± Werthers Vige was close to the Jamari mountain range, but they weren¡¯t in their path. The ck Tower would¡¯ve needed to stray far into the right, and Raon couldn¡¯t understand why they went out of their way to attack them. ¡°I don¡¯t understand either. Our agent in the vige seems to have been killed, as we aren¡¯t getting any response after he said that the ck Tower was attacking them.¡± Denning Rose clenched her fist without raising her head. He must¡¯ve been an agent that she cherished, as it was rare for her to reveal her emotions. ¡°How is this happening¡­?¡± Dorian gathered his trembling hands upon hearing about the unexpected incident. ¡°This is just an assumption¡­¡± Denning Rose slowed her steps and looked at Raon furtively. ¡°Yes, tell me.¡± ¡°In my opinion, they must be trying to sacrifice the vigers.¡± ¡°Sacrifice?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing that they are going to inject the mana of darkness into the vigers and feed them to the drake to umte the negative energy inside the drake before killing it.¡± ¡°Negative energy¡­¡± Raon nodded while touching his lips. ¡®Indeed. That¡¯s the most likely scenario.¡¯ He agreed with Denning Rose that it seemed to be the only reason why the ck Tower would suddenly attack the vige when they were trying to kill the drake. No, he was hoping that it was the case, as sacrificing them meant that the vigers would still be alive. Mana of darkness? Wrath violently ground his teeth. How dare they disturb the King of Essence¡¯s dessert when they are nothing but peasants who borrow a demon¡¯s power?! He furiously ground his teeth and unleashed the energy of wrath because he couldn¡¯t eat the food he wanted anymore. ¡®It¡¯s a bit different.¡¯ What¡¯s different now? ¡®The ck Tower does use the energy of darkness, but it¡¯s not an ordinary energy of darkness.¡¯ What else is it? ¡®They used the energy of darkness after absorbing it into their vitality.¡¯ The ck Tower didn¡¯t simply use the energy of darkness butbined it with their own life¡ªtheir vitality. It was truly an insane method. That was why their output was a lot stronger than the normal method, both in terms of martial arts and magic. They aren¡¯t even demons, yet theybine the mana of darkness into their vitality? Are they trying to kill themselves? ¡®They don¡¯t die, unfortunately.¡¯ Raon sighed and looked at Wrath. ¡®You should help if you want to eat the mountain berry pie or the braised chestnut. Of course! The King of Essence¡¯s got this! Wrath confidently clenched his round, hamlike fist. Even though he was usually nothing but a useless mouth, he was bound to be helpful sometimes. ¡®I should leave Dorian behind.¡¯ Since the ck Tower made the first move and they even had hostages, he couldn¡¯t guarantee that everything would go ording to n anymore. Since bringing the cowardly Dorian with him could be even more troublesome, Raon figured it was better to leave him behind. ¡°Dorian, you should¡­ Hmm?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened once he turned to look at Dorian. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He thought Dorian would be trembling in fear, but he was staring at him while clenching the hilt of his sword. His trembling hand showed his fear, but there was no darkness in his glowing eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯m also going.¡± Dorian took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be something I can do!¡± Raon smiled faintly while meeting his eyes. ¡®You grew up.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t too impressed even when Dorian became the highest-level Expert, but he could clearly feel his growth upon seeing his eyes. We should bring him with us. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Raon nodded and looked at Denning Rose. ¡°We are going to leave right away since every second counts.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no dimensional door since it¡¯s a remote ce. We¡¯ve prepared horses on the way so that you can switch as you go. The rest is up to you.¡± Denning Rose had already made the preparations despite the urgency of the situation. She was truly an amazing person. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded and left Rokan City with the horse. ¡®Just in case.¡¯ He went to the bushes outside the city and quietly called Merlin so that Dorian wouldn¡¯t hear him. ¡®Merlin, Merlin.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t feel any presence at all, unlike the other times. Merlin had mentioned that she still had something left to do, and it must¡¯ve been true. A madwoman like her is never there when you need them. Wrath frowned while saying that it was ssic behavior of mad women. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped. We have to go without her help.¡¯ Raon sighed briefly and mounted the horse. It was going to take longer, but he had no other method avable. ¡°We won¡¯t rest until we arrive.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and gave him a big nod. Raon smiled at Dorian because he wasn¡¯t running away from his fear. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± * * * * * * Creak. Derus Robert was sitting in front of a man, who had a carefree expression on his face like a yboy, inside his office. The door was opened before Regel entered the room. ¡°My lord.¡± Regel straightened his back and bowed at him. ¡°We¡¯ve finished the confirmation. A drake¡¯s nest really exists at the peak of the Jamari mountain range.¡± ¡°So, Palen Sephia was telling the truth.¡± Derus smiled coldly at Regel. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not a reason to be relieved, but at least the suspicion is gone.¡± Regel closed his eyes and nodded. ¡°Loktan.¡± Derus looked at the middle-aged man standing in front of him. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± The middle-aged man named Loktan lowered his head. His voice was heavy, unlike his frivolous expression. ¡°Can you get rid of Raon Zieghart?¡± Derus Robert sounded like he was asking a question, but it wasn¡¯t actually a question. He was ordering him to achieve it no matter what. ¡°Of course.¡± Loktan nodded, without being intimidated by his frightening order. ¡°He¡¯s just a child who is good with a sword. I can y him like a toy and kill him.¡± ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. He can determine his opponent¡¯s martial art at a nce.¡± Derus frowned while remembering Raon¡¯s swordsmanship, which he¡¯d seen in the arena. ¡°So he¡¯s a genius that even my lord acknowledges. It makes it even easier for me.¡± Loktan smiled while spinning his wrist. ¡°Because I''m a genius when ites down to hunting those greenhorns.¡± ¡°I believe in you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°However, don¡¯t massacre people unnecessarily.¡± ¡°Of course. I won¡¯t. I don¡¯t kill people for pleasure.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t deny it. You are a murderer who destroys an entire vige every time you go on a mission.¡± ¡°Haha, that was when I was still young¡­¡± Loktan awkwardly scratched his cheek. However, his eyes were glowing with a murderous intent that couldn¡¯t be hidden. ¡°Do you need anything?¡± Derus looked down on Loktan coldly. ¡°There¡¯s one thing I need.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We might arrive there after everything¡¯s over because it took too much time to gather information. May I ask to take care of the movement?¡± Loktan scratched the back of his head while murmuring that he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to walk. ¡°Regel.¡± Derus Robert nodded at Regel instead of Loktan. ¡°Tell him to make the preparations.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Regel bowed before he left the office. ¡°You won¡¯t reach the mountain range, but he should be able to bring you to the vicinity.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll repay your trust with the mission¡¯spletion.¡± Loktan smiled and raised his hand. Energies with various colors creeped out from his finger. ¡°Even though he¡¯s a genius who is rumored to be the strongest warrior in the future, he is going to perish before he realizes what happened to him.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll melt down his corpse and bring the drake''s heart back as a present.¡¯ * * * Raon kept changing horses and even used the footwork to reach the area near Werthers Vige. ¡®It¡¯s so eerie.¡¯ The walls of Werthers Vige used to have a warm scenery despite its thickness. However, the vige he was seeing from afar waspletely ruined. It almost looked like a dragon had crushed it with its ws. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply to brace himself before he entered the vige. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As soon as they entered the vige, Dorian covered his mouth and groaned. It couldn¡¯t be helped. People¡¯s corpses were ripped apart like pieces of paper, and chunks of flesh were dposing like rotten meat. The entire vige was covered in disgusting stench of fertilizer and evil energies. Raon clenched his back teeth while looking at the corpses that had turned ck from dposition. ¡®Mana of darkness.¡¯ They looked like they''d been rotting for months even though the assault had only happened a few days ago, and that was proof that they were killed with the mana of darkness. What a nasty stench. Just like you said, something is mixed into their demonic energy. Wrath also frowned in displeasure. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon examined the vige without averting his eyes from the cruelty and the stench. ¡®There aren¡¯t enough corpses.¡¯ Considering the vige¡¯s size, he could expect the number of vigers to be from thirty to fifty people, yet there were only ten corpses around. That implied that the other people hadn¡¯t died inside the vige. ¡®Were they really taken awa¡ªhmm? Is that someone breathing?¡¯ He had just thought that Denning Rose had predicted the situation correctly when he could hear the sound of a person breathing from a copsed building. It was an extremely thin and weak breath that sounded like it could stop at any moment. Raon used footwork to quickly run towards it and lifted the debris. A man without an arm and a hole in his stomach was under the rubble, and he opened his eyes with difficulty. ¡®This is¡­ The Carbon Cultivation Technique!¡¯ The technique was made for a situation where the user had to deliver a message despite a serious injury, and it consisted of removing one¡¯s breath to feign death. However, they were bound to die the moment they finished the technique and an intense pain visited them while they survived. That was why most people didn¡¯t use it even if they¡¯d learned the technique. The man in front of him had been enduring the deadly pain while waiting for someone¡¯s arrival. ¡°Are you from the ck Market?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Just like Raon had expected, he was the ck Market agent that Denning Rose had dispatched. ¡°Y-you must be Sir Raon.¡± The agent¡¯s voice was shivering. He was about to die. ¡°Yes. If you have anything to tell me¡­¡± ¡°Th-the ck Tower¡¯s ck Commander came to the vige and took away the vigers. H-he said that he was going to feed them to the drake as sacrifices and shoved the mana of darkness in their bodies.¡± The agent grabbed his own body with his only arm and continued. ¡°H-he said that he could umte the mana of darkness inside the d-drake by feeding it people who were poisoned by the mana of darkness. They must be nning to leave the people in the nest to feed them to the drake before killing it.¡± ¡°Please have a drink.¡± Dorian tried to give some water to the agent, but he refused with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Th-the ck Commander can unleash ws of demonic energy from his hand. I couldn¡¯t defend against it even though I hardened my defense. Th-there was also a small magician, and her mana was extremely powerful.¡± The agent had even figured out the ck Commander¡¯s attack pattern and the level of his subordinates. ¡°P-please.¡± He didn¡¯t even mention his name or beg for his life. All he asked was for Raon to save the vigers as he forced himself to smile while grabbing Raon¡¯s hand. That was when he hung his head, his thin breath suddenlying to an end. Raon grasped the agent¡¯s hand, which was quickly getting colder, tightly. The agent was simply dispatched to the vige. He didn¡¯t really know the vigers nor was he close to them. He was only making that request because he was a human being. It was thest request made from the man who¡¯dsted that long while simply living as a human. ¡®I ept your request.¡¯ Raon bowed to the agent, whose name he didn¡¯t even know. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian ran up to him while wiping his tears with his sleeve. He was cowardly, and even more of a crybaby, but he¡¯d be a trustworthy fellow. ¡°I have a job for you.¡± ¡°L-leave it to me.¡± Raon spread the map out while listening to his response. He pointed behind the highest peak where the drake¡¯s nest was located. ¡°Head to the nest by climbing the cliff behind it to avoid the ck Tower¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°A-am I supposed to climb the mountain?¡± ¡°Yes. Please protect the vigers from the drake and the ck Tower.¡± ¡°Erm¡­ U-understood!¡± Dorian was terrified like always and was about to shake his head, but he bit his lip and nodded sharply. ¡°You should be able to do it. Equip every single artifact that you have that can conceal your presence.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Dorian took out various pieces of equipment from his belly pocket and equipped them around his body. ¡°What about you, vice squad leader?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Raon closed the map and looked up to the highest peak of the Jamari mountain range. Crimson lightning sparked in his eyes as he looked into the darkness. ¡°¡­shall take out the trash from there.¡± ¡®Without a single exception.¡¯ Chapter 362 Groaning could be heard from the copsed people¡ªnumbering more than thirty¡ªin the drake¡¯s nest at the highest peak of the Jamari mountain range, which seemed to reach the red moon. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡°P-please save me.¡± ¡°Uwaah¡­¡± ¡°P-please!¡± Everyone had a dark hole in their bodies. Strangely, no blood was flowing from the wounds. However, the holes were getting graduallyrger, and their ckened blood vessels could be seen. The flesh around the holes was being crushed like rotten fruit. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The ck Commander looked down on them coldly, as if he were looking at insects, before he made his way down from the peak. ¡°Izzel.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A small, blond-haired woman stepped forward and knelt upon hearing the ck Commander¡¯s call. ¡°How are the preparations going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s done. The drake shall return before sunrise.¡± A ck sphere floated from Izzel¡¯s hand. Her eyes turned serious as she looked into the sphere. ¡°What about the ck Spirits?¡± ¡°They are guarding the surrounding area to reduce the burden on the Floor Overseer. They will start their move once the drake returns.¡± ¡°Good job.¡± The ck Commander nonchntly nodded. He went to the stone mountain on the right and concealed his presence to avoid being noticed by the drake. ¡°ck Commander.¡± Izzel hid behind the boulder next to the ck Commander and quietly called to him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Why did you bring your noble self here when we would¡¯ve been enough to take care of the matter?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The ck Commander stared at Izzel without saying anything. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Izzel bit her lip tightly. She seemed to be afraid of his dark eyes. ¡°It was the order from the tower¡¯s vice-master.¡± ¡°Th-the vice-master¡¯s order¡­¡± ¡°The drake that settled here is a special one that can use the power of ice. It might turn into a mythical monster if we feed it with the mana of darkness in the sacrifices.¡± The ck Commander responded emotionlessly and looked up to the summit. ¡°A mythical monster¡­¡± Izzel clenched her fist while following his gaze. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ The lengthy exnation from the ck Commander implied how much he trusted her. She wanted to be recognized by the ck Commander, who was acting under the direct order of the tower¡¯s vice-master. ¡°P-please leave the drake¡¯s capture to me. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± ¡°Izzel.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Izzel raised her head upon hearing the call. However, she could never hear the response she was looking for. ¡°You just need to amplify the mana of darkness inside the sacrifices and call the drake. That¡¯s the only job you have.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You should know your ce before running your mouth.¡± ¡°P-please excuse me!¡± Izzel lowered her head with a trembling chin. She couldn¡¯t move at all because she could feel the cold gaze piercing her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, the ck Commander wasn¡¯t even interested in her. He quietly kept staring at the summit just like when he¡¯d arrived. * * * Five summits were rising on the other side of the stone mountain where the ck Tower¡¯s masked men were hiding. Loktan frowned while crouching between those summits. ¡®What¡¯s happening? Why are the ck Tower goons around here?¡¯ He managed to quickly arrive at the mountain range thanks to ¡®his¡¯ teleportation magic, but the first thing he saw was the ck Tower¡¯s masked men, who were dragging ordinary people to the summit. He would¡¯ve been discovered if he¡¯d arrived a bit earlier orter, but the ck Tower didn¡¯t notice his presence because they were too upied with injecting the mana of darkness into the people before amplifying it. ¡®Are they also targeting the drake?¡¯ Judging from the situation, they seemed to be unaware of Raon¡¯s arrival, and they were preupied with injecting the mana of darkness into the people to feed them to the drake. Loktan smiled coldly while looking at the stone mountain, where the naked men were hiding. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ Since Raon Zieghart was named the Frostfire Sword of Valor, there was no way he would overlook the situation. He was bound to sh against the ck Tower, which meant that he could get his job done without having to do any work. ¡®No, no. A painless death is wasted on him.¡¯ His lord had been annoyed by Raon Zieghart many times in the past. Loktan figured that it would leave a bitter taste in his mouth if he let such an unpleasant bastard have an easy death. Whap. Loktan snickered and raised his finger. Gray and green energies emerged from between his index and middle fingers. ¡®This is the best one to use when ites to pain.¡¯ They were concentrated poisons. The gray was from a mineral, and the green was from a nt. ¡®I¡¯ll make you have yourst dance as you die.¡¯ They were already powerful poisons as they were, butbining the two created a poison called the Devil¡¯s Bloody Dance, named as much because the struggle of the affected one looked like a dancer bewitched by a devil. The poison was difficult to use, but he was confident he could poison everyone by spreading it while Raon was fighting against the ck Tower. Whir. Loktan carefully concocted the poison when the team leader of his poison crew walked up to him. ¡°Sir Loktan.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be reporting the ck Tower¡¯s arrival?¡± He briefly licked his lips while pointing at the location where the ck Tower was hiding. ¡°We don¡¯t need to.¡± Loktan slowly shook his head. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You must be feeling insecure because the order to report is engraved in your brain, but we don¡¯t need to do it today.¡± He snickered while pointing behind him. ¡°Because our lord has already sent additional informants.¡± Loktan smiled coldly as hepleted the Devil¡¯s Bloody Dance. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± The team leader bowed to him and stepped back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about such a trivial matter. Did you finish your preparations?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The team leader nodded. ¡°We can change the direction of the wind to spread the poison whenever you want.¡± ¡°Alright, be ready.¡± Loktan grinned while tapping the back of his hand, where the Devil¡¯s Bloody Dance was dwelling, with his finger. ¡°For our dancer¡¯s arrival.¡± * * * Yes, that¡¯s right. Start by dding yourself with wrath. Wrath¡¯s voice was quietly echoing in his ears. You have to use the wrath instead of the aura. That¡¯s the real way of using the Perception of the Snow Flower. Raon nodded and widened his perception as much as possible. The wrath surged from the bottom of his soul to spread toward the end of his aura perception. It felt like his skin was stretching endlessly. He realized that the Perception of the Snow Flower was really supposed to use wrath as fuel instead of aura, just like Wrath had said. Don¡¯t stop there yet. Wrath¡¯s wrath was seeping into him. He wasn¡¯t trying to take over his body, he was trying to help him further extend his perception. Once you are d in wrath, spread yourself into nature. It should feel like you are bing one with nature. Raon carved Wrath¡¯s advice in his mind and scattered his mana mixed with wrath. It felt the same as when flowers were blooming from the me Spirit. The extremely thin and intricate mana incorporating the wrath scattered all around the world. Whap! He felt like he was taking off eye patches that were covering his soul, and his vision¡ªor, rather, all of his perception¡ªbroke through its limits and expanded endlessly. Whoosh! The stench of a gutter could be scented from the rocky mountain on the right side. It was the location where the ck Tower¡¯s masked men were hiding. ¡®Is he the one?¡¯ One of their number¡¯s pressure was particrly nasty, and Raon figured that he must¡¯ve been the ck Commander, one of the ck Tower¡¯s floor overseers. Raon identified the presence of the ck Commander, a magician with a rtivelyrge amount of energy, and thirty ck Spirits before moving his aura perception to the left. Pssh. He could feel the presence of forty people above a steep summit. They were the shadows sent by Derus. ¡®So they are here after all.¡¯ Raon guessed that they must¡¯ve used teleportation magic since they¡¯d arrived earlier than himself. He started to identify their presence one by one when he felt a huge yet familiar poisonous aura. ¡®Wait, is that Loktan?¡¯ There weren¡¯t many deviants in the world who carried such a disgusting stench of poison with them. He must¡¯ve been Loktan, a poisoner who taught the shadows how to use poison. ¡®I get to see another piece of trash here.¡¯ Loktan had turned an entire vige into a poisoned area instead of his target in the past when he was trying out a new poison he¡¯d made. He¡¯d also fed snake venom to Raon and the other children during a poison lesson and left them until they were on the verge of death. ¡®The ones next to him aren¡¯t any better.¡¯ Loktan¡¯s poison crew used human venom, which is acquired by killing people. The amount of poison they had suggested that they¡¯d massacred people unrted to their mission, just like Loktan. Their disgusting aura told him that they were definitely murdering people for fun. ¡®Perfect. I wanted to take care of them.¡¯ Raon was aware of why Loktan was sent by Derus Robert. He must¡¯ve been nning to poison him, as an average assassin wouldn''t achieve anything against him. ¡®However¡­ It won¡¯t work against me.¡¯ The fact that he already knew about Loktan¡¯s poison was one of the reasons, but he also had Poison Resistance and the Ring of Fire. He could devour such garbage poison without any issue. ¡®Thank you for underestimating me.¡¯ Derus was going to lose another precious subordinate of his. As for thest, Raon focused his senses at the highest summit of the Jamari mountain range where the drake¡¯s nest was located. ¡®About thirty-five people¡­¡¯ The number of vigers on the summit was smaller than what he¡¯d heard from the agent. ¡®They must¡¯ve used them to call the drake.¡¯ He could guess that the ck Tower¡¯s masked men had killed some of the vigers and scattered their blood in order to hasten the drake¡¯s return. ¡®They aren¡¯t in a good condition.¡¯ A powerful demonic energy wasing out from their bodies because they were poisoned by the mana of darkness. All of them are going to die before tomorrow morning at this rate. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ He agreed with Wrath. They didn¡¯t have much time left. You must save them at all costs, for the sake of the King of Essence¡¯s desserts! Raon smiled faintly. Even though his motivation was dessert, he was grateful that Wrath was doing his best to save people. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, Dorian has arrived.¡¯ He could feel an extremely small presence behind the summit where the people were located. It was small enough that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to feel it without Wrath¡¯s help, and Dorian was sticking to the side of the summit. ¡®It¡¯s my turn now.¡¯ Raon exhaled softly before he reduced the Perception of the Snow Flower and focused on the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil instead. Whap! The wrath in his soul engulfed his body and assimted him into the world. He buried his presence into the flowing scents of wind and soil. It¡¯s not enough yet. Wrath shook his finger, telling him that he could do better. Feel nature more deeply. Imagine that you are breathing with your lungs instead of your nose. He unleashed his wrath to show the example. Wrath seeped into the flow of the world, and his plump cotton candy body couldn¡¯t be found anymore for an instant. ¡®Alright.¡¯ Raon analyzed Wrath¡¯s flow through the Ring of Fire and engulfed himself with the exact same flow. Unlike the Perception of the Snow Flower, which felt like his body was scattered in all directions, he felt like the world was entering his body. Whir. His presence used to be as small as a pebble, but it diminished to the size of a grain of sand. It¡¯s pretty decent now. Wrath nodded, saying that it wasn¡¯t too bad. However, you¡¯ll be found out if you get too close. ¡®I know.¡¯ He needed them to find out anyway to make the ck Tower bastards follow his presence. Raon calmed himself before he moved to the right. He used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step to move like flowing water and reached behind a ck Spirit who was guarding at the edge. Psh. He stabbed the ck spirit¡¯s heart with the de of Requiem and covered his mouth. He didn¡¯t even know what happened to him as he immediately perished. Wh-what? Why is this so clean? ¡®I already told you, I¡¯m good with assassination.¡¯ He immediately moved aside to sever the second ck Spirit¡¯s neck. Just like the previous one, he sank into the darkness before he could even let out the smallest groan. Raon went around outside the ck Commander¡¯s perception range to eliminate the ck Spirits one after the other. After he killed five ck Spirits, he went towards the center. ¡®He will find out if I assassinate them from this distance.¡¯ Moving silently should¡¯ve been fine, but the ck Commander was going to notice if he assassinated anyone. However, that was the key part of his n. Psh. Raon went towards the center and pierced the heart of the closest ck-robed man. Wham! Even though the assassination didn¡¯t make any sound at all, a frightening amount of energy burst from the rocky mountains. The ck Commander was unleashing his mana of darkness. ¡®I did it!¡¯ He used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step, which was the fastest, to run to the other side of the summit. He unleashed a small amount of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and fired it to the front. The faint heat spread around like perfume and created a line between the rocky mountain where the ck Tower was located and the summit where the poison crew was hiding. ¡®It¡¯s your turn now, ck Commander.¡¯ Instead of heading to the summit, Raon escaped to a hill that he¡¯d previously investigated with a smile on his face. ¡®Have fun with the trash.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Izzel.¡± The ck Commander called to the woman who looked like a magician inside the rocky mountain. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Gather the ck Spirits.¡± ¡°But right now¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up.¡± ¡°U-understood!¡± The woman called Izzel gathered the ck Spirits, but only twenty-four of them appeared. ¡°H-how is this happening¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an assassin.¡± The ck Commander narrowed his eyes while looking at the summit on the other side, where he could feel a faint fragrance of mana. ¡°Cast the scanning spell in that direction.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Izzel scanned, and the mana¡¯s flow became visible. The red line was directed at the multiple summits on the west. ¡°I-it¡¯s connected to that location. And¡­¡± ¡°So the assassins were there.¡± ¡°Yes. Around forty people are hiding their presence!¡± ¡°You vermin, how dare you!¡± The ck Commander ground his teeth and kicked the ground. The darkness burst out around him to spread into ck wings. ¡°Follow the floor overseer!¡± Izzel and the ck Spirits started running towards the summit and followed the ck Commander. * * * ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Loktan¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw the ck Commander and the ck-robed men running towards him. ¡°Why are theying here?!¡± He could feel a faint heat around him, and they suddenly started to run towards him like crazy. He couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. ¡°I-it looks like they discovered us.¡± The team leaders walked up to him and swallowed nervously. ¡°How?!¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t sure about that¡­¡± They shook their heads, telling him that they couldn¡¯t understand either. ¡°God damn it!¡± Loktan swore and stood up. He could tell that the ck Commander had found out his location. ¡°Move the wind. We are getting rid of them before the mission.¡± The ck Tower was extremely persistent, as expected of people who use the mana of darkness. They were going to follow even if they escaped, which meant that killing them while they still had the geographical advantage was the best option. Whir! Loktan raised his hand. The Devil¡¯s Bloody Dance that he¡¯d concocted a moment ago burst out like an invisible heat haze. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ He¡¯d prepared the poison to kill Raon, but he didn¡¯t have time. He had to use it to defend against the ck Tower. Whoosh! He released the Devil¡¯s Bloody Dance into the wind that the team leaders had created. The colorless and odorless poison followed the wind and spread throughout the ck Tower¡¯s group. Right before the Devil¡¯s Bloody Dance fell upon the tower¡¯s spirits, the ck Commander raised his hand from the spearhead. The ck ws emerging from his hand looked huge enough to reach the sky. ¡°Die.¡± He shed with the ws of darkness as he spoke, and the entire summit was cut apart. ¡°Damn it!¡± Loktan bit his lip and stepped back. The summit that was hiding them was severed in a single strike, and it could only be described as insane. ¡°Spread out! Spread out and kill them! I¡¯ll take care of that violent boar!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The poison users who managed to survive scattered in all directions and thrust their swords at the ck Spirits. ¡°So you were the one who did it.¡± The ck Commander¡¯s ck eyes were directed at Loktan. ¡°Life for life, ording to the ck Tower¡¯sws.¡± The extensive energy spreading from his hands looked like he was d in the night. He almost looked like he was holding a sword of darkness. ¡°You crazy bastard! What have we even done to you?!¡± Loktan climbed towards the peak and threw daggers from his hands. Five des with different poisons applied in them pierced through the air toward the ck Commander¡¯s vitals like an eagle. ng! The ck Commander fended off the daggers with his darkness-d cape before he closed the distance from the front. ¡°You are the ones who started it.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t even do anything! I don¡¯t know what happened to you, but it was someone else¡¯s doing!¡± ¡°Make it believable at least. You reek of the stench of an assassin.¡± ¡°It was not our doing!¡± Loktan mmed his chest in frustration. ¡°You unleashed the wind and poison as soon as we approached. You looked like you were waiting for it.¡± ¡°But that was made for someone else¡­¡± ¡°Your chance is over.¡± The ck eyes glowed from the ck Commander, and the mana of darkness burst out like a fire around him. His long ws bent like a whip to fall upon Loktan like lightning. Whaam! The summit that Loktan had been climbing was cut apart and started to fall under the cliff. ¡°Damn it!¡± Loktan bit his lip tightly as he jumped down from the summit. The yellow aura of poison was emerging around his body. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll grant your wish and kill you.¡± He created a wall of poison and red viciously at him. ¡°I¡¯ll melt you down without leaving a single bone!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll turn your flesh into a sacrifice!¡± The ck Commander¡¯s mana of darkness and Loktan¡¯s poison shed against each other. Whaam! They weren¡¯t the only ones. The poison users and the ck Tower¡¯s masked men started to fight against each other all over the Jamari mountain range. ang! The endless shes between the assassins¡¯ des and the energies of darkness created a dissonant orchestra throughout the area. Raon softly lowered his hand like a conductor from the top of a hill, where he could witness the entire hellish scenery. Poison and the mana of darkness. They were both nasty energies that sucked the life out of their opponents alongside intense pain. The ck Spirits and the poison users were the perfect matches for each other. Raon raised his eyes to examine the drake¡¯s nest on the other side. ¡®He managed to climb.¡¯ Dorian had reached the drake¡¯s nest in the midst of the chaos. His trembling limbs revealed his extreme fear, but Raon was proud of him since he kept moving to save people. ¡®Now then¡­¡¯ A deadly glow sparkled in Raon¡¯s eyes as he watched Loktan and the ck Commander attack each other with a poisonous fist and ws of darkness. ¡®Let¡¯s prepare for the grand finale.¡¯ Chapter 363 ang! Thud! The battle between the assassins and the ck Spirits intensified more and more over time. Since both the poison and the mana of darkness caused intense pain to the opponent at a single touch, they were doing their best to kill each other while dripping with bloodlust. Raon snickered while looking down on them. ¡®Serves you right.¡¯ The sight of their faces twisting in pain brought a smile to Raon¡¯s face. It felt so nice to see them because they were scoundrels who didn¡¯t care at all about the other people¡¯s pain. ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Some of them started to die because of the poison or mana of darkness, but Raon didn¡¯t feel guilty in the slightest. The ck Tower had attacked innocent vigers to turn them into sacrifices, and Loktan had massacred people before by spreading poison. All of them deserved death. Huh¡­ Wrath gasped while watching the chaotic battlefield. ¡­It can only be described as insane. ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯ You did mention that you would y them to your advantage, but the King of Essence didn¡¯t expect it to actually happen. Wrath had thought that Raon had finally gone insane when he¡¯d said that he would make the two parties fight against each other when they werepletely unrted, but it was actually happening. He couldn¡¯t stop his head from trembling from how ridiculous it was. ¡®This isn¡¯t the first time though.¡¯ Indeed. That¡¯s the most irritating part. Wrath was helping him because the ck Tower was a hindrance to his dessert, but he couldn¡¯t help getting angry because everything was going too well. It was strange, but he felt angry whenever Raon was having a great time. Aren¡¯t you going to act? ¡®I¡¯ll take care of those two by myself.¡¯ Raon pointed at the ck Commander and Loktan, who were fighting right under the summit. ¡®I said this before, but I need to prepare to finish this for now. It¡¯s not my turn yet.¡¯ He turned around and looked at a lower summit from far away. ¡®I have another thing to do for now.¡¯ Did you even notice that? ¡®Because my aura perception ascended to a whole different level.¡¯ Kuh¡­ Wrath frowned in displeasure. ¡®Why are you so irritated when you are the one who taught me how to use the Perception of the Snow Flower and the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil?¡¯ He¡¯s angry because you are too good with them. He shouldn¡¯t have done that! He punched the ground, saying that he was distracted by mere desserts. ¡®What¡¯s done cannot be undone.¡¯ Raon tapped Wrath¡¯s shoulder and turned around. ¡®It¡¯s toote to regret.¡¯ He used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step and went to the lower hill around the entrance of the Jamari mountain range. The Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step was the most quiet and delicate footwork among the Supreme Harmony Steps. He reached his destination in an instant without leaving the faintest trace on the ground. Once he climbed the summit, he could see a masked man hiding between tworge rocks. He was watching the battle between the poison crew and the ck Tower with a telescope. ¡®So he was here.¡¯ He was an informant whose job was to scout and report. He was hiding there instead of joining the battle to report in case a problem urred to Loktan and the poison crew. ¡®Which means that he¡¯s thest bastion.¡¯ Raon smiled, as that implied that he could escape Derus¡¯s gaze as long as he killed those informants. Smack! Raon approached him from behind and immediately stabbed his heart and covered his mouth. Just like the previous assassination, he quietly ced the corpse down and moved to the right. He made sure to only step on solid boulders and rocks to avoid making any sound, approaching thest informant, who was hiding in a bush from the side. Just like the previous one, the informant was watching the battle between the poison crew and the ck Tower with a telescope. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± He took his eyes off the telescope andughed bitterly. ¡°Why are they fighting against each other?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of my interference.¡± ¡°Ah! You¡­ Kuah!¡± Raon severed his neck before he could turn around. ¡°Argh¡­¡± The informant copsed on the ground with trembling eyes. ¡°Tell them once you are in hell.¡± Raon destroyed the informant¡¯s telescope and smiled coldly. ¡°To make space in advance, since many are about to go down.¡± * * * Dorian¡¯s shoulders trembled as he shoved his finger into a wall. ¡®Is this really okay?¡¯ Raon had told him to climb the summit once it became hectic, but he had no idea when it was going to be hectic. He was holding on because he was confident in his strength at least, but he felt like his heart was about to burst out from the tension. ¡®He¡¯s so difficult to follow.¡¯ He was sighing in his mind before he heard the sound of weapons shing from below. ¡®It¡¯s happening.¡¯ He instinctively realized that it was his time to move and poked his head to the side while climbing to the highest peak. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ People d in ck robes, presumably the ck Tower¡¯s Spirits, were fighting against people wearing sticky night traveling clothes, who seemed to be assassins. ¡®Wh-what¡¯s happening?! Why are they fighting against each other?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why the hell they were fighting against each other when Raon couldn¡¯t even be found. Poisons and the mana of darkness were fired all around the ce. It looked like they were going all out against each other. ¡®¡­I don¡¯t even know anymore. I guess he¡¯s got them.¡¯ It was impossible for him to understand Raon¡¯s n. He kept climbing towards the peak while thinking that it was just another one of his schemes. ¡®Haap.¡¯ His body was getting drenched in a cold sweat because he was climbing a steep cliff without using his aura, but he mustered all of his strength while thinking about the people on top to keep his limbs moving. ¡®Huff! I¡¯ve finally arrived.¡¯ As soon as he reached the drake¡¯s nest at the highest peak, he could see the dying people. ¡°Aww¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Please, do something¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± They were letting out hoarse groans while grasping the ck holes engraved in their bodies. The ck holes were as big as a person¡¯s head, and the flesh around them was rotting like a zombie¡¯s. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± Dorian¡¯s chin trembled as he witnessed their state. ¡®Those evil bastards!¡¯ He was aware that the vigers would be in pain, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be so bad. He couldn¡¯t believe that a human being could be so cruel to another human. The anger welling up inside him was powerful enough to make his fear disappear. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He suppressed the urge to immediately go down to y the ck Tower¡¯s masked men and examined the old man in front of him. There was a hole in his shoulder, and the ck blood was etched in the veins all the way up to his neck. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I-instead of me, p-please take care of my granddaughter.¡± He was panting like he was about to die, but he pointed at the small child on his right side instead. ¡°I-I¡¯m fin¡­sniff!¡± The brown-haired girl seemed to be around ten years old. She was forcing herself to shake her head while grasping the ck hole on her waist. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously. He started boiling with anger as they cared for each other even though they could die at any moment. ¡°M-my superior is extremelypetent! He will save you all if you hold out a bit longer. Please wait a moment!¡± Dorian searched inside the belly pocket to take out painkillers and holy water to help. He even used footwork to distribute the painkillers to the vigers. ¡°Swallow it right away!¡± The vigers put the painkillers in their mouths with hands that trembled because of the mana of darkness encroaching into their bodies. As for the ones who couldn¡¯t move anymore, Dorian personally helped them swallow the pills. ¡°It must hurt, but you have to endure.¡± Dorian opened the holy water¡¯s lid. It was an extremely precious holy water from the Holy Kingdom of Kelton, but he didn¡¯t care at all about the price. He made a drop of holy water fall on the old man¡¯s wound while hoping that they wouldst. Pssh! With the sound of burning flesh, the old man started to struggle. ¡°Kuh!¡± His body trembled like an epilepsy patient, and his eyes rolled back. ¡°You can do it. You have to survive and live with your granddaughter!¡± His words must¡¯ve been helpful, as the seizure weakened and the ck lines that had reached his neck started to fade away. Therge ck hole also started to decrease in size. ¡®It¡¯s effective!¡¯ It was good enough to be called real holy water. The pain couldn¡¯t be avoided, but it was possible to save everyone. ¡°I¡¯ll save all of you! Please endure a bit longer!¡± Dorian went around the summit and spread the holy water on the people¡¯s ck holes. ¡°Kuaah!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Huff!¡± They were in so much pain that they started to scream, while some couldn¡¯t even scream, but the holes and the ck blood vessels were definitely decreasing in size. ¡°Haa¡­¡± They were so exhausted that they could only breathe weakly. Dorian helped them drink some water before observing the lower area. ¡®They are still fighting.¡¯ The ck Tower¡¯s masked men and the assassins were still stabbing each other while scattering their poisons and darkness. Fortunately, none of them were paying attention to the summit. ¡®Where the hell is the vice squad leader?¡¯ The assassins and the ck Tower didn¡¯t even have ten members left in their respective camps. Raon was nowhere to be seen even though they were definitely going toe to the summit if one of them ended up winning. ¡°It¡¯s really exhausting to deal with this superior¡­ huh?¡± He turned around after he sighed and suddenly came to a halt. Something huge was flying towards them at a tremendous speed from the direction of the western sea. His hair stood on end upon witnessing the crimson eyes shining from the darkness. ¡°I-it¡¯s here!¡± Dorian stepped back in panic. ¡®The drake has arrived! Where the hell is he?!¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Die!¡± Loktan threw a dagger toward the sky. Ten daggers scattered in the air and dropped like an eagle toward the ck Commander¡¯s vitals. ¡°What an annoying fellow.¡± The ck Commander shed with his hand. The darkness surrounding his hand turned into a huge w to deflect all of the daggers before falling upon Loktan¡¯s head. ¡°Damn you!¡± Loktan extended his hands, which were covered in aura. His dark green aura turned into a tidal wave and soared. Whaam! The sh between poison and darkness created a huge explosion. The energies that weren¡¯t extinguished on the spot spread all around. Thend and the trees perished on contact and turnedpletely dark. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The ck Commander¡¯s skin had turned pale because of the poison and ck blood vessels had reached Loktan¡¯s neck because of the encroaching energy of darkness. ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to this.¡± ¡°Fine, you deaf bastard!¡± Loktan unleashed a poison fog and withdrew. The ck Commander immediately escaped the fog as if he were expecting the move, then thrust his energy of darkness. Whaam! They even forgot about their original missions, doing their best to kill each other. The energies of darkness and poison shed against each other countless times. Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem while watching Loktan¡¯s poison fist and the ck Commander¡¯s energy of darkness. ¡®They have weakened.¡¯ Their willpower had dwindled because they had to continuously endure the pain, and the poison and darkness encroaching into their bodies were making it impossible for them to use their full strength. ¡®It¡¯s almost there.¡¯ However, it was still impossible to ambush them both despite their weakened states. It was necessary to wait for the opportunity. Raon utilized the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil as much as possible to bury his presence in between nature¡¯s flows. Wham! He was reducing his presence while watching the sh between Loktan and the ck Commander when a huge creature appeared above his head and hid the moon. ¡°Kieeeeh!¡± Along with an ear-splitting roar, a ferocious pressure covered the entire Jamari mountain range. The drake had returned to the nest. ¡°Drake¡­¡± ¡°Hah! Is this bing a three-sided battle?¡± Everyone''s gazes and senses were focused on the drake, including the ck Commander and Loktan. ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. His vision narrowed down as he extended his left foot. He pierced into the area between the ck Commander and Loktan in an instant. They were still distracted by the drake. Raon shed down Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem at the same time. Rip! Once he could feel the des piercing through their flesh, he incorporated ghastly energy toward the ck Commander and heat toward Loktan. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± The ck Commander and Loktan¡¯s gazes were directed at him, but it was already toote. Raon met their astonished and painful gazes and finished shing Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. Pssh! Crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, and the ck Commander¡¯s right arm and Loktan¡¯s left arm were sent into the sky. Thud! Along with the falling sound of the two arms, the flow of time returned to the world that felt like it hade to a halt. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Kuah!¡± The ck Commander and Loktan quickly stepped back while grasping their right and left shoulders respectively. ¡°Instead of a three-sided battle¡­¡± Raon arrogantly raised his chin. ¡°How do you like a four-sided battle?¡± He shook off the blood from Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. His carefree gesture looked like he was making fun of them. ¡°Y-you are¡­¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart! How did this happen?!¡± The ck Commander and Loktan¡¯s chins were trembling in disbelief. However, their gazes were telling him that they still hadn¡¯t given up. ¡°You must be thinking that it¡¯s still fine.¡± Raon nodded while meeting the ck Commander and Lotan¡¯s eyes. ¡°You are thinking that you can still win since you only lost an arm, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I actually did it on purpose.¡± He unleashed the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation at the same time with a frightening smile. His murderous aura, which was tightening the area, was hot enough to evaporate blood. ¡°Because it would be a shame to grant an easy death to people like you. I wanted to see how good you are at enduring the pain.¡± As soon as he finished, he used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He jumped through the space and reached Loktan¡¯s left side. ¡°You bas¡ªKuh!¡± Loktan pushed thend and withdrew to his right. His reaction was fast, but the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat was disturbing the poisonous aura¡¯s movement inside his body. sh! Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and mmed down with Heavenly Drive. The violent teeth of the Fangs of Insanity dwelling inside the de shed Loktan¡¯s chest. Blood didn¡¯t gush out because the heat was scorching the wound, but the pain multiplied several times. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Raon was about to stab Loktan''s abdomen while listening to his scream when a huge power burst out from behind him. It was the ck Commander¡¯s energy of darkness. ¡°You can¡¯t even wait for your turn.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to shut my mouth when there¡¯s a hole in it?¡± Raonughed coldly and turned around into the ck Commander¡¯s strike with the energy of darkness. The dark energy was falling like a dragon¡¯s ws. Raon clenched the de of Requiem and unleashed cier. Whir! The ghastly energy inside the ck Commander responded to the majestic sword resonance of coldness. ¡°Kuh!¡± The ck Commander attacked with the energy of darkness while enduring the pain, but Raon had already left the spot. Whaam! He charged right through the copsing ground toward the ck Commander. ¡°You rat bastard!¡± The ck Commander didn¡¯t withdraw, extending his hand while stepping up instead. The dark energy spread around like a web to entangle Raon¡¯s body. ¡®It¡¯s a powerful technique, but¡­I already saw it.¡¯ He drew a semicircle with Heavenly Drive. The moment the de d in heat managed to push back the darkness, he pierced into the ck Commander¡¯s space and shed with the de of Requiem. Swoosh! The yellow de of ghastly energy pierced through the darkness and ruthlessly severed the ck Commander¡¯s chest. ¡°Kuaah!¡± The ck Commander groaned and faltered backward like a drunkard. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Huff!¡± Loktan and the ck Commander were drenched in cold sweat because of the pain from their arms and chests as they looked at Raon with trembling eyes. ¡°Is that all?¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile while looking down on the ck Commander and Loktan. ¡°I thought you would be patient at least since you love tormenting others, but you keep screaming so much.¡± ¡°¡­Was it your plot all along?¡± The ck Commander red at him with powerful bloodlust in his distorted ck eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded while raising Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡°Did you hear about the saying, ¡®deal with your enemy with another enemy?¡¯ I was just taking care of trash with more trash.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± ¡°Damn you!¡± The ck Commander and Loktan started moving at the same time. They unleashed as much poison and darkness as possible while enduring the interferences of ghastly energy and heat inside their bodies. The green aura of poison turned into a tidal wave, and the ck energy covered the sky and turned into rain to fall upon him. ¡°Your pain is only getting started.¡± Raon didn¡¯t withdraw even though he witnessed the trace left by the huge amount of power. He casually advanced and thrust Heavenly Drive. Cring! Starlight was dwelling on his de as it shed along with the horizon. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Third Form, Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream¡¯ Flurry. Thousands of des scattered around like a dream and pierced into the ck Commander and Loktan¡¯s visions. ¡°Perish amidst endless pain.¡± Chapter 364 The Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream was originally a deadly swordy that consisted of hiding a real de behind a fake to pierce vitals. However, Raon had changed the flow because trash like ck Commander and Loktan didn¡¯t deserve an easy death. He divided the killing de into dozens of different pieces and created an endless de storm. It was a flurry, as the name indicated. The Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream Flurry was an evil technique that consisted of shing every single vital point of an enemy. Whaam! The de engulfed in a blue light tore apart the ck Commander and Loktan¡¯s openings. Blood gushed from their wounds and seeped into thend as two different energies assaulted him from left and right. sh! Raon swung the de of Requiem at the two energies at the same time¡ªwhich were targeting his heart and neck. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± During the short instant where his focus was directed at the de of Requiem, the ck Commander and Loktan stepped back with painful groans. A poison user and a short magician ran next to them. They were the ones who had fired the magic and the poison aura. ¡°Sir Loktan!¡± ¡°Had you attacked anyter, I would¡¯ve died. That bastard is even more dangerous than what I heard.¡± Loktan spat out the blood welling up in his mouth and forced the bleeding to stop. He bit his lip hard and unleashed all of the poisonous aura from his energy center. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± The ck Commander shook his hand at the magician and straightened his back. He ignored the bloody injuries all over his body and wrapped himself with the energy of darkness. Whir! The energies unleashed by Loktan and the ck Commander soared high enough to reach the night sky. The remaining poison crew and ck Spirits gathered behind them. Raon examined the summit behind those powerful auras. ¡®He¡¯s doing well.¡¯ Dorian was fighting the drake without taking a single step back. This is also an opportunity for him. Wrath furrowed his brow while looking up towards Dorian. He¡¯s the type that always tries to run away from a fight. Since he can¡¯t run in this situation, it should allow him to develop his mind even further. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ The drake wasn¡¯t using its ice breath because it was underestimating Dorian. It was the perfect opportunity for him to gain experience as long as he watched out for the breath. ¡®I should still take precautions, just in case.¡¯ Raon focused the Perception of the Snow Flower on Dorian so that he would be able to act whenever it was necessary before he walked up to the ck Commander. ¡°How insolent.¡± Raon smiled coldly at the poison user and the magician from ck Tower, who had managed to save Loktan and the ck Commander. ¡°Has no one told you to not interfere in a fight between adults?¡± You''re one to talk¡­ Raon increased his pressure, and the poison user and the magician nervously stepped back. ¡°Take the explosive pill and unleash the Dreadful Blood Wind Formation!¡± The poison users followed Loktan¡¯s order and took out ck pills from their inner pockets before pouring them into their mouths. Veins bulged from their foreheads, and their poisonous auras were multiplied more than twice. It was the evil formation that had destroyed an entire vige in the past, the Dreadful Blood Wind Formation. ¡°Izzel, open the demonic ocean.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The magician called Izzel ced her hands on the ground and started to chant some strange lines. Thud! Raon snickered and kicked the ground. ¡°You are underestimating me too much.¡± He moved to the right in an instant and dashed towards the magician called Izzel. ¡°You punk!¡± Eight ck ws emerged from the ck Commander¡¯s back like a wing and fell upon Raon like a whip. Thud! Raon stepped on the copsingnd with the Supreme Harmony Steps and advanced. When the ck Commander was trying to connect the next attack, he unleashed the me Spirit from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Hundred mes. Whap! The raging flower bloomed to push back the darkness and created a path for Raon to break through. Pssh! Raon ran in a straight line and severed Izzel¡¯s heart with Heavenly Drive. A dangerous amount of blood gushed from her chest. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Waiting for the enemy only happens in a novel.¡± ¡°I-it doesn¡¯t matter. The magic has already been activated.¡± The ground started to turn dark at the same time as she sneered. The Demonic Ocean. The battlefield where the tower¡¯s masked men could use the best of their abilities was welling up into the world. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon swirled Heavenly Drive and licked his lips. ¡®I decided to take care of her first because I already know what the Dreadful Blood Wind Formation does. This is getting troublesome.¡¯ You don¡¯t look troubled, though? Wrath frowned while looking at his expression. You look like you are feeling happiness right before tasting an ordered dish. ¡®How is that supposed to look?¡¯ Your face is full of anticipation! ¡®You can finally read the mood.¡¯ Hmph! The King of Essence has always been called a genius in that aspect even in Devildom. ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound right¡­¡¯ Raon chuckled and fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡®Anyway, you are right about that. I wanted to have a proper fight.¡¯ Raon had never used his full power after he¡¯d absorbed the ocean soul¡¯s flower petal and the ghost jellyfish¡¯s energy core. Since he didn¡¯t even use astral energy during the spar in thepany, he wanted a proper fight against a powerful opponent where he could use his full power. Whir! Deadly poison burst from the Dreadful Blood Wind Formation created by Loktan and the poison crew. Even the floor turned ck and melted down, the trees and grasses crumbling into dust from the powerful venom. Whaam! The energy unleashed by the ck Commander and the ck Spirits was even more intense. The repulsive darkness was soaring to the sky to cover the entire area. ¡°Die.¡± ¡°Die already! You fucking monster!¡± The ck Commander and Loktan unleashed the poison and darkness at the same time, as if they had agreed upon the timing. The tremendous wave of power engulfed thend and the sky and stormed towards him. Raon¡¯s fingertips were trembling from the sheer pressure. ¡°Do you know what the biggest pain a human being can experience is?¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile even though he was facing the huge wave of energy. ¡°It¡¯s when you are given hope just for it to be taken away.¡± He crushed thend with his left foot and thrust the de of Requiem. White Shadow emerged from behind the crimson de. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Fifth Form, White Shadow sh. The white shadow surrounding the de of Requiem pierced into the energies of poison and darkness, which looked like they were about to devour the entire world. Whir! His sword wasn¡¯t fast, powerful, or sturdy. However, the majestic flow created as a result embraced the poisonous aura and the mana of darkness. Cring! The White Shadow sh had abandoned the concept of counterattack and solely focused on defense, and the crimson de soared in the meantime. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. wless Sea of Fire. A drop of me condensed at Heavenly Drive¡¯s tip and spread around to create a huge flow. A ming tidal wave burst from the ground and sprawled in all directions. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°D-defend!¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what the hell is that fire¡­?¡± The wave of fire destroyed everything in sight and assaulted the poison crew and the ck Tower¡¯s masked men in an instant. Swaaa! Once the torrent of fire subsided, the ck Commander and Loktan could be seen on their asses with burns all over their bodies. No one other than them had managed to maintain their shape. ¡°Hua¡­.¡± ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­?¡± The ck Commander and Loktan couldn¡¯t even move a single finger of their staggering bodies. Letting out those pained groans was the only thing they could do. ¡°Haa¡­¡± A faint smile briefly appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he looked at the hands holding Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡®I¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡¯ The heat waspletely different from when he entered the submarine dungeon. He wasn¡¯t even going to lose even if his opponents hadn¡¯t exhausted their strength beforehand. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The ck Commander¡¯s chin trembled violently as he raised his eyes. His ck eyes were brimming with anger and pain. ¡°Why are you doing this¡­?¡± Loktan bit his lip. He looked like he couldn¡¯t understand the situation. ¡°You were the ones who tried to kill me first.¡± ¡°H-how did you know¡ªKuah!¡± Loktan perished before he got the answer and fell backward. ¡°There are no secrets in this world.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive to behead the ck Commander and he clenched his teeth. ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me you attacked us just because we used that trash as sacrifices.¡± ¡°¡­Trash?¡± ¡°Their lives are meaningless anyway! Did you pick a fight against the ck Tower for the sake of some vermin that don¡¯t have any power or intelligence? A pitiful life awaits you!¡± The ck Commander¡¯s white teeth could be seen as he sneered. ¡°You won¡¯t be allowed to have an easy death! The higher-ups from the ck Tower will¡­¡± ¡°You are the one who isn¡¯t allowed to have an easy death.¡± Raon smiled coldly and mmed the de of Requiem into the ck Commander¡¯s shoulder. ¡®I leave it to you.¡¯ Whir! The de of Requiem¡¯s sword resonance sounded like ¡®I got this¡¯, as it shoved a huge lump of ghastly energy into the ck Commander. Since his devilry was simr to the White Blood Religion, the de of Requiem also seemed angry at him. Crush! The ghastly energy inserted by the de of Requiem tore the ck Commander¡¯s mana circuits apart and started to rampage throughout his body. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The ck Commander screamed for the first time as he writhed in pain. The intense pain was bringing life back to his dying body and his eyes trembled like crazy. ¡°P-please, please kill me¡­¡± ¡°You love pain, don¡¯t you? This is my gift for your long journey, so make sure to take it with you.¡± ¡°Uaaah! P-please¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that pain even after your death.¡± Raon left the ck Commander alone to die slowly from the ghastly energy and looked up at the drake¡¯s nest. ¡®He¡¯s still looking fine.¡¯ Of course! He¡¯s the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate! Raon was nning to help him if it seemed impossible, but Dorian was still standing in front of the drake like an iron wall without taking a single step back. Raon chuckled and twirled Heavenly Drive. ¡°Children grow up so quickly.¡± You are also a child¡­ * * * * * * Dorian¡¯s chin trembled as he looked at the huge creature flying in the air. He felt like the pressure from the pping wings was peeling his skin off. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± His heart tightened from the oppression of the majestic roar. The skill was called Fear, which was only used by superior monsters. Whoosh! The drake descended and smashed down with its huge ws. Dorian could feel the tremendous power of a master¡¯s sh and immediately used footwork to escape to the right. Whaam! The attacked location copsed and the people faltered from the ground. They could¡¯ve fallen under the cliff if the impact was stronger than what it was. ¡®I-I must not avoid it.¡¯ The people behind him were going to die if he used footwork to dodge the attack like always. He had to confront it no matter what. ¡®F-for now¡­ I need to save them.¡¯ Dorian took out a thick nk from his belly pocket and nted it on the ground to prevent people from falling before he stood up. ¡°Kieee!¡± The drake was striking with its right ws. It was even faster and more powerful than the previous attack. ¡°Whatever!¡± Dorian bit his lip and unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms Swordsmanship. ang! Even though he was going all out, his sword was bending so much that it looked like it was about to snap. He poured out as much aura as possible to somehow endure the attack. ¡°Grr¡­¡± The drake looked even angrier than before, its eyes¡ªalready scary¡ªglowing like a raging fire. ¡°L-let¡¯s talk this ou¡ª¡± ¡°Kieeeeh!¡± The drake¡¯s roar sounded like it was telling him to shut the hell up, and it aimlessly swung its ws from its hands and feet. Wham! Wham! Dorian maximized the Ten Flowing Forms to defend, but his creaking shoulders and knees felt like they were about to break. Even though he was confident in his strength and stamina, he quickly understood that he wouldn¡¯t be able tost for a long time. ¡®When is the vice squad leader¡­ Ah!¡¯ Something long was charging at him at a tremendous speed when he thought about Raon. Since he was watching the drake¡¯s hands and feet, it was obvious what it was. ¡®The tail!¡¯ The long tail, falling like lightning, was as sharp as a de. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Dorian stomped the ground and unleashed the Spinning Flow¡¯s Heavy Art of Ten Flowing Forms. A chunk of heavy cloud emerged from his sword to sh against the drake¡¯s tail. Whaam! He was stunned for a moment and couldn¡¯t even raise his hand from the impact, but he fortunately managed to stand his ground. ¡°Kueeeh!¡± The drake looked extremely angry because he managed to defend the tail attack, and it spread its wings wide with a loud roar. It then flew upwards and started attacking with its ws. ¡°Why the hell does it have so many different attack patterns despite being a drake?!¡± Dorian shouted and unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms¡¯ special technique, the Blue Flower Floating Cloud. Soft pieces of cloud gathered in one spot to turn into a robust flow. Whaam! As the drake¡¯s ws and the aura de from Blue Flower Floating Cloud shed against each other, a fissure appeared at the center of the summit and its border started to be destroyed. Dorian even felt like throwing up, which was a sign of internal injury. Grr¡­ The drake looked even more infuriated because Dorian managed to endure and flew up into the air. It gained some distance before it opened its jaw. A huge amount of coldness was emerging from its dark throat. ¡°A-an ice breath?¡± It reminded him of the information he¡¯d heard from Denning Rose. The drake was supposed to have used an ice breath before around the nest. ¡°I-I¡¯m screwed!¡± Dorian¡¯s lips trembled as he witnessed the converging coldness. ¡°How am I supposed to defend against that?!¡± Whether he could defend or not, a huge amount of coldness was already condensed. ¡®M-maybe I should be running away right now¡­?¡¯ He¡¯d equipped cold resistant equipment as soon as the drake had appeared, but he still couldn¡¯t imagine himself surviving against that breath. He wanted to just give up and run away. However, the people behind him stopped him. He couldn¡¯t run away and leave them behind¡ªthey were innocent people. Crack! Dorian gritted his teeth to the point of breaking and pulled out all of his aura from his energy center. He couldn¡¯t run away at that point. It was necessary to try even if it killed him. Swaaa! The drake¡¯s jaw opened up even further and the blue energy filled his vision. It was an ice breath. A tremendous amount of coldness was pouring upon him, and it was powerful enough to freeze up the entire summit. ¡°Uaaaah! Raon Zieghart, you psychopath!¡± Dorian loudly insulted Raon and exploded the aura he¡¯d gathered. He unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms¡¯st special technique, the Great Ten Flow sh, and the aura cloud emerging from his sword filled the space above him. Whir! The cloud would normally spread in a cross shape, but Dorian created a semi-spherical wall instead to protect the people. Whaam! His body felt like he was getting crushed by the ice breath¡¯s torrent of power. He lost his senses, which suggested that the tips of his hands and feet were frozen, and his painful breath was evidence to his exhaustion. In fact, even his breath was frozen. ¡®I want to run away¡­¡¯ But he couldn¡¯t do that. He realized once again how hopeless it was to be unable to retreat. ¡°Uaaah!¡± Dorian mustered his aura until thest drop and maintained the wall. His aura gradually became thinner, and it was about to be destroyed when the drake closed its mouth and the ice breath finally came to a halt. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Dorian went on his knees before he knew it as a result of exhausting his strength. He really couldn¡¯t even move a single finger. Grr¡­ However, the drake opened its mouth once again, and even more energy gathered around it. The deadly blue glow of the second ice breath in its throat told him that it would be even more powerful than the first. ¡®I-I can¡¯t defend against this¡­¡¯ He wanted to stand back up with his sword, but he really had no strength left in him. ¡°Argh! Raon, you freaking anemone, octopus, sea cucumber, weasel! You deserve divine punishmen¡ª¡± ¡°I can understand a weasel, but why am I an anemone, octopus, and a sea cucumber?¡± ¡°All of them are slippery and sneaky¡­ Huh?¡± Dorian briskly turned around just as Raon jumped upwards. He looked like he was flying into the sky as he smashed the drake¡¯s head with his sword before it used its ice breath. Smack! The silver de was hammered into the drake vertically after cutting through its skin and bone. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± The drake still tried to resist, struggling despite the de stabbed into it, but it was crushed by Raon¡¯s sheer strength and violently fell. Whaam! The tremendous impact urring at the summit underneath them felt like an earthquake was happening. Dorian poked his head out to see what was happening. The drake was lying at the center of the summit with a sword stabbing into its head. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®Is a drake really supposed to die so easily?¡¯ The drake was already dead even though it didn¡¯t even look like Raon had used astral energy. Raon pulled the sword out of the drake¡¯s head and returned to the summit with a single jump. ¡°H-how long have you been here?¡± ¡°Around the point where the drake used the tail swipe.¡± ¡°I was in danger! Why did you not do anything?!¡± ¡°You looked like you were having fun.¡± Raon grinned as if he were stating the obvious. ¡°Wh-what about the breath?¡± ¡°You looked like you were having even more fun.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± The focus disappeared from Dorian¡¯s eyes. ¡®Is he really even human?¡¯ His pounding heart felt like it was going to burst because of how Raon was turning more and more into a demon. ¡°I-it was really dangerous when it used the breath! The others could¡¯ve died, not just me!¡± ¡°But you did it.¡± Raon smiled while looking at the people who weren¡¯t affected by the coldness. ¡°You won¡¯t achieve any growth if you only take on easy tasks.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s casual words were pulling his heartstrings. ¡®Was he helping my growth¡­?¡¯ When he thought about it, he was thrilled by the sense of achievement when he managed to defend against the breath even though it was difficult. It was a feeling that he would¡¯ve never gotten if Raon had done it in his stead. Moreover, Dorian could guess that Raon had blocked the coldness that had gone past him to protect the others. He was thoughtful despite his carefree appearance, and he was cool-headed and kind-hearted at the same time. It was seriously way too difficult to understand his mind. But one thing he knew for sure was the fact that Raon was helping him. ¡°Thank you very mu¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Dorian was bowing at him, but Raon snapped his fingers and turned around. ¡°You called me a psychopath, anemone, octopus, sea cucumber, and a weasel, right?¡± ¡°Oh, th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you what a genuine psychopath is as soon as we return.¡± Dorian¡¯s hands trembled upon witnessing the terrifying smile on his face. Raon was already evil as he was, so Dorian couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what he was nning to do. ¡°You can look forward to it.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± Dorian sniffled while wiping away his tears with his frozen sleeve. ¡®He¡¯s a real demon. That¡¯s for sure!¡¯ ¡°You just called me a demon in your mind, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Uehh!¡± Chapter 365 Raon ignored the trembling Dorian and examined the unconscious people on the summit. ¡®Their condition isn¡¯t too bad.¡¯ Indeed, they¡¯ve gotten a lot better. There were ck holes in the vigers¡¯ bodies, but the size wasn¡¯t too big, and there weren¡¯t too many ck veins around them. It was much better than when he examined them through the Perception of the Snow Flower in the beginning. ¡®His first aid was well done.¡¯ He thought that Dorian only gave them painkillers, but the vigers were doing a lot better than he expected. He was about to ask what he did when he noticed the ss bottle beside the patients. ¡®Is that what he used?¡¯ Ugh, what a dirty and ugly stench. Wrath frowned while looking at the ss bottle. ¡®I guess you¡¯d feel that way since this is holy water. Moreover, it¡¯s extremely expensive holy water.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t ordinary holy water, but the real deal brought from the Holy Kingdom of Kelton. On top of being expensive, it was difficult to acquire even with money¡ªyet Dorian had used it without hesitation. Raon chuckled and looked around. Dorian was terrified because of the hell that was about to happen, but he was still feeding water and food to the injured vigers. He¡¯s just way too kindhearted that it¡¯s troublesome. ording to physiognomy, he¡¯s a perfect victim of a scam. ¡®Do you even have physiognomy in Devildom?¡¯ Don¡¯t underestimate Devildom! We even have a book on physiognomy from a systemized theory! The personality depends on the length of the horn! ¡®There¡¯s all sorts of information there, it seems.¡¯ Raon chuckled and nodded. ¡®Anyway, the King of Essence can¡¯t bring himself to hate him because of that.¡¯ He was cowardly and a bit slow sometimes, but he was extremely good-natured. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll only quadruple his training once we return instead of quintupling it.¡¯ Raon decided to slightly decrease the amount of training, as he couldn¡¯t overlook Dorian calling him a psychopath. I-is overlooking it not even an option? ¡®Of course not.¡¯ How are you even human¡­? Wrath¡¯s chin was trembling in shock. Raon turned his head and put his hand on the should of the old man in front of him. ¡®Now then¡­The question is how I can get rid of this.¡¯ It was difficult topletely remove the mana of darkness since it was a negative energy that had the tendency to stick to human bodies. ¡®I guess I have to burn it up with the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡­ Hmm?¡¯ When he decided to count on the Ring of Fire¡¯s purifying ability and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s purity to burn the mana of darkness, a sword resonance urred from the de of Requiem in its scabbard. ¡®Are you telling me that you can do it?¡¯ Whir! The de of Requiem resonated even louder in approval. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Since Raon believed in the de of Requiem, he decided to try it out and brought the crimson de toward the old man¡¯s wound. Whir! The de of Requiem unleashed its yellow ghastly energy and started to absorb the mana of darkness from the old man¡¯s body. The ck bulging veins subsided, and the ck hole narrowed before disappearingpletely. Pssh! Red blood gushed from the wound once the mana of darkness waspletely gone, and the old man¡¯splexion returned to normal. ¡°It worked.¡± Raon smiled and pulled out the de of Requiem. It kept its word andpletely absorbed the mana of darkness from the old man¡¯s body. ¡®I can¡¯t believe this worked¡­¡¯ Ghastly energy, bloody energy, and demonic energy are all negative energies with lots of simrities. It¡¯s a useless trick, though. Wrath shook his finger, saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Whir! The de of Requiempletely ignored Wrath and focused on digesting the energy of darkness that it had just absorbed. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian had been watching from the side and came running at him in surprise. ¡°Stop his bleeding. I¡¯ll continue with the next person¡¯s treatment.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian¡¯s expression was also bright because he saw that the old man¡¯splexion had returned to normal. He immediately took out a styptic and a bandage from his belly pocket to stop the old man¡¯s bleeding. ¡®Next up is¡­¡¯ When Raon was about to examine the little girl lying next to the old man, messages popped up in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve manipted¡­] [You¡¯ve prevailed¡­] Raon immediately turned off the messages and brought the de of Requiem to the girl¡¯s wound. Aren¡¯t you going to check them out? There seem to be lots of messages¡­ Wrath red at the spot where the message had appeared with a trembling chin. ¡®That¡¯s not important right now.¡¯ He had no time to rejoice in his own growth because he had to treat people as fast as possible. The de of Requiem absorbed the energy of darkness just like Wrath eating the ice cream, and he managed to finish the treatment by the time the sun started to rise. Whir! The de of Requiem quietly fell asleep after making a sword resonance that sounded like it was expressing its satisfaction over the meal. It seemed to be making preparations to digest the energy of darkness. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± Dorian grinned after he stopped the bleeding on the shoulder of thest patient, a middle-aged man. ¡°What should I do now?¡± ¡°We have two problems.¡± ¡°Two problems?¡± ¡°Yes. The first one is about that drake.¡± Raon pointed at the drake that had been mmed into the summit right below them. He was originally nning to ask the ck Market to help with the transportation, but they weren¡¯t ready because of how urgent the situation was. ¡°Why are you even worrying about that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Dorian shrugged his shoulders and went under the summit. He picked up the drake¡¯s head and shoved it into his belly pocket. Rumble! Even though the drake was huge, it was absorbed into Dorian¡¯s belly pocket as if shrinking magic was being used on it. Huh? ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡®Did that actually go in there?¡¯ Raon fell speechless because of how ridiculous it was. He¡¯d just witnessed a drake, over thirty meters long from head to tail, go into the belly pocket. It wasn¡¯t even shocking anymore¡ªhe was starting to get terrified. Tap! Dorian jumped to easily return to the summit. ¡°See? It wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± ¡°Y-you are right.¡± Raon awkwardly nodded. ¡°What¡¯s the second problem?¡± ¡°We have to transport those people.¡± Raon pointed at the unconscious vigers. Since there were too many of them, bringing them back to the vige wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task. ¡°It would take too long if we brought them down one by one.¡± The energy of darkness was gone, but they still needed to recover their stamina. That was why he wanted to bring them home quickly¡ªso that they could rest. ¡°Can you connect those summits to create a nted icy road?¡± Dorian pointed at the summits that were pointing up like a stair. ¡°I can.¡± Raon nodded. He¡¯d used lots of heat from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, but he didn¡¯t use much coldness from cier. Creating a nted icy road was an easy task in his state. ¡°Then please make it. We can bring them in one go.¡± Dorian grinned and put his hand in his belly pocket. Once his hand came back out, he was holding a luxurious carriage. Moreover, it was a huge carriage, one that was supposed to be pulled by eight horses. H-he has a carriage? ¡°A carriage just came out!?¡± Raon and Wrath dropped their jaws at the same time. ¡®Wait, should I really be surprised by this?¡¯ He¡¯d just seen the drake entering the pocket, so it wasn¡¯t too strange for a carriage toe out. ¡®Whether it¡¯s surprising or not¡­ It does make it more convenient.¡¯ Since Raon and Dorian could control the speed from the front, the carriage would allow them to carry all of the vigers a lot faster and more easily than bringing them one by one. ¡°Of course I have a carriage with me. It¡¯s one of the necessities.¡± Dorian grinned while putting chains around the wheels to prevent slipping. Raon swallowed nervously while watching the smiling Dorian, who believed it was normal to have a carriage in his pocket. ¡®What is even considered a non-necessity for you?¡¯ * * * * * * By the time Raon and Dorian arrived at Werthers Vige with the people on the carriage, the sun had reached the center of the sky. He was nning to remove the debris to make space for the vigers to rest, but many people were already rebuilding the vige. ¡°Greetings, White Sword Dragon. I¡¯m the branch manager¡¯s direct subordinate, Henderson.¡± A middle-aged man stepped forward and bowed to them. The man, who had half of his gray hair swept back, was the warrior who used to be standing next to Denning Rose. ¡°What brought you here?¡± ¡°The branch manager ordered the restoration of the vige since White Sword Dragon was going to return with the rescued vigers.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon eximed while looking at Henderson. ¡®Was she expecting me to win?¡¯ Denning Rose should¡¯ve already figured out about the assassins¡¯ movement. It was interesting that she predicted, or rather believed, that Raon would manage to rescue the vigers through the assassins and the ck Tower. ¡®What a peculiar woman.¡¯ Everyone in the ck Market could¡¯ve ended up dying if she made a mistake, yet she still believed in him and sent all those people. Her boldness was truly extraordinary. ¡°We also brought a priest and healers. Please leave the treatment of the vigers to us.¡± Henderson pointed behind him. An old man wearing a priest''s outfit and people who appeared to be healers were standing there among the workers restoring the vige. ¡°Dorian.¡± Dorian nodded and opened the carriage. He brought people out of thepressed carriage andid them in front of the priest and the healers. ¡°Huh!¡± The priest gasped and suddenly raised his head. ¡°Those injuries are definitely caused by the energy of darkness, yet there¡¯s not even a trace left in them! How is this possible¡­?¡± His jaw dropped in surprise while examining the injuries. ¡°How did you even treat them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to him, as he used holy water at the right moment.¡± Raon smiled while pointing at Dorian. ¡°I used my aura to remove it afterward.¡± He added some lies since he didn¡¯t want the de of Requiem¡¯s ability to be known. ¡°Even if holy water was used, the energy of darkness can¡¯t be removed so perfectly. How curious! There shouldn¡¯t be any lingering effects!¡± The priest smiled while saying that it was a relief. He blessed the vigers¡¯ bodies to increase their regeneration before leaving the treatment to the healers. ¡°Your skills are truly extraordinary!¡± After he blessed all of the vigers, he walked up to Raon and grabbed his hands. ¡°How abouting with me? People might start calling you a reincarnated saint with your abilities.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Raonughed awkwardly. ¡®He looks like he doesn¡¯t know who I am.¡¯ Raon realized once again how good the de of Requiem¡¯s treatment was. An excellent priest was praising him so hard¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t deserve such praise¡­¡± ¡°Priest Camen, he must be tired because he¡¯s been fighting all night long.¡± ¡°Ah, excuse me. It was my fault.¡± The priest bowed politely and stepped back. He was rather impatient but didn¡¯t seem to be a bad person. ¡°We¡¯ve prepared a location for your rest.¡± Henderson pointed at a camp set up on the right side. It must¡¯ve been the highest-grade tent since it was wide, smooth, and odorless. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while watching Dorian, who was nkly staring at the tent. ¡®I guess Dorian should rest.¡¯ After climbing to the summit with bare hands, he even fought against the drake and pulled the carriage. It could be expected that he was tired to the point of copsing. ¡°Vice squad leader, I¡¯m going to res¡ª¡± Dorian started bowing at him with a smile and suddenly fainted. He was tired. ¡®Yes.¡¯ It looked like he had fainted when the tension left him. ¡®He¡¯s such an interesting fellow.¡¯ Raon chuckled andid Dorian on the bed inside the camp before going to a tent assigned to him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sat on the bed at a deeper part of the camp and sighed. ¡®Fortunately, I managed to do everything I could.¡¯ He stopped Derus¡¯s attack, annihted the ck Commander and the ck Spirits, and even managed to rescue the kidnapped vigers safely. Since he also obtained the drake, which was the original objective, it wasn¡¯t excessive to call it the best result possible. It was close, but it wasn¡¯t too bad. Wrath nodded. ¡®Then let¡¯s check out what I received.¡¯ You received? What have you even received? ¡®Your gift.¡¯ Raon smiled cheerfully and loaded the messages that he¡¯d previously turned off. The King of Essence never gave you a gif¡ªUgh! Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped. Raon checked the messages while ignoring him. [You¡¯ve manipted multiple enemies with an excellent n.] [You¡¯ve prevailed against abined attack from two warriors with a higher realm than yourself.] [All stats have increased by 8.] The points seemed to be given because he¡¯d made the ck Tower and the poison crew fight against each other, then won against thebined attack between the ck Commander and Loktan. However, the messages weren¡¯t over yet. [Trait Perception of the Snow Flower has ranked up.] [Trait Bleeding Curse has ranked up.] [Trait Poison Resistance has ranked up twice.] [Trait Snow Flower¡¯s Veil has ranked up.] The second batch of messages was about the increase in rank of the traits he¡¯d used. He was expecting the Perception of the Snow Flower and the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil to rank up, but the two-level increase in Poison Resistance was rather unexpected. ¡®It must be from when I ate the ghost jellyfish''s energy core. It finally came out after I defended against Loktan¡¯s poison.¡¯ Raon figured he might be able to resist Loktan¡¯s poison without even using the Ring of Fire with the current level of his Poison Resistance. His Poison Resistance was getting pretty high, just like his Fire Resistance and Water Resistance. He could feel that his weaknesses were gradually disappearing. H-how is this even possible? Wrath¡¯s lips trembled as he read the messages. How could you give him so many stats and traits when all he did was kill some weaklings?! ¡®But I did a good job, didn¡¯t I?¡¯ Not at all! Those guys would¡¯ve died if the King of Essence crushed them with his pinky finger. Actually, shooting his booger would¡¯ve been enough! Those rewards are way too excessive! He started to pick his nonexistent nose while saying that he could really kill them with a booger. Raon started to wonder how he even had a sense of smell without a nose. The King of Essence can¡¯t ept this! You honestly did nothing this time and only watched them fight! ¡®I finished them off at least. And what are you going to do if you can¡¯t ept it when I have already received the reward? Sue me?¡¯ Argh! He wishes he could sue you¡­ Wrath ground his teeth violently while ring at Raon. Once the King of Essence returns, the first thing he does will be to destroy the system and make a new one! It¡¯s so stupid! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon wanted to say that he was the stupid one, but he suppressed his urge because he figured Wrath was going to rampage even more. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I have some bad news.¡¯ What is it now?! ¡®I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to eat the berry pie and the braised chestnuts.¡¯ What kind of bullshit is that?! Wrath briskly turned his eyes to look at him. Raon¡¯s fingers trembled because his re was even more intense than when his stats were taken away. ¡®Lots of people have been injured and died. I can¡¯t exactly ask them in this situation.¡¯ Nonsense! That¡¯s the whole reason the King of Essence is here! ¡®It would be a different story if we stayed here for about a week, but we have to return in two days at most. I¡¯ll buy you delicious food at thepany.¡¯ No! The King of Essence is going to eat the berry pie and braised chestnuts from this vige no matter what! He held onto the ground and shook his head to show his determination to stay. He almost looked like a kid lying down on the marketce, trying to pester their parents into buying them some candy. ¡®I mean, it¡¯s impossible no matter how much you want it.¡¯ The vige was destroyed, and there were lots of casualties. The vigers were unable to move both mentally and physically even if they wanted to give them rewards. Hmph! You underestimate humans too much. ¡®What?¡¯ You aren¡¯t nning to ept any money from the vigers, are you? ¡®Of course not.¡¯ Then let¡¯s make a bet with the King of Essence. Wrath sent him a message at the same time. [Wrath is suggesting a bet. Condition: Leave Werthers Vige without being treated with a berry pie and a braised chestnut. Sess: All stats +10 Fail: +10 in emotion of wrath, eat everything Wrath wants for three days after returning to the Sephiapany.] What do you think? ept the challenge if you are so sure about it. Wrath snorted while pointing at the message. ¡®¡­Okay.¡¯ Since Raon could utilize the wrath, it wasn¡¯t exactly a penalty for him so he decided to ept it. ¡®In return, we are going to leave in two days.¡¯ That¡¯s fine! Wrath nodded with a grin on his face. You know nothing about human nature because you are a demon. ¡®You are the demon though¡­¡¯ * * * Two dayster. Just as Raon predicted, the vigers repeatedly bowed at him with teary eyes to express their gratitude, but they didn¡¯t bring him any berry pies or braised chestnuts. Raon snickered while looking at Wrath¡¯s frown. ¡®I told you we wouldn¡¯t get it. They can¡¯t afford to make any dessert right now.¡¯ It¡¯s not over yet! Wrath shook his head, saying that they still had more time left. ¡®It¡¯s pointless. We are leaving before lunch, just like I previously mentioned.¡¯ He¡¯s well aware. Raon left the vige and examined the surrounding area. He spread his aura perception just in case the ck Tower, Derus¡¯s shadows, or monsters were around, but he fortunately didn¡¯t find anything. Since many of the warriors from the ck Market were in the vige, he figured he could leave without worrying about them. You are such a worrywart. ¡®Being a worrywart is better than you, who is only looking for food.¡¯ It¡¯s just the King of Essence¡¯s hobby¡­ ¡®It looks more like the whole purpose of your life.¡¯ That¡¯s not true! Raon returned to his tent while making fun of Wrath, only to find that the vige chief was waiting for him. ¡°Chief?¡± ¡°Our benefactor!¡± The vige chief bowed so deeply that his head almost touched the ground. ¡°You¡¯ve returned!¡± ¡°I already told you, you don¡¯t need to bow so much.¡± He was feeling extremely ufortable because every single viger, including the chief, was bowing like that all the time. ¡°No, this is far from enough to express our gratitude.¡± He shook his head with an awkward smile. He tightened his lips, saying that he would be repaying that favor for the rest of his life. ¡°I heard you were leaving today. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes. I have an important matter to attend to.¡± Raon nodded. He had to return to the Sephiapany in advance and make preparations, as anything could happen in thepetition for session. ¡°I see. You are really going to return before we can pay anything back.¡± He bowed once again and apologized. ¡°We¡¯d like you to at least ept the reward money that we¡¯ve prepared¡­¡± ¡°That fund is necessary for the restoration of the vige.¡± Raon shook his head. Since he wasn¡¯t expecting any reward to begin with, he was satisfied with his victory against Wrath. ¡°In that case, please ept something else.¡± The vige chief looked behind him, and a girl with a freckled nose stepped forward and showed him two boxes. ¡°My granddaughter made them with the best berries and chestnuts remaining in the vige. Please eat those and return to visit the vigeter.¡± ¡°Thank you, our benefactor.¡± The chief and his granddaughter bowed at the same time. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as he epted the boxes inside the luxurious packages. ¡®Did they seriously make them?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe they were giving him their regional products when the funerals weren¡¯t even over yet. He fell speechless in his shock. Uhehehehe! Wrath started rolling on the ground with frivolousughter. The King of Essence told you! You don¡¯t know anything about humans because you are a demon! He was calling Raon a demon as if he himself were a human being. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Raon tried his best to maintain aposed expression, and messages appeared when he was about to open the box. He bit his lip, as he thought he had lost the bet. [You¡¯ve won the bet against Wrath. All stats have increased by 10. 5 additional points have increased from the consecutive victory.] ¡®Huh?¡¯ What? However, the message was announcing his victory. Wh-what¡¯s going on?! Are you seriously broken? Why did the King of Essence lose the bet?! ¡®I¡¯m not sure either.¡¯ Raon tilted his head and opened the boxes. Once he saw the contents, he realized why he received that message. ¡®There are no pies or braised chestnuts.¡¯ The boxes contained pink macarons made from berries and sugar-zed chestnuts. Err¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the food. ¡°They are new desserts that are going to seed the berry pies and braised chestnuts. We¡¯d like our benefactor to have a taste before they are revealed.¡± The vige chief smiled, saying that they were even more delicious than the berry pies and braised chestnuts. ¡°They do look really delicious.¡± Raon nodded while looking at the desserts. He was trying to suppress hisughter, but it was so difficult that he had to cover his mouth with his hands. What¡¯s going on?! Wrath shouted towards the sky because of the unexpected situation. Why does this happen every single time?! Why the hell did they have toe up with new recipes right now?! ¡®They are thanking us.¡¯ Bring the berry pies and braised chestnuts! ¡®This is so unreasonable! Why does the world hate the King of Essence so much?!¡¯ Chapter 366 Raon packed up his baggage in the tent before going out to the entrance of Werthers Vige. The destroyed iron gate and walls were perfectly repaired under Henderson¡¯smand. ¡®I can return now without worrying about them.¡¯ He could leave the vige without any problems since there were no enemies or monsters around the vige, the vigers had somewhat regained their peace, and Henderson was still going to stay with them for a while. Monsters could appear in the future because the drake was gone, but that wasn¡¯t going to happen for a good while, so he was nning to request the Sephiapany to dispatch warriors to the vige once he arrived. He should¡¯ve¡­ Raon was waiting for Dorian in front of the gate when he heard Wrath¡¯s sigh going even deeper than the bottom of the earth. H-he should¡¯ve said regional products instead of berry pies and braised chestnuts. He should¡¯ve done that¡­ ¡®How long are you nning on staying like that?¡¯ Wrath had been repeating that over and over ever since the vige chief¡¯s granddaughter, Lucy, gave him the berry macarons and sugar-zed chestnuts. He wasn¡¯t even sulking at that point. He seemed to be going insane. He should¡¯ve said regional products instead of berry pies and braised chestnuts¡­ ¡®Hey¡­¡¯ Why did they have toe up with a new recipe now? This entire world must hate the King of Essence¡­ Sniff! He murmured that the unreasonable world made him lose the bet that he believed he was going to win for sure, his eyes filled with tears. ¡®I feel bad for him.¡¯ He looked slightly pitiful because he had even stopped asking for food. ¡®I can¡¯t exactly give him the macarons¡­ I should buy him some mint choctes as soon as we return.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t eat the macarons since he¡¯d promised Denning Rose that he would return with specialty food from the vige. He decided that he would buy whatever Wrath wanted once he returned to the Sephiapany. ¡°Vice squad leader!¡± He was patting Wrath¡¯s head as he sniffled when Dorian came out of his tent. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Dorian smiled while rubbing his belly pocket. Raon still couldn¡¯t believe that a thirty-five-meter-long drake was inside the small pocket on top of the eight-horse carriage. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon chuckled and pointed at the gate with his chin. ¡°Are we leaving without even saying goodbye?¡± Dorian tilted his head while looking back at the vige. ¡°Do you want to boast about saving them?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not boasting, but we should say goodbye¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯ve already thanked us enough. It¡¯s better to leave quietly and avoid putting pressure on injured people.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s stretched response showed his displeasure. Raon tapped on Dorian¡¯s shoulder. When he was about to jump over the wall, multiple people¡¯s presence moved at once from behind them. ¡°Our benefactor!¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± ¡°You really are going to leave.¡± A bunch of vigers covered in bandages came running out towards Raon and Dorian at the same time. ¡°You really are leaving like the wind after you appeared like the wind. Thank you, that¡¯s all we can say right now.¡± The viger chief tightened his lips and leaned forward. ¡°Thank you!¡± The vigers also bowed at them after the chief. Their trembling voices conveyed how much they appreciated him. Raon bowed back at them with a smile. ¡°Please stay well.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Benefactor¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t a word of modesty since he simply voiced what he wanted from them, yet the vigers were even more impressed and bit their lips. ¡°You look perfectly normal right now, but why do you be insane from time to tim¡ª? Uhah!¡± Dorian¡¯s mumbling could be heard from behind him. Raon red at him, which made him flinch and back away. ¡°Benefactor!¡± Raon raised his eyes upon hearing a childish voice. The vige chief¡¯s granddaughter, Lucy, was running towards him with two baskets in her hands. She was the one who gave him the berry macarons earlier. ¡°P-please take those with you.¡± A sweet and refreshing scent wasing out from the baskets. ¡°They are the berry pies.¡± ¡°Pies? Why are you giving them to me?¡± ¡°I made them because you looked so happy when I gave you the macarons earlier.¡± Lucy timidly lowered her head. ¡®I looked happy, she says¡­¡¯ He was covering his mouth because he wasughing at Wrath, but he must¡¯ve looked like he was happy about the macaron. Arrrrrgh! Wrath started to scream while shoving his face into the basket. Why are you giving it to him now?! You should¡¯ve given them up earlier! She must be a god¡¯s apostle! She¡¯s making fun of the King of Essence! He twisted his fluffy body while saying that a god¡¯s apostle had to be exterminated. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon kicked Wrath away because he kept rampaging around, epting the baskets containing the berry pies. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I-I just want you to enjoy the food.¡± Lucy shook her head with a smile. ¡°We will be backter.¡± Raon turned around after meeting the gratitude in the vigers¡¯ eyes one after the other. ¡°Please take care! We will make sure to visit!¡± Dorian energetically said goodbye and followed Raon. ¡°We really areing back, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon chuckled and nodded at Dorian. Sniff! He should¡¯ve said regional products instead of berry pies and braised chestnuts¡­ ¡®He¡¯s getting started again.¡¯ Wrath kept rambling even though they¡¯d already left the vige. Judging from his state, Raon had the feeling that he would continue for a few days at least. ¡°Vice squad leader.¡± When he was about to mount his horse after leaving the vige, Dorian walked up to him. ¡°Since we have two pies in total, what about eating one of them while it¡¯s still hot?¡± H-he should¡¯ve said regional products instead of¡ª As soon as Dorian asked to eat the pie, Wrath¡¯s cry of despair suddenly came to a halt. He used to stare nkly at the sky, but he was instead giving a secret nce. ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­Does he seriously want to eat the pie now, even though it was the very reason why he fell into despair?¡¯ Raonughed bitterly and opened one of the baskets. The berry pie inside was cut into five pieces, and he gave one to Dorian before taking one for himself. Gulp! The gulping sound from Wrath echoed like a thunderstorm. ¡®Is this demon king serious right now¡­?¡¯ Raon shook his head and put the berry pie in his mouth. The warm and crispy crust was pleasant to eat, and the sweetness of the mountain berries and their juice engulfed the tongue. Moreover, the nutty vor of the baked almonds was a perfect grand finale to the taste. Raon couldn¡¯t suppress his smile. He could understand why the specialty food¡¯s reputation was spread far away into the continent. Hehe¡­ Raon heard the happyughter and turned to look at Wrath. The focus had returned to his nk eyes, and the corners of his mouth were soaring to reach the sky. It¡¯s so delicious! Raon was dumbfounded as Wrath grinned while covering his cheeks with his hands. ¡®What the hell is this guy? Is he really the demon king of wrath?¡¯ * * * Rimmer was standing in front of the annex building like a loafer. Knock knock. He lightly knocked on the door and the head maid, Helen, opened the door and came outside. ¡°The Light Wind squad leader?¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Rimmer smiled cheerfully and waved his hand. ¡°Long time no see. What brought you to the annex building?¡± ¡°Is Lady Sylvia inside?¡± ¡°Ah, please wait a moment.¡± Helen bowed at him and walked into the corridor. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since thest time I came in here.¡± Rimmer smiled while looking around the annex building. ¡®It¡¯s such a mystery that Raon has such a cold personality despite being from a happy family like this.¡¯ He could feel as soon as he entered the annex building that the atmosphere around him was the warmest in Zieghart. He couldn¡¯t believe that monster Raon was born in such a cozy household. ¡°Huh? Swordsman Rimmer!¡± ¡°Mister Elf is here!¡± Yulius and Yua were passing by in the corridor and stopped upon finding Rimmer. They¡¯d gotten rather close because they kept meeting each other whenever Rimmer skipped the training and visited Roenn to y around. ¡°What brought you here?¡± The two children tilted their heads while looking up to Rimmer. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°Sir Rimmer.¡± Sylvia was walking out from the end of the corridor when Rimmer was about to respond. ¡°Are you here because of Raon?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case.¡± Rimmer simply shook his head. ¡°I see.¡± Sylvia bowed. Her eyes were showing a mixed emotion between relief and disappointment. ¡°I expected you to be more nervous.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly while looking at Sylvia¡¯sposed eyes. ¡°I thought you would be trembling from your worry about him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried. It¡¯s only natural that I¡¯m worried about him because he was kidnapped recently.¡± Sylvia quietly sighed. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t change anything even if I keep worrying about him, and I can¡¯t hog him for myself forever. I just have to believe in Raon so that he won¡¯t be worried about me. That¡¯s all I can do.¡± She quietly closed her eyes before opening them again. The distant light sparkling from her eyes looked like polished rubies. Rimmer smiled while meeting her eyes. ¡®She¡¯s changed.¡¯ She used to beg Rimmer to take care of Raon when he used to be a trainee, yet she had gained a clear trust towards him although she was still worried about him. Sylvia¡¯s heart had grown up, just like Raon¡¯s height. ¡®They are the exact same in this aspect.¡¯ She looked frail, but her eyes were simr to Glenn and Raon. No matter what people said about her, she was clearly a part of their family. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him too much.¡± Rimmer smiled at Sylvia. ¡°He¡¯s not the type that is easily defeated. You must¡¯ve heard that he even managed to beat up Garona and Cadis. We even took measures against kidnapping, so you can stay relieved.¡± ¡°I do feel relieved after hearing that.¡± Sylvia nodded with a gentle smile. ¡°What brought you to the annex building if it wasn¡¯t because of Raon.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s because of those children.¡± Rimmer lowered his finger to point at Yua and Yulius, who were staring nkly at them. ¡°I¡¯d like to scout them into the Light Wind squad.¡± ¡°Scout?¡± ¡°Light Wind squad?¡± Yua tilted her head, and Yulius¡¯s eyes sparkled as he said the Light Wind squad. ¡°Yes. Do you want to join the Light Wind squad where Raon, the one who saved you, belongs? What do you think? Do you like it?¡± ¡°Wow! I¡¯ming!¡± ¡°Please let me join!¡± Yua energetically put her hand up, and Yulius grabbed Rimmer¡¯s sleeve and started shaking it. ¡°Huhuhu! That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s stamp a seal right away.¡± Rimmer grabbed Yua and Yulius¡¯s hands tightly with an expression that made him look like a scammer in every aspect. ¡°P-please wait!¡± Sylvia hurriedly interfered and separated Rimmer from the children. ¡®He looks too suspicious.¡¯ She was standing in his way before she knew it because Rimmer¡¯s face looked like a gambling addict for a moment. ¡°Wh-what are you nning to do with the children?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to ask for their help.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders while looking at Yua and Yulius. ¡°The Ragged Saint is going to bring some children here soon.¡± ¡°The saint will?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like Yua and Yulius to help them because they have some serious scars in their hearts.¡± His expression was bitter as he looked at Yulius and Yua. ¡°I see, but why are you asking them to join the Light Wind squad¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, I wasn¡¯t lying about that.¡± Rimmer caressed Yua and Yulius¡¯s hair with a grin on his face. ¡°Because the Light Wind squad will be promoted into the Light Wind division as soon as Raon returns.¡± * * * * * * Rumble! A frightening bang could be heard inside the underground cavern where Robert''s shadows were raised. It was Derus Robert. He was stomping the ground with a red face. All he did was push thend with his foot, yet it had created a huge hole with no end in sight. ¡°Haa¡­¡± It looked like it wasn¡¯t enough to quell his anger, since he clenched his fist. The red blood flowed from the back of his hand and dropped from his grasp into the hole. ¡°My lord.¡± When Derus was about to stomp once again, Regel appeared from the darkness and knelt. ¡°Did you finish the investigation?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Regel nodded and raised his gaze. The red atmosphere swaying around Derus¡¯s eyes revealed his murderous urge. ¡®He could kill me with his eyes alone.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t strange for Derus to be so angry, as Loktan and the poison crew had disappeared along with the informants they¡¯d sent¡ªand then there was therge number of recent damages they had taken. In fact, he still managed to suppress his anger to a certain degree because he was Derus. Anyone else would¡¯ve already gone mad from anger. ¡°The ck Tower¡¯s members were at the mountain range instead of Raon.¡± ¡°The ck Tower?¡± ¡°Yes. They must¡¯ve been trying to get the drake. The traces and corpse of the ck Commander have been confirmed.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Derusughed bitterly and dropped his gaze. ¡°So are you telling me that they went on a war against the ck Tower instead of killing Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°That seems to be the case.¡± Regel¡¯s lips trembled as he nodded. He¡¯d been serving Derus for a long time, but he hadn¡¯t experienced such an intense bloodlust in a long time. ¡°What about Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°He arrivedte at the scene and finished off the exhausted ck Commander and Loktan. He saved the vigers and even took the drake¡¯s corpse with him¡­¡± ¡°Haaaaaa¡­¡± Derus sighed deeply while looking up to the dark ceiling. ¡°Kuhahahahaha!¡± He startedughing like a madman while sweeping his hair up from his forehead with a bloody hand. ¡°I can¡¯t even tell if he¡¯s just lucky or if he¡¯s managed to y with the whole world. I still can¡¯t tell for sure when ites to him.¡± Derus Robert lowered his head. His eyes used to be brimming with anger and bloodlust, but they quickly turned icy cold. ¡°My lord?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sh against Raon Zieghart for a while. Instead, you will gather information about him. Use the northernwork to find out everything about him¡ªfrom the moment of his birth until today.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Regel swallowed nervously and nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t underestimate you anymore.¡± Derus smiled faintly and shook the blood flowing from the scar on his hand into the hole. ¡°I¡¯ll find out everything about you before I put an end to your life.¡± * * * Before returning to the Sephiapany, Raon first went to the Rokan branch of the ck Market. He followed the same path as the one he was previously introduced to, and Denning Rose was waiting for him inside a small room. ¡°Thank you for your trouble, and¡­¡± Denning Rose stood up from the seat and leaned forward. It was a polite bow that still retained her dignity. ¡°Thank you for avenging Ferenz¡¯s life.¡± Raon had never heard that name before, but he could understand who she was talking about. It must¡¯ve been the agent he¡¯d met in the vige, who managed to deliver the information about the ck Tower while the mana of darkness was killing him. ¡°He should be able to rest in peace now.¡± Even though she was speaking nonchntly, Raon could feel her deep sorrow. The agent called Ferenz must¡¯ve been her cherished subordinate. ¡°I¡¯ve only met him once and our encounter was short, but I have a deep respect for him.¡± Raon closed his eyes and opened his mouth. He wasn¡¯t simply saying it for courtesy. Using the Carbon Cultivation Technique to extend his life while the mana of darkness was creeping into him was such a painful task, that Raon wasn¡¯t even sure whether he himself would be able to do it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about it, as it happened because of us.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon and Dorian lowered their heads. ¡°No, he was simply doing his job ording to the request. He should be satisfied since the vigers were saved as a result.¡± Denning Rose smiled faintly, saying that he shouldn¡¯t feel sorry about it. She was regaining herposure in no time, as expected of the sessor of the ck Market¡¯s master. ¡°Please sit for now.¡± Raon followed her gesture and sat on the chair on her opposite side. ¡°We are nning to protect Werthers Vige for a while. Monsters are probably going to take the opportunity to attack the vige since the drake that used to be the king of the mountain range is gone.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Denning Rose seemed to have determined the same thing that Raon had. ¡®I¡¯m so relieved to hear that.¡¯ The ck Market was an organization of the lower ss made to protect the people at the bottom of society. That must¡¯ve been why she cared about the people before anything else. Of course, they might obtain the right to circte the mountain berries and chestnuts in return, but it was beneficial for both parties. ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon nodded while calling Dorian¡¯s name. ¡°Yes.¡± Dorian understood his meaning and put his hand inside his belly pocket before taking out a basket and a box and cing them on the table. ¡°What are those¡­?¡± ¡°They are the products that I promised to bring. And¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly and opened the lids of the basket and the box. The berry macarons and the berry pies that he¡¯d received in Werthers Vige could be seen. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to protect them thanks to you and your agents.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Denning Rose smiled and brought a piece of the pie in her mouth. Her eyes widened like a moon. Her face told him that she never knew it could be so delicious. ¡°I-it¡¯s delicious. The crust is still crispy, and it¡¯s brimming with the sweetness of the juice!¡± ¡°Try out the macarons now. They said they are new products that haven¡¯t been revealed yet.¡± ¡°New products¡­¡± Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the macarons because she was satisfied with the pie. She quickly moved her hand to take a bite of a macaron. ¡°Th-this is also delicious. No, this is actually even more to my taste. Macarons are too sweet nowadays, but this has a perfect harmony between the refreshing taste of the fruit juice and the softness of the crust, which is so much better than the extreme sweetness we usually find. It¡¯s even better than the ones made by patisseries fromrge cities like Cameloon and Rokan¡­ Ugh!¡± Denning Rose blushed upon noticing that Raon and Dorian were staring nkly at her. ¡°You must love desserts.¡± Raon smiled while looking at the trembling macaron in her hand. ¡®She isn¡¯tpletely unapproachable.¡¯ Raon had previously thought she was like an iron maiden because of how impable she was, but the way she described the dessert with a flushed expression made her look like a girl of her age. The King of Essence also likes it. Let him taste one¡­ ¡®You stay out of this.¡¯ Raon easily pushed Wrath away since he was clinging onto him to ask for some macarons. ¡°I-I like it a little.¡± Denning Rose lowered her head and responded. Her earlobes had turnedpletely red. ¡°Th-the other sessors from the Sephiapany are also returning with their own results!¡± She was clearly trying to change the subject, so Raon simply chuckled and moved on. ¡°Do you know what they brought?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Denning Rose nodded and ced the half-eaten macaron to the side. Her trembling eyes showed that she was suppressing her urge to finish eating it. Th-there are some macarons left. The King of Essence also wants¡­ Raon figured that Wrath, who kept whining from the side, and Denning Rose, who couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of the macaron, would make a perfect couple. ¡°The third daughter, Palen Sephia, managed to acquire highest-grade ws, teeth, and a horn. The second son, Dialon Sephia, is apparently bringing an entire stuffed drake. Lastly, the first son, Jeser Sephia¡­¡± Denning Rose looked at Dorian. She swallowed nervously and continued. ¡°Is bringing a drake, and a special one at that.¡± ¡°A special drake? Just like the one we killed?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard the drake has a wind attribute. I didn¡¯t hear exactly how big the drake from the Jamari mountain range was, but it¡¯s such a big drake that I¡¯m not sure whether we can win or not¡­¡± ¡°What size is it?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s over twenty-five meters long. It¡¯s really rare to have such a huge drake.¡± Raon and Dorian looked at each other, their lips curving into a smile upon hearing that. ¡°Is it twenty-five meters long?¡± ¡°Twenty-five meters, I see¡­¡± ¡®Is that it?¡¯ Chapter 367 Chapter 367 Raon left the ck Market and headed to the Sephiapany. The merchants¡¯ gazes were stabbing into them like arrows when they passed by thepany¡¯s shopping district. ¡°Th-their stares are frightening.¡± Dorian swallowed nervously upon feeling their gazes. ¡°Why are they looking at us like that?¡± ¡°They are trying to check if you brought a drake.¡± The news about Adis Sephia asking them to bring in a drake to decide on his sessor was spread throughout thepany. It was only natural for the merchants to be frantic about it since the matter was going to decide who was going to be the next president. ¡°He didn¡¯t bring anything.¡± ¡°It must be inside his subspace pocket.¡± ¡°Which means he should¡¯ve only brought some ws and bones, just like the thirddy.¡± ¡°It could be even worse.¡± ¡°He went with the White Sword Dragon though. He should¡¯ve brought that much at least.¡± The merchants ascertained that they had only brought a few parts instead of an entire drake as they watched Raon and Dorian walk toward the central administration building. ¡°I guess the second young master will be the sessor after all.¡± ¡°That should be the case. I never imagined anyone could bring an entire drake in a single week!¡± ¡°His connections are really amazing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a priceless treasure.¡± The merchants who followed Dorian¡¯s second brother, Dialon, believed that the winner was already decided, judging by the smiles on their faces. ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°The first young master hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t keep your expectations too high.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Sir Jeser is going to bring something even better than a stuffed drake.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t me me if you end up cryingter.¡± The merchants who followed the first son, Jeser, red angrily at the merchants supporting Dialon. ¡°The first young master might even bring an entire drake that he¡¯s defeated.¡± ¡°Yes. Moreover, its size is going to be iparable to a stuffed drake.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to how this trial is going to end.¡± The easygoing smile on some of the merchants¡¯ faces implied that they must¡¯ve already heard about Jeser bringing a drake he had defeated. ¡°The winner is going to be either the first or the second young master.¡± ¡°It was already obvious from the beginning.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the thirddy was defeated so easily. I didn¡¯t think she would lose like that.¡± ¡°I had some expectations for Young Master Dorian because he brought the White Sword Dragon with him, but I guess he¡¯s too young after all.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. All he¡¯s done is train swordsmanship in Zieghart, after all.¡± The merchants were only talking about Jeser and Dialon¡ªas if they were the only candidates left for thepetition. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian stopped walking in front of the central administration building with trembling hands. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you entering?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so frustrated! I¡¯m going to show them what we brought!¡± He put his hand in his belly pocket and turned around in to show the drake to the merchants. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed and hit the back of Dorian¡¯s head. Smack! With a loud bang that sounded like the cracking sound of a watermelon, Dorian sank to the ground while grasping his head. ¡°Aaaaack!¡± He raised his head with teary eyes. ¡°Wh-why did you hit me?!¡± ¡°Why would you even show that to them when we¡¯ve been hiding the information on purpose?¡± Raon created an aura barrier to stop the sound from spreading out and shook his head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°No one believes you will win the trial, right? Even though it¡¯s not even over yet, they all believe that one of your brothers will be the sessor.¡± ¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s why I want to tell them¡­¡± Dorian furrowed his brow while rubbing his belly pocket. ¡°That¡¯s not what you should do.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue at Dorian. ¡°Just imagine, you will take that thirty-five-meter-long drake from your stupid belly the moment your brothers are assured about their victory and the merchants are about to celebrate. What do you think is going to happen?¡± ¡°Th-they will be bamboozled.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see those bamboozled faces?¡± ¡°I-I do! I want to see! Please let me see them!¡± Dorian nodded, his eyes as round as Wrath¡¯s when he was hungry. ¡°That¡¯s why you should suppress your urge for now. The humiliation you are feeling right now is nothingpared to the exhration you will feel soon enough.¡± Raon patted Dorian¡¯s shoulder and smiled. ¡®It needs to be shocking to let him take over thepany.¡¯ Not only the staff from the central administration building, but all the merchants in the surrounding area were going to gather when they announced the result of the trial. Taking out that drake the moment everyone believed it was Jeser¡¯s victory was bound to leave a powerful impression in the merchants¡¯ minds, as they had been underestimating Dorian. As a result, it was going to be a huge step towards taking over thepany. Thepany is apparently already yours in your mind. Wrath frowned at Raon. ¡®It will in fact be mine¡ªI mean, Dorian¡¯s.¡¯ See?! You said it was yours once again! ¡®You sound sane for once. Did you enjoy the macaron?¡¯ Denning Rose had shared some of the macarons in the ck Market, and Wrath had returned to normal after having his fill. It was awesome. The King of Essence would¡¯ve taken that girl as his subordinate if it wasn¡¯t for what happened. Wrath licked his lips, saying that it was unfortunate that Lucy, the vige chief¡¯s granddaughter, had decided to give him the macarons before the pie. ¡®You are really bad at describing taste.¡¯ Raon sighed at Wrath. ¡®You should try taking after Denning Rose when ites to describing the taste. She was making it worthwhile to give her the food.¡¯ Denning Rose¡¯s descriptions of the berry pie and macaron were as elegant as a gourmet¡¯s. Since Raon agreed with her to a certain extent, it even made him want to give her more desserts in the future. The King of Essence can also do it if he tries! ¡®Try it, then.¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath scratched his chin with his round fist before he suddenly raised his head. The macaron¡¯s cookie was as crispy as tree bark and the berry cream was as soft as a rag! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ He seemed to be copying theparison that Denning Rose had made, but it waspletely different. Raon couldn¡¯t even begin to guess where he should start with the criticism. ¡®You have no talent.¡¯ Sniff¡­ ¡®Just give up.¡¯ * * * Raon told Dorian to rest and went to Palen¡¯s room. Knock Knock. Raon knocked, and an irritated voice could be heard from inside. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± It was followed by footsteps that were as irritated as her voice before the door was opened. ¡°I said no one was allow¡ªGasp!¡± Palen started shouting, her hair disheveled, but she suddenly shut mouth. ¡°W-wee.¡± She was acting like a savage beast but suddenly shrunk into a herbivore upon seeing Raon. Raon looked around. No one was around, and he could guess it was because Palen had made them leave. Raon casually entered her room as if it were his home. ¡°H-how did it go?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the one asking questions.¡± Raon curtly interrupted her. ¡°P-please excuse me.¡± Her eyes showed that she was still being crushed by fear. ¡°Did you get any messages from the ck Snake before I returned?¡± ¡°Th-there was no message. I left a piece of cloth on the window, but no one came to visit¡­¡± Palen shook her head and told him that they never connected her after she gave them the information. ¡°I knew it.¡± Raon chuckled and nodded. ¡®He must be nning to get rid of the ck Snake.¡¯ An assassin organization normally had to paypensation if a mission ended up a failure¡ªthat, or announce their failure before dispatching additional assassins toplete their mission. The fact that they didn¡¯t do either signified that Derus was nning on erasing the name of ck Snake from the world. ¡®It¡¯s so obvious what you are nning to do next. He won¡¯t attack me anymore for a while since I defeated him three whole times.¡¯ It was the third time he¡¯d lost to Raon, and since even the orphanage and the submarine dungeon were taken away from him, Derus was bound to regain his cool from his extreme anger considering his personality. Considering that he was even getting rid of the ck Snake, he must¡¯ve been nning to gather information instead of getting involved with Raon, all to ambush his shady part or weaknesster on. ¡®I still can¡¯t be careless though.¡¯ Derus was extremely persistent and rational. It was necessary to prepare for the worst even if he could tell what he was thinking. Raon put his thoughts together before he turned his head towards Palen. ¡°Did you bring the articles for the trial?¡± ¡°Yes. But it looks like it¡¯s already over for us.¡± Palen started chewing on her lip. ¡°My second brother is bringing an entire drake, and my eldest brother shouldn¡¯t lose to him. It must be impossible for us to win at this point.¡± She seemed to believe that they¡¯d failed to kill the drake from the Jamari mountain range, probably because she saw Dorian returning empty-handed. ¡°Indeed.¡± Since it was unnecessary to tell Palen about what happened, Raon simply nodded before standing up. ¡°I won¡¯t be visiting you. Do you understand what I mean?¡± ¡°I-I must forget what happened so far¡­¡± ¡°You are pretty smart.¡± Raon smiled at her and grabbed her chin. ¡°You will have topletely erase it from your memory, to the point where you won¡¯t open your mouth even when you are drunk or brainwashed. She wille back to get you if a problem urs because of this.¡± ¡°Hieeeh!¡± As soon as he told her that Merlin would return, Palen started freaking out and fell on her ass while struggling. ¡°I-I absolutely won¡¯t tell anyone! So, please! Please¡­¡± Palen went on her knees and begged for forgiveness. ¡°Just keep your mouth tight.¡± Raon pointed at her mouth with his finger and looked down at her. ¡°Yes, yes! Absolutely!¡± Palen frantically nodded with bloodshot eyes. Considering her terrified state, Raon figured that she had no intention of talking about it for the rest of her life. ¡®I wonder what Merlin even did to make her so terrified.¡¯ Raonughed bitterly while leaving Palen¡¯s room. Th-the King of Essence doesn¡¯t even want to know. Wrath started to tremble as he thought about Merlin. It¡¯s better to not know when ites to a madwoman like her! He desperately shook his head, saying that he didn¡¯t want to know or see her. ¡®You said you had experienced something simr in the past, right?¡¯ Indeed! That one stuck to him like a leech. ¡®A leech, you say¡­¡¯ He walked towards his room while talking to Wrath, and there he found Dorian and Ligwin, Adis¡¯s butler, in front of his room. ¡°Sir Raon, the president would like to see you. Do you have time right now?¡± Ligwin bowed politely. ¡°I do. Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon nodded. Since he somewhat expected it to happen, he followed Ligwin to the president¡¯s office. He opened the office door and entered. Adis was working on documents from his desk. He was sitting with the exact same posture in the exact same room as their previous visit. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Adis put down his pen on the document and raised his eyes to look at Raon. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°You should ask the person in question instead of me.¡± Raon pointed at Dorian with a smile on his face. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Adis nodded and looked at Dorian instead. ¡°Did you bring what I¡¯ve asked for?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Dorian nodded hopelessly. He seemed to have understood what Raon had told him previously. ¡°Judging from your gloomy answer, you must¡¯ve failed to acquire what you wanted.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He must¡¯ve been avoiding the response because he wasn¡¯t good at lying. ¡°The problem with drakes isn¡¯t simply the fact that it¡¯s a powerful monster. You shouldn¡¯t be too ashamed that you couldn¡¯t defeat one or acquire a sample. However¡­¡± Adis red coldly at Dorian. ¡°That¡¯s what averagepanies would say. Since you are trying to stand at the peak of Sephia, you will have to create a drake even if you can''t find one.¡± ¡°I-indeed.¡± Dorian nodded while fidgeting his fingers. His flushed cheeks hinted at his urge to take out the drake to brag about it. ¡®Well, of course he would.¡¯ He must¡¯ve been suppressing his urge since he usually loved to take things out of his belly pocket and brag about them, and he finally had an opportunity to show off in front of his father, who had been looking down on him. However, it was necessary to endure for an evenrger gain. ¡°Take out what you brought. I¡¯ll take a look to find out how good it is.¡± Adis¡¯s voice was cold, but his gesture was gentle. He seemed to be trying to advise him. ¡°N-no.¡± Dorian grasped his belly pocket tightly and shook his head. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I have to wait until the anticipation is at its peak¡­¡± ¡°Anticipation?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say that! Sniff!¡± He looked at Raon with trembling lips. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon sighed in his mind and closed his eyes. ¡°I need to see what you brought to¡­¡± ¡°No! Because the information might be leaked to the other candidates if the president saw what I brought!¡± Dorian raised his head and yelled. Raon smiled faintly while looking back at Dorian. ¡®That wasn¡¯t too bad.¡¯ He seemed to be saying whatever came to his mind, but it was a nice way to refuse against Adis. ¡°Are you telling me that I might be your enemy?¡± ¡°I-indeed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Adis stroked his chin and nodded. His eyes looked even calmer than before, but the passion deep inside his eyes was burning even more strongly than before. He seemed to approve of Dorian''s response. ¡°Alright, you can leave now. See you on the appointed day for the trial.¡± Adis shook his hand, showing that he wasn¡¯t going to care about it anymore. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s lips trembled because of his cold reaction and rubbed his belly pocket. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon bowed to Adis and dragged Dorian out of the office before he made a mistake. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ligwin smiled gently while looking at the door where Dorian and Raon had left. ¡°The fourth young master has definitely grown up.¡± ¡°Yes. He confidently dered that while seeing me as an enemy. He indeed changed a lot.¡± Adis lightly tapped on the desk with his finger and nodded. ¡°Certainly, hispanion seemed to be an important factor. The White Sword Dragon. He¡¯s not a person that can be judged simply from his age and might.¡± Ligwin nodded. He looked proud of Dorian¡¯s growth. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s called a bond.¡± Adis picked up the pen that he¡¯d previously put down with a satisfied smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the trial. He must¡¯ve brought something interesting.¡± * * * * * * The final day of the trial for session had arrived, and it was also the day of the Gray Hammer guild¡¯s visit. Raon lightheartedly went to thepany¡¯s training ground. Countless people were already settled in the training ground, and it looked like the Sephiapany¡¯s merchants had gathered from all around the continent. ¡°This makes me realize once again how many merchants are affiliated to thepany.¡± Dorian swallowed nervously while looking around the training ground full of merchants. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that they are here, as we are deciding on who is going to be the next president.¡± Whoever became the sessor couldpletely change the future of the Sephiapany¡¯s merchants, and that was why they were all visiting the central administration building despite their busy schedules. ¡°Are all of them going to be my subordinates once I be the president?¡± ¡°Yes. You will have to take responsibility for all of them. Can you do it?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m honestly not confident. But¡­¡± Raon turned to look at Dorian. His neck was trembling behind his lowered head. ¡°I think I might be able to do it if others help me.¡± Dorian quietly raised his face. Even though his eyes were trembling, a dim glow of determination could be seen. That cowardly child is finally saying something likable. Wrath¡¯s smile was proud as he praised him for once. ¡®Indeed. Asking for help takes courage.¡¯ ¡°I like your answer.¡± Raon nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Asking for help from trustworthy people is a great method if you can¡¯t do it on your own.¡± ¡°Th-thank you! You are also going to help me, right? Vice squad leader!¡± ¡°I¡¯m expensive though, and extremely expensive at that. You know that fact, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°You will also have to pay in advance for remaining friends.¡± ¡°Ah, sure¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s eyebrows drooped, and his lips turned pale. Why are you bullying the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate again?! Wrath barked while grabbing Raon¡¯s sleeve. ¡®Because it¡¯s fun.¡¯ Raon tapped on Dorian¡¯s shoulder and went to the center of the training ground. The second son, Dialon, and the third daughter, Palen, were already waiting there. An entire drake a bit smaller than twenty meters in size was ced in front of Dialon, and drake ws, teeth, and a horn were neatly disyed in front of Palen. ¡®Jeser isn¡¯t here yet.¡¯ The first son, Jeser, hadn''t arrived in thepany yet. Raon could onlyugh because he could tell what he was trying to achieve. Raon went next to Palen along with Dorian. ¡°H-hello.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Palen awkwardly greeted them, while Dialon frowned slightly as he lowered his head. Their expressions were rather gloomy even though they had brought the materials for the trial. It looked like they were already aware of what Jeser was going to bring. ¡°We are just sidekicks now. The winner is already decided, our older brother has won.¡± Dialon bit his lip tightly while looking down at the stuffed drake. ¡°Why is the young master Dialon looking so gloomy?¡± ¡°I know, right? Why does he look like he gave up on thepetition even though he brought an entire drake?¡± ¡°Did you still not hear the rumors? The young master Jeser is bringing a drake a lot bigger than that one!¡± ¡°Really? Why is he not here then?¡± ¡°He¡¯s waiting for the perfect moment to appear.¡± The rumor seemed to have already spread, and people believed that the first son, Jeser, was going to be the sessor without any doubt. Thud! Before the sun reached the center of the sky, the training ground¡¯s door opened wide and the Sephiapany¡¯s president, Adis, made his appearance. He moved in front of the three sessor candidates with calm yet powerful steps. ¡°Our clients from the Gray Hammer guild are going to arrive soon. I¡¯ll check out what you¡¯ve brought before they do.¡± Adis looked at the three sessor candidates one after the other with his hands folded behind his back. ¡°President.¡± Dialon raised his hand and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Our brother Jeser hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡± ¡°Keeping the time limit is also an important quality for a merchant. If he¡¯s still not here at noon, he will be disqualified regardless of the drake he brough¡ª¡± ¡°Take it easy, please.¡± Adis was frowning and Dialon¡¯s face was getting flushed when Jeser¡¯s casual voice could be heard. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s above us!¡± ¡°He¡¯sing from above!¡± Everyone raised their heads upon hearing the merchant¡¯s shout. A dark spot next to the sun, which looked like a star in broad daylight, became bigger and bigger before falling at the center of the training ground. Whaam! The impact wasn¡¯t too strong¡ªprobably because he¡¯d used a spell¡ªbut a thick pile of yellow dust surged over the training ground. Whoosh! Ligwin shook his hand, and the dust subsided to reveal what had just fallen into the training ground. There was something huge tied with thick fabric on top of a gray nk that surpassed thirty meters in length. ¡°I¡¯m not consideredte since it isn¡¯t noon yet, right?¡± Jeser arrived while riding the nk and walked up to Adis. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Adis slowly nodded. ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve arrived exactly on time.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeser bowed politely. His gesture and expression were brimming with a winner¡¯sposure. ¡°It looks like the others have already taken out what they brought. In that case, I shall also show you mine.¡± He went back to the nk, took off the ck fabric covering his item, and sent it flying. The fabric soared into the sky like a pping g, and the drake that had been hiding underneath was finally revealed. Jeser¡¯s subordinates came up to him and stretched the drake¡¯s head and tail to the sides. Its size was huge enough to fill half of the training ground, it was a colossal drake, far surpassing twenty-five meters in length. ¡°Wooow!¡± ¡°I-is that really a drake?¡± ¡°How is it even so big?! Are you sure it¡¯s not a dragon?¡± ¡°Th-this is crazy. The result is already decided, it¡¯s so obvious now!¡± ¡°Young Master Jeser is going to be the sessor.¡± The merchants filling the training ground started to shout. Judging from their cheers echoing throughout the sky, Raon could guess that a lot more merchants were following Jeser than the other candidates to begin with. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Dialon and Palen bit their lips tightly upon seeing the drake that Jeser had brought. They couldn¡¯t even think aboutpeting against him because of the huge difference in size. ¡°Hmm.¡± Jeser was proudly standing there and enjoyed the gazes that were only focused on him. Raon smiled faintly while watching him. ¡®It¡¯s going exactly ording to my expectations. He arrived at thest moment just so he could create this scene.¡¯ With Jeser¡¯s connections, it should¡¯ve been possible to arrive earlier by using magic in the worst case, yet he hadn¡¯t arrived until the appointed day. He must¡¯ve been nning to make a grand entry to win the merchants¡¯ hearts. ¡®It was great. However¡­You will be the sidekick in the end.¡¯ Raon had the feeling that it would be even more interesting thanks to his appearance. ¡°The winner is already decided.¡± Jeser arrogantly looked down on the other sessor candidates. Just like in the dining hall, he didn¡¯t even look at Dorian. He wasn¡¯t even considered his brother or apetitor in his mind. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have my siblings go back hom¡ª?¡± ¡°No.¡± Adis raised his hand and interrupted Jeser. ¡°Dorian didn¡¯t take anything out yet.¡± ¡°He simply didn¡¯t bring anything, did he?¡± ¡°I wonder, I¡¯m not sure myself.¡± Adis looked at Dorian and Raon standing behind him. ¡°If you brought anything, then take it out now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and stepped forward. ¡°Please stay back, everyone.¡± He shook his hand towards Palen, Dialon, Jeser, and the subordinates behind them. Moreover, he even asked the spectators to stand back. ¡°What is he even asking us to do all this?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he just trying to bluff?¡± ¡°He might be, like ast struggle.¡± ¡°I guess he wants some attention.¡± People moved back because Adis was watching them but shook their heads whileughing at Dorian. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian slowly caught his breath and looked at Raon. ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Once he saw Raon¡¯s smile of consent, he put his hand into the belly pocket. The first thing that came out was the head of a small reptile which looked like a lizard. ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± ¡°What the hell is that?!¡± ¡°Why did he bring a lizard when he was supposed to bring a drake?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s ove¡ªhuh?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± However, the moment the reptile¡¯s head came out from his belly pocket, it suddenly expanded and turned into a drake¡¯s head¡ªbig enough to swallow multiple people whole. ¡°Aaaaah¡­¡± ¡°H-how is that¡­?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The moment the over thirty-five-meter-long body of a drake finisheding out of Dorian¡¯s belly pocket, the sessor candidates¡ªincluding Jeser¡ªdropped their jaws. They actually looked like they were dislocated. Both the loud and quiet celebrations for Jeser¡¯s victory suddenly disappeared, and the entire training ground fell silent. Raon smiled while watching that quiet scene. ¡®I was looking forward to those expressions.¡¯ Chapter 368 Chapter 368 When surprised, people were inclined to shout. However, when faced with pure astonishment, silence reigned. Astonishment was the perfect word to describe the training ground¡¯s state. No one could pull themselves together because the drake was already over thirty meters long even though the neck and the tail weren¡¯t stretched out yet. Raon looked to the right to observe their expressions. The merchants had been waving their hands and cheering for Jeser¡¯s victory until just a moment ago, but the expressions on their faces had turned as dumb as an oyster. On the other hand, their eyes were as wide as they could go, frantically examining the drake that was taking up the entire training ground. ¡®The other candidates should be in the same situation.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and looked at Dialon and Palen, who was standing next to him. Palen, who used to believe that Dorian was in the same situation as her, had fallen on her ass from surprise. Meanwhile, Dialon was drooling from his mouth while staring at the drake that was too big to be seen at a nce. ¡®That guy ispletely out of his mind.¡¯ Jeser was standing at the center, and the focus was gone from his eyes because of his disbelief. His mind seemed to have been blown by the fact that Dorian had surpassed him even though he¡¯d been ignoring his existence. Adis was thest person Raon looked at. ¡®As for him¡­ he hasn¡¯t changed. He¡¯s indeed extraordinary.¡¯ He was the only person in the training ground who was casually examining Dorian¡¯s drake without being surprised. Raon had the impression, once again, that one needed to be extraordinary to run a hugepany like that. All of their faces have turned yellow. Wrath grinned while looking around him. Looking at those dipshits falling silent feels as good as eating mint ice cream! Raon nodded with a smile. ¡®It feels great indeed.¡¯ It definitely felt great to watch the pale expressions of despair descend upon the faces of the merchants who kept saying that the winner was already decided from the moment they returned to thepany. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon looked aside upon hearing the quiet sound of breathing. Dorian¡¯s shoulders were trembling with his fists clenched. Judging from the way his lips were curved into a smile, he also seemed to be feeling the same exhration from their reactions. After the short silence that felt like an eternity, time resumed for the stunned masses, and they started talking once again. ¡°I-is that really a drake? Isn¡¯t it a dragon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s way bigger than the young master Jeser¡¯s drake even though it¡¯s not even stretched out yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gonna be over thirty-five meters long once the head and the tail are pulled.¡± ¡°H-how did he even get a drake like that?¡± ¡°Look at that, the scales still have some vitality left in them. It means that he defeated it during the trial just like the young master Jeser!¡± ¡°But the White Sword Dragon is the only person who went with the young master Dorian. Which means¡­¡± ¡°The two of them must have defeated that monstrous drake.¡± The merchants swallowed nervously while admiring the overwhelming size of the drake and Raon¡¯s might. ¡°W-wait¡­¡± Jeser came up next to Dorian with trembling lips. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?! How did you get a drake like this?!¡± He was looking at Dorian for the first time, even though he¡¯d been acting like he didn¡¯t exist before. ¡°We defeated it.¡± Dorian shrugged his shoulders, saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Where did you defeat it?!¡± Jeser yelled. He looked like hepletely forgot about how he¡¯d been ignoring him. ¡°From far away.¡± Dorian casually responded with a smile on his face. He must¡¯ve been taking after Raon. ¡°You bastard, are you making fun of m¡ª¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Jeser was about to rush at Dorian when Adis cleared his throat while walking up to them. ¡°Dorian, try stretching out the drake.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Dorian ignored Jeser and ran up to the drake, pulling its head and tail into a straight line. It was already bigger than Jeser¡¯s drake when it was folded, and once he finished stretching it, it made Jeser¡¯s drake look like a baby inparison. ¡°Th-the difference in size is so much more obvious now¡­¡± ¡°Indeed. The young master Jeser¡¯s drake should be around twenty-five meters long, and the young master Dorian¡¯s drake should be over thirty-five meters.¡± ¡°The sessor is pretty much decided at this point.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°We are screwed¡­¡± Jeser¡¯s followers shook their heads and sighed deeply. They seemed to believe that it was over. Adis nodded while listening to the merchants¡¯ reactions. ¡°It¡¯s decided. The sessor¡­¡± ¡°Not yet! It¡¯s not over yet!¡± Jeser raised his hand and stepped forward. The arrogance in his eyes had turned into impatience. ¡°What¡¯s not over yet?¡± Adis slowly turned his gaze to look at Jeser. ¡°I admit that Dorian¡¯s drake is bigger than mine. However, bigger isn¡¯t always better. My drake¡¯s ws, teeth, and bones should have better durability. Moreover¡­¡± He narrowed his eyes while pointing at Dorian¡¯s drake. ¡°Look at those scars. There are plenty of cracks on the scales. Its insides must be devastated, and it can hardly be used as a material!¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve pierced it multiple times with astral energy in order to defeat a huge drake like that. The inside is probably ruined.¡± ¡°The scales are indeed rather messy.¡± Even Jesser¡¯s followers raised their voices after him in an attempt to seize thatst opportunity. Raon snickered while enjoying their desperate struggle. ¡®I¡¯m even more confident in that aspect.¡¯ The drake had multiple scars because it was an old individual, but he had killed it with a single strike to its head. Once they inspected the state, they were bound to be shocked by how clean it was, even more than the size. ¡°Err, hmm¡­¡± Dorian anxiously rubbed his belly pocket, since he wasn¡¯t the one who killed it. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly wrong.¡± Adis nodded while looking at the two drakes one after the other. ¡°Ah, in that case¡­¡± ¡°However, I¡¯m not the one who is supposed to decide.¡± He pointed at the training ground¡¯s entrance, where heavy footsteps could be heard. ¡°Our client is going to personally decide for us.¡± The training ground¡¯s door was opened right after he said that. The men who entered had such thick muscles that it would¡¯ve been believable if they were introduced as orcs. The gray-haired old man at the lead had the most unusual appearance. Despite his bulky muscles, he was as small as a child and had a long beard flowing down from his chin. Oh! Wrath licked his lips while looking at the old man. It¡¯s been a while since hest saw a shorty! ¡®Shorty¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while listening to Wrath. ¡®Is that how demons usually refer to the dwarves?¡¯ The Gray Hammer guild¡¯s master wasn¡¯t actually human but a dwarf. Moreover, he was a celebrity that was known throughout the continent. ¡°Greetings, Gray Hammer¡¯s master.¡± Adis walked forward and bowed at the dwarf. ¡°What an excessive greeting, Sephia¡¯s president.¡± The dwarf lowered his head slightly while stroking his beard. ¡°This much courtesy is natural since I¡¯m meeting Sir Borgos, one of the Continent¡¯s cksmiths.¡± Adis shook his head with a smile. ¡®Borgos¡­¡¯ That dwarf was one of the Continent¡¯s cksmiths, just like Vulcan, who had forged Heavenly Drive, and Kuberad, who had made the de of Requiem. ¡°Nothing good wille from praising m¡ªAh!¡± Borgos shook his hand but suddenly widened his eyes and ran forward. Even though his legs were short, he ran forward at a tremendous speed and reached the drake. ¡°Wh-what is this?!¡± Borgos used to look like he wouldn¡¯t be surprised even if a meteorite fell from the sky, but his eyes trembled frantically upon seeing the drake. ¡°What a huge drake! It¡¯s almost as big as an adult dragon!¡± He chewed his lip, saying that he¡¯d never seen such a huge drake during his long career as a cksmith. ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s an ice drake with a water attribute, which is the best for forging equipment with!¡± ¡°Look at those wing bones! They look unbreakable!¡± ¡°Look at those scales! They are brimming with coldness, and it would already make de-proof scale armor by simply putting them together!¡± The cksmiths, who came with Borgos, examined the drake and started tough loudly. They looked like they wanted to bring it back right away to forge weapons. ¡°You idiots.¡± Borgos clicked his tongue at the cksmiths. ¡°You are so absorbed by that aspect that you¡¯ve been distracted in the most important part.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean¡­?¡± He ignored the cksmiths¡¯ questions and went towards the drake¡¯s head. ¡°A single strike.¡± Borgos swallowed nervously while looking at a small cut at the center of the drake¡¯s head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This huge monster has been in in a single strike.¡± He raised his eyes. He looked around with trembling eyes and finally came to a halt upon seeing Raon. ¡°Was it your doing?¡± Borgos exhaled faintly and walked up to Raon. ¡°You look young, but I can feel an unbelievable prowess of the sword from you. Genius isn¡¯t even enough to describe it.¡± He had managed to perfectly grasp Raon¡¯s prowess even though he was hiding his aura. He had the abilities befitting his title of Continent¡¯s cksmith. ¡°May I ask your name?¡± Raon nodded politely. He liked how polite Borgos was, even though he was from a different race and was far older than himself. ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°I heard that name before. Are you the so-called White Sword Dragon?¡± Borgos already knew about his nickname. The rumors must¡¯ve already spread to the Gray Hammer Guild. ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed multiple swordsmen with the title of Sword Dragon in my life, but you are even more exceptional than them. I can understand how this monster was defeated in a single strike.¡± He nodded while looking at Heavenly Drive underneath. ¡°Sephia¡¯s president, our guild will take this drake.¡± Borgos walked up to Adis without even looking at the drakes that the other candidates had brought. ¡°W-wait a moment!¡± Jeser cut in between Borgos and Adis with his hands gathered together. ¡°Please look at the drake I defeated! It¡¯s smaller in size, but there are barely any scars on the outside because I¡¯ve made sure to keep it clean when I hunted! Moreover, it has the wind attribute, and the bones should be strong¡­¡± ¡°Do I look blind to you?¡± Borgos¡¯s voice turned frighteningly cold. ¡°Wh-what do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°I already saw your drake the moment I entered this ce. I thought you brought something befitting your fame, Jeser.¡± ¡°Ah, in that case¡­¡± ¡°But your fame was apparently exaggerated.¡± Borgos furrowed his brow while ring at Jeser. ¡°Your drake is indeed clean on the outside. However, you¡¯ve damaged the inside a lot. You must¡¯ve even used magic on top of tearing it apart with astral energy.¡± ¡°W-wait¡­¡± ¡°Doing such a thing will shatter the bones and melt down the inside of the scales, and there¡¯s barely anything left to be used as material. It¡¯s just a low-quality good in the end.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jeser¡¯s face turned as white as a sheet. ¡°I¡¯ve been wielding a hammer since before you¡ªno, long before your father was born. You must underestimate me if you¡¯re trying to trick me with those shallow words.¡± Borgos clicked his tongue at his pathetic behavior and turned around. ¡°That was foolish of you, Jeser.¡± Adis sighed briefly while looking down on Jeser. ¡°I-I¡¯ve simply acquired the requested material by all means!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never said that. What I told you was that I would even allow you to steal from others, but wed materials were the one thing I wouldn¡¯t allow. You must¡¯vepletely misunderstood me.¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± Jeser fell on his knees and hung his head. He must¡¯ve realized that it was over for him since his expression was full of despair. ¡°I-it¡¯s over¡­¡± ¡°The young master Jeser is done for¡­¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t even pay attention to the young master Dialon.¡± ¡°D-does that mean that the young master Dorian is really going to be the sessor?¡± The merchants standing behind Jeser and Dialon were watching them with trembling eyes that looked like the desperate pping of a butterfly on a tidal wave. ¡°Who even expected this result?¡± ¡°N-no one. There¡¯s no way anyone would¡¯ve followed the young master Dorian!¡± ¡°Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s an opportunity for us? We can be his followers!¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± ¡°I might be able to be an executive¡­¡± The merchants took their asses off their chairs and licked their lips, aiming to ride on Dorian¡¯s rope instead of the rotten rope. They looked like they were about to run at Dorian as soon as the results were announced. ¡°I¡¯ll buy your drake.¡± Borgos walked up to Dorian and extended his hand. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Dorian looked behind him at Raon and Adis instead of shaking his hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? The matter¡¯s already settled.¡± Raon didn¡¯t say anything, and Adis furrowed his brow. ¡°No, it¡¯s not over yet!¡± Dorian smiled and didn¡¯t take Borgos¡¯s hand. He seemed to have gotten a hint from Raon¡¯s silence and Adis¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s time for the negotiations!¡± He confidently raised his voice. ¡°Correct.¡± Adis gently nodded and went next to Dorian. ¡°Since you brought perfect merchandise for the client, getting paid as much as possible in return is a merchant¡¯s job.¡± Adis smiled proudly at him for the first time. ¡°You are finally at the starting line, Dorian.¡± * * * * * * Dorian and Borgos went into a conference room in the central administration to start the negotiations. Raon and Borgos¡¯s disciple were standing behind them. ¡°As we requested, we will buy the horn, teeth, ws, and all of the skin and bones.¡± Borgos raised his gaze to meet Dorian¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. The drake you¡¯ve in has the highest grade materials that even I have seen before. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t exactly know how much it should cost.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Dorian nodded stiffly. ¡°Since the corpse of an ordinary drake costs from eight hundred to a thousand gold coins, I¡¯m thinking four gold ingots for this one.¡± Borgos wrote four gold ingots on the contract that Dorian had given him. ¡°Four gold ingots?¡± One gold ingot was equal to a thousand gold coins in value. He was offering a tremendous amount of money. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dorian furtively looked back to ask for advice. Raon shook his eyes slightly as Dorian looked at him. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but it would be difficult with that price.¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and shook his head. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll add three hundred gold coins on top of the four gold ingots. How about it?¡± Borgos added three hundred gold coins to the amount written on the contract. ¡°Which is four thousand three hundred gold coins¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s breathing intensified and he looked back. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon lowered his eyes. He looked like he wasn¡¯t satisfied with it once again. ¡°Th-that¡¯s no good either¡­¡± ¡°Ahem! Fine. Four gold ingots and six hundred gold coins!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Dorian looked back once again, and Raon didn¡¯t raise his eyes once again. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Borgos groaned even though he didn¡¯t even hear Dorian¡¯s response. He had realized who was deciding the price. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll add arge amount so you won¡¯t be able to refuse! I¡¯ll give you five gold ingots!¡± Five gold ingots. The price had gone up to five thousand gold coins in total. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± Dorian screamed and turned around. His trembling hands were begging him to ept it already. Raon casually shook his head. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Dorian, Borgos, and even his disciple widened their eyes. Despite their astonishment, Raon was peacefully sipping his tea with his arms crossed. Hey. Wrath tilted his head. How much is that drake even supposed to cost? ¡®I have no idea.¡¯ He¡¯d heard that the Dialon¡¯s stuffed drake cost a thousand gold coins, but he had no idea how much the huge drake normally cost. Then why are you refusing? ¡®There¡¯s a saying that you should refuse three times during a negotiation.¡¯ You just refused four times though? ¡®I did once more just in case.¡¯ What is this madman¡­? Wrath gasped in disbelief. ¡°This is insane.¡± Borgos frowned and raised his head. ¡°You might have to redo the trial for session if I leave without buying it.¡± He grabbed the table in a threatening manner. ¡°Huah!¡± Dorian turned around in panic, but Raon was still asposed as before. [The exam consisted of bringing a drake¡¯s ws, teeth, horn, and bones. It¡¯s not necessary to conclude the negotiation. Tell him that.] He wasn¡¯t bluffing. Adis had clearly said to bring the drake, not to sell it no matter what. ¡°Th-the exam consisted of bringing a drake¡¯s ws, teeth, horn, and bones. It¡¯s not necessary to conclude the negotiation. Tell him that. Uwah!¡± Dorian even said the ¡®tell him that¡¯ part, which he shouldn¡¯t have said. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Borgos¡¯s chin was trembling as he looked up at Raon. Are you the real authority here?! Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped while watching the scene. Just sit at the negotiation table if you are going to do this! Chapter 369 Chapter 369 Raon snickered while looking at Dorians trembling lips. He was ncing at him with worry because he thought that hed made a grave mistake. Hes so special. Raon had only repeated what Adis had said about the exam, but he actually went ahead and even said the tell him that part. [You didnt need to say that part.] [I-Im sorry!] Even his aura message was trembling. [Well, it cant be helped since youve already done it.] Ill cover it up with confidence. Raon confidently raised his chin even though theyd found out that he was the one giving the instructions. What the hell is wrong with you? Wrath furrowed his brow in bewilderment. Did the madwoman mind-control you or something when she kidnapped you? He already knew that I was the one giving those instructions. Raon could see from Borgoss eyes that he was aware of who was making the decisions in the negotiation. The tell him that had only confirmed his suspicions. Sit at the table if you are going to do that. Borgos pointed at an empty seat while saying the same thing as Wrath. Im just an outsider in this matter. Raon shook his hand with a smile. Outsider? He looks more like an outsider in my eyes. Borgosughed bitterly while looking at Dorian. No way. Dorian is the one who is about to be the Sephiapanys sessor. And that sessor is in the palm of your hand! I was just doing it for Dorians sake. Bullshit! Say that again after you remove that greed brimming from your eyes! Raon rubbed around his eyes with his sleeve and blinked. I removed it. Ugh! He wants to beat you up to death! Wraths plump fist trembled violently from anger. Haa, I never expected it to be so difficult to deal with a young man. Borgos sighed deeply. Please sit at the table. It would be impolite to refuse an elders request twice. Raon immediately sat next to Dorian. Ill be standing! Dorian also immediately stood up and smiled cheerfully. They both looked so peacefs if theyd returned to where they should belong. Yes, this is more like it. Borgos nodded with an enervated smile. Alright, we can finally discuss it. White Sword Dragon, I suspect that you arent looking for money. There was no way someone like Raon Zieghart would simply ask for money. Borgos was certain that he mustve been looking for something else. What could it be Ah! As he thought about Raons actions, he remembered the scabbard hed shown him under the pretense of coincidence. The sword felt like Vulcans, while the dagger felt like Kuberads. Which means what he wants might be Borgos raised his eyes to look at Raon. His suspicion was confirmed upon meeting eyes that were as deep as ake. That was it. He smiled in satisfaction as he fiddled with the contract. Raon remained as calm as always and licked his lip while watching Borgos. I wasnt though. I was looking for money He couldnt tell what Borgos was thinking about, but he just wanted money. Because the drake is just extra. The only goal he had at thepany was to make Dorian the sessor. He didnt exactly care about the corpse because he even managed to get the drake heart to make Sylvias energy center thanks to the trial asking for a drake. He was going to be satisfied with being paid a decent price. I knew it! Borgos nodded wildly. He mustve taken the silence as a yes. What the hell is that shorty dirtbag saying right now? Wrath furrowed his brow while looking at Borgos. I wonder Who does he even think you are? You are just a punk with a money addiction! You mustve been lifting your cape over and over to show me the two swords. The sword is from Vulcan and the dagger is made by Kuberad, am I right? Thats true. Raon wasnt trying to show him the swords at all, but he simply nodded because the part about who had crafted those des was correct. Can I take a look at them? Yes. Raon took out Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem and gave them to him, curious about how far Borgos was about to go. Shring! Borgos started by drawing the de of Requiem. His eyes trembled upon seeing the red color of the de. A possessed de. Moreover, this possessed de is burning with resentment by sacrificing itself as fuel. There mustve been an unfortunate incident for Kuberad to forge this. He bitterly caressed the de of Requiems edge. He mustve done his best. It should be one of the better weapons from Kuberad. Borgos admired and returned the de of Requiem to its scabbard before he unsheathed Heavenly Drive. A clean and refined touch, its definitely Vulcans work. This sword grows alongside its owner. It can be a divine sword or a demonic sword depending on how its used, and it looks like your path isnt decided yet. He smiled while watching Heavenly Drives de. Thank you for the feast. Borgos returned the two swords with a smile. White Sword Dragon, you must be looking for equipment that wont be outdone by those two swords. He nodded with a satisfied expression that suggested that he finally understood everything. No, I You provoked this Borgos by showing him those two swords, not bad. Uhh I cant lose to Vulcan and Kuberad! Tell me what you want! Borgos mmed the table, telling him to say anything he wanted. Raon gasped while watching the passionate me in Borgoss eyes. Is this really happening? All Raon had done was to remain quiet, yet he was about to get equipment from a Continents cksmith in addition to the money. The world was truly a strange ce. In that case, can I ask for a package of throwing daggers? Since it was an opportunity, he ordered the throwing daggers that hed been wanting to have. Have you even learned the throwing art? A little. Alright! Theres nothing in the world that I cant forge! Ah, and Raon turned around and pointed at Doran who was nkly staring at them. His sword was broken. Id like to get a new one for him. Is it possible? Hmm, my disciple will take care of it. He looks like a wimp, but hes still the second-best cksmith in our guild. Borgos pointed at his disciple standing behind him. Raon couldve never dreamed that such a bulky man who seemed capable of crushing an orc with muscle powers alone would be called a wimp. I-I dont mind it! Dorian bowed, saying that he was extremely thankful. Which means the price will be five gold ingots, one package of throwing daggers, and one sword. Borgos modified the contract before he returned it. Alright. And please be more casual towards me. Raon nodded in satisfaction and shook Borgoss hand. Wh-what?! Wraths jaw dropped as he watched the handshake between Borgos and Raon. Why is everyone volunteering as a doormat for him?! Why is the number of doormats multiplying itself?! * * * * * * Raon left the central administration building with Borgos after the negotiations were concluded. I never expected that you would make that request in addition. Borgos shook his head in disbelief. Its best to leave it to a professional. Raon lowered his head slightly and smiled. You are not wrong. I just didnt think that the White Sword Dragon would have such a sly personality. I dont even know my own personality. He wasnt lying. His personality and tendencies were slowly changing along with his Sword Field Creations development. He was about to return to the training ground where the drake was located when a bunch of merchants came running towards them. Young Master Dorian! Nice to meet you! My name is Latrin, and I run a clothing shop named Camerin! Im delighted to make your acquaintance! Its been a while! Im Sizern and Im in charge of circting the wheat! Young Master Dorian! Congrattions on bing the sessor! Im in charge ofmerce with Cameloon Young master! Young master, please wait a moment Countless merchants came running and clung to Dorian. Some of them were even shoving gifts onto him to gain a favorable impression from the new sessor. V-vice squad leader! Good luck. Dorian was getting buried under the merchants, but Raon ignored him and went to the training ground with Borgos. Arent you going to help him? He needs to get used to it since its going to happen over and over in the future. Raon smiled while opening the training grounds door. Ive already had this impression earlier, but you really dont feel like a child. Your might could be exined by talent, but that experience couldnt have been acquired for no reason Borgos narrowed his eyes while looking at Raon. Ive had a difficult life. Raon shrugged his shoulders and stood in front of the drake. I leave it to you. Haa. Borgos licked his lips and took out a dagger from his clothes. Its de was thin enough to be called translucent, and it was shining in a dim red color. Whir! He carefully cut the drakes neck with the dagger and took out a hexagonal object from inside, which was shining a brilliant blue. Raon clenched his fist while witnessing that light. The drake heart. It wasnt as good as a dragon heart, but it was a natural storage of mana with a huge capacity. That should be enough. It had the power of ice, but it also had a high purity since it came from nature. That was why Raon assumed that it shouldnt cause any issues when into Sylvias energy center. Thank you. Raon bowed to Borgos before he epted the drake''s heart. He couldve taken it out by himself, but he wanted itpletely unscathed. That was why hed asked a professional for assistance. If you are trying to sell the drake heart, Ill introduce you to a good one. You should be able to sell it for higher than an auction. Borgos wanted to be helpful and told him that he could introduce him to someone. Its fine, I have a use for this item. Since it was reserved for Sylvia, he had no intention of selling it no matter how much he was offered. In fact, he didnt even care about how much the drake would cost as long as he obtained the heart. Is that so? I see. Borgos nodded with a smile. Shall I send the promised goods to Zieghart? Yes, please send them to the Light Wind squad of Zieghart. Ill do it. He smiled and took a piece of cloth from his inner pocket. He dropped the cloth and, once it reached the drakes body, the over thirty-five-meter-long body shrunk to five meters in size. The cksmiths from the Gray Hammer Guild immediately picked up the nk with the drake on it, then stood behind Borgos. See youter. Borgos casually waved his hand and left the training ground. The doormat is gone. Wrath spat in his direction, calling him the worst of all doormats in the world. Hes not the worst. Why not?! He offered all the money and equipment before you even asked! Because hes definitely not worse than you. No doormat in the world could even dare to match up to the giving Wrath. Raon tapped on Wraths head, and when he was thinking about returning to the central administration, a middle-aged man with tidy hair walked up to him. Sir Raon. Hmm? Raons jaw dropped upon seeing him. His appearance had drastically changed, but there was no way he wouldnt recognize his impure energy. He was the Saber of the Fallen Flower, Mark Goetten, whom hed defeated in the same training ground. May I ask when you will finish your consideration? Consideration? Raon fell silent and thought about it, then remembered the conversation theyd previously had. He asked me to let him follow me. He hade along with Palen and begged for Raon to let him be a follower. Raon also remembered that hed told him to wait since he had a more important matter to attend to. Itd been a whole month since then, and he mustve been waiting for the response while staying in thepany. Is it because hes a knight? He was originally a knight from the Warner Kingdom. Knights had a tendency to obey their master no matter what, unlike swordsmen, and Raon figured that was the reason hed been obeying that order. He mustve been serious about it. Raon could assume that he must not have been lying about bing a follower. Am I really getting a Master for free? No, it cant be. He might be serious right now, but he will probably change his mind soon enough. Since human nature didnt change so easily, Raon wanted to test his patience. Mark Goetten. Yes. Your body still doesnt seem to be in a good state. Im sorry. Ive been training, but Do you see the mountain over there? Raon pointed at a steep rocky mountain located to the west of Rokan City. Do four round trips to that mountain per day without using your aura. It will be extremely helpful in recovering your ruined body. If you cant, then Ill do it! Mark Goetten nodded and took off his clothes before immediately running towards the mountain. V-vice squad leader! Raon was watching his back when Dorian came running at him while panting. You left me behind, that was so mean! Dorian raised his head with a frown. Im sorry. Raon smiled gently at Dorian. Do you want to run away from those people? I do. Im not used to this, and Im also sad that they are looking for me only after I won the trial Dorian sighed briefly. In that case, I have the perfect solution. Solution? Dont do it! Wrath suddenly raised his head. It will definitely end up badly for you. Just look at his smile! He was giving a powerful warning, but Dorian obviously couldnt hear him. Will you do it? I will! Raon smiled and pointed at the rocky mountain, where Mark Goetten had run a moment ago. Mark Goetten should be over there. You should observe him and climb those rocks four times a day. Rock climbing without any equipment was extremely helpful for developing the fingers and wrists, which are important for using a sword, and even helped the lower and upper bodys development in addition to a sense of bnce. Since Dorians body wasnt mature yet, it was the perfect training for him. S-say that again? Climb the mountain. Go now! I-I dont want to do it after all. Dorian frantically shook his head. Id rather see those merchants instead I just remembered, you called me a psychopath before, right? Lets do focus enhancement training instead Ill be back! He covered his ears and hurriedly ran towards the rocky mountain. Raon nodded in satisfaction while watching Mark Goetten run with Dorian following him. What a perfect sight. Were you a loan shark in your previous life? * * * The next day, Raon went to Adis Sephias office, guided by his butler, Ligwin. He was slightly nervous because it was the first time he had been called for without Dorian. Why is he calling for me? He couldnt understand why he was calling for him because the sessor had already decided. Also, the negotiations were over. The King of Essence knows the answer. Wrath sneered, the corners of his lips curved into a long smile. What is it? Its obvious. He finally got his cowardly kid to be his sessor, but hes acting like your underling. Its only natural that his father would be angry with that. He giggled, saying that it was such a foolish move to make the sessor of argepany monitor Mark Goetten. Hmm That might be the case. Since Adis cherished Dorian despite how he looked, Raon thought it wasntpletely impossible. He couldnt exactly rebuke him because he didnt really know how other families were. You deserve a hard time! Wrath grinned, saying that it would be a fun sight. A berry pie would be perfect to have while watching this. Seriously? Wrath stuck his tongue out whileughing at him, and Raon kicked him away before standing in front of Adiss office. Just like thest time, Ligwin looked like he wasnt nning to enter and quietly opened the door for him. Please enter. Raon nodded at Ligwin and entered the office. Unlike the other times, Adis Sephia was sitting at a table at the center instead of at his desk. You called for me? Thank you foring. Please sit over there. Adiss voice sounded colder and more unfavorable than the other times. You should be aware that I dont like beating around the bush. Can I get right into the topic? His gaze also felt sharper. Raon thought that Wrath might have guessed right. Yes. Raon briefly caught his breath and nodded. His voice already sounds so angry. Get ready to be criticized. Wrath started dancing while wagging his finger, but his wish never came true. The Sephiapany would like to invest in Zieghart. No, its correct to say that wed like to invest in Raon Zieghart. Adis Sephia stared at Raon with serious eyes. Heh? Wrath bit his lip tightly while looking into Adiss clear eyes. H-he was another doormat! He started to squirm in the air, saying that it couldnt be happening. You are from one of the fivergestpanies! Why are you volunteering to be a doormat?! Is it hereditary? Chapter 370 Chapter 370 Raons lips curved downwards slightly as he met Adiss dry and serious gaze. Was this his purpose? The situation was theplete opposite of Wraths expectation. Adis wasnt angry at him, he was trying to support him even further. However, it didnt look like he was trying to help him unconditionally. What do you mean by investing in me? It means what it is. Im ready to spend money on whatever Raon Zieghart desires. Adis responded without any hesitation. He seemed to have prepared the response. But why?! You should invest in something else! This guy drinks money like a hippo! Shut up. Raon smacked Wrath away like a fly and looked at Adis. Can I ask the reason? Its only natural for a merchant to voluntarily invest in the uing strongest in the continent. That doesnt seem to be the only reason. If Adis only cared about his might, he shouldve weed Raon from the beginningbut he hadnt exactly tried to be friendly with him. There mustve been another reason behind his decision. You are really different for your age. Indeed, I do have another reason. What is? Because you are capable of changing people. Did you say change? Yes. There are many powerful people on the continent, not to mention geniuses. The wealthy are even more abundant. There are so many people who are great in their fields that anyone would know their names, but few are capable of naturally changing the others. Adis tapped on the table as he continued, a habit of his. Dorian became a man capable of seeding thepany just from following you, and even the Sword of the Fallen Flower, with such a sarcastic name, managed to rise once again. Thats not something that just anyone can achieve. I did help Dorians growth on purpose, but the case with the Saber of Fallen Flower was nothing but a coincidence. And no one else managed to achieve that coincidence in dozens of years. Mark Goetten became a Master at a young age and was considered as a rising star that would shine upon the Warner Kingdom. However, he was devoured by himself and ended up as a mercenary under the shameful name of Saber of the Fallen Flower. Many people still wanted to get him on their side because he was still a Master even though he couldnt improve himself, but no one managed to open his heart. However The man in front of me is different. All Raon had done was to honestly swing his sword without any intention of enlightening or obtaining the heart of the Saber of the Fallen Flower, yet he managed to touch the heart and soul of a loser who hadnt even been able to face his wall in a long time. It was an impossible feat to achieve, even if someone knew how to do it. It was only possible for those with a whole different quality than might and talent. An appropriate action is required to move someones heart. And you are capable of such a feat for someone else, on top of yourself. Thats why Id like to invest in you. I see Raon heavily nodded. What a frightening person. He wasnt nning to invest in me because of my might or because I raised Dorian. Sephias president, Adis, was trying to invest in Raon because he managed to understand what kind of person he was. I have a question. Adis suddenly stopped tapping on the table. Im listening. Do you have any intention to be Ziegharts head of house? Raon was at a loss for words even though it was a simple question. Head of house Hed been thinking about it for a while and was asked about it multiple times, but his answer had always been that he had no intention of bing one. Because it wasnt my objective. Hed decided that the most important objective for his second life was to reveal Derus Roberts identity andpletely destroy him. Even if he had to die one more time, it was the one thing he had to achieve beforehand. Bing the head of house will make it easier. Antagonizing Derus as the head of house could be an easier way to achieve his objective. However A tremendous number of people are bound to perish. If it turned into a war between two houses instead of two individuals, countless innocent people were bound to die. He didnt want to be as cruel as Derus in his quest for revenge against him. Hed rather have a difficult and lonely fight if it would cause unnecessary sacrifices. And its meaningless for my second objective as well. He could restore Sylvias status as a member of the direct line after bing the head of house, but if he managed to gain enough achievements to be the head of house, he wouldve managed to restore her status long before then. In conclusion, it was unnecessary for his second objective as well. Bing the head of house isnt my goal. However He mustve grown attached to the house called Zieghart, because he wanted to be with the people from the house and had the desire to make it bigger and increase its prestige. I dont even know what I want. He wanted to be the head of house but not at the same time. That was why he couldnt give Adis a definitive answer. He will probably cancel his proposal to help me. Adis was a merchant. He was bound to expect a return from his helping hand. However, the return was only going to happen after Raon became the head of house, so he could be expected to cancel his proposal once he heard the answer. But Ill feel better by telling him the truth. Adis was the father of hispanion and the president of argepany who couldnt be easily read. It was meaningless to half-heartedly lie to him. Seriously Wrath furrowed his brow at Raon. Your personality is iprehensible. You were literally a thug yesterday, and you sound like a sage today. In the end, you are just a madman. I dont even know myself. Raon sighed deeply and raised his gaze to look at Adis. I dont know. You dont know? Indeed. Its not about whether I can be the head of house or not. Its because I dont know yet what I can achieve by bing the head of house. Thats why I cant answer that question about bing the head. Hmm Adis grumbled and furrowed his brow. I dont understand. You should be well aware that an indecisive answer isnt a good choice, so why did you decide to say that? Isnt it better to tell me you will be the head of house, even if it is a lie? Indeed, that wouldve been the better choice. Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face. However, I remembered what you told me, president, when I was about to lie. What is it? Its better to bring a stolen good to the client rather than presenting a faulty product. Raon told him what hed said to Jeser in the training ground, and Adiss lips parted. Im not a merchant, but Im pretty much a product in this situation. I didnt want to trade with you using a product covered in lies. Wow Adis stopped tapping on the table. His shoulders trembled, and a wide smile appeared on his face. Kuhahahahaha! Adis let himself loose from his usual cold and adamant attitude andughed loudly. I can finally understand it. I see, that was why. He stared at Raon with an entertained gaze. His caring eyes looked simr to Dorians, unlike before. I mustve told you in the beginning that Im confident in my discernment. Indeed. And my discernment mustve gotten old. What? I didnt expect the man called Raon Zieghart to have this much caliber. Adis smiled gently. It somehow looked like it was his true expression. You told me before to speak more casually to you since Im the father of yourpanion. Is that still valid? Yes, it is. I ept. His smile deepened and he leaned his back in his chair. Im even more certain now after hearing your answer. The Sephiapany will invest in Raon Zieghart. Adis extended his hand. He looked like a load was taken off his mind. We will follow you no matter which path you decide to take. Tell me anything you want. Gasp! Wrath suddenly jolted, even though hed been quietly watching. That was the one thing you shouldnt have said! You idiot! Stay out of my view. Raon smacked the trembling cotton candy away with the back of his hand and leaned forward. What I want right now is the expansion of Zieghart. Expansion? Yes. Zieghart is the most closed faction among the Six Kings because we are located at the northern corner. Adis nodded in agreement. And its all because of our location. Thats why Id like to increase the infrastructure and roadwork from there. Raon had been thinking about it for a while. Manpower, roads, and money were all necessary to develop Zieghart, and a hugepanys help was required to achieve it. I understand what you mean. As expected of a president, Adis seemed to have already understood his meaning. It will require arge amount of money, time, and manpower. However, the return will be even bigger than that. Our head of house never fails to reward a merit, nor let a fault go unpunished. Many people are currently trying to ally themselves with Zieghart, but none of them has been decided yet. In that case, we shall make the first move. He nodded, saying that he would quickly devise a n. And the next up is for the Light Wind squad Next? Adiss eyes expanded twice the size upon hearing that there was a next. But you said I could say anything I wanted. I-I did, but I didnt think you would have more requests. Adis finally realized the bad turn of events, and his lips started to tremble. I have a lot more left. Raon raised his chin slightly and smiled cheerfully. Im only getting started, so please listen to me carefully. It didnt take a long time before Adis regretted his decision. * * * * * * Ziegharts Audience Chamber The ce felt as detached as the North Grave Mountains peak with a cold atmosphere storming all around, and a bunch of small and cute children entered at once. They were fidgeting their fingers while looking around the audience chamber with bewildered looks in their eyes. Haa Glenn Zieghart fiercely red at the Ragged Saint, Federick, who was standing in front of the awkward children. Who are these children? I already told Rimmer about them. Did you not hear about it? I did, but he never mentioned that there were this many of them. I also told him the number. Federick pointed at Rimmer, who was grinning at the children. Rimmer. Ah! Rimmers shoulders flinched upon hearing Glenns sharp voice. I-I forgot. Rimmerughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. Glenn shot a deadly re at Rimmer, and a bone-chilling atmosphere filled the audience chamber. Ugh Aww Wh-why is it so cold all of a sudden? The children started to tremble even though they were wearing thick fur coats. Glenn, we have children with us. Hmm Glenn frowned and removed all of his pressure. The warmth appeared inside the audience chamber instead, implying that he mustve unleashed the heat to create a warm wind. Wow, that was so mean! He just spread his pressure with kids around! Rimmer quickly went next to Roenn and started to talk shit about Glenn. Huhuhu. Roenn was smiling gently at the cuteness of the children with his hands sped behind his back. Misleading him about the number isnt even a big deal. His personality is so weird, trying to kill people for a small mistake like that. Huhuhu. Rimmer kept talking shit about Glenn even though Roenn wasnt responding. Ugh Glenn grumbled and looked at the children instead. So these children were brainwashed. Indeed. Federick nodded while looking back at the children, whose eyes were trembling in fear. Glenn examined them one by one. Even though they were at an age where they should still be protected by adults, the area under their eyes had turned ck. They looked like adults who were tired of life rather than cheerful children. Why did you bring them here? Because its possible to remove the remaining brainwashing and the bad memories they have by using the cold atmosphere in this area. Hmm. Glenn unleashed his aura perception to further examine the children. The limping energy inside them and the severe damage to their mana circuits seemed to have been caused by the brainwashing. Can you heal them? I can heal these children. Federick smiled awkwardly along with an ambiguous answer. Then Dont tell me you are nning to reject those children who came all the way to this coldnd. When Glenn was about to nod at Federick, Rimmers voice could be heard. Its not like we have no bread to feed them. After all, Raon is earning a lot of money for us with his great work. Huhuhu. He cant possibly make that decision as a human being, dont you agree? Huhuhu. Stop saying huhuhu and agree with me! I''m the only one getting screwed now! Rimmer barked, but Roenn didnt change from his gentleughter. Ill ept them. Glenn nodded at Federick. Send them to the mansion near the annex building. The warmest ce inside Zieghart was the annex building where Sylvia was dwelling. He figured having them stay close to the annex building was the best decision for their recovery. Thank you. I knew I could count on my friend. Federick bowed at him with a smile and opened the audience chambers door. Lets go. The children left the audience chamber one after the other. Federick. Glenn called Federick to stop him when he was about to leave with the children. Did you tell Raon to smile in front of me? Ah, yes, I did. How was it? Did you like it? Federick turned around with a grin on his face. Glenn bit his lip tightly without any response. The corners of his lips were vibrating like a leaf in the wind. Kuhahaha! I knew it. Federickughed in delight and left the audience chamber after telling him that hede back in the evening for a drink. Roenn, prepare enough side dishes. Pick that beggars favorite ones. Understood. Roenn smiled gently and nodded. And Arrrgh! Glenn moved his finger, and Rimmers body suddenly floated in the air when he was trying to leave after Federick. m! Roenn didnt miss the opportunity and closed the audience chambers door. S-Sir Roenn? Huhuhu. S-Stopughing, why did you close the door just now?! I told him to do it. Rimmer turned around upon hearing the frightening voice. Glenn had stood up from his throne and snapped his fingers. Zap! Crimson lightning spread throughout the space like a spiderweb and filled the entire ceiling in no time. Rumble! Rimmers chin trembled as he witnessed the crimson lightning pouring down upon him. A-again? Aaaaaaack! Roennsughter wavered throughout the space alongside the falling lightning. Huhuhu. * * * Even though Raon managed to obtain everything he wanted, he didnt leave the Sephiapany for two weeks. He was standing at the peak of the rocky mountain. He stared at the countless stars in the night sky for a while before he lowered his gaze. Kuaaaah! Mark Goetten screamed while climbing on the rocks. His slow speed made it difficult to believe that he was a Master, but he was steadily advancing step by step towards the peak. Ehehehe Dorian was floundering next to Mark Geotten with his tongue stuck out from his mouth like a dog. His eyes had already lost focus, but his speed wasnt too bad because his strength had always been his strong point. They are both pretty decent now. They were forced to rock climb with their physical strength alone because Raon hadpletely blocked their mana circuits, and they were climbing faster and more easily than before after two weeks of training. It was thanks to their physical improvement. It was already the seventh time that they were climbing that day, and they were a lot faster than the very first time they climbed. They are sloppy guys with no talent, but they are definitely taking a step forward. Wraths lips curved into a slight smile as he said that they werent doing too badly. This isnt too bad. Indeed, they are getting better and better. Dorian was also growing, but Mark Goetten had the most drastic change. He was recovering his ruined body by rock climbing all day long instead of doing a fixed number of round trips. I should help them. Raon smiled faintly and gently rubbed a boulder at the peak. Dont tell me You guessed right. Raon grinned and smacked the boulder with his fist. Whaam! The boulder shattered in pieces even more violently than expected because of the title King of Destruction, and the rubble started falling towards Dorian and Mark Goetten. Gasp! Aaaaaaaah! Mark Goetten and Dorian ducked while screaming. They were both busily moving around in order to dodge the falling stones after seeing them. Their eyes were brimming with their determination to survive. They are dodging pretty well. Raon dropped the rocks where Mark Goetten and Dorian were trying to escape to force them to keep thinking about the next move. This is fun. I should y it with the Light Wind squad once I return. Dropping the stones while they were rock climbing allowed them to raise their sight, predictive ability, and even agility on top. It was truly the best training method. Best training method? Bullshit! Just send them to hell already! * * * Because of Raons continued sabotage, Dorian and Mark Goetten only managed to reach the peak when the moon reached the center of the sky. Hiee, hieeeh! Huff! Dorian was drooling from his mouth while lying t on the ground, and Mark Goetten sank to his knees and gasped for breath. Good job. Raon smiled at Mark Goetten, who still hadnt copsed despite his exhaustion. Hes really changed. ording to the rumors about Mark Goetten as the Saber of the Fallen Flower, he shouldve already given up on the training within a single day. He had never been a patient person, and his personality mustve gotten even worse while he worked as a mercenary. However, Mark Goetten hadnt skipped his training a single time for the two weeks hed been doing it, climbing the rocky mountain from morning to night. Because hed been devoting all of his energy to it, his body hadpletely changedto the point that he looked like a different person. The extra fat hed gained from liquor and side dishes was gone, and the solid muscles recing it made him look like a proper warrior. His change is the expression of his determination. It feels like he is holding onto hisst rope. Mark Goetten wasmitting his body and soul to grasp the new opportunity presented in front of him. Raon could tell because hed been watching him for the past two weeks, just like the president Adis had said. Mark Goetten was serious about wanting to be his follower. However He was hesitant for one reason. Raon walked up to Mark Goetten, who was standing on his knees. Mark Goetten. Yes! It felt like the entire mountain trembled from Mark Goettens loud and clear response, even though he was still gasping for breath. You said you would be my follower, right? Do you still think the same? I do! Even if I cant raise your realm? The reason why Mark Goetten couldnt increase his realm wasnt simply because of the martial arts and aura hed learned. It was probably a psychological issue. He could potentially climb if he trained like the Light Wind squad, but it wasnt certain that he would. That was why Raon wanted to make sure to get his response before he continued. Mark Goetten closed his trembling eyes instead of giving the immediate response that hed been giving. He opened his eyes again a momentter, and his eyes became as calm as when he was training. It doesnt matter. Are you sure? Im satisfied with getting to dream once again. Its true that Im looking forward to it, but I dont think I will despair like before even if I hit the wall once again. The wall of the realm. That wall looked easy the first time he saw it, was irritating five yearster, and made him despair ten yearster. He hadnt faced that wall since because of his fear. Hed been hardening his resolution while waiting for Raon for a month and trained his body for two weeks by climbing the mountain. He had the feeling he wouldnt be afraid of seeing the wall once again, not anymore. Raon nodded while looking into Mark Goettens clear eyes. Hes definitely changed. The mercenary Mark Goetten who despaired from his ability had turned into the knight Mark Goetten after finding a small glimmer of hope. Dorian. Huh? Yes! Dorian stood up while panting. What did you think about him? Since Dorian was the one whod been watching Mark Goetten from nearby for the past two weeks, it was important to ask for his opinion. Hmm Dorian smiled cheerfully while looking at Mark Goetten. Hes a good mister. He even taught me a trick, and more importantly, hes a hard worker. I think it will be a good idea to bring him with us. He added that he could see that he was really doing his best as he watched from below. I see. Raon nodded. Raon had been watching him from above instead, and he agreed that Mark Goetten had always been going all out. Ill bring him with me. But what if he quickly ends up giving up? When Raon finally made up his mind, Wrath suddenly interrupted. I can just shove his resolution back into him if that happens. What? Ill bring him back to his senses whenever he gives up. How? With my fist, or my sword will also work. A beating can always solve that issueat least, ording to the saying. Who the hell even said that stupid shit?! I did. Ugh Wraths jaw dropped, and Raon ignored him while extending his hand towards Mark Goetten. Come with us. Ah Mark Goetten stared nkly at Raons hand for a while before he tried to rub the dirt off his hand on his pants. Its worth holding your hand because it is dirty. Th-thank you. Raon held his dirty hand and Mark Goetten lowered his head while biting his lip. Congrattions! You are also part of the Light Wi Dorian. Dorian started walking up to Mark Goetten, and Raon stopped him. You had room to look at how he was doing from below. I can understand it as it was too easy for you, right? What? N-not at all! Definitely not! It was because you asked me to observe him, vice squad leader I got it. Ill remember it when I make the next training schedule. Y-you devil! Hes a real devil! Raon chuckled, while watching Dorian fall on his knees and m the ground. Its time for us to return. Since he managed to obtain everything he could possibly get, it was time to return to the house. He was worried that Rimmer might have caused issues in the meantime, and whether the other members were training as they should. Lets retu Raon was waving at Mark Goetten and Dorian when messages appeared in front of his eyes.
[The de of Requiem has finished absorbing the mana of darkness.]
[A new trait has been created.]
Chapter 371 Chapter 371 Raon lowered his gaze to read the messages that were appearing like stairs.
[The de of Requiem has finished absorbing the mana of darkness.]
[A new trait has been created.]
[The Trait Divinity Blooming from the Underworld has been created.] The new traits name was rather strange. Raon wanted to check the contents, but there were still more messages to read over.
[The de of Requiem is offering the purified mana of darkness.]
[The Trait Adaptation to Ghastly Energy has ranked up.]
[All stats have increased by 8.]
The second set of messages said that the de of Requiem had given him the purified mana of darkness, which led to an increase in his trait and stats. Wh-what?! Wrath jumped in front of the message while pouting. Why is this spending the King of Essences ability when that insignificant creature is giving you the energy? This is way too unreasonable! He puffed up his round cheeks in extreme displeasure. The world has always been unreasonable. Shut up! The King of Essence wont overlook this matter! He will destroy that insignificant creature and reim his bright future! But youre a demon king Priests were more likely to talk about a bright future. Raonughed bitterly at how ridiculous it was for a demon king of wrath to desire a bright future. Step aside please. Raon pushed Wrath away and examined the description of the new trait.
Divinity Blooming from the Underworld This is a holy power of reversed flow created from a mixture of negative energies; ghastly energy, bloody energy, and demonic energy. It can be mixed with other types of energy.
Huh? Raons jaw dropped upon reading the description. Does that mean that mana and holy power can bebined? Mana and holy power couldnt normally bebined. Even if one has both types of energy, they had to store it in different spots and use it separately. However, the trait was saying that it was possible to achieve what shouldve been impossible. Whir! While Raon was reading the description once again, a secretive and auspicious energy seeped into his energy center from the de of Requiem. Is this the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld? Im really fine. Holy power wouldve normally caused a huge problem the moment it entered the energy center, but it really was a special type of holy power that could be mixed into his mana if it managed to enter without any issues. However, the amount of holy power wasnt toorge. A single usage was enough to deplete it, and he could expect it to take a long time to replenish once he did. It wont be easy to umte it. It was necessary to increase the traits rank in order to increase its quantity and quality, which meant it required arge amount of time and effort. H-holy power?! Impossible! Why are you getting holy power out of bloody, ghastly, and demonic energy?! Thats why it says it bloomed from the underworld. This isnt even the King of Essences trait! Why did this Aha! Wraths eyes briskly turned towards the de of Requiem. Its all because of that insignificant creature! Unforgivable! Wrath couldnt suppress his anger and unleashed his wrath and coldness, pouring them onto the de of Requiem. Whir! The de of Requiem created a wall of ghastly energy to take him on. How arrogant! Wrath unleashed the tremendous amount of wrath and coldness hed been umting. He seemed to be seriously irritated. Rumble! Even though the de of Requiem had gotten stronger, the wall of ghastly energy was crushed in no time because of the original difference in power. Whir The de of Requiem screamed in pain. I should try it out. Raon unleashed the de of Requiems ghastly energy and the holy power dwelling deep inside his energy center to stop Wrath. Whir! The holy power sparkled silver and mingled into the ghastly energy to create a majestic wall capable of stopping Wraths attack. Crack! The wall of ghastly energy was fortified by the holy power, and it even managed to counterattack on top of perfectly fending off the attack. Ack! Wrath withdrew while shaking his hand as if he had burned it with boiling water. How can you use the dirty and disgusting holy power?! Wrathsrge eyes became teary from frustration. How was it? Is it really holy power? Indeed! It doesnt have the same stench, but its definitely that hateful holy power! What a relief. He managed to confirm it was indeed the holy power because it worked against Wrath. HoweverThe amount is too small. The quantity was as small as an acorn. It waspletely exhausted from fending off Wraths attack a single time. Whir! The de of Requiem gave out a small resonance to express its gratitude for saving it. You dont need to thank me. Raon smiled faintly and tapped on the de of Requiem. It must be nice to be friends! Hmph! Wrath briskly turned his head away and snorted like a bison. Ill alsopliment you then. Raon chuckled and patted Wraths head as well. But whose power is this divinity? Dorians chin trembled as Raon thought about the trait while taking care of the de of Requiem and Wrath. Wh-why are you smiling right now?! Hmm? That evil smile! What are you plotting this time? No, I just I really cant do anything anymore! Kill me instead! Raon was just taking care of Wrath and the de of Requiem, but Dorian stepped back with terrified eyes and jumped under the rocky mountain. Hmm Raon licked his lips while watching Dorian run down the mountain like a beast. Running down the cliff? It looks pretty good as a type of courage training if hes forced to suppress his aura. Mark Goetten was sweating nervously upon hearing Raons yful voice. I-is it really fine to follow this person? * * * Raon got ready for the departure and turned around. Mark Goetten was standing straight behind him like a guard. He seemed to have been released from the time he had spent as a mercenary and returned to being a knight. Did you finish the preparations for the journey? Yes. Mark Goetten nodded. But you have no baggage with you. I have nothing to bring with me since this weapon has always been the only thing I had. He tapped on the shabby saber hanging around his waist. He mustve bought a cheap saber after the previous one was destroyed during the spar. I should buy one for him pretty soon. Even though he wasnt in great condition, Mark Goetten was still a Master. Raon wanted to buy him a weapon befitting his might. Munch munch munch. Raon looked at his right upon hearing the sound of a squirrel chewing on a leaf. Dorian was eating some snacks that he took from his belly pocket. Are you really leaving with me? Arent you going to take the sessor education here? The president told me that I should follow my vice squad leader no matter what and watch and learn all kinds of things. And He took out a spherical bead from his belly pocket. He said he would give the education I need through this. Dorian smiled cheerfully. He seemed d that he could leave with Raon. Are you nning to take the sessor education on top of my training? You are brimming with passion. Raon looked down on Dorian with a grin on his face. Erm Dorians shoulders trembled. He seemed to have finally remembered about the training. W-wasnt I going to be exempt from the training? No? But Im the sessor of thispany Im your superior. Raon shrugged his shoulders, and Dorians face turned pale. I-Ill stay here andplete the sessor education before I retur Mark. Yes! Mark Goetten grabbed Dorian by his neck as he stepped back. He was quick to understand the situation, probably because hed been a knight and a mercenary in the past. Mister! We wererades who climbed the mountain together! Are you already betraying me?! Im sorry. Dorian struggled with teary eyes, but Mark Goetten didnt let him go. Raon turned around and looked far up into the sky. Ill be twenty years old by the time I return to the house. He was finally out of his teens and was entering his twenties, but it didnt exactly feel special. He was simply reminded that there were only two years left until the duel against the Axe King. Lets go to Zieghart. Yes Yes! Three people left the Sephiapany with a weak voice and a loud shout. * * * Adis Sephia smiled while watching Raon and Dorians departure. They seem to be having fun even when leaving. Are you sure its okay to let him go like this? Ligwin came next to him and quietly sighed. Youve been wanting to see the young master Dorian all this time. Being with him for a month and two weeks is good enough. Id be greedy to desire more than that. But you could make him stay by using the sessor education as an excuse Id like that boy to witness more in the world. Adis smiled faintly while watching Raon walk in front of Dorian. The sessor''s education was important, but he had the feeling that growing while watching Raons back was more advantageous for Dorian and the Sephiapany alike. Being acquainted with the White Sword Dragon is indeed a priceless experience. He even gave me great inspiration. Ligwin nodded while following Adiss gaze. Yes. Hes an amamazing fellow. Adiss fist suddenly started to tremble. Hes all over money from head to toe! Hes bound to be bald in the future since he loves money so much at such a young age! P-president? Ligwins eyes widened as Adis suddenly started to rampage. Please calm down! Adiss eyes finally returned to normal after he grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. M-my bad. I just lost too much to him. Adis shook his head and sighed. It was an unexpected expense. Developing the area around Zieghart wasnt the end of Raons request, but only the start. He resolutely spoke of all of his detailed requests as if he were getting ready for a war. Adis was getting a headache because he couldnt even grasp how much money he would need to prepare all of it. He wouldve gotten big even if he didnt be a warrior. And Adis heavily nodded while watching Raons back as he moved further away. He then looked at Dorian, who was finally started walking on his own feet after getting dragged along for a while. That boy is also bound to gain more qualities while watching his back but Huh? I lost way too much! Raon Zieghart, you bastaaard! P-president! * * * * * * It was a quiet beach. A white portable bed was ced on the sandy beach, which was sparkling like gold. Hmm! The Fallen was lying on the bed with a faint smile on his face. Its so peaceful. The Soul Severing Sword was standing at the coast and was staring far into the ocean without responding to him. Peace? The response came from the right side instead of the Soul Severing Sword. Such a thing doesnt exist in the world. The man who shook his head was hiding his body with a robe that made it look like he was d in darkness, and blue mes were burning inside the eyes of his skull mask. The colors are all fake, just like this beach. The man wearing a skull mask snapped his fingers. The blue ocean turned as dark as if squid ink had been released into it, and the golden sand turned into bloody lumps of flesh. Specter, why are you ruining my fun? The Fallen snapped his finger again and life returned to the hellish scenery of the beach. Despite the extreme change, the Soul Severing Sword was simply staring at the faraway horizon while standing in front of the ocean. Specter. Did you confirm about that matter? Yes, I found them. The mes inside the Specters eyes subsided upon hearing the Fallens question. There were exactly 1.65 times more than the information imed. The entire area will be destroyed if it explodes. Perfect. I leave it to you. Understood. The specter stood up from his chair and bowed. Are you already leaving? You dont have to be so hastythe schedules are all connected to each other. I have a lot of work to do since I have to make up for that idiots mistake. The Specter briefly clicked his tongue. A divergence suddenly appeared from the thin air and Merlin came out of it. Who are you calling an idiot? Merlin was wearing an old womans mask, and she stared at the Specter with a frightening smile. Idiots are bound to appear when they are called idiots. The me inside Specters eyes intensified even further. Come on, stop fighting. The Fallen shook his hand with a smile. He stared at Merlin for a while before he pped his hands. He seemed to have suddenly remembered something. Ah, did you hear about it? Raon Zieghart attacked the ck Tower. The Soul Severing Sword was the first one to react instead of Merlin. It was a small movement, but his head turned towards them. The Fallen seemed to enjoy that reaction, as he rolled his lips into a smile and continued. Eden, the White Blood Religion, South-North Union, and now the ck Tower. Its been a long time since someone made enemies with four out of the Five Demons. The Fallen narrowed his eyes slightly while looking at Merlin. Merlin, what do you think about this? I dont care. Merlin shook her hand andy down on a portable bed. You dont care? But your family is inside Raon Zieghart. You need to take revenge. I wouldve already destroyed his flesh and bone if I could save Loctar by doing that. But his soul has already devoured the soul. Its already toote. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. The restoration is my only objective now. The idiot is talking sense for the first time. Your bald head is the idiot, dont you think? Merlin snorted at the Specter. Shut your mouth. Its my mouth. What are you gonna do about it? Haa A frightening amount of coldness emerged from the Specters fissured white skull. Fight me if you have a problem. Ill go easy on you as your senior. You are as insane as before. Specter and Merlin stood up at the same time and scattered arge amount of mana around them. The Fallen quietly watched Merlin and Specter with a dry smile that looked rather terrifying on his face. * * * Ziegharts Fifth Training Ground. The sun shining upon the world settled down, and the moon rose to reach for the center of the sky. That was when the shouts that continuously came from the training ground finally came to a halt. Huff Burren lowered his sword and exhaled roughly. Todays training is over! The Light Wind squad members, who were scattered all around the training ground to swing their swords, stopped their training and copsed on the ground upon hearing his shout. Argh Im in so much pain. Im really dying Since everyone did their best, not a single speck of regret could be seen in their expressions. Tsk. Martha clicked her tongue. She seemed toment the pathetic behavior of her squad members. Stand up already! You have to cool down properly since training is over! She kicked the swordsmen on the ground to force them to stand back up. C-can we do itter? I really have no strength left in me Weve been trained by both the squad leader and the general administrator today. We really are dying. Shut up and stand up! Martha red at them, and the copsed swordsmen stood up while staggering and started to stretch themselves. However, there was one person that Martha couldnt make stand. Yawn Runaan was yawning while lying t on the ground and looking at the stars in the night sky. You do it too! Dont wanna. Martha tried to make her stand, but Runaan remained as immobile as if she was glued to the ground. What the Gasp! A blue frost was surrounding the ground where Runaan was lying. Shed connected her back to the ground with ice to make it impossible to take her off. Have you gone insane? Ugh Martha tried to forcibly take her off, but Runaan kept pouring her coldness out to stick her back to the ground. Burren smiled while watching Martha fighting against Runaan to keep her pride. Youve changed a lot. What?! You told the squad members to stretch themselves because you were worried they might get injured. She would have minded her own business or simply left the training ground in the past, regardless of what others did. However, shed recently been taking care of the squad members and teaching them, which was proof that she had changed a lot mentally. It must be thanks to Raon and the head of house. Martha had opened her heart after she talked with the head of house and Raon. Burren wasnt aware of what they talked about but figured that her heart finally belonged to the Light Wind squad. Th-thats not true! Martha blushed and released Runaans cor before she turned around. It hurts. Runaan frowned because her head ended up hitting the ground. Im doing Raons job because hes noting back! When the hell is heing?! Its already the new year, yet he has no sign of showing up! Martha frowned while looking at the sky. I wanna see the damn handsome Raon. Runaan licked her lips just like when she had an ice cream in front of her. I thought he would be back real quick and start shouting about training, but hes noting at all! Martha turned around and ground her teeth. Hes indeed ratherte. Burren narrowed his eyes and nodded. But we managed to steadily increase our skills because we had enough time. He wont be able to scold us when he returns. It was because they didnt want to be nitpicked by Raon that they kept enduring the hellish training from the Gambling Monster every day, even doing personal training at daybreak andte at night. Theyd been pushing themselves to the limit, and their skills had improved as a result. That was why they were prepared for Raons return. Indeed. Im honestly confident I can endure any training at this point. Wevepleted the general administrator and the squad leaders hellish training. The vice squad leaders training will be a piece of cake. I know, right? When I think about it, the focus enhancement training is only hard because we cant sleep and stay terrified all night long, but it wont be that hard in our current state. Hes probably going to be surprised when he sees us. He might be! The Light Wind members smiled while looking at each other. They were brimming with confidence because theyd been continuously training. He really might be? Ah Burren and Martha started to nod, but their jaws suddenly dropped and they stared at the darkness outside the training ground. Honestly, dont you agree that the vice squad leaders training is way too unsophisticated? We do get stronger as a result, but hes just too rough at handling people. I felt like I was getting old! Krein continued, not noticing the expression on their faces. Training should be systematic, but the vice squad leadercks in that aspect. It makes no sense, either. He just came up with those methods on the spot because hes a genius, and thats why its so unsophisticated and we are the ones who have to endure hmm? He tilted his head as he noticed that Burren, Martha, and the other swordsmen had dropped their jaws. WhatsKuah! Krein tried to follow the other members gazes and look around but fell on his ass in surprise. V-vice squad leader! Raon was there before he knew it and was smiling at him with crimson mes burning in his eyes. I see. My training is unsophisticated and makes no sense. Raons smile deepened as he nodded. No, th-thats not what I mean Its perfect, because Ive prepared a new training method for you. This one makes perfect sense. Raons crimson eyes were glowing like a savage beast. It looks like youve been waiting for me, so theres no reason to wait. Lets start the training right now. W-wait, we just finished our training R-right, the training was really difficult today. Nope, its exactly because you are exhausted that you can draw out your power from your instincts. Uhah! Even Burren and Martha closed their mouths as they saw the frightening light in Raons eyes. Huu. Dorians pale lips were trembling as he observed Raons expression from next to him. I just saw a devil Chapter 372 Chapter 372 Raon. As Raon made a frightening smile, Runaan suddenly popped out and showed him a rectangr box. It was the bead ice cream box that Raon had seen a lot in the past. Eat. She opened the lid and leaned it forward. Raon could see two chunks of cookie and cream and mint chocte ice cream. She mustve really hated the idea of training if she was giving away the bead ice creams, which even had the mint chocte vor. Lets see Raon examined Runaans face from where it was hiding behind the box. Considering her nk eyes and unruffled expression, she didnt look like she hated the training. It looks like she really is just giving them to me as a present. Raon had the same impression many times before, but she was such a peculiar girl because she was casually giving away ice cream when everyone else was frowning over the uing training. Shes gotten a lot better. Runaan had reached an even higher realm than when they were in the Owen Kingdom. Considering that the realm didnt increase easily at the highest level of Expert, that implied that shed been making strenuous efforts every single day. What are you waiting for?! Wrath stuck his tongue out while looking at the ice cream. Cant you even eat whats presented to you?! Eat it already! He started drumming on Raons back, urging him to eat before the ice cream melted. I need to make them train. Training can be saved for tomorrow! You might be nning to kill them, but save it for tomorrow! I have no intention of killing them. Raon couldnt understand why everyone was making such a fuss about it since it was just training. Thank you. Raon smiled while epting Runaans box. Mhm. Runaan nodded, urging him to eat. Once the mood became nicer, Burren and Martha carefully walked up to him. R-Raon, its been a while. How did your business go? Why are you sote?! You sounded like youd be right back! Lots of things happened. Raon narrowed his eyes while examining those two. They have been training properly, too. Martha and Burren had grown just as much as Runaan. It was clear that theyd been training to the best of their abilities. And the same goes for the others. It wasnt as much as Runaan, Martha, and Burren, but the other squad members had also improved drastically. They mustve been working in harmony to endure the boring and difficult training. Their achievement was worthy of recognition. Slurp! Theyve gotten a lot stronger. You should forgive themslurp!for today. Wipe your drool at least. Wrath was solely focused on the ice cream, and he wasnt even looking at the squad members as drool dribbling from his mouth. Weve been training really hard while you are gone. He just said that because he became overconfident, so lets just ignore him and rest for today. Yeah, he says that shit all the time. Burren and Martha leered at Krein with frowns on their faces. Thats true, vice squad leader! Please suppress your anger since you are the handsome one! W-weve just finished our training schedule for the day! Its alreadyte at night. Lets start with it tomorrow! The other Light Wind members came rushing together with forced smiles on their faces, trying to grasp that opportunity. Runaan kept staring at the ice cream box regardless of their actions. Youve definitely changed. Raon nodded while meeting everyones eyes. You are right. You deserve the credit for your achievement. Ooh! Wrath eagerly licked his lips. He seemed to believe that it was time for the ice cream. I knew our vice squad leader was a broad-minded person! Weve been training without cking a single day, after all. Burren and Martha also smiled in excitement. They seemed to believe that there wasnt going to be any additional training for the day. Therefore, Ill give you an opportunity. Opportunity? What opportunity? Raon pointed at Dorian, who was eating some snacks behind him. Since youve been doing your best, you should be able to win against Dorian, who wasted lots of time traveling with me, right? He moved his finger to point at Krein, who was standing there like an idiot. If Krein wins against Dorian, Ill let you go for today without further fussing and even give you some free time tomorrow. Seriously, you are the worst! Wrath gasped since he knew the entire story behind it. Whats wrong? Krein might end up winning. Raon snickered and looked at Dorian. Hed reached the highest level Expert during the journey and even gained lots of confidence. The team leaders were still too much for him, but he could definitely win against Krein. But if he loses Raon looked down on everyone, with his eyes turned even colder than in the beginning. You will have to keep training right away until sunrise. We did it! Its an easy win for us with those conditions! The bright smiles on Burren and Martha showed that they believed in Kreins victory without any doubt. Krein! I believe in you! Make sure to win and show us you arent all talk! Krein! Show him the result of our sweat and blood! The other Light Wind members also expected Kreins victory and cheered for him while waving at him. Since Krein was a vice team leader who was way stronger than Dorian, they all believed that the match was already decided. V-vice squad leader! Dorian came towards him in a panic. Can I even w-win against a vice team leader? Of course you can, because hespletely underestimating you right now. If you cant finish him off in a single strike, you will have to climb the mountain all night longall alone. Hup Dorian closed his eyes for a moment and thought about what happened in Rokan. Those hellish days. Raon dropped boulders and trees from the summit while he tried to climb the rock. He was saved before he died, but he was never going to forget that experience since he really thought he was going to die. Im the only one who had to do that among the Light Wind squad! Dorian and Mark Goetten were the only people in that ce who had experienced that hell. He didnt want to be the only one who went through that madness. Argh! Im bringing you down with me. Blue mes of motivation were burning from his eyes when he opened them again. He ran up to Krein and bobbed his fingers with the training sword clenched in his grasp. Come at me! How cocky of you! Krein bit his lip while ring at Dorian. Raon stood between them and lowered his hand. Calm down. You can catch up with your swords. He raised his hand as he spoke. Start! Yaaaah! As soon as the spar started, Dorian made the first move. He mmed down his sword while gritting his teeth as if he were facing a desperate situation. Hmph. Krein snorted and raised his sword to block the trajectory. You are still too impatient. You will never win against me at this ratHuh? He widened his eyes in panic upon feeling the power from Dorians sword. Wh-what?! Why is he so strong?! He tried to block Dorians attack to the best of his ability, but it was already toote. Dorians sword was already right in front of him. W-wait! Yaaaah! Dorian didnt listen to Kiren at all and smashed him with the sword. Smaack! The training sword bashed the center of Kreins forehead, and he copsed with his eyes rolled back. Huff! Dorian exhaled a heated breath while clenching his sword. Im not going down, Im definitely not going down alone! Well be together The way he kept murmuring he wouldnt go down sounded like he was possessed by some evil spirit. Ah Wh-whats going on?! D-did Krein really lose just now? Todays training was difficult, but even so How is this even possible? The Light Wind members dropped their jaws while watching the excited Dorian and the unconscious Krein in front of him. What did I just witness? I dont even know. Fuck this Burren and Marthas chins were also trembling because of the unexpected situation. p! The sound of Raon pping woke them up from their panic. The match is over. Raon rolled his lips into a smile as the gazes of bewilderment were directed at him. You have noints now, right? Lets go now, for my training that makes perfect sense. Raon carried Krein on his back while saying that. He had no intention of leaving him unconscious, since the opportunity to get stronger should be given fairly to everyone. Wow Wraths lips trembled as he looked at Raons back as he began walking towards the North Grave Mountain. Even the demons nowadays dont do this kind of thing. The result was already decided when Raon made that bet, and even the demons in Devildom didnt do such a thing. Wrath couldnt understand what was inside that evil devils head. He really belongs to Devildom Wait, no! Eat the mint chocte before you go! * * * Glenn Zieghart was walking all around the audience chamber with a frown. His slightly trembling eyes were expressing his anxiety. He walked around in circles on the tform for a while before he sat on the throne and leaned forward. Why? He lowered his eyebrows while looking at Roenn, who was standing below the tform. Its already been a long time since they said he went through the main gate, so why is he still not here yet? He must be being considerate, my lord. Roenn lowered his head with a gentle smile. Considerate? Yes. It iste at night, after all. He looked above and pointed at the moon in the sky. He mustve thought that it would be rude to visit sote. He should be here tomorrow. Sheryl also smiled, saying that Raon did it for Glenns sake. Ahem. Glenn cleared his throat and lowered his gaze. I dont need such consideration. He still does those useless things, just like before. He licked his lips in regret. Roenn and Sheryl watched Glenn with gentle smiles. Ah. In that case, should I bring him here? Rimmer raised his hand while leaning his back against a round pir. I also want to see my student since its been a while. Ill bring him then. Hey, he should be resting right now. Why would you do that? No. Considering his personality, Im pretty sure hes at the training ground. Rimmer clicked his tongue, saying that they still knew nothing about Raon. What should I do? Should I bring him here? He wagged his finger while looking at Glenn. Glenn stared at Rimmer without responding. Ah, I guess not. Then Ill go see him on my own. Im gonna have a drink with my student since hes over twenty years old now. See you tomorro Rimmer! Rimmer waved his hand. When he was about to leave, Glenn mmed the armrest of his throne. Bring him. Whaat? I cant hear anything because its so quieeeeet. B-bring him. What did you say? I dont understand what you are saying because this grandpa doesnt even care about his grandson. How dare you Glenns wrath created thunderclouds to fill the space above them. Huh?! I wont be able to go if you drop this! No, I refuse to go! Ugh! The lightning energy filling the audience chamber disappeared in an instant. I knew Raon was the best solution! Rimmer giggled and opened the audience chambers door. Ill bring him back real quick! He waved his hand in a cheeky manner and left. Catch him after Raon returns. Yes. Understood. Roenn and Sheryl nodded at the same time. Sheryls smile was icy cold as she looked at the door Rimmer had left through. Well have to clean up an elven corpse today. Huhuhu. * * * * * * Burren bit his lip while climbing the cliff of North Grave Mountain. How did Dorian be so strong? Hed only witnessed a single strike, but he could immediately notice that Dorians might was on apletely different level from before. He thought hed been going through hell in the training ground, but traveling with Raon mustve been true hell. But Im relieved that this training isnt too bad. Climbing the cliff while aura was banned honestly wasnt too difficult. And it makes perfect sense as well. The training method where you climbed a cliff with bare hands was one of the physical training methods passed down from antiquity. Back when they were trainees, Rimmer had sometimes asked them to climb the mountain since he couldnt be bothered toe up with a regime. I was wondering what he prepared for us, but this much is easy. Martha was also smiling, since climbing a cliff was a piece of cake. Hnng Runaan was taking it even easier since she was dozing off while climbing. The vice squad leader isnt aplete demon. I know, right? My heart skipped a beat because I thought we were doing the focus enhancement training again. I wouldve dug a cave to hide myself if we were doing that again. Even the vice squad leader has a conscience, after all. The other squad members didnt have much difficulty either, since they were leisurely chatting with each other while climbing. Hes not that kind of person, though Krein frowned, a huge bump on his forehead. What do you mean? I mean the vice squad leader. I dont think its simply going to end with this when he even got me beaten up to force us into this training. Hes going easy on us because hes human after all. Burren shook his head, saying that Raon was originally a nice guy. No, hes nice, but he doesntpromise when ites to training. Krein licked his lips. Suddenly, they heard a huge noise from the summitit sounded like something was being destroyed. What is that soundAck! Krein hadnt even finished speaking before he was hit by a rock that fell from the summit and fell from the cliff. Aaaaaaaah! He couldnt even grab anything on the wayhe just kept falling until he disappeared from sight. K-Krein! Wh-whats happening?! Why did a rock suddenly fall on him? Whats happening?! Burren, Martha, and the Light Wind members raised their heads at the same time. Wham! Rumble! With a destructive sound, logs began falling from above. L-logs? Why the hell are those logs falling right now? What the hell?! The Light Wind members screamed and scattered on the cliff to avoid the logs. This ce is safeack! Yukan! However, they started falling one by one because the rocks fell towards the ces they were hiding. Dodge! R-rocks are falling on us! We are going to die if we fall! The Light Wind members crawled on the cliff as fast as insects to escape, but the rocks looked like they predicted their movement because they smacked their vital spots. Argh! Sniff! S-save meeeee! Each time they screamed, the number of swordsmen decreased one by one. Argh! Martha barely managed to escape the rock falling upon her and raised her head straight towards the top. You crazy son of a bitch! She ground her teeth while cursing at Raon, who mustve been at the summit. Did you really go insane?! Are you nning to kill everyonKyah! Martha got hit by a rock on her side before she could finish her curse and fell to the ground. Ah Burrens jaw dropped. The only ones left were himself and Runaan, who was still dozing off. R-Runaan! Wake up! We are really going to diah! He was trying to wake Runaan up when a fist-sized rock fell towards him. Huff! Burren brought himself as close as possible to the cliff to dodge the rock flying towards his temple. However, it wasnt over yet. Arge amount of rocks poured down on him from all over. Im not going to die here! He climbed with all the strength he could muster and managed to dodge the rocks falling like meteorites. Whoosh! When he barely managed to avoid a rock falling towards his shoulder, a fist-sized rock was falling towards his forehead. This is easy. He fended off the rock with a faint smile on his face, but there was another one right behind it. You damn bastarack! He got a clean hit on his forehead from the second rock, and the strength left his limbs. You freaking psychopath. You even used your aura Raon mustve really gone insane, as hed incorporated the rock with an aura to cause mental damage. Burren couldnt hold on anymore in his weakened state. Burren almost lost consciousness and ended up falling from the cliff. Ah He wanted to grab something during the fall, but he had no strength left. Is this how I end up dying? Because of that crazy bastard? I wanted to win against my father Raon had helped him when he had locked himself in the vi. He had resolved to defeat his father one day, but he couldnt achieve it in the end. In fact, he was dying because of the guy who helped him. Bye, everyonHuh? While he thought he was dying, something supported him from below. Ah He raised his eyes and saw the middle-aged man who gave off a neat impression whode with Raon earlier. Burren could guess that he was the one who had caught him without the slightest impact. Are you okay? I-Im fine. Thank you. Burren nodded and stood on the ground. Team leader, you arete. Yousted the longest in the end. Aww, that was so scary The other swordsmen were also sitting on the ground without any injuries. Fuck Martha was grinding her teeth while punching the cliff in frustration. Aww. Burren was dumbfounded, and Runaan was falling with a small groan. The middle-aged man easily caught Runaan and left her on the ground. Thank you. Runaan bowed without panicking, as if shed experienced it many times before. What are we supposed to do now? Hey! While they were looking at each other, since they didnt know what to do anymore, Raons voice could be heard from above. You must remember that you are supposed to train until sunrise! Climb back up right now! The area under the Light Wind members eyes turned ck upon hearing Raons bright and cheerful voice. Argh! What are the demons and devils doing right now?! They should take him to be one of theirs! Wrath heard Marthas voice from above the cliff and shook his head. The King of Essence apologizes, Beef Girl. Even the King of Essence cant handle him * * * Raon smiled while watching the Light Wind members as they started to climb the cliff once again. They are definitely talented. Even though theyd only experienced it once, they were already moving in a way to dodge the rocks more easily. They were really smart. Dorian, you got more logs and boulders, dont you? Raon extended his hand towards Dorian, who was trembling next to him. I do have them because they are necessities Ill resupply for youter. Take them out. Yes Dorian nodded and put his hand in his belly pocket to take out logs and boulders. Perfect. Raon left the logs as they were and shattered the boulders to the size of a fist. Lets gooo! I wont lose this time! Im only going to be satisfied after going up there to punch that guy! Im never going to fall! Raon could see the Light Wind members climbing from below while shouting. They were extremely enthusiastic, probably from anger. Yes, this makes it more interesting. Raon smiled coldly and rolled a log down the area where thergest number of members were climbing. Rumble! The thunderous noise sounded like the cliff was caving in as the log fell upon the Light Wind members. Aaaaah! Krein fell again! Yukaaaaan! Two people fell from a single log. Since five people fell in totalst time, it was amazing progress. Raon dropped the logs one after the other to eliminate more than ten people before he picked up the rocks. The real part is only getting started. He was about to throw the rocks with a grin on his face when he felt a gentle and refreshing breeze. Why are you already harassing our guys when youve just returned? Raon turned around upon hearing the loafers voice. Rimmer was waving at him with the same smile as when he gambled. Squad leader. Raon put down the rock before he stood up and examined Rimmer. Whats going on? There was already a drastic change every day ever since he had received the artificial energy center, but he was looking like apletely different person. It felt like sharp lightning was filling the gaps between the cheerful wind. I can see that you havent been ying around. Wrong, I was just ying around. Hmm He was unexpectedly rebuked even though he was just praising Rimmer. He felt like he had finally returned to the Light Wind squad. Stop ying with them ande with me. Where are we going? Greeting the elders takes priority once you return to the house. The head of house wants to see you. At thiste hour? Raon was surprised that Glenn wanted to see him. He had been nning to visit the lords manor the next day since it was already sote. Yes. Rimmer nodded with a refreshing smile on his face. Hes probably giving you a gift. Chapter 373 Chapter 373 Squad leader. Raon licked his lip while throwing the rock from his hand into the air. Is it an urgent call? No, we have some time. Rimmer shook his head, saying that they didnt need to run to the lords manor immediately. In that case, Ill finish what I was doing. Raon smiled faintly and clenched the rock in his hand softly. What are you even doing? Rimmer wasnt aware of what kind of training they were doing since hed just arrived. It''s simple rock climbing. Simple? He tilted his head, and Raon threw the rock towards the bottom. Swoosh! With the piercing sound of the wind, a Light Wind members scream could be heard from the cliff. Kweh! Along with the sound of a dying pig, a Light Wind member fell from the cliff. He managed tond on the ground without a single injury thanks to Mark Goetten catching him at the bottom, but the mental shock seemed to be huge. Raon turned around and smiled at Rimmer. It will be helpful to everyone since this method makes perfect sense. I dont know where you learned this crazy shit. But Rimmer lowered his eyebrows while looking at the Light Wind member that fell a moment ago. It looks fun! He grinned and picked up a rock from the ground. Can I try it, too? As expected from Rimmer, he had great taste in entertainment. Just hitting them isnt enough. The objective is to increase their senses and responsiveness by targeting their vitals. Raon wasnt doing the training because he wanted to bully the Light Wind members. The purpose was to nurture their aura perception and build reaction experience by aiming their vitals with the rocks. Huh? Dorians jaw dropped upon hearing that. I thought he was just bullying them! He used to think that Raon was just doing it for fun because he kept throwing his rocks and logs with a silly grin on his face, but he realized there actually was a purpose to it. Now that I think about it I could feel Kreins weakness when I fought him earlier. Surprisingly, he could feel the weak part of Kreins defense when he raised his sword to defend against him. Dorian hit that spot with his training sword, and Krein couldnt withstand the blow and ended up getting smacked on his forehead. It had a purpose all along! As expected of the vice squad leader! Im sorry for doubting you. Dorian mused in quiet admiration and bowed at Raon. Why are you bowing out of nowhere? Did you just insult me in your mind? Raon frowned because of the sudden bow. N-no! Absolutely not! Dorian violently shook his head to the point where his facial features became indistinguishable. Stop your weird thoughts and focus on giving the rocks to the squad leader. Ah, yes He sighed and gave Rimmer a rock. I used to be called the flying squirrel of Zieghart in the past. Rimmer rolled his lips into a smile while fiddling with the rock. Why? Because I was good at running away! Isnt thatpletely unrted to the current situation? I just wanted to say it! He unraveled his twisted waist and threw the rock. The rock carried the aura of wind and shattered into pieces upon smacking Burrens forehead. Kuah! It was his second time getting hit on his forehead, and he fell backward with a brief scream. The strength mustve left his body, as he fell from the cliff helplessly. Sir Burreeeen! Argh! Sir Burren is already dead! Raon! You fiendish bastard! We are all going to die! We are so dead! The third teams members barked upon losing their team leader. How was it? Rimmer raised his arm with a refreshing smile. Not bad. Raon nodded and gave him another piece of the shattered boulder. Lets get started. Sure! While they were officially the squad leader and the vice squad leader, they were also the teacher and the disciple. And they were working in perfect harmony to throw the rocks to make the Light Wind members fall from the cliff they were trying to climb. Rumble! The Light Wind members were climbing the cliff like professionals thanks to their well-trained bodies, but they ended up falling one by one upon being smacked by the rain of rocks. Ack! Martha managed to dodge a dozen rocks with her extreme focus, but she was eventually shot down by Raon and Rimmersbined assault. You son of a biiiiitch! Herst scream resounded throughout the cold cliff. Runaan is the only one left now. Rimmer gasped upon spotting Runaan, who was sticking to the cliff like a cicada. Huh? Is she really sleeping now? She was also sleeping earlier. Maybe she will develop a sleeping swordsmanship at that rate. He shrugged his shoulders and threw a rock towards Runaan. Whoosh! The rock carrying the aura of wind rushed at her like lightning, but Runaan turned her shoulder with her eyes closed to dodge it. What?! Rimmer rolled up his sleeve and consecutively threw the rocks because he didnt expect her to dodge them so easily, and Runaan crawled like a lizard with her eyes closed to dodge the rocks. Raon rolled his lips into a smile while watching Rimmer have so much fun throwing the rocks. Have fun while itsts. After all, you will also have to climb the cliff tomorrow, squad leader. It was true that Rimmer had be stronger, but he needed a lot more stamina and physical strength because cultivation was all hed been doing. Rimmer was also going to be at the cliff the next day. Ah. While Raon was imagining what kind of scream Rimmer was going to make the next day, Runaans brief scream could be heard. She mustve gotten hit by Rimmers rock and fell to the ground. By the way, who is that man catching them at the bottom? Rimmer tilted his head. It looked like he finally became curious about Mark Goettens identity. Hes going to be my vassal. V-vassal? But hes a Master! It just happened somehow. You have a Master as your vassal? Who the heck are you? Rimmers lips trembled in surprise. It really was a coincidence. Ill exin once we are with the head of house. Raon shook his hand at Rimmer and went to the edge of the cliff, looking down below. Everyone fell! Climb back up! He shouted towards the bottom while using his aura. This training is going to continue until one person reaches the top or the sun rises! Uaaaah! As soon as he finished talking, barking sounds could be heard from the bottom. You son of a bitch! Just you wait! Im going to kill you once Im up there! Ill never forgive you for this! Lets go! Lets kill him! The Light Wind members started to climb the cliff once again while shouting in frustration over getting hit by the rocks. The Light Wind squad is so much livelier when you are around. Rimmer giggled while watching the Light Wind members as they quickly climbed the cliff. He waspletely unaware of what fate awaited him the next day. Raon watched Rimmer for a while before grabbing Dorians shoulder. Dorian. What? Yes! Dorian frantically nodded with trembling lips because hed witnessed the madness inside those two. You saw how to do it, right? H-how to throw the rock? Yes. Im going to lords manor, so you are in charge of throwing this time. H-how could I You can just throw however you want to since Sir Mark is waiting underneath. Hes right. They will get hit even if you just throw randomly. Even Rimmer smiled, saying that it would be an easy task. I leave it to you. They cheerfully waved their hands and walked down the cliff through a passage on the other side. Dorian swallowed nervously while watching the Light Wind members hurriedly climb the cliff. C-can I really do it? The Light Wind members looked scary, but he was even more afraid of Raon, the perpetrator behind their state. I dont even know anymore! Dorian frantically shook his head, took out a thick and long log from his belly pocket, and made it roll down the cliff. Rumble! With a loud noise that sounded like the cliff was getting destroyed, three Light Wind members fell. Uaaaah! Damn it! Damn you, Raon Zieghaaart! The Light Wind members kept swearing at Raon while they fell. Th-this is fun. This is so fun, I didnt think it would be! Moreover, he didnt feel guilty at all because they were insulting Raon while they fell. Dorian smiled and discharged arge number of rectangr rocks, sharp rocks, and round rocks from his belly pocket. Fall, all of you! The way he dropped all the rocks and random junk on the Light Wind squad looked somewhat simr to the way Raon did. Kuhehehe! Wrath was extending his body to somehow stay around and shook his head while watching Dorian. Is this human nature? Or maybe everyone goes crazy from hanging around with him. * * * * * * Raon through the doorway that Rimmer opened for him to enter the audience chamber. Its cold around here. He had the same feeling every single timethat the audience chamber was the coldest and chilliest ce in Zieghart. He walked across the carpet ced at the center and looked upwards. With Roenn on the left and Sheryl on the right, Glenn was sitting on the throne above the tform. Just like always, he was looking down on the world with his emotionless eyes. Raon quietly clicked his tongue and looked at Rimmer. Is he really giving me a gift? The atmosphere felt like he should be d that Glenn didnt start punching him rather than offer him a gift. Why is that geezer always making the same face? He looks so angry. I dont know either. Raon took a deep breath before he went on his knees and bowed at him. Greetings, my lord! Stand up. The heavy voice told him to stand before he even finished his greeting. Thank you. Raon straightened his back and raised his head. Glenns gaze felt even colder than usual. Why didnt you visit me right after your return? I thought it would be rude because of howte it was. Raon nned to visit the next day since ate-night visit could leave a bad impression. However, that seemed to be the wrong choice. Raon Zieghart. Glenn supported his chin on his fist and red arrogantly at him. I called for you because I have a question for you. Im listening. Sephias president said that he would be visiting soon in order to build up the infrastructure and roadwork. What did you do at thepany? His cold eyes told him that he didnt know about what happened with the Sephiapany yet. I can understand why hes so angry. Raon figured that Glenn was irritated by the fact that Raon had decided to expand the infrastructure without reporting in. Maybe I shouldve asked him first after all. Even though it was profitable for the house, Glenn was the head of house. Reporting in first was the correct course of action. It is a long story. Is that fine? Tell me. Glenn slowly nodded in agreement. When I went to the Sephiapany, President Adis Sephia said that he would start the trial to decide his sessor and Raon told Glenn and the others about thepetition to be the sessor that happened at the Sephiapany. He also told them about the battle against the ck Tower, but he didnt mention anything about the shadows, simply calling them assassins and poison users instead. Thats why the president must be nning to personally visit our domain to examine our infrastructure and the roadwork. Once he said that Sephias president decided to side with Zieghart, and that he asked for the expansion of infrastructures and roadwork as his first request, the entire audience chamber fell silent. D-did the Sephiapany really decide to support Zieghart? Sheryls jaw dropped. Sephia has always been neutral Countless factions had tried to maintain a close rtionship with the Sephiapany, but none of them managed to seed. Thepany always treated them as simple clients. That was why she couldnt believe that they expressed that they would support Zieghart. Amazing. Roenn gasped. He also seemed surprised by the Sephiapanys decision. Moreover, the Saber of the Fallen Flower became his vassal. He actually gained a Master! Indeed, that was truly outstanding. They couldnt hide their admiration because the matter with the Saber of the Fallen Flower was also surprising. Good job, you never fail to make me rich! Rimmer nodded while giving Raon a thumbs up. His confident expression looked like he had made a great contribution to the matter. Raon bowed to Glenn while the threeplimented him. I apologize for being unable to report beforehand. Raon Zieghart. He could hear Glenns call when he was looking at the red carpet. He raised his eyes. Glenns face remained cold, unlike the others. Why did you request that Sephias president develop Zieghart? The sharp glimmer from Glenns eyes made it feel like he was reading his mind. His fascination wasnt directed at Zieghart but at yourself. Why did you ask for Ziegharts development when you couldve gained personal benefits out of it? It wasnt a long question, but it was difficult to respond. Raon tried to rack his brain but concluded that an honest response was the best course of action. I honestly didnt like Zieghart that much. I had affection for the Light Wind squad, but I didnt think much about the house itself. However, a certain incident changed my opinion. Raon closed his eyes while remembering the miraculous scene of the past. Something changed in my mind when I saw that people who barely knew my face were swinging their swords with their lives on the line to rescue me. I began to understand what it means to be a house, and what it means to be a faction. He continued while staring at the red moonlight entering from the windows. That was when I started to asionally think about the house rather than myself. I was angry whenever the house was looked down upon, and I wanted to step up to bring victory whenever the house lost. Hmm Glenns eyes remained unimpressed as he stroked his chin, but he didnt interrupt Raon. This request was the same. Zieghart is currently located at the most barrennd among the Six Kings, and even all the famous factions. Its extremely closed because its cold, stormy, and brimming with monsters all year round. Raon pointed at the audience chambers floor with his finger. While Zieghart is closed to the outside, that is also true about the inside. The swordsmen and servants of Zieghart usually stay in their homes even during the weekends because we dont have many ces for entertainment. We do have a ce, but its that kind of a ce. Thats why they cant be bothered to move around and instead save their money. Right! Hes right! The pubs around here just arent that good! Rimmer suddenly joined and started shaking his hands. Even when I have to find our squad leader, I only have to check one pub and one gambling house. Thats howcking it is. It was a piece of cake to find Rimmer because the old pub and the Gambling Monsters gambling house were the only ces he went to. Huh? W-was that how you always found me? I thought you managed to sneak a tracking artifact on me Rimmers neck was trembling because he was always surprised at how Raon found him so easily. Once the infrastructure around the house is expanded, the swordsmen will go outside during holidays to spend their money and themerce around us will develop further. The swordsmen can relieve their stress, and the merchants can earn money. Since people call for more people and money calls for more money, I figured it would lead to the expansion of the house. Once he finished talking, the entire audience chamber fell quiet as if no one was inside. So that was what you thought. You really have changed a lot. Sheryl smiled gently. She raised her hands and sent a round of apuse. Many swordsmen and servants will rejoice once that happens. Roenn also apuded alongside Sheryl with his signature smile on his face. Rimmer was staring at Raon without saying anything. Hey! What are you doing?! Why arent you apuding? Sheryl smacked Rimmers side with her elbow. Ack! I was admiring my students growth! Rimmer frowned while rubbing his side. Who is your student? Isnt he the teacher here? P-people say that a lot. He smiled faintly at Raon. Hed never opened his heart except for the annex building and the Light Wind squad, but he mustve really started to care about the house now. Raon had possessed excellent willpower and talent ever since the first encounter, but hed always hidden his heart. Even the Light Wind squad took a long time to get closer to him, but the kidnapping incident seemed to have brought a huge change in his mind. Raon, I want one more gambling house! Rimmer smiled brightly and apuded like Sheryl and Roenn. Raon looked up to Glenn while listening to their apuse. Haa Glenn sighed briefly while raising his gaze in contemtion. His chin looked like it was trembling slightly. I would like the people from the house to have a morefortable and enjoyable lifestyle, and I also wish to spread our fame even higher and wider. And the expansion of the infrastructure has the highest priority for that to happen. Please ept it, my lord. Raon was still unable to tell what Glenn was thinking. He was speaking from the bottom of his heart, but he couldnt tell whether it managed to reach him or not. Glenn covered his mouth with his hand and closed his eyes. His slightly trembling voice sounded like he was contemting it. Raon remained quiet and bowed to give him enough time to think about it. Ahem. I didnt know you had thought that far ahead. Indeed, the house cant remain stagnant forever. Glenn cleared his throat and nodded. He looked like he was reluctantly granting his wish. Thank you. Raon ced his hand on his chest and bowed politely. Ahem! Rimmerughed bitterly as Glenn kept pressing on his mouth while consecutively clearing his throat. Hes getting started again. He was using the muscles all around his body and aura to suppress his gesture, but the corners of his lips were ascending to the sky because he couldnt do it in the end. The bright smile of a puppy was visible, once the hand covering his mouth was removed. I guess itsmendable that he managed to stop himself from fainting. On top of getting one of the five biggestpanies on their side, his grandson even requested it for the sake of the house. There was no way it wouldnt blow the grandfathers mind. Rimmer noticed that the focus was almost gone from Glenns eyes. It was the first time he had ever seen him like that. I cant miss this opportunity. Rimmer jumped onto the tform. He could clearly see how Glenn was trying to suppress his smile once he watched him from the side. The corners of his lips were moving as frantically as a squirrel eating an acorn. Hmm! Why did youe up here? My lord, you should know better than myself how amazing his achievement is. Rimmer secretly raised his hand and continued. We cant possibly leave Raon unrewarded with how much benefit he brought to the house. How about giving him something? He looked at Sheryl and Roenn to ask for help. Hes right for once. I agree that he deserves plenty of rewards this time. Sheryl looked at Raon with a smile. I also agree. Roenn also nodded along with a gentleugh. Ahem! You leave me no other choice since all three of you are saying the same thing. Glenn immediately straightened his back and raised his chin. Ill bestow a golden tablet to Raon Zieghart, who attained the trade with the Sephiapany for the sake of the house. Roenn went on the tform as soon as he said it. He was already carrying a board supporting a golden tablet in his hands. Raon, go up there. Vice squad leader, pleasee this way. Sheryl and Roenn pointed to the tform with their hands to tell Raon to go up there. Because the situation was unfolding extremely quickly, Raon couldnt get used to it and tilted his head while walking towards the tform. Whats going on? Why is this happening so fast? The reward was normally given after enough discussion when it came to a missionspletion or an achievement, but it was happening way too quickly. Well, I guess its fine. Glenn was rigorous when it came to giving rewards and punishments. That was why the fact that he was given a golden tablet signified that he did indeed deserve it. Raon decided to be happy about it since it brought him one step closer to returning Sylvia to the direct line. Glenns gaze was as cold as always, but he didnt seem to have any intention of canceling his reward. I understand what you think about the house. Ill be hoping that you will think the same way in the future. Thank you. Raon raised his hands to ept the golden tablet. He almost dropped the golden tablet, and he couldnt tell whether it was because his hands were trembling or Glenns hands were trembling. Id also like to express my gratitude to the three of you. Where are you going? Raon thanked Sheryl, Roenn, and Rimmer, who helped him get the golden tablet as a reward, and he heard Glenns voice when he was about to leave. What? He turned around in surprise, and Glenn was staring at him with slightly excited eyes. I dont exactly want to give any more, but they are going to start insulting me if I only give you a single golden tablet. Tell me what you want. He bobbed his finger, saying that he was fine with any request. I You can make two requests. It keeps increasing? Chapter 374 Chapter 374 Wh-whats going on? Wrath floated into the air and red at Glenn from top to bottom. Two requests?! Why is even this icy cold geezer doing this now?! Why does everyone want to give everything away to this bastard? He barked, saying that the entire world was in the wrong. My lord. Raon ignored Wrath and stood in front of Glenn once again. Are you serious about what you just said? Indeed. Glenn nodded his chin with an arrogant posture. His long finger pointed at Sheryl, Roenn, and Rimmer, who were standing under the tform. Look at them. They are going to talk about it all night long if I don''t give you anything, so I have no choice but to reward you. But why did you say two? Since the golden tablet was already a huge reward, one more wouldve been enough. Thats why he couldnt help wondering why he said two. Because what youve done is amshut up and say what you want already! Glenn turned his head away and shook his hand. He seemed to be annoyed by the conversation. How long are you nning on keeping me awake? His pressure, which had be slightly warmer, returned to being ice cold and started to crush Raons shoulders. You damn geezer! Wrath ground his teeth at Glenn. You shouldnt give anything to begin with if you are going to be so annoyed! He dered with teary eyes, saying that he couldnt believe even Glenn became a doormat. I beg your pardon. What the hell? Raon bowed at him, and Rimmers voice could be heard from behind. You are the one who called for him, and now you tell him that you cant sleep? Raon, can you understand this situaack! Shut up. Rimmer shrugged his shoulder, and Sheryl smacked his ribs. Rimmer Glenn had obviously heard him and furiously red at Rimmer. Hmm Raons fingers started to tremble a little because the atmosphere became even colder. He wasnt wrong, but hes an idiot. What Rimmer had said was reasonable, but he shouldnt have said that in front of the head of house. He really did so many interesting things all the time. Something I want He did expect to be rewarded with a golden tablet for getting the Sephiapanys assistance, but he never thought about an additional reward. He quickly racked his head to figure out what he needed the most. Firstly, I need a book of martial arts about dagger throws. Dagger throw? Isnt it toote to learn the dagger throw now? Im still inexperienced, but Im currently learning it. Then why do you want a book of martial arts? I met the continents cksmith Borgos at the Sephiapany and asked him to forge some throwing daggers for me. Id like to learn a martial art suitable for his work. The technique he knew about dagger throw was the one hed been using ever since he was a shadow. Since he wouldnt be able to use that in the future, he was nning to get a book of martial arts from Glenn and create a whole new technique from it. Borgos. Isnt he the guild master of the Gray Hammer? I dont believe you mentioned that in your report. Glenn bobbed his finger, urging him to tell him about it. In short Raon told him about the trade he had with Borgos that he hadnt previously exined. I see. Glenn suddenly buried his back deep into his throne and nodded. In that case, is there a book of martial arts that you have in mind? Ill dly ept anything that my lord rmends. Glenn had given him the Fangs of Insanity, which was worth even more than a golden tablet, for a silver tablet in the past. Raon decided to leave it to him, hoping that he would make the same request. Ahem! Ill pick something appropriate for you. Glenn cleared his throat while covering his mouth and nodded. What is the second request? Id like to get a decent saber. Raon took a nce at the sword around his waist before he bowed. A saber? Why would you want a saber when you use a sword? Its not for me, but a weapon for my vassal. Vassal? I was going to mention this You are being so annoying. Tell me the story already. Glenn shook his hand with a dim glow from his eyes despite what he said. Yes. I got into trouble with Palen Sephia before the trial for session happened, and Raon briefly exined how Mark Goetten became his follower. So, is this Mark Goetten your follower now? Indeed. You did so many things during that short time period. Glenn gasped in surprise. However, I dont understand why you epted him. Hes just a failure, after all. I believe only sess awaits him now since hes experienced a long period of darkness from failure. The past cant be changed, but the future can. Raon became certain when he saw Mark Goetten climb the mountain. He couldnt ascertain that his might would increase, but his mentality could definitely reach a higher stage. Is that so? Glenn nodded. He looked bitter for some reason. I see. He snapped his fingers, and a golden dimension opened up from the thin air. Whir! Dozens of sabers appeared from the majestic door of dimension to cover his vision. Every single one of them was good enough to be called a noted saber. You will pick the saber yourself. Understood. Raon chose a ck saber that had a simr shape to Mark Goettens original weapon. The name ck Hermit Sword was carved on the saber. Ill take this one. You just need the book on martial arts now. Glenn snapped his fingers for the second time, and the sabers filling the space disappeared into the dimension. Two books appeared instead. Take them. Huh? But those are two books They make a set. A set? Raon examined the book he got from Glenn. The first book was named Hundred Lightning Throwing Dagger, and the second book was titled Explosive Giant Throw. They were definitely not a set since their names were far too different. The Hundred Lightning is focused on speed while the Explosive Giant Throw is focused on power. Im calling them a set because you should be able tobine the two techniques to create a new one. Am I wrong? Glenn was suddenly speaking about 1.5 times faster. Raon hurriedly nodded because he felt like he was about to take them away from him if he said no. Th-they are a set indeed. Thank you. Since it was a good thing for him, he bowed to Glenn sincerely. Argh! Wrath stretched his body to approach Glenns face. This makes three total instead of two! This geezer is the worst of all doormats in the world! He grabbed Glenn by his cor and violently shook him. It obviously didnt have any influence on him, but Raons heart pounded from his worry. Raon tried to maintain hisposure as much as possible and walked up towards Glenn. My lord, there''s dust around here. He threw Wrath away from Glenns cor while pretending to take off the dust. Hmm Glenns re was frightening even though Raon was well aware that he had no intention of harming him. You should leave now since you have received what you wanted. His voice was even colder as he shook his hand like he was chasing away a fly. Yes. Raon bowed once again and descended from the tform. Im also really thankful to the two of you. He expressed his gratitude towards Sheryl and Roenn, whod been cheering for him andplimented him. We havent done anything special. It was all you. Indeed. It is your achievement, vice squad leader. They smiled, telling him to go back to rest already. Hey! What about me? Rimmer pointed at himself with his finger, since he was the only person that Raon didnt thank. Were you still around? Wh-whaaat? You wouldve never gotten those rewards if it wasnt for me! You cant even repay this favor by giving me all of your money! Raon was just kidding, and Rimmer was right. Thank you for taking care of me, squad leader. See you again tomorrow. At the cliff. Raon smiled and bowed to Rimmer. Oh, yeah! Good night, Raon. Rimmers displeasure disappearedpletely as he smiled cheerfully and waved his hand. Raon left the audience chamber with one saber, two books of martial arts, and a golden tablet. One minute after Raon left, Glenn finally leaned his back against the throne and exhaled deeply. Haaa He smiled at Sheryl, Roenn, and Rimmer, who were standing below him. Did you see that? Huhu, he actually managed to convince the Sephiapany. A huge incident is happening every time he goes on a journey! The scale is getting bigger and bigger. Roenn and Sheryl smiled brightly and nodded. Thats not what Im saying! What I mean is that Raon managed to reach the advanced Masters realm! I cant even tell the limit of his abilities when he managed to reach the advanced realm so quickly! Glenns frozen eyes melted like snow in the spring. There must be no other child in the world who is as excellent, wise, and kind-hearted as him. His voice was so affectionate that he sounded like he would have embraced Raon if he had been in front of him. Now that I think about it, his pressure has changed. I didnt notice because the trade with the Sephiapany was too outrageous. Roenn and Sheryl finally remembered Raons pressure and nodded in astonishment. What about that part? Glenn asked a simr question as the first one. The excitement in his eyes looked like it would never fade away. I was surprised that he actually pressured the continents cksmith, Borgos, and got money out of himand even throwing daggers. Lots of people tried to hire the Saber of the Fallen Flower, but hes the first one who actually earned his heart. He has a charisma that attracts people. You are both mistaken, hes talking about the trade with the Sephiapany this time! Roenn, Sheryl, and Rimmer shouted about the praiseworthy parts that they assumed Glenn was talking about. Im not talking about those! Did you see how Raon removed the dust from me earlier? He managed to find that dust in a split second and took it off for me! Hes so full of affection Glenn smiled pleasantly. He was more satisfied by the fact that Raon had removed the dust from his clothes than anything else. Err Ah Sheryl and Roenns eyes widened as far as they could go because they didnt think about that part at all. Haa, this is so childish, I dont even wanna be here. Rimmer turned around, saying that it was exhausting. Im leaving now. I need to sleep already so I can deal with that monstrous guy tomorrohuh? He was headed to the exit of the audience chamber when Sheryl and Roenn suddenly appeared to seize him by his arms. Wh-what?! Whats the problem now? Our lord said earlier that he wanted to stay longer with you. What are you even talking about? I havent done anything! Let me go! Huhuhu! Roenn didnt let him go and held his arm so tightly that Rimmer was losing cirction in them. Please stopughing like that! Its so freaking scary! Rimmer struggled and tried to escape, but their arms coiled around his like strong vines, and he couldnt run away at all. Rumble! Upon hearing the noise from above, Rimmer raised his head with trembling lips. Err As Glenn shook his hand, the crimson lightning turned as sharp as a de and spread around the ceiling. Rimmer could only gasp as he heard thunder that sounded like the growl of a monster. Is this happening again? The lightning struck him as his voice of resignation flew out of his mouth. Aaaaaack! * * * * * * At the peak of North Grave Mountains cliff, Dorian looked like he was in a pawn shop because he was surrounded by so many random items. He picked the rtively bigger ones among what he took out and kept throwing them down the cliff. Aaaaah! Kuaah! Raon, you damn bastaaaard! A Light Wind members scream could be heard every single time. Th-this is so fun. It was bound to be fun because a member fell every time he threw a rock or arge object. He couldnt suppress his smile at all. Next one is Dorian took out a carriages wheel from his belly pocket with a grin on his face. It was the huge wheel from the carriage theyd used to carry the rescued vigers from the Jamari mountain range. Here I go! He threw the wheel in Kreins direction. The wheel rolled down the cliff and smacked Kreins head. Aaaaah! Krein lost his grip and fell to the ground alongside the wheel. Raon! You son of a bitch! He disappeared into the fog while insulting Raon. It doesnt even feel bad because they arent insulting me. Since Raon was the only one that the Light Wind members were insulting every time they fell, Dorian wasnt afraid to keep throwing the rocks and objects. He even threw some old chairs and desks to make the Light Wind members fall. He lost track of time as he relieved the stress, and the breathing sound of a person could be heard from right below him. Huh? He hurriedly examined the cliff in surprise. Burren, Martha, and Runaan were right under his nose. Wh-what?! Why are they here right now? He thought hed previously made them fall, but they mustve survived somehow and continued to climb. No! They are going to kill me if they find out! Raon was the one who bullied the squad members, but he wasnt there anymore. Dorian was definitely getting beaten up if he was found out. Argh! Dorian quickly put his hand in his belly pocket and took out a huge boulder and a log that were bigger than anything else so far. Im going to die if I dont kill them! He dropped the log and the boulder in the threes direction. Rumble! The violent tremor made it feel like the entire cliff was going to copse, and a powerful impact assaulted Burren, Runaan, and Marthabut they mmed their fists into the cliff and managed to endure. No! Dorian hurriedly tried to take out the entire eight-horse carriage, when six hands emerged from the cliff. The next thing that appeared were the three pairs of frightening eyes. The eyes rolled around like devils before they focused on Dorian. Dorian. Was it you all along instead of Raon? Ill kill you! Runaan, Burren, and Martha jumped up the cliff at the same time and walked towards him. They looked like death gods holding a scythe. It wasnt me! The vice squad leader and the squad leader were the ones throwing the rocks, and they ran away! Dorian shook his head while walking backwards in order to survive. Hmm? They ran away? Runaan and Martha stopped walking and frowned. No. Burren ground his teeth while looking at the equipment on top of the cliff instead of Dorian. He picked up a funnel-shaped artifact and the me of anger was ignited in his eyes. This is a voice-changing artifact! Hes been pretending Raons voice all along! I-I just randomly took it out! It really wasnt me. Ack! Shut up! Marthas fist smacked him and Dorian was mmed to the ground. Step on him! Aaaaah! Martha, Burren, and Runaan started to step on Dorian, and the Light Wind members who arrivedter on volunteered to participate in the noble ritual. Aaaaah! A persons scream resounded throughout the North Grave Mountains cliff, just like in the audience chamber. * * * Raon touched his ear while he left the main building. My ears are ticking. I wonder if someone is talking behind my back? Strangely, both of his ears were tickling ever since he left the lords manor. The King of Essence is doing it! Wrath suddenly appeared with a frown. Hes been insulting you and those doormats who are feeding you! I knew it. Raon chuckled and nodded. Youve been murmuring the whole time, and that was to insult me. He could feel a small sound and vibration from inside the ice flower bracelet, and it was because Wrath had been insulting him. He really never changed. Are you returning to the cliff? Wrath looked in the direction of the cliff, where the Light Wind squad and Dorian were located. Hmm Raon licked his lips while following his gaze. I should stop it for them since they need some rest. He was originally nning to return to the cliff and start throwing rocks again, but he became generousprobably because he received some nice rewards. He decided to go easy on them even though there was still some time left until sunrise. Dorian will manage the rest. He expected Dorian to throw the rocks for some time before he stopped, so he guessed that everyone mustve returned to their rooms already. Hmm, that seems unlikely. Wrath murmured that there was no way that would happen before he turned his head. Are you returning to our home now? Our home The fact that the demon king was calling the annex building his home felt rather strange, but it wasnt unpleasant. Yes. Then ask Pineapple Girl to make some pizza! The King of Essence has been hungry all this time! Watch the time, you glutton. Your pineapple girl is sleeping right now. G-glutton? How dare you, when you are just lucky! And a certain demon king is the one giving me all the luck. Who the hell is that? Which fool did such a thing?! Raon was walking towards the annex building while making fun of the foolish Wrath, and a dim light spread from a mansion around the annex building that had always been empty. Did someone move in? Huh? He figured someone mustve moved in and was about to pass by until he noticed an unmistakable presence from the mansion. It looks like my mother and the maids are in there. Pineapple Girl is also inside! Wrath pointed his hand and urged him to go to the mansion. A faint smile appeared around Raons mouth as he examined the building. They mustve arrived. Chapter 375 Chapter 375 Raon walked up to the door of the mansion. He could ascertain once he got closer that Sylvia, Helen, and the annex buildings maids were inside the mansion. However, there were others with them, and they were the ones that he wished would join Zieghart. I want to try going inside. It wouldve been a different story if they were sleeping, but he decided to enter since everyone was awake. Creak. He walked up to the entrance and opened the door. The warm atmosphere andfortable dim lighting poured out towards him just like at the annex building. He could feel the touch of the annex buildings maids from the neatly arranged foyer. All of them are over there. He could sense people in thergest room located on the right. Raon carefully opened the door to avoid making any sound and entered the room. Unlike the foyer, the lighting inside the room was only directed on the tform. Yua, Helen, and the maids were controlling the dolls behind a ck desk on the tform, and Raon could see the back of the heads of the children who were focused on watching the show. They are the children from before! Wrath flew towards them and shouted in joy after confirming their faces. They were alive all this time! What a relief! He smiled brightly, saying that the young ones deserve a long life. It was difficult to believe that those kindhearted words came from a demon king. But what are your maids doing right now? It looks like they are doing a puppet show. Yua was controlling a doll that looked like a blond knight, and the other maids were controlling soldiers and monster dolls. The monsters attack intensified even further. The castle walls were eventually destroyed, and the soldiers fell beneath the castle. Sylvia was reading some kind of script on the side of the stage. She seemed to be the narrator. In that crisis, where the brutal monsters approached the copsed soldiers! As Sylvia spoke, Yua moved her hands to make the blond doll jump down the castle walls. The hero, Raon Zieghart, jumped down the castle walls and stood in front of the soldiers! She smiled gently and continued. The monsters were defeated one after the other by Raon Ziegharts excellent swordsmanship. Aaaaah! The maids, who were controlling the monsters, started to scream and threw the monster dolls on the ground. Kuaaaah! Judiel knocked down a monster doll with unexpectedly realistic acting. Raon Zieghart didnt take a single step back, remaining at the base of the castle walls to protect the people until the golden sun reced the red moon. The maids knocked down all of the monster dolls, along with Sylvias powerful voice. Yulius crawled towards the desk and removed the model of the moon before recing it with a sun. The one who protected the cold castle walls of the frozen teau wasnt a knight Yua started to sing while controlling the doll representing Raon. Her clear and ringing voice drew everyones gazes inside the room. Raon smiled while wagging his finger with the tune. Shes gotten even better. Yuas voice and singing had improved even further. She truly sounded like a bewitching singer. Pineapple Girl! Pineapple Girl! Wrath was frantically shaking his round fist towards Yua. The white frost emerging from his fist was sparkling like a star. Raon. Raon was smiling while listening to Yuas song when Saint Federick, who looked like a beggar, walked towards him from the side. Raon hadnt spoken to him before because he was focusing on the show. Its been a while, esteemed saint. How does it feel to hear about your achievement? Its embarrassing. Raon scratched his cheek and shook his head. I heard its true. Theres no reason to be embarrassed. It looks like the story was slightly modified. That girl said that it was one hundred percent true. Federick smiled gently while looking at Yua, who was controlling the doll version of Raon Zieghart. So, Yua wrote the script. Since she was pretty much the only one who knew everything that happened, it was obvious that she wouldve written the script. Raon watched the focused children under the tform for a while before he turned towards Federick. Thank you for granting my request. He straightened his back and bowed to Federick. You dont need to thank me. Federick shook his hand as faintly as the waves on the shore. I wouldve helped even if you didnt ask. Dont worry about it. He smiled, saying that it was only natural for a human being to help in such a matter. By the way Raon asked while watching the ongoing puppet show. Why are they doing a puppet show at this hour? The children were indeed at an age where they would love a puppet show, but Raon couldnt understand why they were doing itte at night when they were supposed to be sleeping. Because the night is terrifying for them. Ah I heard they trained them as assassins during the night. They were tortured and learned to kill people instead of sleeping, so the night is bound to be terrifying for them. Federick dered nonchntly, but his trembling hand revealed his anger. Thats why those children cant sleep at night. Even if they manage to fall asleep, they immediately have nightmares and wake up to strangle themselves. I see Raon bit his lip. Thats to be expected. Raon obviously knew about it since hed experienced it in his previous life. The night was hell and the most terrifying moment of the day. That puppet show is a form of psychotherapy with the purpose of turning their fear into joy. I thought it would be difficult to achieve, but they dly volunteered to help. Federick smiled while watching Sylvia and the maids, who were focusing wholeheartedly on the puppet y. Is it effective? Its only fromte at night, but they manage to sleep until sunrise without waking up in between. Does that mean its possible to undo the brainwashing? Yes. Federick nodded without hesitation. They can be cured because they were saved before the brainwashing waspleted. Thank you. Raon was relieved and closed his eyes. He finally felt better after hearing Federicks confirmationhed been worried all along over whether the brainwashing could be removed or not. Haaa! Wrath also breathed out a deep sigh of relief. What a relief! The young ones must be cherished regardless of race! He snorted, once again not sounding like a demon king. What are you nning to do with the children once their treatment is over? I want to let them choose their path. Raon responded honestly while watching the children. He wanted to grant them an ordinary life that the Raon from his previous life and the deceased Number 9 had never obtained. I didnt even need to ask. Federick patted Raons shoulder pleasantly. Anyone wouldve done the same. I didnt do anything special. Raon shook his hand, saying it wasnt a big deal. Federick stared at his hand for a while before the smile disappeared from his face. Im sorry for spoiling the fun, but I need to deliver bad news. Bad news? Its not about the children but I dont think I can save the ones withplete brainwashing. Federick bit his lip while looking up into the dark space. The children are brainwashed through a method that consists of coiling their brain with a hundreds-meter-long wire to create an indestructible fence. Its practically impossible to undo the brainwashing once itspleted. It will never be removed unless the survival instinct takes over the body when they are on the verge of death. On the verge of death Is that how I was freed from the brainwashing? The brainwashing was loosened because he was on the verge of death during the mission, and it gave him room to learn the Ring of Fire. It mustve been abination of multiple lucky incidents that allowed him to escape Deruss brainwashing. Its so bad that I cant guarantee that it can be undone even if you catch the perpetrator. If you encounter anyone who has been brainwashed, I believe it would be best to send them off peacefully Federick lowered his head, apologizing for his inability to help. No, the person who brainwashed them is the one to be med. Raon sighed. In the end, it was necessary to kill Derus to end the hellish battle. I need to get stronger even faster. His speed of growth was already unprecedented, but he wanted to get stronger even faster to end Deruss era. Since I delivered the bad news, Ill tell you the good news this time. Federick raised his finger and pointed at his heart. I cant undo the brainwashing, but I should be able to solve the issue with the rage worms. Really? I need some time, but I should be able to create a method to remove the worm from inside the heart. The way he spoke implied that he was pretty much certain he could achieve it. The ones with rage worms were Deruss closest vassals. It wasnt going to be impossible to find Deruss weakness if he could make them talk. It doesnt matter how expensive it is. Please research it. You mustve earned some money from your outing. Yes, it just happened Raon simply nodded and told him about how Sephias president decided to help him. Huh! The Sephiapany? Federicks jaw dropped because he didnt expect at all that the Sephiapany would side with Zieghart. The puppet show was paused because of his shout, and everyone looked back at them. Esteemed saint, whats the matthuh? Raon! Young master? When did you get here? The young master is back! Sylvia, Helen, and the maids hurriedly jumped down from the tform. Boys and girls! This man is Sir Raon! Raon Zieghart! Yua even used aura in her voice to tell everyone Raons name. Raon? Th-the real hero? Raon! Raon! Raon! Wooooow! The children, who were sitting on chairs, came running towards Raon like a swarm of bees. Did you really fight for an entire week to save people? Did you really defeat the demon king? Did you also kill a dragon? He couldnt understand what was wrong with Yuas script, because they even thought that hed killed a demon king and a dragon. No, thats not Ah. That girl Raon was shaking his head and met a young girls eyes, who had previously introduced herself as Pine. Her eyes, which used to be filled with darkness, were now brimming with hope and she was holding hands with her friendthe one who pointed her sword at her in the underground. Upon seeing her face, which was iparably brighter than before, something deep inside his soul melted. It couldve been the grudge from his previous life, his hope, or the resentment left behind by Number 9. Yes. Raon nodded at the children while sending off the unknown emotion. I did defeat a demon king. Really? Did you really defeat a demon king? Yes. This demon king is called Wrath the Doormat. Wooow! The children raised their hands and shouted in joy. Wrath the Doormat Wrath didnt understand at first, but blue mes of anger ignited in his eyes. You bastard! * * * * * * The day after, at noon, Raon went to the North Grave Mountains cliff after finishing a leisurely lunch. Since hed already conveyed a message in the morning, every single member of the Light Wind squad was warming up under the cliff. Unlike the day before, their expressions were extremely pleasant and cheerful as they warmed up under the cliff. Raon. Runaan was the first one toe running at him and nodded her head. You arete. Burren was the second, and he smiled at Raon. Your past self wouldve arrived with daybreak. Youve gottenzy. Martha clicked her tongue at his pathetic behavior. I wanted to eat some homemade dishes since its been a while. Wrath was sulking from what happened the day before, and he kept whining that he wanted to eat lunch at home. That was why he had no choice but to eat both breakfast and lunch in the annex building before he came out. The King of Essence is satisfied. His mood had improved, and he was floating like he swimming on his back, a grin on his face. Raon walked up to the Gambling Monster, who was leaning his back against the cliff. General administrator, thank you for your work. You are finally back after dumping all of the annoying work on me. I thought I was going to die from boredom. But the squad members have improved drastically. I was too bored to just leave them alone. Thank you. The Gambling Monster frowned and turned his head away. Raon bowed in thanks because it was all because of him that the Light Wind members managed to achieve such growth. Are we climbing the cliff again today? Isnt it enough with what weve done yesterday? I fell like ten times already The Light Wind members sighed, saying that they didnt want to do that again. Ugh, h-hello. Raon looked aside upon hearing a groan, and Dorian was standing there covered with bandages all over his body. Raon wouldnt even have recognized him if he didnt have his belly pocket. What is that sorry state? I-its because of you, vice squad leader! Me? What did I do? You made me throw the rocks and left yesterday. Thats why everyone believed that Id been throwing them all along! Dorian pointed at the Light Wind members, urging him to reveal the truth. Ah Raon chuckled while looking at Dorian and the Light Wind members. I see what happened. He could understand why Dorian was covered in bandages. He was expecting him to stop at some point, but he kept throwing the rocks instead and ended up getting caught by Burren, Martha, and Runaan just to get beaten up afterward. I told you to stop after doing it the first time. Raon shook his hand while feigning ignorance. Wh-when did you even? Dorian dropped his jaw. His mouth was wide enough for even a toad to enter. No, I did I knew it! That bastard! You are dead to me after this! The Light Wind members red at him with bloodshot eyes, and Dorians pale lips were trembling in fear. Is everyone here? A weak voice could be heard from the right side. Raon looked around and found Rimmer, whose red hair was scorched ck and whose eyes had turned ck from bruises. And whats wrong with that sorry state, squad leader? I dont even know, man. Stop asking and get started already. Rimmer leaned his back against the cliff and startedining about his life. This is a really interesting group. Raon chuckled and stood in front of the squad members. Line up. Since itd been a long time since thest time he ordered them to line up, the Light Wind members who couldnt focus gathered at once and stood in a line. The sharp glimmer in their eyes looked like there would be no issues even if a battle broke out right away. Ill start by introducing him to you. Sir Mark. Mark Goetten had been staying in the back, but he stepped forward once his name was called. I believe you remember his face. We do remember far too well. The only issue is that our first encounter was with him rescuing us. Burren shook his chin in disbelief while looking at Mark Goetten. He looks extremely skilled. Who is he? Marthas eyes rolled like a ck pearl. She seems to see him as a worthy opponent. Hes good at catching. Runaan bowed slightly, saying that thending was nice andfortable. His name is Mark Goetten. Hes a saber user who used to be a knight, and while hes not part of the Light Wind squad yet, we will be working together often in the future. You should get along with him. Raon was nning to let him join the Light Wind squad if that was his desire. However, he just wanted to be a vassal, which was why he was affiliated with the annex building. Runaan stared nkly at Mark Goetten. She didnt exactly seem interested in his name or position. I never heard his name before. Martha murmured Mark Goettens name a few times. She didnt seem to know about him. Mark Goetten? Wait, is he the Saber of the Fallen Flowerah! Burren was going to say his nickname and covered his mouth. Thats me. Mark Goetten took a step forward and nodded. My name is Mark Goetten, often called the Saber of the Fallen Flower, which implies that Im a fallen warrior. He confidently revealed the meaning behind his nickname and smiled. I was submerged at even lower than the ground level, but Sir Raons teachings enlightened me. I hope we can get along. Mark Goetten bowed politely to the Light Wind warriors, who were far younger than himself. Wee! Burren was the first one to apud and smile cheerfully. He looked like he could rte for some reason. Lets have a sparter! Do you like bead ice cream? Lets get along in the future! Whoaaa! Martha and Runaan sounded like their usual selves, and the other Light Wind members also cheered with smiles on their faces. p! Raon loudly pped his hands when Mark Goetten and the Light Wind members finished introducing themselves to each other. The Light Wind members immediately became serious and looked at him. Raon walked in between the swordsmen and blocked their mana circuits. Yes, you guys need some pain and suffering Huh? Raon pressed on Rimmers neck as he giggled to block his mana circuit, and then he turned around with widened eyes. R-Raon? I think you just made a mistake. You identally blocked my aura It wasnt a mistake. You also need to participate, squad leader. Man! Im the squad leader here You said that you would entrust your training to me until you recover your might. Raon narrowed his eyes at Rimmer. Even so, I cant train alongside children at my age! Squad leader, I can see the fat in your belly. You skipped physical training and only focused on aura cultivation, didnt you? Ugh, I-I Rimmer flinched and lowered his eyes. Ill let you go if you manage to reach the summit once. Really? Of course. Raon nodded and looked down upon the Light Wind squad. The same goes for you. Ill exempt you from this training if you manage to ovee my interference and reach the summit a single time. Ooh! Alright! Im already used to it! Ill put an end to it today! The Light Wind members looked at each other and shouted that they could do it. Raon bowed to the Gambling Monster next to him while listening to their cheers. General Administrator, I leave it to you. Seriously, you are making me do all kinds of stuff. Heughed bitterly at the ridiculous job he was given and went towards the cliff. The Gambling Monster was in charge of security because Mark Goetten also needed to join the training. See youter. Raon cheerfully waved his hand and climbed to the top in an instant. Once he reached the summit, he shouted towards the ground. The training starts now! Lets gooo! Today is going to be thest day of this shitty training! Uaaaah! As soon as he signaled the start, the Light Wind members leaped like grasshoppers and started climbing the cliff. Since it was in the middle of the day and theyd already climbed multiple times before, they were at least twice as fast as the day before. They are fast. It wont be enough, though. Raon snickered and took out a piece of wood in the shape of a throwing dagger. He ced it between his index and middle fingers before shooting it towards the bottom. Swoosh! Along with the powerful sound of the wind, the wooden dagger smacked Kreins cheekbone, since he was at the front. Kueh! Why am I the first target agaaaain?! Krein screamed loudly and fell down the cliff. The Gambling Monster sighed but still moved to catch him. This isnt right. Raon briefly clicked his tongue and took a book from his clothes. It was the book about Hundred Lightning, the one that he was awarded the other day. Ah, the shape of my hand was wrong. Do-dont tell me, you Wraths lips trembled as he watched Raon. Are you nning to practice the dagger throw on them? Yes. Raon nodded proudly. I cant miss this opportunity to use such perfect targets. The most important part of throwing dagger practice was to hit a moving target. Since Raon had already learned dagger throws in his previous life, he decided to skip the immobile targets and move on to hitting the moving targets. They can nurture their senses and responsiveness while I can practice hitting a target. This is how you catch two rabbits with one stone. What the hell is wrong with you? Wrath shook his head, saying that he really had be a freak. This is what you call an efficient training method. Raon snickered and threw a second dagger. It flew even faster than thest time and hit a Light Wind members armpit. The swordsman screamed like a duck from the impact and fell. Its still not good enough. The precision had increased, but the speed was slightlycking. Raon poured a bit more aura into the wooden dagger and threw it towards a Light Wind member who was climbing the cliff. Smack! Smack! Because he was fixing his shorings with the book and the Ring of Fire, his dagger throw gradually became faster and more precise as they assaulted the Light Wind members. Hiyaaah! While Raon was having fun dropping all of the Light Wind members, Rimmer had already reached the midpoint towards the top. He was controlling the wind around him instead of his inner aura to move faster than normal. That is against the rules. Raon shook his head and incorporated as much aura as he could in a dagger before throwing it at Rimmer. The dagger fell like lightning, but a green wind appeared the moment it was about to hit Rimmers head, changing the daggers direction and decreasing its speed. Little Raon! You are still too young! Rimmer grinned, saying that it was how adults dealt with the situation. Hmm Raon threw a few more daggers, but Rimmer reduced their speed by controlling the wind before leaping like a cricket to climb the cliff. It cant be helped. Raon didnt panic, drawing his sword instead. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivations Revolving Sky emerged from Heavenly Drives de. Huh? Wrath dropped his jaw as he witnessed that scene. Do-dont tell me, you You guessed right. Raon smiled cheerfully and unleashed the fire from the de towards Rimmer. Whaam! The de rotated like a circr saw de andpletely destroyed the corner of the cliff Rimmer was climbing. Ack! The wall that hed been using as a support fell apart entirely, and Rimmers eyes widened to the brim. I never mentioned that I wouldnt be using the sword. Raon! You crazy bastaaard! Since Rimmer was unable to use his aura just like the rest, he fell with the corner of the cliff. Erm H-how did he be such a freak? Dorian! Whats wrong with him? Hes always been like that. Dorian shook his hand at Martha like it wasnt a big deal. You shouldnt be cheating. Raon snickered and returned his sword to its scabbard. When he was about to throw another dagger, a person came towards him from behind with a rustling sound. Vice squad leader, long time no see. Raon turned around. The leader of Shadow Agents, Chad, was bowing at him. Smack! Raon hit Dorians forehead with the dagger he was holding before he bowed back. What brought you here? I came to visit because I had good news to deliver. Chad smiled while putting down the box he was holding. The gift from the beast pce has arrived. Gift from the beast pce Raon smiled pleasantly while looking back and forth between the box that Chad had brought and the Light Wind members who were climbing the cliff to the best of their abilities. I think I can increase the intensity of the training with this. Are you seriously trying to kill them? Chapter 376 Chapter 376 Raon smiled while looking at the box that Chad had ced down. What is that? Its a gift from the Beast Union. The box contained the Four Clouds Elixirs from Ogram, the Beast Unions leader. Hed promised to send the elixirs after he lost the bet against Glenn, and they had finally arrived. Ill open it. Chad used a brown key that looked like it was made from wood to open the padlock attached to the thick box. He stepped back afterward to let Raon open the lid by himself. Thank you. Raon bowed at Chad before opening the lid of the heavy box. The first thing he could see was a letter with rough handwriting. [I kept my promise.] The contents were so simple that he could tell at a nce that Ogram was the sender. He wasnt even boasting when he sent over thirty Four Cloud Elixirs, which was a testament to his magnanimous personality. He put away the letter and looked inside the box. Dozens of wooden boxes the size of a fist filled the inside, and Lepping vines that were even softer than cotton protected the interior. Unlike the simplicity of the letter, Raon could see how careful Ogram was with the contents. It is the Four Cloud Elixirs. Chad smiled while looking at the wooden boxes inside the box. Yes. The Beast Unions leader mustve sent them to us because of the bet. The Beast Unions people are simple, both in a good way and a bad way. They keep their promises no matter what. Just as Chad said, the Beast Unions warriors despised lies and cowardice. Raon believed that he was going to send them. Thirty-five in total. He counted the number of Four Cloud Elixirs inside the box, and there were thirty-five total, which was the same number as the Light Wind members. He made sure to send it even though he said no. It shouldve been thirty-four in total because Raon had gotten one when he was at Owen, but hed requested thirty-five from Ogram because there was one more person in the Light Wind squad. There are so many four cloud elixirs. This is a priceless asion. Indeed. Raon nodded. Aura wasnt the only thing that the Four Cloud Elixir improved, since it could even create the perfect physique to use the martial arts the user learned. There was a good reason that it was the Beast Unions pride and joy. Thank you for bringing this all the way here. It mustve been heavy. Ah, its nothing. Chad shook his hand, saying that it wasnt a big deal. I just wanted to deliver the good news as quickly as possible. He smiled, saying that he was d Raon liked the present. Ill be looking forward to hearing good news from you soon enough. Chad bowed politely and turned away before going down the North Grave Mountain without hesitation. Once he reached the midpoint of the mountain, he clenched his fist. I did it. He managed to leave a favorable impression on Raon once again. It was worth climbing all the way to the summit while personally carrying the heavy box instead of bringing other agents. I knew my judgment was urate. On top of defeating all of the Twelve Stars of the Continent during the Six Kings tournament in Owen, Raon even managed to get the Sephiapanys cooperation. He was still young, but he was bound to climb higher than anyone else on the continent. And most importantlyThose three love him. Raon was supported by Glenn, Sheryl, and Roenn, who were the most influential people in Zieghart, and there was also Rimmer, even though he was a bitckingpared to the others. Ziegharts future was clearly focused on Raon. Im d I managed to get on his good side in advance. Chad was relieved because hed been leaving a favorable impression even before Raon had first done anything too special. He believed that the rtionship he managed to build was going to be extremely helpful for his future. This is how you live the social life and how to pick a line. Chads footsteps were as light as a feather as he went down the North Grave Mountain with a grin on his face. * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the forest where Chad had left. What kind of news is he looking forward to? He couldnt understand whether he was looking forward to the Light Wind squad getting stronger after taking the elixirs or something else. However, that line wasnt the only problem, as Chads behavior was suspicious overall. Hes strange, isnt he? Indeed. Wrath lowered his eyebrows and nodded. It already doesnt make any sense that the leader of an information agency brought the box here alone. Indeed. Chad had trustworthy subordinates working for him. He couldve simply sent them or asked them to carry the box for him, yet he had personally brought it by himself, which was too suspicious. Leaving a good impression couldnt be the only reason. He must be plotting something. He wouldve believed Chad was just being kind to him if it were his first life, but he could tell that he had an ulterior motive because his previous life was too harsh. I need to continue remaining cautious about him. He raised Chads rank in his list of people he needed to watch out for before he examined the Four Cloud Elixirs inside the wooden box. All thirty-five of them were genuine elixirs without any ws. Perfect. Raon closed the lid and went to the edge of the cliff. The Light Wind squad had already arrived near the summit while he was talking to Chad and examining the Four Cloud Elixirs. We have to kill that devil right now! Hes not even treating me as a squad leader! Rimmer was climbing at the top of the line even though hed fallen all the way to the bottom. Ill hang him on a cross! Marthas eyes were frightening as a sharpened de as she leaped. Go ahead! Ill deliver the finishing blow! They were discussing in harmony about how to eliminate Raon. They are all crazy Burren shook his head but was still crawling as fast as Martha. Yawn. Runaan didnt seem to care as she slowly climbed the cliff while dozing off like a sloth. I kill you! Only death awaits you! Lets goooo! Recover our life of happiness! The bloodlust of the Light Wind members even managed to take shape and pierce his skin. They looked like they were going to immediately swing their swords at Raon as soon as they reached the summit. There are so many of them. Raon figured he wouldnt be able to drop all of them with wooden daggers alone because hed wasted too much time. Even for you, its impossible to drop them all with wooden daggers. Wrath sneered while watching the climbing swordsmen. This must be how this training ends. He wagged his finger, asking how Raon felt about it. You arent about to swing your sword once again just like when you sent Shitty Ears flying, right? That would be cheating. Of course I wont. Raon shook his head. He only used his sword because Rimmer was ying against the rules. He had no intention of using his sword again. Then its ove But I still have another way. You have another way? But they are already up here! Of course. Raon picked up the elixir box and went to the edge of the cliff. He smiled at the bloodthirsty eyes of the Light Wind members. If the situation is unfavorable for you, you just need to destroy the situation. He jumped down the cliff while holding the box. The rock climbing is over. Come down already. He nodded at the Light Wind members with his chin while falling towards the ground. Huh? Since Im in charge of the training, Im the one who decides when it ends. Since he held the highest authority over the Light Wind squads training, there was no problem with his actions. Ehh? J-just like that? What are you talking about? We finally managed to climb! You damn bastard! Where are you going? Aaaaah! Rimmer and the Light Wind members screamed as they saw the falling Raon. Thud! Raon kicked the cliff before reaching the ground,nding smoothly. Seriously, you are the worst. Wraths jaw dropped as he said that even the demons didnt do such a thing. He looked like he had fallen speechless in disbelief. The Gambling Monster walked up to him and lowered his eyebrows. Why are you already down here? I thought you were going to make them do this all day long. An urgent matter came up. What is even in that box for you to give up on the training despite how much you love it? Ah, this is When he was about to exin about the box, the Light Wind members jumped down from the cliff tond violently on the ground. This isnt fair! I was almost there! Rimmer walked up to him and grabbed him by his cor before shaking him. We need to kill him today! We need to work together to beat him up! Even Burren was grinding his teeth in anger despite how calm he usually was. Brace yourself. Rimmers fist was already clenched, ready to hit him. Runaan was still clinging to the cliff. She must not have noticed the situation because she was sleeping. You are so self-centered Do you think you are a tyrant or something? Why did you suddenly stop the training?! Dorian sniffled, saying that it was getting more and more difficult to bear with him. The other Light Wind members were alsoining with frowns on their faces. Alright, alright. Raon listened to theirints while sitting on the box. It cant be helped since you want my training so much. You can keep going with it, however He opened the box with an extremely entertained smile. Ill take all of these Four Cloud Elixirs for myself. Gasp! Fo-Four Cloud Elixirs? Are they the ones that the Beast Unions leader wagered on the bet in Owen Kingdom? Theyve finally arrived! The Light Wind members charged at him with crimson mes in their eyes. Stop! Raon shouted as if he were scolding a puppy and closed the box. You said you wanted to keep climbing the cliff. Gasp! Mmm! Every single Light Wind member shut their mouth despite the way theyd been screaming. You shameless bastard How the hell is he getting crazier every day? Burren and Marthas expressions hardened, saying that he was getting more and more evil. E-elixir Moreover, its the Four Cloud Elixir But our pride The Light Wind members couldnt bring themselves to ask for the elixir because of how angry theyd been up to a moment ago. Moreover, the elixir was there thanks to Raons victory in the Six Kings Tournaments Master division, and they couldnt argue because of that. Hmph! None of them are mine anyway. Rimmer furrowed his brow and clenched the sword hanging around his waist. Im just going to kill him right here and Theres one for you. When Rimmer was about to unsheathe his sword, Raon pointed at the Four Cloud Elixir box that he was sitting on. I asked the Unions leader, Ogram, to make sure to give our squad leaders share since you are also part of the squad. R-really? Have I ever lied about something like this? There were thirty-five Four Cloud Elixirs total inside the box, and one of them was obviously for Rimmer. Vice squad leader Raoooon! As soon as Rimmer heard that there was one for him, he came running towards him and started rubbing his hands like a fly. His voice was even sounding coquettish because of how soft it had be. Ive always held the vice squad leader with great esteem! That outrageous boldness of making a request from the Beast Unions leader and thoughtfulness of caring about this foolish squad leader! I swear my loyalty to thest! He leaned forward at ny degreesas if he were the subordinate instead. How dare you?! Kneel in front of our vice squad leader who worked so hard for us! What are you waiting for? While bowing at Raon, Rimmer red sharply at the Light Wind members who were watching the scene with widened mouths. Our vice squad leader has been working hard for the sake of you weaklings! Come over here right now and apologize to him! He hadpletely turned into Raons spokesman and started to scold the Light Wind squad. V-vice squad leader! Krein was the first one to read the mood and stepped forward to kneel in front of him. I will do anything my vice squad leader asks me to do! Ill obey even if you ask me to die! Even though Krein was beaten and made to fall the most among the Light Wind members, he bowed faster than anyone else. He really was quick at reading the situation. Since Rimmer was the one the Light Wind members had been counting on, and Krein was the biggest victim, everyone else hurriedly moved forward and went on their knees upon seeing their surrender. Vice squad leader! I love you! Ill follow you for the rest of my life! Raon! Raon! Raon! You are the light and salt of the Light Wind squad! Even though theyd been insulting him until a moment ago, they kept praising him endlessly. Hmm? Runaan finally came down from the cliff and looked around her nkly. Damn handsome, damn handsome. She didnt know what was happening, but she went next to the Light Wind squad and started shouting damn handsome. Burren and Martha were the only ones left. He mustve been either a loan shark or a real demon in his previous life. Martha ground her teeth violently as Raon enjoyed the Light Wind squads praise like a religious leader. Even if hes a loan shark, we have to borrow his money for now. Burren bit his lip tightly and walked up to Raon. You are selling your pride by going there! Cant you see our squad leader crawling on the ground? Thats how adults adapt! We have to submit when we have to! Ah We need to get stronger, even if we have to sell our pride, so that this wont happen ever again. Martha tried to stop him but he pushed her away before going in front of Raon and bowing. Im honored to receive our vice squad leaders unlimited grace! Wee, third team leader. Raon smiled pleasantly as he responded. His gaze was finally directed at Martha, who was the only one left. Whir! The Light Wind members also turned their heads to follow his gaze. Bloodshot eyes pressured Martha. Ugh She couldnt stand their gazes since shed recently started feelingpanionship towards them, walking up to him while staggering like a zombie. Raon is da-damn handsome She went next to Runaan and murmured the same thing as her. In the end, the cliff training came to an end with the entire Light Wind squad surrendering to him. Raon was sitting on the box with his legs crossed and smiled at the Light Wind squad. See? This is how you destroy the situation and create a new one. Uhh Wraths pale lips were trembling in astonishment. This is the advent of a demon king * * * * * * Raon returned to the fifth training ground and distributed the Four Cloud Elixirs to the Light Wind swordsmen. With Rimmer as thest one, everyone managed to get a Four Cloud Elixir, and the Light Wind members eyes were sparkling like puppies with food right in front of them. So this is the Four Cloud Elixir. Rimmers body trembled, as he opened the lid and sniffed the Four Cloud Elixir. Lets take them right away. You will need to cultivate for two days at least after taking an excellent elixir like this. Burren swallowed nervously while hugging his wooden box. Yes. Theres no reason to waste our time. Martha agreed and opened the door to a cultivation room. Impatience wille back to bite you when ites to taking an elixir and cultivating. The Gambling Monster furrowed his brow while blocking the way to the cultivation room. Since the Four Cloud Elixir is a powerful elixir, its even more important to maintain yourposure. He mustve taken a liking to the Light Wind squad since he was giving sincere advice. Ill be on guard duty along with that fiend, so you should calmly finish your cultivation and That wont be necessary. Raon interrupted the Gambling Monster and walked up to him. He gave him thest wooden box that he was holding with a smile. Because the general administer also needs to cultivate. What? But this is yours No, its for you, general administrator. Wh-what madness are you spouting?! The Gambling Monsters lips parted, asking why he was saying such nonsense. I already took one in the Owen Kingdom. Since taking the same elixir multiple times decreases the efficiency, the Four Cloud Elixir would be even worse than a mid-grade elixir if I took it. Thats why you should take this one. I requested thirty-five of them for this purpose. Raon revealed the truth and gave the Four Cloud Elixir to the Gambling Monster. Hmm The Gambling Monster epted the wooden box with an awkward expression on his face. I really cant tell which is your real face. He tilted his head, saying that he was confused about whether the fiendish behavior until a moment ago or the thoughtfulness he was showing at the moment was the real one. They are both part of me. Raon smiled faintly and pushed the Gambling Monsters back. It will be a good opportunity to invigorate your body once in a while. B-but Youve been working hard for us. The Gambling Monster was forced to work for them, and hed been doing his best to help the Light Wind squads training even though his age and position were way higher than theirs. Since Raon was aware of how much he cared for them, he didnt regret giving him a Four Cloud Elixir at all. Its better for a young one to take two of them instead of an old man like me The Gambling Monster clenched the wooden box despite what he said. Wow, you are being so annoying when you are going to take it anyway. Give it to me, geezer. Ill take two of themAck! Stay out of this! Rimmer came up to him and started wagging his finger, and the Gambling Monster kicked his stomach. p! Raon pped his hands to gather everyones attention. Ill be protecting you from here along with Sir Mark, so you should calmly finish the cultivation ande out afterward. He ordered, and the Light Wind members went in front of the cultivation rooms. They turned around and bowed at Raon before entering the rooms. Thank you! They sincerely expressed their gratitude before entering the cultivation rooms. Raon. Rimmer was smiling in front of a cultivation rooms door. Good job. What? Im talking about how you even got one for that geezer. He pointed at the Gambling Monster inside a cultivation room. Its difficult to care for people who work in the background. You will be a great leader in the future. I guarantee it. I cant really trust a gambling addicts guarantee. Ive stopped gambling! I believe you were there again yesterday Im leaving! Rimmer hurriedly waved his hand and entered the cultivation room. Raon confirmed a huge flow of mana from all the rooms before he turned around. Mark Goetten was standing straight at the center of the training ground. Im sorry I dont have an elixir for you. Its because Sir Mark wasnt with us when it happened. Its fine. Mark Goetten shook his head, saying that it was only natural. Instead, I have another gift for you. He opened the subspace pocket hed borrowed from Dorian and took out the ck Hermit Saber that Glenn had given him previously. I cant let my vassal use a shabby saber like that. Please use this one in the future. Th-this doesnt look like an ordinary saber Mark Goettens lips trembled, as he stared at ck Hermit Sabers de. I cant ept such a precious weapon when I havent achieved anything yet! As expected of a Master, he noticed the ck Hermit Sabers value and shook his head. Im not giving it to you for no reason. He took out the two books of martial arts that hed previously obtained from the pocket. Dont feel pressured, because its a price Im paying for helping my training. Which training would that be? Since they are going to be stronger by the time theye back out Raon smiled while looking at the rooms where the Light Wind members were cultivating inside. we also need to get stronger. Chapter 377 Chapter 377 Di-did you just say that youd make me stronger? Mark Goetten asked with wide eyes. Indeed. Raon nodded while looking at Mark Goettens trembling pupils. Of course. I cant immediately increase your realm, and Ill be just helping you to make better use of your ability. Ill be practicing my dagger throw at the same time. He took out some iron daggers without any des and shook them. But you dont need to be nervous. Its just simple training. Isnt it only simple in your standard? Wrath leered at him. Maybe. Since he was nning to attack Mark Goetten with iron daggers instead of wooden daggers, he was bound to suffer if he didnt manage to recover his original might. Understood. Mark Goetten realized the meaning of the training and clenched ck Hermit Saber. How do you like ck Hermit Saber? The grip feels perfect. Its almost like Ive been using it for a long time. Im d to hear that. Raon smiled. Hed picked that saber because of the weight and shape of Mark Goettens previous weapon, and it mustve been the correct choice. But can I really ept such a fine saber? Since Zieghart is a house of swordsmen, we hardly have anyone using sabers. Its going to end up rotting in the warehouse if Sir Mark doesnt make use of it. Thank you. I wont disappoint you. Mark Goetten leaned forward from the saluting position. He was as disciplined and polite as when he used to be a knight. Please continue your personal training in the training ground in the meantime. I think it will take more than a day to finish the preparations. Understood. He went to the center of the training ground and started swinging ck Hermit Saber. Raon observed Mark Goettens technique for a while before he looked away. I should get started now. He opened the two books of martial arts that hed received from Glenn and started reading them. Hed already finished reading them the day before and memorized them, but he was skimming through them one more time just in case hed missed something. The head of house was right. Hundred Lightning was focused on speed, while the Explosive Giant Throw had nothing but power going for it. Since they were both extremely focused on one aspect of the dagger throw, he figured that a properbination should create a technique that excelled both in speed and power. That wouldnt be the only reason he gave me those books. Glenn mustve also anticipated that his realm would also increase as he created a new technique. However I wont be satisfied with that. The technique hed learned in his previous life was called the Dark Severing Throw. It was unmatchable in terms of stealth and precision, and Raon was nning tobine it along with the two others. It will take ages for you to create a new martial art! Wrath snorted. How dare you attempt such a thing when you dont even know anything about dagger throwing? Just keep swinging a sword instead like youve always done! He clicked his tongue, saying that it would be impossible to achieve unless he became an expert himself. It will be difficult, but it wont be impossible. Raons first weapon in his previous life was a throwing dagger. Even though he hadnt used it that much in his new life, he was confident he had enough understanding of the dagger throw. The King of Essence would rather eat another spoonful of mint chocte ice cream instead of watching a useless attempt like that. Just wait and see. Raon closed his eyes and started to control the Ring of Fire. The rings rotated smoothly and resonated at once to create a clear vibration. The intense focus narrowed down his vision, and the principles of Hundred Lightning, Explosive Giant Throw, and Dark Severing Throw started to mingle with each other. Whir! Once the Ring of Fire rotated around a hundred times, the first design was created. This is no good. It was too focused on Hundred Lightnings speed, and it wascking in terms of power. Raon immediately discarded it and tried to think of a second design, but it was too focused on power and even a fly would be able to dodge it. I should use the Dark Severing Throw to neutralize them. Instead of being disappointed, Raon immediately proceeded to the next design. This is fun. Raon smiled while imagining tens of thousands of throwing daggers flying around in his head. A small throwing dagger sprouted like a bud inside his mental image, which had nothing but des. * * * Mark Goetten lowered the saber hed been swinging and wiped the sweat from his forehead. This is the best. ck Hermit Saber, the saber that Raon had gifted him, had the perfect grip. It was as if hed been using it since childhood. Its quality mustve been even better than the saber hed been given by the king when he used to belong to a knight order. He gave me such a valuable weapon without anything in return Hed never heard the name ck Hermit Saber before, but he could tell better than anyone how valuable it was because hed been using a saber as a weapon all along. It was a priceless treasure that couldnt be purchased with even a mountain of gold coins. Mark Goetten briefly exhaled and shifted his eyes towards Raon. Hes really difficult to understand. He was thankful about the fact that Raon gave away such a noted saber and epted a failure like him after a small trial, and he thought he was just a bit peculiar. But the most peculiar part is That focus. After saying that he would prepare for the training, Raon didnt move an inch for the entire day and a half. He looked like he was practicing martial arts in his head, and it was unbelievable that he could maintain that focus when he wasnt even cultivating. Thanks to him, my training also went pretty well. Because he was disying a tremendous amount of focus from right next to him, his senses were sharpened a lot more than usual. Mark felt like he could fight even better than his normal abilities in his current state. It would be nice if I could have a spar right now Lets do it then. When Mark Goetten was murmuring about his wish, a low voice could be heard. He looked around, and Raon was looking at him with his eyes open. Sir Raon! Sorry for the long wait. He stood up and smiled while warming up his shoulders and ankles. You said you wanted a spar, right? Ah, about that We will do it of course, since it was our initial objective. Raon nodded after examining Mark Goetten. It doesnt look like you need any preparations. Indeed. Mark Goetten fixed the grip on ck Hermit Saber with sparkling eyes. He was excited for the battle because hed been practicing the saber art all along. Lets get started right away. Raon leaped backward and took his throwing daggers into both hands. He scattered three throwing daggers from his right hand at the same time without any warning. Swoosh! Along with the piercing sound of the wind, the throwing daggers flew towards his thigh, shoulder, and the vital spot in his abdomen. ng! Mark Goetten swung ck Hermit Saber diagonally to fend off the throwing daggers at once. Too light. Despite his expectations, Raons throwing daggers werent that fast or heavy. Honestly, he felt like the wooden daggers that hed been throwing from the cliff were more powerful than that. How was it? It was a bit too light. I see, please wait a moment. Raon closed his eyes while standing. He opened his eyes again after a long time, and the pressure emerging from his shoulders differed from before. Here I go again. Raon threw three daggers from his left hand at the same time. Just like the previous attempt, they were targeting his thigh, shoulder, and abdomen. Mark Goetten narrowed his eyes and examined the daggers flying towards him. Its the same as beforHmm? Although they were clearly thrown with the same amount of aura and method as the previous attempt, the speed was at least twice as fast as before. It was also soundless and had a faint presencelike an assassins swordsmanship. But its not that difficult to fend off. Mark Goetten stopped his breath and unleashed the Hundred Spinning sh of Anarchic Lightning Saber. The sharp curvature of the sabers trajectory went back and forth between the sky and the ground to deflect all of the throwing daggers. ng! ng! On top of speed and stealthiness, even the weight and power had increased. Because the rebound was on a whole different level from the previous attack, Mark couldnt hide his frown. Sir Raon, was this? Ah, please wait a moment. Raon closed his eyes once again while standing. He opened his eyes faster than thest time and grabbed the throwing daggers with his right hand. Lets try again. He nimbly jumped into the air and threw the third round of daggers. They became even faster. The second set of throwing daggers was already faster than the first, but the third was even faster than that, and the improved stealthiness made them even more difficult to perceive. If they were doing it in the night, Mark wouldnt have been able to figure out where they were targeting. ng! ng! Mark Goetten lowered his body and unleashed the Anarchic Lightning Saber technique. His aura rotated like a windmill to sh against Raons throwing daggers. Its even stronger than before! The speed and stealthiness werent the only improvements. The power of the throwing daggers was also further improved. How is this even possible? It was difficult to believe the drastic improvement in power when all Raon had done was to think about it while standing still for a short time. Huff He managed to deflect the daggers with difficulty and exhaled intensely. He raised his head and saw that Raon was already meditating with his eyes closed. Mark Goetten swallowed nervously, and the hands holding ck Hermit Saber started to tremble. D-dont tell me hes getting even stronger now. * * * * * * Raon repeated the process of throwing the daggers and thinking about it three more times. His thoughts ended faster and faster, and the daggers speed and power were getting unbearable. Haa Mark Goetten exhaled roughly and clenched ck Hermit Saber. He bit his lip while watching Raon on the opposite side. Here I go. Raon casually swung his hand to throw three daggers. Upon leaving his hand, the throwing daggers blended into the wind before they struck. The presence was faint, but the high speed was almost terrifying. Argh! Mark Goetten bit his lip tightly and unleashed the Swift Lightning sh of Anarchic Lightning Saber. The saber shed powerfully in a zigzag pattern to sh against Raons throwing daggers. ng! He was getting pushed back even though it was a sh between a saber and throwing daggers. He judged he wouldnt be able to deflect all three daggers, so he pulled his leg back in order to dodge one and barely managed to fend off the two others. Psh! A small amount of blood gushed out from his left thigh as the dagger brushed past. Ugh Mark Goetten sighed roughly. It wouldve been really dangerous if the throwing daggers werent targeting the same ce every time. Hey, Sir Raon Gasp! Raon wasnt satisfied with the performance and had already started thinking once again. Chills ran down his spine from a frightening premonition. I-I cant handle any more than this. I really cant though? Mark wasnt confident he could deal with the next wave of throwing daggers if they became even faster and stronger just like they always did. Sh-should I stop him? As he started walking towards Raon to tell him it was getting too difficult to fend off, light returned to Raons eyes. The meditation didnt even take ten minutes. Its somewhatpleted now. He smiled cheerfully and took out new daggers. W-wait Lets start again. Raon made his deration and fired the daggers. The extremely fast and stealthy daggers couldnt even be seen anymore, and Marks heart skipped a beat. Damn it! Mark Goetten raised ck Hermit Saber with his trembling hands. How the hell is this training?! * * * Raon lightly kicked the ground and threw the daggers from his right hand. The throwing daggers had turned red from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations energy, and they twisted like a snake inside water to disappear. Whoosh! The throwing daggers reappeared in an instant and unleashed their frightening sharpness toward Mark Goettens sr plexus. Haap! Mark Goetten bit his lip to the point of bleeding and took a step back. He twisted his wrist violently and shed upwards with ck Hermit Saber. He was using the Anarchic Lightning Sabers special technique, Tearing Lightning sh. aang! ck Hermit Saber, wrapped in astral energy, shed against the reddened throwing daggers. A powerful shockwave engulfed the center of the training ground. Rumble! Raons throwing daggers pressed upon Mark Goettens saber as if someone were holding them and crushed his body. ng! Mark Goetten was unable to ovee the tremendous power of the dagger and was pushed back alongside ck Hermit Saber. The daggers brushed past his side instead of his sr plexus which was the original target. Psh! Hisbat uniform was torn, and red blood gushed out. Huff Mark Goetten faltered and fell to his knees. His body was covered in wounds of varied severity just like the cut hed just received. Raon threw the dagger into the air before catching it with a smile. Its somewhatpleted now. The new dagger throw was created bybining the advantages of the swift Hundred Lightning, the powerful Explosive Giant Throw, and the precise and stealthy Dark Severing Throw. It was finally getting on the right track. wless Throw. He decided to call the new technique the wless Throw. It was an arrogant name that implied that it was a perfect dagger throw, one without the slightest w. This cant be happening Wrath narrowed his eyes in a triangr shape while watching the daggers floating in the air. You cant possibly make a new martial art in such a short time with your current skill! This is nonsense! He barked, saying that he couldnt understand it at all. You didnt reach transcendence, unlike the King of Essence or your geezer. How did you even do that?! By being good. Raon pushed Wrath away and smiled. You just need to get good. You are saying that again! The King of Essence is sick and tired of it! Well, its just true. Of course, it wasnt a question of getting good. Raons most used weapon when he used to be an assassin was throwing daggers instead of a sword. It was because he had mastered the Dark Severing Throw and had a high understanding of dagger throwing from his previous life that he managed tobine the three techniques in such a short time. I just need to polish it a little and it should be done. Not only the wless Throw but also Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Mark Goettens trembling shoulders. He will bepleted. Mark Goettens body and aura were fully activated, as if hed been fighting on a battlefield for a long time, from fending off the wless Throw. There wasnt a drastic improvement in skills, but he became capable of using all of his abilities, unlike before. And now I can improve his skills. Raon smiled faintly and waved his hand at Mark Goetten. Sir Mark, lets get started again. A-again? Mark Goetten sank to his knees and his chin started to tremble. I-I thought it was over! Of course not, we are only getting started. I still have a lot to polish in this technique. And I think I can improve its speed and power a bit further. I-I believe I wont be able to take on it anymore. He shook his hand, his face pale. Thats not true. You are more than capable of doing it. I believe in you. Raon raised his fist and shouted, You can do it, for Mark Goetten. Dont give up when we are only getting started. The next part of the training was the most important part to improve Mark Goettens skills. It might be a bit difficult, and his life might be threatened on rare asions, but that was all going to be his very blood and flesh. Are you sure about the rare part when ites to endangering his life? Of course, Ill be controlling it for that purpose. He will be exactly on the brink of death. Raon smiled gently and fired off another round of the improved wless Throw. The reddened throwing daggers created a soundless resonance, like a lightning dragon hiding in thunderclouds, as they rushed at Mark Goettens forehead. Huaaaah! Mark Goetten shouted loudly and unleashed his saber strike. ck Hermit Sword shined brighter than any other time, but it couldnt ovee the wless Throws colossal power and was swept away like sand in a wave. Wham! With the powerful sound of an explosion, Mark Goetten bounced back and mmed into the ground. Ack Mark Goetten raised himself while faltering. His limbs were trembling from exhaustion. Perfect. Raon smiled while looking at him. Hes definitely gotten better than before. The prowess Mark Goetten had disyed was more than his level. It wasnt too great either, but hed managed to climb a small stair. S-sir Raon, Im going to die at this rat Well continue without any breaks. Training shouldnt have any pauses, after all. W-wait! My training doesnt wait. Raon unleashed the wless Throw once again. The throwing daggers advanced like a ray of light and bared their sharp fangs towards Mark Goettens left chest. Ah Mark Goetten clenched his saber with his trembling hands. I-I might really end up dying His instincts as a knight and mercenary were shouting at him, that he was really going to die if he failed to stop them. He mustered his grip and ignited all of the aura sleeping deep inside his energy center. Aaaaah! Instead of a shout of concentration, it sounded more like a desperate scream as he unleashed thest special technique of Anarchic Lightning Saber. Whaaaam! He murmured as his vision turned as dark as if the night had fallen into the world. I think it was a mistake toe to this ce * * * Haa Burren exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. His blue eyes of the wind lightened the cultivation room. So, this is the Four Cloud Elixir. An excited smile appeared on his face as he looked at his hands. Amazing. Hed taken lots of different elixirs before as a member of the direct line of Zieghart, but the Four Cloud Elixir was outstanding even among them. On top of increasing the quantity of his aura, even his body was altered during the cultivation. It was different from the reformation, but he could clearly see that his body became capable of moving even faster and stronger. I should be able to use that in my current state. Burren smiled because he had the feeling he would be able to use the Barren Wind Swords technique, which he couldnt use before. He chuckled while looking up at the ceiling. He helped me once again. The reason why the Four Clouds Elixir was delivered was because Raon won the Six Kings tournament. It was heartwarming to think that Raon had given away such a precious elixir without hesitation. I need to get stronger in order to repay the favor. Raon always thought about the Light Wind squads overall growth instead of himself. The only way for the Light Wind squad to return the favor of the elixir was to get stronger even faster. Lets see. It mustve been around five days. The hand of the clock for checking the date had moved five units away from the beginning. I should go outside now. He didnt manage topletely absorb the Four Clouds Elixir, but it would be more efficient to go outside and start other training since hed been cultivating long enough. Burren stood up and shook the dust off his training outfit. His face looked like he was finally returning with a great achievement as he opened the cultivation room door and went outside. The pitch-ck training ground suggested that it was the middle of the night. He guessed that the others were still cultivating since the other rooms were still closed. Then where are Raon and Sir Mark? He started looking for the two people who were supposed to be guarding them, and a small sound of explosion could be heard from the center of the training ground. Whaam! Along with a powerful shockwave, someone was sent flying into the air before getting mmed on the ground. Wh-what?! He strained his eyes while wondering what was happening, and he noticed that the training ground was in a strange shape. There were craters all over the ce as if someone had bombarded it with magic, and he couldnt find anywhere that still remained intact. What the hell happened here? He figured a war mustve broken out, but he hadnt realized it because the cultivation roompletely blocked the sound and impactpletely. Rustle! While Burren was panicking, something started crawling towards him from the location where the source of the cannon-like explosion had hit the ground. Gasp! He was about to strike with an aura de because he thought it was a zombie, but he realized he was the Saber of the Fallen Flower, Mark Goetten, who had previously joined them with Raon. S-Sir Mark? Sa-save His body was covered in blood, and his pale lips were trembling as he held onto Burrens ankle. Save me! What? Burrens jaw dropped, and he didnt know how to respond. Raon walked out from the sandy dust. He threw the dagger into the air before catching it with a smile. It looks like you were sessful. Raon pointed at Mark Goetten on the ground and bobbed his hand. Sir Mark, the training isnt over yet. Lets try one more time. Just one more Burren swallowed nervously as he witnessed that frightening sight. What have you done this time? What the hell did you even do to turn him into a zombie?! Chapter 378 Chapter 378 Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the confused Burren. He got a lot out of it. Yes, hes sessfully absorbed the elixir. No matter how great the elixir was, it was impossible to absorb all of the energy from it. Impurities were bound to mix in while concentrating the energy of nature, and Burren looked like hed managed to filter out the impurities while only absorbing high-purity mana. His realm hadnt increased too much, but his body had grown, and the quantity of his aura had drastically increased. What the hell did you do? Burren swallowed nervously while looking at the trembling Mark Goetten, who was still holding onto his ankle. We trained. Raon shrugged his shoulders. T-train? What kind of training destroys a person like this?! He gasped, saying that the steadfast knight had turned into a dog in the rain. It was a simple training method where I throw the daggers and Sir Mark fends them off. Why would he be trembling like this if it was a simple training method?! He must be excited because the training was so fun. Do you really think that makes any sense?! Burren looked at Mark Goetten after hearing the ridiculous statement. Mark Goetten was frantically denying it by shaking his head at a speed where his pupils couldnt be seen anymore. See? Hes so energetic. Raons lips curved into a smile as he watched the sight. Mark Goetten started coughing like something went down the wrong pipe and hugged Burrens leg even harder. You have no shame Wrath looked back at Raon, his face pale. Did you just call him energetic after you almost worked him to death?! The conscience in your soul mustve be round a long time ago! What are you even talking about? Conscience originally has a triangr shape, but it wears out whenever you do bad things and gradually turns round! And thats exactly what you did just now! This demon king believes in fairy tales On top of being a glutton, he even started talking about a fairy tale aimed to teach morals to children. Wrath felt like a mystery at that point. Anyway, the training isnt over yet. Sir Mark, pleasee this way. Raon called out to Mark Goetten while spinning the throwing daggers between his fingers. Let him rest a bit before you continue! Hes going to die at this rate! Burren frowned while patting Mark Goettens back as he trembled in fear. He already got enough reshmm? Raon stopped waving his hand at Mark Goetten and looked at the cultivation rooms. The energies inside the rooms were subsiding, and he could guess that most members had finished their cultivation. Creak! The creaking sound of doors that needed to be oiled could be heard as the Light Wind members came outside one after the other. Aaaaah! It feels so good! Martha stretched and shouted loudly towards the training ground. Yawn Runaan came out after her and yawned while blinking her eyes. How have you been? Dorian smiled while eating a snack that he took out of his belly pocket. The Four Clouds Elixir is the signature elixir of the Beast Union for a good reason. Indeed. Aura is one thing, and the change in my body is so noticeable. I wonder how the reformation feels like when the Four Clouds Elixir is already amazing enough. I heard your body changes into one that can master all kinds of martial arts. I feel like I''ve gone through a reformation. I think I can win against anyone right now. The Light Wind members came out with bright expressions on their faces and smiled in excitement. Whir. Raon unleashed the Perception of the Snow Flower to examine the Light Wind members. All of them have changed. Every single member of the Light Wind squad waspletely different from when they entered the cultivation rooms. Raon could tell theyd focused on the cultivation even more than Burren. A smile appeared on his face as he watched their growth. Ahem. The Gambling Monster was thest person toe out, and he walked towards Raon while clearing his throat. There was a bright atmosphere in his darkplexion. The quantity of his aura had increased, but the most noticeable improvement was his physical strength. Its been a long time since thest time someone gave me an elixir without losing a bet. Thank you. Its nothing. Raon smiled and shook his head. This is a cheap price to pay for everything youve done for us so far. The Gambling Monster was pretty much family to the Light Wind squad, and he didnt regret giving an elixir to family. You will go far in the future. What is this now? Ahem! The Gambling Monster awkwardly cleared his throat and stepped back. Raon looked at the cultivation room at the edge that still hadnt opened. It looks like the squad leader is going to take some more time. He could guess that Rimmer was taking longer than others because hed been perfectly eliminating impurities from his body ever since he received an artificial energy center. Huh? What is this zombie? Why didnt you kill him already?! Martha frowned while looking at Mark Goetten, who was holding onto Burrens ankle. A zombie? Huh? Sir Mark? Dorians jaw dropped before he went towards Mark Goetten. Ho-how did you end up this way? Did something happen to you? Ah, ab-about that What happened to the training ground? Was there a bombardment? The Light Wind members eyes widened as they looked at the zombified Mark Goetten and the training ground in shambles. Its because Raon Burren gathered the Light Wind members and exined what hed learned. Hey! Are you crazy? I know you love training, but you should let him rest at least! Thats right! Sir Mark is limping like a dried radish leaf! Are you trying to be a real demon? Please keep it in moderation! Most people arent monsters like you, vice squad leader! Martha, Dorian, and the Light Wind members frowned while protecting Mark Goetten. They mustve grown closer to him while he caught them when they fell from the cliff. Do you want to be his recement then? Raon pointed his throwing daggers at the Light Wind members one after the other. Its a very simple training method where you just need to defend against these throwing daggers. Alright! Ill do it! Me too! Im also joining! This is nothing if I can help Sir Mark! Ill be different from the past! Burren and Martha clenched their fists, and Dorian bit his lip. The other Light Wind members also shouted and volunteered. I think I can endure any training in my current state. Training like that isnt a big deal since Ive just absorbed the Four Clouds Elixir. Ill show him how much Ive changed. Their bodies had improved, and the quantity and quality of their auras had increased from cultivating for five days and nights. They felt as if they could ovee Raons intense training with how much stronger theyd be. I like your confidence. Raon nodded while looking at the passion brimming in their eyes. Follow me. He jumped onto the training grounds wall, saying that they should move to the cliff where theyd previously trained. Gasp! Mark Goetten shook his head while watching the Light Wind members. D-dont do it. Sir Raon is currently Its okay. Weve also gotten stronger. We wont be able tost five days like you, but we canst for a day at least. Please wait here. Well be back after taking our vice squad leader down a peg. Since their confidence had reached the stratosphere after absorbing the Four Clouds Elixir, they didnt listen to him and ran towards the training ground walls. Err Mark Goetten grasped his chest while watching their backs. No! You definitely cant win against him! If their change after taking the elixir could bepared to a caterpir turning into a butterfly, Raons dagger throws improvement was arva turning into a waspmore precisely a Lekill wasp that was capable of killing a human with a single sting. Dont do it! Sir Raons dagger throw He kept trying to stop them, but Raon turned around and raised his ck dagger to his lips as a gesture to shut up. Gasp! He remembered how hed been beaten up for the five previous days upon seeing the throwing dagger and became nauseous. Even though his mouth was open, he couldnt say anything. Mark Goettens lips were trembling as he watched the Light Wind members confidently leave the training ground. I-I really think I shouldnt havee here * * * * * * Raon smiled while looking at the Light Wind members standing in front of the cliff. The process will be the same as thest time. You win if a single one of you manages to reach the peak. You can rest tonight and all day tomorrow if that happens. You arent about to randomly stop the training likest time, are you? Martha growled like an angry dog. She seemed to still be holding a grudge from what happenedst time. Of course not. Ill let you continue until you give up. Raon nodded nonchntly. If we pass, Sir Mark Goetten is also going to rest with us, right? Burren included Mark Goettens rest in the terms. He mustve felt bad when he saw him faltering like a zombie. Sure, Ill allow it. Alright. Lets do this! We can win in our current state! The Light Wind members hit each others fists to harden their determinations. Get ready. Raon casually waved his hands and jumped onto the cliff. He reached the peak in no time like a soaring bird. Wait! You forgot to block our aur Shut up. When Burren was trying to call Raon back, Martha smacked his shoulder. Wh-why did you do that?! Raon forgot about it. You dont need to remind him. Martha smiled coldly and looked towards Raon at the peak. He always says that the one deceived is in the wrong. Its our perfect chance to pay back all of the hardships weve had so far. Shes right! We arent cheating because the vice squad leader forgot about it. Krein clenched his fist with his eyes sparkling in excitement. Lets try like this. If heinster, we can just tell him that its his fault for forgetting about it, just like the first team leader said. Lets climb in an instant and reach the peak! Im looking forward to the vice squad leaders panicking face. I could sleep so soundly if I saw that. The Light Wind members mouths curved into smiles as they looked forward to giving Raon a taste of defeat. Alright. Burren nodded while looking at everyone. Lets go! Following his signal, the Light Wind members started to climb the cliff at the same time. They werent using any footwork, but they were using aura to climb at a tremendous speed. Its going to be over in no time at this ratAck! Krein was climbing right behind Burren, but his body leaned backward after he got hit by something on his forehead. Kuaaaah! He fell to the ground with a scream that sounded like a dying pig. Krein? Wh-what?! What happened just now?! I think the vice squad leader threw a dagger! Wait, but why is he the first target again?! The Light Wind members swallowed nervously as they watched Krein fall to the ground. Ack! Burren reduced his speed and kept climbing the cliff while maintaining the tension, and a Light Wind member right next to him got smacked by a throwing dagger on his ribs and copsed. Smack! Whack! Alongside violent hitting sounds, the Light Wind memberswho were spread throughout the clifffell like chestnuts falling from a chestnut tree. Aaaah! Whats happening?! I couldnt see it at all! Aaah! The members fell towards the dark ground while leaving their screams behind every time they got shot down by an invisible throwing dagger. Hey. Martha came close to Burren and frowned like a fiend. Did you see it? I-I couldnt really see it. Burren shook his head. Hed only noticed a little sh, and the person next to him was gone. It was a truly terrifying situation. Keep your focus and look above you. You cant be careless for an instant because the throwing dagger appears from the darkness. Burren unleashed as much aura as he could to spread his aura perception upon hearing her words. Pssh! Along with a weak sound like a vibrating string, the throwing dagger suddenly appeared and smacked Dorianwho was cowering on the right sideon the cheekbone. Quack! Dorian fell down from the cliff while making the sound that a duck would make upon being squeezed. Raon, you demoooonKyah! He got hit by another dagger on his way down and turned limp from losing consciousness. Ugh Burrens lips trembled as he watched Dorians hopeless fall. Whats happening? How is such a dagger throw even possible?! On top of being stealthy, Raons dagger was as fast as a ray of light. He had the feeling he wouldnt be able to dodge it even if he wasnt clinging onto the cliff. Smack! Smack! The hitting sounds resounded consecutively, and all the Light Wind members fell in no time. The only ones left were Burren and Martha, who had stopped climbing in the middle of the cliff. We only need one person to reach the top. Martha bit her lip and looked upwards. Ill be your shield, so you should use your footwork and climb in the meantime. But You wontst for long without me. She started dashing along the cliff, saying that she would defend him against the throwing daggers. Martha Shut up and follow me already. A-alright! Burren ran after her while thinking that Martha had changed a lot. Once they had almost reached the peak, Martha stopped running. Escape! Burren escaped to the right upon hearing her shout. Whaam! Martha wrapped her fist in all of her remaining Titans aura and punched Raons throwing dagger. However, she was pushed back by the daggers and ended up falling from the cliff because her reaction was toote. You idiot! Keep climbing! She screamed to urge him to continue as she disappeared into the darkness. Damn it! Burren used his footwork to run as fast as he could instead of watching Marthas fall. The moment he was about to reach the peak, a crimson throwing dagger rushed towards his head. Ive been waiting for this! Since hed witnessed how Martha was defeated, hed remained alert all along. Cring! Burren gritted his teeth and polished his hand into a de. He unleashed the special technique of the Barren Wind Sword while using his hand as his sword. The physical growth hed attained from absorbing the Four Clouds Elixir worked in harmony with his aura to unleash a powerful strike. It was the Barren Wind Swords special technique, the Barren Barrier of Admonition. Whaam! The Barren Wind Sword unleashed with his hand shed against Raons throwing dagger. This should do it Huh? Even though he managed to react in time, his hand was getting pushed back. An unimaginable amount of power was dwelling inside Raons throwing dagger. His special technique was unleashed to the best of his ability, but it crumbled like a dry leaf, and the daggers de appeared right under his nose. Smack! Burrens forehead was hit by the dagger, and he started to fall towards the ground even though he couldve reached the peak with one more step. Martha wasnt tooteThe power of that throwing dagger is just too insane! Damn it Burren swore, and Raons face suddenly appeared over the edge of the peak. He waved his hand with a smile. You worked hard on climbing, but see you next time. You damn basGrr! Burren lost consciousness and his neck went limp because of his anger towards Raon instead of the pain. Since Runaan didnt climb, he was thest one. Raonnded below after he sessfully shot down all of the Light Wind members. I-it hurts so damn much What did he even do to make the throwing dagger invisible? Thats not even the problem. Its too fast to defend against even if it was visible. Even if you block it, it will push you back with sheer strength. What the hell is wrong with that dagger throw? The Light Wind members sighed deeply, discouraged by Raons wless Throw. Raon went past them and walked up to Runaan, who was the only person who didnt climb the cliff. Why did you not climb? Because you didnt block my aura. Runaan tilted her head, saying that it was obvious. Wow! Wrath eximed at Runaan. Thats Ice Cream Girl for you! Its an answer befitting the King of Essences subordinate! Her mindset in a whole different level than a shameless bastard like you! Indeed. Raon chuckled and nodded. Alright, your honesty deserves a reward. Runaan can rest, and the other members will start climbing once again! Argh! God damn it! I shouldve waited here! The Light Wind members mmed the ground and screamed in regret. When Raon was about to jump onto the cliff once again, Krein came towards him and bowed. Vi-vice squad leader. You forgot to block our aura. Krein rubbed the bump on his forehead that was created by the throwing dagger with an obedient smile on his face. Yeah. Raon went on the cliff with an expression on his face that clearly said, So what?. Ugh Krein shouted towards Raon with trembling fists. You demon! This is discrimination! And stop making me your first targeAck! A throwing dagger smacked his forehead as he spoke, and he fell unconscious. Everyone was thinking the same thing at that moment. I shouldve stayed in the cultivation room for a bit longer * * * The next day at noon, Raon returned to the fifth training ground with the Light Wind members, who kept falling down from the cliff without ever reaching the summit. Their faces were as pale as a dog with its tail between the legs from losing the battle. A-are you okay? Mark Goettens lips trembled as he witnessed the Light Wind members, who were bruised all over. Sir Mark. Raon grasped Mark Goettens shoulder tightly. It was really unfortunate, but the Light Wind squad lost. Your training must be resumed. Gasp Raon gently waved his hand, and Mark Goetten fell on his knees with a trembling chin. He almost looked like he was being taken away by a devil. Dont worry, Im not killing you. Raon smiled cheerfully and went above the tform. Ugh Damn it Shit! The Light Wind members lined up in front of the tform, and their narrowed shoulders were showing that their confidencewhich used to be in the stratospherehad been brought down to the ground. As you promised, we are going to practice all night long tonight. My goal is to turn the Light Wind squad into the Light Wind division before next year. Thats why we should do our best to prepare As Raon dered his new objective, the door to thest cultivation room burst open. It was the only room that was still closed. Wham! Rimmer came out next to the staggering door. It almost looked like his untied long red hair was unleashing the wind and creating sparkles. Ive already requested a promotion to the Light Wind division. Rimmer pointed at himself with his thumb with a grin on his face. Really? Huh! Now this is surprising, since our squad leader is azybone. Everyone widened their mouths upon hearing that Rimmer had already made the preparations. When is the trial? There will be two trials total, and the first one is going to be pretty soon. He narrowed his eyes. He looked like he was trying to remember when it was. How long has it been since I went into the cultivation room? Its been six days. Six days? Rimmer was bobbing his fingers and raised his head upon hearing the answer. A refreshing smile appeared on his lips. Which means its tomorrow. Everyone lost focus in their eyes as they stared at Rimmer. That stupid elf did it again. Chapter 379 Chapter 379 Squad leader Raon scowled at Rimmer. What did you just say? The first trial is happening tomorrow. Rimmer proudly raised his chin with an expression on his face that was asking for praise. Haa Raon pressed on his temple from the sudden headache crashing through his brain. The elfs weirdness hadnt changed at all from the past. Hes going to live for a very long time. There was a saying that people would die if they suddenly changed. That was why he thought Rimmer was going to live for a very long time. Shitty Ears is the same as before! Wrath giggled while looking at Rimmer. Hes not as crazy as you, but hes a proper madman. Hes worse than me. Bullshit! The King of Essence has never seen anyone crazier than you in his life! He couldnt stopughing at the messy situation. Haa, squad leader What the hell?! We have no time to prepare if its happening tomorrow! Do we have to stay up all night long? Burren closed his eyes while letting out a sigh, Marthas trembling fists looked like she was about to punch him at any moment, and Runaans eyes became teary upon realizing that she wouldnt be able to sleep once again. I knew he was going to make another mess when I saw how crazy he was for gambling. Maybe hes purposely doing that so he can bet some money against us. Its totally possible since its our squad leader we are talking about. Uhh, I cant believe Im being notified about the trial the day before once again The Light Wind members red at Rimmer while raising their swords as if they were about to stab him. Hey, calm down. A hateful smile appeared on Rimmers face as he shook his hand like he was calming down a cow. Like Ive been telling you, its important for Ziegharts swordsmen to be able to respond to all situations without panicking. I didnt forget about telling you, I was making the preparations for your growth. Haa Raon exhaled his anger. Considering the fact that he specifically mentioned that he didnt forget about it, he forgot about it. Raon couldnt understand how the hell that stupid elf even forgot. Preparation isnt that important for a warrior. The important thing is how youve been training so far and how skilled you are. Raon controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation while Rimmer was spouting some nonsense. Four in his left hand and four in his right hand. He incorporated the principles of wless Throw into eight throwing daggers total and fired them at Rimmer. Thats why you should keep training if you have time to me m Gasp! Rimmer was surprised at the soundless approach of the dagger, but immediately drew his sword and unleashed the wind. He instantly created a glowing green sword barrier. That level of barrier Raon smiled coldly at Rimmers sword barrier. Will be pointless. Since this dagger throw ispletely different from what you saw at the cliff. The eight throwing daggers gathered at the center to break through the wind barrier that Rimmer had created before scattering like dandelion seeds to rush towards his vitals all over his body. It was the wless Throws special technique, Eight Daggers of the Wind. Ugh! Rimmer hurriedly stepped back and swung his sword, but he only managed to deflect three of them because of the tremendous power of the daggers. Smack! Smack! The five other throwing daggers smashed against Rimmers body like blunt hammers. Ouch! Rimmer unleashed his aura in the end to reduce the impact, but he still didnt manage to ovee the power of the daggers and mmed his head on the ground. Aww! He screamed and frantically rubbed the parts where the throwing daggers hit him. Wh-why does this hurt so much? It feels like I was hit by a hammer instead of a throwing dagger! Rimmer was squirming like a turtle on the ground, and Raon raised his finger. Step on him. Im going first! You are so dead! He needs a beating! This is our only opportunity to beat him up! That dagger throw is equal to everyone. I get beaten up, he gets beaten up. Burren and Martha were the first ones to run at him, and the other Light Wind members also rushed at him to start stepping on Rimmer. They werent using any aura, but they were stepping on him to the best of their abilities to vent the anger thatd been umted so far. Stop. Raon waited until they finished venting their anger before walking up to Rimmer. Are you okay? You ungrateful bastard! How could you suddenly attack your teacher in the middle of his speech? You went too far! Rimmer frowned while pressing on his bruised eyes. I only did that ording to the squad leaders teachings. What? When did I teach you such a thing? You just said that its important for Ziegharts swordsmen to be able to respond to all situations without panicking. Thats why I wanted to see how the squad leader responds to my attack but that was rather sloppy. Raon smiled coldly while repeating the exact same line that Rimmer had previously told them. Ugh Rimmer was unable to respond and lowered his head because he had actually said that. Ah, this feels so good. Once Rimmer couldn''t continue his hateful speech and fell silent, it felt like a load was taken off his heart. The other Light Wind members were also stroking their chests with refreshed expressions on their faces. Since we dont have much time, please tell us. What is our first trial? Fight Rimmer murmured the word fight while pouting. You are going to fight against the Warring Steel division tomorrow. Th-the Warring Steel Division? But their squad leader and vice squad leader are both direct lines! Why didnt you tell us about it earlier when we have to fight such a powerful division?! Whats wrong with you?! The Light Wind members swallowed nervously upon hearing the name Warring Steel Division. And how is it done? It will be a group battle in an urban area. So we are going to fight the Warring Steel division in an urban area Raon remembered the information about squads and divisions that Judiel had given him. The Warring Steel division Many members of the direct lines belong to that armed organization, and it recently became a division. The squad leader was at the highest level of Master, the two vice squad leaders were both novice Masters. Since it was old information, they couldve gotten stronger in the meantime, but they were still a reasonable match for the Light Wind squadpared to the other divisions. HoweverThe current Light Wind squad is still not enough. Since the Warring Steel division managed to get promoted after iming countless achievements over a long period of time, they were superior to the Light Wind squad in terms of might and experience. Since the Four Clouds Elixirs werentpletely absorbed yet, it was going to be difficult to win against them. C-can we win against them? I-it will be difficult We didnt even have any time to prepare. Haa Starting with Dorians cowering voice, the Light Wind members started to tremble. Why are you already looking gloomy when the fight hasn''t even started yet?! Straighten your backs! Martha frowned upon seeing the dispirited members. We never know who wins until we actually fight! Same for ice cream, we never know how it tastes until we actually eat it! It was a rare asion where Runaan even said a long sentence. She mustve wanted to give courage to the anxious members of the squad. They are right. Raon smiled and stood next to Martha and Runaan. However, its also true that we arecking in terms of might and experience, and didnt even have time to prepare because of a certain person. He red at Rimmer while saying that. Rimmer started whistling, pretending he wasnt rted to the matter. Raon wanted to smash a throwing dagger into that whistling mouth of his but he barely managed to suppress his urge. Hey! Are you really saying that? However! Raon cut Martha off and stared at the Light Wind squad. It wont be impossible to win if we get some help. Help? What help? Runaan and Dorian raised their gazes. Ill pull out the children who are sleeping deep inside your heart. Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive as he spoke. The frightening sound of the sword draw echoed inside the swordsmens ears. Wh-why are you suddenly drawing your sword?! What are you nning now?! Why are you wielding a sword instead of a throwing dagger now?! The Light Wind members lips trembled as they watched the coldness emanating from Heavenly Drive. I just told you. Raon focused his energy on his sword with a cold smile on his face. That Im going to pull out the children who are sleeping deep inside your heart. It was thest time for the Mad Dog squad to shine before bing a division. * * * * * * While the Light Wind squad continued training on the training ground and the cliff, the Sephiapanys president, Adis Sephia, had arrived in Zieghart. Adis Sephia knelt in front of Glenn and bowed. Greetings, heaven of Zieghart! Im a small peddler of Sephia. You are being too humble. Please stand up. He raised his head upon hearing a heavy voice that almost felt like it was crushing his bones. With blond hair and red eyes, the northern giant looking down on him looked simr to Raon but had a whole different pressure than him. His dry eyes, which seemed to have lost all passion, were giving him goosebumps. So this man is the Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart. It was his first encounter with him, but the pressure was even more intense than the rumors. He was outstanding even among the leaders of the Six Kings that hed seen before. I apologize for the dy. Adis ced his hands on his stomach and lowered his head. I know how busy you are, president. Dont worry about it. Glenn shook his hand, saying that he didnt need to apologize. I dont like annoying idle chatter. Can we go straight into the topic? I also prefer it that way. Adis gave a small nod. I heard you were going to install infrastructures around Zieghart and expand the roadwork. Glenn supported his chin on his fist and lowered his eyes full of vanity. Even though Sephiapany has all kinds of merchandise as a general store, it should cost a significant amount of funds and manpower. Why did you decide to do such a thing? The gaze of the Destructive King of the North was piercing him from above. It felt like his body would shatter into pieces if he lied. I cant lie. There were two types of people in the world: those who were deceived by a lie and those who dont. The giant in front of him was the typical example of thetter. Adis figured he needed to answer honestly. Its because of the vice squad leader, Raon. Raon? Indeed. I could ascertain that my investment in Zieghart would be returned multiple times in the future after personally seeing him. Ahem! As soon as Glenn heard Raons name, he opened the fist that was supporting his chin to cover his mouth and loudly cleared his throat. Is that so? Ah, yes. Adis noticed that the pressure weighing on his shoulders had grown lighter and secretly straightened his back. What part about him made you decide to invest in Zieghart? Because of his might or talent? No, it was because he knows how to move people. He can move people? Everyone knows that Vice Squad Leader Raon is a powerful and talented warrior. He might be the strongest in the continent one day if he keeps growing at this rate. However, I wouldnt have invested in him if he was a self-righteous personno matter how powerful he was. The purity of light sparkling from Adiss eyes made it difficult to believe he was a merchant. I decided to invest in him for a deeper reason than his might alone. And is it because of his personality? Glenn lowered his head slightly in curiosity. Yes. Vice Squad Leader Raon is capable of changing other peoples on top of himself. His casual actions create a positive influence on countless other people around him. Adis smiled gently, as he thought about Mark Goetten and his third daughter, Palen, who had changed thanks to Raon. Since Ive personally witnessed and felt what kind of person the vice squad leader is, Ive decided to invest in Zieghart. He lowered his head while honestly revealing the reason he came to Zieghart. Ahem! Glenn cleared his throat even louder than thest time, his face slightly red. It looked like his hand covering his mouth was shaking. So that was why. I see. His gentle voice was iparable to the beginning, and a warm wind was blowing into the icy cold atmosphere of the audience chamber as if a heater was turned on. Sephias president. What? Ah, yes! Do you like to drink? A-a little. Then lets have a drink together. Glenn pointed at the room on the right side of the audience chamber, asking him to follow. Very well! Adis nodded while following Glenn. Tell me about what happened in thepany in detail while we drink. Then Ill start from when I gave them the trial No. Glenn raised his hand to stop Adis. Please start from when Raon arrived in thepany until he left instead. B-but it will be an extremely long story Its fine. Tell me everything without missing a single detail. Something interesting is going to happen tomorrow, so you should also watch before you leave. Glenns clenched fist looked like he was about to hit him if he refused. Err Adiss lips turned pale and started to tremble upon seeing Glenns red fist and cheeks. Wh-whats happening now? Is he testing me? * * * It was a dark night, one where even the moon was hiding behind the ck rain clouds. Raon was standing at the center of the fifth training ground, and the Light Wind squad surrounding him had their eyes glowing red as they raised their swords. Huff. The Light Wind swordsmen''s breaths were as rough as a beasts. They unleashed their violent bloodlust as if they had been turned into beasts and kicked the ground at the same time. The three team leaders were the first ones to step forward. Rumble! A sharp wind emerged from Burrens Sword, the heaviness of a mountain weighed down from Marthas sword, and a bone-chilling coldness stormed around Runaans sword. The Light Wind swordsmen ran after the team leaders, and the various trajectories from their aura des engulfed Raons surroundings like a cyclone. Raon stabbed his sword towards the dark sky. A brilliant flower capable of erasing the darkness bloomed from the tip of his de to cover the space. Whap! It was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations me Spirit. Hundreds of flower petals of fire shed against the Light Wind squads iing attacks. Wham! Powerful shockwaves appeared one after the other, and the Light Wind swordsmen were bounced back and mmed onto the ground. Whoosh! However, the team leaders were different. Burren, Martha, and Runaan severed the me Spirit and kept running at Raon. Aaaaah! Die already! Raon looked at the three team leaders, whose techniques were full of personality, and dragged Heavenly Drive from the ground to sh upwards. Creak! The de soared after scratching thend and unleashed crimson me towards the team leaders attacks. Whaam! The rotating sphere of fire destroyed Burren, Martha, and Runaans strikes and created a powerful explosion. Ugh! Shiiiit! Haah The three team leaders were bounced back even further than the other swordsmen and mmed onto the wall. Raon lowered the red de of Heavenly Drive and looked around the training ground, which had turned into aplete mess. Ugh! Damn it! I wont lose this time! Im punching his handsome face at least once even if I cant kill him! The Light Wind members stood back up with their eyes glowing yellow from madness. They looked like they hadpletely forgotten about their previous defeat as they clenched their swords once again. They ground their teeth like mad dogs and unleashed their murderous intent. Damn it! How is he so strong when hes not even using astral energy? Burren bit his lip and gathered all of his remaining aura. You bastard, cutting people is the only thing you are good at Hes also handsome because hes damn handsome. Whose side are you on?! On my side. Argh! Burren and Runaan red and argued with each other but still unleashed their madness and murderous intent towards Raon. Rumble! The Light Wind squad managed topletely absorb the residual of the Four Clouds Elixir from getting beaten up all day long, and their auras soaring towards the sky, creating a dreadful pressure. It was giving a frightening sensation, as if a crazy beast were growling while baring its fangs. Dont they look like they are getting crazier and crazier? Wrath gasped while witnessing that scene. It would be annoying if they didnt. After all, that is what I was trying to achieve. Raon smiled in excitement while facing the Light Wind squads madness, which was trying to crush his body. The Mad Dog squad has returned. Are you a dogman or something? Chapter 380 Chapter 380 Rimmer gasped as he watched the Light Wind squad charge toward Raon while baring their fangs. People can actually change in the matter of a day. He wasnt just talking about the ferocity of a mad dog. Raon was stimting their mana circuits every time he beat them up to help them absorb the remaining Four Clouds Elixir in their systems. Thanks to that, the Light Wind squad was experiencing a ridiculous phenomenon where their aura increased whenever they got beaten up, forcing them to swing their swords all day long. Thats not an easy task at all. Stimting their mana circuits while fighting against them consumed arge amount of aura, stamina, and even willpower. That was the reason Raon looked slightly tired, which didnt usually happen. Hes too kind. Even though it was a difficult and annoying task, he kept doing it on his own until midnight. Such an asion always made Rimmer realize how much Raon cared about hispanions. Hmph. The Gambling Monster snorted while stepping up next to him. How about you help him then? Cant you see this? Rimmer frowned while pointing at the bruised area around his left eye. He took out an egg, rubbing it around his eye and sighing. I also want to help, but Im severely injured right now. I dont see any serious injuries though. Werent you just watching them because you couldnt be bothered? The Gambling Monster narrowed his eyes. Wh-what do you mean?! The physical pain is one thing, but my heart aches so much right now after getting stepped on by my subordinates! No kind of medicine can cure this! Rimmer briskly turned his head away and started sniffling. You are exaggerating. The Gambling Monster sighed and shook his head. Rather than that, arent you going to tell them? Tell them what? That they arent required to win the match. The first trial for promotion from a squad to a division was usually a match against another armed division. However, they werent required to win because a division was obviously stronger than a squad. The reason behind the match is to see how they fight against stronger forces, not because they are expected to win. Indeed. They dont need to win. But I have no intention of telling them that. Rimmer shook his head without hesitation. No way, were you nning to provoke their growth by making them try to win? I guess they should be able to win without much difficulty in their current state. Huh? I wasnt though. Rimmer smiled coldly while watching the Light Wind squad. I just wanted to make them suffer because they stepped on me. Your pettiness blows my mind. I can be even worse, and Im proud of it. Rimmer giggled while calling himself petty. Ugh, you are seriously the worst The Gambling Monster groaned and stared at Rimmer with a pitying gaze. But its not going to be fun at this rate. Rimmers voice cheerfully echoed through the wind. A sly smile appeared on his face as he watched the intensifying madness of Raon and the Light Wind squad. Its time for me to work as the one who preserves the bnce of forces. * * * The screams resounding throughout the square training ground were loud enough to shatter the heavens. It was the Warring Steel divisions shout of concentration as they focused on training until their gray uniforms turned brown from being soaked in their sweat. The swordsmen of the Warring Steel division were swinging their swords while maintaining the Great ck Steel sword formation, and their pressure was oppressive enough to send a chill down the spine. Stop. The blond-haired middle-aged man standing on the tform raised his hand, and the Warring Steels swordsmen lowered their swords in a disciplined manner. The man who just moved the entire Warring Steel division with a single movement of his hand was the division leader, Trevin Zieghart. Stop practicing the Great ck Steel sword formation. Gather with your team now and operate the Small ck Steel sword formation. Yes! The Warring Steel swordsmen immediately bowed to him before separating into three different teams and scattering around the training ground. Their Small ck Steel sword formation didnt have the majestic heaviness from beforeit looked so sharp that it felt like a persons skin was being pierced just from watching. First team, your aura at the center is being scattered. Make sure to precisely allocate your energy. Second team, your formation lost the bnce. Raise your swords a bit higher. Third team Trevin Zieghart pointed out the parts that required improvement through detailed observation and even told them how to make up for it. Upon hearing his teachings, the sharpness of the Warring Steel swordsmens swings became even more intense. Haa The first vice division leader, Caman, sighed while looking at Trevins back. The training never ends. I know, right? It should be fine to be more lenient. The second vice division leader, Ores, shook his head. I respect our division leader, but I dont understand his cautiousness. Hes a bit too careful indeed. Its because of his cautious personality that our promotion into a division was dyed so much. They shouldve be a division a long time ago, but their leader Trevin kept dying it, saying that he wanted to pass the trial perfectly. In the end, they barely managed to be a division three years previously. I should stop him now. The members are dying. Sounds like a good idea. The two vice division leaders briefly sighed and walked up to Trevin. Division leader. Caman stood behind Trevin with a smile. Shouldnt we stop now? The members need some rest since tomorrow is the match. Hes right. We dont need to train so much when we are just dealing with the Light Wind squad. Ores agreed with Caman, and Trevins gaze turned to look at them. Just the Light Wind squad? Trevins serious gaze looked almost frightening. Huff! Ores hurriedly covered his mouth, realizing that hed misspoke. Did you forget that the Light Wind squad won the Six Kings Tournament? Do you really believe that they arent a big deal when a rtively new squad like them is already taking a promotion trial? Th-thats not what I meant Their squad leader, Rimmer, hasntpletely recovered his abilities yethowever, he is a monster that used to be called Ziegharts Sword of Light, and Raon Zieghart is an unprecedented genius that even the Six Kings agree about. They arent people that we can underestimate. Trevin continued, his oppressive voice weighing down upon the two vice squad leaders. Moreover, the Light Wind squad has been training for an entire week now without even leaving the training ground. We need to perfectly prepare ourselves to win no matter what they bring, and thats how the Warring Steel division should be. I-I beg your pardon. I have no excuse. Ores and Caman simply admitted their mistake without giving any excuse. However, letting the members rest is correct advice. Trevin looked up to the sky. The moons location suggested that it was already past midnight. Line up, everyone. He shook his hand to gather the Warring Steel swordsmen in front of the tform. Todays training is over. Division leader! We can keep going! Since tomorrow is the match, wed like to practice a bit more! You said that the Light Wind squad hasnte out from the training ground for a week now! We cant lose to them! The Warring Steel swordsmen shouted that they wanted to keep training. They mustve heard the conversation between Trevin and the vice squad leaders. It is precisely because the match is tomorrow that you need to rest your bodies and recover to your optimal condition. This isnt a rest but another preparation for the battle. Trevin spoke as he pointed at the small booklets on the tform. The information about the Light Wind squad is written inside. You should memorize everything until tomorrows match. Understood! The Warring Steel division responded firmly and bowed to him. Trevin narrowed his eyes while watching the Warring Steel swordsmen, who were picking up the booklets. The Light Wind squad He expected to win against the Light Wind squad without much difficulty in their current state. However, the Light Wind squad had the power to ovee difficult situations. He couldnt underestimate them at all. Countless people have lost in the past because they underestimated Raon and the Light Wind squad. However, Im not an idiot like them. Trevin clenched his fist while looking up to the sky. Ill thoroughly destroy them and show them the difference between a division and a squad. * * * * * * On the day of the battle between the Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division, Glenn and Adis Sephia stood on top of a red spire located east of North Grave Mountain. Is that where the match is going to happen? Adis pointed at the destroyed urban area under the spire. Indeed. Glenn lowered his gaze and nodded. Thats rather unexpected. I thought it was going to be a one-on-one match in a training ground because it was called a match. This battle is a trial to promote a squad into a division. We need to examine their power as a group instead of as individuals. Ah, that exins it. Adis finally realized Glenns intentions and scratched his cheek. I didnt know that because Im just an ignorant merchant. Thats not true. It was because I didnt say the details. Their voices had be a lot gentler after drinking together. Is the Light Wind squad going to be a division if they win? Not exactly. There are two trials total, and they can still be a division even if they lose todays match. Even if they lose? Indeed. Its only natural for a division to be stronger than a squad. It would be strange if a squad won against a division. Glenn shook his head, saying that there had been almost no squads that had managed to win against a division during their promotion. Which means the way they deal with stronger opponents should be the decisive factor. You have a fast understanding. Indeed, that is the goal of this battle. The reason why they fight in the urban area is also because we want to see how they react. The trials of the Six Kings areplex indeed! Adis gasped in admiration. I believe thepany is as frightening as us. We only fight with words and money instead of swords. But those words and money are sometimes even more frightening than swords. It does happen sometimes. Glenn smiled faintly, and Adis shrugged his shoulders. Ive made the preparations for the president to watch the battle today easily, so you shouldnt have any difficulty figuring out the situation. Thank you for your consideration. Hmm? Adis bowed, then pointed at the swordsmen who were entering the urban area. The Light Wind squad must be making their entrance. He put his hand inside his jackets inner pocket and took out a portable telescope to bring it to his eyes. Indeed. Glenn nodded and turned his gaze to look at the Light Wind squad. He looks slightly nervous with how he is biting his lip. He definitely looks confident. I wonder if he can even fight in his state. He is ready to show his skills at any moment. His clothes are wrinkled. He is as disorganized as always. His hair is nicely pushed to the back. I like it even better. They probably didnt realize the incoherence as they kept talking about whatever they had on their minds. They are both interesting. The reason for the incoherence was simple. Glenn was only looking at Raon while Adis Sephia was only watching Dorian as they spoke, and that was why no conversation could be held between them. I can understand how they grew intimate so quickly. He finally figured out the reason behind the warm atmosphere between them even though they only had a drink together. It was because they had a simr personality where they couldnt frankly express their love. The young master even brought my lord a friend. Roenn bowed slightly at Raon, who was walking towards the center of the urban area. Thank you for creating such interesting scenes every timhmm? He furrowed his brow upon seeing the Light Wind swordsmen walking behind Raon. Why are they all baring their teeth? They look so scary. * * * Raon kept walking towards the center while observing the ruined city with traces of destruction everywhere. This ce was made for the training to begin with. The buildings and walls of the city were mobile training facilities. Raon guessed their locations could be changed so that those who trained there wouldnt get used to the area. In that case, I can just memorize them now. He smiled faintly and memorized the entire area that he could see. He reached the center before long as he kept walking while observing the surroundings, and he could see the swordsmening towards them from the other side. They must be the Warring Steel division. Every single swordsman of the Warring Steel division looked like a sword because of their sharp pressure. There was a good reason why they managed countless achievements before and after their promotion into a division. And the most noticeable one is Raon looked at the blond-haired middle-aged man who was walking at the center of the Warring Steel division. His overwhelming pressure was unrivaled even among them. Raon could guess that he was the Warring Steel divisions leader, Trevin Zieghart. They are all wimps. Wrath simply clicked his tongue, saying that they werent a big deal. Your subordinates would be intimidated, but they are just weaklings Huh? He turned around to look at the Light Wind squad and his jaw dropped. They arent intimidated. Its because they are angry. Raon turned around with a smile. Every single member of the Light Wind squad was showing extreme resentment toward the Warring Steel division, which was the cause of their hellish training. They looked like they were ready to attack at any moment once the order was given. Haaa! It was because of those guys that we had to suffer so much. Ill avenge my sleep Burren, Martha, and Runaans pressures were especially powerful as they red at the approaching Warring Steel division. Huh! Wrath gasped upon witnessing the madness of the Light Wind squad. Why are they even angry at them when you are the one who made them suffer? This is iprehensible! Thats how you control people. You will teach the King of Essence. Hed like to learn! You need to pay the tuition. Tuition? You crazy human! He shouted in anger because of his ridiculous request. Do you seriously want more from the King of Essence when you are already taking his stats away all the time? Thats a tribute that you are supposed to pay. Tr-tribute? Wraths jaw dropped as he fell speechless. Raon pushed Wrath away and looked at the Warring Steel division instead since theyd reached right in front of them. Long time no see. The Warring Steel divisions leader, Trevin Zieghart, dipped his chin towards Rimmer. Wow, Trevin. Youve grown so arrogant. Rimmer chuckled while looking at Trevin. Its bound to happen because you kept descending over a long period of time while Ive been ascending. He looked down on Rimmer and the Light Wind squad with a cold gaze. I didnt think you had this kind of personality but well, whatever. Rimmer shrugged his shoulders to express his disinterest. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Trevin from behind Rimmers shoulder. Hes right about that. ording to Judiels information, Trevin had aposed and careful personality. That was why Raon could guess that he was trying to provoke them on purpose. It is the wrong choice though. Provocation wont work against any of us. Rimmer was unaffected by provocation because his personality was as light as a piece of paper fluttering in the wind, and the Light Wind squad had already lost their sanity, so it was meaningless against them. Whir. Raon opened the Perception of the Snow Flower to examine the overall power of the Warring Steel division. They got stronger than when Judiel gave me the information, but theres not a huge difference. He figured that they could win without much difficulty if Rimmer could stop the two vice division leaders while Raon dealt with Trevin Zieghart. It was the case because the Mad Dog version of the Light Wind squad was unstoppablepared to the current Warring Steel division. Huff! The exhaling madness and warm breathing from the Light Wind squad behind him felt extremely dependable. While the Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division red at each other, a middle-aged man wearing a brown uniform approached them. Im the referee of todays match, Harrison. He lowered his head at Rimmer and Trevin one after the other. The method is simple. You win if you either obtain the g of the enemy camp or incapacitate all of the members of the enemy team. Harrison smiled, saying that it was simple. However, there is one special part about todays match. The names of those involved will be announced whenever someone defeats an opponent. Why is that even announced? Trevin frowned at Harrison. Im not sure either since Im just following orders. Harrison lowered his head apologetically. Are you the one who decides whether they are incapacitated or not? Yes. The assistant referees who are scattered around the surrounding area and I will decide. Additionally, withdrawal will also be announced as being incapacitated. Alright. Trevin nodded. He looked like he didnt have any more questions. How about the Light Wind squad? Do you have any questions? Not really. Rimmer shrugged his shoulders and showed his disinterest. The match will start in thirty minutes. Please go to the west for the Light Wind squad and east for the Warring Steel division. ording to his instruction, the Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division went past each other in opposite directions. Raon nodded with a smile. West? Thats perfect. Since hed entered from the east, moving to the west signified that he could analyze the entire battlefield. The same went for the Warring Steel division, but Raon was confident he could make better use of the area. Im looking forward to the fight against the Warring Steel division leader. Raon walked towards the east while looking forward to a fun battle, but his expectations shattered into pieces soon after the battle started. The Light Wind squad leader, Rimmer, has been incapacitated! Chapter 381 Chapter 381 Ten minutes before the start of the match, Raon smiled while watching the yellow g in the Light Wind squads base. This reminds me of the past. The g reminded him of the group battle he had against the sixth training grounds trainees back when he used to be a trainee. Shitty Ears notified you the day before, just like this time. Wrath giggled like a kid. Yes, he did. However Raon frowned and turned to look at Rimmer. Hes also participating this time. Why did he only tell us the day before again?! His actions in the past could be exined by the fact that it was a match between the trainees, so he just did it for fun. However, Rimmer was also part of the battle against the Warring Steel division. Raon couldnt understand why he still only notified them the day before. Rimmer yawned while stroking his hair, which was sticking out from oversleeping. Once he met Raons eyes, he tilted his chin with a grin on his face. What? Have you never seen a handsome elf before? It was nothing. Raon briefly sighed and waved his hand at the Light Wind squad. Assemble. The Light Wind squad gathered around the g with a faint madness glowing in their eyes. Ive analyzed this entire area. Ill draw a map down here Just as Raon was about to devise a n based on his analysis, the ground started to shake violently, and the walls and the buildings in the urban training ground started to move. The urban training ground will be modified to make it fair! The voice of the referee, Harrison, was heard over the turbulent mana and dust rising from all over the urban area. Starting the urban battle between the Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division! Thirty secondster, the walls and buildings that were randomly moving around suddenly came to a halt alongside Harrisons voice. Did they change the location once again? Burren furrowed his brow while looking at the training ground, which was still dusty. Did you not expect this to happen? I guess even a monkey falls from a tree. Martha grinned while looking at Raon. We need to analyze the terrain once again. No, we are fine. Raon shook his head while drawing a map on the ground. I already assumed that the terrain might change. You actually managed to predict it? Burren dropped his jaw in astonishment. I noticed that the terrain could change one more time. After he confirmed that the devices inside the training ground could be moved, hed predicted how the buildings and the walls would be disced. Since even the Warring Steel division shouldnt know how the terrain had changed, Raon expected to gain an even bigger upper hand by analyzing the area with the Perception of the Snow Flower. Hmph! Martha turned around with a frown. You are no fun. Whose side are you on? Raonughed bitterly and unleashed the Perception of the Snow Flower to the maximum output. With the sensation of his skin expanding endlessly, he could feel everything in the area. Raon. As he was slowly analyzing the urban area starting from the nearest part, Rimmer raised his hand. Im going to scout. What? Scout? Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer. Theres no way he would volunteer to scout A chill ran down his spine upon hearing that he wanted to scout, as taking a nap from behind was more like him. No, Ill be the scout. The leader shouldnt be doing such a task personally. Its me, Rimmer! The leader who leads by example! You can show that example by taking care of the two vice division leaders of the Warring Steel division. That will be more than enough. Rimmer was indispensable in the battle because he needed to fight the two vice division leaders. Dont worry, just count on my great self, who is about to be the division leader. Rimmer cheerfully waved and jumped onto a building with copsed walls. Wait Ill be right back. Rimmer turned into the green wind and ran towards the east before Raon could stop him. Whats the matter with the squad leader? Is he feeling sorry because he notified us about the match toote? Theres no way. He just took the wrong drugs. Burren gasped, and Martha snorted. He must be sick. Runaan nodded with nk eyes. Maybe he thinks this is happening in his dream. Or he might have wagered his entire fortune on us. Ah, that must be it! He must be gambling! The other Light Wind members also gave various reasons to exin Rimmers unusual behavior, but none of them were positive. It feels like Shitty Ears is going to cause a huge trouble. Im also feeling it. I need him in this fight. If Rimmer wasnt there to deal with the two vice division leaders, all of his ns were going to go awry. Raon wanted to follow him, but he couldnt exactly reverse the situation, so he decided that quickly devising a n was the better course of action. Raon drew the map of the urban area that hed analyzed with the Perception of the Snow Flower on the ground. Come here, everyone. Im going to exin the n. Since the right path is the longest, the first team As he was exining the terrain and the strategy, he could hear Harrison clear his throat. Do-dont tell me The Warring Steels vice division leader, Ores has been incapacitated! Despite the anxiety that was causing his violent heartbeats, the announcement was about the elimination of Ores, Warring Steels second vice division leader. Ooh! Look at this! The squad leader did it! Is the squad leader finally doing his job? The sun is going to rise from the west tomorrow! Whoaaa! Rimmer! Rimmer! Rimmer! Rimmers achievement was making the Light Wind members cheer hard enough that the madness disappeared from their eyes. Huh? Did Shitty Ears actually do something? He defeated the vice division leader? Our squad leader did? Raon and Wrath gasped at the same time, but Harrison hadnt finished. The Light Wind squad leader, Rimmer has been incapacitated! As soon as they heard that voice, the swordsmen fell silent at the same time. Raon and every member of the Light Wind squad were thinking the same thing. That damn elf dropped out on purpose. * * * The Warring Steel division leader, Trevin Zieghart, frowned as he watched Rimmer sitting in front of the copsed wall. What are you even thinking? What do you mean? Rimmer casually shrugged his shoulders with a peaceful expression on his face that made it look like he was enjoying teatime. Im asking why you dropped out right after knocking Ores unconscious! The stupid elf attacked Ores from behind while he was scouting and made him faint before heading straight to the Warring Steels camp just to surrender. Trevin was getting ready to fight him, but his action left him dumbfounded to the point that he felt like a fool. I got tired. Rimmer sighed and shook his head weakly. Ive grown old now, and my joints hurt. Thats why I cant fight for a long time anymore. You dont look like it at all. Trevin tightly bit his lip. He is different from before somehow. Wind wasnt the only energy that Rimmer had used when he attacked Ores. An even more violent energy was dwelling in his sword. What is your goal? Money is my only goal. Stop your nonsense! Its true. Dont mind me and keep moving ording to your n. You should quickly go to the Light Wind squad and destroy them while they are still confused. Rimmer waved his hand, telling him to run right away. Haa Trevin sighed deeply. What is his goal? Hed prepared countless ns to counteract the Light Wind squads moves, but that situation waspletely unexpected. He couldnt even begin to guess what Rimmer was trying to achieve by surrendering. What are you waiting for?! Go and defeat the Light Wind squad already! Rimmer anxiously stamped his foot, saying that it would be toote if he kept hesitating. Hmm Trevin clenched his back teeth as he watched the floundering Rimmer. He couldnt give any orders because he couldnt understand the situation. He felt like something was clogging in his chest like indigestion. Di-division leader, we cant trust that man! He is often called a scammer. He must be plotting something! Hes always been a great liar. The Warring Steel swordsmen also believed that Rimmer had an ulterior motive as they red at him. Argh, this is frustrating! Im not plotting anything! You will have a huge advantage if you attack them right now! Rimmer twisted his lips while mming his chest. Sir Rimmer, you shouldnt be talking so much since youve already been eliminated. One of the assistant referees came towards Rimmer and covered his mouth. You guys are so dumb! Attack them already! Go there and beat them up! This isnt the time to be cautioMmmm! He kept shouting at them to attack the Light Wind squad until the very end as he got dragged away by the assistant referee. Kuh Trevin bit his lip tightly as he watched Rimmer getting dragged away. I dont understand. He couldnt understand why the crazy elf would say and do such a thing no matter how he saw it. The Warring Steel swordsmen were also anxious and swallowed nervously. Its definitely a trap at least The Light Wind squad wasnt a brainless group that solely relied on their power. There was definitely a special n that led to his actions, but he couldnt figure it out no matter how he thought about it. Di-division leader? Shouldnt we try attacking them? The first vice division leader, Caman, walked up to him and suggested an attack. No, they are definitely plotting something. Start by scouting for now. Trevin ordered them to scout in small numbers instead of an all-out attack. It will be fine as long as I dont get defeated or the g isnt taken away. There was no way for them to lose as long as they could avoid those two scenarios. The scouts from each team should scatter to the designated directions He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead while giving orders. Damn itI feel like Im being drawn into an invisible swamp. * * * * * * Adis Sephias chin was trembling as he took his eyes off the telescope. Wh-whats going on right now? Why did the Light Wind squad leader suddenly drop out? He was shouting in joy when Rimmer defeated a swordsman who seemed to be a leading figure of the Warring Steel division, but the next thing he did was to raise his hands to dere his withdrawal instead of running away or fighting. He couldnt understand why Rimmer just gave up when he didnt even look exhausted. Haa Glenn clenched his fist to the point where his hand turned white. I believe the elf over there doesnt want to live anymore. Ah Adis swallowed nervously upon hearing his dry voice. Bu-but hes still a famous swordsman who used to be called the Ziegharts Sword of Light. There must be a n behind it, right? Since he has a head on his shoulders, he must have a n. However Glenn turned his eyes to look at Adis. His red pupils were expressing his burning anger. A method like that only deserves a beating. And thats going to hurt so much that he will wish he was dead. His flickering fingers looked like he wanted to run in there right away to beat Rimmer up. I-I see. Adis smiled awkwardly and raised his telescope once again to examine the Warring Steels camp. Despite Rimmers withdrawal, they kept observing the situation with a few scouts instead of attacking. Hmm? Why is the Warring Steel division not attacking yet? They should be able to cement their victory right now. Glenn clicked his tongue briefly while looking down on the Warring Steel division leader, Trevin. He has too many thoughts. What does that mean? The Warring Steel division leader has been careful and thoughtful since childhood. He is too surprised by Rimmers entric actions and is unable to make any judgment calls. Ah, so it was because the Sword of Light was eliminated for no reason Adis finally understood the situation and pped his hands. Indeed. Since the Warring Steel division leader couldnt have foreseen this scenario, he is panicking and is trying to gather information before he moves. Glenn narrowed his eyes while watching Trevin bite his fingernail. He still hasnt managed to fix his shorings. Trevin had excellent skills, focus, and patience, but his excessive caution sometimes became a drawback. If he just brushed it off as Rimmer doing Rimmer things and boldly ordered a charge, he couldve started the battle with a huge advantage. Thanks to that Glenns eyes turned to look at the western camp, where the Light Wind squad was located. Those children are getting an interesting chance. * * * Kuhehehehe! Wrath burst intoughter while wiggling his round arms. He withdrew on purpose! Shitty Ears is as crazy as ever! He was bbering that he couldnt stop liking Rimmer because of that aspect. Shut up. Raon frowned while pushing Wrath away since he kept adding unnecessary noise. Its so obvious what that idiotic squad leader was thinking. Rimmer mustve dropped out on purpose even though he was fully capable of returning after defeating the Warring Steels second vice division leader, Ores. And the reason must be to make us suffer. He was definitely trying to take his revenge for getting stepped on by everyone by creating a really difficult situation to win. I guess we wouldve won without any issues if we fought normally. Everything except for my fight against Trevin Zieghart wouldve been an easy win. The original n was for Rimmer to take on the two vice division leaders, and the Light Wind squad to defeat the Warring Steel division. Since they were pretty much out of their minds and were further improved after absorbing the Four Clouds Elixirs, the battle was going to be an easy win for them. However, Rimmer only defeated one of the vice division leaders, and the situation waspletely reversed. If the Warring Steel division charged at them right away, it was bound to be an extremely difficult fight because of their advantage in overall number and the difference in the most powerful members. What are you going to do now? Burren sighed deeply while walking up to him. What else?! We just need to fight without that stupid elf and pummel them to the ground! Martha responded instead of Raon. Lets go. Runaan immediately drew her sword. She lookedpletely unaffected. I-its over! Its seriously over for us! We wont be able to win! Human despair is always so entertaining to watch. Dorian sank to the ground while covering his head, and Wrath was grinning next to him. Stay quiet for a bit, everyone. Raon hit Dorian and Wraths heads before he walked to the front. He increased the Perception of the Snow Flowers range until the aura consumption reached a serious degree to observe the eastern camp. Are they not going to attack? He thought the Warring Steel swordsmen would be running towards them since the big mountain called Rimmer was gone. However, they werent moving at all. No, they are moving. Buttheir numbers are too small. The Warring Steel division was moving in groups of three in three different directions at an extremely slow speed. Wait, are they scouting right now? Scouting was the only way to exin their movements. Raon narrowed his eyes while analyzing the movements of the swordsmen. Why did he send the scouts instead of attacking right awaAh! Once he started thinking about why they sent the scouts while taking Trevins personality into consideration, the fog dissipated from his head. The Warring Steel division is also confused about this situation. They were bound to be surprised since the opposing leader suddenly dropped out after defeating one vice division leader. Since Trevin Zieghart had an extremely cautious personality, he was even more surprised and decided to send the scouts instead of ordering an attack. Hes overestimating me too much. Just like his careful personality implied, he was holding Raon Ziegharts fame in an excessively high regard. There is more than enough space to take advantage of. Raon bobbed his hand to gather the Light Wind members and exined the situation to them. I-is this really happening? How can they believe that our damn squad leaders crazy action was part of a n? Can we attack them now? Burrenughed bitterly, Marthaughed in relief, and Runaan looked like she wanted to fight already so she could head back as she fiddled with her sword. Yes. Raon nodded at Runaan. This is our chance to push them. If they kept moving in a way that Trevin didnt expect, he was going to panic once again without making any moves. Ill perform a surprise attack with the dagger throw to eliminate the first vice division leader, Caman. After that, we will return to the original n and have the teams sh against each other Wait. Martha raised her hand. Theposed expression in her eyes was a rare sight to behold. About that vice division leader, can I try fighting him? It will be impossible to win. Raon shook his head. He acknowledged Marthas talent, but it was impossible, at her current level, to fight a Master whod surpassed the wall. What if I join her? Ill also do it. Burren and Runaan also stepped up. Why are you barging into this?! He said you cant win on your own. Yeah, Martha is too weak. Shut up! Raon nodded while watching the three growl at each other. This looks pretty good. One or two of them wouldnt be able to win against him, but three should be enough tost. Since it was a spar instead of a real battle, it could be used as an opportunity for them. Lets go. Raon smiled while taking out a throwing dagger with blunt edges. Lets show them that simple is the best. * * * At the eastern camp of the Warring Steel division, the swordsmen who left to scout hurriedly returned. Di-division leader! The Light Wind squad ising. Bu-but The swordsmen swallowed nervously while looking back. They are just charging at us randomly without any formation. I Trevin Zieghart nodded while biting his lip. Am also aware of it. Hed noticed the Light Wind squads beastly charge without any order or rule through his widened aura perception. What are you nning, Raon Zieghart? That wasnt the only part he was anxious about. He couldnt feel Raons presence among the Light Wind swordsmen. He mustve been making a separate move. Wh-what shall we do? Fortify the defense. Trevin exhaled roughly and told them to be ready to activate their sword formation at any moment. I have to block any possibility of their victory. Raons target was going to be one of the two. The g at the center of the camp and Trevin himself. The Warring Steel division would never lose as long as those two remained protected. They areing! He looked at where the first vice division leader, Caman, was pointing, and he could see the Light Wind squad running towards them like crazy. They were literally running like mad dogs with yellow madness glowing from their eyes. They really are the Mad Dogs instead of the Light Wind. Trevin frowned and raised his hand. Open formation! Open formation! The Warring Steel division started to operate their formation upon hearing his shout. The moment the swordsmens auras gathered at the center of the formation, throwing daggers zing in red sparked from the darkness behind the wall. I knew it! Trevins eyes sparkled upon finding Raon, who was throwing the daggers. They arent ordinary daggers! On top of being fast and stealthy, they even had tremendous power behind them. I wasnt his target all along. He looked at the first vice division leader, Caman, instead of the throwing daggers rushing towards his heart and neck. Caman! Heart and neck! Block those parts with your special technique! Understood! Caman unleashed his most powerful technique towards the throwing daggers rushing at him without suspecting the suddenmand in the slightest. Whaam! Camans feet were buried on the ground up to his ankles because of the tremendous power of the throwing daggers, but the proper measures he took allowed him to take pretty much no damage. We did it! Upon confirming Camans safety, Trevin deflected the throwing daggers that had almost reached his skin. He managed to redirect the throwing daggers energy without much difficulty because hed been paying attention all along. Resume the formation Ack! Kuh! Aaah! When he was about to order them once again, screams could be heard from the Warring Stead division. The three team leaders copsed while grasping their vitals. Dont tell me You guessed right. Along with a frightening voice, Raon Zieghart shed. Whaam! The violently rotating sphere of fire at the tip of his sword crushed thend and stopped the ck Steel sword formation from beingpleted. Thinking too much cane back to bite you. Simple is sometimes the correct answer. Raon smiled coldly while shing his sword against Trevins. Mad Dog squad. Violent madness became visible in the Mad Dog members eyes upon hearing their owners call. Bite them all. Chapter 382 Chapter 382 Raon Zieghart Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Trevin Zieghart grind his teeth. He looked angryeven his skin had turned red. Is this sorry mess the n made by you and Rimmer? As expected, Trevin believed that Rimmers withdrawal was part of their n. His eyes were glowing in shame from losing to psychological warfare. Lets provoke him even further. The situation was already decent, but he wanted to destroy the Warring Steel divisions mental state a bit more. n? Raon tilted his head, pretending he didnt understand. Im talking about making Rimmer withdraw! Ive never made a n like that. Wh-what are you talking about?! Then why would Rimmer withdraw?! He probably just wanted to. What? Our squad leader always does whatever he wants because hes a simpleton. Raon lowered his center of gravity and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The red radiance emanating from Heavenly Drives de started to crush Trevins body. I-I dont understand! Why would he do that in such an important match? I dont even know myself what goes on in that gambling addicts head. He actually knew why Rimmer withdrew after defeating one vice division leader, and he also thought about a way to beat him upter, but there was no reason to tell him about that. Huh Trevins chin trembled as he got pushed back by Raons violent me. S-so was he telling the truth all along? That implied that Rimmer wasnt lying about it when Rimmer was shouting earlier that they should run into the Light Wind squad right away to attack them. Damn it It was absurd how a single crazy elf could mess up the situation so much. He was boiling in anger. He wanted to immediately run into the waiting room and punch Rimmer in the face. Raon smiled faintly while looking at Trevins face, which had turned as red as a heated saucepan. Theres a good reason why hes the leader of the Mad Dog squad. Hes the craziest one among us. As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful energy rushed towards him from behind. I told you many times already! We are the Light Wind squad, not Mad Dog! Burren pierced into the battlefield with a frown on his face. His violent barren wind created a path toward the first vice division leader, Caman. Raon is crazy. Runaan spread icy waves to prevent the Warring Steel swordsmen from protecting Caman. You are the craziest one among us! Martha unleashed the Titans aura and dashed through the path created by Burren and Runaan. Rumble! The Light Wind squad, wrapped up in a violent madness, followed the three team leaders and charged toward the Warring Steel division. Wham! The Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division shed with sheer strength, without any formation. ng! Shockwaves burst all over the battlefield as they unleashed their powerful auras against each other. How dare you! Caman tried to push the Light Wind squad back with a frown on his face when Martha dashed at him and shed. Im your opponent! Martha unleashed a powerful strike to keep her advantage from the surprise attack. Burren and Runaan went to Camans back to support her. At-attack! Attack, please! Raon tightened the grip of his sword while listening to Dorians weak voice as hemanded the Light Wind squad instead of the team leaders. Let the dog fight begin. * * * Rimmer put on a woolen hat on his head to hide his ears and hair. He disguised himself as an ordinary swordsman before leaving the waiting room where the eliminated people were supposed to stay and climbed the hill where the spectators were gathered. I-I didnt expect this to happen. This is dogshit. Thats why they are called the Mad Dog squad instead of the Light Wind squad. Seriously, I cant predict the Mad Dog squads actions at all. Rimmer made this so interesting. The spectators wereughing so hard while watching the battlefield that fell into utter confusion. Since most people preferred a dog fight where they randomly bite each other rather than a boring battle of strategy, the spectators faces were filled with excitement. Whoaaa! Raon! I believe in you! Trevin! Dont choke now! Warring Steel Division! Dont lose to them! Mad Dog squad! Bite and devour the Warring Steel division! The spectators were cheering for them while calling the Light Wind squad the Mad Dog squad insteadas if that was their name. Hmmh. Rimmer walked past the spectators while humming and went to the corner of the hill. Pl-please I wont even be able to pay my rent if I lose this one! That bastard Raon, how did he even figure out that method?! Damn it, Trevin! Why did you decide to do nothing back then?! You shouldve seized the opportunity! Unlike the other spectators, who were having fun, the people in that ce were clenching their gambling tickets with their eyes trembling in anxiety. The gamblers are always so fun to watch. Rimmer went past the gamblers and looked at the ckboard at the edge of the hill. The odds are one to seven! It was written on the ckboard that betting on the Light Wind squads victory would yield seven times the return if it happened. Huh? Hey! Where have you been?! The old manager of the gamble smiled at Rimmer while baring his teetha few of which were missing. The withdrawal was worth it. There were two reasons behind his withdrawal. The first was to prepare the foundation for the Light Wind squads growth by forcing them into a difficult fight instead of an easy victory, and the second one was the gamble. Because the bets arent closed right away when ites to a group battle. Unlike the other matches, where the bets werent epted once the match began, people were still allowed to bet for a whileuntil the two teams showed their strategies in group battles. Since he knew that would be the case, he immediately withdrew from the match right after defeating a vice division leader so he could join before the bets were closed. The ratio was 1:2 before the match, but its 1:7 now. What a great sess. Rimmer grinned while checking the number on the ckboard once again. This is how you catch two rabbits with one stone. The Light Wind squad gained an opportunity to get stronger, and Rimmer himself was earning money. It was truly beneficial for everyone. I believe in you, Light Wind squad! Warring Steel division! Show me the power of a division! Trevin! Dont lose to a youngster like that! The spectators in the gambling area were waving their fists while shouting their heads off for the Warring Steel division. Rimmer smiled in satisfaction and started leaving the gambling area, then he secretly looked upwards. He felt a frightening amount of murderous intent from the hill on the opposite side. I-I might be in danger Glenn mustve been the one watching him from above, and he was going to be slightlyextremelydangerous, but he couldnt miss such a great opportunity. Well, hes not going to kill me Wait, hes not really going to kill me, right? Glenns pressure was telling him that he might really die, but he still put the gambling ticket into a rubber pocket. I cant lose it the same way. He didnt want to repeat the terrible experience he had in the Owen Kingdom, where his gambling ticket was burnt up. He took the countermeasure against Glenns lightning and stood at the edge of the hill. Raon, my god of wealth, my light and salt, and my brightest hope. He put his hands together while watching Raons sh against Trevin. As always, I believe in you! * * * * * * The Warring Steels first vice division leader, Caman, ground his teeth when faced with Martha. How dare you You sound like a third-rate viin. Martha snorted and shed with her Heavy Battle Sword. The powerful strike fell towards Camans head. ng! Caman swung his sword like he was chasing away bugs, easily deflecting Marthas attack. Know your ce! That sounded like a line from a thug in the backstreets. Shut up! He charged at Martha while ring at her. The tip of his sword was extended like a ray of light towards her chest. Hmph! Martha didnt step back. She unleashed the Titans aura to the best of her abilities and dashed forward instead. Wham! The sh between the auras filled the space with blue sparkles. Are you really a Master? You are too weak. While the swords shed, Martha rolled her lips into a smile while looking at Caman. Haa Caman briefly exhaled and opened his furious eyes. I wanted to finish this fight so I could help the division leader, but you are leaving me no other choice. His pressure erupted like a volcano, and a materialized aura emerged from the sword he was holding. It was astral energy, the symbol of being a Master. Creak! Camans decisive sh cut through Marthas aura like tofu. Argh! Before Martha could withdraw, Camans astral sword tried to hack at her waist. At that moment, a green aura de interfered from the right. Cring! Burren managed to block Camans astral energy and groaned. Ack! He told you! You cant do it on your own! Damn it Martha was pushed back before she could thank Burren for saving her from that crisis. Its still impossible even if you help her! Caman snorted and unleashed astral energy towards Burren. Cring! The tip of his sword turned white from the rapid and sharp strike, and Burrens aura de ended up getting destroyed, just like Marthas. This is the end of the line! Caman was about to sh horizontally to attack Martha and Burren at the same time, but a cold energy spread out from behind him. It was Runaan. Hmm! Caman couldnt finish Burren and Martha off and had to turn around to fend off Runaans frost. Pssh! The frost was affecting his hand, and he couldntpletely block it. Why are you here now?! Martha clenched her back teeth while looking at Runaan. Because Martha is too weak. Runaan nodded nkly at Martha. Who are you calling weak?! Martha. She casually stated and even raised her finger to point at Martha. Dont ignore me! Caman melted down the frost that was appearing on his hand before charging at Runaan. Whoosh! Runaan tried to slow Camans movement with her frost, but he unleashed his aura to push back her ice and shed like lightning. It was a performance befitting a Master. Hmm. Runaan blocked Camans strike by swinging her ice sword into a semi-circle. However, she lost to the overwhelming power, and her aura de was scattered into pieces. Cring! When Camans sword was about to reach her shoulder, Burren came running once again to block his astral sword. Creak! His aura de couldntst much longer, and when it was about to split apart, Martha dashed from Camans left to strike. Whack! Caman couldnt ignore the heavy strikeing from his left and was forced to change the trajectory of his sword, which was about to attack Runaan, to block Marthas sword. You are being as annoying as fruit flies! The hand holding his sword was trembling as he red at Burren, Martha, and Runaan. Fruit flies cant be as big as we are! Martha stepped on the wall to charge at him and shed consecutively. The bundle of aura des made from Titans aura covered Camans surroundings. We arent flies. We are mad dogs. Runaan followed from the left side and assisted Marthas strike. Whaam! Since they were at the highest Expert realm, they managed to withstand a Masters astral energy for a short time. We are the Mad Dogs! We are the Light Wind! Burren didnt miss the small timeframe that theyd earned for him and unleashed the Barren Wind Sword from Camans back. Cring! The silver de engulfed in the northern wind rushed towards Camans right arm. Ugh! Once again, Caman failed to finish Martha off and had to step back while grinding his teeth. You dirty bastards This really is working. Burren smiled faintly while watching as Camans trembling lips disclosed his panic. We can really deal with a Master. Even a highest-level Expert couldnt deal with the astral energy of a Master on their own. However, two of them couldst a bit longer, and having three even allowed some room for a counterattack. Burren could guess that they were more than capable of winning if they continued. Why are you the ones attacking?! Martha stomped the ground. Crimson mes ignited in her eyes, and a powerful energy surpassing her aura de burst from her de. It was Berserk, the special technique that allowed her to win the Six Kings Tournaments duel, igniting once again on the battlefield. Wham! Marthas violent energy exploded as she charged towards Caman. It wasnt going to be easy even for a Master to fend off the diagonal sh because of how powerful it was. Tsk. Caman briefly clicked his tongue and stepped back. Dealing with Martha wasnt an issue, but it could be problematic if Burren and Runaan followed up. Hmm? He examined Burren and Runaan while dodging Martha who was full of insanity, but the other two werent moving at all. Wait, are they? He narrowed his eyes and looked at Martha. Her amplified energy from Berserk was spreading around her, making it impossible for Burren and Runaan to approach. This is my chance! Caman was being pushed back, but he put force into his ankle to dash forward instead. He unleashed as much astral energy as possible and thrust his sword. Cring! The moment his astral energy was about to pierce through Marthas shoulder like a sharp awl, her eyes suddenly returned to the clear color of ake. Whaam! The energy that was randomly spreading out from Martha assembled into her de and shed against the astral energy. Yo-you Caman wanted to cut it off, but he couldnt pull out his sword because Martha was focused on defense. Argh! I dont like this, but Ill be the sandbag today! As soon as she coughed up blood, Runaan and Burren rushed in from behind Caman. Whaam! The barren wind spreading from Burrens sword surrounded the frost emerging from Runaans sword to strike Camans back. Aaaack! As expected of a Master, Caman managed to defend by covering his back with aura, but he still took arge amount of damage from Burren and Runaans attack as blood gushed from his mouth. He mustve gotten a serious internal injury. Abined attack? You are ying dirty! He was extremely irritated and increased his auras output to the maximum to barrage them with attacks. The sword strikes covering the space were falling on them like a rain of arrows. Whaam! Runaan was the first one to step forward. The frozen flower petals followed the trajectory of her favorite sword, Snow Flower, and decreased the astral energys flow and power. Cring! Burren acted right next to her, and a cold wind stormed from his sword. The extremely sharp de made of barren wind chipped through the slowed astral energy like sandpaper. Aaaaah! Martha charged between Burren and Runaan with the explosive Titans aura. The tip of her sword sparkled in yellow and broke through the dried-up astral energy to pierce into Caman. Ack! Caman couldnt withstand thebined attack of the Light Wind squads three team leaders and copsed on the ground while coughing up blood for the second time. Huu M-my shoulder hurts. A Master isnt a big deal. Martha, Burren, and Runaan walked up to Caman while faltering and raised their swords. Wa-wait! Have you ever seen a mad dog listen? Die! Since they didnt have any strength left to use their aura, they smacked Camans back with physical strength alone. Smaack! With the sound of a pumpkin being destroyed, Camans head was mmed into the ground. He lost consciousness. Huff, hes called a Master for a reason. Martha sat on the ground and watched the battlefield. Since a dogfight was the Light Wind squads specialty, they had the advantage all around the battlefield. No, you shouldnt go that way! Go to the right! Hey, please listen to me! Moreover, Dorianwho was assigned as the temporary leader because he was the strongest after the team leaderwas unexpectedly giving proper orders, and they didnt even suffer many losses. Marthas lips rolled into a smile as she watched Raon and Trevins fight at the center of the battlefield. Its up to you now. * * * The Warring Steels vice division leader, Caman has been incapacitated! The Warring Steel divisions Jacob has been incapacitated! The Warring Steel divisions George has been incapacitated! The Warring Steel divisions James has been incapacitated! The Light Wind squads Krein has been incapacitated! The Warring Steel divisions Oliver has been incapacitated! An entertained smile appeared on Raons face as he listened to Harrisons voice as he acted as the referee. Everyone did it. After their vice division leader, Caman, was defeated, the Warring Steel swordsmen followed one after the other. There was a questionable name in the mix, but it wasnt a huge problem. Ho-how is this happening? Trevin swallowed nervously while listening to the endless news of the Warring Steel swordsmens elimination from the battle. Mad dogs never let their target go once they bite. Its best to not get bitten in the first ce. Raon pushed Trevin back with sheer strength before he unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations me Spirit. Whap! He raised Heavenly Drive in the midst of the firestorm raging throughout the battlefield. His eyes looked even hotter than the fire itself. Lets put an end to this fight, Warring Steel division leader. Chapter 383 Chapter 383 Adis Sephias jaw dropped as he watched the Light Wind squad push the Warring Steel division into a corner. Th-the tide has been reversedpletely He thought the fight was already over when the Light Wind squad leader dropped out after defeating only one of the Warring Steel vice division leaders. Since both camps were confused, the Warring Steel division obviously had the upper hand because they were stronger overall. However, the Light Wind squad was the first to regain theirposure and managed to ovee the disadvantage. While the Warring Steel division locked themselves up to figure out the situation, the Light Wind squad quickly devised a n before attacking and managed to break the Warring Steel divisions bnce. Hed been watching, but he still couldnt believe that such a bold strategy had just happened. And it was all thanks to Adis swallowed nervously and looked at Raon, who was standing in front of the Warring Steel division leader. That man. The one who brought the Light Wind squad to their feet in their confused state, the one who devised the n to defeat the Warring Steel division, and the one whod been keeping their leaderTrevinin check was Raon alone. If it werent for him, the Warring Steel division wouldve already won the battle. HoweverI still have a bad feeling about this. Hed heard that Trevin, the Warring Steel division leader was at the highest level Master. Even if Raon had be stronger, there still mustve been a huge difference between them in terms of might and experience, and he couldnt stop worrying about it. Adis sighed and looked at Glenn, who was standing next to him. He was clenching his fist while ring at the spectators instead of the battlefield. Red sparks shed from his fingers, expressing his anger. He-head of house, can the Light Wind vice squad leader win against the Warring Steel division leader? Glenns eyes were finally directed at the battlefield after hearing that question. Since the Warring Steel division leader is a highest-level Master, shouldnt it be impossible for the Light Wind vice squad leader to win against him as long as he stops panicking? That wouldve been the case if he were an intermediate Master. Glenn slowly nodded while looking at Raon. His pressure turned gentle, and the sparking lightning subsided from his fist. That boy has already reached the advanced Master level. Ad-advanced Master? Adiss eyes widened. Hes already in the advanced realm despite his age. He might really be the strongest in the continent at this rate, butthats a matter for the future. Even though hed reached the advanced realm, his opponent was a highest-level Master and had more experience than him. Since Trevin was better in every aspect, Raons victory looked unlikely. But the Warring Steel division leader is at the highest level of Master. Indeed. Its normally impossible to ovee the drastic change between realms. However Glenn continued while looking at Raon warmly. That boy has the power to ovee that drastic change. Its a quality rarer than any talent in the world. Ah Just as Adis was attracted to how Raon could change people, Glenn looked like he was in love with Raons unyielding spirit. Keep watching. A gentle smile appeared on Glenns cold face. That boy will splendidly betray the presidents expectations. * * * Raon briefly clicked his tongue while looking at the Warring Steel division leader, Trevin Zieghart. Did the extreme panic make him regain hisposure? Trevins pupils had been trembling before, but they started radiating a deadly light instead. He looked like he had managed to forcefully pull himself together despite the way he was losing his mind from the endless news of the Warring Steels eliminations. Haa Trevin sighed and narrowed his eyes. He had a look of deep admiration on his face while looking at Raon. Amazing. I was aware that you possessed excellent might and strategy, but I didnt know about your boldness. Ive been thoroughly defeated in terms of strategy and group battle. He honestly admitted his defeat, unlike the other members of the direct lines. However, Im still a division leader of Zieghart. I cannot remain defeated when my subordinates are falling because of me. Trevin raised his sword, and his energy soared endlessly like a sharp spearhead. He almost looked like he had turned into a sword himself. Ill defeat you with my sword and bring victory to those who followed this foolish leader. Its a nice n, but I have no intention of losing. Raon smiled coldly and moved the me Spirits pieces from all around the battlefield. Whap! When the huge firestorm was about to destroy the battlefield itself, Trevin thrust his sword. The tip of his sword multiplied into hundreds and pierced through all the me petals of fire. It was the Steel Prations Sword. Bang! Bang! As the astral energies bared their fangs at each other, magnificent light burst from the space. As the white light subsided, Trevins eyes were sparkling coldly. He seemed to have regained his usualposure. Hes destroyed every single me Spirit. He is indeed powerful, but He seemed to know my technique. Speed wasnt everything in Trevins swordsmanship, since his movement felt like he was reading the me Spirits trajectory. Raons eyes turned serious as he fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive. Lets test it out. He kicked the ground to advance and unleashed the Revolving Sky. The sphere of fire concentrated around the tip of his sword spread a powerful energy with its rotation. Cring! Trevin swiftly dashed forward. He thrust his sword while lowering his posture, and the white light surging from his sword severed the center of the Revolving Sky. Whaam! The Revolving Skys fire exploded before it waspleted and scattered like a fountain to cover Raons vision. Did he erase the Revolving Sky before it could gain momentum? Raon didnt panic, engulfing Heavenly Drive with ciers energy as it was bounced back from the previous sh. He found Trevins presence and shed the fire covering his vision diagonally. Cring! The moment the frozen strike fell alongside Heavenly Drives trajectory toward Trevins corbone, his eyes sparked with white. ng! Trevin unleashed the Steel Pration Swords principles one after the other to deflect Raons de and frozen de at the same time. Kuh! Raon furrowed his brow while putting force into his trembling arm. So he reallyknows my techniques. He wasnt simply aware of the fact that the Frost Pond consisted of two strikes. He even knew where he was about to attack, and how fast the second strike followed up. Strength wasnt all Trevin had. He seemed to have analyzed everything about Raon Ziegharts swordsmanship. Have you studied me? Indeed. Trevin nodded calmly. Being famous isnt entirely advantageous for a swordsman, because your technique, movements, and aura will be analyzed by the enemy. He simply nodded with his chin and raised his sword. Raon Zieghart. Ill be fighting while considering you an equal opponent. Should I be honored? Raons eyes looked rather entertained. Ill be hoping that you wont change your mind. * * * * * * Trevin narrowed his eyes while looking at Raons charge. His footwork allows him to leap through space. Raons footwork was a mysterious one that allowed him to disappear and reappear like Blink. However, the distance was limited and he couldnt use it consecutively because it was still iplete, which was bound to reveal his movements at some point. Behind me! He managed to notice Raons approach from behind thanks to the aura perception that hed previously spread around. He could feel ferocity from Raons strike. He must be using the Fangs of Insanity. The ferocious strike was from the intuition sword called Fangs of Insanity, which was capable of forcing an opening into the opponent. Its an amazing technique, butits not unstoppable. Intuition swords consisted of piercing into the opponents openings. He just needed to purposefully create multiple openings to bait the trajectory. Trevin unleashed the Steel Pration Swords Steel Whip sh. ang! The twisting sound of steel resounded throughout the ce from the sh between the swords. Tsk. Raon briefly clicked his tongue and shed downwards. He wasnt using the Fangs of Insanity. It consisted of an extreme sharpness that was capable of severing the weapon alongside the opponent by creating a line of fire in front of his sword. I also know this one. Trevin gritted his back teeth and unleashed the Golden Upper sh. The strike surrounded by the white light parried Raons sword right before it waspleted. ng! Raon was pushed back along with his sword and kicked to the ground to charge once again. He unsheathed his sword, which had been returned to the scabbard at some point. The de of sound! On top of blocking his hearing, Trevin blocked all of his senses throughout his body and unleashed the Steel Flower of War. ng! The silver de stopped Raons sword draw and the sound ceased to create chaos. Thud! Raon couldnt withstand the colossal power of the Steel Flower of War and ended up leaving deep footsteps on the ground as he stepped back. Trevin straightened his back and smiled. It worked. Precision, speed, and pration were the Steel Pration Swords strong points. Since it could reach faster despite being activated slower than the opponents technique, Trevin was confident in dealing with an opponent that he already had information on. As I said before, I dont underestimate you. Even though he was winning, Trevin remained unexcited. He couldnt be careless, as Raon was a savage beast capable of reversing the situation. Ill defeat you to the best of my abilities. Raon rushed in without any response and unleashed the techniques that created his legend in the continent. The fire soared to reach the sky and the coldness froze up the entire battlefield, but Trevin didnt step back. Whaam! He consecutively unleashed the Steel Pration Swords special techniques to destroy Raons special techniques one after the other. Ugh Blood was flowing from Raons mouth as he stepped back. He seemed to have gotten an internal injury from the Steel Pration Swords high aura pration. Haa! Trevin gasped while grasping his trembling wrist. Amazing Hed endlessly studied Raons swordsmanship and he was at a higher realm than him, it was still difficult to counter his techniques. He could ascertain that the monster called Raon was bound to reach even higher after the fight. But Ill be the winner this time. It was getting more and more advantageous for him thanks to his higher realm and his study on Raon. The fight was pretty much decided at that point. But Trevin examined Raon while biting his lip. Why does he look like hes having fun? Even though Trevin was blocking all of Raons techniques, his eyes were not defeated. It was actually the opposite, as his pressure felt like it was getting more and more intense. So you have really studied me, Sir. Raons voice was jumping in joy. The usage of the honorific felt as natural as flowing water. Why are you suddenly adding an honorific? Because you deserve one. What? Division leader, I thought at first that you were the same as the idiots who are counting on their blood and position, but I realized it wasnt the case from this fight. Raon smiled faintly. Trevin couldnt understand why he was smiling despite losing in all aspects. You didnt simply investigate my martial arts but also predicted that my aura would increase. Indeed. Since you have an unpredictable rate of growth, I took into consideration that your auras quality and quantity might increase. Trevin nodded. Raon had always be stronger than before whenever he returned from a mission in the past. Based on that fact, Trevin assumed that Raons might would have reached advanced Master and prepared himself. I can only describe your preparation as rigorous. However, I believe you considered my swordsmanship from the Six Kings Tournament, am I right? Indeed. Then you should be careful now, Sir. Because starting from now Raon fixed the grip on his sword while smiling in excitement. He didnt look like there was any special change in him, but a chill ran down Trevins spine. Ill be a bit different. Raon dashed at the same time and thrust with the Fangs of Insanity. He was faster than before, probably because he was going all out with his aura. Cring! Trevin pierced the Steel Pration Sword into the ferocious strike bending towards him. ang! Even though he reacted with the same timing as in the previous sh, the Steel Pration Swords principles didnt work. He was bounced back instead. Whats going on? He was using more aura, but it couldnt possibly make such a huge difference. However, he had no time to think about it because Raons strikes were stilling. Haap! Trevin smashed the Steel Pration Swords Hundred Steels sh into Raons sharpened attack. ang! A powerful shockwave burst from the engagement between the swords to engulf the surrounding area. Ugh Trevin groaned while shaking his wrist. A frown appeared on his face because he could feel the impact in his bones, unlike in the previous sh. Hmm Raon also seemed injured by the pration ability of the Steel Prating Sword, as he was bleeding harder than before. However, what was important was the fact that Trevin didnt manage to counter his technique. You We are only getting started. Raon lowered his body like a swallow and approached. It only took an instant before the swordcovered in coldnesswas already in front of Trevins face. Double strike! It was an extremely fast technique that consisted of shing with the real de followed by the de of ice. Trevin bit his lip and engulfed his de with the principles of Lions Assault, the Steel Pration Swords special technique. ng! ang! There were two shes just like thest time. However, Raons first de was fast, while the second de was slow. That small difference created a gap in the Lions Assault. Ugh! Trevin got pushed to the right and bit his lip. The nausea he felt implied that he was injured internally. He can control the speed of his technique Raons sword skill was a double strike that used its extreme quickness to defeat his opponent. Trevin didnt expect that he would change that speed to break his bnce. Whap! Raons sword was swung into a soft curve. A raging fire bloomed into flowers on top of that line. Is he using the me Spirit? It was Raons specialty, which hed previously managed to counter. Whaam! Countless pieces of fire rushed at him as the flowers finished blooming. The entire world was engulfed in the red flower petals. Ill destroy it once again! Trevins breath caught as he pulled his sword back. White light surrounded his sword as he thrust it. He was using the Steel Pration Swords special technique, the White Destructions Overflow. Rumble! Explosions urred one after the other from the endless shes between the red and white astral energies over the aloof sky of the battlefield. Trevin swallowed nervously as he defended against the me Spirit. This has also changed. He could previously analyze the exact trajectory, but the hundreds of flower petals were randomly moving around unlike before, and even his bones were hurting from the tremendous power behind them. Every single one of them felt like a real de. Pssh! The flower petals that passed through his defense cut through his uniform and caused a burn and had him bleeding at the same time. He gritted his teeth from the intense pain. ang! Trevin forcibly pushed Raon back and exhaled roughly. His blue eyes reflected Raons shape, wavering once again. H-how did you? * * * Raon smiled faintly while watching Trevins surprise. The Warring Steel division leaders prediction of my growth mustve been limited to my aura. The Warring Steel division leader did understand the techniques he was using and had prepared countermeasures. Raon could tell that the efforts hed made were worthy of admiration. However, aura wasnt the only area where I improved. He didnt skip swinging his sword for a single day after he left the Owen Kingdom. Whenever he was unable to practice, he thought about the parts that needed improvement and trained by fixing them in his mental image. Since hed been continuously fixing the drawbacks and improving the strong points, the drastic change in his swordsmanship was nothing but a natural oue. Raon softly stepped on thend and thrust Heavenly Drive. Whir! The raging sphere appeared from the tip of his sword and rotated fiercely to unleash a huge amount of energy toward Trevin. As for the Revolving Sky, the activation time has been reduced. Revolving Skys activation was previously slowed down in exchange for increased power, but the speed had gone back up through endless training. Whaam! Trevin thrust his sword one step faster, but the Revolving Sky was alreadyplete. The sh between the two special techniques created a huge explosion. Kuh Trevin created a barrier of astral energy and stepped back. The left side of his upper body had turned red from the Revolving Skys damage. Tsk. Raon clicked his tongue. His right arm was hurting like a spear had stabbed through it. Trevins sword had stabbed his opening despite his confusion, and it was a performance befitting a highest-level Master. Uhh! However, Trevins wavering eyes were showing that he was losing his spirit. Raon could tell that he couldnt be affected by the pain, since he had to take another step forward. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He leaped through the space and shed down from Trevins right side. Cring! A line of fire appeared on Heavenly Drives de to attack Trevins chest. Damn it! Trevin bit his lip and thrust the Steel Pration Sword. It was rushing with a frightening amount of sharpness and speed. ang! The head-on sh between the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations Crimson sh and the Steel Pration Swords special technique created an orange storm of astral energy. Rumble! Trevin almost got washed away by the storm and was pushed far back while he exhaled roughly. A clear scar was left on his chest from a diagonal sh. Were you hiding your strength in the Owen Kingdom? His hand holding the sword was trembling in disbelief. Spit. Raon spat the blood that was flowing up his throat and shook his head. No, Ive gotten stronger because I kept training. Thats even more difficult to believe. Trevinughed bitterly and raised his sword. Since my information ended up being useless, I should finish this fight quickly. Clear light gathered around his de. The light soaring on the de almost looked like a huge spear wielded by a god. I ept. Since Trevin had acknowledged him, he also wanted to respond ordingly to his all-out attack. Whir! Raon pulled Heavenly Drive back. The fire burst from the tip of his sword and engulfed the entire de. The fire burst out like the head of a dragon and revealed its crimson jaws. Rumble! Trevin stomped the ground, and the Steel Pration Swordsst special technique, the White Armys Pinnacle was unleashed toward him. The tremendous wave of power created by a highest-level Master was crushing his bones and tearing his skin. Haa Raon caught his breath while the white light covered his entire vision. There was no reason to be afraid. Like an inextinguishable me Like the evesting cier All he needed to do was to believe in the sword that hed been practicing all along and take another step forward. The moment the astral energy of the White Armys Pinnacle reached under his nose, Raon pushed Heavenly Drive forward. The crimson dragon descended on his de and roared like a raging fire. Whaaam! Chapter 384 Chapter 384 The white spear, which looked like it was thrown by a war god, shed against the me dragons breath. White and Red. The two astral energies with distinct colors were rushing toward their opponents souls. Rumble! Because a tremendous amount of energy was focused at the center of the battlefield, thend started to copse. Even though the urban training ground was being destroyed, Raon and Trevin didnt withdraw from the battle. Creak! Raon clenched Heavenly Drive as he witnessed the waves of astral energy crushing each other. This wont be enough. Because Trevin had poured his heart and soul into that attack, it wasnt easily defeated. He needed to take one more step in order to achieve victory. Whaam! Raon lowered his center of gravity in preparation for the next technique, and the Steel Pration Swords special technique and the me Dragon Art exploded at the same time to create a huge shockwave. The astral storm was starting to subside but surged even higher. This is my chance! Raon kicked the crumblingnd. He increased the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations outputs to the maximum as he charged into the storming astral energy. Pssh! His shoulder and waist were scratched by the astral energy and blood gushed from them, but Raon kept running without paying any attention. Ill finish this off Huh? A white sh was unleashed from the opposite side. It was Trevins doing. He was also running towards them through the astral storm. I predicted your dash! Trevin smiled coldly and thrust his sword. It was one of the Steel Pration Swords techniques that hed already seen, but it was even faster and sharper than before. Did he also be stronger? It looked like Trevin had also achieved growth throughout the battle. This is rather frightening. Raonughed and unleashed the Fangs of Insanitys principles that hed prepared. The savage beast that had been hiding behind the darkness to look for an opportunity finally revealed its sharp fangs. ng! Heavenly Drive and Trevins sword entangled with each other like a snake and a vine before getting pushed to the sides. Thud! Raon shook his wrist to reduce the impact. He kicked the crumbling ground with his right foot to dash towards Trevin. Haap! Trevin kept thrusting his sword while being pushed back. It was difficult to tell whether his willpower stemmed from his obsession with victory or because he didnt want to end the fight. Pssh! Raon dodged Trevins sword, which was targeting his right arm with a paper-thin difference, before using Heavenly Drive to sh downwards from where hed pulled it to the right. ng! Trevin recovered his sword and managed to block it despite beingte, but he couldnt stop theceration on his shoulder and chest. Argh! He gained distance by rolling on the ground before he raised his head. His eyes were still undefeated even though he had various injuries, and his aura was almost exhausted. Not yet. Trevin stood back up, faltering as he raised his sword. His legs and waist were trembling, but it was interesting that his sword wasnt wavering at all. My sword wasnt defeated yet. He pointed his sword. Even though his aura and stamina were clearly exhausted, a chill ran down Raons spine. He had the feeling that it was the most dangerous moment so far. That man. Wrath jumped onto the bracelet and licked his lips. He has shabby skills, but hes rather decent for a human. Indeed. Raon gave a big nod. Might, willpower, and mindset. He isntcking in any aspect. Trevin did his best in the given situation, without insulting his opponent or resorting to any underhanded tactics. Raon couldnt believe that a warrior like him was a member of the direct line like Karoon. Ask him what kind of food he can cook. The King of Essence shall make him his subordinate depending on his answer. Of course, he will need to show him how he cooks Go away please. Raon smacked Wrath away as he kept murmuring that hed like him to bake some pies and raised Heavenly Drive. This shall be thest. Indeed. Trevin nodded and looked at the tip of his sword. The technique Im about to use is the basic of the Steel Pration Sword, Single Pierce of Sharpness. Ill be using a technique called Twilight of Insanity from the Fangs of Insanity. Raon nodded and faced Trevin. As they pointed their swords at each other, a pebble fell from the storming astral energy. Tap. As soon as the pebble hit the ground, Raon and Trevin thrust their swords at each other. Pssh! They were coincidentally both using stabs. The des advanced like a ray of light towards the opponents shoulders. ng! The extremely thin extremities of the des shed against each other. Zap! The contest of power was equal at first but gradually turned to Raons advantage. It wasnt because of his aura or strength, it was a result of the difference in proficiency with a sword. Whack! In the end, Heavenly Drive destroyed Trevins sword and pierced his shoulder. Ack! Trevin groaned and fell to his knees. He raised his head. He was smiling even though his body was trembling from exhaustion, seemingly satisfied with the battle. Your sword was faster and sharper than mine. He honestly admitted his defeat without any regret. Despite his cold appearance, he was an honorable and truthful warrior. Hmm Raon bit his lip while lowering Heavenly Drive. I cant do it. He was originally nning to forfeit right before the victory to ruin Rimmers gamble while still earning a high score for the trial. However, he would be trampling on Trevins heart after their sh of swords and hearts, and he couldnt bring himself to raise his hand. Yeah, I shouldnt make fun of a person like him. Since it was a rare encounter with a nice warrior, he didnt want to turn him into aughingstock. Moreover, it wouldve been foolish to act like Rimmer just to screw him up. Raon turned. The Light Wind swordsmen who were staying far away from the fight were nodding at him with consent. Thats the correct thing to do. Wrath snorted and nodded. Even the demons dont make fun of serious opponents like him. He often made it sound like demons were nicer than humans. Thats why you need to make sure to mess Shitty Ears up. Indeed. Ill take his money and pluck his ears off. Raon nodded while chuckling. Haa Trevin raised his hand with a refreshing smile on his face. I lost. As soon as he admitted his defeat, Harrison cleared his throat. The Warring Steel division leader, Trevin Zieghart has been incapacitated! The Light Wind squad emerges victorious in the urban battle! Harrisons deration echoed throughout the area, and the Light Wind squad raised their hands. Whoaaaa! We won! We defeated the Warring Steel division! Light Wind squad! Light Wind squad! Light Wind squad! Mad Dog! Mad Dog! Mad Dog! The Light Wind squad and the spectators surrounding the battlefield were shouting together. Lets stand up. Hmm. Raon extended his hand to Trevin, who was sitting on the ground. He took his hand and stood up. I thought I was thoroughly prepared, but I never knew that you would grow even beyond my expectations. Ill add an extra level to my prediction next time we fight each other. Trevin chuckled at Raon. Next time? Are we fighting again? I cant stand losing. I learned my lesson thanks to you, so Id like to have a rematch. Your personality feels different from before. Its all thanks to you. He smiled, saying that he was going to try and fix his careful personality. Im aware it wont be easy to fix this personality I have, but Id like to have a spar with you from time to time. Trevin extended his hand to Raon this time. Of course. Raon took his hand with a smile. The spectators cheers resounded over their handshake. * * * * * * Glenn eximed while watching Raon and Trevins handshake. He even started pping his hands and nodded in satisfaction. President, you said that before, didnt you? What? Which one? Adis was smiling while watching Dorians bruised face and briskly turned his head upon hearing the question. About how Raon has a talent for changing people. Ah! Indeed! I think Ive just witnessed that aspect of him. Glenn was watching Raon with a gentle smile on his face, one that looked like it would melt at just a touch. Trevin was originally a careful child who quickly gave up in difficult situations. However, he seems to have changed from the battle against Raon. So, I wasnt mistaken after all. Adis smiled, saying that he was confident in discerning peoples qualities at least. Roenn. Glenn turned around and called for Roenn. Did you write down everything Raon said just now? Of course. I wrote it down on the second page of Raons gospel. Roenn took a booklet from his clothes and shook it towards him. The white color gave off an almost holy impression. Nice. Since the match is over, lets hmm? Glenn narrowed his eyes while watching a tall man getting his money from the gambler. No, I still have some business left here. Crimson lightning burst from his grasp. That man needs to be killed. Huhuhu. * * * Hah! Martha gasped while looking at Raon. You really became strong enough to defeat a highest-level Master. Raon had returned even stronger than during the matches in the Owen Kingdom. It was an absurd amount of growth in the short time he was gone. He almost looked like a monster instead of a human being. I can only describe it as crazy. Burren nkly shook his head. I already resolved that I wouldnt be disturbed by his rate of growth, but this is still shocking. I cant tell how far he is going to reach. Defeating a highest-level Master at twenty years of age mustve been an extremely rare urrence even in the long history of the continent. He couldnt tell if it was a blessing or a curse that a monster like him was living in the same era as himright next to him, at that. Can I sleep now? Runaan was nodding off while rubbing her eyes. She looked like she thought that sleep was more important than the joy of victory. Did you hear them? While the three of them were talking, the first vice division leader of the Warring Steel division, Caman, walked up to them. Your vice squad leader and our division leader want to spar against each other in the future frequently. He narrowed his eyes and shoved his face onto Burren, Martha, and Runaan. I wont lose to you next time. We are going to win again! Ill defeat you on my own next time. Burren nodded while clenching his fist, and Martha smiled confidently. Who? Runaan tilted her head. She looked like she couldnt recognize Caman because his face was swollen. Argh Hey guys! Caman ground his teeth because it hurt his feelings, and Rimmer appeared among the spectators. Good job, everyone! I believed in you all along! Rimmer danced cheerfully but the Light Wind squad didnt react. I realized once again that it was the correct move to retire from the battlefield and leave the rest to you. Everyone looks like theyve grown even further. Why is no one responding? I did it for your sake We have nothing to say to a squad leader who abandoned his squad. Raon walked up towards Rimmer with a cold expression on his face. I-I didnt abandon the squad. I forfeited on purpose to make you stronger! Look! Weve got great results! Rimmer smiled awkwardly and rolled his eyes like a goldfish. You mustve done it for your money. I bet you got a nice amount because the ratio was increased to seven times. What do you mean?! I didnt even go close to the gambling area today! He frantically shook his hand in denial. Theres no way a dung fly would ignore dung. Raon snorted at Rimmer. Du-dung Rimmer swallowed nervously and stepped back. You have no proof! I really I have the proof. A majestic voice could be heard from the sky. Raon raised his head and saw Glenn stepping on the air like it was a set of stairs, descending towards them. M-my lord? Rimmers chin was trembling in fear. He mustve known that Glenn was around, but his participation mustve been unexpected to him. Snap! Glenn snapped his fingers, and Roenn suddenly appeared to put a woolen hat on Rimmers head and attached a mustache. Everything was done in a blink of an eye. H-hes the guy who bet money on the Light Wind squad! Moreover, he bet the highest amount! An old man who was missing a few teeth shouted. He was the one who was managing the gamble from the hill. Wa-wait, which means That bastard did it again! Did he y another trick?! Im going to cut his wrist! Rimmer hurriedly took off the hat and removed the mustache, but it was already toote. The people who were gambling were staring at him with deadly res. I overlooked the gambling because it can be a good stress reliever, but I cant overlook it when you rig the match right in front of my eyes. Uhh Rimmer shrunk like a mouse facing a cat upon hearing Glenns emotionless voice. I dont want to sully the Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel divisions best efforts with rigged gambling. The gambling today will be nullified, and Roenn came to Glenn and gave him a subspace pocket. It was the pocket that Rimmer was keeping in his clothes. Since the Light Wind squad leader tried to rig the match, his money will be confiscated and ced in the houses treasury, and the Light Wind squad leader will have reduced wages for six months. Ah, please wait! Thats an excessive punishment Im not done talking yet. Glenn lowered his hand. Crimson lightning sparked from the cloudless sky. Rumble! The lightning fell without any sign and struck Rimmers head. It didnt only happen once. The lightning struck three times total, crushing Rimmers body. Uaaah! Rimmer twisted his body like a roasted squid and screamed, engulfed by the crimson lightning. Pssh! Gray steam wasing out of his open mouth. He looked like he had lost consciousness. Are you dead? Everyone was surprised by Glenns dignity and was unable to move, but Runaan brought a branch from somewhere and started poking Rimmers cheek. Rimmer twitched like a fish outside the water, and the white branch was smeared with ck ash. Tap tap. Glenn casually shook the dust off his hands and stepped on Rimmers back to walk toward Raon and Trevin. Warring Steel division leader. Ah, yes! Trevin straightened his back and raised his chin. Being careful is a huge advantage, but it can be a drawback and make you miss an important opportunity. A bold decision can sometimes bring a better result. Yes. You shall look for the rightpromise. Thank you! Trevin nodded, his face turning red upon hearing Glenns advice. He seemed even more impressed because he had realized it himself. Light Wind vice squad leader. Yes. Raon bowed at Glenn. Did you know about the Warring Steel division leaders personality? Since we didnt have enough time to prepare, I started by investigating the opponents. You didnt have enough time to prepare? What do you mean by that? Ra-Raon! Dont say iKuaah! Glenn dropped a small lightning bolt to shut Rimmers mouth. Actually, we heard about this battle yesterday. Raon told him about how they learned about the trial toote because of Rimmer. As soon as Raon finished talking, two lightning bolts mmed Rimmers head into the ground. Uuh He couldnt even scream anymore. His weak groan and the grilled scent of his flesh were the only things spreading from him. Are you really dead? Runaan was staying away from the scene, but quickly ran up to him and poked him with her branch. Haa Glenn sighed and looked at Raon. Youve created the best results with the limited information you had in an unexpected situation. It was an excellent decision. His eyes turned to look at the Light Wind squad. I could see your courage and willpower in the battle. Light Wind squad, congrattions on passing the first trial to be a division. He met Raons eyes for thest time before he turned around. He looked like he had taken a step away, vanishing from the training ground. Whoaaa! We passed the first trial! We are going to be the Light Wind division soon! We are finally bing a division! The Light Wind squad held each others hands and shouted in joy. Wait. Raon raised his hand to stop the Light Wind squad. Its not over yet. He dered, pointing at Rimmer, who was lying on the ground. Oh, right. We still have that damn squad leader to deal with. Martha clenched her fist and bared her teeth. The madness burning from her eyes was even more intense than before. I wont be stopping you today. Burren walked up to him with a dangerous gleam from his eyes. Warm steam was flowing from his mouth. I cant stand it either! I really had a hard time! Dorian took off the piece of cloth that was stopping his nosebleed and snorted. I know, right? We are going to thoroughly trample him Krein, you stay out of this. Yes Since Krein was eliminated in the early stage of the battle, he voluntarily mmed his head on the ground upon hearing Raons cold voice. He-hey guys Everyone. Raon pointed his finger at Rimmer, who was trying to stand up with difficulty. Step on him. Die! Die is a bit excessive, Martha. Croak! I like that one. Every member of the Light Wind squad joined forces to step on Rimmer. Kuaah Rimmer was hardly trying to stand, but he was mmed back onto the fissured ground as his students trampled upon him. Lets do it together. Raon pointed at him and Trevin nodded. Lets join them! Yes! That damn elf ruined everything! How dare you underestimate us! Since the Warring Steel division was saddened by the fact that they couldnt use the ns that theyd prepared, they dly joined and started stepping on Rimmer. However, there were still a lot more people who were holding grudges against Rimmer. You damn bastard! Give my money back! I worked so hard to win it! It was seven times!!! You are so dead to me! They were the gamblers whod bet on the Light Wind squad but only ended up with their initial funds. They came running at Rimmer and started stepping on him. In the end, Rimmer left a new record in Zieghart by getting stepped on by over two hundred people in total. Even Wrath was starting to worry about him because of how bad it was. Isnt he really going to get his ears pulled out at this rate? He deserved it. Can it be reassembled? Chapter 385 Chapter 385 The storm known as human wrath finished rampaging through the urban training ground. Rimmer raised himself from the crackednd covered in hundreds of footprints. Ouch Rimmer groaned in pain, his shoulders trembling. I-I really couldve died. He wasnt even joking. He wouldve been on his way to the underworld if he hadnt used all of the aura that hed saved during training sessions for his defense. Even the head of houses attack was less painful inparison. This must be human malice. The punches from the Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division were painful, but the most painful ones were the kicks from the gamblers. They were supposed to hit the jackpot with seven times the return, but they barely managed to get their original sum. The angering from that fact pierced through Rimmers aura and offered intense pain in his bones and flesh. Phew! Rimmer sighed deeply and shook his head. It hurts and Im penniless. Ill have to eat Nadine bread for a while. Thats why you shouldnt have done that. A quiet voice could be heard from the right when he tried to stand up by using his sword as a cane. Rimmer raised his head. Raon was walking towards him with a frightening pressure around him. Gasp! Rimmer was startled and tried to move away. We-were you still around? Raon stared at him with cold eyes instead of answering. His reaction was even more frightening. Are you going to step on me again? Do-dont tell me you are going to! Im really going to end up in the afterlife if you beat me now since Ive already exhausted my aura! Ill fall straight to theherworld! Raon didnt stop his steps no matter how he tried to convince him. He reached the spot right in front of Rimmer and lowered his bloody red eyes. Rimmer became nauseous and started to hup upon seeing those eyes. Hic! I-Im sorry, Raon. But I really wasnt trying to cause trouble His chin was trembling in fear over his unpredictable fate, but Raon sat next to him instead of punching him. Huh? Im not here to hit you. You are making me sound like a bully. Raon chuckled and put his hand into the subspace pocket. He took out the round snack that Dorian usually ate, some beef jerky, and two bottles of whiskey. He ced them on the ground. Wh-what? Rimmer dropped his guard, no longer trying to defend his vitals, with trembling lips. Lets have a drink. Raon opened the whiskey and gave it to Rimmer. Huh? Err Rimmer epted the whiskey as awkwardly as an octopus with entangled legs. Raon chugged the whiskey like he was drinking water. Since Rimmer didnt want to get beaten up, he also started drinking. Its a good one He could taste the vani vor from the whiskey. It mustve been a high-quality product. He also liked the intense vor of alcohol hitting his throat. Its pretty good. After sipping the whiskey, Rimmer started eating the snack that was ced in front of him. He looked like he was starting to get tipsy. Its a cheap side dishpared to whiskey, but this is also nice. Squad leader. As Rimmer was getting intoxicated from taking another sip, Raon started to speak. Were you nning to give the division leader position to me? Rimmers hand moving towards the beef jerky came to a halt upon hearing his quiet voice. Raon smiled faintly while looking at Rimmers trembling pupils. So, he really was trying to give that position to me. Rimmer was acting differently from usual. Glenn was obviously going to attend since it was an important trial to promote a squad into a division, but the trick he yed was way too conspicuous. Because of that, people even started to say that Raon Zieghart should be the leader instead of Rimmer when the Light Wind squad was promoted to a division. When Raon heard them saying such a thing, he finally realized what the stupid elf was trying to achieve. Rimmer was trying to create a situation where it was normal for Raon to take over as the division leader by plummeting his own reputation and increasing Raons as much as possible. That was a pointless thing he did. Wrath understood what he meant and snorted. Hes kind-hearted and foolish. By the way What? Can you try pulling his ears to see if they can really be reassembled? Please go away. Wrath examined Rimmers long ears from different angles and Raon smacked him away with the back of his hand. Why did you do that? Raon bit the beef jerky while asking the question he was curious about. Haa Rimmer sighed briefly instead of answering. It was the perfect mood but you are making me sober. Why are you so quick to catch on? He chuckled and chugged the whiskey. Raon, you are growing faster than I expectedor, rather, I should say faster than anyone anticipated. You are exaggerating. Im not. You are fully capable of doing a division leaders job in your current state. Rimmer smiled, saying that he had the abilities and qualifications to be one. I just figured that I should support you from below instead of watching from above. Raon poured the rest of the whiskey down his throat while listening to Rimmers casual voice. Because he swallowed straight away, his throat and stomach felt like they were burning. Raon opened his mouth along with that heat. I dont really want to be a division leader because the head of house will call on me a lot more often. Squad leader, you should continue doing the annoying job and get scolded by him since Im going to keep teaching the members from the back. Hey! Its also hard for me! That geezer starts shooting lightning at me whenever he sees me now! I have more lightning than wind in my energy center at this point! Rimmer barked, saying that his energy center was going to shatter if it continued. Im not doing it anymore! You are going to surpass me soon enough, and the others are growing as fast as bean sprouts. You should take this promotion as an opportunity to be the division leader and Squad leader. No, teacher. Raon lowered his bottle and interrupted Rimmer. I think a teacher isnt simply a person who teaches me the martial arts. The one whod taught him the assassination skills in his previous life was called a trainer instead of a teacher. Since all hed learned was how to kill people, Rimmer taught him what a real teacher was, and the rtionship with him was extremely precious and important to Raon. The Light Wind squad and I still want to advance while watching the squad leaders back. Bing a division leader wasnt too important. Raon just wanted Rimmer to remain as the Light Wind squads teacher for a bit longer. I also brought this liquor because I wanted to have my first drink with my teacher. Raon, you Raon finished the whiskey bottle and stood up. Ill be looking forward to your lessons in the future. He nodded at him and left the training ground. Haa Rimmer sighed deeply and lowered his head. His shoulders were trembling slightly. Hes such a nice student. He finished off the whiskey bottle and curved his lips into a smile. I cant stay doing nothing after what he told me. * * * * * * Tsk, what a shame. Wrath licked his lips with regret for some reason. What do you mean? Raon tilted his head at Wrath. You shouldve checked if those shitty ears can really be reassembled Raon shook his head and headed towards the main building. The Light Wind squad had been waiting at the training grounds entrance and came running towards him. Vice squad leader! Dorian waved his hand energetically since he wasnt eliminated until the end of the match. You are finally here. Why did you tell us to wait when the match was already over? Burren smiled peacefully, Martha frowned, and Runaan was dozing off. Hup Krein was staring at the ground with trembling shoulders. He looked like he was facing his natural enemy. Raon smiled gently while standing in front of the Light Wind squad. Good job, everyone. There was a huge issue because of a certain person, but you all fought nicely and ording to the n. Of course we did! After all, we went through that hellish training! We managed to win because everyone worked together. Martha snorted, and Burren raised his clenched fist. This much is easy since we even managed to pass the vice squad leaders training. I really thought I was going to die so many times back then. So we only need to pass one more trial before we be a division. Im looking forward to it. We will be the Light Wind division! The Light Wind squadughed in anticipation of being called the Light Wind division. Today. The Light Wind squad stoppedughing upon hearing the cold voice from Raon. One person made a grave mistake even though everyone did their job. As soon as he dered those words, everyone looked at Krein. Ugh Krein raised his hand while trembling. I-I wasnt eliminated because I wanted to be. What do you mean? I was defending Dorian because he couldnt watch his back while he was leading. Thats why they managed to defeat me! He bit his lip, ming Dorian for his carelessness. M-me? It wasnt my fault! I was properly defending myself all along! Dorians hands couldnt even be seen anymore because of how fast he shook them in a panic. Its true! I was defeated because I was protecting you! Stop lying! Im telling the truth! I had to protect you since you were themander! I couldve easily dodged that because I have eyes behind my back! They shouted at each other and argued about it. p! Raon pped his hands. Krein and Dorian fell silent at the same time. Regardless of whose fault it was, it doesnt change the fact that Krein was the first to be eliminated. Ugh Huhu! Kreins chin trembled and a victorious expression appeared on Dorians face. I should be punishing Krein for this, but Im thinking about what Burren said just now. Huh? I said something? Yes. You said that we managed to win because we all worked together. The corners of Raons lips floated into a smile and anxiousness appeared in the Light Wind squads eyes. Which means, the mistake of yourpanion is everyones mistake. Its time for supplementary training for everyone. Ah Th-the crazy bastard strikes again! Burren and Marthas jaws dropped at the same time. A-are we really doing supplementary training after we won the match? Hes seriously insane! Im pretty sure training is the only word in his brain! The Light Wind swordsmen also shouted while their widened eyes trembled. Well, to be honest, Krein wasnt the only issue during the fight. Martha didnt consider cooperating with her allies when she charged at her opponent, Burren shouldve taken the initiative instead of acting like a cushion in the middle, and Runaan was also too focused on defense. You wouldve defeated Caman more easily if you moved quickly to bring the pace into your favor. And Dorian Raon enumerated the Light Wind squads mistakes one after the other as if hed been watching their battle instead of fighting Trevin. Ho-how did he see all that? Does he have four eyes instead of two? Hes a demon. Its impossible for a human being Do-does this mean that we really have to train now? But we just finished the trial sniff! Im pretty sure demons would want to be friends with him if they saw him! The Light Wind squad furiously ground their teeth. The King of Essence is sorry. Hes not even a friend. This bastard is holding him on a leash Wrath sniffled, saying that he was suffering the same pain as them. Ki-kill him! We are going to die if we dont kill him! Martha is right this time! Lets go! This is ourst opportunity since he is exhausted! Aaaaah! The Light Wind squad charged at him while screaming. An entertained smile appeared on Raons face as he watched the Light Wind squads fighting spirit, which was even more powerful than during the battle against the Warring Steel division. The resistance makes it even more fun. * * * Glenn frowned while looking at Rimmer, who had suddenly visited the lords manor. What brings you here? My lord. He was thinking about throwing lightning as soon as he said anything funny, but Rimmer raised his head. The sharp glimmer in Rimmers eyes looked like hed returned to his past self before that incident, back when he used to be called Ziegharts Sword of Light. I mustve been too hasty. Rimmer smiled faintly at Glenn. My lord mustve already realized it, but I was nning to make Raon the division leader after this trial and stray away from the scene by bing a vice division leader or a guard myself. However, I decided to keep watching them from above for a bit longer. Glenn wasnt surprised at all as he stared at Rimmer. He mustve already realized his intentions. What made you change your opinion this time when youve only been doing foolish things? The change happened from the outside. It was so powerful that I couldnt resist. Rimmer faintly nodded while looking outside the window. Raon realized that I was trying to make him into the division leader. Hes so damn sharp. What did he say? He told me that a teacher doesnt simply teach martial arts and asked me to stand at the front for a bit longer. Hmm Glenn licked his lips and stared at Rimmer. His eyes used to be dead like a rotten fish, but they had be rather lively. Itd been such a long time since thest time hed seen him like that. Seriously, that boy Raon looked extremely coldhearted on the outside, but he was warmer than anyone inside. Glenn could tell that Rimmer was encouraged by him. So, what do you want to do I guess I dont even need to ask. In the past, I wanted to watch the childrens growth and see Raon reach the peak of the house, but now Rimmer raised his head with a hearty smile. Id like to join them in their path. I think Ill need to work more seriously from now on. I see. Glenn smiled faintly and nodded. His cherished subordinate had regained his original appearance, and the fact that his cherished grandson was the one who managed to achieve that feat brought a smile to his face. Roenn. Im writing. I think this line goes to the first volume. Roenn started writing the famous line that Rimmer had told them in Raons gospel. Drinking with Raon reminded me of the past What? The warm atmosphere turned ice cold because of Glenns cold voice. What? What did you say just now? I had a drink with Raon. It mustve been his first time, but he was drinking so weehh?! Rimmer couldnt finish his sentence, his jaw dropping. An unprecedented amount of lightning energy was covering the audience chambers ceiling. M-my lord? Why are you doing this now? Rimmer couldnt understand why he was gathering a fatal amount of lightning energy when the conversation was going smoothly. I-I really didnt do anything bad this time! I only had a drink with Raon! Thats a deadly sin. What? Glenn gritted his teeth and dropped the lightning. His expression looked even more furious than when he fought against the Fallen and the White Blood Religions leader. Wa-wait! Die! * * * Raon went to the annex building after training with the Light Wind squad until midnight. Everyone was happy. Raon had announced a week-long holiday when their eyes were full of spite from being worked to the bones after the trial. Their eyes cleared up like the sky after the rain. Ugh Wrath groaned while looking at him. He doesnt understand. Why are they so happy about it when they were supposed to have that weeks break to begin with? He murmured that he couldntprehend why they liked the demon who made them train even after the trial. This is how you handle subordinates. The most important part of dealing with the subordinates was when and how to give the carrot and the stick. They thought the training would continue for several days because of Krein, but it ended in a single dayand they even got the week-long break that they were supposed to have. It was only natural that they would be happy about it. Hmm, so you start by bullying them but go easy on them afterward Wrath started to scribble on his round hand. What are you doing? Hes writing down how you train humans. He turned his head and a broad smile appeared on his face. The King of Essence is going to use this method once he returns to Devildom or takes over your body! He might even be able to conquer the entire dimension once he masters this method! I see. Conquering the dimension was too ambitious to understand, but handling subordinates properly wasnt an easy task. It was necessary to understand every single persons emotions and condition to take appropriate measures. However, Wrath was incapable of reading such things, and he probably was going to make them faint before they became obedient. Do your best. Try not to kill your subordinates Huh? Raon was patting Wraths fluffy head when his jaw suddenly dropped. A small hedgehog was waving its paw towards him from the top of a tree in front of the annex building. A-a hedgehog is waving its paw It cant be Chapter 386 Chapter 386 Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the young hedgehog waving its hand. Hedgehogs are supposed to hibernate It was winter in Zieghart all year long, and they were in the coldest period of the year. Wild hedgehogs were supposed to be sleeping underground with full stomachs. That was why it was impossible to have a smiling hedgehog waving its hand at them. Why are you thinking so hard about this? Wraths chin was trembling as he watched the grinning hedgehog. Its obvious! The madwoman is here! He quickly went into the ice flower bracelet while mumbling that she was too scary. I know Raon was obviously aware of who was inside the hedgehog, but he was clinging onto a faint hopejust in case it was a real hedgehog. Haa Raon sighed deeply and met the hedgehogs eyes. Merlin? Yeah! The hedgehog nodded with a cheerful smile. His hope didnte true. How did you even get here? Yesterdays match was nice to watch. As expected of Merlin, she kept saying whatever she wanted to say without responding to Raons question. You didnt panic over the sudden problem and overcame a difficult situation alongside yourpanions. It was really cool! Merlin gave him a thumbs up to praise him. It was surprising that a hedgehog could make that gesture. Did you really watch that? Raons lips parted in surprise. Even the head of house was around. Glenn was in the urban training ground where the battle took ce the day before. Raon could only gasp at her boldnessshe watched it until the end even though she could be caught and killed at any moment. Its worth spending my lifespan to watch you as you takemand in battle. Merlinughed shyly while twisting her body. Sh-shes literally a madwoman What the hell It couldve been taken differently if someone else had said it, but it wasnt since it was Merlin. Cold sweat was flowing down his back. Heave-ho. Merlin came down from the tree and slowly crawled towards him. She was slow since she was using a hedgehogs body, but she reached Raons feet in no time because she wasnt too far away. I have something to tell you. Can you pick me up? But you have spikes. It will be fine since I wont be putting them up. Ah, dont touch my side, its embarrassing. Her face became flushed as she said that touching her body from the side felt embarrassing. Hah This is driving me nuts. She kept twisting her body, and Raon couldnt understand why she was so embarrassed when she was a hedgehog. However, he couldnt refuse because he could tell that she had an important piece of information to share with him. Raon sighed deeply and picked Merlin up. She mustve been able to control the spikes, as they curved slightly to the inside. See? It doesnt hurt. Merlin waved her small hand at him, saying that she was right about it. It looked so cute that Raon almost wanted to hug the creatureif only the madwoman wasnt inside. So, what were you going to tell me? The ck Tower is targeting you. Her voice was frightening despite her cute appearance. Targeting me? Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Merlin. They must be aware that I killed the ck Commander. They were simply aware in the past, but they decided that you are a target for elimination now. A blue light was glowing in Merlins dark eyes. The ck Tower is stealthy and persistent. The ck Commander was from a lower floor, but you still defeated their floor overseer. They are definitely going to investigate you and send a stronger opponent after you now. I guess. Raon nodded. Because they are nasty fellows. The ck Tower didnt care about consequences, as expected of the ones who use the energy of darkness. They were definitely going to attempt to get revenge by any means. But how did you learn about that? The Shadow Agents and the ck Market were also investigating the ck Tower. That was why Raon didnt expect Merlin to be the one delivering the news to him. Because I infiltrated them. Merlinughed cheerfully while scratching her round nose. Infiltrated? Did she really just say infiltrated? He couldnt believe that the top brass of Eden had infiltrated the ck Tower. Was it because of me? Of course. Why did you go so far? Because Im worried about you. Merlin tilted her head, wondering why he was asking such an obvious question. Ah Raons mouth felt dry every time she said those words. He was thankful but also terrified at the same time. Wrath groaned in surprise from the bracelet. I think Eden is also preparing something, but Im not sure what it is. Merlin frowned, saying that the Fallen had been acting on his own recently. Even you cant tell what it is? The Fallen might be suspicious of me, as hes only giving me trivial missions while taking care of most things by himself. He suspects you? Because you used to be my goal, he might think that we are keeping a connection. Hes a smart one. She reassured him that he didnt need to worry about it too much since the Fallen hadnt found out yet. I need to clear up the suspicion for now. Thats why Ill have to be more careful in the future. Merlin waved her small hand. Ille back if I get some important information from the ck Tower or the Eden. Stay safe until then. She waved her small hand energetically, saying that she had to leave. Thank you for telling m Give twenty worms to this one. That was the promise we had. Merlin winked with her hedgehog eyes and disappeared. Wa-wait! How am I supposed to get worms from here?! Gee? The hedgehog stood up on four legs from his hand and stared at him. The way it narrowed its eyes looked like it was urging him to give the food already. Ah Raons lips trembled as he supported the hedgehog in his hand. How am I even supposed to get worms now? Since he never expected to meet Merlin inside Zieghart, his subspace pocket waspletely empty as well. Kiee! The hedgehogs scream became louder as it straightened its spines. What are you waiting for?! You have to keep the promise! Start digging the ground or something! I didnt make any promises though Raon sighed and spread the Perception of the Snow Flower to look for worms or insects around him. Honestly, though, he barely found any trace. Ca-can I make it ten instead of twenty? Kieeeh! Okay, okay. Raon shook his head and started digging with his bare hands where he could feel a faint energy from below. The King of Essence is afraid of that madwoman, but Wrath came next to him and started to giggle. The way you are panicking makes him unbearably happy! Shut up and help me look for the worms. Im going to eat the worms otherwise. Ueh * * * Raon barely managed to find the twenty worms and dug a hole for the hedgehog to sleep before he could finally escape from it. The hedgehog gave him a thumbs up with a satisfied expression before it went to hibernate. Im so tired. The King of Essence is hungry Wrath went limp on Raons forearm because hed been looking for the worms with him. Lets eat something as soon as we return home. Sleepes first. Eat and wake up. What are you even saying? Im telling you to eat before you do anything else! But everyone must be sleeping right now. He was trying to enter through his windowtrying to avoid waking up the other people inside the housewhen the annex buildings door was opened. Raon,e over here. Sylvia came out from the door and waved her hand towards him. Mother? Raon went towards her with wide eyes. I thought youd be sleeping. You sleep less in the morning once you get older. Sylvia smiled, saying that she had just woken up. But mother, you should sleep a bit longer Its difficult to fall back asleep once I wake up. By the way She narrowed her eyes while grabbing his dirty hand. Why arent you calling me mom anymore? Im over twenty years old now. Raon thought it would be more natural to speak politely since he was over twenty years old. Dont do it. Sylvia frantically shook her head while looking at Raon. I dont want you to be an adult yet. She smiled, saying that he should act like a baby even at his age. Im already way past that age. I guess youve never acted cute even when you were a baby. Hmm Raon couldnt refute that. Since he had the mind of an adult ever since he was a baby, it was impossible to act as cute as a baby. You are still a baby to me though. Sylvia caressed his cheeks. The people from outside considered you the pinnacle of warriors, calling you a hero or a Sword Dragon. Actually, a lot of people came to see me to gain your favor. Is that so? Raon smiled faintly. The groundwork to restore Sylvias status to the direct line mustve been working. But Im refusing them all, and I dont even care about them. Sylvia smiled while meeting his eyes. Dont worry about making your mom a part of the direct line. Instead, focus on what you want to do. You never told me about it, but you have something you have to do, dont you? How did you know? Raons eyes widened. He was surprised because hed never told Sylvia about his goals. Because Im your mom. Ah Judiel is on duty today, so Ill make some sandwiches for you with her. You should wash up for now. Sylvia waved her hand and went to the kitchen. Erm Mom, you are the best! * * * * * * Raon opened the door to his room after he finished his bath, and Judiel bowed at him. Wee back. She told him to eat the sandwiches and milk on the table while pointing at them. Her sandwiches are pretty decent. Raon agreed with Wrath, as Judiels sandwiches were rather delicious with their nutty and clean vor. Thank you for the meal. Raon sat at the table before taking a bite of the sandwich, and Judiel came up next to him. The ck Market sent the information about the Five Demons while you were away for training, young master. Would you like to read it by yourself or shall I tell you about it? Tell me about it. Since Judiel was extremely talented when it came to managing information, hearing it from her made it a lot easier. First of all, the Five Demons have be a lot less active. The South-North Union and the ck Tower are the only ones active, but they havent done anything significant. It must be because of the Conference of the Six Kings. Yes. They mustve decided to hide temporarily because they realized that the alliance of the Six Kings is as solid as before, and our head of house is still powerful. Judiel nodded and her gaze became serious. But we cant let our guard down since they are definitely nurturing their power while hiding. Indeed. Raon licked his lips. The Five Demons were lunatics who wouldnt stay quiet for an extended period of time without causing any trouble. They were definitely plotting something from the shadows. The ck Towers activity was meant to gather information, and its about Me. Raon chuckled at Judiel. Did you already know about it? Its obvious. Raon could easily tell what the ck Tower was thinking thanks to Merlin. What about the information about your brother? We have none so far. You can express your regret if you feel that way. Im fine. Judiel shook her head nonchntly like an emotionless doll. But you were acting really well during the puppet showst time. Your scream was so realistic when you went Uaaaah! Yo-young master! Her face became flushed for the first time. She apparently felt embarrassed about that. I-Ill take my leave now. Thank you for your consideration. Judiel left the room with red ears. Hnng. Wrath started taking notes on his round, bread-like hand while looking at the door Judiel had left through. Its important to pretend to care about the subordinate Im not just pretending. Anyway, this isnt a difficult task. No demon king in Devildom cares about their subordinates as much as the King of Essence. Can you stop writing them down? He already said it yesterday, but he should at least gain something from this when you keep stealing his power! He frowned, saying that nothing is free in the worldand that was when the messages appeared.
[Youve achieved victory against an opponent at a higher realm.]
[All stats have increased by 8.]
[The Precise Sword and Sharp Swords proficiencies have increased.]
The messages were announcing the increased stats and proficiencies from winning against Trevin. I knew it. Raon had noticed that it was easier to control the Precise Sword and the Sharp Swords principles after the match, and those messages confirmed that he wasnt imagining it. Wh-why are you giving this to him again?! Wrath dropped his round hand from where it was taking notes. You said it yourself. Nothing is free in the world. Raon shrugged his shoulders while watching Wraths trembling lips. Its todays lesson fee. Shut up! The King of Essence has already paid enough fees for his entire life! This is a scam! Report me then. I guess you have nowhere to report though. You damn bastard! He cant take it anymore! Wrath flipped out like he hadnt done in a long time, and Raon managed to gain extra strength and agility as a result. * * * Huaah Yulius gasped while looking up to the North Grave Mountains cliff. A-am I really supposed to climb that? He must be insane. The cliff was so stiff that he was going to fall if he made the slightest mistake, and he could only think that Raon mustve been out of his mind. Come up here. Raons shout could be heard from the peak. Im really going to kill him today. Raons personality is damn ugly Lets go! Martha, Runaan, and Burren started to climb the cliff to show an example as the team leaders, and then the other Light Wind swordsmen followed them. The Light Wind squad crawled towards the top at a tremendous speed even though they were wearing lumps of metal called ck Converters around their wrists and ankles. They looked as swift as cockroaches, though Yulius felt reluctant to describe his seniors that way. How are they climbing so quickly while carrying those things? Weight was one thing for the ck Converters, but their effect was to block aura cirction. Yulius couldnt believe that they were climbing so quickly without even using their aura. We should also get started. Yua clenched her fist. She had be the Light Wind squads trainee swordsman alongside Yulius. Nothing scares this kid Yuas flushed face looked like she was looking forward to climbing. She was apparently not afraid of the cliff at all. Arent you afraid? But weve been training for three months for this. It wasnt for this, though. Yulius shook his head. They followed the basic training for three months after the match between the Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division, but he couldnt bring himself to think that he could easily climb the cliff. Because Kuaaaah! Krein was falling down the cliff after a throwing dagger hit him like a rock. He quickly removed his ck Converter to protect his body with aura before he reached the ground. Whaam! Thend trembled violently as he smashed into the ground. Ugh He barely started to talk with trembling eyes. Raon, you bastard. Why am I always the first onack! A rock came from somewhere and smashed his forehead as he swore at Raon. It looks fun! Uhh Yua jumped up and down in excitement, and Kreins face turned pale. Dont worry. The Gambling Monster came towards the two children and shook his head. Ill catch you even if you fall. He said that he didnt need to catch the other members because they were already used to it. As soon as he said that, the Light Wind members started to rain down from the cliff. Kuaaah! Damn it! Why is that crazy bastard getting better at throwing daggers every time?! The Light Wind members smashed into the ground one after the other while screaming. Lets go! Yua started to climb with an excited smile that Yulius couldnt understand. She was climbing pretty quickly because she wasnt wearing a ck Converter. Ugh Yulius gritted his teeth and put his hands on the cliff to follow Yua. I cant lose to her. He didnt want that smiling girl to be the only one praised by the esteemed Raon. Yulius overcame his fear and climbed the cliff to the best of his abilities. Raon smiled while watching little Yua and Yulius climb the cliff. They are pretty good. He thought it would still be difficult for them to climb the cliff without using their aura because they hadnt trained for long enough, but they were doing rtively well. Yua is having fun and Yulius doesnt want to lose. Yua was enjoying the training itself, and Yulius was gritting his teeth because he didnt want to lose to her. This is the nice part about having a rival. Raon chuckled and threw the dagger between his fingers under the cliff. The throwing dagger fell towards Dorians forehead without making any sound whatsoever. O-oh no! Dorian noticed the danger and tried to dodge to the right, but the throwing dagger smoothly curved like a leaf in the wind and smacked his ribs. Smaack! Even though a throwing dagger was hitting his flesh, it sounded like he got smashed by a steel hammer. Quaack! Dorian fell and left tears behind. You demon! He couldnt bring himself to insult him, calling him a demon before he disappeared. Hes not just a demon. Hes a demon king candidate! Wrath shook his head, saying that he was way worse than a normal demon already. Im not bing a demon king. Raon chuckled and hurled the throwing dagger from his hand. The dagger fell like lightning to hit a Light Wind members shoulder. I think it can match up to a sword now. The wless Throw was growing even faster than the Light Wind squads growth. Raon had even made a few special techniques, and there was a long way for the Light Wind squad to go before they could conquer the cliff. I should try mixing it with that. Since he got ustomed to the wless Throw, he figured it wouldnt be a bad idea to mix it with the Piercing Dagger that Derus had given him previously. I should fix a day to focus on While Raon was thinking about the Piercing Daggers principles, he felt someones presence behind him. He looked around to find Roenn smiling gently at him. Hes always so stealthy. Roenn was far better at hiding his presence than Raon, which was expected since he was an assassin called the Assassin King. Greetings, Light Wind vice squad leader. Roenn politely bowed. Long time no see, Sir Roenn. Roenn bowed even deeper and greeted him back. The head of house wants to see you. Roenn smiled gently and nodded. He wants to see me? Yes. I think the second trial has been decided. Chapter 387 Chapter 387 Raon licked his lips while looking at Roenns soft smile. Its finally here. He hadnt received any messages in the three months since the first trial, the group battle against the Warring Steel division. They seemed to have finally decided on the second trial. It took them long enough. The next trial shouldve happened within a month, but it mustve been dyed because of the ck Towers threat and Rimmer, who went to train in seclusion. Those were boring but happy days. Wrath grinned while rubbing his bby cheeks. Even his spiritual form had gotten fatter because Yua and Helens cooking was too delicious. By any chance, do you know what kind of trial it will be? Im not sure. Roenn shook his head with his usual expression on his face. Raon couldnt tell if he was telling the truth or not. His expression was the most difficult to read in the house, as expected of an assassin. Are the children able to follow the training? Roenn went to the edge of the cliff and looked down. They learned quickly thanks to Sir Roenns excellent teachings. Raon nodded and threw the dagger he was holding. The throwing dagger advanced like a ray of light towards Marthas shoulder, who was climbing from the right side. Damn it! Martha frowned and pushed the cliff with her arms and legs at the same time. She bounced away like a beast to dodge the dagger, but Raon had already predicted that move. Smaack! The throwing dagger nimbly changed its trajectory to smack Marthas waist as she tried to grab the cliff once again. Ack! However, Martha kept holding onto the cliff even after the dagger hit her. It was the result of her unwavering patience. Shes gotten pretty good. Marthas body and willpower had be strong enough to endure a hit as a team leader. Raon was proud of her, but she was a bit frightening at the same time. Youve gotten a lot better at dagger throwing. Roenn came up next to him with a smile. Ive been practicing. May I give you some advice? Im all ears. Since Roenn was an assassin called the Assassin King, he mustve mastered the dagger throw. Raon earnestly looked forward to his advice. Vice squad leader, you are mainly using your arm to throw the dagger. It could be even stronger and faster if you used everything from your shoulder to the tip of your fingers, and your entire body on top of that. Roenn demonstrated how to throw the dagger. From the shoulder to the tip of my fingers Raon murmured the wless Throws principles while thinking about the movement of Roenns hand. He incorporated the same amount of aura as thest time and threw the dagger based on Roenns advice. The throwing dagger fell towards Martha without making any sound. Smaack! Martha got hit on her right arm before she could even react and started to fall towards the ground. Why are you suddenly raising the difficulty?! You damn bastaaaard! She cursed him like she always did before she disappeared. Ah, my bad. Raon waved his hand at Martha and looked at Roenn. This is clearly different. Thank you. All I did was to remind you of the basics that you had temporarily forgotten. Thats the important part. I think I can understand how those children grew so quickly. Raon smiled while looking at Yua and Yulius, who were climbing from far below the others. Without mentioning Yuas talent, she simply enjoys everything. That personality itself is her greatest talent. Yua could finish her training with a smile no matter how difficult it was, and she even brought a smile to the faces of the people around her. That was a talent in itself. Her excellent rhythmic sense and keen observation skills made her perfect for learning an intuition sword. Ahem! Shes Pineapple Girl, the King of Essences subordinate, for a good reason! Raon couldnt understand why the cotton candy was bragging about it when he didnt do anything for her. Yulius hates to lose a lot despite his formal personality. He sees Yua as a rival, and it allows him toplete tasks that he normally cant achieve. Yua was slightly better in terms of talent, but Yulius hated to lose so much that he always managed to catch up to her. It was a perfect talent for the Precise Sword, which was stiff and systematic. They are both interesting children. Huhuhu. Roennughed gently while stroking his beard. You see them correctly. Im d I sent them to the vice squad leader instead of Sir Rimmer. Its only natural for me to take responsibility since Im the one who brought them here. Raon was nning to take responsibility for the children who were raised as assassins, just like Yua and Yulius. Ill be d if you can teach the children when you have some free time. Of course I will. Roenn smiled while watching Yua and Yulius. Lets get going, then Hmm? He was about to turn around, but his eyes widened upon seeing Mark Goetten, who was the closest one to the peak. Was it my mistake? No, hes changed. Mark Goettens realm used to be rock bottom of the novice Master level, but it had increased even though it was almost unnoticeable. Hes gotten stronger. I thought you would notice. Raon nodded confidently. He managed to climb, even though its a small amount. He will reach even higher in the future. Amazing. Roenn honestly admired Mark Goetten, who was getting started again even in his old age, and Raon who made that happen. He can change people, he said He finally realized the meaning behind Adis Sephias words when hed described Raon to Glenn. The man called Raon Zieghart was capable of creating a huge and positive influence on others. Roenn had felt pity towards him at first and was proud of him recently, but he started to see him as a grown man atst. He could almost see the immense qualities he had. If a boy like him bes the head of house * * * * * * Raon went to the lords manor after asking Roenn to help the Light Wind squads training. He walked through the coldness covering the audience chamber and knelt at the center of the room. Greetings, my lord. Spare the unnecessary greetings. Stand up. Glenn shook his hand like he was chasing away a fly. Thank you. Raon bowed before he stood up. It looks like you are still going with that crazy training. The Ragged Saint Federick waved his hand while leaning his back against a pir on the right. Its not crazy. Its just slightly difficult. Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. Light Wind vice squad leader. Glenn called with a heavy voice as if he were trying to interrupt the conversation between Raon and Federick. I called you because the Light Wind squad leader is still training in seclusion. Yes. Raon lowered his gaze. Hes indeed taking longer than I thought. Rimmer suddenly dered that he was going to train in seclusion after the match against the Warring Steel division and went into the cave behind the main building. He hadnte back since. Raon predicted that he would return in less than three days, but he was still there after three months had passed, which surprised everyone. We would normally wait for the Light Wind squad leaders return, but we cannot postpone the second trial forever. Glenns gaze became colder as he raised his chin. The Light Wind squad shall take the second trial in your current state. Understood. Raon nodded without being surprised, as he expected that to happen ever since he was summoned. May I ask what kind of trial it is? Ill give you one of the houses missions and see how you deal with it. I knew it. Raon strained his fingers. It was exactly the same as the method that the Gambling Monster had previously told him. Do you know about House Arianne? Im only aware that they are one of Ziegharts vassal houses. Arianne and Zieghart started together, and theyve been defending a location called the Swamp of Death all these years. Swamp of Death Raon remembered once Glenn mentioned the Swamp of Death. House Arianne was located at the west of Ziegharts domain, and they were in charge of defending the Swamp of Death, where low-ranking undead appeared. Swamp of Death? Wrath crawled up to the bracelet and licked his lips. Thats a fancy name. The King of Essence likes it. You wont like it anymore once you see it. Despite the scary name, the only monsters that appeared were low-ranking monsters like zombies and skeletons. The same went for House Arianne. They werent exactly famous for their might. Boring! Wrath lost interest and returned to the bracelet. And House Arianne contacted us. What would it be? They said that the number of undead has increased, and the water level of the swamp has be higher. They asked us to dispatch swordsmen to investigate. Raon could guess what Glenn was going to say after that. The Light Wind squads second trial is to investigate the reason behind the increase in the undead at the Swamp of Death and resolve the issue. Glenn lowered his eyebrows while supporting his chin with his fist. Tell me now if you think it will be too difficult for you. Is he being considerate? Raon felt like he was being considerate by giving them a rtively easy task for the second trial because Rimmer was missing and they had a nice performance during the battle against the Warring Steel division. Well do it. Raon nodded. He didnt have a choice anyway, since he had to do it in order to climb higher. You have to resolve the issue with the Light Wind squads power without any support from the house. Glenn stared at him with a fiery gaze. If you request any reinforcements from the house because the Light Wind squad isnt strong enough to protect House Arianne, the mission will be over for you. Understood. Raon responded calmly since he was stating the obvious. When do we leave? Its up to you. What? A division has more freedom with their missionspared to a squad. You can depart whenever you want as long as youplete the mission. Hmm Having more freedom wasnt always a good thing, since they would be punished more heavily if a problem urred. I should be careful. Raon figured that he needed to think a lot harder than before and thoroughly n his moves. Understood. Raon bowed and looked at Glenn. He thought Glenn was going to tell him to return, but he kept staring at him with narrowed eyes. Raon Zieghart. Yes. Do you like drinking? What? Err He couldnt think straight because he hadnt expected that question from Glenn. What does he mean? He couldnt understand why Glenn was asking whether he liked to drink. Drink Raon obviously couldnt drink in his previous life and didnt exactly enjoy it in his new life. Hed only drunk alcohol twice in the past. The first time was to win the gamble against the Gambling Monster, which made the drink he had with Rimmer the only proper asion. Im not exactly a bad drinker, but Hmm. It felt like a warm wind was blowing to melt down the icy cold atmosphere of the audience chamber, even though Raon didnt even finish talking. I dont exactly enjoy drinking. Raon nodded, thinking that a warrior should stay away from drinking. As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere became multiple times colder than before, even though it was starting to get warmer. Whats going on? There was definitely a problem, but he couldnt understand why. He was meeting Glenns eyes without saying anything, but it was getting more and more difficult to understand. Then Rim What? Nothing. He shook his head, his eyes emotionless. You may leave. Yes Raon bowed with a puzzled look on his face before leaving the audience chamber. Why did he suddenly ask about drinking? Raon tried to rack his brain while scratching his chin. Does the head of house like to drink? You idiot! Thats not why he said that! Wrath emerged from the bracelet and snorted. That cold-blooded geezer suddenly asked about drinking. Isnt it obvious why he did that? Obvious? Indeed! Hes asking to buy some delicious liquor and side dishes from the region! Wrath shook his finger, calling Raon stupid for not even realizing that. The King of Essence will find the most delicious side dish for you. We should start by visiting famous restaurants Please go away. * * * Glenn bit his lip tightly while looking down at the center of the audience chamber where Raon used to be. He doesnt like to drink? He epted that Rimmer had to be his first drinking partner because he was his teacherignoring the drink he had with the Gambling Monster since it was a gamble. That was why he wanted to be the second drinking partner and asked that question, but he never expected Raon to say that he didnt like to drink. He shouldnt have drunk with Rimmer if he was going to say that Glenn unconsciously clenched his fist because he felt like his precious grandson was deceived by that damn elfs temptation. He wanted to immediately barge into that cave and pull Rimmers ears off. Smash! Because he couldnt control his strength, the thrones armrest was destroyed and crimson sparks appeared in the air. Huff Seriously. Glenn was trying to catch his breath when Federick went up onto the tform. You shouldve said so if you wanted to drink so much. Federick clicked his tongue while watching Glenns frown. Theres no way Raon would understand such a roundabout offer when you keep scolding him all the time. Raon wouldve understood that Glenn wanted to drink with him if he was usually kind to him, but there was no way he would understand what he meant when he always crushed him with pressure before he suddenly asked about drinking. Ahem! Glenn cleared his throat and shook his head. Yo-you are mistaken. I was just a bit worried he might get bad habits because his drinking partners were that drunkard the Gambling Monster and that punk Rimmer. Im not particrly interested in drinking with him! He quickly shook his hand, saying that it wasnt a big deal. Well, you arent exactly wrong. They arent exactly exemry adults to drink with. Federick agreed while stroking his beard. Since thats the case, do you want me to arrange for you to drink together? Re-really?! Glenn extended his neck like a giraffe even though hed just said he wasnt interested. Yes. Before he leaves? That will be difficult since he must be busy preparing for the mission. Ill set it up as soon as he returns. Ahem! Th-thats true. Glenn nodded awkwardly. He went down the tform and headed to the room where hed previously drunk with Adis. Hmm He started to examine the liquors while quietly humming. The first drink should be this oneno, this one is milder. No, the stop-shelf would be better His face was slightly flushed as he chose which one to drink with Raon. Seriously Federick gentlyughed while watching him. Ive never seen anyone who is fonder of his grandson. * * * Instead of immediately leaving for House Arianne, Raon taught the Light Wind squad how to walk on a swamp inside an indoor training ground with a pool. Making preparations was the correct choice, as the Swamp of Death could be dangerous. Walking on a swamp is simr to walking on water. You release the aura from your feet with the same flow as the water to maintain your bnce. Y-you make it sound easy Burren frowned from the water. You are the only one who can walk on waters surface while being an Expert! Marthas fist was trembling in frustration. Water feels good Runaan fell asleep while floating on her back instead of stepping on the water. Hehe! Hey! You are disturbing them! Yua was ying around by swimming, and Yulius was busy trying to stop her. Attention. Raon pped his hands to gather the Light Wind squads attention. Just like you said, you cant really walk on the water until you be a Master. However, a swamp is a mixture of water and sand, and you should be fully capable of walking on it. Since it took longer to fall into a swamp than water, the Light Wind squad should be able to walk on it. Start again, everyone. He ordered the Light Wind swordsmen to train and stayed back. They felt the energy outside their body andsted longer than before until they fell into the water. They mustve gotten better. They should be able to stay on a swamp after around three days of training. He estimated that they would be able to walk on a swamp with a bit more training. Sir Mark can already do it. Since Mark Goetten was obviously capable of walking on the water as a Master, a swamp was no different fromnd to him. We should be able to leave next week. Raon nodded in satisfaction and was about to give directions for the next step when the Gambling Monster entered the training ground. Those were delivered to you and your pocket. He put down two wooden boxes that he brought. Thank you. Raon smiled while looking at the two gray hammer symbols engraved outside the boxes. Its finally here. They were the gifts sent by the Gray Hammer Guilds cksmith Borgos and his disciple. Dorian! Raon bobbed his hand at Dorian, who was standing upside down on the water, before he opened the first box. The heavy shape of the sword it contained was exactly what Dorian had ordered. Did you call for me? Dorian walked up to him while panting. This is your sword. Raon gave him the sword that was inside the box. Oh! Oooh! Dorian immediately drew the sword. The sharpness emanating from the blue de that resembled the pools water looked intense. Its heavy and perfect for the grip! But the sword feels a bit cold You felt it right. The drake we killed had the power of ice. It was normal for the monsters attribute to be transferred to the weapon if it had one. A powerful amount of coldness was flowing through Dorians sword. Th-thank you! You should thank the Gray Hammer Guild instead of me. But it was thanks to the vice squad leader that I managed to get this sword! Dorian bowed once again to express his gratitude. Its fine. You should send them a messageter Hmm? Raon was opening the second box at the same time, but his hands came to a halt. His eyes widened as far as they could go. This is The throwing daggers inside the box werepletely different from his expectations. Chapter 388 Chapter 388 Raon finished opening the lid of the wooden box and picked up the throwing dagger from inside. It has a powerful bloodlust. A frightening amount of bloodlust dwelled inside the throwing dagger, which looked like a mixture of an awl and an arrowhead. He couldnt believe it was emanating with such a powerful energy when it hadnt even killed anyone yet. Is this what a real throwing dagger should look like? A throwing dagger was normally made for killing rather than incapacitating an opponent. A dagger throws purpose was to stab the enemys vitals and kill them in an instant. The weapon he was holding seemed to be the epitome of that purpose. It has bloodlust instead of coldness. Borgos mustve removed the coldness from the drakes teeth and increased the sharpness and bloodlust as much as possible. Wrath furrowed his brow while looking down on the throwing dagger. That shorty made a grotesque item. Yes, its rather extraordinary. Raon nodded while gripping the throwing dagger. I thought he would make something decent to send me, but he forged such a special throwing dagger Regardless of the results, he was pretty much threatening him in the process. That was why he hadnt expected anything amazing. However, the throwing dagger from Borgos didnt lose to Heavenly Drive or the de of Requiem. And there are two of them. He did ask him to send a package, but he wouldve been satisfied with one with how good it was. Borgos mustve overworked himself to send two of them. That shorty doormat! Wrath ground his teeth violently while mming his hand on his chest. Why would he make those weapons for you after all you did to him?! This is impossible to understand! It must be his pride as a cksmith. Borgos was feelingpetitive when he saw Heavenly Drive, made by Vulcan, and the de of Requiem, made by Kuberad. Showing him those two des mustve been more effective than he thought. This is abnormal! Why do doormats keep flocking towards you all the time?! They just keeping to you like flies gathering around shit! I wonder Raon chuckled while watching Wrath as he trembled furiously. Maybe because I have the incarnation of a doormat with me. Everyone around him in his previous life tried to take advantage of him, yet so many people were trying to give things away in his new life. It mustve been the demon king of the doormats influence. Thank you, Monarch of Doormats. Raon smiled at Wrath, who keptining while floating in the air. This is an amazing item. The Gambling Monster gasped while looking at the throwing dagger. Yes. Sir Borgos mustve worked hard on it. Master cksmiths never take it easy on their work because of their pride. He slowly nodded and gave him the paper that was inside the wooden box. Raon epted the paper and spread it out to read. The throwing daggers name was written on it along with a short line of greeting. Heaven ying Dagger The frightening name Borgos gave to the bloody dagger implied that it would kill the heavens. What a scary name. That dwarf has always been famous for giving his weapons nasty names. The Gambling Monster shook his hand, saying that the dwarf had always been like that. Raon bowed slightly at the Heaven ying Dagger to express his gratitude towards Borgos. Thank you for the weapon. He put the two throwing daggers in his clothes. He almost couldnt feel their weight at as if they were parts of his body. Raon smiled while patting the area around his chest where the throwing daggers were located. Theres only one thing left now. * * * Raon finally returned to the annex building at daybreak after he finished training the Light Wind squad. Knock knock knock. He was sitting on the bed after taking a shower and was listening to Wrathsints about being hungry when three solid knocks could be heard. Enter. As soon as he told her to enter, the door was opened and Judiel entered the room. She ced a dish covered by a lid on top of the table, took a booklet from her skirt, and showed it to him. Ive put together the information about House Arianne and the Swamp of Death. Raon had only told her that he had a new mission, but she had already gathered the information and made a booklet for him. Thank you. It was nothing. Judiel shook her head and lifted the cover off the dish that shed ced on the table. There were two ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches on the te. I brought them because I thought you wouldve skipped the meal. She told him to take his time eating them while cing the lid next to the dish. Brilliant, Information Girl! You are always great at bringing snacks! Wrath grinned, saying that she deserved to be his subordinate at that point. Eat them before they get cold! He started hitting Raons shoulder like a drum, urging him to bring the sandwiches to his mouth. Stop whining. Raon briefly sighed and started eating the sandwich. The harmony between the crispy bread baked with butter, ham, cheese, and the nutty scrambled egg brought a smile to his face. Delicious! Its decided now! Information Girl will be the King of Essences subordinate from now on! Sure, sure. As you wish. Raon ignored Wrath to y by himself and opened the booklet. Hmm? They only have one swordsman division and their division leader is a novice Master. He was already aware that House Arianne wasnt that powerful, but he didnt expect that their strongest member would be a novice master with only one division in the house. They were even weaker than he expected. House Arianne was originally famous for their might. Records mention that they hadnt even lost to Sullion in the past. Judiel started to exin as if she had read Raons thoughts. However, they gradually started to overlook their martial art practice because the Swamp of Death that they are defending only has weak monsters like zombies and skeletons. Raon started to understand as he listened to her. Moreover, they are cultivating the swamp grapes, which are famous for being expensive. Since they have an abundant amount of money as a result, theyve beenzy for a long time. I understand what you mean. Raon smiled coldly. He could tell how House Arianne functioned even though he hadnt even seen them. Are the zombies and skeletons the only monsters from the Swamp of Death? The records are saying that undead at around the level of zombies are the only monsters from the swamp ever since the arch lich born from that ce started a war and was annihted by Zieghart and Arianne. Judiel answered all of Raons questions without any issues. She mustve gathered all that information in a short period of time. Raon nodded and read the booklet from the beginning to the end. He could memorize everything after reading a single time thanks to the Ring of Fire. Does that mean that this swordswoman called Wendy managed to reach Master level despite their situation? Shes pretty much carrying House Arianne. She doesnt have that much authority, but she is the most trusted person among the residents. I can see how I should make my move at Arianne. Thanks to Judiels detailed investigation, he could start to see the picture of how he should act in House Arianne. How are the Central Martial Pce and the True Martial Pce doing nowadays? Raon asked while returning the booklet to Judiel. They are busy trying to gain achievements. Achievements? Yes. Judiel nodded. They mustve felt threatened by the achievements that the coterals and people from outside have gained with the Light Wind squad as the lead. They are struggling to maintain their lead by quickly solving various missions. She sneered faintly, saying that the direct lines were apparently starting to feel the pressure and the threat he posed. I like that part. Raon couldnt stop his smile upon hearing that the direct lines were moving their heavy asses when they used to act as if they were the head of house. The only direct lines he liked were Krein, Trevin, and Marthas father Denier. That was why Raon wanted them to suffer even more. Are there any other messages? This is information from the ck Market Judiel hid the booklet in her skirt and lowered her hand. A man called the Pirate King has appeared. The Pirate King? He calls himself the Pirate King because he traveled all the oceans in the continent. They say that many factions acknowledge him because he is extremely powerful. A king, he says Many people called themselves king, but few were acknowledged by others. Her exnation signified that he mustve been rather skilled. Hes not worthy of attention since hes far away from our location. All right. Have a good rest. Ill be leaving. Thank you for the information. It was nothing. Judiel nodded and left the room. A self-proimed Pirate King, huh. Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face. Interesting things keep happening in the continent. It doesnt matter whether hes a Pirate King or whatever! Stop drumming in the middle of a meal and eat your sandwiches already! * * * * * * Gray castle walls were built on top of thend dominated by olive-colored swamps. The colors didnt match, but they also blended nicely in a way. Such and was House Arianne and the Swamp of Death. Archers were standing with bows on their backs on the castle walls, and their blurry eyes looked like they had been drinking. The archers were yawning in boredom when people in their workwear came up the walls. They tied the security ropes around their waists and jumped down the walls. Thud! The workers walked around the castle walls by using the security ropes to apply mud and insert pebbles into the destroyed part from erosion. This is so annoying. I know, right? I dont understand why we have to do this when there are only low-ranking undead around. The zombies cant even approach the castle walls to begin with. Lady Wendy is such a worrywart. Thats her problem. Just half-ass it. It just needs to look fine on the outside. They were apparently unsatisfied with fixing the castle walls, as they only focused on the appearance while doing a sloppy job on the inside while pouting. Many locations needed to be fixed, but they half-assed it, so hard that they managed to finish their work pretty quickly. The middle-aged workers climbed back up the walls. The youngest man was checking for thest time when a small resonance could be heard from the swamp. Hmm? The young man turned around and frowned. Zombies. A corpse with melting flesh was slowly walking towards the castle walls. Altel! He shouted towards the top of the wall and a yawning archers head appeared. Arent youzing around too much? A zombie ising! Ah, my bad. I was thinking about what to eat for dinner. The archer called Altel licked his lips and attached an arrow to the bowstring. He casually pulled and released the string, then turned around without even confirming his target. Swoosh! The arrow flew through the wind and pierced the zombies head beforending in the swamp. However, the zombie simply faltered for a moment and kept walking towards the walls instead of falling. Wooo! Altel! The young worker frowned and shouted above once again. Did you forget how to shoot an arrow? Its not dead yet! Huh? Altel tilted his head and took up his bow once again. I definitely hit it though. He couldnt understand how the zombie was alive because he couldnt have missed it with that trajectory. He attached another arrow and pulled the bowstring taut while aiming at the center of the zombies forehead. Smaack! The arrow hit the middle of the zombies head and fell into the swamp before sinking into it. That was annoying. You shouldve hit it with your first shot. I told you I hit it! That zombie was the strange one! Hmm Its true! Altel shook his head and put his hand on the castle wall. Lets stop thinking about this trivial matter. How about some beer in the evening? Are you buying it? I have no money because Ive already spent this months sry. You have to buy it. What the hell?! They were speaking casually when a frightening gaze appeared from the swamp where the zombie had previously sunk. The frightening glow of the eyes looked like it was observing everything about House Arianne. * * * Raon left the annex building after he finished his preparations for departure. Sylvia and the maids were standing in a circle in the garden, surrounding Yua and Yulius. Yua, you should make sure to eat wherever you are. Ive made some dried jerky. You should bring it all with you. You got the cooking ingredients, right? Make sure to greet your seniors. The maids were packing all kinds of things for Yua since she was like a younger sister to them. Her backpack became inted in no time, and it looked like it was about to explode. Thank you! Yua smiled cheerfully while carrying a backpack, which had grown even bigger than her, on her back. She hugged the maids one after the other to say goodbye. Always watch out for your surroundings. Since you are the youngest, you should take the initiative when ites to working. You get bitten by the bugs a lot. Remember to activate the bug-repellent incense when you sleep outside. If a fight breaks out, you should watch how your seniors act from behind and move ordingly. The maids also put a jacket on Yulius with teary eyes. Ill bring honor to the annex building! Yulius mmed his chest as if hed be a knight, a confident expression on his face. Aww, you are so cute! I think its still too early for you to leave! Stay with us for one more year! Yeah? The maids pouted because they were worried by the fact that the children theyd raised were going to a dangerous ce. They said it wont be too dangerous, but you should always be careful. Sylvia smiled while caressing Yua and Yuliuss heads. Hide behind Raon if it bes dangerous. Yes! I cant hide behind my benefactor as a swordsman! Yua gave her a big nod while Yulius strongly declined the request. They are exaggerating. Raon chuckled and went towards Yua and Yulius. However, Sylvia, Helen, and the maids kept caring about Yua and Yulius without paying the slightest attention to him. Its not enough no matter how much food you takHmm? Sylvia raised her head while checking their backpacks. You are here. That was all she said before she continued to check Yua and Yuliuss conditions and backpacks. It must be time to leave. Return safely. I said it many times before, but run away if it gets dangerous! The maids were the same. They kept caring about Yua and Yulius without paying any attention to Raon. Raon was standing there awkwardly and licked his lips. This feels a bit He usually didnt like Sylvia and the maids attention because they made him embarrassed, but his heart felt heavy when theypletely ignored him. What a troublesome guy. Wrath snorted, saying that his personality was weird. Young master! We are ready! Yua and Yulius approached him after they finished saying goodbye to the maids. Lets go. Raon! Take good care of Yua and Yulius! Young master, I leave the children to you! Make sure to feed them! Sylvia and the maids were only worried about Yua and Yulius even though they were leaving. Dont worry. Raon nodded faintly and walked towards the training ground. The two children followed him while chatting. Raon was thinking that they didnt even tell him goodbye when Sylvia and the maids voices could be heard. Raon! You should be careful too! Dont do anything unreasonable! Yua! Make sure that the young master is eating his meals! Yulius, stop the young master if he wants to train forever! They were worried about Raon instead of the two children. See youter. Raon furtively turned around to give them a way bigger nod than before, then left for the fifth training ground. You are soooooooo troublesome Wrath sighed while looking at the back of Raons head. Raon walked towards the fifth training ground while telling Yua and Yulius what they had to be careful about during the trip. He opened the training ground door and entered. He could see the Light Wind squad lined up in front of the tform. He sent Yua and Yulius to the back of the line before going up onto the tform. Raon looked down on the Light Wind squad while standing at the edge of the tform. You look ready. Their gazes were as sharp as a polished de. On top of their bodies and skills, even their mindsets were nicely refined. Its not supposed to be a difficult mission, but it might be different in reality. No one in the Mad Dog squad is stupid enough to let their guards. Make sure to do your best in all situations. Yes! The Light Wind squads shout echoed throughout the training ground. Raon nodded in satisfaction. By the time we return, we will be called the Mad Dog division instead of the Mad Dog squad. Whoaaaa! The Light Wind squad shouted loud and clear once again. Oooh! Mad Dog Huh? Burren was shouting with a flushed face and suddenly stopped. Didnt they notice something is wrong here? Even though Raon said Mad Dog squad twice already, the swordsmen kept shouting. What the hell?! He raised his chin and red at him. We are the Light Wind squad, not the Mad Dog squad! Why do you always want to turn us into rabid dogs?! Chapter 389 Chapter 389 Lake Bicorn was located between House Zieghart and Arianne. It wasnt asrge as Lake Porvan, but the charming silver color of the surface made it a famous tourist spot. The Light Wind squad entered a restaurant on the edge of theke for lunch. Wow Burren eximed while watching Lake Bicorn sparkle under the sunlight. I heard it was a lovely sight, but I didnt expect it to be so beautiful. He couldnt take his eyes off theke, a gentle smile on his face. Its just ake no matter how beautiful it is. Martha seemed disinterested in theke as she gave a menu to Burren. Order food before you enjoy the scenery, everyone! She shouted at them to start ordering already without disturbing the staff. Hmm Runaans lips parted as she stared nkly at theke. Itd feel good if I slept over there. She bobbed her feet while saying that she wanted to lie down at the center of theke under the warm sunlight. Her blinking eyes showed that she was getting sleepy just thinking about it. It might look warm, but it must be cold in reality. Krein shook his head, saying that theke was still cold during the season. Well, we wont really fall under the surface because weve been training. He confidently raised his chin with a grin. Hmm? Raon was checking the menu but raised his head to look at Krein. What are you doing right now?! Ordering a meal is sacred work! Listen to Beef Girl and focus on ordering! His posture made it look like he was a devoted priest praying to a god as he read the menu. The King of Essence wants to eat the grilled jelly pork and the cucumber chilimb chop! I have a bad feeling about those names. Grilled jelly pork and cucumber chilimb chop? Food is meant to be a new challenge. Start ordering already! The King of Essence will broaden your world! Haa Wrath looked like he was going to keep whining if he didnt order it, so Raon ended up ordering the ones he wanted. Three waiters took the Light Wind squads orders, and Raon waved his hand at Krein after they returned. Krein. Yes? You said just now that you wont fall under the surface, right? What? I-I did say that Krein nodded. His trembling lips showed that he had a bad feeling about it. I like your confidence. Raon smiled in excitement and stood up. He went to Krein and grabbed his shoulder. Vi-vice squad leader? Krein bit his nails while raising his gaze. Since they said it would take some time until the food is ready, what about we train a bit in the meantime? What? If you manage to stay still on theke for thirty seconds, we wont train anymore until we reach Arianne. Gasp! We wont train?! Re-really? Since the training continued like always until they reached theke, every member of the Light Wind squad widened their eyes, including Krein. In return, you will all have to train in thatke until tonight if you dont manage. Raon nodded with a smile. Thirty seconds Thats perfectly doable! You can do it! The Light Wind squad stared fiercely at Krein, saying that thirty seconds was a piece of cake. Ugh Kreins shoulders were trembling, intimidated by the madnessing from their eyes. You idiots! Wrath poked his head out and shouted at the Light Wind squad. This bastard is a hundred-year-old snake! Dont let him deceive you! He must be plotting something! Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept shouting that Raon was lying and looked down on Krein. Are you going to do it? I will, let me prepare You dont need any preparation. Raon smiled coldly and grabbed Kreins shoulder, then flexed his arm. Wa-wait Ill be looking forward to it. He picked Krein up and threw him out the window. Since his strength had surpassed human limits, Krein was sent flying like a ball andnded at the center of theke. Uwaaaah! Krein shouted, but still managed to regain his bnce andnded on theke on his feet like a real warrior. Ssh! However, he couldnt use the footwork to float on the water like hed learned. He started to drown because his legs had been submerged during thending from Raons tremendous strength. Kueeeh! Krein floundered his arms while screaming. I-its so cold! Im going to freeze to death! He failed. Raon turned around. He looked down on the Light Wind squad with a smile even colder than theke. Wa-wait, you never said that you were going to throw him! No one willst if you suddenly throw them with your stupid strength! Raon, so cheap. Everyoneincluding Burren, Martha, and Runaanfrowned, calling it unfair. Are you going to call it unfair when it happened during a real battle? Argh I The three team leaders shut their mouths once he mentioned a real battle. Moreover, I never said that I wouldnt throw him. Dorian was previously sitting next to Krein, and Raon grabbed him by his cor while saying that. Eeh? I-Im not ready ye Ill count you at the count of three. Gasp Three. Dorian was catching his breath in preparation, and Raon shouted threeskipping one and twoand threw him outside the window. Uwaaah! Dorian screamed, but he managed to flip around before reaching the surface. He managed to stop after his ankles were submerged, as he was a highest-level Expert despite how he looked. Ueeeh! I-Im going to freeze to death! You got used to the water, but its still difficult to stay on the surface when theres an external factor. Raon pped his hands while listening to Dorians scream. Which means you still need a lot more training. You should start training by yourself before I throw you in there. Please throw me! Mark Goetten came running at Raon, asking to be thrown like Krein and Dorian. This is why I like him. Mark Goetten had never cked on his training since hed decided to follow Raon. He deserved to climb even higher. Alright. Raon nodded and threw Mark Goetten with his full power. Even though a tremendous amount of power was applied, he managed to control his body mid-air andnded on theke on his feet since he was a Master. Swoosh! It looked like an explosion had urred on the surface with arge amount of water sshing around, but he safelynded on the water, unlike Krein or Dorian. Le-lets go! Uaaah! Light Wind squad, damn it Shit! The Light Wind swordsmen ran towards theke while screaming. They apparently didnt want to be thrown away like Mark Goetten. We should join them! Ugh Yua and Yulius jumped over the window to run towards theke. After the Light Wind memberswho were upying over ten tables in totaljumped into theke, Raon was the only one left behind. The people in the restaurant widened their eyes while watching the Light Wind members, who started to walk or run on theke. Wh-what are they doing right now?! They ran into theke in this cold weather. Are they insane? Who the hell are they to be so crazy? They are crazy indeed. The middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner of the restaurantughed bitterly and nodded at the confused patrons. They are the famous Mad Dog squad from Zieghart. Mad Dog? Did Zieghart have a squad like that? Ah! I remember! The Light Wind squad is called the Mad Dog squad! Correct. The owner nodded while looking at Raons back. Because of the madness they showed during the tournament in the Owen Kingdom and their crazy method of training, people call them the Mad Dogs instead of the Light Wind. I dont know who started it, but its a perfect name I know, right? They look exactly like mad dogs. People nodded in agreement. Who the hell is calling us Mad Dogs? Martha shouted towards the restaurant. She mustve heard them. Wh-which means, is she the Miss Rakshasa? Yes, its pretty obvious. I can see the madness in her eyes Ra-Rakshasa. Her name is so scary. Its not Miss Rakshasa! It''s the Sword of Rakshasa! A huge wave urred as she stomped theke like she was going toe running at them. Even the people from here are calling them the Mad Dogs! Stop bullying them! It cant be helped. Raon twisted his lips while watching the Light Wind squad struggle to stay on the cold water. Because it has to be done. Since anything could happen in the Swamp of Death, making them capable of handling their bodies in all situations was the minimum measure he needed to take for their safety. Moreover, they arent exactly in good condition. House Arianne had forgotten the glory of the past and had bezy. Since Raon didnt want to show any weakness to them, he wanted them to be capable of floating on a swamp at least. Raon turned around and shook his hand at the panicking staff. Im sorry, but can you bring the food in an hour? Ah, sure! The staff quickly nodded and went to the kitchen. I-in an hour? Wrath jumped at Raon with a trembling chin. Stop bullying the King of Essence too! * * * * * * Thanks to the continued training, the Light Wind squad finished learning the footwork to float on the water before they arrived at House Arianne. They still couldnt stand still yet, but they couldst for a rtively long time while using footwork. Raon furrowed his brow while looking at a road, which was already muddy like a swamp even before they had reached House Arianne. So, the water level has also increased here. When he heard that the water level of the Swamp of Death had increased, he guessed that it would be the same in nearby locations. He was right. Wh-what?! Theres no road here! Burrens jaw dropped as he looked at the swamp where the road should have been. I dont think its already supposed to be a swamp here. Martha also seemed surprised as she narrowed her eyes. I wonder if its fluffy. Runaan tilted her head. She mustve been considering the swamp as a possible bed. Do we have to walk through this swamp now? Theres no other choice since theres no more road. Mhm. Since theyd already gotten used to using the water walking footwork, they casually stood on the swamp. Its easy here. Indeed. A swamp is easy peasy since we practiced on water. Wow, it was worth training all along. Is this the sense of fulfillment? The Light Wind members also stepped on the swamp after Burren, Martha, and Runaan. They smiled in admiration for their own ability to walk on the swamp without too many issues. Its still difficult for me. Ugh Yua and Yulius barely managed to stand on the swamp thanks to Mark Goettens help. Raon went to the front and turned around. He rolled his lips into a smile while meeting the Light Wind squads eyes. You should remember who allowed you to stand on the swamp. I told you it was going to be useful. Yellow madness burst from the Light Wind squads eyes upon hearing his deration. Argh! We suffered so much This is frustrating. Even more frustrating because I cant argue against him! This cheeky bastard The Light Wind members bit their lips while remembering how much theyd suffered because of Raon, but they had to swallow their anger because he wasnt wrong. Lets go. Raon snickered and pointed to the west. House Arianne is going to send someone to fetch us, but theres no reason to wait for them. The Light Wind squad followed the direction he pointed and started to move towards House Arianne. Despite their frustration towards Raon, their smooth steps looked like they were walking through a in. * * * In the lords manor of House Arianne, a swordswoman wearing a yellow uniform walked into a red room that was even more extravagant than at Zieghart and went on her knees. My lord, the reinforcements from Zieghart have entered the houses domain. The swordswomans gaze was glowing sharply towards the tform. Please allow me to send the rangers to meet them. There was no response from the tform. A cold gaze piercing her was the only response. Since you called them on your own ord, why wont you decide that on your own? My lord An increase in water level and the number of monsters has always been amon urrence! Why did you have to call Zieghart to make this annoying? An extremely irritated voice could be heard from the tform. It would be a good thing if it wasnt a big deal, but if trouble urred because of this, the people would be harmed. I just wanted to prevent that trouble from happening. I know this house and the swamp better than anyone! You only need to swing your sword outside, but Im the one who has to greet them! I have to kiss the arse of some brat now, do you realize how hard this is? I beg your pardon. Tsk. The man on the tform clicked his tongue and shook his hand. I didnt start this issue, but I shall put an end to it. Bring the rangers and carriages to receive the Zieghart swordsmen. Thank you. The swordswoman bowed. She stood up right after and started leaving the audience chamber. She could hear small voices from behind her. I seriously dont understand why shes causing all those issues. I know, right? The Call of Swords is already annoying enough She doesnt even know that much about the swamp. Wendy has always loved to make a fuss about everything. The swordswoman bit her lip and pretended she couldnt hear them as she left the lords manor. Two rangers were waiting for her once she came out. Prica. Yes. A red-haired ranger bowed at her upon hearing the call. I leave it to you. Bring them here carefully and politely. Consider it done. The ranger called Prica smiled faintly and nodded. Wellis, dont y any pranks. Theres no way Id y a prank on the great people of Zieghart. Some of them might fall into nature''s weing party though. The ck-haired ranger called Wellis grinned at her. Thats what Im talking about. But they are going to fall anyway even if I dont do anything. Prica, Im counting on you. Dont worry about it. Prica bowed and went towards the eastern gate with Wellis and the rangers. A horse with webbed feet followed them from behind. Lets go! The rangers loaded the baggage on the carriage led by the horse before leaving House Arianne. Haa The swordswoman sighed briefly while watching the rangers leave. Whenever Wellis made that face, a few of them ended up covered in mud. Considering their faces, she could tell that they were nning to y a prank for the weing party. I hope they wont go too hard. * * * Prica scowled while looking at the swamp on the ground. The water level has also increased here. They must be stuck over there. Wellis nodded and shook his hand to the back. The rangers riding the horses elerated their pace. Who are you expecting? Prica looked aside while pushing the bushes that reached his forehead. Im not sure. Since we shouldnt matter too much for Zieghart, one of the squads should being. Even though Arianne was a vassal house of Zieghart, they rarely interacted with each other and the issue wasnt a big deal, either. That was why he guessed that some unimportant people would be dispatched. But they should be sending some decent people since we are paying so much tribute to them. Maybe that famous Light Wind squad is going toe. They are the hottest topic among people recently. They arent going to send such valuable people to us since we arent a big deal. It should be some average squad. We never know. Well, it wont change the fact that they will have a hard time regardless of who they are. Wellis smiled while scratching his cheek. Thats true. Prica nodded. Because this ce is different from inside the continent. House Arianne was surrounded by swamps in all directions. Moreover, with the increase in water level, even the rangers whod lived there for a long time could hardly move without the swamp boots. It was literally the weing party of nature. Even though the warriors came from Zieghart, it was practically impossible for them to traverse the swamp in that state. Lets go faster. We will leave the eastern swamp today. Yes! Prica issued orders, and the rangersincluding Welliskept running towards the east without any rest. The afternoon came to an end, and by the time it was evening, multiple people could be seen from afar. Halt! Wellis at the lead raised his hand to stop everyone. Whats happening? Prica narrowed his eyes while looking at the front. Was there other scouts besides us? No, theres no way. There were only three scouting parties in House Arianne. Since the other two scouting parties never left the house, the people in front of them couldnt be the scouts. They arent merchants either. Wellis shook his head, saying that none of the merchants would be traveling in that situation. Stay alert. Prica took the bow from her back and caught her breath. At first, he thought that they might be the swordsmen from Zieghart, but they mustve known about the area when you considered how easily they were walking on the swamp. The rangers lowered their bodies and stayed alert. The fog eventually dissipated and revealed their appearance. The man leading the group was extremely handsome with blond hair and red eyes. He couldnt feel any presence from himas if he wasnt even human. He lowered his gaze while thinking he mustve been a ghost and noticed the burning sword emblem engraved on his chest. Zieghart? Which means, they are He immediately remembered who he was. He mustve been one of the most famous young warriors of the continent, the White Sword Dragon Raon Zieghart, and the Light Wind squad. Bu-but how? Since Raon Zieghart was a Master, it was understandable that he could walk on a swamp without any issue, but the other swordsmen behind him were also casually walking on the swamp like it was drynd. The two little children looked like they were having a hard time, but everyone in the Light Wind squadincluding themwas still having an easier time than Pricas group, which was wearing specialized boots. Err Wh-whats happening? How are they walking on the swamp so easily? What the hell? Wellis and the rangers were also surprised and their jaws dropped. Huh! Prica lowered his bow and swallowed nervously. What the hell is wrong with those people? Chapter 390 Chapter 390 Prica furrowed his brow while looking at Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind squads shoes. They are ordinary boots. They were easily walking on the muddy ground even though thebat boots they were wearing were nothing but a hindrance when it came to walking on a swamp. Countless people had visited the swamp in the past, but it was his first time seeing an entire squad having no problem with walking. Moreover Unlike Raon Ziegharts void presence, which felt like he didnt exist at all, a frightening madness was glowing from the eyes of the Light Wind members. Ugh Prica couldnt see straight into their eyes and groaned. What kind of people even have that look in their eyes? Hed heard the rumor that the Light Wind squad was often called the Mad Dog squad, but they were even worse than anything hed imagined. He hurriedly lowered his head because he felt like he would be devoured if he kept looking at them. Uhh I-is that the Light Wind squad? They are a bit different no, a lot different from the rumors. I cant even look at them. Rangersincluding Wellisswallowed nervously, frightened by the savage pressureing from the Light Wind squad. Raon approached them without making the slightest sound, as if he was walking on dry ground, and smiled. Did youe to fetch us from House Arianne? Ah, yes! Im the third team leader of the Rangers, Prica. Prica bowed while hiding his panic. Nice to meet you. Im the Light Winds vice squad leader, Raon Zieghart. Ah Raons bow wasnt rude or excessive. His heart was throbbing upon realizing that the famous White Sword Dragon was greeting him back. We-wee to House Arianne Hieeh! Prica saw the three warriors behind Raon while raising his head and unconsciously screamed. The pressures behind the green, ck, and purple eyes made his heart shrink in fear. Rangers? I can tell that they are agile. But they look like wimps. Can they even fight with those bodies? Their shoes look special. Uhh The three of them were casually talking about him, but he couldnt open his mouth because their pressures were crushing him. They must be the Light Wind squads team leaders. Hed heard the rumor that the Light Wind squads team leaders had excellent results in the Six Kings tournament, and he could tell that they were monsters beyond what the rumors stated. Contain your pressures already. Raon clicked his tongue while looking behind him, and the entire Light Wind squadincluding the three team leaderssuppressed their pressure. It was proof that Raon was in perfect control of the squad. Ill follow your guidance. Ah, understood. Lets leave right awaah! Prica was going to depart right away but suddenly stopped. He opened the carriage behind him and took out the swamp boots. Those are the vine boots that allow you to walk on the swamp. It should be a lot easier to move around while wearing those. In that case, please give us two pairs of them. Raon nodded and extended his hands. Two of them? Since walking on the swamp is part of their training, everyone except for those children will keep walking like this. He pointed at the two small children. They were the ones who seemed to be having a hard time standing on the swamp, unlike the other Light Wind swordsmen. Young master! Ill keep going without them! Mister Mark said he would help me! The twin-tail girl energetically waved her hand. Im also doing it if you are! Vice squad leader, I wont wear the boots either! The boy who was giving a sharp impression clenched his fist as if he werepeting against her. You heard them. I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. Hmm, understood. Lets go. Prica extended his hand and pointed ahead. Wellis, you should guide them from the front. Ill follow after cleaning up. Ah, okay. Wellis swallowed nervously before he advanced, and Raon followed him along with the Light Wind squad. Even that idiot isnt going to y a prank on the Light Wind squad. Prica put the boots back into the carriage and examined the swamp and the carriages condition before following the party from behind. Wellis bit his lip while walking in the front. Im so screwed. What am I even supposed to tell the higher-ups? Theyd even paid him to soak the Zieghart swordsmen in mud so they wouldnt be able to move for a while, yet not a single one of them fell in the swamp. They were going to arrive at House Arianne in perfect condition. Theres nothing I can do when they are walking perfectly fine without any boots Hmm? He walked while looking at the ground and noticed that an area in the swamp ahead of him had a lighter hue. The clear swamp! It was the area of the swamp with a higher proportion of water because the sand either subsided or spread sideways. Even the Light Wind squad would end up falling into the swamp if they went over there. Alright. Wellis changed the direction slightly to guide the Light Wind squad toward the clear swamp. Unfortunately for them, it was dark in the area because the sun was setting, and he could guess that Raon and the Light Wind squad wouldnt be able to avoid getting their clothes wet no matter how powerful they were. Wellis guided the Light Wind squad towards the clear swamp in a natural manner and secretly looked back when Raon was about to step on the swamp. And Whaam! Along with a tremendous noise resounding throughout the swamp, the mud soared like a fountain before falling back down. Whack! The mud fell straight on Wellis, and he had to roll on the ground. Kueeh! Every single piece of the mud felt as painful as a bulky mans punch. It hurt so much that he couldnt even stand up. Grr. He was about to sink into the swamp when a hand suddenly appeared and grabbed him by his cor to drag him back out. It was Raons doing. He took him out of the swamp with a gentle smile on his face. Are you okay? Thank yohieeh! He was trying to express his gratitude when he noticed the frightening glow from Raons eyes. His teeth ttered because he seemed to be telling him that his head was going to roll if he did anything funny again. I-I beg your pardon! Wellis suddenly bowed to the point where his head reached the swamp instead of thanking him. Hes the type of person I should never offend He thought he was gentlerpared to the Light Wind squad, but it was a grave mistake. There was a good reason why he had those monsters as his subordinates. Hey, you idiot! Prica came running from behind and smacked the back of Welliss head. I told you to stop it! He immediately turned around and bowed to Raon. Im sorry! Hes just too mischievous. Ill be guiding you from now on. Its fine. Raon smiled faintly. He pointed to the front as if it wasnt a big deal. Lets get moving. Id like to arrive before its toote. * * * * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the gray castle walls on the swamp. Are these House Ariannes castle walls? He could feel a sturdy and unshakable pressure, as expected of castle walls that had survived a long period of time. However, he could feel openings from various spots despite their proper appearance. It implied that it wasnt maintained too well. How peculiar. Wrath furrowed his brow while looking at the castle. The one who built this castle mustve been rather strong. How do you know that? It has a perfect bnce. Bnce? The castle was made with a perfect bnce, and its impossible to achieve for an ordinary person. Itspletely broken though. He lost interest and sat on Raons shoulder to start murmuring that they should eat something already. Hes not wrong. The first head of House Arianne was supposed to have subjugated the Swamp of Death alongside the first head of House Zieghart. It was only natural that he was a powerful person. A castle floating on a swamp. How lovely. Burren seemed to be surprised at the castles existence as he nodded in approval. Are you finding everything lovely or something? Martha was also surprised, but she frowned without showing her emotion. How pretty Runaans eyes were sparkling. She mustve liked the contrast between the castles appearance and the swamp. Whaam! While everyone in the Light Wind squad was surprised while looking at the castle, the gate was violently opened while pushing the swamp away. They mustve taken some kind of measures so that the mud from the swamp couldnt enter the castle. A swordswoman with a brown ponytail walked out from the opened gate. She seemed to be in her early twenties, but she mustve been older than she looked. She must be Wendy Arianne. She was the only Master of House Arianne and the youngest daughter of the head of house that was mentioned in Judiels booklet. Thank you foring all the way here. My name is Wendy Arianne, the leader of the Amber de division. Wendy Arianne bowed to Raon. She seemed to have figured out Raons identity at a nce. Thank you for the warm wee. Im the Light Winds vice squad leader, Raon Zieghart. Raon lowered his head and examined Wendys energy. Shes trained properly. She seemed to becking in experience, but she mustve been continuously training her aura de for a long time. She was at the entry level of Master and was weaker than Mark Goetten, but she had the potential to climb higher if she trained properly. Shes better than I expected. Raon had thought that everyone would be a mess because there was only one Master in House Arianne and the other swordsmen were supposed to be weak. However, that wasnt exactly the case. Wendy Arianne at least had the eyes of a true warrior. While Raon was observing Wendy, she was also examining Raon and the Light Wind squad. Hmm Wendy narrowed her eyes upon noticing that no one in the Light Wind squad had any mud on their clothes. Whats going on? Raons case was understandable since he was a Master, but no one in the Light Wind squad was wet even though they were clearly wearing ordinary boots. The only one covered in mud was Wellis even though he was a veteran ranger. She looked aside, and his team leader, Prica, shrugged his shoulders. He seemed to be telling her that he brought it upon himself. He mustve tried to pull a prank and got it right back at him. As the vice team leader of the third scouting team, the swamp was no different from drynd for Wellis. Considering the disgraceful shape he was in, Wendy could guess that Raon and the Light Wind squads skills exceeded the rumors. And thats not the only thing that surprises me. Wendys fingertips trembled as she looked at the Light Wind squad standing behind Raon. None of them are weak. People in the world often said that Raon and Rimmer were the only noticeable people in the Light Wind squad, but she could see that not a single member of the Light Wind squad could be called an easy opponent. There was one Master among them, four people at the highest level of Expert, and the rest were either at the peak of intermediate Expert or advanced Expert. Except for the two children, their formation was wless. Is this what a real armed division of Zieghart looks like? Zieghart rarely sent swordsmen and employees to inspect the Swamp of Death, but shed never seen people with such powerful pressures before. Wendy lightly tapped her forehead to return to her senses and extended her hand. Pleasee this way. She politely raised her hand towards Raon and the Light Wind squad. Our head of house is waiting. Understood. Raon nodded and followed her toward the center of House Arianne. What an extravagant ce. Wendy walked towards an extravagant mansion that looked like it was recently built. Despite the splendid appearance, Raon couldnt feel any decent pressure from the guards. They are even more disappointing than I thought. No one met his standards except for Wendy and her subordinates. Theziness mustve been even more prevalent than he thought. The lords manor of House Arianne was smaller than the Ziegharts, but not in terms of splendor. They were supposed to be rich thanks to their regional product, and that mustve been the reason why every single ornament on the wall looked extremely expensive. This is the audience chamber. Wendy opened the arch-shaped door at the end of the lords manor. The huge door was opened without any creaking sounds. The oil mustve been nicely applied. Raon could see a stair-shaped tform past the dazzling lightinging from the audience chamber. People standing on both sides of the tform seemed to be the executives of House Arianne, and a brown-haired old man was sitting at the top. His greasy and plump cheeks and jelly belly exposed how much hed been eating. Raon walked across the red carpet at the center and bowed at him. Greetings, head of House Arianne. Im Ziegharts vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad, Raon Zieghart. Raon bowed politely because he was still the head of a house that had been Ziegharts ally for a long time even though it was a vassal house. So you are the White Sword Dragon. I can feel the spirit befitting your name. A greasy voice could be heard from above the tform. Thank you foring to such a distant ce. You may stand. Thank you. Raon straightened his back and looked up to the tform. So he must be the head of house Arianne, Weegen Arianne. Unlike the heads of Zieghart and the other houses, who were radiating with pressure just by existing, the old man in front of him created his presence through the dazzling lighting from the ceiling. There was no powerful pressure, iron will, or calcted intelligence in him. Is that really a head of house? Wrath also furrowed his nose in surprise. His potential is above average, but his achievement is god-awful! I agree. Wrath was right. His fatness seemed to be the only achievement he had. How is the Destructive King of the North doing? Hes doing fine. Im d to hear that. Weegen Arianne nodded. He smiled faintly, saying that he should visit him in the near future. Ive prepared a banquet for the Light Wind squad since you came all the way here. Please enjoy it to your hearts content tonight. He pped his hands, saying that it would be entertaining. Raon could hear the gritting sound of teeth from Wendy behind him. I appreciate the warm wee, but I have to decline. Raon shook his head at Weegen Arianne. I came to House Arianne because of a request for reinforcement. It would be fine after Im done with the job, but I believe now isnt the right time to have a banquet. Ahem Weegen tapped on the armrest while showing his displeasure. The flesh on his forearm trembled to the wind. You probably dont know this, but the water level of the Swamp of Death has always changed often. Its not a big deal here. I heard that the number of undead monsters has also increased on top of the water level. They are just zombies and skeletons. A few arrows can easily deal with them even with the increase in number. Undead monsters are incapable of thinking by themselves. They might be scouting the surroundings from the orders of an advanced monster that appeared. Raon said what he guessed on the way to House Arianne. Ahem, but thats just a guess. Weegen cleared his throat and buried his back into the chair. Ive been living in thisnd for my entire life. This urrence has repeated every ten yearsfive, sometimes. Its not a big deal thats worth worrying about. In that case, why did you ask for reinforcement from the main house? The Amber de division leader was worried for no reason. He frowned while saying that the reinforcement request was Wendy Ariannes independent action and that she hadnt asked him for permission. Hmm Raon kept staring at Weegen instead of looking at Wendy. This is exactly what I expected from him. The reason why Weegen was being so uncooperative was to hide his ipetence andziness. He just believed that the Swamp of Death would remain safe forever because it hadnt changed for hundreds of houses, and Raon could guess that he hadnt even sent out any scouts or subjugation teams in a long time. If a problem urred in the swamp, he was obviously going to be condemned by Zieghart. That was why he was trying to avoid the situation at hand and deal with the case afterward without Ziegharts help, which exined his attitude. He will make his move after I leave. However, that wont work anymore. The money and entertainment he offered wouldve worked on the other swordsmen and employees dispatched from Zieghart, but it was meaningless against the Light Wind squad since they were only focused on their growth and mission. My lord, we still need to confirm even if it already happened befo Im the head of house here! Wendy stepped up and went on her knees, but Weegen frowned instead. The same goes for you, you dont need to do anything unnecessary. Consider this as a vacation and rest. We will deal with the incident since we know this ce better than anyon Ive mentioned before, but I need to do my job. You dont seem to realize, but you cant enter the Swamp of Death without my permission. Even the rangers have a hard time passing through that swamp, so just rest for now Im sorry, but Raon raised his eyes. Weegens bby neck trembled upon facing the crimson eyes erupting like a volcano. I was given full authority over the case from our head of house. Taking responsibility signified that he had the authority. Glenn didnt actually mention that he was giving him full authority, but he did say that the Light Wind squad would take responsibility. That was why what Raon had said wasn''tpletely groundless. Fu-full authority? What do you mean? Weegen dropped his jaw. He apparently didnt expect him to say full authority. Are you telling me that you want to do whatever you want here just like during the Call of Swords? Raon didnt respond and stared at him even more fiercely on purpose. He was baiting Weegen into falling for the trap himself. Im-impossible. Even though you are the White Sword Dragon, you are nothing but a squad Weegens lips trembled, and a middle-aged man with an intimidating appearance came next to him to whisper something. Raon couldnt hear him, but he could guess that he was talking about how the Light Wind squad managed to traverse the swamp without wearing the special boots. It worked. His small lie managed to soak the water and grow bigger and bigger. It was worth teaching the water walking to the Light Wind squad for the past few days. Argh Weegen clenched his back teeth while looking at Raon and the Light Wind squad. They walked on the swamp with those boots The fact that they walked over the swamp without the special boots implied that they were powerful enough for water walking. The entire squad managed to achieve that feat, meaning that their skills exceeded the rumors. They are just children, yet their gazes are so. Examining the Light Wind squad was making his knees wobble as if he were facing some savage beasts. Every single one of them had an extraordinary pressure. He couldnt find anyone he could win against except for the two little children. The Light Wind squad is such a powerful team. Considering their might and pressure, it waspletely believable that Glenn gave them full authority. Damn it! There was no other way. He nodded while hoping that nothing special was happening in the Swamp of Death. Thats rather unusual of you to decline a vacation. You can do as you wish. Thank you for your consideration. Raon politely bowed before he walked backward. Weegen tapped on his armrest when Raon nced at Wendy to tell her to leave. Wendy, you should sta I apologize for the intrusion, but can I have the Amber de division leader apany us? I have questions to ask about the swamp. Ugh Weegen shook his hand, telling him to do as he wished. Thank you. Raon bowed once again before he turned around. The Light Wind squad was still ring at Weegen and Ariannes executive like predators even though the talk was over. It was worth raising them. His name as the White Sword Dragon wasnt the only thing that allowed him to gain full authority. It was thanks to the Light Wind squad walking over the swamp and spreading their powerful pressure around him. A smile appeared on Raons face, because all of his efforts at teaching them were worth it in the end. Raon casually shook off his ck Dragon Coat and walked through the Light Wind squad. Lets go. Chapter 391 Chapter 391 As soon as Raon left the lords manor, he turned around to look at Wendy. My squad members haven''t eaten dinner yet. Can we start by having dinner? Ooh! Whats up with you? Wrath jolted out of the bracelet, not expecting to eat so soon. His bright face showed that he was looking forward to eating. Since you are ordering food, tell her to get the regional product! Tell her to offer the best food in the area! Offer your fat instead. Raon pushed Wrath away and asked her to prepare a meal and lodgings. Of course! Wendy nodded with passionate, burning eyes. Her strong voice sounded like she was impressed by the conversation between Raon and Weegen. Di-dinner? Did you just say that we are eating dinner before we work? I cant believe he just asked for food the first thing he did. The sun must be rising from the west tomorrow. Are you also giving us time to sleep? Burren, Martha, and Runaan stared at him with round eyes because they thought that they would immediately start their mission. Ive never starved you before. Raon shook his hand with a frown. He did make them skip sleep many times before, but he never failed to feed them. But you made them feed on the grass from the mountain! That also counts as a meal. Grass was good enough as food. It still counted as a meal. Prica. Wendy shook her hand to the side, and the rangers third team leader, Prica, came towards her. He was the one who disappeared after guiding the squad to the house. Guide the Light Wind swordsmen to their lodgings and the restaurant. Pleasee this way. Prica carefully bowed and guided the Light Wind squad to the right. Raon went to Wendy instead of going to the restaurant. Amber de division leader, we should talk. Understood. Wendy nodded and pointed towards the left. Lets go that way. She went ahead, saying that she knew a suitable ce for the talk. Hey! You fiend! Raon was about to follow Wendy, but Wrath grabbed him by the cor. Why arent you going with them?! I need to gather information about this ce. The conversation with Weegen made him realize that House Arianne was in even more ruin than hed thought. The head of house and the executives became corrupt from their stagnant lifestyles, and the entire house was buried under the mud. Is this why he told me to take responsibility? Raon had the feeling that Glenn wasnt simply asking him to deal with the anomaly in the swamphe was actually ordering him to change the declining House Arianne. Do you know what kind of person is the vilest of all in the world? I wonder. A demon maybe? Its the ones who give hope just to take it away afterward! And thats what you did! Wrath violently shook him by the cor while screaming. Ill be eating today no matter what happens. Dont worry about it. As Wrath rampaged, Raon flicked his forehead with his finger to smash him into the ground. Kweh! Raon ignored his scream and examined people inside the house. This is rather reassuring. Unlike the executives, whose pupils were glowing withziness and desire, their families didnt look too bad. The situation was still worrisome, but he could tell that theyd been living a diligent and earnest life. It must be thanks to that swordswoman. Wendy Arianne was the only tree that was standing straight in the garden called House Arianne. If it werent for her, even the family members on top of the Amber de division members wouldve be as corrupt as the executives. Wendy stopped walking while Raon was putting his thoughts together about House Arianne. Weve arrived. Shed guided him above the western castle walls, where they could see the Swamp of Death. The moonlight shining through the fog and the dim lighting created a pleasant atmosphere. If Burren were there, he wouldve said that it was a lovely sight once again. Its not too bad, isnt it? Wendy leaned her back against the castle wall and smiled faintly. This is a nice ce. Raon nodded and went to the edge of the castle wall. Even though it was in the middle of the night, he pierced through the Swamp of Death with his perception, which had surpassed the human limits. There are only zombies and skeletons. He couldnt observe too far because the fog was too thick, but he could only find the swaying zombies and creaking skeletons around him. However There are too many of them. Despite Weegens im that the number of monsters had only slightly increased, he could feel a significant number of presences. There were enough monsters topletely block the western route if they gathered at once. Raon looked at Wendy while pointing at the Swamp of Death. When was thest time you scouted? It was Octoberst year. Wendy lowered her head in shame. Octoberst year Since four months had passed since the new year, she was telling him that hadnt scouted for over half a year. It was a serious matter that he couldnt simplyugh off. Moreover, we didnt scout all the way. Wendy bit her lip, saying that theyd never reached the end of the Swamp of Death. Was the head of house stopping you? Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wendys flushed face. It really couldve happened, as the head of house had mentioned that they couldnt enter the Swamp of Death without his permission. Yes. Scouting normally requires a scouting party and two executives or the head of house. I need one more person to go with me, but No one wanted to go. Yes. I tried to convince them, but the head of house imed that scouting was unnecessary. He couldnt be bothered, I guess. The executives of House Arianne were no different from their head of house, Weegen, ording to what he saw in the audience chamber. While the Light Wind squad gained muscles through continuous training, theyd been gaining useless fat while drowning in pleasure. It was obvious that they didnt want to move their heavy bodies. They were so bad that Wendy looked like the strange one. Indeed. Wendy sighed and nodded her head. Thats why I feel even more admiration towards Sir Raon. You immediately took the upper hand against the head of house as soon as you arrived. It wasnt a big deal. Ive just seen lots of people like him in the past. Raon smiled faintly and looked away. How is the swamp right now? The water level has increased by more than 50 cm. The swamp might start seeping through the gates if it increases any further. Wendy furrowed her brow, saying that she couldnt even guess what kind of problem it was going to cause because it had never happened before. Then what about the increase in the undead? There are at least five times as many asst year. Five times. Both the increase in water level and undead have happened before, but such a huge difference is unprecedented. Thats why I had to call for reinforcement even though my superiors were against it. It was a good decision. Raon nodded. House Arianne was weak in his honest opinion. It wouldve been fine if it wasnt a big deal, but if a powerful monster was born from the deep swamp, then people from Arianne wouldve been unable to defend against it. Thats why Id like to apologize. Wendy bowed deeply. Im the one who asked for reinforcements, but I wont be able to join the scouting tomorrow. Im pretty sure the head of house will stop me from leaving by saying that I need to stay to protect this ce. Raon quietly waited for her to continue since he expected that to happen. Instead, Ill send the third scouting team with you. They should be helpful with the investigation since I have a lot of influence over them even though Im not in perfect control of them. Wendy bowed once again to apologize. Its fine. Raon smiled coldly while looking at the lords manor behind him instead of the Swamp of Death. Because I realized that theres more than one thing that I need to eliminate. * * * Inside the audience chamber of House Arianne. Raon and Wendy had left, but the head of house Weegen and the executives were still there. My lord. The general administrator with a bulging belly ground his teeth while raising his head. Are you going to leave that arrogant young bastard alone? I concur. Hes going to rampage in our house like its his home if we leave him alone. The financial officer who nodded was wearing rings on every single finger of hands that were as skinny as a skeletons. We cant leave them alone. We have to stop them no matter what The matter is going to escte if theres an issue with the swamp! The other executives also came up next to the general administrator and the financial officer to raise their voices. What will you do if you dont want to leave him alone? Weegen lowered his gaze while wrinkling his nose. Are you going to fight a monster who''s reached the intermediate level of Master at the age of twenty? Ab-about that The financial officer bit his lip, unable to respond. You should think before you talk instead of venting your anger. Weegen continued while piercing him with a cold gaze. How am I supposed to stop them when their actions are justified on top of being the stronger ones! He wouldve continuously refused if Raon was pressuring him with his power alone, but his actions were justified because Glenn had bestowed full authority on him. There was nothing he could do, as Raon wasnt giving them any room for plotting. Did you see their eyes? What? Im talking about those damn Light Wind squad members eyes! The gazeing from the Light Wind squad behind Raon felt terrifying enough to make his heart skip a beat. He almost felt like he was looking at the eyes of mad dogs instead of humans. The moment that Raon bastard refused the banquet, their pressure became deadly. They were literally mad dogs. Weegens lips trembled as he remembered the ferocious madness he had seen from the Light Wind squad. Hmm Wh-what can we do? As the executives failed find an answer, the audience chambers door opened, and a middle-aged man with a nicely trained body entered. He was Baneder, the head of the rangers. Dont worry about it too much. Baneder bowed at Weegen. I took some appropriate measures, as the Light Wind squad is obviously going to take the third team of rangers with them tomorrow. But your measures didnt work today! They managed to arrive here without getting a single person wet, so whats the point?! Weegen clicked his tongue at Baneder. Thats why I bribed the team leader this time. Prica? Yes. I promised him a promotion to executive and told him to guide them to a deserted location. Since the Swamp of Death is extremely foggy, even the White Sword Dragon should be unable to find the direction. Baneder smiled, saying that the Light Wind squad was going to return without finding anything in their investigation. After that, we can just send the youngestdy to deal with any problems that might ur. Ahem! Weegen slowly nodded. His thick lump of fat trembled from the movement. Moreover, Ive also contacted that person. Already? Yes. Its better to do it earlier thanter. Baneder bowed nonchntly. You are the best. A broad smile appeared on Weegens face as he tapped on his armrest. You will be rewardedvishly if this incident ends without any issues. Thank you. Baneder rolled his lips into a smile while lowering his head. Ill be looking forward to it. * * * * * * Yaawn. Krein yawned loudly and ced the form on his empty te. Our vice squad leader doesnt know what a rest is. He just never rests. He sighed, saying that he could have epted a weing banquet. He refused it on purpose. Burren furrowed his brow while looking at Krein. You mustve seen it, but the executives here are different from the leaders we know. Its obvious that things will be annoying if we interact with them, and thats why he removed the possibility. He shook his head, saying that Raon did the right thing. Raon is clearly insane, but hes insane in the right way. Martha licked her lips while supporting her chin with her fist. He would never do anything that would be problematic for us and Zieghart. I know that, but its regrettable. We could be resting Krein frowned, saying that his shoulders and knees were aching. I was also looking forward to resting for a day at least, but Id rather fight right now. I also want more training. Dorian smiled while rubbing his belly pocket. What? You mustve finally lost your mind! You became a training-holic like that monster! But couldnt you feel it today? Weve gotten stronger from it. Ah, thats Krein slowly nodded. True, actually. Thanks to their continuous training from Zieghart and on their way to House Arianne, they became capable of walking on the swamp as if they were on drynd. Moreover Because theyd practiced their footwork on water, their proficiency with footwork had increased drastically. Their martial arts realm had also increased, and their swordsmanship and footwork were on a whole different level from before. Do you know what that flower is? Dorian pointed at a blue flower in a vase at the center of the restaurant. Every member of the Light Wind squad looked at the flower. Its called malleane, and it blooms with a red color in normal soil that has enough nutrients and a blue color in acidic soil. He smiled cheerfully while touching the malleane. Unlike this flower, we are growing in the soil called Raon, which has an insane amount of nutrients. Dorian raised his finger while looking at the petrified Krein. I learned this while hanging around the vice squad leader. He never does anything for no reason. He had made a strong impression at Habun Castle and during the recent visit to the Sephiapany. He just needed to follow Raon. He was bound to be rewarded ordingly. I agree. Mark Goetten nodded while putting down the tea he was drinking. I came to know Sir Raon a lotter than you, but I dont regret it. My skills have grown even more during the short time Ive spent with him than in the dozens of years of my training. He smiled, saying that he needed to repay the gratitude for the rest of his life. Well, thats not wrong. No one we saw today looked stronger than us except for Lady Wendy. I can indeed feel that Im getting stronger. The Light Wind members nodded while smiling. It cant be helped. Burren clenched his fist with a faint smile on his face. We have to keep following him before that monster starts sulking. He swirled his finger, saying that the Light Wind squad had to be patient since they were the nice ones. Yeah. Martha snorted while standing up from her chair. No one other than us is going to follow that damn bastard. She stood up, saying that they should move on from the meal. Lets go to sleep. Runaan nodded while wearing a sleeping cap on her head. None of the Light Wind squad hesitated as they stood up. They went to the lodgings that theyd visited before going to the restaurant. Once everyone left and the staff finished putting away the dishes, Raon appeared from behind the restaurants pir. Howmendable. Raon had thought they would hate him because he kept forcing them to train, so he didnt expect them to think that way. When ites to a rtionship between human beings, you need to talk to know what they are thinking. You can never tell what they have in their minds just from thinking about it. You are so knowledgeable despite being a demon. The King of Essence has already told you! Hes closer to being a human than you! Wrath snorted, saying that Raon wouldnt be able toprehend humanity for the rest of his life. Lets start eating since that is settled As he was asking him to order the food already, the light turned off inside the restaurant. He could see the staff leaving from the back door. They seemed to have cleaned up in a hurry before they left because the Light Wind squad had made them work overtime. Wh-what?! Why are they leaving?! We still have another person here! You bastards! Wrath barked, but obviously, no one looked back. Hey, you damn cicada! We are about to skip a meal because you took your damn time! Ah, but I still have other stuff to eat. Raon smiled faintly and took out a loaf of bread from his subspace pocket. Uhah! Wraths face turned pale. Do you want some Nadine bread instead? Put away that evil stuff! * * * House Arianne before sunrise. The Light Wind squad and the rangers were gathered in front of the western gate. Raon pointed with his chin, and the third team leader of the rangers, Prica, nodded and opened the gate. Rumble! The gate was opened with a huge vibration that shook thend. The dust that had been umting soared toward the sky and created a thick gray cloud. Probably because the water level of the swamp had drastically improved, a very small amount of mud was leaking into the opened gate. Raon turned around to look at the Light Wind squad. Their unwavering eyes showed the same determination theyd shown the day before. Are you ready? Yes! The Light Wind squad replied firmly without a single exception. Their powerful voices, filled with determination, made the people around them tremble. Sir Raon. Wendy Arianne came up next to the Light Wind squad and bowed at him. Like I said yesterday, I was ordered to stand by. Im sorry, but in return Her eyes sparkled as she pointed at Prica and the third team of the rangers. They are going to guide you to the best of their abilities. Please count on them. Thank you. You can rest assured until we return. Raon nodded while looking at Wendy and Prica. Lets go. He went ahead to advance on the swamp and the Light Wind squad followed him. The slowest ones were the rangers whod been living there all their lives. Probably because they hadnt scouted for over half a year, zombies and skeletons started to gather from all directions even though they didnt even advance that much. Hmm! There are so many zombies I never expected this number Th-thats a lot. The rangers frowned while looking at the swarming undead. Light Wind squad. Raon tapped on his scabbard without slowing down his advance. Eliminate them. As soon as he made his deration, the Light Wind squad at his back dashed forward with their eyes glowing yellow. Whaam! Even though they only attacked once, the entire swamp around them was devastated. Not a single one of the undead remained alive even though there were easily dozens of them before. Lets go. Raon shook his hand towards the panicking rangers. We have no time to waste. Chapter 392 Chapter 392 Raon scratched his neck while watching the zombies and the skeletons fall like autumn leaves to the Light Wind squads swords. This is a bit strange. The undead monsters were characterized by their powerful regeneration and weak defense. Zombies and skeletons were the lowest-ranked undead, and their defenses were pretty much inexistent. However, those zombies seemed to have bodies surpassing a warriors durability. Sir Prica. Prica came up next to Raon upon hearing the call. Wh-whats the matter? Prica was terrified by the violent wave of aura from the Light Wind squad and came up to him with trembling shoulders. Those zombies and skeletons seem sturdier than normal. Do you know anything about this? Ehh Pricas eyes widened in surprise. Bu-but they are destroying them in a single strike. How could you tell? His chin trembled as he pointed at the Light Wind squad ying the zombies and the skeletons effortlessly. Because theres a difference. Ordinary zombies and skeletons shouldve shattered into pieces just from the aura wave of the Light Wind squad. The undead they were facing were multiple times sturdier than a normal undead. You are right, vice squad leader. Prica nodded while looking at the zombies. Their bodies became sturdier after the water level started to rise in the swamp. There were multiple asions where they didnt die from getting hit in their head with an arrow even though its supposed to be their weak spot. And did you still not scout the area despite the situation? Lady Wendy naturally reported it to the head of house, but he said that there was no reason to be afraid of some zombies and ordered us to fire two arrows if one wasnt enough. Two arrows Raonughed bitterly. His evaluation of Weegen lowered even further than the day before. What about the leader of the rangers? Why didnt he take any measures? Si-Sir Baneder is the one who hates scouting the most. And he still managed to remain as the leader. About that Raon twisted his lips while looking at Prica, who was speechless. Tsk. Wrath also wrinkled his nose at the ridiculous situation. They all stink like trash, just like the swamp they are in. Indeed. They cant even be recycled at this point. There were plenty of hints about the abnormality. The water level and the number of monsters had increased, and the undead became sturdier than before. Even one of the three urrences deserved an immediate investigation, but Weegen mustve ignored it because he was toozy and believed that nothing bad was going to happen. I can imagine it. He could imagine Wendy begging for an investigation, and the jelly belly head of house ignoring her along with the other executives to enjoy their banquets. The King of Essence can also see it perfectly. Wrath clicked his tongue while putting his hand on his forehead. Something simr happened in Devildom before. Those morons caused trouble and the damage went straight to the people like always. He gestured to cut his head, saying that they didnt deserve to be spared. Yes. That issue is even morepelling than the swamp. Raon decided that he would make sure to eliminate Weegen and the executives for the sake of the people in House Arianne regardless of his mission. How long are you nning to take to kill the zombies? Raon advanced by pushing thend with his left foot. He pierced through the fog filling the swamp and wielded his right hand like a de. A storm was created as a result of his arm stretching in a sh. Whaam! The swamp caved into the point where the bottom could be seenand the soaring mud became a reversed waterfall. Rumble! By the time the mud fell back on the ground, none of the zombies and skeletons were still standing. Raon turned around. He stared at Arianne Castle, of which he could only see the shape, with a deadly gaze. Im looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of excuse you pigs are going to give to maintain your position. * * * The third team leader of House Ariannes rangers, Prica, grasped his temple while running through the swamp in front of the group. What should I do? The leader of the rangers, Baneder, came to see him when he was resting after guiding Raon and the Light Wind squad to the lords manor the day before. Since he didnt exactly like Baneder, he was going to leave after saying that he was too tired, but Baneder grabbed his shoulder. Prica, you should be rising higher by now. He had asked whether he was interested in bing the leader of the rangers since he has been the third team leader for long enough. Prica couldnt keep walking. The leader of the rangers was one of the executives of the house, and he could obtain everything including money, position, and honor. You only need to do a simple task to gain such a great reward. You just need to slightly alter the location of the investigation. Baneder smiled gently and spread the map. He told him about a direction towards the right instead of the Swamp of Death to make them go to apletely different location. Dont worry. The change in direction from this location will be extremely small. He wont notice. He smiled, saying that Raon couldnt know the direction of the swamp even if he was a Master. If you make them visit this ce, you will attain my position within a year. Prica asked what was going to happen if something dangerous was urring in the swamp, and Baneder responded that they just needed to send the Amber de division after the Light Wind squad returned to deal with it. Our lives take priority. If the Light Wind squad finds out about this, Zieghart will be aware. Even the rangers wonte out of this unscathed, let alone the executives. The stick came to him after the carrot. Prica bit his lip because he wasnt exactly clean himself either. Ill notify Wellis about this, so Ill be looking forward to a wise decision. Baneder left after saying that. Refusing the offer for the sake of Wendy, whod helped him a lot, was the right thing to do but he couldnt say anything. Hey, team leader. Wellis came up next to him while Prica was biting his lip and contemting the matter. He spoke to him in the rangers secretnguage. When are you doing it? Wellis anxiously rolled his eyes and made a hand signal that implied that they needed to change their direction to go further away. Haa Prica closed his eyes, remembering the conversation hed had with Wendy at daybreak. I leave it to you for whats going to happen tomorrow. Our house wont be able to escape from this swamp forever if we miss this opportunity. She didnt give any carrots or sticks, unlike Baneder. She was simply making a request, one human being towards another human. Wendy Arianne Shes the most foolish woman that I know. Even though Wendy was entitled to the mostfortable life, she chose the most difficult path. While the otherdies wore jeweled bracelets on their arms, she wore sandbags instead, and while thedies were holding parasols, she wielded a sword to run under the sunlight. Because she was a warrior who earnestly wanted to change the house with her body and soul, he was attracted to her words even without a carrot, and he felt the pain even without a stick. That damn woman He wasnt feeling any affection or pity towards her. It was Wendys life that hed been witnessing ever since his childhood that was stopping him from following Baneders suggestion. Team leader! Prica returned to his senses and opened his eyes upon hearing another shout from Wellis. It will be toote to change the direction after we pass this point. Im sorry, but Prica smiled while looking forward with an honest gaze. We will continue this way. What? What do you mean? This is ourst chance to change the house. Argh! Do you believe you wont be harmed after doing this just because you are a team leader? Wellis red at him, saying that Prica also had stepped on the mud. Did Baneder tell you to threaten me like that? Thats Its okay. I have no intention of pretending that Im clean. Prica nodded while looking at Raon, running behind them. Im also going to pay for my sins. I dont want to do anything that tightens my heart anymore. Team leader! Wellis called out to him, but he didnt even look back. He increased his speed instead and ran through the swamp. * * * * * * One day had passed since they had entered the Swamp of Death. Because the Light Wind squad quickly destroyed the hundreds of undead, they would soon reach their destination: the end of the swamp. Raon smiled faintly while looking at Pricas back. His burning spirit could be felt from the sprint. This house isntpletely ruined. He was already aware that Prica was plotting something. He waited without questioning him because Wendy had asked to believe in him, and Prica managed to make up his mind. There was no more hesitation in his footsteps. Was the leader of the rangers the mastermind? Since Prica and Wellis were both rangers, Raon could guess that the one who gave them the orders was the leader of the rangers, Baneder. It was probably the direction. Since the Swamp of Death was a vast ce, a small change in direction would make it so that he was unable to reach their destination. Baneder must''ve been trying to lead them to the outskirts instead of the center to show them that nothing was happening. It wouldnt have worked though. Since Raon had the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower, the fog and the swamp in the area were meaningless to him. If Prica had decided to alter the direction, he wouldve be a target for elimination after they returned. Raon turned his head to look back. They dont have any issues either. Even though the Light Wind members had been fighting and running all day long, none of them looked tired. Instead, they seemed to be venting their stress by destroying the undead monsters. Yua and Yulius are also doing a good job. Those two were sweating a lot but still managed to run while gritting their teeth to avoid falling behind. They wereudable children. Ill make a special training schedule for you after we return. Bu-but thats not a reward. Its a punishment! It is a reward. Im giving them an opportunity to grow even faster. Thats your opinion! Pineapple Girl doesn''t want a life like that! Wrath ground his teeth, saying that he wanted to try opening Raons head. Then Ill ask themte When Raon was turning his head back, a powerful pressure appeared from the front. Whir. The energy of death was on a whole different level from before. It mustve been a high-ranking undead monster, iparable to zombies and skeletons. So there was such a powerful monster here. He could onlyugh. Its existence alone was enough excuse to mess up the jelly belly of House Arianne. Light Wind squad. Raon smiled faintly and raised his hand. We have an enemy ahead of us. Get rid of it as fast as possible. Yes! The Light Wind squad responded in unison, dashing ahead of the rangers. Kieeh! They ran for around ten minutes, and a corpse came running towards them from behind the tree on their left side. It looked simr to a zombie, but it was moving at least four times as fast. A skeleton with turbid gray bones was walking towards them from the opposite side while holding a sword and shield in its hands. Uhh A-a ghoul! A skeleton warrior! Ghouls and skeleton warriors were sturdier and faster than zombies and skeletons. They were also poisonous. Underestimating them and treating them as zombies could be dangerous. Cring! The Light Wind squad kicked the swamp even harder. The aura des shining in various colors were unleashed from their swords toward the ghouls and the skeleton warriors. Whaam! The surface of the swamp cracked like a spider web, and the ghouls and the skeleton warriors were cut into dozens of pieces before sinking beneath the swamp. They keeping! Focus! Burren and Martha started to charge towards the ghouls and skeleton warriors as a huge horse appeared from the bush on the right. Kieeeigh! Its dark body was at least twice as big as an ordinary horse, and a huge man d in red armor was riding it. However, he was holding the head that was supposed to be on his neck with his left arm, and his right hand was holding a huge axe that was as big as an adult man. Duhan! Burren increased his aura to the maximum upon finding the duhan. Ill y that head! Martha violently kicked the ground and dashed ahead of everyone else. Isnt your head heavy? Runaan raised her sword above her while looking at the head the duhan was holding. The team leaders advanced before the others and attacked him with their swords. The three lines of aura desbined like a constetion, and the duhan swung the axe from his right hand. ang! The energy of death spread from the axe and perfectly blocked Burren, Martha, and Runaans aura des. Whoosh! The duhan wasnt satisfied with ying defense and shed his axe upwards. The dark power of death was unleashed towards the threes necks. Thud! Runaan went ahead and unleashed her frozen aura. The coldness spread around as smoothly as flowing water and engulfed the power of death before freezing it up. Haap! Burren dashed from behind Runaan to sh it down like lightning. The barren wind of his de pierced through the duhans deadly energy and severed his armor. Grr! Crimson light radiated from the eyes in the duhans left hand. He spurred his horse on, intending to crush Burren with it. Rumble! When hooves d in the energy of death were about to trample Burren, Martha charged towards it. She unleashed all of her remaining Titans aura and shed down with her sword, which she was holding with both of her hands. Creak! The duhan raised the handle of his axe to sh upwards toward Marthas attack. Whaam! The sh between powers created a violent explosion at the center of the swamp, and the duhan and the three team leaders were pushed back to their respective sides. Raon licked his lips while looking at the duhans armor, which was cracked and torn apart. This makes it clear now. The undead in this location have a powerful energy of death. He couldnt say as much before because the zombies and skeletons were too weak, but the duhan made it clear. Even though the duhans physical strength and defense were extremely high for an undead, the amount of damage it took from Burren, Runaan, and Marthasbined attack couldnt be exined otherwise. The undead in that location were d in a lot more energy of death than the average undead. Hes too sturdy! I cant find a good spot to attack because he doesnt have a head! Burren and Martha bit their lips while stepping back from duhan. Start with the horses head. Runaan unleashed arge amount of coldness while ring at the horse that the duhan was riding. Grrr! Even though the duhans armor was crushed and he had lost his bones and flesh at different parts of his body, he unleashed even more energy of death than in the beginning. Why are there so many of them?! Wasnt this supposed to be an easy task? Shut up and kill them for now! Because the team leaders were upied with the duhan, the other Light Wind members were unable to advance due to the sheer number of ghouls and skeleton warriors. Raon was quietly watching the battlefield when Mark Goetten came towards him. Vice squad leader, Im also going to fight. No. Mark Goetten was about to draw his saber but Raon shook his head. They can do it. It was true that the undead were powerful, but they werent strong enough to call it impossible for the Light Wind squad to defeat them. Light Wind squad. Raon inhaled a little before using aura in his voice. Did I go too easy on you during your training? The Light Wind squads hands flinched at the same time upon hearing that cold voice. There are still so many of them even though I ordered you to quickly deal with them. Ill need toe up with a new training method. As soon as he said those words, a powerful madness started to emerge from their shoulders. N-no! Anything but that! Dorian thrust his sword while screaming, and the wall of skeleton warriors in front of him crumbled at once. Ch-charge! Uaaaah! Kill them all! The Light Wind squad started to tear the ghouls and skeleton warriors apart with their eyes zing with ughter. The way the undead were easily defeated by a single strike of the swordsmen made it look like they were dealing with zombies instead of ghouls. Dieeee! Yellow aura burst from Marthas sword and destroyed the duhans shoulder entirely. I dont want a new training method! Burren sniffled and stabbed the horses body. A small storm urred from his de to pierce into the dark body of the horse. I wanna sleep. Runaan extended her Snow Flower. Silver flowers spread from the silver de to surround the duhans body. Whaap! The shards of coldness were like a different type of me Spirit and managed to freeze the duhans body before it regained its bnce. ang! Burren, Runaan, and Martha dashed at the same time, aiming to mercilessly destroy the frozen body of the duhan. Rumble! The three team leaders and the Light Wind squad tore all the undead into pieces before they turned around. Gasp! Th-they killed the ghouls and the skeleton warriors so easily The duhan was torn to pieces! I know that they were powerful, but this is unexpected The rangers swallowed nervously while looking at the Light Wind squad that managed to easily defeat the undead d in a powerful aura of death. Raon leisurely nodded while looking at the Light Wind squad. See? You can do it if you try. Why were you wasting your time? The madness in the Light Wind squads eyes intensified even further upon hearing that. Ugh That damn bastard! He didnt do anything the whole time Its my fault for being weak, damn it. Their fists trembled because they couldnt even talk back. Sir Prica. Raon shook his hand at Prica, who was watching them with his jaw dropped from next to him. Its almost over. Lets quickly finish this off. Un-understood. The rangers took the lead once again and guided Raon and the Light Wind squad. The fog was getting thicker and thicker, but no more monsters appeared. Three pirs came into view from afar, signaling the end of the swamp, before they encountered a single zombie after the duhan. Was the duhan thest monster here? It looks like it. It was fortunately an easy mission. Everyone was getting careless, and they were about to smile when Raon raised his hand. Stop. The Light Wind squad and the rangers stopped walking upon hearing his order. Raon? Whats the problem now? Raon smiled while pointing under the pir. The master of the swamp is surfacing. As soon as he made that deration, the swamp under the pir started to boil. The yellow-green mud turned dark and a white skull started to emerge. Whir! The white skull was d in dark red armor and crimson mes were bursting from its empty eye sockets. Rumble! Because its energy wave was on a whole different level from the undead theyd encountered up to that point, even the Light Wind squads breath caught. Gasp! A-a death knight? Why is such a monster in this ce? The powerful aura of death emerging from the dark knight made the rangers step back with trembling chins. The death knight, also called the knight of death, was ring at the Light Wind squad with zing eyes showing signs of intelligence. Kuh Is this the death knight? Theres really all sorts of things here With the three team leaders starting it off, the Light Wind squad released their pressure to resist the death knights aura wave. Raon rolled his lips into a smile while looking at the death knight and the Light Wind squad. A perfect target for practice has arrived. The Light Wind squads shoulders trembled even more violently than when they first saw the death knight upon hearing his cold voice. Are you sure you should be saying that in this situation? Chapter 393 Chapter 393 Unlike the other undead monsters, death knights and archliches were divided into different ranks. Since the power of those two highest-ranking undead depended on how powerful they were before they died, it was impossible to tell how dangerous they were just from the name of their species. Those who were as strong as a novice level to intermediate Master were called low-ss fiends, those between intermediate to advanced Master were called intermediate fiends, and the powerful undead above the advanced Master level were called advanced fiends. Raon rubbed his fingers while watching the crimson light burning from the death knights eyes. A low-ss fiend. He could guess that a swordsman at the intermediate realm of Master perished, and he was lowered to a novice level Master upon bing a death knight. Its not so simple. I know. Raon nodded at Wrath. Because this swamp isnt an ordinary ce. Despite the name Swamp of Death, there was no energy of death in the areahowever, the undead in the swamp were enhanced. The same went for the death knight. It was better to assume that it was going to be stronger than a novice Master. Burren, Martha, and Runaan The three of them wont be enough. The three team leaders of the Light Wind squad managed to win against Warring Steels first vice division leader, Caman, without taking much damage. However, that only happened because they werent fighting to the death. If Caman had been prepared to die, he wouldve killed at least one of the three. Moreover, the death knight was even stronger than Caman had been then, and the entire Light Wind squad needed to face it together. Light Wind squad. Raon raised his finger and pointed at the death knight, who was drawing his longsword from his waist. Eliminate it. Yes. The Light Wind squad kicked the ground without questioning Raons orders. As they dashed towards the death knight, the only thing reflected in their eyes was their determination to ughter their enemy. A-are you really leaving a death knight to the Light Wind squad? Pricas jaw dropped as he witnessed the unreasonable decision. They should gain experience since its a perfect opportunity. But none of them is a Master. How? It doesnt matter whether they can win or not. There will be no path if they never challenge anything. Uhh He swallowed nervously. His eyes looked like he had been enlightened. Open formation! Burren raised his sword while advancing at the front. Open formation! Upon hearing his shout, the Light Wind squad nimbly spread around like snowkes in the wind to create a circr sword formation. It was the Great Light Wind Formation, which was performed with the entire squad. W-we have to kill it somehow! Im going to die if we dont kill it! What we have in front of us is just a death knight, but we have a demon king watching us from behind! Everyones against us! This life is damned! The swordsmen fixed their grips and increased their auras output to the extreme while thinking about what was going to happen to them if they lost. Rumble! Once the entire Light Wind squad gathered their aura in unison, the energy wave bursting from them became as powerful as the death knights. Whaap! A crimson me burst from the death knights long sword. It was the Sword of Purgatory, rumored to summon the fire from hell. The Light Wind squad unleashed the Central Green Whirlwind, the first form of the Great Light Wind Formation. Their auras gathered at the center of the formation and engulfed Burrens sword before being released. Whaam! The sh between the death knights Sword of Purgatory and the Central Green Whirlwind created a tremendous shockwave. The Swamp of Death split apart, and a bunch of mud started to rain down from above. Tap tap! The death knight and the Light Wind squad were pushed back into the swamp at the same time. Convert! Burren ordered, and the Light Wind squads position changed. The third team went to the back as the first team moved to the front, and a powerful energy gathered around Martha. They were as slow as a snail before Wrath rolled his lips into a smile while watching the Light Wind squad change their formation at the speed of light. Theyve gotten better at switching their formation. Indeed. Raon smiled faintly and nodded. Theyve changed a lot. They took a long time to switch the positions of the teams in the past, and the discement of their auras was too shabby. However, they were doing it as naturally as flowing water. Raon could tell how hard everyone had been training. Ill start by destroying your head! Martha screamed and twisted her sword while shing downwards. She was momentarily activating Berserk. However, she didnt run ahead on her own even though madness was engulfing her. She shed down to the best of her ability, alongside the first team who were supporting her. Whaam! The tremendous noise sounded like a building was copsing, and the death knight was pushed back. Anger appeared in his burning eyes. Beef Girl has grown a lot in terms of willpower, even more than her might. Youve been watching her. Shes the King of Essences subordinate after all. He said this before, but he takes care of his subordinates! Wrath was right. Marthas willpower had increased even more than her might. That was how she managed to activate Berserk in the split second that she gathered her power and regained her sanity right after, preventing her team members from being harmed. Crack! The death knights chin opened up while creaking. Powerful mes burst from his eyes as he charged towards them. He seemed to be extremely angry. Cring! The Light Wind squads position changed once again. It was the most defensive formation they had, one with the second team at the front. It was the fifth form, the Snow Cats Descent. Craang! Runaan stepped forward and swirled Snow Flower. The coldness was unleashed like a ribbon and covered the space to create an elegant sword barrier. ng! The head-on sh between the frozen de and the death knights ming sword created a huge amount of steam. The silver de soared from the intensified fog. Swoosh! It wasnt the death knights attack. Runaan had thrust Snow Flower from the edge of the formation to stab the death knights cheekbone. Pssh! She failed to significantly injure him because of the aura of death he possessed, but a small trace of the de was left on his cheekbone. Oooh! Wrath clenched his fists. What a nice counterattack! Ice Cream girl has also changed! Indeed. Runaan was only focused on defense before. Because of her kindhearted personality, Runaan had always protected everyone from the front by polishing her aura of ice. However, her tendency had changed. Her shield was created in order to save herpanions, but she didnt hesitate to thrust her ice needle hidden behind it. Creak. The death knight looked extremely angry. He tapped on his scratched cheek and fixed his grip on the Sword of Purgatory. me burst from his dark de and stormed around like a tornado. ng! ng! aang! The head-on sh between the death knight and the Light Wind squad shook the entire swamp. The fog filling the space was ripped apart, and the sky was revealed. Whaap! Under the orange sky signaling the sunset, the huge sounds of shing des resounded one after the other. Raon smiled faintly while watching the Light Wind squads attacks. The team leaders arent the only ones who have changed. Everyone has. It wasnt just Burren, Martha, and Runaanevery single member of the Light Wind squad had be far stronger than before. Uaaaah! It wasnt excessive to say that Dorian was the biggest coward of Zieghart, let alone the Light Wind squad, yet even he was clenching his sword at the center of the formation and fought without leaving his position. His eyes had be teary, but he kept supporting the team. Kweeh! Everyone was doing a great job, but one swordsman was sent flying while screaming like a dying pig. Damn it! It was Krein. He spat the blood from his mouth and returned to his position before the death knights next attack. Since he had always been the first one to fail, he returned as fast as a flying squirrel. Hes hopeless. Hes the incarnation of bad luck. He does have that side to him. Krein was the third teams vice team leader, and he was one of the ten strongest in the Light Wind squad. However, he was always the first one to be defeated and copse for some reason. It wasnt even the question of his willpower. He was just unlucky. And you should get ready. After all, that skull is rather special. I know. Raon nodded while looking at the death knight. An undead that gets stronger at a tremendous pace Undead monsters were normally slow in their growth. They were bound to be slow because they were human beings who abandoned life and chose death instead, but the death knight didnt seem to be affected by that curse. He was getting stronger as he fought. Moreover, its not just his aura of death thats getting stronger. Even his swordsmanship is getting better. Raon could understand that the energy of death was growing because of the swamps power, but he couldnt exin why his swordsmanship was improving so quickly. Honestly, the death knight was getting used to the Light Wind squad a lot faster than the Light Wind squad was getting used to the death knight. ang! He could predict that the Light Wind squad was going to receive internal injuries and be defeated soon enough. Vice squad leader. Mark Goetten clenched the ck Hermit Sword around his waist with a serious gaze. Ill join the fight. Hmm, so Raon was about to give his permission when Yua ran into the battlefield from next to him. Yua! * * * * * * Mark Goetten tried to stop her, but Raon shook his hand to stop him. Vice squad leader? Hey! Stop Pineapple Girl! Lets watch them for a bit longer. Raon shook his head while circting the heat inside his mana circuits so that he would be able to save Yua at any moment. Whir! Yua gathered her hands and controlled her aura. The blue flow emanating from her looked like antique silk. [Aaaaah!] Yuas choice of weapon wasnt a sword but her voice. The holy voice that sounded like the descent of a white-winged angel created a new wave in the swamp. Creak The death knights face distorted in pain, even though it was simply angry when it was attacked by a sword. His evil eyes were directed at Yua instead of the Light Wind squad in front of her. Wh-what? Are my internal injuries being healed? I thought I was running out of stamina, but I canst longer now. I was going to faint until a moment ago Is this Yuas power? On the other hand, the Light Wind squad had a betterplexion. Their internal injury seemed to have healed. It was Yuas ability that Eden was trying to obtain, the Sirens voice that was capable of damaging enemies while granting vitality to her allies. Kuaaah! The death knight roared while clenching his sword, and multiple ghouls and skeleton warriors emerged from the swaying swamp. Kieeh! Kiaah! The ghouls and skeleton warriors dashed toward Yua whilepletely ignoring the Light Wind squad. sh! When the poisonous w was about to pierce Yuas neck, the deadly light of a de sparkled. Kieeh! The ghoul lost its entire arm and got smashed into the swamp. I wont let you be the only one who gets a highlight! Yulius gritted his teeth while standing in front of Yua. Im also doing it since you did this! He unleashed the straightforward swordsmanship that hed learned from Roenn, the Crimson Sword Art, and cut down all the undead approaching her. He was drenched in cold sweat because of how nervous he was, but he endured by gritting his teeth. Rumble! The swamp on the right surged like a tidal wave and a duhan surfaced. He immediately ran towards Yua, d in with even more power than the previous one. He can even summon a duhan!? Death knights could summon different species depending on their rank. Considering the fact that he had just summoned a duhan, he mustve grown into an intermediate fiend in that short period of time. Ill take care of that one. Mark Goetten unsheathed ck Hermit Saber and ran ahead. He blocked the duhans path before he could stab Yua with his long spear. ang! The powerful saber strike from Mark Goetten pushed the duhans huge body back. He scattered the Anarchic Lightning Sabers technique to shatter the long spear into pieces as if he was trying to tell Raon that he didnt need to worry about his side. He looked so unsightly in the past because of how dirty he was, but hes gotten a bit better now. Raon agreed with Wrath. Mark Goettens Anarchic Lightning Saber used to be all about power and didnt provoke any emotion. However, a frightening amount of sharpness was dwelling in his saber strike. Crack! Mark Goettens saber struck down like lightning to sever the duhans body in an instant. Duhan sank under the swamp before it could even groan in pain but the Light Wind squads battle turned even worse in that short period of time. Whaam! They couldnt ovee the death knights strike, and the intermediate Expert swordsmen were pushed back while coughing up blood. Even the ones at the advanced Expert level were bleeding from their lips because of their internal injuries. The only ones who were still standing with difficulty were the three team leaders and Dorian, who were at the highest level of Expert. [Aaah] Yuas face was also bing pale because the death knights energy was bing stronger and stronger, while Yulius was catching his rough breath in exhaustion. Vice squad leader. Mark Goetten returned after killing the duhan and furrowed his brow with a serious expression. I was wondering, but is that death knight actually getting stronger? Yes. Raon nodded. He was at the novice level Master in the beginning, but hes about to ascend to the intermediate now. Ill join the fight in that case. Mark Goetten bit his lip and went around the right side of the Light Wind squad to join the fight. He unleashed the exact same saber strike that severed the duhan in a single strike, but the death knight effortlessly fended off his blow. Hmph! Mark Goetten seemed to have expected it to happen, as he turned his body mid-air to unleash a second strike. The Anarchic Lightning Sabers technique had aplicated trajectory that was difficult to read like lightning falling from the sky. We should join him! The Light Wind squad transitioned into the eleventh form with the strongest attack and granted their auras to Martha. Whaap! Powerful energies surrounded the death knight from both sides, and it shed diagonally with its Sword of Purgatory. The powerful energy dwelling in his simple strike spread around like a wave. Whaam! The death knight couldnt win against the Light Wind squad and Mark Goettensbined attacks and was pushed all the way back until he hit his back on the three pirs. The way he was creaking showed that he was significantly damaged, but the aura of death was burning even more fiercely than before. Whaam! The crimson ze in the death knights eyes became green. At the same time, the aura of death rising from his feet soared to reach the sky. Hes surpassed the wall. Yes. He reached intermediate Master. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the death knight. Hed clearly reached the intermediate Master after the previous impact. In fact, he had taken another step from there. It looks like he gets stronger the more he fights. The King of Essence agrees. Its been a long time since thest time hes seen an undead like that. Wrath licked his lips, saying that it was a rare species even in Devildom. Whaam! Because the death knight reached the intermediate Master, his Sword of Purgatory mmed the Light Wind squad and Mark Goetten into the swamp. Ugh Kuah! Da-damn it That skeleton, it feels like he became unreasonably strong! I-I cantst any longer Mark Goetten and the Light Wind squad stood back up even though their shoulders were trembling from the intensified energy of death. Ouch Hey! Hang on! Its not over yet! Yua fell on her knees in exhaustion, and Yuliuss hands were also trembling for the same reason. It looks like Raon put his hand on Heavenly Drives hilt for the first time after he entered the swamp. I need to finish him off. The death knight in front of him was dangerous. Since the Light Wind squad managed to gain some experience from the fight, it was better to finish the battle as fast as possible. He advanced while controlling the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld. Step. Even though he was walking on a liquid swamp, his heavy footsteps sounded like he was stepping on drynd. The Light Wind squad immediately withdrew without hesitation upon hearing his footsteps. Creak. The death knights green me of destruction and anger turned to look at Raon. His mind and soul were being tightened by a frightening amount of energy of death. The death knight was continuously getting stronger. Id like to test how strong you can be, but I have many people that I am responsible for. Lets put an end to it now. His deration mustve enraged the death knight, since he immediately kicked the swamp. He rushed like a green sh and swung down Sword of Purgatory. The des trajectory looked simple at a nce, but profound principles were seeping into it. The single de multiplied into ten and surrounded Raon from all directions that could be blocked. The me of hell from Sword of Purgatory was causing a pain that felt like his skin was melting down. The de of Requiem around his waist warned him of the iing danger, and Raon clenched Heavenly Drive with his right hand. Heavenly Drives de was quietly unsheathed, and the me bursting from it was even more intense than the Sword of Purgatory. The line of fire soared like the tail of a shooting star and created a majestic trajectory. Crack! The crimson de severed the Sword of Purgatory that was brimming with the energy of death and pierced into the center of the skull. Raon strained his arm to stab all the way in. Whaam! The energy of death that had seemed imprable was cut apart, and the death knights hellfire heart was shattered. Raon caught the death knights skull that was falling from its neck and turned around. He smiled at the stunned and bewildered people who stared at Raon with dropped jaws. Lets go back. Its time to take care of the pigs now. Chapter 394 Chapter 394 Burrens chin trembled as he watched the death knights body sink under the swamp. Did he just y the death knight in a single strike? How is that even possible? He could tell because hed fought against the death knight. He was powerful. It wasnt just his energy of deathhis swordsmanship was also advanced. The monster had revealed the green burning eyes that were the symbol of an intermediate fiend after easily sending the entire Light Wind squad and Mark Goetten flyingyet he was in in a single strike, and Burren couldnt believe that it had just happened. What the hell is wrong with him? He was fully aware that Raon was powerful. He shouldve known about that better than anyone. However, hed never imagined that he would kill the death knight in a single strike when it was an intermediate fiend and even had the power of the swamp in him. That fucking Marthas hand holding her sword was trembling as she red at Raon. Monstrous bastard! Raon stepped forward when the Great Light Wind Formation was about to break because the death knights energy had be more and more powerful. She was frustrated because Raons gaze was telling them to stay back, and she secretly hoped that he would experience the same pain. Since shed never seen a death knight that could get stronger during a fight before, she believed that even Raon wouldnt be able to defeat it so easily. I thought he was going to do all his fire and ice shit like always. Raonsbat was as shy as his face. She thought he was going to unleash fire and ice to fight the death knight, but all he did was a single sword draw to sever his soul. Even though she saw it from the closest spot with her very eyes, she still couldnt believe it. Wow Runaans lips parted. Her eyes were even more nk than usual. Raon is really damn handsome today. Shed been saying damn handsome without much meaning behind it because Encia had asked her to call him it, but he really looked damn handsome because of what happened. It wasnt an exaggeration to say that the way Raon lowered Heavenly Drive with his ck Dragon Coat fluttering in the wind looked like a beautiful picture. However, his sword draw that yed the death knight in a single strike left an even stronger impression than his beautiful appearance. The destructive power and precision of that strike sent a chill down her spine. Vice squad leader! We are going to look like shit if you defeat it so easily! Was that really a death knight? He was! We almost died to it! Moreover, he was a monster that grew stronger over time. But why did he die in a single strike?! The Light Wind squad was also staring at Raon in disbelief, their eyes wide. Huh Wh-what did I just witness? Are those the White Sword Dragons true skills? I heard the rumors that even the Twelve Stars of the Continent are below his feet The rangers, including Prica, had fallen on their knees in the swamp as their chins trembled. Wow! Young master! I-it was an impressive sword draw! Thank you for your effort. Yua and Yulius were jumping around with bright smiles on their faces while Mark Goetten quietly bowed at him. Raon smiled at the two children and looked at Heavenly Drive, where the heat still remained. Not bad. He tried mixing the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Divinity Blooming from Underworld for the first time in the sword draw, and it was even more effective than his expectations. The death knight was an intermediate fiend and was further enhanced with the power of the swamp. He didnt think it would be crushed to death before it could even resist. Ive gained great power to pierce the ck Tower. The amount of divinity was small enough to be exhausted after a single sword draw, but it was going to be extremely useful in future battles. You are such a snake! Wrath shoved his face onto him while grinding his teeth. Whats your problem now? Why would you defeat him? You also said that it was getting dangerous. Raon couldnt understand why Wrath wasining when he even pointed at his endangered subordinates. Throwing some daggers wouldve been enough! You didnt need to straight-up kill it! Wrath wrinkled his nose, calling Raon a weasel who took the opportunity away from the others. That doesnt sound right. Support from behind wouldve been enough to kill the death knight, but it wouldve taken longer. It aroused Raons suspicion because Wrath was a psychopath who couldnt even put up with a short moment of boredom. Why is he hating so much Ah! Raon rolled his lips into a smile while looking at Wrath. You areining because Ill be getting the rewards for ying the dark knight. Hup! Wraths trembling eyes confirmed that Raon had hit the mark. His fluffy body was trembling as if a powerful wind was blowing on it. Bu-bullshit! Theres no way the King of Essence would be thinking like that! I can tell I was right because of how surprised you are. No, you arent. The King of Essence doesnt care about that at all His voice became as small as the crawling sound of an ant before he hid in the ice flower bracelet. Raons guess was correct. Wrath wasining that Raon shouldve given the opportunity to the Light Wind squad because he didnt want him to get those stats after ying the death knight. Hes not being cute. Raon shook his head and looked at the death knights skull. Extremely small green fires were burning from the empty eye sockets. This is what you call a loot. The skull was the loot from ying the death knight. The small fires in the eyes served as proof of killing a death knight, and it could be sold at an extremely high price. I should get some more just in case. Raon shook his hand at Mark Goetten. Can you bring the heads of the duhan and the horse that you killed a moment ago? Understood. Mark Goetten brought the head from duhans corpse that was thrown onto the vines floating on the swamp. The eyes were sparkling in crimson on the hideously distorted face. Those two should be enough. The skull of a death knight that was an intermediate fiend and the huge head of duhan were more than enough to get the upper hand with House Arianne. Whaap! Raon unleashed ciers coldness to the maximum output and used the Perception of the Snow Flower. He spread his aura perception in all directions, but he couldnt feel any presence of undead monsters. And the swamp is subsiding now. The water level was decreasing at an extremely slow pace, probably because the death knight was the source of the abnormality. We are done here. The mission wasplete since they managed to defeat the death knight, dealt with the increased number of undead by killing them, and the swamp was subsiding. Returning was all he needed to do. Raon put the death knights skull and the duhans head in his subspace pocket and turned around. Light Wind squad. The Light Wind squad that managed to suppress their internal injuries lined up upon hearing his call. Uhh Argh. They mustve had a bad feeling about it since they kept swallowing nervously without looking straight into Raons eyes. It was a shame. But It was nice to see you fighting to the best of your abilities. The Light Wind squad raised their gazes because Raons voice was unexpectedly soft. Good job. Whoaaa! Thank you! I know our vice squad leader would say that! Because Raon said good job instead of announcing additional training, the Light Wind squad immediately became cheerful like a flower petal carried by the wind. However As the Light Wind squad was getting excited, Raon raised his hand. Its also true that you didnt manage to y the death knight. My order was to kill him. Bu-but you just said good job Yes, you said we did our best! The Light Wind squad tried to argue against him with trembling lips, but it obviously didnt work against Raon. I prefer that you do your job rather than doing your best. You shouldve killed him by any means necessary. How were we even supposed to kill him?! He was a death knight! Moreover, he was a monster that kept getting stronger over time. It wasnt an ordinary death knight! His head was getting stronger and stronger Burren, Martha, and Runaan shook their heads, saying that it was an impossible task to begin with. And it happened because you didnt train enough. Look at me, I killed it in a single strike. Ugh! Damn it! My sleep Because Raon did manage to y the monstrous death knight in a single strike, they couldnt argue anymore and lowered their heads. Ill prepare a special menu as soon as we return. You can look forward to it. Sniff Damn it. What is life? Haa The Light Wind squad sighed deeply while thinking about what was going to happen to them after they returned to the house. Your personality is so nasty. Wrath climbed back onto the bracelet and frowned. An evil fiend like you is rare even in Devildom While he was calling him evil, messages suddenly appeared.
[Youve in a powerful opponent in a single strike bybining two different powers.]
[All stats have increased by 5.]
[Sword Draws proficiency has increased.]
[The Divinity Blooming from Underworld has increased in rank.]
It looked like the rewards were given to him because it was his first timebining his aura with divinity to kill a death knight. By the wayWhat a perfect timing. He could onlyugh because the messages appeared as soon as Wrath came back from the bracelet. It was as if they were waiting for that moment. Th-this is why the King of Essence didnt want toe out! Wrath ground his teeth violently while looking at the messages. Stop bullying those kids and the King of Essence! * * * * * * In the audience chamber of House Arianne, Weegen licked his lips, his hand ced on his pot belly. He looked like a frog. Its going well, right? He seemed to be anxious as he extended his hand to start eating arge piece of grilled beef ribs. Dont worry about it. Baneder raised his gaze and smiled. Our boys will take care of it. But I have a bad feeling about this for some reason. Weegen frowned while licking his greasy lips. It wont matter even if the n goes awry. Why would it not matter? My lords excellent eloquent speech can easily control children like them. Baneder raised his finger with a faint smile on his face. Moreover, that person is backing us. Even the White Sword Dragon wont be able to do anything reckless. Ahem! Thats true! Weegen nodded while clearing his throat. Weve been bribing them for this purpose, after all. The reason House Arianne could neglect the mission theyd inherited from their ancestors was because theyd bribed a lot of Ziegharts executives. It was time for them to harvest the fruit grown from their money. Baneder is right! We are now aware of what kind of personality Raon has. We should be able to easily deal with him now! They wont be able to pressure us even if they want to. We are backed up by even greater people! The general administrator, financial officer, and even the quartermasters bowed at Weegen while ttering him. That person also said that we dont need to worry about it. Ill be counting on you, my lord. Baneder lowered his eyebrows to hide his gaze and lowered his head. Yes, yes. Leave it to me! Weegen nodded while smiling at the ttering executives. While the executives of House Arianne wereughing in harmony with each other, Wendy clenched her fist from behind the door. She left the lords manor, with a determined expression on her face. * * * Raon put his hand in his subspace pocket while watching the slowly opening castle gate of House Arianne. He took out the death knights skull and duhans head from the pocket and gave them to Burren and Dorian. Hmm? Hieeh! Burren casually epted the death knights skull, while Dorian freaked out while holding the duhans head. Why are you giving those to us? The people also need to know. Raon looked inside the castle coldly. That Weegen and the executive almost drove the house to extinction. When he was about to enter through the opened gate, Wendy hurriedly came running towards him. Sir Raon, youve returnHuh? She started to bow, but her jaw dropped upon noticing the death knights skull and duhans head that Burren and Dorian were holding. D-death knight! Its even an intermediate fiend! Wendy started to tremble like crazy after she saw the death knights skull. A-a death knight? Look at that! I-its true! Th-the green light from the eyes means that its an intermediate fiend! Did they find that in the Swamp of Death? The swordsmen and residents behind Wendy stepped back in shock. N-no way! Was there really a death knight in that swamp? Yes. We found him at the pirs located at the end of the swamp. Raon exined what happened in the swamp. He used his aura in his voice to allow everyone around the gate to hear him, not just Wendy. Prica. Wendy looked at Prica, who was standing on the right side. Prica nodded, implying that everything Raon had said was true. Argh She bit her lip and lowered her head. She seemed to be having various feelings. Her cheeks and earlobes were turning red. Haa! Wendy controlled her mind and raised her head. She raised her hand with a determined gaze. Lets go to the audience chamber. Raon nodded and followed Wendy towards the lords manor. The residents were thanking the Light Wind squad while cheering for them like it was a heroes return, but they gradually started to suspect the executives. A duhan and a death knight?! The Swamp of Death has changed so much Bu-but the top brass said there were no problems See?! I told you it was strange! Theres no way the water level would increase so much if there were no issues! The grapes were also wilting. Those damn executives We shouldve supported Lady Wendy Raon smiled while feeling peoples anxiety around him. Its proceeding as it should. It was necessary to change the peoples mindset on top of the pigs reigning from above in order to change the house. The hideous head of the duhan was extremely effective at changing their mindset. Raon entered the lords manor without saying anything in order to amplify their questions and anxiety even further. Wendy opened the audience chambers door without even knocking. Raon could see the head of house, Weegen, and the executives of House Arianne gathered on the tform. The way they seemed to be discussing something implied that theyd already heard of the news. Ooh Weegen raised his hand with an awkward smile on his face. Good job, everyone! He gathered his hands and politely dered the words, unlike when they first arrived at the house. Th-thank you for your work! Youve even in a death knight. The Light Wind squad is as gant as the rumors! Thank you for using your power for the sake of House Arianne! The executives were also rubbing their hands like flies, distorted smiles on their faces. They werepletely different from before, back when they were coldly looking at them. Dorian. Raon smiled faintly and extended his hand to the right. Dorian gave him the duhans head that he was holding with the tips of his fingers. Raon took the duhans head and threw it on the tform. Wham! The remaining blood inside the duhans head scattered over the fake smiles of the pigs above the tform. Aaaah! Wh-what do you think you are doing?! Hieeh! Dont tell me this is alive! The executives freaked out and fell on their asses upon meeting the duhans eyes, still glowing crimson after death. Step. Raon trampled the red carpet at the center of the audience chamber and went above the tform. The dry pressure creeping from his shoulders revealed his displeasure. Gasp! Kuh Ugh! The executives couldnt panic anymore because they were crushed by his frightening pressure, and they trembled in fear with faces that suggested they were about to die. Raon didnt even take a nce at them, instead going straight to the top of the tform. Weegen was writhing on his chair, and Raon shoved the death knights skull at him. The green fires were still sparking from its eyes. Aaah! The throne fell to the back, unable to withstand the heavy weight of Weegens panic. This death knight was born at the end of the Swamp of Death. Raon pulled up the throne where Weegen used to sit, cing the death knights helmet on top of it. If the Amber de division leader didnt call us, this head wouldve been sitting on this throne instead of you after trampling over your corpses. The mes still burning in green from the death knights skull justified his im. We-Wendy wouldve killed a monster like that! Weegens lips trembled, and he couldnt even look at the death knights skull on the chair. Raons lips twisted into a sneer. So you cant even tell its rank. Considering the fact that he could still say that after he witnessed the green light radiating from the empty eye sockets, his head mustve be empty already. I couldnt have won against it. Wendy bowed from behind Raon. She looked like she was extremely ashamed of her house. Pr-Prica! Tell us the story! What is that death knight? That death knight is an intermediate fiend. Mo-moreover, there were two duhans involved as well. If they attacked us with their army, we wouldve been annihted Prica stated everything he had seen without exaggerating or deprecating the matter. Ah Ugh! The executives were unable to respond and lowered their heads after hearing the truth from the rangers. Raon smiled coldly and put his hand on the throne where Weegen used to sit. Thud! The huge steel throne was crushed like scrap metal, unable to withstand the power from Raons hand. Weegen Arianne, you have no right to stay on this throne. Ill deprive you of your position until I get instructions from Zieghart Wh-what do you mean?! Weegen stood up with trembling shoulders. The bulging fat on his chin and belly looked like hed gotten even fatter in the meantime. Im the head of house here. What right do you have?! He ground his teeth, saying that he wasnt allowed to do that. Right? You Fuck rights! Raon snorted and was about to speak when Martha stepped forward. She climbed the tform with her eyes burning angrier than ever. This fucking pig still didnt learn his lesson! Pi-pig? You little bitch! You almost killed everyone in this house, yet you still dare to talk back! You know nothing I know everything, you fucking pig! Martha kicked the ground and jumped towards Weegen to punch his face. Smaack! Weegen couldnt even defend himself as he was mmed onto the ground after she punched him. Kweeeh! He rolled down the tform, sounding like an actual dying pig. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Marthas furious back. Did this remind her of the past? He didnt know the details, but he guessed that she was more furious than others because shed experienced the annihtion of her vige by the White Blood Religion. D-do you believe you can get away with this?! Weegen pointed his finger at her while showing his missing teeth. Who do you think is supporting me Who is it? Raon walked down the tform with his eyes glowing in deadly light. A frightening coldness engulfed the entire audience chamber because the pressure of a conqueror naturally spread around as he breathed. Tell me. Chapter 395 Chapter 395 Say it. Raon took another step towards him. Weegen Ariannes face turned pale because his footsteps were crushing his soul. Who is backing you up? Raon raised his chin while looking at his distorted eyes. Im curious which great name allowed Arianne to be ruined to this point. Kuuh! Weegen couldnt endure his frightening pressure and stepped back with trembling hands. A-a pce master! He screamed. He looked like he was making a desperate effort. Hes not from a mere squad like you. Hes the master of a pce! Weegen red at him while saying that one of Ziegharts pce masters had his back. A pce master? As soon as Weegen said pce master, he collected the pressure that was dominating the audience chamber. Yes! Weegen violently exhaled and nodded. His jelly belly wavered like an ocean. You mustve finally realized that you picked the wrong opponent! He showed his teeth and smiled. He seemed to believe that Raon removed his pressure because he was afraid. How dare you hit me? That little bitch wont have an easy death! Shut up, you look like a toenail. Martha clenched her fist and ran towards him. She couldnt suppress her anger even though he mentioned the pce master. Hieeh! Weegen fell on his ass once again because he didnt expect that the mention of a pce master wouldnt be enough to stop her. Stop. Raon raised his hand to stop her, and Martha stepped back with a frown. Even you cant do anything against authority. Weegen stood up with fluttering cheeks. His arrogant face looked like he managed to reverse the situation to achieve victory. My lord! Are you okay? Those barbarians! House Ariannes executives realized that their backer was enough to stop them and came running at Weegen to support him. You idiots. Did you really believe we had no n? So, who is behind you? Hmm Weegen rolled his eyes without saying anything. He seemed to have noticed the strange turn of events. Were you lying? Raon lowered his hand that was stopping Martha. He was pretty much threatening Weegen to prevent him froming up with a plot. I-its the True Martial Pce of Sir Balder! Weegen shouted the name of his backer as soon as he met Marthas eyes. True Martial Pce Raon quietly murmured the name of True Martial Pce, which he had multiple conflicts with in the past. People dont change. Since there werent that many pces in Zieghart, he thought it would be either the Central Martial Pce or the True Martial Pce, and his guess was right. Are you finally regretting it after hearing the name? Weegen tilted his chin with a triumphant expression. His face was even more arrogant than when Raon had first arrived in the house. Creak! The sound of Marthas teeth grinding could be heard from behind Raon. She seemed to be suppressing her urge to run ahead to beat Weegen up. Haa Raon briefly sighed and looked at Weegen and the executives surrounding him. Are any of you willing to confess your sins and withdraw from your position? The sneers around Weegen and the executives mouths intensified upon hearing Raons question. Stop your nonsense! Wevemitted no sins! Skipping the scouting a few times shouldnt be a death sentence! Well reward you for this incident, so keep quiet The executives shook their heads while telling Raon to stop his nonsense. The sound of a lump of metal hitting the ground could be heard from behind him. Raon turned around. The Amber de division leader, Wendy Arianne had put down her sword and was taking off her uniform. I failed to carry out the houses mission. Ill resign as the Amber de division leader and withdraw from the scene. Wendy disarmed herself before she fell on her knees and bowed to show her obedience. Her action confirmed once again that she was the only person among them who deserved to be treated as human. Wendy Amber de division leader! That damn bitch The executives ground their teeth at Wendy. They were murmuring that she was trying to ruin their victory. This is what I expected. Now then When Raon was about to start beating them up, one of the executives came up next to Wendy. Can I kneel over here? He was Baneder. The middle-aged man was the head of rangers, whom Raon couldnt see during the previous meeting, and he disarmed himself with a faint smile on his face. My name is Baneder. I also failed to fulfill my mission as the leader of the scouts. He went on his knees and bowed at Raon just like Wendy. Baneder! What are you doing right now!? Stand up already! Weegen and the executives were shouting at Baneder, but he didnt stand up. That man Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Baneder. Is this because of his sharp instincts? Raon didnt expect him to be submissive because he had decreased his pressure and acted like he was going to yield on purpose. He seemed to have sharp wits because hed been a ranger for his entire life. I can still beat him, though. Since he confessed his own sins, he could just beat him up for them. Raon unleashed his aura while walking toward Weegen and the executives. The heat intensified every time he took a step, and their skin reddened like grilling meat. Wh-what are you doing?! Stay back! The True Martial Pce is backing us up! Sir Balder is on our side! So what? The executives mentioned the True Martial Pce and Balders name to threaten him, but Raon trampled on their names with his boots and kept walking toward them. You said the True Martial Pce of Balder, right? Yes! His authority is iparable to yours Raon punched Weegens greasy mouth as he kept rambling. Smaack! Along with the bursting sound of a ball, Weegens yellow teeth were knocked out. Aaaaack! Weegen couldnt even cover his mouth, blood was gushing out as he writhed in pain. Gasp! Yo-you bastard What do you think you are doing?! The True Martial Pce is supporting us Raon walked towards the executives with a smile. He punched their trembling faces one after the other. Smaack! He was controlling his strength but he was just so strong that the executives either lost their teeth or got their cheeks and chins crushed before getting mmed onto the ground. Kuah! Aaah! Uuuh They were crying and writhing on the ground, like people who felt pain for the first time in their lives. Hey! Martha shouted from behind. Leave some for me! They are going to break if you hit them! Those fucking dirtbags! She leaped towards them in an instant and started to step on Weegen and the executives. Im also beating them up! Krein also came running next to Martha and started beating the executives. D-do you believe you can get away with this?! Weegen weakly dered while trembling. Sir Balder isnt going to forgive yo Raon went on his knees to meet Weegens eyes as he kept running his mouth. Id love to see that. Ugh Weegens body trembled upon facing his icy cold gaze. Because he will end up like you if he does. No-nonsense! You cant possibly win against him! His eyes were trembling in disbelief. No, I cant. Then how Because you arent the only one who has a backer. What? Do you remember who bestowed me with full authority? A frightening smile appeared on Raons face as he grabbed Weegen by his hair. The head of house? Weegens chin trembled. He seemed to have finally remembered what Raon had said in the beginning. Bu-but thats for the mission! This is a matter inside our house! You are clearly overstepping your bounds This is also included in the mission that he gave me full authority over. There was no way Glenn wasnt aware of the situation in the house. Raon was certain that he wanted him to clean up the pigs in House Arianne on top of purifying the swamp. Im disposing of trash, and this is the most important job. Weegen and the executives had never gone through a life-and-death battle. Because theyd never experienced a crisis before, they were naive enough to count on their des instead of reading their opponents mind. Ah The Destructive King of the North W-we are screwed Weegen and the executivesst hope was shattered into pieces, and they copsed with soulless faces. Da-damn it Weegen copsed with a hopeless expression. Its too early to lie down! Martha hurriedly ran towards him and kicked his head upwards. Along with the shattering sound of the wall, Weegen soared to the ceiling. Seriously, you are Wrath suddenly appeared and narrowed his eyes. So evil! Why? You are giving them pain and despair right after giving them some hope. Thats what the original demons used to do in antiquity! He furtively came next to Raon and clenched his shoulder. Theres no other choice. Hmm? Your talent is suitable for Devildom! Lets conquer Devildom along with the King of Essence Im not buying it. * * * * * * At the three stone pirs located at the end of the Swamp of Death, peace had returned to the swamp. It was as if the battle between Raon and the death knight had never happened before. A man d in a ck robe descended upon it. He was the Specter, wearing an archlichs mask with blue mes burning from the eyes. Was I toote? The Specter briefly clicked his tongue, while looking at the peaceful Swamp of Death. It looks like Raon Zieghart has been here. Hed been so busy with so many preparations that he wished that he had multiple bodies. The death knight that hed left in the swamp was also part of the n, but he ended up dying far too quickly. No, maybe its better this way. The Specter snapped his gray fingers. A clear sound echoed throughout the area, and the swamp under the stone pir started to boil likeva. Whir! The boiling swamp that looked like it was about to explode was split in half. A bead slowly floated from below. It was as transparent as ake, unlike the dirty swamp around it. Come here. The specter slowly walked towards it and extended his hand. The bead soared from the swamp and spontaneously fell on his hand. He smiled faintly while looking at the bead, which looked ordinary andcking any kind of energy. His death elerated the purification. The reason why he scattered the undead in the swamp was to purify the bead, and the death of the death knight elerated the process. He felt like he could just take the bead and leave without wasting any more time. No. The Specter raised his gaze and looked at the east, where House Arianne was located. This is a chance. ording to the intel, Raon Zieghart wasnt the only important person in House Arianne. The Sirens incarnation that the stupid Merlin missed in the past was also there, along with the King of Lizardmans incarnation. It was a perfect opportunity to kill Raon, who kept bing an obstacle to Eden, and also take the two incarnations with him. I can also experiment. He injected the mana of darkness inside the bead on his hand. A ck line pierced into the bead. The bead used to be as clear as the sky after rainfall but started to turn darker. Cring. The Specter opened his hand, and the bead spontaneously floated into the air while turning darker and vibrating to resonate with the swamp. Death knights and liches made of gray bones started to float on the clean swamp. A dry smile appeared on the Specters face as he watched the undead of the highest rank slowly being created. Ill change history. * * * Raon threw Weegen and the executives at a corner of the audience chamber and called for Baneder. Despite his boorish appearance, he bowed politely. Why did you volunteer to withdraw? Im pretty quick at reading the situation. Baneder smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. I heard from the others that Sir Raon was bestowed with full authority by the head of house Zieghart when you first arrived in Arianne. I quickly gave up because I realized this fight was unwinnable. He smiled, saying that he was confident about judging character because he always had to please other people. Why didnt you tell them about it if you knew? I needed someone to take responsibility once the operation to distract you failed. Baneder licked his lips while looking at the executives that Krein had smacked. So you are admitting that you ordered the rangers to change direction. Yes. I was with them, of course. He kept saying that the other executives were at fault with him. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Baneder, who was surrendering by raising both of his hands. This is repulsive for some reason. He was the typical snake, borrowing Wraths words. He always tried to create a path for his escape, and he wasnt trustworthy at all. I know that Im at fault Bullllllshit! Martha couldnt suppress her anger and ran towards Baneder to kick his mouth when he was trying to speak. Smaack! Even though she controlled her strength, teeth came out of Baneders mouth one after the other from her furious kick. Kuah! An apology wont do when youve been a dipshit all along. Baneder copsed to the side and she smacked his forehead. You fucking hairworm! Because Baneder was trying to take advantage of the others, Martha seemed to hate him even more than Weegen and the executives who were trying to oppose them until the end. She kept kicking him furiously. Just dont kill him. Raon tapped on Marthas shoulder and went towards Wendy Arianne, who was kneeling on the ground. Why did you want to withdraw? Because Im also an executive of Arianne. Wendy responded with her head lowered. I realized it after I heard Pricas story. If the death knight attacked us along with the undead, House Arianne wouldve been annihted. Her fists were trembling on her knees. I shouldve gone into the swamp on my own if I had to, but I was unable to take action because I was too afraid of the head of house and the other executives. I cant stand how pathetic I am. But you are the one who called us. That was thest bit of courage that I could muster. I wouldnt even be here to speak with you if I didnt do that. Wendy was on the verge of tears as she said that she wouldnt be able to wield a sword anymore because of how ashamed she felt. Instead of talking to Wendy, Raon unsheathed her sword. The hilt was stained with traces of her touch, and the de was polished enough to fight at any moment. It was theplete opposite of Weegens sword. It is nicely maintained. Wendy and her sword division were the only ones in the house that could fight against an enemy. Hmph! The fact that the viin detector Martha wasnt attacking her after she made Baneder faint was enough proof that she was different from the others. Take this. Raon returned the sword to Wendy and put her uniform on her shoulders. He smiled faintly and took the round bead that was the symbol of House Ariannes head from the tform to bring it to her. S-Sir Raon? Wendys shoulders were trembling in panic after she received the symbol of her house. You are the only one who can manage this house now. Bu-but Im no different from them If everyone made a mistake, then the one with a guilty conscience should be in charge. Uhh Wendy bit her lip, upon hearing Raons cid voice. She closed her eyes while clenching the symbol of her house in her hand. I-I couldnt dare The only ones I liked among the warriors I encountered in this house were the Amber de swordsmen that follow you as the leader. All of them had nicely trained bodies and minds. They were weaker than the Light Wind squad, but they were true warriors whod been polishing their bodies and minds by following Wendys example. But I wont give the position to you without any conditions. I need to exin to our head of house, so Im going to stay here for a while to watch how you manage this house. Err If a manager ends up being dispatched from Zieghart, Arianne could be a branch instead of a vassal house. You need to work for it if you want to revive this house. Wendy clenched her stained hilt upon hearing the gentle threat from Raon. I understand. Wendy raised her head. Her unwavering eyes showed that she had made up her mind. Ill try. Ill report to the head of house about this after this house gets back on track. Since Raon was thinking that Glenn sent him there for that reason, he was confident he could persuade him as long as Wendy did her job. Understood. Ill sincerely express my gratitudeter. Ill be waiting. Wendy bowed politely before leaving the audience chamber. Raon smiled faintly and turned around. Dorian. Yep! Dorian shoved the snacks he was eating into his belly pocket and nodded. Take the skull and the head from above the tform. Ugh He showed his displeasure without even hiding it and took out a sack from his belly pocket to put the duhans head inside. The skull is rtively better. Dorian sighed faintly and went on the tform. It was at that moment that mes were violently ignited from the skulls eyes. Whaap! The dancing fire looked like the death knight was getting revived, but the skull split into pieces, starting from the top, and turned into gray powder before scattering into the air. Raon swallowed nervously while watching the scene. Thats Chapter 396 Chapter 396 Dorians lips trembled as he looked back. I didnt do anything! Its true! The skull destroyed itself! He frantically shook his hands, iming that it wasnt his fault that the death knights skull was destroyed. Burren pointed at Weegens throne, which was crushed like scrap metal. Didnt Raon identally destroy it earlier when he was crushing that chair? Oh, right! It was the vice squad leaders doing! Dorian immediately nodded in agreement. Our vice squad leader used to destroy everything when he was called the king of destruction! This must be another case of his destruction! Dorian supported Burrens im, trying to grasp the opportunity on hand. Martha became curious and went up to the tform. Thats not the case. She shook her head after she saw the powdery remains of the death knights skull. Its true that he is stupidly strong, but this was destroyed by a different type of power. Shes right. Runaan nodded. She was on the tform before they knew it. An explosion urred inside of it a moment ago. Runaan licked her lips while rubbing the powder that used to be the death knights skull with a branch that shed brought from somewhere. Ueeh Dorians face turned pale, terrified by Martha and Runaans testimony. Please dont kill me! He immediately knelt in front of Raon and bowed. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the skull powder that Runaan was poking instead of Dorian. Runaan is right. The energy of death burst from inside the skull and burnt the bone. He couldnt understand how the energy of death had suddenly appeared. Wrath. Whats up? Wrath emerged from the bracelet and yawned leisurely. Do you know why the energy of death burst out from that skull? Theres nothing in the world that the King of Essence doesnt know. Then why? Raon was trying to ask the reason, only for Wrath to wag his round finger at him. Hmm? The world functions with give and take as the basis. The grape and blueberry recipes are famous in this region. Start by offering him grape jam sandwiches and blueberry pie Wrath listed the famous food in the region while humming. Raon was curious about when he even heard about it to manage to remember at all. Ill eat them all. He nodded since he didnt have any other choice. Two of each! Sure, just start the exnation. Ahem! Wrath cleared his throat for no reason and raised his eyes. The reason the energy of death exploded from the death knights skull was because the connection was lost. The connection was lost? Which means You guessed right. The death knight was summoned by another being. Ah Raon slowly nodded while looking at Wrath. That certainly sounds more reasonable. The Swamp of Death had remained unchanged for hundreds of years after the first heads era. It sounded more reasonable that the abnormality was from someones influence rather than for natural reasons. Who summoned the death knight? The King of Essence doesnt know. Then wheres the summoner? Are they at the pir that we visited before? They might be, and they might not be. Huh? A simple maniption like this is possible from extremely far away. Thats why the King of Essence doesnt know. Wrath said that the position couldnt be known because the skull burned when the connection was severed. But you just said that theres nothing you dont know. This is the only thing he doesnt know! He raised his nonexistent nose and confidently dered that he didnt know. Haa Raon sighed and shook his head. Im eating nothing but Nadine bread starting from today. Wh-what do you mean?! What happened to the blueberry pie?! You deserve Nadine bread. You are ignorant when ites to anything important. Raon couldnt understand why Wrath was pretending he knew everything when he didnt know the location or the identity of the summoner. But he knows that he doesnt know! This is an extremely important factor Shut up. Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept struggling and looked at House Ariannes symbol engraved on the wall. Now that I think about it The fact that someone else had summoned the death knight reminded him of the information that Judiel had given him. They fought a lich in the past. Hundreds of years ago, the first head of Zieghart and Ariannebined their forces to fight a monster in the Swamp of Death, and their opponent was an archlich instead of a death knight. Raon went towards Weegen, who was crushed in a corner, while recalling that information. Weegen Arianne. Wh-whats the matter, Sir? Respect was shoved into him from Marthas beating. Tell me the story of the battle between the first heads of Zieghart and Arianne against the archlich. What? Im asking you about what happened during the foundation of this house. I-I dont really know about that Huh. Raon eximed. Wait, no, it would be surprising if he knew. Since he was calling himself the head of house despite not even knowing the history of the house, the decline was just a natural result. I know about that one. Baneder raised his hand while kneeling behind Raon. You know about that? Werent you supposed to be an outsider who joined the houseter? Thats why I worked harder to learn about it. Baneder nodded while rubbing his bruised eyes. In short, what you said was correct. The first heads of Zieghart and Arianne led their subordinates to fight through countless undead to reach the end of the Swamp of Death, emerging victorious against the archlich. He calmly continued. After that, the first head of Zieghart asked the first head of Arianne to protect this location to prevent it from happening again. Thats why Baneder told Raon a few more facts about House Ariannes history. He was unexpectedly knowledgeable about it. And you never scouted the area despite knowing that fact. Knowing and doing are two different matters. Weegen didnt know anything and Baneder didnt do anything even though he knew. They were both equally pathetic. He still hasnt learned his lesson! Martha jumped down from the tform and kicked him right away. Smaack! Baneder was mmed into the wall with the sound of crushing iron. You shameless bastards! Raon ignored Martha as she started beating up the executives once again and tapped on his scabbard. I should go into the swamp on my own if I have to after the matter is settled here. Considering the fact that Wrath didnt say anything, the summoner of the death knight shouldnt have been in the Swamp of Death before. However, they could return to the swamp and cause an even bigger problemter, given that they destroyed the skull. Raon figured that it was necessary to investigate the swamp probably on his own before he left House Arianne. Before then Raon turned around and pped his hands. Gather. As soon as he told them to gather, the frightening gaze returned to the Light Wind squad as they gathered towards him. Its time to keep the promise. Promise? What promise? The Light Wind members tilted their heads in bewilderment. You didnt manage to kill the death knight. Wait, but it was impossible for us to kill it! Defending was already too hard because it kept getting stronger! You meanie Burren, Martha, and Runaan shook their heads, saying that it was an impossible task to begin with. But I killed it, and it only took me a single strike. Raon shrugged his shoulders, and the Light Wind squad shut their mouths as their own trembled. This training exercise wont be too difficult. Raon smiled coldly while looking at the Light Wind squad and Mark Goetten. Because it will be a survival game where only one side is going to die. * * * * * * Zieghart Lords Manor Audience Chamber Roenn ced a white teacup on the round table in front of the throne. This tea is brewed with Barrence. He smiled faintly while pouring the orange-colored tea. A sweet fragrance spread around along with the melting sound of the tea leaves. Barrence? Did you change the tea leaves? Glenn lowered his eyebrows while watching the teas color grow more vivid. Yes. A tea brewed with Barrence canfort the mind. I didnt dislike the previous tea. I tried changing it because my lord seemed to be having a hard time sleeping recently. Roenn smiled faintly while putting down the teaspoon that he used to stir the tea. Hmm, I see. Yes. Drinking this tea should decrease the worries for the young masters who went to House Arianne. Ahem! Glenn loudly cleared his throat and shook his hand. Wh-what do you mean? They went there for a trial. I dont care what happens to them! Despite what you say Roenn shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the windows on his right. Youve been watching the window all day long recently. It could be a good idea to pay them a visit in this situation. Hmm Glenn frowned in contemtion and mmed the armrest upon noticing that Roenns eyes started to smile. I told you already! I dont care about what happens to Raon at all. Huhu. Roenn smiled faintly and nodded. Actually, Im also a bit curious whether the young master Raon will notice the true meaning behind this mission. Hmm. Glenn calmed down and sipped the tea. Divisions get missions where they have to decide and act on their own ord. If he cant even deal with this matter even though I gave him authority, hes just not capable enough to run a division. Ah, so you were worried that the young master Raon might not be qualified to run a division yet. Ugh, I told you thats not the case! He shook his hand, pretending he was really uninterested in him. However, he couldnt hide the sweat flowing down the back of his hand. Roenn smiled faintly while looking at Glenns hand. I have a feeling that the young master Raon is going topletely overhaul House Arianne before he retur While he was saying that Raon was going to splendidlyplete his mission, the arch-shaped door of the audience chamber burst open. The red-haired elf standing in front of the door confidently entered the audience chamber as if he were entering his own room. You are both here! Rimmers hair was disheveled, and his clothes were as ragged as Federicks. However, his eyes were as clear and serene as a mountainke. Hmm Glenn nced at Rimmers ragged shape from top to bottom and tapped on the thrones armrest with his finger. He hasrecovered his original appearance slightly. His pressure was on a whole different level, which was surprising even though he was training in that cave. His artificial energy center was stabilized, and the energies inside were settled properly. A small smile appeared on Glenns face because he was good enough to remind him of the Sword of Light from the past. I couldnt find the kids in the training ground. Where did they go? I gave them the second trial because you werenting out. Huh? Rimmer gasped and jolted. Really? Yes. You took too long Wow, Im so d to hear that! He grinned while smoothing down his chest in relief. I managed to finish the training, but I didnt feel like going on a mission! I was wondering what I should do, and its already solved! Rimmer started humming, saying that it was worth taking so long on purpose. Huhuhu Roenn walked away while leaving his signatureughter behind. He mustve guessed what was about to happen to Rimmer. My lord. Rimmer took another step towards Glenn, who had fallen silent. Actually, Raon is already capable of dealing with most missions. He will solve the problem and return even if we dont do anything. He smiled while covering the back of his head with his fingers locked together. Haa Glenn forced himself to stop the hand that was trying to attack Rimmer and sighed. But you are the squad leader. You should catch up to them since you said you wanted to be their division leader. Whaat? Rimmer stretched his words to express his annoyance. About thaaat, House Arianne is too far. Its also sticky and damp, which isnt exactly to my liking When he shrugged his shoulders and clearly refused his order, crimson lightning started to appear from the ceiling. Huh? Rimmers jaw dropped upon seeing the spark tearing through the space. I-is this already happening? I was mistaken. You havent changed at all. Glenns face hardened, and the lightning energy filling the ceiling struck at once. Wham! Rimmers eyes sparkled. With his right hand d in wind and left hand d in lightning, he extended both his hands towards the lightning falling towards him. Zap! The moment the lightning touched him, he opened his hands in a cone shape to sever Glenns lightning into half and make it scatter on the ground. Pssh! The ground was scorched ck once the lightning passed through. Wow! Rimmer eximed while looking at his hands. I only thought about it, but it actually worked! He grinned while absorbing the remaining bits of Glenns lightning energy in his body. Hu.Hu.Hu Roenns discontinuedughter expressed his surprise at the situation. Hmm. Glenn wasnt too surprised and smiled faintly while looking at Rimmers hands. You are less unsightly now. It actually took too long My lord, you mustve gotten old. It doesnt even prickle. Rimmerughed loudly with his arms crossed. His lips were raised into an arrogant smile as a bonus. Maybe Ill be the head of house at this rate. Bulging veins appeared on Glenns forehead upon hearing that. He closed his mouth and raised his hand. Rumble! The lightning energy gathering around the ceiling was iparably stronger than the previous one. Uhh Rimmers chin trembled violently as he raised his head. I-I was just joking. I cant stop that one He slowly stepped back before he turned around. He tried to run away from the lords manor as fast as possible when the lightning sparked. Whaam! The lightning struck Rimmers abdomen before he could even react. Aaaaack! Rimmer was scorched by the lightning and rolled on the ground. Zap! However, Glenns hand hadnt finished moving. One hit isnt enough now because Ive gotten too old. Wa-wait Rimmers chin trembled in fear as he watched the lightning sphere get bigger and bigger. Im not waiting. Aaaaack! The sound of thunder and screams could be heard endlessly from the lords manor. * * * Raon was looking down on House Arianne while standing on the western castle wall. Lots of people were busily moving around, but the faint anxiety hed felt when hed first arrived wasnt there anymore. Theyve changed a lot. One week had passed after House Ariannes head of house was changed. Wendy Arianne became the temporary head of house, and she chose apologizing as her first task. She gathered every member of the house and exined what happened, asking for forgiveness. Wendy also revealed all of her mistakes, but the people in the house didnt insult her or nder her. Since they were fully aware of how Wendy had been living, they encouraged her instead. The people who used to follow Weegen and the executives were against it, but Marthas fist calmed them down. I knew I chose the right person for the task when I witnessed that scene. Considering the fact that she was the only one that the people kept supporting when every other executive was being insulted, Wendys personality and sense of responsibility were the real deal. The second task Wendy decided to perform was to reorganize the defense of the house. That was your suggestion. Wrath snorted. Indeed. Raon nodded. He made her train the warriors in the house and repair the defensive structures because the one who summoned the death knight could attack them once again. There was still a ton of work to do because only one week had passed, but the workers were extremely energetic. Whaam! While he was watching people work hard while sweating, a loud bang could be heard from the Swamp of Death. Raon casually looked around. The Light Wind squad was fighting against Mark Goetten, who was using his astral energy, in the Great Light Wind Formation behind the violent waves of the swamp. ng! ang! The Light Wind squad and Mark Goetten were attacking each other to the best of their abilitiesas if they were facing the archenemy they needed to kill at all costs. They are going all out. Of course they are. You are making the losing team train all night long! Wrath glowered at Raons ridiculous treatment. Thats a good thing though. You are the only one who finds it good! He shook his head, telling him to stop saying bullshit. Humans arent perverts like you who love training so much! Pervert isnt right. Raon chuckled and lowered his gaze. Yua and Yulius were training their stamina inside the swamp. This is the perfect ce to train. There werent many opportunities to train inside a swamp. He was nning to get everyone used to the swamp and increase their stamina while they were there. Well, thats not wronHmm? Wrath interrupted himself and looked afar. Whats up? Call them in. What? Call all those weaklings in! Raon couldnt understand the reason, but he could tell that something outrageous was happening because of how surprised Wrath was. He watched below him while controlling the Perception of the Snow Flower to the maximum. Come up here, everyone! What? Vice squad leader? What did you just say? Everyone started at Raon because he had never interrupted training before. Climb back into the castlAh! Raon swallowed nervously while looking towards the Swamp of Death. A huge tsunami was approaching from afar. He could estimate that they didnt even have time to open and close the castle gate. Damn it! He immediately jumped down from the castle wall and picked Yua and Yulius up on his sides. Jump back in here if you dont want to die! He dered and kicked the castle walls to climb. Wh-what?! Whats wrong with him now? Go inside for now! The Light Wind squad was surprised but followed Raon onto the castle wall. It didnt even take one minute after everyonended on the castle wall before a huge shadow appeared on the white fog. Wh-what is that? Swamp! Its the swamp! A tsunami ising from the swamp The huge tsunami that approached the castle walls looked to be made of the entire swamp. Raon had the feeling that the entire castle was going to get swept away and disappear. Whaap! Raon chewed his lip and unleashed ciers energy to the extreme. He focused arge amount of coldness that made his entire body turn white and extended his hand towards the muddy tsunami. If I can use Wraths technique Chapter 397 Chapter 397 The Ring of Fire rotated violently around his heart. The seven rings resonated in unison, and Raon could feel a hot fire flowing through his spine. The tsunami of the swamp slowed down, and the screams and breathing of the people on the castle walls came to a halt. The time seemed to have stopped during his extreme focus. Raon entered that world and called Wrath. You managed to call the King of Essence in that state. Youve gotten better. Wraths eyes turned round in surprise. As Raon expected, Wrath was inside that world with him since they were connected by their souls. Help me use your technique. Technique? Dont tell meare you talking about the one I showed you inside the mental world? Yes. Raon quickly lowered his eyebrows. Thats the only chance we have. He realized it when he extended his hand earlier. Even if he unleashed all of ciers frost that he had ess to, he was incapable of freezing the tsunami. The iplete freeze would result in falling ice shards and kill even more people. Teach me the technique you used to freeze the space itself inside the mental world. He felt like time was flowing slowly because he was extremely focused, but it wasnt actually slower. He had to act quicklythe tsunami was approaching as he spoke. You shameless bastard. Wrath snorted. The King of Essence doesnt even want to teach you, but you wont be able to use it even if he does. What? That technique requires you to be as talented as the King of Essence when ites to controlling the frost. A weak human like you will only create an icicle by using it. He shook his round hand, saying that it was a meaningless struggle. The King of Essence rmends creating a barrier of astral energy after gathering those Mad Dog kids behind you. You shall be able to save them at lea Ill buy everything you want to eat from today until the day we return. Huh? You wont be able to eat the regional products made from grapes and blueberries if this ce is ruined. Huuh? Wrath didnt contemte for long. Repeat after the King of Essences flow and control cier right now! His ice pierced into Raons mana circuits. He unleashed cier to the maximum output and followed that flow. Kuh The pain in his mana circuits made it feel like they were going to burst from utilizing too much frost at once, but he gritted his teeth and endured. The next up is the wrath. The wrath seeped into him from Wrath. Raon unleashed the wrath dwelling at the bottom of his soul and followed the huge flow Wrath was creating. Ack Raon clenched his back teeth. He felt like his body was creaking and was about to break. He endured the bone-shattering pain and his mana circuits getting ripped apart to extend his hand once again. Unleash the gathered wrath and ice at once! The name of this technique is The moment the tsunami of the swamp created a huge shadow on the castle walls, Raon opened the embankment that was blocking the energy from his hand. Pssh. Along with the cold sensation of freezing blood inside his veins, silver-white frost emerged from his hand. Lastly, the most important thing isthe image. Raon created the image that Wrath had been constantly talking about. He imagined the entire wave of swamp freezing and twisted his wrist. The Ring of Fire rotating around his heart resonated with the frost scattered all around the world. He incorporated the entire flow of cier and unleashed all of it, not leaving a single speck behind. Swaaa! The brilliant, shining silver-white sh soared from the center of his right hand to cover the entire tsunami. The ultimate technique of the Monarch of Wrath. Silver-White Aurora. The wave of swamp was tilted towards them, ready to engulf them at any moment, but it turned a silver-white color and its movement came to a halt. It wasnt because of his extreme focus. The swamp itself froze, fallingpletely still. Whir. The huge tsunami was frozen, not leaking mud in the slightest, and that sight felt alien. It was as if it was a power beyond the bnce of the world was present. This is the Silver-White Aurora An aurora was often called heavens curtain covering the sky. The prowess was befitting its name. Uuh Di-did he just freeze that? Is he even human? Mud ice cream Burren, Martha, and Runaan swallowed nervously while looking at the shadow made by the huge tsunami, which was covering the sunlight. Gasp! Vi-vice squad leader! He really is insane I knew he was a monster, but The Light Wind squad on the castle wall had fallen on their asses and were staring at him, their eyes trembling like sailboats on a turbulent ocean. Whir. Raon kept rotating the Ring of Fire without sparing any time to listen to their surprise. Damn itIt hurts so damn much. Even though he was rotating the Ring of Fire and had increased the level of his soul, the pain felt like his entire body was being torn apart. It was because hed controlled too much energy at once with a method that hed never used before. Huff He raised his head while exhaling in pain. He still couldnt believe that hed created that silver-white frozen tsunami of mud with his own hands. However, there was a more important matter that needed his attention. The one that created this tsunamimust be him. Such a huge tsunami couldnt have urred naturally from the swamp. It mustve been the work of the magician whod previously summoned the death knight. Since they could be watching him from somewhere, Raon maintained a peaceful expressionas if he were unaffected. Grit! Wrath violently ground his teeth while looking at Raons nonchnt expression. You crazy bastard! How did you do that?! Why are you asking when you are the one who taught me? About that Wrath did teach him the flow of the technique, but he didnt think he would actually manage it. He thought the swamp would freeze to a certain extent before it copsed, but the crazy bastard actually managed to freeze the entire swamp. Because he wasnt expecting you to seed! I imagined it. What? You always say that image is the most important part about using mana. I remembered how you used that technique in the mental world and thought about freezing the entire swamp. Ugh, the King of Essence is never teaching anything to you ever again! Wrath ground his teeth. He seemed so butthurt. Its fine. Raon slowly nodded. Ive already memorized it. Hed memorized the flow of ice because he was using the Silver-White Aurora while the Ring of Fire was resonating. It was still going to be difficult to use it on his own, though. Seriously, you arent likable at all! What a shame. Im starting to like you now. Shut your trap! Raon smiled faintly and clenched Heavenly Drives hilt. He circted the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to ease the ice all around his body and drew his sword. Swoosh! The astral energy was unleashed and created a red line, severing the frozen wave of the swamp. The wave scattered into pieces as big as the castle and rained down from the sky. Whaam! Because those ice shards were a tremendous size, they created craters on the ground as they fell. Haa Raon slowly caught his breath and returned Heavenly Drive to his scabbard. Wendy Arianne climbed up to the castle wall alongside the Amber de division and the ranger team leaders. Sir Raon! Wendys lips were trembling, her face turned pale. Wh-whats happening here? Why did the swamp turn into a tidal wave? The wave mustve originated from the end of the Swamp of Death. Ah She exhaled roughly while looking at the muddy wave that was cut apart after being frozen white. Is it over now? Wendy gathered her hands as if she were praying for it to be over. The others were also licking their dry lips, hoping for the same answer. Raon walked to the edge of the wall without responding. Rumble! The frozen mud was melting from the dark energy emerging on the ground. The lumps of mud that shouldve reached all the way to the top of the castle walls were crumbling into dust, and the dark ground was revealed after hundreds of years. Energy of death. Its a nasty stench like always. The energy of death started to slowly rise from thend that used to be oppressed by the vast and deep swamp. Raon raised his gaze to send it to the end of the Swamp of Death, which should be changed to Ground of Death. He could feel a huge presence from a faraway ce that even his aura perception couldnt reach. The enemy was revealing themselves on purpose. Haa Raon turned around while exhaling in irritation. He shook his head while looking at the people who were staring at him with trembling eyes. Its only getting started. Prepare for war. Considering the fact that the energy of death rising from the ground was getting stronger and stronger, the area was bound to be filled with undead before long. A siege to defend the castle was inevitable. The only relief we have isthat they are slightly ready. The first thing Wendy Arianne did after she became the temporary head of house was to refill the supplies for war and train the people. That was why they were somewhat ready for battle. Wa-war? Wendys shoulders were trembling as she covered her mouth. He said war Its going to start soon. War Her reddened cheeks and neck suggested that she had also noticed the energy of death rising from the ground. Wh-what shall I do first? I need to prepareno, send a messenger Lady Wendy. Raon walked up to Wendy, who was panicking. We dont have much time. You have to act to save House Arianne and these people. You know this ce better than anyone else. Ah Raon pointed at the people from House Arianne who were looking up to the castle walls while saying that. As Wendy saw the trembling eyes of those who didnt have anyone to rely on, her body stopped trembling. Understood. Wendy clenched her fist tightly and nodded. We are entering the defensive conditions! Sword division and rangers shall prepare for the siege! Understood! Probably because she was the one whod disciplined them, even the rangers responded, not just her sword division. They quickly started to act. Ding! Ding! Ding! The rm bell resounded after hundreds of years, and everyone started to prepare for war. Raon confirmed that everyone was busy before he turned around. Gather. The Light Wind squad mustve realized that it wasnt time to be ying around as they lined up on the castle walls and straightened their backs. Like I said just now, the war against the undead is about to start. Return to your lodgings and cultivate before you return. W-we are supposed to cultivate right now? Shouldnt we be defending this ce? You are also exhausted, vice squad leader. Thats right. You are the one who needs to cultivate, vice squad leader. Because theyd been together for such a long time, the Light Wind squad had noticed that Raon was exhausted. I can cultivate from here. Raon shook his head. He was controlling the Ring of Fire as he spoke, and he could easily recover from his internal injuries. Youve been sparring all morning. Quickly go to your rooms and recover your bodies and minds to their best condition and return. Raon twisted his lips while looking around thend where the energy of death was rising. You wont have any more time to cultivate if you miss this opportunity. Ugh Im so nervous Understood. The Light Wind squad didnt refuse any further, running down the castle walls after nodding their heads. Dorian, wait a moment. What? By any chance Raon called for Dorian, who was thest one to go down, and asked him if he had a certain item. Ah, of course. I have that. Its a necessity. Ill take it out right awhuh? He was putting his hand in his belly pocket and suddenly stopped. But isnt our mission going to fail if we use that one? Its okay. Raon shook his head with a faint smile on his face. Because thats also my No, the Light Wind squads power. * * * * * * After everyone left, Raon remained on the castle wall and watched over thend of death. His internal injuries were healed thanks to the Ring of Fire, and House Ariannes people were preparing for war with courage, but he still felt anxious. This is so intense now. The energy of death rising from thend below the swamp was getting stronger and stronger without any limit. An ordinary person without any mana would be unable to breathe and copse the moment they left the castle. Thats not the only problem. Indeed. Raon nodded and stared at the end of the Swamp of Death. A countless number of undead were being summoned from far away. It was so bad that he could feel the monsters energies, enhanced even further by the powerful energy of death. This is extremely danger Hes not talking about that! The King of Essence is asking why we arent eating grape sandwiches and blueberry pies! This isnt time for that. The King of Essence doesnt care! Keep your promise already! The shop is already closed. Then make it open! Raon was pushing Wrath back as he kept sticking to him like the swamp, and Wendy Arianne came running towards him. W-we have a problem. What problem? The emergencywork isnt working! Wendy scratched her arm with her nail, saying that the emergencywork hadnt been working for hours. I expected it wouldnt. Raon nodded casually. He never believed that a monster that could summon a growing death knight and create a wave of swamp was going to leave the emergencywork alone when it could be used to call for reinforcements. Which means We have to fight on our own for now. Raon took out two rings from his clothes and put them on his fingers. One of them was the Blue and Red Ring that hed obtained from House Yonaan, and the second one was the ring that the Archmage of the Eternal me, Chamber, had gifted to him. Haa Wendy hit her forehead and clenched her fist. So we have to defend without any reinforcements. She hardened her resolve and clenched her sword. Indeed. Raon nodded, and the Light Wind squad came up to the castle walls. Theirplexions were better than before because they finished their cultivation. We are ready. We will protect this ce, so you Martha was about to tell him to go back and cultivate, but Raon felt the rumblingnd from below. Everyone, including Raon, went towards the edge and looked at thend of death. Screech! Along with a grotesque noise that sounded like a bone flower was blooming, gray skeletons and green zombies were rising from the ground. The undead were surfacing from everywhere except for the area surrounding Arianne Castle. It was like new leaves sprouting from seeds scattered all around thend of death. Ah Wh-what the hell? Are they all undead? Is it even possible to defend? The rangers waiting on the castle walls trembled in fear as countless undead started to rise. Th-this is a lot. Burren chewed his lip while watching the skeletons rise endlessly. There are more undead heads thannd at this point! Martha clenched her fist and watched the zombies with shing eyes. They swallowed nervously with frowns on their faces. That number mustve been unexpected for both of them. They look like bead ice cream. Runaan licked her lips while looking at the skeleton heads. She was really special to have that impression in such a situation. Haa Th-the castle isnt going to copse, is it? We are all going to die if that happens. Shut up and get ready. Theyll be here soon. Everyone was nervous because of the overwhelming numbers. The undead lined up like an army and turned around. Instead of looking at House Ariannes castle, they knelt towards the three pirs in the Swamp of Death and let out a grotesque scream. Urrrrr! Grrrrr! It was an anthem of darkness. The undead were bowing at the master who summoned them after hundreds of years and singing an anthem for him. Just like the priests who gained holy power by worshiping their god, the energy of death dwelling in their bodies intensified from the action. Uwaaaa! Kieeeeh! The song of deathing from the countless undead even made the sun hide behind the clouds in fear. The sky turned gray, and the castle walls atmosphere that was ready for battle became as gloomy as a mourners house. Even the sound of people breathing had disappearedit was as if no one was there anymore. Wh-whats happening?! What are they doing?! M-my limbs are trembling Are they gaining their power from a demon? The rangers and the Amber de division, even the Light Wind squad, turned pale upon hearing the song of the undead. Cut the crap. Raon sneered and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. He unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the maximum output and pulled his right arm back. His pose looked like he was shooting a bow as he thrust the sword wrapped in concentrated me forward. Whaaam! The firestorm rising from the entire de engulfed the group of undead who were praising the darkness. The hundreds of undead melted down without even leaving a single bone behind. The endless anthem came to a halt, and the sunlight was revived, shining upon the castle walls. Mad Dog squad. Raon turned around. He smiled while noticing the fighting spirit in everyones eyes revive. Flesh next to the bone is usually the most delicious. He raised Heavenly Drive to point at the countless undead that remained after his attack. Chew them up. Chapter 398 Chapter 398 Raon exhaled quietly while swirling Heavenly Drive. He could feel that the undead, who were singing the anthem, were turning around. The army of undead numbered at least in the thousands, and a huge tremor urred from thend as they stepped forward at the same time. Thud! Thud! Thud! The footsteps and vibrations brimming with the energy of death pierced through the fog. As if they were telling him that the zombies and skeletons who had just died from the me Dragon Art couldnt even count as a vanguard, a countless army of undead revealed themselves. They only consisted of zombies and skeletons, but they were enough to make peoples jaws drop because of the sheer numbers before them. Its endless. The Light Wind squad, the Amber de division, and the rangers had managed to ovee their tension and fear, but they looked like they were going to be terrified once again. Raon was pondering what to do when he heard Burrens voice from behind him. Hey, vice squad leader. Burren dragged his lips upwards to create a dim smile. I told you this so many times before! We arent the Mad Dogs. We are the Light Wind squad! He shook his head, telling him to stop confusing the two. Hes doing that on purpose. Martha frowned while taking a step forward. Its because of that damn bastard that people are calling me Miss Rakshasa! Thats not true though. Its because of your personality in your case. Shut up! She shook her arm towards Runaan, who was rebuking her. Her hand wasnt trembling anymore. Raon. Runaan took a step away from Martha and looked at Raon. Lets go to the bead ice cream shop after this fight is over. I heard theres a new vor. Her nk eyes were blinking as if she had never been nervous to begin with. A new vor? Is she really talking about ice cream in this situation? Seriously, the vice squad leader and the team leaders never get nervous. But dont you kinda like the name Mad Dog? I find it cooler than Light Wind. Mad Dog is cool? Are you going to tell me now that Miss Rakshasa is also cool? Thats just scary. The Light Wind members were also chatting with smiles on their faces. They looked like they werent even feeling the pressure despite the huge number of undead. Theres no reason to be afraid! Wendy Arianne raised her fist while looking at the Amber de division and the rangers. We know these monsters better than anyone else! Dont let themy a finger on thisnd! A clear light glowed from the Amber de division and the rangers eyes upon hearing her shout. Shes right! They are just zombies and skeletons! Weve been fighting them for our entire lives! Lets do this! They hardened their resolve in unison, and the pressure emerging from the army was no less than the energy of deathing from the undead. You didnt even need to worry about it. Wrath grinned while poking at Raons cheek. Indeed. I was underestimating them too much. Raon smiled and incorporated aura in his voice. Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle! Yellow madness glowed from the Light Wind squads eyes, and unstained energy shone from the fingers of the Amber de swordsmen. The rangers also raised their bows, their eyes sparkling like eagles. Thud! Thud! Thud! The zombies and skeletons were approaching without any siege weapons to destroy the castle or anydders to climb the walls. They seemed to be trying to break through with sheer numbers. They would be called stupid if this were an ordinary battlefield, howeverIt is an effective method for them. The castle walls are weak, and there are plenty of corpses. House Ariannes castle walls became higher after the Swamp of Death disappeared. The one who summoned the undead mustve been trying to pile up the corpses of the zombies and skeletons to create stairs to climb the walls. Since the undead had a powerful energy of death, they could fissure the weakened castle walls just by touching them. To win that war, it was necessary to defeat them before they reached the castle walls. Raon raised his hand while looking at the swaying zombies and skeletons as they approached. Swoosh! The sounds of rangers notching their arrows and swordsmen unleashing their auras could be heard. The moment the zombies and skeletons entered their range, Raon extended his hand. Fire! Fire! Wendy Arianne repeated after him and thrust her sword. Whaam! Hundreds of bowstrings were released at the same time and filled the sky with silver-white rainfall. Thwack! Thwack! The rain of steel fell from their parabolic trajectory to storm through the skeletons. Many undead perished in a single strike, but a significant number of them were still alive. The rangers notched their arrows once again and pulled the bowstring. The arrows filled the sky once again before they fell to pierce through the malice of the zombies and the skeletons. Powerful arrows were raining down like a shower, but many undead managed to approach the castle because there were just too many of them. Raon raised Heavenly Drive while looking at the Light Wind squad and the Amber de division. Unleash the sword winds while saving your aura as much as possible. A small wind will be enough to kill them if you target their heads. He shed with the red de of Heavenly Drive as if he were drawing a line with a brush. Flower petals blooming from the heated de spread throughout the wind to attack the group of undead approaching the castle wall. Whaap! The pieces of me flowed down like cherry blossoms and turned into a wall of fire that erased the undead. Whir! His mysterious swordsmanship raised the morale of the troops above the castle walls once again. Dont even let them get close to us! Burren stomped on the ground and shed the Barren Wind Sword. Even though hed decreased the aura output to the minimum, the unleashed wind was frighteningly sharp. sh! The undeading from the right side were cut in half and copsed. Stupid bones! Im going to destroy all of you! Martha shed while grinding her teeth. She suppressed her frustration and unleashed techniques that had a low consumption in aura, but she was just so strong that five undead died from each strike. Ill avenge the ice cream. Runaan smoothly thrust her sword. The frost dwelling on her de spread around to freeze the feet of the undead on the front line. Creak! The undead that stopped walking were disturbing the advance of the rest of the army, and the zombies started to rub against each other while baring their teeth. We should also get started! The Light Wind squad also stepped up to the edge of the wall and unleashed their sword winds. The battle was long, but they werent sweating in the slightest. Raon nodded, feeling that it was worth feeding them the elixirs and making them go through that hellish training. Those whove exhausted their aura should stay back and recover their stamina before returning. Raon smiled faintly while shooting sword winds at the endless wave of undead. This war isnt going to end in a single day. * * * Prica pulled his bowstring. Wham! The arrow fell in an arc and pierced through a zombie and a skeletons heads. They fell to the ground once their heads were destroyed. Huff His breathing was getting rough. He couldnt even remember how many arrows hed fired. He kept shooting the arrows from his quiver and refilled it whenever it became empty. Argh He was attaching the next arrow to his bowstring when a tearing pain could be felt from his middle finger. Hed continuously practiced with a bow, but hed never fired so many arrows in a row. It was a natural oue in a way. Prica bit his lip tightly and changed the location of his fingers before he fired another arrow. All of his practices bore the result, and the arrownded precisely on the head of the skeleton that he was aiming at. He strained his knees, which were trembling from exhaustion, and looked around. Even though a day had already passed and the sun was setting once again, the swarm of zombies and skeletons was endless. Whether they were team leaders or members, everyone was shooting a lot slower than in the beginning. The swordsmen were also exhausted, their swords wavering. Despite the situation, none of the swordsmen or the rangers dropped their weapons. Even though they were exhausted, they didnt stop unleashing the sword winds and firing arrows. The reason why they could keep going was simple. Raon Zieghart. Prica raised his gaze to look at the back of the man standing at the forefront, on the castle wall. Because hes still standing. Raon crushed the biggest number of undead from the front line. Honestly, he estimated that Raon had killed more undead on his own than the rangers, the Light Wind squad, and the Amber de divisionbined. I cant give up now when hes going this far for us. Moreover He looked at Wendy Arianne, who was swinging her sword next to Raon. Shes the same. He honestly didnt think that Wendy Ariannes might was that amazing even though he looked up to her resolve. Even though she was a Master, he didnt expect much from her since she didnt have much practical experience. However, Wendy had in countless undead, just like Raon, and kept killing them to raise morale. It was a sight befitting the only swordswoman in Arianne who tried to protect the will of the house. For some reason, I have a feeling we can win this fight. Watching Raon and Wendys indomitable backs gave him the impression that they could survive the assault of the undeadjust like the house managed to change. Prica pulled the bowstring once again with his bloody finger. Psssh! Another arrow pierced through the darkness and destroyed the head of an undead. * * * * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the setting sun. This really is endless. Even the sun rose at a fixed schedule, but the advance of the undead was endless. No, I should say that its only getting started. Indeed, you have a long way to go. The undead approaching from behind the wall of zombies and skeletons were wrapped in even more energy of death. They must be the ghouls and superior species of skeletons. They were devouring the zombies and the skeletons to elerate their advance. Raon looked under the castle walls. A hill of corpses The skeletons and zombies were defeated before they reached the castle walls and formed a hill of corpses in front of the castle. However, Raon could expect that the iing assault would be more difficult to defend. Casualties could ur. Dorian. Yes Raon shook his hand and Dorian approached him. His round face had turned skinny from exhaustion. You managed to send it, didnt you? Yes. I said this before, but we cant guarantee that it will arrive. A problem could ur during the transfer. Dorian shook his head, saying that he couldnt guarantee sess. Its fine. Some of them should arrive at least. Raon nodded and touched the ring around his finger. I need to use this if the worstes to the shove. Chamber gave him the ring, but Rimmer was the one who told him how to use it. It was thest resort he had for the battleor, rather, for the Light Wind squad. He quietly sighed and went towards Wendy Arianne. Amber de division leader. Yes! Wendy was smiling even though she was exhausted. She looked a lot livelier than when she was doing the paperwork. Go to the jail and bring the executives who want to participate in the battle. What? Bu-but why would we bring them? Poison shall be dealt with poison. Even the nasty ones can be useful sometimes. A few executives, including Baneder, could be useful for the battle. Making use of them instead of having them waste food was the correct course of action. Raon turned around to look at the Light Wind squad, rangers, and the Amber de division. Everyone, rest for two hours and return. This is probably going to be thest rest you get. What about Raon? Runaan immediately raised her head. Im fine. I can recover while fighting. Raon was the only one who could recover during a fighteven if it was a small amount. But we cant possibly leave the vice squad leader alone! Yes! You are already straining yourself. We should alternate to rest Raon shed the Fangs of Insanity with ciers frost instead of responding to them. Whaap! The ground turned silver, and the zombies and skeletons that were trying to take that opportunity to advance were frozen in ce. Snap! Raon snapped his fingers, and the frozen undead shattered into pieces. The ice shards turned the other undead into porcupines. Who do you think you are to be worried about me? Raon shook his hand as if he were chasing away a fly. This is an order. Go away already and rest since we don''t have any time to waste. * * * By the time the sun finished setting and the night fell, the rangers and swordsmen returned. Baneder and a few executives were among them, and Raon could guess that they had epted the offer. However, theirplexions werent too good even though theyd recovered their stamina and aura. They looked even more pale than when they left the battlefield. Raon nodded while looking at that reaction. It cant be helped. They probably realized that the real battle is just getting started. The number of zombies and skeletons had decreased, but the stronger versions of themthe ghouls and skeleton warriorswere approaching with a frightening energy of death. Kieeeeeh! Grotesquely-shaped ghosts were flying around in the sky, duhans d in dark armor were rampaging on their horses from the sides, and spartois that were rumored to be created from dragons teeth were rising from the darkness. Lastly, an undead chimera created as abination of multiple corpses showed up. Raon bit his lip tightly while watching the real army of undead where the energy of death was overflowing. This isnt going to be easy. Swordsmen and rangers were fighting on the castle walls while the residents were supporting them from below to the best of their abilities, but he couldnt guarantee that the walls wouldnt be breached. But we still have to do this. He slowly raised his hand. Hold your fire! Hold your fire! The rangers, Light Wind squad, and Amber de divisions stood at the edge of the wall once again. Their hands were trembling from the intense energy of death of the undead but raised their bows and swords once again. The charge of undead wasnt as reckless as the zombies and skeletons. They were gathered in a proper formation and were approaching slowly. Thud! Thud! Thud! Even their footsteps sounded heavier than the previous wave. It felt like even the heartbeats from the people around him were louder than before. Thud! Raon lowered his hand to signal the volley when the undead army stopped their advance. The center of the undead army that looked like a swarm of ants was split apart and a death knight with green light radiating from his eyes came forth. Humans from Zieghart and Arianne. The death knight opened his mouth. The grotesque voice that could be heard sounded like it came from the bottom of the abyss. I propose one-on-one matches. A spartoi the size of a boulder, a duhan, and two death knights stepped forward from behind the death knight as he spoke. Huh? Raons eyes widened. An undead is proposing a duel? Having duels between leading warriors before the battle was amon urrence to raise morale. The undead in front of him seemed to be talking about that kind of duel. I-is that? Is that asking us to have duels? B-but hes an undead? What the hell? The Light Wind squads hands were trembling in surprise because the undead had just spoken and even suggested duels like humans. I-I heard Wendy Arianne stepped up next to Raon. That something like this happened in the past. The past Dont tell me? Yes. Records mentioned that undead proposed one-on-one matches during the war that the first head of Zieghart and Arianne fought together. She swallowed nervously, saying that the approaching undead in front of them were doing the same thing. I see. Raon smiled faintly. Just as he had guessed at first, the arch lich that was defeated by Ziegharts ancestor mustve summonsed the undead in front of him. They must be trying to reverse history. They seemed to be trying to take their revenge against the descendants after a thousand years. What do the records say about the results of the duels? Five people participated from Zieghart and Arianne, and they won all five matches. I knew it. Raon had the feeling that the man who founded Zieghart had definitely won his matches. Who is going to participate? Raon will, of course. That goes without saying. He will be thest one. Sir Mark and the Amber de division leader should also participate, which means we have two spots left. Ill do it! No, its my turn. The swordsmen on the tform started talking about who was going to participate. Obviously, Runaan, Martha, and Burren started to fight over who was going to join the matches. Raon jumped down from the castle wall before they finished their argument. Raon? We havent decided yet! Are you insane? Why are you going there alone? Runaan, Burren, and Martha called him, but Raon approached the undead army without looking back. Are you the vanguard? The death knight with green ming eyes that previously suggested the duels twisted his chin. No. Raon shook his head with a cold smile on his face. He unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and ced his hand on the hilt. Im the vanguard and the captain at the same time. He stomped the ground and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. The wave of fire appeared at the same time as his sword draw and soared to the horizon. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. wless Sea of Fire. The high-ranking undead that stepped forward for the duelsand the undead standing in formation behind themhad a crimson line appear on their necks. Swaaaa! A huge wave of fire burst out while cutting through the red lines, engulfing all of the undead in front of Raon in mes. Dont talk about duels when you are just filthy undead. Grrr Kieee Even the evil undead didnt expect Raon to sabotage the duel. Their formation was destroyed. Wow. Wrath jumped out while gasping. Your personality is just so bad His jaw dropped as he said that he couldnt believe Raon was human. They are the ones who started this. Raon disliked the fact that they were pretending they were offering a fair fight after they tried to kill everyone with the swamp tsunami. Uuh I-is that really okay? Even monsters are shocked at his personality Its suitable for the leader of the Light Wind squadno, I should say Mad Dog squad instead. Raon is damn handsome! Even the Light Wind squad wasnt cheering for him anymore. They were watching him with their chins trembling in fear. Despite his dastardly performance in the duels, the morale on the castle walls had reached its peak. Raon was about to return, satisfied, when a huge amount of energy flooded from the end of thend of death. Kwaaaah! The roar was full of malice. Just like the Mad Dragons Roar of the Beast Union, the roar was brimming with the energy of darkness as it assaulted House Arianne. It was the lions roar that only the highest undead were capable of using. Raon drew the de of Requiem while controlling cier. Creak! The yellow de of ghastly energy soared while scratching the scabbard to burst out a screech of resentment. Whaaam! The bloody rain advanced and grabbed the lions roar to drag it down to the ground. Bam! As soon as Raon removed the lions roar, he mmed down the hand that he had raised to pierce the sky. Psssh! Along with the powerful sound piercing through the wind, silver arrows and sword winds rained down on the battlefield. The undead army copsed one after the other before they could defend themselves because theirmanders had perished. Raons eyes sparkled in a deadly light as he watched the rain of arrows destroy the army of undead. Im sorry, but history repeats itself. Chapter 399 Chapter 399 Raon unleashed Front Pond in the midst of raining steel. Heavenly Drive turned into a silver-white ray of light and a de of ice followed. Whaam! Sharpness and speed werent the only advantages of Frost Pond anymore. The tremendous wave of power made the army of undead burst like rotten fruit. Whaap! Raon didnt stop even though hed already in dozens of undead, and advanced even further to incorporate the principles of Revolving Sky into the de of Requiem. The torrid sphere of resentment rotated violently as it rushed toward the group of undead on the right side. Whaaam! A firestorm surged from the powerful explosion, and not a single undead managed to survive. I have to decrease their numbers right now. The archlich had ced the powerful undead at the front lines to show their superiority. It was necessary to deal a critical amount of damage to the undead armyeven if he had to spend arge amount of aura and stamina. Cring! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps while counting on the rain of aura des and arrows raining from the castle walls. He pierced into the center of the undead and unleashed the Blue Rain with Heavenly Drive and me Spirit with the de of Requiem. Whir! The majestic sword resonance spread around by the Blue Rain made the undead writhe in pain while grasping their heads. The fire pieces covering the sky followed up to melt the heads of the undead. Raon was literally massacring the army of the undead when a magic array with dark letters appeared on his head. A magic array? It was definitely the magic of the archlich who was controlling the undead. Whaam! A purple ray fell from the magic array. Upon noticing its tremendous speed, Raon incorporated the Supreme Harmony Steps into his withdrawal. Whaam! A bottomless pit was created on thend where he used to be standing. Speed wasnt the only thing it had. Even the power was unimaginable. Its so powerful despite being far awayIts at least an advanced fiend. Considering the fact that it cast such a powerful spell from the end of the Land of Death, even the term advanced fiend wasnt enough to describe it. Shall I withdraw for now? Since he had already profited a lot from the actionand he was out of the arrows and aura des rangehe figured he would withdraw. Whir! Another dark magic array was created in the sky. The letters were different from the previous one, implying that it mustve been a different spell. Lets stop here for today. Raon waved his hand as if he were teasing the archlich watching from afar. See youter. He turned around and leaped towards the castle without even looking around. Nice! Wrath nodded in satisfaction. Raon Zieghart is the best when ites to bad personality. Hmm? The King of Essence has never seen anyone more hateful than you. Your talent is more befitting in Devildom than this continent! He patted Raons shoulder, saying that his talent was too great to remain in the human realm. You are the one who should return. Raon pushed Wrath away as he tried to cling to him and kicked the ground. Baam! A huge explosion urred behind him and his clothes and hair fluttered to the wind. He jumped onto the castle walls by riding that wind, which looked like he was making fun of the lich even further. Haa Raon exhaled roughly and looked down on the Land of Death. Its nicely destroyed. The undead army looked extremely terrifying to the people until a moment ago, but their formation had beenpletely destroyed. They were scattered all around the ce like some kind of shambled army, and they didnt look threatening at all. Raon, super damn handsome. Raon looked around upon hearing Runaans call. Hey, you are insane! Hes so evil. Hes the demon king, I told you! Im d that we arent the only ones who have to deal with his bad personality. Its a shame that I cant see their reaction because they are undead. It wouldve been so funny if he did that against the White Blood Religion or Eden! The Light Wind squad was waving their hands with grins on their faces. Their faces used to be pale, but theirplexions had returned and they were flushing red instead. Sir Raon! Good job! I-I cant even begin to describe my impression of your swordsmanship. Wendy and Prica also nodded at him with smiles on their faces, which no longer looked as gloomy. Thats the White Sword Dragon. The rumors werent exaggerated. Baneder casually whistled as if he were apanion now. Whoaaa! Hes the pride and joy of the annex building! Is that even apliment? Yua and Yulius were also cheering with bright smiles on their faces. Mark Goetten quietly bowed to thank him for his efforts. Raon smiled while looking at the bright look in the Light Wind squad, Amber de division, and the rangers eyes. It worked perfectly. On top of eliminating the undead, he also managed to raise morale to the peak. He managed to achieve all the objectives he was trying toplete. We just need tost a bit longer Just as he was trying to give them hope before he moved on, a magic array appeared in the sky above the castle wall. I knew it. Since the archlich was capable of casting magic to the earlier location where the undead were gathered, Raon obviously predicted that it could also cast it on the castle wall. I need to sh it here properly. Even for an archlich, there shouldve been limits to how powerful the magic could be since they were so far away. It was necessary to properly sh the magic to make them learn the lesson that using a spell would be detrimental. Zap! The moment the purple ray was about to be fired from the magic array, Raon threw the de of Requiem like a throwing dagger. Wham! The de of Requiem, with the power of Ghastly Flow of Mana, cut through the archlichs spell and magic array. Zap! The magic array summoned by the archlich crumbled like a dry leaf before it could unleash its spells. It doesnt matter what that skull tries to do from afar. Raon easily caught the de of Requiem when it fell back towards him. He rolled his lips into a smile, sneering at the archlich that shouldve been watching. This is myst move. If the provocation worked and the archlich appeared, he could definitely win the battle. However, if they choose the war of attrition instead ofing outIt might be difficult. * * * At the western end of what should have been called the Land of Death instead of the Swamp of Death, the three pirs that used to be under the swamp had returned to their original appearance. There were multiple traces of sword shes on them. Blue mes were emerging from the empty eye sockets of the archlich and death knight who were leaning against the pirs, watching arge crystal ball. Is that the Zieghart of this era? The archlich swayed his finger while watching Raon inside the crystal ball. His power is as intense as before. He just looks like that man. Yes. His bloodline is still powerful, unlike Arianne. The death knight nodded, his fists touching each other. Its not just about his might. He knows how to win a war. The archlich lowered the hem of his robe and fiddled with the staff in his hand. I cant even use magic recklessly because of him. The young descendent of Zieghart managed to easily tear apart his spell and magic circle with his small dagger. A long-distance spell required arge amount of mana and willpower. Since he couldnt understand how Raon managed to destroy his spell, he couldnt attack him recklessly anymore. However, he mustve spent a lot more stamina and aura than he appears to have. The same goes for the other humans. In that case, lets attack right away. The death knight nodded and ced his hand on the longsword hanging around his waist. Get into formation again. Ill lead the troop to destroy those castle walls. Alright, lets No, no. When the two highest-rank undead were about to take action, the Specter appeared behind them. Thats what he wants you to do. Even though the Specter was talking to them, the death knight and the archlich didnt even think about looking back. They just stood there nkly. Hes hoping that you will attack them right now. He took a bead from his robe. The bead used to be as clean as spring water, but more than half of it had turned dark. Instead of going to him, you have to call him over here. Thats the only way to change history. The Specter dered the words emotionlessly and extended the hand holding the bead. Ill help you a little. ck smoke arose from the bead and seeped into the death knight and the archlich. Rumble! The energy of death of the two undead drastically intensified, and the aura of death rising from the Land of Death emanated an even more powerful stench. Arise. The death knight and the archlich raised their hands. Rumble! A huge tremor urred from the Land of Death, and the undead that fell under the castle walls were revived and got into formation. Yes. The Specter nodded while stroking the bead that had turned a bit darker. Suffocating them to death is the only way you can win. Blue mes burst from the eyes of the archlich mask he was wearing. Ill tell you when to draw your des. * * * * * * Raon bit his lip tightly while watching the swarm of undead advancing towards them. They must be a smart opponent. Two days had passed since he went down from the castle walls to ughter the undead and provoke the archlich. He was expecting them to be extremely furious ande to attack them directly, but they kept sending low- and intermediate-ss undead to continue a war of attrition. The undead corpses piled up over and over for the past five days, and theyd created a small hill that almost reached the castle walls. Thats not the only problem. Raon bit his lip and looked behind him. Kuh Damn it! When is this going to end?! Even the ants arent as numerous as them! Iwantsleep. Burren, Martha, and Runaan were biting their lips with their faces turned pale. They werent afraid of their enemies, but their stamina and willpower mustve reached their limits because they kept fighting for five days without any proper rest or sleep. D-does this ever end? They must be trying to suffocate us to death Damn it! Stupid corpses! Please stoping! The Light Wind swordsmen were even more exhausted than the team leaders, and the hands holding their swords were trembling. Forget sleeping, they couldnt even rest, and many of them had their eyes half closed. Kuh I-I want to sleep This is endless. Since that was how bad it was for the Light Wind squad, the Amber de division was either on their knees as if theyd lost their mind, or they were leaning against the wall. As for the rangers, many of them had copsed from exhaustion. Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the hands of the swordsmen and rangers on the ground. It cant be helped. Even though there was no direct confrontation, the rangers and swordsmens hands were covered in bloody bandages. Since they had managed tost for five days while holding their weapons all along, they shouldve been praised for their tenacity. Th-this is hell Raon went towards Dorian, who was taking out clothespins from his belly pocket to attach them around his eyes. Dorian. Have you received any news about whether they received it or not? Unfortunately not. Its just a one-sided thing Dorian shook his head while taking the clothespins from his eyes. We just have to wait. I see. Raon nodded and returned to the front of the castle wall. The undead were slowly approaching while he thought. I need to find a different method You should take care of yourself instead. Wrath emerged from the bracelet with a frown. The others at least managed to sleep for a short time. You havent slept at all for five days straight! He started punching with his round fist, telling Raon to sleep instead of worrying about others. Are you worried about me? No-not at all! The King of Essence just wants you to avoid ruining your body, because it will be his soon enough! Wrath hurriedly shook his head and shouted in denial. I guess thats the case since you were secretly adding some wrath while using the Silver-White Aurora earlier. Gasp! How did you know? Theres no way I wouldnt notice. Raon smiled faintly. Wrath didnt recover the wrath that hed shoved into Raon when he was helping him with the Silver-White Auroras activation. He mustve been nning to use it as a trapter, but Raon was already aware of it. Ugh! You really make him not want to help you! Im grateful for your help anyway. Raon patted Wraths cotton candy head and caught his breath. Ill buy everything you want to eat after this war is over. He wasnt lying. He wanted to get some proper meals and sleep because he hadnt been able to sleep or eat properly for a while. Re-really? Yes. Whats that change of mind? I wont say in return for that, but can you recover my aura and stamina? Ill take your wrath. Aura can be recovered. Injuries can also be healed, but not willpower. Willpower Your willpower is at rock bottom right now because you kept leading the fight in this castle without sleeping in the slightest. Thats one thing the King of Essence cant help with. Wrath continued with a frown. Even if your stamina and aura are recovered, you wont be able to fight if you dont have the willpower. I see. He was right. He could slowly recover his aura through cultivation, but not his willpower. Even though he was aware of that fact, continuing to fight was the only option he had. Raon quietly sighed, and Wendy Arianne approached him. Sir Raon. Wendy raised her head while smiling awkwardly. Sh-shouldnt we abandon the castle and withdraw? She suggested abandoning the castle with trembling lips. Are you serious? Wendy Arianne was a true warrior who kept swinging her sword to save the house even though the entire house was corrupted and destroyed. The fact that she was suggesting an escape despite her respectable mind signified that the crisis was extremely serious. Yes. People are more important than the castle. She nodded. She mustve already made up her mind. Unfortunately, we cant. Raon slowly shook his head. Thats what they want us to do. The castle built by the first head of Arianne was capable of blocking the energy of death. If the castle copsed or they left the castle, the ordinary people were all going to die from the energy of death, and the swordsmen and rangers were going to be hunted down by undead that never tired. Is he still in the middle of his training? It was so suffocating that Raon even thought about Rimmer. That was when the team leader of the rangers, Prica, came running towards him. W-we got a problem! Prica continued while wiping the cold sweat flowing down from his forehead. Weegen Arianne and the executives have escaped! What? I dont know how they opened the jail, but they took hostages and escaped over the eastern castle walls! Ah Wendy Arianne bit her fingernails in despair. What the hell? Raon clenched his fist while looking at Prica. I thought I knew he was trash, butI cant believe he fell so low. Even though he was pulled down from the heads position, House Arianne was still his house, and he ran away during a crisis. Raon couldnt believe how ugly he could be. Who helped them? Baneder? I didnt. Baneder came after Prica and shook his hand. Ive been quietly resting in my room. Prica can testify for me. Yes Prica nodded, saying that he was right. He was a snake, but people are uneasy because he was still the head of house. They are starting to say that we should all run away together He ground his teeth violently, saying that the unified spirit of the house was ruined because of Weegen and the executives. Understandable. Raon nodded. He was still their head of house, even though he was unsightly. Wendy was the new head of house, but it was just a temporary position. It was only natural for the troop to lose morale because Weegen escaped like a loach. That fucking pig, Im going to kill him no matter what! Martha was unable to suppress her anger and punched the ground. Haa Raon sighed in frustration when a powerful energy of death rose from behind them. Dont tell me. He turned around and saw a dark cloud appear. Rumble! The army of mid- to high-ranking undead that were hiding behind the zombies and skeletons were moving again. They mustve noticed the anxiety spreading inside the castle. Kieeeh! Specters flying in the sky signaled the start of the battle. They exhaled their dark breath to attack the rangers at the right end of the castle walls. Runaan! Mhm. Runaan, who was standing around the right castle wall, kicked the ground upon hearing his call. A frozen barrier was unleashed at the same time as her footstep to block the rangers front. ng! The death breath and the ice wall shed against each other and subsided at the same time. The moment the wall was destroyed, Runaan jumped into the air to unleash her second technique. The frozen strike was fast and soft at the same time, and the two specters who were trying to withdraw were cut in half. However, the undead didnt care about the specters deaths. They keep running towards the castle at full speed. Rumble! Ghouls and skeleton warriors ran from the center, a group of duhans charged like a knight order, and three death knights were lighting up the area with the red fires in their eyes from the left side. However, that wasnt all. Liches and skeleton mages appeared from the right and started to cast their spells. It was the magic squad that the enemy had been hiding all along. Martha, Burren. Raon pointed at the magic squad while biting his lip. Stop their magic by all means necessary. Ill do as youmand. What an easy task! Despite what they said, they unleashed their aura with serious expressions on their faces. Whaam! The liches and skeleton mages unleashed their spells that were brimming with the energy of death. Burren and Martha fired their aura des, incorporating the auras of wind and earth to shoot down the spells mid-air. However, the shockwaves from the explosion engulfed the castle walls and created more serious fissures. Head of house, please keep protecting the castle walls overall! Sir Mark, please take care of the ones charging from the center. As for me Raon unleashed a silver strike towards the group of duhans charging from the left side. A weak aura de advanced toward them, and deadly astral energy appeared behind it. It was an application of the Swords Silvery Dream into a long-range attack. sh! With the frightening sounds of splitting flesh, six duhans were cut in half and rolled on the ground. Ill take care of the stronger ones. He used the Supreme Harmony Steps to the right. The chimera zombie running towards him looked like a hundred zombies had beenbined. I cant let it approach us. He fixed the grip on his sword and unleashed a superspeed aura de. However, the chimera zombies body expanded like a balloon before the deadly attack reached it. Whaam! The chimera zombies body inted and exploded as the aura de reached it. Dark flesh and bones flew towards the castle walls. It was a corpse explosiona suicide attack. Cring! Raon weakened his grip on Heavenly Drive with his feet on the inclined castle wall. The White Shadow sh was unleashed to erase the darkness, melting down all of the bones and flesh flying toward the castle. White Shadow sh. The technique capable of erasing all energy hadpletely removed the aftermath of the explosion. Whir! Two magic arrays appeared in the air. Raon kicked the castle wall without even taking a breath. When the dark spears were about to be fired from the magic arrays, Raon shed down with the de of Requiem, which was wrapped in astral energy. sh! The Ghastly Flow of Mana was activated, and the magic spear and magic array were severed altogether. Haa Raon exhaled roughly and lowered his gaze. Because the group of undead was too numerous and even enhanced, many of them managed to break through the sword aura des raining towards them. Hmm? The aura des were still raining, but the endless rain of arrows had stopped. Raon looked around and noticed that the rangers were holding their bows with trembling hands. They ran out of the arrows It shouldve been obvious. Even though Wendy had thoroughly resupplied the defense, she didnt expect a war of that scale. They only managed tost that long thanks to the residents crafting the arrows. Hold your spears! Raon shouted, and the rangers clenched their javelins and went to the front. Throw! Uaaaah! They werent too proficient with them, but there were so many undead that they still managed to hit the ghouls and skeleton warriors heads. However, it wasnt enough to stop the advance of the undead. Whaam! Raon unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations fire and created ice spears with cier to fire at them, but it was impossible to deal with the entire army of undead on his own. Its faster than expected, but theres no other choice! Raon looked at the rangers who were in charge of supplies. Pour the holy water! Upon hearing the order, the rangers opened the lid of the holy water that theyd been saving and poured it into salt water. They quickly mixed it together and poured it over the walls. Swaaa! However, the undead didnt stop even though they were soaked in holy water. They came running even faster and started to attack the castle wall. Creak! The fissures on the walls becamerger andrger because of the powerful energy of death. Gasp! Wh-what? Th-the holy water didnt work!? This cant be happening! The rangers and swordsmens chins trembled violently as they witnessed the strange sightthe undead were unaffected by the holy water! I-I think thats fake. Wendy shook her hand with a frown. Fake? The previous head once got arge sum of money for himself after selling something, and I think he sold the real holy water. Ah Fa-fake holy water? How is this happening? Morale decreased even further when they heard that the holy water was fake. Let alone the rangers, even the swordsmens faces were shadowed. Dorian! I have them since they are necessities! But Dorian ced down his sword and put his hand in his belly pocket. Once his hand came back out, he was holding five luxurious ss bottles. It was expensiveeeee! He added the holy water and salt water into a watering can used for gardening to spread the water over the castle walls. Kuaaa! Kieeeh! Even though the undead kept charging like bulls through the spears, arrows, and aura des, they screamed and withdrew as the holy water touched them. The energy of death piercing into the castle wall was also removedpletelyas if an eraser had been used. Whaam! A dark ray was fired from the lich that wasmanding the magic squad of the undead. Judging from the direction, Dorian was the target. sh! Raon shed down with the de of Requiem in a reverse grip to cut the spell. He jumped down right away and incorporated Heavenly Drive with fire. At the same time as the tip of his sword was extended to the front, a fire dragons breath burned up the undead approaching the castle wall. Psssh! While Raon was attacking, spells and arrows fired by the skeleton archers and mages rushed towards him. ng! Raon shed the spells with the de of Requiem and shed the arrows with Heavenly Drive, and the sound of copsing walls could be heard from the left. Raon raised his head and saw that a death knight whod been hiding among the zombies had jumped up on the wall. ng! Runaan quickly ran there to block the sword falling towards a ranger, but she was immediately pushed back because of her exhaustion. Raon connected the rotation starting from his ankle to his wrist to unleash Heaven ying Dagger. Pssssh! The deadly de incorporating the principles of wless Throw flew like a ray of light to destroy the death knights skull. Kuh Raon endured the pain in his lungs to jump back onto the castle walls. This is so hard. Raons hands holding the swords were trembling as he furrowed his brow. He managed to push them back temporarily with the holy water and the me Dragon Art, but it was a matter of time before they returned. His allies were extremely exhausted while the enemies were only getting started. Raon clenched his back teeth while looking at the swarming undead and the closed castle gate. The only path I have left now is Chapter 400 Chapter 400 Raon walked up to Dorian while sweeping back his sweaty hair. You have more holy water, dont you? Dorian had an obsession with buying arge amount of supplies. Hed said that he had bought a lot more holy water because he ended up using all of it when he was saving people from the ck Towers attack. I do have morebut shouldnt we be saving it? No, we have to use it right now. Raon shook his head while looking at the undead army. They couldnt approach because of the holy water and the wall of fire, but their advance was bound to resume soon enough. We cantst until morning anyway. Whaat? The castle is going to copse before sunrise at this rate. He wasnt trying to frighten him. Since everyone was exhausted from five days of battle, it was impossible to stop the huge swarm of undead. Th-then are we giving up on the reinforcements? We cant wait forever. I guess Dorian took out the remaining six holy bottles and gave them to Raon, his hands trembling in fear. Those are all I have. Thank you. Take the money from my savings. I-Im not a bank Raon pped his hands, ignoring Dorian and hisints about being turned into a bank when he used to be a pocket. The Light Wind squad had gloomy expressions on their faces as they gathered around him. Lady Wendy and Sir Prica, pleasee here too. He also called the two people since they were leading the Amber de division and the rangers. You should be aware, but weve reached our limit. Everyone bit their lips without saying anything. Even Martha couldnt say anything, which implied that everyone had epted reality. Thats why we are going to use thest method avable to us. Last method? What is that?! Say it already! Burren and Martha took a step towards him at the same time. Raon slowly opened his mouth while meeting everyones gazes. We are going to open the gate and go outside. Op-open the gate? Pricas chin trembled. What do you mean?! There are still so many enemies! He shook his head violently while looking at the undead army that was slowly surrounding the castle even though they couldnt advance. Its impossible for us tost until morning. The castle will copse before sunrise, and the ughter will begin. The castles protective ability had been blocking the energy of death, but it was going to disappear once the walls copsed. It wouldnt just be the familieseven the rangers were going to copse, and there was no way they could deal with the enemies. The only way we can reverse this situation is to charge through that army of undead and defeat the archlich. Raon looked at the Light Wind squad, Mark Goetten, and Wendy Arianne. The Light Wind squad, Lady Wendy, and I will be going out. The undead should follow us, but the others should stay here to protect the castle just in case. Since most of the Amber de division members were novice Experts, they werent going to be helpful. It was necessary to bring a small number of elites to break through the wall of corpses as quickly as possible. Understood! Wendy nodded while mming the left side of her chest with her right hand. The look in her eyes said that she would follow him anyway even if he didnt bring her. I leave it to you, Prica. She smiled faintly while holding Pricas shoulder. It seems unreasonable. Is it really going to work? Prica sighed heavily in worry. Alright! I like it! Martha mmed the castle wall with her palm. It was getting frustrating because I had to keep shooting weak aura des, but its finally time to shine! She gave a toothy smile, saying that she could finally show her skills. I agree. Burren nodded in agreement. It was a rare sight that he agreed with her. I was getting tired of watching from above. He red at the undead while catching his breath. Lets finish it quickly and eat some ice cream. Runaan rolled her lips into a slight smile while blinking her nk eyes. We shouldve gone out earlier! Those damn undead, you are all dead to me! Watch out for your heads, you corpses! A frightening pressure emerged around the Light Wind squad as they clenched their swords. They also seemed to be frustrated by what had been happening. Dorian. Raon called Dorians name and shook his hand at him. Take out the Blue Cultivation Pills. Blue Cultivation Pills werent elixirs. They were simr to a healing potion and were extremely efficient at recovering the aura. Yes! Dorian put his hand into his belly pocket and took out as many Blue Cultivation Pills as the number of people and handed them out. Take the Blue Cultivation Pill and cultivate for two hours before you return. Two hours? Even if you spread the holy water, it will dry up in an hour. How are you nning to defend on your own in the meantime? Even for the vice squad leader, you cant do it alone! Im not alone. Raon shook his hand towards Yua, who was quietly watching the seniors behind Runaan. I have the Mad Dog squads secret weapon with me. We arent Mad Dogs * * * Wendy Arianne opened the door to her room, which she hadnt returned to in a long time. It had only been five days, but she felt like a year. No Her body tried to spontaneously move towards her bed, but she stopped herself and sat on the ground. I cant betray his expectations. Raon was still fighting on the castle walls. If she wanted to follow him, she had to recover her aura and stamina as much as possible instead of sleeping. I can only admire him the more I see him. She was already aware of the fact that Raon was amazing even before he came to House Arianne. There was no way she wouldnt be since he was the youngest Master and was given the admirable alias White Sword Dragon. However, that was only about his might. No matter how talented he was, Wendy thought that he would still be inexperienced because he was young. I waspletely wrong. On top of his astounding might, he also had excellent wits, mind-reading abilities, and an understanding of the battlefield. He wasnt an inexperienced swordsman. He was a warrior who was nearingpletion. It was the first time she had met a warrior worthy of her admirationeven if he was way younger than herself. Haa Wendy briefly sighed while fiddling with the Blue Cultivation Pill. It will be hard. We might not be able to reach the end. Even if she cultivated to recover her aura for two hours, she couldnt even get half of her full power back. On the other hand, the number of enemies was increasing all the time. It was probably impossible to reach the end of the Swamp of Death through the army of undead. However, she had a feeling that she could create that miracle since Raon was with her. Wendy unraveled the piece of cloth covering the Blue Cultivation Pill and put it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and started to cultivate, and her lips smoothly curled into a smile. * * * * * * One hour passed after Raon covered the castle walls with the three remaining holy waters. Once the holy waters effect had worn off, the undead unleashed even more energy of death and resumed their advance. Sir Raon! Prica ran towards him while screaming. Th-they areing! He bit his lip while pointing at the arrows that his family had made for him. We should shoot the arrows at least Save them forter. Since there werent many arrows and javelins left, they had to be used when they broke through the formation. It was necessary to use another method to defend for instance. Yua. Yes! Yua came towards him with a smile. It was a forced smile, but it still managed to brighten the mood. Do you remember how I yed music with my sword when we were training with Sir Roenn? Ah, yes! She nodded, saying that she obviously remembered. We will be using the same method. Ill be ying music with my sword, so you should sing a song ordingly. A song? It doesnt matter how you sing nor which song you choose. You just need to sing while thinking about protecting the people in the castle. I-Ill try! Yua nodded, with her twin tails fluttering in the air. Thank you. Raon patted Yuas head and went to the front. Rumble! It looked like thend was trembling because the countless undead were moving at once. Since the holy water had dried out and the fire was extinguished, they were advancing without the slightest fear. S-Sir Raon! They areing! W-we need orders! Prica and the rangers hurriedly shouted. Raon shook his hand at them to tell them to stop worrying about it and drew the de of Requiem from his waist. Cring! He stroked the de of Requiem while enjoying the clear sound of sword draw despite being a possessed de. I leave it to you. Whir! The de of Requiem created a small sword resonance, trying to reassure him. Im going to start. He signaled Yua with his gaze before pouring the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations energy into the de of Requiem. Whir! The de of Requiem turned red from the heat and created a majestic sword resonance. The auspicious cry with the willingness to save people instead of resentment slowed the advance of the undead. Yua, follow this flow. Yes! Yua stepped forward and put her hands together before closing her eyes. The name of Habun protects the gray walls of the north She chose a military songHabun Castles military song. I can understand why. The song of protection for Yua mustve been the military song shed heard ever since childhood. Whir! The de of Requiem and Yuas resolutions to save people interlocked with each other in harmony to create a huge resonance to twist the darkness. Whaaam! Once the melody of aura spread around, the swarm of the undead became unable to move. Their bodies were trembling as they tried to move, but they couldnt even take a single step forward. Aaah Prica clenched his right arm where goosebumps were rising. Just like Raon had reassured him, the undead were unable to move because of the song. H-how could a melody create such a miracle? Hed heard of the legend where a warrior managed to stop an advance of thousands of soldiers on his own with melody, but hed never imagined hed witness it. His body trembled from the thrill. Hmm. Yulius stood next to Yua with his mouth tightly closed. His serious expression showed his resolve to protect Yua no matter what. Raon smiled gently and controlled the ghastly energy emerging from the de of Requiem even more naturally. Whir! Just like when he used the Blue Rain, the flow of sword resonance connected like a river to spread Yuas song even further. Cring! The song of resolution became a sharp de to push the undead back. They stepped back while swaying and collided against each other as they fell. Hey. While Raon was controlling his sword resonance ording to Yuas song, Wrath emerged from the bracelet. Are you really going out? I have to, since I have no other way. The leader of the undead is baiting you. You must be aware of this fact since you are a snake. Wrath frowned, asking why he didnt realize that fact when he was the nastiest human being in the world. I know. Raon nodded casually. I dont know if it''s the archlich or someone pulling the strings from behind, but they are pretty smart. The undead attacked at the worst possible moment, as if they knew the situation in House Arianne, and exhausted their stamina and willpower with a war of attrition instead of attacking with powerful undead. Considering how smart they were, they were definitely baiting Raon toe outside the castle like Wrath said. Then why are you still going despite knowing that fact? Because I also have a secret weapon. A secret weapon? Raon raised his finger to point at Wrath. Is the King of Essence your secret weapon? Yes. The archlich is being careful about me, who has been fighting for five days straight. They must want me to be unable to even create an astral de because of how exhausted I am. However Raon clenched his fist, with his eyes covered in coldness. I can at least recover my might if you help me. His mind would be further devastated if he traded with Wrath, but his aura and stamina would recover. Other people wouldnt be able to endure, but he was confident he could since hed experienced his life as a shadow and a death in the past. I even have holy power. Raon was confident he could defeat whatever he had to face in a single strike if he used the divinity in his strike after his aura and stamina were recovered. Climb the mountain through the icy wind of the northern ocean Raon closed his eyes while listening to Yuas song. Once he opened them again, crimson lightning sparked from his eyes. They will regret doing this while Im here. * * * Thanks to the time Yua bought for them, the Light Wind squad, Mark Goetten, and Wendy Arianne managed to recover enough stamina and aura before they returned. Raon looked around while standing in front of the gate. He could feel de-sharp pressure from the Light Wind squad and Wendy Arianne lined up behind him. And their minds are also ready. The reason he gave them the time wasnt simply to recover their stamina and aura. He wanted them to harden their resolve for the final battle, and it was effective enough. The real battle is about to begin. Burren smiled while turning his wrists. Warm yourselves up. He relieved the tension while examining the Light Wind members one by one. Its best to shatter the skulls directly instead of using aura des. Martha clenched her fist with a cold smile on her face. Im going to destroy the archlichs head. She licked her lips, saying that it belonged to her. Are you okay, Raon? Runaan took a step towards Raon and raised her head. You never slept. She tilted her head, eyes bloodshot from theck of sleep. Can you even follow us, vice squad leader? I know, right? He might be the only one to fall behind. We will leave you behind if you are too slow! You should say that to Krein instead. Raon pointed at Krein, who wasnt saying anything. Oh, right! Krein is always the first one to fall behind! Its Kreins specialty! This swordsman specializes in being eliminated! The Light Wind squad giggled at Krein. Thats not true! I was just unlucky! Krein shook his head, his face turning red. You cant me luck during apetition! Thats right, it''s a skill issue! Resign from the team leader position if you fall behind again! The Light Wind swordsmen were joking with each other even though they were facing countless undead. Raon looked at the Light Wind squad, his gaze full of trust. Krein willg behind, but the Mad Dog squad doesnt abandon ourpanions. The smiles from the Light Wind squad deepened upon hearing him. It felt like their confident smiles were removing the gloominess of the situation. But we arent the Mad Dog squad The n is simple. The Mad Dog squad will charge from the center in the Great Light Wind Formation, and Sir Mark and Lady Wendy will support from both sides. Raon raised his finger while ignoring Burren. What about Raon? Runaan tilted her head while looking at Raons hand. Ill open the path from the front. Raon tapped on his scabbard. Speed was the key to victory. The goal was to quickly break through the siege and arrive at the end of the Land of Death where the pirs were located. Ill be running at full speed. Catch up to me no matter what. Yes! The Light Wind squad shouted loudly in unison. We will follow until the end. Ill be counting on you. Mark Goetten and Wendy Arianne also nodded while clenching their fists. Raon smiled and soaked everyones bodies in holy water with the watering can. The effect wasnt going tost for a long time, but it was going to be helpful while itsted. Now When Raon was about to open the gate to leave, he noticed a presence. They are The families of House Arianne were gathered together. They bowed while praying for sess even though their bodies were trembling from the evil energy from above. The fact that they werent saying anything made their sincerity even clearer. Sir Raon! They are climbing the hill! Pricas voice could be heard from above the castle walls. You have to go right now! Haa. Raon caught his breath in front of the gate. Once the energy of death reached its peak, he shouted towards the top. Open the gate. Open the gate! The gate opened with a creaking sound that echoed throughout the castle. Chapter 401 Chapter 401 Rumble! The tremendous undead army was enough to cover the entirend under the dark sky. A suffocating amount of energy of death was emanating from them. Shring! Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, then threw the scabbards on the ground. The Light Wind squads scabbards piled up on top of Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiems scabbards. It was their expression of determination that they would return alive to recover the scabbards. We will carefully store them until you return. Please return safely! We will be waiting. The family members hugged the scabbards like treasures, their faces pale. Raon nodded at them before stepping outside the gate. He crushed thend brimming with the energy of death and faced the undead armys approach. Whir. The Light Wind squad followed him like a single sword. Close the gate. Close the gate! Once the gate was closed, the energy of death felt even more intense. Raon could feel the trembling of the swordsmen behind him. Whir! Raon raised Heavenly Drive while activating the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand mes Cultivation at the same time. The moment his sword was lowered,rge boulders rolled down from above the castle walls. Whaam! The boulders rolled along the walls and crushed the undead to break their formation. Fire arrows rained down to erase the night and pierce the undead. The families of Arianne had worked hard to make them despite the short time they had. Keep shooting for dear life! Prica shouted, and the rangers pulled the bowstrings all the way with their bloody fingers before releasing them. The fletchings smeared with blood stung the heart. Uaaaaah! You damn corpses! Once the rangers ran out of arrows, they threw javelins to carve a path for the Light Wind squad. We have enough support. Raon brandished Heavenly Drive. The de turned red and created a me to erase the darkness. Charge! He gritted his teeth and kicked the ground. Charge! The Light Wind squad formed the Great Light Wind Formation and followed him. Mark Goetten and Wendy unleashed their astral energies from the sides. Whaap! Raon pulled me-covered Heavenly Drive behind his shoulder. In this situation The enemies were lined up in a straight line, and the best technique to use to kill them was obvious. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Dragon Art. The me brimming from the de turned into a firestorm to carve a crimson path through the darkness. Whaaam! Not a single undead remained on the line where the fire passed through. However, there were too many enemies in the surroundings, and it was necessary to pass before their path was closed. Charge, now! Raon dashed through thend where the heat hadn''t subsided yet. He could feel the indomitable iron will from the Light Wind squad following him. Whaam! The Light Wind squad followed right behind him and charged towards the undead that were still standing. The power of the first form of Great Light Wind Formation, Central Green Whirlwindwhich specialized in speed and stabilitymade the undead burst into ck pools of blood. There are duhan! Wendy Arianne ran towards the left side. She approached the group of duhan, shing them before their charge could begin. The blunt and heavy astral energy shattered the heads of two duhans. There are already death knights Mark Goetten held his breath and rushed towards the death knights. He pierced into them before they could summon hellfire and mmed his saber down. The saber sh fell down like lightning to sever the death knights body in half. Raon looked around. So, they areing here. The undead werent approaching the castle walls anymore, instead turning around to circle the Light Wind squad. As he anticipated, theyd been waiting for the Light Wind squad toe outside. I also have a n Hmm? While he was thinking about the enemys strategy, a huge wave of mana urred from the right. A lich! There were lich and skeleton warriors from the magic squad. The huge magic circle they were drawing looked like a linked spell. Fwoosh! Raon stomped the ground violently and threw the de of Requiem from his left hand. The de of ghastly energy, incorporated with wless Throws principles, cut through the magic circle and pierced the lichs skull. Kuaaah! The lich tried to take off the de of Requiem from its forehead, but the ghastly energy hindered its movement. Whaam! Raon didnt miss the opportunity. He used the Supreme Harmony Steps to advance and shattered the lichs body into pieces with the Fangs of Insanity. The lich was going to be revived since the soul crystal couldnt be found, but it was going to take a long time to do so. Rumble! The Light Wind squad didnt stop their advance, as if they knew Raon was going to do that. Thud! They were using the Heavy Yellow Powerful Strike form, which consisted of having Martha at the center of the front line to destroy the undeads formation like a huge mace. They definitely Wrath gave a big nod while watching the scene. deserve the name Mad Dogs. Indeed. Raon smiled faintly and caught up to them. Im really nning to change the divisions name to Mad Dog after weplete this mission. Raon dashed ahead and shed with Front Pond while thinking about how much the Light Wind squad was going to hate it. Whaam! The huge de of ice crushed the undead and shattered their sloppy circle into pieces. Keep moving! He could feel the determination of the Light Wind squad, Mark Goetten, and Wendy Arianne following behind him. Their powerful spirit and drive to follow him no matter what to finish the war brought a smile to Raons face as he dashed through thend of death. Raon bit his lip while looking at the ground where even shadows couldnt be found anymore. The energy of death is getting denser. As soon as they left the area around the castle and entered thend of death, the energy of death intensified. The aura wave of the undead approaching from thend of death was on a whole different level. Creak! The skeletons upper species made from dragons teeth, spartois, rose, and ghoul lords capable of summoning zombies and ghouls appeared. The low-ss death knights who had been watching from far away unleashed their hellfires, trying to find the opportunity. Whir! Raon spread the Ring of Fires resonance to prevent the Light Wind squad from being influenced by the energy of death before the group of spartois dashed at them. Charge! The Light Wind squad changed into the Snow Cats Descent and shed against the group of spartois. Whaam! The Light Wind squads sweeping advance was stopped for the first time. ang! Wendy Arianne and Mark Goetten werent able to help them either because the death knights dashing from the sides were stopping them. Haa Raon advanced while feeling the bitterness filling his mouth. They arent giving me any time to rest. Holding the de of Requiem between his teeth, he grabbed Heavenly Drive with two hands. He stepped forward with great weight and turned into a wide circle to rotate his sword. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. wless Sea of Fire. A red line emerged from the tip of his sword like dripping paint to unleash a huge wave of fire. Swaaa! The crimson sea soaring to the sky fell back down to incinerate the entire group of undead surrounding them. We have no time to waste! Keep moving! Raon used footwork while pointing at the path he managed to create. The Light Wind squad, Mark Goetten, and Wendy followed up to y the undead that still remained alive, but a new wall of undead appeared in no time. How are they so fast? They were gathering here all along in order to kill you. Unlike the front of the castle, the undead were being refilled at a tremendous pace. They mustve focused the undead in the area, just like Wrath said. Whaam! The Light Wind squad switched their formation. They focused their power on Martha to shatter the spartois bones and advanced. sh! Mark Goetten and Wendy Arianne also cut through the death knights with powerful astral energies to stay next to the Light Wind squad. Everyone was fighting to the best of their abilities in order to decrease the burden on Raon. Damn it However, Raons face wasnt looking good. He bit his lip tightly while wiping the sweat flowing down from his forehead. This isnt easy. The high-ss undead were further enhanced, and even their number was huge. It was difficult to carve a path because of that. He felt like hed entered thend of death a long time ago, but they hadnt managed to advance that far. To be honest, he felt like he would need Wraths help before reaching the pirs at the rate they were going. Why are those fucking skulls so sturdy? They are spartois made from dragon teeth! They are even resisting the freeze Burren, Martha, and Runaan bit their lips. The intermediate-ss undead, wrapped in a powerful energy of death, were too tanky. It was impossible to cut their bones unless they used aura. The Light Wind squads faces gradually turned pale from the high aura consumption. Tsk. Raon clicked his tongue and shed with Heavenly Drive using the Fangs of Insanitys principles. The fiercely polished astral energy opened the path, but other undead swarmed towards them from the sides. They arent the only ones. More of them have arrived behind them. Behind the spartois and skeleton warriors surrounding them, another wall of ghoul lords and duhans was building. Moreover, specters were flying in the sky to scatter their breaths of death. sh! Raon spread the me Spirit to remove the specters before thrusting an astral de behind him. He managed to remove the specters and spartois, but new undead simply reced them, and he couldnt even see the path anymore. Haa The tip of his hand on the hilt was trembling. His willpower had reached its limit, and his stamina and aura consumption were elerated as a result. Uaaaah! Die! You fucking skull! Enemies of sleep. His vision was getting hazy from frustration when the Light Wind squad charged forward. Whaaam! The extremely ferocious strike destroyed the undeads formation once again right after it was refilled. ang! Mark Goetten and Wendy Ariannes sharp astral energies carved the path for the Light Wind squad to pierce even further. They prated through the path and destroyed the heads of the undead gathering around them. Huh? Krein looked back with a grin. Dont tell me you are falling behind, vice squad leader. No way, he wouldnt do that. I know, right? He told us we dont even need to sleep for ten days at least. The Light Wind squad shrugged their shoulders, calling him unsightly for being tired already. Those guys Raonughed bitterly and straightened his back. They must be having an even harder time than me. They rested before, but only for three hours. Even though they went through mental training, they shouldve wanted to give up from how hard it wasyet, they still managed to smile at him. Raon was really thankful for that fact. I cant be defeated now. He crushed the pain and anxiety all around his body to advance in front of the Light Wind squad. Who knows what you are going to do if I dont hold your leash? Raon stood at the front, and a sword resonance ghastly energy sted from the de of Requiem he was holding. Kiaaaah! The wail of resentment, Blood Rain, spread around to stop the undeads movement. Whaaam! The Light Wind squad and Mark Goetten immediately kicked the ground and smashed the undead bones and flesh. Raon and the Light Wind squad shed the corpses in front of them over and over and ran towards the end. They couldnt even tell how long theyd been fighting and how much theyd advanced. The Light Wind squad was gradually exhausted and their swords pointed towards the ground, Mark Goetten was leaning forward like an old man, and Wendy Arianne was sweating profusely. sh! Raon unleashed astral energy while grasping his painful energy center to annihte the skeleton mages firing their spells. We are almost there! He could tell since hed been there before. Theyd passed the midpoint of thend of death, and the end shouldve been near. The pirs should soon Kieeeeh! * * * * * * Just as he was trying to give hope to the Light Wind squad, he could hear a screech that sounded like a hundred childrens screamsbined. Raon raised his head and saw that a death knight riding a horse with green fire burning from his eyes and a banshee, which was a ghost with the appearance of an old woman, were flying towards him. Cring! The frightening green eyes of the death knight sparkled as it dashed towards him. Raon furrowed his brow. Dont tell me His energy was familiar. It looked like it was the same death knight hed previously killed at the end of the Swamp of Death. Raon extended his left foot and incorporated the ferocity of a savage beast in Heavenly Drive. ang! The death knights Sword of Purgatory fell down like lightning to sh against Heavenly Drive, and a powerful shockwave spread around. Kuh His nausea indicated that he was about to get an internal injury. It was definitely him. The death knight had be even stronger than before, and he unleashed his hellfire. Kiaaah! Kieeeee! The Light Wind squad faltered from the screams of deathing from the banshees and specters from above. They looked like they were about to copse. Whaam! Mark Goetten went out of his way to jump and managed to y the banshee, but he was hit by the specters attack from behind and mmed into the ground. Ugh! Wendy was too busy stopping the swarm of undead and had no room to help the others. Damn it Raon bit his lip to the point of bleeding. I have no other choice now. He couldnt kill the death knight in front of him with his current state in stamina and aura. Even if he managed to win, he was going to be severely wounded, and it was detrimental to the goal. Uaaah! Everyone! You have to keep fighting! He said we are almost there The Great Light Wind Formation was still maintained somehow thanks to Burren, Martha, and Runaans determination, but it looked like it could be broken at any moment. If the formation was destroyed, the ughter was going to start right after. Theyd reached their limit. Wrath! Wrath didnt respond and kept looking at the hill on his right. I need it right now! Heal me right awa Raon frowned and called Wrath. Whir! The sound of a horning from the hill on the right side pierced through the energy of death. Huh? Huuh? Is that sound? Dorian was the first one to react. He was about to fall on his knees, but he raised his head with a trembling chin. Is that?! Raon mustered his strength to push the death knight back before he looked to the right. An old knight riding a snow-white horse was standing on the hill. Thisnd is full of death. Habun Castles casten, Mind, was coldly looking down on the horde of undead. Not as much as Habun. The vice casten, Terrain, followed him on his ck horse and smiled faintly. He raised his spear to pierce the sky, which was getting brighter. Gather! Gather! Majestic roars resounded throughout the area and the Night Fox knight order and the Snow Strikers raised their silver spears. The military spirit that started weak soared to pierce the sky. For the benefactor of Habun Castle! Chargeeeeee! Mind lowered his spear horizontally and kicked the side of his horse. Whir! The majestic sound of a horn resounded throughout the space, and the cavalry ran down the hill. Whaaam! The charge with Mind at the front was pretty much a spearhead hammered thousands of times. The wall of undead that seemed so imprable was mercilessly destroyed, and a silver path was created. How can a young one ask this old man toe? Mind smiled faintly while passing in front of Raon. You are as insolent as ever. Sir Raon! Its been a long time! You look even more handsome now! Why are you always fighting difficult battles?! The knight order and the Snow Striker swordsmen bowed to him while passing next to him. Their advance looked like they were about to destroy all the undead. Piyoooo! Before the deep emotion left by Habun Castle subsided, a hawks cry could be heard from the left side. I was wondering why that monstrous friend of mine was calling me, but there was a good reason behind it. Ive never seen this many undead before. They were familiar voices once again. Owens third prince, Greer De Owen, and the Azure Razor Sword, Borini Kitten, were there. They got into formation with their Azure Hawk knight order and the Silver Knight order they belonged to, respectively. Send the deceased to thend they belong. Charge! Unlike Habun Castles cavalry, the cavaliers lined up in a lengthy formation to charge at the undead. They lowered their postures to increase their speed, and the wall of undead was scattered like a piece of paper upon facing their spears. I was wondering when you were going to use my tablet, but you are working me to the bone. The third prince grinned whileing next to Raon. I wont count this matter as a request, Sir Raon. Borini Kitten followed next to him and shook his head slightly. Its my duty to join this battle for the sake of the continent. He shattered the death knight who was staying at the back with his astral energy and advanced. The sharpness suggested that he mustve honed his skills to a frightening extent. Raon clenched his chest, which was burning with emotions, and a huge fire burst from the sky. Whaaam! A huge explosion urred at the center of the undeads formation and the corpses left behind by the two knight orders turned into ash to flutter into the air. Raon raised his head and saw Morel with his hand extended to the front. He was the leader of Balkars magician squad, and the one called Snake of Raging me by the people. I dont understand how you convinced our donkey princess. He frowned and pointed his finger at the front. All kinds of fire spells were unleashed by the Sman magicians hands behind him, destroying the leftover undead scattered around. Kirrr. A green gaze sparkled from the cloud of dust rising from the explosion. The death knight who managed to recover while hiding dashed towards them with his Sword of Purgatory. Whaam! Someone else stepped forward before Raon blocked the blow. He deflected the death knights sword with exquisite swordsmanship and destroyed his head. Even though it was a surprise attack, it was a terrifying amount of prowess. Pathetic. The man pulled his sword off the death knights skull before turning around. The short blond hair of the middle-aged man gave off a cool impression. It was the Warring Steel division leader, Trevin Zieghart. Did you really have to call us because you couldnt win against such weak undead? I wanted to help the Warring Steel division earn some experience. They could use some practice. Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. You can still talk. Warring Steel division! Trevin raised his hand. The Light Wind squad didnt manage to defeat them! Eradicate them! Yes! He advanced, and the Warring Steel division behind him went forward at the same time. Whaam! The energy of death got stronger and stronger, but no one could stop the ck Steel Sword Formation with Trevin as the leader. They arrived in time. Raon had used Dorians disposable artifact to ask them for help before the war started. He was worried because he couldnt guarantee their arrival, but they mustve received the message. Raon clenched his fist to the point of bleeding. This is different from thest time. Unlike during the kidnapping incident when Zieghart came to save him under Glenns name, those fighting the undead were gathered under Raon Ziegharts name. Raons heart pounded as he witnessed the people who answered his call. Rumble! The knights and swordsmen advanced through the dawn to sever the sea of death, carving a golden path. The night is over. Raon clenched Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, then turned around to look at the Light Wind squad. Its time for us to teach them to fear daylight. Chapter 402 Chapter 402 Burrens chin trembled as he watched the unstoppable knights and swordsmen open the path. Wh-whats going on? What is happening right now? He was mustering all his strength to fight to the death when knights, swordsmen, and magicians suddenly appeared to ughter the undead. The third prince, Borini Kitten from the Owen Kingdom, Morel from Balkar, and Trevin Zieghart with the Warring Steel division. His pounding heart felt like it was about to burst as he witnessed their unexpected reinforcements. Moreover, they are He looked at the cavaliers who were the first ones to appear to crush the wall of undead. He realized who they were upon seeing the emblem on their armor. They were Habuns casten, Mind, and his knights. Which means, this was Burren swallowed nervously and looked at Raon. He didnt even need to ask whod called them. All of them were people rted to Raon in some way. He really is too much for me. Burren was already on the verge of fainting just from fighting the undead. He couldnt understand when and how Raon nned to call for them when hed been fighting for the past five days without even resting. He didnt even dare to catch up to him. Ra You called them, right? When Burren was trying to approach Raon, Martha spoke first. Yes. Raon nodded while spitting bloody saliva. But when? Martha turned her head while listening to the knights warcry. When the tsunami appeared. Raon said that hed asked for reinforcement through Dorians artifact because he had the feeling when he saw the tsunami that something beyond his power might happen. You are so damn meticulous. Marthaughed bitterly and shook her head. Anyway, thank you. Huh? Im saved thanks to you. Huuh? Raons eyes widened in surprise from Marthas expression of gratitude. I know when to say thanks, okay? To be honest, Martha had never been able to give thanks truthfully. To be exact, she did say it sometimes but she wasnt sincere. However, after Raon and Dorian were kidnapped and she tried to save them, she realized that shed gained more people precious to her than just her adoptive father. That was why she decided that she would make sure to say what she needed to say. Anyway, I wanted to say twank you! Huff! Martha bit her tongue while speaking because of how nervous she was. Its awkay. Raon smiled faintly and nodded. You dont need to say that to another sqwad member. Hey, stop copying me! Shtap-coopeeing-mee. Runaan came next to Martha and repeated after her while twisting her mouth. Stop! Martha punched at her, and Runaan hopped backward. It looked fun. Runaan shrugged her shoulders with nk eyes. You fuckers Martha frowned and briskly turned her head away. Her earlobes had turned red. Tap. Runaan tapped her thigh with her finger while looking at Raon, Burren, and Martha. Everyone is brighter. It was a huge crisis until a moment ago. They couldve died, but they didnt me or insult anyone. They simply smiled at each other as they rejoiced over the fact that they were alive. They had changed a lotpared to the trainee period, back when they had looked gloomy because of the darkness in their minds. Theyd be a family that could support each other. Im so d. Since Raon was aware of both the precious and ugly sides of the family, his lips were unconsciously raised into a smile as he realized the Light Wind squad had be a real family. He had the feeling that he could smile from the bottom of his heart without thinking about that person. Runaan leaped forward to stand next to Martha and tapped her shoulder. Lets go eat some ice cream togetherter on. Im not going! Then wets go! Fuck off! Martha extended her hand, and Runaan nimbly leaned backward to dodge it. Can you stop? I know, right? You arent kids anymore. You are bing more and more childish. Well, thats the fun part though Burren tried to stop them, and the Light Wind squad joined him before they started tough. Even though everyone was on the verge of death just a moment ago, the atmosphere was as warm as always. p! Raon pped his hands to gather their attention. You''ve gotten enough rest, right? He smiled while looking at the four groups eradicating the undead. Lets catch up now. * * * The Land of Death The Three Pirs The archlichs hand that was holding the staff trembled as he watched the crystal that was showing the battlefield. Where did those humanse from? He couldnt understand how Raon had called for them when hed cut off allmunicationworks around the castle. Damn it He was about to achieve his objective of turning the young Ziegharts into a pool of blood and destroying House Ariannes cursed walls, but being faced with yet another disturbance turned his stomach. Its him. The damned Zieghart! Judging from the humans movement, he could guess that the young Zieghart had called for reinforcements, not Arianne. He ground his teeth because of how persistent Zieghart was about disturbing him once again after a thousand years. This isnt the time to be irritated. The death knight with green ming eyes shook his head. He looked up to the sky while clenching his longsword around his waist. They will reach this ce before noon at this rate. We need to finish the battle preparations before then. Yes, we should. The archlich slowly nodded. He opened his hands, and the energy of death rising from thend of death intensified even further as ck magic circles were drawn all around the darknd. Hes the first one we have to kill. The death knight raised his finger to point at Raons image in the crystal ball. Hes the strongest among them, but hes extremely exhausted and also has internal injuries. The battle will be easier after we kill him. Im aware of that fact! Its his fault that we ended up like this. The archlich snapped his fingers while controlling the dark energy of death, and mid-high ss undead started to arise from the ground. Ill be making my own preparations. The death knight leaned against a pir and observed how the warriors were moving inside the crystal ball with his green ming eyes. His finger was moving along with the flow of the swordsmens martial arts. While the death knight and the archlich were preparing the defense, the Specter quietly emerged from behind them. This was unexpected, even for me. The Specter licked his lips while watching Raons face inside the crystal ball. I thought he liked to deal with everything on his own, but he can actually employ other people. Hes even more dangerous than I thought. Should I abandon them now since the experiment with the Demon Soul Bead is over? He red at the undead with cold eyes for a while before he pped his hands. No, I should see this as an opportunity. The ones attacking them were powerful people who were famous on the continent. Killing all of them was going to be another step towards his goal. Alright, Ill help you until the end. The Specter took a bead from the sleeve of his robe. Whir! A frightening current came out of the dark bead and shoved a huge amount of energy of death into the death knight, lich, and even thend they were standing on. Kieeeh. The energy of death created by the Specter spread around like a living creature, unlike the archlichs ck magic circle. Rumble! The Specter spread the energy of death until the three pirs started to tremble and took the bead back. The archlich and the death knight were focused on devising a n to kill Raon and the swordsmen. They didnt even seem to be aware of the Specters presence. Somethings missinAh! The Specter scratched his chin before he raised his head. His mask swayed a little from his twisted lips. That will be perfect. His body disappeared into darkness, leaving bluntughter behind. * * * * * * Raon went next to Habun Castles cavaliers who were destroying the undead from the forefront. Casten. Habuns casten, Mind, snorted while looking around. A bitte to be greeting me, isnt it? Despite what he said, he looked extremely d to see Raon again. Its been a while since thest time we saw that geezer. Wrath also looked d to see him, since he was waving his round hand at Mind. Why are you always in the middle of a difficult battle? Mind sighed while looking at the swarm of undead, which was still numerous. You were already slightly crazy when you stayed with us. He was extremely crazy, not just slightly. Who the hell in the world would jump down from the castle walls to rescue people? If I remember correctly, he held his position in front of the wall until sunrise to save everyone. Indeed. No one under the castle walls ended up dying. The Night Fox knights and Snow Strikers swordsmen nodded while grinning. Thank you! You saved me back then, Sir Raon! A young swordsman from the Snow Strikers raised his hand. He bowed to thank him and said that he was a soldier back then and was awakened to aura after the incident. The great feats youve aplished are still spoken of at Habun Castle. Mind had been only riding forward so far, but he came up next to Raon and tapped his shoulder. Dont worry about it, since we are only repaying the debt from back then. You should be saving your strength. He urged his horse to move faster. I want to have a meal togetherter! Lets talk again after its over! Ill be looking forward to it! The knights and swordsmen waved their hands before they advanced toward the undead to destroy the wall of spartois and skeleton warriors. Raon bowed at Mind before heading to the Owen knights. Thank you foring. Its only natural since the tablet was returned to me. Dont worry about it. The third prince smiled, a hawk sitting on his shoulder. It seemed to be the one that had made the sharp cry earlier. Hmm Its been a while, swordswoman Martha. He looked behind Raon and winked at Martha. Raon could see that he was still in love with Martha because his eyes had grown slightly softer. What the hell?! You are so gross! Martha frowned in irritation at the third princes wink and briskly turned her head away. Uuh Peee. The third prince bent his neck in shock. The hawk sitting on his shoulder looked like it was trying tofort him because it started patting his cheek with its beck. Like I said before, this is my duty. Borini Kitten came up next to the depressed third prince. Im the one who should be thanking you for allowing me to participate in such a battle! He said that he was honored because it was going to be a great experience for him. He was truly an exemry knight. Thank you. Raon also thanked him and went towards Morell and Smans magicians. I was surprised that you came all the way here. Thank you. It was really far. Really far? Re-really far, Sir. Huh? Wait, I dont need to add Sir anymore! Morell started to nod but shouted instead. I was just kidding. Raon smiled while looking at Morells flushed face. Haa Rather than that, how did you even captivate our princesss heart? She was pretty much begging me, saying that we needed to help you as fast as possible. Morell was amazed because hed never seen Princess Jayna plead like that. Are you actually in that kind of rtionship? Not at all. Raon firmly shook his hand. Shes the donkey princess like you said before. I cant have that kind of rtionship with her. Then how did it happen? Its a simple promise between us. Anyway, I appreciate your help. Im looking forward to your cooperation until the end. The corpses of ck magic are unsightly for magicians who control the truth of the world. Id clean them up even if you didnt ask. Morell extended his hand, saying that those filthy creatures were a disgrace to magic. A huge snake emerged and wiped out the skeleton mages in front of them. Division leader. Raon went to the Warring Steel division, which was thest of the reinforcements, and started joking with them. Why did you arrive sote? I came as fast as I could. The Warring Steel division leader, Trevin, frowned. Theyd gotten a lot closer because the Warring Steel division and the Light Wind squad had been sparring against each other since the first trial. Thank you foring. You saved me. Im only here because they kept saying that it would be boring without you. Trevin took a nce behind him and shook his head. Haah? What is he even saying? It was him who kept urging us to get ready even faster! He cant be honest. He was the one who came running while only wearing underwear to ask us to save Raon. The Warring Steel swordsmen tilted their heads, calling it bullshit. Hey, shut up! Trevin frowned while looking behind him, and the swordsmen shut their mouths. Thank you. Raon smiled faintly and bowed at Trevin. Ill repay this favor no matter what. I dont need it. Trevin shook his head. Make sure to get promoted to the Light Wind division if you want to thank me. Itd be embarrassing if our Warring Steel divisions rival had to remain as a squad. He dashed forward, saying that he would be satisfied with that. Thats what he says. Get promoted already. Ill be looking forward to it. The Warring Steel swordsmen smiled and followed Trevin. Huh Raon gasped while watching Trevin and the Warring Steel division. Is he really a member of the direct line? He felt strange because he was too different from the other direct lines hed seen so far. Raon was even more thankful for how casually hed said that because the other direct lines were bound to dislike him for it. Hey, vice squad leader. We should also go there and mess them up! Thats right, we cant leave everything to our guests. Lets get it done and go to sleep. Burren, Martha, and Runaan were controlling their auras while clenching their swords. The eyes of the Light Wind squad behind them were glowing with fighting spirit. You are right. Raon nodded and fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive. Catch up to them. He dashed towards Habun Castle, Owen, Balkar, and the Warring Steel divisions backs as they carved a path for them. Whaam! The converging fire from Morell and Smans magicians destroyed the undead armys sturdy formation, and the cavaliers of Habun castle led by Mind became a spear to elerate the copse of their formation. Rumble! The third prince and Borini Kitten spread their knights into a wide formation like a hawks wings to eliminate the undead without missing a single one, while Trevin Zieghart and the Warring Steel division used the ck Steel Sword Formation to only focus on mid-high ss undead that the other three groups missed. Raon led the Light Wind squad and ran to the front lines to attack the chimera zombie that was rolling towards them. Grrr! Raon used Supreme Harmony Steps when five chimera zombies were expanding to activate the corpse explosion. He leaped through the space as if he were folding thend in between to close the distance in an instant and shed with Frost Pond. ang! The chimera zombies bodies were expanded to the limit and were about to explode, but their heads rolled while their bodies froze from the second strike of Frost Pond. sh! The Light Wind squad followed up to sever the chimera zombies frozen bodies. I told you to stay back. Mind smiled faintly whilemanding his cavaliers and swordsmen. You are so slow. Morell sighed deeply and incinerated the group of undead with a snake of fire. This much wait is understandable since they are exhausted. Borini Kitten smiled gently and cut apart a banshees body. I-indeed The third prince was busy peeking at Martha with his wavering eyes as she destroyed the undead with her powerful sword. They will still do their job. The Warring Steel division leader, Trevin, nodded while saying that they could be trusted once they took action. The Mad Dog squad will take the lead once again. Raon smiled at them and moved forward. Come on! We arent the Mad Dogs! Woof! Burren, Martha, and Runaan led their team members to ruthlessly destroy the approaching undead. Whaam! Even though the five groups had never worked together before, they worked together like a well-oiled machine to wipe out the battlefield and continue their sweeping advance. Since none of them fought excessivelypared to the others, they managed to save their strengths until the pirs at the end of thend of death finally entered their sights. Therge number of monsters as powerful as spartois, ghoul lords, and duhan implied that they were prepared for thest battle, and low to intermediate-ss death knights and liches were also mixed into them. Haa Raon caught his breath and looked behind them. Hes there. An archlich with blue mes burning from his eyes was located in front of the pirs at the end of thend of death. The frightening amount of energy was telling him that the archlich was an advanced fiend, just like hed thought. However, the troops and the energy of death werent the only preparations hed made. Raon sent aura messages to the four leaders at the same time. [Ill go towards them first. You dont need to defend me even if Im attacked.] Judging from what happened up to that point, the enemies were definitely targeting the Light Wind squad, and their vice squad leader Raon specifically. They mustve made a lot of preparations to kill me. Attacking at once was going to activate the archlichs traps and cause countless casualties. Following the initial n was the correct course of action. [You must have a n.] [Sir Raon looks tired, but I believe in you.] [Do as you wish.] [Are you showing us a weird strategy again?] Mind, Borini Kitten, Morell, and Trevin didnt ask any questions as they slowed their troops. [Thank you.] Raon nodded at them slightly before stepping onto the darknd. Can this even be callednd? The intense stench of the triangr ground felt like it was made of the energy of death itself instead of soil and sand. Even the Expert ss swordsmen wouldnt have been able to endure that evil stench. Raon swallowed nervously and walked into thend of death, and the sky andnd wavered as the dark energy started to rampage violently. Cring! Countless ck magic circles appeared from the sky and thend as a death knight emerged from the ground with green ming eyes to thrust his Sword of Purgatory. He was the advanced fiend death knight whod been hiding his presence from below the darkness on the ground. It looked like a crisis that he couldnt ovee no matter what he tried, but Raons eyes were as still as ice. Wrath, its time for the trade. Chapter 403 Chapter 403 Rumble! Raon increased the Ring of Fires output to the maximum while looking at the rain of spells and the Sword of Purgatory approaching his neck. Because the resonance happened in an extreme situation, time felt like it was flowing even more slowly than usual. I knew it. Raon had noticed when he entered the Land of Death, where the three pirs were located. The energy of death was on a whole different levelpared to the other locations, and countless magic arrays were hidden everywhereincluding the sky and ground. Its only natural. The archlich had been observing the people whilemanding the undead army ever since the siege, and there was no way he wouldn''t have made preparations against them. That much preparation was obvious since he was trying to kill the warriors who managed to charge their way to the pirs. Among them, I seem to be the one he wants to kill the most. Even though only one person had entered his range, he activated the magic circles and even revealed the advanced death knight hiding under the energy of death. Raon could feel his determination to kill him before starting the war. But you arent the only ones who are prepared. Since Raon was already aware of the fact that the archlich had been observing the battlefield all along, he knew that it was going to happen. Raon rolled his lips into a smile while looking at the approaching Sword of Purgatory and spells. Wrath, lets trade already Dont wanna. Huh? What? The King of Essence said that he doesnt want to. He unexpectedly shook his head in denial even though hed told him that hed recover the aura and stamina and even lend his coldness and wrath. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the approaching Sword of Purgatory. Why are you saying this now?! You promised to trade! The King of Essence thought about it and came to the conclusion that you are the only one who benefits here. Wrath closed his eyes, saying that it was disadvantageous for him no matter how he thought about it. His curved lips suggested that he knew that he had the upper hand in the situation. However, he seemed to be willing to negotiate, because he transferred his strange power to make the time flow even more slowly while they could think at the same speed. Ugh Raons heart tightened because he didnt expect that to happen. Ill take more wrath from you. Deal? Wrath had been shoving his wrath into Raon in order to take over his body, but it wasnt always bad for him. Since Raon learned how to use the wrath from him, it had its pros and cons. Wrath pouted instead of responding. That wasnt it? Raon thought Wrath was obviously trying to give him more wrath, but he wasnt saying anything. We have no time to waste. We are going to die if you dont say it already, and you wont be able to gain anyth Wrath suddenly licked his lips. Wait, dont tell me Raon frowned as he watched Wrath lick his lips. Ill eat all of the delicious foods until we return to the house instead of just after the war. Hmm Im also going to eat the new bead ice cream that Runaan mentioned! Call! You damn glutton! Raon couldnt hold back his insult because of how he tried to negotiate in that emergency. Wrath didnt seem to be aware, but the result of the negotiation wasnt going to be in his favor. The King of Essence shall make sure to give you what you want. Along with Wraths excited voice, vitality returned to Raons body, which felt as heavy as wet cotton. Heat and coldness emerged endlessly inside his empty energy center. The coldness was especially huge, enough to overflow from his huge energy center. Raon lowered his center of gravity and thrust the de of Requiem. Whaap! The extreme coldness and the wrath of the demon king were dwelling inside the yellow ghastly energy. Deadly light radiated from the red de wrapped in the alien power. Cring! He made the ghastly energy, coldness, and wrath he could feel from his left hand at the same time. The de of Requiems intense vibration felt like it was about to break, and the coldness bursting out seemed capable of freezing the entire world. Swaaa! The Silver White Aurora emerged through the de of Requiem, and the spells falling from the sky and the death knights hellfire froze at the same time. Kuh Raon bit his lip while looking at the frozen world. This isnt easy He felt nauseous and tired. He wanted to copse right away. It was previously possible to use the Silver White Aurora thanks to Wraths help, but using it on his own was still too difficult for him. Creak. The creaking sound of the death knights body inside the ice could be heard. He was even stronger than he expected, as he could still move after Wraths skill was used on him. Cring! Raon endured the throbbing pain in his heart and incorporated Heavenly Drive, which was in his right hand, with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations heat. Crack! The line of fire surged over the crimson de to destroy the advanced death knights frozen body. Whaam! The huge pir of ice created through the Silver White Aurora was destroyed by the Crimson sh and fell into pieces. What the hell is that? Habuns casten, Mind, dropped his jaw while looking at the ice wall created by Raon. I-it looks like magic, but it isnt. Its actually a phenomenon Morells widened eyes looked like they were about to pop out as he described the absurdity that just happened in front of him. Did he change his swordsmanship? I think he just got better in the meantime. The third prince and Borini Kitten swallowed nervously at the Crimson sh that severed the death knight in a single strike instead of the Silver White Aurora. This should be called a circus at this point. The Warring Steel division leader, Trevin, shook his head while sighing. Is he even human? Hes even more terrifying than the undead at this point Im going to be a good boy in front of him. The Light Wind squad was also murmuring in amazement as they witnessed the impossible scene. * * * * * * H-how is this happening?! The archlich stepped backward while looking at Raon, who managed to block hundreds of spells and the death knights sword with a single move. This cant be happening How did he suddenly recover his aura? He was aware that the young Zieghart was capable of creating that wall of ice, but hed judged that it was impossible with his remaining aura and stamina. However, a tremendous amount of aura that shouldnt have existed exploded from his energy center right before the sword and spells reached him, creating a wall of ice that shouldve been impossible. What the hell? He couldnt understand the situation no matter how hard he thought about it. However, rather than unraveling the secret, he had to focus on oveing the crisis at hand. The young Zieghart wasnt his only enemy, after all. What should I do? Re-summoning the death knight wasnt a difficult task, but he couldnt find the method to kill all the humans in front of him. While the archlich pulled the strings of death to revive the death knight, the young Zieghart shook his hand behind him. Its done. Come inside now. The humans whod been waiting from behind slowly stepped inside the Land of Death, following his signal. This is my chance! The humans shouldnt have been aware, but the magic circles that hed prepared could be used continuously instead of having a single use. He expected that even the young Zieghart in front of him wouldnt be able to create the wall of ice consecutively. That was why he thought he could inflict a critical amount of damage by activating the magic circles after his enemies entered the area. The humans stepped into the Land of Death without hesitation and started to wipe out the non-frozen undead. Now is my chance! The moment thest person stepped inside, the archlich activated his magic circles once again. He was about to resume the death knights revival after firing the attack spells, but his movement came to a halt. Huh? He couldnt activate the magic circles. No, the activation wasnt even the problem, since the magic circles were melting even though they shouldvested for at least a month. Wh-what?! Whats happening to the magic circles?! He even stopped the death knights revival in his panic, and the young Ziegharts voice could be heard. Whats wrong? You cant activate the magic circles? He smiled cheerfully while twirling the dagger hed used to create the wall of ice around his finger. Dont tell me, you used that dagger The archlich had seen that ominous dagger destroy the spells and magic circles many times in the past, but he never imagined that he could nullify all of the magic circles in the area. Who the hell are you?! Whats wrong with you?! I wonder. Raon smiled faintly while looking at the archlichs trembling chin. He seemed to be panicking, since his green ming eyes were trembling so hard that they looked like they were about to be extinguished. It worked. Even the de of Requiem couldnt destroy the huge number of magic circles at the same time. Raon had used the Ring of Fire to find the center of the magic circles, then he destroyed the circles with the Silver White Aurora and the Ghastly Flow of Mana, which ended up being effective. This is great stress relief! Burren grinned while destroying a spartois body. Give me your heads, you fucking skeletons! Martha was only focused on destroying the heads. She looked like she was venting her umted frustration. Lets finish this quickly so I can sleep! Sleep! Sleep! Runaan cut a duhan in four different pieces, her purple eyes burning with fighting spirit. She looked like shed reached her limits. We can see the end! They werent even a big deal! Kill them all! It wasnt just the Light Wind squad. The warriors and magicians from the four different factions were also ughtering the undead while consuming a huge amount of mana since the war wasing to an end. Since all of them were powerful groups, all of the undead monsters perished in no time except for the archlich. That skelly is the only one left now. Mind stood next to Raon and pointed his sword at the archlich. An advanced archlich, what a rare sight. It will be a fun experiment. A frightening smile appeared on Morells face as hepressed a firestorm on his hands. We have to eliminate him no matter what, as he can control such a powerful army of undead. Borini Kitten walked up to him, wrapped in his sharp pressure. So hes the perpetrator that made use all the way here. How arrogant. Trevin red at the archlich while unleashing the astral energy from his sword. The tips of the archlichs fingers looked like they were trembling as he faced the powerful pressures from his four enemies. What are you going to do now? You are the only one left. Im not the only one. The archlich raised his hand while grinding his teeth. A huge amount of energy of death rampaged and the death knight and advanced undead that had died a moment ago emerged from underneath the archlich. Im sorry. The death knight immediately raised his sword and apologized to the archlich. You dont have to apologize. Raon responded instead with a faint smile on his face. Your friend is also going to die the same way soon enough. Shut up! The death knight charged at Raon while grinding his teeth. He was even faster than before, probably because he was using his footwork as fast as possible. Hes fast, butI already know his methods. Raon extended his right foot to the front and shed upwards with Heavenly Drive. ang! The brutal strike of the Fangs of Insanity fended off the death knights Sword of Purgatory. What?! The death knights chin trembled in disbelief from how his sword was easily pushed back. The death knight that was here before was your mirror image, right? How did you know? Because you are using exactly the same swordsmanship. The advanced death knight in front of him was wielding his sword exactly the same way as the death knight that could grow while fighting. Since even the footwork and swordsmanship were the same, Raon could tell that the one hed previously encountered was the mirror image, and he managed to fend off the blow without much difficulty. Nonsense! You cant possibly understand my sword just from fighting that! The death knight charged at Raon once again. His footwork and swordsmanship had changed slightly, but there wasnt a huge difference. The flow of swordsmanship was learned with body, and it couldnt be changed so easily. Its still simr. Raon deflected the death knights Sword of Purgatory with Heavenly Drive, incorporating the flow of the Blizzard Sword Art before he advanced. Once he reached right in front of the death knight, he unleashed the Swords Silvery Dream with the de of Requiem. Crack! The short de passed like a dream, and the de of ghastly energy appeared from its shadow to pierce through the death knights core. Ah The death knight dropped his Sword of Purgatory without even realizing what killed him. What is You didnt see that before, right? Raon had used countless techniques to kill the undead but he purposefully didnt show the Swords Silvery Dream. The death knight turned into ash, his core destroyed by the Swords Silvery Dream that hed never seen before. Even though thend was brimming with the energy of death, he wasnt going to be revived any time soon. Whaam! The archlich also fell on the ground from Morells fire snake while trying to dodge Mind and Borini Kittensbined attacks. Kuh The archlichs hand was trembling as he groaned. He seemed to have taken some damage even though he shouldnt feel any pain. Y-you bastards! The archlich broke out of the fire snake and tried to activate his ck magic, but Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to approach him. Hes definitely going to dodge if I attack him normally. Even though the archlich was a mage, he couldnt be underestimated considering what hed done so far. It was necessary to use powerful techniques even though he didnt have much time. Kuh! The archlich raised his hand while looking at Raon. A dark purple light shed from his gray finger bone. Cring! Raon drew a wave with Heavenly Drive. The white shadow emerging from the de gently embraced the archlichs sh. Whir! At the same time, crimson sword resonance burst from the de of Requiem, rushing from the left side. Blood Rain. The archlich had already seen it before, but he had never heard the wail of the deceased that stopped his movement. And one more step from here. Raon stepped forward with his left foot and cut into a cross shape with the White Shadow sh, which managed to absorb the ck magic, and the de of Requiem, which just scattered the rain of blood. Kuh The archlich tried to move while looking at the two swords approach, but the wail of the Blood Rain didnt release his limbs. Crack! Once Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem reached him, the archlichs body was split into four pieces. Whaam! Mind and Borini Kittens astral energies assaulted the archlichs severed body, and Morells firestorm created an explosion. Whaap! The archlich disappeared under the ground that was brimming with the energy of death without even leaving a single piece of bone behind. He was going to be revived eventually since his soul crystal wasnt destroyed, but it was bound to take a tremendous amount of time. Whoaaa! Its over! We finally killed them all! Sniff! I can finally sleep! Since the Light Wind squad had been fighting for six days straight, they cheered in delight at the fact that they could finally rest. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at thend where the archlich had perished. This is a bit strange. The battle wasnt actually that hard even though the energy of death from the archlich and the death knight was extremely terrifying. Even if he considered that he managed to destroy the archlichs ns and the fact that he had powerful helpers, he still felt like the battle shouldve been harder. He had a bad feeling about it. Casten. Raon turned around and walked up to Mind. Didnt you find this too eas? Raon was about to tell him about what hed just thought. You realized it so quickly. The Land of Death wavered once again as the frightening voice could be heard. Unlike what happened so far, the energy of death itself was moving throughout thend. Swoosh! Dark hands surfaced from the ground and bound everyones hands and feet. Gasp! Wh-what?! What is this?! Bl-ck hands? Is the lich still alive? The warriors and magicians attacked the ck hands with their aura des and magic but the hands didnt disappear. Oh no Ev-even astral energy cant destroy it! Mind and Borini Kitten were looking at the ck hands with trembling eyes because they couldnt even remove them with astral energy. This isnt magic! Why cant I cut this?! Even Morells fire magic and Trevins astral energy, which was at the highest level of Master, were unable to destroy the ck hands. I-its absorbing our mana! Unleash your aura! Stop your energy from leaving you! Just like the third prince and Mind said, the ck hands were also absorbing their stamina and mana on top of stopping their movements. Damn it! Raon struck the ck hand holding his wrist with the de of Requiem. Even though he was using the Ghastly Flow of Mana, the ck hand didnt disappear. This isnt a spell. The hand wasnt made with magic. It was a phenomenon created from energy, just like the Silver White Aurora. Kuh We are going to lose all our vitality and be zombies at this rate! We have to move no matter what! I want to, but what can we do? People were panicking and struggling, and a small resonance urred from thend where the three pirs were located. Thud! Slow and huge ripples spread from pirs as if the swamp was going to rise again in the Land of Death, and a mysterious man d in a ck robe emerged. Ah Raons fingertips trembled as he looked at the archlich mask that the mysterious man was wearing. The Specter? It mustve been Specter, Edens officer who supposedly inherited the power of a high-ss archlich. This is the first time weve faced each other, Raon Zieghart. With a heavy voice, the Specter slowly floated into the air to look down on them. Im extremely thankful for you bringing all of these people here. He extended his right hand downwards. A powerful light iparable to the archlich radiated from the ck bead he was holding. It was worth experimenting instead of returning right away. Raon bit his lip while looking at the purple light bing as colossal as the sun. I thought someone mustve been behind this, but it was the SpecterDamn it. Because Merlin had told him that the Fallen had given up on him temporarily and didnt visit him for a while, he didnt expect Eden to be the perpetrator behind the war. No, it was my mistake. I shouldnt have simply believed that Eden wouldnt be here. Merlin did mention that the officers received various independent missions. Since Eden was a group of lunatics, he had to consider the possibility that they would attack on their own ord, regardless of the Fallen. However Its notpletely impossible to reverse the situation. Raon gathered the wrath from the bottom of his soul and the Ring of Fire at the same time. Rumble! The release of power was huge enough to twist his bones and skin, and the ck hands holding his limbs shattered into pieces. Thud! Raon kicked the mmy ground and jumped towards the Specter. As Raon aimed to nullify his spell with the White Shadow sh and cut his neck with the de of Requiem, he extended his left hand. Youd better stop. Yua and Yulius appeared from his left hand as he spoke. They looked like they had lost consciousness, as they were faltering like shirts hanging on a clothesline and their eyes were shut tight. Fakes? No, their vitality Raon wanted to believe that they were fakes, but their presences and existences were the real deal. He wouldve ignored them if they were fakes, but he couldnt attack because they were the real ones. Shes the real Pineapple Girl! Damn it! There was no mistake since Wrath confirmed it. Raon controlled his aura to the best of his ability to force himself to stop mid-air. Ssh! Once his feet reached the ground once again, ck hands even bigger than before rose up to strongly pull his legs. Wise decision. The Specters sneer could be heard from his voice. Because I personally brought those children from House Arianne. But I didnt notice your movements! Because Ive been hiding inside the energy of death. He said that hed spread the energy of death to the entirend for that purpose. Dont be so sad. Im the one who found them first, not you. You are the one who took them away from me in my point of view. The Specter smiled while looking at Yua. She had even better qualities than I thought. She was corrupted because of you, but dont worry. Ill make it so she can kill thousands of people with a single song soon enough. He smiled coldly, saying that he was looking forward to it. Lets put an end to this. A powerful light flickered once again from the bead in the Specters extended hand. Rumble! It was releasing a power to crush their bodies with the energy of death that even the White Shadow sh and the de of Requiems Ghastly Flow of Mana wouldnt be able to stop. Since Raon used the card to get help from Wrath, he couldnte up with any way to stop it. Should I attack again? But he might use Yulius as a shield. But everyones going to die if I dont do anything about this His head ached from his thoughts, but he couldnt think of any way to deal with it. Whir! Even though he didnte up with a solution, the Specters sphere of death was ready to fall. Theres no other choice. I wanted to save it, but Raon started to gather the divinity that he was nning to hide until the end when a refreshing wind tickled his nose. No, it wasnt just wind. The sharp and aloof scent of lightning was there as well. Could it be? Raon raised his head and saw him right behind the Specter. The de of wind and lightning from the red-haired elf severed the Specters body. Chapter 404 Chapter 404 sh! Rimmer didnt stop after the first sh. He regained his bnce from mid-air to attack consecutively until the Specters body was cut into pieces. Whaam! As soon as the ck hands released Raons limbs, he used the Supreme Harmony Steps to catch Yua and Yulius. Haa He breathed out a sigh of relief as he confirmed their state. They are safe. Fortunately, there were no problems whatsoever with Yua and Yulius except that they were unconscious. Whir. He used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations heat topletely erase the energy of death the Specter had used to make them sleep. Heave-ho! Rimmernded on the ground and put his sword on his shoulder. His lips curved into a huge smile, showing that he was getting carried away with his heroic arrival. Squad leader Uh uh! Raon tried to talk to him, but he extended his hand and shook his head. You dont need to thank me! Its my job to protect you! The smile on Rimmers face deepened. His nose was rising so high that it looked like it could reach the stratosphere. The Light Wind squads squad leader? Which means, is that elf Zieghart''s Sword of Light? A-amazing. I didnt even realize he was here! What amazing speed. I can understand why hes called the Sword of Light. He just destroyed the Specter I heard he was severely injured, but hes still amazing. Is this the Ziegharts power? The swordsmen and magicians who were being crushed by the Specters energy of death admired Rimmers swordsmanship. Aheem! That wasnt a big deal. Rimmer cleared his throat and raised his chin. He looked extremely arrogant. Haa Raon exhaled in irritation and walked up to Rimmer. Im thankful that he saved us, but before that Why did hee sote? Watching him boast made him extremely angry because it reminded him of how much he suffered for the past six days. Why did you arrive sote? Do you think you are the protagonist or something? What have you been even doing to arrive sote? I think he mustve been napping somewhere. Alwayste. Even Martha, Burren, and Runaan red at Rimmer and frowned just like Raon did. Yeah, the timing was too perfect. It was the perfect time for a heros arrival. I bet he was sleeping in a tree because he didnt want to fight and came rolling down. The Light Wind swordsmen also red at him in suspicion before anything because of what hed done in the past. Huh? Rimmers jaw dropped. He looked like he didnt expect that response. B-but Im your squad leader, and I just saved you You should do the squad leaders job since you are the squad leader. You didnte here right after you finished your training in seclusion, right? Th-thats true, but Rimmer nodded awkwardly at Raons question. Then what have you been doing Huh? Its not over yet. I noticed. Raon nodded and looked above him. The Specters robe, which was torn to pieces from Rimmers sword, was starting to gather together. That implied that the Specter was still alive. Burren! Dorian! Raon threw Yua and Yulius at Burren and Dorian behind him. Huff! Huh? They were surprised but still managed to smoothly catch them. Take the members and leave! Everyone, leave thisnd except for the Masters! Why Huff! Th-thats They were about to ask the reason why when their chins started to tremble as they noticed the Specters robe being regenerated in the air. He didnt die! Leave thisnd, everyone! Mind and Morell ordered the retreat to the swordsmen and magicians theyd brought. Your Highness! Retreat with the knights! You cant handle this! Borini Kitten and Trevin also made their knights and swordsmen retreat. Huh? Rimmer tilted his head while looking at the Specter regaining his original form. I knew he could revive, but Ive never seen that ability before. He briefly clicked his tongue, saying that he never knew that the Specter could immediately revive himself. It must be because of that bead. Raon pointed at the ck bead glowing from inside the Specters robe. Hes been using that bead to amplify the energy of death all along. Ever since the Specter first appeared, he used that dark bead to summon the ck hands and cast spells. Considering the fact that his body was gathering around the ck bead, it was a usible assumption. Which means Yes, we should attack it. Raon kicked the ground as soon as he finished talking. Rimmer also jumped and unleashed his astral energy. When Raon was about to sh the Specter with the de of Requiem wrapped in Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, dark energy emerged and created a round barrier. ang! The frightening ck barrier was sturdy enough to block the two astral energies. Crack! It was destroyed soon enough, but the Specter had already finished his regeneration and moved back in the meantime. Raon turned around mid-air to step on Rimmers shoulder and charge towards the Specter. ang! Heavenly Drive, wrapped in astral energy, smashed the bead he was holding. Unfortunately. it didnt even leave a scratch, let alone cut it. Scram! A dark light radiated from the Specters hand. Raon felt like his heart skipped a beat upon witnessing the light. Thud! Raon hurriedly increased his weight to return to the ground and used the Supreme Harmonys Third Step to withdraw. Whaam! The ground where he had been standing exploded, and a bottomless pit was created. Did you just fail to cut it? My shoulder was too good for you! Its harder than I thought. Raon shook his head at Rimmer, who clicked his tongue at his pathetic performance. But this situation isnt too bad. Since he showed that his astral de was incapable of cutting the bead, the Specter was bound to be careless. If he used that power at the correct opportunity, he would be able to destroy it. You vermin! The Specter was trembling so hard that his mask was getting shaken off. Raon could almost see the expression on his face. Ill remove you from this world without leaving the smallest trace! Like how you ended up just now? Rimmer smiled faintly while pointing at the Specter. Shut up! The Specter extended his hand holding the ck bead, and a huge wave urred in the Land of Death to revive the undead that theyd finally managed to kill with even more powerful energy of death. Whir! Every single one of them was d with even more power than low-ss death knights, and even powerful people like Mind and Borini Kitten werent going to be able to get rid of them easily. We just need to get rid of him instead of them. Rimmer smiled, saying that it wasnt a difficult task. Indeed. Raon nodded and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. Zap! Rimmer caught up to him and unleashed his wind and lightning. He mustve trained properly at least, since he could naturally control the lightning. Rumble! Raon tried to approach the Specter, but thend he was standing on started to fissure and copse as if an earthquake were happening. Whaam! The darknd became distorted and a dragons head covered with blue fire emerged. A dragons body and wings as huge as a mountain followed. A sharp tail appeared atst, like a long spear capable of reaching the sky, and mmed into the tremblingnd. Thats There was no mistake, as it was an ice dragon made of bones without skin. It was the bone dragon thatpeted for the ce of strongest among the undead. Roaaar! The Specter mounted on the bone dragons back as it roared and extended the bead to the front. Your chance is over. You wont be able to reach me ever again. He dered and floated into the air with the bone dragon. Raon! I know. Raon kicked the ground with enough power to burst his thigh muscles. sh! He cut the ck hands trying to stop him by surging up from the ground with Blizzard Sword Art and thrusting Heavenly Drive above him. The technique I need to use is The bone dragon had already started to fly. Since the Specter was probably going to fend off the attacks, dragging it back down on the ground was the highest priority. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Second form, Heavenly Heavy Cannon. The sphere of astral energy was created at the tip of Heavenly Drive, and the tremendous gravity from it dragged down the bone dragons body. I knew it would work. The Heavenly Heavy Cannon could create gravity, and he could pull his opponent with it. The gravity had grown even more powerful since he had be an advanced Master, stopping the bone dragon from flying. What the hell?! Our vice squad leader is pretty good, isnt he? The Specters chin trembled in panic, and Rimmer went above his head with a cold smile on his face. He has a bad personality, but his skills are the real deal! Rimmer gritted his teeth and shed down with wind and lightning. Whaaam! The Specter hurriedly created a dark spherical barrier, but it couldnt perfectly defend against the tremendous power of Rimmers strike. The bone dragon lost its bnce. I should do it now. Raon didnt miss the opportunity as the bone dragon tilted its body and exploded the Heavenly Heavy Cannons energy focused at the tip of his sword. Baaam! The sh of light extending from Heavenly Drives tip destroyed the Specters dark barrier and severed the bone dragons left shoulder and wing. Whaaam! Rimmer crushed it from the top and Raon destroyed it from the bottom. The bone dragon ended up falling to the ground with its body turned upside down. Whoosh! Because of its huge size, a huge sandstorm urred from the ground. Raon dashed to finish it off, and a blue light burst from the dust. Dont tell me It was a tremendous amount of ice. The bone dragon was using the ice breath. Since it was an undead, it didnt feel any pain and counterattacked right away even though its body was destroyed. Swaaaa! The ice breathing from the bone dragon was iparable to the drakes breath that hed previously encountered. Even though Raons Water Resistance was at seven-stars, he couldnt tank it with his body. Even so Ill do it. Raon didnt dodge the ice breath. He increased the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations outputs to the maximum and dashed toward the ice storm. Crack! He cut through the coldness with the sharpness of the Crimson sh and stabbed the bone dragons jaw with the de of Requiem before using the me Dragon Art. Whaap! The fire breath unleashed from the red de pierced into the bone dragons body. Creak! The coldness surrounding the bone dragon was pushed back by the me Dragon Arts fire and its bones started to be crushed. Smack! The coldness was the bone dragons vitality. Once the coldness melted down from the heat, it couldntst any longer. Grr The bone dragons chin trembled in regret before it copsed. * * * * * * My side is done. Raon confirmed that the light had disappeared from the bone dragons eyes before he raised his head. Cring! Rimmer caught up to the Specter, who was trying to run away, and unleashed astral energies of wind one after the other. You failure! The Specter extended his bead. His energy of death was amplified in an instant, and countless ck spears started to rain down. Rumble! Every single one of the spears was as powerful as an advanced Masters astral energy. Uwaah! Rimmer screamed like a girl and turned his body to dodge the spears of death. Whir! However, the spears of death were endless. Raon could predict that Rimmer was going to die at that rateand so would the people behind him. Seriously. Raon gritted his back teeth and dashed towards the Specter. Cring! He unleashed the White Shadow sh with Heavenly Drive while he hacked with the wless Sea of Fire using the de of Requiem. The white shadow removed the spears of death and the crimson mes engulfed them. The white and red waves emerged as beautifully as a dancers performance, and the spears of death disappeared without even leaving a trace. Cring! Rimmer didnt miss the opportunity presented to him, advancing like the wind to sh down the Specter. ang! However, his sword didnt manage to reach the Specter. A red gate suddenly appeared from the ground and blocked the sword. Is this? Rimmer frowned while looking at the red gate. Do you believe that the strongest undead summoned by an archlich would be a death knight or a bone dragon? The Specter sneered, and the chains dropped from the gate. With a noise that sounded like thousands of people screaming in unison, the crimson gate opened up. From the darkness inside the door, a knight wearing red armor with noticeablyrge shoulder pads appeared. His face couldnt be seen because of his helmet, which was the shape of a dragons head, but Raon could tell that he wasnt alive. He mustve been an undead, just like the death knight. Rumble! The power of the red armored knight was even stronger than an advanced death knight. The will inside his crimson eyes wasnt malice towards the living but fighting spirit as he craved battle. What is this? Rimmer licked his lips in anxiety and leaped backward. Oh? Raon frowned while looking at the unknown monster, and Wrath quietly eximed. Do you know him? Of course, that monster also exists in Devildom. What? Thats a monster called a Hell Pilgrim. Its an evolved version of a corrupted death knight, which happens when its soul transcends and reaches Devildom. Wrath said that Raon should be careful about him since he was a pilgrim of Devildom. Shring! The Specter raised his hand, and the hell pilgrim unsheathed his longsword. The frightening sound of the sword draw made Raon nauseous. Go, kill them all! He shouted, and the hell pilgrim stepped forward. Whaam! It felt like his entire vision turned red as the hell pilgrim appeared in front of his eyes and shed down with his longsword. The extremely weak dark me burning on the de, unlike the Sword of Purgatory, made a chill run down his spine. Ill die if I dont defend to the best of my abilities. Raon unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme and thrust the most defensive technique of the Fangs of Insanity, Division sh. ang! Astral energy burst from the sh between crimson and dark mes and created countless sparks in the air. Grr. The hell pilgrim seemed to enjoy the fact that Raon managed to block his attack, and he moved on to the next strike with grotesqueughter. Whoosh! His sword was falling in a curve from the right side, but it was fast and variable at the same time, which made it difficult to read the flow. Raon resonated the Ring of Fire as fast as possible, and he could finally see the trajectory of the hell pilgrims sword. Cring! He deflected the hell pilgrims strike with the Blizzard Sword Art using Heavenly Drive and extended his left foot to thrust the de of Requiem. Grr! The hell pilgrim wasnt surprised at all and deflected the de of Requiem with his shoulder pad before he attacked with his elbow. He has a fast reaction time. Since the close-quarterbat wasnt unexpected, he fended off the elbow with the back of his hand before he smacked the hell pilgrims stomach with his knee. Smaack! Since he was using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, the hell pilgrims armor was crushed like scrap metal, but he only groaned faintly and withdrew. Where are you going? Raon advanced with the Supreme Harmony Steps as smoothly as gliding through ice. He reached the hell pilgrims back and unleashed Frost Pond. aang! Raons two des attacked one after the other, and the hell pilgrim deflected Heavenly Drive while burning the frozen de with hellfire. The reaction was appropriate on top of being fast. Raon felt like he was facing a properly trained knight or swordsman instead of an undead. Grr! It was time for the hell pilgrims counterattack. He bent his right knee to lower his posture and raised his sword. The upper posture. The upper posture was the sword posture with the strongest attack. Focusing on defense was the best course of action. However Defense didnt suit him since he had the Ring of Fire. Raon believed in his own skills and advanced. Whaam! The hell pilgrims sword fell towards him. It was slow, but the heavy weight pressing upon his body gave the impression that it was unmanageably fast. The principles of the heavy sword polished to the extreme were dwelling in his sword. That sword Raon bit his lip. Ill destroy it. Raon had trained enough with the heavy sword that he wouldnt lose to any swordsman. He stomped the ground with his left foot and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the extreme. The rotationing from his ankle was connected to his waist, shoulder, and wrist before he pushed with Heavenly Drive. A crimson sphere appeared from the tip of his sword and rotated violently. Cring! It was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations Revolving Sky. The raging sphere condensed to the extreme and shed against the hell pilgrims strike head-on. Whaaam! Alongside a tremendous firestorm, the Land of Death fissured like a spiderweb, and the ground shook. Haa Raon exhaled heavily, and a frightening light flickered from the smoke. He wasing. Raon immediately prepared his defense. The longsword burning in ck pierced through the smoke and rushed toward Raons heart. ng! He deflected the blow with the de of Requiem, which was engulfed with the Blizzard Sword Arts wind, and shed down with Heavenly Drive wrapped with a crazy beasts bloodlust. ng! Raon twisted his lips while pushing the hell pilgrims sword back with his two swords from close quarters. Hes rather strong. He had an unreasonable amount of physical strength, probably because hed transcended from being a human and a death knight. Moreover Judging from the hell pilgrims unwavering eyes, he mustve been hiding his skills. Ill force you to use your power. He covered Heavenly Drive with fire and the de of Requiem with ice to push back the hell pilgrim, but he suddenly lost strength in his limbs. His head hurt from the dizziness, and the world started spinning and grew blurry. He lowered his gaze slightly upon feeling something flowing from his nose. It looked like it was bleeding. The impact shouldnt be strong enough for that. He did gain some internal injuries, but they were definitely not bad enough to lose strength in his limbs and have a nosebleed. You idiot. Raon swallowed nervously in confusion, and Wraths voice could be heard. The King of Essence warned you. Stamina and aura can be recovered, but not willpower. Thats Moreover, you already used the Silver White Aurora twice. Even though the King of Essence helped you, you were eating away at your soul. You are only getting the rebound from it. Wrathplimented him, saying that hested long enough for a human. It was such a rare urrenceing from him. But I have to endure for now Kuh! Raon tried to push the hell pilgrim back, but he mustve noticed that Raon was having some trouble since he kept pushing even more powerfully. Psssh! The hell pilgrims sword pushed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem to start burning Raons shoulder when a clear wind blew from behind to reduce the heat. ng! Rimmer had appeared before he knew it and easily fended off the hell pilgrims sword. Grr! The hell pilgrim briefly ground his teeth and stepped back. Huff Raon exhaled roughly, and Rimmer walked up to him. I didnt teach my disciple to grow so weak. Rimmer shrugged his shoulders while looking at Raon. How long did you even fight to be panting like a puppy? Man, Ive been fighting for six days straight! Raon bared his teeth and red at Rimmer. He wanted to argue that hed been fighting for six days straight without even sleeping, but his voice wasnting out. Well, I guess its not a bad idea to do a teachers work once in a while. Rimmer smiled and went towards the hell pilgrim. You asked me about the Sword Field Creation, right? Squad leader? You should witness it with your own eyes and learn what has changed. His sword pierced the dark sky and his left hand pointed at the ground. Sword Field Creation. Rimmers quiet voice crushed the darkness. Song of Wind and Lightning. Lightning capable of destroying evil struck the ground and pierced through the Land of Death alongside his aloof deration. Chapter 405 Chapter 405 Not a single trace of clouds existed above the Land of Death because of the intense energy of death, but the wind started to blow and lightning rained down. In the midst of the storm where monsters crumbled into pieces and the Specter stepped back in fear, Rimmer was quietly standing. Raon swallowed nervously. His sword field has changed. The previous sword field Rimmer had used was called the Eye of the Storm. It consisted of creating a windless area to decrease the opponents power while increasing his own. However, Rimmers sword field had changed. The name itself was different since it was called the Song of Wind and Lightning, and the wind was blowing like crazy around him as lightning struck nonstop. Its possible to change the sword field? No, its normal that it can change. Rimmer once mentioned that the most important part of the sword field was the mental world of the individual. Since that world was bound to change as the person grew and gained different experiences, it could be called natural that the sword field could change. Indeed. Wrath nodded while watching Rimmer. Like the King of Essence said before, the most important aspect of all kinds of martial arts, magic, and skills is image. His sword field has changed because Shitty Earss image in his head has changed. He raised his lips into a slight smile, saying that Rimmer had managed to achieve a rather interesting change. Rimmer casually shook his hand to tell Raon to watch closely before he walked up to the hell pilgrim. Raon increased his aura perception to prevent the Specter from ying his dirty tricks and focused on Rimmer. Kuh! The hell pilgrim seemed to have noticed that he was in a crisis as he lowered his posture and gathered his energy of death. The ck astral energy bursting from his longsword looked like a burning shadow. I knew it. He wasnt going all out against me. The hell pilgrims pressure was on a whole different level from before. He mustve mustered all of his energy upon noticing the danger from Rimmers Sword Field Creation. Thats the correct decision. Rimmer nodded while facing the hell pilgrim. He smiled with an easygoing attitude. Because you wouldve died right away if you didnt go all out. Kuaaah! The hell pilgrim shed without the slightest hesitation. He seemed to have taken it as an insult. Rumble! Even though he was using a thin longsword, it felt like he was using a heavy weapon as his powerful and heavy energy wave engulfed the space, falling towards Rimmer before he suddenly disappeared. Zap! The hell pilgrims sword cut through the thin air with nothing but green sparks, and Rimmer was already at his side. Is he using lightning and wind in his footwork? It was difficult to believe even though he was watching it. It almost looked like a spell like Blink instead of footwork. Rimmer extended his left foot. His sword unraveled like silk alongside wind and lightning. ng! The hell pilgrim mustve been using his aura perception since he immediately reacted by raising his longsword, but he was pushed back five whole steps, unable to properly fend off the strike of wind and lightning. We still have a long way to go. Rimmer smiled coldly and dashed forward. He scratched the space with the windy de, aiming a sh toward the hell pilgrims neck. Grr The hell pilgrim exhaled roughly and extended his longsword, which was covered in ck mes that were burning from the de. aang! Even though it was a sh between swords, the tremendous noise made it sound like the entire world was copsing. The shockwave spreading from the explosion engulfed the space. Zap! When Rimmer and hell pilgrims swords shed, wind and lightning fell from the sky. Rumble! As if someone was controlling those winds and lightning, they smashed at the hell pilgrims waist. Grrr! The hell pilgrim groaned in surprise and stopped trying to push Rimmer back with his sword, and then he leaped backward with footwork. Zap! However, the wind and lightning caught up to the hell pilgrim and continued their violent assault. You seem so confused. Rimmer smiled and rushed towards the hell pilgrim from the left. His sword stretched with the power of his footsteps and sparkled like a ray of light. ang! The hell pilgrim twisted his de upwards diagonally to push Rimmer back, but lightning fell in the meantime to pierce through his thigh. Grrr! The hell pilgrim leaped backward and wrapped himself in a huge amount of energy of deathlike armor. Hed realized that the wind and lightning around him werent natural phenomena. You are getting a grasp of it, huh? Rimmer clicked his tongue while wagging his finger. All of this lightning and wind are pretty much my sword. He smiled and pointed his sword at the hell pilgrim. Perish while dancing in the wind and lightning. Rimmer turned into lightning to advance and rotated his right wrist. His de fell diagonally like the lighting from a setting moon to pierce the right side of the hell pilgrims chest where his core was located. Grrr! The hell pilgrim growled like a beast and pushed with his heavy sword, which weighed like a great mountain. Whaam! The overwhelming heaviness managed to push Rimmer back, but his wind and lightning kept striking non-stop. Rumble! The armor of death that the hell pilgrim had made was defending against the wind and lightning, but his swaying body suggested that he was taking damage. Zap! Rimmer stepped back and pointed his finger. The wind and lightning intensified even further to push the hell pilgrim into a corner. The energy of death protecting him was wavering violently, and it looked like it would fade away soon enough. Kuaaah! The hell pilgrim couldnt keep defending anymore and dashed towards Rimmer while screaming. Heaviness wasnt the only principle in his sword anymore. It was the Destructive Sword with the power to destroy anything in his path. Not bad. Rimmer didnt try to simply fend off the blow anymore and used his footwork of the wind. His body fluttered like a piece of paper in a breeze to avoid the hell pilgrims strike. Its my turn now. * * * * * * He didnt stop with evading, thrusting his lightning de at the hell pilgrims right arm. ang! The hell pilgrim hurriedly pulled his longsword back to try to defend himself, but the lightning falling from above stopped his movement for an instant. Rimmer didnt miss the opportunity and pierced through his armor of death to sever the arm. Pssh! The energy of death that made up the hell pilgrims body flowed out from the cut in his forearm. Grrr! A painful groan came out of his mouth. Ignore those puny lightning strikes and focus on destroying the field! The Specter couldnt suppress his urge and moved his bead. Countless spheres floating into the air were the concentrated energy of death. You arent allowed! Raon turned around and shed upwards with the de of Requiem. A yellow flower bloomed from the red de, soaring from the ground. Whaap! The pieces of mes of resentment scattered around to sh against the Specters energy of death. Whaam! The encounter between the me of ghastly energy and the energy of death created countless explosions. Raon! Rimmer praised him by winking at him. Sweat? His forehead and the back of his hand were extremely sweaty. He was pretending to be fine, but he didnt look like he could maintain his sword field for much longer. Stop bothering me! Grounding sound of teeth could be heard from the Specter as he looked at Raon. However, his orders mustve been properly delivered since the hell pilgrim stopped his unnecessary movement and gathered his energy while standing still. Rumble! He raised his longsword above his head and a huge amount of power soared from it. The endless flood of energy of death looked like he was trying to destroy the sword field in a single strike. You are challenging me to finish this in a single strike Rimmer nodded while looking at the huge energy of death, which almost looked frightening. Bring it on. He smiled and extended his sword to the side. The wind and lightning of the sword field gathered around his de. Raon narrowed his eyes. Its the same as before. The method of concentrating the wind and lightning was the same as his previous sword field, Eye of the Storm. He was gathering the elemental power around him in his sword. Kuaaaah! The hell pilgrims sword was engulfed by not only his own energy of death but also the energy of death from thend itself. Whaap! The dark me burning from his sword was almost reaching the sky. Zap! The power inside Rimmers sword was also powerful, but it didnt look like it could ovee the huge dark me of the hell pilgrim. Squad leader Its okay. Wait there and watch. Raon wanted to help, but Rimmer shook his head with his usual smile on his face. Finish him off! The Specter shouted, and the hell pilgrims hands started to move. As he unleashed the strike with the principles of the heavy and destructive sword, the entire area felt like it would burst from the pressure. Rumble! When the sword field was about to copse, Rimmer took a step forward. Wind and lightning are my swords. He wasnt simply talking. The voice carried his will to resound throughout the world with a beautiful melody. And they can cut through anything. The area of the sword field jolted wildly, and the ray of light soaring from him was on a whole different level from before. Kuaaah! The hell pilgrim intensified the energy of death upon feeling the danger in his life, and Rimmers sword advanced like a raging storm. Swoosh! The dark green wind and lightning cut through the dark de and even managed to sever the hell pilgrims body. Kuh The hell pilgrim fell on his knees with his sword snapped in half, and his bloody-looking armor started to disappear into ash. Pssh. With the light glimmering from Rimmers sword, the sword field dissipated. Raon clenched his pounding chest. Was this why its called the Song of Wind and Lightning? He had wondered why there was the word song in the name. Rimmer had amplified his final strike with a song of his will. It was truly a special sword field that even used the power of melody, which was characteristic of elves. I think Im starting to understand. Upon witnessing the new sword field from Rimmer, Raon got a grasp on how to use affinity and swordsmanship. He felt like another weak me and sword had emerged from his mental world where countless swords were stuck in the ground. Squad leader. He was trying to go towards Rimmer, but his body swayed. He looked like hed used all of his power on the sword field. Damn it! The Specters green ming eyes were wavering like a sailboat in the turbulent ocean. The hell pilgrims defeat mustve beenpletely unexpected. Ill kill you myself! However, he mustve also noticed that Rimmer was exhausted, as he started to use his ck bead to create a storm of death. The squad leader cant move right now! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to stand in front of Rimmer. Fuck off! You came to kill me. Dont get distracted now. Raon unleashed the wless Sea of Fire with the de of Requiem. The tidal wave of fire welled up from the ground to sh against the storm of death falling from above. Whaaam! The sh between the fire and death destroyed everything in the surrounding area, and Raon pierced through the violent storm to rush toward the Specter. You bastard The Specter tried to escape in surprise, as he didnt expect him to charge through the storm. However, the Supreme Harmonys Second Step crushed thend and allowed Raon to approach the Specter faster than he anticipated. Cring! Silver coldness emanated from Raons hand. The extended de was engulfed in frost as it advanced towards the Specters heart. Kuh! Like any other magician, the Specter controlled his energy of death to create a dark barrier instead of moving his body. ang! Both the first and the second des of Frost Pond were unable to break through the Specters dark barrier and bounced off of it. Raon couldnt regain his bnce mid-air and fell toward the ground. Youve be so much weaker. He could hear the Specters sneer in his voice. Im going to kill you allyou, that elf, and those worms you brought with you. He extended the ck bead. A sphere brimming with the energy of death floated on it and created powerful sparks. Rumble! Even though it was still iplete, the tremendous amount of energy made his heart skip a beat. However, Raons eyes didnt waver. A crimson spark urred from his eyes as he turned around to re at the Specter. Its working perfectly. He hadnt destroyed the Specters barrier on purpose. He was showing him once again that he was weakened to bait him into being careless. Raon put his hand in his clothes to grasp the Heaven ying Dagger. Now is my chance. He incorporated ciers coldness and the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld that hed been saving into the Heaven ying Dagger. wless Throw, Special Technique. Frozen Soulstealer. The Heaven ying Dagger, wrapped in extreme sharpness, turned into a silver sh of light as it rushed toward the Specter. A pointless struggle! Because the Specter had already managed to fend off Raons strike twice, he maintained his barrier and ignored Raon to instead elerate the concentration of power around his ck bead. However Smack! The Heaven ying Dagger, with holy power and the principles of Frozen Soulstealer capable of piercing through the soul, broke through his barrier in an instant and pierced through the ck bead and the Specters heart at the same time. ang! By the time Raonnded on the ground on his back, the ck bead was shattered into pieces and the Specter could be seen falling towards the ground while coughing up blood from his mouth. Kuaaah! Unlike when Rimmer cut him into pieces, the Specter screamed in pain and grasped the hole in his chest. Red blood and the ck energy of death gushed out at the same time through his hand. Rumble! However, the energy of death that scattered around when the bead was destroyed, gathered around the death sphere to make it even bigger. Y-you idiot The Specter raised his head with trembling shoulders. His lips curved into a terrifying smile as he watched the sphere get bigger and bigger. No one can control that anymore. A thousand yearss worth of energy of death is going to explode at once, and its going to kill you and those humans altogether. He jeered while pointing at the people who were watching them from afar. Its a shame to lose the bead, but its not too bad if I can kill all of you in return. Because I will be re Shut up. Raon threw the other Heaven ying Dagger, piercing the Specters head. You damned bastard The Specter fell backward while groaning in resentment. He turned into ash and disappeared without even leaving his corpse behind. It was as if hed really turned into an undead. Haa. Raon caught his breath and walked up to the dark sphere that was getting bigger. This looks like Rimmer sighed while looking at the sphere. We are screwed. He shrugged his shoulders, saying that he didnt have enough strength left to stop it. Raon bit his lip. Hed regained some strength and willpower to go all-out once again, but he couldnt think of any method to remove the sphere. What should I do? He looked around in contemtion and noticed the three pirs that had been there since his first visit. He could see all the way to the bottom of the pir that he couldnt previously see because the swamp had disappeared. Hmm? Raon licked his lips while looking at the bottom part. Thats The traces on the pirs looked somewhat familiar. Raon focused on the scars, and the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation activated by themselves as if they had a will of their own. A golden me surged and changed the world. Chapter 406 Chapter 406 He couldnt even see the smallest star in the dark sky, and an olive-colored swamp as shallow as a brook was sshing beneath his feet. Raon inhaled and could feel that the atmosphere was different from before. The air wasnt stuffy and sticky, brimming with the energy of deathit was a pleasant, hot, and refreshing heat. He slowly raised his head while calming himself down, and he could see the back of a man. The swordsman, with his characteristic brilliant golden hair contrasting the silver armor he was wearing, was the first head of Zieghart. So it was his traces after all. Raon got a familiar impression as soon as he saw the trace of the sword, and it was left behind by the first head of Zieghartjust like hed thought. Hes a bit younger. Unlike the previous encounter, his hair was short. He couldnt see his face, but he looked younger than when hed seen him in the dungeon or the Central Martial Pces cave. After he confirmed that he was the Zieghart ancestor, he looked next to him. A blue-haired swordsman wearing a yellow uniform was holding his sword. He must be the first head of Arianne. The navy blue hair and narrow eyes were simr to Wendy Arianne''s. It might be because they had a simr appearance that she inherited his will. Lastly, Raon looked up to the sky. d in a robe as dark as the night sky, the archlich holding a staff with a dark bead engraved in it was looking down on them. There were over thirty death knights and banshees below him, and they revealed their intense bloodlust against Zieghart and Ariannes ancestors. It must be that situation. It was the story hed heard from Judiel. It mustve been the battle where Zieghart and Ariannes first heads killed the archlich that arose from the Swamp of Death. The archlich raised his staff and countless ck magic circles appeared on the sky andnd. Dark magic fired from the magic circles rained down toward the two warriors. Ziegharts ancestor used footwork to advance while leaving red footprints behind and drew his sword like lightning. The fire bursting from his de easily incinerated the death knights and banshees. Ariannes ancestor called upon a blue storm with his green sword to sever the archlichs magic and magic circle altogether. The archlich stepped back in surprise. His back reached the ck temple that was brimming with the energy of death. The pirs I saw mustve been the remains of that temple. Raon had thought it was strange because the three pirs in the swamp were way too big, and it mustve been the pirs of the temple where the archlich used to serve the demon god. The archlich summoned the death knights once again with the power of his staff and the temple, unleashing even more powerful ck magic spells. However, the two warriors annihted the undead and the magic even faster than before. It was as if theyd finished warming up. As soon as the Zieghart ancestor killed thest death knight, he jumped while crushing the swamp to rush towards the archlich. Just like the Specter, the archlich created a ck barrier with the energy of death, but it couldnt stop the fire of the Ziegharts ancestor and was torn apart like a piece of paper. Ziegharts ancestor continued his advance and went to sever the archlichs chest, and Arianne''s ancestor unleashed astral energies of blue wind to cut the archlichs neck. It was a perfect victory. The two warriors managed a sophisticatedbined attack without holding any conversation or gestures. They almost looked like the Light Wind squad, who could understand each other just from looking into their eyes because of the countless training theyd done together. However, Zieghart and Ariannes ancestors didnt lower their swords. They frowned while looking at the archlich, who was still floating in the air despite his severed neck and chest. The archlich gathered all the energy from the bead on his staff and the temple to create a huge death sphere from his body. A suicide attack. It was an expression of his determination to kill his two opponentseven if he had to blow up all of the energy of death in the area. Ziegharts ancestor thrust his sword towards the sphere. The me breath bursting from the center of his de was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations me Dragon Art. However, even the fire dragons roar was unable to break through the death sphere and scattered in vain. Ariannes ancestor also unleashed sharp astral energies of wind in the shape of a scythe one after the other, but he couldnt cut through the death sphere that was getting bigger and bigger. The archlichs head giggled at them while rolling on the ground. Zieghart and Ariannes ancestors spoke to each other for the first time and nodded. Ariannes ancestor grabbed his sword with two hands and gathered the wind in the area. The wind advancing through the des trajectory intensified even further to sever the energy of death and carve a path toward the dark sphere. Ziegharts ancestor raised his sword around his shoulders height and used his footworkas if he was telling him that was enough. Red astral energy burst from his snow-white de. He crushed thend with his left foot and thrust his sword. Dozens of red lights burst from the single de to pierce the dark sphere. There were thirty-six in total. A single strike had created fires to engulf the dark sphere from thirty-six different directions. Spark! The dark sphere tried to resist and keep expanding even further, but the thirty-six fires created by Ziegharts ancestor crushed the dark sphere with the navy blue winds support from behind. Whaaam! Like a pumpkin getting crushed by chains surrounding it, the dark sphere was crushed by thebined power of fire and wind before a huge explosion urred. The shockwave reached the back and destroyed the temple of death. Ziegharts ancestor shed down diagonally with his sword towards the falling archlich. He turned into ash and disappeared before he could even scream. He raised his head slightly. Raon met his crimson eyes like a burning fire, and the principles of the technique hed just witnessed were drawn into his mind alongside a burning pain in his brain. It is a technique from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. However, the technique wasnt the only thing hed obtained. He could feel with his skin that the principles used to achieve that trajectory had achieved further growth. Ziegharts ancestor nodded faintly. He mustve been nodding at Ariannes ancestor instead of Raon, but Raon felt like he was asking him whether he could do it. Of course I can. Raon nodded back to tell him he could, and darkness even darker than before covered his eyes. He could hear a buzzing sound. ---on. Raon! He blinked his eyes and could see Rimmer waving his hand at him. What are you even thinking right now?! We have no time to waste! He pointed at the dark sphere, saying that they needed to take care of it before it was toote. Hmm Raon raised his head to look at where he was pointing at. It didnt even feel like the trance hadsted for ten seconds, but the death sphere had already grown big enough to cover the sky. You bastard. Raon bit his lip, and Wrath suddenly appeared to shove his face onto him. Where did you go again this time?! What? What did you eat this time to get stronger again?! Wrath ground his teeth violently at Raon. What the hell is wrong with this guy?! It was already annoying enough that he was falling into trances way too often, but his soul sometimes disappeared just to return even more powerful than before. The damn brat had gotten stronger during that short timeframeit didnt evenst ten seconds! Which doormat is giving you power now?! Doormat, you say? Raon smiled faintly while pointing at the sky. A generous person in heaven keeps sending gifts. He mustve taken a liking to me. D-dont tell me, are you even extorting the hypocrites in heaven? Thats Thats? A good thing. Wrath suddenly started to nod, saying that that scum deserved to be extorted to their bones. * * * * * * Raon. Raon shook his head because of Wraths unexpected reaction, and Rimmer walked up to him. You got the ring from Chamber, right? Yes. Lets use it. Theres no other wawait, he might be here. Rimmer pointed at his ring but suddenly raised his head. He shouted with a lot of aura in his voice, but no one appeared. What are you doing? Shit! I thought he would definitely be here, but I guess not. Lets use the rin Theres no need. Ill take care of it, so just help me. Raon shook his head and rotated the Ring of Fire. The resonance of the rings spinning around his heart awakened his mind. Y-you are taking care of it? Yes. I think I can cut it. But Im going to need some help. He bobbed his hand at Wendy Arianne, whod been watching them. Lady Wendy! Eeh? Wendy widened her eyes like a surprised rabbit because she didnt expect that her name was going to be called. Pleasee this way! Ah, yes! She ran towards him without hesitation even though she could die at any moment. Is there, by any chance, a martial art that uses the wind to cut through the energy among Arianne''s sword techniques? W-we have a technique called the Windy Path. But how do you know about that? She tilted her head in bewilderment because shed never used it in front of him, and it wasnt even an attack skill. Please use that technique to carve a path towards that death sphere. And Raon shook his hand at Rimmer. Squad leader, please help Lady Wendy. She should be more than capable of doing it. Hmm Rimmer licked his lips while wiping the sweat flowing down his chin with the back of his hand. Im kinda exhausted right now He shook his head, saying that he was too exhausted from the extended fight. Are you really panting like a puppy now after that short of a fight? You are going to train your stamina once we return. Eeh? But the Sword Field Creation uses arge amount of stamina and aura I dont know about that. Get ready to climb the cliff with the others if you cant even do this. Ugh! Raon returned what Rimmer had told him right back at him, and his face turned as pale as a nk piece of paper. How cruel You are the one who raised me this way, squad leader. Raon shook his hand and advanced to stand in front of the dark sphere. Hmm Wendys lips trembled as she watched Raons back. Can I really do it? Someone like me? It was Raons request, but she wasnt confident she could carve a proper path of wind. It wasnt because shecked training. It was because it was such an important moment that the smallest mistake could cost everyones lives, and she was unsure someone like her should be the one to act. I dont think I can do it Her hands trembled and her heart pounded violently. Forget the Windy Path, she couldnt even remember how to swing her sword. Her head feltpletely empty. When she was about to tell Raon that she couldnt do it, he turned around. A thousand years ago, our ancestors severed the darkness together. Its our turn now. He smiled gently, as if he knew how nervous she was. Wendy Arianne, you are the only person in House Arianne who inherited your ancestors will. You can do it. Raon didnt hear her answer, turning his head to look in front of him. His unwavering back told her how much he trusted her. Dont worry too much. Wendys shivering started to subside, and Rimmer came up next to her. Since that arrogant subordinate of mine said that you can do it, you are definitely capable of it. Dont feel too pressured, and do like you always do. He smiled broadly, telling her to stop being so nervous. Ah Upon realizing that the unprecedented genius called the White Sword Dragon believed in her, she felt like a thick rope binding her heart was severed. She didnt stop tremblingpletely, but she definitely didnt feel like she was going to make a mistake anymore. I-Ill start it now. Wendy bit her lip tightly and thrust her sword powerfully, like a sword draw. The raging wind emerging from the silver de created a navy blue path toward the dark sphere. Spark! However, the path wasntpleted because Wendy wasnt strong enough, and it distorted violently, as if it would tremble at any moment. When the blue wind was about to get pushed back by the energy of death, a green wind blew to support it. Whoosh! It was Rimmers doing. He gritted his teeth and severed the flow of death with his sword engulfed in green wind. The thin green wind of his de soared like a whirlwind to pierce into the Windy Path created by Wendy. Cring! The two different winds entangled with each other to carve a clean path of wind toward the dark sphere. Squad leader, you deserve to be worked to the bone since youve beenzing around for too long. Raon closed his eyes while walking towards the dark sphere. He was imagining the sword of Ziegharts first head that hed witnessed a moment ago, the absolute technique that engulfed from thirty-six directions at once. Its impossible topletely copy it in my current state. Even the head of house that I saw today was stronger than my current self. No, it wasnt even a question of how strong or weak he was. It was simply impossible to perfectly recreate an absolute technique hed never seen before without any practice, even with the Ring of Fire. Thats whyI need your help. Raon smiled while fixing his grip on the de of Requiem in his left hand. Whir! Raon stood in front of the dark sphere while listening to the pleasant resonance of the de of Requiem. You arrogant subordinate of mine! Im going for real now! Aaaaah! Alongside Rimmer and Wendys shouts, the energy of death was perfectly pushed back and an emerald path of wind was created towards the dark sphere. Thud! The entirend trembled as Raon stomped the ground, and he unleashed all of the remaining energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation from his energy center. He endured the burning pain of his mana circuits and got into the first heads posture that hed witnessed in his trance. With the perfect middle posture, he thrust the two swords from in front of his energy center. Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem advanced like rays of light with the breath of fire dwelling on top of them. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. Thirty-Six Crimson sh. Eighteen smooth mes advanced from each de to engulf the concentrated sphere of death. Rumble! Just like a shooting star dashing through the night sky, the thirty-six lines of fire surrounded the dark sphere and created tremendous pressure. Spark! However, the energy of death in the dark sphere was too huge, and it didnt disappear so easily. Not yet. He couldnt give up yet. He controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Ring of Fire until his heart and energy center ached to unleash all of his remaining energy. Crack! Blood started to flow from his nose and mouth, and his bones and skin felt like they were being smashed apart. However, Raon bit his lip and advanced one step further. Whaap! Wendy Arianne and Rimmers winds also intensified. The warm winds felt like they were pushing against his back. Wind makes the fire grow. The red me and the blue wind moved together like well-oiled cogs, and the Thirty-Six Crimson shs lines of fire became even thicker. Rumble! The powerful mes crushed the sphere of death and started to incinerate the energy of death inside. Uaaaah! Raon mustered his aura and the strength in his muscles until thest drop to melt the dark sphere as much as possible before throwing it into the sky. Whaaam! The dark energy was almost invisible in the burning sphere, and it created a huge explosion in the sky. Haa Raon lowered his sword after he confirmed the ck and red energies falling like cherry blossoms. Its over He managed topletely get rid of the sphere by using all of his power. The three pirs that had enlightened him had turned into ash in the aftermath of that tremendous sh of power. Thank you. Raon bowed while thinking about Zieghart and Ariannes ancestors. Haa Raon sighed, and Rimmer came running towards him when he stood up. What the hell was that technique?! Ive never seen it before! His shoulders were jolting in joy as he asked if Raon managed to create another technique. Thank you, squad leader. Raon closed his eyes while watching the sweat flowing down Rimmers forehead. He was acting carelessly, but it mustve been a desperate fight for him as well. Not at all, this much is normal as a squad leader. But I really have no strength left now. You should carry me on your back and go to House Arianne. Ah, now that I think about it, why were you so He wanted to ask Rimmer why he came sote, but his vision turned hazy. The blue screen looked like system messages, but he couldnt bring himself to read them. Raon lost consciousness and fell backward whileining about Rimmerste arrival. Huff! Rimmer crushed the ground to run and catch him. Hes fainted from exhaustion. Raon had fainted because he had used all of his stamina and aura without leaving a single drop. Good job. Rimmer gently patted Raons back. He smiled while looking at his student, whod grown so big that it was difficult to hold him in his arms. You saved all of us. He was telling the truth, as everyone couldve died if Raon hadnt done that a moment ago. Just like hed said he would, he managed to perfectly defend them against the energy of death. He was a reliable student, just like hed always been. It was all thanks to you that I could swing my sword to my hearts content. It was fun. It almost felt like I had returned to my past self. Rimmer bowed at Raon slightly with a warm gaze in his eyes. Thank you. My young king. Chapter 407 Chapter 407 Glenn Zieghart pulled back his extended right hand. He could see Rimmer supporting Raons body from where his hand used to be located. They managed to wrap it up somehow. Sheryl came up next to Glenn. I honestly didnt think that Raon would resolve the issue, though. She sheathed the twin swords that she was holding and gasped, saying that Raon was bing a real monster. Same goes for me. Ive never seen a warrior grow as fast as him. Roenn was watching Raon with trembling eyes. The hill blocking the path is bound to be higher and higher as the realm is increased, but the young master Raon never stops his advance. It almost looks like hes walking on tnd. He proudly smiled at him, saying that hed never seen such a talent that made him jealous. Ahem, I also didnt expect Raon to resolve this matter. Glenn nodded while preventing the corners of his lips from soaring up. Because the scale was toorge for them to solve. Raon was mentally exhausted even though he still had some aura and stamina, Rimmer was utterly worn out from using the Sword Field Creation, and House Ariannes sessor wasnt really helpful to begin with. Glenn was going to help them since he judged that they wouldnt be able to remove the death sphere even if they worked together, but the situation had suddenly changed. He got stronger in an instant Falling into a trance because the focus reached the extreme while facing a crisis of death was rare, but it was possible. However, Raon managed to get stronger, both physically and mentally, in a short period of timeit didnt evenst for ten seconds. Unbelievable. Trances did increase a warriors realm drastically, but it still needed some time to take effect. Ten seconds was simply too short, even for a trance. But I cant say otherwise since Ive witnessed it with my very eyes. He wouldve brushed it off as a lie if someone else had told him about it, but hed witnessed it himself. His grandson was the one who created that miracle. It only made him more excited. Im looking forward to seeing how far that monster is going to reach. The young master Raon might really reach the Grandmaster realm at the age of twenty-two and duel against the Axe King. Sheryl and Roenn smiled gently while watching Raon being carried on Rimmers back. We might not even need to take any action if that happens. We should sharpen our des just in case. Weve been constantly gathering information about the South-North Unions location and members anyway. We have most of the information except for the elders that never show up. The smile that Glenn had been suppressing ended up appearing on his face as he watched Sheryl say that she had all the information about the South-North Union, and Roenn say that he would sharpen his de. Hmm! The fact that the two people who didnt usuallypliment others were admiring Raons talent and cherished him from the bottom of their hearts made the corners of his lips reach all the way to his cheekbones. Roenn. Yes, my lord. Roenn bowed while taking a step forward. Did you manage to draw the picture? Of course. He raised the booklet he was hugging. Ive sketched the scene of the young master Raons fight during this mission in the third volume of Raons gospel. I also wrote down the famous lines, so please read itter. It could be better than a sketch, dont you think? Sheryl licked her lips in regret. Of course. Im nning to color it as soon as I return. Nice! Glenn gave him a big nod as soon as he said that he would color it. Ill help you! Hmm, the Heavenly de division leader should be tired. Ill do it on my own Dont be so reserved, I just want to contribute to Raons gospel. Huhuhu. While Roenn was contemting how to refuse her, Glenn raised his hand. The Heavenly de division leader should stay out of it. What? You are bad at painting. But I can color at least Coloring is the most important part of painting. Glenn shook his head firmly. He seemed to be telling her that he would never allow her to ruin the painting of Raon. Ugh Sheryl groaned since she couldnt deny it and hung her head. We will return now. Glenn patted Sheryls depressed shoulders and turned around. Arent you going to go down there to see them? Theres no reason to ruin the atmosphere. Glenn closed his eyes upon hearing Sheryls question. Todays victory belongs to them. We should be satisfied with sending a round of apuse from here. Does that mean that Sir Rimmer is not going to be punished anymore? Roenn carefully brought up Rimmers name. Hmm Glenn scratched his chin while watching Rimmer carrying Raon on his back. Lets overlook it since he acted like a proper teacher this time. Then Ill remove Sir Rimmers beating from the schedule. Sure Oh, wait. Why did he arrivete again? Rimmer was waiting behind the pir until he had the right moment to save Raon, but he shouldve arrived at House Arianne a long time ago. Glenn suddenly got curious about why he was sote. Hmm, about that He was being a drunkard again. Roenn hesitated to answer, and Sheryls lips parted in his stead. He went to a pub to drink all night long because he had a hard time in his secluded training. He woke up in the evening and visited all of the gambling houses before he departed. He was bound to bete after that. Sheryl revealed everything Rimmer had done with a cold smile on her face. Even after he arrived here, he was cking on a vine because he didnt want to fight the undead or step on thend brimming with the energy of death. Thats what he was doing before he appeared at thest moment while acting cool and shit. She even mentioned the fact that Glenn already knew to make him even angrier. Swaaa. Glenns gaze had be warm as he watched Raon, but it quickly turned into a cold fury. Roenn. Yes. Call that drunkard to the training ground as soon as he returns. Ah, understood. Roenn sighed quietly while watching Rimmers happy face because the war was over. He said the training ground The fact that the head of house called him to the training ground implied that he was going to thoroughly beat him up. Huhuhu. He gathered his hand in a prayer and lowered his head towards Rimmer. Rest in peace. * * * Huff Wendy Arianne exhaled roughly and raised her head. Its bright. I can see the sky! The huge sphere of death that had been expanding until a moment ago to destroy the area and even the world beyond that had disappeared, and the blue sky could be seen. He really did it. Her violently pounding heart felt like it was going to burst. Just like Raons confident deration, he managed to incinerate the sphere of death full of malice and save everyones lives. MoreoverHe even allowed me to get stronger. She could feel that her prowess had surpassed a wall, probably because she helped Raon erase the sphere of death. She had advanced to the next realm by destroying the wall that she hadnt been able to break for the past several years. She could only gasp because of how ridiculous it was. Wendy swallowed nervously while watching Raon being carried on Rimmers back. How can such a person even exist? Raon had been leading the war for the past six days as themander without even resting. Since he didnt even sleep or rest, he shouldve fainted a long time ago. Instead, hedsted until the very end and finished the war with his own hands. Even a Grandmaster wouldve had a hard time achieving such a feat, yet a young warrior at twenty years of age had done it. It was preposterous and impressive at the same time. Raon didnt even feel like a human being at that point. She could almost see the halo from his back. Rimmer came towards her with a smile. He was holding Raons legs tightly to prevent him from falling, his hands trembling in exhaustion. Thank you for your effort. I didnt really do anything, since Sir Raon did everything. He wouldve managed without me. She was telling the truth. She believed that Raon wouldve managed to remove that sphere even without her help. Thats not true. Rimmer shook his head. Hes really stubborn and a huge hellion. He pointed at Raon on his back with his chin. He tries to do everything on his own, and thats why he only asks for help when he really needs it. He wouldve never managed to remove that energy of death without your help. You can be proud of it. Rimmer winked and went towards the others. Ah Wendys hand holding her sword started to tremble. The trust Raon had shown her and Rimmers honest words warmed her heart. Does that mean that he really believed in me when he entrusted me with the position of head of house? Shed thought that she became the temporary head of house just because there was no one else, but Raon mustve really trusted her if she believed Rimmers im. She wasnt confident she could manage the house after suddenly bing the head, but she was gaining a little bit of confidence. Raon! You madman! Raon, are you okay? The Light Wind squads team leaders came running towards Raon at full speed while faltering. Vice squad leader! He really managed to cut that energy of death! Our vice squad leader is crazy! Hes never been sane before! Hes the real mad dog! Whoaaa! The Light Wind squad cheered while running after the team leaders. Everyones faces were filled with delight and admiration. Huh, he really became a monster now. His personality has always been a monster, though Mind smiled while sweeping his hair up while Morell frowned, saying that it was going to be more painful in the future. What do you think? I wont even be a match against him anymore, but I still would like to try fighting him. The third prince asked Borini Kitten his thoughts, and the man clenched his fist while pulling his chin back. What an insensitive guy. Did you really have to show me your growth all the way here? Trevin clicked his tongue while looking at the small smile on Raons face in his unconscious state. Hey! Why arent you talking about me?! Why does no one care about me? Im the one who saved you all! Rimmer frowned and screamed at the Light Wind squad who came running at him. Clench. Wendy clenched her fist while watching Raon, Rimmer, and the Light Wind squad. Light Wind squad She first thought that it was full of a bunch of crazy people like the rumors of the Mad Dog squad suggested, but she felt like she could see how House Arianne should advance in the future. Thank you. Wendy bowed at the unconscious Raon. Ill repay this gratitude by following you for the rest of my life. * * * * * * Raon furrowed his brow and opened his eyes. He could see a slightly damp gray ceiling. Ouch He could feel the pain from all around his body as soon as he regained consciousness. It wasnt just his muscles and the skin that were achingeven his energy center and mana circuits hurt. What a disaster. Considering how bad it was despite the healing effect from Sloth, he realized once again that hed strained himself too much. You idiot! Raon sighed, and a blue cotton candy flew towards him. Thats why you shouldnt have worked yourself so hard! I had no other choice. You had other choices. Wrath murmured that the matter wouldve been settled even if Raon hadnt done all of that. However, he didnt tell him how. But I managed to get stronger thanks to that. Ugh Raon smiled, and Wrath groaned painfully. Lets see how much you donated this time. D-damn it! Wrath grasped his head, and Raon was about to load the messages while ignoring him when he suddenly heard a crunching sound from the right. Hmm? He raised his head and saw Dorian eating some snacks at the table. Huh? Vice squad leader! Dorian hugged his snack like a treasure instead of throwing it away and slowly walked up to him. You woke up! Im so relieved! He grabbed Raons shoulder with crumbs on his hand, saying that he was relieved. Yeah Raon shook the crumbs from his shoulder and nodded. How long have I been asleep? Its been exactly three days now. He pointed outside the window, where the sun was starting to set. Three days Three days was rtively short considering how hard hed fought. He could understand why he was still feeling the pain. I see, did anything special Hmm? He was about to stand up, but he felt something at the side. He turned his head and saw that Runaan was sleeping on the bed on her face. Why is she here? Shes been sleeping here ever since we returned, even when she wasnt in charge. I tried to pull her away, but I couldnt remove her. He murmured it was a mystery she could sleep like that since her back shouldve been hurting. I see. Raon smiled faintly and tapped on Runaans head. I should buy her some ice cream after we return. Keep your promise to the King of Essence before thinking about ice cream! Lets start with blueberry pie Wrath suddenly remembered about his promise and started ordering the food hed been wanting to eat. And we did have something special happen. What? Wrath danced while listing the food, and Raon watched him before he briskly turned his head. What do you mean? Battles against the undead were the only thing that could be called special at House Arianne. Raons heart pounded from anxiety. Ah, its not something you should be worried about, vice squad leader. Dorian mustve realized his thought process and shook his head while saying that it wasnt a bad thing. Which means? You know that the executives of the house ran away while we were fighting. They did. Raon clenched his fist so hard that his hand turned white. They deserve death. Even though their house was in a huge crisis, Weegen Arianne and the executives took the residents hostage to run away instead of volunteering to fight. Raon was determined to find them no matter what, in order to revive the ruined House Arianne. They got caught. What? Guests visited us yesterday, and they said they happened to bring them here. Dorian said that they were very special and amazing guests. However, Raon wasnt listening anymore. I have no time to check my stats. I have to take care of those bastards first. Since the executives were family to Wendy, she couldnt be too cruel towards them. Raon had to personally take care of them. He picked up Heavenly Drive from next to the bed. He stood up while enduring the pain all over his body. V-vice squad leader? Lets go. Crimson mes were burning in Raons eyes. Guide me to those scumbags. * * * Wendy. Weegen Arianne, who used to be the head of House Arianne, was kneeling on the ground and staring at Wendy Arianne. Do you really believe you can run this house? He confidently raised his head even though he was the first one to run away during the crisis. I and the executives are the reason the house became so wealthy. Weve been focused on money that is more powerful than might, and everyone could live a stable life while you could swing your sword to your hearts content thanks to us. However Weegen rolled his eyes, which were glowing with desire. You are different. You and the new executives have only been swinging your swords instead of learning how to manage the house. Im sure you are clueless about how to run the house. Wendy was unable to respond and bit her lip. Weegen licked his lips while looking at Wendys expression. Its working. He was worried he was going to die because he got dragged back to the house by that monster, but the speech hed prepared was fortunately working. It was truly fortunate that Raon was still unconscious. We acknowledge our mistake, and we will resign from the position of the head and executives. In return, allow us to support you from behind. Wed like to be the wings to bring the house into a new light. Weegen started by pressuring her before gently persuading her to lead the conversation in a way that Wendy had to consider his offer. Do you have anything to say about abandoning the house and running away? Wendy asked the question shed been holding back with a hoarse voice. I had no other choice. In return, Ill offer everything I have for the sake of the house from now on. Amber de division leader, please ept this old man. Id like to give my life for the house since Ive missed the opportunity to save the house. Ill contribute to Ariannes development as much as possible if you forgive me. Ill ept any punishment. However, that shoulde after we revive this ruined house The executives bowed, following the atmosphere that Weegen had created. None of them were talking about why they ran away, nor what punishment they deserved. Wendy, please forgive this unworthy father. Wendys face was as cold as ice, but Weegen approached her, pretending he didnt see that. Ill help you and the house in the future to the best of my abiliti Whaam! As Weegen was calling Wendys name while trying to catch her trembling hand, the door burst open. Whoosh. In the midst of the yellow cloud of dust, Raon entered in his hospital gown with his body covered in bandages. Huh? S-Sir Raon?! Are you okay? Wendy and the new executives were surprised and ran toward Raon. Im fine. He nodded heavily and walked up to the financial officer, who was kneeling on the edge. You are the financial officer. Raon raised his chin while standing in front of the financial officer. Do you have any excuse for abandoning the house and running away? His extremely hoarse voice implied that he was still severely injured. I-I had no other choice! Why did you not have any other choice? Did someone drag you out or something? Err, a-about that Because Raon got straight to the point, the financial officer couldnt respond and stayed there with trembling lips. I-Ill devote my life to the house if you give me another chance. Please trust m Your chance is already over. Raon was holding Heavenly Drive with his right hand as soon as he finished speaking, and a red line appeared on the financial officers neck. Huh? Huuh? The financial officer grasped his neck. The line became thicker and blood gushed from it. Kuuh He couldnt even scream and copsed with his neck split apart. Raon shook off the blood from Heavenly Drive, his deadly eyes sparking blue. Next. Chapter 408 Chapter 408 Uaaaaah! Bellissen! H-he killed him! He cut Bellissens head off! H-hes insane The executives of House Arianne screamed while looking at the financial officers corpse. His head was rolling on the ground. Wh-what have you done? Weegen Arianne raised his trembling finger, his face turning pale. How can you do such a cruel thing?! Cruel? Raon twisted his lips while looking at Weegen Ariannes trembling pupils. You are the cruel ones who abandoned your house in a crisis and ran away. He ignored the former executives screams and criticisms and stood in front of the quartermaster. Tell me what youve done wrong. I-I The quartermasters chin trembled as he saw Raons emotionless gaze. I need to beg for mercy! The man in front of him was different from Wendy. His head was going to roll just like the financial officers if he underestimated him just because he was young. It was necessary to abandon his pride and beg for life. I-Im sorry! I beg your forgiveness! The quartermaster leaned forward and lowered his head. He kept shouting that he was in the wrong without giving any excuses. What are you sorry about? Raons voice waspletely devoid of emotion. He pierced the core of the problem without being distracted by his words once again. Tell me, what are you sorry about? I-I ran away when the h-house was at war. The quartermaster said the truth that no other executive could say. Correct. He gained some hope upon hearing Raons voice, which became slightly softer, and raised his head. This is my chance. I need to convince him no matter what and survive. Ill submit to any punishment. Ill work to my bones for the sake of our house, so please give me a chance That chance is already gone. W-wait. I know the secret of the house Cough! The quartermaster noticed light passing in front of his eyes and lowered the hand that he was raising. What happened? I cant put strength in my body and it hurts so muc He copsed, unable to grasp the red line on his neck. His widened eyes revealed his disbelief at his death as he looked up at the other executives next to him. Uhah! Uaaaaaah! A-again! He killed again! Ariannes executives stepped back into the corner of the audience chamber as if they were running away from the blood flowing from the quartermaster. Th-this is murder! Why are you doing this to us when weve already surrendered?! Weegen Arianne barked the question while hiding behind other executives. Even if Zieghart bestowed you with full authority, this is still beyond your rights! Are you calling this an arrogance? Indeed! We are still the executives of this house! What right do you have to kill us?! What you just said is wrong in two aspects. Raon raised his index and middle fingers. First of all, the authority I got from Zieghart isnt the only one I have. He dered, pointing at Wendy behind him. The current head of Arianne, Wendy Arianne, appointed me as themander of this war. I havent dered the end of this war yet. Raon couldnt dere that the war was over because hed copsed right after burning the death sphere. That was why the war was still not over in House Arianne. Since the war isnt over yet, I have the right to execute you on the spot as themander. Ah Execute The executives shoulders trembled upon hearing that he could execute them on the spot. And secondly. Raon folded his middle finger and pointed at them with his index finger. You arent executives anymore. You are criminals. You are thieves who tried to sell your own house and deserters who abandoned the house during a war. I can still execute you on the spot even after the war. The arrested executives didnt deserve to live. There were no exceptions. Raon might have forgiven them if they at least made some effort to transport rocks during the war, but theyd taken hostages and run away without even looking back. It was necessary for the revival of House Arianne to eliminate them. Since I answered your question, let me continue. Raon raised Heavenly Drive and walked up to the executives. Their faces turned yellow in fear from the murderous intent dwelling in his eyes. D-donte any closer! Go away! We just wanted to survive! D-damn it The executives crouched in a corner like worms and threw out the smallest executive as a scapegoat. Raon could onlyugh at how they were picking a scapegoat among themselves in that situation. P-please spare me. I just followed their orders Raon put strength in his wrist before he could finish speaking. Heavenly Drive curved like a scythe to brush past the executives neck. Ah He tried to stop the bleeding from his neck before he fell backward. Raon cut off six more heads from the executives after that before he lowered Heavenly Drive. Hmm His fingertips were tingling slightly because he got up and swung his sword when he hadntpletely recovered yet. Thats why you should know your ce. Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic behavior. You could take care of those wormster on. Theres no reason to be so hasty. Its because they can potentially destroy the hierarchy of the house. They had been ruling over the house for a long time. If it werent for Raon, who came from outside, they wouldve been stretching their influence over Wendy and the new executives by running their mouths. That was why it was necessary to kill them as fast as possible. Haa Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the executives clumped in a corner like a single mass. The only ones left were Weegen and his siblings. They were Wendys family. Lady Wendy. Instead of swinging his sword right away, Raon turned to look at Wendy. Are you okay with this? Yes. Raon was nning to kill them even if she said no, but she immediately nodded. It must be difficult for you. You can stay outside. No, Ill stay here and watch. Wendy Arianne shook her head withpletely unwavering eyes. It almost looked like she had heavy boulders instead of pupils in her eyes. What happened to her? The atmosphere around her had changed. It felt like the will rising from her shoulders had transcended something. Are you sure? Raon bit her lip slightly while asking for thest time. They are her family. They were simple criminals and strangers to Raon, but they were family to Wendy. Raon was concerned by the fact that she wanted to watch them until the end. Im fine. Ill witness thest moments of the criminals as the head of house. Wendy looked down at the executives coldly. It was as if she were looking atplete strangers. W-Wendy! Im your uncle, I carried you on my back when you were small! The general administrator with a goatee, who was at the very front, waved his hand at Wendy. P-please give me ast chance! If you forgive me You are the one who threw away thest chance you were given. Wendy red at him without even turning her head. Deserters shall be answered with des. She nodded, telling Raon to continue the execution. She has changed. Yes, something has changed in her. Wendy Arianne hadpletely changed from the inside. Raon couldnt tell yet if it was a good thing or a bad thing. But it should still be painful for her. It was impossible for a persons personality to change in three days. She mustve been enduring the pain, so Raon wanted to make it as clean as possible for her sake. sh! Raon raised Heavenly Drive and swung it down. His de fell without hesitation and cut through the general administrators neck. Red blood flowed onto the ground and soaked the feet of the executives cowering in the corner. W-Wendy! How can you do this to us?! Dont you remember how we raised you? How can you instigate him when you should be saving us?! You fiend! The executives shouted at Wendy, but she stared at them without even batting an eye. Raon dropped their heads one by one, starting with the ones who insulted her. Haa. Warm blood was dripping from Heavenly Drive, and Weegen Arianne was the only person left. W-Wendy! Weegen Arianne crawled towards Wendy on his trembling limbs. I-Im sorry! Everything was my mistake! Please save me! He cried like a baby while holding onto Wendys ankle. He seemed to be panicking because hed never imagined such a situation. I can stay in prison for the rest of my life! P-please spare my life! Do you remember the lollipop you gave me when I was a child? Lo-lollipop? What are you talking about?! This isn''t the time to be joking, please convince that monst Wendy closed her eyes as she looked at Weegen, who was begging while kneeling on the ground. The reason why Ive been enduring everything under you was because of the lollipop. She remembered the lollipop Weegen had bought her when she was a child. The warmth of her fathers touch and the sweetness of the lollipop had made her live in submission for over thirty years. Shed asked the question because the lollipop was the first andst gift Weegen had given to her, but he didnt seem to remember it, just like shed thought. The lollipop finished melting down now. Not even a shard remained from Weegens lollipop after the previous war. Wendy didnt have any more attachments to him. She raised her head. She could feel the trust in Raons gaze, trust that she hadnt even felt from her family. She remembered her resolution to follow him, and her tightened heart pounded violently. Father. Wendy went on her knees to meet Weegens eyes. I wanted to revive this house alongside you. I-in that case I was nning to appoint you as an advisor in deference to your position as the previous lord, to ask for your advice after you paid for your sins. However, you had tomit a sin that you never should have. Her eyes turned as cold as the wind on the northern ocean. You took hostages and ran away from the house as a head of house, even though the house was in a crisis. This is an unprecedented matter in the continents history. Wendy stood up with an icy expression on her face. But you dont need to worry about it. Ah! Weegen raised his head. Hope returned to his dead eyes. Th-thank you! Im really grateful to you! Ill serve the house for the rest of my life You are gravely mistaken. What? I said you dont need to worry about it because Im going to pass down in history how unsightly you were, and how ugly this house was. Wendy shook her head, saying that he misunderstood her. Sir Raon, Im sorry. I leave it to you. I understand. Raon nodded and walked up to Weegen. W-wait! Im the head of house Raon cut off his speech and his neck at the same time, reducing the burden on Wendy. Huff Weegen copsed while scratching his severed neck with his dirty fingernails. Haa Raon shook the blood off Heavenly Drive and caught his breath. As for Wendy Arianne, she examined the corpses one by one before she finally raised her head. Sir Raon. A narrow stream of tears flowed down her cheek as she looked at Raon. Can you give me a lollipop? * * * * * * In a dark room without even a small window, which wouldve been inplete darkness if it werent for the blue me inside the white skull at the center, the twisting sound of muscles and bones could be heard. Crack! The grotesque sound continued for around an hour before it finally came to an end, and the Specter, wearing the archlichs mask rose from the white skull. However, he had a different appearance from before. The energy of death that had surrounded him like a second skin waspletely gone, his robe was torn apart, and there was a huge scar on the masks forehead. Damn it! The Specter screamed while mming the ground. Raon Zieghart, you vermin! How dare you! It was finallyplete. He was confident he could kill Raon Zieghart and his reinforcement because his jewel was finallyplete after gathering the energy of death for a thousand years. Rimmer interfered, but he was exhausted from fighting the hell pilgrim, and he wasnt going to be a problem either. However, everything was ruined because of Raon Zieghart just as he thought the fight was over. You rat bastard! Raon Zieghart was purposefully hiding his power to make him believe that he couldnt break through the barrier of death. After that, he used holy power inside his throwing dagger to destroy the jewel and his core at the same time. The holy power even ended up hindering his revival, and he only managed to stand back up after three whole days. Moreover, he didnt even die. The Specter couldnt tell how it happened, but Raon managed to survive the explosion of that huge amount of energy of death. He mustve gotten extremely lucky. Ill kill you. Im going to kill you no matter what. Hed considered him a simple annoyance, but that wasnt the case anymore. He wanted to make sure to kill him by using any means necessary. No matter how long it takes, Ill kill him! He managed to revive thanks to the characteristic of the arch lichs mask, but he ended up losing his best body and jewel. It was bound to take a long time to recover his power. However, he wasnt going to give up. He was going to follow him to the end of the continent and kill him. Im definitely going to kill you. It serves you right. A frightening voice echoed throughout the room when he made his resolution to kill Raon. That voice There was no way he wouldnt recognize the voice of that madwoman, Merlin. Merlin? Why are you in this room? The Specter turned around while shouting, but he couldnt find Merlin anywhere. Where are you?! Come here right now! He tried to search with magic, but he couldnt use any power because he didnt have enough energy of death in his body. You shouldve gone insane the right way! The Specter gave up on finding Merlin and ced his hand on the wall to unleash the small amount of energy of death he had in order to leave. Hmm? However, the door didnt open. The only passage leading to the outside remained still, not moving in the slightest. What is happening? The Specters chin trembled violently as he raised his head. He could finally see the upper part of the room because his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. That was when he realized that he wasnt inside the room that hed designated for his resurrection. He was in some kind of translucent fish tank. Fish tank? It cant be the Fish Tank of Imprisonment, right? The Fish Tank of Imprisonment was an artifact with the ability to imprison a target. It looked like a powerful ability, but it was usually considered a pointless tool since the target had to spend more than two days inside the fish tank before being imprisoned. However The Specter was sent to his room of resurrection right after he died and remained as small bones for three days straight. That meant that hed met the condition to be captured inside the Fish Tank of Imprisonment. Merlin! You crazy bitch! What do you think you are doing?! Come here right now! The Specter barked, and the wall on the opposite side sshed like spring water before Merlin walked out from it. You shouldve never done what you did. Merlin revealed the frightening glow of her eyes as she stared at him. I shouldve never done what? What do you even mean? Raon fainted while bleeding. What? My dear had to fight for six days straight without eating or sleeping. You deserve to rot here for eternity. She dered that it was a price he obviously had to pay with a frightening smile on her face. Do you believe the Fallen will overlook this matter?! He wont notice as long as I dont kill you. My real body is on a mission in a different location. Merlin shook her head, saying that she was nothing but a clone. Considering your personality, you wouldnt have appeared before the Fallen until you recovered your power. Thats why he wont suspect anything. The way her old woman masks lips curved into a smile made his hair stand on end. And I dont care even if he finds out. What? Because my path doesnt lead to restoration anymore. That was thest thing she said before she turned into bubbles and disappeared from the fish tank. Since shed mentioned that she was a clone, she mustve returned to her main body. Crack. The Specter gritted his teeth. You are insane. You arepletely insane. Restoration was the ultimate goal of Eden. The fact that she wasnt interested in it anymore implied that she waspletely in love with that brat, Raon. Its still okay. As long as she didnt keep watching, he would have countless opportunities to escape the fish tank. It was going to take a long time, but he should be able to destroy the fish tank and leave. Merlin, Im going to kill Raon right in front of your eyes. The mana inside the fish tank was extremely scarce, but it wasntpletely impossible to gather. He tried to gather the small amount of mana that he could, but the back of his neck prickled and a chill ran down his spine as if someone were watching him from behind. Whats happening? He thought it was strange and raised his head. Whir. On top of the dark sky, pupils with crimson crosses inside were twitching. Merlin was there. She was watching the fish tank from outside instead of leaving. Ah His heart tightened and felt like it would explode upon seeing those eyes that were full of killing intent. Who are you going to kill again? Red lips twitched under the pupils and a frightening voice could be heard. Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? Who are you going to kill again? He covered his ears because her voice felt like a de piercing into his ears, but her voice didnt stop. Uaaaaah! Stop! Merlins voice finally came to a halt once Specter screamed his head off, but it was only getting started. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. Im always watching you. So that you wont harm my dear. Forever. Chapter 409 Chapter 409 Raon went to the reception room with Wendy. She was walking in front of him, and her steps were wavering slightly as if she were drunk. It must be difficult for her. Even though shed resolved herself, she mustve been mentally exhausted after witnessing the death of her family. It was praiseworthy enough that she was walking. People usually dont change easily, but she seems to be an exception. Wrath licked his lips, saying that she had be a rock when she used to be as tender as jelly. Her core has always been full. Wendy was the only warrior in her house who inherited her ancestors will. Considering the fact that she managed to reach Master level by training on her own while everyone else was idling around, shed always had the potential. And her core finally blossomed through this asion. Her martial art wasnt the only growth shed obtained from the war against the undead. She also achieved mental growth and managed to ovee the pressure from her family. Since the chain called family that used to bind her was gone, she was bound to climb higher in the future. Please sit over here. Wendy pointed her finger after opening the door to the reception room. Raon followed her and entered the room. Did Weegen make this room? The room was extremely luxurious even though it didnt look like it was used often. It looked even more extravagant than the reception room in the lords manor at Zieghart. Thank you. As soon as Raon sat on the fluffy sofa, Wendy Arianne lowered her head. Lady Wendy? I wouldve never managed to kill them on my own. Id like to thank you for making the decision. Wendys shoulders trembled as she tightly bit her lip. It was my obligation as themander of this war. Please dont do this. Raon shook his head. Executing them was necessary in order to revive the house. He didnt just do it for Wendys sake. What they did was unforgivable for the leaders of a house. Morale had plummeted when Weegen and the executives escape became known, and the undead used that opportunity to attack. The solid defense was broken through and fatalities appeared for the first time. Because Raon had learned in his life as Raon Zieghart what the meaning of a house was, and what kind of mindset a leader should have, he was furious from the bottom of his heart at Weegen and the executives who abandoned the house to run away. This was my job. Since he was nning to kill them even if he had to search the entire continent, there was no reason for Wendy to thank him. Raon sighed quietly while looking at Wendy, who was still bowing at him. How about you, Lady Wendy? Are you okay? I would be lying if I said I was. Wendy raised her head. The violent trembling of her pupils slowly subsided. But Im well aware that it was a necessary task in order to revive this house. She understands perfectly. I thought she would. If Weegen and the executives managed to survive, they wouldve taken advantage of Wendys kindness and broken the unity of the house. Getting rid of their influence and creating a new foothold was the correct course of action to revive House Arianne. It was going to be difficult at first because the footsteps of the previous lords were gone, but Arianne should be able to soar even higher in the future. Head of house, you will have to work hard in various ways, since removing the shadow of the previous executives wont be an easy task. Ill do my best. Wendy bowed, asking him to trust her. Please stop thanking me. You dont need to Its not just about what happened today. She continued without raising her head. This war wouldve been over from the beginning if Sir Raon wasnt with us. Im grateful that you fought with us until the very end and put your life on the line. Wendy didnt straighten her back, saying that shes been wanting to express her gratitude ever since the war came to an end. It looks like shes going to stay like this forever if I dont ept her thanks. Since Raon was aware of how stubborn she was, he nodded with a smile on his face. I see. I ept your gratitude. Please raise your head now. Raon nodded, but Wendy still didnt raise her head. She went on her knees instead and pressed her head down on the ground. Lady Wendy? Did she finally lose it? She wasnt unconscious. Her breathing was rough, but her pressure was extremely clean. We have something Wed like to tell you, Sir Raon. Please stand up before then No, I have to say it like this. Wendy raised her forehead slightly as she spoke but pressed it back on the ground. Wed like to serve you as my lord. Please allow me. She raised her voice, saying that she wanted to serve him as a lord along with her house. What? Raons eyes widened as he looked at Wendy. Whats happening right now? House Arianne was already Ziegharts follower as a vassal house. He couldnt understand what she meant by suddenly telling him she wanted to follow him. What do you mean? It means what it is. Wed like to follow you, Raon Zieghart. But isnt Arianne already Ziegharts vassal house? Indeed. Then why are you following me? Wendy slightly raised her head. The pure light radiating from her eyes showed how sincere she was. Because we want to support our benefactor in Zieghart. She suddenly mentioned a benefactor, and Raon could tell who it was. Support me? Yes. The vassal houses dont always follow Zieghart as a whole. Each vassal house supports a different faction, and our Arianne would like to walk the same path as our benefactor, the Light Wind squad. She said that she wanted to support the Light Wind squad while following Zieghart. Why did you get such an idea? Ive been observing my benefactor and the Light Wind squad from up close during the war. You kept your individuality, but you also looked like a single storm when you fought together. Wendys slightly distorted smile revealed her envy towards them as she continued. Id like Arianne to be a house that cherishes each other and helps each other in their lives, just like the Light Wind squad. Thats why Id like to share the path with the Light Wind squad, and She carefully raised her hand to point at Raon. The major force that created the Light Wind squad in the current state, and the one who leads the Light Wind squad, is my benefactor. Thats why Id like to serve you as my lord. Wendy said she wanted to run her house like the Light Wind squad who risked their lives for each others sake and bowed once again. Hmm Raon touched his lips while looking at Wendy. What should I do? He was nning to refuse if she said it was because of his talent or excellent martial arts. However, Wendy talked about the bond within the Light Wind squad. He could feel her sincerity from the way she said she was jealous of how they protected each others characteristics and fought together. Im just a vice leader of a mere squad. And the squad in question is the Light Wind squad. I believe it will be the strongest armed group of Zieghart in the future. Im not even a member of the direct line. Did you think I would be bothered by bloodlines? Haa Raon sighed. I dont understand why people suddenly want to follow me recently. He felt rather ufortable because people started to ask him to be his follower wherever he went, just like Mark Goetten and Wendy Arianne. Indeed. You are just a brat who has a long way to go. Its iprehensible why they want to follow you. Wrath clicked his tongue in displeasure. Hmm? Wait, no. Shes the head of house here. Yes. Perfect! ept her as your follower and order her to offer ten dishes of each of their specialty foods Ack! Raon pped away Wrath with the back of his hand because he kept saying stupid shit. I feel ufortable, but It didnt actually feel bad. It couldve been because hed been alone for his entire life in his previous life, but it was honestly making his heart burn. Alright. Raon nodded, and Wendy went on one knee with her fist ced on her left chest. Wendy Arianne greets my lord, Raon Zieghart. Just like my ancestor followed Ziegharts ancestor a thousand years ago, Ill protect your back for the rest of my life. Wendys pledge reminded him of the perfectbined attack between Zieghart and Ariannes ancestors. Her pledge reached deep in his heart because hed fought alongside Wendy just like they did. On top of reproducing the history, she will be extremely helpful for me by herself. Wendy Arianne had reached the intermediate Master from the war. She had the potential to climb even higher since she had a solid foundation in martial arts. I ept your pledge. Raon smiled gently and grabbed Wendys shoulder. As Wendy Arianne, Im going to follow you as your vassal, even if you want to destroy the entire continent! Wendy bowed once again with overwhelming emotions. Im never going to destroy the continent. Raon shook his head while wiping off the sweat flowing from his temple. A chill ran down the spine because she was already mentioning the destruction of the continent. Instead of destruction, heres my first order. I hear and I obey. She stayed on one knee and ced her hand on the left side of her chest, just like when shed made her pledge. Make Arianne into an even greater house than a thousand years ago so that every member of the family can smile brightly. Ill aplish your order with my life! Wendy nodded naturally. And please stand up now. Your neck is about to bend like a turtles because you keep bowing to me. Yes! Wendy finally stood up and sat on the sofa on the opposite side. Ah, now that I think about it Raon licked his lips. He remembered what Dorian had told him once the situation was stabilized. I heard some guests have captured the executives. Who are they? Ah, have you not heard about them yet? Wendys eyes turned round, surprised that he didnt know about it yet. The Sword Demon did it. The Sword Demon? Is he? Yes, Hes the Sword Demon you are thinking, the strongest of the Five Great Swordmasters. As the peak of the Five Great Swordmasters, the Sword Demon was an extremely powerful warrior who was considered to be a match against the Ten Heavens of the Continent. Since he remained neutral without any affiliations, the fact that hed brought the executives to them made Raons jaw drop in surprise. Where is he right now? Wendy pointed at the Land of Death. He went to the Land of Death where we ended the war along with the Light Wind squad. * * * * * * Yaaawn Rimmers mouth widened to the brim as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. How long are you nning to watch? Lets go back since Im so sleepy. He waved his hand towards the back of a tall and bulky white-haired old man. Hmm The white-haired old man had been examining the traces but he finally stood up. The red sword hanging around his waist trembled slightly. Did that boy called the White Sword Dragon really make this trace? The white-haired old man turned around. His sharp eyes and broad shoulders were an impressive contrast to his white hair. I told you he did. I kept saying it. Rimmer shook his hand in annoyance. I cant believe that a twenty-year-old warrior created those traces. The old man murmured that a monster had appeared in the continent while examining the traces on the ground. Master, is it that amazing? The red-haired young man whod introduced himself as the disciple of the Sword Demon came next to him. Look at this trace. The Sword Demon pointed at the thin traces left at the location of the three pirs. A single strike. No, a single move with two swords created over thirty trajectories. Its notplete, but even a Grandmaster would have a hard time fending off against the power of this technique. He enlightened his disciple of how dangerous Raons technique was. Rimmer licked his lips while watching the old man. Did he just recognize that? I guess he deserves to be called the Sword Demon, the strongest of the Five Great Swordmasters. There were barely any traces left in the Land of Death because it was a soft ground that used to be under a swamp. It was difficult to tell whether it was the trace of a sword or a trace of a crawling bug, and the fact that he figured out Raons technique implied his extraordinary abilities. I heard that the Sword Demon could bepared to the Ten Heavens of the Continent. Its definitely not wrong. I cant estimate his realm at all. The Five Great Swordmasters being weaker than the Ten Heavens of the Continent wasmon knowledge, but the Sword Demons sword seemed capable of reaching them at least. Im curious how a wanderer managed to be so powerful. The Sword Demon didnt say it by himself, but he was in a neutral position without any affiliation with any faction. Rimmer was curious how he became so strong when he was pretty much a wanderer. By the way Rimmer furrowed his brow while examining the Sword Demons face and the shape of his body. That geezer, why does he feel so familiar? Hed never seen him before, but he felt familiar for some reason. How strange Oh, whatever. Rimmer was trying to figure out why he felt so familiar but shook his head because he couldnt be bothered anymore. I probably saw him in a gambling house or something. * * * After the conversation with Wendy, Raon returned to his room. He still needed to thank Mind and the reinforcements from other factions, but he decided to visit them the next day since it was getting toote. Shes still doing this here. Runaan was still sleeping on the bed facing forward. A purring sound like a kitten could be heard. I guess she wasnt sleeping here because of me. Considering the fact that she still hadnt woken up, she mustve just wanted to sleep there. Raon chuckled and sat at the table. When are you going to eat?! The King of Essence is starving right now! You are fine. Look at how fat you are. Raon snickered while pulling Wraths plump and soft belly. Stop touching! How can a mere human dare touch the King of Essences body?! Are you a cat or something? He started to shout as soon as Raon touched his belly even though he didnt mind when his head was pped. He almost looked like a cat. Im going to eat after I check this. Wait a little please. Check? What are you checking now? This. Raon tapped on Wraths head and loaded the messages that he couldnt previously read. O-oh no! Upon seeing the messages, Wrath grasped the back of his neck, which was as plump as a sandwich, and fell backward. Wrath fell on his face on the table and Raon pushed him away before checking the messages.
[Youve achieved the impossible.]
[Your soul level has drastically increased.]
[All stats have increased by 20.]
Defeating the Specter and destroying the death sphere mustve been considered impossible, and he received twenty stat points as a result. The increase in soul level mustve drastically increased his pain and fatigue. However, there were a lot more messages left.
[Trait Aura of Death Resistance has been created.]
[Trait Backstab has increased in rank.]
[Trait Focus has increased in rank.]
[Trait Divinity Blooming from Underworld has increased in rank.]
The second set of messages was all about the traits. The Aura of Death Resistance was created probably because hed been fighting the energy of death for six days straight, and the traits hed used during the fight had increased in rank. The most satisfying part was Divinity Blooming from Underworld getting another rank. And theres more. The system wasnt showing as messages, but the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and ciers proficiencies had also increased drastically, and the same went for his swordsmanship realm. A smile appeared on his face because the gains were even bigger than the enlightenment. I-its finally ovei-is there more? Wrath was climbing on the table while swaying, but his jaw dropped upon seeing the additional message.
[Title Commander of the Victorious War has been created.]
Next up was a title. He hadnt gotten a title in a long time, since hed received the Survivor, and he finally had a new one. Damn it! Why does this never end?! Wraths lips trembled as he looked at the new title.
Commander of the Victorious War Title given to the one who carved their way to victory in an unwinnable war. Ability: All stats +5, slightly increase everyones focus and physical ability during a group battle.
Huh? Did it just say that focus and physical ability increases for everyone? It implied that even the Light Wind squads abilities were increased on top of Raon himself. Is it raising morale? Morale was important when it came to a group battle. Raising morale could draw out the full potential of the warriors, and the title seemed to affect morale. I-its over now, right? Wrath moved onto the table while faltering. Lets eat now When he was trying to beg him for food, another set of messages appeared.
[You fell asleep after exhausting all your stamina and willpower.]
[The quality of sleep has increased to the extreme and enhanced Sloths efficiency.]
[All stats have increased.]
[Sloth has been enhanced.]
Wrath started foaming at the mouth and copsed upon seeing those messages. Sloth, you stupid doormat Chapter 410 Chapter 410 Raons eyes widened like full moons as he read the new messages. Sloth has been enhanced? The trait Sloth had an outrageous effect of increasing his stats during his sleep and even increased the regeneration speed of his stamina and aura. He couldnt believe that overpowered ability could be enhanced even further. Ugh! The same went for Wrath. He was tightly biting his lip because he didnt expect Sloth to be enhanced. Sloth! The King of Essence shouldve killed that sleepyhead a long time ago! It was his mistake to let him live Go y somewhere else. Raon pped Wrath away as he started to rampage on the table and checked the new messages.
[30 points of emotion of Sloth have been created.]
[The trait Sloths ability to increase stats and regeneration speed of aura and stamina has been enhanced.]
Raon unconsciously mmed the table with his palm. Mmmh Runaan slowly woke up because of the sudden noise. She nodded at Raon before getting back on the bed to sleep. What the hell is wrong with her? Runaans mentality was the most questionable among the Light Wind squador even the entirety of Zieghart. Raon shook his head and was about to check the messages again when energy emerged from Sloths ck flower bracelet, entering his body. This is Raon could feel the energy of sloth seeping into him. It was the same energy that surrounded Sloth back at Habun Castle. He could block it, but he left it alone because he couldnt feel any malice, unlike the wrath from Wrath. So this is the emotion of sloth. He felt drowsy. It felt simr to lying on a bed under the bright sunlight of a weekend afternoon to nap. Not bad. It was bringing peace to his mind, unlike wrath. He could easily suppress it with his soul level without even activating the Ring of Fire. Moreover Its not like Sloth will ever try to take over my body. Since Sloth wasnt in his soul, unlike Wrath, he didnt need to worry about losing his body from gaining too many sloth points. It was something he could take advantage of without any drawbacks. This should elerate the growth at least twice. He tried to calcte the sloths effect, and the stat increase was twice as much as before while the aura and stamina regeneration were three times faster than before. He could estimate that he could recover his aura to full in a few days just from sleepingwithout even cultivating. Damn it Wraths face became even more flushed as he confirmed the increased effect of Sloth. He looked like strawberry cotton candy. As soon as the King of Essence regains his body, hes going to kill that doormat, Sloth! Wrath furiously trembled, and Raon briefly clicked his tongue while looking at him. But you are the king of doormats. He could onlyugh because Wrath was insulting someone else for being a doormat when he was the biggest doormat in the world. I also need to visit him at some point. Wh-why would you visit the sleepyhead?! Wraths lips trembled in anxiety. I need to ask him how to use the emotion of sloth Ive obtained. Raon licked his lips while looking at the ck flower bracelet. Sleeping shouldnt be the only ability I have. Since he was a demon king at the same rank as Wrath, there mustve been another ability besides sleeping. It was necessary to visit Sloth to ask about it to make proper use of it. Y-you dont need to go. Wrath shook his head while looking at the ck flower bracelet. The sleepyheads ability is nothing special! He trembled slightly while shaking his head and said that Raon wouldnt be satisfied even if he visited him. Its okay. I need to drop by for Yuas sake anyway. He was nning to visit Habun Castle anyway to allow Yua to see her grandfather. That was why he could just visit Sloth on the way. Kuh! You are the worst doormat, Sloth! Wrath realized he wouldnt be able to stop him and started to insult Sloth once again. Unforgivable! Whatever. Raon chuckled and swept back the hair flowing over his forehead. Rather than that Once he finished checking all the new abilities, he remembered the guest that Wendy had mentioned. The Sword Demon Rector Im somewhat rted to him. Since the first nickname hed gained after the war in Habun Castle was the Young Sword Demon, it wasnt an overstatement to say that he was rted to him. I wonder what kind of person he is? Hed heard rumors that the Sword Demon could match up to the Ten Heavens of the Continent as the strongest of the Five Great Swordmasters, but he had no idea how good he was since hed never seen him before. He wanted to experience the skills of the Sword Demon. The King of Essence doesnt care whether hes a Sword Demon or an Evil Demon. Just keep your promise right now. Wrath frowned while tapping the table with his plump hand. Promise? What promise? Did you already forget about it? You promised to eat everything the King of Essene wanted! Ah, that promise. Raon slowly nodded and took out a Nadine bread from his subspace pocket. Ill eat this Nadine bread Wh-what do you think you are doing?! Wrath started having a seizure as soon as he saw the Nadine bread. Get that horrible thing away right away! He screamed as if it was some kind of deadly weapon. I dont want to, though? You dirty bastard! Are you going to break your promise?! You are gravely mistaken about that. Bullshit! The King of Essence remembers what you said without missing a letter! Tell me about it. Fine! Wrath nodded and recited the trade theyd had before fighting the archlich. You said Ill eat all of the delicious foods until we return to the house, instead of just after the war, and even added that you would eat the new product that Ice Cream Girl mentioned! Dont you find it strange, though? Hmph! The King of Essence wont be deceived! What kind of trick are you trying to y? He red fiercely at Raon like a savage beast. Theres nothing strange about a simple sentence like Ill eat all the delicious foods Huh? Wrath started thinking about the line but suddenly stopped. He mustve finally realized the problem in that trade. You finally realized. I didnt mention whose standard it was. Raon rolled his lips into a smile while watching the trembling Wrath. He did promise he was going to eat, but he never mentioned Wraths name. Which means, Im going to eat wherever I find delicious, just like this Nadine bread. H-how can you y such a petty trick?! You started it with your dirty trick. He had no excuse since he was the one who changed the contents of the trade during an emergency after making a promise beforehand. Raon was simply returning the dirty trick with a petty trick, and he didnt feel guilty about it at all. You should eat the bead ice cream for a hundred more years before you can even think about challenging me again. Please! Anything but Nadine bread! He started to beg him to stop eating the Nadine bread, saying that he would never try such a negotiation ever again. Thats a no. Raon smiled while lifting the Nadine bread. We are eating Nadine bread every day until we return. Of course, he wasnt actually nning to do that. Since Wrath had done a good job, he was nning to eat whatever he wanted the next day. However, it was necessary to properly discipline him while he was at it. Nooooooo! Raon dug into the Nadine bread that tasted like rubber while listening to Wraths scream. Youd better behave yourself in the future. * * * * * * Raon opened his eyes under the bright sunlight. He still felt drowsy, but his improved condition was iparable to the day before. Is this the true power of Sloth? The regeneration speed of aura and stamina and the stat increase became a lot better than before thanks to the enhanced Sloth. He could really say that he could get stronger by sleeping. Wrath is still unconscious. Wrath was still unconscious, his eyes had rolled back from the shock of the Nadine breads taste and getting scammed in the trade. Hmm? Raon tapped on him and was about to stand up when he felt something on the nket. He turned his head and saw Runaan sleeping face down on the bed in the exact same posture as before. Whats going on? Dj-vu? Hed thrown her into a different room the previous day, but she was back in his room just to sleep in that ufortable position. He couldnt understand why she did that. Its such a mystery. Raon chuckled and was about to stand up when the door opened and Dorian entered. Huh? Dj-vu? He tilted his head while looking at Raon, who was about to stand up, and Runaan, who was sleeping with her arm all over the bed. Its not. Raon simply shook his hand. How is your body? Are you doing better now? Yes, a lot better than before. Hed filled his stomach, and his aura, stamina, and willpower had significantly recovered. He still had the injuries, but his body felt light enough that he could fight right away. In that case, shall we go together? The squad leader said that the guests are returning right now. Guests? Do you mean Sir Rector? Huh? You already know about him! Dorian murmured how he even knew about it when hed left before he told him. Lady Wendy told me. Raon raised himself up and put on his coat. Lets go. I need to thank him since he helped us. Thanking him for capturing the executives was one thing, but Raon wanted to feel how powerful he was as a warrior. He left the recovery room and followed Dorian towards the west gate, and people from Arianne gathered around them. Benefactor? You woke up! Is your body alright? Thank you for saving Arianne! Ill never forget this gratitude! The families of Arianne politely put their hands together and bowed to him while shouting their gratitude for leading the war to victory. Thank you for getting rid of the trash in the house! We managed to resolve ourselves thanks to Sir Raons decision! We will follow Zieghart and the Light Wind squad for the rest of our lives! We are eternally thankful! Lots of people were shouting their gratitude for him getting rid of Weegen and the executives. The rumors about the bloody execution from the previous night mustve already spread. Just what I expected. Many people still missed the previous executives before the war, but their reputation plummeted after they abandoned the house and ran away. Not a single person in therge crowd wanted the previous executives anymore. This should make it easier for Lady Wendy. Since the reputation of the previous head of house and executives was at rock bottom, the new head of house could easily gain their support. Raon went towards the west gate while listening to their thanks. The gate had opened up by the time he could see the castle walls, and the Light Wind squad entered alongside the rangers. What? Did you already wake up? Burren raised his hand and smiled. Why didnt you stay in bed for a bit longer? You keep copsing every time you fight. Martha smiled. It was difficult to tell whether she was worried about him or was sneering at him. Vice squad leader! Are you okay? Isnt this too early for you to get up? Why are you already out? You should rest a bit longer. Im fine now. Raon met the Light Wind members eyes and shook his hand to tell them that they didnt need to worry about him since he was fine. Raon! I had to go all the way there because you were unconscious! Rimmer walked up to him while limping like a zombie. Raon sighed because he was the only one who was expressing his annoyance instead of being worried about him. By the way, why did you have to go outside, squad leader? Martha forcefully dragged me out because she was worried what they would do even though they are guests. He created an aura barrier to block the sound and pointed at the back. Raon raised his gaze and saw where he was pointing at. A white-haired old man wearing white clothes was slowly walking towards him as if he were taking a stroll. He was a tall man with a powerful body, and his gaze was as sharp as a polished de. Is he the Sword Demon? He thought there would be a sharp pressure around him since he was called a frightening name like Sword Demon, but he couldnt feel any pressure at all around him. Hes so powerful that I cant even feel any pressure It should be impossible at your level. Wrath nodded while examining the Sword Demon from top to bottom. Not bad. Its nice that there are lots of decently powerful humans in this era. Is he that good? He was even acknowledged by Wrath, who looked down on everyone in the world. The rumors about his sword reaching the Ten Heavens of the Continent mustve been true. Hmm. The Sword Demon noticed him and approached him with his gaze fixated on him. He looks rather mysterious. His appearance resembled a hermit living in tranquility, but his gaze was as frightening as a de. He looked like abination of a hermit and a fiend. Greetings, Sword Demon Rector. Raon went towards the Sword Demon and bowed to him. I heard that you captured the deserters who abandoned the house. Im grateful for your help. It wasnt a big deal. The Sword Demon shook his hand. His voice was as cold as the wind on the northern ocean. That voice was the only thing that matched his expectations. I was heading to this location after feeling the powerful energy of death and encountered some fellows acting like bandits. Thats why I asked them to guide us here. He said that he was originally nning to kill them, but spared their lives and brought them with him because theyd said they were the executives of House Arianne. Are you Raon Zieghart, the one called the Young Sword Demon? Yes, I am. The Sword Demon mentioned the nickname Raon had gotten in Habun Castle instead of the White Sword Dragon. He mustve known about him for a while. Ive always been curious what kind of swordsman earned my nickname. Im returning from checking out the traces youve left, and He was taking another step toward Raon while talking about the traces, but he suddenly stopped. Hmm? The Sword Demons widened eyes violently trembled as he stared at Raons face. He looked like hed just witnessed something unbelievable. Sir Rector? Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Sword Demons face as he frowned before returning to normal again. Whats happening? He thought Rector would ask him about his swordsmanship since he was called the Sword Demon, but he kept staring at his face without saying anything. Sword Demon? Ah, my bad. The Sword Demon shook his head slightly before taking a step back. Hmm, see you againter. His lips twitched as if he wanted to say something but he simply shook his head and left. M-master! The young man wearing white clothes mustve been the Sword Demons disciple since he followed him while calling him his master. Raon tilted his head while looking at the Sword Demon who suddenly lost his spirit. Whats wrong with him? He mustve gotten hungry. * * * That evening. With Raons awakening, House Arianne held the festival theyd been postponing because he was the most important participant. The entire castle sparkled brightly, and the tired people were smiling even more brightly. Raon was standing at the western castle wall and smiled faintly while watching themugh and cheer. This is what a house should look like. There was one thing hed realized during his life in Zieghart. A house shares happiness and sadness. If a member of the house was in a crisis, they had to be rescued no matter where they were, and if they were killed, their death had to be avenged no matter who they were. House Arianne couldnt be such a house so far, but it should be able to be a huge wall to protect the members in the future since Wendy was the new head. And the same goes for me. He still had no intention of bing Ziegharts head of house, but he was determined to protect the Light Wind squad no matter what. Thats a mindset that a leader should obviously have. Wrath nodded while listening to the peopleughing. Devildom also has countless houses and castles, but the only ones that survive until the end are the ones where the monarch or the head of house share their life and death with their subordinate demons. He sneered, saying that even demons did that but humans were incapable of it. Well, thats not always the case though. Is it not? I know one person who is doing perfectly fine even though he only relies on his own power without caring about his subordinates at all. Like Sloth? That doormat is just azybones. Its not him, its one of the other demon kings Hmm? Wrath was about to say the name of the demon king, but he started to sniff towards the bottom. Th-this smell! What smell? This is the sweet smell ofpressed fruit juice melted down from the heat! He raised his round hand while ring at the center of the street where the festival was ongoing. Over there! They are selling blueberry pie over there! Hmm Raon licked his lips and touched the subspace pocket in his clothes. I was nning to eat Nadine bread for dinner though. Please! Stop! Anything but that! Wrath started to beg him to stop eating that rubber. Im not sure Raon. Raon was going to tease him a bit more, but Runaan waved her hand from below. There is a lot of ice cream! She raised a bowl containing several different ice creams and stamped her feet. What are you doing there? Trying to look stylish? Martha frowned, asking why he was looking so pathetic on his own. Seriously, you cant fit into the atmosphere. Burren chuckled while holding his beer ss. Ive prepared your seat over here! Dorian set up a huge table and chairs that he took out from his belly pocket before waving at him. S-see? Thats what he says. Wrath smiled awkwardly and pointed at them with his chin. Raon smiled faintly while looking at Wraths pupils sshing like a fish. He mustve learned his lesson by now. Since he taught him the lesson by using the Nadine bread as a stick, it was time to give him delicious food as a carrot. When he was about to go under the castle wall, something suddenly emerged from the swamp where the mud had returned. The creature with hard shells on the back and a long mouth was the swamp crocodile. CrocodileHuh? Raons jaw dropped. The crocodiles face was shaped into a grotesque smile as it waved its short arms towards Raon. Th-the madwoman is hereeeee! Chapter 411 Chapter 411 Raon shook his hand towards the table where the Light Wind squad was sitting before jumping down the castle walls. Im going outside for a moment. But the festival is just getting started. Where are you going? Im going to meet a crocodile. Raon replied honestly, telling them that he was going to meet a crocodile. Huuh? A crocodile? What kind of bullshit is that? Burren, Runaan, and Martha widened their eyes, and the other Light Wind swordsmen asked what he was talking about, but Raon simply went down the wall without responding. He stepped over the swamp as if he were on the ground and reached the crocodile, which shook its hand at Raon before turning around. The crocodile seemed to be telling him to follow it. It shook its hand Crocodiles were unexpectedly smart. They are supposed to be the most intelligent species among reptiles, but there was still no way they would be shaking their hands to guide humans. It was clear that it was Merlins doing. Haa. Raon sighed and followed Merlins wagging tail to enter into deep bushes. Grr. The crocodile finally stopped once they reached a ce that couldnt be seen by people and turned around. Hiee! Wraths entire body was trembling violently. He seemed to have even forgotten his desire to eat. The King of Essence cant even imagine what kind of madness shes done this time I agree. I wonder what shes going to say. Merlin had previously mentioned that Edens executives didnt know exactly what the others were doing since they were on separate missions. It was possible that she wasnt aware of the Specters attack on House Arianne, and Raon was unsure of whether he should trust her or not. Raon. Merlin raised her gaze and rolled her reptile eyes. How are your injuries? My injuries? Im asking whether youve recovered from the wounds that damn skull inflicted on you. It wasnt certain whether she knew from the beginning, but she was aware of the Specters attack. She extended her front foot, asking him to tell her if he was still injured. Im fine now. Raon shook his hand while saying that he was fine because he was fully recovered. By the way, did you know? He was going to ask her about the Specters attack, but she hung her head before then. Even though she was a crocodile, she was clearly lowering her head. Im really sorry. She sighed deeply, saying that she had no excuse for what happened. What are you sorry about? Raon went on his knee to meet Merlins gaze. I didnt manage to warn you about the Specters attack. I learned about it toote. Tears dropped from her eyes as she said that she couldnt provide any information nor stay by his side at the most important moment. Crocodile tears People said crocodile tears shouldnt be trusted. Because Merlin happened to take a crocodiles appearance, the saying about crocodile tears, which signified insincerity, came to his mind. However, he couldnt suspect her for no good reason because shed helped him a lot. Did you know about the Specters attack? No. Merlins voice trembled as she shook her head. That skulls mission was to return after filling the jewel he recovered from the Swamp of Death with the energy of death. Attacking House Arianne and trying to kill you was his own decision. She scratched the swamp with her front foot while saying that it wasnt the Fallens orders but the Specters own decision. Raon quietly observed Merlins expression, but he couldnt tell at all because she was a crocodile. You dont believe me. She licked her lips. The piece of flesh stuck between her upper teeth was slightly frightening. Notpletely. I know you wouldve used another method if you wanted to kill me. Merlin wasnt an idiot, just like the Specter. If they were both trying to attack Raon, they couldve found a much better method, which implied that she shouldve been telling the truth. He was just keeping a distance from her because she belonged to Eden and couldnt bepletely trusted. A wise decision! Hanging around with a madwoman like her will only ruin your mentali When Wrath was about to tell him to just go back to eat already, Merlin raised her right foot. I thought that would be the case, so I made some preparations this time. Merlin weakly tapped on the swamp with her front foot. Along with a sticky sshing sound, the swamp under the moonlight became transparent and a scene appeared. Hmm? Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the swamp below him. Someone was grasping his head inside a dark room and wriggling like an insect that had been turned upside down. What is this? The end of the one who dared to attack you. The corners of Merlins lips twisted upwards. Her smile gave him goosebumps, and it wasnt even because she was a crocodile. Dont tell me hes You guessed right. Hes that rude skull. She nodded, confirming that he was watching the Specter. Huh Raon carefully examined the squirming person. His robes were ragged, and he was wearing a skeleton mask with a hole at the center of the forehead. He was definitely the Specter that hed fought a few days ago, just like Merlin had said. What happened to him? I locked him inside an artifact called the Fish Tank of Imprisonment. She responded casually, as if she were saying that she had caught a mouse with a mouse trap. Y-you locked him up? Yes. Merlins eyes turned crimson as she nodded. He dared to injure you when hes nothing but trash. She murmured that it was already toote for her to help when she realized what was happening, so she just locked the Specter up so he wouldnt ever show up in the world ever again. Isnt the Fallen going to find out if you do something like this? He wont as long as I dont kill him. My main body is at a different location, after all. Merlin shook her head. A frightening smile appeared on her face as she said that shed already thought about how the other executives were moving when she did it. By the way Raon pointed at the Specter that he could see on the swamp. His violently trembling body looked like he was experiencing intense pain. Why is he looking so pained? He couldnt understand why he looked so pained when he was just locked inside a fish tank. Its because Im cursing him. Curse? Yeah, Im repeatedly reciting a curse with the power of will to give him mental pain. Its closer to sorcery than magic. Merlin briskly rolled her eyes to look down on the Specter. He wont be able to escape the fish tank, but even if he does, he will run away the moment he sees you. She hit the swamp once again with her front foot and the video changed. The scene showing the ceiling seemed to be the point of view from the Specters location, looking towards the top of the fish tank. Thats Merlin was above the fish tank with crimson light sparking from her eyes. Her red lips were twitching endlessly. Huah Wrath saw Merlins eyes floating above the fish tank and almost fainted. Sh-shes a real madwoman! Shes so extremely crazy! He said she was even more insane than his stalker in Devildom and hid inside the ice flower bracelet. Hmm Raon swallowed nervously and nodded. He didnt really feel anything when Wrath had previously called her insane, but watching how she was cursing the Specter tightened his heart. Do you know whats even scarier? Wrath secretly poked his head out from the ice flower bracelet. The madwoman is using her own lifespan to show you that video right now. Ah Raon remembered that Merlin had to spend her lifespan to use magic as an animal. Everything about her was seriously frightening. You can stop now. Hmm? Dont you wanna keep watching him? He gave you such a hard time. You wont get tired of watching him all day long! But you are losing your lifespan. Are you worried about me? I can throw away a thousand years for your sake! Merlin was deeply impressed and tried to make the screen even bigger with a smile on her face. She was really difficult to deal with. I dont need it, just shut it off. Raon sighed and touched the swamp where the Specter was shown. The surface sshed and the screen disappeared. I really dont mind this much. Merlin looked like she wanted to show him more as she licked her lips and removed the spell to show the video. Anyway, the Specter isnting out ever again, right? Yeah. Even if he does, he will be crippled and wont be able to do anything. I see Raon nodded. He could see that no one would retain their sanity when the huge Merlin kept cursing from above endlessly. Just thinking about it made a chill run down his spine. Anyway, Im d to hear that. The Specter had an outrageous ability. Even if he couldnt use that jewel anymore, he was definitely a powerful opponent. Getting him out of the picture mustve been an important loss for Eden. I also need to get stronger. If the four factions, including Mind, hadnt helped him, and if Rimmer hadnt been there to take him by surprise, lots of people couldve ended up dying. It was necessary to keep advancing to a higher realm instead of being satisfied with his achievements. Raon decided he was going to start a hellish training with the Light Wind squad as soon as he returned to the house and lowered his gaze. Merlin was quietly looking up at him. Are you sure you are okay? What do you mean? What are you going to do if the Fallen ends up finding out about this? Wow, this is the second time today you are worrying about me. My love is finally bearing results! Stop with the nonsense. Hes not going to find out, but I can just leave if he does. Merlin whispered to him that she didnt care about Eden anymore, and she was only staying for Raons sake. Haa Raons shoulders trembled. Every single thing she said and did gave him goosebumps. The time is almost up. Merlin smiled cheerfully and waved her hand. Im leaving now. See youter. Her smile looked like she was telling him the meeting was over. Thank you for caring about me. Ah Merlins eyes became round and her lips curved into a thin smile. It looked like she didnt expect him to say that. I knew I made the correct decision. Stop saying those strange things. The crocodile wants food, right? Raon smiled faintly while looking at the crocodiles teeth. Thats easy. He just needed to go over the castle walls, and he could find plenty of meat. He could just take out some of them. No. Merlin casually shook her head. Huh? It wants you to scratch its back. B-back? Scratch its back? Yeah, thirty minutes should be enough. See youter. She told him to scratch all over its back to make it feel more satisfied and waved her hand. Grr. Once Merlins presence disappeared, Raon noticed the wilderness return to the crocodiles vertical pupils. Grr! The crocodile shoved its back onto Raon, urging him to keep the promise. Haa Raon sighed while putting his hand on the crocodiles bumpy back. Am I really doing this now? I-is she gone? * * * * * * Mustan narrowed his eyes while observing the back of his master, Rector. Why is he acting strange today? His master wanted to see Raon Ziegharts swordsmanship, but his face stiffened as soon as he saw Raon. He was supposed to ask about his swordsmanship but simply left without asking anything and kept staring at the sky all day long. Mustan had been serving him as a disciple for a long time, but hed never seen that happen before. Whats happening? It cant be His master was amazed when he saw the traces of the de created by Raon and fell speechless when he actually met him. Since the Sword Demon signified that he was crazy for swords, there was only one exnation for his behavior. Is it because of his talent? He became certain that his masters reaction came from his admiration for Raon Ziegharts talent. Damn it He was irritated by the fact that his masters expression was filled with emotions because of a young warrior just out of his teens when hed never done that for Mustan. I didnt like him to begin with. He shouldve been the one to be called the Young Sword Demon and the White Sword Dragon because he was the disciple of the Sword Demon. Mustan clenched his fist, thinking that Raon had it all even though he was younger than himself. Moreover, the fact that he wasnt a normal disciple of his master was stirring his inferiorityplex even further. Mustan exhaled the irritation weighing down on his heart and walked up to Rector. Master. Whats the matter? Rector emotionlessly responded without even looking at him. Master, are you alright? Dont mind me. Go out there and enjoy the festival. He shook his hand as if he were chasing away a fly. Hed never seen th look in the eyes of his masters reflection on the window. Is he that amazing? He became anxious that his master was regretting having him as a disciple since he hadnt done it on his own volition. Is Raon Zieghart that great? What? Rector looked at Mustan for the first time. A frightening glow was emerging from his eyes. Ive never seen the look in your eyes when you saw him or the traces hed made. Rector raised his chin and stared at Mustan. What are you trying to say? Id like to spar against the White Sword Dragon. Spar? Yes. Im going to defeat Raon Zieghart and prove that Im the most suitable disciple of my master! Mustan confidently dered and clenched the hilt of his sword. You want to spar Rector coldly closed his eyes. Mustan couldnt tell at all what he was thinking. Are you confident? Of course! Mustan nodded, saying that he was obviously confident. Fine. Rector nodded and stood up from the sofa for the first time. Do whatever you want. I wont disappoint you! Mustan nodded and left the room. Haa Rector quietly sighed while following him. I must be mistaken. * * * Raon scratched the crocodiles back for about thirty minutes before returning to the castle. The festival had already started, and people wereughing and cheering from all around the ce. The King of Essence is exhausted from dealing with the madwoman. Lets start eating already! Let me clean myself up first. Because the crocodile kept jolting while he scratched its back, his body was covered in mud. It was necessary to clean his hands and face before eating. Haa. Raon sighed and went into the castle. Did you y with mud or something? What happened to your clothes? Burrenughed bitterly while looking at Raons clothes covered in mud. Did you really y with a crocodile? Runaan asked if it was fun, her eyes wide. She looked like she also wanted to join him. Are you really ying with mud at your age? Keep your dignity as our vice squad leader. Martha shook her head, calling him pathetic. I didnt. He simply shook his hand before heading to the well, because he figured he would sound even crazier if he said he scratched the crocodiles back. He drew the water and was about to clean his hands and face when a young man wearing fluttering white clothes came walking towards him. He is He was the young man whod called the Sword Demon his master. Raon remembered him because hed had a ferocious pressure around him even though it was the first encounter. The Sword Demon was following behind him. He was drawing peoples attention because of how tall he was. Did hee to enjoy the festival? He had a strange reaction in the morning, but Raon figured he should go ahead and greet him since he was previously helped. When he was about to go towards the Sword Demon, his disciple stood on his way. Hmm? Raon looked around and was about to ask why he was doing that when Mustan bowed. Nice to meet you. Im master Rectors disciple, Mustan. Im Raon Zieghart from the Light Wind squad. Raon greeted him back since Mustan was being polite despite his ferocious gaze. Excuse me, but I have a request. Can you grant it to me? What kind of request is it? Mustan nced at the Sword Demoning towards them from behind before tapping on his scabbard. Id like to feel how powerful the White Sword Dragon is since your great name is known throughout the continent. Would you spar with me? He bowed once again and requested a spar. The Sword Demons discipleHes definitely powerful. Raon could feel an outstanding power from him, as he wouldve expected from the disciple of the Sword Demon. He could feel that he was a powerful warrior whod managed to incorporate countless martial arts in his swordsmanship. It wouldnt be a bad idea. He was bound to gain a lot from the match regardless of the oue. However Raon licked his lips, while looking up to the Sword Demon standing behind Mustan. I would be able to gain even more if I fought his master instead of the disciple. Since even Wrath had acknowledged how powerful he was, he could learn a lot more than the spar against Mustan even if he was defeated in a single strike. It was a great opportunity for him since he had to get stronger even faster. Alright. Raon nodded at Mustan before looking at the Sword Demon. In return, can I also make a request? A request? The Sword Demons lips parted for the first time. If I can still fight after the match against the disciple, Id like to have an opportunity to cross des against Sir Rector. Crossing the des implied that he wanted to learn from him rather than sparring against him. How can you say that?! Mustan bared his teeth and unleashed violent pressure around him. You want an opportunity The Sword Demons gaze quickly became serious. Are you confident? Raon smiled faintly while touching Heavenly Drives hilt. A crimson heat haze appeared on his eyes. Ill answer that question with the result. Chapter 412 Chapter 412 Raon bit the inside of his cheek. He felt like his heart was splitting apart because of the Sword Demons frightening gaze, but he activated the Ring of Fire to endure it. Hes a real deal. He hadnt spread his pressure nor used his aura. The pressure came from his presence alone, which meant that the Sword Demons fame resounding throughout the continent wasnt exaggerated. However What did the expression that appeared on his face from time to time mean? Even though the Sword Demon was overwhelmingly superior in every aspect, including might and willpower, his eyes were trembling like ake with a pebble thrown into it. Your pressure and confidence are befitting the name of White Sword Dragon at least. The Sword Demon nodded. His eyes werent wavering as if a boulder was weighing down upon them anymore. Alright, I ept that bet. Its not exactly a bet. Raon shook his head at the Sword Demon. I just wanted to witness my seniors sword as a junior in the path of swordsmanship. You can still talk after how arrogant you were! Mustan fiercely red at him like a savage beast looking at its prey. Your sword is never going to reach my master because Ill be putting an end to it. He threw away his pretense of politeness and ground his teeth. We wont know until we actually fight. Raon smiled faintly while meeting Mustans animosity-filled gaze. Im sorry, but Im not about to stop with you since this is a great opportunity. Mustan hadnt be famous yet but was powerful enough to be called the disciple of the Sword Demon. Raon could already gain a lot from fighting against him. However, shing against the Sword Demon a single time was far more beneficial for him in his realm. He wasnt underestimating Mustan. He just wanted to catch the better opportunity. Fine, draw your sword. Lets fight right awa Stop. Mustan was about to draw his sword when the Sword Demon raised his hand. Hes not in perfect condition yet. Hed noticed at a nce that Raons might hadnt perfectly recovered yet. Two days should be enough, right? Yes. One day was enough for Raon thanks to the improved Sloth, but he simply nodded because he needed some time after that to get used to his growth. Lets set the date for noon in two days. The Sword Demon turned around after that and returned to his room. Mustan didnt follow him, biting his lip tightly while ring at Raon. Im never going to lose to you. He red with a frightening glow in his eyes as if he were holding some grudge against Raon before he turned around to follow the Sword Demon. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Mustan. Why is he so angry? Its not simply because I requested a spar with the Sword Demon. Mustans gaze was already hostile from the first encounter, and he could feel malice in his voice. He definitely hated me even before we met. Raon couldnt understand his reaction because theyd never met before. Hes jealous. Wrath snorted and rebuked him over the fact that he couldnt recognize human emotions even though he was also human. You seriously dont look like a human. Jealous? Why would he be jealous of me? Raon couldnt understand why he would be jealous of anyone when he was the disciple of the Sword Demon that everyone looked up to. Envy is one of the ugly instincts of human beings. The reason doesnt really matter. Wrath murmured that he should wash himself already and start eating because it was obviously not an important reason. Envy Maybe you are right. Humans couldnt exactly tell their own emotions. Raon had the feeling that Mustan probably didnt even know why he was so angry. Well, Ive gained the opportunity to spar against the Sword Demon thanks to him. Raon washed his muddy hands and face before heading to the festival avenue. Since enough time had passed, people were already getting tipsy and had scattered around to enjoy the festival. The Light Wind squad wasnt the only one on the long table that Dorian had taken out. Mind, Borini Kitten, Morell, and even Trevin were drinking with them. Everyones together. Raon smiled faintly and walked up to the table. Why are you bustling around so much? Rimmer frowned. His face waspletely red because hed already drunk so much. Come here already and pour a drink for your great squad leader! Sure, sure. Raon ignored the drunkard and sat next to Mind. Casten, thank you for your help. He bowed while pouring the drink into Minds empty ss. How many times did you say that again? Mind shook his head while epting the ss. This much is nothingpared to what youve done for Habun Castle. He grinned, saying that the Habun Castle knights and swordsmen who came to help had volunteered for it. Raons heart pounded upon hearing that everyone had volunteered to help him. It was a pleasant pounding that didnt feel repulsive at all. Mind simply tapped his shoulder. He seemed to know that feeling. It was the same for us. Borini Kitten smiled while putting down his fork. If it werent for you, our Owen wouldve been disgraced from being unable to stop the Fallen as the host of the Conference of the Six Kings. You saved our people and our honor at the same time. Nothing I do will be enough to repay that gratitude. He bowed, saying that he wouldnt be able to repay that gratitude even if he tried for the rest of his life. Moreover, this incident was a battle against the Specter, who was trying to take over the continent. Im the one who is grateful to you for giving this great experience to me and my knights. Borini Kitten smiled gently, telling him to not consider it as a request. Isnt it true, Your Highness? Hmm? Ah! Yes! Of course! The third prince was staring at Martha as she sipped her drink and awkwardly responded. Hey! Why do you keep ring at me?! Huah! Martha shouted at him, and the third prince quickly averted his gaze, pretending he wasnt looking. Heeeeey! Raon chuckled while watching them, and Wrath suddenly appeared to grab his cor. Stop talking! Please stop talking and start fucking eating already! Wrath screamed while asking why he had to keep running his mouth when there was so much food around. Which one do you want to start with? Lets start with the pie right in front of you! Raon nodded and put the blueberry pie in his mouth since Wrath wanted it so much. Crunch. The crispiness of multiyered pastry and the sour-sweet vor of blueberry filled the mouth. The small pieces of almond scattered around added a nutty finisher and satisfaction welled up in him from a single bite. This is pretty good. He could understand why Wrath kept begging him to eat it. Uuh Tears dropped from Wraths eyes as soon as he finished eating the pie. Is that how much you loved it? Its not just about the taste. The King of Essence couldnt help getting teary because of how much he had to suffer! He patted his own shoulder, praising himself for enduring a hard life under the evil human. Next up! Bring the grape jam sandwich and the y-baked duck! Wrath shouted the names of the next bit of food he wanted. Raon chuckled and granted all of his requests because he almost looked like he hadnt eaten for days. Ahem! Wrath smiled in satisfaction while leisurely lying on the ground with a potbelly. This is the life! His eyes were blinking because he got drowsy after the meal. Raon ignored him and went to Morell to pour some wine into his ss. This wine is rather decent. I dont like everything else, though. Morell licked his lips, saying that he mighte back to drink the wine again. Im d it suits your pte. Arianne''s wine is priceless, after all. He raised his gaze along with the ss. Are you still not going to tell me? What do you mean? Im curious how you are controlling our donkey princess. Im not controlling her. She simply promised that shed grant a few of my requests. Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. Well, I guess its not that important. Morell sipped on the wine. The fact that the donkey knelt in front of me and pleaded was good enough. His lips rolled into a smile as he told him that it was his first time seeing that donkey princess bow to anyone even though hed known her ever since her childhood. Im d to hear that. Raon chuckled. Morells reaction was natural because, considering her personality, Jayna wouldnt have acted differently in her kingdom. Raon clinked sses with Morell before going to the Warring Steel divisions table and sitting next to Trevin. Are you enjoying the festival? Its not bad. Trevin nodded, saying that the food and liquor were good enough to justify his help. Seriously. He wasnt honest, but he couldnt bring himself to hate him. He was different from the other members of the direct line of Zieghart in many ways. Thank you foring. I was just getting bored. Trevin shook his hand, saying that he only came to help because he had nothing else to do. Our division leader is doing it again. You made a huge fuss because you wanted us toe to the rescue! Lets be honest, please. I wonder how long hes going to do that. Shut up, all of you! The Warring Steel swordsmen murmured, and Trevin mmed the table with a flushed face. You dont need to thank me since we are swordsmen of Zieghart. Dont worry about it. Trevin dered and guzzled down his drink. Raons fingertips trembled as he watched Trevin keep wolfing down his drink. I dont need to thank him because we are swordsmen of Zieghart He wouldve sneered if it were another member of the direct line whod said that line. However, because it was Trevin, who came to save the Light Wind squad without expecting anything in return, his heart pounded violently. I want to remember that line. Trevin was right. It was the houses job to save its members regardless of the situation or circumstance. Raon wanted to make a house where people could trust each other like that if he ended up making one in the future. Thank you. Raon bowed to Trevin and the Warring Steel division once again before sitting at the table. Hmm? Wrath, whod been hanging on his shoulder likeundry, poked his head over his bulging belly. Is it the second round? The King of Essence can keep eating! My stomach is about to burst, though? Nonsense! You might shove some Nadine bread into it if you have space left in your stomach! We need to fill even more! Haa Raon shook his head and filled his te with food that he hadnt tasted yet. By the way, what took you so long? Martha was ring at the third prince before she started to drink again and suddenly asked. I know, right? You took so long in the swamp, and also when you washed yourself. Burren tilted his head, asking what happened. Did you fall asleep? Runaan asked if anyone gave him a nket to sleep on the road. Thats not it. I met the Sword Demon and his disciple on the way. Why would you do that? It just happened. We are going to have a spar. Spar? Where is this evening from? The Light Wind members suddenly stood up and dropped their jaws, and the same went for the warriors from the other factions. What happened was Raon briefly exined what happened at the well. A spar against the Sword Demon? Thats an amazing opportunity! Its an extraordinary asion indeed, as hes the strongest of the Five Great Swordmasters and an expert in swordsmanship. I-Im jealous They licked their lips, jealous that Raon had a chance to spar against the Sword Demon. Wait, no. You have to defeat his disciple beforehand. He had an extraordinary pressure. I could tell at a nce that he is a mighty warrior. Moreover, there should be more than his realm since hes the Sword Demons disciple. He must be several times stronger than his realm. But Raon is still going to win. Indeed, he didnt earn the name of White Sword Dragon by gambling. Everyone clinked their sses and started to guess who was going to win the spar. Hmm! Rimmers eyes sparkled like a star even though hed been quietly drinking. A spar He quietly stood up from the table while holding his ss. I shall make my preparations. * * * * * * Raon picked up Heavenly Drive from next to the table and stood up. He clenched his right fist and nodded. Im in perfect condition. Hed rested for a day to recover his body and trained the next day to get used to his improved body and aura. He was certain that he was in his best condition. You are still a weakling. Raon looked aside upon hearing Wraths sneer. A plump cotton candy was jeering at him. It was the result of eating everything he wanted for two days, as he had to get enough nutrition for recovery anyway. Do your best so that you wont lose to a mere disciple. I was nning to do so even if you didnt tell me to. I need to get stronger even faster. He didnt even have a year and a half until the duel against the Axe King. Fighting Mustan was going to be educational, but he wanted to try facing the Sword Demon in order to advance even higher. Raon changed into thebat uniform and equipped Heavenly Drive around his waist before leaving his room. Because the rumor about the spar had already spread, lots of people were gathered around the training ground with a bunch of food vendors. This is pretty much a festival. Raon didnt expect it to happen, but House Arianne had be more energetic thanks to the spar. There are chicken skewers over there! y-baked chicken skewers are rare delicacies! Lets go there and eat them! Wrath licked his lips while looking at the y-baked chicken skewers that were being sold at a stall on the right. Im about to fight though Eating before you fight will make you better! I already ate though. Snacks are a part of a meal! Raon started at Wrath in bewilderment before he sighed. He couldnt understand why his wrath kept decreasing and his gluttony kept increasing instead. Monarch of Useless Eating. Raon came to the conclusion that hed picked the wrong name. He wanted to meet the one who gave him the name Monarch of Wrath. Lets go already! Im not. Raon pped Wrath away because he kept clinging to him and went towards the center of the castle while looking around the stalls. One more beer! I need popcorn! Wow, Im looking forward to the match. I wonder who is going to win? Do you even need to ask? Our benefactor is obviously going to win! But his opponent is the disciple of the Sword Demon from the Five Great Swordmasters! And hes way older, too! He has extraordinary skills, thats for sure. People were trying to guess who was going to win the match while enjoying the food. Hmm? Raon was going towards the arena, but he found arge stall with even more people than the others. Im going to bet on our benefactor, Sir Raon! Me, too! Im obviously betting on the benefactor! But the swordsman called Mustan was rather amazing. His eyes looked like a savage beasts! Its understandable since the Sword Demon must know how to teach a disciple. He could see arge amount of gold and silver coins being poured into the stall. They seemed to be gambling. People would be gambling, of course. Since the oue wasnt obvious at all, it was only natural that people would gamble about it. Since it was part of the festival, there was no reason to stop them. I wonder if the squad leader is there? A dung fly wouldnt miss out on dung. True. Raon figured that the punk elf mustve been there and tried to find him, but unexpectedly, he couldnt see him anywhere. Did he already bet and get away? He thought Rimmer would check the odds before betting, but he mustve bet before the others and left. Raon decided to leave them alone, but a familiar voice could be heard from inside the stall. Hah! You ignorant fools. Raon didnt put an end to this war, I did. You cant tell who wins until it happens. Raon looked at the stall once again upon hearing that loafers voice. A red-haired elf was grinning from the shopkeepers seat. Raon and Wraths jaws dropped as they found Rimmer, who was running the gambling house instead of simply betting on it. How far is that elf nning to go? Chapter 413 Chapter 413 You wont get such a great opportunity to hit the jackpot ever again! You can make money while watching Raons match. This is hitting two rabbits with one stone! Rimmer pped his hands and raised his voice to gather more customers. This is a match between Raon Zieghart, the Kennel Master who leads the Mad Dog squad full of rabid dogs, and the young Sword Demon Mustan, who will be famous all over the world as the disciple of the Sword Demon. Gambling here will make it even more fun to watch! People gathered upon hearing his cheerful shout and filled the gambling area. Huh Wrath shook his head while watching Rimmer. The King of Essence has seen quite a lot of shitty ears in the past, but hes never seen anyone with such a peculiar personality. He murmured that it was a mystery how he was born among those proud elves. Raon nodded stiffly. Same goes for me. I never thought Id meet an elf like him. The elves were characterized by their beautiful appearance, high affinity to nature, and their tendency to reject other races and live a quiet life in nature. However, the appearance was the only feature that suited Rimmers description. The King of Essence told you. His ears are detachable. Just try pulling them and they wille off. Maybe you are right. Raon chuckled and nodded. He really acted like some punk in the backstreet except for his appearance. He really started to wonder whether it was possible to disassemble and reassemble his ears. Raon went to Rimmers gambling stall, which was getting more and more crowded. People were trying to guess who was going to win before betting. Ah, I dont know who I should be betting on. Bet on Sir Raon of course! He didnt earn the name White Sword Dragon by gambling! I would normally choose our benefactor, but look who hes fighting against. I agree. Hes no other than the disciple of the Sword Demon from Five Great Swordmasters. Hes not some pushover. Th-this is so hard. What should I do? They wouldve normally bet on Raon, who was the hero from the previous war, but they couldnt easily decide because the name of the Sword Demon was too important. I dont even know anymore! Im going to believe in our benefactor! Same. Im going to be loyal since I cant tell who is going to win! Certainly, the White Sword Dragon is more likely to win. Look at how he single-handedly ended the war. Im also betting on Sir Raon! The people right in front of the stall bet on Raon, and those at the back nodded their heads while saying that they also wanted to bet on him. Everyones so ignorant. Rimmer smiled like a snake while watching the money pile up on the stall. I already told you, but Raon didnt single-handedly end the war at all. I helped him. He excitedly proimed that his help was what allowed him to end the war, and Raon was just limping from exhaustion. Huh? We have the said person there! Raon! Rimmer waved his hand towards Raon who was staring at them nkly from the back. Huh Raon gasped while looking at Rimmer. Seriously, that guy Hed never imagined he would try to use him for his gamble instead of being embarrassed about it. He was almost as shameless as Merlin. Raon, you tell them! Did you finish thest fight on your own? I didnt. Raon shook his head since he wouldnt have been able to cut the death sphere without Rimmer and Wendys help. What wouldve happened if Habun Castle or I didnt help you? It wouldve been extremely dangerous. Raon responded honestly because he had no other choice. See? His rumors are exaggerated. Its as bad as the bubbles that appear when you frantically rub your hands a soap! Rimmer was calling him bubbles even though hed just praised him as the Kennel Master of the Light Wind squad and the White Sword Dragon. It hurts me to see all your confusion. Ill give you a hint. The rumors said that the disciple of the Sword Demon has defeated an apostle from the White Blood Religion and a floor overseer from the ck Tower beforeing here. He was rambling nonsense since hed previously said during the festival that he didnt even know that the Sword Demon had a disciple. Moreover, Raon was called the Young Sword Demon in the past. Mustan is going to do his absolute best to take away that title. Gasp! He defeated an apostle and a floor overseer!? His pressure was extraordinary indeed. He looked even stronger than what wed expect from the disciple of the Sword Demon. He will definitely be desperate to win with the title of Young Sword Demon on the line. Im even more confused now after hearing that People were contemting it when the third prince came to the stall and put down his gold pouch. Thud! The heavy sound of the pouch hitting the table gathered everyones attention. Im betting five hundred gold on Raon Zieghart. Desire welled up in peoples eyes upon seeing the huge amount of money. Huff! F-five hundred gold coins?! Thats so much They were so focused on calcting the dividend that they didnt even sound like they were breathing. I decided! Im betting on the disciple of the Sword Demon! Ten silvers for Mustan! Get away! Its my turn! Im also betting on Mustan. Take the money that I was going to spend to buy candy for my daughter! People stopped contemting and pumped their money on the table. Your Highness? Raon called the third prince. Hmm The third princes shoulders flinched before he averted his gaze to look at Rimmer instead. Whats happening? He looked like a kid who was found out while stealing, even though hed just bet the money. It was rather suspicious. Could it be? Raon frowned and sent an aura message to the third prince. [Did our squad leader ask you to do this?] [A-about that] His trembling voice confirmed that he was following Rimmers instruction. [But why would Your Highness even join our squad leaders gamble Ah!] Raon tried to think about it and could figure out how Rimmer was ordering the third prince around. [Is it because of Martha?] [Uhah!] The third prince was startled, and it confirmed Raons suspicion. Rimmer mustve asked him to help him increase the amount of bets by offering information about Martha since he knew about his feelings for her. Raon bit his lip. Seriously, what should I do with him? It was pretty much gambling fraud. He couldnt believe Rimmer was doing that. My turn! My turn! Take my money already! Im betting on the Sword Demons disciple! Im betting on Sir Raon! Raon thought about stopping them, but peoples eyes were already filled with madness. They looked like they would start a riot if he tried to stop them. Its your turn now! Rimmer shook his hand to the side because he couldnt deal with all the customers on his own. Yes Dorian came from the corner where hed been hiding and wrote down the amount of peoples bets before shoving their money into his belly pocket. And what are you even doing? Im the bank for today Dorian sniffled while taking the money. A portion of the gamblingmission will be donated for House Ariannes reconstruction! Consider it as a donation and bet your money! Rimmer shouted that arge portion of themission he would be earning was going to be donated to House Arianne. A donation? Im going to bet more money! Shut up and take my money already! Raon! Mustan! Once he mentioned that he was running the gambling ce out of goodwill, people even took out their pocket money to bet. That shouldnt be the case though. Wrath shook his head, saying that there was no way Shitty Ears would be doing a good deed. He will have to donate after he deres it like that. Raon believed he wasnt going to lie even though he was Rimmer. Heughed bitterly because hed never imagined Rimmer would be doing a good deed. He noticed that it was written on the signboard that he was going to donate some of the profit. I never thought I would see the squad leader in a different lighhuh? Raon was reading the phrase and suddenly dropped his jaw. At the end of the signboard, it was written [40%mission] with extremely tiny letters that even Masters would need to focus on their eyes to see it. F-forty percent? Even the illegal gambling took 10~20%mission, yet he was charging 40%. Even the loan sharks were no match for his crazy rate. I can understand why hes donating it. He was literally going to make a bank with a 40%mission rate. He mustve been nning to give away a small portion of it. The King of Essence told you. Shitty Ears is incorrigible. Haa Raonmented while looking at Rimmers pupils that had turned into gold coins. Thats what we call a dark elf * * * * * * Mustan went to Rectors room once he was ready for the match. Master. He bowed to Rector, who was sitting on a sofa and watching outside the window. Its time for the match. Indeed. Rector turned his head for the first time in two days. He had been staring outside the window ever since the encounter with Raon. Mustan bit his lip tightly while looking at the enervated look in his masters eyes. Damn it He requested a fight against Raon to prove that he was better than him, yet his master ended up witnessing Raons spirit instead. Rector hadnt looked at him since hed met Raon and kept drinking his wine while staring at the sky. Mustan clenched his scabbard. He could almost see Raons reflection in Rectors eyes. Arrogant bastard. Defeat me and cross swords with my master, you said? He unconsciously clenched his grip because he remembered Raons face as he arrogantly rambled without even knowing his opponents skills. Creak. The twisted scream of the scabbard sounded like it was about to break. His stomach ached as he thought about Raon, who took away the title of a Sword Dragon that hed always wanted to have and even his masters attention. Im going to defeat you no matter what. Raon was affiliated with Zieghart, but he didnt inherit Glenns martial art. Since Mustan inherited the Sword Demons martial art and had been training for longer than him, he thought he was obviously going to win. Master. Mustan took a step towards the Sword Demon. Im going to win the spar today and stop his sword from reaching my master. Be careful. Rector slowly turned his head. That boy is powerful. Dont underestimate him. Consider him as the strongest opponent youve faced so far. The strongest opponent Mustan bit his lip. So he really does acknowledge him. Rector rarely acknowledged peoples skills. His master was such an aloof person, yet he was praising a young bastard when he was the disciple. Mustans heart tightened upon reaching that thought. Moreover, he wasnt personally chosen by Rector when he became a disciple, and that fact made him further infuriated. Please watch me. Im going to prove that Im the only one suitable as my masters disciple! Mustan turned around with a frightening look in his eyes. Rector shook his head while looking at Mustans back. Hespletely mistaken. The first disciple hed ever had seemed to be gravely mistaken, but he had a feeling that it would be pointless to say anything in his state. In fact, he figured the experience could help him improve in the future and decided to leave alone. Haa Rector sighed heavily while looking outside the window once again. Ill be able to find out today whether I guessed right or not. * * * Raon entered the arena before the sun reached the center of the sky. Because the rumor about the spar had already spread, the warriors who came as reinforcements and House Ariannes members were gathered around the arena. Whoaaa! He made his entrance! Raon! Raon! Raon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! Their cheers were even louder than back in Zieghart, probably because Raon had already encountered every single one of them before. Raon raised his hand to respond to their cheers, and the crowd on the other side split apart to make way for Rector the Sword Demon and Mustan, his disciple, to make their entrance with heavy steps. Mustan bowed to the Sword Demon before entering the arena. Whoaaa! Mustan! Mustan! The disciple of the Sword Demon! The rising star whos in an apostle and a floor overseer! Lots of people were also rooting for Mustan thanks to the gamblers who had been baited by Rimmer. Mustan walked towards the center with a vicious glow in his eyes that looked like he was about to fight to the death. You dont realize how much Ive been looking forward to this day. Same goes for me. Raon nonchntly nodded. The titles of Young Sword Demon and Sword Dragon. You only managed to get them because you got lucky. Those names would be describing me instead if I made my appearance before you. Im not interested in them. Take them. Raon wasnt exactly interested in titles. He shrugged his shoulders because he didnt mind having no other name than Raon Zieghart like how it was in the past. Thats the part I dont like about you. You are too arrogant. That doesnt seem to be the only reason. Mustans pressure was just as fierce during their first encounter. Arrogance couldnt be the only reason for his animosity. Ill make you shut that mouth of yours. He grabbed his scabbard with a powerful re that looked like his eyes were burning. Everyone who has said that has failed to achieve it. Shut up! They swore at me the exact same way as you. Raon snickered and took a step forward. He faced Mustan at a distance, only the sound of their breathing reaching each other. Once they got into their postures to signal that they were ready, Borini Kitten entered the arena. Im Borini Kitten from Owen. Ill be the referee of todays match. He politely lowered his head at Raon and Mustan one after the other. Killing moves are prohibited. Please respect your opponent since this is a spar. Yes. Alright. Borini Kitten withdrew to the edge of the arena after they answered. The spar between Raon Zieghart and Mustan is starting now! He lowered his hand that was raised towards the sky before leaving the arena. Raon Zieghart. Mustan immediately drew his sword and dashed. He unleashed all of his aura from the beginning and mmed down his sword with his eyes brimming with an inferiorityplex. Hmm? Raon furrowed his brow while watching Mustans strike fall toward him. What is this? Too many principles were dwelling in the strike. Swoosh! It was fast, heavy, powerful, sharp, variable, and illusory at the same time. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to withdraw to the left side to further observe his technique. Where do you think you are running?! Mustans sword twisted like a snake chasing after a mouse to follow up. Precision and flexibility were added on top of the previous principles. Cring! Raon leaned backward to dodge Mustans sword. His bangs got cut before they could descend and could be seen fluttering in the air. Thud! He forced his ankle to withdraw as if he were gliding through ice and narrowed his eyes. It must be a versatile sword. Swordsmanship had as many principles as the number of swordsmen in the world. Most of the techniques were made bybining a few different principles, but those who could use the versatile sword were an exception. They could endlessly develop their technique by using the arts theyd already learned, and even the ones that they were going to learn in the future. The Sword Demon could use the versatile sword Glenn Zieghart and Derus Robert were the only people known to the public as masters of the versatile sword, but the Sword Demon mustve been another one. However Raon briefly clicked his tongue while watching Mustans consecutive attacks, which were wrapped in raging astral energy. Hes just superficial. The versatile sword shouldve been a unique technique with a concentration of countless arts, but the principles werent forming any harmony in Mustans sword. His swift sword wasnt fast, his heavy sword wasnt heavy, and the powerful sword wasnt powerful. All kinds of techniques were mixed together, but he hadnt mastered any of them, nor were they properly blended in. Moreover, hes not even looking at me. His shoulders were stiff and his hands were excessively strained. He was exerting too much strength for no reason from the beginning, and he seemed to be trying to show off to the Sword Demon behind him instead of fighting his opponent. This match is pointless. Raons gaze became ice cold. There was no reason to waste any time since there was nothing to gain from an opponent who was simply venting his anger. You wont be able to dodge this! Mustan rushed in like lightning and thrust his sword. He surrounded Raon from four directions with the principles of heavy sword to prevent him from dodging, incorporating the principles of swift and powerful swords into the attack while adding the variable and illusion swords to confuse his opponent. Rumble! The heaviness of Raons body felt like gravity had intensified, and his vision was covered by the radiance of the red astral energy engulfing the sword. It was truly an excessively shy technique. Even an outstanding Master shouldnt be able to counter that shy and powerful strike. However Im different. Because Raon was ahead of Mustan on the path of the versatile sword, it was an easy task to shatter such a shabby mixture of techniques. He decided to bestow a lesson on the fool who was walking the same path of the versatile sword. Thud! Raon stomped the ground. The heated power rising from his legs engulfed his body as he closed the distance towards Mustan. Cring! When the tip of Mustans sword was about to reach Raon, he unsheathed Heavenly Drive. The explosive energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation dashed through the mana circuits all around his body to unleash a powerful, raging crimson me from his right hand. Mustans jealous gaze gradually changed. His eyes expanded in astonishment, and his mouth widened. Its already toote. It was toote to realize his mistake because Raons sword draw was already reaching the tip of Mustans sword. Whaam! Heavenly Drive didnt have as many principles as Mustans, but the speed, precision, and power that he needed were perfectly blended into one. Thebination of the principles was simple yet perfect. They distorted like moonlight and shed against Mustans powerful strike. ng! The principles were erased one after the other from Mustans sword. The swiftness disappeared, the heaviness was destroyed, and the change and illusion subsided. An ordinary sword was left once all of the principles disappeared. Creak! Raon strained his wrist holding Heavenly Drive to sh all the way. ng! The bare sword of Mustan was split in half and got stuck in the ground. Ah Mustan was shocked, and Raon twirled Heavenly Drive to bring it to his neck. He couldnt even show any reaction and simply stood there with trembling lips. I kept my promise about answering with the result. Mustans unfocused eyes looked like he still didnt understand what was happening, and Raon didnt even look at him anymore. He lowered Heavenly Drive while looking at the Sword Demon behind him. Id like to request the second match. Chapter 414 Chapter 414 The spectators were watching the fight in bewilderment, and the light returned to their eyes the moment Mustan dropped the remaining half of his sword. A-a single strike? Did the Sword Demons disciple really lose in a single strike? What the hell? H-how is this even possible? Let alone the Sword Demons disciple, was it even possible for a Master to defeat another Master in a single strike? I cant believe my eyes W-wasnt it a bit too fast? It was way too fast. They say much noise, no substance, but this is even worse The spectators sighed deeply because the match between Raon and Mustan ended in a single strike despite how much theyd been looking forward to it. Ah Mustan looked at the remaining half of his sword with a trembling chin. He could see the clean cut at the center of the de, and the other half of the de was mmed into the ground. Whats happening? Did I really lose while using my masters technique? He couldnt believe that the Sword Demon Rectors martial art was defeated by a single strike from that young bastard. He felt like he was having a nightmare. Impossible. Defeat was a possibility since Raon Zieghart had the title Sword Dragon, which signified that he was the strongest among the young warriors. However, he couldnt understandno matter how he thought about ithow he could lose in a single strike and to a casual sword draw that didnt even seem to be a special technique! Th-this isnt right! Mustan raised his broken sword and pointed at Raon. I haven''t lost yet! I wont admit it! He ground his teeth, saying that he couldnt admit his defeat. Tsk. Raon briefly clicked his tongue while watching Mustan shout at him. Pathetic. Wrath shook his head while looking at Mustan as if he were an insect. His unsightly behavior is even worse than his pathetic performance. Indeed. He fails to surpass my expectations. Even though it was a single strike, the match was already decided. He wouldve died right there if it was a real battle. The position as the Sword Demons disciple was too good for him with the way he was denying reality. It was a problem with his personality rather than skill. So what do you want to do now? A rematch! I can keep fighting in this state! Astral energy burst from the remaining half of Mustans de as he tried to keep going with the fight. Its a bit annoying, but I should thoroughly crush him while Im at it. A proper match against Mustan would be a difficult one, but it was going to be rather easy since he was even more agitated than before. Mustan. Just as Raon was about to raise Heavenly Drive once again, the Sword Demon entered the arena. Step. Even though his footstep was faint, it quietly descended upon Raons ears through the loud mor from the spectators. M-master. Mustan swallowed nervously while looking at the Sword Demons cold eyes. This is a spar and a duel at the same time. The Sword Demon raised his hand, and the de stuck on the ground floated by itself tond on his palm. You have to admit your defeat, even if it was a single strike, and even if you were being careless. Go down. Ugh Mustan bit his lip to the point of bleeding and left the arena. However, he red at Raon with bloodshot eyes. He seemed to be saying that he would never forget the humiliation. I apologize in his stead. The Sword Demon walked up to Raon and closed his eyes. Hescking manners because he only recently appeared in public. Please understand him. The broken de on his hand turned into iron dust and fluttered into the air. Raon wasnt sure if it was supposed to be an apology or a threat. Its fine. Raon reluctantly nodded. Then what about the spar against Sir Rector? Lets get started in a moment since you must need some rest. The Sword Demon told him to cultivate before the match and left the arena. Hmm Raon licked his lips while watching the Sword Demons back. Theres no reason to refuse since hes giving me a chance to fight better. He nodded and sat on the chair right below the arena. What the hell is wrong with you? What else? Hes crazy! Burren gasped, and Martha rolled her lips into a smile. Raon, super damn handsome. Runaan gave him a thumbs up to praise him. Please guard me while Im cultivating. Raon asked the three to guard him before he closed his eyes. Mustans swordsmanship mustve been the Sword Demons martial art. He closed his eyes while thinking about the small portion he could learn from Mustans technique. * * * I beg your pardon! Mustan went on his knees as soon as the Sword Demon left the arena. This foolish disciple ruined my masters reputation! He almost sounded like he was screaming as he mmed his head on the ground. However! Mustan raised his bleeding forehead. His eyes were distorted like a fiend. I really was just careless. I can win if I do my best Mustan. The Sword Demon furrowed his brow while looking down on Mustan. Did you just say that you can win if you arent careless? Indeed! He only won by sheer coincidence! Ill recover our honor if you give me another chance! Are you telling me that you can win without even looking at your opponent? What? Mustans lips parted in surprise since he was unable toprehend. Your sword was directed at me instead of that boy. Your mind was sparring against me instead of Raon. The Sword Demons cold eyes were staring at his disciples trembling shoulders. Werent you solely focused on showing me some advanced technique instead of facing the opponent in front of you? Do you truly believe you can win against a Sword Dragon in that state? A-about that Mustan couldnt respond and hung his head. Hes right I wanted my master to watch my swordsmanship, not Raon. He was defeated in a single strike because he used the versatile sword that he hadnt mastered yet, intending to prove that he was the only disciple of the Sword Demon. Damn it! He finally realized it. His defeat was only natural because hed used an inexperienced technique without focusing on his opponent. You finally realized it. The Sword Demon slowly nodded. You wouldve had a good match against him if you did your best instead of trying to copy my technique. Agh Mustans body trembled as he bit his lip. Todays defeat will be a foothold to reach even higher in the future. Dont forget about it for the rest of your life. And The Sword Demon took another step towards Mustan. You are gravely mistaken about something. Let me tell you. What? Mustan nkly raised his head. It wasnt my decision to take you as my disciple, but I have no intention of canceling it. Dont worry about pointless things and focus on training, since you are the only disciple I have. The Sword Demon turned once he made his deration. It should be enough with everything I told him. Mustan had always had low self-esteem and became easily agitated because he had always been concerned by the fact that the Sword Demon didnt personally choose him as his disciple. Even though he took a disciple against his will, he had no intention of going back on the decision. Rector wanted his disciples shorings to be fixed through the incident. Haa Raon was cultivating with his eyes closed, and the Sword Demon weakly bit his lip while watching him. Its strange no matter how I think about it. He doesnt look simr, but he does at the same time. Raon Zieghart kept reminding him of that child. He had different hair and eye color than Raons shy blond hair and red eyes, but the perfect facial features were way too simr to be normal. Hes reminding me of bad memories. The Sword Demon sighed while watching Raon, and Mustan also red at him while clenching his fist. * * * * * * The gamblers came back to their senses after the shock of the first match and ran towards Rimmers stall. Ziegharts Sword of Liiiiight! Hey! You fucking scammer! Give my money back! Are you telling me that worthless guy killed an apostle and a floor overseer? Bullshit! Hes just some shitter! I shouldve never believed in an elf! The rushing gamblers looked like they were about to break the stall as they grabbed Rimmer by his cor. Madness was overflowing from everyones eyes because theyd lost their money way too easily. Hieeeh! Dorians lips trembled violently because of their bloodshot eyes. Hey, calm down, everyone. Rimmer didnt panic at all and shook his hand to calm people down. Business is business! Raon won in a single strike, but he still took a significant amount of damage. You can see that hes cultivating over there. He pointed at Raon, who was cultivating with his eyes closed, and the gamblers stopped screaming for a moment. Ladies and gentlemen, theres a saying that people get three chances in their lives. Your first chance was that you got to witness this match, and your second chance was that you could bet your money on this match. Your third chance is the fact that theres another game ahead of you! Rimmer shouted, and everyones jaw dropped whether they won or lost. A-a chance? We are getting another chance? What do you mean? Let me go for now and take a step back, please. The spectators released Rimmers cor and withdrew. You should already be aware, but the uing match is a spar between Raon and the Sword Demon. Its more like a small lesson rather than a spar, but the situation has changed. Rimmer smiled coldly while pointing at the Sword Demon. Raon just blew up his precious disciple in a single strike. Do you think the Sword Demon would overlook this matter? What do you think? Im asking you right there! He pointed at the gambler whod been holding his cor until a moment ago. Dear customer, what would you have done if you were the Sword Demon? I-Id destroy him in a single strike just like he did. Correct! The Sword Demon is still a human being, and skin is nearer than a shirt. He must be harboring an extreme hatred towards Raon, who humiliated his disciple. He is obviously going to try crushing Raon in a single strike. Thats why! Rimmer mmed the table and stood up. We are getting our third chance! Can Raon withstand the Sword Demons first strike or not? Lets start gambling! He announced the new gamble and asked them to start betting already. Wh-what the hell? Isnt that too one-sided? I know, right? The Sword Demons strike is way too powerful, even for Sir Raon. I agree. This doesnt even work as a gamble! Shut the hell up and give my money bac People sneered, saying that no one was going to bet on Raon unless they were idiots. They were simply ring at Rimmer without betting any money when the third prince pushed his way through the crowd to reach the table. Im going to bet the money I won from thest round and the original sum that the swordsman Raon will withstand the first strike. The third prince dered that he didnt need to get the money back since he was going to bet on Raon. Thank you! Rimmer lowered his head with a smile on his face when he heard the third princes aura message. [Ill be counting on you to keep your promise and tell me Lady Marthas preference.] [Oh, of course. Ill tell you what she likes the most after its over.] He immediately nodded while looking at the third prince. She just likes fighting and insulting. Its not anything special. Since Martha was never going to fall for the third prince, he was nning to tell him whatever she liked and call it quits. Dorian, make sure to write it down. Yes! Dorian nodded and wrote down the third princes bet on his ount book. W-wait, didnt the third prince wager five hundred gold coins earlier? He did. It mustve increased to a thousand gold because he won Is he seriously gambling all that money? What the hell? He has the nerve of steel People swallowed nervously while looking at the third prince, who bet arge sum without hesitation. I-Im betting on the Sword Demon! Me too! God damn it! Take my emergency fund! This is the third chance! Hes so right! I need to take this third chance no matter what! Im going to Cameloon after this! Everyone started betting once again, whether they won the previous round or not, and the table was filled with money. Rimmer grinned while watching a pile of money grow big enough to cast a shadow. He gathered his hands and lowered his head towards Raon, who opened his eyes after his cultivation and started to pray ardently. Oh, my god of wealth! * * * Raon shook his head while watching the huge ruckus at Rimmers gambling stall. Hes definitely not starving to death no matter what he does. The way he turned the crisis in his favor like a snake was almost admirable. Let me pull those long earsoff! Wrath angrily punched into the air with his round fist. Yeah, its irritating to watch. Raon chuckled and entered the arena. Since he warmed up during the previous match and the cultivation replenished his aura, his condition was even better than during the match against Mustan. The Sword Demon had been looking at him, and he nodded before walking into the arena. Are you ready? Yes. Raon nodded heavily. Thank you for enlightening my disciple. The Sword Demon narrowed his eyes while looking back at Mustan. He still has many shorings because hecks experience. He shall be able to reach even higher in the future thanks to your lesson. Im d to hear that. Raon licked his lips while looking at the bloody look in Mustans eyes despite what Sword Demon was saying. Since youve enlightened my disciple in a single strike, Id also like to finish this match in a single strike. Do you want to try it out? Im honored. Raon slowly caught his breath and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. Here I go. The Sword Demon drew his sword from ten steps away from Raon. The de reaching towards the sky was slightly red. A majestic amount of power could be felt from his form, which was too natural to be called the upper posture. Whir! His sword slowly descended. It was so slow that even a kid wouldve been able to easily dodge, but Raons heart tightened to the point of bursting. What is going on? The speed was so slow that he could get bored, and the de wasnt even surrounded with aura, let alone astral energy. However, Raon couldnt even begin to guess how to defend against it. Kuh! Im going to die if I dodge, but Im also going to die if I block it. His body was being crushed by the swords pressure, which felt like the entire world was falling toward him. His bones were creaking and he couldnt even breathe anymore. He started to wonder if it was even possible for a human being to use such a technique. This is an interesting lesson. Wrath seemed to be entertained as he licked his lips. His voice acted like cold water pouring onto Raon and he returned to his senses. I cant lose like this. I need to find a way He stimted his heart, which was frozen in fear, and activated the Ring of Fire. The rings slowly rotated and resonated with each other to release his body from the pressure that was binding him like a chain. However, he still couldnt figure out how to defend against the strike even with the Ring of Fire. The only way to dodge was to kneel in front of him. Is he trying to make me pay the price for humiliating his disciple? The Sword Demons attack was a supreme one for Raon, who was facing him, but it only looked like a joke to the spectators. Raon could guess that the Sword Demon was trying to return his disciples humiliation with interest. This is a bit unsightly if hes serious about this. He started to boil with rage because hed never thought the famous Sword Demon would resort to such a cheap trick. Raon bit his lip tightly and clenched Heavenly Drive. The techniques Ive used before arent going to work. None of the techniques hed learned and created in the past was capable of stopping the Sword Demons attack. If my current realm isnt enough I just need to advance even further. Raon increased the Ring of Fires output to the maximum while watching the Sword Demons attack. Cring! The resonance of the rings stimted his upper energy center, which wasntpletely open yet. His heated brain felt like it was melting, and a new scene was disyed in front of him. The slow descent of the Sword Demons de looked faster instead, and he could see the principles inside it like a panorama. This technique It was the same technique as Mustans, but it was on a whole different level ofpletion. The dignity of the versatile sword thatbined countless principles of swordsmanship was roaring towards the world. No emotion could be read from the Sword Demons eyes behind thepleted versatile sword. He looked so apathetic that he looked like he was crushing a bug to death. Raon didnt want to lose once he realized the techniques nature and saw the Sword Demons look of disdain. Whir! The seven ringsbined into one, and he could feel the worlds energy as if the mana in his body returned to nature. The Sword Demons sword was fast, slow, heavy, light, powerful, soft, flexible, precise, variable, and illusory at the same time. Even though it shouldve been impossible for those contradicting principles to coexist, they were dwelling together inside that single strike. I wouldve never been able to defend against it if It was my first time seeing this. However Ive witnessed an even more amazing technique from the closest spot. The flow was different, but he''d witnessed the sword of a warrior whod managed tobine all of the martial principles in the world. Glenn Zieghart. Watching his back came with an expensive return. Because hed witnessed the sword of the Destructive King of North, he could bare his fangs at the versatile sword falling towards him. Im going to advance. One step, two steps. Raon imagined the sword of the transcender who managed to push back the White Bloods Religions leader and the Fallen at the same time. The Ring of Fire rotated as fast as possible, and the huge resonanceing from their distortion sounded like they were about to break. Inside his mental world There was nothing but sword buds in that white world, but a new sprout slowly emerged. Raon enjoyed the burning pain of his brain and fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive. Whir! He controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations heat and ciers coldness at the same time as he extended his left foot. Thud! The extreme heaviness of his step created a huge fissure in the arena. He connected that majestic power with his waist and remembered the martial arts hed learned before. I cant incorporate all of them at once. Mustan was the perfect example of that. It was better to leave out the principles that werent mastered yet. Raon chose the techniques that hed been practicing all along to incorporate into himself. Raon Ziegharts fast, powerful, variable, and precise sword soared along with a majestic radiance. Chapter 415 Chapter 415 Raon shed through the Sword Demons pressure and advanced with the new versatile sword hed created. Creak! His entire body was screaming in pain. His fingertips were trembling from the pain that felt like his bones were smashed into pieces and his muscles were being torn apart. His brain was the most painful part. He felt like his head was being scorched into ash because his upper energy center was overheating. Kuh Raon clenched his back teeth and raised his gaze. He could see the Sword Demons undisturbed blue eyes. He mustve expected that Raon would manage that much. So, I didnt surpass his expectations. Considering that he wasnt surprised at all, the Sword Demon mustve expected Raons growth during the sh. It was an insight befitting his fame. Fine. Ill break thatposure. Enduring pain was pretty much breathing for Raon. It felt like his heart and head were about to burst, but he endured the pain and clenched his grip. Whir! His upper energy center glowed red from the Ring of Fires heat. The swords that were buried in his mental world were further revealed and dazzling light radiated from the principle of versatile sword in Heavenly Drive. One step, and one more step. The Sword Demon used to be so far away, but he was finally right in front of his eyes, and Heavenly Drive was close enough to reach his sword. ng! Heavenly Drive shed against the Sword Demons de. There was no shockwave, nor was there a thunderous noise. The sh between the versatile principles in their swords created a ringing resonance. Rumble! Unlike that elegant resonance, the pressureing from the Sword Demons de became twice as powerful and started to crush Raons body. Kuh! His ankles trembled as if he were standing on mud, and his knees bent at an unnatural angle. He felt like his entire body was screaming at him to stop. But Im still going to continue. Ill break hisposure. He unleashed the small amount of aura left inside him and made the Ring of Fire resonate. The world turned white, and he could only see the Sword Demon and his sword. Along with an illusion that looked like the sword buds in his mental world suddenly rose, the martial art dwelling in Heavenly Drive became more mature. Crack! The continuous descent of the Sword Demons de was stopped for the first time. Raons versatile sword started to sever the Sword Demons versatile sword like a salmon swimming up a waterfall. Creak! With the cutting sound of thousands of papers, the Sword Demons de was elevated by more than a handspan. Hmm The Sword Demon groaned for the first time, and eyes that used to bepletely immobile and emotionless started to waver like a sailboat in a turbulent ocean. Just a bit more The physical pain felt like he was dying, but his mind was clearing instead. I think I can break through the wall. He had just managed to break through the wall towards the highest level Master, but he had the feeling that he could destroy an even bigger wall. He mustered the small amount of aura remaining in him and polished his principles to the extreme before incorporating them into Heavenly Drive. The Sword Demons de was pushed back even further. Whir! Raon and the Sword Demon were the only ones inside the white space, but a blue cotton candy suddenly appeared. You idiyougoing to di Wrath appeared in front of his eyes and shouted something while floundering his round hands, but Raon couldnt understand what he was saying because he couldnt hear it too well. Your headburststop He mustve found another food he wanted to eat. Ill eat itter for you. Raon ignored him and unleashed even more power. The distortion of his mental world felt like it was going to expand soon enough, and a majestic brilliance covered his vision. I can advance even higher. He started to see the wall to reach a higher realm. He advanced towards the wall, thinking that he would be able to reach it soon enough but the Sword Demons de, which had been guiding him, bounced back way too easily. Ah Raon felt like he just lost his heart, dropping Heavenly Drive on the ground. The huge wall that he was about to reach disappeared, and the white space where he was with the Sword Demon faded away. The world that couldve been a dream or an imagination crumbled away like a fallen leaf. Damn it! I was almost there. It was so close, I just needed to surpass that wall Regretting that he was unable to grasp that wall, he clenched his fist. In fact, he was trying to clench his fist but he couldnt muster any strength. Cough! He fell on his knees before he knew it from the terrible paining from his heart and brain. The pain was actually happening from all over his body. Huff! Huff! He couldnt even breathe. He grasped the left side of his chest and forced himself to breathe. Air filled his empty lungs and his vision opened up. He could see the countless spectators that he had forgotten and a destroyed arena. Ugh Raon wiped the sweat flowing down his cheek with his sleeve. His uniform was turning red. He mustve been bleeding from his eyes and nose. Wh-whats happening? You must be insane! Wrath popped out and grabbed him by his cor. You almost died just now! He shook his hand grabbing Raons cor, saying that he almost died from a forceful activation of his upper energy center. I almost died? Indeed! You tried to tear off your upper energy centers door by force with your mana of fire and ice at the same time without even breathing. Theres no way your body can survive that! Ah Your body belongs to the King of Essence! Dont do anything reckless with it! Wrath headbutted him, telling him to never do such a crazy thing ever again. Are you okay? The quiet voice lessened his nausea. Hmm Raon suppressed his groan and raised his head. The Sword Demon was looking at him with the same look in his eyes as at the beginning of the match. No, it wasnt exactly the same. His pupils lookedposed at first, but they were trembling slightly. Hey, do you realize you almost died just now? The Sword Demon let out a small sigh while saying the same thing as Wrath. You couldve learned a lot just from defending against my attack, but you almost suffered a loss from trying to push it back. That loss wouldve been the only life you have. His eyes were glowing furiously. He seemed to be scolding him from the bottom of his heart. Raons hair stood on end because his piercing gaze felt even sharper than his de. Hes right. If that geezer didnt withdraw his sword at that moment, your upper energy center wouldve exploded and you wouldnt be standing here anymore. Wrath licked his lips, saying that he saw the Sword Demon in a new light. He withdrew his sword? Ah! Raon remembered how the Sword Demons sword was pushed back way too easily when he thought he was about to reach the huge wall. He thought the Sword Demon was hindering his progress, but he was actually saving his life. Was he really trying to teach me? Just like the Sword Demon had said before the match started, he mustve been trying to help Raons development as a senior instead of repaying the humiliation of his disciple. Thank you for saving me. Raon bit his lip and bowed politely. Physical injuries can be healed. Internal injuries take a bit more time, but they still can be recovered. However, the energy center can hardly be recovered once it is destroyed. The Sword Demon tapped on his own temple with his index finger. The upper energy center is especially dangerous because you can be crippled or lose your mind if you make a mistake with it. You need to control it a lot more delicately than the other energy centers. Hmm Some childrens upper energy centers are already open from the moment of their birth, but it usually opens up upon bing a Grandmaster for most people. The Sword Demon looked at Yua, who was watching from far away. However, you dont belong to either of the cases. Your upper energy center wasnt open when you were born, but the path opened up during your growth. Its a special case, but you ended up like this because you tried to use the small gap into the upper energy center beyond its limit and lost control. He exined how it happened with a calm voice. You are already an advanced Master at twenty years old. No, I should say the highest level of Master since you just surpassed the wall. You reached the peak way too quickly. The Sword Demons serious eyes seemed to be observing him. If the stairs you climbed so far can bepared to sharp rocks, the stairs awaiting you in the future might be made of rotten hardwood or extremely thin pieces of paper. He mustve been trying to tell him that it was necessary to be more careful in every step in the future, unlike before. Even an excellent lumberjack needs to sharpen their axe from time to time. You should take it easy for a while since you just surpassed a wall today. Ill keep it in mind. Raon nodded while listening to the Sword Demons wise advice. Hes right. He managed to reach the highest level of Master from the spar against the Sword Demon and even gained massive enlightenment about the versatile sword. He still had a long way to go until the realm of Grandmaster and the Sword Field Creation, but he should be able to reach it soon enough if he slowly advanced step by step. The fact that you entered a trance during a battle implies that youve always done your best during training. Im starting to understand how you managed to reach your realm at your age. The Sword Demon returned his sword to its scabbard with a faint smile on his face. Keep working on it. Yes. Raon bowed once again, and the spectators started to shout by the time he raised his head. Whoaaa! The White Sword Dragon managed to defend against the Sword Demons strike! Raon! Raon! Raon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! They kept shouting the White Sword Dragons name without realizing that the Sword Demon had pulled his sword back for Raons sake. How is he getting stronger every single time I see him? What realm is he in right now? Do you think he can win against the top dogs of the Twelve Stars of the Continent? Its easy for him! The spectators cheered while discussing Raons realm. Thats not the case! Raon raised his hands. As for this match, I He wanted to tell them that the Sword Demon withdrew his sword on his own, but it was pointless because every single spectator around the arena was shouting. Its okay. The Sword Demon shook his head. But it will sully your reputation if I dont exin it to them I dont care about my reputation. He dered that reputation was meaningless for him before he lowered his gaze. I cant exactly say anything in return for that, but may I ask you a few questions? Of course Raon nodded, then suddenly heard Rimmers shout from behind. A flower path! The flower path is waiting for me in the future! Even though countless people were shouting at the same time, Raon could still perfectly hear Rimmers voice for some reason. Ill answer any question as long as I can. However, can I Raons eyes sparked in a frightening glow as he looked back. Burn some flowers before then? * * * * * * Rimmer jumped towards the arena as soon as he realized the ident inside Raons body but stopped himself. He seems to be fine now. What a relief. Raon was forcing his upper energy center beyond the limits, but the Sword Demon fortunately had stopped him in time. That was unexpected because I heard he had a cold-hearted personality. He stayed alert just in case the Sword Demon might try harming him, but he actually helped Raon increase his realm and saved him from the crisis. This proves once again that rumors shouldnt be trusted. Considering how he was even advising Raon when hed humiliated his disciple, he was a broad-minded man despite the rumors that described him as dangerous. The spar ended sessfully, and I am rich once agaaaaain! The money hed entrusted to Owens third prince was further increased from the gamble, and he was even about to get the 40% tax. He was pretty much raking in the money at that point. Some of them will fight back because of themission, but they should calm down once I tell them Ill be supporting House Arianne with the money. He expected them to riot once they heard about the 40%mission fee, but they had no other choice than to ept it if he told them he was using it for House Arianne. Im such a genius. And Rimmer put his hands together and started to pray towards Raon who was facing the Sword Demon. Raon, you are my lucky charm and the only god of wealth I serve. Im looking forward to your cooperation in the futuhmm? Rimmer narrowed his eyes while looking at the Sword Demon, who was standing in front of Raon. Oh, this is why he felt so familiar. He finally realized why the Sword Demon looked so familiar to him even though it was his first encounter. He waved his hand towards Dorian, who was nkly apuding from the next seat. Dorian. Yes? Dont you think that Raon and the Sword Demon have simr appearances? Whaat? The Sword Demon is rather handsome, but hes not as good as our vice squad leader. Watch their facial features carefully instead of looking at their hair and eye colors. Dorian examined Raon and the Sword Demons faces one after the other while scratching his head. Huh? Ooh! He rapidly nodded while looking at Rimmer. They definitely look simr when I see them like this! Sir Raon is a lot more colorful, but he looks simr to the Sword Demon in some aspects! Dorian nodded, saying that they actually looked the exact same on top of being simr. Is this a coincidence? Or Hmm? Rimmer licked his lips, but Raon suddenly waved his hand towards him. He was asking him toe into the arena. Squad leader, I think the vice squad leader is calling you. Indeed. I wonder why. Since they talked about training just now, he might be trying to praise you by saying that it was all thanks to you that he managed to defend against the Sword Demons attack. Hmm, maybe. Since Raon never cared about his fame, Rimmer figured he might be trying to avoid an annoying situation by shifting the praise. Ahem! Its time for me to make an appearance. Rimmer cleared his throat and straightened his clothes before entering the arena. Whoaaa! The Light Wind squad leader! Hes the teacher of the White Sword Dragon! Because of how amazing Raons performance was, people cheered for Rimmer just because he was Raons teacher. Am I needed? Rimmer asked in a dignified voice. It was difficult to believe he was running the gambling stall until a moment ago. Im going to let everyone know about my squad leaders great deed. Great deed? Even though he said a great deed, Rimmer noticed a disturbing glow in Raons eyes. He almost looked like a hawk targeting a rabbit. Raon raised his hand, and the shouts inside the arena suddenly came to a halt. He nodded in satisfaction and stood at the center of the arena. Everyone should be aware that our squad leader was running a gambling stall. People tilted their heads in bewilderment because they couldnt understand why he was suddenly talking about gambling. You mustve thought it was strange because Ziegharts squad leader was running a gambling stall. However, it was actually our squad leaders great n. Hmm What Raon was saying definitely sounded like apliment, but Rimmers heart tightened for some reason. You shouldnt be aware, but our squad leader set a 40%mission fee for this gamble. F-forty? Wh-what the hell is that? In which world do youmission 40% from gambling?! Hes a fucking scammer! Catch him and pull his ears off! The 40%mission fee was written on Rimmers stall in extremely small letters that only Masters could read. Because people finally realized that fact, they drew their swords and activated their auras as if they were about to jump into the arena right away. Wh-what?! Why are you telling them about it now?! Rimmer covered Raons mouth with his hands. Whats happening right now?! He wanted Raon to exin it to him, but he didnt even look in Rimmers direction. You must want to insult him right now. You must want to scream at him, that even the loan sharks are less greedy than him. However, our squad leaders n is only getting started. Raon raised his hand with an evil smile on his face. Our squad leader decided to donate all of themission from the two rounds of gambling to House Arianne, which was devastated from the previous war! Huh? Did I? Rimmers face turned pale upon hearing that, and the people cheered once again. Whoaaa! Light Wind squad leader! I knew I could count on you! There was a good reason behind the 40%mission! It was for a greater purpose! Im fine with it if hes donating it to House Arianne! Rimmer! Rimmer! Rimmer! People shouted Rimmers name once again, their swords still raised into the air. Moreover! However, Raon hadnt finished talking. Rimmer wanted to stop him right away, but he couldnt muster any strength. Our squad leader additionally decided to donate a thousand gold and hold a second festival in two days! Uhh Donating a thousand gold meant that he had to cough up all the money he won by making the third prince bet in his stead. Everything was going wrong. N-no! I never said that, you lunatics! Rimmer tried to deny it by iling his whole body, but no one was listening to him. Woooooow! Rimmer! Rimmer! Rimmer! Sword of Light! Sword of Light! Sword of Light! Rimmer, you are the donation angel! I cant live without you! Thank you! The cheers from that were the loudest so far, and people from House Arianneincluding Wendythanked him with teary eyes. Sword of Light. The Sword Demon walked up to Rimmer and bowed slightly. I thought you were unsightly because you were running a gambling stall, but I never expected you to have such a great purpose. I need to apologize. He smiled gently, saying that he was seeing Rimmer in a new light. Thats our squad leader for you! You are so cool! I thought you were just blinded by greed, but you actually had such a nice n! Ill follow you from the bottom of my heart! Even the Light Wind squad apuded Rimmer with gazes filled with admiration. Ah Rimmer lowered his hand and stopped trying to stop them. Im screwed. If he tried to deny it, he would be stabbed to death by thousands of des. I originally wanted to donate with my personal fund, but I dont need to anymore thanks to the squad leader. Im really grateful. Raon lowered his head while feigning ignorance. You should wave your hand to everyone. This is the flower path you wanted. Raon went ahead and waved his hand, urging Rimmer to repeat after him. You crazy bastard! This isnt a flower path! This is a flower path too. The flower path of doom. O-of doom Rimmer forced a smile onto his face and waved his hand at the spectators. A tear slid from his eye. You are the worst son of a bitch Wrath giggled while watching Rimmer, who couldnt even let out his despair. You used to be his young king, but now youre the worst son of a bitch. Chapter 416 Chapter 416 Raon snickered while watching Wrath stick his tongue out at Rimmer. It would be fun if those two ended up meeting each other. Because Wrath and Rimmerpeted to be the most childish people in the world, Raon could only smile as he thought about what would happen if they met each other. I wonder if they would start fighting like children. While he was imagining the conversation between Rimmer and Wrath, Wendy Arianne entered the stage. She walked up to Rimmer and leaned forward at a 90-degree angle. Light Wind squad leader, Im really thankful for what youve done. When Rimmer asked for permission to run a gambling stall in the arena, she thought he was just keen on money, but she waspletely mistaken. She realized he nned that gamble to help House Arianne financially after he saved them during the war alongside Raon. Hes from Zieghart, after all, and from the Light Wind squad at that. There were many bad rumors about Rimmer, but Wendy realized they were groundless. She was moved to tears and unconsciously clenched her fist because she had met another hero after Raon. Huhuhu Rimmer nodded whileughing gentlylike Roenn did. The tears welling up in his eyes fell towards the ground. You are donating such arge sum to us House Arianne will never forget this gratitude! We will serve you as our benefactor in the future! Whoaaa! The newly appointed executives of Arianne also bowed to Rimmer and cheered. Huhuhu. Rimmer simply nodded while letting out bitterughter. Lets celebrate by tossing him into the air! Whoaa! Sir Rimmer, we are really thankful! Wendy and the executives tossed Rimmer into the air and thanked him once again. Huhuhu Rimmer keptughing like a gentleman even as he floated into the air and came back down. He almost looked like he was broken. Benefactor? Sir Rimmer? People tilted their heads, and Raon went up next to Rimmer. He does that when hes happy. Hes always loved to donate money, after all. Ah, I see! Thats so admirable! Thats really amazing because its difficult to decide on the donation. On top of Ariannes executives, even the spectators praised Rimmer and raised their hands. Actually, I did hear something like that in the past. One of the executives licked his lip while looking at Rimmer. A friend of mine told me in the past that he saw Sir Rimmer donating at an orphanage. He was uttering some unbelievable im with a warm smile on his face. He donated? Are you sure he didnt rob them? Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Rimmer. Squad leader, did you really donate by yourself? Isnt that about someone else with the same name? It was a ridiculous story, but Raon asked Rimmer about it just in case. I dont know. Screw it! Rimmer briskly turned his head around and left the arena. He shook his hand, telling him to take care of the rest. Bank! Yes! Dorian leaped onto the arena upon hearing Raons call. Did you finish the calction? Of course! Dorian skimmed through his ount book as if he were the president of a bank before he nodded. Deliver our squad leaders donation to Lady Wendy. Understood. He took gold coins from his belly pocket and gave them to Wendy Arianne and the executives. Ah I dont even know how I should thank you for this Wendy and the executives fell speechless as they looked at the pouch, which held a huge amount of gold coins. Contact the Sephiapany and tell them to trade with House Arianne. They will immediatelye running here since this is a great opportunity for them to monopolize the best grapes and blueberries. Since House Arianne and the Sephiapany were pretty much allies at that point, they were naturally going to be great partners, and it brought a smile to Raons face. Im sure our president will be happy! Dorian immediately nodded and took out themunication crystal that the president had given him. Light Wind squad! Light Wind squad! Light Wind squad! You are wrong! They are called the Mad Dog Squad nowadays! Mad Dog squad! Mad Dog Squad! Mad Dog Squad! The spectators were loudly praising the Light Wind squad that saved House Arianne and even donated arge sum of money. We are the Light Wind, not Mad Dogs, you bitches! Martha became furious as soon as she heard them being called the Mad Dogs. Ahhhh! Miss Rakshasa is here! She is the hellhound of Zieghart! That fucker Raon is the hellhound, not me! She ran into the spectators'' seats and started to rampage, but it was just a trivial incident. Everyone around the arena was enjoying the festival with smiles on their faces. Ah, except for one person. The only person who wasnt smiling was the red-haired elf who was shedding tears of blood while shrinking in a corner. Ugh, my money. My flower path He bit his lip tightly while looking at the gold pouch Dorian had taken out from his belly pocket. I should keep the promise with the Sword Demon now Hmm? Raon was about to walk up to the Sword Demon but stopped himself. That man Mustan, standing behind the Sword Demon, was ring at him with bloodshot eyes. That makes two people total who arent smiling. Raon didnt manage to hear everything, but the Sword Demon sounded like he was encouraging Mustan after his match instead of scolding him. However, it lookedpletely ineffective. Mustan wasnt spreading any pressure, but the malice in his eyes had further intensified. I need to thoroughly crush him at some point. Since Raon had reached the highest level of Master, he was confident he could defeat Mustan without much difficultyeven if he managed to show his full potential. Raon figured he would need to crush him and show him the difference in their power to make him learn his ce. Sir Rector. Raon walked up to the Sword Demon without being affected by Mustans piercing re. Im ready now. The Sword Demon nodded and pointed at his room. Lets have tea at a quiet location. * * * * * * The Sword Demon raised his eyes while touching his teacup. He caught his breath while watching Raon who was sipping on his tea on the opposite side of him. He looks so simr no matter how I look at him. Raon would have looked exactly like him if his hair and eye colors were brown and blue instead. Moreover, the expression he had on his face during the fight was the exact same as his. His peaceful expression was simply simr, but the way he was fighting to the best of his ability almost looked like he had returned to wield the sword once again. It was possible to have a simr-looking person in the vast world, but it was difficult to imagine that a non-blood rtive would share so many simrities. Sir Rector? Ahem! Rector came back to his senses upon hearing Raons call and cleared his throat. My bad. My thoughts were wandering. No, its fine. Raon quietly shook his head. He looked a bit lonely just now. The Sword Demon had just looked like a sad old man of his age instead of a demonic swordsman. Since he said his thoughts were wandering, he mustve been reminiscing about the past. I wonder what hes going to ask me. It wouldve been understandable if he wanted to make a request or ask for a rematch against his disciple, but Raon couldnt figure out his intention because he was just going to ask some questions. It might sound strange, but Id like to ask this question. Sure. Can I hear about your father and mother? My mother and father? Indeed. Id like to know what kind of people they are to raise you into such a splendid man. Despite hisposed eyes, the Sword Demon smiled awkwardly while saying that he found it curious that Raon had such great might, willpower, and even personality at the age of twenty. Personality Raon figured that the Sword Demon was well aware of Mustans repulsive personality. Raon liked him even more because he seemed to be asking for advice for his disciples sake. Its not exactly a secret anyway. Since many people were aware that he was Sylvias son, answering his question wasnt an issue. My mother is Sylvia Zieghart. She was originally a swordswoman of Zieghart, but shes currently living in peace. However, her heart is even stronger than a swordsman and makes peoplefortable when they are around her. Raon responded with his feelings and thoughts about Sylvia honestly. You mentioned my personality just now. The reason why I gained an honorable title that I dont deserve was all thanks to my mother. He told him about how Sylvia wanted Raon to wield his sword for the sake of others like the Zieghart swordsmen in the past. I see. The Sword Demon quietly groaned and nodded. Then what about your father? It might sound strange, but I dont really know about my father. Howe? He perished before I was even born. I never met him. H-he died? The Sword Demons voice remained cid, but his lips were trembling slightly. How? Did he die from an illness? Its a delicate matter to exin to a third party, but he was murdered. The Sword Demon closed his eyes. His shoulders used to look as sturdy as steel, but they felt as weak as a twig. My mother never talks about my father, and I didnt even hear his name to be honest. Were they on bad terms? No, she said that they got along extremely well. I believe she was being considerate so that I wouldnt feel his absence. Sylvia was smiling whenever she talked about his father, but she also looked sad at the same time. He purposefully didnt ask about his name because it was so hard for him to see her sad expression. ording to my mothers expression, my father was a foolish man. He was tall and had excellent sword skills, but he had no talent with aura, and couldnt be famous. Raon told him about the description Sylvia had given him of his father. However, she said that my father wielded his sword for the sake of others and became stronger when he protected people. The reason I care about other people right now must be because of my fathers influence on my mother. Because hed been an assassin in his previous life with a worn-down personality, he couldve be a psychopath like Mustan if it werent for Sylvia. Meeting Sylvia and the people from the annex building was the luckiest encounter in his life. The Sword Demon quietly stared at the teacup on the table. It looked like the small amount of tea left at the bottom of the cup was evaporating. Im sorry to ask this, but can I hear who murdered your father? Its important for me. Eden. Isee. He put his hands together and lowered his head. His fingertips were trembling faintly even though they had been unshakable during the match. Hmm Raon touched his lips while watching the Sword Demon, who looked unstable for some reason. Do you know about my father by any chance? The way he was acting could only be exined if he knew about his father. Not yet. The Sword Demon calmly shook his head. Hed managed to control his emotions in that short timeframe. Not yet? Raon couldnt tell what it was even supposed to mean. I guess its impossible to recognize my father from a simple exnation like this. It wouldve been stranger if he decided he was acquainted with his father when he hadnt even heard the name. Can I make another request? The Sword Demon briefly inhaled and raised his head. Please do. Can I go with you when you return to Zieghart? Are you nning to meet my mother, by any chance? Theres something Id like to confirm about your father. I swear that I wont cause any harm. He gave his pledge as a swordsman while putting his right hand on the left side of his chest. We are nning to visit Habun Castle before going to Zieghart. Is that fine with you? Thats fine. There shouldnt be any problem if you are visiting us as a guest. The Sword Demon wasnt an enemy, and he didnt seem to be holding any malice against his father even if he ended up being his acquaintance. Since he was a big help, there was no issue with inviting him to Zieghart. Thank you. Im really d The Sword Demon raised his gaze. Mysteriously, his gaze felt as hot as a griddle even though he definitely looked nonchnt on the outside. Dont mention it. Please prepare in advance since we are leaving in five days. Alright. He nodded and told Raon to take care of his body before he closed his eyes. Raon bowed before leaving the Sword Demons room. Im curious what business he has in Zieghart. He went to the first floor while thinking about the rtionship between the Sword Demon and his father, and Mustan was climbing the stairs. He could still see the two des in his eyes. What did you talk about with my master? The frightening pressure around Mustan felt like he was about to draw his sword at any moment. Why do you want to know? Raon snorted at Mustan. He wouldve called you into the room if it mattered to you. You arrogant Mustans brow crumpled like a piece of paper in a grip. Do you really believe you won fair and square when you just attacked me while I was careless? Its a fact. We wouldve had a different oue if I did my best from the beginning! You wont be a match against me if we fight once more! He clenched his scabbard. He looked like he wanted to go for round two right away. Ill overlook it once for Sir Rector. Dont mention my masters name with your dirty mouth! Raon was about to go down the stairs after he sighed, but Mustan grabbed his shoulder violently. You seriously dont know your ce, do you? Raon turned around and walked up to Mustan. Rumble! The Ring of Fire naturally resonated. The sword art released from his mental world and his increased pressure from reaching the highest level of Master created a powerful aura wave. Ugh Mustan mustered his aura in order to fight back the huge pressure, but it simply got torn into pieces by the pressure that was as sharp as a de. H-how is this happening? His chin ttered as he stepped back on the stairs. Uhah! Raons aura wave intensified even further, and Mustan missed his step and rolled down the stairs, falling to the ground. Mustan. An emotionless voice could be heard from Raon as he looked down on Mustan on the ground. Carelessness cant be an excuse in the world ofpetition. Your head would be rolling by now if this were a real battle. Ugh Shut up and scram if you finally understood. Raon left the trembling Mustan behind and left the Sword Demons lodgings. He is devoured by envy. Wrath clicked his tongue. Envy has always been difficult to control. Its also called the mind of a snake because the emotion is as nasty as a snake. Mind of a snake There was someone like him in Devildom. She always got jealous of others and begrudged them no matter how they tried to help her and how well-off she was. However, she managed to obtain tremendous power with that envy. Wrath murmured that he was the most unsightly person among the devils. Are you talking about? You guessed right. She managed to be a demon king with that unsightly power of envy. Raon could understand who she was even though her name wasnt mentioned: the Monarch of Envy, Envy. She was another demon king that Wrath had previously mentioned. She was the one who supposedly had a rough handling of her subordinates. Did she reach your level with the power of envy? Bullshit! The King of Essence is way stronger than her! Wrath snorted, saying that she could easily crush Envy both in terms of sheer strength and the quality of subordinates. Well, a loser like him wont be able to be a demon king. Raon shook his head while looking up at the Sword Demons room. But Im still curious about why the Sword Demon epted an idiot like him as a disciple. * * * Haa The Sword Demon sighed heavily. Its almost certain of it now. A righteous personality that made him act despite his abilities, excellent swordsmanship despite having a weak aura, and a tall height on top. He still needed to confirm with Sylvia, but he could tell that Raons father was the one he had in mind. How is this happening? While he was training in seclusion, hed heard that he left the alliance after paying a huge price, but he never expected such a development. It had to be Zieghart of all ces The fact that he was in Zieghart out of all houses made it painful for him. I guess he never cared about it to begin with. The Sword Demonughed bitterly and tried to suppress his nausea when the door opened and Mustan entered the room. Master, what did you just talk about with Raon? His face was somewhat twisted as he approached. It wasnt a big deal. The Sword Demon shook his head. He simply declined to answer because he couldnt tell him about an uncertain matter. You should train for four days instead of having those pointless thoughts. We will go to Zieghart with the Light Wind squad on the fifth day, so prepare yourself. What? Mustans jaw dropped. A-are we going to Zieghart?! Why would we do that?! I have a business with them. But they are our enemies! Even though they dont know about our identity, why would we Just as you said, our affiliation hasnt been revealed yet. Thats why it wont be possibleter. The Sword Demon closed his eyes while he swept his hair up. Master, Ive seen you bestow your teachings to talented warriors of the Six Kings a few times in the past, but this case is different. Mustan ground his teeth furiously. The bad blood runs deep between us and Zieghart, unlike the other Six Kings! I understand you took a liking to Raon Zieghart, but youve crossed the line this time! He went on his knees in refusal. Master, please return to your senses! Im your disciple! It will be a huge problem if an incident happens now! The alliance should be calling us soon! Mustan categorically refused and mmed his head on the ground. Even though it might happen The Sword Demon opened his eyes, which had been tightly closed. The frightening glow of his pupils revealed an unyielding determination. Theres a matter I need to confirm. Chapter 417 Chapter 417 Raon opened the training grounds door during the dark time before sunrise. Because everyone enjoyed the second festival with Rimmers money to their hearts content, the training ground waspletely empty. This is a nostalgic feeling. It was a scene hed seen every day in Zieghart, but he hadnt been alone on a training ground before sunrise for a while because so many things had happened in House Arianne. Lots of things happened. Hed previously thought it was a simple mission, but his job was to drive away the darkness inside the house instead of fighting monsters. However, the true dark enemies started to attack after he drove away the darkness, and the entire ce couldve been destroyed. The reinforcements from Habun Castle, Owen, Balkar, the Warring Steel division, and the alwayste Rimmer allowed him to drive away the Specter, but it was actually a really close call. It was dangerous. Raon clenched Heavenly Drives scabbard while looking up to the dawn sky. Its because Im too weak. People called him the most talented person in the continent because hed reached the highest-level Master at twenty years of age, but that was the extent of his abilities. Being young doesnt help during a fight. An opponent could be considerate of the younger ones during a spar, but being young and inexperienced only created weaknesses during real battles. He was bound to encounter more powerful opponents as he got stronger. It was necessary to reach a higher realm, regardless of his age, in order to deal with those monsters in the future. I need to focus on myself now. Every single member of the Light Wind squad had reached at least the advanced Expert during the war, and many of them had attained the highest level. Burren, Martha, and Runaan were already facing the wall, and Dorian was going to follow soon enough. It was time to focus on his own development while leaving the Light Wind members to train on their own. Ugh Wrath groaned while emerging from the bracelet. Hed be as bby as a cumulus cloud because of how much hed been eating. It was nice how quiet youve been recently, but you are going to resume that boring sword swinging at daybreak. He sighed, saying that the good days were over. Give me some advice then. Hmph! Theres no reason for the King of Essence to help his enemy! Wrath murmured that he wasnt going to help his enemy and returned to the bracelet. It took him some time to enter, probably because hed gained too much fat. Boring sword swings from daybreak, he says How nostalgic. Wrathsint made him feel like hed returned to being a trainee. Im still doing the same training though. Just like in the past, he still started his practice with the basic techniques. He was about to draw Heavenly Drive to train the basics when the training grounds door was opened. Who is it? Raon thought it was strange because he hadnt noticed with his aura perception, and the Sword Demon appeared. Sir Rector? Im simply here for some exercise. Keep training, dont mind me. The Sword Demon shook his hand and went away from him. Huh Raon gasped while looking at the Sword Demon. Is he still practicing at daybreak despite his realm? No, that must be the reason why he managed to reach his realm. Witnessing a warrior whopeted with the Ten Heavens of the Continent practice from so early in the morning hardened his resolve. Raon drew Heavenly Drive. He raised his sword above his head. The de falling from his upper posture was as heavy as a mountain. Raon warmed himself up by practicing vertical sh, horizontal sh, diagonal sh, and stab before he lowered Heavenly Drive. Its clearly different. The basic techniques were enough for him to notice the drastic improvement in his swordsmanship after the spar against the Sword Demon. Raon raised Heavenly Drive once again around his waist. Next up is the Fangs of Insanity. He unleashed the Fangs of Insanitys forms one after the other, which consisted of prying open his opponents weakness. Just like the previous swings, the Fangs of Insanity had been further enhanced. It was as if the beasts fangs had be even thicker. After he finished one round with the Fangs of Insanity and was about to start the second technique, the rotation, he noticed a presence from behind him. Ahem! The Sword Demon was there. He was right behind his back before he knew it even though he used to be far away. It would be nice if you weaken your grip He murmured quietly while ncing at Heavenly Drive. What? Raon stopped the Fangs of Insanity and turned around. Ah, you mustve heard me. I was just talking to myself. You were talking to yourself? Is it really called talking to yourself when you said it right in my ears? The Sword Demon smiled awkwardly, saying that he was talking to himself despite how clearly hed stated it. By the way, may I ask what you meant by weakening the grip? Are you asking me right now? What? Oh, yes. Well, I guess I have to respond in that case. He dly nodded and came up next to Raon. Whats the name of the intuition sword that you just used? Its called the Fangs of Insanity. Since the Fangs of Insanity is an intuition sword, its important to perfectly understand your own abilities. The Sword Demon unsheathed his sword and swung it down to demonstrate. It looked extremely simr to the first technique of the Fangs of Insanity. Because you surpassed the wall into the highest level of Master in the blink of an eye, you are still not ustomed to how much your sword principles have grown. He continued to speak while swinging his sword in a simr manner to the Fangs of Insanitys second technique. Your swordsmanship looks more powerful at first because your body and aura have both gotten stronger, but you are actually an easier opponent than before. Try to perfect your swordsmanship while focusing on the principles without touching the aura. Ah The Sword Demon told Raon that he was unable to utilize the growth of his principles. Rx your shoulders and weaken your aura. Try to incorporate the martial principles you previously came to understand even further. You will manage to create a strike that is even fiercer than beforeand more profound at the same time. Thank you for your advice. Raon lowered his sword and bowed to him. Hes the first seat of the Five Great Swordmasters for a good reason. Amazing wasnt enough to describe him, because he managed to figure out his problem at a nce of his basic technique and the Fangs of Insanity. He really deserved his name as the Sword Demon. Raon unleashed the Fangs of Insanity once again while thinking about the Sword Demons advice. Whir! The power focused at the center of his sword spread throughout the de, which was engulfed by the newly polished principles. The Fangs of Insanitys ferocious roar that resounded was on a whole different level from before. Ahem, it might be nice to slightly intensify the principles of heavy and precise swords from there. The Sword Demon murmured while passing next to him, pretending he was talking to himself. Err. Ah, did you hear it again? My bad, I talk to myself a lot because of my old age. Heughed gently and shook his hand. Raon tilted his head while looking at the Sword Demons subtle smile. Whats going on? Why is he doing this? * * * Rimmer scratched his chin while watching the training ground from above the castle walls. His eyes were focused on the Sword Demon, who was giving Raon advice. Does he want him as his disciple? Since hed witnessed Raons talent during the spar, it wouldnt exactly be strange if he wanted to make him his disciple. It doesnt matter since Raon isnt going to ept it. However Their simr appearance is bothering me. They looked even more simr because they were right next to each other. Rimmer honestly felt like they were blood-rted. And its also strange that hesing all the way to Zieghart. Raon had told him that the Sword Demon and his disciple would visit Zieghart as guests. The Sword Demon had nevere to the north before, yet he decided to visit Zieghart as soon as he met Raon. There mustve been a meaning behind it. It will be interesting if hes really his family. Raons maternal grandfather was Glenn Zieghart from the Six Kings. If his paternal grandfather was the Sword Demon, the first seat of the Five Great Swordmasters, his bloodline was going to be so overpowered that it wouldnt be realistic even for theater. Our head of house wont be able to stay back anymore if that is the case. Glenn had been hiding his heart because he believed he was Raons only grandfather, but he wouldnt be able to take it easy any more with the Sword Demon in the picture. I hope Im not mistaken about this! Rimmer smiled in excitement while hoping for something more interesting to happen in Zieghart. My god of wealth, keep granting me super interesting situations in the future Hmm? He suddenly looked at the spire at the center of the castle during his prayer. The Sword Demons disciple, Mustan, had climbed there to re at Raon. Why is he even there? Rimmer had seen the Sword Demon ordering him to practice inside the training ground on the opposite side, so he couldnt understand why he was ring at Raon from the spire instead of training. I understand getting angry because his master is caring for someone else, but he shouldnt be making that expression. His face was brimming with jealousy. Despite his age, Mustans personality didnt seem mature at all. The Sword Demon might be great at wielding a sword, but he mustve been pretty bad at raising a disciple. Rimmer gave a thumbs down to the Sword Demon with a grin on his face. Im the better teacher here. * * * * * * Raon lowered Heavenly Drive after the sun reached the center of the sky. His smile looked as satisfied as the amount of sweat flowing down from his forehead. Hes amazing. The Sword Demon immediately noticed what could be improved in Raons movements like a real demon and told him how to get better. I didnt expect to get used to it so quickly. Thanks to the Sword Demons continued advice, his swordsmanship managed to catch up to his improved realm through the morning training alone. Sir Rector. Raon sheathed Heavenly Drive and walked up to the Sword Demon, who was awkwardly exercising. I managed to incorporate the improvement thanks to you. I appreciate your help. Its still far from being incorporated. You should keep training in the future. The Sword Demon nodded, telling him to keep improving instead of being satisfied with his state. By the way Raon rolled his eyes while rubbing the back of his head. It looks like your disciple has been watching us for a while. Isnt that a problem? Mustan had been ring furiously at them. It looked like he hadnt learned his lesson the day before. Thats how unsightly it is to be blinded by envy. Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic behavior. Its not like he is going to lose his master just because he helps you a little, but its so pathetic how hes wasting his time. Wrath frowned, saying that hed rather use that time to eat some delicious food. Its fine. The Sword Demon looked up to the spire. Mustan hurriedly went down upon meeting his eyes. Hes older than you, but he is extremely inexperienced in worldly affairs. He should eventually realize it as he gains more experience. Ill need to keep teaching him in the meantime though. His voice was brimming with worry for his disciple as he smiled faintly. It looks like someone is doing simr things to you. The Sword Demon looked at the western castle walls. He seems even more interested in us than my disciple. You dont need to worry about him. Raon sighed while looking at Rimmer. My squad leader has always been a voyeur. Rimmer proudly waved his hand once he realized he had been found outas if he were trying to prove what Raon had said. He loves to be the protagonist and only appears to help during the crisis. We are both suffering in our own way. Indeed. Raon nodded with a cheerful smile and the Sword Demon smiled in return. An awkward moment of silence followed after they stopped smiling. Hmm The Sword Demon walked away with his hands sped behind his back. Im leaving for now. You should keep training. Thank you for your help today. It wasnt a big deal. He shook his hand before he left the training ground. Raon said goodbye to the Sword Demon before he raised Heavenly Drive once again. Whoosh! He created a frozen wind with the Blizzard Sword Art and suddenly heard a quiet voice from the training grounds door. It would be nice if you slightly raised the direction. Hes still here?! * * * At the eastern gate of House Arianne, the swordsmen from the Light Wind squad, Habun Castle, the Warring Steel division, and Morells subordinate magicians were lined up together. They looked like they were ready to leave since they were riding horses in their armor andbat uniforms. Wendy walked up to them wearing a robe with a blue wind emblem, which was the symbol of Arianne''s head of house, on it. We wont forget the help we received from Ariannes benefactors for the rest of our lives. She neatly folded her sleeve and bowed politely. Thank you for saving our lives! Thank you! People from House Arianne bowed just like her from behind her. Raon looked aside while receiving the gratitude of the entirety of Arianne. Mind, Borini Kitten, Trevin, and Morell were smiling gently. Since unfavorable events havee to an end, I wish you prosperity and recovery of your fame from a thousand years ago. Raon bowed while epting their gratitude. We will go ahead and leave since we are done with the farewells. Morell was the first one to turn around. I tend to get goosebumps in situations like this. Thank you foring to help. Dont worry about it. After all, I was here because of our donkey princess. He shook his hand to stop him from thanking him. But you still helped to the best of your abilities. Let me know if you ever need helpter on. Thats not going to happen. See youter. Morell and his magicians turned into light and disappeared after he said goodbye. Hey. Trevin came up next to Raon and tapped on his shoulder. We are going to leave for now since the Light Wind squad is nning to visit Habun Castle. Yes, Ill visit you after we return to Zieghart. I wont be there anymore since we should be going on a mission right after this. Lets have a match after we return. You are always wee. Lets do it before the end of this year. Trevin and the Warring Steel division left through the gate with nice smiles on their faces. Sir Raon. Borini Kitten nodded at Raon. He smiled brightly, saying that he had a fun time. I managed to get great experience and connection thanks to you. I really appreciate it. I should be saying that. I was reassured by your help. Raon thanked Borini Kitten back and looked at the third prince. Err The third prince nodded faintly, his eyes as blurry as a zombies. Judging from the blue bruise around his eye, the information hed gotten from Rimmer mustve been useless. See you next time. Lets have a spar when we see each other again. Because the third prince seemed to be out of his mind, Borini Kitten dragged him away as he left through the castle gate. We should also get ready. Burren turned around and ordered the Light Wind swordsmen to prepare to leave. That was so annoying. Marthas frown looked like she was irritated from the bottom of her heart. It looked like the third prince only left her with an unfavorable impression. Ah, I couldnt pack enough Runaan bit her lip while holding onto the blueberry ice cream that she couldnt eat anywhere else tightly. Her nk eyes were brimming with sorrow. Dorian. Raon walked up to Dorian and extended his hand. Can you give that to me? How am I supposed to understand what that is? Dorian murmured that he wasnt a mind reader and took arge paper bag from his belly pocket. You did it perfectly fine. Raon epted the bag and went to Wendy Arianne. Do you remember what you asked mest time? What? Did I ask something? She tilted her head, wondering what he was talking about. Raon stood in front of Wendy with the paper bag in his hand. Because the bag waspletely full, a few of its contents fell on the ground. They were red and yellow lollipops. Those lollipops Wendy picked up the two candies that fell on the ground and looked inside Raons bag. All kinds of candies of different colors were filling therge bag. I was just saying it She swallowed nervously while looking at the candy. New memories cover up old memories. Please do your best for the people who trust you. Raon smiled and handed over the candy bag. I shall. Wendy exhaled nervously and nodded. Because Im the head of this household now. She smiled while feeling an illusion where her memories of childhood with Weegen were overwritten with happy memories with Raon and the other people. Well be leaving now. Raon smiled in satisfaction upon seeing Wendys smile. When he was about to turn around to leave, he heard the rustling sound of clothes sweeping the ground behind him. House Arianne, including me, will be waiting for our lords call. Well be waiting for your call! Wendy went on one knee and clenched her scabbard. The other swordsmen of House Arianne followed her into the same posture and shouted that they would be waiting. Raons heart pounded violently upon hearing the entirety of House Arianne express their will to follow him while calling him their lord. Im also looking forward to the day Ill summon Arianne once again. He returned their smile with a wholehearted one of his own before he turned around. While meeting the Light Wind squads eyeswhich were surprised, dumbfounded, and confident at the same timehe went towards the castle gate. It was wide open, unlike when they arrived. Lets go. Raon took the lead with the ck Dragon Coat fluttering into the wind, and the Light Wind squad and Habun Castles swordsmen followed him. Raon. Wrath took a nce back before he sat on Raons shoulder. Raon figured he mustve been deeply impressed by the situation just like himself, as his expression was rather strange. Whats up? He was wondering about this Wrath licked his lips and nced backward. Raon was filled with joy because of how impressed Wrath was, but his deep emotion came to a halt upon hearing what followed. Do you have any more candy left? Chapter 418 Chapter 418 Under the purple evening sky, the Light Wind squad and Habun Castles knights were having a friendly chat at the camping ground after finishing their dinner. Raon ate the swamp grapes that Dorian had taken out as dessert and rubbed his lips. Its delicious for sure. The swamp grapes were plumper than ordinary grapes and they had a delicious red color like a ripened apple. Theck of seeds made them easier to eat. Raon could understand why people were so fond of the wines made from the swamp grapes. Sniff Wrath was lying on his stomach over Raons head, sniffling while looking at the swamp grapes. Why are you crying? Ande down from my head already. We dont have many swamp grapes left anymore. Living without tasting those delicious grapes would be a waste of human life! Wrathined that the blueberries were already gone and that there werent many grapes left anymore with teary eyes. Wait, youre a demon. Stop pretending to be a human ande down from my head already. Why does happiness always have to end so quickly? Wrath pouted while looking at the grapes that were gradually being reduced without listening to Raon. Come down. Kweh! Raon pped away Wrath as he kept rolling on his head before he stood up. p! He loudly pped his hands to gather the attention of the Light Wind members, who were ying around. Dont tell me youre nning to waste this golden dinner time. Err, hmm. About that I think Im fine the way we are The Light Wind members lips were trembling in surprise from the pping sound. Squad leader! Please help us! Hes already getting started! We just left House Arianne! The swordsmen asked for help from Rimmer, but he was still out of his mind because he couldnt recover from the huge loss hed suffered. Heeh Rimmer gulped down the grapes while drooling from his mouth. How can he be so wasteful?! Wrath pulled his hair while watching him. What is he doing right now when those grapes should be properly savored one by one?! Take them away from him right now! Stop him yourself. Raon threw Wrath at Rimmer and looked at the Light Wind squad. Do you prefer that I train you myself? Or will you start training already? Raon rolled his lips into a smile while looking at the Light Wind squads panic. We are obviously going to train by ourselves. I was going to do it even if you didnt mention it. Burren stood up before anyone else and tapped on his scabbard. Because I made the painful realization during the war that Im still too weak. His eyes sparkled enthusiastically as he dered that he didnt want to experience that ever again. I can agree with you for once. Martha swept her hair up from her forehead and straightened her back. Its extremely irritating to admit, but its true that I wasnt too helpful this time. She pushed Burrens shoulder away and went into the forest. Ill train. Runaan nodded and clenched her cherished sword, Snow Flower. I dont want to stay back anymore. She didnt even finish the ice cream she was eating, going into the forest on Marthas other side. Even though theyd reached the wall to be Masters, they still thought they were too weak and started to train. Vice squad leader. Mark Goetten walked up to him and bowed. Im also heading out. He was also enthusiastic about training even though they were on the move because he was about to reach the intermediate Master level. Me too, Im going to train. Yua jumped like a frog and started to swing her sword right next to them. She was extremely energetic, probably because she was about to see her grandfather again. Im also doing it since you are! Yulius went right next to Yua and drew his sword. He swung his sword at least twice as fast as usual, feelingpetitive. This is making it difficult It cant be helped, we should also train. I guess we need some exercise for digestion. I dont want to be protected anymore either. The Light Wind members were influenced by their team leaders and Mark Goetten, scattering around the forest with determined expressions on their faces. Hmm Mind put down the grapes he was eating and looked at the knights and swordsmen who were sitting around, clearly ufortable and with awkward expressions on their faces. Are you going to sit there doing nothing? His gaze was even colder than the evening wind. The Light Wind squad just went to practice when they are stronger than you despite being younger. Can you still sit there and eat grapes in this situation? Ugh! Not at all! We going as well! The knights and swordsmen quickly stood up and ran into the forest. Whoosh! The forest used to be quiet, but the shouts of concentration from the swordsmen created a small orchestra. Im also going to exercise a little. Raon bowed to Mind. You havent changed at all from the past. Mind smiled while throwing firewood into the campfire. You pretty much monopolized the training ground when you stayed at Habun Castle. People die if they suddenly change. Yes, thats how you are. He waved his hand to send him off. Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face and went to the area of the forest behind him that was still unupied. Just as he was about to draw Heavenly Drive, the Sword Demon and his disciple, Mustan, appeared behind him. Id like to watch your training. Is that alright? The Sword Demon quietly asked for permission. Im fine with it. Since Raon was nning to practice basic swordsmanship, the Fangs of Insanity, and the Blizzard Sword Arts, it didnt matter if other people saw his practice. Moreover, the Sword Demon helped him in various ways, so he didnt mind him watching. Make sure to properly observe him. The Sword Demon called Mustan to his side and pointed at Raon. You need to witness various techniques because you stillck knowledge and experience. Watching him shall be a good lesson for you, as hes walking the same path as you from a further point. I understand. Mustan red at Raon, looking like a flounder. It was obvious that he didnt appreciate the idea. Well, it doesnt matter whatever he does. Ive already ovee him. Raon drew Heavenly Drive. He shed down vertically with his sword using the flow of heavy, swift, and powerful swords. Whoosh! Even though he didnt use any aura, a heavy wind cut through the evening air. Even for the basic techniques, the power and speed will be different depending on the principles you incorporate. You should practice your swordsmanship differently each time to find the most suitable method for you. The Sword Demon pointed out Mustans shorings while advising him. He doesnt look like hes listening to his lesson. Judging from the jealousy brimming from Mustans expression, the Sword Demons advice mustve been going in one ear and out the other. Too bad for him. The Sword Demons teachings were easy to understand and right on point at the same time. Raon could only sneer because Mustan was voluntarily missing out. Next up is Raon started to practice the Fangs of Insanity after the basic techniques. While he was using the third technique, which consisted of shing in a cross shape, he heard the Sword Demons voice from behind him. Hah, it would be better if he extended his left foot a bit further and turned his swords trajectory around five degrees to the right. He was advising while pretending to talk to himself instead of teaching Mustan. As for this one, it would be better if he lowered his center of gravity by about ten percent and focused on the heavy sword He also murmured to point out the shorings of the fourth technique. Hes getting started again. Raon tried to modify the Fangs of Insanity ording to hisments. Its a lot better than before. The third technique became a lot faster and more powerful while the fourth technique gained a thicker aura when blocking the opponents space. You can see that a small change can result in a huge difference when ites down to swordsmanship. You should always try to find a better method. Yes Mustan nodded at the Sword Demon, but his dangerous re looked as sharp as a de. The Sword Demon was, of course, teaching Mustan a lot more than he was helping Raon. However, Mustans expression was gradually turning more fiendish. Is he trying to make us get along? I dont think thats happening though. Raon had the feeling that the Sword Demon wanted Mustan to get closer to him, but it looked totally impossible. Haa. He breathed a small sigh and continued with the Blizzard Sword Art, and he could hear the Sword Demons advice once again. It would be perfect if the angle between his ankles was slightly wider. Ugh Raon licked his lips as he heard Mustans groan. Im thankful for your advice, but Why are you doing this to me? * * * Mustan chewed his lip to the point of bleeding. You said I was your only disciple So why are you teaching him now?! Even though his master had told him that he had no intention of taking another disciple, he was still giving Raon advice. He was also teaching him, but he couldnt understand why his master was helping a potential enemy improve. Circumstances, he said? What the hell are those circumstances? When he previously asked why his master was teaching Raon, hed simply said that there were circumstances around it. His master had told him that he would tell him about it as soon as he confirmed the matter, but Mustan couldnt believe it. Damn it He didnt like itneither Raon, who was dly epting his advice, nor his master, who kept teaching him. He couldnt even hear what the Sword Demon was telling him because of the boiling anger in his chest. Theres no way I wouldnt get suspicious when you are going all the way to Zieghart for him! You must be nning to take him as your disciple! The Alliance treated House Zieghart as the biggest threat. Mustans heart tightened because he felt like he figured out the reason his master was visiting such a dangerous ce. And this is all because of That son of a bitch. His talent was recognized in the Alliance and he became Rectors disciple. He was going to be the strongest once he inherited his swordy yet the appearance of Raon had ruined everything. He wanted to jump at him and assault him with his sword immediately. Mustan, that swordsmanship is an intuition sword, which consists of prying open the opponents weakness. The real way of using an intuition sword is to incorporate the right principle depending on the situation instead of using the strongest principle. With the level of mastery he has, showing his techniques wont be his weakness. I see. Mustan clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into his hand. He red at Raon without hiding his jealousy. I wont lose to you no matter what. He thoroughly observed Raons technique in order to crush him and reim his masters attention. * * * * * * Zieghart Lords Manor Glenn was looking outside the window while leaning his back against the throne, then lowered his gaze under the tform. Did you finish the preparations? Yes. Roenn bowed from the left upon hearing his question. The golden tablet for the young master Raon and the silver tablets for the other young masters are ready. Weve even made new ones. Roenn walked up to Glenn while holding arge wooden crate in his hands. You can check them out. He opened the crate, and the tes prepared as rewards were shining brilliantly from inside. Hmm Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at the golden tablet embedded inside the crate. I think the sword emblem on the golden tablet is slightly tilted It must look that way because theyve used a deeper color in order to emphasize Ziegharts emblem. Roenn gently brushed his hand over the golden tablet in denial. Dont worry about it. It was made with the utmost care for Sir Raon. Moreover, its only covered in gold on the outsideits actually made of tinum. Not bad. Glenn nodded in satisfaction as soon as he mentioned that it was made with the utmost care for Raon. My lord. Sheryl walked up to Glenn as he rolled his lips up into a faint smile. Judging from Raons personality, he will be happy enough that my lord is bestowing a golden tablet to him. Dont worry about it. Ahem! Glenn shook his hand while clearing his throat. I dont care what he thinks about me. I was just worried because it would hurt my dignity if the emblem looked strange. I wasnt really giving him any special treatment He shook his head and murmured some shabby excuses. Sheryl smiled faintly while watching Glenns slightly flushed face. Hes so cute. Glenn had ordered them to make the golden tablet as soon as he returned to the house. Because Raon coulde back at any moment, hed organized the treasury to look for the gift and even wrote down a list of liquors he wanted to drink with Raon. She could only smile because he tantly loved his grandson yet still tried to hide it. Sheryl and Roenn smiled while meeting each others eyes because of how cute Glenn was, and the leader of Shadow Agents, Chad, entered the audience chamber. Greetings, my lord. Chad bowed politely and stepped forward. Whats the matter? The Light Wind squad leader sent a message. He took out a yellow letter from his clothes. Did you read the contents? No, I brought it as soon as I received it. Read it here. Understood. Chad nodded and opened the letter. A thin piece of paper could be found inside. Err His chin started to tremble after he skimmed through the letter. Leader of Shadow Agents? Ah, yes! Read it as it is, without adding anything without reason. Ah, understood. Chad licked his lips and started to read the letter. R-Raon defeated the Specter, wow. His trembling voice sounded like he was having a seizure when he said wow. He secretly peeked at Glenn. It almost looked like veins were bulging on his forehead. The Sword Demon came to visit House Arianne, and hes hitting it off with Raon. I almost thought that he was the r-real grandfather. Chad felt like his shoulders were being crushed by the heavy atmosphere. It was as if the sky were falling. He could feel the cold sweat flowing like a waterfall down his back. W-we will be back after ying around at Habun Castle. I dont know the exact date. P-peace His hand trembled violently as he lowered the letter. He was unable to speak any further because he was getting frostbite from the cold atmosphere. What a crazy bastard. Hespletely insane. Sheryl shook her head while clicking her tongue. Whir! While Chad was wondering what to do, the letter floated by itself and flew towards Glenn. Glenn confirmed that it was really written on the letter before burning it up without leaving a single piece. He thought that he was the real grandfather, huh His lips curved into a thin smile. Chad felt like his heart skipped a beat just from seeing that frightening smile. Roenn, Sheryl. Glenn bared his teeth while crushing the thrones armrest as if it were a piece of paper. Prepare the funeral for the Light Wind squad leader. Crimson sparks were glimmering around him, showing that he wasnt joking about it. I shall grant his wish since hes so eager to die. Yes! Huhuhu. Sheryl nodded while clenching her fist, and Roennughed like always. Chad swallowed nervously while looking at the pressure around the three people who were making his hair stand on end. Light Wind squad leader Rest in peace. * * * Raon raised his gaze after he climbed the hill covered in white snow. He could see the high castle walls covered in traces of dried blood and yellow dirt. Habun Castle, where hed gone through thest trial to be a swordsman and gained an alias for the first time, looked no different from before. This is a nostalgic scent. The nostalgic stench of blood brought a small smile to Raons face. Aaaargh! This is the same scent as before! Dorian scowled while screaming like a dying pig. He wasnt retching like thest time, at least. Looking at Habun Castle, where the traces of battle still remained, reminded him of his stay in the past. He could feel the violent pounding of his heart, as it served as a foundation to grow into his present self. Themander is returning! Open the gate! Open the gate! Habun Castles gate opened up with a tremendous noise that sounded like the entirend was being twisted. Mind stared at the opening gate, which was the silver color of the snowy mountain, before he turned around. You were just an unwee novice mercenary when you first came to this ce. His smile deepened, and he pounded the left side of his breastte with his fist. His powerful gaze looked like hed returned to being the casten instead of a travelingpanion. We wee our benefactor, Raon Zieghart, upon his return under the name of Mind Brydon, the Habuns casten! Whoaaa! People cheered loudly from inside the castle following Minds shout. A chill ran down Raons spine upon witnessing Habun Castles military discipline, which was as heavy as ance. They said return His heart pounded violently because he was still considered a member of the castle by them. Raon pounded the left side of his chest with his fist while looking at the knights and the scouts waving their hands at him. Im back. Chapter 419 Chapter 419 Kuh Wrath groaned in pain while looking up to the yellow walls of Habun Castle. This ce left nasty memories on the King of Essence. He remembered the worst moment of his demon life, where Raon pressured Sloth by using his name. Damn it He hated every single moment of his lifeexcept for when he was eating delicious foodever since he was reduced to his present state, but the encounter with Sloth was the worst moment where he most wished he could speak. Raon licked his lips while putting his hand on Wraths head. Really? They are the best memories for me. He managed to meet nice people aftering to Habun Castle, managed to rescue Yua, and earned countless rewardsespecially Sloth. Unlike Wrath, Habun Castle was a lucky ce for him. Raon entered through the castle gate while the cheers from the knights and the scouts poured down on him like sunlight. Whoaaa! Its been a long time! I cant even call you Young Sword Demon anymore! Wee, White Sword Dragon! Youve gotten even taller than before! I keep hearing news about Sir Raon! The scouts inside the castle gate waved their hands with happy smiles on their faces. Yua is also here! Yua! Why didnt youe earlier? I missed the food you used to make! How have you been, everyone? Yua smiled brightly at the rangers, who were jumping up and down upon spotting her. I remember all of these faces. Raon was familiar with all of their faces, probably because hed started as a scout when he first came to Habun Castle. Its been a while. Raon lowered his head slightly to answer their cheers. The rumor about his return mustve spreadeven Habun Castles residents came to see him behind the row of scouts and knights. The shouts of joying from countless people were almost painful to the ears. Wow While looking at the crowd gathered around them, Burrens jaw dropped so much that a fly could have entered without any issue. What did you even do here to make them so happy about your return? He was amazed because it almost looked like the return of a hero. You are treated as a hero everywhere even though I became Miss Rakshasa because of you. Martha frowned while covering her ears. Why dont you just live here? It looks like Habun Castle is your hometown. She was extremely irritated because people called her Miss Rakshasa before they came to Habun Castle. But they are calling you Miss Rakshasa because of your personality The reason why her nickname ended up Miss Rakshasa was because of her temper and the tenacity shed shown during the tournament. Raon couldnt understand why she was ming him for that, since it was the result of her actions. North, cold. Runaan excitedly looked around with sparkling eyes. Ice cream! She observed the buildings behind the people while murmuring that there had to be excellent ice cream shops around. Unfortunately for her, there was obviously no such thing as ice cream shops in Habun Castle. However, Raon decided to leave her alone since her energetic appearance was a rare sight that didnt even happen once a year. All of them are so unusual. Raonughed bitterly as he advanced, and a familiar old man with a bandana covering his forehead walked up to him. He was Yuas grandfather, the manager of the pub Branch of Frost. Whoaa! Grandpa! Yua even used footwork to dash at the manager. Heave ho! The manager bent his knees to smoothly pick Yua up. Huhu! Its difficult to hold you in my arms now because you grew up so much! He hugged Yua tightly and straightened his wrinkled face. I wanted to see you! Yua rubbed her cheek against the managers chest with teary eyes. Same goes for me. Im d you returned. The managers smile was brimming with warmth as he patted Yuas back while she sniffled. Hmmph! Yulius turned his head and covered his mouth. The reunion between Yua and her grandfather mustve been a touching scene for him. The manager briefly spoke with Yua beforeing towards Raon. Thank you for taking care of this tomboy. He bowed before Raon could say anything. Please dont do this. Raon shook his head while making him stand. We are the ones being helped by her because she is such an energetic girl. It was true. Because of Yuas bright and kind personality, she created a warm atmosphere around her wherever shewas just like Sylvia. Even the annex building became more cheerful than before after Yua joined them. Yua, go ahead and rest with your grandfather. Can I really do that? Yes. We will be visiting the Branch of Frostter. Yes! Ill prepare some delicious food! Yua linked her arm with the manager and went to the Branch of Frost while saying that it was time to increase sales. Hmm. Raon tilted his head while looking at Wrath, who was limp on his shoulder. How unexpected of you. What do you mean? Im wondering why you are so quiet. Normally, you wouldve said something like, What are you waiting for? Follow her right now and order the pineapple pizza made by the manager! by now. Theres no way the King of Essence would interrupt them since they need some time to speak to each other. Wrath snorted, saying that the grandfather and granddaughter needed some time for their reunion. I really dont understand you. He usually acted like a kid, but he sometimes showed a serious side of himself. That was why Raon couldnt bring himself to hate him. The King of Essence isnt a useless mouth! Oh, you are indeed a useless mouth. That much is certain. What?! Raon smiled while tapping on Wraths nose to push him back as he charged. While Raon and the demon king of Wrath were hitting each others noses, Dorians eyes were trembling anxiously. He was rubbing his belly pocket while looking around at the Habun Castle residents that kept shouting Raons name. Whats going on? I also fought with them, so why is there such a huge difference in the way they are treating us?! When Habun Castle turned into hell, Dorian also fought until the end without sleeping, just like Raon. Moreover, swinging his sword wasnt the only thing hed done. He dropped logs, pumped out boulders, and even gave away arge amount of supplies. That was why he never expected that they would treat him like an invisible person. I admit that the vice squad leader is amazing. Of course I do, but Not a single person is calling my name! This is too mean! Not a single one among the countless people surrounding the Light Wind squad was shouting Dorians name instead of Raons. Moisture welled up in his eyes because it reminded him of the traumatic experience when everyone ignored him when he returned to the house after the trial in Habun Castle. They are going too far, arent they?! His fist trembled from the boiling rage, and he could hear a small voice calling his name from somewhere. Dorian! Huh? He wasnt hearing things. Someone was definitely calling him. He turned his head towards the source of the sound, and a middle-aged man wearing a white windbreaker was waving his hand towards him. It was Radin, the leader of the third scouting party that hed joined in the beginning. Sir Radin! Dorian smiled brightly and ran towards Radin. His heart was pounding violently because he was the first person who was weing him. Long time no see, Dorian! You are the only one who cares about me. Dorian nodded while sniffling. You are the same as before. It looks like youve barely changed. Not at all, Ive also changed a lot! He could understand why no one was greeting him if they couldnt recognize him because of how much hed changed. That was why hearing that he hadnt changed made him even sadder. By the way Hmm? Do you have the yellow apples you gave us back then by any chance? I still cant forget that taste Radin licked his lips while saying that he kept thinking about that yellow apple because of how delicious it was. Does this mean that he called me because of the apple, not because he was d to see me? Veins bulged on Dorians forehead. He was actually thinking it was suspicious that the sly man in front of him was being so friendly. Apples? I have them of course. He released the rage hed been choking down and put his hand inside his belly pocket. He took out the whole apple crate and smashed Radins head with it. Smaack! The apple crate crumbled into pieces, and Radin fell back while screaming. Kueh Eat up! * * * * * * Wham! Wham! Lephon Robert violently pounded on Derus Roberts office door. Father! Father! He kept hitting the door and calling Deruss name. Enter. A kindhearted voice could be heard from inside the room soon enough. Yes! Lephon Robert straightened his clothes and opened the office door. Lephon. Derus Robert put the pen that he was holding on the desk and raised his gaze. Generous warmth could be seen in his eyes. Considering how hurriedly you came running, it must be about the swordsman Raon. It is! Lephon Robert gave him a big nod. He grew to admire Raon even more after the Six Kings tournament, and everyone in the house was aware of how much he liked Raon. So what did the swordsman Raon do this time to make you so excited? Do you know about House Arianne? Of course I do. Sir Raon went to that house Arianne and executed the corrupt leaders! He even defeated the Specter who tried to attack He told him everything about how Raon rescued House Arianne and drove away the Specter and his undead. I see. He really is an amazing fellow. Derus quietly nodded after he carefully listened to the story about Raon that his youngest son had brought him. And you mustve be a real fan now. Ive already been a real fan! My uniform with his signature is still hanging on my wall! Lephon smiled happily and said that he shook the dust off the uniform with Raons signature on it once a day. Sir Raons might is worthy of admiration, but the fact that multiple factions took action in order to save him during the crisis was even more surprising. It makes my heart overflow with emotions It makes your heart overflow with emotions? Yes! Thats the only way to describe it! He put his hand on the left side of his chest with an excited expression on his face. Sir Raon is my goal. I want to follow him and participate in the same battle no matter what. I think you told me about this before Derus Robert smiled gently and shook his hand towards Lephon. I believe you shouldnt be idling here if you want to be like the swordsman Raon. Ah You went outside again instead of training, didnt you?! I-Im going to train right away! Lephon nodded at him and hurriedly left the office. Tap. The moment the office door was closed, Derus Roberts eyes-which were smiling as if he were fond of his sonfroze like a cier. Sirith. A dark shadow emerged from the ground upon hearing his call. The shadow wavered like a tidal wave and shaped itself into a handsome young man with impressively long ck hair. Yes, sir? The man called Sirith went on his knees and bowed. Whats the progress on gathering information about Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind squad? We are gathering everything about them without missing a single hair. This incident allowed us to learn that Habun Castle, Owen, and the Warring Steel division are supporting him, which is a great result. What about Balkar? As for the Balkars magicians, the rumors said that they only joined because of Princess Jaynas request. He seems to be rted to Princess Jayna instead of Morell. They didnt seem to be on good terms though Deruss brow furrowed while thinking about Raon and Jayna, who hed seen at Owen. We tried asking the ck Market, but they seemed to be hiding important information about Raon. Its understandable after everything Raon has done for them. Just like I said before, dont unconditionally trust the ck Markets information. Treat it with suspicion. We will. Sirith nodded his head. Zap. Derus took off his ck leather glove. The sticky blood flowing from the back of his hand was connected to the glove like a spider web. He grasped the blood with his hand with a frightening smile on his face. So, he defeated the Specter It cant be true, can it? Rimmer mustve helped him since he must only be at the advanced Master realm, even if I consider his growth. He already reached advanced Master at twenty years old. Hes really an unparalleled genius. Sirith shrugged his shoulders while whistling. Hes not just a genius. Hes a monster beyond humanprehension. However, we shouldnt need to take any action anymore. Derus bobbed his finger while looking at the back of the hand that kept bleeding. Im thinking the same thing. Sirith licked his lips and continued. Raon Zieghart antagonized four out of the Five Demons. Since thest one is also on bad terms with Zieghart, hes pretty much amon target of all Five Demons. Making use of them will be the best course of action. Indeed. Derus faintly nodded, satisfied with Siriths assessment. Which faction do you think we should help? It would be Eden or the White Blood Religion, of course. The ck Tower had begun to act, but their grudge is a lot weaker than the other two. You are, unfortunately, wrong. He closed his eyes, denying his answer. Eden and the White Blood Religion are blindly chasing the restoration and doctrine, respectively. That is why they dont care too much about theirpanions. They mustve already forgotten about their grudge, and they should be preparing a different n. Which means We need to look at the South-North Union. But they arent exactly doing anything while taxing people for money Im not talking about the South-North Union itself, but their vice head of the senator, Siran. Derus mentioned the name of a person from the South-North Union. Do you think he will stay quiet after he lost his only grandson? I dont think so. Tyler was Sirans grandson, and he was torn to death by Raon after he toyed with the lives of the Blue Lughs. Since the South-North Union still had human affection, unlike the other Five Demons, he mustve been preparing revenge for his grandson. Investigate what Siran and the senators are doing and carefully approach them. Understood. Sirith nodded and became a shadow to disappear just like when he appeared. Enjoy it while you can. A dangerous smile appeared on Deruss face as he forcefully squeezed the blood from the scar on his hand. Because you shouldnt have much time left to live. * * * The Light Wind squad and the knights stopped their advance in front of the castens mansion located at the center of Habun Castle. Mind smiled in satisfaction while looking at the knights and the swordsmen. Youve done well. Take a good rest, since Im giving you a weeks break. Whoaa! The knights took off their helmets and cheered upon hearing hismand. Same goes for us! Rimmer finally came back to his senses and raised his hand. Since you went through those difficult times, you can consider this vacation and y around! A-are we really having a break? Raon is going to be mad about this. I know, right? Please stop the vice squad leader. Ahem The Light Wind swordsmen pleaded with Rimmer for help with their gazes, but he cleared his throat and averted his gaze, pretending he didnt notice. Hes a puppet squad leader Hes so useless. Gambling addict with protagonist syndrome. Lla Rimmer started humming, ignoring whatever the Light Wind members were calling him. Lets go, Sir Rector. I have some decent liquor to share. Mind smiled while pointing at his mansion. Ill be in the castens care today. The Sword Demon smiled faintly and nodded. Since they were around the same age, theyd gotten rather friendly during the trip. Hmm He started to follow Mind into his mansion but suddenly stopped and looked at Raon. Can I make a request? Please do. Can you bring him with you and show him around Habun Castle? Hes awkward around people. Mustan was standing next to the Sword Demon, and he pushed him forward. Master! Im drinking with the casten. Theres nothing for you to do by staying with us. Thats There arent many ces in the world brimming with the scent of battle. You should look around to see what kind of battles took ce here and try thinking what you wouldve done to defend. The Sword Demon told him to find what he could learn from them. He mustve figured that it would be a great experience for him. Understood. Raon didnt like Mustan, but he nodded because it wasnt exactly a difficult request, and the Sword Demon had helped him a lot. Let me join! Rimmer followed the Sword Demon and Mind with a broad grin. Are you really leaving us now? You damn gambling addict! Slothful elf! The Light Wind members shouted at Rimmer, but he didnt look back no matter what they said and left even faster. As for today Raon slowly opened his eyes while standing in front of the Light Wind squad. Hed only started his speech, but fear was already welling up in everyones eyes. We will rest. Rest? Really? What happened to you? The Light Wind members widened their eyes because of his unexpected deration. They kept asking back to confirm his intention. You can rest for two days since youve been working hard. Raon was nning to give them a break to begin with because he needed some time to visit Sloth. The scout leader who was smacked by Dorian with a crate is going to guide you to the rooms you will stay in. Raon pointed at Radin, who was eating an apple while covering his head, before he turned around. Im done here. Lets go. He waved his hand at Mustan. Ill finish it quickly since Im sure you dont like this either. Mustan twisted his lips but still followed him. He seemed to dislike the idea but was still doing it because of his masters order. Raon traced his memory back and introduced Mustan to various ces at Habun Castle. Mustan seemed to be reluctantly enduring it at first, but his face turned as dark as a catfish in a brook every time the residents they encountered greeted Raon with great moods. Hes so annoying. The Sword Demon mustve made that request in the hopes that they would get along with each other. However, Raon couldnt imagine them getting on friendly terms, no matter how he thought about it. He half-heartedly showed him around the castle and went on the castle walls in order to quickly finish the tour. This is Habun Castles wall. Pandemonium happens here at the beginning of every year because they have to defend against the attack of thousands of monsters. At your level, you should be able to smell the blood engraved in thisnd. Mustan still didnt speak. He simply furrowed his brow while looking at the snow field that still had some traces of blood on it. This is thest ce. You can do whatever you want now since I finished showing you around. Raon Zieghart. Raon was turning around after he waved his hand, but he heard Mustans voice for the first time. Dont approach my master anymore. His voice was brimming with jealousy. Raon could guess what kind of face he was making even without looking. Haa Raon briefly sighed and turned around. Mustans face was even more distorted than he anticipated as he violently exhaled. My master has changed because of you. He wasnt like that before! I didnt approach Sir Rector. He was the one who came to me. Get it right. Hes been only looking at me even though he was sometimes interested in other peoples swordsmanship. Yet you, how dare you Mustan shouted, saying that the Sword Demon had only been kind towards him so far, and Raon had ruined everything. Remember how he gave you advice about swordsmanship before throwing the leftover fishbones to me! You idiot. It was bullshit. After advising Raon, the Sword Demon exined to Mustan why he gave that advice and what change it brought. Both the quality and quantity of the lesson were iparable. That was why Mustansint didnt make any sense. Raon met Mustans eyes. It felt like the jealousy extending from his tilted gaze was reaching his skin. He can be called amazing in a way. Raon had seen all kinds of people in his previous and current life, but hed never seen anyone who was devoured by envy to such an extent. Just like how Wrath called it the mind of a snake, his pupils almost looked vertical like a reptiles. Lets stop. Raon was getting the overwhelming urge to smack his face, but he simply shook his hand since it was Rectors job to take care of him, and he had to visit Sloth. Dont try to steal another persons master just because your master is an idiot! Raon stopped walking even though he was about to leave. You said you wanted a rematch, didnt you? What? Ill give you a chance. The frightening coldness of his rage glimmered from Raons red eyes and overwhelmed the jealousy. You need a beating. Chapter 420 Chapter 420 Why is he sparring now after he told us to rest?! Martha furrowed her brow while watching Raon and Mustan go down to the snow field. Moreover, why is he fighting someone hes already destroyed? She clicked her tongue, murmuring that it was pointless. That child soul mustve made a mistake. Burren narrowed his eyes while looking at Mustan. Child soul? Didnt you mean old soul? Hes acting like a child despite being older than us. Oh, you are so right. He seems exactly like a whining kid. Martha snickered, saying that it was unsightly how childish he was. Ugh. Runaan was pouting with her arms stretched on the castle walls. She didnt seem interested in the spar at all. Theres no ice cream shop You idiot! This ce is a winter battlefield all year long. Theres no way they would sell any ice cream! Martha is Miss Rakshasa. Her teasing waspletely unrted to the situation, but veins bulged on Marthas forehead. You sleepyhead! Martha, weak. Always copses while crying. Alright, Ill kill you if thats what you want! Martha leaped like a frog and assaulted Runaan. Ooh! The first team leader is fighting against the second team leader! This match also looks interesting! The Light Wind members waved their fists while watching Runaan and Martha push each other. Even though the spar between Raon and Mustan was about to start, they didnt look nervous at all. It was proof of theirplete trust in their vice squad leader. Raon was standing on the snow field with the Light Wind squads unconditional trust. Mustan was rolling his murderous eyes while walking towards him from the opposite side. If unrted people saw this, they would think that Im in the wrong. It was ridiculous how he was ring despite picking a fight. Raon knew about his excessive jealousy, but he didnt expect him to be so unreasonable. I was going to put up with him but he crossed the line. He intended to overlook the aggressive behavior because the Sword Demon had helped him a lot, but he couldnt be patient anymore after he insulted Rimmer. You are right about that. Our squad leader is indeed an idiot. A distant smile appeared on Raons face as he ced his hand on Heavenly Drives scabbard. However, the Light Wind squad is the only one that can say such a thing. Even if he deserves to be criticized, we are the ones doing it. You have no right to say that. An extremely cold atmosphere was emerging from his lighthearted smile. Ill teach you to stop running your mouth since Sir Rector failed to do so. I already told you to stop saying my masters name! Mustan barked and drew his sword. Intense pressure was emerging from the de pointed at Raon. Alright, we dont need any warm-up. Wrath suddenly popped out from the bracelet when Raon twisted his lips and drew Heavenly Drive. Hes slightly dangerous. Wrath briefly licked his lips while ncing over Mustan. Why is he dangerous? The emotion of envy engulfing him has intensified to a dangerous extent. Dangerous extent? Emotions like wrath, sloth, and envy are rted to the primitive power of demons, and the extent of his emotion is about to reach that primitive part. Wrath shook his head, saying that there mustve been something wrong with Mustans head to begin with. It doesnt matter. Raon rolled his lips into a smile while pointing Heavenly Drive at Mustan. Because he will be fixed once he gets beaten up. What? Theres a saying that if something betrays your expectations, it might be because you need another beating. Was there a saying like that? Wrath tilted his head like an idiot, and Mustan took preemptive action. Thud! Mustan kicked the ground violently without even shouting. His footwork was extremely fast. He was under Raons nose in no time and raised his sword. Hes fast. However speed is all hes got. Mustans sword didnt have any power because he was too focused on speed. Raon raised Heavenly Drive towards Mustans sword, which was falling like lightning. He didnt even need to swing it. Just leaving it there with the principles of the heavy sword turned it into an imprable wall. ang! Since Mustans sword didnt have any power, it was blocked by Heavenly Drive and was unable to advance any further. Hmph! He seemed to have expected that his strike would be blocked, as he immediately pulled his sword back and changed the trajectory to swing upwards from below. His blue astral energy quivered from his de and created a huge wave. So this must be the swordsmanship that he learned previously. Judging from the powerful light radiating from his de, it mustve been the Crimson Radiance Sword Art that was one of the Sword Demons advanced sword techniques. The de of light he swung incorporated the principles of the technical sword, powerful sword, swift sword, and severing sword. Thud! Raon stomped the ground with his left foot and murmured the principles of the Fangs of Insanity. He thrust Heavenly Drive with the explosive strength rising from his femoral muscles and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations heat dashing through his mana circuits. ang! Heavenly Drive easily fended off Mustans blow with the heavy strength dwelling in it. Mustans wrist tilted like a sailboat in a turbulent ocean. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Mustan drop his jaw. Hes weaker than expected. No, I mustve gotten stronger. A huge gap that was iparable from before mustve formed because hed reached the highest level of Master and increased his swords proficiency thanks to the Sword Demons advice. I-impossible! Mustan strained his trembling wrist while violently grinding his teeth. He forcefully stopped the trembling and sent a barrage of strikes that were engulfed in thick astral energies. Ill sever his technique this time. Raon unleashed cier while taking a step toward Mustan. He unleashed the frozen aura rising from his fingertip through the wind. ang! The principles of the severing sword inside the Blizzard Sword Art shattered the trajectory of Mustans de and created a huge shockwave. Argh! Mustans eyes widened as he looked at his sword that bounced back, and Raon smacked his abdomen with his left fist. Smaack! With a thundering noise that sounded like a bursting drum, Mustan was sent flying violently and rolled on the ground. He has a fast reaction at least. He managed to create a wall of aura in front of his abdomen to defend himself the moment his fist reached him. He was indeed the Sword Demons disciple, after all. Ack! However, the impact mustve been powerful, because Mustan was grinding his teeth while trying to hide his pain despite his trembling shoulders. H-how? What are you even asking? You are simply too weak. Raon carelessly shook his left fist and walked up to Mustan. Stop exaggerating and stand up. I havent even gotten started yet. Raon pushed thend with his right foot. He advanced elegantly through the Supreme Harmony Steps. The moment the ground was caved in, Raon could see Mustans panicking eyes. Cring! Raon added the principles of the Fangs of Insanity on Heavenly Drives de as it fell violently. The fangs of the savage beast were sharpened even further and revealed their ferocious bloodlust. Kuh! Mustan hurriedly stepped back and thrust his sword. He was still attacking properly despite his panic. However, proper was only in his standard. Raon engulfed the Fangs of Insanity with the principles of the swift sword. The crimson de elerated and violently pushed back Mustans sword. Whaam! Even though it was a sh of powers, the result was far too obvious. Crack! Mustans strike bounced back as if it had hit a wall and fell apart. Heavenly Drives advance was unhindered. Smaack! The moment Heavenly Drive was about to cut through Mustans neck, he turned the de and smacked his shoulder with the side of the de. Whaam! Mustan was sent flying like a rubber ball and got mmed on the ground. A huge crater was created on the ground, and the snow covering thend fluttered into the air. Swoosh! Mustan couldnt return to his senses, and Raon pulled Mustans head as if he were pulling out a radish. Kuh Dont tell me you are already done. Raon threw Mustan away as if he were a pebble, and he stood back up while faltering. O-of course not! Mustan lowered his posture and unleashed his aura to the maximum output. Rumble! The raging wave of astral energy melted the snow on the field, and the current of air was distorted. He has an amazing amount of aura at least. As expected of the disciple of Sword Demon, a tremendous amount of energy could be felt from him. He mustve consumed elixirs like water. But I never told you Id sit here and wait until you finish gathering your power. Raon used the Supreme Harmonys Second Step to instantly pierce into Mustans space. Thats so underhanded! Your head is going to roll if you are nning to shout its underhanded during a real battle. Raon twisted his upper body to evade Mustans strike before smacking his forehead with Heavenly Drives side. Cough! Mustan copsed on the spot like a marite that had lost its string. Red blood was gushing from his mouth, showing how powerful the impact was. Creak. Raon walked up to Mustan on the ground. His steps were making holes in the ground, which looked like skin where the flesh had been ripped off. Once spoken, words cant be retrieved. Raon clenched his fist while looking down at Mustan. Ill beat you up exactly a hundred times as a price for running your mouth. Wh-why a hundred? Its my arbitrary decision. Mustan tried to argue against him, but Raon smacked the center of his face with his fist holding the sword. Smaack! Raon raised his index finger while looking at Mustan, who mmed onto the ground. That was the first hit. Kuah! Mustan was covering his face and his whole body trembled. Y-you already hit me four times though Im pretty bad at math. A frightening light sparked from his eyes as Raon raised his chin. You can count each time you get hit if you dont want to die. * * * * * * Mind looked outside the window while clinking whiskey sses with the Sword Demon. The two boys seem to be fighting. Mind smiled faintly after he took a sip from the whiskey. Haa The Sword Demon quietly sighed while putting down his ss. I did expect this to happen, but it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth now that it actually happened. Its always been a difficult task to raise a disciple. I understand you. Mind nodded, saying that hed gone through various hardships while raising Terian, who was his son and sessor at the same time. Is it supposed to be difficult? Rimmer tilted his head while digging into a whole chicken that was presented as a side dish. But our little Raon did everything on his own. He got stronger on his own and gained achievements on his own. Hahaha! He smiled like an idiot, saying that he thought disciples grew on their own. Th-this guy Minds hand holding the ss was trembling in frustration, but he couldnt deny it. After all, hed also seen how Raon acted and grew up without anyones help in Habun Castle. I dont understand how a punk like him gained such a nice disciple. The world is so unfair, dont you think? Mind looked at the Sword Demon with a frown, but he looked happy, a faint smile on his face for some reason. Sir Rector? Ah, my bad. The Sword Demon slowly nodded. Raon is indeed an amazing boy, but I like my disciple the most. He said that Mustan was just narrow-minded and wasnt exactly a bad person. By the way, I wonder who is going to win the fight. Rimmer danced with his shoulders while eating a yellow apple. Everyone could tell from the wily look in his eyes that he was asking the question despite knowing the answer. Are you really asking that when you already know the answer? You have a bad personality, unlike your disciple. Raon is obviously going to win. The Sword Demon asserted and guzzled down his whiskey. They wouldve been an equal match back at House Arianne, but theres a huge difference between them now. Mustan cant win against Raon in his current state. He briefly sighed and shook his head. Are you nning to leave them alone despite knowing that fact? My disciple needs to experience a proper defeat. Thats true. He needs to learn his lesson now in order to avoid getting inter on. Rimmer nodded while giggling. Does that mean that you trust Raon? Indeed. Considering his personality, I believe he wont leave any aftereffects despite how violent he might be. The Sword Demon said that he obviously trusted Raon because he had a gentle and cheerful personality. My boy isnt that gentle, though? Rimmers chin trembled as he rubbed the area around his eyes that was previously bruised because of Raons beating. He even beats up his own teacher * * * Mustans hands holding his sword were trembling as he bit his lip. Raon was slowly walking towards him, and he looked like a death god from theherworld. Whats going on? Why is it impossible to block his attacks?! While his own strikes were destroyed like pieces of paper, Raons strikes pierced into his astral energy like a sharpened awl. He couldnt understand why there was such a huge difference between them. They were definitely around the same realm. Damn it His body was in tatters because he had already been beaten more than thirty times. He wouldnt even be able to swing his sword anymore if he were damaged any further. I dont understand. Why am I losing even though Ive made sure to memorize his techniques? Hed memorized Raons flows and trajectories while watching his practice alongside his master, yet he was still losing. He was unable toprehend it. You look like you cant understand. Raon raised his sword while walking towards him. Keep feeling with your body if you dont understand. His sword suddenly dropped as he spoke. He was using the intuition sword called the Fangs of Insanity. Mustan had already analyzed its techniques and flow of aura. I can block it. He was nning to fend it off with the severing sword and soft sword because Raons attack was a mixture of speed, power, and heaviness. ng! He shouldve been able to stop or deflect it midway, but Raons technique kept rushing like a boar. Even though the flow and form were the same, the nature of his martial art itself had changed. No way Mustans eyes trembled like butterfly wings under the rain. Did you manage to improve one step further beyond my masters advice? It looked like Raon managed to improve his swordsmanship even further by using his masters advice as a foundation. That was the only way to exin the situation. You finally noticed. Raon casually nodded. Sir Rector told you that the intuition sword can use various principles depending on the situation. Ive only been using the principles that can target your weakness so far. Ah Mustan bit his lip. Raons words vaguely reminded him of his masters advice. You ended up like that because you were only focused on my sword instead of your master. You didnt even listen to your masters advice despite warning me to stop approaching your master. Shut up! He kicked the ground with a violent outburst of his boiling rage. I need to finish him off right now! He mustered all of his aura and unleashed the special technique of the Crimson Radiance Sword Art, Soul Stealing Radiance. Whaam! Soul Stealing Radiance was a stabbing technique that moved at the speed of light. It was an extremely advanced strike with great precision. Spark. Raons eyes sparked as the Soul Stealing Radiance approached him. This one is rather decent. It was the most powerful technique from Mustan so far. If Raon were still an advanced Master, he wouldve had difficulty defending against it. However thats not the case anymore. Raon thrust Heavenly Drive while advancing towards the glimmering blue light of the tip of Mustans sword. Whap! The fire dragons breath burst from his de to engulf the sharp blue light. Crack! The brilliant astral energy of Mustans sword melted down, and his thin de snapped in half like a branch. Ah Its not over yet. Mustan was bewildered, and Raon raised his knee to smack his chin. Smaack! Mustan couldnt regain his bnce and violently fell to the ground. Aaack! He screamed while covering his mouth, and Raon raised his index and middle fingers while looking down at him. So this is the second hit. We have ny-eight more hits to go. Wh-what are you talking about?! Youve already hit me more than thirty timsomeone, someone I clearly told you to count it. You shouldve told me how many times it was every time you got beaten. Raon twirled Heavenly Drive with a frightening smile on his face. Clench your teeth unless you want to eat nothing but soup for the rest of your life. You will still lose your teeth, though. Chapter 421 Chapter 421 Smaack! The snowfield trembled from the sound of the impact of Raons fist, which gave the impression that Raons fist had pierced through Mustans face. Shouldnt we stop him? Burren swallowed nervously while looking at Mustan, who had copsed like a doll with a broken leg. Hes really going to die at this rate. Unlike Raon, who was still brimming with energy, Mustan couldnt even raise his fist anymore. His eyes had lost focus like a rotten fish. He seemed to have lost all of his strength and will to resist. Leave them alone. Its his responsibility. Martha snorted while looking at Raon. But hes the Sword Demons disciple Why are you such a chicken? Hes not going to die from that. Theres no way I wouldnt be worried when hes been beaten sixty times already! Its going to be a huge problem if he dies! Theres no way that weasel is going to lose hisposure. He looks like hes angry, but he must have a proper n. She murmured that nothing bad was going to happen. She seemed topletely trust Raon. Hes not, though. Runaan shook her head while puffing her cheeks up like a frog. What do you mean, he is not? Hes angry. What? Raon. He is really angry. She raised her finger and pointed at Raons eyes. Hmm. Burren and Martha looked at where she was pointing and examined Raons eyes. Huh? I-its true. He does look furious Their shoulders trembled as they realized that Raons eyes were filled with madness, just like when he led the Mad Dog squad. Th-those eyes, they are the same as during the focus enhancement training Huu Im having a shback Why is our vice squad leader so angry? I know, right? Why is he even fighting him to begin with? The Light Wind squad became curious about why they were sparring and looked around. I didnt hear anything either. Even Dorian shook his head since he didnt know why they were fighting. I know the reason. The leader of the third scouting party of Habun Castle, Radin, raised his hand. The Sword Demons disciple apparently told Raon that his master was an idiot. Everyone from the Light Wind squad fell silent. They red at Mustan with their eyes glowing with madness just like Raon. Our squad leader is an idiot? Did he really insult our teacher? That rude bastard Shall we join him and beat him up? The Light Wind swordsmen looked like they were going to join the fight at any moment but suddenly stopped. But Thats actually true, isnt it? It is. Our squad leader is kind of an idiot Hes not just kind of. Hes a real idiot. Its not a big deal, then. Hes right after all. They rxed as they realized Mustan wasnt exactly wrong. Yeah, he is right. So fucking right! Martha bared her teeth while ring at the Light Wind squad. All of us know that he is an idiot, but we are the only ones who can say that! She clenched her fist, saying that she shouldve been the one beating Mustan. I agree. I can understand why Raon got so angry. Burren nodded while looking at Raon. We are the only ones who can insult him. Its outrageous to think that someone else would do the same. However He let out a groan and started biting his nails. Hes really going to die at this rate. Maybe I should stop him now. Let him die, he deserves it! I wouldve cut his head off from the beginning if it were me. Martha licked her lips in regret because she wasnt the one fighting. Its fine. Runaan shook her head while poking her head out from the wall to watch the scene below. Raon isnt mad anymore. She blinked while watching Raon, who was smacking Mustans waist. A-are you sure its fine? Mhm, he will stop before it gets serious now. Raon chuckled while listening to Runaans voice. She always looks nk, but she actually noticed. How surprising. Runaan was right. Hed let himself get engulfed with madness on purpose to beat Mustan up, but his anger subsided when the Light Wind squad got angry in his stead. Hes inplete tatters. Wrath shook his head while looking at Mustans body, which was as limp as a rag. Is that emotion of envy you previously mentioned gone now? Theres no way to tell since hes already fainted! Wrath frowned, saying that pain was the only thing he could see because Mustan was in a state worse than death because of Raon. Your talent is too good to stay on thisnd no matter how you look at it. Wraths serious eyes sparkled as he grabbed Raons shoulders. Lets go to Devildom with the King of Essence. You shall be able to ascend to a new throne of demon king as the monarch of mockery and violence I dont want a salesperson here. Raon pushed Wrath back and looked down on Mustan. It mustve been resolved. This proves once again that violence solves everything. He picked Mustans head up and met his eyes. Did you count how many times I hit you? S-seventy-eight times. But you only counted up to seven times. Th-thats because I couldnt even open my mouth Thats your problem. So we have ny-three more to go, right? Raon clenched his fist with a frightening smile on his face. I-I did count though You didnt, since I couldnt hear it. Raon clenched his fist and smacked Mustans side. Smaack! Along with the huge sound of an exploding ball, Mustan leaned forward like a shrimp and screamed while suffocating. His pain was showing on his face because he couldnt even breathe properly. You are the very definition of a mad dog! You are the only one who can bring a new tide to Devildom! Be quiet. Raon ignored Wrath and trampled upon Mustans head. Just like you cherish your master, other people also cherish their masters. Its still true even if the master in question is a gambling addict, a drunkard, azybones, a money-grubber, and an idiot with protagonist syndrome. Y-you are also tantly insulting him right now Im telling you that Im the only one who can insult my master. Raon smashed Mustans temple with his heel. Kuaah Mustan was unable to endure the pain and hung his head, his eyes rolled back. Whoaaa! Good job! We are the only ones who can insult our squad leader! That fucking gambling addict! A slippery elf that can survive anywhere! The only existence who is a disgrace to the elven race and Zieghart at the same time! The Light Wind squad excitedly waved their hands while insulting Rimmer. That was pretty refreshing, but Raon scratched his cheek while watching Mustan, who was limping like a broken toy. What should I do about this now? * * * * * * Mind put down his ss and looked outside the window. It must be over since they fell quiet. Yes. They mustvee to a conclusion, even though it took longer than I expected. The Sword Demon nodded and poured a drink into Minds ss. Are you sure you arent going to go outside to check? He mustve lost, ording to your guess. I believe we just need to wait here since they should being here. He smiled faintly. He seemed to have noticed that Raons presence was approaching them. Hmm Rimmer narrowed his eyes while eating a small piece of pineapple. About your disciple, I think hes rather severely injured. Its fine. I honestly was hoping that Mustan would experience a thorough defeat. The Sword Demon smoothed down his beard with an unruffled expression on his face. Ever since his childhood, my disciple has been in an environment where everyone had to pamper him. He shouldve finally learned his lesson now since he was defeated twice by Raon, who is weaker than himself. What if the defeat was painful? I just told you that I was hoping he would be thoroughly defeated. No, thats not what I meant. What are you going to do if hes beaten up into a bad shape? Rimmer was trying to ask what he was worried about, but a knocking sound could be heard. Its Raon. Can I enter? You may enter. Mind put down the side dish he was about to eat and responded. Creak. The worn door let out a scream as it opened up, and Raon entered while carrying the unconscious Mustan on his back. I ended up sparring with the swordsman Mustan due to a small argument, and he lost consciousness because I went a bit too hard on him. Im sorry. Raon nced at Mustan on his back before he bowed. Its fine. The Sword Demon smiled faintly and shook his head. Its normal for children to fight as they grow up. Dont worry about it. Hmm, but he fainted from getting beaten up too much Did you cut his limbs? I didnt. In that case, its fine. Hes rather tanky both mentally and physically, and its better to thoroughly beat him up when ites down to it. But I went a bit too far I already told you its fine. Im actually thankful to you for fighting him to the best of your ability. He casually drank his whiskey. He looked like he was really fine with it. You can return, since Ill take care of Mustan myself. You must still have lots of things to do. Understood. Ah, wait. The Sword Demon raised his sword when Raon was about to put Mustan down with a reluctant expression. May I ask why you ended up fighting? He insulted my master. Me? He insulted me? Rimmer pointed at himself with round eyes. What did he say? He called him an idiot. Haa The Sword Demon sighed deeply and stood up. Im sorry. Its my fault for bringing him up so badly. He immediately lowered his head at Rimmer. Idiot, huh Rimmer frowned and put down his dish containing a grilled duck. Calling me an idiotisnt actually wrong. He managed to notice that at a nce, thats amazing! He nonchntly started eating the grilled duck, saying that Mustan was extremely sharp-sighted. Squad leader Raon stared at Rimmer. His face tantly looked like he was looking at something pathetic. Haa, you are nice for saying that, but I still feel bad about it. Im really sorry. The Sword Demons expression remained serious despite Rimmers joke, and he apologized politely. And Raon, you shouldve beaten him up to the point where he couldnt even stand up. Hmm, I beat him a lot though Instead of just making him faint, you shouldve crushed his mouth so he wouldnt be able to run his mouth anymore. I crushed it Ill make sure to educate him so he wont be able to run his mouth anymore after he wakes up. Trust me. He shook his hand, telling him he did a good job and that he could leave. Understood. Raon put Mustan down and bowed at the three men before leaving the room. Haa The Sword Demon sighed and went to Mustan. Hey, pathetic punk. Consider yourself lucky Huh? His jaw dropped upon seeing Mustan, who was lying down like seaweed covering a rock. He got beaten up a lot. Actually, a bit too much. Despite his expectations, Mustan looked as broken as a house abandoned for over ten years. His limbs were still attached, but not a single spot remained intact from his head to his toes. Is it even possible for a human being to be beaten up to this point? Killing him wouldve been easier. He was surprised at how perfectly he was beaten up. The Sword Demon had told Raon to beat him up more, but Mustan really wouldve died or be handicapped if he got beaten up even further. Huh I told you. The Sword Demon averted his gaze in bewilderment, and Rimmer sighed deeply. Raon really is a mad dog. He even beats his master up if he gets angry! * * * Raon left the castens mansion and went to the Branch of Frost. The pub was already noisy inside because the Light Wind squad had arrived before him after watching the spar. I missed this taste. This pub is the best at making stews and set menus. Dorian smiled happily while tasting the meat stew made by the manager. It is indeed delicious. I can understand why you bragged about it so much. Its not just the pizza. The food is just delicious here. I can understand why Yua is so good at cooking. The Light Wind members smiled happily while tasting the various food items prepared on the table. What are you waiting for?! Wrath pointed at the table while sticking his tongue out like a puppy. Sit down already and start eating! You are fully aware that the King of Essence loves the food from this store! He pounded on Raons shoulder, scolding him for trying to look impressive instead of eating the prepared dishes. I didnte here to eat though. You should still eat even if you didnt! Please just eat already! You need to gain some weight because you are too skinny! Im not exactly skinny. You are just too fat. Raon grabbed Wraths jiggly belly as he spoke. Huh? You are here! Yua walked out from the kitchen while Raon was stretching Wraths belly fat like cheese. The way her twin tails fluttered into the air with a bandana on her head reminded him of their first encounter. Benefactor! Even the manager came out upon hearing Yuas voice. He lowered his head while shaking the flour from his hands. Please take a seat. Ive prepared the pineapple pizza and pineapple cookies that you liked during your stay. He told him to wait a moment since hed increased their quality even further and returned to the kitchen. Grandpa said that he made a new recipe of pineapple pizza and pineapple cookie for the young master Raon. Pineapple pizza and pineapple cookie You like them, dont you? Yua smiled, saying that he was getting special treatment. Please sit down and wait, since they will be here soon enough. She pointed at the seat next to Dorian, who was busy drinking his stew. Pineapple pizza? Do you like stuff like that? Martha furrowed her brow while biting her pizza full of meat. It shouldve been expected when he ate those mint chocte ice creams. He has a terrible taste. Pineapple on a pizza? Its as bad as eating apples with peanut butter. Burren also sneered while shaking his head. Their tastes suck. Runaan pouted and defended Raon while everyone elseughed at him. Mint choctes are delicious. Of course, she was defending mint chocte instead of the pineapple pizza. Haa Raon sighed while looking at the cotton candy floating next to him. Ill be known as a strange eater because of you. Its their tongues that have a problem! Pineapple pizza is the best pizza of them all! Its not bad, but I prefer the simple cheese pizza. By the way, dont you think that peanut butter would be nice on an apple like Shitty Eyes mentioned? Please stop He was still thinking about more food despite the situation. The cotton candys appetite was truly limitless. Anyway, sit down already! You cant ignore Pineapple Girl and the managers gratitude! Wrath tapped on Raons back with his round hand. He managed to get a perfect excuse to eat. Haa Raon sighed and sat at the table. Yua brought out arge pizza. Raon could guess he really had prepared in advance from how fast it was ready. Here you go! It should be delicious since Grandpa was confident about it. His mouth watered upon seeing the steamy pizza. The toppings had be even more diverse than before, and he could tell at a nce that it would be delicious. H-hurry up! Put it in your mouth already! Quick! Saliva was gushing from Wraths mouth like a broken dam. Raon shook his head and picked up one pizza slice. The cheese was extending like a rubber band, and he put it in his mouth. The sweetness of the baked pineapple, the saltiness of the pork and beef, and the nutty vor of shrimp created harmony, and his mouth was brimming with delight with every bite. Wow! Wrath eximed and tapped the table with his small fist. The mixture between the countless toppings and baked pineapple is amazing! He smiled happily, saying that he wouldve died already if it werent for that moment of joy. Hes still so bad at describing the taste. The pineapple pizza was far more delicious than before, but Wraths description was still so bad that it almost sounded cruel for the food. Dorian. Raon finished eating the pizza slice hed picked up and called for Dorian, who was eating desserts next to him. Do you have a pillow and a nket by any chance? I do, of course. I want the finest ones instead of ordinary ones. I have all of them, from the lowest quality goods with rough texture to the best ones. They are necessities, after all. Dorian smiled, saying that he even had all kinds of mattresses. Raon couldnt understand what was even considered not a necessity for him. Pick the best ones and put one of each in here. You can take my gold as payment. Raon took out a subspace pocket and showed it to Dorian. Im fine with giving them to you, but why do you suddenly need bedding? You sleep perfectly fine on the ground, vice squad leader. Im not the one who is going to use them. Raon licked his lips while looking at the shape of Stallin Mountain peak, which could barely be seen from afar. They are presents for a certain sleepyhead. He needed presents for Sloth since he was nning to visit him. Hmm? Runaan was crunching on her cookie and briskly raised her head. For me? No, not you Chapter 422 Chapter 422 The next morning, the Light Wind swordsmen entered the training ground at Raons summons. Werent we supposed to rest until tomorrow? Burren was the first one who arrived, and he stood in front of the tform while rotating his stiff shoulders. I know, right?! Why the hell is he calling us in the morning?! Martha frowned without even trying to tame her bedhead. Yaaawn Runaan didnt manage to wake up yet and yawned like a hippo with her eyes closed. Why is he calling us today? Did anyone hear about it? I dont know. Hes just an impulsive guy And why is the squad leader nowhere to be found ever since yesterday? The dark area under the eyes of the Light Wind swordsmen showed how much theyd enjoyed the night before. I-I have a bad feeling about this This cant be right Dorian and Krein swallowed nervously while looking around them. Their sense of danger had them on high alert. Tap! While the Light Wind swordsmen were tilting their heads from the strangeness of the situation, Raon came walking through the indoor training ground. Everyones here. Raon went on the tform with a faint smile on his face. You must be nning to bully them again since you have that evil smile on your face! Of course not. He had zero intention of bullying them. He just wanted their sess from the bottom of his heart, even though it could get slightly violent I told you to rest until tomorrow, didnt I? Raon looked around at the tired expressions of the Light Wind swordsmen with his arms crossed. Yes, you did! Stop disturbing our rest and go away already! Your presence here is scary because you can ask us to do something unreasonable! The Light Wind swordsmen furrowed their brows, telling him to stop disturbing their rest. Are you really going to rest though? Raon took a step towards the tform. Err? Wh-what do you even mean? Are we really going to rest? The Light Wind swordsmen quickly blinked their eyes, unable to understand what hed just said. Im indeed nning to let you rest until tomorrow, but Im asking whether you are really going to rest or not. Raon looked down on the Light Wind swordsmen with a frightening gaze. Are you really going to rest for two whole days when weve simply been traveling here without any battles? You still have a huge amount of sword techniques and footworks to learn, not to mention training to do, yet you are really going to rest? Once again?! The world is teeming with enemies of Zieghart, yet you are going to rest again? Ah Ugh Each time Raon entuated the again part, the Light Wind swordsmen hung their heads with trembling shoulders. Yes, its understandable. You can rest. You can y around to your hearts content! Its also fine if you want to eat, sleep, and everything else. However, Im not sure you will be able to follow my training afterward if you y around so much, because it will be a real hell when that happens. It will be an inescapable living hell. Calling it hell mustve been effective since the Light Wind swordsmen lowered their heads even further until they almost reached the ground. I-Ill do it Ill train! Im doing it, okay? You shouldve just asked us to train instead of pretending to give us rest! That was so mean! Are you ying cat and mouse with us? The Light Wind swordsmen raised their heads defiantly while shouting. Let me ask one more time. Raon ignored the Light Wind squads angry shouts and raised his hand. Who wants to y around today? Naturally, no one raised their hand. Im deeply impressed as the vice squad leader because my squad members are volunteering to practice. Im looking forward to your continued participation. Raon spoke like a soldier and nodded in satisfaction. Does the word volunteer have a different meaning in the human realmpared to Devildom? Wrath tilted his head while picking his ear with his round finger. Damn it! Hes a demon. No, he is a demon king! You wont die an easy death! Where are the demons?! Bring him with you already! The Light Wind members shouted and scattered around the training ground to get ready to practice. The King of Essence is sorry Wrath hung his head like a defeated warrior. The demons are dead and the King of Essence is captured by him * * * Raon supervised the Light Wind squads training until noon before heading to the medical room where Mustan was hospitalized. Mustan hadnt managed to regain consciousness, and the Sword Demon was sitting next to him instead of a healer. Is he doing better? It should take some time until he fully recovers, but his condition isnt too bad. The Sword Demon nodded awkwardly. He licked his lips while looking up at Raon. There wont be any major issue because you stopped right before causing aftereffects or endangering his life. Im relieved to hear that. Did you learn how to beat people up by any chance? The way you screwed him up should be called an art at this point. He even used a vulgar word despite his appearance and gasped in amazement. Im sorry. I mustve gone too hard on him because he insulted my teacher. Ahem, I have no excuse for that. Im sorry about it. Raon med Mustan for insulting Rimmer because it was getting a bit awkward, and the Sword Demon closed his eyes tightly. Ill scold him as soon as he wakes up since its my fault for raising my disciple this way. The Sword Demon lowered his head, saying that he deserved to be med for that. Its fine. Raon shook his head and observed the Sword Demon. Hes a lot different from the rumors. Most rumors stated that the Sword Demon was as cold-hearted as the sharp look in his eyes, but staying with him allowed him to learn that he was a warrior with an excellent personality. Raon couldnt understand why such a great man took a donkey as his disciple. Please feed this to Mustan once he wakes up. Raon ced the medicine hed brought on the table. It was a medicine for healing internal injuries. It should help his recovery since he mustve gotten internal injuries from that. Thank you. The Sword Demon dly epted the medicine. Ill be backter. Raon bowed to him and was about to return but suddenly stopped to look at the Sword Demon once again. And please be more casual towards me. It makes me ufortable when a senior like you is so polite towards me. Raon told him to speak more casually because the Sword Demon had been polite since the first encounter. About that Ill do itter. The Sword Demon shook his head. He looked like he had suddenly grown a few years older. Understood. Raon didnt pry any further because he seemed to have a reason behind it and left the medical room. The Sword Demon quietly sighed while looking at the door where Raon had left. Hes grown up into a fine man. He smiled faintly while holding the wooden box containing the medicine that Raon had brought. I want to see her already. * * * Raon went to Minds office after lunch. His office was as humble as before, but one thing was different. What is that? A fully drunk red-haired elf was fast asleep in a corner on the right, snoring away. He was drinking here and was the only one to copse. Mind sighed while putting down his teacup. Ziegharts Sword of Light was such a cold-hearted man. I dont understand how he turned into such an idiot. He shook his head, saying that there was no limit to how much a man could be ruined. I understand. Whenever I think he cant fall any lower, he just digs a cave underground. Raon clicked his tongue while watching Rimmer, who was talking in his sleep while scratching his stomach. I dont think you came to see that drunkard. What brought you here? Mind pushed the documents on the desk to the side and raised his head. Id like to ask a question. A question? Yes. Did the number of monsters decrease recently? I could barely find any. I also wanted to talk about that. He mmed the table with his palm and nodded. Curiously, the number of monsters visibly decreased after you left. Even the monsters from the waves became twice as small in numberpared to before. Mind smiled brightly, saying that the casualties had drastically decreased thanks to that. You mustve been our lucky charm. He walked up to Raon and grabbed his hands while expressing his gratitude. Huh? Hes my lucky charm! My money. My god of wealth! But where did my money go? Ack! Since Rimmer started to flounder while talking in his sleep, Raon simply kicked him away into a corner. Im d to hear that. Raon smiled while meeting Minds excited gaze. He kept his promise. Raon had asked Sloth to manage the monsters, and he mustve reduced the numbers to a reasonable degree. He must be still around. What a relief. Since there was no way thatzy demon king would keep doing that work after he left, he mustve still been at the peak of Stallin Mountain. Casten, can I visit Stallin Mountain? Stallin Mountain? Why would you? I just want to check it out since its been a while. I also want to confirm the decrease in numbers from the monsters. Ill get the scouts ready. Mind nodded in acknowledgment. No, Id like to go on my own. Id like to travel quickly, and the scouts wont be able to catch up to me. I guess its fine since you are the person who is most ustomed to the mountain among us. He shook his hand, saying that he trusted him. Ill be back soon. Raon lowered his head and went to the door. Ah, wait. Mind pointed at Rimmer, who was snoring in his sleep. Take that with you on the way back. Raon shrugged his shoulders with a sour look on his face. I dont know him Hey! * * * * * * Raon prepared for a light trip and left Habun Castle. Standing on a white snowfield where no one had stepped before made him feel lighthearted. This ce is the best for the snow. Since the snow in that location was the whitest in the world, even the sensation of stepping on it was nice. Lets go. He didnt even need to try to remember and immediately used footwork toward Stallin Mountain, which could be seen from afar. It will be a decent footwork practice. Since Stallin Mountain was rtively far away, Raon figured he would practice footwork on the way instead of simply using it. Raon mixed the Supreme Harmony Steps with various martial arts as he advanced towards Stallin Mountain. Because hed be a lot stronger than before, he managed to reach the entrance of Stallin Mountain before the middle of the night despite having practiced on the way. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking up at the mountain. The number of monsters really has decreased. There were originally countless powerful monsters around Stallin Mountain, but he couldnt feel that many presences anymore. It was exactly as Mind had described. I wonder how he did it. Its obvious. Wrath frowned while looking up at Stallin Mountain. He made them fall asleep. Fall asleep? Sloth spread the energy of sloth to make the monsters fall asleep. He murmured that Sloth was such a crazy sleepyhead because of how he reduced their numbers by making them sleep. He made them sleep? Raon examined the monsters more carefully by activating the Perception of the Snow Flower. Wrath was right. The monsters were sleeping as soundly as a bear. Its true. Spreading the energy of sloth around the mountain to make the monsters fall asleep was such a peculiar yet effective method. Amazing. Raon chuckled and climbed Stallin Mountain. Grrr. Kieeeh! However, a group of ice trolls appeared upon noticing the scent of humans because Sloth hadnt made all of them fall asleep. Grr? Kiee They looked like they were going to attack him at any moment with the clubs in their hands, but they came to a halt upon meeting Raons eyes. Grr Kieeh Even though Raon hadnt spread his pressure nor activated his aura, the ice trolls were terrified just from meeting his eyes and trembled like dogs with their tails between their legs. Is it from their instincts? Their wild instinct mustve warned them because they couldnt move from the spot at all. It was as if theyd turned into statues. I really have gotten stronger. He had to fight with his life on the line against the ice trolls when he first came to Habun Castle, yet they were terrified just from meeting his eyes. The fact that hed gotten stronger was sinking in. Go away, I have no intention of harming you. Raon shook his hand towards the intimidated monsters and kept climbing the mountain. He encountered monsters more powerful than the ice trolls from time to time, but they shut their mouths as soon as they met his eyes, as if a cat had gotten their tongues, and became unable to move. Raon climbed along the valley that was as sharp as an axe, and the sun had already risen. He was about to elerate the pace since he was about to reach the peak, but he noticed a listless fragrance that made the strength leave his body. What is this? It wasnt visible, but faint darkness was rising from all around the peak to form a huge dome-shapedyer. Is this a boundary? Even though it was covering arge area, it didnt look like he could easily break through because of how sturdy the energy was. This is Huhuhu. Raon frowned while looking at the wall, and Wrathughed like a snake. Its finally here. Wrath gave a big nod at the wall that was faintly glowing in ck. Its finally here? Do you know what this is? Its a barrier. Barrier? Indeed. The sleepyhead created this barrier to prevent the entry of other existences. He licked his lips, saying that he hadnt seen Sloths barrier in a long time. Whats the barriers effect? Is it going to make me fall asleep if I approach it? Its not anything like that. You will suddenly feel like you cant be bothered the moment you approach the area and wont want to climb the mountain anymore. That feeling is part of sloth, after all. Wrath murmured that the method worked both for humans and monsters. However, it creates a sturdy wall like this against people like you, who can feel the power of sloth. He stuck his tongue out while knocking on the ck wall that Sloth had created with the back of his hand. A weakling like you wont be able to destroy this wall even if you tried for a hundred years! Congrattions oning all the way here for nothing! Does that mean you knew about this all along? The King of Essence is the Monarch of Wrath. Of course he knew about it! Wrath giggled,ughing at all his efforts having gone to naught. Hes been pretending he didnt know in order to see that confused look on your face! You jerk It feels so good to see you getting angry! What a rare sight! Wrath gestured as if to cut his own neck with his thumb, saying that it was revenge for the two pineapple pizza pieces that hed left behind the previous day. Seriously That demon king only cares about food and ispletely useless. Raon shook his head. Wrath shouldve changed his name to the monarch of childishness, and Raon didnt even want to respond anymore. But it definitely looks sturdy. He tightly bit his lip while looking at Sloths barrier. He hadnt previously noticed it because it was concealed, but he could feel a tremendous power once he observed it. Wrath was right. The power of sloth in the barrier was too powerful, and he didnt feel like he could destroy it with any of his techniques. I still have a long way to go. He had already resolved himself recently, but being satisfied with the highest level of Master wasnt an option. It was necessary to advance even faster. Does that mean we need to wait until Sloth wakes up? You idiot. Sloth doesnt wake up for years once he falls asleep. He will never wake up unless you go next to him and start hitting him. Wrath sneered, saying that anything he tried was going to be pointless. How does it feel to face an unbreakable wall? Are you upset? Thats how the King of Essence feels every day! He broke intoughter, trying to grasp that opportunity. The King of Essence shall personally grant you some stats and a trait if you manage to pass through that wall today! Wrath smiled in satisfaction, saying that there was no way it would happen. It was a happy smile that was only seen while he was eating a pizza. In return, you will have to order five pineapple pizzas and eat them as soon as we return if you fail! Make sure to remember that promise. Im going to break through it by any means necessary. Raon caught his breath and extended his hand towards Sloths barrier. Whir. He was trying to check how hard it was by touching it, but his arm passed through the ck energy as if it were water. Heh? Huh? Raons lips parted, and he tried to shove his left arm into the barrier. Just like the other time, the arm entered without any resistance. It worked. And it was too easy. Huh? Huuh? Huuuuuuh?! Wraths pupils were sshing like a fish that was freshly caught. What is happening now?! Chapter 423 Chapter 423 Raon pulled his arms out and walked into Sloths barrier. It felt like diving into waterhe couldnt feel any resistance at all. Im free to pass. He looked back while smiling, noticing that Wraths jaw had dropped to the ground. Its telling me Wee inside the barrier.. Wh-why is it letting you pass? Wrath knocked on the barrier with his fist. His lips were trembling violently. This cant be happening. How do you call yourself a barrier if you let him pass so easily?! Raon recognized his extreme surprise because he startedining without even using his usual dignified tone. You bastard! What did you do to cheat this time?! Why did the barrier stop functioning? Its obvious. Raon pointed at the ck flower bracelet he was wearing around his wrist. It let me pass because I have the emotion of sloth both inside his bracelet and my soul. He could feel the sloth inside him responding to the barrier a moment ago. Since Sloth had made that barrier, and the sloth inside his ck flower bracelet and his soul were also his power, it was only natural that the barrier wouldnt reject him. Err Wraths plump hands trembled, and he carefully examined the barrier. His eyes gradually narrowed before widening like full moons. That stupid sleepyhead! Why would you make a barrier like this?! Why not? Its a nice barrier. Raon wagged his finger at Wrath, who looked like strawberry cotton candy with his flushed face. It knows perfectly who to refuse and who to ept. Raon tried touching the barrier once again. He couldnt feel any rejection at all. Considering it was Sloth who made the barrier and howzy he was, it implied that he was weing Raon because he liked the goblin kings magic stone that hed previously gifted him. Ugh Wraths face became even more flushed, irritated by that fact. As soon as the King of Essence recovers his body, he will make sure that stupid Sloth wont be able to sleep for the rest of his life! Unforgivable! You can do thatter if you want, but Raon extended his hand towards Wrath. Give me what you promised. Huff! Wrath shut his eyes as soon as he saw the hand. Have you ever heard the saying, Dont make any bet unless you are certain? He hasnt! You are a damn scammer! He was even more frustrated than the other times because he lost a bet that he firmly believed he would win. Well, arent you d you learned it now? Just consider it the price for the lesson and pay it now. P-price for the lesson Give me a proper trait instead of a useless one. Dont worry about that. The King of Essence wont be the one to decide, just like the other times. Wrath murmured that the system was going to pick instead since the bet would be unfair if he did it. Hes such a mystery. He never lied nor tried to deceive despite being a demon king. He was actually nicer than most peopleexcept for the extreme anger that he showed from time to time. Ill be looking forward to it. Raon waved his hand at Wrath, who was stomping his feet in irritation, and started to climb thest part of the mountain. Since there were no monsters nor wild animals inside Sloths barrier, he easily managed to reach the peak. Raon whistled while standing at the peak of Stallin Mountain. So this is Stallin Mountains peak. The peak was nd with a slight incline, and the ground waspletely white. It wasnt snow covering the ground. It was frozen water, like ake in the middle of winter. The transparent frozen ground and the faint sunlight shining down from above were creating a mysterious atmosphere that almost felt surreal. Where is Sloth? There he is. Raonughed bitterly while looking at the center of the frozennd. Hes tantly sleeping. A small furball was lying while hugging a red rock at the center of the icy ground. It was obviously Sloth. That idiot! Wrath smacked Sloth with his round, ham-like fist to vent his anger. Naturally, nothing special happened. The King of Essence was extorted again because of you! You useless sleepyhead! Raon walked up to Sloth while listening to Wraths angry shouts. A baby white bear? Sloth was hugging the goblin kings magic stone with his short arms and legs, and he looked exactly like a baby bear. However, he had two candy-sized horns on his head, unlike ordinary white bears, and had a ck star mark on his chest. Is he really Sloth? Raon could feel the energy of Sloth, but he started to doubt whether it was really him or not because his appearance was drastically different from their previous encounter. Are you still asking after seeing that stupid expression?! Its the sleepyhead himself! Wrath frowned while pointing at Sloth, who was licking his lips in happiness. Raon chuckled and nodded. He does feel like it. Raon examined the face more closely, and Sloths expression from when hed seen it in front of the castle walls ovepped with it. Sloth. He tried calling the name on his round ear, but Sloth didnt react in the slightest. Sloth! Wake up! Raon kept shouting his name, but he remainedpletely immobile, not even budging in his sleep. Isnt he dead? Hes not going to wake up for a while. Wrath finally took his hand off Sloth, exhaling angrily. Why not? There are two types of sleep: light sleep and deep sleep. Living organisms alternate between the two while sleeping, and he is currently in a deep sleep. In that case, we just need to wait until the light sleep period. It wont take that long, will it? An ordinary human or demon would have a 90-minute cycle, but him He looked down on Sloth as if he were a pathetic creature. That cycle is multiple years. Huh? Raons jaw dropped. He said it out loud because he was too surprised. M-multiple years? Indeed. At a nce, it looks like he will be out of that phase by next year. Wrath shook his head, saying that Sloth would never wake up while in that state. You managed to cross the barrier, but it ended up being pointless. He rolled his lips into a smile. He seemed to have found a bright spot in the disastrous situation. Are you serious about that? Try shaking and hitting him if you cant believe it. Shouting will be pointless against him since his ears are closed. But what if he starts to rampage once he wakes up? Theres no way you can wake Sloth up with your shabby skills. His recovery is faster than you can ever do damage to him. Wrath sneered, saying that Sloth only woke up when his life was endangered by an attack. Oh no Wrath pretty much never lied. His confident deration signified that he was telling the truth. Its also going to be an issue if you get extremely lucky and manage to wake Sloth up. Once he wakes up from the deep slumber, he wont be able to recognize you and will trample you before returning to his senses. Is there no other way? Waiting is the only way for now. Who the hell sleeps like this?! The one-year period wasnt even how long he was going to sleep. It was the duration of his deep sleep before transitioning into a light sleep, and that was just ridiculous. Thats why he is the Monarch of Sloth. Sleeping is the only important thing for Sloth. That slowpoke wont even care if other demons take advantage of his name as long as he can sleep. Wrath bbered that lots of low-ranked demons in Devildom took advantage of Sloths name in the past. Haa Raon grabbed Sloths shoulders and tried shaking him. Wake up! However, Sloth wasnt showing the slightest reaction, his happy expression unchanged. Hes still a demon king despite how he looks. Raon couldnt take the magic stone from the baby bear despite mustering all of his strength, which had already transcended human limits. Sloth was a demon king for a good reason. Haa Raon sighed and put Sloth back down. I cant exactly attack him. Wrath had previously mentioned it wouldnt be effective, but it would be madness to start attacking with a sword when he was there to make a request. This is simply impossible, unlike the barrier just now. What about returning and eating some pineapple pizza instead? Pizza A method came to mind upon hearing the words barrier and pizza. Just in case it works He tried to use the sloth, just like when he broke through Sloths barrier a moment ago. Whir! He mustered the energy of sloth from the bottom of his soul, simr to how he used wrath. The emotion of Sloth climbed through his soul, and he felt drowsy all of a sudden. He had this soft sensation that suggested he could fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes and a helpless feeling where he didnt want to do anything. It seemed to be the sloths raw ability. Raon grabbed Sloths shoulder with his hand containing the sloth. Whap! The encounter between the two pieces of the energy of sloth caused a small movement from Sloth. Huh? However, it wasnt the way Raon was hoping for. Heeh Sloths smile deepened, and he slept even more soundly. It was such a blissful smile. Kuheheheheh! Wrath burst out inughter while shaking. Adding sloth to a sloth will make it even more slothful. He snorted, saying that Raon should stop believing that everything would go his way. I dont even know anymore. Raon clenched his back teeth andy down on the transparent icy ground. Im also going to sleep until he wakes up! You idiot, are you nning to wait for an entire yea Just as Wrath was about to sneer once again, a message appeared.
[Youve won the bet against Wrath.]
Raon raised his chin while looking at the message. I can read this while waiting. Damn it! Why are you giving it at this time?! * * * * * * The Sword Demon closed his eyes while putting his hand on Mustans forehead. He is going to wake up soon. Mustan was still unconscious, probably because being one-sidedly beaten up by Raon was a huge shock for him mentally. It doesnt look like there will be any aftereffects. How fortunate. Hed been staying next to him to nurse him for two days straight, and no aftereffects remained thanks to that. Since hed also taken an elixir, he would likely be able to move as soon as he regained consciousness. It really was a perfect beating. Killing him wouldve been easier. Leaving no aftereffects after beating him to a pulp like that could only be described as amazing. He shouldve learned his lesson now. The Sword Demon expected Mustan to have matured because he was thoroughly beaten by Raon, who was far younger than himself. Wake up already. The Sword Demon was rxing Mustans body once again with his aura when he heard a small groan. Hmm It came from Mustan. He opened his eyes as slowly as a turtle. Wh-where am I? Youre in a medical room. Master? Are you alright? The Sword Demon took his hand off Mustans forehead and observed his eyes. Fortunately, he didnt seem to have any mental issues either. I-Im not feeling any intense pain. It hurt to hear Mustans hoarse voice, but there was something he needed to say. Do you remember what you did? Ah Mustans lips parted upon remembering his defeat against Raon. I-Im sorry. I lost again He grasped his head while biting his dry lip. Im really sorry for bringing shame to my masters name Thats not the issue. The Sword Demon shook his head. Do you consider me your master? O-of course I do! Just like Im precious to you, Rimmer must be a precious teacher for Raon. If you cherish your master, others will also cherish their masters. What you said shouldve never been said. Ah Mustans eyes wavered like a sailboat in a turbulent ocean. And the same goes for me. You were a precious disciple to me, but my guidance mustve been wrong. I shouldve focused on your personality before martial arts. It was my mistake. M-master Since your body has significantly recovered, and youve also regained consciousness, you should apologize to Raon and Rimmer first after you get out of your bed. Ill apany you as your master. The Sword Demon patted Mustans shoulder before he stood up. This is a medicine for internal injury that Raon left behind. Take it after a meal since you havent fully recovered from your internal injuries yet. He ced Raons wooden box at the head of the bed. You should be grateful for Raons consideration. You really couldve died this time. Mustan quietly bit his lip while looking at the Sword Demon. Rest well. The Sword Demon left the medical room after telling him to take care of his health. Haa He sighed while leaning back against the wall in front of the room. Im sorry, but I had to do this. Mustan mustve been hoping for him to be worried about him without mentioning Raon, but doing that was bound to make him repeat the same situation. It was necessary to do that in order to make sure his disciple would learn his lesson. Raising a disciple is such a difficult task. He wouldve preferred to fight an archenemy because of how difficult it felt to raise a disciple. He even started to feel admiration towards Rimmer and Sylvia Zieghart, whod managed to raise Raon into such an excellent man. The Sword Demon pressed his hand on his forehead while leaving the medical area. Im so tired. He felt slightly dizzy, either because hed been using aura to tend to Mustans injuries for two days straight or because he had to scold his disciple. I need some rest. He went to his room after looking back at Mustans medical room. * * * After the Sword Demon had left, Mustan stared at the ceiling nkly for over an hour. People brought food and medicine into the room, but he kept grinding his teeth without even looking at them. Raon, its always Raon. Did I really have to hear his name as soon as I woke up, and from my master of all people? The very first thing hed heard from the Sword Demon was Are you alright?, but hed already forgotten about that and only remembered the scolding he gave and the mention of Raons name. Creak. Mustan ground his teeth to the point that they made a screeching sound simr to steel. Just why Why are you telling me such a thing?! He couldnt understand why his master was admonishing and criticizing him. Worrying about a disciple who fainted from getting beaten up shouldvee first. It waspletely iprehensible. He changed because of that bastard. In the past, his master only cared about him, regardless of other people. Because his master, who used to cherish his disciple the most, was now caring about Raon instead, his fist clenched before he knew it. Are you that fond of Raon Zieghart? The emotion of envy that had been hiding because of the fear and violence from Raon was reviving. It was burning powerfully into an even bigger fire than before. Im the chosen one here! He managed to be the Sword Demons disciple because he was acknowledged as the second most talented person in the alliance. The thought that his master wasnt looking at him anymore made him feel like he was suffocating to death. Damn it! Mustan raised himself up. His body ached all over, but the pain was bearable. He changed his clothes and went outside through the window. There werent many people in the street because it was still early in the morning. He went on the castle wall with faltering steps. The white snow field he could see seemed to contrast with his heart, which was smeared in darkness. Kuh! He gritted his teeth and jumped down on the snow field. The scouts and knights were calling him from behind, but he walked through the field without paying any attention. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it! He was so jealous. He was extremely jealous of Raon Zieghart. How he was famous throughout the continent, how he was given the titles Young Sword Demon and White Sword Dragon, and how his master was interested in him from the bottom of his heart. All those aspects were giving him an unbearable sense of jealousy. Mustan violently kicked the ground, unable to suppress the boiling jealousy anymore. Power was welling up in his legs, which were as weak as a twig, and his empty lungs were brimming with breath. As the green fire ignited in his heart increased in size, power surged in his body. He was brimming with energy just like before the fight against Raoneven more than that. Rumble! The emotions and power surging from his body became uncontroble. He focused on running because he felt like his body would explode if he didnt do anything about it. He ran so much that he even lost track of time. Habun Castle had almost disappeared from sight, yet it still wasnt enough for his frustration to subside. Damn it! He was jealous of Raon Zieghart. His name, reputation, might, and the attention of his master. Mustan wanted to take everything he had. Im jealous of you, Raon Zieghart. Mustan spoke the word jealousy for the first time. Ill take away everything you have by any means necessary! Im never going to give up! The moment he shouted, the energies that were welling all the way up to his neck went out of control. Wham! A tremendous amount of uncontroble power started to emanate from him. Huh? However, that wasnt his own power. Whats going on? A green de appeared in front of his eyes and pried the space open. Creak! Inside a dimension where green and ck lights were creating harmony, a presence that shouldnt have existed in the world burst out. The wild presence that even his master didnt have was a great wave of soul that hed only witnessed from the alliances leader. Rumble! Mustan trembled, and his steps came to a halt when a pair of dark green eyes shed from the mutted space. I like your Envy. Chapter 424 Chapter 424 Mustan swallowed nervously while looking at the now dark green distorted space. What is this? Hed never seen that type of dimensional gate before. He could feel evil energy that wasnt magic or sorcery. It felt simr to the demonic energy used by the ck Towers demonic members. No, thats not the problem right now. The unknown being dwelling inside the dimensional rift was emanating a tremendous amount of presence. Even though he couldnt feel any energy at all, the presence alone was breathtaking. She can kill someone like me with a fingernail He was unable to move, a mouse facing a cat. He was frozen stiff because he didnt know what he should be doing after the voice came from the other dimension for the first time. Not many people voice their envy with such honesty nowadays. Wh-who are you? Mustan covered his neck with his hand and forced himself to speak. The polite tone of his voice was probably the result of his survival instinct. You called me. The diamond-shaped pupils floating from the other dimension sparked with a light green color. What do you mean? I never called You said it yourself. Im jealous, Ill take away everything you have by any means necessary. Im never going to give up. Did you already forget about it? Hupp Mustan covered his mouth. Did she actually hear that? He didnt expect anyone to hear that, since hed only shouted because he felt like his heart was about to burst. His face and neck were getting hotter because of embarrassment. Theres no reason to be ashamed. Theughing voice came from the dimension. Envy is an indispensable emotion that even the wise sage, the emperor of the world, and the strongest warrior in the world possess. Theres even a saying that humans raise a snake in their mind no matter who they are. A snake Unlike the hypocrites who live under a mask, you honestly revealed your feelings. That already makes you way better than such two-faced trash. Ah Even though the voice sounded like a woman far younger than himself, his heart was deeply moved. She said Im better than them. No one had acknowledged him since the encounter with Raon. Everyone kept shouting Raons name, and even his master wasnt looking at him. He was overwhelmed by emotions, and his hair stood on end because someone acknowledged him after such a long time. Emotions only hold meaning once they are revealed. You are already one step ahead of the others. The energy inside his body started to slowly subside even though its rampage used to be at the brink of explosion. He felt like he was watching a clear, cloudless sky after a violent storm came to an end. D-does that mean that you can grant me the power? Of course. Im here for that purpose. Everything that your target of envy has right now will belong to you. Red lips curved into a faint smile from within the dimension. Mustan had an ominous feeling that he couldnt understand, despite how beautiful her smile was. However, he couldnt back off when she would give him power. Is it really possible for his fame, talent, and even peoples recognition to be mine? Its not a difficult task. The woman immediately responded as if it wasnt even worthy of consideration. Its impossible. However Hearing her voice gave him the impression that he could achieve anything. Who the hell is she? He remembered that she didnt respond to his first question. It mustve been because he was too surprised. Wh-who are you? Mustan asked for the identity of the woman inside the dimension once again. Im the fifth demon king of Devildom, the Monarch of Envy. My name is Envy. A white hand extended from the dimensional rift. The pure white color looked like it had never been exposed to sunlight. If you grab my hand, Ill grant you everything that your target of envy currently has. Ah Mustans chin trembled while looking at Envys hand. Shes a demon king?! No, she has to be a demon king for this to make any sense. He could finally understand why her presence was so great. The overwhelming presence without any energy was only possible for those whod transcended the limits of their species. Is this an opportunity? Or He remembered the rumor that the demon kings, or rather the demons in general, take away the human souls after granting their wishes. Wh-what shall I give you in return? Do you want my soul? You will join my side. What do you mean by joining your side? You will be one of my kin. Does that mean Ill be your subordinate? Indeed. Envy told him what she wanted honestly. Bing a subordinate is a pretty good deal, isn''t it? Because I dont feel alive with the way it is right now. Because his master was only interested in Raon and kept taking his side, Mustan felt like he was drying up to death. It was an eptable condition since his soul wasnt being taken away. Hmm Mustan was about to extend his arm towards Envys hand but stopped himself. Looking at the snow covering the ground reminded him of his masters face with his white hair neatly swept back. Should I ask my master at least? He wanted to visit Rector once again and ask him about his own worth and Raons. Envys presence mustve returned him to his senses. C-can you give me some time? Id like to visit a certain person beforehand Its already toote. When he was about to refuse, Envys hand suddenly came out and grasped his hand. The contract was begun the moment you summoned me, the seal was nearly done. Demonic energy flowed into him from the back of his hand right after that. It was so powerful that it was difficult for him to breathe. Rumble! The dark green demonic energy drove away the aura in no time and dominated his mana circuits, seeping into the bottom of his soul. Creak! Mustan screamed upon feeling an intense pain on his cheeks. It felt like his soul was being seared with a hot iron. Kuaaah! Just endure it a little. A little bit more and your wishes Huh? Envy came outside the dimension and was about to finish the contract, but briskly turned her head towards Stallin Mountains peak. Sloth. Her red lips trembled faintly and rolled into a smile. Were you there all along? * * * * * * Raon raised his head and looked at the messages that appeared.
[All stats have increased by 12.]
[Youve gained an additional 6 points from the consecutive victory.]
He could feel the exhration as the muscles and mana circuits all over his body throbbed from the 18-point increase in all stats. He was so excited that he felt like all his exhaustion was gone. What a nice reward. The system was giving him high rewards ording to the bets quality, just like Wrath had said. Wait, this is way too much! Wraths jaw dropped while looking at the message. The King of Essence only asked for five pineapple pizzas in return, so why is he getting 18 whole points?! He barked, calling it a scam. Youve entrusted it to the system, and it took care of it in an extremely fair manner. Whats your problem? Its not fair at all! Once the King of Essence returns, the first thing hes going to do is to destroy that thing and make a new one. Do it if you want. Raon shrugged his shoulders and checked the message that appeared after the one about the stats.
[The trait Magic Armor of the Snow Flower has been created.]
The trait had the Snow Flower in the name once again. He really loved flowers despite being a demon king. What is this one? I-is it really giving you magic armor? It must be insane! Wrath was dancing furiously, and Raon could tell that it was a nice trait.
Magic Armor of Snow Flower Utilize ciers coldness to harden the body in and out.
Raon could immediately understand because it was a simple description. The Magic Armor of the Snow Flower was a defensive trait that could reduce internal and external injuries. Not bad. He felt like he could use it without much difficulty since it was activated by controlling frost and wrath. Thank you for your patronage once again, dear dumb customer. Raon visibly nodded at Wrath to make fun of him. A divine punishment shall fall upon you! A demon wants me to get divine punishment? Im sure heaven will listen to you. Ugh, its true. The King of Essence Huh? Wrath violently ground his teeth, but then he suddenly looked under the mountain. Why is that loser there? Did it really happen? He shouted with wide eyes. What? Whats up with you? He tried to see what Wrath was looking at, but Sloths breathing was the only thing that could be heard. Escape seems to be impossible. Wrath frowned and jumped on Raons shoulder. Stand up and get ready. She will be here soon! You should tell me at least what ising! Raon was about to look at Wrath in order to ask him who wasing, but he suddenly felt a huge presence from above. It felt like heaven itself had descended. This is Raon raised his head with a trembling chin. A tall, young girl was floating in the sky. Her appearance didnt match the scenery at all. Once Raon met her eyes, he felt like the container of his soul was getting shattered into pieces. Dont tell me Such a huge impact on the soul had only happened twice so far. It was when hed encountered Wrath and Sloth. She mustve been a monarch of Devildom, just like those two. Raon carefully examined the girl with trembling eyes. Despite her young appearance, her body was as thin and long as a flower stalk. She had a dreamlike and mysterious atmosphere around her, probably because of the golden essories she was wearing around her wrists and ankles. He could feel a torrent of powerful emotion as her dark green eyes slid down towards him. It was the emotion of envy that was directed to the entire world instead of a specific individual. His heart felt like it was bursting from witnessing such a deep rift of emotion. Is that Envy? The only person who came to his mind after seeing the emotion in her eyes was Envy, the Monarch of Envy. Indeed. Wrath furrowed his brow deeply. That stupid jealous idiot mustve caused another problem. Raon looked at Envy once again upon hearing that. Mustan was floating behind her, and he looked like his soul had left him. Are you saying that he summoned her? The King of Essence said this before, but he was about to cross the boundary. His emotions shouldve subsided after you beat him up, but something mustve happened after he woke up. Damn it Raon felt like he shouldve beaten him up even more thoroughly, but it was toote. He needed to find a way to escape for the time being. Whir! Envy slowly descended, and Sloths barrier surged to block her path. Sloth really created a barrier. I thought it was my mistake. Envy seemed to have noticed Sloths barrier just like Wrath did, and she extended her hand without panicking. Spark! Dark green energy emerged like a snake from her hand, and Sloths dark barrier was distorted diagonally. Hah? She lightlynded on the peak and tilted her head upon seeing Raon, who was standing next to Sloth. Why is a mere human here? Her eyes skimmed over Raons body like a snakes tongue. I cant feel any envy from this trash. But I think Ive seen him before somewhere Envy narrowed her eyes and pped her hands. Ah! A sweet smile appeared on her face as she nodded. It was you, the target of this guys jealousy. Envy licked her lips while pointing at Mustan behind her. I was just nning to fulfill his desire and call it quits, but you are so unlucky to encounter me here. Kuh Raon bit his lips and lowered his posture. Murderous intent? The atmosphere around Envy had drastically changed. The mischievous smile of a teenage girl was distorted like a demon on a battlefield. She hadnt even released any pressure. The mere change in her emotion was causing an intense headache for Raon. I need to withstand it no matter what. He rolled his eyes while controlling the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Sloth was still sound asleep despite the situation. Why is he not waking up? This should be dangerous enough! Even Envy is unable to kill Sloth in a single strike. Its still not dangerous enough for him. Wrath shook his head, telling him to stop trying toprehend Sloth. Consider it your bad luck. Envys silvery voice resounded as she shook her hand. Even though she looked like she was simply chasing away a fly, Raon could feel the tremendous wave of power from it. Whir! It felt like the sky was crushing his body. He was filled with fear that he would turn into a handful of blood and disappear from the world. But this sensation Ive experienced it before. It reminded him of when the Sword Demon attacked him with the versatile sword. Raon elerated the Ring of Fire to the extreme. The rotation of the seven rings was unprecedentedly clean and guided him into a world of extreme focus. You idiot. Unleash your wrath if you want to defend against it! Wrath shouted at him to unleash his wrath, saying that it was impossible with his current level to safely fend off that attack. Wrath could apparently cancel it out since it was also an emotion of the demon king. No. Raon bit his lip until it started to bleed. I shouldnt use it now. He had to save the trump card in order to survive. It wasnt time to show his wrath and sloth yet. Kuh He believed in his might that had gotten stronger, and he unsheathed Heavenly Drive while stomping the ground. Its toote to parry or deflect. Since he hadnt expected her to immediately attack, he didnt have enough time despite being in an extremely focused state. Defending against it was the only solution he had. He grasped Heavenly Drives hilt with both of his hands and swung it upwards from below. Whaam! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivations most defensive technique, Firewall, dashed through his de and unleashed its crimson me. A fire of protection instead of destruction rampaged around to forge a majestic shield of fire. Whir! Raon didnt stop after unleashing Firewall. He incorporated the principles of heavy sword and severing sword into the fireshield that emerged. He was solely focusing on defense while giving up on flow and softness. Whaam! The entirety of Stallin Mountain trembled from the sh between Envys dark green energy and Firewalls me. The heat spreading in all directions seems capable enough to melt down all of the snow from the mountain. Ack! Even though he was mustering all of his aura from his energy center, he felt like his shoulders were being crushed. It was ridiculous how powerful it was even though she was simply crushing him with sheer power without any technique whatsoever. You idiot! Use the wrath already! I cant do it yet! This isnt a crisis yet. He strained his legs, which were about to give up, and unleashed all of the remaining heat of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. He endured the pain that felt like his mana circuits were burning up and pushed the dark green energy back. Whaam! The icy ground of Stallin Mountains peak was destroyed like a spider web, and Envys energy faded away, unable to surpass Firewalls heat. Hah? Envy eximed and tilted her head. She furrowed her brow in irritation. Did you actually block that? A mind-blowing amount of energy gathered in her hands, iparable to before. Are you really nning to defend against that without using it? Do you want to die in vain so badly? Wrath flew up to Raons face with trembling lips. Sloth is Envys target right now. Even if Sloth wakes up, he isnt going to save you. He will start to rampage, and you will be the first one to be trampled! So what? Theres only one way for you to survive this situation. Let the King of Essence take over your body! He dragged his lips into a smile. It was difficult to tell whether he wasughing or smiling. Envy is different from Sloth, who doesnt like to think. You wont be able to survive this by talking your way out! Wrath urged him to give his body away already because she couldnt be convinced, unlike Sloth. But you will also lose control once you enter my body. Its going to be a battle between the three demon kings afterward. Whats going to happen to Habun Castle? They should be able to defend for an extremely brief period of time since that geezer is there, but lots of people are going to die. He said that the sh would end up having a tremendous impact, and they shouldnt be able to defend against it. But the King of Essence will try to regain his sanity as fast as possible because his subordinates are there right now. One more thing. Raon swallowed nervously and asked his question. You mentioned before that Habun Castle was protected by a natural barrier made from human and monster blood. Is that also going to be destroyed? Of course. Even the lizards are probably going to appear, and it will be a huge mess. Wrath shook his head, saying that it was the only solution in the given situation. I cant let that happen. Raon shook his head. He couldnt allow such an oue in order to save people in Habun Castle. You idiot! Envy is an unsightly loser, but shes not an idiot! Your smooth talking wont work against her! Give up your body already! Wrath grabbed Raon by his cor and started to shake him because there was no time to waste. Smooth talking Ah! The way hed managed to convince Sloth in the past, and the information about Envy that Wrath had told him, twisted with each other. Raon came up with the only way to survive in that situation. You made me act twice when you are just trash without any envy. When Envy was about to shake her hand a second time for the attack, Raon took a step towards her instead. Youd better stop. What did you just say, you vermin? He finally granted me his permission. Raon unleashed the wrath that he hadnt used even when his life was in danger. Whir! The wrath engulfed his soul as the crystallization of extreme malice bared its sharp fangs towards Envy. Wr-wrath? Why do you have wrath? Envy, the Monarch of Envy. Im an embodiment that serves the great Monarch of Wrath. Envys hands came to a halt upon hearing that. You idiot! Thats not going to work! Im not going to stop now. Raon swallowed the blood that flowed all the way up to his throat and gazed at her with serious eyes. Embodiment of wrath? Why is a servant of Wrath inside Sloths domain? Because thisnd belongs to the great Wrath. You must be insane to say that when Sloth is right next to you! He is also affiliated to our great Wrath. What do you mean? Whaaat? Envy and Wrath widened their eyes at the same time. The Monarch of Sloth, Sloth has already be the great Wraths subordinate. Raons eyes sparkled in crimson, melting down the envy. You scammer! What are you trying to pull off this time?! Chapter 425 Chapter 425 Raon bit the inner side of his cheek as his heart pounded so violently that it felt like it would explode. The tension was slightly relieved thanks to the pain. I need to stay calm. The smallest mistake will ruin everything. He was facing the Monarch of Envy who ruled over Devildom. His head was going to roll before he could even pass his body to Wrath if he spoke or acted in the wrong way. Even the slightest mistake couldnt be allowed. You bastard! What are you even thinking right now?! Raon nced at Wrath who was grinding his teeth. Envy, the Monarch of Envy There wasnt that much information about Envy from Wraths tales. But all of them had important information. Envy had a rough handling of her subordinates, was an unsightly thug-like loser, and had a simr personality to Mustan. Even though there were only three pieces of information, they were still useful enough. Since shes an unsightly thug-like loser, shes going to yield on her own ord if our side is stronger. Since the emotion of envy inside Mustan had subsided after he was thoroughly beaten up, Envy should be the same. Making her believe that Wrath and Sloth were on the same side shouldve allowed him to take the upper hand in the situation. I wouldnt have needed to gamble like this if he would just wake up Raon rolled his eyes towards Sloth. The white baby bear was even drooling in his sleep. I guess its already toote even if he wakes up now. Since hed already dered that Sloth was Wraths subordinate, it would be a problem if he woke up. He just had to focus on perfectly deceiving Envy. Human. Envy narrowed her eyes. She red with those snake eyes, and it felt like his soul was getting torn into pieces by her overwhelming gaze. Say it again. What did you just say? I said that Sloth, the Monarch of Sloth, became the great Wraths subordinate. Raon casually repeated what he said a moment ago. He felt like he was about to throw up from the nausea, but he forcibly suppressed it and endured. Whaaat?! Wrath barked and jumped at him. Why is that sleepyhead in the King of Essences faction before he knew it?! He wouldnt take it even if it was free! This is the only way for now. Since hed threatened Sloth with Wrath disturbing his sleep, he had to threaten Envy with the difference in power. Sloth became Wraths subordinate, you said? Envy sneered and raised her chin. Are you expecting me to believe that? What can you do if you dont? What else? Ill tear your limbs off and feed them to my new servant. She pointed at Mustan, who was standing behind her nkly. All of your talents and reputations will be his. Are you telling me that you would attack me despite knowing the fact that I am the vessel of wrath who serves the great Wrath? Raon stopped his fingertips from trembling by using his aura and stared at Envy. You serve what? You are tantly looking down on him even as you speak! Wrath leaped like a frog and shoved his face onto him. You bastard! How dare you say such a thing? Heaven is watching over yoack! Raon pped Wrath away with his elbow, pretending he was shaking his hand. Im a loyal servant of the great Wrath and the vessel where his soul will dwell eventually. You will regret it if you attack me. Th-thats not true! The King of Essence is the servant here! Please save him! Wrath frantically waved his hand towards Envy, but it was obviously invisible to her. Regret? Envy rolled her red lips into a long smile. You shouldve been wiser if you wanted to deceive me. You were too hasty to call yourself the vessel of Wrath with the small amount of wrath you have. She raised her hand, showing that she didnt even need any further consideration. She was being as impulsive as her young appearance and tone. Raons heart tightened from the powerful demonic energy gathering in her hands. Thats right! Wrath strongly pped his hands. Shes definitely different from that stupid sleepyhead! Attack him right now and allow the King of Essences manifestation! He quickly nodded with an expression of delight on his face. Haa Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive and exhaled quietly while drawing the de of Requiem. Shes reacting as expected. Hed purposefully unleashed a small amount of wrath in order to raise suspicion to Envy before destroying it. He was only using 20 points of wrath at the moment. The loser was bound to suspect him with such a low number. You picked the wrong target for your deception. The demonic energy emerging from Envys hand was fired like a ray of light. Raon felt like his skin was getting torn apart and his bones were melting from the crude power of that dark green energy. Whaam! Raon crossed his swords and increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and ciers outputs to the maximum. sh! The moment Envys energy of envy was right in front of him, Raon strained his legs to the point where they started digging into the ground and extended Heavenly Drive downwards and the de of Requiem upwards. Whir! The explosive heat of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and coldness of cier gathered around the tips of his hands, and a majestic radiance was born. The opposing red and blue energies created a pure wave of power. Heavenly Drives reddened de created a wave of raging fire, and a white shadow emerged from the blue tip of the de of Requiem. It was the wless Sea of Fire and the White Shadow sh. The techniques that deserved to be called matchless confronted Envys demonic energy. Zap! Powerful sparks covered the sky from the sh between tremendous powers, and the entirety of Stallin Mountain trembled as if it were about to copse. Kuh This is seriously no joke. Envy had gotten only slightly serious, yet the pressure was on a whole different level from before. Raon felt like a moment of carelessness would blow up more than half of his body. Rumble! Both the wless Sea of Fire and the White Shadow sh couldnt advance to their trajectories and were struggling with the demonic energy in front of them. It was the result of sheer difference in power. Huu Raon held his breath and examined Envys expression through the demonic energy. Her face was a sneer. She seemed to be certain that he was lying. Now is the time! Destroying her confidence was bound to ruin her mind. It was the perfect time to confuse Envy. Whir! Raon bit his lip and mustered all of the wrath from the bottom of his soul. The energy of wrath, which had far surpassed 100 points, exploded at once and added a new me to the two des. Wham! The de of Requiem and Heavenly Drive couldnt previously advance through the imprable wall, but they easily shredded Envys demonic energy once they were wrapped in the sharp blue light. sh! He could see Envys face behind the dark green demonic energy severed like a dry leaf. Her sneering lips were frozen stiff, her eyes wide. Raon calmly looked down on Envy, but he was screaming in his mind. Damn it It hurts so damn much. It was good that it went ording to his n, but unleashing the heat and coldness at once, not to mention utilizing the wrath at the same time, was painful for his soul on top of his body. Th-that wrath belongs to Wrath Envys raised hand was trembling in disbelief. Do you finally believe me? Raon furrowed his brow and lowered Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. Why didnt you show the wrath before if you had this much? Envy bit her lip with a confused look in her eyes. I told you, Im the servant of the great Wrath. I didnt use it simply because I didnt have his permission. Then, when you said that he gave you permission earlier Yes. The great Wrath allowed me to use the wrath. Raon nodded while suppressing hisughter. It worked perfectly. He was relieved that she remembered the bait line. Thebination of that line and the situation was making Envys eyes waver with ake of confusion. Envy, the Monarch of Envy. The Monarch of Wrath is currently watching you. Raon red at Envy with an enraged voice. Yes, hes watching you. Hes indeed watching, but! The King of Essence never gave anything like permission! Wrath screamed while pounding on Raons chest with his plump fists. Theres nothing he can do! Hes so frustrated he could die! Hes saying that he is going to manifest the moment you do anything funny and shred you to pieces. Raon took a nce at Wrath and confidently shouted something that hed never said. This is also going to work. Wrath had mentioned that he was more powerful than Envy. Considering the fact that he never lied, it mustve been true that he was more powerful than her. Ugh, he is just a useless glutton who loves strange food Envy ground her teeth while calling him a useless glutton. Since she wasnt attacking, what Wrath had said was indeed true. U-useless glutton? You dirty snake, how dare you! Wrath raised himself in a fit as soon as he was called a useless glutton. Apparently, he was already called a useless glutton in Devildom. I need to shake her even further right now. Raon unleashed the energy of sloth while spitting the blood flowing up in his throat because of his internal injury. Whaap! The dark current emerged like smoke and spread all around his body, seeping into his torn skin and muscles. It was the sloths regeneration ability, which allowed him to quickly heal the external and internal injuries. Th-that is! Envys eyes widened to the point where they couldn''t get any bigger. They looked like they would pop out if he touched them. Why does the vessel of wrath even have Sloths energy? This is proof that Sloth became the great Wraths subordinate. He received the energy of sloth in order to manage him. Raon shook Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem off and lowered his gaze. It was more than 70% done. It was time for the finishing touch. Why the hell did the sleepyhead enter the King of Essences faction before he knew it?! You are seriously a fiend! Wrath screamed and mmed the ground with his round fist. Oh, my demon god! Allow this one to kill him and go to heaven afterward! Please grant him a body! What? But Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Wrath, who was rampaging around. But theres no reason for you to do it yourself Ah, understood. He frowned and bowed towards the thin air. What are you doing now, you madman? Wraths chin was trembling anxiously as he watched. Haa Raon took a step towards Envy and furrowed his brow. The great Wrath is going to speak now. You should be honored. As soon as he said that to Envy, the two demon kings had a fit at the same time. What arrogance You fucking freak! * * * * * * Raon closed his eyes before opening them again, ignoring the murderous intent of the two demon kings, and opened the Evil Eye of Wrath. The fire of wrath was raging on his red pupils. How dare youe to this ce when you are nothing but a dirty snake crawling in Devildom? Because Raon kept hearing from Wrath every single day, it was a trivial task for him to copy his tone. Wrath Envy stepped back with trembling shoulders. Raon called her a dirty snake just like Wrath had done, and she seemed to believe that it was really Wrath who was talking. You dared to intrude into the King of Essences domain. You have a lot of gall. Wh-what have you even done? Why did that sleepyhead be your subordinate?! He just realized the greatness of the King of Essence. What else can it be? Ugh Raon acted arrogantly like Wrath always did, and Envy ground her teeth in irritation. Th-thats not true! Wrath went to Envy and frantically shook his hands. Dont trust him! Hes lying right now! Hes a deceptive, evil fiend! Because Envy was getting deceived, Wrath started to panic and hurriedly shouted without even using his dignified speech. You dirty bat, how dare you use the King of Essences information once again?! Yes, this is all thanks to you. Thank you. It was worth listening to all the rambling from Wrath even though he wasnt too focused on it. He was truly the best partner since he gave all the information and even served as a target for imitation. Arrgh! Envy. Raon ignored the angry shouts from Wrath and raised his fingers. Youve made two mistakes. Mistakes? The first mistake is that you intruded into the King of Essences domain. The second mistake is the fact that you attacked the body that would be his vessel two whole times. Raon unleashed the wrath. The energy of wrath burst from his shoulders and crushed the entirety of Stallin Mountain. It was weak enough to be extinguished in an instant if Envy seriously unleashed her energy of envy, but she was unable to act because of Wraths presence. Dont be deceived! The King of Essence wont mind at all even if you kill him! He can even do a tap dance every time he loses his limbs! Please start moving! Wrath shouted that Raon was just bluffing, but Envys face kept turning yellow in fear. Since this is Sloths bed, it shall be more than enough as your grave. Come. I-I Dont worry, the King of Essence will deal with you himself. Sloth will only be blocking your retreat. Raon rolled his lips into a smile and bobbed his finger. He said it because he thought Wrath wouldnt want to fight a two-on-one battle, and it seemed to have worked. Envys expression had no speck of suspicion anymore. Stop holding back and just kill him! Hes just a scarecrow that you can easily kill with a single flick of your finger! Please attack him already! Wrath was unable to suppress his anger anymore and went on an outburst. The violent wrath entered through his mana circuits. He wouldve normally blocked it with cier or the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, but he let it spread on purpose. Whaaam! The wrath that hed originally hadbined with Wraths outburst into a single me and created a huge wave of energy that even Envy broke out in cold sweats. I-I didnt know that you were together! Its true! Envy frantically shook her head as if shed reverted to the age of her appearance. Im leaving now! Ill go and wont tell anyone about it! Please let me go! Raon simply stared at her without responding. I-I swear. I wont say anything about your alliance, the fact that Sloth is here, or about your vessel! She put her hands together, saying that she would never say anything she saw to others. Instead of that, it seems a lot easier to just kill a dirty loser snake. Raon sneered and dropped his swords. A frightening sound resounded as the two swords were lodged into the ground. The King of Essence will allow you the first attack. This is your only chance since the manifestation takes some time. Try it. Raon furrowed his brow after telling her to attack. Wrath, my lord! It will be problematicter if you manifest now But even then Haa, alright. Ill make the preparations so youll be able to use it right away. However, Im also going to wake Sloth up, since theres no reason for you to overwork yourself. Raon concentrated the energy of wrath in his right hand and encircled it with coldness to finish the preparations for the Silver White Aurora. He put his left hand on Sloth and unleashed the energy of sloth. The Silver White Aurora Envy swallowed nervously while looking at his right hand, which was controlling the Silver White Aurora, and his left arm, which was reaching towards Sloth. I-Im sorry! Ill nevere back here ever again! Please forgive me this time! Envy lowered her head while shaking her hands. Her trembling eyes looked like she was about to cry. Its perfect so far. Once he showed that his side was far stronger than hers with two demon kings, she immediately yielded without even thinking about fighting back. She was indeed an unsightly loser, just like Wrath had described. You moron! How could you be fooled by his acting? Give up on being a demon king already! You are disqualified! Wrath shouted at Envy that she was disqualified as a demon king, but Raon was the only one who could hear him. Raon sneered without revealing his thoughts. The King of Essence doesnt even want to deal with you with that unsightly behavior. Ah! Envys green eyes sparked with hope as she raised her head. I pledge in my name as a demon king that Ill keep the promise. Just let me go and She spoke quickly in order to grasp the opportunity. A pledge requires proof. P-proof? The King of Essence said that you made a mistake. And what made him the angriest was the fact that you attacked this body. Ah Give your authority to the King of Essences vessel. Huh? Raon removed his wrath and frantically shook his head as soon as he said that. Lord Wrath! I dont need such a thing! Its far better to simply kill Envy right now! Please reconsider! Again! Hes doing it again! That damned Method Acting! Wrath jolted like a dolphin. You bastard! Dont you fear divine punishment? Even heaven doesnt care about demons. My heart is about to burst from this frustration and misery! The King of Essence The King of Essence! He screamed while pounding his chest and fell backward with his eyes rolled back. Grr Is this deja vu? I saw him doing this before. Chapter 426

Chapter 426

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Envy¡¯s face wrinkled like old tree bark, and she was unable to respond right away. She rolled her eyes for a while before her trembling lips parted. ¡°D-do you want me to give envy''s authority? To your vessel?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon unleashed his wrath once again and started to act with Wrath¡¯s intonation and expression. He also had to manage his energy on top of expression, but he had gotten used to it already. ¡°Just like writing a contract, a pledge requires proof. The King of Essence will ept your pledge once you give your authority to his vessel.¡± Raon nodded while adding dignity to his wrathful voice. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Envy quietly groaned. It was difficult to tell whether it was because her pride was hurt or because she didn¡¯t want to give her authority. ¡°I already said it when I first got here, but your vessel has no envy at all despite being a human. It will be pointless even if I give him my authority.¡± She shook her head after skimming through Raon¡¯s body from top to bottom once again. Sh-she¡¯s right! Wrath suddenly opened his eyes while wiping the drool flowing from his mouth. His hopelessly trembling pupils showed that he hadn¡¯t returned to normal yet. You don¡¯t get jealous like a loser at least! It will be meaningless to gain some unsightly envy! You should just stop now! He shook his hand with a desperate expression on his face. He seemed to be trying to stop him no matter what. ¡®No, there¡¯s a meaning. Because sloth also created an ability.¡¯ Sloth wasn¡¯t in his dictionary in either of his lives, but the authority of sloth gave him an ability that allowed him to get stronger just from sleeping. He¡¯d never been jealous of anyone in his life, but gaining the authority of envy was most likely going to create an ability befitting his personality. ¡®And it¡¯s all thanks to the cotton candy over there.¡¯ It must¡¯ve been because he¡¯d gotten used to the demon king¡¯s authority after gaining wrath and living with him. Raon nodded at him as an expression of gratitude. Stop that ominous nod and refuse her already! ¡®I¡¯m just thanking you. What¡¯s your problem?¡¯ Wrath shouted, but Raon ignored him and stared at Envy in front of him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he has envy or not. As the King of Essence has said, the authority of envy is just a proof of your submission.¡± Raon rolled his lips into a deep smile. He even raised his chin to tantly sneer at her. N-no! He¡¯s already so damn annoying. He will be unstoppable once he gains the authority of three demon kings! Wrath¡¯s round hands trembled helplessly. Don¡¯t give it to him no matter what! Envy! Snap out of it! You are a demon king! Where¡¯s your pride?! He shouted at her to please stop and run away, but Envy was unable to move except for her slightly trembling eyebrows. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no other choice if you decline.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue while observing Envy¡¯s contemtion. He unleashed wrath and sloth at the same time with serious eyes. Whap! The coldness of wrath in his right hand created a silver-white radiance while the current of sloth extending from his left hand reached Sloth, who trembled as if he were about to wake up. ¡®Huff¡­¡¯ Raon was feeling a pain that felt like his entire body was being eaten away by ants from controlling the two demon kings¡¯ authorities in his severely injured state. ¡®But I can¡¯t stop now.¡¯ He bit the tip of his tongue to reduce the pain. He couldn¡¯t return without gaining anything at that point. He had to obtain that loser¡¯s authority no matter what. ¡°Sloth, it¡¯s time for you to wake up. Pull out the poisonous fangs and tear the head from the dirty snake that rebelled against the King of Essence and disturbed your sleep.¡± ¡°Uhah!¡± Raon twisted his lips while copying Wrath¡¯s intonation, and Envy stepped back with her shoulders trembling in terror. ¡°I-I get it! I¡¯ll give it! I¡¯m giving it to you! So please stop ring at me like that!¡± Envy bit her lip and nodded. Her green eyes lost their intensity and were smeared with irritation, envy, and humiliation. ¡°I just need to put it into that vessel, right?¡± ¡°Indeed. Don¡¯t try anything funny. The King of Essence will immediately manifest and Sloth will wake up.¡± Raon casually threatened the Monarch of Envy. His voice wasn¡¯t even trembling in the slightest. He was so nervous that he felt like his intestines were turning into ashes, but he managed to endure thanks to theRing of Fire. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to y a trick in a situation like this.¡± Envy furrowed her brow while baring her white teeth. How are you not stupid enough?! You are obviously an idiot! Wrath flew towards Envy and started headbutting her. You stupid and dirty snake! How can you be so useless?! Just run away already! He bit Envy¡¯s head and smacked her abdomen, but obviously, nothing happened. ¡°You should be honored. This is my first time giving away envy to someone outside of my control.¡± Envy ground her teeth and raised her hand. A powerful blue light fluctuated from her hand. Even though it wasn¡¯t coated in murderous intent anymore, it was still painful. It was as if it was piercing straight into his lungs. Whap! The dark green energy slithered through the air like a snake and bit his wrist. The energy of envy prated his mana circuits alongside a tingling pain. Raon was ready to stop her as soon as she did anything strange, but envy kept advancing through his mana circuits toward the bottom of his soul, just like when Wrath gave him wrath. Zap! Envy dyed the edge of Raon¡¯s soul into a dark green color, and the flow was suddenly cut off and left his body once she figured she had given him enough of her authority. Considering the fact that it was the same sensation as with Sloth, Raon could guess that she wasn¡¯t ying any dirty tricks.
[A portion of Envy¡¯s ability is being absorbed into your body and soul. The ability will be activated after a period of adjustment.]
Along with the message, the envy¡¯s shape changed into a small snake biting its own tail, and it turned into a strange bracelet with a light green flower blooming from the back. ¡°I made it to suit your taste. You still like that stinky trash despite your temper.¡± Envy frowned while looking at the ice flower bracelet and the ck flower bracelet that Raon was wearing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon suppressed his tears while looking at the three flower bracelets around his wrist. ¡®Another flower bracelet!¡¯ He wanted to ask her to make it a different shape than a flower bracelet, but it was bound to bring suspicion on him the moment he voiced it out because it was Wrath¡¯s preference. Keeping quiet was the only option he had. ¡®Anyway, I don¡¯t think I need to ask how much she gave me anymore.¡¯ He figured the amount of energy he¡¯d received was enough, because getting too much was bound to be uncontroble. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Envy sighed briefly and lowered her hand. ¡°That should be enough, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s slightly insufficient.¡± Raon shook his head on purpose even though the amount of envy was enough. ¡°I can¡¯t give any more! You should be well aware that it¡¯s not so easy to get the demon king¡¯s authority!¡± ¡°Are you arguing against the King of Essence?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Envy was still a demon despite being a demon king. She hung her head and surrendered because the bnce of power had been lost. Argh! It¡¯s all over! Wrath screamed while tearing his cotton candy out. The envy is from that loser, but the rewarded stats will being from the King of Essence! He mmed the ground in frustration against the system. Is this the famous all responsibility, no pleasure? ¡®The famous line is all pleasure, no responsibility.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept crying and looked down on Envy. ¡°This is enough as a proof of your pledge.¡¯¡± ¡°Can I leave now? I¡¯ve done everything you wanted.¡± Envy slightly raised her heel. It looked like she wanted to leave as fast as possible. ¡°No, my vessel is saying that he wants something from you.¡± Raon licked his lips without removing the wrath. What are you nning to do now?! Wrath¡¯s lips anxiously trembled. ¡®If you are caught by a tiger, you should extort everything, including its skin.¡¯ Raon raised his hand at Envy with a serious look in his eyes. ¡°The King of Essence¡¯s vessel is saying that he wants your technique to handle the envy.¡± Envy widened her eyes in bewilderment. ¡°T-technique? Are you asking me to teach him how to use envy?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded confidently. ¡°He¡¯s saying that he wants to learn how to handle envy in order to be more useful to me. He¡¯s such an excellent subordinate.¡± Unlike Sloth, there was no guarantee that he could see Envy ever again. He had to learn how to control the envy because he wouldn¡¯t even be able to use half of it otherwise. ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be anythingplicated. Just give him something that he can use until the King of Essence manifests in the vessel.¡± Isn¡¯t this enough?! Wrath crawled up to him and held onto his ankle. Please stop taking advantage of the King of Essence¡¯s name! His life is ruined as a huma¡ª ¡®You are a demon.¡¯ His life is ruined as a demon! He sniffled, saying that the name of the Monarch of Wrath became worthless. ¡°Haa.¡± Envy sighed deeply while looking at the gray sky. ¡°Today is so fucked.¡± ¡°You should be d that you didn¡¯t get wrathed instead.¡± Raon corrected her with a cold smile on his face. ¡°Your head is going to roll if you try to deceive him with some shabby trick.¡± ¡°I know. I already know that I can¡¯t deceive you when ites to something like this!¡± Envy realized that she had already crossed the path of no return and nodded while murmuring that she had no other choice. ¡°Listen carefully, since I¡¯m only telling you once.¡± She started speaking anguage that Raon had never heard before. The pronunciation was so strange that he didn¡¯t even feel like he could repeat it. You idiot! Wrath briskly raised his head from the ground. That¡¯s thenguage of Devildom! You won¡¯t be able to achieve anything with it! He sneered, saying that he was never going to trante it for him. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯ve never heard thisnguage before. However¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes and nodded. ¡®I can understand it?¡¯ He could understand everything that Envy was saying even though she was speaking anguage from Devildom, probably because he¡¯d been with Wrath. Huh? R-really? ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s not that hard. She¡¯s currently talking about the breathing technique to wrap the body with envy.¡¯ Aah¡­ ¡®You gave me the stats, summoned a demon king for me, and even allowed me to learn thenguage without doing anything. You really are the best.¡¯ Raon smiled at Wrath, whose jaw had dropped. ¡®Is this the long-awaited return of the giving Wrath?¡¯ H-how is this happening?! This is such a headache! Wrath rubbed his temple, saying that he wanted to faint again. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Envy closed her eyes after exining the technique in Devildom¡¯snguage. ¡°You aren¡¯t about to ask me to exin it again, are you?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Raon snorted and shook his head. ¡°The King of Essence has already understood how it functions.¡± ¡°¡­Did you really understand right away?¡± ¡°The envy technique you just exined is a bluffing ability that draws out a bigger pressure than what you possess. It¡¯s understandable, as envy originallyes from obsession with rank. It¡¯s a loser¡¯s technique, just like you.¡± Raon immediately understood envy¡¯s ability through theRing of Fireand sneered at her. ¡®Still, it¡¯s not a bad ability.¡¯ He figured he would be able to reach different paths by applying Envy¡¯s technique, which was a huge profit. Damn it¡­ Wrath bit his lip tightly. Why does this crazy bastard have both talent and luck? What is heaven doing? He prayed to the demon god and the heavenly god at the same time. ¡°You are being an asshole even though I gave you what you wanted.¡± Envy frowned in irritation. ¡°It¡¯s done now. You can leave now that your pledge has been heard.¡± Raon shook his hand as if he were chasing away a fly. ¡°I knew that you cherished your subordinates, but that vessel seems especially special to you.¡± ¡°Special? Not really.¡± Raon shook his finger while tilting his chin. ¡°The King of Essence cherishes all of his subordinates equally. He doesn¡¯t treat any of them like trash, unlike you.¡± ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s easy to talk.¡± Envy snorted and turned around. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now. I¡¯ll keep my pledge, but I¡¯ll never forget what happened here.¡± She red ferociously with an arrogant look in her eyes, just like when they first met, probably because she thought she managed to survive. ¡®She is amazing in a way.¡¯ He could onlyugh at how she was trying to boast as soon as she managed to survive after she¡¯d surrendered to the power. The demon kings of Devildom seemed to be out of their minds without exception. ¡°I¡¯m leaving¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Envy stepped back and was about to leave with Mustan, but Raon shook his hand. ¡°Leave that here.¡± ¡°What? But this is my ve!¡± ¡°Your ve was targeting the King of Essence¡¯s vessel. He won¡¯t be a big deal, but he still can¡¯t be overlooked. Leave it here.¡± Since Mustan could be dangerous if he followed Envy, it was necessary to kill him while he was at it. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Envy bit her lip and lowered her hand. Mustan was floating into the air but fell to the ground. His eyes were open, but he seemed unconscious, as he wasn¡¯t making any sounds or moving. ¡°Today is such a bad day, this is so shitty!¡± She snapped her fingers. The space was fissured diagonally, and a green dimension opened up with violent wind storming from inside. ¡°You dickheads!¡± Envy gave Raon the middle finger before disappearing with the dark green dimension. ¡°¡­¡± Raon slowly rolled his eyes to look at Wrath without removing his wrath. ¡®Is she gone?¡¯ She is gone, she ispletely gone, you son of a bitch! Wrath charged at him and grabbed him by his cor. Do you have mayonnaise for brains? How many lies did you just sprout? ¡®I don¡¯t even know.¡¯ He felt dizzy and couldn¡¯t return to his senses, probably because the tension finally left. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and sat on the ground. ¡®I¡¯m going to faint if I waste any more strength.¡¯ He felt like he could copse at any moment because he was using theRing of Fireat the maximum output, the demon king¡¯s energy, and wracking his brain when his body was already ruined. ¡®I barely managed to survive.¡¯ It was really close. He was d that he was in Sloth¡¯s nest and Envy was there with her main body. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon turned around and looked at Sloth. He was still snoring in his sleep while hugging the goblin king¡¯s magic stone. ¡°He¡¯s the Monarch of Sloth for a good reason.¡± He was still not waking up, as if he was trying to prove that he didn¡¯t earn the title of Monarch of Sloth through hopscotch. ¡°I¡¯m curious about what he is even thinking.¡± The King of Essence wants to open your skull to see what¡¯s inside your head, instead of the sleepyhead! How can you be such a snake every single time?! ¡®It just happened because it was an emergency.¡¯ Raon chuckled. ¡®Of course, it was all thanks to you.¡¯ His n had only seeded because he¡¯d listened to Wrath¡¯s stories and he had encountered Mustan in advance. The area would¡¯ve be a battlefield between the three demon kings if he¡¯d made the slightest mistake. ¡®Anyway, I¡¯m happy to be alive.¡¯ Raon sighed and stood up. His legs were shaking, but he walked up to Mustan while suppressing it. ¡®Why has he been in this state all along?¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he fell unconscious with his eyes open, because he wasn¡¯t dead nor severely injured. It¡¯s because the contract didn¡¯t finish. ¡®The contract?¡¯ That stupid Envy came to Sloth before finishing the contract, and the master-servant contract wasn¡¯t sealed. Wrath shook his head at how pathetic she was. ¡®Then what¡¯s going to happen to him?¡¯ He¡¯s going to stay stiff like that until he dies. No one will be able to fix him! He twisted his lips, saying that it was a befitting end for a loser. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon nodded while looking at Mustan. ¡®It might be better that way.¡¯ Since he even managed to call upon the Monarch of Envy because of his extreme jealousy, it was probably better for him to disappear like that. ¡®I feel bad for Sir Rector though.¡¯ Raon grabbed Mustan¡¯s wrist. He was nning to bring him to a corner and get rid of him, but he couldn¡¯t move his hand anymore. It was as if it was glued to him. ¡®Why is this happening¡­?¡¯ Raon tried to take his hand off in surprise, but the dark green energy of envy that got stuck in his soul burst out right away. Whap! As soon as the energy reached Mustan¡¯s wrist, a message appeared in front of his eyes.
[The master-servant contract has been sealed. Would you like to absorb the envy from your servant?]
Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the message. ¡°A master-servant contract?¡± It implied that Mustan had just be his servant. He even forgot to speak in his mind and ended up voicing it aloud. ¡®Moreover, I can absorb his envy?¡¯ Since the message was saying that he could absorb Mustan¡¯s envy, it must¡¯ve been possible to take his envy and turn it into his power. The King of Essence is just going to¡­ Wrath smiled while looking at the message. Kill himself! He cried while smacking his head with his round fist. This can¡¯t even be called a life! Death would be better than watching this happen for the rest of his life! He must¡¯ve been serious about it because he kept mming his head on the ground while foaming at the mouth. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while watching him. He was feeling dizzy because Wrath was being too noisy when his body was already in a bad condition. ¡®Stop it. I¡¯m going to eat the pineapple pizza after we return.¡¯ ¡­¡­ Wrath¡¯s fist suddenly stopped upon hearing that. How many? Can we add some cookies? ¡®¡­¡­It really worked¡­¡¯ Chapter 427 Chapter 427 Raon briefly closed his eyes before opening them again, then he took his hands off Mustans body. He was still immobile, probably because he wasnt ordered to wake up. What are you doing? Wrath tilted his head. Didnt this loser make you angry? This is the perfect chance to vent your anger. He punched into the air, saying that he couldnt say anything even if he was beaten up. I can do that at any moment. This is different from back then. You can order him around however you want to since he is your ve now. I dont really like stuff like that. Raon shook his head while feeling the bitterness in his mouth. I cant turn him into a ve even though he is trash. He was killed as a dog after the hunt was over in his previous life. He was abducted when he was a child and lived his entire life as a hunting dog on a leash, only to go straight into a boiling pot in the end. Since he had no intention of bing like Derus Robert on his way to his revenge, he wasnt going to treat Mustan as a ve even though he was a servant. You are rather annoying when ites to things like this. However Wrath faintly smiled while looking at Raon. Thats not too bad. People might call you foolish, but the King of Essence would say that it''s humane behavior. He murmured that Raon was sometimes like a fiend but also humane asionally. Does that mean that you are also going to share the envy he has with him? Ill take that out. But Ill go down from the mountain first because it would be annoying if he woke up here. The mountain peak was almost destroyed, and there was even a sleeping bear. Since he would need to exin a lot if Mustan woke up in that ce, waking him up after descending from the mountain was the correct course of action. Raon turned around from Mustan and looked at Sloth. Hes not waking up until the very end. Even though the floor was destroyed because of Envys energy, Sloth was still somehow maintaining his bnce and was fast asleep. He even looked morefortable. The King of Essence told you already. Hes never going to wake up. Wrath shook his head, saying that at least Sloth wouldnt do as Raon pleased. Its fine. I just need to create a way to manipte sloth by myself. He was certain that he could create an ability to control sloth by dismantling the technique hed learned from Envy and reassembling it. It should work if I make it specialized in recovery. Recovery was the best way to utilize sloths innate ability no matter how he thought about it. He could possibly obtain as much regeneration as low-tier healing magic if he was sessful. Raon smiled faintly and took out his subspace pocket. He pulled out the highest-quality bedding that Dorian had given him from deep inside the pocket. Are you really giving a gift to the sleepyhead even though he didnt do anything for you? He allowed me to take advantage of his name. Thats more than enough. But the King of Essence did the same! Wrath raised his voice while pointing his finger at Sloth. Thats why I told you that I was going to eat the pineapple pizza. Raon picked Sloth up to set up the mattress and a pillow beforeying him back down. Since he was a white baby bear, picking him up wasnt an issue. Good night, you saved me. He was about to stand up after covering him with the nket, but a powerful energy leisurely emerged from around Sloths horn. Sloth? Moreover Its the energy I gave him. Raon had shoved the energy of sloth into him to wake him up, and it was returning to him multiple times bigger. Whir! Raon extended his hand towards the energy of Sloth that was gathering like water drops, and it was naturally absorbed into his body and got stuck in his soul.
[30 points of the emotion of sloth have been created.]
Hed only shoved 10 points into Sloth, yet 30 points had returned. It was way too profitable to be a business. Moreover He managed to understand Sloths breathing technique from the flow of sloth he had exhaled a moment ago. Creating a new trait would be a piece of cake if he used that flow of sloth. Is this why people should do good deeds? Raon nodded in satisfaction while looking at the message. You stupid doormat! Wrath murmured that he was the worst doormat, since he was being a doormat even in his sleep. This isnt right no matter how he thinks about it! The King of Essence also needs some rewards! Pizza should be enough. Two pizzas arent enough! You need to eat at least three of them, including the desserts, to make it equal! Be honest. Raon lowered his eyebrows while looking at Wrath. About what? You have gluttony as a sideline on top of wrath, dont you? What are you talking about?! * * * * * * After giving the gift to Sloth, Raon carried Mustan on his shoulder and went down from Stallin Mountain. I should get started now. He briefly caught his breath and put his hand on Mustans shoulder. The emotion of envy that hadnt perfectly settled yet naturally surged from his soul, and Mustans nk eyes sparkled with a light green color.
[Will you absorb the envy?]
The message hed seen at the peak of Stallin Mountain appeared once again. Whats going to happen to Mustan if I absorb all of his envy? What else? He wont have any envy anymore. Wrath immediately responded, probably because he was going to eat the pineapple pizzas soon enough. A human soul normally contains many sinful emotions. He is just a case where envy was especially developed among them, and it will simply be gone. Dont worry about him, since hes not going to die or lose his sanity. Does that mean I can also give or take the sinful emotions from other people? Thats not the case. This is only possible because that loser became your servant. Wrath shook his head, telling him to stop being greedy. I see. Raon nodded and decided to absorb the envy. And he was going to absorb all of it. Whir! Along with a sense of freedom that felt like the soul deep inside his body appeared on the outside, he could feel the huge energy of envy that Mustan had been gathering enter through his grasp. This amount is no joke. He was expecting it to be an extraordinary amount because hed even managed to summon Envy, but it was even worse than hed anticipated. His breathing became rough, and his head felt dizzy just from absorbing the energy. But I still shouldn''t absorb it as it is. He used the Ring of Fire to melt down the impurities inside the energy of envy and only absorbed the pure emotion into his soul. Pssh! The energy of envy he absorbed from Mustan seeped into the authority of envy that wasnt awakened yet and turned arger area into green. Haa Raon sighed and checked the messages that appeared.
[The emotion of envy has been created.]
[Youve absorbed 50 points of emotion of envy.]
It was 50 points in one go. It wasnt an overstatement to call it an absurd amount, considering that the authority of envy wasnt awakened yet. This exins why Envy suddenly appeared. Mustan was the most talented person in the continent in a way, since he managed to umte 50 points of envy on his own. Im curious what Ill be able to do with this. Raon smiled and took his hand off of Mustan, and the green light brimming from his eyes subsided. Huh? Mustan regained consciousness and gasped while checking his own hands and feet. Why am I here? He tilted his head. He didnt even seem to know why he was in that location. Y-you! Mustans eyes widened upon finding Raon. However, the malice that always used to cover his eyes was nowhere to be found. Raon! Did you Huh? Huuh? He seemed to have realized something was wrong as he blinked his nk eyes multiple times. His emotions drastically changed every time his eyes could be seen. Why did you? No, why did I? His head trembled like a fool, probably because the envy that disappeared from him was the biggest emotion he had. Aah His face turned as red as a ripened apple upon remembering what hed done. M-my bad! I mean, Im sorry! Mustan immediately lowered his head and went on his knees. I apologize for picking a fight and insulting your master! He apologized for what hed done without the slightest hesitation. I knew I was wrong, but I couldnt stop myself because my heart felt like it was burning from the boiling emotions. Huh Raon gasped while watching Mustan, whose head was reaching the ground. Why is he doing this? I didnt even say anything yet. Its simple. Simple? That loser mustve been justifying himself with the emotion of envy, even though he was well aware that his words and actions were problematic. Wrath bobbed his finger while sneering at him. He could ignore the spike of his conscience poking at him from the bottom of his heart with his envy as armor, but that armor disappeared without even leaving a trace. Thats why all he has left now is the spike of conscience. Wrath murmured that it was obvious he would end up that way since his envy that used to protect his mind was gone. I-Im also going to beg for forgiveness of the Sword of Light once I return! Mustan raised his head. His clear eyes didnt have a single speck of cloudiness in them. Raon started wondering if it was even allowed for a human being to change that much. I wont need to kill him at this rate. He was nning to cut his neck and get rid of the corpse as soon as it became problematic, but he didnt want to kill him anymore because he was begging for forgiveness. By the way, why am I here? Mustan stood up and looked around. He seemed surprised because he woke up at a location hed never seen before. Dont you remember anything at all? Indeed, I dont remember anything! Mustan went down on one knee and lowered his head like a knight serving his lord. Huh? He swallowed nervously because he couldnt understand why he was doing that even though he did it on his own ord. Stop acting like that and answer more casually. Yes, Sir! Understoohuh? Eeeh Mustan rolled his eyes while creaking like a broken doll. Whats wrong with him? The King of Essence said before that Envy handles his subordinates roughly. The master-servant contract you had with that loser is a one-sided contract that makes you pretty much unapproachable. Wrath frowned, saying that Mustan would have to stay that way for the rest of his life. Speak more casually. Yes! Ca-casually? What does casual mean? Mustan straightened his back and quickly nodded. Anyone could tell that he wasnt being casual at all. Haa. Raon shook his head. It looked like he wouldnt be able to fix his behavior in a short period of time. Lets return for now. Yes! Raon shook his hand at Mustan and went ahead towards Habun Castle. Mustan followed from behind while bending his knees and leaning forward like a goblin. Please act casually. Yes! C-casually But this is casual He started creaking once again like a broken doll. Raon suddenly thought that Envy was such a nasty demon king as he watched him. Do as you wish. Raon shook his hand to tell him he didnt care anymore and went forward. Yes! Mustan walked without changing his posture. He mustve really been feeling at ease while leaning forward. Raon could see the Light Wind squad and Habun Castles scouts running towards him after walking for about four hours. There were many other people moving around, and Raon could guess that they hade out to look for Mustan. Fortunately, it looks like no one noticed it. There was a barrier at the mountain peak, it was far away from the castle, and Envy didnt show her true power. That mustve been why none of them noticed her presence. Whoosh! A violent wind blew right before he reached the Light Wind squad, and the Sword Demon appeared in an instant. He frowned while looking at Mustan, who was awkwardly standing there. Mustan! What do you think you are doing?! The Sword Demon shouted at Mustan for the first time. Where did you even go? Do you realize how much trouble everyone went through because of you? Err Mustans neck trembled as he watched Raon instead of the Sword Demon. Huh? The Sword Demons lips parted as he noticed that Mustans eyes had changed. Wh-what? Why is he reduced to that state? Wow, he mustve beaten him up even harder than thest time. Hes thoroughly dispirited. Burren, Martha, and Runaan blinked their eyes while looking at Mustan, who seemed terrified. How much did he even beat him up? Hespletely in tatters. Did he beat him up as soon as he saw him? Im surprised hes still alive after so many beatings. The other swordsmen and scouts also shook their heads while examining Mustans appearance. It was understandable because the bandages covering his body were untied to reveal the bloody bruises, he was bleeding from his forehead because hed fallen from the sky head first, and there were even traces of bloody foam on his mouth. He looked exactly like he was beaten to death to other people. Mustan, say something. What happened to you? Hmm Mustan didnt respond even though the Sword Demon asked him. Haa. Raon sighed and turned his head around. Sir Rector is asking you a question. You have to respond. I-Im sorry! Master! It was my mistake. I have no excuse for disappointing you all along! It was only after Raon told him to do so that Mustan went on his knees and begged for forgiveness. The snowfield fell silent. Everyone narrowed their eyes while looking at Raon instead of Mustan. Their expressions were asking him how much he even beat him up to change him so much. Thats our Mad Dog squad leader for you! Rimmer arrivedte at the scene and walked up to Raon while whistling. Hes a professional when ites to training a mad dog! How much did you even beat him up this time? I didnt beat him Raon shook his head, but no one believed him. Thats the great king of violence! The wielder of the Mad Dog squads leash! A demon. No, hes a demon king. The demon god! I really didnt. * * * Raon immediately went inside the Branch of Frost upon returning to Habun Castle. He wanted to recover his body by using sloth in his sleep, but he had no other choice because of the sideline demon king who kept urging him to eat pizza. Yua, can you bring me three pineapple pizzas and five pineapple cookies? Pineapple pizzas and cookies Yua nodded while rolling her eyes upwards. Arent youcking any ingredient by any chance? Not at all! Raon asked while hoping that it would be the case, but Yua firmly shook her head. My grandfather made sure to prepare enough ingredients because hes aware that the young master Raon likes pineapples. I-I see. Raon bit his lip. It was hisst hope, but he had no choice but to eat pizza. This is why the King of Essence likes that manager! Wrath shook his hand towards the kitchen like a king praising his knight. Damn it. Everyone thinks I have strange tastes because of a certain blue pig. Who are you calling a pig?! You! Most people started to misunderstand his preference because Wrath kept making him eat strange food. Recently, some people even asked him to try out a curry that included fish heads as an ingredient. Please wait a moment. It will be ready soon. Yua smiled cheerfully and went to the kitchen. How nice. Wrath smiled in satisfaction while looking at Yuas back, her twin tails fluttering in the air. Watching Pineapple Girl heals the soul! He smiled happily, saying that the memories from Stallin Mountain were fading away even though they were the worst memories of his life. Indeed, she makes me happy just from watching her. Raon nodded. Yua has always been cheerful, but she became even more so after seeing her grandfather. He felt happy just from seeing her. But we need to return now. Since hed obtained more than what he came for, it was time to return to the house. It was an unexpected harvest. The original reason for his visit was to ask Sloth about how to use the sloth. He thought he would be satisfied with that, but he gained the authority of envy from Envy, and he even gained extra sloth and a breathing technique from Sloth. Profit wasnt enough to describe it anymore. It was a once-in-a-lifetime jackpot, and he couldnt stop his smile. There should be some rewards waiting for me once I return. The incident at House Arianne was way worse than a promotion mission shouldve been. Since Glenn always made sure to reward and punish ordingly, Raon had high expectations for what he was going to give him. Im sure it will be delicious. Raon licked his lips while watching Yua bring out the pineapple pizza, and Wrath wrinkled his nose. In the King of Essences opinion, you are the pig here! A greedy pig who loves profit too much! Chapter 428

Chapter 428

The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman ¡°Haaah.¡± Raon sighed and lowered his gaze. Wrath was smiling happily while patting his swollen stomach. He¡¯s so full! ¡®Is that how much you love pineapple pizza?¡¯ Wrath keptining after eating the three pineapple pizzas that he hadn¡¯t had his fill, so Raon had been made to eat ten pineapple cookies on top of the pizzas. He almost looked like the starving demon from hell that was rumored to be hungry no matter how much it ate. ¡®I¡¯m even sleepy because of how much I ate.¡¯ His eyelids felt heavy from drowsiness. It was probably the increased sloth¡¯s effect. That¡¯s because your mind is too weak. You have to eat as much as possible while you can since such delicacies are a rarity in the world. Wrath murmured that he had to eat that much in order to live on, as eating was the only joy and reason for his life. He sounded like a demon king of gluttony rather than wrath no matter how Raon thought about it. ¡®But you ate nothing but pineapple pizzas after we came here. I¡¯ve been eating two per day because of you.¡¯ That wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Wrath had been asking him to eat the pizza every single day, and he¡¯d been eating at least one pizza per day ever since he came to Habun Castle. Raon wasn¡¯t exactly picky with food, but he was getting tired of it. ¡°Wow, vice squad leader. You really finished that!¡± Dorian, who¡¯d ordered the scout¡¯s set menu, whistled while looking at the empty pizza te. ¡°I guess you would be exhausted after beating up a person to that point.¡± Dorian nodded, saying that his hunger was understandable considering he¡¯d beaten Mustan up until his mindset waspletely changed. ¡°I know, right? That was really amazing.¡± Burren agreed with Dorian while putting down his beer ss. ¡°Seriously, how did you fix that stubborn and jealous green-eyed monster?¡± ¡°Is that even a question? Enough of a beating solves all problems.¡± Martha raised her clenched fist. ¡°They are bound to crawl below you once they are beaten to the point of death, no matter how annoying they are.¡± She clicked her tongue, saying that she wanted to see how he¡¯d beaten him up. ¡°Martha can¡¯t do that because her mind is even weaker than her body.¡± Runaan shook her head while crunching the pineapple cookie. ¡°What? Did you finally lose your myind?¡± Martha bit her tongue as she frowned at Runaan. ¡°Myind? Mya mya.¡± Runaan curved her hand like a cat and waved it at Martha. ¡°Argh! Come here right now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wannya.¡± Even though they were having some snacks, they stood up inside the pub and started to y catch the tail. Raon chuckled while watching Martha and Runaan fight like sisters, and Wrath floated into the air and shoved his face onto him. You bastard, you better be aware that you got lucky this time. ¡®I know.¡¯ Raon heavily nodded. ¡®The Monarch of Envy was a lot more evil than I thought.¡¯ Envy¡¯s personality was that of aplete loser, but the contract she forced upon Mustan was a leash full of spikes. If she¡¯d discovered that he was bluffing, he could¡¯ve ended up crawling on the ground as her ve for the rest of his life just like Mustan. Since he just got lucky thanks to the various circumstances around it, he didn¡¯t get conceited at all. Indeed. She is evil but is also an unsightly loser. You could¡¯ve made her run away with the King of Essence¡¯s name alone without even needing Sloth if you were more careful. However¡­ Wrath¡¯s gaze became frighteningly serious. However, Raon couldn¡¯t take him seriously because of his swollen belly. His name won¡¯t work against some of the others. ¡®Your name won¡¯t work?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while tapping on the table. Indeed. Pride and Gluttony. Wrath¡¯s heavy voice sounded like it wasing from the darkness. They will dly start a fight if you mention the King of Essence or Sloth¡¯s name. Don¡¯t try to talk your way out against them. It would be better to keep quiet. ¡®So they must be somewhat annoying doormats.¡¯ Raon licked his lips while thinking about Pride and Gluttony. Demon kings aren¡¯t doormats! Sloth and Envy are the only stupid ones! ¡®They aren¡¯t the only ones though¡­¡¯ Raon stared at Wrath with a serious expression on his face. ¡®Does he not realize that he¡¯s the best doormat out of them all?¡¯ Wrath kept murmuring that the other demon kings were doormats even though he was the king of doormats himself. And Lust¡­ ¡®Lust?¡¯ Run away the moment you see her. Don¡¯t try to talk to her, don¡¯t even look at her! He shouted that he should never try to deal with Lust, and that he should run away immediately if confronted by her. He must¡¯ve been trying to say that all along, and only mentioned the other demon kings in the process. ¡®So I should run away from Lust. What about Gluttony?¡¯ As for Gluttony¡­ ¡®Oh, right. You are Gluttony. It must be hard to have two jobs at once.¡¯ Raon nodded and patted Wrath¡¯s plump belly. ¡®So, when are you giving me the authority of gluttony? Do you get stronger the more you eat?¡¯ No! Stop taking me for that useless glutton rabbit! ¡®A useless glutton rabbit? Raon became curious about how much he ate if Wrath was calling him a useless glutton despite being a pig himself. ¡®None of the demon kings is normal¡­¡¯ * * * The Sword Demon smoothed down his beard while looking at Mustan¡¯s eyes. The younger man was kneeling on the ground in his medical room. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ His disciple¡¯s eyes were ridiculously clear. It looked like the malice and envy brimming from his eyes werepletely gone, and the eyes he was looking at were as transparent as a baby¡¯s. ¡®Is it even possible for a human being to change so much in such a short period of time?¡¯ Mustan¡¯s eyes were still filled with powerful envy towards Raon when he had given advice about his personality, but that emotion was gone in such a short time. He couldn¡¯t understand how that happened. ¡®It almost feels like he returned to the past.¡¯ His heart felt warm because he felt like he was looking at the Mustan in his childhood who had called him master for the first time. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Nothing happened.¡± Mustan bowed more politely than ever. ¡°Why did youe with Raon?¡± ¡°I was lost and the good Sir helped me.¡± For some reason, the Sword Demon felt that the word ¡®lost¡¯ had two different meanings. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Mustan called him the good Sir. He was even more confused because Mustan had always called Raon a bastard. ¡°Tell me honestly. What are you even thinking about right now?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are nning to attack Raon once again after pretending to turn over a new leaf.¡± He wanted to trust his disciple, but he couldn¡¯t erase his suspicions because the change was way too drastic. ¡°Not at all! There¡¯s no way I would harm such a great being!¡± Mustan mmed his head on the ground like a sinner. ¡°I can¡¯t dare to approach him since he is heaven for me. I prefer death rather than harming him!¡± His disciple almost looked like a priest as he praised Raon. ¡°Huh!¡± ¡®How is this happening¡­?¡¯ The Sword Demon lowered his gaze to look into his disciple¡¯s eyes. They were as clear as a brook that no one had entered, and it didn¡¯t look like he had any ulterior motives. ¡®Did he really turn over a new leaf?¡¯ It was the same when he said Raon¡¯s name. There was no trace of malice from him. He had to believe his disciple because of how clear his eyes and voice were. ¡®Raon¡­ what in the world have you done to him?¡¯ He could clearly tell that Raon didn¡¯t beat Mustan up any further. His head was bleeding because he fell on the ground, and it wasn¡¯t caused by a beating. He became curious how Raon managed to bring about such a drastic change in a human being without even using violence. ¡°Mustan.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Raon had told him to be polite towards his master before he sent him off, and it felt like Mustan was being even more polite than usual because of that. ¡°I¡¯ll trust you for thest time.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You should rest for today and visit the people that you troubled tomorrow and apologize to them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t rest yet.¡± Mustan shook his head and stood up. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sir Raon told me to focus on nurturing my martial art instead of being engulfed by useless emotions. That¡¯s why I have to start training right now.¡± He grasped his sword with his still-bruised hand as if he were trying to prove it. ¡°Hah¡­¡± The Sword Demon gasped while looking at the serious look in Mustan¡¯s eyes. ¡®He was corrected to this point¡­ Whatisthat boy¡­?¡¯ * * * * * * One weekter. Raon and the Light Wind squad went to Habun Castle¡¯s gate after they finished the preparations for the departure. In addition to Habun Castle¡¯s warriors, even the residents were lined up at the central avenue in front of the gate. ¡°Why did everyonee here when it¡¯s not even a big deal?¡± Raon scratched his cheek while looking at therge crowd that had gathered from Habun Castle. It was a bit embarrassing because he was just enjoying his stay, unlike thest time when he¡¯d saved everyone. ¡°People¡¯s memories don¡¯t fade that easily.¡± Mind chuckled and turned around. His gaze was directed at the castle wall that waspletely repaired. ¡°You saved the lives of everyone in this castle. That memory became that indestructible castle wall, so you should be more proud of it.¡± He smiled, saying that gratitude was called gratitude because it should not be forgotten. ¡°The casten is right!¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t forgotten what happened that day!¡± ¡°We will always be thankful!¡± ¡°Stay healthy!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be praying for your sess in your battles!¡± Habun Castle¡¯s warriors and residents stood behind Mind and waved their hands while shouting at once. ¡°Same goes for me. I should actually be saying that the same goes for us.¡± Raon smiled faintly and bowed to Mind and Habun Castle¡¯s warriors. ¡°You saved us at House Arianne, and we won¡¯t forget about it for the rest of our lives.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The Light Wind squad also bowed to Habun Castle¡¯s warriors just like Raon. ¡°We are benefactors for each other. This is the best kind of rtionship where we are helpful to each other.¡± Mind dly nodded, saying that he liked it. ¡°I told you before that Habun Castle has your back. Feel free to call us again in the future.¡± He raised his hand, while saying that he could call him at any moment since he didn¡¯t have too much work to do anymore because the number of monsters had decreased. ¡°The same goes for us. If Habun Castle is in danger, we wille running to the rescue even in our sleep.¡± Raon nodded while meeting Mind¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yawwn!¡± Rimmer stretched his arms while yawning. ¡°Why does it take so long to say goodbye when you are swordsmen? Let¡¯s go already!¡± He bobbed his hand, saying that it was annoying. ¡°How did he end up being so unsightly¡­?¡± Mind sighed and shook his head. ¡°I know, right? He¡¯s the most hateful person in Zieghart.¡± Raon went behind Rimmer and sighed. ¡°We will be leaving now.¡± ¡°Please wait!¡± Raon bowed for thest time and was about to leave when Yua¡¯s grandfather came running and showed arge basket. ¡°I¡¯ve packed a pizza and the cookies that you like. Please eat them on your way back, since I¡¯ve just baked them.¡± Whoaaa! Wrath had been blinking in boredom, but he suddenly stood up and roared. Manager! You became a great man! Alright! The manager is going to be the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate starting today! Wrath forcibly recruited him once again. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Ugh.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes after he saw what was inside the basket. ¡®A pineapple pizza and pineapple cookies¡­ I¡¯m so screwed because of this useless glutton.¡¯ He wanted to try out the other pizzas, but he was forced to eat pineapple pizza even on his way back because of Wrath. He figured he would have to discipline him with Nadine bread for a while. ¡°Grandpa, where¡¯s mine?¡± Yua pouted and put her hands on her waist. ¡°You¡¯ve gained weight because you ate too much during your stay. You should starve for a while.¡± ¡°Eeh¡­¡± Yua¡¯s cheeks had indeed be plump, but she looked even cuter that way. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon took the basket and lowered his head at the manager. ¡°It was nothing. Please keep taking care of her in the future.¡± The manager grabbed Yua¡¯s hands tightly with teary eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll never let her die before me.¡¯ Raon smiled while keeping it in his mind. ¡°Casten.¡± Raon slowly averted his gaze and looked at Mind. ¡°We are going to leave now.¡± ¡°Are you sure you should be saying that? I think you said something different when you came here.¡± Mind shook his hand instead of responding to his goodbye. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Raon smiled faintly and bowed once again. Mind and the others finally smiled upon hearing that. ¡°Yes, see youter.¡± Raon nodded while looking at the bright sunlight that was making people¡¯s smiles even warmer. ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to return.¡± * * * Glenn furrowed his brow while tapping on the perfectly repaired throne¡¯s armrest with his finger. ¡®Why is he not returning?!¡¯ He¡¯d prepared a golden tablet, rewards, and a lot ofpliments. He even wrote a script and thoroughly memorized it, but Raon and the Light Wind squad were showing no sign of returning. ¡®He said they would visit Habun Castle on the way. Is he nning to spend the rest of his life there?¡¯ He was even more confused because they hadn¡¯t once contacted him after Rimmer sent him a letter to notify him that they would visit Habun Castle on their way back. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He got angry once again upon remembering the ¡®wow¡¯ and ¡®peace¡¯ from Rimmer¡¯s previous letter. ¡®I¡¯m definitely going to kill him.¡¯ He¡¯d hesitated a bit because of old memories, but that wasn¡¯t an option in the end. He decided that he was going to kill him no matter what. Tap. Tap. Crack. He tapped the throne¡¯s armrest in frustration, and by the time it looked like it was about to break once again, the audience chamber¡¯s door opened and Roenn entered. ¡°My lord.¡± Roenn bowed to Glenn and smiled. ¡°The Light Wind squad is returning.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. They are supposed to reach our front gate in around two hours.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Glenn¡¯s lips rolled into a smile, and he started to stand up but suddenly stopped. ¡°Ahem!¡± He cleared his throat and straightened his clothes and his hair before sitting back on the throne. ¡°I won¡¯t overlook this matter. They are supposed to return as soon as the mission isplete, and yet they wasted so much time. What are they taking the house for?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°However!¡± Glenn faintly lowered his eyes while putting his arm on the throne. ¡°Since the Light Wind squad achieved a great deed this time, I shall praise them before that. Roenn.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We are going to start the promotion ceremony right away. Gather the executives.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Roenn left the audience chamber with a faint smile on his face. All of the executives, including the direct lines and the coterals, gathered inside the audience chamber shortly after. Glenn lowered his gaze while spreading an extremely cold pressure. The moment he was about to twist the throne¡¯s armrest to hide his nervousness, Roenn¡¯s voice could be heard from outside the audience chamber. ¡°The Light Wind squad has returned afterpleting their mission!¡± ¡°Let them in.¡± Glenn nodded with a low-pitched voice, and the audience door was opened before the Light Wind squad entered the room, covered in dust. ¡®That boy¡­¡¯ Glenn¡¯s fingers trembled as he watched Raon enter the room at the head of the line. ¡®Did he grow up once again in the meantime?¡¯ He thought Raon had gained enlightenment from defeating the Specter, but Raon¡¯s body, mind, and martial arts had all grown to a different level while he couldn¡¯t see him. ¡®I can never be careless around him.¡¯ He was unconsciously about to remove the cold atmosphere around him when a sharp gaze could be felt from behind the Light Wind squad. He raised his head and saw that a white-haired old man was looking at him. ¡®He must be¡­¡¯ Glenn dragged the corners of his lips down as they kept rolling upwards and narrowed his eyes. ¡®The Sword Demon.¡¯ His reputation as a warrior echoed throughout the continent, but what Glenn was thinking about wasn¡¯t his achievements but the contents of Rimmer¡¯s letter. ¡®The Sword Demon is hitting it off with Raon. I almost thought that he was his real grandfather.¡¯ Glenn crushed the throne¡¯s armrest, which had finally been repaired, and twisted his lips. ¡®He looked like a real grandfather, he says? How dare he!¡¯ Chapter 429 Chapter 429 Raon walked to the center of the audience chamber alongside the Light Wind squad. The executives were lined up on both sides. The members of the direct lines were especially ring at him, but he ignored them and stood in front of the tform. Greetings, my lord! He went to his knees and lowered his head after seeing Glenns cold look in his eyes instead of the usual vanity. Stand up. Glenns voice was also heavier than usual. Judging from the cold atmosphere inside the audience chamber, he could guess that something bad had happened. Yes! Raon stood up after his squad leader, Rimmer. Ill need to start by greeting our guest. Glenns gaze passed over the Light Wind squad and was directed at the Sword Demon and Mustan at the end of the line. The Sword Demon realized that Glenn was talking about him and stepped forward before lowering his head. Im honored to meet the king of the north. Im a swordsman called Rector. He humbled himself and praised Glenn as a courtesy of a guest. I often heard of your aloof name like the northern wind. I feel enlightened to see the first seat of the Five Great Swordmasters. Glenns speech was also respectful because he was dealing with an important person. Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the two swordsmen greeting each other. Whats going on? Am I imagining things? They were definitely saying nice things to each other, but their gazes looked as sharp as a de. In my knowledge, Sir Rector doesnt visit the Six Kings and the Five Demons unless theres a special reason. Can I hear the reason for your visit to Zieghart? Hmm A dark glow could be seen in Glenns eyes. The Sword Demon looked at Raon, who was standing next to him, instead of responding right away. I move around throughout the continent because I love traveling. Since I encountered many people, I have seen many with talent. However, Ive never seen anyone like the swordsman Raon. Might, willpower, talent, and personalityhe isntcking in any of those aspects. It was difficult to believe that the friendly pressure around him came from a man with such sharp eyes. On the other hand, Glenns narrowed eyes became even colder. I also have a disciple for myself, but I think he has a long way to go in terms of personality even though Im satisfied with his skills. I was curious about who managed to raise him into such a monster, and thats why I came all the way here. Hmm. Glenn covered his mouth with his hand while listening to the Sword Demons praise of Raon. Even the Sword Demon isplimenting him so much The Sword Demon was the famous first seat of the Five Great Swordmasters, and he was an extremely powerful warrior who was rumored to be equal to the heads of the Six Kings and the Five Demons. And the might hed witnessed was true to the rumors. I-is the Sword Demon really saying that right now? I heard that he neverpliments anyone even though he sometimes teaches people. Yes, he is supposed to be a cold-hearted man The Zieghart executives swallowed nervously upon hearing the high praise from the Sword Demon. Hmm Glenn fiddled with his sleeve with his left hand. His frozen heart melted because a warrior who was famous throughout the continentplimented his grandson from the bottom of his heart. So Rimmer was just spouting nonsense after all. Rimmer had mentioned that the Sword Demon looked like Raons real grandfather, but Glenn could tell that the Sword Demon came to Zieghart in order to improve his disciples personality. Ahem! I see. He covered his lips that were rising into his smile, and he was about to authorize his visit when Raon stepped forward. Sir Rector bestowed many lessons upon me and the Light Wind squad. Everyone managed to achieve a drastic improvement because he trained with us every day. Raon told him about what the Sword Demon had been doing for them. The way he said the Sword Demon helped them with swordsmanship every single day as if they were disciples almost sounded like he was taking his side, and Glenns heart skipped a beat. He helped you with swordsmanship? Yes. He didnt exactly teach us, but he gave us advice about the swords principles. Hmm. Glenns fingers trembled as he listened to Raon. He taught him? Every single day? Since there was no way a great warrior like the Sword Demon would teach him anything incorrect, it was a nice opportunity for him. However, it reminded him of that line from Rimmers letter. It made him upset, as if he were having indigestion. Dont tell me hes trying to make him his disciple. Or maybe a sword grandson? The Sword Demons eyes had favored Raon from the beginning, but it looked even more tant. Raon was also looking at him with a faint smile on his face. He seemed to trust him and follow him from the bottom of his heart. Th-this is no good. He had no way of stopping the Sword Demons visit at that point. He figured it was necessary to cancel the gift hed prepared for Raon and get some new ones ready. Thank you for helping our children. Glenn suppressed his thoughts and forced himself to nod. It was nothing. It was enjoyable for me because all of them were such talented children. The Sword Demon shook his hand while smiling faintly. I cant possibly refuse when you helped us so much. Wee to Zieghart, Sir Rector. Glenn allowed the Sword Demons visit while hiding the impatience that made him feel like his heart was tightening. Thank you. The Sword Demon bowed with Mustan and returned to the back. Hmm Raon scratched his temple while watching Glenn and the Sword Demon meeting each others eyes. Why does it feel like the atmosphere became even colder? He couldnt understand why he felt chilly when the Sword Demon had helped them. He must be hungry. Wrath yawned from above his head. He didnt seem interested in the situation. Light Wind squad. Glenn looked away from the Sword Demon. It felt like the heavy pressure from his eyes was crushing their shoulders. Your mission shouldve been over a long time ago. You are ratherte. I apologize. Raon acted as the representative and bowed because Rimmer wasnt saying anything. You should report next time if you are going to bete. Beingte is fine, butcking the report is a problem. What? But our squad leader said that he contacted Contact? He mentioned that you were heading to Habun Castle, but never said that it was going to take that long. Ah! I forgot! Rimmer smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. Habun Castle was unexpectedly great for cking around. I forgot to send a letter. He licked his lips, murmuring that it wasnt a big deal that could happen from time to time. The audience chamber fell silent despite having so many people inside because of how ridiculous that was. That damned squad leader! Itd be fine if other people said that, but you''re not one to talk! Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Glenn, whose veins were bulging on his forehead. You should be careful next time. However, he simply nodded instead of getting angry. Huh? Even Rimmer didnt seem to have expected that reaction, his eyes widening. Raon fiddled with his fingers while looking at Glenn, who was supporting his chin on his right fist. Hes rather unusual today. Glenn quietly caught his breath instead of shouting at Rimmer or attacking him with lightning. It was probably because the Sword Demon was around as a guest. Ill overlook this matter since I know why you werete. Report what the Light Wind squad did at House Arianne. Yes. When we first arrived at House Arianne Raon started with how corrupt Arianne''s executives were and how much danger the people were exposed to, and then told him about the sudden tidal waveing from the swamp and the battle against the Specter. Once he finished telling the story of what happened at House Arianne, the audience chamber fell silent. Did he just say that they defeated the Specter? Are we talking about the same Specter Im thinking about? H-hes at the same rank as a grandmaster! I know, right? Is it even possible for the Light Wind squad to win against a higher executive of Eden, even if he was careless? Moreover, he was even using a strange bead with the energy of death This is strange in many ways. Because Karoon and Balder raised the suspicion and the direct lines joined them, even the other executives started to argue about it in disbelief. Leader of the Shadow Agents. Yes! The leader of the Shadow Agents, Chad, came forth upon hearing Glenns call. Was the Light Wind vice squad leader telling the truth? ording to the information the Shadow Agents have obtained, his story is 100% true. Chad nodded firmly and confirmed the undeniable truth. Huh! The leader of Shadow Agents acknowledged it It must be true! Even the grandmasters didnt manage to catch the Specter They deserve way more than bing a division with this feat. I heard they were called Mad Dog Squad instead of Light Wind. I can understand it now. The executives lined up left and right in the audience chamber were unable to hide their surprise as their jaws dropped. Even though Glenn was sitting right in front of them, they kept whispering to each other. Many of the executives were admiring his feat, but many of them were unable to smile. Tsk. Damn it Thats not even a big deal. The direct linesincluding Karoon and Balderfrowned while picking their ears as if they were trying to pull out the dirty thing theyd just heard. Their cold gazes were saying that they wouldnt recognize Raon no matter what he did. Glenn slowly raised his hand, and the noisy audience chamber fell as quiet as a library. Light Wind squad. Yes. Raon nodded and responded as their representative. Do you know what I originally wanted the Light Wind squad to achieve? It was to save House Arianne from corruption. Raon responded with what hed learned in House Arianne. Then do you remember what your mission was? The mission was to investigate the reason for the increased number of undead in the swamp of death and resolve the issue. Is the issue you resolved different from my mission? No, its the same. Many things had happened, but he managed to eliminate the undead filling the area and thezy executives. It wasnt an exaggeration to say that he perfectlypleted the mission he was given. Indeed. Since you got rid of the sewage sullying House Arianne and added clean water to create a new well, youvepleted your mission. Glenn slowly closed his eyes before opening them again. Thats how division missions are. Unlike squad missions that give you precise instructions, you need to investigate all kinds of information and decide by yourself what must be done. The Light Wind squad proved themselves fully capable of performing a division mission. Therefore! He stood up from the tform and extended his hand. The Light Wind squad will be promoted into the Light Wind division from now on! Whoaa! Light Wind division! Congrattions! Weve gotten anotherpetitor. Ill be looking forward to your continued course in the future! We will definitely catch up! The coteral executives and an extremely small number of direct line executives cheered and apuded for them. The Warring Steel division was nowhere to be seen, probably because they were on a mission. Thank you! The Light Wind squad bowed at Glenn and the executives one after the other. Could I have a word? Raon lowered his head before raising it again and walked one step closer to the tform. Is it possible to change an armed divisions name? Do you wish to change the Light Wind squads name? Yes, instead of the Light Wind, Id like it to be the Mad Dogcough! He was about to continue, but Burren and Martha covered his mouth from behind and strongly poked his sides. The other Light Wind members also came towards him and pinched his thighs and arms. Shut up! Im really going to leave if we end up being called the Mad Dogs! I never want to be called Miss Rakshasha from the Mad Dog squad! Stop spreading your insanity! Please! The Light Wind swordsmen rapidly shook their heads in unison while saying that they didnt want to be called Mad Dogs no matter what. I like Mad Dog. Runaan was the only one who murmured that she liked it. Hmm. Glenn shook his head while scratching his chin. You shouldnt decide the name on your own ord. You should ask again after discussing it with them. Ah, yes Raon nodded while rubbing the pinched parts of his body. Thats it for the name. What are you nning to do about the division leader? Do you want to stay like this? Glenn frowned while looking down on Rimmer, who was standing there like a hoodlum. Hmm Raon followed Glenns gaze and looked at Rimmer. A faint yet cheerful smile appeared on his face. Honestly, our squad leader isnt exactly trustworthy most of the time. He iszy, he is a gambling addict and a money grubber, and he is suffering from a serious case of protagonist syndrome. Whaat? Raon thought about the old times while looking at Rimmers widened eyes, which revealed that he wasnt expecting him to insult him. When he used to be a trainee, the notebook Rimmer used as a pillow contained the strengths and weaknesses of all the traineesnumbering over a hundredand ns to improve them. Since Raon had seen those notes, Rimmer was still the best teacher and squad leader for him, and he would remain as one in the future. However, the Light Wind division needs Sir Rimmer as the division leader. We still need to learn a lot from him. He is right. I dont like the idea, but having him as the division leader puts us at ease! I agree. We dont want to change it yet. Raon wasnt the only one. The other swordsmen of the Light Wind division also dered that they wanted Rimmer to be the division leader. I see. Glenn nodded with a slightly reluctant expression on his face. Since the division members want it that way, Rimmer will continue on as the division leader. Wow! Rimmer turned back to look at the Light Wind division and eximed. His trembling lips revealed his joy. I didnt know that you liked me so much! Alright! Ill show up at the training ground three days a week from now on! He grinned while saying something that deserved a beating, but Glenn simply averted his gaze without saying anything. * * * * * * Lets move on to the next topic. Glenn looked at Raon once again. Raon had the impression that his red eyes were sparkling like a constetion. Like I said earlier, everyone in the Light Wind squad did more than enough in the promotion exam. House Arianne wouldve fallen if it wasnt for you, and the truth about Edens involvement wouldve been buried in the swamp. Since this is a great achievement, Im going to reward you ordingly. He snapped his fingers, and a golden me burst into the air and a small bookshelf emerged. Im also ready. Roenn stood next to Glenn while holding a te covered with ck silk. First of all, the first team leader of the Light Wind division, Martha Zieghart, shall step forward. Yes! Martha bowed and went onto the tform. Your hasty actions sometimes result in dangerous situations, but many people gained courage thanks to you. Good job. Glenn took out a golden-colored book of martial arts from the bookshelf and gave it to Martha alongside the silver tablet on the te. This swordsmanship matches your tendency. You should check it out before learning it. Thank ywou! Martha identally bit her tongue while she happily bowed. She went as red as a beetroot. Runaan has one more thing to make fun of her with. Raon smiled faintly, and aughing sound could be heard from the executives. Martha, you are so cute! It wasing from Denier Zieghart, who was Marthas father and Glenns third son. He was one of the few people among the direct lines whod apuded for the Light Wind division. His bright smile looked like he really cherished his daughter. Next up is Runaan Sullion. Runaans nk eyes didnt change even though Glenn called her. She casually went up to the tform. The gentle atmosphere around you offers relief to others. Good job. He patted Runaans shoulder and gave her a silver tablet and a book of martial arts. This swordsmanship has a rough nature, contrary to your personality. It should be useful to you since its sometimes better to be a different person. Thank you. Runaan epted the silver tablet and the book of martial arts before she nonchntly nodded and returned to her ce below the tform. My daughter is the prettiest of them all! Rokan Sullion raised his fist and loudly shouted. The third team leader, Burren Zieghart. Yes! Burren went on the tform after shouting loudly enough for the entire audience chamber to tremble. I heard that yourposure and judgment were a great help for the Light Wind division. Ill be looking forward to your continued care for the members like another vice division leader. Glenn gave a big nod of satisfaction and gave him a silver tablet and a book of martial arts, just like the others. Thank you! Burren shouted his head off once again. He met his father Karoons eyes for a moment before returning under the tform. Starting with the team leaders, every single member of the team received a silver tablet and a book of martial arts that Glenn had prepared for them before descending from the tform. Last is Raon Zieghart. Yes. Raon quietly responded and went on the tform. Youve carried out your mission and fought the war from the beginning to the end instead of the Light Wind division leader. Thank you for your hard work. Raon was slightly moved because it was the first time he was appreciated for his hard work, unlike the praise for the excellent or amazing job hed done. Saving House Arianne and ying the Specter in the end is nothing short of being called a great achievement. Im going to reward Raon Zieghart with a golden tablet for his new great achievement. The audience chamber became noisy at the mention of a golden tablet. G-golden tablet Another golden tablet? How many is it now? I dont think he deserves a golden tablet for that. No, he absolutely deserved it. He managed to defeat the Specter after all. Yes, its a feat that even the division leaders were unable to achieve. A few executives murmured that Raon was getting way too many golden tablets, but no one couldin because even the direct lines like Karoon and Balder remained silent. Hmm Glenn gave him the golden tablet with slightly trembling lips. He looked like he was unsatisfied with something. He closed his lips tightly while ncing at the Sword Demon under the tform. His expression looked like he was determined to do something. Hmm Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the bookshelf next to Glenn. Why is he not giving me a book of martial arts? There were still three books remaining on the bookshelf. It looked like Glenn had prepared a book for him just like the others, so he couldnt understand why he wasnt giving it to him. As for your reward, Ill give it to youter. Glenn snapped his fingers to return the bookshelf and shook his head. Raon wasnt sure about the reason but figured that Glenn changed his mind about the reward. Understood. Since something simr had happened before, Raon simply bowed and went below the tform. Glenn stood up on the tform and looked around the Light Wind division and the executives. You shouldve heard the recent news about the new factions rising in the continent. They are called the Five Divine Orders, and they are increasing their influence in the gap between the Six Kings and the Five Demons. He suddenly started talking about the situation in the continent, but everyone listened carefully while looking at him. The Six Kings are trying to nurture their own power, and the Five Demons are prevailing in the darkness. It wouldnt be strange to call this a turbulent period. Since you are most likely going to face unexpected opponents in your future missions, you should analyze the situation realistically to decide what you should do and what you shouldnt, just like the Light Wind division did during their mission. Understood! The executives and the Light Wind division bowed at once upon receiving Glenns teachings. Todays promotion ceremony is over. He shook his hand, signaling that he had finished saying everything he wanted. The executives were the first ones to leave the audience chamber, and Raon and the Light Wind division bowed to Glenn for thest time before leaving the audience chamber. Erm Rimmer didnt leave alongside the Light Wind division. He walked up to the tform where Glenns throne was located while rubbing his hands. Am I not getting anything? I yed an important part in this mission. He started to bber that hed made a grand entrance when the Specter was about to mess the Light Wind division up and saved everyone. I see. Glenn nodded gently. I know. I heard you yed an important part. Yes! Raon and the Light Wind division all wouldve died if I wasnt there. Rimmer took the opportunity and quickly nodded. Well, Im not really interested in a golden tablet. Ill be satisfied with money. He grinned while making a circle with his thumb and his index finger. Dont worry, I have thoroughly prepared it for you. Glenn went ahead and left the audience chamber after telling him to follow. Wow! Thats so unusual! Rimmer nced at Roenn with a happy grin on his face. I wonder if the sun will rise from the west tomorrow. Huhuhu. Roennughed like always with an innocent expression on his face. Ah, I think the head of house finally learned his lesson. He mustve realized who is the important person here. Huhuhu, you should follow him for now. Ah, indeed. Rimmer nodded and followed Glenn outside. He left the lords manor and went to the training ground reserved for the head of house located behind the building. A training ground? Why did wee here? Rimmer tilted his head while looking at the neatly cleaned training ground. He couldnt understand why he came to the training ground when he was supposed to give him some money. This is the spot. Glenn pointed at the ground while turning his wrist. What spot is this? I dont see any money here. Rimmer looked around while licking his lips, and he couldnt even see any silver or copper coins, let alone gold coins. Spark! Glenn snapped his fingers with a frightening smile on his face. Thick smoke appeared in the air, and a huge sphere of lightning spread around in all directions. Huh? Before Rimmer could dodge or defend himself, the crimson lightning separated into countless streams and rained down on him. Whaam! The majestic sound of an explosion resounded, and a dark crater was created in the formerly-clean training ground. It was as if a storm had passed through. Pssh! At the center of the destroyed training ground that looked like a ruin, a red-haired elfs body was trembling on the ground while steaming from his mouth. Wh-what kind of spot is this? Glenns lips parted as he prepared the second lightning strike. This is the spot for your grave. Chapter 430 Chapter 430 Raon turned around while heading towards the annex building with the Sword Demon. ¡®Did he already get started?¡¯ Judging from the thunder trembling the entire sky and Rimmer¡¯s weak scream, Glenn must¡¯ve already started the beatings. ¡®There¡¯s no way he would overlook this matter.¡¯ Raon had learned that Rimmer was tantly acting up against Glenn when he looked into the situation, and there was no way Glenn would leave him alone. The beating had actually startedter than normal thanks to the Sword Demon¡¯s visit. ¡®Rest in peace, squad leader. No, you are a division leader now.¡¯ Raon weakly closed his eyes and prayed for the repose of Rimmer¡¯s soul since he could¡¯ve died as soon as he became a division leader. ¡®He¡¯s going pretty hard today.¡¯ Raon had already seen Glenn striking Rimmer with lightning, but he wasn¡¯t expecting such a powerful attack. It almost looked like Glenn was swinging his sword against his archenemy. ¡®He was definitely strange today.¡¯ Rimmer had never looked normal before, but Glenn also looked slightly strange that day. ¡®It was envy, right?¡¯ Indeed. Wrath nodded in agreement. It was faint, but the emotion of envy could be felt from your geezer and that geezer alike. ¡®So I wasn¡¯t imagining things.¡¯ Glenn and the Sword Demon felt envy towards each other in the audience chamber earlier. It was faint, but it was definitely the emotion of envy. Raon wrinkled his nose. ¡®I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ The Sword Demon and Glenn both had unmatched martial arts. He couldn¡¯t understand why they were jealous of each other. It was just interesting to learn that such great warriors also felt jealousy sometimes. ¡®People are really strange.¡¯ Raon nced sideways at the Sword Demon. He must¡¯ve also felt the lightning from Glenn because he was gasping while looking behind him. ¡°Amazing. Such a tremendous power, even though he¡¯s not even being serious. This is why he was called the lightning god in the past.¡± The Sword Demon shook his head as he felt the lightning energy subside. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Raon tilted his head while looking at the Sword Demon. ¡®Why can¡¯t I feel any envy from him right now?¡¯ The envy had appeared when he¡¯d met Glenn in the audience chamber, but he was simply admiring him when he witnessed his might. Raon couldn¡¯t understand what was happening at all. ¡®Human emotion is soplicated.¡¯ It¡¯s because you aren¡¯t even human anymore. Wrath murmured that Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to understand human emotions for the rest of his life. Just get ready to follow the King of Essence to Devildom. It¡¯s frustrating to admit, but you don¡¯t belong in the human realm. ¡®No, you return.¡¯ Wrath kept clinging onto him. Raon pushed him away as he continued walking towards the annex building, and the Sword Demon came up next to him. ¡°I¡¯m curious, has the Destructive King of the North ever taught you martial arts?¡± ¡°He gave me some advice before, but he¡¯s never been an official teacher to me.¡± Raon shook his head while looking forward. ¡®Telling him about theSupreme Harmony Stepsshould be unnecessary.¡¯ The Sword Demon was trustworthy, but he didn¡¯t tell him about how Glenn personally taught him theSupreme Harmony Steps¡ªjust in case. ¡°I see.¡± The Sword Demon¡¯s bright expression almost looked like the sunlight was directly shining upon him. Even his mouth was curved into a smile as he nodded. ¡°However, that¡¯s even more ridiculous now that I think about it. How can you be so powerful even though the Destructive King of the North didn¡¯t teach you¡­?¡± He lowered his eyebrows slightly, saying that Raon¡¯s realm was aplete mystery to him. ¡°I was lucky in various ways.¡± Raon rolled his eyes to the right. He smiled a little while looking at the cotton candy who was wriggling around because he was looking forward to eating the annex building¡¯s food. ¡®I was really lucky.¡¯ If the demon king with a side job hadn¡¯t been with him, it would¡¯ve taken him at least ten more years to reach his realm. Lucky was the only way to describe it. ¡°Luck, you say. Luck must¡¯ve been a factor, however¡­¡± The Sword Demon stroked his beard while lowering his blue eyes. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, you¡¯ve been making more efforts than any warrior I¡¯ve seen before. You wake up before anyone else in the party to finish your own training, and even help the others afterwards. Yet are you really calling it luck? You are being too humble.¡± He patted Raon¡¯s shoulder, telling him to be prouder of it. ¡°Indeed. I¡¯m also going to follow Sir Raon¡¯s example and do my best to improve!¡± Mustan clenched his fist tightly with passionate eyes. Raon still felt awkward to see those clear eyes because he knew about his past. Honestly, he almost wanted to try poking them with his finger. ¡°I have a suggestion for you.¡± The Sword Demon licked his lips while looking at Mustan before turning his gaze towards Raon. ¡°What would that suggestion be¡­?¡± ¡°Can I help you with your sword practice during my stay here?¡± He rapidly blinked his eyes while saying that he wanted to give some small advice while teaching Mustan, just like he¡¯d been doing. ¡°I¡¯m just very thankful if you did.¡± Raon lowered his head politely. The Sword Demon¡¯s teachings were nice because they was easy to understand and he could quickly get used to them. There was no reason for him to refuse an extremely powerful warrior¡¯s teaching. ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± Yua briskly raised her hand and shouted that she also wanted to join the training. ¡°Yes, you cane with us, Yua.¡± The Sword Demon nodded while patting Yua¡¯s head. ¡°Ah, I also need to join since she¡¯s doing it¡­¡± Yulius hung his head and rolled his eyes to stare at the Sword Demon. ¡°You cane too, Yulius.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The Sword Demon curved his lips into a slight smile. He seemed to think that Yulius¡¯s childish behavior was cute. ¡°Mustan, is that fine for you?¡± ¡°Of course! I don¡¯t mind it because they are both Sir Raon¡¯s important subordinates!¡± Mustan shouted that it wasn¡¯t a problem at all, and that he would also help with their training. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Mustan¡¯s bright smile. ¡®I really can¡¯t get used to this.¡¯ After the emotion of envy was purged and he became a servant from the contract, Mustan had be apletely different person¡ªlike dirty clothes bing clean after washing. He cared for people around him with a nice personality, and the two children liked him as a result. Most importantly, Mustan trusted Raon to the point where he would believe even if he said that the sun rises from the west, and it almost felt ufortable. Take it easy. Drool dripped from Wrath¡¯s mouth as he looked at the annex building that could be seen from afar. If you feel ufortable having him as a ve, consider him as an obedient subordinate. It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t try to take advantage of him, right? ¡®Yes, that would be for the best.¡¯ Raon nodded while looking at Mustan. ¡®He¡¯s helpful sometimes.¡¯ Raon smiled and patted Wrath¡¯s bby shoulders as he kept thinking about food. He kept walking while listening to the conversation between the Sword Demon and the two children, reaching the annex garden in no time. ¡°Woaah!¡± Yua ran like the wind and opened the annex building¡¯s door. ¡°Ma¡¯am! Everyone!¡± The entire annex building trembled from her shout, and Sylvia, Helen, and the maids came out altogether. ¡°Yua!¡± ¡°Oh my, Yua! You look so skinny now!¡± ¡°You are sote!¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve contacted us!¡± The maids didn¡¯t even nce at Raon and examined Yua to see if she had any injury or sickness. ¡°Yulius!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t injured anywhere, right?¡± ¡°Look, he¡¯s grown taller in the meantime!¡± ¡°He¡¯s in his growth period, after all. How have you been eating?¡± Their next target was Yulius. Yulius also looked like he¡¯d missed the annex building, since he nodded with teary eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon scratched his cheek while looking at the maids surrounding Yua and Yulius. ¡®This is a bit awkward¡­¡¯ He previously found their reaction annoying, but he was saddened because they weren¡¯t even ncing at him anymore as they were fully focused on the two children. You are such an annoying guy. Wrath shook his head, saying that he was being so difficult. ¡®I¡¯m just saying.¡¯ While Raon was feeling the bitterness in his tongue, Sylvia stood up after patting Yua¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Raon! You worked so hard! How have you been taking care of Yua and Yuli¡ªHuh?¡± Sylvia walked towards him with a smile but suddenly stopped. Her eyebrows started to tremble upon seeing the Sword Demon standing at Raon¡¯s right side. It was as if she¡¯d witnessed something that should¡¯ve never happened. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon had never seen Sylvia make that expression before. He couldn¡¯t understand what kind of emotion was dwelling inside her trembling red eyes. ¡°¡­¡± The Sword Demon also stared at Sylvia for a while before taking a step forward. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m the swordsman named Rector.¡± He lowered his head at Sylvia before she did and was unexpectedly polite in his speech. ¡°Rector? The Sword Demon!¡± Sylvia¡¯s eyes widened. She must¡¯ve been aware of his name. ¡°Ah, excuse me. I was too surprised.¡± Her face was flushed from the panic, but she quickly bowed and apologized. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± The Sword Demon shook his head, saying that it was fine. ¡°But why did one of the Five Great Swordmasterse to this ce¡­?¡± Sylvia tilted her head. She looked like she couldn¡¯t understand why the Sword Demon was visiting her. ¡°I wanted to ask about something.¡± ¡°To me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Sword Demon nodded and faced Sylvia. ¡°It¡¯s definitely rude to ask, but¡­¡± Raon could see the bitterness in his eyes that he¡¯d never seen before. ¡°Can you tell me the story?¡± * * * * * * Balder was sitting inside the Central Martial Pce¡¯s reception room and red at Karoon on the opposite side. ¡°Are you nning on leaving him alone?¡± He clenched his fist while looking at a swordsman sculpture behind Karoon. ¡°Are you really going to do nothing about him when the coterals and the mongrels from outside are getting full of themselves because of that shithead?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Karoon asked back while raising his transparent ss. ¡°What do you want to do when he is the center of attention in Zieghart¡ªno, in the entire continent? Do you want to attack him inside the house?¡± ¡°Center of attention? He is just a child!¡± Balder ground his teeth in displeasure. ¡°The fact that he is a child is even more problematic.¡± Karoon exhaled heavily while putting down his ss. ¡°Do you know what the thing that the martial houses and the knight orders boast about the most is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obviously their strongest member, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural for those seniors to be powerful because of how long they¡¯ve lived. Boasting about them would be seen as unsightly behavior.¡± ¡°Which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes. The future of the house. The young ones that would eventually be the strongest in the house are the only people they can boast to the public.¡± He furrowed his brow while violently pouring his whiskey in his empty ss. ¡°And Raon Zieghart is the strongest among those current futures. He would¡¯ve been called a genius if he reached his realm at thirty years old, yet he achieved it at twenty years of age. There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t draw the entire continent¡¯s attention, including our father.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°The world is bound to cheer for the young hero who destroys evil. Once the rumor about this incident with Specter spreads, his name will resound throughout the continent even faster. Yet are you really asking me if we should get rid of him inside the house? Do you want to bury the Zieghart name in the ground?¡± Karoon red at der, telling him to stop being so stupid. ¡°Moreover, you and I have both been humiliated in the past while trying to target him with sloppy ns. If we do something recklessly and get caught, we might end up losing our positions as pce masters.¡± He shook his head, saying that it wasn¡¯t the right time to act. ¡°Is there really nothing I can do? Do I have to keep enduring this when he keeps intruding into the direct line¡¯s domain?¡± ¡°You are mistaken. I never said that I would do nothing about him.¡± Karoon twisted his lips while thinking about Burren¡¯s eyes as he looked down on him from the tform. ¡®Arrogant brat¡­ You seem to believe in the ship you are boarding, but I¡¯ll show you how it sinks because of the rotten keel.¡¯ He felt ufortable upon remembering the confident expression on the face of his youngest son, who started walking his own path even though he¡¯d extended his hand beforehand. ¡°There are many people who would act against Raon even if we don¡¯t do anything. The Light Wind division has made far too many enemies.¡± ¡°The Five Demons?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s gotten lots of hatred from the people inside the house, but the biggest hatredes from the Five Demons. Four out of the Five are targeting his life, after all.¡± Eden, the White Blood Religion, the South-North Union, and even the ck Tower. One would need to run away for the rest of their life if they made enemies with one of them, yet Raon had made trouble with four. That¡¯s why he was as good as dead. ¡°B-but calling them would be¡­¡± Balder swallowed nervously because he felt ufortable about calling the Five Demons as a Zieghart. ¡°I never said that I would call them.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why would I evermunicate with people like the Five Demons? All we need to do is to spread a little bit of information about Raon¡¯s location, how powerful he is, and what he¡¯s learned.¡± A frightening smile appeared on Karoon¡¯s face as he said that someone might overhear their conversation, and it wouldn¡¯t be their fault. ¡°Ah!¡± Balder finally realized Karoon¡¯s n and snapped his fingers. ¡°But it¡¯s difficult to obtain information about him. He¡¯s always inside the fifth training ground and the annex building.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Karoon¡¯s eyes sparkled in a deadly light as he raised his ss containing yellow liquor. ¡°It¡¯s time to take out the spike I¡¯ve hammered a long time ago.¡± * * * Raon was sitting at a table in the garden with the Sword Demon. The lively and warm atmosphere in the garden revealed how carefully Sylvia and the maids had been tending to it. ¡°Thank you for waiting.¡± Sylvia walked inside the garden while personally carrying the tea and snacks. ¡°Let me do it.¡± Raon took Sylvia¡¯s tray and ced the tea and the snacks on the table. ¡°I feel better just from looking at this garden.¡± The Sword Demon nodded while looking around the garden. His eyes revealed a small amount of awe, showing that it wasn¡¯t ttery. ¡°It¡¯s because we tend it together.¡± A faint smile appeared on Sylvia¡¯s face. She seemed to be happy that the Sword Demonplimented her. However, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the Sword Demon. It was to the point where she looked strange. A moment of silence followed after they drank their respective teas, then Sylvia¡¯s gaze moved upwards. ¡°What do you want to ask me? I¡¯m not sure I know anything that Sir Rector would be curious about.¡± She briefly licked her lips, saying that she couldn¡¯t guess what he was about to ask. ¡°Only Lady Sylvia is capable of answering this question.¡± The Sword Demon¡¯s eyes became serious as he looked at Raon, who was reluctantly biting into a snack because Wrath kept urging him. ¡°I was impressed in various ways after watching the swordsman Raon.¡± ¡°Impressed?¡± As soon as Raon¡¯s name was mentioned, Sylvia leaned towards the table. ¡°Indeed. Young warriors can be powerful, but they usuallyck either willpower or personality. And yet, this young man wasn¡¯tcking in any of those aspects.¡± The Sword Demon repeated what he¡¯d said to Glenn. The way he smoothly continued with the praise sounded like he¡¯d prepared them in advance. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I-is that so?¡± Raon scratched his head in embarrassment, but Sylvia¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°I¡¯m well aware of it because I¡¯m raising a disciple myself. It¡¯s extremely painful and difficult to raise a child to have an upright personality and might at the same time.¡± The Sword Demon quietly sighed while looking at Mustan, who was watching theke with Yua. ¡°That¡¯s why I came to see Lady Sylvia. I wanted to know how you raised the swordsman Raon.¡± The Sword Demon lowered his head to Sylvia as he made that request. ¡°Oh no! Please don¡¯t do this!¡± Sylvia stood up from her seat and shook her hand. She forced the Sword Demon to stand before returning to her seat. ¡°Even though you are asking, Raon honestly grew up on his own.¡± ¡°I heard the same from the Light Wind squad leader.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s true. He always found what to do by himself, except for the sickness he had when he was a child.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon tightly sealed his lips. He even averted his gaze because he felt guilty that Sylvia had the impression that she was raising an adult instead of a child. ¡°What do you mean that he was sick?¡± ¡°He had a condition called the Curse of Frost when he was small. He has recovered perfectly now though.¡± Sylvia told him about the Curse of Frost that Raon was affected by during his childhood. ¡°Curse of Frost¡­¡± The Sword Demon lowered his head, and his shoulders trembled faintly. ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, can you tell me about how the swordsman Raon has grown up?¡± ¡°dly! I can tell you as much as you want!¡± Sylvia smiled brightly as she nodded. Her mouth was apparently itching to talk all along. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave and res¡ª¡± ¡°You won¡¯t!¡± Raon tried to run away before it got too embarrassing, but Sylvia caught his arm and didn¡¯t let him go. ¡°You can¡¯t run away in front of a guest! Spend some time with your mom since it¡¯s been a while!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start with when he was a baby. He didn¡¯t even cry when he was born¡­¡± She smiled cheerfully with her arms crossed and started to talk about the past. The King of Essence was also curious about it! Wrath also went to the table andid down while supporting his chin on his hands. He wants to know what could¡¯ve happened to turn a human being into a fiend! He mored that he was definitely going to find his weakness by listening to the story. ¡°I even felt like Raon was ying with me rather than I was ying with him because of how mature he was.¡± ¡°Huh, so he¡¯s been different ever since his childhood.¡± That¡¯s understandable. He won against the King of Essence when he was a child! It should¡¯ve been impossible for the conversation between the two and the demon king to take ce, but it still worked out somehow. Raon sighed while hanging his head. ¡®I want to rest. I¡¯m desperate for some rest right now.¡¯ * * * Probably because it was a meeting between a mother who wanted to brag about her son and a master who wanted to guide his disciple to the right path, the conversation between Sylvia and the Sword Demon continued until evening. The Sword Demon was especially enthusiastic because he either agreed or smiled as he listened to Raon¡¯s story of growth instead of getting bored. He was so passionate about it that Raon felt embarrassed just from watching him. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how he came to be the way he is now.¡± Sylvia smiled and brushed Raon¡¯s hair back. ¡°He looked cold-hearted, but he can now take care of people. I was the most worried about that part, but I¡¯m d that he learned it by himself.¡± Sylvia smiled brightly while saying that the righteous spirit he¡¯d gained made her the happiest even though she wasn¡¯t sure how that happened. ¡°Of course you should know.¡± Raon sighed and shook his head. ¡°I changed because of what you told me.¡± ¡°I did?¡± Sylvia tilted her head, wondering what Raon was talking about. ¡°You told me that you wanted me to be a warrior who wields his sword like the Zieghart swordsmen in the past and my father. You also told me to be a swordsman who feels like a human.¡± Raon repeated what she¡¯d told him in the past, back when she used to be taller than him. ¡®Yes, it was because of what she said.¡¯ The reason he became the way he was, and the Light Wind division became the way they were, was all because of that line she¡¯d spoken. Thanks to her sincere words, Raon managed to be Raon Zieghart, the human, instead of an abandoned hunting dog. ¡°That¡¯s a nice thing to say.¡± The Sword Demon slowly nodded, his gaze fixated on Sylvia. ¡°Ah, I-I did say that.¡± Sylvia¡¯s face became flushed in embarrassment as theyplimented her. It was a mystery to Raon that she was perfectly fine with talking about another person all day long, but she ended up like that from a single bit of praise. ¡°Actually, your mom didn¡¯te up with that on her own. I learned it from your father.¡± She smiled, saying that Raon¡¯s father had taught her what it meant to be a swordsman who felt like a human. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Sword Demon bit his lip and leaned forward as soon as he heard the mention of Raon¡¯s father. ¡°I heard that your husband perished. Can I learn what kind of person he was?¡± The way he swallowed looked extremely nervous. ¡°It won¡¯t be a fun story. He was a righteous man without any other qualities, and he wasn¡¯t a famous warrior either.¡± Sylvia shook her head, saying that it would be a boring story. ¡°That¡¯s okay. There aren¡¯t many swordsmen in the world who think that way.¡± Raon noticed an extremely faint shaking in the Sword Demon¡¯s voice, simr to the harp string yed with a pinky finger. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sylvia stared at the Sword Demon¡¯s face for a while before she nodded. ¡°I understand. Then¡­¡± As soon as she mentioned his father¡¯s name, the Sword Demon¡¯s pupils froze in the darkness. Chapter 431 Chapter 431 His name was Edgar. Sylvia voiced Edgars name for the first time in a long time while looking into the Sword Demons eyeseyes that looked simr to her husbands for some reason. H-he was She thought she would be fine with how much time had passed, but her heart ached as if a sharp spike had pierced it as soon as she mentioned his name. She felt her nose burning, and she was about to get teary before she knew it, but Raon quietly grabbed her hand. She slowly calmed upon feeling her sons warm, calloused hand. We first met inside a Cameloon pub. I was in my worst condition because of endless missions. Sylvia closed her eyes and remembered the past. Those were boring and painful days. His father wasnt interested in her at all as he repeated training and wars one after the other, her siblings ignored her as if she didnt exist while the executives kept trying to find a way to take advantage of her. That was why she traveled outside the house and only carried out the missions she was given. She wanted to give up because of how painful it was, and that was when she met him. I was drinking on my own on the second floor while hiding my identity, but a fight broke out on the first floor. I didnt pay any attention because it was a fight between drunkards that could happen anywhere. She didnt do anything even though she saw that the fight was making a huge mess. She was mentally exhausted and had convinced herself that they would stop before it got too serious, and she simply kept drinking. However, both of the drunkards were apparently sessors from influential martial houses. The fight between individuals expanded into a war between groups, and the entire pub turned into a battlefield. I was about to leave because it looked annoying when a man interfered with the fight. Sylvia narrowed her eyes and stared at the Sword Demons face. He neutralized the warriors from both sides with a single sword in his hand. He defeated them with nothing but swordsmanship, without any pressure nor aura. Nothing but swordsmanship Do you know what was even funnier about that? After defeating them, that idiot made them sit down and started preaching at them. He bbered on for a long time about how they were troubling the manager by fighting inside the pub, how terrified the citizens were, and that their swords should be used for a different purpose. The Sword Demon lowered his gaze with a serious look on his face and stared at the shaking surface of his tea. It was definitely pointless to do so, but he preached at them with such a serious face. I was about to return while thinking that he was an idiot, but the warrior who was the first to faint was trying to stab him in the back. Shed thought that he would notice with his aura perception because his swordsmanship was as good as hers, but he unexpectedly wasnt aware of the movement behind him at all. She contemted whether she should leave them alone since it was none of her business, but she unconsciously threw her fork on the table to pierce the attackers shoulder. She probably did that because she found him interesting. That was when I met his eyes for the first time. His eyes were as sharp as a de, but I could feel the warmth from his blue eyes. He didnt even kill the one who tried to stab him from the back, he preached at him instead beforeing to the second floor. He bowed to me, thanked me for saving him, and told me that he would repay the favor no matter what. I told him that I didnt need his gratitude but wanted to ask a question. The first question she asked was why hed preached at them. She was curious about the reason because it was clearly pointless to do so. He was also aware that it was pointless against most people. However, he said that his words would be helpful to them if even a single person among them was willing to turn over a new leaf. He said that it was also how he learned it himself Sylvia smiled while reminiscing about the first time shed seen Edgars smile. As a second question, I asked him why his aura was so weak despite his excellent swordsmanship, and he simply responded that it just ended up that way with a bright expression on his face. She told them stories about what happened with Edgar one after the other while looking at the Sword Demonsplexion turning darker and darker. * * * In short, Edgar was the type of person who loves to act up despite being a weakling. He meddled with everything as if he were a master. However, I have never seen anyone with that personality in Zieghart, or I should say, anywhere in the world. I was unconsciously attracted to him. I see. The Sword Demon Rector smiled faintly while listening to Sylvia. However, his mind was turning into ash that seemed to scatter into pieces. You never changed, Edgar. His foolish son didnt change his name even after he left the Alliance. He kept using his name despite how much he hated his father and the Alliance, which made him think that he was exactly the son he knew. Same goes for how you kept that frustrating personality of yours. Unlike the warriors of the Alliance, Edgar had a good-natured and righteous personality. He wouldve be famous as a chivalrous warrior if he belonged to a normal faction. However He couldnt live like that. People sometimes have to do what they dont want to, but Edgar was an excessive case. He never managed to understand how they could kill or save people for their benefit without any grudge. It was pretty much the same as forcing a sword onto a child who shouldve been holding a pen, and Rector was heartbroken every time he saw him. Since it was practically impossible for Edgar to leave the Alliance, he tried various methods in order to change him, but he remained firm to his convictionsprobably because of what his mother had taught him. And you ended up leaving the Alliance on your own. While Rector went outside to deal with the request of the Alliances head, Edgar passed the heads trial and left the Alliance with his own abilities. He waspetent enough to try bing the next union head, yet he ended up leaving the union with an injury that could never be recovered. Rector finally regretted that he hadnt understood his son faster and deeper. You are such a bad son He remembered thest letter his son had left behind at the corner of the room by the time he returned from the union heads request. [I want to be someone that me and my family wont be embarrassed about. Please understand me, father.] Edgar left the Alliance while leaving behind a short letter that expressed his sincere feelings. Rector had thought that not looking for his son was thest kindness he could have offered his son, yet he ended up encountering the people hed left behind. He was always happy no matter what he did. Even in poverty and difficult situations, he always smiled. His eyes looked a bit scary, but he was as bright as the sun. Sylvia smiled gently while looking at the tree in the garden shaking to the wind. I changed a lot thanks to him. I used to be cold-hearted and didnt know any kindness because I was raised in Zieghart, but I finally understood what being human was all about thanks to him. Her eyes deepened. She seemed to be thinking about the days she spent with Edgar. The reason I told Raon to wield his sword for the sake of the people was because of Edgar. I wanted him to be a person who could wield the sword for the sake of the world with a happy smile on his face, just like my husband. Hmm, Im not sure about the second wish, but I think my first wish was granted. Sylvia touched Raons cheek while murmuring that she wanted him to smile a bit more. Its true. The swordsman Raons righteous heart is well known throughout the continent. The Sword Demon agreed with Sylvia, his fingers trembling. Edgar, youve achieved what youve wanted. This ce reflects your life. When Raon had told him that his father had died, Rector had thought that Edgar had died in vain. He thought hed injured himself and died like an idiot when he couldve been called the Sword King once the closure ended if hed stayed with the Alliance. But that wasnt the case. His sons will still remained and stayed with the two people in front of him. Just like the name Edgars meaning, which signified creating happiness, his happiness remained in that ce. Hmm He bit his lip tightly because his nose was stinging and his eyes were hurting. He felt like tears were about to fall if he didnt use his aura to suppress his emotions. The Sword Demon clenched his hand under the table while watching Sylvia, who was telling him about how happy her life was when she was with Edgar. Her life mustve been difficult. She purposefully didnt talk about her life in Zieghart, but she mustve had a difficult life. Since he was well aware of how people ended up once they left a house of warriors, he could feel the pain in his heart. Once we left Zieghart, we settled inside a small vige northeast of here. We didnt have to worry about our livelihood because the vigers were kind and there was a mountain and a river nearby. However Sylvias bright voice turned heavy and quiet. Eden''s demons recognized my face and attacked us She bit her lip to the point of bleeding as she said that the first daughter born between her and Edgar was lost because of Eden. D-daughter? Raon wasnt the only child? The Sword Demon was too surprised by the fact that they had a daughter and called Raon by his name. Yes. He had an older sister with a small difference in age. However, because of Eden, she and my husband were both She couldnt finish her sentence and closed her eyes tightly. The tears shed been suppressing flowed down from her eyes and drew a thin line. Creak. The Sword Demon bit his tongue and clenched his fist. He inflicted pain on himself to force himself to suppress his power because he felt like his energy was about to explode if he didnt force it. I even had a granddaughter? His chin trembled violently as he looked at Raon. His heart tightened to the point of bursting upon realizing that he even had a granddaughter on top of a daughter-inw and a grandson. I shouldve looked for him earlier! No, not visiting him mightve been the better choice, but I shouldve looked into him at least. He thoroughly regretted it. The fact hed lost his son and even his granddaughter as he kept doing everything wrong was so painful that he felt like his heart was tearing apart. Can you tell me which member of Eden attacked you? It was the Twin-Headed Demon. The Twin-Headed Demon was a monster whod inherited the power of Ettin, who was a monster of the highest rank. However, his strength didnt even matter. The fact that hed killed his son and the granddaughter who hed never even seen enraged him. I see. The Sword Demon forcibly suppressed his emotions and nodded. Thank you for telling me such a painful story. He politely lowered his head at Sylvia. Erm Sylvia put down the teacup she held with her fingertips and swallowed nervously. Sir Rector, do you know Edgar by any chance? His heart throbbed violently upon hearing that. It wasnt just Sylvia. Even Raon seemed to have noticed something and was staring at him. Their gazes seemed to be certain about something. Thats understandable. Since Edgar was his son, their faces looked simr, especially their eyes. It wasnt that strange that they would notice since hed also noticed his sons face in Raons shy appearance. He wanted to disclose the truth. He wanted to shout that he wasnt a simple acquaintance, but he was their father-inw and grandfather. However I cant do that right now. He was affiliated with a faction that was bound to be Ziegharts enemy. He couldnt reveal his identity unless he finished that matter from there. He couldnt leave another scar on the people who were already living with one. Thats not the case. The Sword Demon swallowed the word yet and shook his head. I-I see. Sylvia smiled awkwardly with an extremely disappointed expression on her face. Im sorry for disappointing you. The Sword Demon pressed his hand with his fingernail and closed his eyes. Not at all! I also feel better after telling those old stories that I couldnt tell anyone. Im d to hear that. The Sword Demon closed his mouth tightly while looking at Sylvia and Raons smiles. This foolish grandfather of yours is going to protect you from now on. * * * * * * The guards that my father had sent fortunately arrived in time and we managed to survive. I returned to Zieghart after that and have been raising Raon. A sentimental smile appeared on her face as she brushed Raons hair back. It mustve been difficult The Sword Demon lowered his eyebrows. He seemed to understand how her life wouldve been in Zieghart. Its okay. He helped us out a lot when I think about it now. He helped? Yes. He sent us to this annex building so that we wouldnt encounter my other siblings and the executives. I thought at first that he didnt acknowledge me, but that wasnt really the case. I think my father was being considerate in his own way. Sylvia smiled, saying that Glenn used his authority to allow her to lead afortable life in the annex building. That does seem to be the case. The Sword Demon nodded in agreement. Raon also nodded while looking at Sylvias faint smile. Thats true. Hed previously thought that Glenn was showing his consideration despite how cold-hearted he was when hed heard that Sylvia was sent to the annex building after she returned to the house with her previous maids. Hes certainly different from how he looks. The fact that he rewarded ordingly regardless of the recipient being a member of a direct line, coteral, or someone from the outside, and the fact that he personally made a move if the name of the house was stained both implied that the warrior called Glenn Zieghart was a thoughtful man despite his cold-hearted appearance. Raon gathered his hands while looking at the Sword Demon, who kept listening to Sylvia attentively for hours. He was pretending that he had hisposure, but he couldnt hide the slight trembling in his eyes. Is that regret? He wasnt too sure because human emotions were tooplicated for him, but he felt like he saw regret in his eyes. Oh, by the way, you became a division, right? The Light Wind division! Sylvia looked like shed suddenly remembered as she pped her hands and turned her head. We are now the Light Wind division. I wanted it to be the Mad Dog division though. Thats such a degrading name She murmured that the name should never be used with a trembling chin. Anyway, you managed to be a division! Lets hold a party to celebrate! Lets call your division leader too Ah, he cante right now. Huh? Why? I think he wont be able to move for a while. Or Raon shook his head while murmuring that he might be already dead. Th-then we should do it between us. Lets hold it in two days, since we need some preparations. Please join us, Sir Rector. I havent done anything though You can celebrate us as a guest! Hmm, sure. Thank you! Sylvia nodded at him and went to the annex building while saying that she needed to notify the maids. Raon narrowed his eyes while probing the Sword Demons eyes, which were staring at Sylvias back. He said he wasnt rted to my father Sylvia was convinced when she asked him whether he was rted to his father, but he responded with a no. I also heard it before. It was slightly different though. Hed asked the same question in Habun Castle, and the Sword Demon had responded with a negation. However, hed added another word after it. He said yet. Not knowing an already dead person yet was such an awkward thing to say. The Sword Demon knows my father. Im sure about it. Moreover, he was rather close. The Sword Demon seemed to not realize what expression he was making, but it was in to see when he saw him from the side. He was definitely rted to his father. Raon licked his lips, while looking at the Sword Demon pick up the empty teacup. Hes either indebted to my father, or Chapter 432 Chapter 432 After the conversation was over, Raon guided Rector and Mustan to the guest room in the annex building. Thank you. Rector slowly nodded while thanking him for their warm treatment of an uninvited guest who didnt even bring any gift. I have received a lot more from you. Rector had caught House Ariannes runaway executives and taught him swordsmanship with his best efforts. Even though he said that he didnt give anything, Raon had received priceless treasures from him. The most helpful part was the spar. He managed to survive Envys attack thanks to the enlightenment hed gotten from Rectors murderous strike. He couldve be a corpse at Stallin Mountain if that hadnt happened. Please dont say that. Youve truly helped me a lot. And Raon continued while looking into Rectors eyes, which seemed frustrated for some reason. Please speak to me more casually. Weve travelled together for a while already, and its inconvenient to help my training like that. Hmm Rectors lips trembled faintly. He seemed to be contemting it with various thoughts in his mind. That should be the correct course of action. Alright. He nodded while saying that he would speak casually in the future. That finally puts me at ease. Thank you. Raon smiled faintly and clenched his lowered hand into a fist. Im still not sure what I should do. Since he couldnt feel any malice from Rector, he couldnt tell whether he should investigate him or wait until he told him on his own. He wouldve investigated by any means if he showed hostile emotions like Mustan, but he could only feel the bitterness and regret from Rector, which made him unable to decide. Have a good rest. Wait. He sighed in his mind and was about to leave, but Rector raised his hand. I know you find it strange. Id like you to wait, as Ill be able to tell you everything soon enough. Composure was shining from Rectors eyesas if he was telling him that he knew what he was thinking. I still remember that you said yet in the past. Ill be waiting until you are ready. He figured that an ordinary person without an assassins memory would say that, so he used that as an excuse. Rector stared at him quietly before he nodded. Thank you. Ill be taking my leave. One more thing. As Raon was about to close the door, Rector extended his arm outside. Are you nning to train tomorrow again? Im going to do my daybreak training in the training ground since theres no reason to rest. Theres no reason to rest, huh? I see. Rector slowly nodded and returned to his room. Raon closed his eyes while standing in front of Rectors room. I didnt expect him to tell me before I asked, but my guess was right. It became as clear as the sky. Rector was unable to say it for some reason, but he was definitely rted to his dead father. Raon organized the information about Rector in his head on his way back to his room. The room was exactly the same as before hed left, probably because the maids had been cleaning it the whole time. Haa Raon sighed and took off the ck Dragon Coat. He could understand why people said home sweet home. He felt at ease just from being in his room. They talked so damn much! Wrath frowned, saying that they were talking way too much. Human mouths are so light, just like how weak they are. Even in Devildom, the King of Essence has always been famous for being reticent and having a mouth as close as an oyster. He never even opened his mouth unless it was absolutely necessary. Thats why he was also called the demon king of silence. The reason the other demon kings fear the King of Essence Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Wrath, who was barraging him with words. He couldnt understand how he even called himself the demon king of silence when he was just talking endlessly. Werent they calling you the demon king of silence because they wanted to shut your mouth for a second? Not at all! Wrath scowled, scoffing it off as if it was nonsense. It must be true, considering how agitated you are. Its not true! The King of Essence is the heaviest demon king in Devildom Are you sure you werent called heaviest because you ate too much? Argh! You arrogant bastard Raon heard three knocks as he was making fun of Wrath while poking his reddened face. It was Judiels signal. Enter. The door opened smoothly as soon as he spoke, and Judiel entered the room. Greetings. Its been a while. Judiel went on her knees and lowered her head. It was a submissive greeting to her master instead of as a maid. I told you that you dont need to do that. Im doing it because I want to. Raon shook his hand, but she told him to not mind her because she did it of her own free will. Are you doing well? Yes. The annex building feels like my home now. Judiel nonchntly dered and nodded. Home Raon smiled faintly while looking at Judiels peaceful face. He felt at ease because she seemed to have taken a liking to the annex building even though she used to be unable to find a ce where she belongedjust like himself in his previous life. Did anything special happen? Not really, so far. Its going to happen in the future. What do you mean? Judiel tilted her head, asking what he meant. The head of house and Sir Rector keptplimenting me in the audience chamber. Thats understandable since you defeated the Specter from Eden. She nodded, saying that it was only natural. Yes. Its understandable. I even got a golden tablet. Raon took out the golden tablet that Glenn had given him. It felt slightly heavier than the previous golden tablet for some strange reason. However, there were two people who shouldnt have remained silent, but they were. Are you talking about the Central Martial Pce master and the True Martial Pce master? Judiel understood his meaning at once and mentioned Karoon and Balder. That was the reason why Raon liked to talk to Judiel. In the past, Karoon and Balder wouldve immediately argued that a golden tablet was too much of a reward, but they remained silent. They shouldve argued because they had nothing to lose by saying that Glenn should give Raon a silver tablet instead of a golden tablet, yet they remained silent and even kept the other direct lines quiet. You should know better than me, but they would never do that. Having the direct lines influence reduced was the thing they hated the most, and that was why they shouldve tried to stop what happened. Considering the fact that they remained silent, they mustve been plotting something. Which means hes probably going to contact me. Judiels eyes became serious as she thought about what would happen afterward. Yes. Hes going to order you to gather the recent information about me. What kind of martial art hed recently learned, what realm he was in, how he liked to attack. He would obviously want detailed information like that. In that case, Ill get some fake information prepared. Judiel gathered her hands, saying that she would add 30% of truth and 70% of fake information to deceive them. Please do so. Raon nodded in satisfaction and raised his gaze. Ah, did you hear about the Five Divine Orders by any chance? So you knew about them. Judiels eyes were telling him that she found it unexpected that he knew. No, I didnt know about them, but the head of house told us. The Five Divine Orders are five groups that are recently prevailing in the continent. Judiel nodded and slightly raised her eyes. Do you remember the pirate king that I spoke about before you left for Arianne? Pirate king Of course he remembered. Because they were calling themselves a king despite being a pirate. Are you saying this because he is one of the leaders of the Five Divine Orders? Yes. The Pirate King, the Queen of Swords, the Demonde, the Demon ying Spear, and the Thespian Emperor. Those five have created those natural factions that dont belong to the Six Kings or the Five Demons. All of them are extremely powerful, and their subordinates are as numerous and powerful as the Six Kings and the Five Demons. Thats why the entire continent is making a fuss about them. Judiel pursed her lips tightly, saying that the Five Divine Orders mustve prepared for a long time in the shadows. Even the Six Kings and the Five Demons wont be able to rashly make a move against them. Indeed. They are also dominating an area at the border between the Six Kings and the Five Demons. It should be difficult for either of them to make a move against them. I guess so. It would be a catastrophe if the Five Demons attacked in the middle of a war against the Five Divine Orders. Even the Six Kings would need arge number of troops to fight people with such powerful nicknames. That was why the possibility of interference from the Five Demons would prevent them from making any move. You are as quick to understand as always. Judiels eyes widened as she said that she found it amazing how he immediately understood their movements and intentions after he heard about the Five Divine Orders for the first time. Because its not that hard. Anyway, the continents situation will be moreplicated. Raon closed his eyes while memorizing the names of the Five Divine Orders leaders. He said it was a turbulent period That might be the correct description. He had the feeling that a turbulent period was about to arrive, just as Glenn said. Haa Raon sighed quietly and clenched his fist. I want you to investigate a certain person. Im listening. Judiel nodded, showing that she was ready. The Twin-Headed Demon from Eden. Please investigate everything about his past and his recent actions. You can even use the ck Markets information. Whats up with the Twin-Headed Demon? I have something I need to do. Raon closed his eyes before opening them again. The aura radiating from his eyes looked like a raging fire. I dont even know the faces of my father and my older sister, but I shall avenge them. * * * * * * Glenn beat Rimmer up to the brink of death before returning to the audience chamber and sitting on his throne. Hmm He frowned quietly while looking at the destroyed armrest of the throne. Huhuhu. Roenn casuallyughed while looking at the furrow created on Glenns brow. You seemed to have lots of worries. Im not worried about anything. Glenn snorted as if it wasnt a big deal, but he lowered his gaze towards Roenn soon enough, showing that he had a lot in his mind. What did you think about the man called the Sword Demon? I couldnt feel any malice from him towards Zieghart, and his personality seemed even more remarkable than the rumors. Roenn smiled faintly while thinking about the Sword Demon hed seen for the first time. I see Glenn nodded without denying it, probably because he had the same impression. He seemed to have gotten close to the Light Wind division while teaching them swordsmanship, and he seemed especially close to the young master Raon. Roenn casually spoke without putting much thought into it, and Glenn unconsciously clenched his left hand. Crack. The left armrest, which had barely survived, crumbled into pieces. Huhuhu. Roenn smiled faintly while murmuring that he needed to repair it again. Th-they looked close, you say? Glenn didnt even pay attention to the destroyed armrest and bit his lip tightly while looking out the window. And they should actually be close. They mustve spent a lot of time together during swordsmanship lessons. Roenn spouted another line that would irritate Glenn, pretending he wasnt aware of Glenns expression. I can understand why the Light Wind division leader said that he looked like a real grandfather. Nonsense! Glenn furrowed his brow and briskly stood up. You cant be a grandfather that easily! Blood! He needs to be connected by blood to call himself a real grandfather! He clenched his teeth, saying that he couldnt ovee the hurdle of bloodline no matter how much time he spent with him and how close hes gotten. What are you even saying? Rimmer raised his trembling head from the corner, his body scorched ck. N-no one is going to help you if you end up losing your grandson to him while saying that. He poked his tongue out to make fun of Glenn while looking up at the throne. Youll stay in a cave forever and die from old age before you can have a drink with Raon. How dare you Veins violently bulged on Glenns forehead. He snapped his fingers and lightning rained down from the air, striking Rimmers head. Kueeh! Rimmer copsed while screaming like a dying pig. ck smoke was rising from his head. Ugh! Glenn scowled while looking at the copsed Rimmer, who was foaming at the mouth. Its frustrating to admit, its really frustrating, but He isnt wrong. There were countless cases where people didnt get along with their family and other rtionships became more important. Just as Rimmer and Roenn had said, nothing was stopping Raon and the Sword Demon from getting as close as a grandfather and a grandson. That was why he felt even more frustrated. The only relief I have isthe fact that I didnt give Raon the other reward yet. He was originally nning to give Raon a book of martial arts just like the other Light Wind divisions swordsmen, but he changed his mind upon seeing the Sword Demons eyes and decided to personally teach him. This is the only way, after all. Just like how the Sword Demon got close to Raon while helping him with sword training, he also had to get closer to his grandson the same way. Roenn, Ill go to the fifth training ground at daybreak tomorrow. Glenn told Roenn to cancel his schedule the next day and sat on the throne. Ill personally teach you. Since Raon contributed the most in saving House Arianne and defeating the Specter, it wasnt strange at all even if he taught him the martial art personally. Just you wait. Ill teach you better than some Sword Demon. Glenn resolved himself while destroying the remaining right armrest, and Rimmer blinked his eyes with ck smoke emerging from his mouth. Why did you even attack me? Huhuhu. * * * The next day at daybreak, Raon passed through the dark garden of the annex building and went to the fifth training ground. The cold air flowed into his lungs, easing the drowsiness of daybreak. Argh! Wrath scowled while climbing on the bracelet. Are you really doing daybreak training again as soon as you return? You are seriously so persistent. You should be used to it by now. He bets you dont feel sleepy, but the King of Essence does! Why wont you ever rest?! He screamed, asking why he wasnt changing even though hed gained more points of sloth. Ive changed. Its not as easy as before to wake up from sleep because of sloth. Theziness inside him had increased after he gained more sloth. He clearly wanted to keep sleeping a lot more than before. Well, its not that hard to ovee, at least. Since he had the memories of his previous life where hed been an assassin his entire life, he could easily ovee the sloth he had without even using the Ring of Fire. Hes getting seriously sick of this. Both you and that training ground! Wrath returned to the bracelet, saying that he was going to sleep a bit longer. It feels nostalgic for me though. Raon chuckled and stepped on the fine sand of the empty training ground. The training ground was neatly cleaned up even though no one had used it for a while. The Gambling Monster mustve been taking care of it while the Light Wind division was gone. He always does everything he can for us despite saying that he cant be bothered. He started to warm himself up while thinking that he was such a nice general administrator. Lets get started. Starting with basic swordsmanshipinvolving horizontal sh, vertical sh, diagonal sh, and stephe also practiced the Fangs of Insanity and Blizzard SwordArt that had improved thanks to the Sword Demons advice before lowering Heavenly Drive. The mist was gone before he knew it because he was too focused on his swings and dim sunlight was shining down on him. I feel so much at ease in this ce. Probably because hed been training there ever since childhood, it felt a lot better than practicing swordsmanship outside. Even his swings felt more energetic. Now, lets practice the parts I need to improve Raon incorporated the principles of severing sword, which he hadnt mastered yet, inside the Fangs of Insanitys technique. It looked shy and systematic on the outside, but it wasnt connecting naturally at all, unlike the previous swings. I have a long way to go. Heughed bitterly and was about to practice the Fangs of Insanity once again. Whoosh! Along with a powerful gust of wind, he could hear the sound of clothes brushing past the training grounds walls from the left and right. You arent supposed to use a sword like that A sword shouldnt be used like that The two people jumped over the walls and came to a halt while saying a simr line. Hmm? Ah. Glenn and Rector were there. They furrowed their brows while looking at each other. Huh? Raons jaw dropped as he looked at Glenn and Rector, who were ring at each other from the edges of the training ground. What are they doing now? Chapter 433 Chapter 433 Raon swallowed nervously as he watched Glenn and Rector, who crossed the walls from right and left respectively. Whats happening right now? Their surprised, round eyes suggested that they probably either didnt notice each others presence or didnt expect them to appear at the exact same time to say something simr. What are you doing right now? Raon called out to Glenn and Rector, who was standing there awkwardly, but they didnt even look at him. Glenn was ring at Rector with a displeased expression on his face while Rector was meeting Glenns eyes with a furrowed brow. My lord, Sir Rector! Raon shouted their names, and they looked at him at the same time. Hmm, I came to see you because you told me that you would do a daybreak training today. I was curious as to what kind of training you were going to do, and we made a promise, after all. Rector was the first one to approach him. He said that he came to help with his training with serious eyes. I see. Raon nodded after listening to Rectors exnation. He did indeed say that. Rector had told him that he wanted to help his sword practice on the way to the annex building, and he also asked about the daybreak training when Raon was guiding him to his room. It was totally understandable that he was there. My lord. Raon murmured that it was understandable and looked to his right. Why did youe here, my lord? He was slightly anxious because he couldnt guess why Glenn was there at all, unlike Rector. Ahem. Glenn cleared his throat and swept his disheveled hair up. His eyes used to reveal his panic but had frozen like the northern wind. I told you before that I had another reward for you. Ah Im going to personally teach you instead of giving you a book of martial arts. He dered that he was going to personally teach him since a vivid disy of the sword was the befitting reward for a golden tablet rather than a book of martial arts. Err Raon swallowed nervously while looking back and forth between Glenn and Rector. Whats happening right now? Am I dreaming? His sense of reality was fading away because the two swordsmen who were unmatched within the continent came to see him at the same time to teach him the way of the sword. So, you both came to the fifth training ground so early in the morning in order to teach me swordsmanship, right? Yes. Indeed. Rector and Glenn nodded at the same time. However, they were ring at each other instead of looking at the person they came to teach. Its so cold. He shouldve felt hot because hed been swinging a sword until a moment ago, but coldness was welling up all around his body as if he were inside the northern sea because of the cold atmosphere created by Glenn and Rector. Raon bit his lip while looking at the space that felt like sparks were appearing from the sh. What am I supposed to do? If Glenn and Rector came to teach him one after the other, it wouldve been a great opportunity for him. However, it was difficult to deal with because they came at the same time. He couldnt think straight anymore and was unsure of what to do. * * * After a short moment of silence, Glenn was the first one to act. Sir Rector. Glenn raised his chin with his hands sped behind his back. He is a swordsman of Zieghart. Receiving my teaching seems to be the correct course of action. He lowered the corners of his lips heavily while emphasizing the fact that he was the head of house and Raon was a member, which was the most important rtionship. That is true. Rector slowly nodded. Raon thought he would yield, but he smiled faintly without even taking a single step back. However, I made the promise with Raon first. It was yesterday. I told him that I would help him with his sword practice for a while. The same goes for this training. He had indeed said that he would help with the training, but hed never said anything about the daybreak training. He even added something hed never said to im that he had priority. Since even his teacher, the Sword of Light, gave his permission, the one who promised first would have the priority, dont you think? Hmm Rector calmly voiced out the reason why he had the priority even though he was panicking. Raon could see that Glenn was clenching his fist when Rimmers name was mentioned. Even if you were the first to promise, Raon is a member of Zieghart. The matter of the house should always take priority. Glenn bit his lip slightly. He seemed to think that he couldnt surrender. That depends on the case. Raon is on vacation right now. Rector didnt lose either and kept arguing until the end. They were shooting their frightening res at each other, iming that they would be the one to teach Raon without yielding in the slightest. This is endless. Indeed. Since it hase to this Glenn and Rector continued their frightening argument behind the guise ofposure before they looked at Raon instead. We should ask Raon himself. Yes, we should. The ferocious eyes that used to re at each other were directed at Raon at the same time. What do you want to do? Hmm Raon grasped his wrist upon facing the sparks shing from Glenn and Rectors eyes. What a tremendous pressure. Even though they werent releasing any aura or pressure at all, Raon was still feeling a tremendous amount of pressure. He felt like his heart was going to shatter into pieces just from their gazes. What should I do? Since they were both priceless martial arts, he didnt want to miss either Glenn or Rectors teachings. He felt like his brain was trembling, but he had to figure something out no matter what. However, he had the feeling that he was bound to miss one of them no matter what he tried. No, that wasnt even the issue. They could end up fighting, and the training ground could be blown up. Ugh Raon contemted while biting his lip, and the two peoples presence gradually intensified. Umm, the King of Essence is hungry. He is going to save some forter. Wrath suddenly started talking in his sleep with his mouth protruding from the ice flower bracelet. He looked like he was eating something in his dream. He is seriously so useless Raon was about to flick Wraths mouth with his finger but stopped himself. Save some forter? Yes, theres no reason to eat everything right now. He changed his perspective and realized that theirpetition to teach him was actually a golden opportunity. Its true that I promised to train with Sir Rector, and its also true that my lord was going to give me another reward. Raon nodded and faced their gazes. His eyes werent wavering anymore. So lets do this. Hmm? Do what? They leaned forward slightly at the unexpected response. Im currently confident in the powerful sword, heavy sword, and swift sword, while Im still inexperienced in the variable sword, illusion sword, soft sword, severing sword, flexible sword, and explosive sword. Raon listed the sword principles that he was still inexperienced in while looking at the questioning eyes of the two people. You could pick three of them each and train me, then check who was the better teacher afterward. Erm Hmm? They dropped their jaws at the same time because theyd never expected that Raon would tantly suggest a teachingpetition. Hah. Glenn gasped while looking at Raon. Look at him. Regardless of his displeasure against Rector, he was curious how Raon would deal with that situationbut hed never expected them to prepare a scenario for them topete. He couldnt tell whether he should call him bold or insolent. However He had no choice but to y in his hand because there was no escape even though he knew what was happening. Hmm Rector also licked his lips while looking at Raonsposed eyes. Edgar, this is unexpecteding from your son. Unlike his son, who was purely an upright man, his grandson knew how to take advantage of the situation. He startedughing in his mind upon seeing that even Glenn was contemting it because he had no other choice despite being called the Destructive King of the North. This makes me like your son even more. He realized there was no escape from his grandsons plot and decided to thoroughly fall into the trap. Raon clenched his fist while looking at Glenn and Rectors eyes, which were embarrassed at first but became as passionate as a fire afterward. This should be the correct answer. He wasn''t too sure why they were doing it, but since they werepeting against each other, preparing a scenario where they could go all out was the correct course of action. They mustve thought that he was being insolent, but they shouldve had no other choice than to y along with it. I can control my progress during the training. He figured that he could keep having them teach him in the future by controlling his progress to prevent them from sulking. It was pretty much a never-ending supply. Do you not want to? If you dont want it, then Ill go with the other Not at all! Ill do it! Raon murmured that they should leave if they didn''t want to, and Glenn and Rector shook their heads at the same time. Ill teach you the variable sword, soft sword, and flexible sword! In that case, Ill be in charge of the illusion sword, severing sword, and explosive sword. Glenn and Rector immediately decided on what sword principles they were going to teach. Alright. Raons mouth curved into a faint smile as he looked at the two, who were eager topete. Since Im currently on vacation and I promised with the Sword Demon beforehand, Ill have him teach me until lunch and receive my lords teachings in the afternoon. He decided to train with the Sword Demon first because he didntpletely understand his personality yet, making Glenn wait because he was definitely going to reward him considering his personality. After all, he always rewarded people ordingly. That was the only way he came up with to learn swordsmanship from both of them. Huhu! Hmm The Sword Demon victoriously raised his chin while Glenn clenched his fist while frowning. They looked like the victor and the loser were decided. However, Glenn couldnt argue against him because he could somewhat understand why Raon had said that. Pleasee back after lunch, head of house. Its my turn now. The Sword Demon was also frowning, probably because he couldnt stay with Raon all day long, but simply smiled for the moment. Ill be back at noon. Glenn violently uttered as if he was grinding his teeth. At noon? Isnt that too early? Its only natural that lunch takes ce at noon. Weve always trained until 2 P.M. As for us, we always eat lunch at noon. Then you need to give him some time to eat Glenn and Rector proceeded onto round two. Raons sense of reality faded away once again as he watched the Destructive King of the North and the Sword Demon fighting over lunchtime. Raon pped his own cheek while watching their serious argument to gain one hour. Im not dreaming. Seriously, whats happening right now? * * * * * * In the end, since Glenn wanted it to be at noon while Rector wanted 2 P.M., they reached the consensus that it would be 1 P.M., and Raon could finally start his training. Weve lost a lot of time. Rector sighed and walked up to him. Lets get started right away. We are already toote. Yes. Raon nodded. He felt like hed been hallucinating because of howposed Rector was once again. Variable sword, soft sword, flexible sword, illusion sword, severing sword. and even the explosive sword. You must be trying to achieve a versatile sword higher than the others. Rector slowly nodded and continued. What is the path that you truly desire? I want to be a swordsman who wont yield to anyone. He said the exact same thing that hed told Rimmer and Sylvia at some point. Hed never changed his mind. I see. Thats why you want the versatile sword Rector smiled faintly and stopped sping his hands behind his back. For now, try using the Fangs of Insanity with nothing but the principles of the illusion sword. Understood. Raon bowed politely and drew Heavenly Drive. He removed the ferocity, speed, and power of the Fangs of Insanity and incorporated it with nothing but illusion. Heavenly Drive spread around like sunlight brushing past the window and created a dozen des that swiftly fell. Speed, power, and ferocity were gone, but the illusion looked like a flower was blooming from the sword. Raon disyed the illusory Fangs of Insanity from the beginning to the end before he lowered Heavenly Drive. Was this your first time trying to incorporate nothing but the illusion sword in the Fangs of Insanity? The Sword Demon raised his eyes while stroking his beard. Yes. Amazing. You mustve put a lot of thought into it. He praised him, saying that it was a nice change and that he felt like he saw a different illusion technique instead of the Fangs of Insanity. Let alone those weaker than you, even the warriors at the same level as you will have a hard time dealing with it. However, your goal is even higher, isnt it? Indeed. Raon nodded, saying that it was naturally true. It needs a lot of improvement in that perspective. Lets start with the first technique. Your skill was shy, but it wasnt exactly difficult to find the real sword. The most important part about an illusion sword isnt the number of illusions but how realistic they are, even if you only end up with one. Rector kindly exined in detail which parts needed improvement and when his sword wavered. He really is amazing. He was the Sword Demon for a good reason since he managed to notice which part needed to be fixed and which part needed to be improved after only seeing it once. Since we found the wrong answer, its time to find the correct answer. Try using the Fangs of Insanity again while keeping what I just told you in mind. Yes. Raon rolled his lips into a smile while thinking about Rectors sincere advice. Its going to be fun for a while. * * * Glenn looked down upon the fifth training ground while standing on a hill in North Grave Mountain. Damn it. He clenched his fist tightly while speaking insults out loud. It was rareing from him. How could this happen? He was trying to act quickly before Raon and Rector got even closer to each other, but his actions came far faster than anticipated. Was he aware of what Ive been thinking? Ever since the first time hed seen Rector, Glenn had noticed his affection and obsession towards Raon. Rector mustve noticed that the change of reward the day before was an unusual urrence and immediately tried to be his teacher. What a sly old man. He was a fast thinker and was quick to put it into action, befitting his name as the Sword Demon. Whats even worse isthat he is actually good at teaching. If he was teaching wrong or did anything strange, Glenn was going to immediately barge in and blow him up. That was what he actually wanted to do, but the Sword Demon was teaching Raon with all his heart. It was to the point where there was nothing to criticize. Haa Glenn bit his lip tightly and red at him fiercely. You want to be his grandfather? Ill never let that happen. He kept thinking about how Rimmer mentioned that Rector looked like Raons real grandfather. To be honest, he even had a nightmare the day before where Raon called Rector his grandfather instead of himself. This is no good. He figured he would need to beat Rimmer up a bit more after he returned. It was unbearable how ufortable he felt. Glenn anxiously counted the seconds on the clock and bit his lip. I cant lose this. Im the one who will raise my grandson. * * * Haa Raon sighed while lowering Heavenly Drive. This is a bit taxing. Rectors lesson was as detailed as always, but the training that was driving him to exhaustion was a lot tougher than before because of thepetition with Glenn. Raon didnt even have time to breathe as he kept practicing the parts that needed improvement, and he had to work his body and mind to the full extent. He was d and exhausted at the same time because he hadnt done such hard training for a long time. Im worried I might notst for the head of houses lesson. He was looking forward to Glenns lesson after lunch, but he was also worried at the same time. You will recover with lunch. Wrath learned about the situation when he woke up after everything was decided. He shook his head at Raon, telling him that he should stop thinking like a weakling. Pineapple Girl mustve thoroughly prepared for lunch. Hes already looking forward to it! He loudly licked his lips. He seemed to be thinking about a full meal on the table. I wonderI dont think so. A chill ran down his spine from the premonition that Wraths wish was not going toe true, but he remained silent for the moment because he would get noisy otherwise. Its still not enough. You can move even faster in your current state! Understood. When Raon was about to swing the Fangs of Insanity while following Rectors advice, an extremely powerful gaze could be felt from behind him. Ah He turned around to check, and Glenn was leaning his back towards the wall, his eyes sparking with a crimson light. He seemed to have arrived in advance to wait for his turn even though there was still some time left. Argh, we still have some more time. Keep going. Rector ordered him to keep swinging his sword since it wasnt lunchtime yet. Yes. Raon broke out in cold sweat and used the Fangs of Insanity ording to the advice hed been given. The number of illusions was decreased, but the swords dancing in the air looked as realistic as a real de. Stop right there. Raon finished the first technique, and just as he was about to move on to the second, Glenn raised his hand. Its 1 P.M. Hmm Rector frowned after checking the time. However, he couldnt argue against him because of their promise and licked his lips in regret. Head of house, its indeed 1 P.M, but Raon is going to eat lunch with m Thats unnecessary. Glenn shook his head, taking something wrapped in paper from his clothes and throwing it at Raon. Err Raon caught the thing that Glenn threw at him. The touch was familiar. Th-this scent Wraths lips trembled in anxiety as he looked at the object wrapped in paper. Dont tell me Raon unwrapped it while wrinkling his nose. His guess was right. The Nadine bread that hed been eating from time to time was inside. Theres no time for food. Ill teach you what true swordsmanship is. He waved his hand to urge Raon to wield his sword while saying that wasting time for food was a luxury for warriors. This damn geezer! Wrath barked and charged at Glenn. How dare you feed him the rubber bread. You must have a death wish! Lets fight right now! He violently swung his fist, challenging him for a one-on-one duel. Raon sighed. while looking at the Nadine bread. It was still warm, at least. I like the idea of getting stronger, butcan I really survive? Chapter 434 Chapter 434 Sir Rector, your time is over. Dont mind us. If it was about the training, sure. However, we should feed Raon a proper lunch since he didnt even have breakfast. Glenn and Rector shed once again, with Glenn trying to feed him Nadine bread and Rector wanting him to return to the annex building for lunch. He is still a child in his growth period. A child Glenn furrowed his brow, displeased by the fact that Rector was calling Raon a child. Raon is a member of Zieghart. Its up to me to take care of him. Im fully aware of that fact. However, we arent at war, and the training isnt such an urgent matter. Eating a proper lunch seems to be the correct course of action rather than the Nadine bread. Rector firmly closed his lips while looking at the Nadine bread in Raons hand. And you made him practice all along without even feeding breakfast despite knowing that fact. Glenn raised his chin and urged him to respond. Hmm, that is Rector lowered his gaze because he had no excuse for that. Anyway, Raon wouldnt be happy about Nadine bread that tastes like rubber, so please let him have his meal at least. Taste doesnt matter for warriors. He likes training more than food, so he should be d that he can save time. Glenn took out another loaf of Nadine bread from his clothes and ate it himself. Even though the nasty taste of rubber mustve been spreading throughout his mouth, his expression didnt change in the slightest. He was truly leading by example. Moreover, filling the stomach isnt the only utility of Nadine bread. It also has plenty of nutrients, and thats why its called a must-have for trainees. Sir Rector should be fully aware of that fact. Of course, Ive eaten plenty of it in the past. But thats why Im trying to stop it. The taste is just terrible. Its going to affect his practice. Glenn shouted that he should start training right away after eating the Nadine bread while Rector advised that he should have a more nutritious and tasty meal. They started arguing against each other without yielding in the slightest. Hmm Raon wetted his lips with his tongue while watching the quarrel between Glenn and Rector. My mouth is so dry. He didnt know what to do because of the childish argument between Glenn and Rector that had started again in the middle of the day after what happened in daybreak. Your time is over. Stop disturbing us and leave. Im going to leave if you feed him. Why are you even trying to feed him bread when the annex building shouldve already prepared his lunch? Even though they werent wielding their swords, their reddened faces looked like they were angry from the bottom of their hearts. Raon couldnt even begin to guess when it started to go all wrong. Haa Raon sighed while looking at the sparks shing between Glenn and Rectors res. Neither of them seemed to have any intention of withdrawing, and a small amount of pressure emerged to burst out into a violent sandstorm at the center of the training ground. The head of house is actually right this time. Eating Nadine bread isnt a big deal for me. He isnt right at all! How could you eat such a terrible thing?! You are indeed his bloodline, you are both monsters with twisted tongues! Wrath pounded Raons shoulder like a drum, telling him to follow his acquaintance instead of his family. Raon! Glenn and Rector turned to look at Raon at the same time. What do you want to do? Do you want to start training right away? Or are you going to waste your time while eating lunch? You didnt even eat breakfast. You need to eat a proper meal. They barraged him with the pros and cons of a meal and training, trying to win the argument no matter what. Meal! Meal is the obvious answer! Pineapple Girl shouldve filled the table with tasty food. You have to see them, at least for her sake! Wrath screamed, pleading for him to choose a meal with widened eyes. Im sorry, but that wont do. Ehh? This is the head of houses turn. Regardless of meals and Nadine bread, he had to take Glenns side because he took Rectors side in the morning. He shouldnt be making him feel bad after all, since he was about to learn martial art from him. Im going to eat this. Raon swallowed the Nadine bread he was holding at once. Kuaaah! Wrath screamed and copsed like a demon king defeated by a hero upon tasting the mmy rubber taste filling his mouth. This is no problem. He slowly chewed the Nadine bread and swallowed it as casually as if he were eating salty bread with sausage before he nodded. Lets start the training. A satisfied smile appeared on Glenns face, and Rectors brow was crumpled like paper. Haa Raon sighed heavily while looking at the clear contrast in Glenn and Rectors reactions. Im more tired mentally than physically * * * Raon licked his lips while looking at Glenns victorious smile at making Rector leave. I really dont understand whats going on. He still couldnt understand why both Glenn and Rector were fighting each other to be his teacher, but he had no time to think about that. This is an opportunity that might never happen again. Both the Destructive King of the North and the Sword Demon were powerful enough to gain the Monarch of Wraths recognition. It was necessary for him to learn the essence of their martial arts without wasting a second. Raon. Yes. Raon walked up to Glenn upon hearing his call. Was I supposed to teach you the variable sword, soft sword, and flexible sword? Indeed. They are simple. He stared with a frighteningly cold re while saying that all three principles werent that difficult. They arent simple though His heart tightened because of Glenns gaze. He felt like he was about to get buried six feet under if he learned more slowly than during Rectors lesson. I was originally nning to teach you a new sword technique, but Ill leave it forter. Lets start with the principles. He extended his hand, and a training sword floated from the corner of the training ground on its own and flew into his hand. Tap! The training sword smoothly entered Glenns grasp. It almost looked like a reversed disy of an extremely proficient flying sword technique. This is truly a divine skill. An object located so far away was pulled into his hand so naturally through the wind. His mana control was pretty much at a gods level. Whoosh. Glenn simply swirled the training sword before facing Raon. Is he going to demonstrate something? I cant miss it. Raon bit his lip and activated the Ring of Fire. He made all seven rings resonate to the best of his abilitiesas if he were in a fight to death against a powerful opponent. Glenn slowly raised his training sword above his head. He seemed to have thought that Raon was ready. Watch carefully. The moment he said those words, Glenns training swordwhich was piercing the skyfell downwards. The sword descended slowly enough for even the wooden pattern could be seen, but the de suddenly twisted to the sides. Waves spread around from the de like when you throw a rock into ake, and the sword filled his eyes with countless trajectories, all full of variety. It was different from the illusion sword that Rector had shown him. The number of swords remained the same, but the splendid yet frightening variety on the de made it look like it had multiplied into hundreds. It mustve been the extremity of the variable sword. Is his wrist creating the variety? Glenn was only controlling a small amount of aura that even a novice Expert could use. The reason he could create such a variety with that small amount of aura seemed to be because his wrist was endlessly moving. Tap. Glenns wooden sword stabbed the ground, and the countless trajectories of the sword covering the sky disappeared at once as if they were wiped away by the rain. Ah Raon unconsciously groaned, regretting the fact that he couldnt see the extremity of the variable sword in more detail. Did you see it? Glenn stared at him with a frightening re while weakly holding the hilt. He looked like he was about to kill him if he didnt see it. I didnt manage to see all of them. Raon briefly sighed and shook his head. Tell me what you saw. I saw your wrist, my lord. Wrist? People usually twist the wrist a lot when they use the variable sword, but my lords wrist only moved in small angles while creating an extreme variety for the sword. The Ring of Fire told him about the control of his body instead of aura. The aura Glenn was using wasnt anything special, but he managed to create such an impossible variety by just twisting his wrist ordingly. I never thought this was possible Hed previously thought that body didnt matter anymore for Grandmasters and Transcenders, and the control of aura determined the martial arts level. Yet, Glenn had achieved such a drastic change by only using his body, and that waspletely unexpected to him. Raon felt enlightened. Can you repeat it yourself? Its impossible for now. Raon firmly shook his head. Even though he had the Ring of Fire, it was impossible for him to copy it in his current state. It surpassed the limit of his body. For now, I see Glenn simply nodded. He seemed satisfied with the answer. But you should still try. Ill see how much you can do. Understood. Raon cheerfully drew Heavenly Drive. He raised the sword while looking at Glennsposed eyes through the deadly de. The head of house''s wrist was moving in the opposite direction from the swords trajectory. It was such a faint change that was difficult to notice, but Glenn was moving his wrist and the tip of the sword in opposite directions. He guessed that it was where the secret behind that variety dwelled. The flow of the aura should be as violent as a tidal wave. He opened the mental world in his head. He shed down Heavenly Drive while imagining Glenns flow of aura and the movement of his body. Whoosh! Heavenly Drive created a small wave, like the surface of tea with a leaf floating on it. des waning like the blue moonlight started to fill the vision. I need a bit more Glenn had created many more variations with a smaller amount of aura. Raon couldnt possibly stop with that after witnessing his sword. Until Heavenly Drive pointed to the ground, Raon kept moving his wrist in short yet strong twists to create as much variation as possible. Whaam! Wind sted from the sword the moment Heavenly Drive was directed to the ground because he was straining it, unlike Glenn. Glenn slowly nodded while looking at the slightly trembling tip of Heavenly Drive that had reached the ground. It wasnt too bad for your first time. He casually dered, but he was actually trying his best to suppress his pounding heart. He is the real deal Hed slightly increased the difficulty of the variable sword on purpose, and he had never expected Raon to grasp the flow. It definitely needed a lot of improvement, but genius wasnt enough to describe his talent. You are my grandson indeed! He suppressed the urge to shout it right away and bit his lip slightly. Hmm. Glenn forced himself to harden his face and raised his sword. However, you still need a lot of improvement. It cant be helped, since it was your first time. He said it as he swung his sword with variation once again. Watch closely one more time. Yes. Raon nodded, his eyes burning with passion. Whoosh. Variation urred in Glenns training sword along with a breeze. The de flowed in a way that Raon wouldnt be able to dodge no matter what he tried and created hundreds of lines connecting the sky and the ground. He mustve raised the difficulty, as it was faster than before, while also having an even deeper variation. Raon couldnt even see half of it even though he was using the Ring of Fire. Interesting. He also liked Rectors method, where he calmly taught step by step, but Glenns method where he showed the demonstration and asked Raon to follow wasnt bad either. Cring. Raon smiled, his eyes a burning red, just like Heavenly Drive. Im going next. * * * * * * Rector watched the fifth training ground beneath him while standing on top of a boulder right next to North Grave Mountains hill, where Glenn used to stand. Hmm, training like that Glenns teaching was even more difficult to understand than hed expected. He was asking Raon to copy after him after a single demonstration, which waspletely different from ordinary lessons. Its nothing but poison for ordinary people. Howeverhes following it. Even for Mustan, who was the most talented in the Alliancewith the exception of the Alliance heads discipletraining like that wouldve been apletely pointless waste of time. However, Raon understood the flow of Glenns swordsmanship and was swinging his sword after him. His talent can only be described as crazy. He had already noticed that Raon had excellent observation skills, but hed never thought that he would be able to repeat the flow of a martial art that hed only seen onceeven if it wascking. It wasnt an exaggeration to call it an absolute talent. Haa Rector sighed in frustration while stroking his beard. Edgar, your son is even more amazing than you. His sons talent was already amazing enough, but his grandson had far surpassed him. Hed heard that Raon was called the uing strongest in the continent, and the rumor wasnt groundless at all. Im a bit jealous. Something started burning in his heart as he watched Glenn demonstrating for Raon with the expectation that he would be able to follow, and then Raon following while understanding his thoughts. Huhu. A lonelyugh came from Rector as he stood with his hands sped behind his back. I wont be the one to me Mustan anymore. Hed advised his disciple to walk his own path instead of getting jealous of Raon, but he couldnt help getting jealous as he watched Glenn and Raon. It was difficult to suppress that emotion even with the ability that hed been nurturing his entire life. Its still okay. I just need to be with him from now on. If he couldnt be with him in the past, he just needed to do so in the future. He was nning to devote all of his remaining time to his daughter-inw and grandson if he managed to leave the Alliance. Rector rolled his lips into a smile while looking at Glenn, who was pretending to be blunt while teaching Raon. I wont lose to you. Glenn, my daughter-inws father. * * * The next day was the same. Raon took Rectors calm lesson from daybreak until lunch and ate Nadine bread before taking Glenns wild lesson from lunch until the evening. He almost felt dizzy by the evening because he waspletely exhausted both physically and mentally from getting worked to the bones by the two monstrous swordsmen. He felt like he had managed to learn his limits. Moreover I cant tell if Im really getting stronger. He couldnt feel his growth at all because both Glenn and Rector kept telling him that he still had a long way to go. Im going to die at this rate He was under extreme pressure because both Glenn and Rector were going all out, as they didnt want to lose to each other. Simply being under their pressure was already exhausting enough. He thought he would never experience hell worse than his life as an assassin, but the two past days hed spent werent any better than it. Crack! Wrath ground his teeth, his deadly re directed at Glenn because hed fed him Nadine bread two days straight. Raon managed to find another rabid dog outside of the Mad Dog squad. Tsk. Glenn briefly clicked his tongue while looking at the sun that was setting after it finished its work for the day. Todays lesson is over. Thank you. Raon bowed at Glenn and sighed in his mind. Today is finally over. The time period being fixed for thepetition was one of the reasons why he immediately ended the lesson, but it was mostly because Rector was watching from above the hill. Glenn and Rector kept watching the lesson from afar even when it wasnt their time instead of doing their own thing. It was normally an unspoken rule that they shouldnt watch the other peoples training, but they didnt seem to care about that at all. Raon. Rector and Yua entered the training ground while Raon was shaking the dust off of his exhausted body. Young master! Yua ran up to him, her twin tails and hands fluttering into the air. I told you we were going to hold a promotion party today! Why are you still here?! She wrinkled her nose, asking why he was still training when the preparation was already over. My bad. Raon chuckled and shook his hand. The food is getting cold. We even made the pineapple pizza that you like so much! Ah, actually I Ah? Yua pouted, but her eyes became round as she noticed that Glenn was standing behind Raon. Hello! She lowered her head at Glenn with a bright smile on her face even though the entire house feared him. Hmm, yes. Even Glenn couldnt ignore her and nodded because of how bright her greeting was. Hmm Raon looked at Glenn while returning Heavenly Drive to his scabbard. The atmosphere around him is different from usual. He was usually a cold-hearted, iron wall of a man, but he suddenly looked as lonely as the autumn wind. It was simr to the feeling he had a few days ago. Shall I ask him toe with us? No, he is obviously going to decline. He thought about inviting him to the party but simply lowered his hand. There was no way Glenn would want to join a party like that. He figured it was better to not mention it at all since the other people would also be uneasy about it. My lord, thank you for today one agai Raon was about to say goodbye to Glenn before returning to the annex building. My lord, would you like to join us? Yua smiled cheerfully while grabbing Glenns finger. We are having a party today! Chapter 435 Chapter 435 Haa Glenn sighed in frustration while looking at Rector and Yua, who came to collect Raon. They are having a party. Judging from the story, they seemed to be holding a party to celebrate the Light Wind divisions promotion. It was just a small party between the members of the annex building, but the fact that Rector was joining when he wasnt despite being Raons grandfather was painful. However Its still impossible for me to tell them that I want to join. He managed to muster the courage to personally teach Raon, but telling him that he wanted to join the annex buildings party with Sylvia was too much for him. He could never open his mouth for that. Glenn, how pathetic of you. He was called the Destructive King of the North or the Lightning God, but he was actually just a coward who couldnt even move a finger because he was afraid of the awkward gazes of his daughter and his grandson. Heughed bitterly over the fact that he was still getting the desire to drink with Raon in the annex building, which made him embarrassed and frustrated at the same time. Glenn clenched his fist while looking at Rector, who was talking to Raon. You will be the one to attend the party, but I wont lose to you when ites to raising Raon. As he was resolving himself while looking at Rector, he heard small footsteps approaching him. They wereing from the girl with the special talent that Raon had brought from Habun Castle, Yua. Yua walked up to him and nkly raised her head. Glenn couldnt understand what she was thinking. Since he was awkward about dealing with a child, he decided to leavebut Yua extended her small hand to grab his finger. Hmm? Just as he was about to shake her off because of her sudden action, her voice could be heard. My lord, would you like to join us? Yua pulled on his finger and said that it would be even better if the head of house joined the celebration party with a sweet smile on her face. We are having a party! Hmm Glenn couldnt shake her hand off because of the warmth he was feeling from his pinky finger. It was the first time he had felt that way since he held Raon in his arms when he was a baby. Yua! Raon hurriedly ran up to Yua and grabbed her. Im sorry, she has no manners because she is still a child. He begged for mercy while saying that it was a childs mistake. This Glenn was about to shake his head and tell him it wasnt a big deal but stopped himself. He remembered Rimmers dying wish upon seeing Raons eyes. You should stay in a cave forever and die from old age before you can have a drink with Raon! Yeah. I should have a drink with my grandson before dying. I need to do it at least once, even if I have to put on an iron mask. He raised his gaze to look at Rector. He was leisurely smiling like a victor. That geezer He had given up and epted his defeat just a moment ago, but that mindset disappeared and a new me of passion was ignited. Come over here. Glenn waved his hand at Yua, who was peeking her eyes out from behind Raon. Refusing adys invitation would be rude. His face was flushed and his heart felt like it was being tightened by a wire, but he still grabbed the girls hand and smiled faintly. Ill join that party. * * * Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the tableware ced on the table. How did it end up like this? They were supposed to hold a small party for promotion among the members of the annex building, but there was an uninvited guest who was actually invited. This cant be a dream, can it? His lips faintly trembled as he turned his head to the right. Glenn was sitting at the higher seat with a slightly flushed face, and Sylvia was sitting next to him, unable to even breathe as her shoulders trembled. Uhh Sniff Even Helen and the maids standing behind the table were groaning like they were about to die. The only people who wereposed were Glenn and Yua, whod brought him along. Hmm Rector was sitting at the edge of the table of his free will because he was joining the party as a guest, and he was looking at Glenn with a jealous and interested gaze at the same time. Tap tap. Raon lightly tapped the table with his finger and examined Glenn. I didnt expect him to really join the party It was already unexpected that Yua invited Glenn, but he thought Glenn would obviously refuse, considering it a childs mistake. However, he contemted it for a moment before saying that he shouldnt refuse adys offer and brought some liquor to join the party. When Sylvia and Helen saw Glenn in front of the annex buildings door, their expressions were even more pale than a mouse in front of a cat. Erm Sylvia stood up from her chair, her eyes twitching anxiously. W-weve thoroughly prepared in order to c-celebrate Raon, Yua, and Yuliuss Light Wind squads promotion into the Light Wind division. Please enjoy it to the fullest! She politely dered the words since Glenn and Rector were present and opened her hand. The way her fingers were trembling was pitiful to watch. Please start it now. Ah, yes! Th-the food ising. The maids immediately brought the food into the dining room upon hearing Sylviasmand. They used to work fluently, but they were creaking like wooden dolls. It was so bad that the huge table was shaking. Even Judiel dropped one of the forks on the ground because she was shaking despite howposed she usually was. Glenn didnt react at all to the maids mistakes, instead looking at Rector on the opposite side. Rector also met his gaze with serious eyes. It almost felt like sparks were flying between their gazes. How pathetic. Wrath shook his head while looking at Glenn and Rector. Even though they are old and powerful, they cant stop being so childish. Indeed. Raonughed bitterly upon seeing the old men moving into the second round of ring after what happened in the training ground. While Glenn and Rector were pointlessly fighting to see whose pupils were stronger, the table was filled with the delicious food that Helen and the maids had prepared in no time. Hot steam was rising from the dishes since they were finished a moment ago. What are you waiting for?! Wrath briskly stood up and floundered his round hands. Stop paying attention to those old men and take up your fork already! You better be ready, since you fed the King of Essence the rubber bread two days in a row! He licked his lips, saying that he was going to finish all of the food even if his stomach had to burst in the process. His eyes were red from excitement, and Raon simply pushed him away before looking at Glenn. Wait a moment. The etiquette of the annex building was just to enjoy the food any way they wanted to, but they couldnt do that since their head of house, Glenn, was with them. The maids didnt sit down like always after setting up the food, standing straight in the back while ncing at Glenn. Sylvia remained quiet, probably because she thought she might end up harming the maids on top of herself if she made the wrong move, and Rector was also quietly watching the situation since he was well aware of who the master of that ce was. Hmm. Glenn casually raised his gaze after watching the food. Why are you standing over there? I heard that everyone eats together in the annex building. He ordered the maids to take a seat with a calm voice. M-my lord. Sylvia briskly turned her head towards Glenn. How do you know that they share the table? She asked with round eyes, surprised that Glenn knew about the annex buildings situation. Ahem! Glenn didnt answer immediately, bobbing his finger for a moment before his lips parted reluctantly. Rimmer told me. Ah, I see. Sylvia nodded. She seemed to think that it was understandable since Rimmer often came to the annex building for food whenever he ran out of money. Sit down, everyone. The head of house gave his permission. She waved her hand toward the maids, who were still standing awkwardly, to tell them to take their seats. Yes. Th-thank you. The maids bowed at Glenn before taking their respective seats. However, their faces were even paler than when they were standing, and their shoulders were trembling. Everyone was silent, including Glenn, Sylvia, and even Rector. Small footsteps could be heard from the kitchen. Its ready! Yua brought arge pizza out with Yulius and ced it at the center of the table. It was the pineapple pizza that her grandfather had further improved. Wow! Wrath clenched his fist tightly while looking at Yua. He expected nothing else from Pineapple Girl! Shepleted that masterpiece in such a short time period. Shes truly amazing! Try it out already! Be patient. He urged Raon to eat the pizza already, but Raon couldnt move his hand since Glenn wasnt doing anything. Silence started for the second time. Everyone was trying to read Glenns countenance. * * * * * * Growl. Thunder echoed from Yuliuss stomach. I-Im sorry! He immediately bowed to apologize, but no one scolded him. Most people were breathing out sighs of relief because the tension was gone. Hmm. Glenn was the first one to take up his spoon. Lets eat before it gets cold. Once he started eating the soup, Sylvia, Helen, and the maids started spooning up the soup while being as stiff as a machine. Slurp. The small noise of the soup entering mouths proved that people in the room werent actually dolls. Heeeey! Raon was awkwardly eating when Wrath started rolling on his head. Stop with the soup and eat something else already! There is grilled beef,mb chops, and pizza over there! I think I wont be able to digest them if I eat them right now Wrath kept shouting at him to eat various dishes, but Raon couldnt easily move his hand because of Glenns gaze. It was the third moment of silence. The sound of tableware was the only thing that could be heard, and no one was speaking at all. Haa. Glenn put down his spoon with an expressionless face, and Yua energetically stood up. My lord! Please try this one! Its the young master Raons favorite food! Yua took a pizza slice from the pineapple pizza shed brought a moment ago and ced it on the te in front of Glenn. Huah! Y-Yua! Gasp! Uah Sylvia, Helen, and the maids widened their eyes to the point where they could pop out because of Yuas sudden behavior. No one could even speak properly because of how panicked they were. However, Glenn didnt even frown, instead putting Yuas pizza in his mouth. He chewed the pizza before swallowing it with his mouth closed, then nodded in satisfaction. Its delicious. Right? My grandfather made the recipe! Yua smiled happily while praising her grandfather to Glenn. Your grandfather should be proud. Glenn took another bite of the pizza while answering Yua. Of course! He is the best cook in Habun Castle! Yua confidently dered as much while vigorously raising her hand. The tension engulfing the table drastically faded away from their short yet energetic conversation. Yua, can you give one to me as well? Yes! Rector waved his hand, and Yua gave him a pizza slice with a sweet smile on her face. Huh! Its even better than the managers. Glenn and Rector ate the pizza in satisfaction, which made Sylvia and the maids finally stop trembling and start to properly eat the food. Huh Raon gasped while looking at Yua, who created a cheerful atmosphere around the table with her smile. Is it because she learned the rhythm? It looked like Yua had done it to remove the tension and heavy atmosphere filling the table. No, she might be just having fun. Considering the fact that she was capable of such a friendly approach toward Glenn and Rector, who had such scary faces, it was probably just her nature. Anyway, she saved us. You bastard Raon was smiling at Yua when Wrath barked at him. The food is disappearing! Please start eating already! He can still taste the rubber from his mouth! I get it, I get it. Raon nodded upon hearing Wraths shout and tried out Yuas pizza. Wow Just like Rector had described, it was even more delicious than the one made by her grandfather. The harmony between the various meats, vegetables, and well-baked pineapple created a beautiful mixture of all kinds of tastes. It had earned Glenns recognition for a good reason. Wow! This is the one! The rubber sticking to his tongue finally disappeared! Wrath said that the Nadine breads taste was finally gone, his eyes full of tears. Next up is the grilled meats! You must take themb chops, too! Yes, Sir Raon heeded Wraths request and took other food on his te when Rector raised his gaze. Head of house. He was fiddling with the table while looking at the red liquor bottle ced in front of Glenn. Did you bring that liquor yourself? Indeed. Glenn nodded and pushed the bottle ahead. I brought whatever I found because I cant be empty-handed upon joining a party. In fact, it was the highest quality liquor that hed prepared when Raon had in the Specter. It was such an expensive bottle that even tinum of the same weight was cheaper than it, but he took off the cover on purpose to disguise it as a cheap bottle. Well, I guess all liquors are pretty much the same. Raon nodded in acknowledgment and was about to continue his meal when someone touched his feet from below the table. He raised his head since Sylvia was the only one in that direction, and she pointed at Glenn with her eyes. Is she telling me to pour the liquor for him? Judging from her gaze, it looked like she was asking him to pour the liquor into Glenns ss. I guess thats the correct manners. He didnt know about it because it was his first time sharing the table with an elder that he had difficulty dealing with, but he could guess that she was right. My lord. Raon stood up from his seat and went next to Glenn. Can I pour the liquor? Do as you wish. Glenn pushed the ss towards him while looking at the opposite side. Thank you. Raon epted the bottle and uncorked it. Along with the refreshing sound of it opening, a high-ss and sweet fragrance gently brushed his nose. Even though hed said that it was a cheap bottle, Raon could tell at a nce that it was the highest quality liquor. Hmm? He was about to fill Glenn''s ss, but his expression changed into an indescribable state. His eyebrows were slightly trembling, his cheeks were flushed, and the corners of his lips were wavering like a reed under the wind. People could mistake him for being already drunk. Is he bad with alcohol? Or does he love it too much? Raon couldnt tell whether he already got drunk from the scent alone, or he was just looking forward to the taste. Raon weakly shook his head and filled Glenns ss. This is enough. Once the liquor filled half of the ss, Glenn picked it up. You should pour it for the others as well. He raised his ss towards Rector, who was sitting on the opposite side. Unlike the indescribable expression from a moment ago, he seemed to be tantly boasting about it. Ugh The funny part was that Rector was biting his lip in frustration for some reason. What are they even doing? Raon thought that they were such strange old men and filled Rectors ss. He also poured a little bit of it into Sylvia, Helen, and the maids sses before returning to his seat. Sylvia smiled and stood up from her seat. She extended her ss forward and looked at Raon. Raon, Yua, Yulius! Congrattions on your promotion! Ill keep looking forward to it in the future! She shouted, and the maids also extended their sses. Young master! Congrattions! Congrattions! Congrattions to Yua and Yulis as well! Please just return safely! The maids also congratted them without being careful about Glenn for once. Congrattions. Glenn raised his ss while speaking in a voice that could barely be heard. Raon wasnt too sure, but he seemed to be in an extremely good mood. Here we go, clink! Sylvia went ahead and made the clinking sound of sses before looking at Glenn. Hmm Glenn understood the meaning behind her gaze and started to drink. The others also drank after him. Blegh! Disgusting! Wrath started to bber at him to eat the pizza and remove the aftertaste since the liquor was disgusting. Lets try something else. Raon pushed Wrath away, putting some stew into his bowl and ncing at Glenn on the way. He was drinking very slowly to savor it while looking at the golden liquor with an ecstatic expression on his face. Oh, so he likes the liquor a lot. Raon could understand the bright expression hed shown a moment ago. Glenn slowly savored Yuas pizza and the liquor Raon had poured for him. He emptied the ss until thest drop before standing up from his seat. M-my lord? Sylvia and the maids were surprised and stood up at the same time. Ill be taking my leave. Glenn shook his head, saying that hed enjoyed enough. Sylvia. Ah, yes! Sylvia swallowed nervously and briskly stood up. It was delicious. Glenn gently stared at Sylvia and Raon before he nodded. And congrattions. That was thest thing he said before he left the dining room. He quietly murmured at Rector as he passed the end of the table. I was first. Ugh Rector scowled, and Glenn raised his chin with an arrogant smile on his face. * * * Yaawn. Rimmer yawned loudly, his mouth looking like it would tear apart as hey on the bed in his room. Im so bored. He was still unable to move his body because Glenn had beaten him up too hard. The pain was one thing, but he was being bored to death because he couldnt do anything. Ah, I heard they were holding a party. Yua had invited him to the party, but he had to refuse because it was too difficult to move. When he thought about it, he shouldve forced himself to participate. Shall I ask Raon to fetch m The moment he voiced Raon''s name, the rooms door was violently opened and Glenn entered. M-my lord? Rimmers jaw dropped as he raised his head. Wh-what the hell is wrong with him? Is he Raons stalker or something? Hed appeared the moment he talked about Raon. His swiftness was beyond understanding. Hey. What? When you had a drink with Raon, did he fill your ss? Err Rimmer shook his head while thinking about when he had a drink with Raon. No, he just threw the bottle at me and we drank on our own. What about the Gambling Monster? I think they gobbled it down separately as well He shook his head once again while thinking about the Promise of Three with the Gambling Monster. I see. Glenn straightened his back and tilted his chin, his lips rolled up into a deep smile. Rimmer couldnt understand what was happening, but it was an irritating expression that seemed to be saying that he was the winner. Erm Rimmer had to frown because his face was too hateful. Whats wrong with this old man today? He swallowed nervously and lowered his gaze slightly because he was being way too different from usual. Did something good happen to you? Are you curious? I-Im curious. He wasnt actually that curious about it, but he had to ask because he had the feeling that Glenn wouldnt leave the room until he listened to his story. I was invited to the party in the annex building today. Eeh? D-did my lord really go to the annex building? Yes. The girl called Yua invited me, and I ended up attending. Wow! Rimmer clenched his fist while thinking about Yuas twin tails. Yua! Youve achieved something that no one managed before! It was worth it to raise you all along! He didnt actually help raise Yua at all, but he decided to think that way for the moment. So, what did you do over there? We simply had a meal. However However? Well, Raon filled my ss before anyone elses. Mine took priority among them all! The first person to have a drink with isnt actually that important. Whose ss he filled for the first time is the most important Ah Rimmers eyes widened as he watched Glenns sense of solemnity reaching the sky. Is that all? Hey, proud grandpa! Is that even something to brag about?! Chapter 436 Chapter 436 Glenn kept braggingte into the night. The partner is the most important part when ites to drinking. Since I was the first one Raon filled a ss for, it was bound to be extremely delicious. It was closer to drops of the nectar of the gods than liquor Ah, wait a moment! Rimmer raised his head while grasping his temple. All youve been talking about for thirty minutes was that Raon filled your ss. Did anything else happen? Anything else? Yes. He filled your ss, but that shouldnt be the end of the story. Getting invited to the annex building was a great opportunity for him to spend time with his youngest daughter and his grandson. Rimmer bobbed his finger while thinking that there was no way the drink was all he had. Like clinking sses, bringing the food for you, or having a lengthy conversation. Something else mustve happened! That was it, though? Glenn tilted his head, asking what else he wanted since Raon had filled his ss. Argh! Rimmer pped his own forehead with his palm. It hurt so much, but he couldnt help it because of how frustrated he was. What am I supposed to do? Is he really the same monster that I followed in the past? Glenn was still smiling, clearly in a good mood. His cheeks were red cheeks. Rimmer couldnt understand why he always became such a small man whenever he went to his grandson despite being an invincible warrior with overwhelming pressure even when he faced the heads of the Six Kings and the Five Demons. Stop smiling for now. I never smiled. Look at the mirror! The corners of your lips are piercing the ceiling! Rimmer pointed at the tilted mirror hanging on the wall. Ahem! Glenn saw his face in the mirror and forced his lips to stop dancing. Anyway, you are telling me that you just had one ss, right? I also ate pizza. Yua gave it to me. Glenn eximed, saying that he didnt know that she also had talent in cooking. Seriously, stop! Rimmer screamed and extended his hand. I dont care about the rest! Im telling you that you should never leave after just having a drink if you get another opportunity like this in the future! You should talk to Raon and Sylvia, act friendly to get closer to them! Such a great opportunity wasnt easy toe by, but it could happen since Yua was there. Rimmer wanted him to recover their rtionship a lot more clearly next time. Hmm, the rtionship between people is simr to martial arts. You have to take it step by step, or else a problem will ur somewhe You are going to die from old age if you do that! You have to make progress like having a trance ten times in a row when ites to stuff like this! Rimmer barked the words and mmed his fist against his bruised chest. He was probably going to have to stay bedridden for a few more days because of that, but he felt like he was going to be suffocated to death if he didnt say that. Raon is also strangely dull when ites to rtionships with people, and it will be pointless if you dont tell him! Raon was more capable than anyone at understanding the enemys mentality, but he was an idiot when it came to family and friends for some strange reason. Since it was a matter between a slow-as-shit grandfather and a dull-as-fuck grandson, the slow progress was probably a natural oue. Hmm, I see. Ill think about it. Glenn nodded, saying that he would have another conversation with them if something simr happened in the future. I learned something at today''s party. Raon likes pineapple pizza. I should import some pineapples. About ten tons should be good. T-ten tons Since he also seemed to like beef andmb chops, Ill assign the chef from the lords manor in charge of grilling to the Light Wind divisions cafeteria. Haa Rimmer shook his head and sighed heavily. Just say that to him! Seriously, man! If only he could tell his grandson that he was nning to dispatch his chef for his sake and make an unreasonable order like ten tons of pineapples, their rtionship would immediately smooth out like ironed clothes. Rimmer was so frustrated that he was never going to tell him. What do girls like nowadays? I want to repay the favor to Yua, but I dont really know anything about children. Shall I secretly give her a golden tablet? Rimmer closed his eyes and shook his head. Please leave already! Im so sick of this! * * * Sylvia put her elbow on the table. Haa She sighed deeply in exhaustion and covered her face with her hands. Are you okay? Raon leaned forward while looking at Sylvias hands, which were still trembling. Yeah, Im fine. Sylvia shook her head while lowering her hand. She wasnt crying, but her eyes seemed to be moist. Its not because Im tired Her gaze was directed at the ce Glenn had sat. Her eyes became serious. Raon could feel various emotions. Its because Im happy. Happy? It was my first time having a meal with the head of house since my childhood. Sylvias smile was as distant as moonlight as she said that it was her first time seeing Glenn at the table since she was around Yuas age. Hmm Raon fidgeted while watching Sylvia wet her lips with the liquor that Glenn had left behind. Did she like it that much? Either because hed lived as an assassin or because he never knew his father, he couldnt really understand Sylvias feelings. However, his heart was as warm as if he were drunk because she was happy about it. Tsk tsk. Wrath briefly clicked his tongue while patting his full stomach. You know how to read the enemys mentality, but you are so bad with peoples emotions. You really belong to Devildom after all. He looked down on him as if he were seeing something pathetic, saying that Raon still had a lot to learn. If youe to Devildom with the King of Essence, even someone like you will be able to gain a human heart You are talking too much again now that your stomach is full. Raon pushed the bby Wrath away and licked his lips. Is it going to work if I gain a few more achievements? Glenn probably wasnt going to visit again, but he hoped that it would happen so he could have a meal with Sylvia one more time. Im d we were thoroughly prepared. Sylvia smiled brightly and looked at the maids. Good job, everyone, and thank you. It was nothing. Helen shook her head with an understanding smile on her face. We also had fun while preparing for it! Im just thankful that the head of house enjoyed the meal! The maids smiled faintly while wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads. But when he was around, I couldnt tell if I was eating with my mouth or my nose. I was the same. I couldnt taste it at all We just ate at the same table as the head of house. No one is going to believe this. I wont be able to forget for the rest of my life. They were limp, with their backs against the chair, saying that they felt exhausted. Sir Rector and Sir Mustan, thank you for going along with the mood. Sylvia stood up and carefully bowed to Rector and Mustan. It was the natural thing to do as guests. Rector nonchntly nodded, saying that he had a fun time. Since you are Sir Raons mother, Im fine with anything you do! Mustan mmed his head on the table, saying that he wouldve been fine even if she had taken advantage of him because his master-servant rtionship with Raon was still firm. Ah, I see Sylvia quickly blinked in surprise. She red at Raon fiercely, asking what hed done to him. Haa Raon sighed while looking at the trembling table. Hell need some education. He figured that he needed to educate him so that he would consider him as a friend instead of his master to stop earning peoples suspicion. He mustve been satisfied. Raon nodded with nonchnt eyes. The head of house isnt the type of person to lie. He mustve been telling the truth when he said it was delicious. Thats true. Sylvia smiled cheerfully and patted Yuas head as she nibbled on a piece of fruit. Yua. Yes! Yua energetically raised her hand. How did youe up with the idea of inviting the head of house? Wasnt he scary? Sylvia asked, and everyone looked at Yua. They all seemed to be curious why she tried to bring Glenn over. Because maam has always said this! Meals are more delicious when they are shared with everyone! And Yua smiled faintly and picked up the fork with a piece of pineapple on it. The head of house isnt scary. Hes a kind person. She smiled brightly while swallowing the pineapple. We should keep ying with him in the future since he seems to be lonely! * * * * * * Rector bitterly licked his lips while watching Raon and Sylvia, who kept only talking about Glenn. Is this what bloodlines are like? He was roughly aware of how Glenn had been treating Sylvia and Raon. He was well aware of how much Sylvia and Raon had suffered. He also understood why Glenn had made that decision, and he could ept it. However, he thought it would be difficult to close the gap because there was a cliff between them and Glenn. Even though he was Sylvias father, Rector had thought that they couldnt get close that easily since the paths theyd been walking were far too different. But that wasnt the case. A single meal. Sharing the table once allowed them to drastically reduce the distance between Sylvia, Glenn, and Raon. He had never really cared too much about it before, but he could finally understand why people ced so much importance on bloodlines. Haa Rector briefly sighed while guzzling down the liquor that Glenn had brought. Half of his blood is from meBut I cant say that right now. The fact that he couldnt tell them what he was thinking, that he couldnt reveal his identity, felt so frustrating that he felt like he was having indigestion. This rtionship really feels like just a lie. He wanted to reveal the truth right away and hug his daughter-inw and his grandson with peace of mind, but he couldnt reveal his identity yet for their sake. Honestly, Im not sure if I can even do it in the future. It was necessary to leave the Alliance in order to reveal his identity to Raon and Sylvia, but he had a feeling that the Alliance heads request wasnt going to end so easily. It will be a difficult path, however I need to return to this ce no matter what. He was determined to do anything in order to make his daughter-inw and grandson happy since their lives had been so difficult. He clenched his fist under the table and steeled himself. Rector raised his ss without much alcohol left inside. Raon and Sylvia could be seen through the sshing red liquor. Dont worry. Ill make sure to take care of the two of you, at least. After he drank about half of the liquor inside the ss, he raised his ss towards the empty seat where Glenn used to be. Glenn, Raon filled your ss before mine this time, but I wont lose next time. His paternal grandfather wille first! Rector chuckled and emptied the small amount of liquor left. The funny part was that it still tasted great. Lets drink together againter on. * * * Raon went to the fifth training ground early in the daybreak and warmed himself up. He had no other choice than to wake up so early because he needed more time to train by himself in order to properly engrave Glenn and Rectors teaching from the day before in his body and mind. Zzz It looked like it was too early for Wrath to wake up. His snoring was the only sounding from the ice flower bracelet. Seriously. Raon chuckled and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. He shed the Fangs of Insanity while thinking about Glenn and Rectors teachings. Even though his sword technique used to have nothing but the sharpness of a noted de forged by an artisan, it conserved the twist of his wrist to create delicate variations. Heavenly Drives edge scattered like dandelion seeds and summoned a wave of swords. The sword wave sloshed endlessly and left dozens of scars on the floor. It couldnt be called an ultimate variation, but there was a huge differencepared to before. Next up. Raon didnt lower Heavenly Drive even though hed just unleashed the variable sword to the best of his ability. He returned to the Fangs of Insanitys first technique and engulfed his de with the principles of the illusion sword. Whap! Heavenly Drive spread around like a brush drawing in the air and unleashed a thick fog of swords into the space. The trajectories werent as varied as the variable sword, but the des created with the illusion had the same murderous intent as the real one. Haa Raon consecutively unleashed the Fangs of Insanity six times total before he exhaled his heavy breath. I cant tell if Im doing well or not. He wasnt sure whether he was improving or not because both Glenn and Rector had been pointing out his ws instead of praising him. He did have the feeling that he was getting better, but he couldnt tell how much that was. The path of the sword is so far and deep. He used to be somewhat confident in variable and illusion swords because hed been continuously practicing them even though they werent as much as powerful, swift, and heavy swords. However, having his ws constantly pointed out embarrassed him. Just like Rimmer had said, the study of martial arts seemed to be endless. Cring. Raon raised Heavenly Drive to around his waist. I should try using that one. The me Spirit. It was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations technique that deserved to be called the epitome of variable and illusion swords. When Raon was about to d the Ten Thousand mes Cultivations heat around Heavenly Drive in order to confirm his progress in variable and illusion swords, the training grounds door opened and Rector entered. Good morning. Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and bowed to Rector. Yes, did you have a good nights sleep? Yes. Raon nodded with a smile. I believe your vacation is nearing its end. Dont overwork yourself too much. Im aware. Then lets get started right away. We will start with the illusion sword just like yesterday. Yes. Wait! When Raon got into the posture and was about to incorporate the principles of illusion sword into Heavenly Drive, Rector shook his hand. Ill demonstrate for you beforehand. Repeat after me. Rector didnt even wait for his response and raised his sword in front of Raons eyes. His sword was diffused like sunlight and created hundreds of illusory swords. How was it? He ordered Raon to repeat exactly what hed done with a smile that looked simr to Glenns for some reason. I finally got used to his method though. Why did he suddenly decide to change it? * * * Hmm? Burren tilted his head upon finding the Light Wind divisions swordsmen gathered in front of the fifth training grounds main door. Did they alsoe here to practice? He was there for some exercise since the vacation was about to end, and he guessed that the others had alsoe for some light training. But why are they standing in front of the door instead of entering? He waved his hand at the swordsman while thinking that it was strange. What are you doing? Ssh! Shut your mouth! Be quiet! Runaan, Martha, and Dorian shook their heads and gestured for him to close his mouth. Hmm? While Burren was standing there in bewilderment, Krein waved his hand at him. Come here without making any sound. Ah, okay Burren nodded and went next to everyone. Look over there. He followed Kreins finger and looked inside the training ground. Raon andhuh? The head of house? Burrens jaw dropped in surprise. Is the head of house teaching Raon? Yes. And I heard the Sword Demon taught him in the morning. Krein quietly whispered as if it were a secret. Why is the head of house teaching Raon? He could understand about Rector since hed been helping with the training for everyone in the Light Wind division, but he couldnt figure out why Glenn was teaching Raon. Whats going on right now? Hed heard that Glenn hadnt taught anyone recently, including the pce masters like his father. He was unable to understand the situation. Ah! Krein was watching inside the training ground before he briskly turned his head. Raon was the only person who didnt get the extra reward from the head of house in the audience chamber. Im guessing he is teaching him to make up for that. Ah, thats it! Martha looked away from the crack in the door and nodded. Its frustrating to admit, but he deserved it. Because eighty percent of the war at House Arianne was handled by him. Everyone in the Light Wind division had worked to the bone at House Arianne, but Raon had fought the hardest among them. Since she was well aware of how hed fought back then, she didnt feel any jealousy. Im still a bit jealous though. Martha bit her lip tightly, and Runaan secretly approached. Martha, are you jwealous? Runaan tilted her head while eating the bead ice cream in her hand. I told you to stop doing that! You only told me to stop saying mya mya. No, I meant to say to stop using that way of talking entirely! Nyaw. Fuck off! Martha charged at her, and Runaan ran away while eating her ice cream. No one was paying any attention to them because theyd gotten used to it already. Wow, I never thought I would see the day when the vice division leader gets tired. Dorian fiddled with his belly pocket while watching Raon, who was breathing roughly while holding his knees. Same goes for me. I never thought he would be so exhausted during training. However Krein nodded in agreement and raised the corners of his lips slightly. Doesnt it feel great for some reason? Its so nice to see. He murmured that it felt so great to see him suffer like that because he was usually perfectly fine whenever he trained them. Im not the only one who feels this way, am I? Honestly, I feel the same way. Burren chuckled and scratched his cheek. Raon usually didnt even sweat at all, but he was panting in exhaustion. Watching him made him feel like his lunch had been digested in one fell swoop. Same goes for me. Martha nodded with a cold smile on her face. He needs to experience being the receiving end. She murmured that Raon needed to suffer a lot more than that. I agree. Runaan raised her hand, standing one step away from Martha. I agree with Miss Rakshasa for once. So you understanstop calling me Miss Rakshasa! Martha started to smile, but her face turned like a fiend as she charged at Runaan, which started another round of tag. Our vice division leader needs to learn how difficult it is to train. I agree. He wont go so hard on us once he learns his lesson. He mustve realized our pain after suffering so much. Its so hard when the trainer doesnt match your level. Our training should be easier in the future. The other Light Wind swordsmen were nodding vigorously while thinking about all the suffering they had to go through when the training ground door mmed open. Whoosh. The violent sandstorm subsided, and they could see inside the training ground. Glenn had already left, and Raon was staring at them with his red pupils while leaning forward like a beast. You shouldve entered since you were here. What are you waiting for? Ah A-about that The way the Light Wind swordsmen were trembling upon seeing the ck steam emerging from Raons mouth looked like they''d caught a chill. Ive realized something from this experience. His lips smoothly rolled into a smile, but his smile was glowing with an evil aura. Just like iron that bes harder upon tempering, humans be stronger from hardship. I think Ive been going too easy on you so far. His frightening smile deepened as he bobbed his finger. Ill help you be even harder pieces of iron. Raons smooth gesture looked like the bloody scythe of a death god to them. W-we arent iron though? Yeah! The vacation is still not over! I-Im sleepy. Burren, Martha, and Runaans chins trembled in terror upon seeing the madness glowing from Raons eyes. Aah W-we are screwed I thought we would have an easier time, but its even worse! H-he learned his lesson in the wrong way! The Light Wind swordsmen also frantically shook their heads and showed their denial. I-its okay! Im going to return for now. Yes, my family is sick I have an appointment with my parents Gasp! Aaaah! B-behind! Hes behind us! Everyone started to step back, but Raon had moved behind them before they knew it to block their path. Its fine. Raons eyes glowed with madness as he grabbed the Light Wind swordsmen by their necks. It wontst that long since this is our first day. And you know I cant be the only one to suffer. D-did you just say that you cant be the only one to suffcough! Shut up. He smacked Kreins mouth and threw the other Light Wind swordsmen he was holding by their necks into the training ground. Lets get started. Raon drew Heavenly Drive with a frightening smile on his face. The endless hell of sword practice ising. Chapter 437 Chapter 437 The Light Wind swordsmen swallowed nervously and raised their gazes. Raon was looking at them with a crimson glow around his eyes, standing on the tform that had turned orange from the setting sun. Hmm Burrens fingers trembled as he saw the glow in Raons eyes. Why do I have this feeling that his eyes are full of insanity? Raons eyes were usually either cold or indifferent, but they were brimming with some sort of twisted madness instead. Its not just you. Hes indeed insane. Martha came next to Burren and sighed. Those are the eyes of a madman. She bit her lip, saying that they were the exact same eyes the Light Wind swordsmen had when they lost their minds from the difficult training. Hes not damn handsome. Runaans shoulders were trembling. She seemed to have clearly noticed the difference in Raons pressure from before. His eyes are as cold as ice cream She lowered her gaze, saying that his eyes were even more evil than when they first started the focus enhancement training. Aww D-doesnt the atmosphere feel dreary for some reason? Why is he even making those eyes?! Thats scary! What even happened when he was with the head of house? The Light Wind swordsmen were also wrinkling their brows upon realizing that Raons gaze and the atmosphere around him were different from usual. Step. Raon took a step towards the Light Wind division. It was a small footstep, but the pressure bursting from it made it seem as huge as a giants step. Its been a while. He smiled gently, his hands sped behind his back. However, his eyes were even more insane, which created an intense fear in those looking at him. How have you been doing? Raon looked below the tform and asked how everyone had been. Weve been We fully rested We exercised from time to time I came to a certain realization while training here. He raised his chin without even listening to the answer to his question. A realization? Wh-what realization is that? The Light Wind swordsmen raised their hands one after the other. They seemed to be curious despite the terrifying atmosphere. Its that Ive been sinning against you. Sin? What bullshit is he spouting now? I-I wonder Runaan, Martha, and Burren tilted their heads, unable to understand what Raon was talking about. And its an extremely grave sin. Raon raised his right hand to put his hair up. The bloody glow on his gaze intensified even further, and the Light Wind swordsmen licked their dry lips. I underestimated your potential and failed to bring it out to the limit. There are still plenty of gems underground, but I couldnt take them out for you and only probed the surface. He bowed, saying that it was a grave mistake hed made and that he was sorry for underestimating them. I realized it perfectly while the head of house and Sir Rector trained me. I learned everything about how to get stronger and how to surpass the limits. Raon smiled, telling them they didnt need to worry about it anymore. The vivid madness shining in yellow was emerging from his bright smile, and the chins of the Light Wind divisions swordsmen trembled in fear. W-we are fine with that! Yeah! Im fine with not surpassing that fucking limit! Raon, damn handsome. I prefer the way I am right now. Burren, Martha, and Runaan hurriedly shook their hands. We can never allow him to do this! I just saw that even that guy broke out in a cold sweat. We are definitely going to die if it happens to us! I want to eat another ice cream The three of them shouted in their thoughts that they couldnt experience another hell and refused the new training he hade up with. V-vice squad leader. I mean, vice division leader! We are already satisfied with the focus enhancement training! I agree! You dont need to pay so much attention to us! We would feel too bad for taking so much of your time, vice division leader. You are already busy enough with your own training! Just like the saying better the devil you know, we are going to continue what weve been doing! The Light Wind swordsmen, including Dorian and Krein, frantically shook their heads as their anxiousness drenched their backs in cold sweats. Im fine with it. Theres no reason to make you take a longer path when I know a shortcut. Good food should be shared instead of eating alone. Ive decided to train with you every evening from today onward. Raon raised his clenched fist, dering that he wanted to grow together with the Light Wind division. Y-you really dont need to share it Thats right! You should keep the good stuff for yourself! I-I have to feed my dog The sense of crisis intensified for the Light Wind division, and they pursed their lips while shaking their heads. No, I cant be the only one to suffer. Raon came down from the tform with a cold smile on his face. He said it again! He said that he cant be the only one to suffer! Hes tantly venting his frustration on us! What a demon! Hes not just a demon. Hes a demon king at this point! Shut up and draw your swords. Raon ignored the Light Wind divisions resistance and drew Heavenly Drive. The madness emerging from his eyes intensified into a powerful radiance. Ill teach you how fun it is to practice swordsmanship. * * * * * * Raon briefly taught them how to incorporate the principles in their swords before returning above the tform. We are going to start the training to incorporate the principle of the swift sword into a technique you learned. Make it as fast as possible, regardless of what technique it is. He gave the instructions for the training and swung Heavenly Drive from top to bottom at the same time. Whoosh! The extreme swiftness engulfed the Fangs of Insanitys ferocious and sharp technique, and the de shed in red to sever the darkness. I-I couldnt even see it though?! Has the vice division leaders sword always been that fast? Moreover, hes not even being serious The Light Wind swordsmen dropped their jaws upon witnessing Raons swift sword, which looked like his sword hadnt moved at all because of how fast it shed before returning to its scabbard. You will notice once you try it, but its not that difficult. Theres no reason to be afraid. Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and twirled his finger. Try swinging your sword to the best of your abilities while drawing an image in your mind where you incorporate your technique with extreme swiftness. Yes! The Light Wind swordsmen responded loudly before swinging down their swords. Even though Raon had seen their techniques countless times before, they were connecting faster than before. Hmm? This isnt that hard. I know, right? You just need to add the principle of swift sword and use your technique. It consumes a lot of aura and it requires focus, but its not anything to be scared about. Everyone smiled, saying that the training wasnt as difficult and painful as theyd expected. That was rather decent for your first attempt. Raon nodded at the Light Wind swordsmen. However, you havent managed to fully incorporate the principles of swift sword yet. Do it again. He ordered them to repeat it once more since they didnt have enough focus and speed. Yes! Since the Light Wind swordsmen had already learned that the training wasnt that difficult, they nodded without hesitation before unleashing their technique once again. They were clearly faster than their first attempt. Do it again. However, Raon didnt seem to be satisfied with it, since he told them to do it one more time. The swordsmen unleashed their techniques a third time. Again. Raon kept repeating again endlessly. Because the swordsmen had to unleash their techniques for two hours straight to the best of their abilities and even had to incorporate the principle they werent used to, their faces started to look clearly exhausted. Th-this is no joke. Burren exhaled roughly while lowering his sword. It was fine in the beginning, but doing it repeatedly is sucking my stamina like a leech Martha gritted her back teeth with her hands on her knees. Martha, weak Runaan was blinking her eyes while almost lying on the ground. You should stand up before saying that! Martha frowned and picked Runaan up by her cor. Argh! I-Im dying I never expected it to be so hard to consecutively use a technique. I think its even more exhausting because I have to add a principle that Im not used to. The Light Wind swordsmen were even more weakened than the team leaders, and they were panting while leaning forward. One more time. Raon ordered them to focus once again and unleash their technique from the beginning. He still didnt seem to be satisfied with their performance. What the hell is the issue?! We are doing it correctly! At least tell us what the problem is! The swordsmen furrowed their brows, asking how long they had to keep repeating it. Ill tell you since you are curious about it. Raon nonchntly looked at the team leaders in front of him. Burren, your body has lost bnce ever since your first technique. The flow went wrong because you were too focused on speed. As for Martha, the principle of the powerful sword is more intense than the swift sword. Make sure to learn the difference between fast and strong. Runaan, you need to focus without dozing off. Dorian is just too slow. You need to make it faster Starting from the three team leaders, he pointed out the problem for every single Light Wind swordsman. Huh D-did he really manage to grasp all of our shorings? Is it really possible to notice all of that when hed been training all day long? He really is a monster The Light Wind swordsmen shook their heads with expressions of admiration and surprise on their faces upon hearing his remarks. Your arms are idle. Swing your swords if you have time for surprise! Raon tilted his chin while furrowing his brow. The Light Wind swordsmen were startled and raised their swords once again. Ugh Damn it! I''ll definitely get stronger than him one day and order him into hellish training! The swordsmens movements became faster and more systematic, probably because theyd just heard about their shorings a moment ago. Do it again! Raon shouted at them to do it again, saying that he was still not satisfied with it. Hmm Wrath tapped on his head while yawning. Theres no way those shitters can improve in a single day. Why are you asking them to repeat it over and over when they seem to be trying pretty hard? He murmured that they should return and eat something since he was getting hungry. Not yet. Raon shook his head while pushing away Wraths bby belly. They can improve a bit more. And they also need to experience the pain. He couldnt be the only one to suffer the torture of swinging a sword all day long to the best of his ability while incorporating the swords principles. He wanted to teach them the same pain hed gone through. One more time! Haa Wrath sighed deeply while looking at Raons eyes, which were glowing with madness. Every single person is crazy around here * * * The next day, Raon finished Rectors morning trainingwhich had be tougher than beforeand was catching his breath when Glenn appeared and gave him a Nadine bread. Thank you for the meal. Raon raised his gaze while taking the Nadine bread from him. He couldve been mistaken, but Glenns expression seemed as warm as the bread. Sure. Glenn shook his hand as if he was telling him to take his time eating before moving away. Damn it! Wrath pulled his hair out while shouting that he was going insane. The rubber taste isnt the only bad part about that damned bread! The stale taste stays all day long! Its as if there''s rubber stuck on the tongue! He pleaded for Raon to stop with the Nadine bread, but Raon had no other choice since he wouldnt be able tost in Glenns severe training without eating it. N-nooo Kueh! Raon swallowed the Nadine bread at one gulp, and Wrath tilted like a broken tumbler before he fell down. Im done eating. Lets get started. Raon ignored Wrath, whod fainted with his tongue sticking out, and walked up to Glenn. Alright. Glenn nodded and stepped aside. Hmm? Why did he step aside? He wouldve normally demonstrated from there and asked him to repeat after him, but he was standing on the side instead. Try incorporating the variation to the Fangs of Insanity. Glenn ordered to unleash his technique instead of a demonstration. Understood. Raon nodded and drew Heavenly Drive. He unleashed the Fangs of Insanity with variation while thinking that he probably gotzy. Whoosh! The de crawled as slowly as a snail and managed to achieve a clear variation like a rising heat haze. Heavenly Drives edge was unraveled like a thread to create a pure wave of variation. Hmm Glenn lowered his brows while touching his chin. His expression was saying that it wasnt too great. You swung your sword slightly too fast. The wrist is the most important part of the variation, but you didnt make perfect use of it. Dont pay attention to the speed, focus on the variation. He raised his sword and swung it downwards. Hundreds of des filled the training ground, looking like the perfected version of Raons sh. Try it again. Glenn shook his hand, telling him to try fixing what hed pointed out. Err Raons lips parted as he fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive. Did the head of house change just like he did? Just like Rector started a tougher training because of Glenns influence, Glenn seemed to have gotten softer with Rectors influence. They mustve changed their ways of teaching because theyd been watching the other persons lesson. What are you waiting for? Start moving already. Im doing it now. Raon briefly sighed while raising Heavenly Drive. But in this case Isnt it only getting more difficult for me? * * * Raon sighed after he finished Glenns lesson, which had actually be more intense despite its mild appearance. Im going to die at this rate. He had to draw out his focus and willpower to the limit of his abilities on every single swing in order to satisfy Glenn, and repeating that until evening had made his body as heavy as soaked cotton and his headpletely dizzy. He really couldnt return to his senses anymore. Theres no other choice. I cant leave this stress as it is. He figured it was necessary to vent his stress on training the Light Wind swordsmen in order to withstand Glenn and Rectors lessons the next day. While Raon was thinking about how to mess the Light Wind division up, Rector entered the training ground. Head of house. Rector rolled his lips into a smile while walking towards Glenn. Youve changed your training method. Youve also changed your way of teaching, Sir Rector. Glenn smiled, telling him that Rectors lesson had also changed a lot. Ive realized that being soft all along wasnt the way to go while watching the head of houses lesson. Being rough is better sometimes. On the other hand, Ive thought that its better to give some exnation. I can point out what hescking and press him even further if he cant fix it. Indeed. Doing that creates more time to swing the sword. I agree. I believe he practiced his sword at least ten more times than yesterday. Their conversation sounded like they were being cautious about each other at first, but they started to discuss how to make the training even harder and morepact. Huh? Raons eyes widened as he watched Glenn and Rector looking at each other with wholehearted smiles. When did you get so close to each other? * * * Rector returned to his room after helping with Yua and Yuliuss sword practice. He sat on the bed and smiled faintly. This is so fun. I cant even tell when thest time I felt this way was. Teaching Raon, who learned five when he taught him only one, raising his disciple, who had be as innocent as nk paper, and teaching the sword to Yua and Yulius, who felt like his grandchildren was all so fun. Every moment he experienced since arriving at Zieghart was brimming with happiness. Moreover He managed to get closer to Glenn, probably because they could sympathize with each other as Raons teachers. He had so much fun and felt like theyd really be a family whenever he discussed how to make Raon stronger with him. Since every moment was even more fulfilling than when he used to raise Edgar, he wished for that life to continue forever. I dont want to leave. Id like to stay a bit longer Rectory on the bed and closed his eyes when he heard two knocks. Master. Enter. He immediately told him to enter since it was Mustans voice. Im sorry for visiting at such ate hour. He entered the room with a frozen look on his face, unlike when Rector was helping his training a moment ago. Whats the matter? Mustan took a white letter from his clothes instead of responding. The Alliance has ordered us to return. Chapter 438 Chapter 438 Rector narrowed his eyes while taking the letter Mustan had brought him. Did they know that we were in Zieghart? He didnt expect the Alliance to contact them so quickly, as he hadnt reported their visit to Zieghart or spread any rumors about it. That doesnt seem to be the case. Mustan shook his head while looking at the letter. Considering that the letter came straight to me, it should be unrted to Zieghart. He said that the Alliance should still be unaware since a single-use artifact that tracked a person rather than a location was used. No, you shouldnt be so optimistic. Rector slowly shook his head. The Alliances head is mighty, but thats not all he has. Even though he has his door closed, he should be naturally aware that we are here. The Alliances head was a frightening person. Considering all possibilities was the better course of action, as they were bound to pay dearly for underestimating him. Ill read it. Rector opened the letter. Just what I expected. There wasnt much to the contents inside. The only thing written there was that they should return since they had enjoyed their travel long enough. The handwriting was energetic, looking like a dragon had scratched down with a de, and Rector could tell that Alliances head had personally written it. Its a direct order from the Alliances head. We have to return. He wouldve ignored it if it were someone elses summons, but he couldnt refuse the Alliance head. Tsk. Rector briefly licked his lips. What a shame. The time hed spent with Raon and Sylvia was so fun, and he was getting used to life at Zieghart while getting on friendly terms with Glenn. He could only sigh, saddened by the fact that he had to return. Whap! Rector burned the Alliance heads letter before looking at his disciples eyes, which were as clear as a snowfield. Mustan. Yes! Mustan energetically responded in a loud voice. He seemed to be influenced by Yua. What are you going to do if I leave the Alliance? A-are you leaving the Alliance? His jaw dropped. The question seemedpletely unexpected to him. Indeed. Rector slowly nodded. I have something more important to me now than praising the sword. My path is probably not going to be connected with the Alliances anymore. He looked at his surprised disciple while telling him that he would leave the Alliance after he returned. I should be honest to Mustan. It wouldve been a different story if Mustans eyes were brimming with envy like before, but there was no way he would deceive him when his personality had be so bright and hardworking. Hmm Mustan scratched his chin for a moment before he raised his head. Doesnt the pact between master and the Alliances head still remain? It is. Rector briefly sighed. Ill need to grant one more request from him in order to end this rtionship. However He clenched his fists above his knees with a serious look in his eyes. Illplete it no matter what and leave the Alliance on my own. In that case, Im also going to leave. Mustan contemted it for an extremely brief period of time before answering him right away. Huh Rectors eyes widened to the brim as he looked at Mustan, who gave such a definitive answer. I believe you had an objective you wanted to achieve in the Alliance. No, my path is lies with Sir Raon. Mustan shook his head without hesitation, saying that his objective was to walk the same path as Raon. Im bound to be Sir Raons enemy the moment the closure ends if I stay in the Alliance. Im going to leave alongside my master. Mustan promptly shook his head and shouted that he couldnt betray Raon. Rector could see that he was serious from his clear eyes. I dont understand what Raon even did to you to make you change so much. He hasnt done anything special. His existence is enough reason for me to follow. Mustan didnt even seem embarrassed about rambling such nonsense. I see. Rectorughed bitterly. He wouldve preferred it if his disciple could stand on his own feet, but his deration to follow his grandson wasnt that unpleasant. Lets leave tomorrow at first light. Isnt that too early? Theres no reason to waste any time since we will see them again. Make the preparations. Hmm, I understand. Mustan bowed politely before leaving the room. Haa Rector sighed in frustration and looked outside the window. The waxing crescent moon was distorted like a savage beasts eyes, looking down upon the world. It wont be easy. A thorny path was bound to await him in order to leave the Alliance, as there was no way the Alliances head would give an ordinary ask. However, he had to return no matter what in order to find happiness for his daughter-inw and grandson. Rector closed his eyes while clenching the hilt of his sword. No matter what * * * * * * After Raon finished the afternoon training, he sat on the ground and looked up at the darkening sky. Its bing harder and harder. As Glenn and Rector grew closer to each other, they kept learning the advantages from each others lessons and removed the drawbacks. Raon had to keep swinging his sword without even having the time to breathe, morning and afternoon alike, because of that. His practice was a lot more condensed and focused than before, and he couldnt even move a single finger from exhaustion by the time the afternoon practice was over. Naturally, he fell on his ass as a result. Hmm, was Sir Rector going easier? Glenn murmured Rectors name while touching his forehead. He seemed to have found an improvement in his training. Haa Raon gasped while looking at Glenn. How did you end up bing so friendly? The way Glenn and Rector were pressuring each other during their first encounter in the training ground looked like they were about to start fighting at any moment. However, they somehow became like best friends, influencing each other in various ways. Training is fine, but the difficulty is increasing way too quickly. He was thankful that they were training him so that he could be stronger, but it was getting too difficult beyond his abilities, and he didnt know what to do. Well, theres a good part about this though. I can raise the Light Wind division up at the same time. He learned from Glenn and Rectors lessons how to teach the other swordsmen in order to make them stronger more quickly. Thanks to that, the Light Wind divisions swordsmanship had drastically improved, just like himself. You ugly bastard Wrath shook his head, calling him a loser. What are you talking about? You involved the others just because you didnt want to be the only one to suffer. Your ugliness has reached its limit! Thats such bullshit. Raon shrugged his shoulders while looking at Wrath. I want to get stronger with everyone else instead of just by myself. Why cant you understand my altruistic thoughts? Since the missions in the future were bound to be on a whole different level of difficulty, it was necessary to make the Light Wind division stronger while he could. The fact that he wanted to vent his strength was only fifty percent of the reason. Fifty percent is half! Its only half. Raon smiled while murmuring that it was a small amount. Haa, he doesnt even want to argue with you. Go ahead and start eating dinner already. The King of Essences tongue is getting paralyzed because of your shitty geezer! Wrath frowned while saying that he felt like rubber was still stuck on his tongue. Shall I? His stomach was thundering even though hed eaten Nadine bread at lunch. It mustve been because hed been training too hard. He figured he should return to the annex building to eat dinner beforeing back. My lord, thank you for today like alwaHmm? When Raon was about to say goodbye to Glenn, the training ground door opened and Rector entered alongside Mustan. Sir Rector? They were in their traveling outfits, just like during their first encounter, instead of the training outfit. Judging from their clothes, Raon could guess that they were going to leave Zieghart. Why did he make such a sudden decision? Since Rector hadnt mentioned it during the morning training, Raon didnt expect at all that they were going to leave out of nowhere. Are you leaving? Glenn nodded faintly. He also seemed to have realized that they were nning to leave. Yes. Ill have to go since my friend requested my help. Rector sighed, saying that he didnt have time to notify them in advance since his close friend contacted him on short notice. Is it a serious matter? Glenn lowered his gaze with his hands sped behind his back. I can help if necessary. Dont worry about it. He might ask me for a drink once I arrive. Im thankful for your consideration. Rectors eyes widened because he hadnt expected Glenn to offer his help, and he started to smile soon enough. Anyway He smiled bitterly while looking at Glenn. This bet will have to be my loss. I apologize that it ended up this way after I dered that I would win. Raon, I apologize to you as well. Rector said that he was sorry he didnt really teach anything after his confident deration. Ill be back after the matter is settled. Ill help you with your training to the best of my abilities when that happens. That wont do. Glenn stepped forward before Raon could respond. Head of house? Finish the bet like this? That is uneptable. Hmm, I admitted my defeat so you can be the main teacher for Raon as we promised Thats not what Im talking about. Glenn casually shook his head. What Im saying is that the bet shouldnt end in vain like this. Since Sir Rector wouldnt say things without meaning it, we should postpone our bet. He rolled his lips into a smile, saying that he didnt want the bet toe to such a conclusion because he hadnt been so involved for a long time. Well postpone the bet until Sir Rector returns. Are you serious? Yes. Raon, what do you think? Im fine with it. Raon nodded after looking at Glenn and Rector one after the other. Seeing the way they had gotten close to each other while teaching him despite having never even seen each other before brought a smile to his face. Oh my. Rectorughed bitterly while fiddling with his sleeve. You will regret itter because Ive finally realized how I should be teaching Raon. Ill be looking forward to it because I also found out how to make him work even harder. Glenn and Rector smiled while looking at each other. The scarlet sunset behind them brushed past them to make their smiles even warmer. Ill be leaving now. Rector lowered his head at Glenn before looking at Raon. Ive already told the people in the annex building. Well be able to see each other soon enough, so focus on training in the meantime. Understood. Raon straightened his back and bowed politely. Sir Raon, see youter. Ill work hard on nurturing my martial arts and mind alike, just like you told me! Mustan waved his hand. His sparkling eyes were way too clear, enough that it was making Raon ufortable. Ah, sure Raon awkwardly nodded. I wont be sending you off. Glenn shook his hand, asking him to leave already. Im sad to hear that. In return Rector grabbed Raons shoulder with a faint smile on his face. Ill be borrowing Raon. Hmph, Ill allow just this once. Thank you. He tapped on Raons shoulder, urging him toe with him. Ill be back after sending them off. Sure. Glenn told him to politely guide them without making any mistakes. Understood. Raon said goodbye to Glenn with his eyes before standing in front of Rector and Mustan. Please follow me. He sighed quietly while opening the training ground door. Its sad to see him leave like this. It wasnt because he wouldnt be able to continue the practice for the versatile sword. He was sad because they were leaving so suddenly after how close theyd gotten. Raon guided them without speaking and reached the main gate of the house in no time. Haa Raon licked his lips while looking at the Ziegharts main gate slowly opening up. You dont need to be so sad. Rector smiled gently. Raons expression mustve given away his feelings. Separation is bound to follow the meeting. Just focus on training so I wont be disappointed. We shall meet again soon enough. I understand. Raon smiled faintly and nodded. Just like Glenn had said, Rectors words could be trusted, and Raon had the feeling that he would be able to see him again. Ill work hard on it so that I can surprise you the next time we meet. Im looking forward to it. And Rector was about to stroke his beard but lowered his hand. The darkness of the dawn spread in his expression. Ill answer your question the next time we see each other. Answer my question He seemed to be talking about the question of whether he was acquainted with Raons father or not. I see. Raon nodded, saying that he would be waiting. Ill be leaving now. Sir Raon! See youter! Rector turned around and Mustan smiled cheerfully. Raon bowed deeply at the back of the man who kept helping him without gaining anything in return. Thank you. * * * Raon returned to the fifth training ground after he sent off Rector and Mustan, and Glenn was still there instead of returning to the lords manor. You havent left yet. Raon walked up to Glenn, who was watching the sky that was getting darker, and he lowered his gaze. Once Raon faced the serene red eyes that made it so that he couldnt understand what he was thinking, Raon felt like his hair was standing on end. Ive been waiting because I have something to give you. Glenn shook his head, saying that the tab wasnt closed yet even though the bet was over. What do you mean by the tab? Do you remember that I was originally trying to teach you a martial art? Ah, yes. Raon nodded. Glenn had mentioned the first time hed shed against Rector that he was going to teach him a martial art. I should be teaching you ording to the tab, but I would be breaking the promise if I taught you the martial art right now. Thats why you should learn it by yourself. Glenn snapped his fingers, and a red light sparkled from the thin air and a book appeared. It was a thin booklet as thick as a knuckle, and it was titled Azure Sky Sword Art. The Azure Sky Sword is a sword that incorporates the sky, as the name mentions. However Glenn turned around, at the same time as he spoke. A dark de with a simr color to the dim sky appeared on his hand. Whap! The dark de severed the dusk. The energy it incorporated was as majestic as the sky itself. Heavy waves followed wherever his sword was connected to spread around a tremendous amount of power. It was a realm on a whole different level. The entire fifth training ground, or rather, the entirety of Zieghart seemed to be in Glenns grasp. My sky is dark. The moment Glenn turned around to look at Raon once again, the dark de in his hand disappeared like a bubble. You should incorporate your own sky as you learn the Azure Sky Sword. With those words, he disappeared along with the twisted darkness falling towards the ground. Raon remembered what Yua had previously told him while plucking the falling martial arts book from the air. A kind person, she said She might be right about that. That doesnt make any sense! Wrath frantically shook his head. A kind person wouldnt feed people Nadine bread! Chapter 439 Chapter 439 How could he do this to us? Yulius kicked the pebble on the ground while pouting. How could he leave without giving us time to say goodbye? He frowned while thinking about Rector and Mustan, who he only had time to say goodbye to before they left because of howte they told him about their departure. Frustration was welling up inside him like a tidal wave because hed gotten so close to them despite the short time theyd spent together. Hey. Yulius waved his hand at Yua, who was adjusting her clothes after her training. Why are you so quiet? Arent you sad that Sir Rector left? Im sad. Yua nodded gently. But there mustve been circumstances around it. I couldnt hear any the sound of a lie. Sound of a lie? Yes. His heartbeat was mild and serene. She told him that there were definitely some circumstances around it, and he mustve had no choice. I also dont think that they lied about it. Its just regrettable Yulius sighed deeply. Because he reminded me of my grandfather, who I havent been able to see in a long time. He felt like he was training his swordsmanship with his deceased grandfather the closer he got to Rector, and that was why he was so saddened by their quick departure. Same goes for me. But we should be able to see them again, so we need to endure it. Yua smiled cheerfully and walked towards the annex buildings garden. Where are you going? The young master isnting back even though its dinner time. Im going to fetch him. She told Yulius to wait inside before running outside the annex building. He skips meals all the time if I dont go get him. Raon was the type of person who even forgot about meals if he was too focused on training. Even though he shouldve been hungry, he was going to train untilte at night once again if left alone. Hes such a handful Hmm? As Yua was heading towards the fifth training ground after leaving the garden, a pouch suddenly dropped from the sky. It was an luxurious, orange colored pouch the size of an adult mans palm. What is this? She tilted her head while picking up the pouch. She looked around, but she couldnt find anything special about it. How did it happen? There was no buildings or trees around her, and the weather wasnt even windy. She couldnt understand how the pouch ended up falling there. She thought it was strange as she opened the orange pouch. The pouch was filled with a sword, armor, gloves, boots, various books, cooking utensils, and dozens of pineapplespressed into small shapes. It wasnt an ordinary pouch but a subspace pocket. Hmm Yua tightly closed her lips while closing the pouch. I need to return it to its owner. It wouldnt have mattered if it were an empty and ordinary pocket, but it was a subspace pocket and waspletely full. She could guess that the owner mustve been looking for it. She thought that she should tell Raon about it and increased her speed to run towards the fifth training ground. Creak. Yua opened the training grounds door and entered. Raon was standing at the center and was reading a book that she didnt recognize. Young master! Ah, Yua. Raon smiled faintly upon noticing Yua. What brought you here at this hour? What else?! I came to fetch you because I was worried you would skip meals again! Yua wrinkled her nose while putting her hands on her hips. Maam also asked me to bring you back no matter what! Hah Raonughed weakly while looking at Yua, whose chin was jutted out. Why are youughing?! My bad, you were too cute. He unconsciouslyughed because her frown, which he hadnt seen in a long time, was just so cute. He quickly apologized and ced the Azure Sky Sword book into his clothes. Huu Raon was cleaning up the surroundings when Wrath suddenly raised his head and sniffled. Pineapple Girl is as nice as always. Shes the only one who takes care of the King of Essence! Wrath ground his teeth, saying that he wouldve starved again if it wasnt for Yua. Shes taking care of me, though, not you. Shut up! Thats what you call kindness! Your shitty geezer doesnt apply! He shook his plump hand, telling him to get it right. The person who gives me a book of martial arts is kinder than the one who gives food in my perspective. Raon pped Wraths fat belly away and walked up to Yua, who was standing nearby imposingly. Yes, lets go. I got hungry after I heard that from you When he was about to tell her that they should return to the annex building, he noticed the luxurious pouch Yua was holding in her hand. What is that? Ah, I think someone lost it. Was it lost? Yes, I picked it up on the way here a moment ago Yua told Raon about how she got the pouch. Can you give it to me for a moment? Yes! Please return it to its owner! Ill do it if possible. Raon epted the pouch from Yua and examined it. Its a subspace pocket, just like I thought. He looked inside and saw that it was filled with various objects. Moreover, they were clothes that would be perfect on Yua, equipment like a weapon and armor, cooking utensils, and even pineapples. They almost looked like they were prepared for Yuas sake. But why can I feel some mana from outside the pocket? He thought it was strange and tried to imbue a small amount of aura into the pouch. Whap. A faint golden light radiated outside the pouch, and the name Yua appeared. Huh? Is that my name? It looks like it belongs to you. What? But I didnt get anything like this though Considering that it fell on your head, it is indeed yours. Ah Yuas lips parted. She looked like she hadnt even considered the possibility that it was hers. Its just my guess, but Raon smiled faintly while returning the pouch to Yua. A certain kind-hearted person mustve given it to you. * * * * * * Raon was resting in his room after dinner when he heard two knocks. You can enter. He immediately told her to enter, since hed figured out who was outside the door through her presence. The door opened smoothly, and Sylvia entered the room with a small wooden box in her hand. Can Ie inside for a moment? You are already inside, though. Yeah, I asked just in case. Sylvia chuckled and sat on the chair next to the bed. She ced the wooden box she brought with her on the table. Your room never changes. She sighed deeply after looking around the room. What do you mean by that? I decorated it when you were a baby, and it hasnt changed at all since then. Theres no difference whatsoever. Dont you ever get the urge to try decorating your room? Hmm Raon licked his lips and looked around the room. His room was a bit too bright despite his personality, probably because of his nameRaonand the fact that he used to be called Sunshine at one point. However, he didnt find it bad. Not really. Decorating the room is a lot of work for no reason. Haa, your mom is so sad because her son is no fun. Its a relief that I have Yua and Yulius with me. Sylvia frowned, asking him to y along sometimes. Okay. Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face. So, what brought you here? You couldve told me during dinner. Guess what this is. Sylvia tapped the wooden box on the table with her finger. Is it an elixir? Since elixirs were mostly put into wooden boxes like that, his guess was naturally an elixir. Yes. Moreover, its an extraordinary elixir. Sylvia swallowed nervously and opened the box. There were two small ss bottles inside, and they contained translucent milky white liquid. Hmm Raon opened the cap. The fragrance brushing past his nose was sweet enough to make his mind feel fuzzy. Milky white color and sweet fragrance? Could this be? Raons chin trembled as he looked at the ss bottle once again. Yes, its the Fairys Tear. I knew it Hed guessed right. The Fairys Tear was the only elixir with that color and fragrance. I never thought I would get to see the Fairys Tear. Despite the name, the Fairys Tear wasnt rted to fairies. The energy of the world gathered in deep caves that were untouched by humans and was condensed into liquid. It became the highest-grade elixir. It was rumored that a single drop could bring good health and longevity. Why do you have this, mother? Sir Rector left it behind. What? Raons eyes widened. He was honestly even more surprised than when shed taken out the Fairys Tear. Helen found it in a corner while cleaning up Sir Rectors room. I wanted to return it to him, but he has already left Sylvia shook her head, saying that the gift he left was far too good. Wasnt there anything like a letter? There was. There wasnt anything special written in it though. He just thanked us for the enjoyable time he had. She showed him a small note. Just like shed said, a short sentence was written on it, mentioning that he enjoyed the stay. But we enjoyed it just as much as he did Sylvia sighed deeply, saying that she shouldve been the one to thank him. I agree. Raon nodded while watching Sylvia bite her lip. Shes right. He helped us a lot more than we did for him. Rector had taught swordsmanship to everyone in the Light Wind division, allowed them to learn more about what kind of person Glenn was, and brought a smile to Sylvia and the childrens faces. Since Rector had done way more than Raon did for him, the Fairys Tear was an excessive gift. Raon. Sylvia lowered her voice while fiddling with the wooden box. Yes? This is just my guess, but She hesitated for a long time before she finally decided, her lips parting slowly. Sir Rector might be rted to your father. Sylvia touched her dry lips with her finger. You mustve also heard him say that he wasnt rted, but I think he was lying. Sir Rector keeps reminding me of your father whenever I see him. He reminds you of my father? Actually, I had this thought the first time I saw him. I wondered if your dad has actually survived and returned to us after getting older. Sheughed bitterly. She whispered that shed really thought that even though it mustve sounded like a lie. Now that I think about it Raon remembered the way Sylvia was staring nkly at Rectors face for a while during the first encounter. And the Fairys Tear confirms my suspicion. Sir Rector must be rted to your father. I cant jump to conclusions, but hes most likely your fathers family or rtive. Sylvia furrowed her brow, saying that it was the only way to exin his behavior of leaving such a precious elixir behind. I agree with you. Raon nodded while meeting Sylvias eyes. And he is going to tell us what kind of rtionship it was once he returns. I wonder, I think hes not going to tell us No, he is going to tell us. Rectors eyes werent those of a liar. Since hed said that he would exin it to him, he was definitely going to return and tell him the truth. Lets wait a little. Raon. Raon reassured Sylvia with a faint smile on his face, and Wrath called out to him with serious eyes. Hmm? It was a rare asion for the cotton candy to make such a serious face. Whats the matter? Raon nervously looked downwards because he had a feeling Wrath was about to give some information about Rector. That liquid. Wrath licked his lips while looking at the Fairys Tear. Err It looks like it would be sweet and great for quenching the thirst. Put it in your mouth right now! I was gravely mistaken. The only time a useless glutton gets serious is when he is being a useless glutton. * * * The next morning, Raon went to the fifth training ground after memorizing the contents of the Azure Sky Sword book all night long. It''s far more difficult than I thought. He could understand why Glenn was trying to personally teach him. The Azure Sky Sword wasnt just an advanced technique but an extremely borate one that required enlightenment. Glenn mustve hoped that Raon would be a Grandmaster frompleting the Azure Sky Sword. Im just thankful for his expectations. Saying that he was thankful wasnt enough to describe his feelings, as Glenn had personally taught him the swords principles, and had even given him such an excellent book. The only way to show gratitude was to do his best at learning the Azure Sky Sword so that he wouldnt disappoint Glenn. Shring. Raon drew Heavenly Drive. He tried all twenty-six techniques of the Azure Sky Sword as slowly as a toddling baby. The form itself wasnt too difficult to imitate thanks to the Ring of Fire, but there was no way he could achieve the true Azure Sky Sword. He told me to incorporate the sky. Moreover, a sky of my own. The sky When he thought about it, he felt like hed watched the sky quite a lot in order to clear away his frustration. Because Derus Robert was holding him by a leash, watching the sky that was the definition of freedom used to quench his thirst. On the other hand, the sky hed seen in his current life was heavier. Hed been resolving himself to be as unshakable as the sky that was the same no matter where he watched it from. An extensive freedom and an unchanging heaviness. They were two unmatched concepts, but it was the best way to honestly describe his feelings. Raon closed his eyes and clenched his fist. I need to incorporate both freedom and heaviness. The most important part of learning an advanced martial art was to stay true to oneself. Since his previous life and current life were both a part of him, he guessed that the correct answer was to bring both of them forward instead of choosing one. I really learned a lot thanks to them. It was all thanks to Glenn and Rectors teachings allowing him to broaden his horizon that he could begin to guess how to learn the Azure Sky Sword. Just as Raon was about to resume practicing the Azure Sky Sword once again, someone hurriedly opened the training grounds door. He thought it might be the team leaders, but it was unexpectedly Dorian who entered the training ground. Vice division leader! A terrible incident has urred! Dorian breathed roughly, a bunch of crumbs around his mouth revealing that hed been eating some snacks before he arrived. He said it was a terrible incident, but he didnt look trustworthy at all with the way he looked. What happened? If you are just trying to make the supplies an even number like thest time The Warring Steel division Raon scoffed it off as a trivial matter and was about to resume his training, but his arm froze as Dorian continued. The Warring Steel division went missing! Chapter 440 Chapter 440 Mission? The Warring Steel division? Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and walked up to Dorian. What do you mean? Where did you hear that? I-I dont know the details either. Dorian bit his lip tightly and shook his head. I encountered the bodyguard swordsmen for the Shadow Agents, and they said that the Warring Steel division went missing. He exhaled roughly while saying that he immediately ran to the training ground as soon as he heard the news that the Warring Steel division had gone missing. Hmm Raon bit his lip while looking at Dorians trembling pupils. It must be true if the source is the Shadow Agents bodyguard swordsmen. Dorian had many friends outside the Light Wind division thanks to his friendly nature. Since there was no way the swordsmen who guarded the Shadow Agents would be lying about something as serious as a missing case, what hed said was definitely true. What kind of mission did they even have for them to go missing during it? Back at House Arianne, the Warring Steel division had returned to the house before the Light Wind division because they had a mission to carry out. Hed assumed they were on a mission because he couldnt find them after he returned, but he never thought that they would be missing. And you dont know why they went missing, right? Indeed. The fact that they are missing is the only thing Ive heard. Hmm Raon furrowed his brow while brushing his hair back from his forehead. What happened to you? He remembered Trevins formal yet warmhearted eyes. There was no way he forgot to report considering the fact that he was far too strict with the rules. Raon was certain that something mustve happened to him. Wh-what should we do? We need to gather information for now. Raon pushed Heavenly Drive into his scabbard. He shook the dust from his clothes and went towards the training ground exit. Where are you going? To the Shadow Agents. Are you going there yourself? Yes, I have to go right now. Raon nodded. Since Dorian had mentioned that hed heard it from the bodyguard swordsmen on their way back home, the news about the Warring Steel divisions missing persons case mustve arrived at some point between night and daybreak. He could guess that he could acquire thetest news by visiting them. Oh? Vice division leader? When he opened the door to leave the training ground, he encountered the Light Wind divisions swordsmen. Good morning! You were here before us like always! But where are you going? Are you skipping morning training today? The swordsmen greeted him brightly since they were unaware of the circumstances. Todays morning training will be a self-training session. Raon ordered them to train by themselves before using footwork to get to the main building. He managed to reach the Shadow Agents building quickly because he used the Supreme Harmony Steps to the best of his abilities. Two swordsmen were standing like stone statues in front of the main door. Raon could tell that they were powerful warriors just from the smooth flow of their auras and calm breathing. He straightened his clothes before approaching the bodyguard swordsmen. Im Raon Zieghart, the Light Winds vice division leader. Id like to meet with the leader of the Shadow Agents. It was an urgent matter, but he had to keep to the proper procedures. He started by greeting them before telling them the reason for his visit. Do you have an appointment? The old swordsman standing on the right side bowed in return as he spoke. No, but its an emergency. Please tell him about it at least. Hmm The old swordsman signaled with his eyes, and the middle-aged swordsman standing on the left side went inside the Shadow Agents building. Tut. Wrath licked his lips while looking at the closed door. Cant you just enter? They are both weaker than you. That wont do, even though its the case. Raon slowly shook his head. I need to stick to the rules since I dont know whats going to happen from here on out. He couldnt show that he was underestimating the Shadow Agents when he came to get information from them. It was necessary to stay polite, especially in a situation like that. He waited anxiously, and the door opened as the middle-aged swordsman walked out. The leader gave his permission. He asked Raon to follow and returned to the building. Raon bowed slightly and followed the middle-aged swordsman into the Shadow Agents building. This is the only way! Theres no path at all on the right side! But thats a cliff! Are you trying to report them as dead? Before trying to figure out the direction, shouldnt we ask the vigers in the area for information? You are stating the obvious, but we need to be prepared in case they dont have any information for us. The information agents from the Shadow Agents were gathered in small groups around round tables and were arguing with each other. Judging from what they were saying, they seemed to be trying to figure out where the Warring Steel division went missing. Investigate if the other Five Demons were in the area. The same goes for the Five Divine Orders since they are only neutral in appearance. Figure out their locations no matter what. Haa, how is this happening when their previous report mentioned that theyd sessfullypleted the mission? Shut up. We need toe to a proper verdict today! Raon kept walking into the Shadow Agents building while listening to their shouts. Its really true. It was painful to confirm the fact that Trevin and the Warring Steel division had gone missing, and he was getting fired up over the fact that so many agents were doing their best to find them. He kept walking while resolving himself to personally go out to look for Trevin and the Warring Steel division. He noticed that the middle-aged swordsman had stopped walking. This is our destination. The middle-aged swordsman nodded at Raon while pointing at his leaders office. Thank you. Raon thanked him and stood in front of the door. Knock knock. He knocked on the thin-looking door twice, and Chads voice could be heard from inside. You can enter. Raon opened the door and entered the room. The leader of Shadow Agents, Chad, poked his head out from behind the messy pile of various documents on the desk. Its been a while, vice squad leader. No, I should be calling you the vice division leader now. Greetings, Shadow Agents leader. He lowered his head to Chad before closing the offices door. I shouldve visited you to congratte you on your promotion already. I was toote. He extended his two hands together in apology. No. Raon shook his head. What you did in the audience chamber is enough for me. The direct lines shut their mouths thanks to Chads confirmation about the mission in the audience chamber. It allowed Raon to easily earn the golden tablet and even gain other peoples recognition on top of it. It was just my job. Chad shook his hand and smiled, saying that it wasnt a big deal. But what brought you to the Shadow Agents so early in the morning? I happened to hear about something. Raon rubbed the back of his hand while meeting Chads nonchnt gaze. I heard the Warring Steel division went missing. Is that true? Ah, about that Chads calm expression was destroyed in an instant. He didnt look like he was nning to lie to avoid the subject. The bodyguards that finished their shift mustve told you. Seriously, those newbies need to be trained He frowned, saying that the newbies hadnt learned to keep their mouths shut yet. Well, the rumor about it was bound to spread soon enough anyway. So was it true? Yes, its true. Chad nodded heavily. The Warring Steel division finished their monster extermination mission in the Hoffern region, but they disappeared without a trace on their way back. He scratched the desk with his nail, saying that it took a while to find out about their disappearance because there was no trace of battle at all. What do you mean that there was no trace of battle? Just as I said. No trace of battle was found in the path that the Warring Steel division took. Since we couldnt find anything that looked like removed traces, we are still at a loss about how they disappeared. Raon remembered the argument the agents were having on his way to the office. They mustve been trying to figure out where the Warring Steel division was and how theyve disappeared. In that case, are you also unaware of the perpetrator? No, I have a suspect for that. Suspect? Yes. There were witnesses of the ck Towers demonized humans at Hofferns outskirts. The ck Tower Raon murmured the ck Towers name and bit his lip to the point of bleeding. Is this because of me? He had in the ck Commander when he went to the Sephia Company in order to help Dorian and took the drake away from them. Hed heard that the ck Tower had been targeting him after that, but he hadnt expected that grudge to be targeted at the Warring Steel division. You arent the only reason, vice division leader. Our house and the Five Demons are archenemies, after all. Chad told him to not mind it too much. He seemed to have figured out what he was thinking. Did the Warring Steel division sh against the ck Tower during their mission? Thats not the case. He firmly shook his head. Its my fault, then. They are trying to avenge the ck Commander on the Warring Steel division. Hmm Chad couldnt refute his words and bitterly licked his lips. Who was it from the ck Tower? We arent too sure, but the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent seem to be the ones. Demon Ring and Frozen Scent They were both powerful floor overseers and were famous throughout the continent as demonized humans. This must be the ck Towers preemptive attack, a deration of war before targeting me. I agree with you. Thats why you should wait, and the other division leaders No, thats precisely why I have to go. Raon clenched his fist to the point that it made a cracking sound. Ill teach them myself what happens to them when they mess with Zieghart. * * * * * * Raon went to the lords manor after asking the Shadow Agents leader to gather the information. Once he arrived at the audience chambers door, he encountered Roenn, who was carrying a bunch of documents. Vice division leader? Roenns eyes widened because he hadnt expected to find Raon. What brought you here? I came to see the head of house. Raon bowed to Roenn. His eyes were powerful despite being calm. Hmm Roenn nodded with a faint smile on his face. Let me ask him. He went ahead into the audience chamber. The door was opened once again a momentter, and Roenn waved his hand with a smile. He gave his permission. Please enter. Thank you. Raon thanked Roenn and entered the audience chamber. He calmly walked over the red carpet and stood in front of Glenn, whose back was buried in the throne. Greeting, my lor Such an borate greeting is unnecessary. My ears are getting sore. Glenn shook his hand, asking him to stand up since he didnt need any greetings. Get straight to the point. I happened to learn about the Warring Steel divisions disappearance. Raon stood up and went straight to the point as Glenn had requested. Hmm. Glenns brow furrowed slightly, showing that he was neither surprised nor flustered. Id like to join the search mission. How arrogant of you. He sneered faintly while supporting his chin on his fist. The Warring Steel division leader has disappeared without leaving any trace behind. Do you believe you can change the situation? Glenn continued while shaking his hand. Ive already dispatched the White Lotus division that is currently located closest to Hoffern. You should stop paying attention and wait. But this incident happened because of me. I cant possibly do nothing about it when they are clearly trying to take revenge for me killing the ck Commander. Raon shook his head. He couldnt back out from that incident. I already told you, your presence wont change anything. As soon as his words reached Raons ears, Glenns majestic aura spread towards him. It was a tremendous amount of pressure. It felt like the entire North Grave Mountain was weighing upon his shoulders. Crack. Raon gritted his back teeth to the point of breaking. Argh I have to endure. Trevin and the Warring Steel division hadnt mentioned it, but they mustve gone through just as much difficulty beforeing to House Arianne for help. Since he was the cause of the incident, he couldnt allow himself to lie down without doing anything. Cring! Raon raised his head while raising the Ring of Fires output to the highest. Wham! He pushed Glenns powerful aura back and extended his left foot. He severed through the intensifying pressure with the de of his will and raised his voice. I wouldnt be his family if I didnt go to help just because it is dangerous. Just like the Warring Steel division, who came to House Arianne for me with a single letter, I also want to fight for their sake. I dont need any achievements or rewards! Please allow me to join the search! Since hed shown his power, next up was his heart. He went on his knees and bowed. Ill focus on looking for the Warring Steel division while avoiding danger as much as possible. Please allow me to go, even if I have to go by myself! Raon bit his lip, saying that he absolutely wanted to help. I''m going there no matter what. Ill even sneak out if he doesnt allow it. He wasnt simply being unreasonable. Since the perpetrator was identified as the ck Tower, he would most likely be able to help since he had divine power. Even if you have to go by yourself? I can see your determination, but you havent realized it yet. Glenn twisted his lips while taking his hand off the thrones armrest. Would you leave your subordinates behind? What? Glenn shook his hand instead of giving him a response, and Roenn opened the audience chambers door once again. Rumble! The huge door opened up, and dangerous res came from the ones standing in front of it. It was the Light Wind division. Every single swordsman of the Light Wind division except for Rimmer was gathered there. Where do you think you are going on your own?! Martha scowled while running up to him. Do you really want to die? She raised her clenched fist, scolding him for trying to take care of everything on his own once again. I agree with Martha. Runaans lowered lips seemed to show her sadness. We need to go together, just like mint and chocte. She shook her head, telling him that she was never going to send him off on his own. Stop thinking that you are the only one indebted to the Warring Steel division. Burren clenched the hilt of his sword and came up next to Raon. They also helped us a lot. He furrowed his brow, telling him to stop acting up. You''re not the only one who got close to the Warring Steel division, vice division leader! Dont try to bear everything by yourself! Since we were helped by them, its only natural for us to help them in return. We are going with you! The Light Wind swordsmen raised their voices, saying that they were definitelying along. Ah Raon covered his forehead while looking at the Light Wind swordsmens gazes, which were all full of conviction. I was only thinking about myself once again. They were right. The Light Wind division had gotten extremely close with the Warring Steel division. He was embarrassed by his deration that hed go by himself without considering the Light Wind swordsmens feelings because he selfishly considered his rtionship with them to be the most important. p. Raon pped his own cheek and knelt in front of Glenn once again. Please allow me to correct myself. His eyes sparked crimson as he raised his head. The Light Wind division would like to participate in the mission to find the Warring Steel division. Raon dered his intent, and Glenns lips finally curved into a small smile. Chapter 441 Chapter 441 The Light Wind swordsmen went down on their knees and bowed at Glenn just like Raon. Wed like to make the same request. They revealed their heated emotions, saying that they wanted to join the search mission no matter what. Hmm Glenn tapped the armrest with his long finger while leaning back into the throne once again. Only danger awaits you without any reward. Are you still willing to go despite that? Danger and reward dont matter. Im just doing what I have to do. Raon bowed, asking him to just let him look for them since he didnt need any prize or honor, as hed previously mentioned. How foolish. However Glenn nodded with an enervatedugh. You said you are just doing what you have to do. I like that part, at least. It felt like the coldness in his voice had drastically subsided. Because many nowadays are unable to do so, or arent even aware they should. Glenns finger that was tapping on the thrones armrest came to a halt. Raon quietly raised his head. Is he giving his permission? Glenns words and voice werent as cold as in the beginning. Glenn continued when Raon was getting confident that he should be able to get the search mission. Do you remember what I told you when you returned? Hmm Raon narrowed his eyes and looked downwards. Since there was no way he was talking about the rewards hed received, there was only one thing left by the process of elimination. About the beginning of a turbulent period? Indeed. Glenn nonchntly nodded with his chin. The gate to heaven is currently opened up a lot. There has been no case in the continents history that has evene close to this. Since heavens gate is open, the world is brimming with talents, geniuses, and monsters, which naturally results in a turbulent period. He continued with a nonchnt voice, as if hed never been cold to begin with. Countless flowers fade away before blooming during a turbulent period. However, the flower blossoms of this hell are more beautiful and splendid than anything else. How about you? Are you ready to bloom in this era? He seemed to be asking whether they could ovee all hardships and return to the house. Of course. Yes! Raon nodded, and everyone in the Light Wind division shouted loud enough for the dust to fall from the ceiling. I like your answer, at least. Glenn nodded while supporting his chin on his fist. Nothing will be certain in this mission. You need to keep a cool head in all situations, as the Light Wind divisions lives will depend on your judgment. Yes. Leave right after getting the information from the Shadow Agents leader. The disappearance only happened yesterday, but we still dont have any time to waste. He shook his hand, telling them to leave already and get themselves ready. Thank you. We wont disappoint you! Raon and the Light Wind division bowed once again before they stood up and turned around. None of them looked back as they left the audience chamber. Huhuhu. Roenn smiled faintly while looking at the door the Light Wind division had left through. Even his mind seems to have drastically grown up now, on top of his might. Hmph, he still has a long way to go. Glenn shook his head while curving his lips into a frown. Hes still a child. I still have a lot to teach him. But of course. Please keep teaching him. Roenn nodded, telling him that he should obviously do so. However, Im worried about the Warring Steel divisions well-being. He lowered his brow while thinking about the Warring Steel division that had gone missing. Those children should be able to save them as long as they arrive on time. However Glenns gaze became serious as he touched his chin. Did the ck Towers master really appear? ording to the Shadow Agents information, it has more than a ny-five percent chance of being true. Roenn bit his lip. The appearance of the ck Towers master hadnt happened for the past dozens of years, even though it didnt seem to be rted to the ongoing incident. He could feel once again that a turbulent period was really getting started. Tsk. Glenn briefly clicked his tongue while looking outside the window. I wont be able to make any moves this time. * * * Raon left the lords manor and looked behind him. The Light Wind division was already d in sharp pressures and gazesas if the battle had already started. They are amazing. It looks like their hearts are already ready. Ooh. Wrath slowly nodded while looking at the Light Wind division. Not bad. They are still only as strong as an insect, but I can feel their resolve at least. He licked his lips, saying that the Light Wind division seemed to be slowly growing respectable. They should be suitable as the King of Essences royal guards once they get a bit stronger. Get out of my way, I cant see anything. Cough! Raon pped Wraths fat belly away as he giggled and looked at the Light Wind division once again. Their mentalities seemed to have gotten a lot more mature. It was worth going out of his way to train them even though he was having a hard time himself. But how did they get here? He did tell Dorian that he was heading to the Shadow Agents, but hed never mentioned anything about visiting the lords manor. That was why Raon had been curious about it since hed first seen them. Hey, how did you figure out that I was here? Its obvious. Martha tilted her head. She looked like she couldnt understand why Raon was asking that. Obvious? Yes, just think about it. You went to the Shadow Agents to hear about the Warring Steel divisions disappearance. What would be your next move? I would go to the lords manor to get permission to look for them myself. Burren smiled while following up with Martha. Theres no way we wouldnt know that since we know you. He said that it was way too easy to figure out and that everyone came to the lords manor together as soon as theyd heard the story from Dorian. The fact that Raon was heading to the lords manor was as evident as the ice cream being round. Runaan came up next to him and patted his shoulder. She blinked while telling him that it wouldve been strange if they couldnt figure it out. Actually, the vice division leader is the easiest to read. You are always either at the training ground or the annex building if we need to find you. You are theplete opposite of our unpredictable division leader. Ah, except for when we are training, since you be a monster. The Light Wind swordsmen smiled, saying that they naturally expected him to be at the lords manor. Huh Raonughed bitterly while looking at the faint warmth in their eyes. They read me, huh I dont know how I should feel about this. Having their personality analyzed was pretty much a death sentence for assassins. Hed been doing his best to hide his inner self in his previous life, but the Light Wind division was telling him that they knew what kind of person he was. Hearing that made him excited and warmed his heart for some reason. Is it fading away a little? A small smile was brought to his face before he knew it because it felt like the hellish memories of his previous life were fading away. Silence, everyone. Raon hardened his expression and gathered everyones attention. Get ready for the departure now. Gather at the fifth training ground at noon. What about you, Raon? Runaan tilted her head. I need to do something. What do you need to do? I need to report to ourzybone division leader. He is still our leader, after all. Hed gone and done it, so it was a bit toote, but it was still necessary to notify him. Oh, right! We had a division leader! I know, right? I forgot about him because Im so used to his absence. Hes pretty much a spoon for bead ice cream. Martha, Burren, and Runaans lips parted as they finally remembered that Rimmer existed. Huh Raon gasped while looking at the Light Wind division that hadpletely forgotten about him. Rimmer was such an amazing person in a sense because they werent even pretending and had seriously forgotten about him. Remember, gather at noon. Ill leave you behind if you arete, so quickly make your preparations. He sent the Light Wind division off before heading to Rimmers room. Creak! He opened the old door to Rimmers room. Dust was rising from the floor. Ugh! Wrath frowned while looking at the dust. Shitty Ears is seriously so distasteful! How can he even eat and sleep in such a dirty ce? He frantically shook his head, saying that even his appetite would be gone if he inhaled all of that dust. Im also curious about that. He couldnt understand how a patient was living in a room like that. Raon entered Rimmers room while blowing away the dust by shaking his hand like a fan. The room looked like a garbage dump with nkets,undry, books, and trash spread all over the ce. It was even dirtier than thest time hed been there. Division leader. Hmm? Rimmer stood up from the pile ofundry. He looked even more ragged than the Ragged Saint. His entire body was covered in bandages, and his eyes were hazy. What brought you here? Rimmer waved his hand, saying ''Long time no see. Judging from his weak gesture, he seemed to be still recovering. Weve got a mission for us. Youve got it for you? What? Rimmer tilted his head, noticing the subtle meaning behind Raons words. Yes, I went to the Lords manor to get it. Already? Hey, I understand you want to get achievements, but you are going overboard! Its not for achievement. I heard about this today, and the Warring Steel division Raon told Rimmer everything that had happened in the morning. Oh, thats really bad. But Rimmer scratched his nose while looking downwards. I cant join you. He pointed at his body, which was covered in bandages. The body is an issue, but Ive also gotten internal injuries. Internal injuries? Theres actually more than the internal injuries, but in short, Im unable to move right now. Rimmer shook his head, saying that he should be participating in a matter like that, but the circumstances didnt allow it. I had no expectations anyway. Hey! Since we dont have any time to waste, we will go without you. Are you sure? There are two floor overseers, and they might have even more! He asked how confident Raon was with a cold gaze. I wouldve never wielded a sword to begin with if I was afraid of something like that. His goal was the head of Six Kings, Derus Robert. Since he was going to stab his neck eventually, a mere floor overseer from the ck Tower wasnt anything to be afraid of. Wow, are you taking some kind of lessons for those lines? You sound like a hero from a fairytale. Its just you who is too frivolous, division leader. Ugh Rimmer was unable to refute that and lowered his head. Anyway, I understand. I''lle to help you once I get better. He waved his hand, telling him that he would try to recover as fast as possible to join him. Dont do it. Raon firmly shook his head while looking at Rimmers excited eyes. Id like to decline if you just want to arrive at thest moment in style. Ehh * * * * * * Raon got his stuff from the annex building and returned to the fifth training ground. Every single member of the Light Wind division and Mark Goetten were already lined up in front of the tform. Whir! Everyone seemed to have resolved themselves even further during their preparations. Raon went on the tform while feeling the swordsmens pressures, which were as sharp as des. Are you ready? Yes! The Light Wind swordsmen responded loud and clear without the slightest hesitation. You mustve heard it from the Shadow Agents, but it will be a difficult path. Raon lowered his gaze and looked down upon the Light Wind division. Its not toote to withdraw if you volunteered just because everyone else was doing it. This is yourst chance. Raon asked them to raise their hand if they wanted to withdraw from the mission, but no one raised their hand, obviously. Is that even a question? Its true that Im afraid, but I still have to go! He sounds stupid sometimes. We have no time to waste! Lets leave already! The Light Wind swordsmen waved their hands, urging him to depart. We will have to face two floor overseers from the ck Tower, and an even more powerful monster might await us. Are you still thinking the same? Even though Raon mentioned the ck Towers floor overseers, the swordsmens eyes didnt waver. They seemed to be even more determined than himself. I like those eyes. Raon smiled. He had the feeling that the reason they didnt look afraid at all was because the enemies didnt matter to them, as who they were going to save was the important part. Zieghart swordsmen He realized that he wasnt the only one growing into the mold of the true warriors that Sylvia wanted to see. Alright, then Raon nodded in satisfaction and came down from the tform. Just as he was about to order the departure, Chad opened the training grounds door and entered. Vice division leader! Leader of Shadow Agents? We were about to visit you No, its more appropriate for me toe. Chad smiled awkwardly and handed over the booklet hed brought. Wepiled this in a hurry, but there should be no mistakes. Raon was surprised he said there would be no mistakes even though the incident had just happened overnight. It was a confidence befitting the leader of Shadow Agents. Thank you. And Just as Raon was about to open the booklet, Chad came one step closer. Weve just gotten this news, but the ck Towers floor overseers havent shown up so far. Which means Raon clenched his fist while looking at Chad. Crimson mes sparkled from his eyes. They must still be fighting. * * * Thanks to Chads preparations, they managed to reach Hoffern through the fastest route without the slightest dy. Raon admired Chads excellent ability, as he didnt have much time or information on hand. He licked his lips while looking at the strange area. The north side of the path was snow-white, while the south was filled with greenery. Its been a while since thest time I came to Hoffern. Hoffern was located at the border between the north and the center. It was a peculiar ce where a snow field and a frozenke were located ten steps to the north, while a dense forest and a clearke were ten steps to the south. Huh Burren gasped while looking at the clear contrast between the two areas. Snow is piling up on the left, and butterflies are flying on the right. What the hell is this ce? He was agape because of that impossible phenomenon. I know, right? Martha nodded. It was rare to see her agree with Burren. Howe they are so different just because there is a path in between them? She looked at the snowy path on the right and murmured that it would be difficult to search that way. Hmm. Runaan dashed to the right side and tasted the snow before she blinked. This is real snow. We arent here to y around. Focus. Raon pped his hand to gather the Light Wind divisions attention. Let me say it again. Our highest priority isnt battle, its the search and rescue. Prioritize saving the Warring Steel division rather than fighting. Yes! The Light Wind swordsmen nodded in unison, saying that they were obviously aware of that fact. However, its also true that we cant leave them alone since they attacked Zieghart. Raon twisted his lips while clenching the hilt of his sword. Wipe out everyone you see once I give you permission. I like that! Sure! The swordsmen clenched their fists, their voices a lot more ferocious than before. Lets go! Raon waved his hand towards the back as he advanced through the strange path with heavy snowfall on one side and warm wind blowing from the other side. The Light Wind swordsmen followed him with their frightening gazes glowing with madness. They advanced like a single sword, and their fiery aura opened the path through the snow and wind. Chapter 442 Chapter 442 Raon snapped his fingers while running towards the route where the Warring Steel division was seen for thest time. ording to the information, their traces suddenly disappeared from that route. ording to the informative booklet that Chad had given to him, the Warring Steel division was on its way back after spending a night in Lon Vige and disappeared on the way. Considering that even Trevin, who was at the highest level of Master, and the entire Warring Steel division hadnt left any traces as they disappeared, they were definitely using something special like some kind of power or an artifact. I need to figure out what that was, but Theres nothing I can tell for now. Since the Warring Steel division had disappeared during daybreak, the avable information was too little, and it was impossible to solve the mystery. Raon furrowed his brow while touching his slightly dry lips. Demon Ring and Frozen Scent. ording to the Shadow Agents investigations, the two floor overseers involved in the incident were the demonized humans called Demon Ring and Frozen Scent. Demon Ring used two white chakrams that gave off holy vibes despite his name. However, the chakrams would supposedly turn as dark as the abyss once he unleashed more than fifty percent of his demonic energy, and they became drastically more powerful than before. On the other hand, Frozen Scent was apparently capable of freely manipting the water attribute as easily as her own body. There was also a strange rumor stating that her coldness apanied some kind of fragrance once she unleashed her power, and whoever inhaled it would die within five steps. They are both superior to the ck Commander. Which floor they upied in the ck Tower determined their ranks, and Demon Ring and Frozen Scent were both known to manage higher floors than the ck Commander. Since they had both been notorious for a long time as demonized humans, they wouldnt have had much difficulty defeating the Warring Steel division. One of them was probably enough to annihte the whole division. However Even for them, it was impossible to make the Warring Steel division disappear without a trace. They might have gained a new ability. It could be one of them or both. Since even the elites from the Shadow Agents were unable to figure out how the Warring Steel division had gone missing, it was necessary to gather information as fast as possible. I should start from here. Raon activated the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower at the same time. Whir! The faint flow of the demon kings skill linked with the resonating rings of fire. Thebination of the mana inside and outside his body made him feel like his body was floating in the air, and his vision and perception widened many timesrger, just like a blind person opening their eyes. Raon could feel countless presences through the spreading perception. He could feel the movement of small wild animals and insects from the south, which was full of greenery around a river, and the quiet snow field to the north looked like no one was around at first, but he could hear the faint breath of the hibernating animals under the ground. Raon clenched his fist before opening it while spreading his aura perception even further. This is strange. The area became even wider than before. The area of his perception had increased more than ten percentpared to before hed returned to the house. He couldnt understand how that happened since hed been focusing on training his swordsmanship instead of cultivating his aura. Moreover, he didnt feel stressed at all even though he was using his aura perception and his footwork to the best of his abilities. He felt like he could fight perfectly fine even if a battle broke out while he was in that state. Did they increase my realm itself instead of only teaching me swordsmanship? It looked like Glenn and Rector had widened his realm on top of teaching him sword principles. People in the continent called them the pinnacle of swordsmen for a good reason, as they managed to create such a result in a single week. However Even my increased perception isnt catching anything. Even though his aura perception had be wider and more sensitive, he couldnt feel anything simr to a trace of battle. Wrath. Raon furrowed his brow and tapped on Wraths head, who was riding on his shoulder. How about you? Do you feel anything? Not really so far. But even if he did, do you believe that the King of Essence would tell you about it? He stuck his tongue out and sneered. True, thats how you are. Raon furrowed his brow and flicked Wraths tongue with his finger. Ack! The King of Essences godly tongue! Its worth ten million gold! Raon ignored him since he was calling himself a god despite being a demon king and focused on his perception instead. Well, I still learned something thanks to him. Wrath seemed to believe that he didnt give Raon any hints at all, but hed said that there was nothing so far. That implies that there was nothing to investigate between the dimensional door and where he was. Raon smiled faintly while looking at Wrath, who was rubbing his thick tongue with teary eyes. Thank you again, giving Wrath. * * * * * * Raon and the Light Wind division kept running nonstop and arrived at Lon Vige, where the Warring Steel division wasst spotted. Wow, how can a vige even look like that? Martha furrowed her brow while looking at Lon Vige. Indeed, its not coherent at all. Burren agreed with Martha and nodded faintly. They are high and low. Runaan tilted her head while looking back and forth between the buildings with high and low roofs. It was actually normal for the Light Wind swordsmen to be so surprised. Lon Vige was a mid-sized vige since it wasnt that big or small, and the building styles were drastically different between north and south since the climates of the northern and central regions coexisted. To prevent the snow from piling up, the buildings in the north had high roofs that made them look pointy. Meanwhile, the roofs in the center were a lot tter. People who didnt know the reason behind the difference would have believed that two viges from different regions had been forciblybined. This ce is as peculiar as always. Raon entered Lon Vige, thinking that it hadnt changed at all since thest time hed seen it. The atmosphere inside the vige was anxious and hectic at the same time, probably because they knew about the Warring Steel divisions disappearance and the ck Towers movement. Wee. Raon was nning to start by examining the vige, but a middle-aged ck-haired man walked up to him and bowed. He was wearing yellow clothes with a small bird pattern at the hem. My name is Rugen, the eighth external wing of the Shadow Agents. He quietly mumbled that he was an external agent from the Shadow Agents. Raon immediately nodded because Chad had mentioned he had someone to help them, even though the agents outfit and attitude were already believable enough. Im Raon Zieghart, the Light Winds vice division leader. Im honored to meet you. His eyes looked excited as he nodded. It didnt seem to be ttery. How is the situation? There shouldnt be any changespared to what youve heard. He sighed, saying that nothing had changed even though hed been thoroughly searching Lon Vige and its surroundings. Ive investigated every single one of the vigers and every building, but nothing strange was found. Did the floor overseers from the ck Tower not visit this vige? They didnt. People havent even seen any ck robes around. The ck robes that d them in darkness were a characteristic of the ck Tower. Rugen shook his head, saying that the ck Tower hadnt visited the vige at all. How is that even possible? Martha frowned and examined the vige from left to right. The ck Towers scoundrels supposedly appeared around here! Indeed. Rugen nodded without being surprised. He seemed to be aware of Marthas personality. The ce where the Warring Steel division was seenst is close to here, isnt it? Correct. Then how does it even make sense that the vigers dont know about it? Martha rolled her eyes fiercely, saying that it was strange no matter how she thought about it. There must be at least one person who knows. Lets look for them. And how are you nning to search? Raon sighed while looking at Martha, who was bobbing her finger. By beating them up of course, what else? Violence solves all problems! Raon felt like hed heard that before, as Martha shouted for him to give her permission. You really are amazing. Runaan gave Martha a thumbs up topliment her. However, she tilted her thumb downwards and continued. Its a stupid idea that no one woulde up with except for Miss Rakshasa. You slowpoke! Hmph. Martha and Runaan kicked each other and started to fight. Raon shook his head and closed his eyes. He gathered as much wrath as possible and spread the Perception of the Snow Flower as much as possible. While feeling the sensation of his skin spreading through the air, he tried to scrape up the ck Tower and the Warring Steel divisions traces in the entire vige. It seems theres nothing. Just as Rugen had said, he couldnt feel the Warring Steel divisions presence nor the ck Towers demonic energy. None of them had left any trace in the vige. Raon opened his eyes. Martha and Runaan were trying to push each other with their palms. Stop. Raon raised his hand to split them apart and shook his head. Gathering information by beating people up isnt a good method even in a hurry. Moreover, I dont think we will get anything by doing that. Huh? What? The Light Wind swordsmen nkly raised their eyes upon hearing that. Wait, thats what you always do! You even did it to us, on top of the enemies! You previously told us that we should consider the possibility that we didnt do enough beating if the problem wasnt solved! The Light Wind swordsmen dropped their jaws while thinking about what Raon had previously done and said, but Raon didnt even care about them. Anyway, we are leaving. Get ready. Raon shook his hand at the Light Wind division before walking up to Rugen, who was standing behind him. Can you guide us to the ce with thest trace of the Warring Steel division? Are you sure? Its rtively far from here. I dont mind. In that case, lets get going. Rugen nodded and left the vige before using footwork. He didnt look that powerful, but his footwork was extremely fast and confident. Raon unleashed his aura perception as much as possible once again while following him. He examined the flow of the wind, as well as the movement of animals and people while looking for strange energy. However, both the forest and the snow field werepletely peaceful. He didnt manage to find anything until Rugen came to a halt. Here we are. Rugen exhaled roughly and pointed ahead. He could see a small path slightly away from Hofferns avenue. A gray frozenke was in the north, and a clearke was sloshing under the setting sunlight in the south. The small and narrow path passed between the twokes with extreme contrast. It was a beautiful scene that anyone would stop by, let alone the Warring Steel division. This is where the Warring Steel divisionsst traces were found. However Rugen looked away in the middle of his exnation. Swordsmen in gray uniforms showed up from the path between thekes that hed previously pointed at. Their unshakable gazes were as sharp as a de polished by an artisan, and reversed burning sword emblems were engraved on their clothes. They were the White Lotus divisions swordsmen that Glenn had supposedly summoned beforehand. The White Lotus division always stayed outside the house because of their division leaders personality, which made it his first encounter with them after the assault on Edens branch. Raon briefly licked his lips, while observing the swordsmens presences. They are powerful for sure. The White Lotus division was d in even more powerful and ferocious pressure than the Warring Steel division, probably because theyd been continuously fighting and carrying out missions outside the house. However They have many fatalities because of that. It was impossible for everyone to be a hero. Those who managed to survive became more powerful, but arger number of swordsmen ended up dying before then. Raon had heard that the White Lotus division always requested many members for that reason. In fact, there was only one of their members who he recognized among those he was seeing. Its the White Lotus division. They were supposed to be here, huh But why are they ring like that? Are they picking a fight? The Light Wind division darted their tongues in and out upon recognizing the White Lotus division. The Light Wind squad? Why is the Light Wind squad here? I heard they were dispatched as additional reinforcement for this mission. Reinforcement? What do we even do with them? And they are the Light Wind division now, instead of a squad. Oh, yeah. I heard they were promoted. The White Lotus division also recognized the Light Wind division and slightly furrowed their brows. The way they spoke was rather disturbing. Its so pointless. Raon briefly sighed and walked up to the White Lotus swordsmen. Where is the division leader? Im not sure. Where did he go again? The swordsman, who seemed to be a team leader, impudently shook his head while whistling. The pointless tension was undesirable for Raon since there wasnt much time, but the White Lotus division didnt seem to agree. They seemed to believe that the Light Wind division had volunteered for the mission in order to steal the White Lotus divisions achievement. You Hey, you son of a bitch! Raon furrowed his brow, and a vulgar curse could be heard from behind. Of course, it was Marthas doing. Wheres your respect, you fucker? Cant you see our vice division leader right here? Huh? Erm The team leader widened his eyes in surprise. He must not have expected a sudden curse. You even know that weve been promoted to a division but still picked a fight with us. You must have a death wish. Martha red ferociously at the White Lotus swordsmen. She looked like she would attack them at any moment. Good job. Runaan nodded at her while unironically apuding her. It was rare for her to support Martha. He looks like some paltry rat Ill pull your limbs off. Watch out how you run your mouth if you dont want to die. It wasnt just Martha and Runaan. The entire Light Wind division was ring at the White Lotus division with their eyes gleaming with damp madness. They looked like they were going to attack if they were provoked any further. Stop it. Raon wouldve normally let the Light Wind division mess them up, but he didnt have any time to waste. It was necessary to discuss with the White Lotus division leader as fast as possible and take action. Say it now. Where is he? Raon didnt even need to release his pressure. The team leader was intimidated by the Light Wind divisions madness, and he pointed at the southernke while his shoulders trembled. Raon followed his hand and saw a tall man standing in the middle of the White Lotus swordsmen. His shoulders were as broad as a whale, and his jawline was angr. He looked like a heavenly general from the myths, but his pressure was the most important part. The extreme heaviness weighing upon Raons body felt like he was the embodiment of a huge mountain. Raon didnt use any aura. He endured Ayads pressure with nothing but willpower and bowed to him. Greetings, White Lotus division leader. Its been a while, Light Wind vice division leader. Ayad slowly nodded. He wasnt showing any displeasure for not being the only ones on the mission, unlike the other White Lotus swordsmen, but the foul sign in his eyes clearly indicated that he didnt like Raons presence. I guess theres no reason they would be weing us. Raon decided not to care about it since he just wanted to save the Warring Steel division. The Warring Steel divisions traces disappeared after those. He briefly clicked his tongue while looking at theke. Theres no trace of battle, and no corpse floated to the surface. Its a mystery. However, no matter what power was in action, they couldnt have left the Hoffern region. Ayad turned to look at Raon. The best method to look for them is simple. Its to scatter the Light Wind division and the White Lotus division one by one to search the entirety of Hoffern. If every swordsman moves individually, we should be able to search the entire region before sunrise. He nodded, saying that it was the only way to find the Warring Steel divisions traces in thatnd. You should head to the east, for instance. Search everything starting from the entrance I apologize for saying this, but I dont want to. Raon shook his head when Ayad was about to spread the map. Scattering the members one by one was definitely not a good method in the given situation. It might allow them to quickly find the traces, but it could increase the casualties. That was why he couldnt ept it. Err D-did he just? The White Lotus swordsmen nced at Ayad sideways with trembling lips. It looked like they didnt expect Raon to immediately refuse. Whir! Ayad straightened his back while almost crushing the half-opened map in his grasp. His gaze pressing upon Raons soul was as fiery as the northern wind and heavy at the same time. What did you say just now? Say it again. His gaze became a violent pressure and crushed Raons shoulders. The pain on his skin felt like he was being stabbed by a de, but he counteracted with the power of his soul enhanced by the Ring of Fire and stood in front of Ayad. I said I dont want to. Youve always loved to say no, havent you? Theres no reason to go out of my way to create more casualties. Raons red eyes and Ayads gray eyes shed against each other, and a deep distortion was created on the calmke. Chapter 443 Chapter 443 Rumble! Once Raon and Ayad¡¯s powerful pressures shed against each other, the damp and softnd distorted and bubbles appeared on theke as if it were boiling. Whir. Just like their leaders, the Light Wind division and the White Lotus division ced their hands on their waists, preparing to draw their swords at any moment. Their auras were as frightening as their leaders¡ªas if they were facing their enemies. An internal war between Ziegharts was about to ur as soon as one of them drew their sword and swung it. Ayad ced his thick finger on the hilt of his sword. ¡°Why are you declining?¡± Ayad furrowed his brow to show that he couldn¡¯t understand and continued. ¡°This is an emergency. You should be fully aware that investigating a wider area by spreading them out is the fastest way to find the Warring Steel division.¡± His displeasure turned into a furious wave and engulfed Raon. ¡°It¡¯s fast indeed, but the n sacrifices the swordsmen as a prerequisite.¡± Even though Ayad¡¯s pressure was getting more and more powerful, Raon wasn¡¯t intimidated at all. He raised his cold gaze and shook his head. ¡°Even the entire Warring Steel division disappeared without putting up the slightest resistance, yet you want to scatter our members one by one. It¡¯s pretty much throwing the swordsmen to their graves. Are you trying to pick apples one by one to donate to the thief?¡± ¡°We can save them before that happens.¡± Ayad rolled his hostile eyes. He shook his head, saying that they could figure out the situation before the swordsmen disappeared or were defeated. ¡°If me, you, and the team leaders hold their positions, we can save our subordinates before a problem urs. It would be even better if they end up being kidnapped because we can take advantage of that situation to locate the Warring Steel division.¡± ¡°You are overconfident about your and your subordinates¡¯ abilities.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even a hundred of you won¡¯t be enough to observe this entire area. It might be possible for the vice division leaders, but the team leaders won¡¯t notice even if someone was kidnapped in their vicinity. It¡¯s the worst method that increases casualties for no reason. And¡­¡± Raon briefly sighed while looking at the White Lotus division, who were biting their lips from behind Ayad. ¡°Our enemies aren¡¯t idiots.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The ck Tower¡¯s perpetrators should be well aware that we are looking for the Warring Steel division. There¡¯s no way they would run the risk of kidnapping them once again. They are going to kill them on the spot and disappear. Division leader, you look like you would like to have that trace at least, but it will bepletely meaningless.¡± The ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans had already kidnapped the entire Warring Steel division with a special method. Since they must¡¯ve already achieved their objective, or they were in the middle of doing so, there was no reason for them to run the risk when they knew that people were chasing them. ¡°They will kill instead of kidnapping, you say. That¡¯s even better.¡± Ayad stepped forward heavily with his right foot instead of refuting him. ¡°The White Lotus division is different from the Warring Steel division. My subordinates aren¡¯t weak enough to be defeated by the ck Tower because those sloppy bastards have already perished.¡± He also extended his left foot as he spoke. Ayad¡¯s sturdy body looked even bigger. At the same time, his pressure curled up into a sphere and created an aura barrier to prevent the sound from escaping. Whir. His mana moved in such a natural manner that no one should¡¯ve realized that an aura barrier was created. His ability was befitting a monster who had been a division leader for a long time. ¡®The fact that he created an aura barrier signifies¡­ That he¡¯s about to say something that the others shouldn¡¯t hear.¡¯ ¡°And it doesn¡¯t matter even if they die.¡± Raon had guessed right. What Ayad said was something that he couldn¡¯t say before. ¡°Those who can get stronger are the chosen few, and most warriors¡¯ job is to be crushed to let them shine. It won¡¯t change anything even if they ended up dying a bit earlier.¡± ¡°They are still your subordinates, aren¡¯t they?¡± Raon created an extremely faint flow of mana behind him while asking that question. ¡°Subordinates?¡± Ayad sneered even harder. Just as he was about to speak, Raon twisted his mana to create a small hole in the sturdy barrier. ¡°A devoted subordinate should find a clue for the mission at the cost of their life. Most of them are bait anyway. I don¡¯t care how many of them end up dying as long as those that I¡¯ve personally raised survive in the end. It just needs to continue until I be a pce master¡­ Hmm?¡± He red at Raon in contempt, but suddenly stopped himself upon noticing an abnormality. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡­¡± He realized it so quickly even though Raon was as careful as possible when controlling his mana. It was an ability befitting a division leader. ¡®However¡­ Everyone already heard you.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and turned his eyes towards the White Lotus division. Ayad¡¯s words had reached their ears through the aura barrier. There was no way they could remainposed after that. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°D-division leader?¡± ¡°What you said just now¡­¡± The White Lotus swordsmen either bit their lips or red at his back with bloodshot eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± An interesting thing to note was that there were still a significant number of swordsmen who weren¡¯t surprised at all. They seemed to be the aforementioned warriors, the ones that Ayad had personally raised. Their skills and gazes indeed seemed rather extraordinary. Hey! Wrath had been hanging on the shoulder like wetundry and suddenly stood up. How is he treating his subordinates like that?! Mess him up right now! Wrath shouted at Raon to draw his sword already since those who didn¡¯t cherish their subordinates deserved to have their heads crushed. No! Give your body to the King of Essence! I¡¯ll force him to watch his frozen body for over ten thousand years! His furious face turned red even though it was none of his business. He really cherished his subordinates. ¡°What a nasty trick.¡± Ayad didn¡¯t even look back. He confidently straightened his back and stared at him as if he¡¯d never created the aura barrier. Raon honestly hadn¡¯t expected that he wouldn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Wasn¡¯t it because you aren¡¯t skilled enough, division leader?¡± Raon curved his lips into a slight smile while maintaining hisposed expression. ¡°You must¡¯ve been trying to create a rift between the White Lotus division, but it¡¯s a meaningless attempt.¡± He turned around to look at the White Lotus division and bobbed his finger. ¡°Come here if you want toin about what I just said. I¡¯ll let you leave the division.¡± Ayad acted even more confidently instead of being embarrassed. He looked like he couldn¡¯t even feel the shame because a portion of his emotions were cut apart. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The White Lotus swordsmen were unable to respond and bit their lips tightly. ¡°Did you not hear my question?¡± ¡°We have noints!¡± Ayad asked the question for a second time, and the vice division leader, team leaders, vice team leaders, and the skilled warriors that he had personally raised shouted with their hands sped behind their backs. ¡°Are you threatening them now? I can¡¯t tell which one of us is the nastier one.¡± Raon sneered at Ayad. ¡°I remember what you told me during the Selection Ceremony. You told me to join the White Lotus division, and you said you would create a path for me to reach even higher. I¡¯m guessing now that you meant the afterlife by that. It¡¯s true that the afterlife is pretty high up there.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Thick veins bulged on Ayad¡¯s forehead, and the White Lotus swordsmen¡¯s faces turned pale. ¡°I have no intention of bing your stepping stone. That was the case in the past, and the same goes for now.¡± ¡°Are you seriously going to keep acting like this? You will regret it.¡± ¡°You know, people who say that to me tend to regret it.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders, saying that he didn¡¯t really care. ¡°You keep picking a fight just because we can¡¯t fight right now. You must be out of your mind just because you¡¯ve gotten a bit stronger.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not picking a fight. I¡¯m simply talking about the line that a human being shouldn¡¯t cross.¡± Raon had never done nor said anything that he would be ashamed of. There was a line that shouldn¡¯t be crossed no matter how urgent it was. ¡°And¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips curved into an angr smile as he tapped Heavenly Drive¡¯s scabbard. ¡°It¡¯s true that we can¡¯t fight right now, but I¡¯m not exactly afraid of you, division leader. Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°Can you take responsibility for what you just said?¡± Ayad¡¯s pressure burst out like an erupting volcano. The entire area around theke was covered by his energy in an instant. It was as if he was saying that he¡¯s been ying around so far. ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded and unleashed his pressure, which he¡¯d been suppressing. Majestic waves of his energy surged like a wildfire and pushed back Ayad¡¯s pressure to engulf the space. Rumble! The sh between auras turned the sky darker, and a huge tremor urred from the ground like an earthquake. Even the powerful swordsmen ended up losing their bnce and fell. ¡°If you can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± Raon smiled while gently touching his scabbard. ¡°What about having a match after this mission?¡± He casually shook his hand. It looked like Ayad¡¯s pressure had no effect on him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ayad nodded without saying anything. His emotionless gaze was almost frightening. ¡°I¡¯ll remember it. Don¡¯t forget.¡± He red at Raon with a clear scowl on his face before he turned around to leave. ¡°Wait a moment, there¡¯s still something to discuss¡­¡± ¡°We will act on our own, so you should do whatever you want.¡± Raon was trying to tell him what he¡¯d learned from the previous sh, but Ayad simply left theke, saying that he didn¡¯t need his help. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The White Lotus swordsmen bit their lips before following Ayad. Some of them bowed at Raon to express their gratitude. They looked like they were going to leave the White Lotus division soon enough. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± ¡°Why is this happening?¡± ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± The Light Wind division sighed deeply and came towards him. Their sweaty foreheads showed that what had just happened waspletely unexpected to them. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± Burren¡¯s sharp eyes were filled with worries. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I can¡¯t stand seeing something like that.¡± It would¡¯ve been a different story if he didn¡¯t know about it, but he wasn¡¯t tolerant enough to put up with a guy who tantly tried to use people as bait. ¡°Good job! That son of a bitch was trying to use all of us as bait!¡± Martha mmed Raon¡¯s back, saying that it felt so good, just like when the stomach pain was cured. ¡°You were damn handsome, Raon.¡± Runaan walked up to him and gave him a big nod to praise him. ¡°How did a person like him even be a division leader?¡± ¡°It¡¯s precisely because of his personality that he managed to be a division leader at a young age.¡± ¡°I knew something was wrong when I saw that the White Lotus division changed their members far too often.¡± Raon licked his lips while listening to the Light Wind division. Unfortunately, bad guys were bound to gain power in the world rather than the good ones. ¡°I was wondering why my stomach ached every time I encountered the White Lotus division leader. It was because of his ck heart.¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders trembled as he said that he¡¯d always felt nervous whenever he¡¯d seen Ayad. ¡°It was nice to see you humiliate that guy, but what do we do now?¡± Krein wasughing but suddenly sighed. ¡°We need to find the Warring Steel division, but there¡¯s no way.¡± He shook his head, saying that he couldn¡¯t even start to guess how to find the Warring Steel division. ¡°Sir Rugen.¡± Burren waved his hand at Rugen. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Rugen had been standing there nkly because of the unexpected situation but quickly nodded upon hearing the call. ¡°Did you already investigate thiske?¡± ¡°Yes. Agents who are capable of breathing underwater dove inside, but no corpses nor traces of battle were found.¡± He sighed, saying that nothing was found in the area even though they didn¡¯t manage to check the deepest parts. ¡°Haa, where are we even supposed to go?!¡± Martha stamped her feet in frustration, and Raon raised his hand. ¡°It isn¡¯t here. We need to go to the opposite side.¡± ¡°How do you know about that?¡± ¡°I found a clue a moment ago.¡± Raon touched his lips while looking at theke, where the waves were subsiding. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°A-a clue?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen were surprised and raised their heads like meerkats. It waspletely unexpected for them. ¡°Wh-which part even gave any clue¡­?¡± Rugen also dropped his jaw, unable toprehend which part contained any clue. ¡°It was a moment ago.¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at the frozenke on the opposite side instead of the clearke. ¡°I felt a faint presence from the frozenke when my pressure shed against the White Lotus division leader.¡± The fact that he disliked Ayad¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t the only reason Raon had provoked him. He¡¯d figured that the ck Tower¡¯s perpetrators hiding in the area might show their presence if arge amount of aura shed, and he could feel a person¡¯s movement from the frozenke¡ªjust like he¡¯d nned. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rugen gasped while looking at Raon. ¡°Did you really n all that under Sir Ayad¡¯s pressure?¡± His chin trembled violently because of how ridiculous it was. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t expect anymon sense from him.¡± ¡°Yeah, that will only bring headaches.¡± ¡°Monster with nomon sense.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan shook their heads, telling him to consider him a different species. The same went for the other swordsmen. They were surprised but murmured that it was understandable since it was Raon. ¡°Wh-which means¡­¡± ¡°Are they from the ck Tower?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case.¡± Raon firmly shook his head. ¡°I couldn¡¯t feel any demonic energy.¡± Those who¡¯d been hiding were using mana, just like any other ordinary warrior. They seemed to be using some special artifact, but the energy they used was definitely mana. ¡°Follow me while pretending to examine the frozenke.¡± Raon shook his hand after telling them at which tree those warriors were hiding. ¡°Slowly encircle them, since we can¡¯t miss them.¡± * * * * * * Raon calmly walked towards the frozenke like a tourist. Unlike the clearke, the frozenke had a dark color mixed into it, as if ck ink were included. However, he couldn¡¯t feel anything strange even though he examined the area with aura perception. Theke¡¯s color was slightly different from his previous visit, but it didn¡¯t seem to be anything significant. ¡°Search.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind division scattered all around theke in groups of two as soon as Raon gave the order. Their movement looked disordered at first, but they were actually following the previous order and were surrounding the Zelkova tree with lots of snow piled up on it, located outside the frozenke. Raon slowly observed theke as he waited. Once the encirclement wasplete, he walked up to the tree and raised his gaze. Whoosh! The branches swayed from the cold northern wind. The tree lookedpletely normal, but five people were hiding in it. Considering the fact that their presence was hazy even though he was right in front of it, they must¡¯ve been d in something special on top of being skilled. ¡°Come down.¡± Raon continued while bobbing his finger towards the top of the tree. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny, since I can see you.¡± As soon as he said that, violent pressures spread out from the tree. Even though the tree had nothing but dry branches, the space above it undted like a curtain and five people wearing ck clothes made their appearance with a bright yellow light. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The middle-aged man standing at the center scowled. He had a diagonal scar on his left eyebrow. Judging from their pressures and might, he seemed to be the leader of the group. ¡°Are you from the ck Tower?¡± Raon readied his fingers to draw Heavenly Drive while looking into the middle-aged man¡¯s panicking pupils. ¡°N-no, they aren¡¯t.¡± The response didn¡¯te from above the tree but from Rugen behind him. ¡°He is the Thespian Emperor¡¯s subordinate, the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud.¡± Rugen informed him that he was the founder of White Whale from the Five Divine Orders, the Thespian Emperor¡¯s subordinate. He must¡¯ve seen his face before. ¡°You heard him. We aren¡¯t from the ck Tower. Stop picking a fight with us for no reason and¡­¡± ¡°So why was the Thespian Emperor¡¯s subordinate hiding like a rat?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business¡­¡± ¡°It does concern me.¡± Raon sneered and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The heat burst out like hellfire to melt down the coldness brimming on thend and engulfed the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and his subordinates. Their faces turned pale because of the fiery heat. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°What do you think you are doing?! Why are you doing this even though you heard who we are¡­?¡± ¡°Tell me what you know before your heads roll.¡± Raon tilted his chin while looking at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, who withdrew to the back. Bloodlust was glowing dangerously from his eyes. ¡°Because the Five Divine Orders and the Thespian Emperor are all worthless to me.¡± Chapter 444 Chapter 444 The vice division leader of the White Lotus division, Fran, used footwork to go next to Ayad, who was advancing ahead of the group. ¡°Division leader.¡± Ayad looked aside. His expressionless face looked like he¡¯d already regained hisposure. He managed to quench his anger in such a short period of time despite what Raon had done to him. He was a man with an extraordinary quality. ¡°Is this going to be okay?¡± Fran chewed his lip while observing the White Lotus swordsmen¡¯splexions, which were clearly showing their depression. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Ayad shook his head without even ncing at the White Lotus swordsmen following him from behind. ¡°They are going to die during the next mission anyway, even if they manage to survive this time. They only need to serve as stepping stones.¡± Even though the White Lotus division was numerous, he could only support a small number of them. Since he¡¯d already decided which ones he would bring with him until the end, he didn¡¯t care if the rest ended up dying or not. ¡°But what Raon said¡­¡± ¡°Is going to have some influence. But they won¡¯t be able to leave the White Lotus division despite knowing that fact, as only losers volunteer to leave a division. Just cheer them up a little so they won¡¯t break.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Fran exhaled faintly and nodded. He was aware it was a cruel thing to do, but it was a necessary task in order to protect the White Lotus division. ¡°Besides, it looked like Raon Zieghart was about to say something important a moment ago. Is it really okay to not listen to him?¡± Raon had hurriedly talked to him despite the dangerous atmosphere where they were about to draw their swords and fight. Fran was concerned because he had a feeling that Raon had noticed something important. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with him, since I¡¯m sure he was trying to pick a fight with a different method. I wanted to support him since he looked useful topete against the direct lines, but he¡¯s far more arrogant and disdainful than I thought.¡± Ayad furrowed his brow while thinking about Raon¡¯s red eyes, which hadn¡¯t wavered in the slightest. ¡®Damn bastard¡­¡¯ Blond hair and red eyes. The moment he saw that bright and overwhelming light, he was reminded of Glenn Zieghart, who was above heaven. Raon had already grown strong enough to remind him of Glenn. ¡°Hmm, it looks like he is still increasing his pressure¡­¡± ¡°It must be another plot from him. Stop paying attention to him.¡± Ayad clenched his fist without looking back. ¡°I¡¯m going to crush Raon Zieghart as soon as I return.¡± * * * ¡°You bastard¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud ground his teeth violently in frustration. ¡°How dare you run your mouth about our great leader? Do you have a death wish?¡± His eyes turned bloodshot. He seemed to be angry from the bottom of his heart. ¡°We won¡¯t overlook this matter! We are going to officiallyin to Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°Your cockiness knows no bounds.¡± Raon snorted and took a step towards the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. ¡°We are the ones who aren¡¯t about to overlook this matter. Not you.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°The small route between the twokes is the boundary, and the northern area is Zieghart¡¯s domain. It means that you¡¯ve been secretly hiding inside Zieghart¡¯s domain where an incident urred.¡± Raon strengthened the grip of his right hand and drew Heavenly Drive. The sound of the de brushing past the scabbard rang throughout the air. Shring. The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and White Whale¡¯s warriors turned pale. ¡°I don¡¯t know about White Whale or the Five Divine Orders, but I should be executing these random intruders right now. However, I¡¯m going to give you a chance.¡± Raon took another step towards them and pointed the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s neck with Heavenly Drive. ¡°Tell me why you¡¯ve been hiding here, and what you know.¡± Raon had heard that the White Whale founded by the Thespian Emperor had all the information in the world, just like the white whales flying in the sky. Since they had quick eyes for profits and information, there was no way they would¡¯ve been hiding there for no reason. ¡°D-division leader!¡± ¡°How dastardly! Who do you think he is?!¡± The White Whale¡¯s warriors briskly stood up upon seeing that Raon¡¯s de was targeting the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. However, they froze on the spot before they could attack Raon. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°Your head will roll the moment you move a single finger.¡± ¡°Stay still.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan had moved behind them before they knew it and were pointing their swords at them. ¡°Same goes for you, you¡¯d better stay still.¡± Mark Goetten spoke in a frightening voice while holding thest warrior¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You scoundrels¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud mustered his aura and wrinkled his eyebrows. ¡°You even took us by surprise after insulting our king. Can I take it as Zieghart¡¯s provocation towards the White Whale?¡± ¡°Provocation?¡± Raon sneered while brushing his hair back. ¡°You need to be in the same league to be worthy of provocation. Why would a whale try to provoke a shrimp that¡¯s just trying to survive?¡± ¡°Stop insulting us!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with you.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Say it.¡± Raon pressured the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud with his sharp pressure. ¡°Why were you hiding here, of all ces?¡± There were many ces other than the frozenke where they could¡¯ve hidden by using the artifact they¡¯d used to conceal their presence. Raon was curious about why they chose the frozenke, which was more prone to be found than the otherke. ¡°Let me tell you again. The tree you were hiding in is inside Zieghart¡¯s domain. Your great king and the Five Divine Orders won¡¯t be able to help you.¡± The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation violently dashing through his mana circuits burst out as a crimson me above Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. ¡°Let¡¯s just kill him.¡± Martha licked her lips while bringing her de to the warrior she was holding by his neck. ¡°These kinds of people don¡¯t have any useful information. It¡¯s a waste of time.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Burren nodded while bending the warrior¡¯s arm. ¡°I heard that the Thespian Emperor from the Five Divine Orders can use various tricks. There was an urrence where two Grandmasters werepletely stupefied while they were watching.¡± He frowned while saying that the Thespian Emperor was a dangerous person. He must¡¯ve already obtained information about the Five Divine Orders. ¡°There¡¯s no way the White Whale would¡¯ve dispatched such skilled personnel for no reason. It¡¯s better to get rid of them before they try anything else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Runaan blinked, showing that she was ready to stab them at any moment. Raon smiled faintly while looking at the murderous gazes of the Light Wind division. ¡®They are great actors.¡¯ He¡¯d already ordered them to never kill an opponent¡ªto simply neutralize them, regardless of who they were. However, the team leaders were making those deadly threats even though they were fully aware that they shouldn¡¯t kill them. They seemed to have be proper warriors who could do their jobs in any situation. ¡®Moreover¡­ Their threat is super effective.¡¯ The warriors from the White Whale other than the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud seemed to believe that Martha, Runaan, and Burren were serious. Their trembling lips had turned blue from the fear of their murderous intent. ¡°This is yourst chance.¡± Raon looked down on the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. His gaze was as frightening as his de. ¡°Tell me why you were here.¡± The murderous intention rising from Heavenly Drive was on a whole different level from before. It proved that he was serious about killing them if they refused. Whir! Let alone the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, even the Light Wind members felt their fingertips shaking from the bloodlust. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud swallowed nervously, unable to recklessly decide to attack him or charge at him. ¡®Is this the rumored Raon Zieghart¡­?¡¯ His blond hair was as dazzling as the sunlight, and his transparent red eyes looked like a red moon floating in a ss of wine. He¡¯d immediately noticed that he was facing the White Sword Dragon, Raon Zieghart, thanks to his colorful appearance. However, his might was on a whole different level from the White Whale¡¯s information. He¡¯d thought that he would be an advanced Master just like himself, but he could feel an unapproachable pressure from the man in front of him. Raon almost lookedfortable as he casually held his sword, but no opening could be found. The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud had the feeling that his head was going to fall to the ground the moment he tried to attack. ¡®Even if I assume that he managed to reach the highest level of Master, it would still be strange¡­¡¯ Assuming the impossible scenario that Raon Zieghart got even stronger and managed to reach the highest level of Master, such overwhelming pressure was still impossible. ¡®He¡¯s almost in the Grandmaster¡¯s realm¡­¡¯ He could feel an overwhelming difference in power, to the point where he felt like he was facing a Grandmaster instead of a Master. ¡®Even so¡­¡¯ The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud bit the tip of his tongue and lowered his right hand. ¡®I can¡¯t back off now.¡¯ * * * * * * The mission was directly bestowed on him by the emperor. He couldn¡¯t change the fact that they were found out because of his subordinate¡¯s mistake, but he at least had to avoid leaking the information. ¡°You are curious about why we are here, right?¡± He asked the question and clenched the sickle that was hanging behind his leather belt at the same time. He got ready to strike Raon¡¯s neck at any moment and opened his mouth once again. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you whatever I know if you guarantee our safety. However, you shouldn¡¯t even think about asking any further.¡± He stuttered to pretend he was terrified in order to make Raon careless and slowly gathered the aura from his energy center. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t try anyth¡ª¡± The moment Raon¡¯s lips parted, he pulled the sickle out from the belt and shed upwards. It was the fastest and the mostplicated technique of the Bloody Sickle Thrust, the Swift Crimson Twisted sh. Swoosh! The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud rolled his lips into a smile while looking at the moist circle covered in red. ¡®I did it!¡¯ The sickle with the Swift Crimson Twisted sh¡¯s energy was rushing toward Raon¡¯s chest alongside the red astral energy, but Raon¡¯s sword was still not reacting. The surprise attack was perfect. ¡®Next up is¡­¡¯ He was about to use the Bloody Sickle Thrust¡¯s special technique to make sure to finish Raon off. Spark! Red lightning struck in his vision, and an intense pain could be felt from his right shoulder. ¡°Aaa¡­aaa¡­Aaaack!¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud rolled his eyes while screaming. His right arm, which was shing upwards to use the Swift Crimson Twisted sh, was on the ground. Blood was gushing out of his shoulder like a fountain. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± He stepped back while covering his right shoulder with his left hand. The fact that Raon had noticed his surprise attack wasn¡¯t even the issue. He had never expected that he could counterattack so quickly and powerfully in such a short timeframe. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to defend against that frightening sh even if he knew about it in advance. His head went nk because of the physical and mental shock. ¡°I told you to not try anything.¡± Raon mmed the spotless Heavenly Drive into the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud copsed on the ground and writhed like a fish out of water. It looked like he didn¡¯t have any strength left. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the trembling Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. ¡®I feel so light.¡¯ The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s surprise attack was certainly swift andplicated, but it was as easy as breathing for him to shatter the flow. It was difficult to realize, but his swordsmanship had definitely improved thanks to Glenn and Rector. ¡°D-do you believe you can get away with this¡­?¡± ¡°Why were you hiding here?¡± Raon ignored his threat and twisted Heavenly Drive in his shoulder towards the right. ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud screamed, unable to withstand the intense pain. He was a stubborn one, as he was still not confessing despite the pain. However, the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud wasn¡¯t his only target. Raon twisted Heavenly Drive once again while looking at the dangerous amount of blood gushing from his shoulders. He looked like he didn¡¯t care whether the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud died or not. ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Then die.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Just as Raon was about to cut the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s neck with Heavenly Drive, he could hear someone shouting their head off from behind him. It was the young man who seemed to be the youngest among his subordinates. ¡°W-we were ordered to wait until something else happens here!¡± That was Raon¡¯s goal, as they seemed to have a rtively strong bond for an underground faction, and it must¡¯ve worked. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Torin¡­¡± ¡°Tell me, what do you mean by waiting here?¡± Raon stopped the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s bleeding so that he wouldn¡¯t die before he stood up. ¡°Torin, you idiot¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud murmured. His face was pale and his lips were dry. ¡°Don¡¯t say it. That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Raon kicked his chin to shut his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s not important information anyway!¡± Torin started to speak once again despite the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s opposition. ¡°W-we don¡¯t have that much information either. We were simply asked to wait here until something happens in theke and to simply watch everything before we return.¡± He shook his head, saying that was the only order they were given. ¡°You were asked to watch from here?¡± Raon examined the frozenke while shaking the blood from Heavenly Drive. ¡®But why? I can¡¯t feel anything special.¡¯ He examined the area around theke and under the frozen surface through the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower, but he didn¡¯t notice anything special. ¡°Torin.¡± Raon withdrew his aura perception and looked at Torin. ¡°Were you ordered by the higher-ups?¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± ¡°And you were asked to not move from this spot.¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t ordered to move away.¡± He shook his head, saying that the concealing artifact they were using dissipated the moment they moved. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while touching Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. ¡®Thespian Emperor¡­¡¯ The power they possessed was one thing, but there were many rumors stating that it was impossible to understand what they were thinking. ¡®He must know something about this.¡¯ The Thespian Emperor must¡¯ve had some kind of information about the Warring Steel division¡¯s disappearance. ¡®However¡­ I can¡¯t visit him now.¡¯ It would be difficult to get an audience with the Thespian Emperor, to begin with, and he would most likely not give any information even if he did. He had to find the Warring Steel division with the information he had. ¡®But it still implies that there¡¯s something special in this location.¡¯ Raon sat down and ced his hand on the frozenke. He couldn¡¯t feel anything, just like the previous attempt, but he still had the most important method to analyze the demonic energy. ¡®I wanted to save it since I only have a small amount, but¡­¡¯ He gathered the darkest and the most alien power from his energy center. Whir. The Divinity Blooming from the Underworld, which had been hiding between the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier, rose through his mana circuits to be unleashed from his palm. Whap. Raon examined the frozenke once again while adding divinity to his hand on top of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura perception. Divinity was the most effective method to find demonic energy. Since his divinity was born from negative energies such as the energy of death, demonic energy, and ghastly energy, it was even better at finding those filthy energies. Whir. Raon spread the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld like thin threads throughout the frozenke in order to analyze the entire area. He was trying to find the demonic energy with the divinity spreading like a web, but he could only feel intense coldness no matter how long he tried. ¡®Is it because a long time has already passed?¡¯ He started to think that the demonic energy must¡¯ve already gone no matter what had happened in the past because a significant amount of time had passed since the Warring Steel division¡¯s disappearance. ¡®What am I supposed to do now¡­ Hmm?¡¯ He sighed in disappointment and was about to withdraw the divinity when he noticed a faint presence of demonic energy from around the center of the frozenke. ¡®Wait, is this¡­?¡¯ Raon hurriedly stood up. He ran towards the center of theke and unleashed the divinity once again. ¡®It¡¯s here!¡¯ It wasn¡¯t under theke, but the opposite side of the ice that he was standing on. He could feel an extremely faint, or rather, a simple remnant of demonic energy. ¡®What could¡¯ve happened here?¡¯ It would¡¯ve been understandable if it were from above, but he couldn¡¯t understand why he felt demonic energy from the center of the frozenke. Tsk tsk. Wrath shook his head while poking his head out to look at the frozenke below. It took you so long to find it. ¡®Did you know about it?¡¯ The King of Essence felt the distortion. ¡®Distortion?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wrath. The energy you felt didn¡¯t ur in this space. ¡®What does that mean?¡¯ An extremely small amount of demonic energy leaked from the windpipe connected to a different dimension. ¡®A different dimension? Does that mean that they created a boundary? The Frozen Scent might be able to do it.¡¯ The Frozen Scent was proficient with coldness and demonic energy. Since she¡¯d been active for dozens of years and had been getting stronger all along, it was fully possible that she would¡¯ve gained the ability to create a boundary with the ice. Raon examined the demonic energy from the frozenke once again. Considering what Wrath had said, the frozen surface must¡¯ve been connected to the boundary that was locking the Warring Steel division up, and there had to be a way to enter or destroy it. Whir! Raon even used the Ring of Fire to increase his focus, and he started to hear a small sound from the faint flow of demonic energy. Chapter 445 Chapter 445 Raon¡¯s right hand touching the ice started to tremble. ¡®I can hear it.¡¯ The demonic energy from the frozen surface was opened up by the divinity and the sound inside the boundary could be heard. It was the sound of shing weapons, the terrified screams of people, and the sound of something copsing on the ground. ¡®They were here all along.¡¯ He could ascertain it. The Warring Steel division was fighting against the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans inside the boundary connected to the ice he was standing on. ¡®How did they create another space through the small rift on the ice?¡¯ They used the mirror. Wrath clicked his tongue while staring at the ice.¡®Mirror?¡¯ Humans have always been afraid of mirrors in history. They are afraid that their other self living inside the mirror might end uping out, and countless sorceries and curses have been created to take advantage of that fear. Raon looked at the ice while listening to him. The color was slightly dark, but his face was perfectly reflected like a mirror, to the point that it felt mysterious. ¡®Does that mean that the ck Tower¡¯s viins created a boundary by using this ice like a mirror?¡¯ Indeed. They cast a hex to drag people to the other side of the mirror with this ice. It¡¯s simr to how you create a field with your sword. The humans you are looking for should be in the world on the other side of the ice. It was rare for Wrath to answer him so honestly. He must¡¯ve understood how pressing the situation was. ¡®So it was the Frozen Scent¡¯s sorcery¡­¡¯ The ck Tower¡¯s floor overseer, Frozen Scent had perfect control of coldness. She must¡¯ve been the one who created the boundary with the frozen surface. Raon bit his lip while listening to the continued sound of battle and screams. ¡®Theysted so long¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought that it was already toote for the rescue when he couldn¡¯t find anything in the vige, but the Warring Steel division was actually still putting up a fight. ¡°Raon?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen looked at him worriedly upon noticing the drastic change in his expression. ¡°I found them.¡± Raon pointed under the frozen surface with his finger. ¡°The Warring Steel division is currently fighting inside that ice.¡± He briefly exined his findings to the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡°Th-they are under the ice?¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been fighting all along inside the enemy¡¯s boundary¡­¡± ¡°Yes. They are amazing, however¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while examining the demonic energy inside the ice. ¡®They most likely kept them alive on purpose.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been a different story if only one among the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent were after them, but it was impossible for the Warring Steel division to survive that long when both of them were attacking them and even lured them into a boundary. He could guess that the ck Tower must¡¯ve had another objective inside the boundary. ¡®Are they trying to bait us? No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case.¡¯ He thought for a moment that they might be trying to lure himself and the Light Wind division by using the Warring Steel division as bait, but the boundary should¡¯ve been easier to find if that was the case. Considering howplicated the boundary was, they must¡¯ve had another goal in mind that required them to be hiding. ¡®Regardless of the case, I need to destroy that boundary as fast as possible¡­ But how?¡¯ He managed to discover the presence of the boundary, but he couldn¡¯te up with any method to open it up. ¡®I guess I have no other choice.¡¯ Wrath was nkly floating in the air, and Raon tapped on his shoulder. What? ¡®How can we enter that boundary?¡¯ How is the King of Essence supposed to know that? ¡®Weren¡¯t you well versed in dimensions created like this?¡¯ He told you before, but the King of Essence doesn¡¯t know anythingplicated. Wrath shook his head, saying that he didn¡¯t know how to open or close a boundary. Just break and destroy, and it will be distorted and open up on its own. He sneered, saying that Raon should get stronger already since power was enough to open a mere boundary regardless of affinity or whatever. ¡®Power is enough, you say¡­¡¯ It was impossible in his current state to force himself into the barrier. However, he managed to get a hint from what Wrath had just said. ¡®I don¡¯t have enough power, but I have affinity.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t strong enough to destroy a demonized human¡¯s barrier, but he had the divinity to create a distortion into the demonic space. ¡®This isn¡¯t time to be saving up forter.¡¯ He could continuously hear the sound from inside the barrier, probably because he¡¯d managed to hear it once. The sounds of screams and copsing corpses could be heard nonstop. He didn¡¯t have any time or divinity to waste. It was necessary to get it done right away. Raon pointed at the frozen surface while looking back to the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡°Gather, everyone.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Since the Light Wind swordsmen were fully aware of how serious the situation was, they lined up per team as soon as they were ordered. ¡°I¡¯m going to distort the boundary now. Move right away, since I won¡¯t be able to do it for long.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are saying, but sure.¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve finally found a way.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan simply nodded without even asking any questions. It was an expression of their trust in him. The other swordsmen also finished their preparations and were holding their swords. ¡®They are so reliable.¡¯ While enjoying the Light Wind division¡¯s bond, which waspletely different from the White Lotus division, he ced his hand on the ice and activated the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld. Whir! He ground the divinity into small pieces and shoved it into the ice. He didn¡¯t miss the moment when the demonic energy was distorted from the pain and poured all his remaining divinity from his energy center. Crack! It felt like night had suddenly fallen in the frozenke. The frozen surface turned dark and fissures appeared like a spider web. Demonic energy violently gushed out from the crack on the ice, and the boundary dyed in ck was forced open. He¡¯d unfortunately failed to destroy the boundary itself but had managed to pry it open. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud faintly groaned while watching that scene. ¡°D-did he just pry open a boundary of demonic energy?¡± His chin trembled as he watched the gap on the boundary. He must¡¯ve already noticed that there was a boundary of demonic energy. ¡°How is this happening¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll decide what to do with you after this is over.¡± He incapacitated the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Whale¡¯s warriors so they wouldn¡¯t be able to move around before he turned around. The Light Wind swordsmen quietly nodded to show that they were ready. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the highest output. He jumped into the boundary¡¯s gap alongside the crimson me burning the darkness. ¡°It¡¯s our turn to repay the favor.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Huff¡­¡± The Warring Steel division leader, Trevin, exhaled roughly while grasping his chest. He wanted to bite his lip to endure the pain from his internal injury, but there was nowhere left to bite because his lips were already in tatters. ¡®I¡¯m really going to die at this rate.¡¯ He¡¯d always thought, ever since his childhood, that he wanted his death to be on a battlefield¡ªbut he didn¡¯t want a battlefield like the one he was in. It wasn¡¯t a battlefield of warriors who were fighting with their beliefs and power, it was a scene of carnage. ¡°Huff.¡± Trevin slowly raised his gaze. He could see the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans and the kidnapped people above the red pool of blood. Pssh! The sound of wind could be heard, and the old man at the front dropped his head. A ck current of air appeared from the corpse that was deprived of life and soared towards the ceiling of the boundary. Whir! The cluster of demonic energy wavering at the ceiling turned even darker. ¡°Next.¡± The young man who was behind the old man was dragged up. ¡°You should be fully aware by now since you kept hearing it.¡± An evil smile appeared on the demonized man¡¯s face as he looked into the young man¡¯s terrified eyes. ¡°You are dying here because of Raon Zieghart.¡± The man was still so young, but a dark hole was created on the left side of his chest. ¡°Aah¡­¡± The young man¡¯s eyes widened, unable to believe that he was dying, and he copsed on the ground. The current of resentment appeared from his protruding eyes and joined the demonic energy wavering at the ceiling. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Trevin violently clenched his back teeth. ¡®It¡¯s hell. This ce is hell.¡¯ The boundary created by Demon Ring and Frozen Scent was no different from the world of demons. They were maintaining the boundary by using about a hundred people they¡¯d previously kidnapped and were creating a curse of resentment directed at Raon. It was literally a scene of human sacrifice. Everyone in that ce was aware of the fact that the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans were the ones they should be resenting instead of Raon. However, the resentment towards Raon was bound to be born because of human psychology. ¡°Aack!¡± Another middle-aged woman lost her head in the meantime. They were killing people a lot faster than before, probably because they¡¯d already gathered arge amount of the curse. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Trevin¡¯s hand holding his sword started to tremble. He wanted to run ahead and save everyone, but he was unable to do so. He wasn¡¯t in a good state either, and he had hostages to protect behind him. ¡°You stopped shouting at us to stop every time one of the vermin died.¡± The skinny old man walked up to him with a sneer. He was holding two chakrams in his hands, and the transparent des were entirely covered in sticky blood. He was the ck Tower¡¯s floor overseer, the Demon Ring. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t have any time to worry about others.¡± The Demon Ring snorted while kicking a Warring Steel swordsman¡¯s corpse under his feet. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Trevin clenched his fist to the point of bleeding. The anger he¡¯d been suppressing was boiling up because of how he humiliated hispanion¡¯s corpse. ¡°I understand you because humans are the type of animal that only cares about themselves.¡± The Demon Ring¡¯s lips rolled into a smile as he tossed the chakram into the air and caught it like a circus act. ¡°You should resent Raon Zieghart. You are only dying because he offended our tower.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Shit!¡± The Warring Steel swordsmen turned pale because they were powerless when theirpanion¡¯s corpse was being trampled and innocent people were dying. The fear of the Demon Ring was another reason for that. Trevin exhaled roughly while examining his subordinates¡¯ faces. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t ask them to not hold any resentment towards Raon since he couldn¡¯t find any way to survive in that situation. Even if they didn¡¯t want to, the thought was bound to surface in their minds. ¡®However¡­¡¯ It was what their enemies wanted. They were definitely trying toplete a nasty curse, by using the Warring Steel division, who were acquainted with Raon¡ªunlike the other hostages. ¡®I can¡¯t yield to their n even if I die.¡¯ It was a war between Zieghart and the ck Tower. He needed to avoid resenting Raon no matter what. Wham! Trevin violently stomped the ground and raised his sword. His powerful aura pushed the demonic energy back for an instant and created an auspicious light. ¡°I believe none of you are foolish enough to resent Raon right now. If you are foolish enough to be deceived by the ck Tower¡¯s filthy trick, you¡¯d better throw your sword away right now!¡± He even used his aura in his shout, and the entire boundary fell silent as if time had stopped. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to resent that monster!¡± ¡°Sir Raon isn¡¯t our enemy, they are!¡± The Warring Steel division rolled their lips into smiles and raised their swords as if they had never been influenced by the Demon Ring. ¡°There won¡¯t be any reinforcements. However!¡± Trevin simply smiled as his astral energy burst from his silver de. ¡°We are going to fight! Just like the Light Wind division fought for five days straight to protect House Arianne, we will demonstrate Zieghart¡¯s will in this hell!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Warring Steel division¡¯s willsbined into one and a deadly pressure arose from them. Even though the swordsmen had been barely holding on, a clear will was dwelling in their eyes, and a mysterious light was bursting from their des. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Demon Ring frowned upon noticing that the Warring Steel division¡¯s pressure was even harder than when they first entered the boundary. ¡°Hah, didn¡¯t I tell you to get rid of him already?¡± An alluring voice could be heard from behind the Demon Ring. It wasing from a white-haired woman who was reclining on the floor. Her gray eyes weren¡¯t showing any sign of human nature. She was the witch who was maintaining the boundary, the Frozen Scent. ¡°It has be troublesome now.¡± The Frozen Scent twisted her lips while trimming her nails. ¡°What are you going to do about this? We don¡¯t even have many sacrifices left anymore! You should be the one who goes to the tower¡¯s vice master if a problem urs!¡± She shook her hand while looking at the curse of resentment wriggling at the ceiling. ¡°Certainly.¡± The Demon Ring red at Trevin while ignoring the irritated Frozen Scent. ¡°I should¡¯ve started by getting rid of you.¡± Murderous intent violently gushed from him, as he nced at the Warring Steel division¡¯s swordsmen, who were sending trusting gazes at Trevin¡¯s back. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be a hindrance instead of a catalyst to elerate thepletion of the curse.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it great that you finally realized it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get rid of you right now.¡± ¡°And who allowed that?¡± Trevin fixed the grip on his sword while curving his lips into a thin smile. His head was dizzy from exhaustion and pain, but he couldn¡¯t simply die without putting up a fight. ¡°I won¡¯t be defeated until I cut off your head.¡± ¡°What a shame.¡± The Demon Ring licked his lips while pulling his chakrams behind his back. ¡°With that much determination, you could¡¯ve be a floor overseer if you joined the ck Tower.¡± The two chakrams he was holding were fired at him. Whoosh! It wasn¡¯t that fast, but they couldn¡¯t be overlooked because the demonic energy inside the chakrams was way too intense. ¡°I¡¯d bite my tongue and kill myself before bing your family.¡± Trevin clenched his teeth and unleashed the Steel Pration Sword¡¯s special technique. Even though the de was already destroyed, his sword added sharpness to his skill as if it understood its master¡¯s determination. ng! The Steel Pration Sword¡¯s special technique violently pushed back a chakram, but there was still another one left to go. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Trevin swung his sword down towards the second chakram¡¯s center while coughing up blood because of his internal injury. aang! Even though he was wrapped in astral energy, he felt nauseous and his fingers trembled from the impact of the chakram. However, he couldn¡¯t let himself be defeated. Whaam! It wasn¡¯t his aura or his swordsmanship that fended off the demonic chakrams. He defended himself with his unyielding spirit before he raised his head. ¡®Damn it¡­ I really have no strength left in me anymore.¡¯ He¡¯d gone too far when he was trying to save the hostages in the beginning, and he¡¯d spent an excessive amount of power because he got angry over hispanions¡¯ deaths. Most importantly, the boundary of demonic energy was preventing him from using his full power, and he didn¡¯t even have the strength left to raise his sword above his waist anymore. ¡°It¡¯s truly regrettable.¡± Despite what he said, the chakrams were brimming with a breathtaking amount of demonic energy after they returned to the Demon Ring¡¯s hands. The chakrams¡¯ des, which used to be gray, were gradually turning ck. ¡®ck chakrams¡­¡¯ He¡¯d heard that the chakrams turned ck once the Demon Ring became serious. The real fight seemed to only be getting started. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off with these demonic chakrams.¡± The two chakrams were thrown once again as he sneered. A chill ran down Trevin¡¯s spine once he saw the chakrams approaching him while tearing the space apart. ¡®It would¡¯ve been difficult to defend even if I was in perfect condition. However¡­ I¡¯ll keep fighting until thest moment.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t allow himself to give up, since he was fully aware of how Raon Zieghart had fought at House Arianne. If he couldn¡¯t use his teeth, he just had to use his gums instead. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± Trevin screamed and unleashed the Steel Pration Sword¡¯s special technique, the Flooding Ocean sh. Even though he could only use a small amount of aura, the sword¡¯s trajectory was sharper than ever. Whaam! The de, surrounded by a thinyer of aura, managed to deflect the chakram brimming with demonic energy. ¡®Is this what they call enlightenment? But¡­ It¡¯s already toote.¡¯ He could feel the progress in the Steel Pration Sword, but he didn¡¯t have any aura or stamina left in him. He could see the second chakram rushing towards him, but there was no way of stopping it. Trevin lowered his sword and spread his arms. It was the expression of a division leader¡¯sst determination to protect the subordinates and the hostages behind him at the cost of his life. ¡®I won¡¯t close my eyes.¡¯ He was looking at the approaching dark chakram while thinking that he wanted to die as a warrior. Crack! A sound of shattering eggs could be heard from the empty space. The strange sound repeated multiple times, and a huge fissure was created on the ceiling that had never faltered no matter what they¡¯d tried. Whaam! The ceiling brimming with demonic energy was destroyed, and a crimson firestorm rained down from it. However, the chakram was already right next to his throat. The moment he bit his lip while thinking that he was going to die, eyes even redder than the fire sparked from the raging firestorm. Raon. He turned into crimson lightning and descended even though Trevin had never expected him to show up. ang! The chakram brimming with demonic energy was crushed and bounced back while the darkness of the curse dissipated. Raon turned around from the center of the copsing boundary. The ck Dragon Coat wavering from the violent action looked like it was roaring. ¡°Thank you for holding out so far.¡± Raon¡¯s face was smiling, but his red eyes sparked with a deadly light. ¡°Leave the rest to us.¡± Chapter 446 Chapter 446 Rumble! The Light Wind swordsmen fell from the ceiling after Raon. ¡°Get in formation!¡± They created a sword formation to protect the Warring Steel division. Their expressions didn¡¯t change in the slightest even though they must¡¯ve noticed the demonic energy inside the boundary. That was a seasoned warrior¡¯s ability to understand the situation and act. Whap! Raon examined the boundary¡¯s inside while burning up the demonic energy with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat. ¡®So this is the boundary under the frozen surface.¡¯ The sky was ck, and evil demonic energy was crawling from the ground. It was surprising that such a huge and dreary space was hidden on the other side of the ice.It confirmed how insane the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans were, considering the fact that they used such a superior ability for kidnapping people. ¡®Is he the Demon Ring?¡¯ Raon looked at the old man who was about to cut Trevin¡¯s throat with the chakram. He was as skinny as a twig fallen from a tree in winter, but his gaze was malicious and the demonic energy around him was powerful enough to make a chill run down his spine. Considering his shabby appearance and his weapon, he was most certainly the Demon Ring, the ck Tower¡¯s floor overseer. ¡®Which means the one over there is the Frozen Scent.¡¯ The white-haired woman stood up behind the old man who was most likely the Demon Ring. Her appearance was as slender and beautiful as an elf, but her nted eyes gave a fiery impression. Considering the fact that the demonic energy engulfing her was even more intense than the Demon Ring, she must¡¯ve been in charge of a higher floor. ¡®They are both stronger than the ck Commander.¡¯ The information from the Shadow Agents wasn¡¯t wrong. Both the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent were more powerful than the ck Commander. Mysteriously though, Raon didn¡¯t feel like he would lose to them at all. It wasn¡¯t anything like confidence, but he just felt like he was obviously going to win. ¡°Wh-who are you¡­?¡± The Demon Ring lowered his gaze after he stared nkly at the destroyed ceiling. ¡°How did you get here?!¡± His lips were trembling in disbelief. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening.¡± The Frozen Scent was also stuttering in surprise. ¡°Let alone breaking the boundary, it should¡¯ve been impossible to find it in the first ce. So how¡­?¡± Raon examined the people behind him while ignoring both the Frozen Scent and the Demon Ring. ¡®Why are there¡­ordinary people here?¡¯ Most of the people inside the barrier were ordinary people instead of the ck Tower or the Warring Steel division¡¯s members. They definitely looked like they were kidnapped by the ck Tower, but he couldn¡¯t understand why they were taken there when they didn¡¯t even have any aura. ¡°R-Raon. Why are you here¡­?¡± Trevin¡¯s fingers holding the sword were trembling in surprise, just like the demonized humans. ¡°This ce should¡¯ve been hidden on the other side of the ice¡­¡± ¡°I woulde to your rescue even if it was Devildom instead of ice.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± His eyes, which used to be full of determination, were wavering from turbulent emotions. ¡°S-Sir Raon.¡± The Warring Steel swordsmen bit their lips tightly. They also seemed to realize that Raon was speaking from his heart. ¡°Rather than that, division leader.¡± Raon asked why there were ordinary people around while looking behind Trevin and the Warring Steel division. ¡°They are sacrifices.¡± Trevin ground his teeth while wiping the blood falling from his lips with his sleeve. ¡°They¡¯ve been kidnapped to be offered as sacrifices to maintain the boundary. And¡­¡± He pointed at the destroyed ceiling of the boundary. The wavering ck turbulence, which had lost more than half of its previous form by the me Dragon Art, looked like it was enraged. ¡°They were trying to curse you by using the resentmenting from people when they died.¡± ¡°So they were human sacrifices.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the condensed demonic energy filled with the curse of resentment. ¡®They are the same kind of people as the ck Commander. Are people nothing but sacrifices for the ck Tower?¡¯ The ck Commander had shoved demonic energy into peaceful people and tried to feed them to the drake. Those viins who were making that curse of resentment by kidnapping people were no different from him. There was no reason to talk to them. They were trash that needed to be beheaded. ¡°So you are Raon Zieghart.¡± The Demon Ring revealed his pupils, which looked as frightening as a snake¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you managed to get here, but this is even better. We won¡¯t have to look for you anymore.¡± He rolled his lips into a deep smile, saying that his target came to him on his own. ¡°Demon Ring.¡± The Frozen Scent licked her lips while looking at Raon¡¯sposed expression. ¡°You know you shouldn¡¯t kill him, right? Regardless of the vice master¡¯s order, we need to figure out how he found this boundary. Keep him alive no matter what.¡± She pointed her finger and asked him to capture him alive because she wanted to satisfy her curiosity. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°But I have no intention of keeping you alive.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive while sneering at the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent. ¡°Let¡¯s get started since we don¡¯t need to talk.¡± ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Trevin grabbed his shoulder when Raon was about to unleash the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s maximum output. ¡°You can¡¯t be reckless here! We are inside the boundary created by demonic energy!¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°No, you know nothing. The demonic energy inside the boundary is reducing our stamina and aura while amplifying the demonized humans¡¯ demonic energy. You will get exhausted in no time if you do the same thing you did outside!¡± Trevin furrowed his brow, saying that it was also a problem for him, and he couldn¡¯t fight properly because of the demonic energy inside the boundary. ¡°Did you really fail to notice it? You are a lot denser than I¡¯ve heard.¡± The Demon Ring raised his two chakrams with a confident expression on his face. He seemed to be counting on the boundary. ¡°But it¡¯s toote to realize it. You came to your grave on your own ord.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Raon twirled Heavenly Drive with a casual expression on his face. ¡®I don¡¯t feel anything, though.¡¯ Trevin, the Warring Steel division, and the Light Wind division¡¯s pressure told him that they were being suppressed by the demonic energy, but it didn¡¯t have any influence whatsoever on Raon. Instead, it was easier to breathe, and his body felt lighter. It would¡¯ve been strange if it had any influence! Wrath frowned and straightened his back. The energies of three demon kings are dwelling inside you. You should just die if this much demonic energy could influence you. He shook his head, saying that the demonic energy of a barrier like that would bepletely ineffective against him, even though a direct attack could be a different story. You should thank the King of Essence! Buy him something deliciouster on! ¡®I¡¯ll do so.¡¯ You are surely going to say no, but¡­ Ehh? Wrath¡¯s lips parted into a circr shape. R-really? For real? ¡®Yes. I¡¯ll buy you a bead ice cream set after we return.¡¯ Raon was nning to repay the favor to Wrath to begin with, as it was thanks to him that he¡¯d managed to enter the boundary. ¡°Light Wind division.¡± Wrath was jumping at him with a huge grin on his face, and Raon simply pushed him away before shaking his hand at the Light Wind division. ¡°He said that there¡¯s intense demonic energy inside the boundary. Can you still fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeling anything!¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for your order!¡± Even though they should¡¯ve been influenced by the demonic energy, unlike Raon, they wielded their swords without showing it at all. Their eyes were more serious and deadlier than ever because they¡¯d seen the corpses of their fellow warriors. ¡°Kill the demonized humans. Don''t leave even one alive.¡± ¡°Affirmative!¡± The Light Wind division shouted loudly enough for the entire boundary to tremble and charged at the demonized humans. * * * * * * The first one to jump in was, of course, Martha. ¡°You don¡¯t even deserve to be called a son of a bitch! I¡¯ll grind your brains and drink it!¡± She activated Berserk without suppressing her anger and shed powerfully at the demonized humans. Whaam! Martha¡¯s aura de, filled with madness, split their heads in half. ¡°You fiends.¡± Burren clicked his tongue and unleashed his blue aura. The barren wind appeared as fiercely as the storm in the northern sea and separated the bodies of the demonized humans keeping the hostages diagonally. ¡°Disgusting.¡± Even Runaan seemed extremely furious. She engulfed her de with intense blue frost with her lips tightly closed. The slightest touch of her de was enough to turn the demonized humans into frozen statues with grotesque expressions on their faces before they could even defend themselves. ¡°Die! You trash!¡± ¡°You are even worse than demons!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave a single one alive!¡± The same went for the Light Wind swordsmen. Their furious attacks were brimming with murderous intent as they followed their team leaders. The demonized humans were more numerous, but they were helplessly killed because they were overwhelmed by their spirits. ¡°You are as arrogant as the rumors.¡± The Demon Ring was still smiling despite the screams of the demonized humans. ¡°But I wonder how long your confidence is going tost?¡± He tilted his chin and threw his two chakrams. The chakrams rolled like a full moon and rushed towards Raon with a frightening sound as they pierced through the air. Shring! Raon casually hung Heavenly Drive down and examined the violently rotating chakram. ¡®A freaking rotation was added to swiftness, sharpness, and precision.¡¯ He could feel what principles and power were dwelling inside the chakram rushing towards his neck and chest just by looking at it. ng! He targeted the first chakram¡¯s weak point and swung down with the Fangs of Insanity. The red fangs of a savage beast blocked the chakram¡¯s trajectory and easily destroyed its flow. Whoosh! The second chakram moved like a living snake towards his wrist, but he had already predicted it. He twisted his wrist to the right and shed Heavenly Drive upwards. Crack! Just like the first one, the second chakram stopped rotating and was violently bounced back. ¡°Is that all?¡± Raon sneered while cheerfully shaking his wrist. ¡°There was supposed to be something about the boundary. How disappointing.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The Demon Ring moved his hand, and the two chakrams that were mmed on the ground returned to his grasp as if they were pulled by a string. ¡°You seem to be rather skilled with a sword, but this is as far as you go.¡± He violently ground his back teeth and exploded his demonic energy. The white de of the chakram turned ck as if it were covered in ink, and power on a whole different level gushed out from him. Considering the fact that the chakram was blending into darkness, the Demon Ring seemed to be getting serious. ¡°Go!¡± The Demon Ring twisted his two chakrams and fired them. The chakrams rotated so quickly that the des couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore and merged with the darkness. Whir! The number of chakrams increased in an instant, and Raon¡¯s vision was filled with ck chakrams. ¡°A mixture?¡± Raon kept his serene mind and calmly examined the variation of the chakram. ¡®He added illusion and variation to the previous principles.¡¯ The Demon Ring had managed to add variation and illusion on top of amplifying the rotation even further. Theplexity and power were on a whole different level from his previous attack. ¡®However¡­ It¡¯s already exposed to me, just like thest one.¡¯ He could clearly see what was making the Demon Ring¡¯s martial art. Glenn and Rector¡¯s teachings must¡¯ve been bearing their results. Thud! Raon kicked the ground. He crushed thend brimming with demonic energy and moved forward. Cring! He unleashed the Fangs of Insanity towards the chakram rushing towards his neck. The ws of a crazy beast engulfed by madness ignored the illusion and variation and mercilessly destroyed the chakram filled with demonic energy. Crack! The demonic energy¡¯s flow created by the Demon Ring waspletely ripped apart, and his weapon, the chakram, crumpled like paper and rolled on the ground. ¡°Wh-what the hell?!¡± The Demon Ring widened his mouth to the brim. ¡®How could he deal with the Demon Ring¡¯s Special Rotation so easily¡­?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t simply thrown the chakram. It was a special technique that he¡¯d used while exploding his demonic energy, and it waspletely unimaginable for it to be stopped so easily. The power, speed, and precision of his swordsmanship seemed to have transcended human limits. However, he had no time to admire Raon¡¯s technique because he was charging at him alongside a crimson heat. ¡°Damn it!¡± The Demon Ring swore and stepped back. ¡®I have no other choice.¡¯ He took the Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion from his clothes. It was his cherished weapon that he¡¯d been saving all along. Rumble! He even mustered his hidden potential on top of his demonic energy. The moment a ck me burst from the Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion¡¯s de, he threw it to the best of his ability. Criing! Alongside a tremendous noise that sounded like the entire world was splitting apart, the Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion spread around like the dim moonlight of the night. The chakram dripping in demonic energy covered the entire boundary. It was the ultimate technique of the Demonic Chakram sh, the Golden Dance of Demonic Chakram, which had reached the extremity of power, speed, rotation, and even variation and illusion. Crack! When the wave of demonic energy created by the Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion was about to destroy everything inside the boundary, a red glow appeared in Raon¡¯s eyes. Cring! Raon read the Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion¡¯s flow through the Ring of Fire and thrust Heavenly Drive. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s maximized fire burst from the silver de advancing towards its target. Whap! The fire that was heating the de created dozens of flower buds before blooming. Flourish. The fire petals scattered through the wind. It was a spectacle that looked like the constetions in the sky were connected by red lines. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Spirit. It was the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s technique that used to be shy and sharp at the same time, but it was different from before. Every single one of the flower petals born from the heat was dancing like a living creature and blocked the Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion¡¯s path. Whaam! The raging pieces of fire and the chakram filled with demonic energy shed against each other countless times, and the entire boundary convulsed. Crack! The Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion waspletely destroyed and fell to the ground, but the me Spirit¡¯s flower petals still danced in the air. ¡°Wh-what the hell is wrong with you?¡± The Demon Ring raised his bloodshot gaze. He kept screaming even though his internal injury was making him cough up ck blood. ¡°How can you use such a ridiculous technique¡­?¡± His eyes became distorted as he watched the crumpled Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion. It looked like he couldn''t believe what had just happened. Whir! Raon raised Heavenly Drive above his head. The pieces of heat gathered up while diagonally rotating around the sword¡¯s movement. It almost looked like he was polishing the sky to forge a red de. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to know.¡± Heavenly Drive shed down as he spoke. The me Spirit¡¯s flower petals dropped from his de. Hundreds of astral energies rained down at once like a storm. ¡°Kuaaah! It¡¯s not over yet!¡± The Demon Ring ignited his demonic energy while screaming. The demonic wall that surged up was even thicker and denser than when he was using the chakram. Whaam! The sh between the concentrated heat of the me Spirit and demonic energy created a second explosion. The thunderous noise sounded like a mountain was being split apart, and the violent tremor felt like the boundary was about to burst. The me Spirit¡¯s flower petals descended like cherry blossoms that finished their lives in the spring, and the red pool sloshed as theynded. ¡°D-Demon Ring?¡± ¡°How could the great Demon Ring be defeated so easily¡­?¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡± The demonized humans were unable to hide their shock as they stared at the Demon Ring¡¯s corpse. Raon raised Heavenly Drive, which didn¡¯t have a single speck of blood on it. The de was directed at the Frozen Scent, who was biting her lip to the point of bleeding. ¡°Next.¡± Chapter 447 Chapter 447 The Frozen Scent covered her mouth as she watched the Demon Ring turn into a pool of blood without even leaving a corpse behind. ¡®What did I just witness?¡¯ The Demon Ring¡¯s attack was closest to perfection despite his panic. The ferocious throw of the Sturdy Chakram of Annihtion was imbued with demonic energy that no one should¡¯ve been able to easily fend off, but Raon casually swung his sword as if he were dealing with a child and managed to destroy the chakram. ¡®He¡¯s far too different from what I¡¯ve heard.¡¯ Raon was supposed to be an advanced Master ording to the tower¡¯s information, but he was actually at the highest level of Master. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Even for a highest Master, it was still impossible to kill the Demon Ring so easily. There must¡¯ve been a problem with the bnce somewhere inside him. ¡®Damn it.¡¯She¡¯d been rxing and focusing on restoring the boundary since she trusted the Demon Ring¡¯s ability, but that was a huge mistake. She regretted that she hadn¡¯t postponed the restoration of the barrier andbined forces with the Demon Ring to somehow stop Raon¡¯s assault. ¡®It will be difficult.¡¯ She was more powerful than the Demon Ring, but there wasn¡¯t that big of a difference. She wasn¡¯t confident she could defend against Raon Zieghart¡¯s attacks since he¡¯d incinerated the Demon Ring in a single strike. The only good part about it was that she¡¯d managed to restore the boundary while the Demon Ring was dying, but it didn¡¯t seem to be that effective against Raon, since he seemed to be resistant to demonic energy, unlike the others. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Frozen Scent raised her gaze while biting her lip. A frightening amount of bloodlust was rising from the sword that Raon was holding above his head. It looked like he was nning to immediately cut her off like he¡¯d mentioned before. ¡®I need a way. A way to weaken him by any means¡­ Huh?¡¯ She rolled her eyes while biting her lip and noticed the demonic energy undting at the ceiling. The curse of resentment that had scattered all around the ce was wavering once again because the boundary was restored. Arge amount was burnt from the firestorm that Raon had created when he intruded into the boundary, but around half of it fortunately remained. ¡®That¡¯s what I was looking for! That curse is the only way I have!¡¯ Even though it was iplete and only half of it was left, it was still the curse of resentment that she¡¯d personally created. No matter how powerful Raon was, he couldn¡¯t possibly have any curse resistance since he was a warrior. That was why she needed to weaken his power with that demonic energy no matter what. Whir. The Frozen Scent pretended to sp her hands behind her back and moved her fingers to condense the curse scattered in the air. Since that demonic energy was made of the curse instead of any martial art or magic, it was bound to hit the target. ¡°Next? Your arrogance knows no limits.¡± She pretended to be angry and struck him with the curse that she¡¯d gathered as much as possible. Whaap! The curse made of resentment from more than a hundred people¡¯s deaths turned into a ck shroud and engulfed Raon. ¡°I did it!¡± The Frozen Scent raised her hands while cheering in joy. ¡®Now I just need to strike while he is confused¡­Huh?¡¯ She was nning to finish him off while Raon was unable to move from the curse, but his movement wasn¡¯t normal. Whir! He took out the dagger from behind his waist, and the curse of resentment she¡¯d worked so hard to gather started to be absorbed into the de. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± The Frozen Scent widened her eyes while looking at the curse being absorbed into the dagger. ¡°What the hell is that dagger?!¡± The yellow ghastly energy emerging from the bloody red dagger was devouring all of the curse of resentment targeting Raon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but a shabby curse like this isn¡¯t going to work against me.¡± Raonpletely shed the curse unleashed by the Frozen Scent and held his dagger in a reverse grip. ¡°Because the one I have with me holds the greatest resentment in the world.¡± * * * Raon smiled faintly while looking down on the de of Requiem, which was making the clear sound of sword resonance. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect you to volunteer for me.¡¯ He was obviously aware that the Frozen Scent was controlling the curse a moment ago. He was nning to tank it and burn it up to prevent it from harming the hostages or the injured people, but the de of Requiem had started to resonate, asking him to draw it. It smoothly absorbed the curse of resentment created from people¡¯s deaths as if it was already aware that the curse was born from resentment. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ It looked like the de of Requiem took the initiative since it knew better than anyone about resentment and grudges. Raon caressed the de because he felt thankful and sorry at the same time. ¡°I gave you enough time, didn¡¯t I?¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation to the maximum output. The Frozen Scent swallowed nervously upon witnessing the crimson astral energy bursting from the de. ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to this. I don¡¯t want to stay in this putrid ce anymore.¡± Raon smiled coldly and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He charged towards the Frozen Scent while smashing thend filled with curse and blood. ¡°Fuck off!¡± Despite her panic, the Frozen Scent still managed to gain distance like sliding across ice by controlling the coldness. Despite her flexible movement, the speed matched the Supreme Harmony Steps. ¡°I won¡¯t be defeated so easily!¡± She scowled like a fiend and extended her hand. An ice tornado was unleashed from the center of her palm and engulfed Raon¡¯s body like a snake. Whaam! The energy was powerful enough to tear the skin apart through a Master¡¯s protective astral energy, but Raon wasn¡¯t feeling any pain at all except for the stench from the demonic energy. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon snickered and swung Heavenly Drive downwards. The ming astral energy unleashed from the de easily cut through the Frozen Scent¡¯s ice tornado. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He could see the Frozen Scent¡¯s face behind the coldness getting ripped apart. He couldn¡¯t stop his smile upon seeing her eyes, which couldn¡¯t hide her panic and surprise. ¡°I-I should¡¯ve locked you up¡­¡± ¡°You werecking too much information.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while pulling Heavenly Drive backward. ¡®And it was way too much.¡¯ Because he¡¯d suffered from the Curse of Frost caused by Wrath ever since his childhood, his resistance to coldness was one thing he was proud of. He could withstand a drake¡¯s ice breath without any issue. That was why a sloppy ice tornado like that couldn¡¯t even dent him. Since coldness was the main weapon of the Frozen Scent, he was pretty much her perfect counter. ¡°Th-that coldness wasn¡¯t ordinary, so how¡­?¡± The Frozen Scent¡¯s hands were trembling as she murmured that it couldn¡¯t be happening. The pieces of ice fell from her fingers and got stuck on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless even if it¡¯s not ordinary. It¡¯s still a coldness.¡± Raon sneered and used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step. He moved to the Frozen Scent¡¯s right side in a split second and unleashed his astral energy while scratching the ground. ¡°Damn it!¡± The Frozen Scent reacted quickly despite her astonishment. She created a frozen ground to move to the left and made a thick wall. Crack! The astral energy burning in red melted the ice wall in an instant, but she had already gained distance from him. ¡°Huff¡­¡± The Frozen Scent continued her rough breathing without realizing that her long hair was stuck to her face. ¡°I like how fast you react because you were previously only moving your finger while lying down on the ground.¡± Raon smiled while extending Heavenly Drive and his left foot forward. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough. I¡¯ll finish you off now.¡± ¡°You are the one who will be finished!¡± When Raon was about to use the Supreme Harmony Step to advance toward her, the Frozen Scent screamed and extended her hand. Whir! The space sloshed like ake, and hundreds of ice weapons appeared. The ice weapons were even engulfed in ck mes of demonic energy, and they flew toward Raon¡¯s vitals¡ªlike his neck and heart¡ªas if they had eyes of their own. Every single one of them was as powerful as astral energy. ¡®She¡¯s not aplete idiot.¡¯ Considering the fact that she was throwing ice weapons surrounded by demonic energy as soon as she¡¯d noticed that coldness was ineffective against him, she was capable of quickly adjusting to the battle. ¡®However¡­ It¡¯s still meaningless against me.¡¯ Raon twirled Heavenly Drive like a windmill to draw a circle. Whaam! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Firewall, which was even sturdier and harder than before, destroyed all of the ice weapons as it advanced. Glenn and Rector¡¯s lessons had enhanced his usual techniques to a whole different level on top of teaching him new principles. Even though the realm remained the same, his might was iparable to before. Thud! After incinerating the ice des raining down on him, he dashed head-on toward the Frozen Scent. He swung down Heavenly Drive in a curved trajectory while incorporating it with the eleration of the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step and the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s ferocity. ¡°Kuh!¡± The Frozen Scent used her sliding footwork once again, but Raon had already finished analyzing its flow since he¡¯d seen it twice already. He turned his ankle with the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step and caught up to her from the side. ¡°This is as far as you go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡± As Raon was about to cut off her head, the Frozen Scent ced her hand on the ground. Obviously, she wasn¡¯t trying to surrender. A tremendous amount of coldness and demonic energy burst from her fingers, and a frozen wave soared from the ground to the ceiling. ¡®The Silver White Aurora?¡¯ She was using the same method as Wrath¡¯s technique, the Silver White Aurora, even though the output was as far apart as thend and heavens. ¡®Is she trying to freeze me? It¡¯s meaningless.¡¯ Raon sneered and controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat the same way as the Frozen Scent. Whaaam! The huge fire capable of melting the ground covered in demonic energy soared into the air andpletely destroyed the wave of coldness created by the Frozen Scent. ¡°Ah, ahh¡­¡± Inside the rising steam, the Frozen Scent was stepping backward with trembling eyes. A blunt sound could be heard, which seemed to be her back reaching the boundary. ¡°You mentioned the vice master of the tower, didn¡¯t you?¡± Raon tilted his chin while walking towards the Frozen Scent. ¡°Is he targeting me?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± The Frozen Scent nodded while biting her lip. ¡°Even if you manage to get out of here alive, you will eventually get killed by h¡ª¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders, showing that he didn¡¯t care whatever she thought. ¡°You bastaaard!¡± The Frozen Scent gathered her hands. A silver light radiated from the center of her palms facing each other. The demonic energy and coldness gathered up and condensed before turning into a deep blue ray fired at Raon. ¡°What a desperate struggle.¡± Raon quietly raised Heavenly Drive. A red heat ray appeared on the silver de and spread a frightening amount of pressure around it. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. Crimson sh. The sharpest strike among the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s techniques cut through the Frozen Scent¡¯s final attack. Crack! The ray made of concentrated coldness and demonic energy was split apart, and a red line appeared on the Frozen Scent¡¯s face that was standing at the end. ¡°Y-you will never¡­¡± The Frozen Scent couldn¡¯t even finish her dying words and was cut in half before copsing on the ground. Shring. Raon casually shook Heavenly Drive, which still didn¡¯t have any blood on it, and returned it to its scabbard. ¡®I definitely got better than before.¡¯ The realm of his swordsmanship was clearly different from before thanks to Glenn and Rector¡¯s one-on-one lessons. He still had not reached the Grandmaster¡¯s wall, but he had the feeling that he could win against any Master in the world. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t even see the flow, even though I knew all the techniques he used.¡± ¡°Wh-what the hell? Weren¡¯t they supposed to be floor overseers? Why did they die so easily?¡± ¡°Does he ever stop getting stronger?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen widened their eyes as they saw Raon easily y the two floor overseers. ¡°I-it hasn¡¯t even been that long since I saw you at Habun Castle¡­¡± ¡°Uaah¡­¡± ¡°I-is he even human?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy. Crazy is the only way to describe this.¡± The Warring Steel swordsmen were the same. Their chins were trembling, their eyes telling him that they had never expected such a ridiculous oue. ¡°A-are we alive? Did we manage to survive?¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m really grateful.¡± The people who were kidnapped by the ck Tower sank to the ground and cried. Raon bit his lip while watching the trembling people with their hands gathered in a prayer. It was heartbreaking to see innocent people dragged into it as sacrifices because it reminded him of his previous life. He wanted to get them out of that ce as fast as possible. ¡°Please gather here, everyone.¡± He shook his hand to gather the Light Wind division, the Warring Steel division, and the hostages to the center. ¡°How are you nning to go out? All the demonized humans have already died.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t even leave a single one alive because you told us to kill them all.¡± ¡°There was no need for words.¡± Burren Martha and Runaan shook their heads, saying that there was no demonized human alive. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon smiled faintly while stabbing the de of Requiem on the ground since it was making a sword resonance. ¡°This one is going to devour all of the demonic energy forming the boundary.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud slowly opened his eyes upon feeling that someone was shaking his shoulder. ¡°Huh?¡± A man that he¡¯d never expected to be there could be seen from the white blurry vision. ¡®Why is the White Wolf Saber here?¡¯ The one standing in front of him was the White Wolf Saber, an executive who was one rank higher than himself in White Whale. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°How did you get here?¡± ¡°The esteemed one dispatched me.¡± The White Wolf Saber furrowed his brow while looking at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s severed arm. ¡°I was asked toe here since there was a bad omen in heaven, but I didn¡¯t expect this to happen¡­¡± He sighed, saying that he had never expected a situation like that. ¡°What even happened to you? Weren¡¯t you supposed to simply hide here and observe the demonized humans who would appearter on?¡± ¡°I-indeed. That was the mission we had, but a problem urred in the process¡­¡± ¡°Problem?¡± ¡°Yes. Raon Zieghart suddenly appeared¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud told everything the White Wolf Saber that had happened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that crazy bastard?!¡± The White Wolf Saber frowned, saying that he¡¯d never thought the White Sword Dragon was such a boorish person. ¡°This isn¡¯t time to be angry. W-we should leave for now.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t leave like this.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Even though you were hiding inside Zieghart¡¯s domain, cutting your arm off was excessive. The White Whale¡¯s pride is at stake here. We can¡¯t just leave like this!¡± He shook his head, saying that it was trouble between factions rather than individuals. ¡°I¡¯m going to make him pay for cutting your arm off and threatening you.¡± ¡°N-no!¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud shook his head like crazy. ¡°H-he is just insane! You can¡¯t talk sense to him!¡± He hadn¡¯t mentioned that he was the first one to attack, but he had the feeling that the White Wolf Saber wouldn¡¯t change his mind even if he did. ¡°He will have to listen to me.¡± The White Wolf Saber twisted his lips while grabbing the saber¡¯s scabbard hanging around his waist. He seemed ready to use violence if needed. ¡°B-but¡­¡± Just as the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud was about to shout to plead for him to leave, yellow energy gushed out from the center of the frozenke. Whaam! The fissured ice trembled, and a ck dimension opened its jaw. What came out from inside were swordsmen covered in blood and some people who looked ordinary. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the Light Wind division. ¡®Did they seriously manage to kill both the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see any demonized humans at all, since all of them were either swordsmen or ordinary people. They¡¯d actually managed to barge into a boundary that was pretty much an enemy base and y the ck Tower¡¯s floor overseers. He could only gasp at how ridiculous that was. ¡°Uaaah!¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud was looking for Raon and screamed upon meeting his emotionless eyes. He looked even scarier than when he entered the boundary, and he couldn¡¯t even look straight at him. The White Wolf Saber looked around while listening to the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s scream. He could see a blond-haired and red-eyed swordsman who could only be described as graceful. ¡®Is he Raon Zieghart?¡¯ His appearance was as colorful and attractive as the information he had, but the sharp spirit dwelling in his red eyes was even more impressive than his appearance. ¡®He should be as powerful as the rumors.¡¯ The White Wolf Saber had previously underestimated him, but he put away that idea and straightened his clothes before walking up to Raon. ¡°Are you the White Sword Dragon?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon gave a small nod while probing into the White Wolf Saber¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m the White Wolf Saber from the White Whale. I¡¯ll need to make you pay for what you¡¯ve done to our men.¡± The White Wolf Saber furrowed his brow while pointing at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, who¡¯d lost an arm. ¡°Are you from the White Whale?¡± ¡°Indeed. I won¡¯t overlook this matter since you rashly cut off a person¡¯s arm. I¡¯m going toin to Zieghart and¡­¡± ¡°You wille with us in that case.¡± ¡°What? Why would I go with you?¡± ¡°I need to find out how much you are rted to this incident. If you don¡¯t want to lose your arm just like him¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while ncing at the people who were still terrified. His eyes became frightening enough to make a chill run down his spine. ¡°Shut up and follow me.¡± Chapter 448 Chapter 448 Raon¡¯s eyes coldly skimmed over the middle-aged man who¡¯d introduced himself as the White Wolf Saber. ¡®The White Wolf Saber, Dunkern.¡¯ His eyes¡ªas small and narrow as a hole in a tree created by a pine caterpir¡ªand his hooked nose were noteworthy. Judging from his body, which was as strong as an iron tower, Raon could tell that he was still keeping up with his basic training. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to hear that name here.¡¯ He was a sabermaster who¡¯d been famous even when Raon had been an assassin twenty years ago. He¡¯d never expected him to have joined the White Whale. ¡®But his fame doesn¡¯t matter at all.¡¯ The Warring Steel division needed to rest because they were severely injured, and the hostages who were kidnapped by the ck Tower were still terrified. Since Raon was in charge of all of them, the White Wolf Saber couldn¡¯t possibly leave a good impression by bbering aboutining to Zieghart after his sudden appearance. ¡°What did you just say?¡± The White Wolf Saber ced his hand on the saber¡¯s scabbard while angrily ring at him. It seemed to be a threat, suggesting that he could draw his saber at any moment. ¡°Are you going to draw that?¡± Raon¡¯s lips curved into a snicker. He wasn¡¯t intimidated by the White Wolf Saber¡¯s gaze in the slightest. ¡°Try it. I¡¯ll cut your hand off.¡± He raised his chin, telling him to try whatever he wanted. ¡°Hah!¡± The White Wolf Saber eximed with a frown on his face. ¡°He was right. You arepletely insane.¡± He looked back at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, whose shoulders were trembling, and tapped his finger on his saber¡¯s scabbard. ¡°Do you even realize what you are doing right now?¡± A heated pressure burst out alongside his angry words. The energy pressing upon Raon¡¯s shoulders was as heavy and sharp as the saber hanging around his waist. Rumble! Raon furrowed his brow, as the White Wolf Saber¡¯s pressure felt like he was being stabbed with a thick awl. ¡®It¡¯s rather heavy.¡¯ Unlike the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent, who were finished off before they could use all of their skills because they¡¯d trusted the demonic boundary too much, the pressure he felt was that of a warrior who had been polishing his martial art properly. Raon didn¡¯t feel like he could easily defeat him. ¡®However¡­ I can¡¯t withdraw now.¡¯ He had people to protect behind him, and thend belonged to Zieghart. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be afraid of the likes of the Five Divine Orders, who¡¯d raised their gs while hiding between the Six Kings and the Five Demons. ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± Raon calmly nodded and tapped Heavenly Drive¡¯s scabbard. ¡°I¡¯m currently giving some personality education to a hoodlum using violence in our domain.¡± ¡°Haa, you are seriously insane.¡± The White Wolf Saber sighed and twisted his lips. ¡°Even though this is Zieghart¡¯s domain, there¡¯s not even a checkpoint and it¡¯s near the border. How could you attack innocent people? Even the Five Demons wouldn¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s only fair to beat you up.¡± Raon stood in front of the White Wolf Saber while looking at him coldly. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that you are plotting something when you are even using an artifact to hide at the scene of a disappearance. It¡¯s not like you are tourists, after all.¡± ¡°We simply wanted to gather some information. You cut his arm off and used violence just because they were hiding. It¡¯s uneptable!¡± ¡°You are the one who is out of your mind. That man¡ª¡± Raon sneered and pointed at the Sickle of Bloody Cloud behind the White Wolf Saber. ¡°¡ªcalled the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud attacked me first in ournd. Are you telling me that I should¡¯ve put up with that?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The White Wolf Saber widened his eyes and turned back. It looked like he wasn¡¯t aware of that fact. ¡°I-it couldn¡¯t be helped because he was the first one to make an excessive demand. And I was only trying to threaten him.¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud lowered his head, unable to look straight at the White Wolf Saber¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to return without doing this¡­¡± He kept running his mouth without even being ashamed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber shook his head while covering his forehead. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that story. However, we never had any intention to attack Zieghart. We simply wanted to gather information about the ck Tower.¡± His eyes looked slightly intimidated as he bit his lips. ¡°Information? I like information, as information can be your power in our times.¡± Raon slowly nodded his chin. ¡°So you understand¡­¡± ¡°But there¡¯s still a line that shouldn¡¯t be crossed.¡± He cut the White Wolf Saber off and rolled his lips into a smile. ¡°I can understand that you didn¡¯t want to tell us about the fact that the ck Tower kidnapped the Warring Steel division at this location. Since you aren¡¯t the Six Kings nor the Five Demons, you should¡¯ve wanted us to fight against each other. However¡­¡± Raon turned around. He narrowed his eyes while looking at the terrified hostages, who were still trembling because they couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. ¡°They aren¡¯t warriors. They don¡¯t belong to the Six Kings nor the Five Demons, and they are also unrted to the Five Divine Orders. They are just normal people who have been leading peaceful lives. They were kidnapped and offered as sacrifices, but forget trying to rescue them, you even refused to tell us anything about them and only wanted to obtain information. Bullshit!¡± Raon red at the White Wolf Saber with emotionless eyes and continued. ¡°You dered yourselves as neutral, didn¡¯t you? From what I¡¯ve seen, you are no different from the Five Demons. You are monsters who can do anything for your own benefit.¡± The righteous deeds that Raon had been doing so far echoed in his voice, which was frightening enough to make a person¡¯s hair stand on end. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber bit his lip while looking at the people who were wearing ragged clothes. He simply furrowed his brow, since he was unable to refute Raon¡¯s argument based on morals and righteousness. ¡°Follow me if you finally understand.¡± Raon shook his hand at the White Wolf Saber. ¡°I need to figure out what you¡¯ve done and how you are rted to the ck Tower.¡± ¡°All I can say for now is that we aren¡¯t rted to the ck Tower in any way. And¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber shook his head without moving from his spot. ¡°I can¡¯t follow you either.¡± He ced his hand on his scabbard once again and raised his heated gaze. ¡°Yes, I knew you would do that.¡± Raon snickered and grasped Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. ¡°You were spouting about cause and other bullshit, but now you are acting for your benefit even though you already lost it. That is your true nature¡ªjust like a rat.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber sighed deeply upon hearing Raon¡¯s provocation. ¡®I¡¯m going to lose more than I gain today.¡¯ In fact, even though the esteemed one had ordered him to return right after retrieving the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, he couldn¡¯t suppress his anger when he saw that his arm was cut off. He¡¯d thought that Zieghart was looking down on the White Whale and decided toin, and he¡¯d never expected that it could go so badly. Nothing was going in his favor, the cause and the situation alike. ¡®The best course of action here should be to teach him a small lesson and withdraw.¡¯ Raon seemed to be at the highest level of Master, but he must¡¯ve spent a lot of his power during the fight against the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent inside the boundary. Defeating him as quickly as possible and escaping was the best course of action. ¡°Come at me whenever you want.¡± Raon activated the Perception of the Snow Flower while spreading his ck Dragon Coat. ¡®He¡¯s not an easy opponent.¡¯ The power he felt through his aura perception was as vast as a mountain. Since he didn¡¯t use any demonic energy or a cheap trick¡ªas he¡¯d reached the highest level of Master just with his saber¡ªhe was bound to counterattack if Raon went for an easy win. However, his heart pounded a little, because it was the perfect opportunity to use the techniques that he¡¯d learned from Glenn and Rector. ¡®I¡¯m going first if you aren¡¯ting¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Just as he was about to draw Heavenly Drive while reading the White Wolf Saber¡¯s energy, the Perception of the Snow Flower informed him about another existence. ¡®This man here is just as ugly as him.¡¯ Raon briefly clicked his tongue, while rolling his eyes towards the forest on the right side. The White Lotus division leader Ayad¡¯s eyes were sparkling like an owl from the bushes. ¡®Is he waiting for me to lose so he can interfere?¡¯ Ayad was hiding his presence even though he was aware of the situation. He must¡¯ve been waiting for a crisis toe out and show off that he helped. ¡®I won¡¯t let that happen.¡¯ Raon resolved himself that he wasn¡¯t going to let Ayad have any achievement and clenched Heavenly Drive. ¡°I want to solve this with conversation. Is there any other way?¡± ¡°You just need toe with us to Zieghart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± The White Wolf Saber unsheathed his saber while shouting violently. His saber draw was extremely quick. The de emerging like lightning looked like a white wolf¡ªjust like his name. Cring! Raon had already read the White Wolf Saber¡¯s pressure. He drew Heavenly Drive in a split second and incorporated it with the flow of Blue Rain. Crimson mes burst alongside a clear sword resonance. Whaam! The sh between the sword draw and saber draw at the center of theke spread the powerful astral energy in all directions. Crack! Raon and the White Wolf Saber ignored the astral energy by creating an aura barrier around them and pushed the sword and saber toward each other. ¡°You aren¡¯t half bad, just like the rumors!¡± The White Wolf Saber twisted the de to fend off Heavenly Drive before he struck downwards. It was a powerful technique with an extremely polished power, speed, and heaviness. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the White Wolf Saber¡¯s strike, which seemed capable of destroying heaven. ¡®It¡¯s simr to the Fangs of Insanity.¡¯ Just like his name implied, the White Wolf Saber¡¯s strike had a beastly side to it. It felt like he was swinging his weapon from his intuition at every moment instead of having a systematized form. Thud! Raon stomped the ground. He created a huge disturbance in theke and shed Heavenly Drive upwards. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy engulfing his de spread around like a blooming flower and created a huge me pir. Baam! The sh between the saber and sword created a tremendous explosion, resulting in shockwaves, and theke sloshed like an ocean. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡± The White Wolf Saber didn¡¯t panic even though Raon had blocked his attack and targeted his neck next while shouting in a murderous voice. ¡°Not bad.¡± Raon licked his lips and stepped forward with his bent knee. He left a thick footprint on theke and mmed down the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s technique. The crazy beast roared fiercely. It was the beast whose fangs Glenn and Rector had polished. ng! The frontal sh between the sword and saber created a waterspout all around theke. Raon and the White Wolf Saber unleashed the sword and saber strike toward each other in the middle of the violently raging tornado. After countless exchanges of their techniques, the White Wolf Saber was the first to be bounced back. Pssh! The violent waterspout scratched the White Wolf Saber¡¯s back and he fell on one knee. ¡°Kuah¡­¡± He bit his lips in disbelief. His hand holding the saber was shaking. ¡®How is this happening¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe he was losing, as his realm was higher and his saber had more aura than his opponent. ¡°It¡¯s a lie! This can¡¯t be happening!¡± The White Wolf Saber screamed and unleashed the White Beast Saber¡¯s special technique, Tiger Pierce. The sharp astral energy falling towards Raon¡¯s head looked like the king of the mountain¡¯s ws. He looked enraged on the outside, but his head was still maintaining his cool. ¡®He¡¯s definitely going to dodge. After all, he is a swordsman.¡¯ Since it was basic for swordsmen to dodge such a powerful attack and counterattack afterward, he expected Raon to dodge it. However, that was what he wanted, since the Violent Heavenly Lightning was going to follow up to tear apart Raon¡¯s body. However¡­ ng! Raon didn¡¯t dodge Tiger Pierce. He ran ahead as if he couldn¡¯t wait anymore and destroyed the White Beast Saber¡¯s flow. He looked more like a sabermaster relying on his sheer strength instead of a swordsman. ¡°Are you really going for an all-out battle against me? I¡¯m never going to lose when ites to a battle of attrition!¡± ¡°Battle of attrition?¡± Raon tilted his head and rolled his lips into a smile. ¡°Stop kidding me. I just don¡¯t dodge, and that¡¯s my way of fighting.¡± He unleashed the Fangs of Insanity one after the other as he spoke. ng! ng! It was a battle of power and speed between a sword and a saber. The White Wolf Saber would¡¯ve normally had an advantage since his realm was higher and he was stronger than Raon, but Raon was the one who was pushing him back. Whaam! Since the principles of power, swiftness, and heaviness were polished to the extreme, his sword was even mightier than the White Wolf Saber¡¯s weapon, and his body was supporting it with his inhuman abilities. Raon knew he had a fair chance of winning when he picked a fight against the White Wolf Saber to begin with. Rumble! The White Wolf Saber¡¯s eyes wavered violently like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean as he was pushed back by a thin sword. * * * * * * ¡°You¡­¡± The sword was supposed to be fast and versatile while a saber was heavy and powerful. That was the underlying nature of the weapons, yet his ridiculous strength defied logic and it was tightening the White Wolf Saber¡¯s heart. ¡®I¡¯m going to lose at this rate!¡¯ He had to think of the fight as if he were facing an equal, or even a stronger opponent than him. He had to stop underestimating the opponent and guide the battle to his advantage. Thud! The White Wolf Saber barely managed to deflect Raon¡¯s strike and pierced into his space. He thrust his left fist, which wasn¡¯t holding the saber. He was trying to push his opponent to a corner with his fist from point-nk range. Smaack! Raon wasn¡¯t surprised, nor did he step back. It was fully possible for Raon to make that decision since he had plenty of battle experience. He recreated the Thundering Fist¡¯s trajectory with his left hand to fend off the White Wolf Tiger¡¯s fist. It was the technique he¡¯d learned when he was a trainee. Whack! The White Wolf Saber¡¯s narrow eyes widened to the brim. He must¡¯ve been surprised because the surprise attack that he¡¯d considered perfect was defeated. However, he didn¡¯t run away either. He charged right back and attacked with his saber and his fist at the same time. Whaam! The fists holding the sword and saber shed consecutively at point-nk range, close enough that they could hear each other¡¯s breath. The thunderous noises resounded throughout the space, and the frozen surface was shattered into pieces and melted. With their feet supported by the sloshingke, they kept thrusting their sword, saber, and fists with lightning speed toward each other¡¯s vitals. ¡®Both his martial arts and battle experience are outstanding.¡¯ Raon licked his lips while looking at the White Wolf Saber¡¯s frown. ¡®Let¡¯s change the method now.¡¯ The White Wolf Saber was genuinely powerful. Since it would¡¯ve been a waste to overwhelm him with sheer strength, he wanted to test out other techniques. ¡°It¡¯s far from being over!¡± The White Wolf Saber bit his lip and shed the saber downwards. It was even faster and more powerful than before. The huge energy devoured the space in an instant and forced its way through. ¡°Same goes for me. I¡¯m only getting started.¡± Raon didn¡¯t try to push him with sheer strength anymore. He put away the Fangs of Insanity and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, activating cier and the Blizzard Sword Art. Cring! Heavenly Drive¡¯s de glowed blue as it shaved away the White Wolf Saber¡¯s astral energy while it descended like a mountain. The saber slipped away and hit the ground, but Heavenly Drive didn¡¯t move at all from the spot. The oue was created by incorporating softness and variation into the Blizzard Sword Art. ¡°Argh!¡± The White Wolf Saber looked like he was having a nightmare. He shed upwards, malice burning in his eyes. A frightening amount of astral energy soared, evaporating the coldke in the process. Cring! Raon lowered his center of gravity and unleashed the Azure Ocean Core of the Blizzard Sword Art. The silver gust descended diagonally and gently pushed the White Wolf Saber¡¯s strike away. ¡°Impossible!¡± The White Wolf Saber was panicking because his astral energy was being pushed away by the wind, but still kept going with his attacks. Every single one of his strikes was powerful enough to upset the entireke, but he couldn¡¯t break through Raon¡¯s silver wind no matter what he did. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now.¡± Raon deflected all of the White Wolf Saber¡¯s strikes and thrust Heavenly Drive as he stepped forward with his left foot. The faint coldness dwelling on the tip of his sword extended like a ray of light. It was the Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s Dance of Blue and Red. ¡°Kuh!¡± The White Wolf Saber shed down in a semicircle, but the Dance of Blue and Red nimbly pushed away the saber barrier and left a deep wound at his waist. ¡°Huff, I won¡¯t hold back anymore¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber bit his lip to the point of bleeding and raised his saber. An unimaginable amount of power gathered above his silver de. Sharp wind burst out, and ck waves appeared all over theke. ¡°Uaaaah!¡± He shouted loudly and swung down his saber. The principles were the same as before, but the realm and the power were on a whole different level. Raon couldn¡¯t see any way of stopping it even with the enhanced Blizzard Sword Art. ¡®Then I just need to use another method.¡¯ Raon softly clenched Heavenly Drive by weakening his grip and extended his right foot. He brushed past the violent wave of theke¡¯s surface and used Heavenly Drive, which was pulled back, for a forward thrust. The de wasn¡¯t incorporating any red mes or the blue coldness. A white shadow flowed from behind the de and spread around like sunlight. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy Fifth Form, White Shadow sh. The white wave became as big as a greatsword¡¯s shadow and engulfed the White Wolf Saber¡¯s attack. Whaap! The astral energy was removed from the White Wolf Saber¡¯s weapon, the power disappeared, and the speed and heaviness subsided. Crack! The de snapped in half as the white shadow brushed past it, the White Wolf Saber¡¯s astonished pupils were the only thing left. sh! Aceration connecting the White Wolf Saber¡¯s corbone to his waist appeared, and red blood gushed from it. ¡°Cough¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber dropped his broken saber on the turbulentke and fell to his knees. Raon smiled faintly while looking down on the blood flowing from Heavenly Drive. ¡®Even the White Shadow sh has improved.¡¯ He could feel that even the White Shadow sh had gotten stronger, just like the Fangs of Insanity, the Blizzard Sword Art, and the me Spirit. Glenn and Rector¡¯s teachings were incorporated into all of his techniques. ¡°A-a demon. It must be a demon¡¯s skill¡­¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± The White Wolf Saber stuttered while trembling in pain and fear, and Raon kicked his chin to send him flying. Whaack! He fell on his back with his eyes rolled back, floating on the turbulentke. Raon grabbed the White Wolf Saber¡¯s cor to pull him out as he started to sink, throwing him out of theke. ¡°Uaaah!¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud freaked out and screamed as the White Wolf Saber fell next to him. Raon walked up to the Sickle of Bloody the Cloud and looked at Wrath, who was sitting on his shoulder. ¡®You can read the mood since you¡¯ve been quiet so far.¡¯ Considering that he¡¯d been silent without talking like always, he actually seemed capable of understanding the situation despite being a demon king. ¡­Should I do that? ¡®What did you say?¡¯ One set means four units. Mint chocte needs to be included, and I also need to try out the new product of the month¡­ Wait, no, I need two mint choctes and the chocte and strawberry among the three other choices, but then I won¡¯t get to have the new product¡­ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t being silent because of the mood. He was still contemting what he should get for ice cream because Raon had told him he would buy him a set. Raon shook his head while looking at the unconscious White Wolf Saber. ¡®Demons are a lot more docile than you think, and¡­are useless gluttons.¡¯ Chapter 449 Chapter 449 ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Burren stared nkly at the White Wolf Saber, who¡¯d fallen unconscious with his eyes rolled back. ¡®A warrior called White Wolf Saber shouldn¡¯t be defeated so easily¡­¡¯ The White Wolf Saber, Dunkern, had been famous throughout the continent as a genius sabermaster since twenty years ago. He was a warrior who¡¯d been polishing his skills on countless battlefields and wars. That was why Burren had never imagined that he would lose to Raon, who was as young as his son, or faint with his teeth knocked out. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He briefly caught his breath and looked at Raon. He was carelessly turning his shoulder. He seemed to still have enough strength left in him even though he¡¯d defeated two floor overseers from the ck Tower and the White Wolf Saber. ¡®That madman just never stops.¡¯ The martial arts were bound to be moreplicated and difficult the higher they grew.Burren could feel that his growth was slowing down already at the highest level of Expert, but the theory that everyone agreed on didn¡¯t seem to apply to Raon. ¡®I never thought there would be a madman who kept growing like an Expert despite being a Master.¡¯ Raon had be a Master before twenty years of age and managed to reach the highest level of Master at thest part of his twentieth year. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t just barely surpassed the wall. He was capable of overwhelming three warriors at the same level as him, implying that his might and willpower were on a whole different level. A mystery. It was the only way to describe Raon¡¯s power. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha sighed deeply while putting her hands on her hips. ¡°That fucking monster went even higher again.¡± His might waspletely different from when he was struggling at House Arianne. It wasn¡¯t just his aura and body that had gotten stronger. It felt like his swordsmanship had ascended to a new level. That intense training taught to him by the head of house and the Sword Demon must¡¯ve been effective. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡®I should¡¯ve joined from the beginning if I knew this would happen.¡¯ She frowned, regretting that she couldn¡¯t train with him from the first day the head of house and the Sword Demon started to teach him. ¡°It can¡¯t continue like this.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What?¡± Burren and Martha lowered their gaze at the same time upon hearing the thin yet noticeable voice. Despite their expectations, it wasing from Runaan, who was talking as slowly as a sloth. Her eyes were sparkling faintly as she stared at Raon, despite being usually nk. ¡°What can¡¯t continue?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t catch up to Raon.¡± Runaan lowered her lips, her gaze fixated on Raon¡¯s back. ¡°You slowpoke! Have you still not given up on catching up to that monster?¡± ¡°We are only at the highest level of Expert, and that monster is already at the highest level of Master. We are also called geniuses, but he should be considered a different species at this point.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Burren nodded while looking at Martha. ¡°A drake¡¯s wings will tear apart if it tries to catch up to a dragon. Since we are doing our best in our training, we are still making progress even though the pace is different from Raon¡¯s.¡± He said that they should give up on catching up to Raon and maintain their own pace with serious eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. The difference is getting too big.¡± Runaan calmly shook her head despite what Burren and Martha had told her. ¡°I have a feeling that Raon will be a Grandmaster before we be Masters at this rate. We will be unable to help him once again if that happens.¡± She stared at the sloshingke while saying that she wanted the Light Wind division to support Raon sometimes, and not the other way around. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren and Martha frowned, unable to respond. Runaan was right when they thought about it. They kept being helped by Raon without being able to return it, and Raon really did look like he would be a Grandmaster before they reached the Master realm. ¡°That¡¯s indeed infuriating.¡± Martha furrowed her brow and clenched her fist so hard that it made a cracking sound. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the rest, but I won¡¯t allow him to be a Grandmaster before I be a Master!¡± ¡°Same goes for me. I said that our paces are different, but that¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t allow to happen.¡± Burren concurred and nodded heavily. ¡°So, did youe up with a method?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you are going to say that we should try our best.¡± ¡°We will get them to teach us with some additional training.¡± Runaan looked up to Burren and Martha with faintly sparkling eyes. ¡°And who is that teacher?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there no one suitable for the job?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one.¡± She flinched her nose while feeling the wind passing over theke. ¡°I think he will do it for us.¡± * * * Raon smiled faintly while listening to the conversation between Burren, Runaan, and Martha. ¡®They also love training so much.¡¯ He was so proud of them for thinking about the future right after a fight to the death against the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans inside a boundary brimming with demonic energy. Moreover, the fact that Runaan was the one who came up with the idea made him even prouder. ¡®But who is she nning to ask? Maybe it¡¯s Sullion¡¯s head of house?¡¯ House Sullion¡¯s head of house, Rokan Sullion, looked like he wasn¡¯t even hiding his love for his daughter. That was why he figured that he would ept being their teacher. ¡®They could¡¯ve just asked me.¡¯ Raon liked how Burren, Martha, and Runaan desired to get stronger. He was a bit saddened because he could help with their additional training as much as they wanted. They just want to get stronger. They don¡¯t actually want to die. Wrath shook his head, saying that Raon should get rid of that stupid idea. They are all going to die if they stay with you all day long. He lowered his round hand, asking him to please stay quiet. ¡®Did you finish deciding on your ice cream?¡¯ Haa, it¡¯s impossible topromise. The two mint choctes are must-haves, but it¡¯s so hard to decide on the two others. There¡¯s only one left if I add the vor of the month, but there are too many choices to pick one among th¡ª ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon thought he shouldn¡¯t have talked to him about it and walked up to the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, who was leaning his back against a tree near theke. ¡°It looks like you only told him whatever was convenient for you without mentioning your mistake.¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud hadn¡¯t told the White Wolf Saber that he was the one to strike first. The battle against the White Wolf Saber was pretty much caused by that. ¡°He is in this state right now because you ran your mouth like an idiot.¡± Raon smiled coldly while pointing at the White Wolf Saber, who had argeceration on his chest and none of the front teeth. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t trying to deceive him. I just wanted to leave as fast as possible¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud shook his head. The only arm he had left was trembling in fear. ¡°Leave?¡± Raon lowered his gaze while speaking in a callous voice. ¡°Your lives including yours, your subordinates¡¯, and this idiot¡¯s¡­¡± He pointed at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, the White Whale¡¯s warriors, and the White Wolf Saber one after the other. ¡°All belong to Zieghart. You won¡¯t be able to leave even if you bite your tongue and die.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and his subordinates¡¯ faces turned pale upon hearing the dry voice deprived of emotion. ¡°Anyints?¡± ¡°N-none!¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and his subordinates hurriedly shook their heads. A terror even worse than death was engulfing them. Tap. Raon lightly tapped Heavenly Drive¡¯s scabbard while looking at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber. ¡°You should consider yourselves lucky. I would¡¯ve pulled your legs off right now to make you speak if the situation allowed.¡± He clicked his tongue and turned his head. He needed to tend to the injuries of the Warring Steel division and the Light Wind division, and he also needed to take care of the people who were shivering in the cold weather. That was why it wasn¡¯t time to force them to confess. ¡°I¡¯ll pull out whatever you have in your heads as soon as we return to the house. You can look forward to it.¡± Raon used his aura to paralyze the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and his subordinates¡¯ bodies as he spoke, immobilizing them. He signaled with his hand, and Mark Goetten and the Light Wind swordsmen carried the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Whale¡¯s warriors on their shoulders. ¡°Dorian, you have some fur coats, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ah, of course I do!¡± Raon waved his hand, and Dorian immediately nodded. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t have enough since there are too many people, start with the small children¡­¡± ¡°I have enough, though?¡± Dorian put his hand inside his belly pocket and took out as many fur coats, boots, and gloves as the number of people. It looked like he had way more than the number of people despite Raon¡¯s expectation. ¡°¡­Are you actually carrying this many of them?¡± ¡°They are necessities!¡± He grinned and started to distribute the fur coats to the people. ¡®He¡¯s such a mystery.¡¯ Raon was dumbfounded and stared nkly at Dorian. That was when the Warring Steel division leader, Trevin, weakly walked up to him and bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was because of us that you had trouble with the White Whale¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it.¡± Raon shook his head. The smile on his face waspletely different from when he was facing the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. ¡°They are the ones who started the fight. Even if that Thespian Emperor or whateveres toin, he won¡¯t be able to say anything.¡± Raon said that the situation justified his actions and that he even had proof of it, and he grabbed the embarrassed Trevin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And this isn¡¯t time to be thinking about some White Whale. You should be taking care of the injured and the deceased.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, you are right.¡± Trevin looked back and nodded heavily. ¡°We are going to return right away. Please get ready.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Raon turned around after taking care of the Light Wind division, the Warring Steel division, and even the hostages. ¡®He is still there.¡¯ Ayad was still ring at him while hiding above a tree. The fact that he was the only one there, without his subordinates, seemed to be thest piece of pride left in him. Raon looked away while sneering at Ayad. ¡°You can keep watching like that forever.¡± * * * * * * The White Lotus division leader, Ayad, bit his lip tightly while watching Raon and the Light Wind division leave theke. ¡®That boy¡­has he always been that powerful?¡¯ Reaching the highest level of Master already was still understandable considering how fast Raon had been growing. He could still convince himself of that. ¡®However, the might he¡¯d just disyed was far above my prediction.¡¯ Since the Warring Steel division leader was on the verge of death, Raon was the only one who could fight the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent inside the boundary. He couldn¡¯t believe that he¡¯d actually defeated the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent, who were at a higher realm than him, inside a boundary brimming with demonic energy¡ªeven destroying the boundary itself afterward. ¡®Moreover, he even defeated the White Wolf Saber.¡¯ The White Wolf Saber was a warrior who¡¯d properly polished his martial art, unlike the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent who relied on the power of demonic energy, but he was defeated by Raon with an overwhelming difference. He lost in terms of technique despite being the more powerful one. It was an extremely shameful thing to happen to a warrior. Crack. Ayad clenched his fist holding the branch. The thick branch was ground into a powder and scattered into the air. ¡°I should consider that he is a lot more powerful than I thought.¡± ¡®And it looks like he¡¯d even managed to find me.¡¯ Raon had sneered while looking at him. His face looked like he was aware that Ayad was hiding there. ¡®It looks like¡­I won¡¯t get another chance if I don¡¯t crush him right now.¡¯ Raon¡¯s growth was far above the normal standard. Since he could surpass the wall at any moment, he wanted to break his spirit while he could. ¡®It¡¯s been a long time, but I¡¯ll have to return to the house.¡¯ Ayad wrinkled his mouth while nning to crush Raon, and someone was watching him from behind. Whir. On the hill behind the tree where Ayad was hiding, a woman wearing an old woman¡¯s mask and d in a ck robe was standing above the hill of greenery. ¡°Hnngh¡­¡± She plucked the petals out of the flower she was holding one by one while looking at Ayad¡¯s back. ¡°Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him?¡± Merlin licked her lips upon seeing that thest flower petal ended at the leave him part. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s irritating me. I want to kill him¡­¡± She picked up another flower while touching her lips, which were slightly visible below her mask. ¡°Let¡¯s try one more time. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him¡­¡± * * * Raon smiled faintly while looking at the high and sturdy gate of Zieghart. ¡®It makes me feel at ease.¡¯ He¡¯d thought that it looked like a prison when he¡¯d first seen the aloof gate, but it was looking like the entrance to his home now, filling him with nostalgia and warmth. He felt like he was feeling thefort of home for the first time in his previous and current lifebined. Raon watched the slowly opening gate before he looked around. ¡®They fortunately managed to follow us all the way here.¡¯ The people who were kidnapped by the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans were zealously following them while wearing Dorian¡¯s fur coats. Raon actually wanted to return them to their homes, but they¡¯d been exposed to demonic energy and were even injured. That was why he was trying to bring them to the house¡ªin order to treat them. They must¡¯ve understood Raon¡¯s intentions and followed him there without anyone refusing his offer. The Warring Steel division and the Light Wind division were taking care of them one-on-one despite being injured themselves. Both divisions were groups of true warriors, iparable to the White Lotus division. ¡®I really like them.¡¯ Then how about you have them? Wrath was licking his lips above Raon¡¯s head but bobbed his finger upon hearing his thought. ¡®Have what?¡¯ He¡¯s talking about them. Wrath pointed at the Warring Steel swordsmen, who were either carrying or pulling the people to help them. Get them as your subordinates if you like them. He shook his hand, saying that personally recruiting the talented ones that he took a liking to was a demon king¡¯s virtue. ¡®I don¡¯t really want to be a demon king though. And how am I supposed to have them as subordinates when we are both divisions of equal standing?¡¯ You just need to ascend higher in that case. ¡®Higher¡­¡¯ It was possible to have other divisions and squads under him if the Light Wind division became the Light Wind Pce. However, it seemed excessive to already think about the promotion to Pce since they had only recently be the Light Wind division. It¡¯s not excessive at all! You are eventually going toe down to Devildom with the King of Essence and be a new demon king. You should stop contemting gaining some shabby humans as subordinates. You need to be greedier. ¡®My stomach is going to burst like you if I do that.¡¯ ¡®Because my real objective isn¡¯t to stand above the others.¡¯ Raon walked up to the front gate while reminding himself of his resolve to take his revenge against Derus Robert and to restore Sylvia¡¯s status as a direct line. ¡®The Light Wind Pce, though¡­¡¯ Being a Grandmaster was the prerequisite for bing a pce master. Raon hadn¡¯t even reached the wall yet, and he wasn¡¯t the division leader either, so it was impossible for him to be a pce master. However, he felt like it wasn¡¯t too bad to have as a new goal since they had been promoted to a division. ¡®I should consider it.¡¯ After he finished putting his thoughts together, Zieghart¡¯s gate opened up and the externalmander, Illiune, walked out from it. ¡°Good job!¡± He patted Raon¡¯s shoulder while revealing his emotions in his expression, unlike the other times he¡¯d seen him. Even Illiune seemed to be happy about the house member¡¯s rescue. ¡°Head to the lord¡¯s manor right away. Everyone is waiting.¡± He pointed at the lord¡¯s manor, which could be seen from afar, while telling him to leave the rest to him. Everyone¡¯s waiting? Wrath licked his lips loudly as soon as he heard it. Which means it¡¯s party time? With a lot of ice cream? He kept licking his lips. The party they¡¯d previously had in the main building must¡¯ve left a deep impression on him. ¡®It¡¯s a type of party indeed.¡¯ Raon chuckled and shook his head. ¡®But there will be a lot of food for me, not for you.¡¯ Chapter 450 Chapter 450 Raon entered the lord¡¯s manor while leading the Light Wind division and the Warring Steel division. It was a rare moment that the oppressive iron gate of the audience chamber was wide open. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Roenn, who was standing in front of the door, ced his hand on his chest and bowed. ¡°Good job. You always live up to our trust.¡± Sheryl, who was leaning her back against the wall, raised her hand with a peaceful smile on her face. ¡°Please enter. The head of house is waiting.¡± They pointed inside the audience chamber. Their smiles were deeper than usual, and they seemed to be proud of him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed back to Sheryl and Roenn before entering the audience chamber.He walked across the neat carpet that seemed to have been ironed and went towards the tform. He couldn¡¯t see any of the pce masters, and the number of division and squad leaders was smaller than before. It must¡¯ve been because the Five Demons and the Five Divine Orders were causing a ruckus all over the continent. Huh? Wrath frowned while looking around the audience chamber. This isn¡¯t a party! You liar! ¡®I told you. It¡¯s a party, but there is nothing for you to eat.¡¯ Raon shrugged his shoulders while looking at Wrath. Damn it! He thought that he didn¡¯t need to contemte the bead ice cream set anymore, but now he needs to decide once again! He started murmuring about mint chocte and pineapple, saying that he had to decide on which vors he would have for ice cream. ¡®Seriously.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away and raised his head while standing in front of the tform. Glenn was staring at him coldly with his back buried in the throne. He looked like his usual self, but his red eyes were sparkling faintly. Even he seemed to be d about the Warring Steel division¡¯s rescue. ¡°Greetings, my lord.¡± ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± Raon knelt on the ground and bowed while speaking in a in voice. He could hear the Light Wind division and the Warring Steel division¡¯s powerful voices from behind him. ¡°The Light Wind division has returned afterpleting the mission to find the Warring Steel division.¡± He raised his head and reported the mission¡¯spletion. It looked like Glenn¡¯s tightly closed lips were trembling faintly. ¡°Stand up, everyone.¡± Glenn calmly nodded, as if the trembling from a moment ago was an illusion. He slightly lowered his eyebrows while examining Trevin and the Warring Steel swordsmen, who were slowly standing up. ¡°Warring Steel division leader.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Trevin stepped forward and lowered his head. ¡°What happened to you after youpleted the extermination mission?¡± Since they had decided to return without reporting it, even the other executives on top of Glenn stared curiously at Trevin. ¡°I saw people drowning in the frozenke on our way back after reporting the mission¡¯spletion. Since they were ordinary people who hadn¡¯t learned martial arts at all, we ran towards them to rescue them. However, a dark atmosphere suddenly emerged from the frozen surface and trapped all of us on the other side of a barrier made from demonic energy. After that¡­¡± Trevin calmly told them about how they¡¯d fallen into the ck Tower¡¯s trap and how desperate their fight was inside the boundary. ¡°You did a great job staying alive.¡± Glenn nodded while facing the frustration showing in Trevin¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Trevin bowed. He sounded like he was screaming as he apologized. ¡°It is because I was too weak that I lost so many division members. I¡¯m ashamed of myself as a Zieghart division leader!¡± He bit his lip to the point of bleeding as the tears that he¡¯d been suppressing fell, one drop at a time. ¡°Being weak is a sin in this world when you decide to wield a sword.¡± Glenn stared at Trevin with serious eyes while lowering his left hand, which was supporting his chin. ¡°However, you can advance even higher if you realize your weakness.¡± He raised his chin while looking at Trevin¡¯s red face and the Warring Steel swordsmen one after the other. ¡°Be stronger. You shall polish your might and mentality even harder for the sake of yourpanions who have perished because of your weakness. That is how you bring peace andfort to the deceased.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We will do it!¡± ¡°We will be stronger!¡± The Warring Steel swordsmen responded loudly enough for the entire lord¡¯s manor to tremble from their voices. ¡°Since I¡¯ve already notified the leader of Shadow Agents, you should take care of the deceased, Warring Steel division leader.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Trevin nodded while wiping away his tears with his sleeve. He briefly sighed, exhaling his bitter emotions as he stepped back. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Glenn called Raon¡¯s name while stroking his beard. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon responded calmly and stepped forward. ¡°How did you find out that the demonized humans had created a boundary inside the frozen surface?¡± ¡°Since thest trace of the Warring Steel division was found between the twokes, I figured that was where I should start the search. I noticed a presence from around theke during the search, and I found the White Whale¡¯s warriors hiding in a tree. I neutralized them to gain the information, and found demonic energy inside the frozen surface¡­¡± He told him about how he¡¯d neutralized the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and barely managed to find the demonic energy while hiding the knowledge of the Divinity Blooming from Darkness, and he also spoke about the battle inside the boundary. ¡°¡­Once we came out of the boundary, the White Wolf Saber picked a fight with me, so I defeated him and brought him and the White Whale¡¯s warriors.¡± He pointed at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber, who were tied up by the Light Wind division behind him. ¡°White Whale¡­¡± Glenn looked at the White Wolf Saber. ¡°How arrogant.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Even though he was simply looking at him without spreading any pressure or aura, the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud groaned like they were about to die, fainting while foaming from their mouths. ¡°White Whale? They must be insane.¡± ¡°They dared to mess around in our domain¡­¡± ¡°My lord! We can¡¯t leave them like this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We need to cut their heads off right now and bring them to the White Whale!¡± * * * * * * The executives made their furious derations. They seemed to consider it a humiliation to Zieghart¡¯s name. The White Whale¡¯s warriors trembled in fear under their pressures. ¡°Stop.¡± Glenn simply shook his hand, and the executives put away their murderous pressures and stepped back. He looked at Raon once again and supported his chin on his fist. ¡°Does that mean that you slew the floor masters, the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent, and even managed to defeat the White Wolf Saber over there?¡± ¡°I was just lucky.¡± Raon responded casually and lowered his head. ¡°Lucky? That could¡¯ve been the case if you only defeated one of them, but we don¡¯t call it luck if you managed to defeat three highest-level Masters one after the other.¡± Glenn¡¯s emotionless voice sounded like he was reading a book. However, that fact allowed Raon to understand that he was telling him what he was really thinking instead of exaggerating his achievement. ¡°I¡¯ve only done what I¡¯ve learned.¡± Raon bowed to Glenn. It was his expression of gratitude, a statement that it was thanks to Glenn and Rector¡¯s teachings that he could prevail against them so easily. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn slowly nodded. He seemed to have realized the meaning behind his bow. ¡°On top of the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent, he even defeated the White Wolf Saber. That¡¯s amazing indeed¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent were defeated inside a boundary brimming with demonic energy¡­¡± ¡°Huh. Even for me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to win against them if I had to fight one after the other¡­¡± ¡°I can only describe him as a monster at this point.¡± ¡°The highest level Master at the age of twenty? That¡¯s just ridiculous¡­¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve brought him to my division no matter what during the Selection Ceremony!¡± The executives, who were distracted by the White Whale¡¯s warriors, focused on Raon once again. Most of the executives except for a few direct lines either gave him a thumbs up or sent a round of apuse. ¡°They are right. Fighting the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans inside a boundary of demonic energy isn¡¯t an easy task.¡± Glenn simply lowered his hand after listening to the executives. ¡°Light Wind division, you¡¯ve done great as well.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Raon and the Light Wind division bowed deeply. The swordsmen¡¯s faces were flushed from beingplimented by Glenn. ¡°Rescuing the Warring Steel division and the hostages is clearly an achievement. However¡­¡± Glenn looked down on Raon coldly. ¡°The Light Wind vice division leader previously mentioned that he didn¡¯t need any reward since it was only natural for him to save hispanions.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Di-did he really say that¡­?¡± ¡°Sir Raon¡­¡± ¡°He is really¡­¡± Trevin and the Warring Steel swordsmen¡¯s eyes were touched to tears and trembled in surprise, as they hadn¡¯t expected Raon to say that he didn¡¯t even need any reward. ¡°Do you still think the same?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded. It would¡¯ve been nice to have some reward, but the reason he¡¯d acted was because he just wanted to save Trevin and the Warring Steel division. That was why it didn¡¯t really matter if he didn¡¯t get anything. Bead ice cream! Wrath suddenly jumped up like a frog even though he¡¯d been limping around because he was disappointed it wasn¡¯t a party. Ask him to fill the entire annex building with bead ice cream! ¡®Be quiet for a moment please.¡¯ Raon closed his mouth after he pped Wrath away when he kept asking for a mountain of bead ice cream while floundering his arms and legs like a kitten. ¡°You are telling me that you are fine with it, but that¡¯s not how the world functions.¡± Glenn nodded so slowly that it almost felt boring. ¡°The entire world is going to insult Zieghart if I don¡¯t give you a reward after you rescued yourpanions.¡± ¡°I concur.¡± Sheryl came up next to him with a small smile on her face. ¡°I also agree.¡± ¡°He rescued over fifty people. He shall be rewarded ordingly.¡± ¡°He even saved the hostages and caught the White Whale¡¯s vermin on top of saving the Warring Steel division.¡± The other executives also raised their hands in agreement. Even the direct lines didn¡¯tin and remained silent, probably because of Trevin. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± Glenn snapped his fingers. Roenn, who¡¯d been waiting in the back, went onto the tform while holding a broad te in his hands. ¡°For saving the Warring Steel division and the hostages, Raon Zieghart will be rewarded with a golden tablet, and the Light Wind division will be rewarded with silver tablets.¡± He signaled to Raon with his hand. He seemed to be asking them toe up there one by one. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon went on the tform and stood in front of Glenn. ¡°You¡¯ve proven by yourself that it was the correct choice to dispatch you on the mission. Good job.¡± Glenn personally bestowed the golden tablet on him and praised him for his work. He seemed to be d that the Warring Steel division had returned safely. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed deeply while epting the golden tablet. However, he didn¡¯t give any additional reward, unlike thest time. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ He¡¯d said it himself, and he didn¡¯t have many expectations for the reward to begin with. That was why he simply smiled and went down the tform. ¡°Next up is the first team leader, Martha Zieghart.¡± Starting with Raon, Glenn distributed the tablets to all of the team leaders and members before he stood up from the throne. The warm atmosphere disappeared, and a frighteningly huge and aloof pressure burst from him. ¡°As you are already aware, four out of the Five Demons have begun their activities. Thest one is also going to open their door and start moving soon enough.¡± A frightening light radiated from his eyes as he dered that the other swordsmen outside the house were fighting against the Five Demons as they spoke. ¡°There¡¯s no need to hold ourselves back anymore. Cut their heads off with no questions asked whenever you find the Five Demons. This is especially true for the ck Tower and Eden. Follow them to the end of the world and wipe them out. I will allow it.¡± Glenn ordered them to kill all Five Demons in the future since there was no need for words. ¡°Yes!¡± The executives went to their knees while pounding the left side of their chests, where Zieghart¡¯s emblem was engraved. The pressures soaring from their shoulders were as sharp as a de polished by an artisan. ¡°You may leave.¡± Glenn returned to his throne and shook his hand. He was telling them that the event was over. ¡°Thank you for your efforts!¡± The executives bowed politely before leaving the audience chamber, but Raon was standing still instead of leaving. ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡± ¡°Can I interrogate them?¡± Raon pointed at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber. ¡°Since I was the one who caught them, I¡¯d like to personally interrogate them.¡± ¡°Can you do it?¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes, asking whether he could really do it or not. ¡°Yes. Please trust me.¡± Opening their mouths was an easy task by utilizing the knowledge of his previous life as an assassin instead of his new life. ¡°Sure. A swordsman doesn¡¯t always have to deal with righteous and noble affairs.¡± Glenn nodded at Raon. ¡°You may start tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed politely before leaving the audience chamber. Rumble! The moment the audience chamber¡¯s door was closed, Glenn quietly sighed and leaned his back against the throne. ¡°That was amazing.¡± The Heavenly de division leader, Sheryl, smiled while looking up at Glenn. ¡°The Demon Ring, the Frozen Scent, and even the White Wolf Saber. None of them should¡¯ve been an easy opponent, yet he managed to defeat all of them. He¡¯s improved even more than I thought.¡± She praised him, saying that he¡¯d surprised her even though she was well aware of his talent. ¡°Huhuhu, I didn¡¯t anticipate that he had gotten so much stronger either. I don¡¯t think he has reached the Grandmaster¡¯s wall yet¡­¡± Roenn also eximed while ncing at the spot where Raon used to stand. ¡°It looks like your personal lessons bore results, my lord.¡± ¡°I know, right? I knew that it was important to have a good teacher, but I didn¡¯t expect such a drastic change.¡± Sheryl smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not because of the excellent teacher. It was because the disciple was too good!¡± He shook his head, saying that it wasn¡¯t himself and Rector who were being great teachers, but it was Raon who did a great job at absorbing their teachings. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Roenn and Sheryl smiled gently while watching Glenn roll his eyes. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Sheryl narrowed her eyes and tilted her chin. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the golden tablet is all Raon is getting as a reward.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond. However, his lips twitched slightly¡ªactually, they were violently twitching and giving away the answer. Chapter 451 Chapter 451 Raon turned around after he left the lords manor. He pped his hands while looking at the Light Wind division, who were following him while hugging the silver tablets that Glenn had given them as if they were their treasures. Thank you for your hard work so far. The Light Wind division had fought against the ck Towers demonized humans with their lives on the line and didnt even have any time to rest after that, yet they thoroughly took care of the injured Warring Steel division and hostages. Since theyd been paying a lot more attention to them than when they were fighting, they shouldve been exhausted in many ways. You can rest for four days starting from tomorrow. Raon gave them a holiday since even their willpower shouldve been at rock bottom, on top of their stamina. Oooh! The training is crazy hard, but hes so cool about giving us some time to rest! This is why I cant hate the vice division leader.I know, I know. The Light Wind swordsmen started to talk about what they were going to do during their days off with faint smiles on their faces. However, Burren, Martha, and Runaan clenched their hilts without saying anything, unlike the other times. Those four Raon rolled his lips into a smile while reading the team leaders pupils, which looked like a faint heat haze was burning inside of them. Are they nning to train instead of resting? Theyd previously mentioned that they wanted to be Masters before Raon became a Grandmaster. Their determination mustve been genuine since they didnt look like they had any n of resting or ying around. I dont know who is going to teach them, but they are serious about it. He was proud of them for resolving themselves on their own even though no one had called them weak. Raon turned around since he trusted Burren, Runaan, and Martha to be fine with their training. When he was about to return to the annex building, Trevin and the Warring Steel Swordsmen came towards him. We owe you our lives. We will repay this gratitude no matter what. Trevin and the Warring Steel swordsmen thanked him from the bottom of their hearts and bowed. You dont need to thank me like that. Raon shook his head while watching Trevin and the Warring Steel swordsmen straighten their backs. If you want to thank us, please return as fast as possible. We would be embarrassed if the Light Wind divisions rivals stopped their advance. Trevin and the Warring Steel swordsmen hardened their faces upon hearing it. Wasnt that what I told you before? Indeed. That''s what you said when you saved us in House Arianne. Raon smiled while looking at Trevins trembling eyes. I think the same. No, I should be saying that we think the same. Raon nodded and spoke from the bottom of his heart. You dont need to care about owing us your lives or whatever, since we are wielding our swords in Zieghart with the same mind. I will be satisfied if you keep wielding your swords by our side just like youve done before. Raon bowed to Trevin before heading toward the annex buildings direction. It was simply our turn this time. Return as fast as possible. We will be waiting, too. Martha, Runaan, and Burren also smiled at the Warring Steel swordsmen before leaving in different directions. We need a rematchter on. You wont even see our back anymore if you return toote. Make sure toe back quickly. The Warring Steel division is our only rival. Actually, you are the only ones weve gotten close to The Light Wind swordsmen also talked to the Warring Steel swordsmen before leaving the area near the lords manor. The Warring Steel swordsmen lowered their heads and stayed like that for a long time in front of the lords manor, even after the Light Wind division had left. Haa Trevin sighed quietly and raised his head. I thought it would take a long time, but we need to get back up quickly. He clenched his fist while looking at the setting sun. Red vitality returned to his eyes, which used to show nothing but sadness. Yes, we should. Because they are waiting for us. I cant let them stay ahead of us. The Warring Steel swordsmen also looked at the sunset that Trevin was looking at with smiles on their faces. Trevin calmly turned around. Lets go. He nodded after checking out the Warring Steel swordsmen one after the other. They had already regained their motivation. Lets prepare to send them off. * * * Raon was standing in front of the annex buildings entrance. It looked like they were preparing dinner, as the delicious smell of food was leaking outside the building. Haap! Wrath extended his waist like a rubber band to fly in front of a window. Ooh! Pasta, steak, and even ribs! M-moreover Moreover? Pineapples are included in all of them! What a great day it is! Wrath could tell what kind of food it was, and even knew that pineapples were included, just from smelling them. It was an insane sense of smell. What are you waiting for?! Go inside already and sit at the table! The food is getting cold! You are so extreme. Despite being the Monarch of Wrath, he hadnt shown any interest during the battleyet he was so passionate about food. Raon was seriously curious about how hed be a demon king, and how he became the monarch of wrath specifically. Haa Raon shook his head and opened the annex buildings door. Huh? Yua was carrying ingredients inside arge basket, and her eyes widened. Young master! Yua put down the basket and ran towards the entrance. Did you bring the misters from the Warring Steel division back? She immediately asked about their well-being. It looked like she was sad that she couldnt join the mission. Yes. Some of them didnt manage to return, but Raon quietly nodded since he didnt need to mention that part. Ah Yua removed the smile from her mouth. She mustve realized the meaning behind his nod. Huh? Is the young master back? Young master Raon! The maids frantically ran towards the entrance since theyd heard Yua say young master. Young master! Are you okay? Are you injured somewhere? How did the mission go? Since they were aware that he was gone to save the Warring Steel division that had gone missing, the maids worriedly came to him and examined his body. Im fine. Raon smiled and shook his head. He wouldve been irritated if other people had approached him like that, but he was feeling a pleasant warmth instead, probably because they were his family. Its extremely important to save yourpanions. Sylvia smiled brightly whileing down from upstairs. Raon, you worked so hard. She calmly walked towards him and hugged his shoulders tightly. Her perfume made himfortable, like he was lying on a freshly-dried nket under the sunlight. Everyone did their best to prepare the dinner, since the externalmander told us that youd returned afterpleting your mission. Take a quick shower and join us. Sylvia smiled while saying that the dinner was going to be really delicious since shed acquired arge amount of high-quality ingredients. Okay. Raon nodded while feeling the tension leaving his body. Just as he was about to go to the restroom, Wrath was examining Sylvia from top to bottom. Hey, what are you waiting for? Come here alread Did you prepare all of those for the King of Essence? Wrath stuck to Sylvias arm. He seemed to believe that the food was prepared for him. Mom! Did he really go insane? * * * * * * Raon returned to his room after eating the hearty dinner that Sylvia and the maids had prepared. Wow! Wrath eximed and jumped onto the bed. This is home, and this is life! Lying on the bed after filling the stomach with Moms food feels like heaven! He smiled brightly while enjoying heaven despite being a demon king. This isnt your home, and shes not your mom. Dont care about those small details. We have a bigger problem on hand. Wrath bobbed his head up from the bed and spoke in a low-pitched voice. Whats the problem? Raon swallowed nervously because his eyes suddenly became serious. Its impossible to pick only four vors of bead ice cream no matter how he thinks about it! Hes going nuts right now! Raon sighed deeply, saying that he was still contemting about that. Cant you have just one more set? Picking four out of thirty-three is too cruel! No! Raon shook his head while pping Wrath away with the back of his hand since he kept sticking to him. He was going to buy him an extra set because he kept contemting it all along, but he felt baited and didnt want to do it anymore. You cheap bastard! Its not even that expensive Its more expensive than you, at least. Ugh While Raon was arguing with Wrath, three knocks could be heard. Since it was Judiels signal, Raon stood up and opened the door. Judiel silently bowed and entered the room. She calmly went on her knees and raised her gaze. I heard there was a conflict against the White Whale. Are you okay? Yes, it wasnt a big deal. Raon nodded and briefly exined what had happened. Their extraordinary might was one thing, but they were a lot more loyal to their master than Id thought. The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber were surprisingly powerful, but they had never said anything about the White Whale on the way to Zieghart. Raon had previously thought they were nothing but a sandcastle, but they seemed to be a lot more solid as an organization. Ive further investigated the Five Divine Orders while you were outside. Judiel stated that shed investigated the White Whale just in case. As you are already aware, the White Whales leader is the Thespian Emperor. She holds as much information as the ck Market, and Wait a moment. Raon raised his hand. What Judiel had just said waspletely unexpected to him. She? The Thespian Emperor is a woman? Yes, she is a woman. They say that her appearance seems to be in her thirties, but she must be a lot older than that. Judiel slowly nodded. To continue what I was saying, the White Whales true power lies in their information rather than their might. The rumors say that they know everything that happens in the entire continent. Are they using the same method as the ck Market? Its simr but slightly different. Whats the difference? There are rumors that the Thespian Emperor can read the heavens movement. Heavens movement? Yes. It means that she reads the flow of the sky and predicts the future. Judiel pointed at the night sky where the dim moonlight was dappling from. Lots of people think that she is a prophet because her prediction of the future is correct most of the time. Now that you mention it The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber had murmured that it was different from their prediction when they were fighting. It mustve been the Thespian Emperors prediction that allowed them to know that the ck Tower was inside the frozenke. Its a frightening ability if thats true. Raon moistened his dry lips. On top of that ability, the Thespian Emperors dignity and leadership made lots of famous warriors join the White Whale. There are rumors that they have at least two Grandmasters. And how powerful is the Thespian Emperor herself? Itspletely unknown. Judiel shook her head, saying that she couldnt find out about that. However, she was definitely more powerful than a Grandmaster, since she had at least two of those as her subordinates. The White Whale is the most unpredictable group among the Five Divine Orders. You should be careful when you deal with them. I see. Raon nodded his head. That is very helpful. Since he was going to get the information out of the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber starting the next day, Judiels information was bound to save him a lot of time. He was so lucky to have her because she brought him important information whenever he needed it. Ill be taking my leave. Judiel calmly smiled and left the room. Hmm Raon licked his lips while looking at the door where Judiel had left. She didnt even talk about her brother. She avoided the topic about her brother, probably because she didnt want to pressure him. Raon was thankful for her consideration, but he was feeling a heavy responsibility at the same time. Ill need to find him no matter what. Finding Judiels brother was one of his important goals. If even the ck Market couldnt find anything about him, he was going to get the information out of the Central Martial Pce Master, Karoon Zieghart, even if he had to confront him directly. Yes, Ill do it no matter what When Raon was resolving himself, Wrath stuck himself on Raons head. The King of Essence finally understands it! What are you talking about? You must be venting your anger on the King of Essence because you didnt gain anything special. Anything special? What? Thats right. You worked so hard to rescue them, and all you got was a shit-colored tablet. Wrath frowned, saying that it mustve been because he was unsatisfied with the reward that he wasnt buying more ice cream for him. Im not, though? Raon shook his head. Hed never thought that since the golden tablet was already more than hed expected. Stop lying! The King of Essence knows how cheap you are. Theres no way you would be satisfied with that shitty rewar When he was shaking his head, the de of Requiem hanging around his waist started to vibrate violently. Whir! Messages appeared in his vision along with an aloof sound of sword resonance.
[The de of Requiem has finished absorbing the demonic energy.]
[The de of Requiem offers the purified demonic energy to you.]
It was the same message hed gotten every time the de of Requiem had absorbed the other types of negative energies. Ugh Wrath dropped his jaw because hed never expected that the message would appear at that exact moment.
[All stats have increased by 10.]
[Trait Adaptation to Ghastly Energy has increased in rank.]
[Trait Divinity Blooming from the Underworld has increased in rank.]
On top of the stats, he got a rank up on two whole traits. He could feel the new energy welling up in his exhausted body.
[The de of Requiems trait Ghastly Flow of Mana has been improved.]
And there was more. Even the de of Requiems trait became better. However, the messages were still not over.
[Youve consecutively defeated enemies at a higher realm than yourself.]
[All stats have increased by 10.]
[Trait Perception of the Snow Flower has increased in rank.]
[Trait Poison Resistance has increased in rank.]
The next set of messages was the systems reward, unlike the previous ones that were given by the de of Requiem. Ugh Wraths eyes became so distorted that they looked like they were going to burst. What the hell is this?! Why are you giving him so much?! He frantically shook his head while shouting that it couldnt be happening. He looked like cotton candy in the making. Thank you, Wrath. Raon simply patted Wraths violently trembling shoulder. Your mouth should be called the heavens gate. Rewards pop out whenever you start to speak. Do you have anything else to say? Shut uuuup! * * * The next day, Raon was the only one in the fifth training ground. He repeatedly practiced the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art from daybreak. He finally lowered his sword when the sun started to set and nodded in satisfaction. Im finally starting to get used to them. Hed been practicing swordsmanship to get used to his body since hed had so much improvement in stats and traits, and his movement finally became satisfactory in the evening. Raon clenched his right fist and smiled. I think my body is stronger than a Grandmasters now. The reformation of his body was supposed to happen upon bing a Grandmaster to adjust the body into the perfect shape to use his martial arts. However, he felt like his body was even better than that thanks to Wrathall without going through the reformation of the body. Its so overpowered Argh, eat some ice cream if you are grateful for it! The King of Essence thought he was going to die from standing under the scorching sun all day long! Wrath pointed his hand, asking him to run towards the bead ice cream shop right away. Well, I guess I have a promise to keep. Raon nodded and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. He figured it would be perfect if he bought some ice cream for Wrath and went to tortureor, rather, interrogate the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber. So, did you manage to decide the vors? About that Wrath carefully raised his head while rubbing his round hands against each other. Can you add one more please? A single one is enough. Its impossible to decide no matter what! There are way too many vors out there! He shook his head, saying that it was a sin to ask to pick four and that choosing a single one wouldve been easier. Raon couldnt understand what the hell he was saying since he was a sin himself. Im only going to buy one in that case. That solves the issue, right? You fiend! Raon chuckled and left the training ground. I guess it wont hurt to buy him two more sets. Regardless of the reward, Wrath was extremely helpful during the mission. He was fine with buying him twenty sets of ice cream instead of two. He left the training ground. He found a familiar face when he was walking towards the shop. It was Dorian, who had crumbs around his mouth. Vice division leader! Why are you in such a hurry? Th-the White Lotus division is currently returning! White Lotus division? Yes. I was chatting around the main gate, and I saw them return before heading to the lords manor. Dorian nodded, saying that he came running as soon as he saw the White Lotus divisions return. But they looked so depressed, almost like defeated soldiers. Their clothes were all in tatters too. Really? Raon shook his hands with a frightening smile on his face. In that case, this isnt time to be eating ice cream. Since the White Lotus was heading to the lords manor, it was time for him to follow them and tell Glenn about how stupid and selfish they were. Man! Raon changed direction towards the annex building while thinking about how he should mess the White Lotus division up, and Wrath barked at him. The ice cream shop is going to be cloooosed! Please keep your promise, you damn fiend! Chapter 452 Chapter 452 Once Raon arrived at the lords manor, he could see the White Lotus divisioning through the main building. They really look like defeated soldiers. Just like Dorian described, they looked depressedlike soldiers who were returning from a lost battlefield. Thats why I told you that they looked like they''d lost. Dorian came up next to him and quietly whispered. Hmm? Wait a moment Raon narrowed his eyes while examining the White Lotus divisions appearance. Did they really get beaten? Once he examined them more closely, he realized that every single one of the White Lotus swordsmen was covered in bandages all over their bodies.Who was their opponent? There shouldve been no more enemies left. Since he had eliminated both the ck Tower and the White Whale, he couldnt even guess what enemy theyd faced. Huh? Raon examined the White Lotus division once again while licking his lips and furrowed his brow. Even Ayad was defeated?! Ayads hair and half of his face were scorched ck, and he was covered in thick bandages from his right shoulder all the way down to his waist. He looked like he had been beaten severely. In fact, he seemed to be the most injured person in the White Lotus division. Th-they are really injured. Dorian also realized that they were actually injured and groaned. I know, right? Raon slowly nodded. Did they fight against the main troops from the ck Tower or something? He didnt want to admit it, but the White Lotus division was still a bit stronger than the Light Wind division. It felt like a mystery to him that the people who deserved to be called powerful in all situations were severely defeated like that. But howe none of them died? Strangely enough, all of them were severely injured, but there didnt seem to be any deceased members. It was a strange situation in many aspects. Raon was thinking about what enemies couldve been in the Hoffern region when Ayad walked up to the lords manor. Hmm Ayads face crumpled like a piece of paper grasped by a hand as he red at Raon. What happened to you? Raon raised his chin slightly while looking at the bandage covering Ayads shoulder. You were ying hide and seek thest time I saw you. Were you caught by someone? Raon rolled his lips into a thin smile while sarcastically mentioning how hed been hiding until the end when he was fighting against the White Wolf Saber. You dont need to know. Ayad violently ground his teeth and entered the lords manor. The White Lotus division seemed too ashamed to even look at Raon and followed their leader. Hmm Raon smiled faintly and followed behind the White Lotus division. He created a thinyer of aura to prevent those in front of him from noticing him. Lets go. Wh-where are we going? Dorian freaked out and grabbed Raons sleeve. We need to confirm if they make an urate report. Of course they would, they are dealing with the head of house. No, his eyes looked like he was going to lie without hesitation. Raon dragged Dorian with him and followed the White Lotus division. Pathetic. Wrath violently pounded on Raons shoulder. Revenge is full of vanity. Stop doing useless things, lets go eat some ice cream already. Are you really supposed to say that as the monarch of wrath? A demon king shouldve been urging him to take his revenge, but he was stopping him from doing so. Wrath mustve really wanted the ice cream. However, Raon wanted to follow them no matter what, since it was the only time he could see Ayads face in ruin. Please! The ice cream shop is going to close! Ill buy you two sets tomorrow. Sure! Revenge has to be taken! Of course! A demon king has to take their revenge even if it takes a thousand years! Wrath cheered in joy and stopped bothering him. Which means I can choose eight ice creams in total. Ill get four mint choctes, and one is reserved for the vor of the month, and then strawberry, chocte, and pineapple It could be better though. Im getting sick of him at this point. Raon briefly sighed and followed the White Lotus division until the audience chambers entrance. They mustve had already notified them of their arrival since the door was opened and Roenn came out as soon as Ayad approached it. Thank you for your work. Please enter. Thank you. Roenn gestured at them to enter, and Ayad bowed at him before entering the audience chamber. Raon walked up to Roenn just as he was about to close the door after the White Lotus division finished entering. The Light Wind vice division leader? Roenn wasnt surprised, but he tilted his head. He seemed to find it unexpected for Raon to be there. What brought you here today? I naturally have to join since the Light Wind division and the White Lotus division were on the same mission. Raon confidently dered the words as if he were wearing an iron mask. Huhuhu. Roennughed and looked inside the audience chamber. Raon followed his gaze and looked at the throne above the tform. Glenn gave a small nod of approval. Please enter. Roenn smiled and politely raised his hand. Thank you. Raon thanked Roenn and stood in front of a pir just like the executives who waited there whenever he came to report. Greetings, my lord. Since he wasnt the one making his report, he quietly said his greetings and bowed at Glenn. Gr-greetings, my lord! Dorian bowed deeply while wiping the cold sweat flowing from his forehead. Hmm Glenn nodded and received their greetings. He looked like he couldnt be bothered with them. Wh-why are you here? Ayads lips trembled as his eyes rolled in panic. Dont mind me. Please start your report. Gr-greetings, my lord! Ayad and the White Lotus swordsmen bowed to Glenn. However, their trembling eyes were still directed at Raon. Ayad. Glenn coldly looked down on Ayad and the White Lotus swordsmen who were kneeling in front of him. I heard that the White Lotus division didnt fight the ck Tower nor the White Whale. Why are you in such a shabby state? He furrowed his brow while skimming through the White Lotus division, who had literally turned into defeated soldiers. Actually, we were Ayad bit his lip and raised his head. Assaulted by Eden instead of the ck Tower. Eden? Yes. M-Merlin from E-Eden suddenly attacked us. He sighed deeply while stating Merlins name. Merlin? A chill ran down Raons spine as soon as he heard Merlins name. No way, was she actually there? It was extremely improbable that the White Lotus division had encountered Merlin by sheer coincidence. Merlin mustve followed him and decided to attack Ayad because she didnt like how he spoke. W-was that perverted stalker really there? Wrath was also shocked, and his lips trembled in fear. He must not have realized it because he was thinking too hard about the ice cream. Wait a moment. Sheryl raised her hand from behind Glenn. Im fully aware of Merlins abilities. Shes a monster whose mana and magic proficiency keep increasing nonstop. Sheryl lowered her eyebrows. It looked like she couldnt understand how it happened. Howe none of you died when that lunatic attacked you? Ayad clenched his fist to the point of bleeding and opened his mouth. Actually, what happened was * * * * * * Ayad left the Hoffern region alongside the White Lotus division after a short break. That arrogant boy, he shouldnt refuse a duel at least after what he said. He walked while nning to request a sword duel against Raon right after he returned, and the sky suddenly turned as dark as if night had fallen. Hmm? He raised his head, and an unknown person wearing an old womans mask was floating under the dark rain clouds. M-Merlin! He realized it was Merlin from Eden and immediately drew his sword, but she was plucking flower petals in the air instead of attacking. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him. Leave him. Kill him!!!!! Merlin cheered in joy while throwing away the flower with no more petals left. It cant be helped since the score is two-two now. Ill stop right before you die. It should be better to leave you alive to feed my dear. The moment she said that she was going to stop right before they died, countless magic circles appeared from the rain clouds. Whir! A dazzling light gushed from the magic arrays and colorful spells started to rain down. Open formation! Open formation! The White Lotus division quickly formed a defensive formation under Ayads order. Creak! However, Merlins magic easily destroyed the formations flow like an awl breaking through paper because they had hurriedly made the formation instead of taking their time getting into their positions. Damn it! Ayad gritted his teeth and created an astral barrier, but he couldnt stop Merlins spells from falling like rain. Rumble! Spells of various attributes exploded on top of the copsed aura wall, and the sword formation turned intoplete pandemonium. Kuaah! Cough! Ugh The White Lotus swordsmen couldnt maintain the formation anymore because of the exploding spells and were sent flying in all directions. You crazy witch! Ayad wrapped his body in astral energy and withdrew, leaving his copsed subordinates on the ground where they could be killed at any moment. Yes, Im a witch. And Im also crazy. Merlin giggled and snapped her fingers. The magic circles floating behind her connected with each other like spider webs, and a majestic light radiated from them. Whaam! The spells falling like a meteor shower were surrounded by mana that was even thicker and denser than before. Argh! Ayad tried to run away, but Merlins spells kept following him while ignoring everyone elseas if they had eyes attached to them. Its pointless to run. Ive added a homing function to those spells. Merlin grinned while her shoulders danced. Damn it! Ayad stopped running and turned around. He shed the huge fireball with his sword, which was engulfed in a blue aura. sh! As expected of the master of the White Lotus division, he cut down all the spells swarming at him like a tidal wave with a subtle flow from his sword. However, Merlins magic was endless. Even though her spells were as powerful as astral energy, she kept raining them down as if she had an endless amount of mana. Kuh! Ayad groaned. His shield was crushed once he ran out of aura, and the spells started to explode on his bare body. Wham! Wham! His right shoulder got a serious burn upon getting hit by a fireball, and his left shoulder got frostbite as an ice spear pierced through it. He even got internal injuries from the consecutive assault of the spells, and blood flowed from his mouth ceaselessly. Its far from over. Even though Merlin was fully capable of killing him, she kept controlling her output to keep causing pain and damaging him. Kuh Ayad mmed his sword on the ground and helplessly raised his head. K-kill me. He couldnt do anything anymore because hed run out of aura and stamina, but Merlin was still perfectly fine. The moment he thought there was no way out because the difference in ability was way too big, her magic became transparent. Whack! Whack! Merlin concentrated the mana into the size of a fist and started to hammer Ayads body like a sandbag. His mind was blown away because she was hitting more than ten different spots at the same time. His head became nk from the endless pain. Cough! It was only after Ayad coughed up blood and copsed on the ground that the clusters of mana scattered into the air. St-stop making fun of me and kill me already! He spoke while gritting his teeth, but Merlin simply shook her head. This should count as near death, I think. Merlin waved her hand while smiling in excitement. He will take care of the rest. That was thest thing she said before she turned into a small light and disappeared. Huh Ayad coughed up blood once again while looking at the sky that was bing brighter. What the hell is going on? * * * Thats what happened. Ayad told them the story while skipping the part about how he tried to run away while leaving his subordinates behind and how he surrendered to Merlin. Two-two? What does that mean? Glenn narrowed his eyes while stroking his beard. Im not sure either. Ayad shook his head heavily. Thats her. Sheryl slowly nodded her chin. Thats the madwoman, considering how crazy she was acting. She nodded, saying that it was understandable for Merlin to do that. Haa Raon covered his forehead and closed his eyes. It was because of me. She mustve done a fortune telling with flower petals to see if she should kill Ayad or not since he had been in conflict with Raon. Two-two implied that the result told her to kill him twice and leave him twice. That was why she mustve decided to leave him half dead. The chill ran down Raons spine as if he were inside a frozen cave. Im ashamed to return after losing to the enemy without being able to do anything. It was my fault. It was our fault! Ayad bowed to Glenn, saying that he deserved death. The White Lotus swordsmen also bowed after him. Get up. Glenn quietly dered and bobbed his knuckle. If you couldnt do anything against your enemies, just get strong enough so you and your subordinates wont have to experience that ever again. Thats how a leader should think. Ill remember it. Ayad clenched his back teeth and lowered his head. Report what happened before then. Understood. After I received the search mission He straightened his back and started to report what had happened during the mission. By the time we finished searching the twokes, the Light Wind division had arrived. Ayad looked at Raon. He continued while signaling with his eyes that they should keep quiet about it. Since our divisions have never cooperated before, we decided to act separately Thats not what happened. Raon cheerfully cut Ayad off. You definitely asked us to look for them together. Wh-what are you talking about? We acted separately Thats what happened in the end. You asked me to look for them together but scatter the swordsmen one by one. Hmm Raon asked him whether he had already forgotten about it, and Ayad was unable to respond, his fingers trembling. I believe you even said that we should throw the swordsmen out as bait by making them act separately. You heard him too, didnt you? Raon poked Dorian next to him with his elbow. Haap, y-yes he did! Dorian nodded with a pale face. Bait? Frightening pressure appeared in Sheryls eyes. Hmm Glenn also narrowed his eyes. He also seemed annoyed by the word bait. What type of bait are you talking about? I didnt say bait The White Lotus division leader said that they were prone to enemy attacks since the Warring Steel division had already been kidnapped from there, and he also said that it was better that way because he would be able to guess the enemy location if they were defeated. He added that he didnt care whether weak subordinates died or not. Raon casually exined what had happened with a mocking voice. Ayad Sheryl red at Ayad. Her severely furrowed brow looked like she wanted to kill him. N-no. I was confident that I could save them! I was just trying to save the Warring Steel division as quickly as possible since a long time had already passed since their disappearance I told you back then, but the Hoffern region is extremely vast. Its impossible for just the White Lotus division and the Light Wind division to search safely like that. Just continue for now. Glenn bobbed his finger, saying that he would talk about it after the report was over. U-understood. After we agreed to act separately, we went towards the vige Thats not what happened either. Raon shook his hand. I was going to tell you because I found a clue, but you left without listening to me. Wh-what are you talking about?! I was going to suggest that we should surround the frozenke together because I felt a presence from there. But you told me that we had already decided to act separately, and to do it on my own. He pointed at the White Lotus vice division leader, who was right behind Ayad. You heard it too, didnt you, vice division leader? Erm The vice division leader was unable to respond and swallowed nervously, but that was enough of a response. Whir! Sheryl red at Ayad with bloodshot eyes. It looked like her irritation had surpassed her limits. She looked like she wouldve already drawn her sword if Glenn hadnt been there. Next. Glenns voice was also cold. A-after that, we searched various locations, and ran towards the frozenke upon feeling the demonic energy bursting out from there. However, everything was already over Thats not true either. Raon calmly raised his hand, as if he were making fun of Ayad. You were hiding in a tree and watching me fight the White Wolf Saber. I did that to prevent an unforeseen ident. Because the White Wolf Saber or the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud could try to escape or others could join as reinforcements Ayad gave an excuse that time. He mustve thought about it beforehand. However, the reason he gave was full of holes. That doesnt make any sense. Raon slowly shook his head. The tree you were hiding in was on a path leading to a dead end. They werent going to run that way since they arent idiots. Even if there were other enemies, it was too far to help me in time. Th-thats Gasp! Ayad was trying to make more excuses but came to a halt. Ah His face turned yellow upon facing Glenn and Sheryls murderous eyes. Raon nodded in satisfaction with a smile that looked as hateful as Rimmers. I like that face. Thats what I wanted to see. Chapter 453 Chapter 453 Ayad turned his eyes towards Raon, his lips trembling violently. ¡®What the hell is wrong with him?¡¯ Even though Raon was inside the audience chamber, he¡¯d never expected him to interfere during his report. Just think about it. It was only a few days ago that he showed his monstrous spirit and pressure, preaching to him about rethinking how he treated his subordinates. No one could¡¯ve imagined that he would be tattling, telling the head of house every single detail. ¡®Did you revert to being a baby or what?!¡¯ He used to be even calmer and moreposed than an old warrior who¡¯d spent his entire life on the battlefield, yet he suddenly returned to a five-year-old child telling his mama about how his brother took away his snack. Ayad was still dumbfounded by his behavior. ¡®Damn it¡­ I could¡¯ve given a better excuse if he interfered after the report.¡¯ If Raon¡¯s interference hade after he¡¯d finished his report, he could¡¯vee up with something to escape the situation. However, the tattling happened in the middle of his report, which made him panic, unable to think straight. All the foundations he¡¯d been building were destroyed in an instant. ¡®No, the stranger ones¡­are those two.¡¯ Ayad secretly looked above the tform. He clenched his back teeth upon seeing Glenn and Sheryl¡¯s frightening eyes. ¡®Why didn¡¯t they stop him?¡¯ Interrupting a report to Glenn, who was pretty much Zieghart¡¯s king, was far worse than being rude. Even the direct lines would¡¯ve been punished for it, yet Glenn and Sheryl didn¡¯t even try to stop Raon¡ªinstead, they closed their mouths to encourage him to continue. Ayad couldn¡¯t understand it no matter how he thought about it. He¡¯d never seen it happen before. ¡°Ayad.¡± Glenn¡¯s voice was so frightening that a chill ran down his spine. ¡°Yes.¡± Ayad quickly nodded while feeling goosebumps appear on his skin. ¡°How much of that is true?¡± ¡°A-about that¡­¡± Everything was true, but he couldn¡¯t say that. ¡°There seems to be a small misunderstanding.¡± He wanted to say that everything was a lie, but there were too many witnesses because Raon had made a hole in his aura barrier to spread his voice back then. A sloppy lie was going to endanger him even further. ¡°The tree I was hiding in was the biggest one in the area. The location wasn¡¯t great, but it was the best ce to take the enemies by surprise if more of them appeared¡­¡± ¡°I knew it was strange.¡± Sheryl cut Ayad off and tilted her chin. ¡°Even though the White Lotus division has been consistentlypleting their missions, there have been far too many casualties. Moreover, the injured swordsmen died during their next mission pretty much every single time.¡± She twisted her lips and red at Ayad. ¡°You made that happen, didn¡¯t you? You killed the weaker swordsmen during battle so that you could recruit more talented and useful ones instead.¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Ayad adamantly shook his head. ¡°All we¡¯ve done is work tirelessly for the sake of Zieghart. This incident is just a small misunderstanding due to a disagreement with the Light Wind vice division leader.¡± Ayad mmed his head on the ground and shouted that it was definitely not the case. ¡°Please believe me!¡± Unlike what had happened during the mission, Sheryl didn¡¯t have any proof for what she¡¯d said. He had to keep insisting until the end without yielding to the mood. ¡®I must not admit it.¡¯ * * * Raon sneered while looking at Ayad, who was pleading for them to believe him while mming his head on the ground. ¡®He¡¯s such a great actor.¡¯ A single mission was enough for him to tell that Ayad was using the house¡¯s swordsmen as his foothold to reach a higher position. Everyone was likely divided into two categories in his eyes. Those who were useful, and those who weren¡¯t. ¡®There are people like that everywhere.¡¯ It just made him angry because Ayad reminded him of Derus Robert. ¡®I can¡¯t leave him like that.¡¯ Raon raised his finger slightly and pointed at the White Lotus swordsmen who were kneeling behind Ayad. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl nodded slightly. She seemed to have understood the meaning behind his gesture. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the White Lotus division.¡± She continued while looking behind Ayad. ¡°What do you think? Have you ever thought that the White Lotus division leader considers you disposable?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°That never happened.¡± ¡°Our division leader would never do that.¡± The White Lotus division¡¯s team leaders and vice team leaders, the ones that Ayad had been raising, shook their heads whilepletely denying the im. However, the normal members behind them were hesitant, unable to respond right away. ¡°You over there, all the way at the back.¡± Sheryl found it strange and pointed her finger at a swordsman all the way at the back. ¡°Tell me. Have you ever seen Ayad pushing swordsmen to their deaths?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The White Lotus swordsmen remained silent for a long time, then finally made up their minds and raised their heads. ¡°Yes. O-our division leader previously told us to leave my severely injured colleague behind, even though we could have a-afforded to save him.¡± ¡°My junior and I were directly hit by a spell and were severely injured at one point. I was lucky enough to survive, but he was left alone and¡­¡± ¡°Something simr happened to mest year¡­¡± Once they started to talk, proof of Ayad¡¯s corruption kept spilling out like water from a broken dam. Raon clenched his fist while looking at the swordsmen, who were letting out their pent-up anger. ¡®Destroying the dam was effective.¡¯ He had created a hole in Ayad¡¯s aura barrier to spread the sound when he was revealing his intentions, and that must¡¯ve had a huge influence on them. The swordsmen whose eyes were wavering back then from the shock were telling tales of what had been happening to them. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ayad¡¯s chin was trembling. It looked like his subordinates reporting his wrongdoings waspletely unexpected to him. ¡°Th-that isn¡¯t true! I must¡¯ve fallen into a trap¡­¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Sheryl frowned, her hand on her scabbard. ¡°You are irredeemable trash.¡± Her twitching fingers suggested that she wanted to draw her sword right away. ¡°I-it¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡± Ayad lowered his head while kneeling on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to save everyone during a mission¡­¡± ¡°Ayad.¡± When he shouted that it was definitely not true, Glenn¡¯s back parted from the throne, and his cold voice could be heard. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Ayad bit his lip, his fingers trembling, because he was called by his name instead of his title. ¡°The swordsmen of this house aren¡¯t stairs for you to step on and climb.¡± Glenn¡¯s voice was as dry as a desert. It felt like the entire audience chamber was frozen despite how huge it was. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Ayad¡¯s eyes became bloodshot, and he clenched his neck because of Glenn¡¯s overwhelming pressure. Tap. Tap. Glenn tapped on the throne while looking down on Ayad with frightening eyes that were devoid of all emotion. ¡°The White Lotus division¡¯s activities will be halted from now on. Heavenly de division leader, you shall investigate and report on everything that has happened in the White Lotus division. I¡¯ll decide on his punishment after that.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Sheryl enthusiastically rolled up her sleeves and nodded. ¡°M-my lord! I only wanted to follow the frozen path that you walked! I just wanted to stand behind you¡­¡± Ayad shamelessly kept shouting Glenn¡¯s name. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, Glenn''s lips pressed closed, and he closed his eyes instead of spreading his fiery pressure from a moment ago. Raon rubbed his cheek while looking at Glenn, who had closed his eyes. ¡®Is he concerned about what happened in the past?¡¯ ording to Sylvia and Judiel, Glenn had once yielded to evil in his pursuit of power and didn¡¯t care about other¡¯s deaths. He must¡¯ve been thinking about that time. ¡®But why does it feel so unpleasant to me?¡¯ It could¡¯ve been because he¡¯d never seen the cold-hearted Glenn of the past, or because he had been helped a lot recently. He was irritated by Ayad¡¯s im that he was only taking after Glenn. ¡°May I say something, since everything seems to be decided?¡± Raon slowly raised his hand. Everyone inside the audience chamber looked at him. ¡°Since I was the reason behind this incident, I¡¯d like to take responsibility and put an end to this.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sheryl shook her head, unable to understand what he meant. ¡°How are you nning to take responsibility for it?¡± ¡°Considering the fact that the White Lotus division leader has been contributing a lot so far, he won¡¯t lose the division leader¡¯s position even if he is punished.¡± Sheryl and Glenn didn¡¯t say anything, and their silence confirmed Raon¡¯s suspicion. ¡°If that happens, the swordsmen who confessed the White Lotus division leader¡¯s sins just now might end up facing unfair treatment.¡± Raon pointed at the White Lotus swordsmen who¡¯d told them about Ayad¡¯s wrongdoings. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to request a sword duel against the White Lotus division leader and chase him away from the White Lotus division.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes widened, and Sheryl¡¯s jaw dropped. Ayad wasn¡¯t going to lose his division leader¡¯s position even if Glenn and Sheryl punished him. All he was going to get was a few years of suspension or something like probation. Raon wasn¡¯t satisfied with that, and the other swordsmen could potentially be harmed as a result. That was why he wanted to drag him into the dirt. ¡®Because he is simr to Derus.¡¯ Since Ayad was treating people like tools, just like Derus Robert, Raon wanted to finish him off. ¡®Moreover¡­ He¡¯s a perfect opponent for my training.¡¯ Ayad was at the highest level of Master. In fact, he had already reached the Grandmaster¡¯s wall. Since he was a powerful warrior who only needed one step toward the level of Grandmaster, he was a perfect opponent for a duel. ¡°You will need to wager something yourself if you are going for a sword duel.¡± Sheryl told him that both participants in a sword duel were required to make conditions for each other. ¡°I¡¯ll wager the same thing. I¡¯ll withdraw from the vice division leader¡¯s position and leave the Light Wind division if I lose.¡± Raon nonchntly nodded. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯ll hand over two golden tablets to make up for the punishment Ayad is going to get.¡± ¡°Raon?¡± Sheryl¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but Glenn looked at Ayad instead. ¡°Ayad. What¡¯s your decision?¡± ¡°I-I ept!¡± Ayad immediately nodded. He didn¡¯t even need to think about it. ¡°The sword duel will be held in a month since you need to recover from your injuries.¡± Glenn ordered them to postpone the sword duel even though the investigation would continue. ¡°It shall be done.¡± Sheryl smiled faintly while looking at Raon. It was a smile full of trust. ¡°Follow me, everyone.¡± She bobbed her hand towards the White Lotus division and left the audience chamber. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ayad red at Raon with murderous eyes that seemed to swear his revenge before he followed Sheryl and left. ¡®It went ording to n.¡¯ He was a little embarrassed when he tattled to Glenn and Sheryl, but he was relieved that it went the way he¡¯d imagined. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed briefly and straightened his back. He was about to bow to Glenn before leaving the audience chamber when he heard his voice. ¡°Are you confident you can win against Ayad?¡± Raon raised his gaze. Glenn was looking down at him with slightly distorted eyes. Raon couldn¡¯t read what kind of emotions he was expressing at all. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon quietly nodded while meeting Glenn¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve learned the sword from the strongest swordsman in the continent. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to lose to a fake warrior like him.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Glenn covered his mouth with his hand and cleared his throat as soon as he heard the response. ¡°I like your confidence at least.¡± He nodded stiffly. It almost looked like his cheeks were turning a faint red. ¡°And¡­¡± Glenn averted his gaze and continued. ¡°Did you already investigate the ones you¡¯ve captured?¡± ¡°I was going to do it after this.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Glenn shook his hand, telling him to do whatever he wanted. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Raon bowed to Glenn politely before leaving the audience chamber. Wham. Glenn stared at the closed door for a while before looking at Roenn. ¡°Did you hear him?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Raon called me the strongest swordsman in the continent. He said that he was never going to lose since I was the one who taught him! I¡¯m so proud of his confidence!¡± The corners of his lips ascended all the way to the ceiling as he continued. ¡°Martial arts weren¡¯t the only talent he had. He perfectly understands what other people are thinking, and how they act.¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± ¡°He has the talent of a leader. Rimmer¡­ he is an idiot, but he is right.¡± ¡°I agree with that.¡± Roenn smiled faintly and nodded. However, he decided to keep quiet about the fact that Glenn wasn¡¯t the only person who could be counted as the aforementioned strongest swordsman on the continent. ¡°But I¡¯m worried that the young master Raon might lose against the White Lotus division leader. He is quite a bit stronger than him after all¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that part.¡± Glenn shook his head. An unusually excited smile appeared on his face, as if there were a reason behind his confidence. ¡°Rather than that, I don¡¯t think Raon will be able to properly interrogate them. What do you think?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Roenn firmly shook his head. ¡°An interrogation is different from training or battle, as he will need to be ruthless.¡± He licked his lips while looking at the location in front of the pir where Raon had stood. ¡°Since the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud are both fully determined, they won¡¯t easily open their mouths.¡± ¡°I agree with you.¡± Glenn nodded, saying that it was what he¡¯d thought. ¡°You should watch him and help him appropriately.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± * * * * * * Raon went to the underground prison right after he left the lord¡¯s manor. Since the swordsmen guarding the prison had already been notified, they opened the door for him and guided him to the solitary cell where the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber were imprisoned. Raon dragged the paralyzed bodies of the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber on the ground and brought them to the interrogation room. ¡°You must¡¯ve been having a good life here, judging from yourplexions.¡± Raon smiled faintly and unparalyzed their bodies. Since they were incapable of using their auras, they simply furrowed their brows instead of attacking even though they could move their bodies. ¡°You won¡¯t get anything out of us.¡± ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t know anything and we won¡¯t tell you anything!¡± The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud closed their lips tightly. They seemed to have decided to resist the interrogation. ¡°I see. In that case¡­¡± Raon lightly smiled and paralyzed them once again. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me anything. I won¡¯t listen to you either.¡± He engulfed his fingers on both hands with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and cier¡¯s coldness, only to shove them into the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s mana circuits. Crack! With the sound of their bones and muscles twisting, they fell to the ground and started to struggle. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Cough¡­¡± Despite how confident they used to be a moment ago, their eyes rolled back from the intense pain. ¡®It still works so well.¡¯ What he¡¯d used was the torture method of the Shadows that he¡¯d improved with his current means. On top of the twisting pain of bones and muscles, it even caused the itchiness of thousands of ants devouring their flesh. It was a feeling that was impossible to withstand no matter how much willpower they had. ¡®Moreover, they are even feeling hot and cold at the same time, thanks to the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier.¡¯ Feeling the pain, itchiness, heat, and coldness at the same time wasn¡¯t a torture that a human being could endure. Raon really didn¡¯t ask anything of them. He started humming and took out the book on the Azure Sky Sword, starting to casually read. The sounds of the groans of the two prisoners and the sound of turning the page were the only things that could be heard inside the interrogation room. * * * Raon spent his time reading the book of Azure Sky Sword from sunset until sunrise. ¡°I¡¯m discovering new things every time I read it.¡± He could find a new path every time he read. It must¡¯ve been because the Azure Sky Sword was a martial art of the highest degree among the books he¡¯d read so far. Raon figured that he would need to keep reading it in the future instead of burning it afterward like he¡¯d done to the other books. ¡°Kuaah¡­¡± ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Raon turned his head upon hearing the groans from his left. The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud were trembling violently, their prisoner uniformspletely drenched in cold sweat. ¡°Huu¡­¡± ¡°Uah¡­¡± Veins were protruding all over their faces and their eyes were quickly rolling around. They lookedpletely different from the day before, back when they¡¯d confidently dered that they weren¡¯t going to talk. ¡®I knew they wouldn¡¯t be able to endure.¡¯ They must¡¯ve been used to pain since they were warriors, but it looked like they couldn¡¯t ovee the itchiness of their flesh being devoured. ¡®They became a bit softer now.¡¯ Raon nodded while looking at the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, who were clearly dispirited. ¡®And this guy as well¡­¡¯ Raon sighed and looked at his right shoulder. Ugh¡­ Wrath was limp on his shoulder like ice cream that had melted under the sunlight. He wants some ice cream. How long are you going to make him wait?! ¡®But you still didn¡¯t manage to decide on the vors.¡¯ Th-that¡¯s true, but it¡¯s going to work out once we are there! Let¡¯s just go already! He was whining for him to go to the ice cream shop already, without minding those stupid swordsmen. ¡®It¡¯s going to be over soon.¡¯ Raon closed the book on the Azure Sky Sword and went to the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of Bloody Saber. He leaned forward to meet their eyes. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Let alone the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, even the White Wolf Saber¡¯s bloodshot eyes were trembling in pain. They looked like they were pleading for him to ask a question. Raon started by releasing the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s mouth. ¡°Kuah!¡± He screamed loudly and raised his gaze. ¡°P-please ask me. I¡¯ll tell you anything¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud lowered his head while politely asking him to ask the question. ¡°Why did the Thespian Emperor dispatch you to thatke?¡± ¡°We were ordered to find out the state of the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans when they emerged to the frozenke. We were also asked to find out how many of the hostages survived, and how much demonic energy there was¡­¡± He hesitated for an instant before telling him about the Thespian Emperor¡¯s orders. ¡°How did the Thespian Emperor find out that the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans and the Warring Steel division were in thatke?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. We were just carrying out the mission we were given¡­¡± ¡°Is the Thespian Emperor rted to the ck Tower?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know about that either.¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud shook his head, saying that he was only getting orders from the Thespian Emperor. Raon could tell from his eyes that he wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°I see.¡± Raon figured that he didn¡¯t know that much because his position was too low. Raon briefly licked his lips and released the White Wolf Saber¡¯s restraints. ¡°Huff¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber¡¯s chin trembled as he drooled like a person who¡¯d returned from death¡¯s door. ¡°Why did youe to theke?¡± ¡°O-our great leader told me to go there since there might be a problem.¡± ¡°And that great leader is the Thespian Emperor, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± He said that the Thespian Emperor had ordered him to bring the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud back since an anomaly might ur. ¡°And how did the Thespian Emperor know that a problem was going to ur?¡± ¡°Our great leader can read the heavens. There¡¯s nothing in the world that she doesn¡¯t know¡­¡± He was still calling her their great leader. The White Wolf Saber still seemed to respect the Thespian Emperor despite the situation. ¡®Is she really capable of reading heaven''s flow?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe that a human being was capable of reading heaven¡¯s flow, but she certainly seemed to have some kind of special ability, judging from the situation. ¡°Then what¡¯s the rtion between the Thespian Emperor and the ck Tower?¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s none.¡± Unlike the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, the White Wolf Saber confirmed that she wasn¡¯t rted to the ck Tower at all. However, he was definitely hiding something, considering the way he spoke. ¡°What about the other Five Demons?¡± Raon met the White Wolf Saber¡¯s eyes. His eyes were trembling faintly. ¡°¡­It¡¯s the same. There¡¯s none.¡± The White Wolf Saber closed his lips tightly for a moment before he shook his head. ¡°You still didn¡¯t learn your lesson.¡± Raon snickered and raised his finger. The slowly rising heat and coldness were what had locked them in hell. ¡°It willst for two days this time. I¡¯ll be back in two days.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± Just as Raon was about to resume the torture, the White Wolf Saber violently shook his head. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s rted, but I¡¯ve seen something before.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± ¡°I-I saw her with a person wearing a helmet.¡± ¡°Helmet? What helmet?¡± The White Wolf Saber bit his lip and raised his bloodshot eyes. ¡°A dragon. It was a dragon-shaped helmet.¡± Chapter 454 Chapter 454 The door quietly opened into the old room that was being used as a warehouse above the interrogation room where Raon was torturing the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber. Glenn entered through a small gap in the door, his hair neatly pulled to the back. ¡°Wee.¡± Roenn was leaning his back against the wall and bowed at him with a faint smile on his face. ¡°How is it going?¡± Glenn buried his back on the sofa ced in front of Roenn and pointed at the ground with his finger. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Roenn lowered his gaze while wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. ¡°It looks like we were gravely mistaken, my lord.¡± He observed Raon¡¯s presence on the lower floor with trembling eyebrows. ¡°Mistaken?¡± ¡°Yes. We thought that the young master Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to interrogate them that well.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Glenn nodded while stroking his chin. ¡°Because it¡¯s not easy to interrogate others.¡± Having powerful might and willpower wasn¡¯t enough for the interrogation. It was necessary to have a ruthless heart that didn¡¯t care about the target¡¯s lifelong resentment and curse. Raon was still too young. Since he¡¯d never experienced anything that would make him so ruthless, he thought that he wouldn¡¯t be sessful at interrogating. ¡°That was our mistake.¡± Roenn looked at Glenn with a sour face. ¡°The young master Raon already has a ruthless heart, on top of his might and willpower. To be honest, I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve done better than him even if I was interrogating them instead.¡± ¡°Really? What did he even do¡­?¡± Glenn widened his eyes, his back parting from the sofa. ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°The most important thing to do for an interrogator is to show that they have the absolute advantage. The situation can go to the enemy¡¯s favor if they show that they are desperate for information.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°And the young master Raonpletely prevented that from happening. He showed his absolute advantage from the beginning. Since yesterday¡­¡± Roenn told Glenn what Raon had been doing. ¡°So are you telling me that torture is all he¡¯s done, and he¡¯s left them alone until now?¡± ¡°Yes. I honestly don¡¯t think I could use the same method as him.¡± He was confident he could make the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber speak, but he didn¡¯t think he could be asposed as Raon in the process. Torturing without even asking any questions went againstmon sense. It was a terrifying method of torture, one that was bound to work because he didn¡¯t pay attention to the prisoners at all. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Glenn gasped in surprise and closed his eyes. He seemed to be trying to check on Raon. Roenn rolled down his left sleeve with his right hand while looking at Glenn. ¡®He must be feeling strange.¡¯ Glenn still believed that Raon hadn¡¯t fallen to the dark side of the world yet. Since he shouldn¡¯t have been aware that he had such a ruthless side to him, Roenn could guess that he wasn¡¯t feeling that great about it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn slowly opened his eyes and looked to the right. ¡°Is Raon reading a book right now?¡± ¡°Indeed. Moreover, the book he is reading is that book of martial arts that you gave him previously, my lord.¡± ¡°He is insane.¡± A cool smile appeared on his face. It was such a rare urrence. ¡°My lord?¡± ¡°It looks like thatzybones had a better understanding of Raon than me.¡± Glenn nodded with a smile. He seemed to be even more entertained after witnessing Raon¡¯s ruthless side despite Roenn¡¯s expectations. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°He asked for a duel for the sake of the swordsmen that were being used by Ayad in the lord¡¯s manor, and now he is torturing men with a method that even a demon would be terrified of.¡± Glenn stroked his beard while mentioning that Raon¡¯s behavior waspletely different in the audience chamber and the interrogation room. ¡°The head of house¡¯s job is to be an imprable yet warm armor for their allies, and a cold de to pierce the heart of their enemies. I didn¡¯t manage to achieve that, but I have a feeling he will be able to.¡± He smiled in excitement, saying that Raon would be a great head of house. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn sighed quietly while watching Glenn¡¯s smile. ¡®He must be really serious about it now.¡¯ It was the first time Glenn considered Raon as the head of house. He must¡¯ve been perfectly blinded by love. ¡®No, this isn¡¯t just a blind love. I agree with him.¡¯ Since he also had the feeling that Zieghart could ascend even higher if Raon became the head of house, he didn¡¯t think that it was a blind love. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at the floor. ¡°He must be getting started now.¡± ¡°Yes. This is the perfect time to stop.¡± The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud would¡¯ve be crippled and died if he kept going any longer, and they wouldn¡¯t have been dispirited enough if he¡¯d stopped earlier. He knew the perfect timing. It almost felt like he¡¯d done it many times before. ¡°Amazing.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed¡­¡± Glenn and Roenn nodded in amazement after they watched how Raon managed to extract the information. They were leisurely enjoying Raon¡¯s interrogation but suddenly came to a halt upon hearing the informationing out of the White Wolf Saber¡¯s mouth. ¡°Dr-dragon. Don¡¯t tell me, the dragon¡¯s mask¡­¡± Roenn was panicking for once, his chin trembling. ¡°The Heavenly Demon.¡± Glenn nodded heavily. ¡°Or it might be the person that we¡¯ve seen before. Regardless of who it is¡­¡± He furrowed his brow while putting his slightly disheveled hair up. ¡°The turbulent era is really getting started.¡± * * * Raon continued to question the White Wolf Saber while ring at him. ¡°Was it really a dragon? Are you sure it wasn¡¯t a drake?¡± ¡°I only saw the shape because of the shadow, b-but it really was a dragon.¡± The White Wolf Saber shook his head, saying that the oppression he¡¯d felt was iparable to that of a drake. ¡°Dragon¡­¡± He had a significant amount of information about Eden, but he¡¯d never heard of a warrior wearing a dragon¡¯s helmet. Raon thought that they might not be from Eden. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°I never saw her meeting the other Six Kings or the Five Demons. It was just a coincidence that I saw that person wearing the dragon helmet in the middle of the night.¡± ¡°What was the color of the helmet? It should¡¯ve had a color if it really was a dragon¡¯s helmet.¡± ¡°I-I told you already. I could only see the shape because of the shadow.¡± The White Wolf Saber said that he couldn¡¯t see the color, his fingers trembling. Tsk. Raon briefly clicked his tongue. He couldn¡¯t exactly call it a great harvest since he¡¯d never heard of a person wearing a dragon¡¯s helmet. ¡°Next question. The other Five Divine Orders¡­¡± He kept asking the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud questions until evening, but they didn¡¯t really know anything. It looked like the Thespian Emperor was monopolizing all of the information in the White Whale. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡± Raon left the interrogation room after making the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud faint, the two panting in exhaustion. Are we finally returning? Wrath looked even more exhausted than them as he raised his head. Let¡¯s just go, please. The bead ice cream is floating in the air! He shouted for him to please keep his promise because he was seeing hallucinations at that point. ¡®Did you decide on the vor?¡¯ N-not yet¡­ ¡®Haa.¡¯ He can decide once we are at the shop! Just go, please! ¡®I need to give my report first.¡¯ They already know about it! Wrath pointed his hand towards the shop, asking him to just go right away since Glenn and Roenn were already listening in. ¡®Were they around?¡¯ Since Glenn and Roenn were both at a higher realm than himself, it wasn¡¯t strange that he didn¡¯t notice. ¡®But I still need to report.¡¯ Raon shook his head and left the underground prison. He entrusted the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud to the prison guards and went to the audience chamber. Wrath must¡¯ve been telling the truth, as Roenn quickly opened the door for him, and he was standing in front of Glenn in no time. ¡°Greetings¡­¡± ¡°You can skip the greetings.¡± Glenn shook his hand and told him to begin his report. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like the White Whale is rted to the ck Tower. However¡­¡± Raon reported everything he¡¯d heard from the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. It didn¡¯t surprise Glenn nor Roenn, but the atmosphere suddenly became heavy as if a weight were attached to the space when he mentioned the dragon¡¯s helmet. ¡°Do you know who the person wearing a dragon¡¯s helmet is, by any chance?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not certain.¡± Glenn slowly shook his head. However, Raon had the feeling that Glenn knew who was wearing the dragon helmet. ¡°You can leave now.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Roenn told him to go back and rest since the lord¡¯s manor was going to take care of the rest. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Raon bowed to Glenn and left the audience chamber. It¡¯s finally over! Wrath frantically pounded on Raon¡¯s shoulder, asking him to go to the bead ice cream shop instead of the annex building. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon looked up to the sky while licking his lips. He figured that he could arrive right before the shop closed. ¡®Okay.¡¯ He nodded since it was a promise he¡¯d made. Kyaah! Wrath swung his plump fist into the air while making a strange sound. Raon chuckled and left the main building. When he left the garden and was about to head towards the shop, a small shadow appeared from the dark area under the tree roots. ¡°Hmm?¡± He turned his head around and saw that a weasel with snow-white fur was waving its hand towards him while standing on two feet. M-madwoman! Wrath pointed at the weasel with his violently trembling finger. No! Please no! Just not today! * * * * * * ¡°Yaaawn!¡± Rimmer stretched and woke up from the pile of nkets andundry scattered around arge room. ¡°Is it morning already?¡± He started spouting some bullshit about it being morning even though moonlight was entering through the window. ¡°I heard Raon messed Ayad up. I should go there and check¡­¡± ¡°You should say it¡¯s dinnertime instead of morning.¡± Rimmer turned his head upon hearing Burren¡¯s voiceing from outside the door. ¡°Burren?¡± ¡°Can I enter?¡± Burren opened the door and entered the room before Rimmer could respond. ¡°Wait, why is everyone just entering without waiting for my answe¡ªHuh?¡± Rimmerughed bitterly at his ridiculous behavior but suddenly fell silent. Burren wasn¡¯t the only person entering the room. Runaan and Martha were with him. ¡°What brought you here?¡± Rimmer tilted his head. It was their first visit since they came to see him when he was sick. ¡°Did youe to report in Raon¡¯s stead?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re didn¡¯t.¡± Burren shook his head firmly. ¡°Make us stronger.¡± Runaan walked up to Rimmer and nodded at him. ¡°Hmm? Did you just ask that of me?¡± Rimmer blinked his rounded eyes, surprised by their sudden request. ¡°Who else would we be asking if it wasn¡¯t you, division leader?¡± Martha frowned with her arms crossed. ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve been doing your best in training. That should be enough, so why would you want to get even stronger¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see Raon¡¯s back anymore.¡± Runaan pouted while crouching in front of Rimmer. ¡°Raon?¡± Rimmer shook his head and sighed. ¡°I told you before. You are as fast as an eight-horse carriage, but he is a sixteen horse¡­ No, I should be saying thirty-two horse carriage. There¡¯s no way you can catch up to him when it¡¯s being pulled by over thirty horses.¡± He shook his head, saying that it was impossible. ¡°You have your own¡­¡± ¡°Path.¡± Martha frowned while interrupting Rimmer. ¡°I already know that.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°This sleepyhead said it already. We aren¡¯t trying to catch up to him. We can¡¯t even see his back anymore.¡± She pointed at Runaan, who was crouching. ¡°We already gave up on catching up to him a long time ago. We just don¡¯t want to lose track of his back.¡± Burren bowed and asked him for a favor. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s about the Sword Field Creation, right? It¡¯s not because I¡¯mzy, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Rimmer closed his eyes while leaning his back against the pile ofundry. ¡°You haven¡¯t even be Masters yet. It¡¯s better to focus on sword and aura training and bing a Master for now, right?¡± ¡°We already did that.¡± ¡°We did.¡± ¡°We did!¡± Rimmer secretly opened his eyes upon hearing their shouts. He noticed that Burren, Martha, and Runaan¡¯s training outfits were all in tatters. They looked like they¡¯d been training all day long until they came to him. ¡°Which means¡­ are you trying to get an additional lesson about Sword Field from me after the official training?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We are.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan nodded at the same time. Rimmer licked his lips while scratching his bed hair. ¡®I don¡¯t exactly have enough time.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have the time because he was gathering lightning energy on top of wind energy, but he couldn¡¯t refuse upon facing their serious eyes. He was also feeling slightly nostalgic because they reminded his subordinates in the past. ¡°Alright.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°But it will be difficult training, as well as being different from what you¡¯ve been doing. Let¡¯s get started with the first lesson.¡± Rimmer swirled his finger and stood up. His eyes were full of dignity, like lightning despite how he looked a moment ago. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren, Runaan, and Martha swallowed nervously and looked at Rimmer. ¡°Go out there and buy some beer and side dishes¡­¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Kill him! It was my fault for trusting that guy¡­ I mean, that elf!¡± ¡°Yaawn.¡± Martha started to step on Rimmer, and Burren tried to stop her while Runaan yawned. ¡°Hey, I need to fill my stomach before we get started! Everything¡¯s better on a full stomach!¡± * * * Raon followed the weasel, which was actually Merlin, and went to a corner of the garden. Since the sky was getting darker, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to avoid people¡¯s gazes. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time!¡± The weasel put its hands on its sides and nodded at him. It was such a mysterious sight even though he¡¯d seen it many times before. ¡°What have you even done?¡± Raon sighed and sat in front of Merlin. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Merlin tilted her head. She was honestly kinda cute because she had the appearance of a weasel. ¡°Why did you attack the White Lotus division?¡± ¡°Because they were the first ones to offend you.¡± She blinked her ck eyes, wondering why he was asking such an obvious question. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and covered his forehead with his palm. ¡®So it was true.¡¯ Raon had guessed it the moment he¡¯d heard that Merlin attacked the White Lotus division, and his guess hit the mark. He could onlyugh because the reason was far too stupid. ¡°Then why did you pluck the flower petals?¡± ¡°I was doing a fortune telling with the flower petals to decide whether I should kill him or leave him, and the result was two-two. I would¡¯ve killed them all if kill was the result. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Merlin rubbed her whiskers with her small front paws, saddened by the fortune¡¯s results. ¡°It still felt good, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking back at the lord¡¯s manor. ¡®It did feel pretty good to watch.¡¯ He was surprised, but he couldn¡¯t deny that it was pretty satisfying to see Ayad beaten up. Since the innocent White Lotus swordsmen weren¡¯t killed, he didn¡¯t even feel guilty about it. ¡°Don¡¯t touch him. I¡¯m going to take care of him.¡± ¡°Yes. I left him alive since I figured you would do that!¡± Merlin leaned forward, asking for apliment. She looked like she was asking for a head pat, but Raon ignored her. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t get used to her because her personality was too bright. No one would¡¯ve believed that the weasel in front of him was Merlin, the infamous witch of Eden who was especially difficult to deal with. ¡°You defeated the two towers and even a snake. I¡¯m so happy to see you grow stronger and stronger.¡± Merlin smiled happily. The towers seemed to be the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent, while the snake was the White Wolf Tiger. She had apparently been watching the Light Wind division all along. ¡°Ah!¡± Raon remembered the mention of the dragon mask that the White Wolf Saber had spoken of as he looked at Merlin¡¯s mask. ¡°Have you ever made a dragon mask by any chance?¡± Merlin had previously made a drake¡¯s mask. Raon guessed that she might know about the dragon mask as well. ¡°Dragon instead of a drake?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Where did you hear about that?¡± The atmosphere around Merlin suddenly changed. Her eyes used to be as bright as a child¡¯s, but a frightening light appeared in them, just like during their first encounter. ¡°Apparently, the White Whale¡¯s leader, the Thespian Emperor, was with that person.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Merlin furrowed her brow without saying anything. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s him¡­¡± ¡°Merlin?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it when I¡¯m certain. I need to look into it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Have I ever lied to you?¡± When Raon thought about it, he realized she¡¯d never lied to him. Even when she kidnapped him, she¡¯d told him honestly that she was kidnapping him. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now. As for this child¡­¡± Raon clenched his fist while listening to Merlin¡¯s goodbye. ¡®Bring it on, I¡¯m fully prepared this time.¡¯ He¡¯d expected that situation ever since he¡¯d heard that Merlin had beaten Ayad up. He had prepared all kinds of food for animals inside his subspace pocket, including vegetables, meat, and even rotten meat. ¡°It wants you to brush its fur. It apparently has enough food.¡± ¡°Huh? Wa-wait a moment! Fur? How long do I have to do that?!¡± ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s until this child is satisfied. Make it sparkly.¡± Merlin said goodbye and waved her hand, and the weasel¡¯s shoulder flinched before it walked up to Raon. ¡°Kyu.¡± The weasel tapped on his ankle, ordering him to brush its fur nicely before lying on the grass. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes while looking at the stretched weasel wagging its tail at him. You idiot¡­ Wrath shook his head at his pathetic demeanor. When are you going to eat the ice cream?! * * * Raon brushed the weasel¡¯s fur from the evening untilte at night before returning to his room. ¡°Haa¡­¡± It tired him even more than the training or the interrogation, and he didn¡¯t even have the strength left to stand. He went straight to bed andy down. ¡®I never thought it would be so difficult to brush a weasel¡¯s fur.¡¯ It was as exhausting as when he¡¯d previously scratched a crocodile¡¯s back because the weasel was extremely fussy when it came to its fur even though it was small. Hey. Wrath raised his head, blue mes showing in his eyes. You must eat it tomorrow. You have to go to the bead ice cream shop as soon as you wake up in the morning. ¡®Okay, okay.¡¯ Fall asleep right now. You will wake up earlier that way so we can eat the ice cream faster! ¡®I was nning to do that anyway.¡¯ You can¡¯t have any other interruptions! Your promise to the King of Essence has the highest priority! Remember, it¡¯s two sets! ¡®I get it¡­ Hmm?¡¯ He shook his hand because Wrath was being annoying, and he suddenly heard a presence around his window. Glenn¡¯s icy cold red eyes were reflected on the window where the dim moonlight was shining. ¡°My lord?¡± Oh my god, this is driving him nuts¡­ Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at Glenn, and Wrath screamed while stretching his own cheeks with his hands. This unreasonable world wants to screw with the King of Essence! Chapter 455 Chapter 455 Chapter 455 Raon briskly stood up and went to the window. ¡°My lord, what brings you here¡­?¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond. He seemed to examine the room for a moment before he bobbed his finger. He seemed to be asking Raon to follow him. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon bowed and put on the outerwear that he had taken off before heading to the door. Wait! Wrath floated in front of the door and swung his round fist. You promised the King of Essence! You are supposed to sleep without doing anything else today! He frowned, asking him to please keep his promise. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head while picking Wrath up by his blue head. ¡®We might not get anything to eat anymore if I don¡¯t go right now. Do you want to eat Nadine bread for the rest of your life?¡¯ Na-Nadine bread? Wrath looked outside the window with trembling lips. Oh, right! That geezer only eats Nadine bread! What are you waiting for?! Go outside already! Don¡¯t eat the bread if he gives you one! He shouted at him to follow already since he couldn¡¯t get on Glenn¡¯s bad side. ¡®Sure, sure.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and quietly left the annex building. Glenn was watching the garden with his hands sped behind his back, and he slowly looked around. The look in his eyes seemed slightly different than when he was sitting on the throne inside the audience chamber. ¡°Follow me.¡± He ced his foot on theke behind the annex building. He walked over theke with light steps. He seemed to be going to North Grave Mountain. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Theke was serene. Glenn didn¡¯t create even the slightest wave, as if he were walking onnd instead of ake. He almost looked like he was blending into nature. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon put his foot on theke. He was confident in his water walking skill, but it was still impossible for him to create no waves at all like Glenn was doing. ¡®How is he doing it?¡¯ Glenn wasn¡¯t the type of person to move without any intention. Raon tried to think about his movements since it seemed to be a lesson. ¡®Is it the flow¡­?¡¯ The tip of Glenn¡¯s feet had the same flow as the immobile surface of theke. He figured that he must¡¯ve harmonized his energy into the smallke¡¯s flow. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Glenn and Rector had both mentioned that everything in the world had a flow of its own. Since the wind had the texture of the wind, while the water had the texture of the water, they¡¯d advised him to try understanding those flows. Glenn seemed to be demonstrating how to utilize that flow. ¡®He¡¯s really kind.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes while thinking that Glenn might be a lot kinder than he¡¯d thought, just like Yua had said. He tried to copy Glenn¡¯s footsteps, which seemed to be assimting with the water. Ssh. He couldn¡¯tpletely remove the small waves, but the amount of wavering on the surface had clearly decreasedpared to before. Glenn watched him from outside theke before he started to walk once again. He turned around upon reaching the open area at the entrance of North Grave Mountain. ¡°Greetings, my¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to greet me every time you see me.¡± Glenn shook his hand and slowly closed his eyes before opening them again. Raon¡¯s fingers trembled upon facing eyes that were as serene as the moonlight. ¡°I¡¯m just here to give you what I couldn¡¯t before.¡± ¡°What would that be¡­?¡± ¡°You saved the Warring Steel division and the hostages who were kidnapped by the ck tower, disclosed the White Lotus division¡¯s corruption, and captured the White Whale¡¯s warriors to get information out of them.¡± Glenn continued with a disinterested voice, as if he didn¡¯t really care about it. ¡°They said that a golden tablet was too small of a reward for an achievement like that.¡± He pretended he was there because of other people¡¯s advice and told Raon that he came to give him an additional reward. ¡°Hmm¡­ May I say something?¡± Raon bowed to Glenn while biting his lip slightly. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°The Light Wind division and I aren¡¯t the only ones who contributed to the rescue of the hostages. None of them would¡¯ve managed to survive if the Warring Steel division didn¡¯t fight and hold their ground inside the boundary.¡± Glenn didn¡¯t say anything. He seemed to be telling him to continue. ¡°I might sound insolent, but I¡¯d like you to share half of the reward you are giving to me to the Warring Steel division. They are true warriors who brought honor to Zieghart¡¯s name and will keep doing so in the future. I¡¯d like to help them get back up faster.¡± He dered what he wanted to tell him ever since he was in the audience chamber. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn stared at him for a moment before he rolled his lips into a smile. It looked like his mouth was twitching. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the Warring Steel division. I¡¯ve already rewarded them ordingly.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I gave them elixirs to heal their wounds and strengthen their bodies and energy centers, and books of martial arts that will allow them to reach even further. They will return even stronger even if you don¡¯t worry about them.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon lowered his reddened face. He¡¯d thought that Glenn didn¡¯t take care of them, but he must¡¯ve seen even further into the future than himself. ¡°I beg your pardon! It was impertinent of me¡­¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind it.¡± Glenn¡¯s voice was blunt. However, it looked like his eyes weren¡¯t as cold as before, unlike his voice. ¡°How much did you manage to learn of the Azure Sky Sword?¡± ¡°I barely managed to learn the basic forms.¡± Raon shook his head. He¡¯d read the book multiple times, but he couldn¡¯t be considered to have learned the sword art. ¡°Did you not use it when you were fighting the ck Tower or the White Whale¡¯s warriors?¡± ¡°I only used the other techniques since it would¡¯ve been foolish to use a technique that I haven¡¯t mastered yet.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn stroked his beard and showed his approval. His voice also sounded less cold than before. ¡°The reward I¡¯m about to give you isn¡¯t that big of a deal. I¡¯m going to teach you the Azure Sky Sword for an hour every day at midnight until the day of your sword duel against Ayad.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped, and he was unable to reply. ¡®Is he really saying that it¡¯s not a big deal?¡¯ Lessons from the transcender who was the closest to being the strongest in the continent was definitely a big deal. It was an extremely special opportunity that could never be obtained no matter how much one paid for it. However, there was one thing that was bothering him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you decide to postpone the sword lessons until Sir Rector¡¯s return?¡± ¡°The situation has changed. And¡­¡± Glenn turned around and rolled his lips into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s his problem for not being here.¡± He shook his hand as if telling him to draw his sword already since it was the Sword Demon¡¯s fault for not being around. ¡®Either way¡­ It¡¯s a great opportunity for me.¡¯ Raon nodded and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. ¡°Try using the Azure Sky Sword that you¡¯ve imagined while reading the book.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon slowly took a deep breath and demonstrated the Azure Sky Sword while focusing on each technique¡¯spletion rather than the power or speed. ¡°It¡¯s superficial.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes. He seemed to be disappointed. ¡°The other swordsmanship you¡¯ve learned so far should¡¯ve been somewhat effective even if they were superficial, but the Azure Sky is different.¡± He raised his right hand so slowly that it felt boring to watch. He wielded his hand like a de and pointed at the sky. Rumble! Glenn¡¯s hand looked like a sword. His hand was even sharper than the noted des forged by the Continent¡¯s cksmiths, and it created a single line in the dark sky, no moon in sight. Sparkle! The rain clouds were split apart, and the moon¡ªas red as Glenn¡¯s eyes¡ªmade its appearance. It was an overwhelming disy that made Raon speechless as he watched. ¡°An advanced martial art requires an appropriate method. It¡¯s better to practice the basic techniques for the rest of your life if you are only going to focus on the technique¡¯s perfection.¡± Glenn exined as he used the Azure Sky Sword with his hand. The heaven and earth howled ording to his hand¡¯s movement. The entire space was within Glenn¡¯s grasp. ¡°I believe I told you before. Everything in the world has its own flow and texture.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded while thinking about the water walking technique that Glenn had demonstrated a moment ago. ¡°Dominating the sky,nd, and your space with the power of your sword that you¡¯ve been umting is the Azure Sky Sword¡¯s principle.¡± Glenn¡¯s hand fell, and the pressure brimming with frightening energy of sharpness dissipated as if they were wiped out by water. ¡°Can you do it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive with trembling hands. It wasn¡¯t because he was having a hard time or because he was afraid. His heart was pounding violently because of the anticipation of getting stronger. ¡°Of course.¡± Raon smiled while raising his eyes, which looked like lightning was striking inside. ¡°I¡¯ll follow even if I have to die in the process.¡± * * * Reaper Scans [Trantor ¨C Kyangi] [Proofreader ¨C Harley] Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapeics * * * Zieghart¡¯s Main Building Medical Department Ayad was lying on the bed, all alone in the hospital room. He was chewing his lips while looking at the ceiling. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡®How did it end up going so badly?¡¯ He didn¡¯t manage to achieve anything during the mission, he was injured from Merlin¡¯s attack, and he was being investigated by the Heavenly de division before he could even rest because of Raon¡¯s tattling. The superior members of the White Lotus division defended him by telling them that he¡¯d never sacrificed any division members, but he couldn¡¯t avoid any punishment because of the normal members¡¯ testimonies. ¡®That motherfucker!¡¯ It was all because of Raon Zieghart. That shitty situation wouldn¡¯t have happened if he hadn¡¯t unraveled the ck Tower¡¯s secret and tattled to Glenn. Rumble. Ayad¡¯s clenched fist trembled violently¡ªto the point where his bed started to shake. ¡®You will definitely pay for this.¡¯ He gritted his teeth while resolving himself that he was going to inflict a critical injury on top of winning the duel. ¡®But it was strange¡­ What was he even thinking?¡¯ Ayad was facing the Grandmaster¡¯s wall. He was on a whole different level from the opponents Raon had been facing. That was why he couldn¡¯t understand why Raon had confidently requested a duel. ¡®Moreover, he has even wagered his belongings¡­ He must be somewhat confident, considering he wagered two golden tablets to request the sword duel. He isn¡¯t a fool, after all.¡¯ Raon Zieghart wasn¡¯t an idiot. He didn¡¯t lose to Rimmer when it came to making a mockery of his opponent. He must have requested a sword duel because he was certain of his victory. ¡®What is he plotting¡­ Hmm?¡¯ While he was guessing Raon¡¯s intention, a dark shadow appeared above his head. ¡°Wh-who are you¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A man whose face was covered with a mask was standing behind his bed even though he didn¡¯t even notice the presence. The masked man covered his mouth. He seemed to be asking him to remain quiet. ¡°Don¡¯t speak except for a reply since we need to finish before the Heavenly de division leader returns. It¡¯s not a bad offer for you.¡± Ayad hadn¡¯t heard the voice before. Considering that a man powerful enough to reach that location while hiding from the Heavenly de swordsmen wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to reveal his real voice, it must¡¯ve been a voice created for him to hear. ¡°Your victory against Raon Zieghart isn¡¯t guaranteed in your current state.¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit¡ª¡± ¡°I told you to not speak.¡± The masked man red sharply at him and ced a thick booklet and a wooden box on the bed. ¡°Wh-what is this¡­?¡± ¡°It will allow you to crush Raon for sure.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ayad licked his lips and picked up the booklet. Hundred Potentials Martial Art was written on the cover. ¡°It¡¯s a technique that amplifies your energy more than twice for a short time. You will get an internal injury upon using it, but the Blue Spirit Elixir will enhance your body.¡± The masked man opened the wooden box to show him. A clear fragrance of an elixir tickled his nose. ¡°B-Blue Spirit Elixir?¡± It was the best elixir when it came to making mana circuits and energy centers stronger. Ayad couldn¡¯t understand why he was giving away such a priceless elixir. ¡°We have one job for you. Either destroy Raon Zieghart¡¯s energy center or cut his right arm off. You should be fully capable of doing that with your power and those two treasures.¡± He lowered his gaze and stared at Ayad. He seemed to be asking for his response. ¡°Are you giving me this Blue Spirit Elixir just for that?¡± ¡°You are stupider than I thought. If Raon Zieghart defeats you, it will be an entirely different problem than before.¡± The masked man¡¯s voice was sneering. ¡°Raon Zieghart has various achievements that should¡¯ve been impossible for his age, but he hasn¡¯t been that influential in the house. He didn¡¯t try to get the spotlight and kept carrying out his missions without really being interested in the house¡¯s affairs. However¡­¡± His serious eyes became ice cold. ¡°It will be a different story once Raon defeats you. He requested the sword duel against you for the sake of themon swordsmen of the White Lotus division. If he wins this duel, his influence in the house will be iparable to before. It will be so huge that even the executives won¡¯t be able to ignore him.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ayad swallowed nervously while listening to the masked man. He was right. Ayad realized that he¡¯d been forgetting the most important part because he was fixated on Raon¡¯s confidence. ¡°I can understand why you don¡¯t want me to kill him.¡± The masked man in front of him wanted Raon¡¯s downfall instead of his death so that no one except for the direct lines would gain a high position in the house. ¡°Let me add one more thing. My visit¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The masked man nodded quietly. ¡°Your master¡¯s wish wille true.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± The masked man wasn¡¯t surprised despite the mention of his master. He nodded, and the wind suddenly blew violently enough to the point where he couldn¡¯t open his eyes. By the time Ayad forced his eyes open, the masked man was gone and the window was very slightly opened. ¡°I¡¯ll do as you wish. However¡­¡± Ayad bit his lip tightly while taking the book and the elixir. ¡°You will have to worry about me instead of Raon in the future.¡± * * * Raon¡¯s Heavenly Drive pointed at the sky. A majestic wave urred on the calmke alongside the auspicious energy dwelling in the silver de. The huge and heavy pressure of the sword divided theke down to the ground, and the water droplets floated into the air. Whir! The droplets flew around along with the de¡¯s movement and looked like they were responding to Heavenly Drive. Theybined into a blue waterspout and soared all the way to the dark sky. Raon swirled Heavenly Drive as naturally as dancing, and the rising droplets rained back down to be theke. Shring. The turbulentke returned to being calm as if nothing had ever happened, quietly reflecting the world. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and lowered Heavenly Drive. ¡®It¡¯s really not easy.¡¯ He was only controlling theke instead of dominating the sky with the Azure Sky Sword, but he was already so tired. Incorporating will into nature couldn¡¯t simply be described as difficult. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon turned his head around to look at Glenn, who was standing outside theke. He was covering his mouth with his right hand. His lowered eyebrows looked like he was displeased with the performance. ¡®Is he disappointed in me?¡¯ His expression didn''t look too good. He seemed to be disappointed because Raon couldn¡¯t properly use the Azure Sky Sword even though two weeks had passed. However, Glenn wasn¡¯t actually disappointed at all, despite what Raon was thinking. Glenn was trying his best to stop the corners of his lips from soaring into the sky while looking at the dejected Raon. ¡®He really is a genius! No, genius isn¡¯t enough to describe this!¡¯ The Azure Sky Sword was an extremely advanced swordsmanship. It was a real martial art that required blending into nature to show any results, unlike the other techniques that were already effective enough with nothing but principles. He¡¯d thought that it would take years of training to get started, even for Raon, but he¡¯d started to grasp it in only two weeks and was blending his will into the water. ¡®It¡¯s so enjoyable to teach him.¡¯ One lesson was enough for Raon to analyze and calcte ten others. Glenn could understand why Rimmer was trying to raise him by himself instead of leaving to others. ¡®And his personality ismendable.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been understandable if he became arrogant orzy considering the talent he had, but he was working even harder than a trainee. He was callous when he needed to be and warm when he should be. His talent and personality were both great enough to reach the peak in any situation. Glenn wasn¡¯t just thinking that because he was his grandson. ¡®He should be able to use one technique at least by the time he fights against Ayad.¡¯ Glenn nodded in satisfaction. He forcibly suppressed his twitching lips and walked up to Raon. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon briefly sighed and lowered his head. ¡°What do you think about the sword duel that is going to take ce in two weeks?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that question¡­?¡± ¡°So, you are not aware.¡± Glenn nodded while looking at Raon¡¯s questioning eyes. ¡°You were just trying to release the swordsmen who¡¯d fallen victim to Ayad by defeating him, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I am.¡± Raon reluctantly nodded. ¡®I have another reason, but¡­¡¯ It was also because they reminded him how Derus Robert treated him in his previous life, but he couldn¡¯t say that. ¡°You are still so young.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Themon swordsmen are the majority in Zieghart. The executives are more influential, but public opinion isn¡¯t created by them but by the swordsmen.¡± Glenn continued while looking at the moon reflected on theke. ¡°And you pointed your sword at Ayad, who is stronger than you, for the sake of thosemon people. What do you think is going to happen if you win this duel?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Themon people will be more likely to support you. The swordsmen have only been cheering for you so far, but they are going to start following you. As a result, you will gain influence in the house.¡± He slowly turned around with his eyes closed. ¡°This is a story of a far future, but it will have an impact to realize the restoration of Sylvia¡¯s status to the direct line like you¡¯ve been wanting to.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon groaned. He¡¯d obviously thought that it would have an impact, but he didn¡¯t think that it was important enough for Glenn to point it out. He realized that what he was doing was such a big deal. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to ask you this question. It¡¯s a question that I¡¯ve already asked in the past.¡± Glenn calmly opened his eyes. The vanity that used to fill his eyes was gone, and a subtle fervor was recing it. ¡°Is your path directed to the peak of this house?¡± Raon swallowed nervously while meeting Glenn¡¯s eyes, filled with a look that he¡¯d never seen before. ¡°I¡­¡± Chapter 456 Chapter 456 Raon was about to respond but shut his mouth once again. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t reply thoughtlessly.¡¯ It was none other than the head of house himself that had asked him whether he wanted to be the head of house. It was a question that he shouldn¡¯t respond to without thinking it through. Hmm? Wrath narrowed his eyes and red at him, asking what he was doing. What are you waiting for? Just answer him already! Answer before that geezer gives you the Nadine bread! You don¡¯t want to be the head of house anyway! He shook his hand, asking why he would be the head of house when he should be a demon king in Devildom. ¡®Yes, that¡¯s what I used to think.¡¯ The Sephia Company¡¯s president, Adis Sephia, was thest person he¡¯d talked to about bing the head of house.He had asked Raon whether he wanted to be Zieghart¡¯s head of house or not before left thepany, and Raon had responded that he wasn¡¯t sure yet. ¡®But my opinion has changed slightly now.¡¯ He was about to respond to Glenn¡¯s question the same way he¡¯d done to Adis Sephia, but he realized that his mind had changed. ¡®Because I saw what happened at House Arianne.¡¯ During the mission at House Arianne, he¡¯d witnessed how an ipetent leader could ruin the house and make their members suffer. That was why he¡¯d changed his mind slightly. ¡®I don¡¯t exactly want to be the head of house myself, I just don¡¯t want anyone ipetent to be the head of house.¡¯ One of the pce masters was bound to be the next head of Zieghart at the rate things were going. Glenn¡¯s first daughter, who was outside the house, Karoon from the Central Martial Pce, Denier from the Wise Martial Pce, and Balder from the True Martial Pce were the biggest candidates to be the next head. Other than them, there were an extremely small number of Grandmasters¡ªlike Roenn and Sheryl¡ªbut they had no intention at all of bing the head of house. They weren¡¯t going to show up unless some madman crossed Zieghart¡¯s gate and started to attack. ¡®Denier seems to be the best among the pce masters, but the truth might be different.¡¯ Even though Denier was the most decent choice among the direct lines, it could¡¯ve been just the tip of the iceberg. He couldn¡¯t easily trust him since he¡¯d seen people like Derus. He didn¡¯t want to see a greedy pig bing the head of house just to do whatever they wanted with Zieghart. ¡®I must¡¯ve grown attached to Zieghart at this point. I thought I would never feel anything like attachment.¡¯ When he¡¯d realized that he was born in Zieghart, he¡¯d nned to leave the house after getting what he wanted. However, he¡¯d opened his heart to Sylvia and the maids, Rimmer became his teacher, and the Light Wind division became his brothers and sisters. In the end, he¡¯d developed a significant amount of affection towards the house. His goal to cut Derus Robert¡¯s throat was still unchanged, but his decision to leave the house was faltering. ¡°Well¡­¡± He raised his gaze. He smiled faintly at Glenn, who was quietly waiting for his answer. ¡®I think I can now understand the head of house¡¯s personality a little.¡¯ Glenn¡¯s cold gaze and pressure still chilled his bones, but Raon had begun to grasp his likes and dislikes. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon put his thoughts together before he cleared his throat. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not too sure whether my path is headed toward bing the head of house or not. However, I do think that it would be better for me to be the head myself than to watch an unqualified person be the head.¡± He honestly told him what he¡¯d been thinking. Huh? Why would you do that?! Wrath barked and shoved his face onto him. You need to be the demon king! Your face is already screaming that you should be one! Toy with everyone in Devildom and make fun of them! He shouted at Raon to turn the other demons into his ythings in Devildom. Raon didn¡¯t know what he meant by his face being that of a demon king, but he didn¡¯t really want to go to Devildom. Glenn quietly stared into his eyes to figure out his true intentions before he nodded. ¡°I see.¡± His lips curved into a faint smile. Raon felt like it was his first time seeing that kind of smile from him. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve broadened your horizons.¡± Glenn seemed satisfied with the answer considering how peaceful he sounded. ¡°We¡¯ve lost too much time from the random talk. We will have to continue for a bit longer today.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded and raised Heavenly Drive once again. Just as he was about to use the first technique of the Azure Sky Sword, he heard the sound of the back door of the annex building opening. Raon looked around and saw Sylvia bringing a white te towards him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn was calmly staring at her. He must¡¯ve been aware of her presence. ¡°I-I prepared them because I thought you might be hungry at thiste hour.¡± Sylvia ced the te on the table in front of theke while saying that the sandwiches were made by her personally. The nutty vor of the butter bread was tickling the nose. Ooh! Wrath had been frowning, but he suddenly raised his head. You are the best, Mom! ¡®She¡¯s not your mom!¡¯ Raon pped Wrath away as he kept clinging to him and walked up to Sylvia. ¡°I thought you were sleeping.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t fall asleep today.¡± Sylvia smiled with her eyes half open. She wasn¡¯t showing it on the outside, but she must¡¯ve been worried ever since she¡¯d learned about his sword duel against Ayad. ¡°Err, my lord¡­¡± She furtively rolled her eyes to look at Glenn. Glenn nodded, showing that he was listening. ¡°I-it was nothing! Raon, good luck with your lesson. Please eat it right away since I just made it!¡± Sylvia bowed to Glenn before she hurriedly returned to the annex building. ¡®Is she still afraid of him?¡¯ Raon bitterly watched Sylvia before he went to Glenn with the te in his hands. ¡°My mother is great at making sandwiches out of all food. You won¡¯t be disappointed.¡± Raon confidently held out the te. ¡°¡­I see.¡± Glenn stared at the slightly steamy sandwiches for a long time. His hand seemed to be trembling slightly as he picked it up and took a bite. Raon also picked up a sandwich while standing next to Glenn. He took a bite while looking at Wrath, who was drooling. Inside the crunchy and nutty bread, the fruit jam, ham, and cheese were forming a perfect harmony. Wow, it¡¯s as delicious as always! It¡¯s theplete opposite of the shitty Nadine bread! ¡®But you haven¡¯t had any Nadine bread in a long time.¡¯ Hmph. Don¡¯t let your guard down! We never know when that geezer might be hiding Nadine bread in his clothes. ¡®I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ Raon shook his head, and Glenn¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Delicious.¡± He quietly eximed and ate the sandwich little by little. He almost looked like he was saving it because he didn¡¯t want it to disappear. ¡°I know, right?¡± Raon smiled faintly and nodded. A moment of silence followed. The surface of theke was only disturbed by the quiet sound of bugs and sound of them eating the sandwiches. ¡°We will continue for another hour today.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°I brought Nadine bread, but it won¡¯t be necessary.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± See? * * * * * * ¡°Argh!¡± Burren bit his lip while looking at the green tornado soaring from right under his feet to all the way into the sky. ¡®Damn it¡­ It hurts so damn much.¡¯ He felt like his skin was tearing apart from the ded wind rotating around him. He thought he had a high resistance to wind, but it was still difficult to endure. ¡®Because I¡¯m not allowed to counterattack or block.¡¯ Enduring it was all he could do since Rimmer had told him to take it with his body and mind without blocking it with his aura or cutting it down with a sword. ¡®Yes, I¡¯ll endure it no matter what.¡¯ He was determined to endure that much pain in order to see Raon¡¯s back and earn the recognition of his father. ¡®Well, I¡¯m in better shape here.¡¯ Burren sighed and looked to his right. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Runaan was groaning in icy water while wearing a swimsuit. Of course, that water wasn¡¯t ordinary icy water. It was even colder than ice, and Rimmer had requested the vice master of Zieghart¡¯s tower to create it. The coldness of at least a fifth circle spell was supposedly dwelling in it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Runaan bit her blue lips and looked at her reflection on the surface of the water. ¡®It¡¯s too cold¡­¡¯ She¡¯d never felt cold in her life because she had been blessed by ice ever since her birth. That was why the coldness felt even more painful than a de. ¡®I can still endure it.¡¯ Her body had already reached its limits, but her mind could still keep going. She wanted to be a Master as fast as possible in order to repay even a portion of the favor she owed Raon. ¡®And there¡¯s also the matter with my brother¡­¡¯ The conflict against Syria still wasn¡¯t over. It was necessary to reach even further in order to protect her family from him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± White steam was emerging from her mouth, and the sound of grinding teeth could be heard from the opposite side. Crack. It wasing from Martha. She waspletely buried in the ground except for her head with a frown on her face. ¡°Hey! Why am I getting the worst treatment?¡± Martha barked out the words while looking at Rimmer, who was dozing off in a rocking chair. ¡°Why am I the only one buried in the ground?! And I keep getting pressured! My body is about to be crushed!¡± Her twitching eyebrows revealed the intense pain she was feeling. ¡°Yaawn¡­¡± Rimmer let out a long yawned and only raised his head. ¡°What else? It¡¯s because you have the earth attribute, of course.¡± He licked his lips while scratching his neck. ¡°Burren is inside a tornado because he has the wind attribute, Runaan is inside icy water because of her coldness, and you are buried under the ground because you have an affinity to the earth. I already exined this in the beginning.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t, though.¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t!¡± Runaan, Burren, and Martha shouted at once. ¡°Oh, really? I guess I forgot.¡± Rimmer smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you briefly since it¡¯s annoying. All of you have a pretty high affinity with your attributes. It¡¯s almost as good as an elf, but it¡¯s still not enough to achieve something with. You need to increase it a lot more.¡± His eyes became serious. ¡°You can trust me since I¡¯ve realized it with my own experience.¡± Rimmer wagged his finger while looking at the frowning team leaders. ¡°Your attributes and mental image will achieve another level of progress if you manage to endure that pain.¡± Rimmer had be capable of using lightning energy from getting continuously struck by Glenn¡¯s lightning, and it had even improved his Sword Field Creation. He believed that the team leaders could reach even higher than him considering their excellent talents and their young ages. ¡°But this is¡­¡± ¡°Hard.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to die.¡± ¡°You are free to stop whenever you want to. But did you know about this?¡± Rimmer continued with a grin. ¡°I heard the head of house is training Raon once again. You really will miss his back at this rate, don¡¯t you think?¡± He shook his hand, and a fervor appeared in their eyes. ¡°This much is nyathing!¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not a big deal!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Martha, Burren, and Runaan rolled their lips into a smile and nodded¡ªas if they had neverined about it. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a nap!¡± Rimmer nodded in satisfaction and buried himself into the rocking chair once again. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Runaan stared at Martha, who was buried except for her head. ¡°Miss Rakshasa. Is that nyathing for you?¡± She blinked her eyes to make fun of how Martha had bitten her tongue. ¡°Screw you!¡± Martha¡¯s chin was trembling violently, but she was buried in the ground and couldn¡¯te out. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Say that again once you are out of there.¡± ¡°Heeey!¡± ¡°Please stop fighting¡­¡± Rimmer rolled his lips into a smile while listening to their voices. ¡°They are such good friends.¡± * * * Raon was standing on theke with his eyes closed. The small waves on the surface of the water started to subside as Raon¡¯s breath harmonized with theke¡¯s flow. Even though Raon¡¯s feet were touching the surface and a powerful wind was blowing, theke didn¡¯t waver in the slightest. Raon had achieved the space domination that Glenn had previously demonstrated, even if it was still weak. Raon didn¡¯t pay attention to his amazing achievement and only focused on assimting his aura with theke¡¯s flow. Whir. His breath started to melt down into theke as if he werebining with it. He continued his meditation and training at the same time for a long time, and a small voice could be heard from outside theke. ¡°Young master.¡± Raon opened his eyes upon hearing Judiel¡¯s voice. She was waving her hand with a in expression just like always. ¡°It¡¯s time to go to the arena.¡± ¡°Is it already time?¡± Raon raised his head to look at the sky. The sun was slowly approaching towards the center of the sky. ¡®Time passed by so quickly.¡¯ The date of the sword duel against Ayad was approaching a lot faster than he¡¯d thought, probably because he¡¯d been training all along. The time must¡¯ve flowed unusually fast because he¡¯d been practicing what he¡¯d learned from Glenn all day long. It must¡¯ve been fast for you. Wrath frowned with trembling shoulders. It was as slow as a snail because the King of Essence still didn¡¯t get his ice cream! ¡®That¡¯s why I promised that I¡¯d make you a buffet with bead ice cream.¡¯ How is he supposed to trust you when you didn¡¯t even keep your promise for a whole month?! ¡®I¡¯m really going to the shop after today¡¯s battle. It¡¯s true.¡¯ R-really? ¡®You can trust me today. Just cheer for me from behind, since nothing else should happen.¡¯ Alright! Wrath nodded and frantically shook his round hand. It seemed to be his way of cheering. Raon smiled faintly and walked out of theke. Unlike before, there wasn¡¯t even the slightest wave on the surface. ¡®I can finally do it a little.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as good as Glenn''s but he seemed to have somewhat managed to turn that smallke into his domain. ¡°How about mother?¡± ¡°She went ahead to the arena because she was too nervous to wait any longer. She carried Lady Helen on her back because she was trembling too hard.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon chuckled. Sylvia and Helen had previously told him that they believed in him as if they weren¡¯t worried about him, but they must¡¯ve been extremely nervous in reality. ¡°I also need to get ready now.¡± Just as he was about to go to the annex building to fetch his ck Dragon Coat, he saw a woman with hair as red as fire walking towards him through the garden. The beautiful swordswoman with that unforgettable shy appearance belonged to the leader of the Void Sword division, Serena. She stood in front of Raon and greeted him with her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Light Wind vice division leader.¡± ¡°What brought you here, division leader?¡± ¡°May I have a word?¡± Raon looked at Judiel. She nodded to him, implying that they still had some time. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± He brought Serena to the garden. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at her face, which was as expressionless as a mask. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not going to go easy on the White Lotus division leader, even if you are on friendly terms with him.¡± ¡°I became a trainee at the same time as him. We started together.¡± Serena started to tell her story with an emotionless voice. Raon couldn¡¯t understand what she had in mind. ¡°We joined different divisions during the Selection Ceremony, but we became team leaders and vice division leaders at around the same time. We were more like rivals rather than friends.¡± In fact, Ayad and Serena were the first division leaders who¡¯d visited him before the Selection Ceremony. ¡°However, our differences started to gradually grow after we both became division leaders. I managed to surpass the wall before him.¡± Raon was also aware of that fact, even though most of the house¡¯s swordsmen had already considered Serena to be better than Ayad even before she¡¯d be a Grandmaster. ¡°We met each other from time to time to discuss the sword, but he stopped showing up at some point. He kept staying outside the house to carry out missions.¡± Raon decided to quietly listen to her since he couldn¡¯t determine her intentions. ¡°Since our Void Sword division and the White Lotus division were rivals, we knew the faces of each other''s members. However, their members gradually switched to strangers at some point.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I thought, at first, that the sacrifice must¡¯ve been inevitable because they were carrying out so many missions¡­but it became worse and worse. The talented ones survived, and the others ended up dead. It could be called a natural oue, but the powerful ones aren¡¯t the only ones to survive in an actual battlefield, as you should be aware.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± An excellent talent didn¡¯t guarantee continued survival, and having no talent didn¡¯t imply that they were going to die. Since it depended on various factors like the situation and luck, it was impossible for the weak to be the only ones to die. ¡°Now that I think about it, I think I didn¡¯t want to ept that fact even though I was aware. I kept waiting while thinking that he would regain his senses and eventually return since he wasn¡¯t a bad guy. However, the situation kept bing worse and worse. I¡¯m also at fault for this incident. I¡¯m nning to tell the head of house about it after the sword duel.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to go that far¡­¡± ¡°No, I need to do this. I wish that I¡¯d realized it faster¡­¡± Serena smiled for the first time and shook her head. ¡°You said a moment ago that you had no intention of going easy on him, right? You should definitely do that. I would normally be the one to beat him to death, but you challenged him before me. That¡¯s why you should thoroughly defeat him. He will learn his lesson if his arm gets cut off or something.¡± She politely lowered her head to Raon, asking him to teach him a lesson before she left. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡± Raon stroked Heavenly Drive¡¯s scabbard while watching Serena¡¯s back as she left. ¡°A single arm is far from enough.¡± Chapter 457 Chapter 457 Ayad was sitting at the center of the White Lotus division¡¯s training ground with his eyes closed. A dark shadow appeared on hispletely immobile body as he seemed to meditate. Ayad slowly opened his eyes. He wasn¡¯t surprised, even though he witnessed that strange phenomenon where no one was around despite having a shadow. ¡°I thought you would be here.¡± ¡°You seem to be in a good state.¡± A low-pitched voice could be heard from the shadow. It was the voice of the masked man who¡¯d previously visited his hospital room. ¡°They gave me the time to recover and even practice my sword because unfairness can¡¯t be allowed in the sword duel. This house is seriously crazy for swordsmanship.¡± Ayad sneered while murmuring the name Zieghart. ¡°Are you confident you can defeat Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Are you still asking that after you saw me?¡±¡°¡­¡­¡± The masked man stared fiercely at him, urging him to answer his question. ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ve already finished absorbing the Blue Spirit Elixir, and I¡¯ve also learned the Hundred Potentials. I¡¯ll cut his arm off and destroy his energy center, just like you wanted.¡± ¡°You only need to do one of them.¡± ¡°The other one is for me, as I don¡¯t like him either. I want to strangle him to death if I can.¡± Ayad dered in an extremely murderous voice and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Do as you wish. However, if you are a careless fool and end up being defeated¡­¡± ¡±What a useless remark. Just tell your master to rest assured and wait.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The masked man didn¡¯t respond. His shadow faded away as if sunlight were shining upon it until itpletely disappeared. ¡°It looks like they are trying to use me as a hunting dog and be rid of me after the hunt is over, but¡­¡± A frightening smile appeared on Ayad¡¯s face as he looked at the ground where the shadow used to be. ¡°I¡¯ll take it for now. However, I won¡¯t get into the pot like you¡¯re nning.¡± * * * The great training ground of Zieghart was a special training ground that required the head of house or a division leader¡¯s permission to enter. That was why the vision of it brimming with people was a rare sight. It was obviously because of the sword duel between Raon and Ayad. Since the great training ground was open to everyone on the day of a sword duel, most of Zieghart¡¯s warriors were sitting in the spectators¡¯ area. The managers of the great training ground were busily moving around, to set up the arena at the center and make the seats for the higher-ups in preparation for the sword duel. ¡°A sword duel between the Light Wind vice division leader and the White Lotus division leader. This is going to be such a rare feast for the eyes.¡± ¡°I wonder who is going to win.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fight between a division leader and a vice division leader. Even though the White Lotus division leader had a huge problem, the oue is pretty much decided.¡± ¡°Hmm, I guess their experience in fighting with swords is on a whole different level.¡± ¡°Yes. Even though Raon Zieghart is an unprecedented genius, he won¡¯t be able to ovee that much of an age difference. It¡¯s not like the White Lotus division leader has been idling around, after all.¡± ¡°I agree. I want the Light Wind vice division leader to win, but this is a hopeless fight.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand why he requested a sword duel since he should¡¯ve just let him get his punishment.¡± Most of the warriors in the spectator seats guessed that Ayad would win because his realm was higher and he had way more experience than Raon. Even though people liked Raon because of the reason behind the match and Ayad¡¯s reputation was at rock bottom, it did not influence their guesses. ¡°You still don¡¯t know him. Raon Zieghart isn¡¯t such a thoughtless man.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Did you already forget how he defeated Raden in this same arena? Everyone guessed that Raden was going to win back then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. Raon Zieghart has never lost a duel so far. Don¡¯t you remember how he defeated the White Blood Religion¡¯s apostle when he was just an Expert?¡± However, a lot more peoplepared to before were thinking Raon would win because of his great achievements in the past. ¡°This is different from back then. Ayad isn¡¯t Raden. They don¡¯t evene close!¡± ¡°Do you think Raon has been idling around in the meantime? He¡¯s reached the highest level of Master at twenty-one years old! Did you already forget that he¡¯s defeated two floor overseers and the White Wolf Saber during hisst mission?¡± ¡°The White Lotus division leader can easily do the same. I know Ayad is a son of a bitch, but you shouldn¡¯t involve your emotions when you are guessing the oue.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why Raon is going to win. There¡¯s no way he hasn¡¯t nned for this when his influence is going to be no joke once he wins this sword duel.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the gambling area and have a go. What about betting the entire month¡¯s wage to the one you think is going to win?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Let¡¯s go with a year¡¯s worth of sry!¡± They stopped arguing about who was going to win between Raon and Ayad and ran towards the gambling area located on the training ground¡¯s outskirts with golden coin pouches in their hands. Burren smiled faintly while watching the migration of the spectators. ¡°There are more and more people who understand Raon.¡± Most people had bet on Raden during the previous sword duel in the great training ground, but a lot more people were betting on Raon. ¡®They must¡¯ve acknowledged Raon¡¯s abilities.¡¯ It was a fight between a division leader and a vice division leader. The difference in age and experience was evenrger than that, but some of them were still betting on Raon. That implied that a lot more people had acknowledged Raon¡¯s prowess. ¡°Yaawn¡­¡± He turned his head to the right upon hearing the sound of someone yawning. Runaan was dozing off while licking her lips. ¡°Wake me up when it starts.¡± She powerlessly shook her hand and started to sleep. ¡®She¡¯s not nervous at all.¡¯ She even managed to fall asleep instead of being nervous. She seemed to believe that Raon was obviously going to win. Burren couldn¡¯t tell whether he should say that she had nerves of steel or she had a strong trust in Raon. ¡°There are so many idiots.¡± Martha snorted while watching the people in the gambling area who were betting on Ayad. ¡°There¡¯s no way he would ask for a fight where he was going to lose.¡± She also sounded like she believed without any doubt that Raon was going to win the sword duel. ¡°Indeed. Our vice division leader is such a snake, and he would never pick a losing fight.¡± Krein licked his lips while agreeing with Martha. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine our vice division leader losing a fight at this point.¡± Even Dorian was casually eating his snack despite being the most cowardly person in the Light Wind division. They weren¡¯t the only ones. Everyone in the Light Wind division undoubtedly believed that Raon was going to win as they waited for the sword duel to begin. Burren smiled quietly while watching the Light Wind division. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ In the beginning, Dorian and Runaan were the only ones in the Light Wind division who were favorable to Raon. Many of them used to hate him, like a needle stuck in their fingers, yet they came to trust him so much that they could even entrust him with their lives. That fact was surprising and strange at the same time to Burren. ¡®It must be because so many things have happened in the meantime¡­¡¯ The Ragged Saint, Federick, came next to Burren while he was absorbed in the old memories. ¡°Why are you the only ones here? Where is that elf?¡± Federick tilted his head after checking the Light Wind division¡¯s members. ¡°The dung fly is on dung. Where else would he be?¡± ¡°Dung?¡± ¡°Over there.¡± Martha immediately noticed who he was looking for and pointed below. The red-haired elf was located where her finger was directed to. ¡°I¡¯m first! I¡¯ll be the first one to bet! You bastards, get out of my way! And don¡¯t bet on Raon!¡± Rimmer was shouting amid countless gamblers while hugging a gold pouch. ¡°Hey, owner! I¡¯m betting my entire fortune on Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Federick and the Light Wind division shook their heads while watching Rimmer¡¯s pathetic demeanor. * * * * * * Sedate footsteps brushed past the great training ground¡¯s main entrance. The ck Dragon Coat¡¯s dignified appearance made Raon look like he was wrapped in darkness, and his graceful face could be seen above it. His calm red eyes contrasted with his blond hair, which was shining even more brightly because of the sunlight. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°I-is he really Raon?¡± ¡°What an outrageous pressure¡­¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a vice division leader¡¯s level. It wouldn¡¯t be strange even if he were a division leader!¡± The spectators¡¯ lips parted as they watched him, in awe because of his extremely dignified and handsome appearance. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°I believe in you! Mess Ayad up!¡± ¡°Trash like him can¡¯t be recycled!¡± ¡°I bet my entire fortune on you!¡± The spectators finally snapped out of it and shouted while waving their hands. Raon went to the arena prepared at the center of the training ground while listening to the shouts of the crowd in the spectator seats. This is different from before. Wrath furrowed his brow while looking around at the spectators. Almost no one was rooting for youst time. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Raon nodded with a smile. Not even a handful of people were cheering for him during his previous sword duel against Raden. However, more than half of the swordsmen inside the training ground were shouting his name. Even though Ayad was guilty, Raon didn¡¯t expect so many cheers. ¡®The head of house was right.¡¯ Glenn had said that Ayad¡¯s downfall wasn¡¯t going to be the only oue of the sword duel. He¡¯d mentioned that Raon¡¯s influence inside the house would increase tremendously if he won. Raon could tell that he was right after seeing the reaction of the spectators. Raon stood in front of the arena while calming his pounding heart. Ayad had already arrived on the opposite side. He was sitting at the waiting bench and was looking at Raon coldly. ¡®He¡¯s not aplete idiot.¡¯ Raon had thought that Ayad was going to get furious the moment he saw him, but Ayad¡¯s eyes remained cold. He was fully aware of how to control his emotions. He was a division leader for a good reason. ¡°You look like you are doing great.¡± Ayad nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°I was having an easy life thanks to a certain person.¡± He¡¯d actually been working so hard that he could die because of Glenn¡¯s lessons, but he simply shook his hand, pretending that he was taking it easy. ¡°I can understand your confidence. You must feel like the entire world is under your feet considering how powerful you are at your age. However¡­¡± A frightening red light crawled from Ayad¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was wielding my sword even before you were born. Regardless of our realms, our battle experience is on a whole different level. You will regret requesting a sword duel against me.¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve requested one eventually even if I didn¡¯t.¡± Raon tilted his chin while tapping on Heavenly Drive¡¯s scabbard. ¡°I just wanted to get rid of the trashy eyesore quickly. I¡¯m not even interested in your realm or experience.¡± ¡°You can talk like always.¡± Ayad simply frowned without yielding to the provocation. He must¡¯ve been properly polishing his mind for thest week. ¡®This is going to be more interesting than I thought.¡¯ Raon smiled in satisfaction and sat on the waiting bench. He waited for a moment, and people started to fill the executives¡¯ seats. In addition to Serena, whom he¡¯d met a moment ago, Karoon, Denier, and Balder also made their entrances and sat on the higher seats. Raon waited for the duel to start while watching the executives, and two swordsmen standing in front of the great training ground¡¯s main entrance mmed their great swords into the ground. Wham! Their shouts could be heard alongside a huge resonance that felt like an earthquake. ¡°Our lord is making his entrance!¡± Glenn entered through the main entrance of the great training ground with golden sunlight shining upon him. The sublime presence emanating like a divine sword from him was overshadowing Sheryl and Roenn behind him. It was truly an outstanding presence even though he wasn¡¯t spreading any aura or pressure. He was in the same league as the demon kings that Raon had encountered in Habun Castle. ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± Raon and everyone inside the great training ground bowed at Glenn. Glenn didn¡¯t even nod at them, instead going to the highest seat on the tform. The supreme ruler Raon was witnessing wasn¡¯t the same person as the one who¡¯d taught him swordsmanship every night and ate sandwiches with him. ¡°You may stand.¡± Everyone inside the great training ground finally stood up after Glenn shook his hand towards them, and they became able to breathe once again. ¡°Begin.¡± The master of ceremonies, who¡¯d been waiting under the tform, took a step forward upon hearing his order. ¡°The participants of today¡¯s sword duel, the White Lotus division leader Ayad and the Light Wind vice division leader Raon Zieghart, shall enter the arena!¡± The master of ceremonies shouted, and Ayad was the first to enter the arena. The cold emotions dwelling in his eyes implied that he was mentally prepared. Raon looked at the spectator seats instead of entering the arena. Sylvia was praying while holding hands with the maids, the Light Wind division looked like they hadplete faith in him since they were casually eating Dorian¡¯s snacks, and Rimmer was waving his hand from above the signboard of the gambling ce. Raon looked at the White Lotus swordsmen after that. Their desperate gazes felt like they were pleading for him to save them from Ayad. Their pupils looked just like his own in his previous life, back when he hadn¡¯t managed to escape from Derus Robert¡¯s leash. Raon clenched his fist as his heart became colder. He briefly caught his breath before entering the arena. ¡°Forward!¡± Raon and Ayad faced each other at the center of the arena in ordance with the master of ceremonies¡¯s direction. ¡°You don¡¯t realize how much I¡¯ve been looking forward to this moment.¡± Ayad faintly rolled his lips into a smile. Raon had the feeling that his body and aura had both be sturdier upon facing him. ¡®It¡¯s not just an impression. He really has gotten stronger than before.¡¯ There was no way his senses were lying. He decided to trust his perception and assume that Ayad had be stronger as he fought. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ayad¡¯s twitching fingers looked like he was going to draw his sword at any moment. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you that I¡¯ll be able to lead the division once again after nothing but a small punishment.¡± He seemed to be nning to nullify his crime by using the golden tablets that he would obtain from winning the sword duel. It was fully possible to achieve that considering the achievements he¡¯d gained so far. ¡°You can dream all you want.¡± Raon ced his hand on Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt while feeling his frozen heart. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your punishment will be carried out right here by my own hands.¡± Raon bobbed his chin at Ayad with a sneer. ¡°You¡¯d better brace yourself, as it won''t be as gentle as the punishment from the house.¡± ¡°You arrogant¡­¡± Ayad¡¯s frown deepened. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be enough to agitate him. ¡°Are you both ready?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Ayad and Raon nodded at the same time. The master of ceremonies took a step back and raised his hand towards the sky. ¡°The sword duel between the White Lotus division leader and the Light Wind vice division leader¡­has begun!¡± He lowered his hand like lightning and left the arena. The match had started, but Raon and Ayad both remained immobile. They were simply staring at each other¡¯s eyes, their hands on their hilts. Whir! The pressures of the two highest-level Masters slowly ascended like the rising sun and created a tremendous amount of pressure inside the arena. Crack! Once Raon and Ayad¡¯s pressures shed against each other, the nicely ttened arena crumbled and the rubble started to float in the air. Once a stone the size of a finger reached the height of his waist, Raon drew Heavenly Drive. The extremely swift sword draw was an application of the Blue Rain, and a blue light sparkled at the same time as its thrust. Ayad had also drawn his sword at the exact same time. ang! The sh between Heavenly Drive and Ayad¡¯s sword created a huge tremor that echoed throughout the training ground. The two swords bent and were bounced back from the tremendous impact. Ayad was trying to withdraw alongside his sword, but Raon moved differently. Thud! Raon kicked the ground with his left foot and advanced. He closed the distance to Ayad while reducing the impact with the Supreme Harmony Steps, crushing thend. ¡°What insolence!¡± Ayad noticed his movement in an instant and bashed down with his left elbow. It was obvious he was going to do that since his right hand, which was holding his sword, was at the rear. Raon analyzed Ayad¡¯s movement in a split second and grabbed his sleeve with his left hand. Tap! His wrist smoothly bent through the principles of the soft sword. Wham! He shed Heavenly Drive downwards with his right hand, where he used the Supreme Harmony Steps to reduce the impact. ¡°Kuh!¡± Ayad groaned and created a wall of astral energy to block Heavenly Drive¡¯s trajectory. It felt even harder than the iron wall, but the me covering Heavenly Drive was even sharper than that. sh! Ayad¡¯s wall of aura was split apart, and his chest wascerated in a diagonal sh, with blood gushing from it. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Ayad bit his lip while looking at the wound on his chest. ¡°Battle experience? Higher realm?¡± Raon shook off the single drop of blood that was staining Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. He pointed at Ayad with the de reddened from the heat, an expression of contempt on his face. ¡°I can just destroy petty differences like that.¡± Chapter 458 Chapter 458 Ayad rubbed his wound with his left hand. The bleeding from hisceration¡ªwhich extended across his chest to his waist¡ªstopped. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Ayad¡¯s wound, which looked to be healing. ¡®I knew it. I didn¡¯t manage to reach all the way inside his body.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t feel the cut of his bone and flesh during the attack. Ayad had moved his body backward the moment Heavenly Drive had touched him to minimize his injury. He wasn¡¯t bullshitting about his battle experience. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Raon smiled while looking at Ayad¡¯s distorted eyes. ¡®The mental shock seems to be huge.¡¯ Raon could feel the wrath from his eyes. Even though he couldn¡¯t agitate him with his words alone, it was starting to be achieved.¡°Haa¡­¡± Ayad exhaled a heated breath while raising his bloody left hand. ¡°I wasn¡¯t careless, but you were more aggressive than I thought.¡± He brushed his cheek with the blood on his hand. He was looking even sharper than before despite his already fiery appearance. ¡°Your luck ends now. There won¡¯t be any more flukes.¡± Ayad raised his sword around the level of his waist. His murderous pressure engulfed Raon like a tidal wave, showing that he was going for real. ¡°Luck? Fluke?¡± Raon sneered while meeting Ayad¡¯s eyes. ¡°The small chance of winning you had disappeared the moment you said that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not up to you to decide!¡± Ayad furrowed his brow and kicked the arena. Whir! Raon raised the heated Heavenly Drive above his head and increased the Ring of Fire¡¯s output to the maximum. ¡®Ayad¡¯s swordsmanship is forged from battle experiences. I can¡¯t be careless against him.¡¯ Ayad had carried out thergest number of missions even before his personality was ruined. Since his sword was polished through countless battles, his skills had a type of practicality that was different from systematic techniques. He was capable of piercing through his vitals in an instant if Raon was careless. Whir! Ayad moved from the center to the left like a bouncing billiard ball and thrust his sword. The de, shining blue from the blue astral energy, was rushing towards his chest. Cring! Raon swung Heavenly Drive down. He was about to push Ayad¡¯s sword back when the trajectory of his sword suddenly changed. ¡®He¡¯s quick at changing directions. However¡­It¡¯s within my predictions.¡¯ The de rushing towards his chest suddenly bent towards his abdomen. He must¡¯ve been targeting his energy center from the beginning. ang! Raon twisted the wrist holding Heavenly Drive while gaining distance with Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step. The red de fell in a curve to fend off Ayad¡¯s sword. Sparkle! The sh between the extremely powerful astral energies created purple sparks that covered the entire arena. Raon swung Heavenly Drive once again through the sparks, and Ayad deflected the sparks to continue his assault. Since they both had plenty of battle experience, they were well aware that it would be even more dangerous for them if they withdrew. Rumble! The arena¡ªor rather, the entire great training ground¡ªtrembled violently from the frightening shes. ng! Raon licked his lips while deflecting Ayad¡¯s attack, which was initially targeting his neck but twisted towards his heart. ¡®How fiery.¡¯ Ayad had managed to incorporate sharpness and bloodlust into his sword by adding practicality to the principles of power, swiftness, and variation. Because of that, the ferociousness sent the chill all the way to his bones every time Raon blocked an attack. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can keep defending!¡± Ayad made his violent deration from behind the wall of sparks. The moment Raon focused his senses at the center, a deadly de emerged from the left. Whir! Just as the de engulfed in astral energy was about to fall upon his shoulder, Raon shed Heavenly Drive upwards like a salmon swimming against the river. ang! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat cut through the blue astral energy and created the red trajectory of a dragon in the air. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ Raon had expanded a significant amount of power for that previous surprise attack. It was the perfect opportunity to attack his weak spot. Rumble! Raon wrapped his shoulders with cier¡¯s coldness and charged towards Ayad through the sparking storm. ¡°Kuh.¡± Ayad furrowed his brow. He was surprised but he still reacted quickly. He stepped back and mmed his sword down at the speed of lightning. Cring! He wasn¡¯t trying to block Heavenly Drive. The aggressive de was bending towards his wrist. Unlike thest time, it wasn¡¯t bending as smoothly as a whip¡ªit was falling at an angle like an iron shield. ¡°Not a chance.¡± Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step by stepping forward with his right foot. He advanced like a ray of light while leaving a deep footstep on the ground. Swish! It was an exquisite move that nullified Ayad¡¯s sharp attack and closed the distance between them at the same time. ¡°You bastard!¡± Ayad tried to retrieve his sword, his eyes wide, but Raon had already entered his space. Raon swung his elbow at point-nk range¡ªhe could reach Ayad by simply extending his hand. The aura-imbued ck Dragon Coat was polished like a sharp de and turned into a dagger. Swoosh! Ayad swung his left hand so that he wouldn¡¯t take damage from the same trick twice. It was a palm technique consisting of gathering and unleashing aura from the palm. The circr concentration of astral energy rushed at Raon like a boulder. ¡®A boulder can be cut down.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t withdraw. He used the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s sword technique with his elbow to vertically cut down Ayad¡¯s palm attack. Creak! Raon pierced into the blue aura, splitting it in half, and thrust the fist holding Heavenly Drive. ¡°Kuh!¡± Ayad managed to create a shield of astral energy in that short period of time. ¡®I expected that.¡¯ He controlled the aura focused on his fist with the Beast Union¡¯s Coiling Power. The heat rotated like a storm and pierced through Ayad¡¯s aura shield to smack into his cheek. Whack! Ayad almost looked like his head was getting pulled from his body as he bounced back before he rolled on the ground. ¡°So, when are you nning to show me your battle experience?¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon tilted his chin while looking at Ayad, who was coughing up blood on the ground. ¡°You keep targeting all my vitals, but none of it is working.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Ayad wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and stood up. He didn¡¯t seem to have taken that much damage even though Raon had used enough strength to hit him. ¡®So I wasn¡¯t mistaken about it. He¡¯s gotten stronger.¡¯ Ayad would¡¯ve gotten an internal injury from the punch if he was the same as before. He seemed to have gotten a lot sturdier and deeper, both on the outside and inside. He must¡¯ve taken an elixir or something. ¡°I haven¡¯t even started yet.¡± ¡°I agree with you.¡± Raon nodded with a smile on his face. ¡°Because this much is nothingpared to the pain you¡¯ve inflicted on others.¡± ¡°I told you to shut your mouth!¡± Ayad charged at Raon with malice-filled eyes. The aura around him intensified even further, and his frightening energy soared into the sky. He must¡¯ve been going all-out, as his speed had doubled and the astral energy on his sword had sharpened even further. ¡°No, you told me to shut up.¡± Raonughed at Ayad and incorporated Heavenly Drive with the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s principles. The de trembled violently and roared like a savage beast chasing its prey. ang! Even though it was a sh between swords brimming with astral energy, neither of them was getting pushed back. They started to push each other while destroying the arena. Raon added power, swiftness, severing, and even variation to the Fangs of Insanity, but he couldn¡¯t defeat Ayad¡¯s attack. He was using a different swordsmanship than before. ¡®Has he been hiding a martial art?¡¯ Raon smiled while looking at Ayad¡¯s eyes that could be seen in between the des. ¡®Keep trying. I¡¯ll extract everything you have and devour it.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Huu¡­¡± Ayad exhaled roughly while fending off Raon¡¯s sword, which rapidly fell towards his shoulder. ¡®What the hell is this guy?!¡¯ Every single one of his attacks was fierce enough to send a chill down his spine. He felt like his body was splitting apart even though the de hadn¡¯t even reached him. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ He was embarrassed that he¡¯d told Raon about the difference in realm and battle experience before the fight started. His swordsmanship was on a whole different level, one where the battle experience couldn¡¯t make any difference. ¡®Even the Severing Hawk sh didn¡¯t work against him.¡¯ The Severing Hawk Sword was an advanced intuition sword that waspleted throughout his battles. He hadn¡¯t expected that such a young man would be able to fend off a technique that he had improved from his countless battles against humans and monsters. ¡®Moreover, it¡¯s getting harder and harder to fight him.¡¯ Whenever Raon¡¯s eyes sparked with that frightening color, it became more difficult to block his attacks, and his sword couldn¡¯t reach his enemy. It was difficult to believe, but Raon seemed to be analyzing his swordsmanship as he fought. ¡°Haah!¡± Ayad shouted loudly and unleashed the Hundred Hawks Swarming sh of the Severing Hawk Sword. His de was extended like the ws of a hawk in the sky capturing its prey. However, speed and power weren''t the only strengths of the Hundred Hawks Swarming sh. The astral de rushing towards Raon¡¯s heart spread around like sunlight shining upon ake, splitting into five different pieces. Whap! None of them was an illusion. The astral energies attacking his heart, right arm, energy center, sr plexus, and neck were all genuine. Raon was going to die immediately if he¡¯d missed a single one of them. Raon¡¯s eyes sparked right before the five des reached him. A shield of fire emerged from the trajectory of his downward sh. ¡®That won¡¯t be enough!¡¯ He destroyed the outer area of the shield with the Hundred Hawks Swarming sh to close the distance between them. While his de was advancing to take Raon¡¯s life, a dragon¡¯s head appeared from the de behind Raon¡¯s back. Whaam! A tremendous amount of heat gushed out from the wide-open jaw. The power was no less than the rumored breath of a dragon. ¡°Kuh!¡± Ayad gritted his teeth and mustered his aura from his energy center, but he was unable to block itpletely because the fire was too powerful. Crack! The Hundred Hawks Swarming sh disappeared, and even the wall of astral energy that he¡¯d created afterward shattered. In the end, he got burns on his arms and legs. The sword duel would¡¯ve been over with that move if the Blue Spirit Elixir hadn¡¯t enhanced his body. ¡°That move just now wasn¡¯t half bad.¡± Raon nodded in satisfaction. A small amount of blood was flowing from his shoulder. It waspletely different from Ayad¡¯s burns on his arms and shoulders. Rip. Ayad bit his lip to the point of bleeding. ¡®I thought I could easily defeat him with my own strength.¡¯ He did acknowledge that Raon was a powerful opponent, but he still believed that he would get an overwhelming victory without using the Hundred Potentials. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. He¡¯d be unstoppable, getting even stronger than at the beginning of the sword duel. ¡®I have no other choice¡­¡¯ There was only one path left for him. He had to activate the Hundred Potentials the moment Raon Zieghart confidently attacked him to shatter his head. ¡°Aceration, a beating, and burns. I¡¯m not satisfied with that.¡± Raon twisted his lips. The energy zing around him was even more intense than when he¡¯d made the me dragon. ¡®Yes,e at me.¡¯ Ayad straightened his back and wielded his sword with both hands. Whoosh! Raon rushed from his right side along with the violent sound of the wind. The sword he was holding soared like an erupting volcano. ang! He managed to fend off the rapid strike, but Raon¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t over yet. The sword changed direction like lightning and attacked from the left and right sides at the same time. Even though Ayad had a higher realm, Raon¡¯s swordsmanship was better than his. It was truly a strange situation. ¡®Not yet. I need to wait a bit longer.¡¯ The Hundred Potentials caused a heavy strain on the body. It was necessary to wait for the right moment to finish him off in a single strike. Whoosh! Powerful energy gathered around Raon¡¯s sword. A small opening appeared in his movement as he activated his special technique. ¡®Now!¡¯ Ayad unleashed the Hundred Potentials. His energy center pounded like it was about to explode, and a huge amount of aura was pulled out of it to the point where his mana circuits were almost shredded apart. Whirr! His noted de forged by a master cksmith resonated in pain and a majestic astral de burst out to reach the sky. The powerful astral energy wasn¡¯t any weaker than a Grandmaster¡¯s astral sphere, and it crashed upon Raon. Whaam! The red line of heat on Raon¡¯s de was pulled out, and a tremendous impact burst out. The arena waspletely destroyed, and even the mana barrier protecting the spectators was ripped apart. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Ayad grasped his chest. His nausea indicated an internal injury, but the attack was effective. The sword duel was over. Even a monster like him couldn¡¯t possibly stand back up after taking such a powerful attack. ¡®Did I end up killing him instead of breaking his energy center or an ar¡ªhuh?¡± He unconsciously widened his mouth. A ck shadow was standing up from the mana storm soaring into the sky. Whoosh! Raon was walking towards him through the subsiding mana storm. Sticky blood was flowing from his forehead and his right shoulder, but they didn¡¯t seem to be serious injuries. ¡°B-but how¡­¡± ¡°Because I could see irritation and anticipation in your eyes.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°In your irritation, you revealed that you had no other choice than using that technique, and there was an anticipation that you could win when you used it. You can¡¯t even hide your feelings in your eyes when you bbered so much about battle experience.¡± Raon sneered while putting his bloody hair up. Ayad¡¯s heart tightened upon seeing the red mes in his eyes. ¡®Th-this is my only chance.¡¯ His internal injury was getting worse and worse. There was no chance of victory if it dragged on any further. Since he¡¯d managed to injure him, even by a little, it was necessary to finish the fight right away. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off!¡± Ayad ignored the fear running down his spine and unleashed the Hundred Potentials and the Severing Hawk Sword at the same time. He amplified his aura three times instead of twice and swung his sword at Raon. Whaam! Raon calmly raised his eyes. He fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive while watching Ayad¡¯s astral energy cover the entire sky above the training ground like the sword of warrior god. ¡°Don¡¯t hide my sky.¡± Raon stomped the ground and raised Heavenly Drive. His sword was pointed at the space itself instead of the sky. The flow of the training ground synchronized with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and created a huge flow. Whir! Even though Ayad¡¯s strike was falling at the speed of lightning, it became as slow as a snail. It wasn¡¯t correct to say that it became slower so much as the Azure Sky Sword was forcing it to slow down. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Ayad his eyes rolled in panic. His lips trembled as he realized that he couldn¡¯t move his body. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening!¡± He must¡¯ve realized what was happening, as expected of a highest-level Master. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Ayad¡¯s eyes became bloodshot. He unleashed even more aura at the risk of more serious internal injuries and mustered his aura to release himself from the Azure Sky Sword¡¯s pressure. It was more than three times the normal amount. A bone-shattering amount of energy could be felt from him. Whir! Raon quietly swung down Heavenly Drive, which was raised above his head. It was the Azure Sky Sword¡¯s first technique, the Great Bind of the Heavy Sky, that shed against Ayad¡¯s huge astral energy. Whaam! The majestic pressure of the sky surrounded Raon¡¯s de and created a huge turbulence. The trajectory of the de incorporating the will of a warrior rather than power, aura, or swordsmanship, destroyed the astral energy that had nothing but aura. Raon could see the astonishment in Ayad¡¯s eyes in between the astral energy crumbling like a sandcastle. ¡°I advise you to brace yourself, because, as I said before¡­¡± Raon clenched his teeth. ¡°My sword isn¡¯t as kind as this house.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± Raon¡¯s sword didn¡¯t stop despite Ayad¡¯s scream. The weight crushing Ayad¡¯s body was that of the sky instead of a de. Crack! Along with the sound of his bones being ground into pieces, the ce he was standing sank into the abyss. Chapter 459 Chapter 459 It was quiet. Even though the great training ground was brimming with people, it waspletely silent. Raon calmly lowered his gaze. Even though the arena was made of flourite, which was supposed to be an extremely hard rock, a huge rectangr hole was created on it. The shape was the same as Heavenly Drive. It was the power of the Azure Sky Sword¡¯s first technique, the Great Bind of the Heavy Sky. ¡®I think I¡¯m starting to understand what it means to incorporate heaven.¡¯ It was so powerful even though it wasn¡¯t as perfect as Glenn¡¯s demonstration. The result was shocking even though he was focused on heaviness. ¡®But the aura consumption is huge.¡¯ Because of hisck of proficiency, the aura consumption was the worst. He was so exhausted that his head felt dizzy, but he didn¡¯t show it on his face and walked towards the hole he¡¯d created. Ayad was stuck like a worm under in hole that waspletely dark because of how deep it was. ¡°Kuh¡­¡±He raised his distorted gaze while groaning like he was about to die. ¡°You lookfortable in there.¡± Raon looked down on Ayad coldly. ¡°I bet you couldn¡¯t scream even if you wanted to.¡± Ayad¡¯s bones were shattered all around his body, his muscles were ruptured, and his energy center was destroyed. He must¡¯ve been feeling pain worse than death, and he couldn¡¯t scream even if he wanted to. ¡°Is it painful?¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile while looking at Ayad¡¯s face, full of veins because of the intense pain. ¡°It must¡¯ve been even more painful and lonely for the ones you abandoned.¡± The swordsmen who¡¯d entered the White Lotus division must¡¯ve trusted Ayad and wielded their swords to bring honor to the house. However, Ayad simply used their resolve and loyalty as a foothold to gain achievements, only to throw them away without hesitation after using them. He¡¯d sent the swordsmen to their graves in order to recruit new ones that would be more useful to him. It was an unforgivable action. ¡°K-kill me.¡± Ayad barely managed to open his mouth. His voice was ruined, but Raon could understand what he was saying. ¡°Death is a luxury for you.¡± Raon¡¯s frightening voice was devoid of any emotions. ¡°I¡¯ll never let you die until you feel the pain and fear even worse than the swordsmen who were abandoned by you who ended up dying.¡± He was actually fully capable of killing Ayad when he¡¯d used the Great Bind of the Heavy Sky. Since it was a sword duel, and Ayad¡¯s reputation was at rock bottom, he wouldn¡¯t have been punished for it even if he¡¯d killed him. However, Raon let Ayad live on purpose. He wanted to make him feel pain even worse than death. He wanted him to live a life of vanity and pain, without his powerful might or even his fame and position. ¡°Huu¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while watching Ayad¡¯s body tremble in terror. ¡®This reminds me of the past.¡¯ His previous life was a neverending nightmare. He was kidnapped by Derus¡¯s subordinates and lived as an assassin for his entire life, only to eventually be boiled inside a pot. Since he felt like his dark previous life was simr to the lives of the swordsmen who¡¯d been killed by Ayad, his wrath was merciless. ¡®Just you wait, Derus Robert. I¡¯ll take everything away from you just like him¡ªno, even worse than him.¡¯ ¡°Pl-please¡­¡± ¡°I wish you a long life.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully at Ayad who was pleading for Raon to kill him before he turned away. Good job! Wrath jumped like a frog. People like him, who use their subordinates as their foothold when they should cherish them, deserve pain even worse than death! He swung his round fist while looking back at the hole where Ayad was. If the King of Essence were here, he would¡¯ve pierced his body with tens of thousands of ice needles before freezing him, only to leave him for ten thousand years at least. ¡®That¡¯s a bit scary¡­¡¯ Raon broke out in cold sweat because it sounded like a pain that even he couldn¡¯t withstand despite having been an assassin. Anyway, are you going to prepare the bead ice cream buffet for the King of Essence now, since it¡¯s all over? Wrath asked the question with a flushed expression on his face. He must¡¯ve been waiting for that moment. ¡®Wait a bit longer. I still have something to do.¡¯ Raon waved his hand at the master of ceremonies, who had fallen on his ass and was staring at him nkly. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡± ¡°Huh? Ah!¡± The master of ceremonies briskly stood up while blinking rapidly. He ran towards the hole that used to be the arena and confirmed Ayad¡¯s state before he raised his hand. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart is the winner of the sword duel!¡± His hoarse voice echoed throughout the great training ground, and the spectators returned to their senses one after the other. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s Raon! Raon is the winner!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a simple victory. It was an overwhelming one!¡± ¡°What the hell is that trace? Can it even be called a trace at that point?¡± ¡°I thought it was over when Ayad¡¯s astral energy covered the sky, but what was that technique¡­?¡± ¡°W-was that really a battle between humans? It almost feels like he¡¯s a different species from us.¡± The warriors swallowed nervously while thinking about thest sh between Raon and Ayad. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Good job, Raon!¡± ¡°Hmph! That¡¯s the least I ask from the Light Wind vice division leader.¡± ¡°By the way, what have you learned this time?¡± ¡°Our vice division leader is so crazy!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be buried under the ground if I disobey him in the future¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen¡ªincluding Runaan, Burren, and Martha¡ªwaved their hands at him with smiles on their faces. Their expressions showed that they¡¯d been believing in him all along. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon!¡± ¡°Thank you for messing Ayad up! It felt so great to watch!¡± ¡°It was so wild! I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll never see anything like this ever again!¡± The spectators started shouting Raon¡¯s name after the Light Wind swordsmen. It felt like the entire training ground was cheering for Raon because Ayad¡¯s reputation was so bad. Raon looked around the spectators while listening to their cheers, which were at least twice as loud as when he¡¯d made his entrance. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°You did really well!¡± Raon looked in the White Lotus division¡¯s direction while listening to the teary voices of Sylvia and the maids. The higher members, who seemed to be the vice division leader and the team leaders, were scowling, but themon swordsmen behind them were biting their lips with their hands gathered in prayer. It looked like Ayad¡¯s shadow oppressing their shoulders was finally gone. Raon smiled gently at the swordsmen who¡¯d obtained the freedom that he¡¯d desired so much in his previous life. ¡®I hope you make the correct choice next time.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Th-that¡¯s!¡± Balder briskly stood up, destroying his chair in the process. ¡°How can a mere Master incorporate his will into his martial art¡­?¡± His chin trembled violently in disbelief as he watched Raon. ¡°This is impossible!¡± Incorporating the swordsman¡¯s will in their sword was only possible after bing a Grandmaster. He couldn¡¯t believe that a novice who hadn¡¯t even reached the Grandmaster¡¯s wall had managed to incorporate his will into his sword. ¡°Hmm.¡± Karoon¡¯s quiet groan also sounded like he was panicking. ¡°It looks like that technique is an extremely advanced one by itself. But no matter how excellent it is, how could a Master use such a thing¡­?¡± He was also chewing his lips while ring at Raon in disbelief. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Denier stared at Raon with a pale face, unlike the other times. He almost looked like he was wearing a mask. ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± ¡°The White Lotus division leader was single-handedly defeated¡­¡± ¡°Am I really supposed to believe that he¡¯s just a child who is turning twenty-one years old soon?¡± ¡°Even among the division leaders, he is one of the strongest. No, I think that no one else will be able to win against him except for the Void Sword division leader.¡± ¡°What the hell? I know he is of our lord¡¯s bloodline, but isn¡¯t this just too much?¡± ¡°Why is he even a vice division leader? I think he¡¯s stronger than Rimmer.¡± ¡°A sword of will¡­¡± The division leaders and the squad leaders¡¯ faces turned pale. Their widened eyes looked like they were about to pop out because they were aware that Raon was powerful, but they had never expected him to be that powerful. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Serena broke into loudughter. ¡°So that¡¯s your answer. I see. I was going too easy on him.¡± She nodded in acknowledgment as she watched Raon, who was standing confidently on the training ground. ¡°Amazing.¡± Roenn licked his dry lips. He seemed to be impressed from the bottom of his heart. ¡°The White Lotus division leader¡¯sst attack was so powerful that anyone less than Grandmasters would¡¯ve been unable to defend against it, but he cut it down perfectly.¡± ¡°I was also surprised this time.¡± Sheryl gasped while blinking her eyes, which were as wide as a billiard ball. ¡°He has far surpassed my expectations of his talent. We might not even need to attack the South-North Union at this rate.¡± She shook her head, saying that it really looked like Raon might be a Grandmaster before twenty-two years old. ¡°Ahem.¡± Glenn released the muscles that were suppressing his lips upon hearing thepliments of his vassals and the shouts of the spectators. The corners of his lips soared high enough to pierce through the ceiling and reach the sky. ¡®You managed to do it.¡¯ Raon hadn¡¯t managed to achieve the Great Bind of the Heavy Sky until thest lesson that was carried out the previous night. Glenn was thinking that he was forcing him too much, but Raon had disyed the beginning of the Azure Sky Sword in that important scene. ¡®I¡¯m so proud of you!¡¯ His heart pounded upon witnessing the way his cherished grandson had punished the sinner of the house with the swordsmanship that he¡¯d personally taught him. He wanted to shout Raon¡¯s name just like the spectators, but he clenched his fists and barely managed to suppress his urge. ¡°Haha.¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Sheryl and Roenn smiled while looking at the bright smile on Glenn¡¯s face when a cheerful wind blew from the edge of the executives¡¯ stand. ¡°I don¡¯t know who taught him, but he¡¯s such a great fighter.¡± It was Rimmer. He came up to the executives¡¯ stand while fiddling with his sleeve. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree? Do you know who his teacher is?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ Isn¡¯t it you, Sir Rimmer?¡± The squad leader at the front pointed at Rimmer. ¡°That¡¯s right! So you knew about it!¡± Rimmer pped his hands and nodded his head. ¡°He became such a monster because the great me was his teacher! It wouldn¡¯t have happened if it were anyone else!¡± He shouted and imed that it was all thanks to his teachings and training that Raon became that powerful. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Glenn bit his lip. The urge to smash the head of the elf that was shouting that Raon was his disciple and dere that it was himself who¡¯d taught him the technique he¡¯d used was welling up like a tide. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheryl sighed and went down from the tform. ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± ¡°By the way.¡± When she was about to stop Rimmer, his voice became serious. ¡°It looked like some rat gave something to Ayad.¡± His cold gaze skimmed through the executives¡¯ stand. ¡°I previously visited Ayad¡¯s hospital room to make fun of him, but he wasn¡¯t that powerful back then. The realm was the same, but that much output was impossible for him. It looks like someone yed a trick, huh?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl lowered her hand and closed her mouth. ¡®That¡¯s indeed true.¡¯ She could understand because she was the one in charge of Ayad¡¯s investigation. He waspletely different from a month ago. It wasn¡¯t just the amount of his aura. He was using an impossible amount of aura, almost like he¡¯d learned some special technique. She¡¯d forgotten about it because of Raon¡¯s victory, but it was definitely strange. ¡°Are you suspecting us right now?¡± Karoon red at Rimmer with a fully irritated gaze. ¡°Someone like you isn¡¯t allowed in here. Stop talking shit and scram.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too bad for you, but I¡¯m also an executive.¡± Rimmer pointed at the emblem on his chest with the division leader¡¯s mark on it. The mark was even more visible thanks to his wrinkled clothes. ¡°You love talking nonsense like always.¡± Balder frowned while ring at Rimmer. ¡°What can you even tell with your shabby skills?¡± ¡°Woof woof!¡± Rimmer smiled like a fool while barking like a dog. ¡°You!¡± ¡°You damned bastard¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I haven''t finished talking yet.¡± He shook his hand towards Karoon and Balder before walking towards the center of the tform. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer rolled his lips into a smile while looking up at the executives. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter whether they gave Ayad some elixir or some martial art. I don¡¯t know who did it, but I¡¯d like to thank them for their useless efforts. Thank you for the money!¡± He shook his gambling ticket between his fingers while climbing to the highest tform. ¡°What do you think, my lord?¡± Glenn looked below the tform while listening to Rimmer. The executives swallowed nervously with trembling shoulders upon facing his frightening gaze tightening their hearts. ¡°You have a point. They are free to help him. However¡­¡± He slowly lowered his gaze and looked at Raon. ¡°It was pointless in the end. They even wasted their Blue Spirit Elixir and Hundred Potentials Sword Art. It must¡¯ve been a huge waste, whoever that was.¡± Glenn sneered. He had already noticed what Ayad had obtained. ¡°I know, right? I get to make money and even make fun of that idiot. This is catching two birds with one¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sheryl smacked Rimmer¡¯s head, and he finally stoppedughing. ¡°My lord, I believe it¡¯s time to wrap it up.¡± Roenn smiled faintly and bowed to Glenn. ¡°Indeed.¡± Glenn nodded and stood up from the highest seat before walking to the edge of the tform. ¡°The Light Wind vice division leader, Raon Zieghart, is the winner of today¡¯s sword duel.¡± ¡°Oooooh!¡± ¡°Whoaaaa!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± People shouted their heads off from all over the training ground upon hearing their head of house¡¯s deration. It wasn¡¯t just the warriors. Even the servants and the executives were shouting Raon¡¯s name. ¡°The conditions that Raon Zieghart has set for this sword duel will be disclosed.¡± The conditions that the participants set for each other during a sword duel were usually revealed after the match was decided. The spectators stopped their cheers and fixated their gazes on Glenn¡¯s mouth. ¡°Raon Zieghart wanted the White Lotus division leader, Ayad, to be banished from the White Lotus division to protect the swordsmen who¡¯ve confessed the fact that he¡¯s been using and sacrificing the White Lotus swordsmen for his personal benefit.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°W-was that really his condition?¡± ¡°Which means he wasn¡¯t trying to take revenge for disturbing him during the mission, but¡­¡± ¡°Yes. He started the sword duel to protect the White Lotus swordsmen.¡± ¡°Huh, even his personality is on a whole different level, on top of his might.¡± Since it was a serious matter, the rumors about what Ayad had been doing to the White Lotus division were already widespread. The sword duel¡¯s condition was still not revealed, and people dropped their jaws upon learning about Raon¡¯s caring heart as he tried to protect the White Lotus division. ¡°ording to the winner¡¯s condition, Ayad will be forever banished from the White Lotus division. Moreover, the Heavenly de division leader¡¯s investigation revealed that multiple swordsmen had been sacrificed by Ayad. Therefore, he will be sentenced to life imprisonment.¡± ¡°Whoaaa!¡± The spectators cheered loudly once again upon hearing Glenn¡¯s deration. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Ayad couldn¡¯t withstand the mental shock added to his physical damage and fell unconscious, his eyes rolled back. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon shook off the blood flowing from his forehead and stood in front of Glenn. ¡°Good job.¡± The direct lines looked at Glenn upon hearing that. All of them seemed surprised because it was the first time he was showing so much attention to the winner of a sword duel. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed to Glenn before he turned around. He thanked the people who¡¯d been cheering for him by bowing to them as well. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°White Sword Dragon! You are the best!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to your future!¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Keep rising higher!¡± The warriors waved their hands while shouting their heads off. Raon¡¯s heart pounded upon seeing that most people in that ce were yelling his name. ¡®This feels different every single time.¡¯ He felt like his whole body was heated up whenever people cheered for him while calling his name. It must¡¯ve been because neither his face nor his name could be known in his previous life. It¡¯s over now, right? Wrath smiled while tapping on his shoulder. It¡¯s time to keep your promise! Go to the ice cream shop right now and buy everything they have! ¡®I know.¡¯ Raon nodded. Since Wrath had been holding it back for an entire month, he was nning to keep his promise to prepare a bead ice cream buffet no matter what. Let¡¯s go right now! Raon nodded and was about to leave the great training ground when he spotted him. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± There was a middle-aged man who was waving his hand at him while crying. His face was familiar. ¡°Look! He is a regr at our shop! Sir Raon! You were really cool!¡± The middle-aged man with a noticeable mustache was the manager of the bead ice cream shop. Ehh? Wrath also recognized him and his jaw dropped. Why is Mustache even here?! Why are you away from your shop?! His head trembled violently from the unforeseen problem. ¡°Woah! Today¡¯s drink is on me! Follow me!¡± The bead ice cream shop¡¯s manager and hispanions put their arms around each other¡¯s shoulders as they went to have a drink. God damn it! Hey! Why are you leaving your shop?! Wrath¡¯s body, which was normally like blue cotton candy, became a red strawberry-vored one. ¡®Hmm, I don¡¯t think it will be possible today¡­¡¯ Bullshit! Catch Mustache right now! Drag him to the shop and force him to open it! ¡®I can¡¯t really do that.¡¯ It was the manager¡¯s decision to close the shop and take a day off. It was impossible to force him to open. Why are you doing this to me?! How can this world do this to the King of Essence? He¡¯s been living a life of virtue! Wrath pointed his finger at the sky while saying that his life was virtuous despite being a demon king. There must be a faction that¡¯s trying to sabotage the King of Essen¡ª While he was writhing while screaming, messages appeared in front of Raon¡¯s eyes.
[You¡¯ve achieved an overwhelming victory against a stronger opponent.]
[All stats¡­]
[The trait¡­]
Wrath dropped his hand from above upon seeing those messages. This is driving him nuts! Chapter 460 Chapter 460 Raon went to the medical department and healed his injuries. The wounds on his bones and muscles weren¡¯t that serious, but he was internally injured from overexerting himself to use the Azure Sky Sword. However, he recovered so quickly thanks to his strong body and traits, to the point where the healer was surprised, and he returned to the annex building afterward. Let¡¯s check out the bead ice cream shop before returning. It might be open now! ¡®You heard the manager. He said he was going for a drink.¡¯ B-but just in case¡­ ¡®Considering how excited he was, the shop isn¡¯t going to open today.¡¯ The manager was running to the pub with hispanions, his face red. He might end up drinking so much that he wouldn¡¯t be able to open the shop the next day. ¡®Now then¡­¡¯N-now what? Wrath was full of anticipation as he looked at Raon. Sadly for him, Raon wasn¡¯t about to say anything about the bead ice cream. ¡®Let¡¯s check the messages out on the way back.¡¯ You fuck! Raon loaded the messages while enjoying Wrath¡¯s crumpled face.
[You¡¯ve achieved an overwhelming victory against a stronger opponent.]
[All stats have increased by 10.]
[The trait Spiral Power has increased in rank.]
[The trait Bleeding Curse has increased in rank.]
The messages were telling him that his stats and traits had increased. Raon could feel the pounding of his muscles and bones to make his body even stronger. However, there were still more messages to read.
[The title The One with a Splendid Standing has been created.]
Huh? Wrath¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing the message about the title. Why are you even giving him a title for defeating a sloppy guy like that?! ¡®He wasn¡¯t exactly sloppy.¡¯ The King of Essence only needs his finger¡ªno, his toe! No! The dirt under his toenail is enough to kill him! ¡®Sure, sure.¡¯ Raon shook his hand and checked the title¡¯s description.
The One with a Splendid Standing A title given to a warrior who doesn¡¯t yield against stronger opponents. Effect: All stats +5, decreases aura consumption during battles against stronger opponents.
The title gave 5 in all stats and slightly decreased aura consumption during fights against powerful opponents. ¡®This is pretty goo¡ª¡¯ Kyaaah! When Raon was about to say that the title was nice, Wrath let out a weird scream like a bird. You stupid system! It¡¯s because you keep giving away everything that he doesn¡¯t yield to powerful opponents! He would¡¯ve been intimidated and hid in a corner if only you didn¡¯t do that! Wrath swung his fist into the air, saying that it was the system¡¯s fault for giving away so much, and that he¡¯d done nothing worthy of the title. ¡®He¡¯s not exactly wrong.¡¯ Raon chuckled. He would¡¯ve been forced to yield no matter how determined he was if he wasn¡¯t powerful enough. Since it was thanks to the system that he could keep fighting in many of the battles, what Wrath was saying wasn¡¯tpletely wrong. ¡®But what¡¯s the point of that? I¡¯ve already received the rewards.¡¯ That system will be discarded the moment the King of Essence recovers his body¡­ Another set of messages appeared in front of his eyes, while Wrath was blowing his top.
[You¡¯ve been recognized by Wrath.]
[All stats have increased by 2.]
Wh-when did the King of Essence ever recognize him?! This really is bullshi¡ª ¡°Ah!¡± Raon pped his hands while looking at the message. ¡®You told me good job earlier because those who don¡¯t cherish their subordinates need to be screwed over. That must¡¯ve counted as recognition.¡¯ Raon told him about what Wrath had said when the sword duel ended. Not like thiiisss! * * * Ugh¡­ Wrath groaned like a growling beast while twisting his plump cotton candy body. He was more irritated by the fact that he couldn¡¯t have any ice cream than over losing the stats. ¡®It couldn¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s preposterous for a guest to demand the manager to open the door when he wants a break.¡¯ Make it happen so it won¡¯t be anymore! That¡¯s what you say all the time! One month! It¡¯s already been a whole month! The King of Essence has been waiting for today this whole time but look what happened! Why does this world hate him so much?! He red at Raon, saying that it was what he asked the Light Wind division to do all the time. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon wanted to respond, ¡®Do you even need to ask? It¡¯s because you are a demon king¡¯, but he shut his mouth because he felt like Wrath was going to explode if he was provoked any further. The King of Essence has always been on the unlucky side, but it¡¯s be even worse after meeting you! Wrath¡¯s fist, which was as round as a full moon, trembled violently as he red at Raon. You must¡¯ve taken away his luck on top of his abilities! ¡®Now you¡¯re exaggerating.¡¯ Shut up! There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be in this kind of situation every single time if it wasn¡¯t the case! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wrath¡¯s face, which was as red as strawberry cotton candy. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ I wasn¡¯t lucky in my life before.¡¯ He had never thought that he was lucky during his previous life, not even once. Being kidnapped and bing an assassin was already the worst, but even during his activities as an assassin, the only time he got lucky was when he managed to obtain the Ring of Fire after he¡¯d almost died. ¡®And that also ended in an unlucky way.¡¯ He ended up losing his head because the brainwashing¡¯s removal was discovered. That was why it couldn¡¯t exactly be called a lucky urrence. The same went for his new life. He¡¯d never really thought that he was especially lucky, but everything started to go well after meeting the doormat that looked like cotton candy. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s true.¡¯ It was true that it was starting from Wrath¡¯s appearance that everything went so well¡ªthe annex building was filled with smiles, and he got stronger many times faster than his predictions. When he thought about it, Wrath should¡¯ve been called a goose thatid the golden eggs rather than a giving tree. Since he gave away a new egg every day, even a giving tree couldn¡¯t match up to him. ¡®I can¡¯t let go of this goose.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist while looking at Wrath. What are you looking at?! Wrath was still angry as he frowned at him. ¡®I¡¯ll go there as fast as possible tomorrow.¡¯ Hmm? ¡®I¡¯ll go to the bead ice cream shop as soon as I wake up tomorrow and buy you everything you want. There should be a lot in stock since they closed shop today.¡¯ R-really? But what¡¯s with that change of mind? He secretly gained distance from Raon, feeling anxious about the sudden change. This is strange! There¡¯s no way you would obediently go to the shop! ¡®No, I have no ulterior motive. It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve been waiting all along¡­¡¯ Raon shook his hand and entered the annex building¡¯s garden. A rustling sound could be heard from the bushes on the right, and a white weasel popped out. ¡°You¡­¡± It was the same weasel that Merlin had usedst time. There was no way Raon wouldn¡¯t recognize it since he¡¯d brushed its fur for more than three hours straight. ¡°Why are you here?¡± He didn¡¯t expect to see it around the annex building since he thought it lived near the main building. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the deal is already over. You should ask someone else to brush your fur¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that and do it again for me.¡± Raon shook his hand and was about to continue towards the annex building, but the weasel spoke with Merlin¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡­¡± Raon¡¯s chin trembled as he looked at the weasel. ¡°Why are you even here?!¡± Merlin had never possessed the same animal twice before. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was hearing her voice from the same weasel. ¡°We spent a great night together.¡± Merlin twisted her tail while rubbing her hands. It was a ridiculous sight, but her cheeks were slightly red. ¡°Feeling your touch for over three hours was the greatest happiness I¡¯ve felt in my life.¡± She excitedly licked her lips while stroking her fur. ¡°D-did you lie to me?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a lie. This child really wanted you to brush its fur. It¡¯s just that I shared the feeling of it.¡± Merlin said that her possession magic had improved by itself because she¡¯d been using it too much. ¡°I can return to the same animal as long as they want it. This child must¡¯ve also enjoyed your touch.¡± ¡°Improved¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at Merlin¡¯s happy smile. ¡®It¡¯s notpletely impossible.¡¯ Merlin was a genius who managed to develop that stalking magic that was iprehensible to anyone in the world. Considering her obsession, it wasn¡¯t impossible for her to improve the spell. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Regardless of the case, the fact that he¡¯d brushed Merlin for over three hours have him goosebumps. ¡°Today¡¯s sword duel was a great spectacle.¡± Merlin nodded while straightening her back. ¡°I heard it was your second time. It¡¯s such a shame, I wish I had seen the first one as well.¡± She smiled, saying that she would¡¯ve definitely recorded with magic if she¡¯d seen that. ¡°Record it? Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, of course I did.¡± ¡°Wait, but you can¡¯t use spells in that form.¡± ¡°I can use my lifespan.¡± Merlin tilted her head as if it were an obvious question. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®She doesn¡¯t have anymon sense.¡¯ Countless people in the great training ground were shocked by him, but he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be shocked himself. Ack¡­ Wrath was also dumbfounded by that fact, his eyes trembling. She¡¯s the real madwoman. She¡¯s the craziest in the world! Apparently, even his stalker in Devildom that he¡¯d mentioned before wasn¡¯t as bad as her. ¡°I¡¯m going to rewatch it a thousand times per day!¡± Merlin smiled, saying that she needed to watch it a thousand times at least to feel at ease. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously while feeling the fear piercing through his skin. ¡°I came to say goodbye. We won¡¯t be able to meet for a while because I have a mission. He¡¯s really annoying.¡± She clicked her tongue, saying that the Fallen kept making more trouble for her after the Specter was defeated. ¡°What kind of mission is it?¡± ¡°I have to capture some monsters. He said he would do some experiments before making a griffon lord¡¯s helmet.¡± It was important information, but Merlin told him about it without hesitation. ¡°Do you already have someone to wear it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. The Fallen takes care of it.¡± She smiled while murmuring that she wasn¡¯t interested in anything other than Raon. He seriously couldn¡¯t be careless in front of her. ¡°We should be able to meet again around next year. It¡¯s not that long, but it will be long because the time flows slower when I can¡¯t see you.¡± Merlin said goodbye with a saddened voice. ¡°And this child¡¯s request¡­¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t lying, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m really going to leave this time.¡± She shook her head mildly. ¡°You know the request, right?¡± ¡°Is it that thing again¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. It wants you to brush its fur. But it won¡¯t take as long as before because it was my request back then.¡± Merlin gathered her hands together while sticking her tongue out. ¡°Wait, hey!¡± ¡°Kyu.¡± Raon was trying toin to Merlin, but the weasel walked up to him while letting out a small sound. Its eyes didn¡¯t have any focus, but Raon examined it from top to bottom just in case. ¡°Merlin?¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t Merlin, right?¡± ¡°Kyu.¡± The weasel shook its hands up and down, urging him to start brushing already. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and reached for his subspace pocket. He took out a smallb from inside. ¡®I prepared it just in case, but I didn¡¯t think I would need to use it so quickly.¡¯ Raon shook his head and started to brush the weasel. It slowly closed its eyes while letting out a small sound of satisfaction. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed briefly while brushing the weasel¡¯s fur. ¡°Is this really happening?¡± ¡®Why am I even doing this?¡¯ * * * * * * Glenn slowly raised his ss. He took a sip of the navy liquor with an extremely satisfied smile on his face. ¡°Huh!¡± Federick was standing in front of him, and he gasped at the sight. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that the Destructive King of the North, who used to be called the Iron Mask, is the same person as the one in front of me. Are you that happy about it?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m the same as always.¡± Glenn casually put down the ss as if nothing had happened. ¡°Then stop moving the corners of your lips. They are twitching so damn much, it¡¯s like a fish that just got caught!¡± Federick frowned while pointing at Glenn¡¯s mouth, which was curved into a smile. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and suppressed his lips with his hand. ¡°Leave him alone.¡± Rimmer shook his hand. ¡°It will be difficult for him to control it because my disciple¡ªwho also happens to be my lord¡¯s grandson¡ªwas amazing today.¡± He emphasized the disciple part with a grin on his face. ¡°Tsk.¡± Glenn briefly clicked his tongue in displeasure because Rimmer was calling Raon his disciple. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to stop showing how happy you are. I just want you to show it to Raon. It¡¯s so frustrating to watch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, and we kept telling him, but he never listens.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Huhuhu!¡± Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn nodded in agreement. ¡°Wait, weren''t you supposed to have eaten and drank together? You already did everything to get close enough to him! Just reveal your feelings if you are happy enough to wake a sleeping person every night just to brag!¡± Federick ground his teeth. ¡®You stubborn old man!¡¯ He got so angry because Glenn was pretending he wasn¡¯t feeling anything after he kept waking him up every time he did something with Raon. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Glenn extended his hand towards his ss, saying that it had never happened. His fingers looked like they were trembling slightly. ¡°Haa, it¡¯s pointless. He¡¯s so pig-headed.¡± ¡°I agree with the gambling addict for once.¡± Even Sheryl shook her head, saying that it wasn¡¯t going to work. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn was the only one who was stillughing like he was enjoying the situation. ¡°Roenn. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Roenn came in front of Glenn and bowed upon hearing his call. ¡°Did you write it down?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± They smiled while talking about something that couldn¡¯t be understood by the others. ¡°So, what was it for today?¡± ¡°I believe ¡®Don¡¯t hide my sky.¡¯ was the best line of them all.¡± ¡°I agree. But don¡¯t you think ¡®Death is a luxury for you.¡¯ was pretty good as well?¡± ¡°That was great, too. I already wrote it down, of course.¡± ¡°And the sketch?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Roenn pretended to draw in the air. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me. Isn¡¯t that what Raon said today?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped as he stared at Glenn. ¡°Haa¡­ Yes, it is.¡± Sheryl sighed and smacked her forehead. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Federick gasped at the ridiculous sight. ¡°Wait, what are you even trying to do? Do you want to show it off or not? Make up your mind!¡± The audience chamber¡¯s door opened after a blunt knock echoed while he was screaming. ¡°I apologize for the visit at thiste hour.¡± The leader of Shadow Agents, Chad, was the visitor. He quickly walked up to them and bowed to the four. ¡°It¡¯s fine. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Glenn shook his hand, asking him for the reason for his visit. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to believe, but¡­¡± Chad handed out the document he¡¯d brought with trembling hands. ¡°¡­ising to Zieghart.¡± * * * Raon brushed the weasel¡¯s fur for about two hours before he trained at the open area under North Grave Mountain until midnight. Only then did he return to the annex building. You are such an obstinate guy. Wrath red at him with narrowed eyes. Are you still training even after the sword duel? ¡®Of course I am.¡¯ Raon nodded firmly. ¡®Because the duel and training are two different stories.¡¯ He¡¯d managed to feel the Azure Sky Sword¡¯s flow with his body and mind during the sword duel. It was necessary to immediately practice in order to grasp that sensation¡ªlike reviewing a lesson. He could only return to the annex building at midnight because of that, but the result was rather satisfying. ¡®I¡¯ve gained a lot today.¡¯ In addition to getting closer to the Azure Sky Sword, he¡¯d gained stats and traits, and the influence in the house that Glenn had mentioned before. He was feeling the sense of achievement because he felt like the training during the previous month was bearing fruit all at once. ¡®I¡¯m still rather tired though.¡¯ He felt like his mind was exhausted, probably because he had to deal with Merlin in between. He wanted to take a shower already and fall asleep. Yes, take a shower right now. We need to go to the ice cream shop as fast as possible tomorrow. Raon chuckled and picked up a towel. Suddenly, a knock could be heard from the door. The three distinctive knocks were Judiel¡¯s signal. This feels like a bad sign¡­ ¡°Enter.¡± The door opened and Judiel entered before she lowered her head. She was slightly stiff even though her expression had always beenposed. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Was there an order from Karoon?¡± Raon thought that it must¡¯ve been because of Karoon¡¯s orders since he¡¯d looked so displeased in the training ground. ¡°It¡¯s a different matter from him.¡± Judiel shook her head. ¡°A different matter?¡± ¡°Yes. The Thespian Emperor is currentlying to Zieghart.¡± ¡°¡­Who ising again?¡± Raon widened his mouth. The towel hanging on his shoulder dropped to the ground. ¡°The head of White Whale from the Five Divine Orders, the Thespian Emperor.¡± Judiel swallowed nervously and continued. ¡°She¡¯s currentlying to Zieghart on her own.¡± Chapter 461 Chapter 461 Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Judiel. ¡°Did you just say that she¡¯sing on her own¡ªinstead of bringing a bunch of the White Whale¡¯s warriors?¡± ¡°That¡¯s indeed the case.¡± Judiel nodded, her eyes trembling slightly. ¡°I also thought it was strange and confirmed it multiple times, but it¡¯s certain. The White Whale¡¯s warriors might secretly follow her, but the Thespian Emperor is alone from how it looks, at least.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane¡­¡± Insane was the only way to describe it. There wasn¡¯t a direct confrontation between Zieghart and the White Whale, but they weren¡¯t exactly on good terms for the time being. Zieghart didn¡¯t like the White Whale for trying to get the information without helping them in their domain, and the White Whale must¡¯ve been holding a grudge because their warriors¡ªincluding the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡ªwere imprisoned in Zieghart.¡®Her objective is clear. She must be trying to rescue the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud.¡¯ The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud was an advanced Master, while the White Wolf Saber was a highest-level Master. Since they could potentially be Grandmasters one day, it was obvious that they wouldn¡¯t want to throw them away. However, it was a dangerous situation where arge-scale war could break out from the slightest issue. That was why Raon couldn¡¯t understand the Thespian Emperor¡¯s crazy actions. She¡¯s a pretty decent person. Wrath nodded his chin with his arms crossed. She¡¯sing here on her own to rescue her subordinates. She has the right mind in her head. ¡®She¡¯s our enemy though.¡¯ She¡¯s an enemy to you, not to the King of Essence. He just likes people who cherish their subordinates. She¡¯s way better than that Almond or whatever! ¡®Ayad.¡¯ Whatever! He started topliment the Thespian Emperor. He seemed to have taken a liking to her because of how much she cherished her subordinates. ¡®What is she even thinki¡ªAh!¡¯ Raon was looking at Wrath and suddenly pped his hands. ¡®Is this her goal?¡¯ Wrath wasplimenting the Thespian Emperor for the fact that she wasing to Zieghart on her own to rescue her subordinates even though he hadn¡¯t even seen her yet. If people heard about the story between Zieghart and the White Whale, most would react the same way. It was nothing short of a heroic action for the leader of a small group like her to visit the Six Kings on her own to save her subordinates. ¡®Yes, this must be it.¡¯ The world always wees a new hero. The Thespian Emperor must¡¯ve been trying to twist public opinion to praise her name while saving her subordinates through her journey to Zieghart. Once people heard the Thespian Emperor¡¯s story, they were bound to cheer for her heroic actions. Zieghart would be forced to somewhat give in to her demands because public opinion in the continent was still important to them. ¡°Huh.¡± Raon gasped while looking up at the ceiling. ¡®This is the best method to save her subordinates without going through a war.¡¯ Since Wrath was an idiot, he bobbed his hand at Judiel to ask for her opinion. ¡°This is just my theory, but I think the Thespian Emperor is trying to turn the public¡¯s opinion.¡± ¡°Public opinion?¡± ¡°Yes. The Thespian Emperor must be walking here on her feet instead of riding a carriage or hiding her appearance.¡± Raon guessed the Thespian Emperor¡¯s movements that he¡¯d never even seen and told Judiel her intentions behind her actions. ¡°I-I think it¡¯s true.¡± Judiel nodded with trembling lips. ¡°That¡¯s the only possible reason.¡± Judiel felt like Raon was right, and the reason behind the Thespian Emperor¡¯s visit was to save her subordinates and return safely by using public opinion. There was no doubt about it. Additionally, she must¡¯ve also been trying to raise the reputation of herself and the White Whale by taking advantage of Zieghart¡¯s fame. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Judiel gasped while watching Raon, who was absorbed in his thoughts. ¡®He figured out that much in that short time¡­¡¯ In fact, the Thespian Emperor¡¯s intentions could be figured out rtively easily. It was only shocking because the information was too recent. However, Raon had figured out the Thespian Emperor¡¯s intentions within a few minutes even when the information he¡¯d heard wasn¡¯tplete. Even his thoughts must¡¯ve achieved amazing growth, just like his other aspects. ¡°The lord¡¯s manor should¡¯ve also gotten this information, right?¡± Raon lowered his gaze and looked at Judiel. ¡°Yes, the lord¡¯s manor must¡¯ve learned about it around the evening. It¡¯s thanks to them that I¡¯ve managed to pick up this piece of information.¡± ¡°So the head of house should already be aware of it.¡± Glenn and the other executives must¡¯ve already observed her movements after hearing the news about her arrival. ¡®However¡­ There should be no other way.¡¯ The name of the Destructive King of the North was high and mighty. It was impossible for him to stop or attack the Thespian Emperor since she was visiting on her own. ¡®He might even be forced to protect her, let alone attack her.¡¯ If the Thespian Emperor was injured or attacked in Zieghart¡¯s domain, the entire continent might criticize them for being a shameless house. Glenn actually needed to protect her from attacks despite her being an enemy. Tsk. Raon briefly clicked her tongue. ¡®It¡¯s annoying to admit, but it¡¯s such a smart move.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t difficult to figure out the Thespian Emperor¡¯s intentions, but it wasn¡¯t easy to destroy her plot. Since Zieghart was such a huge house, there was no other choice than to act ording to her n. ¡®The head of house can¡¯t act. The same goes for the pce masters, and even the Heavenly de division leader and Sir Roenn cannot do anything about it.¡¯ Because of their ages and positions, they couldn¡¯t act recklessly. They were bound to be severely criticized and ndered if they stopped the Thespian Emperor and picked a fight with her. ¡®However¡­ That¡¯s not the case for me.¡¯ His position was rtively high inside the house, but he was still inexperienced and young. That was why the problem wouldn¡¯t increase even if he¡¯d made a mistake. He was the only person inside the house who could act without yielding to the Thespian Emperor¡¯s n. Raon smiled coldly and tapped on Heavenly Drive¡¯s scabbard. ¡®I¡¯m a professional when ites to screwing people up.¡¯ That¡¯s true. No one is better than you at making a mess. ¡®You are going too far.¡¯ It¡¯s because you screwed the King of Essence up so hard that he still hasn¡¯t gotten any ice cream! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon shut his mouth because he had no excuse. Say something at least! * * * Rugen, the external agent of the Shadow Agents who¡¯d helped Raon to rescue the Warring Steel division, was watching the line of people with serious eyes. He assimted into the crowd on the street that was brimming with people like it was a festival. While Rugen was hiding his presence inside the crowd, a tall woman walked towards the center of the street. Her back was as straight as a crane¡¯s neck, and her heavy footsteps were enough to show her confident personality. Her ebony hair barely reached her neck, and her eyes were as red as fire while her nose was as beautiful as a crescent moon. ck hair and red eyes were rather unusual in the world, but the surprising part was the harmony between them. The crowd around her dropped their jaws upon witnessing her overwhelming beauty, which wasparable to an elf. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°I-is she the one?¡± ¡°Yes. She is the Thespian Emperor, the leader of the White Whale.¡± ¡°Sh-she looks extremely young, though.¡± ¡°I heard she became younger when her might reached the sky.¡± ¡°I see, even her footsteps are powerful.¡± They were admiring the Thespian Emperor¡¯s appearance and confident demeanor. ¡°But why is she going to Zieghart?¡± ¡°Do you still not know about that? Her subordinates are imprisoned in Zieghart! She¡¯s going there to save them!¡± ¡°Huh? S-so she¡¯s going to Zieghart on her own to save her subordinates?!¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s on her own because bringing others with her might cause a war to break out between them. I don¡¯t think I could even do that, it would be so scary¡­¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s such a strong person! There¡¯s no one like her nowadays!¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, I heard that the White Whale recently saved Chad Vige from monster attacks and even helped their restoration afterward.¡± ¡°I heard it too. And Chad Vige wasn¡¯t the only one. Lots of other ces were helped by them.¡± The crowd gathered on the street was talking about every good deed that the White Whale had done before on top of praising the Thespian Emperor for visiting Zieghart on her own. Their faces started to show their favorable impression towards the Thespian Emperor and the White Whale. Step. As the Thespian Emperor passed in front of them, people who¡¯d already heard about her story started to cheer for her. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°Thespian Emperor! Thespian Emperor! Thespian Emperor!¡± ¡°White Whale! White Whale!¡± ¡°I wish you the best of luck at saving our subordinates!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be rooting for you!¡± ¡°Even Zieghart won¡¯t be able to do anything to you!¡± They cheered for the Thespian Emperor and prayed that she would safely rescue her subordinates. The Thespian Emperor lowered her head towards the crowd slightly before she continued her advance. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rugen furrowed his brow because of the ear-piercing cheers and withdrew from the scene. ¡®This is no joke¡­¡¯ Some White Whale warriors were definitely hiding among the crowd to form public opinion, but the reaction of the ordinary people was too serious. It was an excessive reaction even though they were in a neutral area close to the Owen Kingdom. Her n to act as a poster to advertise the White Whale seemed to be working. ¡®That was a smart move.¡¯ She raised the White Whale¡¯s reputation to a whole different level by involving Zieghart¡¯s name and earned people¡¯s favor by acting like a hero saving her subordinates. It was a simple operation, but it could only be described as amazing. Moreover, the humble way she was acting even though her pressure and presence were powerful enough to overwhelm the entire crowd was giving goosebumps. ¡®Even the house won¡¯t be able to make a move.¡¯ The entire continent¡¯s public opinion was bound to turn against them if they stopped the Thespian Emperor. Zieghart could even be defined as evil or cowardly. The great cause had recently started to follow them thanks to Raon¡¯s actions, but they could potentially turn into viins even worse than the Five Demons if they made a wrong move. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rugen sighed and covered his face with his robe. ¡®This is a checkmate.¡¯ He had already reported it to the house, but it was impossible to stop or attack her, and he could guess that the executives must¡¯ve been annoyed by the helpless situation. ¡®Even that person shouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about this.¡¯ He had only recently met Raon, but he looked like he could solve every issue in the world. However, Rugen had the feeling that it was impossible to do anything about it even for Raon. He shook his head and parted from the crowd. The Thespian Emperor¡¯s footsteps came to a halt the moment he left into an alley to give his report. She looked at the alley Rugen had gone into with a faint smile on her face. * * * * * * Raon practiced his sword from morning until midnight the next day before returning to the annex building. Uuh¡­ Wrath was floating like a cloud with his shoulders drooping down. The joy of life is gone. The King of Essence¡¯s life as a human¡­ ¡®Demon.¡¯ Okay, the King of Essence¡¯s life as a demon is ruined. He pouted while murmuring that his life waspletely ruined. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Raon patted Wrath¡¯s depressed shoulder and shook his head. ¡®Because he has a hangover.¡¯ He¡¯d gone to the ice cream shop right after he woke up, but he¡¯d only found a note saying that the manager would take another day off because of his hangover. Just like Raon had previously guessed, the manager must¡¯ve been suffering from a hangover after drinking too much. The King of Essence won¡¯t recognize a guy who skips work from a mere hangover as a manager! Tell Mustache to quit his work already! ¡®What are you even saying¡­? You can¡¯t even drink.¡¯ Raon clearly remembered how Wrath had begged him to stop while crying when Raon was having a drinking contest against the Gambling Monster. His pretentiousness was the one thing that was at a demon king¡¯s level. Uuh, the King of Essence is afraid to find out what¡¯s going to happen tomorrow to stop him from having ice cream! Wrath shivered, saying that he was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat any ice cream even though he wasn¡¯t even afraid of a war against the heavenly realm. Ice cream¡­ the mint chocte ice cream is floating right in front of him. Yet, why is it impossible to eat it?! He started to lick the round magicmp on the ceiling. He must¡¯ve started to hallucinate. Hmm, it tastes like an orange¡­ ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ The magicmp indeed had an orange color, but there was no way it tasted like an orange. He must¡¯ve gone through a severe mental shock. ¡®This is no good.¡¯ Raon figured that he would have to break the bead ice cream shop¡¯s door down if necessary to feed ice cream to Wrath the next day. ¡®Tomorrow, I¡¯ll definitely¡­¡¯ He was hardening his resolve while clenching his fist. He could feel a small presence around the window. When he turned his head, he saw Glenn looking through the window just like a month ago. Wh-why is that geezer even here right now?! Are you trying to stop the King of Essence from having his ice cream again?! This is seriously driving him nuts! Wrath started to flounder around upon spotting Glenn. ¡°M-my lord?¡± Raon swallowed nervously and went towards the window. Glenn simply bobbed his finger, signaling him toe outside before he went away. ¡®Woah¡­ Why do they keep appearing out of nowhere?¡¯ Both Glenn and Merlin bypassed his aura perception, and he could never get used to it. Raon shook his head and left the annex building. Glenn was standing in front of theke behind the annex building. He stayed still even though Raon was getting close to him, which implied that he wasn¡¯t nning to go to North Grave Mountain like thest time. ¡°Greetings, my¡­¡± ¡°You shall stop greeting me in the future whenever we meet here. It¡¯s getting annoying.¡± Glenn turned around and shook his head when Raon tried to greet him. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Raon awkwardly responded. ¡°The sword duel yesterday¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes turned cold. He didn¡¯t look like he was about to say anything nice. ¡°¡­wasn¡¯t too bad.¡± However, he nodded in satisfaction despite Raon¡¯s expectations. ¡°You had the advantage from the beginning to the end. Keeping the advantage from the start against an opponent at a higher realm than you isn¡¯t an easy task.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon held his slightly trembling hand. His heart tightened because it was the first time Glenn hadplimented him like that. ¡°If I had to point out something, it would be your carelessness in the middle. Since it was clear that Ayad was nning something, you could¡¯vepletely avoided any injury if you were a bit calmer. However¡­¡± When Raon was about to lower his head to apologize, Glenn continued. ¡°The Azure Sky Sword at the end¡ªit had your color. You even arrogantly dered that he should not hide your sky.¡± ¡°Ah, that was¡­¡± Raon covered his mouth. His face was getting flushed from embarrassment when Glenn raised his chin. ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. It¡¯s normal for a swordsman who can incorporate their will into the sword to be at least that arrogant.¡± Glenn smiled faintly. It was strange, but it looked like his lips were trembling violently. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Raon bowed, and Glenn took out a rectangr box from his subspace. It had a luxurious appearance, but there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize it. ¡°That box¡­¡± ¡°I picked it up on my way here. Since I don¡¯t like sweet stuff, you should have it instead.¡± Glenn handed out the ice cream box while saying that he didn¡¯t need it. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Raon¡¯s hands were trembling because he¡¯d never imagined that Glenn would give him ice cream. Huh? That¡¯s ice cream! Wrath, who¡¯d been hanging likeundry, suddenly stood up upon seeing the box. Grandpa! You are Grandpa now! He stuck to Glenn and shouted that he was his grandfather. Raon broke out in cold sweat because he was afraid Glenn would notice him. ¡°As I promised, the lessons about the Azure Sky Sword are over. You shall draw your own sky with that sword in the future.¡± Glenn turned around since he¡¯d delivered everything he came to say. ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯d like to have a word.¡± Raon hurriedly stopped Glenn from returning. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I heard that the Thespian Emperor is currentlying to Zieghart.¡± ¡°So you were aware of it.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow in displeasure. He seemed to be also annoyed by the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. The higher-ups will take care of it.¡± He turned around once again, telling him to focus on his training. ¡°I¡­¡± Raon took a step towards Glenn. ¡°¡­would like to participate as well.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Since I was the one who fought against the White Whale¡¯s warriors and captured them, I believe I am entitled to join the meeting.¡± He didn¡¯t want Zieghart to be yed by the Thespian Emperor¡¯s obvious trick. He wanted to screw her up a big time. ¡°The ones at the meeting with the Thespian Emperor will be the high executives with at least the position of division leader. That¡¯s why I believe something interesting is going to happen if an immature person like me joins the scene.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Glenn slowly turned his head. His eyes started to look interested. Chapter 462 Chapter 462 Glenn turned aroundpletely. The smile on his face became as hazy as mist. ¡°Before we talk about that interesting proposal, something you just said is bothering me.¡± ¡°What would it be¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s fingers trembled as he met Glenn¡¯s displeased eyes. ¡°That you are immature. You look far too mature to me.¡± Glenn shook his head, saying that Raon had never looked his age, not even as a child. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve been suppressing it.¡± Raon scratched his chin while smiling awkwardly. ¡®It would be strange if I was still immature.¡¯He¡¯d been living as an assassin at the age where he should¡¯ve been held in his parents¡¯ arms. Since he¡¯d been living a life even worse than a ve before being born as Raon Zieghart, it couldn¡¯t be helped that he was different from other children. ¡°You are suppressing it?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m well aware of my situation, I didn¡¯t want my mother and the others to be concerned about me.¡± He looked at the ground while saying the most suitable thing for the situation. ¡°I see¡­¡± Glenn quietly groaned and touched his lips with his finger. Strangely, his voice was revealing his emotions. ¡°So, what¡¯s that interesting proposal you mentioned?¡± He changed the topic, almost like he was trying to refresh the mood. ¡°I¡¯d like to mess with the Thespian Emperor¡¯s n.¡± ¡°Mess with the Thespian Emperor¡¯s n?¡± ¡°Yes. The Thespian Emperor is currently twisting public opinion on her way to Zieghart so we won¡¯t be able to harm her or the White Whale. It¡¯s easy to figure out her intentions, but destroying her ns is difficult.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow. He looked like he didn¡¯t like the Thespian Emperor¡¯s method either. ¡°In fact, Zieghart¡¯s moves are bound to be limited since the rumor about her lone arrival has already spread. However, it will be no fun if we do nothing about it and let her do as she wishes. Even if we have to return the prisoners, we need to get as much as possible from her and humiliate her.¡± ¡°Humiliate?¡± ¡°My lord, the pce masters, and the Heavenly de division leader can¡¯t do anything reckless considering their reputations, positions, and ages. Countless houses and kingdoms might criticize us for a single mistake. However¡­¡± Raon continued while looking at Glenn¡¯s eyes, who seemed interested once again. ¡°That¡¯s not the case for me. My position and achievements are high enough to participate in the meeting, but I¡¯m still too young. I¡¯m at the age where I should be making lots of mistakes and acting arrogantly.¡± ¡°Mistakes and arrogance, huh.¡± Glenn nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Are you talking about the way you recently made fun of Ayad?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like to try a little more hateful version of that.¡± ¡°¡­That indeed sounds interesting.¡± ¡°Yes, it will definitely be interesting.¡± Raon and Glenn looked at each other with the exact same smile on their faces. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn was the first one to avert his gaze and clear his throat. ¡°Alright, you can join the meeting.¡± ¡°Thank you. May I ask one more thing?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to interfere with the conversation between my lord and the Thespian Emperor. Is that fine?¡± Raon lowered his head. It was an important request since he had to act that way in order to hold the Thespian Emperor in check. ¡°It¡¯s normal for children to grow up while causing problems. Since you¡¯ve been far too precocious since childhood, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for you to experience puberty now.¡± Glenn chuckled and nodded. Since he was practically allowing Raon to do anything he wanted in the audience chamber, there was nothing more to fear. Wow! Wrath apuded at Glenn. That¡¯s our grandpa for you! You didn¡¯t even hesitate! He nodded in satisfaction while eximing at him. ¡®He¡¯s not your grandfather.¡¯ Don¡¯t mind the small details. ¡®Small details¡­¡¯ Raon had the urge to kick Wrath away because of how ridiculous he was being, but he couldn¡¯t do that since he would have looked like a madman from Glenn¡¯s perspective. ¡°See you at the meeting then.¡± Glenn waved his hand and turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to your immature actions.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Raon bowed at Glenn as he left. He kept watching him until he couldn¡¯t be seen anymore, and a frightening smile appeared on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll need to contact the ck Market.¡± * * * Once Raon returned to his room, Wrath pointed at the ice cream box with his plump finger. Open it up before it melts! ¡®It won¡¯t melt since this box is made from a freezing stone.¡¯ Whatever! Just open it already! He¡¯s curious about what vor Grandpa picked for us! Wrath grinned happily, saying that Grandpa was the only one who cared for him. ¡°Haa, okay, okay.¡± Raon shook his head and opened the ice cream box. The white, hazy cold air started to rise, and the four bead ice creams could be seen. All of the ice creams had the same color. They were dark brown like well-baked bread. Huh? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped, his expression that of disappointment. Th-there¡¯s no mint chocte. Moreover, they all have the same vor! Grandpa, what¡¯s wrong with your taste? He became dejected, disappointed by the fact that it wasn¡¯t the vor he wanted and that they all had the same vor. Ugh, it can¡¯t be helped. He will be satisfied by the fact that they are bead ice cream! Wrath looked like he¡¯d decided to be satisfied that he was having some bead ice cream because he hadn¡¯t gotten any for more than a month. Let¡¯s try it out for now. What could the vor be? ¡®Hmm, this¡­ Huh?¡¯ Raon widened his eyes while looking at the lid. ¡®¡­Those are bread vored.¡¯ Bread? Bread is fine! So, what bread is it? Pineapple pizza? Pepperoni pizza bread? No, the ssic ones like the sweet red bean or cream are pretty nice too! What vor¡­ ¡®Nadine bread.¡¯ Ehh? Wrath stopped smiling and rolled his eyes. He looked like a ghost with no glimmer of life. What did you just say¡­? ¡®They are Nadine bread vored.¡¯ Raonughed bitterly upon seeing the drastic change in Wrath and responded to his question. St-stop lying! Why would anyone ever make ice cream out of that stupid bread that tastes like rubber?! It doesn¡¯t make any sense! ¡®Well, there are lots of peculiar ice creams.¡¯ It was just Wrath who¡¯d never picked them, but the ice cream shop had many new products with bizarre tastes. But Nadine bread is going way too far! It just tastes like rubber! There¡¯s no one in the world who would like that shit! ¡®I¡¯m fine with it.¡¯ Your tongue is just perverted! ¡®The head of house also likes it.¡¯ That geezer is just as perverted as you! ¡®But you called him grandpa before¡­¡¯ Kuaah! Wrath screamed while grasping his head. Kill! Who made that ice cream? Just say the name! His fingers trembled as he dered that he was going to find them and strangle them to death. ¡®Let¡¯s try them out, just in case.¡¯ Hmm, you are right. Wrath briefly nodded. He seemed to think that there should be some sweetness since it was still ice cream. Raon picked up a bead ice cream while looking at the crumpled expression on Wrath¡¯s face. He immediately put it in his mouth without feeling repulsed by it, since he¡¯d had lots of Nadine bread before. ¡®Oh.¡¯ The rubber taste instantly spread throughout the mouth and the sticky bitterness followed. It was exactly like Nadine bread, except for it being cold since it was an ice cream. However, the sweetness that Wrath had wanted was nowhere to be found. Kuaah¡­ Wrath dropped to the ground as his expectations were destroyed. He frantically rubbed his tongue with teary eyes. N-not like this! This shouldn¡¯t be called ice cream! ¡°Hmm, what a perfect taste.¡± Raon nodded in satisfaction while looking at the bead ice cream. ¡°They perfectly recreated the taste of Nadine bread. I like it.¡± S-save me. Please¡­ Wrath stretched his hand towards the sky while crawling on the ground. Everyone around here has shit on their tongues! * * * * * * Glenn entered the conference room after talking with Raon. Roenn, Sheryl, and Chad were waiting inside and stood up upon seeing him. ¡°My lord.¡± The three of them tried to bow, but Glenn shook his hand and took the upper seat. ¡°How is the progress?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been discussing it for a while, but there¡¯s no good solution.¡± Sheryl furrowed her brow while ring at the center of the table. ¡°It will be a big problem if we stop or attack the Thespian Emperor when she¡¯sing to Zieghart on her own.¡± She mmed the table with her fist to vent her frustration. ¡°Indeed.¡± Chad nodded. ¡°ording to the informant observing the Thespian Emperor, most of the public opinion is favorable to her. And their number keeps increasing too.¡± He sighed, saying that lots of people were even following her. ¡°This is a nasty case.¡± Roenn briefly clicked his tongue. It was rare,ing from him. ¡°It would¡¯ve been easy to take care of her if she wanted a fight, but we even have to eliminate assassins for her instead.¡± His finger twitched below the table because of the annoying situation. ¡°Fame and reputation can be bothersome at times like this.¡± Chad nodded in agreement. ¡°We were bound to be checkmated since the White Whale made their first move and we are under the Six Kings name. We will have to return the imprisoned warriors, and we won¡¯t be able to get much in return. However¡­¡± The smile appearing on Glenn¡¯s face was as faint as the waning moonlight entering from the window. ¡°It looks like something interesting might happen.¡± ¡°Something interesting?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± Sheryl and Chad widened their eyes. ¡°Ah!¡± Roenn smiled faintly while looking at Glenn. ¡°You were with the Light Wind vice division leader until a moment ago. Is it something he did?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Glenn closed his eyes and let them imagine whatever they wanted. ¡°Is this about Raon? What did he do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m also curious.¡± Sheryl and Roenn came right next to Glenn and asked him what Raon had told him. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. We will find out when that happens.¡± Glenn shook his head withplete trust in his words. ¡°But you should have an idea.¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn¡¯s eyes curved into a smile as he watched Glenn¡¯s violently twitching lips. ¡°Did he like that gift?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t seem to dislike him. He likes Nadine bread, after all.¡± Glenn calmly nodded. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you talking just between you? I also want to know!¡± Sheryl squeezed in between Glenn and Roenn and demanded them to tell her about Raon. ¡°Hmm.¡± Once again, Chad resolved himself while watching the three whose smiles had returned from talking about Raon. ¡®I need to get on Sir Raon¡¯s good side if I want to keep living here. I should bring him a gift tomorrow. And it will be Nadine bread of the highest quality.¡¯ * * * Zieghart¡¯s Underground Prison Third Level Interrogation Room ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber were violently trembling while groaning in pain like their blood was welling up to their throats. They rolled their eyes to look at their right side amid extreme pain. Raon Zieghart was sitting on a chair and reading a book. ¡®Wh-what the hell is wrong with him?!¡¯ ¡®Why did he suddenlye here and start torturing us?!¡¯ Raon hadn¡¯t visited for a while, but he just arrived and started to torture them without asking any questions. They¡¯d never seen anyone as crazy as him. ¡®You fucking demon¡­¡¯ ¡®Even a demon would talk before doing this!¡¯ The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud watched Raon, who was reading a book, with trembling lips. Their hearts were shrinking just from being in the same ce as him. Many torturers and interrogators had visited them after Raon¡¯s visit, but he was the worst fiend of them all. ¡®I-I¡¯m going to die at this rate.¡¯ ¡®Where did he even learn this method of torture¡­?¡¯ The pain of breaking bones and muscles wasn¡¯t the only problem of Raon¡¯s torture. The itchy and stinging sensations of thousands of insects crawling and biting on their bodies. Moreover, the freezing and burning pain of the skin was added because of the alternating explosions of coldness and heat. They were trained to endure torture, but there was no way they could endure Raon¡¯s method. ¡®Pl-please ask a question already.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m ready to answer anything you want!¡¯ Since they¡¯d already confessed about the dragon mask, they were fully prepared to leak all secrets. They were even saddened by the fact that Raon wasn¡¯t asking anything at that point because they were so ready to answer every question. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ ¡®I-I¡¯m reaching my limit.¡¯ The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud started to foam at the mouth. The sound of flipping pages stopped right before they fainted. ¡°I learn new things whenever I read it.¡± Raon smiled faintly while closing the Azure Sky Sword¡¯s book. ¡°Huaa¡­¡± ¡°Eeh¡­¡± He returned the book to his clothes and looked down at the groaning people. The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡¯s trembling eyes were pleading with him to stop. Raon casually snapped his fingers, and the bind of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s energies disappeared at once. ¡°Huaah!¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud started to retch while coughing up their souls. ¡°Wh-what the hell is wrong with you? Why did you just¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber was the first to return to his senses, and he raised his head. His pronunciation was ruined because of his stiff tongue. ¡°I just wanted to check if you forgot about me.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully and waved his hand. ¡°Awwh¡­¡± They looked like they were facing a real demon as their chins trembled. ¡°Just kidding. I have a question for you.¡± ¡°Wh-what is that question¡­?¡± ¡°I got interested in what kind of person the Thespian Emperor is since she abandoned you as the leader of the White Whale.¡± Raon smiled while purposefully emphasizing the part where she¡¯d abandoned them. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber shuddered while furrowing his brow. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have noticed since you¡¯ve been underground all along, but more than two months have passed. We¡¯ve received no contact whatsoever about what to do with you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber¡¯s eyes trembled even more violently as they believed the lie that two months had passed. ¡°That¡¯s why I got curious.¡± Raon coldly stared at them. ¡°What kind of person is the cold-blooded woman called the Thespian Emperor?¡± Being oppressive all the time wasn¡¯t the best way to get information during torture. Just like giving a carrot after a stick, it was better to soften their hearts from time to time to get the best information. But she¡¯sing to save them. ¡®Yes, but they don¡¯t know that.¡¯ Information waspletely cut off inside the underground prison. Since even the prison guards never said anything, there was no way they knew about the Thespian Emperor. Wh-what the hell is wrong with you¡­? Wrath¡¯s chin trembled in fear. ¡°So, what is the Thespian Emperor¡¯s personality? She seems to be a coldhearted and decisive person.¡± The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud didn¡¯t answer right away. They remained silent for a moment before their dry lips finally parted. ¡°She¡¯s a frightening person.¡± ¡°Frightening?¡± ¡°Yes. She knows everything. That¡¯s why she¡¯s extremely decisive, like you said. What can be done can be done, and what can¡¯t be done can¡¯t be done. She knows that for sure before she acts.¡± The White Wolf Saber closed his eyes while chewing his lip. ¡°Th-that¡¯s true. Most things go ording to her predictions whenever we are on a mission.¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud nodded while supporting the White Wolf Saber¡¯s im. ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon nodded. ¡®So, she has a strategist''s personality.¡¯ Those capable of predicting the future were usually decisive. There was a coldhearted side to them, and they were able to throw others away without hesitation if things didn¡¯t go ording to their wishes. The Thespian Emperor seemed to be the same. ¡®In that case, she should be easy to break through.¡¯ Level-headed people weren¡¯t afraid of smart people but crazy people. Since a madman waspletely unpredictable and couldn¡¯t be talked sense to, it was pretty much an intellectual¡¯s natural counter. Raon figured he could proceed ording to the n. ¡°Then did she predict my interference?¡± ¡°Sh-she did mention Zieghart¡¯s arrival.¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud shook his head, saying that she¡¯d told him about the White Lotus division¡¯s arrival, but not the Light Wind division. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°She asked me to bring them back but never mentioned your name¡­¡± The White Wolf Saber said that she¡¯d told him to get the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud back as fast as possible since it was dangerous. ¡°I see.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while touching his chin. ¡®She knew about the White Lotus division¡¯s movements but didn¡¯t manage to predict me. Why is that? Is there anything special with me, or did she make a mistake?¡¯ It was most likely a mistake, but it was possible that he couldn¡¯t be predicted by her. ¡®Because she¡¯s supposed to read the flow of heaven.¡¯ He looked around at Wrath, who was still frowning. Since Wrath was with him, and he¡¯d gotten the power of two other demon kings, he could¡¯ve be an alien existence in the world. ¡°I have a few other questions.¡± Raon asked what the Thespian Emperor had done in the past to the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, who were terrified and felt betrayed at the same time, to analyze her personality. When he managed to get a good amount of information, Dorian approached him from behind. ¡°Vice division leader. Sh-she¡¯s here. She is at the Snow Cloud Rock right now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded and stood up. ¡®It will take about two hours until she arrives.¡¯ It took about two hours for an adult man to walk from Snow Cloud Rock to Zieghart. The Thespian Emperor was arriving soon. ¡°I need to go now.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber widened their eyes. ¡°Wh-who ising¡­?¡± ¡°Who else? Your master ising.¡± Since he¡¯d already extracted everything he wanted to know, he told them about the Thespian Emperor''s arrival. ¡°I heard she¡¯sing to save you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°But you said earlier that there was no contact!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. She never said anything about you. She just said she wanted to visit.¡± The Thespian Emperor had simply announced her visit in her message. She must¡¯ve been careful and avoided mentioning the topic until her arrival. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart! You bastard!¡± ¡°I need to go now since I need to get ready.¡± Raon cheerfully waved his hand and turned around. ¡°You demon!¡± ¡°Demon king! He¡¯s a demon king! That¡¯s the only way to exin his personality!¡± They barked even louder to ovee their fears against Raon. What are you talking about?! Wrath frowned while looking back at them. Don¡¯tpare this psychopath to good people like demon kings! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Chapter 463 Chapter 463 Zieghart¡¯s externalmander, Illiune, furrowed his brow while looking down from the wall. ¡°I never expected that I would be doing nothing about a scene like this.¡± He was watching a march of countless people towards Zieghart. He would¡¯ve run down and wiped them out if they were attacking with swords, but the march didn¡¯t have the slightest malice or bloodlust. The quiet determination emerging from them told him that reaching Zieghart was their only objective. ¡®Yeah, of course they would. After all, they are the Thespian Emperor¡¯s followers.¡¯ No one among the crown marching towards the house was a White Whale warrior. They were simply impressed by her action because she was heading to Zieghart on her own to save her subordinates and decided to follow her all the way there. ¡®Are their heads for decoration or something?¡¯Even though the Thespian Emperor¡¯s n was so obvious, they weren¡¯t just rooting for her but were even worshiping her as they followed her. Illiune could understand for the first time why pseudo-religions were created and were so popr. ¡°Tsk.¡± He clicked his tongue and looked at the front of the long line of people. He could see a tall woman who was walking at the forefront, slightly separated from the others. She was the White Whale¡¯s leader, the Thespian Emperor. ¡®Amazing. She managed to tame all of those people¡­¡¯ None of her followers were approaching her. No one did anything violent or shouted, they simply followed from the bottom of their hearts. ¡°This is so shitty.¡± Illiune clenched the hand resting on the castle wall into a fist. Zieghart¡¯s externalmander also had the job of a general who protected the walls and managed the troops. He wanted to fight rather than watch that happen, and his frustration made him feel like he had indigestion. ¡°Haa¡­¡± While Illiune was sighing deeply in irritation, the line of followers came to a halt, and the woman called the Thespian Emperor was the only one to approach the gate. ¡®What?¡¯ The followers had stopped exactly at the location where he was nning to forbid their entry. He couldn¡¯t understand how they¡¯d stopped at that exact spot. As a bad feeling ran down his spine, the Thespian Emperor stood in front of the gate. He met her eyes as she looked up. She had elegant ck hair and her eyes were as red as fire. With her snow-white skin added to the mix, he could see that the rumors about her being a peerless beauty weren''t exaggerated. ¡°My name is Ariel from the White Whale.¡± The Thespian Emperor introduced herself by name with a polite and disciplined attitude. ¡°I¡¯d like to meet the head of house concerning a matter about my subordinates.¡± She calmly voiced the reason for her visit to Zieghart. He could feel her huge presence overshadowing him even though she wasn¡¯t using any aura. It went above the castle walls and seemed to reach the sky. He¡¯d thought that the Five Divine Orders were just shrimps stuck between whales, but he realized that wasn¡¯t actually the case. Tap tap. Illiune tapped the castle wall with his finger. ¡®This is the most annoying case.¡¯ She would¡¯ve been easy to deal with if she was acting arrogant or just confident, but the Thespian Emperor was polite as well as confident, which made it difficult to provoke her. He personally wanted to shout at her to go back, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. The head of house had already allowed the Thespian Emperor¡¯s entrance. ¡°Open the gate!¡± Illiune shouted in irritation and Zieghart¡¯s gate slowly started to open. The Thespian Emperor¡¯s followers swallowed nervously upon hearing the huge resonance shaking heaven andnd. However, her face remained unchanged. She remained so peaceful as she stared at the door that she looked bored. The Thespian Emperor turned around once Zieghart¡¯s gate waspletely open. She politely lowered her head to the people who¡¯d apanied her all the way there. ¡°Thank you for seeing me off. I¡¯ll be going on my own from here.¡± The Thespian Emperor told them she¡¯d definitely return with her subordinates and slowly closed her eyes before opening them again. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting here! We won¡¯t take a single step!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be praying for your sess!¡± ¡°Thespian Emperor! Please be careful on your way!¡± ¡°I believe you will manage to save your subordinates!¡± The people shouted that they wouldn¡¯t move at all from the spot while worshiping the Thespian Emperor. Their reaction, despite the freezing wind of the north, made them look like they were brainwashed. ¡®But that shouldn¡¯t be the case.¡¯ The agents had reported that the Thespian Emperor had never done anything oppressive. It looked like they were simply bewitched by her determined actions and dazzling appearance. Illiune shook his head and went down the castle walls. ¡°I¡¯m happy to make your acquaintance, External Commander Illiune.¡± The Thespian Emperor bowed to him as soon as they faced each other. Illiune felt like he was losing even though she was bowing at her because of the elegance of her voice and gestures. ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know about the guardian lion of Zieghart.¡± She smiled faintly, saying that she was naturally aware of that. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m the externalmander, Illiune.¡± Illiune briefly nodded and raised his hand to point inside the gate. ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll guide you to the lord¡¯s manor.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He furrowed his brow while ncing at the Thespian Emperor following him. ¡®I can¡¯t let my guard down.¡¯ * * * * * * Ariel casually walked through Zieghart¡¯s dignified main street. The swordsmen lined up at the sides of the street were releasing their frightening pressures. Their individual might entangled with each other to be an army¡¯s pressure to crush her, but she simply smiled at them. ¡®It¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ve read.¡¯ She was already aware that countless people would follow her, that the externalmander, Illiune, woulde out to pick her up¡ªeven the threatening pressures of Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen were already known to her. ¡®There are no openings to them.¡¯ Ariel slowly looked around. The Zieghart swordsmen were surrounded by frightening auras as their eyes gleamed, as indomitable as boulders. It implied that they¡¯d been properly trained and had enough battle experience. The overall standard was so high. ¡®The idiots in the continent don¡¯t even know about this.¡¯ Zieghart had been treated as the weakest among the Six Kings until recently. It was a natural oue because they hadn¡¯t moved from the north at all, like a boulder stuck on the ground. However, after Raon Zieghart reset a bunch of records in the continents, and Glenn Zieghart destroyed the Fallen and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader at the same time, their reputation went back up. ¡®We were already aware of that fact.¡¯ The White Whale had designated Zieghart as the most dangerous faction from the very beginning. They were right, too. The swordsmen around her were powerful enough to be respected in any situation. It was literally a tiger¡¯s den. That was the only way to describe Zieghart. Huhu. Ariel faintly curved her lips into a smile. ¡®I¡¯ll be able to gain a lot from this.¡¯ It was normally difficult to earn fame no matter how much time and money were spent, but the names of the White Whale and the Thespian Emperor were about to reach a whole different level. Just thinking about it brought a smile to her face. Since she was already aware of what was going to happen in the future, she wasn¡¯t afraid at all and was just enjoying the situation. Ariel went next to Illiune while enjoying the swordsmen¡¯s pressures like a breeze. ¡°There are so many outstanding swordsmen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural since we are a house of swordsmen.¡± Illiune turned her eyes towards her. He was tantly showing his displeasure even though she wasplimenting them. ¡°That¡¯s true, but they are even better than the rumors. The continent doesn¡¯t rank Zieghart that high, but the ranking needs to be fixed from the way I see it.¡± She smiled faintly and shook her head. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Illiune didn¡¯t respond. He wasn¡¯t foolish enough to be happy about apliment like that, but he was feeling more and more ufortable around her. ¡®There¡¯s something strange about her.¡¯ Most of the leaders of therge factions weren¡¯t exactly normal, but the Thespian Emperor was even worse. Even though she was under the frightening pressures and gazes of countless swordsmen in pretty much the enemy camp, she was acting casually like she was at home¡ªshe was even smiling. The strangest part was that whenever he started to go in the wrong direction because he was too focused on her, she fixed it for him. It almost felt like she¡¯d been there many times before. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Illiune quietly sighed while staring at the main building in the distance. ¡®This isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡¯ * * * Raon closed his eyes while standing in front of a pir inside the audience chamber. ¡®She will be here soon.¡¯ The news about the Thespian Emperor¡¯s arrival at the gate was delivered a moment ago. Her arrival was imminent since External Commander Illiune was guiding her. ¡®I can roughly see what kind of person she is, but¡­¡¯ He could roughly tell how the Thespian Emperor was from the ongoing situation, and the testimonies from the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber, but he still wanted to see him with his own eyes and confirm it. ¡®I¡¯m most curious about how she reads heaven''s flo¡ª¡¯ ¡°Why is he even here?¡± While Raon was putting his thoughts together, he could hear someoneining from the opposite side of the room. The True Martial Pce master, Balder, was ring at him with an irritated gaze. ¡°Only the division leaders and higher are allowed here. Why is he even here despite being a vice division leader?¡± He frowned, demanding an exnation. ¡°Your thoughts are as great as the pir at my home, True Martial Pce master.¡± When Raon was about to respond, Rimmer shook his head. ¡°What? Pir?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural he would be here since he is the one who beat up and captured the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. What else? Should he go home now?¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue at his foolishness. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder looked extremely annoyed, but he couldn¡¯t refute it and simply frowned. ¡°Ah, by the way, the pir at my home is as small as my finger because I broke it when I was drunk. That¡¯s exactly how intelligent you are, don¡¯t you think?¡± Rimmer giggled while pointing at his pinky finger. ¡°You bastard¡­ Kuh.¡± Balder was about to walk towards Rimmer while ring at him but stopped himself because Glenn was above, on the tform. Raon nodded while looking at Rimmer¡¯s lips, which were curving into a smile. ¡®This is it. This is the perfect example of immature behavior.¡¯ Raon had never seen anyone as good as Rimmer at making fun of people. He just needed to be half as good as him to sessfully screw with her ns. Raon ignored the extremely angry Balder and examined the other pce masters. The Wise Martial Pce master, Denier, was smiling as gently as always, but he had a sharp atmosphere around him. He also seemed displeased by the situation made by the Thespian Emperor. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Karoon wasn¡¯t saying anything and didn¡¯t pay any attention to him either. However, Raon could feel a sense of malice even worse than bloodlust from his disinterested attitude. Raon smiled faintly while warming up his fingers. ¡®There are lots of enemies too.¡¯ There were enemies inside the house in addition to Derus Robert and the four factions of the Five Demons. His new life couldn¡¯t exactly be called an easy one when he thought about it. ¡®And one more will be added toda¡ª¡¯ As he was thinking that he was about to make another enemy, External Commander Illiune¡¯s voice could be heard from outside the audience chamber. ¡°It¡¯s the externalmander. I¡¯ve brought the guests.¡± Glenn slowly opened his eyes. He allowed the Thespian Emperor¡¯s entrance with an emotionless voice. ¡°Enter.¡± The audience chamber¡¯s doors parted at his order. The vibration felt like the entire lord¡¯s manor was shaking, and the tall woman standing in front of the door made her entrance. Her confident and rxed footsteps looked like she was entering her home. Raon swallowed nervously and raised his gaze. ¡®Is she the Thespian Emperor?¡¯ Her short hair barely reached her neck and was as dark as the moonless night sky. Her slightly raised eyes were as red as blood, and her lips¡ªfull of vitality¡ªwere as clear as the morning dew. She was an outstanding beauty in the human realm, but her appearance wasn¡¯t the most attractive part about her. Her presence¡­ She had a presence that still maintained its light in the midst of so many powerful warriors inside the audience chamber, and that fact was extremely surprising. It seemed that almost no one would be able to suppress her presence except for Glenn. The others¡¯ eyes also widened in surprise because of her pressure. ¡®She¡¯s a monster indeed.¡¯ A faint smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he watched the Thespian Emperor walking towards the center. ¡®¡­That¡¯s why I have more chances of screwing with her now.¡¯ * * * Ariel¡¯s fingers trembled as she walked toward the center of the audience chamber. ¡®This really is no joke.¡¯ Glenn Zieghart. He was the man called the Destructive King of the North, or the Northern Conqueror, and his presence was even more tremendous than his name. He was overwhelming enough to make her shudder. The rumors about him driving the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Fallen away must¡¯ve been true, as the heavy pressure crushing her body made her heart clench even though he was simply sitting there. ¡®He¡¯s even more powerful than my predictions, but it doesn¡¯t change anything.¡¯ She smiled even though her heartbeat was getting faster. ¡®Because the oue is already decided.¡¯ Ariel maintained herposure and walked up to the tform before bowing to him. ¡°Greetings to the Conqueror of the North, I¡¯m Ariel from the White Whale.¡± She went down on one knee and lowered herself to show the utmost courtesy. ¡°You may stand.¡± Glenn¡¯s voice from above was extremely dry. ¡°Thank you.¡± She stood up and met Glenn¡¯s eyes. Her eyes were even colder than his voice. The dignity of a conqueror looking down on the world could be seen. ¡°I apologize for the dy.¡± Ariel bowed once again with Glenn¡¯s pressure bringing a smile to her face. ¡°It took me a while because the journey was longer and more difficult than I¡¯d thought.¡± ¡°What kind of dogshit are you spouting?¡± Just as Ariel was about to proceed to the main topic after a small greeting, she heard a clear, silvery voiceing from behind her. ¡°You are the one who decided to walk all the way here. How can it even take longer than you thought?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ariel did her best to maintain herposure and turned around. ¡°Huh? Did you hear me?¡± The young man with blond hair and red eyes scratching his head was handsome enough to be called a devil¡¯s charm. ¡°Why could she hear me?¡± Chapter 464 Chapter 464 Raon examined the Thespian Emperor¡¯s expression with a twisted smile on his face. ¡®So, that wasn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Her eyes still had the same confidence andposure as before. However, the area below her eyes shook slightly, implying that his arrogant remark had agitated her a little. He looked away from the Thespian Emperor and checked the others. On top of the division leaders, even Karoon, Denier, and Balder had dropped their jaws, their faces turned pale. Glenn was the only one who was maintaining hisposure. He gave him a small nod of permission. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Raon blinked his eyes in an unnoticeable way and looked at his right side.¡°Hey, did you just¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s widened green eyes looked like they were about to pop out. He was already notified in advance that Raon was going to act up, but he was still making that face. He must¡¯ve been extremely shocked. ¡®I need to get out of this situation for now.¡¯ Raon frowned while grabbing Rimmer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Division leader, what are you doing right now?¡± ¡°Huh? Hmm? Me?¡± Rimmer was nkly staring at him and tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯ve asked you to help me because I¡¯ve been talking recently without thinking. You should¡¯ve created an aura barrier to stop the sound from leaking. What are you doing with that dumb expression on your face?¡± Raon med it on Rimmer for not making an aura barrier when it was clearly his fault. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Rimmer slowly blinked his eyes like a frog. ¡°W-was that really my fault?¡± Raon did indeed ask for assistance because he was about to act up. However, he¡¯d never thought that it was going to snowball into a huge crisis like that. ming others after running their mouth wasn¡¯t something even punks would do. His chin trembled because of the false usation, and he looked at the tform. Glenn was ring at him with the look in his eyes telling him that he wanted to strike him with lightning right away. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ He couldn''t understand why Glenn was scolding him when his amazing grandson was the one who¡¯d caused the issue. However, he didn¡¯t have any courage toin about it, simply lowered his head instead. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Rimmer reluctantly apologized, terrified by Glenn¡¯s gaze. ¡°Just do better in the future.¡± Raon sighed briefly, as if he were the one forgiving him. ¡°¡­ Yeah, I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± Rimmer nodded while biting his lip. ¡®I need to quit this job. What the hell is this shit?!¡¯ He clenched his fist to the point of bleeding so that he could suppress his frustration. ¡°You heard him, right?¡± Raon nodded his head towards the Thespian Emperor. ¡°Our division leader makes lots of mistakes, as you can see. Please forgive him since he even apologized.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s eyebrow was trembling in panic because of the ridiculous situation. Apparently, the heaven¡¯s flow she¡¯d read didn¡¯t tell her anything about it. ¡°Continue what you were doing.¡± Roan shook his hand, telling her to continue¡ªbut it was obviously impossible to continue the conversation. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them and just continue.¡± The light returned to people¡¯s eyes upon hearing Glenn¡¯s heavy voice. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± The Thespian Emperor nodded and ced her right hand on the left side of her chest. ¡°He wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. I could¡¯ve arrived a lot faster if I¡¯d used a dimensional door. However, I needed some time for self-reflection.¡± She straightened her back. She continued without being intimidated by Glenn¡¯s powerful pressure. ¡°It was because of my ipetent orders that we couldn¡¯t quickly resolve the issue in Zieghart¡¯s domain, and my subordinates are suffering. That¡¯s why I decided to repent while walkin¡ª¡± ¡°Hah, what is this dogshit again?¡± Raon snorted and spouted without using his brain. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ However, his voice couldn¡¯t be heard from the outside. Rimmer had created an aura barrier to stop the sound from leaking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today? Are you seriously trying to kill me?¡± Rimmer was either panicking or terrified of Glenn, and he seemed to have no intention of removing the aura barrier either way. It looked like there was an error in the signal. ¡®Well, this is even better.¡¯ Since it was only going to add reality to his acting, it was bound to agitate the Thespian Emperor even further. Raon released an extremely small amount of aura to create a hole in Rimmer¡¯s aura barrier just like what he¡¯d done against Ayad. ¡°Hah, what is this dogshit again?¡± He frowned while repeating what he¡¯d said a moment ago. ¡°If you made a mistake against Zieghart, you need to run as fast as possible and apologize. Why would you even think about your mistake while walking? Are you apologizing to the ground instead?¡± His immature tone pierced into the audience chamber¡¯s silent atmosphere as heined. Everyone¡¯s gazes were directed at Raon once again. ¡°Huh? Could you hear me again?¡± Raon blinked his eyes and leered at Rimmer. ¡°Division leader. Can¡¯t you even maintain the aura barrier anymore? Aren¡¯t you being too sloppy just because you are about to retire?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s chin trembled violently. ¡®You bastard!¡¯ When he was about to shout at Raon that it was him who made a hole into the aura barrier, a frightening voice could be heard in his head. [Shut your mouth.] It was Glenn¡¯s voice. His twitching finger looked like he was about to strike him with lightning if he¡¯d said anything else. ¡®Why are you doing this to me?!¡¯ He didn¡¯t want toe to the audience chamber to begin with. He was trying to skip when he heard Raon was joining, but Raon forced him toe and created such a shitty situation for him. Rimmer bit his lip and stared at Raon¡¯s frowning face. ¡®You are just a rascal at this point!¡¯ Causing issues and ming them on others was the ssic attitude of rascals in noble households. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer cleared his throat and closed his eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m a little sick right now. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡± ¡°Yeah, please be more careful.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± His veins were trembling in anger, but he forcibly suppressed it. ¡°I¡¯ll also try to hold back as much as possible.¡± Raon lightly patted Rimmer¡¯s trembling shoulder. ¡®How did it go?¡¯ He looked away from Rimmer and checked on the Thespian Emperor. Her unshakable expression seemed to suggest that she wasn¡¯t going to care no matter what he¡¯d said. However, Raon noticed the small fissure in her iron mask because he¡¯d been carefully observing it all along. ¡®It should work if I continue a little longer.¡¯ Those who were good at predicting the future didn¡¯t usually show their emotions on their faces. Whenever their predictions came true, their faces became more and more unshakable. Because a fissure had appeared, she must not have predicted that situation. ¡®I need to keep pushing.¡¯ Raon casually shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t mind us and just continue.¡± The direct lines, including Karoon, were also surprised by his actions. However, unusually enough, they didn¡¯t try to stop him. They must¡¯ve harbored the same dislike towards the Thespian Emperor. ¡®I even thought about a method to stop them. I guess I won¡¯t need it.¡¯ Raon rolled his lips into a smile while looking at the Thespian Emperor¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®This is going so well.¡¯ * * * * * * Ariel, the Thespian Emperor, narrowed her eyes while looking at Raon. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ She¡¯d been aware that the young warrior she was looking at was Raon Zieghart since she¡¯d first seen him. There was only one young swordsman in Zieghart with blond hair and red eyes, and it was only natural for him to be present in the meeting since he was directly involved with the incident. However, she had never expected nor read from heaven''s flow that Raon would run his mouth. ¡®I heard that he had a calm and immacte personality.¡¯ Those who¡¯d encountered Raon Zieghart before described him as a precocious child¡ªlike the reincarnation of an old man. She couldn¡¯t understand why he was acting like a punk in the back streets when he was supposed to be immacte, without any openings. ¡®I can¡¯t predict his actions.¡¯ She was in a muddle because she hadn¡¯t even considered that it could happen. She couldn¡¯t understand anything about the situation, including why Raon was picking a fight in such a boorish way or why Glenn wasn¡¯t stopping him. ¡®I need to rx even more in this kind of situation.¡¯ The situation was going awry, but she couldn¡¯t reveal that fact. It was necessary to stay as calm as possible and resolve the issue. ¡°Please listen to me for now.¡± Ariel smiled at Raon even though his hateful face was asking for a p. He shook his hand, showing that he was ready to listen to her petty excuses. ¡®Seriously, that guy¡­¡¯ She was boiling with anger at the insolence of such a young man in a low position. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked at Glenn. ¡°The White Sword Dragon is right. Coming to Zieghart right away would¡¯ve been the correct course of action. However, I couldn¡¯t make such a decision easily since I¡¯m still the leader of a group. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to put my thoughts together while walking¡­¡± ¡°What more do you even have to think when it¡¯s already been a whole month since the incident? Maybe you¡¯ve been spending your nights in casinos just like a certain someone. Hey, is that you?¡± Raon poked Rimmer, whose face waspletely pale, with his elbow. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s lips were quivering as she turned to look at Raon. ¡®What the hell is with this crazy bastard?¡¯ He was interrupting her right away even though he¡¯d let her speak a moment ago. He seriously looked like a lunatic who¡¯d lost his mind from a de stabbing into his brain. ¡°Ah! I was supposed to remain silent. My bad.¡± Raon put his hands together and shook them in apology. However, he was still running his mouth in the meantime. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t exactly wrong, was I? What have you been doing for the entire month?¡± ¡°Like I said before, it takes me some time to act because I¡¯m the leader of the White Wha¡ª¡± ¡°Wow, I think even Zieghart wouldn¡¯t take that long to make that kind of decision. I never knew that the White Whale was such a huge group.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s fingers were trembling behind her sleeve. It was difficult to suppress her anger because every single thing Raon was saying was irritating her like a saw cutting into her nerves. ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t bepared to Zieghart. I¡¯m just rather slow at making decisions.¡± She slowly nodded and looked at Glenn. ¡°The White Sword Dragon is more cheerful than the rumors.¡± She was trying to ask Glenn to stop Raon. However, he didn¡¯t do anything, and the Heavenly de division leader standing behind him stepped forward instead. ¡°Please understand it, Thespian Emperor. He¡¯s going through his puberty.¡± ¡°Puberty¡­?¡± Her lips started to tremble. ¡®Am I having hearing trouble right now?¡¯ Raon was already twenty-one years old, not fifteen. She couldn¡¯t understand what kind of twenty-one-year-old would be going through puberty. ¡°He grew up way too early, and he is having ate puberty now.¡± Sheryl added that it waste puberty upon realizing her thoughts. She smiled faintly, asking for her understanding. ¡°Children act even worse if you offend them during puberty. Just pretend he isn¡¯t here and continue.¡± Glenn slowly nodded. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s lips parted, unable to suppress her shock. ¡®What kind of drugs are all of you doing?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t understand what the hell was that madness. She was asking Glenn to stop him, but he pretty much responded that even he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. It was so ridiculous that she could onlyugh. It wasn¡¯t just Glenn and Sheryl. The other executives weren¡¯t trying to stop him either, all of them wearing satisfied expressions on their faces. She¡¯d heard that there were internal problems in Zieghart, but they apparently didn¡¯t show it in front of an enemy from outside. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ She was boiling in anger, but she had no choice but to suppress it because she was there to make a request. ¡®It¡¯s okay. The contents of his remarks are still within my predictions.¡¯ She¡¯d already prepared a response for everything Raon hadmented so far. It was going to be fine as long she was careful about his interruptions before she spoke. ¡®I¡¯ll take a step back for now.¡¯ Ariel bowed to Glenn. ¡°I won¡¯t make any excuses. I apologize for being sote.¡± She simply apologized without giving any excuses so there would be nothing for Raon to nitpick. ¡°I¡¯m just here to save my subordinates. However, I¡¯d like to apologize before then.¡± ¡°Apologize?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who ordered my subordinates to hide inside Zieghart¡¯s domain. I did that to watch out for the ck Tower, but I couldn¡¯t follow the right procedure because it was an emergency and¡ª¡± ¡°You decided that so quickly when you just mentioned that you were slow at making decisions.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, that¡¯s not even a big problem.¡± Raon clicked his tongue and rolled his shoulder. ¡°Hiding inside Zieghart¡¯s domain was just a small mistake. Preemptively attacking us was the big mistake.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ariel quietly groaned. She was obviously going to mention that part, but she was extremely irritated because Raon did it first. ¡°I am, of course, aware of that fact. It was also my mista¡ª¡± When she was trying to continue her apology while doing her best to suppress her anger, Raon cut into it like a spike. ¡°It¡¯s even more problematic if you did it while being aware. Even five-year-old children don¡¯t do things if they know they¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here to apolo¡ª¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve done it faster if you knew.¡± Snap. Thick veins ended up appearing on Ariel¡¯s forehead. * * * Raon smiled while watching Ariel¡¯s mask gradually shatter. ¡®It¡¯s working perfectly.¡¯ The best way to deal with smooth talkers who were confident in their predictions like the Thespian Emperor was to straight up cut them off as they spoke, and it was working perfectly. ¡°R-Raon? Are you really Raon?¡± You are just a lunatic. Wrath and Rimmer were looking at him like he had finally lost it, and the division leaders were getting the wrong impression about him, but Raon didn¡¯t care about it. ¡°Indeed, even children don¡¯t cause problems if they know it¡¯s wrong.¡± The Thespian Emperor shook her head while pretending to maintain herposure once again. Raon had tomend her patience for still putting up with it. ¡°But humans are bound to make mistakes, I hope you understand.¡± She smiled faintly and slightly lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯d like to insist that I just wanted to observe the ck Tower¡¯s movement because they are located in the White Whale¡¯s vicinity. My subordinates attacked in a panic, but they must¡¯ve had no intention of making enemies with Zieghart.¡± The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes while looking at Glenn. ¡°I only ordered the White Wolf Saber to bring the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud back instead of fighting, but he was just too eager to follow my ord¡ª¡± ¡°Wow. I would¡¯ve died if he was just a bit more eager.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°You should¡¯ve controlled your subordinates instead of self-reflection.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here to beg for forgive¡ª¡± She immediately responded. She must¡¯ve gotten used to those interruptions. However, Raon obviously had no intention of letting her continue. ¡°Then you should¡¯vee earlier instead of ying captain with the people.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s eyes glowed red. It looked like her true nature was being revealed for the first time. ¡°Aah.¡± Raon rubbed his shoulder while ignoring her gaze. ¡°Ah, the ce I was stabbed back then is hurting.¡± Huh? Wrath¡¯s face was telling him, ¡®But you didn¡¯t get hurt back then¡¯, but Raon simply ignored him. ¡°It¡¯s also my fault. I¡¯d like to apologize.¡± The Thespian Emperor bit her lip tightly. Raon could see that her emotions were clearly revealed on her face. ¡°Why would we even havews in the world if an apology were enough to solve all problems? Start by telling us what you are going to do for us.¡± Since it was time to provoke her even further, he continued violently. ¡°So you were hiding in Zieghart¡¯s domain without notifying us about it, attacked me without any questions when I found you, and picked another fight after my battle against the ck Tower was over.¡± Raon raised three fingers one after the other and bobbed them towards her. ¡°What are you going to do about this?¡± ¡°Haa, I¡¯ve been saying this all along, but I¡¯m here to talk about it. I¡­¡± ¡°You should¡¯vee earlier.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The Thespian Emperor couldn¡¯t suppress her anger anymore and ended up groaning. Huh¡­ Wrath started at Raon¡¯s smile while drooling from his mouth. Is he really supposed to be a human? Chapter 465 Chapter 465 Ariel red at Raon, her red lips trembling in anger. ¡®Is he seriously insane? I can¡¯t even talk sense with him.¡¯ He kept cutting her off when she was just responding to his question, and it always ended with ¡®You should¡¯vee earlier¡¯. She felt like she was talking to a rock. It was driving her nuts because the conversation wasn¡¯t advancing at all. ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t have any intention of advancing the conversation. He was pressuring her while cutting off the flow of the conversation in such a boorish way, but it was frustrating because she had no way of resolving that issue. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for not being here earlier.¡± She couldn¡¯t remember how many times she¡¯d apologized, but she had no choice but to do it again. She looked at Glenn and asked him to please stop Raon with her gaze, but he looked entertained instead as he watched.¡°How many times do you think you apologized already? You wouldn¡¯t have needed to do it if you¡¯d arrived earlier.¡± Raon clicked his tongue at her pathetic behavior. ¡®Earlier again, earlier!¡¯ She felt like she was going to have a trauma around the word ¡®earlier¡¯ at this rate. ¡®Damn it. This must have been prearranged.¡¯ There was no way a monkey like him with just his handsome face going for him would do whatever he pleased if they hadn¡¯t previously nned for it. Late puberty was such bullshit. Ariel bit her lip slightly. ¡®I still need to suppress my anger.¡¯ She didn¡¯t have the might, authority, or the pretext to win against them. She had to suppress it even though she felt like her heart was about to burn with her anger. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She slowly caught her breath and cooled her head. She raised her head, convincing herself that she was an emotionless pebble. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared appropriatepensation for intruding into Zieghart¡¯s domain and preemptively attacking twice, just like the Light Wind vice division leader has said. However, I¡¯d like to apologize before then.¡± The Thespian Emperor straightened her shoulders and back before looking at Glenn. ¡°It was all because of my ipetence that my subordinates caused trouble for you. Ariel from the White Whale would like to confess her sin to the Conqueror of the North.¡± ¡®Even that punk won¡¯t be able to do anything about this.¡¯ She said it was her fault right after talking aboutpensation without giving any excuses. Even Raon shouldn¡¯t find anything to nitpick. However, Raon wasn¡¯t just an average punk. When she was about to rx, his voice could be heard from behind her. ¡°Haa! She would¡¯ve been having a nap by now with her subordinates in her home if she¡¯d arrived earlier to apologize. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Huh? I-I guess?¡± Raon furrowed his brow, and Rimmer reluctantly nodded. ¡®That damn bastard is doing it again!¡¯ Ariel clenched her fist inside her sleeve. She felt like the mental fortitude that she¡¯d barely managed to rebuild was crumbling into sand. ¡®He¡¯s not a simple punk. He¡¯s a goddamn punk!¡¯ She faintly shook her head while thinking that Raon was the worst punk of all punks in the world. She suppressed her emotions by biting her tongue and raising her eyes. Whir! She drew a circle into the air, and a subspace opened up with arge number of golden ingots, jewels, elixirs, and pieces of equipment pouring out of it. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware that these assets aren¡¯t that useful to Zieghart. Please ept them as my and my subordinates¡¯ sincerity.¡± She stated that she wanted them to ept the assets even if they didn¡¯t want to forgive her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Is she really giving all of them?¡± ¡°The quantity is one thing, but the quality is extraordinary for all of them. The golden coins actually look like tinum coins.¡± ¡°This is more than I expected.¡± Even Zieghart¡¯s executives widened their eyes, surprised by the quantity and quality of the Thespian Emperor¡¯s offerings. ¡®Yes, it¡¯s excessive for an apology, both in terms of quantity and quality. However, this much is nothing.¡¯ Her fame and honor were bound to ascend to a new height by the time she returned, which was iparable to those goods. Since it wasn¡¯t that hard to get those assets by selling information, she didn¡¯t mind giving them away at all. ¡°Wow, how much would that cost? It must¡¯ve been so hard to earn all of those, but she would¡¯ve only needed half the amount if she got here earlier. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Ugh, why is everyone so rich except for me¡­?¡± Raon made fun of her and Rimmer¡¯s chin ttered. ¡®Ignore him. Just ignore. That¡¯s not even a human.¡¯ Ariel¡¯s neck was shivering. Her expression was about to be ruined because of Raon, but she put herself together and focused on Glenn. ¡°We won¡¯t enter Zieghart¡¯s domain in the future, and we will ask for permission in advance if we have¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, wait a moment.¡± Raon shook his hand and interrupted her. ¡°I think that won¡¯t be enough.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ariel blinked. ¡®What is this goddamn punk trying to pull now¡­?¡¯ It was a moment ago that he¡¯d said, ¡®How much would that cost?¡¯ in surprise, but he¡¯d suddenly changed his mind and it became not enough. He was seriously the kind of person she never wanted to deal with. ¡°Is thepensation not enough?¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s slightly insufficient.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± People usually didn¡¯t say such a thing because they care about their position, fame, and age but it apparently didn¡¯t apply to that punk. ¡°Hmm, as I said before, this is just an expression of our sincerity¡­¡± ¡°Ack!¡± She tried to calmly exin it to him, but Raon suddenly frowned while covering his shoulder. ¡°The part that the White Wolf Saber stabbed is hurting!¡± He even broke out in a cold sweat while leaning forward. He looked like he was seriously in pain. ¡®You bastard¡­¡¯ ording to the information, Raon had easily defeated the White Wolf Saber. Since the de hadn¡¯t even reached him, let alone stabbed him, he was definitely pretending. ¡®And the worst part is that it¡¯s on the different side now.¡¯ Raon was covering his right shoulder, but she clearly remembered that he was rubbing his left shoulder earlier when he¡¯d said his shoulder hurt. ¡°But it was your left shoulder earlier¡­¡± ¡°Both of them hurt!¡± Raon covered both his shoulders and twisted his body while being drenched in a cold sweat. ¡®This is seriously driving me nuts.¡¯ He was tantly messing with her, but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it, which was infuriating. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Ariel shook her head and opened the subspace once again. She even brought out the emergency assets that she¡¯d brought just in case. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She looked around while sighing in irritation, and Raon was turning his shoulder like he was never in pain. The cold sweat that used to cover his forehead was alsopletely gone. ¡°I¡¯m doing a bit better now. You wouldn¡¯t have needed to pay extrapensation if you came earlier. This must be karma, right?¡± Raon bobbed his finger with a happy smile on his face. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Ariel shivered, unable to withstand the anger welling up throughout her body. ¡®I need to endure. This isn¡¯t the right time for that.¡¯ It was impossible for her to kill Raon, no matter what she tried. It was necessary to endure the humiliation and n for the future. ¡°Lord of Zieghart.¡± Her anger was boiling like a volcano, but she suppressed it while looking at Glenn. ¡°I¡¯m not hoping for your forgiveness just from this. We will make sure to repent what we¡¯ve done and will never¡ª¡± When she was about to continue while facing Glenn¡¯s uninterested gaze, Raon¡¯s voice could be heard from behind once again. ¡°I believe there¡¯s something else you need to mention.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s enou¡ª¡± She angrily told him off and turned around, and red lightning sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not enough at all. I¡¯m only getting started now.¡± A slightly stinging sensation was felt on her temple as she heard his boorish yet frightening manner of speech. ¡°You didn¡¯t mention the most important part.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Wh-what do you mean¡­?¡± Raon snorted while looking into the Thespian Emperor¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡°What made us the angriest wasn¡¯t your intrusion nor the preemptive attack.¡± ¡°Then what¡­?¡± ¡°It was the hostages.¡± Raon slowly raised his eyebrow and met Ariel¡¯s eyes. ¡°You were fully aware that the ck Tower¡¯s boundary was maintained through the lives of the hostages, yet you did nothing about it. That isn¡¯t something those assets can wash away.¡± Raon wrinkled his nose while looking at the mountain of goods the Thespian Emperor had taken out. ¡°We didn¡¯t manage to predict that the ck Tower would be holding hostages.¡± ¡°The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud was fully aware of that fact. Do you think it makes any sense that you didn¡¯t know when you were the one who gave him the order?¡± Raon tilted his chin while telling her the information he¡¯d gotten from torturing the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. ¡°That¡¯s because the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡ª¡± ¡°The Five Divine Orders set their gs as neutral factions, dering that they didn¡¯t belong to the Six Kings nor the Five Demons.¡± Raon cut off into the Thespian Emperor¡¯s excuse and continued his speech. ¡°Is a neutral faction supposed to do nothing about hostages? Innocent people were turning into a pool of blood as they perished, but you didn¡¯t do anything about it just so you could gain some information. I¡¯m really amazed by your actions.¡± Raon coldly sneered at her while extending his words. ¡°The only order I gave to the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud was to gather information about Zieghart and the ck Tower.¡± The Thespian Emperor shook her head, trying to deny the im. She wasn¡¯t actually lying, but there was another order. ¡°We really were not aware that the ck Tower was holding people hostage.¡± She sighed, saying that she wouldn¡¯t have made that decision if she was aware of the hostages. ¡°No, that¡¯s not all there was.¡± Raon shook his hand and took a step towards her. ¡°You also ordered the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud to not get out of his hiding ce no matter what happened.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s eyes were slightly curved. ¡°I think that¡¯s a really strange order. No matter what? Isn¡¯t the only reason you would give such an order because you were aware that there was serious trouble going on?¡± ¡°The ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans are unpredictable. I just wanted my subordinates to be safe and¡ª¡± ¡°In that case, shouldn¡¯t you have ordered them to never sh against the ck Tower instead of nevering out from their hiding spot? That would¡¯ve worked better, I think.¡± Raon smiled like a snake. ¡°If that was the order, then when they encounter the ck Tower¡¯s demonized humans¡ª¡± ¡°Aah, it actually doesn¡¯t really matter what the order was.¡± Raon interrupted the Thespian Emperor as she tried to give more excuses. She must¡¯ve had a reasonable excuse since she would¡¯ve prepared many responses on her way to Zieghart. However, there was no reason to listen to her. ¡°Because in the end, the White Whale simply watched and did nothing about the innocent people as they died.¡± ¡°Hmm, I have no excuse for that. But the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡ª¡± The Thespian Emperor admitted it and lowered her head. ¡°Ah, you admitted it. I¡¯m so relieved.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Because the hostages happened to hear about this.¡± Raon smiled faintly. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°I was exining what had happened to the hostages and identally told them that the White Whale had been watching but did nothing to help them. Is that fine?¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s okay since it was our mistake.¡± Ariel nodded her head. ¡®It¡¯s okay. I can still make up for it.¡¯ She¡¯d heard that all the hostages were inside Zieghart. She could just give them some sticks and carrots to prevent the rumor from spreading. ¡°I¡¯d like to personally meet them to ask for forgiveness. Can you give me a chance?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s unfortunately impossible.¡± Raon slowly shook his head. ¡°Because they¡¯ve already left our house.¡± ¡°What?¡± Her eyes widened upon hearing that the hostages had left. ¡°Wh-when¡­?¡± ¡°I let them leave when Lady Ariel arrived here. They probably met the people that you¡¯ve been ying captain with by now.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ariel swallowed nervously while looking at Raon¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®Was this his goal all along?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t make an order to take care of the hostages because she couldn¡¯t get out of the audience chamber. There were some warriors from the White Whale among the followers, but they shouldn¡¯t be able to make any move since Zieghart was right in front of them. ¡®This punk¡­¡¯ If the rumors about the White Whale ignoring the hostages spread, their fame and honor could drop even lower than before instead of increasing. The reason she came to Zieghart waspletely gone. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t manage her expression because she¡¯d never predicted that situation. She furrowed her brow before she knew it. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to say this.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while touching the back of his neck. ¡°Since I¡¯m such a responsible person, I¡¯m nning to keep checking on them until they return home safely. I think I¡¯ll be suspicious of the White Whale before anyone else if they get injured or disappear on the way. Do you agree with that?¡± What he said was something that normal people wouldn¡¯t say out of respect for the other party. It was a threat. An oppression to prevent them from harming the hostages. The White Whale was going to be forced to protect the hostages instead of harming them against their will. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor remained silent and simply red at Raon with her ming red eyes. Raon felt great about it because it was a simr method to the way the Thespian Emperor was trying to take advantage of Zieghart. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s lips were slightly raised, implying that he was also satisfied with it. ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear that.¡± Raon snickered and nodded. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t actually need your help.¡¯ He¡¯d contacted the ck Market in advance and made two requests. The first was the protection of the hostages, and the second was to spread the story of the hostages throughout the continent. The fame and honor that she was trying to obtain must¡¯ve disappeared into the darkness of the abyss. ¡°Was your name Ariel?¡± Ariel raised her gaze upon hearing Glenn¡¯s call. She was still somehow maintaining her expression despite the situation, and it showed that her mind was as polished as her might. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This is thest time I¡¯ll overlook the matter. If you try to y your trivial tricks once again, I¡¯ll erase the name of the White Whale from the face of the continent.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± A frightening light appeared in the Thespian Emperor¡¯s eyes. She seemed to have no intention of hiding her emotions anymore since the truth was already revealed as she nodded with a spiteful gaze. ¡°And¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor took out a white envelope from her clothes and handed it over. ¡°There will be a festival next year to celebrate the foundation of the Five Divine Order¡¯s groups. Please join us if you can.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Glenn nodded, and the letter floated from the Thespian Emperor¡¯s hand like a cloud and fell on the throne¡¯s armrest. ¡°Roenn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roenn went down from the tform and stepped up next to the Thespian Emperor. ¡°I¡¯ll guide you to the others.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± The Thespian Emperor nodded and turned around to follow Roenn. She red at Raon while walking slowly. Her eyes were like hellfire, burning with anger and malice. Raon swallowed nervously while meeting her gaze. ¡®What an amazing threat.¡¯ He was breaking out in cold sweat even though she wasn¡¯t using any aura or pressure. She was an extremely powerful warrior. He wouldn¡¯t even be standing if they were in any other ce. ¡®However¡­ This is my home.¡¯ Moreover, the master of the house had allowed him to do whatever he wanted, and that was why he could do even worse. ¡°Lady Ariel.¡± He called her name with a faint smile on his face, and the Thespian Emperor stopped walking. ¡°Do you want new shoes?¡± ¡°Shoes? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Since you look like you have a lot to think about, you¡¯ll need to walk on your way back, too. Won¡¯t you need new shoes so you can y captain on your back, just like when you came here?¡± He was twisting the words that she¡¯d used to justify herte visit. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor bared her teeth. Her eyes curved like a crescent moon, her malice intensifying even further than before. ¡°Kuhahaha!¡± Rimmer couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore and started tough while covering his stomach. ¡°You really are a madman!¡± He giggled, saying that he¡¯d never seen anyone crazier than himself. ¡°Please stay quiet. Where do you think we are?¡± ¡°Ah, hmm.¡± Rimmer awkwardly nodded. ¡®Wait a moment! This is so strange.¡¯ He wanted to argue that Raon wasn¡¯t the one to say that to him since he¡¯d been making aplete mess all along, but he suppressed his urge because he was afraid of Glenn. ¡°I¡¯m nning to do so.¡± The Thespian Emperor nodded with a smile. Of course, it was a frightening smile that was making their hair stand on end. ¡®This is the perfect timing.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist. It was the best time to ask that question since herposure waspletely gone. ¡°The dragon helmet.¡± The Thespian Emperor suddenly stopped walking as she heard. ¡°I heard you¡¯ve met a person wearing the dragon helmet.¡± Raon continued while meeting her frightening eyes. ¡°How are you rted to Eden?¡± Chapter 466 Chapter 466 The Thespian Emperor¡¯s eyes became distorted, as if they were being crushed by a hammer. Her trembling lips slightly parted and a quiet voice came out from her. ¡°How do you kn¡ª¡± She quickly realized her mistake and shut her mouth, but Raon didn¡¯t miss that instant. ¡°So it was true.¡± Raon clenched his fist with a cold smile on his face. ¡®It worked.¡¯ She hadn¡¯t finished talking, but it was enough of an answer. The testimony of her meeting with someone wearing a dragon helmet was true. ¡®Is this the result of acting like a punk?¡¯ It was worth getting on her nerves since she entered the audience chamber after seeing her indomitable spirit being destroyed for a moment.¡°Tell us now, what¡¯s your rtionship with Eden?¡± The executives reacted to his question instead of the Thespian Emperor. Rumble! The pce masters and the division leaders silently drew their swords and surrounded the Thespian Emperor. They created a current simr to a sword formation without even talking to each other and started pressuring her. ¡°Are you a demon from Eden?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°How dare youe to Zieghart with something fishy behind you?¡± That was from Karoon, Denier, and Balder. The three pce masters ced their swords on the Thespian Emperor¡¯s neck with frightening and hostile pressures. Raon had been thinking that Karoon and Balder were nothing but a hindrance, but they were kind of dependable in that situation. Even they seemed to prioritize the house above anything else. Whir! The same went for the division leaders. They blocked the Thespian Emperor¡¯s retreat to assist the pce masters and were pointing their swords at her. Rumble! She didn¡¯t lower herself even though all of the pce masters and division leaders¡¯ pressures were weighing upon her. An oppressive energy surged like a tide from under her feet. ¡°You¡¯re leaving me with no out.¡± She rolled her lips into a smile. It was a look of the one who¡¯d transcended their emotions. She must¡¯ve calmed herself down and pulled herself together in that short period of time. ¡°You should speak carefully.¡± The Thespian Emperor looked at the tform upon hearing Glenn¡¯s frightening voice. ¡°Because I cannot let you go if you are rted to Eden.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Her eyes revealed her nervousness for the first time. ¡°I have no intention of fighting here.¡± The Thespian Emperor slowly raised her hands and shook her head. A cold sweat dripped from her forehead. ¡°I admit that I¡¯ve met a man wearing a dragon helmet before.¡± She calmly closed her eyes. ¡°However, we aren¡¯t rted in any way. He was just a client who¡¯d visited the White Whale to buy information.¡± ¡°A client?¡± ¡°Everyone here should be well aware of it, but the White Whale trades both the power and information.¡± The executives gave her a small nod. All of them seemed to be aware of that fact. ¡°He visited me personally to buy information, and I sold him the information he wanted. Our rtionship was nothing but that of a merchant and their client.¡± The Thespian Emperor grabbed her sleeve, saying that she hadn¡¯t seen that man again after selling that information. ¡°What does that helmet look like?¡± Glenn asked, his gaze frightening. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor let out a small groan upon hearing his question. ¡°So the lord of Zieghart knows about the Heavenly Demon.¡± She slowly nodded. ¡°Heavenly Demon?¡± ¡°What is the Heavenly Demon?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The division leaders furrowed their brows. They didn¡¯t seem to know about the Heavenly Demon. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, the three pce masters seemed to know about it, and they released even stronger pressures at the Thespian Emperor. ¡°Heavenly Demon¡­¡± Raon tilted his head and the Thespian Emperor continued. ¡°Eden¡¯s objective is restoration. They want to return to ancient times. Do you know what time exactly that is?¡± The Thespian Emperor looked at Raon. She continued with a smile that didn¡¯t seem right for some reason. ¡°It¡¯s when the world used to be a hell with endless wars between humans and monsters. It was the time when the demonic dragon tried to devour the world. It¡¯s also when Zieghart¡¯s first head became famous.¡± ¡°Demonic dragon¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously. ¡®I¡¯ve heard about it before.¡¯ There was a legend about the worst and strongest demonic dragon that even devoured other dragons, and it supposedly tried to destroy the entire human realm. Even the demons were rampaging around back then, and people¡¯s lives were a living hell. The story must¡¯ve been true ording to what she¡¯d said. ¡°Eden¡¯s ultimate goal is to revive that demonic dragon. Some of the people here should be already aware of that fact, and the others will find out in the future.¡± The Thespian Emperor nodded while saying that it wasn¡¯t a cheap piece of information. ¡°That man wearing the demonic dragon¡¯s helmet is called the Heavenly Dragon by Eden. They want him to be the demonic dragon one day and paint the sky with darkness. He hasn¡¯t shown himself in the world yet, but you should know about him, lord of Zieghart.¡± She smiled at Glenn. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he listened to the Thespian Emperor. ¡®So the Heavenly Demon was the other leader of Eden.¡¯ There were many rumors about Eden having another leader other than the Fallen, and they must¡¯ve been the Heavenly Demon. ¡°The dragon helmet worn by the Heavenly Demon has red scales, ck horns, and demonic eyes, with the sclera and iris being reversed. However¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor licked her dry lips. ¡°The man with the dragon helmet who came to see me was different from that. The scales were silver and the horns were blue. The helmet¡¯s appearance was also different from the demonic dragon¡¯s characteristics.¡± She shook her head, saying that even she wasn¡¯t aware of his identity. ¡°What information did he buy?¡± Glenn quietly stared into her eyes. He seemed to be trying to read her intentions. ¡°Despite my unsightly behavior today, I¡¯m still a merchant who deals with information. I can¡¯t tell others about what information my clients buy.¡± The Thespian Emperor straightened her spine. Her confidence spread around her, just like when she first made her entrance. ¡°One thing I can say for sure is that the information he bought wasn¡¯t rted to the Six Kings and the Five Demons.¡± The Thespian Emperor guaranteed that it wasn¡¯t anything that could be harmful to Zieghart. ¡®That woman¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Thespian Emperor. ¡®She¡¯s even more amazing than I¡¯d thought.¡¯ He was surprised at how well she was responding in such a pressing situation. Raon figured he would need to change how much danger she posed in his mind. ¡°And why should I believe you?¡± Glenn looked down on the Thespian Emperor. His red eyes were wrapped in cold dignity. ¡°There is no reason to. However, I swear on my and the White Whale¡¯s name that it is not a lie.¡± The Thespian Emperor took out a white tablet from her clothes. The mythical creature, the White Whale that supposedly cruised around the ocean and sky, was engraved on the round bit of candidium. ¡°If what I said is revealed to be false in the future, you may bring that tablet forward and cut my throat.¡± She narrowed her eyes, saying that she wasn¡¯t just trying to get out of the predicament. ¡®She doesn¡¯t seem to be lying¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the tablet she was handing out. ¡®I wonder what¡¯s going to happen next?¡¯ If Glenn had information about another dragon helmet other than the Heavenly Demon, the Thespian Emperor should be able to safely leave Zieghart. But if he didn¡¯t, a fight between them was going to break out. ¡®Regardless of the case, attacking her right now isn¡¯t too good for us.¡¯ Everything was going so well with the people who were held hostages by the ck Tower starting to spread the rumors about the White Whale¡¯s evil deeds. However, it was all going to be in vain if the Thespian Emperor was injured or killed. It wasn¡¯t the right time to attack her. * * * * * * Whir. Just as Raon was thinking about how he should react to each scenario, the White Whale tablet that the Thespian Emperor had been holding floated into the air and entered Glenn¡¯s grasp. ¡°I¡¯ll believe you for now. However¡­¡± The tablet was turned into ash in an instant and scattered into the air from Glenn¡¯s hand. The disy of power that could destroy the candidium in an instant was truly beyond human limits. ¡°Regardless of this tablet, I¡¯ll erase the White Whale¡¯s name from the face of this continent if you are proven to be lying.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll bear that in mind.¡± The Thespian Emperor nodded with trembling shoulders. She seemed to be frightened by Glenn¡¯s overwhelming pressure. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon rubbed the back of his hand while watching Glenn¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®Does this mean that there¡¯s another dragon helmet other than the Heavenly Demon?¡¯ The helmet was silver and the horns were blue. Raon had a feeling that he¡¯d seen thatbination before. ¡°Sheathe your swords.¡± The pce masters and the division leaders sheathed their swords and stepped back upon hearing his order. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor sighed faintly and shook her sleeve. Her clothes werepletely drenched, showing that the situation was nervous even for her. ¡°I¡¯ll guide you out.¡± Roenn walked up to the Thespian Emperor and smiled as if the tension had never happened. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± The Thespian Emperor looked at Raon instead of following Roenn. ¡°It was my loss this time. I was thoroughly defeated.¡± Her eyes lookedpletely dry, but her fervor was ignited like dying embers. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to our next encounter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really want to see you again, though.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders, saying that he wasn¡¯t interested in her. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon opened his hand when the Thespian Emperor was about to leave with a furrowed brow. ¡°You should visit the building on the right after leaving the lord¡¯s manor.¡± ¡°The building on the right?¡± ¡°Yes. You should get new shoes before leaving. They should provide you with them if you ask about them there.¡± Raon pointed at the Thespian Emperor¡¯s shoes with a cheerful smile. ording to his experience, it was better to continue until the very end once he decided to provoke someone. Creak. The Thespian Emperor¡¯s face was red from the boiling rage that she¡¯d barely managed to suppress and ground her teeth before leaving the audience chamber. Thud. The audience chamber remained silent despite the huge noise of the closing iron door. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± The pce masters and the division leaders dropped their jaws, revealing their surprise at how Raon one-sidedly prevailed against the Thespian Emperor. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It looks like everything went well somehow.¡± ¡°I-indeed.¡± ¡°It went pretty well.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this to happen, though.¡± The executives nodded, satisfied with the Thespian Emperor¡¯s defeat. Even Balder was smiling among them. Raon looked at Wrath under the surprised andmending gazes. He was about to thank him for keeping quiet, but Wrath was actively moving his hand with his back against Raon. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ He¡¯s taking notes. He was indeed writing something on his round hand. ¡®What are you writing?¡¯ It¡¯s about the method you used to make fun of other humans. It was insanely effective, to the point where even the King of Essence had to admit it. GET. NEW. SHOES. He was writing down the words down one letter at a time while repeating what Raon had just told the Thespian Emperor. COME FASTER. Telling them toe faster will never fail to make them angry. ¡®That¡¯s not true, though¡­¡¯ It could only provoke the opponent because it was used in an appropriate situation. Just randomly saying that would¡¯ve beenpletely meaningless. ¡®That¡¯s not how you use that line¡­¡¯ Shut up, the King of Essence is studying. He¡¯s going to ovee human limits just like you! Wrath shook his hand, telling Raon to stop talking to him. ¡®But you aren¡¯t human to begin with¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head, and Rimmer came up next to him. ¡°What the hell are you? Where did you even learn to do something like that?¡± ¡°Who else? I have the perfect example of an immature adult right next to me.¡± Raon pointed at Rimmer. ¡°Me? I am not as crazy as you! You were literally a goddamn punk just now!¡± ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t any worse than you, division leader.¡± Raon shook his head in denial. ¡°Hmm, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter either way since that¡¯s not the important part right now.¡± Rimmer chuckled and waved his hand at Glenn. ¡°My lord!¡± He grinned while pointing at the mountain of treasures that the Thespian Emperor had left behind. ¡°The additional goods we managed to get thanks to Raon should go to him, right?¡± Glenn¡¯s lips twitched upon hearing it. ¡°Division leader, I¡­¡± Raon was about to shake his hand and tell him that he didn¡¯t need it when messages appeared in front of his eyes. * * * Ariel left the lord¡¯s manor after Roenn, and her subordinates¡ªincluding the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud¡ªwere waiting for her. Their outfits were simr to before, but their eyes were devoid of life, like those of an old lion. ¡®Those motherfuckers¡­¡¯ She wanted to smash their heads in because they had leaked information to Raon, but she had to suppress the urge because they were still in Zieghart. ¡°B-boss.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud bowed to Ariel and begged for forgiveness upon seeing the frightening look in her eyes. ¡°Get up. We shouldn¡¯t discuss that here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ariel shook her hand and made them stand back up, and the White Wolf Saber¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s blood on your mouth¡­¡± She touched her lips while listening to him. Her lip was covered in blood, which was flowing from her mouth. ¡®I¡¯m not bleeding from the mouth. It¡¯s an internal injury.¡¯ She¡¯d gotten an internal injury because she was exposed to real pressures under a huge mental shock. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Raon had inflicted that wound on her. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t anything serious, but she was still irritated because it required some recuperation. Ariel shook her hand at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber. ¡°Follow me, since we need to return right now. Just tell them that you don¡¯t know anything.¡± She had to act as fast as possible in order to stop the rumors from the people that Raon had released. There was no time to talk. She was heading towards Zieghart¡¯s main gate, and the swordsmen she¡¯d seen when she entered were still standing there withmoners who hadn¡¯t learned any martial arts behind them. ¡°You didn¡¯t save the hostages? What were you even thinking?¡± ¡°You are no different from the Five Demons at that point!¡± ¡°Rename yourselves to the Five Divine Demons!¡± ¡°Thespian Emperor? Hero? Bullshit!¡± The Zieghart residents behind the swordsmen were ming them since they had already heard the rumor about the Thespian Emperor and the White Whale. The Thespian Emperor bit her lip and quickly walked towards the main gate. ¡°Are you leaving already?¡± The externalmander, Illiune, was standing in front of the gate, and he waved his hand with a bright expression on his face¡ªa contrast to their first encounter. ¡°I am. Please open the gate.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He shook his hand with a satisfied expression, and the gate slowly opened. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor sighed. As soon as she left the gate, the people who¡¯d followed her until Zieghart came running at her and blocked her path. ¡°Thespian Emperor!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the meaning behind this?!¡± ¡°They said you did nothing when people were taken away by the demonized humans!¡± ¡°Tell me it¡¯s not true!¡± Her followers gathered their hands, praying for her to deny the statement. Zieghart¡¯s residents, who¡¯d been staying behind her, also came outside and started to criticize her. ¡°I wish you a good journey.¡± She turned around upon hearing a frivolous voice, and Illiune was grinning at her from above the walls. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor forced herself to swallow the blood overflowing from her throat and clenched her teeth. ¡®Raon Zieghart, you can have this round. But next time¡­¡¯ Chapter 467 Chapter 467 Raon observed Glenn instead of paying attention to the messages. Glenn was tapping on the armrest of his throne. He seemed to be contemting what to do. ¡°I agree with the Light Wind division leader.¡± The Void Sword division leader, Serena, was the first person to raise her hand. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the Light Wind vice division leader¡¯s stormy period of adolescence, we would¡¯ve had to surrender to the Thespian Emperor¡¯s tricks. I believe he deserves that much reward at least.¡± She smiled while calling it a stormy period of adolescence instead of puberty. ¡°I concur.¡± ¡°I even want to give him my sry when I think about the Thespian Emperor¡¯s irritated face.¡± ¡°I know, right? I never expected this to end so nicely.¡± The division leaders agreed with Serena and nodded without hesitation.Raon averted his gaze from the division leaders who agreed with Rimmer and looked at the pce masters instead. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Karoon simply closed his eyes without saying anything. He seemed to have no intention of interfering, unlike in the past. ¡°I think he deserves even more rewards. It was an amazing achievement that couldn¡¯t be aplished with power alone.¡± Denier seemed excited as he praised Raon¡¯s actions. ¡°Ahem, that¡¯s fine for today.¡± Balder shook his hand, gesturing that Raon should take the treasures already. ¡°Ooh!¡± Rimmer cheerfully pped his hands. ¡°It¡¯s so rare for everyone to agree. What happened to you?¡± He went towards Glenn while murmuring that it was perfect. ¡°You heard them, my lord! Everyone agrees.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn calmly looked at Raon. He suppressed the twitching of his lips to the best of his abilities and closed his mouth tightly. ¡®He did a great job. There¡¯s nothing else to say. He has far surpassed my expectations.¡¯ He was slightly worried when Raon previously dered that he was going to act like a child and turn it into a mess. The influence that he had started to gain in the house could have decreased if he¡¯d made any mistakes, as the pce masters and the division leaders were also present. ¡®But you¡¯ve done great.¡¯ Raon had rammed at the Thespian Emperor like a real punk despite his worries. He managed to break the Thespian Emperor¡¯s mental fortitude, and she had to give away all of her money and information¡ªand even gained an internal injury on top. The injury wasn¡¯t that serious, but it wasn¡¯t insignificant either, and she would be forced to recuperate for a while. ¡®The most satisfying part is something else, though¡­¡¯ Glenn looked at the executives who were raining praises upon Raon. They¡¯d always underestimated him or been hostile towards him, yet they were nodding at him while praising his achievement. The fact that his grandson was finally being recognized by the executives leading the house pleased him far more than the Thespian Emperor¡¯s assets. He even wanted to run down there and pat Raon¡¯s head because he was so proud of him for gradually making his own path. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn slowly snapped his fingers. A golden dimension opened up and started to absorb all of the treasures left behind by the Thespian Emperor. ¡°Huh?¡± Rimmer widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°Why are you taking them for yourself?!¡± Glenn ignored him and put all of the treasures in his subspace. ¡®What else? It¡¯s obviously because I want to give him even more than this.¡¯ That stupid Rimmer wanted to give the additional part to Raon. Since it wasn¡¯t that much, Glenn was nning to reward him with a lot more higher-quality assets afterward. Combining the Thespian Emperor¡¯s assets was the first step for that purpose. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± Glenn called out to Raon after he closed the treasury. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon stepped forward and bowed to him. ¡°Since everyone agreed, it¡¯s only natural for me to ept. I¡¯ll send a portion of the Thespian Emperor¡¯s assets to the annex building.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Glenn rolled his lips into a smile while covering his chin with his hand. ¡®I¡¯m sure Sylvia will be happy about it as well.¡¯ Considering Raon¡¯s personality, he wasn¡¯t going to talk about it too much to Sylvia. Glenn wanted to make Sylvia smile by sending it as a reward from the lord¡¯s manor. ¡®Everything was satisfying today¡ªexcept for one thing.¡¯ Glenn faintly twisted his lips. He was mostly satisfied, but one thing troubled him. It was how Raon learned to act like a punk. However, he already had an answer to the question. Tsk tsk. Rimmer clicked his tongue while looking at Glenn¡¯s wavering throat. ¡®He¡¯s so obvious.¡¯ He could tell what Glenn was thinking at a nce, probably because they¡¯d been together for such a long time. ¡®I bet he¡¯s suppressing his urge to hug his grandson.¡¯ Rimmer could tell that Glenn was hiding his urge because he was worried that Raon would end up bearing his karma and the hostility of the other direct lines. ¡®No, regardless of all that, he is probably just shy.¡¯ Glenn must¡¯ve been feeling awkward about being friendlier towards Raon because he¡¯d only helped Raon behind the scenes since his childhood. ¡®But he¡¯s improved a bit recently.¡¯ The encouraging part was that the distance between Raon and Glenn was gradually getting smaller, even though the slow pace was so frustrating to watch. ¡°Haa.¡± Rimmer sighed, and Glenn¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Everyone except for the Light Wind division leader will leave now.¡± Glenn ordered the executives to leave since it was over. ¡°Huh?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°You want me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why m¡ªAh!¡± Rimmer thought about it and realized the reason. ¡®I must be getting some extra rewards since I¡¯ve been taking good care of Raon.¡¯ Since Glenn didn¡¯t look furious, it seemed to be the only exnation. ¡°Understood!¡± Rimmer nodded and responded loud and clear. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader! Good job!¡± ¡°Your eloquence was amazing.¡± ¡°How did you evene up with that? I wonder what¡¯s inside your head.¡± ¡°That was so satisfying. I¡¯ll buy you a drinkter.¡± The division leaders smiled or waved their hands while asking him to hang outter on. Karoon walked past him without saying anything, Balder was rolling his eyes with a sour look on his face, and Denier nodded at him to praise him. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Glenn raised his hand when Raon was about to leave after he bowed. ¡°Where did you learn to act like a punk? It should be impossible toe up with that act on your own.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the exemry model standing next to me.¡± Raon immediately pointed at Rimmer without giving it a second thought. ¡°N-no! You¡¯ve far surpassed me already! You are better than your master!¡± Rimmer felt a chill running down his spine and frantically shook his head. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m not even at half your level, division leader.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth! You were the perfect punk today!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always been a perfect punk, division leader.¡± The teacher and the student called each other a punk while pointing fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± Raon kept saying that it was all thanks to Rimmer¡¯s exemry life as a punk until he left the audience chamber, and Glenn and Rimmer were the only ones left in the room. Rumble! Glenn slowly stood up from the throne. The frightening energy bursting from the audience chamber¡¯s floor was as frightening as when he was facing the Thespian Emperor. ¡°I understand now how you¡¯ve been acting in front of the children all along.¡± ¡°Y-you are misunderstanding! I might be crazy, but Raon¡¯s madness has far surpassed mine! He¡¯s blessed by the punk god!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a punk. He¡¯s just in his puberty.¡± ¡°Puberty? His mind was already an adult the moment he was born! Puberty my ass!¡± Rimmer stomped the ground in denial, but Glenn raised his hand without hesitation. ¡°W-wait! Raon got the gold ingots thanks to you! Let¡¯s call it quits with that¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it will be halved.¡± ¡°Halved?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you half dead.¡± Whaaam! * * * * * * Karoon quietly left the audience chamber along with Balder, who had an excited expression on his face. ¡°I never expected him to be helpful in my lifetime.¡± Balder rolled his lips into a smile while scratching his thick neck. ¡°His madness bes an unstoppable sword when it¡¯s directed at an enemy from outside. Did you see the Thespian Emperor¡¯s face?¡± He grinned, saying that he liked what Raon had done for once. ¡°I saw it. Herposure waspletely destroyed. She must¡¯ve even gained an internal injury.¡± Karoon quietly nodded. ¡°Kuhahahaha!¡± Balder covered his forehead and burst intoughter. ¡°I wasn¡¯t mistaken! I should¡¯ve given him a gift before I left!¡± He seemed to have taken some liking to Raon. He was as much of a simpleton as he looked. ¡°Did you see his face? He was so determined to start a mess¡­ hmm?¡± Balder furrowed his brow while looking at Karoon, who remained silent all along. ¡°Why are you frowning? I know you don¡¯t like him, but he deserves some recognition this time. He caught the rat that was trying to make use of our house.¡± ¡°Yes, it was worthy of recognition. What he did was extremely helpful for the house. However¡­¡± Karoon slowly turned his head around. His eyes were as quiet as a snake targeting its prey. ¡°Where did it happen today?¡± ¡°At the lord¡¯s manor, of course.¡± ¡°Yes. It happened at the lord¡¯s manor. And the only person who is free to act there is our father.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Balder finally realized the strangeness of the situation and his eyes widened. ¡°Our father would¡¯ve stopped us if we tried to make fun of the Thespian Emperor. However, Raon did whatever he wanted today¡ªas if he were in his own room.¡± ¡°Which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Our father¡¯s attitude towards Raon has changed.¡± The atmosphere around them froze along with Karoon¡¯s quiet voice. ¡°A-aren¡¯t you exaggerating? Raon is still young¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have cared about him if he¡¯d recently be a Master or was at the novice level. However, he is currently at the highest level Master, and he¡¯s powerful enough to consecutively defeat other highest level Masters.¡± He ground his teeth while thinking about Raon. ¡°It looks like our father is trying to make himpete against us.¡± * * * The Shadow Agents¡¯ leader, Chad, came to Raon when he left the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°Thank you for your efforts.¡± He bowed, praising his efforts since he was aware that Raon was acting like a thug on purpose. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± It was honestly effortless for Raon. He could clearly see how to act since the perfect textbook, Rimmer, was right next to him. ¡°This is a small gift from me. Please have it at home.¡± Chad handed out a small box wrapped in a luxurious package. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really fine¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dessert that I think you will like, vice division leader. Please ept it.¡± He gave Raon the box while saying that it was just a small gift, then stepped back. ¡°See youter, then.¡± Chad bowed once again and left without hesitation. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the box that Chad gave him. ¡®Is it the macarons that he gave me before?¡¯ Since Chad had previously given him macarons, Raon figured it would be another dessert. ¡®He¡¯s another person that I can¡¯t be careless around.¡¯ Raon thought that he couldn¡¯t be careless around Chad since he still couldn¡¯t understand his intentions. That doesn¡¯t matter! Wrath surged like a fountain with a frown on his face. Let¡¯s go buy the ice cream already! You promised! He grabbed Raon¡¯s sleeve and shook it, urging him to go to the ice cream shop. ¡®Alright.¡¯ Raon nodded. Wrath still hadn¡¯t managed to eat the ice cream he wanted because of the various incidents that had happened. He did actually have an ice cream, but he¡¯d dered it didn¡¯t count because it was Nadine bread-vored. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ Raon nodded since he hadn¡¯t been able to keep his promise up to that point. He went to the shop while thinking that he would buy all of the ice cream Wrath wanted to eat. ¡®I should check the messages on the way.¡¯ Raon loaded the messages that he¡¯d removed without checking them out in the audience chamber. He thought Wrath was going to start causing a ruckus, but he had his eyes closed with his hands put together. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ Stop talking to the King of Essence. He is praying for no more incidents today. Wrath murmured that he was praying to the demon god so he could finally have his ice cream. ¡®Nothing should happen now.¡¯ Since there wasn¡¯t a festival and it wasn¡¯t a holiday for the shop, there was nothing to worry about. But something always happens whenever you are around! ¡®It only happens sometimes, not always.¡¯ Raon shook his hand and checked the messages.
[You¡¯ve destroyed the mental fortitude of an opponent far more powerful than yourself.]
[All stats have increased by 10.]
[The trait Backstab has increased in rank.]
He could hear Wrath¡¯s groan as he read the messages about the increase in his stats and trait. Damn it¡­ Wrath must¡¯ve been curious even though he pretended he wasn¡¯t. Irritation and anger could be found on his face. Why did Backstab rank up?! ¡®Maybe because my words stabbed her in the back?¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath fell speechless because he couldn¡¯t find anything to say. ¡®Seriously.¡¯ Raon smiled and checked the next message.
[Title The Tongue that Mocks the World has been created.]
Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the title¡¯s name. ¡®The Tongue that Mocks the World? This doesn¡¯t sound right¡­¡¯ Raon checked the description while thinking that the name was too shabby.
The Tongue that Mocks the World This title is given to someone who defeated a more powerful opponent with eloquence alone. Effect: Causes a small amount of mental confusion while talking to a more powerful opponent.
The title wasn¡¯t rted to his might but the way it affected the opponent¡¯s mind. It seemed to have a simr effect as mind attribute magic. True! Wrath immediately nodded. You deserve this one at least! Three demon kings have been yed by your tongue! He even imed that it should¡¯ve been ¡®the Tongue that Mocks Dimensions¡¯ instead of the world. Your tongue should be pulled out and praised as one of Devildom¡¯s relics! It will cause a huge ruckus in the entirety of Devildom once they learn that it turned three demon kings into your ythings! Wrath¡¯s eyes sparkled as he asserted it would be a mythical artifact. ¡®Stop saying useless shit and decide on the ice cream. We are almost here¡ªHuh?¡¯ Raon stopped walking upon finding the bead ice cream shop. Inside the shop was dark, and no one seemed to be there. N-no way?! ¡®Is it closed?¡¯ Raon walked up to the shop and read the paper on the door. [I¡¯m taking a day off today because I need to insult this fucker.] The story about the Thespian Emperor and the White Whale ignoring the hostages despite having seen them was written beneath the words in small letters. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. The manager must¡¯ve gone to the main gate along with the other merchants to criticize the Thespian Emperor. ¡®Is this really happening?¡¯ He¡¯d ordered Dorian and Krein to spread the rumors to elerate the process, but he¡¯d never expected such a result. Wh-what the hell is this?! Wrath ground his teeth violently while reading the paper. Mustache! Why are you so involved in society?! Just keep selling the ice cream in your shop! He mmed his chest in frustration. You went to the festival, to the event, and now you are even criticizing her. Who do you think can sell ice cream if you do this?! Wrath screamed that the world couldn¡¯t be doing that to him. STG, this entire world is trying to mess with him! ¡®STG?¡¯ Swear to God! He shook his hand as if he were trying to grab the sky by its cor. ¡®Hey¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while trying to avoid provoking him any further. ¡®I don¡¯t think he ising back today.¡¯ The Thespian Emperor had lots of work to do since she had to convince her followers and Zieghart¡¯s residents. The manager most likely wasn¡¯t going to return to open the shop. Shut up! The King of Essence is spending the entire night here no matter what! Wrath frowned, dering that he wasn¡¯t going to move a single step until the door opened. Raon contemted what he should do and remembered the box that Chad had given him. ¡®How about eating this for now?¡¯ Raon figured the dessert would be good enough tofort Wrath if it was a macaron. Hmm¡­ Wrath raised his head slightly. It must¡¯ve piqued his interest. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and unwrapped the box. Just like he¡¯d expected, plump and creamy macarons were inside the box. This is good stuff! It was sweet and delicious! ¡®Right? Let¡¯s be satisfied with this for today.¡¯ Raon patted Wrath¡¯s back and picked up a macaron. By the way, what vor is it? ¡®vor?¡¯ Raon tilted his head upon seeing the color of the macaron¡¯s cream. ¡®Let me check¡­ Huh?¡¯ Raon¡¯s jaw dropped upon reading the note stuck on the box. [I heard the vice division leader likes this vor, so I¡¯ve prepared these Nadine bread-vored macarons through a special order. I hope we keep getting along in the future.] Chad¡¯s note stated that he¡¯d prepared Nadine bread-vored macarons through a special order. This is driving him nuts! Wrath closed his eyes. He¡¯s seriously getting trust issues! Chapter 468 Chapter 468 The purple sky at daybreak was wavering like a curtain above the fifth training ground. Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive at the center of the training ground. The silver de quietly made its appearance and soared to pierce the sky. A downward sh followed. Even though there was no strength in the strike, a thick line formed on the training ground floor alongside a powerful shockwave. He tightened his lips and shed once again. The trace of the second strike was shallower than the first one. Raon didn¡¯t seem satisfied with it either and kept repeating vertical shes over and over again. The trace, as thick as a knuckle at first, became thinner and thinner and eventually became a line as thin as a hair. Raon continued to sh after that, but no other trace ever appeared. The reason was simple. The vertical shes were falling at exactly the same power and speed, causing it to never exceed thest trace it made.Raon smiled in satisfaction while looking at the trace with a cold atmosphere around it. ¡®It¡¯s finally getting decent.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t control his strength at first because of the increased stats and aura, but he finally managed to get used to his improved body and aura after practicing his basic swing over a hundred times. He had tried various methods, but the basic techniques were the best when it came to getting used to the changes in his body. Tsk tsk. Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic demeanor. You try so hard every time you gain stats. Don¡¯t you get tired of it? He murmured that humans were truly a shabby race. ¡®I told you before.¡¯ Raon sighed briefly while lowering Heavenly Drive. ¡®This small difference decides life and death during a real battle.¡¯ Raon pointed at the thick trace that he¡¯d created at first and thest trace, which was as thin as a thread. ¡®It¡¯s always useful to practice control of body and aura.¡¯ Having a stronger body and aura wasn¡¯t always advantageous. If he didn¡¯t have perfect control of it, the improvement could be his downfall instead. Once you be a demon king, you will get used to it right away without a trivial practice like that. ¡®Demon king?¡¯ Indeed. Whenever you get stronger, the body gets used to it by itself without needing to practice. Wrath opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, asking Raon if he wanted to try bing a demon king. ¡®Keep it to yourself.¡¯ Raon shook his head firmly. Ugh¡­ ¡®What do you even want me to do? You sometimes tell me that I¡¯m going to burn up the entirety of Devildom, but you want me to be a demon king other times.¡¯ About that¡­ Wrath rolled his round eyes. Devildom will be ruined once you get there, but he wants the others to experience his pain¡­ Wrath murmured that he didn¡¯t want Devildom to be ruined, but he wanted Raon to scam all of the other arrogant demon kings and demons. ¡®So you don¡¯t want to be the only one to suffer? Seriously¡­¡¯ It was difficult to believe he was the monarch of wrath because of how petty he was. That¡¯s not what he means! The King of Essence just wants to set an example for Devildom¡¯s fledglings¡­ ¡®Whatever.¡¯ Raon pped Wrath away as he keptining and practiced the Fangs of Insanity, the Blizzard Sword Art, and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s techniques one after the other before he raised his gaze. The night sky with its shining stars had subsided, and the sun had already risen. ¡®Then, to finish¡­¡¯ He raised Heavenly Drive above his head. He pointed his de to the sky and mustered the power of his soul. Whir! The pir connecting his body to his soul started to furiously vibrate. The aura dwelling in Heavenly Drive spread around the training ground and created a huge flow. ¡®I¡¯ll sever the sky.¡¯ The will incorporated on the reddened de was even more vivid than his aura as he shed down with his sword. The recoil rushing through his wrist felt like he was cutting through flowing water with a club, but Raon didn¡¯t stop his swing. Wham! The entire training ground was engulfed in a majestic and heavy pressure as the power of his soul on the de and his will to shbined into one. It onlysted for a moment, but the Azure Sky Sword¡¯s first technique, the Great Bind of the Heavy Sky, had managed to dominate the space itself. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed while wiping the sweat flowing from his forehead. ¡®There¡¯s too much of a difference.¡¯ He didn¡¯t sweat at all when he¡¯d used all of his techniques up to the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, but his entire body was growing exhausted from a single swing of the Azure Sword Sky. That must¡¯ve been the difference between a technique that incorporated the will versus one that did not. ¡®It¡¯s powerful enough to make up for it, though.¡¯ The power wasn¡¯t the only advantage of the Azure Sky Sword. It was an extremely advanced technique that suppressed the enemy by dominating the sky. The drastic consumption of stamina and willpower was a natural price to pay. ¡®Can the Grandmasters use a technique like this as easily as a basic technique?¡¯ He felt like he could understand why Grandmasters were treated as natural disasters. As you get higher, you won¡¯t be able to survive if you can¡¯t incorporate your will into your ability. You will only get crushed if you can¡¯t achieve it. Wrath nodded, saying that it was simply obvious. Moreover, incorporating the will isn¡¯t the only difficulty of the technique you are learning. Since it consists of devouring the space, it should help you acquire the boundary of the sword. Wrath licked his lips while telling him that the Azure Sky Sword would carve him the path towards bing a Grandmaster, and even influence his Sword Field Creation. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Wrath wasn¡¯t the first one to mention it. Glenn had also said it before. ¡®Sword Field Creation, huh?¡¯ Since the seeds in his mental world had begun to sprout, it was about time for him to start thinking about the Sword Field Creation. ¡®Which attribute should I focus on?¡¯ What he had was swordsmanship, fire, coldness, and the shadow that he¡¯d inherited from the previous life. It was impossible to incorporate all four of them into a single sword field. The vessel was bound to break. ¡®Only one, or maybe two¡­¡¯ He was pondering about the sword field he would create in the future when the training ground¡¯s door opened and Dorian made his entrance. ¡°Vice division leader! Let¡¯s go!¡± He waved his hand, urging him toe. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°What? You said you had something important to do today! You asked me toe early in the morning!¡± Dorian yelled because Raon was feigning ignorance when he was the one who¡¯d called him. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Your personality is so bad¡­ Wrath shook his head. ¡®It¡¯s your fault.¡¯ Raon went to Dorian and apologized. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s that important matter that requires me?¡± ¡°You like children, right?¡± ¡°I do!¡± Dorian replied brightly. ¡°That¡¯s good. Follow me.¡± ¡°Ehh?¡± Raon left the training ground with Dorian, who was making a dumb face. Please, please! Gods of heaven and earth! Raon headed to the ice cream shop with the demon king, who was praying to the gods of heaven and earth instead of the demon god. Hell yeaaaah! Wrath roared while covering his head. He¡¯s finally here! Gods of heaven and earth! He¡¯ll definitely repay this favor! He gathered his hands and prayed while murmuring that he was going to serve a different god now. He was truly a faithless believer. ¡°Ice cream? Are you sure we came to the right ce?¡± Dorian asked with round eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But why would you need me he¡ª?¡± ¡°I really need you. Let¡¯s enter for now.¡± Raon pushed Dorian¡¯s back and entered the ice cream shop. ¡°Welco¡ªGasp!¡± The manager¡¯s jaw dropped. His mustache was as noticeable as always. ¡°Sir Raon? Sir Raon! Wee!¡± He jumped out from behind the counter and extended his trembling hands. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you visit us for such a long time?!¡± The manager lowered his eyebrows while saying that he was so sad because Raon didn¡¯te to the shop. You bastard! Wrath leaped at the speed of light and grabbed the manager by his cor. It¡¯s your fault for missing every single time! Stop getting involved in society and stay in the shop! Wrath yelled at him to stop saying bullshit when it was his fault for drinking and going to hurl insults, ming hisck of motivation to work. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been getting news on Sir Raon all along. I was at the arena during the sword duel against the White Lotus division leader, and I even hurled insults at the Thespian Emperor¡¯s back!¡± The manager nodded, saying that his everyday life was refreshing thanks to Raon. ¡°That¡¯s why! As a special privilege! I¡¯m going to grant Sir Raon a special right to use our shop for free! Please choose anything you want!¡± He spread his arms and shouted to pick whichever ice cream he wanted. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at the ice cream behind the manager. ¡°Of course! I¡¯m not a man who goes back on his word! I promise on this mustache!¡± He tapped on his neatly trimmed mustache. ¡°Just tell me what you want.¡± ¡°Well, in that case¡­¡± Raon raised his head with a smile. ¡°I want them all.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°I want all the ice cream in this shop.¡± ¡°So, erm¡­¡± The manager quickly blinked while doubting his ears. ¡°You heard me right. I want you to package all the ice cream in the shop for me.¡± Raon wasn¡¯t bullying him. He¡¯d brought Dorian to the shop with the intention of buying all of the ice cream in the shop to begin with. Wahahaha! Wrathughed happily while watching the manager, who even stopped breathing from the panic. Serves you right! That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t have left the shop empty! Stop getting involved in society! He even started to dance on the manager¡¯s head. ¡°Er-erm, actually¡­ ehh¡­¡± Raon smiled at the manager, who couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t need to give them to me for free.¡± He ced the gold coins on the counter as he spoke. Of course, there was enough to pay for all of the ice cream. ¡°O-oh my! You didn¡¯t need to pay!¡± The manager smiled awkwardly and hurriedly took the gold coins. His movement was even faster than a powerful swordsman. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll package them right away.¡± He told Raon to wait for a moment and started to take out the ice cream and the containers. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°I understand now why I was called.¡± Dorian sighed and stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m just a carrier¡­ Was this the important matter you mentioned?¡± ¡°This is an important job. You are the only person who can transport all of the ice cream to the annex building without letting it melt.¡± ¡°To the annex building? But isn¡¯t this still too mu¡ª?¡± ¡°There are children there.¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes sparkled upon hearing about the children. Since he was with Raon when he saved the children at the orphanage founded by Derus, Dorian immediately realized which children he was talking about. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see the children¡¯s happy faces? They are all going to praise you.¡± ¡°Oh! Indeed! This is important!¡± Dorian nodded and started to take the ice cream and containers himself. You really have a demonic tongue. Wrath eximed at the frightening sight. The King of Essence will never be deceived by you! He was already being deceived, but Raon just let him believe whatever he wanted. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The manager wiped his cold sweat from his forehead after he took out the ice cream, containers, and even the giveaways. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll be rooting for you for the rest of my life!¡± He bowed, saying that he would serve Raon as his VIP in the future. ¡°It¡¯s fine, but¡­¡± Raon pointed at the manager¡¯s mustache with a smile on his face. ¡°You are going to shave that, right?¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°You said earlier that you promised on that mustache.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The manager¡¯s mustache anxiously trembled. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to seeing a clean area below your nose the next time Ie here.¡± Raon waved his hand and left the shop. ¡°Wow, your personality¡­¡± Is literally that of a fiend¡­ Dorian and Wrath murmured at the same time that he had the worst personality. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what he promised.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders and was about to return to the annex building when he noticed a familiar face on the opposite side. ¡°Runaan?¡± Runaan walked towards him. Her eyes were clearer than usual. ¡°What brought you here at this hour?¡± Runaan usually never got out of bed on her days off. That was why it felt like a mystery that she was there so early in the morning. ¡°I came to buy ice cream.¡± Runaan raised her round sloth wallet. Her sparkling eyes revealed her anticipation. ¡®I thought it might be the case, but it was true.¡¯ Ice cream and training were the only reasons for Runaan to wake up early in the morning. As he had guessed, she was there to buy some ice cream. ¡°Wannae with me? I¡¯ll pay for you.¡± She shook her wallet, saying that she had lots of money on her. ¡°Hmm, no thanks.¡± Raon slowly shook his head. ¡°Okay.¡± Runaan nodded and ran towards the ice cream shop. And¡­ ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± Raon heard Runaan¡¯s scream for the first time. * * * * * * Thirty-three bead ice cream boxes were lined up in the annex building¡¯s garden. Raon spread frost on the ground to prevent the ice cream from melting, and the children entered the garden. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Ice cream!¡± ¡°There are so many vors!¡± The children, including Pine, smiled brightly and ran towards the ice cream boxes. Raon smiled faintly while watching the children, who bowed politely before going towards the ice cream. ¡®They are a lot brighter than before.¡¯ Since they had been trained as assassins for a long time, they barely showed any emotions when they first arrived in the annex building. However, thanks to Federick¡¯s treatment and the affection from the annex building residents they had be as cheerful as other children their age. Whoaaa! Wrath shouted while wagging his tail. He seemed even happier than the children. Hurry up! Scoop it for the King of Essence first! Quick! ¡®You are at the same mental age as the children.¡¯ Raonughed bitterly because Wrath was rampaging in happiness. ¡°Dorian!¡± ¡°Mr. Dorian!¡± ¡°Hi there! Get in a line!¡± Since Dorian had been frequently meeting the children, he scooped the ice cream into their cups with a friendly smile. ¡°Line up.¡± Runaan had followed after hearing the story and was distributing the ice cream to the children. However, she seemed to be eating more for herself than what she was giving away. ¡®I wish she would distribute first before starting to eat.¡¯ Raonughed at the ridiculous sight, and Wrath started to m his shoulder like a drum. What are you waiting for? Start eating already you bastard! ¡®There is enough ice cream anyway. We will still have plenty to eat after.¡¯ What are you talking about?! Babies are pretty much Gluttony when ites to ice cream! He shook his finger while saying that nothing would be left if he was too slow. ¡®Okay, okay. You want the mint chocte, right?¡¯ You finally understand the good stuff! ¡®There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t, since you¡¯ve been yelling about it for the entire month.¡¯ Raon scooped two cups of ice cream and gave one of them to Saint Federick. ¡°Dear saint, would you like to have some?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Federick was kindly watching the children and gently nodded, epting the offer. ¡°You had a nice idea.¡± He smiled and praised Raon foring up with the event. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have something like this once in a while.¡± Raon smiled faintly and put the mint chocte in his mouth. The minty vor that he still couldn¡¯t get used to and the slight sweetness stimted his tongue at the same time. Mmmm! Wrath covered his head like a madman and went limp on Raon¡¯s shoulder. Yes! This is real mint chocte and real ice cream! Screw Nadine bread! He murmured that he could die peacefully with teary eyes. ¡®But no one seems to like it except for you.¡¯ The children were gathered around the simple vors¡ªlike chocte, strawberry, and vani. The only person eating the mint chocte was Runaan. Hmph! They don¡¯t understand delicacies because they are too young! Wrath wrinkled his nose, saying that the children had poor taste because they were still too young. ¡®I see.¡¯ ¡®You are even younger than them in mental age, though.¡¯ Raon suppressed the urge to voice that thought and poured the remaining mint chocte ice cream into his mouth. ¡®What¡¯s next?¡¯ Mint chocte. ¡®But you already had it though.¡¯ Mint chocte is limitless! ¡®I should¡¯ve kept the same cup.¡¯ Raon licked his lips and scooped mint chocte into a new cup. He returned to his seat and was about to eat when two huge white horses came from the direction of the main building, pulling a golden carriage behind them. Roenn was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, and he waved his hand with a gentle smile. The children were still eating the ice cream without noticing him, but Sylvia and the maids straightened their backs with trembling hands. The carriage stopped in front of the garden, and the elegant door opened up along with a heavy sound. Whir! Glenn Zieghart left the carriage. His presence alone seemed to freeze the air around them. ¡°Gr-greetings, my lord!¡± Starting with Sylvia, every single maid from the annex building went to their knees and lowered their heads. ¡°Err¡­¡± The children holding the ice cream were the only ones who were still standing, nk expressions on their faces. ¡°You don¡¯t need to kneel.¡± Glenn watched the children and shook his hand. ¡°Stand up, everyone.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Sylvia and the maids stood up while straightening their dresses. ¡°I must be disturbing a fun time.¡± ¡°N-not at all.¡± Sylvia firmly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just dropping by because I have something to give you. Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡± Glenn snapped his fingers, and a golden dimension opened up in the sky above the garden. Golden ingots, gems, elixirs, and equipment emerged in great quantities from the diamond-shaped gap. It seemed to be the Thespian Emperor¡¯s assets that he¡¯d promised to send the day before, but the quantity was more than expected. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was overflowing. ¡°This is the promised reward.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Sylvia and the maids dropped their jaws while looking at Raon and the shiny gold treasures. Their eyes were filled with surprise and pride. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon was nning to hide the fact that he got the reward precisely because what was happening was embarrassing for him, but it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling to see their cheeks flushed with happiness. ¡°It was an interesting amusement that I haven¡¯t seen for a while. These are the rewards for that, so feel free to take them.¡± Glenn took his hand off, as if he were telling Raon that he wasn¡¯t allowed to refuse. His heart throbbed because he had never beenplimented like that before. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m off now.¡± Glenn turned around after telling him to enjoy the rest of the event. He seemed to be nning to leave just like that, but his eyes seemed mncholic at thest moment for some reason. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon found Yua as he rolled his eyes, wondering what he should do. Her smile reminded him of what happened before, and he immediately extended his hand holding the ice cream. ¡°My lord, would you like some ice crea¡ªAh!¡± Raon looked at the bead ice cream¡¯s color with trembling eyes because he realized it toote. It was mint chocte, of all vors. Chapter 469 Chapter 469 What do you think you are doing?! Wrath extended his hand to take back the cup containing the mint chocte. This mint chocte belongs to the King of Essence! Why would you give it to that geezer with a hole in his tongue?! He frantically shook his head, saying that a tongue that liked Nadine bread would never understand the true worth of mint chocte. You must¡¯ve given it to him because you didn¡¯t want to eat it for yourself! You dirty bastard! ¡®I¡¯ll scoop another cup for you. Wait a moment.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away and weakly bit his lip. ¡®Another vor would¡¯ve been better.¡¯ Mint chocte was Runaan and Wrath¡¯s favorite vor of bead ice cream, but most people didn¡¯t really like it.Even for the children, there was the smallest number of them around the mint chocte. Raon had no other choice because Glenn was about to leave, but it was a mistake to hand out an ice cream that many people hated. However, he couldn¡¯t take it back either because he had already handed it out and Glennpletely turned back while he was standing in an awkward posture. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He coldly looked down at the bead ice cream as if he were observing his enemy. ¡°Are you giving this to me?¡± Glenn¡¯s voice sounded like it was trembling slightly. The disgusting color must¡¯ve been the problem. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Raon exhaled roughly and nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be this one. There are many vors, so please choose whichever you like.¡± However, Glenn didn¡¯t even take a nce at the ice cream behind Raon and kept staring at the cup containing the mint chocte. Raon broke out in a cold sweat, and he could hear someone swallow nervously behind him. He felt like he could hear the heartbeats of everyone in that ce. ¡°This is fine.¡± Glenn took the cup containing the mint chocte as if he didn¡¯t need anything else. Even his hand looked like it was trembling. Raon thought it must¡¯ve been because he was too nervous. ¡°My lord.¡± Sylvia carefully approached them and offered him an ice cream spoon. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn met Sylvia¡¯s eyes and epted the spoon. He hesitated for a moment, then he scooped a small amount of the mint chocte before putting it in his mouth. He nibbled to enjoy the taste and slowly opened his eyes. ¡°Not bad.¡± The garden¡¯s frozen atmosphere melted upon hearing Glenn¡¯s quiet voice. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m so relieved.¡± The maids breathed out a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from their noses. ¡°I¡¯ll be over there.¡± Glenn went to the other side of the carriage with the ice cream in his hand. He must¡¯ve thought that the children were afraid of him. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Good job, young master!¡± Raon looked aside, and Sylvia and Yua were praising him with bright smiles on their faces. Huh? Wrath tilted his head. What¡¯s wrong with that geezer?! How can he understand the greatness of mint chocte when he has such poor taste?! He frowned, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand how a human who liked Nadine bread could enjoy the mint chocte. Everyone in the garden was smiling, but Raon couldn¡¯t. ¡®His lips were trembling.¡¯ Glenn¡¯s lips had started to vibrate the moment he put the mint chocte in his mouth. He¡¯d said that it wasn¡¯t bad, but he definitely found it bad. ¡®Did he hold back because of the children?¡¯ Considering what had happened during the meal when Yua had invited him, Glenn was likely being considerate to the children. You bastard! What are you waiting for?! Wrath shook his round hand and asked forpensation for his wait. Bring the King of Essence¡¯s ice cream! ¡®¡­Alright.¡¯ He had a headache because he was too worried about Glenn, but he went towards the ice cream box to shut Wrath¡¯s mouth. ¡®Which one are you getting?¡¯ Do you even need an answer? It¡¯s obviously mint chocte! ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head and picked up a new cup. ¡®Should I get rid of the mint chocte?¡¯ * * * ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± Federick burst intoughter and went towards Glenn. ¡°It was worth living so far! I never expected to see you eating ice cream!¡± He nodded while asking how Glenn managed to eat the ice cream when he hated sweet things. ¡°Is that the power of a grandson?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond and gently looked at the mint chocte that he¡¯d eaten a spoonful of. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating it? It¡¯s going to melt.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t eat it.¡± He sighed and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s repulsive, isn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t like that one either.¡± Federick giggled, saying that he knew Glenn would say that. ¡°I can¡¯t tell.¡± Glenn shook his head without taking his eyes off the ice cream. ¡°You can¡¯t tell?¡± ¡°I couldn''t taste anything. I just¡­¡± He looked up to the sky and closed his eyes. ¡°The blissful feeling melted in my mouth as if I was drinking a juice of heaven¡¯s fruit.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Federick tilted his head, unable toprehend what he was talking about. ¡°Isn¡¯t it perfect?¡± Glenn gasped while slightly raising the mint chocte he was holding. ¡°What¡¯s perfect¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about this ice cream. Isn¡¯t its perfectly spherical shape beautiful?¡± ¡°Did you really lose it?¡± Federick dropped his jaw. He couldn¡¯t understand what part of it was perfect since a hole was created when Glenn had scooped it. ¡°He¡¯s even talented at scooping ice cream¡­¡± Glenn smiled faintly while looking sideways at Raon. ¡°He¡¯s seriously good at everything.¡± He had an outstanding talent in martial arts, he was popr among the people, and even his ability to crush his enemy was worthy of admiration. And now his ability to scoop the ice cream was added to the list. Glenn could only smile because his grandson was great in all aspects. What had happened a moment ago was for the same reason. He had to strain his entire body to suppress his smile after seeing Raon. ¡®How am I supposed to eat such perfection? Moreover, this is the first gift he ever gave me.¡¯ Raon had brought him spoils of war many times before, but it was the first time he¡¯d ever served food for him. That was why it was impossible to touch the remaining part. Glenn wanted to cover the ice cream in coldness and appreciate it for the rest of his life. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Are you acting like that because you want to save it?¡± Federick¡¯s eyes widened in surprise upon realizing Glenn¡¯s emotion. ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn slowly nodded. ¡°Then just ask for more after eating it!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be the first one. It will be meaningless.¡± It was precious because it was the first gift from Raon. The second one didn¡¯t have as much meaning. Snap! Glenn snapped his fingers, and the space split apart. A golden box emerged from the rift. He opened the box and ced Raon¡¯s ice cream inside. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Federick dropped his jaw while looking at the box. ¡°Th-that box, isn¡¯t it Loiren¡¯s wooden box?¡± ¡°So you recognized it.¡± ¡°What the hell?!¡± Loiren¡¯s wooden box was a highest grade artifact made from the world tree¡¯s branch, and it was capable of preserving whatever was inside it in the exact same state as when it was first put inside. It was an extremely valuable artifact, yet a partly eaten ice cream was ced inside. Federick thought that Glenn was seriously insane. ¡°Roenn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roenn answered Glenn¡¯s call and came up to him before cradling Loiren''s wooden box with his hands. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Federick shook his head while watching the two old men treat the partially eaten ice cream as if it were a priceless treasure. ¡®Did he seriously go senile¡­?¡¯ His hands trembled from the ridiculous sight, and Glenn came up next to him. ¡°How is the children¡¯s treatment going?¡± He narrowed his eyes while watching the children, who started to eat the ice cream once again. It was difficult to believe that his dignified voice came from the same person who was acting like a lunatic until a moment ago. Apparently, he only lost his mind when his grandson was concerned. ¡°Ugh.¡± Federick sighed and straightened his back. ¡°It¡¯s proceeding nicely. There¡¯s no way it wouldn¡¯t, since you are continuously providing me with medical material.¡± There were two reasons why the children¡¯s treatment was going well. The first reason was the warm affection from the annex building¡¯s members, including Raon and Sylvia. The second reason was the fact that Glenn was continuously providing Federick with high-quality medical materials. ¡°What are you nning to do with those children?¡± His voice became slightly serious because he thought Glenn wouldn¡¯t spend money on the children for no reason. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not up to me to decide.¡± Glenn shook his head as if he weren¡¯t interested. ¡°Raon was the one who saved those children and called you. I have no right to interfere.¡± ¡°Raon said that he wanted the children to live the lives they want. He said he wouldn¡¯t stop them even if they wanted to leave the house. Are you sure that¡¯s fine with you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Federick smiled faintly while looking at Glenn¡¯s unwavering eyes. ¡®He¡¯s definitely changed.¡¯ He¡¯d be slightly softer after he¡¯d ovee the demonic realm, but his oppressive personality still remained because he was born with it. However, his dear friend had gained a warm heart to cherish his grandson and show consideration for the children during the long time they¡¯d gone without seeing one another. ¡®He would¡¯ve raised them into swordsmen no matter what in the past.¡¯ The children were young, but both their bodies and minds were nicely trained. They were the perfect talent to be swordsmen, and Federick wasn¡¯t expecting him to let them go. Glenn didn¡¯t seem to have any ws anymore¡ªexcept for the fact that he cherished his grandson a bit too much. ¡°However, there¡¯s something I need to do.¡± ¡°What do you need to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to find the one who kidnapped those children and root them out.¡± Glenn frowned, saying that he was investigating but couldn¡¯t find anything about them. ¡°Wahahaha!¡± Federick covered his forehead and burst intoughter. ¡°You finally feel like a human being. This reminds me of the past.¡± He put his hand on Glenn¡¯s shoulder, came out from behind the carriage, and waved his hand. ¡°Raon! Give us one more each!¡± * * * * * * Raon licked his lips while watching Glenn and Federick return to the carriage after getting another ice cream. ¡®Was I worried for nothing?¡¯ He was worried because Glenn¡¯s lips were trembling, but he must not have disliked it that much since he got another ice cream. ¡®By the way¡­ Where did the cup go?¡¯ Glenn was empty-handed when he came to get another ice cream with Federick. Both the spoon and the cup were nowhere to be seen. Raon looked at Glenn and Federick while tilting his head. They were talking inside an aura barrier, which meant that he was unable to hear anything. ¡°Sir Roenn!¡± Yua and Yulius ran towards Roenn with an ice cream in their hands that each of them had picked for him. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn smiled gently and epted their ice creams. Unlike Yulius, who stayed in front of Roenn, Yua interfered between Glenn and Federick and started talking to them. Federickughed loudly and Glenn simply nodded. She must¡¯ve said something interesting. ¡®I¡¯m jealous of her friendliness.¡¯ Raon was jealous of Yua¡¯s friendly personality that allowed her to approach anyone, and it brought a smile to his face. ¡®They remind me of the Sword Demon.¡¯ Watching Federick and Glenn chatting together reminded him of the Sword Demon, Rector, who¡¯d taught him the way of the sword until a little while ago. He¡¯d said that he would return soon, but there was no news from him. ¡®I wonder if he sessfully finished his urgent business?¡¯ Raon was aware that it was pointless to worry about Rector, but he was still concerned because he could see bitterness in thest expression he¡¯d seen on the man¡¯s face. Hey! Your hands are idle! Wrath pointed at the half-eaten mint chocte inside the cup. That geezer is most likely not going to lose with his ability. Stop thinking about him and open your mouth already! ¡®I want to try something else! How many times are we eating this same one already?!¡¯ Mint chocte is limitless! The King of Essence is going to create the Mint Chocte Religion as soon as he returns to Devildom! ¡®I¡¯m losing my mind.¡¯ Raon pulled his hair out. ¡®I¡¯m going to get rid of mint chocte from the world no matter what.¡¯ * * * Countless swords were nted on the ivory ground, where not a de of grass could grow. None of the swords was in wless form. They were either broken or shattered, and some of them only had the shaft left. However, not a single one of them was rusted. Every single one of the swords had a gleaming de, as if they''d been polished a moment ago. The Sword Demon Rector climbed the mountain called the Sword Ridge while using the countless swords as a guide. The number of swords decreased as he climbed the mountain, but the bloodlust in them intensified instead. It almost felt like they could unleash a powerful aura de even though they had already lost their owners. Rector reached the peak of the mountain with a slight haste, and he saw the back of a man who was wrapped in ashen white cloud-like floor-length clothes. The overwhelming pressure from the man who was looking down on thend from the peak made it feel like the entire world was within his sight. Rector caught his breath, walked up to his back, and went on one knee. ¡°Greetings, Alliance Master.¡± The red-haired man with his hands sped behind his back turned around upon hearing the call. His young appearance could have been mistaken for a child. His yellow eyes were engulfed in a frightening radiance, like the de of a renowned sword, and his nose ridge was as straight as the mountain they were on. Once he turned aroundpletely, his eyes directed at the world slowly descended. He truly looked like a sword itself, a manifestation of a divine sword connecting heaven and earth into human form. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for summoning you sote.¡± The alliance master smiled quietly. Looking at his smile tightened Rector¡¯s heart. ¡°Preparing to open the door gave me many chores.¡± He simply shook his hand, saying he had lots of annoying tasks to do. The cloud at the mountain peak dissipated, and his blue floor-length clothes were revealed. There was a red sword symbol on them. Rector swallowed nervously while listening to his calm voice. ¡®He¡¯s gotten even stronger.¡¯ The alliance master had gotten even more powerful than before Rector had left the alliance. ¡®He¡¯s simr to Glenn but different.¡¯ If Glenn could bepared to a sharp de covered in a scabbard, the alliance master was a de whose sharpness was exposed to the world. The two transcenders had started in a simr manner, but they¡¯d achieved different things in the end. ¡°How was your journey?¡± ¡°Just like always, the world was brimming with excellent swordsmanship and talented people.¡± Rector calmly nodded. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. It would¡¯ve been disappointing if you didn¡¯t enjoy your outing.¡± The alliance master smiled faintly while stroking his beardless chin. ¡°How is Mustan¡¯s development?¡± ¡°He is growing at a decent rate. However, his mental growth was more outstanding thanks to a great experience he had.¡± ¡°That''s good news. He was too impatient despite his excellent talent. However¡­¡± He twirled his finger and looked into Rector¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is Raon Zieghart the boy who allowed Mustan¡¯s growth?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rector stopped his heart from pounding and simply nodded. The chill kept running down his spine. ¡°Mustan threw away hisziness after he lost a duel against Raon. He isn¡¯t settling with his talent anymore and is diligently training every day now. Since he managed to learn his lesson without any serious injuries, it was an excellent asion for him.¡± ¡°That must¡¯ve been the reason why you went all the way to Zieghart with that boy.¡± The alliance master¡¯s eyes became as narrow as a crescent moon hiding behind the clouds. ¡°I¡¯m even more curious about that boy now since he guided the Master of the Versatile Sword to the Six Kings.¡± The alliance master seemed to know everything that had happened so far, and Rector had expected it. ¡°He wasn¡¯t the only reason. I wanted to show Mustan the wider world, and I wanted to confirm how much Zieghart has changed.¡± He lowered his gaze while giving the most reasonable response. ¡°So, what did you think? How was the genius who is writing a new history in the continent?¡± Rector was trying to change the subject, but the alliance master insisted on Raon. ¡°His talent was worthy of admiration.¡± Rector¡¯s lips slowly parted. ¡®I¡¯m only going to gain suspicion if I lie.¡¯ Raon¡¯s name was already famous all around the continent, and he was called a dragon, implying that he was the strongest among the young warriors. It was necessary to tell the truth while hiding the important parts. ¡°No one in the continent should be able to match up to him. However, it rarely happens¡­ but he sometimes tends to look down on others because he¡¯s achieved too much at a young age.¡± ¡°I heard he had a level-headed and calm personality, though.¡± Since Rector had already expected that question, he stated the response that he¡¯d prepared. ¡°Yes, he is level-headed indeed. However, his immature sidees out from time to time. He still has many weaknesses.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s understandable considering how powerful he is at his age.¡± The alliance master calmly nodded. ¡°Then how does hepare to Cloud?¡± Cloud was the alliance master¡¯s disciple, and he was the genius with an unrivaled talent in the alliance. He was a monster at the entry level of Grandmaster, but he was iparable to Raon because he was a lot older than Raon. ¡°There¡¯s a big difference in age between them¡­¡± ¡°What about their talents?¡± ¡°Hmm, I believe Raon is slightly more talented than him.¡± ¡°I guess he needs to be that good for the Master of the Versatile Sword to visit Zieghart.¡± The alliance master brushed his hair up from his forehead, saying that he wanted to meet Raon one day. ¡°Did you meet the Destructive King of the North?¡± ¡°Yes. He seemed to have gotten even more powerful than before.¡± ¡°What a tenacious old man.¡± The alliance master smiled cheerfully even though Glenn had gotten even stronger. The alliance master turned around once again and stood at the edge of the cliff. ¡°There must be only one left now.¡± Rector nodded since he was aware of what he meant by one. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Then, as myst order¡­¡± The alliance master looked around. A frightening spirit was gleaming in his golden eyes. ¡°Can you kill Glenn Zieghart?¡± Chapter 470 Chapter 470 Rector¡¯s shoulders trembled. ¡®Can I kill Glenn Zieghart?¡¯ He would¡¯ve immediately responded if it were a casual question, but frightening bloodlust could be felt from the alliance master¡¯s gaze. He was seriously asking whether he could kill Glenn or not¡ªit wasn¡¯t a joke. ¡®I can¡¯t win against him.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t win against Glenn or the alliance master in front of him. Even though they were often treated the same, those two were far ahead of him already. Rector calmed his pounding heart. ¡°I¡¯ll obey if it¡¯s an order.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood my question.¡±The alliance master shook his head, saying it wasn¡¯t the answer he sought. ¡°I asked whether you can kill Glenn or not¡ªby any means necessary.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Once again, changing the subject didn¡¯t work. His personality was as firm and straightforward as before. ¡°There¡¯s a less than ten percent chance for me to kill Glenn Zieghart in my current state. It¡¯s practically impossible to deceive him with a surprise attack, so I would never assert that I can do it with confidence.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± The alliance master calmly nodded, saying that he¡¯d expected that answer. ¡°Then how about me?¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Are you confident in killing me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not confident about that either.¡± Rector bowed. It was true. He felt like he couldn¡¯t kill the alliance master no matter what he tried, just like Glenn. Glenn and the alliance master wouldn¡¯t die unless they personally shed against each other. ¡°Hmm, you are still no fun, Master of the Versatile Sword. Then how about this?¡± The alliance master¡¯s lips twisted up like the tip of a de. ¡°Raon Zieghart. You should be able to bring me his head, right?¡± Rector¡¯s hand touching the ground started to tremble. ¡®What is he even saying right now¡­?¡¯ He almost lost hisposure because he¡¯d never expected him to order Rector to bring him Raon¡¯s head. However, his mind stabilized once again in a split second as he remembered Raon¡¯s smile, which he¡¯d seen before he¡¯d left Zieghart. ¡°Alliance master¡­¡± ¡°A boy who just turned twenty-one is at the highest level of Master. If he can even one-sidedly defeat Mustan, he might be a Grandmaster before the age of thirty. Moreover, he is affiliated with Zieghart. There are plenty of reasons to get rid of him early.¡± Rector bit the inner side of his cheek. He calmed the look in his eyes while tasting blood in his mouth. ¡®I can¡¯t be agitated now.¡¯ His grandson, who he¡¯d only recently discovered the existence of, had be his most precious person in the world. He wanted to immediately cut the alliance master¡¯s throat with his sword, but he had to suppress the urge for the sake of his grandson. ¡°I can do it.¡± Rector stated that he could bring the man Raon¡¯s head with a nonchnt voice, devoid of any emotion. ¡°You must¡¯ve gotten close to him since you followed him all the way to Zieghart. Are you sure?¡± ¡°The alliance has the highest priority for me.¡± ¡°How reliable. However¡­¡± The alliance master shook his hand with a lighthearted smile. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t waste thest order for such a trivial matter. Moreover, I¡¯d rather see him get a bit stronger.¡± He touched the back of his own neck and looked up to the sky. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious how much stronger he¡¯s going to get when he¡¯s a monster who¡¯s reached the highest level of Master at twenty-one years of age?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s definitely going to reach transcendence. It would be a shame to kill a toy like him quickly.¡± The alliance master lowered his chin. An extreme fighting spirit was reflected in his eyes, which resembled a sharp de. His desire to fight a powerful opponent and increase his realm of swordsmanship was burning inside them. He was simply powerful and sharp. He was literally a single sword. He was the closest human to being a sword in the entire continent. ¡°I¡¯ll cease with the joke.¡± The alliance master turned his eyes of a divine sword to Rector. ¡°This is myst order to you, Master of the Versatile Sword.¡± ¡°I hear and I obey.¡± Rector went back on his knees and lowered his head. ¡°Open the path as the vanguard when the Holy Sword Alliance opens up once again.¡± ¡°¡­Are you serious?¡± Rector¡¯s lips trembled before he knew it. ¡°What if I am?¡± ¡°But the Master of the Versatile Sword has never joined a war in history!¡± Rector shouted for the first time. ¡®What is he even thinking¡­?¡¯ There were many masters of the sword in the Holy Sword Alliance, but the Master of the Versatile Sword was even more special than them. It was an extremely important job consisting of traveling throughout the continent to face and record countless swordsmanships without revealing their affiliation in order to improve the alliance¡¯s sword techniques. More than twenty Masters of the Versatile Sword had inherited that job, but none had ever revealed their identity and fought alongside the alliance. The alliance master was trying to break the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s tradition. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m aware of that fact. However, that tradition is just a consideration from the previous alliance masters. It¡¯s their reward for the Master of the Versatile Sword for traveling their entire life, and there¡¯s no obligation involved.¡± The alliance master closed his eyes and stroked the divine sword¡¯s emblem carved on his clothes. ¡°It would be a shame to simply let you retire since you are the strongest Master of the Versatile Sword in history.¡± ¡°Alliance Master¡­¡± ¡°You shall decide right now.¡± He raised his hand. The de of the divine sword was dwelling in his long finger. ¡°Do you choose death or obedience?¡± Rector couldn¡¯t respond right away. It was obviously not because he was afraid of dying. ¡®I don¡¯t mind throwing away this old life of mine. However¡­Raon and Sylvia.¡¯ They were his grandson and daughter-inw who he¡¯d finally managed to find. He had a duty to bring happiness to them since his stupid son had parted from the world without doing his job. ¡®It¡¯s better to stay here.¡¯ The alliance master didn¡¯t hide the fact that he was targeting Raon. Staying in the alliance and nning for a way to protect his grandson was the correct course of action¡ªhe needed to stop his scheme. ¡®Moreover¡­My disciple has finally learned his lesson.¡¯ He still had a lot to teach to Mustan, who¡¯d learned his lesson and started to follow Raon. It was necessary to endure all hardships and find a way to save everyone. ¡®I¡¯m already ready to go to hell.¡¯ He¡¯d already decided to walk the path of ughter when he returned to the alliance. He hardened his determination once again and he raised his head. ¡°I¡¯ll obey.¡± Rector¡¯s eyes were engulfed by the wind of the high sky. ¡°Excellent choice.¡± The alliance master lowered his hand and patted Rector¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m nominating you as the Master of the Bloody Sword now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The blood shall never stop flowing from your de.¡± * * * * * * After the ice cream party came to an end, Raon went to the fifth training ground¡¯s lodgings. Yaawn¡­ Wrath, lying on his head, bobbed his thick finger while yawning like a sloth. The King of Essence¡¯s stomach is about to burst. It¡¯s been such a long time since thest time he was satisfied, so stop being noisy and go to sleep already. He asked him to go back home already while rubbing his inted belly. He seemed to be extremely satisfied after eating all thirty-three kinds of ice cream. ¡®He is always a mystery to me.¡¯ Wrath could taste despite being a spirit, and his stomach was bulging even though nothing had entered through his mouth. Those aspects were just iprehensible. ¡®It won¡¯t take that long.¡¯ Hmph, the King of Essence will overlook it with his vast generosity. Wrath¡¯s voice was a lot gentler than usual as he shook his head. It must¡¯ve been the effect of the ice cream. ¡®It¡¯s your belly fat that is vast, not your generosity.¡¯ Raon was about to enter the building while pushing Wrath¡¯s heavy body away when heard people talking to each other in small voices. He quietly went to the source since they were familiar voices. ¡°Hmm?¡± Rimmer, Burren, Martha, and Runaan were all inside a small training ground next to the lodging. They must¡¯ve been training something about their attributes since Raon caught the strong scent of wind, earth, and ice. The ground was in aplete mess. Ice Cream Girl is also there. ¡®Is this why she left so early?¡¯ Raon had thought it was strange when Runaan had said she was going home when there were more ice cream left, and it must¡¯ve been for training. ¡°Huff¡­¡± The three team leaders exhaled roughly and wiped their sweat. ¡°That¡¯s it for today.¡± Rimmer shook his hand as if he were chasing away a fly. ¡°Just leave already.¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± Burren bit his lip with his hands on his knees. ¡°Please continue a bit longer!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even gotten started yet!¡± Martha gritted her teeth, her eyes brimming with passion. ¡°Me, too.¡± Runaan looked like she was apletely different person from when she was in the annex building as she nodded. ¡°Seriously, you all.¡± Rimmer wrinkled his nose while facing their gazes. ¡°I told you, you shouldn¡¯t be impatient about this.¡± ¡°But I need more¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to open the sword field faster by extending your training. You will only end up getting injured and dying it instead.¡± Green wind gathered above his finger, then spread around like a. ¡°Controlling an attribute is different from controlling your body. You need to take it slower the more impatient you are. Concentration, change, and enhancement are necessary to achieve the basics for the creation of the sword field. Being hasty right now won¡¯t change anything because the sword field is the life of the warrior personified rather than a simple technique or realm.¡± The wind engulfing the area gathered around Rimmer¡¯s fingertip once again. ¡°The sword field isn¡¯t the only purpose of this training. Since it also has an influence on your mental image and martial arts, you will just end up ruining it if you overdo it.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Martha simply frowned, unable to respond. ¡°You weren¡¯t nning on achieving it in a single year to begin with. Take it easy, your goal is a lot more ambitious.¡± Rimmer pped his hands to brush off the dust with a faint smile on his face. ¡°You aren¡¯t doing this because you arezy, right?¡± ¡°O-of course not! Look at my eyes!¡± The trembling of his eyes was as clear as a pond with a rock thrown in it. ¡°They are trembling pretty hard.¡± ¡°Are you sick?¡± ¡°Pendulums?¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan narrowed their eyes. ¡°Hey!¡± Rimmer briskly turned his head. ¡°It¡¯s not true! I¡¯m always thinking about our Light Wind division!¡± He categorically denied it while shaking his hand. ¡°Anyway, today¡¯s training is over! Don¡¯t strain yourselves since you also did your personal training!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t though.¡± Runaan raised her hand high. ¡°I ate ice cream today.¡± She nodded to express her desire to continue with slightly sparkling eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore! I have an appointment at the gambling house! Fuck off!¡± Rimmer covered his ears and started to kick the team leaders away. ¡°No. I¡¯m not leaving.¡± ¡°I want more, youzybones!¡± ¡°Why are you still gambling when you lose every single time?!¡± They scuffled for a while and the three team leaders eventually left the lodgings with frowns on their faces. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed while putting his palm on his forehead. ¡°Every day is so exhausting.¡± Despite what he said, his mouth slightly upturned. ¡°You cane out now.¡± Rimmer waved his hand towards the tree where Raon had been hiding. Raon walked up to Rimmer. He¡¯d noticed that Rimmer knew about his presence when the wind blew a moment ago. ¡°Why are you even here? It¡¯s not like you to hide, too.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disturb their training.¡± Raon shook his head while looking in the direction where the three team leaders had left. ¡°Well, it¡¯s already over.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m suffering here because they keeping to me every night. I don¡¯t even have any time to y around, although I don¡¯t have money either.¡± He frowned, saying that he couldn¡¯t be happy because of them. You pathetic shitty ears. Wrath clicked his tongue at Rimmer. You need to find happiness by yourself. You never have it because you are just waiting for happiness to visit you! He raised his round hand while saying that happiness had to be earned. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ He¡¯d beenining about the entire world turning against him, but the ice cream must¡¯ve been enough to cheer him up. The demon king was seriously too easy. ¡°So, why are you here? Your great division leader is busy because he¡¯s about to spend some luxurious time to himself. State your business and get it done.¡± Rimmer tapped on his wrist while pointing at the sky. ¡°I came to see you because I had a question.¡± ¡°Have you ever heard the proverb, time is gold?¡± Rimmer made a circle with his thumb and index finger. ¡°You have to pay the appropriate price to buy my time.¡± ¡°Price?¡± ¡°The head of house must¡¯ve rewarded you. Just give me a portion of it and¡­¡± Rimmer softly rubbed his fingers, and Raon took out six iron boxes from his subspace pocket and put them down. ¡°Gasp!¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes sparkled upon seeing the iron boxes shaking the ground with a thud. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t asking for this mu¡ªhuh?¡± Rimmer was opening the iron boxes with a grin on his face when he suddenly frowned. ¡°This is ice cream! This one, too! Wait, are all of these ice cream?¡± His jaw dropped after opening five of the six iron boxes. Hey! Those belong to the King of Essence! Why are you giving them to Shitty Ears?! Wrath pulled Raon¡¯s hair out with a frown. ¡°My question is about the Sword Field Creation. As you are already aware, I can use both fire and ice, and I have my swordsmanship in my mental world. In this case¡­¡± Raon started to ask the question. He seemed to be telling Rimmer that he needed to respond since the price was already paid. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at Raon. ¡®He¡¯s getting more and more insane.¡¯ He had that feeling when Raon was making fun of the Thespian Emperor, but his mindset must¡¯ve been bing more and more punklike. Even though Rimmer considered himself a punk, Raon was getting too difficult to deal with. ¡®Well, I guess this is still better than before even though he¡¯s going crazy.¡¯ Raon previously tried to solve all problems by himself without relying on anyone else. He¡¯d been refusing the other people¡¯s approach¡ªas if he were nning to leave. However, he now considered the Light Wind division his family, and he had gained a significant amount of influence in the house. The mental growth of his loner disciple made him feel like it wasn¡¯t that bad for him to be a punk. ¡°I¡¯m not sure which attribute I should use to create my sword field.¡± Raon asked what he¡¯d been contemting while looking at the faint smile on Rimmer¡¯s face. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer sat on thest ice cream box that he hadn¡¯t opened and licked his lips. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t have a choice. The Sword Field Creation is limited to your bloodline. It was impossible for me to create a sword field with my swordsmanship. That¡¯s why I chose wind. However, you have more possibilities than me.¡± He smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°You can incorporate the unrivaled martial art like the head of house or focus on attributes like me, or even achieve both at the same time even though it should take a long time.¡± ¡°What do I have to do to incorporate both of them?¡± Raon immediately asked since that was the reason why he¡¯de to Rimmer. ¡°What else? You need to train.¡± Rimmer chuckled. ¡°You must¡¯ve heard what I told the others earlier, but the sword field is the life of a swordsman. Even though you are a genius, you can¡¯t make it that easily. It would be faster to be a Grandmaster.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon felt slightly disappointed because breaking through the wall of Grandmaster was going to be faster when he hadn¡¯t even reached the wall yet. ¡°Try to incorporate your attribute in addition to the swordsmanship and sword in your mental world, since the sword field is made from the mental world. I believe you can achieve both of them.¡± Rimmer asserted without hesitation. Raon felt like he could really do it because Rimmer was saying it. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± When Raon was about to respond, Rimmer raised his hand. ¡°Even if the sword field isn¡¯tplete, you might be able to use the iplete sword field beforehand, just like me.¡± ¡°Iplete?¡± ¡°Remember the Eye of the Storm that I showed you in the beginning? That was iplete.¡± Rimmer wagged his finger, saying that the Eye of the Storm that he¡¯d disyed way back in the past wasn¡¯t apleted martial art. ¡°You got your answer, right? And you can take these back.¡± He pointed at the ice cream boxes that he was sitting on. ¡°Don¡¯t you need them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I can sell them, and it wouldn¡¯t be that expensive even if I did.¡± ¡°But I rmend you still take them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not poor enough to ept them!¡± Rimmer turned his head away, telling him to take them back already. ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded and opened the lid of thest iron box that Rimmer had been sitting on. Unlike the other ice cream boxes, golden light was radiating from inside. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the brilliant golden light. ¡°Wh-what?! Why are there gold coins and gems here?!¡± ¡°As I said before, I was nning to share some with you since I¡¯ve received a lot from the head of house.¡± ¡°Huh? Then¡­¡± ¡°But since you don¡¯t need them because you aren¡¯t that poor, I¡¯ll have to take them back.¡± Raon immediately returned the ice cream boxes in his subspace pocket. ¡°Hey! Wait a moment! Lord Raon! Vice division leader, Sir! I¡¯m dirt poor! Please spare some money to help this beggar!¡± Don¡¯t give the King of Essence¡¯s ice cream to someone else! Raon ignored Rimmer and Wrath, who were both clinging on him, and closed his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s going to take longer than I thought. However¡­I might be able to achieve the iplete sword field before surpassing the wall.¡¯ Chapter 471 Chapter 471 Raon was standing on the tform in the training ground, looking down at the Light Wind division as they practiced the martial arts that Glenn had given them in their separate spaces. Their fierce pressures felt like they were facing a real enemy in front of them. They were doing their best with every single swing. ¡®They don¡¯t even need any advice.¡¯ Even Dorian and Krein, who were usually distracted, were extremely focused as they swung their swords. Raon felt like giving them advice would end up disturbing them instead. ¡®I guess this is only natural.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and looked to the right, where violent sword resonances kept storming, over and over again. ¡®Because they are training like that right next to them.¡¯ Burren, Martha, and Runaan were sparring against Mark Goetten, and their violent sh almost looked like a real fight. ¡°Uaaah!¡±Burren shed at Mark Goetten¡¯s neck with his sword brimming with aura. It was the Barren Wind Sword¡¯s special technique, Bloodfall Barren sh. ng! Mark Goetten parried Burren¡¯s de as it bent towards his neck, and Martha pierced into his space at the same time. Cring! The Titan¡¯s aura dwelling on Martha¡¯s de radiated brightly and pierced into Mark Goetten¡¯s shoulder. Thud! Mark Goetten used his footwork with his heel. It was an exquisite move to deflect her surprise attack, but her assault wasn¡¯t over yet. Whoosh! She activated Berserk in a split second and drastically increased the aura on her de. ¡°Hmm!¡± Mark Goetten groaned as he recognized that he couldn¡¯t avoid it and created an aura shield on his shoulder. aang! Martha was bounced back alongside a powerful explosion. Cring! Mark Goetten didn¡¯t miss that opening and shed his saber at Martha. The moment the diagonal saber strike was about to cut Martha apart, silver frost emerged from the ground and air to stop his fiery attack. Crack! The ice was shattered into pieces and rushed towards Mark Goetten, engulfed in a blue aura. ¡°Excellent¡­¡± Mark Goetten focused on destroying the ice with his aura barrier, and a violent aura de stabbed into his space from the right. Whoosh! Runaan was there. She was targeting Mark Goetten¡¯s legs with a frightening look in her eyes that he¡¯d never seen before. ¡°Keep going!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll support you!¡± Martha and Burren followed the path Runaan had carved and unleashed their respective special techniques. ¡°I¡¯m not finished yet.¡± Mark Goetten bit his lip and unleashed a huge amount of aura. Whaam! The sh between powerful saber and sword strikes created a tremendous shockwave of aura. None of them were willing to yield. Burren, Martha, and Runaan wanted to defeat Mark Goetten when he was doing his best, and Mark Goetten wanted to win against them without using astral energy. That was why their eyes were all brimming with fighting spirit. Raon smiled while feeling the violent wind brush past his hair. ¡®There¡¯s no way they can remain idle when the team leaders are fighting like that.¡¯ Mark Goetten and the three team leaders repeated one-on-one spars and one-on-three spars all day long. Since they were fighting to death right next to them, the other swordsmen were bound to focus as if they were on a battlefield. Raon looked to the left. The Gambling Monster was giving a basic lesson to Yua and Yulius, and their eyes werepletely serious, unlike when they were in the annex building. They seemed to have grown in strength and wisdom from experiencing a real battle. ¡®They finally look like a proper armed division.¡¯ The team leaders set an example by volunteering for additional training, and the team members swung their swords until sunset because they saw how hard they were training. Even the juniors were running toward their seniors¡¯ backs, which made it an ideal armed division. ¡®Except for one.¡¯ Raon frowned and looked behind him. ¡°Yaawn!¡± Rimmer was lying on the tform, yawning his head off. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon couldn¡¯t stop sighing because the division leader was just idling around while the team leaders, members, and even the general administrator were all training to the best of their abilities. ¡°Squad leader.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes and called out to Rimmer. ¡°I¡¯m a division leader now.¡± ¡°I thought you were still a squad leader because you haven¡¯t changed at all since you were a squad leader.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Rimmer murmured ¡®That¡¯s understandable¡¯, which was expected from hisid-back personality. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to train, division leader?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing it right now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon couldn¡¯t understand what the hell he was saying since he¡¯d been dozing off until a moment ago. That Shitty Ears, Sloth would ask him to be his friend if he met him. Wrath frowned, saying that Rimmer and Sloth would get along too well. ¡°What kind of training are you even doing?¡± ¡°Mental image training.¡± Rimmer raised his finger. Powerful lightning sparked from his fingertip. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about how to control this lightning and wind in my mind.¡± ¡°Say that again after wiping away your drool.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Rimmer rubbed his mouth with his sleeve. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m training right now. Stop paying attention to me and mind your own business.¡± There was not a single hint of embarrassment on his face. He was truly a great man. Raon shook his head and looked away. ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s fine since he¡¯s not an idiot.¡¯ Despite how he looked, he wasn¡¯t the type of person who would ruin his own body. Raon looked up to the sky, trusting Rimmer in his distrust. ¡®My own business, huh.¡¯ There was no reason to train his body, he¡¯d been practicing swordsmanship every single day, and he¡¯d also been polishing his mental image through meditation. It looked like he was practicing all aspects, but there was a huge problem left. ¡®Thebination of different attributes.¡¯ It wasmon sense that fire and ice were opposite attributes. No matter how well he trained his body, mana circuits, and energy center, using cier after the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation was bound to cause serious damage to his body. ¡®I can endure the pain, but control is too slow.¡¯ Since he had been used to the pain ever since his previous life, enduring the pain was nothing for him. However, using ice after fire drastically lowered the speed of his control. ¡®I need to start with that.¡¯ He felt like being capable of using the two attributes at once was the highest priority in achieving a Sword Field Creation with fire and ice at the same time. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Raon closed his eyes. He tried to circte the two opposite energies inside his energy center. Shrr! The intense pain felt like his energy center was getting torn apart, but the amount of aura was small while the control was slow. It could hardly be used in a real fight. ¡®I¡¯ve used it a few times before, but I just got lucky.¡¯ He¡¯d previously used fire and ice at the same time, but he didn¡¯t care about ruining his body because he was ready to die. It was necessary to find a way since he couldn¡¯t keep fighting like that. ¡®I knew it. This is what I should be focusing on.¡¯ Powerful me sparkled from Raon¡¯s eyes as he managed to find his homework. He closed his eyes and started to calmly analyze what kind of reaction happened in his energy center and mana circuits upon circting the heat and coldness. ¡®He must¡¯ve found something.¡¯ Rimmer quietly smiled and created a barrier of wind around him to allow Raon to fully focus on his training. * * * * * * Cameloon ck Market Denning Rose was checking the documents under lighting that was as clear as sunlight before she raised her head. ¡°Tenth apostle?¡± The information agent with his hands folded together nodded at her question. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve received a report that he was witnessed near Laffekin Mountain.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Denning Rose let out a long sigh while putting down the document. ¡°Even the White Blood Religion might be resuming their activities. Merlin, the tenth apostle, and even the Phantom ughterer. Disaster is everywhere.¡± The Five Demon¡¯s executives had resumed their activities even though they¡¯d been quiet for a while. Since even the Five Divine Orders had appeared, she had a feeling a disaster was about toe. ¡°How is the White Whale doing?¡± ¡°The Thespian Emperor managed to stop their reputation from plummeting. I believe they¡¯ve minimized the damage.¡± ¡°She¡¯s like a cockroach.¡± Denning Rose clicked her tongue. ¡®She really can¡¯t be underestimated.¡¯ Raon had crushed the White Whale¡¯s reputation by releasing the people who were held hostage by the ck Tower, but the Thespian Emperor personally visited them and apologized to save their reputation. It must¡¯ve been an unexpected problem for her, but she¡¯d managed to immediately resolve it. Her resourcefulness was astounding. ¡°I guess they haven¡¯t been hiding behind the scenes for nothing.¡± Denning Rose nodded while touching her rose-embossed eyepatch. ¡°That must be why they are holding this.¡± She picked up the letter envelope on her right side. A white whale emblem was engraved at the center. ¡°Is that actually¡­?¡± The information agent dropped his jaw upon seeing the letter. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a letter of invitation from the White Whale.¡± Denning Rose smiled faintly while shaking the letter. ¡°They are inviting us to the foundation festival of the Five Divine Orders that is going to be held soon.¡± She narrowed her eyes while slightly crumpling the edge of the letter. ¡°What a thick face they have to be throwing such an invitation to us after stealing all our information.¡± ¡°Are you going to attend?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Denning Rose furrowed her brow while looking at the letter, and the office¡¯s door opened before an old woman with a gentle smile on her face made her entrance. ¡°Why are you even contemting it? You obviously should attend.¡± ¡°M-master?¡± Denning Rose widened her eyes and stood up. Her round eyes revealed her surprise at the visit of the ck Market¡¯s master. ¡°Why are you here, Master¡­?¡± ¡°What are you even surprised about? It¡¯s not like I shouldn¡¯te here.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master strolled towards the table and sat on the opposite side of Denning Rose. ¡°You don¡¯t even need to travel a long distance since the festival is taking ce nearby. You should participate.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m sure they are plotting something.¡± ¡°You need to show them your confidence since the area around Cameloon is our territory. Of course, you need to be thoroughly prepared.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Denning Rose contemted the matter, and the ck Market¡¯s master casually shook her hand. ¡°You must¡¯ve seen how that boy, Raon Zieghart, did it. How he dealt with an arrogant guest in his home ground.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master subtly smiled, saying that he was showing a different side of himself every time. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Denning Rose nodded. She¡¯d heard how Raon had defeated the Thespian Emperor, and she couldn¡¯t help but admire him. ¡°Ah, did you think about that matter?¡± ¡°What? What matter¡­?¡± She tilted her head because she couldn¡¯t understand what the ck Market¡¯s master was talking about. ¡°I previously asked if you had any intentions of going out with Raon.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± Denning Rose mmed the table with such force that it could destroy it as she stood up. ¡°Why are you so surprised? I already told you that I would personally write a letter to the Destructive King of the North if you want it.¡± ¡°N-no! I don¡¯t want it at all!¡± Her face was flushed as she shook her head. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯ve already saved each other¡¯s lives before, you both have beautiful appearances and enough ability. I think you will make a perfect couple.¡± ¡°But I have things I have to do¡­¡± ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped if that¡¯s your decision.¡± Denning Rose¡¯s shoulders shrank upon seeing the smile from the ck Market¡¯s master. ¡°Once you find a good potential partner, you need to win them over as fast as possible. But people don¡¯t realize that when they are young.¡± She shrugged her shoulders, telling her to do as she wished. ¡°Anyway, you should thoroughly prepare and show them what kind of ce the ck Market is. Since they¡¯ve invited us, we shall make sure to smear shit on their faces.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Denning Rose swallowed nervously upon hearing the frightening voice from the ck Market¡¯s master. However, what continued waspletely different from her expectations. ¡°Make sure to pretty yourself up before you go.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think Zieghart is going to send Raon. Since you are a bit older than him, you should¡­¡± ¡°Master!¡± * * * The new year has arrived in Zieghart. Even though the northern wind capable of breaking through even the castle wall was storming around, the fifth training ground was brimming with the Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s sweat and fighting spirit. Raon smiled faintly while watching the swordsmen who were training the same technique at the exact same ce even though the year had changed. ¡®They¡¯ve changed so much.¡¯ They were swinging their swords at the same spot, but their skills were on a whole different level from before. Their unaplished martial art was finally settled, and their flow of aura continued nonstop. Not that much time had passed, but everyone had taken another step. ¡®There¡¯s only one year left now.¡¯ Raon raised his gaze and looked up to the sky. The cloudless sky almost looked like the scenery of Gazel River two years ago. ¡®The duel against the Axe King.¡¯ He¡¯d asked for three years back then to buy some time, but there was only one year left. He was slightly worried since he still couldn¡¯t see the Grandmaster¡¯s wall. ¡®I¡¯m still unable to use fire and ice at the same time.¡¯ He¡¯d managed to incorporate a small amount of fire and ice in his mental world, but using them at the same time was still difficult for him. ¡®I don¡¯t understand why I can¡¯t achieve it when everything else is going well¡­¡¯ The realm of his swordsmanship had increased, he¡¯d learned two more techniques of the Azure Sky Sword, and his energy center and mana circuits were further fortified. Yet, the simultaneous activation of the two attributes to the highest output was still too difficult. He was in a strange state where the energy of wind that Rimmer had given to him in the past had gotten stronger instead of other results. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be impatient.¡¯ Since it might naturally work out once he became a Grandmaster, he decided to focus on his swordsmanship and mental image. Snore. Raon was about to polish his swordsmanship in his mental world when he heard a snoring sound from behind him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He looked back while letting out a sigh and saw Rimmer sleeping in his sleeping bag. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he was sleeping there instead of just going to his room. ¡®He¡¯s truly amazing too.¡¯ Raon admired how he could stay the same after the new year. The King of Essence told you already. He deserves to be Sloth¡¯s friend at this rate. What about sending him to that mountain? Wrath frowned, saying that they would keep sleeping next to each other. ¡®He might really do that.¡¯ Raon chuckled and was about to resume his mental image training. The training ground¡¯s door opened and Roenn entered. He walked up to the tform with a subtle smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, vice division leader.¡± ¡°Yes, this is our first meeting after that time in the annex building.¡± Raon came down from the tform and bowed to Roenn. ¡°Would you minding with me if you have some time?¡± ¡°May I ask what the reason might be?¡± ¡°The head of house has summoned the person in charge of the Light Wind division.¡± ¡°In that case, it wouldn¡¯t be me, but¡­¡± Raon looked behind him only to find that Rimmer was gone. Moreover, even the sleeping bag was missing. ¡°Wow, when did he even leave?¡± He disappeared the moment that geezer arrived. ¡®Seriously, that guy¡­¡¯ He must¡¯ve run away the moment Raon was focused on Roenn. He could never get bored of watching that elf. ¡°I understand, let¡¯s go.¡± Raon nodded while letting out a sigh. ¡°It won¡¯t take that long.¡± Roenn turned around with his usual smile. ¡°General administrator.¡± Raon pointed at the tform to ask the Gambling Monster, who was teaching Yua and Yulius, to oversee everyone¡¯s training. ¡°Got it.¡± The Gambling Monster waved his hand to reassure him and went on the tform. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed to him before he followed Roenn. ¡°Why is he summoning the person in charge?¡± ¡°I supposed he has a new mission for you.¡± ¡°A mission¡­¡± ¡®Well, it¡¯s about time.¡¯ Since a few months had passed since they¡¯d saved the Warring Steel division, it was about time to get a new mission. In fact, they were given more time to improve themselves, considering how the other divisions were on their missions. ¡®I wonder what kind of mission it¡¯s going to be.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even guess where he was going to be dispatched, because there were too many wars recently. He¡¯d reached the audience chamber before he knew it as he thought about the new mission. Roenn opened the door for him and pointed inside. Raon thanked him and stepped on the carpet at the center of the floor. Glenn was supporting his chin on his fist while sitting on the throne above the tform. His posture was the same as always, but Raon could feel some indescribable difference. ¡°Greetings, my lord.¡± Raon knelt in front of the tform and lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯ve summoned you because I have a mission I want to entrust to you.¡± ¡°I hear and I obey.¡± Raon lifted his gaze while listening to the voice devoid of any intonation. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± Glenn picked up the white envelope ced on the armrest. ¡°Can you make a mess once more?¡± Chapter 472 Chapter 472 ¡®¡­Mess?¡¯ Raon slowly blinked. ¡®He just told me to make a mess, didn¡¯t he?¡¯ His mind went nk for a moment because he¡¯d never expected Glenn to say that. Raon cleared his throat and looked up to Glenn. ¡°I believe I was asked to make a mess. Did I hear correctly?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Glenn shook the envelope with eyes as emotionless as always. ¡°Do you remember how the Thespian Emperor mentioned the Five Divine Orders¡¯ festivalst year?¡±¡°Yes.¡± The Thespian Emperor had said that she would invite them to the Five Divine Orders¡¯ foundation festival before she¡¯d left Zieghart. ¡°The official letter of invitation came from the White Whale.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon figured that the letter with a white whale emblem that Glenn was holding was the invitation letter in question. ¡°She spouted some bullshit about wanting a high-ranking officer of Zieghart to join the festival to celebrate their foundation.¡± The strong grip of his finger looked like he was thinking about just burning the letter. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the White Whale¡¯s emblem engraved at the center of the letter. ¡®Thespian Emperor¡­ she¡¯s doing it again. Her nasty tendency to take advantage of others¡¯ fame has not changed.¡¯ The reason the Thespian Emperor sent the invitation letter was simple. If Zieghart joined the festival, she was going to dere that the Six Kings had recognized them by taking advantage of Zieghart¡¯s fame, and if they didn¡¯t, she was going to secretly spread the rumors that the Six Kings were afraid of them. It was only advantageous to the Five Divine Orders whether Zieghart participated or not. She was using a different method, but she was still plotting to get some easy benefits with a simple method. ¡®I can roughly guess the Thespian Emperor¡¯s personality now.¡¯ The King of Essence understands it too. Wrath came up next to Raon and frowned. She is literally a rat. She isn¡¯t even trying to hunt by herself, she just picks up leftovers from others! His frown showed that he didn¡¯t like the Thespian Emperor either. ¡®Indeed. However, she is a big rat.¡¯ Even though the Thespian Emperor was previously humiliated in Zieghart, she¡¯d acted right away afterward to prevent the bad rumors from spreading. Raon had already noticed back then, but her willpower wasmendable at least. He couldn¡¯t underestimate her just because he¡¯d defeated her once. Raon furrowed his brow while thinking about the Thespian Emperor, and Glenn lightly tapped on the throne¡¯s armrest. ¡°I was going to burn this letter up and ignore it, but I remembered you.¡± ¡°What part about me¡­?¡± ¡°Because you crushed the Thespian Emperor with your eloquencest time.¡± Glenn took his hand off his chin and rolled his lips into a smile. Raon had never seen his smile before. He thought that Glenn must¡¯ve liked the mess he¡¯d made back then. ¡°Can you go to the Five Divine Orders¡¯ festival and make the same mess you made here?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon lowered his gaze instead of answering right away. ¡®This is a different situation from back then.¡¯ The reason he could ridicule the Thespian Emperor however he wanted was because she hade to Zieghart. Just like the proverb, every dog is a lion at home, the only reason he¡¯d managed to crush the Thespian Emperor was because they were in Zieghart, and Glenn was watching them. However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to act spoiled anymore if he went to the White Whale instead. ¡®I don¡¯t think I can do this.¡¯ He was about to open his mouth to say no, but he suddenly remembered the Thespian Emperor¡¯s confident face. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ The Thespian Emperor wants the same thing as thest time.¡¯ What she wanted was Zieghart¡¯s fame just like the other time. It implied that it was possible to use her n against her by shaking a bait in front of her. ¡®This isn¡¯t much different from back then. It¡¯s still true that I¡¯m too young for my might and position. The second round of mess¡­¡¯ Raon made up his mind and lifted his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I need one thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Glenn¡¯s voice sounded softer than usual. ¡°I need the authority to have Zieghart at my back.¡± ¡°Do you want to participate in the foundation ceremony as an executive with authority instead of a simple guest?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°I can see what you¡¯re thinking.¡± He nodded while stroking his chin. ¡°Are you confident you can make a proper mess?¡± ¡°I¡¯m currently at the end of puberty. I¡¯m proud to say that thest ember will be hot.¡± ¡°Last ember, I see. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Glenn snapped his fingers, and the space in front of Raon split apart before a sword emblem engulfed by golden me emerged. ¡°This is the proof that your will is mine. This shall be enough.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s fingertips trembled as he epted the sword emblem. He was thinking that Glenn would simply write a document for him, but he was giving the emblem, which signified that he was the proxy of the head of house. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too precious¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just make sure to show them the storm of your puberty.¡± Glenn shook his hand and smiled faintly. ¡°You won¡¯t be disappointed.¡± Raon smiled in a simr manner and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give this emblem to the Light Wind division leader as soon as I return, and¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Glenn¡¯s voice was unsettled for the first time. ¡°Are you seriously thinking about giving it to him?¡± Raon could imagine what Rimmer was going to do as he heard Glenn¡¯s voice. ¡°How much can I sell this for? Is this pure gold?¡± ¡°I haveplete authority from Zieghart! You want a trade? Sure, let¡¯s do it! So how much am I getting from it?¡± ¡°Can you remove my gambling debt in return for this? You want to know what it is? This is the emblem that gives you theplete authority of Zieghart¡­¡± It didn¡¯t even take one second until he figured out what Rimmer was going to do with the emblem. It was as if he was reading heaven¡¯s flow. The King of Essence can also see it happening. Wrath frowned intensely. Shitty Ears is totally going to buy the whole ice cream shop¡­ ¡®You are the only one who would do that.¡¯ Raon sighed and shook his head. Regardless of what Wrath was thinking, Rimmer was definitely not allowed to have it. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it with me.¡± ¡°You made the right decision.¡± Raon bowed to Glenn and put the emblem in his clothes. ¡°And¡­¡± Glenn shook his hand, and Sheryl came forward from behind the throne. ¡°The Heavenly de division will be guarding the Light Wind division from an unseen location.¡± ¡°Great to have you on the team.¡± Sheryl simply waved her hand. ¡°Guard¡­?¡± Raon dropped his jaw. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a case of the tail wagging the dog?¡¯ He felt like dispatching her as a guard was a waste even though she couldn¡¯t be the one to make a mess with her position. ¡°The current area around Cameloon is pretty much a ticking magic array.¡± Glenn exined with serious eyes. He seemed to have noticed what Raon was thinking. ¡°I admit that you are strong, but it¡¯s only true when your age is taken into ount. There are still countless people on the continent who are more powerful than you. It would be unwise to act without a backup n.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. I would¡¯ve gone there alone, but I can¡¯t just do whatever I want because I¡¯m already past my stormy phase of adolescence.¡± Sheryl massaged the back of her neck and softly smiled. Raon nodded while looking at Glenn and Sheryl. ¡®They are right. Anything can happen there.¡¯ After the Five Divine Orders took over the empty spots in the continent, wars of various scales began to break out one after the other. Since it was the foundation festival of such a dangerous group, anything could happen and a backup n was necessary. ¡®However, the backup n is too powerful.¡¯ Since Sheryl was pretty much Glenn¡¯s personal guard, Raon felt great confidence. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon bowed to Glenn and Sheryl. ¡°Since the scene is prepared for me, I¡¯ll make this mess delivery sessful.¡± * * * * * * Glenn closed his eyes, and a small smile appeared around his mouth. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn looked up to Glenn with warmth in his eyes. ¡°It looks like you are really enjoying yourself.¡± ¡°The way he said it was funny.¡± Glenn raised his finger while looking at the carpet where Raon was standing. ¡°Mess delivery? I don¡¯t think anyone can show that kind of confidence.¡± Raon had left the audience chamber after announcing the iing mess delivery, showing that he was ready to go all out. His back looked so reliable that Glenn wanted to pat it. ¡°Indeed. He always surpasses our expectations, after all.¡± Roenn nodded while agreeing with Glenn. ¡°Regardless of the mess, this is a great opportunity. He will gain arge amount of experience from meeting the heads of the Five Divine Orders and their sessors.¡± Sheryl¡¯s cheeks were slightly flushed. She seemed to be looking forward to what Raon was going to show her at the festival. ¡°That is true.¡± Glenn nodded. ¡°In fact, that¡¯s the most important part.¡± He did dislike the Thespian Emperor, but he could simply ignore her. The reason he was sending Raon to the foundation festival was because he wanted Raon to bear the burden of Zieghart¡¯s name and gain some experience. ¡®And that should make him want to be a sessor a bit more.¡¯ Raon still wasn¡¯t that interested in bing a sessor. He just didn¡¯t want anyone inappropriate to inherit the position. That was why Glenn wanted Raon to learn about the responsibility and importance of Zieghart¡¯s name from his mission. Glenn closed his eyes while burying his back deep into the throne. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to how much he will have changed by the time he returns.¡¯ * * * Raon returned to the fifth training ground after leaving the lord¡¯s manor. He stopped the training and called everyone in front of the tform. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Dorian was rubbing his belly pocket. He must¡¯ve already gotten a bad feeling about it. ¡°You came at a bad time.¡± ¡°We had a perfect opportunity!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan frowned, saying that they were about to defeat Mark Goetten. ¡°I still had a wildcard left.¡± Mark Goetten shook his head, saying that they wouldn¡¯t have been able to win. ¡°Attention.¡± Raon raised his hand, and the Light Wind division stopped chatting and came to attention in a proper line. ¡°We¡¯ve got a new mission.¡± ¡°Mission?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time, I guess.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been doing nothing but training ever since the end ofst year.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen weed the mission with excited smiles. ¡°What kind of mission is it?¡± Krein was the first to raise his hand. He was the fastest when it came to asking questions and being eliminated. ¡°The Five Divine Orders are holding a festival to celebrate their foundation, and the Thespian Emperor of the White Whale has invited our house.¡± Raon furrowed his brow and continued. ¡°¡­Is the official statement, and she¡¯s actually trying to take advantage of Zieghart¡¯s name once again.¡± A frightening light started to radiate from the Light Wind division¡¯s eyes. ¡°She¡¯s doing it again.¡± Burren frowned and tapped his scabbard. ¡°Do they think they are missing an arm or a leg or something? Why the hell are they trying to use our name over and over?¡± Martha ground her teeth. She looked like she wanted to attack them right away. ¡°A shark sucker.¡± Runaan shook her head at their pathetic mindset. ¡°They are seriously pathetic.¡± ¡°Does nothing scare them because their reputation is too low?¡± ¡°Dirty bastards.¡± The other swordsmen disliked the Five Divine Orders¡¯ festival and frowned. ¡°Then is the mission¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, the Light Wind division will be participating in that festival as the Zieghart representative.¡± ¡°Representative?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The look in the Light Wind division¡¯s eyes suddenly changed upon hearing that they were the representatives. Some of them were proud of it while some felt pressured by it, but none of their eyes were showing any sign of wavering. ¡°Every single move we make will represent Zieghart. Think carefully about what you should do and what you should avoid. We will leave in two days. Dismissed.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind division bowed and left the training ground upon hearing Raon¡¯s shout. Raon felt like he didn¡¯t need to worry about them as he watched the stern pressure on their backs. ¡°A mission? So annoying.¡± Raon turned his head upon hearing a small voiceing from behind him. Rimmer was back and was crawling out from his sleeping bag. ¡°You still need toe even if it¡¯s annoying.¡± Raon simply shook his head since he¡¯d already noticed Rimmer¡¯s approach. ¡°It would be simple if we just needed to fight them, but that¡¯s not the case.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°By the way¡­¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes. ¡°Did the head of house give anything to you?¡± Even though he was usually so dense, he was so perceptive in that aspect. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Raon calmly pretended to remove Rimmer¡¯s suspicion. ¡°Judging from his personality, he must¡¯ve given something to you if he¡¯s dispatching us as the representatives.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing.¡± Raon shook his head without averting his gaze. ¡°But we are still the representatives. He should¡¯ve given some kind of proof.¡± Rimmer rubbed his fingers. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like that.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡± Raon frowned, and Rimmer quietly took a step back. ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s nothing. Why are you even getting angry?¡± He turned around, murmuring that Raon must¡¯ve been turning into a real punk. Raon shook his head while feeling the warmth of the emblem in his clothes. ¡®That man is too sharp. I mean, elf.¡¯ * * * House Robert Lord¡¯s Office Derus Robert put down his pen after he finished signing the document that he was reading. His hand that was tapping the desk picked up a letter on the left. The letter had the White Whale¡¯s symbol engraved on it, just like the one Glenn was holding. ¡°The White Whale.¡± Derus smiled faintly while touching the white whale drawing on the envelope. ¡°Sirith.¡± A man in dark armor emerged from the bookshelf¡¯s shadow upon hearing his call. ¡°Have I been summoned?¡± The in young man called Sirith lowered his head. ¡°How is the White Whale doing?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t doing good, nor bad. The fame that the Thespian Emperor tried to obtain ended up scattering like a fog, but they managed to stop their reputation from plummeting. It was still a loss for them since the value of their name had decreased overall.¡± He clicked his tongue while murmuring that the Thespian Emperor was foolish. ¡°Foolish, you say¡­¡± Derus licked his lips and put down the White Whale¡¯s letter of invitation. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°The Thespian Emperor¡¯s n was rather excellent. It was easy to figure out, but difficult to counteract. However¡­¡± He touched his hand surrounded by a glove. ¡°She encountered an unexpected variable. Raon Zieghart. She took a blow from a man who shouldn¡¯t have had more than a simple conversation with her, so she should be praised for managing to maintain her sanity in the end.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the part I can hardly believe. There were plenty of Zieghart executives, including Glenn. How is it even possible that a mere vice division leader like him could act up like that?¡± Sirith shook his head, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°I admit that Raon Zieghart is a genius swordsman, but he doesn¡¯t seem that smart. Aren¡¯t you overestimating him?¡± ¡°Overestimating him? No, he¡¯s still alive precisely because I underestimated him.¡± Derus firmly shook his head. ¡°Raon Zieghart can¡¯t simply be judged by his knowledge of intelligence. His ability to understand a difficult situation and his capability to carry out the solution right away are the most important aspects. He was born with a rare talent.¡± When he¡¯d seen Raon Zieghart, Derus could see that he possessed an astounding insight and capability for action. He was fully capable of carrying out his n from the rumors. ¡°Even without knowledge nor intelligence, his instinct alone is that of a monster.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sirith swallowed nervously. ¡°If Zieghart sends someone to this foundation festival, Raon is most likely going to be dispatched.¡± ¡°It would be the case if they decided to participate. Since he seededst time, they must want him to show Zieghart¡¯s presence at the festival as well. However, I don¡¯t think they are going to participate at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Derus nodded. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He licked his lips in contemtion while looking at the letter. ¡°Are you thinking about participating?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s better to eliminate him as fast as possible.¡± ¡°Wait, but killing him would be simple.¡± Sirith shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I was thinking about how to do it. This is actually the best situation to carry out the ¡®defeat the enemy with the enemy¡¯ strategy I mentioned previously.¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± ¡°It will go awry if another poison interferes.¡± Derus narrowed his eyes while looking at the glove he was wearing. ¡°Even two poisons might interfere. It¡¯spletely unpredictable.¡± He frowned, saying that he couldn¡¯t predict which factions among the Six Kings and the Five Demons would participate in the Five Divine Orders¡¯ festival. ¡°In that case, please allow me to go.¡± Sirith lowered his head. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Yes. If the enemy fails to defeat the enemy, then the de should be used instead. Since those children have beenpleted, this is a good opportunity to test them out.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Derus bobbed his finger, and a blue dimension opened up in the sky where a box the size of a human face came out. He tapped on the box, and the sound of something solid bumping against each other could be heard. ¡°What shall I do?¡± Chapter 473 Chapter 473 Mission Day Daybreak Raon stood on theke behind the annex building with his eyes closed. Despite the violent winter wind, there wasn¡¯t the slightest wavering on theke¡¯s surface. It must¡¯ve been because Raon was dominating the space. ¡°Haa.¡± He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled roughly while looking down at his hands. ¡®It still didn¡¯t work. I wanted to finish it before departure.¡¯ He wanted to achieve the simultaneous activation of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier before going to the Five Divine Orders¡¯ foundation festival, but he failed in the end. The pain in his energy center and mana circuits had decreased, but using fire and ice at the same time was still too difficult.You idiot. Wrath crawled out from the ice flower bracelet while stretching his limbs. Did you believe that using two attributes in your body would be an easy task? What do you take yourself for, a magician? He clicked his tongue, murmuring that Raon was so pathetic. It¡¯s still not toote. Just focus on cier, and you shall be able to turn a small continent like this into a frozen hell! ¡®Isn¡¯t a burning hell better than a frozen hell?¡¯ It¡¯s difficult for you to get both of them at your level. ¡®I know, but I¡¯m a greedy person. I don¡¯t want to miss any of them.¡¯ The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire didn¡¯t lose at all to cier¡¯s power even though it was a demon king¡¯s technique. He would¡¯ve been satisfied with that if he¡¯d only learned one of them from the beginning, but he had no intention of abandoning one of them after all that happened. ¡®But I still have some results.¡¯ He¡¯d failed to control the heat and coldness at the same time, but the proficiency of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier had increased, while the energy center and the mana circuits had been further fortified. Most importantly, his aura control became more fluent, and he could even perfectly use the technique that the White Lotus division leader Ayad had previously used¡ªmaking an aura barrier around an extremely small space to block the sound. ¡®I should check it out before leaving.¡¯ Raon raised his hand and loaded the status window that he hadn¡¯t checked for a while.
[Status Window Name: Raon Zieghart. Title: ¡®The Tongue that Mocks of the World.¡¯ State: None Trait: Wrath, Sloth, Envy, Ring of Fire (Seven-Stars), Water Resistance (Seven-Stars), Perception of the Snow Flower (Eight-Stars), Ten Thousand mes Cultivation (Six-Stars), cier (Six-Stars), Fire Resistance (Five-Stars), Bleeding Curse (Four-Star), Backstab (Six-Stars), Iron Will (Five-Stars), Adaptation to Ghastly Energy (Six-Stars), Focus (Seven-Stars), Poison Resistance (Five-Stars), Evil Eye of Wrath (Two-Stars), Spiral Power (Five-Stars), Water Affinity (Three-Stars), Array Analysis (Two-Stars), Fire Affinity (Two-Stars), Snow Flower¡¯s Veil (Three-Stars), Divinity Blooming from the Underworld (Four-Stars), Aura of Death Resistance (One-Star), Magic Armor of the Snow Flower (One-Star). Strength: 476 Agility: 469 Stamina: 462 Energy: 479 Perception: 502 Wrath: 145 Sloth: 60 Envy: 60]
Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as soon as he saw the status window. He came back to his senses as the cold wind of daybreak entered his throat. Huh? Wrath¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the status window. Why is this so big?! He couldn¡¯t read the contents, but he noticed that the size was bigger and screamed. ¡®Why else? Because there is more content now.¡¯ ¡®Did I leave it unchecked for too long? The numbers are beyond imagination.¡¯ He didn¡¯t expect such big numbers because he didn¡¯t pay attention too much whenever the messages appeared¡ªinstead, he simply got used to the change by using his body. ¡®As I expected, using traits more often seems to increase the rank faster.¡¯ The Divinity Blooming from the Underworld that he¡¯d been using the most recently had be four-stars already, and the Adaptation of Ghastly Energy had also increased to six-stars thanks to the de of Requiem¡¯s ability to absorb ghastly energy. ¡®The stats are even more surprising than the traits.¡¯ The numbers were huge, with his perception having reached 500 while the other stats were in thete 400s. He could even match up to a Grandmaster¡¯s body that had gone through the reconstruction. ¡®Sleeping was worthwhile.¡¯ Since he¡¯s been raising his stats through training when he was awake, and Sloth increased them automatically during sleep, he was pretty much a factory that ran twenty-four hours a day. Raon weakly tapped on his chest, his heart pounding in excitement. Why are you doing this?! How many stats do you even have? ¡®Close to 500.¡¯ Huh? ¡®One of them surpassed 500.¡¯ Grr¡­ Wrath went limp like a deted rubber ball as soon as he heard the number. Th-the King of Essence¡¯s body must¡¯ve been thinned down by now because of you! You little thief¡­ Heined that his main body must¡¯ve lost so much weight with teary eyes. ¡®But you are the Monarch of Devildom.¡¯ Huh? ¡®Does 500 stats even change anything for you? When you are the great Monarch of Devildom?¡¯ O-of course it¡¯s not that important! However, it¡¯s just annoying that you are getting them for free! Wrath showed his irritation while changing his words. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow slightly while watching the angry Wrath. ¡®Now that I think about it, the wrath is dangerously high.¡¯ The wrath stat had significantly increased because he¡¯d received wrath multiple times at House Arianne. That must¡¯ve been the reason why he also felt agitated whenever Wrath was angry. He figured that he needed to be careful so that the wrath wouldn¡¯t be as effective on him. ¡®Let¡¯s go now.¡¯ Raon nonchntly tapped on Wrath¡¯s head and went out from theke. He picked up his luggage and was about to leave towards the fifth training ground when the annex building¡¯s back door was opened and Judiel came out. She lowered her head and handed over the food basket she was holding. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a meal for your journey.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Hmmph! As soon as Raon epted the basket, Wrath, who¡¯d been lying on his shoulder, briskly raised his head while ring his nostrils. This smell! It¡¯s a pineapple sandwich and beef jerky with soy sauce! Moreover, it¡¯s the highest quality beef jerky! ¡®Are you a dog or something?¡¯ Even though he was so dense, his sense of smell was outstanding. ¡°Yua and Yulius are also awake and making their preparations. Aren¡¯t you going with them?¡± ¡°They are old enough to be independent.¡± ¡°Then, as for the madam¡­¡± ¡°I said goodbye to her yesterday.¡± Raon casually waved his hand and left the riverside. Since he was walking fast, he passed the garden in no time and disappeared in the direction of the fifth training ground. Creak. The back door opened once again, and Sylvia walked out from it. She came up next to Judiel with calm steps. ¡°Is he gone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Judiel stepped sideways and lowered her head. ¡°Saying goodbye yesterday isn¡¯t enough! He should say it again today since he¡¯s leaving today!¡± Sylvia stamped her foot in displeasure while looking in Raon¡¯s direction. ¡°Seriously, he hasn¡¯t been affectionate anymore, not since he started calling me ¡®mother¡¯. Where did my cute Sunshine disappear to¡­?¡± ¡°He must just be shy.¡± Judiel shook her head with a faint smile on her face. ¡°I know, but¡­¡± Sylvia sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just regrettable because he¡¯s never acted like a baby.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t act like a baby, but he must be thinking about his family more than anyone else.¡± ¡°Did you justpliment Raon? What happened to you?¡± Sylvia approached Judiel from the side, with a warm smile on her face. ¡°Keep going. I never get bored of listening topliments about my son.¡± ¡°Madam¡­¡± * * * * * * Inside a clean office, even the sunlight shining from the window looked rigorous. The White Whale¡¯s leader, the Thespian Emperor, lifted her teacup while sitting on a sofa. By the time she took a sip, a hard knock could be heard from the door. ¡°Feel free toe inside.¡± The door was quietly opened, and a middle-aged man whose blue hair was smoothly tucked away made his entrance. ¡°Master.¡± The middle-aged man bowed to the Thespian Emperor and took a step towards the table. ¡°Zieghart announced their participation through a letter. They didn¡¯t state who was going to participate, but we¡¯ve received intel that the Light Wind division is currently heading to Cameloon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ording to my expectations.¡± The Thespian Emperor put down the teacup without showing any sign of surprise. ¡°Of course it would be Raon Zieghart. After all, he was the one who defeated mest time.¡± She didn¡¯t even need to read the heaven¡¯s flow. It was only natural for Zieghart to send Raon and the Light Wind division if they were going to participate. ¡°What should we do? We can still eliminate them since the Light Wind division is moving on its own. We can¡¯t leave that punk who humiliated our master be.¡± The middle-aged man imed that it was the perfect chance since Raon and the Light Wind division were still in Zieghart territory. ¡°I¡¯ll personally take care of him if you just give me the order¡­¡± ¡°McCain.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The middle-aged man confidently raised his head upon hearing the call. ¡°That¡¯s the worst move we can make. Since we were the ones who invited them, they can me us for the smallest trouble. No, it would be a relief if that was all they did. Glenn Zieghart might even invade us with an army of swordsmen.¡± The Thespian Emperor fiddled with the teacup, where a red lip mark remained. ¡°Moreover, the Destructive King of the North seemed to cherish Raon Zieghart quite a lot from what I¡¯ve seen. There must be guards following them from invisible locations.¡± She could tell because she¡¯d seen him in the audience chamber. It could be because he was family, or because of his might and insight. Regardless of the reason, Glenn definitely cherished Raon. There was no way he would¡¯ve dispatched the Light Wind division without anyone to help them despite their inexperience otherwise. If their assault ended up failing and the information leaked, it was going to be the end of the White Whale. ¡°Huff.¡± McCain bit his lip tightly, to the point of bleeding. ¡°How frustrating. The fact that we can¡¯t do anything about that punk who humiliated our master who is acting for the great cause is so¡­¡± He clenched his fist while saying Raon¡¯s name with extreme malice. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The Thespian Emperor gently shook her hand. ¡°Because I¡¯ve learned a lesson and gained something from him.¡± Just like in the audience chamber, she remained rxed, with a subtle smile on her face. ¡°Raon Zieghart is going to meet the same end as me this time.¡± ¡°The same end¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it impossible for him to act, even if he knows what¡¯s happening. Just like myself in the past.¡± Raon Zieghart wasn¡¯t a goddamn punk who acted without giving any thought, but a smart punk whose actions were thoroughly calcted. It was necessary to repay the favor in the exact same way to destroy him. ¡®Since he will be representing Zieghart, he can¡¯t be as reckless as before.¡¯ Raon could do whatever he wanted in the audience chamber since he was just the youngest member among them. However, his position was different since he was in charge of the mission alongside Rimmer. Since Zieghart¡¯s reputation depended on their actions and speech, it was impossible for them to behave rashly. ¡°Allen.¡± The office door opened once again, and a young warrior who still retained his immature appearance entered the room. ¡°Did you happen to call me?¡± His eyes were serious as he bowed despite his immature appearance. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes. Everyone¡¯s waiting.¡± Allen heavily nodded his chin. ¡°I know I¡¯m repeating this, but you should never be the one to pick a fight against them. Just get on the White Sword Dragon¡¯s nerve, little by little¡ªlike rain seeping into clothes. Make him make the first move.¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll set it up like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± The Thespian Emperor smiled in satisfaction, and Allen bowed once again before leaving the office. ¡°Ah!¡± McCain¡¯s jaw dropped. He must¡¯ve finally realized the Thespian Emperor¡¯s intentions. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ A frightening smile appeared on the Thespian Emperor¡¯s face as she watched the quietly closing door. ¡®It¡¯s my turn now.¡¯ * * * Raon¡¯s gaze was directed at the back of the merchant city Cameloon, which he¡¯d visited multiple times before. Arge city was built on thend that used to be just a golden prairie. The city had a gray color, like dry bread, implying that it was onlypleted recently. ¡®Did they really build that city in such a short period of time?¡¯ Raon realized that the Five Divine Orders¡¯ power was even greater than he¡¯d thought, considering they¡¯d managed to build such a big city in a short period of time. ¡®The Five Divine Ordersbined might be able to match up to three out of the Six Kings and the Five Demons¡­¡¯ Considering the manpower and financial abilities that allowed them to build such a city in addition to their main bases located elsewhere, Raon thought that the Thespian Emperor wasn¡¯t the only dangerous person¡ªthe entire Five Divine Orders was. ¡°Has there always been a city like this here?¡± ¡°Wow, did they really make that in that short time?¡± ¡°The Five Divine Orders are insane¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen were also surprised, and their lips parted in amazement. Raon skimmed through the city before he turned around. ¡°That¡¯s the Five Divine Orders¡¯ city, Banneret.¡± Since he¡¯d previously heard the information about it from Denning Rose, he briefly exined Banneret to the swordsmen. ¡°Like I said when we departed, Zieghart¡¯s honor is on your shoulders. You shall be careful with how you act and speak.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The swordsmen nodded heavily, showing their determination to just shut their mouths. ¡°Division leader.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir~¡± Rimmer was lying on the back of his horse, and he leisurely lifted his head while showing his annoyance. ¡°I¡¯ll be just going around the gambling houses. Do it without me.¡± He shook his hand, telling him to not mind him. ¡®That might be actually better.¡¯ Raon figured it would be better for him to stay away from the beginning, rather than causing trouble. Of course, he still needed to be present when he was going to ridicule the Thespian Emperor. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded and looked at the Light Wind division once again. You bastard. Wrath came up next to him and tapped Raon¡¯s shoulder with his round hand. Did you prepare to deal with her? ¡®With the Thespian Emperor?¡¯ Indeed. She¡¯s not an ordinary human, considering the way she managed to maintain her sanity after how much you made fun of her. ¡®That¡¯s true. But I think I¡¯ve already figured out what she prepared for me.¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the people lined up in front of Banneret¡¯s entrance. You figured her out? ¡®Yes. She is an extremely proud person. That¡¯s why she suppressed her anger until the very end back then, since she thought getting angry would be her loss. People like that usually want to repay the humiliation the exact same way.¡¯ That¡¯s indeed correct¡­ Wrath nodded, saying that there were the same kind of demons in Devildom. ¡®She¡¯s probably going to try to humiliate me in a simr manner.¡¯ Judging from the moves that the Thespian Emperor had made so far, Raon could roughly predict what kind of trap she was about to spring. Raon smiled while looking back to the Light Wind division. ¡°I might stand out a little in Banneret, so you should try to understand on your own and assist me.¡± ¡°Stand out?¡± ¡°But you always stand out.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan furrowed their brows, saying that Raon stood out just from idling there. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± An ominous smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he looked at Banneret. ¡°I¡¯m going to be as yful as our division leader.¡± * * * The crowd was weing the people entering into Banneret, and Allen was rolling his eyes while hiding between them. ¡®They are finally here.¡¯ He could see the Light Wind division approaching from afar with the Zieghart emblem around them. ¡®She said I shouldn¡¯t provoke them too hard.¡¯ The Thespian Emperor had told him to start with an extremely small provocation instead of big, in a way that Raon couldn¡¯t do anything reckless. ¡®That¡¯s my specialty.¡¯ Every single warrior of the White Whale was educated to fight with psychological warfare. Provoking the opponent was a piece of cake for him. ¡®Moreover, I¡¯m more than d to do it since he¡¯s the target.¡¯ The Thespian Emperor was pretty much a goddess to the warriors of the White Whale. He was brimming with motivation in anticipation of provoking Raon, who had picked a fight with her and ridiculed her. ¡®I¡¯ll repay the humiliation she received many times over.¡¯ Hispanions were also within the crowd. There was no room for any kind of trouble since they¡¯d agreed on what they were going to say in advance. Allen slowly caught his breath and waited for the Light Wind division¡¯s approach. Rumble! Unlike the others, the Light Wind division was spreading their pressure, as ferocious as a sword, as they approached the gate. The man at the forefront was a young man with blond hair and red eyes, and no pressure could be felt from him even though his handsome appearance was mind-blowing. ¡®Is he Raon Zieghart?¡¯ The atmosphere around him was a lot softer than the other swordsman. He must¡¯ve been properly controlling his energy. Allen thought that his task would be a lot easier than he¡¯d expected. He came to a consensus with the otherpanions through signals, before a ferocious glow appeared in his eyes. It wasn¡¯t bloodlust. It was an observing gaze that was bound to make the target feel difort. ¡°Is he Raon Zieghart?¡¯ Thepanion next to him started the talk. ¡°It looks like it.¡± Allen nodded and twisted his lips. ¡°He looks like a wimp, unlike the rum¡ª¡± Raon¡¯s gaze turned towards him as he spoke. ¡°Who do you think you are staring at with your dead fish eyes?¡± Raon red at him while tantly murmuring vulgar words. ¡®I did it!¡¯ Allen celebrated in his mind. ¡®What an idiot!¡¯ He hadn¡¯t expected Raon to fall for the trap just from the gaze. He was way more stupid than he¡¯d thought. ¡°What did you just say?! How could you say such a thing!¡± Allen frowned while stating the line that he¡¯d prepared in advance. It was the others¡¯ turn to criticize Raon while agreeing with him. However, no one around him was doing anything. They were staring at him like he was a madman instead. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Chapter 474 Chapter 474 Raon unleashed cier as he walked towards the main gate of Banneret, the Five Divine Orders¡¯ city. He spread the coldness at an extremely small pace, so people wouldn¡¯t be able to notice that he was controlling his aura. ¡°This is a bit cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still the central region. This much is child¡¯s ypared to Zieghart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s not piercing through our gloves and boots.¡± Since Raon was careful and it was winter, even the Light Wind swordsmen right next to him were unable to notice that he was using his coldness. Raon stroked his sleeve and examined the people in front of the gate. The Five Divine Orders¡¯ warriors were standing in front of the rampart with their spears in their hands, and the entrance was brimming with residents who¡¯de to watch the celebrities entering the city. ¡®If I was her, I would¡¯ve started it here.¡¯Raon had dispatched swordsmen to the main gate during the Thespian Emperor¡¯s visit to pressure her. If his expectations were correct and she didn¡¯t like to lose, she likely prepared to get on his nerves starting from the entrance, just like he¡¯d done. Huh. Wrath turned his head and widened his eyes. So you didn¡¯t suddenly start spreading coldness because you are just crazy. ¡®¡­Of course not.¡¯ The King of Essence thought your energy center suddenly had a hole in it. ¡®It¡¯s not anything like that. I was trying to find the agitators among them.¡¯ The reason why he¡¯d spread the coldness in advance was to find the instigators among the crowd. Did you grease your brain or something? How is it working so smoothly? Wrath started to take notes on his palm, his chin fat shaking in the air. Some letters were being written, but Raon couldn¡¯t understand where that was being recorded. Raon took his eyes off of Wrath and looked at the gate once again. ¡®It¡¯s highly likely that there¡¯s no one like that, but if there is, then it won¡¯t be a single person.¡¯ A few instigators were usually dispatched among the crowd to use public opinion as a weapon. Since there were almost a hundred people in front of the entrance, Raon could guess that there were at least five people ordered there by the Thespian Emperor. ¡®That actually makes it easier. I just need to find the signal.¡¯ The instigators wouldn¡¯t act independently. They send signals to each other and raise their voices little by little at the most important time. As long as he could find their signal, which would determine their course of action, it wasn¡¯t difficult to find out how many of them they were and where they were. Whir. Raon quietly controlled the Perception of the Snow Flower. Once Perception of the Snow Flower¡ªwhich had already reached eight-stars¡ªwas added to the aura prepared in advance, Raon could feel the movement of people in front of the gate as if he were touching them. ¡®The guards are innocent.¡¯ The guards¡¯ eyes were sparkling like someone who had seen a mysterious animal, and there was no way they could send any signal since they weren¡¯t averting their gaze from the front. ¡®Are they among the crowd?¡¯ Raon focused his senses on the crowd. He observed the movement of their eyes, facial muscles, hands, and chins, but he couldn¡¯t notice anything strange. Maybe there are none. ¡®That might be the case.¡¯ Raon gave him a small nod since he didn¡¯t notice any signals even though he¡¯d checked all of the spectators. ¡®In that case, I¡¯ll have to change my ¡ªHmm?¡¯ While Raon was thinking that he needed to change his assumption about the Thespian Emperor¡¯s personality, a spectator¡¯s shoulder trembled from his right. It was an ordinary reaction, but six other people shook their shoulders slightly in a simr manner from other locations. Raon focused his aura perception on the seven people who¡¯d shaken their shoulders. All of them had average might and were extremely young. They were the perfect type of people to act as instigators. ¡®I found them.¡¯ Raon pretended that he didn¡¯t notice anything, lowered his presence further, and walked towards the gate. By the time he met the guard captain¡¯s eyes standing in front of the gate, the six people that he¡¯d previously noticed gazed at him one after the other. There wasn¡¯t anything like bloodlust. It was just an ufortable probing gaze. Some other people in the crowd weren¡¯t exactly favorable either, but they were way more natural than them. The instigators were really here¡­ Wrath furrowed his brow. Seriously, what the hell are you? He quickly blinked in disbelief. ¡®Just an ordinary human.¡¯ Raon responded casually and moved the prepared aura little by little to spread it around the seven instigators. His aura was going to be a thin aura barrier and lock them up when he needed to. ¡®It¡¯s about time for them to start speaking.¡¯ When instigators tried to get on someone¡¯s nerves, they usually red like they were doing before they voiced out something trivial. It should be too weak to be called an insult or a criticism, and he would look narrow-minded if he argued against it. If they insulted him instead, it meant that they were most likely not an instigator. By the time Raon went through half of the road that the crowd had made for him, a young warrior from the right started to speak. ¡°Is he Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°It looks like it.¡± ¡°He looks like a wimp, unlike the rum¡ª¡± He wasn¡¯t exactly insulting, and it couldn¡¯t really be called a criticism either. It wasn¡¯t anything serious, but it still got on his nerves, which allowed Raon to ascertain that they were dispatched by the Thespian Emperor. Raon turned his head and the instigator sneered. He seemed to be provoking Raon into saying something. Raon activated the aura barrier in a split second. Whir! It didn¡¯t surround the entire space, unlike the other times. The extremely small aura barrier was only covering the area around the instigator and himself. It was the method that the White Lotus division leader, Ayad, had used, but Raon had learned to use it even better than him. ¡°Who do you think you are staring at with your dead fish eyes?¡± He insulted him inside the aura barrier so that no one else could hear it. The instigator was the only person who looked like he couldn¡¯t suppress hisughter upon hearing it. ¡°What did you just say?! How could you say such a thing!¡± The instigator shouted loudly, believing that everyone had heard it. However, Raon had released the aura barrier and his voice spread to the crowd. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Obviously, the others were looking at him as if he were a madman. ¡°Wh-what?! Why are you looking at me like that?! Didn¡¯t you hear what he just told me?!¡± The instigator pointed at Raon with his finger, his face turning red. He wouldn¡¯t have been deceived if Raon had said it through an aura message, but it was bound to work because he¡¯d created an extremely thin aura barrier. However, it was still not enough. The instigator needed to say something worse so that Raon could seize him and interrogate him. ¡®Should I try something about the Thespian Emperor?¡¯ Raon created the aura barrier once again the moment the instigator shut his mouth in panic. ¡°Hey, fish. Do you have a fish brain to go with your eyes? Why would you speak in a way that no one other than me can hear you? Was it your master who taught you to do that?¡± Raon maintained a dignified expression, but his speech was crude. ¡°Kuh!¡± Veins bulged on the instigator¡¯s face upon having his master insulted when he was already shocked. Raon immediately removed the aura barrier. ¡°You son of a bitch, how dare you talk so much trash here!¡± The instigator ground his teeth and unleashed his bloodlust. He looked like he was about to attack at any moment. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe he lost it.¡± ¡°He¡¯s talking perfectly fine though, even though the content would kill him.¡± Everyone in front of the gate dropped their jaws while looking at the instigator who got angry out of nowhere. The other instigators couldn¡¯t decide what to do and simply rolled their eyes. ¡°What is this nonsense?! Did you not hear what he just said?! Do you have a caterpir in your ears or something?!¡± The instigator¡¯s chin was trembling furiously, unable to realize what had happened to him. Raon created an aura barrier once again and furrowed his brow. ¡°Thank you. I can extort a lot from your master thanks to you.¡± Raon couldn¡¯t stopughing in his mind, but he couldn¡¯t show it on the outside since lots of people were watching. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± Since the instigator had already lost hisposure, he kept shouting without realizing what was happening. ¡­Are you seriously a fiend? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped. You couldn¡¯t do this if there was anything human left in you. His shoulders trembled as he murmured that he¡¯d never thought such evil could exist among humans. ¡°A-Allen!¡± The person who got a signal from an instigator tried to stop him, but it was already toote. ¡°Hey!¡± Martha came forward and stood in front of the instigator. ¡°What did you say to our vice division leader, you ugly toad? Do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°Huaah¡­¡± He was terrified by her pressure and stepped back before he fell on his ass. ¡°H-he was mistaken! He sometimes sees things¡­ Ah!¡± Another instigator who was trying to defend him suddenly screamed upon noticing the de touching his neck. Runaan had moved before they knew it, and her de was on their necks. ¡°Kill?¡± Runaan blinked nkly, waiting for the order. The sleepiness in her eyes as she was about to kill people made her the most terrifying among them in a way. ¡°Greetings, White Sword Dragon.¡± The man, who seemed to be the guard captain, walked up to him and lowered his head. ¡°We will take care of him.¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head. Since they were clearly on the Thespian Emperor or the Five Divine Orders¡¯ side, he wasn¡¯t about to do anything foolish like hand him over. ¡°Since he insulted me and revealed his bloodlust, I¡¯ll take care of him myself.¡± ¡°But in this case¡ªKuh!¡± Raon unleashed the pressure that he¡¯d been suppressing. The violent wave of energy burst out like wildfire, and the guard captain stepped back while breaking out in a cold sweat. ¡°Are you telling me that he¡¯s rted to the Five Divine Orders?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem if I take him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The guard captain bit his lip and looked around. The spectators were nodding in agreement. They seemed to think that the person who was humiliated should decide his punishment. ¡°Seize him.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Krein and the Light Wind swordsmen carried the man called Allen and the other instigator who was trying to stop him on their backs and followed from behind. ¡°You are still a novice.¡± Raon lifted his head while crossing the gate. He rolled his lips into a smile while thinking about the Thespian Emperor, who should¡¯ve been watching. ¡°Try harder.¡± * * * * * * Crack! The window frame crumpled like paper in Ariel¡¯s grasp. ¡°Try harder?¡± ¡®That little rat¡­¡¯ She ground her teeth violently while watching Raon¡¯s back as he followed a guide towards the lodgings prepared for Zieghart. ¡°Wh-what just happened?¡± McCain swallowed nervously and went next to Ariel. ¡°Why was Allen arrested instead¡­?¡± ¡°It was Raon Zieghart¡¯s plot.¡± Raon had created an extremely thin aura barrier that only included himself and Allen. It was so refined that even Allen was unable to notice that he was inside an aura barrier, let alone the others. ¡®What a wicked man.¡¯ No matter how amazing Raon¡¯s aura control was, it was impossible for him to figure out Allen¡¯s identity and create an aura barrier that no one could notice in that short period of time. ¡®He must¡¯ve read my thoughts from the beginning.¡¯ She was certain that Raon had predicted that she would dispatch people like Allen the moment he entered Banneret and made the necessary preparations. ¡®But how?¡¯ She¡¯d made sure to warn Allen and the instigators multiple times so that they would only get on his nerves instead of tantly provoking him. Their gazes andments could¡¯vee from ordinary spectators. She couldn¡¯t understand how Raon had found them out. ¡°Ah¡­¡± McCain¡¯s eyes trembled upon hearing the Thespian Emperor¡¯s exnation. His face revealed his disbelief at the fact that Raon had made that decision in that short time and took Allen instead. ¡°The bigger issue is¡­¡± Ariel furrowed her brow deeply while touching the purple book between her thighs. ¡®I couldn¡¯t read this scene.¡¯ She had checked the heaven¡¯s flow to read the overall situation after she¡¯d confirmed that Raon wasing to Banneret. She¡¯d seen multiple incidents, but the scene she¡¯d witnessed wasn¡¯t there at all. ¡®And it was the same back then.¡¯ She was confident when she¡¯d gone to Zieghart in the past because she¡¯d read heaven¡¯s flow beforehand, but the unexpected actions from Raon hadpletely destroyed her n. It was normal that she couldn¡¯t perfectly determine the entire situation from reading the heaven¡¯s flow, and there were many cases where the situation changed. However, it was the first time that it unfolded in apletely different way. Rattle. Ariel lifted her left hand that was holding onto the window frame. The rubble in her hand fell at the same time. ¡®Raon Zieghart¡­ Who the hell are you?¡¯ She would be able to understand if he were a celestial being like Glenn or the other heads of the Six Kings, but he was just a youngster at the highest level of Master. She couldn¡¯t believe the fact that he had exceeded her predictions. ¡®I need to investigate him.¡¯ Since it came down to it, it was necessary to move her body and brain no matter how annoying it was. She had to discard all of the information she had and obtain new intel to analyze what kind of person he was. ¡°Err, master¡­¡± McCain secretly lifted his gaze. ¡°Allen and Kopel have been captured. Is that going to be okay? If he raises them as an issue¡­¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t officially affiliated with the White Whale anyway.¡± Ariel sighed quietly. ¡°He should already be aware that I was the one who ordered them. What he did just now must be a warning for us to be more careful.¡± Raon had sent a signal to not mess with his Light Wind division by capturing Allen and Kopel. That was why she couldn¡¯t use the same method anymore. ¡°He¡¯s most likely going to subtly make a request when he returns those two after the festival.¡± Ariel bit her red lip slightly. ¡®My stomach is feeling worse again.¡¯ The difort made it feel like her internal injury had opened back up. She calmed herself down and turned her head. ¡°McCain.¡± Ariel bobbed her finger at McCain. ¡°Let¡¯s skip the second step and proceed to the third step right away.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± McCain bowed deeply before leaving the office. However, he came running back to the office before thirty minutes had passed. ¡°M-master! Raon Zieghart came to see you!¡± Ariel closed her eyes tightly. ¡®Seriously, this fucking punk!¡¯ Chapter 475 Chapter 475 As soon as Raon entered the room he was guided to, he started a simple interrogation of the two instigators. Their names were Allen and Kopel. They must¡¯ve been quite dedicated since they didn¡¯t mention the Thespian Emperor¡¯s name, but it didn¡¯t matter. Allen¡¯s reaction in front of the gate had already made it clear that the Thespian Emperor was behind that childish act. However, he couldn¡¯t gain anything fromining about the instigators if she kept denying it until the end. Considering the Thespian Emperor¡¯s reasonable mentality, she shouldn¡¯t think that Raon would visit her immediately. ¡®That¡¯s why I¡¯m visiting her.¡¯ The reason he immediately went to the Thespian Emperor without even unpacking his baggage in his room was to attack the gap in her misconception. ¡®Because I¡¯m not trying to get any benefits nor honor from this.¡¯ He already had more than enough money and fame. He just wanted to get on the Thespian Emperor¡¯s nerves.Seriously¡­ Wrath furrowed his brow with a dumbfounded expression on his face. What the hell are you? ¡®What?¡¯ How did you even think of something like that? This isn¡¯t something that can be learned just from taking notes! Wrath pulled his cotton candy hair while saying that it was a problem-solving question instead of a question of memorization. ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯ Wrath was correct. The reason he could pierce the gap in her mentality wasn¡¯t because he was extremely smart but because of the experience from his previous life. It was the result of bloodshed as he continuously analyzed people to kill them. ¡°You¡¯d better tell her toe out quickly.¡± Raon swallowed the smile that was about to appear and shook his hand towards the warrior standing in front of the Thespian Emperor¡¯s mansion. ¡°Because I¡¯m rather impatient.¡± The warrior guarding the Thespian Emperor¡¯s mansion swallowed nervously upon feeling the frightening pressure and irritated voiceing from him. ¡°Our master must¡¯ve gotten the message. Please wait a bit longer.¡± The warrior clenched his spear and forced himself to maintain hisposure. His unshakable eyes revealed his loyalty, which was even more powerful than his might. ¡°Haah?¡± Martha tilted her chin and walked up to the warrior. ¡°A motherfucker picked a fight with us as soon as we entered this shitty city, and he is affiliated with you. Tell me one reason why we have to wait!¡± The strain on her fingers looked like she was about to punch him. ¡°Th-there must be a misunderstanding. We should get the message soon, so please wait a little.¡± The warrior didn¡¯t move away despite facing Martha¡¯s furious pressure. He stayed on the spot even though he broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°Kill?¡± Runaan quietly came up next to him and grabbed the hilt of her cherished sword, Snow Flower. ¡°¡­No, save it forter.¡± Raon quickly shook his head. He couldn¡¯t understand why, but Runaan¡¯s personality had be more than twice as impatient as before after the start of the mission. Even someone like you can be ignorant in this aspect. ¡®What?¡¯ It¡¯s because you held a party with ice cream. ¡®But that was a long time ago.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t matter. The fact that you held the party is the important part. People like us remember the gratitude for ice cream. Wrath was looking at Runaan warmly while saying that she was a perfect subordinate for him. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon looked at Runaan while thinking about it. Her eyes did seem clearer than before. ¡®Just because of ice cream? It¡¯s mind-blowing how simple that is.¡¯ While Raon was shaking his hand, the mansion¡¯s door was opened and a middle-aged man came out. His hair was neatly trimmed back just like Roenn. ¡°My name is McCain, Lady Ariel¡¯s servant. What brings you here?¡± The middle-aged man introduced himself as McCain and bowed carefully. ¡°I came to talk because your Master Ariel seems to have caused some trouble.¡± ¡°What kind of trouble are you talking about?¡± McCain asked with serious eyes, pretending he didn¡¯t know anything about it. ¡°Are you sure I should say it here? I¡¯m fine with it, but there are lots of people watching.¡± Raon lifted his hands and curved his lips into a smile. ¡°¡­¡­¡± McCain furrowed his brow slightly and stepped aside past the door. ¡°Please enter.¡± ¡°Follow me, Dorian. And no one else.¡± Raon left the team leaders behind and entered the mansion with Dorian. The inside of the mansion was unexpectedly simple. There were no shy decorations or antiques, which made it look like the annex building¡¯s interior. He went up to the highest floor by following the guide, and he could see a door made from cedar. It wasn¡¯t an expensive material, but it was neatly maintained. Knock knock. McCain quietly walked up to the door and knocked on it, and the Thespian Emperor¡¯s voice could be heard from inside. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± The door was automatically opened, and McCain gestured at them to enter with his hands. Raon entered the Thespian Emperor¡¯s office where sunlight was shining down faintly. The room wasn¡¯t luxurious at all, as an extension of the mansion¡¯s atmosphere. The objects were hand-stained, and the strict pressure felt like it was a soldier¡¯s office. ¡°I was a bit surprised when I heard of your visit, Sir Raon.¡± The Thespian Emperor sitting on the sofa slowly stood up with a smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t want to see me ever again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a powerless individual. I have to obey orders.¡± Raon walked up to the Thespian Emperor and nodded. He sat on the opposite side of her with a twisted smile on his face. Despite the crude greeting from someone far younger than her, the Thespian Emperor¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. Her willpower was as sturdy as always. ¡°I¡¯m d to see you again, but you could¡¯ve taken a rest from the fatigue of your journey beforeing here. How polite of you.¡± The Thespian Emperor smiled faintly while pouring a red-colored tea into the teacup ced on the table. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m not here for a pleasant greeting.¡± Raon responded to the Thespian Emperor¡¯s sarcastic remark foolishly on purpose and shook his hand. ¡°Ah, is it about what happened at the entrance? I apologize for that. However, it¡¯s difficult to manage the spectators, even for me¡­¡± She shook her head, telling him that she was already aware of it from a report. Raon narrowed his eyes while listening to the Thespian Emperor¡¯sposed voice. ¡®She really isn¡¯t an easy opponent.¡¯ Raon would¡¯ve lowered his consideration for her if she¡¯d feigned ignorance, but she pretended to be unrted despite having heard the news. Her unsettled eyes almost looked like she was really telling the truth. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible though.¡± Raon licked his lips while tapping the table with his index finger. ¡°After all, the men I caught mentioned your name, Lady Ariel.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Raon thought once again that herposure was the most fearsome part about her, rather than her might or her ability to read heaven¡¯s flow. ¡°They said that they were ordered to do it by you, Lady Ariel. You asked them to slowly get on my nerves once I reached the entrance.¡± Raon focused on the Thespian Emperor¡¯s expressions while stating the line he¡¯d prepared. Her eyes wavered faintly, even if it onlysted for a short moment. ¡°No, I¡¯m not rted to them.¡± The Thespian Emperor firmly shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would disgrace myself in front of my guests from Zieghart.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t want to believe that Lady Ariel, who is praised as the Thespian Emperor by the people, would do something dirty and sloppy like that. However, the perpetrators said it themselves.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor remained silent. Her sharp gaze seemed to be trying to figure out whether it was true or not. Raon met her eyes and casually drank his tea. ¡®She seems to be trying to figure me out.¡¯ Raon had been hiding his expression for dozens of years, ever since his previous life. Even if she could read heaven¡¯s flow and was extremely smart, it was impossible to read his thoughts. ¡°The instigators are called Allen and Kopel. You¡¯ve heard those names before, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of them.¡± The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± She lifted her eyelids and quietly spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is extremely rude of you. What are you going to do if they are trying to take advantage of my name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯m simply here because they specifically mentioned your name, Lady Ariel.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you that it¡¯s not true. Visiting me like this and acting rude is¡ª¡± ¡°Well, it might be true. Moreover, it¡¯s the White Whale that was rude to me by not even managing the crowd around the entrance. Are you actually threatening me now?¡± * * * * * * Raon¡¯s back parted from the sofa, and he put his hands together. ¡°Haa, that was certainly our fault. However, we aren¡¯t rted¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, so you admitted your mistake. So, you were rted, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! I admitted the mistake about the crowd¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, so about hiding them among the crowd and ordering them to get on my nerves, right?¡± Raon cut her off and kept saying stupid shit. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s hand holding the teacup started to tremble. Her expression was still as peaceful as before, but she was starting to be enraged. Argh! Wrath¡¯s fist was trembling violently. Even the King of Essence is angry at this! This is infuriating! He pounded his chest, saying that he was getting upset instead. ¡°Let me tell you again. Those people who insulted you are not rted to me whatsoever.¡± The Thespian Emperor shook her head, saying that she¡¯d never ordered them to act out. Considering how she asserted the fact, she must¡¯ve been confident that Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to find any connection between them. ¡®That¡¯s to be expected.¡¯ Raon knew that much the moment he¡¯d decided toe to the mansion. Then why are you even here? ¡®What else? I¡¯m just here to make her angry.¡¯ ¡­It was a great sess. Wrath awkwardly nodded. Her face looks fine, but she¡¯s boiling with anger right now. He pointed at the Thespian Emperor and murmured that the objective was already achieved. It was definitely true since the wrath specialist was guaranteeing it. ¡°What you are doing right now can bite you in the fut¡ª¡± ¡°Aah! I don¡¯t know aboutplicated stuff like that. What I¡¯m telling you is that they stated your name, Lady Ariel! Allen and Kopel said it!¡± Raon consistently repeated the exact same thing, to the point where he sounded like an idiot. ¡°In that case, can I have a meeting with them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a no.¡± Raon energetically shook his head, as if he were making fun of her. ¡°I can¡¯t give my captives to the enemy. You might just kill them!¡± ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen.¡± ¡°You should never say never. I also thought that the Thespian Emperor would never order them to get on my nerves.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Veins started to bulge slightly on the Thespian Emperor¡¯s forehead. Herposure was wavering. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Raon rubbed his thumb with his index finger. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°How much do you want?¡± ¡°Did you just ask me how much I want? Are you actually trying to nullify this matter by paying me?¡± Raon covered his mouth while jumping up to feign surprise. ¡°No, you just rubbed your fingers! That clearly implies that you want the mon¡ª¡± ¡°I was just scratching it because I was bitten by a mosquito. What are you even talking about?¡± ¡°There are no mosquitos in winter!¡± ¡°They exist in Zieghart. They are very tenacious.¡± He furrowed his brow while blowing at his finger, which was perfectly fine. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor scratched the table with her finger. ¡®What the hell is this guy¡­?¡¯ After she¡¯d reached her realm, she¡¯d be capable of seeing what people wanted from the smallest conversation. She could even figure out the emotions of warriors or magicians more powerful than her, or even the king of a country or a head of house. However, what the punk in front of her was thinking waspletely iprehensible to her. ¡®No, he¡¯s definitely not a punk.¡¯ Raon must¡¯ve been only acting like a punk, and his brain should¡¯ve been running nonstop. He clearly had an objective behind his visit, but she couldn¡¯t figure it out at all. ¡®He can¡¯t pressure me with the testimony from Allen and Kopel. It won¡¯t ruin my reputation either. It¡¯s not like he wants money from me, so what could be¡­?¡¯ She looked into his eyes, talked to him, and observed his behavior, but she couldn¡¯t read what he wanted at all. The man called Raon Zieghart was the most peculiar person she¡¯d ever seen. Raon smiled faintly while looking at the Thespian Emperor, who was biting her lip slightly. ¡®She must be thinking about why I¡¯m doing this.¡¯ She seemed to be going nuts because she couldn¡¯t figure out why he was being so unreasonable like that. ¡®Of course she can¡¯t figure it out. I have no objective.¡¯ He had no intention of humiliating the Thespian Emperor, extorting money from her, or getting her to apologize. He was just messing with her. That was his only purpose, and that was why she couldn¡¯t guess his objective. ¡®Now that I think about it, I do have an objective. She¡¯s going to get enraged every time she sees me in the future.¡¯ Putting mental pressure on her was bound to help him in the future. That was actually an extremely important aspect. Raon frowned while tapping on the table. ¡°So, what are you going to do about this? They could¡¯ve started attacking us, and I might have been fine, but some of our members could¡¯ve been injured!¡± ¡°About the safety issues, I¡¯d like to apologize¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a safety issue! They mentioned your name, Lady Ariel!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, they aren¡¯t rted¡ª¡± ¡°Hah, I don¡¯t care. I won¡¯t leave until you apologize.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor exhaled roughly. Gray steam wasing out from her mouth. ¡°But I can¡¯t apologize for something that I haven¡¯t done.¡± ¡°But they said you did.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not rted to it.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ In that case, I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Raon murmured ¡®Let¡¯s see who wins¡¯ and buried his back deep into the sofa. The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes tightly before opening them again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll apologize.¡± She nodded. She seemed to be trying to quickly end this matter. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes tightly upon hearing his cheerful response. ¡°But you asked me to apologize, Sir Raon.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t being sincere. And you didn¡¯t mention what mistake you made.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s cheeks turned red. She seemed to be contemting whether she should kill him or not. ¡°Hieeh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s smile seemed to be telling her to try it if she could, but Dorian, who was standing behind him, turned pale. Devildom is the survival of the fittest, but¡­ Wrath¡¯s head was trembling in fear. Is the human realm the survival of the lunatics? * * * Raon finally left the Thespian Emperor¡¯s office in the evening. They obviously didn¡¯t manage toe to a consensus, but their expressions were theplete opposite. The Thespian Emperor¡¯s darkened face looked like she waspletely exhausted while Raon looked even more energetic than before, as if he¡¯d gotten a deep sleep. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°What took you so long?!¡± Runaan and Martha came running towards him. They quickly examined Raon¡¯s body to see if anything bad had happened to him. ¡°The talk was just extended.¡± Raon casually shook his hand and told them that nothing special had happened. ¡°Thank you for waiting. Let¡¯s go back.¡± He simply shook his hand and went towards the room that he had previously been guided to. ¡°What even took you so long?¡± Martha came up next to him and asked with a frown. ¡°I acted like a punk.¡± ¡°Like you usually do?¡± She smiled, saying that he was the perfect punk. ¡°But Martha is more of a punk than him.¡± Runaan stared nkly at Martha. ¡°Why me?!¡± ¡°Because you are Miss Rakshasa.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Martha leaped like lightning, and Runaan ran away by jumping like a rabbit. ¡°Haa, I really thought I was going to die.¡± Dorian shook his head. ¡°Why are you so afraid? They can¡¯t attack us anyway.¡± ¡°I know, but still¡­¡± His lips trembled as he said that he was extremely terrified by the Thespian Emperor¡¯s expression, which looked like she was wearing a mask. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t want to do this ever again. I think I lost some of my lifespan.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have to for a while.¡± ¡°What are you nning to do now?¡± ¡°Since I managed to crack the Thespian Emperor¡¯s mind¡­¡± Raon furtively looked back and continued. ¡°It¡¯s time to rake in some money.¡± ¡°Money?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s rest for today and start tomorrow.¡± Raon smiled faintly and entered a small garden in front of the lodging. There was everything they needed inside the vast lodging, but the location wasn¡¯t too good since it was at a corner of the city. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°He¡¯s back!¡± ¡°Vice division leader!¡± ¡°Why are you sote? We couldn¡¯t eat dinner!¡± Burren and the swordsmen gathered at a small training ground next to the garden and waved their hands towards him. ¡°You should¡¯ve eaten without me.¡± Raon waved his hand in apology and noticed a red-haired woman next to Yua. She wasn¡¯t from the Light Wind division, but her back was familiar. ¡°Gasp!¡± The woman turned around at the speed of light and screamed while covering her cheeks. ¡°Goddamn handsome!¡± Chapter 476 Chapter 476 The moment Encia¡¯s orange eyes sparkled, Raon was certain about what she was about to say. ¡®She¡¯s definitely going to say damn hands¡ª¡¯ ¡°Goddamn handsome!¡± He was wrong. God was added in front of the damn handsome. She had surpassed his expectations. Ugh¡­ The rough groan from Wrath revealed his surprise. Isn¡¯t she the madwoman who only wanted a handsome face when she was on the verge of death?! ¡®She is.¡¯ Wrath was right. Encia had previously picked her healer for his face even though she was about to die. She was special enough to deserve a demon king¡¯s surprise.¡°Sir Raooooon!¡± Encia ran towards him while shouting. She was even shedding tears, and people would¡¯ve thought they were separated family members finally reuniting. ¡°I wanted to see you! I really did!¡± She bit her lip tightly, her hands in front of her chest. Her expression revealed that she was speaking from the bottom of her heart. ¡°I-it¡¯s been a while, Lady Encia.¡± Raon stuttered and took a step back. ¡°How¡­¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°How did you manage to be even more handsome from that state?¡± Encia stepped forward as much as Raon had stepped back. ¡°I thought you were already perfect, but how could you get even better?!¡± Herrge eyes were sparkling under the moonlight. ¡°This is revolutionary! How can you be so special?!¡± Encia¡¯s gaze was fixated on Raon as she told him that she¡¯d never thought such an excellent face was possible. Even though Runaan was right behind him and she¡¯d been close to her, she didn¡¯t even look at her. ¡°Erm, Lady Encia?¡± ¡°What have you even been eating to be more handsome every time I meet you? This is madness!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. ¡®I¡¯m the one who should be saying that this is madness.¡¯ Merlin only appeared when he was alone, at least. Encia kept shouting damn handsome whether people were watching or not, and it made him so embarrassed that he could die. If she were hiding bad intentions like the Thespian Emperor or Derus, he would¡¯ve pushed her back with a sneer, but Encia didn¡¯t have any ulterior motive and was unconditionally favorable towards him. That was why he was helpless against her. ¡°Ldy Encia?¡± ¡°You know, I braced myself. I was ready to find out that you¡¯d be a bit more handsome while we were apart, but Sir Raon¡¯s current face is beyond my imagination!¡± Encia¡¯s flushed cheeks looked like she was admiring him from the bottom of her heart. ¡°Please calm down for now¡­¡± ¡°How could I calm down?!¡± She shook her head, saying that no human in the world could calm down after seeing his face. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°He is damn handsome apparently.¡± ¡°Ohh, our vice division leader is damn handsome!¡± ¡°Goddamn handsome!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen started to copy Encia with grins on their faces. ¡°You all¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow, but the swordsmen simply avoided his gaze and kept shouting damn handsome. Hmph! Wrath snorted expressively. The King of Essence would like to show them his main body! The title of damn handsome would belong to him instead of you! He frowned, saying that it was regrettable that he couldn¡¯t bring his main body out. ¡®You can have it. I don¡¯t need it.¡¯ Wrath looked like he was jealous of Raon being called the damn handsome as he rubbed his hands. Raon wanted him to please just take it away from him. ¡°You were a boy as beautiful as a flower back then, but today, you are such a wild beau¡ª¡± ¡°Please stop!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t stop it!¡± Encia took out a rectangr object the size of a palm from her subspace pocket. A ck gem was embedded at the center, and his face was reflected on it like a mirror. ¡®Is it an artifact?¡¯ He¡¯d never seen it before, but he could guess that it was an artifact that she¡¯d created since he could feel the presence of a mana stone inside it. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an artifact that I made while thinking about you, Sir Raon.¡± ¡°What?¡± Chills ran down his spine as soon as he heard the answer. ¡°Please stay still.¡± Encia raised the rectangr artifact to her face and closed one eye. Click! She pressed a button protruding above the artifact, and it made a sound simr to a palm hitting a desk. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Raon was standing nkly because he couldn¡¯t understand what was happening, and a white piece of paper emerged above the artifact. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped upon seeing the paper. ¡®What the hell is that¡­?¡¯ A faint light undted on the paper, and his appearance was engraved on it. Even an excellent artist would¡¯ve been unable to achieve such simrity. ¡°Wh-what is this¡­?¡± ¡°Do you happen to know about video magic? Its magic used to record what happens at a location.¡± ¡°I do know about it.¡± Raon nodded since he¡¯d seen Merlin using it while spending her lifespan. ¡°This is an artifact called a camera that utilizes that magic. It can record a moment like this. And this is called a picture.¡± Encia fluttered Raon¡¯s picture in the air. ¡°So please look this way.¡± She activated the artifact rapidly while saying that such an artistic face needed to be recorded for the next generation. The papers called pictures were raining down from the sky. ¡°Raon, damn handsome.¡± ¡°Pfft, damn handsome.¡± ¡°So damn handsome that he can even create an artifact.¡± Record the King of Essence too! He is the most handsome in Devildom¡­ Starting with Runaan, people started to shout ¡®damn handsome¡¯ as Encia¡¯s camera kept clicking, and Wrath continuouslyined. Their harmony was blowing Raon¡¯s mind. ¡®I was having so much fun until a moment ago¡­¡¯ He was feeling so good because he¡¯d perfectly messed the Thespian Emperor up, but he suddenly started to feel suffocated. He¡¯d never thought that being unable to talk sense into someone was so painful. ¡®I¡¯m understanding how the Thespian Emperor felt¡­¡¯ Raon sighed and closed his eyes tightly. ¡°Sir Raon! Open your eyes!¡± * * * * * * The next day. As soon as Raon finished his breakfast, he left the lodgings with Dorian. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Dorian asked while yawning his head off. ¡°It¡¯s the same ce as we always go whenever we visit a new city.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Dorian immediately understood and raised his finger. ¡°The casino?¡± ¡°Yes. This is the perfect moment.¡± The Five Divine Orders must¡¯ve spent an astronomical amount of money to build Banneret. Since they could hardly make up for that money with ie fromwful activities, the casino business was definitely going to be more than roaring. ¡®And I¡¯ll rake it all in.¡¯ Thinking about the face the Thespian Emperor was going to make once she realized that she¡¯d lost so much money while she was mentally unstable brought a smile to Raon¡¯s face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just trying to run away from Lady Encia?¡± Dorian narrowed his eyes in suspicion. ¡°¡­That¡¯s one of the reasons.¡± Raon¡¯s shoulders drooped as he nodded. ¡®Yesterday was hell.¡¯ Encia had requested that he change his posture every time she took a picture, and the mental exhaustion was even worse than a battle. Because of that, he couldn¡¯t even tell her what he had to say. ¡°By the way, I heard the dealers here are extremely good. Is it going to be okay?¡± Dorian came up next to him and lowered his voice. ¡°I went around a bit after dinner yesterday, and the residents warned me to not go to the casino. They said the dealers were extremely skilled. The stakes are extremely high, and we are either bound to go big or go home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same in every casino. Have you ever seen me lose?¡± ¡°¡­Well, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then just stop worrying about it and follow me.¡± Raon shook his hand and went towards the White Whale¡¯s casino, the Killer Whale¡¯s Horn. As soon as he entered after opening the white door with a drawing of a killer whale on it, countless lights were directed at them likeets, and decorations were sparkling brightly from left and right. The Killer Whale¡¯s Horn was extremely luxurious, as opposed to the Thespian Emperor¡¯s mansion. ¡®I wonder which is her real personality.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and looked around the casino. Just as Dorian had said, the dealers were extremely skilled, and the stakes were higher than in average casinos. The amount of chips moving around was far greater than normal. ¡®This is the perfect ce to go big.¡¯ Since the stakes were high, he could guess that he was going to carry a heavy load by the time he returned. What kind of gamble are you nning to make? Wrath wagged his tail while lying above Raon¡¯s head. ¡®I¡¯ll y poker since the stakes are high.¡¯ Poker? But aren''t dice games the only gambles you can make? ¡®It¡¯s okay. I have a helper with me.¡¯ Helper? Raon was observing the tables without answering him and suddenly heard a familiar scream from the inside. ¡°You must be cheating! How could you get a royal straight flush here?!¡± An elf with long red hair hanging down was being dragged out by guards holding his arms. ¡°Moreover, why are the stakes so high?! You fucking cheaters! Do you even realize who my disciple is? He¡¯s going to invade this ce as soon as I tell him¡­¡± Raon had wondered where Rimmer was because he was nowhere to be found during breakfast, and he had apparentlye to the casino before him. Raon pretended he didn¡¯t see him and joined the poker table where he was eliminated a moment ago. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Dorian poured the chips on the table that he had exchanged with two hundred gold coins. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± ¡°You are so handsome, mister.¡± ¡°He¡¯s theplete opposite of the petty elf who was dragged out a moment ago.¡± The gamblers who were at the table before him were drooling from their mouths, their eyes red. ¡®So they don¡¯t recognize me.¡¯ The gamblers hadn¡¯t figured out his identity. It must¡¯ve been because they didn¡¯t think that a swordsman called the White Sword Dragon woulde to a casino in broad daylight. Raon ced his hand on the table and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s stop with the talk and get started already.¡± ¡°What a cool personality. You are my type.¡± ¡°I guess money will do the talking.¡± The gamblers nodded in agreement, and the dealer started to distribute the cards. Raon bobbed his hand to call a staff member while the gamblers were checking out their cards. ¡°I feel like having something sweet right now. Can I order it?¡± ¡°We can bring you anything you want.¡± The staff bowed to him and told him to order anything after seeing the amount of chips in front of him. ¡°What¡¯s your rmendation?¡± ¡°Our chef is proud of our cake parfait.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll have one of those.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The staff returned shortly after with a dessert, which was a round cake with ice cream and fruit ced on it. The alternating chocte syrup and strawberry syrup looked extremely appetizing. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon epted the cake parfait and ced it on the table right in front of him. Wh-what¡¯s up with you? Ordering such great stuff? Wrath darted his tongue in and out while looking at the cake parfait. Drool was flowing down nonstop from his red tongue. St-start eating already! It¡¯s getting cold! Raon ignored him and flipped the card. ¡°Triple.¡± ¡°You have a nice hand, mister from the very first game. However¡­¡± The middle-aged woman wearing an elegant dress flipped her card and a flush was revealed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for you.¡± She took the chips on the table with an expression that didn¡¯t look sorry at all. Raon didn¡¯t pay attention to her at all and touched the long spoon nestled in the parfait. Wh-what are you waiting for?! It¡¯s going to melt! The ice cream is getting mixed into the cake! ¡®It¡¯s your turn now, my helper.¡¯ Haah? Wrath widened his eyes, unable to understand what he was talking about. D-do you mean¡­ ¡®You¡¯ve already done it before.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and pointed at the other people¡¯s cards. ¡®Check them out for me.¡¯ You bastaaaard! The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom! He swears on his honor that he will never partake in your dirty tricks! ¡®I was nning to have the butter-roasted lobster and stir-fried pig¡¯s feet this evening since you wanted them so much¡­¡¯ Which one shall I start with? Wrath wagged his invisible tail. Just like always, the demon king¡¯s honor was truly cheap. Tell him already! * * * Ariel sighed, her palm on her forehead. ¡®I still have a headache.¡¯ The effect of that punk Raon¡¯s actions still remained even though a day had passed. ¡®He got me good.¡¯ Even though Raon perfectly understood the situation, he kept repeating the same line while pretending he didn¡¯t. He continuously got on her nerves while almost crossing the line, and she was about to lose it. ¡®When was thest time I had a nightmare?¡¯ Because of the tremendous mental shock, she¡¯d even had a nightmare where she was being chased by someone. It was the first time she¡¯d had a nightmare after reaching her realm. ¡®But there was some harvest. Now, I can roughly tell now what kind of person Raon Zieghart is.¡¯ She still needed toplete the picture of Raon by gathering more information, but she felt like she had a rough sketch of him. ¡®It won¡¯t be easy anymore.¡¯ While she was hardening her resolve to not be defeated anymore, McCain hurriedly ran into the office. ¡°Master!¡± His panic reminded her of the incident the day before. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s here again.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not, but¡­¡± ¡°Then calm down before you speak. He¡¯s the only one that we need to be careful of.¡± Ariel shook her head and drank her cooled tea. ¡°R-Raon didn¡¯te here, but it¡¯s still rted to him.¡± ¡°Rted?¡± The teacup she was holding started to tremble violently. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart went to the Killer Whale¡¯s Horn and w-won money.¡± ¡°Money? How much?¡± ¡°M-more than 1500 gold coins¡­¡± The tea inside the cup she was holding started to boil and evaporate. ng! The teacup eventually shattered, and Ariel¡¯s pupils were distorted in a frightening manner. ¡°This crazy son of a bitch! Where is he right now?!¡± ¡°They said he went to another casino.¡± ¡°You goddamn punk, you¡¯ve done it now!¡± Just as Ariel was about to scream, the office door opened violently. A middle-aged man who was giving off a ferocious impression with his navy hair randomly spiking up smiled while looking at her. ¡°I came to see you because I heard you were destroyed by a young man. I guess it was true.¡± The middle-aged man sneered while skimming through Ariel¡¯s state. ¡°He made that great Thespian Emperor scream like this. I¡¯m starting to take a liking to that youngster.¡± ¡°Demon ying Spear!¡± ¡°Aah, I¡¯ll leave. But I heard that you even lost the money¡­¡± The man called the Demon ying Spear shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Just let me know if you need a loan. I¡¯ll lower the interest for you since it was a great sight.¡± He shook his hand and left the office. ¡°McCain!¡± The Thespian Emperor bit her lip and looked at McCain. ¡°Which other casino did Raon go to?¡± ¡°He went to the Western Sheep.¡± ¡°The Western Sheep.¡± Western Sheep was the casino belonging to the Demon ying Spear who had left a moment ago. ¡°Get busted and feel my pain.¡± A frightening smile appeared around the Thespian Emperor¡¯s mouth. ¡°I can¡¯t be the only victim.¡± * * * Rustle! Raon gathered the golden chips piled up on the table with both arms to bring them in front of him. Because great victories followed one after the other, the chips were piled up like a mountain on his right. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°H-how is he winning every time there¡¯s arge amount of stake?¡± ¡°Im-impossible¡­¡± ¡°How much is that? It looks like at least a thousand gold!¡± The dealer broke out in a cold sweat looking at the excessive amount of chips, the gamblers sitting at the same table were biting their lips, and the countless spectators swallowed nervously. ¡°Uaaah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the overflowing chips. He¡¯d been to many casinos before while following Raon, but it was his first time seeing that much money, and his fingertips were shaking before he knew it. Raon casually rolled a chip and smiled faintly. ¡®So easy.¡¯ Since Wrath was telling him about his opponents¡¯ cards, he was pretty much gambling while watching the solution. Making money was a piece of cake. He¡¯d robbed the Killer Whale¡¯s Horn affiliated with the White Whale of 1500 gold coins total in the morning, and his earnings were going past 1700 gold coins in the casino run by the Demon ying Spear. ¡®We are helping each other, though.¡¯ Raon chuckled and swallowed one piece of red macaron ced on the left side of the table. The moisture of the meringue cookie melted into the strawberry cream and created a small firework in his mouth. Mmmm! Wrath eximed deeply while clenching his fist. Every single dessert here is awesome! Since he¡¯d been continuously eating desserts while gambling, the smile never faded away from Wrath¡¯s mouth. ¡°I-I¡¯ll distribute the cards.¡± The dealer was switched four times already, and the fifth dealer started to distribute with his shaking hands when a dull sound could be heard from the right side. Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Raon turned his head to see Encia taking pictures with the artifact from the day behind. It was unknown how she had learned about his whereabouts. ¡°This is insane! He¡¯s damn handsome even when he¡¯s gambling!¡± Encia kept hitting on the artifact¡¯s button so quickly that her finger couldn¡¯t even be seen. It almost looked like the punch of an extremely powerful warrior. ¡°Excuse me, dear client. You can¡¯t do that here¡ª¡± ¡°Be quiet!¡± The casino¡¯s guard was trying to stop Encia, but she took out a gold coin from her pocket and threw it at him, which made him fall silent. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon put his palm to his face. ¡®It¡¯s about time I stopped and left.¡¯ Since he¡¯d won arge amount of money, the owner of the casino¡ªthe Demon ying Spear¡ªmust¡¯ve gotten angry as well. When he was about to pick up a card to finish thest game, he sensed a covert gaze from behind him. ¡®Since when?¡¯ He was getting goosebumps because it was impossible for the random guards of a casino to possess such pressure. Raon immediately turned around. He was above the chandelier at the casino¡¯s ceiling. A middle-aged man whose blue hairs were wildly spreading around was smiling at him with his legs crossed. ¡®Could he be¡­?¡¯ As soon as he saw the middle-aged man¡¯s wild appearance, he remembered the information delivered by the ck Market. He was the Demon ying Spear, who was one of the Five Divine Orders¡¯ heads. ¡°Huh? You actually noticed me?¡± The Demon ying Spear jumped down with a grin. Wham! The entire casino trembled from the impact of hisnding. He must¡¯ve purposefully made that huge noise, as he was powerful enough tond without making any sound. Rumble! The gamblers gathered around the table sank to their knees with trembling legs because of the Demon ying Spear¡¯s presence. ¡°Are you Raon Zieghart?¡± Raon nodded while looking at him calmly. ¡°Yep.¡± Chapter 477 Chapter 477 Contrary to his calm expression, Raon¡¯s brain was working faster than ever. ¡®The spiking navy-colored hair, countless scars on his face and body, and frightening eyes that look like a kite¡¯s¡­ He is indeed the Demon ying Spear, Cairn.¡¯ The Western Sheep was run by the Demon Spear Guild, one of the Five Divine Orders. Since the Demon ying Spear was the head of the Demon Spear Guild, Raon did consider the possibility of an idental encounter. Still, he was a bit surprised that it actually happened. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t assume he is simr to the Thespian emperor.¡¯ He could make fun of the Thespian Emperor because she tended to read other people¡¯s minds, but Cairn was different. Since he was unpredictable, being reckless against him could make him cross the river of no return. It was necessary to maintain confidence without being arrogant. Staying at the edge of crossing the line was important. ¡°You¡­¡±Cairn stiffly turned his neck and walked up to him. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°I said yeah.¡± Raon nonchntly reminded him of what he¡¯d said. ¡°So I wasn¡¯t hearing things.¡± Cairn chuckled while picking his ear with his pinky finger. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°H-he¡¯s insane¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s out of his mind!¡± Unlike Raon¡¯s unwavering eyes, the gamblers around him turned pale. ¡°Do you realize who I am?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just here to win some money. Do I need to know?¡± Raon¡¯s voice remained calm as he furrowed his brow. ¡°I believe you treated the staff with more respect a moment ago.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you doing the same towards me?¡± Cairn narrowed his eyes, and his presence drastically amplified. It felt like the entire casino was within his grasp. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t yield here.¡¯ It was most likely Cairn¡¯s test. Since he was already on the tiger''s back, going all the way was the correct course of action. ¡°Because they treated me with respect. You didn¡¯t.¡± Raon nced at the trembling dealer, and emphasized ¡®you didn¡¯t¡¯. ¡°Hmm, let me tell you since you don¡¯t seem to realize.¡± Cairn tilted his head while scratching his haggard beard. ¡°I¡¯m the owner of this casino. I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more problematic. How could an owner treat a client with no respect?¡± Raon snorted and tilted his chin. ¡°Kuh!¡± Cairn lowered his head slightly and made a sound simr to a crying pig. ¡°Kuhahahahaha!¡± He burst intoughter by the time he raised his gaze back up. ¡°This guy is a nutcase! He¡¯s aplete lunatic!¡± Cairnughed loudly while patting the young man¡¯s shoulder next to him. ¡°I came to see you because I heard the guy who crushed the Thespian Emperor was in my shop, and I would¡¯ve regretted it so hard if I hadn¡¯t!¡± He shook his head, saying that he¡¯d never expected him to be so interesting. ¡°Guildmaster, please show some moderation. Many people are watching.¡± The blond young man whose shoulder was attacked by Cairn lifted his sses and shook his head. He seemed to be the Demon Spear Guild¡¯s warrior instead of an ordinary staff member. ¡°Moderation? There¡¯s no way I can do that! Just look at the guy over here!¡± ¡°How about you stop pointing fingers at me? It¡¯s rather unpleasant.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. That was rude since I¡¯m dealing with the best rising star of the continent with the name of a dragon. However¡­¡± Cairn scratched his forehead with his finger as his mouth curved into a long smile. ¡°You just look like a lunatic to me. This is apliment, trust me.¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking into Cairn¡¯s glowing eyes. ¡®He doesn''t feel that bad.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t be sure since it was his first time meeting Carin, the Demon ying Spear, but he felt like he held no malice against him. ¡°That was the best line of the day. I asked you if you know who I am, and you answered ¡®I¡¯m just here to win some money. Do I need to know about that?¡¯ That was perfect.¡± Cairn giggled, saying that it was the best line ever. ¡°But I guess you still need to learn who I am.¡± He raised his thumb and pointed at himself. ¡°I¡¯m the owner of this casino, the guildmaster of the Demon Spear Guild, Cairn.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Raon stared at Cairn with a sour face. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Of course he would know. The White Sword Dragon isn¡¯t an idiot. You could¡¯ve realized that if you thought about the conversation.¡± The warrior next to him sighed and started to exin instead of Cairn, who¡¯d gone nk. ¡°Huh, so you were saying all that shit even though you knew who I was. I¡¯m really liking you now.¡± ¡°Guildmaster¡­¡± Cairn burst intoughter once again, and the warrior next to him shook his head. ¡®He¡¯s just like what I¡¯ve heard.¡¯ The ck Market had told him that Cairn did whatever he wanted without thinking too much about it, and it seemed to be true. ¡°Do you like money?¡± Cairn asked while looking at the pile of chips behind him. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like money?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± He gave a big nod of approval. ¡°No one in the world dislikes money. However, some people hide that fact inside their ck heart. I knew you wouldn¡¯t be like them.¡± Cairn looked around and licked his lips. ¡°Gambling and money are both bewitching to humans. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking¡­¡± He lifted his finger. ¡°Do you want to gamble with me?¡± ¡°What kind of gamble are you talking about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very simple.¡± Cairn raised his right hand into a spearhead¡¯s shape. ¡°You just need to withstand my hand thrust while standing there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even¡ª¡± ¡°Keep listening for now.¡± He slowly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll adjust the thrust ording to your level. The people around us will be the witnesses. How about it?¡± Cairn spread his arms and said that everyone inside the casino would be the witnesses. ¡°And what are the stakes?¡± Raon looked around the casino and ced his hand on Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. ¡°Loubet.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The warrior next to Cairn lowered his head. ¡°How many gold coins do we have left here?¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be that much left once we exchange the White Sword Dragon¡¯s chips.¡± ¡°Just tell me the amount.¡± ¡°We will have roughly 2000 gold coins left.¡± Loubet quickly checked the chips on the tables before he stated the amount. ¡°Then bring me 2000 gold coins and the amount to exchange for those.¡± ¡°That would make 4000 gold¡­¡± ¡°Stop talking back and bring it.¡± Cairn shook his hand, showing that he didn¡¯t want any questions. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Loubet bowed to him before he disappeared backstage. ¡°Gambling is the most interesting when you do a real gamble. I¡¯ll give you 4000 gold if you win. However, you will have to leave behind all the money you¡¯ve won in this casino if you lose.¡± He licked his lips, saying that going all in was the real gamble. ¡°V-vice division leader!¡± Dorian grabbed Raon¡¯s sleeve and started shaking it. His face was pleading with him to stop. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to lose.¡± Raon smiled at Dorian to show his confidence and nodded at Cairn. ¡°Bring it on.¡± ¡°Fantastic!¡± Cairn eximed and pped his hands. ¡°Look at him, he¡¯s so cool about it unlike the kids nowadays! It¡¯s 4000 whole gold, but he didn¡¯t even think about it before he decided! Send a round of apuse!¡± He shouted, and the gamblers started to nkly apud him. Loubet brought out arge subspace pocket shortly after that. He poured the content on the ground, and arge amount of gold coins came out from it. It was difficult to even estimate how many there were. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°H-how much is all that¡­?¡± ¡°Is this really the stakes of a single game?¡± ¡°M-my sense of reality is fading away¡­¡± The gamblers had be spectators and swallowed nervously while looking at the mountain of gold coins. ¡°Since the White Sword Dragon had 1754 chips, I brought 3508 total, which is double that amount.¡± Loubet must¡¯ve counted the number of chips on the table in that short timeframe. He was also an extraordinary warrior. ¡°Why would you even count all that like a petty guy? You should¡¯ve just brought 4000.¡± ¡°Guildmaster¡­¡± ¡°Haa, I get it.¡± Cairn shook his head and looked at Raon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my guy doesn¡¯t know how to y. I¡¯ll bring the rest if you win. Is that fine?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind it.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°I¡¯m really liking you.¡± Cairn told him to get ready and casually rotated his shoulder. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon caught his breath and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. ¡®I can¡¯t be arrogant here.¡¯ Cairn shouldn¡¯t use a killing move in front of so many people, but it was obvious that his attack was going to be difficult to deal with in his realm. It was necessary to prepare to the best of his ability without being careless. Whir! Raon activated the Ring of Fire to the highest output and engulfed his body with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat. Delicate yet heavy waves of energy burst out like mes, and the entire casino started to tremble. ¡°Amazing.¡± Cairn¡¯s eyes sparkled as he extensively licked his lips. ¡°So much power at your age. This is almost shocking.¡± ¡°So, are you going to break your promise?¡± ¡°No, I have no intention of doing that.¡± He lifted his right hand like a spearhead. ¡°My attack will be at a level that you can defend against. Are you ready?¡± ¡°Come at me.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°I¡¯m starting.¡± Cairn thrust his raised hand. His movement was extremely slow, to the point where it felt like the timeline was folded in half. Even a fly swimming in the air casuallynded on his hand. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°That¡¯s so slow¡­¡± ¡°Is he trying to give away the money for free?¡± The gamblers tilted their heads while watching the Demon ying Spear¡¯s attack, which looked like even a kid would be able to dodge it. However, a cold sweat was flowing from Raon¡¯s forehead as he faced the Demon ying Spear¡¯s hand. Rumble! His heart tightened from the tremendous amount of power that should¡¯ve been impossible from such a slow attack. ¡®Is this¡­¡¯ He¡¯d experienced that pressure before. It was the same type of pressure that he¡¯d felt when Glenn was demonstrating the Azure Sky Sword. ¡®A martial art of will?¡¯ Cairn wasn¡¯t simply thrusting his hand. His will to make the opponent surrender was dwelling in it. It should look like he was ying around or going easy on Raon from the spectators¡¯ perspective, but Raon could hardly stand because of the pressure twisting his body as he faced the hand. ¡®I can¡¯t fend it off with an ordinary technique.¡¯ Since there was arge difference in realm between them, it was impossible to defend with other martial arts. ¡®There¡¯s only one choice.¡¯ Raon gritted his teeth and clenched Heavenly Drive with two hands. He endured Cairn¡¯s pressure storming at him like a tidal wave and raised Heavenly Drive above his head. * * * * * * Whir! Along with a clear resonance of the Ring of Fire, the level of his soul was unleashed. Raon extended his left foot. The ground was crushed along with a thud. He filled his mental world with the will to cut down the enemy and shed Heavenly Drive downwards. The first technique of the Azure Sky Sword, the Great Bind of the Heavy Sky, unleashed its sharp radiance against the wave of Cairn¡¯s will. Whaam! A tremendous amount of pressure storming at him felt like it was shattering all his bones, but Raon gritted his teeth to endure the pain and finished the sh. Crack! Along with a majestic pir of light, the blue wave was cut in half and subsided. Cairn¡¯s will was fading away, unable to achieve its goal. Raon smiled while forcing himself to stop his hands from trembling. ¡®So, I can even use the will like this.¡¯ Cairn was hiding a tremendous amount of power while pretending to attack normally. It was simr to a shadow strike, but it was on a whole different level. Most importantly, it was a great lesson for him because he¡¯d managed to learn what type of will the warrior called the Demon ying Spear had. ¡®My Azure Sky Sword shall be able to advance even further now.¡¯ It was an unexpected enlightenment. It was the biggest harvest he¡¯s gotten so far from the mission. ¡°You¡­¡± Cairn¡¯s brown eyes revealed his disconcertment for the first time. ¡°What the hell are you?¡± He was unable to close his mouth since that situation waspletely unexpected to him. ¡°How did you reach that realm as a Master¡­?¡± ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond to Cairn and called out to Dorian instead. ¡°Take the gold for me.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Dorian was standing nkly but nodded his head upon hearing Raon and walked up to the mountain of gold coins. ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡± When Dorian was about to take the gold coins into his belly pocket, Rimmer¡ªwith a bruise around his left eye¡ªsuddenly appeared. Raon couldn''t understand where he¡¯d been hiding to just pop up out of nowhere. Each time three gold coins went into Dorian¡¯s belly pocket, one entered Rimmer¡¯s pocket at the same time. Raon decided that he needed to take them all back after they returned to the lodging. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even Loubet, who¡¯d brought the gold coins, was surprised, and he was standing there vacantly without trying to stop them. ¡°I-I¡¯ve gotten them all.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. You too, Lady Encia.¡± Raon waved his hand at Encia, who was standing on the right side. ¡°Yes!¡± She was still taking pictures despite the situation and energetically responded to him before following. Raon stopped in front of the casino¡¯s exit and turned around. He twisted his lips while looking at the Demon ying Spear¡¯s eyes, which still revealed his surprise. ¡°You were using a sloppy trick, unlike the rumors. I guess even someone like you loves money after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Demon ying Spear furrowed his brow without saying anything. ¡°I¡¯ll spend your money for a good purpose. And you can send the 500 other gold to my lodgings.¡± Raon turned around and left the casino without hesitation. Dorian carefully looked at the Demon ying Spear and nodded at him before closing the door. What the hell¡­? Wrath shook his head while looking around the casino, where everyone was frozen. Is this the city of doormats? * * * Cairn ced his hand on his forehead while sitting on the sofa inside the management office deep inside the Western Sheep. ¡°Loubet. Do you know what realm Raon Zieghart is at?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even a secret. He¡¯s at the highest level Master.¡± Loubet responded while standing next to the sofa. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s how he looked to me as well. But then how did he manage to withstand my will?¡± In order to defend against an attack of will, it was necessary to use a tremendous amount of aura or use a martial art of will in return. ¡°Martial art of will is only avable after bing a Grandmaster. It¡¯s too difficult for a Master to learn. And yet¡­¡± Cairn quietly growled while rubbing his lip. ¡°How did he learn the martial art of will?¡± ¡°What?¡± Loubet furrowed his brow while looking at Cairn. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going easy on him, guildmaster? I thought you were because you said you liked him¡­¡± ¡°I do like him because he¡¯s different from the youngsters nowadays. However, that wasn¡¯t enough reason to give him away 3500 gold for free.¡± He was indeed in a good mood because Raon was acting so confidently, but he had no intention of giving him more than 80% of the gold in the casino. He was nning to nicely take the money back, yet he was defeated instead in apletely unexpected manner. ¡°He¡¯s a monster.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Loubet bit his lip. It was the first time he¡¯d heard Cairn say something like that about a warrior younger than him. He must¡¯ve admired the man called Raon from the bottom of his heart. ¡°A mind that can turn the Thespian Emperor into his ything, a gambling ability that even the best gamblers can¡¯t understand, and a martial art of will¡­¡± Cairn licked his lips while scratching his shadowy chin. ¡°I¡¯m really liking him now.¡± * * * Raon left the Western Sheep and returned to his lodgings. They are just delivering you their money at this point. Wrath frowned while sticking on his shoulder. Why are there so many doormats in the human realm? ¡®I wonder.¡¯ Can you unleash some kind of pheromone that attracts doormats? ¡®I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ Raon shook his head and looked at Wrath. ¡®It¡¯s not because of me, but you.¡¯ Raon thought that it must¡¯ve been because the strongest doormat in all dimensions was right next to him that the other doormats were presenting themselves. He just felt pity for Wrath since he was still unable to admit that he was a doormat. Anyway, we are having lobster and pig¡¯s feet for dinner, right? ¡®I¡¯ll even add a dessert.¡¯ Ohh! What¡¯s up with you? You aren¡¯t being stingy for once! ¡®I won a lot thanks to you, after all.¡¯ Since the gains were thanks to Wrath for reading the gamblers¡¯ cards while wagging his tail like a tadpole, eating everything he wanted for dinner was a small reward. ¡®Let¡¯s call the others too¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Raon was walking while thinking about reserving the entire restaurant. Countless people were gathered in front of the lodgings reserved for Zieghart. ¡°What the hell is that now?¡± Chapter 478 Chapter 478 Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the entrance of the lodging. ¡®Why are there so many people gathered over there?¡¯ Warriors engulfed in excellent pressures were lined up in front of the door. Raon tilted his head. They looked like customers lining up in front of a popr restaurant. ¡®I wanted to avoid annoying incidents.¡¯ He¡¯d gotten a small enlightenment during the single-strike match against the Demon ying Spear. Since the lesson was stimting but not enough, he wanted to settle it by sparring against Rimmer, but he suspected he wouldn¡¯t have the time for that. ¡°Division leader, what¡¯s happening over the¡ª¡± Raon turned around to start talking to Rimmer and came to a halt.¡°Where the hell did he go?¡± The red-haired elf had been grinning at the gold coins inside his pocket until a moment ago, but he hadpletely disappeared before he knew it. ¡°H-he¡¯s really not here!¡± Dorian was also surprised and instinctively started to rub his belly pocket. Shitty Ears disappeared when you were focused on those humans. Wrath nced back and furrowed his brow. ¡®Seriously, that elf. He really is like a ghost.¡¯ He was only fixated on the people in front of the lodging for an instant. Rimmer had run away during that short moment. He would¡¯ve been called the death god, which was even better than the assassin king, if he had been raised as an assassin. He must be at the casino again. Shitty Ears could¡¯ve be the monarch of gambling if he was in Devildom. ¡®You understand him now.¡¯ It¡¯s obvious. Raon could onlyugh. Rimmer¡¯s behavioral pattern was so simple that even Wrath could understand it despite his dullness. ¡®I¡¯m d I took away his money in advance.¡¯ Raon was relieved that he had recovered most of the money Rimmer had secretly stolen. If he¡¯d managed to take all that money with him, he was pretty much returning the Five Divine Orders¡¯ money after everything he¡¯d gone through. ¡®This isn¡¯t even an addiction at this point. He¡¯s just braindead.¡¯ Raon shook his head while thinking about Rimmer who was losing his mind. Shitty Ears isn''t important right now. Wrath furrowed his brow deeply, watching the people in front of the entrance. He has a bad feeling about this. ¡®Why?¡¯ It feels like those humans are going to stop us from having dinner! ¡®That¡¯s not going to happen.¡¯ Raon shook his head. The restaurant serving the lobster and pig feet that Wrath wanted was close to the lodging. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t be able to eat it¡ªnot unless a war suddenly broke out. But it hasn¡¯t gone well so far! ¡®Why are you so afraid when you are a demon king? Just believe.¡¯ Ugh, you won¡¯t understand his feelings until the world ys against you. ¡®You are exaggerating.¡¯ Raon stepped forward after he tapped Wrath¡¯s trembling back. ¡°Let¡¯s enter for now.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Encia smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°¡­And please stop taking photos.¡± Raon shook his head while covering his face with his hand. Encia had been continuously taking photos, even after they¡¯d left the casino. It was like a mystery that a small artifact the size of a palm could contain so many papers. ¡°How could I stop?!¡± Encia put her hands on her waist while lowering the camera. ¡°Your handsomeness is rampaging right now because of the natural light! Natural lighting is indeed better than artificial light! So goddamn handsome!¡± She bbered something iprehensible and started to take photos once again. ¡®This is exhausting.¡¯ The short conversation with Encia was even more exhausting than dealing with the Thespian Emperor all day long or having a single-strike match against the Demon ying Spear. He felt like he couldn¡¯t even think anymore. ¡®Is this how it is when the world ys against me?¡¯ Not at all! Are you still spouting that bullshit after you saw what the world has done to the King of Essence?! This isn¡¯t even child¡¯s y! ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon shook his head and went to the lodging. The warriors waiting in front of the door looked at him at the same time. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Blond hair and red eyes?¡± ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± ¡°White Sword Dragon! I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± The warriors ran towards him with sparkling eyes. Raon noticed multiple groups of people who were wearing the same clothes. ¡®And there¡¯s a powerful warrior in each one of their groups.¡¯ The youngsters who seemed to be around thirty years old were from advanced Expert to the highest level of Expert, while the middle-aged men leading them were at the Master¡¯s realm. ¡°Why are you here, everyone?¡± Raon stopped walking and asked the question he was curious about. ¡°My name is Dumptkan from House Tven, I¡¯d like to request for a spar with Sir Raon.¡± ¡°Same goes for me! I¡¯ve wanted to cross des with you after hearing about your heroic story!¡± ¡°Please allow us to learn from the sword that defeated two floor overseers from the ck Tower!¡± The middle-aged men, who seemed to represent each group, bowed politely to him. They were rather powerful, and most of them had a position as important as the head of a house, so Raon already knew most of their names. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon pulled his chin back while looking at the top of their heads. ¡®So they came here to ask for a spar.¡¯ He was wondering why they were gathered around a lodging at the corner of the city, and they were apparently there to request a spar against him. It wasn¡¯t rare for friendly spars to ur because excellent warriors were bound to gather in a festival like that. Since the middle-aged men who were requesting the spar had entered the Master¡¯s realm a long time ago, it wasn¡¯t exactly a strange urrence. ¡®However¡­ There are too many of them at once.¡¯ If there was already a spar, it was possible for many of them to gather afterward from hearing the rumor, but the fact that they¡¯d visited altogether without anything like that was rather suspicious. ¡®Since the Demon ying Spear isn¡¯t the type of person who would make a ploy like this, it must be the Thespian Emperor¡¯s doing.¡¯ Raonughed bitterly because he could understand who was behind it. ¡®Is she a masochist who likes to be trampled all over?¡¯ It was about time she learned her lesson after being destroyed so hard, yet she wasn¡¯t stopping with her ploys. The Thespian Emperor wasn¡¯t exactly sane. ¡°Did the Thespian Emperor send you?¡± ¡°Oh, so you knew about it!¡± The man who¡¯d introduced himself as Dumptkan nodded. ¡°We went to greet the Thespian Emperor, and she told us that the White Sword Dragon is here. That¡¯s why we came here.¡± ¡°Same goes for us.¡± ¡°She told me that you might be bored because the lodgings are too old-fashioned. So, I came just in case¡­¡± The other warriors agreed with Dumptkan and honestly told him that the Thespian Emperor had sent them. ¡°Can you wait a little longer?¡± Raon told the warriors to wait a bit longer and entered the lodging. The Light Wind division was gathered in a circle inside the small training ground outside the mansion. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Raon thought they might be having a conference about the warriors outside, but that wasn¡¯t the case. They were surrounding someone and were talking to them with smiles. They seemed rather close. ¡®Do they actually have a friend?¡¯ Raon went to the training ground while wondering about that, and the person surrounded by the Light Wind division stood up before he arrived. Her purple dress with red flower blossoms fluttered into the air. The ck rose of her eyepatch contrasted with her white skin, and it looked even darker because of the sunlight. She was Denning Rose, the disciple of the ck Market¡¯s master, and the branch manager. ¡®Denning Rose?¡¯ Raon licked his lips while looking at Denning Rose. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to see her here.¡¯ Since she¡¯d never mentioned anything even when they were exchanging letters right before he¡¯d left the house, he hadn¡¯t expected her toe. ¡°Greetings, White Sword Dragon.¡± Denning Rose bowed while holding the center of her dress. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Denning Rose furrowed her brow slightly, expressing her sadness and saying that it¡¯d been a while. Raon bowed back at Denning Rose. ¡°We¡¯ve spoken often through letters. We haven¡¯t actually met for over a year, though.¡± ¡°You look like you didn¡¯t expect to see me here.¡± She smiled faintly and lowered her hand. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon honestly nodded. ¡®Because she shouldn¡¯t befortable around here.¡¯ The White Whale expanded their influence and information acquisition by taking away the ck Market¡¯s business and domain. They should¡¯ve been extremely hostile to each other, and that was why Raon didn¡¯t think she would be there. ¡°I need to learn about the enemy to win against them.¡± Denning Rose smiled faintly¡ªas if she understood what Raon was thinking. ¡°I dly epted their invitation.¡± She softly ced her hands on her dress while saying that the White Whale was going to regret that invitation one day. ¡®She is also extraordinary.¡¯ The Thespian Emperor¡¯s action of sending an invitation to the ck Market was insane, but Denning Rose couldn¡¯t be called normal either, since she epted it. Hmm, this is a bit cold. Wrath must¡¯ve also noticed the cold atmosphere between those two women, as his shoulders were trembling. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lady Encia.¡± Denning Rose lowered her head at Encia, who was continuously taking Raon¡¯s photos from next to him. * * * * * * ¡°Huh?¡± Encia took her eyes off the camera for the first time after they¡¯d entered the lodgings. ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to not know about the genius of House Yonaan because of my job.¡± ¡°Your job?¡± She tilted her head at Denning Rose. ¡°She is Denning Rose, the disciple of the ck Market¡¯s master.¡± Since Raon was between them, he introduced Denning Rose to her in her stead. ¡°Ah! So that¡¯s why it¡¯s because of the job! Nice to meet you!¡± Encia extended her hand as cheerfully as her appearance. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet you.¡± Denning Rose elegantly extended her hand and grabbed Encia¡¯s hand. ¡°By the way¡­¡± She narrowed her eyes while looking at the camera. ¡°If it¡¯s not too much to ask, may I ask what you¡¯ve been doing?¡± ¡°Ah, are you asking about this? This is an artifact that I invented called a camera. You can take a photo like this.¡± Encia exined about her camera while shaking Raon¡¯s photos as if she were bragging about them. Since they were around the same age, they cheerfully started to talk to each other as if they¡¯d already be friends. ¡°By any chance, was the reason you made that artifact¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I made it to take photos of the damn handsome Raon.¡± ¡°D-damn handsome?¡± ¡°He¡¯s so damn handsome!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Denning Rose¡¯s eyes started to tremble slightly even though she¡¯d always been calm before. ¡°Isn¡¯t his face like a sculpture? I don¡¯t even understand how none of the photos look bad!¡± Encia showed her Raon¡¯s photos and bragged about it. ¡°Hmm, indeed¡­¡± Denning Rose calmly nodded in acknowledgment despite her agitation. ¡°Is it possible to buy a camera?¡± ¡°This is just a prototype, and it¡¯s going to take some time for the manufacture. We don¡¯t have enough ingredients either.¡± ¡°Then what about those photos?¡± ¡°Do you want to buy them?¡± Encia approached Denning Rose with a cheerful smile. ¡°I¡¯ll give them to you for free if you say this for me.¡± ¡°Just for saying something?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What do you want me to say¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. I just want you to shout that Raon is damn handsome.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Denning Rose¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and turned around. He went to the Light Wind division since he couldn¡¯t keep listening to them anymore. ¡°When did those warriors outside arrive here?¡± ¡°They got here shortly after you left.¡± Burren responded while leaning his back against a tree. ¡°They came at around the same time, as if they¡¯d nned it in advance.¡± He said that they kepting one after the other. ¡°They¡¯ve been doing that without even having lunch.¡± Runaan nodded while eating a small ice cream that she¡¯d gotten from somewhere. ¡°Shall I chase them away?¡± Martha frowned violently. ¡°I think someone is plotting something, though.¡± She unclenched her fist. She must¡¯ve figured that it would be problematic despite how simple she was. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon scratched his chin while looking at the door. ¡®I can see what the Thespian Emperor is thinking.¡¯ If he refused the spar against the warriors who¡¯d been waiting for such a long time without even having lunch, she was going to spread the rumor that he was narrow-minded or was a coward, and if he epted the spars, she was going to analyze Zieghart¡¯s martial arts by observing the area. ¡®I¡¯m finally understanding why she gave this lodging to us.¡¯ The lodgings were vast and luxurious, but the walls were too low and it was easy to spy on from the outside. She must¡¯ve assigned those lodgings for them for that exact purpose from the beginning. ¡®I think I understand what kind of person the Thespian Emperor is.¡¯ She seemed to like using a method where she gave her opponent two choices while making sure that both of them led to her advantage. It was a disgusting method, just like the previous one. ¡®However¡­ You made a mistake once again.¡¯ Raon had gained a small enlightenment through the spar against the Demon ying Spear. He wanted to settle it through a small spar, and the opponents were presenting themselves. He wanted to thank the Thespian Emperor at that point. ¡®Moreover, it doesn¡¯t really matter if I showed my martial art to other people.¡¯ Since his martial art was constantly improving through the Ring of Fire, his realm was bound to change every day. If she judged him ording to what she witnessed, she was bound to pay the price eventually. Raon licked his lips while looking at the Light Wind division. ¡®Shall I have them do it, too?¡¯ The disciples of the warriors who¡¯d requested the spars were perfect as the Light Wind division¡¯s opponents. ¡®It will be perfect if I fight against the heads of houses and the Light Wind division fights against the rest.¡¯ He was killing two birds with one stone since even the Light Wind division could gain experience and prowess from the spars. ¡®She¡¯s being so helpful. Shall I prepare a gift for her?¡¯ It must¡¯ve been one of the Thespian Emperor¡¯s ns for her revenge, but her ploy was only beneficial to the Light Wind division instead. This is so frustrating. Why is every single person being a doormat for you?! Wrath punched into the air, saying that he couldn¡¯tprehend it. He must¡¯ve been imagining the Thespian Emperor¡¯s face. ¡®It looks like we are in the city of doormats like you said.¡¯ Raon chuckled and turned around. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to ept their requests.¡± Just as he was about to tell them that he was going to ept, Denning Rose¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Everyone outside is a powerful warrior who possesses polished, advanced martial arts. There should be something to gain from sparring against them.¡± She gave a piece of advice as if she¡¯d noticed what Raon was thinking. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t need to worry about it since they aren¡¯t from the White Whale. However, if you are worried about disclosing your martial arts during the spars¡­¡± Denning Rose smiled while taking out a few needles from under her dress. ¡°I¡¯ll create an array so that we won¡¯t be seen from the outside.¡± She smiled peacefully, saying that she was going to y a prank. However, there were a few photos that Encia had taken under her dress where she¡¯d taken out the needles. ¡®¡­She ended up saying damn handsome.¡¯ Raon sighed while looking at the ground. He had a feeling that Encia¡¯s believers were gradually increasing. Aren¡¯t they your believers? ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Chapter 479 Full

Chapter 479

Denning Rose inserted the needle containing the mana of the earth into the 16th direction, and a white mist appeared around the inn. However, it was as thin as the fog just before sunrise, so it seemed like it would disappear quickly just by stirring it with your hands. ¡°It¡¯s called Wireline Unmujin. It looks like a light fog, but if you try to look at this mansion from the outside, you won¡¯t be able to see it properly because the fog will get thicker.¡± Denning Rose stirred the mist with his finger as he exined about the stream cloud. ¡°Um¡­¡± Raon spread his senses and looked at the flow of the stream. ¡®It¡¯s quiet.¡¯ The fog gently swirled around the mansion, then created a strong wave once in a while. It seemed to be a reaction to block the gaze of the outside world. ¡®It¡¯s a method that doesn¡¯t harm the flow of nature.¡¯ I looked at the formation all the way, but I didn¡¯t feel that there was a particrly angr ce. It was easy to install because it was simple, but it seemed to be a higher level than I thought. ¡°You must have been well versed in Jinbeop.¡± ¡°I did learn a little bit. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Denning Rose looked up at the sky and bit her lip. ¡°After I got hit hard in Gran Seville, I dug right in.¡± Wrinkles between her brows, as if remembering what happened to the Apostle¡¯s attack in Gran Seville. ¡°Because I never wanted to see my crew and residents sacrificed again.¡± ¡°okay.¡± Raon smiled lightly as he watched Denning Rose clenching his small fist. ¡®It¡¯s amazing.¡¯ It would not have been a difficult task for him to learn even the esoteric jinbeop while working as a branch manager. I think that¡¯s why she looked taller. ¡®It¡¯s the same here.¡¯ I turned my gaze to the right and saw Ensia covering her face with a camera. She must have been doing a lot of work because she was also a talented person expected by her family, but she developed a new artifact that did not exist in the world. Both Denning Rose and Ensia seemed to have grown more than before, so I felt proud and a little tickled in my heart. ¡®It feels like I¡¯m the only one standing still.¡¯ Compared to the two of them who were gradually growing, he felt as if he was the only one staying there, so a bitter taste circted on the back of his tongue. -Is this really crazy! Lars, who had been lying down like a dried fish, jumped up. -Are you stopping? Gee Gee! ¡®uh?¡¯ -You¡¯ve changed the most, but where are you talking about eating Cerberus shit! ¡®Cerberus shit?¡¯ -You sucked the energy of the original king while growing up and then talking about that shit! Your conscience must have grown hair! Lars frowned, asking what kind of human being is so greedy. ¡®is it?¡¯ Raon clenched his fist with his right hand. I said it honestly because the state of martial arts was stagnant recently, but it was also true that I had grown a lot in the meantime. I felt like I could just rx and move on. ¡®Thank you forforting me.¡¯ -I didn¡¯tfort you! It was an insult! ¡®It helped me.¡¯ After hitting Lars on the head, I opened the front door of the inn. I bowed my head to the soldiers waiting for me and motioned for them toe inside. ¡°You waited a long time. Pleasee in.¡± The eyes of the warriors shimmered like the sun reflected in ake. ¡°Then do you ept sparring?¡± ¡°I came here just in case, but it¡¯s a coincidence.¡± ¡°thank you!¡± ¡°I will not forget this grace!¡± The warriors¡¯ cheeks were stained red, perhaps because of the anticipation that they could engage in sparring. ¡®also.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t smell like white whale. Comedy seemed to have sent only uninvolved warriors to this ce in order not to experience yesterday¡¯s failure again. ¡°yes. I will ept Dalian. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Raon smiled as he faced Dumbukhan of the Twen family who came first. ¡°Before sparring with me, why don¡¯t you try putting the warriors of the Tben family and my subordinates first?¡± ¡°You mean my disciples?¡± Dumt Khan blinked his eyes at the disciples standing behind him. ¡°yes. We are on the same level, so we will help each other.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s clear that the swordsmen at the Gwangpungdae are all of the highest and highest rank.¡± Dumbt Khan nodded while examining the swordsmen in the windshield one by one. ¡°However, it has been a while since my pupils reached their peak. It will be quite different in Dalian because of the experience.¡± As if he believed in the skills of his students, he was worried that his confidence might drop as all the light wind teams were defeated. I wasn¡¯t being sarcastic, but I genuinely seemed to think that victory or defeat had already been decided. ¡°We are fine.¡± Raon gently shook his head. ¡°Hmm, what do you think?¡± Dumbt Khan looked back and asked, and his disciples immediately nodded. ¡°great!¡± ¡°Please do sparring!¡± ¡°I wanted to fight Sieghart¡¯s swordsmen.¡± Dumbt Khan¡¯s disciples also bowed their heads, saying, ¡°Please.¡± ¡°A decision has been made.¡± After Raon told the men of the Tven family to prepare, he returned to the Gwangpungdae. ¡°Did you hear everything?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely a good opportunity. I just wanted to see how much we¡¯ve grown.¡± Burren looked at the warriors of the Tven family and licked his lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t even start, but are you ignoring me? Do you want to go behind?¡± Marta wrinkled her nose as she red at Dumt Khan, who said that the windmill would be difficult. ¡°I am ready.¡± Runan nodded as if it didn¡¯t matter at any time. However, the ice cream was still in her hand. ¡°Then the crane first.¡± Raon looked at the three captains and called Crane¡¯s name. ¡°Eh? Me?¡± Crane, thinking it was not his turn, opened his mouth. ¡°This is from the original manager¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re a unique crane.¡± Raon muttered to get out quickly and snapped his finger. ¡°If you lose, you fall behind.¡± Marta raised a fist at Crane. ¡°This is Martha right. The vanguard must win unconditionally.¡± Burren nodded with cool eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Runan said nothing and held the sword of the tale. It was a more coercive gesture than Martha. ¡°What good! I¡¯ll break it lightly ande back!¡± Crane swallowed a dry spit and stood up from his chair. ¡°Don¡¯t look. doing the best.¡± Raon patted Crane lightly on the back. In the past, I thought it was polite to moderate my strength and adapt to the opponent, but now my thoughts have changed. Coming all the way to this ce and applying for sparring meant that he wanted to see the real thing, so it was polite to deal with him with all his might. ¡°yes!¡± Crane let out a furious cry and stood in the center of the gymnasium. ¡°My name is Henry of the Tven family.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sieghart¡¯s crane!¡± The two soldiers drew their swords immediately after greeting each other. ¡°Then start.¡± As soon as Raon raised his hand, Henry moved first. Stepping on light footsteps, he struck down the sword roughly. ¡°Huh!¡± The crane moved as if sliding sideways, raising the sword. Whoa! Swords and swords collided, and an intense shock rang through the gymnasium. However, the one who was pushed first was Henry, who took the lead. ¡°Ugh!¡± Henry hurriedly tried to stance, but Crane didn¡¯t miss the chance. Stepping on the straight footwork, he advanced and struck the second sword strike. Kyaaaaaang! Crane¡¯s fierce swordsmanship spread in a fan shape, breaking Henry¡¯s unstable swordsmanship. Fu-wook! Henry¡¯s grip was torn, and the sword he was holding became embedded in the floor of the gymnasium. ¡°uh?¡± Crane¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the fallen Henry as if he himself was embarrassed. ¡°Why are you so weak¡­¡± ¡°Winner Crane!¡± Raon shouted his victory so that Crane would not excuse himself. ¡°This is this¡­¡± Dumb Khan¡¯s lips trembled as he looked at the disciple who had lost his sword. ¡®Clearly Henry was higher?¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect Henry to be defeated so easily because he was on a higher level than the swordsman called Crane. I couldn¡¯t even say it was careless, so I couldn¡¯t speak at the overwhelming defeat. ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a leader like a whirlwind sword or a demonic woman. Losing to an unknown crew member¡­¡¯ It¡¯s true that he came here to learn, but that¡¯s his own business. It was apletely different story for the disciples to lose to the madhouse. ¡°Kenin!¡± ¡°yes!¡± This time, in order not to lose, I called my dearest student, Kenin. If he is on the verge of breaking the master¡¯s wall, he will not lose to anyone. ¡°Martha.¡± After looking at a young soldier named Kenin, Raon called Martha.Th¨º sourc?? of this content n/o/v/(??l)bi((n)) ¡°Is it okay to do it with all my might?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be George¡­¡± He said and shook his hand, telling him not to beat him too hard. ¡°Nachal girl. Kill me.¡± Runaan put his hands in front of his mouth and shouted something that I don¡¯t know if it was cheering or not. ¡°Shall I deal with you? Aang?¡± ¡°Do itter.¡± Martha stopped Runan from jumping on her and pushed her back into the gymnasium. ¡°My name is Kenin of Twen Street.¡± ¡°This is Sieghart¡¯s Martha.¡± Marta introduced herself with a frown, perhaps because of Runan. ¡°Start Dalian!¡± As soon as Raon raised his hand, Martha moved first. ¡°Whoa.¡± Kenin took a defensive stance, as if asking him toe in first to see if he knew about Martha. ¡°Are you going to defend it?¡± Martha smiled coldly and raised her sword to the top. Her sword turned yellow and a great pressure surged. Koo-goo-goo-goo! A sword that fell like lightning. The weight of Mount Tai was wrapped around her swordsman, who hade to realize the nature of the earth. ¡°Keugh! Kenin put all his energy into the sword he raised diagonally, but he couldn¡¯t block Martha¡¯s sword. His legs were stuck in the ground and the hand holding the sword trembled as if it were about to break. Wow! An enormous shock exploded and ck smoke rose. Woo woo woo! As Raon raised the wind and pushed the smoke away, he saw Kenin passed out with his eyes closed. His sword fell apart, broken in half. ¡°You are too weak.¡± Marta clicked her tongue as she looked at the stunned Kenin. ¡°This is not enough.¡± After saying that she had adjusted her strength, she returned to her seat at the lighthouse. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon grasped Kenin¡¯s condition and smiled lightly. There was a loud and strong impact, but Kenin was not seriously injured. It was as if she had been asked not to do so in her own way. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Dumt Khan shook his head with a yellowishplexion. It was an expression of disbelief that his apprentice had been defeated in a row. ¡°Let¡¯s start the next match.¡± Raon lightly ground the gymnasium and sang Dumbt Khan. ¡°¡­I see. Kaman.¡± Dumt Khan bit his lip and gestured to the prosecutor right behind him. It was an unmanned level simr to the fainted Kenin. ¡°Runan.¡± ¡°huh.¡± Runan nodded and came out to the gymnasium. The blind eyes were still there, but there was a little calm inside. ¡°My name is Kaman.¡± ¡°Runan Slion.¡± The two bowed their heads to each other. ¡°Coupling begins.¡± Kaman didn¡¯t make a hasty move or harden his defenses, perhaps because he had seen two sparring battles. It started with a check, shooting fierce swordsmanship. Percussion! Runan stepped forward with his upper body leaning forward. Frost wrapped around her body, creating a soft blue glow. ¡°Huh!¡± As soon as Runan moved, Kaman fired a series of sword des. The seven swords that advanced in an instant aimed at Runan¡¯s whole body. ¡®it¡¯s okay!¡¯ Unless you¡¯re a master, it¡¯s impossible to block all of those sword skills. At the moment when the gap opened, I had to blow the second sword bundle to catch the victory. It was time for Kaman to gather his aura by predicting Runan¡¯s reaction. Woo woo woo! Runaan¡¯s figure disappeared like a phantom, and his outstretched sword cut through the air. ¡°What is this¡­¡± When Kaman opened his mouth in panic, a blue de touched his throat. Runan, who moved backwards at some point,pletely subdued Kaman. ¡°I lost.¡± Kaman dropped the sword with a thick aura and admitted defeat. He still didn¡¯t know what had happened. ¡°effort.¡± Runaan nodded at Karman and stepped back. Even after Runan, the Gwangpungdaepletely subdued the warriors from various families and kingdoms without defeat at once. In fact, all the confrontations ended so quickly that it was ambiguous to even call them sparring. ¡°Does this make sense?¡± ¡°The level here is obviously high, but how can you not win once!¡± ¡°No matter how Sieghart is, there is a difference in age, how could it be¡­¡± Seeing the one-sided defeat of the disciples and subordinates, the middle-aged warriors looked at the windmill with iprehensible eyes. However, Raon smiled without being embarrassed at all. ¡®If I lose, that¡¯s a strange thing.¡¯ who taught Gwangpungdan¡¯s victory now had their sweat and effort. Once a week, he carved death into his body through one-on-one sparring, and even raised his mental strength through hell training. Even if there was a difference in the level, it was natural to win. ¡®There¡­¡¯ Raon looked at Burren and Runan Marta with a thicker smile. ¡®Those guys are more special.¡¯ Afterpleting the regr training, those three went to Limer and received additional training. It seems that he received attribute training to open the sword realm, but his basic strength has clearly grown. It seemed that all three of them would rise to master in a not too long time. After sending a nod to everyone in the Gwangpungdae to mean that they did a good job, Raon approached Dumbt Khan. ¡°Now it is our turn.¡± ¡°Ah, I know.¡± Dumbt Khan nodded and came up to the gymnasium. His eyes go down as if he was embarrassed. Calmness restored in an instant. It was like a warrior who had risen to the upper level of the master. ¡°Start Dalian!¡± When the preparations were finished, Mark Goetton, who was in charge of the referee, came to the side and lowered his hand. ¡°Huh!¡± The first thing to move was the dump box. He lowered his stance and kicked the ground. I jumped in at once and fired the sword with all my might, but I felt a terrifying air wave from the straight sword. ¡®It¡¯s a properly polished swordsmanship.¡¯ As Denning Rose said, Dumb Khan¡¯s martial arts had sharpness in silence. It was a stab that could be used as a textbook. ¡®But¡­¡¯ My heart isn¡¯t beating. Could it be because I saw the martial arts of suspicion caused by the ghost spear? Dumbt Khan¡¯s swordsmanship felt so light. ¡®It must be time to go further.¡¯ Raon smiled lightly and adjusted his grip on the Jecheon Sword. Comic book white flower. Hoecheon. Spiral sparks from the de of the Jecheon Sword drew the tail of aet. Wow! The strong air smoked by Duct Khan melted at once, and the air was filled with only red traces caused by Hoecheon. Raon lowered his heavenly sword and lowered his head. ¡°It was a good fight.¡± * * * ¡°I lost.¡± With the deration of defeat by Byton, the Pdin leader of the Holy Kingdom of Super, everyone who entered the dormitory knelt before Raon. ¡°Thank you for your effort.¡± Raon bowed his head to Byton, abducting the Jecheon Sword. Following Gwangpungdan, he defeated all the head of the knights and the head of the family within 5 points, so there was silence inside the dorm, as if it had be a library. Theplexion of all the warriors who applied for sparring thinking that they had simr skills was pale. ¡°Um¡­¡± Raon licked his lips as he looked at the gymnasium floor, which was almost undamaged. ¡®What will happen.¡¯ I didn¡¯t look at it as a martial courtesy and showed my skills, but I don¡¯t know how they will ept it. If you came here as a real soldier, you would thank them for treating them properly, and if they were breathed in by the Comedy Emperor, they would spread bad rumors. ¡°Laon.¡± While I was drawing the future while looking into the sky, I heard the voices of Dumt Khan and other warriors from behind. When I turned around, everyone who applied for sparring was approaching with their hands together. ¡°thank you.¡± All of the warriors bent down so that their waists were at right angles while holding their sword sheaths. There was hot emotion in their voices. ¡°Thank you for not ignoring us and treating us sincerely.¡± ¡°It was a short introduction, but I learned a lot.¡± ¡°If you were considerate and fought for a long time, you would be disappointed.¡± ¡°Because I lose neatly, I feel rather refreshed.¡± Even the swordsmen who used Haoche because of their position as Gaju raised their words and smiled. ¡°Of course you should.¡± Raon nodded with a smile simr to that of the swordsmen. ¡®Looks like he epted it well.¡¯ Looking at everyone¡¯s eyes, it seemed like he knew why he treated them with sincerity. Thenguage created by the sword worked. ¡°Then see you next time.¡± ¡°After practicing based on what I realized today, I ask for sparring again.¡± ¡°May the future be with you.¡± The swordsmen bowed their heads again and left Sieghart¡¯s quarters one by one. -oh? Lars opened his mouth as he looked up at the sky that was starting to get dark. -What is this that ends so quickly! ¡®You said you¡¯d keep your promise.¡¯ Raon smiled at Lars, whose eyes were round. -You¡¯re finallying to your senses! I finally became a demon! The guy said good-bye and patted his shoulder. ¡®I¡¯m human¡­¡¯ Raon looked at Lars and let out a fuss, when he heard small steps from behind. ¡°It was finished quickly, but I am rather happy. Do you think it is unexpected?¡± Denning Rose showed a small smile as he looked at the door of the lodging where the prosecutors had left. ¡°This is normal. Because all of them are neutral people who only practiced martial arts without causing any problems.¡± She continued with a slightly wider smile. ¡°The Comedy Festival might have sent only those warriors on purpose, but on the contrary, it was a great help to Raon.¡± Denning-Rose smiled, saying that they would spread good things about Sieghart to others. ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯ll release the Jinbeop.¡± As she grabbed the hem of her dress and tried to pull out the needle sheath, a photo stuck in it fell out. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Denning Rose opened her mouth. Her face turned into a color she had never seen before. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°No need to be embarrassed! Third fan!¡± Encia lowered the camera and shook her head. ¡°Because it¡¯s human nature to keep wanting to see John!¡± She shook her head, saying it was normal. ¡°The third fan? Is there a second one?¡± ¡°excuse me.¡± Ansia pointed to the right. ¡°Jonja Laon.¡± Runan muttered in an emotionless voice. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Raon sighed and picked up the fallen photo. He seemed to be slightly frowning as if it was taken while gambling with the ghost spear. ¡°That¡­¡± Denning Rose held out her hand with her head bowed. ¡°please.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°Give me that.¡± I didn¡¯t expect to be asked for a picture¡­. I think I liked this picture. He swallowed dry saliva and pushed it out. ¡°Thank you!¡± Denning Rose took a quick step back without raising his face. ¡°I like the embarrassing expression now! What a dog!¡± Ansia shouted that it was so good and started the camera. ¡°How the hell did you make that camera?¡± Raon covered his face with the palm of his hand and turned his head to Encia. I don¡¯t understand why paper keepsing out of that small size. Since yesterday, I have been curious about the principle of the artifact called the camera. ¡°To spread Raon-sama¡¯s respect to the world.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± My mouth fell open. I couldn¡¯t even say that it was amazing to develop such a new artifact just for that reason. ¡°It must have been difficult?¡± ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t easy.¡± Ancia pointed to the camera and nodded. ¡°At first, the obscura used the theory that if you pierce a small hole in the dark room, the external image is formed upside down on the opposite side, but it is possible to see it, but it is not possible to take out a picture, so I inserted a jewel containing mana to create the current method.¡± ¡°A jewel containing mana?¡± ¡°yes. The camera was broken because the mana stone was too strong. So, we divided the bnce of power by using jewels suitable for each attribute. The theory of subspace pockets was also included.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon dropped his hand and opened his mouth nkly. ¡°We divide the bnce of power with attributes¡­¡± As soon as I heard Ensia¡¯s exnation, red and blue lightning strikes in my mind. A new way to operate Cartoonist and cia began toe to mind. ¡°that¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have to focus on just those two attributes. In a different way¡­¡± ¨C Huh? Lars trembled as he watched Raon¡¯s eyes gradually be transparent. -hey! Where! Come back! Why is it now! Now, I don¡¯t know why I suddenly fall into a trance when I¡¯m about to eat. ¨C You madman!e back! Eat and go! Eat and go again! I¡¯ll send it to you then! I called Raon endlessly, but his gaze did note back. -I knew it! There¡¯s no way the king¡¯s affairs will go well! I knew everything! Lars cursed at the sky, then shrugged his shoulders like a wet towel. -Hey¡­. The Reincarnated Assassin is a Swordsman Genius Chapter 479 Author Lee Ant Publisher Daon Creative nning / Editing / Producer Taehyun Kim Cover Alter ISBN 979-11-6730-123-9 (05810) ?2021 Eagle Ant ¡ù This e-book is a copyrighted work protected by the Copyright Act of the Republic of Korea. Part or all of the contents of this work may not be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author and publisher. Chapter 480 Dumptkan bowed to Ariel alongside his disciple. ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ve gained valuable experience thanks to you.¡± House Tven¡¯s swordsmen smiled, saying they¡¯d been enlightened through the spars against the Light Wind division¡¯s swordsmen. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear it.¡± Ariel ced her hand on her knees and smiled in a simr manner as the swordsmen. ¡°But was Sir Raon¡¯s swordsmanship amazing enough to enlighten you?¡± ¡°It was literally fantastic. He cut through my astral energy in an instant, and I had no room for counterattack at all.¡± Dumptkan praised Raon¡¯s swordsmanship by saying that he¡¯d never seen such a shy and sharp attack in his life. ¡°I was defeated in a single strike, but I wasn¡¯t embarrassed at all. It allowed me to broaden my horizons.¡±¡°Wasn¡¯t it regrettable that it ended so quickly?¡± ¡°Not at all. I was actually enlightened because I was defeated in a single strike.¡± He looked outside the window while saying that he felt nothing but gratitude towards Raon for fighting him seriously. ¡°Hmm. I must¡¯ve taken too much of your time. I¡¯ll take my leave now since it¡¯s gettingte.¡± Dumptkan said that he needed to put his enlightenment together and bowed politely before leaving the reception room. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Ariel sighed and ced her hand on her forehead. ¡°Raon. Raon Zieghart¡­¡± She had to press her fingers against her temple because she was automatically getting a headache whenever she heard Raon¡¯s name. She had a feeling that it was going to be a bad habit. ¡®How can they thank him when they were defeated in a single strike? How pathetic.¡¯ House Tven wasn¡¯t the only one. Every single warrior from various houses and kingdoms that she¡¯d sent to Raon had bbered about learning a great lesson from Raon before they left. She was feeling ufortable because she had to suppress the urge to shut their mouths to stop them fromplimenting Raon. ¡®I never expected this result.¡¯ Raon treated those who were kind to him with kindness, and he returned malice with an even greater malice. She¡¯d guessed his personality and sent him true warriors who¡¯d spent their entire lives working for their martial arts among those who didn¡¯t belong to the Five Divine Orders. She was nning to turn him into a coward if he refused their requests, and if he¡¯d gone easy on them after epting their requests, she was going to spread a rumor that Raon was a fool who didn¡¯t know anything about the warrior spirit. Stealing Raon and Zieghart¡¯s martial arts was a bonus. ¡®However¡­ Everything went wrong.¡¯ Raon politely epted the warriors¡¯ sparring request but crushed them in a single strike during the matches. ¡®He¡¯spletely unpredictable.¡¯ Judging from Raon¡¯s personality in the past, he should¡¯ve gone easy on them as a spar instead of defeating them in a single strike. She¡¯d never expected that trying to understand a twenty-one-year-old greenhorn could be so difficult. While Ariel was venting her frustration by pressing her right hand with her left hand, a knock could be heard. ¡°Master.¡± McCain opened the door and entered soon after that and bowed at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t see Raon and the Light Wind division¡¯s fights because of the fog surrounding the mansion.¡± He frowned, saying that the fog intensified whenever he was trying to look inside even though it was just a thin fog. ¡°The ck rose girl yed a cute trick.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the disciple of the ck Market¡¯s master?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard that she¡¯s been learning array technique, but I didn¡¯t expect her to be good enough to set up the Soft Mist Dancing Array.¡± Ariel shook her head while twisting her lips. ¡®I would¡¯ve gone there myself if I knew that was going to happen.¡¯ She¡¯d been preparing for the conference while counting on her subordinates, but Denning Rose had made an unexpected move. Nothing was going well for her where Raon was concerned. ¡°Is Encia Yonaan still in there?¡± ¡°Yes. We haven¡¯t seen here out, so she should be still inside Zieghart¡¯s lodgings. She isn¡¯t using the lodgings for House Yonaan at all.¡± ¡°We need to get acquainted with them. This is troublesome.¡± She¡¯d only called for Denning Rose to make fun of her, but she¡¯d invited House Yonaan to develop a friendly rtionship with them. However, Encia didn¡¯t evene to greet her, instead immediately approaching the Ziegharts and never leaving them. ¡®Is this because both of them have been saved by Raon?¡¯ The savior was bound to leave the deepest impression. She could guess that Denning Rose and Encia started to follow Raon from the bottom of their hearts after he¡¯d helped them. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can leave them like this.¡± ¡°Master.¡± Ariel tapped the table with his finger, and McCain lowered his head. ¡°I heard he extorted four thousand gold from the Demon ying Spear as well. We need to maintain ourposure since he¡¯s clearly acting ording to a n.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She nodded at McCain. ¡®This isn¡¯t time to be happy about the Demon ying Spear losing twice as much money as me.¡¯ The Five Divine Orders had already lost almost 5500 gold to Raon. It was a tremendous amount, enough to even found a tradingpany, and she couldn¡¯t justugh it off as someone else¡¯s business. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Ariel touched her red lips with her white finger. ¡°Because I won¡¯t be the one to make the move next time.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to invite those three to the conference between the heads of the Five Divine Orders. And¡­¡± A frightening smile appeared on her face as she pressed against the table with her reddened finger. ¡°The situation will unfold by itself.¡± * * * It was a dark daybreak. Rimmer heaved a deep sigh while passing through an empty alley. ¡°Howe every single gambler is a pro?¡± He shook his head while shaking the dust from his empty pocket. ¡°How the hell is Raon even winning?!¡± Everyone was a pro in every single casino. He couldn¡¯tprehend how Raon was able to win regardless of his opponent. He must¡¯ve been using some kind of trick, but surprisingly, no one was able to figure it out. ¡°Damn it, he should be sharing it with me if he knows some amazing technique like that!¡± Rimmer kicked the wall with his hand inside his pocket. ¡°No, now that I think about it, I lost money because of him!¡± It was because Raon won almost six thousand gold that every single casino in Banneret was in a state of emergency. Casinos normally lose a little to the doormats before taking away multiple times the amountter on. However, they needed to make up for the money they''d lost to Raon, and every single guest ended up penniless. That was why Rimmer had lost everything, without a single copper left, despite being praised as the god of gambling. Those professional gamblers must¡¯ve been spending all their time gambling when they weren¡¯t eating. ¡°Oh, they do indeed do nothing but gamble¡ªcough!¡± He was frowning while looking at the sky when he felt a tremendous impact on his side. Smaack! He mmed his head on the ground, unable to withstand the sudden damage. ¡°Aaah! It hurts so damn mu¡ª¡± Just as Rimmer was about to scream, a woman wearing a white dress appeared and plugged his mouth with her foot. She was an elegant woman, her long purple hair reaching her waist. He¡¯d never seen that appearance, but there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize her. ¡°Sh-Sheryl?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± ¡°What are you even wearing?! Are you trying to be a nob¡ªack!¡± ¡°I told you to shut up.¡± Rimmer sneered, and Sheryl stepped on his corbone. ¡°Did you get hit in your head with a sword? How could you hang around in casinos when you are representing Zieghart? Did you seriously lose it?¡± ¡°B-but Raon was also in the cas¡ª¡± ¡°He did that to provoke the Five Divine Orders! And you were serious about gambling!¡± Sherly kicked Rimmer while grinding her teeth. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Rimmerughed awkwardly while rubbing his back. ¡°I¡¯m sure you understand. Raon will take care of it even if I don¡¯t do anything about it. He¡¯s a reliable guy, unlike me.¡± He shook his hand, saying that everything was going to be okay and he just needed to believe in Raon. ¡°Whatever, give me the report for the head of house.¡± ¡°Erm, about that¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t dy anymore. Quick!¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Rimmer took out a crumpled piece of paper from his clothes with a trembling hand. ¡°What is with the shitty state of this report?¡± Sheryl took the report from Rimmer¡¯s hand and spread it. ¡°Raon won a huge amount of money. I rmend taking it from him when he returns and using it for the house. Of course, since I provided the information, 10% of it shall be awarded to me¡­¡± She closed her eyes, unable to finish reading the report. ¡°Aah!¡± Rimmer¡¯s shoulders trembled as he treaded carefully. ¡°Are you seriously asking for lightning to kill you?¡± ¡°Wait, but it¡¯s true that he won so much money! We could do so many things by using it for the hou¡ª¡± ¡°You are just jealous!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He lowered his head, unable to refute her words. ¡°Write it again.¡± Sheryl burnt Rimmer¡¯s report and red at him. ¡°Or you can die here.¡± ¡°I get it, I get it. I¡¯ll write it after I sleep. You should leave now so that you won¡¯t be found out.¡± Rimmer stood up and shook his hand. ¡°You can¡¯t enter right now. Raon is in a trance.¡± Sheryl grabbed Rimmer¡¯s shoulder and exined what had happened in Zieghart¡¯s lodgings. ¡°A trance?¡± Rimmer¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the lodgings. ¡°Most people can¡¯t enter one once even if they swing their sword all their life, so why is he treating the trance like his home?!¡± He sounded jealous, but his mouth was curved into a smile. ¡°He should be able to use coldness and heat at the same time now.¡± ¡°Coldness and heat?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s been trying so hard to use them simultaneously sincest year. He must be getting enlightenment about that.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve given him a hint.¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to fully absorb it if I simply told the answer. That¡¯s why I was hoping for him to realize it by himself. Of course, I didn¡¯t think he would do it so quickly.¡± He grinned, saying that Raon was gifted. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to stay here until Raon wakes up.¡± Rimmer sat down on the ground. ¡°Sheryl? Can you buy me a hangover stew in the morn¡ª¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Sherly lowered her eyebrows while looking at Rimmer. It was a different type of gaze from when she was scolding him. ¡°How long are you nning to continue that unbefitting act? Enough time has passed already.¡± ¡°Elves feel the flow of time differently.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders while looking at Sheryl. He looked different from a moment ago. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheryl sighed and shook her head. ¡°I was contemting whether I should tell you or not, but I have to say it.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance.¡± The smile around Rimmer¡¯s mouth was destroyed like dry ster upon hearing the name of Holy Sword Alliance. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten an intel that they¡¯ve resumed their activities.¡± ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance¡­¡± A faint demonic light appeared in his vanity-filled eyes. ¡°It was worth staying alive all this time.¡± * * * * * * Raon slowly lifted his eyebrows. He was sure it was evening, but the sun was slowly rising. ¡®Was I in a trance?¡¯ The hazy memories were returning. He remembered that he¡¯d gained enlightenment while talking to Denning Rose and Encia. ¡®It must be because of the camera.¡¯ He¡¯d seen the photo that Denning Rose had dropped and asked Encia about it because he got curious about how the camera worked, and he suddenly gained enlightenment. ¡®Moreover, it was the one I desired the most.¡¯ The simultaneous usage of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier. He¡¯d spent so much time on the problem of the concurrent activation of heat and coldness but still failed in the end, and it was finally solved. ¡®The answer isn¡¯t to try changing something about the two attributes but to utilize another one.¡¯ Since it was impossible for him to control fire and ice at the same time in his state, he should¡¯ve used another attribute to begin with. ¡®And I already had the answer inside me. The wind and holy attributes.¡¯ The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and cier¡¯s coldness weren¡¯t the only energies in his energy center. The wind he¡¯d gotten from Rimmer and the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld was also inside him. If he could divert the coldness and heat by using the wind and holy attributes, it would be fully possible to control the two energies at the same time. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ He closed his eyes once again and was about to activate the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time when he heard a small sound from nearby. He looked around and noticed that the entire Light Wind division was surrounding the lodgings with their hilts in their hands. He hadn¡¯t noticed because he¡¯d just woken up from the trance, but everyone must¡¯ve been guarding him overnight. ¡°You finally woke up. You overslept.¡± Burren rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that used to be on his hilt. ¡°It was shorter than thest time. Did you manage to put it together?¡± Martha turned around and furrowed her brow. ¡°You are the only one who keeps going there.¡± Runaan pouted,ining that Raon kept entering the trance while no one else did. ¡°Why do you keep getting stronger on your own?!¡± ¡°Which part even gave you enlightenment?¡± ¡°Bring us with you!¡± ¡°What are we supposed to do if you keep widening the difference?!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen also shouted while shaking their hands. Raon looked around the swordsmen and smiled faintly. ¡®Seriously.¡¯ Since he was well aware of why they were saying that, his heart was filled with warmth despite the morning wind. ¡°Thank you.¡± He ignored the swordsmen¡¯s wishes who didn¡¯t want to be embarrassed with his thanks and honestly expressed his gratitude. ¡°Same goes for you two. Thank you.¡± Encia and Denning Rose were waiting on the right, and Raon bowed to them as well. ¡°It was nothing.¡± Denning Rose gently shook her head. She took the needle box while saying that she was going to undo the array. There were a few more photos added under her dress. ¡°I didn¡¯t take any photos the whole time. Can I take them now?¡± Encia begged for permission while saying that she¡¯d been suppressing her urge just in case a problem urred. She was telling him that she was having signs of an addiction, and her hand really was trembling to justify her im. ¡°¡­Do as you wish.¡± Raon nodded powerlessly. Since she was the same type of person as Merlin, she wasn¡¯t going to listen to him even if he¡¯d said no. Hey! While Raon was granting Encia¡¯s request to make certain poses, Wrath suddenly appeared. ¡®Huh? Wrath?¡¯ Wrath¡¯s cotton candy body was red, unlike any other time before, and he¡¯d almost failed to recognize him. ¡®Why is your body so red?¡¯ It¡¯s because of you, you bastard! ¡®What did I do?¡¯ It¡¯s because you broke your promise, and the wrath turned him into this form! Wrath grabbed Raon by his cor, telling him that he was enraged because Raon broke his promise once again. ¡®Oh, I did.¡¯ He didn¡¯t manage to keep his promise to eat lobster and pig¡¯s feet for dinner because he¡¯d suddenly entered a trance. Wrath was indeed entitled to be angry. ¡®I¡¯m sorry. It happened before I knew it¡­¡¯ You did it on purpose! Because you didn¡¯t want the King of Essence to be happy! ¡®Not at all. You should know that you can¡¯t enter a trance just because you want to.¡¯ No, you are different! You entered the trance on the toiletst time! No one in the world ever does that! Wrath frowned, saying that Raon must¡¯ve been scamming him even though he knew it already. The red color around him was intensifying. Humans can¡¯t be trusted after all! ¡®Isn¡¯t that line normally about demons instead?¡¯ Wrath shouted something that humans usually say about demons and briskly turned around. He seemed to be seriously sulking. ¡®In return, let¡¯s make tonight¡¯s dinner even better. How about lobster, pig¡¯s feet, salt-grilled shrimp, and short-necked m with rice wine?¡¯ He won¡¯t trust you! ¡®Shall I make the reservation right now?¡¯ ¡­¡­ As soon as Raon mentioned making a reservation, Wrath¡¯s red body slowly returned to blue. ¡®I saw they sell waffle ice cream. Let¡¯s have that as dessert.¡¯ W-waffle ice cream set¡­ The grape vor returned to the cotton candy, and he slowly rolled his eyes. Really? * * * Raon ordered the Light Wind division to rest and returned to the training ground on his own. He calmly caught his breath and closed his eyes. ¡®I don¡¯t need to be impatient.¡¯ Since he was enlightened about how to control coldness and heat at the same time, all he needed to do was to slowly resolve the problem with the method he¡¯d learned. He dragged out the energy of wind that was strolling in his energy center before circting the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier. The green wind that was warm and cold at the same time spread all around his body and wrapped around his mana circuits. Whir! He activated the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time. The heat and coldness followed the energy of wind and dashed powerfully to fill his mana circuits at the center. ¡®It¡¯s starting now.¡¯ He usually had some mana circuits where the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier crossed each other whenever he tried to circte them at the same time. That ce became a battlefield, and Raon filled it with the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld instead of wind. Whir! Just like how water and oil don¡¯t mix, the two energies were separated by the divinity and continued on their own paths. Swaaa! Raon breathed out and unleashed coldness and heat with his hands. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation burst into a wall of fire from his right hand, and cier created a storm from the left hand. Fire and ice. The goal that he¡¯d been unable to achieve despite having been working on it since the previous year was finally aplished. ¡®And there¡¯s more to this.¡¯ Wind could amplify fire and make ice colder. Since the wind surrounding his mana circuits was involved, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier were even more powerful than when he was using them separately. ¡®All of my martial arts are going to get strong¡ªHmm?¡¯ Just as he was about to smile because of the sessful implementation of his enlightenment, the sword of fire and the sword of ice that he¡¯d created in his mental world throbbed for an instant. Even though those swords had never appeared at the same time, like the sun and moon, they created a huge flow inside his mental world. Whir! The heat and coldness from the sword spread onto the ground, and his mental world started to be red and blue at an extremely slow pace. ¡®My mental image is changing.¡¯ The umtion of small enlightenments was influencing his mental world. He had the feeling that he would be able toplete the Sword Field Creation faster than he anticipated. ¡®However¡­ This is harder than I thought.¡¯ The huge aura consumption was a problem, but controlling four attributes at once was mentally exhausting. He figured that he would need to practice a lot until he got used to it. You finally realized it. How pathetic of you. Wrath shook his hand, murmuring that he was so bad. ¡®What?¡¯ You already had all the materials you needed in your body, but you couldn¡¯t even use them. He snorted, saying that he realized it toote when it was possible from the very beginning. ¡®I¡¯m d that I can do it now, at least.¡¯ Raon shrugged his shoulders, saying that he was fine with it. Ugh¡­ Wrath licked his lips while looking at Raon. ¡®Seriously, what the hell is this damn bastard¡­?¡¯ Despite what he was saying, he¡¯d thought that Raon would need at least one more year to gain that enlightenment. He believed that Raon would only seed after reaching Grandmaster, and thought that he would have a hard time carrying it out even with an enlightenment. However, the crazy bastard had seeded at the first attempt. ¡®Is he even human?¡¯ Both his personality and talent made him seriously wonder if he was a human. He even felt like he could be something other than a human or a demon. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Raon tapped Wrath¡¯s head as he contemted the matter. What else?! He¡¯s obviously thinking about the pig¡¯s feet that he couldn¡¯t have because of you! ¡®You saw me make the reservation. I¡¯ll serve you a full course of desserts today, just as I promised.¡¯ He¡¯s never seen that full course despite you continuing to mention it! Does it even exist?! ¡®It¡¯s true this time.¡¯ Raon shook his hand to reassure Wrath just as a knock could be heard from the lodging¡¯s entrance. It was a presence that he¡¯d felt before. H-he has a bad feeling about this. ¡°Please enter.¡± Once he told them to enter, the door was quietly opened and the Thespian Emperor¡¯s secretary, McCain, entered. He bowed politely before walking up to the training ground. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Master has invited Sir Raon to the conference of the Five Orders.¡± Chapter 481 Chapter 481 ¡°The conference of the Five Divine Orders¡­¡± Raon smiled coldly at McCain. ¡°Are you copying the conference of the six kings?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± McCain calmly shook his head even though he was aware Raon was making fun of them. ¡°The factions of the Five Divine Orders have obviously different characteristics. To be honest, it¡¯s difficult to understand how the five groups, including our White Whale, havee together.¡± It was true. The White Whale felt like thewful version of the ck Market, and the Demon Spear Guild that he¡¯d seen the previous day gave off a simr feeling as the South-North Union. It was obvious that the other three groups had different characteristics. Since those factions, which weren¡¯t rted at all,bined their forces to avoid being controlled by the Six Kings and the Five Demons, it was only natural that they needed to exchange their opinions. ¡°The conference is necessary to mediate the five factions¡¯ opinions. It¡¯s indispensable for us, unlike the Six Kings who have already reached a consensus.¡±McCain furrowed his brow as he told him that they¡¯d even started to swing their des at each other during a conference in the past. ¡°So why are you calling me to such an important conference?¡± Raon unsped his hands from behind his back and turned around towards McCain. ¡°It¡¯s because Sir Raon is representing Zieghart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the real representative.¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t find Sir Rimmer at all. That¡¯s why we had no choice but to inform you, Sir Raon.¡± ¡°Does that mean that I can send our division leader instead?¡± ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± McCain¡¯s response was slightly dyedpared to the other times. ¡®So, the Thespian Emperor wants me to participate. Is she plotting something again?¡¯ He obviously had no intention of sending that troublemaker Rimmer to the conference, but learning the Thespian Emperor¡¯s intentions was a great harvest. ¡°Regardless of who participates in the conference, we¡¯d like to show you that the Five Divine Orders have no hostility against the Six Kings.¡± McCain bowed while saying that it was the only intention. ¡°Did any other Six Kings participate?¡± ¡°Owen and Balkar didn¡¯t send any response at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable.¡± Raon nodded calmly. ¡®Because they must¡¯ve thought that the Five Divine Orders were underestimating them.¡¯ Cameloon was located right above the Five Divine Orders¡¯ city, Banneret, and Owen and Balker were located left and right from it. Since their city was founded by taking advantage of that neutral area, it was obvious that those two kingdoms wouldn¡¯t be favorable towards the Five Divine Orders. ¡°As for the Beast Union, hmm¡­¡± McCain slurred the end of his words. Once Raon thought about the ferocious face of the Beast King Ogram, he could easily guess what happened to the envoy sent to the Beast Union. ¡°The Magic Tower has responded faster than Zieghart.¡± ¡°The Magic Tower did?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®I thought they wouldn¡¯te.¡¯ He¡¯d thought that the Magic Tower was even more unlikely to attend than the Beast Union, yet they had dispatched people so quickly. It was an unexpected urrence. ¡°Who came from their side?¡± ¡°The Irond Yuria came from there.¡± ¡°Irond Yuria¡­¡± Raon had heard about her from the rumors. She was a once-in-a-century genius magician who had limited external activities. That was why it was unexpected for her toe to the Five Divine Orders. ¡°The heads of the other neutral factions have also been invited on top of the Six Kings. We would love your presence at the conference.¡± McCain bowed once again while asking for his participation. ¡°Are you also inviting the ck Market and House Yonaan?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°When is the conference?¡± ¡°It¡¯s happening tonight. It¡¯s held at the same time as the first banquet.¡± ¡°Tonight?¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the sky. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to notify us a few days in advance when ites to a matter like this?¡± ¡°One person was against disclosing the conference, but they finally changed their mind this morning. We are just trying to show our sincerity, so we kindly ask for your understanding.¡± Refuse it! Wrath shook his head so quickly that his eyes couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore. You promised the King of Essence! Tell him to fuck off! He ground his teeth while saying that he had to refuse no matter what. ¡®Hmm, I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head while holding Wrath¡¯s head. ¡®I think I need to go. Let¡¯s postpone the dinner promise a little.¡¯ It was a rare opportunity to meet the heads of the Five Divine Orders at once. Joining the conference to figure out what they were thinking was the correct course of action. But you already paid for the restaurant when you made the reservation! ¡®The Light Wind division can have it. I¡¯ll tell them to leave some for us.¡¯ But it¡¯s not tasty when it¡¯s cold! ¡®There¡¯s no other choice.¡¯ Argh! You damned sky! This shitty world! Wrath¡¯s body started to turn into strawberry cotton candy once again. There¡¯s no other way! Hand your body over to the King of Essence! ¡®What are you doing right no¡ª?¡¯ They stopped him from having ice creamst time, and it¡¯s lobster and pig¡¯s feet this time. The King of Essence is going to freeze everything that¡¯s disturbing his meal! Wrath was drooling from his mouth as he unleashed his wrath. He will delicately eat them and return your body to you! Hand it over right now! ¡®Delicately eat what?¡¯ N-no, he will delicately use your body and return it! ¡®Wipe your drool and try lying again¡­¡¯ * * * * * * Raon put on the ck formal outfit and pulled on the ck Dragon Coat before leaving his room. Encia and Denning Rose were standing inside the lobby, and their colors were theplete opposite. Denning Rose¡¯s dress was even darker than the day before, as if she were at a funeral, while Encia was wearing a bright shirt and pants that felt like it was midway between a work suit and a dress. She didn¡¯t seem to care about the conference at all. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m screwed.¡± While Denning Rose responded calmly, Encia¡¯s shoulders drooped. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the photos.¡± Encia bit her lip while lifting the camera. ¡°The photos in my subspace pocket disappeared while I was asleep!¡± ¡°I noticed it was a huge amount. Aren¡¯t they somewhere else, or¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way! Because only the A-ranks have disappeared!¡± ¡°A-rank?¡± ¡°She means the best photos.¡± Denning Rose exined the term A-rank instead. Raon looked at her, and she blushed in embarrassment. ¡°Considering the fact that they took away the best ones among the A-ranks, they must know a lot about Sir Raon!¡± Encia ground her teeth just as the mansion¡¯s door opened and Rimmer made his entrance. ¡°Huh? Why are you wearing such nice clothes? Are you going somewhere?¡± Rimmer tilted his head, a liquor bottle in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve been invited to the Five Divine Orders¡¯ conference as Zieghart¡¯s representative. Do you want to go there in my stead, division leader?¡± Raon had no intention of letting Rimmer go instead, but he asked just in case. ¡°Nah, I can¡¯t be bothered.¡± Rimmer shook his liquor bottle while giving the expected response. ¡°You know I trust you, my vice division leader. You can take care of it!¡± He smiled cheerfully and patted Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Is he seriously our division leader¡­?¡± ¡°He is just a drunkard.¡± ¡°This is seriously driving me nuts.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen sighed while looking at Rimmer, who waspletely drunk. ¡°I wanna beat him up¡­¡± Martha¡¯s fist was trembling from the urge to jump at him and start beating him up. However, Rimmer didn¡¯t stink of alcohol despite what they were thinking. ¡°Division leader.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Rimmer, who was faltering. ¡°Did something bad happen?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I think you are angry.¡± Rimmer was different from usual. Raon couldn¡¯t exin why he felt like that, but he had a feeling that Rimmer¡¯s emotions were boiling like magma. ¡°Why would I be angry? I¡¯m in a great mood right now.¡± Rimmer shook his head and denied his im. Raon became even more suspicious upon seeing his face. You are right. Wrath nodded while looking at Rimmer. He can feel the wrath from Shitty Ears. ¡®Wrath?¡¯ This is the reason why the King of Essence didn¡¯t like him from the first time he saw him. ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Shitty Ears never revealed the intense wrath dwelling at the bottom of his soul. He¡¯s an annoying guy. Wrath frowned while calling Rimmer an idiot who couldn¡¯t be honest about his emotions. ¡®Does that mean that I could feel the difference because of his wrath?¡¯ Raon figured he must¡¯ve noticed that Rimmer was being strange because he was angry. ¡®But why is he angry all of the sudden?¡¯ What else? It must be because he lost all his money! Wrath tapped on Raon¡¯s head while asking him how he couldn¡¯t realize such an obvious fact. ¡®I don¡¯t think so, though.¡¯ Rimmer never got angry from the bottom of his heart no matter how much money he¡¯d lost. He even sometimes felt like he was losing on purpose. ¡°Ah, yeah. I¡¯m angry indeed.¡± Rimmer walked up to Raon and grabbed him by his cor. ¡°It¡¯s because you took all the money from the casinos that they are raking in all of the shitters¡¯ money like crazy! I also lost everything I had!¡± He recited the tale of his desperate battle in the casino before heading to his room. ¡®It¡¯s not because of gambling.¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer¡¯s faltering back. ¡®I need to find outter.¡¯ * * * Raon headed towards the Five Divine Orders¡¯ conference room located at the center of Banneret alongside Encia and Denning Rose, following McCain. The road towards the conference room was brimming with people, probably because the festival was about to start. There were warriors, merchants, travelers, and even spectators, which made it difficult to step in. If the White Whale hadn¡¯t made a path for them, he would¡¯ve had some trouble bringing Denning Rose and Encia to the conference room. ¡°This is the Banneret¡¯s conference room.¡± After leading the way, McCain calmly bowed to Raon and pointed at the high-rise building reaching the sky in front of them. The conference room was as huge and majestic as Owen¡¯s royal castle, probably because they were trying to raise awareness of the Five Divine Orders. It could¡¯ve been mistaken for a royal castle or a temple if he didn¡¯t know it was a conference room. ¡°Please enter.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded at McCain and opened the door. The iron door was big enough for an ogre to enter, but it was pushed inward without making any noise. At the same time, beautiful moonlight shone down from the ss ceiling. The corridor, where the elegant moonlight was peeking in, almost looked like the manifestation of Malten¡¯s stairway¡ªthe supposed path toward the god. ¡®It¡¯s so luxurious that it almost feels divine.¡¯ Weak animals had a tendency to hide themselves behind a shy appearance. Raon could feel that the Five Divine Orders didn¡¯t have true authority despite their might. Raon exhaled faintly and stepped on the red carpet. His steps were powerful despite beingposed as he advanced towards the center of the conference room, which was where the rectangr table was located. Even though he¡¯d arrived on time, there weren¡¯t that many empty seats. Judging from the atmosphere, the others seemed to have arrived a long time ago. Raon looked in a different location. He could see Dumptkan from House Tven and Biten, the holy knight captain of the Holy Kingdom of Schper. In addition to them, multiple heads of houses and division leaders from renowned factions were also taking their seats. They weren¡¯t lying about calling many people to the conference. The Thespian Emperor greeted him with her eyes from the upper seat. A man and a woman that he¡¯d never seen before were sitting next to her, and Raon¡¯s fingertips trembled upon feeling the pressures naturally emerging from them. ¡®Are they the heads of the other Five Divine Orders?¡¯ The blond woman on the left was hugging a sword with her arms crossed, and he could barely look at her because of her ferocious gaze. She felt as frightening as a polished de. She must¡¯ve been Brigit, the Queen of Swords. An old man with gray hair was sitting on the Thespian Emperor¡¯s right side, and his narrow eyes made him look like he was smiling. He had a gentle atmosphere around him, unlike Brigit, but he felt even more ufortable than her. He must¡¯ve been the Demonde, Derek. The presence of three out of the five heads of the Five Divine Orders was making the huge conference room feel as narrow as a small room. ¡°Please take a seat.¡± Raon finished observing them and let Denning Rose and Encia take a seat. Just as he was about to sit down after them, the conference room¡¯s door opened again. ¡°I knew you would be here!¡± The Demon ying Spear entered while scratching his head and waved his hand at Raon. ¡°How are you going to entertain me today?¡± He grinned, asking him to do something interesting once again. ¡°I¡¯m not here to please you.¡± Raon shook his head while watching the Demon ying Spear head to the upper seats. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°Th-the White Sword Dragon was being rude to the Demon ying Spear just now, wasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Is he insane?¡± ¡°Wh-what is he even thinking¡­?¡± The heads of the neutral factions sitting at the table started to freak out with trembling eyes. ¡°That¡¯s true, but I¡¯m having fun just from watching you.¡± On the other hand, the Demon ying Spear wasn¡¯t getting angry at all. Instead, his smile deepened despite the rudeness. ¡°S-Sir Raon.¡± The Thespian Emperor bit her lip tightly while calling Raon¡¯s name. She seemed to be asking him for some moderation, but Raon could tell at a nce that she was just acting like it. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Just as Raon was about to sit down after watching the Thespian Emperor, quietughter could be heard from the upper seats. The way he wasughing was simr to Roenn, but he could feel the evil in the voice. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s representative has no manners. It must be because he became so famous at a young age.¡± It was the Demonde. His narrow eyes widened slightly and revealed his snake eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon looked down on the Demonde with a straight back. ¡°Why are you ring at me? Did I say anything wrong?¡± Alongside his furious voice, ferocious pressure stormed at him. It was difficult to even open his mouth. The torrent of will created by the Demonde was surrounding him. ¡°You shall be more polite in the future towards everyone.¡± Raon closed his eyes while the Demonde bbered some bullshit. ¡®Defend the will with the will.¡¯ Just like he¡¯d blocked the Demon ying Spear¡¯s attack, he unleashed his aura and will at the same time. His mental image further enhanced by his enlightenment created an energy wave as elegant as a de. Crack! Raon destroyed the Demonde¡¯s rope of will and walked towards the upper seats. ¡°Who did you ask for?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The Demonde¡¯s lips were trembling, since he hadn¡¯t expected his will to be breached. ¡°Did you ask for the White Sword Dragon, Raon Zieghart?¡± Raon looked down on the heads of the Five Divine Orders emotionlessly, including the Demonde. ¡°The one you invited wasn¡¯t the White Sword Dragon, Raon Zieghart, but an executive from Zieghart. My presence here is as a representative of Zieghart.¡± Crimson me burst from him alongside his powerful will. Scales sprouted from the ck Dragon Coat, and a dark wave sloshed around. The supreme emblem of the divine sword engraved on the left side of his chest was spreading an auspicious light through the head of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡°You are the ones who are being rude.¡± Crimson light sparkled from Raon¡¯s eyes as he crushed the conference room on his own. ¡°You shall treat me with the highest respect from now on.¡± Chapter 482 Chapter 482 The majestic atmosphere inside the conference room fell quiet. The heads of the Five Divine Orders and the warriors from the neutral factions shut their mouths, and even the dim moonlight looked speechless, as it had been diffracted like the tip of a brush. Whir! Raon took another step forward during that shock. His sedate will became a ferocious wave of energy and revealed his conviction. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°H-how is this happening¡­?¡± Quiet groans and unsettled exmations could be heard from the neutral factions¡¯ side. ¡°¡­Is he Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯s only recently be an adult. Unbelievable.¡±¡°How can a twenty-one-year-old unleash such wild pressure¡­?¡± ¡°I thought the only correct part about the rumors was his appearance, but his might is the real deal¡­¡± ¡°I heard he was called a genius, but it¡¯s wrong. He¡¯s a monster.¡± The warriors who¡¯d never seen Raon before were terrified by his oppressive pressure engulfing the space and swallowed nervously. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? He¡¯s an amazing person!¡± The head of House Tven, Dumptkan,ughed loudly while patting the shoulder of the warrior sitting next to him. ¡°He¡¯s the true warrior who enlightened me with a single strike. You can¡¯t underestimate him just because he is young.¡± He gave a big nod, satisfied with the way Raon acted so confidently in front of the Five Divine Orders. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± The holy knight captain of the holy kingdom, Biten, smiled faintly. ¡°Sir Raon perfectly understands the meaning of true knighthood. He¡¯s worthy of my respect even though he¡¯s far younger than me.¡± He also started to preach about Raon¡¯s greatness to the people around him, just like Dumptkan. ¡°What he said isn¡¯t actually wrong.¡± ¡°Yes. The Five Divine Orders asked for an executive from Zieghart rather than the White Sword Dragon.¡± ¡°This conference is an official meeting. We should treat each other with respect.¡± With the influence of Raon¡¯s rigorous pressure and the shouts from a few of the heads, the other heads of the neutral factions also agreed with Raon and nodded their heads. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s fingertips trembled as she noticed that the atmosphere inside the conference room was bing favorable to Raon. ¡®This is no good.¡¯ Raon had revealed the will of Zieghart with a legitimate reason, and the neutral faction was staring at him with admiration. It was the worst possible case she¡¯d imagined. ¡®How did this happen? I¡¯m sure it was going ording to the n in the beginning.¡¯ The Demon ying Spear beingte, Raon and the Demon ying Spear being casual towards each other, and the Demonde picking a fight with him because of his hatred of young geniuses were all ording to her predictions. She wanted it to continue like that, but the situation had changed in the middle. ¡®Raon has changed.¡¯ From what she¡¯s seen so far, Raon should¡¯ve acted like a punk by cutting off his opponent¡¯s speech without using Zieghart¡¯s name. However, he¡¯d revealed his presence by giving a legitimate reason instead of stopping his opponent from talking like an idiot. Because of the heaviness of his reason and his aloof pressure, most people inside the conference room started to agree with Raon. ¡®What about the Queen of Swords¡­?¡¯ The Thespian Emperor bit her lip and looked at the Queen of Swords. She remained immobile with her eyes closed, just like in the beginning. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ The Demonde wasn¡¯t actually the person who hated rudeness the most among them. The Queen of Swords was. Her original n was for the Queen of Swords to humiliate Raon and make him kneel when he tried to forcibly shut the Demonde¡¯s mouth. However, Raon had a rightful pretext to stop the Demonde from talking, and the Queen of Swords didn¡¯t make a move. That implied that she believed that Raon was right. ¡°Huff¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor turned her head to th right upon hearing an evil breathing. Impure energy was flowing from the Demonde¡¯s mouth. His eyes were those of an enraged snake as he red at Raon. ¡®We will be screwed at this rate.¡¯ Unlike the Queen of Swords, the Demonde didn¡¯t know when to stop. He had a simr tendency to the Five Demons, and he had an inferiorityplex over his age and appearance. He could potentially start to seriously swing his sword at Raon. Rustle! The Demonde stood up. The chair he¡¯d been standing on crumpled into powder. ¡°What did you just say?¡± * * * * * * ¡°Are you deaf?¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the Demonde. ¡°I told you to treat me with the highest respect. If you want to be respected, you first need to learn how to respect others.¡± He tilted his chin and repeated what he¡¯d said a moment ago. ¡°You must be insane. You arepletely crazy!¡± The Demonde moved his trembling hands to his waist. ¡°You must be out of your senses just because you gained a small amount of fame and might!¡± He grasped his hilt and gave a smile brimming with murderous intent. Raon bit his tongue slightly. ¡®I feel like my heart is about to burst.¡¯ The pressure he was feeling from the Demonde was on a whole different level from a moment ago. He felt like his intestines were boiling because of his serious bloodlust. He had a feeling that a moment of carelessness or interruption in his aura cirction would turn him into a pool of blood. ¡®But I can¡¯t stop now.¡¯ He was there to deliver the mess. He was only getting started. ¡°Fame, might, position. You aren¡¯t better than this great one in any aspect. You are just a punk hiding behind the name of your house. How dare you!¡± ¡°Hah. Everyone who refers to themself in the third person with a great title is a weirdo.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly while ncing at Wrath, who was floating there nkly. ¡°Are we gathering here for a social meeting?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are the ones who called me. I even canceled my appointment and came all the way here because you invited an executive from Zieghart, yet I¡¯m only hearing rubbish now. This is ridiculous.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t even the real representative of Zieghart!¡± The Demonde let out a triumphant smile, saying that Rimmer was their leader. ¡°You are right for the first time. Indeed, our division leader is Zieghart¡¯s representative.¡± ¡°Does that mean that you admit that you were acting like a dog¡­?¡± ¡°But our division leader gave this tablet to me.¡± He cut the Demonde off and took another step towards the heads of the Five Divine Orders. ¡°I even got permission from our head of house, and that makes me the representative right now. I¡¯m not hiding behind the name of the house. I¡¯m bearing the name of Zieghart in this conference.¡± The will in Raon¡¯s voice burst out like a storm, and the ck Dragon Coat unraveled by itself. The light sparkling from the me engraved on Zieghart¡¯s emblem was even more majestic than before. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Demonde was unable to refute his words and bit his lip. ¡®It¡¯s working as it should. It was worth acquiring the information about him.¡¯ As soon as they were invited to the conference, Denning Rose had told him the information about the heads of the Five Divine Orders. The Queen of Swords had a flexible personality even though she valued etiquette, while Demonde had an inferiorityplex about his age and appearance and didn¡¯t know when to stop. Since they had different personalities, crushing them with irrefutable reasoning was the correct course of action instead of acting like a punk like he¡¯d done against the Thespian Emperor. ¡°Sophistry!¡± The Demonde spouted the word that idiots loved to say. It implied that his justification had convinced him. Raon figured he could return to being a punk and tantly start a mess. ¡°Your face is a sophistry.¡± ¡°You insolent youngster!¡± ¡°What, you insolent old man?¡± He responded to ¡®insolent youngster¡¯ with ¡®insolent old man¡¯, and everyone in the conference room dropped their jaws. Err, hmm¡­ Even Wrath broke in cold sweat, his face seemed to be telling him, ¡®This doesn¡¯t sound right¡­¡¯ ¡°Arrgh!¡± The Demonde couldn¡¯t suppress his anger anymore and ced his hand on the hilt of his sword. He unsheathed his sword, and when he was about to attack, the Queen of Swords opened her eyes. ¡°Stop right there.¡± The Queen of Swords turned her head towards the Demonde and lifted her eyebrows. Her ck eyes were shining as clearly as ck pearls. ¡°The White Sword Dragon is right. We are the ones who invited Zieghart, and we have the duty to treat them with utmost respect. We shall treat everyone in this ce with respect from now on.¡± She uncrossed her arms and ced the sword leaning against the table to show that she was going to keep her word. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Queen of Swords. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect this to happen.¡¯ He predicted that the Queen of Swords would remain silent until the end, and the Thespian Emperor would stop him instead. However, the Queen of Swords was actually stopping the Demonde instead. ¡°Are you telling me to stop? Didn¡¯t you see this great one being humiliated by that vermin?¡± ¡°What I saw was you digging your own grave.¡± The Queen of Swords¡¯ eyes curved like a crescent moon. ¡°You are the first to show disrespect, not the White Sword Dragon.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything wrong!¡± ¡°Did you forget you were rude to him while calling him bad-mannered?¡± ¡°B-but he disrespected the Demon ying Spear, who is at the same rank as us!¡± ¡°The Demon ying Spear himself didn¡¯t say anything about it.¡± Everyone looked at the Demon ying Spear as soon as they said that. ¡°Me? I don¡¯t mind it! We already came to an agreement to drop the respect between us!¡± The Demon ying Spear waved his hand at Raon. ¡°You fool! How can you be smiling when a twenty-year-old disrespected you!¡± ¡°I value ability and believe thatpetent people are allowed to do anything. Moreover, he¡¯s super interesting. I heard old people saying ¡®insolent youngster¡¯ many times before, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone reply with ¡®insolent old man¡¯. I want to be his friend already.¡± He leaned his back to his chair and burst intoughter while repeating ¡®insolent old man¡¯. ¡°I agree with him.¡± Arge man stood up from the center of the rectangr table. He was wearing a ck robe, and the part around his shoulder looked like it was about to tear apart because of how big he was. ¡°We¡¯d like to be treated ordingly since we are invited guests. Not just for Zieghart, but for everyone in this ce.¡± Raon carefully observed therge man wearing a robe. ¡®Is he a warrior? But why is he wearing a robe¡­ Huh?¡¯ When he was wondering about why he was wearing a robe, he noticed the four-colored tower emblem around his chest. It was the emblem of the Magic Tower, which was one of the Six Kings. ¡®Magic Tower? Does that mean that he¡¯s Yuria?¡¯ McCain had mentioned that the Irond Yuria hade, and therge man seemed to be that genius, Yuria. Raon had thought Yuria would obviously be a woman because of the name, but he was actually a man. Moreover, he was huge enough to surpass the warriors from the Beast Union. That was the frightening part about prejudice. ¡®This is the most surprising thing I¡¯ve experienced today.¡¯ Raon gave a small nod to Yuria to express his gratitude. However, Yuria was staring at him with passionate eyes, as if he wanted a fight even though he¡¯d just helped him. Raon looked at the Demonde instead since there was no time to think about Yuria. ¡°Do you have anything more to say?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Demonde bit his lip and slowly lowered his hand from his hilt. ¡°No.¡± He turned his head to avoid meeting Raon¡¯s gaze. He tried to sit on his chair but suddenly stopped. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He remained in an awkward posture, unable to decide what to do. Raon looked at him to see why he was doing that, and he seemed to have nowhere to sit because he¡¯d destroyed his chair when he stood up. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon shook his head while looking at the Demonde, whose face had turned red from shame, and Wrath, who was admiring him with wide eyes. ¡®Seriously, everyone who refers to themself with great respect are indeed idiots.¡¯ Their might had already reached heaven, yet they were both acting like idiots. It could be called a characteristic at that point. Raon was returning to his seat but stopped midway and looked at the Thespian Emperor. ¡®She¡¯s frustrated.¡¯ Her peaceful expression looked like she¡¯d predicted that oue, but she couldn¡¯t hide the slight trembling of her lips. She was definitely flustered by the unexpected development. ¡°Lady Thespian Emperor.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Thespian Emperor nodded calmly. ¡°There¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Just as Raon was about to ask a question, the Demonde raised his hand. ¡°Why are you being polite to her when you weren¡¯t towards me?!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond and looked down on the Demonde as if he were watching something pathetic. ¡°You are so stupid.¡± The Demon ying Spear sighed and shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s being polite to her because she was polite to him to begin with, and it¡¯s not the case for us because we weren¡¯t. Can¡¯t you even understand this?¡± He tapped on his own temple, telling him to try thinking at least. ¡°You would¡¯ve been called Sir Demonde if you were more polite towards him in the beginning. Do you want to try it now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it!¡± The Demonde bit his lip and shook his head. Raon looked at the Demon ying Spear to thank him for taking care of the annoyance and looked at the Thespian Emperor once again. ¡°We only have four leaders of the Five Divine Orders here. Where¡¯s thest person?¡± ¡°The Pirate King has announced that he will be absent.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the conference of the Five Divine Orders?¡± ¡°It is. However, he refused because a pirate needs to be in the ocean¡­¡± ¡°So you invited us to watch the conference when you couldn¡¯t even gather all your members. What a sloppy business.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue while looking at the Thespian Emperor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You should stop doing whatever you would be sorry about.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Thespian closed his eyes to show her apology. However, veins were bulging on her temple slightly. ¡®She¡¯s angry.¡¯ Raon could clearly see her emotions because they¡¯d met so many times. He could ascertain that she was pretty furious. ¡®Scolding her is so fun.¡¯ Her reaction made it so entertaining. ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± The Demon ying Spear mmed the table and burst intoughter. ¡°You are seriously insane. Do you wanna join the Demon Spear Guild? I¡¯ll give you the vice guildmaster spot right away!¡± ¡°You are the one who is insane.¡± Raon frowned at the Demon ying Spear before returning to his seat. ¡®It¡¯s a bit regrettable. I wanted to see the Pirate King the most.¡¯ The Pirate King was the first person he¡¯d heard about among the Five Divine Orders. He was rumored to be a free man who strolled around the ocean like it was his home, and that was why he wanted to meet him. It was regrettable that he couldn¡¯t see him. However, there was one thing he¡¯d learned. The alliance between the Five Divine Orders wasn¡¯t perfect. It was a ragged rtionship where they could stab each other in the back whenever they wanted. Tap! Raon lightly tapped his table to gather everyone¡¯s attention before he nodded his chin. ¡°Since everything seems to be settled, let¡¯s start the conference.¡± He gave out the order as if he were the chairperson in charge of the conference. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The heads of the Five Divine Orders and the warriors from neutral factions looked around at Raon with dropped jaws, but no one couldin. Wh-what¡¯s going on here?! Wrath climbed on the table and blinked. What even happened for you to gain the upper hand?! The King of Essence can¡¯tprehend this! He grasped his head, saying he couldn¡¯t understand the situation. ¡°That felt pretty good.¡± Denning Rose nodded with a satisfied expression on her face. She smiled deeply while saying that it was worth giving out the information for free. Click! Raon looked to his right side upon hearing the sound of a camera. Encia lowered her camera while voicing out an ecstatic voice. ¡°Handsomeness! Overwhelming!¡± Chapter 483 Chapter 483 The conference of the Five Divine Orders had begun. They started with an exnation about each faction. The Thespian Emperor¡¯s exnation was calm, the Demon ying Spear was energetic, the Demonde was gloomy, and the Queen of Swords was dry. Each of them stated how their group came to be and what objectives they had. After that, the reports about what they¡¯d been doing recently followed. Of course, none of it was about their evil deeds. Instead, they spoke about their fights against the five demons or their good deeds. Raon stayed one step back from the conference without finding fault with them in order to figure out what intentions the heads of the Five Divine Orders had. The Thespian Emperor was, of course, the one to lead the conference, and the other three only bbered on with flexible responses to avoid ruining the atmosphere. What they were saying was simple. The Five Divine Orders had no intention at all of antagonizing the Six Kings and the neutral factions, and they were fully ready to fight against the Five Demons in order to protect the continent. In short, they were saying that they weren¡¯t enemies, and they wanted to get along and cooperate.¡°What we¡¯ve said so far is our sincere opinion.¡± The Thespian Emperor bowed, saying that she wanted to get along with all factions in the continent. ¡°The same goes for us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯d like to request!¡± ¡°Most of the good deeds we¡¯ve been hearing recently were about the Five Divine Orders! We dly ept that offer!¡± ¡°I also agree. I¡¯m just thankful that you took the initiative to invite us.¡± The heads of the neutral factions sent a round of apuse to celebrate the foundation of Five Divine Orders. Since none of them were refusing their offer, the atmosphere inside the conference room became friendly. It was a natural oue in a way, as those natural factions were rtively important, but they were still iparable to the Five Divine Orders. That was why they must¡¯ve felt like they were being treated nicely. However, Raon smiled coldly, not joining the warmth of the friendly conference room. ¡®All of them are naive.¡¯ Raon was well aware because he¡¯d shed with the Thespian Emperor from the onset. The Five Divine Orders¡¯ true objective wasn¡¯t to get on good terms with the neutral factions. He couldn¡¯t be certain what their true objective was, but one thing he could tell was that they were trying to take advantage of the neutral factions. ¡°Thank you.¡± The Thespian Emperor lowered her head once again and leaned towards the table. ¡°I¡¯m nning to hold a fightingpetition where only the warriors below the age of forty can participate so that the youngsters can get acquainted with each other as well. There will be a special reward, so please encourage them to participate.¡± She smiled, saying since the people inside the conference room agreed, she wanted to allow the youngsters to do the same. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! After all, there wasn¡¯t really any reason for the youngsters to meet!¡± ¡°The reward that Lady Ariel branded as special is worthy of anticipation!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make all my crew participate!¡± ¡°Forty? It¡¯s a shame, but I won¡¯t be able to join.¡± ¡°What are you even talking about when you are way past fifty?!¡± The heads of the neutral faction nodded at each other, saying that it would be interesting. ¡°Ah, even if you are under forty, you aren¡¯t allowed to participate if you are representing your house.¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s gaze slowly shifted towards Raon. She seemed to be telling him that he couldn¡¯t join because he was a representative. ¡°May I have a word?¡± She started walking towards the center of the conference table and lifted her hand. She must¡¯ve figured that it was the right atmosphere for it. ¡°I¡¯d like to make a suggestion since we are getting along a lot better than I¡¯d expected.¡± The noisy conference room fell quiet. The Thespian Emperor was dominating the mood. ¡°How about we make a temporary alliance between the people present in this ce?¡± ¡°A-alliance?¡± ¡°This is a bit sudden for an alliance¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too hasty?¡± The heads of the neutral faction widened their eyes upon hearing the sudden mention of an alliance. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone is aware, but the current situation in the continent isn¡¯t that good.¡± The Thespian Emperor came to a halt at the center of the rectangr table. The moonlight falling through the window was adding a divine feeling to her presence. ¡°The ck Tower, White Blood Religion, and the South-North Union have started to actively reveal their power, and Eden is raising their demons in their hiding. Moreover, we¡¯ve received information that the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s Master of Sword has recently appeared.¡± Her heavy voice was pressuring the previously peaceful conference room. ¡°Th-the Five Demons?¡± ¡°Are the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance returning to the world¡­?¡± ¡°Is Eden making a new demon? What are they trying to do this time?!¡± ¡°I-I heard about it too. Yurt City was attacked by the White Blood Religion, and not even ashes remained as a result.¡± The heads of the neutral factions¡¯s shoulders trembled upon hearing that the Five Demons had resumed their activities. ¡°Their appearance isn¡¯t the only problem. Those monsters used to be bound together in name only, but they are now cooperating with each other.¡± The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes before opening them again. A frightening light was glowing from her red eyes. The warriors from the neutral factions swallowed nervously upon meeting her eyes. ¡°Since a disaster can happen at any time on the continent, we¡¯d like your cooperation.¡± She returned to the edge of the table and turned around. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°C-cooperation¡­?¡± ¡°You said alliance at first. What did you mean by that?¡± The heads¡¯ lips parted upon hearing the Thespian Emperor¡¯s request for help. ¡°Our Five Divine Orders have only recently appeared in the world. We are confident in our might, but we don¡¯t have enough of a footing yet. We¡¯d like you to fill that part for us.¡± Once the Thespian Emperor changed the alliance into a request for help, small smiles started to appear from the mouths of the leaders. Her voice was dominating the conference room while changing in different colors like a rainbow. ¡®It would be beneficial for everyone indeed. It¡¯s like a give-and-take¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Raon was putting his thoughts together and furrowed his brow. ¡®Why was I thinking just now¡­? Of course it wouldn¡¯t be beneficial for everyone.¡¯ It was simply obvious that if they epted the alliance, the Five Divine Orders were going to keep all of the reputation for themselves while the neutral factions became the cannon fodders. It definitely wouldn¡¯t be beneficial for them. ¡®But why was I thinking like that just now?¡¯ Raon was continuously thinking about how to criticize her, but his head suddenly became nk and a strange thought entered his mind. It was clearly not a normal situation. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Raon slightly bit his tongue. ¡®Was that the Thespian Emperor¡¯s doing?¡¯ Even though she wasn¡¯t using any aura in her voice, he could clearly hear her as if she were speaking right next to his ears. There must¡¯ve been something behind it. Whir! Raon immediately activated the Ring of Fire. The seven rings resonated with each other, and he could see the energy inside the conference room. ¡®As expected, she wasn¡¯t using any aura.¡¯ The Thespian Emperor wasn¡¯t using the slightest amount of aura. However, the air inside the conference room was jolting whenever she spoke. It was clear that there was something in her voice. Did you finally realize it? Wrath muttered as if he were looking at someone pathetic. ¡®What is that?¡¯ What else? It¡¯s her will. He frowned while looking at the Thespian Emperor. Will is the technique used through the power of your soul that can be increased by gaining achievements. That¡¯s why the will is the power of the soul. She¡¯s incorporating her will in her voice to convince those idiots. ¡®Is that even possible?¡¯ It can result in the opposite effect if it¡¯s excessive, but she is doing it so smoothly. She must¡¯ve done it many times before. ¡®What an extraordinary way of using it.¡¯ Raon had never thought that the will could be used like that since he¡¯d believed that it could only be used for martial arts. The Thespian Emperor couldn¡¯t be underestimated after all. By the way, that woman is really no good. She must¡¯ve been acting when she came to save her subordinates. ¡®Did you finally realize that?¡¯ He wanted to believe in her. Wrath shook his head, saying that he didn¡¯t want anyone who loved their subordinates to be a viin. Raon had the impression many times before, but the demon king was so gentle towards his subordinates. ¡®Anyway, she¡¯s using her will, right?¡¯ Indeed. However, breaking it won¡¯t be an easy task. ¡®Let me try.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist while looking at the Thespian Emperor, who kept using her will in her voice. ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°I second it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to be on the same boat as the Five Divine Orders!¡± The heads of the neutral factions raised their voices, saying that they wanted to seal the alliance right away. Since her will didn¡¯t have anything malicious, they didn¡¯t seem to realize what was happening to them. The perfect result was created by thebination of reasonable pretext, the Thespian Emperor¡¯s eloquence, and her will. ¡°I¡¯m just thankful that we are understood.¡± The heads of the neutral factions stood up from their seats and raised their hands. The Thespian Emperor bowed at them while meeting their eyes one after the other. ¡°Since we happen to have guests from Zieghart and the Magic Tower, would you do the honor of bing the witnesses of this alliance?¡± A sweet smile appeared around her mouth, as she looked at Raon. She seemed to have regained her confidence. ¡®Thespian Emperor¡­¡¯ Raon touched his fingertip while meeting the Thespian Emperor¡¯s eyes. ¡®Was this her objective all along?¡¯ She was trying to seal the alliance with the neutral factions and make them unable to cancel it by having the Six Kings as witnesses. The Five Divine Orders were certainly powerful, but they were stillcking in numbers and fame. They must¡¯ve been filling that opening with the neutral factions. Raon could guess that they were trying to expand their influence even further, without being satisfied with their state. Raon licked his lips while watching Dumptkan and Biten shouting in anticipation of the alliance. ¡®I don¡¯t really care what happens to strangers, but¡­I won¡¯t let them y along the Thespian Emperor¡¯s ploy. After all, I¡¯m here to turn this into a mess.¡¯ It was time for action since he wasn¡¯t there to be a sitting duck. Raon exhaled roughly and stood up from his seat. He smiled while coldly looking at the Thespian Emperor. ¡°Did you want us to be the witnesses?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe they wouldn¡¯t make any false promises, but I¡¯d like to ask for you since we are sharing the joy of this day.¡± ¡°By the way, what is the purpose of this alliance?¡± He used the Ring of Fire to incorporate his will in his voice in a simr manner as the Thespian Emperor. He couldn¡¯t do it as smoothly as her, but he tried to copy it at least. ¡°Like I said before, it¡¯s in order to prepare for the disasters in this dangerous time¡­¡± ¡°And how are you nning to make that preparation? Who will take the lead when a war breaks out? What¡¯s the price for the help? Who gets the spoils of war, and how are the casualtiespensated? Aren¡¯t you just asking them to gather under the Five Divine Orders¡¯ name instead of asking for an alliance?¡± He spoke in a brusque manner and incorporated his powerful will to enlighten the people from the Thespian Emperor¡¯s bewitchery. In fact, he¡¯d used too much power even without trying because he wasn¡¯t used to controlling the will yet. Zap! The warm atmosphere the Thespian Emperor had created shattered at once along with an incongruous sparking sound. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I-indeed. We need to make sure to decide that before sealing the alliance.¡± ¡°Yes. An alliance is an extremely important matter. Why was I so excited for it¡­?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t time to get in the mood.¡± The heads of the neutral factions finally came back to their senses and returned to their seats while saying that it was necessary toe to an agreement before the alliance. Wow¡­ Wrath widened his eyes while watching that scene. ¡®It was thanks to your hint.¡¯ The King of Essence¡¯s hint? ¡®You said it had the opposite effect if it was excessive. That¡¯s what I used.¡¯ Since Wrath had said that being excessive caused the opposite effect, Raon had used an excessive amount of power on purpose to snap the chain of will from the Thespian Emperor. Judging from the oue, it must¡¯ve worked perfectly. You are so cheap! You always steal his information and never feed him! ¡®¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Raon shut his mouth because he had no excuse for that. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor''s eyes curved like the moonlight reflected on the window. Raon had never seen that look in her eyes before. She seemed to be flustered from the bottom of her heart. ¡°Indeed, we need to start by deciding that.¡± She regained herposure in an instant despite her astonishment. It was proving once again that the Thespian Emperor¡¯s true power was her willpower instead of her might. ¡°The Five Divine Orders seem to be always looking for a gap.¡± Raon pressed the table with his palm and tilted his chin. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°When you raised your reputation, you shoved yourselves into the gap between the Six Kings and the Five Demons, and the same goes for now. You were trying to achieve the alliance in such a conniving manner to have the other factions on your back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, it was mutually beneficial¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you confident in your own power?¡± Raon snorted and shook his hand. ¡°Zieghart has reached our current position by scattering our flesh and blood to the continent.¡± Red lightning sparked in Raon¡¯s eyes and cleaved through the darkness. ¡°You will never be able to move up from your position if all you want to do is to steal the blood, des, and achievements of others.¡± The heads of the Five Divine Orders and the neutral factions closed their mouths tightly upon feeling the presenceing from the man called Raon. ¡°I¡¯ll stop here for today.¡± Raon¡¯s cold gaze brushed past everyone before he turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave as well.¡± Denning Rose immediately stood up after him, and Encia stood up in order to get the right focus for her camera. He could still hear the clicking sound. She really was the same type of person as Merlin. ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± The Demon ying Spear grasped his head and burst intoughter as he walked forward. ¡°I seriously like you. If you don¡¯t wanna join the Demon Spear Guild, won¡¯t you be my sworn brother?¡± ¡°But our ages are too far apart.¡± ¡°Sworn brothers don¡¯t care about such a trivial matter!¡± He giggled, saying that he¡¯d never seen anyone crush the Thespian Emperor like that. ¡°Ah, and make sure toe to thepetition in two days. I¡¯ve prepared something great.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Raon nodded and left the conference room. The noisy conference room showed that they¡¯d started to argue. ¡°Are you two okay?¡± ¡°Yes. It felt nice to watch.¡± Denning Rose nodded, saying that her mood had improved. Herplexion was brighter than usual, showing that she was telling the truth. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Encia tilted her head while taking photos with her camera. She apparently didn¡¯t really care what happened as long as she could take photos. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon blinked in bewilderment just as the conference room¡¯s door was opened and Yuria walked out. He shut his mouth tightly and directed his powerful gaze at Raon. ¡°Do you have a business with me?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Yuria¡¯s body, which was asrge as a bear. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yuria exhaled roughly without saying anything. He looked like a bison about to start its charge. His wide shoulders trembled, and he eventually shook his head and left the conference room. Raon shook his head while watching Yuria¡¯s back. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ * * * * * * Raon went to the restaurant in front of the lodgings alongside Denning Rose and Encia. He was guessing that the shop was already closed because the Thespian Emperor was talking too much, but he still decided to check it out because Wrath was urging him so much. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡®The light is on.¡¯ He thought it was obviously going to be closed, but he could feel many presences from inside. H-hurry up! Get in there already! Raon opened the door and entered the restaurant, and the Light Wind division was drinking beers with some simple side dishes. ¡°Huh? You are finally back.¡± ¡°You are sote!¡± Krein and Dorian were sitting at the table right in front of the entrance and waved their hands at him. ¡°How did the conference go?¡± Burren was sitting deeper inside and asked about the conference with a smile. ¡°Why did the conference take so long?!¡± Martha frowned, saying that it was sote at night already. ¡°Sit down already.¡± Runaan hit the seat next to her and pointed at it to ask for Raon to sit. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Light Wind division. He couldn¡¯t smell any food, and there was nothing other than dry side dishes and beers on the tables. ¡°Did you not have your dinner yet?¡± ¡°How could we have it when you weren¡¯t here yet?¡± Martha clicked her tongue, saying that it was only obvious. ¡°Yeah, we didn¡¯t have our treat person.¡± Burren chuckled and nodded. ¡°Everyone has been waiting.¡± Runaan hit the chair even faster, telling him to sit down already. ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived!¡± A middle-aged woman came from the kitchen and bowed at him. She was the manager that he¡¯d met when he was making the reservation. ¡°It looks like my crew forced you to wait. I apologize for this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°The people from the Light Wind division paid an extra fee and said that they wanted to wait until your arrival.¡± The manager smiled brightly while saying that they¡¯d already paid enough. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the meal right now.¡± The manager returned to the kitchen, saying that the ingredients and personnel were ready. The kitchen started to be noisy. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to wait. Why would you do that?¡± Raon wrinkled his nose while looking at the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡°You should¡¯ve just had your meal and returned.¡± He was being blunt, but he felt warm in his heart for some reason. The Light Wind division waiting for him with smiles on their faces made him feel like he¡¯d returned to the annex building after a long mission. ¡°He¡¯s being shy, so damn handsome¡­¡± ¡°Huhu.¡± Encia was in front of him before he knew it and was pressing the button on her camera. Denning Rose was smiling while covering her mouth with her hand, as if she were enjoying the scene. Hmph! Raon looked to the right upon hearing the snorting sound. Wrath was flushed with teary eyes. You all! The wetness around his eyes showed that he was moved by the Light Wind division¡¯s actions. Alright! The King of Essence will take care of all of you! You are still so young, but you already know the importance of a bond! Wrath nodded, saying that he loved the Light Wind division. He was so easy. Raon chuckled and sat on the chair that Runaan had been hitting. ¡°Come here, everyone.¡± Since it looked like it was going to take some time until the food was ready, he exined to them what happened at the conference. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a simple alliance.¡± ¡°It looks like the Five Divine Orders are trying to absorb the neutral factions¡­¡± ¡°They are making their moves so quickly.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen nodded while murmuring that the situation was no good. ¡°I have one more piece of news.¡± Raon lifted his index finger. ¡°They are holding a fightingpetition in two days. Since they said that any warrior under the age of forty is allowed to participate, all of you shall join.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we need to register?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not necessary since they set it up so that we can participate without any registration.¡± Denning Rose responded in his stead, telling them that they could simply participate. ¡°If the age limit is forty, there should be some Masters.¡± ¡°I wanted to test out my current ability. That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to participate!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± The smile on the Light Wind swordsmen looked like they were looking forward to the matches. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that you like the idea. But if Zieghart doesn¡¯t win¡­¡± He clenched his fist to the point where it made a cracking sound. ¡°You are all going to die.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s a bit unreasonable¡­¡± ¡°There should be some Masters among participants, though.¡± ¡°A-are you asking us to win?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that.¡± A frightening smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he looked at the Light Wind division. ¡°If the winner isn¡¯t among the Light Wind division, we are going to do the focus enhancement training for an entire month after we return to the house.¡± The Light Wind division¡¯sughter and warm atmosphere suddenly disappeared upon hearing his cold and frightening voice. You punk! Wrath yelled while smacking the back of Raon¡¯s head. Why are you messing your subordinates up now?! Chapter 484 Chapter 484 ¡°House Tven will withdraw from this alliance.¡± ¡°The Holy Kingdom of Schper is also going to withdraw.¡± ¡°Same goes for House Vellen¡­¡± The warriors who¡¯d sparred against Raon shook their heads and refused the alliance with the Five Divine Orders. Unlike Zieghart and the Magic Tower, they didn¡¯t leave the conference room. Instead, they looked like they had firmly decided not to join the alliance. ¡°Would you reconsider?¡± Ariel lightly tapped the table while looking into the eyes of the leaders who had refused the alliance. ¡°Unlike Sir Raon, who is from Zieghart, we have a lot of shorings. This is a great opportunity for us to fill each other¡¯s gaps.¡± She extended her hand while examining everyone in the conference room one after the other, including the ones who¡¯d decided to withdraw.¡°It would be helpful indeed. However¡­¡± Dumptkan smiled bitterly while looking at Raon¡¯s seat. ¡°As he said, they won¡¯t be our achievements even if we managed something with the help of others. We¡¯d like to aplish them with our own power, even if it doesn¡¯t end up being anything important.¡± He calmly shook his head, showing that he had no intention of changing his mind. ¡°I agree. I¡¯d like to gain a real feat instead of a fake one, even if it must be small.¡± Biten smiled faintly while meeting Dumptkan¡¯s eyes. A few other warriors nodded in agreement. ¡°We do trust the Five Divine Orders, but there are many things to discuss before sealing the alliance.¡± ¡°The same goes for us. We¡¯d like to decide on the alliance aftering to a consensus about the conditions.¡± ¡°Hmm, same goes for us¡­¡± The heads of the other factions didn¡¯t tantly refuse the alliance, but they were looking at the Thespian Emperor cautiously. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Ariel covered her forehead with her hand and pressed on her temple. ¡®Raon Zieghart again. What the hell is he¡­?¡¯ Even the other heads of the Five Divine Orders didn¡¯t know about the Praat Divine Word Technique, which consisted of incorporating one¡¯s will into their voice to easily convince the target. She couldn¡¯t understand when or how Raon had managed to notice it and cancel it out. ¡®It¡¯s impossible no matter how I think about it.¡¯ The fact that he was using his will like that despite being just a Master, the way his personality changed constantly, and the way he¡¯d managed to predict her n and counterattacked it was already surprising enough. However, her heart had almost skipped a beat when Raon noticed the Praat Divine Word Technique and destroyed the flow by covering it with his will. ¡®I almost showed my true nature.¡¯ She was engulfed by the urge to kill him when she¡¯d seen Raon¡¯s sneer. Fortunately, her own cold bloodlust helped her suppress her emotions. ¡°What are you nning on doing now?¡± The Demon ying Spear whistled while looking up at Ariel. ¡°You told us to leave it to you since you were confident about being able to convince them.¡± He giggled, asking if that was how her n was supposed to be. ¡°Thespian Emperor.¡± The Demonde created an aura barrier and red at her with bloodlust. ¡°Are you nning to leave him alone? It¡¯d be better to eliminate him as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny.¡± The Queen of Swords interfered inside the aura barrier and slowly raised her eyebrows. ¡°Did he say anything wrong?¡± She looked down on Demonde with eyes as deep as an abyss. ¡°Feats attained with other people¡¯s names are meaningless. We should¡¯ve started it with our own strength from the beginning.¡± ¡°Why would you take a long way when we have a shortcut?! Taking very slight advantage of the Six Kings and the Five Demons¡¯ names makes a huge difference in the oue!¡± ¡°He already told you, didn¡¯t he? It¡¯s just a fake achievement in the end.¡± ¡°We just need to make the fake into the real one!¡± The Five Divine Orders even started to have an internal conflict because of Raon. They didn¡¯t get along to begin with, but now they were even worse, their furious pressures making it feel like they were about to draw their swords. Ariel closed his eyes while watching the two argue. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ On top of destroying the alliance, he¡¯d even pried open the rift within the Five Divine Orders. He¡¯d caused them a ridiculous amount of trouble on his own. ¡®But I won¡¯t be defeated yet.¡¯ The real n hadn¡¯t even started. Since the important day was approaching soon, it was necessary to be patient instead of getting angry. ¡°You idiot! Don¡¯t underestimate how difficult it is to make history!¡± ¡°A fake achievement won¡¯t be able to make history either. The reason our de Martial Pavillion joined the Five Divine Orders was to reveal our true selves.¡± ¡°Stop.¡± The Demonde and the Queen of Swords closed their mouths upon hearing Ariel¡¯s quiet voice. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take a roundabout route, but I can deal with it. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She removed the Demonde¡¯s aura barrier and walked up to the heads of the neutral factions that were discussing the alliance. ¡°What you¡¯ve said is right. We need to properly talk about it before deciding on the alliance. I¡¯ve already prepared a few ideas¡­¡± Ariel told the heads of the neutral factions the n she¡¯de up with and started to convince them one by one. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± The Queen of Swords closed her eyes once again, and the Demonde briefly clicked his tongue. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The Demon ying Spear gasped while watching Ariel¡¯s back. ¡®Is she seriously not getting angry when the situation wentpletely wrong? She¡¯s even more frightening than I thought.¡¯ * * * * * * ¡°Wait, you could¡¯ve told us after eating. Why would you say that beforehand¡­?¡± ¡°I know, right? I lost my appetite.¡± ¡°Our vice division leader seriously can¡¯t read the mood.¡± The Light Wind swordsmenined while looking at the warm food in front of them. ¡°He¡¯s always been like that. Don¡¯t mind him and just start eating.¡± Martha furrowed her brow, saying that they wouldn¡¯t be able to endure the training without eating. ¡°She¡¯s right. You should eat if you have time toin. This is our only chance to feast.¡± Burren sighed and peeled the shell of his grilled lobster. ¡°Raon, damn ugly¡­¡± Runaan sighed deeply while picking up her pig¡¯s feet. ¡°Runaan! I can¡¯t ept that!¡± Encia had been grinning while taking Raon¡¯s pictures but briskly stood up upon hearing herint. She shook her head, saying that it was pretty much an insult. ¡°Raon is damn ugly today.¡± ¡°sphemy!¡± Encia ran towards Runaan while saying that it could never be acknowledged. The restaurant was so noisy, but Raon couldn¡¯t spare any attention to Encia or the Light Wind division. Put the chili sauce on the lobster, and mustard on the shrimp! As for the pig¡¯s feet, let''s go with pepper¡­ no, mustard! Raon was busy eating the food that Wrath was ordering. ¡®Why are there so many spices¡­?¡¯ There were only six kinds of food, but there were more than 15 different spices. Because Wrath had dered that he¡¯d try out all the food and spices in order to figure out the bestbination possible, Raon¡¯s hands were moving restlessly. Ehehehe! Wrath smiled brightly while rubbing his swollen stomach. I like this ce. The food is excellent, and the huge number of spices is adding to the variety! Are we in heaven right now? ¡®Heaven¡­?¡¯ He¡¯d just said heaven when he was a demon king. It definitely wasn¡¯t something that a demon should¡¯ve said. Haa! Your hand is idle! Dip the pizza in that white sauce next! Wrath instructed him about the next food with his round hand, scolding him for idling around. ¡®I never thought it would be so annoying.¡¯ Raon regretted telling him that he¡¯d eat anything he wanted because he had to join the conference. He had the feeling that his night training was going to start ratherte. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed, after shoving the pig¡¯s feel, lobster, and sd into his mouth one after the other, and Denning Rose put her fork down. ¡°Sir Raon, I believe you are already aware, but it should be impossible for the Light Wind division to win the fightingpetition.¡± Denning Rose continued to speak while wiping her red lips with her napkin. ¡°The age limit of forty implies that warriors at the beginner or over the intermediate level of Master will be participating, and the Five Divine Orders will be sending people at the advanced or highest level Master.¡± She shook her head, saying that she was well aware of how excellent the Light Wind division waspared to their age, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to win thepetition. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°The reason they are hosting it is to show off their might.¡± There was a good reason as to why they were holding a fightingpetition with a valuable reward. They were nning to defeat the famous future prospects from the neutral factions and the Six Kings to increase their reputation. They must¡¯ve been nning to send the young and powerful warriors in their thirties to seize all of the rewards and honor. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Denning Rose. ¡°Because the Light Wind division is going to be thest one to remain.¡± ¡°What? But how¡­?¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Next up is lobster with tomato sauce! ¡°¡­You will find out when it happens.¡± Raon sighed and picked up his fork once again. ¡®How long do I have to continue?¡¯ Until the King of Essence¡¯s stomach is full! ¡®But it¡¯s already bulging.¡¯ He has a separate stomach for desserts! ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon was shoving more food into his mouth ording to Wrath¡¯s orders, and Encia returned to him. ¡°Raon, damn handsome¡­¡± Raon looked aside, and Runaan was staring nkly at the ceiling. The damn ugly had be damn handsome, but he didn¡¯t want to find out what had happened. ¡°I went to rehabilitate the bad faith!¡± Encia bowed at Raon to apologize and lifted the camera once again. ¡°I¡¯ll give you time for thatter on, so please enjoy your meal for now.¡± Raon gave a fork to Encia. He had no intention of giving her that time, but he didn¡¯t want to feel ufortable during his meal. ¡°Thank you.¡± Encia took the fork while asking him to make the pose she wanted when that happened. ¡°Ah, there was something I wanted to give you.¡± Raon waved his hand at Dorian. ¡°Can you take it out for me?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know what that is?!¡± Dorian put his hand inside his belly pocket, a lot of barbecue sauce covering his mouth. By the time his hand came back out, he was holding a drake¡¯s heart. ¡°Is this the one?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Raon nodded while epting the drake¡¯s heart. How did he even figure it out? Are you speaking a secretnguage between you two? Wrath couldn¡¯t understand and tilted his round chin while looking at Raon and Dorian. ¡°I¡¯m curious whenever I see it.¡± Encia licked her lips while looking at Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. She seemed to want that artifact. ¡°If I had one, I could take millions of pictures¡­¡± ¡°Hieeh!¡± Dorian freaked out and stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. It¡¯s a joke.¡± Encia shook her hand, mes bursting from her eyes. ¡°So, this is the drake¡¯s heart.¡± She put down her camera and examined the drake¡¯s heart from different angles before she nodded. ¡°It looks good. It¡¯s properly separated, and it was stored nicely as well! The quality goes without saying.¡± Encia smiled in satisfaction, saying that it was of the highest quality. ¡°So do I just need to bring the sea serpent¡¯s heart to make the artificial energy center?¡± ¡°Yes. I have themon materials, so that should be enough.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed to Encia. ¡®So, it¡¯s happening soon.¡¯ Just like he¡¯d revived Rimmer, he would soon be able to give Sylvia her new vitality. His heart pounded rapidly in anticipation. ¡®Just a little bit more, and¡­¡¯ Shrimp! ¡°Okay¡­¡± * * * Burp! Wrath let out a small burp while patting his pot belly. He¡¯ll let you off the hook with this for today. ¡®¡­Let me off the hook, you said?¡¯ He was finally done after he checked all of thebinations of food and spices, made some additional orders, and even got some ice cream as a dessert. Raon wanted toin to the Demon God about why he wasn¡¯t the demon king of binge eating. Raon exhaled roughly and lowered his shoulders. ¡®I¡¯m so tired¡­¡¯ It was already hard enough to eat everything Wrath wanted, and he even had to pay attention to Encia, who was taking photos nonstop right next to him, and he felt totally exhausted as a result. ¡®Why is a meal even harder than a conference?¡¯ He briefly clicked his tongue and looked in the Light Wind division. ¡°I like this ce. Every dish is delicious.¡± ¡°The variety is also nice.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t read the mood, but he chose a nice restaurant, at least.¡± The Light Wind division was smiling with satisfaction. The delicious food and liquor must¡¯ve improved their mood. Raon pped his hands once he confirmed that everyone had finished eating. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What is he nning now¡­?¡± The peaceful atmosphere was destroyed, and the Light Wind division blinked. ¡°Stand up since you finished eating. Since thepetition is in two days, we have no time to waste.¡± ¡°N-no time to waste? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s chin trembled as he looked at Raon. ¡°We need to start the training right away.¡± Raon tilted his chin as if he were wondering why they were asking the obvious question. ¡°We need to rest and get ourselves in our best condition precisely because it¡¯s in two days. Why would we be training now?!¡± ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t have enough time!¡± ¡°I¡¯m against it! We need to sleep to manage our condition!¡± Krein and the Light Wind swordsmen briskly stood up, iming that they needed to rest after the meal instead of training. ¡°You can sleep after you are dead. Well, if you don¡¯t win thepetition¡­¡± Raon skipped thest part with a frightening voice. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Y-you demon¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s the demon king!¡± Even a demon king isn¡¯t as bad as him! We let our subordinates rest after a meal! Wrath frantically shook his head and responded to the Light Wind division. ¡°Wait at the training ground in front of our lodgings.¡± ¡°Are you serious¡­?¡± ¡°How can a human being have a personality like that¡­?¡± ¡°Haa¡­ My life¡­¡± Raon sent the Light Wind division off and went towards the counter. ¡°It looks like the food suited your taste.¡± The manager smiled brightly while looking at the empty dishes. It was a natural reaction since Raon had finished almost fifteen servings. ¡°¡­Yes, it was delicious.¡± He wanted to tell her that it suited the demon king¡¯s taste, not his, but he suppressed his urge and nodded. ¡°Thank you for your work at thiste hour.¡± Raon thanked her and ced three gold coins on the counter. ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to do this. They already paid the additional¡­¡± ¡°The night shift¡¯s pay is usually twice as much.¡± Raon smiled while refusing the manager¡¯s refusal, and she finally epted the gold coins. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± Raon said goodbye to the manager and left the restaurant. The Light Wind division, Encia, and Denning Rose must¡¯ve already returned to the lodgings, as the road back waspletely empty. The King of Essence likes this part about you. Wrath licked his lips while looking at Raon. ¡®That I¡¯m eating whatever you want?¡¯ Not that! ¡®What else?¡¯ Humans and demons are both instinctively rude towards the weak and cower before the strong. Your life is bound to be like that the stronger you get. However¡­ He furrowed his brow while looking at Raon. You haven¡¯t changed at all from the beginning. You must have a rock stuck in your brain because you rampage like a madman before the strong and are considerate towards the weak. You are pretty decent for a human. ¡®Isn¡¯t that normal?¡¯ There are countless people who can¡¯t do that ¡®normal¡¯ thing. ¡®¡­I guess.¡¯ It immediately reminded him of a few people¡ªincluding Derus Robert. ¡®Now that I think about it, why is he not here?¡¯ Judging from Derus¡¯ personality, he should¡¯ve sent an executive at least, even if he didn¡¯t attend personally. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he didn¡¯te. ¡®Did he change his mind¡­?¡¯ Raon was walking towards their lodgings while thinking about Derus when the trees and bushes shivered slightly. Rustle. The bushes were pushed apart, and a small animal with glossy fur jumped out. ¡°A kangaroo?¡± The kangaroo had sharp ears, round legs, and an innocent-looking face. ¡®Why is there a baby kangaroo here¡­? Ah!¡¯ While he was examining the kangaroo, he noticed paper protruding from its pouch. The texture was familiar. He could tell that it was one of Encia¡¯s photos. ¡®So it was your doing¡­¡¯ Raon tightly closed his eyes. ¡®The professional mess-maker has arrived¡­¡¯ Chapter 485 Chapter 485 M-madwoman? Wrath¡¯s plump cheeks shrunk instantly. Where did that madwoman evene from?! His chin trembled violently as he eximed that he couldn¡¯t even feel her presence. ¡®I didn¡¯t notice her either.¡¯ Raon sighed while looking at the baby kangaroo. ¡®I was hoping that it wasn¡¯t, but¡­¡¯ Kangaroos lived nearby, and the lodgings were at the edge of the city. That was why it was possible for a kangaroo to appear suddenly. However, a baby kangaroo couldn''t have Encia¡¯s photos in its pouch. It wasn¡¯t even hiding that she was Merlin.¡®So those are the missing photos.¡¯ Raon remembered that Encia was sad before entering the Five Divine Orders¡¯ conference room because her A rank photos had disappeared. He¡¯d thought that she¡¯d simply failed to find them, but it was actually the madwoman who had them. ¡°Merlin.¡± Raon created an aura barrier to stop the sound from going out and walked up to the kangaroo. ¡°Yeah!¡± Merlin nodded and thanked him for recognizing her. He couldn¡¯t get used to the affectionate voice of a womaning from an animal¡¯s mouth, or its flushed cheeks. Goosebumps appeared on his forearm. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you couldn¡¯te to me for a while?¡± ¡°That was ages ago. I quickly finished things up so that I could see you again.¡± She smiled cheerfully while saying that she¡¯d finished her job. ¡°You could¡¯ve taken your time¡­¡± Raon quietly murmured and pointed at the photo protruding from Merlin¡¯s pouch. ¡°How did you even take that?¡± ¡°I got them when she was sleeping. Do you want to know how I did it?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± Raon shook his head because it was better left unknown. ¡°She¡¯s such a nice girl. She made an interesting artifact like that and even knows your worth.¡± Merlin smiled while saying that she¡¯d patted Encia¡¯s head while she was sleeping. G-goosebumps! Wrath¡¯s shoulders were trembling, his hair sticking out like freshly made cotton candy. ¡®I agree¡­¡¯ A chill ran down his spine upon imagining Merlin patting his head while he was asleep. However, there was one thing he was curious about. ¡°That¡¯s a bit unexpected.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Why did you only take a few photos when you knew that she could take those photos with her camera?¡± ording to her usual personality, she should¡¯ve taken the camera and the photos altogether. Raon found it strange that she¡¯d only taken a few photos. ¡°Why is that unexpected? It¡¯s obvious.¡± Merlin tilted her head, finding it strange that he found it strange. ¡°She¡¯s going to keep taking photos of you as long as I leave the camera with her. I can¡¯t kill the goose thatys the golden eggs.¡± She smiled while saying that she only took a few photos so that Encia wouldn¡¯t escape. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled. A frightening chill ran down his spine once again upon hearing Merlin¡¯s exnation. Hieeeh! Th-the King of Essence can¡¯t stay here anymore! Wrath freaked out and escaped into the ice flower bracelet. Raon swallowed nervously while watching Merlin¡¯s cheerful smile. ¡®Encia is a decent person.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t bear with Encia either, but Merlin was even worse. No, he was even terrified by her. ¡°¡­So, why did youe here?¡± ¡°Because I wanted to see you, of course!¡± Merlin threw her dagger without any feints. Raon couldn¡¯t get used to her honesty either. ¡°And I was a little worried.¡± ¡°Worried?¡± Raon titled his head. He couldn¡¯t understand what she was worried about. ¡°Thest of the Five Demons is ready toe out.¡± ¡°Thest¡­ isn¡¯t that the Holy Sword Alliance?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Merlin nodded and told him that the Holy Sword Alliance seemed to be ending their closure soon. ¡°Holy Sword Alliance¡­¡± ¡®So those sword demons areing out.¡¯ When the Holy Sword Alliance first made their appearance, people believed that swordsmen with holy energy were going to work for everyone in the world¡ªlike a holy kingdom. However, they were gravely mistaken. The Holy Sword Alliance didn¡¯t mean that they were using holy swords, but that they served the sword as a holy existence. ¡®It sounds simr, but it¡¯spletely different.¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons were lunatics who would dly stab their parents and siblings in the back if it meant they could improve their sword and swordsmanship. ¡°You probably don¡¯t know, but Zieghart is on extremely bad terms with the Holy Sword Alliance.¡± Merlin furrowed her brow while telling him that those two factions had fought every time they met each other. ¡®I guess so.¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance attacked the prestigious houses of swordsmanship and robbed their books to improve their own might. It was inevitable for them to sh against Zieghart since they were famous for their swordsmanship even among the Six Kings. ¡°And Zieghart¡¯s head of house fought the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s master in the past.¡± ¡°I knew that much.¡± Raon nodded. There were rumors that the reason Zieghart halted their steps and the Holy Sword Alliance entered a closure was the result of the frontal sh between Glenn and the Holy Sword Alliance master. However, judging from the Glenn that he¡¯d witnessed, Raon felt like the actual story was slightly different from the rumors. ¡°You should avoid them when you see the Holy Sword Alliance.¡± Merlin shook her hand while telling him to first carefully observe the enemy and decide whether to fight or not afterward. ¡°Ah, and watch out for our faction, too. Well, I¡¯ll be telling you about that in advance.¡± ¡°Eden? Is something happening from there?¡± ¡°There are more people wearing helmets and masks. A few of them are especially dangerous because they are really strong.¡± ¡°Especially strong?¡± ¡°I mentioned the green king before. The owner of that helmet has awakened further.¡± Raon remembered her mention of that name, Green King. ¡°If it¡¯s a green king, it must be an orc king¡¯s helmet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just an ordinary king. It has the power of the orc lord that dominated every orc in the entire continent. The vessel is young, but she might be stronger than your current state.¡± Merlin lowered her lips, saying that it was the king among the kings. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t appear right away, but it¡¯s better to be careful in advance.¡± ¡°Did youe to tell me about that?¡± ¡°I told you, I just wanted to see you.¡± She smiled brightly while saying that the Holy Sword Alliance and the Green King were secondary goals, and she actually just wanted to see him. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to leave now for today.¡± Merlin shook her head while pushing the photo protruding from her pouch back in. ¡°Your guardian ising.¡± ¡°Sheryl? Did you already know about her?¡± ¡°Of course I did. After all, I¡¯ve met her before.¡± She shook her head, saying that she never missed the presence of someone that she¡¯d encountered before. Raon could feel that Wrath was trembling inside the bracelet. ¡°Raon, damn handsome.¡± ¡°¡­Stop saying that.¡± ¡°Tell the photograph girl that I¡¯ll be joining the Raon Damn Handsome religion.¡± Merlin scratched her belly while saying that it would be interesting. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just tell herter on, I guess.¡± Raon couldn¡¯t even tell which part she was joking about and which part she wasn¡¯t. ¡°This one wants to be brushed as well. I think its back is itchy. I¡¯m leaving now¡­¡± Merlin waved her hand to say goodbye before she disappeared. Tap. The baby kangaroo jumped towards him, asking him to scratch its back. ¡°Brushing the fur is eas¡ªHuh?¡± Raon took out theb and started to brush the kangaroo¡¯s fur but suddenly stopped. The photo was still inside its pouch. ¡®What? Merlin left this behind?¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be happening considering her usual personality. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Raon started to move his hand towards the photo, and the kangaroo pped his hand and jumped back. ¡°Oh no, you found me out.¡± Merlin stuck her tongue out and scratched her head. ¡°I can¡¯t leave yet because I need to get more of your photos.¡± She ran into the bushes after sounding like Encia was just temporarily keeping them for her. ¡°See youter.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Raon tried to call her back, but she disappeared into the bushes without even looking back. Raon could only sigh because he wasn¡¯t courageous enough to follow her. ¡°Hah, I¡¯m so exhausted.¡± Raon sighed while pressing his forehead with his palm. He was mentally exhausted from suffering because of Encia and Merlin one after the other. He felt like he was regaining the stress that he¡¯d vented on the Thespian Emperor. ¡®I need to vent it again.¡¯ He shook his head and entered the lodgings. ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Vice division leader, you arete!¡± ¡°Why are you sote?¡± ¡°You sent us so early¡­ Huh?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen were about toin about him beingte but shut their mouths upon seeing his eyes. Raon¡¯s eyes were brimming with madness, just like during the focus enhancement training. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°Look at his eyes. He¡¯s gone nuts.¡± ¡°But he was in a good mood earlier!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen trembled their shoulders, terrified by the frightening energy emerging from Raon¡¯s feet. ¡°Sorry for beingte. Let¡¯s get started right away.¡± Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive, his voice cruelly cold. ¡°It will be a real fight.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s faces turned pale upon hearing that it was going to be a real fight. This is the situation of being pped in Heaven and returning to Devildom to pass on the insult. Wrath shook his head while poking his head out from the bracelet. He¡¯s the best of all dimensions in terms of having a bad personality. * * * * * * ¡°Huff!¡± Martha exhaled roughly and drove her sword into the ground. She was thoroughly exhausted, and she couldn¡¯t keep standing unless she did that. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren had fallen on one knee and was unable to raise his head, while Runaan was only making a snoring sound with her back attached to the ground as if she were one with thend. ¡°Uaah¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m dying¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s even worse today. Wh-what even happened to him?¡± Since even the team leaders were about to copse, the Light Wind swordsmen had already copsed and were crawling on the ground. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Martha narrowed her eyes while skimming them over the training ground. ¡®Certainly, the training is intense.¡¯ It could be because the fightingpetition was in two days, but Raon was pushing the swordsmen into a corner a lot more violently than usual. Everyone was exhausted both in mind and body from fending off the attacks that felt like a real battle. Whaam! She looked at the center of the training ground upon hearing an explosion resounding throughout thend. Mark Goetten was sent flying by Raon¡¯s strike and was rolling on the ground. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Mark Goetten was trying to stand back up right away, but he was unable to cope with the damage and fell on his knee once again. ¡°Stop exaggerating and stand up.¡± Raon clicked his tongue while watching the Light Wind division that was still groaning. ¡°You know better than anyone that we didn¡¯t do any proper training on the way here. Just consider this us doing it all at once.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen simply trembled, too exhausted to reply. ¡°You need to endure this much if you don¡¯t want to shame the Zieghart name during the fightingpetition. Hang in there.¡± The Light Wind division could only struggle on the ground, unable to stand up despite hearing Raon¡¯s shout. However, one person was different. ¡°Kuh!¡± Martha straightened her back while exhaling a warm breath like she was spitting blood. ¡®Yes, this isn¡¯t time to stay on the ground. I haven¡¯t achieved anything regarding my objective.¡¯ The first and only objective she had was to find her mother. She wanted to recover her mother no matter what and return to the days when they used to be poor but happy at the same time. However, she kept dreaming about her mother being killed or kidnapped by the White Blood Religion whenever she thought about her past, and she¡¯d be a nervous wreck. ¡®I believed that I was the only one experiencing pain, suffering, and loneliness and vented my anger to the world.¡¯ She¡¯d said and done many things she shouldn¡¯t have to the children in the Light Wind squad, and she didn¡¯t even know she should¡¯ve been ashamed of it. However, she realized that she had been walking the wrong path as she lived together with Raon, Burren, Runaan, and the Light Wind division¡¯s swordsmen. ¡®It was sometimes difficult, but¡­¡¯ When she¡¯d seen that the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader had taken over her mother¡¯s body while trying to rescue Raon, she was afraid that she might return to the past when she used to be enraged against the world. She couldn¡¯t even sleep because of the fear. However, thanks to herpanions, who¡¯d told her they would help whenever and no matter what, she didn¡¯t have any nightmares, nor was she raging against the world. Swoosh! Martha pulled the sword out of the ground. The sandstorm surging alongside her de created a clear trail to remove the pain deep in her heart. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She exhaled and smiled faintly while looking at Raon. ¡®What a foolish man.¡¯ Raon had always taken care of the Light Wind swordsmen even though he should¡¯ve had his hands full with his own training. Because she could tell that he cared for the Light Wind division from the bottom of his heart, she forgot the flow of time and even her exhaustion when she trained with him. She was always thankful to him. ¡®I have one more objective now because of you.¡¯ Releasing her mother from the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader still had the highest priority, and she had to achieve it even if she had to die, but there was one more thing she wanted to do. She wanted to help the fool who only cared about hispanions. ¡®I¡¯m sure Raon has an objective, too.¡¯ Raon always swung his sword as if he were possessed by something. The desire to get stronger wasn¡¯t enough for that. He had an important objective. She didn¡¯t know what it was, but she wanted to help him no matter what. ¡®And in order to achieve that¡­ I need to fight right now.¡¯ Her body was heavy as if soaked in water, but she surrounded it with aura and raised her sword. She forced her screaming limbs to stand and took a step towards Raon. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon widened his eyes. Even he hadn¡¯t expected her to stand back up. Whir! Martha twisted her lips while pointing her sword at Raon. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet. Bring it on!¡± * * * The day of the fightingpetition. An antiquated arena was located at the center of the huge training ground built behind the Five Divine Orders¡¯ conference room. People had been gathering at the training ground from early in the morning to watch the fightingpetition from the best seats since it was pretty much the biggest event of the festival. By the time breakfast time was over, the entire training ground was brimming with people, and there was no room for any additional people. ¡°I¡¯m excited. I wonder who is going to win?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Zieghart going to be the winner? I don¡¯t see anyone who can win against the White Sword Dragon.¡± ¡°The age limit is forty, not thirty. Even Raon Zieghart can¡¯t guarantee his victory.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think the young head of House Yakan can potentially win against the White Sword Dragon.¡± ¡°I heard the guard captain from Yufen City is no joke.¡± The spectators were running their tongues even faster than when they were eating because they were discussing who was going to participate and who was going to win. ¡°Your vision is too narrow.¡± A gambler suffering from hair loss clicked his tongue and interfered in the conversation. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This event is for the celebration of the Five Divine Orders¡¯ foundation. Do you think they would¡¯ve prepared nothing for this? They are going to send their hidden powerhouses and show off their skills.¡± ¡°Hmm, certainly¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, this is a great opportunity to be famous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they wee the Six Kings¡¯ participation. After all, defeating them would bring a huge amount of fame to them.¡± The gambler shook his hand while telling them to bet on the Five Divine Orders if they wanted to win money. ¡°But isn¡¯t Raon Zieghart a different case? He¡¯s called the Sword Dragon after all.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still only twenty-one years old. Since it¡¯s the Five Divine Orders we are talking about, they should have someone stronger than him who is less than forty years of age.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that he¡¯s too young.¡± ¡°Moreover, there are rumors that Raon Zieghart isn¡¯t allowed to participate. The Light Wind division is strong for their age, but they are still too green overall.¡± With the gamblers joining the conversation, they started to objectively discuss who was going to win. As the sun moved towards the center of the sky, the leaders of the Five Divine Orders made their appearances one after the other, and the VIP seats located near the arena also started to fill up. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Zieghart has arrived!¡± ¡°The White Sword Dragon is taking the lead!¡± ¡°They are here, but why do their eyes look like that¡­?¡± The spectators¡¯s lips trembled as they observed Raon and the Light Wind division. Unlike the other participants, the eyes of Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen were radiating a deadly light¡ªjust like soldiers right before a war. However, Raon and the Light Wind division quietly took a seat on the waiting bench despite the madness in their eyes. The bell rang to signal 10 a.m. shortly afterward, and the Thespian Emperor came up on the tform. Her cheerful yet elegant steps that looked like she was walking into the sky made the entire training ground burst out in cheers. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°The Thespian Emperor!¡± ¡°White Whale! White Whale! White Whale!¡± ¡°Thank you for taking the time to join our event.¡± The Thespian Emperor thanked the spectators sitting inside the training ground in different directions before she stood at the center of the arena. ¡°The festival of warriors shall end with a martial artspetition. Today will be an opportunity for the warriors who¡¯ve visited us topete with their polished martial arts and socialize with each other through fair fights. However, since it would be boring if there was nothing at stake¡­¡± She snapped her fingers. A subspace opened up from the thin air, and a rectangr box emerged. The Thespian Emperor raised the box and opened the lid. A red marble was inside, and a tremendous amount of heat erased the coldness of the winter as it emerged from it. ¡°It¡¯s the Heart of Lavasiri, the mystical creature living in volcanic regions.¡± She let everyone see the Heart of Lavasiri before closing the lid. ¡°We will give this elixir to the winner of thispetition! Of course, we will provide an elixir of coldness so that it can be properly absorbed.¡± ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°The Five Divine Orders are the best!¡± ¡°Long live the Thespian Emperor!¡± The entire training ground wavered from the huge reward that was introduced. ¡°Since there¡¯s no reason to dy, I¡¯ll proceed to the exnation of the rules. Only the young warriors under the age of forty can participate, with the exception of the heads of each group. The process is simple. The winner will remain, and the loser will be eliminated.¡± The Thespian Emperor left the arena, saying that thepetition was over the moment there were no more challengers left. Whoosh! As soon as she left, a man came onto the arena like he was bouncing on a leaf. His movements were light, even though he was wearing thick armor. ¡°My name is Jeron from the Catan Knights!¡± He introduced himself and asked for a challenger. Raon hit Krein, who was sitting right next to him, with his shoulder. ¡°¡­Me again?¡± ¡°Always, Krein.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Krein gritted his teeth and went into the arena. ¡°I am Krein from Zieghart!¡± Krein went to the center of the arena and bowed to Jeron. The referee came towards them and checked their identities before he nodded. ¡°The duel between Krein from Zieghart and Jeron from the Catan Knights is starting now!¡± The referee lowered his hand and stepped back, and Krein immediately kicked the ground. ¡°W-wait, let¡¯s do the greetings fir¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that!¡± Krein unleashed a strike that spread like the sunlight with madness sparkling from his eyes. aang! Jeron was unable to withstand the impact and fell on one knee. ¡°S-so cheap¡­¡± ¡°Cheap? What happens to you if you lose this match?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?!¡± ¡°You probably just get scolded a little even if you lost. But as for us, if we lose¡­¡± Vivid madness was brimming from Krein¡¯s eyes. He unleashed his aura de while screaming. ¡°We are going to die!¡± Chapter 486 Chapter 486 ¡°Iyaaah!¡± With a strange shout that couldn¡¯t be called a shout of concentration, Krein smashed his aura de down. The ferocious attack, which almost felt like it was intended to kill, bent like a whip to hit all over Jeron¡¯s body. ¡°Kuh¡­!¡± Jeron was unable to withstand Krein¡¯s aura de approaching from the front, and his hand holding his sword started to tremble. ¡®An opening!¡¯ Krein didn¡¯t miss the moment when Jeron¡¯s arm trembled. He crushed the ground to advance and pierced his sword into his arm. ang! At the multipleyers of impact, Jeron dropped his sword with blood scattering from his hand. Cring!Krein blocked his path to prevent him from getting his sword back and aimed his sword at his neck. ¡°I-I lost.¡± Jeron hung his head and admitted his defeat. ¡°Winner! Krein from Zieghart!¡± The referee raised his hand and announced Krein¡¯s victory. ¡°Next up!¡± Krein exhaled roughly and bobbed his finger towards the warriors waiting at the VIP seats. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°That¡¯s Zieghart for you! That was so cool!¡± ¡°What a fighting spirit! And he¡¯s only recently be an adult! Is everyone in Zieghart like that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s insane. The Light Wind division is called the Mad Dog division for a good reason!¡± The spectators seemed to have liked Krein¡¯s daring fighting spirit, and they shouted for them to proceed to the next match already while cheering for Krein. Thud! The warrior who came onto the arena had a long body like a mantis, unlike the first opponent, Jeron. He mmed the arena with his long spear and confidently raised his head. ¡°I¡¯m Logian from House Saicreen!¡± ¡°Krein from Zieghart!¡± ¡°Catch your breath.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± Krein looked at the referee while saying that he didn¡¯t need a rest. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The referee came onto the arena and examined the two one after the other. ¡°Are you both ready?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Logian confidently responded to the referee¡¯s question, and Krein simply nodded. ¡°Second duel! Begin!¡± As soon as he announced the start of the match, Krein and Logian charged towards each other head-on. ¡°Haap!¡± Logian took a step back and thrust his spear forward. The spearhead that was incorporating a blue aura advanced fiercely. Whoosh! It was an exquisite move taking advantage of the spear¡¯s distance. It was a ferocious attack that would have made any ordinary swordsman fall back, but it didn¡¯t work against Krein because there was something scarier to him. ¡°Kuh!¡± Krein didn¡¯t step back even though the spearhead scratched his shoulder, piercing into Logian¡¯s space. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Logian¡¯s eyes widened, showing his surprise at the way Krein continued his attack while taking the blow. He used footwork to smoothly move to the right. ¡°You won¡¯t escape!¡± Krein had no intention of losing the upper hand, and he charged like lightning once again, swinging his sword at Logian¡¯s waist. Whoosh! Logian hurriedly swirled the spear shaft to get into a defensive posture, but Krein¡¯s strike was already extending toward him with a perfect trajectory. Smaack! Since Logian didn¡¯t manage to incorporate his aura in time, the spear shaft broke and he rolled on the floor. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Krein raised his chin while shaking the blood off his shoulder. ¡°Next!¡± The entire arena fell quiet for a moment. Raon and the Light Wind division were the only ones who remained immobile, as it was an obvious oue. ¡°Allow me to be the next challenger.¡± A knight sitting at the VIP seat on the right side came into the arena. He was a powerful warrior, and his pressure was as heavy as his armor. ¡°My name is Hopen from the Holy Kingdom of Schper.¡± He was a warrior from the Holy Kingdom of Schper who had visited Zieghart¡¯s lodgings to request a spar. ¡°Krein from Zieghart.¡± Krein tapped on the wound on his shoulder to show him that he was fine. The referee noticed the sign that the two warriors were ready and immediately started the duel. ¡°Haap!¡± Krein used his footwork while holding his breath. Hopen was on a different level from his opponents so far. He had to go all out from the beginning to win. Thud! He used the muscles all over his body to sh downwards. Along with his body, his aura exploded to be even faster and sharper. The aura de was as polished as an awl and bent towards Hopen¡¯s armor. ¡°How ferocious.¡± Hopen caught the de with his hands, and they radiated a light simr to the morning fog. It was the holy power of the Schper Holy Knights. Wham! Wham! Thundering sounds resounded one after the other from the shes between the aura de and the holy de. Krein was the one who was continuously attacking, but Hopen¡¯s holy power was surrounding him like a shield. He wasn¡¯t moved in the slightest. ¡°Damn it!¡± Krein bit his lip while looking at theposure in Hopen¡¯s eyes. ¡®That demon isn¡¯t going to leave me alone if I lose like this!¡¯ He would definitely get the focus enhancement training if he lost without breaking through Hopen¡¯s holy shield. He had to break that shield no matter what. ¡®I need to defeat him now.¡¯ He fired his aura des one after the other before he pulled his sword behind his back. He concentrated his aura and was about to use his special technique to pierce through the holy shield. Whir! Hopen realized that the consecutive attacks were over and concentrated his holy power to create a thick white greatsword. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now.¡± Hopen mmed down the greatsword with concentrated holy power with the intention of finishing the match in a single strike. ¡°Argh!¡± Krein gave up on his special technique and raised his hand to deflect Hopen¡¯s blow. However, he couldn¡¯t withstand the tremendous power of the greatsword and was mmed into the floor with a folded arm. ¡°Cough, I-I¡¯m not done yet¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Not yet!¡± ¡°It won¡¯t change the result even if you stand up.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Krein tried to stand up, but Hopen brought his de to his neck and shook his head. ¡°You might really die if you continue¡­¡± ¡°Kill me! Death will be preferable! Kill me right now!¡± He screamed at Hopen, telling him to kill him. ¡°Err¡­¡­¡± ¡°Th-the winner is Hopen from the Holy Kingdom of Schper!¡± Hopen was blinking in bewilderment, and the referee came next to them and announced the victor. ¡°Damn it!¡± Krein mmed the ground with his powerless fist upon hearing the referee¡¯s announcement. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± He carefully stood up and came down from the arena to stand in front of Raon. ¡°I-I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± ¡°You fought well. The first and the second opponents were terrified by you and couldn¡¯t even fight properly.¡± Raon shook his head while stopping the bleeding on Krein¡¯s shoulder where the wound had opened up. ¡°Really? Does that mean¡­¡± ¡°However, you became impatient during the third match because of your opponent¡¯s defense and started to gather your power like an idiot, only to be beaten up. Therefore¡­¡± He smiled as he lightly tapped on Krein¡¯s shoulder after he finished stopping the bleeding. ¡°Congrattions, you get to have focus enhancement training.¡± ¡°Arrgh¡­¡± Krein screamed even though he hadn¡¯t even done that when he was defeated and copsed while foaming from his mouth. ¡°Next.¡± Raon bobbed his hand, and the Light Wind swordsman who was right behind him jumped up on the arena. ¡°My name is Pitran from the Light Wind division!¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m Hopen from the Holy Kingdom of Schper.¡± The referee checked their states and started the match. ¡°Iyaaaah!¡± Because Pitran had witnessed Krein ending up with the focus enhancement training despite having fought pretty well, he barraged Hopen with attacks with madness in his eyes. ¡°Die! Die!¡± Hopen broke out in cold sweat because of Pitran¡¯s bloodlust and his madness-filled eyes. ¡®Wh-what¡¯s wrong with these people?!¡¯ * * * * * * The fightingpetition of the Five Divine Orders had a different process than the Six Kings tournament. They didn¡¯t ask for any registration but allowed whoever wanted to fight toe onto the arena by themselves to have a match. The winner of the match stayed while the loser returned to their seat. The duels continued like that until there were no more challengers, and thest one to stay in the ring became the winner. It was the perfect process for a festival. Since they had more chances to win theter they participated, the warriors from prestigious houses and kingdoms were quietly waiting instead of stepping up, but one faction was different. Zieghart had sent Krein to the first duel, and they kept sending their swordsmen after that to participate in every single match. After around sixty matches, it had be apetition between Zieghart and other factions. ¡°Zieghart knows how to enjoy a festival.¡± ¡°I know, right? They keep joining the fight without holding back, unlike the other houses.¡± ¡°Their members and their house as a whole are so cool. I can¡¯t help rooting for them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you like how their swordsmen are doing their best without taking care of their bodies? Their faces already reveal how serious they are.¡± ¡°I can understand now why people praise the Six Kings so much. They arepletely different from the rest.¡± ¡°Zieghart! Win!¡± In fact, the Light Wind swordsmen simply wanted to escape from Raon¡¯s focus enhancement training, but the spectators took a liking to them because they were fighting with madness. More than half of the crowd was cheering for them while shouting Zieghart¡¯s name. Raon looked up to the arena while listening to their cheers. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders were trembling as he clenched his fist. He bit his lip while looking at the astral energy bursting from his opponent¡¯s sword. ¡°Why am I against a Master¡­?¡± Raon had thought that the Light Wind swordsmen could keep going for a bit longer, but the sudden appearance of someone who wasn¡¯t even at the entry level, instead at the novice level, of master easily eliminated the vice team leaders. Dorian, who was in the arena, was the only swordsman left except for the team leaders. ¡®He said his name was Kallon.¡¯ Dorian¡¯s opponent was a direct line from the prestigious house of swordsmen, Deppen, which was famous for their swift sword techniques. He didn¡¯t have that much battle experience, but Raon could tell that he didn¡¯t neglect his training. ¡°Surrender.¡± Kallon nodded his chin while pointing his sword at Dorian. ¡°A swordsman who is afraid of his opponent will never be able to win.¡± He shook his hand, telling him to forfeit the match without wasting the time. ¡°Afraid? Yes, I¡¯m indeed afraid. However¡­¡± Dorian bit his lip while ncing at Raon under the arena instead of Kallon. ¡°I¡¯m not actually afraid of you!¡± He shouted that he was afraid of the real madman and charged at Kallon. His de was divided into five when he thrust it and created a blue wave of de aura. ¡°Hmph.¡± Kallon snorted and lightly swung his sword as if he were chasing a fly away. ang! His swing looked like he was kidding, but the result wasn¡¯t light at all. The strike incorporated the principles of extreme swiftness and mercilessly severed the wave of aura des. ¡°Argh!¡± Dorian tried to charge at him once again, but he was smacked by the extremely swift strike from Kallon¡¯s de and sent flying from the arena. ¡°Kweeh¡­¡± His trembling body showed that he¡¯d received a serious amount of damage. ¡°I¡¯m screwed¡­¡± Dorian sighed while thinking that he was done for, and Raon¡¯s shadow was cast over his head. His face looked so peaceful. ¡°V-vice division leader?¡± ¡°Good job, you did well holding out there.¡± Raon helped Dorian stand and shook off the dust from his body. ¡°Th-thank¡­¡± ¡°However, you shouldn¡¯t have unleashed your aura de at the end without a n. You should have moved while predicting your opponent¡¯s move. You could¡¯vested at least three more strikes if you had.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s face turned pale as he predicted his future. ¡°Therefore, you also get to have focus enhancement training.¡± ¡°Aaaaah! Noooo! Please no!¡± Dorian shook his head while holding onto the hem of Raon¡¯s pants. ¡°Denied. Just go get treated already.¡± Dorian started to rampage, but Raon simply kicked him away to send him to the treatment room and looked at the arena. ¡®It will be difficult to win against him.¡¯ Kallon had already adapted to the realm of novice level Master. Since he could even match up to Mark Goetten, it would be difficult to win even if he sent Martha, Runaan, and Burren one after the other. ¡®But it will be a great experience for them.¡¯ Since it was a great opportunity to face a different Master than Mark Goetten, it was going to be extremely helpful for the three team leaders. ¡°Martha.¡± Raon waved his hand at Martha to ask her toe out. ¡°You are finally calling me. I was getting bored to death.¡± Martha tapped on her ebony hair and went towards the arena. Even though the opponent was a Master at a much higher realm than herself, she didn¡¯t look nervous at all. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Martha¡¯s back as she advanced as heavily as a lion. ¡®Her temperament has changed. No, it¡¯s actually her personality.¡¯ Martha¡¯s tendency had been continuously changing ever since she¡¯d seen the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader, but the change had be a lot more drastic recently. It was to the point that she looked like a different person. ¡®The same goes for that training.¡¯ The Martha of the past would never have requested any help from Rimmer, let alone trained alongside Burren and Runaan. She¡¯d been taking care of the division members one by one recently, and they were even saying that her soul had been switched. ¡®She must¡¯ve been influenced by others just like me.¡¯ Since Raon had gone through a simr change, he could understand her feelings. Martha used to only care about herself, but the addition of herpanions and friends had been causing a drastic change in her life. Exactly. Beef Girl has definitely changed. Wrath lowered his lips while looking at Martha¡¯s back. The burning wrath in her heart has subsided. She¡¯s a lot less charming now. He shook his head, saying that she was a lot less likable because her wrath was gone. ¡®Don¡¯t people usually say the opposite though?¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while watching Martha enter the arena while leaving a kind scent of soil behind. ¡®It might happen today.¡¯ * * * Martha went to the arena and faced Kallon. ¡®He¡¯s so damn strong.¡¯ She could tell from the sharp pressureing from Kallon¡¯s body. The swordsman in front of her was too powerful for her to win against. ¡®However¡­ I won¡¯t admit my defeat before even fighting.¡¯ Running away in fear before even crossing des wasn¡¯t the way of the Light Wind division. Even though it was a spar, she was going to persist with the determination to lose her limbs. ¡°I¡¯m Martha, the first team leader of the Light Wind division of Zieghart.¡± Martha clearly revealed her affiliation, unlike the other swordsmen from the Light Wind division, before she grabbed the hilt of her de. ¡°Kallon from House Deppen.¡± Kallon politely introduced himself even though Martha was far younger than himself. It was befitting behavior for someone from a prestigious house. ¡°Are you both ready?¡± Martha and Kallon¡¯s gazes reced their responses to the referee¡¯s question. ¡°Start the match!¡± He lowered his hand and left the arena, but the two didn¡¯t make any moves. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Instead of attacking recklessly like always, Martha slowly unleashed the aura from her energy center and examined her opponent¡¯s energy. ¡®I¡¯m definitely going to lose in a frontal sh.¡¯ She could¡¯ve overpowered a warrior at a simr level as her with the sturdiness of the Titan¡¯s aura, but her opponent was better than her in many aspects. It was necessary to look for an opening instead of recklessly charging at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t youing? You are different from the rumors.¡± Kallon narrowed his eyes, his de lifted to around the level of his waist. ¡°The rumors?¡± ¡°I heard you immediately attack whenever you are called Miss Rakshasa.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Miss Rakshasa!¡± Martha frowned and kicked the arena. The ground she¡¯d stepped on was destroyed like a dry leaf. ¡°Oops, Sword of Rakshasa. I made a mistake.¡± Kallon smiled at her predictable behavior and swirled his sword. ¡°Start by apologizing if you know you were wrong!¡± Martha looked furious as she advanced, but her head waspletely cool. ¡®I need simple movements.¡¯ She¡¯d seen Kallon''s fight against Dorian, but he wasn¡¯t being serious. It was necessary to go all out from the beginning to push him and gain the upper hand. Whoosh! While Martha was incorporating the energy of earth into her sword, turning it bright yellow, Kallon¡¯s wrist started to turn. It was an extremely fast swordsmanship. His de was extended like a ray of light and rushed towards her neck. ¡®How is it so fast?!¡¯ Even though she was the first one to attack, Kallon¡¯s sword reached her first. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Martha decreased the power of her sword to increase the speed. aang! Even though it was a sh between swords, the thunderous noise sounded like a building was copsing. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Martha quietly groaned while pushing Kallon¡¯s sword back. ¡®It feels like my hands are tearing apart.¡¯ Even though Kallon wasn¡¯t using any astral energy, the Titan aura was waning because of the difference in level between the auras. If she hadn¡¯t gone all out from the beginning, she would¡¯ve been bounced away in a single strike like the others. ¡°That¡¯s a team leader for you. Not bad.¡± ¡°Stop judging me.¡± Martha bit her lip and stomped the ground with her left foot. She mustered the power ofnd and swung her sword down. ang! Kallon¡¯s eyes widened because the attack was even stronger than the first one. ¡°I thought that was the best of your ability. Was it not?¡± ¡°I told you to shut up.¡± ¡°How demanding.¡± Kallon slightly lowered his eyebrows and dragged his sword down from mid-height. Sharpness was added to the fast and precise movement of his de. ¡°Haap!¡± Martha held her breath and stepped forth with her left foot. She mustered everyst bit of her physical strength and clenched her sword. ¡®Momentum is my strong point.¡¯ It was Raon who¡¯d told her that her biggest weapon was her fighting spirit that allowed her to advance without cowering in front of the opponent. ¡®I¡¯ll show you the capabilities of the Light Wind division¡¯s assault leader.¡¯ She exploded the concentrated muscle and aura in an instant and swung her sword upwards. The de soared after grazing the arena, and a tremendous amount of power was unleashed. ¡°This is pretty good¡­¡± Kallon nodded in approval and bent his wrist down like he was shaking the dust from his clothes. His de incorporating his aura fell like lightning. Whaam! The second furious sh made pieces of aura scatter in all directions. Kallon and Martha counted on the auras surrounding their bodies and kept crossing their des amid exploding auras. ¡°You¡¯d better withdraw.¡± Kallon shook his hand while watching the blood gush from Martha¡¯s shoulder and abdomen. ¡°Shut up and swing your sword!¡± Her aura became even more powerful the more she got injured as she kept attacking continuously. She gave up on the defense and started to use all her aura for offense, but Kallon¡¯s sword didn¡¯t waver in the slightest. ¡°I have to admit, I might have lost if you were at the entry level of Master. However¡­¡± The light on Kallon¡¯s de intensified and a powerful wind pressure urred. It was a swift sword art entrapping the opponent. In that instant, a yellow light sparked from Martha¡¯s eyes. ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ She could see an extremely small opening as Kallon switched his swordsmanship in order to quickly finish the match. It was her only opportunity to win against him. Whaam! She amplified her heartbeat and activated Berserk. Her vision turned red, and someone¡¯s voice resounded in her head. Give your body over to me! I¡¯ll kill your opponent no matter who it is! It was a voice of temptation, telling her to leave her body to it. ¡®Shut your trap.¡¯ Martha bit her lip and pushed the voice back. She only gained the power inside the madness and thrust her sword at Kallon¡¯s opening. Whaaam! Her aura bursting from her energy center was further amplified as it passed through her heart and created a powerful explosion on her de. ¡°Kuh!¡± Kallon¡¯s sword was pushed back, and he let out a gruff groan. It looked like he hadn¡¯t expected her to activate Berserk in that split second. Martha¡¯s chin trembled. She felt like her lungs were shrinking because of how difficult it was to breathe as she maintained her sanity during Berserk. ¡®But I will still keep going!¡¯ She could only maintain her sanity during Berserk for an extremely brief period of time. There wasn¡¯t going to be a next time if she missed that chance. She unleashed the Soul of Furious Land Burst with the fervor and heaviness of thend. The powerful energy wave burst from the ground and pushed Kallon¡¯s sword back. Whaaam! Kallon¡¯s uniform was torn and a thin stream of blood flowed from his mouth from the consecutive explosions in the training ground. ¡®¡¯Just like this¡­ Ah!¡± Martha was about to push ahead to finish the match, but a light different from before radiated from Kallon¡¯s sword. ang! Even though her aura de was enhanced more than twice from Berserk, it was hopelessly cut apart. It was astral energy. Kallon was finally using the astral de. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Kallon used the astral de to drive Martha into a corner with a frown on his face that looked like his pride was hurt. Rip! Martha created aura shields centered around the Titan¡¯s aura, but they were torn apart like pieces of paper. ¡°This is as far as you go.¡± The astral de on Kallon¡¯s sword had already reached Martha¡¯s neck. A thin stream of blood was flowing down from her neck. ¡°I admit, I honestly didn¡¯t expect that I would have to use astral energy.¡± He nodded, saying that Martha¡¯s skills were way better than the rumors. ¡°It won¡¯t take a long time until you surpass me. But that¡¯s not today.¡± Kallon nodded his chin without lowering his sword to urge her to forfeit. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Martha violently exhaled and closed her eyes. Her head was still ringing and her body felt like she was being split apart because she hadn¡¯t turned Berserk off. Instead of responding to Kallon¡¯s call, she slowly raised her eyebrows. ¡°I won¡¯t utter the word ¡®defeat¡¯ with my own lips.¡± ¡°Martha Zieghart!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t keep backing down forever.¡± ¡°This is just a spar! Are you trying to risk your life for this?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t realize how I could do nothing but back down so far.¡± Martha bit her lip. ¡®There¡¯s nowhere to back down anymore.¡¯ The monster upying her mother¡¯s body was a Transcender, an existence even more powerful than a Grandmaster. Even though it was a spar, she couldn¡¯t back down anymore. She was already far past the age where youth could be given as an excuse. It was necessary to risk her life for everything she faced in order to get stronger. Grit! Martha mustered the power in her body once again while maintaining Berserk. ¡°White Sword Dragon! Stop her! How could she do this when this is just a spar?!¡± Kallon figured he wouldn¡¯t be able to convince Martha and looked at Raon instead. ¡°Why would I stop her?¡± Raon stared at Martha¡¯s back for a moment before looking at Kallon. ¡°At this rate, she might end up dying or be severely injured¡­¡± ¡°The first team leader of the Light Wind division doesn¡¯t act without thinking. She is standing there with her own will. Even if she dies or gets severely wounded, it is up to her to decide.¡± He didn¡¯t make any move and showed his trust in Martha. The other Light Wind swordsmen also watched Martha with gazes full of trust. Martha bit her lip. Her body was trembling because it was her first time being trusted by people who weren¡¯t her mother. She wouldn¡¯t have cared about what other people did in the past, but that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. She could sense their feelings. Whir. Unlike the wrath that had been following her for her entire life, a warm emotion seeped into her heart. Sublime energy, surging from thend she was stepping on, pierced through her body and mind. A frightening amount of delight engulfed her body, and her aura that had hit rock bottom was reignited like a wildfire. Rumble! A zing yellow me appeared and pushed Kallon¡¯s sword back from her neck. Crack! Martha advanced while cruising the arena. Her body bolted like lightning and scattered the heaviness of a great mountain. The faint aura des used to look like they could disappear at any moment, but they entangled with each other over and over to radiate like the twilight. ¡°What?!¡± Kallon frantically pulled his sword back upon seeing the energy dwelling on Martha¡¯s sword. Whir! Martha stroked her right hand with eyes that looked like she was bewitched by the sword. The fiery beast of twilight hidden inside that heaviness opened its jaw towards Kallon¡¯s astral energy. Whaaam! The orange evening glow and blue tidal wave shed against each other, and a powerful storm engulfed the training ground. Chapter 487 Chapter 487 Martha was almost sliding as she bounced back from the sh along with a tremendous noise that made it feel like the entire arena was copsing. Her formerly silky ck hair was fluttering in the dusty wind, and the Light Wind division¡¯s uniform, which was once clean, now bore the grim evidence of battle. It was smeared with blood and marred by tears in various ces. However, Martha¡¯s expression was unaffected. She proudly looked down on Kallon like a general who had gone through all kinds of battles. Whir! Martha twisted her wrist, and the energy dwelling on her de radiated even more brilliantly and stormed around. It had the same color as the setting sun. ¡°An a-astral de?¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s astral energy!¡± ¡°Miss Rakshasa became a Master!¡±¡°I heard it was possible, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone awakening during a battle¡­¡± The spectators swallowed nervously while watching the materialized energy emerging from Martha¡¯s de. Everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with surprise because it was extremely rare to awaken during a fight. ¡°Isn¡¯t she the youngest Master after Raon Zieghart, since she is twenty-one years old now?¡± ¡°Miss Rakshasa is twenty-two years old. It¡¯s still crazy fast though.¡± ¡°Does Zieghart have a human mine or something? Why are there so many talented people?!¡± ¡°Can she win against Kallon now that she has be a Master?¡± ¡°That¡¯s still difficult.¡± ¡°Yeah. She has internal injuries and has just be a Master. It¡¯s impossible for her to win.¡± People believed that Martha wouldn¡¯t be able to win even though she¡¯d be a Master because Kallon was still perfectly fine. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha didn¡¯t mind what other people were saying and only focused on her own body and state. ¡®I can still fight.¡¯ The biggest advantage of Titan¡¯s aura wasn¡¯t the power and heaviness but the endurance. She had lots of external injuries, but her internal injuries weren¡¯t that serious. She could keep going without any issues as long as she had the willpower. Whoosh! The violent wind removed the dust filling the arena and revealed Kallon¡¯s appearance. He was casually spinning the wrist as if he were perfectly unaffected. Martha furrowed her brow while watching Kallon¡¯s face. ¡®Did his internal injury aggravate?¡¯ The blood flowing down from his mouth seemed to have gotten thicker than before he¡¯d used the astral energy. It looked like the previous sh had inflicted a more serious internal injury on him. ¡®This is doable.¡¯ Even though Martha couldn¡¯tst for too long, it was still winnable since her opponent was also injured internally. ¡°Amazing.¡± Kallon smiled while effortlessly raising his sword to show that he was unscathed. ¡°It was my mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have thought of you as an easy opponent.¡± ¡°Did you finally realize that fact?¡± ¡°Yes. I finally realized it. That¡¯s why¡­¡± He pulled his sword back and extended his left hand forward. It was a posture for a dashing type technique. ¡°I¡¯ll go all out from now on!¡± Kallon kicked the ground before his voice even reached Martha¡¯s ears. The de engulfed with astral energy was right under her nose before she could even breathe. ¡®It¡¯s toote to fall back.¡¯ Her body was brimming with energy, probably thanks to the awakening. She stomped the ground to create a new resonance throughout her body and instantly swung her sword upwards. Whoosh! The sword was moving fast, but the astral energy wasn¡¯t even though it should¡¯ve been following at the same time. It couldn¡¯t be helped because she¡¯d be a Master a moment ago, but it was still regrettable. ¡®I need to brace for impac¡ªAck!¡¯ The moment she crossed the de with Kallon¡¯s strike, a tremendous impact urred that felt like her body was going to burst under the pressure. ¡®Didn¡¯t he get an internal injury?¡¯ The sharpness dwelling in Kallon¡¯s sword was iparable from before, showing that he might not have been bluffing about his state. The astral energy she¡¯d managed to create was getting drastically ground away. ¡®I feel like my intestines are about to burst.¡¯ She felt like even her will was going to copse on top of her body from the aftereffect of Berserk, her first utilization of astral energy, and Kallon¡¯s pressure. She could hear her mind shouting at her to give up. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Martha endured the shattering pain of her bones and muscles and looked down from the arena. It was an action that should¡¯ve never been taken in front of an opponent, but there was something she wanted to see no matter what. She rolled her eyes with difficulty to look at Raon. His serene eyes watching her looked like he already knew the result. ¡®That expression¡­¡¯ Martha could tell because she¡¯d spent a long time with him. Raon¡¯s eyes were telling her that she could do it. ¡°You are losing focus. Where do you think you are looking?!¡± Kallon briefly clicked his tongue and mmed down an even heavier astral energy. The strength was leaving her arm. It felt like the sword was going to be pushed all the way back into her shoulder. ¡®I need to calm down. I can win this.¡¯ Martha bit her lip while watching Kallon, who was attacking with bloodshot eyes. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ His attack was ferocious, but he didn¡¯t seem to be in a good state either. The blood flowing from his lips was even thicker than before, and his face was pale. ¡®That¡¯s right. He¡¯s human, so he can¡¯t be unaffected.¡¯ She had inflicted a deep internal injury with the explosive power of Berserk while Kallon wasn¡¯t using the astral energy, and the sh between astral energies must¡¯ve further aggravated it. There was no way he would be unscathed. ¡®He is also being impatient!¡¯ Kallon was pretending to be fine, but he must¡¯ve gotten a serious internal injury. He was going overboard to finish the match before his injury became even worse. ¡®And Raon was aware of that fact. That¡¯s why he looked so calm. In that case, I can¡¯t step back now.¡¯ She summoned everyst bit of her aura, drawing from the enlightenment she had attained. The pain in her mana circuits and energy center felt like they were about to burst, but she bit the inside of her cheek and clenched her sword with both hands. Rumble! Amid a brain-splitting pain, she activated Berserk for thest time. Her heart pounded explosively, and a power that she¡¯d never imagined before was unleashed onto the de. ¡°Argh!¡± Kallon¡¯s eyes widened. His expression suggested that he hadn¡¯t expected her to counterattack in her state. Whaam! The astral energy between the two des exploded, and a powerful light gushed out from the center of the arena. ¡®I wasn¡¯t even aware that I believed in him so much¡­¡¯ Martha slowly closed her eyes upon feeling the impact smacking her head. Her lips were curved into a satisfied smile as she dropped her head. * * * * * * Raon kicked the ground to leap into the air, holding Martha in his arms as she bounced away from the sh. Despite how she¡¯d looked like a general in a war, her body was extremely light. It felt like a mystery that she¡¯d been fighting head-on against Kallon with a body like that. She¡¯s spent all of her energy. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Beef Girl is going to get stronger. Wrath smiled, saying that only idiots or perverts spent all of their energy. ¡®She is an idiot.¡¯ Raon nodded while tapping on Martha¡¯s lips, which were rolled into a smile. ¡®I didn¡¯t think she would go all out like this just because I gave her a small hint.¡¯ He¡¯d shown her that she could win when she looked at him, and she trusted his signal and went all out against Kallon. An ordinary person never would¡¯ve been able to do that. ¡®I didn¡¯t know she trusted me so much.¡¯ He¡¯d thought that Martha trusted him the least among the three team leaders. That was why her expression of trust made him surprised and warmed his heart at the same time. ¡°Thanks to that¡­¡± Raon raised his hand, and the yellow dust disappeared from the training ground, revealing Kallon¡¯s appearance. His shoulders were trembling as he was on his knees. Even though he had dropped his sword on the ground, he couldn¡¯t even budge his finger. ¡°Zieghart hasn¡¯t lost.¡± Martha had inflicted a serious internal injury on Kallon with the first Berserk. That oue was only possible because Martha instinctively kept biting his wound until the end. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The referee blinked in surprise upon seeing that Kallon was unable to move. His expression suggested that the oue waspletely unexpected. He finally came to a conclusion and nodded his head before he raised his hand. ¡°Martha and Kallon are both unable to fight! It¡¯s a draw!¡± It would have normally been Kallon¡¯s victory, but the contest¡¯s rule was that the winner had to keep fighting. Since Kallon was unable to move, he had also lost the match. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a draw! Miss Rakshasa got a draw against Kallon!¡± ¡°H-how is this even possible?¡± ¡°Is Zieghart a den of monsters?¡± ¡°She only just awakened as a Master, so how¡­?¡± Because the spectators had been expecting Kallon¡¯s victory, they could only blink with dumbfounded faces at the surprising oue. Raon smiled while healing Martha¡¯s body with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®Like I thought, you are the first.¡¯ The three team leaders of the Light Wind division seemed to have equal skills at first, but Martha has always been very slightly ahead of the others since she was older than them. Just like Raon had expected, she was the first to break through the Master''s wall. ¡®Good job.¡¯ Since he was aware of the hardship she¡¯d gone through, he tapped on her head before entrusting her to the healer waiting behind him. He returned to his seat and looked at the Light Wind division. Burren looked happy and frustrated at the same time, and Runaan¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she watched Martha, which was rareing from her. Raon smiled while watching their gazes. ¡®You can be even stronger with that frustration.¡¯ Celebrating the sess of apanion was important, but the frustration they felt over their own progress was bound to guide them to the higher realm. Raon returned to his seat and looked at the tform where the leaders of the Five Divine Orders were sitting. The intense frown on the Demonde¡¯s face showed his irritation, while the Demon ying Spear was covering the back of his head with his hands sped together. He waved at Raon upon noticing his gaze. The Queen of Swords¡¯ eyes were glowing like a cat looking at a toy. She seemed to have taken a liking to Martha. Raon looked at the Thespian Emperor. She appeared to bepletely unfazed by the situation. As expected, it wasn¡¯t enough to mentally agitate the Thespian Emperor. ¡®Next up is¡­¡¯ Raon shook his hand towards Runaan, who was fidgeting behind him. ¡°Runaan.¡± He pointed at the arena that was still empty. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan immediately nodded and entered the arena. She calmly closed her eyes before opening them again. She seemed to be trying to feel the warmth Martha had left behind. Before the referee could ask Runaan for an introduction, a man wearing ck clothes came up from the opposite side. He was giving a neat impression with his short blond hair swept back and a trimmed beard. ¡®Highest-level Master¡­¡¯ The wave of energy he could feel far exceeded the average. His prowess was iparable to Kallon. ¡°Rekri from the ck Snake Coalition.¡± He introduced himself and tapped on the longsword hanging around his waist. ¡®ck Snake Coalition¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while listening to Rekri¡¯s introduction. ¡®Are the Five Divine Orders alreadying out?¡¯ The ck Snake Coalition was the armed group led by the Demonde. They followed the rule that any weapon or dirty trick was allowed as long as they could win. ¡°Rekri? Rekri is the Sword of ughter!¡± ¡°Yes! He is the Demonde¡¯s disciple!¡± ¡°I heard he is extremely proficient with longswords. The rumors said that most warriors can¡¯t even get close to him.¡± ¡°The match is already decided.¡± ¡°The Sword of ughter is already participating¡­¡± The spectators licked their lips while also saying that he was joining too fast. They seemed to know about Rekri, the Sword of ughter. ¡®That¡¯s true. She won¡¯t be able to win.¡¯ Rekri was at the highest level of Master. Even if Runaan managed to awaken like Martha, it was still impossible for her to win the match. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon was about to stop Runaan but stopped himself. Her eyes were as clear as morning dew on the leaves instead of being nk like always. She seemed determined to fight until the end like Martha, even if she had to lose. ¡®Alright, try it. It will still be beneficial even if she loses.¡¯ The drastic difference in skills didn¡¯t always mean that the spar would be meaningless. Since the Thespian Emperor had dered that it was a friendly match, Raon expected that Rekri wouldn¡¯t finish it right away. Since there was no risk of death, he decided to watch for the moment. ¡°Are you ready?¡± The referee quickly fixed the arena before walking up to Runaan and Rekri. They simply nodded without any response. ¡°Then the match between Runaan from Zieghart and Rekri from the ck Snake Coalition is starting now!¡± He must¡¯ve gotten used to doing it since the process of lowering his hand and moving away had gotten faster than before. ¡°I¡¯m not going to drag this out.¡± A frightening light glowed from Rekri¡¯s right hand. It was an extremely swift sword draw. His powerful energy was overflowing from his de as if unsheathed like a ray of light. Whir! Runaan seemed to have expected Rekri¡¯s move as she thrust Snow Flower while lowering herself like a leaf under the rain. The white de turned silver, and a thick energy of frost concentrated on it. ang! Gathering frost created an aura shield, and it shattered into dozens of pieces upon blocking the de. Shring! The shattered pieces of ice were hurled at Rekri in response to Runaan¡¯s hand gesture. It was abination of defense and counterattack. The technique was full of potential. ¡°Not bad for a highest-level Expert. However¡­¡± Rekri¡¯s sword trembled faintly like coral under the ocean before it was extended at lightning speed. It was an extremely quick stab with astral energy. ¡°Ack.¡± Runaan stepped back and tried to create a new shield of frost, but Rekri¡¯s sword was faster. Crack! The extremely thin de cut through the half-baked frost barrier and created a long cut on her side. Whaam! Rekri wasn¡¯t satisfied with that and moved in front of Runaan before he violently kicked her abdomen. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan didn¡¯t let out any groans until the very end, but her body bounced outside the arena from the impact. ¡°R-Runaan is out of the ring!¡± The referee announced Runaan¡¯s defeat with a trembling voice. He must not have expected Rekri to go so hard on her. Raon stopped looking at Rekri, who seemed slightly irritated, and walked up to Runaan. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Runaan hung her head, feeling ashamed that she had lost so easily. Raon felt bad for her because she was apologizing before anything when she must¡¯ve been in so much pain. ¡°You fought well enough.¡± Lasting three strikes was amazing enough since her opponent was a highest-level Master using astral energy. ¡°You should take a rest.¡± Raon stopped Runaan¡¯s bleeding with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation before calling a healer. ¡°I leave her to you.¡± He entrusted Runaan to the healer before returning to the Light Wind division. ¡°Burren, as you can see¡­¡± ¡°Yes. The match is going to be over before I can do anything.¡± Burren had also understood the situation and frowned. He seemed angry at the fact that he couldn¡¯t avenge what Rekri had done to Runaan. ¡°What a shame.¡± Rekri raised his chin while looking at Raon. ¡°I wanted to defeat the White Sword Dragon with my own hands, but you aren¡¯t allowed to participate.¡± He scratched the arena¡¯s floor with his longsword as a provocation. He was trash who remained shameless after using an astral de against someone far weaker than himself. ¡®This is perfect.¡¯ Raon was looking for the right moment to act, and the idiot had created that opportunity for him. It was the perfect moment to enter the arena. ¡°Then I¡¯ll grant you that chance.¡± Raon went onto the arena with a frightening smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart, the vice leader of the Light Wind division.¡± He announced his name and stood in front of Rekri. ¡°What¡­?¡± Rekri widened his eyes because he didn¡¯t expect it to happen. ¡°B-but you shouldn¡¯t be allowed to participate! I¡¯m sure those who represent the house¡­¡± ¡°He is right.¡± The Thespian Emperor, who had been watching them from above the tform, stood up. ¡°Like I said in the beginning, those who represent each group aren¡¯t allowed to parti¡ª¡± ¡°You seem to be mistaken.¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile and tapped on the ck Dragon Coat. Zieghart¡¯s godly tablet used to be located on the right side of his chest, but it wasn¡¯t there anymore. ¡°I¡¯m not Zieghart¡¯s representative.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± ¡°I already said it when your secretary came to me and also during the conference. The Light Wind division leader is Zieghart¡¯s representative, not me.¡± He pointed to the right as he spoke. Rimmer was yawning in boredom from the spectator seat with Zieghart¡¯s godly tablet on his chest. ¡°Youined to me during the conference because I¡¯m not Zieghart¡¯s representative. I¡¯m not sure why you are saying otherwise now.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor bit her lip tightly upon noticing the emblem on Rimmer¡¯s chest. ¡°B-but you had taken the representative¡¯s seat even though it was temporary and even joined the conference¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure why being a representative or not is so important for you. Are you that afraid of me when I¡¯m just a twenty-one-year-old greenhorn?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon provoked her by calling her a coward, and the Thespian Emperor shut her mouth. Her eyebrows were trembling slightly. ¡°Well, that¡¯s actually true. The Sword of Light is Zieghart¡¯s representative.¡± ¡°Yeah. It would be understandable if he were around forty, but stopping a twenty-one-year-old¡¯s participation would be strange.¡± ¡°She¡¯s scared, right?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s normal to be scared. He is a highest-level Master at twenty-one years of age. If the White Sword Dragon wins the contest, it will be humiliating for the Five Divine Orders.¡± The spectators realized why the rule against the representative¡¯s participation was made and sneered at her. ¡°The others seem fine, but the Five Divine Orders seem to be against it. Then how about this?¡± Raon met the Thespian Emperor¡¯s gaze. His smile deepened while looking at her trembling pupils. ¡°You, you, you, and you.¡± He raised his finger and pointed at Rekri in the arena and the three warriors on the VIP seats one after the other. They were young and powerful warriors from the Five Divine Orders who were going to participate in the contest just like Rekri. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± The designated warriors from the Five Divine Orders furrowed their brows, unable to understand why they were pointed out. ¡°As an apology for the sudden participation, I¡¯ll allow you to attack me together.¡± Raon¡¯s footsteps were simr to Glenn¡¯s as he advanced to the center of the arena. Dark scales emerged from the fluttering ck Dragon Coat alongside a furious spirit. The majestic energy wave spreading around him gave the impression that he was standing alone in the middle of a dark storm. ¡°Step forward, all four of you.¡± Chapter 488 Well said! Wrath shouted while clutching onto Raon¡¯s sleeve. Fuck that guy up! Whoever hurts our ice cream girl deserves a fate worse than death! He ground his teeth while telling him to freeze Rekri, who¡¯d made Runaan faint, and even the ones who¡¯d ordered him to do it. Unlike Wrath, the training ground was as quiet as a library even though it was brimming with countless people. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what did he just say?¡± ¡°Did he say that he would fight four people at once?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. Every single person he has just designated is at the highest level of Master.¡±¡°Moreover, they are the disciples of the Five Divine Orders¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have to be a Grandmaster to do that?¡± ¡°H-he must be bluffing.¡± The spectators looked at Raon. They were thinking that Raon was bluffing in order to participate, but his eyes were serious. ¡°H-he looks serious about it.¡± ¡°D-does that mean he¡¯s really nning to fight a four-on-one match? Against those monsters?¡± ¡°Even though he is called a sword dragon, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible¡­¡± ¡°He must be overconfident because he got famous at a young age.¡± The people furrowed their brows, saying that it was excessive arrogance. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor sighed while putting her hand on her forehead. ¡°Sir Raon, all the warriors you¡¯ve designated are at the highest level of Master. They are ready to break through the wall and be Grandmasters at the slightest opportunity.¡± She shook her hand, saying that it was impossible. ¡°I¡¯ll take it as a slip of your tongue, so withdr¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon averted his gaze from the Thespian Emperor. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a slip of the tongue.¡± A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked at the spectators, who were still confused. ¡°I cannot just participate since that restriction was made from fear against me. This is my expression of consideration. Don¡¯t be reserved ande to the arena.¡± Raon bobbed his hand towards the three warriors one after the other since they were still outside the arena. ¡®Lady Denning Rose¡¯s information was correct.¡¯ She was the one who¡¯d allowed him to learn their faces. They were already quite famous as warriors, but the Five Divine Orders must¡¯ve been nning to spread their reputation to the entire continent through the fighting contest. ¡®And I¡¯m not about to let that happen.¡¯ If Raon defeated those four at once, he would be able to clip the Five Divine Orders¡¯ wings before they could fly. He wasn¡¯t going to fall back. After all, he needed to achieve the mess he¡¯d nned. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± The woman holding a sword quietly closed her eyes, and the warrior holding a spear became infuriated. They seemed to have a simr personality to their masters in the Five Divine Orders. ¡°Raon!¡± Burren¡¯s voice could be heard from below the arena. The panic in his eyes revealed that he was even more surprised than the others. ¡°You crazy bastard! What are you doing right now?!¡± ¡°Why are you going about this the hard way?!¡± ¡°Does he seriously have a de stuck in his brain?¡± It wasn¡¯t just Burren. Even Dorian and Krein were startled. Their faces looked like they were looking at a madman. ¡°I-it¡¯s not toote to stop!¡± Dorian shook his head while anxiously rubbing his belly pocket. Even though he¡¯d been surprised by Raon many times before, he seemed to believe that fighting four highest-level Masters at once was still impossible. ¡°Division leader! What are you waiting for? Stop hi¡ª¡± He looked behind him and suddenly came to a halt. ¡°Hey, everyone! This is a rare opportunity! I¡¯m sure you couldn¡¯t make any bets because the contest was unfolding too quickly! This is your chance to realize your dream of turning your lives around!¡± Rimmer had already started to gather people¡¯s money for the bet. ¡°To the right if you are betting on Raon, and to the left if you are betting on the Five Divine Orders! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Ten gold coins for the Five Divine Orders!¡± ¡°Thirty gold from me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m betting fifty gold and this armor!¡± The gamblers were swarming around Rimmer since they couldn¡¯t bet in the previous matches because the matches started too quickly. It went without saying that most of them were betting on the disciples of the Five Divine Orders. Not even 10% of people were going to the right side. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Burren and Dorian shook their heads while watching Rimmer, who had be lively. ¡°That man¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes. He was thinking that Rimmer had been behaving himself recently, but he was doing it again. He couldn¡¯t understand how an elf could only show his presence during a bet. However, Rimmer still looked slightly different from before despite his behavior. Whaaam! Upon hearing a sudden explosive sound, Raon¡¯s gaze returned to the training ground. Rekri, who¡¯d been quiet so far, had stomped the ground to create a deep footprint at the center of the arena. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± A frightening glow appeared in his eyes as he red at Raon. ¡°There¡¯s a limit to how much you can look down on people. Don¡¯t you even see me?!¡± ¡°I see you.¡± Raon smiled while tapping on his eye. ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t see an ugly face that is as unsightly as your swordsmanship and personality.¡± ¡°Are you calling me unsightly?¡± ¡°Even during a duel, isn¡¯t it amon courtesy to concede three attacks to the opponents like a teaching spar if there¡¯s a huge difference in skills?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just out of consideration. There¡¯s no obligation for me to do it.¡± ¡°You are right. However¡­¡± Raon nodded and raised his gaze above the tform where the Thespian Emperor was located. ¡°Your leaders said that they held this fighting contest for the young warriors to be acquainted with each other. This must be your way of getting acquainted.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Rekri frowned, unable to respond. He couldn¡¯t give any excuse because he had also heard what Thespian Emperor had said. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m also trying to get acquainted with you in my own way.¡± Raon removed his smile and looked at Rekri with dry eyes. ¡°You¡¯d also bettere up here quickly. My patience is about to run out.¡± ¡°¡­That was indeed my fault. However!¡± Rekri ground his teeth and ced his hand on his hilt. ¡°I won¡¯t ept this humiliation! Four-on-one? Take it back right now!¡± ¡°How annoying.¡± Raon clicked his tongue while watching the three warriors whose asses were still on their chairs instead of Rekri. ¡°Alright. In that case, I¡¯ll defeat him within ten moves. Are you going to ept a three-on-one fight if I do it?¡± Once Raon dered that he was going to defeat Rekri in ten moves, the three warriors¡¯ eyes shone ferociously. ¡°I¡¯ll that that as a yes.¡± Raon rotated his wrist and looked in the direction of the Light Wind division. ¡°Burren.¡± He bobbed his finger at Burren, who was standing at the front. ¡°Huh? Ah, yes!¡± Burren nodded awkwardly because he didn¡¯t expect to be called on in that situation. ¡°It won¡¯t be fair if you don¡¯t get any opportunities. Watch closely. You will be able to gain even more than the others.¡± Burren hadn¡¯t had a chance to enter the arena because of Rekri¡¯s early participation. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren nodded while grabbing the back of his right hand with his left hand. He seemed to have understood the meaning behind Raon¡¯s words. * * * * * * ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Raon smiled in satisfaction, and Rekri¡¯s angry voice could be heard from behind him. ¡°Are you looking down on me?!¡± ¡°You are so loud. I can hear you even if you don¡¯t shout like that.¡± Raon picked his ear and walked up to Rekri. ¡°You must be craving dea¡ª¡± ¡°Do you have a favorite food?¡± ¡°What? What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?!¡± ¡°Just tell me. Which food do you like?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rekri red at him viciously instead of responding. ¡°Can¡¯t you even answer a simple question? You are more cowardly than I thought¡ª¡± ¡°I like grilled meat.¡± ¡°Like grilled pork? I liked that one.¡± ¡°Why did you ask about my favorite food?¡± He furrowed his brow, asking why Raon suddenly asked about food before a spar. ¡°Because the girl you made faint by kicking her abdomen likes ice cream. She consistently went to buy ice cream after every breakfast, even during this festival." A small smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he nced at Runaan, who was getting treated. ¡°I liked watching her back as she ran because it¡¯s the only moment she looks happy despite the way she doesn¡¯t really show her emotions. It was also fun to make fun of the useless glutton who kept shouting at me to take him with her.¡± Raon looked at Wrath, whose face was flushed. ¡°But that small moment of happiness is gone because of you.¡± ¡°So what do you want¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m irritated.¡± Raon¡¯s low-pitched voice sounded like it came from theherworld. ¡°Now that I think about it, ten moves are too many.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll destroy you within three moves, just like you did to Runaan.¡± ¡°Grrr!¡± Rekri¡¯s neck turnedpletely red. ¡°You¡¯ve crossed the line far too much.¡± His twisted brow showed that his patience had run out. ¡°Don¡¯t expect to get out of here unscathed¡ª¡± ¡°Rekri!¡± When even his face was about to turn red from anger, the Demonde on the tform stood up from his seat and called his name. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rekri finally came back to his senses and bowed to the Demonde with an ashen face. ¡°So this was your goal all along. You wanted to agitate me and¡­¡± He ground his teeth while looking back at Raon. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether someone like you is agitated or not.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± Rekri violently pointed his hand at the referee. ¡°Start the match already!¡± The referee¡¯s lips trembled and looked at the two participants one after the other. ¡°A-are you ready?¡± ¡°I am!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± He nodded and raised his hand. ¡°The match between Raon from Zieghart and Rekri from the ck Snake Coalition is starting¡­ now!¡± He lowered his hand, and Rekri¡¯s left foot moved before the referee even left the arena. Whaam! Along with a huge resonance, Rekri¡¯s body rushed through the wind. He had a posture simr to a cavalry¡¯s stabbing attack, his longsword clenched with two hands fixed at waist level. However, his charge was on a whole different level from a cavalry¡¯s. The tip of his sword multiplied into dozens and created a furious storm of astral energy. It almost looked like a meteor shower. Raon didn¡¯t move until the moment the tip of Rekri¡¯s sword was near his chest. He simply watched while rotating the Ring of Fire and running the Perception of the Snow Flower. ¡®The flow of his astral energy is rough, and the trajectory of his de is fast and ever-changing. His swordsmanship and footwork are suitable for a thin body.¡¯ Raon clenched Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt while skimming through everything Rekri had, starting from the flow of his aura, the trajectory of his de, even to the smallest movement of his body. Wham! Raon stomped the ground with his right foot and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. Cring! Alongside a clear resonance, the deadly de soared and followed Rekri¡¯s sword thrust at him. Creak! The crossed des turned the clear sword resonance into a discordant noise as it spread throughout the training ground. The move consisted of increasing the power of the sword draw and damaging the opponent¡¯s sensory organs through the Blue Rain. ¡°Kuh!¡± Rekri frowned in pain. The astral energy dwelling on his de became slightly fainter. Raon sharply pivoted Heavenly Drive towards that opening. ng! Rekri was pushed back, unable to withstand the sword draw. He used his footwork to slide away with his upper body leaned forward. The bnce of his body was almost perfect even though he was surprised by how his preemptive strike was blocked. ¡°That was the first move.¡± Raon calmly dered and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. His vision narrowed down as if the space were being folded, and Rekri¡¯s distorted face was right in front of him in an instant. ¡°It won¡¯t work!¡± Rekri prepared for a counterattack by creating a sword barrier of astral energy in that short timeframe¡ªas if he were proving that he wasn¡¯t a highest-level Master for no reason. ¡®I can just destroy a sword barrier. And I¡¯ll do it with a fast and decisive strike so that he won¡¯t even be able to counterattack.¡¯ Raon pushed Heavenly Drive upwards. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire burst from the tip of the de and spread through the wind to twist the space. The raging fire of astral energy furiously soared and created a crimson line while scratching the destroyed arena. Crack! It was a reversed Crimson sh. The incinerating de tore Rekri¡¯s sword barrier apart as if it were splitting the entire world in half. The speed and sharpness had transcended the Master¡¯s realm. ¡°Second move.¡± Raon peacefully stated that it was the second move and rushed towards Rekri. ¡°Argh!¡± Rekri widened his eyes in surprise at how easily the barrier of astral energy was shattered, but he¡¯d finished his preparations to escape again in that short instant. He pulled his left foot back and he was about to use his footwork when Raon stomped his right foot, which still remained on the ground. Whaaam! Rekri¡¯s right foot was mmed into the ground under Raon¡¯s foot, and fissures spread around the entire arena like a spider web. ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Raon snickered and shed Heavenly Drive downwards. Crack! Rekri focused his astral energy to create a thickyer above his de, but Raon had already predicted his move. Smash! He surrounded Heavenly Drive with Coiling Power and shattered Rekri¡¯sst line of defense. ¡°And this is the third andst move.¡± ¡°W-wait, you used your foot¡­¡± ¡°Foot doesn¡¯t count.¡± Raon smiled coldly and swung Heavenly Drive even faster. The thick aura dwelling on the side of the de smacked Rekri¡¯s face. Smaack! The huge whacking sound was even more frightening than when he¡¯d used the Blue Rain. Rekri fell under the arena with all his teeth getting spat out. ¡°Guu¡­¡± Foaming blood was flowing down from Rekri¡¯s mouth as his body trembled from the extreme pain. ¡°It must¡¯ve been even more painful for Runaan, but I¡¯ll call it quits since you won¡¯t be able to eat any grilled meat for a while.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders, and Rekri hung his head. He seemed to have fainted because of the pain. Aren¡¯t you going to kill him? ¡®I¡¯ll do itter.¡¯ Raon briefly clicked his tongue and shook the blood off Heavenly Drive. The de proudly radiated under the setting sun as the blood dripped away from it. Shring. He shoved Heavenly Drive back into the scabbard. No one in the training ground was able to speak until the sound of friction between the de and scabbard came to an end. Tap. The spectators finally breathed out after the depletely disappeared. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°D-did he really defeat Rekri in three moves just now?¡± ¡°B-but they were both supposed to be highest-level Masters! I-is this even p-possible?¡± ¡°Th-this can¡¯t be true¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even understand what¡¯s happening anymore¡­¡± The spectators¡¯ lips trembled violently at thepletely unexpected situation. ¡°This should¡¯ve been enough to prove my qualification.¡± Raon looked down on the VIP seat while standing at the center of the fissured arena. ¡°Come up here, all of you.¡± He bobbed his finger at the Five Divine Orders¡¯ disciples, who were staring at him with widened eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you why Zieghart is called the Emperor of the Sword.¡± Chapter 489 ¡°Rekri¡­¡± The Demonde¡¯s eyes trembled as he watched Rekri, who was unconscious with foaming out from his mouth. The disciple that he¡¯d worked so hard to raise was shoving his mouth in the dirt because he couldn¡¯t even lift his head. ¡®How did it even happen¡­?¡¯ He was well aware that Raon was going to win against Rekri. It was a question of how and how long hested, but Raon had ended the match in only four attacks. The difference was overwhelming. ¡°This is impossible!¡± He would have epted the result if Raon had used an attack of will. He would¡¯ve acknowledged it even if the match had ended in a single sh. However, Raon hadn¡¯t used his will at all, instead overwhelming Rekri with nothing but swordsmanship and spirit.He was on a whole different level. The Demonde couldn¡¯tprehend how there could be such a huge difference between two highest-level Masters. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Queen of Swords also widened her eyes, surprised by Raon¡¯s prowess. It had been a very long time since thest time she¡¯d made that face because she rarely showed her emotions. ¡°Incredible.¡± The Demon ying Spear eximed and leaned forward from his seat. The fingers rubbing his chin were trembling slightly. ¡°He¡¯s finished off a warrior at the same level as himself in only four moves without using his will. Not a single person in the entire continent should be capable of this.¡± He murmured that it was a violent talent, capable of trampling upon all of the other geniuses he¡¯d seen so far. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Demonde twisted his lips. He wanted to find a way to refute it because he didn¡¯t like Raon, but he didn¡¯t manage to find anything. It was extremely frustrating, but he had no other choice than to admit it. ¡®Is he really twenty-one years old?¡¯ He still couldn¡¯t believe that a boy who hadn¡¯t even reached the Grandmaster¡¯s wall had defeated Rekri in four moves. He was filled with more and more questions as he kept thinking about it. ¡°We need to stop this.¡± The Thespian Emperor bit her lip while looking at the three other leaders. ¡°It will be a problem whether this match happens or not, but it will be uncontroble if we end up losing.¡± The fighting contest was prepared to show the Five Divine Orders¡¯ power to the Six Kings. Naturally, the disciples of the Five Divine Orders were supposed to be the protagonists, but Raon was going to snatch away that fame instead¡ªand even muddy the Five Divine Orders¡¯ name at the rate things were going. ¡°And how are we supposed to stop it?¡± The Demon ying Spear licked his lips while roughly scratching his hair. ¡°Raon just proved his skill by easily beating Rekri¡¯s sorry ass to the ground, just like he previously dered. It¡¯s going to cause a huge uproar if we withdraw now.¡± He pointed at the spectators with his thick finger. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Come out! Come out! Come out!¡± ¡°Three-on-one! Three-on-one! Three-on-one!¡± The spectators were shouting their heads off for the three-on-one match between Raon and the disciples of the Five Divine Orders to happen. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor bit her lip while looking down below. ¡°It looks like our great Thespian Emperor didn¡¯t manage to predict this situation even though she can read heaven¡¯s flow.¡± The Demon ying Spear grinned. He looked like he was d to have an opportunity to tease her. ¡°It¡¯s already toote.¡± The Queen of Swords crossed her arms once again and leaned her back against the chair. ¡°Withdrawing now will be an even bigger disgrace than losing the match.¡± ¡°She is right. The Five Divine Orders might even get called cowards from now on.¡± The Demon ying Spear nodded in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s believe in our youngsters for now.¡± He shook his finger, saying that Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to win against three highest-level Masters even if he used a martial art of will. One of the Demon ying Guild¡¯s warriors entered the arena upon seeing that gesture. ¡°I¡¯m curious what he¡¯s going to show us this time.¡± The Demon ying Spear grinned while looking at Raon instead of his disciple who had just entered the arena. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kuh.¡± The Queen of Swords was also quietly watching Raon, and the Demonde bit his lip to the point of bleeding in frustration. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor sighed while pressing her temple with her finger. She gritted her back teeth while looking at Raon. ¡®Raon Zieghart¡­ How long are you nning to mess everything up?¡¯ * * * * * * Raon looked at the first man to enter the arena. He was wearing a leather vest, revealing his shoulders and silver armor. The long spear he was holding in his left hand clearly revealed his affiliation. ¡°I¡¯m Jerome from the Demon Spear Guild. I acknowledge your skills, but are you sure about this?¡± Jerome mmed the arena with the long spear while he introduced himself. His expression and manner of speech revealed his displeasure at the situation. The next person to enter was a tall woman wearing a light purple martial uniform. Her skin was slightly sunburned, but her eyes were as clear as a snow field. ¡°Pendleton from the de Martial Pavillion.¡± She briefly revealed her name and affiliation before she closed her eyes while grabbing the hilt of her sword hanging around her waist. She seemed to be collecting her mind before the match. Step. Thest person to enter the arena was a young man. He was wearing white clothes without a single speck of dust on them, and his long ck hair was neatly swept back. Raon could guess his personality from his towering nose ridge and elegant gaze. ¡°I am Mason from the White Whale. I¡¯m honored to cross des with the White Sword Dragon.¡± He ced his hand on his chest and greeted him politely. It was behavior befitting the Thespian Emperor¡¯s disciple. Raon swept his disheveled hair up and analyzed their capabilities. ¡®All of them are highest-level Masters.¡¯ Just like Denning Rose¡¯s information had said, all three of them were highest-level Masters. Considering they¡¯d reached that realm at their young ages, they were definitely capable enough to carry on the future of each faction. ¡®It will be a nice spectacle if all three of them get defeated at once.¡¯ Since that was thest thing the Thespian Emperor must¡¯ve wanted, Raon wanted to make it happen no matter what. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The referee awkwardly climbed onto the arena. His face was pale, unlike in the beginning. The way he was rolling his eyes showed that he wanted the fighting contest to end already. ¡°A-are you really doing this?¡± He walked up to Raon and swallowed nervously. ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded while dering that he was obviously doing it. ¡°Hmm, what about you three¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an order from above.¡± ¡°I made a promise.¡± ¡°I ept.¡± Jerome, Pendleton, and Mason nodded one after the other. ¡°I-in that case, the match between Raon from Zieghart against Jerome from the Demon Spear Guild, Mason from the White Whale, and Pendleton from the de Martial Pavillion is starting¡­ now!¡± The referee¡¯s trembling hand cut through the thin air before he ran outside the arena. ¡°I have an impatient personality, so¡­¡± Jerome spun his long spear to create wind before he swiftly kicked off from the ground. ¡°You two match my movement!¡± He dashed fiercely and thrust his long spear. The violent trembling of the spearhead showed that the shaft was flexible. It almost looked like there were dozens of spearheads attacking Raon. ¡®But only one of them is real.¡¯ The resonance of the Ring of Fire increased Raon¡¯s physical senses to the peak. The vibration of the spearhead filling his vision faded away, and its original appearance could be seen. Whaap! Raon¡¯s right hand extended like lightning. Crimson me stormed around Heavenly Drive in his grasp. It was the Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, utilizing Rekri¡¯s swift technique from earlier. ng! Wrapped in fire, Heavenly Drive deflected the spearhead rushing towards his chest and advanced towards Jerome. ¡°Kuh!¡± Jerome rapidly rotated his spear. The spear shaft got in the way and unleashed an astral spear as thick as a boulder. ¡®I expected that counterattack.¡¯ Raon lowered himself like a flying sparrow and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He evaded the spear shaft with a paper-thin difference before piercing into Jerome¡¯s space. Whoosh! Just as he was about to execute the downward sh with Heavenly Drive, powerful waves urred from both sides. ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°This is as far as you go!¡± Pendleton was performing a sword draw from his right, her hand turned dark, and Mason was punching from the left with an astral fist. Rather than being a surprise attack, they were trying to warn him to withdraw. ¡°Yes, of course. A three versus one wouldn''t be an easy fight. However¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to stop.¡± He rolled his lips into a deep smile and advanced. Jerome¡¯s spear hade to a halt because he believed that Raon was obviously going to stop, and Raon shed downwards towards his chest. Psssh! A longceration was created from Jerome¡¯s right shoulder to the left side of his waist, and red blood gushed from it. ¡®It¡¯s time to block their attacks now.¡¯ Pendleton¡¯s sword and Mason¡¯s fist were approaching him from behind. It was toote to turn around for defense. ¡®That¡¯s why¡­ I prepared this in advance.¡¯ Raon smiled coldly and focused cier¡¯s coldness on the ck Dragon Coat¡¯s scales. A round shield covered the scales of the ck Dragon Coat, frost smoke rising from it. He was originally unable to do it because he was using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation at the same time, but he¡¯d be capable of using the two energies simultaneously after he¡¯d started to utilize the wind. ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Pendleton and Mason furrowed their brows upon witnessing the round wall of ice created from coldness. ¡®They are quick to notice.¡¯ They seemed to have realized that it was the same as Runaan¡¯s shield, but it was already toote to stop their attacks. Craack! The ice wall shattered into dozens of pieces upon being hit by the astral energy and absorbed the impact. At the same time, the scattering pieces became frozen daggers rushing toward Pendleton and Mason. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Mason consecutively punched with an astral fist, and Pendleton created a sword barrier to sever the frozen daggers. While those two were focused on defense, Raon examined Jerome. Despite the dangerous amount of blood gushing out from him, theceration wasn¡¯t too deep. Jerome had moved back at the moment of attack to minimize his injury. ¡®So they are notplete idiots.¡¯ Considering that Jerome had managed to figure out the sword¡¯s trajectory to move back and that the other two had remembered Runaan¡¯s technique the moment they¡¯d seen the ice wall, all three of them were good enough to be called highest-level Masters. ¡®Even so¡­ Nothing is going to change.¡¯ Raon twisted his right foot. He exploded the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat at the mana circuits under his ankle and the femoral muscles in his thigh. Thud! He charged towards Jerome, who had withdrawn to the edge of the ring, with a dynamic movement that maximized his speed. ¡°Ugh!¡± Jerome had put himself together in that short period of time and thrust his long spear while maintaining his distance. The spearhead surrounded by blue astral energy took the shape of a huge hammer and fell. It was an excellent attack that didn¡¯t have any drawback at all in terms of speed, power, and sharpness, but it didn¡¯t pose any threat, either. Cring! Raon drew a line simr to a tidal wave with Heavenly Drive. It was the Hill under the Clouds of the Blizzard Sword Art. The astral spear was pouring down like a mountain, but the flow waspletely cut off and it dropped to the ground. Raon stepped on the spear with his left foot in the air and was about to enter Jerome¡¯s distance when a ck shadow followed up from the right. Whoosh! Pendleton had followed after deflecting all the ice shards. She thrust her sword, her eyes shining red. On top of being fast, the sharpness of the attack seemed capable of cutting through the space. It felt like an assassin¡¯s deadly move rather than a swordsman¡¯s. ¡®I¡¯ll have to block this.¡¯ It was toote to create an ice wall like earlier. It was going to make a hole in his body if he didn¡¯t stop it. Raon gave up on cutting Jerome down and turned his shoulder around to unleash the Firewall. Whaaap! The fire shield was ignited along Heavenly Drive¡¯s trajectory to block Pendleton¡¯s attack and also pushed away Jerome¡¯s spear shaft. However, those two weren¡¯t the only opponents. A huge wave of aura could be felt from behind him. Mason was thrusting his fist from where he was standing in the beginning. Golden astral energy rushed at him, huge enough to swallow the entire arena. ¡®How peculiar.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t an ordinary martial art. The thrust looked like a punch, but the area was as wide as a palm strike and it was faster than a sword sh. It couldn¡¯t be stopped with the Firewall that was chipped away at during the previous defense. Raon turned around and pulled Heavenly Drive back. His de was extended at the same time as his left foot, and the fire dragon¡¯s breath was unleashed from it. Whaaam! The me Dragon Art¡¯s fire shed against the golden punch from Mason, and a powerful shockwave was created as a result. Raon was enduring the impact by putting his weight on his legs, and Jerome¡¯s spearhead pierced at him from the left. The spearhead trembling along the shaft was extended like an awl, and the astral energy rained down from it. It looked like Jerome had also started to use his special technique. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ Raon pierced Heavenly Drive towards the sky while tapping on the hem of the ck Dragon Coat. The coldness dashed through the de and created a round barrier to cut apart Jerome¡¯s astral spear. Pendleton¡¯s sword soared explosively, and Raon cleaved down with the Fangs of Insanity. Rumble! The consecutive explosions of astral energy were causing a numbing pain in his hand. Even though Heavenly Drive was covered in Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, it was pushed back for an instant. ¡®Did she ovep it?¡¯ Pendleton seemed to have ovepped the astral energy on top of the ck aura surrounding her de. A thin smile appeared on Raon¡¯s face as he stepped back. ¡®I like how there are so many things to learn.¡¯ Pendleton¡¯s ovepping technique, Mason¡¯s long-ranged punch, and Jerome¡¯s variable spear technique. All of them were martial arts worth learning. ¡®They said that everything is a lesson.¡¯ Glenn and Rector had advised him that he should learn from many experiences in order to achieve the versatile sword. Just like they¡¯d said, Jerome, Mason, and Pendleton¡¯s special techniques were giving him a new idea that he hadn¡¯t realized before. Raon felt like he couldplete a new technique from the Azure Sky Sword if he kept facing their martial arts a bit longer. ¡°Are you really smiling?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll erase that smile from your face for you.¡± Jerome frowned, and Pendleton bit her lip. Mason also seemed angry, veins bulging from his forehead. Rumble! Raon rolled his lips into a smile while watching the three people charging at him with their special techniques. ¡°I can¡¯t help smiling.¡± ¡®Because this is my restaurant.¡¯ Where? Where¡¯s the restaurant?! * * * Whaam! Mason bit his lip as he watched Raon easily cut through his astral fist. ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡¯ His punches were less and less effective the longer they fought. It was normal to get used to the opponent¡¯s martial art as the fight progressed, but it almost felt supernatural in Raon¡¯s case. The fight hadn¡¯t evensted for that long, yet he seemed to have already analyzed everything about his martial art. Whir! Mason held his breath and unleashed the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist. It was the special technique of the Lofty Cloud Fist, faster than a sword and as wide as a palm strike despite being a punch. Whoosh! Raon swirled his sword and unleashed his astral energy from the side of his sword instead of the edge. The astral energy violently burst from his sword and shed against the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist. Whaaam! The astral energy raging in redpletely removed the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist and created a crater on the floor through its tremendous power. However, that wasn¡¯t the most surprising part. ¡®Th-the astral energy he¡¯s just unleashed¡­ was simr to the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t too good at long-range shes, but it had be faster and wider as if he¡¯d gained the strength of the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist. It was difficult to believe, but he seemed to be improving during the battle. ¡°Damn it! What the hell is he?!¡± ¡°My ck Hermit Sword¡­¡± The gloomy faces of Jerome and Pendleton implied that they were thinking the same thing. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Raon was using an illusion sword with a storming aura against Jerome and shed against Pendleton head-on by ovepping his astral energy. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is that crazy bastard¡­?¡¯ He realized that Raon was defeating the three of their martial arts by using the same type of skills. Gnash! Mason violently ground his teeth. He used the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist to destroy the arena floor in front of Raon. Whoosh! He withdrew next to Jerome and Pendleton while Raon¡¯s vision was covered by the dust. ¡°You should¡¯ve noticed it, too. We are definitely going to lose at this rate.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jerome and Pendleton couldn¡¯t deny it. They bit their lips in frustration while looking in Raon¡¯s direction. ¡°We have only one option. We have to hit him with everything we¡¯ve got and finish him off while he¡¯s still obscured by the dust.¡± ¡°Are you telling me to reveal all my secrets?¡± Jerome bit his lip. ¡°You can keep hiding it if you want the dishonor of losing a three-on-one fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Pendleton fixed her grip on her sword. ¡°It¡¯s already miserable, but it will be even worse if I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Indeed. We have to win no matter what. For the honor of the Five Divine Orders.¡± ¡°Why did I end up with a bastard like him?!¡± Mason nodded, and Jerome spun his spear shaft while swearing. Whoosh! The moment Raon removed the sandy dust and emerged, the three kicked the arena at the same time. Jerome¡¯s spear shaft was being mmed down like a copsing sky. The astral energy engulfing the spearhead split into five different raging storms. The astral fist concentrated around Mason¡¯s fist made it look at least four times bigger. His body turned golden, and the majestic astral fist unleashed as a result was huge enough to cover the entire arena. As for Pendleton, she ovepped the astral energy to the point where the de was about to break, shing down in a curve. The dark crescent moon severed Raon¡¯s space. As the three warriors unleashed their special techniques at once, a dark shadow appeared in the arena. There was literally a tidal wave of astral energy. ¡°It¡¯s the perfect time to finish this match.¡± Raon smiled faintly while facing the outrageous power falling towards him. ¡®Because I¡¯ve already taken all I needed.¡¯ He¡¯d learned all of the principles of their special techniques during the fight. A new idea settled down, and a new sprout started to grow. Glenn was the image of that sprout. It was Glenn¡¯s back that he¡¯d seen in Eden¡¯s branch. He remembered the supreme sword that had driven the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Fallen at once with a single strike. Raon advanced calmly, just like Glenn had done back then. He pulled Heavenly Drive to the left and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time. The heat and coldness soared through the refreshing wind and engulfed Heavenly Drive to create a sublime radiance. ¡®He is my sky.¡¯ He swung Heavenly Drive while imagining Glenn Zieghart¡¯s strike. ¡°You won¡¯t reach my sky.¡± The second technique of Azure Sky Sword, the Unreachable Azure Sky. The auspicious radiance flowing through Heavenly Drive cut apart the tidal wave of astral energy filling the sky. Chapter 490 The tidal wave of astral energy covering the sky was cut into pieces, and moonlight descended upon thend. The waning luminance announced the end of the battle. The moment Raon tilted Heavenly Drive towards the ground, Jerome, Mason, and Pendleton fell to their knees at the same time from the opposite side of him. They still had aura and stamina remaining in them, but their white pupils showed that they had no fighting spirit left. Raon shook off the dust from the ck Dragon Coat and walked up to Mason. ¡°Wh-what was that technique just now¡­?¡± Mason¡¯s lips were shivering as he looked up to the cloudless night sky. ¡°How is it even possible for a Master to use such a technique?!¡± He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the sky in disbelief. He used to have aposed expression, just like the Thespian Emperor, but it waspletely gone. ¡°Damn it¡­¡±Mason helplessly hung his head. It looked like he¡¯d lost the will to fight. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so fucking embarrassed. Why do I have to go through all this?!¡± Jerome frowned while looking at Raon, who didn¡¯t even have a speck of dust on him. ¡°I should¡¯ve avoided this fight to begin with. It¡¯s my damn master¡¯s fault!¡± He threw away his long spear andy down on the destroyed arena. He murmured for Raon to do whatever he wanted, showing that he had no intention to fight any longer. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Pendleton pressed the ground with her clenched fist in frustration over her helpless defeat. She hadn¡¯t looked too enthusiastic about the match, but she was apparently the mostpetitive among them. ¡°So none of you is admitting your defeat.¡± Raon returned Heavenly Drive to his scabbard while looking down on Mason, Jerome, and Pendleton one after the other. ¡°Wh-what are you saying¡­?¡± Mason¡¯s eyes widened. The match was already over. He couldn¡¯t understand why they would even need to surrender. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m a bit stupid¡­¡± Raon picked his ear and ced Heavenly Drive on his shoulder along with its scabbard. ¡°And I don¡¯t understand unless you say it.¡± ¡°W-wait, it¡¯s over now¡ª¡± ¡°I told you at the beginning of the fight.¡± Raon smiled gently while cutting Mason off. However, crimson heat was rising from his shoulders in contrast to his smile. ¡°That I don¡¯t know when to stop.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± The three warriors¡¯ faces turned pale upon realizing what he meant. ¡°I-I los¡ª¡± Before Mason could admit his defeat, Raon mmed Heavenly Drive down from his shoulder. Whaaack! It was a direct hit on Mason¡¯s temple. His eyes rolled back and was buried under the arena. His legs protruded from the ground, trembling. ¡°Next.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard! Who in the world beats people up even after they¡¯ve surrendered?!¡± Jerome extended his hand to pick up the spear that he¡¯d thrown away, and Raon stepped on the spear. ¡°Kuh!¡± Jerome groaned, his finger stuck between the spear and the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear it. And it wouldn¡¯t be fair if you are still in a perfect state after losing a spar.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in a perfect state at all! I have an internal injury because of that great technique of yours!¡± Jerome briskly raised his head and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not apparent.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make it obvious that I won. And she got beaten up even harder.¡± Raon pointed at Runaan, who was still unable to open her eyes. ¡°B-but we weren¡¯t the ones who stabbed the Azure Lunar de¡­¡± ¡°You are pretty much the same. Moreover¡­¡± ¡®This is necessary for the perfect mess.¡¯ Glenn had asked him to ¡®cause a mess¡¯, instead of gaining reputation. Since he¡¯d already drawn the head and body of a dragon, it was time to put a dot for the eyes. ¡°You nutcase!¡± Jerome tried to stand up while shouting, but he couldn¡¯t do more than struggle with his arm and shoulder because his finger was stuck. That¡¯s apliment. Wrath shook his head, saying that ¡®nutcase¡¯ was an honorific for a crazy bastard like him. ¡®He isn¡¯t wrong.¡¯ Along with detingughter, Raon easily pushed Jerome¡¯s hand away and smacked his chin from below. Whaaack! Along with a loud noise like shattering a walnut, Jerome copsed while his blood scattered like a rainbow. ¡°As for thest¡­¡± Raon¡¯s gaze slowly turned towards Pendleton. ¡°Kill me.¡± Pendleton¡¯s eyes still had some spirit left in them. ¡°I like those eyes.¡± Raon nodded and turned around. ¡°Where are you going?!¡± Pendleton briskly stood up while grinding her teeth. ¡°Why am I the only one left alone? Is it because I¡¯m a woman¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you alone.¡± Raon casually smiled and turned around. ¡°The positioning wasn¡¯t great because of your small height.¡± Raon murmured, ¡®This is a bit better¡¯ and smashed her with Heavenly Drive. Smaaack! Pendleton¡¯s head violently wavered as the scabbard hit her forehead and she copsed on her back. ¡°You need to be beaten up since you lost. I wasn¡¯t nning to overlook you to begin with.¡± Raon reced Heavenly Drive around his waist once again and stood at the center of the destroyed arena. ¡°Next.¡± The training ground fell as silent as the night upon witnessing his determination as he looked for his next opponent after crushing the four disciples of the Five Divine Orders. ¡°Wow, I should¡¯ve been the one to shout that line!¡± Krein regrettably licked his lip. ¡°Even his disheveled appearance is damn handsome! His determination is damn handsome! The way he won is also¡­¡± Drool was flowing nonstop from Encia¡¯s mouth as she repeatedly pressed the camera¡¯s button. It was to the point that her hand couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore. ¡°I agree. He is really damn¡­ Hmm.¡± Denning Rose quietly covered her mouth as she was about to unconsciously dere that he was damn handsome. ¡°He¡¯s a real monster¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s arrogant, but it suits him too well.¡± ¡°I like how he properly put an end to this.¡± ¡°I keep remembering thatst technique he showed. It looked like he was cutting down the sky.¡± The spectators gasped, amazed by Raon¡¯s might and exuberance. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone else is going to participate now, right?¡± ¡°Who would want to challenge a monster who¡¯s destroyed three highest-level Masters at once? It¡¯s meaningless unless they are a Grandmaster.¡± ¡°So Raon Zieghart is the winner after all. His fame is going to soar once again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. He¡¯s even getting Lavasiri¡¯s Heart and an elixir of coldness with a simr rank. They are priceless treasures!¡± Everyone believed that there was going to be no other challenger and prepared to congratte the winner. Raon raised his hand while looking around the spectators and VIP seats. ¡°Are there any other challengers?¡± He shouted to ask for the next challenger and a man wearing a ck robe came up from the center of the VIP seats. He was Yuria from the Magic Tower. Therge robe looked like it was about to tear because of his huge body. Raon furrowed his brow while watching Yuria enter the arena with heavy steps. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect this¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t thought that Yuria would participate since he wasn¡¯t a Grandmaster yet, and a one-on-one match in a limited space was disadvantageous for a magician. ¡®But this isn¡¯t bad for me.¡¯ It was a perfect opportunity to learn about the way he fought since the Magic Tower hadn¡¯t participated in the Six Kings tournament. Raon smiled in satisfaction and walked up to Yuria. ¡°Feel free to get started whenever you want to since I am ready.¡± He nodded while saying that he epted the challenge, and Yuria extended his hand from his robe. ¡®A surprise attack?¡¯ Raon was about to step back because he didn¡¯t expect him to go for a surprise attack in a fighting contest that wasn¡¯t a fight to the death. However, what Yuria was holding in his hand wasn¡¯t a weapon but a thick piece of paper. ¡°Cou¡­¡± ¡°Cou?¡± ¡°Could I have your autograph?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon released himself from the awkward posture and blinked. ¡°I-I¡¯m a big fan!¡± Yuria lowered his head while twisting his huge body. ¡°A fan?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve been your fan ever since you were called the Frostfire Sword of Valor! I¡¯m honored to meet you!¡± His hand was trembling as he dered that he was too nervous to speak back when they¡¯d met at the conference. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon remembered their encounter outside the conference room. He realized that Yuria had a firm face back then because he was nervous, not because he was trying to pick a fight. ¡°You should¡¯vee to meter if that was the case. Why now¡­?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I was just so moved¡­¡± Yuria said with teary eyes that he entered the arena before he knew it because he was deeply impressed by how Raon had defeated three Masters in a single strike. Unlike his appearance, his personality seemed to match his name. Click! The clicking sound of the camera awakened the silence of the arena once again. ¡°Wow!¡± Encia waved her hand at Yuria while raising her head above the camera. ¡°You know about Sir Raon, the damn handsome!¡± * * * * * * Rimmer gasped and sent an aura message to a small woman sitting behind him. [Did you see that?] [I saw it.] Sheryl was wearing a long-brimmed hat and a white dress that reached her ankles. She answered Rimmer¡¯s message with a frown. She was busy writing something on a small booklet. [What are you doing?] [I¡¯m writing a report for the head of house.] [A report? But I¡¯m the one supposed to send one.] [My report is just about Raon. This is material for Raon¡¯s gospel.] She was quickly moving her hand without taking her eyes off Raon. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rimmer nced behind him and shook his head. [We got a fascinating line today. He said ¡®You won¡¯t reach my sky¡¯. It¡¯s an insanely arrogant thing to say.] Sheryl murmured Raon¡¯s line while reminiscing the scene she¡¯d just witnessed. [But I¡¯m sure our lord will like it. He might even regret that he couldn¡¯t see what happened here in person for the rest of his life.] She smiled while thinking about the distorted face Glenn was going to make. [Are you still making that Raon gospel?] Rimmer sighed while scratching his head. [We are making the fourth volume.] [Fourth? Seriously, nothing can stop you, the three lovesick fools.] He shook his head and looked up to the sky. [I guess I can¡¯t me you.] Sheryl stopped moving her hand and looked at Rimmer¡¯s back. [Raon is going to stand at the peak of this continent. I can see it.] Rimmer looked at Raon with an exhrated smile, even deeper than when he was making money from a bet. [Yes. Even Zieghart¡¯s name can hardly epass him.] [To be honest, regardless of all that¡­ The most important part is that he is my god of fortune. I hit a 10x jackpot! It¡¯s been a long time since thest time that happened! I¡¯m rich again!] He grinned and caressed his sack of gold coins as if it were his child. [You aren¡¯t going to spend it though.] [Of course I am! Who else would spend it?] Rimmer murmured to stop saying bullshit and waved his hand at the people gathered to gamble. ¡°Come here real quick if you¡¯ve bet on my god of fortune, Raon!¡± Sheryl furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer¡¯s back. ¡°Idiot.¡± * * * ¡°Wow!¡± The Demon ying Spear eximed while looking at Raon. ¡°That was artistic until the very end! His might, willpower, and personality. I like every aspect of him! He should¡¯ve joined the Demon Spear Guild!¡± Even though his disciple¡¯s consciousness was beaten out of him, he kept apuding for Raon without caring about him. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± The Queen of Swords sighed briefly. She seemed to have somewhat expected that result. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone else is going to challenge the White Sword Dragon now. And it would be meaningless even if anyone did.¡± Defeating the three highest-level Masters wasn¡¯t all Raon had done. He had even defeated the fighting spirit of all of the other warriors in the training ground. That was why she expected that no one was going to enter the arena anymore. ¡°Indeed¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor nodded while biting her pale lip. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± The Queen of Swords was right. Even though Yuria had left the arena after getting his autograph, no one tried to enter the arena. It was safe to say that Raon was the winner of the fighting contest. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The referee entered the arena with trembling hands. ¡°I-I¡¯ll count to five! If there¡¯s no challenger until then, Raon Zieghart will be the winner of today¡¯s contest!¡± He shouted the numbers while folding his fingers raised above his head. ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three¡­ four¡­¡± The warriors in the VIP seat lowered their heads, and the spectators raised their hands in order to congratte the winner. ¡°Five!¡± ¡°Whoaaaa!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon!¡± ¡°Zieghart has won! That¡¯s the Six Kings for you!¡± As soon as the referee shouted five, the spectators cheered their heads off. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes while letting out a sigh. ¡®As expected, no one tried to fight. It would¡¯ve been meaningless even if they did, though.¡¯ No one could win against Raon unless they were at least a Grandmaster. It was all over. ¡®The loss is too huge.¡¯ The fame prepared for the Five Divine Orders was about to be taken away along with the highest-grade elixirs. Moreover, the elixir type was extremely helpful for Raon, which made her even more upset. ¡°Thank you for your support!¡± Raon answered the cheers and looked above the tform. He seemed to be urging her toe down already for the reward ceremony. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Thespian Emperor.¡± Just as the Thespian Emperor was about to go down from the tform while letting out a sigh, the Demonde, who¡¯d been quiet so far, approached her. ¡°Are you nning to leave him like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already toote. What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± The Demonde created an aura barrier and twisted his lips. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know this better than anyone, but Raon Zieghart has been mocking us all along by using people¡¯s gazes and voices. We can turn it against him right now.¡± ¡°¡­Tell me more about it.¡± The Thespian Emperor nodded while pretending she didn¡¯t notice the Demonde. ¡°I know a martial art that can insert the energy of death in the target¡¯s heart. The energy of death will absorb the surrounding mana and grow without their knowledge until it eventually ends their life by stimting the heart.¡± The Demonde continued with a sinister smile. ¡°I¡¯ll tell him that I¡¯ll bestow a lesson upon him and use that technique. You just need to act ordingly.¡± ¡°Can you really do it?¡± ¡°Of course. I can even make it activate after he returns to Zieghart. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Just set up the mood. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± The Thespian Emperor licked her lips while watching the Demonde¡¯s eyes, which were glowing with confidence. ¡®There¡¯s no disadvantage in trying it.¡¯ There was no way the Demonde would be lying about his martial art. Moreover, she figured it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to achieve by taking advantage of Raon and the spectators¡¯ excitement. ¡®Because he will be a coward if he refuses it now.¡¯ If he refused the generous offer of a lesson, he was going to break the great atmosphere. Since Raon had be so famous and knew how to take advantage of people¡¯s attention, she figured that he wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse. ¡°I understand.¡± The Thespian Emperor slowly nodded and went down the tform. ¡°Congrattions!¡± She stood in front of Raon with a forced smile. ¡°It was a bit awkward when you decided to participate, but you proved yourself with your skills.¡± ¡°Thank you. It wasn¡¯t really awkward though, because I was fully entitled to participate.¡± Raon smiled faintly and responded to her greeting. ¡®He¡¯s doing it again¡­¡¯ She was so irritated by how Raon rebuked every single thing she was saying, but she suppressed her anger by catching her breath. ¡°Then we¡¯ll prepare the reward ceremo¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just do it now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Because this is a ce of honor.¡± He smiled, saying that the ce where he defeated the four disciples of the Five Divine Orders was the victory stand. ¡°¡­I guess that¡¯s true.¡± The Thespian Emperor took a nce at the Demonde before opening her subspace. By the time she took out a box containing Lavasiri¡¯s Heart and a box containing the coldness elixir, the Demonde jumped down from the tform. Whoosh! The spectators eximed in awe as they witnessed the divine sight of the Demonde walking along thin air as if there were stairs. ¡°Congrattions on your victory. Can I make a suggestion tomemorate this asion?¡± He stood next to the Thespian Emperor with a gentle smile on his face, as if he were on good terms with Raon. ¡°What would that suggestion be?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve enlightened our foolish disciples. It must¡¯ve been a great lesson for them since they¡¯ve grown too arrogant.¡± The Demonde nodded while thanking him for teaching their disciples a lesson. ¡°To make up for my disrespectful actions in the past, I¡¯d like to give you a small lesson. It shall serve as a clue to surpass the Grandmaster¡¯s wall.¡± He smiled gently while saying that he wanted to repay the favor. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°The Demonde wants to teach him!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great opportunity! Even better than the elixirs!¡± ¡°He must be serious since he sounds so confident about him reaching the Grandmaster wall!¡± ¡°This is going to be a great spectacle!¡± The spectators cheered while imagining the birth of the youngest Grandmaster. Everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation. ¡°It shall be a great gift for the spectators who stayed until the end.¡± The Demonde chuckled as if he were telling him that the answer was obvious. It was a provocative face. ¡°Get ready.¡± He bobbed his hand, asking Raon to get into the stance. Raon looked around the spectators before he calmly shook his head. ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Yes, then¡­ Huh?¡± The Demonde¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°Wh-what do you mean?! You might be a Grandmaster with my teaching¡­¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want to.¡± Unlike the determination he¡¯s shown so far, he refused the offer way too easily. ¡°A-are you afraid or something? I¡¯m just trying to teach you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Just give me the reward.¡± Raon extended his hand toward the Thespian Emperor, saying that he had no intention of having a match with the Demonde and just wanted the reward instead. ¡°W-wait! We have so many people watching right now! You are going to be considered a coward if you refuse this in front of all these people!¡± Raon silently moved his lips while looking at the surprised Demonde. ¡®That¡¯s a no.¡¯ Chapter 491 Chapter 491 Raon rolled his lips into a smile while watching the Demonde, whose hands were shivering intensely. ¡®There¡¯s no reason for me to do that.¡¯ He would¡¯ve dly epted the lesson if it was from a proper warrior, but the Demonde¡¯s mind waspletely dark. The lesson was definitely a poisoned apple. ¡®He might try to assassinate me or nt something evil in my mind.¡¯ The world of martial arts was intricate. There¡¯s no reason to have a match with him when he could use some demonic trick just like his name implied. Moreover, he could clearly see why the Demonde was using that petty trick. ¡°Wooow!¡± ¡°White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon!¡± ¡°Demonde! Demonde! Demonde!¡±It felt like the ground was shaking from the cheers of the spectators around him, and that must¡¯ve been why the Demonde believed that Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse his nonsense. ¡®It¡¯s not a bad move, but¡­ I don¡¯t care about people¡¯s gazes.¡¯ Zieghart and the Light Wind division¡¯s reputation was about to pierce through the sky from defeating all four disciples of the Five Divine Orders. Since he¡¯d gained more than enough fame, he didn¡¯t really care even if it decreased a little. ¡°Why did the White Sword dragon refuse the Demonde¡¯s offer?¡± ¡°I know, right? Wasn¡¯t it an extremely advantageous deal?¡± ¡°I wonder if there was a problem between them.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way the White Sword Dragon refused it for no reason. He¡¯s such an extraordinary person, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. The Demonde must¡¯ve been the issue.¡± Because of the might, confidence, and previous righteousness he¡¯d disyed, not many spectators doubted him even though he refused the Demonde¡¯s offer. ¡®This is how you make a mess.¡¯ The real mess involved causing extreme irritation to the target while looking perfectly normal to others. Raon could proudly say that the mess he¡¯d made was wless. ¡°I-if you are worried about what happened before, I was just overreacting. Don¡¯t be like that. Won¡¯t you reconsider? It must be a great opportunity for you!¡± The Demonde briefly shook his head and extended his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need that great opportunity.¡± ¡°Ugh, but the spectators are looking forward to it!¡± He pointed at the spectators, who were still cheering, and mumbled that Raon shouldn¡¯t ignore them. His impatience could be seen on his face. Raon raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist, and it made the spectators fall silent. ¡°When you said what happened before, were you talking about the way you looked down on Zieghart?¡± ¡°Wh-when did I ever look do¡ª?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind it. I¡¯ve already forgotten about it.¡± Raon cut the Demonde off before he could finish his sentence, turning it into an undeniable truth. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Did the Demonde look down on Zieghart?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why he refused the offer.¡± The spectators epted it as a truth and leered at the Demonde. ¡°Argh, you are talking nonsense once aga¡ª¡± ¡°However, that¡¯s not the reason I refused the lesson.¡± Raon cut the Demonde off once again and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d like to reach the realm of Grandmaster with my own strength¡ªwithout being helped by someone else. A warrior should destroy the wall in front of him by himself.¡± As soon as his voice faded, a deep exmation thundered across the training ground. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Is the White Sword Dragon really twenty-one years old?¡± ¡°His way of thinking is even more surprising than his might.¡± ¡°I was wondering how he reached the highest-level Master at his age, and it was because he has that kind of conviction.¡± ¡°A real rising star has appeared in Zieghart.¡± The spectators nodded, impressed by Raon¡¯s conviction. Everyone murmured that his way of thinking was how warriors should think. ¡°And¡­¡± Raon took another step towards the Demonde. He created an aura barrier to stop the sound from going out and smiled at him. ¡°You aren¡¯t even good at teaching. Did you already forget that your disciple couldn¡¯t evenst three moves?¡± It was four moves. ¡®The foot doesn''t count.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away and shook his hand while telling the Demonde that he wasn¡¯t qualified to teach him. The other spectators couldn¡¯t even see the movement of his lips because of his hand. ¡°You punk!¡± The Demonde ground his teeth and raised his hand. Just as a tremendous amount of energy was about to burst out from it for an attack, the Thespian Emperor stood in his way. ¡°Thespian Emperor!¡± ¡°Please stand back.¡± The Thespian Emperor shook her head while pushing the Demonde away in his irritation. She was telling him to withdraw because the flow was already lost. Raon looked at the Thespian Emperor. Her slightly trembling eyebrows showed her irritation. ¡®It looks like the lesson was the Demonde¡¯s idea.¡¯ It was simr to the Thespian Emperor¡¯s method, but it was a lot shabbier. It was more likely that the Demonde came up with it, considering his impatient and simple-minded personality. ¡°Once again, congrattions.¡± The Thespian Emperor forcibly maintained herposure and gave Raon the two boxes that she¡¯d been holding. Raon opened the first box. Lavasiri''s Heart was emanating an intense heat¡ªas if it were still alive. ¡®It¡¯s the real thing. And¡­¡¯ He raised the lid of the second box. Extreme coldness engulfed his finger alongside a creaking sound. The frozen energy wasing from the blue apple inside the box. ¡°It¡¯s the Millennial Frost Flower.¡± The Thespian Emperor twisted her lips while saying that it should be good enough to be taken alongside Lavasiri''s Heart. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon bobbed his finger towards the area under the arena. ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian was rubbing the part he¡¯d gotten hit during his match, briskly standing up upon seeing his signal before entering the arena. Raon created an aura barrier and quietly spoke with Dorian before he nodded. ¡°Lady Ariel, I¡¯m sorry to say this¡­¡± Raon walked up to the Thespian Emperor and lowered his voice like a whisper. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be the right reward.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The Thespian Emperor furrowed her brow. ¡°I definitely heard that the reward was going to be an elixir of coldness at a simr rank as Lavasiri¡¯s Heart, but he says that this isn¡¯t that good.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­¡± Raon pointed at Dorian as he spoke. Dorian widened his eyes like a surprised herbivore. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s eyes rapidly rolled towards Dorian. ¡°Who is he¡­?¡± ¡°He is the quartermaster of the Light Wind division, and the sessor of the Sephia Company.¡± Raon smiled faintly while revealing Dorian¡¯s identity. ¡°Sephia¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor swallowed nervously as soon as she heard about Dorian¡¯s identity. ¡°Sephia¡¯s sessor says that fire elixirs are rather expensive nowadays, and this Millennial Frost Flower isn¡¯t as worthy. What do you think about that?¡± Raon lowered Lavasiri¡¯s Heart in one hand and raised the Millennial Frost Flower on the other hand as if his hands were a scale. ¡°I heard that the Sephia Company has recently spread their wings¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I also heard that they are one of the top threepanies nowadays.¡± ¡°It must be true if their sessor said that.¡± Dorian¡¯s status had worked on the spectators, and they started to think that the Millennial Frost Flower wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Three lines were drawn on the Thespian Emperor¡¯s forehead. Her neck trembled violently before she opened her subspace once again and handed over a blue bead. ¡°It¡¯s an elixir called the Radiant Purity Pill. This should be enough, as its coldness doesn¡¯t lose to the Millennial Frost Flower.¡± Every single word she spoke sounded like she was growling while grinding her teeth as she gave away the Radiant Purity Pill. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s so generous of you.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully and nodded. He opened the lids of the three boxes and lifted them towards the spectators. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°Light Wind division! Light Wind division! Light Wind division!¡± ¡°This is the Six Kings! The Five Divine Orders aren¡¯t a big deal!¡± The spectatorspletely forgot about the Demonde trying to call him a coward and kept shouting Raon and the Light Wind division¡¯s names. Raon gave the elixir boxes to Dorian and bowed to the Thespian Emperor. ¡°Thank you for inviting us and giving me so many gifts.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re wee. You¡¯ve earned them, after all.¡± ¡°I had a fun time.¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s face turned visibly pale as Raon dered that he had fun. The anger she¡¯d been suppressing seemed to be erupting. ¡®Well, that¡¯s normal.¡¯ Her uncontroble rage was unavoidable since he¡¯d snatched the fame and the elixirs that they¡¯d prepared for their disciples through the fighting contest. ¡°Hey! It was an excellent match!¡± Raon could hear the Demon ying Spear shouting from above the tform. He wasn¡¯t right in the head either, considering how much he was cheering even though his disciple was thoroughly beaten up. The Queen of Swords next to him was still looking down with an iprehensible expression on her face. Raon looked at the Demonde. He was biting his lip with a pale face. ¡°Thank you for your work, Demonde.¡± Raon raised his chin towards the Demonde and sneered. ¡°Grr¡­¡± The Demonde¡¯s hand slowly approached his waist. However, it came to a halt before it reached his sword and didn¡¯t move anymore. ¡®He¡¯s not attacking. How unfortunate.¡¯ Raon was thinking that the Demonde might start attacking because he was mentally unstable despite his excellent might, but he was unfortunately not stupid enough for that. Raon nodded at the Thespian Emperor and the Demonde before leaving the arena. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian was left behind, drenched in cold sweat as he shoved the elixir boxes into his belly pocket. ¡°I only told him that I don¡¯t know those elixirs, but why¡­?¡± The Thespian Emperor¡¯s face turnedpletely red as she heard Dorian¡¯s murmur. She violently ground her teeth while looking at Raon, who was already under the arena. ¡®Seriously, that bastard!¡¯ * * * * * * Are you really human? Wrath gasped while ncing behind him. Don¡¯t you have one of those scammers from heaven as your ancestor? How did youe up with that scam in that situation?! His thick chin was trembling as he asked how Raon even thought about using Dorian¡¯s name in that situation. ¡®I was just lucky.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly. He¡¯d decided to try it out because he remembered Dorian¡¯s status when he was calling on him to store the elixir, and it just happened to work. He didn¡¯t have anything else to say because he¡¯d just gotten lucky. Thinking about the Thespian Emperor¡¯s reddening face brought a smile to his face. Raon went towards the temporary medical ward while feeling refreshed in his heart. Runaan and Martha were still lying unconscious. Raon examined them through his aura perception and could tell that their serious injuries had already healed. Ice Cream Girl and Beef Girl are both okay. Wrath nodded after he examined Martha and Runaan. Raon felt relieved since he was trustworthy when it came to that kind of thing. However, it shall take some time until Beef Girl wakes up. ¡®Why?¡¯ She¡¯s suddenly surpassed her realm. She needs some time to put it together for herself. ¡®I guess I was the same.¡¯ Raon nodded. After all, he¡¯d also experienced the same thing. ¡®I never expected to see this thug be a Master.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while looking at Martha. She¡¯d picked a fight like a punk at the very first encounter, yet she¡¯d learned to cherish herpanions and had be a Master. That fact felt curious and overwhelmed him with joy at the same time. Raon looked at Runaan, who was sleeping soundly. ¡®The same goes for her.¡¯ Just like Martha, Runaan couldn¡¯t get along with people. She used to fear blood because of Syria¡¯s brainwashing, yet she had grown up so much, and she even learned techniques aimed at protecting herpanions. Raon felt proud of her. You are the same. ¡®Me?¡¯ You also used to be a misfit, unable to get along with humans. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon nodded peacefully while looking at Wrath. ¡®I¡¯ve got to learn a bit more about what it is to be a human.¡¯ Because he¡¯d been a brainwashed assassin in his previous life, he didn¡¯t know why family, friends, andpanions were precious. He¡¯d believed that it was just a meaningless illusion. However, his opinion had changed during his new life. Sylvia and the annex building¡¯s maids had taught him what it meant to be a family, and the Light Wind division had taught him how precious friends andpanions were. Raon wanted to be even nicer to them in the future because all of them were precious people to him. Raon smiled gently and left the medical ward. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°Raon! Good job!¡± ¡°Vice division leader, you were literally the sword god!¡± ¡°Raon, damn handsome! Raon, damn handsome!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen apuded him while shouting that he was amazing. ¡°You know that, right?¡± Raon raised his chin while looking at the Light Wind division. ¡°You aren¡¯t the ones who won. I¡¯m the one who won.¡± The Light Wind division¡¯s faces turned pale upon hearing that. ¡°Your pathetic behavior left me no choice but to act.¡± ¡°B-but all of them were Masters. What could we even do¡­?¡± ¡°Focus enhancement training is waiting for all of you as soon as we return.¡± Raon shook his hand and pointed at the Light Wind division. ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t even get to fight!¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Did anyone tell you to not fight?¡± ¡°You did!¡± ¡°Anyway, prepare to return.¡± Raon ignored his im and turned around. What¡­? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched the Light Wind division¡¯s desperate state. You just said that you would be nicer to them! Why are you breaking your resolve in less than ten seconds?! You crazy bastard! * * * After Raon ordered the Light Wind division to return to the lodgings and wait there, he looked to his right. A red-haired elf sitting on a temporary table was counting the gold coins piled up on the ground while drooling from his mouth. Raon quietly sighed and walked up to Rimmer. ¡°Did you win a lot?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh! Wee, god of fortune.¡± Rimmer grinned while carrying the sack full of gold on his shoulder. His radiant face revealed his pleasure from bing a nouveau riche again after a while. ¡°Seeing you fills me up more than any meal could!¡± He patted Raon¡¯s shoulder while praising him. ¡°It was getting more and more difficult to make a profit as you got famous, but I¡¯m d you came up with that idea of a three-on-one match!¡± Rimmer grinned while saying that he¡¯d earned more than eight times the original sum. ¡°Can you give the godly tablet back?¡± Raon pointed at Zieghart¡¯s emblem on Rimmer¡¯s chest. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± He grinned and took off the godly tablet, which was proof of who the representative was, and returned it to him. Raon checked it out just in case, and it wasn¡¯t a fake. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t lie to you about it since I made so much money.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, telling him to not worry about it. Raon¡¯s hand was still extended even though he¡¯d already gotten the tablet. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°You also need to pay your tribute.¡± ¡°Tr-tribute?¡± ¡°Since you took advantage of my name, you should pay the price for my name.¡± He bobbed his finger at the gold sack on Rimmer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You are going to lose it all anyway.¡± ¡°Wow, you are so ruthless. I¡¯ve seen all kinds of people before, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone like you!¡± ¡°Same goes for me. I¡¯ve never seen an elf like you before, division leader.¡± ¡°Haa!¡± Rimmer sighed and took out the money from the gold sack. Raon narrowed his eyes while epting Rimmer¡¯s gold coins. ¡®This is still strange.¡¯ Rimmer normally didn¡¯t give away money so easily. His behavior was awkward because he was immediately giving it away when he should¡¯ve been pleading for it. ¡®Most importantly¡­ I can still feel his wrath.¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s mind was still unstable even though he¡¯d won so much money. Raon could feel a sticky wrath in his heart. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ You are right. He is still burning with wrath. Wrath nodded and confirmed his suspicion. ¡°Division leader.¡± Raon walked up to Rimmer and briefly licked his lips. ¡°Hey, let me have some, too. If you take any more than this¡­¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of the saying, sharing happiness doubles it while sharing sadness halves it?¡± ¡°Well, I did¡­¡± He widened his eyes in surprise at the sudden statement. ¡°I felt even better when the Light Wind division congratted me than when I won the match. I realized that the saying was true when that happened.¡± Raon smiled faintly and looked at Rimmer. ¡°I know I¡¯m still not trustworthy enough, but sharing the sadness should halve it. Please tell me if you have anything to discuss with me¡ªany time at all.¡± Raon bowed at him and left the spectator seats. Did you really grill those poor people when you were in a good mood? You must seriously have a problem with your head. Get yourself checked¡­ ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he shouted about how a human being could be scolded for his personality by a demon king and left the training ground. [You seriously got lucky with your disciple.] Rimmer nodded peacefully while listening to Sheryl¡¯s aura message. ¡°¡­Yes. He is too good for me.¡± Chapter 492 Chapter 492 The Light Wind division was gathered in front of the training ground at their lodgings because of Raon¡¯s order. ¡°Why is our vice division leader gathering us at thiste hour?¡± Krein frowned while rubbing the soil on the ground with his foot. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dorian didn¡¯t say anything and rubbed his belly pocket with his trembling lips. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the Thespian Emperor going to kill me?¡± He started to bite his nails, saying that he was anxious because of how he was used to mock the Thespian Emperor in the arena. ¡°She knows it was the vice division leader¡¯s doing. She shouldn¡¯t even be paying attention to you.¡±Krein patted Dorian¡¯s shoulder and reassured him. ¡°¡­The problem is this meeting. I wonder why he asked us to gather.¡± ¡°He is really difficult to understand.¡± ¡°Maybe he learned a martial art that makes him more insane the stronger he gets.¡± ¡°That might be true. No, that¡¯s the only way to exin his realm!¡± ¡°Ugh, I hate focus enhancement training!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen sighed while saying that Raon was bing more and more vicious the stronger he got. ¡°But he still cares about us the most.¡± Burren smiled faintly whileing in front of the swordsmen. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, all of us would¡¯ve been a few ranks lower than we currently are.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that fact, of course.¡± ¡°On top of that, I wouldn¡¯t even be here if it wasn¡¯t for the vice division leader.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve been shredded by the Blood Raving Demon¡­¡± ¡°He is indeed my benefactor who I have to repay with my life, but I still don¡¯t like focus enhancement training¡­¡± The swordsmen shook their heads, saying that they were well aware of Raon¡¯s consideration, but it still didn¡¯t change their opinion about focus enhancement training. While everyone was expressing their anxiety about what was going to happen next, the front door opened and Raon made his entrance. ¡°Why are you so nervous?¡± Raon casually walked up to them and stood in front of Burren. ¡°Because we can¡¯t guess what you are about to do.¡± Burren scratched his nose after taking a nce at the Light Wind division standing behind him. ¡°Stop thinking useless things. Did you watch me properly when I was fighting in the arena?¡± ¡°I saw everything. I didn¡¯t even blink as I did. However¡­¡± He licked his lips and voiced his concerns once again. ¡°I still can¡¯t understand even though I¡¯ve seen it. The memory is still vivid for some reason though¡­¡± Burren shook his head, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand much of the fight because it was too high level for him. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Burren. ¡°You will be able to make it your own one day as long as it remains in your memory.¡± When Raon was fighting the disciples of the Five Divine Orders, he¡¯d mainly used the swift and precise swords on purpose, intending to leave a deep impression on Burren since they were his specialties. Those memories would be extremely helpful for Burren in oveing the Master¡¯s wall. ¡°Show me what you¡¯ve learned today. Even a small detail is fine.¡± Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive with a frightening smile on his face. ¡°Huh? Right now?¡± ¡°Vent your frustration for being unable to enter the arena today.¡± Raon bobbed his finger as he spoke. ¡°It will be your turn next, Sir Mark Goetten. Please get ready.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Mark Goetten loudly responded right away with a smile on his face. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Burrenughed bitterly while cing his hand on the hilt of his de. ¡®Seriously. He is too kind.¡¯ Raon told them that he was going to kill them all the time, but his actions actually stemmed from kindness. He even felt like a teacher recently in addition to Rimmer. Burren felt nothing but gratitude towards him. ¡°Hey.¡± Raon looked at the Light Wind division. He furrowed his brow and mmed the sword on the ground. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± ¡°What?¡± Dorian stopped rubbing his belly pocket and widened his mouth. ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°All of you lost. I¡¯m asking why you are just standing there when you lost.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve practiced your technique at least ten times instead of just standing there like idiots. Stop hoping for the time to flow and repeat your techniques a hundred times.¡± The Light Wind division widened their mouths to the point of tearing. ¡°W-wait! We won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight if we practice one hundred times!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The moon is already in the sky!¡± ¡°Moreover, we are exhausted from the matches¡­¡± ¡°Do it or get buried.¡± Raon tapped on Heavenly Drive, which was embedded in the ground, with a frightening smile on his face. Burren chuckled while watching Raon bark at the Light Wind division. ¡®I don¡¯t even know if I should call him cruel or kind¡­¡¯ * * * * * * The moonlight was hiding behind thete visit of the clouds, but Zieghart¡¯s lodgings were still bright. Raon stared at the dark night sky before he lowered his gaze. ¡°Haap!¡± Mark Goetten was charging at him with a loud shout of concentration, astral energy swirling around his saber as it sliced through the wind. It felt as though the very air in the entire area was bursting out. Wham! Raon forced his left thigh forward. He amplified the strength of his muscles to push the ground and sh down with Heavenly Drive. The almost wless harmony between his body and aura turned the simple strike into a supreme martial art. aang! A thundering sound resounded throughout the space from the sh between the sword and saber. Mark Goetten was unable to withstand the tremendous power of Heavenly Drive and was pushed back while leaving a thick trace on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡± Mark Goetten gritted his teeth and kicked the ground. His saber soared to pierce the sky and then fell while distorting the space. The way the saber strike split horizontally to amplify its speed and power made it look like a lightning strike. ¡°Not bad.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shed upwards from the ground. The flower bud of frost bloomed from the tip of his sword and unleashed a curved radiance like the crescent moon. Whaack! Mark Goetten¡¯s saber strike was destroyed by Frost Pond, and his ck uniform, exposed to the coldness, crumbled away like a dry leaf. ¡°Huff.¡± He breathed roughly and fell to his knee. It must¡¯ve been quite a blow for him. ¡°¡­I lost.¡± He admitted his defeat and raised his head once again, yet his expression was bright. No sign of regret could be seen. Raon smiled softly while looking into Mark Goetten¡¯s eyes, which had changed as much as his might. ¡®He¡¯s going to surpass the wall towards the intermediate soon.¡¯ It was the wall that had always blocked Mark Goetten¡¯s path like a curse, but it had be thin enough to be shattered. Raon could guess that he just needed a small opportunity to advance to the level of intermediate Master. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡¯ It brought a smile to his face to think about what kind of expression Mark Goetten was going to make when he reached a new realm despite how he¡¯d been stuck at the novice level for dozens of years. ¡°Thank you for your efforts.¡± Raon showed the courtesy of a duel towards Mark Goetten and looked to his right. Burren was wiping his sweat from his forehead while sitting on the ground. ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°This is enough for me. I¡¯ve vented it enough.¡± Burren shook his head while saying that he¡¯d gotten enough. He seemed to have vented all the frustration for being unable to fight from sparring until past midnight. ¡°Young master! Spar with me too!¡± Yua raised her hand while running towards him. ¡°M-me too!¡± Yulius came next to Yua while being careful about his attitude. Raon leaned forward to meet their eyes. ¡°Yua, did you see anything from the spar just now?¡± ¡°Hmm, I couldn¡¯t see anything because the sword was too fast, but I heard it instead.¡± Yua nodded while cing her finger on her chin. ¡°You heard it?¡± ¡°Yes. You were swinging your sword each time Mister Mark Goetten¡¯s pace was thrown off. No, maybe you were throwing him off.¡± She blinked, saying that she could hear his breath being interrupted nonstop. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped at Yua¡¯s confident deration. ¡®So this is Yua¡¯s talent after all.¡¯ Yua was also talented in martial arts, but her real talent seemed to be her voice and hearing ability. He had never thought she¡¯d hear the interruption of breath. ¡°Yulius.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yulius straightened his back and came to attention. ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± He took a nce at Yua before his lips parted once again. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it felt like the vice division leader was swinging his sword in a simr way to the third team leader and Sir Mark.¡± ¡°In a simr way?¡± ¡°Yes. It felt like you were using the same principles to teach them during the spar.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon smiled while watching Yulius¡¯s shoulders tremble nervously. ¡®He¡¯s gotten better at seeing things, too.¡¯ Yulius was right. Raon wasn¡¯t simply pushing Burren and Mark Goetten in the previous spars¡ªhe was showing them their most used principles to elerate their growth. Yulius had watched without missing that aspect. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to his future, too.¡¯ Both Yua and Yulius were nurturing their talents on top of their martial arts, which made Raon look forward to their futures. He could understand why Eden was trying so hard to take them away. ¡®The Light Wind division is going to be even more powerful in the future.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just Mark Goetten, Yua, and Yulius. The original members were also improving every day. Raon couldn¡¯t wait for the day when the Light Wind division¡¯s fame would soar even higher into the sky. ¡°Good job, both of you. But let¡¯s wait until you grow up a bit more before we start sparring.¡± Raon patted Yua and Yulius¡¯s heads with a smile. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± They smiled happily at thepliment before they went away. ¡°Stop.¡± Raon gestured with his hand towards the Light Wind division behind Yua and Yulius. ¡°Huaaah!¡± ¡°Aww!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m dying¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen gathered in the training ground while gasping for breath because they¡¯d been practicing the same techniques over and over at full power. ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°S-see what?¡± Krein and Dorian widened their eyes in bewilderment. The other swordsmen also shook their heads, unable toprehend his question. Raon furrowed his brow while pointing at Yua and Yulius. ¡°I¡¯m asking you the same question that I¡¯ve asked Yua and Yulius. What did you feel while watching my spar against Burren and Sir Mark?¡± ¡°How were we even supposed to watch that?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We were fully focused on swinging our swords!¡± ¡°We had no room to spare to watch your spar!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen shook their heads, telling Raon to stop saying nonsense. ¡°This vice division leader is disappointed in you.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue while standing in front of the Light Wind division. ¡°As long as you have the will to improve, you should¡¯ve found what you could learn from those spars even during your practice.¡± ¡°What? That''s nonsense¡­¡± ¡°Am I wrong? Nothing is impossible as long as you have the will.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen couldn¡¯t argue against him, simply biting their lips because they¡¯d witnessed Raon defeating three highest-level Masters on his own that same day. ¡°We should just acknowledge it.¡± Krein sighed and nodded. ¡°You are right, our omnipotent vice division lead¡ªCough!¡± Krein started to make a sarcastic deration, but Raon kicked him away and looked at the Light Wind division once again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°M-me too! I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t watch it properly!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t miss it ever again!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen immediately bowed as they witnessed Krein getting beaten up. ¡°Since everyone acknowledged it, let¡¯s proceed with a temporary focus enhancement training.¡± Raon smiled while thanking them for their voluntary participation. ¡°H-how is this happening?¡± ¡°¡­I just witnessed a demon.¡± ¡°No, we witnessed a demon king¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s chins trembled, their faces pale. ¡°He is damn handsome even when he is being a bully¡­¡± Encia smiled happily while rapidly pressing the camera¡¯s button to the point where her finger couldn¡¯t be seen. It looked like she was fine with whatever Raon was doing. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon scratched his cheek while listening to the sound of the camera clicking away. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to your room, Lady Encia?¡± ¡°Of course I won¡¯t! This is the perfect opportunity to take pictures all night long!¡± Encia shook her head, saying that there weren¡¯t many opportunities to take arge amount of A-rank pictures. ¡°You all, make the preparations for the training.¡± Raon sighed and walked up to Runaan, who was lying next to Encia. She was still sound asleep. ¡°Runaan.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Runaan?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t reacting. It looked like she was still unconscious. ¡°I bought some ice cream for you earlier.¡± Runaan suddenly opened her eyes as soon as he said it. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her pupils shivered upon noticing that Raon had nothing in his hands. ¡°You lied to me¡­¡± Runaan pouted with a frown, which was a rare thing for her to do. She then looked around as if she¡¯d remembered something. ¡°How is Martha?¡± She was worried about Martha as soon as she woke up. It was a reaction that she would¡¯ve never made in the past. ¡°She is still asleep. Don¡¯t worry about her¡ªshe is putting her enlightenment together.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan was finally relieved and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let you pass for today.¡± Raon tapped on Runaan¡¯s forehead and shook his hand to gesture for her to return to her room and sleep. ¡°Now then¡­¡± Ice cream! Wrath, who¡¯d been sleeping on his head, suddenly stood up and shook his fat belly. Where is the ice cream?! ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ * * * At the spire located at the center of Banneret, the Five Divine Orders¡¯ city. Sheryl sighed briefly while looking at the Thespian Emperor¡¯s mansion while hiding in the night¡¯s darkness. ¡®Thespian Emperor¡­ What are you nning?¡¯ The Thespian Emperor has been continuously humiliated by Raon ever since she visited Zieghart. The fame she wanted to have had be Raon¡¯s, leaving the Five Divine Orders with nothing but disinterest and mockery. However, she wasn¡¯t making any moves even though her n had been destroyedpletely and it was as clear as the sky who was the perpetrator. ¡®I thought she would have an outburst this time¡­¡¯ Sheryl was expecting the Thespian Emperor¡¯s patience to finally run out when Raon defeated all four disciples of the Five Divine Orders and even received the elixirs for himself from winning the contest. Even though she had reached transcendence, she was bound to start losing her mind after so many humiliations. That was why Sheryl was ready to jump into action while staying near Raon. ¡®But she suppressed her urge. Not only that, but she even stopped the Demonde.¡¯ The Thespian Emperor couldn¡¯t hide her emotions, but she still endured it until the very end and even stopped the Demonde from rampaging. Sheryl couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d reacted that way. The Thespian Emperor had wanted the reputation of the Six Kings ever since she¡¯d visited Zieghart. Sheryl couldn¡¯t understand what she was waiting for when all her ns had gone awry. ¡®There must be an objective.¡¯ There was no way she would remain that patient unless there was something extremely important to achieve. It was clear that she had a goal, but Sheryl couldn¡¯t figure out what that goal was. ¡®We will have to keep a close watch on her even after the festival.¡¯ Someone who was simply powerful posed no threat, but someone who wasn¡¯t using their power despite being powerful was. She figured she should increase the danger level of the Thespian Emperor by a lot. Sheryl silently watched the Thespian Emperor¡¯s mansion while letting the report for Zieghart fly into the wind. ¡®Haa, I should return¡­¡¯ Just as she was about to return to her lodgings, She noticed a small movement in the bushes next to the Zieghart mansion. She lowered her posture and prepared to jump in when a young kangaroo leaped out from the bushes. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Sherylughed bitterly as she straightened her back. ¡°A kangaroo, huh?¡± * * * Ariel returned to her office, leaned back on the sofa, and nearly reclined. She remained in ce with her eyes closed for a while before she raised her head and quietly sighed. ¡°Nothing goes well whenever he is involved.¡± Whenever things were going ording to her n, Raon suddenly appeared to ruin everything. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the loss she¡¯d suffered because of him was astronomical. ¡®I feel suffocated¡ªlike I have an upset stomach.¡¯ The long-awaited day was near. The losses were going to be tremendous if Raon became a hindrance once again, and she wanted to stop that from happening no matter what. Ariel came to a decision and tucked up her coat. She took out a booklet from her thigh and ced it on the table. The cover featured a drawing of a sun and a moon, each changing color depending on the angle of view. ¡®This is too valuable, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ If a problem urred on that day, it would be monumental, making the losses so far seem insignificant byparison. Since she couldn¡¯t tell how and where Raon was going to interfere, she figured she needed to properly check the heaven¡¯s flow. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She calmly caught her breath and bit her finger. The blood flowing from the small cut dripped onto a white page. Drip. The page was as white as a snow field, but a faint wave urred from it as if it had be ake. The blood slowly started to spread throughout the nk page. Ariel closed her eyes and opened her upper energy center. The white circuit, the mana circuit connecting heaven to humans, opened up, and the world¡¯s flow approached her until it was close enough to be grasped. She ignored the sun and moon, and the countless humans that existed between them, and elerated the throbbing of her upper energy center while remaining focused solely on Raon Zieghart. The unleashed power of her soul and the booklet gradually turning dark resonated with each other, and the blood filling the paper started to dance by itself. Ariel raised her eyebrows while removing Raon Zieghart from her mental world. She lowered her gaze to check the booklet, and her eyes wavered like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Chapter 493 Chapter 493 Whap. The drops of blood freely floating around the white page created a grotesque figure. It looked like a human, but it wasn¡¯t. The face was dark, with a frightening glimmer shining from its eyes, and long horns, spiraled like a turban shell, protruded from its head. The blood came to a halt in the middle of drawing the strange figure. It started to tremble violently, like a terrified animal, and struggled to escape from the page. Rip! The blood concentrated on the corners. The paper was eventually torn apart from the intensifying vibration, and the blood flowed outside the booklet. Blood seeped between the severed pages. It looked like a window smashed by a bloody hand. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ariel swallowed nervously while looking at the frightening pattern engraved on the booklet.Her hands trembled in fright as a chill ran down her spine. ¡®¡­How is that even possible?¡¯ The booklet was called the Sacred Tome of Sun and Moon. It was an ancient artifact that allowed her to foresee heaven¡¯s flow by inserting humans between the flow of the sun and moon, and Raon¡¯s future should¡¯ve been written like a song if it had functioned correctly. The blood drawing a picture and tearing the page by rampaging around had never happened before. ¡®It looked terrified¡­¡¯ Instead of writing the song of prophecy, the blood was afraid of the existence called Raon and rampaged to escape from the paper. Her hair stood on end, for even the original owner of the book had never mentioned anything like that happening. Ariel raised her bloody hand and turned the Sacred Tome of Sun and Moon¡¯s page back. ¡®I¡¯ve even read about Glenn Zieghart. How is it possible that I can¡¯t read Raon Zieghart?¡¯ She had used the Sacred Tome of Sun and Moon before going to Zieghart in order to predict what would happen there and decide on her course of action. She couldn¡¯t believe that she couldn¡¯t see Raon¡¯s picture when the book had properly shown the lyrics about Glenn¡¯s reaction. ¡®Moreover, I was focused on Raon Zieghart.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t trying to learn about the continent¡¯s future, nor was she investigating the Heavenly Demon. Her target was just a greenhorn who was still a Master, yet the result was far too surprising, and she couldn¡¯t think straight. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Ariel exhaled a rough breath and read the lyrics that were written before her visit at Zieghart. ¡®ording to this prophecy, I should¡¯ve left that ce with Zieghart¡¯s name supporting me.¡¯ Raon Zieghart. He was the bastard who had ruined everything. Because the Sacred Tome of Sun and Moon had never failed to predict the future before, she¡¯d thought it was because of Glenn Zieghart¡¯s transcendental power. ¡®But that wasn¡¯t the case.¡¯ Raon¡¯s visit had caused an issue in the conference, where she should¡¯ve been able to absorb the neutral factions. The fighting contest that should¡¯ve given her fame only ended up raising Raon¡¯s reputation to the sky. The reason the Sacred Tome of Sun and Moon¡¯s prediction ended up being wrong was because it couldn¡¯t read what Raon Zieghart was hiding. Grit. Ariel loudly ground her teeth. ¡®Of course the future changed. Heaven''s flow couldn¡¯t read him.¡¯ She usually used the Sacred Tome of Sun and Moon to predict the overall situation and prepare for the future. That was why it was normal that everything had gone awry since she couldn¡¯t read about Raon. ¡®But why am I unable to see his future?¡¯ The Sacred Tome of Sun and Moon was capable of reading even Glenn Zieghart¡¯s future, someone who was called the strongest in the continent. That was why she couldn¡¯t believe that it couldn¡¯t read Raon, who was nothing but dirt inparison. ¡®And what was that demonic shape that appeared in the beginning, and the reason even the blood was terrified?¡¯ She was frustrated because she couldn¡¯t get any answers. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Ariel bit her lip and pressed on the table. ¡®He is also going to influence the next incident.¡¯ Getting the Six Kings¡¯ name on her back, absorbing the neutral factions, and gaining a reputation through the fighting tournament was important, but the biggest incident hadn¡¯t happened yet. Since the Five Divine Orders were finally going to be settled after that incident, she couldn¡¯t afford any issue for that. Ariel locked her fingers and narrowed her eyes. ¡®Should I kill him now?¡¯ Killing him before any problems could ur seemed to be the best solution, but it was too dangerous. It was going to end in vain if Glenn made his move. ¡®Alright. I don¡¯t need to push myself that hard.¡¯ Unlike the previous incidents, might was the most important factor for the next one. Since Raon hadn¡¯t even reached the realm of Grandmaster, there was practically zero chance that he could mess up the uing event. ¡®But it could still happen¡­¡¯ Ariel sighed while pressing her palm to her forehead. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She massaged her heated temple while chewing on her lip. ¡°He really is a troublesome guy.¡± * * * Zieghart Lord¡¯s Manor Audience Chamber ¡°This damned bastard did it again!¡± Glenn furrowed his brow while reading the report. His hands were trembling violently from his intense anger as he held the document. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chad, who had brought the report to him, swallowed nervously as he watched Glenn. ¡°The Light Wind division leader must¡¯ve yed another prank.¡± Roenn smiled gently. It looked like he could guess the reason for his anger. ¡°What¡¯s written this time?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a single line. It¡¯s written ¡®Raon¡¯s mess was a great sess! The Thespian Emperor is so disappointed! Wow!¡¯¡­¡± Glenn closed his eyes and burnt the report he was holding without even leaving ashes behind. ¡°The exmation marks are the most irritating part.¡± ¡°Huhuhu!¡± Roennughed bitterly. He sounded like he didn¡¯t expect it to be that bad. ¡°I¡¯m wondering what the most satisfying way to kill him would be.¡± Glenn sighed and tapped on the throne¡¯s armrest. ¡°But it¡¯s still better than when he used to live like a corpse, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but he is going too far. He is seriously too extreme.¡± He sighed and spread the second report ced on the right. It was the real report, sent by Sheryl. ¡°She is so different.¡± Glenn nodded in satisfaction upon seeing that there were more than four pages of the report. However, his eyes started to p like a bee¡¯s wings as soon as he spread the third page. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Thick wrinkles appeared on his brow. ¡°My lord?¡± Roenn¡¯s eyes widened. It had been a long time since thest time he¡¯d seen Glenn so angry. He was curious about what was written there to make him react like that. ¡°Wh-why¡­?¡± Chad¡¯s jaw also dropped in surprise. ¡°It says that Raon won against three highest-level Masters in the fighting contest. He used the second technique of the Azure Sky Sword, and¡­¡± Glenn continued along with a painful breath. ¡°He dered to the Five Divine Orders¡¯ disciples that ¡®You won¡¯t reach my sky¡¯.¡± Glenn mmed the throne, regretting not attending the event. The armrest, repaired countless times, crumbled once more into powder. ¡°How could I miss that scene?!¡± Crimson lightning rampaged above his hand, showing that he was frustrated from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Err¡­¡± Chad¡¯s jaw had dropped so far that it looked like it could never return to normal. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± On the other hand, Roennughed gently. ¡°That is indeed regrettable.¡± He licked his lips. It looked like he wanted to see Raon in action just like Glenn. ¡°It¡¯s all because of those damned Five Demons¡­¡± While Glenn was grinding his teeth, a small piece of paper fell from the report¡¯s envelope. ¡°Hmm?¡± Roenn started to pick up the piece of paper and suddenly widened his eyes. ¡°M-my lord! Look at this!¡± He leaped onto the tform and handed out the paper to Glenn. ¡°R-Raon?¡± Glenn dropped his jaw upon seeing the paper. A vivid picture of Raon was drawn on it. In fact, rather than a mere drawing, it appeared as though the real Raon was embedded on it. ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± ¡°It says on the back that it¡¯s a picture. It¡¯s apparently drawn by an artifact made by the youngest daughter of House Yonaan.¡± Roenn read the exnation written on the picture. ¡°Huh!¡± Glenn stared nkly at a picture for a while before he briskly stood up. ¡°My lord?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t time to be standing around.¡± ¡°Where are you going¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to ask Vulcan to make a frame. It needs to be an unbreakable frame.¡± He descended from the tform, embracing the picture with utmost care. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Chad¡¯s lips trembled violently. ¡®Ask Vulcan to make a frame?¡¯ Vulcan, a second-to-none cksmith in the continent who had forged Glenn¡¯s Heavenly Tremor and Raon¡¯s Heavenly Drive. Glenn was apparently going to ask the continent¡¯s cksmith to make a frame, which wasplete insanity. ¡°My lord!¡± Roenn sighed quietly while looking at Glenn. ¡®Yes, stop him!¡¯ Chad nodded at Roenn. It was a signal to please stop him, but what Roenn said waspletely unexpected. ¡°How about using orcon as material? That will make it unbreakable.¡± Chad was expecting Roenn to stop Glenn, but he was making an even worse suggestion of making the frame with a metal that was second-to-none in hardness. ¡°Good idea.¡± Glenn nodded and ran outside the audience chamber. ¡°I knew it.¡± Chad gasped while watching Glenn and Roenn¡¯s backs. ¡®Raon Zieghart holds the real authority within this household¡­¡¯ * * * * * * Raon went out to the training ground before the sun rose. Because of the harsh training from the day before, everyone was still sleeping, and the entire mansion was quiet. Yaaawn¡­ Wrath raised his head while yawning like a crocodile. Don¡¯t you ever feel sleepy? He shot him a sharp, piercing re. You can get stronger and remove your fatigue just from sleeping. Why are you going out of your way to suffer?! ¡®I¡¯ve slept enough.¡¯ Thanks to the improved effect of Sloth, he could gain a significant amount of stats without even sleeping that much. Since the fatigue was also removed more quickly, there was no reason to sleep for that long. Ugh¡­ Wrath waved his clenched fist in the air. That damned doormat! The King of Essence is going to make him unable to sleep for the rest of his life when he gets a chance! He furrowed his brow while calling Sloth the demon king of doormats. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while watching Wrath. He wanted to say that Wrath was the real demon king of doormat, but he suppressed his urge because he didn¡¯t want to argue first thing in the morning. ¡®But it¡¯s not just advantageous. There¡¯s a drawback too.¡¯ Drawback? ¡®Yes. It¡¯s difficult to get out of bed.¡¯ He¡¯d been feeling drowsy andzy, probably because of Sloth¡¯s effect. He would¡¯ve immediately gotten out of bed in the past, but it took him five seconds before he could open his eyes after Sloth was unlocked. Five seconds? Five freaking seconds? Wrath tilted his chin while shoving his face onto him. What difference does it even make?! Humans are normally supposed to be one with the bed with that much sloth! You can even put up with the King of Essence¡¯s wrath. What¡¯s wrong with your willpower?! He shouted, asking how it was even possible that Raon could endure the demon kings¡¯ emotions. ¡®I wonder.¡¯ The answer was obviously the Ring of Fire and power of the soul that he¡¯d inherited from his previous life, but he simply shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Just as Raon was about to unsheathe his sword to start his practice, a small presence approached the front door. He focused on the footsteps and noticed that Denning Rose was approaching. ¡®What brings her here so early in the morning?¡¯ She knocked on the door, and Raon opened it for her. ¡°Ah, you were already awake.¡± Denning Rose lowered her head, apologizing for the early visit. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I was training anyway.¡± ¡°Are you already training after how much you bullied¡ªI mean, trained the swordsmen yesterday?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the natural thing to do.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her eyes widened, surprised by the fact that training was a natural thing to do. ¡°By the way, what brings you here so early?¡± ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± Denning Rose grabbed her sleeve and raised her eyes. ¡°The Five Demons have been suspicious recently.¡± ¡°The Five Demons?¡± ¡°Yes. The White Blood Religion and the ck Tower are meddling here and there, and their actions are erratic, making it difficult to anticipate their next moves. I heard the South-North Union has also opened a new waterway.¡± Wisdom emanated from her sole eye. ¡°It looks like the Five Divine Orders¡¯ festival got on their nerves. I rmend you leave right after the festival ends, since you are the target of many factions of the Five Demons.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, since I had an issue with four of them. I think the only one I haven¡¯t had an issue with is the Holy Sword Alliance.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the ck Tower¡¯s vice master were targeting him. Since he also had an issue with a senator of the South-North Union, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he was an enemy of them all except for the Holy Sword Alliance. ¡°That is because the Holy Sword Alliance hasn¡¯t appeared yet, but they are going to be the biggest issue once they do. Their sword demons can do anything to track down excellent swordsmen.¡± Denning Rose fidgeted while saying that the Holy Sword Alliance was actually the most dangerous among them. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon nodded while watching Denning Rose¡¯s hand. ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance was a group of hungry demons that craved swordsmanship. Since Raon could use the Azure Sky Sword and techniques that he¡¯d created himself, they were obviously going to chase him. ¡°Did youe here to tell me about them?¡± ¡°Yes. I thought I should tell you as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll heed your advice and leave right after the festival.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± Denning Rose smiled, saying that it was a natural thing to do, just like Raon¡¯s training. ¡°I¡¯ll be back after sunrise.¡± She nodded once again and left the lodgings. Raon saw Denning Rose off before he looked at the left wall. He could feel a presence right next to him. It was a presence that he was even more familiar with than Denning Rose. ¡®She is the only person around here, right?¡¯ Who else would be here so early in the morning¡­? Wrath shook his head, remarking that only they were crazy enough for such a thing. Tap! Raon lightly jumped over the wall and entered the alley. A small woman was blinking, as if she didn¡¯t have time to hide in the shadows. ¡°Ah?¡± Sheryl was the one who had been pressed against the wall so early in the morning. She wore a light traveling outfit, likely because the night camouge would have been too conspicuous, and her hair was dyed ck. ¡°Why are you¡­?¡± ¡°I came to check because I could feel a presence. Are you already on the move?¡± Raon created an aura barrier and walked up to Sheryl. ¡°I came here because you started to move. Aren¡¯t you ever tired, even when you trained your crew until dawn?¡± Sheryl shook her head, asking if he was tired. ¡°It has to be done.¡± He provided the identical response as he had to Denning Rose. ¡°I see.¡± Sheryl wasn¡¯t surprised, unlike Denning Rose. Her faint smile showed that she liked the answer. ¡°Yesterday''s match was great. It was so refreshing to see you take down those who were shamelessly doing whatever they pleased without a care in the world.¡± A satisfied smile appeared on Sheryl¡¯s face as she said that she hadn¡¯t seen such an enjoyable sight in a while. ¡°It¡¯s the minimum I should do as Zieghart¡¯s representative.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great!¡± Her smile deepened even further. ¡°The head of house would¡¯ve been proud of you if he had seen it.¡± ¡°He would?¡± Raon licked his lips. He felt like Glenn wasn¡¯t really going to be impressed with that much. ¡°He definitely would.¡± Sheryl patted his shoulder while saying that it was for sure. ¡°Hmm, I¡­¡± Just as Raon was about to tell her that he couldn¡¯t imagine Glenn being proud of him, Sheryl silenced him with a shushing gesture. She frowned intensely, and a knocking sound could be heard from the door. ¡°The great me has arrived!¡± It was Rimmer. He kicked the front door open and entered. It was unknown where he¡¯d been, but he waspletely drunk. ¡°That damned bastard¡­¡± Sheryl¡¯s fist was trembling. She looked like she wanted to smack him. Raonughed bitterly as he looked back and forth between Rimmer, who was just loafing around, and Sheryl, who¡¯d been protecting the Light Wind division without even sleeping. ¡®They are so different.¡¯ The Heavenly de division leader was Glenn¡¯s most trusted vassal, and her might was at the Grandmaster¡¯s realm. He felt gratitude and admiration towards her because she had been protecting his crew, despite their lower rankpared to hers, even though she held the highest position in Zieghart. The stark contrast with Rimmer, who was akin to a friend to her, only made her appear even more noble. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed to Sheryl, conveying his heartfelt gratitude. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Sheryl quickly blinked, unable to understand why he was bowing. ¡°Actually¡­¡± Just as he raised his head to exin, arge message appeared in front of his eyes.
[The trait Envy¡¯s ability has been unlocked.]
N-no! It¡¯s another damned doormat! Wrath, who had been blinking sleepily, suddenly erupted into screams. Chapter 494 Chapter 494 Raon gulped as he read the message saying that Envy had been unlocked. ¡®What does this have to do with envy?¡¯ He¡¯d obtained envy from Envy, but he¡¯d never really felt jealous of anyone. The assassin, who had once known only emptiness in his life, had since gained a family, a teacher, andpanions. Furthermore, he now had a purpose to pursue, even if it meant dedicating his entire life to it. That newfound sense of belonging and direction left no space for envy. ¡®I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to use this ability.¡¯ Since he was satisfied with his talent and position, he¡¯d believed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the ability at all, unlike Sloth, yet it was unexpectedly unlocked. Furthermore, Sheryl wasn''t the subject of jealousy but rather of admiration. He couldn¡¯t understand why that ability was activated in front of her out of all people. Raon furrowed his brow while thinking about the reason why envy was unlocked, and a new set of messages appeared.
[There¡¯s no emotion of Envy towards the target.]
[Envy¡¯s property is switched to Admiration.]
[It¡¯s possible to acquire the martial arts of Sheryl, the current target of Admiration.]
He could understand why Envy was unlocked as he faced Sheryl as soon as he read the next messages. ¡®The envy was applied as admiration.¡¯ The difference between envy and admiration was minimal. Both were feelings that involved coveting what someone else possessed, but envy was negative while admiration was positive. The system must¡¯ve used the emotion of admiration for his sake, as he wasn¡¯t jealous of anyone. ¡®Moreover¡­ Envy retained its function.¡¯ Wrath had previously told him that Envy¡¯s ability was to get stronger the more she was jealous of others. Just like her, Raon had gained an ability to quickly learn Sheryl¡¯s specialties due to his admiration for her. What the hell?! Wrath barked while ring at the message. Did hellfire hit your brain or what?! Why on earth are you behaving like that, you stupid system? Just stay idle! He shook his head violently while pulling on his hair. ¡®I know, right? I didn¡¯t think it would be so considerate.¡¯ Raon smiled happily while looking at the messages. ¡®It has an amazing performance. It¡¯s probably because it was made by the great monarch of wrath.¡¯ Ugh¡­ Half of Wrath¡¯s face was smiling over the rarepliment, and the other half was frowning, which created a strange expression. Shut up! However, it looked like his irritation prevailed in the end, and he started to punch while swearing. Why is everything going so well for you?! Why does heaven even exist? ¡®They say that heaven helps those who help themselves. It must be going well for me because I¡¯m working hard.¡¯ There¡¯s no one in the world who doesn¡¯t work hard! ¡®There¡¯s you. You alwaysin while doing nothing but idling around.¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath was left speechless, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. While Raon smiled at the flustered Wrath, Sheryl tilted her head. ¡°Raon?¡± She shook her hand in front of Raon¡¯s eyes, asking whether he was okay. ¡°Ah, excuse me.¡± Raon lowered his head at Sheryl and continued with what he was saying. ¡°I meant to thank you for protecting us like this, even though the Heavenly de division and the division leader are in a much higher position than us.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to say that between members of the house. There¡¯s no difference in rank between division leaders.¡± Sheryl shook her head, telling him to stop minding such a trivial matter. Her tone was brusque, yet it tugged at his heartstrings. The system wasn¡¯t wrong. She was more than worthy of his admiration. ¡®In that case, there¡¯s something I need to confirm.¡¯ When Envy was unlocked, it had stated that he¡¯d gained an ability to quickly acquire the specialty of the target of his admiration. Since it had announced Sheryl as the target, it was necessary to find out what her specialty was. ¡®I¡¯m sure she can do anything, but she must be specialized at something.¡¯ Sheryl was proficient enough at all aspects of martial arts, to the point where she could teach all kinds of principles, but she didn¡¯t practice the versatile sword. It was necessary to figure out what her specialty was since she must¡¯ve been focused on something. ¡°This might be sudden, but can I ask a question?¡± Raon took a step towards Sheryl, who was leaning against the wall. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Sheryl nodded, telling him to ask her anything he wanted. ¡°I believe you are proficient in most swordsmanship styles. Is there any particr style you are most confident in?¡± ¡°That really is a sudden question.¡± Sheryl chuckled. She was probably interpreting his question as an interest in her since she didn¡¯t exactly look displeased. ¡°You must¡¯ve seen it before, but twin des are my real weapons.¡± That was true. There was only one sword equipped on Sheryl¡¯s back, but it separated into a white sword and a ck sword upon being drawn. ¡°Naturally, I''m confident in the twin de technique. Regarding principles, I excel in the precise sword to enhance uracy, the severing sword to disrupt the opponent''s rhythm, the heavy sword for stability, and the illusion and variable swords to confound my adversaries.¡± ¡°Aura control should be another strength as a twin de user.¡± Using twin des implied that both des were wrapped in aura. Being proficient with aura control was a natural oue. ¡°I¡¯m better than thezy elf at least.¡± Sheryl furrowed her brow while looking at the ce Rimmer had passed by. ¡°Thank you for the answer.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± She smiled gently and shook her head. ¡®This is nice.¡¯ His heart pounded with excitement, realizing that he could enhance his skills in the twin de technique as well as in Sheryl''s specialties, like the precise, severing, heavy, illusion, and variable swords, along with aura control. ¡°Division leader, could you observe my swordsmanship for a moment?¡± ¡°What? Right now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He could ask that because he¡¯d confirmed through Wrath that no one was around. ¡°You really are something.¡± Sheryl closed her eyes and spread her aura perception. She quickly nodded upon noticing that there was nothing in the area that could prove dangerous. ¡°Get started quickly since we don¡¯t have much time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded and unsheathed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡®This is going to be interesting.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and unleashed the Fangs of Insanity with Heavenly Drive in his right hand and the Blizzard Sword Art with the de of Requiem in his left hand. There was no such thing as a powerful wave since he was simply showing his swordsmanship without using any aura, but the sharpness of the strikes was even more evident. Raon finished the two sword techniques and looked at Sheryl. ¡°You never learned the twin de technique, did you?¡± Sheryl furrowed her brow with her arms crossed. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± What he¡¯d learned in his previous life wasn¡¯t the twin de technique, it was just a method to kill people with weapons in both hands. That implied he had never received proper instruction in it. ¡°I knew it.¡± Sheryl nodded and continued. ¡°Wielding swords in both hands doesn¡¯t mean that you are using a twin de technique. You have to use different techniques in both hands, but they still have to create harmony. What you were doing was just using two techniques one after the other.¡± She raised her hands like des and mimicked Raon¡¯s Fangs of Insanity and Blizzard Sword Art. Her movement was awkward because she had never used those techniques before, but the harmony was far better than Raon¡¯s. ¡°Just like this¡ªif the sword in your left hand attacks towards the right, the sword in your right hand has to move to the left in defense. You can also attack two different spots with the two swords.¡± Raon rotated the Rings of Fire and remembered Sheryl¡¯s advice and demonstration with his ears and eyes. ¡®I think I¡¯m starting to grasp it.¡¯ He felt like he could do something simr right away, probably because the person demonstrating it for him was the target of his admiration. ¡°It must be difficult to tell because the space is too narrow and we don¡¯t have much time, but this is the general sensation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try it again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something you can do right away. No matter how much of a genius you are¡­¡± ¡°Please watch me once again.¡± Raon shook his head and raised his two swords again. He lowered his center of gravity and reminded himself of Sheryl¡¯sments. He thrust both swords while imagining the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art mingling with each other. ¡®The left sword and right sword shouldn¡¯t disturb each other.¡¯ He unleashed the second technique while seeking a path for the two swords and techniques toplement rather than hinder each other, amplifying their effectiveness. Whir! The moment Heavenly Drive bared the fangs of a crazy beast, a deadly wind of the north emerged from the de of Requiem. Attack and defense crossed with each other, and the atmosphere changed for an instant. Heavenly Drive was enveloped in a shield of fire as it withdrew, while the de of Requiem thrust forth a chilling de of wind. Raon bit his lip while controlling the two swords in opposition once again. The principle of twin des that Sheryl had taught him was seeping into his brain and body in an instant. It wasn¡¯t simply the Ring of Fire¡¯s effect. It was the power of growth acquired from Envy that had be admiration. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sheryl¡¯s lip trembled as she watched Raon¡¯s sword. ¡®How is this happening¡­?¡¯ Raon¡¯s twin de technique couldn¡¯t even be called swordsmanship in the past because it was a strange mixture of practical use and style, yet it had achieved a drastic improvement in that short time. The two swords weren¡¯t hindering each other in the slightest and had achieved some harmony to move like living creatures with their own objectives. It was still iplete, but it had improved to the point where it could be called a twin de technique. ¡®Is this even possible?¡¯ All she¡¯d done was to give him one demonstration and some advice, yet he looked like he¡¯d practiced for a few months at least. She was aware that Raon was talented, but what she was witnessing was simply impossible. ¡°Try this, too.¡± Sheryl showcased a principle of twin des that could be considered an intermediate sword art, unlike the previous one. The principle consisted ofbining attack with attack, and defense with defense instead of attack with defense. Raon quietly watched her and slowly raised his des. It was awkward in the beginning. The attack didn¡¯t look like an attack, and his defense didn¡¯t look like defense, either. However, his two des started to dance, starting from his second attempt. The two swords focused on defense extended along with Raon¡¯s left foot and unleashed a heart-gripping thrust. Sheryl had only taught him the first step, yet he had advanced to the third step while skipping the second. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Sheryl gasped with wide eyes. ¡°O-one more time! Try this one!¡± She forgot about leaving before sunrise and started to teach more advanced martial principles to Raon. * * * * * * Wham! Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and raised the de of Requiem. With a deep resonance in his energy center, he crossed his two des. Red and blue lights sparkled above the des, brushing past each other like a beast¡¯s upper and lower teeth. Heavenly Drive¡ªenveloped by the fire of madness¡ªwas leading the attack, while the de of Requiem created a frozen wall with cier¡¯s coldness. It had a perfect harmony between attack and defense, but the two swords¡¯ roles switched in an instant as if they were connected by a thread, and the next twin de technique had the Fangs of Insanity on defense and the Blizzard Sword Art on offense. Cring! The Fangs of Insanity finished its move faster than the Blizzard Sword Art, but Heavenly Drive didn¡¯t stop moving. It was engulfed by thetter part of the Blizzard Sword Art that the de of Requiem should¡¯ve done and scattered the frozen wind to thend of darkness. Raon lowered his posture after he concluded the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art. He crossed his arms to lower Heavenly Drive to the left and the de of Requiem to the right, then increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s outputs to the maximum. Crimson me was raging above Heavenly Drive while a wave of frost was overflowing from the short de of Requiem. Raon stomped the ground with his left foot and thrust the two swords at the same time. Frost Pond surged from the de of Requiem pierced through the atmosphere, and Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream burst from Heavenly Drive to tear the space apart like a dream. The two special techniques were used simultaneously. He¡¯d done it before, but it was on a whole different level from back then. Instead of employing Frost Pond and Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream separately, the two techniquesplemented each other''s weaknesses, operating as a unified technique that pierced through the life of the imaginary opponent. It wasn¡¯t a simultaneous activation of two different techniques but a single twin de technique. ¡°Haa¡­¡± By the time Raon caught his breath and lowered his des, he could feel a faint presence from behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how I should describe you at this point.¡± Sheryl sighed while shaking her head. ¡°I only taught you the basic trajectory and aura control of twin de technique, yet you¡¯ve already reached the advanced level on your own¡­¡± She muttered that she was going to grow tired of his remarkable talent. ¡°Is it okay for you to stay here like this?¡± Raon smiled faintly while returning Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem to their scabbards. ¡°Everyone¡¯s attention is focused on the za because it¡¯s thest day of the festival. Even the gazes that have been following me day and night have disappeared.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡± Everyone had gone to the za because the Five Divine Orders had announced that they would use a huge firework spell for the grand finale of the festival. "The leaders of the Five Divine Orders also appear to be upied with ensuring the festival concludes smoothly. However¡­" Sheryl narrowed her eyes while looking around her. "The guards are much more vignt than usual. It almost feels as though they are preparing for war." ¡°Are they nning something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. To begin with, we can¡¯t even tell the reason why the Five Divine Orders have appeared.¡± She licked her lips while saying that she couldn¡¯t tell their objective. ¡°That is true indeed.¡± Raon nodded while stroking his chin. "Aren''t you going to watch the fireworks or something? You¡¯ve even allowed the others to have fun." ¡°Runaan is also guarding Martha inside the room.¡± Raon pointed at the room that Runaan and Martha shared. Martha still hadn¡¯t woken up, probably because she was still putting her new realm together. ¡°Heavenly de division will take care of that tomboy¡¯s protection. You should go ahead and have some fun.¡± Sheryl shook her hand, telling him to join thest event since Raon was Zieghart¡¯s representative. ¡°And take the others, too.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked up at the sky. The moonless darkness made it seem like the fireworks would be particrly visible. ¡°Understood.¡± He bowed and entered the lodgings to knock on the door to Runaan¡¯s room. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Runaan came out with ice cream between her lips. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Denning Rose emerged alongside Runaan, holding numerous pictures in her hand. Raon felt a pang of disappointment in himself for no longer being surprised by that sight. ¡°Gasp! Even the sweaty appearance is damn handsome!¡± Encia continuously pressed the camera button from behind them. Raon couldn''tprehend why it never malfunctioned even though it was the prototype. Raon covered his face and walked up to the three women. ¡°We should join the festival since it¡¯s thest day.¡± He invited them to join thest festival after checking on Martha, who was lying on the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Martha. We have someone else to protect her.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Runaan nodded and put on her outerwear. She must¡¯ve understood who was supposed to protect Martha. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Encia immediately came out with no question asked while Denning Rose quietly came up next to him. Just as Raon was about to leave for the central za with the three and the Light Wind division who were protecting the mansion, he encountered Burren and the other swordsmen entering through the main entrance. ¡°Why are you returning?¡± ¡°We felt reluctant to have fun without you.¡± Burren smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. Shitty Eyes has changed so much. Wrath licked his lips, his gaze fixed on Burren''s eyes, which had softened considerably. Tsk, it was better when he was persistent. ¡®He is still persistent.¡¯ Raon shook his head. Burren still had the objective of being recognized by his father. No, he even wanted to surpass Karoon, and that was why his persistence was getting more and more powerful even though it didn¡¯t show on the outside. ¡°Follow me, everyone.¡± Raon waved his hand at Burren and the Light Wind division to ask them to follow. ¡°What about Martha¡­? Ah!¡± Burren realized the situation and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡± Raon smiled faintly and headed towards the central za with the Light Wind division. ¡°This festivalsted for so long.¡± Dorian shook his head while taking out a snack from his belly pocket to eat. "They must have made extensive preparations to promote the reputation of the Five Divine Orders and enhance their renown. Although¡­" Burren chuckled while pointing at Raon. ¡°He¡¯s snatched all the fame.¡± He shook his head while calling him a hungry demon that devoured all the fame and money. ¡°Their fireworks feel like their desperate struggle.¡± Krein took Burren¡¯s words with a grin. ¡°What are fireworks?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s an event that signals the end of the festival by shooting exploding fire magic into the night sky.¡± ¡°The festival should be a sess, but the Five Divine Orders are screwed.¡± Burren chuckled while looking into the sky. The za was brimming with people even though it wasn¡¯t time for the magic firecrackers yet. It looked like everyone was participating because it was thest event. ¡°Look, the Light Wind division!¡± ¡°I thought they wouldn¡¯t be here¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t the White Sword Dragon and the Light Wind division feel different from before somehow?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we would see them in the same light as before after witnessing that crazy match.¡± ¡°I thought the Five Divine Orders were amazing, but the Six Kings are in a whole different league.¡± The people who¡¯d been waiting for the fireworks swallowed nervously upon recognizing the Light Wind division. Instead of cheering for them like before, they stared at them in quiet awe. The way Raon had defeated the three highest-level Masters at once must have still been shocking for them. Raon greeted the executives of the neutral factions that tried to greet him before heading to the VIP seats allocated to Zieghart. He looked at the tform on the za while sitting in his designated seat. All four of the Five Divine Orders¡¯ leaders were already waiting. The Demonde had his eyes closed, showing that he was nning topletely ignore him, while the Demon ying Spear cheerfully waved hisrge hand. The Queen of Swords looked at him quietly while the Thespian Emperor nodded lightly. ¡®This is unexpected.¡¯ He thought the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords might be there, but he didn¡¯t expect the Demonde and the Demon ying Spear¡¯s presence. They really didn¡¯t suit an event like that, to the point where their presence felt entirely incongruent. ¡®Is this event that important for them?¡¯ Raon was stroking his chin, thinking it was strange, when a kind-looking middle-aged man climbed above the fountain just below the tform. He was using extraordinary footwork to walk on the water. He was a properly trained Master. ¡°Thank you for sharing this beautiful night with us!¡± The voice, amplified with aura, spread throughout the za. ¡°My name is Kevan, and I¡¯m the master of ceremonies tonight!¡± He introduced himself as Kevan and bowed towards the entire za. ¡°Are you ready to enjoy thest moment of the festival?¡± ¡°Whoaaa!¡± The entire za trembled from the subsequent cheers, and it reced their response. ¡°I like your cheers. Let''s make the final moment of this festival explode!¡± As soon as he raised his hand, a crimson me was fired towards the sky from behind the tform. Boom! With a thunderous sound that resounded in the ears, the sparks from the explosion spread like waning sunlight, covering the night sky. Afterward, yellow, blue, green, and purple mes followed one after the other. The arrival of a rainbow transformed the dark night sky into a bright sky in the middle of the day. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Is this what they call fireworks?¡± ¡°Amazing.¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been expensive.¡± The Light Wind division also stood in awe, their jaws dropping at the scale of the fireworks. Raon licked his lips while watching the sparks that were even bigger and shier than he¡¯d thought. ¡®I wonder if I can apply that to martial arts.¡¯ As he was trying to observe more closely while thinking about a way to incorporate the firework magic into his swordsmanship, a sword-shaped me soared into the sky. However, the firecracker simply revealed an extremely evil energy of darkness instead of a shy explosion. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a firecracker. It was a real sword. sh! The sword fell at a tremendous speed and shattered the skull of the master of ceremonies and the fountain at the same time. The transparent water turned red and seeped into the ground. A lone figure descended upon the reddenednd. Under his red hair even deeper than the blood, his yellow eyes¡ªlooking like a divine de¡ªcreated a powerful lightning. The heavenly power of a transcender manifested above his divine appearance. Crack! Crack! Silence enveloped the space beneath the canopy of bloody red firecrackers. The fluttering sound of the blue dragon robe that he was wearing was the only sign of the flow of time. ¡°There¡¯s no festival without blood.¡± He remarked, his gaze bending down towards Raon. ¡°I¡¯m a bitte, but I hope you don¡¯t mind my joining.¡± Chapter 495 Chapter 495 Raon unconsciously bit his lip while looking at the red-haired man. ¡®What is that?¡¯ He was a monster. No, no word in the world could describe the violent oppression he was feeling. Even the moonlight seemed to cower, as if hiding from his existence. His overwhelming presence bore down on hundreds of thousands of people. He was the manifestation of a warrior god from heaven into a human body. ¡®He¡¯s a transcender, and on top of that¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t simply reached transcendence. He seemed to have taken another step above that. The heads of the Five Divine Orders were powerful enough to reach the peak of the continent, but Raon had the feeling that they stood no chance against that man in a one-on-one fight. ¡®Who the hell is he?¡¯ With his red hair, youthful appearance that made him seem to be in his early twenties, and the blue dragon robe he was adorned in, his might and distinctive features should have immediately revealed his identity. Despite that fact, Raon couldn¡¯t think of anyone who matched his description.¡°Aah¡­¡± Denning Rose¡¯s shoulders trembled violently like a child in the rain. ¡°Th-the Holy Sword Alliance master¡­¡± She sank to her knees while calling the handsome young redhead the Holy Sword Alliance master. ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance master¡­?¡± The Holy Sword Alliance, one of the Five Demons, was an alliance of sword demons who collected swords and swordsmanship techniques throughout the continent by any means necessary. The man who had defeated those hungry demons and ascended to the throne was none other than the Master of the Holy Sword Alliance, Darkan, known as the Dark Night Sword God. ¡®Did he regain his youth?¡¯ ording to the information from Derus in Raon¡¯s previous life, he was supposed to be around the same age as Glenn, yet he seemed to be in his mid-twenties at most. Raon could guess that he must¡¯ve achieved something during the closure of their faction. Ooh. Wrath stroked his chin while watching the Holy Sword Alliance master overwhelm the entire crowd with his presence alone. He is also pretty decent for a human. He has a rather peculiar energy. ¡®Peculiar energy?¡¯ He seems to have an ability that you¡¯ve never seen before. Wrath licked his lips, remarking that he looked pretty decent. Raon couldn¡¯t fathom the demon king''s criteria for deeming such a powerful being as merely ''decent''. ¡°Why is he here¡­?¡± Denning Rose¡¯s lips were trembling because she couldn¡¯t understand why the Holy Sword Alliance master had suddenly made his appearance. She seemed to be panicking too hard to think straight, but the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t exactly that strange. ¡®Because this is the best scene to announce the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s reappearance.¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance hadn¡¯t shown up in the world in a long time. They still retained their status as one of the Five Demons due to the overwhelming might they had disyed in the past, but they were currently less notorious than the others. The za was the perfect stage to elevate the Holy Sword Alliance''s reputation to the skies. Raon licked his dry lips and looked up to the tform where the Five Divine Orders were located. The Demon ying Spear licked his lips in excitement at the power of the Holy Sword Alliance master while the Demonde''s forehead was wrinkled with tension. The Queen of Swords appeared poised to draw her sword at any moment, her hand clenched tightly around the scabbard, which had turned red from the pressure. Lastly, the Thespian Emperor¡¯s trembling pupils looked like she was flustered by the situation. However¡­ ¡®She isn¡¯t surprised.¡¯ Raon could tell because he¡¯d mocked the Thespian Emperor multiple times in the past. She was making a surprised expression, but she wasn¡¯t actually surprised at all. ¡®Did she read the heaven''s flow?¡¯ Since the Thespian Emperor was capable of reading the future, Raon felt like she might have predicted the situation. ¡®But why did she not say anything about it?¡¯ While he was pondering about her intentions, the Holy Sword Alliance master leisurely turned around. His rxed demeanor made it seem as if he were inside the Holy Sword Alliance rather than being surrounded by enemies, and he raised his gaze. ¡°I heard I can find two nice swords from this ce.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s gaze was directed at the Demonde and the Queen of Swords above the tform. His desire was raging like a storm inside his yellow eyes. ¡°I''d like to see just how sharp those swords are.¡± He extended his hand, and the ck sword that had severed the master of ceremony''s body floated by itself and flew into his grasp. ¡°He¡¯s insane¡­¡± Raon gasped as he watched the Holy Sword Alliance master point his sword at the Demonde. ¡®Is he really nning to fight the Five Divine Orders all by himself?¡¯ No matter how powerful the Holy Sword Alliance master was, it was impossible to fight all four leaders of the Five Divine Orders at once since they had also reached transcendence. Fighting two of them should¡¯ve already been hard enough. He couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten ignorant of worldly affairs after staying at home for so long.¡± The Demon ying Spear frowned while massaging the back of his neck. ¡°Maybe you need a spear in your brain to open your eyes.¡± ¡°Trash should stay out of this.¡± For the first time, the Holy Sword Alliance master''s face contorted in irritation. It looked like the mere idea of conversing with a non-swordsman was displeasing to him. As his voice grew lower, a chilling sensation, like a dark shadow boiling up, seemed to seep into their skin. ¡°And who are you calling alone?¡± As soon as he dered, a huge sailboat approached them through the clouds hiding the moonlight. The starry sword emblem engraved on the dark sail signified that it was the Sword Wing, the flying warship of the Holy Sword Alliance master. Rumble! As soon as the Sword Wing came to a halt at the center of the za, swordsmen with the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s symbol jumped down from it. Every single one of them was a powerful warrior with a well-trained body and aura. Some of them were Masters and seemed to have the rank of Master of Sword. Rumble! Once the Holy Sword Alliance''s swordsmennded on the ground, they blocked the two exits of the za and began attacking the people around them. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Kuah!¡± ¡°Hiee¡­¡± They didn¡¯t discriminate between warriors and civilians. The sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance spread their glowing sword strikes to everyone in front of them. ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Prepare for battle!¡± The heads of the neutral factions drew their swords and faced the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons. ¡°Stay in formation!¡± Knight Captain Biten from the Holy Kingdom of Schper raised his sword, which was radiating with holy light. He was a powerful warrior among the neutral factions. ¡°Prioritize protecting the civilians!¡± He cut down the sword demons while protecting the people, and a white shadow approached him from his left. ¡°Biten!¡± Raon hurriedly shouted as a white hand, almost transparent, grasped Biten¡¯s neck. Crack! With a frightening sound of the neck bone snapping, Biten¡¯s shoulder shrunk down as if drying up. His body crumbled like a dry leaf, and a woman smiled cheerfully from behind as she swept her silky ck hair up. ¡®The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader!¡¯ Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he looked at the ck-haired woman. She hadn¡¯t shown up since her previous defeat by Glenn, and now she had made her appearance once again. ¡°The Holy Kingdom¡¯s blood is pretty good indeed.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader weakly stomped the ground while touching her red lips. Wham! Thend sloshed like a transparentke, and a human shape surged from it. Their white robes and the lines at the center of their hoods implied that they were the devotees of the White Blood Religion''s leader. Alongside the usual fanatics, the tenth apostle, apanied by two others whose names Raon didn''t recognize, stepped forward and knelt before their religious leader. ¡°Enjoy the festival.¡± She opened her hand and told them to do as they pleased, and the White Blood fanatics spread in all directions while reciting some grotesque prayer to bite people¡¯s necks. Whir! The de of Requiem felt like it was about to break from the intense sword resonance. It seemed to be enraged at the White Blood Religion¡¯s appearance. The vibration was even more violent than the other encounters. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon gritted his back teeth. ¡®Even the White Blood Religion is here¡­¡¯ However, that was less surprising than the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s reappearance. ¡®There are enough reasons for them to be here.¡¯ There were countless warriors inside the city. It must¡¯ve been a great opportunity for the White Blood Religion, asing along with the Holy Sword Alliance pretty much made them a banquet waiting to be feasted upon. ¡°We should get started too.¡± ¡°Shall I take care of those two?¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s eyes sparked red as he looked at the Demonde and the Queen of Swords while the White Blood Religion''s leader licked her lips while skimming over the Thespian Emperor and the Demon ying Spear. It was a four-on-two fight, but the result was still unpredictable. However, the Thespian Emperor still didn¡¯t look surprised. She must¡¯ve predicted the White Blood Religion¡¯s appearance as well. ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy.¡± The Thespian Emperor put the fingers from her hands together like a prayer and closed her eyes. As divine words rapidly flowed from her lips, a constetion materialized in the city''s sky, its shape seemingly reflecting the sun and the moon. The shapes of yin and yang carved under the vast night sky poured down along with a brilliant radiance. Whir! As a mighty wave shook heaven and earth, the warriors of the Five Divine Orders felt their powers surge explosively, their abilities magnified upon being touched by the ethereal light of yin and yang. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Is this a formation technique?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± The warriors from the White Blood Religion and the Holy Sword Alliance came to a halt upon feeling the tremendous wave of power turning thend upside down. The pressures from the Thespian Emperor and the other leaders of the Five Divine Orders were also amplified to another level. It felt like a bright red fire was engulfing a red me. Because they seemed equally matched in a four-on-two situation, it felt like the bnce of power was swaying in favor of the Five Divine Orders. ¡°Sharper swords tend to be more delicious.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like struggling children.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master smiled in satisfaction while the White Blood Religion''s leader furrowed her brow and voiced her annoyance. The two transcenders floated into the air as if they weren¡¯t affected by gravity andnded in front of the Five Divine Orders¡¯ leaders standing on the tform. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him. I¡¯ll make a skewer out of him with the spear he looked down upon.¡± ¡°Your tongue will be shredded if you try to taste my de.¡± The Demon ying Spear pointed his Sky Piercer at the Holy Sword Alliance master while the Demonde ced his hand on his hilt with a fierce bloodlust veiling his eyes. ¡°We definitely won¡¯t lose in our current state. Let¡¯s finish this quickly and reduce the casualties.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The Thespian Emperor opened her hands while saying that she would protect the people, and the Queen of Swords calmly nodded. The sh between the auras of the six transcenders distorted the sky and fissured thend like a spider web. It was practically a natural disaster. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon looked back while catching his breath. ¡®Let¡¯s let the monsters fight between each other, and¡­¡¯ As he prepared tomand the Light Wind division, Rimmer approached from the left, apanied by a tumultuous gust of wind. He was ring at the Holy Sword Alliance and their master with a yellow aura of malice glowing from his eyes. ¡°Holy Sword Alliance master¡­¡± * * * * * * His yfulness waspletely gone even though he had always smiled, even in the most serious situations. His eyes contained nothing but wrath and murderous intent. ¡®Was the Holy Sword Alliance the target of his wrath?¡¯ His green eyes had be as red as his hair, and they skimmed through the warriors of the Holy Sword Alliance. He almost looked like he was looking for someone. ¡°Where are you?¡± Rimmer bit his lip tightly and unsheathed his sword. ¡°Division leader?¡± ¡°Raon, I leave the Light Wind division to you. Escape as fast as possible.¡± Rimmer kicked the ground as soon as he dered. He rushed like lightning and beheaded the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s warriors as he advanced deep into the battlefield. ¡°V-vice division leader!¡± ¡°What shall we do¡­?¡± Krein and Dorian approached him, appearing uncertain about what to do next. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon frowned and looked around. Since the Five Divine Orders were fighting the Five Demons, he had a feeling that they could escape without taking any damage if they withdrew right away. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°S-save¡­ Cough!¡± ¡°We need protection¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to escape!¡± However, the innocent neutral factions and civilians were dying in the battle. It was crucial to prevent further casualties, even if it meant forgetting about escape. Cring! Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem at the same time and advanced to the east, which was the closest direction to the ramparts. Thud! He charged towards an archbishop who was spreading his bloody energy while blocking the path. Heavenly Drive raised above his head tilted towards the right before the archbishop could attack with his hand. Pssh! A thin line was engraved on the archbishop¡¯s robe, and his body split in half. However, the White Blood fanatics kept attacking with their bloody energy even after they witnessed the death of their archbishop. Raon spread his left foot in a cone shape, turned his waist, and swung his sword in a curve. The trajectory of fire, incorporating rotation, severed the White Blood fanatics'' bodies in half. The fanatics stopped moving for a moment, probably because dozens of their members had perished before they could even scream. ¡®This is our chance.¡¯ It was the perfect opportunity to further advance. Raon increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s output and shed toward them. Whaaam! Crimson blood burst from the group of the Holy Sword Alliance blocking their path, their existence erased from the world. Cring! The White Blood Fanatics chasing behind them copsed to the ground with blood gushing from their pores upon receiving the Blood Rain¡¯s resonance. The White Blood fanatics and the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance widened their eyes to the point of bursting upon witnessing the overwhelming power and cruelty. Whap! Raon raised Heavenly Drive engulfed by a raging fire. The terrified faces turned red, just like Heavenly Drive¡¯s heated de. ¡°Carve the path, Light Wind division!¡± The look in the eyes of the Light Wind division changed upon hearing the shout. Madness and determination overwrote their confusion and fear. Raon carved the path from the front, and the Light Wind division widened it. It didn¡¯t even take that long for a path to be created amid the White Blood Religion and the Holy Sword Alliance, and the eastern rampart came into sight. It was the closest rampart to their location. Creak! Raon crushed thend with his right foot while wielding Heavenly Drive with two hands. The heat began to rampage to the point where his mana circuits could burst, and Raon added wind to maximize the destructive power. It was the me Dragon Art from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s Hundred Flowers. The fire dragon¡¯s breath surged from the tip of the de and pierced through the center of the rampart. However, the hole was still not big enough to allow a person to pass. ¡®A little bit more.¡¯ Raon stabbed Heavenly Drive into the hole created by the me Dragon Art and unleashed the fire from his energy center once again. The heat dashing through his mana circuits burst out once again to create a powerful gravity on the de. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Second Form, Heavenly Heavy Cannon. The tremendous strike of heaviness exploded from the eastern rampart. Rumble! The fine cracks created by the me Dragon Art became thicker, and the rampart copsed entirely. ¡°St-stop them!¡± ¡°Stop those bastards!¡± ¡°Come this way, everyone!¡± Raon cut down the White Blood fanatics and the sword demons running towards him to prevent their escape and pointed at the path that was created. ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°A-a path has opened up!¡± ¡°Over there! We can survive if we go there!¡± The people being helplessly ughtered by the White Blood Religion and the Holy Sword Alliance started to run towards the eastern rampart. ¡®I need to widen it a bit further.¡¯ Too many people needed to evacuate. Raon cut off the walls on the sides with Crimson sh to widen the exit. White Raon was destroying the wall and ying the sword demons, the gazes from the tform were lowered towards him. ¡°So I wasn¡¯t mistaken about him.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master smiled faintly while looking at Raon. ¡°So he is Raon Zieghart. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if that young sword bes the strongest in the continent in the future.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The young swordsman right underneath him furrowed his brow while looking at Raon. ¡°I should¡¯ve brought the Master of the Bloody Sword.¡± He regrettably licked his lips. ¡°Raon Zieghart?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader narrowed her eyes. ¡°Was he still around?!¡± She raised her finger, and a middle-aged apostle who was shredding an executive from the Five Divine Orders rushed towards Raon. ¡°Master of the Wise Dragon Sword.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master shook his hand towards his back, and a middle-aged man with a neat beard like a schr jumped down from the battleship, Sword Wing. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s pupils became sharply distorted like a reptile¡¯s. ¡°That boy is mine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also interested in that young sword.¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master maintained their easygoing attitudes despite facing four heads of the Five Divine Orders. ¡°Then how about the first one to end this fight gets to have him?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master casually shook his hand, and the White Blood Religion''s leader smiled seductively. ¡°You damned bastards!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The Demon ying Spear and the Demonde unleashed their wills, causing the pirs supporting the tform to copse and thend to tremble. Whaaam! A powerful radiance covered the world the moment the six transcenders shed against each other. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon quickly regained his senses even though the shockwave shaking heaven and earth was blowing his mind. An unknown apostle and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword were approaching him. They were both extremely powerful warriors in the Grandmaster¡¯s realm. Their advance was as fast as a ray of light. ¡®Which apostle is he? And is that the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword?¡¯ Raon had heard about the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword before. He¡¯d heard that he was the most talented person among the Masters of Sword. However, he was missing his right arm, and he was wielding his sword in his left hand. Though it looked like he¡¯d lost his right arm, the energy wave emanating from him was still terrifying and ominous. He seemed to possess something beyond his formidable power. ¡°Get away from me!¡± Raon pushed the Light Wind division away and raised his two swords. ¡®I don¡¯t have the time to use the Azure Sky Sword.¡¯ And he had the feeling he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them even if he used it. Using two special techniques with the dual wielding he¡¯d learned from Sheryl was the best method avable to him. He unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier to the maximum output. The mana circuits rapidly expanded from the wind and created the foundation for an all-out attack. Raon stomped the ground and was about to unleash Frost Pond and the Crimson sh when ck and white lights crossed downwards from thin air. ang! The white and ck lightning strikes blocked the apostle¡¯s hand and the de of the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword without faltering in the slightest. Sheryl was there. She had appeared after tearing the white dress she wore as a disguise and blocked the path of the two Grandmasters on her own. ¡°Heavenly de division, block the path!¡± The Heavenly de division came forth upon hearing her shout and stopped the White Blood fanatics and the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons following the apostle and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. One of the Heavenly de swordsmen gave Martha, who he was carrying on his back, to Dorian before he charged toward the enemies. ¡°Raon! Good job!¡± Sheryl nodded while gritting her teeth. It looked like she couldn¡¯t even afford to look back since she was shouting while looking forward. ¡°Escape with the civilians!¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t deal with both of them on your own¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That idiot is going to arrive soon enough!¡± As soon as she made her deration, a lightning storm surged from the right. ¡°Kallis!¡± Rimmer shed at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword with dark bloodlust bursting from his eyes. aang! Kallis''s lips, scarred by a sword, twisted up as he crossed des with Rimmer. ¡°You look like you are doing fine, Rimmer.¡± ¡°I knew you were alive!¡± He violently ground his teeth and pushed ahead with his sword. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you that I survived. And¡­¡± The Master of Wise Dragon Sword snickered while looking at his empty right shoulder. ¡°I also managed to get stronger.¡± A huge astral sphere burst from his de and assaulted Rimmer. Whaaam! Rimmer was unable to withstand the power and was sent flying before he rolled on the ground. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°I doubted my ears when I heard you started to raise new children after you got so many of your subordinates killed.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword narrowed his eyes while looking at Rimmer. ¡°It looks like you were qualified to be a teacher even though you should¡¯ve never been a leader.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Veins bulged on Rimmer¡¯s face as he shouted, dashing towards the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Raon swallowed nervously while watching the interaction between them. ¡®Was he the target of our division leader¡¯s wrath?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t be certain, but the target of Rimmer¡¯s wrath was apparently not the Holy Sword Alliance master but the man standing in front of him. However, he didn¡¯t have the time to think about that. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡± Raon lowered his head towards Sheryl, who was stopping the apostle, and Rimmer, who was stopping the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, before he turned around. ¡°Escape with the civilians! Immediately!¡± He gave the order to the Light Wind division and bought time for people¡¯s evacuation. ¡°Let¡¯s go forward¡ª¡± Raon destroyed the wall even further and was about to leave the city when a powerful light sparked from the sky. A white astral spear was falling like rain. ¡°Kuh!¡± He looked up to the sky, and the tenth apostle¡¯s frightening gaze was directed at him, his damned spear in his hand. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ It was impossible for him to fight the tenth apostle while rescuing the civilians. That would¡¯ve been no different than asking for death. ¡®Is he asking me to abandon the people?¡¯ Before he could even put his thoughts together, a second spear strike rained down towards him. The tenth apostle¡¯sposed expression seemed to be asking him to decide between death and people¡¯s lives. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Just as Raon was raising his des towards the sky, the night sky wavered like an aurora and a powerful wave of mana burst out. The distorted space was severed, and Merlin emerged from it wearing the old woman''s mask. She swatted her deep blue robe away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my things.¡± A frightening glow could be seen from the red pupils inside the mask. ¡°Or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Chapter 496 Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Merlin, who had confidently dered that he was her possession. ¡®Why is she saying that in this situation?!¡¯ It was a dangerous statement that could reveal his rtionship with Merlin if those who heard it were distrustful. Considering the fact that her pupils inside the mask werepletely red, she seemed to be expressing her anger without any consideration for the aftermath. ¡®How is the tenth apostle going to react¡­?¡¯ Raon looked at the tenth apostle while thinking about an excuse. He was violently grinding his teeth while pointing the spear in his right hand towards Merlin. ¡°I knew you would be here, crazy bitch.¡± The tenth apostle wasn¡¯t concerned at all about what Merlin had said. He seemed to be thinking about what she¡¯d done to him during their previous encounter. ¡°Haa¡­¡±Raon breathed out a sigh of relief while watching the tenth apostle gather his bloody energy. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that the tenth apostle was the one who heard that.¡¯ Others might have be suspicious, but it was already the third time the tenth apostle was fighting Merlin. He simply seemed to consider it to be the ramblings of a madwoman. ¡°I won¡¯t miss you this time. I¡¯ll offer your head and Raon Zieghart to our religious leader.¡± The tenth apostle bent his left knee slightly as he spun his spear, emitting a thundering sound. ¡°I don¡¯t mind the part about myself. I¡¯m perfectly fine with giving you my head, however¡­¡± Merlin continued with a sinister smile on her face. ¡°If you try to steal my belongings, your head is going to roll instead of your hand.¡± A countless number of magic circles appeared from behind her. A supersized magic circle covered the sky like a beehive, radiating a majestic light. H¡­ Wrath¡¯s lips trembled as he watched Merlin. From the way she appeared to her lines¡­ Every single thing about her gives him goosebumps! He hung his head. It looked like Merlin was even scarier to him than the Holy Sword Alliance master. Thud! The tenth apostle twisted his lips and pierced the sky with his spear shaft. A majestic yet evil energy wave engulfed the surroundings. ¡°Merlin!¡± "Don''t use your mosquito mouth to call my name. Disgusting." Merlin snapped her fingers, and her magic circles started to breathe like living creatures and fired all kinds of magic spells. Fire and ice danced in the air while lightning and wind sang a song. The unknown magic rained down endlessly like a cluster of stars. ¡°You won¡¯t get me a second time!¡± The tenth apostle gripped his spear lightly with two hands and rotated it like a windmill. The pale white astral spear bursting from the spear shaft created a majestic wave, tearing apart all the magic falling from the sky. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the astral sphere created by the tenth apostle. ¡®Has he gotten stronger as well?¡¯ The tenth apostle¡¯s aura was a bit more transparent than during their previous encounter. Considering the fact that members of the White Blood Religion¡¯s aura became more transparent the more powerful they were, he could guess that the tenth apostle¡¯s monstrous power had grown even further. ¡®He¡¯s improved in that short time. What a dangerous man. However¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips and looked up to Merlin. She snapped her fingers while snorting, and the magic circles barraging him with spells turned the color of sunset. The activation speed of the magic was further improved, and the power was amplified at the same time. Every single one of them seemed to be as powerful as an astral sphere. Boom! Boom! The tenth apostle was easily breaking through the spells, but he gradually slowed down. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± He ground his teeth with trembling shoulders under the impact of the barrage of spells. ¡®Merlin has improved even more.¡¯ While the tenth apostle had been training within the confines of the White Blood Religion, Merlin had been walking a tightrope, visiting Zieghart from Eden. It was only natural that her improvement surpassed his. ¡®But why¡­ am I feeling happy about this?¡¯ In the end, Merlin and the tenth apostle were both his enemies. The best oue would¡¯ve been for them to kill each other in the fight, yet Merlin¡¯s superiority was making him feel relieved for some strange reason. ¡®It¡¯s pointless to think about this.¡¯ Raon weakly tapped on his cheeks and raised his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m different from back then. I won¡¯t follow either of you!¡± Raon dered to Merlin and the tenth apostle that he would walk his own path before he ran to the right. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°Th-they are following us!¡± ¡°Please save me! They are behind¡­¡± ¡°Hck!¡± The White Blood fanatics caught up to the civilians and devoured their flesh and blood. They looked like beasts on a hunt. They looked exactly like fiends as they grinned happily with their mouths covered in blood. ¡°Pl-please¡­¡± When the bloody ws of a bishop were about to stab into the back of a woman who was shielding her child, Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. Thud! A deep footprint was created on the ground, and his body stretched out like lightning. He reached the woman in an instant and unleashed the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy. The yellow light shing from the red de severed the bishop¡¯s ws and neck at the same time even though they were wrapped in bloody energy. ¡°Cough¡­¡± The bishop tilted towards the ground, his pupils trembling in disbelief at his sudden demise. ¡°Burren!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Burren and the swordsmen from the third team responded to his call and approached him. They escorted the woman and remaining civilians toward the copsed rampart. Cring! Runaan was stopping the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s swordsmen and the White Blood fanatics from approaching the people evacuating the city alongside Mark Goetten. No order ormunication was necessary because they¡¯d been working together for a long time. It wasn¡¯t just Burren and Runaan. Every single member of the Light Wind divisionpleted their jobs and gathered around the rampart once again. ¡®But still¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip while looking ahead of him. ¡®There are still too many people who didn¡¯t manage to escape.¡¯ Since the warriors from the Five Divine Orders weren¡¯t leaving the Thespian Emperor¡¯s formation, they were only protecting the VIPs near them without rescuing the civilians and warriors from neutral factions that were far away from them. If they were left alone in that isted state, it was going to be a catastrophe with more than a thousand fatalities. sh! Raon looked to his left while cutting down a White Blood fanatic blocking the path. ¡®They can¡¯t afford to help either.¡¯ Rimmer had a demonic expression on his face that Raon had never seen before as he attacked the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°Kallis! I¡¯ll kill you at all costs!¡± The lightning and wind weren''t the only elements engulfing his de. Malice also surrounded it, emitting a sound reminiscent of a beast''s cry. ¡°It¡¯s impossible in your current state.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword swirled his sword in his left hand and effortlessly blocked Rimmer¡¯s sh. Even though he was using a different arm from before, his strike was brimming with sharpness and wisdom. It looked like he wasn¡¯t lying about getting stronger after losing his arm. ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± Rimmer barked out the words and swung his sword in a rage. Even though his hand was covered in blood and his face and arm were wounded, his sword never stopped moving. Raon bit his lip while touching the de of Requiem. ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯ Rimmer wasn¡¯t using the Sword Field Creation yet, but the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword wasn¡¯t using the astral sphere either. Raon had the feeling that Rimmer was going to lose even after they started to use their full power. ¡®Should I help them¡­?¡¯ Just as he was about to head towards Rimmer, Sheryl, who had taken a step back, took out a gold pouch from somewhere and threw it at Rimmer¡¯s head. Smack! Rimmer turned around while blinking upon getting hit by gold coins out of nowhere. ¡°You damn idiot!¡± Rimmer was confused, and Sheryl ground her teeth while looking at him. Shepletely tore apart the hem of her dress, threw it away, and stomped the ground. ¡°Are you trying to get all your students killed? Once is enough for regret!¡± The red fervor filling Rimmer¡¯s eyes slowly subsided as the resonance reached deep into his heart. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer stopped in his tracks and rolled his eyes. He quickly checked on Raon and the Light Wind division behind him before nodding his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your apology! Do better!¡± Sheryl bit her lip and fixed her grip on her swords. ¡°I¡¯ll do better, so this is mine now.¡± Rimmer slowly nodded and picked up the gold pouch from the ground, tucking it into his clothes. ¡°You are fucking insane¡­¡± Sheryl eximed in amazement, but she didn''tment any further, as if implying that it was better that way. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore if you die or not!¡± She shook her hand and advanced towards the apostle. Astral spheres with different colors emerged from her two swords, crossing in the air to block the apostle¡¯s path and pierce toward his shoulder. Attack and defense were being done at the same time in that single move. It was an exquisite move, disying the nature of the twin de technique. And she was perfectly alert to both Merlin and the tenth apostle behind her at the same time. Sheryl was the most attentive person among everyone present in the scene. ng! However, the apostle she was facing was also extraordinary. His white hair fluttered in the air as he cut through the White Sword¡¯s defense with his left hand and deflected the ck Sword¡¯s attack with his right hand. He possessed a matchless prowess, capable of blocking the ck and White Twin Swords with his bare hands and even counterattacking. The fact that he was even more powerful than the tenth apostle allowed Raon to guess that he should¡¯ve been one of the three first disciples of the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader. Whaaam! Rimmer had managed to wake up from his blind rage thanks to Sheryl, but it still seemed unlikely for him to defeat the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Even though wind and lightning flickered from his attacks, they were unable to break through the trajectory of the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s de, which sloshed like the tidal waves of a vast ocean. Raon briefly clicked his tongue while fixing his grip on Heavenly Drive. ¡®Should I help them after all?¡¯ Even though people were dying rapidly, it looked like Rimmer and Sheryl¡¯s side was more urgent. Just as Raon was about to join their battlefield, Sheryl shook her head. ¡°We are fine here.¡± Sheryl continued without taking her eyes off the apostle standing in front of her. ¡°We¡¯ll join you after we take care of them. You should do your job.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right. Don¡¯t worry about us and get out of here for now!¡± Rimmer agreed with a faint smile on his face, apologizing for his unsightly behavior. Raon looked at their backs. He felt like he could entrust them with his life, just as he had with Glenn. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before that happens.¡± Raon bowed to Rimmer and Sheryl before he kicked the ground to dash towards the za. Cring! He charged in between the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons who were ughtering the civilians and executed Frost Pond with a swift sh. The transparent dew on the de of Requiem became a blue spearhead to pierce the hearts of every single sword demon around him. ¡®It¡¯s not enough.¡¯ There were lots of warriors from neutral factions who remained at the center to protect the civilians. They also needed to be rescued no matter what. Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He dashed to the right side of the za and stood at the center of the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s groups. He twisted his left ankle, channeling that power through his waist and wrist to swing Heavenly Drive. The fire flowers blooming on the silver de spread around through the wind. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation Hundred mes me Spirit The red leaves wrapped in the astral energy of raging fire became a cluster of flowers, wiping out the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons. Whaaam! It was truly a storm of fire. The neutral factions and even the White Blood Religion and the Holy Sword Alliance fell speechless for a moment upon witnessing that majestic sight. Whir! The de of Requiem in his left hand followed the attack. Blood Rain burst from the interlocking scabbard and red de to shred the nerves of the White Blood fanatics. ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Kuah¡­¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The White Blood fanatics copsed while screaming even though they were the type of people who would die with a smile even when they were stabbed by a de. ¡°Now is your chance!¡± * * * * * * The warriors from the neutral factions started to run towards the copsed rampart alongside the civilians upon hearing Raon¡¯s shout. ¡®It¡¯s still too narrow.¡¯ Even though he¡¯d destroyed the rampart, it still required a lot of time for the evacuation because there were too many people in the za. He wanted to destroy it a bit more, but he didn¡¯t have the time for it because the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s swordsmen and the White Blood fanatics were swarming at him from left and right. ¡®I need to block the path¡­ Hmm?¡¯ He turned around to block the path to stop their chase, and a giant wearing a ck robe fell from the sky. Hisrge hand turned red and mercilessly exploded the heads of the White Blood fanatics who were running after the people. It wasn¡¯t done by aura. Magic was flowing in his fist. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this ce!¡± Yuria nodded heavily, dering that he would block the path while Raon protected the people. Raon looked into Yuria¡¯s eyes. They were as clear as a bull''s, befitting his huge size. ¡°I understand.¡± Raon nodded back to Yuria before running towards the rampart. He looked up to the sky where the tenth apostle and Merlin were fighting. ¡°You won¡¯t escape!¡± A strange light sparked from Merlin¡¯s eyes. Crimson fireballs fell from her magic circle. ¡®Is she telling me to use that spell to my advantage?¡¯ Even though she wasn¡¯t hispanion, he could tell her intention just with the look in her eyes. Cring! He covered Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem with a smooth flow of aura, like flowing water, and unleashed a soft sword technique. The spells Merlin had dropped were redirected towards the rampart through the sword¡¯s trajectory. Whaaam! The spells must¡¯ve contained a form to destroy stone and steel, because the rampart copsed in an instant, and a passage at least twice as wide as the previous one appeared. ¡°That way!¡± Raon sent the people he¡¯d brought from the za towards the destroyed rampart. The evacuation, which was proceeding at a snail¡¯s pace, became dramatically faster with the creation of the second exit. ¡°Head to Cameloon!¡± The Five Divine Orders¡¯ city, Banneret, was pretty close to Cameloon. They were pretty much going to be safe once they reached that city. ¡®The Light Wind division should be more than enough for the job.¡¯ Raon could guess that the Light Wind division and the warriors from the neutral factions would be able to protect the civilians as long as he stayed behind to protect the powerful warriors. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren, Runaan, and the Light Wind swordsmen immediately nodded. They left the rampart while protecting the civilians as soon as they received the order, not asking any questions. Raon smiled faintly upon seeing that they trusted him as much as he trusted them. ¡®As for me¡­¡¯ Raon was about to return to Rimmer and Sheryl¡¯s location when the flying warship, the Sword Wing, started to move once again under the moonlight. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, is iting this way?¡¯ As soon as that thought shed through his mind, a crescent-shaped beam was fired at him from the turret on the Sword Wing¡¯s right side. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon bit his lip and swung Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem upwards at the same time. The de of Requiem was wrapped in a shield of fire, and Heavenly Drive¡¯s edge was surrounded by crimson radiance. aang! He defended against the impact with Firewall and countered with Crimson sh, causing the Sword Wing¡¯s mighty wave to finally subside. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡®This isn¡¯t going to work.¡¯ Joining forces with Sheryl and Rimmer could potentially allow him to kill the apostle or the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, but he had a feeling he was going to pay with the deaths of the Light Wind division, the neutral factions, and the civilians who were escaping. ¡®Do I have to make a decision¡­? No, the answer is obvious.¡¯ Raon stepped back while looking at the Sword Wing. Saving people was more important than killing enemies. It was aplete opposite choice from when he used to be an assassin. The mindset of Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen that Sylvia wanted him to possess had begun to bloom into a small flower. ¡®Well, at least that¡¯s some relief.¡¯ He had actually considered the ck Tower the biggest danger in that journey. Raon was worried about the Tower¡¯s vice master because he wanted to kill him, unlike Eden and the White Blood Religion who were just trying to capture him, but the ck Tower was fortunately not there. As he was about to escape from the city while ring at the Sword Wing, the Demonde and the Demon ying Spear floated into the air through the gray smoke filling the tform. Whir! A dark sea surged from the Demonde¡¯s sword piercing the sky. The tidal wave unleashed towards the za felt like the soul would be destroyed just from facing it. Rumble! The Demon ying Spear was riding a red horse with burning red skin, and a fireball as huge as the sun was emerging from the Sky Piercer pulled behind him. It was truly a demonic cavalry spear art. His majestic performance showed why he was the leader of the Demon Spear Guild. They were both using transcendental martial arts of will rather than an established technique of astral energy or astral sphere. Raon¡¯s heart pounded and his brain was stirred just from watching them. ¡°Nice.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master smiled peacefully even though he was under the two transcenders¡¯ attacks. He casually leaped from the tform and dropped the sword from his hand. His sword throbbed like a living creature and rushed towards the Demon ying Spear¡¯s Sr Edge and the Demonde¡¯s ck Sea. Slice! The sword soared into the sky to sever the Demonde¡¯s tidal wave and pierced through the Demon ying Spear¡¯s sun. It wasn¡¯t even surrounded by any astral energy or an astral sphere. It was simply wrapped in a faint light, yet the result was unbelievable. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s chin trembled as he watched the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sword. ¡®That¡¯s not just a flying sword. It¡¯s sword maniption.¡¯ Sword maniption was a legendary realm supposedly capable of controlling the sword ording to their will, and the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sword followed his will by severing the transcenders¡¯ wills. ¡®I never thought that realm actually existed in the world¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought it was a technique from fairy tales and had never expected to actually see it. The King of Essence told you, didn¡¯t he? Wrath licked his lips while scratching his nose. He is peculiar. He took a different path than your old man. ¡®It¡¯s not as simple as that.¡¯ Peculiar wasn¡¯t enough to describe the sword maniption because it was literally a legend. Raon bit his lip tightly while watching the Holy Sword Alliance master drive the Demonde and the Demon ying Spear into a corner on his own. The Ring of Fire started to rampage before he knew it and examined the sword maniption¡¯s flow. ¡®I don¡¯t really see anything because his realm is too high, but¡­¡¯ He could at least tell that he was controlling the sword through his will and a mysterious resonance of his aura. ¡®I can at least tell why the sword maniption is a legend.¡¯ Some techniques were bound to be physically impossible to achieve by wielding the sword with a human body. For example, it¡¯s impossible to sh towards the left and sh from the left again immediately after, without drawing your arm back. ¡®However¡­ sword maniption makes it possible.¡¯ Since the sword was floating freely instead of being held by a hand, it could achieve techniques that would¡¯ve been impossible otherwise. The sword maniption was an outrageous technique in its form, just like its power. ¡®I want to keep watching it¡­¡¯ He was getting new ideas as he watched the sword maniption. He could see the possibility of a new way to get stronger, but saving people took priority. Raon turned around without hesitation after he confirmed that the people had finished leaving the city. * * * Rumble! The master of the Holy Sword Alliance fended off the Demon ying Spear, who was attacking him directly, with his hand while using sword maniption to drive the Demonde into a corner. He smiled faintly while watching Raon¡¯s back as he escaped through the copsed rampart when the two transcenders had temporarilynded on the ground. ¡®He is amazing.¡¯ Just like he¡¯d heard from the Master of the Bloody Sword, Raon had the talent to impress the entire continent. He seemed to surpass even his youngest disciple, Cloud, who was considered the most talented swordsman in the contemporary Holy Sword Alliance. ¡®I should take him with me at least.¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance master shook his hand towards his back. ¡°Cloud.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The young warriors who¡¯d been staying behind the Holy Sword Alliance master bowed at him. ¡°Capture Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Alive or dead¡­?¡± ¡°Keep him alive, of course. Bring the Elite Guard Unit with you.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Cloud nodded and shook his hand towards the sky, and swordsmen wearing blue robes jumped down from the Sword Wing. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He ran towards the destroyed rampart, his eyes sparkling like a cold de. ¡°Where are you looking?!¡± ¡°You are the first one I¡¯ve met who is even more arrogant than me! This is so damn irritating!¡± The Demonde and the Demon ying Spear unleashed their dark sea and sr sphere once again. Their power was even denser than the previous attack, yet the smile remained on the lips of the Holy Sword Alliance master. ¡®I¡¯m curious what kind of face Glenn is going to make if I take Raon away from him.¡¯ * * * Raon was moving at the very back of the line while spreading the Perception of the Snow Flower. ¡°Is it really okay for us to leave like this?¡± Dorian was carrying Martha on his back with trembling lips. ¡°Our division leader and the Heavenly de division leader are still in there¡­¡± Krein also kept looking back in anxiety. ¡°It¡¯s the Heavenly Drive division leader and our division leader we are talking about. Believe in them.¡± Burren shook his head, saying that it was time for them to do their job instead of worrying about them. ¡°Yes, they wille back.¡± Runaan nodded calmly. She also seemed to believe in them. Raon smiled faintly as he watched Burren and Runaan ease the anxiety of the team members. ¡®They¡¯ve really grown a lot.¡¯ In the past, they would have been trembling with anxiety like the other team members, but now they were the ones calming them down. Raon felt proud of them for it. He figured he should prepare some separate training for them after they returned. ¡°The team leaders are right. We are solely going to focus on protecting the people from now on, and¡ª¡± Just as Raon agreed with the two team leaders and was about to tell them to focus on the guarding duty, a terrifying presence appeared from the direction of the rampart. ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± He turned after shouting at the Light Wind division to get into sword formation. He immediately drew his des, and a young warrior wearing a blue robe came into his sight. ¡®That man¡­¡¯ He was the one who¡¯d stayed right behind the Holy Sword Alliance master from the beginning. He looked young, but the energy waveing from him was far more powerful than Raon¡¯s. ¡°A sword with blue stars embedded on it¡­¡± Denning Rose pointed at the man¡¯s robe with her trembling hand. ¡°He is the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master!¡± She swallowed nervously, saying that he seemed to be the youngest disciple, judging from his age. ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Raon had been thinking that he was much too powerful for his age, and he was the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple, just like he¡¯d anticipated. By the time Raon was ready to unleash the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time, the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple stopped in front of him. ¡°Raon Zieghart and everyone here needs toe with me, in ordance with the alliance master¡¯s orders.¡± He tapped on the sword hanging around his waist, implying that he was going to kill them if they moved. ¡°What if I refuse?¡± ¡°Death is the only other choice you have.¡± The disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master shook his head, advising against the meaningless struggle. ¡°No, there¡¯s another choice I can take.¡± Deadly lightning sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°I send your head back separate from your body.¡± Chapter 497 Chapter 497 Raon narrowed down the range of his aura perception and examined the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master. The green eyes seen under the shadowy deep blue hair were brimming with excellence. Raon could feel that his martial art wasn¡¯t anything evil, unlike the other Five Demons. ¡®He¡¯s extremely powerful despite his young appearance.¡¯ Raon could tell that the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple was a monster that had surpassed Master¡¯s realm just from looking at his perfectly tightened meridians and the movement of his aura, which was as nimble as flowing water. ¡°You are as good at running your mouth as the rumors suggest.¡± The disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master snorted while stroking his smooth chin. ¡°But you are delusional.¡± He rolled his eyes coldly without yielding to the provocation. His mental state seemed to be as good as his might. ¡°Delusional?¡±Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The alliance master ordered me to bring you to him, but he never mentioned ¡®how¡¯. It means that it¡¯s perfectly fine to bring your corpse.¡± The disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master twisted his lips, and a frightening energy crept up from beneath his feet. It was his murderous intent infused with will, powerful enough to crush the body and tighten the heart. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon frowned while feeling the murderous intent crawling up to him like a chain. ¡®So he is a Grandmaster.¡¯ The way he freely manipted his will allowed him to confirm the fact that the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s master was a Grandmaster who had already surpassed the Master¡¯s wall. Victory wasn¡¯t guaranteed because there was a huge difference in realm between them. ¡®I¡¯ll persevere for now since the Holy Sword Alliance shouldn¡¯t know that I can use my will.¡¯ He determined that enduring his opponent''s will through the strength of his soul while looking for an opportunity tounch a surprise attack was the best course of action. ¡®His realm shouldn¡¯t be that high even though he¡¯s surpassed the wall.¡¯ Judging from his appearance, he seemed younger than forty years old. Surpassing the wall required some time no matter how gifted a person was. That was why Raon guessed that he was most likely still at the entry level of Grandmaster. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon sighed faintly and met his opponent¡¯s eyes. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I asked you your name.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple frowned without responding. It looked like he wasn¡¯t expecting to be asked for his name in that situation. ¡°Don¡¯t you even have the courage to announce your name when you are the Dark Night Sword God¡¯s disciple? How pathe¡ª¡± ¡°Cloud.¡± Cloud¡¯s lips parted as Raon sneered at him. ¡°I see, Cloud.¡± Raon tilted his head while entuating the name, Cloud. ¡°You should use your brain if you are going to lie. You can¡¯t just bber without even thinking.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape from that city if the Holy Sword Alliance master wanted to kill me.¡± Raon continued while rolling his lips into a long smile. ¡°The fact that he left me alive after he recognized me implies that there¡¯s something he wants from me. It could be my talent, swordsmanship, or both.¡± It wasn¡¯t an instance of overinted ego. Since the Holy Sword Alliance was a gathering of sword demons who could kill anyone for the sake of sword and sword techniques, there was no reason to bring a corpse back. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cloud¡¯s eyes darkened. They were as frightening as a sharp de. Raon could understand why he¡¯d be the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple upon seeing the cursed look in his eyes. ¡°Yes, I also heard that you were rather smart.¡± He nodded, saying that it was all ording to the information he¡¯d received. ¡°Who even told you about it when you¡¯ve been sitting on your ass?¡± ¡°The Master of the Bloody Sword told me that you are the most talented person on the continent.¡± ¡°Master of the Bloody Sword?¡± Raon tilted his head because he wasn¡¯t sure who that was, and Cloud continued. ¡°But that¡¯s only because you haven¡¯t encountered me yet.¡± His murderous intent intensified visibly as a smile spread across his face. It was breathtaking pressure. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve reached the highest level of Master at a young age, nothing guarantees that you will surpass the wall towards Grandmaster. There are countless vermin who couldn¡¯t be a Grandmaster after reaching Master at a young age.¡± He made his deration with a dry voice and brought his hand towards his waist. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you about real talent.¡± Considering the fact that he kept talking about talent, Raon could guess that Cloud was extremely confident about his talent. ¡®He must be extremely talented, of course.¡¯ There was no way the Holy Sword Alliance master would ept an ordinary person as his disciple. The mere fact that he was a Grandmaster at such a young age testified to his talent. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while looking at Wrath, who was yawning while lying on his right shoulder. ¡®He is no match against me since I have the King of Doormats with me.¡¯ Raon was confident that he could trounce the biggest talent in the continent or whatever as long as he had the giving Wrath with him. ¡°I don¡¯t know about being more talented, but¡­¡± Raon tilted his chin while rubbing his foot on the ground. He sneered while looking down on Cloud. ¡°Since even someone like you managed to be a Grandmaster, I think I can achieve it this year.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Cloud¡¯s expression hardened for the first time. He seemed so triggered by the mention of his talent. However, he must¡¯ve gotten enough mental training befitting his realm since he wasn¡¯t attacking over the irritation. Raon weakly clicked his tongue and examined the warriors standing behind Cloud. ¡®Are they the guards dispatched for the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master?¡¯ There weren¡¯t that many, but every single one of them was a powerful warrior, and multiple Masters were present. It was pretty clear that they were Cloud¡¯s bodyguards. Whir. Raon expanded his aura perception behind him without taking his eyes off the enemies. ¡®There aren¡¯t many warriors left.¡¯ The neutral factions and most of the civilians had already gone far away because the Light Wind division had been protecting them from the rear. Raon estimated that it would be difficult to protect all of them if they started to fight right there. ¡®I need to take him far away from here.¡¯ If a Grandmaster¡¯s astral spherended in a bad location, it was going to annihte the civilians and even the Light Wind division. Luring Cloud far away while leaving the rest to the Light Wind division was the best course of action. Raon made up his mind and sent an aura message to Burren, Runaan, and Mark Goetten at the same time. [I¡¯ll draw that talented parrot away with me. I leave the rest to you.] The three people immediately nodded. Raon liked how he didn¡¯t need to exin any further thanks to the long time they¡¯d spent together. ¡°I¡¯m rather confident in my footwork.¡± Raon sheathed Heavenly Drive and turned his right ankle towards the right, where no one was around. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can follow me with that amazing talent of yours.¡± Raon kicked the ground with full power, utilizing his fastest footwork, the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step. ¡°Catch me if you can.¡± Are you crazy or what¡­? Wrath shook his head while mumbling in wonder. ¡°You fucking jackass!¡± Cloud ground his teeth violently and turned around. ¡°Take care of them all before Ie back!¡± He leaped towards Raon right after he gave his subordinates that order. His body, as refined as an excellent sword, dashed through the forest like a ray of light. A smile appeared on Raon¡¯s lips as he felt the prickling sensation of bloodlust reaching his back. He slightly turned his head to check behind him, seeing that Cloud was chasing after him with a cold expression on his face. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t running without a n. He knew Cloud was going to follow because the Holy Sword Alliance master must¡¯ve wanted him, rather than the others, judging from what Cloud had said. He thought Cloud was obviously going to follow since his mission would fail if he allowed his target to escape even after killing everyone else. ¡®It¡¯s a shame that the others stayed behind though.¡¯ He was hoping for Cloud¡¯s guards to join the chase, but it was apparently too much to hope for. Raon didn¡¯t stop his advance until the ramparts could no longer be seen while hoping that the Light Wind division would put up a good fight. ¡°Hmph.¡± Raon stopped at an open area far away from the others, and Cloudnded on the ground with a frown on his face. ¡°Is this the limit of your ability after boasting about your talent while running?¡± Raon had stopped there on purpose, but Cloud seemed to believe that his footwork was faster as he looked at him with a sneer on his face. He was powerful but seemed to have enough openings in his mentality. ¡°I was the only person that the Holy Sword Alliance master asked you to capture, right?¡± Raon smiled coldly while sweeping his disheveled hair back. ¡°Can you even be the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sessor when you are so easy to read? Are you sure you won¡¯t be devoured by your higher-ups?¡± ¡°Shut your trap!¡± Cloud furrowed his brow and ced his hand on the hilt of his sword. The energy wave emanating from him was on a whole different level from before. Raon could feel that his body and aura were close to beingplete. Haa. Raon calmly caught his breath while facing Cloud¡¯s distorted eyes. ¡®I need to go all-out from the start.¡¯ He could anticipate that Cloud wasn¡¯t going to go easy on him in order to prove his talent. A sloppy response could end up in a defeat after a single strike. Raon unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier to the highest output and lightly grabbed Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. The moment a dry leafnded on the ground, Raon and Cloud unsheathed their swords at the same time. Distance didn¡¯t matter to them. As their wills surged, their swords were already moving toward each other''s souls. It was a fight between sword draws. des engulfed by majestic auras were firing off at each other¡¯s throats. * * * * * * Burren swallowed nervously while watching the slow advance of the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s swordsmen. ¡®There are too many Masters.¡¯ Judging from the frightening energy on their swords, he could tell that five among the twenty-five enemies were Masters, and one of them seemed to be an intermediate Master. Assuming that Mark Goetten would fight the strongest opponent, he couldn¡¯te up with a solution to deal with the four others. ¡°They are the Elite Guard Unit who protect the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master.¡± Denning rose frowned while looking at the swordsmen¡¯s faces, which were as expressionless as dolls. She snapped her fingers, and warriors wearing ck clothes emerged from the shadows on the ground. ¡°We will join the fight.¡± She dered that she would handle one side herself and gave orders to her bodyguards. ¡°Casia!¡± Encia shouted and a woman jumped down from a tree. ¡°Help the Light Wind division!¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± The bodyguard called Casia bowed to Encia and stood in the way of the Master approaching from the left. ¡®This gives us a bit more room¡­ Huh?¡¯ Burren let out a sigh of relief and noticed that the White Blood fanatics and sword demons from Holy Sword Alliance were running towards them from behind the Elite Guard Unit. He realized it wasn¡¯t going to be an easy fight. ¡°Into formation.¡± ¡°Into formation!¡± He opened the Great Light Formation and stomped the ground. The footprint on thend served as a signal for the Elite Guard Unit to start charging at them through the wind. ¡®Martha¡­¡¯ Martha was still unconscious. It would be extremely helpful if she would wake up, but there was no time to hope for such a miracle. The Light Wind division had to fight without her. ¡°Dorian, focus on protecting Martha.¡± ¡°U-understood.¡± Burren sent Dorian, who was carrying Martha on his back, to the rear and stepped forward to the front of the formation. ¡°You can kill them.¡± The warrior, who seemed to be the captain of the Elite Guard Unit, raised his sword and ordered the ughter. ¡°You won¡¯t kill anyone as long as I¡¯m here!¡± Mark Goetten dashed at the captain with a furious shout of concentration. He seemed to be trying to prevent him from causing any damage. aang! The Brilliance sh Overflow from the Anarchic Lightning Saber fell like lightning cutting through the sky, but the Elite Guard Unit¡¯s captain withstood his attack with a simple upward swing of his sword. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Patience is my strength instead of might.¡± ¡°How crude.¡± The Elite Guard Unit¡¯s captainughed it off and swung his sword downwards. The diagonal sh bent like a whip towards Mark Goetten¡¯s body. ¡°Kuh!¡± Mark Goetten swung his sword in a cross shape to create a saber barrier with the shape of a shield. aang! The guard captain¡¯s strikes seemed to be endless, but Mark Goetten wasn¡¯t pushed back in the slightest as he endured while biting his lip. Burren clenched his fist while watching Mark Goetten¡¯s back. ¡®Please hold out, Sir Mark.¡¯ He wanted to tell him that he wasing to help, but he had no room for that. The Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s swordsmen were well aware that they had the upper hand and approached with light steps. However, they unleashed their powerful aura and started to attack as soon as they got close enough. aang! Since there were two Masters among the Elite Guard Unit, the Great Light Wind Formation wavered significantly upon blocking the first hit, as if it were about to break already. ¡®We are going to lose at this rate.¡¯ There was pretty much a hole in the formation because both Martha and Dorian were missing from it. Burren could guess that they weren¡¯t going tost for long. ¡°Heavy Battle Form!¡± Burren switched the Great Light Wind Formation into the form with the highest defense and shed upwards towards the elite guard that had reached him. Whoosh! The Barren Wind incorporated the heaviness of thend, but it disappeared in vain without cutting through his opponent¡¯s astral energy. Whaaam! The counterattack that followed shook the Great Light Wind Formation violently, like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Burren clenched his fist to the point of bleeding. ¡®There¡¯s nothing we can do if we can¡¯t withstand the strike in this form.¡¯ The Heavy Battle Form of the Great Light Wind Formation was simr to a turtle hiding inside the shell to look for a chance for a surprise attack. However, the shell was about to shatter because the enemy¡¯s attack was too violent. Burren quickly looked back. He could see Runaan biting her lip as she maintained the center of the formation. She must¡¯ve received arge amount of damage because she was protecting the formation without Martha, but she was enduring it without even letting out a groan. Whaaap! Runaan exhaled roughly and unleashed her coldness. It was a frost fog capable of fortifying the formation and limiting the enemy¡¯s movement at the same time. However, the enemy attacks continued amid the fog. The astral energies of the two Masters exploded one after the other, and the formation¡¯s center started to tilt. ¡°Kuh!¡± Burren gritted his back teeth. ¡®We are all going to die at this rate.¡¯ There were two Masters and ten highest-level Experts. Moreover, there were countless swordsmen of the Holy Sword Alliance and White Blood fanatics assaulting them like hungry demons. Burren could tell that they were all going to end up dying if they focused on defense. ¡®What about the others¡­?¡¯ He quickly looked around, but no other warrior was avable to help. It was a trial that the Light Wind Division had to ovee by themselves. ¡®We have no other choice.¡¯ Burren swirled his sword and advanced. ¡°To the Decisive Light Form!¡± He abandoned defense, switched into an offensive formation, and jumped into the space of the Master who was trying to attack. aang! As expected of a Master¡¯s strike, Burren felt like his shoulder was about to break even though it was an all-out surprise attack of the Barren Wind Sword. It was different from when he used to fight Mark Goetten, who wasn¡¯t trying to kill them. His opponent¡¯s powerful malice was clutching around his body. ¡°What an idiot. You could¡¯ve lived for a bit longer if you kept hiding like a mole.¡± The elite guard sneered and swung his sword. ¡°But mypanion next to me would¡¯ve died if I did so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s precisely because you care about your weakpanions instead of the difference in skills that you can¡¯t get any better.¡± A frightening smile spread around his lips as he swung his sword engulfed in astral energy down. It was an extremely simple attack, but that made it even more fearsome. aang! It was too fast to dodge. Burren immediately raised his sword to block it. Creak! The astral energy cut through the aura de and caused a tremendous amount of pressure. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Burren¡¯s chin trembled violently as he forcibly extracted more aura from his aching energy center. ¡°You are not Raon Zieghart. Know your ce.¡± The Master from Holy Sword Alliance dered in a cold voice and swung his sword down. He seemed to be trying to cut him in half along with the sword. Blood gushed from Burren¡¯s shoulder and the hand that was holding the sword from the astral energy¡¯s influence. ¡®I¡¯m not Raon Zieghart, you say? I know that better than anyone.¡¯ He¡¯d looked down on Raon when he¡¯d seen him for the first time, he wanted to catch up to him once he realized what kind of person he was, but he just wanted to support his back at that point. ¡®Because he¡¯s given me so many things.¡¯ Raon gave him countless gifts even though Burren had looked down upon him andughed at him. He was willing to offer even his life for Raon¡¯s sake, as he considered him closer than his father or brothers. There was no reason to live on if he couldn¡¯t evenplete a simple order, let alone be a pir of support. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± Burren stomped the ground while letting out a scream. The wave of the astral energy ripped his clothes apart and ruined his hair. Moreover, his voice was a scream instead of a shout of concentration, which was the behavior he despised the most since he loved a noble attitude. ¡°A pointless struggle!¡± The Master from the Holy Sword Alliance unleashed his astral energy while twisting his lips. Burren¡¯s knees bent and his back arched. However, probably because he¡¯d found freedom, a sense of rxation that he¡¯d never had before, his heart and energy center pounded powerfully to unleash an imposing wind. ¡°Kuh!¡± Burren gritted his teeth and raised his sword. The aura umted over and over around his half-broken sword to create a majestic blue radiance. His astral energy advanced alongside a barren wind, shaking the entire forest to pierce through the Master¡¯s sword and sever his chest. sh! Red blood gushed from the swordsman¡¯s chest. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Burren spat out the blood welling up in his mouth and pointed his sword at his opponent. ¡°Raon Zieghart is iparable to an idiot like me.¡± He twisted his lips while looking at the brilliant light engulfing his de. ¡°Apologize for what you said.¡± Chapter 498 Chapter 498 Burren swallowed nervously as he looked at the blue radiance surrounding his de. ¡®Is this astral energy?¡¯ It was on a whole different level from the aura de. The energy of wind was endlessly condensing around the de, and he could feel a sharpness capable of cutting through anything. Confidence filled his shoulders, making him feel like he could defeat any opponent and execute the techniques he couldn¡¯t use before. ¡®He said I have to be even more careful in a situation like this.¡¯ Raon had mentioned that the feeling of omnipotence after surpassing the wall was extremely dangerous and had advised him to calm down. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be relieved.¡¯ There was no way Raon would be wrong. Since his opponent had be a Master a long time before himself, carelessness would get him killed in an instant even though his enemy was injured. ¡°Don¡¯t you think¡­¡±The elite guard rubbed theceration on his chest with trembling lips. The blood falling like a heavy rain came to a halt and the wound tightened. He seemed to have forced the bleeding to stop with his aura. ¡°You¡¯ve won with this?!¡± The astral energy around his de intensified into a bloody color, probably because he was going all out. ¡°I would never think that.¡± Burren lowered his posture and raised his sword above his head. ¡°Not until I¡¯ve killed you!¡± ¡°You greenhorn!¡± The elite guard charged at him from the left. Blood started to flow from his wound once again because of the drastic movement. As expected, the injury wasn¡¯tpletely sutured. ¡®In that case.¡¯ Burren took three steps back with his footwork. He ced his left foot on a boulder, extended his right foot, and executed a downward sh. The astral energy engulfing his de split into five gusts of wind to attack his opponent. It was the Barren Wind Sword¡¯s special technique, Rotating Wind Arrow, that he was unable to achieve despite endless practice. ¡°Kuh!¡± The elite guard created a sword barrier as he charged like a boar. aang! He seemed to be nning to cut through the astral energy to continue his charge, but the Rotating Wind Arrow created a violent rotation of wind to destroy the elite guard¡¯s sword barrier. Blood gushed out of theceration on his chest once again. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡± Burren grabbed his sword with two hands and swung it down in a curved trajectory¡ªlike the wheel of a carriage. The astral energy on his de extended like sunlight reflected on the water and shot toward the elite guard¡¯s heart. aang! The elite guard was unable to perfectly block it once again and was pushed back while leaving a deep trace on the ground. His left knee was trembling, showing that he¡¯d received a significant amount of damage. ¡°You cheap bastard¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to allow your approach.¡± The Barren Wind Sword specialized in ranged attacks, and his opponent¡¯s skills were better than his own. That was why there was no reason to fight from up close without using his advantage. ¡®But I also need to help them quickly.¡¯ Runaan was currently maintaining the Light Wind Formation. She must¡¯ve been under heavy pressure, as it was normally supposed to be done by the three team leaders together. However, making sure to finish off the opponent in front of him had the higher priority. The Light Wind division would be annihted if he ended up defeated instead. ¡®Please hold out a bit longer.¡¯ Burren bit the tip of his tongue while thrusting his turbulent energy of wind. ¡®I¡¯ll return as quickly as possible!¡¯ * * * ¡°Haa¡­¡± A weak groan could be heard from Runaan. ¡®It¡¯s so painful.¡¯ Her bones and muscles had started to scream from maintaining the Great Light Wind Formation¡¯s center, which should¡¯ve been done by the three team leaders together. The pain was reaching all the way under her stomach, implying that she must¡¯ve even gotten an internal injury. She had no time to breathe because she even had to block a Master¡¯s strikes while trying to destroy the sword formation. ¡®But I have to hold out.¡¯ The opponent Burren was fighting was even stronger than the Master she was facing, and even Yua and Yulius were filling into the formation to swing their swords with their small hands. She couldn¡¯t let everyone die like that. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Runaan quickly rolled her eyes and looked at Martha on Dorian¡¯s back. ¡®I can¡¯t let Miss Rakshasa die like this.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t let the first friend of the same sex that she¡¯d ever made die like that while sleeping. She had to endure it even if it broke all the bones in her body. Whoosh! While Runaan was bracing herself amid the intense pain, the ck-haired elite guard charged at her from the right and swung his sword down. It was a fiery strike with astral energy. The Light Wind swordsmen were going to be cut in half if it continued. Ssshh! She didn¡¯t hesitate to use the Snow Footwork. Her movement looked like she was sliding on ice, and she focused her energy of frost while standing in front of the elite guard. Crack! The ice barrier was unable to withstand the astral energy, shattered into pieces, and created a small ice tornado. ¡®It¡¯s too weak¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t make a decent counterattack because she was spending her aura and willpower to maintain the formation. ¡°How crude.¡± The ck-haired elite guard snorted and easily cut apart the ice tornado. Runaan extended Snow Flower, which she¡¯d pulled back, to block the astral energy that was piercing through the tornado. ang! The astral energy was too powerful like always. It felt like her hand was tearing apart as itpletely destroyed her aura de. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She was extremely confident in her patience, but the ovepping pain made her unconsciously let out a groan. ¡°Your scream is no fun.¡± The ck-haired elite guard briefly clicked his tongue while cing his sword on his shoulder. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Your face is pretty, but your scream is boring.¡± His eyes started to glow red. ¡°I like the screams of vermin even more than the swordsmanship.¡± The ck-haired elite guard giggled and jumped to the left. He was targeting Yulius, who was leaning forward to catch his breath. ¡°Ugh!¡± Runaan frowned and chased after him. The elite guard executed a swift downward sh toward Yulius¡¯s head with a frightening smile on his face, and tremendous pressure was pushing her back as a result. ¡®Get in there!¡¯ She shoved Snow Flower between the elite guard¡¯s sword and Yulius. aang! Her wrist and shoulder appeared on the verge of snapping as they shook violently. She had suffered significant damage because the defense wasn¡¯t carried out from a proper position. ¡°Ack¡­¡± ¡°T-team leader!¡± Yulius¡¯s pale lips trembled. She wanted to tell him she was okay, but she couldn¡¯t open her mouth because of the damage. She patted his head with her left hand and stepped forward. ¡°Are you still only letting out small groans? What a boring woman.¡± The ck-haired elite guard frowned while tilting his chin. ¡°And you are also stupid.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have suffered such a serious internal injury if you didn¡¯t defend that brat.¡± He snorted while pointing at the blood flowing from her lips. ¡°This time¡­¡± The ck-haired elite guard rolled his eyes and licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll go that way!¡± He violently kicked the ground and advanced towards Yua. ¡°St-stop him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him pass!¡± Krein and the swordsmen tried to get in his way, but the elite guard¡¯s astral energy distorted the sword formation. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Cough¡­¡± The swordsmen were pushed back because they were already exhausted, and they coughed blood while letting out a groan. ¡°I like your screams!¡± The ck-haired elite guard¡¯s smile deepened as he stood in front of Yua. ¡°I wonder how your scream is going to sound, littledy?¡± ¡°Go away.¡± Runaan stood in front of Yua, and the ck-haired elite guard immediately swung his sword from the left. aang! Runaan was bounced back once again because it was a sh between a fully prepared Master and a highest-level Expert who couldn¡¯t get into a proper position. Arge amount of blood gushed out through her tightly closed lips. ¡°Runaan¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± Runaan forced herself to smile. She couldn¡¯t even tell if she was smiling or crying. Her mind went nk, and her vision blurred. ¡°Are you still not screaming? You are a real deal.¡± The ck-haired elite guard shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you often get called out for being persistent?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan didn¡¯t respond and pointed her sword at the ck-haired elite guard. ¡°I would¡¯ve been bored at this point normally, but¡­¡± The ck-haired elite guard grinned while tapping on his cheek. ¡°This is rather interesting today. So now¡­¡± He pierced towards the center of the sword formation while letting out a frightening voice. His gaze was directed at Dorian, who was carrying Martha on his back. ¡°I¡¯ll stab that woman! You must be close to her since you¡¯ve been ncing at her all this time!¡± The ck-haired elite guard¡¯s sword rushed toward Martha. The sword formation was cracked, and he became even faster. Runaan realized she wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to him even if she used the Snow Footwork to the best of her ability. ¡°Ah!¡± Dorian stepped backward while chewing on his lip. It was a wise decision since he was trying to get away from the sword¡¯s trajectory by using his footwork while lowering his lower body. However, the astral energy on the elite guard¡¯s sword was blocking all escape. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s chin trembled. The sword looked like it was advancing at an extremely slow speed¡ªas if her life were shing in front of her eyes. ¡®I need to stop him. I need to, but¡­¡¯ There was nothing she could do. Her vision went nk, as if she were paying for the umted damage at once. ¡®Stop him? But how? And¡­ Why do I have to stop him?¡¯ She started to wonder why she¡¯d been fixated on defense. As she began to forget even her own identity, she could see the back of a person amidst the sea of white. The back didn¡¯t belong to an adult but to a child. It was the back that she¡¯d never forgotten. ¡®Raon.¡¯ When they were trainees, Raon had defeated her fear of Syria, which was about to devour her. The back she¡¯d seen had left a deep impression on her. ¡®Yes, that¡¯s why I¡­¡¯ She''s been practicing defensive sword techniques to protect others, just as Raon did in the past, and has assumed the defensive role in the formation. It was the choice she made to protect herpanions that she got attached to and to ovee her brother''s malevolence that was eventually going toe. ¡®That¡¯s why¡­ I can¡¯t give up yet.¡¯ A blue tornado stormed inside her mind as the childish back of Raon turned into his grown form. The hazy world returned to normal, and she could see that the ck-haired elite guard¡¯s sword was about to cut down Martha and Dorian at the same time. Runaan raised her hand. Her energy center felt like it was going to burst from the violent rampage of her energy of frost, and she unleashed it toward her opponent. Whaaam! The coldness dashed through her mana circuits and advanced to create a spiky ice wall between Martha and the ck-haired elite guard in an instant. It was so huge that it almost looked like an entire mountain being frozen. Crack! The ck-haired elite guard and even the sword demons and bloody demons attacking the formation came to a halt upon witnessing the overwhelming size. Runaan fired the energy of frost on Snow Flower towards the peak of the ice wall. Crack! As soon as the round concentration of her astral energy reached the ice wall, countless fissures appeared on it and created a tremendous explosion. Whaaam! The ice shardsing from the explosion didn¡¯t simply disappear, instead turning into silver astral energy to be a blizzard cutting through the souls of her enemies. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening?!¡± ¡°D-dodge! It¡¯s made of astral energy!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The storming ice made by Runaan became a death god¡¯s sentence to put an end to the lives of the White Blood fanatics and the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s warriors. On the other hand, not the smallest shard came towards the Light Wind swordsmen and the civilians. ¡°Kuh!¡± The ck-haired elite guard was also fully upied with getting the ice shards away from him. Moreover, the movement of his hand was slowed down because of the fog in the area. ¡°How is this even happening? You can¡¯t just awaken like this! Huh?¡± He finally caught his breath after disposing of thest shard of ice only to find Runaan piercing through the white fog. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± The ck-haired elite guard swung his sword downwards with a murderous smile. His posture was wless, showing that he wasn¡¯t being careless at all. ¡°Die!¡± However, Runaan disappeared like an illusion the moment his astral energy cut through her. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happen¡ªCough!¡± The ck-haired elite guard¡¯s jaw dropped, and Runaan¡¯s sword appeared from the left to stab into his chest. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°You like screams, right?¡± Runaan twisted the de on the ck-haired elite guard¡¯s chest and pulled it out. Blood gushed from it like an unstoppable fountain. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± ¡°Die while listening to your own screams.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The ck-haired elite guard copsed with bloodshot eyes. He couldn¡¯t even let out the screams he loved so much. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Runaan sank to the ground while coughing up blood. Her head was nk and her body felt heavy. She felt like she really couldn¡¯t do anything anymore. She looked to her right while exhaling a bloody breath and saw Burren sinking to the ground after beheading the Master in front of him. It looked like he¡¯d also exhausted all his strength. ¡°Now the only one left is¡­¡± Runaan raised her chin to look at the front. * * * * * * ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Mark Goetten groaned while looking at the cut on his waist. ¡°I know who you are.¡± The man who seemed to be the elite guard captain slowly nodded. ¡°Mark Goetten, the Saber of the Fallen Flower. People called you a genius in the beginning, but you are just azy and mediocre warrior who couldn¡¯t get out of the beginner realm of Master in your entire life.¡± He slowly nodded. He was simply stating the truth, with no trace of contempt in his voice. ¡°I heard you were wandering around the world as a mercenary. I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± ¡°I also know about you.¡± Mark Goetten twisted his lips while looking at the scar on the elite guard captain¡¯s nose. ¡°Balben the Landsteel Sword.¡± Mark Goetten could ascertain that he was Balben the Landsteel Sword from the scar passing through his nose ridge and his unshakable swordsmanship that resembled an iron wall. ¡°Correct.¡± Balben peacefully nodded without being flustered in the slightest. ¡°Don¡¯t you find this interesting? You¡¯ve fallen into being a mercenary when you used to be a famous knight, and I became a swordsman serving the Holy Sword Alliance master when I was a mercenary who had nothing but defense going for me.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°I thought I would never be able to defend against your strike when I saw your saber technique in the past, but I can even push it back with one hand now. It¡¯s making me sad at this point.¡± ¡°Shut up. And I¡¯m not a mercenary anymore. I¡¯m a swordsman from Zieghart.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Indeed.¡± He slowly nodded while looking at the Zieghart emblem engraved on Mark Goetten¡¯s uniform. ¡°I guess Raon Zieghart was impatient to pick such a slothful man like you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare insult him!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not exactly wrong. It¡¯s true that you are slothful, and it¡¯s also true that you can¡¯t break through my sword art.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mark Goetten bit his lip. Balben was right, as his sword art felt as hard as an iron wall. He¡¯d tried using every technique of the Anarchic Lightning Saber, but he was still unable to break through it. ¡°The situation went a bit awry, but¡­¡± Balben stroked his chin while ncing backward. ¡°It doesn¡¯t exactly change the oue. I can just take care of the Light Wind division after I kill you. Moreover¡­¡± He looked in the direction where Raon and Cloud had left. ¡°Sir Cloud is going to return soon.¡± ¡°You are wrong about that.¡± Mark Goetten exhaled a warm breath. He straightened his back while shaking off the blood from his waist. ¡°You might be able to kill me. The youngsters behind me might end up dying to you. However¡­¡± He firmly shook his head while looking at Balben. ¡°Sir Raon is different. He will definitely cut down your master and return.¡± ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± Balben had been as calm as water, but he started tough like a madman while covering his forehead. ¡°You are so stupid. I guess there¡¯s a good reason you became the Saber of the Fallen Flower.¡± Balben shook his head with a sneer on his lips. ¡°You must¡¯ve heard of Sir Cloud¡¯s identity. He is the disciple of our alliance master. He¡¯s reached the Grandmaster¡¯s realm after learning countless martial arts. He possesses a timeless talent, capable of mastering the techniques of others to a higher level than their original practitioners, even with minimal exposure. A mere Master would never¡­¡± ¡°Something like that doesn¡¯t even matter.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sir Raon is never going to lose, not even if your master has reached transcendence. He also has superior talent.¡± Mark Goetten¡¯s unwavering pupils almost looked like they were fixated on a pin. ¡°Sir Raon told us that he would be back soon, and he is never wrong.¡± Raon had never been wrong, not even once so far. ¡®It¡¯s always been the case since the first time I met him.¡¯ Raon had told him that he would help him to the best of his ability even though he wasn¡¯t sure whether that would make him stronger or not, and he¡¯d been doing exactly what he¡¯d said. Countless people had told the same thing in the past, but every single one of them just wanted his power as a sloppy Master. Raon was the only exception. He¡¯d been helping his training in various ways instead of using his power, and it was bearing its fruit. Raon was literally a god for Mark Goetten because he¡¯d brought back the objective that even his family, friends, and he had given up on. Rumble! Upon reflecting on the time he''d trained with Raon, vitality flooded his body, which had been nothing but exhausted and pained. ¡°I misspoke.¡± ¡°I knew it. Someone like Raon would never win against Sir Cloud¡ª¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Mark Goetten slowly raised his chin. The look in his eyes was different from before. ¡°Sir Raon told me that he was leaving it to me. Both me and the youngsters behind me need to survive until he returns.¡± He stomped the ground and raised his saber. ¡°Come at me!¡± ¡°You piece of trash.¡± Balben twisted his lips and thrust his sword that was pulled back on the left. aang! The impact reached all the way to his shoulder. Balben¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t specialized in defense anymore. The offensive ability was also solid enough to push back the astral saber. Zap! He pushed Balben away with a forced burst of strength then he unleashed Anarchic Lightning Saber techniques one after the other. Sparks filled the space like fireworks, but Balben felt like a boulder with his imprable defense. ¡°Those without skill aren¡¯t allowed to talk.¡± Balben sneered and swirled his wrist. His sword pressure started to devour the space, starting from the ground. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Mark Goetten narrowed his eyes upon seeing Balben¡¯s attack. ¡®This shape¡­¡¯ It was simr to the trajectory Raon had shown to him during their recent spar. ¡°Your attacks are powerful, Sir Mark Goetten. You should be able to y even an intermediate Master if you win the mind game. However, you will be at a disadvantage against a powerful warrior focused on defense because of the saber¡¯s characteristics. What are you going to do when that happens?¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll also fortify my defense¡­¡± ¡°A saber shouldn¡¯t be used like that. You have to break through no matter what, even if it costs you your life.¡± Raon had broken through the Anarchic Lightning Saber¡¯s barrier with a violent attack as a demonstration. The aura was simr to before, but his will to cut through anything could be felt. ¡®I have to break through it no matter what. I¡¯m going to die if I don¡¯t!¡¯ Mark Goetten raised his saber while thinking about Raon¡¯s teachings. Starting from his ankle to his waist, his shoulder to his wrist, he used his entire body as a de to execute the Anarchic Lightning Saber¡¯s downward sh. However, he still couldn¡¯t break through Balben¡¯s sword barrier. Even then, he continued to attack. He was out of breath and his energy center was throbbing, but he endured it and shed endlessly. ¡®Y-you bastard!¡± Wrinkles appeared on Balben¡¯s face because the attacks showed no sign of stopping and became more and more powerful instead. ¡°You will be the first one to die no matter what you try!¡± ¡°Haaaah!¡± Mark Goetten¡¯s shout of concentration reced his response. It was the expression of his will, proiming that he would die if he couldn¡¯t break through his enemy¡ªjust like Raon had advised him. A fight to the death. The important order from his master and his own confidence that he could do it jumped out of its shell. His thoughts cleared and his hands became light. It could be the deathbed rally from the rumors, the one that supposedly happened before the moment of death. He could feel the surge of power in his body and energy center, much like the bright radiance of a candle just before being extinguished. Mark Gotten smiled, simply from the thought that he could swing the saber one more time. ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± Mark Goetten¡¯s shout of concentration echoed throughout thend. He unleashed everything he had, his body, aura, and mind alike, to execute a downward sh with the saber that was splitting the night sky in half. The astral energy engulfing his de glimmered like moonlight. ¡°Too slow!¡± Balben bit his lip and kicked the ground. His ferocious astral energy surrounded his de and rushed towards Mark Goetten¡¯s heart. ¡°Huh?¡± However, his de only stabbed Mark Goetten¡¯s shoulder instead of his heart. ¡®Wh-what¡­?¡¯ Balben¡¯s eyes widened. His wrist trembled like a paper boat riding the wind. Whir! Mark Goetten¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest even though his flesh was cut off from his shoulder. He kicked the ground and swung his saber down. It was the Anarchic Lightning Saber¡¯s special technique, Swift Lightning sh. The lightning energy dwelling at the tip of his saber fell like a lightning strike cutting through the world. Cring! Balben unsheathed his sword and tried to fortify his defense, but the Swift Lightning sh was faster. aang! His sword shattered as if it had been bitten by a beast, and a lightning-shaped wound appeared on his body. ¡°D-damn it¡­¡± Balben looked at the lightning-shaped wound on his body before he copsed on his back. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mark Goetten drove his saber onto the ground and leaned against it. He could feel it himself. He had finally broken through the wall and had reached the level of intermediate Master. Raon¡¯s promise was aplished. The memories of dozens of years where he was abandoned by his family, friends,panions, and the world fleeted past his mind, and tears started to flow before he knew it. Mark Goetten roared towards the sky while thinking about Raon¡¯s face when he¡¯d held his sword before he¡¯d left. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± He was saying goodbye to his former self, the one who used to be ipetent andzy, while expressing his gratitude to his new master who had granted him a new life. Chapter [NaN] Chapter [NaN] Yes this is intentional, no don''t go asking when it''s back on Discord. ¡ª The Team Chapter 499 Chapter 499 ¡°Huff¡­¡± Mark Goetten fell on his knees while gasping for breath. He felt so refreshed after he vented all of his frustration through his roar, which was simr to a painful cry. He felt like a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders. ¡®I¡¯ve finally reached it. The intermediate Master level.¡¯ He¡¯d remained on the same spot for over twenty years. He couldn¡¯t advance at all from it while his seniors, peers, and juniors surpassed him, yet he had finally surpassed the wall and climbed another stair. ¡®Yes, it was just one stair.¡¯ It could be an insignificant step for some people, but that step was even more important than his life for him. ¡°I¡¯m d I decided to follow him.¡±The encounter with Raon was the greatest opportunity in his life. He was d that he threw away the small amount of pride and honor left in him and begged Raon to allow him to be a follower. ¡®Because I would¡¯ve never been able to feel like this otherwise.¡¯ The refreshing wind that cooled his sweat after an all-out training, the warm meal shared withpanions walking the same path, and the sense of achievement from destroying the wall through continuous effort. It was all thanks to Raon that he could feel those emotions once again, even though he¡¯d forgotten them for a long time. He thought once again that bing his follower was the best decision in his life. ¡®Thank you, I¡¯m really grateful¡­¡¯ Mark Goetten closed his eyes while expressing his gratitude towards Raon, who wasn¡¯t around him. He could hear the shing sound of swords from behind him as he felt the breath of his middle energy center that was throbbing like a heart. ¡°Ah!¡± Mark Goetten hurriedly opened his eyes. ¡®Right, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this right now!¡¯ The battle wasn¡¯t over yet. He had no time to waste to save hispanions in the Light Wind division. ¡°Ack!¡± He felt unbearable pain when he tried to stand up. His side and thigh werecerated, and he even had an internal injury, which was making him dizzy from the pain. However, he had no time to care about that. He forced himself to stand and looked behind him. ¡°Err¡­¡± Mark Goetten¡¯s eyes widened as soon as he turned back. ¡®It¡¯s already over¡­?!¡¯ All of the Masters among the swordsmen who came alongside the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple were already dead, and there were only three elite guards left. Even those three were severely injured and looked like they were going to die soon enough. The White Blood fanatics who used to be swarming like ants had all perished with their bodies pierced by an ice shard. ¡°Wh-when did this¡­?¡± ¡°Did you finish crying?¡± Mark Goetten¡¯s lips trembled, and Burren walked up to him. ¡°Burren? Wait, you!¡± Burren wasn¡¯t in a normal state at all. He was injured all over his body and even seemed to have an internal injury, yet his eyes were brimming with a radiance that hadn¡¯t existed there before. Even his pressure had changed. The change could only be exined by breaking through the wall and reaching a new realm. ¡°Did you be a Master?¡± ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m not the only one.¡± Burren raised his hand with arge smile. It was rare for him to smile like that. Mark Goetten looked at where he was pointing and saw that Runaan was sitting on the ground. ¡®She¡¯s severely wounded. However¡­¡¯ Runaan¡¯s injuries were even more serious than Burren¡¯s. Her waist and shoulders werepletely covered in blood, implying that her flesh had been cut off. However, her energy wave was also on a whole different level. Her energy used to feel like a gentleke, yet it was sshing like a turbulent ocean. ¡°D-did you both be Masters?!¡± ¡°It happened somehow, even though we are on the verge of death.¡± Burrenughed emptily while looking at the sword scars made on his body. ¡°So that¡¯s why he said that earlier.¡± Mark Goetten hadn¡¯t paid attention to it before because he was focused on the fight, but he finally realized why Balben had said that the situation was going awry. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°Cough¡­¡± Thest elite guards lost their heads and had their hearts pierced by a de. Encia and Denning Rose¡¯s bodyguards had also finished eliminating the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s swordsmen that they were facing, and there were no enemies left as a result. ¡°W-we won¡­¡± Kreiny down on the ground while wiping the blood flowing from his lips. ¡°Eww, I-I thought I was going to die.¡± Dorian carefully put Martha down and wiped his cold sweat. ¡°Uaaaah.¡± ¡°We won.¡± ¡°You sons of bitches! This is Zieghart, and we are the Mad Dog division!¡± ¡°The Five Demons are no match for us.¡± The Light Wind division raised their hands and celebrated their victory. However, their voices and hands were weak because they were extremely exhausted. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Runaan stood up while faltering. Even though her injuries were the most severe among them, she nonchntly walked toward Burren and Mark Goetten. ¡°R-Runaan!¡± ¡°Th-those injuries are so serious¡­¡± Burren and Mark Goetten¡¯s eyes trembled upon seeing Runaan¡¯s wounds up close. It was almost surprising that she was still alive because her injuries were a lot bigger than they¡¯d expected. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I should¡¯ve finished him off faster¡­¡± ¡°Same goes for me. I was too fixated on my fight.¡± They bit their lips while looking at Runaan¡¯s injury, which looked like she had been bitten by a beast. It looked like it was going to leave a scar even if a saint treated her. ¡°Good job.¡± However, Runaan didn¡¯t resent them at all. She raised her faintly trembling hand from the pain and patted Burren and Mark Goetten¡¯s shoulders. ¡°No one died.¡± She turned around and pointed at the Light Wind division. None of them were unscathed, but she simply nodded while saying that everyone was alive. ¡°Miss Rakshasa is also safe.¡± Runaan smiled gently even though she had the most severe injuries among them. It was a smileing from the bottom of her heart. ¡°You¡­¡± Burren swallowed nervously while looking at Runaan¡¯s transparent eyes. ¡®Is she really Runaan?¡¯ Runaan was originally the biggest misfit in the Light Wind division. Burren thought that she didn¡¯t show any affection for anyone except for Raon, but she was happier about the Light Wind division¡¯s survival than anyone else. Because they¡¯d grown up together ever since their childhood, her change pulled his heartstrings and his nose burned. ¡°Haa! I told you to stop moving!¡± Encia came running from behind her, caught Runaan, and started to scatter some white powder she was holding all over her. ¡°It hurts.¡± ¡°Put up with it! I also need to stop the bleeding and apply the regeneration potion!¡± Encia scattered hemostatic and holy water on Runaan one after the other, and Denning Rose fed her some unknown medicine. ¡°You should take it too.¡± Denning Rose gave the internal injury medicine to Burren and Mark Goetten before dragging Runaan away along with Encia. ¡°Is it because of him? Everyone is changing¡­ Hmm?¡± Burrenughed bitterly as he watched Runaan being dragged away, only to hear a sniffling sounding from right next to him. He turned his head and saw tears dripping from Mark Goetten¡¯s fierce eyes. ¡°S-Sir Mark?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Are you crying again?¡± ¡°N-not all.¡± Mark Goetten shook his head while wiping his tears with his sleeve. ¡®I can¡¯t hold it back.¡¯ Runaan¡¯s hand was so warm when she said ¡°Good job¡± and patted his shoulder earlier. He could feel a kindness that reminded him of his previouspanions. He had joined the Light Wind divisionter than everyone else, and it was difficult to get along with the members because he was much older than them. He was feeling slightly isted because sharing the same space and affiliation wasn¡¯t enough to call thempanions, but Runaan¡¯s words made all of his sadness disappear. He felt like he had truly be a member of the Light Wind division. ¡°Good job.¡± Burren patted his back with a faint smile on his face. He looked like he could understand Mark Goetten¡¯s feelings. ¡°I¡¯m fine. By the way, what are you nning to do now?¡± Mark Goetten rubbed his reddened eyes and looked back at Burren. ¡°Are we going to stay here and wait for Sir Raon? Or are we going to chase him¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± Burren raised his chin and looked at Banneret. The spire had crumbled and the buildings were copsing. The battle between the transcenders wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°We should leave this ce as fast as possible.¡± Even if they went to Raon or Banneret, they weren¡¯t going to be helpful at all. He was worried about the Heavenly de division and Rimmer, but escape had the highest priority. ¡°Most importantly, there¡¯s no reason to worry about that monster at all.¡± Burren shook his head while ncing at Raon¡¯s direction. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Runaan was there before he knew it and she nodded her head. She blinked with a white face that looked like she was covered in flour. ¡°He wille back if we go to Cameloon and wait while eating ice cream.¡± She was certain of it. ¡°I agree. I¡¯m sure he will follow us without any issue.¡± Denning Rose nodded at Runaan. ¡°But¡­¡± Encia¡¯s fingers trembled as she looked in Raon¡¯s direction. ¡°Our division leader will be fine. There¡¯s no reason to worry¡­¡± ¡°The way Sir Raon destroys the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master must be so damn handsome. Am I really missing out on filming this? Haa!" Mark Goetten tried to tell her to believe in Raon but Encia sighed deeply. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren shook his head and pped his hands. ¡°Stand up, everyone! We are leaving!¡± * * * * * * Whaaam! Shockwaves erupted from the sh between sword draws, slicing through thend filled with darkness. While Raon took five steps back, Cloud only needed to take three steps back. Tsk. Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the crumbled ground. ¡®As expected, he has the upper hand in a frontal sh.¡¯ They had started their sword draws at the same time, but his opponent¡¯s sword was faster and more powerful. Raon¡¯s body was stronger and more agile, but the difference in realm was making a significant impact. ¡°Is that all?¡± Cloud¡¯s lips curved into a smile as he casually lowered his sword. It was an arrogant expression, showing that he believed he was way above his opponent. He wasn¡¯t being careless, rather, he was provoking Raon. ¡°Your tongue must be sharper than your sword.¡± ¡°Going all out from the beginning is something that a lion would do. I, however, am a dragon.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders while swirling Heavenly Drive. ¡°You are still so calm. Aren¡¯t you worried about the others that you left behind?¡± He smiled while rolling his eyes in the direction of where they¡¯d left the Light Wind division. ¡°Your subordinates¡¯ heads should be parting from their bodies one after the other by now.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t raise them to be so weak.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive. The astral energy of raging fire burst from the silver-gray de. The flow was beautifully serene as it illuminated the darkness. ¡°You should worry about yourself instead of someone else¡¯spanions.¡± ¡°You must have a mind filled with flowers.¡± Cloud stomped on the ground with a frown on his face. It looked like he was weakly pushing the ground, but the resonance was delivering an extreme swiftness. He traversed the space in an instant, shing downward with his sword raised overhead. ¡®Heavy sword?¡¯ Raon¡¯s shoulders were pressured and his legs felt heavy. The de falling towards his head was as heavy as a mountain. The swift sword and powerful sword that Cloud had shown during the sword draw were both impressive enough, but the heavy sword was even better. Raon figured he would end up with an internal injury if he defended head-on, so he turned his body towards the right side and wrapped Heavenly Drive with the principles of the soft sword. Cring! The moment Heavenly Drive was about to deflect Cloud¡¯s attack, his de bent like a snake¡¯s head and rushed toward his chest. ¡®Is this¡­ Severing sword?¡¯ The heavy sword had transformed into a severing sword in an instant and created a rift within the soft sword. It was unexpected that he could switch the sword¡¯s principle so quickly. ¡®I don¡¯t have the time to block it.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have enough time to block Cloud¡¯s attack because Heavenly Drive was bent towards the ground. Raon hurriedly bent his body backward. Cloud¡¯s sword brushed past his forehead, cutting his bangs off in the process. ¡°You are good at running, at least.¡± Cloud sneered and twisted his wrist. The sword slicing through the thin air bent strangely and swiftly fell towards Raon¡¯s neck. It was a rapid yet precise sh. Raon covered the mana circuits in his waist and thigh with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and shed upwards with Heavenly Drive. ng! The Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s trajectory, incorporating the principles of the severing sword, violently fended off Cloud¡¯s attack. However, the center was dislocated and Raon was unable topletely absorb the impact. He could feel an aching pain in his waist. ¡°You¡­¡± Raon gained distance and narrowed his eyes while looking at Cloud. ¡°Did you learn the versatile sword?¡± The only way to exin the way he could use various sword principles and freely switch between them was that he practiced the versatile sword. ¡°So you are familiar with the versatile sword. How presumptuous of you.¡± Cloud nodded while cing his sword on his shoulder. ¡°You are right. I¡¯m following the alliance master onto the path of the versatile sword. Your sword will never reach me, no matter what principle it has.¡± He gestured with his finger for him toe at him already, seeing no point in prolonging a fight that was already decided. ¡°Interesting.¡± Raonughed quietly and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. ¡°All you can do is charge like a boar.¡± Cloudughed coldly and brought the sword on his shoulder down in a swift sh. The extreme swiftness of the strike destroyed the wind on its path to the point where it started to pull Raon¡¯s body towards it. ¡®He¡¯s even using the absorption sword on top of the swift sword. However¡­ Quickness can be neutralized by slowness and precision.¡¯ Raon stabbed with Heavenly Drive. His slow movement was theplete opposite of Cloud¡¯s swift sword. However, his sword was upying the most important position. aang! Cloud¡¯s sword shed against Heavenly Drive before it could gain momentum and bounced back. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± He wrinkled his brow in disbelief and shed downwards once again. The sound of a violent explosion erupted from the de. Aura was erupting like magic from his explosive sword, which was winding along the flow of the powerful sword. Thud! Raon didn¡¯t back off even though the explosion was tearing the space apart. He took a step forward instead. ¡®I¡¯m more than capable of blocking it if it¡¯s an explosive sword and powerful sword.¡¯ He raised his wrist, wrapping Heavenly Drive with confidence. Hebined the principles of the heavy sword and destructive sword techniques to engulf the Blizzard Sword Art''s special technique, swiping the ground andunching it into the air. Whaaam! The tremendous impact of the sh between the swords devastated the surroundings. After thend was shredded to pieces, the two swordsmen were bounced back through the gray cloud of dust. However, the result was different from thest time. Raon had only taken four steps back while Cloud took three. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡­¡± Cloud twisted his lips while ring at him with a murderous gaze. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded without waiting for Cloud to finish his sentence. ¡°I¡¯m also practicing the versatile sword.¡± He continued with a sneer. ¡°It was so funny to watch you brag, as you believed you were the only one who would achieve the versatile sword.¡± ¡°You vermin¡­¡± Cloud violently ground his teeth while increasing his bloodlust. However, he didn¡¯t make the mistake of attacking without thinking. He must¡¯ve been a Grandmaster for a good reason. ¡°I can understand why the alliance master and the Master of the Bloody Sword have said that your talent is special. It is because you are learning the versatile sword. However¡­¡± He lightly scratched the ground with his foot like a horse pawing the ground. ¡°My talent is on a whole different level from yours!¡± Cloud started to dash forward while showing his desire for talent and his inferiorityplex. Even his footwork was incorporating the principles of swift sword and illusion sword. He must¡¯ve properly practiced his martial arts despite his toxic personality. Cring! Cloud''s body fragmented into three illusions, only to reunite seamlessly on the right. At the same time, his de was thrust forward, merging the techniques of the destructive sword and heavy sword. ¡®It¡¯s powerful.¡¯ Raon exhaled quietly and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s special technique, Silver Cyclone, towards Cloud¡¯s attack. Whaaam! The powerful principle of the severing sword soared with the silver wind and smashed Cloud¡¯s de. The sword recoiled away and hit the ground along with a tremendous explosion. ¡®Now.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and pierced into Cloud¡¯s space. He employed the first half of the Blizzard Sword Art''s techniques consecutively, exerting powerful pressure. However, Cloud managed to break away from the assault using the unbreakable principle of the heavy sword. It was a fitting performance for the practitioner of the versatile sword. aang! Their auras were at a simr level, but Cloud¡¯s strikes started to gain the upper hand a little by little since his realm was higher. Raon would¡¯ve been pushed back a long time ago if it weren¡¯t for the stats gained from the system and the Ring of Fire. ¡®The Grandmaster¡¯s wall is high indeed.¡¯ Raon adjusted his grip on the sword, sensing the exceptional prowess of the Grandmaster, and Cloud raised his sword toward the sky in the meantime. ¡°I¡¯ll show you why I¡¯m on a whole different level from you.¡± Cloud shed through the frozennd with his lips curved into a sneer. His sword curved into a familiar trajectory and brought forward a powerful wind. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, is this¡­?¡¯ Raon widened his eyes and raised Heavenly Drive. He tried to unleash the Fangs of Insanity, but the wind enveloping Cloud¡¯s de disrupted the intuition sword¡¯s flow and pierced into him. aang! It was the severing sword¡¯s power of disruption. His movement was simr to the Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s technique. ¡°Did you see it?¡± Cloud raised his chin, conjuring a gust of wind once again. ¡°I can easily copy that shabby technique of yours. No, I can make it even more powerful.¡± He even reproduced the Silver Cyclone that Raon had used with an even more powerful flow. He seemed to be trying to break his spirit. Whoosh! The barren wind scratching the skin tore the astral energy off Heavenly Drive. ¡°Do you finally realize it? This is real talent. I¡¯m going to take your title as a dragon right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen my opponent do this before. So this is how it feels.¡± Raon slowly raised his head. The red glow of his eyes was disying his exhration. ¡°It looks like there will be a lot to leech from you.¡± Chapter 500 Chapter 500 Raon licked his lips as he observed Cloud, whose chin was raised arrogantly. ¡®This will be great for training.¡¯ Raon could clearly tell that Cloud was nning to point out the weaknesses of or copy his sword techniques to show off his ¡®superior¡¯ talent. He figured that he could remedy the shorings of and further improve his martial arts by taking advantage of Cloud¡¯s idea. ¡°I rmend you think carefully before you act from now on.¡± Cloud smiled coldly while raising his sword, which was surrounded by a storming wind. ¡°Because all your techniques are going to be mine.¡± He beckoned him with his index finger, implying that he was ready for whatever Raon was about to pull off. ¡°Cut your crap!¡±Raon pretended to be angry, unleashing the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire to engulf Heavenly Drive and thrusting it at Cloud. Heavenly Drive¡¯s de advanced like a crimson ray of madness, but Cloud¡¯s sword briskly descended at the same time. aang! Cloud easily fended off the attack and even continued into a counterattack, the de bending slightly from the impact. His attack showed a simr flow to the second technique of Blizzard Sword Art, the White Saint¡¯s Whirling Stab. ¡°I told you, your technique is mine now.¡± Cloud raised the corner of his lips. His face was full of contempt, believing that he¡¯d proven the superiority of his swordsmanship. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Cloud. ¡®It wasn¡¯t a simple copy. He even added another principle.¡¯ The White Saint¡¯s Whirling Stab originally consisted of cutting off the enemy¡¯s flow by using the principles of severing and swift swords. However, Cloud had added the principle of the sharp sword to sharply cut off the ming astral energy. Needless to say, he had an exceptional talent. ¡®And I can clearly see the weakness of my technique thanks to your talent.¡¯ The Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s ultimate purpose was to cut off the opponent¡¯s flow. Cloud¡¯s White Saint¡¯s Whirling Stab did look unstoppable at a nce, but adding sharpness to it decreased the speed, and it was unable to perfectly fend off the de. Raon learned that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to add sharpness to it. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Raon twisted his wrist and lifted Heavenly Drive back up, as it was about to hit the ground. He extended his left foot and stomped the ground. He gathered a prickling amount of energy into the femoral mana circuits and thrust Heavenly Drive with his right hand. Whoosh! The second technique of Blizzard Sword Art, the White Saint¡¯s Whirling Stab, was executed once again. He tried adding the principle of precision in between the swift and severing swords. ¡°I told you it¡¯s pointless!¡± Cloud scratched the whitend with his de and shed upwards. He was copying the Fangs of Insanity, and he was properly incorporating the ferocious flow of an intuition sword. ¡®However¡­ It won¡¯t exactly go as you nned.¡¯ Raon twisted his lips and executed the White Saint¡¯s Whirling Stab until the end. The blue wind descended like a stroke of a brush and urately smacked the opening of Cloud¡¯s sh. aang! Cloud was pushed back along with his sword, and he raised his head with a frown. ¡°Did you manage to improve it in that short amount of time?¡± He bit his lip while looking at his trembling wrist. ¡°I can¡¯t let you defeat me when talent is all you ever talk about. You can continue and find out who is better.¡± Raon snorted and casually shook his hand. ¡°What arrogance!¡± Cloud dashed forward, his eyes turned red. He looked agitated, but he wasn¡¯t showing any openings. It was a performance befitting a Grandmaster. Whoosh! Cloud''s sword seemed to float in the air, scattering powerful winds and astral energy as it bent. He seemed to be copying the Blizzard Sword Art special technique that Raon had used previously. ¡®That one isn¡¯t bnced enough.¡¯ His version of Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s special technique was definitely powerful, but he¡¯d mixed too many principles inside and they weren¡¯t harmonizing with each other. Cring! Raon smiled faintly while deflecting Cloud¡¯s attack with a soft sword. ¡®I have so much to extort from him.¡¯ Since every single attack from Cloud incorporated various principles, he could learn a lot just from crossing des with him. ¡®I want to extort even more.¡¯ It was going to be impossible to leisurely learn if Cloud started to use the astral sphere. Raon wanted to advance his martial arts as much as possible before that happened. ¡°Are you running away again?!¡± Cloud followed with twisted lips. His footwork was fast. He seemed to be using the principle of a wind sword from Blizzard Sword Art. ¡°I¡¯ll start by cutting your leg off!¡± Cloud rapidly turned his wrist while charging in from the right. His de changed in a strange manner and targeted ten different vitals on Raon¡¯s lower body at the same time. ¡®As for this one¡­¡¯ Raon slowed his footwork and turned the heat engulfing Heavenly Drive into a wall of fire. A thick Firewall burst out and fended off every single one of Cloud¡¯s attacks. ¡°I¡¯ve already seen that technique!¡± Cloud clenched his sword and immediately proceeded into a thrust. His de advanced like a ray of light and broke through the center of the Firewall. Crack! It pierced a hole at the center of the wall of fire, melting down like spring¡¯s snow. ¡®Firewall¡¯s shoring is the fact that its center is too weak.¡¯ Since it was a wall made from the attribute of fire, a concentrated attack could easily break through it even though it could fend off multiple strikes. ¡®And in order to improve this¡­ I should focus the aura towards the opponent¡¯s attack at the moment of contact.¡¯ Raon figured it would be better to alter the wall ording to the opponent¡¯s attack instead of leaving it alone after creating the wall of fire. Whap! Raon remembered the improvement for Firewall and swirled Heavenly Drive to create flower blossoms of fire. He was curious as to how Cloud was going to fend off the me Spirit, a technique versatile enough for facing multiple opponents, a few opponents, or even in a one-on-one situation. ¡°Take this one too!¡± Raon hurled the reddened shards of astral energy at Cloud while holding back hisughter. ¡°I¡¯ll destroy it as many times as you want!¡± Cloud covered his de with the principle of the destructive sword and rushed while creating a gigantic storm. ¡®This is pretty good.¡¯ Cloud¡¯s move consisted of condensing a huge amount of aura at the center of a dark storm by using the principles of destructive, heavy, and absorption swords. Whaaam! A tremendous explosion urred from the sh between the me Spirit and a tornado of astral energy. Raon kept spinning the Ring of Fire while watching the smoke rising into the stratosphere. ¡®A tornado made by destructive, heavy, and absorption swords¡­ This looks useful.¡¯ Raon had the feeling he would be able to create a genuine firestorm bybining the me Spirit with those principles. What¡¯s going on¡­? Cloud was emerging after cutting down the me Spirit, and Wrath frowned while looking at him. Why are you doing some sword technique giveaway now?! Why is everyone bing a doormat the moment they meet you, even though they were normal before? He clutched his head in despair. Just why?! * * * aang! Cloud gritted his back teeth while fending off Raon¡¯s strike. ¡®How is this happening? Why is he still standing?!¡¯ Not only had he destroyed Raon¡¯s techniques, but he also showed him a better version of them. Regardless of who it was, a mental breakdown was bound to happen if a person¡¯s own sword techniques were immediately improved by someone else. That was just the natural course of action. ¡®So¡­ what¡¯s wrong with this bastard?!¡¯ Raon unleashed the techniques Cloud had improved by further improving them once again. The fact that he couldn¡¯t even find any weaknesses in the technique that Raon had improved was what made him the angriest. Even though his technique was defeated, Raon had managed to remove the weaknesses in that short amount of time. Cloud couldn¡¯t believe it was happening. Moreover, it was difficult to copy the new technique that Raon had made, and Cloud¡¯s hands and feet were going wrong as a result. He was trying to destroy Raon¡¯s mental fortitude, but his own mentality was ruined instead. He was still unable toprehend what had just happened. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, did he¡­? No, there¡¯s no way!¡¯ He had the feeling that he¡¯d been ying into Raon¡¯s hands instead of the other way around, but he immediately shook the idea off. That was because acknowledging that fact would imply that his talent was inferior. ¡®That¡¯s one thing I won¡¯t yield to, never!¡¯ His alliance master didn¡¯t have any affection, even towards his disciples. The master-disciple rtionship waspletely meaningless for the Dark Night Sword God. The only reason he epted disciples was because he wanted them to create a technique that would interest him. If his talent couldn¡¯t be recognized or someone with better talent appeared, he was going to be discarded as apletely useless existence. That was why he couldn¡¯t allow himself to lose. Cring! Cloud thrust his sword in a straight line, simr to a sword draw. The dark airflow around his de created a powerful storm. It was the special technique of the Dark Night Demonde, de Flow Release, with the principles of powerful and heavy swords. Whoosh! By the time the powerful wave engulfed Raon, his de created a rotation in an opposite direction. His red de unleashed a power simr to the de Flow Release. Whaam! The ground shattered into pieces and crumbled as easily as a piece of paper alongside an explosion. Raon was leaning forward amid the dark cloud of dust with a frown on his face. He was breathing heavily, and Cloud bit his lip while watching him. ¡®That posture¡­¡¯ Raon had been repeatedly leaning forward, which made it look like he was internally injured, but he never copsed nor looked like he was seriously trembling. That implied that he wasn¡¯t even lightly injured, let alone heavily injured. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ The technique he¡¯d used a moment ago looked like a dragon¡¯s breath, but the flow and explosive power were simr to the de Flow Release. There was no way it was a simple coincidence. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, did you¡­¡± Cloud swallowed nervously and twitched his lips. ¡°Did you copy my technique¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you talking about? He could ascertain it upon hearing Raon¡¯s trembling voice. ¡°Drop your act! Only your clothes are ruined and you aren¡¯t injured anywhere! Moreover¡­¡± He continued while raising the hand holding his sword. ¡°You used my principle in that previous move! You thief!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon casually straightened his back and licked his lips. ¡°Did you find out?¡± He winked, implying that he¡¯d simply been pretending to lose so far. ¡°What a shame. I had a feeling I would manage to grasp something if it continued a bit longer.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully, saying that it was regrettable that he¡¯d noticed because he was about to reach enlightenment. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Cloud bit his lip so hard that it could bleed. He¡¯d done the exact same thing to others prior, but having it done to himself made him extremely angry. Another emotion surfaced in his mind. ¡®Fear.¡¯ A chill ran down his spine upon imagining just how far the monster in front of him could go. ¡®I have to kill him! No matter what!¡¯ Cloud kicked the ground. He even forgot the alliance master¡¯s order to bring him back alive as he endlessly poured his aura onto the de. Cring! The astral energy raging above the de concentrated to the point of distortion and started to emit a gleam of ck. It was the Grandmaster¡¯s power that was often called the astral sphere or astral ring. He immediately shed it down on Raon¡¯s astral energy. * * * * * * Whaaam! Alongside an earth-shaking impact, the shockwave crushed thend in all directions, and Raon rolled on the ground as he bounced back. ¡°Cough¡­¡± He was internally injured from a single strike. He thought it must¡¯ve been impossible to face the astral sphere head-on since it was incorporating the opponent¡¯s will. ¡®Was I overconfident? No, rather than that¡­ It was way too sudden.¡¯ Cloud¡¯s previous strikes were also intended to kill, but he wasn¡¯t exactly serious about it. It was because the Holy Sword Alliance master had ordered him to bring him alive. However, Cloud¡¯s will to kill his opponent was included in the previous attack. Raon wasn¡¯t sure why, but Cloud must¡¯ve gotten extremely angry. Do you think you wouldn¡¯t get angry in his shoes? Just imagine your opponent taking away everything you have, all on your watch! Wrath furrowed his brow. ¡®I smiled when that happened earlier.¡¯ To be honest, he was excited when Cloud had copied the Blizzard Sword Art. It brought a smile to his face because it was going to allow him to improve his techniques. You are an exception since you are a pervert! ¡®I¡¯m not¡­¡¯ Just as Raon was about to deny that statement, Cloud leaped out from the sandstorm. A frightening light sparked from the attack, apanied by lightning-fast footwork. ¡®Astral sphere.¡¯ Raon bit his lip and unleashed the Firewall. He decreased the size of the wall and focused the power at the center, following the lesson he¡¯d learned thanks to Cloud. Whaaam! However, the wall of astral energy was shredded like a piece of paper upon facing the astral sphere. The improvement wasn¡¯t enough to change the oue. ¡°A pointless struggle.¡± Cloud¡¯s body broke through the shattered Firewall. Raon could hear the fluttering sound of his loose clothes after the action. ¡®He¡¯s fast.¡¯ His movement had be drastically faster as he started to use the astral sphere, just like the way using astral energy enhanced physical abilities. ¡®I¡¯m going to die if I try to dodge.¡¯ The astral sphere was going to suck his body in and disintegrate it if he tried to dodge in such a situation. He had to block the attack somehow. Whir! He stomped the ground powerfully and leaped forward. He drew the Crimson sh of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation before Cloud¡¯s attack gained momentum. Creak! The crimson radiance bursting from his de shed against Cloud¡¯s astral sphere. Whaaam! The tremendous impact created a huge crater on the ground, and sparks of five different colors covered the sky. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive while wiping the blood flowing around his lips away. He had no time to rest since Cloud was rushing at him once again. ¡®As for this one¡­¡¯ He rotated Heavenly Drive like a clock hand before welding it in the middle position. The circling de blurred out and a crimson me gushed from it. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. Thirty-Six Crimson sh. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s special technique, capable of piercing from thirty-six different directions in a single move, advanced alongside Raon¡¯s body. Whaaap! The crimson me incinerated the atmosphere, but it faded away like a withering flower upon meeting Cloud¡¯s astral sphere. The difference in power was overwhelming. Zap! Raon was pushed back, leaving a heavy trace of his feet. ¡®He¡¯s powerful.¡¯ The astral sphere was certainly a problem, but he couldn¡¯t see an opening either because Cloud was proficient with the versatile sword. It wasn¡¯t an overstatement to say that he was the strongest opponent he¡¯d faced so far. ¡®So, the real fight is getting started.¡¯ Cloud¡¯s impatience and sense of inferiority were covered up by the astral sphere. It was best to assume that he was facing a wless opponent. ¡°Talent? Swordsmanship? None of that matters anymore.¡± Cloud violently ground his teeth and raised his de with the astral sphere storming around it. Their wills were evenly matched in power, but the astral sphere proved far superior to astral energy, leaving him without a clear path to victory. ¡°I¡¯ll crush you with power, and power alone!¡± Even his previousposure was gone. His will topletely destroy his opponent was the only thing that could be found. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at the astral sphere on Cloud¡¯s de. Their wills were evenly matched in power, but the astral sphere proved far superior to astral energy, leaving him unable to find a path to victory. It was necessary to create an opportunity while avoiding a frontal sh as much as possible. ¡®However¡­ There are still things I can learn in this situation.¡¯ Cloud¡¯s swordsmanship revealed fundamental movements without any distortion after he¡¯d started using the astral sphere. It was a better situation to observe the flow of his versatile sword. ¡°Die.¡± Cloud¡¯s de rushed at him like the dark trajectory of a shadow. Screech! The moment the dark astral sphere was about to reach the heart, Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem with his left hand. A wicked sword resonance burst from the friction between the scabbard and the de. ¡°Kuh!¡± The Blue Rain resounded from the de of Requiem and stimted Cloud¡¯s nerves to dy his movements very slightly. It was enough. Whoosh! Raon avoided the trajectory of Cloud¡¯s de and thrust Heavenly de, which he had pulled behind him in advance. The strength connected from his right shoulder to his wrist into a stab. The de, piercing through the cold night air, was set aze with a radiant glow. Whaaam! The me Dragon Art breathed out its outrageous me. It had be even more powerful thanks to Cloud. Creak! However, Cloud¡¯s astral sphere couldn¡¯t be breached once again. He melted down the fire by wrapping himself in a frightening light and proceeding to counterattack. ¡®I don¡¯t have time to defend¡­¡¯ It was toote toe up with a different n. Raon infused both Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem with coldness and shed downwards diagonally. Frost Pond¡¯s slicing attacks were executed one after the other and shed against Cloud¡¯s de. Whaaam! Even though it was separated into four different shes, the impact made it feel like his wrist was about to snap and his shoulder was about to burst. The boiling feeling inside him implied an internal injury, and Raon almost dropped his des because of how severe it was. ¡®I knew it. It¡¯s too difficult to fight him head-on.¡¯ Cloud¡¯s power was on a whole different level. It was simply impossible to defeat the astral sphere with an astral de. Moreover, Cloud¡¯s collective aura was also superior to his, which made it practically impossible to win a head-on fight. ¡®Actually, this should already be called a miracle.¡¯ The only reason he hadsted so far was thanks to the stats from the system enhancing his body, the existence of the Ring of Fire, and the fact that he could control his will. His body would¡¯ve exploded a long time ago if it wasn¡¯t for that. ¡°The fight ising to an end.¡± Cloud approached like a sliding snake and shed downwards. Tap! Raon pulled his left foot backward and incorporated the principles of the soft sword into his sword. The de smoothly advanced along with the wind and deflected Cloud¡¯s astral sphere. Whaaam! A huge explosion urred as Cloud¡¯s de hit the ground. Raon¡¯s legs were trembling despite being fixated on the ground to brace for the impact. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ The flow and harmony of his swordsmanship had weakened because he was too focused on the astral sphere. Taking advantage of that opening was the only path to victory. ¡°You will never escape!¡± Cloud¡¯s powerful strike was approaching his waist. Moreover, it was incorporating his will to crush Raon¡¯s body. Raon rxed his lower body and allowed the wind to carry him. He unleashed the Silent Windof theSilvery Ocean of the Blizzard Sword Art with the de of Requiem and executed the White Shadow sh with Heavenly Drive, intending to deflect instead of block the attack. The Silent Wind of the Silvery Ocean redirected the attack and the White Shadow sh erased the astral sphere that followed. Rumble! However, Cloud continued to attack. He dashed from the front with a crimson light of madness shing in his eyes. Wielding his sword with two hands, his will was set upon making the deadliest de. ¡®It¡¯s toote to deflect.¡¯ Raon gritted his teeth violently and executed a downward Crimson sh with Heavenly Drive while discharging the Heavenly Heavy Cannon with the de of Requiem. Whaaam! The space was fissured as if it were being distorted from the second round of frontal sh, and a dark storm of astral energy burst out. Raon decided to take advantage of that dark storm. He thrust his sword amid the wave of astral energy instead of stepping back. aang! He unleashed every single special technique that he¡¯d learned and created so far by utilizing the twin sword technique he¡¯d learned from Sheryl. However, it was still not enough to cut the flow of the astral sphere. The dark radiance of the ring pierced through his astral energy. Whaaam! Raon coughed out ck blood as he got pushed back by the savage pressure of the astral sphere. ¡°Huff¡­¡± He felt pain from his middle energy center all the way to his lower energy center. It was pretty much his entire stomach that was screaming in pain, implying the severity of his internal injury. ¡°It¡¯s finallying to an end.¡± Cloud leisurely walked towards him. It felt like the entirend was crying from the heaviness of his steps. ¡°I should¡¯ve crushed you like this from the beginning.¡± He raised his sword, which the astral sphere was still storming around. His dangerous gaze wasn¡¯t showing any sign of carelessness. ¡®I¡¯m still going to struggle until the end¡­ Huh?¡¯ Once he saw the majestic radiance of the astral sphere curving towards him, the rings of fire started to resonate with each other. It felt like the rings were about to explode because of how violent they were. His body became heavier and his vision turned dark. The trajectories of the techniques that he and Cloud had used during the fight swept throughout his brain, causing red and blue lightning strikes. ¡®I finally got it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the astral sphere, but the principles of his swordsmanship were engraved in Raon¡¯s mind like a picture. The final missing piece was finally found, and two swords floated inside his mental world. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly and raised his head. ¡°Do you give up now?¡± Cloud wasn¡¯t frowning anymore as he nodded. ¡°Yourst decision wasn¡¯t a bad one. But it¡¯s already toote, as I¡¯m going to kill all of your subordinates on top of you!¡± His eyes rolled in a frightening manner as he dered that he was going to get rid of all the potential danger. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon smiled faintly while clutching Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem in a reverse grip. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I managed to take another step forward thanks to you.¡± He surrounded Heavenly Drive with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and engulfed the de of Requiem with cier as he mmed the two des into the ground. Crack! Blue and red radiance filled the fissure of the rupturednd and created a pir reaching the sky. Raon stood up while holding the two swords floating in his mental world. Iplete Sword Field Creation. Harmony of Heaven and Demon. The starry night sky copsed. A distorted sun arose, and a twisted moon soared. At the twilight where the sun and moon crossed each other, the des he was holding weren¡¯t Heavenly Drive nor the de of Requiem, but a divine sword and a demonic sword with zing fire and ice. ¡°Come.¡± The sublime voice of a swordsman echoed throughout thend and announced the new era. Chapter 501 Chapter 501 The sky copsed and thend erupted. The entirend was shaking from the manifestation of the heavenly power of the transcenders. Rumble! By the time a mysterious light poured down from the fissures in the sky, the six transcenders lowered their hands at the same time, as if they¡¯d promised to do so. ¡°Your swordsmanship is indeed well-trained.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master briefly licked his lips in satisfaction. ¡°Show me more, show me how much you can slice.¡± He looked down upon the Demonde and the Queen of Swords with his eyes full of desire. ¡°You degenerate¡­¡±The Queen of Swords bit her lip violently, feeling creeped out by the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s gaze. Whir. The Thespian Emperor looked at the Holy Sword Alliance master while releasing the colorless energy surrounding her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about your disciple?¡± ¡°Are you talking about Cloud?¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master shook his head while stroking his beardless chin. ¡°I taught him personally. His opponent might be the most talented person in the continent, but he¡¯s never going to lose against a Master.¡± He dered the words nonchntly. He seemed to believe in his disciple¡¯s victory without any doubt. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to brag about this, but¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor shook her hand with a faint smile on her face. ¡°You will pay dearly if you underestimate Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Are you speaking from experience?¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s a piece of adviceing from my extremely vivid experience.¡± She nodded while looking at the destroyed part of the ramparts. ¡°Shut up, both of you. Raon Zieghart is mine!¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader spread her transparent bloody energy to separate the Thespian Emperor and the Holy Sword Alliance master. Even though the transcenders were mentioning Raon¡¯s name, it didn¡¯t feel unnatural at all. ¡°What a shame. Cloud should¡¯ve heard that advi¡ª¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master nodded while ignoring the White Blood Religion''s leader, only to suddenly look away. The other warriors¡¯s eyes followed his gaze, and two lights soared toward the sky from a distant ce where their aura perception couldn¡¯t reach. A sun and moon with strange shapes were rising behind the radiant pirs of red and blue. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sheryl¡¯s lips trembled in excitement as she watched that scene. ¡®It¡¯s a sword field! Raon finally achieved the sword field!¡¯ The faint golden light surrounding the pir of light was unmistakably the sign of a sword field¡¯s activation. ¡°Rimmer!¡± She called out to Rimmer, who was fighting next to her. ¡°Uwaaaa!¡± However, he couldn¡¯t hear her voice. He was fully upied with a head-on sh against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, his eyes glowing red. His body was full of injuries because the amount of aura he possessed was inferiorpared to his opponent¡¯s, but he kept attacking while shouting desperately. ¡°You idiot!¡± Sheryl kicked Rimmer¡¯s side because he had yielded to his opponent¡¯s provocation and was giving up his life. ¡°Ack! What are you doing¡­?¡± Rimmer frowned, and Sheryl pointed at the pir of light. ¡°Huh?¡± His jaw dropped upon seeing the sun in the night sky. ¡°Wait, is that¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Raon¡¯s sword field. He finally did it!¡± ¡°Ha! Ahahahahaha!¡± Rimmer burst out intoughter while sweeping his bloody red hair back. ¡°I couldn¡¯t gain anything ever since that day except my disciples!¡± Crimson lightning sparked from his shoulders as he lowered his gaze. ¡°I was originally nning to kill you here in exchange for my life, but I¡¯m not doing that anymore.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let myself die before I see my disciple¡¯s first sword field.¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips twitched as he pointed his sword at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± His deep voice echoed as if it were emanating from high above in the sky, resonating across the field. ¡°Song of Wind and Lightning.¡± * * * Raon raised his hands. The divine sword in his right hand was zing in crimson, and the demonic de in his left hand was covered with blue frost. They were the two swords that he¡¯d hammered and forged in his mental world. He¡¯d thought those divine and demonic swords could only be found in his mental world, but they had been summoned into reality. They were neither cold nor hot. All he could feel was an extreme amount of power. An indomitable power that wouldn¡¯t lose against anyone was flowing into him through the grips. ¡®Moreover¡­ Even the pain is gone.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was the excitement or the sword field that was causing it, but even the crushing pain of his intestines was all gone. ¡®No, it must be because I wished for it.¡¯ Rimmer had taught him that a sword field was the manifestation of the user¡¯s life. From the moment he was reborn as Raon Zieghart, he¡¯d wished to never be defeated. He¡¯d pledged to ovee all kinds of hardship and pain in order to behead Derus Robert. Even his resolution and pledge seemed to be dwelling in the sword field. A-a boundary? Did you just create a sword boundary? Wrath¡¯s chin trembled violently as he looked up to the sun and moon in the sky. How did you manage to activate this?! You should still have a long way to go! He blinked while murmuring that it couldn¡¯t be happening. Moreover, that sword! Why do you have that sword?! ¡®What is this sword?¡¯ It¡¯s, erm, uhh¡­ He couldn¡¯t give a proper response about the blue demonic sword, his lips moving in a silent murmur. Thud. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wrath, and Cloud¡¯s footsteps could be heard. ¡°Sw-Sword Field Creation?¡± Cloud¡¯s eyes were trembling as violently as a reed fluttering into the wind. ¡°How can a mere Master activate the Sword Field Creation?! It¡¯s impossible!¡± The intense wavering of the astral sphere that had remained unshakable during the entire fight revealed his shock. Until a moment ago, Raon couldn''t find any way to break through his astral sphere, but now not even the smallest trace of anxiety could be found in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to decide whether it¡¯s possible or not.¡± Raon shook his head while pointing the divine sword in his right hand at Cloud. ¡°The real fight is starting now. It will be different from before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a petty trick! It won¡¯t make any difference!¡± Cloud¡¯s tidy hair had be disheveled. He red with distorted eyes and thrust his de, which was surrounded by a storming astral sphere. Thend was being swept away by the trajectory of his sword, a testament to its tremendous power. ¡®However¡­ I can¡¯t imagine myself losing this fight.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t withdraw. He advanced, trusting the instincts of his body and mind. He stomped the ground with his left foot to stop thend from trembling and smashed with the divine sword in his right hand. Whaaam! The divine sword and astral sphere shed, but neither of them was pushed back. The powerful lightning urring between the des scattered the vicious heat. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Cloud let out a small groan of pain from the heat, but he didn¡¯t withdraw. However, he ended up regretting his decision right after that. Whaap! Even the space looked distorted from the divine de¡¯s heat as it started to melt down the astral sphere around Cloud¡¯s de. ¡°I-is the astral sphere burning?!¡± Cloud widened his eyes to the point of bursting. He leaped backward and pulled out the astral sphere, the surface incinerated. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± Raon lowered his divine sword and caught up to Cloud from the left. His body felt as light as a feather. He felt like he was casually sparring in a training ground despite being in a duel to the death. ¡°Shut up!¡± Cloud used his footwork to gain distance and thrust the sword that he¡¯d pulled back. The powerful attack was meant to crush his entire body, contrasting with the softness of his footwork. Cring! Raon turned his shoulder midair and shed upwards with his left hand. The demonic de soared while scattering blue frost onto thend and shed against Cloud¡¯s astral sphere. aang! The resonance was even bigger than the previous sh. Just like the divine sword, the blue demonic sword remained unwavering in the face of an astral sphere. Creak! It froze Cloud¡¯s astral sphere in return and spread a frightening amount of coldness that seemed like it could tear skin apart. Crack! Cloud¡¯s loose clothes were frozen in an instant and crumbled away. He fended off the demonic sword with his trembling lips, which had turned blue from the cold, and slid away to gain distance. Raon didn¡¯t follow Cloud, instead observing his two swords. Even though they had shed against an astral sphere, there was no trace of them being chipped or broken. The fire and frost on them were getting even stronger instead. It looked like his resolution to never be defeated that he was forming his mental world with was transferred to his des. * * * * * * ¡°I-it¡¯s freezing and melting my astral sphere? How is this happening¡­?¡± Cloud swallowed nervously while looking at his own sword. The way he kept repeating ¡®how¡¯ looked like he was mind-blown by the performance. Apparently, the power of the divine and demonic swords was shocking for him despite how great he was as a warrior. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. No, I won¡¯t believe it!¡± He dashed forward while shouting in astonishment. The astral sphere bursting from the tip of his de was creating a powerful pressure. Raon nodded calmly while watching Cloud¡¯s eyes, which were glowing with yellow madness. ¡®I don¡¯t lose in terms of power anymore.¡¯ It was the reverse. He¡¯d gained a power that could push the astral sphere back. The only question left was whose sword technique was superior. It was time to decide who was better between himself¡ªwho was taught by Glenn Zieghart, Rimmer, Sheryl, and Rector¡ªand Cloud, who inherited the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s achievements. Rumble! Raon thrust the divine sword while facing pressure that was crushing his skin. The crimson de blitzing from his chest like a spear was incorporating the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s principles. aang! The de severed Cloud¡¯s sword like the savage fangs of a beast and spouted its powerful heat. However, his attack wasn¡¯t over yet. His demonic de rotated with his ankle, causing a blue sh of light. Whap! Cold wind burst out and cut off the flow of Cloud¡¯s attack despite his efforts. It was the Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s Silent Wind of the Silvery Ocean that was revised a moment ago. aang! Even though there were only two shes, the size of Cloud¡¯s astral sphere was visibly reduced. The divine sword¡¯s heat and the demonic sword¡¯s coldness had torn his aura apart. Raon was surprised at the power and efficiency even though he was executing it himself. ¡°It¡¯s far from over.¡± Raon approached Cloud this time. He wasn¡¯t even using footwork. He casually walked up to him and executed a downward Crimson sh with the divine sword. The line of heat became so thin that it was almost invisible, adding a frightening amount of sharpness to the sh. aang! Cloud was bounced back alongside his sword. The back of his hand waspletely red, as if he had been burned. Raon realized that even the Crimson sh had be more powerful, as the heat alone was capable of harming even a Grandmaster¡¯s body after a metamorphosis. ¡®Next up is¡­¡¯ He charged at Cloud, who had gained distance, and unleashed the Front Pond with the demonic sword. The blue de smacked Cloud¡¯s sword, and the wave of coldness followed up to devastate thend. Whaaam! An iceberg in the shape of the wing of a bird of prey emerged from the destroyednd and encircled Cloud. Raon nodded heavily while looking down at his divine and demonic swords. ¡®It¡¯s ording to my expectations.¡¯ The Crimson sh and Frost Pond had both gotten stronger than before the Sword Field¡¯s activation. The Sword Field seemed to amplify fire and water attribute techniques. Whaaam! Cloud exploded his astral sphere to break through the iceberg and withdrew. There was no serious injury on him, but his shoulder and forearm had be red from the burn and frostbite. ¡°You were bragging about your Sword Field, but is this all you got?!¡± ¡°Stop bluffing.¡± Raon nodded his chin while lowering his divine and demonic swords. ¡°This is yourst chance to surrender. I¡¯ll forgive you if you kneel and bow to me.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just bullshitting. I actually have no intention to ept your surrender to begin with.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Cloud¡¯s eyes sparked red. The astral sphere bursting out from his de inted like a cloud, probably in an attempt to block the heat and coldness. It looked like he was going all out without consideration for the future. ¡®He is going all out.¡¯ The tremendous wave of powering from the astral sphere on his de was making Raon¡¯s hair stand on end. It was the power of a Grandmaster. He wasn¡¯t an easy opponent even though he¡¯d achieved the Sword Field. ¡°An insignificant technique like a Sword Field won¡¯t be able to defeat the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s swordsmanship!¡± Cloud¡¯s voice became heavier, as if it wereing from the bottom of a swamp, and a majestic light radiated from his de. The ck current of air covering the sky turned into dozens of swords raining down to the ground. The astral sphere was bending so quickly that it couldn¡¯t be done by a human being. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon weakly bit his lip. It was dangerous. He could tell that his entire body would be blown up if he made a single mistake. ¡®Let¡¯s start with what I can do.¡¯ He executed a curved White Shadow sh with the divine sword in his right hand. The heated white shadow removed Cloud¡¯s principles of illusion and variable swords. The real attack from the astral sphere was directed at his heart from the left side. The moment the violently vibrating tip of Cloud¡¯s de was about to reach his shoulder, Raon unleashed the Silver Cyclone of the Blizzard Sword Art with the demonic sword in his left hand. aang! The blue de soared with the wind and violently fended off Cloud¡¯s attack. The astral sphere dwelling on his de was twisted so hard that it looked like it was about to fall apart. ¡°Ack!¡± Cloud turned around mid-air in order to ovee the shock from the sh and connected into another downward sh. The astral sphere storming around the tip of his de was extended and caused a huge explosion. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon had predicted that attack since he¡¯d noticed that Cloud had a strange twist of his astral sphere when he was turning around mid-air. The moment the aura¡¯s explosion was about to affect him, Raon shed downward with the divine and demonic swords at the same time. He was applying Sheryl¡¯s teaching to harmonize the power of the two swords. Whaaam! The fire and ice created a wave of a sword barrier andpletely destroyed Cloud¡¯s explosive sword. Cring! However, the battle wasn¡¯t over yet. Cloud was dashing through the explosion¡¯s aftereffect. Despite the fact that his astral sphere had exploded a moment ago, it was bursting from his de once again. Even though it had already exploded once, Raon could still feel a tremendous amount of power from it. His body was being sucked into its flow, which felt like it was distorting the space itself. Raon fixed his feet on the ground and increased the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s outputs to the maximum. Whaaam! The divine and demonic swords shed head-on against the astral sphere. Thend copsed, and the trees were being rooted out. It was truly a hellish scene as Raon and Cloud unleashed their full powers against each other. The de wrapped in the darkness of the astral sphere advanced nimbly to unleash his advanced martial art, but it never managed to break through Raon¡¯s defense. Even though it should¡¯ve been impossible for a divine and demonic sword to move in harmony, the advanced martial arts were executed one after the other, the two swords causing burns and frostbite to Cloud instead, and he ended up being bounced back. Whap! Flowers bloomed from Raon¡¯s two des, the moment Cloud was pushed back. me Spirit Infinite Awakening. The red and blue flowers blooming from the two swords advanced towards Cloud from the left and right. ¡°Ugh!¡± Cloud tried to pluck those pieces of heat and coldness with his de, which was wrapped in an astral sphere, but he couldn¡¯t remove all of them because they were too numerous. ¡°Damn it!¡± He mustered his aura until his energy center was in pain, and unleashed the Dark Night Demonde¡¯s special technique, de Flow Release. Whaaam! The sh between the de Flow Release and the me Spirit Infinite Awakening created a huge tornado of astral energy in the air. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Cloud bit his lip amid the turbulence capable of destroying thend and copsing the sky. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with that bastard?! Is he even human?!¡¯ He could force himself to ept the fact that the Sword Field Creation gave him the power to fight against the astral sphere. However, his sword technique was the strangest thing. The Six Kings and Five Demons normally retained their own characteristics. Just as Zieghart had their Sword Field Creation and the Beast Union boasted their strongest bodies, the Holy Sword Alliance should¡¯ve been the best when it came down to sword technique. However, that didn¡¯t seem to apply to Raon. His swordsmanship¡¯s flow and principles were improving despite the intensity of the battle. It wasn¡¯t the Sword Field¡¯s ability but his demonic talent. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening.¡± Cloud¡¯s shoulders were shivering as he straightened his back. ¡®I can¡¯t leave him alive.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t even jealous anymore. He was afraid of him at that point. He wielded his sword with two hands, with the murderous intention of never letting him live. ¡®It¡¯s the only way.¡¯ Using the Dark Night Demonde¡¯s special technique was the only path to ovee the disadvantageous situation, even though it was still iplete. Whir! He mustered everyst bit of his aura from his energy center. The aura dashed through his mana circuits, and the central energy center¡¯s sturdiness was added before it created a storming astral sphere that surrounded his de. ¡°I¡¯ll put an end to this!¡± The shards of darkness seeped into the storm bursting from his de, creating a majestic ck radiance. Whaam! Even the sky turned dark as the Dark Night Demonde¡¯s special technique, Dark Star sh, advanced. It felt like the entire world had fallen into darkness. Cloud must¡¯ve grown during the fight against Raon since he managed to unleash the real Dark Star sh for the first time. ¡®I did it!¡¯ The moment Cloud was assured of his victory, Raon quietly exhaled and raised his gaze. Just like his radiant eyes, the sun and moon emanated their dignified lights amid the darkness. Tap. Raon fixed the grip on the two swords while looking at Cloud. ¡®This is the final sh.¡¯ Cloud only had a handful of energy left in him. The battle was going to be over if he managed to withstand that strike. However, he couldn¡¯t easily find the path to victory. His opponent¡¯s strike was literally covering the entire sky. Raon slowly closed his eyes. He imagined the sword field once again while feeling the resonance of the divine and demonic swords in his hands. The more he fought, the more he came to realize it. The Sword Field didn¡¯t originate from fire and ice. The sword was the origin. The sword training that had started with Rimmer continued to the others, causing a variety of flowers to bloom. Glenn¡¯s sword was at the center of all that. His sword, which had even surpassed transcendence, was the first pir supporting his world. However, he was different from Glenn. It was impossible to copy since Glenn¡¯s path led to perfection. Raon would just follow his back, just like following the light. That was why his colors were red and blue. Furthermore, what he¡¯d pledged in his mental world was to never be defeated. Just like he¡¯d dered to Rimmer, and responded to Vulcan¡¯s question when he asked what kind of sword he wanted, Raon wanted to be a swordsman who would never break. That was why he was undefeatable and invincible. Raon opened his eyes while imagining the inspirationing from the Sword Field. He pulled the divine and demonic swords behind his waist and shoulder while facing Cloud¡¯s astral sphere, which was full of malice, trying to erase his entire existence. Raon Zieghart Style Six Form, Harmony of Heaven and Demon¡¯s Combination Technique Red-Blue Invincible Sword The red and blue radiance severed the world and cut through the sky. Crack! Cloud¡¯s astral sphere disappeared like bubbles, and his sword was snapped in half. Diagonalcerations appeared on his chest and he fell on his knees. He wasn¡¯t even screaming, as if his defeat was nothing but a fleeting dream. The divine and demonic swords subsided like embers and the dark night returned. ¡°I defeated you¡­¡± The dignity of the divine and demonic swords were dwelling on Raon¡¯s eyes as he looked down on Cloud. ¡°No, Zieghart defeated the Holy Sword Alliance.¡± Chapter 502 Chapter 502 Raon bit his lip tightly. The strength left his body and his vision became blurry. He felt like he was going to copse if he didn¡¯t pull himself together. ¡®I heard it would be, but the rebound is powerful.¡¯ Rimmer and the Gambling Monster hadpared the Sword Field Creation to a final, desperate weapon. They¡¯d advised him to kill his enemy no matter what once it was activated, or at least finish the battle. Raon¡¯s body was telling him the reason why they¡¯d said that. ¡®I feel like all of my muscles have ruptured. My energy center is also empty.¡¯ He felt like he could copse at any moment because of how hard his limbs were shaking. He didn¡¯t have any heat or coldness left in his energy center either, and all he could feel was the energy of wind and the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld. He could understand that he would¡¯ve been the one to lose if he failed to cut Cloud down at the end. ¡®Haa¡­ But I can still endure it.¡¯Thanks to his various titles and Sloth¡¯s regenerative ability, his stamina and aura were replenishing rapidly. He could tell that he would soon recover enough to move normally. He was confident in his ability to pretend to be fine. He hardened his eyes and lips to pretend he didn¡¯t receive any damage at all and walked up to Cloud, who was on his knees. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Cloud was gripping and tearing the twocerations on his chest. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± He was unable to hold himself back anymore and screamed from the intense pain. Raon realized that Cloud wasn¡¯t bleeding from his wounds at all. Theceration starting from the left shoulder was a burn, causing the wound to be cauterized, and the tearing wound starting from the right shoulder was frozen by frost. He wasn¡¯t bleeding thanks to the burn and frostbite, but he looked like he was in so much pain that death would be preferred. ¡°Argh!¡± Bloody foam was emerging from Cloud¡¯s mouth. His eyes turned to the other side, the ruptured capiries giving him a demonic appearance. ¡°You¡­ you monster¡­¡± He forced himself to raise his head. He started to ramble, his lips trembling in pain. ¡°You aren¡¯t even human. This wouldn¡¯t be happening if you were a human¡­¡± Cloud shook his chin, red saliva flowing down it. He said that Raon had to have a demonic talent and hit the ground powerlessly. You are right! Someone finally understands! Wrath immediately nodded. Don¡¯t be deceived by his human appearance. This monster is a whole different species! But he¡¯s not a demon either! He¡¯s just a lunatic race of his own! He tapped on Raon¡¯s shoulder, saying that he should be a demon king. ¡°I¡¯m a perfectly normal human being. I¡¯m more humane than anyone else in the world.¡± Raon responded to Cloud and Wrath at the same time. Cease your nonsense! The King of Essence has never seen a human like you! ¡°Y-you aren¡¯t even making any sense!¡± The human and demon king shook their heads at the same time. ¡°A-and you were wrong about that.¡± Cloud bit his lip while grasping the wound on his shoulder. ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance didn¡¯t lose to Zieghart. I simply lost to your talent¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re on that talent nonsense again.¡± Raon kicked Cloud¡¯s chin with his right foot. Smack! Despite having no aura left and being exhausted, his strong body caused Cloud''s body to rise to its full height, spitting bloody teeth from his mouth. ¡°Uaaah¡­.¡± Cloud covered his mouth after the teeth left and groaned in pain. ¡°Losers should shut up.¡± So, this is the talent to be a demon king¡­ Wrath spoke with admiration while stroking his chin, and Raon pushed him away before picking up Cloud¡¯s broken sword and the de with two hands. ¡°Wh-what are you trying to do?!¡± Cloud pulled himself back while dragging his feet on the ground. He was even slower than a snail because he had no aura left and his body was ruined. Moreover, his back bumped into a tree trunk and came to a halt. ¡°Nothing special.¡± Raon calmly exhaled and walked up to Cloud, whose chin was trembling in fear. He went on his knee and shoved the broken de into his left shoulder. Crack! Since the aura barrier wasn¡¯t there to protect Cloud anymore, the de easily pierced into his flesh and cut through his bones and muscles. ¡°Aaaack!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Raon kicked Cloud¡¯s chin again because he started to scream his head off. Three more teeth fell out before he finally shut his mouth. ¡°You¡¯d better not move.¡± He stabbed his abdomen next with the broken sword. Cloud¡¯s body was trembling in pain, but he couldn¡¯t defy him because he was afraid of more beatings. Rip. Since Raon didn¡¯t pull out the des after stabbing him, the wounds were plugged and only a small amount of blood came out of them. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Cloud couldn¡¯t endure the pain and let out a strange groan, his eyes rolling back in his head. ¡°The de in your shoulder is right above your heart, and the one on your stomach is next to your energy center.¡± Raon grabbed Cloud by his hair and spoke with a frightening gaze in his eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Cloud didn¡¯t dare look back at him and lowered his eyes. An irresistible fear was engraved in his mind. ¡°The de will pierce into your heart or energy center if you move.¡± Raon smiled coldly and pushed Cloud¡¯s head against the trunk. Hmm? Aren¡¯t you going to kill him? Wrath tilted his head to the unexpected situation. You¡¯ve been killing anyone who is a potential danger. ¡®I did, but this case is different.¡¯ Ah, it must be because of that man. Wrath blinked while looking in the direction of Banneret, where the Holy Sword Alliance master was located. ¡®Yes. It¡¯s impossible to predict his action since he is crazy for swords.¡¯ Wrath had guessed right. Raon had to leave Cloud alive because he couldn¡¯t predict what the Holy Sword Alliance master would do if his disciple was in. If he disregarded everything else and focused on avenging his disciple, the Light Wind division was bound to be annihted. However, leaving Cloud alive lowered that possibility significantly. His disciple was still a Grandmaster even though he was thoroughly defeated, and there was no way he was going to abandon him. Not much time had passed after the start of the incident. Since the news likely hadn¡¯t reached Zieghart yet, he couldn¡¯t look forward to reinforcements from the house. It was necessary to assume that the Holy Sword Alliance master would make the worst decision for him and n ordingly. ¡°Y-you are just afraid of the alliance master in the end.¡± Cloud twisted his lips. He must¡¯ve realized that Raon couldn¡¯t kill him because of the alliance master. ¡°I¡¯m absolutely not going to lose next time. I¡¯m going to snap your neck before you can activate the Sword Field¡ª¡± ¡°Once I win against someone, I never lose against the same opponent. Do you really believe you can win next time when you are so afraid of my talent?¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°And you are making a grave mistake¡­¡± Raon smiled coldly and stimted Cloud¡¯s mana circuits with his finger by using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s energies. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡± ¡°Wh-what did you do?!¡± ¡°You will find out soon enough.¡± He shoved the heat into various ces, saving the spine forst, before finally pulling his finger out. ¡°Kuah!¡± Cloud¡¯s body bent like a squid. It was the worst torture method, causing the pain of twisting bones and muscles, the itchiness of thousands of bugs gnawing at the flesh, and even heat and coldness added on top of it all. Thick veins were bulging on his forehead as he went through it. ¡°Uaaaah!¡± ¡°Huh? But you are going to die if you move.¡± Raon chuckled, and Cloud¡¯s body immediately flinched and came to a halt. ¡°Aaaah¡­¡± However, he started to struggle once again, unable to withstand the pain. The lines of blood flowing from the des stabbing his shoulder and stomach became even thicker. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°I told you, you are going to die if you keep moving. You shouldn¡¯t scream, either.¡± ¡°Haap¡­¡± ¡°You are so dumb. Your limbs should also stay still. Your heart is going to split in half at this rate.¡± ¡°St-stop it! Please!¡± ¡°Ask that great alliance master of yours to remove it for you.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Cloud panicked hard and started to foam from the mouth, his body trembling in something between intense pain and his fear of death. Wow¡­ Wrath shook his head with wide eyes. Is this really what a human being should be doing? ¡®Well, I¡¯m human so it is.¡¯ Oh, I see¡­ Raon ignored Wrath as he kept murmuring, wondering if that was how it worked, and grabbed Cloud by his hair once again. ¡°What did you say earlier again? You said you would eliminate the potential danger by killing me and my crew, didn¡¯t you?¡± Raon exhaled a warm breath while meeting his eyes, which were distorted from terror. ¡°Do it if you can, because your head will roll the moment you meet me once again.¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile and violently tossed Cloud¡¯s body away. ¡°Cough!¡± Cloud gripped the des stabbing his shoulder and stomach to avoid death. However, the pain must¡¯ve gotten even worse because his body was trembling on the ground. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon averted his gaze and looked at Banneret, where a strange tornado was rising. ¡®I wonder if those two are alright.¡¯ He was worried about Rimmer and Sheryl, but it would¡¯ve been foolish to return to the city. He was only going to be a hindrance instead of helping them. Raon wished for their safe return, including the Heavenly de division, and pulled Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem from the ground. The two des felt heavy for some reason. * * * * * * The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s dark sword, which was flying in the air to indulge in the sword techniques of the Queen of Swords and the Demonde, started to rotate in a semicircle and dark lightning urred from it. ¡°This is¡­¡± The Queen of Swords furrowed her brow upon seeing the sword¡¯s movement. ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me, you¡­¡± The Demonde barely managed to fend off the sword and bared his yellow teeth. ¡°Are you copying this great one¡¯s technique?!¡± ¡°It was a nice technique that isn¡¯t fixated on form. I like it.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master slowly nodded. The manipted sword resonated faintly from the air. It seemed to express the cheerful mood of its owner. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Queen of Swords quietly sighed and returned her sword to its scabbard before drawing it right after that. The de emerged quietly, and a tremendous amount of energy advanced while being focused on a single point. The point was even smaller than the width of a hair, but the achievement of a swordswoman who¡¯d reached transcendence was dwelling inside. ¡°This is pretty good¡­¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master nodded with slightly flushed cheeks. The manipted sword was putting pressure on the Demonde but flew in front of him in an instant and created a sword barrier the size of a palm. Whaaam! It was difficult to believe the explosive sound came from the sh between an extremely small strike and a sword barrier. The sky was crushed like an egg inside a clenched fist and a huge rift appeared. ¡°Tsk.¡± The Queen of Swords briefly clicked her tongue. However, she immediately started to prepare her next move. She must¡¯ve thought that it wouldn¡¯t be enough to finish off the Holy Sword Alliance master to begin with. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Demonde managed to pull himself together. He bit his lip and wrapped his sword with a purple current of air to unleash a hexagonal sword formation into the air. They were behaviors befitting transcenders, as they trusted their own martial arts despite being surprised by the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s abilities. ¡°Wahahaha!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master burst intoughter while looking at the distorted sky. ¡°Yes, this is how it should be. It wouldn¡¯t have been worth it toe out to the world if you couldn¡¯t even do this.¡± His flushed face almost looked like he was drunk. His eyes glowed red as they indulged in the sight of the Queen of Swords and the Demonde¡¯s swords. ¡°I¡¯m also curious about them, but¡­¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master turned his head to the right. It was difficult to tell who the winner was because Raon and Cloud¡¯s energies had subsided at the same time. He wanted to spread his aura perception to figure out the situation, but it was much too far away. Focusing on the opponents at hand was the correct course of action, as a distraction could prove critical during a fight against two transcenders. ¡°Kellin.¡± A swordsman whose face was hidden behind a mask jumped down from the Sword Wing. ¡°If Cloud won the fight, he might try to kill Raon. Stop him if that¡¯s the case, and bring them both if it¡¯s the other way around.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The woman called Kellin gestured with her finger, and the warriors wearing the same outfit appeared behind her. They were the Floating Soul Division, in charge of secretly defending the flying warship, the Sword Wing. Thud! Just as they were about to leave through the copsed part of the rampart, red lightning struck from the sky. Whaam! It was Rimmer¡¯s doing. He¡¯d been observing the battlefield while using his Sword Field and had stopped Kellin from leaving. However, the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s de took the opportunity and brushed past his waist. Pssh! It wasn¡¯t a serious injury, but it was still thick enough to make the difference between victory and defeat during a fight between extremely powerful warriors. ¡°Ack¡­¡± Rimmer frowned and bit his lip. ¡°I heard you could use the Sword Field Creation, and it was true.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword slowly nodded while shaking the blood off his de. ¡°And lightning energy as well? Did you beg Glenn for it or something?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, you are different from before at least.¡± A twisted smile flowed from his lips. ¡°Can I take it to mean that you cherish your disciples more than your subordinates?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Rimmer was unable to withstand the nasty provocation and charged at him. ¡°Hmm.¡± Kellin nodded at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and tried to head towards the rampart once again, but a white ray bent towards her and blocked his path. ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± The moment Sheryl created the sword barrier, the apostle she was facing immediately extended his hand toward her. His attack, surrounded by transparent energy, was falling towards her at a tremendous speed. Whaam! The speed wasn¡¯t the only frightening part. It was also powerful enough to split thend, and Sheryl¡¯s feet got stuck under the ground. ang! Sheryl didn¡¯t panic even though she couldn¡¯t move anymore and crossed her two des. The ck and white energies waned like the sunlight reflected on the surface of ake, and the apostle¡¯s attack was bounced back violently. ¡°You idiot!¡± She bit her lip and shouted at Rimmer. ¡°Stop yielding to provocation, please!¡± ¡°I know, I know! But¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t full of malice anymore. He shook his head, his eyes making it look like he was about to cry. ¡°Haa, you idiot¡­¡± Sheryl could understand his feelings and murmured idiot in a way than previously before she pulled her legs out of the ground. ¡°Heavenly de division, guard the rampart!¡± She roared while mming thend with her bare, bloody foot. Rumble! The Heavenly de division created a storming sword barrier above the destroyed part of the rampart, showing their determination to stop their opponents with their lives. ¡°Try it if you want.¡± Sheryl twisted her lips while raising her white sword and lowering her ck sword. ¡°Nothing but your heads are allowed to pass!¡± * * * Tsk. Raon briefly clicked his tongue as he ran back along the path he had taken. ¡®I came too far.¡¯ He started to get worried about the Light Wind division, as he could finally afford other thoughts than the violent battle against Cloud. He¡¯de so far to reduce the damage of the Light Wind division, but he¡¯de a lot further than anticipated. The Light Wind division should¡¯ve won ording to his predictions, as he¡¯d also included the bodyguards of Encia and Denning Rose, but anxiety emerged like an ember in his heart. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ He was irritated by the fact that he couldn¡¯t continuously use the Supreme Harmony Steps because of hisck of aura and unconsciously bit his lip. They should be fine. Wrath shook his head while sitting on Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ They are the King of Essence¡¯s subordinates. They should all be alive. ¡®They are my subordinates. I raised them personally. You did noth¡ª¡¯ Anyway, they are the King of Essence¡¯s children! Wrath shook his head while saying that a demon king always kept their word. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon chuckled at Wrath. It seemed to be his way of relieving his worry. That was why Raon decided to shake his shoulder. You punk! ¡®My shoulder just felt itchy.¡¯ He continued to follow the path while chatting with Wrath. Since he might have to fight right away, he tried to recover his aura as fast as possible, and Wrath wrinkled his nose. The fight is over. ¡®What?¡¯ No one is at that spot anymore. He shook his head, saying that there were no presences there at all. ¡®Which means¡­¡¯ Raon stopped his advance and looked in the direction of Cameloon. ¡®That must be their destination. They must believe in me, just like I believe in them. Considering the fact that no one was at the scene of battle anymore, Burren must¡¯ve taken the Light Wind division towards Cameloon. However¡­ Just as Raon was about to move towards Cameloon, Wrath licked his lip. It looks like you still have more work to do. The sound disappeared from the forest as soon as he dered. An extremely small noise was mixed in between the silent wind. Someone was approaching as covertly as a shadow. What have you even been doing in your life?! Wrath tilted his head and asked him about it. Why do you have so many enemies when you¡¯ve only lived for twenty-one years?! Who the hell is that?! ¡®I don¡¯t know. But¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while spreading his aura perception around the forest. ¡®I smell a familiar stench.¡¯ Chapter 503 Chapter 503 The greenery was fluttering in House Robert¡¯s vast garden despite it being the middle of winter. Derus Robert watched the moonlight wavering from the clouds, and a small woman wearing a maid¡¯s outfit knelt behind him. ¡°Sirith sent us a message.¡± The maid raised her lowered head and revealed her emotionless eyes. ¡°Who showed up?¡± ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance master arrived with the Sword Wing. The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword had only one arm, and a man who seemed to be the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple was also seen.¡± ¡°Disciple? Was it Quirrell?¡± Derus was interested in the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master and inquired about him. ¡°No, they said he was a new disciple, but that he has already reached the Grandmaster realm.¡±¡°So the youngest disciple is a Grandmaster. They weren¡¯t idling around while they were hiding.¡± He nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°How about the other faction?¡± ¡°The White Blood Religion''s leader personally went to the city with the third and tenth disciples.¡± ¡°That evil spirit never fails to be predictable. Anyway, that means two of them are there. It looks like he hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡± ¡°Lastly¡­¡± The woman in maid uniform briefly licked her lips. ¡°Merlin appeared.¡± ¡°Merlin?¡± Derus lowered his gaze for the first time upon hearing the unexpected name. ¡°But Eden shouldn¡¯t be able to afford that right now.¡± ¡°Merlin seemed to be targeting Raon Zieghart on her own ord. I heard she was facing the tenth apostle.¡± ¡°Did she still not learn her lesson after what happenedst time?¡± He clicked his tongue a couple of times at her pathetic behavior. ¡°How is the situation?¡± ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance master, the White Blood Religion''s leader, and the heads of the Five Divine Orders are fighting equally inside the city. The Heavenly de division leader and the Sword of Light are defending against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and an apostle, and¡­¡± The woman in a maid uniform briefly paused before she continued. ¡°Raon Zieghart managed to defeat the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple outside the city.¡± ¡°What?¡± Derus¡¯s eyes violently wavered even though they¡¯d remained calm up to that point. ¡°Cubara.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You said the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple was a Grandmaster, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Does that mean that Raon Zieghart has be a Grandmaster?¡± ¡°That is not the case.¡± The woman called Cubara slowly opened her mouth without being intimidated by Derus¡¯s frightening gaze. ¡°They said he used the Sword Field Creation.¡± ¡°Hah! Sword Field Creation?¡± Derus gasped while covering his forehead with his palm. ¡®He activated the Sword Field at twenty-one years of age? It should¡¯ve been iplete. Still¡­¡¯ It would¡¯ve been less surprising if he¡¯d be a Grandmaster. Derus knew about the Sword Field Creation better than the warriors from Zieghart because he¡¯d looked into countless books and records and even kidnapped a member of the direct line from Zieghart who was capable of activating the Sword Field to dissect him. The Sword Field of Zieghart was a boundary that materialized the mental world, signifying the swordsman¡¯s life. There were infinite ways of using it, and it was also prone to change ording to the swordsman¡¯s growth. Since it incorporated the user¡¯s life itself, even a genius would need a long time to activate it. Yet Raon Zieghart was crazy enough to create his own Sword Field at twenty-one years of age. ¡®This is iparable to his previous achievements.¡¯ Derus had thought Raon wouldn¡¯t surprise him anymore, but it was far beyond his imagination. ¡°What kind of Sword Field was it?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about it.¡± Cubara slowly shook her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He said that they would attack Raon Zieghart right away since his energy had reached rock bottom as soon as his Sword Field was disabled. He cut off contact right after that.¡± She sighed, saying that Sirith acted on his own ord without waiting for an order. ¡°Will you stop him?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Derus stroked his chin while looking at a fluttering green leaf. ¡®He isn¡¯t wrong about that decision.¡¯ The Sword Field was the trump card of a Zieghart swordsman. They lost their stamina and aura to the point of exhaustion once it was used. If the bnce of power inside Banneret was perfectly equal, no one was going toe to his rescue. Considering Sirith¡¯s experience, his decision to act must¡¯ve implied that he saw a perfect opportunity. Derus figured that it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to count on him. ¡°I¡¯ll leave him alone.¡± Derus¡¯s lips curved into a frightening smile as he covered the moon emerging from the clouds with his hand. ¡°In any case, Raon Zieghart won¡¯t survive the day.¡± * * * Raon¡¯s steps came to a halt behind a tree the size of an adult man. He released the small amount of aura that he¡¯d recovered to observe the surroundings. ¡®These movements definitely belong to assassins. Moreover¡­ It¡¯s the same as the Shadows.¡¯ Even assassins had different characteristics depending on their faction. The Blood Curtain sought the ultimate speed while the Death God Religion focused on stealth. On the other hand, Shadows changed their course of action depending on the situation. They became darker than the Death God Religion if stealth was required, and they moved even faster than the Blood Curtain to eliminate their target if speed was important. ¡®The sound is faint, but the fact that they are making any at all implies that¡­ they must be aware that my body is in the worst condition.¡¯ The shadows must¡¯ve been running towards him to quickly eliminate him before he recovered his stamina and aura. Raon could guess that they¡¯d been watching the battle from higher ground. However, the fact that they still managed to remove most of their presence despite moving so quickly implied that every single one of them was close to being the best of the assassins. ¡®Well, I guess he wouldn¡¯t dispatch random assassins against me.¡¯ There was no way they were ordinary assassins since Derus was behind it. They must¡¯ve had something up their sleeves. ¡®I should avoid a frontal sh.¡¯ Since both his stamina and aura were exhausted, a frontal sh wasn¡¯t a good option. Yaawn. Wrath yawned and returned to the flower bracelet, satisfied from learning of the Light Wind division¡¯s safety. This is boring, so wake him after it¡¯s over. ¡®Seriously¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip slightly and unsheathed the de of Requiem. ¡®I¡¯m in the worst condition possible, but I still have another option avable. Let¡¯s return to the past.¡¯ * * * * * * Raon entered the forest while pretending to run away from them. The trees and bushes had no leaves because it was winter, but he activated the concealing technique while passing by arge trunk. It wasn¡¯t the shadow¡¯s martial art that he¡¯d learned in his previous life. It was the White Shadow Steps, created by improving the Dark Shadow Steps through the martial arts of his new life. He erased his presence perfectly with the White Shadow Steps and climbed the tree. ¡®They are here.¡¯ Even a Master warrior wouldn¡¯t be able to notice him, but he still had to be careful since he was surrounded by assassins. Raon held the de of Requiem in a reverse grip while observing his surroundings. ¡®As expected, they can¡¯t find me.¡¯ Contrary to how they rapidly ran into the forest, they were circling in the area without finding him. ¡®But I have the same issue. I can¡¯t exactly locate them¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t find the exact locations of the assassins since his stamina, willpower, and aura were at rock bottom. ¡®I haven¡¯t felt this way in a long time.¡¯ A battle between assassins was different from one between warriors. It was a war of information, decided by who managed to find the opponent¡¯s position and state first. It was a soundless war where any thoughtless action led to losing one¡¯s head. ¡®Every single one of them is extremely proficient at concealing themselves. I¡¯m surprised he managed to raise so many of them.¡¯ No presence nor sign of life could be detected. It was as if they were dead bodies. Their concealing technique was more than top-notch. Raon let out his breath into the sound of the wind and spread his aura perception in an even more detailed manner. ¡®They are hiding so well.¡¯ His body was in the worst condition, his enemies¡¯ presence was faint, and they didn¡¯t show any signs of life. That was why it was difficult to precisely locate his enemies. ¡®I can¡¯t use the Perception of the Snow Flower either.¡¯ The Perception of the Snow Flower consumed his aura and willpower on top of wrath. The problem was going to get worse if he couldn¡¯t locate every single assassin after using it. That was why it was better to suppress the urge to use it. Raon closed his eyes while cing his hand on a thin branch. He ordered the rings of fire rotating around his heart to find his enemies as fast as possible. Cring! The seven rings violently resonated with each other and refined his senses. The forest turned white as Raon endured the exhausting stress. Amid the white space, where nothing but nature was present, dark existences arose as embers. It was the energy of the assassins. ¡®I found them.¡¯ He could locate twenty-four assassins encircling the forest like a web. However, Raon still couldn¡¯t detect their signs of life even though he knew their locations. They really felt like corpses. ¡®Did he create a new martial art?¡¯ Raon started to think that Derus must¡¯ve made a martial art to remove the signs of life like a real corpse when a small resonance urred from all around the forest. [I can¡¯t even see your hair.] The voice was strangely altered. They must¡¯ve been using an artifact to prevent their location from being discovered. [The White Sword Dragon from Zieghart is hiding in front of his enemies. It will be humiliating if the rumors spread about this.] Raon calmly nodded while listening to the mockery. ¡®I knew it. They have a leader.¡¯ Shadows usually had a leader who gave out the instructions during an assassination mission, and the owner of that voice must¡¯ve been the leader. ¡®Where are they?¡¯ None of the twenty-four assassins he¡¯d located a moment ago was a leader. He could guess that the leader¡¯s concealing technique was even more special. [Your beloved Light Wind division will be annihted if you waste more time here. We¡¯ve also dispatched people over there.] The leader of the assassins started to provoke him, trying to get him to reveal himself. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Raon briefly clicked his tongue in his mouth. ¡®There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true.¡¯ Derus wasn¡¯t interested in the Light Wind division at all. All he desired was the death of Raon Zieghart. ¡®Is he trying to agitate my mind? That¡¯s my specialty though.¡¯ Raon used the White Shadow Steps and moved behind the closest assassin. He was looking towards the center of the forest while hiding behind a trunk on the right. ¡®His presence is different.¡¯ Raon was still unable to feel his sign of life despite being so close. Derus Robert really must¡¯ve created a new martial art. Shoosh. Raon covered the assassin¡¯s mouth and pierced his neck with the de of Requiem that he was holding in a reverse grip. ¡®He¡¯s not moving in the slightest!?¡¯ Even though he was an assassin, it was unexpected that he wouldn¡¯t move at all at the moment of his death. It almost felt like he was stabbing a doll. ¡®How much was he brainwashed to fall into this state?¡¯ Raon moved sideways while thinking about Derus¡¯s cruelty. He covered the next target¡¯s mouth and severed the heart. ¡®Ack!¡¯ The blood flowing from the assassin¡¯s chest reached his wrist, and the flesh started to melt as if it were burned. ¡®Is this poison? No, that can¡¯t be.¡¯ It was impossible to mix a poison capable of melting his skin into the blood, even for an assassin. ¡®Wait, now that I think about it¡­¡¯ He noticed that the assassins had low body temperatures when he got close enough to cover their mouths. They almost felt like dead bodies. ¡®Their blood is poisoned and they are corpses with low body temperature.¡¯ Once he started to consider the assassins as corpses, he remembered the n that Derus had mentioned in his previous life. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, are they the ones?!¡¯ Raon released the corpse and was about to withdraw when he heard the voice of the Shadows¡¯ leader. [I found you.] As soon as the voice resounded, the neck of the assassin he¡¯d just killed by stabbing the heart was turned 180¡ã. He extended his hand with a hole in his heart as if he were a zombie. Crack! The one that Raon had stabbed in the neck was also running towards him with his waist bent in an unnatural manner, and the assassins that had been hiding revealed themselves at the same time and rushed towards him. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Raon bit his lip while stepping backward. ¡®Did he manage toplete it? The Deathbringer Revenants.¡¯ He could finally understand why the assassins had no sign of life. It was because they were actually corpses. Derus Robert must¡¯ve ended uppleting his n to turn corpses into assassins. [Shouldn¡¯t you be called a rat instead of a dragon? You are as good as a rat at running away.] A mocking voice could be heard from behind the Deathbringer Revenants chasing after him. The owner of the voice must¡¯ve been controlling the Deathbringer Revenants. ¡®They are undying assassins with acid poison for blood. That means he must¡¯ve also achieved that.¡¯ The most frightening part about the Deathbringer Revenants wasn¡¯t the fact that they were already dead. The biggest danger was something else. ¡®That must be his n.¡¯ Raon figured he had to take advantage of that fact to get out of that situation. ¡°Ugh! Come out!¡± Raon fended off the assassins¡¯ assault while pretending to be in an extreme panic. The assassins were obviously fearless since they were corpses. They kept attacking until the very end while spreading their poisonous blood even when their limbs were cut off. ¡®A bit more.¡¯ Raon circled around while pretending to avoid the poisonous blood and unsheathed Heavenly Drive as four cold Revenants started to attack at the same time. sh! The sharp strike gained momentum and cut off the heads of the four Deathbringer Revenants at the same time. That was when¡­ [Caught you.] The headless assassins¡¯ bodies started to glow as if they were covered in oil alongside aughing voice. ¡®It¡¯sing!¡¯ Raon bit his lip tightly and focused the small amount of aura he had left into the mana circuits under his feet to use the Supreme Harmony Steps. He violently kicked the ground and gained distance. Whaaam! As soon as he escaped from the headless Deathbringer Revenants, a tremendous explosion urred. It was as powerful as an astral sphere explosion and ended up creating a bottomless pit at the ce where he used to be standing until a moment ago. ¡®Kuh¡­¡¯ Raon frowned while looking at his hands and legs. ¡®I was slightly affected.¡¯ He couldn¡¯tpletely avoid the explosion because he was too close to them. The back of his hand and thigh were severely injured. ¡®This is why they are called Deathbringer Revenants.¡¯ They were called Deathbringer Revenants because they brought death to the living, just like the evil spirits. ¡®But my n should¡¯ve worked¡­¡¯ The one who¡¯d been controlling the Deathbringer Revenants must¡¯ve believed in his death after that explosion. Raon was going to prepare for a surprise attack the moment the leader came down. [Hmm¡­] The assassin groaned while looking at the hole without revealing themselves. They stayed quiet for a while before they started to giggle. [You aren¡¯t dead. That¡¯s amazing.] Raon broke out into a cold sweat. ¡®How did they notice that?¡¯ Raon had escaped by only using footwork. He hadn¡¯t even made an aura shield to avoid suspicion. That was why it was unexpected for them to notice. Whether it was intuition or some kind of ability they had, they were a rather extraordinary opponent. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ He figured he had to activate the Perception of the Snow Flower to locate them even if it aggravated his internal injuries even further. Raon sighed and rubbed his abdomen, which was screaming in pain, just as he detected a small movement from behind. He got nervous because he thought it was an assassin, but the presence was extremely faint and emerged from underground. Poke! A mole whose head was covered in the snow that used to be on the ground was poking its head out from the ground. ¡®It must be because of the earlier tremor¡­¡¯ ¡°Are you having a hard time?¡± The mole spoke. ¡®Merlin?¡¯ Raon¡¯s jaw dropped and he rapidly created an aura barrier. ¡°Aren¡¯t you fighting against the tenth apostle right now?¡± ¡°I am, but I still need to watch you.¡± Merlin tilted her head as if it was the obvious thing to do. ¡°I saw you when you used the Sword Field Creation. It was an extremely beautiful twilight.¡± She covered her flushed cheeks with her hands. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for that¡­¡± ¡°Do you need my help?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Merlin smiled happily and returned to the ground. ¡®What does she mean?¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d left after offering her help. He was thinking that he seriously couldn¡¯t understand her when the sky brightened. He raised his head and saw dozens of magic circles floating in the sky like a constetion. They started to radiate brilliantly and started to bombard the ground indiscriminately. Whaaam! The consecutive explosions caused by magic pulled the trees out and split thend, but the tree where he was hiding waspletely intact, only the upper part being burnt. ¡®This is Merlin¡¯s doing.¡¯ Merlin must¡¯ve helped him after noticing his situation. ¡®I can¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t stupid enough to not swallow the soup that was brought to his mouth. He focused the small amount of aura he had left into his hands and feet and activated the Ring of Fire without using anything else. An extremely faint presence moved amid a barrage of magical explosions. It was a presence of the living, different from the corpses. Whir. A red glow burst from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®I found you.¡¯ Chapter 504 Chapter 504 Raon didn¡¯t miss the faint presence of the assassin controlling the Deathbringer Revenants. He hid himself amid the explosions devastating the ground and observed his movement at an extremely slow pace. ¡®They aren¡¯t fast, but their presence is even smaller than a corpse.¡¯ Derus must¡¯ve created a new footwork, as the assassin¡¯s footwork was even more secretive than the Dark Shadow Steps. If it weren¡¯t for Merlin, he would¡¯ve had to use the Perception of the Snow Flower to find him. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t chase after him recklessly. He definitely has plenty of experience if he noticed that I wasn¡¯t dead.¡¯ The assassin wasn¡¯t senselessly running away even though he could¡¯ve died from Merlin¡¯s bombardment. He was controlling the Deathbringer Revenants to reduce the damage and still maintained his caution towards Raon. Considering how calm he was, he must¡¯ve been an executive of the shadows who¡¯d carried out lots of murder missions. Raon could guess that he would knock on the door to the underworld from the Deathbringer Revenants¡¯ explosion if he was too hasty. ¡®Because I¡¯m in the worst condition right now.¡¯Even if the assassin was only at Master level, picking a head-on fight with them in his condition would¡¯ve been madness. It was necessary to stick to the original n and fight as an assassin. ¡®I¡¯m confident in my patience.¡¯ Raon withstood the explosions and moved in the same direction as the assassin. The explosions were affecting his body, but he counted on the ck Dragon Coat¡¯s defensive ability and remained quiet. Rumble. Merlin¡¯s magical bombardment subsided, and the scenery covered in a gray cloud of dust was slowly revealed. The ground was devastated, and six shattered bodies of Deathbringer Revenants could be found. However, the assassin didn¡¯t stop using his footwork. He kept circling around without releasing his concealment technique so that he could react to any situation. Raon bit his lip tightly. ¡®My energy center hurts.¡¯ Since the White Shadow Steps consisted of hiding in nature, it had a higher aura consumption than the Dark Shadow Steps. The pain felt like his insides were boiling because he¡¯d used an unreasonable amount of aura in an internally injured state. Shh. The assassin finally stopped his footwork and took cover behind arge tree where the upper part had exploded. ¡®He finally settled down. However¡­ it isn¡¯t the time for it yet.¡¯ Naturally, the assassin¡¯s senses were focused behind him, and the Deathbringer Revenants were positioned to his sides and rear for protection. Raon could begin to guess how to approach him. Raon advanced while wrapping himself in the burning ash and the darkness of the night. He didn¡¯t move to the left nor to the right. He walked towards the trunk where the assassin was hiding from the front. ¡®Even slower than a turtle.¡¯ The Deathbringer Revenants were going to self-destruct if the small amount of his remaining aura made him hasty. Staying calm was especially important in such a situation. ¡®Because I can¡¯t expect more help from her either.¡¯ Merlin had dropped the magical bombardment for him while fighting against the tenth apostle at the same time. If he couldn¡¯t finish the rest on his own, he didn¡¯t deserve to get out alive. He advanced towards the trunk one step at a time, much like a baby starting to walk for the first time. His opponent was still focused on detecting the presence behind him, as expected of an assassin. The front was none of their concern since they could clearly see everything there. Raon reached the tree trunk where the assassin was hiding while using the subsided ash and dark shadows as his foothold, lowering his body. ¡®This is the important part.¡¯ Even though their aura perception was focused to the rear, they might still manage to counterattack if Raon stabbed them right away. It was necessary to aim for a moment of carelessness. Raon changed his reversed grip on the de of Requiem and stopped breathing. ¡®It¡¯s definitely going to happen soon.¡¯ * * * Sirith bit the inside of his cheek while hiding his presence. ¡®Damn it. I was about to kill him. How could this happen?!¡¯ Raon Zieghart was in a bad state, just like he¡¯d seen from above. The way he managed to escape from the self-destruction of the Deathbringer Revenants was unexpected, but he only had an extremely small amount of aura left in him. It would¡¯ve been all over for Raon if he¡¯d just spread the Deathbringer Revenants to find him, yet the sudden magic bombardment from the sky had ruined everything. ¡®Six of them have died.¡¯ Six Deathbringer Revenants had exploded because of the magic. Four of them were made to self-destruct, and two of them were destroyed to the point of being unusable. That was why he only had twelve of them left. ¡®No, this is still enough.¡¯ He could guess that Merlin was the caster of that spell. She must¡¯ve been warning him to not kill Raon since he was her target, but she was still in the middle of a fight against the tenth apostle. She wouldn¡¯t be able to cast another bombardment of that scale. ¡®I need to kill him as fast as possible.¡¯ The situation had changed. He had to kill Raon as quickly as possible before Merlin cast another spell or someone else came to his rescue. Sirith spread the twelve Deathbringer Revenants in the area. He positioned them at locations where Raon might be hiding and touched the artifact he was wearing in his left ear. The artifact¡¯s function was to spread his soundless murmur from a location of his choice. [I know you are alive. With your survival instinct of a leech, you must¡¯ve even crawled in order to¡ª] He tried to provoke Raon once again, just like he¡¯d done before the magic bombardment, but Sirith couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. A red dagger had reached his abdomen before he knew it. Shlick! Yellow ghastly energy was sparkling from the de piercing through his abdomen. ¡°Cough!¡± Sirith was immobilized by the exploding ghastly energy, and the red dagger tore his energy center apart without missing an opportunity. Rip! Alongside the shattering sound of his energy center, Sirith fell backwards and shivered violently. His eyes had rolled upwards from the intense pain. ¡°Kuah!¡± Raon, the wielder of the red dagger, rolled his lips into a smile while looking down on Sirith¡¯s painful struggle. ¡°It¡¯s finally fair now.¡± * * * Raon breathed out a sigh of relief while looking at the Deathbringer Revenants that had stopped moving, like statues. ¡®It was so close.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know how Sirith was ordering the Deathbringer Revenants, but he could at least tell that aura was involved. Since he had some information to extract from the assassin, he¡¯d attacked his energy center instead of his heart or neck, and it had fortunately gone ording to his n. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The assassin¡¯s painful groan continued like a stream. The fact that a Shadow who should¡¯ve been trained in pain resistance was groaning so much implied that his energy center waspletely destroyed. Raon took off the assassin¡¯s mask. He was a young, blue-haired man with an average face that gave off the impression of a nice guy. ¡®Sirith?¡¯ Raon recognized him as the fifth vice team leader from when he used to be the leader of the Shadows in the past. He looked older than back then, but there was no way he¡¯d fail to recognize him since Raon had been in charge of his education. ¡®Did he rise high enough to control the Deathbringer Revenants? I guess he¡¯s always been skilled.¡¯ Just like he was during the fight, Sirith was an excellent assassin with an outstanding concealment technique, and he possessed the ability to understand and cope with any situation. It wasn¡¯t exactly surprising that he would¡¯ve survived and been promoted to a higher rank. However, he¡¯d enjoyed mass murder and killing people more cruelly than he needed to, and he must¡¯ve retained that personality since he was controlling the Deathbringer Revenants. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Sirith slowly raised his body once the aura¡¯s flow from the destruction of his energy center had subsided. His forehead was drenched in cold sweat from the pain. ¡®Is he still weak against pain despite being an assassin? That means I have a higher chance of getting information out of him.¡¯ ¡°Y-you bastard¡­¡± Sirith raised his hand, which was covered with engorged veins. ¡°What are they?¡± Raon pped Sirith¡¯s hand away and pointed at the Deathbringer Revenants that had been immobilized behind him while pretending he didn¡¯t know anything. ¡°Y-you won¡¯t hear anything from me.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Sirith closed his mouth tightly and Raon ced his hand on the left side of his chest. ¡°Kill me already. Torturing me will be a waste of ti¡ª¡± Raon covered Sirith¡¯s mouth as he started to ramble and smacked his chest with the technique that could make the rage worm faint. He was used to doing it at that point because of how many times he had to use it. Smack! Sirith¡¯s body was sent flying into the air before it dropped on the ground. ¡°Kuh, a pain like this is nothing¡­¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s nothing.¡± Raon slowly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m starting now.¡± He mustered all of the aura that was refilled in his energy center and shoved into Sirith¡¯s body. He activated the same torture technique he¡¯d used on Cloud with over three times the intensity. ¡°T-torture is meaningless for¡ªKuaaah!¡± Sirith couldn''t evenst ten seconds before he started to scream, his body shivering intensely. Even the pain resistance he¡¯d gained from being raised as an assassin seemed to be ineffective. Veins started to bulge on his neck. ¡®Of course you can¡¯t endure it.¡¯ The torture method he was using made him feel the pain, itchiness, heat, and coldness at the same time. Since the four sensations amplified each other and gradually became stronger, it wasn¡¯t something that a human being could withstand¡ªeven with pain resistance. Both Sirith¡¯s silence and life weren¡¯t going tost for long. ¡°Kuha¡­!¡± Raon ignored Sirith as he floundered on the ground and activated the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier to quickly recover his aura. ¡®I just need to leave him alone and he¡¯ll confess on his own.¡¯ Sirith was well aware that he was going to die, but he was definitely going to talk before then in order to get a faster and easier death. ¡°Pl-please stop! I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡± Not even ten minutes had passed before Sirith started to scream while holding onto Raon¡¯s pants. ¡°What are they?¡± Raon lowered his frightening gaze and pointed at the Deathbringer Revenants. ¡°Th-they are objects called Deathbringer Revenants.¡± ¡°Deathbringer Revenants?¡± Raon asked back while feigning ignorance. ¡°They are assassin zombies made from warrior corpses.¡± ¡°You used corpses for them? Are they made by a necromancer?¡± ¡°Y-yes. It was developed by the research of a necromancer and a corpse master.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why they could move in such a natural manner. I can also understand why they have poison in their blood and can explode.¡± While a necromancer could make the deceased move like a living creature, a corpse master could add poison and explosions to a corpse that moved awkwardly. It was because the two of them had worked together that monsters like Deathbringer Revenants hade into existence. Crack. Raon clenched his fist to the point of bleeding while looking at the Deathbringer Revenants who were idling around because they had no instruction. ¡®Derus Robert¡­ You evil fiend.¡¯ On top of getting cors around living people¡¯s necks, he was even manipting the deceased. Raon¡¯s heart pounded violently from the wrath against his devilish actions. Derus had already taken off his human mask. He was even more evil than the Five Demons. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon suppressed his boiling anger and red at Sirith. ¡°Where are the Deathbringer Revenants made?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sirith didn¡¯t respond. He seemed to be waiting for the rage worm inside his heart to awaken. ¡°You are making this annoying.¡± Raon furrowed his brow and resumed the torture that was paused. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± It didn¡¯t take a long time before Sirith started to violently shake his trembling chin. ¡°I-I¡¯ll tell you! Capply Vige! That¡¯s where the factory¡ªCough!¡± He perished while saying factory. The shock of his energy center being destroyed and the torture on top of that seemed to be the cause of his death. * * * * * * Tap! Tap! The Deathbringer Revenants copsed to the ground like marites with broken strings from their master¡¯s death. ¡®I fortunately got thest bit of information out of him.¡¯ He was d he could get information about where the Deathbringer Revenants were made. However, the name of the vige he¡¯d mentioned felt strangely familiar. ¡°Capply?¡± ¡®Why does it feel familiar? I¡¯ve never been there before.¡¯ Raon licked his lips while thinking it was strange when the area below Sirith¡¯s mouth started to shake and Merlin¡¯s mole poked her head out of it. ¡°I knew you would manage.¡± Merlin nodded while smiling. ¡°Thank you, you saved me.¡± ¡°I just protected you because you are mine.¡± She closed her eyes, saying that she didn¡¯t need to be thanked. ¡°Please stop saying such a thing¡­¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Merlin was smiling cheerfully but suddenly groaned in pain while grasping her chest. ¡°Merlin?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I was just stabbed by a spear.¡± Merlin shook her hand, saying that she was fine. ¡°Spear? From the tenth apostle?¡± ¡°Yes. This is the second time now. Don¡¯t worry about me, my heart is fine.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon could understand why it was the second time. The magic bombardment earlier hade from the direction of Merlin¡¯s main body. She must¡¯ve been stabbed when that happened. ¡°Are you okay? Can you keep going?¡± ¡°What? Are you worried about me?¡± Merlin wagged her tail and waist while covering her flushed cheeks. ¡°I would¡¯ve let him stab me in a few other ces if I¡¯d known you would act like this.¡± She nodded while murmuring that she was so happy. Her voice was cutting off though, implying that she wasn¡¯t in a good situation at all. ¡°I¡¯ll need to focus though. Don¡¯t worry about me and escape from this ce.¡± Merlin smiled and her presence disappeared. The mole was suddenly surprised and returned to the tunnel it came from. ¡®She was stabbed by a spear¡­¡¯ A spear from an ordinary soldier wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, but it was the tenth apostle. Since he was a Grandmaster, she must¡¯ve been severely injured. Raon was worried about her well-being. ¡®I¡¯m getting more and more debts to repay.¡¯ He felt like his debt was increasing uncontrobly because he¡¯d been unable to repay any of the favors she gave him as she continuously helped him. The most painful part was the fact that he had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t want anything in return. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon stood up while burning Sirith¡¯s corpse with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®I need to send them off as well.¡¯ He wanted to send the deceased who were humiliated by Derus even after their death to the afterlife, but their corpses were sturdier than Sirith, which required more aura to burn them. ¡®I don¡¯t have the time to recover here.¡¯ While Raon was contemting what to do, Wrath¡¯s energy flowed into him from the ice flower bracelet. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± Manipting the deceased is a nasty action. Wrath poked his head out from the bracelet. The King of Essence always smashed the skull of anyone audacious enough to do that. He wagged his tail while returning to the bracelet. Take care of it quickly since it¡¯s annoying. ¡°You are so gentle.¡± Raon chuckled and tapped on the bracelet. Who?! Who are you calling gentle? The King of Essence is the cruelest in Devildom¡­ ¡®Who else? I¡¯m talking about a certain demon king.¡¯ Raon decided he would buy him an ice cream once they reached Cameloon. * * * ¡°You must be out of your mind to be distracted in front of me.¡± The tenth apostle furrowed his brow while looking at Merlin, who had a hole in her chest. ¡°Why did you cast a spell in that direction?¡± He raised his spear and pointed at the forest where Raon and Sirith were fighting. ¡°I saw a dirty bug.¡± Merlin casually shrugged her shoulders as if nothing special had happened. Her hand brushed past her wound, and the hole in her robe was refilled and the blood was removed. ¡°You are as insane as always.¡± The astral sphere emerging from the tenth apostle¡¯s spear shaft was engulfed in a frightening light. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly. I need to kill you and offer him to the religious leader.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± Merlin bobbed her finger and countless magic circles appeared behind her. Seven different colors radiated from the magic circles¡¯ activation. ¡°He¡¯s mine, and I¡¯m not giving him to anyone else.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t win against me in your shabby state.¡± The tenth apostle thrust his spear with a depressing voice that sounded like it wasing from the depths of hell. The astral sphere burst from the spearhead and rushed at her while tearing the space apart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡± Merlin swung her hand downwards vertically, as if orchestrating a musical, and the brilliant light spreading from the magic circles became a sparkling bloody radiance. ¡°I¡¯m in my prime right now.¡± With a smile reflected on her mask, a destructive ray emerged from the magic circles that hadbined into one. Whaaam! * * * Whap! Raon finished burning the corpses of the Deathbringer Revenants and Sirith before he turned his head around. ¡®The sound just now¡­¡¯ He could hear a tremendous sh of power from afar. Considering the flow of mana he felt, it must¡¯ve been from the battle between Merlin and the tenth apostle. ¡®Should I go there? No, I¡¯ll only end up as a hindrance.¡¯ His condition had drastically improved thanks to Wrath¡¯s energy and the small amount of aura that he¡¯d regenerated, but he couldn¡¯t fight against a powerful warrior around his level yet. Instead of trying to help someone, joining with the Light Wind division to escape as fast as possible was the correct course of action. ¡®I should go there right now.¡¯ Raon took the direction towards Cameloon and kicked the ground. He reduced his presence as much as possible as he moved just in case other enemies were present. You coward. The King of Essence has always been confident even when didn¡¯t have any energy! Wrath started to babble as Raon was passing between the trees. ¡®I¡¯m not you, gentle demon king.¡¯ Ugh! You arecking guts! You need the confidence that you can ovee all kinds of situations! Don¡¯t even bat an eye no matter what happens¡­ Messages appeared in front of him as he kept rambling.
[You¡¯ve gained an impossible achievement.]
[All stats have¡­]
[The trait¡­]
They seemed to be the rewards for defeating Cloud and Sirithbined. Argh¡­ Wrath¡¯s chin trembled, and Raon smiled while pointing his finger at his eyelid. ¡®You just batted your eye.¡¯ Shut up! Chapter 505 Chapter 505 The red glow of the moon emerged through the rain clouds. Derus Robert turned around, looking down on the world under the moonlight like the wolf from the legend. Cubara was reflected in his emotionless eyes. She had left after their previous talk, but she reappeared in front of him. ¡°My lord.¡± Cubara went on one knee and ced her hand on the ground. ¡°Sirith is dead.¡± Her voice remained calm as she notified Sirith¡¯s death, speaking as if it were an everyday conversation. ¡°I know.¡± Derus tapped on his forehead, where the brood mother of the rage worm was located. ¡°The rage worm that I ced in his heart is gone. And¡­¡±His gaze remained serene as he nodded as if he knew it would happen. ¡°I thought this might happen since Raon Zieghart has escaped from many other crises before.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cubara quietly raised her gaze without saying anything. ¡°How did the battle proceed?¡± ¡°Sirith must¡¯ve been confident that he could finish him off. He didn¡¯t ce any Shadows, and it¡¯s impossible to find out the exact situation.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Derus Robert clicked his tongue in displeasure. He seemed more irritated by the fact that he couldn¡¯t learn about the situation rather than Sirith¡¯s death. ¡°ording to the agent who arrived at the scene after that, Raon Zieghart managed to survive in an exhausted state, and the Deathbringer Revenants were burning.¡± Cubara repeated the report she¡¯d heard a moment ago without showing any emotion at all in her eyes. ¡°What about Sirith?¡± ¡°The agent was unable to confirm the reason for his death because the corpse was burnt before he arrived. The battlefield was in shambles, as if it had been bombarded by something, and the twelve of the burning Deathbringer Revenants were intact.¡± ¡°Twelve of them were intact¡­¡± Derus closed his eyes while stroking his beardless chin. ¡®Which means Raon Zieghart finished Sirith off before those twelve could act.¡¯ The Deathbringer Revenants only obeyed the owner of the aura that was registered in their broken hearts. Because their maniptor, Sirith, had died, they were incapacitated before they could do anything. ¡®I won¡¯t have to worry about any information leaking.¡¯ The rage worm engraved in Sirith didn¡¯t transfer any emotion of fear or anxiety. That meant that Raon had in Sirith in an instant to stop the Deathbringer Revenants. The possibility of an information leak was extremely low. ¡®I can¡¯tpletely overlook the possibility, though¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t need to worry about his name being disclosed since Sirith was brainwashed to die the moment he tried to deliver the name ¡®Derus¡¯ or ¡®Robert¡¯. However, it was still possible that he could¡¯ve said something about the Deathbringer Revenants. Derus decided that he should be careful. He calmly opened his eyes and licked his lips. ¡®They are still unstable.¡¯ The Deathbringer Revenants had managed to carry out multiple assassinations for him, but they still seemed to need a lot of improvement if they had to kill an extremely powerful warrior. ¡®I need to make them keep attacking the target in front of them even if the maniptor dies. It could be a good idea to have them feign death before they explode.¡¯ He managed to figure out how to improve the Deathbringer Revenants even though he didn¡¯t even watch the fight. Derus took out a small piece of paper from his clothes. He wrote down the methods he had juste up with and gave the paper to Cubara. ¡°Send this to the factory.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The paper on Cubara¡¯s hand melted down like bubbles. ¡°Enhance the factory¡¯s security. Report to me right away if anything happens.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Derus gave out additional instructions before he turned around. He furrowed his brow while looking at the bloody moon. ¡®But does that mean he¡­ managed to y twelve Deathbringer Revenants right after defeating a Grandmaster with Sword Field Creation?¡¯ Twelve of them being intact implied that the other twelve had either exploded or been eliminated. He couldn¡¯t believe that Raon managed to create that result despite being extremely exhausted. ¡®He¡¯s bing more and more of a monster.¡¯ He was already surprising enough during theirst encounter, but he must¡¯ve grown even further. The way he kept getting infinitely stronger felt like a demon. Derus briefly sighed and turned around. Cubara was still there instead of leaving. ¡°Do you have more reports?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Cubara nodded. ¡°The ones you have been waiting for have arrived in Cameloon.¡± She delivered the most recent news she¡¯d received with a calm voice. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Derus Robert¡¯s eyes glowed red just like the moonlight shining upon him. ¡°Both of them have arrived. Cameloon has apparently turned into a battlefield as a result.¡± ¡°I see. There¡¯s no way they would stay quiet after hearing ¡®that thing¡¯ is in Cameloon.¡¯ Emotions of excitement and murder started to appear around his lips. ¡°As for Orgos, he moved towards Banneret, the Five Divine Orders¡¯ city, direction just like you predicted. He seems to be looking for Raon Zieghart.¡± Cubara bowed to Derus Robert and quietly stood up, implying that she¡¯d finished delivering all of her messages. She left the garden with a calm expression on her face, as if she¡¯d returned to being a normal maid. A frightening smile appeared on Derus Robert¡¯s face as he fiddled with a lively blue flower petal. ¡®His life is over now.¡¯ He had only dispatched Sirith as an experiment, and he had been nning on having Raon Zieghart killed through someone else to begin with. Orgos was famous for being narrow-minded. His arrival implied that Raon was pretty much dead. ¡®I might even be able to kill Glenn Zieghart at this rate.¡¯ Glenn didn¡¯t show it on the outside, but he greatly cherished Raon. If Raon ended up dying, the old man was also bound to act. While Derus was nning for the future in his head, small footsteps could be heard from behind the garden. ¡°Father?¡± He looked around upon hearing the tired voice and saw that his youngest son, Lephon, was tilting his head in a dusty uniform. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He ced his worn-out training sword on his shoulder and walked up to Derus. ¡°I was having a night stroll.¡± Derus changed his murderous smile into a gentle one and examined Lephon. ¡°You must¡¯ve been training all along.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lephon nodded proudly. ¡°You are working hard. Is it because of your idol?¡± ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t be idling around when Sir Raon is always getting stronger.¡± He grinned while pointing at his training sword, which had Raon¡¯s autograph on it. ¡°Do you wish to follow his path?¡± ¡°I know I¡¯mcking in talentpared to him, but I definitely want to follow him!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Derus Robert hugged Lephon with a benevolent smile on his face. ¡°You shall be able to achieve it.¡± He gently patted his son¡¯s back and revealed the murderous intent that he¡¯d been hiding. ¡°You will definitely be able to do it.¡± * * * * * * Raon reduced his speed and checked the messages in front of him.
[You¡¯ve gained an impossible achievement.]
[You¡¯ve ovee the limit of your realm.]
[You¡¯ve ovee the limit of your stamina.]
[All stats have increased by 25.]
The stats had increased by a huge amount at once, probably because he¡ªas a Master¡ªhad defeated Cloud, who was a Grandmaster, and even overcame the assault of the Deathbringer Revenants and Sirith that followed. Creak. His limbs trembled. The powerful resonanceing from inside his body made his ruptured muscles and fractured bones even stronger, like a de being hardened from tempering. The fire that was protecting the pir of his soul also burned more fiercely and suppressed the evil emotions of the demon kings. There was no pain at all. A warm light green exhration gently brushed past his spine. Twenty-five points at once was a huge reward. However, the real deal wasn¡¯t even there yet.
[The trait Ten Thousand mes Cultivation has increased in rank.]
[The trait cier has increased in rank.]
[The trait Water Resistance has increased in rank.]
[The trait Fire Resistance has increased in rank.]
The two cultivation techniques had ranked up to seven stars, and his lower energy center resonated with the Ring of Fire. The sedate wave connected all around his body, expanding his energy center to store more aura, and the impurities were removed from his mana circuits¡ªreaching all the way to his capiries. It felt like cold water was cooling down the heat all around his body. ¡®It¡¯s finally seven stars.¡¯ It could be thanks to the Sword Field Creation that utilized both fire and ice or from defeating a Grandmaster. The rank-up of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier filled him with an even more intense exhration than the stats because they hadn¡¯t advanced at all for a while. Thinking about using new techniques of Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and Wrath brought a smile to his face. ¡®The resistances have also increased.¡¯ The two resistances connected to the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier had also increased. Fire Resistance was still low, but Water Resistance was high enough to even withstand a Grandmaster-tier magician¡¯s attack for a moment. Wh-what?! Why are there so many messages?! Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s more¡ªGasp! Wrath¡¯s eyes were blinking like a toad, and a new set of messages appeared above his head.
[The trait Bleeding Curse has increased in rank.]
[The trait Backstab has increased in rank.]
[The trait Iron Will has increased in rank.]
[The trait Aura of Death Resistance has increased in rank.]
[The trait Magic Armor of the Snow Flower has increased in rank.]
Since they were about the assassination-rted traits, they must¡¯ve been earned from defeating Sirith and the Deathbringer Revenants. I-it wasn¡¯t over! How is this happening?! Wrath grasped his head and shook it in extreme irritation. ¡®Well, I deserve this much of a reward.¡¯ Raon smiled cheerfully while looking at the floundering Wrath. ¡®After all, I defeated a Grandmaster.¡¯ A Master had defeated a Grandmaster and had even defeated the assassins that came after that. It wasn¡¯t strange at all to get that much of a reward. A Grandmaster isn¡¯t even a big deal! The King of Essence could smash him with a single finger! Wrath ground his teeth, saying the rewards were too generous for such a trivial achievement. ¡®Okay, okay.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath and examined the messages once again. ¡®My body and mind have been fortified and even my martial arts improved.¡¯ He¡¯d gained twenty-five whole stats at once and various traits had ranked up. The rank-up of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier was the best part, and he figured he would need a long time to get used to his new power. Damn it! Wrath shouted towards the sky. This doesn¡¯t make any sense! ¡®What are you talking about now?¡¯ Raon turned off the messages and turned his head towards Wrath. There''s a saying between humans that what goes aroundes around! ¡®There is.¡¯ But why is the King of Essence only getting shit as a result?! He even gave you his energy for the sake of the humiliated deceased a moment ago, so why are you the only one getting all the rewards?! ¡®Because you aren¡¯t human¡­¡¯ The King of Essence is more human than you, you bastard! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t easily refute that. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t consider himself to be inhuman, but because Wrath was far too human. This world just keeps hating on the King of Essence! This is unreasonable! Wrath rubbed his eyes with his plump forearm. ¡®In that case¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips and stopped his steps. ¡®I¡¯ll reward you instead of heaven.¡¯ He patted Wrath¡¯s trembling shoulder. Stop your dogshit! How dare you, insignificant human! ¡®I¡¯ll buy you ice cream. Wouldn¡¯t that be a fine return?¡¯ Wrath suddenly stopped swearing upon hearing that. ¡®I¡¯ll buy you the ice cream and the food you want to eat. I¡¯m going to Cameloon anyway.¡¯ Wrath raised his gaze at an extremely slow pace. His eyes had turned red. ¡®Did it not work?¡¯ Raon realized that he was looking down on him too much by trying to appease him with food when he was so angry. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I looked down¡­¡¯ How many? ¡®¡­Th-three?¡¯ Heaven isn¡¯t that stingy! Be more generous! ¡®¡­¡¯ * * * Zieghart Lord¡¯s Manor Audience Chamber Glenn was reading a golden booklet while sitting on his throne. The hand turning the page was as gentle and careful as a mother¡¯s touch ying with a newborn baby. ¡°Haa.¡± Glenn raised his gaze after he focused on reading the book for a while. He closed his eyes and eximed. ¡°The ¡®Don¡¯t Hide My Sky.¡¯ line must be the best after all.¡± He touched the book of Raon¡¯s gospel, full of emotions as he said that he was deeply impressed. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roennughed gently, took out the second volume of Raon¡¯s gospel, and opened it. ¡°As for me, the part where Sephia¡¯s president visited us and praised Young Master Raon is my favorite. Praise from a stranger makes parents the happiest, after all.¡± ¡°That was indeed rather refreshing.¡± Glenn nodded in agreement. ¡°Raon¡¯s gospel will have to gain lots of content when the young master Raon returns. ¡®You won¡¯t reach my sky.¡¯ That line needs to be recorded no matter what.¡± ¡°Yes. We also need to describe in detail how he defeated three opponents on his own.¡± While the two of them were nning for the new section of Raon¡¯s gospel, urgent footsteps could be heard from outside. Wham! The audience chamber¡¯s door opened without a knock and Chad, the leader of the Shadow Agents, entered. Hispletely pale expression suggested that the news he brought was far beyond being a serious matter. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Glenn noticed the emergency in Chad¡¯s expression and asked about the situation before anything else. ¡°Th-there¡¯s a big problem!¡± The leader of the Shadow Agents ran over the carpet at the center and went on his knees. He went straight to the point without any greeting. ¡°The city of Five Divine Orders, Banneret, is under attack by the Holy Sword Alliance and the White Blood Religion!¡± ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s red eyes snapped into a frightening light. ¡°So, they have finally emerged. Moreover, even the White Blood Religion is on the move¡­¡± Nervousness was seeping into the wrinkles around Roenn¡¯s eyes. ¡°Tell me the details about the situation. Which ones are attacking them?¡± ¡°Th-the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader have personally brought their masters of swords and apostles!¡± ¡°They are attacking themselves?!¡± Glenn shot up from his chair upon hearing that the two leaders were personally present. ¡°Yes. The four leaders of the Five Divine Orders are currently stopping them. And inside the city¡­¡± Chad told him everything that had happened inside the city. ¡°Does that mean that Raon and the Light Wind division escaped from the city while protecting the civilians?¡± ¡°Yes. The Heavenly de division leader and the Light Wind division leaders are stopping the master of the sword and apostles in front of the rampart.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn sighed quietly. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ He was worried about Raon because he tended to overexert himself too much. That was why he was somewhat relieved to hear that he had escaped from the city alongside the Light Wind division. ¡®Those two should manage to safely return.¡¯ Sheryl and Rimmer had survived countless battlefields. They should be able to find a way to retreat as long as the Raon and the Light Wind division could leave the battle. ¡®Even so¡­ I should still go.¡¯ The Five Divine Orders and the Five Demons both had transcenders who could achieve anything if they wanted. Glenn figured he should personally attend to the scene and settle things to prevent any potential issues. As soon as Glenn decided to head to Banneret, the Heavenly Tremor floated by itself from next to the throne and entered his grasp. The frightening resonanceing from the Heavenly Tremor seemed to express his wrath. ¡°The dimensional door at Banneret should¡¯ve been destroyed, so Cameloon should be the closest location. Get it ready right away.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true. However, that one is also unusable right now.¡± Glenn went down the stairs from the tform while pulling on his coat, and Chad lowered his trembling head. ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted Cameloon to prepare the dimensional door, and they said they are also under attack by the ck Tower.¡± ¡°The ck Tower?¡± ¡°Th-they said the tower¡¯s master and vice master are both present.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes wavered violently, just like Chad¡¯s trembling voice. ¡°But there should¡¯ve been no reason for the ck Tower to attack Cameloon out of nowhere.¡± ¡°The tower¡¯s master was looking for something in Cameloon and shed with the Archmage of Eternal me, Chamber. And their vice master destroyed Cameloon¡¯s facilities before heading south.¡± ¡°Chamber¡­¡± Glenn slightly bit his lip. Chamber wasn¡¯t a good matchup against the ck Tower¡¯s master. She wasn¡¯t going to be defeated, but she wasn¡¯t going to win either. ¡°Why is the ck Tower¡¯s master suddenly attacking Cameloon¡­ Wait, did you say south?¡± He was putting his thoughts together and suddenly came to a halt. ¡°You said Raon evacuated the civilians, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°In-indeed.¡± Chad nodded and spread the map that he¡¯d brought in his clothes. He put his finger on the Five Divine Orders¡¯ city, Banneret, then pointed at Cameloon, which was nearby. ¡°Cameloon is the closest and most trustworthy ce from Banneret.¡± He continued with trembling lips. ¡°The Light Wind division is going to sh against the ck Tower¡¯s vice master at this rate!¡± Chapter 506 Chapter 506 Glenn chewed his lip while looking up at the dark window. It was rare for him to express such intense emotion as he did while he ced his hand on Heavenly Tremor¡¯s hilt, which he had equipped around his waist. ¡®Orgos and the Light Wind division¡­¡¯ Chad had said that the vice tower master, Orgos, was going to sh against the Light Wind division¡ªhowever, that wasn¡¯t exactly the correct way of saying it. Not a single person from the Light Wind division would be able to survive if they encountered Orgos. Orgos wasn¡¯t as powerful as the leaders of the Six Kings and the Five Demons, but he was still a transcender with a heavenly might. Even with Raon, Sheryl, and Rimmerbined, they should have a hard timesting against him. That was why it was absolutely impossible for Raon and the Light Wind division to fight him by themselves. ¡®It¡¯s meaningless to assume that they aren¡¯t going to meet.¡¯ Raon was Orgos¡¯s target. Judging from his realm, he would definitely find them even if the Light Wind division decided to hide or run away after noticing the anomaly in Cameloon. ¡®And he won¡¯t be able to use that ring, either.¡¯He was thinking about Chamber¡¯s ring, which was awarded to the winner of the Six Kings tournament in the Owen Kingdom. Raon could avert the crisis if he could use the ring at the correct time. However, the authority of that ring was far too powerful, and it even required Chamber¡¯s mana on top of its innate mana. She couldn¡¯t afford to spend that during her fight against the ck Tower¡¯s master. Whir! Glenn tapped on Heavenly Tremor¡¯s hilt with a slightly trembling finger. Heavenly Tremor¡¯s resonance sounded sentimental, as if it understood its owner¡¯s feelings. ¡®Is there no way for me to arrive there in time?¡¯ Judging from the timeline Chad had mentioned, it was impossible for him to arrive at the scene before Orgos encountered the Light Wind division unless the dimensional door at Cameloon was restored. Haa. Glenn sighed roughly and closed his eyes. Raon¡¯s awkward gaze and the way he was sometimes embarrassed and lowered his eyebrows came to mind. Burren, Martha, Runaan, and the other youngsters¡¯ faces ovepped with him after that, and his heart tightened as if it was being bound by a chain. ¡®I¡¯ll bete no matter what I try. But still¡­ I¡¯ll go.¡¯ There was no solution in staying in the room to think about it. He had to run towards Raon and the Light Wind division even if he had to expend all his power, and that was the correct course of action. ¡°Leader of the Shadow Agents, which dimensional door is the closest?¡± Glenn made up his mind and took his hand off of Heavenly Tremor. ¡°There¡¯s a small to medium-sized city called Diol located southwest of Cameloon. It should be closer than Owen or Balkar.¡± Chad responded without dy. He must¡¯ve prepared the response in advance. ¡°Roenn.¡± Glenn threw away the cape covering his shoulder and headed towards the audience chamber¡¯s door. His footsteps were frighteningly silent after he finished his contemtion. ¡°I won¡¯t look back.¡± Roenn lowered his head with his hand ced on his chest. The gentleness in his eyes had turnedpletely dark. ¡°I¡¯ll follow.¡± * * * Unknown Forest between Cameloon and Banneret Warriors covered in injuries like defeated soldiers were walking along a forest path where white snow flowers were blooming. Dorian looked behind him while touching the bandage covering his shoulder. He licked his lips while looking far beyond hispanions. ¡®He should be fine, right?¡¯ He was the closest witness of Raon¡¯s miracles, but he was still unable to rest assured. ¡®It¡¯s because he is facing a Grandmaster.¡¯ The difference between a Master and a Grandmaster was huge, even bigger than the difference between an Expert and a Master. His stomach ached because it was clear that even Raon might end up dying during the battle. ¡®Whether he wins or loses, I just want him to return safely.¡¯ Dorian was pressing on his temple while hoping for Raon¡¯s safe return when he heard a murmuring sound from the right. He turned his head to see that Burren was looking at his hands with twitching lips. ¡°I really became a Master, I really became a Master, I¡­¡± Burren kept repeating the same thing over and over. It looked like he still couldn¡¯t believe that he¡¯d be a Master. Dorian smiled faintly while looking at Burren¡¯s scarred hand. ¡®It shouldn¡¯te as a surprise that he became a Master.¡¯ Burren was a member of the direct line of Zieghart. It was only natural that he would be a Master. Of course, the reason he was so surprised was because he¡¯d reached Master at the young age of twenty-one, but it wasn¡¯t that amazing either considering what he¡¯d been doing up to that point. ¡®Because we¡¯ve ovee countless deadly crises.¡¯ Because Raon¡¯s training was simr to a real battle, they had almost died countless times even inside the house, and they had also fought with their lives on the line during missions. That was why quick growth was a natural oue. ¡®You¡¯ve earned what you deserved.¡¯ Dorian ignored Burren, who was now pinching his cheek, and looked forward. Runaan was rotating her arm with her entire body covered in bandages like a mummy, and her eyes as nk as always. Blue frost was rising from her fingertip. ¡®Lady Runaan also seems to be in a good mood.¡¯ Runaan couldn¡¯t stay still even though she was only interested in Raon and ice cream in the past. It showed that she was also surprised that she¡¯d be a Master. Since Runaan had been making even more effort than Burren, it wasn¡¯t strange at all that she¡¯d be a Master. ¡®The person who is the most surprised must be¡­¡¯ Dorian smiled faintly and looked to his left, where Mark Goetten was located. ¡®That old man.¡¯ Mark Goetten was hugging the ck Hermit Saber that Raon had bestowed upon him tightly with his eyes still retaining traces of tears. ¡®He¡¯s such a crybaby. Well, I guess I would¡¯ve done the same in his ce¡­ No, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to suppress it.¡¯ Mark Goetten had rapidly be a Master, but his growth hade to a halt, and he was forced to watch other people surpassing him one after the other. The fact that he was praised at first before plummeting to the ground must¡¯ve made the criticisms even more painful to him than someone who was looked down upon from the beginning. However, Mark Goetten had ovee the scars, humiliation, and despair to rise once again. He braced himself while serving Raon as his subordinate even though Raon was far younger than him. Peopleughed at him, saying that it was already toote, and he had to train along with the Light Wind division that could¡¯ve been as young as his son. However, he¡¯d continuously wielded his saber regardless of those taunts. He had reached his goal of bing an intermediate Master after countless hardships and pain. That was why he was bound to be even more impressed than the others who¡¯d be a Master. ¡®I¡¯ll be wishing for you to continue your advance in the future.¡¯ Dorian bowed slightly at Mark Goetten out of respect. ¡®I wonder if I can also be a Master?¡¯ He¡¯d honestly never thought about bing a Master. However, he was starting to think that he might be able to be one since the three team leaders had be Masters and his hand was touching the Master¡¯s wall. ¡®I would¡¯ve never imagined myself bing a Master without Sir Raon.¡¯ He was helped by him countless times¡ªwhen he was a trainee, at Habun Castle, in the Light Wind squad, at the Sephia Company, and even in the Light Wind division. He only felt gratitude towards Raon because he was pretty much the only reason he¡¯d be a swordsman. ¡®I¡¯ll even risk my life if it means I can repay this debt.¡¯ He thought no one would believe him since he was a coward, but he really was willing to offer his life for Raon¡¯s sake. Dorian smiled while thinking about Raon¡¯s face. ¡®Well, Sir Raon would start nagging at me to swing the sword instead, if I told him about this. I can roughly tell what he¡¯s going to do and what he is going to think at this point.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him too much.¡± Dorian looked behind him while thinking about Raon, and Burren shook his head while lowering his hands. ¡°That monster must¡¯ve already finished the fight and should be thinking about a new training regime.¡± ¡°Yes, you just need to worry about how to surprise Raon more.¡± Runaan nodded, saying that she was nning to brag about bing a Master and ask him to buy some ice cream. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe in our division leader?¡± ¡°But Sir Rimmer is our division leader¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all the same since Sir Raon feels like the real division leader.¡± The Light Wind division¡¯s swordsmen erased their anxiety about Raon while joking around. ¡°Indeed.¡± Dorian chuckled and nodded just Denning Rose and her bodyguard, who¡¯d been walking at the front of the line, stopped. ¡°Why¡­?¡± He was trying to ask why they¡¯d stopped walking, but he noticed that they were leaving the forest, and Cameloon could be seen beyond a prairie. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes widened. Cameloon¡¯s ramparts and buildings were destroyed, and ck smoke was rising towards the sky. The city was being destroyed in real time. Even though they were still far away from the city, the monstrous wave of powering from it made his fingers tremble. ¡°Howe Cameloon is also under attack?!¡± Denning Rose bit her lip while looking at a spire being destroyed. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren and Runaan didn¡¯t expect the situation either and fell speechless while watching Cameloon burn. ¡°Wh-what should we do?¡± ¡°I-if we can¡¯t go to Cameloon, we should head to Owen or Balkar¡­¡± ¡°Owen and Balkar are the ones who protect Cameloon! They aren¡¯t going to be safe either!¡± The warriors from neutral factions also had flushed faces from panic. The civilians were just trying to read the room, unable to figure out what to do. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s chin trembled as he grabbed his trembling wrist. ¡®How is this happening?¡¯ He¡¯d thought he just needed to reach Cameloon and wait for Raon, Sheryl, and Rimmer. That should¡¯ve been the end of it, but the city was unexpectedly under attack. The sense of crisis that had subsided returned like a tidal wave. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Denning Rose turned around after observing Cameloon, where light and darkness were sparking. Her face was as pale as the snow covering the prairie. ¡°The ck Tower seems to be attacking Cameloon. The defender seems to be from the Balkar Kingdom, but it seems difficult.¡± She shook her head, saying that heading to Cameloon wasn¡¯t a great decision. ¡°Turn the light off for now!¡± Burren quickly understood the situation and ordered the warriors to turn off theirmps and torches. People extinguished their torches andmps with hardened faces. They¡¯d realized that Cameloon was a path toward death instead of life. ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea to stay here either.¡± Denning Rose shook her head while looking at the prairie towards Cameloon. It waspletely open in all directions, and it did seem to be a dangerous location. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the forest.¡± Burren turned around as soon as he heard her. He started to walk towards a small hill that he¡¯d memorized on the way. ¡°Poyen.¡± Denning Rose snapped her fingers, and her bodyguards¡ªwearing night traveling outfits¡ªappeared behind her. ¡°Erase our tracks.¡± The bodyguards scattered towards the entrance and exit ording to her instructions. ¡°Casia, you should help them too.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The bodyguard called Casia also moved towards the entrance ording to Encia¡¯s hand gesture. Casia and the warriors from the ck Market scattered at the forest¡¯s entrance and exit to remove the traces on the ground. There was still a high chance of being found out because of the snow, but it was better than nothing. * * * * * * ¡°What should we do?¡± Burren sighed quietly and looked at Denning Rose. ¡°First of all, we can¡¯t go to Cameloon. Considering the fact that Balkar¡¯s magicians are there, Balkar doesn¡¯t seem to be a good choice either. The remaining options are Owen or a small city called Diol¡­¡± Denning Rose gave multiple choices and let the party decide. ¡°Owen or Diol¡­¡± ¡°However, we have to leave this forest to reach either of them, and we will most likely be discovered.¡± She furrowed her brow, saying that they could be attacked on the move. ¡°Th-then what about hiding here?¡± Dorian crawled towards them. ¡°Hmm, I also think staying here would be the best choice. The ck Tower must be looking for something if they decided to attack Cameloon, and they shouldn¡¯te all the way here¡­¡± Burren agreed with Dorian and looked at Denning Rose. ¡°I think it¡¯s a reasonable opinion. However¡­¡± Denning Rose rubbed the ground with her finger and clenched her back teeth. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking that they mighte south because Sir Raon had trouble against the ck Tower¡­¡± She sighed, saying that the ck Tower was known for its persistence among the Five Demons. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s hand holding the hilt of his de shivered intensely. ¡®She¡¯s right.¡¯ Raon had an issue with a warrior from the ck Tower¡ªnone other than the vice master. Denning Rose was right in her belief that the ck Tower might make a move against Raon. ¡°I think the best decision we can make is to hold out here and watch how the situation unfolds, and then move on after aid arrives from Owen.¡± ¡°Understood. Let¡¯s go with that¡­¡± Burren nodded, and Denning Rose¡¯s bodyguards who were ordered to erase the traces returned. ¡°We couldn¡¯t remove all the traces, but we¡¯ve erased the important parts.¡± ¡°Thank you, Poyen.¡± Denning Rose smiled at Poyen. ¡°Your wel¡ª¡± Poyen started to shake her head but suddenly came to a halt. ¡°L-Lady, run¡­¡± She was trying to tell her to run away, but her neck was snapped, twisting 180¡ã with a cracking sound. Thud. A warrior at Master¡¯s realm copsed just like that, even though she¡¯d been breathing until a moment ago. ¡°L-Lady Encia!¡± Encia¡¯s bodyguard Casia¡¯s lips twitched to tell her to escape, but a blue me burst into being above her shoulders. Whap! Casia tried to drive away the me with astral energy, but the blue me only intensified and turned her body into ash in no time. A moment of silence. Terror and screams followed. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°Poyen!¡± ¡°Casia!¡± Everyone stepped backward in panic while Denning Rose and Encia fell on their knees while screaming. ¡°Lady Denning Rose!¡± ¡°We have to withdraw!¡± Dorian grabbed Denning Rose and Encia to try pulling them back. That was when he noticed something huge floating in the sky. Dorian raised his eyes with his chin trembling in fear. A monstrous man with skin as ck as the darkness around him and eyes that werepletely white, without any pupils, was standing in the sky as if he were on a stair. He wasn¡¯t that tall or bulky. He might even have been smaller than average. However, the presence that he was emanating was covering the entire sky. With the low realm he had, he couldn¡¯t tell the difference between him and the transcenders like the leaders of the Five Divine Orders, the Holy Sword Alliance master, and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader. ¡°Th-the Demonic Monarch of Azure me, Orgos¡­¡± Dorian dropped Denning Rose¡¯s arm upon hearing her trembling voice. ¡®The Demonic Monarch of Azure me¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t know the name Orgos, but there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize the title, the Demonic Monarch of Azure me. It was the name of the ck Tower¡¯s vice master, who had reached transcendence. Dorian realized that his ck skin and the white pupils were just like the rumors he¡¯d heard. The white pupils of Orgos became distorted. There was no way to tell where he was looking because his pupils were indistinguishable. No, that wasn¡¯t even the issue. No one could even speak because of the overwhelming presence of the Demonic Monarch of Azure me. ¡°You are from Zieghart.¡± He voiced Zieghart¡¯s name right away, as if he were already aware that the Light Wind division was there. ¡°Where is Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s heart tightened upon hearing Orgos¡¯s question. ¡®D-did he reallye here personally to find Sir Raon?¡¯ The information from Denning Rose wasn¡¯t wrong. He must''vee to kill Raon, who had gotten in the way of him catching a drake in Werthers Vige. Boom! An explosion could be heard from behind them. Warm liquid fell over his head, and he could smell the stench of blood. Someone had died once again. ¡°I¡¯ll ask a second time. Where is Raon Zieghart?¡± Orgos¡¯s question followed. No one could respond to him, and someone else exploded once again. Dorian¡¯s chin trembled violently. He was afraid that his white pupil was going to face him, but he was also worried at the same time that someone might tell him Raon¡¯s location. Boom! Another person died. He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was someone from the Light Wind division or a civilian. He didn¡¯t even have the courage to look back. Drip. Blood was dripping under Orgos¡¯s feet. It didn¡¯t belong to the people in the area. It must¡¯ve been the blood of people who had gone to Cameloon before them. ¡®Sir Raon is going to die.¡¯ He could tell because he¡¯d been through countless life-and-death situations. They might be able to live if they revealed Raon¡¯s location, but Raon was going to die for sure. No matter how much of a genius he was, there was no way he could survive facing a monster who had reached heaven. ¡®I-in that case¡­ I have to step up. This is the time to die in his stead.¡¯ It was the time to keep the resolution to offer his life for Raon¡¯s sake, but he couldn¡¯t muster the courage. He didn¡¯t want pain, and he was afraid of death. However, he was bound to regret it for the rest of his life if he managed to survive without doing anything. He hated it even more than dying. ¡°This is yourst chance. Where is Raon Zieghart?¡± Orgos raised his hand, implying that he was going to kill everyone after that. The me bursting out from his hand was radiating a frightening light. Creak! Dorian bit his tongue with his back teeth and raised his head. His body was trembling in fear, but he used the pain to remove that fear. He wasn¡¯t only thinking about his gratitude towards Raon. He thought about the sickly child during their first encounter. His sharp eyes were lonely and cheerless back then. For the sake of that child, who wasn¡¯t lonely anymore and considered hispanions his family, Dorian straightened his terrified back. Thud! He clenched the sword just like the person he admired the most and violently stomped on the snowfield. ¡°I am.¡± He couldn¡¯t even let out his voice. He mustered his aura from his aching energy center and continued. ¡°I am Raon Zieghart!¡± Everyone around him, including Burren and Runaan, looked at Dorian instead of Orgos. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Orgos rotated his finger. Crack! Along with a bone-shattering sound, Dorian¡¯s arm twisted and turned the wrong way. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± Dorian grabbed his smashed right arm and fell to his knees. ¡°What an arrogant boy.¡± Argos moved his hand and Dorian¡¯s body floated and soared into the sky. ¡°You are just vermin who hasn¡¯t even reached the Master¡¯s realm. What did you just say?¡± ¡°Ha-have you gone deaf from your old age?¡± Dorian¡¯s distorted eyes were reflecting his fear and relief at the same time. ¡°I am. The White Sword Dragon. Raon Zieghart!¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Orgosughed and fractured his left shoulder. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± Dorian was sent flying back and smashed into the ground. A dangerous amount of blood gushed from his mouth, showing that he¡¯d even gotten a serious internal injury. ¡°I¡¯ll snap your neck if you spout that bullshit again.¡± The thin nerves appearing in Orgos¡¯s white eyes suggested that he was serious about it. ¡°I-I am Raon¡­¡± Dorian forced himself to stand with his broken arms swaying in the air. He spat the ck blood from his mouth and raised his head. ¡°Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°I am Raon Zieghart!¡± Burren stepped in front of Dorian and roared. He also understood why Dorian was doing that. ¡°I am Raon Zieghart.¡± Runaan also moved in front of Dorian and unsheathed Snow Flower. ¡°I am Raon Zieghart.¡± Mark Goetten stood in front of the three others and raised the ck Hermit Saber. He was expressing his intention to die before them. ¡°You vermin.¡± A simple shake of Orgos¡¯s hand was enough to blow up Burren¡¯s shoulder, create a hole in Runaan¡¯s stomach, and m Mark Goetten on the ground while breaking the ck Hermit Saber. ¡°Cough¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Since none of them had managed to perfectly recover from their injuries, they coughed up dead blood with their trembling bodies. However, none of them stayed lying on the ground. Burren and Runaan grasped their wounds and stood back up, Mark Goetten ground his teeth while wielding his broken saber with two hands, and even Dorian exhaled his bloody breath while leaning against a boulder despite being the most seriously injured among them. The Light Wind division stood in front of the four people who were prepared to die and raised their swords. And everyone shouted. ¡°I am Raon Zieghart!¡± Chapter 507 Chapter 507 Raon closed his eyes while moving towards the merchant city of Cameloon. ¡®Seven stars make a huge difference.¡¯ His aura¡¯s recovery speed had be at least twice as fast as before with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier reaching seven stars. He wasn¡¯t using the Supreme Harmony Steps, but he was getting more aura than what he was spending while going all-out on footwork. ¡®I should focus on recovery rather than speed since the fight isn¡¯t over yet.¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader were stopped by the leaders of the Five Divine Orders, but they still had many subordinates. Since they could decide to follow at any moment, it was necessary to get ready for battle. Raon was getting used to the growth of his body and traits while maintaining his movement speed when Wrath suddenly popped up from the ice flower bracelet. Hey. Raon could understand why Wrath had emerged. He was definitely going to ask him to increase the speed because he wanted to have some ice cream.Increase your speed right now. ¡®Wait a little. I have a lot to check right now.¡¯ Raon smiled because he was saying exactly what he was anticipating, but Wrath¡¯s expression hardened without the slightest sign of yfulness. ¡­Is he just passing by? No, there¡¯s no way he would. He knew about it from the beginning. We are going to encounter him soon. Wrath murmured some iprehensible things while looking up at the dark sky. ¡®Wrath?¡¯ Exert all of your energy to run as fast as you can. You are going to regret it if you don¡¯t. He closed his mouth and pointed in the direction of their destination with his finger. It was slightly west of Cameloon. Raon nodded heavily upon seeing Wrath¡¯s emotionless eyes. ¡®¡­Got it.¡¯ Wrath was often unable to read the mood, but he was extremely serious when it was necessary. Considering what he said, something must¡¯ve happened to those who¡¯d escaped before him. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon exhaled the impure energy and stomped on the ground powerfully. The seven-star Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat was condensed in the mana circuits of his feet and thighs, adding a frightening amount of explosive speed to the Supreme Harmony Steps. His vision had even turned dark from the drastic eleration. Rumble! The aura he¡¯d worked so hard to umte was being drained rapidly, but he kept running in the direction Wrath had pointed while believing in him. ¡°Ah¡­¡± It didn¡¯t even take a minute of running before Raon looked up to the sky with trembling lips. ¡°Wh-what is that¡­?¡± A huge amount of demonic energy was soaring from a nearby location. The energy wave was even more powerful than that of a Grandmaster. A monster that had reached heaven was revealing himself. ¡®Is he from the ck Tower?¡¯ No one outside the Demon Reception Society and the ck Tower had that much demonic energy. Since there was no way the Demon Reception Society would suddenly make its appearance after failing to appear for dozens of years, it was definitely a demonized human from the ck Tower. ¡®And the fact that a transcended monster of the ck Tower is here means¡­¡¯ Raon bit his trembling lip. ¡®That the tower¡¯s vice master is here.¡¯ There were two transcenders in the ck Tower, the tower¡¯s master and the vice master. Since there was no reason for the tower¡¯s master toe all the way to Cameloon, he must¡¯ve been the vice master Orgos, looking for Raon, who used to be in Banneret. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ He furrowed his brow while looking at Wrath. ¡®I can understand why you told me to go faster.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t exactly sense it because of Orgos¡¯s massive amount of demonic energy, but it was obvious who would be there. The Light Wind division, the warriors from the neutral factions, and the civilians would¡¯ve been discovered. You should be able to tell since you felt it. You can¡¯t win against him in your current state. Are you going to run away? Wrath met Raon¡¯s eyes with a serious gaze, asking for his course of action. ¡°Run?¡± Raonughed coldly while looking into Wrath¡¯s sky-blue pupils. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d run away after all I did to raise them?¡± The option of running away didn¡¯t even exist in his mind. There was only one thing he was thinking about. He was trying to devise a n to rescue the people over there. Thud! Raon used Supreme Harmony¡¯s second step and left a deep footprint on the snow-coverednd. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hesitation in his advance towards the storming demonic energy. * * * Crack! The martial arts of the transcenders in Banneret severed heaven and earth, and a dimension of darkness emerged. All kinds of fissures appeared in the sky, which looked like a tattered outfit patched with fabric, and a huge tremor urred¡ªputting the entire city on the verge of copse. The transcenders were narrowing their eyes at each other, but they suddenly looked to the north as if they¡¯d previously promised to do so. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master pulled up his sleeve and stroked his beardless chin. ¡°They are tantly showing themselves. That energy must be from the ck Tower.¡± He licked his lips as if he had found a new toy. ¡°Orgos¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor noticed the source of the demonic energy and furrowed her brow. She was showing her true emotions for the first time after the start of the battle. ¡®Why is he even here?¡¯ Orgos hadn¡¯t appeared when she read the heaven¡¯s flow about the incident. Her fingertips trembled because his appearance waspletely unexpected to her. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is it because of Raon Zieghart once again?¡¯ No, she was sure it was him. His existence must¡¯ve altered heaven¡¯s flow once again. ¡°Orgos, that¡¯s the ck Tower¡¯s vice master.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master immediately lost interest once he realized the energy didn¡¯t belong to a swordsman and made his dark sword float into the air. ¡°Let¡¯s leave them alone and resume the fight.¡± He bobbed his finger towards the Demonde and the Queen of Swords while murmuring that the fun shouldn¡¯t be ruined. Sheryl and Rimmer noticed the anomaly at north soon after the transcenders sensed the demonic energy. ¡°Th-that direction, no way¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s where the youngsters went.¡± Rimmer and Sheryl¡¯s swords became distracted. They kept ncing backward without focusing on the fight even though they were fighting against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, an apostle, and the Floating Soul division. ¡°Where are you looking?!¡± ¡°The fight is over now.¡± A brown me dragon burst from the Master of Wise the Dragon Sword, and a colorless astral sphere emerged from the apostle¡¯s hand. The powerful assault skinned thend and the buildings copsed around them. Whaaam! Rimmer and Sheryl poured all their energies into their swords upon seeing the powerful energy approaching them. A brilliant light shed out from Sheryl¡¯s ck and White Twin Swords to sever the light and darkness while crimson lightning and wind were glimmering from Rimmer¡¯s sword. They didn¡¯t use those condensed energies for the sh. They unleashed a flexible sword art towards the energies rushing towards them. The des were bent, and they used the rebound to kick the ground in the opposite direction. They¡¯d gained momentum with the opponents¡¯ attacks to run towards the rampart. ¡°Heavenly de division, disperse! Return to the house as fast as possible!¡± Sheryl dispersed the Heavenly de division, who wouldn¡¯t be too helpful in that situation, to distract the enemies and went over the ramparts. ¡°They should be fine, right?¡± She lowered her eyebrows slightly and looked at Rimmer. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we need to go.¡± Rimmer tightly bit his lip, after ncing back at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, who was dumbfounded. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ His heart was shouting at him to return right away to cut his head and avenge them. However, it was time to think about the living instead of the deceased. ¡®I¡¯ll take revenge even if I have to die in return. Wait a bit longer.¡¯ Rimmer elerated while making that promise, and lights of seven different colors sparkled from the sky as Merlin appeared. The chin part of her mask had shattered. ¡°Raon!¡± Merlin wrapped herself in multipleyers of amplification magic and flew towards Cameloon like a ray of light. ¡°Damn it!¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader ground her teeth. She swatted her ebony hair back and started running towards the north. ¡°Where are you going?!¡± The Demon ying Spear chased after her on his red horse, asking her to continue the unfinished fight. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master narrowed his eyes while stroking the dark sword¡¯s hilt. ¡®Are they going after Raon Zieghart?¡¯ It looked like everyone who¡¯d left was trying to save Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind division. ¡®He even made that vampire take action. Is he her new vessel or something?¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance master made his dark sword float into the air and extended his aura perception toward the north. Cloud wasn¡¯t dead, but he was about to be crippled, and Raon was nowhere to be found. There were many incinerated corpses around, and they must¡¯ve been in while trying to kill Raon. ¡®He managed to defeat Cloud and even killed assassins.¡¯ Raon¡¯s talent and the actions of those who tried to save him piqued his interest. ¡°Kellin, take care of Cloud.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master issued an order to the Floating Soul division and mounted his dark sword. ¡°I¡¯m getting a spoil of war real quick.¡± He casually waved his hand and flew to the north while riding the dark sword. His speed was on a whole different level from footwork. A tremendous wave was spreading around him. ¡°Where are you going?!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Demonde barked while the Queen of Swords quietly bit her lip. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor sighed and pressed her temple. ¡®That damned bastard, how long is he nning to disturb my ns?¡¯ If the situation ended with that, she would get the result she wanted¡­ but she had a feeling that there was more toe. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ It would be dangerous if Orgos killed Raon and the Light Wind division at Cameloon before attacking the Five Divine Orders, but Balkar and Owen were present nearby. Since their reinforcements should being, it could be a better decision to head that way. ¡°We should go too.¡± The Thespian Emperor made up her mind and gestured with her hand towards the Queen of Swords and the Demonde. ¡°I need to see what¡¯s happening with my own eyes.¡± * * * * * * Dorian was leaning his back against a boulder. He couldn¡¯t even stand without doing so. He wasn¡¯t even feeling the pain anymore, and he was just fixated onsting longer. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He forcibly raised his head. He could see Orgos tilting his chin. He already had a repulsive appearance, but he looked even more frightening. The nerves could be seen in his white eyes, and he skimmed through the Light Wind division before being fixated on Dorian, who was behind everyone else. Dorian once again felt that he wasn¡¯t a human or a monster. He was a natural disaster. It was impossible for the Light Wind division to deal with him. Whir! All Orgos did was meet his gaze, but Dorian floated into the air in a natural manner. ¡°Dorian!¡± ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°You bastard! ¡°Look at me!¡± The Light Wind division activated the sword formation and tried to attack Orgos, but the demonized humans emerged from the shadows and blocked their path. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Burren violently ground his teeth while gripping his pierced shoulder. The vice master alone was unbearable enough, but even the demonized humans were powerful. It was all over. That thought came to his mind, but he forced himself to shake his head. Orgos was only looking at Dorian without even paying attention to the others. ¡°I¡¯ll let you live if you tell me the truth now. Who are you?¡± His lips twisted into a smile, interested in Dorian because he was the first one to call himself Raon. ¡°I-I told you. I am Raon Zieghart.¡± Dorian kept iming to be Raon even though his face had turnedpletely pale from the pain. ¡°It was a good idea to not kill you right away.¡± Orgos moved his index finger, and Dorian¡¯s left leg twisted. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Screaming was the only thing Dorian could do because floating in the air left him unable to move his limbs. ¡°Dorian!¡± ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The Light Wind division couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and charged at the demonized humans who were blocking their path. The sh between auras and demonic energy caused dangerous sparks on the whitend. Burren spat out the blood stagnating in his mouth and looked back to the people behind him. ¡°Run away, everyone! We are going to buy time here!¡± He was still caring for the civilians and the neutral factions despite the situation, and he shouted for them to quickly run away. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I want to leave, but my feet¡­¡± ¡°M-my body won¡¯t move.¡± Unlike the Light Wind division, whose anger had brought them to a resolution, the people from the neutral factions and the civilians couldn¡¯t move an inch because of Orgos¡¯s overwhelming pressure. ¡°Who are you?¡± Orgos sneered at Burren and the Light Wind division and asked Dorian the same question once again. ¡°Ol-old man, are your ears clogged just like your eyeballs¡­?¡± Dorian¡¯s lips trembled as he looked into thin air. It looked like he didn¡¯t even have the strength left to look at Orgos. ¡°¡­I am Raon. I am the White Sword Dragon, Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Argos casually snapped his fingers. Along with the tremendous noise of an exploding rubber ball, a dark hole was created in Dorian¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Ack¡­¡± Dorian couldn¡¯t even scream anymore and fell to the ground while coughing up blood and saliva. ¡°Your bond is stronger than I thought.¡± Orgos gestured with his hand, and the blood stopped gushing from Dorian¡¯s stomach. ¡°He¡¯s in a significant number of my subordinates.¡± An evil smile appeared on his lips. ¡°It will be fun to burn you up while he¡¯s watching.¡± ¡°You old monster! Look at me! Stop bullying the weak and attack me!¡± Burren stepped up while pounding his chest. ¡°I¡¯m the one you should be looking at¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like your eyes.¡± ¡°What?¡± Orgos¡¯s lips briskly dropped, and an explosion urred from Burren¡¯s right eye. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Burren fell to his knee while covering his bleeding eye. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The next up was Runaan. She stepped forward while forcing herself to block the bleeding from her stomach. There was no trace of fear in her purple eyes as she stood with her cherished de, Snow Flower, in her hand. ¡°I¡¯m the next.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty. I have no intention of granting you a painless death.¡± Orgos rotated his finger without even looking at Runaan. ¡°Die while regretting being rted to Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan faltered and copsed to the right. Her right thigh was severely torn apart, as if it had been gnawed off by a ferocious beast. ¡°Huaaah!¡± Mark Goetten had in a demonized human to get out of the encirclement and dashed at Orgos while roaring. He wasn¡¯t thinking that he could win at all. He simply dashed forward with a broken saber in his hand, intending to protect the others. ¡°Fearless eyes. I don¡¯t like them.¡± Orgos snapped his fingers with twisted lips, and a blue me burst from Mark Goetten¡¯s uniform. Whap! The small me burnt the Light Wind division¡¯s uniform in no time and reached his shoulder. The burning sound of flesh could be heard, but Mark Goetten didn¡¯t stop his advance. ¡°You must¡¯ve heard, but the azure me can¡¯t be extinguished.¡± Argos shook his head, and the me burning Mark Goetten¡¯s shoulder amplified in an instant to engulf his arm. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Mark Goetten¡¯s footsteps slowly came to a halt. He couldn¡¯t withstand the pain in the end and fell to his knees on the bloody ground. Orgos¡¯s lips rolled into a smile as he looked down upon the Light Wind division, who¡¯d fallen back into the pit of despair. ¡°Yes, I like those eyes. The bond between humans is bound to perish like a sandcastle in the face of fear. Raon Zieghart is¡­¡± He stopped speaking, and the scene of the Light Wind division slowly standing back up was reflected in his white eyes. Dorian stood back up while holding onto the sword that he¡¯d mmed into the ground with his broken arm, Burren¡¯s empty eyes were emanating an even more intense pressure than before, and Runaan raised her purple eyes while freezing the injury on her leg. Even Mark Goetten stood back up amid the burning pain of his body and raised his broken saber. They weren¡¯t iming to be Raon Zieghart anymore, but their pressures and wills were even more indomitable than before. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Orgos furrowed his brow for the first time. ¡°I don¡¯t like you at all.¡± He raised his hand with extremely murderous eyes. It looked like he forgot about killing them while Raon watched. An azure me far bigger than the one that burnt Mark Goetten¡¯s arm was set aze into the air. ¡°Turn into ash.¡± Orgos was about to spread the azure me at the Light Wind division when a dark dagger flew towards his temple. Crack! The throwing dagger was crushed before it could reach Orgos, but it managed to distract him for an instant. During the short time when the azure me¡¯s trajectory was altered, a silver-white wall of frost surged up in front of the Light Wind division. The transparency could even be described as sacred. Whaam! Even though the azure me was supposed to incinerate anything in the world, it was unable to break through the wall of frost and disappeared while turning only the surroundings into ashes. ¡°Th-this wall¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s lips trembled as he looked at the wall of ice surrounding the Light Wind division. It was the same wall that had saved countless people¡¯s lives at House Arianne. It was Raon¡¯s technique, the one that he would never forget. ¡°You arete¡­¡± Orgos¡¯s gaze was directed above the wall. His lips curved into a twisted smile. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Chapter 508 Chapter 508 Raon clenched his back teeth while looking down on Orgos. Even though his body was small and skinny, the tremendous amount of energy bursting from him gave him the chills. He was a monster that had even surpassed a Grandmaster. He was a demonized human who had reached transcendence, just like the rumors. ¡°I wanted to see you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon ignored Orgos and turned around. He examined the Light Wind division under the Silver-White Aurora one by one. No one from the Light Wind division was uninjured, but Burren, Runaan, and Mark Goetten''s wounds were dizzyingly serious. Shoulders, arm, eye, abdomen, and even thighs. Not a single person among them was unscathed. However, the one who needed the most urgent treatment was Dorian, who was at the very back. Both his arms and his right leg werepletely smashed, and his stomach had a hole the size of a fist in it. He shouldn¡¯t even have felt any pain at that point. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to die at any moment. ¡°Why¡­?¡±Dorian¡¯s head trembled. ¡°Why did youe here¡­?¡± He raised his teary eyes, asking why Raon hade to hell instead of running away. ¡°¡­You idiot.¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Master, I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Burren sank to the ground while coughing up blood, Runaan copsed to her back, and Mark Goetten faltered while standing. ¡°Do you want to know why your subordinates ended up in such a state?¡± Orgos¡¯s cold voice was filled with mockery. ¡°I asked them about your location, and they answered that they were Raon Zieghart.¡± He rolled his lips into a smile while looking at the Light Wind division, who had copsed on the ground. ¡°What a tear-jerking friendship. I would¡¯ve granted them a painless death if they obediently told me the answer.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon exhaled a heated breath while looking at the Light Wind division. ¡®I thought so.¡¯ He¡¯d expected such a thing when he saw the faces on the Light Wind division and the situation. He could tell they¡¯d resisted with their lives on the line to avoid disclosing Raon¡¯s location. Wallet, Ice Cream Girl, Shitty Eyes, the guy with no talent¡­ Wrath¡¯s shoulders trembled as he examined Dorian, Runaan, Burren, and Mark Goetten one after the other. Give me. He approached Raon with bloodshot eyes and extended his hand. Give me your body right now. The King of Essence will kill them all. The emotion of wrath in the soul was raging. Even though the Ring of Fire was running, it was difficult to keep his sanity. Raon wanted to sumb his body to the wrath. ¡®Not right now¡­¡¯ He wanted to sink into the wave of wrath, but he suppressed the urge by biting his lip. If Wrath possessed his body just like that, he would lose control and the Light Wind division would be annihted. Moreover, Orgos might escape during Wrath¡¯s attack since he was a transcended warrior. It was necessary to keep his cool. Whap! Raon started by activating a small Silver-White Aurora to remove the azure me from Mark Goetten¡¯s arm. Using Wrath¡¯s technique in an enraged state made his heart so painful that it could burst, but Raon forced himself to endure it. ¡°Hmm!¡± An impressed voice could be heard from behind him. ¡°That frost was what stopped my azure me, wasn¡¯t it? Who taught you that technique?¡± Orgos raised his hand as he spoke. Blue mes burst from his finger. ¡°You.¡± Raon turned around and red at Orgos, who was fully rxed. ¡°I¡¯ll y with you after I¡¯m done with this. Shut your mouth while waiting.¡± He was growling like a beast unconsciously. He felt like he was gradually sinking into wrath, but he bit his lip to regain his sanity. ¡°Why did youe here¡­?¡± ¡°¡­You idiot, you should¡¯ve survived at least.¡± ¡°Th-thank you for helping me so far.¡± ¡°Raon, run¡­¡± Dorian, Burren, Mark Goetten, and Runaan¡¯s eyes were full of resentment. It wasn¡¯t because they were dying because of him. They were ming him foring to his death. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can all get out of here alive.¡± Raon unleashed the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld. He¡¯d never used it for healing before, but divinity was normally specialized for that. He figured it would be effective. Whap! A colorless radiance spread around from his hand, and the four¡¯s injuries started to heal little by little. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon breathed out a sigh of relief. The worst-case scenario came to mind, but the divinity fortunately worked on injuries. However, the treatment wasn¡¯t enough because he was treating four people at the same time, and his divinity was rapidly decreasing. ¡®Wrath, I¡¯ll ept the wrath, so¡­¡¯ The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom. He can¡¯t refill divinity no matter how great he is. Wrath furrowed his brow and shook his head. ¡®In that case¡­¡¯ Raon raised his head and looked at Orgos. ¡°It looks like you like my gift.¡± Orgos licked his lips with his tongue while looking at the four people whose lives were barely extended. ¡°Unfortunately for you, this isn¡¯t going to be the end of it. Even after your death, I¡¯ll erase everything you like from the world. Your family, friends,panions. That¡¯s the price to pay for disturbing the activity of our great tower.¡± What are you waiting for?! Hand over your body right now! Wrath was also enraged and stuck to Raon¡¯s shoulder while shouting. ¡®Shut up for now.¡¯ Raon red at Orgos. He was taking his time, most likely because he believed Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. ¡®It should be possible.¡¯ He pressed his trembling heart and inserted his mana into the blue ring equipped on his right hand. The ring didn¡¯t have any adornment, but two patterns appeared. ¡®I¡¯m ending up using it.¡¯ The ring was given to him by the Archmage of Eternal me, Chamber, and it could summon a target to his location or teleport others in the area to a different ce. It was a special artifact that could only activate one out of the two abilities, and the ring would be destroyed after being used. Summoning Glenn would¡¯ve been the correct course of action, but Dorian, Burren, Runaan, and Mark Goetten were going to die if he did. Even though Glenn was a warrior standing at the peak of the continent, treatment wasn¡¯t his specialty. ¡®I have no other option.¡¯ Raon quickly made up his mind and injected his mana into the pattern on the right. He was trying to send everyone around him to the Ragged Saint, Federick, with a mass teleportation ability¡ªhowever, the ring didn¡¯t show any reaction except for a vibration. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ He¡¯d asked Glenn about the ring after he¡¯d returned from House Arianne, and he¡¯d answered that the ring might not activate if Chamber didn¡¯t have enough mana. That implied that something was happening to Chamber. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Raon clenched his fist to the point of bleeding. ¡°Do you need more time?¡± Orgos approached him while floating in the sky. His murderous intention was wavering from his distorted white eyes. ¡®Wrath, I want a trade. Give me the mana.¡¯ ¡­Granted. * * * * * * Wrath nodded, and a huge amount of mana started to fill his mana circuits all over his body. More emotions of wrath were acquired in his soul, but Raon didn¡¯t care about it. He shoved all of the mana into the ring and activated the mass teleportation. However, the vibration was all that happened once again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Orgos narrowed his eyes while looking at the ring. He must¡¯ve noticed that the ring had a special hidden ability. ¡®Is it impossible to send the Light Wind division, the neutral factions, and even the civilians to Zieghart with my current amount of mana?¡¯ There were more than seventy people in total, and Zieghart was far away. That must¡¯ve been why he didn¡¯t have enough mana to teleport everyone. ¡®In that case¡­¡¯ Raon rapidly racked his brain. If something was happening to Chamber, sending them to Balkar wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. Considering the fact that Orgos came from the north, something must¡¯ve also happened in Cameloon, so Owen was the only option left. ¡®I can trust them.¡¯ Since they had godly doctors capable of even reattaching an arm, sending them to Owen was the best course of action. Raon gave the third prince¡¯s divine tablet that he¡¯d received in the past to Burren. He activated the mass teleportation towards the medical ward where the royal doctor was working. It was the ce he¡¯d seen during the Six Kings tournament. Whir! It seemed to have worked, as a transparent barrier was created around the Light Wind division, the neutral factions, and the civilians. It was the Absolute Shield, intended to protect the people until teleportation. Brilliant silvery light radiated from the geometric magic circle created under them. ¡°A teleportation spell! I won¡¯t let you go!¡± Orgos rapidly opened his hands. The azure me extended from his finger and instantly destroyed the shield surrounding Raon. However, Raon casuallynded on the ground, not looking disappointed at all. He had no intention of leaving to begin with. ¡°R-Raon!¡± ¡°What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Vice division leader!¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± The Light Wind division screamed at Raon, who was the only one outside the magic circle¡¯s radiance. Burren, Runaan, and even Dorian raised their heads and pounded on the shield. ¡°Wait for me over there.¡± Raon waved his hand while smiling at them. ¡°Raon!¡± Runaan¡¯s shout was thest thing he heard before everyone¡¯s body disappeared from the magic circle. ¡°A pointless struggle.¡± Orgos sneered, believing that his me had prevented Raon¡¯s escape. ¡°I¡¯m confident in my memory. I¡¯ll incinerate them all after I kill you. Our great tower never forgets its resentment.¡± Raon closed his eyes and thought about the Light Wind division that he had seen a moment ago. Runaan had two holes in her stomach, Burren had lost one eye, and Mark Goetten¡¯s left arm waspletely incinerated. Dorian had the most serious injury. It was so bad that he might not be able to wield a sword ever again. The resentment, wrath, and malice. Raon opened his eyes while filling his brain with those feelings. ¡°Do you know why I stayed behind?¡± A bone-crushing voice leaked out from his mouth as he red at Orgos. ¡°It was to kill you.¡± ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± Orgos startedughing like a madman while covering his forehead with his hand. The shrieking voice indicated that he wasughing from the bottom of his heart. ¡°I heard you were crazy, but I didn¡¯t know that you were so insane.¡± He shook his finger, finding the situation rather amusing. ¡°How are you going to kill me?¡± Orgos casually nodded. ¡°Are you counting on the ones who areing this way right now? They are powerful, but your head is going to roll with a single flick of my finger.¡± ¡°Do you want to know how I¡¯m going to kill you?¡± Raon grinned and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. ¡°Like this!¡± He bit his lip and stabbed his stomach with Heavenly Drive. You crazy bastard! Wrath shouted while grasping his shoulder. The blood flowing from his de filled the ground and soaked the small amount of snow left, turning it red. ¡°What are you doing right now¡­?¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond to Orgos, mustering his will to connect to the ck Tower¡¯s technique that he¡¯d seen before. Whir! The small amount of aura left in him arose while sweeping the ground. The blood covering the snow gathered like a birdcage and locked everyone inside. Whir! Raon opened his eyes amid a red space that was different from his mental world. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± Orgos wrinkled his brow while looking at the red sky andnd. ¡°You recognize this, don¡¯t you?¡± Raon smiled with a pale face. ¡°I copied the boundary that your subordinates made under frozen surfaces.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you using this?¡± ¡°So you won¡¯t be able to escape.¡± ¡°Have you truly lost your sanity?¡± ¡°We will find out which one of us is the crazy one.¡± Raon pulled out Heavenly Drive along with an enervatedughter. His de was plugging the wound, so it opened up as a result, and a dangerous amount of blood gushed from it. A dizzying pain fell upon him, but he didn¡¯t activate the Ring of Fire. ¡®I need to endure this much. It¡¯s nothingpared to the pain that the Light Wind division had to experience.¡¯ ¡°Are you trying tomit suicide? I¡¯m capable of keeping you alive, just like killing you¡ª¡± ¡°Have you died before?¡± Raon straightened his spine while controlling the trembling in his legs. ¡°When you die, you can feel the sensation of your soul leaving the body.¡± He could still think for a moment after Derus Robert had cut his head off in his previous life, and he¡¯d felt like his existence was floating outside his body. That same floating sensation was approaching him. ¡®The gap in the soul.¡¯ In a world that was gradually turning white, he activated the Ring of Fire once again and unleashed his mental world. He tore off a portion of that space that was theption of his life so far and created a new domain between his body and soul. Raon, what are you doing right now¡­? Raon didn¡¯t respond, pouring all of his wrath from his soul into the newly created domain. ¡®I¡¯m getting ready for your reception.¡¯ Wrath had previously told him that he would lose control because he hadn¡¯t had a physical body for too long. The only way to maintain his sanity so that he wouldn¡¯t let Orgos escape and put a time limit to the manifestation was to create a Sword Field inside his body. He was going to lose a lot in return, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it ever again, but the Light Wind division would be in danger if Orgos managed to escape. It was necessary to finish him off no matter what. Once the space between body and soul becamerge enough, Raon looked at Wrath. ¡®You said everyone in the Light Wind division is your subordinate, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ You¡­ ¡®Don''t let him escape.¡¯ Raon mmed Heavenly Drive into the ground and smiled. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Orgos became anxious and rapidly unleashed his azure me. The mes were covering his entire vision as they rushed towards him¡ªas if they were telling him that the other mes so far were nothing but child¡¯s y. ¡®It¡¯s already toote.¡¯ Raon mumbled with his dry lips while looking at the approaching me. Sword Field Creation. Demon King¡¯s Advent. Just as the frightening blue me was about to erase Raon¡¯s existence¡­ Thud! ¡­The boundary¡¯s ceiling copsed, and a blue luminance poured down upon Raon. The azure me was supposedly capable of incinerating anything in the world, yet it disappeared like bubbles upon facing the pir of light. A long fissure was created in the space, and dark light emerged from it. Stars covered in shadow arose to the sky, and a yellow moon illuminated the twisted world. The world tree of frost, cold enough to even freeze a person¡¯s breath, rooted down in thend, and the deadly blue radiance finally came to an end. The one standing inside the light wasn¡¯t Raon anymore. He was evil yet sacred, dark yet radiant. It was the manifestation of a transcender who had twisted causality to incorporate values that could never coexist in his body. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Orgos unconsciously stepped backward upon feeling the frightening energy emanating from the navy blue-haired existence. The fear that he¡¯d only offered to others and never received before was engraved in his white pupils. ¡°Wh-who are you¡­?¡± He was the one who was born from the deepest abyss of Devildom and arose to the highest peak. He was the Lord of Northern Evil, the Monarch of Wrath who was the closest to bing the Demon God. The indignation of the Demon King who had removed Greed¡¯s army from the face of the world raised his sky-blue eyes. No one was able to speak. No one was able to move. The Monarch of Wrath extended his hand, as white as the first snow. Orgos¡¯s neck twisted and his head was pulled off. The blue demon kingughed amid the bloody festival. It was a beautiful and frightening sight. Chapter 509 Chapter 509 Whir! After Raon, Orgos, and the demonized humans from the ck Tower disappeared, Merlin was the first one to arrive at the hill. She was panting heavily because she was fully focused on her movement spell, not caring about defense at all. She examined the area around the hill with bloodshot eyes. ¡®He¡¯s not here¡­¡¯ Raon¡¯s presence was perfectly gone even though she could detect it until a moment ago. ¡®What happened?¡¯ She was aware that arge-scale teleportation spell was activated in that ce. Judging from the flow of mana, it seemed to be Archmage Chamber¡¯s spell, but she could guess that Raon was the one who activated it. However, he¡¯d stayed behind instead of leaving with the Light Wind division. She could feel a sloppy boundary made from blood, and thought she just needed to break through it¡ªhowever, the boundary¡¯s traces hadpletely vanished a moment ago. She couldn¡¯t figure out what happened.Rumble! Merlin scattered her mana in all directions. She tried to focus on finding an opening to the boundary where Raon and Orgos were, but she couldn¡¯t feel anything at all. ¡®How is this even possible?¡¯ Creating a new boundary was possible, but she¡¯d never even heard about the possibility of perfectly filling up a sloppy boundary. She was getting a headache from anxiety. ¡®No, please¡­¡¯ She wanted to believe in Raon, but he was facing a transcender. It was impossible for him to win on his own since even she couldn¡¯t win against him. That was why she needed to open the boundary as fast as possible. Rip! Merlin scratched her thumb with her nails and scattered her blood on the ground. She was trying to pry open the space with blood magic when the White Blood Religion''s leader made her appearance alongside a heart-crushing wave. ¡°Merlin¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader narrowed her eyes while looking at Merlin. ¡°You are being a hindrance once again. Is this the Fallen¡¯s intention?¡± ¡°Think as you like.¡± Her finger flinched as she contemted whether she should kill Merlin or not before she decided to stop. She scattered transparent bloody energy in the area, deciding that finding Raon before the others arrived had the highest priority. Pssh. Merlin bit her lip and opened up the wound on her finger even further. ¡®I can¡¯t let that mosquito bitch capture him.¡¯ If the White Blood Religion''s leader took Raon with her, he wouldn¡¯t end up as a simple apostle. He would be thoroughly dissected to find out the secret behind his talent, or he might even end up being brainwashed. She had to stop that from happening even if she had to use up her entire lifespan. ¡®It would be better if the Holy Sword Alliance took him away instead¡­ No, I¡¯m not giving him to anyone.¡¯ Merlin prepared various spells to fight against any opponent and continued her search for Raon¡¯s location. Whir! As she was examining underneath the hill, the red horse with the Demon ying Spear on the back dashed through thend and charged at the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°We need to put an end to the fight since you made me draw my spear!¡± The Demon ying Spear concentrated the powerful energy storming around the spearhead into a single point and fired it at her. A spear attack with tremendous power tore apart arge portion of the night sky. ¡°Scram.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader furrowed her brow and drew a semicircle with her hand. The transparent bloody energy fell under the moonlight and created a huge explosion upon shing against the Demon ying Spear¡¯s aura. Whaaam! An explosion urred from the sh between the two transcenders¡¯ special techniques, and dark blue lightning soared into the sky before it subsided under the dark energy wave. The Holy Sword Alliance master had arrived. The way he was leisurely riding the dark sword with his hands sped behind his back revealed why he was called the Dark Night Sword God. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master unsped his hands and looked down upon the bloody hill. ¡°They are gone.¡± He slightly furrowed his brow, unable to find Raon and Orgos¡¯s presence. Rimmer and Sheryl arrived after the Holy Sword Alliance master. They clenched their back teeth while examining the hill where no one could be seen. ¡°The blood is from the Light Wind division and the neutral factions¡­¡± Sheryl violently exhaled while looking at the blood that was spread even more widely than the snow. ¡°Damn it!¡± Rimmer violently stomped the ground. The blood that hadn¡¯t coagted yet floated into the sky. ¡°Hmm?¡± He was ring fiercely at the ground, but his eyes widened. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± Rimmer put his hand into the blood to take out a ring that was split in half. ¡°Raon¡¯s ring?¡± Sheryl swallowed nervously while looking at the ring Rimmer was holding. ¡°I knew it. The massive spell that activated earlier was teleportation.¡± ¡°He sent the Light Wind division away instead of bringing the head of house here. He must¡¯ve done it to save the injured¡­¡± ¡°But why didn¡¯t he leave himself?!¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve been trying to distract Orgos so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to interrupt the spell.¡± They realized the decision Raon had made because they knew about the ring¡¯s ability. It hurt so much because the decision was something he would make, and the powerlessness they felt because they couldn¡¯t help him at all made the strength leave their shoulders. ¡°Then where did Raon go?¡± ¡°The Demonic Monarch of Azure me must¡¯ve created a boundary.¡± Sheryl wrinkled her nose while rapidly examining the surrounding area. ¡°But it was too sloppy to be Orgos¡¯s doing.¡± Rimmer shook his head while observing the opposite side of Sheryl. While they were trying to figure out what had happened after the Light Wind division was sent away, the Thespian Emperor, the Demonde, and the Queen of Swordsnded on the hill. The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and the two apostles also arrived after that. Whir! The bloody hill was filled with silent tension once all the actors had arrived. ¡°Thespian Emperor.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master twisted his lips while looking at the Thespian Emperor, who was furrowing her brow. ¡°The ck Tower¡¯s master is currently at Cameloon. Is that your doing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about.¡± The Thespian Emperor shrugged her shoulders with an ambiguous expression on her face. ¡°Hmm, I see.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master shook his hand, and the dark sword under his feet soared to the sky. ¡°Since it would be boring to wait without doing anything, let¡¯s y a bit more until Raon Zieghart and Orgos reappear.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you here to save Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°I want to, if possible, but no one is here. I don¡¯t like making efforts for no reason.¡± His eyes started to glow red. ¡°Let¡¯s start the second round.¡± * * * * * * Smash! Wrath crushed Orgos¡¯s skull, which he was holding in his hand. Blood and demonic energy entangled with each other and soaked his hand. ¡°I expanded too much strength because I didn¡¯t have a body for a long time.¡± Wrath rolled his lips into a smile while looking at Orgos¡¯s body, which was still standing without a head. ¡°Imend you for surviving so long.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Blue mes ignited from Orgos¡¯s neck and his head slowly emerged. Wrath narrowed his eyes while watching Orgos¡¯s head regenerate. ¡®The power of regeneration. He¡¯s as good as a high-rank demon.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t missed the hit on Orgos. He¡¯d kill him for sure, but he was capable of surviving even without a head. Step. Wrath walked up to Orgos, whose hand was drenched in sweat, and tilted his head. ¡°So that money grubber vermin is backing you up.¡± He could feel Greed¡¯s stench from the demonic energy that spread when Orgos hurriedly regenerated his head. Wrath was wondering how he¡¯d acquired so much demonic energy, and he must¡¯ve had Greed¡¯s seed. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Orgos stepped backward while biting his blue lip. ¡°Wh-who are you?! I¡¯ve never heard of anyone like you!¡± He had never felt such oppression to his body and soul even from the Tower¡¯s master. He¡¯d never expected to feel the fear that he¡¯d felt during his encounter with ¡®that great being¡¯ from a young human. ¡®Human? Is he even human?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just his sky-blue eyes. His long hair had ever-changing colors and his transparent skin looked like it had never been exposed to sunlight. He could feel his violent temperament in his noble and elegant appearance. Before wondering about whether he was a man or a woman, he was curious if he was even human. ¡°Wh-where is Raon Zieghart¡­?¡± ¡°The King of Essence doesn¡¯t ept any question.¡± Wrath raised his bloody hand with emotionless eyes. ¡°The King of Essence is the one who asks questions.¡± His lips curved into a sneer, and he turned his hand as if he were turning a doorknob. Even though it was a small movement of thin fingers, Orgos¡¯s mouth that had asked the question was torn from him. ¡°Ack!¡± Orgos fell to his knees while grasping his destroyed jaw. Even his scream was a grotesque sound because his mouth was ruined. ¡°You dared to harm the King of Essence¡¯s subordinates. You managed to make him angry, something that hasn¡¯t happened in such a long time.¡± Wrath walked up to Orgos, who was trembling on his knees. ¡°The King of Essence¡¯s Wallet had broken limbs, Shitty Eyes lost his eye, and the untalented man¡¯s arm waspletely burnt up. And¡­¡± He bared his white teeth and faced Orgos¡¯s wavering pupils. ¡°Ice Cream Girl had a hole in her stomach. Your soul and body shall be carved with all those pains.¡± Wrath casually moved his finger as if he were pointing at something. Crack! Orgos¡¯s arms twisted likeundry being wrung out before being torn apart. It wasn¡¯t anything special like a technique. He had simply torn off his arm with the concentrated energy of wrath. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± Orgos screamed while looking at the boundary ceiling with his regenerated mouth. ¡°It¡¯s too early to scream.¡± Wrath¡¯s sky-blue eyes were glowing with a deep blue wrath. The pain that the Light Wind division had to experience was engraved in his eyes like a burn. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± Orgos stepped backward while screaming. The pain must¡¯ve prevailed against the fear, as a blue me was bursting from his regenerated hands. ¡°Dieeee!¡± The two azure mes were fired like arrows. The transcender¡¯s full power was dwelling in the two lightning fires that were rushing even faster than sound. Wrath wasn¡¯t nervous or sneering. His nonchnt expression looked like he was enjoying a nap as he simply shook his hand. Whap. The fog of frost emerging from his finger froze up the azure me arrow in an instant. Crack! Pieces of the mes fell to the ground and shattered with a frightening sound. ¡°D-did it just freeze?¡± Orgos¡¯s eyes were blinking, pping like a frightening butterfly¡¯s wings. ¡®Is this even possible¡­?¡¯ The Demonic Arrow of Azure me wasn¡¯t any ordinary me. It had the maximized output of the azure me, and it was the technique with the highest speed and killing ability among his special techniques. He couldn¡¯t believe that it had frozen in an instant. ¡®I need to run away!¡¯ The thing in front of him wasn¡¯t something he could hope to win against. It was pretty much a disaster. He had to avoid it rather than face it. Orgos mustered the remaining azure me and mmed the ground. Whaaam! A tremendous explosion urred, but it only created an extremely small crack in the frozen ground. ¡°H-how is this happening¡­?¡± ¡°You still haven''t learned your ce. Did you believe that an insignificant creature like you could destroy the King of Essence¡¯s boundary?¡± Wrath shook his head while pointing at the blue world tree behind him. ¡°Which part were we at? He can¡¯t remember, so let¡¯s start over from the beginning.¡± Before his words could reach Orgos¡¯s eardrums, his arms were pulled off once again. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°You are so easily fixed as a toy. Not bad.¡± Wrath stood in front of Orgos and leaned forward. He tried to run away, but Wrath grabbed him with invisible demonic energy and extended his finger towards his eye. ¡°This one is for Shitty Eyes.¡± ¡°Aa-aaaaah!¡± * * * He felt like he was floating in the ocean. He couldn¡¯t feel the weight of his body, and the freedom of his soul felt ticklish. Raon furrowed his brow from a faint tinnitus in his ears and lifted his heavy eyelids. ¡°St-stop! Please stop!¡± The first thing he saw was Orgos. The transcender used to be terrifying, but he was shoved into a corner and was screaming. Wrath stood in front of him. He was making a dark hole in Orgos¡¯s stomach with the same appearance he had in the mental world. ¡°You finally woke up.¡± Wrath briefly clicked his tongue while rolling his eyes back. ¡°You are alwayste.¡± Are you talking to me? ¡°Who else would he be talking to?¡± He continued the conversation without paying the slightest attention to Orgos, who was in front of him, and the demonized humans behind him who couldn¡¯t move an inch. ¡°The King of Essence managed to maintain his sanity except for in the very beginning. It¡¯s thanks to you for knowing how to use your brain.¡± Wrath smiled, praising him foring up with such a method. ¡°However, you should think carefully when you want to use it once again, as you will lose a lot¡ªjust like this time. It¡¯s not like you will be able to use it just because you want to, though.¡± Raon was aware of that fact, but revenge was simply more important. ¡°Anyway, the King of Essence managed to repay the pain that his subordinates had to experience with those vermin. It was all thanks to you.¡± Raon was already aware of that fact before Wrath told him. Orgos¡¯s eyes werepletely dug out, his limbs were pulled apart, and five holes were made in his stomach. Hmm? Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Orgos¡¯s body. ¡®Is that the power of regeneration?¡¯ Orgos¡¯s broken body was slowly being healed. The separated arms and legs were reattached, and his flesh was refilling the hole in his stomach. His regeneration was even better than a troll¡¯s. However, his energy had drastically decreased. He seemed to be spending the demonic energy to forcibly rece his flesh. ¡°Do you remember when the King of Essence said that your flower isn¡¯t the real deal?¡± Flower? Ah¡­ Wrath had been displeased and murmured every time he¡¯d used the me Spirit, saying ¡®That¡¯s not how you use the flower.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll show you the real deal.¡± Wrath opened his hands. The frost shards radiated faintly and floated into the air¡ªas if they were synthesizing with the wrath that still remained. The ice shards spread around like a dream and were gradually filled with beautiful flower blossoms. The ice flowers bloomed, scattering their brilliant gleam under the moonlight. Even thest flower petal bloomed beautifully from the snow flower like a red spider lily, fluttering into the air to be thousands, tens of thousands¡ªor, rather, just countless pieces covering all around the boundary. The Monarch of Wrath¡¯s ultimate technique. Ten Thousand Snow Blossoms. It wasn¡¯t anything like astral energy or an astral sphere. Every single one of them was a frozen de with the will of wrath. Countless shes wereing from them. Sound disappeared under the blue moonlight. Everything inside the boundary was sucked into the trajectory of the sh before a majestic radiance burst out. ¡°Ah, I-I¡­¡± Orgos¡¯s body melted under the flower petals that had quietly subsided. It was an alien power capable of removing the infinite regeneration itself. Even the demonized humans behind Wrath werepletely removed from existence without leaving a single drop of blood. ¡®This is the real deal¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously. He realized that what he¡¯d just witnessed was the ultimate form of the me Spirit that he should seek. ¡°Flowers need to be treated delicately.¡± Wrath casually shook his hand. He used a hand that was as transparent as the moonlight to sweep back his perfectly unruffled hair. ¡°You barbarian.¡± * * * ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master twisted his lips while looking at the Thespian Emperor. ¡°You want to run away because you don¡¯t have that formation anymore.¡± ¡°But the Owen Kingdom is going to interfere if a battle breaks out from here.¡± The Thespian Emperor turned her gaze and looked at Cameloon. ¡°You are making a grave mistake. I¡¯d be d of the Silent Sword Sovereign¡¯s arrival. I want to check out how much better he¡¯s gotten.¡± It looked like the Holy Sword Alliance master had no consideration for the future, befitting his reputation of being a madman for swords. ¡°So, what are you going to do? I¡¯m not letting you go even if you want to escape.¡± ¡°You are the one making a grave mistake, Alliance Master.¡± The Thespian Emperor extended her hand towards the sky. The formation that had covered Banneret¡¯s sky was being formed once again along the constetions. ¡°I can use the formation anywhere in the world.¡± She had followed them all the way because she could bring the formation with her, and the Silent Sword Sovereign was obviously going to arrive. She would¡¯ve never been there if she didn¡¯t have that guarantee. ¡®I¡¯llplete the formation for now, andst until the other transcenders arrive¡­ Ah?¡¯ Just as the Thespian Emperor was modifying her n, blue radiance emerged from the sky where the formation was being created and a long dimensional rift appeared. Crack! Alongside the thunderous noise of the space falling apart, the formation¡¯s flow was jumbled up and destroyed. Everyone, including the Thespian Emperor, the Holy Sword Alliance master, and the White Blood Religion''s leader raised their heads with a pale expression on their faces. Far above the sky where people would look like a small dot, someone with long blue hair fluttering in the air was standing on a distant star. A thin wrinkle appeared on the Thespian Emperor¡¯s brow. ¡®Wh-what the hell is that?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t even see it properly. The presence was so huge that she couldn¡¯t even determine what it was exactly. It felt like impending disaster was undting inside the human appearance. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Even the Holy Sword Alliance master gasped in disbelief, and the White Blood Religion''s leader was unable to hide the trembling of her pupils. The blue demon king looked down on the human transcenders and quietly spoke. ¡°Look down.¡± Chapter 510 Chapter 510 Martha slowly opened her eyes. She could see a clean white ceiling, one thatcked even a single speck of dust. ¡®Where am I¡­? Ah.¡¯ She immediately remembered what had happened, probably because her head was clear after such a deep sleep. ¡®I fainted after bing a Master.¡¯ She was enlightened while fighting against a Master during the fighting contest of the Five Divine Orders, and she finally managed to unleash the astral energy that she¡¯d always desired. ¡®The match must¡¯ve ended as a draw.¡¯ She remembered that she¡¯dnded a clear hit on that arrogant Kallon, even if she ended up losing consciousness after that. Martha slowly clenched her fist. She could feel a huge amount of power twitching inside her energy center. ¡®It wasn¡¯t a dream.¡¯Her enlightenment about martial arts had deepened further. She had a feeling that she could have aplete victory against Kallon if the fight happened once again. ¡®I wonder what Raon is going to say about this?¡¯ She was unbearably curious about what Raon would say about her bing a Master. She wanted to immediately check out his reaction. ¡®Considering his personality, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to praise me¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Martha giggled to herself and rolled her eyes. It had been noisy outside for a short while. ¡®I must be at a healing ward.¡¯ Judging from the neat interior and medicines next to her, she was clearly in a healing ward. It was clear that they¡¯d spent a lot of money on it, which was to be expected from a new city. ¡®Let¡¯s go out.¡¯ Her body felt light, probably because she¡¯d been sleeping for a long time. She figured she would have no issue moving around, roughly unwrapped her bandages, and opened the door. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Cover his stomach first!¡± ¡°Wait, how did his arm end up like this¡­?¡± ¡°Sh-she¡¯s bleeding too much! There are more than three holes in her stomach! It¡¯s already toote¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and focus on healing! They brought the third prince¡¯s divine tablet with them! Save them no matter what!¡± The screams of the patients and shouts of the healers were being hurled all around the ce. They were so noisy to the point where her ears were hurting, but she realized that the screaming voices were familiar. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Martha closed her lips tightly and examined the face of the patient whose abdomen was being treated by the healers. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± It was Dorian. Both his arms and legs were smashed as if they had been hammered down, and he had a dark hole in his abdomen, where blood was gushing out nonstop. ¡°Where¡¯s the priest?!¡± ¡°Th-they areing soon!¡± ¡°Damn it! Their asses are so heavy even with the amount of money we spent!¡± The middle-aged healer wearing a golden uniform applied medicine to Dorian¡¯s abdomen while swearing, and then he covered the hole with his hands before scattering his blue energy. ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Dorian¡¯s quiet groan could barely be heard. The movement of his throat showed that he was still alive, but it didn¡¯t look like he wouldst for long. However, he wasn¡¯t the only one with serious injuries. Next to Dorian, Burren was there with one of his eyes covered in blood, Runaan had three holes in her stomach, and Mark Goetten¡¯s left arm was scorched ck. All three of them seemed to be in intense pain, as their shoulders and necks were shivering. ¡°Uah¡­¡± ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°Pl-please skin me! I can¡¯t endure this anymore¡­¡± The other Light Wind swordsmen were also injured in various ces, and their wounds were dark, as if they¡¯d been injured a long time ago. ¡®D-demonic energy? Were they defeated by demonic energy?¡¯ Martha sank to the ground while leaning against the wall next to her. ¡°What¡¯s even happening right now?!¡± Her strength had abandoned her legs. Then she raised her head while sitting on her knees. ¡®W-wait! Raon! Where¡¯s Raon¡­?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t understand the situation, but there was no way Raon would be intact when the Light Wind division was injured to that extent. She crawled to find Raon and saw that Yua was standing up. ¡°Yua!¡± ¡°M-Martha!¡± Yua¡¯s shoulder and waist were covered in bloody bandages as she ran towards Martha. ¡°What even happened? Please tell me¡­¡± Martha¡¯s pale lips were trembling as she grabbed Yua¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Wh-while you were fast asleep, the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion''s leader attacked Banneret.¡± ¡°The White Blood Religion''s leader¡­¡± She unconsciously clenched her fist upon hearing the name of the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡®That monster did it again¡­¡¯ She bit her lip to the point of bleeding and looked around the Light Wind division who were submerged in pain. Her heart pounded rapidly, as if it were about to explode, upon realizing that she¡¯d done that to herpanions after taking away her mother¡¯s body. ¡°But we weren¡¯t injured by them.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We managed to escape because the Light Wind division leader and the Heavenly de division leader carved a path for us, but¡­¡± Yua exined what had happened to Martha. ¡°Wh-which means, Raon¡­¡± ¡°¡­He stayed behind on his own.¡± Yua fell on her ass and started to cry loudly. Cries of sadness and worry engulfed the healing ward, and the patients who had been struggling slowly closed their eyes and breathed quietly. Yua had unconsciously unleashed a luby. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°But even the anesthetics didn¡¯t work on them¡­¡± The healers¡¯ eyes widened as they looked at Yua. They seemed surprised because it had never happened before. ¡°Come back to your senses! Get moving already!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± The middle-aged man in a golden uniform shouted, and the other healers resumed the treatment. ¡°It will be fine.¡± Martha shook her head while grabbing Yua¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no way that monster is going to die.¡± ¡°R-right?¡± ¡°Yes. I know about his miracles better than anyone else. Trust me.¡± She patted Yua¡¯s head and turned her head around. She smacked her thigh with her tightly clenched fist. ¡®Damn it, damn it! Daaamn it!¡¯ The fact that the Light Wind division struggled to death while she was sleeping soundly, that they¡¯d been protecting her instead of their own bodies, and that she couldn¡¯t do anything when Raon saved everyone and stayed behind on his own was so frustrating that she broke out in tears. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t be impatient. If it was Raon¡¯s will that sent everyone to the healing ward, abiding by it and saving everyone took the highest priority. ¡®I need to start by contacting the house.¡¯ Since she¡¯d said that they were teleported to the healing ward in that state, they shouldn¡¯t have even thought about contacting the house. Martha steadied her trembling legs and stood up. She checked out the injuries and the states of everyone in the Light Wind division before she asked a staff member at the healing ward to send a message to Zieghart. She asked them to bring all the medicines and elixirs that were necessary before she knelt in front of the middle-aged man wearing the golden uniform who seemed to be the person in charge. ¡°Please save them, I¡¯ll do anything.¡± Martha bit her lip and mmed her head on the ground. ¡°We¡¯ve already received more than enough payment.¡± The middle-aged man in the golden uniform pointed at the third prince¡¯s tablet. ¡°But we could use your assistance. Can we extract your aura? It will be extremely painful.¡± He asked whether she could endure it with narrowed eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll do it even if it means I can¡¯t use my aura ever again.¡± Martha went next to the middle-aged man without even wiping the blood flowing from her forehead. ¡°Alright, please insert this into your arm.¡± The middle-aged man pointed at Martha¡¯s arm with a thick needle at the width of a finger. Martha nervously bit her lip while stabbing the needle into her right arm. ¡®Raon, make sure to return alive. I¡¯m going to save them no matter what.¡¯ * * * Wrath was looking at the transcenders haughtily, but Raon broke out into a cold sweat as he watched him from behind. Hey! ¡°Why are you calling me?¡± Wrath still seemed to retain his sanity since he made an aura barrier before he responded. Why would you leave without a n?! Raon reluctantly screamed at Wrath. We can¡¯t let them find out the rtionship between us! The original n was to switch bodies with Wrath inside the boundary and leave while feigning ignorance. However, the crazy demon king had just left the boundary. Raon felt dizzy from the situation. We will be screwed if it goes wrong! If people found out that he was linked to a demon king, he would be kicked out of Zieghart at the very least, and he could potentially be murdered by the dragons. It would be fine if he¡¯d reached transcendence, but he wasn¡¯t even a Grandmaster yet. That was why it was necessary to hide that fact no matter what. ¡°What foolishness. No one here can figure out the rtionship between us.¡± They can¡¯t figure it out? ¡°The King of Essence is currently in his real form instead of your body. His energy is also demonic energy instead of your shabby aura. No one among them is capable of finding you inside the King of Essence.¡± But we have a time limit. What if we suddenly revert back¡­? ¡°Your mind is maintaining this body right now, but the King of Essence¡¯s demonic energy is also contributing to it. We do have a time limit, but he can control it.¡± Wrath shook his head, saying that they might find it strange but wouldn¡¯t think they were rted. ¡°Moreover, your boundary is still down there. The King of Essence will release it when he¡¯s about to leave and distract them. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Really? ¡°Has the King of Essence ever lied before?¡± ¡­Almost never. Wrath almost never lied, except for when he bragged about something. His actions during that incident were a testament to it. ¡°By the way.¡± Wrath rolled his eyes while curving his lips into a deep smile. ¡°What do you think will happen if they discover your identity?¡± What? ¡°Truthfully, it doesn¡¯t change anything for the King of Essence even if they found out. And he doesn¡¯t exactly like the idea of hiding something when he is a demon king.¡± Err¡­ ¡°But you are different. What do you think? Shall I try revealing his identity before returning this body to you?¡± His eyes curved into a crescent shape, and heughed at Raon. You bastard¡­ ¡°One week.¡± Raon bit his lip, and Wrath raised his index finger. What? ¡°Swear that you are going to eat everything the King of Essence wants for one week after this incident.¡± Are you threatening me? ¡°He learned it from you. Taking notes was worth it.¡± Wrath grinned, saying that efforts were always rewarded. Ugh¡­ Eating whatever he wanted for a week wasn¡¯t a big deal. Raon would¡¯ve done it unconditionally if he¡¯d just asked, but being unexpectedly threatened made him extremely irritated. ¡°You¡¯d better decide quickly. They must be wondering about this situation.¡± Wrath pointed at the transcenders below with his finger. Raon sighed after looking at Rimmer and Sheryl. Alright, one week¡­ ¡°It¡¯s two weeks now because you hit the time limit.¡± Hey! ¡°He learned that from you as well.¡± When did I ever do that?! ¡°Huh? You are taking too long. It¡¯s three weeks now¡ª¡± Fine! Three weeks! Raon immediately responded that he would do it because he had a feeling it would be one month soon enough. ¡°Call.¡± Wrath nodded with a smile. ¡°This should prevent heaven¡¯s unreasonable treatment.¡± He nodded, saying that he should be able to eat whatever he wanted within three weeks no matter how much heaven tried to interfere. Raon furrowed his brow while watching Wrath descend to thend. You could¡¯ve just gone ahead to eat with that body right now if that¡¯s what you want. ¡°Something requires his attention before then.¡± * * * * * * The Thespian Emperor furrowed her brow while looking at the existence floating in the air. ¡®What is that?¡¯ The formation that she¡¯d worked so hard to prepare was ruined because of his appearance through the space, but that wasn¡¯t the important part. ¡®How can energy feel like that?¡¯ His energy was as elegant as divinity, but also as gloomy as demonic energy. Characteristics that couldn¡¯t easily harmonize were coexisting in his body, and his presence was huge enough to fill more than the entire space around them. ¡®Is he even human?¡¯ His navy blue hair was swept to the back, reflecting the sunlight, and he looked so beautiful that it was difficult to tell whether he was a man or a woman. The transcendental beauty, mysterious energy, and overwhelming presence gave the impression that he was something other than a human being. ¡®I can¡¯t tell how this situation is going to unfold.¡¯ Considering that he¡¯d ordered them to lower their eyes, he didn¡¯t seem to be favorable. She gathered her energy in preparation for a sudden attack. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Huh.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s lips were trembling nervously, and the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot like an excited gambler¡¯s. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± Since the Demon ying Spear and the Demonde used dark energy as their weapons, they were overwhelmed by Wrath¡¯s demonic energy and stepped back. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Queen of Swords had her hand on the hilt with her usual nonchnt expression. All the transcenders were nervous, and Raon checked on Rimmer and Sheryl before anything else. What a relief. ¡®They are both safe.¡¯ Rimmer and Sheryl were both injured, but their injuries weren¡¯t as serious as the Light Wind division¡¯s. They should manage to escape with a decent situation. Then¡­ Huh? Raon smiled faintly upon finding Merlin, who was starting at Wrath. I knew she would be here. ¡®Th-that madwoman is also here.¡¯ Wrath groaned for the first time. Raon had thought that he had changed after getting stronger, but his personality was no different from when he was cotton candy. Of course she would be. It would¡¯ve been strange if Merlin was missing since she was the person who was the most obsessed with Raon Zieghart on the continent. ¡°The King of Essence¡­¡± Wrath averted his gaze, pretending he didn¡¯t see Merlin. He looked down on the transcenders coldly and twisted his lips. ¡°Told you to lower your eyes.¡± ¡°You!¡± The Demonde pointed his finger at Wrath with a trembling chin. ¡°You are a demon! It¡¯s difficult to tell, but that negative energy can¡¯t be anything else than demonic ener¡ªCough!¡± As he called Wrath a demon, a smacking sound was heard and his face turned to the side. His cheek reddened into a bloody color. ¡°The King of Essence doesn¡¯t ept any questions.¡± Wrath turned his head while lowering his hand that he¡¯d used to p the Demonde¡¯s cheek. ¡°Learn your ce before running your mouth.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Demonde¡¯s lips trembled as he rubbed his cheek. ¡®Did I just get pped?¡¯ He was still somewhat prepared for an attack, but he hadn¡¯t even recognized it until he was hit. It was a tremendous speed and power. He had a feeling that it would be no less than the Holy Sword Alliance master in his full power. ¡°¡­And the King of Essence isn¡¯t a paltry demon. He is the King of Devildom.¡± ¡°A-a demon king?! Why is a demon king here¡­?¡± The Demonde shouted in astonishment, and Wrath¡¯s hand moved once again. The Demonde moved when Wrath¡¯s white hand, which seemed to have never been exposed to sunlight, started to advance like a ray of light. He raised the back of his hand to defend against Wrath¡¯s attack and counterattack afterward. However, Wrath¡¯s hand broke through the Demonde¡¯s defense like a snake and pped his cheek once again. Smack! The Demonde¡¯s face briskly bent and a red tooth fell out of his mouth. ¡°He came to check on things because some shabby demonic energy was getting on his nerves. You are even more unsightly though.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Demonde¡¯s eyes were trembling in disbelief as he stepped backward. ¡°H-he¡¯s a real demon king¡­¡± The Demonde shook his head, his chin trembling violently. ¡®Yes, he must be the demon king. That¡¯s the only way to exin this situation.¡¯ Demons became weaker upon reaching the human realm. Wrath being a demon king was the only way to exin the fact that he¡¯d pped his cheek when he was fully prepared. ¡°But why a demon king¡­?¡± The Demon ying Spear also seemed nervous. He bit his lip and raised his spear shaft. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Queen of Swords also prepared to draw her sword at any moment, catching her breath and clenching her hilt. ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master burst intoughter while covering his forehead, then lowered his head. ¡°May I be permitted to ask a question, demon king?¡± Wrath nodded his chin and gave permission. ¡°Do you use a sword by any chance?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master immediately lost interest and withdrew with a frown on his face. Huh¡­ Raon gasped while watching the Holy Sword Alliance master let out a sigh. What the hell is wrong with him? He¡¯d heard the rumors that he was crazy for swords, but he didn¡¯t expect that even a demon king would fail to interest him. He was aplete lunatic. ¡°Demon king?¡± Wrath rapidly turned his head upon hearing a frightening voice from somewhere. ¡°This scent¡­¡± Merlin was talking. She raised her mask slightly and walked towards Wrath while sniffing like a puppy on a stroll. ¡°I think this is Raon¡¯s scent.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Wrath was surprised for the first time and shrunk. Seriously, this guy¡­ Wrath wasn¡¯t just pretending to be afraid of Merlin. His presence was even bigger than the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion''s leader, but he was shrinking in front of Merlin. Raon couldn¡¯t understand how it was happening. ¡°Are you a demon king?¡± The White Blood Religion¡¯s leader twisted her lips and examined Wrath¡¯s body. ¡°Are you really revealing that by yourself? Do you have a death wish or something?¡± Sheughed at his ridiculous behavior. Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking at the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡®You said that her body belongs to Beef Girl¡¯s mother, right?¡¯ Yes. Wrath remembered what Martha had told him in the past. Wait, are you¡­? ¡°Hey, parasite over there.¡± Wrath extended his hand at the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hand over that body.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The King of Essence told you to hand over that body and disappear.¡± ¡°This was already irritating enough, and now an insane demon scum is talking shit.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader ground her teeth violently, unleashed her colorless energy above her hand, and thrust it at Wrath. The energy advanced while chipping the blood-coverednd and rushed towards Wrath¡¯s heart. ¡°You don¡¯t know your ce, parasite.¡± Wrath smiled coldly and casually shook his hand. A blue light undted from his white hand, and the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s bloody energy froze in an instant. ¡°I-it froze?! The bloody energy froze?!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the frozen bloody energy floating like a mobile hanging decoration. ¡°How shabby, just like your existence.¡± Wrath sneered while tilting his head. The frozen bloody energy fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. ¡°I was curious what a demon king¡¯s blood tastes like. This is a perfect opportunity. The White Blood Religion''s leader opened her hands with a serious expression on her face. Transparent bloody energy was raging above her shoulder like a heat haze. Cring! A cold sword resonance severed the tension between the two. The Holy Sword Alliance master came up next to the White Blood Religion''s leader and raised his sword towards Wrath. ¡°Are you also joining?¡± ¡°I became interested in whether that freezing ability can block my sword technique. Moreover, demon kings are umon enemies in the continent.¡± He licked his lip, saying that the biggest reason was that he had a feeling it would be fun. ¡°You can talk when you¡¯ve epted the ck Tower as your ally.¡± The Queen of Swords frowned while getting into the posture of a sword draw. ¡°This and that are different stories. But you aren¡¯t going to disturb us when we are trying to kill the demon king, are you?¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master asked while licking his lip. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor didn¡¯t respond, while the Demon ying Spear stepped back, implying that he was going to watch the situation. Shring. The Demonde unsheathed his sword. He looked like he was going to try attacking Wrath when he found an opening. Wrath! Raon hurriedly called out to Wrath. What are you doing right now instead of running away?! We don¡¯t even have a boundary anymore. Demons were unable to use their full power in the human realm. Dealing with the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master should¡¯ve already been hard enough for him, and that was why Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he wasn¡¯t escaping. ¡®You said before that you just need to spar in the training ground if you want to always fight in a perfect condition. This is exactly for that reason.¡¯ What? ¡®A coward who only takes on safe battles can¡¯t be called a king.¡¯ Wrath straightened his back and looked at the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion''s leader. Even though he wasn¡¯t that tall, his presence became even more remarkable. ¡®A king doesn¡¯t move out of their way, nor go around. They simply carve the path while guiding the popce behind them.¡¯ Ah¡­ ¡®If you wish to be the king of thisnd, you will watch.¡¯ Raon could feel that Wrath was serious about it. The reason he kept calling himself a king was because of that pride he had. ¡°The King of Essence is going to rip the head off of that parasite today. Be prepared to die if you want to get on his way.¡± Wrath twisted his lips while pointing at the White Blood Religion''s leader. Raging wrath glinted in his sky-blue eyes. ¡°Come at him!¡± Chapter 511 Chapter 511 Just as Wrath was about to extend his hand towards the White Blood Religion''s leader, Rimmer stepped up. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t fall on his knees even though he was being crushed by the tremendous pressuresing from the transcenders. ¡°I have a question I¡¯d like to ask.¡± He stood in front of Wrath confidently, a thin stream of blood flowing down his lips. ¡°Shitty Ears.¡± ¡°Sh-shitty Ears?¡± ¡°You may ask.¡± Wrath nodded, telling him to ask the question if he wanted.¡°When you killed Orgos¡­¡± ¡°Orgos?¡± ¡°The man that you called the owner of a sloppy demonic energy. Did you happen to see a young human when you killed him? He has blond hair and red eyes.¡± Rimmer was flustered from being called Shitty Ears, but he grasped the opportunity and described Raon¡¯s appearance. ¡°He has two swords¡ªa longsword and a dagger. And he was wearing ck clothes.¡± Sheryl came up next to Rimmer. She shared his burden and gave additional descriptions of his weapons. They looked so desperate, to the point where they even needed a demon king¡¯s help. Hmm¡­ Raon bit his lip tightly while looking at the desperation in Rimmer and Sheryl¡¯s eyes. He wanted to tell them to not worry about him and escape since he was alive, but he couldn¡¯t do so for their sake. Wrath. ¡®He knows.¡¯ Wrath turned his gaze so slowly that it even felt boring, and eventually met Rimmer and Sheryl¡¯s eyes. ¡°The King of Essence only took care of the ones who possessed that distasteful demonic energy. There were other humans in the boundary, but he didn¡¯t bother to deal with them.¡± He shook his hand to tell them to go away before he continued. ¡°He might have fallen into the dimensional rift, or he could¡¯ve been transferred somewhere else.¡± Good job. That was the best acting Wrath could¡¯ve done because it would¡¯ve been strange for a demon king, who even looked down upon transcenders, to pay attention to a mere Master. ¡°Hmm, thank you.¡± Rimmer and Sheryl nodded at Wrath before they went away. ¡°How strange.¡± However, it didn¡¯t work against the obsessed madwoman. ¡°I can smell Raon¡¯s scent.¡± After transforming so much, Merlin must¡¯ve gained a dog¡¯s sense of smell, because she kept sniffing while walking around Wrath. Raon couldn¡¯t tell how it worked, but she seemed to use her nose to find him. ¡°I have a strong feeling that he¡¯s nearby thouuuugh¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Wrath¡¯s fingertips trembled as he saw Merlin¡¯s eyes turning red and blue. He still seemed terrified by Merlin¡¯s obsession. Wrath, this isn¡¯t time for that. ¡®H-he knows.¡¯ Wrath nodded and looked at the White Blood Religion''s leader instead. ¡°How long are you going to keep the King of Essence waiting?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader raised her hands without any response. Transparent energy started to fill her hands. They looked like beautiful bubbles, but the bloody energy concentrated in them was on a whole different level from before. An intense heat haze was rising around them. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master stepped back instead of doing anything. His powerful pressure subsided, and his lips curved into the entertained smile of a spectator. Raon couldn¡¯t understand his mind at all. Whir! Wrath¡¯s finger spread the energy of frost. Frost possessing a geometric trajectory simr to a magic circlended on the ground and glowed in the dim light. Step. Wrath stepped over the light and advanced. His dignity didn¡¯t pale at all even though he was facing the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master. He lowered his hands and raised his chin, implying that she should attack whenever she wanted. He¡¯d said that he was going to show the dignity of a king, and Raon had to admit that he was heeding his words. Raon was the one who was nervous instead as he observed the situation from behind Wrath. I need to get something out of this. The White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s energy wave became even more powerful than before, and the Holy Sword Alliance master was an extremely powerful swordsman who was rumored to match Glenn¡¯s prowess. Even if Wrath ended up losing, it was going to be an intense battle. That was why Raon wanted to learn something from the fight. ¡°You are being so arrogant when you are just a stranger in thisnd.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader twisted her lips and separated her hands a shoulder¡¯s width apart. The concentrated bloody energy became a single de and floated like a manipted sword. ¡°You are barking for no reason.¡± Wrath quietly shook his hand. His will dwelled in the wind, and the warriors around them¡ªincluding Rimmer, Sheryl, and Merlin¡ªwere pushed back. It was an exceptionally refined method, making Grandmasters and transcenders pull back with a simple movement of his hand. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Power isn¡¯t all he has¡­¡± ¡°So, this is a demon king¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor, the Demon ying Spear, and the Queen of Swords furrowed their brows upon feeling Wrath¡¯s energy. ¡°pping this great one¡¯s cheek shall cost you dearly! You shall die!¡± The Demonde narrowed his eyes in a frightening manner, swearing that he would make him pay the price for pping his cheek twice. ¡°All of you are such cowards. If you aren¡¯ting to him¡­¡± Wrath stabilized his fingers, which were trembling because of Merlin, and rolled his lips into a smile. ¡°The King of Essence will go to you.¡± Wrath dered, and his body became a ray of light at the same time. His body emerged in front of the Demonde. He extended his hand at the same time as his reappearance. Cring! His attack, wrapped in the raging coldness of Devildom, was aimed at the Demonde¡¯s neck. ¡°Kuh!¡± However, the Demonde was even stronger than Orgos as a transcender. He managed to react to Wrath¡¯s attack and immediately created a sword barrier. Dark me burst out and shed against Wrath¡¯s strike. Crack! The fog of frost engulfing Wrath¡¯s hand had frozen the Demonde¡¯s energypletely, even seeping into his de. ¡°What the hell?!¡± The Demonde hurriedly stepped back and scattered the dark mes from his de. The storming mes gathered around Wrath as if they were trying to lock him up. ¡°Get lost.¡± Wrath shouted towards the dark mes rushing towards him from all directions as if he were giving an order. Rumble! His voice, incorporating the will of a demon king, manifested into reality. The Demonde¡¯s me subsided before it could burn a fiber of Wrath¡¯s clothes. * * * * * * ¡°Im-impossible¡­¡± The Demonde repeated exactly what Orgos had said with a trembling chin. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening!¡± He pierced the sky with his sword, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief. The dark mes bursting from the de encircled Wrath and unleashed hundreds of heat rays. Every single me was a sword strike of the highest degree. ¡°How shabby.¡± Wrath sneered and shook his hand as if he were chasing away a fly. The wave of frost emerging from the back of his hand spread in a semi-circle like the morning dew on a leaf and froze every single one of the Demonde¡¯s mes. The dark mes locked inside the blue ice looked beautiful and frightening at the same time. Rumble! The frozen mes shattered into pieces before copsing to the ground, and the Demonde¡¯s expression was equally ruined. Thud! White frost was rising from the ground, and Wrath used his footwork. He appeared behind the Demonde and violently extended his hand to grab his arm. Crack! The Demonde¡¯s arm waspletely pulled off, red blood scattering into the sky. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°You must be craving death to be so careless in front of the King of Essence.¡± Wrath threw the Demonde¡¯s arm on the ground and bared his white teeth. Hah¡­ Raon gasped. Is this the real way to use ice? Raon had never even thought about freezing fire, but Wrath had literally shown it to him. He could understand why Wrath had continuously said that imagination was important. However, the battle wasn¡¯t over yet, and the Demonde wasn¡¯t the only enemy. Whoosh! The White Blood Religion''s leader didn¡¯t miss the opportunity when the coldness was obstructing their vision, piercing into Wrath¡¯s space and thrusting her sword of bloody energy. Her lips twitched rapidly, and the de multiplied into thousands to surround Wrath. Cring! Her power was on a whole different level from the Demonde. The des of bloody energy managed to pierce Wrath¡¯s coldness and dug into him. Her martial art and sorcery disyed the true power of a transcender. Whir! The White Blood Religion''s leader chanted rapidly once again, and the des of bloody energy floating in the sky rained down towards Wrath. They weren¡¯t falling at the same time. They were devouring the space avable for escape by falling at different times. ¡°A decent performance.¡± Wrath smiled arrogantly while looking at the transparent des rushing towards him. ¡°However¡­¡± His hand swept the air as if he were touching a crystal ball, and the shards of frost looked like they were stretching themselves as they condensed. The des of ice achieved the same variation and illusion as the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s bloody des and soared like a wave from the turbulent ocean. aang! The frontal sh between the ice and bloody energy resulted in a thundering noise that resounded throughout the night sky. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader furrowed her brow because of the extreme coldness, but Wrath¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t show any sign of losing hisposure, examining her as he pushed thend with his left foot. The space folded horizontally, panic reflecting in the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s eyes in front of his grasp. ¡°Parasite.¡± Wrath was about to grab the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s ebony hair when a frightening energy appeared from his blind spot on the right. ¡®He¡¯s finallying.¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance master was stabbing from the explosion even though he¡¯d been staying back as if he weren¡¯t going to join the fight. Crack! There was no time to look back. Wrath rapidly unleashed his will. The alignment between his will and demonic energy created a huge wall of ice, surging from the ground to block the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sword strike. ng! However, the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sword looked like it was solely focused on sharpness as it cut through the snowy wall and connected into a second strike. Wrath extended his hand to both sides. His left hand incorporated a pulling force, and his right hand added a pushing force to the demonic energy. The wave of frost spread around, resulting in the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s body being pulled towards him while the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s attack was pushed back. ¡°How dare you!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader took the opportunity and extended her hand filled with bloody energy. The deadly bloody energy wavered from her grasp and advanced towards Wrath¡¯s chest. Pssh! Wrath¡¯s hand rose alongside the surface of the crescent moon. He easily deflected the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s attack and covered her body and soul with shackles of ice. On the other hand, he crushed the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s attack and made his sword hit the ground. Crack! It was a disy of extreme prowess, capable of fending off the two transcenders¡¯ attacks and counterattacking at the same time. However, the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master weren¡¯t average transcenders. Pssh! The White Blood Religion''s leader set the bloody energy from all over her body ame to destroy the shackle of ice while the Holy Sword Alliance master moved to a direction where Wrath¡¯s ice couldn¡¯t reach and swung his dark sword, which was covered in white frost. Wrath entered the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s distance as she tried to fortify her defense while being aware of the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s movement. ¡°Tsk!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader rapidly regained her breath and extended her foot. Her kick, polished to the extreme, was piercing towards his chest before he even had time to inhale. Crack! Translucent ice covered Wrath¡¯s hand as he grabbed the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s thigh. Powerful sparks appeared as the bloody energy and frost shed against each other. Cring! Wrath¡¯s hand was extended without hesitation amid the powerful sparks that could even devour a transcender¡¯s flesh. Just as he was about to grab the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s neck, the Holy Sword Alliance master stabbed at him as if he''d been waiting for that moment. Whir! Wrath released the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s leg and lowered his right hand above his left hand, cupping it like he was holding a crystal ball. Blue frost emerged from his hands, distorting the space. Crack! The space broke apart, and the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sword stabbed thin air while the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s kick hit the ground. In the middle of the distorted space, Wrath aimed a punch at the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s face. Smaaack! The White Blood Religion''s leader managed to create a shield of bloody energy in that short time, but Wrath¡¯s fist didn¡¯t stop. It was as if he didn¡¯t care about it as he smacked her head. ¡°Huh?!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master gasped while looking at the space where his sword had be distorted. ¡°You are definitely skilled enough to be called the demon king.¡± He nodded while looking at his sword, which was covered with ice. ¡°You damned monster!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader violently ground her teeth while wiping away the white blood flowing from her lips. Whir! She put her hands and her irritation together. A white tidal wave emerged from the bloodynd. The wave soaring into the sky looked like it was trying to devour the stars and immediately crashed towards Wrath. It was abination of martial arts and sorcery. It was the power to turn illusion into reality. ¡°Shatter.¡± An auspicious light scattered from Wrath¡¯s sky-blue pupils. He spoke casually while facing the majestic wave of bloody energy, his hands sped behind his back. Wham! The demon king¡¯s voice resounded throughout the world once again, and the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s wave of bloody energy shattered. Divine words. It was a mysterious technique that he used that consisted of incorporating his will into his voice. Crack! The bloody wave couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on Wrath and subsided afterpletely melting the forest behind him. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s eyes widened. The situation waspletely unimaginable for her. The same thing happened earlier¡­ Raon swallowed nervously while thinking about the wave and me that were shattered from Wrath¡¯s words. ¡®It¡¯s called divine words.¡¯ Wrath told him about what he¡¯d done a moment ago in his mind. Divine words? ¡®The King of Essence told you before. It consists of adding one¡¯s will in one¡¯s voice to manifest them into reality.¡¯ Is it simr to the magic of dragon words? ¡®The lizards can do it instinctively, but others need an enlightenment to achieve it. Ah, we need to finish this quickly.¡¯ He opened his hand while murmuring that he didn¡¯t have that much time. ¡°I¡¯m going all-out to kill you¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader exhaled roughly and put her hands together. Her lips moved at an imperceptible speed, and the white light of daybreak burst from the night sky. The blood god opened her eyes and crimson blood flowed down from her bloodshot eyes to soak thend. That thing¡­ Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the blood god. ¡®Gained more arms!¡¯ The blood god previously had forty-four arms during the fight against Glenn in the past, but it had forty-six now. As expected, the White Blood Religion''s leader was also improving. Whir! Her lips moved at an extremely fast speed, and the evil malice covered the sky and human weapons surged from the Goddess of Blood Devouring Anguish¡¯s forty-six arms. Instead of stopping with that, she proceeded into a second chant. White mes burst from the forty-six weapons that the blood god was holding. It was the secret technique of the Goddess of Blood Devouring Anguish, Blood Infusion. ¡°I¡¯m also going to deploy a decent amount of power.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master made his dark sword float into the air. Darkness even deeper than the night burst from the dark de that suddenly became alive. The darkness of the de looked like it was the incarnation of the shadow, and the pressure emerging from it was breathtaking. However, he still seemed to be keeping some extra power in reserve. Rumble! The White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s Blood Word Divine Art and the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s Dark Star Soul sh advanced at the same time, and thend was removed under the dark light as if it had never existed to begin with. A tremendous storm burst into the surroundings, and the huge turbulence of mana was going to shatter him into pieces just with the wind if he tried to withdraw. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Wrath sighed quietly. He extended his right hand forward, wrapped in mysterious clothes. The conqueror of Devildom who had advanced even beyond transcendence was smiling faintly. ¡°Pierce.¡± The light emerging from the demon king¡¯s hand was so mesmerizing that it couldn''t be looked at directly. The ultimate technique of the Demon King of Wrath. Silver Moon Demonic Veil. The blue ray was fired alongside his divine words, and it shed against the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s Blood Word Divine Art and the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s Dark Star Soul sh. Whaaam! The contest of power between the bloody light, darkness, and blue radiance created a tremendous explosion of mana. It was the manifestation of the supernatural power of the gods. No one in the world could stop that sh of transcendence. Wrath used his will to elerate the pushing force. The coldness of the Silver Moon Demonic Veil spread widely, implying it was going to surround its enemies, and the White Blood Religion''s leader spread around her bloody energy to stop it. ¡®Now is the time!¡¯ Blue mes burst from Wrath¡¯s eyes, and he focused the Silver Moon Demonic Veil¡¯s energy in a single spot. Zap! The energy of frost concentrated in an instant to break through the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s Blood Word Divine Art and pushed back the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s Dark Star Soul sh. Crack! Wrath didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and moved right in front of the White Blood Religion''s leader. He grabbed her neck and clenched it. ¡°Kuh!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader tried to defend by controlling her bloody energy, but Wrath stopped her with ice and twisted her neck. ¡°Stay still.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but her death isn¡¯t part of my n.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s dark sword was already nearby and was rushing towards Wrath¡¯s shoulder. ang! Blue iron armor emerged from Wrath¡¯s clothes to defend against the de. The Magic Armor of Snow Flower! The blue armor had perfectly materialized to fend off the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sword. Creak! However, it didn¡¯t look like it was going tost for long. The power in the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s manipted sword was increasing drastically, and cold sweat was flowing from Wrath¡¯s forehead. Crack! The magic armor started to shatter, and Wrath grabbed the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sword with his hand. He was still holding the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s neck with his left hand. ¡°Fuck off¡­¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader pushed Wrath back with bloody energy, and the Holy Sword alliance master¡¯s manipted sword sparked frighteningly. ¡®So that¡¯s what happened. It¡¯s as expected.¡¯ Wrath nodded, implying that he finally realized something, and a tremendous wave of mana appeared from the sky. He raised his head and saw a huge golden dragon opening its jaw while covering countless stars. Whir! Yellow breath sparked from the dark throat. Lightning Breath. The gold dragon¡¯s strongest weapon was falling like lightning. Zap! At the same time, a sword engulfed in red lightning was rushing towards him from the sky on the right side. The sword strike had transcended the concept of speed. The lightning covering the sky was in no way less powerful than the dragon¡¯s breath. ¡®He¡¯s finally here.¡¯ Wrath released the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s neck as if he¡¯s been waiting for it and put his hands together in a prayer before turning his left hand in the opposite direction. Brilliant light radiated from the pattern of frost that he¡¯did out on the ground in the beginning. Whaaam! An otherworldly storm of light burst from the sh between the breath, lightning energy, bloody energy, and the manipted sword. Chapter 512 Chapter 512 Zap! The de of lightning devastating the center of the purple radiance returned as if time had reverted and went into Glenn Zieghart¡¯s hand. A sublime sword resonance emerged from Heavenly Tremor, which had returned to its master, and dark red lightning fell from it. Every single one of the dozens of lightning bolts was a sword strike of the transcender. The destructive lightning advanced like a pir of light, wiping out the dragon¡¯s breath and the transcenders¡¯ aura. Whaaam! The concentrated energy exploded simultaneously, and a tremendous shockwave struck thend. The dark pit created as a result looked like a bottomless abyss. Glenn Zieghartnded on the ground, where crimson sparks flickered. He shook his hand, and a violent wind emerged to remove the rising dark smoke. The transcenders were revealed from the subsiding cloud of dust. They had withdrawn far to the back. ¡°Kuh!¡±¡°Hah.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader must¡¯ve been hit by the breath and the sword strike directly, as she was coughing up white blood, and the Holy Sword Alliance master was watching passionately, as if he¡¯d been reunited with an old friend. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Demonde was trembling from the ground while clutching his shoulder where his arm had been cut off. His pale blue lips suggested that he was on the verge of death. ¡°You damn old man, you are being a hindrance once again!¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader ground her teeth violently while looking at Glenn. ¡°Oh my, we have a special guest here.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master spread his arms and smiled more brightly than ever before. ¡°Glenn Zieghart! I haven¡¯t forgotten stubborn face!¡± He licked his red lips. He looked like he wanted to cross des with Glenn right away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at the hole on the ground, ignoring the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion''s leader. ¡®Did they disappear?¡¯ There was an existence at the center of the battlefield that was wearing frightening demonic energy like clothes, but their energy couldn¡¯t be felt anymore. Since there was no way they would¡¯ve died, Glenn figured that they must¡¯ve run while the lightning energy and breath were rushing towards them. ¡°Heavenly de division leader, Light Wind division leader.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Rimmer and Sheryl knelt behind Glenn with hardened faces upon hearing his call. ¡°Report the situation.¡± ¡°Orgos appeared when the Light Wind division arrived here while guiding the civilians. The Light Wind division was being one-sidedly defeated when Raon¡­¡± Sheryl briefly exined what happened after the Holy Sword Alliance and the White Blood Religion¡¯s attack. ¡°¡­ording to the demon king, he only killed Orgos and didn¡¯t do anything to Raon. There is a high possibility that he¡¯s inside the boundary or somewhere in the area. Of course, I believe we can¡¯tpletely trust him.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Glenn nodded as if it was nothing special. However, his heart was aching despite his appearance. ¡®Seriously, that man¡­¡¯ When he¡¯d heard that Raon had activated the mass teleportation spell to save the severely injured Light Wind division, Glenn had thought that it was just like him but was also saddened at the same time. It was even more painful because his grandson has always cared about others more than himself. ¡®Just stay alive, please. I¡¯ll find you no matter what.¡¯ Whir! Glenn fixed the grip on Heavenly Tremor while calming his turbulent mind, only for an old man holding an old-fashioned staff tond on the ground alongside a golden light. There was a divine atmosphere around him, as if he¡¯d surpassed the human realm. ¡°What happened¡­¡± The old man walked towards the dark hole without paying attention to the others. ¡°To the demon king?¡± He narrowed his eyes while looking down inside the hole. It looked like the demon king was the only thing he was interested in. ¡°Hey, old dragon.¡± The White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s reddened eyes glowed towards the old man. ¡°Aren¡¯t you even going to apologize after you did this shit?¡± She ground her teeth violently while pointing at her arm, which had been burned by the breath. ¡°You should be aware that the dragon lord¡¯s scales aren¡¯t any tougher than the others.¡± ¡°Extermination of the demon king takes the highest priority.¡± The dragon lord extended his hand without apologizing at all. Golden shards dropped from his hand and fell into the dark hole. Whir. Various energies exploded in a disorderly manner, but the hole retained the same size all the way. The end of the hole was revealed after it fell for a long time, but nothing existed there. ¡°The demonic energy is gone, but I have a bad feeling about this.¡± The dragon lord frowned while looking at the empty hole. ¡°There¡¯s no way a demon king that managed to manifest on the continent would die from this much. I¡¯ll have to investigate this properly.¡± He put his hands together and countless particles of mana spread around in all directions. ¡°Something like a demon king is none of my business.¡± The dark sword floated behind the Holy Sword Alliance master like a cloud, and a faint sword resonance could be heard. ¡°Let¡¯s fight since it¡¯s been a while.¡± He viciously turned his eyes towards Glenn. ¡°Heavenly de division leader, Light Wind division leader.¡± Glenn didn¡¯t even look at the Holy Sword Alliance master. He looked behind him and called for Rimmer and Sheryl. ¡°Search the surrounding area and find the Light Wind division.¡± Since Raon must¡¯ve sent the Light Wind division to a safe location, Raon was the only target for the search despite how it sounded. ¡°I hear and I obey.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it happen¡­¡± Sheryl and Rimmer bit their lips and moved to the east and west respectively. ¡°Roenn.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Roenn, who had arrived afterward, pulled his sleeves up and drew the thin rapier hanging around his waist. He seemed to step away lightly and soon disappeared into the darkness. Smash! Just as the third and tenth apostles were about to move after the White Blood Religion''s leader nced at them, red lightning surged from the ground and stopped their advance. ¡°No one is allowed to move until I give my permission.¡± Glenn raised Heavenly Tremor and pointed it at the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion''s leader. His voice pressured the transcenders with a shapeless power, just like Wrath¡¯s divine words. Upon being exposed to the murderous intent of the swordsman who had reached the peak, their shoulders trembled. ¡°As expected of the Destructive King of the North. You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master became excited, and an ear-splitting sword resonance burst from his dark sword. ¡°Let¡¯s start fighting already. Let¡¯s check which one is superior, my sword or yours.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Glenn raised Heavenly Tremor without saying anything. His murderous will spread around from his ck de. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was nning on killing you to begin with.¡± He proudly unleashed his energy wave, implying that he was going to fight against the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion''s leader at the same time, just like Wrath. ¡°Stop it!¡± The dragon lord raised his hands and shook his head. ¡°The bnce of the continent will be destroyed if the three of you fight right here. The principle of causality is going to break, and¡­¡± ¡°Bnce and causality again.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master looked at the dragon lord sharply, his eyes full of irritation. ¡°You spit everywhere at the smallest issue, so why do you keep trying to stop fights between humans?¡± ¡°We are simply acting to maintain the bnce of the continent.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that the mad dragon of the western ocean is working for the bnce? When it¡¯s a crazy lizard that wipes out the coastal viges whenever it wants to?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The dragon lord groaned, unable to refute him, but he didn¡¯t withdraw from the argument. ¡°The demon king is the important thing right now. This isn¡¯t the time for us to fight, not when he obviously escaped alive!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also going to find him.¡± Glenn hardened his lips while looking at the dragon lord. ¡°No one is going to return alive from this ce unless the Light Wind division is found.¡± ¡°You are making this annoying.¡± The dragon lord shook his hand, and two huge dragons appeared from the night sky through teleportation. ¡°You are going to regret it if you don¡¯t stop fighting right now.¡± ¡°Are you¡­¡± Ominous energy emerged from Glenn¡¯s red eyes. ¡°Threatening me right now?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The dragon lord broke out into a cold sweat and stepped back upon feeling his energy wave crushing his heart. ¡°The same goes for me.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance ced his hand on his shoulder and tilted his chin. ¡°I¡¯m finally getting the main dish. I¡¯m going to get angry if you keep being a hindrance.¡± He twisted his lips, implying that he wanted to fight against Glenn right away. Rip! Just as Glenn and the Holy Sword Alliance master were raising their swords while ring at each other, a diagonal fissure appeared from the thin air, and a bloody red space appeared. ¡°Raon! It¡¯s Raon¡¯s boundary!¡± Merlin jumped into the boundary without regard for anyone else. Glenn also lowered his sword without hesitation and walked into the boundary. There was nothing more important to him than his grandson¡¯s whereabouts. * * * * * * Raon gasped while looking at the thin trickle of smoke rising from far away to the right. Does this mean¡­ He frowned while looking back at Wrath, who was casually sitting on the cliff. That you¡¯ve been nning to escape from the beginning? ¡°The King of Essence told you. He doesn¡¯t have the time. The frost he set up on the ground was preparation for teleportation.¡± Wrath shook his hand, saying that the geometric pattern he set up on the ground before the start of the battle was teleportation magic from Devildom. Then why did you go out of your way to waste your time fighting them? ¡°Because there was something he needed to do.¡± He narrowed his eyes while touching the white bloody energy rising from his hand. Bloody energy? Did you¡­? ¡°Yes. He examined the body that the parasite settled in. And¡­¡± A subtle smile appeared on Wrath¡¯s face as he crushed the bloody energy. ¡°He found out that the owner of that body is still alive.¡± Really? ¡°Indeed. She is being suppressed by the parasite, but the soul itself is still alive.¡± He told him that he could feel a small soul that was trembling when he¡¯d grabbed the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s neck. ¡°However, that¡¯s why the King of Essence couldn¡¯t do anything to her. He could kill the parasite, but the body was going to die at the same time.¡± Then what do we need to do? ¡°You all need to do it.¡± Wrath looked at Raon with a serious gaze. ¡°Since Beef Girl is that body¡¯s family, and you own that insignificant creature that holds a deep resentment towards the parasite, you should be fully capable of saving her. Of course, you will have to defeat that parasite first.¡± He casually shook his hand. The white energy floated into the air and flowed into his waist. He must¡¯ve fed the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s bloody energy to the de of Requiem. ¡°Can you do it?¡± I¡¯ll make it happen. Raon nodded while meeting Wrath¡¯s eyes. Thank you. ¡°Hmph, it wasn¡¯t for your sake. The King of Essence simply did it for his subordinate.¡± He briskly turned his head and murmured at him to stop saying nonsense. ¡°And it¡¯s time for thest task¡­¡± Wait a moment, I have a request. Raon stood in front of Wrath, who was about to stand up. ¡°There¡¯s really no more time left. We will revert back any moment¡­¡± I¡¯ll ept your wrath. Raon raised his chin with a determined voice. I also have something that needs to be done no matter what. * * * Martha bit her lip while looking at the thick needle inserted into her arm. ¡®He wasn¡¯t lying about it being a difficult task.¡¯ The needle was an artifact capable of extracting aura from a warrior to fill a patient¡¯s energy. Since it was a tool capable of achieving a principle of martial arts called Energy Transfer, it weighed heavily on the user. The pain wasn¡¯t the only issue. The constant leak of energy was making her dizzy, and her body felt as heavy as drenched cotton. However, Martha didn¡¯t even let out the smallest groan. It was the minimum she had to endure for the sake of the Light Wind division who had protected her until the very end. ¡°How are they doing?¡± Martha walked up to a healer who was examining Dorian, Burren, Runaan, and Mark Goetten one after the other. ¡°Those two should survive.¡± The healer pointed at Burren and Runaan, telling her that their lives weren¡¯t in danger. Martha breathed out a sigh of relief, and he continued. ¡°However, they might not be able to fight ever again, because the shoulder bones are broken and the internal injuries are too severe.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Martha¡¯s chin trembled. Martial arts were even more precious to them than their lives. She fell speechless upon hearing that they wouldn¡¯t be able to swing their swords anymore. ¡°He should be fine if he cuts his arm off. He needs to decide quickly though.¡± The healer briefly clicked his tongue while looking at Mark Goetten¡¯s arm. ¡°Andstly¡­¡± His gaze was directed at Dorian, who was at the very front. His arms and legs were still distorted, and the wound in his abdomen wasn¡¯t healed yet. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about him. I¡¯ve never seen anyone who stayed alive in this state. Even the priests shouldn¡¯t be able to help him.¡± The healer closed his eyes, saying that granting him a painless death could be the best for his sake. ¡°Y-you can extract more aura from me and even my life. Please¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already exceeded your limit. Stop it.¡± He started shaking his hand, telling her that she could end up with a serious internal injury if she continued any further, only to suddenlye to a halt. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The healer blinked and copsed to the ground. He wasn¡¯t the only one. Everyone in the healing ward slumped forward, healers and patients alike. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening¡­? Ah.¡± Martha¡¯s lips trembled. Her mind went nk, and she couldn¡¯t pull herself together. She couldn¡¯t endure the drowsiness either and copsed to the ground. Whap! After everyone had copsed, blue frost scattered into the healing ward, and Wrath appeared. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Wrath examined the condition of the Light Wind division and sighed briefly. ¡°The King of Essence will make this clear. You¡¯ve already umted arge amount of wrath for his advent, and you even lost a portion of your mental world. This loss is a lot bigger than some stats or martial arts.¡± I know. ¡°Are you seriously still willing to receive more wrath?¡± Yes. ¡°Have you lost your mind? You won''t be able to control your wrath anymore. You might never be able to return ever again if the King of Essence manifests in your body in the future.¡± A piece of human trash said this to me in the past. Raon smiled while looking at the Light Wind division, who were sleeping with their faces twisted in pain. He¡¯s said that humans be weaker once they gain something precious to them. It wasn¡¯t actually in the past but in his previous life. Derus Robert has ordered him to never cherish anything, as humans are bound to be weaker once they have something precious to them. I believed back then that he was right, but now that I think about it, it¡¯s not true. Raon never would¡¯ve managed to reach his realm if he¡¯d been training on his own. It was because Wrath, Rimmer, and the Light Wind division were with him all along that he¡¯d managed to reach his position. Losing them was an even bigger loss than ruining his mental world. I managed to be stronger thanks to them, and they also managed to get stronger thanks to me. Our rtionship isn¡¯t a weakness. It¡¯s a strength. ¡°Seriously, humans¡­¡± Wrath clicked his tongue and extended his hand. Orgos¡¯s demonic energy, which was digging up into the Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s wounds, was pulled out and absorbed into his hand. ¡°It seems difficult to treat him with the same method.¡± He furrowed his brow while looking at Mark Goetten. Is it possible to treat him? ¡°Demonic energy is a negative energy. It can be used to heal oneself but not others. However, the King of Essence can twist that fact.¡± Blue energy burst from his left hand while silver energy appeared in his right hand. ¡°Combining and adding a twist to two negative energies makes it positive. It¡¯s possible to create positive energy this way.¡± He put his hands together, and a dark blue radiance floated up from his hand. ¡°You should be thankful. The other stupid demon kings wouldn¡¯t be able to do this.¡± Wrath scattered the radiance burning from his hand on Mark Goetten¡¯s arm with a refreshing smile on his face. Whap! As soon as the blue energy touched him, the dead skin was torn from Mark Goetten¡¯s incinerated arm and it was filled with new flesh. The regenerated arm¡¯s color was even cleaner and more distinct than before. ¡°This should be enough for him.¡± Wrath went past Mark Goetten and stood in front of Runaan. ¡°Ice Cream Girl. The King of Essence has always wanted to eat ice cream with you.¡± He ground his teeth violently and scattered the healing light on her. Whap! ck blood was pushed from the hole in her abdomen that couldn¡¯t be healed, and white flesh spouted like a bud. Wrath also erased the scars covering her face and body before moving to the side. ¡°Shitty Eyes.¡± Burren had lots of serious injuries, but losing his eye was the biggest issue. Whir! Wrath snapped his fingers, and blue pupils appeared from his bloody eye. The color was different from before, but his eye blinked and moved for a moment. This is¡­ ¡°He can¡¯t be Shitty Eyes without his eye.¡± He seemed to have used an artifact instead of treating him. Wrath also healed Burren¡¯s injuries on his shoulders and abdomen while saying that it wouldn¡¯t be counted towards the fee. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Wrath sighed while standing in front of Dorian, who was thest one on the list. ¡°You stupid Wallet. You should¡¯ve known when to stop.¡± I didn¡¯t expect Dorian to go that far. ¡°Humans can sometimes be foolish, even beyond the power of their souls. How could he do that in this state¡­?¡± He shook his head after examining Dorian¡¯s condition. It looked like he hadn¡¯t seen such injuries before even though he was the monarch of Devildom. A bit more demonic energy burst from his hands, and he brought it to Dorian¡¯s wounds. Crack! Alongside the sound of twisting bones, Dorian¡¯s arms and legs, which were twisted likeundry, started to return to normal. He must¡¯ve been going through intense pain, as his body trembled violently and his hair was drenched in sweat. In return, his limbs regained their original shape pretty quickly, and the hole in his abdomen was also regenerated. A healthyplexion returned to Dorian¡¯s pale face, which used to look like he was about to die. ¡°This is even harder than fighting.¡± Wrath wiped the sweat flowing from his forehead with his sleeve and sighed. Thank you. ¡°The King of Essence will pay half.¡± What? ¡°They are the King of Essence¡¯s subordinates. He can¡¯t bear the entire burden because of causality, but he will take half of your burden.¡± He smiled coldly, telling Raon to only take half of the wrath he was supposed to get. Are you really a demon king? ¡°Why are you asking such an obvious question?! He is the proud and fearsome monarch of Devildom!¡± Wrath put his hands on his waist and shook his head. Fearsome¡­ ¡°You are the one who doesn¡¯t act like a human!¡± That might be true. Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. Well, it¡¯s time for your business. What are you going to do? ¡°Y-yes! There really is no time left anymore!¡± Wrath nodded and rapidly concealed his presence before leaving through the door. The quiet sound of breathing was all that could be heard in the healing ward after he was gone. Chapter 513 Chapter 513 The red moonlight was waning upon the light green leaves inside the great garden of House Robert. A small maid knelt behind Derus Robert, who was watching the clouds flowing by like a river. ¡°How did it go?¡± Derus turned his head halfway towards her to let her into his vision. ¡°The situation went a bit awry.¡± Cubara remained perfectly calm despite stating that things had gone wrong. ¡°The situation went awry, you say?¡± ¡°Orgos and the Light Wind division shed as you wished, and Raon Zieghart joined the battlefield afterward to confine Orgos inside a boundary. However, after that¡­¡± Cubara closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and continued.¡°A demon king manifested.¡± ¡°¡­Demon king?¡± Derus Robert turned around. His pupils twisted as if a de was stabbing into them as he looked down upon Cubara. ¡°Did you just say that a demon king arrived?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± ¡°Why did a demon king¡­?¡± ¡°ording to the report, they appeared because Orgos¡¯s demonic energy was getting on their nerves.¡± ¡°What outfit was the demon king wearing? No, what did they look like?¡± ¡°They had a beautiful appearance with sky blue hair and snow white skin, and the report mentioned that it was impossible to tell whether they were a man or a woman from afar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a different one¡­¡± Derus deeply closed his eyes and exhaled roughly. ¡°What happened to Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°The report says they only understood the situation through lip reading since they couldn¡¯t hear, and the demon king seems to have only killed Orgos while ignoring Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°He was ignored¡­¡± Since Shadows learned to lip read as a part of their basic education, there shouldn¡¯t have been any mistakes. ¡®And regardless of the lip reading, that¡¯s the reasonable course of action.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been strange if the demon king had paid any attention to a mere Master if their advent had been caused by Orgos¡¯s demonic energy, which earned their displeasure. Derus could assume that Raon really was ignored. ¡°What happened after that?¡± ¡°The demon king shed against the White Blood Religion''s leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master¡­¡± Cubara reported everything up to the moment Glenn and the dragon lord made their appearance without missing any detail. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Derus touched his ck leather gloves while looking down on Cubara. The wound at the back of his hand was aching slightly. ¡®The demon king supposedly broke out of the boundary¡­ Which means Raon Zieghart probably fell somewhere in the continent from the distortion of the boundary.¡¯ Since Raon had created the boundary by cutting his own stomach, he must¡¯ve been unable to move or even unconscious if he¡¯d managed to survive. ¡°Cubara.¡± Derus made up his mind and raised his head. ¡°Order all the Shadows throughout the continent to find Raon Zieghart, even if they have to search through the entire region they are infiltrating.¡± There was a high possibility that they wouldn¡¯t be able to find Raon, but it was a perfect opportunity to easily kill that annoying man if they did. It was an opportunity that he couldn¡¯t miss. ¡°Tell them to kill him right away if they find him without reporting, and to move in groups of two.¡± ording to Raon Zieghart¡¯s previous actions, he would definitely put up a desperate struggle even if he was on the verge of death. It was necessary to move in groups of two to make sure he died. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Cubara nodded without asking any questions. Derus raised his hand when she was about to leave. ¡°What happened to the demon king?¡± ¡°They disappeared when Glenn and the dragon lord appeared.¡± ¡°¡­I see. You can leave.¡± Derus turned around once again. He rolled his lips into a smile while watching the clouds starting to hide the moonlight. ¡°A demon king that can easily kill Orgos and overwhelm the White Blood Religion''s leader¡­¡± ¡®They might be another chess piece I can use.¡¯ * * * Wrath reappeared in front of the bead ice cream shop located in the royal capital. Hah¡­ Raon gasped while watching Wrath sticking to the shop¡¯s window like a frog. You said you had toe here no matter what, and it¡¯s an ice cream shop? ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?!¡± Wrath nodded violently, saying that it wasn¡¯t even a question. ¡°The King of Essence has been living for this day! He¡¯s always wanted to eat bead ice cream with his own mouth and hand!¡± His blue eyes red at Raon as he dered that he was going to kill him if he tried to stop him. No, I¡¯m not going to try to stop you. Raon raised his finger and pointed inside the shop. The manager was cleaning the floor, implying that she was nning to close the shop since it was ate hour. The shop is going to close if you don¡¯t go right now. ¡°That can¡¯t be allowed to happen!¡± Wrath frantically entered the ice cream shop. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. The shop is closed for the day¡ªah!¡± The young woman, who seemed to be the manager, was about to turn the light off but stopped midway. She looked at Wrath¡¯s face and dropped the magicmp from her hand. The ss shattered andpletely messed up the floor she had cleaned. ¡°H-how can a human face be like that¡­?¡± However, the manager didn¡¯t care at all about the destroyed magicmp and kept staring at Wrath¡¯s face. ¡°What a nostalgic feeling.¡± Wrath swept his hair back with his finger even though it wasn¡¯t even disheveled and his lips floated into a smile. ¡®Like he said before, the King of Essence is the most beautiful being in Devildom¡­¡¯ Is that even important right now? You said you had no time. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right! Manager, pull yourself together!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The manager hurriedly bowed, but her pupils were still sucked to Wrath. ¡°Hmm, but is the shop closed?¡± ¡°Not at all! Please choose! Have them all! Everything!¡± Wrath¡¯s eyebrows were lowered in disappointment, and the manager frantically shook her hands. She looked like she was going to give him the entire shop. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°I wish you sess and happiness!¡± Wrath blessed her despite being a demon king and started examining the bead ice cream on the other side of the counter. Wrath and the manager made the perfect duo even though they¡¯d just met each other. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Since it was the capital, there was a wider variety of ice cream than in other ces. Wrath contemted for a long time, unable to make up his mind right away. ¡°He can¡¯t tell which one to pick.¡± I thought you were going to take mint chocte. Raon tilted his head while watching Wrath. He¡¯d thought Wrath would definitely say that he would have mint chocte, and his contemtion was rather unexpected. ¡®He can¡¯t possibly have just mint chocte since this might be thest opportunity for him to eat it himself! The vors that you would never want to eat need to be taken no matter what!¡¯ Wrath¡¯s eyes moved over the options rapidly as he said that he was going to try out various vors. I¡¯m d you have a choice, but you don¡¯t have much time, do you? ¡°Th-the King of Essence will be having mint chocte, pineapple vani, apple mango beef jerky, and peanut apple vored ice cream¡ªone of each!¡± What the hell are those choices¡­? Raon sighed. The names already revealed that none of the choices were normal. ¡°Understood!¡± The manager nodded and started to scoop up the ice cream into a luxurious box. Of course, her eyes were still fixated on Wrath. Do you have money, by the way? ¡®Money? M-money!¡¯ Wrath widened his eyes in shock. ¡®N-no! What should he do?!¡¯ He started to panic. Since he¡¯d suddenly appeared in his demon king form, it was only natural that he wouldn¡¯t have any human money. Is he really a demon king¡­? Raonughed bitterly while watching the monarch of Devildom panic because he didn¡¯t have any money to buy ice cream after he¡¯d pressured three transcenders on his own. ¡®Help¡­¡¯ Wrath put his hands together and asked for help. Raon wanted to give him the money since he¡¯d helped a lot, but he couldn¡¯t figure out how. My money is inside my subspace, but it can¡¯t be taken out right now. ¡®No, it can!¡¯ How? ¡®The King of Essence is currently rooted in your mental world. You just need to take out of your mental world just like you made the King of Essence manifest into the world.¡¯ Mental world¡­ Raon closed his eyes. He imagined taking out the subspace pocket Dorian had given to him and unleashed his will. Along with a floating sensation in his body, the subspace pocket appeared in front of Wrath¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ooh!¡± Wrath quickly caught the pocket and took gold coins from it. ¡®You aren¡¯t needed anymore!¡¯ Hey¡­ Raon frowned while looking at Wrath. He bit his lip while promising himself revenge. ¡°Here¡¯s your ice cream.¡± The manager put the bead ice cream inside the package box and handed it to Wrath. It seemed to include at least twice as much as the normal amount at a nce. ¡°Here you go.¡± Wrath nodded and ced three gold coins on the counter. ¡°I have to give change with just one of them¡­¡± ¡°Change is unnecessary!¡± He violently shook his head while taking the ice cream box. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The way you handled it was to the king¡¯s liking. Take it!¡± It¡¯s not even your mon¡ª ¡®It¡¯s the King of Essence¡¯s money now!¡¯ Wrath waved his hand at the manager and wished her the best of luck in her life before he left the ice cream shop. Alright, it¡¯s just for today, so do whatever you wish¡­ Raon murmured that he gave up and shook his hand. Just eat it up already. ¡°What is that?!¡± Wrath swallowed while looking at the grilled skewer restaurant located on the opposite side of the ice cream shop. Hey, weren''t you supposed to not have enough time?! ¡°A ghost should stay quiet.¡± He pped Raon¡¯s hand away as he tried to stop him and used his footwork towards the grilled skewer shop. ¡°Welc¡ªgasp!¡± The middle-aged manager who was grilling the skewer dropped his jaw upon seeing Wrath¡¯s face. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s a grilled skewer made with leek and chicken leg meat. We also have pork and beef as meat.¡± The manager¡¯s courtesy made it seem as if he were dealing with a noblewoman. He seemed to think that Wrath was a woman, unlike the ice cream shop manager. ¡°Give one of each kind!¡± Wrath nodded in satisfaction and ced three gold coins on the counter. Hey, why are you spending three each time? One is more than enough. ¡®The King of Essence gets to decide it since it¡¯s his money!¡¯ Wait, it¡¯s not your money! He looked like he was having fun spending the money because he was generously giving out tips. ¡°H-here you go!¡± The manager even gave the skewers that other clients should¡¯ve gotten to Wrath instead and bowed to him. ¡°Keep up the great work.¡± Wrath said goodbye properly once again and left the skewer shop. He had such good manners despite being a demon king. Let¡¯s really start eat¡ª ¡°What is that now?!¡± He was looking at the skewer but suddenly started running towards a pizza shop on the right. Hey, you useless glutton of a demon king! You said you didn¡¯t have the time! ¡°Just one more!¡± * * * * * * Glenn sighed quietly after he confirmed everything inside the twisted boundary. ¡®The boundary was created with blood.¡¯ Since Raon was supposed to be the creator of the boundary, it must¡¯ve been made with the Light Wind division¡¯s blood. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ He was angry at Orgos, who had caused the situation. Since he got torn apart by the demon king, Glenn wanted to revive him and beat him to death once again. ¡®Where are you?¡¯ If Raon had really been bounced out when the boundary was twisted, there must¡¯ve been a hint inside. He had to find it no matter what. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The dragon lord also activated various magics inside the boundary. He seemed to be trying to find the demon king¡¯s traces. ¡°This demon king is far more powerful than I thought¡­¡± He bit his lip upon noticing that the demon king¡¯s energy had influenced the space itself. ¡®Indeed¡­¡¯ Glenn nodded in agreement. ¡®It wasn¡¯t any ordinary demonic energy.¡¯ The demon king was watching out for them even when he was defending against the two transcenders. If he was still on the continent, it could be a huge problemter on. However, the demon king wasn¡¯t the important thing for the time being. Finding Raon and the Light Wind division¡¯s locations and states was the highest priority. Roenn walked up to him while Glenn was examining the inside of the boundary once again. ¡°My lord.¡± Roenn ced his hand on his chest and continued. ¡°We¡¯ve received a message from the house. The Light Wind division is currently being treated at the healing ward inside the Owen Kingdom.¡± His lips trembled slightly as he said that everyone from the Light Wind division was being treated over there. ¡°The Light Wind division¡¯s vice leader must¡¯ve used that ring to send them there.¡± ¡°That should be the case¡­¡± Glenn nodded. He could guess that they were sent to Owen because the mana wasn¡¯t enough, and it ended up being an excellent decision considering the situation. ¡°Then is Raon¡­?¡± ¡°They said the Light Wind division¡¯s vice leader isn¡¯t over there.¡± Roenn lowered his head to hide his trembling pupils. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Destructive King of the North.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master furrowed his brow and ced his dark sword on his shoulder. ¡°What are you doing right now? You wouldn¡¯t have cared whether your subordinates died or not in the past, you would have crossed des with me.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would be better to act before I personally kill those young ones? Don¡¯t disappoint me any further.¡± The bloody ck shadow started to rage from underneath him. ¡°Darkan.¡± Glenn turned around. He looked down on the Holy Sword Alliance master with a breathtakingly emotionless gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll grant your wish and kill you, even if you don¡¯t whine so much.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the expression. That¡¯s what I want¡ª¡± ¡°Owen!¡± While he was twisting his lips into a smile, Merlin clutched her head and started to scream. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Owen! I can smell him from Owen!¡± Merlin left the boundary while murmuring that Raon¡¯s scent was connected to Owen. She immediately floated into the air and flew towards Owen. Glenn lowered his lips, his sword still pointed at the Holy Sword Alliance master. ¡®That woman¡­¡¯ She was an insane person who had kidnapped Raon to Eden¡¯s branch and was still showing a strange obsession towards Raon, but she was the first to notice Raon¡¯s boundary. ¡°Roenn. Bring the Heavenly de division leader and the Light Wind division leader to Owen.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± As soon as Roenn nodded, Glenn used the Supreme Harmony Steps toward the direction where Merlin had gone flying. His shape disappeared in an instant. ¡°What the hell?! Where do you think you are going? Glenn Zieghart!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master ground his teeth violently and chased after Glenn. ¡°What¡¯s even going on right now¡­?¡± The Demon ying Spear gasped while throwing away his spear shaft. ¡°What aplete mess.¡± The Queen of Swords sighed while taking her hand off of her hilt. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Thespian Emperor pressed on her temple deeply while looking in the direction where Glenn had disappeared. ¡®Raon Zieghart and a demon king.¡¯ It reminded her of when she¡¯d read the heaven¡¯s flow regarding Raon Zieghart. She felt like the demon¡¯s shape that was engraved on the book was ovepping with the face of the demon king who had killed Orgos. ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ * * * Wrath appeared in the capital¡¯s backstreet, a ce rarely visited by people, while carefully hugging the ice cream and various food in his arms. ¡°Since we are going to switch back soon, it should be better to eat here and return to your form.¡± I get it, so you should just start eating already. Raon sighed while looking at the food Wrath was holding. ¡°He knows!¡± Wrath nodded and spread a nket on the ground before putting the ice cream and food on it. ¡°Which one shall he start with?¡± You should start with the food. Ice cream is a dessert. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to eat. Starting with ice cream is best at a time like this!¡± Why did you even ask me if you were going to do that anyway¡­? Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the broad grin on Wrath¡¯s face. Whap! Wrath opened the ice cream box¡¯s lid with his hand trembling in excitement. As the white steam rose from it, his eyes fluttered in the same way. ¡°The King of Essence is finally getting to eat this piece of art with his own hand and mouth. He¡¯s waited so long¡ªHuh?¡± However, when Wrath¡¯s hand was approaching the ice cream, the blue energy on his arm started to scatter around. ¡°Wh-what?! There should¡¯ve been some more time remaining!¡± You said earlier when you were healing them that it was more exerting than fighting. Didn¡¯t the time decrease even further because you decided to take my burden on top of that? ¡°Argh!¡± Raon must¡¯ve guessed right since Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°N-no! This can¡¯t be happening! Just one bite! It¡¯s too sad to be unable to eat after buying them all!¡± He extended his hand, saying that it couldn¡¯t be happening. ¡°You damned heaven! Stop being unreasonable to hiiiim!¡± The moment Wrath¡¯s hand reached the mint chocte ice cream, the blue frost surrounding his body radiated a brilliant light and Raon appeared. Pssh! Blood wasn¡¯t gushing from his abdomen that was stabbed by Heavenly Drive, but his face was pale. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything unreasonable this time. It was your fault for being such a glutton. I can¡¯t even tell whether you are Wrath or Gluttony.¡± Raon shook his head while feeling the cold sensation of the ice cream in his hand. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to¡­ hurry up¡­¡± However, he didn¡¯tst for long either. He couldn¡¯t control his body, just like Wrath, and copsed to the side. ng! In the midst of his vision going dark, he could see Heavenly Drive and ice cream rolling on the ground. By the time the mint chocte ice cream fell on the ground and started to slowly melt, the voices of an old man and a woman could be heard from between the backstreets. ¡°What¡¯s even here?¡± ¡°I felt a strange energy.¡± ¡°It must be some brawl between drunkard¡­ Hmm?¡± The old man stopped walking as soon as he entered the alley. He widened his eyes, after examining Raon¡¯s face and Heavenly Drive. ¡°Raon Zieghart?¡± Chapter 514 Chapter 514 Heaven and earth fell silent. Even the red moonlight looked distorted because of the energy waves of the transcenders who were standing at the peak of humanity. The two swordsmen who ended up fighting once again after dozens of years met each other¡¯s eyes and unleashed the wills that they¡¯d been building up. The red radiance emerging from Glenn Zieghart incorporated his will to protect the present. His lightning drew the shape of a huge tree, a symbol of his intention to never yield to any external pressure. On the other hand, the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s wavering darkness was simple. It was a burning desire. It was an expression of his greed to gain an even more advanced swordsmanship while enjoying bloodshed and battle. The waves of wills surging from the ground underneath the two transcenders shed against each other under the moonlight, and a tremendous shockwave burst out, the atmosphere sloshing from the impact. Whaaam! As if it signaled the start of the battle, the Holy Sword Alliance master made his move. He executed a downward sh with his dark sword without moving from his spot, and the fiery sh looked like it was tearing the space apart. It was sharp, swift, powerful, and light. His swordsmanship was extremely advanced, as he¡¯d managed to incorporate the principles of the versatile sword in an instant.Glenn¡¯s feet were fixated on the ground. He raised Heavenly Tremor around waist-height and took on the dark sword attack. Whaam! The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sh melted like the snow in the spring upon facing Heavenly Tremor. Contrary to the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s sword technique, Glenn¡¯s sword was unshakable, slow, flexible, and heavy. It was an exquisite move where he used the opposite sword principles. Even though it was a sh between the swords of transcenders, not the slightest impact had reached the frozenke. It implied that their skills at manipting their auras had reached the heavens. Cring! The Holy Sword Alliance master started his second attack. His perfectly tuned body followed it. He moved like he was riding on shadows and scraped the dark sword upwards from below. It was a simple rising sh, yet the countless principles of martial arts dwelling inside disyed the true power of the versatile sword. Theyer of destruction added at the end resounded throughout the sky andnd. Crack! Glenn¡¯s left foot stepped forward and he pulled Heavenly Tremor towards him. It looked like he¡¯d decided he wouldn¡¯t be able to fend it off as easily as the first attack. The lightning energy bursting from the tip of his sword spread throughout his de and engulfed it in a red radiance. Rumble! Glenn overpowered the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s attack with sheer strength, as if he were telling him that he had no intention of holding a conversation of swords. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a killjoy.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master rolled his lips into a smile and turned his shoulder. He released the lightning from Glenn¡¯s attack into the air and stabbed at him from above. The me of darkness engulfing his de seemed to tell him that he wasn¡¯t going to lose in terms of power anymore. Glenn¡¯s pressure was still indifferent. He unleashed the lightning energy from Heavenly Tremor, his eyes as cold as when he was looking down on the world from the throne in the audience chamber. The red lightning spreading around from the tip of the de devoured the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s attack. Whaaam! With a huge explosion that felt like it was destroying the night sky, the aura stormed around in all directions. However, Glenn and the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s clothes weren¡¯t fluttering in the slightest. Their auras inside and outside their bodies were being controlled perfectly. ¡°You are indeed amazing.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master smiled, implying that he was expecting his performance, and released his sword from his hand. The dark sword floated naturally ording to his will and burst into a dark me. ¡°Since we¡¯ve warmed up enough, let¡¯s start the real fight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn raised Heavenly Tremor without responding. His posture was the same as in the beginning, but a frightening amount of murderous intent was emerging from his red eyes. [Stop it!] Just as the two transcenders were about to move once again, a huge will wavered from the sky. It was the dragon lord. He¡¯d been looking for the demon king but shouted at them to stop the fight from the sky. [You will break the bnce of the continent if you sh right now when the demon king has already brought chaos!] ¡°You¡¯d better be quiet before I start by killing you.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master ignored the dragon lord and bobbed his finger. The dark sword¡¯s de multiplied into hundreds andpletely filled the sky and thend. It hadn¡¯t simply increased in number. Even though there were countless swords, they were all using different principles and sword techniques as they rushed toward Glenn¡¯s heart and neck. It was one of the Dark Night Demonde¡¯s special techniques, Infinite Specter des. Not a single one among the hundreds of des was a fake. Every single one was an extremely advanced sword strike, incorporating the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s will. Zap! Glenn raised Heavenly Tremor overhead. Red lightning emerged like an explosion above his de piercing the sky. Azure Sky Sword, third technique. Vermillion Sky Canopy. The lightning energy spread around like a web from the tip of his de and covered the world. Just as Glenn had demonstrated for Raon in the past, his Azure Sky Sword was dark and majestic. It was filled with the power to overwhelm everything in the world. Whaaam! The Vermilion Sky Canopy unleashed its lightning energy like moonlight shining upon the world, shing against the Infinite Specter des that covered the entire realm with swords. A tremendous shockwave burst forth from the collision. Waves of lightning energy sometimes removed a de, and the sharp de sometimes tore apart the radiant web. Tremendous waves of aura continued endlessly, and a fissure appeared like a spider web from the center of the frozenke. Whaaam! A huge tidal wave soared above the fractured ice. Glenn and the Holy Sword Alliance master were attacking each other at the center of the explosion, where the waves were entangling with each other. Their divine performances did not disgrace their names as the Lightning God and the Dark Night Sword God in the slightest. ¡°Is that a new technique? I want to see more!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master fired his dark sword while asking him to show him more. ¡°I''ve already told you that I have no intention of prolonging this any further." Glenn soaked the tip of Heavenly Tremor in the surface of theke. With a graceful posture resembling a picture, a small ripple spread across the surface, akin to a child tossing a pebble into a pond. The serene wave of the sword continued, and it turned into a watery de that tore apart the space as it advanced. aang! The sh between the de made from water and the manipted sword resulted in a violent wave of power surging up to create a blue hole in the sky. Step. Glenn used the Supreme Harmony Steps in the air. His footsteps, infused with his will, transcended space and teleported his body. Heavenly Sword Arts Light sh The de of lightning drew a dignified line along with a radiance. The transcended sh brought a sense of solemnity to the enemy as it sliced at the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s neck. ¡°So it¡¯s the Heavenly Sword Arts in the end!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master twisted his lips, and the space melted down to reveal his dark sword. A sh that had even transcended the speed of a manipted sword blocked the path of the Light sh. aang! The dark sword¡¯s me absorbed the lightning energy of Heavenly Tremor as if it were the real shadow and significantly decreased its output. The dark sword followed up with the Continuous Flow Technique. It was thrust in a trajectory that a human being couldn¡¯t possibly achieve and suddenly fell towards Glenn¡¯s neck. Glenn snapped the wrist of the hand that was holding Heavenly Tremor out. Heavenly Tremor soared like reversed lightning to fend off the dark sword and sever the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s shoulder. Pssh! The shield of aura wrapped in his will was shattered into pieces, and blood flowed down the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s coat. However, he remained calm. The Holy Sword Alliance master proceeded to a counterattack in an instant, as if even the injury was all ording to his n. The dark sword spread around like a kaleidoscope and unleashed his vicious energy. It was an unavoidable attack that forced his opponent to defend. Glenn seemed to understand that he couldn''t retreat, so he stood his ground and raised Heavenly Tremor. Heavenly Tremor''s de was lifted upward, then descended while transcending the distance. aang! The ten dark swords rushing towards his vitals were shattered into pieces and scattered away. Glenn didn¡¯t miss his opportunity as the dark sword bounced back. He forged his de of lightning with an indomitable will and thrust it towards the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s heart. Swaa! Blood gushed from the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s waist. Glenn was aiming at his chest, but he had managed to twist his body in that short time and even connected into a counterattack. His skills were truly not to be underestimated. The dark sword rushed towards him, wrapped in a me of malice. The attack appeared intended to overwhelm through sheer strength. Glenn extended his right foot to the front. He lowered his center of gravity and raised Heavenly Tremor. Red lightning rampaged above the de, soaring through the moonlight. Whaaam! The dark me and red lightning growled at each other like savage beasts and created a strange shape in the air. Glenn and the Holy Sword Alliance master thrust their swords at each other amid the lingering aura spreading around them. aang! Heavenly Tremor and the dark sword geared with each other and created violent sparks. Cring! Glenn twisted his ankle and wrist at the same time, striking the center of the dark sword and attacking the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s neck. However, the Holy Sword Alliance master must¡¯ve read his trajectory, because he leaned backward and created a thick sword barrier with his dark sword. aang! A powerful shockwave spread around from the sh between the swords, but the two transcenders weren¡¯t pushed back in the slightest. They advanced instead and sliced with their des to take away their opponents¡¯ lives. Glenn disyed the epitome of sword technique instead of the power of his aura as if he¡¯d returned to his childhood. Glenn¡¯s sword cut through the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s chest, and the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s dark sword pierced into Glenn¡¯s shoulder. It was a festival of sword arts at close range. The sword strikes continued endlessly, without any room to breathe in between. They seemed to perfectly understand each other¡¯s swordsmanship. It was only possible because both Glenn and the Holy Sword Alliance master had learned the versatile sword. Whaaam! As their close-quarters fight was prolonged, the lightning energy and the me spread around like a coiling snake and ended up creating a huge explosion. A tremendous storm of light spread around from the center of theke and turned thend upside down, releasing the water. * * * * * * Glenn and the Holy Sword Alliance masternded on the water soaking into the snow field. ¡°That¡¯s the Destructive King of the North for you.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master curved his lips into a deep smile. His face was full of delight. It looked like the me of exhration was burning his body. ¡°¡­¡­¡± On the other hand, Glenn¡¯s gaze was dry and emotionless. Heavenly Tremor was pointing at the ground, seeming to disy his intention to end the fight. ¡°However¡­¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master gestured with his finger, and the dark sword floated above him with a dignified me. The gray glimmer distorting the space looked like it had turned into ash from burning too long. ¡°This will be the end of you if that¡¯s all you have to show.¡± He quietly muttered and the dark sword advanced. It wasn¡¯t fast nor slow and didn¡¯t create the slightest wave around it. However, the technique dwelling on the sword was theption of the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s will and martial arts, the Dark Night Demonde¡¯s special technique, Demonic Will Soulstealer. It was his full power, which he hadn¡¯t even shown against the demon king. The sword of transcendence rushing toward Glenn¡¯s soul was the quintessence of a versatile sword practitioner. Whir! Glenn raised his sword. A sphere of transcendence burst from the tip of his de, cut through the sky, and summoned a red twilight into the world. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± The proud shout of the swordsman standing in the sky distorted the flow of the world. ¡°Seamless Perfection.¡± A red radiance engulfed Heavenly Tremor¡¯s ck de and turned it into a sword of light of raging lightning. The change wasn¡¯t too drastic. However, his sword wasn¡¯t the real deal. The supreme swordsman Glenn Zieghart had turned into a sword. That was the true meaning of Seamless Perfection. He was fast, powerful, flexible, light, slow, heavy, straight, sharp, illusory, destructive, and sturdy. The principles of the versatile sword that Glenn had been umting were burning like fuel as he unleashed the Lightning Spirit Sword. The perfection dwelling on his de wasn¡¯t showing the slightest opening, just like the seamless clothes of a god in heaven. ¡°Lightning Avatar.¡± Glenn spoke quietly, and a serene wave spread around from the Lightning Spirit Sword. The sword shed in a crescent shape and melted the martial principles and will embodied into the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s Demonic Will Soulstealer. ¡°I¡¯m finally getting to see it again! Seamless Perfection!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master shouted, and his sword changed. His aura seeped into his martial principles and will, and a dark light exploded from it. The Demonic Will Soulstealer connected into the matchless technique, Immortal Awakening. ¡°Land sh.¡± Glenn¡¯s Lightning Spirit Sword spread its wings along the horizon. The Immortal Awakening was about to tear the space apart, but it ended up losing its light and dropped to the ground. Wham. The sound wasn¡¯t that loud, but the oundish distortion created between the swords tore apart half of theke. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master shouted and the dark sword advanced. All of his martial principles were jumbled together, and a light even darker than night burst from him. His dark sword was the only thing existing in the world, as if the entirety of time and space hade to a halt. It was the Dark Night Demonde¡¯s ultimate technique, Illuminated ze. ¡°No, the fight is over.¡± The look in Glenn¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t show any sign of defeat even though he was facing absolute power. ¡°Heavenly de.¡± He wielded the Lightning Spirit Sword with both hands and raised it above his head. The downward sh of the warrior god cut through the Illuminated ze. The dark sword was about to disappear under the attack turning the world white. ¡°I said I¡¯m not done yet.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master appeared from behind the dark sword. He stretched his hand to the front, and a colorless radiance emerged from it. Rumble! It was on a whole different level from the White Blood Religion''s leader¡¯s bloody energy. It wasn¡¯t covered in any color, but energy more divine than anything else was spouting from it. It was the manifestation of the Shapeless Sword, the invincible sword capable of cutting through anything. The wave of the Shapeless Sword, which was even more powerful than the manipted sword¡¯s Illuminated ze, created a long vertical cut into the space. ¡°That technique¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s my secret art that I¡¯ve prepared for you.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s Shapeless Sword wasn¡¯t a simple manifestation of his power. It cleverly pierced through the opening without disturbing the Illuminated ze. He was even using the principles of twin swords. The ultimate techniques of the two swordsmen shed against each other. Even the sound couldn¡¯t hope to reach their transcendence. Rumble! Glenn bit his dry lip. He was being pushed too powerfully. Heavenly de would¡¯ve been able to cut through the Illuminated ze if it was the attack, but the second de prepared by the Holy Sword Alliance master wasn¡¯t easily severed. Zap! The Illuminated ze and the Shapeless Sword harmonized like gears and started to push back Heavenly de. ¡°You¡¯ve be weaker, Glenn Zieghart.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master sneered. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this in the past.¡± He continued while pushing powerfully with his two swords. ¡°When did the Destructive King of the North ever care about his subordinates or his grandson?! Running away without putting an end to the fight is unbefitting for you!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master ground his teeth in disappointment and dragged his two swords down diagonally. ¡°You were way better when you had nothing other than revenge and domination in your soul!¡± He red with his red eyes, shouting that he didn¡¯t need a weak Destructive King of the North. ¡°Stop tarnishing your past and die right now!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s attacks intensified further, fueled by his surging will and heightened emotions. The trembling de of the Lightning Spirit Sword looked like it was about to break, and Heavenly de was unable to advance. ¡°I became weaker, you say¡­¡± Glenn twisted his lips while feeling the heaviness of the sky crushing upon his shoulders. ¡°I might look that way in your perspective.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master was right. He was solely focused on revenge for his subordinates and the development of his house during his first sh against the Holy Sword Alliance master. In the past, he would¡¯ve fought against the Holy Sword Alliance master until the bitter end, even if it meant Raon and the Light Wind division died as a result. However, if he was asked whether that meant he had be weaker, he would shake his head in denial. It had nothing to do with bing stronger or weaker. His will had simply changed. He gave up on his revenge and domination after he was enlightened and decided to protect Sylvia, Raon, and the house. He was nning to keep his resolution for the rest of his life, but the youngsters that he was trying to protect ended up giving him an even bigger present. As he ate together, taught them, and chatted with them even though it was awkward, he could feel a new happiness that he had given up on as a father and grandfather. That wasn¡¯t a weakness in any sense of the word. ¡°This is as far as you go, my rival.¡± The Holy Sword Alliance master executed a downward sh with both swords at the same time. The Illuminated ze and the Shapeless Sword each drew a circle, creating an ultimate harmony between them. The dark sword engulfing the world seemed capable of erasing everything. ¡°I¡­¡± Glenn calmly raised his eyebrows. Red lightning sparked from his pupils, which looked burned out. The emptiness left from abandoning his wrath and domination was reced by the time he¡¯d spent with Raon, with joy and sorrow as a human being. Even though the rift used to have nothing but wrath inside, it was filled with happiness and joy instead, and his soul ascended to a higher dimension. ¡°I¡¯m never going to die until I pass down everything to him.¡± The de of lightning was extended once again. It wasn¡¯t the Lightning Avatar, Land sh, or Heavenly de. Just like the moment of the world''s creation when the sky opened up, the martial art umted throughout Glenn Zieghart''s entire life condensed into a single sword, radiating an auspicious light. Chapter 515 Chapter 515 The red de embodying the culmination of Glenn''s martial arts destroyed the Holy Sword Alliance master''s dark sword. The ashen me of his manipted sword disappearedpletely, and the shattered de sank under the coldke. The shapeless sword that was supporting the manipted sword couldn¡¯t withstand the sharpness of the red sword either. The colorless energy used to be as clear as sunlight but had subsided like a heat haze. Glenn''s sword didn¡¯te to a halt even after destroying the ultimate harmony between the manipted sword and the shapeless sword, which was too unreal to exist. The furious radiance emerging from it was about to put an end to the battle. ¡°Is that the sword you¡¯ve been umting?¡± The Holy Sword Alliance smiled in delight while spreading his arms, arge amount of blood was gushing from him. ¡°I¡¯m honored to die from a swordsmanship like that! Come at me, Glenn Zieghart!¡± He didn¡¯t run away. He widened his eyes and took a step towards Glenn as if he were asking to be killed. Even his sword wasn¡¯t more important than the sword for him. He was indeed crazy for the sword, and it was the perfect way to describe him. Glenn didn¡¯t really care about the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s intentions. His mind remained as serene as at the start of the battle as he extended the Lightning Spirit Sword.Rumble! The red radiant lightning exploded from the tip of his sword. Just as everything was about to be erased, a huge mana turbulence urred from the hill on the left and the sky above him. It was from the White Blood Religion''s leader and the dragon lord, who had been hiding. The White Blood Religion''s leader fired a barrage of bloody weapons to take Glenn¡¯s life while the dragon lord activated the Dragon Words. He seemed to be trying to reduce the impact of his sword attack. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Glenn kept thrusting his sword while ignoring them and suddenly narrowed his eyes. ¡®Was there one more?¡¯ A tremendous amount of demonic energy was approaching from behind the Holy Sword Alliance master. Glenn had expected the White Blood Religion''s leader and the dragon lord to take action, but he hadn¡¯t predicted the existenceing from behind the Holy Sword Alliance master. Considering the size of the demonic energy, it must¡¯ve been the ck Tower¡¯s master who had attacked Cameloon. ¡°It¡¯s pointless to interfere. I¡¯ll just y you all.¡± He bit his lip tightly and unleashed the pinnacle of swordsmanship that he hadn¡¯t even named yet. Whaaam! Even though the Dragon Words were decreasing the output, a tremendous explosion urred. Waterpletely evaporated from theke, and thend shook violently. The endless gray smoke became a pir connecting heaven and earth, and an earthquake turned thend upside down. Glenn lowered the Lightning Spirit Sword amid that hellish scenery. The fissure in the space, which was radiating a strange color, couldn¡¯t close because the sword strike was far too powerful. He looked at the other side of the fissure. No one was there. The Holy Sword Alliance master, the ck Tower¡¯s master who was trying to protect him, and the White Blood Religion''s leader who was trying to take him by surprise were all gone. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn caught his breath in his mind and lowered his gaze. The white crater created on thend was soaked with a frightening amount of blood. It was the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s blood. ¡®I cut him for sure.¡¯ Even though the Dragon Words had decreased the output, he was certain that he¡¯d managed to cut the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s chest. A robe of demonic energy had surrounded the Holy Sword Alliance master before the explosion, but it was impossible topletely absorb the impact even for the ck Tower¡¯s master. ¡®Those two must¡¯ve managed to escape.¡¯ The White Blood Religion''s leader and the ck Tower¡¯s master must¡¯ve escaped through sorcery, as they were behind the Holy Sword Alliance master. Tsk. Glenn briefly clicked his tongue and subdued the Lightning Spirit Sword. The red lightning subsided, and Heavenly Tremor returned to its original appearance. His sword felt heavy for the first time. ¡®I¡¯ve used an excessive amount of power.¡¯ He probably could have defeated the Holy Sword Alliance master by focusing on Heavenly de even if he hadn¡¯t gained enlightenment from earlier. However, he didn¡¯t want to throw away the epitome of martial arts that he¡¯d gained thanks to Raon. He put the enlightenment together while thinking he would teach him about it one day. ¡®I should finish the rest even though I¡¯m tired.¡¯ Glenn raised his head and furrowed his brow. The huge dragon floating below the moonlight was looking at him with trembling eyes. ¡°Come down.¡± [Hmm¡­] The dragon lord quietly groaned, changed into his human shape, andnded on the ground. ¡°Did you decide to take the Five Demons¡¯s side?¡± The dragon lord¡¯s shoulders trembled upon facing Glenn¡¯s cold gaze. ¡°N-not at all!¡± The dragon lord hurriedly shook his head. ¡°The human factions have no importance to us!¡± He raised his staff and pointed at the dimensional rift that was still showing its distortion. ¡°Destructive King of the North. Your sword from a moment ago was far too dangerous. That rift could¡¯ve expanded endlessly if I didn¡¯t reduce the output.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn looked at the rift quietly. Just like the dragon lord had said, the fissure in the space still wasn¡¯t closing. It was gradually increasing in size along with strange sparks. [Close.] The fissure in the space was finally reattached and returned to normal after the dragon lord spoke using Dragon Words. The violent sparks also started to decrease slowly. "Your power is dangerous. Even I am starting to feel fear." His gaze revealed a fear that hadn¡¯t existed before. ¡°Your time must¡¯ve decreased even further because of that, but¡­¡± ¡°Lord.¡± Glenn called out to him with a dry voice and the dragon lord shut his mouth. ¡°Like I said before, I am one who minds my own business. You don¡¯t need to pay attention to me, since I¡¯ll take my own karma and sins to my grave. And¡­¡± He raised Heavenly Tremor in front of the dragon lord¡¯s trembling pupils. ¡°This is yourst warning. I¡¯ll take it as a deration of war if you disturb me once again.¡± ¡°H-how could you¡­?¡± The dragon lord gasped at his ridiculous statement. ¡°Do you intend to wage a war against the dragons?¡± ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The dragon lord was unable to respond. Glenn¡¯s eyes were glowing in a frightening light, implying that he was serious about it. ¡®It might be better to kill him now¡­¡¯ Since Glenn clearly looked tired, he thought he might be able to kill him. His finger twitched before he knew it. ¡®It might be possible with the two of¡ª¡¯ When he was contemting whether he should take action or not, Glenn sneered at him. ¡°Do you want to try it now? I don¡¯t mind.¡± Crimson lightning burst from his sword, showing his willingness to fight. The dragon lord swallowed nervously. Even though Glenn was tired, he broke out into cold sweat upon remembering the sword technique he¡¯d witnessed a moment ago, since even the strongest weapon of the dragons¡ªthe dragon breath¡ªwasn''t a match to it. ¡°I have no intention of doing so. But I¡¯d like you to understand that we are simply doing our job.¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if you didn¡¯t have that double standard that only benefits your race.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He quietly groaned because he was unable to refute the matter, then turned into a golden light to disappear. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn exhaled the breath that he¡¯d been holding back, and the Archmage of Eternal me, Chamber, appeared alongside a blue light. ¡°The ck Tower¡¯s master came this way, didn¡¯t he?¡± Chamber wasn¡¯t in a good condition at all. Her robe was torn in various ces with blood flowing from it, and her huge mana pool was at the rock bottom. Even her characteristic wide-brimmed hat was nowhere to be seen. ¡°He did a number on you.¡± ¡°He managed to get his hand on Fraya''s robe.¡± ¡°Fraya¡¯s robe?¡± ¡°Yes. The ck Market was hiding it, but he acquired it.¡± She twisted her lips, saying that it was bad news that it was taken. ¡°Fraya¡¯s robe¡­¡± Glenn closed his eyes while stroking his chin. ¡®Is it that thing from earlier?¡¯ The robe of demonic energy that the ck Tower¡¯s master had used to surround the Holy Sword Alliance master when he was on the verge of death must¡¯ve been Fraya¡¯s robe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve stopped him¡­¡± Chamber furrowed her brow, saying that she couldn¡¯t stop him when he tried to run away as soon as he saw the Silent Sword Sovereign. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Glenn lightly tapped on Chamber¡¯s shoulder, as she seemed stressed out. She¡¯d done a good job holding out for so long, especially because the ck Tower¡¯s master was the worst matchup for her in the first ce¡ªand that was discounting the fact that he even had a new artifact. He didn¡¯t want to me her, as the Light Wind division had survived thanks to her. ¡°Huh?¡± Chamber was surprised by his reaction, and her eyes widened as she clutched her shoulder. Glenn thought about asking her to teleport him but gave up on the idea since both her stamina and mana seemed insufficient. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± Raon and the Light Wind division¡¯s survival took the highest priority. He used the Supreme Harmony Steps by burning the aura that had regenerated in the meantime in the mana circuits of his legs. He ran at full speed, and the Owen Kingdom could be seen soon after. Just as he was about to try to jump over the ramparts, he noticed that Roenn was standing in front of the gate. ¡°Roenn?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for your arrival.¡± Roenn bowed without asking any questions. It showed his strong faith in his victory. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you manage to find Raon and the Light Wind division?¡± ¡°First of all, the Light Wind division has recovered enough to move around. They won¡¯t have any aftereffects either.¡± ¡°But how¡­?¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Roenn quickly reported about what had happened so far. ¡°So Raon hasn¡¯t been found yet.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Roenn¡¯s head trembled, unable to continue for the first time. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°There was a message from the house regarding him.¡± ¡°From the house?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He walked up to Glenn with trembling eyes. ¡°Someone said that she would take Sir Raon with her, and she is¡­¡± A thick vein bulged from Glenn¡¯s forehead after he heard the whole story. * * * * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon raised his eyebrows while feeling like a cold wind was tightening his heart. He could see an endless white ceiling. It wasn¡¯t reality. It was his mental world that he¡¯d observed countless times in the past in order to achieve the Sword Field. Swords used to bud like flowers, and fire and ice used to be harmonic and discordant at the same time, but the space had changed drastically. ¡°I expected this to happen, but it¡¯s a lot worse.¡± ¡®So much of it has been torn apart.¡¯ A dark hole was created at the center of his mental world where the heat and coldness were raging. The extreme cold rising from the bottomless hole was intense enough to freeze his bones. However, the hole wasn¡¯t getting any bigger, and he could guess it was thanks to the navy blue energy stopping it in the surrounding area. ¡®What is this energy?¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the energy that was encircling the hole, and a familiar scream could be heard. ¡°Don¡¯t do it!¡± He turned his head and saw Wrath standing at a table in the annex building. He wasn¡¯t taking the shape of cotton candy. He was clutching his head in his real form. ¡®What are you do¡ªah.¡¯ He noticed that grilled skewers, pizzas, breads, and ice creams wereid out on the table, and he managed to understand why Wrath was behaving that way. He must¡¯ve been missing the food that he couldn¡¯t eat so much that he tried to eat them in the mental world. Of course, it was a meaningless struggle. ¡°Damn it! There¡¯s no taste at all!¡± Wrath gobbled down the food with teary eyes. ¡®That¡¯s Wrath indeed.¡¯ Raonughed bitterly. He could still clearly remember him overwhelming the transcenders in that form. Yet, watching himin about the food made him realize that he was Wrath whom he¡¯d known all along. ¡°Wrath.¡± Raon shook his head and sat on the opposite side from Wrath. ¡°This is so frustrating!¡± Wrath violently ground his teeth while mming his hand on the table. ¡°The King of Essence can¡¯t forget about it! Those foods that he couldn¡¯t eat back then are still rolling around in his memory!¡± He dered the words and started eating the food once again. He spat them back out though, because they werepletely tasteless. ¡°That¡¯s why I tried to tell you to eat them faster.¡± ¡°But it was such a rare opportunity! He had to eat as much as he could while he had the chance!¡± ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t get any at all.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Wrath was unable to refute his words and mmed his head on the table while whimpering. ¡°Rather than that, Wrath. The hole over there means that my mental world was cut off, right?¡± Raon tapped on Wrath¡¯s head and pointed at the dark hole at the center. ¡°Why are you asking the obvious question? Your mental world, and the soul level that you¡¯ve been umting, has melted down.¡± ¡°I expected as much, but it¡¯s far bigger than I thought¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at the hole. He was prepared for the worst, but the crack was far bigger than anticipated. Wrath had told him he was going to suffer lots of losses, and he had a painful realization. ¡°It could¡¯ve been worse. The expansion was stopped midway.¡± ¡°It was stopped, you say?¡± ¡°Indeed. Whoever that was, someone injected their will and aura into your upper energy center to temporarily stop its expansion.¡± Wrath pointed at the navy blue energy surrounding the hole. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while observing the energy. They must¡¯ve been at the high end of Grandmaster or a transcender if they could inject their will and aura into his upper energy center. However, he didn¡¯t recognize whose energy it was. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to find out before I wake up.¡± He sighed and looked at the hole once again. ¡®This feels slightly bitter.¡¯ Having his mental world cut off felt like a boar had ruined a farm that he¡¯d worked so hard on. Of course, it might be inconsequential to his stats and physical body. However, it implied the decrease in his soul level that had been improved through his achievements, which made it even more painful. ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Wrath asked while throwing away the pizza crust. ¡°Not at all.¡± Raon calmly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d never regret that decision.¡± Considering Orgos¡¯s persistence, he would¡¯ve followed the Light Wind division until the bitter end if he¡¯d survived. It was necessary to finish him off right there, even if he would have had to borrow the power of other demon kings if it weren¡¯t for Wrath. ¡°I just need to gain new achievements.¡± ¡°You are making it sound easy.¡± ¡°It really won¡¯t take that long.¡± Raon smiled faintly at Wrath. ¡®Because I¡¯ve learned a lot, thanks to you.¡¯ He¡¯d learned a new way to use his frost while watching Wrath¡¯s battle from up close. Since he had also observed the martial arts of the transcenders, there were lots of gains, even more than his losses. He might¡¯ve gotten weaker for the moment, but he expected to climb even higher in the future. ¡°Hmm, the King of Essence is disappearing now. It must be because you woke up.¡± Wrath furrowed his brow while pointing at his body, which was bing blurry. ¡°Ah! You better not forget. It¡¯s for three weeks! Three whole weeks! Remember it!¡± He shook his hand while telling him to make sure to remember and disappeared like bubbles. Raon chuckled and looked around his mental world, where Wrath didn¡¯t exist anymore. There were still lots of swords, but the divine and demonic swords were nowhere to be found. They might have temporarily disappeared because of the hole. ¡®I should try filling that hole since I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to return.¡¯ The mental world was the same as his life itself. He closed his eyes to repair the messy world through meditation and the Ring of Fire. * * * As Raon was reorganizing his mental world and filling the hole little by little, he heard someone¡¯s voice. ¡ªdy! ¡®Who is that?¡¯ ¡ªeks! Raon focused on the voice, and the sound became gradually louder. Just wake up already! He followed the voice, and his vision brightened. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Raon blinked nkly. His mental world was gone, and he could see a wooden ceiling that looked damp and worn out. Wrath¡¯s head was floating in front of it. You finally woke up! How pathetic of you! Wrath hit his head, calling him a sleepyhead like Sloth. ¡®What are you talking about? It hasn¡¯t been that long since our encounter.¡¯ What are YOU talking about? You¡¯ve been sleeping for over two weeks now! ¡®Two weeks?¡¯ Raon gasped while examining his condition. He could guess that he couldn¡¯t feel the passage of time because he was too focused on his mental world. It could¡¯ve been called a natural oue because he¡¯d spent a huge amount of energy and even received arge amount of wrath. Are you nning to break your promise aga¡ª ¡®I know, you don¡¯t have to tell me.¡¯ Raon was well aware of why Wrath was so angry. It must¡¯ve been because of the promise that he¡¯d made about eating whatever he wanted for three weeks. ¡®It¡¯s because of the promise for three weeks, right? I¡¯ll extend the duration.¡¯ It¡¯s pointless to extend it now! ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ His frown deepened even though Raon was expecting him to be happy about it. There¡¯s no one around. ¡®Huh?¡¯ We are currently on the ocean! Wrath screamed and clutched his head. ¡®Why am I on the ocean?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe that he was on the ocean, as he¡¯d fainted in the Owen Kingdom. How is the King of Essence supposed to know?! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon looked around him. He seemed to be in a small room, and the floor was sloshing a little. He could guess that he really was inside a ship. However, he couldn¡¯t find Heavenly Drive or the de of Requiem in the area. ¡®Who took my swords? No, rather than that, why am I even on the ocean¡­?¡¯ He licked his dry lips and left the room. He could see multiple doors to small rooms. He climbed the stairs located at the center, and he could see the blue sky and the ocean that was as blue as the sky. Land was nowhere to be seen in any direction. He was literally on the boundless ocean. ¡°We really are on the ocean¡­¡± ¡°Did you finally wake up?¡± The gruff voice of a woman could be heard from behind. Raon looked around, and a woman with hair the color of sunset reflected on the ocean and impressive brown skin appeared. ¡°Who are¡ªrather than that, why am I here?¡± ¡°What else?¡± She grinned and pointed her finger at him. ¡°You¡¯ve been kidnapped.¡± ¡°Kidnapped?¡± Raon stepped backward and examined the woman. She had a beautiful appearance with distinctive facial features, but that wasn¡¯t the important part. He couldn¡¯t figure out her prowess at a nce. That implied that she was an extremely powerful warrior who had even surpassed the Grandmaster¡¯s realm. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Guess who I am.¡± The woman smiled faintly and circled her finger. ¡°If I demand your ransom to Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°Stop with your prank, Aries Zieghart.¡± She murmured that the ransom would give her enough money to live idly for the rest of her life, only for a familiar voice toe from the right. An old man with fragile white hair and muscles of steel was furrowing his brow. ¡°Sir Kuberad?¡± He was the Continent¡¯s cksmith, Kuberad, who had forged the de of Requiem after the third prince had introduced him. He gave a small nod to greet him. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Raon hurriedly turned his head and looked at the woman with hair the color of a sunset. ¡°Aries Zieghart? Are you that Aries?¡± Glenn¡¯s first daughter was in front of him even though he hadn¡¯t seen her once since he was born in Zieghart. Chapter 516 Chapter 516 ¡°Are you that Aries Zieghart?¡± Aries Zieghart nodded furiously while looking at Raon. ¡°What did you even hear about me, to be calling me ¡®that¡¯ Aries Zieghart?¡± She furrowed her brow and twisted her lips. She looked like a thug in the backstreet trying to extort money from a poor child. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his brow while looking at Aries¡¯s face. ¡®She is indeed my mother¡¯s sister. Theyout of her facial features is simr to hers.¡¯ Aries¡¯s facial features were bigger and more distinct than Sylvia¡¯s, but they gave off a simr impression. Since she looked like she was around thirty years old, they would¡¯ve looked extremely simr if it weren¡¯t for her tanned skin.¡°Hey, answer me.¡± Aries came up right in front of him and bobbed her finger. Her vulgar way of speaking made her look like she was threatening him. ¡°What did you hear about me in that damned house?¡± ¡°I was just wondering if you really existed since I¡¯ve never seen you.¡± ¡°Really? Didn¡¯t the other shitheads say anything about me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I only heard that you were an amazing person asionally.¡± Raon nodded with peaceful eyes. ¡°Well, I guess they would¡¯ve avoided running their mouths about me if they didn¡¯t have a death wish.¡± Aries Zieghartughed cheerfully and pped her hands to dust them off. ¡®She looked so carefree.¡¯ Her cheerful personality seemed to match her looks. It was difficult to believe that someone from Zieghart had such a bright personality. Huh? Wrath scratched his chin while looking at Aries. Is she Mom¡¯s sister? ¡®She¡¯s not your mom.¡¯ She indeed has a simr nature. He ignored Raon¡¯sment and examined Aries¡¯s face from various angles. But why is she even here? ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ Raon faintly shook his head and looked at Aries¡¯s face once again. ¡°Lady Aries.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°I already told you, I kidnapped you.¡± Aries shook her hand with an indifferent expression on her face, one that seemed to be wondering why he was asking the same question again. ¡°You were serious about that?¡± ¡°Yes. I found you dying on a backstreet, so I decided to kidnap you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon groaned quietly. ¡®So she saved me rather than kidnapping me.¡¯ He could finally understand what had happened. He had fainted in the backstreet because of Wrath, and she must¡¯ve found him and treated him. He expressed his gratitude towards her and lowered his head. However, he still had a few more questions. ¡°May I ask why you were in a backstreet at thatte hour?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of me.¡± Kuberad stepped forward instead of Aries. ¡°We were grabbing equipment from my previous workshop and ended up returning at ate hour, and she suddenly dragged me there while saying that she felt a strange energy.¡± Kuberadughed bitterly, saying that he hadn¡¯t expected to find Raon there. ¡°I see.¡± Raon could understand how they ended up meeting each other. Wrath had caused arge turbulence in mana as he disappeared, and she must¡¯ve noticed that. ¡®It¡¯s not exactly strange.¡¯ Aries was a warrior who had reached transcendence. She was definitely capable of feeling that much mana from far away. ¡°Then why am I here?¡± ¡°You are asking that question a third time already. I kidnapped you!¡± ¡°No, I mean, why¡­?¡± She said it was the third time, but he still had to ask. She could¡¯ve left him at the kingdom¡¯s healing ward if it was because of injury, so he couldn¡¯t understand why he brought him on board. ¡°I was just bored.¡± Aries half-heartedly responded while picking her ear. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Raon gasped in response to that ridiculous answer. ¡°You were bored?¡± ¡°Yes, I was bored.¡± Aries¡¯s chin dimpled deeply. She seemed to be entertained by the situation. ¡°Wait, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone like you, who bes more and more childish as you get older.¡± Kuberad sighed and threw the two swords he was holding at Raon. ¡°Ah!¡± Raon caught the two swords and smiled faintly. It was Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. The glowing scabbard implied that he had done maintenance on them for him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Kuberad¡¯s personality was the same as before. He shook his hand as if it weren¡¯t a big deal and leaned his back against a cabin door. ¡°She didn¡¯t bring you for any special reason. She said you required urgent treatment because of the injury in your head.¡± Raon remembered the hole in his mental world upon hearing the answer. The blue mana that was stopping the hole¡¯s expansion was simr to the wave from Aries¡¯s energy. That¡¯s right. Wrath nodded while looking at Aries. That woman stopped the hole in your mental world from expanding. ¡®Yes, I also noticed it.¡¯ Raon sighed quietly and bowed at Aries. ¡°Thank you, Lady Aries.¡± ¡°Do you have a hobby of repeating yourself?¡± Aries furrowed her brow, asking how many times he had to thank her before he was satisfied. ¡°And I¡¯ve already received the payment.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the food from where you fainted. All of it was delicious.¡± She smiled, saying that he did a good job of picking the delicacies. Youuuuu! Wrath frantically jumped at Aries. Cursed asshole! His blue eyes darted around nervously. His eyes were filled with madness. How could you steal the King of Essence¡¯s food?! He will never forgive you! Wrath violently ground his teeth, saying that he wouldn¡¯t forget the grudge even after ten thousand years. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that you ate them since they would¡¯ve been thrown away if you left them alone.¡± Raon smiled faintly while ignoring Wrath¡¯s face, which had turnedpletely red. Relieved? Did you just say relieved? The King of Essence isn¡¯t relieved at all, so why are you relieved about it?! Wrath deeply lowered his eyebrows, telling him to stop his bullshit. ¡°Ah, there was one food I didn¡¯t like. That strange green ice cream with chocte chips. It wasn¡¯t to my liking at all.¡± Aries shook her head, saying that the mint chocte ice cream tasted like shit. ¡°I agree, that one isn¡¯t too good.¡± Raon smiled, saying that she had a good taste. Did you just criticize the King of Essence after eating for free? You must be insane! You need to learn terror! Let the King of Essence advent right now! He needs to teach that bad eater the greatness of mint chocte¡­ Wrath rampaged and unleashed a powerful emotion of wrath. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed his groan with trembling fingers. ¡®This is another change.¡¯ Wrath¡¯s rampage brought a slight pain to his heart. It must¡¯ve been because he¡¯d received arge amount of wrath. He felt like he had returned to the times when he used topete against Wrath. Whir! He had to activate the Ring of Fire for the fluttering feeling to subside. ¡®Calm down a bit, please.¡¯ He pushed Wrath away as he was venting his irritation and looked at Aries. ¡°Can I ask onest question?¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°By any chance¡­¡± Raon continued while looking at the crew that was doing their job on the deck and the fluttering sail. ¡°Lady Aries, are you the Pirate King?¡± Her transcended might, the slightly cute skull emblem on the sail, and the appearance of the sailors made him think about a certain person. The Pirate King from the Five Divine Orders. That was the only person who would lead such a faction. He asked it like a question, but he was certain she was the Pirate King. ¡°No.¡± However, Aries firmly shook her head. She raised her finger and pointed to her right. ¡°He is the Pirate King.¡± Raon looked to the right, following her long and thin finger that looked like Sylvia¡¯s. With his neatly balding head, an eyepatch over his left eye, a beard reaching his neck, and arge sword, the middle-aged man standing there objectively looked like a pirate. ¡°What?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®Is he the Pirate King?¡¯ He did look like the Pirate King in appearance, but his might seemed to be at the entry level of Grandmaster. It was an extraordinary realm, but he wasn¡¯t powerful enough to be one of the Five Divine Orders. ¡°He is the Pirate King. Try talking to him.¡± Aries Zieghart took a piece of candy from her pocket and threw it at Raon to wish him good luck before going to a hammock hanging between the masts. ¡°Hmm, excuse me¡­¡± Raon looked at him while fiddling with the candy. ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m the Pirate King, even though I was forced to carry that name¡­¡± The man, who was forced to be called the Pirate King, carefully introduced himself. ¡°My name is Rabawin.¡± ¡°Were you at Zieghart before by any chance?¡± The way he spoke felt familiar. Raon had a feeling that he might have left Zieghart, just like Aries. ¡°Yes, I was. I used to be the Raging Wave division leader from the Holy Martial Pce.¡± The Holy Martial Pce didn¡¯t exist anymore, and Aries used to be its pce master. ¡°Then please speak more casually towards me, since I¡¯m your junior¡­¡± ¡°But you are Lady Aries¡¯s nephew. I feel better this way.¡± Rabawin smiled gently while speaking to him politely. He seemed to be polite because he respected Aries a lot. He was a nice person, unlike his title as the Pirate King. ¡°By the way, why did you be the Pirate King, Sir Rabawin?¡± ¡°To protect the surrounding areas.¡± ¡°Surrounding areas¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been taking care of the real pirates and the South-North Union in the ocean, but small fries kept picking a fight with the coastal cities and viges. We are currently protecting those regions with the name of the Pirate King.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking back and forth between Rabawin and Aries. ¡®I can finally understand.¡¯ He¡¯d heard about the Pirate King for the first time from Judiel¡¯s information. He¡¯d thought it was strange that someone would call themself the Pirate King, and it was Rabawin. He had spread his name as the Pirate King to protect the coastal viges. ¡®And the Thespian Emperor has never mentioned that the Pirate King was a man.¡¯ The Thespian Emperor had always referred to the Pirate King as ¡®that person¡¯ or ¡®the Pirate King¡¯, but she never called them a he or a she. She must¡¯ve been aware of the fact that Aries was the real Pirate King instead of Rabawin. ¡®So this is what happened.¡¯ Raon managed to understand the situation from the conversation with Rabawin. Aries must¡¯ve decided to protect the surrounding areas after driving away the pirates and the South-North Union. ¡°I can finally understand. But why isn¡¯t Lady Aries the Pirate King¡­?¡± ¡°She said she couldn¡¯t be bothered.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± Raon smiled faintly while watching the hammock, which was shaking slightly. He felt like he was getting a grasp on Aries¡¯s personality. ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding. Actually¡­¡± Rabawin sighed and raised his eyepatch. His left eye was perfectly fine. ¡°This is just for appearance. She forced it on me, saying that the Pirate King has to be one-eyed.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon gasped and looked at the slightly shaking hammock. He felt like it was necessary to change his earlier thoughts. He couldn¡¯t tell exactly yet what kind of person Aries was. ¡°By any chance, your hair¡­¡± ¡°Ah, about that¡­¡± Rabawin didn¡¯t give his answer. * * * * * * Sylvia swallowed nervously and raised her gaze. The iron gate of the audience chamber was so high that it pained her neck to look up at it. She caught her breath while looking at the terrifying door that made her heart pound whenever she saw it. She didn¡¯t want to knock on the door, but it wasn¡¯t the time to think about such a thing. Knock knock! She loudly knocked on the door and waited. The door was opened with a heavy sound, and Roenn came outside. ¡°Lady Sylvia.¡± He smiled faintly and bowed to her. ¡°I want to see the head of house.¡± Sylvia bowed back at Roenn before she asked for an audience. ¡°I understand.¡± Roenn immediately opened the door. He must¡¯ve gotten Glenn¡¯s permission already. Sylvia briefly closed her eyes before opening them again and stepped into the room. The noon sunlight streamed in from the window, and the audience chamber was filled with golden light. She walked through the space that seemed to be the embodiment of majesty and went on her knees. ¡°Greetings, my lord.¡± ¡°Stand up.¡± Glenn told Sylvia to stand up as soon as she knelt. ¡°Yes.¡± Sylvia straightened her back and raised her gaze. She was nervous, but she confidently looked at Glenn on his throne. His eyes were the same as always. No, they were actually a bit different. His empty eyes were trembling faintly. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ Glenn¡¯s lips twitched as she wondered about it. ¡°What brought you here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sylvia clenched her fist tightly and leaned forward. ¡°It¡¯s about Raon. I¡¯d like to know where he is, and why he hasn¡¯t returned.¡± ¡°I told you already. He is currently being treated in the Owen Kingdom alongside the other Light Wind division¡¯s youngsters.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a fool just because I¡¯m idling in the house. I¡¯m already aware that Raon isn¡¯t there.¡± Sylvia¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t that loud, but a strange power was dwelling inside. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn furrowed his brow and tapped on the throne¡¯s armrest heavily. ¡°I¡¯m his mother. Please tell me about Raon¡¯s state and whereabouts at least!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that he is injured, but he is fine now. And he is going to return soon enough.¡± ¡°But you already said that before! I want the exact¡ª¡± ¡°Aries.¡± Sylvia stopped moving upon hearing Aries¡¯s name. ¡°She took Raon away.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°She said she identally met him and treated his injury. Since she set a message that he woke up today, he should be returning shortly.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sylvia fidgeted her fingers. ¡®Is he with my sister, Aries?¡¯ Since Aries was far older than her, and both Sylvia and Aries were outside the house most of the time while carrying out missions, they hadn¡¯t met that many times. They didn¡¯t exactly ignore each other, but they weren¡¯t friendly either. However, on rare encounters they had, Aries often patted her head and gave her sweet snacks like cookies and candies. That was why she felt strange to hear that Aries had saved Raon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. She said she would send him back after she finished treating him. Yes, he will be fine.¡± Glenn sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than Sylvia. He also seemed to be worried about Raon. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sylvia sighed quietly while looking at Glenn. ¡®Is he really okay?¡¯ * * * Raon followed Kuberad into his workshop. Unlike his smithy on the back street of Cameloon¡¯s artisan alley, the room was filled with tools that were stained with traces of his touch. ¡°Thank you for maintaining my des.¡± Raon bowed while tapping on Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem that Kuberad had given to him. ¡°You are too polite. It wasn¡¯t even a big deal.¡± Kuberad shook his hand and said that all he¡¯d done was wipe off the blood, but Raon could tell. He had even hammered the two swords to maintain them. It wasn¡¯t excessive at all to thank him like that. ¡°By the way, why are you boarding this ship, Sir Kuberad?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand why a retired cksmith was riding a pirate ship, as it wasn¡¯t any ordinary ship. ¡°I¡¯m here to help her temporarily.¡± ¡°Does ¡®her¡¯ refer to Lady Aries?¡± ¡°Yes. I reluctantly followed her because she whined too much.¡± Kuberad sighed and sat on an old chair. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the steel weapons scattered throughout the workshop. ¡®Reluctantly, huh¡­¡¯ Despite what he¡¯d said, every single weapon in Kuberad¡¯s workshop was of the highest quality. However, the size of the weapons wasn¡¯t suitable for humans. The huge harpoons and hooks looked like they were supposed to be used againstrge monsters. ¡®Is she trying to kill a monster?¡¯ There was no way a cksmith with Kuberad¡¯s personality would¡¯ve followed her for no reason. He could guess that there must¡¯ve been special circumstances around it. ¡°How is your condition?¡± Just as Raon was about to ask about the circumstances, Kuberad asked about him. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks to your care.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Kuberad shook his hand. ¡°Aries had been touching your head constantly. Considering the fact that she is such a tomboy, she was being very considerate towards you.¡± He furrowed his brow, saying that she behaved in an unexpected way¡ªeven if he was her family. ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°I need to properly thank her, too.¡± The hole created in his mental world had be smaller thanks to Aries. He was nning to repay the favor no matter what, since he felt eternally grateful towards her. ¡°Is that so?¡± While he was thinking about how to repay the favor, a husky voice could be heard from outside the workshop. Whaaam! The workshop¡¯s door burst open, and Aries entered with her hands ced on her waist. ¡°You weren¡¯t lying about that, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon blinked while looking at Aries. ¡°You said you would make sure to express your gratitude. You should help me if that¡¯s true.¡± Aries gestured with her finger, saying that he wasn¡¯t allowed to refuse. ¡°I¡¯m not too interested in being a pirate, and I have things to do right now¡­¡± Raon t-out refused her. ¡®I want to help her with everything, but I have something else to do before then.¡¯ He had to figure out what happened to the Light Wind division and how Glenn¡¯s battle had ended. Derus¡¯s corpse assassin factory also needed to be destroyed. ¡°The Light Wind division? They are perfectly fine. I¡¯ve also reported to the house that you woke up.¡± Aries continued with a smile on her face, which seemed to tell him that she could clearly read what he was thinking. ¡°Moreover, what I¡¯m about to ask you is going to be helpful to you.¡± Aries tapped on her temple. ¡°Because it can help your upper energy center¡¯s treatment.¡± ¡°Hmm, may I ask what kind of task it is?¡± Aries smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°We are going to y a lizard. It¡¯s a rampaging mad dragon.¡± Her eyes glowed in a frightening light, and Wrath jumped up at the same time. A dragon barbecue? Chapter 517 Chapter 517 Dragon barbecue is great! The meat has a nice chewy texture! Wrath was interested and approached Aries. The King of Essence might forgive that female thief if you offer him dragon barbecue! He arrogantly pointed his chin at Aries, who ended up as ¡®the female thief¡¯. ¡®Be quiet please.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept dancing in the air and met Aries¡¯s cold eyes. Her expression was unexpected, as he¡¯d thought she simply pursued peace and freedom. ¡°A rampaging mad dragon¡­ Are you trying to hunt a dragon?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a dragon.¡± Aries slowly closed her eyes before opening them again. ¡°Have you ever heard about the mad dragon Kaibar?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable, as it only woke up recently.¡± She twisted her lips while pulling out a thread from the bracelet she was wearing. ¡°Kaibar is a dragon with an abnormal dislike towards humans.¡± ¡°He dislikes humans?¡± Raon lowered his eyebrows slightly. ¡®Is that even possible?¡¯ Dragons as a race kept a neutral position in the continent, and they only acted when a demon king appeared or an anomaly urred that humans or the other races were unable to deal with. Raon had often heard that they looked down on humans, but it was his first time hearing about one who disliked humans. ¡°In fact, it hates humans.¡± Aries¡¯s eyes glowed fiercely. ¡°More than five coastal viges and cities have been annihted since it woke up from its slumber.¡± Raon could hear her wrath against the mad dragon Kaibar in her trembling voice. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°I didn¡¯t know that something like that happened.¡± He¡¯d never imagined a dragon¡¯s attack on a faraway coast, as he was too focused on preparing for the conference of the Five Divine Orders and getting stronger alongside the Light Wind division. ¡°You are right that most dragons call humans inferior creatures and ignore them. However, there are some special ones from time to time. You know, some people are crazy even among humans.¡± ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Kaibar. Even the records state that it massacred people in arge city around its nest a few hundred years ago.¡± Aries furrowed her brow, saying that it was a crazy dragon with tidal waves in its brain. She is right. Wrath casually nodded. Not all dragons act haughty. Like that female thief stated, some of them are insane. And those¡­ He patted his plump belly whilepletely removing the frightening atmosphere around him. Became the King of Essence¡¯s food. He¡¯s looking forward to the grilled lizard! Wrath started to drool from his mouth, saying that he would be able to eat some dragon meat, which he hadn¡¯t had in a long time. ¡°So that¡¯s why Sir Kuberad is here.¡± Raon ignored Wrath and looked at Kuberad, who was sitting on a chair. ¡°He¡¯s here to make a weapon to y the dragon.¡± Every single weapon in Kuberad''s workshop wasrge and sturdy. Raon had been wondering why he was making them, and it was because they were nning to hunt arge monster. ¡°Correct.¡± Kuberad nodded quietly. ¡°Since I¡¯m going to die soon anyway, I decided to go on a stroll before I do.¡± ¡°Hah, you are saying that again. You were so enthusiastic about it when you heard lots of people had died.¡± Aries shrugged her shoulders, saying that there was no helping that old man. ¡°Stop saying unnecessary things!¡± Kuberad looked embarrassed and shook his hand, telling her to stop saying nonsense. ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while looking at Kuberad¡¯s slightly flushed face. ¡®He is a nice person.¡¯ \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Kuberad had forged the de of Requiem to pray for the repose of the people that the White Blood Religion had killed, and he had given away such an excellent de without asking for anything in return. He should¡¯ve been able to idle around for the rest of his life since he should¡¯ve umted enough wealth, but he risked his life toe out to the ocean to stop a dragon from killing people. He was definitely worthy of admiration. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Raon looked at Aries, who was standing on the opposite side of Kuberad. ¡®The same goes for Lady Aries.¡¯ Dragons were pretty much a natural disaster for humans. Even though she¡¯d promised to protect the people, moving out to kill a dragon by herself wasn¡¯t an idea that an ordinary person could have. Seeking freedom wasn¡¯t her only characteristic. Considering the fact that she went out of her way to create a Pirate King to protect people under her wings, she was an extremely thoughtful person despite her appearance. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Raon touched his dry lips while watching the two of them. ¡®It should be practically impossible to kill a blue dragon in the ocean.¡¯ The question about the strongest dragon was difficult to answer. Red dragons were violent and had the highest power output, gold dragons could use lightning and were known for their wisdom, green dragons could poison people just from being nearby, and ck dragons could control time. The answer was bound to change depending on the perspective. However, if the question was which dragon is the hardest to hunt, then everyone would respond the same way. The blue dragon in the ocean. Since their nest was under the ocean, and they were capable of freely manipting water and ice, blue dragon nests were pretty much impregnable castles for humans. ¡°Is it really possible to y a blue dragon?¡± ¡°Of course, it won¡¯t be an easy task. Kaibar can control the monsters in the ocean, and even the Seafog tribe is working for them. However¡­¡± Aries raised her hand and clenched her fist. The sound of her bones cracking could be heard. ¡°I don¡¯t like letting it beat us up like this.¡± She said that it was necessary to try it regardless of the oue with a frightening smile on her face. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Aries¡¯s fist. ¡®She¡¯s a bit different.¡¯ He¡¯d thought that her personality was simr to Rimmer¡¯s at first, but there was a slight difference. If Rimmer could bepared to a barren wind freely roaming around the forest in the winter, Aries was more like an ocean wind that could be a cyclone at any moment. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°Can you help me?¡± ¡°Before talking about that¡­¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Raon postponed his response and looked at Aries. ¡°You¡¯ve heard about essence, qi, and spirit, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I know about them.¡± Raon nodded. ¡®Both the head of house and the Sword Demon emphasized its importance.¡¯ Raon clearly remembered them because both Glenn and Rector had taught him that the harmony between essence, qi, and spirit was necessary to advance into a higher realm and for martial arts to function properly. ¡°Essence means the physical body. The important part is how appropriate your body is for martial arts, and your essence¡­¡± Aries rolled her lips into a smile while looking at Raon. ¡°Is sturdy and flexible at the same time. To be honest, you are even better than a Grandmaster. I¡¯m curious what you will be in the future, as this is before the metamorphosis.¡± Her gaze was directed at Raon¡¯s energy center next. ¡°Qi means mana. It¡¯s the aura in our energy center for us. This part is also strange for you. Your aura¡¯s purity is so high that I could believe that you¡¯ve confined the mana from nature in your energy center. I don¡¯t understand how a greenhorn who is just a Master can possess such mana.¡± Aries shook her head, saying that she couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°I think I was just lucky.¡± Raon smiled faintly while feeling the Ring of Fire rotating around his heart. ¡®It¡¯s actually thanks to the Ring of Fire.¡¯ The Ring of Fire was a cultivation technique that changed the warrior¡¯s body into its ideal shape. Instead of focusing on more power and speed, it altered the body ording to the martial art they practiced, which was pretty much the same as a slow metamorphosis. Since his aura was also continuously purified by the Ring of Fire, it had higher purity than anything else in the world. It was the reason why he could defeat warriors at a higher realm than himself. ¡°Lastly, spirit is the mysterious space, often referred to as the upper energy center, the soul level, or the mental world.¡± Aries lightly tapped on the area around her temple and continued. ¡°You currently have an issue in your upper energy center. You must¡¯ve developed it to the point where you can activate an iplete Sword Field, but you can¡¯t do it anymore. Right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon nodded honestly. ¡°That¡¯s because arge hole was made in your spirit. We managed to avoid your spirit beingpletely ruined thanks to a certain respectable person stopping its growth, though.¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Aries grinned while pointing at herself. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it to earn your gratitude.¡± She shook her hand and continued. ¡°Remember what I said earlier? The upper energy center is the same as the soul level.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± ¡°Since your goal is to recover the realm you¡¯ve achieved in the past instead of developing your spirit, one great achievement should be enough to plug the hole. And that will be¡­¡± She raised her finger. She pointed at the vast ocean that could be seen from the gap in the door. ¡°Aplished once you y a certain mad dragon making a fuss in that ocean.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked at Wrath without responding. That female thief is right. Wrath nodded while looking at Aries¡¯s eyes. You summoned the King of Essence by tearing a part of your soul level. If you gain an achievement of the same degree, you should be able to quickly recover from it. ¡®Then it is indeed a great opportunity for me.¡¯ He¡¯d thought that he would need to spend a lot of time after he returned to the house on the treatment, but he figured that he could recover a lot faster. Of course, he had to y the blue dragon for that to happen. ¡°Can I ask one more question?¡± ¡°You talk a lot more than you look.¡± Aries chuckled and nodded. ¡°What¡¯s your question? I¡¯m all ears.¡± ¡°You said that the blue dragon can manipte the monsters. Are there any sea serpents among them?¡± ¡°Hey! Pirate King!¡± Instead of responding right away, she shouted towards the opened door. ¡°Yes!¡± Rabawin, who was forced to be a self-proimed Pirate King, came running into the room. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°Were there any sea serpents among the monsters controlled by the mad dragon?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve witnessed three of them total, including a king sea serpent.¡± ¡°You heard him.¡± Aries smiled, asking if that was good enough as a response. ¡°But why are you asking about the sea serpent?¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Since Aries was a member of his household, Raon figured she would know the whole story, so told her that he was making Sylvia¡¯s energy center. ¡°What a filial son you are. I like you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make sure to keep one for you.¡± She patted his shoulder, telling him not to worry about it. Raon once again felt that she had such a cool personality, even more than her appearance. ¡°So what¡¯s your decision?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be that helpful in my current state, but¡­¡± Raon nodded while looking into Aries¡¯s eyes, which looked like a turbulent ocean. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to working with you.¡± * * * * * * House Robert Private Beach Derus Robert was looking at the calm ocean, his hands sped behind his back. As he was forgetting the flow of time as he watched the horizon, Cubara appeared without making the slightest sound on the sand. ¡°The investigation is done.¡± Cubara served a dish containing refreshments on the table before standing behind Derus. Derus turned around extremely slowly. He sat on the chair, crossed his legs, and nodded. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°First of all, the Light Wind division¡¯s swordsmen have survived. Some of them were on the verge of death from Orgos¡¯s attack, but they mysteriously became perfectly fine the same day.¡± ¡°I already heard about that. What I want to know is how they recovered.¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°They¡¯ve interrogated the healers at the scene, but they really seemed ignorant of the reason. All they did was fall asleep and wake up. The patients that even the royal doctor had given up had recovered by then.¡± Cubara reported with an emotionless voice, as if she were reading a book. ¡°What a strange thing to happen. Is it because it¡¯s rted to Zieghart? What about Raon Zieghart?¡± Derus narrowed his eyes while shaking his gloved hand. ¡°He hasn¡¯t been found anywhere on the continent. The Light Wind division, the Heavenly de division, and even the other divisions from Zieghart thoroughly searched Owen, Cameloon, and Banneret in order to find him, but all of them returned soon after.¡± Cubara raised her gaze, which was as peaceful as the ocean. ¡°Considering the situation so far and the rumors that have spread¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying that he¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the Shadows have concluded.¡± ¡°What about Zieghart?¡± ¡°They are remaining quiet about it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Derus closed his eyes while looking at the ocean. ¡®That should be the case, indeed.¡¯ Raon Zieghart had be extremely famous throughout the continent for defeating the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple and saving the Light Wind division from Orgos. Since he was already famous before then, rumors about him were bound to spread no matter where he was. However, Zieghart seemed to have given up on the search before falling quiet, and there was no news about Raon from anywhere. All circumstances were pointing at his death. Swoosh. Derus took off his ck leather glove. Sticky blood was flowing from the scar engraved on the back of his hand like a burn. His eyes deepened as he moistened his lips with the blood flowing from his wound. ¡°Was he not the one?¡± ¡®What a shame.¡¯ * * * Raon watched the turbulent night ocean while leaning his back against the deck. They were currently headed to the coastal city of Aikar to prepare for the dragon hunt. They seemed to be in a hurry, as the ship was swaying violently from moving at full speed even at night. ¡®Something like this is pretty good, too.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t actually like the ocean that much, as House Robert was located on the coast. However, being in the middle of the ocean and watching the night sea brought serenity to his mind. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> What¡¯s good about this?! We are only eating soup and beef jerky! Wrath frantically shook his head, saying that he could still taste tree roots in his mouth. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped because they are in a hurry.¡¯ Even the cooks were forced tobor because they were too busy preparing for war. It wasn¡¯t the time toin about food. ¡®I¡¯ll eat everything you want once we arrive in the city. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡¯ R-really? ¡®Yes. I¡¯ve already told you that I¡¯ll postpone the promise of three weeks.¡¯ Since the entire Light Wind division was pretty much saved by Wrath, Raon was nning to keep the promise of three weeks no matter what. Huh, you actually have a conscience. That¡¯s surprising. ¡®Aren¡¯t you considering me as too much of a viin?¡¯ You are the seed of a demon. No, a seed of an angel. You can¡¯t be trusted at all. ¡®Is that apliment or an insult?¡¯ It¡¯s obviously an insult! Anyway, Wrath smiled happily, feeling better because Raon was keeping his promise. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon bit his lip slightly while watching the ocean, which was as dark as a shadow. ¡®I wonder if we can win.¡¯ Are you talking about the blue dragon? ¡®Yes. It¡¯s not an easy opponent.¡¯ It¡¯s pretty much a little eel. You just need to freeze the entire ocean if it wants to hide inside it. Wrath blinked, asking why he was worrying about it when it was such an easy task. ¡®You are the only one who can do that.¡¯ Hmph, did you finally realize how great the King of Essence is? Worship him, foolish human. He bobbed his sausage-like finger, telling him to bow to him already. ¡®That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed and walked up to Wrath. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡®Can you teach me the abilities you usedst time?¡¯ Wrath¡¯s performance was divine, as he had even managed to freeze the martial arts of the transcenders. Raon thought that it would be extremely helpful for the dragon hunt if he could learn those techniques. Ooh! Wrath¡¯s sky-blue pupils started to glow cunningly. Do you want to learn from the King of Essence? ¡®Erm¡­¡¯ But why would the King of Essence even teach you? He briskly turned his head. He seemed to have noticed that he had the upper hand in the situation. ¡®It¡¯s helpful for all of us. I need toplete this task to eat the food that you want.¡¯ Hmph, in that case, there¡¯s an additional condition. ¡®Additional condition?¡¯ Indeed. For a whole month, you have to¡­ He smiled happily and started to tell him the new condition. [You have in a person who has transcended human limits and reached heaven.] [You¡¯ve gained an achievement that should¡¯ve been impossible in your current realm.] [All stats¡­] [A new trait¡­] [A new title¡­] [The trait¡­] A dizzying number of messages started to appear. Huh? Wrath¡¯s eyes widened upon reading the first message. A person who has transcended human limits and reached heaven? Wait, is it talking about that person who was using that sloppy demonic energy? His jaw dropped at the ridiculous message and he trembled. The King of Essence was the one who killed that vermin. Why are you the one getting the reward?! Isn¡¯t this way too unreasonable?! How is this even happening?! ¡°Hmm¡­¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Raon casually nodded while reading the messages. ¡®Forget about what I said earlier. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to need your help.¡¯ Aaaaaah! \n Chapter 520 Raon slowly blinked while looking at Aries. ¡°Me?¡± He was going to take the war against the mad dragon seriously, but he¡¯d thought that his role would be to get rid of the monsters and the Seafog tribe. He was nning to just help with the killing blow, but his mind went nk because she told him to kill the dragon with her. ¡°Who else would it be?¡± ¡°There¡¯s the Pirate King.¡± Raon pointed at Rabawin, who was standing still in front of Aries. ¡°He¡¯s the captain. He needs to lead the troops when we fight against the monsters protecting Kaibar¡¯s nest.¡± She shook her head, saying that Rabawin¡¯s job had always been to get rid of the monsters and the Seafog tribe.¡°Lady Aries is right.¡± Rabawin nodded with his hands sped behind his back. ¡°Drawing Kaibar outside his nest is my role. It might be an even more important task than fighting the dragon.¡± ¡°But your astral sphere should be able to easily pierce through the dragon¡¯s scales¡­¡± ¡°I specialize in defense. That¡¯s why your sword technique should be more powerful if we only consider the output.¡± He smiled peacefully and put his hand on his chest. There was no sword emblem there because he wasn¡¯t wearing his uniform, but he seemed to salute him in Zieghart¡¯s way. ¡°Moreover, if Kaibar really has information about us like Lady Aries has judged, you are the only one who can take it off guard, Sir Raon. Please cut off the mad dragon¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Please.¡± In addition to Rabawin, even the other crew members lowered their heads and asked him to assume the role. Their eyes looked like they were zing, probably because theirpanions had died. ¡°Raon.¡± Kuberad stepped forward and bit his lip tightly. ¡°This tragedy shouldn¡¯t be allowed to happen again. I¡¯d also like to ask this of you.¡± His white eyebrows shivered as he looked at Aikar, where the ck smoke was still rising. Whir! A clear sword resonance urred from the de of Requiem. It must¡¯ve felt Kuberad¡¯s sincerity. ¡°It looks like your sword also wants to try it. What¡¯s your call?¡± Aries casually pointed at him with her chin, asking him to decide. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Raon nodded without contemting that much. ¡®Nothing has changed.¡¯ It was necessary to kill the dragon and the monsters protecting him anyway. He would just need to focus on the dragon instead. ¡°I like your decisive¡­¡± Aries raised her hand and was about to pat Raon¡¯s shoulder but suddenly stopped. ¡°What is that seagull on your shoulder? Is it your pet?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not too sure either.¡± Raon closed his eyes tightly after looking at the seagull that Merlin had once possessed. ¡°You are so peculiar.¡± Aries eximed and pped loudly towards the crew. ¡°Get ready for departure. The warships from Yukal Vige are going to arrive soon, so make sure to help them.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Rabawin responded loudly and looked at the crew. ¡°We will start with the restoration!¡± He was well aware of what had the highest priority and ordered them to treat the survivors while restoring the indispensable buildings. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the repairs.¡± Kuberad dered that he would be in charge of the city¡¯s restoration and went ahead into the city with his hammer in his hand. The others followed him into the city. ¡°You shoulde with me.¡± Aries gestured with her finger and walked towards the harbor. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Raon followed her and tilted his head. ¡°We need to discuss how to y that mad dragon.¡± She continued walking without hesitation¡ªas if she was telling him to just follow. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon was feeling bitter by the time the vast ocean came into sight, having observed the expanse of bloody rubble from the destroyed walls. Ariesnded on the water, implying that the ocean was her destination. ¡®Why did shee to the ocean when we were supposed to have a discussion? Are we having that kind of conversation?¡¯ Raon stepped on the ocean while reading Aries¡¯s thoughts. ¡°This seems to be a good location.¡± Aries went far enough from the harbor¡ªto the point where it could barely be seen¡ªbefore she turned around. ¡°The discussion doesn¡¯t need to be a conversation with voices.¡± She drew the sword hanging around her waist. The de was an impressive red color. ¡°We are going to move out as soon as they are done with the preparations. Since we don¡¯t have enough time to talk about martial arts¡­¡± Aries bobbed her index finger, telling him to attack her. ¡°Let¡¯s have a conversation with our bodies.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon let out a small sigh while looking at Aries. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ He¡¯d expected her to suggest a spar the moment she started to go into the ocean. ¡®Well, that¡¯s the correct thing to do.¡¯ Trying to understand each other¡¯s martial arts with conversation wasn¡¯t an easy task. Crossing des was the fastest and most efficient way to coordinate their moves in preparation for the battle against the mad dragon. ¡°Kree!¡± Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and the seagull on his shoulder flew up on its own. Raon chuckled and made the Ring of Fire resonate. The Ring of Fire increased his soul level, allowing him to feel the quietly raging energy inside Aries¡¯s energy center. Her tremendous aura and will were almost frightening. ¡®As expected of a transcender¡­¡¯ She was the first transcender from Zieghart he¡¯d seen since Glenn. Since he might not be even able to touch the hem of her clothes even if he went all out, he activated cier to the maximum output. He raised Heavenly Drive while feeling the coldness dashing sharply through his mana circuits. ¡°Here Ie.¡± ¡°Whenever you want.¡± Aries casually lowered her sword. Despite the elegance of her posture, which looked like it came straight out of a picture, there were countless openings. Crackle! Raon stomped the ground with the explosive power of cier. The coldness spreading from the mana circuits under his feet froze the ocean and Aries¡¯s legs. ¡°Oh?¡± Aries looked at her legs curiously, and Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. Since there was no way he could win in a frontal sh, he dashed from the right and executed the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s techniques one after the other. Cring! The trajectory of his de fiercely split into three and rushed towards her neck, heart, and shoulder at the same time. ¡°You are used to fighting.¡± Aries smiled and swung her sword. Even though the simple swing looked like she was just ying around, a translucent shield of aura surged up to block Heavenly Drive¡¯s path. aang! The three techniques of the Fangs of Insanity were blocked at the same time. She¡¯d used the distant sword, which consisted of unleashing one¡¯s aura from afar. ¡®I knew it, her swordsmanship is focused on space.¡¯ Like Wrath had told him before, Aries¡¯s specialty was utilizing the element of space in her sword technique. He couldn¡¯t be surprised with what had happened earlier. nk! Raon didn¡¯t withdraw. He nimbly stepped on the frozen ocean and closed the distance towards Aries. Since distance was meaningless for her, it was necessary to get close to her instead of wasting time by stepping back. ¡°That was a nice decision.¡± Aries nodded and raised her sword. Whir! The space in front of him wavered like a heat haze, and a ferocious attack rushed towards him. She wasn¡¯t using anything like aura or astral energy. Her will was incorporated into the attack. Raon bit his lip and shed upwards with Heavenly Drive, which he¡¯d lowered in preparation. mes burst from the de and created a sturdy shield. He¡¯d used the Firewall from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. aang! The violent wave resulting from the sh between the Firewall and the sword made it look like the ocean was about to copse. Raon stepped onto the wave and thrust Heavenly Drive. A burning branch emerged from the fire on his silver de. The elegant flower petals bloomed from the branch and rode the ocean¡¯s wind to fly into the sky. The me Spirit raining down on Aries¡¯s body had be less precise than before, but more powerful instead. ¡°How pretty.¡± Aries smiled faintly and pulled her sword towards her chest. Whir! The atmosphere vibrated intensely and twisted the flow of mana. The pieces of me rushing toward Aries were unable to reach her and struggled in the air until they faded away. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while watching the me pieces subside into the ocean. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it wouldn¡¯t even reach her.¡¯ Aries had used the space sword topletely prevent the me Spirit from reaching her. Raon had never thought that such a method of defense could even exist. However, he wasn¡¯t feeling any despair at all. Instead, her mysterious martial art allowed him toe up with a defensive technique. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now, right?¡± Aries thrust her sword with a smile on her face. The space in front of her became distorted, and the de surrounded by a furious wave of energy rushed toward him. ¡®I¡¯ll push it back.¡¯ Aries had pushed the me Spirit back by manipting the space. Raon didn¡¯t know how to use the space sword, but he could achieve a simr result. Whir! He controlled cier and unleashed the Snow Flower Repulsion. He pushed the sword strikeing from the front so it wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him and used the attraction to make the strikes from left and right reach him even faster. Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step to step backward and cancel the repulsion and attraction at the same time. Whaaam! The attack being pushed back from the front and the attacks pulled from the left and right shed against each other to create a tremendous explosion. The water burst out and soared to reach the sky. You bastard¡­ Wrath¡¯s chin trembled as he watched the endlessly rising tidal wave. D-did you just use the King of Essence¡¯s ability to copy that female thief¡¯s skill? ¡®I did.¡¯ Raon nodded. The attacking from the front was faster, while the ones from left and right were slightly slower. That was why he¡¯d used repulsion and attraction to make them sh against each other. It was the situation he¡¯d figured in his mind, and making ite into reality made him proud. ¡°Huh, did you just copy my technique?¡± Aries¡¯s voice, heard from behind the wave, had a higher tone than before. She was clearly also surprised. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t respond and kicked off from the ocean, which was soaring like a fountain. His Heavenly Drive slightly scratched the surface before it connected into a diagonal rising sh. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream. Heavenly Drive¡¯s de created a dreamy line over the majestic ocean. Cring! The skill had erased the difference between the real and fake des for a surprise attack, but once again, it failed to reach Aries. She controlled her aura and created an imprable space where the des couldn¡¯t enter at all. ¡°How unfortunate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡± Raon moved his left hand, which he¡¯d pulled back in advance, into a lightning-fast thrust. A frightening amount of coldness burst from the de of Requiem held lightly in his hand. Cring! The red de fiercely pierced toward Aries¡¯s shoulder, a de of coldness following right behind it. Whir! However, the two des of the Front Pond couldn¡¯t reach her either, as they became unable to advance once they were right in front of her. The des vibrated to the point of breaking, but they couldn¡¯t cut through her space. ¡®I expected as much.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t surprised since he¡¯d believed that Aries was fully capable of fending them off. He mechanically proceeded to the next move. Whir! Raon collected Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, which were being pushed out, and put them together at the center. A crimson de surged from Heavenly Drive and silvery coldness burst from the de of Requiem. The heat and coldness condensed on the tips of the two des, bing a sphere of light emanating a tremendous wave of power. It was the me Dragon Art and the Heavenly Heavy Cannon. He activated his two most powerful techniques through the principles of twin des. It gave him a head-splitting pain, but Raon endured the pain with the Ring of Fire and finished the execution. Whaaam! A tremendous explosion of power urred, and violent wind stormed towards Aikar behind Raon as the entire ocean roiled. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon exhaled the impure energy and gained distance. The tidal wave that was rampaging like crazy finally subsided, and Aries could be seen. ¡®Hah¡­ There¡¯s not a single scratch on her¡­¡¯ Aeris¡¯s slightly bronze skin didn¡¯t have a single scratch, and her clothes were also perfectly fine. However, a small rift was created in her space, which used to boast its perfect defensive ability. ¡®That¡¯s it¡­?¡¯ Raon bit his lip, and Aries¡¯s lips curved into a smile. In that instant, her sword strike pierced through the space and soared. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon unleashed the White Shadow sh with Heavenly Tremor to erase Aries¡¯s attack with much difficulty, suppressing his groan. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He breathed roughly and was thinking about how to break through her wall when he suddenly heard a pping sound. ¡°Amazing.¡± Aries was apuding at him, her sword returned to its scabbard before he knew it. ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. The variety of your sword skills, the twin de technique that allows you tobine heat and coldness, and your refined battle senses. You aren¡¯tcking in any aspect at all.¡± She smiled dly and waved her hand. ¡°Your battle senses are the best part. That was the second best among the warriors I¡¯ve seen so far.¡± Raon was about to ask her who the first was since he was called second, but she continued to speak. ¡°What do you think is my sword technique?¡± ¡°It seemed to be using the space. I couldn¡¯t figure out how to break through it at all.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the epitome of the space sword.¡± Aries swept the orange hair touching her forehead back. ¡°Most people are just surprised when they see it because the space sword is difficult to learn. I¡¯ve never seen anyone who tried to copy it before.¡± Her gaze revealed her interest, implying that she was surprised from the bottom of her heart. ¡°You might be able to do it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you want to try learning my sword technique?¡± ¡°Is it really possible for me to learn?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only going to be teaching you the basics. It¡¯s up to you whether you will learn or not.¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I should show you my final sword before then.¡± She clenched her hilt once again, and her lips twitched. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± * * * Raon and Aries went to the only restaurant that was still in fine shape after having a conversation with their swords. The restaurant waspletely empty. The other sailors must¡¯ve already finished eating and moved on to prepare for departure. ¡°Yukan, is there anything left?¡± Aries raised her hand and greeted the manager. She seemed to know him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. All the ingredients are ruined, and we can only prepare some fish soup¡­¡± The manager lowered his head apologetically. ¡°That¡¯s good enough. Get us two spicy fish soups.¡± Aries shook her hand, saying that fish soup could be considered as a banquet since she¡¯d been eating nothing but beef jerky. Fish soup? Wrath briskly raised his head. We¡¯ve been eating nothing but beef jerky and Nadine bread so far. That¡¯s good enough! Bring it out already! He waved his hand at the manager, who couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore. ¡°Lady Aries.¡± Raon sat on the opposite side of Aries and narrowed his eyes. ¡°The Sword Field you demonstrated at the end, was that just for a single attack?¡± Aries¡¯s Sword Field was extremely powerful, to the point where it could separate the ocean, but it had disappeared after a single swing. Raon had seen various Sword Fields before, but it was his first time seeing one that ended with a single strike. ¡°It is.¡± Aries cheerfully nodded. ¡°I copied my father a little.¡± ¡°The head of house?¡± ¡°Father¡¯s Sword Field, Seamless Perfection, makes his sword more powerful with each swing.¡± She let her eyes drift, focusing on a spot in thin air. She seemed to be thinking about Glenn¡¯s sword. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it too.¡± Raon nodded. Just as Aries had said, Glenn¡¯s Sword Field amplified the power of his attack drastically with each swing. No, rather than power, it felt like it was ascending to a whole different level. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be bothered to swing three times. That¡¯s why I created a Sword Field that only has a single strike. It¡¯s cooler to finish the battle in a single strike, isn¡¯t it?¡± Aries smiled, saying that she liked her Sword Field. ¡°I see.¡± Raon lowered his gaze and looked at the worn table. ¡®The Sword Field indeed incorporates the life of the swordsman.¡¯ Aries¡¯s Sword Field was as dynamic as her personality. The Sword Field was indeed a mirror reflecting the user¡¯s life. ¡°By the way, can¡¯t you just kill Kaibar in a single strike with that Sword Field? It doesn¡¯t look like you need my help¡­¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± Aries slowly shook her head. ¡°Because that fucking mad dragon has gotten so old that it¡¯s about to be an ancient dragon.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted. He couldn¡¯t even believe that a being that was about to be an ancient dragon was massacring people¡ªit wasn¡¯t even a vigorous youth anymore. ¡°You can¡¯t believe that it¡¯s doing all that shit at its age, right? But it¡¯s true.¡± Aries twisted her lips, saying that some dragons couldn¡¯t act their age, just like humans. ¡°So you understand now why we need you, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Dragons were apex creatures that became stronger the older they got. If it was old enough to almost be an ancient dragon, even Aries wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee her victory. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Aries casually tapped on the table and leaned towards him. ¡°Do you have a lover?¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon blinked like a fool. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation because she suddenly started talking about a lover when they were discussing the ancient dragon. ¡°I mean, you are twenty-one years old now. With your face and your might, you definitely have a lover, right? Just tell me. I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Aries was saying something that the most loose-lipped of people would say. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have one. This isn¡¯t the time for romance¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing like the right time for romance. You would¡¯ve already gotten married if we were in the old days.¡± ¡°I believe Lady Aries didn¡¯t get married either¡­¡± ¡°Back in my day, we were so busy because of the ongoing war!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy because I¡¯ve gone to various battlefields.¡± ¡°I still had a romantic rtionship even during a war. Love usually blossoms during conflict, after all. Who do you have in the Light Wind division?¡± She licked her lips, showing her determination to hear about it. ¡°Hmm, Lady Aries. Is there any possibility that the dragons will interfere if we y Kaibar?¡± Raon changed the subject to escape from her line of inquiry. Of course, his question was meaningful enough for her to respond. ¡°The dragons are more like separate individuals than a race.¡± Aries was deceived by the question and slowly shook her hand. ¡°The dragons won¡¯t make a move even if Kaibar dies. The lord might warn us though, but we just need to call our backers.¡± ¡°Backers?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about my father, who is your grandfather.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he is going toe, he¡¯ll tell us to deal with it on our own¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll definitelye if you are the one who calls him.¡± Aries patted his shoulder, telling him to stop worrying about it. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m worried about his condition though¡­¡± Raon briefly bit his lip. He had been concerned for a while because Glenn had been facing the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader when he¡¯d left. ¡°I told you many times already, he¡¯s fine.¡± Aries shook her head, telling him that he was healthy enough for morning exercises. ¡°So¡­¡± She leaned forward once again. ¡°Who is your girlfriend?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at her serious expression. ¡®This really feels like I¡¯m meeting a rtive.¡¯ He¡¯d heard that rtives usually asked about lovers and jobs if they met up after a long time apart, and he felt like he was experiencing it. While Rimmer felt like an immature older brother and Sheryl was a caring older sister, Aries was the first person he¡¯d met who felt like a rtive. ¡°I really don¡¯t have anyone.¡± Raon shook his head, and the manager brought out the fish soup. ¡°The food is ready.¡± As soon as the dish was ced on the table, Wrath started to drool from his mouth. The King of Essence is finally eating¡­ ¡°Kree!¡± While he was drowning in happiness, the seagull¡ªwhich had been quiet so far¡ªsuddenly jumped onto the soup. It started to gobble down the warm fish soup and filled its stomach. Apparently, its request was to be fed some fish soup. Th-the King of Essence¡¯s meal! Wrath¡¯s chin trembled violently. You damned bird! Pluck all its feathers and boil it up! He is going to eat it instead! He started rampaging while spreading his wrath, and the seagull kept gulping down the fish soup nonstop. ¡°I¡¯ll acknowledge whoever you go out with, so tell me if you have anyone you are slightly attracted to, at least. Oh, if you tell me your ideal type, I can introduce you to someone¡­¡± Aries didn¡¯t care about the seagull devouring the fish soup at all. Instead, kept asking about his lover. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and shook his head. ¡®This is so hectic¡­¡¯ * * * Two dayster. The Pirate King¡¯s warship, Azure Wind, spread its sails from Aikar¡¯s shore. The cute skull Jolly Roger fluttered into the wind and spread its dignified resonance. ¡°The situation has changed, but our objective is the same.¡± Aries had been watching the distant horizon across the ocean from the deck before she turned around to face the crew. The sailors were reflected in her red eyes, their mouths closed tight. ¡°It won¡¯t be an easy battle. It will be the biggest war since I founded our group. Many of us are going to die, and many will be injured. Even so¡­¡± The sailors listened to Aries¡¯s quiet voice with unwavering eyes. ¡°I am still going. Even if I have to step on the blood of mypanions, I will advance and y the mad dragon. However, it¡¯s not something that I can achieve on my own. You need to open the path for me to aplish that feat.¡± She nodded while tapping on the scabbard hanging around her waist. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Upon hearing her simple yet determined deration, Raon and the sailors shouted loudly enough to shake the ocean with their hands sped behind their backs. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Aries smiled in satisfaction and turned around. Whir! The Azure Wind advanced along with the sound of the horn. The warships got into formation behind it like a hawk spreading its wings and broke through the silence of the ocean. There were only twelve warships. It seemed far too insufficient a number to y the mad dragon, but the warriors¡¯ eyes weren¡¯t showing any sign of fear as they advanced through the waterway. Chapter 518 Chapter 518 Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept writhing in the air and checked the first set of messages. [You have in a person who has transcended human limits and reached heaven.] [You¡¯ve gained an achievement that should¡¯ve been impossible in your current realm.] [All stats have increased by 30.] 30 in all stats was the highest number from a single reward so far. Th-thirty¡­ Wrath was also surprised, unable to close his mouth. Whir! Raon¡¯s body was filled with new vitality. He felt like a violent wave was spreading inside his body, as if his muscles and mana circuits had be extremely flexible. Wrath had previously mentioned that the stat¡¯s effects became less and less noticeable as the total number grew higher, but therge amount he¡¯d gained was making a clear difference. Raon clenched his fist. He checked the second set of messages while realizing that his grip was powerful enough to crush steel. [The new trait Snow Flower Attraction has been created.] [The new trait Snow Flower Repulsion has been created.] Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the two new traits. ¡®Snow Flower¡­¡¯ Snow Flower meant that they were Wrath¡¯s techniques, but he couldn¡¯t exactly tell what they were. A-are you really giving them to him? Why would you do that?! Wrath pulled at his own hair while ring at the messages. You are going too far! ¡®What are they?¡¯ Th-the King of Essence isn¡¯t telling you! He shut his mouth tightly after saying that he was never going to tell him. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while looking at the messages once again. ¡®I don¡¯t think they are random techniques.¡¯ The system¡¯s rewards had always been appropriate to the achievement and actions. That was why the Attraction and Repulsion were most likely the techniques that Wrath had used when he manifested. ¡°Repulsion and attraction¡­ Ah!¡± Raon eximed and loudly pped his hands. ¡®It¡¯s that thing, right? The technique you used to pull and push your opponent with ice!¡¯ Wrath had used controlled frost to push away the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s dark sword and pulled the White Blood religious leader closer in his hand. Those traits must¡¯ve been his skills from back then. N-not at all. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Blue energy was leaking nonstop from Wrath¡¯s eyes, as if he had a hole in them. He was trying to deny it, but his trembling eyes and voice testified that it was true. ¡®Perfect, I liked those techniques.¡¯ You damned system! How much are you nning to give away? Have you never learned moderation?! Wrath shouted and insulted the system. ¡®Next up.¡¯ Raon checked the new title he obtained. [The new title Colorless Healer has been created.] [Colorless Healer A title given to warriors who put theirpanions before themselves. Effect: The healing effect of Divinity Blooming from the Underworld is doubled.] The description was simple, but it wasn¡¯t a simple effect. Doubling the healing effect of Divinity Blooming from the Underworld was huge. ¡®I¡¯m d to have this.¡¯ He felt reassured because it implied that he could heal the Light Wind division even faster and more efficiently if something simr to Orgos¡¯s attack happened in the future. Hmm¡­ Wrath didn¡¯t say anything this time, probably because he thought it would be beneficial to his subordinates. He really was consistent. Raon checked the ranked-up traits to finish. [The trait Evil Eye of Wrath has increased in rank.] [The trait Spiral Power has increased in rank.] [The trait Divinity Blooming from the Underworld has increased in rank.] [The trait Aura of Death Resistance has increased in rank.] [The trait Magic Armor of the Snow Flower has increased in rank.] Just like he had expected, the abilities that he and Wrath had used got a rank up. Having five of them increase was rather unexpected, though. This is driving him nuts! Wrath pulled his lips while reading the messages announcing the traits ranking up. Regardless of the abnormal number, isn¡¯t this too strange?! ¡®What¡¯s strange?¡¯ The King of Essence was the one who killed him and saved them. Why are you even the one getting the rewards?! His round shoulders trembled as heined that it couldn¡¯t be happening. ¡®This is my opinion¡­¡¯ Raon raised his finger and pointed at his own body. ¡®I sacrificed my soul level to make you advent in between my soul and body.¡¯ S-so what? ¡®You were the one who killed the enemies and saved the Light Wind division, but my hands and feet were the ones that achieved it in the end. Shouldn¡¯t that be the reason why I¡¯m getting the rewards?¡¯ He said it was his opinion, but he was certain about it. That was the only way to exin the huge amount of rewards. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Ugh¡­ Wrath¡¯s face turned as red as a tomato upon realizing that fact. The King of Essence has decided! ¡®Decide what?¡¯ As soon as he returns to Devildom, he is going to destroy that damned system! He¡¯s going to thoroughly shatter it to pieces so that it won¡¯t be able to do this shit ever again! ¡®Sure.¡¯ He¡¯s really going to do it! Even his stats that went to you will be recovered! ¡®Yes, sure.¡¯ Raon shook his hand. There was no reason for him to care because there was no way Wrath was going to return to Devildom. ¡®I¡¯m happy that I¡¯ve gotten so many rewards, but¡­ my soul level didn¡¯t increase.¡¯ The system was considering Raon to be the one who killed Orgos even though Wrath was the one who did it, but his soul level wasn¡¯t increased as a reward. It looked like he had to do it by himself for it to count. Do you seriously want your soul level on top of this? You greedy bastard! ¡®I was just thinking about it.¡¯ Ugh! This is so frustrating! He¡¯s so frustrated that his stomach is rumbling! ¡®That¡¯s happening because you are hungry¡­¡¯ Then fill his stomach at least! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon took out his subspace pocket while looking at Wrath, who was rampaging. ¡°Ah!¡± He smiled after checking the pocket. ¡®There¡¯s some food in here, but¡­¡¯ Really? The King of Essence is going to kill you if you say it¡¯s beef jerky! ¡®It¡¯s not beef jerky.¡¯ Raon smiled awkwardly and took out a brown loaf of bread that looked like it was slightly burnt. ¡®I have Nadine brea¡ª¡¯ Die! * * * ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren sighed while looking at Rimmer, who was lying on a rocking chair. ¡°How long do we need to stay here?¡± ¡°Until you are fully recovered.¡± Rimmer simply bobbed his finger without even turning his head. ¡°We¡¯ve fully recovered, though.¡± Martha frowned while briskly pulling on Rimmer¡¯s chair. ¡°Not yet.¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Rimmer shook his head slightly. ¡°The injuries to your bodies have almost fully recovered, but the mental shock was huge. Since you were even prepared to die, you should take a deep rest.¡± Henguidly reclined on the chair once again after answering her. He looked like a pill bug. ¡°Lazybones.¡± Runaan pouted while looking at Rimmer. ¡°You of all people have no right to call me that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m way better than you, at least, division leader.¡± She quietly murmured and briskly turned her head away. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty. To be honest, you don¡¯t even understand what happened to you.¡± Rimmer sighed briefly and raised his gaze. ¡°There¡¯s no way to tell whether it was really Merlin who healed you or some nameless saint just happened to pass by. That¡¯s why it¡¯s better to be careful for the time being.¡± He raised his finger and pointed at Burren¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are your eyes okay? Don¡¯t you see something like ghosts?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren touched his regenerated pupils with a peaceful expression on his face. ¡°I can see even better than with my original eyes. I feel slightly tired, though¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible to regenerate eyes, even with holy power. Moreover, your eyes are a different color than before. You need to rest and confirm your body¡¯s condition.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, telling them that they shouldn¡¯t try to do anything for the time being. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Burren licked his lips. ¡°It¡¯s just frustrating because I have no idea what happened to Raon¡­¡± ¡°Where is he even at, and what is he even doing? Is he really alive, at least?¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Martha was also worried about Raon, biting her lip slightly. ¡°I need to brag about it to Raon¡­¡± Runaan sighed briefly and clutched her knees. ¡°He¡¯s doing fine.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly while looking at the Light Wind division¡¯s team leaders. ¡°He will look even better than you when he returns.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Martha narrowed her eyes fiercely. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Rimmer nodded, but he sounded a bit less confident. ¡°Hmm.¡± Rumaan suddenly stood up after hearing Rimmer¡¯s confirmation. ¡°Where are you going?¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste since I¡¯m going to brag when Raon returns.¡± She went towards the door without hesitation after saying that she was going to train. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Burren nodded. ¡°He is going to scold us for not training as soon as he returns, regardless of us bing Masters.¡± He chuckled and followed Runaan. ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you if you lied.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Martha briefly sighed and went towards the door. Click! As soon as Runaan opened the door, they could see the Light Wind swordsmen who were leaning their backs against the wall. ¡°We are alsoing with you.¡± Dorian and the swordsmen made a path for the team leaders to pass while saying that they were also going to train. Everyone in the Light Wind division went to the rehabilitation training ground attached to the healing ward without hesitation. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed and leaned his back into the rocking chair. The creaking sound of the chair sounded ominous for some reason. ¡°That tomboy took him with her¡­¡± ¡®Is he really going to be fine?¡¯ * * * * * * Raon slowly raised his head, standing at the center of the deck. Aries was lying on her hammock, and it was swaying slightly in the wind. ¡°Lady Aries.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Aries¡¯s sleepy voice made it sound like she had just woken up. ¡°Is it really okay for me to be doing this? I¡¯d like to help, even if it¡¯s something trivial¡­¡± Raon felt self-conscious because he was the only one training through meditation when everyone else¡ªincluding Rabawin and Kuberad¡ªwere busy preparing for war. ¡°They have their job and you have yours. Just focus on stopping the hole that¡¯s still expanding in your mental world.¡± Aries shook her hand, telling him to focus on his preparations for battle instead of having useless thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ve already stopped that.¡± Raon calmly responded while looking up at the hammock. ¡°Huh?¡± Aries immediately raised her upper body and looked down. She looked at Raon¡¯s head for a moment before she her jaw dropped. ¡°It¡¯s true. When did it stop?¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°Yesterday evening.¡± The hole hadpletely stopped expanding thanks to the continuous meditation and utilization of the Ring of Fire. He just needed to patch the hole to recover his previous might. ¡°You are such a mysterious person.¡± Aries gasped, showing that she couldn¡¯t understand how that happened. ¡°I can understand why my father was looking for you so hard.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, nevermind. In that case, just take a rest.¡± She cut herself off andy on the hammock once again. ¡°Wait, I was asking because I feel ufortable resting¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better than being beaten up before being forced to rest?¡± Aires raised her fist while lying on her hammock. A cracking sound could be heard from her hand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and walked to the edge of the deck. ¡®She¡¯s really peculiar.¡¯ Tsk¡­ Raon watched the ocean below him, and Wrath loudly licked his lips. There is so much food, but it can¡¯t even be touched. This is so irritating. He put his hands together, begging him to fish or something to give him some food. This is really driving him nuts now! ¡®You just need to put up with it for a short time, since we are supposed to arrive in the city soon.¡¯ Really? ¡®Yes, they said we will be there around noon.¡¯ Raon looked up at the sky. Judging from the position of the sun, he could guess that they would reach the city in about two hours. ¡®I¡¯ll eat everything you want as soon as we arrive in the city.¡¯ The King of Essence would like you to believe you, but there are interferences every single time¡­ ¡®That¡¯s not going to happen this time. The coastal city of Aikar is pretty big. There are plenty of seafood restaurants.¡¯ Hmm, that sounds good¡­ Wrath smiled happily with his eyes closed. He looked like he was thinking about which seafood dish he wanted to eat. Raon chuckled while watching him. He sailed for over two more hours whileforting the demon king. Argh! Wrath screamed while looking at a distant ce. He knew it! Nothing goes well for him! ¡®What?¡¯ Raon tilted his head upon hearing Wrath¡¯s frustrated voice, and Aries jumped down from the hammock. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Her gaze was as cold as when she¡¯d mentioned Kaibar. ¡°Rabawin, Raon.¡± Raon ran towards her upon hearing her call. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Rabawin was in the captain¡¯s cabin, but he came out in no time and stood right next to Raon. ¡°Aikar is under attack.¡± Aries bit her lip while looking at the eastern coast. She¡¯s right! A battle is happening in the faraway city over there! Wrath agreed with Aries and furrowed his brow. They advanced for about twenty more minutes, and a huge city surrounded by a gray fog entered their sight. The wall protecting the harbor was half destroyed, and marine monsters were endlessly entering through the gaps. Raon wanted to observe inside the city, but he couldn¡¯t see anything because of the fog. However, he could guess that the situation was rather serious because ck smoke was rising from the fog. ¡°They¡¯ve destroyed the walls and defensive system with magic and they dispatched the monsters and the Seafog Tribe. This nasty method is definitely Kaibar¡¯s handiwork.¡± Aries violently ground her teeth and stood at the edge of the ship. ¡°Rabawin, navigate at full throttle. Raon, follow me.¡± She issued her orders and kicked the deck to jump into the air right after. ¡°Yes!¡± Rabawin nodded and went onto the main deck. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Aries stepped on thin air instead of the ocean to run towards the city full of fog and smoke as if she were onnd. Thud! Raon jumped down from the ship and followed Aries. The ocean was a lot more turbulent than a river, but it wasn¡¯t exactly difficult to keep his bnce. He used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step, which had the fastest speed, but it was still difficult to catch up to Aries. She jumped over the half-destroyed wall and entered the city a lot faster than him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon entered through the fog after that and groaned right away. The city¡¯s defensive system waspletely destroyed, implying that the wall wasn¡¯t the only thing the magic had destroyed. There were corpses of powerful-looking warriors and magicians all over the ce. The survivors were struggling as they fought against the countless monsters, and the civilians were dying because they weren¡¯t getting any protection. ¡°You know what to do, right?¡± Raon nodded upon hearing Aries¡¯s question. ¡°You are on your own now!¡± She gave him instructions to act on his own ord and advanced towards the center of the city. ¡®I¡¯ll start with the closest location.¡¯ Raon went to the right, where he¡¯d heard a scream, instead of watching Aries leave. Behind a destroyed building, a water attribute monster with a shark head and mole¡¯s ws¡ªa shark mole¡ªwas baring its teeth at an old couple. ¡°Y-you monster!¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> The old man swung his wooden staff, but the shark mole sneered at him and stretched its ws toward the old man. Thud! Raon pushed against the ground powerfully. ¡®They are too far!¡¯ He was going to arrive toote, and using arge amount of energy could risk the building falling towards them. He could predict that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop it. ¡®In that case¡­¡¯ He would¡¯ve had to let him die in the past, but he had gained a way to save him: Snow Flower Attraction. He activated the new skill that he¡¯d obtained thanks to Wrath. Whir! His upper energy center was stimted and heated up. A colorless wave of energy emerged alongside cier¡¯s coldness and pulled the shark mole towards him. It wasn¡¯t anything like the wind, instead being a mysteriousbination between the upper energy center and aura. Grr? The shark mole groaned in confusion, but it had no way to stop the attraction. sh! Raon dashed in between buildings in an instant and cut off the shark mole¡¯s head. ¡°Grr¡­¡± The shark mole copsed on its back before it even realized what had killed it. The heavy body fell to the ground and gray smoke rose from it. Wait¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the shark mole that had lost its head. A-are you really using it right away? Without practice? He blinked nkly, showing his disbelief at the fact that Raon had used the attraction ability right away. ¡®It¡¯s because I was watching you use this ability.¡¯ It was only natural that Raon could do that much since he¡¯d seen Wrath use attraction and repulsion against the transcenders. Damn it¡­ Wrath ground his teeth in frustration. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°Uhh, thank you¡­¡± The old couple sank to the ground and expressed their gratitude. ¡°Head towards the harbor. A ship should arrive soon.¡± Raon told them the way to survive and ran towards another location where he could hear a scream. Rumble! A huge ray-type monster, the Mantakurn, was flying towards a circr shelter. It was mming into the building with its thick head, and even the ground was shaking as a result. Crack! The mantakurn¡¯s charge managed to create a hole in the shelter. The marine monsters that were riding on its back were preparing to jump inside. Whir! Raon kicked the ground and activated the repulsion. He extended his hand, feeling the sensation of his upper energy center wavering like the ocean. The colorless energy extending from his hand pushed the monsters away and made them fall on the ground where no one was around instead of in the shelter. Whir! \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps and unleashed the Crimson sh. The crimson line of fire burst from Heavenly Drive¡¯s de and severed the mantakurn¡¯s body in half even though it was even thicker than the building. Crack! The sharp de of me still had enough bloodlust after cutting down the mantakurn, obliterating the marine monsters that had fallen on the ground. ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°W-we are saved¡­¡± ¡°What just happened¡­?¡± The people inside the shelter exhaled roughly while looking at the huge hole in the shelter. ¡°Just wait here a bit and the rescue should arrive.¡± Raon patched the shelter¡¯s hole with cier¡¯s ice before he headed north. That was where he could feel the movement of the biggest energy. As he continued through the buildings, he found a man wearing a sky-blue colored robe, his skin as gray as ash. ¡®Is he from the Seafog Tribe that was supposed to serve Kaibar?¡¯ Judging from his ashen skin, the fins on his thighs, forearms, and back, and the way he could freely manipte the fog, he was most certainly from the Seafog Tribe. Whir! The Seafog warrior was driving the warriors into a corner by freely manipting the gray fog. Six warriors were attacking him at once, but the Seafog warrior protected his body with fog and stabbed the warriors in their vitals at the same time. ¡®They are the ones who made this fog surrounding this city.¡¯ Raon calmed down his breath and pierced into the fog. Just as he was about to thrust Heavenly Drive, which he¡¯d pulled back in advance, the Seafog warrior¡¯s gaze was directed at him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He didn¡¯t panic. He concentrated the fog into a shield and prepared to attack with his right hand. Cring! Raon pierced into the fog and shed with the Fangs of Insanity. The ws of a savage beast pried open the gap inside the fog, which was as turbulent as the ocean. ¡°Ack!¡± The Seafog warrior stepped back in surprise, but it was a pointless struggle. The fangs of the mad beast never let their prey go. Swoosh! The third form of the Fangs of Insanity followed, and the Seafog warrior¡¯s head fell to the ground. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon lowered his sword and briefly exhaled. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°D-did he just kill the Seafog warrior so easily?¡± ¡°It only took four moves¡­¡± ¡°Who the hell is he¡­?¡± The warriors who¡¯d been fighting against the Seafog Warrior couldn¡¯t hide their surprise as their lips trembled. ¡°The Pirate King will be here soon. Please stay back.¡± Raon told the warriors to move towards the harbor before running towards the location where he could feel a strong presence of monsters and Seafog warriors. He was running at full speed when a seagull came flying next to him. It was normal for seagulls to be there since it was a coastal city, but it was strange for it to approach a human during a battle. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously and narrowed his eyes when the seagull¡¯s beck twitched. ¡°I found you!¡± Chapter 519 Chapter 519 Raon¡¯s hand holding Heavenly Drive trembled intensely as he looked at the seagull. ¡°I-is it really you?¡± ¡°I wanted to see you.¡± She didn¡¯t respond to his question, but the fact that she said she wanted to see him confirmed his suspicion. Merlin had literally be a stalker on top of being a madwoman at that point. Uaah¡­ Wrath shrunk like a turtle trying to hide in its shell. Why is the madwoman here?! His sky-blue pupils trembled, unable toprehend the situation. We were separated at the center of the continent! Howe she¡¯s here in this coastal city?! ¡®I don¡¯t even know¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head. He couldn¡¯t respond because he really didn¡¯t know. ¡°You¡­ Ah.¡± Raon was about to ask Merlin a question but noticed a battle on his right side. The presence was simr to the Seafog warrior he¡¯d killed a moment ago. ¡°Let¡¯s save the talk for after the emergency is dealt with.¡± ¡°I can wait as long as it takes.¡± Merlin nodded at him, implying that he should do as he pleased beforending on his shoulder. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon sighed briefly and used the Supreme Harmony Steps towards the right. The Seafog warriors¡¯ energy was a lot bigger than the one that he¡¯d fought a moment ago. They seemed to be the main force. As soon as he entered the alley, which looked like it was filled with gray, smoky dust, he could see three Seafog warriors next to arge fountain. A huge fog was surging from the fountain, and it seemed to be the source of the fog surrounding the city. ¡°Start by burning the fog!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t burn or freeze!¡± ¡°Damn it! Even aura can¡¯t pierce through it.¡± ¡°Their defense is sturdy, but their attacks are too powerful. Eight of us have been defeated already!¡± The warriors and magicians from the city were trying to attack the Seafog warriors, but the fog was too thick and the monsters around them were preventing them from opening the path. They were stabbed by the fog and died one after the other while trying to attack. Cring. Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive and analyzed the Seafog warrior¡¯s state. The young ones at the left and right were at a simr level to the one he¡¯d killed earlier, and the middle-aged Seafog warrior at the center who was manipting the fog looked much stronger than the rest. He seemed to be the boss. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps towards the Seafog warrior at the center. Just as he was about to break into the fog, the marine monsters that were spread around the area started to gather towards him. ¡®Are they also manipting the monsters?¡¯ He¡¯d never heard that the Seafog tribe was capable of controlling monsters. Raon could guess that they were acting together because of the dragon¡¯s order. ¡°In that case¡­¡± Raon pulled Heavenly Drive behind his shoulder. He stepped forward with his left foot and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura that was filling his energy center. The heat dashed through his mana circuits and burst out to create the shape of a dragon on Heavenly Drive¡¯s tip. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation Hundred mes. me Dragon Art The me dragon¡¯s breath extended from the tip of his de, devouring all of the monsters that could be seen. Rumble! The uracy had fallen a lot lower because of the issue in his upper energy center, but the output seemed to have gotten even stronger thanks to his increased stats. Whoosh! Not a single monster managed to survive the heat of the me Dragon Art, but the Seafog warriors created a wall by concentrating the fog, perfectly blocking the me. ¡°You are making this annoying.¡± Raon stepped onto the scorchednd and dashed towards the fog. Cring! The gray fog controlled by the Seafog warriors turned into a sharpened de and rushed toward his vitals. ¡®I can see it.¡¯ He could feel the flow of the fog with extreme precision, probably because he had the Ring of Fire and the Evil Eye of Wrath activated at the same time. Tap! He used the River Footwork to precisely follow the fog¡¯s movement. He dashed into the fog as nimbly as a salmon going against the stream. ¡°Kill him.¡± The middle-aged Seafog warrior shook his hand, and the two young Seafog warriors from both sides thrust their spears and swords. The numerous des seemed to be trying to pierce all over Raon¡¯s body instead of targeting his vitals. Cring! Raon didn¡¯t withdraw. He elerated his advance and executed the Frost Pond. The de of frost followed the silver de like a shadow. Smash! The deadly des destroyed the weapons of the Seafog warriors and continued their advance. ¡°St-stop him!¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> The two Seafog warriors tried to create a wall of fog in panic, but they were far toote. The two des had already reached their foreheads. Crack! The Seafog warriors were stabbed by the Frost Pond¡¯s ice and copsed, unable to control their bodies anymore. They had died instantly. They were known for their strong vitality, but it was impossible to withstand the Frost Pond. ¡®There¡¯s only one left now¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Just as Raon raised Heavenly Drive and was about to unleash the me, a gray energy rushed at him like a tidal wave. The middle-aged Seafog warrior had been preparing an unavoidable attack after throwing away the two others as bait. Wham! Raon stomped the ground and shook Heavenly Drive. The me surrounding the de glimmered in white and engulfed the tidal wave of fog rushing toward him. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Fifth Form, White Shadow sh The snow-white de erased the wave of fog reaching all the way to the sky. The Seafog warrior¡¯s eyes revealed his surprise amid the subsiding fog. Thud! Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity presented by his panic and pierced into his personal space. ¡°Kuh!¡± The middle-aged Seafog warrior surrounded himself with the fog that was covering the city and created a gray whirlwind. Raon stopped his steps and smoothly swung Heavenly Drive. The red flower petals blooming from the de followed the foggy cyclone and danced elegantly. Whap! The me Spirit, which was further enlightened thanks to Wrath, mercilessly destroyed the foggy cyclone surrounding the Seafog warrior. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The middle-aged Seafog warrior¡¯s lips trembled as he watched the disappearing fog in disbelief. Step. Raon calmly walked up towards the Seafog warrior. He ground his teeth, and just as he was about to put up a desperate struggle, Raon shed Heavenly Drive downwards. Crack! The middle-aged Seafog warrior and his hand, which was raised to attack, were split in half at the same time. The fountain of blood fell silent for a moment. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°H-he defeated three Seafog warriors on his own¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, he did it with only a few swings of his sword.¡± ¡°How could he be so powerful at his young age¡­?¡± The swordsmen and the magicians who¡¯d been fighting the Seafog warriors gasped at his ridiculous performance. Their faces expressed disbelief at the fact that the foggy barrier, which they couldn¡¯t break even if they traded their lives for it, was destroyed so easily. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Whir! The fog covering the coastal city of Aikar started to disappear. However, only a quarter of it has disappeared instead of the entirety. Raon could guess that he had to repeat the same process three more times topletely remove the fog. ¡®I need to move faster.¡¯ Raon sent the injured to the harbor and was about to locate the presence of other Seafog warriors. Whaam! Majestic energy burst into the sky. His fingers trembled upon feeling the massive, frightening wave of energy. He couldn¡¯t really see because of the fog, but it was obvious who the source of it was. ¡®Aries Zieghart.¡¯ The weirdo, who led a carefree life while leaving the title of Pirate King to her subordinate, was floating in the sky. Raon used the Evil Eye of Wrath to look into the fog and saw Aries. She was leaning forward with her eyes closed, and her hand was ced on the hilt. It was the posture of a sword draw. An incredible amount of focus and energy was rampaging around her. A red radiance sparkled from her eyes, and a long cut was left in the space. Her sword draw was extremely fast, to the point where it was invisible. However, the speed wasn¡¯t the important part. Crack! Aries¡¯s sword strike leaped through the space and severed the lives of the monsters and Seafog warriors scattered all around the city. Kieeh. Raon went into a narrow alley behind him upon hearing a scream and saw that the marine monsters¡ªalive until a moment ago¡ªwere convulsing, their bodies cut in half. Whaam! The fog covering Aikar burst in an instant, and clear sunlight shone down upon it. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled faintly as he looked upon the blue sky. ¡®Is that really swordsmanship?¡¯ He¡¯d seen countless sword techniques in the past, but it was his first time seeing one transcend the space. It almost looked like magic instead of a sword technique. It was the space. Wrath twisted his lips while looking at the monster corpses. ¡®Space?¡¯ What that female thief cut earlier was the space where she felt the presence of the monsters. It can be called the space sword, with the way you usually name it. ¡®Space sword¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously while voicing the phrase ¡®space sword¡¯. It looked extremely difficult to use, but it made his heart pound in excitement. He wanted to try learning it no matter what. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Whir! The ship¡¯s horn could be heard from the harbor. The Pirate King¡¯s warship, Navy Wind, must¡¯ve arrived at the city. He could guess that the battle was over. Shring. Raon returned Heavenly Drive to the scabbard and looked at the right side. Merlin¡¯s seagull was still there. Oh! Right! The madwoman! Wrath¡¯s chin trembled as he remembered Merlin. ¡°Why are you even here?¡± Raon sighed while making a simr face as Wrath. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± ¡°All along?¡± ¡°Yes, I never stopped.¡± Merlin smiled cheerfully and nodded. Raon couldn¡¯t believe that he was actually seeing a seagull¡¯s smile. ¡°You got so lucky.¡± It was amazing that they came across each other at the edge of the continent. Raon even started to think that fate was binding them at that point. ¡°Hmm? It wasn¡¯t because of luck.¡± Merlin calmly shook her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m currently controlling over a thousand animals right now.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. He almost fell on his knees because the strength started to leave his legs. ¡°A-a thousand¡­?¡± ¡°This isn''t the only one. They are scattered all around the continent. They are moving around as we speak.¡± Merlin smiled happily, saying that their encounter was inevitable rather than being a coincidence. A-a thousand animals¡­ Wrath started to foam from his mouth. The King of Essence told you before! She is dangerous! She is way more dangerous than the ones we met a few days ago! He pounded Raon¡¯s shoulder, telling him to run away already. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon groaned and tilted his head. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°Is it even possible to control a thousand animals?¡± Even for Merlin, he thought it would be impossible to possess over a thousand animals to move around the continent. ¡°I¡¯ve invented a new spell. I made my main body fall into a half-asleep state, split my mind, and inserted it into the animals.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon let out a long gasp. ¡®What the hell is wrong with her? Did she just say she invented a new spell in order to find me?¡¯ She said it so easily like always, but inventing a new spell was a ridiculous task. She almost sounded like she was talking about making a new recipe. ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone with this. I¡¯m d it went as I thought.¡± ¡°Lose at what?¡± ¡°At finding you.¡± Merlin twisted her wings like a shy girl in love. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes and asked the question that he had from before. ¡°Isn¡¯t that magic dangerous to you?¡± He was worried about her safety since she should bepletely defenseless if she was half asleep. ¡°Ufufu.¡± Merlin furtively hid her beak with her wing. ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying¡­¡± ¡°It makes me happy, but don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m currently hiding, and¡­¡± Her eyes glowed in a strange passion.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°I have to find you even if I end up dying as a result. I¡¯m really d that you are alive!¡± Merlin spread her wings, implying that it was all that mattered for her. Ugh¡­ Wrath quietly sniffled, his shoulders trembling in fear. She¡¯s literally a lunatic! ¡®I can¡¯t argue against that.¡¯ Why does the King of Essence¡¯s life have to be like that?! He just wanted to eat some delicious food, but the city was destroyed. Why is that stalker madwoman following him?! ¡®Poor you.¡¯ \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Raon patted Wrath¡¯s shoulder tofort him. He was also honestly afraid of Merlin, but he couldn¡¯t let the fear take over him because she¡¯d helped him a lot in the past. ¡°How is your injury?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You were stabbed by the tenth apostle¡¯s spear.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Merlin nodded slightly. She sounded like she had even forgotten the fact that she was injured. ¡®Seriously¡­¡¯ Raon could never get used to her madness even though he¡¯d interacted with her many times already. ¡°This is already the second time you¡¯ve worried about me. I might be unable to sleep tonight with how happy I am.¡± Merlin raised her wings and rubbed her cheeks in embarrassment. ¡°Ah¡­¡± She smiled cheerfully only to suddenly shudder. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I think the spell is going to be undone because of my strong emotions.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s partly because I¡¯m out of mana from using this spell for over two weeks straight.¡± ¡°Over two weeks?¡± If she was telling the truth, it implied that she had never stopped using that spell since she¡¯d made it right after his disappearance. ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± ¡°Raon, as for this one¡­¡± Merlin was trying to continue, but her beak suddenly twitched. The change urred in her eyes. She had disappeared before she could tell him what the seagull wanted. ¡°Kree.¡± The seagull took arge step towards him, to the point where it almost looked like it was leaping. ¡°Kreee!¡± It started to p its wings as if it were telling him to grant its request already. ¡°What?¡± Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the seagull approaching him. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what you want¡­¡± * * * \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> The seagullnded on his shoulder instead of leaving because it couldn¡¯t get what it wanted. Raon had no other choice than to look around the city with the seagull. The city was in a hellish state, with the nice roads and buildings being destroyed and ck smoke rising to the sky. The beautiful coastal city had be a harbor of death. The city wasn¡¯t the only thing that was ruined. He could find plenty of corpses just by looking around a little. Countless residents had died, men, women, elders, and children alike. ¡®There are almost no survivors.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t feel any human vitality in the area. ¡®It must¡¯ve been because of the dragon¡¯s magic.¡¯ The city¡¯s defensive system was destroyed because of the mad dragon spamming its 9th-circle magic, and the garrison must¡¯ve perished before they could do anything. It was as clear as day that even the warriors who¡¯d managed to survive the spells tried to protect the city, but they ended up being wiped out by the monsters and the Seafog tribe. Crack. Raon clenched his back teeth while turning towards the direction of the harbor. He could see a reddened rabbit plushie and the hand of its owner. He felt like his heart was being gripped by an iron wire upon seeing the small hand of a little child. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought that it wasn¡¯t his battle. He¡¯d believed that he just needed to reap the benefits from helping Aries before returning to the house. However, the sad reality struck him upon seeing the destroyed city and the corpses of innocent people as if cold water had been poured upon his head. ¡°Is it really doing this kind of shit just because it hates humans?¡± The wrath in his soul started to burn like a wildfire, either because of the emotion he¡¯d received from Wrath or his malice against the dragon. The lizards have always been famous for their double standards. Wrath twisted his lips while looking at the smoke rising from the city. ¡®Double standards?¡¯ They have always been hypocrites. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ The dragons say that adult dragons shouldn¡¯t interfere with each other and don¡¯t even stop them from ughtering humans or other races. However, they take action if that dragon ends up dying. He sneered, saying that they hadn¡¯t changed at all. They im they protect the continent, but that¡¯s just bullshit. They are just a dirty race. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Raon nodded heavily. The dragons who imed to be the protectors of the continent seemed to be even more demonic than the demon kings like Wrath, who cherished his subordinates, or Sloth, who just wanted to sleep. ¡®I¡¯ve clearly made up my mind now.¡¯ He was going to take the uing battle seriously. It was a battle to y the dragon who ughtered humans, raise his soul level, and acquire the sea serpent¡¯s heart to make Sylvia¡¯s energy center. He made a vow to himself, and his boiling rage subsided. ¡°I couldn¡¯t save you, but I¡¯ll avenge you at least.¡± Raon ced the bloody rabbit plushie in the small hand¡¯s grasp and left the crimson-stained street. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Once he arrived at the harbor, he could see that Aries, Rabawin, and the crew were already standing there. ¡°All the monsters and the Seafog tribe who invaded the city have been eliminated. But the damage is too great¡­¡± Rabawin bit his lip while looking beyond the city. ¡°So who managed to survive?¡± Aries briefly clicked her tongue and asked about survivors. ¡°The city¡¯s garrison was annihted, and only a third of those who were supposed toe with us are left. Moreover¡­¡± Rabawin lowered his gaze and continued. ¡°The fleet that was supposed toe from Yukal Vige has also been attacked by the Seafog tribe and monsters.¡± He sighed deeply, saying that the mad dragon hunt was going to be difficult. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Rabawin. ¡®So half of them have died.¡¯ Aries was originally nning to gather the affiliated fleet and pirates in Aikar before leaving for the dragon hunt. However, the two cities with the supplies and personnel were both attacked, which made it difficult for him to predict her future course of action. ¡°This city is located on the opposite side from his nest. Considering the fact that he decided to attack this ce¡­¡± Aries furrowed her brow, while ring at the ocean. ¡°He must¡¯ve known our movements all along.¡± She was right. Kaibar¡¯s nest was a significant distance away from the city, and it was in the wrong direction, too. Considering the fact that the dragon attacked that specific city and Yukal, where the reinforcements were supposed toe from, it definitely knew about their movements. ¡°What are you going to do now? With the n gone awry, it won¡¯t be an easy fight.¡± Rabawin sighed and looked around at the crew. Everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with worry. ¡°Why are you so worried about it? What do you think the reason the mad dragon attacked this city is?¡± Aries smiled faintly and spread her arms. ¡°It¡¯s because it is afraid of us. The dragon fears our will to hunt it down, and humanity itself.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± A small light appeared from the warriors¡¯ eyes upon hearing her confident deration. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to avoid a lizard that fears humanity. The n will proceed without any changes.¡± Aries smiled faintly and looked far away into the ocean. ¡°We will depart as soon as the preparations are done. The mad dragon¡­¡± She proceeded to look at Raon, who was standing behind her. ¡°Will be in by Raon and me.¡± Chapter 520 Full Chapter 520 Full Raon slowly blinked while looking at Aries. ¡°Me?¡± He was going to take the war against the mad dragon seriously, but he¡¯d thought that his role would be to get rid of the monsters and the Seafog tribe. He was nning to just help with the killing blow, but his mind went nk because she told him to kill the dragon with her. ¡°Who else would it be?¡± ¡°There¡¯s the Pirate King.¡± Raon pointed at Rabawin, who was standing still in front of Aries. ¡°He¡¯s the captain. He needs to lead the troops when we fight against the monsters protecting Kaibar¡¯s nest.¡± She shook her head, saying that Rabawin¡¯s job had always been to get rid of the monsters and the Seafog tribe. ¡°Lady Aries is right.¡± Rabawin nodded with his hands sped behind his back. ¡°Drawing Kaibar outside his nest is my role. It might be an even more important task than fighting the dragon.¡± ¡°But your astral sphere should be able to easily pierce through the dragon¡¯s scales¡­¡± ¡°I specialize in defense. That¡¯s why your sword technique should be more powerful if we only consider the output.¡± He smiled peacefully and put his hand on his chest. There was no sword emblem there because he wasn¡¯t wearing his uniform, but he seemed to salute him in Zieghart¡¯s way. ¡°Moreover, if Kaibar really has information about us like Lady Aries has judged, you are the only one who can take it off guard, Sir Raon. Please cut off the mad dragon¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Please.¡± In addition to Rabawin, even the other crew members lowered their heads and asked him to assume the role. Their eyes looked like they were zing, probably because theirpanions had died. ¡°Raon.¡± Kuberad stepped forward and bit his lip tightly. ¡°This tragedy shouldn¡¯t be allowed to happen again. I¡¯d also like to ask this of you.¡± His white eyebrows shivered as he looked at Aikar, where the ck smoke was still rising. Whir! A clear sword resonance urred from the de of Requiem. It must¡¯ve felt Kuberad¡¯s sincerity. ¡°It looks like your sword also wants to try it. What¡¯s your call?¡± Aries casually pointed at him with her chin, asking him to decide. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Raon nodded without contemting that much. ¡®Nothing has changed.¡¯ It was necessary to kill the dragon and the monsters protecting him anyway. He would just need to focus on the dragon instead. ¡°I like your decisive¡­¡± Aries raised her hand and was about to pat Raon¡¯s shoulder but suddenly stopped. ¡°What is that seagull on your shoulder? Is it your pet?¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°¡­I¡¯m not too sure either.¡± Raon closed his eyes tightly after looking at the seagull that Merlin had once possessed. ¡°You are so peculiar.¡± Aries eximed and pped loudly towards the crew. ¡°Get ready for departure. The warships from Yukal Vige are going to arrive soon, so make sure to help them.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Rabawin responded loudly and looked at the crew. ¡°We will start with the restoration!¡± He was well aware of what had the highest priority and ordered them to treat the survivors while restoring the indispensable buildings. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the repairs.¡± Kuberad dered that he would be in charge of the city¡¯s restoration and went ahead into the city with his hammer in his hand. The others followed him into the city. ¡°You shoulde with me.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Aries gestured with her finger and walked towards the harbor. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Raon followed her and tilted his head. ¡°We need to discuss how to y that mad dragon.¡± She continued walking without hesitation¡ªas if she was telling him to just follow. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon was feeling bitter by the time the vast ocean came into sight, having observed the expanse of bloody rubble from the destroyed walls. Ariesnded on the water, implying that the ocean was her destination. ¡®Why did shee to the ocean when we were supposed to have a discussion? Are we having that kind of conversation?¡¯ Raon stepped on the ocean while reading Aries¡¯s thoughts. ¡°This seems to be a good location.¡± Aries went far enough from the harbor¡ªto the point where it could barely be seen¡ªbefore she turned around. ¡°The discussion doesn¡¯t need to be a conversation with voices.¡± She drew the sword hanging around her waist. The de was an impressive red color. ¡°We are going to move out as soon as they are done with the preparations. Since we don¡¯t have enough time to talk about martial arts¡­¡± Aries bobbed her index finger, telling him to attack her. ¡°Let¡¯s have a conversation with our bodies.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon let out a small sigh while looking at Aries. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ He¡¯d expected her to suggest a spar the moment she started to go into the ocean. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡®Well, that¡¯s the correct thing to do.¡¯ Trying to understand each other¡¯s martial arts with conversation wasn¡¯t an easy task. Crossing des was the fastest and most efficient way to coordinate their moves in preparation for the battle against the mad dragon. ¡°Kree!¡± Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and the seagull on his shoulder flew up on its own. Raon chuckled and made the Ring of Fire resonate. The Ring of Fire increased his soul level, allowing him to feel the quietly raging energy inside Aries¡¯s energy center. Her tremendous aura and will were almost frightening. ¡®As expected of a transcender¡­¡¯ She was the first transcender from Zieghart he¡¯d seen since Glenn. Since he might not be even able to touch the hem of her clothes even if he went all out, he activated cier to the maximum output. He raised Heavenly Drive while feeling the coldness dashing sharply through his mana circuits. ¡°Here Ie.¡± ¡°Whenever you want.¡± Aries casually lowered her sword. Despite the elegance of her posture, which looked like it came straight out of a picture, there were countless openings. Crackle! Raon stomped the ground with the explosive power of cier. The coldness spreading from the mana circuits under his feet froze the ocean and Aries¡¯s legs. ¡°Oh?¡± Aries looked at her legs curiously, and Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. Since there was no way he could win in a frontal sh, he dashed from the right and executed the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s techniques one after the other. Cring! The trajectory of his de fiercely split into three and rushed towards her neck, heart, and shoulder at the same time. ¡°You are used to fighting.¡± Aries smiled and swung her sword. Even though the simple swing looked like she was just ying around, a translucent shield of aura surged up to block Heavenly Drive¡¯s path. aang! The three techniques of the Fangs of Insanity were blocked at the same time. She¡¯d used the distant sword, which consisted of unleashing one¡¯s aura from afar. ¡®I knew it, her swordsmanship is focused on space.¡¯ Like Wrath had told him before, Aries¡¯s specialty was utilizing the element of space in her sword technique. He couldn¡¯t be surprised with what had happened earlier. nk! Raon didn¡¯t withdraw. He nimbly stepped on the frozen ocean and closed the distance towards Aries. Since distance was meaningless for her, it was necessary to get close to her instead of wasting time by stepping back. ¡°That was a nice decision.¡± Aries nodded and raised her sword. Whir! The space in front of him wavered like a heat haze, and a ferocious attack rushed towards him. She wasn¡¯t using anything like aura or astral energy. Her will was incorporated into the attack. Raon bit his lip and shed upwards with Heavenly Drive, which he¡¯d lowered in preparation. mes burst from the de and created a sturdy shield. He¡¯d used the Firewall from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. aang! The violent wave resulting from the sh between the Firewall and the sword made it look like the ocean was about to copse. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Raon stepped onto the wave and thrust Heavenly Drive. A burning branch emerged from the fire on his silver de. The elegant flower petals bloomed from the branch and rode the ocean¡¯s wind to fly into the sky. The me Spirit raining down on Aries¡¯s body had be less precise than before, but more powerful instead. ¡°How pretty.¡± Aries smiled faintly and pulled her sword towards her chest. Whir! The atmosphere vibrated intensely and twisted the flow of mana. The pieces of me rushing toward Aries were unable to reach her and struggled in the air until they faded away. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while watching the me pieces subside into the ocean. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it wouldn¡¯t even reach her.¡¯ Aries had used the space sword topletely prevent the me Spirit from reaching her. Raon had never thought that such a method of defense could even exist. However, he wasn¡¯t feeling any despair at all. Instead, her mysterious martial art allowed him toe up with a defensive technique. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now, right?¡± Aries thrust her sword with a smile on her face. The space in front of her became distorted, and the de surrounded by a furious wave of energy rushed toward him. ¡®I¡¯ll push it back.¡¯ Aries had pushed the me Spirit back by manipting the space. Raon didn¡¯t know how to use the space sword, but he could achieve a simr result. Whir! He controlled cier and unleashed the Snow Flower Repulsion. He pushed the sword strikeing from the front so it wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him and used the attraction to make the strikes from left and right reach him even faster. Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step to step backward and cancel the repulsion and attraction at the same time. Whaaam! The attack being pushed back from the front and the attacks pulled from the left and right shed against each other to create a tremendous explosion. The water burst out and soared to reach the sky. You bastard¡­ Wrath¡¯s chin trembled as he watched the endlessly rising tidal wave. D-did you just use the King of Essence¡¯s ability to copy that female thief¡¯s skill? ¡®I did.¡¯ Raon nodded. The attacking from the front was faster, while the ones from left and right were slightly slower. That was why he¡¯d used repulsion and attraction to make them sh against each other. It was the situation he¡¯d figured in his mind, and making ite into reality made him proud. ¡°Huh, did you just copy my technique?¡± Aries¡¯s voice, heard from behind the wave, had a higher tone than before. She was clearly also surprised. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t respond and kicked off from the ocean, which was soaring like a fountain. His Heavenly Drive slightly scratched the surface before it connected into a diagonal rising sh. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream. Heavenly Drive¡¯s de created a dreamy line over the majestic ocean. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Cring! The skill had erased the difference between the real and fake des for a surprise attack, but once again, it failed to reach Aries. She controlled her aura and created an imprable space where the des couldn¡¯t enter at all. ¡°How unfortunate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡± Raon moved his left hand, which he¡¯d pulled back in advance, into a lightning-fast thrust. A frightening amount of coldness burst from the de of Requiem held lightly in his hand. Cring! The red de fiercely pierced toward Aries¡¯s shoulder, a de of coldness following right behind it. Whir! However, the two des of the Front Pond couldn¡¯t reach her either, as they became unable to advance once they were right in front of her. The des vibrated to the point of breaking, but they couldn¡¯t cut through her space. ¡®I expected as much.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t surprised since he¡¯d believed that Aries was fully capable of fending them off. He mechanically proceeded to the next move. Whir! Raon collected Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, which were being pushed out, and put them together at the center. A crimson de surged from Heavenly Drive and silvery coldness burst from the de of Requiem. The heat and coldness condensed on the tips of the two des, bing a sphere of light emanating a tremendous wave of power. It was the me Dragon Art and the Heavenly Heavy Cannon. He activated his two most powerful techniques through the principles of twin des. It gave him a head-splitting pain, but Raon endured the pain with the Ring of Fire and finished the execution. Whaaam! A tremendous explosion of power urred, and violent wind stormed towards Aikar behind Raon as the entire ocean roiled. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon exhaled the impure energy and gained distance. The tidal wave that was rampaging like crazy finally subsided, and Aries could be seen. ¡®Hah¡­ There¡¯s not a single scratch on her¡­¡¯ Aeris¡¯s slightly bronze skin didn¡¯t have a single scratch, and her clothes were also perfectly fine. However, a small rift was created in her space, which used to boast its perfect defensive ability. ¡®That¡¯s it¡­?¡¯ Raon bit his lip, and Aries¡¯s lips curved into a smile. In that instant, her sword strike pierced through the space and soared. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon unleashed the White Shadow sh with Heavenly Tremor to erase Aries¡¯s attack with much difficulty, suppressing his groan. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He breathed roughly and was thinking about how to break through her wall when he suddenly heard a pping sound. ¡°Amazing.¡± Aries was apuding at him, her sword returned to its scabbard before he knew it. ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. The variety of your sword skills, the twin de technique that allows you tobine heat and coldness, and your refined battle senses. You aren¡¯tcking in any aspect at all.¡± She smiled dly and waved her hand. ¡°Your battle senses are the best part. That was the second best among the warriors I¡¯ve seen so far.¡± Raon was about to ask her who the first was since he was called second, but she continued to speak. ¡°What do you think is my sword technique?¡± ¡°It seemed to be using the space. I couldn¡¯t figure out how to break through it at all.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the epitome of the space sword.¡± Aries swept the orange hair touching her forehead back. ¡°Most people are just surprised when they see it because the space sword is difficult to learn. I¡¯ve never seen anyone who tried to copy it before.¡± Her gaze revealed her interest, implying that she was surprised from the bottom of her heart. ¡°You might be able to do it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you want to try learning my sword technique?¡± ¡°Is it really possible for me to learn?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only going to be teaching you the basics. It¡¯s up to you whether you will learn or not.¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I should show you my final sword before then.¡± She clenched her hilt once again, and her lips twitched. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± * * * Raon and Aries went to the only restaurant that was still in fine shape after having a conversation with their swords. The restaurant waspletely empty. The other sailors must¡¯ve already finished eating and moved on to prepare for departure. ¡°Yukan, is there anything left?¡± Aries raised her hand and greeted the manager. She seemed to know him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. All the ingredients are ruined, and we can only prepare some fish soup¡­¡± The manager lowered his head apologetically. ¡°That¡¯s good enough. Get us two spicy fish soups.¡± Aries shook her hand, saying that fish soup could be considered as a banquet since she¡¯d been eating nothing but beef jerky. Fish soup? Wrath briskly raised his head. We¡¯ve been eating nothing but beef jerky and Nadine bread so far. That¡¯s good enough! Bring it out already! He waved his hand at the manager, who couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore. ¡°Lady Aries.¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Raon sat on the opposite side of Aries and narrowed his eyes. ¡°The Sword Field you demonstrated at the end, was that just for a single attack?¡± Aries¡¯s Sword Field was extremely powerful, to the point where it could separate the ocean, but it had disappeared after a single swing. Raon had seen various Sword Fields before, but it was his first time seeing one that ended with a single strike. ¡°It is.¡± Aries cheerfully nodded. ¡°I copied my father a little.¡± ¡°The head of house?¡± ¡°Father¡¯s Sword Field, Seamless Perfection, makes his sword more powerful with each swing.¡± She let her eyes drift, focusing on a spot in thin air. She seemed to be thinking about Glenn¡¯s sword. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it too.¡± Raon nodded. Just as Aries had said, Glenn¡¯s Sword Field amplified the power of his attack drastically with each swing. No, rather than power, it felt like it was ascending to a whole different level. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be bothered to swing three times. That¡¯s why I created a Sword Field that only has a single strike. It¡¯s cooler to finish the battle in a single strike, isn¡¯t it?¡± Aries smiled, saying that she liked her Sword Field. ¡°I see.¡± Raon lowered his gaze and looked at the worn table. ¡®The Sword Field indeed incorporates the life of the swordsman.¡¯ Aries¡¯s Sword Field was as dynamic as her personality. The Sword Field was indeed a mirror reflecting the user¡¯s life. ¡°By the way, can¡¯t you just kill Kaibar in a single strike with that Sword Field? It doesn¡¯t look like you need my help¡­¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± Aries slowly shook her head. ¡°Because that fucking mad dragon has gotten so old that it¡¯s about to be an ancient dragon.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted. He couldn¡¯t even believe that a being that was about to be an ancient dragon was massacring people¡ªit wasn¡¯t even a vigorous youth anymore. ¡°You can¡¯t believe that it¡¯s doing all that shit at its age, right? But it¡¯s true.¡± Aries twisted her lips, saying that some dragons couldn¡¯t act their age, just like humans. ¡°So you understand now why we need you, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Dragons were apex creatures that became stronger the older they got. If it was old enough to almost be an ancient dragon, even Aries wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee her victory. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Aries casually tapped on the table and leaned towards him. ¡°Do you have a lover?¡± ¡°What?¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Raon blinked like a fool. He couldn¡¯t understand the situation because she suddenly started talking about a lover when they were discussing the ancient dragon. ¡°I mean, you are twenty-one years old now. With your face and your might, you definitely have a lover, right? Just tell me. I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Aries was saying something that the most loose-lipped of people would say. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have one. This isn¡¯t the time for romance¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing like the right time for romance. You would¡¯ve already gotten married if we were in the old days.¡± ¡°I believe Lady Aries didn¡¯t get married either¡­¡± ¡°Back in my day, we were so busy because of the ongoing war!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy because I¡¯ve gone to various battlefields.¡± ¡°I still had a romantic rtionship even during a war. Love usually blossoms during conflict, after all. Who do you have in the Light Wind division?¡± She licked her lips, showing her determination to hear about it. ¡°Hmm, Lady Aries. Is there any possibility that the dragons will interfere if we y Kaibar?¡± Raon changed the subject to escape from her line of inquiry. Of course, his question was meaningful enough for her to respond. ¡°The dragons are more like separate individuals than a race.¡± Aries was deceived by the question and slowly shook her hand. ¡°The dragons won¡¯t make a move even if Kaibar dies. The lord might warn us though, but we just need to call our backers.¡± ¡°Backers?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about my father, who is your grandfather.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he is going toe, he¡¯ll tell us to deal with it on our own¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll definitelye if you are the one who calls him.¡± Aries patted his shoulder, telling him to stop worrying about it. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m worried about his condition though¡­¡± Raon briefly bit his lip. He had been concerned for a while because Glenn had been facing the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader when he¡¯d left. ¡°I told you many times already, he¡¯s fine.¡± Aries shook her head, telling him that he was healthy enough for morning exercises. ¡°So¡­¡± She leaned forward once again. ¡°Who is your girlfriend?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at her serious expression. ¡®This really feels like I¡¯m meeting a rtive.¡¯ He¡¯d heard that rtives usually asked about lovers and jobs if they met up after a long time apart, and he felt like he was experiencing it. While Rimmer felt like an immature older brother and Sheryl was a caring older sister, Aries was the first person he¡¯d met who felt like a rtive. ¡°I really don¡¯t have anyone.¡± \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> Raon shook his head, and the manager brought out the fish soup. ¡°The food is ready.¡± As soon as the dish was ced on the table, Wrath started to drool from his mouth. The King of Essence is finally eating¡­ ¡°Kree!¡± While he was drowning in happiness, the seagull¡ªwhich had been quiet so far¡ªsuddenly jumped onto the soup. It started to gobble down the warm fish soup and filled its stomach. Apparently, its request was to be fed some fish soup. Th-the King of Essence¡¯s meal! Wrath¡¯s chin trembled violently. You damned bird! Pluck all its feathers and boil it up! He is going to eat it instead! He started rampaging while spreading his wrath, and the seagull kept gulping down the fish soup nonstop. ¡°I¡¯ll acknowledge whoever you go out with, so tell me if you have anyone you are slightly attracted to, at least. Oh, if you tell me your ideal type, I can introduce you to someone¡­¡± Aries didn¡¯t care about the seagull devouring the fish soup at all. Instead, kept asking about his lover. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and shook his head. ¡®This is so hectic¡­¡¯ * * * Two dayster. The Pirate King¡¯s warship, Azure Wind, spread its sails from Aikar¡¯s shore. The cute skull Jolly Roger fluttered into the wind and spread its dignified resonance. ¡°The situation has changed, but our objective is the same.¡± Aries had been watching the distant horizon across the ocean from the deck before she turned around to face the crew. The sailors were reflected in her red eyes, their mouths closed tight. ¡°It won¡¯t be an easy battle. It will be the biggest war since I founded our group. Many of us are going to die, and many will be injured. Even so¡­¡± The sailors listened to Aries¡¯s quiet voice with unwavering eyes. ¡°I am still going. Even if I have to step on the blood of mypanions, I will advance and y the mad dragon. However, it¡¯s not something that I can achieve on my own. You need to open the path for me to aplish that feat.¡± She nodded while tapping on the scabbard hanging around her waist. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Upon hearing her simple yet determined deration, Raon and the sailors shouted loudly enough to shake the ocean with their hands sped behind their backs. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Aries smiled in satisfaction and turned around. Whir! The Azure Wind advanced along with the sound of the horn. The warships got into formation behind it like a hawk spreading its wings and broke through the silence of the ocean. \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse--> There were only twelve warships. It seemed far too insufficient a number to y the mad dragon, but the warriors¡¯ eyes weren¡¯t showing any sign of fear as they advanced through the waterway. \n Chapter 521 Chapter 521 Raon massaged the back of his neck while watching the quiet ocean. It made him think of the calm before the storm. ¡®It¡¯s so quiet.¡¯ The journey to hunt down Kaibar was extremely peaceful, to the point that it felt strange. Marine monsters or the Seafog tribe could¡¯ve attacked them, but not even dolphins and fish were approaching them. ¡®The fact that it¡¯s leaving us alone must imply that it''s confident in its victory.¡¯ Kaibar was well aware that the humans wereing to kill it. The fact that it didn¡¯t do anything implied that it was confident that it could crush them in a frontal sh. ¡®A dragon¡­¡¯ The only time Raon had seen a dragon was the gold dragon that was shooting its breath at Wrath in an attempt to kill him.His mouth dried up before he knew it as he thought about killing a monster that could cover the entire sky from a distance. Don¡¯t be so nervous. Wrath shook his head while looking at the ocean. They are just delicious meat for the King of Essence. He licked his lips, saying that he wanted some chewy dragon meat. Grilled dragon! Grilled dragon! Wrath started to sing a song called Grilled Dragon that he¡¯d juste up with. He¡¯d gone slightly insane after the seagull took away his fish soup, and he¡¯d be even worse. However, his song allowed him to relieve the tension, and Raon was filled with confidence that he could y the dragon. ¡®Seriously¡­¡¯ While Raon wasughing bitterly at Wrath, Aries, Kuberad, and Rabawin walked towards him. ¡°Yeah, you should smile instead of frowning.¡± Aries smiled nicely, telling him that he was doing a good job. ¡°Tension affects your performance.¡± ¡°He is different from you. He will do just fine without your advice.¡± Kuberad shook his hand, telling her to stop bothering him. ¡°Geezer, you keep picking on me.¡± Aries simply snorted. ¡°Are you done with your work?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m still doing it.¡± The warm sweat flowing from Kuberad¡¯s forehead and shoulders testified that he¡¯d been smithing until a moment ago. ¡°No amount of weapons will be enough for this battle.¡± He wiped the sweat from his forehead while saying that he¡¯d juste out to get some fresh air. ¡°I assume so. All of the marine monsters in the area will be gathering around the nest.¡± Rabawin sighed, saying that it wouldn¡¯t be enough even if they prepared without sleeping. ¡°Yes, yes. Keep doing your best with the preparations so that you won¡¯t regret itter.¡± Aries tapped on Rabawin and Kuberad¡¯s backs while shouting at them to get working already. ¡°When all you do is idle around¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s preparation for me. I¡¯m polishing my swordsmanship to ughter the mad dragon.¡± She shrugged her shoulders, saying that she was preparing harder than anyone else. ¡°Seriously, you can talk.¡± Kuberad frowned and turned his head towards Raon. ¡°You are the same as her. You shouldn¡¯t participate in the preparations and battles.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We will take care of the monsters and the Seafog Tribe. You can¡¯t act until Kaibar appears no matter what.¡± He pointed his finger at Raon while telling him that he had to keep that promise no matter what. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be fine to just help a little¡­?¡± ¡°ying monsters isn¡¯t your role.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Aries nodded while quietly looking at him. ¡°We need to dedicate our bodies and minds to the fight against the mad dragon. The small fries should be left to ourpanions.¡± She grabbed Kuberad and Rabawin¡¯s shoulders while calling them herpanions. A faint smile also appeared on the faces of the other sailors standing behind them. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Raon nodded heavily. ¡®They look just like the Light Wind division.¡¯ The trusting rtionship between Aries and the sailors was simr to the one between himself and the Light Wind division. He remembered their faces one after the other even though he¡¯d been trying to not think about them. The King of Essence wants to see his subordinates. Wrath seemed to be thinking the same thing as he licked his lips while mentioning the Light Wind division. ¡°I¡¯m still a bit worried about the Seafog tribe.¡± Kuberad loudly clicked his tongue. ¡°Indeed. The battle would¡¯ve been a lot easier if it wasn¡¯t for them.¡± Rabawin nodded in agreement. ¡®The Seafog tribe¡­¡¯ Raon scratched his cheek while thinking about the Seafog warrior that he¡¯d in before. ¡®He said something strange back then.¡¯ He¡¯d shown an extreme hatred towards humans at the moment of his death, calling them unnecessary in the continent. Raon had been curious about it because he¡¯d never heard that the Seafog tribe hated humans so much. ¡°Does the Seafog tribe hate humans, by any chance?¡± ¡°Hmm? Do they?¡± Aries tilted her head, wondering what he was talking about. ¡°When I killed a Seafog warrior before, he said that we weren¡¯t needed on the continent.¡± Raon told everyone about what he¡¯d heard from the Seafog warrior. ¡°That¡¯s what Kaibar says all the time. He must¡¯ve been brainwashed by it.¡± Aries shook her hand, telling him to stop paying attention to it. ¡°Why does Kaibar hate humans?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But the records state that it wasn¡¯t like that in the beginning. I¡¯m guessing that something might have happened.¡± She wrinkled her lips, saying that the reason didn¡¯t really matter anymore. ¡°Our military strength isn¡¯t too good no matter how I think about it. It would¡¯ve been nice if Sir Sif was with us¡­¡± Rabawin rubbed his hairless head regretfully as it sparkled under the sunlight. ¡°Sif?¡± ¡°Do you not know about him?¡± Kuberad¡¯s lips parted in surprise at the fact that he didn¡¯t know about him. ¡°He¡¯s my son.¡± Aries responded nonchntly. ¡°What? You have a son even though you aren¡¯t married?¡± ¡°I told you, I kept up romantic rtionships.¡± She chuckled while opening her hands. ¡°I¡¯m not really interested in the house either, but I still find you amazing. After all, he¡¯s rather famous. Didn¡¯t you hear about someone from Zieghart with a talent thates once every hundred years?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Raon nodded nkly. That reminded him that one of Glenn¡¯s grandsons was such a genius. ¡°Where is he right now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Aries shook her head firmly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not taking care of him since he¡¯s already old enough. He should do fine by himself since I raised him well enough so he won¡¯t be easily beaten.¡± She yawned, saying that she didn¡¯t really care. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon gasped. He thought that she was really peculiar in many wants. ¡°Hey, everyone. Get back to work!¡± Aries pped her hands and made the crew, who had gathered around them, return to the workshop. Raon looked behind him and leaned his back against the deck. On top of the Azure Wind¡¯s crew, even the sailors from the warships following behind it were busily working. ¡®There are lots of old and young people.¡¯ Raon had heard that the people who¡¯d survived the mad dragon¡¯s ughter had volunteered to do the menialbor and became the warship¡¯s crew. They wanted to avenge their family and the city¡ªeven at the risk of their lives. People of various genders, ages, and stories were focusing on their jobs, fully determined to y the mad dragon. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed in frustration. Light footsteps could be heard from next to him. ¡°H-hang in there.¡± Raon looked aside as they tried to encourage him. A boy and a girl who still retained their childish features were nodding at him. ¡°You two¡­¡± Raon remembered seeing them because they had both been working hard for the city¡¯s restoration. ¡°My name is Morin. She is Nuan.¡± The boy named Morin introduced himself and the girl. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Raon could feel an extremely faint trace of aura from them, but they were still far too young. Since they looked as young as Yua and Yulius, he couldn¡¯t understand why they were boarding the ship. ¡°Our vige was destroyed by that shitty mad dragon. I asked them to let us on board so that I can take revenge with my own hands.¡± Morin bit his trembling lip. ¡°The same goes for Nuan. She is still unable to speak, though, because she received too great a shock back then¡­¡± He held Nuan¡¯s hand tightly, saying that she suffered even more than him. They exhaled roughly while saying that they wanted to witness Kaibar¡¯s death with their own eyes. Raon bitterly met the furious gazes of the children. ¡®So that was the reason.¡¯ They must¡¯ve been helping Aikar with so much dedication because their vige had also been attacked by the mad dragon. ¡°I don¡¯t have the power to achieve it, but Sir Raon and Lady Aries can do it. Please kill the mad dragon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Morin and Nuan bowed multiple times before returning to a small workshop located under the deck. Sniff¡­ Wrath sniffled while looking at the children. They are so praiseworthy! The King of Essence would like to protect them! He shook his hand, saying that he wanted to catch Kaibar right away and take off its scales. ¡®They are so praiseworthy that it¡¯s sad.¡¯ Raon watched the children¡¯s backs until the door was closed. ¡®Everyone is serious.¡¯ Everyone desired the death of the dragon from the bottom of their hearts, and they believed they were fine with losing their lives in return. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be just meditating at this point.¡¯ It can¡¯t be helped! Raon was about to start practicing the dragon hunt in his mental world when Wrath briskly came up next to him. The King of Essence will give you a special lesson to y the lizard! * * * After two days of sailing, the Azure Wind arrived in front of Kaibar¡¯s nest, which was their destination. The warships following behind it also stopped at the same time. ¡°There are so many of them.¡± Rabawin swallowed nervously while looking in front of him. ¡°This is far more than I imagined¡­¡± Kuberad¡¯s wrinkled hands trembled. ¡°This is insane.¡± ¡°Is this why it didn¡¯t attack us so far?¡± ¡°God damn it, mad dragon¡­¡± They weren¡¯t the only ones showing that reaction. The other crew members of the Azure Wind and the warriors from other warships were also agitated, and their anxiety could be felt through the wind. Raon slowly nodded while looking at the people who were murmuring. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped. No one could¡¯ve anticipated this many monsters.¡¯ An ind had appeared on the horizon that the ships were facing. Obviously, the ind wasn¡¯t created naturally. There weren¡¯t supposed to be any inds in that location. It was a collection of the mad dragon¡¯s guardians, a monster ind. On top of small- and intermediate-sized monsters such as shark moles, sirens, rain lizards, bxes, and blowfish, there were even huge monsters like sea serpents, lunar whales, and mantakurns. Just as the fishermen describe abundance as half the water being fish, half of the ocean was literally filled with monsters, creating a grotesque sight. ¡®The Seafog tribe is also there.¡¯ Moreover, the Seafog tribe mixed in between the monsters, making them give off an intense pressure. The old Seafog warrior positioned at the center looked especially dangerous since his energy seemed to be at a whole different level from the others. Raon could guess that he was the chief of the Seafog tribe. ¡®It won¡¯t be an easy battle.¡¯ Raon caught his breath, and Aries went up to the main deck in the meantime. ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡± Aries smiled casually and opened her hands. ¡°We expected this much. Don¡¯t tell me you are afraid now, when we are already here. Are you afraid of the mad dragon?¡± Despite her cheerful voice, a heavy pressure was raging from underneath her. Whir! Aries¡¯s powerful pressure removed the presence of countless monsters at once, and the terrified eyes of the sailors glowed with renewed passion. ¡°A bundle of monsters like that isn¡¯t our objective. It¡¯s the mad dragon. We won¡¯t achieve anything if you flinch at such a trivial sight.¡± Aries¡¯s quiet voice echoed, and the military spirit was set aze. ¡°Fight. Even if you had to die as a result, stab with your swords and spears to open the path for me.¡± She unsheathed her sword with a confident smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll behead the mad dragon and bring victory to you.¡± ¡°Whoaaaa!¡± As soon as she finished her speech, the crew cheered so loudly that the entire ocean seemed to tremble. Fear wasn¡¯t reflected in their eyes anymore. All that existed was their passion to y the mad dragon. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Aries ordered, and the Azure Wind advanced alongside the majestic sound of a horn. The warships spread behind it into a crescent shape and faced the mountain of monsters. It was a strange scene, where fleets and monsters were looking at each other. Once they got close enough for arrows to reach, Rabawin came onto the main deck. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead now.¡± ¡°I leave it to you.¡± Aries smiled and came down from the deck. ¡°Open the gunports and ready the cannons!¡± Upon hearing Rabawin¡¯s shout, the bow of the ship opened up in a lengthy manner, and a thick iron cannon made its appearance. It was the magic cannon that Kuberad and the magicians had made together. ¡°Fire!¡± Five colored lights were focused on the muzzle and unleashed a powerful ray of light. Whaaam! The light cannonballs were fired from twelve warships at the same time and assaulted the mountain of monsters. Whaaam! A tremendous explosion urred, and the ind of monsters seemed to be half-destroyed as it copsed. The red and blue blood flowing from them was spread into the ocean endlessly. ¡°Fire!¡± Rabawin ordered a second volley, and the magic cannons shone brilliantly once again. Wham! Wham! The impact was even bigger than the first volley, and the monsters disappeared as if they hadn¡¯t existed from the beginning. A mantakurn¡¯s body copsed, and dozens of sirens exploded before they could even scream. However, the mountain of monsters wasn¡¯t destroyed yet. ¡°Fire!¡± Rabawin ordered the third volley, and the Seafog tribe finally pulled themselves together and took action. Whir! Gray smoke emerged around the monsters and created a thick wall to block the cannonballs. Whaaam! The explosion was even bigger than before, but the number of monster casualties was significantly reduced. The impact was reduced because of the fog. Hoooo! Along with a sound simr to the howling of a wolf, the gray smoke intensified and spread around to block the vision. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the fog. ¡®They are moving.¡¯ At the same time as the Seafog tribe¡¯s fog spread to the ocean, monsters moved under the water to surround the ships. Rabawin also seemed to have noticed that movement, since he raised his sword with a hardened face. ¡°All ships, circr formation!¡± ¡°All ships, to the circr formation!¡± The crews from the twelve warships repeated his order and moved their ships. The Azure Wind positioned itself at the center, and the other warships got into a circle around it like a peacock spreading its wings. It was a defensive formation made by ships on the ocean. ¡°Fire!¡± Rabawin shouted, and a fourth volley of magic cannons dropped lightning alongside a huge resonance from the ships and the ocean. Whaaam! The fog surrounding the ships was broken through, and the monsters hiding behind it were battered like dough. ¡°Fire!¡± The fifth explosive radiance caused another ughter among the monsters, but the magic cannon couldn¡¯t withstand the power, and the muzzle was smashed. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Kuberad clenched his back teeth while examining the iron cannon. ¡°How could it buckle so quickly?!¡± He pped his own cheek as if he were scolding his pathetic self. ¡°That¡¯s enough. We¡¯ve already spent all the mana we¡¯ve stored.¡± Aries patted Kuberad¡¯s shoulder, telling him that it was fine. ¡°Abandon the cannons!¡± Rabawin ordered, and the warriors and the magicians that had been protecting the magic cannons came onto the deck. The warriors from the other warships also went onto the deck and exhaled nervously. The ocean fell quiet once again as the gray smoke fell like a curtain. The fog that had engulfed Aikar in the past seemed to have an ability to hide their presence. It was so quiet. The frightening silence made it feel like they were on a peaceful night sea instead of a battlefield. Whaam! The silence seemed to continue, but the monsters immediately broke through the fog and jumped out. Crack! Rabawin extended his sword along with the horizon as if he¡¯d been expecting them. The blue aura dwelling on his de drew the trajectory of a full moon and cut the monsters in half as they charged toward the twelve warships. His terrifying sword strike had in over a hundred monsters with a single attack. However, the monsters jumped towards the ships once again, not fearing death. ¡°How dare you!¡± Rabawin scattered his aura without reserve to reduce the casualties. The sword strike spread around like a tsunami, and the monsters that were trying to climb the warships copsed, their blood scattering around. Whir! The huge monsters such as the mantakurns, lunar whales, and sea serpents started to move. They seemed to be trying to protect the monsters climbing on the ships. A mantakurn charged while blocking their vision, a lunar whale fired the ice wave, and a sea serpent breathed out poison. Cring! Rabawin stabbed his sword into the air. His astral energy spread around like a tidal wave, and the fog protecting the mantakurn and the other monsters was mercilessly shredded. Whaam! The mantakurn¡¯s corpse fell next to the ship and blocked the lunar whale¡¯s ice wave. The two attacks were sessfully defended, but the sea serpent¡¯s poison cloud was rushing towards the Azure Wind from the opposite direction. ¡°Block it!¡± ¡°Block it at all costs!¡± At that moment, the captains from the other warships gathered together. They created a wall with their auras and magic to block the sea serpent¡¯s poison. ¡®What a relief.¡¯ Raon breathed out a sigh of relief. There were no casualties at all so far thanks to Rabawin, the magic cannons, and the captains from the warships. However, the real battle was only getting started. Whoosh! The gray fog wavered violently and started to scatter a rain of sharply condensed des. The Seafog tribe was taking action. Cring! Rabawin raised his sword. Blue radiance emerged from his de, which was even thicker than a saber, and created a sword barrier. aang! The rain of foggy des pouring upon the twelve warships were all bounced back and sank under the ocean. It was a divine performance befitting a Grandmaster and suprememander. Whoosh! The fog rampaged once again. Instead of targeting the ships, the turbulence was directed at Rabawin alone. The huge movement implied that it was the chief¡¯s power. Whaaam! Rabawin¡¯s astral sphere shed against the concentrated fog, and a tremendous explosion urred. Rabawin removed the shockwave storming around and advanced. He seemed to be trying to personally stop the chief to reduce the damage. ¡°Prepare for meleebat!¡± Monsters jumped out from the ocean as soon as he shouted. ¡°Stop them!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the Azure Wind. Every warrior from other warships also drew their swords and cut down the monsters as theynded on the deck. However, the swarm of marine monsters was endless. The biggest problem was the fact that monsters like the lunar whale, mantakurn, and sea serpent capable of destroying a ship in a single blow were also approaching. Kieeeh! When a mantakurn got close and was about to body m the ship, Kuberad and the artisans took action. ¡°Fire!¡± He shouted, and the harpoons and hooks fixated on the warship advanced like a storm. Psssh! The properly polished huge weapons pierced through the monster skins and rooted into their flesh. Kieeeh! The monsters struggled to get rid of the harpoons, but they couldn¡¯t even leave a dent on the weapons crafted by the continent¡¯s cksmith. ¡°Do it now!¡± While the monsters were writhing in pain, the warriors and magicians boarding the warships unleashed their sword strikes and magic to pierce the monsters¡¯ vitals. Kieee! The mantakurn fell, and the lunar whale tilted to sink under the ocean. However, the sea serpent gained distance while being pierced by hooks and spears and bared its poisonous fangs. A dark poison cloud was unleashed once again. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Raon bit his lip and tried to take action, only for Aries to grab his arm. ¡°Not yet.¡± Aries shook her head, telling him it wasn¡¯t time to act yet. ¡°Unleash the barrier!¡± Kuberad shouted, and a yellow iron te spread from the front of the warship to block the poisonous cloud. The steel turned dark as if it werepletely rusted, but it didn¡¯t cause any damage at all to the ship. ¡°Fire!¡± He ordered them to fire the weapons once again, and long spears and hooks pierced through the sea serpent¡¯s eyes and neck. Kiaaah! The sea serpent rampaged in pain and melted the rope with its poison before running under the ocean. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Kuberad sighed while wiping his sweat. He smiled at Raon, as if he was asking how his performance was. Just as Raon was smiling back at him, huge bubbles emerged from the ocean where the mountain of monsters was located in the beginning. Chapter 522 Chapter 522 Swaaa! The one that surfaced along with a huge tidal wave wasn¡¯t the mad dragon Kaibar, it was a sea serpent. However, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary sea serpent. Its head and body were around twice as big as the one that had run away after Kuberad¡¯s weapon hadnded. It was a king sea serpent. The powerful pressure spreading around from it was befitting of its title as the demon in the ocean. Raon bit his lip while looking at the king sea serpent¡¯s poisonous fang, which was even longer and thicker than a long spear. ¡®Yes, I remember. They said it was among the enemies.¡¯ Raon remembered that Rabawin had told him of the king sea serpent¡¯s existence when he exined the enemy¡¯s lineup. It looked like the king sea serpent decided to take action because the monsters had begun to lose. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°K-king sea serpent!¡±¡°How can a monster be so huge?!¡± The sailors swallowed nervously, surprised by the king sea serpent¡¯s size. ¡°Even if it¡¯s huge, it¡¯s just a monster! Hold the line! We can win!¡± Kuberad wasn¡¯t intimidated by the huge size of the king sea serpent. He raised his wrinkled hand and encouraged the panicking sailors. Whoosh! A furious wave rushed towards them from a simple movement of the king sea serpent¡¯s tail. The defensive formation of the twelve warships swayed violently, as if it were about to break. ¡°Fire!¡± Kuberad gave the order and the sailors took action. Their movements were still slow, implying that their fear remained, but they fired the anti-monster weaponry with precision. Whaaam! The harpoons and hooks made by Kuberad pierced through the king sea serpent¡¯s thick scales and embedded into its flesh. Blue blood gushed from it, but the injury wasn¡¯t too deep. It seemed to have a thickyer of flesh and skin, befitting its size. ¡°Kiaaah!¡± The king sea serpent roared and raised its tail. Its sharp scales rose in a thickyer, forming the shape of an iron club. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon ced his hand on the hilt of Heavenly Drive as he watched the king sea serpent¡¯s shadow extend over the warship. ¡®They can¡¯t defend against it.¡¯ They would¡¯ve been able to if Rabawin had been there, but he was fighting to the death against the Seafog chief on the ocean. Raon judged that no one would be able to defend against it. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and was about to stop the king sea serpent¡¯s tail attack when Aries shook her head. ¡°No, we won¡¯t take action here.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°The geezer told you when we left the harbor, didn¡¯t he? We have to focus solely on the mad dragon. This battlefield isn¡¯t ours.¡± She even crossed her arms, showing her intention to not take any action no matter what happened. ¡°The king sea serpent is attacking!¡± ¡°Get ready!¡± ¡°Magicians, get into position!¡± None of the sailors were looking at them to ask for help. They seemed to agree with Aries. Even though they were afraid of the monsters, they were well aware that they had to deal with it on their own. Rumble! The king sea serpent managed to m its ded tail down. It was a simple movement, but it was as heavy as a mountain. Whoosh! Just as the king sea serpent¡¯s tail was about to split the Azure Wind into half, a translucent light radiated from the center of the twelve warships. Whaaam! The barrier made from the mana that the magicians had stored in the ship shed against the king sea serpent¡¯s tail, resulting in a tremendous shockwave that stormed around the surrounding area. Kieeeh! The king sea serpent withdrew in surprise, but the shield defending the warships shattered like ss. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Is one all we can manage¡­?¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The magicians weren¡¯t looking good at all. Their expressions revealed their disbelief at the fact that the shield was broken from a single sh. ¡°Do it now! Hit it with everything we¡¯ve got!¡± Kuberad realized it was the best opportunity to y the king sea serpent and ordered the crew to fire all of their weapons. With the defensive formation destroyed, the warships turned around and fired the harpoons, hooks, and sea spears. Whaaam! Dozens of weapons flew like a ray of light and pierced into the king sea serpent¡¯s body. The countless weapons caused severe injury, but it wasn¡¯t enough to kill it or weaken it because of how huge it was. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± The sea serpent screeched and rampaged like crazy. Apparently, that only ended up irritating it. It pulled the ropes connected to the harpoons, causing the warships to sway to the point of sinking. ¡°K-keep bnce!¡± ¡°Level out the ship!¡± The captains of each warship tried to withstand it by connecting the ships with lines of mana and chains, but the king sea serpent was far too strong. Rumble! The twelve ships started to be pulled towards the king sea serpent. ¡°W-we have to cut the ropes and chains!¡± ¡°No!¡± Kuberad shook his head as people suggested they cut the ropes connected to the harpoons. ¡°It¡¯s going to rampage as it pleases and kill us all if we cut the ropes!¡± He was reading the flow of the battle properly, which suggested that it wasn¡¯t his first time participating in a battle. However, the king sea serpent managed to raise its tail despite being shackled by the harpoons. It was a performance befitting its notorious name as the demon in the ocean. It mmed its tail down to the warship at the very right before they had the time to stop it. Whaaam! The warship was split in half and started to sink under the ocean like a wet piece of paper. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°M-monsters are approaching!¡± ¡°Damn it! Why did it have to be this ship?!¡± ¡°Save me!¡± The sailors that managed to survive the impact shouted from the ocean for help. However, the monster ws were faster than the help from other ships. Kieeeh! The marine monsters like shark moles and rain lizards nimbly swan under the ocean to tear the flesh and crush the bones of the sailors. ¡°Fire!¡± Kuberad forced himself to avert his gaze and fired the reloaded weapons. Since the target was too big, the harpoons and the hooks managed to hit the king sea serpent¡¯s body, but it didn¡¯t copse despite the blue blood gushing from its wounds. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± The king sea serpent screeched loudly and breathed out a dark cloud from its poisonous fangs. It advanced towards the warship on the left. It was even bigger and faster than the poisonous cloud of the previous sea serpent. Whir! The warship¡¯s yellow iron te was unable to withstand the poisonous cloud as a hole appeared. In the end, even the warship itself started to melt from the poison. ¡°J-jump down! The poison is going to kill us at this rate!¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The sailors jumped to the ocean or onto other ships before the ship meltedpletely. They managed to avoid the poison, but the opening in the defense made the monsters rampage even more. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while watching them die. A child even smaller than Yua was stabbed to death by a shark mole¡¯s ws, and an old man who seemed even older than Glenn perished as his flesh was gouged out. The lives of the warriors who came all the way there while prioritizing vengeance over their own lives were fading away. Raon was well aware that he needed to suppress his urge, but he couldn¡¯t do it because he¡¯d seen them during the journey. ¡°I know, but this is difficult to endure¡­¡± The assassin Raon would¡¯ve easily managed to endure, but it was difficult to do nothing about because he¡¯d learned to value people during his new life. His hand trembled intensely. ¡°You still need to endure it.¡± Aries shook her head, saying that it wasn¡¯t the time to act. ¡°You have to.¡± Her trembling lips made her appear as if she was too cold. She seemed to be enduring the fury and sadness of a situation where she couldn¡¯t take any action. ¡®Yes, it should be even worse for her than me.¡¯ Raon had only gotten to know them during that trip. However, they were Aries¡¯s subordinates, ones who she had personally recruited. It was obvious that she would be in even more pain than him. Not bad for a female thief. Wrath twisted his lips while looking at Aries. The King of Essence despises those who abandon their subordinates, but the female thief is right in this case. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ The lizards are nothing but meat for the King of Essence, but they are pretty much natural enemies for you humans. They will be annihted in an instant if she isn¡¯t preparing against it. ¡®I know.¡¯ Raon sighed and lowered the hand that was clenching Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt. ¡°Aaah¡­¡± Even from the Azure Wind, people started to get injured. Nuan, who was carrying out Kuberad¡¯s orders, was pierced by a rusted spear of a bx. ¡°Nuan!¡± Morin threw his hammer and ran towards her to save her. ¡°Cough!¡± However, he was also stabbed by a spear in his thigh and rolled on the ground because he hadn¡¯t properly trained in martial arts either. The two children, who seemed even younger than Yua, had previously told him that they were risking their lives to watch the death of the mad dragon who had destroyed their vige and families. However, it looked like they were going to die before they could achieve that dream. ¡°You damn monsters!¡± Kuberad seemed to have concluded that strategic orders were pointless at that point. He picked up his sledgehammer and stood in front of the children. The bx stabbed its spear at him without missing the opening from his hand trembling in exhaustion. Shunk! The rusty spear pierced into Kuberad¡¯s waist. However, he grabbed the spear and didn¡¯t let it go. ¡°You shall not pass!¡± * * * Since the battle on the deck was a tussle and the monsters were far more numerous than the humans, no one could afford to help them. Kuberad seemed to be well aware of that fact, as he wasn¡¯t asking for anyone¡¯s help or looking in Raon and Aries¡¯s direction. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon looked at Aries while grinding his teeth, but she never moved, her hand ced on the hilt. ¡®I have to suppress my urge. Just a bit longer¡­¡¯ Raon controlled his emotions by using the Ring of Fire, and the king sea serpent raised its head. It was so powerful that the ropes and chains attached to the hooks were broken, and the warships swayed violently. ¡°Kieeeh!¡± The king sea serpent opened its huge jaw. Poison poured from its dark throat. The entire ship was going to melt if it wasn¡¯t stopped. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aries even closed her eyes, showing her determination to not take action. Boom! A huge amount of aura exploded from the air just as the poison cloud was about to devour the ship. Whaaam! More than half of the king sea serpent¡¯s head was blown up before it fell into the ocean. The wave spreading out as a result was the biggest one in the battle. Swoosh! A powerful sword of wind stormed across the ten warships along with the furious wave and severed all the monsters on them. It was Rabawin¡¯s doing. He had returned after breaking the skulls of the Seafog chief and the king sea serpent and bowed in front of Aries. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°¡­You arete.¡± Aries sighed quietly and pulled her lips into a smile. ¡°I beg your pardon.¡± Rabawin lowered his head. His body was full of injuries, implying that his battle was intense. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead once again.¡± He pulled the spear embedded on Kuberad¡¯s waist out and quickly stopped the bleeding before going onto the main deck. ¡°The king sea serpent is dead! Prioritize the rescue of the people drowning in the water!¡± He wiped out the marine monsters gathering around while prioritizing saving people¡¯s lives. Rumble! The sailors were throwing ropes from the warships to save those who had fallen into the water when bubbles emerged once again from the ocean where the king sea serpent had fallen. The flow was even bigger than when the king sea serpent had appeared. Whaaam! The surface of the ocean exploded, and legs the size of the warships burst from it. Eight legs with a disgusting amount of suckers and a head with a horn pointing out like a de revealed that it was a kraken, the colossal marine monster. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon gasped while looking at the kraken. ¡®Did a kraken really just appear?¡¯ He¡¯d thought that it was about time for Kaibar¡¯s appearance. That was why he was confused about the kraken. He couldn¡¯t understand what it was even thinking. After all, the monsters were all being ughtered. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the kraken! Warships, get rid of the monsters!¡± Rabawin didn¡¯t even have any breathing room as he mustered his aura once again. He was about to tear apart the kraken¡¯s leg with his astral sphere de. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ A tremendous amount of coldness undted from deep under the kraken. It was extremely stealthy. Raon wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if it weren¡¯t for the Ring of Fire and cier. ¡°Raon.¡± Aries uncrossed her arms and ced her hand on her hilt. A frightening light sparkled from her eyes. ¡°It¡¯sing.¡± Raon nodded rapidly. ¡®My intuition was right.¡¯ The mad dragon Kaibar was moving from deep under the ocean. With the kraken and the other marine monsters thrown as bait, it was preparing to annihte everyone with an ice breath. Aries and Wrath were right. If he had participated in the battle, he would¡¯ve turned to ice and died before he even realized it. Cring! Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem and dashed towards the kraken. Aries was already advancing in front of him. ¡°Huh?¡± Rabawin, who was heading in that direction to y the kraken, turned around with widened eyes. It looked like he didn¡¯t notice the coldness under the ocean because he was too focused on the kraken. ¡°Is it¡­?¡± ¡°Retreat with all the warships!¡± Aries gestured with her head and continued her advance. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it now.¡± Raon nced at Rabawin tomend him for his work before he used the Supreme Harmony Steps. Whir! The moment he was about to step onto the surface of the ocean, the water started to turn blue. Crackle! The ocean froze, and the breaths of the marine monster under the water faded away. It was a breath of death capable of freezing the soul from the smallest contact. If it was allowed to happen, not only the monsters but also the humans were going to be annihted. Cring! Aries drew her sword while stepping into the air. The colorless glimmer of her aura and will twisted the space. Crack! Her space sword managed to cut Kaibar¡¯s ice breath in half as it soared towards her, but the aftereffect remained. Whap! Raon surrounded both Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. The fire dragon¡¯s breath extended from the two des at the same time, shing against the ice breath trying to devour the world. Whaaam! A tremendous explosion urred from the sh between heat and coldness on the ocean surface. White steam spread all around the ocean. It was even thicker than the fog made by the Seafog tribe. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. The ice breath was damaging him through his water resistance since it was the strongest attack of the dragon race. He felt like his bones and flesh were freezing. ¡®But I¡¯ll endure it! It¡¯s meaningless if I can¡¯t endure it now.¡¯ He¡¯d been doing nothing as he watched the others die in order to save many people. If he couldn¡¯t do anything against the breath, there was no reason for him to exist on the battlefield. Rumble! Raon unleashed all his energy of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, amplified by the Ring of Fire. The me on the de had started to subside but spread around like a bird¡¯s wings and made all the coldness disappear. Whaaap! In the end, Kaibar¡¯s ice couldn¡¯t even kill a single person and faded away after only freezing the kraken and monsters. However, Kaibar¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t over yet. A powerful flow of mana from under the ocean implied that he wasn¡¯t trying to hide the next magic explosion. ¡°Move back, everyone!¡± As soon as Rabawin¡¯s shout could be heard, dozens of rays of light emanated from the turbulent ocean. Cring! Aries pointed her sword at the ocean. Her de distorted the space, and the spells rising from the ocean were severed diagonally at the same time. Rumble! Even though she managed to cut them down before they surfaced, a huge shockwave burst out from under the ocean because Kaibar¡¯s mana was far too pure. ¡®As for this one¡­¡¯ Raon extended his two swords while using cier. A silver tree grew from the des, and the ice flower blooming from it became hundreds of flower petals and spread around. It was the me Spirit activated with the energy of frost. Crackle! The pieces of ice descended like cherry blossoms and froze the surface of the ocean to drastically reduce the effect of the mana explosion caused by Kaibar. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly and looked at the kraken that had exploded after freezing. ¡®I¡¯m d I suppressed my urge.¡¯ If he had been distracted by the king sea serpent or the kraken, the dragon¡¯s breath or magic would¡¯ve annihted the crew. It was because he¡¯d followed Aries and Wrath¡¯s advice and suppressed his urge until the very end that he managed to defend against the mad dragon¡¯s underhanded attack. ¡°Good job.¡± Aries smiled faintly, showing that she¡¯d believed in him all along. ¡°There would be no reason for me to be here if I couldn¡¯t even do this much.¡± Raon exhaled roughly and looked behind him. Fortunately, the warships had gone far back at Rabawin¡¯s order. Rumble! A wave urred. Or rather, the entire ocean started to tremble. The presence was on a whole different dimension from the king sea serpent or the kraken. It felt like the entire world was screaming. Whaam! A majestic shadow spread around from the ocean surface as if a moon were rising from it, and a neck soared into the sky, as endless as the waning sunlight. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously and raised his gaze. ¡®The mad dragon, Kaibar.¡¯ Its scales were sparkling mysteriously as if it were wrapped in the ocean, and the scaled neck was as thick as the entire fleetbined. It was also as long as an avenue of a royal pce, making it difficult to see at a nce. Fish fins were rising like des on its neck, which seemed capable of reaching the sky, and the dignity and elegance made it look like a piece of art. Rumble! Kaibar leaned its neck forward, and its head could be seen. The sunlight was blocked by its diamond-shaped eyes protruding from the thick scales, which seemed even capable of withstanding astral energy. The entire world became darker, as if night had fallen. Its horn was the most peculiar part. Unlike its right horn, which looked like a spire, the left horn was broken in half. However, it seemed to be disying its madness even further. ¡°Is this¡­¡± ¡®The mad dragon, Kaibar?¡¯ As Aries had said, a human being couldn¡¯t do anything about its size. Raon could guess that he wouldn¡¯t be able to cut its head off even if he unleashed his astral energy endlessly. Hmm, that lizard looks familiar for some reason¡­ Wrath stroked his chin while looking at Kaibar. Raon ignored him because he felt like Wrath was going to say something strange again. ¡°The real battle is starting now. Focus.¡± Aries exhaled quietly and fixed her grip on her sword. Her furrowed brow showed that she was also nervous. Anyway, what a nice and plump dragon. As Raon had expected, Wrath started to spout some bullshit once again. The insane statement was unbefitting for the situation, but it managed to relieve his tension, at least. Grar! Kaibar roared towards the sun. The surface of the ocean caved in as if it were being crushed by its pressure, and a tremendous storm urred to make the sun disappear. No sound could be heard for a moment. It was as if their eardrums had been torn from the tremendous noise. [You vermin!] Kaibar red at the sun and lowered its head. The ferocious eyes of a reptile were looking down on Raon and Aries. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon¡¯s fingers trembled. ¡®Was that the dragon words?¡¯ The fear tightening his heart seemed to be from the power of the dragon words dwelling in its voice. However, he could still withstand it because he¡¯d experienced the other demon kings and Glenn¡¯s pressures in the past. ¡°What are you even saying when you are just a lizard who went for a surprise attack because you were afraid of ¡®vermin¡¯?¡± Raon provoked while pounding his trembling chest with his fist. ¡°Raon?¡± [¡­¡­] Aries¡¯ eyes widened, and Kaibar¡¯s gaze was directed at him. ¡°They called you a mad dragon and whatnot, but I can see that you are just a loser lizard.¡± Raon¡¯s arrogant voice almost sounded like Wrath had suddenly taken over his body. [There¡¯s no reason to fight fair and square against vermin who endanger this world.] Contempt and murderous intention started to emerge from Kaibar¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you introducing yourself? You are the one who destroyed the city and ruined nature!¡± Raon clenched his back teeth tightly. He was furious that the dragon was spouting such bullshit because he¡¯d seen countless corpses in the destroyed city of Aikar. [Human, your eyes are simr to his.] Kaibar¡¯s narrowed eyes were also expressing his contempt towards Raon. ¡°His?¡± [Did you know?] He pulled his head back. That was enough for the sunlight to descend once again and create a storm. [Humans are the only ones capable of summoning the demon kings of Devildom upon thisnd.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ He¡¯d heard countless stories of humans summoning demon kings with their negative emotions, and the demon king himself was right next to him, but he¡¯d never heard of other races summoning a demon king. ¡°So what?!¡± Aries furrowed her brow. She apparently hadn¡¯t heard of other cases either. [Humans¡¯ nasty emotions are the only things that can summon the demon kings who destroy the bnce of this continent. That¡¯s why you are the pests of this world.] Kaibar¡¯s voice became louder, and the atmosphere vibrated loudly. Raon felt like his ears were going to fall off because of it. [And demon kings should never exist in this dimension!] You arrogant lizard, do you want to die?! Wrath¡¯s fist trembled furiously, as he red at Kaibar. ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve seen a demon king before. In my perspective, you are even worse than the demon kings.¡± Raon twisted his lips while looking at Wrath. [That¡¯s because you¡¯ve never seen a demon king before.] A frightening amount of coldness emerged from Kaibar¡¯s eyes. [Demon king. The blue demon king has in my kin, who had been working for the bnce of the continent, and¡­] It violently ground its teeth while reminiscing on the past. [Grilled the corpse and ate it. You need to shut your mouth unless you¡¯ve witnessed that pure malice, that barbaric behavior.] ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s chin trembled intensely and he turned his eyes to the right to look at Wrath. ¡®So the reason why that dragon became a mad dragon was¡­ Because of him?!¡¯ White breath came out of Kaibar¡¯s mouth. It looked like ice was leaking out because of its wrath. [He broke my horn when I tried to save my kin and evenughed at me, telling me that he would do me a favor by eating me if I became more plump! Humans need to die because they are the ones who summon such a thing!] Raon became certain of it and nodded his head. ¡®That¡¯s him. It was because of this useless glutton of a demon king¡­¡¯ Chapter 523 Chapter 523 [Your eyes are simr to that blue demon king¡¯s.] Kaibar bared its fangs, which were even bigger than an adult man, and growled. [I don¡¯t want to see your eyes anymore.] As soon as it finished speaking, the mana of nature rampaged around and countless spells appeared like spring flowers. The flow of mana could even be called beautiful, but an extreme murderous intent was dwelling inside. Every single one of them could lead to instant death. Raon estimated that not even a piece of flesh would be left of him if he let his guard down. [Get trampled like the worms you are!] Kaibar sneered while gesturing with its chin, and the spellpleted as it rained down on him. It was truly a meteor shower of spells. The entire sky was filled with its¡¯ magic. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why would you run your mouth when you are just a mad dragon? Let¡¯s just fight!¡± Aries bared her teeth and thrust her sword towards the magic rushing towards her. A strange twist formed on her red de and severed the flow of magic endlessly raining down upon them.Wham! Wham! Countless explosions urred from the shes between sword and magic. A dark storm of mana surged into the sky, and the turbulent water made it look like the entire ocean was about to turn upside down. Ah! Wrath eximed as Raon swallowed nervously while he watched the frontal sh between Aries and Kaibar. It¡¯s that dragon from back then! He knew that face looked familiar for some reason! He cheerfully pped his hands, saying that he¡¯d just remembered. ¡®So it was you. What have you done?!¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Wrath. ¡®You useless glutton!¡¯ Raon was well aware that Wrath was a troublemaker, but he¡¯d never imagined that he would be the cause of the mad dragon. He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how the butterfly effect even started. The King of Essence didn¡¯t do anything special! Wrath shook his head, saying that he wasn¡¯t the one who offended the other party first. ¡®But that mad dragon said you did it!¡¯ The lizards were the ones to offend the King of Essence first! You saw it too¡ªthat sparkling lizard attacked him as soon as he appeared! ¡®Hmm, that¡¯s true¡­¡¯ While Wrath was fighting against the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader, the gold dragon suddenly appeared and fired his breath without saying a word. Judging from that fact, the dragons had most likely done something simr in the past. ¡®What happened?¡¯ The King of Essence manifested into the human realm a long time ago because he felt an interesting wrath from someone. It was a long time before he helped Four Eyes. Lohengreen was the ¡®Four Eyes¡¯ in question. Since the war between Lohengreen and Merlin had happened five hundred years before, it implied that it had happened much further in the past. He helped a wrathful human and went sightseeing in the human realm for a bit. Just as he was about to return to Devildom, a sooty lizard appeared. ¡®It was a ck dragon.¡¯ It started to shoot its breath at him with no question asked, so the King of Essence beat it up a little and granted it mercy by telling it to scram. However, it started going even crazier and attacked him. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with it anymore and just killed it. ¡®You just killed it¡­¡¯ Raon gasped while looking at Wrath. ¡®Does he really think that a dragon is just a lizard?¡¯ Wrath sounded like he was killing a fly despite it being a dragon. The King of Essence was going to leave because he was irritated, but the hellfire that the dragon had fired was cooking its own body. He tasted it because it had a delicious smell, and it had a nice and interesting chewy texture. The King of Essence prepared a proper barbecue after that, and that dragon appeared. Wrath raised his hand and pointed at Kaibar, who was continuously firing its spells. It was much smaller back then. It fired a breath attack, so the King of Essence blocked it with the Silver-White Aurora and just pped its cheek once after that, but it was enough to break its horn. ¡®The horn broke when you pped its cheek¡­?¡¯ It sounded like bullshit, but Raon had to believe it because he¡¯d witnessed the true power of Wrath recently. It was so weak that the King of Essence just let it go, like the fishermen releasing small fish. That way, it cane back when it bes more plump. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ And it grew up nicely! Very nice! It was worth it to let it go! He licked his lip with his tongue, saying that it looked tasty. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Raon tilted his head. ¡®But now that I¡¯ve heard the story, it doesn¡¯t look like it was your fault.¡¯ That¡¯s right! Rather than killing it immediately, Wrath had given the ck dragon an opportunity despite it immediately firing a breath attack. Kaibar, who had arrived afterward, was also trying to kill Wrath, but he only broke the horn before letting it go instead of killing it in a single strike. Honestly, it would be believable if he were called a saint rather than a demon king. ¡®So that dragon was the problem, not Wrath.¡¯ Raon twisted his lips while ring at Kaibar. ¡®It¡¯s not even a mad dragon. It¡¯s just a narrow-minded shithead.¡¯ It should¡¯ve stayed hidden for the rest of its life or prepared for vengeance if he was beaten up by Wrath and survived. Instead, it was venting its anger on innocent humans. Even the thugs in the backstreet wouldn¡¯t behave that way. That was why Raon didn¡¯t even feel any pity towards it. It was just a loser lizard, rather than a mad dragon. ¡®However¡­ I can take advantage of this.¡¯ Judging from Wrath¡¯s story, that incident must¡¯ve been extremely humiliating to Kaibar. It was the perfect chance to shake his mental fortitude. Whir! Raon raised Heavenly Drive and made the Ring of Fire resonate. He unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier at the same time and stopped hiding behind Aries. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also going to help!¡± She tried to stop him, but he responded with a confident smile and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He dashed towards Kaibar while stepping on the turbulent ocean. Whir! Raon twisted his ankle and unleashed the explosive power of the heat circting all around his body. He swung Heavenly Drive while connecting the strength from his ankle to the muscles in his thigh, all the way up to the muscles in his waist. [A pointless struggle.] Kaibar surrounded its blue scales with a mana shield, showing that it had predicted Raon¡¯s attack. ¡®This structure of mana¡­ It¡¯s underestimating me.¡¯ Raon clenched his teeth and thrust Heavenly Drive. He added arge amount of heat to the de instead of using astral energy. ang! It couldn¡¯t break through Kaibar¡¯s mana shield. However, he smacked Kaibar¡¯s body and mana shield with his strength numbering over 500. Smaack! Kaibar¡¯s neck bent like a sickle with a thunderous noise simr to hundreds of drums splitting at once. [Kuaaah!] Kaibar screamed, its neck trembling in pain. The endless barrage of his magic suddenly came to a halt. Raon nodded firmly. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ The shield Kaibar had used was the Webber Shield, which consisted of nullifying the impact by shattering upon contact with astral energy. It was natural to ignore a Master since it was fighting against Aries, who was a transcender. That was why Raon had taken advantage of that mindset. The Webber Shield didn¡¯t shatter against any power inferior to an aura de, and Raon took advantage of that characteristic by shoving the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat inside Heavenly Drive and smacked him with sheer physical power by mustering all of his muscle strength. That was why Kaibar¡¯s shield didn¡¯t shatter, and Raon had managed to smash its body with Heavenly Drive. The result was even more drastic thanks to his ¡®King of Destruction¡¯ title. ¡®I have to drive him into a corner now.¡¯ Kaibar couldn¡¯t pull itself together, and Raon didn¡¯t miss that opportunity. He dashed onto its neck and swung Heavenly Drive once again. Whir! Kaibar created the Webber Shield once again despite the dizzying state it was in. However, all he did was to make the shield a bit thicker. It seemed to believe what had happened a moment ago was sheer coincidence. ¡®That should be the natural decision. After all, no one would think that there¡¯s a human who can tear apart an ogre with their bare hands.¡¯ Cring! Raon unleashed the Spiral Power on Heavenly Drive¡¯s de and unleashed the Thirty-Six Crimson sh. Once again, the Webber Shield failed to shatter, and the impact was perfectly transferred to Kaibar. Whack! Whack! The Thirty-Six Crimson sh was an extremely fast technique that consisted of stabbing from thirty-six directions in a single move, but Raon had slightly decreased the speed to increase the power instead with Spiral Power. Kaibar¡¯s neck twisted to the point of breaking upon receiving the tremendous impact. [Gaaaah!] Kaibar screamed and gained distance. Cring! At that moment, Aries managed to remove all of the spells and made her move. She executed a spatial sh to sever Kaibar¡¯s neck without moving away from her spot. Crack! However, Kaibar was pretty much an ancient dragon. Even though it was writhing in pain, it realized that Aries¡¯s attack was dangerous and activated the dragon words. [Disappear!] Kaibar shouted, and Aries¡¯s sword strike, which was about to tear apart its neck, melted down like paper inside water. ¡°You opened up over here.¡± Raon stepped on Kaibar¡¯s neck and executed the Frost Pond. The silver de dashed Kaibar¡¯s neck and an awl of coldness followed right after. [Did you really believe it would work a third time?!] Kaibar erected a new mana shield while fending off Aries. The spell¡¯s structure waspletely different from the Webber Shield. Raon could guess that it had condensed the mana into a thickyer so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to approach. ¡®It changed the spell despite the situation. That¡¯s pretty amazing. However¡­ I already anticipated that.¡¯ Raon rolled his lips into a smile and unleashed the maximized astral energy with cier. aang! The de of coldness incorporating his will wasn¡¯t any less powerful than an astral sphere. It broke through Kaibar¡¯s shield and pierced into its neck. Psssh! The red blood gushing out from Kaibar¡¯s neck contrasted with its blue scales. Kaibar shrieked and backed off. [Kuaaah!] Kaibar lowered its head and screamed. It seemed to be unable to pull itself together because it¡¯s been such a long time since thest time it felt any pain. ¡°Lady Aries! We need to attack it again¡ªright now!¡¯ ¡°I know.¡± Aries jumped into the air as if she were telling him that it went without saying and shed at the dragon. The de of space transcending human limits descended upon the world like lightning. [Be crushed!] Kaibar was fully aware that Aries was the more dangerous opponent despite the situation. It deflected all of Aries¡¯s space sword techniques by using a concentration of dragon words. ¡°You are so dumb for a dragon.¡± Raon kicked Kaibar¡¯s scales and climbed even higher. He unleashed the Crimson sh, which was powerful enough to cut its head off. A crimson line of heat emerging from Heavenly Drive¡¯s de rushed toward Kaibar¡¯s neck. It couldn¡¯t use the dragon words against Raon because it had to keep Aries in check. All it could do was use some defensive spell¡ªlike a shield or barrier¡ªor an offensive one. Whir! Just as Raon expected, a translucent barrier was formed where the Crimson sh was about tond. It was rather thin, but the density of the mana was on a whole different level from before. It seemed to be trying to reduce the damage at the cost of more mana and focus. aang! Crimson sh was the sharpest technique Raon could use at the moment, but it faded away without destroying Kaibar¡¯s shield. Its ability to control the mana was befitting a dragon. ¡®However¡­ You aren¡¯t the only one who prepared for this fight.¡¯ Raon wrapped his left hand with a blue gale and unsheathed the de of Requiem. He unleashed the principle of Blue Rain and mmed down on the mana shield. Crack! Blue Rain¡¯s resonance twisted the flow of mana making up the shield, and a small opening was revealed. Raon wrapped the de of Requiem in heat and stabbed into it, then followed with a downward sh. Psssh! A diagonalceration was created on Kaibar¡¯s neck, and a dangerous amount of blood scattered from it. [Kuaaah!] The mad dragon lowered its gaze. It was about to unleash an attack spell at him when Aries¡¯s space sword broke through its dragon words and stabbed its face. Crack! Kaibar¡¯s scales were torn off, and a long scar appeared on its nose. [Kuh!] Kaibar groaned in pain and its body was pushed back. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon and Aries met each other¡¯s eyes. There was no need to talk. They started to unleash their full power, nning on finishing the fight, but Kaibar opened its jaw. [Get lost!] The will dwelling inside the dragon words was the strongest so far. Raon was bounced back as if he were being dragged by a hook, and Aries was pushed back by more than ten steps. Whir! Kaibar didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and activated a movement spell to move far back. [Argh!] It raised its upper body that was submerged under the ocean. With a strange phenomenon that looked like the ocean was being split in half, blue wings that seemedrge enough to cover the entire continent were spread along the horizon. Whaaam! With the frightening sound of exploding air, Kaibar flew into the sky. * * * The neck that was protruding from the ocean was just the tip of an iceberg. With the body revealed, the mad dragon¡¯s imposing features were huge enough to reverse the situation. [I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you all!] Kaibar opened its mouth while spouting dragon words with an intense bloodlust. Blue coldness started to fill its throat, which looked like a bottomless abyss. It was just preparing for it, but the atmosphere started to vibrate as the space was distorting. ¡®Is that¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the sparkling light inside Kaibar¡¯s mouth. ¡®A breath?¡¯ It seemed to be a breath, but it was on a whole different scale from when it had used it under the ocean. The devastating wave he was feeling made him feel like the entire ocean was going to freeze from its breath. Cring! Aries stabbed the space sword toward it, but the de was bounced back by the sheer pressure of the mana emanating from Kaibar. ¡°This will be difficult.¡± Aries returned the red de to her scabbard. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Dragons can only use their breath three times a day. But that concentration of mana means that it¡¯s using both the two remaining uses¡ªno, it¡¯s going far enough that it won¡¯t even be able to use any breath for a while.¡± She briefly clicked her tongue, saying that it couldn¡¯t be cut down with any ordinary space sword. ¡°If we can¡¯t stop that, we are both going to die, and so will the people behind us.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll activate my Sword Field.¡± Aries extended her left foot and ced her shoulder at the center of her body before putting her hand on the hilt. It was the posture of a sword draw. It was a preparation for the Sword Field Creation that she¡¯d previously demonstrated. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to erase Kaibar¡¯s breath, but I¡¯m going to leave the rest to you.¡± Her Sword Field Creation was just a single strike. Since she was going to unleash all of her power in a single strike, she was bound to be incapacitated temporarily afterward. ¡°I believe in you, Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon swallowed nervously and fell behind Aries. He didn¡¯t have a choice or the time to waste. Aries¡¯s method was the only path to victory. Rumble! The ice flickering from Kaibar¡¯s mouth emerged along with a frightening blue radiance. The turbulent ocean was frozen entirely, and the sky was distorted in white. It felt like the huge wave of mana was about to burst his heart. The ice breath was even capable of freezing the soul. [Die, vermin!] The mad dragon even added the dragon words to amplify the power. The ice that froze up the ocean was already right in front of him before he even had the time to exhale once. It was a grip from hell that any living creature couldn¡¯t dare to stop. ¡°Raon. Call me auntie in the future, if we manage to survive this fight.¡± Aries smiled cheerfully and unsheathed her sword. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± The elegant trajectory of her sword made it look like the beautiful sword reflecting the moonlight had be a goddess. ¡°Obliteration.¡± Despite the elegant appearance, a frightening amount of murderous intent was emerging from her sword. The haughty will to cut down everything in sight was bursting towards the sky. Crack! The breath that seemed capable of erasing the entire world was split apart as if it were being pulled apart with someone¡¯s bare hands. The frozen sky and ocean were torn apart just like the twisted horizon, and red blood gushed from Kaibar¡¯s chest like river water flowing through a broken dam. The majestic sight looked like divine punishment by a warrior god from heaven. Rumble! Kaibar¡¯s breath was removed even though dragon words were added on top, and its defenseless body was revealed. It was difficult to believe even though he was watching it. The power of a transcender who was risking their life was beyond imagination. ¡°Raon¡­¡± Aries fell on her knees along with her sword. She must¡¯ve unleashed everyst bit of her power. ¡°I leave it to you.¡± Raon crushed the fissured space and leaped like lightning. He felt like he was too slow even though he was using the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step to the best of his ability. He was impatient because he had to get close before Kaibar regained its senses. ¡®Faster, I need to be even faster!¡¯ He moved his body and aura with his will¡ªor, rather, with his desperation. He could¡¯ve been mistaken, but he felt like he was moving a bit faster. Thud! He finally managed to reach Kaibar, but the light had returned to its eyes in that short time. Its powerful willpower showed that it wasn¡¯t pretty much an ancient dragon for no reason. [Get lo¡­] He unleashed the dragon words with his exhausted throat and activated a ninth-circle spell. ¡®I¡¯m done for if it hits me.¡¯ He could somehow cut down the spell, but there was nothing he could do against the dragon words. It was necessary to take out the weapon that he¡¯d been keeping for thest moment. Whir! Raon unleashed the Silver-White Aurora from Heavenly Drive. Wrath¡¯s coldness, capable of even freezing the space, froze the magic that was falling towards his head. [Th-that ability!] ¡°I¡¯m the blue demon king!¡± Raon dered while stabbing Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem into Kaibar¡¯s neck as it showed its confusion. [Kuh! N-nonsense!] ¡°You are right. I was just kidding.¡± Raon sneered at Kaibar because it started to fumble from the fear and made the heat and coldness explode at once from the two des. Whaaam! Chapter 524 Chapter 524 The explosion urring from Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem¡¯s energies inside Kaibar¡¯s neck wasn¡¯t simple. Raon had increased the destructive power to the maximum by using the me Dragon Art with Heavenly Drive and the Heavenly Heavy Cannon with the de of Requiem. It was the most powerful twin de technique he could use in his current state. The explosion inside Kaibar¡¯s body was good enough to make Aries admire it even though she was a transcender. Whaaam! The tremendous wave of aura spreading in all directions was powerful enough to even remove the storm, blood raining down like a red shower to seep into the ocean. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon twisted his lips while observing Kaibar¡¯s injury, which could be seen in between the falling blood. ¡®It survived that?¡¯ The mad dragon Kaibar was still alive. Half of the flesh and bones were torn from its neck, but it wasn¡¯tpletely snapped.The body itself must¡¯ve been sturdy because he was close to being an ancient dragon. Raon was honestly dumbfounded to see that it had managed to withstand the two attacks urring inside the body. ¡®No, it¡¯s my fault. I should¡¯ve aimed slightly higher.¡¯ He¡¯d targeted the thick part of the neck right above Kaibar¡¯s body because he had tond the attack before it regained its senses. However, that ended up being the issue. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ He wanted to tear off the other half of the neck to finish it off, but his body wouldn¡¯t move because he¡¯d used too much power at once. [Kuaaah!] Raon was forcing himself to raise his arm just as Kaibar let out the loudest scream so far and started to rampage. It almost looked like a desperate struggle of a savage beast trying to get out of a trap. [Ack¡­] Kaibar hurriedly turned its head towards the ocean and jumped into it, trying to survive. It had realized that running away deep under the ocean was the only way to survive. ¡°You can¡¯t leave!¡± Raon gritted his teeth and stabbed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem into the soft flesh next to Kaibar¡¯s injury. Whaaam! At that moment, Kaibar¡¯s neck submerged into the ocean. Raon almost lost the grip on Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem because of the movement and pressure of that huge body. ¡®Holding out is my specialty.¡¯ Raon activated the Snow Flower Attraction and stuck himself to Kaibar¡¯s body. He would never let it go. Just as he was about to attack once again with the small amount of energy that had regenerated, the flesh that was destroyed by the me Dragon Art and the Heavenly Heavy Cannon started to regenerate in Kaibar¡¯s neck. ¡®A regeneration spell? No, is it a healing spell?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t too sure what it was, but its bleeding was stopping, its flesh was regrowing, and its bones were regenerating. It seemed to be trying to run until it healed. Raon twisted his lips while watching the flow of mana working on Kaibar¡¯s wound. ¡®If it¡¯s just a spell of this level¡­¡¯ Raon shoved cier¡¯s coldness into the de of Requiem and activated the Ghastly Flow of Mana. Rip! The flow of mana that was healing Kaibar¡¯s injury was as if cut with scissors, and it started to bleed once again. Raon clenched his hand holding the de of Requiem while watching the scene. ¡®So it worked.¡¯ It was too difficult to read the flow of Kaibar¡¯s mana so far because it had been using either eighth- or ninth-circle spells. However, the healing spell that it had used a moment ago wasn¡¯t using any profound form even though the density of mana was high. That was why Raon had managed to cut off the flow with the Ghastly Flow of Mana. [A magic forcefield? How dare you!] ¡®And I¡¯m not done yet.¡¯ Raon twisted the de of Requiem and made the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat explode on Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. Whaaam! Crimson me burst out from under the ocean before it subsided, and Kaibar¡¯s wound became evenrger. [Kuaaah!] Kaibar screeched and swam even faster, but Raon focused on the Snow Flower Attraction to stick to it like a leech. Crack! Kaibar tried to use the healing spell once again, and Raon immediately activated the Ghastly Flow of Mana to cut off the mana¡¯s flow. [Y-you bastard! How long are you nning to disturb me?!] [Until you die.] Raon bit his lip and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me Spirit through Heavenly Drive. The sphere of heat concentrated around the tip of the de and bared its fangs towards the small amount of flesh and bones left from Kaibar. Whaaam! The me Spirit exploded, and Kaibar¡¯s wound was deepened. The bone waspletely visible, and only a third of the flesh was left, but the head was still attached. ¡®How is it even surviving in this state?¡¯ It¡¯s coating the inside and outside of the body with mana to prevent its head from falling. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon hadn¡¯t even realized that because he had he was too focused on attacking Kaibar while putting up with its rampage. It would be nice if the meat were as toothsome as its toughness. Wrath was still spouting some bullshit despite the situation. ¡®Seriously, you¡­¡¯ Stay strong! The end is near! He was cheering Raon on for the first time in anticipation of the dragon meat. However, Raon felt like he was regaining some energy for some reason. Whir! Raon cut off Kaibar¡¯s mana, which was trying to activate the regeneration magic once again, and shed its flesh with Heavenly Drive. The de wasn¡¯t cutting too well because he didn¡¯t have much aura left, but he pushed through by force with his transcendental will. Swoosh! Magic made from ice was raining down from the direction of Kaibar¡¯s head. Raon could defend with the de of Requiem¡¯s Ghastly Flow of Mana because they weren¡¯t high-ranking spells, but he couldn¡¯t pull out the de of Requiem if he wanted to cut off the regeneration. ¡®I need to take it with my body.¡¯ Raon instantly changed the River Footwork into physical movement. He dodged the spells rushing towards him by moving his body like a reed fluttering in the wind. Rip! His clothes were torn, and his flesh was gouged to create bloodstains, but fortunately, he didn¡¯t get any lethal injuries. ¡®I¡¯m also running out of stamina. I need to finish it off quickly.¡¯ Raon grit his back teeth and unleashed cier¡¯s coldness on Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. Rip! There was only a small amount of flesh and scales left on Kaibar. The end was near. [Kuh!] Kaibar groaned in pain and came to a halt. It opened its mouth, which had been scarred by Aries¡¯s sword, in Raon¡¯s direction. [Get lost!] The dragon words were activated for the first time inside the ocean. Raon tried to hold out with the Snow Flower Attraction and his physical strength, but his limbs were shaking to the point of breaking. The dragon words truly had a frightening amount ofpulsory power, but it was drastically decreasedpared to when they were used against Aries because Kaibar was also very exhausted. ¡®I need to hold out. I have to!¡¯ Raon could predict that Kaibar would fully recover and return if he ended up being pushed back. That means that the sacrifices of theirpanions¡¯ lives would be in vain, and that couldn¡¯t be allowed to happen. Rumble! Raon rotated the Ring of Fire to increase his soul level. The achievements he¡¯d gained so far and the emotions of demon kingsbined into one and started to push back thepulsion affecting his body. ¡®Don¡¯t ever let go!¡¯ Wrath had told him that surrounding himself with the opposing will allowed him to withstand dragon words and divine words. Raon recited his will as if he were pledging it to himself, not letting go of Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. [Go away!] Kaibar¡¯s dragon words continued. The spell was even more powerful because it was on the verge of death. ¡®That won¡¯t happen!¡¯ Raon withstood it while biting the inside of his cheek to the point that it bled. [Just go alre¡ª] [You are afraid of the blue demon king, aren¡¯t you?] Just as Kaibar¡¯s dragon words were about to continue, Raon started to speak about Wrath. [Wh-what kind of bullshit is that?!] [The blue demon king has appeared at the center of the continent. However, you are still just killing humans over here, which means that you are afraid of him!] Raon stopped the dragon words from activating by provoking Kaibar and finished his preparations to unleash his energy in a powerful explosion once again. [That won¡¯t work a second time! Stop it!] However, Kaibar wasn¡¯t an idiot. It made Raon unable to move his body through the dragon words and unleashed its magic. Raon had to admit that it was a formidable opponent, considering how much mana it was controlling despite its state. ¡®Even so¡­ I have to endure.¡¯ He shouted in his mind and covered his immobile body with his will. His limbs regained their vitality, and Raon clenched his right hand around Heavenly Drive. [H-how are you moving your body?!] Kaibar¡¯s long, vertical pupils trembled in disbelief. [You are just a garbage lizard who acts strong against the weak. This is as far as you go!] Raon stabbed Heavenly Drive even deeper while meeting the mad dragon¡¯s trembling eyes. The de unleashed a storming fire despite being underwater, and the raging fire shone brilliantly. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Hundred mes. me Dragon Art. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation technique, which had done the most damage to Kaibar so far, breathed out its fire once again under the ocean. Whaaam! The me dragon¡¯s breath gnawed at the water dragon¡¯s neck and shattered its bones and flesh despite its desperate resistance. [Kuaaah!] However, Kaibar was still alive, even though its head was separated from the body. A huge amount of mana was moving from the thin part of the neck under its chin, somehow keeping it alive. ¡®Is it the dragon heart?¡¯ Raon stabbed Heavenly Drive into Kaibar¡¯s broken neck. He dashed along the neck and climbed while cutting it with Heavenly Drive, following the scar left by Aries. Crack! Once he reached the end of the neck, he executed Frost Pond to stab the scale under the chin, which was where the flow of the mana had the highest density. Whaam! Kaibar¡¯s flesh was torn apart, and a round bone surrounded by rainbow-colored mana was revealed. It was the dragon heart, the coagtion of mana which was often called the dragon¡¯s life. [St-stop!] Kaibar was focused on regenerating the body but suddenly started to scream. [I-I was in the wrong! Please stop it!] [¡­Really?] Raon raised his head while holding the dragon heart in his hand. [Yes! I¡¯ll never kill humans ever again. No, I¡¯ll never appear in front of humans!] Kaibar shouted for Raon to spare its life, saying that it would never leave its nest in the future. [That¡¯s a good idea. However¡­] Raon bared his fangs like a beast and clenched the dragon heart to the point of breaking. [You should¡¯ve said that before the start of this battle!] He mustered the small amount of aura and strength left in him to pull the dragon heart from Kaibar¡¯s flesh. Psssh! Kaibar¡¯s flesh and blood gushed out like a fountain and turned the ocean a bloody red color. ¡®Huff¡­¡¯ Raon raised his gaze while sinking under the ocean with the dragon heart in his hand. [Gaah¡­] Kaibar groaned quietly on death¡¯s door and wriggled like a worm. [I-I¡­] The light disappeared from its eyes before it could leave its dying wishes. Its breath couldn¡¯t be felt anymore. The persistent life had finally perished. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon closed his eyes. His limbs werepletely powerless. He wasn¡¯t going to lose consciousness, but he had no way of leaving the ocean for the time being. ¡®I¡¯m going to die if I can¡¯t leave¡­¡¯ He could feel Kaibar¡¯s dead body touching his back. Raon raised his eyelids with difficulty and saw Aries with her sunset-colored hair fluttering into the water and an octopus with a sparkling head approaching him. ¡®I guess not.¡¯ Raon let his guard down for the first time since the start of the battle. He waved his hand towards Aries and the octopus¡ªor, rather, Rabawin¡ªwho were swimming towards him. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ * * * ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Kuberad¡¯s hand trembled as he held onto the deck railing. ¡®What¡¯s even happening right now?!¡¯ After that critical blow from Aries and Raon, Kaibar even threw away its pride as a dragon and escaped underwater. Kuberad had thought that they should withdraw for the time being because it was a bad situation, but Raon stabbed his swords into Kaibar¡¯s body and followed it. Two warships had capsized because of the hide tide urring as if there were a cyclone. Raon and Kaibar seemed to be continuing their frightening battle under the ocean. Aries and Rabawin had dove into the ocean to save Raon as soon as they recovered a small amount of stamina, but it couldn¡¯t be helped that he was still worried. ¡®I¡¯d be too ashamed to face Vulcan if you end up dying. Please¡­¡¯ Kuberad bit his lip while watching the ocean roil once again. ¡®Please just return alive!¡¯ It wasn¡¯t Raon¡¯s battle to begin with. Aries had said that Raon would be helpful, but there would¡¯ve been no issue even if he¡¯d returned to Zieghart, to be honest. The guilt started to take over him. After all, he¡¯d been the one to ask a young man with a bright future ahead of him for help in such a desperate battle. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Sir Raon.¡± Nuan and Morin seemed to be praying for Raon¡¯s safe return, their hands put together and their eyes closed. They weren¡¯t the only ones. The sailors from every warship were also watching the ocean while praying for Raon and Aries¡¯s safe return. Whaaam! A loud ssh was the only thing disturbing the silence, and the center of the ocean erupted as if an explosion had urred, revealing Kaibar¡¯s head. There was a deepceration on its lips and the area around its eyelids, but it still seemed alive. ¡°K-Kaibar¡­¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s back!¡± ¡°But that means the others¡­¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± The sailors on the warships sank to their knees while watching Kaibar¡¯s face, which had be even more atrocious from the intense battle. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kaibar also exhaled roughly, his face turning pale. ¡®Does that mean that Raon and Aries¡­ died?¡¯ Kaibar¡¯s return pretty much signified that Raon had died, and the same went for Aries and Rabawin, who¡¯d gone to save him. Rather than the despair over his uing death, the fact that the youngsters had died in vain was even more painful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Kuberad lowered his head while hugging Morin and Nuan. He turned around while hoping that a painless death would visit the two children. However, Kaibar never attacked, nor did it say anything no matter how long he waited. He turned his trembling head, and Kaibar¡¯s neck was starting to surface. The violent cut on its neck looked like a rough brush had drawn a line, and there was a wound at the central area, which looked like it was gouged out by an explosion. It was the location of the dragon heart. ¡°D-does that mean?!¡± Kuberad suddenly stood up, and Kaibar¡¯s face and neck fell powerlessly instead. Whaaam! Kaibar¡¯s head floated on the ocean with its neck torn from its body, and Kaibar¡¯s body¡ªwhich could even hide the horizon¡ªsurfaced after a huge wave struck the ships. Raon, Aries, and Rabawin were sitting on Kaibar¡¯s headless body. ¡°Th-the head ispletely cut off. Which means¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s dead! The mad dragon is dead!¡± The sailors cried, hugging each other while sitting on their backsides. ¡°Uaaaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over now!¡± They shouted loudly in joy at ying the mad dragon, the sound a requiem to appease the lost souls. Kuberad lowered his head towards Raon while listening to the people¡¯s roars stirring up the ocean. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m really thankful to you¡­¡± * * * ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly while spitting out the salty water filling him up to his throat. ¡®I¡¯m d it ended nicely.¡¯ Kaibar was as powerful and tenacious as its notoriety implied. Since it was even willing to throw away its pride as a member of the strongest race to escape, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to win if he¡¯d made any mistakes with his body and mind. Raon finally felt relieved. ¡°Good job.¡± Aries smiled cheerfully and patted his shoulder. ¡°I was nning to finish it off, but you ended up doing it instead.¡± She looked proud of him rather than being saddened as she nodded at him. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± Rabawin bowed at ny degrees. ¡°I was impressed from the bottom of my heart! I would¡¯ve followed you for the rest of my life if I didn¡¯t serve anyone yet!¡± He went on his knees and pounded his left chest where his heart was located. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Lady Aries for damaging it enough beforehand.¡± Raon shook his hand with a weak smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t be humble. It¡¯s all your doing.¡± Aries snorted and pointed at the mad dragon Kaibar¡¯s corpse, which was split in half. Raon smiled without saying anything while looking at Kaibar¡¯s empty eyes devoid. Hnng! Raon caught his breath to try and quickly recover his stamina, only to suddenly hear Wrath¡¯sughter. We don¡¯t even need to season it since it¡¯s in the ocean already! Wrath smiled happily, saying that it could be immediately grilled once they returned. ¡®Seriously, I¡¯m so tired of¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Raon shook his head and was about to push Wrath away¡­ Whir! A huge amount of mana entered his body from Kaibar¡¯s dragon heart, which he was still holding in his hand. A tremendous amount of high-purity mana spread throughout the mana circuits all over his body in an instant, adding to the energy in his lower and middle energy centers before flowing into his upper energy center. Whaap! Raon closed his eyes and focused on his mental world. The pure energy of water from Wrath that was freezing his mental world faded away, and the endless dark hole was filled with blue water. The fissurednd was reinstated, and the swords embedded in the ground were sparkling in a different color. The coldness that had been continuously stimting his brainpletely disappeared, and Raon felt like all of the shackles binding him had been undone. Whir! The divine and demonic swords that had disappeared after Wrath¡¯s advent had reappeared. ¡®Nice to see you again.¡¯ Raon was smiling while looking at the dazzling yet deadly des when a sword surfaced from the hole that was being filled up. It was a blue color that looked like it was made of water. ¡®That sword¡­¡¯ Chapter 525 Chapter 525 Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the floating longsword. Its transparency made it look like it was made of a water drop, and waves were spreading around in it like the ocean. The appearance wasn¡¯t the only peculiar part about it. Not only Kaibar¡¯s mana but also Aries¡¯s aura could be felt from the sword. Cring! The watery longsword slowly descended and embedded its de into his mental world, just like the other swords. Whaaap! The fissures created because of the demon king¡¯s advent were slowly refilled and returned to their former appearance. The remnant of wrath left behind by Wrath disappeared, and his headachepletely disappeared. The mental world was recovered to the state it was before the demon king¡¯s advent, but changes were still happening. Whir!His heart pounded to the point of bursting, and his mental world widened as new swords spouted from thend. The upper energy center had achieved growth. ¡®It¡¯s grown even further on top of recovering¡­¡¯ Raon could guess that his Sword Field Creation should be morepleted than before. ¡®It¡¯s not just about the Sword Field Creation.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly while looking at the watery sword embedded in his mental world. ¡®Because I¡¯ve also learned the principles of the space sword.¡¯ He could feel Aries''s aura from the watery sword because he hade to understand its principles during the battle against Kaibar, even though it was only a small amount. ¡®I should be able to utilize the space sword in my own way if I train to the death.¡¯ Aries¡¯s space sword waspletely different from the ordinary principles. Thinking about learning it filled him with excitement. Raon finished examining the mental world that had be even more lively than before and closed his eyes before opening them again. He left his trance and could see the blue sky and Wrath¡¯s frowning eyes. Damn it! Wrath barked as soon as he met his eyes. Recovery should¡¯ve been enough! Why did you even grow as well?! He furrowed his brow. He seemed to have noticed the growth in Raon¡¯s mental world. Even the dragon heart is helping you! Howe you are so lucky?! It¡¯s seriously iprehensible! ¡®It¡¯s not luck. It¡¯s the result of my skills and efforts.¡¯ Shut up! Are you seriously saying that after you witnessed the unreasonable things that happen to the King of Essence every single day?! Wrath furiously ground his teeth, telling him to shut his mouth. ¡®I get it, so get away from me please.¡¯ Raon pped Wrath, who was shoving his head towards him, away as Rabawin walked up to him. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± He looked at him worriedly while injecting his aura into his body. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t just fine.¡± Aries¡¯s eyes sparkled faintly. ¡°He¡¯spletely recovered.¡± Her bright smile implied that she¡¯d also noticed the change inside Raon¡¯s mental world. ¡°He might be even stronger than you now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really d to hear that!¡± Rabawin smiled, showing that he was happy about Raon¡¯s recovery without caring about thepetition. Even though his bearded face and bald head looked exactly like a pirate¡¯s, he seemed to be the most good-natured person among Zieghart¡¯s warriors. ¡°Tsk, you are no fun.¡± Aries briefly clicked her tongue, displeased by Rabawin¡¯s response. ¡°Did you notice?¡± Raon looked at Aries without standing up. ¡°I noticed the energy of water rampaging in your upper energy center, and that¡¯s why I guessed you were going to recover. Of course¡­¡± Aries¡¯s heated gaze was directed at Raon. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you would grow even further.¡± ¡°That was also unexpected for me. The dragon heart¡¯s mana must¡¯ve yed an important part in it.¡± Raon gave Aries the dragon heart, which he was still holding. Even though arge amount of mana had helped him recover and grow, there was still an immeasurable amount of mana inside the dragon heart. It deserved to be called the best elixir in the world. ¡°Look at that instead.¡± Aries gave the dragon heart to Rabawin before she made Raon stand. She raised her finger and pointed at a warship approaching them. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± The sailors on the warships were still shouting their throats off. Kuberad was also watching them with teary eyes while hugging the two children. ¡°You should wave at them or something.¡± Aries went ahead and raised her hand with a cheerful smile. ¡°Everyone here is a hero, but you are the hero of the heroes.¡± She turned around while saying such an embarrassing thing. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked at Kaibar¡¯s severed head instead of the people. Looking at the deep cut made with Heavenly Drive reminded him of the difficult battle and the moment he managed to prevail. He would¡¯ve never seen such a sight if he hadn¡¯t hung onto it with the determination to die. He was d that he didn¡¯t give up until the very end. ¡®The victory doesn¡¯t only belong to me. It¡¯s for everyone.¡¯ The victory and whatnot doesn¡¯t even matter! Raon waved his hand at the sailors with a smile, and Wrath shoved his face onto him. You are taking that lizard meat, right? You won¡¯t even need to season it because it should be perfectly salty! Wrath couldn¡¯t help but salivate as he said that he had to take it no matter what. ¡®Hmm, I wonder¡­¡¯ The King of Essence is really going to cry if you ignore him once again! He¡¯s seriously going to! Raon just smiled because his threat wasn¡¯t frightening at all. ¡®Sure.¡¯ * * * Lushan Mountain House Robert Blocked Western Path It was a splendid and picturesque mountain, and Derus Robert entered the underground. He walked through theplete darkness of the corridor and went to the center of the cavern. ¡°Wee.¡± An old man in a ck night traveling outfit with a sturdy body bowed to him. Derus silently nodded and stood next to the old man. Under his cold eyes, small children who didn¡¯t seem to be even ten years old were kneeling with their eyes covered with blindfolds. ¡°Sniff.¡± ¡°Wh-where are we?!¡± ¡°Mom! Dad!¡± ¡°Please send us back home!¡± The children were shouting at him for mercy with trembling shoulders. They seemed to be aware that they¡¯d been kidnapped. ¡°Are there around 210 of them?¡± Derus stroked his chin and counted their numbers. He seemedpletely unaffected by the children¡¯s screams. ¡°Yes. There are exactly 213 of them.¡± The old man bowed faintly and told him the exact number of the children. ¡°That¡¯s more than usual.¡± ¡°Lots of children lost their parents because the Six Kings, Five Demons, Five Divine Orders, a demon king, and even a dragon appeared during thest incident. We could¡¯ve acquired even more, but we filtered them out because lots of them weren¡¯t in great condition.¡± He furrowed his brow slightly while talking like he¡¯d simply picked the better vegetables or fruits even though they were people. ¡°They do have nice physiques. They are the perfect material for assassins. Some of them could even be raised as warriors.¡± Derus Robert smiled faintly while looking at the terrified children, whose lips had turned pale. ¡°Start by brainwashing them like always, and feed the rage worm to those who don¡¯t have any issues.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The old man nodded, and the Shadow instructors appeared from the darkness and dragged the children away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m entrusting this to you once again.¡± Derus watched the children being dragged away and patted the old man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. It was my fault for offering those idiots.¡± The old man bowed deeply, implying that he was honored to do the job. His eyes glowed fiercely when he said ¡®idiots¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± Derus turned around and climbed the stairs located next to a pir. He entered a room that was neatly organized, just like his office, and sat on a dark chair. Whir. The shadow under the desk undted and Cubara appeared. She was wearing a ck dress instead of her usual maid uniform. ¡°Is there any news about Raon Zieghart?¡± Derus asked without looking back. ¡°There¡¯s still nothing.¡± Cubara went down to her knees and raised her gaze. ¡°The same goes for Zieghart. They aren¡¯t saying or doing anything.¡± She shook her head, saying that Raon¡¯s name hadpletely disappeared inside Zieghart¡¯s domain. ¡°Is he really dead¡­?¡± Derus looked down on the empty cavern for a while before he slowly looked around. ¡°How is the Deathbringer Revenant factory doing?¡± ¡°They are currently working on improving them based on the information we¡¯ve obtained from Sirith¡¯s failure. They are researching how to increase the Deathbringer Revenant¡¯s intelligence and power of explosion.¡± ¡°Send them double the funds and personnel.¡± ¡°Double?¡± ¡°It might be excessive as an investment, but it will end up being a cheap price to pay.¡± He raised his ss and took a drink. ¡°The me of war will be reignited in the continent soon.¡± Derus quietly put down the empty ss with a frightening smile on his face, one that would give goosebumps to anyone who watched it. ¡°The Deathbringer Revenants will be the biggest variable when that dayes.¡± * * * Raon returned to Aikar¡¯s harbor, where he¡¯d departed before, alongside the eight warships. It took four days total to return because they were bringing the separated corpse of Kaibar. It took a long time, but the sailors¡¯ expressions were brighter than ever because the mad dragon was dead and the war was over. Raon looked at the harbor while standing on the deck. In front of the wall that was being reconstructed, he could see the residents who¡¯d stayed behind in Aikar. The rumor about them ying the dragon must¡¯ve already spread, as they were waving their hands from outside the walls. He couldn¡¯t understand exactly what they were saying because they were too far away and the waves were too strong, but he could see that they were smiling and crying while cheering for them. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°We are at Aikar!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all over now!¡± The sailors on the Azure Wind and the other warships also started to cheer while waving their hands at the residents. Whoaaa! Wrath also jumped out from the bracelet and roared toward the harbor. Grilled dragon! The days of beef jerky and Nadine bread are all over now! Of course, his reason was different from the others. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± The warships crept forward and eventually docked in the harbor. Ear-splitting cheers erupted from the residents of Aikar as they waved their hands in celebration. ¡°Take it out now!¡± Aries pped her hands after she jumped down from the warship before anyone else, and the magicians picked up Kaibar¡¯s corpse, which was being pulled by the boat, and ced it on the harbor. The reduction spell was undone and the huge body was revealed, causing the restored wall to copse once again as the harbor¡¯s entrance caved in. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I-is this the mad dragon Kaibar?¡± ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± ¡°How can a creature be as big as an entire city?!¡± Aikar¡¯s residents were unable to recover their dropped jaws. Everyone was astonished because the dragon¡¯s size was beyond imagination. ¡°D-did you really y it?¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡± ¡°I-it really must¡¯ve been hard work.¡± ¡°He did everything.¡± Aries pointed at Raon while standing on Kaibar¡¯s head. ¡°All I did was open the path, and he cut off the dragon¡¯s head.¡± She started to apud, telling them to praise Raon for it. ¡°Whoaaa!¡± ¡°Raon! Raon! Raon!¡± ¡°I knew it! White Sword Dragon!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Sword Dragon too shabby as a title at this point? He¡¯s even in the mad dragon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard he even won against a Grandmaster before he came here. He¡¯s going to need a new nickname.¡± The sailors and the residents started to gather to discuss a new name for Raon. ¡°Save that forter. Let¡¯s have a party today!¡± Aries grinned and waved her hand. She knocked shoulders with the people in front of her and shouted for someone to bring out the drinks already. Despite how she looked, she was a considerate person. She seemed to be nning to celebrate the victory andfort the grief of losing theirpanions through the festival. Raon disembarked from the Azure Wind and examined Kaibar¡¯s corpse. Its body was still firm even though it¡¯d been submerged for four days straight. It must¡¯ve been because of the mana of nature remaining inside the bones and flesh. The King of Essence told you already! The meat is toothsome! We have to eat it right now since it should be perfectly pickled! Wrath told him to grill the meat already while drooling from his mouth. ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll ask her.¡¯ Raon started walking towards Aries to suggest grilling the dragon meat. Whir! Yellow light wavered above the harbor, and a blond-haired old man appeared. The elegance surrounding him felt as natural as a coat. He was just floating in the air without using any spells, and the flow of mana sensed from him was unbelievably huge. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t even feel how much mana he even had. It was greater than even a transcender¡¯s. He¡¯s the one. Wrath furrowed his brow while ring at the old man. ¡®The one?¡¯ The sparkling dragon who fired a breath at the King of Essence. He has transformed into human form! ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon could guess that Wrath was talking about the gold dragon who fired a breath without asking any questions when Wrath was fighting against the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master. ¡®Why did he appear now of all time¡­?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like he was unable to fight, but everyone except for himself, Aries, and Rabawin were going to die if a battle broke out. He was feeling a burning pain in his chest. ¡°So it ended up happening.¡± The gold dragon quietlynded on the ground. He clicked his tongue while looking at Kaibar¡¯s torn neck. ¡°Did you have to do this?¡± The dragon¡¯s dry gaze was directed at Aries. The atmosphere crushing their shoulders felt like it had gained weight. Even though the harbor was full of excitement for the festival, it suddenly became gloomy. ¡°What?¡± Aries tilted her head after sending the people she was shouldering to the back. She seemed to be aware of the fact that the old man in front of her was a dragon. ¡°Did I have to do what?¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve ended it in a better way.¡± Dragon sighed quietly and tapped the ground with his staff. ¡°You should¡¯ve said that to this crazy bastard beforehand.¡± Aries lightly kicked Kaibar¡¯s corpse with the tip of her toes. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t even have happened if you stopped this one¡¯s genocide.¡± Her lips twisted into a smile. Her flushed face implied that she was angry. ¡°Dragons are independent beings. Even though I¡¯m their lord, they are not obligated to follow my orders unless it involves the advent of a demon king or the preservation of bnce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you are ipetent.¡± Aries snorted while looking at the dragon¡¯s staff. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the old man. ¡®Did he just say he¡¯s the dragon lord?¡¯ He¡¯d thought he was powerful, but he didn¡¯t expect him to be the dragon lord. The creeping sense of danger intensified its stench. ¡°Dragons are working hard for the preservation of the world. We don¡¯t simply act out of emotions. Kaibar was a wise one who was about to be an ancient dragon. He must¡¯ve had a good reason for it if he killed humans.¡± The lord narrowed his eyes, saying that the dragons always thought about the great cause. ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± Aries burst out inughter while sweeping her hair back. ¡°Great cause? What great cause does it have when it¡¯s just a crazy lizard that was filled with nothing but madness? Neutral observers of the continent? Protectors of the continent? Bullshit. You are just children with huge bodies who can¡¯t even control your own power.¡± Her expression turned cold and indifferent. ¡°It must be difficult to understand for humans who only live for an instant.¡± ¡°All you do is ramble on with bullshit.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t avenge our kin since he¡¯s already dead. After all, we are an independent race, as I mentioned earlier. However¡­¡± The dragon lord sighed quietly and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking Kaibar¡¯s dragon heart and corpse.¡± He extended his hand, asking for Kaibar¡¯s dragon heart. What are you saying, you shitty lizard?! The meat prepared in salt belongs to the King of Essence! Wrath¡¯s chin trembled at his ridiculous statement. Let the King of Essence manifest to the world! He will snap his neck right now! He started to rampage, asking Raon to hand over his body. Whir! Raon lowered his posture and ced his hand on Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt so that he could act at any moment. ¡°Nonsense abounds.¡± Aries sneered and bared her white teeth. ¡°Kaibar¡¯s corpse is our loot. We have nothing to give you.¡± ¡°You leave me with no choice.¡± The dragon lord raised his hand. An explosive wave of mana spread around, distorting the sky and the ocean. ¡°This isn¡¯t revenge for our kin but a measure to prevent a crisis of the continent. Don¡¯t resent me.¡± The dragon lord was a proper ancient dragon, unlike Kaibar. His wave of mana engulfed Aikar. Raon was unable to move his limbs because of the tremendous wave of power of the gold dragon, who was capable of controlling lightning and weather. ¡®You are ying cheap, lizard¡­¡¯ The dragon lord was definitely trying to take his revenge while calling it a measure to prevent a crisis. He was more like a snake than a dragon. ¡°This is the case of an adulting to fight when their child is beaten up.¡± Aries sneered while kicking Kaibar¡¯s corpse once again. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°Then we also have to call our adult.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The dragon lord narrowed his eyes. ¡°Do you know who his grandfather is?¡± Aries raised her finger and pointed at Raon. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°The Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart.¡± Aries continued when the dragon lord was narrowing his eyes while looking at Raon. ¡°You can keep going if you want to see your entire race annihted by his grandfather!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Aries spread her arms, telling him to do whatever he wanted, and the dragon lord¡¯s fingertips trembled. Chapter 526 Chapter 526 Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at Aries. ¡®There¡¯s no way that¡¯s going to work!¡¯ Even though Glenn was the pinnacle of the continent as a transcender, it was the dragon lord that they were talking to. Since the dragon race looked down on humans, Raon didn¡¯t think that her threat was going to work. ¡®Moreover¡­ You should be calling him your father rather than my grandfather!¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t understand why she was calling him his grandfather instead of her father since she was the one who was closer to him. He thought once again that Aries was so peculiar. ¡®I should just prepare for battle¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Despite his expectation that it was going to bepletely ineffective, the dragon lord¡¯s chin was trembling in panic. ¡°¡­Did you just say that the human over there is Glenn Zieghart¡¯s grandson?¡±The dragon lord¡¯s firm voice became hoarse for the first time. It felt like a huge tree with no end in sight was starting to tremble. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the dragon lord¡¯s face, which had turned pale. ¡®Did it really work?¡¯ He¡¯d never expected that not just an average dragon, but the lord of the dragons would be crushed under the weight of Glenn¡¯s name. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The dragon lord quietly groaned and turned his gaze towards Raon. He examined his hair and eyes one after the other, and his lips curved downwards. ¡°He definitely does have a simr face and nature.¡± ¡°Why would I lie about this since it would be found out right away? He¡¯s the grandson who perfectly inherited his blood. And Glenn cherishes him more than anyone else.¡± Aries tilted her chin as if she were making fun of the dragon lord. ¡°What are you gonna do? Do you wanna fight?¡± She sneered, telling him to try showing off his power once again. ¡°Ahem!¡± The dragon lord cleared his throat and shook his hand. Whir! Instead of starting the fight, he removed the wave of mana that was expanding endlessly. The powerful wave dominating Aikar was removed in an instant. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you attacking? Weren¡¯t you supposed to protect the continent?¡± Aries rolled her lips into a smile and continued her provocation. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how taking Kaibar¡¯s dragon heart and corpse helps the bnce of the continent, but you need to do your job, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°The dragon heart includes a huge amount of mana with high purity. It can cause a huge issue in the continent if it is misused.¡± The dragon lord firmly lowered his lips and still imed that he was acting for the sake of the world. ¡°Then what about Kaibar¡¯s corpse?¡± ¡°A dragon¡¯s bones, ws, and horn can create the sturdiest weapon¡­¡± ¡°Is that powerful enough to threaten the bnce of the continent?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The dragon lord stopped twitching his lips upon hearing Aries¡¯s mocking question. However, the dignity didn¡¯t leave his gaze. He still seemed to believe that he was doing it for the sake of the world. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you take it in that case.¡± Aries raised her arm and stretched it behind her without hesitation. ¡°Rabawin. Take it out.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Rabawin opened a subspace pocket. He took out a dragon heart, which was sparkling in rainbow colors, and gave it to Aries. He seemed to perfectly trust his lord. ¡°Here you go. Take it.¡± Aries casually threw the dragon heart in the air before catching it, then she nced at the dragon lord with narrowed eyes. ¡°However, his grandfather might visit some other dragons and pull their throats out if you take this one. I estimate that about three of them will be killed.¡± She grinned, saying that she would get three dragon hearts for giving away one. ¡°Bullshit!¡± The dragon lord bared his white teeth towards Aries. ¡°I know Glenn Zieghart very well. There¡¯s no way he would act on such a trivial matter¡ª¡± ¡°He will.¡± Aries cut the dragon lord off. ¡°You met the Destructive King of the North at the center of the continent, didn¡¯t you? Do you know why he appeared there?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You went there to kill the demon king, but it wasn¡¯t the case for him. He went there to save him.¡± She shrugged her shoulders while iming something ridiculous. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any¡­¡± The dragon lord started to refute her words but closed his mouth. ¡®No, he was acting strange back then.¡¯ Glenn Zieghart wasn¡¯t interested in the demon king or the humans from the other factions. He suddenly went into the barrier that appeared in the middle of his fight against the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion''s leader and looked for the traces of the disappeared swordsmen. The Glenn Zieghart of the Continental War would never have done that. He had definitely changed. ¡®Which means he really might attack the other dragons¡­¡¯ If Aries was right and the blond-haired and red-eyed human was Glenn¡¯s cherished grandson, he might end up doing something bad. That was why he concluded that he should avoid a potential danger. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The dragon lord bit his lip while looking at his trembling hand on his staff. ¡®He said it was thest warning he¡¯d give.¡¯ Glenn had dered that he would wage war against the dragons if he was interrupted once again. The lord wasn¡¯t afraid of other people in Zieghart, but the monster called Glenn was the issue. He couldn¡¯t figure out any way to defeat him since Glenn shed his skin while defeating the Holy Sword Alliance master. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon gasped while watching the dragon lord, who was thinking deeply. ¡®Did that seriously work?¡¯ Aries wasn¡¯t exactly lying, but she wasn¡¯t telling the truth either. Glenn was there to save the Light Wind division and the Heavenly de division, but it wasn¡¯t for just him. It could be easily figured out, but the dragon lord¡¯s expression showed that Aries¡¯s im had worked. Why are you talking so much?! Wrath poked his head out and furrowed his brow. The King of Essence will pull that lizard¡¯s head off. Just give him your body! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon was slightly interested, but there was no guarantee that the demon king¡¯s advent was going to work once again, and it was obviously going to erge the wound that had finally recovered. That was why he simply pushed Wrath away. ¡°Take it for the bnce of the continent. Here you go.¡± Aries walked up to the dragon lord and held out Kaibar¡¯s dragon heart. She was clearly provoking him, but the dragon lord simply narrowed his eyes without responding. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The dragon lord took a nce at Raon and sighed quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll withdraw for now. But you should be careful. His name isn¡¯t going to protect you forever.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Aren¡¯t you going to protect the continent?¡± Aries smiled while turning her shoulder. She seemed to have expected that reaction. ¡°Are you afraid of his grandfather?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not afraid of him. I¡¯m just avoiding unnecessary fights to maintain the bnce of the continent.¡± He tapped the ground with his staff while giving some excuse that was too unsightlying from a dragon lord. Whir! The dragon lord became a golden light and disappeared, just like during his arrival. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon shook his head while looking at the spot where the dragon lord had disappeared. ¡°D-did he just run away? But he¡¯s the dragon lord!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aries nodded while giggling. She gave the dragon heart to Rabawin and pushed her orange hair back. ¡°You should understand by now since you saw Kaibar, but that¡¯s the true nature of the dragons. They are extremely self-centered.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right. They lived for such a long time that they became some goldfish who believe that they are always right and are working for the continent.¡± Kuberad lowered his eyebrows deeply as he also expressed his displeasure towards the dragons. Humans are fully aware of the characteristics of the lizards. Wrath nodded while looking at Aries and Kuberad. The dragons have a whole different way of thinking than the other creatures because they¡¯ve been powerful ever since their birth and can get stronger without making any effort. He twisted his lips, saying that the dragons were the ones who were unnecessary in the world. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect him to be so unsightly¡­¡± Raonughed bitterly. He couldn¡¯t forget the way the dragon lord ran away with shabby excuses after he tried to pick a fight. It was refreshing to watch, but he also found it ridiculous. ¡°The dragons are unsightly by nature.¡± Aries scratched the bridge of her nose, telling him to get used to it. ¡°By the way, Lady Aries.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Why did you call the head of house my grandfather? It would¡¯ve worked better if you called him your father.¡± ¡°I was warning him.¡± She pouted slightly, wondering why he was asking the obvious question. ¡°A warning?¡± ¡°That father would appear if he attacked you.¡± ¡°That was just a bluff, though.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t bluffing.¡± Aries shook her hand, saying that she definitely wasn¡¯t bluffing. ¡°No, but¡­¡± Hey! Raon was trying to refute her words, but Wrath suddenly barked. Since it¡¯s over now, get ready right now! ¡®Get ready for what?¡¯ You need to tell her to eat the grilled dragon! Wrath shoved his fist into Raon¡¯s face, telling him that he would seriously kill him if he skipped it once again. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply and walked up to Aries. ¡°Erm, Lady Aries.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I have a request I¡¯d like to make¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening. I¡¯m willing to grant most of your wishes.¡± Aries nodded, telling him to say anything he wanted. ¡°I¡¯m also going to do anything you want.¡± ¡°Same goes for me! I¡¯ll even give you the principles of my sword techniques if you ask!¡± Kuberad and Rabawin also told him to just tell them anything he wanted with smiles on their faces. ¡°In that case¡­ Can we grill the dragon and eat it?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The three people, including Aries, turned their heads with even more dumbfounded faces than when the dragon lord appeared. * * * Zieghart Lord¡¯s Manor The swordsmen guarding the lord¡¯s manor tilted their heads while looking at the ceiling, where the dust was falling. ¡°An earthquake?¡± ¡°Hmm, I believe earthquakes rarely happen in the north, though¡­¡± ¡°Then what is this? Why has the entire building been trembling since the morning?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the head of house going to get angry at this rate?¡± The swordsmen swallowed nervously, worried about the lord manor¡¯s trembling phenomenon. Roenn passed by the swordsmen with serious faces and headed to the audience chamber. He opened the trembling iron gate, entered, and raised his gaze. Rumble! Glenn was sitting on the golden throne, and his left leg was shaking. It was because of that powerful vibration that not only the audience chamber but the entire lord¡¯s manor was trembling. ¡°¡­Did you learn anything?¡± Glenn swallowed nervously and leaned forward as soon as he saw Roenn. ¡°Yes.¡± Roenn smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°The damage wasn¡¯tpletely nonexistent, but Lady Aries, Rabawin, and young master Raon have all returned safely. As for Kaibar¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about it! Is Raon alright?¡± Glenn shouted Raon¡¯s name, saying that he wasn¡¯t interested in Kaibar at all. ¡°Yes. He even recovered from his injury in his upper energy center. They said he yed an important role in ying Kaibar.¡± Roenn told Glenn about the report he¡¯d gotten from Aikar. ¡°An important role?¡± ¡°They said that young master Raon pulled out Kaibar¡¯s dragon heart.¡± ¡°He pulled out the dragon heart? That¡¯s what he would do.¡± Glenn smiled cheerfully. His leg that had been causing the vibration all day long finally came to a halt. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn smiled faintly, showing that he found Glenn¡¯s reaction interesting. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and started to give some shabby excuses. He must¡¯ve felt slightly awkward. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I was just asking because I figured it would be annoying in various ways if a problem urred in the ocean.¡± ¡°It could actually be annoying.¡± ¡°What do you mean?!¡± He briskly stood up from the throne. He seemed to have forgotten that he was giving excuses. ¡°They said that the dragon lord suddenly appeared and started to threaten them.¡± ¡°Threaten? How did he threaten them?! What did that lizard even say?!¡± ¡°He picked a fight with them and told them to hand over Kaibar¡¯s dragon heart and corpse. They said that he was going to attack if they didn¡¯t give them to him.¡± ¡°That damned bastard¡­¡± Glenn clenched his fist. His wrath spread around as his will, and the entirety of Zieghart started to tremor violently. ¡°Fortunately, Lady Aries made him leave without any issue.¡± Roenn shook his hand, telling him that it was all good. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Glenn stroked his chin with a frightening look in his eyes. ¡°Shall I just take this opportunity and kill them all?¡± His frightening voice sounded like he was serious about it. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be impossible, but we would also take a huge amount of damage. Since the Five Demons are also going to interfere, it will be an even bigger issue.¡± Roenn took him seriously and gave him a brief analysis. ¡°They said that the lord was the first one to surrender. I believe it would be better to leave them alone for the moment.¡± He smiled, telling him to forgive them once since the dragon lord lowered his head. Tsk. Glenn briefly clicked his tongue and leaned his back against the throne. ¡°So, when is Raon returning?¡± ¡°Lady Aries didn¡¯t say anything about it. She said to juste by yourself if you want to see him¡­¡± Roenn lowered his head apologetically. Wham! Glenn stomped the ground before he knew it. The vibration of his long leg started once again. ¡°Order him to return right now! Tell him toe back immediately!¡± The swordsmen in the lord¡¯s manor ended up having the chills all day long because of the unidentified tremors. * * * Aikar was having a festival. Even though many people had died, they suffered a huge amount of material losses, and the reconstruction wasn¡¯t over yet, people were enjoying the festival with bright expressions on their faces. Just like the mourners at a funeral forcing themselves to smile and chat, everyone had a fun timeforting the deceased and blessing the survivors. However, there was a ce that was theplete opposite of the festival and was as quiet as a library. It was the workshop inside the warship that Kuberad had been using temporarily. Raon was biting his lip while holding a frying pan on the furnace. He let out a small sigh while looking at the dragon meat ced on the frying pan. ¡®Why isn¡¯t it cooking?!¡¯ The dragon meat wasn¡¯t cooking at all even though he was using the furnace for it. The frying pan was going to melt at the rate it was going because of the heat from the furnace. ¡®This is practically an ore rather than a meat!¡¯ He could guess that it could withstand the furnace¡¯s heat because of its high fire resistance and the mana brimming inside the meat. Focus! The meat is going to lose its juices! Wrath smacked the back of Raon¡¯s head, telling him to focus on cooking. ¡®There¡¯s not even any juice to lose! It needs to be grilled first to have juices!¡¯ Aren¡¯t there any magicians in the area who can cast Hellfire? ¡®Do you think you can find a ninth-circle magician just like that?¡¯ Seriously, humans are so ipetent. Wrath clicked his tongue in displeasure. Use your fire in that case. It might take some time, but it will cook eventually. He pointed his finger at the furnace, telling Raon to add the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat. ¡®I don¡¯t really want to use martial arts to eat some meat¡­¡¯ You idiot. Why do you even think martial arts even exist? ¡®To be stronger.¡¯ Then what do you need to do to get stronger? ¡®Hmm?¡¯ You have to eat! That¡¯s why eating this meat is the same as training your martial arts! ¡®What the hell is that bullshit?¡¯ Raon shook his head while looking at him with eyes full of pity. It¡¯s bullshit indeed! So just send the heat already! Wrath patted his thin stomach whileining that he was about to die from hunger. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow and added the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat into the furnace. Whaaap! The furnace¡¯s fire became bigger, but the power wasn¡¯t as good as the size. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the fire. ¡®Does adding fire to the fire not amplify the output?¡¯ Raon activated the Ring of Fire and carefully observed the fire¡¯s movement. The fire inside the furnace and the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat had simr yet different flows. ¡®What if I synchronize the flows now¡­?¡¯ Raon matched the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat to the movement of the furnace¡¯s fire, and the size was decreased as a result while the heat was amplified more than ten times. Whaap! The zing frying pan looked like it was about to melt, and the dragon meat¡¯s surface was slowly turning brown. The meat was finally starting to cook. ¡®So this is it. Instead of just adding the output of the same attribute, I can multiply it instead¡­¡¯ Stop being enlightened while cooking! You must have a de in your brain! Wrath barked at him as Raon was gaining a better understanding of the fire attribute¡¯s characteristics. ¡®Alright, alright.¡¯ Raon sighed and focused on the fire. He was cooking the meat while focusing on keeping the juices inside the meat, and he heard the sound of the door bursting behind him. Wham! Aries leaned her back against the wall, holding liquor bottles in both hands. She¡¯d always been wearing someid-back attire simr to a swimsuit, but it was even worse, probably because she was drunk. ¡°Are you seriously nning to eat that?¡± She burst out intoughter while looking at the dragon meat. She seemed to find the idea ridiculous. ¡°Yes, I have a reason why I have to eat it no matter what¡­¡¯¡± ¡°People told me that I was special a lot, but I¡¯m not as bad as you.¡± Aries chuckled and came next to him. Her hair fluttered in the air and spread the refreshing and pure fragrance of an ocean flower. ¡°Not at all¡­¡± Raon shook his head. He definitely believed he wouldn¡¯t be as weird as Aries. ¡°Is it cooking now?¡± ¡°Yes. The furnace¡¯s fire wasn¡¯t enough, so I added my own.¡± ¡°Let me help you.¡± Aries walked up to the furnace while giggling and ced her finger on it. A colorless wave spread from her finger, and the heat inside it intensified even further. Sizzle! The meat cooked even faster and spread its delicious smell. Pour the butter! Do it now! Wrath quickly pointed with his hand, telling him to ce the butter he¡¯d prepared in advance into the frying pan. Raon nodded and ced the entire b of butter in the frying pan. The butter melted in no time and became yellow water. It looked like it was going to get stuck in the frying pan shortly. Dip the meat into the butter! ¡®Why am I even doing this¡­?¡¯ Raon tried to not think about it and dipped the dragon meat into the melted butter, and Aries came next to him after putting down her bottle. ¡°I have a gift for you.¡± ¡°A gift?¡± Raon stopped his hands and tilted his head. ¡°You know, the thing I promised you before we left for battle.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Raon remembered that he¡¯d asked Aries to give him a sea serpent¡¯s heart in the beginning. ¡®I can finally make my mother¡¯s artificial energy center now.¡¯ He¡¯d acquired a drake¡¯s heart a long time ago, but he was frustrated because he couldn¡¯t get a sea serpent¡¯s heart. Getting it meant he could finallyplete the artificial energy center. Thinking about Sylvia¡¯s happy expression brought a smile to his face. ¡°You must like Sylvia a lot.¡± Aries chuckled and rolled her lips into a smile. ¡°You look your age at a time like this.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rano simply shut his mouth because he couldn¡¯t deny or admit it. Whir! Aries¡¯s smile deepened as she opened her subspace pocket. Raon watched her hand in anticipation, and a bone that sparkled in rainbow colors suddenly came out. It wasn¡¯t the sea serpent¡¯s heart, but Kaibar¡¯s dragon heart. ¡°Here you go!¡± She handed over the dragon heart, telling him to take it. ¡°Why are you giving this to me¡­?¡± ¡°You said you were making your mother¡¯s energy center. Since she¡¯s my sister, I need to give you the best material. A sea serpent can¡¯t dare to match up to this!¡± Raon licked his lips without taking the dragon heart. He would¡¯ve refused if it was for himself because it was too challenging as a gift, but he couldn¡¯t easily voice out the denial because it was material for Sylvia¡¯s energy center. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not giving it to you for free.¡± Raon was awkwardly extending his hand when Aries pulled the dragon heart back. Her brow was furrowed slightly. ¡°I have a condition.¡± ¡°What would that condition be¡­?¡± There was no way it would be an ordinary condition since she was giving him a dragon heart instead of a sea serpent¡¯s heart. Raon was certain that it would be a dangerous one or a difficult one. ¡®She might ask me to join her pirate crew, or help her for a few years¡­¡¯ He nervously waited for Aries¡¯s response, and her red lips slowly parted. ¡°My condition is simple.¡± Aries smoothed her furrowed brow and rolled her lips into a bright smile. ¡°Call me auntie! You promised to call me auntie if we returned alive!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Call her auntie and flip the meat already! It¡¯s burning! Chapter 527 Chapter 527 Hey! Can¡¯t you hear the King of Essence? Raon nkly blinked while looking at Aries instead of Wrath. ¡°I-is that all?¡± ¡°What else would I ask?¡± Aries tilted her head as if she was even more surprised by his reaction. ¡°What, did you think I¡¯d ask you to give me your life or something?¡± She shook her hand up and down, telling him to stop having those strange thoughts. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s still a dragon heart.¡± Since dragon hearts could only be acquired by ying a dragon, it was an extremely precious treasure that no amount of money could purchase.It caused a vast amount of bloodshed whenever one appeared in the world, yet she was handing it over without asking for anything in return. That was why Raon was so confused. ¡°We have to ask the other¡¯s opinions, too.¡± He had indeed yed an important role in ying Kaibar, but he would¡¯ve never managed to achieve it on his own. The sailors on the warships had gotten rid of the marine monsters, and Aries had fended off Kaibar¡¯s breath and even counterattacked. Those were the reasons they could win the battle. He honestly felt like the biggest treasure among the loot was too excessive as a reward. ¡°We¡¯ve already finished talking.¡± Aries smiled while pointing behind her with her thumb. ¡°Not a single person was against giving you the dragon heart. Of course, I would¡¯ve killed them if they were against it¡­¡± She was saying something frightening with a refreshing expression on her face. ¡°Moreover, we are getting Kaibar¡¯s corpse. Everyone can live idly for the rest of their lives just from selling it at a decent price.¡± Aries told him to not worry about them, since even the families of the deceased would be funded by it. Hello? The King of Essence is right here. Wrath jumped in front of Raon¡¯s eyes and red at him. Flip the meat alread¡ª ¡°How curious.¡± Aries raised her hand and started to pat Raon¡¯s head. ¡°Howe someone like you was born in our house?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°All of them, including my son, are so coldhearted and selfish, yet you arepletely different.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips. He couldn¡¯t argue against her words when he thought about the direct lines from Zieghart. ¡°Ah, I guess Sylvia was simr to you.¡± ¡°My mother?¡± ¡°Yes. I couldn¡¯t take care of her properly either because I was more sensitive back then. All I did was give her some snacks whenever I encountered her, and the way she ate them like a squirrel was so cute.¡± Aries¡¯s smile looked slightly gloomy as she thought about the past. ¡°The look in your eyes is simr to Sylvia¡¯s back then.¡± She lowered the hand that was patting his head and held out the dragon heart once again. ¡°So, what are you going to do? Decide quickly.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while watching the dragon heart casting rainbow sparkles on the walls. ¡®There¡¯s no reason not to take it.¡¯ He could obtain the dragon heart just by calling her auntie. On top of making an energy center for Sylvia, she might even be a Master immediately. That was why the decision was obvious. ¡®However¡­ It¡¯s so difficult to say.¡¯ His mother was the only one he¡¯d addressed as a family. Since he¡¯d never called anyone grandfather, uncle, brother, or sister, he couldn¡¯t easily say it. Just fucking call her auntie already and flip the meat! You stupid snail! ¡°Hmm?¡± Wrath yelled at him, and Aries furrowed in surprise. ¡°Do you hate the idea of me being your aunt so much?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Raon firmly shook his head. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve never called anyone something like that except for my mother, and I¡¯m a bit nervous¡­¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± Aries nodded, showing that she could understand. ¡°That¡¯s true. There¡¯s no way you would¡¯ve said such a thing in that household.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why it¡¯s difficult for me to say.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to visit the house soon enough¡­¡± She licked her red lips with a frightening look in her eyes. Raon couldn¡¯t understand what she was thinking. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon let out a small sigh as he watched Aries fall deep in thought. He calmed himself before he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Au-Auntie.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± As soon as Aries heard him call her auntie, she clutched her chest and leaned backward. ¡°Th-this is a bit dangerous.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize because I¡¯ve never been called Auntie before, but this is quite powerful.¡± She spread her fingers while murmuring some strange things. ¡°Can you say it one more time?¡± ¡°¡­Auntie.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Aries eximed loudly and pulled Raon into her arms. ¡°Yes! My nephew!¡± ¡°W-wait a moment¡­¡± ¡°Count on your auntie!¡± She grinned happily for a while as she hugged Raon drunkenly. ¡°So this is how it feels to have a perfect nephew! Look at your face, ability, and even your personality!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon struggled and looked at Aries¡¯s face. Her closed eyes and gentle expression reminded him of Sylvia as she sang him a luby when he was a baby. He was feeling strange because it was the first time since Sylvia that he was able to address someone with a family title. Her pure ocean flower fragrance was different from Sylvia¡¯s, and it soothed his worried mind. It¡¯s burning! It¡¯s actually burning right now! Push that female thief away! Wrath barked while looking at the meat. Like he said, Aries¡¯s fragrance was being overwritten by the smell of burning meat. ¡°Hey, Auntie, the meat is¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Aries finally returned to her senses and backed off with wide eyes. ¡°My bad. I almost fell asleep because I caught a nostalgic scent from you.¡± She put her hands together in apology and nodded. Gah! Wrath started to foam at the mouth. Grill it again before the King of Essence pulls that female thief¡¯s head off! His body started to rotate as violently as a tornado. ¡°Shall I cook it for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his head. He figured it would be better for him to do it alone because Wrath was obviously going to rampage again. ¡°The first attempt screwed up anyway. I just need to cook it again.¡± Raon smiled while showing Aries a new piece of meat. ¡°I¡¯d nned to try out various methods to cook it to begin with. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Hmm, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s really fine.¡± As Aries kept trying to apologize, Raon gave her the burnt frying pan and meat before sending her off. She kept saying that she wanted to help until the very end, but Raon rapidly closed the door. The King of Essence will never forget the humiliation he had to endure tod¡ª ¡®Hold on, I¡¯ll cook you another one.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept growling and looked at the dragon heart that Aries had left behind. The outrageous brilliance and the intense fragrance of mana flowing deeply and widely made him feel like the mana inside his energy center had started the rampage just from looking at it. ¡®She really gave this to me¡­¡¯ He was confused because the situation waspletely unexpected, but he was also unbearably happy at the same time. ¡®She should be able to make an even better energy center.¡¯ Encia had mentioned that the dragon heart was the best ingredient for an artificial energy center. She¡¯d said that she wouldbine a sea serpent¡¯s heart and a drake¡¯s heart because a dragon heart was too difficult to acquire, but since he managed to obtain the better ingredient, the energy center created as a result should have the highest quality. Raon put the dragon heart in his subspace pocket with a trembling hand. Start grilling the meat already if you are done admiring it! The King of Essence¡¯s stomach is going to burst! ¡®That expression means that you are full¡­¡¯ Shut up and grill it! ¡®Okay¡­¡¯ Raon took out a new frying pan and ced the meat on it. He grilled the meat while managing the heat¡¯s intensity so he wouldn¡¯t burn it anymore. It was being cooked faster than the first time, probably thanks to the small enlightenment he¡¯d gained about the fire attribute. It¡¯s never going to cook at this rate! The King of Essence wants it right now! Wrath barked and shoved his energy of wrath into the furnace. His energy emerged from his finger and automatically seeped into the meat, increasing the fire¡¯s intensity. ¡®If you do this, that causality or whatnot is going to¡ª¡¯ The King of Essence will bear the burden! Just focus on cooking the meat! He shouted at Raon to stop paying attention to it and watched the meat while drooling from his mouth. ¡®Okay.¡¯ Raon added the butter when the meat got closer to being done, pouring it onto the meat earnestly. The meat was slowly cooking from the heat at the bottom of the pan and the liquid butter, beginning to emanate an even richer meaty aroma. ¡®It has a nice smell, but why am I doing this¡­?¡¯ Since Raon was never really greedy for food, he started to question whether he really had to do all of that to eat the dragon meat. Ooh! Good job! Move your hand a bit faster! Wrathplimented him for the first time and even patted him on the back. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Raon continued to cook while putting up with his chatter, and the dragon meat¡¯s color changed to match that of well-done beef. Good job! Wrath pped his hands and nodded firmly. ce the meat on a cutting board now and cover it with a dish to keep the heat inside. ¡®Aren¡¯t we eating it right away?¡¯ You barbarian! He bared his fangs like a beast. Don¡¯t you know about resting?! ¡®Resting?¡¯ The juices flow out from the meat after you grill it, so you need to give it some time before eating it! Wrath shook his head at his pathetk of knowledge. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he ced the meat on a cutting board. He wanted to just say ¡®screw it all¡¯, but he suppressed his urge because he¡¯d promised to do it. About ten minutes passed before Wrath tapped on his back once again. It¡¯s done now! Wrath¡¯s finger was pointed like a storm, asking Raon to try out the meat already. Raon picked up a knife and fork to start cutting the meat. It was unexpectedly tender, probably because Wrath¡¯s wrath had melted down the mana. Huff huff! Hurry up! Wrath started to drool from his mouth like a hungry puppy. ¡®Let me take a breath.¡¯ Raon sighed and picked up a piece of meat with his fork, putting it in his mouth. Whap! As soon as he chewed the dragon meat, the concentrated juiciness spread around like a wave from the ocean. It felt like his entire mouth was being filled with the juice flowing from the meat. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The powerful aroma was putting Raon in a daze, and the springy texture was even making it fun to eat. Wrath was right. The dragon meat was indeed an extremely special delicacy. Aah! Wrath covered his mouth with teary eyes. This is it! The King of Essence has stayed alive to taste this meat! He endlessly moved his mouth, saying that he¡¯d been living for that taste. Keep eating! Hurry up! ¡®Alright¡­ Hmm?¡¯ As Wrath was shouting at him to eat it faster, messages suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve consumed food including Wrath¡¯s energy.] [All stats have increased.] Hah? Wrath was so happy about eating the meat only to suddenly drop to the ground as soon as he saw the message. His belly fat folded in a thickyer. What the hell?! Why are you getting stats when all you did was eat some meat?! Wrath widened his eyes in disbelief. You are cheating! ¡®I¡¯m not cheating.¡¯ Raon shook his head while checking out the message. ¡®You shoved your wrath into the meat and fire when I was cooking earlier. Your energy must¡¯ve seeped into the meat, and it seems to have increased my stats.¡¯ There was no way he would gain stats just from eating the dragon meat since it wasn¡¯t like he had Gluttony¡¯s ability. It was definitely because Wrath had injected his energy into it in his impatience to eat. Damn it! The King of Essence never wanted a situation like this! Wrath violently ground his teeth while ring at the message. ¡°I¡¯m eating meat and even getting stats for it. I like it.¡± Raon grinned and took a piece of meat that was cut in advance with his fork. Wait! Stop it! Just as Raon was about to eat it, Wrath hurriedly shook his hand. You are going to gain stats if you eat it! ¡®I guess so.¡¯ Then you should never eat it! ¡®But it won¡¯t be delicious anymore once it gets cold. You said that the juiciness was going to disappear.¡¯ Ugh¡­ Wrath¡¯s chin shivered as he watched the juice flowing from the meat. Then you should e-eat it¡­ ¡®But I¡¯ll gain stats if I eat this.¡¯ Argh! What is he even supposed to do?! He pulled his hair out, unable to ask him to eat or not to eat the meat. Raon casually shook his fork in front of him, and a new set of messages appeared. [You¡¯ve sessfully hunted a blue dragon.] [All stats have increased by 20.] [The title Dragon yer has been created.] [The trait Magic Armor of Snow Flower has increased in rank.] Apparently, the system decided to work at once, as the rewards from ying Kaibar were finally delivered. Ah¡­ Wrath¡¯s face turned as white as paper. He¡¯s just going to die¡­ * * * It was a dark night, the moon hiding behind the clouds. The third prince of the Owen Kingdom stopped his steps in front of the rehabilitation training ground attached to the royal healing ward. ¡°Are they still here?¡± He gasped while looking up at the bright lights that were still illuminating the interior. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say still. They are only getting started.¡± The royal knight walked up to the third prince and lowered his head. ¡°They said that none of them would leave the training ground until daybreak.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes. ording to the royal doctor, they are training with their lives on the line rather than focusing on rehabilitation.¡± ¡°Is that really fine? They shouldn¡¯t be recovered yet.¡± The third prince raised his voice, worried about the Light Wind division¡¯s conditions. ¡°The injuries in their bodies are fully healed now, and they are apparently not an issue. Would you like to enter?¡± The royal knight grabbed the doorknob to the rehabilitation training ground and looked at the third prince. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The third prince looked at the door in contemtion and ended up shaking his head. ¡°No, I shouldn¡¯t disturb them. I think Martha¡ªno, all of them need some time.¡± He licked his lips in slight regret and left the training ground. The Light Wind division inside the rehabilitation training ground didn¡¯t even notice that the third prince had approached the entrance. They just kept swinging their swords. They endlessly practiced their swordsmanship with eyes full of madness. They almost seemed to be venting their frustration for being unable to do anything during the previous battle. Not much time had passed since they¡¯d started to train after their recovery, but the way they swung their swords had drastically improved. Whaam! By the time the moon hiding behind the clouds started to tilt away from the center of the sky, Burren loudly stomped the ground. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Upon hearing the tremendous noise echoing throughout thend, the Light Wind swordsmen straightened their backs and raised their gazes. Their flushed faces suggested that all of them had been training to the best of their abilities. ¡°We are done for today.¡± Burren shouted, and the Light Wind swordsmen lowered their swords for the first time. ¡°It will have a negative impact on tomorrow¡¯s training if we continue any further. You should return and rest.¡± He shook his hand, telling them to quickly go back and rest. ¡°Thank you for your efforts!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen didn¡¯t try to argue against him or try to im they wanted to keep training. Since they were well aware that Burren was right, they simply bowed and left the training ground. Everyone had matured mentally. ¡°That was a good time to stop. By the way¡­¡± Martha walked up to Burren, who was cleaning up the training ground, and casually gestured with her chin. ¡°Where are you going after sending everyone else back?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Krein said that you always return to the lodgingste.¡± She furrowed her brow, asking what he was plotting. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to the library.¡± ¡°The library? Why would you go there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m learning about strategy and tactics.¡± Burren sighed quietly while looking up to the sky. ¡°Strategy and tactics?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned that I¡¯m not good enough while leading the Light Wind division in Raon¡¯s steadst time.¡± Burren bit his lip slightly, saying that getting stronger wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°I heard you also returnte to your room. What are you even doing in the healing ward?¡± He narrowed his eyes. He was also aware of Martha¡¯s actions. ¡°I don¡¯t think you would be learning medicine¡­ Hmm?¡± Burren¡¯s jaw dropped upon seeing that Martha was blushing. ¡°A-are you really learning medicine?¡± ¡°I just thought it would be better to be more capable!¡± Martha red at Burren and shouted like she was screaming. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Does it seriously make you say ¡®huh¡¯? Just because I¡¯m learning medicine? Is Miss Rakshasa not allowed to learn medicine?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Burren rapidly shook his head. He wasn¡¯t trying to make fun of her, he was simply surprised. He had never imagined that Martha would be learning medicine for the Light Wind division¡¯s sake. ¡°Hey!¡± Martha called out to Runaan, who was quietly hardening the ground. She seemed to be trying to change the topic. ¡°You¡¯ve also been returningte. What have you been doing?¡± Since Burren was learning strategy and tactics while she herself was learning medicine, there was no way Runaan would¡¯ve been doing nothing. She must¡¯ve been working on something else. ¡°Cooking.¡± Runaan responded indifferently. She sounded like she couldn¡¯t understand why she was asking that question. ¡°C-cooking?¡± ¡°What are you cooking?¡± ¡°Ice cream and cookies.¡± She nodded while telling her that she¡¯d been learning how to cook from the servants working at the royal kitchen, who started work early in the morning. ¡°Why would you learn that?¡± ¡°I wanted to cook for Raon and everyone.¡± Runaan blinked, saying that she¡¯d been wanting to eat ice cream with everyone while she was bedridden. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Marthaughed bitterly at Runaan. ¡°You are such a mystery.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± She smiled gently while agreeing with Burren. ¡°We should also get going.¡± He left the training ground with Martha and Runaan while keeping a faint smile on his face. ¡°Well, then¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan said goodbye to each other and went to their respective destinations. Rimmer and Sheryl appeared on the now dark and silent training ground. ¡°How are you so lucky?¡± Sheryl furrowed her brow while looking at Rimmer. ¡°Why does a person like you have such nice students?!¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Rimmer smiled awkwardly and nodded. ¡°They should¡¯ve joined a better ce than my division.¡± He sighed quietly while looking at the spot where the three team leaders used to stand. ¡°Tsk.¡± Sheryl clicked her tongue and smacked the back of Rimmer¡¯s head. ¡°Stop saying pointless things!¡± ¡°But you are the one who asked¡­¡± Rimmer rubbed the back of his head with a dumbfounded expression on his face, thennded on the training ground. ¡°Are we doing it again today?¡± Sheryl narrowed her eyes while standing in front of Rimmer. ¡°Of course.¡± Rimmer nodded and silently unsheathed his sword. A violent storm was raging around his eyes even though he¡¯d always been rxed. ¡°Because I can¡¯t pass my revenge on to them.¡± ¡°In that case, brace yourself for death and fight me.¡± Sheryl created an aura barrier to prevent the sound from leaving and drew her twin swords. The two swords of different colors sparkled frighteningly. ¡°Because I¡¯m going to take it as my own training rather than helping you. I¡¯m also irritated at my own ipetence.¡± * * * Uwaaah! In the end, Wrath decided to eat the dragon meat. His envy was yelling at him to stop giving away any more stats, but his gluttony prevailed against it. Raon left the Azure Wind with Wrath hanging on his shoulder,pletely drained of energy. The city was still bright even though it was way past midnight. The entire city was noisy, suggesting that even the people from other viges hade to visit. ¡®This is how a festival should be.¡¯ Since the festival¡¯s purpose was tofort the deceased in addition to having fun, being noisy and disorderly untilte at night was better. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± Raon was spectating the festival while being greeted by people when Rabawin walked up to him with a beer ss in his hand. ¡°I was heading to the Azure Wind anyway. This is perfect.¡± ¡°Is there an issue?¡± ¡°There¡¯s got a visitor for you, Sir Raon.¡± Rabawin informed him of the location of a pub on the outskirts of the city and told him to check it out. Raon nodded and went to the pub. Once he opened the door and entered, he could see Kuberad¡¯s back and two people with their faces hidden under robe hoods sitting on the opposite side of him. ¡®I knew it, it¡¯s Denning Rose. And the one next to her is¡­ Hmm?¡¯ The person on the left side was Denning Rose, a purple-haired woman wearing an eyepatch. Raon had already realized she was there since he¡¯d noticed her presence, but the one next to her waspletely unexpected. The old woman wearing the elegant atmosphere of moonlight entering through the window like a scarf was the ck Market¡¯s master, Roseline. ¡°The esteemed master of the ck Market?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Roseline greeted him elegantly. ¡°What brings you here¡­?¡± ¡°Since you saved my disciple¡¯s life, it¡¯s only natural for me to personallye to express my gratitude. And¡­¡± Her smile around her lips twisted as she continued. ¡°I have a piece of information that I have to tell you.¡± Chapter 528 Chapter 528 Raon lowered his eyebrows while looking at Roseline, the ck Market¡¯s master. ¡°What would be that important information¡­?¡± ¡°Take a seat for now.¡± Roseline pointed at the chair next to Kuberad, saying that he didn¡¯t need to be so impatient. ¡°I understand.¡± Raon sat on the chair that she¡¯d pointed at. Denning Rose was greeting him with her eyes from the opposite side. Her silky purple hair fluttered faintly. ¡°How¡¯s your condition?¡± He started by asking about her well-being, as they were separated during the Demonic Monarch of the Azure me¡¯s assault.¡°I¡¯m fine thanks to you, Sir Raon.¡± Denning Rose calmly parted her lips. ¡°Thank you for saving me once again.¡± She went on one knee and expressed her gratitude. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this. We helped each other.¡± Raon stood up and shook his hand. He was grateful to Denning Rose and the ck Market because they¡¯ve always provided him with information without asking for anything in return. Since they were pretty much partners, he felt ufortable about such an excessive expression of gratitude. ¡°Would you allow this old woman to offer you some advice?¡± Roseline smiled faintly and patted Denning Rose¡¯s head. ¡°If you make someone indebted to you, it¡¯s best to quickly and definitively make them repay the favor. Many people tend to forget their gratitude as the time passes.¡± ¡°Thank you for your advice. But it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think Lady Denning Rose is that type of person, and she¡¯s already shown me plenty of consideration.¡± Raon shook his head without even hesitating for an instant and told her that he didn¡¯t need any repayment. ¡°I see.¡± Roseline¡¯s smile deepened. She seemed to have grown even more fond of him despite his disregard for her advice. ¡°I can finally understand why she always cares about you and shows so much consideration for you, Sir Raon. It¡¯s appealing, even to me.¡± ¡°M-master!¡± Denning Rose¡¯s white skin flushed. She rapidly shook her head, pleading with her to stop. ¡°Your indecent conduct never changes despite your age.¡± Kuberad put his beer ss down and clicked his tongue. ¡°That¡¯s my biggest appeal.¡± Roseline smiled faintly and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Kuberad and Roseline. ¡°Do you know each other?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been acquainted for a long time.¡± Roseline nodded while looking at the wrinklesid out like a picture on the back of Kuberad¡¯s hand. ¡°She¡¯s the one who provided me with a space to set up a workshop in a corner of Cameloon.¡± Kuberad picked up the roast beef at the center of the table and swallowed it at once before he raised his gaze. ¡°Did she really give you that secluded spot?¡± Yes. I requested a quiet spot to avoid attention from hoodlums, and she provided me with a secluded corner where no one could find me.¡± He twisted his lips, showing his displeasure towards the ck Market¡¯s master. ¡°Oh my, all I did was to grant your request.¡± Roseline shook her hand, saying that she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. ¡°Haa, I¡¯m going to leave. Seeing her makes me angry.¡± Kuberad put down his ss and left the pub without hesitating. ¡°He is more considerate than he looks.¡± Roseline smiled while looking at the pub door, which was still shaking. She was also aware that Kuberad had left to allow them to talk more easily. ¡°Let¡¯s start the real talk.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded heavily while looking at Roseline¡¯s serious eyes. ¡°Actually, we¡¯ve been concealing information about you, Sir Raon.¡± Denning Rose was the first one to speak instead of Roseline. She ced her hands on her knees and continued. ¡°We¡¯ve been hiding the fact that you were alive here because the Holy Sword Alliance or the ck Tower could potentiallye to attack you. I apologize for acting on our own ord.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m thankful for your consideration.¡± Raon shook his head. He was thankful instead of ming her since Denning Rose had stopped the information from spreading for his sake. ¡°However¡­¡± Denning Rose narrowed her only eye. ¡°Recently¡­ Or, rather, after the news about the Light Wind division¡¯s disappearance spread, a certain organization tried to look for you.¡± Her voice was quiet, yet frightening. Raon almost felt like that organization was watching them as they spoke. ¡°A certain organization?¡± ¡°Yes. They requested information about Sir Raon¡¯s state and whereabouts under various identities.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. ¡®Which one?¡¯ He could think of five different organizations. The White Blood Religion, Holy Sword Alliance, ck Tower, White Whale, and Derus Robert. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if any of them was looking for his information. ¡°That organization didn¡¯t stop after asking us for the information. They went to the Thespian Emperor at the White Whale, and they also moved on their own. They seemed to be desperate to know whether you were dead or alive.¡± He could eliminate the Thespian Emperor from the list since they also requested the White Whale for information. The White Blood Religion, Holy Sword Alliance, ck Tower, and Derus were left. ¡°Do you know who they are, by any chance?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we were unable to track them down.¡± Denning Rose briefly sighed. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to figure out their background because they are a cellr organization, and they immediately killed themselves once we managed to track them down. I almost thought they were the fanatics from the White Blood Religion.¡± She furrowed her brow, saying that their blood wasn¡¯t white. ¡®I can see it now.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist while looking down at the old table. ¡®It¡¯s Derus Robert.¡¯ The fact that they were a cellr organization and that they killed themselves as soon as they were found out were both characteristics of the Shadows, the group of assassins raised by Derus. ¡®Since he¡¯s persistent about finding out whether I¡¯m dead or alive, he might suspect that I¡¯m the same Raon from my previous life.¡¯ Other people would probably think it was nonsense, but Derus was extremely suspicious by nature. That was why it was entirely possible for him to hold such a suspicion. ¡®This is dangerous. However¡­ That is a mistake on his part.¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t reveal Derus¡¯s true nature with the information he had, but he could make the ck Market cautious about Derus in the future. That was going to be extremely helpful for when he would fight him in the future. ¡°Hmm, I also have a piece of information to provide.¡± Raon raised his gaze and met Denning Rose¡¯s eyes. ¡°Actually, the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple wasn¡¯t my only opponent at Banneret.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I was attacked by masked men when I was looking for the Light Wind division after defeating the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple.¡± ¡°Ah, we already know about that.¡± Denning Rose nodded, showing that she had already found out about that battle. ¡°Are you also aware that they were corpses?¡± ¡°C-corpses?¡± Her jaw dropped, revealing her surprise at the fact that the masked men were actually corpses. ¡°Corpses¡­¡± Roseline¡¯s eyes wavered for the first time. ¡°Can you tell us more details?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon provided the information about Deathbringer Revenants to the ck Market¡¯s master and Denning Rose. ¡°Hah! They¡¯re not even made by a corpse master. What in the world is that¡­?¡± Roseline swallowed nervously, surprised at the fact that something like a Deathbringer Revenant existed in the world. ¡°This is just my opinion, but I think the ones who requested my information from the ck Market might be on the same side as those who manipted the corpses.¡± Raon made a connection between the two groups and helped the ck Market get one step closer to Derus Robert. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Roseline awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°We came here to provide some information, but we are gaining some instead.¡± She gasped, saying that she didn¡¯t expect such a connection. She¡¯d beenposed all along, but her expression hardened for once. ¡°In that case, could you grant me a request?¡± Raon met Roseline and Denning Rose¡¯s eyes one after the other. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s something we can do.¡± Denning Rose and Roseline nodded right away, as if they¡¯d been waiting for it. ¡°I¡¯m reluctant to say this since I¡¯m making the request, but no one should find out about this information. Is that possible?¡± ¡°I swear on the name of ck Market¡¯s master that I¡¯ll keep it secret.¡± Roseline swore that she would keep the promise, even if she died along with Denning Rose. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve obtained a piece of information from the man who manipted the corpses.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°It was about the location where the zombie assassins were manufactured.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good deed. So why¡­?¡± Denning Rose shook her head, unable to understand it. ¡°You must be trying to avoid letting them know that it¡¯s possible to get the information out of them.¡± Unlike Denning Rose, Roseline understood the situation at once and exined it. ¡°Moreover, you should be able to avoid the enemy¡¯s suspicion and further danger that way.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Raon nodded slowly. ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯ If he destroyed the Deathbringer Revenant factory at Capply Vige, Derus was bound to find out that he was capable of getting information out of the Shadows. He was definitely going to stop the information leak afterward, even if he had to modify the human brain, so that would be a huge loss. However, if the ck Market found the factory instead, his attention was going to be directed at the ck Market instead of Raon. That would allow him to conceal the information about himself in the future, which was why it was such an important task. ¡°I understand.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master closed her eyes before opening them again, smiling faintly. ¡°Which means the information will say that Sir Raon will be staying here, even if he were to go to Capply Vige.¡± Denning Rose calmly nodded. She must¡¯ve reached the same line of thought. She was still far from the ck Market¡¯s master in terms of skill, but she was gifted enough. ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon smiled while meeting their eyes. That was the best course of action to get rid of the Deathbringer Revenant factory while avoiding Derus¡¯s suspicion. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it like that.¡± The ck Market¡¯s master smiled confidently, saying that she was going to create a situation where they would reach Capply Vige with their own investigation. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Not at all. Since you entrusted us with this great piece of information, we will thoroughly prepare to answer that trust.¡± She raised her clenched fist, telling him to believe in her. ¡°Ah, I have something else to tell you.¡± Raon thought the talk was over, but Denning Rose leaned forward. ¡°A rumor started to spread that you summoned the blue demon king, Sir Raon.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± He could hear his heart pounding because of how fast it started beating upon hearing the unexpected news. ¡®Do they know the rtionship between Wrath and me? No, that¡¯s impossible.¡¯ Not even Glenn, the Holy Sword Alliance master, or Derus knew about Wrath¡¯s existence. Someone must¡¯ve been spreading a baseless rumor. ¡°They spread the information with malicious intent. We tried to trace it, but they haven¡¯t been found either. However¡­¡± Denning Rose smiled faintly and shook her finger. ¡°People are going to find out that it¡¯s a groundless rumor soon, even if we don¡¯t do anything about it.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°The mad dragon Kaibar¡¯s rampage was a serious matter, to the point where the entire continent was aware of it. Since you¡¯ve in such a notorious mad dragon and gained the title of a Dragon yer, the rumor about the blue demon king is bound to subside.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true. Hmm? Dragon yer?¡± ¡°So you haven¡¯t heard about it yet. The Sword Dragon has gained a new name after ying the mad dragon.¡± Denning Rose smiled faintly while looking at Raon. Her eyes were giving him a ferocious impression, but they softened beautifully. ¡°Raon Zieghart the Dragon yer. It¡¯s your new nickname.¡± * * * Raon went to the restaurant where he¡¯d talked with Aries after he sent off the ck Market¡¯s master and Denning Rose. It was where Wrath¡¯s fish soup was snatched by a seagull. ¡°That¡¯s how I was called auntie by Raon! I honestly didn¡¯t expect much, but it pulled on my heartstrings! It was the first time I¡¯ve felt this way since I was called Mama!¡± He could hear Aries¡¯s voice echoing throughout the interior. Raon blushed and opened the door. ¡°Wow, you seeded.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so jealous. You are called auntie by the White Sword Dragon. No, I should call him the Dragon yer now.¡± ¡°He was shy when he called you auntie? Sir Raon is still so young. He looked even more mature than us when he was fighting against the mad dragon though.¡± ¡°Hell yeah, that¡¯s the cool part about him.¡± The crew were chatting with each other with smiles on their faces while listening to Aries boasting about Raon. ¡°Auntie! Doesn¡¯t this sound beautiful? Has anyone called you that before? Auntie?¡± ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m a man¡­¡± Aries went around the tables, bragging that she was the first one to be called auntie by him. The way she was so nonchnt with the sailors made it difficult to believe that she was a Zieghart, but it was such a nice scene to watch. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed quietly and shook his head. He couldn¡¯t enter or leave because Aries was talking too loudly, and her gaze was suddenly directed at him. ¡°Huh? My nephew!¡± Aries spread her arms wide and walked up to him in an attempt to hug him. Her face had flushed to match her hair, implying that she had drunk too much. ¡°Ugh.¡± Raon turned his shoulders around to dodge her attempt to hug him and stepped backward. ¡°Huh? Did you just dodge?¡± Aries frowned and weakly stomped the ground, and her arm was already in front of him. ¡°I got you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s chin trembled as he got hugged by Aries before he could try anything. ¡°W-was that an application of the space sword?¡± ¡°My nephew is so perceptive.¡± Aries raised her swaying head and nodded. ¡°The principles of swordsmanship and footwork are simr. The only difference is that one is used with arms while the other is with legs. You need to apply your martial arts to your everyday life to get stronger.¡± She grinned. It was difficult to tell whether she was trying to teach or if she was just being a drunkard. ¡°I have something to discuss.¡± Raon dered with serious eyes as he forcibly took Aries off him since she was hugging his shoulders tightly. ¡°Are you going to leave?¡± As soon as they entered a quiet alley, she made a smile that implied that she already knew what he wanted to talk about. ¡°Did you already know about it?¡± ¡°I heard about the ck Market master¡¯s visit. You must¡¯ve gotten some kind of information from her.¡± She nodded with eyes brimming with intelligence, like she wasn¡¯t drunk at all. She wasn¡¯t asking any questions even though she knew he was up to something. Raon felt like he was seeing a different side of her all the time. ¡®I want to tell her, but I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡¯ He still didn¡¯t know what Derus Robert was hiding. He couldn¡¯t reveal the story to Aries because even a transcender like her could end up dying from being involved. ¡°Since we¡¯ve in the mad dragon, it¡¯s about time you returned. You need to make Sylvia¡¯s energy center too, after all.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± Raon nodded awkwardly. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already helped me plenty enough.¡± Aries had stopped the hole in his upper energy center from spreading, helped him fill up the hole by gaining the achievement of ying a dragon, and even gave him the dragon heart, which was the biggest treasure looted from the hunt. No, rather than anything else, she¡¯d taught him that Sylvia wasn¡¯t the only family he had. He felt immense gratitude, so much so that a lifetime wouldn''t be enough to repay it. ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done so far.¡± Raon¡¯s steps came to a halt. He bowed to her while thanking her from the bottom of his heart. ¡°You are such a serious guy.¡± Aries smiled faintly and patted Raon¡¯s head. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to say that between family members.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon raised his slightly flushed face. ¡°Return carefully, and see you next time.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯lle back to visit after I make my mother¡¯s energy center.¡± ¡°No.¡± Aries¡¯s eyes were filled with mischief, and she smiled once again. ¡°We will see each other at a different location next time.¡± * * * Raon used the ck Market¡¯s dimensional door that Roseline had told him about to move near Capply Vige. He was walking towards the vige, his hair and eyes changed ck, and his body covered with a worn robe like a traveler. Ugh¡­ Wrath let out a small groan while looking around the area that had nothing but mountains and forest. This is the countryside! There¡¯s nothing to eat around here! He frowned, asking him when he was going to eat the bead ice cream. ¡®I¡¯ll hold a party with ice cream after we get back home. Please be patient.¡¯ He patted Wrath¡¯s bby stomach as if he were trying to appease a child and continued to walk down the mountain road. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked around and furrowed his brow. He was feeling more and more nauseous as he kept walking through the old path that seemed to have been carved dozens of years ago. He felt like he had already walked through that path before because of how natural it felt. ¡®I¡¯m sure I have never been here before, though.¡¯ He obviously had never been there in his new life, and the same went for his previous life. However, the scenery around him felt familiar for some reason. ¡®My head hurts for some reason, too.¡¯ Raon kept walking while covering his head, which had started to ache. Since Capply Vige was rtively far from the dimensional door, he only managed to arrive by sunset. ¡®So this is the entrance¡­ Ah?¡¯ He stood at the entrance marked with stone stacks and watched the vige and the mountain ridge above it, which looked like it was trying to protect it, and a faint scenery was ovepping in his head like a dream. Unknown children¡¯sughter, gentle smiles of adults, and warm smoke rising from the chimneys emerged like a wildfire. ¡°Huff!¡± Raon gasped roughly and pressed down hard on his temple. ¡®I understand now.¡¯ He felt like he understood why Capply Vige felt so familiar even though he¡¯d never been to or heard about it before. ¡®This vige is¡­¡¯ Chapter 529 Chapter 529 Raon clutched his pounding chest and raised his gaze. Unlike the neat little vige he¡¯d imagined a moment ago, Capply Vige hadrge and ssy buildings. It could even be called a small city if it developed a bit further. It waspletely different from the vige in his hazy memory. However, the mountain ridge that seemed to be looking down upon the vige and the evening glow shining in between them was exactly the same as in his memory. It almost felt like two pictures drawn by different people were ovepping one another to form one picture. ¡®There¡¯s no mistake¡­¡¯ Raon pressed his pale lips together. ¡®This is the vige where I used to live.¡¯ The memories from his previous life emerged from deep under the ocean of his mind like the muddy water sshing up when you yed in a puddle.It was definitely the vige where he¡¯d spent his childhood before he was kidnapped. ¡®That¡¯s why it felt so familiar.¡¯ The reason the name ¡®Cappy Vige¡¯ felt familiar when it was mentioned by Sirith, who controlled the Deathbringer Revenants, the reason he felt so natural when he walked through the forest path on the way there, and the reason he became so certain upon seeing the mountain ridge from the vige¡¯s entrance was because he lived in that vige before. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Another memory stimted his brain alongside an intense headache. It was a young couple. He could see two people who seemed to be his mother and father from his previous life. He couldn¡¯t see their faces. All he could recognize were their hands and mouths. Their touch was extremely unfriendly and their tightly closed lips implied they were angry. After that, he could remember how his mother ran down the path while carrying him on her back. Her rough steps seemed to imply that she didn¡¯t care at all about causing him injury. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon covered his forehead and sighed quietly. ¡®I thought I was kidnapped, but I was sold off instead.¡¯ He¡¯d beenforting himself by thinking that he was kidnapped by the Shadows rather than being abandoned by his parents, yet it was proving to be wrong. He wanted to throw up. He regretteding to that ce because he wouldn¡¯t have seen that nasty memory otherwise. It was painful, making him feel as if ants were gnawing at his heart. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ As he was clutching his head in pain, he could hear a quiet voice from behind him. ¡°Are you feeling ill?¡± Raon hurriedly turned around. A gentle-looking old man was smiling at him while leaning toward him. ¡®I didn¡¯t even notice an ordinary person¡¯s approach¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even feel the faintest trace of mana from him. He was an ordinary person who hadn¡¯t even begun to learn martial arts. He hadn¡¯t even noticed his approach because of his turbulent emotions. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon let out the husky voice of a middle-aged man, befitting his disguise. ¡°Hmm, it doesn¡¯t look like this is your first time here.¡± ¡°Why do you think so¡­?¡± ¡°The forest path.¡± The old man looked behind him and pointed at the path that he¡¯de down. ¡°Those who¡¯ve never been to the vige before usually walk through the broad roads instead of a forest path like that.¡± He smiled faintly and extended his hand. ¡°I¡¯m the chief of Capply Vige, Beruric.¡± ¡°My name is Vallen.¡± Raon shook hands with him while telling him the fake name that he¡¯de up with in advance. ¡°You must¡¯ve been surprised because you haven¡¯t been to the vige in a long time.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Raon simply nodded since he figured he could get some information from Beruric. ¡°It did change a lot. It will deserve to be called a city soon enough.¡± He looked around the vige in satisfaction. ¡°How did Capply Vige be so big?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because of the iron mine.¡± ¡°Iron mine?¡± ¡°Hmm? Do you even not know about that? The mine was discovered a long time ago¡­¡± Beruric tilted his head, saying that they found the mine when he was still young. ¡°I¡¯ve been here multiple times before, but I simply passed by every time. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°In that case, I shall exin it to you!¡± He came up next to Raon with a smile on his face. He must¡¯ve been yearning to advertise the vige that had developed so much. ¡°Please enter for now.¡± Beruric simply pointed his hand and entered the vige. Raon licked his lips while looking at his back. ¡®This isn¡¯t a bad development.¡¯ The ck Market¡¯s information hadn¡¯t arrived yet, probably because he came to Capply Vige too quickly. Since it was a perfect opportunity to get some information in advance, he decided to follow Beruric while matching his pace. ¡°As I said before, the iron mine¡¯s discovery was the reason our vige developed so much. I don¡¯t remember exactly since I was living in a nearby vige back then, but it was dozens of years ago.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while listening to Beruric. ¡®It must¡¯ve happened after I left the vige.¡¯ There was no way the vige in his memory would¡¯ve been so small and neat if the iron mine had been functional before then. The mine must¡¯ve been discovered after he was kidnapped or sold off. ¡°The iron at the mine¡¯s entrance was low quality, but it bes better the deeper we go, and the reserve is huge. That¡¯s why our vige is bing gradually more famous. We even got a new trade route to the center of the continent recently.¡± Beruric couldn¡¯t hold back his smile, happy about the vige¡¯s development. ¡°That¡¯s nice. But how did you be the vige chief here when you were living in a different vige before?¡± Raon asked a question that could provide him with some useful information while pretending to be interested in Beruric himself. ¡°I was originally living in Pricile Vige, located on the other side of Haro Mountain.¡± ¡°Then why did youe here¡­?¡± ¡°Because a huge problem urred in my vige and Capply.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°There was andslide.¡± * * * Beruric sighed while telling the children to be careful as they ran around the vige. ¡°More than half of this vige and mine were destroyed by thendslide dozens of years ago. Many people died, adults and children alike, and there are many cases where we never managed to find the corpses.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°It was literally hell back then. The damage to Pricile Vige was huge, but there were barely any survivors at all in Capply. Everyone decided that they wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain the vige and decided to leave, but the iron mine was identally discovered.¡± He pointed at the entrance to the mine, located on the mountainside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the deceased, but the living have to live on. The survivors from Capply and Pricile gathered here and became miners. Apany called Yuuha built a factory over there, and everyone could live without starving.¡± Beruric closed his eyes while looking at the huge factory located at the center of the vige. ¡°I never knew something like that happened in the past. It must¡¯ve been a hellish scene, since many children must¡¯ve lost their parents.¡± Raon expressed his sadness about the incident and secretly asked about the children. ¡°Unfortunately, most of the children and the young couples who should¡¯ve been raising them were buried under thendslide. Instead of children¡¯s cries, the cries of adults were prevalent back then.¡± Beruric shook his head while saying that he still couldn¡¯t forget that hellish scene from the past. ¡°I see¡­¡± Raon¡¯s hand trembled, hidden inside his sleeves. ¡®So I wasn¡¯t the only person that they took away.¡¯ Even for such a deserted vige, nearby martial families or kingdoms were bound to react if lots of children were kidnapped. Derus must¡¯ve caused thendslide that wouldn¡¯t have happened otherwise to kidnap the children while avoiding the investigation from the others. ¡®What a bunch of fiends¡­¡¯ On top of kidnapping children, they even killed their parents with andslide. Even the demons in hell wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. He felt so nauseous that he felt like he was going to throw up. ¡°Huff¡­¡± His lips parted before he knew it, and he breathed roughly. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold back the urge to attack Derus if he were nearby. ¡°Here we go.¡± As Raon was forcing himself to suppress his emotions, Beruric stopped walking. Therge stone stack built at the entrance of Haro Mountain was as big as a building. ¡°This is the memorial stone made tofort the deceased back then. It¡¯s pretty much their grave. The survivors made this personally.¡± Beruric nostalgically stared at the stone stack. ¡°This isn¡¯t enough tofort the deceased from such an unfortunate disaster, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon walked up to the stone stack while listening to Beruric. Just as he was about to touch the stack with his trembling hand, a new memory surfaced in his mind alongside a powerful shock. Instead of a new one, it was the same memory he¡¯d seen when he¡¯d arrived at the vige. However, he could clearly see his mother and father¡¯s faces, unlike back then. His father had gentle eyes even though his beard gave him a savage impression, and his mother looked beautiful, her ck hair neatly hanging down her back. Their touches were still rough and their lips were tightly closed, but their eyes were different. His parents were looking at him with eyes filled with sadness, pity, and impatience. His father carefully caressed his head before handing him over to his mother and picking up an axe from the wall. His mother nodded and went over the window. She passed the vige entrance with bare feet and entered the forest path. As she started to run, her feet and face became quickly covered in blood from the branches scratching her. Her rough breathing sounded like she was going to die at any moment, but she never stopped her steps. However, she never managed to leave the forest path. She coughed up blood and copsed the moment a ck shadow approached her while hiding the faint moonlight, and his memory came to an end right there. ¡®That¡¯s why that touch¡­¡¯ The unfriendly touch of his parents, their tightly closed lips, and rough steps through the forest were their efforts to save him from Derus¡¯s subordinates. He wasn¡¯t abandoned or sold. His parents had tried to protect him until the bitter end, even though their lives were also threatened. His headache slowly subsided, and he could hear the voice of his parents. William. They used to call him that. The name meant that he was a gentle person who loved peace. It was his name even though he couldn¡¯t live that way. The memories of his pastpletely subsided after a clear scene where his parents were smiling at him. He could see the stone stack once again. The strength left his body. He couldn¡¯t even stay standing anymore because of how much his limbs were shaking. Raon fell to his knees. He put his hands together while biting his lips in order to hide the wrath that was welling up from the bottom of his soul. ¡®Mother, father. I¡¯ll take revenge. I¡¯ll bring Derus Robert¡¯s head back here no matter what.¡¯ Comforting the deceased was a matter for another time. It was time to pledge vengeance for the people who couldn¡¯t even close their eyes as they perished while their children were being taken away from them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Beruric patted his shoulder and smiled gently. ¡°They must be feeling thankful, too.¡± He looked satisfied, implying that he thought Raon was praying tofort the deceased. ¡°Do you have any other questions? I only know about what everyone else knows, but I¡¯m in a good mood after getting to talk for once.¡± Beruric smiled, showing his favorable impression of Vallen, the identity created by Raon. ¡°I¡¯m currently looking for work. How do the factory and mine function?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Beruric smiled, saying that he would introduce him to them if he wanted work. Raon figured the way he had been quietly listening to his story must¡¯ve gained his favor. ¡°I just want to look around for today since I need to notify my acquaintances from the vige where I was initially nning to go.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be disappointed if you move to our vige. It will be a city soon, after all.¡± He quickly waved his hand and went ahead into the factory. ¡°Huh? Vige chief?¡± ¡°What brings you here at this hour?¡± The workers standing in front of a furnace bowed to the vige chief. ¡°I dropped by on my way.¡± The vige chief shook his hand, telling them not to mind him. ¡°He must¡¯ve forced a youngster to chat with him once again.¡± ¡°Judging from how dry his lips are, he must¡¯ve suffered for a long time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s at least one victim every week.¡± The workers shook their heads, expressing their pity. ¡°Stop it! Don¡¯t criticize me when I¡¯m such a nice person!¡± The vige chief shook his hand with a flushed face. It must¡¯ve happened many times before. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon nodded at them and examined the factory. ¡®Every single one of them are ordinary people.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t find any mana or the characteristic movements of an assassin inside the factory. They were definitely people who ran a normal factory. He couldn¡¯t find any issues with the factory from a quick examination. However, since there was no way Sirith would¡¯ve lied to him, there was definitely something in there. Just as he was about to start up the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower, the room on the left opened up, and a middle-aged man with an abundant belly walked out of it. ¡°Huh, vige chief? Nice to see you here.¡± ¡°Production manager, why is it so difficult to see you?¡± Beruric called the middle-aged man a production manager with a frown around his lips. ¡°There is too much work to do. Who is the person next to you?¡± The production manager smiled while looking at Raon. However, his eyes weren¡¯t smiling, unlike his mouth. ¡°Ah, I caught him on the way here. I got to talk for a while.¡± Beruric grinned, saying that he¡¯d approached him first. ¡°Hah, so he¡¯s another victim.¡± The production manager waved his hand, telling him to have fun with the vige chief¡¯s chattering. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m thankful to him because he told me a lot of good information.¡± Raon lowered his head to the production manager. His serious eyes were glowing frighteningly as he raised his head back up. ¡®I found you.¡¯ Chapter 530 Chapter 530 Raon let his eyes drift naturally and observed the production manager¡¯s movements. The waddling steps with his hands tied behind his back, and his expression¡ªwhich was filled with suspicion towards an outsider despite his friendly appearance¡ªmade him look like an ordinary middle-aged man who could be found anywhere. However, the production manager¡¯s slightly raised heel implied that he was ready to use footwork at any moment, and his straight back was prepared to dodge any iing attack despite how thick he was. ¡®They are the characteristics of assassins from Shadow.¡¯ They were educated to perform an assassin¡¯s duty at any moment while pretending to be a different person, and that was exactly the impression the production manager gave. ¡°Thank you for keeping our vige chiefpany.¡± The production manager nodded with a smile that made him look kind. His narrowed eyes looked like he was trying to probe him, but he was obviously acting. ¡°Everyone, break time¡¯s over! Wrap it up!¡± He pped his hands and shouted into the factory, and the door opened as a bunch of workers exited through it.Raon stayed behind the vige chief and spread his aura perception to examine the movement of the workers rapidly. ¡®Seven.¡¯ Seven among the fifty workers that just came out were assassins, and all of them were powerful enough to perfectly hide their presence. ¡®I knew it. This is indeed the factory to make Deathbringer Revenants.¡¯ There was no way seven assassins would¡¯ve been dispatched to an ordinary factory with no other warriors. The Deathbringer Factory must¡¯ve been hidden in the vicinity. ¡®Where is it?¡¯ Raon used the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower in order to locate the factory. He turned his mana into thin threads so that no one would notice and spread to the ground. He couldn¡¯t feel anything even though he reached deep underground. There might have been some special magic at work, or it could¡¯ve been even deeper underground. Both cases were also a possibility. Whir. Raon started to spread his mana all around the factory instead of just underneath, and a young woman who seemed to be a secretary came out of the production manager¡¯s room. ¡°Manager, you should do your job before making others work.¡± The secretary had freckles across her nose and looked like a calm person. She shook her documents to gesture for him toe into the room already. ¡°I feel better in front of a furnace though¡­¡± ¡°You are going hometer then.¡± ¡°Haa, life is no fun¡­¡± The production manager sighed deeply and went into his office. The secretary lowered her head at the other workers before she followed him. ¡®She¡¯s also an assassin. Moreover, she¡¯s stronger than him.¡¯ Raon could tell just from the way she was walking. The woman looked like a secretary, but she was far more powerful and experienced than the production manager. She must¡¯ve had a much higher rank than him as a Shadow despite her role. ¡®And¡­ that office is connected to the Deathbringer Revenant Factory.¡¯ He¡¯d felt an extremely faint wind blowing from inside the room when the secretary came out. It was impossible for such a damp breeze to emerge from a windowless, underground room, so the room was definitely connected to the Deathbringer Revenant factory. ¡®They¡¯ve prepared nicely.¡¯ They could observe the surroundings naturally by adding a significant number of assassins among the workers instead of dispatching them in the area. He could guess that the Deathbringer Revenant factory was a lot bigger than he¡¯d thought. ¡°What do you think?¡± Raon was furrowing his brow while looking at the ground when Beruric, the vige chief, approached him. ¡°It¡¯s a bit awkward to say so myself, but this really is a nice ce to work. There¡¯s a lot to gain froming here.¡± ¡°It looks like it.¡± Raon nodded while meeting the gentleness in the vige chief¡¯s eyes. ¡®I did gain a lot thanks to you.¡¯ He managed to learn how he was kidnapped, he found the Shadow assassins, and he discovered that there was a passage inside the production manager¡¯s room. The vige chief seemed to think he was being meddlesome, but Raon managed to get a lot done quickly thanks to him even though they would¡¯ve required a lot more time otherwise. He was thankful in various ways. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed to the vige chief sincerely. ¡°Huhu, juste back if you feel so thankful. It¡¯s rare to find people like you, who listened to me so attentively.¡± The vige chief shook his hand, saying that not many people liked to listen to old folks. ¡°Let¡¯s go observe the mine now before it¡¯s toote. This is the perfect time since the miners should being out soon.¡± He brought him to the mountain, saying that they should visit the mine next. * * * ¡°Do you really have to leave at thiste hour?¡± ¡°I have a tight schedule.¡± Raon calmly smiled at the vige chief, who was saddened by his departure. ¡°So, what did you think about our vige?¡± ¡°The people were nice, and it seems to be a good ce to live in. It¡¯s a nice ce.¡± ¡°Right?¡± The vige chief rolled his lips into a smile, satisfied with thepliment, before he continued, ¡°Since you learned that fact, you should move in quickly and settle down. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯m definitely going to return,¡± Raon replied. He closed his lips tightly. He said it with a different meaning than what the vige chief was thinking. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Raon bowed at the vige chief before he left Capply vige. ¡®He is such a hospitable person.¡¯ The vige chief even gave him a room after they checked on the mine so that he could spend the night. He was an ordinary person with a kind and friendly personality, disregarding the fact that he talked too much. ¡®I should avoid harming them as much as possible.¡¯ As Raon was walking down the dim road while thinking about how to eliminate the Shadows and those who made the Deathbringer Revenants without harming the vige, he could feel an extremely faint presence from behind, as small as a bug. ¡®He¡¯s following after all.¡¯ There was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize him since he had felt his gaze and movement recently. The production manager was tailing him. ¡®What a great ce for them to settle in.¡¯ They took advantage of the ordinary people who were ignorant about mana to create the appearance of a friendly vige while creating assassins with corpses. Raon wanted to immediately smash Derus and the Shadows with a mace because they were the perfect example of human trash. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon suppressed the emotion of wrath raging in his mind and calmly continued his steps. Even though he had already gone halfway around Haro Mountain, the assassin behind him didn¡¯t stop following him. ¡®He is more suspicious than I thought. He must be nning to kill me as soon as I do anything strange.¡¯ Considering the fact that every single assassin in the iron factory was as skilled as a team leader and was highly experienced, Derus must¡¯ve invested a lot in the Deathbringer Revenants. ¡®I¡¯ll bring all your investment to naught.¡¯ Raon twisted his lips while thinking about the expression Derus was going to make in the future. He kept walking while feigning ignorance, and he left Haro Mountain to pass by an unknownke. That was when the production manager¡¯s presence finally faded away. ¡®He¡¯s making it annoying.¡¯ He had to go farther than he¡¯d expected, but it didn¡¯t really matter. It wasn¡¯t that far with footwork. Raon went into the bushes. He spread his aura perception to confirm that no one was around before he took off his robe. He equipped a dagger without any decoration around his waist and concealed his face with a mask. He was preparing to sneak into the factory when he noticed Wrath silently floating in the air. ¡®Why are you so quiet today?¡¯ What would he even say? Wrath asked with serious eyes. ¡®You aren¡¯t even asking for food, and I¡¯m sure you are curious.¡¯ His emotions were uncontrobly turbulent when he¡¯d remembered his mother and father. There was no way Wrath wouldn¡¯t have noticed his emotion, yet he wasn¡¯t saying anything. The King of Essence must¡¯ve told you before. Wrath narrowed his sky-blue eyes. He doesn¡¯t try to exploit people¡¯s weaknesses. He slowly nodded and looked away. You shall tell him if you want to talk about it one day. Wrath¡¯s dignified voice made it sound like his usual useless appearance was just a lie. The King of Essence will simply listen. ¡°Hah!¡± Raon gasped while covering his eyes with his hand. ¡®I never thought that you would make me feel a lump in my throat.¡¯ He sniffled and looked at Wrath. ¡®I feel like having a drink.¡¯ The King of Essence doesn¡¯t like alcohol. ¡®Shall we drink together after this matter is concluded?¡¯ The King of Essence doesn¡¯t like it, he said! ¡®You can pick the side dish.¡¯ Sure! * * * The production manager¡¯s office was dark after sunset. The production manager should¡¯ve been the owner of the room, yet he was kneeling on the ground while his secretary was sitting on a chair with her legs crossed. ¡°Did he leave?¡± She was ying the role of a secretary in appearance, but she was actually the team leader in charge of the Shadows in the region. Her name was Resia, and she pointed at him with her chin. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve confirmed that he kept getting farther from Lake Bayon before I returned,¡± the production manager replied. ¡°Anything noticeable to report?¡± ¡°There was nothing special other than him walking slightly faster than average.¡± The production manager lowered his head while giving his report. ¡°Did he show any sign of noticing you?¡± ¡°Not at all. He looks like he hasn¡¯t learned martial arts at all.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Resia furrowed her brow and stroked her chin. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I had a bad feeling when I saw him, but I must¡¯ve been imagining it.¡± She shook her hand, telling him to pay no attention to it. ¡°Good job. You can return now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The production manager nodded and left his office. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Resia stayed still on the chair for a long time before she walked towards the wall on the left side. She tapped on the wall next to the desk with her finger wrapped in mana, and a hole silently opened up on the ground. Schhhh. All she could see in the hole were stairs and the dark abyss waiting below, but Resia didn¡¯t hesitate at all. The stairs were steep. Resia was walking so fast that ordinary people wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch up to her, yet the end was nowhere to be seen. The stairway finally came to an end after over ten minutes of walking, and her feet finally hit the ground. It was a strange ce with gloomy purple lighting and grotesque patterns covering the ceiling and floor. Whir. Resia stepped on the patterns on the ground in a certain order to leave that space and entered a long corridor. She walked for a long time once again before she reached the end of the corridor, and a bright cavity appeared. ¡°That corpse isn¡¯t set for explosion. Bring it this way.¡± ¡°Is it still notplete?¡± ¡°Get moving, quick!¡± Necromancers wearing purple robes were busily moving around inside the wide, deep cavity, and there were piles of corpses, flesh, and bones around them that were putting off an intense stench. Some of them looked like humans in good condition¡ªthey had issues likecking all of their spines if they were seen from behind, or their bones were reced with the rusty water of necromancy. It was a scene that even the people who¡¯d experienced war before would end up throwing up over, but none of them found anything strange about the situation. Some of them were pulling out pieces of flesh and reassembling them like they were ying with a toy, and some were even eating food right next to them. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Resia entered a room at the center of the cavity with an expressionless face. ¡°Sir Shupel.¡± She walked up to the young man wearing a ck robe and lowered her head. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The man was using a grotesque spell as he looked around with a smile. His voice was gloomy and grating despite his neat appearance. ¡°The traveler who came to the vige just left. There was nothing special to note, but¡­¡± ¡°I already told you to take care of that kind of thing by yourself. I¡¯d like you to stop wasting my time with trivial matters.¡± He shook his head, telling her to stop bothering him. ¡°I have another thing to report.¡± Resia remained expressionless as her lips twitched. ¡°They are sending supplies in two days. We should make the preparations in advance since it¡¯s the most extensive so far.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± A smile appeared on Shupel¡¯s face upon hearing that the supplies wereing in two days. ¡°Did you just say two days?¡± A scrawny old man stood up from the desk on the other side of Shupel, a gloomy air around him. His voice was as sweet as honey. ¡°You were here too, Sir Juran.¡± Resia bowed to the old man. ¡°How much exactly is that ¡®most extensive supply¡¯? What about corpses? Are they still alive?¡± ¡°They said they are sending three times as much, both for experiment subjects and materials.¡± ¡°Three times? They finally learned their lesson! Yes, they should send that much, at least.¡± Juran smiled widely in satisfaction. ¡°Sir Juran, please care more about formality. That¡¯s too frivolousing from the one called the Eldritch Necromancer,¡± Shupel said as he furrowed his brow while looking at Juran. ¡°I¡¯m uneducated, unlike a noble like you. Stop caring about it,¡± Juran retorted. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to educate yourself. After all, you will be able to go out into the world once again if our n progresses as it should.¡± ¡°You are making me want to do as I please even more.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The two necromancers frowned while ring at each other, and Resia didn¡¯t say anything¡ªas if she¡¯d seen that happen many times in the past. However, the trio wasn¡¯t aware of the red eyes sparkling from above them. * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while standing on the ceiling. ¡®So, Shupel and Juran are here.¡¯ Shupel the Dashing Spirit Master and Juran the Eldritch Necromancer were both high-ranking necromancers who used to be famous dozens of years ago. He¡¯d thought they were both dead since they were nowhere to be found in recent times, but they¡¯d actually been continuing their research while hiding in such a ce. It was irritating to admit, but Derus Robert¡¯s skills were the real deal if he had two such high-ranking necromancers serving him. ¡®Rather than that, they said more supplies were going to arrive in two days, right?¡¯ There was no way that the supplies would be just some food and equipment. Considering the fact that they¡¯d even mentioned experimental subjects, there were definitely living people included in those supplies. ¡®That would be the best time to attack.¡¯ Attacking the factory after they received the supplies would be the most damaging for Derus. He had to endure his urge to wipe them out even though he was angry. ¡°I¡¯m going to return now.¡± Resia bowed to the two necromancers and left the room. Raon followed her outside the room and observed the cavity once again. ¡®There aren¡¯t many powerful warriors, but there are lots ofpetent assassins.¡¯ He could only see the necromancers in the cavity, but the assassins hiding in various locations were a lot more numerous than them. ¡®I need to figure them all out right now.¡¯ It was best to have more information since he couldn¡¯t predict whether it would be a frontal sh or a battle of assassination. He used the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower to maximize his aura perception. He analyzed the locations and skills of the assassins, as well as the locations of the concealment magic and protection magic, in detail. Raon analyzed the entire cavity to the point that he knew it even better than the assassins living there before he looked around. ¡®It¡¯s also empty below.¡¯ The concealment magic engraved at the ceiling must not have been working downwards, as he could feel that there was another open space below. He waited for someone to guide him and noticed a middle-aged necromancer moving towards the wall on the right. He interacted with the wall, and a stairway leading down appeared. ¡®So he was the one, after all.¡¯ He followed the necromancer. Despite how far the cavity was from the factory, the stairs weren¡¯t that numerous, and it was extremely wide. The necromancer walked through the corridor right aftering down the stairs, showing how familiar he was with the ce. People were locked inside cages on both sides of the corridor, and no signs of life could be felt, implying that they were most likely dead. They are humiliating the deceased! That¡¯s worthy of scorn even in Devildom! Wrath¡¯s clenched fist trembled in anger, as if he was unable to withstand his emotions. Those nasty beasts! ¡®Humans might be even more evil than demons, just like you said.¡¯ Raon briefly nodded with Wrath and agreed with his anger. ¡°Come forward.¡± The necromancer shook his hand into the thin air, and two assassins emerged from the ground. ¡°How many materials do we have left?¡± ¡°None of them are alive. There are forty-four corpses in total.¡± The assassin responded without the slightest hesitation. Raon bit his lip tightly. ¡®So the ¡®material¡¯ was human beings after all.¡¯ Considering the way they were talking about them being dead or alive, humans were nothing but materials for experimentation to them. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ He clenched his crossed fingers in order to suppress his urge to smash him into a pulp immediately. ¡°We are supposed to get arge amount of supplies in two days. Bring half of them above.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The assassins opened the cage and gestured with their hands, and the corpses walked out by themselves, standing on unsteady footing. ¡®Are they really moving right now?¡¯ Their eyes were moving as if they were alive, but he couldn¡¯t sense any stench from them. They must¡¯ve been manipted through necromancy. ¡®How nasty.¡¯ It was a nest of evil fiends who didn¡¯t treat humans as human beings. Raon suppressed his urge to throw up and gathered more information. The necromancer watched the corpses walking towards the stairs before he turned around. He went to the corridor on the opposite side of the stairs he¡¯de down. Raon followed the necromancer instead of the corpses. The necromancer even cast a movement speed buff to himself and walked for a long time before he finally came to a halt in front of a wall that seemed to be half dug out. He ced his hand on the wall and injected his mana. The ceiling was split apart, and the night sky revealed beyond it as a result was as blurry as a reflection on the water¡¯s surface. ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of it. How long do I need to stay here?¡± The necromancer started to smoke while looking up to the night sky. Raon concealed his presence even more so that the necromancer wouldn¡¯t notice him and looked up. ¡®This ce¡­ Is it thatke?¡¯ Considering the location, it seemed to be that unknownke that he¡¯d seen right after leaving Haro Mountain. ¡®So this is it. They transported the supplies through this passage.¡¯ It was natural that no one would figure it out when they made the supply route in the middle of ake. ¡®Since I¡¯ve gathered all the information I need¡­¡¯ Red lightning sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes as they reflected the transparent night sky. ¡®I¡¯ll put an end to it in two days.¡¯ Chapter 531 Chapter 531 It was alreadyte, but Raon spent the rest of the night at an inn inside a small vige near Capply. The inn doubled as a restaurant, and the shop waspletely empty by the time he woke up. He couldn¡¯t see the manager or the cook anywhere. Where is everyone?! The King of Essence is hungry! Wrath waved his hand, telling him to quickly find the cook. Offer food to the King of Essence! ¡®He will be back soon.¡¯ Raon pped Wrath away as he shoved his plump stomach on his face and sat at the central table. The door opened soon after that, and a man¡ªwhose expression was so faint that he almost looked like he was wearing a mask¡ªwalked up and stood in front of him. ¡°Greetings, Sir Raon.¡±The man put his hands together and bowed. ¡°My name is Denzel. I¡¯m from the ck Virtue Squad, a dedicated unit for the ck Market¡¯s master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at Denzel. He didn¡¯t expect him to arrive so quickly, as the ck Market had only recently learned about the Deathbringer Revenant Factory¡ªunlike Raon, who had known all along. ¡°That is because it¡¯s an extraordinary matter.¡± Denzel sighed, sounding almost like he wasmenting the matter, and took a seat opposite him. ¡°As you said, warriors have been disappearing more often recently. There are even more cases of corpses disappearing soon after injury or death.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while observing Denzel, who casually started to provide information. ¡®They are fast and precise.¡¯ Denzel told him which warriors the missing corpses belonged to and where it happened. Considering how fast they could obtain such detailed information, the ck Market¡¯s master seemed to be even better than the Six Kings and the Five Demons when it came to information gathering and financial influence. ¡°If we keep investigating the traces of the warriors¡¯ disappearance, we should be able to create a way to find that secret organization by slightly forceful means. However, it¡¯s going to take some time. Is that okay?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need that much time.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± Denzel¡¯s eyes widened. He was unable to understand his meaning. ¡°Yesterday, I found the location of the factory where they create assassins with corpses.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°As I expected, they settled under the iron factory. It was a lot bigger than I thought. There were many assassins and necromancers, too¡­¡± Raon told him all about the Deathbringer Factory¡¯s location, equipment, and personnel that he''d seen the day before. ¡°Huh.¡± Denzel couldn¡¯t close his mouth, showing his surprise at how Raon managed to gather such precious information in a single day. ¡°The Dashing Spirit Master and the Eldritch Necromancer were there. They are evil fiends who treat humans worse than animals¡­¡± He bit his lip slightly, showing his hatred towards the necromancers Shupel and Juran. ¡°We should be able to act faster with this much information. Let us prepare¡­¡± ¡°I still have more to tell you.¡± Raon shook his head at Denzel, who was about to stand up. ¡°The woman who seemed to be in charge mentioned that new supplies are going to arrive tomorrow.¡± ¡°Supplies¡­?¡± ¡°Of course, it would be the warriors who would serve as ingredients to make the zombie assassins.¡± Raon told him that the warriors who were still alive, and that the corpses of the dead warriors would enter that ce inrge quantities the next day. ¡°Ah! In that case!¡± Denzel eximed, showing that he finally realized what he meant. ¡°We can trail those warriors and use it as an excuse for finding that location! We should be able to attack tomorrow!¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The ck Market¡¯s residents existed everywhere on the continent. Raon figured Derus wouldn¡¯t suspect him if they said that they found them entering theke while looking for the missing warriors. ¡°Amazing. There should be no better way in the current situation!¡± Denzel gasped, looking at Raon. ¡®I can understand why the ck Market¡¯s master has been so considerate of him.¡¯ The ck Market¡¯s master had constantly provided Raon with priceless information. He¡¯d been wondering why she was taking such a huge loss, and he realized that the young warrior in front of him deserved it, as he was a priceless man himself. She was definitely investing in a man whose future seemed even brighter than the present. ¡°I¡¯ll make the preparations so that we can attack them tomorrow. We will quickly gather the warriors on our side¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon slowly shook his head and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll be the only one to fight.¡± ¡°B-but they are assassins. It will bepletely different from fighting warriors¡­¡± Denzel swallowed nervously, revealing his worry. ¡°It will be fine.¡± Raon slowly closed his eyes before opening them again. His eyes were so cold that it was enough to make a chill run down his spine. ¡°Because I¡¯m used to that kind of fight.¡± * * * House Robert The Great Garden The quiet walkway that Derus usually used was unusually full of people. ¡°Happy birthday.¡± ¡°Congrattions.¡± ¡°Young master, happy birthday!¡± The people gathered in the garden were congratting the youngest son of House Robert, Lephon Robert, on getting a year older. All of them were wearing splendid formal attire. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lephon lowered his head at them, wearing a ck formal attire simr to Raon¡¯s. People were even lined up in front of him to greet him. They were being too polite for a child who wasn¡¯t even twenty years old yet. It was proof of House Robert''s dignity. However, Lephon didn¡¯t look too happy even though he was being congratted by so many people. He was greeting them with an awkward smile on his face when the two swordsmen guarding the entrance stomped the ground powerfully. ¡°The head of house is making his entrance!¡± Derus Robert entered from the great garden¡¯s entrance alongside the majestic shout of the swordsmen. His steps were neither heavy nor light, but they perfectly disyed his presence. His appearance showed what kind of person he was. ¡°Head of house!¡± ¡°Greetings, head of house.¡± Derus casually epted their greetings and stood in front of the fountain at the center of the garden. ¡°Lephon,e over here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The protagonist of the party, Lephon, came next to him. ¡°Thank you foring all the way here to celebrate Lephon¡¯s birthday.¡± Derus smiled gently while holding Lephon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°We are honored to do so!¡± ¡°Please call on us any time!¡± They lowered their heads, telling him that they were extremely happy to be there. ¡°Thank you for saying that.¡± Derus Robert smiled faintly and met their eyes one after the other. ¡°Lephon, you should thank them too.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Lephon stepped in front of Derus, his lips tightly closed. ¡°Thank you for joining me on my birthday.¡± He bowed at the center with a smile that looked stiff for some reason. ¡°Whoaa!¡± ¡°Young master! Congrattions once again!¡± ¡°May good health be always with you!¡± Even though they were aware that Lephon was making a strange expression, they apuded loudly enough to set ears ringing while looking at Derus behind him. ¡°You are soon going to be an adult. Do you have any goals?¡± The head of House Raphatan, a vassal family of House Robert, asked the question with a smile from the very front. ¡°I¡¯d like to be a swordsman like Sir Raon,¡± Lephon stated, naming his goal and dream without the slightest hesitation. ¡°Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Ah, the White Sword Dragon¡­¡± ¡°That was why¡­¡± The people briefly licked their lips, realizing why Lephon wasn¡¯t looking too good. ¡°His goal has always been to be a swordsman like Raon. Please understand him since it¡¯s not a good situation.¡± Derus held Lephon¡¯s hand and smiled gently. ¡°Just believe in the swordsman Raon and wait, since there has been no official announcement about his death. From what I¡¯ve seen, he isn¡¯t the type of person who would die so easily.¡± ¡°Yes, father!¡± Lephon was deeply impressed and nodded at Derus. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for ruining the mood of this joyful asion.¡± He put himself together and approached the guests by himself to greet them. People were also impressed, smiles appearing on their faces upon seeing the warm rtionship between the father and son, and the fact that Derus was kind enough to even care about a warrior from a rival house. Derus looked proud as he watched Lephon, who started tomunicate with the guests, before he left to an area on the left side where no one was around. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked while turning around. Cubara appeared from the bushes with a food tray in her hand and knelt in front of him. ¡°The ordered supplies have reached the factory¡¯s passage,¡± she said. ¡°How many of them?¡± ¡°Sixty-two of the materials are still alive, while one hundred thirty are dead.¡± ¡°Who is guarding them?¡± ¡°Valmail.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great choice.¡± He nodded in satisfaction upon hearing that Valmail was dispatched since he had excellent senses. ¡°Since Valmail has great senses, he should be doing a good job. Alright, let them in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Cubara gave the ss she brought on the tray to Derus, and quietly disappeared. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t die so easily, huh?¡± Derus took a sip of the wine Cubara left behind and looked at Lephon. His eyes became cold as he watched his son, who had regained his smile. ¡°Such a thing doesn¡¯t happen in the world.¡± * * * Lake Bayon, located right next to Haro Mountain, silently split apart. Resia was standing in front of theke and briefly gestured with her hand, and the flow of mana twisted to create the illusion of a sereneke¡ªeffectively hiding that the division ever happened. ¡°We are ready.¡± Resia nodded to the back, and mysterious people wearing ck robes and masks appeared. ¡°Follow me. From this point on, step only where I step.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The masked people didn¡¯t respond and quietly followed her. Resia walked through the muddy and mossy road and reached a turtle-shaped boulder emerging from the center of theke. She touched the boulder with her finger, which she imbued with mana, and the floor opened up to create a passage leading to the cavity. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was a mysterious sight that would cause anyone¡¯s jaw to drop, but the masked men didn¡¯t even flinch. It was as if they were devoid of emotions. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Resia went ahead into the passage as if she were expecting their reaction. Whir! As soon as all the masked men entered the passage after her, she touched the wall. The ceiling closed, and the dividedke returned to its previous appearance. ¡°This way.¡± As soon as the door closed, Resia started running through the passage and guided the masked men. Her footwork was fast enough that most warriors would have had difficulty following her, but none of the masked men fell behind. Thud! Resia stopped her advance once she could see the dozens of cages containing the dead warriors and turned around. ¡°Thank you foring all the way here, Sir Valmail.¡± Resia bowed at the masked man who was at the very front. ¡°Resia.¡± The tall masked man with a fiery look in his eyes slowly nodded his head. ¡°You should be well aware that he is paying a lot of attention to this ce.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m aware.¡± Resia carefully lowered her head. ¡°How is the improvement of the Deathbringer Revenants proceeding?¡± ¡°We will definitely seed in the improvements by using the materials you¡¯ve brought, Sir Valmail.¡± Her nonchnt attitude as she looked at Valmail implied that she was confident in it. ¡°Hmm.¡± Valmail signaled with his hand towards the back, and the masked men ced their hands on the ground. Whap! A ck shadow emerged around their hands and almost two hundred people came out from it. About sixty people on the right side were breathing weakly, implying that they were still alive, while the copsed ones on the left side were already dead. ¡°We have sixty-two living materials and a hundred and thirty dead ones. All of them are at least an Expert, and three of them are Masters.¡± Valmail raised his finger to personally point at the Masters. ¡°There are even Masters!¡± Resia gave a big nod while checking the conditions of the Masters. ¡°Let¡¯s go up together. Those two are also going to wee you.¡± ¡°No thanks. Seeing those old folks puts me in a bad mood.¡± Valmail shook his hand, showing that he wasn¡¯t interested at all. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Resia casually shook her hand, and the assassins hiding around the jail made their appearance and started to lock the people Valmail had brought out in the cages. The living people started to wake up one after the other from the rough treatment. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± ¡°Where are we¡­?¡± ¡°Who are you?!¡± The warriors shouted while being locked inside the metal cages, but Resia and Valmail paid no attention to them at all. ¡°It¡¯s easy to break iron like this¡­ Hmm?¡± ¡°M-my energy center¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use my aura!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± They realized they couldn¡¯t use their aura while trying to destroy the cages, and their lips trembled in fear. ¡°I¡¯m going to make my report now.¡± Resia climbed the stairs at the end of the passage after locking all of the warriors into the cages. ¡°You bastards! Get me out right now! Do you know who I am?¡± A middle-aged warrior finally regained his senses and shouted while shaking the cage. ¡°I¡¯m a Master from House Sikern¡­¡± ¡°Did you just say Sikern?¡± Valmail started to walk for the first time upon hearing the name of his house. He walked up to the man who shouted that he was from House Sikern and showed him a frightening smile with his eyes. ¡°Whether you are from Sikern or Zieghart is meaningless to me.¡± ¡°W-wait a moment¡­¡± The warrior leaned backward, terrified by his smile. ¡°Where do you think you are going? The great Master from House Sikern?¡± Valmail twisted his lips and pulled the warrior¡¯s right eyeball out with his finger. ¡°Aaaah!¡± He copsed to the ground while screaming in pain, and the people who¡¯d been shouting for them to let them out fell quiet with trembling eyes. ¡°I like the silence.¡± Valmail shook the blood off his hand. That was when¡­ Swoosh! Dozens of throwing daggers advanced from behind him like a soaring hawk, piercing the hearts of the assassins hiding between the jail and the masked men. ¡°Wh¡ªCough!¡± Instead of turning around to look, he tried to move away quickly. However, a deadly de was already protruding from his heart. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Did you just say that Zieghart is meaningless to you?¡± Raon¡¯s frightening smile could be seen, his hair and eyes dyed ck. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true.¡± Chapter 532 Chapter 532 ¡°Guh!¡± Valmail¡¯s lips trembled in fear as he looked at the de emerging from his chest. ¡°Wh-what just happened¡­?¡± He hadn¡¯t been careless once after he¡¯d entered the area. He hadn¡¯t canceled his aura perception while he handed over the goods to Resia until she disappeared. The only moment he let his guard down was when he pulled out the eyes of the weakling who was getting on his nerves by stating the name of his house. It onlysted for a second. No, it could¡¯ve been even less for a second, yet the man who had stabbed him from behind hadn¡¯t missed that opportunity. He had silently thrown the daggers to finish off the hiding assassins and even predicted where Valmail was going to move, piercing his heart. It was a perfectbo without the smallest opening. He was a monster with an extremely polished martial art and assassination technique. ¡®D-did the assassin kinge to this ce?¡¯While Valmail was thinking about Roenn, Raon violently pulled the de from his heart. Pssh! Crimson blood seeped into the ground, and Valmail copsed like a marite whose strings were cut. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± ¡°I wanted to get some information out of you, but I unfortunately don¡¯t have any time.¡± Raon furrowed his brow while watching Valmail convulse on the ground. ¡®Because I¡¯ll be screwed if someone sees me.¡¯ There was arge number of assassins and necromancers on the floor above. If other people found him out while he was torturing Valmail for information, everything would go wrong. It was unfortunate, but he had to kill him right away. ¡°Who are you? Who in the world could¡­?¡± ¡°Ask your lord about it.¡± Raon¡¯s eyes remained cold as he shed him with his bloody sword. ¡°Gu-guh¡­¡± The red line appearing on Valmail¡¯s throat widened further, and his life came to an end. Hmph. Wrath snorted while looking at Valmail¡¯s corpse, the man¡¯s eyes still wide open even in death. It looks like even trash like him can feel resentment. He shook his head at the ridiculous realization. Raon watched Valmail for a short time before he took off his sword and sheathed it at his waist. ¡°Huff.¡± Malto¡¯s lips trembled as he watched Raon with the only eye he had left. He was the second son of House Sikern. ¡®Is he a monster¡­?¡¯ The man had in almost twenty assassins at once by throwing daggers and had pierced the heart of a powerful warrior in a single strike even though even a Master like himself didn¡¯t dare fight him. His back was drenched in cold sweat upon witnessing the unavoidable dagger throw and his restrained sword art, which was designed for killing. ¡®Who the hell is he?¡¯ There was no way such a powerful monster would be nameless, yet he couldn¡¯te up with anyone no matter how hard he thought about it. ¡°H-hey!¡± ¡°Save me!¡± ¡°Please get me out of here!¡± The warriors had been staring at Valmail nkly, but they finally returned to their senses and shouted at Raon to save them. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon looked at them in a frightening manner, just like Valmail had done, and the warriors inside the cages shut their mouths with pale faces. ¡°A-aren¡¯t you here to save us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the sessor of apany! I¡¯ll give you anything you want if you save me!¡± ¡°Same goes for me. I¡¯m from House Yufen. I can give you any amount of money if you can get me out of here!¡± The warriors still shouted at Raon to save them even though they were afraid of him. ¡°Be quiet.¡± Raon shut their mouths with a hoarse voice and examined Valmail¡¯s face. ¡®His nose bridge is prominent, and his mouth isn¡¯t protruding. It won¡¯t be difficult to disguise myself as him.¡¯ Disguise? Wrath tilted his head, unable to understand what he was talking about. ¡®He¡¯s been wearing a mask without taking off his robe. It¡¯s going to work since even our height is simr.¡¯ Judging from the conversation between Resia and Valmail, they didn¡¯t seem to be that familiar with each other. He could potentially get rid of the two annoying necromancers at once by taking advantage of the situation. Trying to kill two birds with one stone ends up making you miss both of them. ¡®You sound normal for once. What happened to you?¡¯ The King of Essence has always been normal! ¡®You said that you wanted to grill fish a moment ago at theke. Who are you calling normal¡­?¡¯ While they were passing by theke as he followed Valmail, Wrath had spouted some bullshit about wanting to catch a few of the fish because they looked delicious. ¡®Anyway, it will be fine.¡¯ Raon smiled while rotating his right arm. ¡®Because my arm is long enough to kill two birds at once.¡¯ Shupel the Dashing Spirit Master and Juran the Eldritch Necromancer were high-ranking necromancers. He would be able to assassinate one of them, but it was fully possible that he would let the other one escape. Since it could be a problemter on if they managed to escape, he wanted to eliminate them at the same time no matter what. ¡®But I¡¯ll need to prepare thoroughly.¡¯ Raon dyed his eyes brown just like Valmail¡¯s and modified the bridge of his nose, eyebrows, and cheeks a little before he put on the mask. He pulled the hood low over his head as a finishing touch before he stood up. The silhouette from his nose to his mouth looked just like Valmail¡¯s. ¡°Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The warriors swallowed nervously since they still couldn¡¯t understand the situation. ¡°The viins on the floor above might find out about this if I free you right now. The one in charge of the rescue will enter soon, so just wait for a moment.¡± Raon¡¯s voice gradually grew deep, like a small wave gradually turning into arge tide, and he ended up sounding just like Valmail. ¡°R-really?¡± The warrior from House Sikern, whose eye was pulled out by Valmail, held onto the cage with a trembling chin. ¡°Be quiet as you wait.¡± Raon nodded at him after throwing him a powdered medicine that could reduce his pain and stop the bleeding. ¡°I-I understand.¡± The warriors resigned themselves to wait while biting their lips. The hope of survival probably made them decide to go along with him. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon slowly caught his breath and straightened his back. He poured some water that he¡¯d prepared in advance onto Valmail¡¯s sword before he headed to the stairs. ¡®Valmail had a coldhearted and sharp personality. He also had an inferiorityplex towards the houses.¡¯ * * * He climbed the short amount of stairs while putting together the information about Valmail in his head, encountering Resia, who wasing back down. He casually stopped walking since he¡¯d already noticed her presence. ¡°Sir Valmail?¡± Resia¡¯s eyes seemed to be curious, as Valmail wasing up after telling her that he¡¯d wait down below. ¡°I forgot about some material that I¡¯m supposed to hand over to those old folks,¡± Raon said sharply as he calmed his pounding heart with the Ring of Fire. ¡®This is the right way to act.¡¯ Valmail had referred to Shupel and Juran as old folks. Since that implied that his rank wasn¡¯t inferior to theirs, sounding like he was looking down on them was the correct decision. ¡°What kind of material is it?¡± Resia asked about the material instead of backing off, implying that she was suspicious of him. ¡°I¡¯ll deliver it to them if you give it to me.¡± She extended her hand, asking him to give her the material he¡¯d brought. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see them either, but he ordered me to give it to them directly.¡± ¡°Did you actually forget such an important order? How uncharacteristic of you.¡± Resia¡¯s eyes narrowed as thin as a needle. She was clearly suspicious of him. ¡°That¡¯s true. I made a mistake because of a certain piece of trash.¡± ¡°Trash?¡± ¡°I was distracted by the vermin who kept bbering about his house from the moment he was kidnapped. I finally remembered after pulling his eye out.¡± Raon twisted his lips while showing Valmail¡¯s dislike towards prestigious houses. ¡°Did you harm the material?¡± ¡°It was just an eyeball.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Resia sighed and lowered her raised hand. She stared at the inside of Raon¡¯s hood with clear eyes that didn¡¯t reveal her thoughts. ¡®Did it not work?¡¯ Raon bit the flesh inside the cheek and controlled his aura with a fingertip. He was getting ready to draw his sword when Resia slowly nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± Resia turned around, asking him to follow her. Her aura perception implied that she didn¡¯tpletely trust him yet. Huah! Wrath groaned while clutching his pounding heart. Even the King of Essence¡¯s heart is pounding. How aren¡¯t you nervous even in this situation?! He shook his head. He looked even more nervous than when he was fighting against two transcenders at once. ¡®This isn¡¯t a big deal.¡¯ Acting was an everyday urrence when he used to be an assassin. He was trying to avoid being nervous as much as possible since it was necessary to react immediately if a problem urred. Raon followed Resia and examined the factory¡¯s interior with his aura perception. ¡®The positions are the same as before.¡¯ The assassins hiding on the walls and ceiling and the necromancers in charge of making the Deathbringer Revenants were still at the same locations. However, Deathbringer Revenants that seemed to be thepleted products were standing in front of a pir, and that was the only difference from two days ago. ¡®Those might be dangerous.¡¯ Raon scanned them with his eyes to confirm the number and condition of the Deathbringer Revenants as he slowly continued to walk. Step step. Resia¡¯s steps came to a halt in front of the Dashing Spirit Master and the Eldritch Necromancer¡¯sboratory. She carefully knocked on the door before she opened it. ¡°I was nning to go downstairs anyway. It¡¯s been a while, Valmail.¡± The Dashing Spirit Master smiled while putting on a well-ironed coat. ¡°I heard you brought lots of fresh ones. It should be fine if I get a taste of a few of them, right?¡± Juran the Eldritch Necromancer grinned while rubbing his skinny hands. ¡°Sir Valmail said that he also brought another material. He said it was personally bestowed upon you by him.¡± Resia stepped aside to the right. Raon walked up to where Resia used to stand and looked at the Eldritch Necromancer and the Dashing Spirit Master. ¡°A material bestowed on us by him?¡± ¡°What kind of material is it? It doesn¡¯t seem to be human.¡± The Eldritch Necromancer and the Dashing Spirit Master walked up to him while licking their lips, interested in the fact that it was given to them by Derus. ¡°He¡­¡± Raon drew the sword that he¡¯d been hiding under the robe while talking about Derus. With a sh of silver radiance, the de severed the Dashing Spirit Master and the Eldritch Necromancer¡¯s necks at the same time. sh! Resia was standing on his right side, and he tried to kill her after that, but she reacted the moment the two necromancers were in and gained distance. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Resia¡¯s head wasn¡¯tpletely cut off thanks to that, and only a small amount of blood was flowing from her neck. However, Shupel the Dashing Spirit Master and Juran the Eldritch Necromancer¡¯s heads fell to the ground, scattering a frightening amount of blood because they weren¡¯t able to dodge the sword. ¡°You idiot! An aura de isn¡¯t enough to kill me!¡± The Eldritch Necromancer clutched his head while giggling. He looked like he couldn¡¯t even feel any pain. ¡°He seems to be thinking that we are ordinary magicians. Unfortunately for you, we are pretty much dead already.¡± The Dashing Spirit Master also sneered and picked up his own head. ¡°I¡¯ll take my time asking your body who you¡ªHuh?¡± ¡°Wh-why is this happening?¡± ¡°The power of regeneration isn¡¯t working!¡± The two necromancers watched their bodies melt like a lit candle with trembling lips. ¡°Aaaah!¡± The Eldritch Necromancer shrieked. He seemed to be feeling the pain in his body once it melted all the way down to the shoulders. ¡°Y-you bastard, what have you done to us?!¡± ¡°Damn it! He used holy power and holy water! We¡¯ve beenpletely devoured!¡± The Dashing Spirit Master managed to notice that holy water and holy power were applied to his sword, but he couldn¡¯t do anything and simply fell to his knees. His upper body hadpletely melted. ¡°Correct.¡± Raon nodded while watching the two necromancers melting like the snow in the spring. He had enchanted his de with the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld when he cut them down a moment ago. He had applied the highest grade holy water to the sword beforeing there, and the holy power added on top nullified the necromancy of the Dashing Spirit Master and the Eldritch Necromancer. ¡°Ugh, damn it¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll curse you¡­¡± The two necromancers perished with their eyes rolled back as they watched their bodies turn into ash. ¡°Who the hell are you¡­?¡± Resia gritted her teeth and unsheathed the sword hanging around her waist. ¡°Do you truly believe that you have the right to question me right now?¡± Raon walked up to Resia along with a coldugh just as theboratory¡¯s door was destroyed and the Deathbringer Revenants barged in. They were the ones that used to stand in front of the pir. ¡®Does she also have the permission to order them?¡¯ He¡¯d thought that only the necromancers were connected to the Deathbringer Revenants, but Resia apparently also had the rights. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Raon tried to attack Resia, and the nearest Deathbringer Revenant self-destructed without the slightest hesitation. Whaaam! The explosion was even more powerful than before, and theboratory¡¯s ceiling was destroyed while the floor burst as a result. Whoosh! Raon endured the shockwave with his back and went over the wall that the Deathbringer Revenant had destroyed to go into the factory. ¡®I can¡¯t leave a single one of them alive.¡¯ If a single one managed to escape, Derus might obtain information. He couldn¡¯t allow anyone to escape. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Why did the Deathbringer Revenant act just now?¡± ¡°It even exploded! Was there an issue with the signal?¡± The necromancers and assassins outside theboratory didn¡¯t understand the situation yet and didn¡¯t leave their positions. ¡®They are at the perfect locations.¡¯ Raon threw the daggers with his left hand and unleashed the aura de of wind with the sword in his right hand. Whaam! The dark throwing daggers pierced the hearts of the assassins that were trying to attack him, and the aura de of extreme quickness cut off the heads of the necromancers. ¡®There¡¯s roughly half of them left now.¡¯ Raon prepared for the second attack just as the Deathbringer Revenants broke through the smoke and rushed at him. Whack! The moment the fastest Deathbringer Revenant turned red in preparation to explode, Raon went to its left and kicked its waist with his foot. His transcendental power and speed dwelled within his kick, and the Deathbringer Revenant¡¯s explosion only urred after it was sent flying. Whaaam! A tremendous explosion urred, and four assassins staying back in a corner turned into a pool of blood and subsided. Swoosh! Raon dodged the attack of the other Deathbringer Revenants without even using footwork and unleashed an aura de toward a necromancer¡¯s back as they tried to escape through the passage on his right side. ¡°F-fuck off!¡± The necromancers created a shield of death in an attempt to stop the aura de, but it wasn¡¯t an ordinary attack. ang! Since the holy water and holy power were assisting the strike, it cut through the energy of death without any issue and tore apart the bodies of the necromancers. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ All of the assassins and necromancers he¡¯d checked on when he entered were dead. Resia and the Deathbringer Revenants were the only ones left. Raon was about to turn around when Deathbringer Revenants attacked him from the left and right. ¡°Kill him!¡± Resia was almost screaming as she gave them the order, and their movements suddenly changed. ¡®They became faster.¡¯ The Deathbringer Revenants were a lot faster and smoother than the ones he¡¯d fought before. It almost felt like he was surrounded by living assassins. They encircled him so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the explosion and started to turn red. ¡®Did they already manage to improve them in that short time?¡¯ He¡¯d heard that they were working on improving the Deathbringer Revenants, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to bear results so quickly. ¡°Amazing. However¡­¡± ¡®You aren¡¯t the only one who has gotten stronger.¡¯ Raon activated the Ring of Fire and the Evil Eye of Wrath. He rapidly raised his wrist while watching the energy of death from the Deathbringer Revenants move from their energy centers to their hearts. Psssh! His sword strike advanced like the evening glow reflected on the ocean and severed the upper bodies of the Deathbringer Revenants in half. tter. The bodies of the Deathbringer Revenants tilted to the side and fell, but none of them exploded. ¡°Wh-what happened just now¡­?¡± Resia¡¯s face turned pale to the point where she looked like she was about to die. ¡®Impossible! The signal was lost!¡¯ The Deathbringer Revenants could still self-destruct even if their bodies were sliced into pieces. She couldn¡¯t believe that the order wasn¡¯t being delivered anymore even though all he¡¯d done was cut them in half. ¡°I¡¯ve cut the wick.¡± Raon walked up to Resia while lowering his blood-soaked sword. ¡®Of course it wouldn¡¯t explode¡ªthe fire didn¡¯t manage to reach the explosive.¡¯ A Deathbringer Revenant¡¯s explosion urred once the energy of death entered their unbeating heart. He had shed the flow of the energy of death with a sword imbued with holy power and holy water, which was why they couldn¡¯t self-destruct anymore. ¡°Wh-who the hell are you¡­?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t the one asking questions here.¡± Raon tilted his chin and stood in front of Resia. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you won¡¯t hear anything from m¡ª¡± Resia was about to provoke the rage worm inside of her in an attempt to kill herself, only for Raon to smack her chest. ¡°Cough!¡± Resia coughed up blood with trembling lips. ¡°Wh-what? But why¡­?¡± She raised her trembling eyes, surprised by the fact that the rage worm wasn¡¯t doing anything. ¡°It¡¯s been no fun so far because people start to talk way too easily whenever I torture them.¡± A frightening light sparkled in Raon¡¯s red eyes. ¡°I wonder how long you willst.¡± Chapter 533 Chapter 533 Denzel, the vice leader of the ck Virtue Squad serving the ck Market¡¯s master, was examining Lake Bayon while hiding behind a tree. Whaam! The surface of theke wavered violently, implying that something was happening underground. ¡®It looks like there¡¯s an issue¡­¡¯ The ck Market¡¯s master had ordered him to serve Raon as if he were his master. He was nning to obey her and wanted to protect him at the cost of his life, but Raon had asked him to make sure to neutralize those on the outside since he could take care of it by himself. He was well aware of how powerful the White Sword Dragon¡ªwell, he was now the Dragon yer¡ªwas, but he couldn¡¯t stop worrying about him since they were facing a secret organization they didn¡¯t know anything about. ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Vice squad leader.¡±Denzel was clutching his head while contemting whether they should enter or not when his subordinate, Siffin, came up next to him. ¡°They finished taking care of the matter at the iron factory.¡± ¡°Did they catch them all?¡± ¡°Yes. As Sir Raon requested, we¡¯ve taken care of everyone who''d been hiding their identity and let the civilians escape. However, we failed to capture them alive.¡± Siffin hung his head apologetically. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting it to happen anyway. It wasn¡¯t an easy task.¡± Denzel patted Siffin¡¯s shoulder before looking at theke once again. ¡®Which means the enemies outside have been taken care of¡­¡¯ Since the assassins guarding theke had also been eliminated, the ones inside the factory were the only ones left. ¡®I should just enter instead of contemting the matter. We never know.¡¯ Denzel decided to enter and injected his mana into the boulder located in front of theke with the method Raon had taught him. Ssh! He connected the path of mana following the set procedure, and theke rampaged before dividing in half as if it were cut off by a de. ¡®It really worked¡­¡¯ Raon had told him that he learned how to operate the boulder after seeing it once. His insight was truly inhuman. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Denzel walked towards the center of theke while guiding Siffin and his subordinates. He injected his mana into the turtle-shaped boulder protruding at the center of theke once again. Whir! The upper part of the boulder opened up like a lid, and a passage leading inside appeared. Denzel went ahead and walked down into it. The passage was wide and long, and there was no one around. He couldn¡¯t hear any noises anymore, which suggested that the matter was concluded. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± He ran through the passage while using his footwork to the best of his ability. After running for a while, he found a grotesque hill at the center of the passage. ¡®No, it¡¯s not a hill¡­¡¯ They were corpses. More than a hundred corpses were piled up, looking like a small hill. He furrowed his brow at the ridiculous situation, and he found the metallic cages to left and right. Fortunately, he could feel that the people inside were still alive. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Th-they¡¯re really here!¡± ¡°Please save me!¡± ¡°Please take me out of here!¡± The warriors had remained dead quiet but started to shout for Denzel and the ck Virtue squad members to save them. ¡°Really here? Why do you mean by that?¡± Denzel asked as he walked up to a one-eyed warrior. ¡°The middle-aged man who killed that man told us that someone was going toe to our rescue soon.¡± He blinked the only eye he had left while saying that Raon had told them about the rescue that was soon toe. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Denzel gasped while looking up at the ceiling. ¡®Did he actually predict that I would be impatient and enter?¡¯ Raon had only requested that he get rid of the assassins outside and guard the entrance and exit. However, judging from what they were saying, he must¡¯ve predicted that he would enter. ¡®He bes more and more mysterious the more I see him.¡¯ He shook his head and examined the man that Raon supposedly killed. ¡®He¡¯s powerful.¡¯ Even though a long time had passed after his death, plenty of mana was still filling his body. His well-trained body and his long and straight mana circuits proved that he was an extremely powerful warrior. Despite that fact, Raon had in him in a single strike. ¡®It¡¯s not just him.¡¯ The assassins and warriors copsed all around the passage had their hearts destroyed by a single throwing dagger. All of that had happened in a single move. He couldn¡¯t believe the divine performance he¡¯d disyed even though he was seeing the results. ¡®He said that he was used to this kind of battle¡­ Was he being serious?¡¯ Denzel swallowed nervously and stood up. ¡°Rescue the prisoners.¡± He ordered half of his subordinates to rescue the prisoners before climbing the stairs at the end of the passage. He entered the factory that was supposedly filled with necromancers and assassins. The ceiling, floor, and walls werepletely destroyed, and corpses were all around the ce. All of them looked like they¡¯d been in in a single strike, just like the assassins on the lower floor. As for Raon¡­ ¡°Wee.¡± He was sitting next to a woman with cold eyes, and she was spasming with reddened eyes. ¡°Wh-who is that woman¡­?¡± ¡°She is the person in charge of this factory, the one I mentioned previously.¡± ¡°Wh-what happened to the Dashing Spirit Master and the Eldritch Necromancer? If they ran away¡­¡± ¡°I killed them.¡± The Dashing Spirit Master and the Eldritch Necromancer had long struck fear into the hearts of the people in the central and western regions of the continent. Despite this, Raon casually dered that he killed them as if he were talking about swatting some flies. ¡°I managed to easily finish them off with a surprise attack.¡± He pointed at a corpse next to the woman, which was melted halfway. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Denzel examined the Dashing Spirit Master and Raon one after the other and gasped. ¡®What is this guy¡­?¡¯ He was well aware that he was powerful, but he couldn¡¯t believe that he had finished everything perfectly, without making a single mistake, when he was dealing with assassins and necromancers. Moreover, the Dashing Spirit Master and the Eldritch Necromancer were there, and the man down below and the woman being tortured were both extremely powerful. That was why he couldn¡¯t believe the fact that Raon didn¡¯t even have a single injury on him. ¡®This man must never be made an enemy.¡¯ Denzel swallowed nervously while recognizing Raon as being as dangerous as the heads of the Six Kings and the Five Demons. * * * ¡°I have something to tell you, vice squad leader.¡± Raon left Resia alone as she spasmed like she was about to die and waved his hand at Denzel. ¡°What is it¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve obtained some information from this woman. There are apparently factories like this in other locations.¡± ¡°A-are you serious?¡± Denzel widened his eyes because he didn¡¯t expect him to have already obtained information in that short amount of time. ¡°Yes. I heard it from her before you arrived.¡± Raon smiled coldly while looking down at Resia. ¡°She didn¡¯tst that long.¡± Despite how confident she sounded, she couldn¡¯t put up with the torture for long and told him everything she knew. Uhh¡­ Wrath¡¯s lips were trembling in fear. Anyone who could endure that wouldn¡¯t be human. They would need to be a god or the demon god! ¡®Come on, it¡¯s not that bad.¡¯ The pain of digging into the skin, the itchiness, the heat and coldness, and you even added the pain of tearing under the skin on top of everything else! No one can endure that! He clutched his head, saying that even a demon wouldn¡¯t perform that kind of torture. Why did you even add the wind?! ¡®Because I wanted to try using the new thing I¡¯ve obtained.¡¯ Since his energy of wind was getting stronger, he added the pain of tearing under the skin to the torture. Resia was the first victim, and she ended up telling him everything before enough time had passed for a single meal, contrary to her bold ims. ¡°She said there are factories in Beshir Vige and Sofen City. And the Yuuha Company, which supposedly built the iron mine here, was the one providing the funds for them. That implies that they are on the same side.¡± Raon told Denzel everything he¡¯d heard from Resia. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Denzel gasped in disbelief, then spoke to his subordinate, saying, ¡°Siffin, you heard him.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Siffin was dumbfounded and nkly stared at Raon. ¡°I¡¯m going to quickly confirm that and return!¡± He ran outside after shouting that he would deliver the information to the ck Market. ¡°Did you find out who is behind that organization?¡± Denzel asked. ¡°¡­I shall figure that out now.¡± Raon walked up to Resia and ced his hand on her forehead. She was trembling like a sick person and exhaled a warm breath while going limp on the ground. ¡°Pl-please, please stop. Kill me instead, just kill me¡­¡± Resia¡¯s blue lips twitched as she shouted for him to kill her instead of torturing her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Denzel quietly groaned, while watching Resia¡¯s distorted eyes. ¡®What kind of torture could it be¡­?¡¯ An agent like that should¡¯ve been educated to endure the pain and torture. That was why her reaction was surprising. He was terrified by Raon¡¯s torture method, but he was curious at the same time. ¡°This is thest question.¡± Raon ced his finger on Resia¡¯s head. ¡®I won¡¯t hear the answer, though.¡¯ Since Resia had already told him about the other factories and thepany that ran them, there was only one question left to ask. He expected that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hear the response. ¡°Tell me the name of the one who ordered you to do this.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Resia looked like she would tell anything, but she closed her lips tightly. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started again.¡± Raon chuckled and focused his aura on his fingertip just as Resia quickly opened her mouth. ¡°He¡­ Aah!¡± She couldn¡¯t make any sound¡ªas if the silence spell had been cast on her. She opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish before she perished, her tongue poking out. Denzel gasped before he hurriedly approached and examined Resia¡¯s condition. ¡°Sh-she is dead. It looks like her brain melted¡­¡± He bit his lip tightly while watching the life drain from Resia¡¯s eyes. Raon looked down on Resia with bitterness hiding behind hisposure. ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯ Derus was still using the same method where the brainwashing came into action, melting the brain instead of the rage worm when she tried to mention his name. Derus was definitely a demon in human skin no matter how he thought about it. ¡°They are even more cruel than I thought.¡± Denzel¡¯s pale face revealed his immense shock. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap it up for now.¡± Raon removed all traces of aura remaining in Resia¡¯s body and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll remove the traces, so you should gather the documents from this ce. They are definitely going to be useful.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Denzel nodded and started to gather the documents and books that the necromancers had left behind. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking down at Resia¡¯s corpse. ¡®He must¡¯ve heard of it by now.¡¯ Derus must¡¯ve realized that all of them had died because of the rage worms. The incident wasn¡¯t simply about the death of the assassins. The locations of the other factories were also revealed, and thepany that was managing the finances was going to copse. That was why he was about to suffer a tremendous loss, both in terms of money and time. ¡®The dozens of years you¡¯ve spent ended up in vain.¡¯ Raon rolled his lips into a smile while imagining Derus¡¯s confident face being ruined. ¡®What¡¯s your next move, Derus Robert?¡¯ * * * Cubara was called for by Derus and went to the outer part of the great garden. ¡®I wonder what he called me for.¡¯ Derus never called on her when there were so many people around, and that was why there was definitely an issue if he went out of his way to call her. ¡®I received the report that the materials were delivered. Is it about Valmail¡¯s return? Or¡­¡¯ She approached Derus from behind while thinking about the potential issue and suddenly came to a halt. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The atmosphere around Derus was as cold as a frigid winter. She could feel the danger, realizing that her head was going to roll if she made the smallest movement. ¡°¡­You summoned me?¡± Cubara went on her knees while enduring the pain that felt like wires were tightening around her heart. ¡°Valmail, Resia, Shupel, and Juran have died.¡± Derus told her that everyone in the Deathbringer Revenant Factory had perished without even turning around. ¡°How could that be¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just those four. The signals from the Shadows there have all been lost.¡± Derus looked around as he spoke. His blue eyes looked peaceful at first, but she could feel a frightening amount of anger rampaging behind them. ¡°Does that mean that Valmail was tracked down¡­?¡± ¡°No, they must¡¯ve found the factory beforehand, and Valmail¡¯s arrival must¡¯ve ignited the fuse. If it had been a simple attack, Juran, Shupel, and Resia should¡¯ve survived at least.¡± Derus was analyzing the situation objectively even though he should¡¯ve been dizzy with panic. ¡°You are right, my lord.¡± Cubara slowly nodded. The Deathbringer Revenant Factory had an exit leading to theke. The fact that they couldn¡¯t escape from there implied that the enemies knew everything beforehand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Derus sighed in a frightening manner and took off his leather glove. Crimson blood was dripping from the back of his hand. ¡°Figure out the situation even if you have to send all the Shadows, agents, and warriors. Gather as much information as possible.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Cubara nodded while feeling like a de was touching her neck. ¡°I¡¯ll personally take action after that,¡± Derus dered, then went to the center of the great garden, where Lephon Robert¡¯s birthday party was in progress. ¡°Sir Derus, you must be happy. Your youngest son has an extraordinary talent.¡± The head of House Rashian walked up to him with a smile. It was one of the prestigious houses in the south. ¡°I¡¯m so jealous. All of your children are geniuses without exception.¡± ¡°He still has a long way to go. Please teach him a lot in the future, Sir Shikan.¡± ¡°Huhuhu, but of course!¡± Derusmunicated with the guests with an entertained smile even though he¡¯d learned about the incident in the Deathbringer Factory that he¡¯d been preparing for dozens of years. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cubara bit her lip while watching Derus¡¯s back. A chill ran down her spine. She was serving him with everything she had, but her fear only deepened as she looked at him. She closed her eyes in an attempt to remove the fear towards Derus and quietly disappeared out of sight. * * * The next day, Raon went to Haro Mountain¡¯s peak, where the iron mine was located. He concealed himself so that no one would find him and removed his presence to observe Capply Vige and Lake Bayon. You should go eat a proper meal since you are done. Why are you nibbling on beef jerky again while hiding? Wrath furrowed his brow in displeasure. ¡®It¡¯s not over yet. In a way, we can say that we are only getting started.¡¯ Considering Derus¡¯s personality, he should be dispatching agents to figure out the situation first, and then he was definitely going to personally arrive if he couldn¡¯t learn anything from that. ¡®You can pinpoint anyone¡¯s arrival in that vige, right?¡¯ Hmph, the King of Essence is the king of Devildom and the Monarch of Wrath! Nothing in the world can escape the King of Essence¡¯s senses from this distance! Wrath snorted, saying that he shouldn¡¯t ask an obvious question. ¡®In that case, can you tell me if a human Transcender enters that vige?¡¯ He doesn¡¯t want to. He shook his head firmly. Why would the King of Essence help you? You are just a hustler who loves to boast. ¡®I¡¯ll add one week to the period where I eat anything you want to after we return.¡¯ Two weeks! ¡®Ten days.¡¯ Deal! Wrath immediately nodded. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon honestly didn¡¯t want to use that method, but he had no other choice because other people¡¯s lives were also at stake. Hnng~ What shall he get this time? ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Raon watched the vige below while ignoring the demon king who was humming while thinking about food, and Denzel quietly approached from behind. ¡°We¡¯ve sent all the vigers to other locations.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t they against it?¡± ¡°Of course they were.¡± Denzel sighed quietly, implying that it was hard work. ¡°But the kidnapped warriors helped us a lot. We could get it done rtively quickly thanks to them.¡± He blinked, saying that the vigers decided to evacuate thanks to the testimony from the various warriors, including the one from House Sikern. ¡°What did you do with the corpses?¡± ¡°As you mentioned before, we¡¯ve identified them and contacted their families.¡± Denzel sighed, saying that their families wereing with a saddened voice. ¡°Because of that, the rumors about a secret organization making assassins from corpses have spread all around the continent. I doubt the secret organization in question is going to make any moves in this situation.¡± He tilted his head, unable to understand Raon¡¯s decision. ¡°They wille.¡± Raon nodded with certainty. Judging from Derus¡¯s personality, he was definitely going to personally arrive and determine whether or not the ck Market was really the perpetrator. It was necessary to prepare for it because the entire vige and the mountain could disappear from his fit of rage. ¡°Even if they don¡¯t, it¡¯s better to prepare.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Denzel awkwardly scratched his head. He quietly disappeared after telling him that he would make the preparations. Raon took an unappetizing loaf of bread from his subspace pocket after Denzel left. N-Nadine bread! Have you lost it again?! ¡®Nadine bread is the best type of rations during a stakeout.¡¯ But you said you would eat wherever the King of Essence wants! ¡®I said after we returned.¡¯ Ugh, eat the beef jerky instead! That¡¯s the least¡­ ¡®I already finished it all.¡¯ Then just eat dirt or grass! That¡¯s better than the weird bread you are holding! Wrath screamed, telling him to bite a rock instead of eating the Nadine bread. ¡®It tastes alright, though.¡¯ Your tongue is definitely petrified by a spell. ¡®You can say that again after we eat.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath and chewed the Nadine bread before he swallowed it. The mysterious sensation of chewing rubber spread all around his mouth, though it didn¡¯t taste that bad for him. He swallowed after properly chewing it, and his stomach was as full as if he had overeaten. Ugh¡­ Wrath copsed on his back with his eyes rolled back, deeply moved by the taste. Y-you are going to hell¡­ ¡®Maybe I am.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and didn¡¯t take his eyes off Capply Vige. One day had passed, and by the time the second day was over, a wind started to blow, as cold as a deadly de. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the ck shadow appearing in front of Lake Bayon. ¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯ Chapter 534 Chapter 534 A ck shadow wriggled like a swamp and took human form not muchter. It was the concealment technique used by the assassins from Shadow. Raon briefly licked his lips while watching ten assassins gathering in front of theke. ¡®Every single one of them is powerful.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t check out their auras because they were too far away, but their concealment technique and movements implied that they had reached a considerable level as assassins. ¡®They are the most powerful among those who came here so far.¡¯ He saw Shadows trying to enter the factory multiple times in the past two days of waiting, but those who¡¯d just arrived were the best among them. ¡®Which means¡­¡¯ Raon averted his gaze from the assassins who were about to go into theke and looked at the vige once again.¡®Derus will be here soon.¡¯ The objective of the assassins was to buy some time. They were definitely there to distract the ck Market¡¯s agents until Derus finished examining the factory. Raon twisted his lips while looking down at the factory. ¡®It looks like he still doesn¡¯t want to leave traces despite the urgency of the situation.¡¯ His fists were clenched before he knew it as he thought about that weasel¡¯s face. ¡®But it will be different this time.¡¯ Raon¡¯s trace didn¡¯t exist at all inside the Deathbringer Revenant Factory. A high-ranking magician had even twisted the flow of mana afterward, which was why even Derus wasn¡¯t going to learn anything there. ¡®He is going to think that I¡¯m making fun of him.¡¯ Derus was a level-headed person, but his rage tended to be uncontroble once he was provoked. Since dozens of years of effort and an astronomical amount of money were lost because of the Deathbringer Revenant Factory¡¯s destruction, even Derus was going to be enraged. ¡®And I¡¯ve already made all the necessary preparations for that.¡¯ Even though it might be impossible to perfectly reveal Derus¡¯s identity, he had prepared a method to stop his rampage and track him afterward. If everything went ording to n, it might be possible to disclose his true nature before long. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon was calming himself while double-checking his n, and Wrath opened his eyes with difficulty¡ªhaving fainted because of the rubber taste of the Nadine bread. H-he is here. ¡®What?¡¯ The one you are looking for is here. Wrath pointed at the factory with his round finger. ¡®I didn¡¯t feel anything, though.¡¯ He is on a whole different level from you, and he is concealing himself on top of that. That¡¯s why there¡¯s no way you¡¯d notice. Even the King of Essence almost missed him, to be honest. He furrowed his brow, saying that they were dealing with a dangerous man. ¡®Did he be even stronger?¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow and turned his eyes towards theke. The assassins gathering around it were making sounds on purpose and started to enter theke. ¡®They are buying time for Derus to investigate the factory.¡¯ Considering the fact that assassins had started making their move, Derus must¡¯ve already entered the factory just like Wrath had imed. [Vice squad leader.] Raon sent an aura message to Denzel, who was hiding nearby. [I think he is here.] Denzel nodded in acknowledgment and moved the ck Market¡¯s agents near theke. The ck Market heeded his order and attacked the assassins who were trying to enter theke, a battle breaking out. Raon entrusted the matter around theke to Denzel, focusing on the factory. ¡®I can¡¯t allow myself to be careless.¡¯ He had to keep paying attention because many people could end up dying if he missed Derus in his enraged state. He calmed himself with the Ring of Fire and focused on his aura perception. He covered his hands and feet with a small amount of aura in order to act at any moment. He was slowly increasing his focus while making the rings of fire resonate, and a man wearing a ck robe suddenly appeared in front of the factory. ¡®What?¡¯ He didn¡¯t even see how that happened. He couldn¡¯t even feel any flow of mana or wind, and it literally looked like he¡¯d just appeared. ¡®It¡¯s him¡­¡¯ He could tell just from looking at the silhouette of his robe. Derus Robert had definitely emerged after examining the factory. Raon bit his lip and put his hand into his subspace pocket. He swallowed nervously while touching an artifact and a re that he was going to use as soon as Derus started to act. However, Derus wasn¡¯t moving at all. He almost looked like he wasn¡¯t even breathing, as if he¡¯d turned into a stone statue. ¡®What¡¯s happening¡­?¡¯ Just like he was enraged on the ocean in the past, Derus should¡¯ve been trying to destroy the vige and kill all of the agents from the ck Market. However, he was standingpletely still, not even budging a finger. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, did he find traces of me? No, there¡¯s no way.¡¯ He had even gotten Wrath to confirm. He had left no trace inside the factory at all. All he had left was a few traces of sword strikes that he had carved on the wall on purpose to make fun of him. ¡®What are you even thinking?¡¯ Raon bit his lip and tried to suppress his pounding heart when Derus raised his head towards the sky. His eyes were revealed, and they were covered by something. Some kind of crimsonva was rampaging inside his blue eyes. ¡®He¡¯sing! He is definitely¡ªHuh?¡¯ He had clenched the hand holding the re when Derus suddenly disappeared. ¡®Where did he go? Did he go to theke?¡¯ Raon stood up while looking at theke. If Derus was trying to kill the people at theke, they weren¡¯t going tost even for a second. He had to fire the re to save the ck Market¡¯s agents. You don¡¯t need to fire it. Just as Raon was about to shoot the re toward the sky, Wrath raised his hand. He went back. ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ That man ran away. Wrath shook his head, telling him that Derus hadpletely left the area. ¡®How is that even possible¡­¡¯ Raon looked at the area around theke. The assassins from Shadow weren¡¯t attacking back anymore, instead focusing solely on running away. There was no way the assassins would be running away if Derus were still around. They were doing that because Derus was gone, just as Wrath had told him. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon couldn¡¯t hold back his surprise and let out a gasp. ¡®Did he really leave? Despite how crazy he is?¡¯ He was well aware because he¡¯d been with Derus for dozens of years. He was clearly level-headed, but whenever something he¡¯d been preparing for a long time was ruined, his brain just stopped functioning and he destroyed everything around him in a rage. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he¡¯d returned without doing anything. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, was he actually not angry?¡¯ No, that wasn¡¯t the case. His eyes were clearly showing an intense anger. Correct. Raon nodded nonchntly. His wrath even reached the King of Essence. However, he suppressed it and simply withdrew. He furrowed his brow while looking at the ce where Derus had stood. He must¡¯ve improvedpared to when we met him in the ocean¡ªboth in terms of might and mentality. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly and sat on the ground. ¡®Does heaven truly not exist?¡¯ He felt extremely ufortable hearing that the evil fiend who toyed with thousands, even tens of thousands of lives, had gotten stronger. If you really want to kill him, give your body to the King of Essence. He doesn¡¯t like his actions at all either. Wrath bobbed his plump hand. On top of taking away your food, he even toys with life. The King of Essence will personally kill him for you! He wagged his cotton candy tail in front of Raon as if he were making fun of him when messages suddenly appeared. [You¡¯ve seeded in perfectly assassinating your targets.] [All stats have increased by 12.] [Trait Backstab has increased in rank.] [Trait Divinity Blooming from the Underworld has increased in rank.] It was thete reward for assassinating the necromancers and assassins in the Deathbringer Revenant Factory. Huh? Wrath blinked while looking at the messages. H-how is this even happening? Why in the world are you giving him so much just because he carried out some assassination? He screamed, yelling that the system should learn to limit itself. However, there were still more messages toe. [The trait Envy¡¯s target was switched from Sheryl to Aries Zieghart. The growth of the space sword is elerated.] Why did it even change now?! ¡®It must be because I used the space sword.¡¯ When Resia had tried to make all of the Deathbringer Revenants self-destruct in the end, he used the principles of the space sword to shove the holy power into their bodies. He¡¯d admired Aries while using the space sword for the first time in his life, and that must¡¯ve been why the target of his envy was switched from Sheryl to Aries. Raon licked his lips in satisfaction while reading the message. ¡®That¡¯s even better for me.¡¯ He had pretty much finished understanding the principles of dual wielding that Sheryl had demonstrated to him, and all he needed to do was gain more proficiency. Learning Aries¡¯s space sword faster instead was going to be extremely helpful for future battles. Ugh¡­ ¡®Thank you, Wrath.¡¯ Raon patted Wrath¡¯s back as his jaw dropped. ¡®I might be able to reach him soon enough, thanks to you.¡¯ Argh! Shut up and prepare the meal! Spit out the food the King of Essence wants already! ¡®But you won¡¯t be able to taste it if I spit it out.¡¯ Just fucking eat it already! * * * Demron Vige Demron was a mid-sized vige in the southwest of the continent, one where farming herbs and fruits were the main source of ie. A man wearing a shadow like a robe suddenly appeared. ¡°Who are you over there?!¡± ¡°Take off your hood and disclose your identity!¡± Since it was ate hour, the soldiers guarding the entrance to the vige raised their long spears from above the iron fence. ¡°¡­ky.¡± The man in the robe murmured something in an extremely quiet voice without even looking at the soldiers. ¡°What are you saying right now?!¡± ¡°Take off your hood already!¡± The soldiers realized the strangeness of the situation and pointed their spears at him while the other soldiers under the fence ran towards the vige in order to bring other warriors. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The man in a ck robe slowly raised his head. His blue eyes were beautifully clear, yet a strange fire was flickering inside of them. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The soldiers dropped their long spears the moment they saw his eyes. Festering fear was consuming their minds. They couldn¡¯t even budge a finger, as if they were paralyzed. They finally heard the robed man¡¯s voice. ¡°Consider yourselves unlucky.¡± The iron fence shattered into pieces and disappeared with his frightening voice. The soldiers above it were no exception. They crumbled violently like autumn leaves. Two people¡¯s lives faded away into the darkness without even a scream. ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± ¡°An intruder! Ring the rm!¡± He could see the soldiers and warriors running towards him to protect the vige. They rushed at the robed man while holding swords and long spears in their hands. Swoosh! The robed man didn¡¯t even extend his hand, he simply walked forward. The warriors and soldiers trying to attack him were torn into pieces, not even leaving bones behind¡ªas if his heavy steps were the swamp of death. ¡°Uaaah!¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening¡­? Kuah!¡± The people behind the soldiers screamed upon seeing that their bodies were melting like snow, turning into a pool of blood and flowing on the ground. ¡°R-run away!¡± ¡°Escape from the vige!¡± ¡°Never look back!¡± The vigers realized that the robed man was an unbeatable monster and scattered in all directions while shouting for everyone to run away. The robed man didn¡¯t chase after the running people. He simply walked the path of blood and headed to the center of the vige. Whir! He extended his hand towards the night sky, and a strange resonance engulfed the vige. ¡°I just need to escape from here¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°W-wait a moment! Please¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The people trying to escape over the walls had to watch in horror as their own limbs were torn apart. It was as if a saw was cutting them off, and their lips were trembling in shock. They were ground into pieces and disappeared before they could even scream in fear and pain. Wham! Demron Vige had over a hundred years of history but became nothing but dust and disappeared in less than a minute. It looked too unreal to be a human¡¯s doing. It almost looked like an evil god was hammering down his judgment on innocent people. The robed man shook his hand to dust it off. Even though he¡¯d killed more than a hundred people, his leather gloves remained clean, without a single trace of blood. Even the wind stopped blowing, allowing the frightening silence to continue, and Cubaranded on the ground wearing a mask and ck outfit for night actions. ¡°There were no pursuers.¡± Cubara walked up to the robed man and bowed to him. ¡°The only traces left in the factory were mockeries.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The robed man, Derus Robert, looked around with an extremely cold gaze. Cubara shuddered before she knew it. ¡°They were provoking me, almost like they knew about me, about my personality. They seemed to be telling me to show my power.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cubara dared to meet Derus¡¯s eyes and swallowed nervously. He was right. If it had happened in the past, Derus would¡¯ve been enraged, obliterated the vige, and ughtered the ck Market¡¯s warriors hiding around it. However, he didn¡¯t yield to the provocation and only vented his anger aftering all the way to Demron Vige. He was even more terrifying than before. ¡°The ck Market couldn¡¯t have done this. There¡¯s definitely someone behind the scenes. And they know about me.¡± Derus raised his head towards the dim sky. He red at the sky with icy eyes and twisted lips. ¡°Find them. Find whoever was behind them even if you have to tear apart the ck Market.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Cubara voiced out the only response she was allowed to say. ¡°And cut off the connection with the other factories and the Yuuhapany.¡± ¡°Why should we¡­?¡± ¡°Since they found the factory at Capply Vige, they aren¡¯t safe either. You have to act as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Take care of the aftermath before you leave.¡± Derus ordered Cubara and the Shadows to clean up his mess and returned to the Robert domain on his own. The frightening atmosphere around him faded away as he approached the house, and his characteristic gentleness and kindness reced it. Once he arrived at the house, he went to the small training ground instead of returning to the mansion right away. The training ground was still bright, and his youngest son, Lephon Robert, was sweating as he practiced swordsmanship alongside the swordsmen who followed him. ¡°Huh? Father?!¡± Lephon lowered his sword upon finding Derus and ran towards him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I realized I forgot something.¡± Derus snapped his fingers with a gentle smile on his face. A blue dimension opened up in thin air, and an elegant red sword emerged from it. ¡°I forgot to give you your birthday present. I¡¯m sorry for beingte.¡± ¡°O-oh no, you didn¡¯t need to do that¡­¡± Despite what he said, Lephon couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the red sword. ¡°It¡¯s about time you get a proper sword for yourself.¡± Derus smiled and gave Lephon the red sword. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lephon smiled brightly and jumped into Derus¡¯s arms. ¡°Yes, let me hug you to my heart¡¯s content before you grow up even further.¡± Derus smiled brightly in return and hugged Lephon even more tightly. His glove was still clean as it rubbed his son¡¯s back. * * * Raon put himself together before heading to Denzel. ¡°Sir Raon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°What?¡± Denzel tilted his head, unable to understand what he was saying. ¡°He already came and left.¡± ¡°Wh-when¡­?¡± He blinked nkly. He looked like he didn¡¯t even see Derus when he was standing in front of the factory. ¡°He examined the entire factory before he left. I thought he was going to throw a fit, but he disappeared quietly.¡± Raon sighed and lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the n went awry.¡± ¡°N-not at all. We should be d since no one has died.¡± Denzel shook his hand, telling him to stop apologizing. ¡°Does that mean that this vige is safe now?¡± ¡°Yes, it should be fine.¡± Raon nodded while looking at Capply Vige and Lake Bayon. Considering the fact that Derus had left without doing anything, he shouldn¡¯t try to harm the vige again. ¡°Please call the vigers back.¡± ¡°That vige chief is finally going to stop nagging at me. I¡¯m so relieved.¡± Denzel smiled in relief. ¡°Thank you for your work.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully while thinking about the vige chief, Beruric, who was both affectionate and talkative. ¡°We are going to keep looking for them based on the information they left. What are you going to do now, Sir Raon?¡± ¡°Where is the Light Wind division and Lady Encia Yonaan right now?¡± Raon asked a question in return instead of responding. ¡°The Light Wind division is currently returning to Zieghart, and Lady Encia is at Zieghart already.¡± Denzel immediately told him about the Light Wind division and Encia¡¯s locations. He probably investigated them beforehand. ¡°In that case, I should also return home.¡± Raon sighed quietly while looking at the north. Ooh! Wrath, who¡¯d been frowning after the rewards, suddenly jumped up. Food! It¡¯s food time! Finally! The King of Essence¡¯s tongue had nothing but the disgusting taste of Nadine bread, but sweetness is finally visiting¡­ ¡®Please read the mood¡­¡¯ Chapter 535 Chapter 535 Raon spent the night in the lodgings Denzel prepared for him and headed to the stone stack in front of Haro Mountain. ¡®My mother and father wouldn¡¯t be buried here.¡¯ The stone stack was made tofort the victims of thendslide, and his mother and father from the previous life were in by Derus¡¯s subordinate while trying to escape with him. Since the cause of their death was obviously not andslide, they shouldn¡¯t be buried under the stone stack. However, he ended up going there because he couldn¡¯t look for them anywhere else. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed to vent his frustration and went to his knees. ¡®Our archenemy apparently became even more powerful. Reputation, strength, money, and even people¡­ There¡¯s not even a single aspect I surpass him in yet.¡¯ He delivered his thoughts while thinking about his mother and father, who couldn¡¯t even rest in peace from their worries about their young son.¡®But I have no intention of giving up.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist on his knee. ¡®Ten years or twenty years. No, even if it takes my entire life, I¡¯m going to reveal Derus Robert¡¯s viiny no matter what.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t simply saying that to his parents. It was a pledge made to himself, a resolution that he was going to never give up¡ªno matter what hardship awaited him. ¡®Please don¡¯t leave yet. Just wait a bit longer. I¡¯m going to bring that fiend¡¯s head here.¡± Raon put his hands together. It wasn¡¯t just for his parents. He prayed for the repose of everyone buried there who couldn¡¯t reveal the real reason for their death because of Derus and stood up afterward. ¡­¡­ Raon looked to the right. Wrath was quiet for once, his eyes closed. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ Can¡¯t you tell? He is paying respect to the deceased. Wrath furrowed his brow because Raon was asking the obvious question. Few people in this world obtain the death they desire, but they ended up with the worst end. They died in apletely unexpected way. He looked down at the stone stack bitterly. Differences in race don¡¯t matter since they are already dead. The King of Essence is also paying his respect. Raon smiled faintly while looking at Wrath, who became so quiet. ¡®The demon king is praying¡­¡¯ He said he was paying respect, but he looked like he was praying. He was showing a new side of himself all the time, like an onion that revealed a newyer over and over. Why are you smiling? That¡¯s unpleasant! Wrath shook his hand, showing his displeasure over Raon¡¯s smile. ¡®Is there anything you want to eat?¡¯ O-of course there is! Grilled salmon, grilled scallops, grilled whole pig, grilled dragon! ¡®All of it is grilled¡­¡¯ He wants something chewy because he only got beef jerky and Nadine bread! He licked his lips, saying that he was missing juicy meat. But why are you even asking when you aren¡¯t going to eat it anyway? Are you trying to make fun of the King of Essence¡­ ¡®I¡¯m going to eat them.¡¯ R-really? Then let¡¯s go right now¡­ ¡®Once we return home.¡¯ Raon shook his hand with a smile. There was no time to waste if he wanted to return at the same time as the Light Wind division. You damn bastards, seriously!!! ¡®You should¡¯ve listened until the end.¡¯ He returned to the vige while having a small argument with the extremely irritated Wrath. Denzel was waiting for him. ¡°So, you are leaving now.¡± ¡°I should return since it¡¯s all over.¡± ¡°Thank you for your work so far.¡± Denzel ced his right hand on his chest and carefully lowered his head. ¡°This was one of the most worthwhile missions I¡¯ve done so far. I was honored to work with you, White Sword Dragon.¡± His unwavering eyes implied that he was being sincere. ¡°The same goes for me.¡± Raon smiled faintly and bowed back to him. ¡°So, it should be fine to disclose this information about you now.¡± ¡°Information?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart, the Dragon yer. The name has only been circting in Aikar, but it¡¯s going to spread all around the continent now.¡± Denzel¡¯s face was slightly flushed in anticipation of his name being spread around the continent. ¡°See youter, Dragon yer.¡± He quietly disappeared after calling him the White Sword Dragon at first, and Dragon yer in the end. The ck Market¡¯s agents nearby also bowed to him at the same time and disappeared. Screw the Dragon yer! He¡¯s not even a Dragon yer since he didn¡¯t even eat a whole dragon, unlike the King of Essence! That name is wasted on you! Of course, Wrath had to interfere because he couldn¡¯t read the mood. ¡®That might be true.¡¯ Raon chuckled and was about to leave Capply Vige when the vige chief walked up to him from the other side. ¡°Did youe to sightsee around the vige?¡± The vige chief tilted his head, unable to recognize Raon¡¯s different disguise. He had more wrinkles than before, implying that he¡¯d been suffering a lot mentally. ¡°Yes. I dropped by on my way.¡± Raon nodded while looking at the vige chief¡¯s exhausted face. ¡°What you are seeing right now isn¡¯t what our vige usually is like.¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Some demonic people were apparently experimenting with necromancy while hiding in our vige. The heroes said they got rid of them all, so it should be restored soon enough.¡± The vige chief had called the ck Market¡¯s agents shameless robbers at first, but he was praising them as heroes now. ¡°You will be able to see our vige¡¯s usual appearance if you visit again. Make sure toe back!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon smiled while looking at the wrinkles around the vige chief¡¯s eye. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be back.¡± * * * Rumble! The vibrations starting from Glenn¡¯s throne were making the entire lord¡¯s manor tremble, not just the audience chamber. Instead of dust falling from the ceiling, small cracks started to appear on walls and floor. ¡°My lord.¡± Roenn walked up to Glenn¡¯s throne and bowed to him. ¡°Many swordsmen are terrified by the earthquakes nowadays. We are even getting fissures on the ramparts and the ground, so please be patient.¡± He sighed while looking at Glenn¡¯s leg, which was affecting the entirety of Zieghart. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and made his left leg stop. ¡°I know, I really do, but¡­¡± He bit his lip while sweeping his disheveled hair back. ¡°We aren¡¯t making any contact at all! We have no news whatsoever since the bit about him sessfully ying Kaibar!¡± Glenn twisted his lips, and his leg started to shake once again. ¡°Maybe I should just go look for him instead¡­¡± ¡°He must be resting after ying the dragon. He should be back soon.¡± Glenn stood up and was about to leave, and Roenn hurriedly shook his head. ¡°In that case, he should send a message. Sylvia ising here every day, and I don¡¯t have any excuse to refuse her anymore.¡± Glenn sighed, showing his fear of facing Sylvia. ¡°This is frustrating.¡± He shook his head and took out a booklet from his clothes. He opened the book and started to slowly read it, and his face finally started to look calmer. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Roenn breathed out a sigh of relief upon seeing the book he was holding. Since he was reading Raon''s gospel, his rampage should stop for a while. ¡®But he really has changed a lot.¡¯ No one would ever imagine that the Destructive King of the North, who was arguably the strongest in the continent, would be calming himself down while reminding himself of what his grandson had said. To be honest, he looked more like the strongest doting grandfather than the strongest on the continent. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Roenn lowered his head at Glenn upon noticing the sounding from outside the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°The Light Wind division seems to have returned.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn slowly nodded and returned Raon¡¯s gospel to his clothes. ¡°I should feel better after seeing them. Bring them in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roenn smiled and left the audience chamber. * * * The Light Wind division checked their attire while standing in front of the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°I¡¯m nervous because it¡¯s been such a long time.¡± Burren swallowed nervously and fiddled with his sleeves. ¡°Why would you be afraid when we did nothing wrong?¡± Martha furrowed her brow with her hands ced on her waist, asking what he was so afraid of. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I¡¯m just nervous.¡± ¡°Nervous? Look at her.¡± She pointed at Runaan, who was standing nkly next to her. ¡°You should be thoughtless like her sometimes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Runaan was staring nkly at the sky. She really looked like she wasn¡¯t thinking at all. ¡°But she¡¯s going too far. Shake the dust off at least instead of standing still like that.¡± Burren walked up to Runaan and brushed the dust and snow from her shoulder. ¡°I want ice cream,¡± Runaan quietly sighed. ¡°I knew you were going to say that.¡± ¡°With everyone here and Raon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Martha closed her mouth. She was also reminded about Raon and bit her lip slightly. ¡°Seriously, division leader. Where is he?¡± Burren walked up to Rimmer and frowned. ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t know either,¡± Rimmer said as he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°What?¡± ¡°But you said you knew!¡± ¡°You told us he is doing fine!¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan rushed at Rimmer and held him by his cor at the same time. ¡°I did that to reassure you. He should be fine. It¡¯s just like the saying, ¡®No news is good news¡¯.¡± Rimmer scratched the back of his head and smiled cheerfully. He was taking Raon¡¯s well-being so lightly, as if he¡¯d been with him all along and only got separated recently. ¡°How could you do that?!¡± ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Are we really serving this as our division leader?¡± The other Light Wind swordsmen also ran up to him and grabbed Rimmer¡¯s hair and clothes to start shaking them. ¡°W-wait! Don¡¯t be like this¡­¡± Rimmer started to be afraid of them and hurriedly shook his hand just as Roenn walked out of the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, everyone.¡± Alongside his gentleughter, he lowered his head at the Light Wind division. ¡°The head of house is waiting. Please enter, everyone.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer escaped to Roenn¡¯s side without missing the opportunity when everyone was distracted. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We can¡¯t make the head of house wait!¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t done yet.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s continue after the audience.¡± Burren and Martha ground their teeth while raising their fists. ¡°You are so dead.¡± Runaan also pouted while looking at Rimmer. Rimmer got right next to Roenn without even fixing his disheveled attire and hair. ¡°By the way, I noticed some fissures on the ramparts and buildings. Was there an earthquake or something?¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn guided Rimmer and the Light Wind division to the audience chamber with his usualughter instead of answering his question, then opened the door for them. Wham! The noble metallic gate separated and the audience chamber could be seen. Golden sunlight shone upon the pirs, surging like spears of a giant, and created a majestic and mysterious sight. However, the most noticeable part of the room was Glenn, who was sitting at the center. His eyes, even redder than the sun, were emanating a powerful spirit capable of crushing the entire world. ¡°He¡¯s acting cool once again,¡± Rimmer sighed quietly and gestured with his chin to the Light Wind division behind him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Unlike him, the Light Wind division entered the room while feeling so pressured that their heavy limbs felt like they weren¡¯t their own anymore. ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± Following Rimmer¡¯s greeting, the Light Wind division went on their knees and lowered their heads. ¡°Stand up, everyone.¡± As Glenn gestured with his hand, Rimmer and the Light Wind division raised their heads and straightened their backs. Glenn was looking at Burren, who was standing right behind Rimmer. ¡°Burren.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Burren¡¯s voice was jumping because he didn¡¯t expect to be called. ¡°Is your left eye okay?¡± ¡°I-I had some headaches at first because my vision improved too much, but I¡¯ve gotten used to it now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel any evil from it, but we don¡¯t know where it came from. You might find yourself in danger if youpletely trust that eye, so you shall always consider all possibilities and make the best decision for the situation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind!¡± Burren took Glenn¡¯s advice to his heart and raised his chin. ¡°Runaan.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze was directed at Runaan, who was standing on Burren¡¯s right side. ¡°Do you feel any pain from the injury in your abdomen and thigh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine now,¡± Runaan replied casually and nodded, just like when she was dealing with anyone else. ¡°You don¡¯t need to sacrifice yourself in order to protect others. You should think deeply about what you can do¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Her short response almost felt like she was taking him lightly, but her clear eyes implied that she was thinking about Glenn¡¯s advice. ¡°Martha.¡± Glenn lowered his eyes and called Martha¡¯s name. ¡°You seemed to be concerned about the fact that you couldn¡¯t help yourpanions.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Martha bit her lip after looking at Burren and Runaan one after the other. ¡°I believe I should bear the burden for the rest of my life since mypanions could¡¯ve died while protecting me.¡± ¡°That would be disrespectful towards yourpanions.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°What you need to do in the future is to act like always and put yourpanions ahead of yourself when danger arrives, just like they did for you. Companions are not indebted to one another.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± She nodded, saying that she would protect everyone at the cost of her life. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian trembled intensely as he nodded upon being called after the other three. ¡°Rimmer¡¯s report stated that you are the biggest coward in the Light Wind division.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true.¡± Dorian lowered his eyes while admitting that he was a coward. ¡°No coward in the world puts others before themselves. If you risked your life for the sake of yourpanions, you aren¡¯t a coward.¡± Glenn respectfully lowered his chin while looking at Dorian. ¡°You¡¯ve grown, Dorian Sephia.¡± ¡°Ah, erm¡­¡± Dorian was unable to respond. He hung his head with trembling shoulders. Glenn continued topliment and advise every single person from the Light Wind division afterward. ¡°Mark Goetten.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mark Goetten was thest one to be nominated. He stepped forward and lowered his head. ¡°This world has always been unfair. The wall of martial arts is even thicker than a mountain for some people while being thinner than a piece of paper for others. If you are too concerned about others, you will miss the precious thing inside you. You should solely focus on yourself instead of others in the future and keep progressing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Mark Goetten ced his hand on his chest and nodded. ¡°Erm¡­¡± Rimmer grinned and pointed at himself with his finger. ¡°Is there anything for me?¡± ¡°About you¡­¡± Glenn frowned intensely just as a knock could be heard from the door. ¡°Enter.¡± ¡°We have a guest who visited to see you, my lord. What should I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to the Light Wind division right now, so call on themter.¡± ¡°Understood. Then what about having some tea with me¡­?¡± Roenn smiled cheerfully, d about his response, and was about to close his door. ¡°Hmm?¡± Glenn furrowed his brow while looking at Roenn¡¯s behavior. ¡®Tea?¡¯ Roenn looked like a kind person, but it was rare for him to have tea with others. ¡°Wait a moment, who is the visitor?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Roenn poked his head back out and lowered his eyebrows. ¡°The Light Wind vice division leader has returned.¡± ¡°L-let him in! Tell him to enter right now!¡± ¡°Raon?¡± ¡°Is Raon here?¡± Glenn stuttered for the first time and hurriedly waved his hand. Rimmer and the Light Wind division were also surprised and turned back. ¡°What a shame.¡± Roenn smiled and opened the audience chamber¡¯s door. Rumble! A man wearing a ck robe was standing next to Roenn. He took off the robe, and blond hair even brighter than the sunlight engulfing the audience chamber fluttered in the air, a nose as straight as a de revealed as he did. A smile formed gently around his mouth in contrast to his ragged uniform, making it impossible to take one¡¯s eyes off him. Step. Raon met the Light Wind division¡¯s eyes one after the other as they looked at him and walked forward steadily. He stood behind Rimmer and knelt before Glenn. ¡°Greetings, my¡­¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± Glenn shook his hand, telling him that the formality was unnecessary. ¡°What have you even been doing toe back sote?!¡± His reddened face made it look like he was angry. ¡°I was dropped at a corner of the Owen Kingdom when the barrier was destroyed, and my aunt rescued me. We went out to the ocean while I was unconscious¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Glenn¡¯s lips turned blue¡ªas if they were frozen. ¡°Wh-what did you say just now?!¡± ¡°What? I said that we went out to the ocean.¡± Raon blinked while looking at Glenn. ¡°Before that part!¡± ¡°The barrier was destroyed, and I was dropped at a corner of the Owen Kingdom¡ª¡± ¡°After that part!¡± ¡°My aunt rescued¡­¡± ¡°Aunt¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s hand trembled as he held onto the throne. The audience chamber started to tremble¡ªno, the entire lord¡¯s manor was shaking. ¡°Did you just say aunt???¡± Chapter 536 Chapter 536 Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the trembling ground, which looked like it was about to explode, and Glenn¡¯s eyes, which were glowing in anger. ¡®It was my mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have called her aunt here.¡¯ He was just a coteral, not a direct line. It was normal for Glenn to be so furious because he¡¯d called Aries his aunt even though she held the highest rank among the direct lines. ¡®Her prank is still bearing its result.¡¯ After Aries was called ¡®auntie¡¯ for the first time, she kept visiting Raon every hour to force him to call him auntie until he was tired of it. Because he kept repeatedly saying auntie so many times in that short time, he got so used to saying that. You idiot. Wrath giggled while watching Glenn¡¯s reddened face. That¡¯s why we should¡¯ve gone to eat instead ofing here.¡®There¡¯s no way I can do that.¡¯ Raon sighed while pushing away Wrath as he flew around while making fun of him. ¡°Aunt?¡± ¡°Did you have an aunt?¡± Runaan and Martha tilted their heads, surprised by the mention of his aunt. ¡°The vice squad leader¡¯s aunt would be¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s from our house!¡± ¡°But who would be that aunt¡­ Ah! Could it be?!¡± ¡°Lady Aries?¡± The Light Wind division gasped upon remembering Glenn¡¯s first daughter, Aries. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Raon, surprised by the mention of Aries. ¡°Aunt. Aunt, you said¡­¡± Glenn bit his dry lip tightly, even more irritated by the Light Wind division mentioning the aunt. ¡°Please excuse me. I made a mistake.¡± Raon knelt in front of Glenn and lowered his head. ¡®What I did was something that the head of house hates the most.¡¯ Toeing the line was extremely important for Glenn. Even though he got slightly closer to him from eating and training together, Raon was still not a direct line. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t call Aries his aunt. ¡°¡­You are well aware.¡± Glenn nodded while looking at him coldly. ¡°You should be careful in the future.¡± He sighed deeply, as if he were forgiving him just once. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon lowered his head once again before he stood up. ¡°Haah¡­¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± He looked behind him upon hearing the sighs and saw Rimmer and Roenn shaking their heads while covering their foreheads. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Before he had time to think about why they were acting that way, Glenn called him once again, so he looked above the tform. ¡°Report what you¡¯ve been doing from the start of the mission.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded and took a step forward. ¡°After the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader suddenly started their assault, I, along with the Light Wind division, destroyed the city¡¯s rampart in order to save the civilians¡­¡± He told him everything that had happened so far, except for the parts where he summoned Wrath and destroyed Derus¡¯s factory with the ck Market. Hey, man! Wrath red at him while hitting his shoulder. Why are you skipping the King of Essence¡¯s deeds? Tell him that he pulled the head of that weakling off and even treated those men! ¡®Please be quiet!¡¯ Raon rapidly pped away Wrath because he was interfering once again without reading the mood. ¡°Y-you¡¯ve in a dragon?!¡± ¡°Kaibar, that¡¯s the mad dragon who supposedly destroyed more than five cities!¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°How did you even y a dragon in that short time?!¡± The Light Wind division¡¯s astonishment was revealed in their eyes because they¡¯d never imagined that Raon would hunt down a dragon. ¡°Hah, seriously¡­¡± ¡°Raon, damn handsome!¡± Martha shook her head upon hearing his ridiculous story, and Runaan happily clenched her small fist. ¡°Uah¡­¡± Burren¡¯s reaction was especially violent. His chin trembled as he pointed his finger at Raon. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Glenn nodded calmly without being surprised at all, probably because Aries had told him about it before. ¡°You should¡¯ve been aware that Chamber¡¯s ring had two different abilities.¡± ¡°Yes, I knew.¡± ¡°The first one consists of sending someone else to a location you know about, and the second summons someone you know to your location. Why didn¡¯t you summon me there?¡± Despite his expectations, Glenn didn¡¯t ask about the dragon but the incident before then. ¡°I thought that the Light Wind division was going to die if I summoned you, my lord, even though I would be saved.¡± Raon said exactly what he¡¯d thought back then. ¡°The team leaders, Mark Goetten, and Dorian were in such serious conditions that even your arrival wouldn¡¯t have saved them.¡± ¡°You were bounced away when the barrier was destroyed, but you were lucky. You would¡¯ve died if anything went slightly differently.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t consider my life important back then. I was just fixated on saving them.¡± The Light Wind division hung their heads while biting their lips or clutching their chests as they listened to Raon. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn slowly nodded and looked at Dorian. ¡°Dorian Sephia.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Dorian straightened his neck even though his shoulders were trembling. ¡°Weren¡¯t you afraid of Orgos?¡± ¡°I-I was afraid of him. My tongue wouldn¡¯t even move as it should.¡± ¡°Then why did you lie to him and im that you were Raon?¡± ¡°I was afraid of dying, but having Sir Raon die was even more fr-frightening.¡± Dorian rubbed his belly pocket with two hands and continued, ¡°I thought I¡¯d rather die myself and forced myself to speak.¡± ¡°Everyone seems to agree with you.¡± Glenn nodded, taking that response as the entire Light Wind division¡¯s response rather than just Dorian¡¯s. ¡°What do you think the condition to be truepanions is?¡± No one responded to his question. ¡°It¡¯s whether you can prioritize yourpanion¡¯s life over yours. This doesn¡¯t happen from simply spending a long time together. You need trust between people for it to happen. It¡¯s such a difficult feat, yet you¡¯ve achieved it at your young age.¡± Glenn¡¯s voice had a hint ofughter in it. It was the softest voice that Raon had ever heard from him. ¡°You brought glory to Zieghart¡¯s name during the Five Divine Orders¡¯ festival, rescued the civilians from the attack of Five Demons, and fought for yourpanions with your lives on the line. Everyone in the Light Wind division shall be bestowed with a golden tablet and a high-grade elixir!¡± Glenn was looking at the Light Wind division with warmth instead of the usual boredom in his eyes. ¡°E-everyone in the Light Wind division?¡± ¡°Are we really also getting a golden tablet?¡± ¡°I-is that even possible?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the first time that the entire division was rewarded with a golden tablet?¡± The Light Wind division¡¯s jaws dropped, surprised by the abundant reward of a golden tablet each. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon also gasped because it was far more than he¡¯d expected. ¡®But is this really going to be fine?¡¯ He could clearly see that the pce masters were going to shout that it couldn¡¯t happen, but Glenn shook his hand towards Roenn with nonchnt eyes, implying that he¡¯d already made up his mind. The man called the Destructive King of the North must¡¯ve been a lot moodier than he¡¯d expected. ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡± Roenn went on the tform, holding arge te in his hands. ¡°Raon Zieghart, step forward.¡± Raon looked behind him. He met the eyes of Martha, Runaan, Burren, and everyone in the Light Wind division before he walked up to Glenn¡¯s throne. ¡°You should be well aware that you were lucky even if I don¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t always be lucky on the battlefield. You should think carefully about what you should do next time if the same thing happens next time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± Glenn nodded at him as an expression of his trust and gave him the golden tablet and elixir that Roenn had delivered to him. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about ying the mad dragonter.¡± He shook his hand, gesturing for him to go back down. ¡°Thank you.¡± Argh! Raon bowed politely to Glenn, and Wrath started to rampage again. Why is the King of Essence not getting anything?! The King of Essence was the one who killed them all and healed them all! ¡®I¡¯ll give you food! You got it!¡¯ Just like silencing a puppy by telling them about food, Raon tried to convince Wrath as he went down the tform. ¡°Burren Zieghart, step forward.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Burren was nkly staring at Raon and hurriedly went onto the tform. His gaze and reaction were strange for some reason. Huhu. Wrath giggled while watching Burren. ¡®Why are youughing now?¡¯ Something interesting is going to happen soon. He rolled his lips into a smile while watching Burren¡¯s back. His smile was filled with cunning and anticipation at the same time. ¡®Haa.¡¯ Raon shook his head and looked up at the tform. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± Burren bit his lip tightly, deeply moved by getting a golden tablet for the first time, and bowed to Glenn. ¡°I¡¯ll show you my improvement in the future.¡± On the other hand, Martha was brimming with confidence as she took the golden tablet and elixir, as if she was getting what she deserved. ¡°Is there any sweet elixir?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have anything like that.¡± Runaan wasn¡¯t too interested in the golden tablet, instead asking for a cold and sweet elixir. After that, everyone in the Light Wind division¡ªincluding Dorian, Krein, and Mark Goetten¡ªreceived a golden tablet and an elixir. It was fine for the golden tablet, but the fact that he was handing out an elixir suitable for each member of the Light Wind division implied that he¡¯d prepared in advance. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Yua and Yulius were thest ones to receive the golden tablet. They gave him a big nod before going down the tform. ¡°You¡¯ve done an excellent job living up to the name of Zieghart¡¯s swordsman. Leave now and get some rest.¡± Glenn nodded at the Light Wind division before he supported his chin on his fist. His eyes were filled with boredom. The ceremony seemed to be over. Wham! Roenn had moved to the back before they knew it and opened therge door for them. The Light Wind division quietly leaned forward before leaving the audience chamber one after the other. ¡°W-wait?!¡± Rimmer pointed at himself with his finger and blinked. ¡°You didn¡¯t give me anything though?¡± He shouted that he didn¡¯t get any rewards, but no one cared about him. ¡°Wait, you said that you were giving them to everyone in the Light Wind division! I¡¯m also part of the Light Wind division! Wait, I¡¯m the division leader!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Light Wind division covered their ears as they left the audience chamber, and Glenn ignored him. ¡°Erm, my lord.¡± Raon was about to leave after everyone else but turned around to look at Glenn. ¡°Yes, Raon! You tell him!¡± Rimmer shook his fist, asking him to say something for him. ¡°I heard from Lady Aries that you fended off the Holy Sword Alliance master and the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader on your own. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond, and the fist supporting his chin started to tremble. He covered his mouth with his trembling hand. ¡®Why does he look so displeased¡­?¡¯ You idiot! Wrath smacked Raon¡¯s head. That geezer¡¯s realm has transcended the species. Of course he would feel unpleasant because he is being looked down upon! Why don¡¯t you realize the obvious thing?! ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Raon was about to apologize once again when Glenn nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He shook his hand, gesturing for him to leave. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon bowed before he left the audience chamber. ¡°Hey!¡± Rimmer shouted into nothingness while watching the closing door. ¡°Why are you ignoring me?! Am I invisible to you?!¡± * * * The audience chamber was quiet after the Light Wind division left. However, Glenn, Rimmer, and Roenn¡ªwho stayed behind¡ªwere all frowning. ¡°Hmmph¡­¡± Glenn rolled his lips into a deep smile while hiding the lower part of his face with hisrge hand. ¡®I don¡¯t even remember thest time someone worried about me.¡¯ Probably because of his name as the Destructive King of the North and position as Zieghart¡¯s head of house, no one had ever worried about his condition for a long time. Someone did that after such a long time, and it was Raon. He felt like all of the worries, anger, and fatigue he¡¯d umted so far were all being washed away. ¡®But ¡®aunt¡¯ is still¡­¡¯ Rimmer had taken away the first drink with Raon, but he wanted to be the second person to be called family after Sylvia since he would never do that to others. However, just like a neer outshining an old guard, Aries came out of nowhere and took away the title of being the second person to be called family. Glenn was still angry about it, and his hands and feet were shaking. ¡°Call Aries right now. Tell her that I¡¯m going to her if she doesn¡¯te this time.¡± ¡°Before that!¡± Rimmer sighed and walked up to Glenn. ¡°Why did you tell him not to call her aunt earlier?¡± ¡°That¡¯s of course not allowed!¡± Glenn shook his head, saying that he would never ept that. ¡°I¡¯m not being called grandfather, so how could I bear Aries being called aunt? I won¡¯t allow that to happen!¡± He furrowed his brow, saying that he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it no matter what happened. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Rimmer and Roenn sighed at the same time. ¡°If that was the issue, you should¡¯ve told him to call you grandfather instead of forbidding him from calling her aunt! Argh! This is so frustrating!¡± Rimmer pounded his chest while looking up at Glenn. ¡°I thought about it, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s a bit embarrassing to tell him to call me grandfather myself.¡± Glenn averted his gaze to the right in embarrassment. ¡°M-my lord¡­¡± ¡°Why would you even be shy about it when he¡¯s your grandson and you are his grandfather?!¡± Roenn and Rimmer shook their heads, unable toprehend his thought process. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer caught his breath and asked Glenn, ¡°You were called grandfather by Burren before, right?¡± ¡°Yes. He has called me grandpa ever since he was a child.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same. There¡¯s nothing embarrassing about it since it¡¯s only natural to do so. Just tell him already! Tell him that he can call you grandfather now!¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Glenn briefly cleared his throat and touched the throne¡¯s armrest. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to be called that naturally¡­¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to die from old age while waiting for that to happen! No, I¡¯m going to die from frustration instead! Arrgh!¡± Rimmery down on the floor and started to scream. ¡°Huhuhu!¡± Roennughed like always and closed his eyes. He looked like he had just given up. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn bitterly licked his lips while watching Rimmer writhe on the ground and Roenn continueughing. ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± * * * Raon smiled with pride and joy while examining the Light Wind division from behind. ¡®All of them got stronger.¡¯ Burren, Martha, and Runaan had be Masters, Dorian and the vice team leaders had reached the Master¡¯s wall, and all the team members had reached the highest level of Expert. It wasn¡¯t because they experienced death. They achieved that growth because they¡¯d been training to the best of their abilities after they¡¯d recovered from their injuries. ¡®And¡­¡¯ He looked at Mark Goetten¡¯s back where he was walking right in front of him. He managed to break through the thick wall of despair and confidently reached the intermediate Master¡¯s realm. Watching his confident steps reminded him of their first encounter and brought a smile to his face. ¡°Raon¡­¡± While Raon was rejoicing in the Light Wind division¡¯s growth, Burren came next to him. ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy our reunion after we leave the lord¡¯s manor.¡± ¡°Yes, I know about that, but¡­¡± Burren rubbed his temple with an ufortable expression on his face. ¡°Did something happen to you? You are being strange today.¡± His brow was furrowed in a serious expression. He looked like he had even forgotten the joy of being rewarded with a golden tablet. ¡°Wh-what the hell is that?¡± Burren pointed at the back of Raon¡¯s hand, where nothing existed. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Raon tilted his head while looking at the back of his hand. ¡°The blue thing floating above your hand. What is that¡­?¡± Raon realized he wasn¡¯t talking about the back of his hand. Burren was pointing precisely at the location where Wrath was floating. The blue eye that Wrath had given him was shining brilliantly. ¡°¡­No way, can you see this?¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled while he looked at Burren¡¯s odd eyes. ¡°I knew it!¡± Burren clenched his fist while looking at Wrath. ¡°He was dancing and rampaging in the audience chamber, but no one realized it! I thought I was insane!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon finally understood why Burren was looking strange all along. It was only natural for him to make that face after cotton candy suddenly appeared and started to rampage. ¡°What the hell is that? A monster?¡± Uhuhu! You insignificant shitty eyes, the King of Essence¡­ ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just cotton candy.¡± Raon swallowed Wrath, who was about to introduce himself. You crazy bastard! ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Burren¡¯s eyes were shivering. ¡°¡­protruding from your cheek right now.¡± Kyahahaha! Wrath giggled while covering his plump belly. You asked earlier why he was smiling, didn¡¯t you? It was because of this! He pointed at Burren¡¯s blue eye and raised his chin. The King of Essence incorporated the pure energy of wrath inside the shitty eye of Shitty Eyes. Since he was bestowed with his blessing, it¡¯s only natural that he can see him! ¡®So it wasn¡¯t a coincidence after all.¡¯ There¡¯s no such thing as coincidence when the King of Essence is involved! Everything is thoroughly calcted! Wrath bobbed his finger at Burren, telling him to feel the greatness of the monarch of Wrath. The King of Essence is the monarch of Wrath, the king of Devildom! The King of Essence saved your lives and treated you! Tell everyone about his existence right now! He opened his plump arms while pretending to be dignified. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, Burren stared nkly at Wrath without saying anything. ¡°He is pretty good at dancing.¡± He apuded instead while smiling like he found Wrath cute. Wh-what?! Why aren¡¯t you reacting to the King of Essence¡¯s words?! Tell everyone about his existence right now and offer him food! Wrath widened his mouth as much as possible and shouted, but Burren kept blinking while watching him like a mysterious creature. H-how is this happening¡­? ¡®Hey.¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow, looking at him like he was something pathetic. ¡®What you made him was an eye, right?¡¯ Can¡¯t you tell just by looking at it?! ¡®What does an eye do?¡¯ It looks, of course! ¡®That¡¯s why Burren can see you, but he can¡¯t hear you. Because you did nothing to his ears.¡¯ Huh? Erm¡­ Ah! Arrgh! Wrath started to scream while looking at Burren¡¯s ears. The ears haven''t changed! ¡®Nice calctions there, great monarch of Wrath¡­¡¯ Chapter 537 Chapter 537 Raon smiled while tapping on Wrath¡¯s head as he went limp. ¡°He is my pet spirit.¡± ¡°A-a pet spirit?¡± Burren widened his eyes while looking at Wrath. ¡°I happened to meet him during the dragon hunt. He is the ocean spirit, as you can see from his blue color.¡± A-a spirit? And a pet on top of that? You crazy nutcase! How dare you refer to the king of Devildom, the monarch of Wrath as a stinky spirit? Do you have a death wish¡ª Wrath shouted with his face turned red. ¡°Huh? He¡¯s dancing.¡± Shitty Eyes! Open your shitty eyes! This isn¡¯t a dance, it¡¯s a shout of wrath!¡°But he¡¯s reddening a bit.¡± ¡°He must be excited because he is happy to meet you.¡± Raon told him that Wrath was being happy, which was the opposite of his reaction. ¡°He is pretty cute now that I look at him. He¡¯s a spirit indeed.¡± Burren tried to pet Wrath as he rampaged, but his hand only stroked the thin air. Uaaaah! Wrath mmed on his chest like a drum. He¡¯d said he was dying from frustration, and he seemed to be trying to end himself. ¡°Why am I the only one who can see this spirit while the others didn¡¯t even notice?¡± ¡°I wonder. Maybe only the kindhearted ones can see it. Or it might be because of your new eye.¡± Raon smiled and glossed over his question. ¡°My eye! Yes, that might be the case. The head of house also said that this eye is special.¡± Burren nodded while touching his blue eye. That¡¯s right! Shitty Eyes! Please think with your brain. The King of Essence is the one who imnted that eye in you! Ignore this fiend and be the King of Essence¡¯s follower! Wrath ran up to Burren and shouted at him toe back to his senses. ¡°What is this spirit saying right now?¡± ¡°He says that he wants to get along with you.¡± Raon smiled while leading Burren to believe that Wrath was a simple spirit. ¡°I see, let¡¯s get along in the future!¡± Burren smiled while tapping on Wrath¡¯s round hand. H-he is seriously dying from the frustration! H-he can¡¯t even breathe¡­ On the other hand, Wrath started to foam from his mouth and subsided. ¡°Is he okay? He is foaming.¡± Burren¡¯s hand trembled, worried about Wrath. ¡°He is an ocean spirit. He is greeting you with bubbles because he is d to meet you.¡± Raon smiled while popping the bubblesing from Wrath¡¯s mouth with his finger. ¡°Ah!¡± Burren epted that as a fact while saying, ¡°I see!¡± Hey! Shitty Eyes! Look with those shitty eyes of yours! How does this even look like a greeting to you?! Wrath suddenly stood up even though he was fainting. He frantically shook his arms, pleading for him to understand him. ¡°He is really good at dancing. I can feel his emotions!¡± Burren apuded while believing that Wrath¡¯s gesture was a dance. ¡°Isn¡¯t it great? Little spirit.¡± Raon petted Wrath¡¯s head and smiled gently at him. ¡°You¡¯ve got a new friend.¡± Arrrgh, you are definitely going to get a divine punishment¡­ Wrath got so angry that he copsed on his back with his eyes rolled backward. ¡°What is he doing this time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a diving game. He is still young, you see.¡± ¡°So cute.¡± Burren smiled while watching Wrath¡¯s unconscious, spasming body. ¡®No one will think that he is a demon king because of his cuteness.¡¯ Wrath in his cotton candy form was pretty cute, objectively and subjectively. His cute appearance, with his googly eyes attached to his plump body, made Burren believe that he really was an ocean spirit. ¡°Please keep it a secret that you can see him.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because we are the only ones who can see him right now. Other people would call us crazy if we told them about it.¡± ¡°Hmm, okay.¡± Burren nodded, thinking that it was an appropriate reason. Raon kept walking while talking with him, and he was outside the lord¡¯s manor before he knew it. ¡°Why do you keep whispering to each other? What are you even talking about?!¡± Martha frowned with her arms crossed in displeasure. ¡°Come out already,¡± Runaan said, waving her hand at them. Raon smiled faintly and walked up to them. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Are you injured anywhere?¡± Despiteining to him a moment ago, they checked Raon over to see if he was injured or not. ¡°Vice division leader!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Orgos hurt you?¡± ¡°How did you even y the dragon?¡± Even the Light Wind swordsmen ran up to him, and he didn¡¯t even have any space to move. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was worried about you instead.¡± Raon smiled while meeting the Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s worried eyes. ¡°I¡¯m d everyone is safe.¡± Even though Wrath had treated them, Raon was still worried because he hadn¡¯t watched them wake up. He was d to see them healthy and not facing any aftereffects. ¡°That¡¯s fine, but you should¡¯ve sent us a message, at least!¡± Martha punched his abdomen and twisted her lips. ¡°You really hit me¡­¡± Raonughed bitterly while covering his stomach. ¡°You should be d that I didn¡¯t use any aura.¡± Martha red at him, saying that she was going easy on him. ¡°Ice cream.¡± Runaan came next to him, grabbed his sleeve, and shook it. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Buy ice cream.¡± She gestured with her hand for him to buy ice cream for everyone since he¡¯d made them worry. ¡°That¡¯s not a difficult task.¡± Raon nodded while looking at Runaan¡¯s nk eyes. Ice Cream Girl, you are great! Wrath regained consciousness at some point and patted Runaan¡¯s head whileplimenting her. You are the only one who understands the King of Essence! ¡°Oh, he is dancing again¡­¡± Burren eximed while watching Wrath¡¯s movement. He seemed to bepletely fond of his cuteness. ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon ignored Wrath and Burren, who were having fun, and went to Dorian to examine his arms and legs. ¡°How are your limbs? Don¡¯t they hurt?¡± ¡°It hurt so much that I wanted to die back then, but they are perfectly fine now.¡± Dorian smiled and raised his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything unnecessary in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not nning on it. It¡¯s not suitable for my personality.¡± He nodded, saying that he would never do that again. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course! The pain was one thing, but I was so scared!¡± Dorian¡¯s voice was trembling in fear, but his eyes were sparkling despite his words. ¡°Young master Raon!¡± ¡°V-vice division leader!¡± Yua ran up to him energetically and jumped into his arms, and Yulius¡¯s chin wrinkled with his effort not to cry. ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot.¡± He leaned forward and patted their heads. ¡°Line up, everyone.¡± Raon greeted everyone in the Light Wind division one after the other before he stood in front of them as their vice division leader. It¡¯s been such a long time since thest time he did so. "You''ve done well, just like the head of house has told you. Take a good rest for two days, and I will see you again in three days.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen started to sweat from their foreheads upon hearing that they were meeting up in three days. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Are we going to train right away after two days of rest?¡± ¡°H-he is so intense.¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart. That¡¯s definitely him¡­¡± The Light Wind division shook their heads while looking at Raon¡¯s unwavering expression. ¡°Of course we are going to train, but I¡¯m going to repay you for making you wait without any news. We are going to dine together.¡± Raon raised his hand while telling them that they were going to have a meal rather than training. ¡°Ooooh!¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°Did his personality change after surviving death?¡± The Light Wind division cheered and shouted that they were going to participate no matter what. ¡°Then the time will be¡­¡± ¡°6 o¡¯clock.¡± Runaan energetically raised her hand. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s make it six at night.¡± ¡°No. In the morning, meet up in front of the bead ice cream shop.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Raon and everyone in the Light Wind division widened their eyes. ¡°Hey, sleepyhead. You can¡¯t even wake up at that hour.¡± ¡°I can make it to the appointment for ice cream.¡± Runaan shook her head, saying that she was definitely going to remember. ¡°The ice cream shop doesn¡¯t open at six. Let¡¯s make it ten.¡± ¡°How do you even know that?¡± Martha narrowed her eyes, finding it mysterious that he knew that. ¡°It was a coincidence¡­¡± Of course, it was because of Wrath. He had shouted from early in the morning so many times that he wanted ice cream, and Raon had memorized when the shop opened as a result. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded with nk eyes, saying that she was fine with 10 AM. ¡°See you at that time, then.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shook his hand. He was about to return to the annex building with Yua and Yulius when Burren came up next to him. ¡°By the way, what does that spirit eat?¡± Burren asked while looking at Wrath, who really started to dance because of Runaan. Ooh! Wrath stopped dancing and ran up to Burren. Tell him right now that the King of Essence likes mint chocte ice cream and pineapple pizza! Say that he will forgive him if he offers it right now¡­ ¡°Ah, spirits are supposed to feed on mana, right?¡± Burren scratched the back of his head, saying that he had forgotten. ¡°What a shame, because I wanted to give something to him. Little spirit, see youter.¡± He waved his hand regretfully and went away. Hey, hey! Heeey! Wrath shouted at him, but Burren obviously didn¡¯t look back. Damn it! He shouldn¡¯t have his eye! Raon scratched his chin while watching Wrath and Burren¡¯s back. ¡®This is unexpectedly fun to watch.¡¯ * * * ¡°We¡¯ve been training all along!¡± Yua shook her clenched fist, telling him that the entire Light Wind division had been doing nothing but training ever since they¡¯d recovered from their injuries. ¡°That¡¯s nothing to brag about. It¡¯s only natural.¡± Yulius shook his hand, telling her that she shouldn¡¯t be proud of that. ¡°Yeah, good job.¡± Raon patted Yua and Yulius¡¯s heads as he walked towards the annex building. Uhh¡­ Wrath was still limp on his shoulder, unable to recover from the shock. Rumble! His steps were lighter than usual as he headed home, and he could see people running towards him from the annex building, making a cloud of dust in the process. ¡°Hey, everyone!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± Sylvia, Helen, and the maids ran towards him rapidly¡ªas if they were using advanced footwork¡ªand hugged Raon, Yua, and Yulius at the same time. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere? Why are you sote?!¡± Sylvia examined Raon, Yua, and Yulius¡¯s bodies to check if they were injured, just like always. ¡°Young master, please send us a message if you are going somewhere. I¡¯ve been so nervous I thought I was going to die.¡± ¡°I have a digestive disorder now!¡± ¡°Aww, I¡¯m still d that you¡¯re safe.¡± Helen and the maids clenched their arms to hug him, ming him for not messaging them. Raon could feel a faint trembling in their hands. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even Judiel, who was usually expressionless, seemed to be angry if he judged by her furrowed brow. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed quietly while watching Sylvia and the maids¡¯ trembling shoulders. ¡®The head of house didn¡¯t tell them.¡¯ He must¡¯ve decided not to tell them at all because he figured they would worry about him even more if they learned that he was going to hunt down a dragon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was too busy.¡± Raon lowered his head while gently patting the backs of Sylvia and the maids. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to send a message in the future.¡± ¡°You always say that, young master!¡± Helen frowned, her snot peeking out of her nose. ¡°I heard sons tend to be disobedient, but he¡¯s even worse!¡± Sylvia¡¯s eyes were also teary as she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. But I still returned safely, so¡­¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± He smiled while wiping the tears from Sylvia and the maids, only for Encia to leap at him from behind like a nimble tiger. Whack! He had no choice but to catch her because she was about to hit the ground if he dodged her. His legs were shaking slightly because the impact felt like a real tiger was jumping at him. ¡°Ldy Encia¡­¡± ¡°Sir Raon! I wanted to see you!¡± Encia hugged his neck while revealing her emotions without reservation. ¡°I-I¡¯m really thankful to you. And I¡¯m sorry.¡± She shook her head, apologizing for leaving him behind with Orgos back then. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to apologize about that.¡± Raon shook his head at Encia, who seemed to be trying to hold back her tears. ¡°I should be the one to apologize for getting there toote.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve been so worried ever since that day¡­ Hmm? Sir Raon, have you been to the beach by any chance?¡± Encia was apologizing but suddenly changed the subject. ¡°How did you figure that out¡­?¡± ¡°Your skin is slightly tanned. Howe it makes you even more handsome? Is this even possible?¡± Her reason must¡¯ve faded away and her instinct surfaced instead, as she started to talk about how handsome he was once again. ¡°So amazingly damn handsome even though it¡¯s been a while.¡± Encia¡¯s eyes started to lose focus as if she were dreaming. Mom! Wrath stuck to Sylvia¡¯s head and sniffled. So many things happened. It was so painful! Please give us delicious food! He held onto Sylvia¡¯s hair ornament while murmuring that he could still taste rubber in his mouth. ¡°You are getting more and more handsome as time passes. How is this even possible?¡± Encia gradually widened her mouth, showing her disbelief at Raon¡¯s face. It looked like her jaw was going to reach the ground at the rate she was going. ¡°I¡¯m d that Lady Encia is here.¡± Raon ignored Encia calling him damn handsome and smiled at her instead. ¡°What? What?¡± Encia¡¯s eyshes were shaking as she covered her mouth and nose with her hands. ¡°I-is this a confession? I¡¯m seriously ready to ept it at any moment! No, that won¡¯t do! I can¡¯t monopolize a piece of art! Arrrgh! What shall I do?¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon asked, dumbfounded as he blinked in confusion. ¡®What is she even saying right now¡­?¡¯ He¡¯d said that because he was thankful for her staying with Sylvia while he was missing, and he needed her to make the artificial energy center with the dragon heart. However, she wasing to a grave misunderstanding. ¡°Encia is a nice person, but I¡¯m against it for now because it feels a bit too early for that¡­¡± Sylvia shook her head while stroking her chin. ¡°Madam, young people are quick to start dating nowadays.¡± Helen grabbed Sylvia¡¯s sleeve, trying to stop her. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed while looking at the people surrounding him. ¡®This is so hectic.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even hold a conversation because everyone was talking nonstop. However, he didn¡¯t exactly dislike the hustle and bustle. Food! Food! Fooood! Raon smiled while looking at Wrath, who was shouting for food. ¡°Let¡¯s eat for now.¡± * * * Steamy food was being served on arge table, which was big enough for two adult men to lie down on. Barbecued pork with a smoky vor, savory beef ribs seasoned with salt and pepper, fresh salmon that seemed to be the embodiment of freshness, chicken and cutlet brimming with crispiness at a nce, and Wrath¡¯s favorite food: pineapple pizza. All kinds of food kept being served endlessly, to the point therge table was about to copse. p! Once Raon¡¯s favorite beef stew was ced at the center of the table, Sylvia loudly pped her hands. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since thest time we ate together like this. Take it slow, since we have a lot more food left.¡± Sylvia smiled while looking at Raon, Yua, and Yulius sitting right next to her. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Yua energetically raised her hand, and Yulius calmly lowered his head. Huaah¡­ Wrath was drooling from his mouth nonstop as he stared at the vast variety of delicious food. Which one should be first? He can¡¯t even remember how normal food tastes because he¡¯s only been eating Nadine bread and beef jerky! He clutched his head with trembling lips. ¡®Take your time deciding.¡¯ Taking time won¡¯t do! The food is going to go cold! The choice was actually obvious from the beginning! Wrath pointed at the pineapple pizza on the right side with his round hand. Pineapple pizza will be the vanguard! ¡®Alright, alright.¡¯ Raon nodded and took a slice of pizza, cing it on his dish before putting it in his mouth. The warm and savory cheese and the chewy dough filled his mouth with satisfaction, and the sweet taste of the well-grilled pineapple and the saltiness of the pork engulfed his tongue. Since it was the homemade pizza that he hadn¡¯t had in a while, it was more delicious than anything in the world. Wow¡­ Wrath gave a big nod with teary eyes. This is real food. He¡¯s been missing it so much! He pointed his hand at the pork barbecue without even wiping the tears flowing from his eyes. Raon chuckled and ate the food Wrath wanted one after the other. ¡°Wow, even the way he eats is so damn handsome¡­¡± Encia was taking Raon¡¯s picture nonstop, determined to never miss a moment. ¡°Young master, what happened this time?¡± Helen asked, wiping Yua¡¯s sauce-covered mouth. ¡°You know what happened in Banneret, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know about it.¡± ¡°Tell us from the beginning.¡± Sylvia put down her fork, asking him to tell them everything that had happened. ¡°Alright.¡± It was necessary to tell them anyway because of the dragon heart. Raon told everyone about what happened before he took the dragon heart from his subspace pocket. The brilliance of the rainbow mana around the dragon heart made the dining room look dim inparison. ¡°D-did you really y a dragon?¡± ¡°This is a dragon heart¡­¡± ¡°And from none other than the mad dragon Kaibar¡­¡± Sylvia and the maids couldn¡¯t close their mouths after hearing that he¡¯d in the mad dragon Kaibar. ¡°Whoaa¡­¡± Encia¡¯s gaze was distracted from Raon for the first time that day. ¡°I-it¡¯s true. There¡¯s an endless concentration of mana of nature in that.¡± The trembling of her fingers implied that it was the first time she¡¯d seen a dragon heart, even for the genius from House Yonaan ¡°Could you make my mother¡¯s artificial energy center with this?¡± ¡°Of course! Please leave it to me!¡± Encia pleaded with him in return. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten an even better idea than before! I shall be able to create an even better result than the energy center for Sir Rimmer!¡± She gave a big nod, saying that she would try to make the best product. Her perfectionist nature as a crafter was showing for once. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll leave it to you¡­¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Sylvia raised her hand. ¡°I can¡¯t ept it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your reward for your struggle to the death. There¡¯s no way I can ept it!¡± She shook her head, saying that she couldn¡¯t possibly take the dragon heart when she hadn¡¯t done anything. ¡°I knew you would say that.¡± Raon smiled. He had expected that Sylvia would refuse, knowing what he did about her personality. ¡°But that dragon heart isn¡¯t a gift from just me.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Lady Aries¡ªno, Auntie gave it to me after telling me that she had to give the best items for her younger sister when I mentioned that I wanted to fix your energy center. Auntie will be disappointed if you don¡¯t take it.¡± Since Glenn wasn¡¯t around, he called Aries ¡®auntie¡¯ and tried to convince Sylvia. She did actually say that, and Sylvia¡¯s eyes widened, probably because he was calling her auntie. ¡°From my sister¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Auntie said that she was going to confirm afterward, so you have to take it. If you didn¡¯t do anything to get it, then just do something in the future,¡± Raon continued while holding Sylvia¡¯s hand. ¡°You told me that family cares for each other without asking for anything in return. I¡¯ve received so much from you, Mother. Please don¡¯t feel pressured and just ept it.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sylvia lowered her head, unable to respond. Her shoulders and arms were trembling violently. ¡°Madam really can¡¯t win against the young master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always been the case ever since his childhood.¡± ¡°Just ept it at this point.¡± Helen and the maids smiled, making fun of Sylvia, who seemed to be trying to hold back her tears. ¡°It¡¯s decided!¡± Encia briskly stood up and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll start working on it today!¡± She went into her room with the dragon heart after telling them that she couldn¡¯t estimate how long it was going to take. ¡°Thank you.¡± Hey! Raon was thanking Encia when Wrath leaped like a rabbit. Stop talking and eat! It¡¯s getting cold! * * * Raon stayed in the dining room until he was thest person left to devour all the food Wrath wanted before he returned to his room. ¡°Aww¡­¡± ¡®My stomach is about to burst.¡¯ He had no choice but to overeat in order to improve the cotton candy¡¯s mood. It¡¯d been a really long time since thest time he felt ufortable from eating so much. Hell yeah¡­ Wrathy down on the bed and smiled in satisfaction. He¡¯s finally feeling better. He¡¯s satisfied with the meal. ¡®Ugh, I ate too much.¡¯ He felt like he was going to have digestive issues if he stayed like that. He picked up Heavenly Drive and went outside. Where are you going at thiste hour? ¡®I¡¯m going to digest the food.¡¯ But why are you taking your sword? ¡®I¡¯m going to train to help with digestion.¡¯ You are truly insane¡­ Wrath murmured that he was tired of it at that point and went to hide inside the bracelet. Raon chuckled and headed to the open area behind the annex building. ¡®I feel at ease here like always.¡¯ He was even more used to that ce than the training ground because he¡¯d been practicing there ever since his childhood. Raon stared at the moonlight reflected on theke for a moment before he unsheathed Heavenly Drive. He was about to start with the basic technique like always when a faint wind started to blow. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon turned around upon feeling a heavy presence behind him. He didn¡¯t even notice when he had arrived. Glenn looked like he¡¯d always been there as he raised his emotionless gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s continue the talk that we couldn¡¯t finish in the afternoon.¡± Chapter 538 Chapter 538 ¡°But before that¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s red eyes became serious. ¡°Continue what you were about to do.¡± ¡°What I was about to do¡­ Do you mean training?¡± Raon asked while looking at Heavenly Drive, which was reflecting the moonlight faintly. ¡°Since you slew Kaibar, show me how much you¡¯ve improved.¡± ¡°Like I said in the lord¡¯s manor, I didn¡¯t achieve that on my own. Aunt¡ªI mean, Lady Aries did all the difficult parts, I only delivered the finishing blow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn frowned with his mouth tightly closed. He looked displeased. It must¡¯ve been because Raon had said aunt once again. ¡®He really hates it.¡¯ Raon raised the sword while resolving himself to never say aunt in front of Glenn ever again. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just do some light exercises.¡±Raon raised Heavenly Drive overhead. He clenched the hilt with both hands and cut the moonlight reflected on theke with a focused mind. Whir! Even a five-year-old child could perform that downward sh, but Raon¡¯s sword was different because he¡¯d continued basic training without missing a single day. It was extremely polished, free enough to reach anywhere, and the sharpness extending from it seemed capable of cutting through anything. After the vertical sh, a horizontal sh, a diagonal sh, and a stab followed. Even though he could do those moves with his eyes closed, as he swung, he focused his entire mind and muscles to swing his sword. He also performed the techniques of the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art as if he were in a real fight before wiping his warm sweat away and turning around. ¡°You still didn¡¯t let go of the basic techniques,¡± Glenn stated, furrowing his brow slightly and uncrossing his arms. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been continuing with them whenever I have time.¡± ¡°For what reason? You should¡¯ve already refined those basic techniques to the point where you can use them with your eyes closed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because my goal is a versatile sword like yours, which incorporates all kinds of swords. Since the basic techniques can bepared to the root of a tree, I figured that my sword would copse if my foundation was weak.¡± Raon told him exactly what he¡¯d been thinking while practicing the basic techniques. ¡°Excellent.¡± Glenn nodded while covering his mouth with his hand. Raon could see that his finger was trembling faintly. ¡°I was wondering how your mental world became refined enough to defeat a Grandmaster, and it was all thanks to your dedication to the basics.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Raon awkwardly lowered his head. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to straight uppliment me¡­¡¯ Glenn didn¡¯tpliment others easily. If he said it was excellent, that implied that he seriously thought Raon did a good job. He felt like he was being rewarded for being dedicated to the basic techniques so far. ¡°Those basics allowed you to reach the sword field. Even though it was iplete, how did it feel to use the sword field for the first time?¡± Glenn asked. ¡°I felt like I was borrowing the power of a stronger version of myself.¡± When he¡¯d activated the Divine and Demonic Harmony, he¡¯d felt like he was borrowing his technique and aura from another version of himself that was at least a Grandmaster. ¡°It¡¯s not wrong, but it¡¯s not correct either.¡± Glenn narrowed his wrinkled eyes and continued, ¡°The Sword Field Creation consists of bringing the power in your imagination that you can control right now into reality.¡± ¡°The power in my imagination¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why the sword field embodies the life and swordsmanship you¡¯ve been umting so far.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡®Is that why I could use the two swords and coldness?¡¯ Glenn¡¯s advice helped him further understand how his sword field was created, and how to make it stronger in the future. He felt like his mental world had broadened from a single word from him. ¡°Another thing.¡± Just as he was about to thank him, Glenn continued, ¡°As you continue to practice versatile sword, there will be a time when you will focus on the principles that you are used to and overlook the ones that you arecking in. It might be painful, but you will face your deficiencies.¡± He even gave a second piece of advice. He must¡¯ve been pleased with Raon¡¯s response about the basic techniques. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± He engraved Glenn¡¯s advice to his heart and decided that he was going to polish the swordsmanship that he wasn¡¯t used to yet the next day. Snap! Glenn casually snapped his fingers. A faint luminance as beautiful as the descending moonlight spread around, and an antique box appeared from the thin air. He took the box and handed it to Raon. ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°I told you in the audience chamber that I¡¯d reward youter for the matter about Kaibar.¡± Raon epted the box and nodded faintly. ¡®So this is why he came here.¡¯ He could finally understand why Glenn was visiting the annex building. He was trying to give him advice and the box as a reward for ying the mad dragon. ¡°It¡¯s the Red Flow Pill. It¡¯s an elixir created by mixing a sacred herb and energy core, so it should make a goodbination with the Blue Purification Pill that I gave you earlier. Take them together.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon held onto the red box tightly and bowed to Glenn. ¡°Actually¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°There was an incident after we slew Kaibar.¡± He told Glenn about how the dragon lord had appeared and threatened them. ¡°Dragons are pretty much the natural enemies of humans. A simple swing of their tail can destroy a city, and hundreds of people die as a result. The ones like Kaibar, who despise humans, are pretty much a disaster.¡± Glenn twisted his lips, implying that he was already well aware of the dragons¡¯ wrongdoings. ¡°What you did was right, and reasonable. Don¡¯t mind what the dragon lord said. Call me right away if you encounter him again.¡± He furrowed his brow, saying that dragons were selfish creatures who believed they were the only justice in the world. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon felt at ease from hearing that. He felt like it wouldn¡¯t be scary even if a bunch of ancient dragons attacked him at once. ¡°¡­¡­¡± They silently stared at each other for a while. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Glenn¡¯s twitching lips. ¡®Why is he acting like that?¡¯ Glenn had already finished teaching him and giving him the elixir, yet he was still there instead of leaving. ¡®Is he talking to someone?¡¯ Raon was guessing that he must¡¯ve been sending aura messages to someone, and Glenn suddenly gestured with his hand. ¡°Try using an advanced technique. I¡¯ll check out your martial art since the rewards seem to be slightly insufficient.¡± ¡°What? Ah, yes!¡± Raon thought there were enough, but he demonstrated the technique he¡¯d created, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s technique, and the Azure Sky Sword since it was a great opportunity. ¡°The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s sword techniques are definitely powerful, but they aren¡¯t exactly suitable for your current state. You should adjust them to suit your senses. As for the technique you made yourself¡­¡± Glenn gave objective advice that was difficult to understand after watching all of his sword techniques. Raon couldn¡¯t understand it immediately, but he was just thankful because that was how Glenn had always taught him. However, Glenn didn¡¯t leave even when the swordsmanship practice was over, instead looking up to the night sky while rubbing his hands. Raon clenched his fist after taking a nce at the annex building behind Glenn. ¡®I don¡¯t know why he is staying there, but this is my perfect chance to tell him.¡¯ He decided to tell him about the resolution he¡¯d gotten when he saw Sylvia in the kitchen and walked up to him. ¡°My lord.¡± ¡°Call me¡ª¡± Raon was trying to call Glenn, but stopped midway and raised his hand. ¡°Please go ahead and speak first.¡± ¡°No, you should say it first.¡± Glenn told him that he was fine with it and shook his hand. ¡°Hmm, my mother¡¯s energy center and mana circuits will be restored soon.¡± Raon nodded and started to tell him about what he was thinking. ¡°Are you using the dragon heart?¡± Glenn looked back at Encia¡¯s room, where an intense fragrance of mana could be felt, suggesting that he already knew how he was going to achieve it. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll be making my mother¡¯s energy center with the dragon heart that Lady Aries gave me in order to let her restore her previous realm.¡± Raon walked up to Glenn and went on his knees. ¡°The reason why my lord doesn¡¯t let me refer to Lady Aries as aunt must be because I¡¯m still a coteral.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware that I can¡¯t be a member of the direct line even with the seven golden tablets I currently have.¡± If he counted all the golden tablets he¡¯d obtained, officially and unofficially, they made seven in total. It wasn¡¯t a small number, but it was still far from sufficient to restore Sylvia¡¯s position while breaking through the interference of the direct lines. ¡®That¡¯s why I need to gamble now¡­¡¯ Raon raised his eyes full of determination to seed and looked into Glenn¡¯s bored eyes. ¡°Please restore Sylvia Zieghart to the direct line with the golden tablets I¡¯ve gathered so far and my victory against the Axe King next year.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond. He covered his mouth once again with hisrge and long hand, his shoulders trembling faintly. He seemed to be deep in thought, and his fierce gaze dropped towards him. ¡°The Axe King is powerful. Even though he is a Grandmaster just like the Holy Sword Alliance apprentice that you won against, he is on a whole different level from him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± Raon nodded. He was still unable to forget about the Axe King¡¯s vicious energy. He knew better than anyone that the Axe King was powerful. ¡°Are you still going to go for it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be different that day from the way I am right now.¡± ¡°Are you confident in your improvement?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon responded that he could do it, confidently and calmly. ¡°You are right. Even with seven golden tablets, it would be difficult to make Sylvia a member of the direct line. However¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes reflected in Glenn¡¯s red eyes, and they looked exactly the same. ¡°If you manage to achieve victory against the Axe King at twenty-two years of age, it¡¯s good enough as a condition.¡± He easily agreed to it. ¡°I¡¯ll ept your condition under the name of the head of house.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Raon bowed deeply at Glenn. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. It hasn¡¯t even happened yet.¡± Glenn shook his hand, telling him to thank him after everything was over. ¡°Then please tell me what you wanted to say¡­¡± Raon stood up and mentioned that Glenn was about to say something before. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Glenn didn¡¯t say anything for a while, then he averted his gaze. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything important.¡± ¡°What? But I definitely heard about calling something¡­¡± ¡°I was about to tell you to calibrate your swordsmanship if you have nothing else to do.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking my leave now.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow and disappeared. He looked like his mood was suddenly ruined. Raon tilted his head while looking at the spot where Glenn used to stand. ¡®Why is the ground dug out like this?¡¯ * * * Glenn left theke in the annex building and went halfway up to the North Grave Mountain. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed deeply, leaning his back against Tiger Rock. ¡°Why did you return without achieving anything when you went to allow him to call you grandfather?¡± He shook his head, unable to understand Glenn¡¯s behavior. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn lowered the booklet he was holding in his hand and casuallyughed. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Glenn lowered his hand that was covering his mouth once he was in front of them. The corners of his lips, rising to reach the sky, were shivering intensely. ¡°Isn¡¯t he so praiseworthy?¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± Rimmer as he blinked nkly, looking at Glenn. ¡°The fact that he is dedicated to basic techniques and achieving the Sword Field Creation at his age is amazing enough, but he¡¯s giving the dragon heart to his mother. Isn¡¯t he somendable? The dragon heart isn¡¯t a simple elixir. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that it¡¯s a mythical treasure, yet he is using it to make Sylvia¡¯s energy center without even hesitating! How could such a kind and good-natured boy be born into this world?!¡± Glenn clenched his fists, saying that he couldn¡¯t suppress his overwhelming emotions because he was too proud of his grandson. His powerful will spread around like a spider web, and the entirety of North Grave Mountain started to shake. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, just hug your grandson!¡± Rimmer ced his palm on his forehead, telling him to show Raon that instead of telling him about it. ¡°Huhuhu, my lord. Please calm down.¡± Roenn shook his head at Glenn, trying to prevent the North Grave Mountain from copsing in the middle of the night. ¡°How could I calm down?! I¡¯ve never seen anyone like him before. I¡¯m not saying this because he¡¯s my grandson. Anyone in the world would praise him!¡± Glenn has been suppressing his urge to say that when he was in front of Raon, and he started to speak rapidly now that he was in front of them. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware that Raon is a good man! But being called ¡®grandfather¡¯ by him has the highest priority right now!¡± ¡°Raon already talked about it, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Rimmer tilted his head, unable to understand what he was talking about. ¡°He said that he would defeat the Axe King next year ande back to me to call me grandfather.¡± ¡°Wh-when did he ever say that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what he meant when he said that wanted to restore Sylvia¡¯s status as a member of the direct line by using the golden tablets he¡¯s been gathering and the achievement of ying the Axe King. Once Sylvia bes a member of the direct line, Raon will naturally call me grandfather since he will be a member of the direct line, too! He was asking me to wait for that!¡± Glenn shouted, frustrated about Rimmer failing to understand that fact. ¡°You are unable to see Raon¡¯s big n.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer clutched his stomach, nauseous. With such a positive spin on the matter, it looked like he couldn¡¯t talk sense to Glenn at all because his love was so blinding that even his ears were deaf. ¡°We need Sheryl at a time like this.¡± Rimmer sighed deeply. They needed rational people like her to convince him, yet she was away on a mission. It was a shame, but he couldn¡¯t do much about it. ¡°It¡¯s happening soon.¡± Glenn carefully rubbed his hands, saying that he would finally be called a grandfather the next year. ¡°Roenn. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Did you add what he said today to Raon¡¯s gospel?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Roenn smiled while opening the booklet attached to his waist. ¡°His philosophy about basic techniques, the way he used the dragon heart for Lady Sylvia, and his deration to defeat the Axe King to be a part of the direct line. I wrote down all of it.¡± He showed him the booklet while reciting what Raon had said. There was a drawing of Raon confidently dering his future victory during the duel on the white paper. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten better at drawing.¡± ¡°Huhuhu, I¡¯ve been practicing whenever I have time for this day.¡± Roenn smiled, saying that he¡¯d been taking drawing lessons so that he could draw Raon¡¯s picture. ¡°You are all insane¡­¡± Rimmer shook his head while watching Glenn and Roenn smile at each other. ¡°You need to stay alert.¡± Glenn frowned at Rimmer. ¡°Raon can¡¯t hope to defeat the Axe King in his current state. You need to properly help him so that he can get stronger.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ll do that. But I¡¯d like you to help me too, my lord.¡± ¡°What do you want me to help with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m no match for the Holy Sword Alliance master, but I can¡¯t forgive the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword at least. I want to kill my archenemy, so¡­¡± A murderous wind emerged from Rimmer¡¯s green eyes. ¡°Please help me with my training.¡± * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rokan Sullion bit his lip weakly. He should¡¯ve been extremely happy since his cherished youngest daughter had returned, but his mood was heading to rock bottom instead. The reason for his bad mood was simple. ¡°Raon teleported us all to the Owen Kingdom and remained in that forest on his own. I heard he used some kind of boundary¡­¡± His beloved youngest daughter had been talking about Raon alone for thest four hours since she¡¯d returned, and that was making him extremely irritated. ¡®I¡¯m well aware that he is an amazing guy. I¡¯m definitely thankful to him.¡¯ It was all thanks to him that Runaan had survived, gotten stronger, and even her personality had be brighter. That was why he was thankful to him. However, the fact that she was continuously talking about him and no one else was getting on his nerves as her father. ¡°Raon went to the ocean after that¡­¡± ¡°Ahem, how about we stop talking about him now and talk about you, my dear?¡± Rokan gently shook his hand, telling her to talk about herself. ¡°We couldn¡¯t meet when your daddy went to Owen to see you because you were too busy. What were you doing over there?¡± ¡°Honey, please stay quiet. So, what happened after that?¡± On the other hand, Rokan¡¯s wife and Runaan¡¯s mother, ra, waved her hand at Runaan while telling her to continue. She seemed to find her cute since she was enthusiastically talking about Raon even though she wasn¡¯t good with words. ¡°Mhm, after that¡­¡± Runaan exined everything that had happened before cing the golden tablet and elixir on the table. ¡°That¡¯s how we all ended up getting a golden tablet each.¡± She caressed the golden tablet, saying that she got it thanks to Raon rather than her own achievement. ¡°No! It wasn¡¯t because of that bastard Raon, but because of your own aplish¡ª¡± ¡°What?¡± Rokan called Raon a bastard, and Runaan narrowed her nk eyes. ¡°Ahem, Raon the da-damn handsome¡­¡± He called him the damn handsome, and the furrow disappeared from Runaan¡¯s brow. ¡°That guy, I mean, the damn handsome Raon did indeed save you, but you pretty much saved him, too!¡± Rokan shook his head, telling her to stop feeling so thankful towards him because it was normal forpanions to help each other. ¡°Your father is right. You need to be proud of yourself for risking your life for the sake of yourpanions.¡± ra smiled while patting Runaan¡¯s head. ¡°Haa, I don¡¯t even know anymore!¡± Rokan ced his hand on his forehead and started to drink from the bottle. Click! The door to the dining room was smoothly opened, and Syria Sullion entered with his face covered in a cold smile. ¡°Oh, my! Syria?¡± ¡°Syria? It¡¯s so unusual for you toe back at this hour!¡± ra and Rokan smiled brightly while looking at Syria, who had suddenly returned. ¡°Ah¡­¡± On the other hand, Runaan dropped her ice cream on the ground upon seeing Syria¡¯s smile. Her hands were trembling as if she were having a seizure. ¡°I decided to drop by because I heard Runaan had returned.¡± Syria smiled while taking off his snow-covered coat. ¡°It looks like you were having a meal.¡± ¡°Did you already eat?¡± ¡°No, not yet.¡± ¡°Prepare the food!¡± ¡°You must be hungry, right? Just wait for a moment.¡± Rokan ordered the kitchen to warm up some food, and ra smiled while brushing the snow from Syria¡¯s head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m actually a bit too hungry.¡± Syria licked his lips while watching Runaan as her fingers trembled. ¡°Because I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time.¡± Chapter 539 Chapter 539 Runaan bit her lip while watching Syria¡¯s eyes, which were as venomous as a poisonous snake¡¯s. ¡®Why did hee here?¡¯ Syria hadn¡¯t been paying attention to her since Raon had humiliated him. Runaan had thought he had given up because he hadn¡¯te back home for a while, but he was visiting the moment she had returned. She had a bad feeling about it. ¡°Why is your hand so cold?! What have you been doing?¡± ra furrowed her brow while gently touching Syria¡¯s white hand, which was as cold as ice. ¡°It¡¯s still cold out there, after all.¡± Syria smiled kindly and took his sword from around his waist to ce it against the wall. ¡°You can protect your body with aura,¡± Rokan sighed, scolding him for enduring the cold weather without protecting himself.¡°It¡¯s too much work.¡± ¡°You are the sessor of House Sullion. You need to treasure your body a bit more.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Syria ced his hand on his forehead like he was saluting his father and sat next to Runaan. ¡°Seriously.¡± ¡°You never change.¡± ra and Rokan smiled gently. They seemed to see him as their cute son. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unlike them, Runaan covered her body with a thinyer of tension in order to act at any moment necessary. ¡®The look in his eyes is simr to before.¡¯ The tant desire dwelling in his eyes looked like he had returned to the state before he was humiliated by Raon. The fortunate part was that the Snow Flower was next to the table. She¡¯d brought it to wipe the de after the meal, but she could use it if something were to happen. She was a little relieved thanks to that. She wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat Syria, but she assumed she would be able to hold him back until he decided to do something strange to their mother and father. ¡®Regardless of what he¡¯s nning to do, I¡¯m going to stop him.¡¯ Runaan lowered her right hand below the table and focused on Syria¡¯s movement when the dining room door was opened and maids entered with new dishes. The maids took away the cold food and ced the steaming food on the table. ¡°Ah, I just realized, I have a gift for you.¡± Syria smiled faintly and took out his subspace pocket. Runaan ced her hand on Snow Flower¡¯s hilt, and a gray box came out from Syria¡¯s subspace pocket. It was a package of bead ice cream. ¡°It reminded me of you when I saw there was a new vor, so I decided to buy it.¡± Syria handed out the ice cream box, telling her to take it. ¡°Wait!¡± Rokan raised his palm. ¡°My gift goes first! Don¡¯t try to cut the line now!¡± He put his hand inside his subspace pocket and took out an ice cream box that was even bigger than Syria¡¯s. ¡°Runaan! Have daddy¡¯s ice cream first!¡± Rokan waved his hand, telling her to open his package first instead of Syria¡¯s. ¡°You are acting the exact same way. Are you trying to prove that you are father and son?¡± ra smiled warmly while supporting her chin on her hand. She seemed to be so pleased at how happy the three of them looked. ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Runaan took her hand from Snow Flower¡¯s hilt and epted Syria and Rokan¡¯s ice cream boxes. ¡°I¡¯ll eat them after the meal.¡± ¡°Sure. But you are going to eat Father¡¯s ice cream first, right?¡± Rokan raised his finger, telling her to promise to eat his ice cream first. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded and examined Syria. He made an iprehensible smile before he looked at Rokan. ¡°That hurts. I even bought a present for you, Father.¡± Syria put her hand in the subspace pocket once again. A vintage white wine came out this time. ¡°Sicile nc. It¡¯s made in the forties.¡± ¡°Ooh! It¡¯s such a precious wine!¡± Rokan¡¯s hand was trembling as if he were dealing with treasure instead of wine. ¡°I happened to get it from an auction. Try it out now.¡± ¡°No.¡± Runaan violently pushed the chair back and stood up. She had a bad feeling about it. She felt like Syria must¡¯ve done something to the wine. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t drink that wine.¡± ¡°R-Runaan? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ra¡¯s eyes widened and she raised her head. ¡°¡­It would be a waste.¡± Runaan¡¯s lips awkwardly twitched as she looked at the wine that Rokan was holding. It was a nonsensical excuse, but she couldn¡¯te up with anything else. At a time like that, she wished she could borrow Raon¡¯s mouth. ¡°It does feel like a waste because you can¡¯t easily acquire this wine even with money. Moreover, it¡¯s a gift from my son, which I haven¡¯t received in a long time.¡± Rokan slowly nodded while looking at the wine. ¡°Just drink it. I¡¯ll buy another one for you next time.¡± Syria shook his hand, telling him that it wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. You usually only buy presents for Runaan and don¡¯t buy anything for me. I¡¯m going to keep it and brag about itter.¡± Rokan gave the wine to the butler behind him with a happy smile on his face and ordered him to bring another high-quality wine. The butler brought a red wine and ss soon after that and poured it to the four of them. ¡°It¡¯s Balesia, made in the thirties. It¡¯s not as good as Sicile, but it should be pretty decent.¡± Rokan raised his ss, saying that they should clink out sses for the first time. ¡°Sure.¡± Syria nonchntly raised his ss without being disappointed at all. nk. Runaan clinked her ss with the three others while being focused on the look in Syria¡¯s eyes. Syria finished his wine in one go while Rokan and ra also took a sip with smiles. Tap. Runaan put down the ss without even taking a sip. ¡°Are you not drinking, Runaan?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan shook her head towards ra and warmed up her stiff fingers. ¡°Father and Mother, did you know about that?¡± The drinking party continued, and by the time the wine sses were nearly empty, Syria leaned forward on the table. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°A monster called Baphomet has appeared in the south.¡± ¡°Baphomet!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rokan furrowed his brow, and ra tilted her head, implying she didn¡¯t really know about it. ¡°That monster appeared¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a monster. And a terrifying one at that.¡± Syria smiled and casually nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll exin briefly since Mother and Runaan don¡¯t seem to know about it. It¡¯s an extremely powerful monster that can use bothbative energy and mana. Moreover, it¡¯s a boss-ss monster with an intelligence surpassing that of a human.¡± He continued the exnation while moving his finger on the table as if he were drawing a picture. ¡°However, Baphomet has another characteristic, unlike the other monsters.¡± ¡°Characteristic?¡± ¡°Yes. It tries to find its mate from the moment of its birth.¡± Syria slowly put his left index finger and right index finger together. ¡°People say that once a Baphomet finds its mate, its power amplifies to a whole different level. The Baphomet that appeared in the south must be looking for its mate, too.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more to it.¡± Rokan put down his ss and sighed. ¡°Baphomet is a monster that gets stronger.¡± He furrowed his brow while looking down at his wine, which was as red as blood. ¡°They be stronger at an even faster rate than the so-called geniuses. It needs to be eliminated before it finds its mate and before it bes even stronger.¡± ¡°You know so much about it, Father.¡± ¡°I fought against one when I was around your age.¡± Rokan shook his head, saying that it was a terrible experience. ¡°But I feel a bit bad for it,¡± ra sighed, fiddling with the ss with her finger. ¡°It¡¯s getting attacked, when it just wants to find a mate¡­¡± ¡°¡­You are so kind, mother.¡± Syria narrowed his eyes, finding it unexpected that ra would say so. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. They just follow their instinct, and they often attack humans for no reason,¡± Rokan said as he shook, saying that it was just a monster. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s another special thing about Baphomet.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°If the mate it finds is blood-rted, it can supposedly obtain an unimaginable amount of power.¡± ¡°Blood rted? What a strange monster¡­ Ah.¡± ra¡¯s ss dropped from her hand. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± She trembled as if electrocuted and copsed to the back. ¡°ra!¡± Rokan frantically shot up and ran to ra. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Runaan also stepped onto the table after picking up Snow Flower and jumped down to where ra had copsed. ¡°What are you waiting for?! Call the healer already!¡± Rokan shouted at the butlers and maids behind him, but no one was taking action. ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pressure them.¡± Syria smiled while taking a sip of the wine to cover his lips in red. ¡°They are simply obeying my order to stay still.¡± ¡°S-Syria?!¡± Rokan¡¯s lips trembled as he met Syria¡¯s eyes, which had suddenly changed. ¡°By the way, you really are amazing, Father. Martial realm shouldn¡¯t matter against that drug since it¡¯s applied to the mind, but you still haven¡¯t copsed. I¡¯m a bit surprised.¡± ¡°Was it your doing?¡± ¡°Who else would it be?¡± ¡°Anyone there?!¡± The door to the dining room was opened, and the swordsmen affiliated with the house entered upon hearing his shout. ¡°Bring ra to a healer, and seize¡­¡± However, once the swordsmen entered, they ced their hands on their hilts while standing behind Syria instead of Rokan. ¡°Wh-why are you¡­?¡± ¡°Since your closest servant became mine, wouldn¡¯t it be strange if the swordsmen still followed you?¡± ¡°You bastards!¡± ¡°But I did work rather hard for this. I had to offer money, martial arts, and even exploit their weakness and nasty desires.¡± Syria smiled cheerfully while looking at the warriors and servants standing behind him. ¡°You¡¯ve grown soft because of peace, Father. You became an old and fat dog from only feeding on the food that Zieghart threw at you.¡± ¡°You rascal!¡± Rokan stood up while shouting. His eyes were turning red from the rage. ¡°Zieghart is powerful, of course, but 80% of that power is Glenn Zieghart. That monster is the only reason. The rest of them are nobodies.¡± Syria giggled and raised his head. He lowered his frightening eyes while looking at the warm lighting unbefitting the situation. ¡°The world is going to change soon, and House Sullion will be acting at the center to be the awl attacking Zieghart from behind.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t allow it to happen! I¡¯ll never¡­ Ah!¡± Rokan faltered and sank to his knees. His limbs trembled and he copsed on his back regardless of his will. ¡°I knew it, the medicine works better when you are excited.¡± Syria stroked his chin. He looked like he was having fun. ¡°R-Runaan, run¡­¡± Rokan became stiff before he could finish hisst sentence. ¡°D-dad, Mom.¡± Runaan breathed out roughly while watching Rokan and ra, who could only move their eyes. Their trembling eyes seemed to be telling her to please run away. ¡°What have you done?!¡± She bared her teeth towards Syria. ¡°Did you think I would add drugs to the drink? That wouldn¡¯t be fun.¡± Syria picked up the almost-finished wine bottle. He opened his hand, letting the bottle fall and shatter on the ground. The red wine, as red as blood, seeped across the surface. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to this liquor. What I did was¡­¡± Syria¡¯s finger pointed at the ss that ra and Rokan had used to drink. ¡°Those sses.¡± ¡°What did you do to mom and dad?!¡± Runaan covered herself in bloodlust and raised Snow Flower. ¡°Runaan, you also made a mistake.¡± Syria smiled cheerfully and shook his hand. ¡°You should¡¯ve told them continuously if you wanted to stop me and save our mother and father. You should¡¯ve said that I was being strange, that I seemed to be insane. Although of course, it would¡¯ve been meaningless.¡± Syria smiled madly while pointing at the warriors and servants standing behind him. ¡°A significant number of them stepped up to testify to him something advantageous to me back then. Since they are still here, there¡¯s no way it would work. Father and Mother simply pity you because they think you are just delusional.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Runaan clenched her teeth and pulled out all her aura from her energy center. The blue astral energy of frost burst from Snow Flower¡¯s de. ¡°How nice! You can¡¯t even imagine how long I¡¯ve been waiting for this day!¡± Syria¡¯s smiling lips trembled as he watched the astral energy pointed at his neck. ¡°It was worth letting him live back then.¡± He casually pped his hands, and the warriors and the servants approached Rokan and ra on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t get close to us! I¡¯ll kill you all!¡± Runaan screamed and pointed Snow Flower at the warrior. ¡°Defiance is always beautiful. However¡­¡± Syria licked his red lips while pointing at Rokan and ra. ¡°Are you sure you should do that? Because our father and mother are going to be unable to breathe and die if we don¡¯t do anything about them.¡± Runaan¡¯s fingers trembled upon hearing that question. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The astral energy emerging from Snow Flower¡¯s de melted like the snow in the spring. ng! In the end, Runaan¡¯s sword fell to the ground. ¡°A wise decision.¡± Syria smiled, and the lighting in the dining room cut out. * * * Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive, standing at the center of the fifth training ground. He stopped his breathing exercises while pointing his white de to the sky where the sun hadn¡¯t yet risen. He shed downward while carving Glenn¡¯s advice from two days ago in his mind once again. Whoosh! The fiery wind of the sword severed the early morning air and created an extremely thin line on the training ground. A second wind was unleashed, but no other trace was created on the ground. He repeated a hundred more downward shes after that, but the very first trace was the only trace left on the ground. Whap! Raon nodded in satisfaction and raised Heavenly Drive overhead to strike down once again. The precision and sharpness of the hundred strikes became swiftness and heaviness, leaving a deep trace on the ground as if it had been hit by an iron mace. Raon practiced the basic swordsmanship while incorporating the principles he¡¯d learned so far one after the other. Since he was fully focused on every single one of the strikes, he realized that the sun was advancing toward the center of the sky after he finished with a series of swings. ¡®As for the next, I¡¯ll use the Fangs of Insanity¡­¡¯ Hey! Just as Raon was about to proceed to practice the principles with Fangs of Insanity, Wrath suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. It¡¯s the appointed time! Why aren¡¯t you going?! Wrath pointed at the sky, telling him that it was time for the appointed group meal. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and raised his head. Wrath was right. It was really about time for the meeting. ¡®What a shame.¡¯ What the hell is even a shame?! You¡¯ve been doing nothing but training ever since that geezer left! ¡®Because my training is going pretty well nowadays. Time is too precious when this happens.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like he could clearly feel his growth or anything, but he felt like the martial arts that were all over the ce were finally bing organized, which satisfied him. The King of Essence has never seen anyone as crazy as you for the martial arts! Wrath shook his head, saying that he didn¡¯t want to deal with him anymore. ¡®In that case, can I continue a bit more?¡¯ Shut up and go to the ice cream shop already! He¡¯s been suppressing his urge to eat bead ice cream in anticipation of today! ¡®Alright, alright.¡¯ Raon sighed. He quickly washed himself and headed to themercial district. Probably because he arrived right before 10 AM, most of the Light Wind division was already gathered. ¡°Why are youing sote when you are the one who asked us to gather?!¡± Martha demanded as she furrowed her brow. ¡°Considering he is holding a sword, he must¡¯ve been training all along until he came here,¡± Burren said as he shook his head while looking at Heavenly Drive. He sighed and added, ¡°He¡¯s incredibly persistent, seriously.¡± ¡°What kind of training are you even nning for us¡­?¡± Dorian¡¯s shoulders trembled, already terrified by the training he was going to doter. ¡°Vice division leader.¡± Mark Goetten quietly lowered his head in respect. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon tilted his head while walking towards the Light Wind division. He couldn¡¯t see the person who should¡¯ve been murmuring ¡®damn handsome Raon¡¯ with a sleepy voice by then. ¡°Where¡¯s Runaan?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t here yet,¡± Burren said as he shook his hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange? I never thought she would bete to an appointment for ice cream,¡± Martha mused and tilted her head, finding it strange that she wasn¡¯t there. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon raised his gaze and looked at the clock at the za. Tik. Runaan didn¡¯t show up even though it was 10 AM. Hey! ¡®I know.¡¯ Raon nodded and looked at the Light Wind division. ¡°If I don¡¯t return after an hour, tell people that something happened in House Sullion. Dorian and Martha, follow me!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What are you talking¡­?¡± Raon ran to the west without listening to their response. It¡¯s strange for Ice Cream Girl not to keep her promise! ¡®Yes. Because she never broke the promise about eating ice cream together, more than anything else.¡¯ Runaan lookedzy, but there were two types of promises she never broke. It was training and ice cream. Whenever he¡¯d promised to buy her ice cream, she always arrived an hour early and waited for him. ¡®Something must¡¯ve happened.¡¯ Raon was certain about it as he headed towards House Sullion. Chapter 540 Chapter 540 ¡¶Content Warning - The following chapter contains material that may be harmful or traumatizing to some audiences: Incest. Reader discretion is strongly advised.¡· Runaan raised her trembling eyelids. ¡®My head feels dizzy¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t even tell how much time had passed. She felt like over two days had passed, but she had no idea because she was underground in a windowless room. ¡°¡­I distracted the ogre lord with the blood of my subordinates, and I managed to y it without much difficulty thanks to that.¡± Syria was sitting close enough that she could reach him by simply extending her hand, and his lips were twitching, his eyes glowing in madness. ¡°The next mission was a rescue mission. I was supposed to save the vermin who had fallen in between a valley, and I just killed them and reported that they had all died because it felt like a waste of my time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan clenched her fist while looking into Syria¡¯s twisted eyes.¡®What is he even thinking? I can¡¯t understand him.¡¯ She¡¯d thought everything was over at first, but Syria didn¡¯t do anything to her after merely neutralizing her aura. He¡¯d been continuously talking to her about his past, and she couldn¡¯t guess his intentions at all. ¡°Ah! Something interesting happened back then. Have you ever heard about human hunting? It consists of letting people escape on purpose, just like how you release animals to hunt them down afterward¡­¡± There was another strange thing about him. Syria had been talking about those disgusting and grotesque stories, but her murderous intention and anger toward him were slowly decreasing. The even stranger part was that she felt like she had joined in his wrongdoings. ¡®It must be because of this.¡¯ Runaan lowered her gaze and looked at the floor. The room used to be an untidy room full of dust because it was used as a warehouse, but a magic circle was installed on it. Its crimson color made it look like it was drawn with blood. She didn¡¯t know what effect that magic circle had at first, but she could roughly guess after a while. Her senses were being softened as if sandpaper was being rubbed against them. The spell must¡¯ve been loosening her emotions and soul. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of magic circle it is.¡¯ Runaan softly clenched her back teeth. ¡®Because I¡¯m going to endure until the very end.¡¯ Whenever her hatred and murderous intention towards Syria started to subside, she thought about her parents, Raon, and the Light Wind division. Whenever she was about to waver, thinking about her precious people filled her with determination once again. ¡°But it¡¯s not like I have been doing nothing but murder people. I¡¯ve done good deeds sometimes. There was a time when I went to an inundated area¡­¡± ¡°What about Mom and Dad?¡± Runaan fiercely raised her eyes and looked at Syria. ¡°What happened to them?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I controlled the amount of drugs so they wouldn¡¯t die.¡± Syria gently told her such a frightening thing, like using a drug on his own parents was normal. ¡°How am I supposed to trust you? Show me. Show me that they are alive!¡± Runaan bit her lip, saying that she was going to die and follow Rokan and ra if they were dead. ¡°That¡¯s not a difficult request.¡± Syria shook his hand, and two swordsmen standing behind him opened the door and left. They returned soon after that while holding Rokan and ra in their hands. They were breathing faintly with their eyes closed. They seemed unconscious. ¡°I have no intention of killing them yet.¡± ¡°Y-yet¡­?¡± ¡°Since Sullion isn¡¯t just a house of dogs, Zieghart would think it¡¯s strange if the head of house suddenly disappeared. Father and Mother will pass down the position of the head of house to me and quietly retire.¡± He said retire, but there was no way he was talking about retiring in an ordinary way. He was saying that he was going to kill them. ¡°You¡­¡± Runaan bared her teeth while ring at Syria. ¡°What are you even trying to achieve?!¡± She clenched her fist so hard that red blood started to flow from her grip. ¡°That¡¯s such a waste.¡± Syria swept up the blood that fell from Runaan¡¯s hand with his finger and brought it to his mouth. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan stepped back with trembling legs. She should¡¯ve been getting goosebumps, but she wasn¡¯t feeling anything, probably because of the array. ¡°It¡¯s this thing¡¯s fault!¡± She violently hit the array, but it only made the red light intensify further. ¡°You wanted to know what I was trying to achieve, right?¡± Syria sucked all the blood off his finger before he raised eyes dripping with madness. ¡°It¡¯s simple. I¡¯m going to stab Zieghart¡¯s heart.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The continent will be engulfed in fire soon. Sullion will stand behind Zieghart, just like we¡¯ve always done, and stab their heart at the most important moment.¡± ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s going to work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that hard.¡± Syria extended his hand into the thin air. A ck atmosphere spread around like smoke, and a goat helmet with long horns appeared. ¡°Th-that helmet¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s chin trembled as she saw the goat helmet. There was no way she wouldn¡¯t recognize it. ¡°Watch closely.¡± Syria put on the goat helmet and something simr to melted iron flowed from it to cover his entire body until it became ck armor. His lower body was that of a goat, his upper body was wearing knight armor, and a frightening purple light sparked from his eyes inside the goat helmet. ¡°B-Baphomet. Which means¡­ you are the Evil Goat Demon¡­¡± Runaan held her trembling arms while leaning against the wall. ¡®That¡¯s why he talked about Baphomet.¡¯ The reason Syria suddenly started to talk about Baphomet in the dining room, and the reason why he was so obsessed with her despite being a blood rtive, was because he was possessed by Baphomet''s helmet. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the Evil Goat Demon,¡± Syria exhaled in excitement, admitting that he was the Evil Goat Demon from Eden. ¡°Br-brother! Give my brother back!¡± Raon had told her that the monster¡¯s soul dwelling in the helmet devoured the human soul and took over the body. Her brother used to be extremely kind during her childhood, and he must¡¯ve disappeared because Baphomet had devoured his soul. ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Syria said as he slowly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m the one who devoured the Baphomet.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Restoration. I just want to return this peaceful continent to the utopia governed by the monsters, ording to the will of ¡®that person¡¯.¡± Heughed while covering his stomach, saying that he devoured the Baphomet instead. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan swallowed nervously. He was insane. He was seriously crazy. She wanted to stop him no matter what, but there was nothing she could do. ¡°And it will start with the continental war.¡± Syria raised his left hand and another helmet appeared along with a dark me. It was simr to the Baphomet¡¯s helmet he was wearing, but the cheekbones were smaller and the horns were even longer. ¡°We will be at the center of the scene.¡± He rolled his lips into a smile while hiding Runaan¡¯s face with the helmet. ¡°My lovely sister.¡± * * * Raon used his footwork to the best of his ability, even though he was aware that he was getting separated from Martha and Dorian. ¡®Why is it so far¡­?¡¯ The secondary residence of House Sullion was located on the outskirts of Zieghart¡¯s domain. He didn¡¯t really care about it before, but it felt so far away because of the urgency of the situation. You are too slow! Move faster! Wrath smashed his back, calling him as slow as a snail. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Raon bit his lip. He felt like his legs were too slow, just like Wrath told him. He regretted that he didn¡¯t focus on footwork as much as swordsmanship during his training. ¡®Please let nothing have happened. Please.¡¯ He tried to convince himself that he was just overreacting when Runaan had overslept, but negative thoughts continuously surfaced. ¡®There¡¯s no way she would break a promise about ice cream.¡¯ He would¡¯ve understood it if it was Burren or Martha who didn¡¯t show up, since they didn¡¯t exactly like nor dislike ice cream. However, Runaan had never broken a promise about ice cream, not a single time before. She always came an hour early to wait for him. That was why he was certain that something bad was happening. A house is in sight! It¡¯s that one, right? Wrath raised his finger towards an elegant blue roof with a downward curve. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Raon nodded and kicked the ground even more violently. Regardless of his aura consumption, he solely focused on speed as he ran towards House Sullion¡¯s main entrance. Two swordsmen were standing in front of the main entrance, and their casual expressions looked like nothing was happening inside. ¡°Please stop.¡± ¡°This ce is House Sullion¡¯s property. What brings you here?¡± Raon stood in front of the door, and the swordsmen asked the reason for his visit while standing in his way. They seemed cautious, their hands ced on their hilts. ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart, the Light Wind division¡¯s vice division leader. I came to see the second team leader, Runaan, because she failed to answer a summons without any messages sent to exin.¡± ¡°Greetings, Sir Raon.¡± The swordsmen apologetically lowered their hands from their hilt and nodded politely. ¡°Did you say that Lady Runaan didn¡¯t answer a summons?¡± ¡°Yes. She didn¡¯t arrive after two hours and didn¡¯t send any messages. That¡¯s why I came to see her.¡± He lied and said that two hours had passed even though it wasn¡¯t actually the case. ¡°Hmm, we haven¡¯t heard anything about it. Please wait for a moment.¡± The swordsman on the left opened the door and entered the central mansion. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon unleashed the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower to examine inside the mansion. ¡®There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything strange in particr¡­¡¯ He delicately spread around his aura perception, but he couldn¡¯t notice any presence indicating that a battle happened before or that someone was dying. The servants and the swordsmen were peacefully moving around inside. However, he couldn¡¯t feel Runaan¡¯s presence anywhere inside the mansion. ¡®Where did she go?¡¯ He was focusing his mind in order to find Runaan¡¯s location when the mansion door opened and a butler with a friendly appearance showed up. ¡®That old man¡­¡¯ He remembered him. He was the butler who was standing behind Rokan Sullion during the selection ceremony. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Raon.¡± Rokan¡¯s butler bowed politely to him. ¡°Lady Runaan is sick today and is currently sleeping after treatment.¡± He briefly licked his lips, saying that she had gone too hard on training with Rokan the day before. ¡°I¡¯d like to tell her about your arrival, but I can¡¯t wake her up because she just fell asleep. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The butler deeply lowered his head, saying that he was really sorry about it. ¡°Then can I see her sleeping?¡± ¡°Huhu, Lady Runaan isn¡¯t a child anymore but a proper woman. I can¡¯t grant that request even for the vice division leader. I hope you understand.¡± He smiled gently and shook his hand as if he¡¯d predicted that question. ¡°I spoke out of line.¡± Raon nodded and looked at the mansion. ¡°Runaan said that she could see the training ground from her room. That should mean that she is currently inside that room on the left side.¡± ¡°No, her room is on the right side. You seem to be mistaken.¡± The butler shook his head, saying that she could see a flowery garden rather than the training ground from her room. ¡°I see, I must¡¯ve been mistaken.¡± Raon nodded while scratching the back of his head. ¡®He¡¯s right.¡¯ Runaan had told him that she could see the garden under her room. He was sounding him out because it was possible that the butler would¡¯ve been switched, but he knew precisely where Runaan¡¯s room was located. However, he couldn¡¯t feel her presence in the room on the right, where she was supposed to be sleeping. ¡®There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t be able to find her presence.¡¯ He was certain because he¡¯d been with her for over ten years. Runaan wasn¡¯t inside the mansion at the moment. ¡°Hey! What the hell¡­¡± ¡°Y-young master¡­¡± Martha and Dorian arrivedter and stopped in front of the door with their faces frowning in pain. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean¡­?¡± Raon smiled while holding Martha and Dorian¡¯s shoulders. ¡®Something definitely happened.¡¯ Raon bowed at the butler without revealing his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that Runaan is safe. Please tell her toe to the training ground after she wakes up.¡± ¡°Understood. Thank you for being worried about ourdy.¡± Raon left House Sullion¡¯s entrance while the butler sent them off. ¡°What¡¯s even going on?! Is she really alright?¡± ¡°Did you see the second team leader¡¯s face, at least?¡± Martha and Dorian furrowed their brows, asking why he wasn¡¯t even checking on her aftering all the way there. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but one thing I know for sure is that something happened to Runaan.¡± Raon created an aura barrier to prevent the sound from escaping and exined the situation to them. ¡°We can just barge in!¡± Martha pounded her chest in frustration. ¡°Let¡¯s just beat them all up!¡± ¡°They might take Runaan hostage if it gets noisy.¡± Raon shook his head and turned around. ¡°You should wait outside ande running as soon as you hear a loud noise from the mansion.¡± ¡°A-a loud noise? What are you even nning to do¡­?¡± ¡°I need to rescue her if she is confined.¡± He told them a simple n he came up with before he concealed his presence. He lightly jumped over the wall and hid on a tree in front of the mansion. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ Raon called for Wrath, who was staring nkly into the air while holding his chin. ¡®Do you feel anything?¡¯ She¡¯s not in that house, at least. His lowered eyebrows were shaking, implying that he was fully focused on finding Runaan. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon nodded and followed the butler¡¯s presence when the man returned from the entrance. The butler went into the mansion and talked to a swordsman at the Master realm. After listening to the butler, the swordsman went out to the back of the mansion and stood in front of the small training ground. He walked around it for a short while before he returned to the mansion. ¡®Is there something over there?¡¯ Found it! Raon started to spread his aura underneath the training ground when Wrath suddenly jumped up. It was messy because of all that disgusting mana, but Ice Cream Girl is under there! She isn¡¯t in good condition! He raised his hand and pointed at a small warehouse located at the outer part of the training ground. ¡®Not in a good condition? Is she injured?¡¯ It¡¯s not about her body. Her soul is blurry right now! Raon was about to run towards the warehouse when Wrath continued. However, lots of strange things are set up on the stairs leading to the underground! You need to dodge them as much as possible as you go to make it in time! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon spread the aura perception after hearing that and noticed a strange conglomeration of mana. They must¡¯ve set traps to buy some time. ¡®Traps¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the ground where the swordsman used to stand a moment ago. ¡®I have no time to deal with something like that.¡¯ * * * ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s trembled as she looked into the Evil Lamb Demon¡¯s purple eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t refuse.¡± Syria smiled cheerfully while spinning the second helmet of Baphomet with his finger. ¡°That formation reveals your deepest thoughts. If you are attracted to me, then we are going to see that you¡¯ve loved me all along¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Runaan shook her head and bit her tongue. ¡®He¡¯s lying.¡¯ Syria lied as much as he breathed. The array¡¯s function wasn¡¯t to reveal her deepest thoughts but to destroy the wall protecting her soul and mind. However, she couldn¡¯tst any longer even though she was aware of that fact. Her head was bing foggy, and her mind grew as loose as a snapped rubber band. ¡°You are as cute as always.¡± Syria scratched his chin while watching Runaan¡¯s frowning face just as the door opened up after a knock sound. The warrior who¡¯d brought Rokan and ra entered the room and lowered his head. ¡°Raon Zieghart came to visit.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He said that he came here because Lady Runaan didn¡¯t respond to his summons.¡± The swordsman told him about what happened during Raon¡¯s visit. ¡°Ah!¡± Runaan clenched her trembling hand into a fist. ¡®Raon¡­ He believed in me.¡¯ Her emotions towards Syria have been fiddling with her mind, but they suddenly disappeared upon hearing Raon¡¯s name and the fog filling her head disappeared like it was washed away by water. She felt awake, as if she had washed her face with cold water. ¡°I heard he left for now, so it should be fine to rx¡­¡± ¡°Rx¡­?¡± Syria turned around and caressed the swordsman¡¯s head. ¡°S-Sir Syria?¡± ¡°You know nothing about Raon Zieghart. That crazy bastard is definitely going toe all the way here.¡± As soon as his quiet voice ended, the swordsman¡¯s head exploded and his blood spread around like a fountain to the walls and floor. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s fingers trembled as she watched the magic circle turn even redder. She couldn¡¯t understand why he would suddenly kill his own subordinate. ¡°Let¡¯s make some preparations for now.¡± Syria threw some unknown bead to the corner of the room before he walked up to Runaan. ¡°I seek organic rtionships. That¡¯s why I wanted you to love me the way I love you. However, we are running out of time.¡± He rolled his lips into a smile while holding Baphomet''s helmet in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s already toote. Raon is definitely going to stop you¡ª¡± ¡°That might be true. But not today.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± ¡°Since you were exposed to the array for two days, it won¡¯t take that long.¡± Syria stopped Runaan¡¯s hands from moving and forced her to wear Baphomet¡¯s helmet on her head. Whaap! Dark energy flowed down from the eye sockets of the helmet and engulfed Runaan. ¡°You will see a new world by the time you wake up again.¡± ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± Runaan tried to take off the helmet by force, but her hands were unable to win against Syria¡¯s strength and only ended up scratching the helmet. ¡°Ah, let me tell you one more time. Your brother is a rather jealous person. You should never mention another man¡¯s name.¡± Syria caressed Runaan¡¯s hairing out from the helmet with a smile on his face. ¡°By the time Raon arrives here, everything will be¡ª¡± Heid down Runaan on the ground and stepped backward just as the red ceiling trembled intensely before it copsed with a huge bang. Whaaam! Crimson eyes sparked amid falling dust and rubble. Swoosh! The owner of the red eyes swung his deadly de towards Syria¡¯s neck without the slightest hesitation. Chapter 541 Chapter 541 Tsk. Raon briefly clicked his tongue while observing the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s neck as he withdrew. ¡®It was too shallow.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t swing the sword perfectly because he was protecting Runaan at the same time. Blood was gushing from the cut on the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s neck, but the injury wasn¡¯t that deep. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± A delighted voice came from the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s helmet. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be here. I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± He spread his arms to wee him while wiping the blood off his neck. ¡°Evil Goat Demon¡­ No.¡±Raon twisted his lips while watching the purple eyes glowing inside the Evil Goat Demon¡¯s helmet. ¡°Should I call you Syria Sullion?¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± The Evil Goat Demon took off his goat helmet. He had a refined appearance, but the way his lips curved into a deep smile looked like something was wrong with him. ¡°How did you figure it out?¡± ¡°Because you are the only one who can cause this shit.¡± Runaan was engulfed in a ck atmosphere after being forced to wear Baphomet''s helmet, and he could feel Rokan and ra¡¯s presence from the other room. He could assume that they were unconscious. The only person who could ruin House Sullion to that point was an insider, Syria Sullion. ¡®It all makes sense now.¡¯ He finally realized why the Evil Goat Demon felt familiar during their first encounter when he was trying to rescue Federick. Ice Cream Girl! Wrath flew at Runaan with trembling lips. You irredeemable piece of garbage! His intense bloodlust made it seem like he would have pulled Syria¡¯s head off right away if only he had a body. Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Runaan as her limbs trembled. ¡®The Soul Offering Ceremony¡­¡¯ She must¡¯ve been fighting against the owner of the helmet, Baphomet, in her mental world, just like he¡¯d fought against the draconian when he¡¯d been kidnapped by Eden to be forced to wear the dragon¡¯s helmet. ¡®I need to help her.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t sure how he could help her, but he had to kill Syria Sullion as fast as possible and send her support. He bit his lip and clenched the hand holding Heavenly Drive. ¡°You should be aware that I let you live back then. Why do you think I did that?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°It was because I can see that happen.¡± Syria raised his finger and pointed at Runaan, whose body was convulsing. ¡°I figured Runaan would be a Master even faster if she stayed with you. I actually helped you a lot in the past.¡± He shook his hand, saying that Raon didn¡¯t need to thank him. ¡°However, you aren¡¯t needed anymore since my sister will break out of her shell today.¡± Syria stomped the ground. Dark redbative energy burst from his spiky shoulders. It felt like the heavy and ferocious wave of energy was tearing his skin apart. Shring! Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem with his left hand. ¡®He¡¯s powerful.¡¯ It was unsure whether he¡¯d been hiding his power or he¡¯d gotten stronger in the meantime, but Syria¡¯s energy wave was even more powerful than Cloud, the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple. However, Raon wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all. Whir! The emotion of wrath dwelling at the bottom of his soul leaped upwards like fireworks and spread all around his body. His heart pounded rapidly to the point of bursting, and he felt like an unknown monster was taking over his body. Wrath. The wrath he¡¯d received from Wrath was connecting with his emotions, which wanted him to rampage like crazy. ¡°Why is the Evil Goat Demon here?! Moreover, that¡¯s Runaan!¡± Martha¡¯s eyes trembled while looking back and forth between Syria and Runaan. ¡°Runaan¡¯s parents are over there. I want you to rescue them.¡± Raon pointed at the room on the left side, where Rokan and ra were lying unconscious, and told her to rescue them. ¡°Wh-what about me?!¡± Dorian pointed at himself from above the ground. ¡°The warriors from House Sullion are soon going to barge in. Stop them froming this way.¡± ¡°U-understood.¡± Dorian nodded and blew a long whistle. Peeep! The sound echoed endlessly. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± ¡°We made it while you were missing. The entire Light Wind division is going to arrive soon.¡± Martha told him to believe in them and jumped towards the copsed wall. ¡°So neither of us have much time on our hands.¡± Syria extended his hand with a smile on his face, and a greatsword as big as an adult man surged from the destroyed ground. He clenched the greatsword and a dark me ofbative energy burst from it. Raon could ascertain that Syria was more powerful than Cloud in his current state. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly put an end to this.¡± The moment Syria was about to approach, Raon mmed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem into the fissurednd. Iplete Sword Field Creation. ¡°Divine and Demonic Harmony.¡± His wrathful voice distorted the flow of the world. His further improved mental world was released, and heaven and earth trembled violently. A red sun and a blue moon rose to the sky, and the divine and demonic swords appeared in Raon¡¯s hands as he stood under that mysterious light. ¡°¡­The Sword Field Creation?¡± Syria¡¯s trembling eyes revealed his surprise. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how you managed to defeat the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple.¡± He twisted his lips, saying that he finally understood it. ¡°But I¡¯m different from him¡ª¡± Raon kicked the ground the moment Syria started to speak. He dashed like a ferocious tiger and smashed his divine sword towards his head. ¡°You are too impatient!¡± Syria pulled his lips into a smile, and the me ofbative energy bursting from his greatsword became concentrated, turning into a dark sphere. He had created the astral sphere frombative energy. Whaaam! The sh between the astral sphere of the greatsword and the divine sword¡¯s me caused a tremendous shockwave to burst from it. The firmly hardenednd was split apart, and the walls crumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Raon stopped the shockwave from spreading towards Runaan and shed at Syria¡¯s neck. Whir! Syria drew a strange pattern with his left hand, the one that wasn¡¯t holding the greatsword. Some kind of ck streams emerged from his left shoulder and blocked the demonic de. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? Baphomet can use both magic and martial art¡ª¡± ¡°Who cares?¡± Raon stopped breathing. He leaned forward and contracted the muscles all over his body. He incorporated his raging wrath into the divine and demonic swords and mmed them down upon Syria. Rumble! The divine sword burned like hellfire to push back Syria¡¯s greatsword, and the ice cut apart the ck stream as violently as the barren wind. ¡°Sword Field Creation, it¡¯s certainly unexpected. However¡­¡± With a creepy smile, Syria turned his body like a loach. He avoided the energy wave of the divine and demonic swords and swung his greatsword in return. The astral sphere soared, as smooth as a ck pearl, and pushed back the divine and demonic swords at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s still immature.¡± Raon didn¡¯t yield to Syria¡¯s provocation. He advanced as much as he was pushed back and twisted his wrist holding the divine and demonic swords. Cring! The principles of dual wielding that he¡¯d learned from Sheryl connected to the versatile sword¡¯s trajectory and created a tremendous amount of pressure. Rumble! The dark astral sphere dominating the space was blocked by the divine and demonic swords and trembled to the point of explosion. It was a sh of powers. The sh between the aura andbative energy made the entirend tremble, and the walls and ceiling crumbled like a dry cookie. ¡°Damn it! I thought I was going to die!¡± Just as Raon gritted his teeth and was about to advance even further, Martha came out while carrying Rokan and ra on her shoulders. Blood was flowing from her forehead and shoulders endlessly. She must¡¯ve gone through an intense battle too. ¡°I¡¯m taking Runaan too! Make sure to win!¡± Martha picked Runaan up from the back of her neck as her body convulsed and climbed the destroyed wall. ¡°Where do you think you are going?! Runaan is mine!¡± Syria extended his left hand and unleashed a dark spark toward Martha as if he forgot that he was fighting against Raon. It was a high-ranking spell, the Grasp of Darkness. Whaaap! Raon shed the divine sword overhead and unleashed the Firewall. The me pir surged from the ground to fend off the Grasp of Darkness. Whaam! The sh between the intense fire and mana of darkness covered the entire space with purple sparks. sh! Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity as Syria was distracted and cut his thigh with the demonic sword in his left hand. ¡°Aaaack!¡± Syria still tried to attack Martha from behind with hisbative energy even though his flesh was torn off and blood was gushing out. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my things!¡± ¡°You disgusting bastard.¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Syria. ¡°Runaan isn¡¯t yours.¡± * * * He was aware that Syria was obsessed with Runaan ever since the first encounter. However, he realized it couldn¡¯t be simply called an obsession anymore. It was madness. Raon incorporated his wrath into the sword instead of throwing up. Whaaam! The me and frost that had condensed into the divine and demonic swords exploded and tore apart Syria¡¯sbative energy. He was barely managing to defend himself with his greatsword and wall of darkness, but his eyes were still fixated on Runaan. ¡°Runaaaaan!¡± Raon let go of the demonic sword that was blocked by Syria¡¯s wall. He clenched his left hand into a fist and punched his mouth as he shouted Runaan¡¯s name. Smaack! The sound of breaking bones and teeth resounded throughout the space, and Syria was sent flying, falling onto the ground. ¡°Cough!¡± Reddened teeth wereing out of Syria¡¯s mouth. However, he kept shouting Runaan¡¯s name despite the intense pain he was feeling. ¡°Runaan!¡± Raon smashed the divine sword downward while blocking Syria¡¯s view. ¡°Kuh!¡± Syria rolled like a bug to dodge the sword and stood up while supporting himself on the wall. ¡°Stop bothering me, Zieghart dog!¡± He wielded the greatsword with both hands and started an eerie chant. Whir! The dark particles of mana gathered from all over the world and were absorbed into Syria¡¯s body. His wave of energy burst out like a tidal wave, and the astral sphere burning above his greatsword became at least twice as big as before. Whaaam! Syria rushed at him with his greatsword pulled behind him. The ground was crushed and the flow of mana became twisted. He was going all out with no consideration for the future. The energy wave wasn¡¯t the only thing that had gotten stronger. Raon could feel extremely polished principles of heavy and powerful swords from the greatsword he was thrusting forward. It was a stupidly powerful attack, and dodging it to counterattack afterward would¡¯ve been the correct thing to do. However, Raon didn¡¯t want to avoid it for once. Whether he was devoured by the Baphomet or not, he was a pervert obsessed with his own sister, and Raon wanted to crush him with sheer power. Wham! Raon stomped the ground with his left foot. He harmonized the pulsations of his muscles and aura in a single move and shed down with the divine and demonic swords at the same time. Whaaam! The frontal sh between the astral sphere, the concentration ofbative energy, and the heat and coldness created a powerful storm of mana. The walls, floor, and ceiling disappeared, and the open sky could be seen above them. Rumble! Syria¡¯s power andbative energy was tremendous, befitting one of Eden¡¯s demons who was at Grandmaster¡¯s realm, but Raon wasn¡¯t pushed back in the slightest. He was using a lot of aura from activating the Sword Field Creation and attacking all out, but a power even more powerful than that was welling up inside him. Wrath. The wrath that he¡¯d received from Wrath was piercing into his soul, granting him the power to destroy reason. He would¡¯ve normally stopped the wrath from taking effect by using the Ring of Fire, but he epted it instead while stopping the Ring of Fire. Whir! He felt like wrath was running through his veins instead of blood. The storming emotion of wrath was encroaching from his fingers to his brain. You¡­ Wrath was saying something, but Raon didn¡¯t pay any attention. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Raon unleashed his will to kill the piece of garbage in front of him amid the omnipotence he was feeling. Whaaam! The divine sword¡¯s me and the demonic sword¡¯s frost burst out to reach the sky upon taking in his emotion of wrath. Rumble! Raon crushed Syria while showing his uncontroble anger. ¡°H-how could this happen¡­?¡± Syria¡¯s eyes widened because he had never imagined that his all-out astral energy would lose in a sh of sheer power. sh! Raon didn¡¯t even try to hide his murderous intent and cut Syria¡¯s abdomen as he got pushed back. Pssh! The armor was even harder than steel, yet it was torn apart from the strike and blood gushed from the violentceration. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Syria stepped back with his greatsword. His trembling eyes reflected his panic and questions. ¡°Wh-what are you¡­?¡± ¡°Do you even realize how much hardship she had to endure?¡± Raon chewed his lip and walked up to Syria. ¡°I¡¯m asking if you know how long she kept swinging her sword and anguished in order to get rid of the trauma you gave her.¡± He was fully aware because he¡¯d been watching Runaan from by her side. She¡¯d been feeling the pain of being stabbed by a de every day, yet she never expressed it on the outside. She didn¡¯t want her parents nor herpanions to feel her sadness, so she¡¯d been enduring it alone all along by removing the expression from her face. Even though she¡¯d simply said that she wanted to eat ice cream, Raon was well aware of how many emotions were dwelling in it. That was why Syria was one person that he couldn¡¯t forgive. ¡°The reason Runaan is learning defensive swordsmanship is also because of you. She decided to defend rather than swing her sword¡ªall in order to protect her parents from you!¡± He ground his teeth violently and fixed his grip on the heavenly and demonic swords. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to exist in this world.¡± ¡°Shut up! Stop calling Runaan¡¯s name with that dirty mouth of yours!¡± Syria shouted and raised his greatsword. The astral sphere welling up from the worn edge of his de was on a whole different level from before. The storming darkness possessed a frightening amount of power, implying that he was using all of his remainingbative energy and mana. ¡°Runaan is mine!¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t belong to anyone.¡± Raon jumped into the dark astral sphere that was wavering on the brink of explosion and crossed the heavenly and demonic swords. Raon Zieghart Style Sixth Form, Divine and Demonic Harmony Combination Technique Red-Blue Invincible Sword The heavenly and demonic swords fell with determination, just like a master calligraphist¡¯s brush drawing a straight line, to draw red and blue lines while using the world as its paper. Whaaam! The red me and blue frostbined as if they only had a single color from the beginning and a majestic light radiated from it. Crack! Astral energy that seemed powerful enough to devour the entire world was cut apart, and Syria¡¯s arms were pulled off. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Syria mmed on the ground while screaming. A dangerous amount of blood was pouring from his missing arms. ¡°Syria Sullion!¡± Raon charged at him like a beast, not satisfied with his dying face. Pssh! He stabbed Syria¡¯s shoulder with Heavenly Drive and de of Requiem, which had returned as the sword field was removed, and smacked his face with his clenched fist. Smaack! Even though his aura was already exhausted, his wrath was burning even more intensely. He used that eternal rage as his fuel to repeatedly smash Syria¡¯s face. Wham! Whaaam! Every single time his fist fell upon Syria¡¯s face, his cheekbones were broken, his nose was crushed, and his teeth were pulled out. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Syria¡¯s eyes rolled back as he made some strange sound that could be either a scream or augh. ¡°Die!¡± A bloody smile appeared on Raon¡¯s mouth. His raging wrath shouted while melting down his brain. Kill him. It was telling to kill Syria while giving him as much pain as possible. Raon responded to that will by pounding Syria¡¯s body even more disorderly and cruelly. ¡­ath! Just as he was about to destroy Syria¡¯s corbone with his fist, Wrath suddenly jumped in front of his eyes. Come back to your senses already! ¡®Wrath?¡¯ You idiot! His narrowed vision was widened, and he returned to his senses upon hearing Wrath¡¯s scolding. What are you doing right now?! There¡¯s no time to waste on this perverted bastard! He smacked Raon¡¯s head, telling him to save Runaan already. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The wrath that had been suppressing his aura to dominate his body and mind finally subsided. ¡°Cough¡­¡± ck blood came out of his mouth. He felt exhausted and his body ached all over. It was probably the aftereffect of letting the wrath take control of him. It¡¯s still too early for you to control the wrath! ¡®Huff¡­¡¯ No, there¡¯s no time for a scolding. Get moving already! Wrath raised his hand, telling him to hurry up and go to the upper floor. ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip and turned around. He crawled through the destroyed ce to climb up. Whaam! Once he arrived above the surface, he could see Dorian fending off the warriors from House Sullion by using various pieces of equipment. Martha was next to him, and she was holding Runaan back by force as she tried to stand up. ¡°Why are you sote?! Stop her already!¡± Bloody tears were flowing from her eyes, implying that she¡¯d used too much power, and Runaan was violently pushing Martha away with Baphomet¡¯s helmet on her head. Dark mana was spreading around her. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he saw the purple light from her eyes. ¡®Is it toote?¡¯ The strength left his hands, and he dropped Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. He couldn¡¯t think straight anymore, and he was engulfed by the regret that he had allowed the wrath to take over his body. ¡®Wrath, is there any way¡­?¡¯ Hmm, it would¡¯ve been a different story if she was still putting up a fight, but in that state¡­ Wrath bit his lip. Even he didn¡¯t seem to know what to do. ¡°Runaan, it was my¡­¡± Raon gritted his teeth while watching Runaan turn into a demon, only for a mole to suddenlye up from the ground below him. ¡°It¡¯s not toote yet.¡± The mole shook its head while rubbing its head. It was Merlin¡¯s voice. ¡°Go to her, I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°How are you even here¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the important part right now. She really won¡¯t be able to return if you waste even more time.¡± She shook her hand, telling him to go to her already. Thud! Raon bit his lip and kicked the destroyed ground. He ced his hand on the Baphomet helmet on Runaan¡¯s head as she stood on her own after pushing Martha away. ¡°Disappear.¡± Runaan¡¯s hoarse voice sounded like it came from hell. She was about to stab him with her dark hand when Merlin¡¯s mana seeped into him, causing his vision to go white. Chapter 542 Chapter 542 Runaan raised her gaze and swallowed nervously. ¡°Where am I¡­?¡± She was inside a room that was as dark as a moonless night. No, it wasn¡¯t a room. It was so wide that she couldn¡¯t grasp the distance at a nce, and everything was engulfed in darkness. In the midst of the darkness that rippled like water, a frighteningly intense smell of blood permeated the air. Her fingers trembled from the iprehensible fear. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Runaan bit her lip and turned around. Unlike the darkness lurking in front of her, there was a clear blue space there. There was a small house that seemed to be made of ice, and dolls that seemed to be made of ice cream were lined up inside. She could tell at a nce that the dolls were the personification of her father, mother, Raon, and the Light Wind division, and they were showing their characteristics as they stood.Lastly, her sword, Snow Flower, was floating in the air. Unlike the darkness, her heart was filled with warmth just from looking at it. ¡°Come over here.¡± Runaan extended her arm, and Snow Flower slowly descended to enter her grip. ¡®What is this ce?¡¯ Why was she there? Why was that ce? She couldn¡¯t understand anything. She could just instinctively understand that she shouldn¡¯t approach the darkness. ¡°I was eating with Mom and Dad¡­ Ack!¡± Runaan quietly groaned while stroking Snow Flower. With a headache that felt like someone was crushing her head, her memories returned to her. ¡°The helmet!¡± ¡®Yes, Baphomet''s helmet.¡¯ She remembered that Syria had forced her to wear Baphomet¡¯s helmet. In that case, the answer was simple. The dark space ahead of her was the domain of the Baphomet dwelling inside the helmet. Wham! Runaan clenched Snow Flower¡¯s hilt with her trembling hands, and a violent sound echoed from the darkness. Rumble! The darknd fissured and something surged from the intense darkness. Kieeeh! It was standing on a goat¡¯s hooves, its waist was as thin and straight as a human¡¯s, and its goat head had long spiral horns where it emerged as it made a sound simr to a baby¡¯s cry. Whap! Baphomet raised its gaze. A dark me was burning in its vertical elliptic pupils. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s chin trembled as she pressed on her chest with her left hand. All she did was to meet Baphomet''s eyes, but she was feeling nausea simr to an internal injury. Baphomet¡¯s pressure was tremendous. Whir! Baphomet walked towards her, crushing the darkness on the way. She could guess from itsrge strides that it was going to reach her soon. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Runaan stepped back with trembling lips. The Baphomet looked bigger and bigger. She felt like she wouldn¡¯t be able to win against it no matter what she tried. She was aware that it was a powerful monster, but she¡¯d never expected that there would be such a huge difference between them. ¡®What am I supposed to do¡­?¡¯ Whir! Runaan¡¯s lips were turning pale as a clear resonance resounded from Snow Flower. The serene resonance was removing her fear and waking her mind. Bzzz! Snow Flower¡¯s vibrating de seemed to be telling her to go inside the ice house behind her. ¡°Do you want me to go into that house?¡± Whir! The resonance intensified as if it were saying yes. ¡°Alright.¡± Runaan nodded and smacked her thigh with her fist. Her body was stiff because of Baphomet¡¯s pressure, but she forced it to move and enter the ice house. Even though the house was made of ice, the inside was as warm andfortable as if there was a bonfire. However, there was no time to enjoy thatfort. Whaam! Baphomet was approaching the ice house while spreading its eerie wave of energy. Its hooves stepped onto the bluend and darkness started to permeate into her space, just like a blue ink dripping onto a white piece of paper. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to hide.¡± Baphomet was speaking the humannguage. Its voice was trembling faintly, as if a goat were speaking. ¡°Resistance is only going to make it more painful.¡± Its body became asrge as the darkness, and it became big enough to reach the sky in the end. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll trample upon you like the worm you are.¡± Baphomet raised its leg. It violently stepped upon the ice house with its foot, which was as big as a house. ¡°No, never!¡± Runaan gripped Snow Flower and shouted that it couldn¡¯t be destroyed. Whaam! The moment Baphomet''s leg struck the ice house, she felt a shock simr to a hammer hitting inside her head. ¡°Ack¡­¡± She fell on her knees before she knew it because the pain felt like her brain was falling apart. ¡°I¡¯ll grant you a painless death if youe out now.¡± Baphomet nodded while holding a dark red whip in its hand. ¡°N-no.¡± Runaan shook her head. Baphomet was going to take over her body the moment she left the house. She had to resist until the very end. ¡°What foolishness.¡± Baphomet furrowed its brow and struck down with the whip that was behind its shoulder. Whaam! The whipnded on the ice house, and a groundbreaking impact engulfed the area. ¡°Aaah!¡± Runaan copsed along with a piercing scream. The tremendous pain dominating her brain made it feel like she was hit by the whip instead of the ice house. She even wanted to tear her flesh off because of how painful it was. ¡®I-I understand it now¡­ This house is my mind, and the dolls inside are the people precious to me.¡¯ She was currently having a war against Baphomet with her body, and her most valuable things were at stake. ¡°Come out.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Runaan stood up while supporting herself on Snow Flower. ¡®I¡¯ll never allow that to happen. I have something I need to do.¡¯ She was going to kill Syria, save her mom and dad, and repay the favor to Raon because she could never do anything for him. Lastly, she wanted to spend more time with the Light Wind division, and that was why she wasn¡¯t about to be defeated at such a ce. She forced her aching body to stand with the determination to endure no matter what. Baphomet sneered at her and attacked with the whip over and over. The whip fell like a rainstorm and mercilessly pounded the ice house. Whaaam! Every time the whip hit the ice house, she felt like her bones and flesh were tearing apart. ¡°Ack!¡± Her hands and feet were spasming from the extreme pain, and she couldn¡¯t think straight. She even wanted to go outside the house and die. ¡°It¡¯s toote to regret it now. I¡¯m only just starting to have fun.¡± Thebative energy surrounding the whip intensified further, and even magic was added to it. Baphomet seemed to be enjoying Runaan¡¯s screams. Rumble! The whip felt like a heated de cutting through her flesh, and the magic felt like a cold awl was stabbing her vitals. As the pain umted, her soul¡ªmanifested in the shape of a body¡ªwas cut apart and blood started to flow from it. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan looked up to the ceiling of the ice house with a pale face. Fissures of different sizes were spreading across the house that used to be solid. ¡®It¡¯s because of me.¡¯ The fissures must¡¯ve been appearing because her mind was copsing from the pain. ¡®I need to endure¡­¡¯ She was well aware that she had to endure, but she had no idea how long she had to do that, or how to win against the monster in front of her. Runaan closed her lips tightly and raised her head. The entire space was covered by Baphomet¡¯s darkness, and even the ice house was on the verge of destruction. She started to think that everything was over. ¡®But I¡¯ll still en¡ªAh!¡¯ Just as she resolved herself to endure once again, Baphomet¡¯s ferocious whip struck the center of the ice house. Whaaam! The fissured ice shattered, and the ceiling copsed. ¡°I can finally see you.¡± Baphomet smiled frighteningly while shoving its eye at the hole in the ceiling. Its finger entered the ice house. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan fell to her knees while looking at Baphomet¡¯s finger as it approached her. She wanted to endure until the very end, but it was impossible to do so since the ice house was destroyed. Her mind copsed, and the ice forming the house melted. Rumble! Baphomet¡¯s huge fingerpletely destroyed the ceiling and approached her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Runaan turned around. She hugged the cute little dolls and closed her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡± Just as she thought she was going to die and bit her lip, Raon¡¯s doll flew into the sky. ¡°You¡¯ve done great holding out so far, Runaan.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She opened her eyes, and the Raon doll that she was hugging jumped into the sky. sh! The Raon doll unsheathed its toy sword and cut off Baphomet¡¯s finger, which was trying to intrude into her ice house. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Its finger was even thicker than a castle pir, but it waspletely cut off and Baphomet stepped backward. ¡°Let¡¯s fight.¡± The Raon dollnded on the ground and turned around. He nodded with his eyes brimming with confidence, just like the real Raon would. ¡°We can win.¡± * * * Raon looked away from Runaan who was confused, and looked at his own hand instead. He only had two fingers, as if he was wearing a mitten, and his limbs were short. His body was literally a doll made from ice cream. ¡®It must be because I¡¯m inside Runaan¡¯s mental world.¡¯ Since he was inside Runaan¡¯s mental world, he must¡¯ve transformed into the shape she had created. Uhehehe! Wrath pointed his round finger at Raon while looking at him. What a perfect appearance for a nasty guy like you! It would¡¯ve been great if you looked like that in real life! He looked really happy as heughed despite the serious situation. ¡®You should take a look at yourself before youugh at me.¡¯ Raon shook his head. Since Wrath didn¡¯t even exist in Runaan¡¯s mental world, he was taking the form of an extremely small cotton candy. To be honest, he could easily be mistaken for dust. Huh? Wrath blinked while looking at himself. Wh-what¡¯s going on?! Why is the King of Essence so small?! He jumped, telling him to stop looking down on the Monarch of Wrath, but he was even worse than a flea. No, that¡¯s not the important part right now! Ice Cream Girl! Wrath flew towards Runaan and wagged his tail. Don¡¯t worry! The King of Essence is going to help you now! ¡°A-are you really Raon?¡± Runaan ignored Wrath and walked up to Raon. ¡°Yes,¡± Raon calmly responded and nodded his head. Runaan bit her lip, and her clenched fist trembled. The moisture welling up in her blurry eyes was as transparent as the morning dew. ¡°You did really great holding out so far.¡± Raon smiled while tapping on her shoe. He was serious about it. It was amazing that Runaan couldst for so long since she hadn¡¯t created a proper mental world yet. She had really amazed him. That¡¯s the King of Essence¡¯s subordinate for you! He¡¯s so proud of you! Wrath patted Runaan¡¯s shoulder topliment her. ¡°By the way, who is this?¡± Runaan raised her finger and pointed at Wrath. She tilted her head, implying that she couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Raon nkly stared at Wrath and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I think some dust entered along with me.¡± Heeey! Exin to her properly! Wrath shouted while iling his arms around. ¡°Anyway, the dust isn¡¯t the important part right now.¡± Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept screaming and looked at Runaan instead. He had to look far above himself because there was a huge height difference. ¡°We can¡¯t leave this ce unless we defeat Baphomet.¡± ¡°Mhm, then let¡¯s do it togeth¡ª¡± ¡°No, you have to kill it.¡± Raon shook his head. ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°We are inside your mental world. You are the owner, and I¡¯m a guest. You are the only one who can finish off that monster once and for all.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s lips trembled as she watched Baphomet slowly stand up. It was an expression of terror. She must¡¯ve been going through lots of pain until he arrived. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know how I can win against that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Raon kicked the ground and jumped onto Runaan¡¯s shoulder. He smiled while infusing the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy into her. ¡°Like I said, we are currently inside your world. Your willpower is more important than your aura, body, or your martial arts realm.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± ¡°You are fully capable of defeating it since you managed to ovee Syria¡¯s brainwashing by yourself.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. The Baphomet she was facing was definitely a powerful one, but Runaan¡¯s willpower didn¡¯t lose to it. She was fully capable of winning against it with a bit of encouragement and help. ¡°Really?¡± Indeed! That thing is big, but it¡¯s empty inside! It¡¯s pretty much mint chocte ice cream with no mint included. ¡°It¡¯s big, but it¡¯s empty inside. It¡¯s practically mint chocte ice cream without any mint.¡± Raon repeated after Wrath to encourage Runaan. ¡°Huu.¡± Runaan¡¯s lips curved upwards. She clenched Snow Flower while smiling faintly. ¡°Okay, I believe you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded and opened the door of the destroyed ice house to go outside. Heeey! Wrath went to Raon and shouted at him. That was the King of Essence¡¯s line! Where is the copyright?! ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter whose line it was. The important part is that Runaan gained courage from it.¡¯ Ugh¡­ He was frustrated, but simply bit his lip because he couldn¡¯t argue against that. ¡°How dare you!¡± Baphomet regenerated its arm and became even bigger. It looked like the entire world was devoured by it. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Runaan quietly groaned. She seemed to be crushed by the Baphomet¡¯s pressure dominating the darkness. It¡¯s usually the ones that aren¡¯t a big deal that try to look bigger like that. Think of it as cookies and cream without any cookies. ¡°Runaan, the ones that aren¡¯t a big deal usually try to look bigger. It¡¯s just cookies and cream without any cookies.¡± Stop repeating after him! Wrath barked and grabbed him by his cor with a deadly re. ¡°Alright.¡± Runaan nodded, her eyes turning nk once again. She seemed to have ovee her fear. ¡°I¡¯ll crush you!¡± Baphomet raised its huge foot and tried to stomp Runaan. ¡°Runaan!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan kicked the darkened ground. Her lively yet profound footwork drove away the creeping darkness and gave her wings on her back. Whaam! Baphomet¡¯s huge foot didn¡¯t achieve anything, it only destroyed the empty ground. Thud! Runaan stepped upon thend that was falling apart and moved to Baphomet¡¯s left side. ¡°Think about the strongest warrior you¡¯ve seen so far. You can also think about your stronger future self.¡± Raon advised her what he¡¯d learned about his mental world and calmed her down. ¡°That¡¯s already decided.¡± Runaan responded decisively and stepped forward with her left foot. She closed the distance to Baphomet in an instant, as if she were folding the ground, and ferociously swung her sword. sh! The energy of frost burst endlessly from Snow Flower to cut through Baphomet¡¯s ankle. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Darkness flowed down from the cut on Baphomet¡¯s ankle instead of blood. ¡®That movement just now¡­¡¯ The footwork looked like the Supreme Harmony Steps, while the sword technique was simr to the Crimson sh from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®Was that me?¡¯ The image of the powerful warrior in Runaan¡¯s mind seemed to be none other than himself. ¡®But why¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why she was thinking about him because there were countless warriors who were more powerful than him. He wanted to ask why, but he simply cheered for her because he didn¡¯t want to distract her. ¡°You are doing great! Make it a bit faster, and a bit stronger!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan dodged Baphomet¡¯s whip and shed its shin with nk eyes. It looked like she had returned to her usual self. Whaam! Baphomet was unable to withstand the impact and copsed on its back. ¡°Do it now!¡± Runaan nodded and attacked Baphomet¡¯s heart with her frost. The de of frost rose like a spire and descended in a sweeping arc. ¡°Disappear!¡± Baphomet made itsbative energy explode, and Runaan was pushed back by its powerful wave. Whir! Baphomet¡¯s size decreased rapidly. It returned to its original shape, wrinkles all over its face. It looked extremely angry. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Baphomet ground its teeth and swung the whip. It was less powerful than before, but the speed was iparably faster and a ferocious principle of martial arts was dwelling in it. ¡°It includes the principles of swiftness, variation, and illusion. You should be able to dodge it by focusing on the tip of the whip.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Runaan nodded and pierced into the whip covered inbative energy. She avoided the whip¡¯s strikes raining down upon her and closed the distance towards Baphomet. ¡°That won¡¯t work against me anymore!¡± Baphomet stepped back, judging that Runaan¡¯s sword was dangerous. It unleashed the whip attacks and magic one after the other to make it impossible to approach it. Rumble! Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the magic andbative energy rampaging around. ¡®It will be disadvantageous for Runaan at this rate.¡¯ She had already spent most of her willpower when she was trying to protect the ice house. Her focus was going to run out first if the fight dragged on. ¡®In that case, I¡¯ll help her in a different way.¡¯ Raon put his hands around his mouth and strained his abdomen. ¡°You seem to be putting up a desperate struggle, but there¡¯s no point in going out right now! Your mate is already dead!¡± Raon raised his voice, saying that Syria in the outside world was already dead. Judging from the draconian that he¡¯d encounteredst time, the monster inside the helmet and demons from Eden on the outside were capable ofmunicating with each other to a certain extent. That was why he was certain it was going to be effective. ¡°Stop lying!¡± Baphomet¡¯s attacks intensified, telling him to cut his crap. Itsbative energy curved like a snake and ruthlessly destroyed the ground. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Runaan was using her footwork to the best of her ability, but she was getting less and less space to work with. ¡°Think about it. How would an outsider like me even be here if your mate was still outside?¡± Raon sneered while stating the truth. ¡°I¡¯m not lying. I killed your mate.¡± ¡°Sh-shut up!¡± Baphomet¡¯s motions became bigger, and the magic¡¯s scale was erged. The attacks were extremely powerful, but an opening that didn¡¯t exist before was created in return. Thud! Runaan didn¡¯t miss that opportunity and kicked the ground. She cut through the darkness with Snow Flower clenched in her hands, stabbing Baphomet¡¯s neck. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Baphomet tried to pull out the sword and gain distance, but Runaan even bit its arm with her teeth, not letting it go. Whaam! The coldness emerging from Snow Flower spread under Baphomet¡¯s neck, and its whole body started to freeze. ¡°H-how could I be defeated by mere humans¡­?¡± Baphomet¡¯s widened eyes trembled as it watched its freezing body. ¡®It worked perfectly.¡¯ Baphomet still had more willpower left than Runaan, but it couldn¡¯t take advantage of that fact because it was shocked by Syria¡¯s death. Raon was d that the mind game worked. sh! Runaan bit her lip tightly andpletely cut off Baphomet¡¯s head. The monster turned into dust and disappeared as if it had never existed to begin with. Whir! Baphomet¡¯s darkness that had been covering the entire world also turned into particles of darkness and faded away. ¡°Good job.¡± Raon jumped down from Runaan¡¯s shoulder and patted her ankle. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Runaan didn¡¯t respond. The energy left behind after Baphomet¡¯s death wasnding on her to grant her a new power. Raon remembered how he was enlightened after defeating Loctar, the draconian. ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Raon smiled at Runaan, who was in a trance. He wanted to give her a gift for oveing the pain, and he was d that it went ording to his n. Sh-she is so praiseworthy. Wrath sniffled while watching Runaan. Seeing that child all grown up now and oveing her hardship fills the King of Essence with joy¡­ Hmm? ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon blinked while watching his hands. The energy left behind by Baphomet wasnding on Raon to give him power instead of just Runaan. Why are you even getting that?! ¡®It looks like Runaan couldn¡¯t take all of it and the leftovers areing to me.¡¯ He could guess that the energy that Runaan couldn¡¯t take in was entering him. He could feel that his mental world was getting bigger and sturdier. ¡°This is why humans have to do good deeds¡ª¡± What about the King of Essence?! Wrath barked at him. The King of Essence also did a good deed! All you said tofort Ice Cream Girl were his lines! Why are you the only one getting rewarded?! ¡®Because you aren¡¯t a human.¡¯ You are discriminating right now! ¡®You are finally getting it right. It¡¯s not racist, because that word is usually used between human races. Discrimination is the correct word¡ª¡¯ Shut up! Chapter 543 Chapter 543 Raon ignored Wrath as he started to rampage and closed his eyes. ¡®I should be able to broaden my mental world even further.¡¯ Baphomet¡¯sbative energy, purified by Runaan¡¯s frost, was seeping into his body. Since he had a spiritual body, Baphomet¡¯s energy naturally settled inside his mental world. Sincebative energy¡¯s sole purpose was to fight, it sharpened the des embedded in his mental world. ¡®I should take it in as it is.¡¯ He could change Baphomet¡¯s energy to match his characteristics, but he kept the wild nature of the monster on purpose. Since Glenn had told him to experience various things in order to achieve the versatile sword, he wanted to bring new stimtion to his mental world by taking in an energy that didn¡¯t exist there before. Raon opened his eyes, feeling as his soul level grew even greater with Baphomet¡¯sbative energy.Runaan¡¯s shoulders were trembling, her eyes closed. She still seemed to be trying to stabilize the energy. Damn it! Wrath punched the ground, his fist looking like a sweet bun. Why is the King of Essence the only one who never gets anything? He shouted in frustration, saying that he never gained anything even though he worked hard with everyone else. ¡®What are you talking about? There¡¯s something to gain for you.¡¯ R-really? ¡®Yes. You¡¯ll be able to eat ice cream once we get out of here.¡¯ Ah, indeed! That¡¯s certainly a great¡­ Wait, we were supposed to have that anyway! Wrath furrowed his brow and punched Raon. ¡®I¡¯ll buy food that you wanted to have as well. Just be quiet for now.¡¯ Raon easily dodged the fist by tilting his chin and shook his hand. I-I see, then he¡¯ll stay qui¡ªno! You were supposed to do that anyway too! The promised three weeks aren¡¯t over yet! ¡®You aren¡¯t as easy to deceive as before.¡¯ Raon murmured that it was a shame and sighed lightly. Seriously, you bastard¡­ ¡®Anyway, I¡¯ll do everything you want today, so please calm down.¡¯ Really? ¡®Yes. As long as you stay quiet without doing anything unnecessary.¡¯ Raon nodded at Wrath¡¯s doubtful gaze, and Runaan¡¯s mental world trembled violently. Rumble! Baphomet¡¯s encroaching darkness disappeared, and Runaan¡¯s mental world became iparably wider than before. Beautiful particles of snow were falling upon the newnd. Runaan¡¯s world turned a serene and pristine white. Whaam! The ice house that protected Runaan was destroyed, and the ice cream dolls inside stood up on their own and started to walk. ¡°Huh.¡± Raon gasped while watching the Burren and Martha dolls, which started to argue as soon as they came out. ¡®Does this mean¡­¡¯ It means that Ice Cream Girl¡¯s mental world has grown. Wrath smiled while watching the dolls starting to walk on their own. The mind of a child who wanted to protect her family even if she had to sacrifice herself has matured. ¡®Yes, it looks like it.¡¯ Watching the ice house being destroyed and seeing her precious dolls move on their own made him realize the immense growth her mind had achieved, just as Wrath had said. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As Raon was watching the dolls move around the white world, Runaan opened her eyes with a small groan. Her purple eyes were glimmering like stars. ¡®She¡¯s gotten stronger.¡¯ Her mind wasn¡¯t the only growth she¡¯d achieved. It was hard to tell for sure until he was outside, but her power also seemed to have improved noticeably. ¡°Raon.¡± Runaan walked up to him and extended her hand. Since he still looked like an ice cream doll, he jumped nimbly onto her hand. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Raon asked while looking up at Runaan. Even though they were inside her mental world, the delicate fragrance of her hair was tickling his nose. ¡°I feel like I bathed in warm water after being covered in mud.¡± Runaan raised her hand to meet his eyes. Her eyes weren¡¯t nk anymore. They were as clear as morning dew on leaves. They looked as beautiful as the starry night sky. ¡°Raon, thank you.¡± ¡°It was all you.¡± Raon shook his hand at her nod of appreciation. ¡°No, I would¡¯ve never won if I was alone.¡± Runaan raised her lips faintly. It was clearly a smile, though it was small. ¡°Your example with ice cream gave me strength.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± That¡¯s not true! The King of Essence was the one who said it! He didn¡¯t do anything at all! He¡¯s a viin who stole his copyright! Wrath had been admiring her growth, but he sprang up wildly and shook his hand upon hearing it. ¡°The dust is still around.¡± Runaan tilted her head while looking at Wrath. D-dust¡­ Wrath fell, his chin trembling. Ice Cream Girl, how could you do this to the King of Essence¡­? Hemented. He seemed extremely shocked. ¡°Just ignore it. It¡¯s just dust.¡± Raon smiled and easily pped Wrath away. ¡°How pitiful.¡± Runaan caught Wrath with her left hand and carefully caressed him. He knew it! Ice Cream Girl and the King of Essence are on the same wavelength! Just wait a little, Ice Cream Girl! ¡®What kind of wavelength¡­? Hmm?¡¯ Raonughed bitterly when his body and Wrath suddenly shone and they started to return to their original shapes. ¡°Is this¡­? Ah.¡± When he thought about it, Wrath had returned to his original shape after a while when he¡¯d fought against the draconian in the past. They seemed to be returning to their original appearances because they got used to Runaan¡¯s mental world. ¡°Finally!¡± Wrathughed in delight while looking at his long finger. ¡°The King of Essence can finally return to his original shape!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Runaan blinked. It looked like she could finally see Wrath. ¡°Ice Cream Girl! Listen. This guy is the source of evil. Everything he said so far was the King of Essence¡¯s lines, and everything he¡¯s done was the King of Essence¡¯s¡­¡± Wrath started to talk shit about Raon even though his body wasn¡¯t fully visible yet. Rumble! However, Runaan¡¯s mental world copsed before he could finish talking, and the sky andnd became darker. It wasn¡¯t Baphomet¡¯s revival. They must¡¯ve hit the time limit to stay in Runaan¡¯s mental world. ¡°N-no! There are still so many things he needs to say! Wait¡­¡± Wrath extended his hand while screaming, but Runaan wasn¡¯t there anymore. ¡°Damn it!¡± Wrath howled while kicking the ground. ¡°This is way too unreasonable! At least let him talk!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon shook his head in the middle of the darkening world. ¡°You would¡¯ve said it if you didn¡¯t waste your time insulting me.¡± * * * Raon slowly opened his eyes. He could see that his right hand was touching the Baphomet helmet that Runaan was wearing. ng! Even though he didn¡¯t do anything to it, the helmet was split in half and fell to the ground. However, Runaan was still sleeping without a sigh of waking up. Raon carefullyid her down and smiled faintly. ¡®She¡¯s still getting stronger.¡¯ As expected, the growth of her mental world was also happening to her body. He could expect her to wake up after she reached the new realm. You damned heaven! Wrath shook his fist while looking up to the sky. Why are you always disturbing the King of Essence?! ¡®That¡¯s why you should¡¯ve said it quickly. You had more than enough time for it if you hadn¡¯t tried to insult me.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away and examined the states of Rokan and ra, who were lying unconscious right next to him. ¡®They seemed to be poisoned by something¡­¡¯ The movement of their blood was subdued, as if time had stopped. They seemed to be rendered unconscious with a special drug. ¡®It¡¯s not poison, at least.¡¯ Raon breathed out a sigh of relief, as Federick would likely be fully capable of treating them. ¡®As for Merlin¡­¡¯ He thought it was strange that he couldn¡¯t find Merlin, who should¡¯ve been running at him right away, and noticed that a mole was limp on the ground. ¡®Did she push herself too hard?¡¯ She seemed to have fainted because she used too much power in her animal form. ¡®You keep helping me even though I can¡¯t do anything for you. Thank you.¡¯ Raon put the Merlin mole in his clothes and walked towards the underground area where Runaan used to be confined. ¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯ Syria¡¯s corpse was at the same ce where he was killed before Raon had gone to rescue Runaan. However, there was one strange thing. His helmet was nowhere to be found. ¡®What?¡¯ He furrowed his brow while thinking that it was strange when a powerful shockwave urred from the right. Rumble! Raon looked around. Martha, Dorian, and the warriors from House Sullion who had been suppressed by Syria were fighting against the traitors who followed Syria. There seemed to be lots of Eden¡¯s demons wearing monster helmets or masks as well. ¡°Ack¡­¡± Raon was about to walk towards them but came to a halt and clutched his chest. ¡®My body won¡¯t move.¡¯ His mental world had achieved growth, but the aftereffect of letting wrath take over his body remained. He felt like a line of pain was connecting from his scalp all the way to his toes. He had even exhausted his aura and willpower from using the Sword Field Creation, making it even more difficult to move. The King of Essence told you before, it¡¯s still too early for you to control the wrath. Wrath shook his head at how weak he was. ¡®It couldn¡¯t be helped.¡¯ He was engulfed in wrath before he knew it when he saw that Runaan was wearing the helmet. His primal emotions seemed to be getting stronger the more wrath he received from Wrath. ¡®But I still need to settle this situation.¡¯ Raon bit his lip and stepped forward. He mustered his force to activate the Ring of Fire and went up next to Martha. ¡°Is it over?¡± Martha exhaled roughly while brushing aside her blood-soaked hair. She was severely injured, and she seemed to be exhausted from fighting powerful opponents one after the other. ¡°Pl-please save me¡­¡± Dorian was almost on his knees as he pleaded with teary eyes. He was also severely injured, and his trembling hands revealed how exhausted he was. ¡°Good job.¡± Raon went ahead after he smiled at Martha and Dorian. ¡°Tell me how it went! Is she okay now?¡± Martha cared about Runaan before anything else even though she was in an extremely difficult situation herself. Even though they usually looked like they were on bad terms, they seemed even closer than real siblings. ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Raon nodded with a smile. ¡°She will wake up, and she will be even stronger than you when that happens.¡± ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m fine with that. I just want her to wake up already.¡± Martha twisted her lips while staring at Runaan. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart¡­¡± ¡°Which means, Sir Syria really has¡­¡± ¡°D-damn it!¡± The swordsmen who betrayed House Sullion by turning to Syria¡¯s side bit their lips upon seeing Raon. ¡°I-it¡¯s all over for you!¡± Dorian raised his hand while panting. ¡°Look more closely.¡± The Eden¡¯s demon wearing a gnoll lord helmet, the Corpse Hound Demon, pointed at Raon. ¡°The White Sword Dragon isn¡¯t in good shape.¡± He noticed Raon¡¯s bad state at a nce and licked his lips. He seemed to have noticed his injury with the gnoll¡¯s sense of smell. ¡°Fight. We are going to die anyway if we can¡¯t kill them all.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°How did this happen¡­?¡± The traitors from House Sullion bit their lips, realizing that it was thest chance they had. ¡°You are right. I¡¯m not in good shape. However¡­¡± Raon admitted that he was in bad shape and nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s over for you.¡± The moment he voiced those words, the western walls of House Sullion were destroyed. Whaaam! The Light Wind division ran through the cloud of dust and encircled Eden¡¯s members and the traitors. ¡°Light Wind division! We¡¯ve arrived under the vice division leader¡¯s order!¡± Burren bowed at Raon and unsheathed his sword. sh! Mark Goetten cut off the Red-Eyed Demon¡¯s head nearby as if he was telling them that talking was unnecessary. The other Light Wind swordsmen also unleashed their deadly energies. ¡°They are just a bunch of nobodies! Fight until the very end!¡± The Corpse Hound Demon tried to raise their spirits, but the traitors were turning pale. ¡°The Light Wind division isn¡¯t the only one.¡± Raon sneered at Eden¡¯s demons and the traitors. The powerful warriors from the house were running towards the scene because his battle against the Evil Goat Demon had spread their wave of energy. It was only a matter of time until they were neutralized. ¡°I¡¯ll drag you down with me at least!¡± The Corpse Hound Demon unleashed his yellow madness and dashed at Raon. The sharp de of his twisted sword was rushing towards his neck. ¡°Raon!¡± ¡°Dodge it!¡± Martha and Dorian tried to protect him, but they were faltering because they were both exhausted. ¡°You underestimate me too much.¡± Raon advanced with a coldhearted smile on his face. He raised his right hand without even drawing his sword. sh! With his fingers put together, his hand cut through the Corpse Hound Demon¡¯s sword like a sharp de, even severing his helmet. ¡°Ah¡­¡± With the helmet divided into two, the face of the swordsman who talked to the butler earlier was revealed. He copsed with trembling lips, unable to believe his own death. ¡°Even though I¡¯m injured, people like you will never be able to defeat me.¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the old swordsman who came after the Corpse Hound Demon. ¡®That man¡­¡¯ He was Rokan¡¯s butler, the one who¡¯de to greet him at the entrance. Even a person who¡¯d been serving the house for a long time ended up a traitor. Rokan and Runaan must¡¯ve been tremendously shocked. ¡®Should I kill him now?¡¯ Since there were many people he could get the information from, he figured it would be best to just kill him before making Runaan even sadder. Raon was about to extend his hand to kill him when he felt a presence from behind. He turned around and saw that Runaan was calmly standing up. Even though she¡¯d gone through so much pain and mental shock, she still had a straightforward look in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Runaan picked up the sword from the ground and stepped forward. ¡°L-Lady Runaan, there was a misunderstanding. We just¡­¡± The butler immediately went to his knees. He bowed while looking as pitiful as possible, trying to take advantage of Runaan¡¯s kind heart. However, Runaan was different from her past self from his memory. sh! Runaan swung the sword she was holding and cut off the butler¡¯s head without hesitation. ¡°Kuah¡­¡± The butler watched his own headless body in disbelief before he perished. ¡°As the substitute head of House Sullion, I issue thismand.¡± Runaan stepped over the butler¡¯s corpse to approach the traitors. She stomped her foot while ring at the disgraced figures of the house with her clear, piercing gaze. ¡°Kneel, traitors.¡± Chapter 544 Chapter 544 ¡°Huh.¡± Raon gasped while watching Runaan¡¯s small back. ¡®Look at her¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought that it would take a long time for the growth in her mental world to take effect in reality because people didn¡¯t change that easily. However, he was gravely mistaken. Runaan''s mind had achieved tremendous growth, rather than her strength. She was such a gentle girl whose hand trembled from killing a random enemy, yet she wasn¡¯t wavering after killing the butler she¡¯d known her entire life and boldly pressured her enemies with her aura. She seemed to have steeled herself in order to protect Rokan, ra, and House Sullion. Hmph¡­ Wrath watched Runaan with teary eyes.Ice Cream Girl! The King of Essence is so proud of you! You ignored him while calling him dust, but he is still proud of you! He sniffled while shouting that it was good enough for him. His red nose suggested that he was serious about it. ¡®He always goes too far.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly as he watched Wrath continuously shouting Runaan¡¯s name. ¡¯No, maybe it¡¯s not excessive.¡¯ Runaan has always been distracted. She must¡¯ve been worried about protecting her family from Syria, and she must¡¯ve been contemting what course of action she should take. However, her worriespletely disappeared. both voluntarily and involuntarily, and her mind had be even harder than steel. ¡®And¡­ she¡¯s also gotten a lot stronger.¡¯ Runaan had only be a Master recently. She should¡¯ve normally gone through a period of stagnation, but she¡¯d achieved drastic growth from defeating Baphomet in her mental world. Her realm was at the intermediate Master level. It was difficult to believe, but she¡¯d almost caught up to Mark Goetten. ¡°Kneel.¡± Runaan pointed her radiant Snow Flower at them, and Eden¡¯s demons rushed at her with trembling shoulders. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°Yaaah!¡± They noticed that it was theirst chance and unleashed thebative energy they¡¯d been hiding to attack her. des sharpened like the rough fangs of beasts were rushing toward Runaan¡¯s vitals. sh! Runaan bent her left knee slightly and pulled Snow Flower towards her chest. Her silver de bolted like lightning from under her arm, creating sharp fragments of ice. ng! Eden''s demons tried to kill Runaan without caring about their own lives, but they frozepletely as soon as they touched the frost and copsed. ¡°This is yourst chance. Kneel.¡± Runaan calmly advanced to cut off the head of a demon wearing an orc¡¯s helmet and pointed her sword at the traitors once again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°How is this happening¡­?¡± The traitors from House Sullion watched Runaan¡¯s coldhearted gaze with trembling lips. They realized it was impossible for them to win and fell to their knees. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Martha gasped while watching Runaan¡¯s back. ¡°She really got stronger. Wow, I¡¯m so salty!¡± Even though she sounded like she was irritated, she copsed with a satisfied expression on her face. ¡°Th-then, I¡¯m going to copse now¡­¡± Dorian panted like a thirsty puppy and fell to the ground. ¡°You idiots! Fight until the very end!¡± ¡°We are going to die anyway if we surrender now!¡± ¡°Take as many of them down with you as you can!" The Green War Demon and the other demons from Eden were ordering them to fight until the very end just as ck and red clothes fluttered from above the walls to the right. Glenn Zieghart. His crimson eyes revealed his rage as the head of Zieghart and the lord of thend. ¡°How dare you act like this here!¡± Glenn¡¯s pressure was almost brutish as he walked towards Eden''s demons, clearly enraged. Rumble! His massive wave made it look like the sky was howling and thend was screaming. Eden¡¯s demons dropped the weapons they were holding and started to convulse as if they were being suffocated. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t done yet!¡± ¡°For the restoration!¡± Eden¡¯s demons realized that there was no escape for them and concentrated their aura in their energy center in order to end themselves. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± However, their lips trembled in panic as they realized that their aura was as immobile as hardened ster. ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to die.¡± Glenn coldly twisted his lips while looking down on Eden''s demons. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to die until I give my permission.¡± Eden''s demons copsed while foaming at the mouth as soon as that frightening resonance brushed past them. Raon swallowed nervously as he watched Glenn. ¡®Is he really human¡­?¡¯ He had neutralized Eden¡¯s demons without even moving his finger even though hundreds of people were in that wide space. His might had truly transcended the human realm. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Runaan sighed and sank to the ground. ¡°Ldy¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Lady Runaan!¡± The loyal retainers of House Sullion who¡¯d been stopping the traitors ran up to her to examine her condition. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Runaan nodded and raised her finger to point at the traitors. ¡°Tie them up for now.¡± ¡°U-understood!¡± The warriors seemed to be surprised by Runaan¡¯s dominating spirit, something that they¡¯d never seen before, and they couldn¡¯t take their eyes off her even when they were suppressing the aura of the traitors and tying them up. ¡°Runaan.¡± Raon came up next to Runaan. Her clear eyes had returned to being nk at some point. He thought that those eyes were the best suited for her. Holding back hisughter, he asked, ¡°How is your condition?¡± ¡°It¡¯s bearable.¡± Runaan blinked, saying that she was fine, and turned around to crawl towards Rokan and ra. Since her job as the substitute of the head of house was over, she was finally checking on her parents¡¯ condition. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She sighed deeply, upon confirming that they were safe. Considering the way she prioritized the house¡¯s affairs over her parents, she really seemed to have gained the qualifications to be the head of house even though she used to be just like a child. ¡°Where is Syria¡ªI mean, the Evil Goat Demon?¡± Runaan asked about Syria¡¯s location while holding Rokan and ra¡¯s hands tightly. ¡°He¡¯s in there.¡± Raon supported Runaan and showed her the hole where Syria¡¯s corpse was located. Syria¡¯s corpse and his severed arm were exactly where they were before, but his helmet was still nowhere to be found. ¡°There was something strange, but he¡¯s clearly dead.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ the Evil Goat Demon might still be alive.¡± Runaan shook her head while looking at Syria¡¯s corpse. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying since the corpse had stopped breathing a long time ago. ¡°The Evil Goat Demon threw a strange bead aside before you got here. He said that it was a precautionary measure¡­¡± Runaan raised her finger and pointed at the corner where he¡¯d thrown the bead. ¡°Precaution¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at the corner that Runaan was pointing at. ¡®I have no idea.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see anything like a bead because the floor waspletely destroyed by the violent battle against Syria. Since he couldn¡¯t really feel any special energy, he couldn¡¯t tell at all what kind of bead it was. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ You only need the King of Essence at a time like this. Wrath furrowed his brow in displeasure. ¡®It¡¯s for the ice cream girl you are so proud of, not for me.¡¯ Ahem! He reluctantly examined the hole. There isn¡¯t any strange energy around here. And the bead can¡¯t be found either. Wrath shook his head, saying that it didn¡¯t seem to be a big deal. ¡®You are so useless.¡¯ You bastard! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon briefly licked his lips. He wanted to ease Runaan¡¯s troubled mind, but he was frustrated because he couldn¡¯t find a definite answer. ¡°Runaan, for now¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Runaan shook her head and looked up to the clear sky. ¡°My brother is already dead. The Evil Goat Demon is an enemy. I¡¯m going to stop him even if he returns.¡± She clenched her fist, saying that she was going to finish Syria off with her own hands. Raon could see her determination to not agonize on the matter any further in her eyes. The King of Essence will help you if anything happens! Wrath grabbed Runaan¡¯s sleeve, saying that he would help no matter what. ¡°Tell me if you need help.¡± ¡°Mhm, thank you. Hmm¡­¡± Runaan started to nod but raised her gaze to stare at him. ¡°You know, there was dust that entered my mental world with you.¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah.¡± ¡°I had an impression that it suddenly transformed into a human and said something to me. Do you remember by any chance? I¡¯m curious because it felt familiar¡­¡± She blinked, implying that she remembered seeing Wrath¡¯s true form. Ooh! Ice Cream Girl! You remember that! Wrath jumped while cawing like a seagull. Convey to her what the King of Essence is about to say! He continued with a bright smile, delighted by the fact that he was able to face Runaan. The King of Essence has seen you ever since your childhood. He helped you a lot and even covered the hole in your stomach. He is pretty much a parent to you¡ª ¡°It did say something.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully after listening to Wrath. ¡°It said it was hungry.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s lips parted because she didn¡¯t expect that it would have said something like that. What bullshit are you spouting?! The King of Essence¡­ Wrath yelled, his face turned red. ¡­is actually hungry. When are we going to eat? ¡®......¡¯ * * * ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon walked up to Glenn upon hearing his call. ¡°Greetings, my lo¡ª¡± ¡°Stop with the useless greetings. What even happened here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long story.¡± Raon lowered his eyes because it wasn¡¯t something that he should say in such an open space. ¡°In that case,e to the lord¡¯s manor before noon tomorrow. I¡¯ll listen to everyone¡¯s story at that time.¡± Glenn nodded while looking at Raon, Runaan, and the unconscious Rokan one after the other. ¡°Bring the injured to that man for now. He needs to earn his keep.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon bowed, realizing that Glenn was talking about the Ragged Saint, Federick. Glenn left the aftermath to Roenn and disappeared into thin air. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll take care of the rest, so you can return now, Sir Raon.¡± Roenn greeted him with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon left the aftermath in House Sullion to Roenn and the Light Wind division and brought the injured to the red mansion where the Ragged Saint Federick was dwelling. ¡°Rokan Sullion? And isn¡¯t she Runaan?¡± Federick¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing Runaan¡ªwho had fainted on the way¡ªher parents, Martha, and Dorian. ¡°What even happened?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a story behind this.¡± ¡°A story?¡± ¡°Yes. What happened in House Sullion was¡­¡± Since the saint was alone, Raon exined what had happened so far. ¡°Huh, the sinister influence of those demons even reached all the way here¡­¡± Federick gasped, finding it surprising that the important people in House Sullion were Eden¡¯s demons. ¡°They can even deceive their own family if they take off their helmet, after all.¡± ¡°They took advantage of people¡¯s feelings. They really are evil demons.¡± He deeply furrowed his brow, showing his hatred towards Eden. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them. But you don¡¯t seem to be in a good condition either.¡± Federick tilted his head while looking at Raon¡¯s pale face. ¡°I just overworked myself a little. I don¡¯t have any serious injuries.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. He¡¯d actually gotten a serious internal injury because of his wrath, but he refused the treatment because he didn¡¯t want Federick to find out about it. ¡°I see.¡± Federick chuckled and took a pill out of his pocket and threw it at him. ¡°It¡¯s a medicine for internal injury. It¡¯s a new product, so you can test it out for me.¡± He told him to take the medicine and went inside with the patients. ¡®He knew about it all along.¡¯ There was no way someone called a saint wouldn¡¯t notice his internal injury. He must¡¯ve been considerate of his circumstances. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at Federick¡¯s back and left his mansion. Once he returned to the annex building, Sylvia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Why are you already back? And why is your face so pale?!¡± Her lips trembled as she asked why he returned injured when he¡¯d gone for a group meal. ¡°There were some issues¡­¡± He briefly exined what happened so she wouldn¡¯t be too shocked since he figured she would find out soon enough anyway. ¡°Th-then is Runaan alright?¡± ¡°She probably isn¡¯t alright, but I think she can endure.¡± ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, too.¡± Raon pretended to be fine and forced himself to smile. ¡°You¡¯re not fine at all! Go take a rest already!¡± Sylvia noticed that it was a forced smile and hit his shoulder while pointing her finger for him to return to his room. She went to the kitchen and told the maids that they should prepare some food. She seemed to be nning to make some food to help the injured recover. Mom, you are so kind! ¡®She¡¯s not your mom.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away and entered his room. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Either from the relief or the injury, the strength left his body and he sank to the ground. ¡®This is even more serious than I thought¡­¡¯ The aftereffect from the wrath was way worse than he¡¯d expected. It was even more painful than when his bone was exposed from an injury he got in an all-out battle. The King of Essence told you. It¡¯s way too early for you to control pure wrath. Wrath rolled his lips into a smile and sneered at him. ¡®But I didn¡¯t expect it to be so bad.¡¯ You¡¯ve been controlling wrath so far by following the road that the King of Essence had carved, like when you were using the Perception of the Snow Flower, the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil, and the Evil Eye of Wrath. He raised his round hand and continued to exin. However, this time you unleashed your wrath on your own ord, straying away from his path. Wrath is an extremely powerful energy, iparable to aura. That¡¯s why it¡¯s normal that it puts a heavy strain on your body. ¡®Yes, I know.¡¯ Raon acknowledged it honestly and nodded. ¡®Let¡¯s handle the most urgent problem first.¡¯ Raon swallowed Federick¡¯s internal injury medicine at once and activated the Ring of Fire. The rings rotating around his heart created a line connecting the high-purity mana to the medicine¡¯s healing ability to increase his body¡¯s recovery. Whap! The Divinity Blooming from the Underworld also spread out from deep inside his energy center. The internal injury slowly subsided despite how serious it was, and the pain decreased significantly. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon opened his eyes after he absorbed all of the medicine¡¯s energy. That¡¯s why the King of Essence keeps telling you to know your ce! Wrath had apparently been bbering all along. He liked to continue even when no one was listening, just like everyone who talked too much. ¡®You seriously talk so much.¡¯ No amount of nagging is enough for a pathetic guy like you. Come over here. The King of Essence shall give you a proper lesson today. He tapped on the floor and waved for him toe towards him. It¡¯s a thousand years too early for you to control wrath! In fact, back in Devildom¡­ Wrath was about to start bragging about himself once again. Messages appeared while hiding his bbermouth. [You¡¯ve achieved an overwhelming victory against an opponent more powerful than you.] [You¡¯ve witnessed the flow of another person¡¯s mental world.] [All stats have increased by 17.] [The trait Evil Eye of Wrath has increased in rank.] [The trait Snow Flower¡¯s Veil has increased in rank.] It was announcing the rewards for defeating Syria and helping Runaan in her mental world. Ah¡­ Wrath¡¯s mouth was about to widen when another message appeared. [The new trait Wrath Release has been created.] ¡°Wrath Release?¡± Aaaaah! Wrath grabbed his own hair while ring at the message. Kill him, just kill him already! He fell like a deted balloon, his eyes full of tears. Stop taking everything away from him and kill him instead!!! Chapter 545 Chapter 545 Raon pushed Wrath away as he writhed on the ground like some worthless creature and checked the message about Wrath Release. [Wrath Release (One-Star) Allows the user to control the energy received from the Monarch of Wrath along with aura. (Maximum usage: 5%)] The content was simple, but the effect wasn¡¯t. It implied that he could properly control the emotion of wrath that was too much for him before. ¡®It¡¯s only 5% for now, but it¡¯s going to change as it grows.¡¯ 5% was all he could control with his current realm. It was only 5% of the wrath he¡¯d received from Wrath, not 5% of his entire wrath. That was why it could be seen as a small amount. However, the number was bound to increase as his realm got higher, which made him look forward to it. What are you even talking about?! The King of Essence never gave any energy to him! Wrath yelled at the message.The wrath was simply injected wrath into him to allow the King of Essence to take over his body! He is just using it on his own ord! He pounded his chest with his round fist, saying that he was so frustrated he could die. ¡®It¡¯s a matter of the past since you already gave it to me. Stop whining about it.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue while looking down on Wrath. Wh-whine? Did you just say that he was whining? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped at his ridiculous statement. If it happened to you, would you leave a thief who keeps stealing your money every time you earn some alone? ¡®I would forgive him.¡¯ Argh! My head hurts¡­ He ended up copsing while covering his head. Judging from the way his eyes were rolled backward, he was fuming so hard that he lost consciousness. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon left Wrath alone and checked the message once again. ¡®It will likely be difficult to use it all the time.¡¯ Even with the trait, maintaining the wrath all the time was bound to strain his body and mind. He could guess that the best usage would be to activate it at an important moment to put an end to the fight, just like how Martha used Berserk. ¡®I should test it out after I recover from the internal injury.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t recklessly unleash the wrath yet because his internal injury wasn¡¯tpletely healed yet. He was visualizing the image of Wrath Release in his head when he felt a small wriggling around his chest. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon took the mole out of his pocket. ¡°Merlin?¡± He weakly shook the mole while calling Merlin¡¯s name, but there was no reaction. It seemed to be alive since he could hear the sound of it breathing, but she was still unable to wake up, it seemed. Whir! He tried to treat her with the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld just in case, but she wasn¡¯t showing any reaction, just like he had anticipated. ¡°Did she overexert herself?¡± He sighed and put Merlin back into his inner pocket, but he felt the same wriggling once again. ¡°Hey.¡± Raon immediately took Merlin out and poked at her stomach. ¡°You are conscious, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Raon stared at the mole¡¯s face, and its lips parted while shaking faintly. ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t hold back herughter any longer and burst outughing while raising her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wanted to stay in there because your chest was so warm.¡± She licked her lips broadly, saying that she would¡¯ve been happy to stay there for the rest of her life. ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± Raon shook his head with an expression of disgust on his face. M-madwoman! Gack¡­ Wrath had finally been able to stand back up, but he was so shocked to see Merlin that he hit his own head and fainted once again. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Raon examined Merlin¡¯s condition while looking at her eyes. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Merlin nodded and pped her arms like wings. ¡°Then why did you faint?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t faint, though.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I was just lying down because I ran out of strength, and you put me in your clothes. I figured it was an opportunity and stayed still.¡± She grinned with her cheeks turning red. Raon had never expected that he would see a blushing mole one day. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon covered his forehead with his hand and leaned his back against the wall. He was angry about the prank, but he was relieved that she was fine. ¡®A sigh of relief, huh¡­? What is this rtionship between us?¡¯ She was an enemy who tried to kill him at first, but she ended up helping him all the time somehow. It was such a mysterious rtionship. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can sleep tonight because I¡¯m too happy¡­ Ah.¡± Merlin smiled happily and suddenly fell on her back. Her hands and feet were shaking intensely. ¡°Merlin?¡± ¡°I must¡¯ve pushed myself too hard, after all.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Raon furrowed his brow. Even though the helmet served as a medium, she had created a passage to enter another person¡¯s mental world. It was obvious that she was overexerting herself. ¡®And she said that she¡¯d been looking for me for weeks without even sleeping.¡¯ During his encounter with her while she was inside the seagull, she¡¯d said that she had incorporated her will into thousands of animals without even sleeping. Considering how crazy that was, her stamina and willpower shouldn¡¯t have recovered yet. Raon opened his subspace pocket. He took out an Ocean Soul¡¯s leaf that he¡¯d acquired in the coastal dungeonst time and held it out to Merlin. ¡°Eat this and rest for a while.¡± ¡°A transparent leaf?¡± Merlin widened her eyes while looking at the Ocean Soul¡¯s leaf. ¡°It¡¯s a leaf of an Ocean Soul.¡± ¡°Ocean Soul? The legendary elixir?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s effective at recovering the body and mind. I think it should be helpful to you in your current state.¡± The Ocean Soul¡¯s leaf was the highest-grade elixir, but Merlin had helped him even more than that. He didn¡¯t feel bad at all about giving it to her. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Use it for yourself.¡± Merlin shook her head. She didn¡¯t seem to be interested at all in the Ocean Soul¡¯s leaf. ¡°I already ate one and have more to spare.¡± Raon showed the other leaves to Merlin and gestured with his hand for her to take it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Merlin grabbed the leaf with both hands and exhaled excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it as an heirloom¡­ No, I¡¯ll establish a country and cherish it as a national treasure!¡± ¡°Just eat it¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow and shook his head. ¡°Mhm, okay.¡± Merlin smiled happily and fiddled with the Ocean Soul¡¯s leaf. Her hand sparkled white, and the leaf disappeared like melted snow. She must¡¯ve sent it to her main body. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve seen it, but¡­¡± Raon told her about Runaan¡¯s worries and asked whether Syria was still alive. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Merlin simply shrugged her shoulders. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I said this before, but Eden is divided into different factions. We work together, but we don¡¯t actually get along. You should¡¯ve realized since you saw them, but one side wears helmets while the other side wears masks.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon nodded while thinking about the Eden demons he¡¯d encountered so far. ¡°Idiots wearing helmets sometimese to our side, and crazy guys wearing masks asionally go to the helmet¡¯s side, but we generally stick to our own kind.¡± Merlin tilted her head, saying that she didn¡¯t know about that incident either. ¡°Syria was cherished by the helmet demons. It¡¯s notpletely impossible for him to be alive with the helmet if they gave him some special artifact. The most important part is that I¡¯m not interested in him at all, and that¡¯s why I can¡¯t tell exactly what happened.¡± It was apparently meaningless to ask her about Syria. ¡°Then¡­¡± Raon stopped thinking about Syria and asked a question that he¡¯d been curious about all along. ¡°The leader of the masked demons is the Fallen, and the leader of the ones wearing helmets is the Heavenly Demon, right?¡± ¡°Yes. The Heavenly Demon rarely shows up, though.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Raon nodded slowly. He felt once again that Merlin allowed him to confirm so much information. He felt nothing but gratitude towards her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me.¡± Merlin shook her head and suddenly started to shiver. ¡°I must¡¯ve really overdone it this time. I should get going.¡± She waved with her trembling hand. Raon was worried about what kind of request it was going to make, and the mole opened its mouth. ¡°This one wants to eat a snake.¡± ¡°Sn-snake?¡± ¡°Yes. Snakes are the natural enemies of moles. It wants to try it out because it¡¯s always been on the receiving end. I leave it to you!¡± Merlin energetically waved her hand and disappeared. ¡°A snake in the middle of winter?¡± Raonughed bitterly and looked outside. As it turned out, it had been snowing since a moment ago. ¡°Squeak.¡± The mole bobbed its hand, asking him to give it the snake already. ¡°This is driving me nuts¡­¡± Raon sighed and went outside. He spread his aura perception to the best of his ability just like when he was in a battle, and finally found a hibernating snake after four hours. He fed it to the mole and returned to the annex building. ¡°I¡¯m so exhausted¡­¡± He entered his room after a quick bath, and his head felt dizzy. He immediatelyid down on the bed. ¡®I need to sleep.¡¯ Both his body and mind felt utterly wrecked. He closed his eyes in order to use the energy of Sloth. You suffered a lot because of the madwoman. You should rest¡ªno¡­ Wait, no! Wrath started to nod his head, saying that he understood the pain of dealing with Merlin, but suddenly stopped. You said that you would eat everything the King of Essence wanted today! ¡®......¡¯ Raon was already fast asleep and was unable to hear him. You little whelp! Wake up already! We didn¡¯t have a single meal today now that he thinks about it! * * * The next day at noon. The audience chamber¡¯s iron door opened with an oppressive sound. Zieghart warriors were standing on the sides of the red carpet leading to the tform. Pce masters, division leaders, and even squad leaders. The executives who were inside the house or nearby were clenching their fists with pale faces while standing in front of the audience chamber¡¯s pirs. The reason they were so nervous was simple. The king of the north sitting on the throne, Glenn Zieghart, was exuding a pressure dry enough to evaporate all of their blood. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon pushed away the suffocating pressure and walked towards the center of the audience chamber with Runaan. ¡°Begin.¡± Glenn ordered him to go straight to the point before he could even greet him. Raon nodded and looked at Runaan standing next to him. ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan took a step forward and started to talk about everything that had happened to her so far. Syria¡¯s brainwashing and torturous actions that had continued ever since her childhood, and the way he kidnapped her to make her wear the helmet. Since it was such an unbelievable story, people¡¯s groans broke the silence in the audience chamber. ¡°¡­When I woke up, I saw Raon fighting against Eden¡¯s demons.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin what happened after Runaan put on the helmet.¡± Raon continued the story, starting from the moment Runaan didn¡¯t show up to the appointment, leading to him going to find her. Then he continued on to how he defeated Syria and entered her mental world to fight against Baphomet. Of course, he skipped the part about Merlin and said that he just happened to reach her mental world. ¡°Eden, you son of a bitch!¡± The True Martial Pce master, Balder, stomped the ground, unable to withstand his anger. His tremendous strength smashed the ground and the entire audience chamber trembled. ¡°......¡± Denier also seemed enraged, as a frightening sharpness was dwelling in his gentle appearance. ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Those demons crossed the line.¡± ¡°Eden¡­¡± ¡°Those mask-wearers must have a death wish.¡± The squad leaders and division leaders also bit their lips, enraged by the fact that Zieghart had been ying into their hands. ¡°......¡± Glenn closed his eyes without saying anything. He was maintaining hisplexion without showing his anger, and it felt like his calm attitude was tightening his heart even more. ¡°Please kill me!¡± Rokan knelt towards Glenn from under the tform. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault!¡± He mmed his head on the ground to the point where the sound of breaking bones could be heard. ¡°I was so proud of my son that I didn¡¯t suspect him at all.¡± Rokan averted his gaze from Runaan and bit his lip to the point of bleeding. ¡°Even though Runaan warned me about him before, I kept believing in Syria and didn¡¯t try to listen to her at all. It all happened because of my ipetence. Please kill me!¡± The blood bursting from his forehead was seeping onto the white floor. ¡°Dear, please stop!¡± Rokan looked like he was seriously going to end himself if ra didn¡¯t stop him from next to him. ¡°......¡± Runaan didn¡¯t move from her spot. She wanted to go to Rokan but caught her breath while looking up to Glenn. ¡°Head of House Sullion.¡± Glenn slowly raised his eyebrows. Rokan¡¯s chin quivered upon witnessing the coldness in his red eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been almost excessively loyal to Zieghart ever since your childhood. I¡¯d like to believe you, but we cannot overlook this matter since Syria Sullion was involved with Eden.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Rokan nodded, saying that he had braced himself. ¡°Wise Martial Pce master.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Denier stepped forward and bowed. ¡°Mobilize all personnel in the Wise Martial Pce and thoroughly investigate House Sullion¡¯s members, finances, and activities. There are definitely still some people left with connections to Eden.¡± ¡°At yourmand.¡± He knelt, saying that he would do his best. ¡°......¡± Even though Sullion was a vassal family of Zieghart, investigating everything about the house was a huge humiliation for them. However, Rokan stayed with his head lowered, not saying anything. ¡°The punishment for the head of Sullion wille after the investigation. Stand by until then.¡± ¡°I-I will follow your orders.¡± Rokan lowered his head while biting his lip. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± As soon as Glenn finished talking, the Central Martial Pce master Karoon shook his hand at Raon. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°Please ask.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit strange that you went to House Sullion as soon as you heard that Runaan Sullion didn¡¯t arrive at the appointed time? She could¡¯ve had some circumstances around it. I don¡¯t understand why you went running there as fast as you could.¡± He furrowed his brow while tantly suspecting him. ¡°The second team leader has always been good at keeping her promises, and she has always arrived at least an hour before the appointed time whenever ice cream is involved. Since I was somewhat aware of the rtionship between Runaan and Syria¡­¡± ¡°Do you think that even makes any sense?¡± Karoon briefly clicked his tongue. ¡°Why are you doing this? He did a good thing this time, didn¡¯t he?¡± Balder, the True Martial Pce master, tilted his head, finding it strange that he was trying to use him. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that he went to her home as soon as she didn¡¯t arrive at the appointed time? The way he intruded despite the butler telling him off was also abnormal. It almost looks like a fabricated scenario¡­¡± ¡°Karoon.¡± Glenn¡¯s cold gaze stabbed Karoon. He called him by his name instead of his title of Central Martial Pce master and raised his finger in a frightening manner. ¡°Shut your mouth. I haven''t finished speaking yet.¡± ¡°¡­I beg your pardon.¡± Karoon stepped back with trembling lips. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon bowed and stepped forward. ¡°You truly did great.¡± Glenn gave him a nod of acknowledgement, as if he was trying to erase Karoon¡¯s suspicion. ¡°The ones who can achieve great things usually see and feel differently than others. If you thought it wasn¡¯t a big deal that Runaan Sullion waste, House Sullion would¡¯ve fallen under Eden''s grasp, and they would¡¯ve stabbed us in the back in the future.¡± He continued with a dignified voice, ¡°House Sullion wasn¡¯t the only one you¡¯ve saved. Zieghart was also saved by you. It was truly a great achievement.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Raon bowed awkwardly. He was expecting apliment, but he didn¡¯t think that he would praise him so much. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Karoon seemed to want toment, but he simply bit his lip because he was scolded a moment ago. ¡°Come up here.¡± Raon nkly raised his gaze and saw that Sheryl and Rimmer were waving their hands at him. ¡°What are you waiting for? Go up already!¡± ¡°Go there and ask for money! A lot of it!¡± Raonughed bitterly at Rimmer¡¯sment and went up to the tform. ¡°Raon Zieghart will be bestowed a golden tablet and an additional reward for defeating the Evil Goat Demon and saving House Sullion.¡± Glenn picked up a golden tablet and a red ne from Roenn and gave them to him. It almost looked like he¡¯d prepared them in advance. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon carefully lowered his head because he¡¯d never imagined that he would get another golden tablet after only a few days. Rumble! Raon went down the tform after thanking him, and Glenn stood up. The majestic pressure engulfing the audience chamber made it feel like a mountain was rising. ¡°Eden, or rather the Five Demons¡¯ influence might have already reached inside Zieghart on top of vassal houses. That is why we are going to make an exception and run an inspection for a while.¡± Glenn raised his finger and pointed at Balder. ¡°The True Martial Pce master will be appointed as the head of the special inspectors. You shall check if there¡¯s any subversive elements in the house and root them out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± Balder was surprised at first because he didn¡¯t expect to be entrusted with such an important role, but he smiled brightly soon enough and bowed. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon widened his eyes while watching Balder clench his fist. ¡®Is he really appointing that clueless person as a special inspector?¡¯ He was a better choice than Karoon, who could be scheming something else, but Raon had never expected that der would be entrusted with such an important job when his personality was so simple, ignorant, and obnoxious. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply. ¡®It¡¯s going to be painful for a while.¡¯ * * * ¡°My lord.¡± Rimmer walked up to the tform after all the executives had left. ¡°You aren¡¯t seriously nning to let the True Martial Pce master handle everything, right? I think he¡¯s going to destroy whatever that doesn¡¯t suit his tastes¡­¡± He shook his head while looking at the floor that was destroyed when the True Martial Pce master stomped the ground. ¡°You are right. Balder isn¡¯t fit to be an inspector.¡± Glenn nodded and looked at Roenn. ¡°Roenn, deploy the Obsidian Order.¡± Roenn¡¯s eyes glowed coldly as he was asked to deploy the Obsidian Order. Not the slightest sign of his usual warmth remained. ¡°The spies are definitely going to show an opening once Balder starts to recklessly cause a ruckus. Find them all and bring them in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll carry out your orders.¡± Roenn ced his hand on his chest and lowered his head. His pressure, which had always been so peaceful, had be as sharp as a dagger. ¡°So Balder will be rampaging from the front, and the Obsidian Order will be doing the real investigation from the dark. That¡¯s a good n. However¡­¡± Rimmer sighed, showing his worries. ¡°The True Martial Pce master is going to tantly pick a fight with us. That¡¯s going to be rather annoying.¡± He darted his tongue, saying that it was terrible to just think about it. ¡°Why are you even worried about it?¡± Sheryl tilted her chin, asking what he was even talking about. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have that person in the Light Wind division.¡± ¡°That person? Ah!¡± Rimmer pped his hands and raised his head. ¡°Wait, should I be hoping for Balder toe to us now?¡± Chapter 546 Chapter 546 ¡°Ha¡­¡± Karoon exhaled in irritation as he left the audience chamber. He deeply furrowed his brow, and the ferocious look in his eyes became ice cold. ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to kill someone.¡± Balder came up next to Karoon and rolled his lips into a smile. ¡°Do you hate that Raon guy so much?¡± ¡°Hate? A trivial emotion like that isn¡¯t important at all.¡± Karoon twitched his lips without even looking at Balder. ¡°Have you ever seen our fatherpliment anyone like he did today before?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡±Balder thought about it while stroking his chin, then he shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t. He isn¡¯t exactly reluctant to praise people, but he¡¯s never tantly praised someone like that before.¡± ¡°Yes. Forget the children, not even we have ever been praised like that. Even when I became a pce master, he simply told me that I did a good job.¡± Karoon raised his eyes slightly, thinking about what happened in the past. ¡°But our father has changed from back then, and what he achieved this time was inarguably a great feat. He¡¯s destroyed a n that those Eden bastards have worked on for dozens of years!¡± Balder shook his hand, saying that they shouldpliment him if he did something good. It was a line befitting his simple personality. ¡°It must be nice to be you with yourck of worries. Do you remember what I told you before?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He tilted his head. He looked like he couldn¡¯t remember what Karoon had told him before. ¡°I said that our father seemed to be trying to make Raon Zieghart into his sessor.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Today¡¯s matter confirmed it. Our father is nning to make Raonpete against us.¡± Karoon was certain about it, unlikest time. ¡°But he¡¯s still just a brat who just barely became an adult! How could he be ourpetitor?!¡± ¡°His age doesn¡¯t matter. All that matters is if he can do it or not. Raon Zieghart has gained enough aplishments and might.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s still a Master¡­¡± ¡°His hand has already surpassed the wall. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he became a Grandmaster tomorrow.¡± He looked at Balder for the first time and continued, ¡°You will be the first to be defeated if you remain relieved like an idiot¡ªjust like your son was devoured by him.¡± Karoon narrowed his eyes, mentioning how Raon had defeated Raden when he was a trainee. ¡°Are youparing me to Raden?¡± Balder frowned fiercely, remembering how Raden had be disabled. ¡°Moreover, he¡¯s not even a member of the direct line yet!¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a question of time. Our opposition is enough to stop it for now, but if he manages to achieve the feat of defeating the Axe King next year, there will be nothing we can do to stop it anymore.¡± ¡°The Axe King¡­¡± ¡°Fortunately, you have the authority this time. You should make sure to keep him in check in advance if you don¡¯t want that donkey to catch up to your back,¡± Karoon dered before he walked towards the Central Martial Pce without even looking back. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Balder ced his hands on his waist and sighed in irritation. ¡°You are always so great.¡± He red at Karoon, only for Denier to quietly approach him from behind. ¡°He¡¯s been like that ever since our childhood. Why are youining about it now?¡± Denier smiled, standing on Balder¡¯s right side. ¡°Did you hear us? I created an aura barrier though.¡± Balder furrowed his brow while looking at Denier. ¡°I overheard it a bit because I was curious about what you were talking about. I¡¯m sure he knew about it.¡± Dernier waved his hand towards Karoon, who was getting further away. ¡±In my opinion, I don¡¯t think you need to pay so much attention to it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Like you said, I think our father was justplimenting him more than usual because Raon did something great this time.¡± Denier crossed his arms while leaning back against a wall. ¡°Karoon has always paid so much attention to trivial matters. It would be understandable if it were Aries, but there¡¯s no way Raon would be the sessor. After all, he is our nephew.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Of course, everyone has dirt if you dig deep enough, but it would be strange for us to try to keep him in check.¡± He left after telling him to investigate the Wise Martial Pce as much as he wanted, unlike Raon. ¡°Dirt, hmm¡­¡± Balder licked his lips while watching Denier¡¯s back. His casual words stimted his sense of urgency towards Raon instead of Karoon¡¯s warning. ¡°I should poke him a bit.¡± * * * Raon went to a small conference room inside the lord¡¯s manor at Rokan Sullion¡¯s request. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± As soon as he opened the door and entered the conference room, Rokan bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you. All I can say is that I¡¯m extremely grateful to you.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Raon rapidly blinked and grabbed Rokan¡¯s shoulders. He was expecting to be thanked, but he didn¡¯t think he would bow as much as he did when he was facing Glenn. ¡°Thank you for saving Runaan.¡± Rokan continued without raising his body and head from the bow. ¡°I¡¯m fine with dying. No, I deserve to die. But I just wanted to save her no matter what, and you¡¯ve achieved that, vice division leader. I¡¯m really thankful to you.¡± His trembling shoulders showed that he was relieved that Runaan had survived, rather than himself. ¡°The same goes for me.¡± ra came up next to Rokan and lowered her head to Raon. ¡°Thank you for saving our girl.¡± ¡°She is your daughter, but she is also my subordinate. You don¡¯t need to thank me like this.¡± Raon shook his head at Rokan and ra. ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Rokan raised his gaze and nodded. ¡°Runaan told us that you would say that, and she was right.¡± Heughed bitterly and pped his own cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯ve been seeing so far. I waspletely blind.¡± Rokan bit his lip tightly and went on one knee after making up his mind. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°From today onward, we will serve the Light Wind¡¯s vice division leader, House Sullion¡¯s benefactor. We will follow your requests with everything we have, no matter what they are.¡± He ced his hand on his chest to pledge to him like a Zieghart swordsman. Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he met Rokan¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®Is he serious?¡¯ Following any request implied that he was going to obey his orders like they did as one of Zieghart¡¯s vassal houses. ¡°Sir, it might sound strangeing from me, but you should think this through¡­¡± ¡°ra, Runaan, and I were pretty much reborn yesterday. Since you were the one who granted us that new life, it¡¯s only natural for us to do so.¡± Rokan shook his head, saying that he wanted to do even more for him. ¡°Everyone left in Sullion came to that conclusion together. Please don¡¯t feel pressured by it.¡± ra smiled while holding Rokan¡¯s arm instead of stopping him. Argh! This is so boring! Just ask them to give you some delicious food! Wrath ground his teeth in jealousy and started toin that he was hungry. ¡°I understand.¡± Raon bowed back at Rokan and ra. ¡°I¡¯ll gratefully ept your will, or rather, the will of House Sullion.¡± Since an excessive refusal would have been disrespectful, he epted their expression of gratitude. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Rokan and ra finally raised their heads. They copsed into the chairs behind them, feeling exhausted. They looked at least ten years older than before, probably because they had to bring up painful memories. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± He quietly closed the door and left since he figured that Rokan and ra would need some time for themselves. He was about to turn around in order to return to the annex building when he met the eyes of a person whose back was leaning against the wall. ¡°Runaan?¡± Runaan¡¯s back parted from the wall, and she walked up to him. ¡°The conversation inside¡­¡± ¡°I knew about it already, since Dad told me.¡± She nodded, saying that she knew about it all along. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon awkwardly scratched his cheek and raised his gaze. ¡°How are the matters in your house? Is there anything I can do to help?¡± Since it had only been a day since the incident, Runaan and her parents still must¡¯ve been in a bad condition. He wanted to help them if he could. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Runaan calmly shook her head. ¡°You already did everything you can do for us.¡± Her eyes were as nk as always, but she looked like her personality had changed. She was fully aware that it was her job, and that she shouldn¡¯t entrust it to someone else. ¡°I see¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly and took out a gray box from his subspace pocket. It was the ice cream he was forced to buy in the morning because Wrath started to rampage. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°The appointment for a group meal is still valid. Just be satisfied with this for now.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Runaan nodded, giving an energetic answering from her. ¡°Alright then.¡± Raon patted Runaan¡¯s shoulder and left the lord¡¯s manor. Wow¡­ Wrath rubbed his red nose while looking back at Runaan. You¡¯ve grown up, Ice Cream Girl! ¡®I thought you were crying because you were sad about the ice cream, but that wasn¡¯t the case.¡¯ Raon chuckled as he watched Wrath sniffle. What impression do you even have of the King of Essence?! Do you seriously believe that he would be thinking about food in this situation?! He shook his head, telling him to cut the crap. ¡®That¡¯s true. I¡¯m sorry, I misspoke¡­¡¯ By the way, you didn¡¯t give her the mint chocte, did you? That would be a bit sad¡­ ¡®......¡¯ * * * One weekter. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Burren sighed while cing the crumpled paperwork on the table. ¡°Is there even a point to this? I think they are going to start nitpicking no matter what.¡± He furrowed his brow, saying that Balder was definitely going to be unreasonable about finding fault with them as the special inspector. ¡°We still need to do it.¡± Raon shook his head while checking the documents that Burren brought to him. ¡°If he is just being unreasonable, then irritation is all we are going to get. However, if there really is a problem on our side, it¡¯s going to be very annoying.¡± ¡°Even with an unreasonable fault, he will try to put the me on us until the very end.¡± Balder had obtained an omnipotent authority as the special inspector, and he was causing a huge mess in the entire house. Even the slightest dissatisfaction led him to find fault in them all day long, and the armed organizations like the divisions and squads and the intelligence agencies like Shadow Agents were suffering every day. ¡®It¡¯s even more problematic because he is so diligent on top of being ignorant.¡¯ Balder was the worst type of superior who worked hard despite being foolish. That was why the entire Zieghart was rmed about him. ¡°Moreover, the True Martial Pce master hates you.¡± ¡°He probably does since I crippled his son.¡± Raon put down the pen after he signed the document. Balder had recently been quiet in the lord¡¯s manor and sometimes even took his side, but it was because of his simple personality. He surely hadn¡¯t forgotten the resentment he held for Raon about his son. ¡°But if we talk about whose fault it was, Raden was the one who picked the fight with you.¡± Burren furrowed his brow, saying that it was ridiculous when he thought about it. ¡°A little detail like that doesn¡¯t matter to him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Just keep working. We have to do everything because Martha and Runaan are missing.¡± Raon exhaled heavily while looking at the paperwork piled up on the desk. Hmm? Wrath tilted his head while looking down at the dirty desk. You haven¡¯t been home for a while and got your days off as soon as you returned. ¡®I did.¡¯ Then why is there so much paperwork here? ¡®Because the owner of this ce doesn''t do his job.¡¯ Raon twisted his lips while pointing at the Light Wind division leader¡¯s namete on the desk. As expected of Shitty Ears¡­ Wrath shook his head, amazed at him from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Argh! He is so hateful!¡± Burren mmed the desk. He also seemed to be having a fit of rage towards Rimmer. ¡°It¡¯s even more irritating because he tantly told us that he¡¯s running away!¡± He ground his teeth while thinking about how Rimmer dered the day before that he was running away. Dorian opened the door and entered. ¡°W-we are in big trouble! That guy¡ªI mean, the special inspector ising here!¡± Dorian¡¯s lips trembled, his forehead covered in bandages. ¡°Already?¡± Raon widened his eyes. He didn¡¯t expect him to being already because the sun had just started to rise. His diligence was the real deal, despite his other qualities. ¡°What should we do?! We haven''t finished organizing them yet!¡± ¡°Just shove them somewhere ande out.¡± Raon shook the dust off his hands and left the office. ¡°I-isn¡¯t heing too early?¡± ¡°I heard that the Heavy Steel squad waspletely destroyed yesterday.¡± ¡°Heavy Steel squad? They have a lot of members of the direct lines among them.¡± ¡°We are gonna be even more screwed¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen sighed deeply, worried about what was about to happen. ¡°......¡± Mark Goetten was the only person who was standing peacefully. Wham! By the time Raon stood in front of the Light Wind division, the training ground¡¯s door burst open with the violent sound of footsteps. Balder could be seen behind the creaking door. He was wearing a ckish-red uniform that seemed to be newly made for his position, and it looked like the part around his shoulders and legs was about to burst because it was too small for his body. Letters indicating that he was the special inspector were sparkling brightly in gold on the armband around his left arm. He almost looked like a child eagerly showing off his position. ¡°Ahem!¡± Balder stepped heavily up to the Light Wind division and raised his chin. Since he was already big enough as it was, raising his chin made him look like an ogre. Raon briefly licked his lips and stepped forward to bow at Balder. ¡°Greetings, special inspector.¡± He emphasized the special inspector part on purpose, and Balder¡¯s lips curved into a deep smile. He seemed to be thinking that he¡¯d won. He was even simpler than Raon had expected. He started to guess that the matter could be concluded without any issue. ¡°Where is the Light Wind division leader?¡± Balder started to look for Rimmer while rolling his eyes like a bear. ¡°He¡¯s in the middle of his personal training.¡± He responded that Rimmer was doing his personal training because he couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell him that he had no idea where he had run off to. ¡°Personal training?¡± Balder narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is he training on his own when every other member is here? When he¡¯s the division leader?¡± ¡°We usually have personal time from daybreak to noon, and he is allowed to do whatever he wants th¡ª¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s personal time, a division leader should always be watching the division members!¡± He raised his voice as if he had found something to nitpick about. ¡°Hmph!¡± An old man with a beard looking like a goat started to write down something on the booklet he was holding. He definitely seemed to be giving some negative points. ¡°The division leader is acting on his own without the division members. How suspicious.¡± ¡°The division leader trains with us in the afternoon. Some of the other divisions don¡¯t even do daybreak training¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter! The issue right now is that the division leader is missing!¡± Balder started to nitpick unreasonably right off the bat, just like the rumors. ¡°The daybreak training is just a simple warm-up. That¡¯s why it¡¯s fine even if the division leader is missing.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t even matter! The issue right now is that you aren¡¯t meeting my criteria!¡± He examined the sand in the training ground while shaking his hand to express that he had no intention of arguing about it. ¡°Hmm? Why are there so many pebbles in the sand? Are you not maintaining it properly?¡± ¡°That dirt is the highest quality sand, imported from the south. There¡¯s no way there would be many pebbles¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s one right here!¡± Balder furrowed his brow while pointing at a small piece of stone that was pretty much a sand particle at that point. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed as he watched Balder yelling like he was breathing fire. ¡®It¡¯s just what we expected.¡¯ Like Burren told him a moment ago, Balder was finding fault in them from the beginning. He seemed to be nning to make sure to pay back the humiliations of the past. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you are cking so much on the training ground¡¯s maintenance. The swordsmen can end up being injured! Are the division leader and the members all focused on something else?¡± Balder frowned and examined the Light Wind swordsmen one after the other. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The swordsmen stepped back with trembling shoulders, intimidated by Balder¡¯s pressure. ¡°You!¡± Balder walked up to Dorian and red at him because he was trembling the most. ¡°Why are you trembling? You are drenched in cold sweat when I haven''t even done anything yet.¡± ¡°No, I-I just sweat a lot normally¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously and responded. ¡°The guilty party is usually anxious about their own actions. I¡¯m going to interrogate hi¡ª¡± ¡°Special inspector.¡± Raon stood in front of Dorian and shook his head. ¡°He was injured while protecting the head of House Sullion and his wife during the previous incident. He was just sweating because he hasn¡¯t recovered from his wounds yet.¡± ¡°I-is that so?¡± Probably because he thought highly of them for resolving that incident, he simply scratched his nose before he raised his chin. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean that I can leave strange matters unattended! List him as a special interrogation target!¡± He shook his head, saying that there were no exceptions. ¡®This won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow. He was so difficult to deal with because he had the upper hand to begin with, and he was just ignoring reason to push his way through He was just so simple, ignorant, and obnoxious. ¡®I can understand how the Thespian Emperor felt.¡¯ He started to admire her patience for putting up with his bullshit until the very end. ¡°Hmph!¡± Balder walked past Dorian and went towards thebat dummies located at the outer part of the training ground. ¡°Why is that equipment so dirty? It¡¯s covered in dust because it¡¯s not maintained!¡± He bbered about it being dusty while touching the dummies with hands that werepletely sandy from examining the ground earlier. ¡°How could you treat the sacred training ground so poorly?! You are definitely distracted. Who is in charge of this ce?! Who the hell is treating the training ground like this?!¡± Balder threw the dummies away and violently stomped on the ground. ¡®I have no other choice.¡¯ Raon clicked his tongue and was about to approach Balder when an old man as big as a mountain came running from behind Balder and smacked the back of his head. Smack! Balder didn¡¯t even try to dodge because it waspletely unexpected that someone would hit the back of his head. The shattering sound of a watermelon resounded throughout the training ground. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°He hit the back of his head¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± The entire training ground fell silent. On top of the Light Wind division, even the inspectors dropped their jaws. ¡°S-Sir Gambling Monster?¡± Raon blinked, realizing that the Gambling Monster was the one who¡¯d smashed Balder¡¯s head. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was suddenly acting like that. ¡°Who the hell was that?!¡± Balder turned around, his intense bloodlust exploding around, and the Gambling Monster furrowed his brow while standing in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s me, you bastard.¡± ¡°I-instructor. No, Sir Herrian!¡± Everyone was expecting Balder to be enraged, but his eyes trembled in panic upon finding the Gambling Monster. ¡°Why are you here¡­?¡± ¡°I came out because you asked for the person in charge. What do you want?¡± The Gambling Monster bobbed his hand, telling him to say it already. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Balder stepped back. He barely managed to open his mouth, his expression clearly revealing that he was ufortable around the Gambling Monster. ¡°I-I¡¯m currently a special inspector right now. Please treat me ordingly.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. So you were a great inspector. I¡¯ll have to rephrase.¡± The Gambling Monster nodded to apologize for his rudeness, then smacked der¡¯s forehead once again. ¡°It¡¯s me, Sir, you bastard.¡± Chapter 547 Chapter 547 ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched Balder rubbing his reddened forehead. ¡®What¡¯s even happening right now?¡¯ Balder should¡¯ve been second to none in Zieghart for his bad personality, but he couldn¡¯t do anything in front of the Gambling Monster. It was like watching a mouse facing a cat. Raon couldn¡¯t think straight because he never expected it to happen even in his imagination. ¡°H-he hit the special inspector¡­¡± ¡°But why is the True Martial Pce master doing nothing about it?¡± ¡°A-am I dreaming right now?¡± The Light Wind division and the inspectors were all confused, unable to take their eyes off the Gambling Monster.Raon observed the way Balder seemed even more intimidated after getting hit and remembered what he¡¯d said a moment ago. ¡®Instructor¡­¡¯ Considering that Balder referred to the Gambling Monster as ¡®Instructor¡¯, he must¡¯ve been his disciple in the past. ¡®Since the Gambling Monster had both the power and position to even be a part of the council, it¡¯spletely possible that it was the case.¡¯ No one stopped the Gambling Monster even when he left the council of elders on his own. It implied that he had a huge amount of aplishments, might, and position. That was why it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he had been Balder¡¯s teacher during his childhood. ¡°H-how could you say that?! You just added ¡®Sir¡¯, but you were being rude nheless!¡± Balder took a step back and lowered his gaze. It looked like he didn¡¯t want to get hit again. ¡°The great special inspector is being so difficult. Why are you being a motherfucker when I did what you wanted, Sir?¡± The Gambling Monster advanced as much as Balder had retreated, flicking him on the forehead. Smack! With a sound resembling a nut shattering, Balder¡¯s forehead became even redder. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± His hand trembled as he groaned. It must¡¯ve been painful, even for him. ¡°Look! You were only pretending to be polite, but you were actually insulting me!¡± ¡°Special inspector, your stupid head became even harder. My finger hurts even more than you, Sir.¡± The Gambling Monster furrowed his brow while blowing at the finger that he¡¯d used to flick Balder¡¯s forehead. He didn¡¯t seem to care at all about whatever Balder was saying. ¡°I waspletely polite this time. Are you satisfied?¡± ¡°Pl-please stop it!¡± Balder shouted loudly, but he simply flicked his eyes from side to side, unable to do anything about the Gambling Monster. ¡°Wow!¡± Raon gasped while watching Balder, who seemed to have shrunk to half his original size, when someone eximed loudly from behind them. He turned his head around, and Rimmer was there before he knew it, drinking some beer. ¡°Division leader?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it fun?¡± Rimmer shook the beer ss while looking at Balder and the Gambling Monster one after the other. ¡°They are in a master-disciple rtionship. Balder was taught by that geezer for a pretty long time.¡± ¡°I understood that part, but it¡¯s surprising that the True Martial Pce master is having so much difficulty dealing with him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he learned by getting beaten up by him ever since he was even younger than when you all came to me.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± It was understandable in that case. Scary people during childhood were usually still scary and difficult to deal with even after a person became an adult. ¡°Of course, they wouldn¡¯t have ended up like that if the beatings were all that happened. That geezer taught Balder to the best of his ability because he was about to retire. I¡¯m pretty sure he even saved his life multiple times.¡± ¡°But I never saw them together if that¡¯s the case¡­¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t want his subordinates to see him like that when he¡¯s a pce master now. Balder has obviously been avoiding the Gambling Monster.¡± ¡°I guess. After all, the Gambling Monster doesn¡¯t participate in the conference.¡± The Gambling Monster was a weirdo who left the council to run a gambling house and a pub. There was no reason for them to encounter each other unless Balder looked for him. ¡°It feels so great to watch him like that.¡± Rimmerughed, saying that he hadn¡¯t seen that happen for a while before he extended his hand towards Dorian. ¡°Hmm?¡± Dorian tilted his head while looking at Rimmer¡¯s hand. ¡°Give me some snacks.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t always have snacks, even for me¡­¡± Dorianined, but still took out a corn snack from his belly pocket and gave it to him. What are you waiting for?! You should eat it, too! Wrath tapped on Raon¡¯s shoulder, showing that he also wanted the corn snack. He had started to move as soon as Dorian took out the snack even though he¡¯d been fast asleep the whole time. Raon was seriously unable to understand why he was the Monarch of Wrath. ¡°P-pce master.¡± ¡°You have to pull yourself together!¡± ¡°You are currently in the middle of inspection duty, pce master!¡± ¡°You have to forget about the master-disciple rtionship for now!¡± The warriors from the inspection department tried to convince Balder to use his position as the special inspector. ¡°Ahem! I¡¯m saying this again, but I¡¯m the special inspector! You would be in trouble if you treat me like this, even for you, Sir Herrian!¡± Balder frowned while meeting the Gambling Monster¡¯s eyes. His subordinates seemed to have given him the courage to face him. ¡°Oh my god, you are even yelling at me now! My ears are going to bleed!¡± The Gambling Monster picked his ear, pretending he didn¡¯t hear what Balder said. ¡°Sir Herrian!¡± ¡°This is why people say that it¡¯s pointless to raise children. I feel like it was just yesterday that I fought to the death to save the great special inspector when you were on the verge of death, but now you are yelling at me already and doing all kinds of shit.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Balder carefully nced at the subordinates behind him and covered his mouth with his finger, pleading for him not to speak about that. There seemed to be a secret behind it. ¡°Whatever, special inspector. You can say that again. What do you want me to do?¡± The Gambling Monster spread his arms and raised his chin, telling him to say whatever he wanted. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder rolled himself up like a roly-poly and bit his lip. ¡®Why is he even here?!¡¯ He was well aware that the Gambling Monster had joined the Light Wind division. However, he¡¯d heard that he wasn¡¯t really interested in the Light Wind division and rarely showed up. That was why he picked an early hour for the visit. He was nning to destroy the fifth training ground early in the morning and head to the annex building around noon to cause a ruckus. However, it was going wrong from the very beginning. The n wasn¡¯t simply ruined. It was thoroughly crushed. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ He was ufortable around the Gambling Monster because of his rtionship with him, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason why he couldn¡¯t force his way through. The Gambling Monster, Herrian, had a huge amount of achievements¡ªso much that he could leave the council on his own without giving anything in return. He also had powerful connections while being a powerful warrior himself. Since he was still on friendly terms with the head of the council, the council was going to act if he made a wrong move against the Gambling Monster. That was one thing that couldn¡¯t be allowed to happen. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± In the end, Balder averted his gaze and hung his head. ¡°Ahem!¡± The Gambling Monster cleared his throat and nodded. ¡°I have nothing to say if you say so, special inspector. Continue the shit you were doing.¡± He shook his hand to tell him to behave himself and withdrew from the scene. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Balder sighed roughly and rolled his eyes. ¡®I can¡¯t just leave like this.¡¯ He was humiliated to the point where he couldn¡¯t be any worse, so he wanted to find a way to crush Raon Zieghart no matter what. ¡®The inside should be managed by a different person.¡¯ Balder quickly put his thoughts together and went into the indoor training ground. * * * Raon licked his lips as he watched Balder enter the indoor training ground. ¡®Is he nning to provoke us inside?¡¯ Balder and the inspectors must¡¯ve been nning to find fault in the indoor training ground since it seemed unrted to the Gambling Monster. ¡®I can take advantage of this.¡¯ Raon put his thoughts together and walked up to the Gambling Monster. ¡°General Administrator, can I make use of your name today?¡± ¡°Do as you wish.¡± The Gambling Monster nodded kindly at him, unlike when he was dealing with Balder. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon thanked him, destroyed all the joints of thebat dummies that Balder had touched, and dug out the center of the training ground to ruin the floor. ¡°V-vice division leader, what are you doing right now?!¡± Dorian¡¯s eyes widened as he dropped the snack he was eating. ¡°I know, right? Why are you even ruining the training ground right now?¡± Burren walked up to him and grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry and just wait. I¡¯ll get all the equipment reced for us.¡± Raon shook his hand at the surprised Light Wind division and broke all of the equipment Balder had touched. ¡°He isn¡¯t an average guy. Just let him do whatever he wants.¡± Rimmer grinned while drinking the beer, anticipating what was going to happen after. ¡°Why is it so dirty here?!¡± ¡°It¡¯spletely dusty!¡± ¡°Training in such a ce is going to make you sick!¡± Balder and the inspectors must¡¯ve found something to nitpick in the indoor training ground because their shouts were echoing throughout the training ground. Raon casually entered the indoor training ground. ¡°The training equipment is rusty, and the iron power is falling off!¡± Balder furrowed his brow while pointing at the rust at the corner of the dumbbell and barbell. It was an unreasonable criticism since it was a very small amount of rust in a corner that a person¡¯s hand couldn¡¯t even reach. ¡°Aren¡¯t you aware that you can get tetanus if the rust identally touches an injury while you are training?!¡± He fiercely picked a fight, convinced that someone other than the Gambling Monster must be in charge of the inside. ¡°There¡¯s even more. The training ground is full of dust! You don¡¯t even clean properly, and the equipment is poorly maintained. Where is your focus?¡± He ground his teeth while going out of the way to wipe up some dust stuck at the edge of the window with his white glove. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader! Try to exin this!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded and shouted towards the outside. ¡°General Administrator!¡± As soon as he called that title, the Gambling Monster entered the indoor training ground. ¡°W-wait, why are you suddenly calling him¡­?¡± ¡°You told me to exin this to you. This ce is also managed by the general administrator.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully and pushed the Gambling Monster forward. ¡°I¡¯m the one in charge, you bastard.¡± The Gambling Monster walked up to Balder while shaking his finger. ¡°N-no, I was just worried that it might be dangerous for the swordsmen¡­¡± Balder hid the glove with the small amount of dust behind him while avoiding the Gambling Monster¡¯s gaze. ¡°Everyone would¡¯ve died already if this much dust was going to endanger them! Do you really think some dust and rust are going to be a threat when they even survived the Demonic Monarch of the Azure me? Find something decent at least, if you are going to find fault!¡± The Gambling Monster frowned, still treating Balder as his disciple rather than the special inspector. ¡°But it¡¯s better to have none¡­¡± ¡°Then how about I head to the True Martial Pce right now? What are you going to do if I search the window frame and find any dust?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder hung his head because he was unable to respond and looked at Raon instead. ¡°Wh-where is the office? The division leader¡¯s office, not the general administrator!¡± ¡°This way.¡± Raon pointed at Rimmer¡¯s office, located on the right side of the indoor training ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Balder and the inspectors headed to the office, surrounded by theirst hope. Crack! Raon followed him after he destroyed the metallic parts of the barbell and dumbbell that Balder had touched. Since they had cleared up early in the morning, the garbage that Rimmer lived with was nowhere to be found, but it was still dusty andpletely disorganized, unlike the other ces. Raon honestly had no excuse for that ce. ¡°It¡¯s so dirty! I can¡¯t even tell when thest time you cleaned this ce was. Since guests usually visit the division leader¡¯s office before anywhere else, this ce is pretty much the face of your division. Do you have trash as a face?¡± Balder raised his voice, believing that the division leader¡¯s office waspletely unrted to the Gambling Monster. ¡°Moreover, why is there so much paperwork piled up? A lot of it needs to be approved! What have you even been doing?!¡± He violently mmed the desk, asking where Rimmer was and what he was doing. ¡°None of the documents are overdue yet. We can take care of all of them today.¡± ¡°This is so suspicious that I can¡¯t overlook it. I¡¯m going to summon all the executives of the Light Wind division, so you will be investigated ording¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call the person in charge.¡± Raon calmly nodded and turned his head towards the outside. ¡°The person in charge? W-wait a moment!¡± ¡°General Administrator!¡± Raon shouted the word that Balder was trying to stop him from saying. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The Gambling Monster entered the office, even more nonchntly than before. ¡°He¡¯s looking for the one in charge once again.¡± ¡°S-Sir Herrian, are you also managing this ce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m also taking care of this because our division leader is as useless as a certain person.¡± In fact, the Gambling Monster rarely entered the division leader¡¯s office, but he was going along with the y. ¡°If you have something to tell me, please spit it, oh great special inspector.¡± The Gambling Monster confidently straightened his back and jerked his chin at Balder. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder rapidly averted his gaze like a rabbit that had seen a lion and swallowed nervously. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have anything special to say.¡± ¡°Then why do you keep ordering me around, you bastard!¡± The Gambling Monster frowned and flicked his forehead once again. Balder¡¯s head was violently pushed back with a smacking sound. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t call you, though¡­¡± Balder shook his head while rubbing his forehead with his finger. ¡°Shut up and leave already if you have nothing else to say!¡± He shook his hand, telling him to leave since the Light Wind division needed to train. ¡°Haa¡­¡± In the end, Balder had to leave Rimmer¡¯s office after only getting humiliated. Raon waved his hand towards him just as he was about to leave the indoor training ground. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon pointed at the dumbbell and barbell, noting that one side of the metal was crushed. ¡°The dumbbell and barbell are broken. What are you going to do about this?¡± ¡°Broken? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The metal broke apart after you touched it earlier, special inspector. You need topensate for this since you broke equipment that was perfectly fine.¡± ¡°Bullshit! I simply tried picking it up! I didn¡¯t break it!¡± ¡°General Administrator!¡± Raon immediately called the Gambling Monster, as if he saw no point in arguing about it. ¡°Argh! I get it! I get it. How much is it?¡± Raon raised a finger. ¡°Ten gold.¡± ¡°T-ten gold? Bullshit! How could a lump of metal be worth ten gold?!¡± ¡°Actually, this dumbbell isn¡¯t an ordinary dumbbell. It¡¯s called the anion dumbbell, a special product that includes an ultraprecision artifact capable of changing the weight and exuding anions. It puts the user at ease, and gives the determination to continue difficult training with it¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Balder ground his teeth and nced to the side. An inspector, who was full of arrogance until a few minutes ago, took out gold coins from his pocket and handed them over. His trembling hand showed that he was reluctant to give them away. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll make good use of it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Balder immediately went outside, as if he didn¡¯t want to be there for even a second longer. Just as he was about to leave the training ground with the inspectors, Raon called out to Balder once again. ¡°Inspector!¡± ¡°What is it now?!¡± ¡°How could you just leave like that after destroying them?¡± Raon sighed while pointing at thebat dummies this time. ¡°I really didn¡¯t do it! I didn¡¯t break them!¡± ¡°But you were the only person who touched that dummy, special inspector.¡± ¡°You are ming it on me after destroying it yourself! Do you really believe you¡¯ll be fine after doing this¡­¡± ¡°General Administrator!¡± Raon shouted, and the Gambling Monster immediately appeared. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Balder clutched his head and screamed. ¡°Please stoping here!¡± ¡°You are even forbidding me from walking on mynd. I¡¯m going to the head of house right now¡­¡± The Gambling Monster furrowed his brow and brushed off his hands, ready to take action right away. ¡°Whose side are you even on, instructor? You are being too mean to me!¡± Balder frowned, unable to suppress his frustration any further. ¡°I would¡¯ve obviously been on your side if you came to see me, even for just a cheap drink.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°This guy over here buys the best drink from the area for me whenever he goes out. Whose side do you think I would take?¡± The Gambling Monster smiled for the first time while patting Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Balder quietly looked at Raon after hearing the Gambling Monster and eventually nodded. ¡°Haa, alright. How much is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s twenty gold.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Balder¡¯s eyes widened as soon as he heard the sum. ¡°How is a simplebat dummy even worth twenty gold¡­?¡± ¡°Actually, this isn¡¯t an ordinarybat dummy. It¡¯s the anionbat dummy, which emanates anions, and it includes an automated artifact that remembers the opponent¡¯s flow of battle¡­¡± ¡°Argh, I get it! I get it!¡± He shook his head and gave away twenty gold after counting them out one by one. Raon gave the gold to Dorian and immediately pointed at the ruined training ground. ¡°The training ground over there is ruined, too¡­¡± ¡°You are driving me nuts! I didn¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°You stomped the ground earlier while saying that there were pebbles inside the sand. You¡¯re too strong, special inspector, and the ground copsed afterward.¡± ¡°Are you seriously¡­¡± ¡°General Administrator?¡± ¡°Stop! I get it! I get it!¡± As soon as Raon called the Gambling Monster, Balder rapidly shook his hand. ¡°W-wait! Is that also anion product?¡± ¡°You already guessed it. This is the anion sand, the highest quality sand imported from the south. It¡¯s also called the gold of the southern sea.¡± ¡°Anion, anion again! Screw anion!!!¡± Balder screamed, asking what the hell was wrong with anion. ¡°The price is one thing, but the biggest issue is that it¡¯s extremely difficult to acquire¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and tell me the sum!¡± ¡°It¡¯s thirty gold.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Despite how confidently he shouted to tell him the amount, he gasped upon hearing the sum. However, he paid up since the Gambling Monster was watching. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what the¡­¡± ¡°How is that even possible?¡± Since the Light Wind division had been watching all along as Raon personally destroyed the equipment, their jaws dropped as Balderpensated them for it. ¡°It¡¯s over now, right?¡± Balder raised his gaze. His face looked like he had gotten at least twenty years older. ¡°Yes. I am amazed by the special inspector¡¯s wise and incorruptible inspection.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully and waved his hand at him toe backter. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long that smile is going tost on your face.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m nning to go to the annex building now.¡± Balder bit his lip with a frightening look in his eyes. ¡°Why are you so surprised? The annex building is at the farthest location from the main building. It¡¯s the perfect ce to n something shady. I¡¯m going to thoroughly search it so that not even a single ant can escape. You¡¯d better brace yourself.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± Raon nodded without removing the smile from his face. ¡°Are you still smiling? Everything you do will be pointless once we get there. If I notice anything strange at all, I¡¯m going to summon them all and¡­¡± ¡°General Administrator! Let¡¯s go!¡± Raon ignored Balder and called for the Gambling Monster. ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible!¡± Balder twisted his lips and shook his hand towards the Gambling Monster. ¡°Doing it here is fine, but interfering with the matter in the annex building exceeds your authority, Sir Herrian¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t, though.¡± Raon walked up to Balder with a frightening smile on his face. ¡°Special inspector, you seemed to be gravely mistaken. Our general administrator is affiliated with the annex building, not the Light Wind division or the fifth training ground.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Balder blinked nkly while looking at the Gambling Monster. ¡°He is right. I¡¯m currently affiliated with the annex building.¡± The Gambling Monster snorted while looking at his former disciple. ¡°Let¡¯s go already.¡± Raon grabbed Balder¡¯s sleeve and started to shake it. ¡°Our annex building is rather old, and we have a lot we¡¯d like to change.¡± ¡°N-no!¡± Balder frantically shook his arm to escape from Raon¡¯s grasp. ¡°I¡¯m not going! Stop it, I¡¯m not going there!¡± ¡°No, we need to go there! You need to investigate whether the annex building is doing anything suspicious.¡± ¡°Yes, you need to finish it properly since you started it.¡± The Gambling Monster went to the right side to block Balder¡¯s path. ¡°Huhu.¡± ¡°Kuhuhu.¡± Raon and the Gambling Monsterughed frighteningly while surrounding the terrified Balder. Hah¡­ Wrath¡¯s lips trembled as he looked back and forth between Raon and the Gambling Monster. Are they seriously human? Chapter 548 Chapter 548 Raon looked behind him as the annex building came into view. Balder was following them with an intense frown on his face that made him look like he¡¯d gained wrinkles. ¡®He isn¡¯t running away, at least.¡¯ Balder tried to absolutely refuse, but he had to follow them all the way to the annex building because what he¡¯d said before hade back to bite him. However, he was dragging his feet on the ground, showing that he was really reluctant toe. ¡°I won¡¯t forget today¡¯s humili¡ª¡± Balder violently ground his teeth at Raon, and the Gambling Monster smacked the back of his head. Whack! With a loud sound resembling a shattering pumpkin, Balder¡¯s body swayed to the point of copsing. ¡°Uaah!¡± Balder screamed while clutching the back of his head. ¡°Why are you hitting me?!¡±¡°Carrying out inspection with resentment? The special inspector shouldn¡¯t do that. Do you seriously have a death wish? Should we go to the lord¡¯s manor together?¡± The Gambling Monster raised his fist, which was as sturdy as a boulder, while ring at him. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Balder did dare respond, lowering his head. ¡°I-I was just saying it because I was irritated!¡± ¡°A special inspector shouldn¡¯t be swayed by their emotions. Aren¡¯t you aware that you must always remain objective and thorough to understand the situation?¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t do that either, Sir Herrian¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t a special inspector!¡± The Gambling Monster twisted his lips and smacked Balder¡¯s forehead with his palm. ¡°Ack! Please stop!¡± ¡°I¡¯m even speaking politely like you wanted, special inspector. Is there a problem?¡± ¡°You are only pretending to be polite! You keep swearing and hitting me! It¡¯d be better to just act like before!¡± Balder shouted, unable to put up with it anymore. ¡°Well, that makes it easier for me.¡± The Gambling Monster smacked Balder¡¯s head once again with a frightening smile on his face. ¡°You idiot! If you got lucky enough to be a special inspector, you should focus on doing a good job and being recognized by the head of house! Instead, you¡¯re just trying to vent your anger everywhere! Howe you be more and more idiotic as you get older?¡± He went next to Balder and started to nag him, acting like he had received a great opportunity to do so. ¡°Uah¡­¡± Balder clutched his stomach as if he were having some digestive issues and curved his body in a circle. ¡°Let me give you a piece of advice while we are at it.¡± The Gambling Monster raised his finger to point at Raon. ¡°You should¡¯ve realized since you saw it today, but he¡¯s aplete nutcase. There¡¯s no one as crazy as him in this entire house, or even this entire continent. If you want to keep having authority inside the house, you¡¯d better submit to him.¡± ¡°S-submit? Despite how I am, I would never lose to a youngster like him!¡± ¡°Of course, you have the upper hand for now. However, that order will be reversed in a short time. This is myst piece of advice for my damned disciple, so you should keep it in mind.¡± ¡°No! I haven¡¯t reached my full potential yet!¡± Balder violently shook his head, saying that it was the one thing that he couldn¡¯t ept. ¡°And go back to speaking politely from now on!¡± ¡°Wow, you are changing your mind so much. This shit is so annoying, Sir!¡± The Gambling Monster spoke politely as he wanted and smashed the back of his head. The blunt sound of something hitting a rock could be heard this time. ¡°Wow, did you just block it with your aura?¡± ¡°It really hurts!¡± Balder quickly gained distance from the Gambling Monster while covering the back of his head. The staff from the inspection department followed from behind, frowning even harder upon seeing his unsightly footwork. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Gambling Monster sighed quietly while watching Balder roll his eyes. ¡®I knew he wouldn¡¯t listen. I guess I would¡¯ve also refused if I had been told to submit to my nephew. Still, you aren¡¯t qualified to be the head of house.¡¯ He knew it better than anyone else because he¡¯d watched Balder ever since his childhood. Since he was a brave and powerful warrior, he could be a general standing at the vanguard, but he couldn¡¯t be the monarch ruling over the entire house. If Balder ended up as the head of house, it wouldn¡¯t even take ten years until Zieghart fell. ¡®On the other hand¡­¡¯ The Gambling Monster licked his lips while watching Raon¡¯s unwavering back. ¡®He¡¯s the real deal.¡¯ Even a bold person would¡¯ve been d and satisfied with it once the Gambling Monster stopped Balder¡¯s violent conduct. However, that crazy kid took advantage of his name as much as possible to screw with Balder and the inspectors, and he even ended up with some earnings. It was honestly not something that a normal person could decide to do. On top of taking away the enemy¡¯s weapon, he would even take away their food and the bowl containing the food. He had the feeling that Zieghart would surpass the Five Demons and the Six Kings to be the only one at the peak if Raon became the head. ¡®His age is the issue.¡¯ Since Raon was still too young, his achievements and might were stillckingpared to Karoon, Denier, and Balder. He felt like Raon would do just finepeting against the others to be a sessor as long as that was taken care of. ¡®I wonder if I can help him in any way¡­?¡¯ The Gambling Monster was putting his thoughts together about Raon and Balder when Raon stopped walking and raised his hand. ¡°Wee to the annex building, special inspector.¡± Raon politely lowered his head while pointing at the garden¡¯s entrance. ¡°It¡¯s so shabby.¡± Balder frowned upon seeing the garden, whichcked even a single flower because it was winter. He continued with a ferocious voice, as if he were venting his frustrations so far. ¡°It¡¯s the ugliest and dirtiest garden among all of the gardens in Zieghart. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if it were just a dirt patch.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Raon maintained his calm smile even though Sylvia¡¯s garden was being mocked. ¡°You can tell a lot about the owner¡¯s personality from looking at the garden. The annex building¡¯s owner must be unremarkable and narrow-minded¡­¡± ¡°General Administrator.¡± The Gambling Monster ran towards Balder as soon as he heard Raon¡¯s call and smacked his mouth. ¡°Cough!¡± Balder got hit while he was talking and stepped back with a frown. ¡°Do you have a rag stuck in your mouth? Speak more kindly, Sir.¡± The Gambling Monster shook his hand with a frown on his nose after hitting Balder. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Balder couldn¡¯t even rub his mouth. He simply groaned in pain, his eyes drooping like a puppy who wanted to go back home because he was too tired of the stroll. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Raon stood in front of the annex building¡¯s main door, guiding Balder and the staff from the inspection department. They followed without saying anything at all thanks to the Gambling Monster. He opened the door, and he could see Sylvia and Helening down the stairs. ¡°Young master?¡± ¡°Why are you back so early? You said that you had a lot to organize today¡­¡± Sylvia tilted her head but stopped walking upon seeing that Balder was standing behind Raon. ¡°B-Balder, I mean, Sir Balder¡­¡± Her pale lips turned pale and trembled, showing that she was afraid of Balder. ¡°Sylvia, you still haven¡¯t learned your lesson¡­¡± Balder frowned while looking at Sylvia. His lips were about to twitch as he opened them to say something when the Gambling Monster raised his foot. Whack! The Gambling Monster loudly kicked Balder¡¯s ass and entered the annex building. ¡°Get out of the way already! I can¡¯t enter because you are standing there like a bear!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder rubbed his ass and stepped aside. He identally hit the door with his shoulder because he was being careful about the Gambling Monster. Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and pulled off the doorpletely. Crack! The door twisted and fell with the sound of crushing metal. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Balder¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the fallen door, which was spreading dust around. Everyone in the area looked at him. ¡°N-no! I didn¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°You hit it with your shoulder, special inspector.¡± ¡°How would hitting a door with a shoulder even destroy it?!¡± ¡°I told you, we have to be careful because the annex building is worn out.¡± Raon shook his hand towards Dorian, who came with them. ¡°Ah, yes. One door panel for now¡­¡± Dorian took out his notepad and wrote down one door panel. ¡°That¡¯s wrong.¡± Raon shook his head while looking at the content of the notepad. ¡°You can¡¯t simply change only one panel in a double door. Write that we are changing both of them.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Dorian nodded and modified it to two door panels. ¡°It was his doing, not mine! He pulled off the door panel with his hand!¡± Balder extended his thick finger and pointed at Raon. ¡°General Administrator.¡± Raon didn¡¯t even argue with him, immediately calling on the Gambling Monster. ¡°Everyone saw that you hit it with your shoulder. What kind of bullshit are you even spouting now?!¡± The Gambling Monster walked up to Balder and frowned as soon as Raon called for him. ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible for a door to break just because I hit it with my shoulder!¡± ¡°Look at your body! It would be strange if it didn¡¯t break!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder sighed because he couldn¡¯t argue anymore and gestured with his hand toward the inspection staff behind him. ¡°I-investigate this ce. Do it as fast and safely as possible. Make sure to not destroy anything.¡± He red at them, saying that they shouldn¡¯t spend any more money onpensation. ¡°U-understood.¡± ¡°We will keep that in mind.¡± The inspection staff were bending over halfway because they were also intimidated, and they scattered after they nodded. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s even happening¡­?¡± Sylvia¡¯s stiff face finally rxed after she saw Balder acting as intimidated as a mouse facing a cat. ¡°Why is Balder so intimidated?¡± She blinked, unable to understand the situation. ¡°I know, right¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Helen and the maids also gasped, not expecting Balder to be so deted. ¡°I brought the special inspector because he said he wanted to investigate the annex building.¡± Raon walked up to Sylvia and the maids, smiling gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since nothing bad is going to happen.¡± He reassured everyone by incorporating his will inside his voice. Sylvia and the maids looked like they were a lot more at ease. ¡°Special inspector, it would be good to start from there.¡± Raon raised his hand and guided him to the corridor on the left side. ¡°Tsk.¡± Balder briefly clicked his tongue and followed him. Creak. The left corridor was the narrowest passage in the annex building, and Balder¡¯s huge bodypletely filled the passage. Naturally, a frame hanging on the wall fell. ang! The sharp sound echoed throughout the corridor as the fallen frames shattered into pieces. ¡°Gasp!¡± Balder panicked and leaned his back against the wall. Crumble! The moment Balder¡¯s back touched the wall, Raon pushed the wall by concentrating all his strength into his hand. Thanks to his title, the King of Destruction, the wallpletely crumbled even though it was a simple gesture. A-are you insane? Why are you destroying the house?! Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped as he said that he had never seen anyone destroy their own house. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Balder¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched the wall crumble into pieces. ¡°N-no! It¡¯s really not me! He¡¯s the one who destroyed it!¡± He pointed at Raon with a trembling chin. ¡°That¡¯s so rude. Everyone saw that you smashed it with your back, Sir Balder.¡± Raon shook his head while pointing at the people behind them. ¡°There¡¯s no way a wall would be destroyed just because someone leaned against it!¡± ¡°Are you saying that it makes sense that it was destroyed just because I pushed it with my finger?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Balder was unable to refute his words, his face turning red. ¡°This is driving me nuts! I didn¡¯t do it!¡± He violently stomped the ground, unable to withstand his anger. Crack! Raon delivered his force into the remaining wall ording to that resonance to finish it offpletely, even making the ceiling copse. Rumble! Even the people in other locations came running because of the copsing sound of the ceiling and wall, their jaws dropping as they looked at Balder. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that! I¡¯m innocent!¡± Balder shouted while mming his chest, but no one listened to him. ¡°Are you nning to destroy this entire house now?!¡± The Gambling Monster smashed the top of his head, telling him to grow up already. ¡°I¡¯m really innocent!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± He stopped him from talking, showing that he had no intention of listening to his excuses. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Dorian was afraid of Balder, but he still diligently wrote down the estimate for the damage in the annex building. ¡®It worked perfectly.¡¯ He¡¯d brought Balder to the narrowest and the most worn-out corridor, and the n worked perfectly. It was so perfect that he was even surprised. You are really insane. Even those bastards in the heavenly realm won¡¯t be a match for you, despite them being the best at swindling! Wrath eximed, saying that he was impressed from the bottom of his heart. ¡°I-I won¡¯t move from here! I won¡¯t be fooled by your dirty n anymore!¡± Balder covered his arms and sat on the ground. He even closed his eyes, dering that he wouldn¡¯t move from the spot until the other inspectors finished their investigation. ¡®There¡¯s still a method if you are going to do this.¡¯ Raon left Balder alone and followed the staff from the inspection department. When they started to search the annex building, Raon broke worn-out objects that weren¡¯t that important, adding them to Dorian¡¯s bill. ¡°Seriously, why are you doing this?!¡± ¡°Please leave it alone! That¡¯s yours!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t break that vase!¡± ¡°You demon!¡± The inspection staff couldn¡¯t do anything about it and simply watched their finances go down the drain with teary eyes. ¡°Arrrgh!¡± ¡°Please stop!¡± Balder raised his trembling eyebrows upon hearing the screamsing from all around the annex building. ¡°Is this a demon¡¯s castle¡­?¡± * * * An hourter. The inspection staff were standing in front of Balder. ¡°W-we didn¡¯t find anything.¡± ¡°Same goes for us.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯spletely clean.¡± Everyone lowered their heads, saying that they didn¡¯t find anything strange at all. ¡°R-really? Let¡¯s leave then!¡± Balder stood up with a smile on his face, d at the fact that he could finally leave the annex building. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Raon stood in Balder¡¯s way and shook his finger. ¡°The inspectors destroyed our house a little bit, and we will need to bepensated.¡± ¡°Hmph! The anion again! It won¡¯t work anymore! It¡¯s what the scammers usually say. It doesn¡¯t even exist in this world!¡± Balder raised his chin. He must¡¯ve looked into anion items in the meantime. ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have any anion items in our house.¡± Raon calmly shook his head. ¡°Everything that was destroyed were ordinary objects.¡± ¡°R-really? Then it shouldn¡¯t be that expensive!¡± Balder smiled happily because they weren¡¯t rted to anions. ¡°However.¡± Raon lowered his head and sniffled. ¡°The lives of myself, my mother, and the maids dwelled in those objects and this house. They are even more precious than anions¡­¡± ¡°Arrgh!¡± Balder clutched his head and started to scream. ¡°So how much is it?¡± ¡°About thirty gold coins?¡± ¡°That¡¯s way too expensive!¡± ¡°Memories can¡¯t be purchased with money. I¡¯d like to switch them to the best products to offer a small bit of happiness to my mother.¡± Raon¡¯s shoulders trembled faintly, his head lowered. ¡°So sad.¡± The Gambling Monster also sniffled from behind him. ¡°Wow. This is driving me mad¡­¡± Balder handed over thirty gold coins in the end while watching the Gambling Monster with trembling eyes. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now!¡± ¡°Ah, wait a moment.¡± Raon stood in Balder''s way once again as he was trying to leave. ¡°I can¡¯t find the high-tech temperature management artifact, the Warmie no.1.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you even talking about now?¡± ¡°There was an artifact that I got from House Yonaan next to the frame that you destroyed, special inspector. It¡¯s an artifact that keeps the entire house warm, but it must¡¯ve exploded when the frame broke.¡± ¡°Nonsense! There was nothing other than frames! How much money do you have to suck out of me before you are satis¡ª¡± ¡°General Administrator!¡± The Gambling Monster came up to them right away and nodded for him. ¡°Ah, I also saw that before. Didn¡¯t it look like a small bead?¡± ¡°Yes, I think it got destroyed when Sir Balder was moving.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon and the Gambling Monster stared at Balder at the same time. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Balder sighed in resignation and took out his subspace pocket. ¡°How much is that?¡± ¡°As I mentioned before, it¡¯s a precious artifact that manages the temperature of the entire annex building, and it was hand-made by House Yonaan¡¯s sessor¡­¡± ¡°Just tell me the price already!¡± ¡°It¡¯s thirty gold coins.¡± ¡°Keep it reasona¡ª¡± ¡°General Administrator!¡± Raon called the Gambling Monster right away, just as Balder started to give a long answer. ¡°Do you want to give away three hundred gold?¡± ¡°Why are you doing this, seriously?!¡± ¡°Just give him what he wants!¡± ¡°You really are going to live a long life.¡± Balder red at Raon before he took out thirty gold once again. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°......¡± Balder walked towards the entrance with exhausted steps. He looked like he didn¡¯t even have the strength left to respond. ¡°I already paid for this door, right?¡± ¡°Of course. However¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the table next to the door. ¡°I can¡¯t see the high-tech rm artifact, Peek-a-Boo no.1. I think it broke when the door fell off.¡± ¡°That didn¡¯t even exist to begin with!¡± ¡°Dorian, you saw it too, right?¡± ¡°What? Err¡­ I-I saw it! The Peekie-Boo no.1!¡± Dorian nodded while averting his gaze from the Gambling Monster. ¡°Peekie-Boo! He just said Peekie-Boo instead of Peek-a-Boo!¡± Balder shouted Peekie-Boo as if he had the perfect excuse. ¡°That¡¯s not the important part right now. General Administrator!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The Gambling Monster shook his hand at him, telling him to give up the money already. ¡°Haa, do I have to die for this to be over?¡± Balder''s lips parted as he looked up into the air, acting as if he had given up on everything. ¡°So how much is that Peek-A-Boo?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 30 gold coins.¡± ¡°Did you have an agreement on prices or something? Why are they all thirty gold?!¡± Heughed bitterly while shaking out the empty wallet. ¡°I have no money left, you bastard!¡± ¡°You can also pay on credit.¡± ¡°Credit¡­¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re the special inspector, the interest is only going to be 10% per day.¡± Raon nodded and raised a finger. ¡°Even loan sharks don¡¯t have that kind of interest, you crazy bastard!¡± der mmed his chest with his fist and stomped the ground, unable to withstand his frustration. Rumble! The tablepletely copsed because of that impact. ¡°Adding the table¡­¡± Dorian added it to the list of destroyed furniture on his own. ¡°Argh! Just you wait! I¡¯ll make sure to send the money today.¡± He left the annex building with an intense frown on his face. He looked like he wanted to kill him. Raon followed him and struck the center of the garden with the space sword. Whaam! An explosion urred from underground, and the garden trembled violently. ¡°Wh-what is this¡­?¡± ¡°It looks like you caused it, special inspector. ¡°What did I even do this time?!¡± Balder red at him, asking what he was even talking about. ¡°Did you ever hear that nts understand human speech?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Researchers concluded that saying good things to the nts elerates their growth, and saying bad things to them slows down their growth.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?!¡± ¡°You called them ugly when you first got here, special instructor. It looks like the seeds were shocked by that and killed themselves.¡± Raon used the space sword once again as he spoke. Whaaam! Explosions urred over and over inside the garden, and dirt sttered all over the ce. ¡°Look, they exploded underground because they couldn¡¯t withstand the stress.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh! You just used your aura, didn¡¯t you?!¡± Balder noticed that Raon had used his aura despite how irritated he was, as expected of a pce master. ¡°I only did that to protect myself. Did you see the aura leaving my hand?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Since Balder wasn¡¯t aware that Raon had learned the space sword, he obviously couldn¡¯t refute it. The King of Essence is going mad instead. Wrath sighed at his ridiculous behavior. How could you use the special art that you learned from ying a lizard for a trivial matter like this¡­? He shook his head, calling Raon the incarnation of an evil fiend. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped now. We also need to bepensated for this. All those seeds included germanium¡­¡± ¡°Stop, stop! Please stooooop!¡± Balder covered his ears and used his footwork to the best of his ability to run away. His body disappeared from sight in an instant. ¡°Since the special inspector is gone, let¡¯s settle the bill between us, shall we?¡± Raon waved his hand toward the inspection staff while watching Balder leave. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Why are we even here¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s hand looked like a death god¡¯s scythe to them as they muttered with trembling lips. * * * Rimmer was leaning his back against Tiger Rock. He straightened up. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Balder run away before. He always fought until the very end no matter how many enemies he faced, yet he¡¯s running away so quickly!¡± He burst out into theughter that he¡¯d been holding back as he watched Balder run away without even looking back. ¡°Did you expect this to happen?¡± Rimmer looked upwards, full ofughter. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± Glenn calmly shook his head, standing above Tiger Rock. His mouth was also curved into a smile, finding it rather entertaining. ¡°I did think that Herrian was going to stop Balder¡¯s misconduct. However¡­¡± Glenn looked away from Balder and saw Raon, who was ordering the inspectors to tend to the garden. ¡°It didn¡¯t even cross my mind that Raon would take advantage of this situation.¡± ¡°Well, I guess. No one would¡¯ve expected that. Raon is the crazy one here.¡± Rimmer nodded in agreement. ¡°He already extorted sixty gold in the fifth training ground, so I didn¡¯t expect him to bring him to the annex building just to do it again. He¡¯s so cruel.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Glenn shook his head and looked at Sylvia, who was standing behind Raon. Herplexion had returned to normal. ¡°Raon brought Balder to the annex building to give Sylvia confidence.¡± ¡°Confidence?¡± ¡°Yes. Raon dered that he would make Sylvia a part of the direct line next year. Once that happens, Sylvia will have to encounter the executives from the house once again. He showed her Balder so that she will be confident when that happens.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer nodded while listening to Glenn. ¡°He¡¯s so thoughtful after all¡­ Hmm?¡± He raised his gaze while admiring his thoughtfulness and saw that Raon was extorting money from the inspection staff. No matter how he looked at him, Raon simply looked like a thug taking money from poor children. ¡°Is that really the case?¡± He asked again, and Glenn¡¯s fist started to tremble. ¡°M-my lord?¡± ¡°It¡¯s frustrating.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so frustrated that I can¡¯t give anything to him despite howmendable he is. It would be nice if he extorted my money, just like he did to Balder¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s trembling fist suggested that he was seriously frustrated. ¡°He can extort me all he wants! Just threaten me!¡± ¡°......¡± Rimmer shook his head while watching Glenn murmur that he was even willing to give away the entirety of Zieghart¡¯s treasury. ¡°This house is going to fall soon.¡± ¡®Should I look for another job¡­?¡¯ Chapter 549 Chapter 549 On top of extorting the money from the inspectors, Raon even used them as abor force to restore the garden before he let them go. The inspectors ran away without even looking back, their faces as pale as if they¡¯d seen a ghost. They looked like they were never going to set foot in the annex building ever again, just like Balder. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia watched the inspectors run away as if their tails were on fire and stepped up next to Raon. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Her trembling head showed that she was still unable to understand the situation. ¡°Apparently, the True Martial Pce master was the general administrator¡¯s disciple. We managed to avoid their inspection thanks to that.¡± Raon smiled cheerfully while pointing at the Gambling Monster. ¡°Ah!¡± Sylvia eximed, her eyes wide.She finally seemed to have remembered the rtionship between the Gambling Monster and Balder. ¡°He¡¯s not even my disciple! How can I call him a disciple when he hasn¡¯te to visit once since he became a pce master?¡± The Gambling Monster furrowed his brow. It looked like he was still dissatisfied even though he¡¯d been bullying Balder all day long. ¡°You were advising him seriously though.¡± ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to see him being looked down upon by others since he used to be under my wing.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon quietlyughed while watching the Gambling Monster briskly turn his head away. ¡®He is such a thoughtful person.¡¯ Raon could tell from his experience that the Gambling Monster was an affectionate person. He was advising Balder so that he would walk the correct path¡ªand better¡ªpath. If Balder were wise, he would carry out his job as the special inspector excellently based on the Gambling Monster¡¯s advice, but Raon had the feeling that he would never see that. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia furrowed her brow and clenched Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I understand the rest, but why did you destroy the house?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? The True Martial Pce master destroyed it.¡± Raon casually shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Are you even trying to deceive me now?¡± Sylvia raised her chin, gesturing for him to try it if he could. ¡°Did you think your mom wouldn¡¯t notice that sly look on your face?¡± She snickered while lifting the corners of Raon¡¯s lips with her finger. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon wrinkled his nose while stepping back. I knew Mom would notice it! Wrath¡¯s eyes sparkled in anticipation. Take this opportunity to give this sly weasel a good beating! He waved his fist and rooted for Sylvia. ¡®I told you, she isn¡¯t your mom¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head towards Wrath and extended his hand towards Dorian. ¡°Dorian.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian immediately noticed the meaning of his gesture and took out the gold pouch he¡¯d obtained in the annex building. ¡°I¡¯ve been bothered by how narrow the left corridor was.¡± Raon delivered all of the money Dorian gave him to Slyvia. ¡°Since the special inspector voluntarily donated this to us, let¡¯s renovate the annex building. It¡¯s too cramped now because we have so many people.¡± ¡°A-a voluntary donation? What does voluntary mean again?¡± Dorian was dumbfounded, blinking as he watched the situation from behind. ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± Sylvia was also stupefied andughed bitterly. ¡°Raon, you can¡¯t extort people¡¯s money like this. You should earn it properly¡­¡± ¡°This muchpensation is child¡¯s ypared to how much the True Martial Pce master has been belittling and mocking us. Moreover, he really did destroy it.¡± Raon murmured that it was all Balder¡¯s fault while pointing at the destroyed house even though she¡¯dpletely seen through his lies. ¡°But it can¡¯t be helped if you don¡¯t want it. This much money would¡¯ve allowed the maids to have personal rooms and erge the garden¡­¡± He was about to take back the gold pouch when Sylvia hurriedly stopped his hand. ¡°Hmm, I guess it¡¯s probably alright since it¡¯s from Balder.¡± Sylvia furtively averted her gaze and took the gold coins. ¡°He does have a bad temper, and we need to repair the house, after all. Yep, this is the right thing to do.¡± Her face gleamed with a golden hue as she opened the pouch of gold coins. Raon smiled faintly while watching Sylvia count the gold coins. ¡®It must be because of the maids and the children.¡¯ Since the number of maids had increased and the children in the saint¡¯s mansion often came by to y, the annex building had started to feel cramped. Sylvia must¡¯ve been nning to renovate the annex building so that everyone¡ªincluding the maids and the children¡ªcould live morefortably, rather than just for her own benefit. Watching Sylvia¡¯s bright expression, Raon could still understand why people usually said that giving pocket money to one¡¯s parents was the best way to be a good son. ¡°Mother.¡± Raon took a step towards Sylvia, who was already nning the renovation. He removed the yful atmosphere around him and asked with a serious expression on his face, ¡°The True Martial Pce master isn¡¯t a big deal, is he?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Sylvia was smiling while looking at the damaged annex building, but her expression stiffened upon hearing his question. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to restore your status as a member of the direct line within the next year.¡± Raon dered that he was going to make Sylvia a part of the direct line in front of many people in order to keep his resolution. ¡°A-a member of the direct line next year?¡± ¡°A-aren¡¯t you being too hasty? What if you fail¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The expressions of the maids darkened. They seemed to be worried about the problems that might arise. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not an easy task¡­¡± The Gambling Monster also furrowed his brow. He seemed to be surprised by Raon¡¯s sudden deration as well. ¡°Raon, I¡­¡± ¡°If you be a member of the direct line, you are going to often encounter the ones who have humiliated us¡ªnot just the True Martial Pce master.¡± Raon took another step towards Sylvia and nodded heavily. ¡°You can¡¯t avoid them or pretend you didn¡¯t hear them whenever you face them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°You could see from what happened today, but the direct lines and pce masters aren¡¯t such great people that you can¡¯t even look at them. Mother, you should know that fact even better than myself.¡± Raon leaned forward slightly as he spoke, meeting Sylvia¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯d like you to think about how Balder ran his ass off today and confidently face whoever picks a fight with you in the future.¡± ¡°......¡± Sylvia lowered her head and remained quiet for a long time. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up so nicely, my son. Thank you.¡± She finally managed to raise her head with trembling lips. ¡°Your mom had to lean forward to meet your eyes in the past, but you are the one who has to lean now.¡± Sylvia smiled brightly. She seemed to be extremely d about that fact. ¡°This won¡¯t do!¡± Sylvia vigorously turned around. She gestured at the maids with her shoulders trembling faintly. She seemed to be doing her best to hold back her tears. ¡°Let¡¯s hold a party. Take out all the ingredients we have!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Helen and the maids seemed to be feeling the same as Sylvia. They responded even more cheerfully than usual and ran into the annex building. Mom really knows how to host a great party! Wrath gave a thankful nod to Sylvia before he rode on Yua¡¯s shoulder to go towards the annex building. ¡°......¡± The Gambling Monster quietly turned around. Raon stood on his path as he was about to leave. ¡°Where are you going when you are the protagonist of the day?¡± ¡°It¡¯s bothersome.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t give you my gift yet, did I? I brought high-quality liquor from Aikar¡­¡± Raon mimed pouring the liquor into a ss. ¡°I-is it the Relic of the Ocean?¡± ¡°You know about it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know about the Relic of the Ocean! Its production supposedly decreased a lot because of Kaibar¡¯s rampage. Did you really bring that here?¡± ¡°Yes. There weren¡¯t that many, but I got one of them for you, Gambling Monster.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± The Gambling Monster cleared his throat and turned around right away. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly refuse your heartfelt gift.¡± He started walking towards the annex building, pretending he was reluctant about it. Rumble! Raon was about to follow him with a smile when the North Grave Mountain suddenly trembled as if it were about to copse. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon tilted his head while looking at the North Grave Mountain. ¡°An earthquake?¡± * * * Lushan Mountain Underground Cavern Arge magic circle was engraved on the gravel-covered training ground, and the children lying on it were quietly groaning with their eyes closed as if they were having a nightmare. ¡°......¡± Derus Robert was watching the children¡¯s suffering from outside the magic circle, his pupils not reflecting any light at all. His apathetic expression made it look like he was watching mere pebbles on the ground. ¡°Wee.¡± An old man wearing a night travel outfitnded behind the magic circle. He bowed with extreme courtesy, just like a priest greeting the god. ¡°How are things proceeding?¡± ¡°Thanks to the research about the Deathbringer Revenants, the brainwashing has further advanced to another level. Both the speed and intensity have increased, and I believe the material consumption will be reduced noticeably.¡± He smiled coldly while treating the children like goods in a marketce. ¡°Excellent.¡± Derus¡¯s gaze glowed faintly for the first time. ¡°Keep up with your hard work.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The old man bowed politely before he returned to the magic circle. Derus watched the magic circle and the children for a bit longer before he went upstairs, where he could see the entire cavern. ¡°My lord.¡± He sat on an unrefined chair with his ss raised, and Cubara appeared in her ck dress, bowing to him. ¡°There¡¯s an issue.¡± A shadow crossed Cubara¡¯s brow. It was an unexpected sight because she¡¯d always been soposed even during the most critical of situations. ¡°An issue?¡± Derus slowly turned his gaze towards her. ¡°Raon Zieghart is apparently still alive.¡± ¡°......¡± Derus quietly put the ss on the table. He raised his gaze once again to look at the cavern. ¡°His boundary was destroyed during the sh against the Demonic Monarch of the Azure me, and he was teleported towards the Owen Kingdom. He met the Pirate King after that¡­¡± Cubara told Derus about the story that the ck Market had spread. ¡°¡­He¡¯s in the mad dragon Kaibar, and he returned to Zieghart a few days ago.¡± ¡°Yes, I knew he would be alive.¡± Derus smiled while looking at the glove covering his hand. He looked excited for some reason. ¡°I told you, he¡¯s not the type of person who would die so easily.¡± He sipped from his ss without being surprised at all, as if he had already considered the possibility. ¡°¡­Are you alright?¡± Cubara narrowed her eyes, trying to discern Derus¡¯s true intentions. ¡°I¡¯m fine. No, I¡¯m actually feeling better.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Of course I would be in a good mood. We found out who ruined the Deathbringer Revenant factory. He is the only one who could have.¡± Derus clutched his head and burst intoughter, saying that the mystery was finally solved. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case, unfortunately.¡± Cubara firmly shook her head even though Derus¡¯s madness was unfolding right in front of her eyes. ¡°Raon Zieghart killed the mad dragon after the Deathbringer Revenant factory was destroyed. It¡¯s impossible for him to have reached that ce considering the timeline.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m right.¡± Derus tilted his chin while looking down on Cubara. ¡°The factory was destroyed after I sent the Deathbringer Revenants to Raon Zieghart, and he is still alive even though he was supposed to be dead¡ªwhat do you think that means?¡± He raised his ss once again. His twisted emotions were showing from the smile in his eyes. ¡°Raon Zieghart found out the location of the factory from Sirith and attacked it while leaking the information that he was at another location. It¡¯s not difficult for him to manipte the information like that since he has close ties to the ck Market. Most importantly¡­¡± Derus took off his glove. The blood flowing from his hand was as sticky as honey, and he dropped it into his ss. The liquor resembled the hue of the evening glow but turned into a deep bloody red. ¡°My instincts are shouting at me that it was his doing.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Cubara¡¯s lips trembled as she witnessed the madness surrounding Derus¡¯s eyes. He hated irrational things the most, but he became the most irrational person in the world whenever Raon Zieghart was involved. ¡°So Raon Zieghart is alive¡­¡± Derus rolled his lips into a smile while drinking the bloody liquor. ¡°My youngest son will be happy.¡± * * * Raon was standing on the annex building¡¯ske with his eyes closed. The wind of the winter that would soone to an end was desperately breathing itsst, but the surface of theke was extremely calm, as if it were frozen. It implied that Raon had improved even further at materializing his mental world into reality, and the space itself belonged to his will. Raon calmly opened his eyes after polishing his will through meditation. He faced the world with a clear light in his eyes and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. Whap! Fire and ice burst out at the same time above the white spark of the de. The zing auras of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier almost looked like they werepeting against each other with the energy of wind in between. With the three energies emerging from Heavenly Drive, Raon raised his sword and swung down vertically. Since he was controlling the space with his will, theke remained serene even though a tremendous amount of aura was concentrated on his de. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon unleashed the basic techniques, Fangs of Insanity, and the Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s techniques before he finally lowered Heavenly Drive. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ He was somewhat used to creating his own space with his will and drawing out his mental world. It was time to try out the new ability given to him by Wrath. Raon clenched Heavenly Drive with both hands while exhaling the impure energy that umted from the training. Rumble! The simultaneous activation of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s auras increased his soul level. He epted the energy of wrath stuck at the edge of his soul while feeling the polished sensation of bing one with the world. Zap! It was an unpleasant feeling where he wasn¡¯t himself anymore and another existence was wearing his skin. Just as he started to feel like his vision was going dark and his thoughts couldn¡¯t continue, he activated Wrath Release. Whaap! The light returned to his narrow vision, and the excitement in his mind subsided. Despite the serenity of his mind, the energy of wrath seeped into the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s auras to create a tremendous wave. Raon swallowed nervously while feeling the demon king¡¯s energy that was making Heavenly Drive look distorted. ¡®Is this Wrath Release?¡¯ Unlike during the fight against Syria, the energy of wrath was only granting him a tremendous amount of power without dominating his mind and body. ¡®However¡­ I can¡¯tst for long.¡¯ His mind wasn¡¯t being dominated by wrath, but it was still unstable. Raon had the feeling that the bnce was going to break as soon as he unleashed more than 5% of the power. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ Raon pulled Heavenly Drive backward. He held his breath and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me Dragon Art, surrounding it with the energy of wrath. Rumble! The red dragon was zing in blue and breathed out frost instead of fire. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to call it the Ice Dragon Art. The sword strike soared like a kite, painting the sky around the annex building in a deep blue hue. Whap! It suddenly started to snow lightly, probably because of how powerful the Ice Dragon Art was. Raon watched the falling snowkes and furrowed his brow. This hand holding Heavenly Drive trembled uncontrobly. ¡®As expected, this isn¡¯t easy.¡¯ Enduring wrath and controlling it were entirely different stories. He could guess that he would need to practice a lot. Hmph! It¡¯s only natural! Wrath nodded while supporting his chin on his hands. Did you think that the King of Essence¡¯s energy was simr to some random energy? It¡¯s ten thousand years too early for you to control it!¡± He shook his hand, telling him to stop being overconfident. ¡®That sounds about right.¡¯ Raon smiled briefly and walked up to Wrath. ¡®It¡¯s the demon king¡¯s power, after all. It¡¯s too early for a weakling like me to use it.¡¯ Ahem! That¡¯s true. Wrath¡¯s expression brightened as he wasplimented for once. ¡®How do you even control this energy of wrath so freely?¡¯ It¡¯s simple. You have to follow the flow of the emotion without being devoured by it. In short, you have to tightly hold the reins of the horse called Wrath. ¡®Reins¡­¡¯ Try to devour the wrath with the me and frost that you can control. It¡¯s going to be impossible, though. Wrath giggled, saying that it seriously wasn¡¯t an easy task. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon calmly nodded. It was simple advice, but he could clearly determine the direction of his training in the future. The giving Wrath still had more to give. ¡®Let¡¯s continue.¡¯ He raised Heavenly Drive in order to resume his training when arge wave of mana urred from the room at the end of the annex building. Whaaam! ck smoke covered the sky with the powerful sound of an explosion. Thud! Raon ran towards the ce where the explosion had urred. He was being cautious because he couldn¡¯t tell what happened, but it was Encia who walked out in a wobbly manner, her face smeared with soot. ¡°L-Lady Encia?¡± ¡°Sir Raon, damn handsome!¡± Encia¡¯s exhausted face was suddenly filled with energy. ¡°I finallypleted it!¡± She raised her hand, saying that she managed toplete the artificial energy center for Sylvia. Raon could see a marble the size of a child¡¯s fist in her hand. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s eyes trembled as he looked at the marble. ¡®It holds a tremendous amount of mana.¡¯ Even though it was a small marble, he could feel as much mana as a Master, or even a Grandmaster. The dragon heart¡¯s mana originally had more mana than a transcender, but it was still amazing to maintain that much mana while making an artificial energy center out of it. ¡®My mother¡¯s realm should increase at once with that.¡¯ He could guess that Sylvia would recover at once, without even needing any time to gather aura like Rimmer did. Of course, it was still going to take a long time for her to recover her previous skills, since she hadn¡¯t held a sword in a long time. ¡°Amazing. I expected no less from you, Lady Enc¡­ Huh?¡± Raon started to walk towards Encia but stopped. The face engraved on the marble¡¯s surface looked familiar for some reason. ¡°E-erm, is that face engraved on the energy center¡­¡± ¡°I knew you would recognize it! It¡¯s you, Sir Raon! I had to work so hard to showcase your damn handsomeness!¡± Encia smiled,plimenting his taste. ¡°Ah.¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®How is this happening¡­?¡¯ Encia had drawn his face on the artificial energy center. He couldn¡¯t close his mouth because it was too ridiculous. ¡°I was thinking about what would make an artificial energy center perfect, and I remembered your face, Sir Raon! Because you are perfectly damn handsome!¡± Perfectly damn handsome. He gained another moniker. ¡°I actually finished making the energy center a long time ago, but it took me a while because I wasn¡¯t satisfied with this face all along.¡± Encia shook her head, saying that it took her four whole days toplete that face. Cough. Raon choked briefly while watching Encia brag about the face on the artificial energy center. ¡®Why is everyone around me so strange?¡¯ Maybe because you are the craziest among them? ¡®......¡¯ Chapter 550 Chapter 550 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 550 Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the powerful fragrance of mana emanating from the artificial energy center. ¡®I don¡¯t like that my face is engraved on it, but it has an extremely high degree of perfection.¡¯ The artificial energy center that Encia had created was almost perfect, true to her reputation as the genius of House Yonaan. It seemed to be even superior to Rimmer¡¯s artificial energy center. ¡®No, it is actually superior.¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s artificial energy center contained nothing, but the artificial energy center that Encia was holding included the high-purity mana that the dragon had gathered. Even though the dragon heart was used as a material, the energy center she¡¯d created was even better than the original. Encia Yonaan was indeed a genius, the most skilled crafter that he¡¯d seen so far. ¡°I¡¯m nning to make this emblem my signature mark.¡± Encia smiled cheerfully while pointing at Raon¡¯s face engraved on the artificial energy center. ¡°What¡­?¡± Raon blinked nkly. ¡°I want to use Sir Raon¡¯s mark as my signature mark. Will you allow it?¡± ¡°B-but isn¡¯t there already a signature mark for House Yonaan? That should be more valuable¡­¡± Raon bbered some excuse, trying to refuse somehow. ¡°That¡¯s true, but I wanted to make a mark of my own. I¡¯d like to use your face to symbolize a perfect artifact.¡± Encia shook her head. It looked like she wanted to use a mark of her own. ¡°But it will reduce the sales if my face is on it. You should use something else¡ª¡± ¡°No! It will be the symbol of trust and perfection, and the artifacts will fly off the shelves!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at his face engraved on the artificial energy center. ¡®I don¡¯t want it because it¡¯s embarrassing, but I don¡¯t think I can refuse.¡¯ Encia had stayed in the same room for almost a month to create the artificial energy center for no other reason than her willingness to help him. Since she¡¯d already done him a favor, it was impossible for him to refuse the offer. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I knew you would allow it! Thank you!¡± Encia smiled cheerfully, saying that she would change the face every season. ¡°And I¡¯ll also send you a portion of the sales for the portrait rights, of course.¡± She made the shape of a gold coin with her finger, saying that it would be quite a lot of money. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to get any money from her because their rtionship was a bond of trust rather than money. ¡°No, matters with money need to be clear!¡± Encia walked up to him and furrowed her brow. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you, so take it!¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Raon unconsciously nodded because of her confident deration. Ugh¡­ Wrath groaned in pain while ring at the artificial energy center. ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ The King of Essence¡¯s face would¡¯ve been there instead if that face-obsessed woman had seen his appearance! What a shame! He pounded his chest, saying that he regretted that he couldn¡¯t wake Encia up in the Owen Kingdom¡¯s medical ward back then. ¡®You are really jealous of all kinds of things.¡¯ Raon sighed and shook his head just as Sylvia and the maids came running from the garden. ¡°Wh-what happened?!¡± ¡°Young master! Are you alright?¡± Their faces were pale, surprised by the ck smoke covering the sky. ¡°It¡¯s finallyplete.¡± Raon smiled while pointing at the artificial energy center that Encia was holding. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sylvia walked up to the artificial energy center with her lips tightly closed. She seemed to still be capable of sensing the intense fragrance of mana even though her energy center was destroyed and her mana circuits were hardened. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Raon?¡± However, she was more interested in Raon¡¯s face rather than the artificial energy center itself. She blinked rapidly as she asked the question. ¡°I knew you would recognize it!¡± Encia smiled brightly, happy about the fact that Raon¡¯s face engraved on the artifact was recognized. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Sir Raon!¡± ¡°Of course I would notice since he is my son. I don¡¯t know whose son he is, but he is so handsome.¡± ¡°Mother, call him damn handsome.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. He is so damn handsome!¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Raon called her mom instead of mother, which he hadn¡¯t done for a long time. He felt even more embarrassed about Sylvia calling him damn handsome, even more than when Runaan and Encia did it. He could even feel the heat on his face. ¡°I know.¡± Sylvia slowly nodded and looked at the artificial energy center. Her eyes deepened like ake reflecting the sunlight. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware of how much hardship you went through and how hard Encia contemted to make this small energy center.¡± Her fingers trembled faintly, revealing her nervousness. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m worried that I might not deserve to have it.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed, and Sylvia¡¯s lips twitched as he was about to respond. ¡°I would¡¯ve said that in the past.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My way of thinking has changed a little as I watched you.¡± Sylvia averted her gaze from the energy center and looked at Raon. ¡°I just need to be someone suitable for this energy center after receiving it, right?¡± She dered what Raon was about to tell her on her own. ¡°Yes! That will do!¡± Encia smiled brightly while holding Sylvia¡¯s hand. Raon nodded while meeting Sylvia¡¯s eyes. He could understand that Sylvia had be a lot more strong-willed after the various incidents. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sylia smiled calmly while epting the artificial energy center from Encia. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be someone suitable for this energy center.¡± * * * Glenn parted his back from deep inside the throne and lowered his heated gaze. ¡°Did you just say that Sylvia¡¯s energy center isplete?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rimmer nodded, standing with a slouched posture. His red hair shifted, showing the dark bruise swelling around his left eye. ¡°He asked me to guard them because he was going to install the energy center in her body and connect the mana circuits soon. It was apparentlypleted yesterday.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, saying that Raon had personally requested him. ¡°So, how did you respond?¡± Glenn red at Rimmer while twisting his finger. He looked like he was seriously about to kill him if he¡¯d refused. ¡°O-of course I said yes! It¡¯s a request from my cute disciple!¡± Rimmer quickly shook his head, sensing the danger to his life. ¡°When are they going to start working on it?¡± ¡°Since a dragon¡¯s mana is dwelling inside the artificial energy center made by Encia, they should start after they prepare Sylvia¡¯s body for it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Glenn furrowed his brow while touching his dry lips. ¡®I want to help them.¡¯ He wanted to personally head there to check on Sylvia¡¯s condition and help with the treatment. However, it wasn¡¯t an overstatement to say that he was the one who had destroyed her energy center and cut off her mana circuits. That was why he couldn¡¯t bring himself to approach them. ¡°Roenn.¡± Roenn came up next to Glenn upon hearing his call and lowered his head. ¡°Did everyone in the Obsidian Order return?¡± ¡°Yes. They¡¯ve taken care of all the spies and are currently waiting.¡± Balder had rampaged even more after he got extorted in the fifth training ground and the annex building. Thanks to the huge mess he¡¯d created, Glenn had managed to catch twelve spies who were moving behind the scenes. ¡°Dispatch the entire Obsidian Order to guard the annex building¡¯s surroundings. Protect them so that not a soul can get through.¡± ¡°At yourmand.¡± ¡°Well, guarding them is important, but¡­¡± Rimmer tilted his chin while rubbing the back of his head. ¡°The instation of the energy center and connecting the mana circuits should be more important, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Why are you stating the obvious?¡± ¡°Then how about you help them with that important task, my lord?¡± Rimmer¡¯s green eyes were as cold as the northern wind as they met Glenn¡¯s red eyes. ¡°I know better than anyone that Raon is a genius, but connecting another person¡¯s energy center to the mana circuits isn¡¯t an easy task. He is going to need some help.¡± ¡°......¡± Glenn looked up at the high ceiling instead of yelling at him like always. ¡°You should be fully aware, but it¡¯s my fault that Sylvia ended up like that.¡± He continued with faintly trembling lips. ¡°If I didn¡¯t fall to the demonic temptation and only focus on power and the expansion of the house, she would¡¯ve never had to return in that state. Even my first daughter would¡¯ve been smiling with her in that home. There¡¯s no way I could help her after how pathetic I¡¯ve been.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more of a reason to be with her!¡± Rimmer pounded his chest in frustration. ¡°I agree with that idiot for once.¡± Sheryl stepped forward and wrinkled her forehead. ¡°If you¡¯ve caused an issue, it¡¯s important to take care of the aftermath. Even though a long time has passed and lots of grudges were built, it doesn¡¯t change what you need to do.¡± She looked at Glenn with a determined gaze. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn clenched the throne¡¯s armrest tightly, still hesitating about it. ¡°It would be strange to go there and help when they didn¡¯t make a request.¡± Roenn smiled gently and interfered between Rimmer and Sheryl. ¡°However, there are other ways to help Lady Sylvia.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°The young master Raon will be connecting the energy center to Lady Sylvia''s mana circuits. How about giving him the knowledge about energy centers and mana circuits?¡± Roenn continued with a smile. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be an issue if you give it to him as a reward for ying the mad dragon, andpensation for the True Martial Pce master destroying the annex building.¡± ¡°That sounds pretty good.¡± ¡°I also think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± Rimmer and Sheryl gave Roenn a thumbs up to praise him. ¡°And you have something to tell the young master Raon, my lord.¡± Rimmer raised his hand, miming an overflowing ss of liquor. Glenn met their eyes one after the other and nodded decisively. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be going there today.¡± * * * ¡°Keep running. You have a long way to go!¡± Raon raised his finger and spun it in a small circle. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Sylvia was running around the training ground ording to his gesture, sweating profusely in monochrome training attire. Her pale face and heavy panting revealed her exhaustion, but her feet never stopped. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°O-our vice division leader is so cruel even against his mother.¡± ¡°I know, right? I never expected that he would even make his family go through the same training¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried she¡¯s going to copse at this rate.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen swallowed nervously while watching how Raon never stopped the training despite how much Sylvia was faltering. ¡°You must have a lot of room to spare if you are paying attention to them.¡± Burren stood in front of the swordsmen with a cold smile on his face. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true¡­¡± ¡°We are just worried about Lady Sylvia¡­¡± ¡°You should worry about your own future instead. Repeat the basic techniques a thousand times each! Start it now!¡± He said there was no going back anymore and ordered them to execute the four basic techniques a thousand times each. ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Everywhere is hell, here and there¡­¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve just minded my own business¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmenined, but picked up their swords and started to repeat the basic techniques ording to Burren¡¯s order. ¡°......¡± Martha lowered her sword and stared at Sylvia, who was running around the training ground. It was a rare sighting from her because she usually only focused on her training, regardless of other visitors. ¡°Miss Rakshasa.¡± Runaan quietly watched Martha¡¯s back and came up next to her to tap on her shoulder. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Weakling.¡± ¡°You crazy bitch!¡± A thick vein bulged from Martha¡¯s forehead. ¡°What are you even saying right now? You were just lucky to have awakened!¡± ¡°At least I was lucky.¡± Runaan shrugged her shoulders with nk eyes. ¡°You bastard, wait right there! I¡¯ll catch up to you no matter what! I¡¯m going to kill you even if I end up dying as a result!¡± Martha raised her sword while yelling at her. She ground her teeth violently and mustered all her strength into her sword strike. ¡°Hmph.¡± Runaan easily dodged Martha¡¯s sword and quietly snorted. Raon smiled while taking a nce at Runaan¡¯s back. ¡®She is taking care of her.¡¯ Martha had been unable to focus on her training ever since Sylvia came to the training ground. She seemed gloomy, probably because she reminded her of her mother, and Runaan had managed to wake her up at an appropriate time. Runaan had matured drastically both in terms of might and mentality after the incident with Syria. ¡°Let¡¯s finish after two more rounds.¡± Raon focused on Sylvia once again and raised two fingers. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Sylvia barely managed to nod and moved her feet once again. She seemed too exhausted to respond. Her amazing perseverance made it obvious why people said she had one of the best talents before she¡¯d left the house. ¡®Even then¡­ It¡¯s going to take some time.¡¯ Encia¡¯s artificial energy center had a high degree of perfection and included arge amount of aura. It was an amazing result, but there were also disadvantagesing from that in Sylvia¡¯s state. Her stamina and strength were even worse than an ordinary person''s because her energy center was destroyed and her mana circuits were cut off. In her given state, her body could potentially explode if the artificial energy center was installed in her right away. It was necessary to prepare her body as much as possible before settling the energy center into her. ¡®The only relief is that she¡¯s been continuously training her stamina.¡¯ Sylvia had been training her stamina every day after she said she wanted an energy center. Her body was in a slightly better condition thanks to her continued efforts. ¡°Let¡¯s stop for now and rest for a moment.¡± Raon looked up to the sky after he ordered Sylvia to rest as her face started to turn yellow. ¡®And there¡¯s another issue. It¡¯s me.¡¯ He was the only person avable to connect Sylvia¡¯s mana circuits to the energy center, but it wasn¡¯t an easy task at all. Raon bit his lip faintly as he watched Sylvia pant heavily, her hands on her knees to support herself. ¡®I¡¯m going to need to study.¡¯ * * * Raon returned to his room after he helped with Sylvia¡¯s stamina training and also finished his personal training. He sat at the desk without any rest and opened the book about mana circuits that he¡¯d borrowed from Federick. There were lots of difficult parts because it was a medical book, but he could understand at a slow pace by increasing the focus through the Ring of Fire. However, the more he read the book, the more he thought it wasn¡¯t going to be easy. ¡®It¡¯s really not going to be an easy task.¡¯ Unlike Rimmer, Sylvia¡¯s mana circuits hadn¡¯t been used for over twenty years. Reviving them at that point required him to be extremely knowledgeable about the human body, along with delicate control of aura simr to threading a needle. He was rather confident in both aspects, but he couldn¡¯t help being anxious because it was Sylvia that he was dealing with. Why are you even so anxious? Wrath bobbed his finger while lying down on the desk. The King of Essence can¡¯t help you because he doesn¡¯t know about the human body, but he can at least stop any problem from urring. He licked his lips, saying that he was definitely going to help his mom. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon chuckled. Wrath was usually untrustworthy, but he felt strangely relieved when he called her his mom. Raon was trying to continue reading the book when a ck shadow covered the window. Raon looked at it and saw Glenn¡¯s red eyes. ¡°M-my lord?¡± He stood up while making the chair fall backward. He was panicking because he didn¡¯t expect Glenn to appear at all, and Glenn gestured with his finger for him toe outside before he disappeared. ¡®What¡¯s the matter? Is there any reason for him toe?¡¯ Raon nervously suppressed his pounding heart and immediately went outside. Glenn was waiting in front of theke like always. Raon quickly walked up to him, and Glenn turned around. ¡°I heard Balder caused an issue in the annex building.¡± He furrowed his brow while looking at the annex building, which was temporarily covered with a tarp until the renovation started. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I made sure to get enoughpensation for it¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that the inspector I nominated caused an issue for you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking that you didn¡¯t receive enough rewards for ying the mad dragon and defeating the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple anyway. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to teach you a certain technique.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes sparkled ferociously, pretty much forcing him to ept it. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Raon didn¡¯t dare refuse and lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m about to teach you the Perriton Physical Combat Arts. It¡¯s a martial art created by a warrior called the Medical Saint by the people because of his deep understanding of the human body. It should allow you to perfectly understand you and your opponent¡¯s bodies.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s widened as he raised his chin. ¡®If that¡¯s true, then it might be helpful with connecting my mother¡¯s mana circuits to her energy center.¡¯ ording to what Glenn told him, Raon could guess that the physicalbat art would be useful for Sylvia¡¯s treatment. ¡°Perriton lived two hundred years ago, but there¡¯s still no medical book in the world that surpassed his research. He was from Webec Vige, and it¡¯s extremely famous for its white wine.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon blinked. He couldn¡¯t understand how the topic suddenly switched to white wine. However, Glenn repeated it once more. ¡°Did you understand? It¡¯s famous for its white wine.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°The white wine is called Perriton nc, just like the vige¡¯s name.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Chapter 551 Chapter 551 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 551 Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Glenn¡¯s back, which seemed narrow for some reason. ¡®Is he asking me to buy that Perriton white wine for him? But why is he asking me?¡¯ Glenn could easily acquire the Perriton nc, and even the Relic of the Ocean that Raon had difficulty getting his hands on. Since Glenn drew a clear line between official and private matters, Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he was hinting at him to buy some white wine for him. You idiot! Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic demeanor. Do you still not understand why that geezer suddenly started talking about the white wine? ¡®Do you know why he said that?¡¯ Raon looked down on Wrath with his narrowed eyes. Of course! There¡¯s no way the King of Essence wouldn¡¯t notice since he is even more human than you! Wrath nodded and floated above Glenn¡¯s head. Which food goes along with the white wine? ¡®It¡¯s usually some fish cuisine.¡¯ It didn¡¯t have to be fish, but people often said that red wines pair well with meats while white winesplement fish. That¡¯s right! Wrath pped his hands loudly and dered that he got the right answer. This geezer wants to eat some fish dishes! ¡®......¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes looked like he was gazing at something even more pitiful than the most pathetic thing in the world. When you cover the tender salmon with sliced onions, top it with cream sauce, and take a bite¡­ Wrath smiled happily while covering his plump cheeks. He seemed to be thinking about the salmon dish he had in Aikar. Bring the salmon right now! Huh? Why are you picking up the King of Essence?! Let him go! Raon threw Wrath into theke as he kept rambling and walked up to Glenn. ¡°I¡¯ll acquire that wine.¡± He still had no clue why Glenn brought up that wine, but he said he would acquire it because he seemed to want it. ¡°Hmph, I said something pointless.¡± Glenn casually nodded. He looked like he had already forgotten about the wine. ¡°Turn around.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since there was no way he would do anything bad and Raon couldn¡¯t stop him anyway even if he did, he obediently turned around. He could feel Glenn¡¯s hand touching the area between his shoulder des. ¡°Stay still, keep your mouth closed.¡± Raon was about to turn his head around when he heard Glenn¡¯s voice. ¡°The physicalbat art created by Perriton uses all mana circuits in the body. That¡¯s why you have to have full knowledge of the human body.¡± Glenn¡¯s aura surged into him like a wave. Since the energy had the lightning attribute, it was stinging like he was being burned by fire. ¡°Exining everything piece by piece by reading a book isn¡¯t to my liking, so do your best to endure it.¡± ¡°......¡± Raon couldn¡¯t open his mouth because Glenn¡¯s aura was piercing into his body. He simply stayed there with his head trembling. Whir! Glenn¡¯s lightning energy dashed through the main mana circuits connected to his energy center and stimted even the smallest mana circuits that weren¡¯t fully developed yet. Since his aura wasn¡¯t moving too fast or too slow, it wasn¡¯t exactly difficult to follow his lesson. ¡°The human body is like the universe. It¡¯s for the same reason that a warrior¡¯s body is often called a small universe.¡± Raon had heard about it before. It was said that the human body had infinite potential and could even reach the realm where it transcends life and death. ¡°The energy center and the mana circuits are the core.¡± Glenn rapidly moved his lightning energy as he spoke and stimted six mana circuits branching from the energy center at the same time. The stinging sensation of the lightning energy reached all the way to his fingertips before it returned to the energy center to enlighten him about the flow of the Perriton Physical Combat Art. ¡°Remember the path and the way I controlled the lightning energy just now. If you want to surpass the Grandmaster¡¯s realm and reach even higher, the flow you felt just now is going to be extremely helpful to you.¡± Raon was fully focused on feeling the movement of the lightning energy, unable to even thank him. Whir! Glenn retrieved his lightning energy only after showing him the simultaneous maneuvering of the six main mana circuits connected to the energy center two whole times. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly and sank to the ground. His body felt as heavy as if he were soaked in water, and he was drenched in sweat, probably because of the extreme focus he had. ¡®This is so painful I feel like I¡¯m going to die. But I¡¯ve learned a lot from it.¡¯ The Perriton Physical Combat Art wasn¡¯t the only thing Glenn had taught him. He also allowed him to learn the location of his small mana circuits and the movement of his main mana circuits. Thanks to that, he could start to guess how to connect Sylvia¡¯s broken mana circuits. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon stood up while putting together his faltering legs and bowed at Glenn. ¡°I simply did what had to be done.¡± Glenn casually shook his hand, saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Keep training and develop your mana circuits all around your body to be even more broad and straight. If you can achieve that, you shall be able to advance to an even broader realm.¡± He put his hand in his clothes and threw a booklet. It was about the Perriton Physical Combat Art which Raon had already learned the utilization of. ¡°Keep up the good work.¡± Glenn turned around without hesitation and disappeared into the darkness of the night. ¡°......¡± Raon stayed there for a long time without raising his head until Glennpletely disappeared. * * * ¡°Argh!¡± Rimmer mmed the ground as he watched Glenn return to the main building. ¡°Why is he even doing that?! He should¡¯ve just told him that he wanted to have a drink together! Why is it so difficult for him?!¡± He clutched his head with dirty hands, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand Glenn at all. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Sheryl briefly clicked her tongue while leaning against a boulder. ¡°The head of house is still contemting whether it¡¯s the correct thing to do or not for him to approach Sylvia and Raon.¡± ¡°I know that, but he¡¯s progressing way too slowly. I¡¯m going to freaking die before anything happens at this rate!¡± Rimmer closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheryl sighed. She seemed to agree that their rtionship wasn¡¯t progressing too well. ¡°Wait, that Raon is also strange! He is extremely quick to understand everything, but why does he be blind every time he is in front of the head of house?! Why else do you think he started talking about the wine? It¡¯s obviously because he wanted to drink it with you!¡± Rimmer violently ground his teeth while watching Raon, who still had his head lowered. ¡°Don¡¯t me Raon.¡± Sheryl smacked the back of Rimmer¡¯s head and shook her head. ¡°The head of house is the noble and unreachable sky for Raon. There¡¯s no way he would think that the sky would be shy in front of him.¡± ¡°Ah, the lines. The lines aren¡¯t being connected. I¡¯m so frustrated I¡¯m going to die!¡± Rimmer shouted, pounding his chest in frustration. ¡°Huhuhu, we shouldn¡¯t need to worry about it so much.¡± Roenn smiled gently while looking at Raon¡¯s eyes as he slowly raised his head. ¡°Because the lines seemed to have reached each other slightly.¡± * * * One monthter. Raon helped Sylvia¡¯s stamina training from early in the morning until the afternoon and focused on learning the Perriton Physical Combat Art at night. He wasn¡¯t called the Medical Saint for no reason, as he became capable of controlling even the smallest movement of his aura as he continued to learn Perriton Physical Combat Art. It almost felt like he had be an artist, drawing on a leaf with a small branch. Since Sylvia¡¯s condition had improved and he got used to the Perriton Physical Combat Art, he decided to connect her mana circuits to her energy center. Raon walked up to Rimmer and the Gambling Monster, who were standing in front of the annex building, and bowed at them. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The Gambling Monster nodded kindly, telling him to focus on the task. ¡°Rx your shoulders. Things won¡¯t work out if you¡¯re too tense.¡± Rimmer massaged his shoulders with the same smile as always. Raon was a bit relieved at seeing them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon bowed at the Gambling Monster and Rimmer before he went into the annex building. ¡°Young master.¡± ¡°Please take care of the madam.¡± The maids were showing him calm expressions while hiding their trembling hands. They seemed to be trying to avoid putting pressure on him. ¡°Vice division leader! Good luck!¡± ¡°Everything will be fine!¡± Yua energetically raised her hand, and Yulius clenched his fist. ¡°......¡± Judiel was actingposed, but her eyes were reflecting her nervousness as she lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯ll bring back good news. Just prepare the food for us.¡± Raon smiled at the maids and entered Sylvia¡¯s room. He could have chosen a safer location, but since Sylvia felt most rxed in her room, he decided it was best to do it there. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia turned around wearing a ck martial outfit. Her face looked like she was feeling at ease. ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous?¡± ¡°Why would I be nervous when you are doing this for me?¡± Sylvia smiled brightly, saying that she trusted her son. ¡°It¡¯s fine even if it goes wrong. Don¡¯t strain yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± Raon clenched his hand and walked up to Sylvia. Don¡¯t worry! The King of Essence will take care of it if any problems ur! Wrath cleared his throat while patting Sylvia¡¯s shoulder even though she couldn¡¯t even see him. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯ll be counting on you. I¡¯ll let you eat anything you want after this is done.¡¯ Who do you take the King of Essence for?! He doesn¡¯t think about food at a time like this! He red at him sideways, saying that it wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I went too far¡­¡¯ By the way, you can find salmon, right? ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Raon chuckled hollowly. He was feeling a bit more rxed thanks to Wrath talking nonsense. His hand wasn¡¯t shaking anymore as he took out the artificial energy center and the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem from his subspace pocket. Whap! The dazzling light radiating from the artificial energy center seeped into the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem to create a beautiful luminance. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Sylvia tilted her head while looking at the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem, which was glowing blue. ¡°It¡¯s the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem. It¡¯s highly effective at revitalizing the energy center and the mana circuits, as well as getting rid of the impurities.¡± Unlike the Ocean Soul¡¯s leaves, he only had one stem. However, it was extremely effective at purifying the body. The stem was actually the reason he thought he would be able to revive Sylvia¡¯s mana circuits. ¡°Are you sure you should be using such a precious thing on me¡­?¡± Sylvia¡¯s hands didn¡¯t even dare touch the stem. They simply trembled. ¡°You just need to be a person befitting the stem in addition to the artificial energy center.¡± Raon ced the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem and the artificial energy center in Sylvia¡¯s hand with a grin on his face. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± ¡°Swallow them both at once. It won¡¯t be that hard.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Sylvia put the artificial energy center and the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem in her mouth at the same time. They easily went down her throat, as if they melted down as soon as they touched her tongue. The Ocean Soul was going to flow like blood and revive her hardened mana circuits while the artificial energy center was going to descend until it reached the energy center¡¯s original location on its own. ¡°Ack¡­¡± Sylvia frowned. She seemed to be feeling some pain from the artificial energy center¡¯s mana. ¡°I¡¯ll get started right away.¡± Since it was obvious her pain was only going to get worse if he dyed any longer, Raon immediately signaled the start and raised his hand. ¡°Yes.¡± Sylvia turned around while forcing herself to smile. She closed her eyes without saying anything, most likely because she didn¡¯t want to pressure him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon slowly caught his breath and formed his aura into a soft thread to shove it into Sylvia¡¯s body. The hardness felt like he was piercing into frozen ground. Her mana circuits werepletely blocked because she hadn¡¯t used any aura in over twenty years. ¡®But I still need to go in.¡¯ He sharpened the edge of the aura like a de to stab the impurities filling her mana circuits and forced his way in. Sylvia¡¯s shoulders were shaking from the pain, but she endured it with her lips tightly closed. Whap! Raon trusted Sylvia¡¯s patience and spread his aura throughout her mana circuits. ¡®The Ocean Soul¡¯s energy is moving.¡¯ The high-purity mana from the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem was bringing life to the hardened mana circuits. He needed to maximize that energy in order to connect the mana circuits to the energy center. Raon surrounded the Ocean Soul¡¯s energy with his aura as it kept moving on its own. He stopped it from wasting any more vitality and spread the life throughout the hardened mana circuits with the Ocean Soul¡¯s power. Vrrrrmm! Just like a withered sprout raising its head after feeding upon the morning dew, the energy of nature dwelling in the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem softened the mana circuits. ¡®It shouldn¡¯t end with softening. I also need to break through the impurities.¡¯ There were two issues with Sylvia¡¯s mana circuits. The hardness and the impurities were the problems, and it was impossible to connect her mana circuits to the energy center unless both issues were solved. ¡®I¡¯m confident in this one.¡¯ Since he had already broken through all nine strands of the Curse of Frost, he could easily break through the impurities blocking the mana circuits. Whap. He heated the impurities inside her mana circuits with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat before he carved a path with the sharpened coldness of cier. As the vitality from the Ocean Soul¡¯s stem, heat from the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and coldness from cier continued to do their jobs, Raon could feel therge amount of impurities starting to leave Sylvia¡¯s body. ¡®A bit slower.¡¯ Being hasty could cause an ident. Raon only increased his focus even further, focusing on carving a path in Sylvia¡¯s mana circuits. Cring! Just like snowballs piled up and hardened during the entire winter melted under the spring sunlight, pure energy appeared inside Sylvia¡¯s body. Raon finally exhaled the breath he¡¯d been holding back after he discharged all of the impurities through her pores. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ It took a significant amount of time, but he managed to get rid of all the impurities in her main mana circuits thanks to how well she endured it. The only task left to do was to connect her mana circuits to the energy center. ¡®Everything will be in vain if I fail to do this.¡¯ If he couldn¡¯t properly connect her mana circuits to the energy center, all the efforts he¡¯d made so far would be in vain. He increased his focus even more than during a life-and-death battle and controlled the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier. ¡®I need to connect the six mana circuits all at once.¡¯ Six mana circuits were connected to an energy center. It was necessary to connect those six at the same time in order to spread the artificial energy center¡¯s mana equally throughout Sylvia¡¯s body. Raon withdrew the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and covered Sylvia¡¯s mana circuits with only cier. ¡®This should be the right thing to do.¡¯ Since Kaibar was a blue dragon, its mana was deeply imbued with the water attribute. Guiding it with cier was the best course of action in order to make the best use of it. Whir! Raon controlled cier¡¯s coldness and moved the six mana circuits at the same time. He used the aura control he¡¯d learned from the Perriton Physical Combat Arts to control his aura even more carefully. ¡®I¡¯m nervous.¡¯ He¡¯d practiced a lot with his own body, but his heart was pounding uncontrobly because he was about to use it on Sylvia¡¯s body. Even his aura control started to waver as a result. ¡®Focus. This is the only chance we¡¯ve got.¡¯ Raon bit his lip as he tightened his grip and focused his aura. It wasn¡¯t a good method, but he had no other choice. Feeling the tension poking at his heart like a spike, he started to move the six mana circuits at the same time and suddenly remembered the aura control that Glenn had taught him a month ago. The movement of the aura that he¡¯d guided with lightning energy was extremely simr to connecting the mana circuits to the energy center that he was about to perform. ¡®I see. I finally understand.¡¯ The reason Glenn suddenly visited him to teach him the Perriton Physical Combat Arts wasn¡¯t topensate him for Balder¡¯s misconduct. It was advice from a father who cared for his daughter. ¡®He¡¯s been watching.¡¯ Raon had thought he didn¡¯t really care about Sylvia, but that wasn¡¯t the case. He might be regretting what he¡¯d done in the past while staying far away from her. Once he realized Glenn¡¯s advice was with him, the tension faded away and the stiff movement of his aura was revived. Whir! Raon fluently moved cier¡¯s coldness to guide Sylvia¡¯s mana circuits toward the artificial energy center. While considering Glenn¡¯s advice, the knowledge from the Perriton Physical Combat Arts, and Sylvia¡¯s characteristics, he connected the six mana circuits to the best spots on the artificial energy center and unleashed an intense coldness. Just like welding an iron, he used the coldness to meticulously carve the passage connecting Sylvia¡¯s energy center to her mana circuits. Wham! A huge explosion urred inside Sylvia¡¯s body the moment the artificial energy center and the mana circuits were perfectly connected. The huge amount of mana inside the artificial energy center started to drive away all of the remaining impurities inside the mana circuits like a tidal wave. Whap! Like the darkness fading away from the dawn of the rising sun, the huge yet pure mana even drove away cier¡¯s coldness and started to stand on its own. Just like a sprout breaking through the hard ground, a profound flow was awakened inside Sylvia¡¯s body. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon took his hands off Sylvia¡¯s back and opened his eyes. Sylvia was floating about a hand¡¯s breadth from the floor, breathing in nature''s energy. Rumble! The entire annex building trembled as the huge amount of mana repeatedly condensed and dispersed, creating some sort of blue fog above her head before it was absorbed into her nose. Whoosh! Sylvia slowly opened her eyes after shended on the ground. The blue aura that had never been seen before was gleaming in her eyes. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s body tilted backward, seemingly exhausted. ¡°Mother.¡± Raon caught her body. He smiled while meeting her trembling eyes. ¡°Wee back.¡± Chapter 552 Chapter 552 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 552 Sylvia stared nkly at Raon. It looked like it still felt unreal for her. ¡°Raon, my energy center¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it seeded.¡± Raon nodded while looking into Sylvia¡¯s eyes, which were shaking like a leaf in the wind. ¡°Can you feel it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sylvia nodded, eyes full of tears. ¡°I can feel the energy center, mana circuits, and mana.¡± She rubbed the lower part of her abdomen with her trembling hand and raised her gaze. ¡°Yes, the world was always filled with mana like this.¡± ¡°......¡± Raon held Sylvia¡¯s trembling hand gently. ¡°I never thought I would feel this way again.¡± Sylvia smiled awkwardly. A single tear rolled down from her flushed cheek. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s all I can say.¡± She repeatedly thanked him with trembling lips. Don¡¯t be so grateful! Wrath sniffled with his reddened nose and got stuck on Sylvia¡¯s cheek. The hard times are over! Only the flowery path shall await you from now on, Mom! He shook his head, telling her that he would make her even happier in the future. ¡®Get away, please.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away and wiped the tears from Sylvia¡¯s eyes. ¡°This is nothingpared to what you¡¯ve done to me, Mother.¡± Raon Zieghart never would¡¯ve grown up while forming various bonds with people if he hadn''t been born as Sylvia''s son. He would¡¯ve probably given up on human emotions just like in his previous life, instead aiming to be nothing more than a vengeful spirit ready to sacrifice himself and others to kill Derus. It was because Sylvia was by his side all along that he could learn the warmth of a home with a family and the preciousness ofpanions. It was all thanks to her that a mere vengeful spirit managed to be a human. ¡°Do you remember?¡± Sylvia smiled innocently while grabbing his hand and wiping her tears. ¡°You wiped my tears before, back when you weren¡¯t even a year old.¡± ¡°......¡± Raon briefly nodded without saying anything. ¡®There¡¯s no way I would forget.¡¯ Sylvia cried sadly after Glenn visited him for the first time to name him Raon, and Raon unconsciously wiped her tears. ¡°I resolved myself to protect you no matter what back then, but I don¡¯t think I managed to live up to it. You actually helped me more than I did you.¡± Sylvia brought Raon¡¯s hand to her chest and bit her lip tightly. ¡°I felt pain in my heart every time I saw you. I wanted you to grow up like the child you were, but you matured far too quickly because of our family¡¯s circumstances. I felt truly sorry because I felt like it was my fault.¡± She started to talk about herself for the first time. ¡°And I still think the same way. A twenty-one-year-old born in a house like this would usually cause trouble, act recklessly, and make a fuss with alcohol. However, you¡¯ve always only looked at the future from the beginning. I was proud of you, but I also felt sorry at the same time.¡± Sylvia raised her finger and lifted Raon¡¯s cheek by slightly pinching it. ¡°Only good things are waiting for you in the future, so please smile like a youngster your age from now on. That¡¯s all I want from you.¡± Mom, you don¡¯t know him well! He smiles a lot! Wrath flew in front of Sylvia and shook his head. But that rascal only smiles when he bullies others and makes fun of them! He¡¯s the definition of the evil fiend¡ªAck! ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon chopped Wrath with the back of his hand and smiled brightly at Sylvia. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°I knew it! I really gave birth to a handsome son. What was the term again? Ah! Damn handsome!¡± Sylvia gave a big nod while caressing Raon¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Raon sighed with a face that looked more tired. ¡°Stop looking at my face. Check it out. We need to see if your energy center¡¯s mana moves as it should.¡± ¡°Honestly, it still feels unreal to me.¡± Sylvia gulped, saying that she still couldn¡¯t believe that she had a new energy center. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± She slowly exhaled and raised her hand. Navy-colored mana surged from her outstretched palm. Its movement was as fluent as a swimming dolphin. Sylvia Zieghart¡¯s skills still remained after over twenty years of a break. ¡°This is my aura¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s red eyes wavered upon seeing the beautiful high-purity mana. ¡°My mana was originally yellow, but it¡¯s blue now.¡± ¡°Do you dislike it?¡± ¡°No, I like it even better because you gave it to me. It¡¯s pretty.¡± She shook her hand, saying that she liked it even more than before. ¡°How are you nning to use that aura in the future?¡± The amount of mana in Sylvia¡¯s energy center was above a Grandmaster¡¯s level. If she recovered her body and stamina and increased her realm after that, she could reach the Grandmaster¡¯s realm before long. That was why it was extremely important for her to decide what she wanted to do. ¡°I¡¯ve already decided.¡± The navy-colored mana wavering on her hand spread widely into the shape of a shield. ¡°I¡¯m going to protect this annex building.¡± She smiled while looking out the window, where the sunset was casting a golden glow. ¡°I¡¯ll be protecting your precious things while you are away.¡± Sylvia wasn¡¯t saying that she was going to stay because she was afraid of fighting. Her determination to protect their precious things was dwelling in her eyes. ¡°Yes, please do that.¡± Raon nodded because he could understand her feelings. ¡°Before then, I have lots of people to thank. I¡¯ll start with Encia¡­¡± Despite the situation, Sylvia started to count the people that she needed to thank. ¡°Ah!¡± Raon remembered Glenn as she mentioned thanking people. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t connect your mana circuits to your energy center on my own.¡± ¡°I know that, of course. There¡¯s Encia, and people protected us from the outside¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. The head of house visited me a month ago.¡± ¡°The head of house did?¡± ¡°Yes. He visited at night and¡­¡± Raon told Sylvia about what Glenn had taught him, and what he¡¯d realized earlier. ¡°I see.¡± Sylvia kept her head low for a long time, as if she couldn¡¯t believe such a thing had happened. ¡°I think I should get that wine called Perriton nc and bring it to him for now¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± She firmly shook her head and stood up. ¡°Get that wine and invite him to dinner tomorrow.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Sylvia. ¡°Will hee?¡± Judging from Glenn¡¯s personality, Raon thought that he would refuse the invitation, satisfied with restoring Sylvia¡¯s energy center. ¡°Yes, he wille,¡± Sylvia asserted and walked towards the door. ¡°Ah, Mom! Wait¡­¡± Raon tried to stop her, but Sylvia had already opened the door. ¡°Huff! Madam!¡± Helen was crouching on the floor, but she ran up to Sylvia upon seeing her. ¡°Madam!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you are safe!¡± The maids also trotted up to her with teary eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to my son.¡± Sylvia nodded and unleashed her aura above her hand. Her mana looked like a fish leisurely swimming in the air. ¡°It was sessful¡­¡± Encia exhaled deeply, her hands put together. Despite her confident appearance, she must¡¯ve been nervous inside. ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡± Slyvia smiled brightly while hugging the maids and Encia. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°It stinks like the sewers for some reason¡­¡± Encia, Helen, and the maids quickly stepped away from Sylvia while pinching their noses. Some of the maids with weak stomachs were even retching. ¡°Huh?¡± Sylvia widened her eyes, unable to understand what was happening. ¡°Erm¡­¡± Raon scratched the back of his head and pointed at the ck smudges covering the carpet. ¡°Those are the impurities that came out of your body. It must stink a lot¡­¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve told me about it before I opened the door!¡± Sylvia ran up to Raon with a flushed face and smacked his chest. Whack! Raon was unable to keep his legs on the ground because of the sudden impact and was sent flying outside while destroying the wall. It was because Sylvia couldn¡¯t control her strength in her embarrassment. ¡°R-Raon!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Sylvia and the maids followed Raon outside while screaming. ...... Wrath stroked his chin while watching that scene. Did he inherit his violence from his family? * * * Sheryl clenched his fist while watching the ruckus in the annex building. ¡°They must¡¯ve seeded!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn slowly nodded behind her with his arms crossed. ¡°He properly connected her mana circuits to the energy center.¡± Glenn smiled gently as he watched Sylvia check on Raon, who had copsed. ¡®I never expected to see her control mana once again.¡¯ Sylvia had been smiling brightly as she raised Raon, but there was always a shadow of darkness lingering in the corners of her eyes. It was a natural oue since she lost her energy center, which was a punishment even worse than death for warriors. However, the darkness waspletely gone after the new energy center settled in her body. He felt like the Sylvia from her youth had returned even though he didn¡¯t even look at her back then because he was consumed by darkness. ¡°Haa.¡± Roenn also sighed in relief and brushed a hand down his chest. ¡°It was worth teaching him the Perriton Physical Combat Arts. The young master Raon really did great.¡± ¡°Yes. He seems even more knowledgeable than me now.¡± Glenn¡¯s lips faintly curved into a smile as he watched Raon stand up. ¡®Good job.¡¯ Even though he was the one who taught him the Perriton Physical Combat Arts, carrying it out perfectly was Raon¡¯s achievement. He was proud of Raon for treating Sylvia with an aplishment that had surpassed his expectations. ¡°I think they are holding a party to celebrate the recovery of Sylvia¡¯s energy center.¡± Sheryl turned around with a smile. She must¡¯ve heard what they were saying in the annex building. ¡°You should join them, my lord.¡± She pointed at the annex building, asking him to join them together. ¡°......¡± Glenn quietly looked down at the annex building without responding to her. ¡°It¡¯d be better to let them share the joy with people they arefortable with.¡± He shook his head and turned around. ¡°My lord¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take our leave.¡± Glenn left the North Grave Mountain without hesitation after he witnessed the bright smiles on Sylvia and Raon¡¯s faces. ¡°Well¡­¡± Roennughed gently while looking at Raon instead of Glenn. ¡°The young master might be thinking differently.¡± * * * Raon rubbed his chest while heading to the annex building¡¯s garden. ¡®It hurts¡­¡¯ Even though he waspletely unprepared, he felt like he was smacked by an iron hammer. He could guess that Sylvia¡¯s might hadpletely revived. However, he wasn¡¯t too sure if he should be happy about it because it hurt too much. ¡°The annex building is always noisy.¡± The Gambling Monster, who¡¯d been guarding the main entrance,ughed bitterly. ¡°How is Sylvia¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°It went even better than I expected. The mana loss was minimal, and she can surpass the wall at any moment as long as she masters her realm.¡± Raon smiled while massaging his chest. ¡°Good job.¡± The Gambling Monster walked up to him and patted his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve already saved two people.¡± Rimmer stood up from the ground and raised his index and middle fingers. ¡°Me and your mom. You must be talented in saving people.¡± He smiled, telling him that he did a good job as well. ¡°No, I was just lucky¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s settle the payment first before being modest. I¡¯ve been rather tight on funds recently. Hehe.¡± Rimmer created a circle with his raised fingers and asked for money. He maintained his yful attitude while asking for money, unlike usual. It seemed to be his way of congratting him. ¡°Thank you for helping, both of you.¡± Raon bowed at them. ¡°No, stop changing the topic and give me the money!¡± However, Rimmer was apparently serious about it. ¡°You are insane.¡± The Gambling Monster shook his head at his ridiculous behavior. Raon ignored Rimmer and went towards the garden. Flutter! Along with the sound of chickens spreading their wings, Dorian, Burren, Martha, and Runaan suddenly came out. ¡°Why are you even here?¡± Raon had deliberately kept it from them to avoid disrupting their training, but they still managed to learn about it somehow and came all the way there. ¡°W-we were worried,¡± Dorian responded, looking around furtively. ¡°Can you ask for help at times like this?¡± Burren asked as he furrowed his brow in disappointment. ¡°Do you only use your mouth for eating? You need to bber sometimes!¡± Martha also ground her teeth in irritation. ¡°Not handsome? Ugly looking? Damn ugly!¡± Runaan briskly turned her head, calling him ugly for once. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want to disturb your training.¡± ¡°What you did disturbed us even more!¡± Martha smacked his chest with her fist. Fortunately, it hurt less than Sylvia¡¯s strike. ¡°So it ended up being okay, right?¡± Burren asked after a small break. ¡°Yes, it ended well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, then.¡± He nodded, saying that everything was fine since it ended up nicely. ¡°Sniff, I¡¯m so d¡­¡± Dorian pouted with teary eyes. Even though he¡¯d be less of a coward, his tendency to cry easily didn¡¯t change. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Runaan also exhaled deeply and sank to the ground. Raon smiled faintly while watching the team leaders and Dorian, who were relieved as they recovered their smiles. ¡®It was all thanks to my mother that I¡¯ve gained this rtionship with them.¡¯ If Sylvia hadn¡¯t taught him about the rtionships between human beings, he would¡¯ve simply considered thempetitors. He thought once again that she did a lot more for him than he did for her. ¡°But why are you looking so serious?¡± Dorian tilted his head, asking what he was thinking about on such a joyful asion. ¡°There is something I need to buy and something I need to do, but it¡¯s a bit difficult.¡± ¡°What do you need to buy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wine called Perriton nc¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I have that one!¡± He put his hand in his belly pocket, saying that he had the Perriton nc. ¡°Hmm?¡± However, Dorian waited instead of taking out the wine right away like always. ¡®Does he not have it? I guess it would be strange if he had everything in there.¡¯ Raon was thinking that it was a shame but it couldn¡¯t be helped when Dorian continued, ¡°Which vintage are you looking for?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking about the vintage since I have lots of Perriton ncs. I have everything fromst year down to 30¡¯s.¡± ¡°D-do you really have all of these?¡± ¡°They are necessities.¡± Raon gasped while watching Dorian take out the Perriton ncs of each year. ¡®What doesn¡¯t count as a necessity for you?¡¯ * * * Glenn buried his back into the throne and closed his faintly shaking eyelids. Sylvia¡¯s bright expression that he¡¯d seen in the annexed building was clearly visible, like a painting. ¡®Yes, I¡¯m happy with that.¡¯ There were so many things he didn¡¯t do for his youngest daughter, Sylvia. It was more urate to say that he did too many things he shouldn¡¯t have done to her. Even though malice and desire were dominating his mind, treating her daughter as even worse than a pebble on the roadside was a sin that could never be forgiven. He realized it as soon as he saw Sylvia¡¯s smile. He was asking too much from them even though he didn¡¯t deserve to be a father or a grandfather. ¡®I¡¯ll just protect them from the shadows, just like I¡¯ve been doing.¡¯ He didn¡¯t deserve to join them. He had to be satisfied with being a wall protecting Raon and Sylvia, as if nothing had happened. That was the right thing to do. Whir. By the time Glenn opened his eyes once again, he returned to being the supreme being covered with vanity, just like before he¡¯d met Raon. His icy cold gaze looked upon the world in boredom. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sherly sighed quietly. She could understand Glenn¡¯s behavior, but she was also frustrated at the same time. ¡°......¡± Roenn was quietly standing next to him with his eyes closed. As the suffocating silence continued, a blunt knock could be heard from the audience chamber¡¯s door. ¡°I¡¯ll go out.¡± Glenn shook his hand when Roenn was about to move. ¡°Enter.¡± Glenn allowed their entry. He seemed to be aware of who was outside the room. Rumble! The audience chamber¡¯s door opened, and Raon made his entrance. He calmly walked up to him and went on his knees. ¡°Greetings, my lord.¡± ¡°Get to the point already.¡± Glenn shook his hand, telling him to state his business because it was annoying. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon stood up and took out five bottles of Perriton nc from his subspace pocket. ¡°I¡¯ve acquired the aforementioned wines.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Glenn twisted his lips while looking at the wine bottles that Raon was holding. ¡®This must be the right thing to do.¡¯ He wanted to drink them with Raon, but it would be an excessive reward for him. He had to be satisfied with the fact that his precious grandson gave him the liquor. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to enjoy the drink.¡± Glenn gestured with his chin, and Roenn, understanding the signal, walked up to Raon to ept the liquor. ¡°My lord.¡± However, Raon looked at Glenn once again without handing over the liquor. ¡°The Perriton Physical Combat Arts were extremely helpful for restoring my mother¡¯s energy center today. That¡¯s why¡­¡± Raon pulled the bottles back and raised his gaze. ¡°If it¡¯s okay for you, could we have dinner together tomorrow in the annex building?¡± He bowed at him, clearly inviting him toe to the annex building. Gulp. Glenn swallowed nervously before he knew it. His back twitched from where it was buried in the throne. His dry lips parted as he strained his entire body in order to avoid revealing his feelings. Chapter 553 Chapter 553 ¡°¡­Was that your idea?¡± Glenn furrowed his brow and stared at Raon with his eyes zing in crimson. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously under the intense pressure. ¡®It must¡¯ve been a bad idea after all.¡¯ Glenn¡¯s powerful pressure had always been suffocating, but this was even worse. The powerful energy storming around him made him feel like he would get struck by lightning the moment he made a mistake. ¡®I should say that it was my idea.¡¯ It was actually Sylvia who wanted to invite Glenn, but Raon figured he shouldn¡¯t say that because it could potentially harm her. ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Raon confidently raised his gaze and dered that he hade up with the idea. ¡°How is Sylvia¡¯s condition?¡± Glenn asked about Sylvia¡¯s condition instead of answering the invitation. ¡°The artificial energy center was sessfully settled in. However, it will likely take quite a long time for her to return to being a warrior.¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± He nodded. He seemed to understand that it was inevitable. It felt like his harsh voice had be a bit kinder. ¡°Did you ask to dine together tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Raon briefly exhaled and nodded. ¡°......¡± Glenn didn¡¯t say anything. Raon had the impression that the throne was shaking. Why is that geezer ying so hard to get?! Wrath frowned in displeasure. How dare you! You are just a weakling who would copse after hundreds of thousands of shes! ¡®It increased again¡­¡¯ It was thousands of shes at first, then it became tens of thousands, and now it was hundreds of thousands. It should have been just an equal fight at that point, but Wrath seemed to im that he was going to win because of his pride. It¡¯s even better without that geezer because the King of Essence will have more food! Just go back now! Wrath punched into the air towards Glenn, telling Raon to return already. ¡®Please stay still.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away with his shoulder, and he could hear the tapping sound of the throne¡¯s armrest with a finger. The steady and rhythmical pace came to a halt, and Glenn nodded. ¡°Alright. I ept the invitation. I had something to tell you anyway.¡± Glenn buried his back into the throne once again as soon as he made up his mind. ¡°I¡¯m honored.¡± Raon went on one knee and bowed at him. ¡®He actually epted it¡­¡¯ Raon hadn¡¯t expected him to ept the invitation, to be honest. He was a bit confused because he thought Glenn would simply take the Perriton ncs. ¡®I wonder what he¡¯s going to tell us.¡¯ He felt strangely anxious because Glenn suddenly dered he was going to say something to them. However, he had no idea where to even begin guessing about what it would be. Raon sighed briefly, put the Perriton ncs back into this subspace pocket, and stood up. ¡°Would you like toe as well, if it¡¯s okay with you?¡± Raon extended his hand toward Sheryl and Roenn, who were standing below the tform. He figured that their participation would create a morefortable atmosphere since they were Glenn¡¯s closest vassals. ¡°I¡¯ll go if I have no missions.¡± ¡°Huhuhu, sure.¡± Sheryl and Roenn nodded, saying that they woulde with Glenn. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± He said goodbye to the three with his eyes and left the audience chamber. He walked while thinking about what Glenn was going to tell them, and the lord¡¯s manor suddenly started to tremble. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon tilted his head while looking at the dust falling from the ceiling. ¡°Earthquakes happen a lot nowadays.¡± * * * Rumble! Glenn¡¯s legs trembled as he clutched his forehead with his hand. Because the vibration was caused by a transcender who couldn¡¯t withstand his emotions, not only the audience chamber but the entire lord¡¯s manor started to tremble to the point of copsing. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn raised his gaze and looked at the dust falling like snow around them. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since thest time we felt this vibration.¡± He took out a broom and a mop from somewhere, saying that he was going to clean up the dust. ¡°What a relief.¡± Sheryl walked up to Glenn, who was lowering his head. ¡°I thought my lord gave up on approaching Raon and Sylvia, but Raon came at an amazing time.¡± She smiled faintly, as if she¡¯d been reading Glenn¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Indeed.¡± Glenn raised his head and acknowledged Sheryl¡¯s statement. ¡°I was nning to simply protect them from the shadows, but I realized I don¡¯t even have the courage to refuse his invitation.¡± He bit his lip, saying that he couldn¡¯t ignore Raon¡¯s invitation. However, his legs were still shaking. Happiness and sadness seemed to be coexisting in his mind. ¡°I was invited, but I¡¯m not hoping for any more than that. I¡¯m just going to dine quietly and return. I¡¯ll be satisfied with that.¡± Glenn shook his head, saying that it was all he wanted. ¡°This is so frustrating!¡± Sheryl closed her eyes tightly and pounded her on her own chest. ¡°Please get a grip!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Did Sylvia and Raon ask you to protect them from the shadows? They are just inviting you to dinner because they are grateful for what you¡¯ve done! Why are you writing yourself into a tragic novel?¡± She furrowed her brow and continued. ¡°It¡¯s true that what you¡¯ve done to Sylvia is unforgivable as a father. However, I know that Raon and Sylvia aren¡¯t the type of people who would be fixated on the past. They will definitely make the wise decision!¡± ¡°I know that they would never do that. However, even if they forgive me, I can¡¯t forgive myself.¡± Glenn clenched his fist tightly, saying that he could never think differently. ¡°That¡¯s even more of a reason to approach them and be kind to them. You should help them at least as much as what you¡¯ve done for the other sessors.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to protect them from¡­¡± ¡°Raon came to you already! Send him off, at least!¡± Sheryl couldn¡¯t hold back her frustration anymore and raised her voice. It was the first time she¡¯d scolded Glenn because she looked up to him more than anyone else. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do everything at once. It¡¯s okay to take one small step at a time. It¡¯s better than nothing.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Because of Sheryl¡¯s strong reaction, Glenn looked at Roenn to ask for help. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn briskly averted his gaze while leaving behind his gentleughter. ¡°Where was the trashcan again¡­?¡± He quietly disappeared, implying that he had no intention of stopping Sheryl. ¡°My lord!¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± ¡°When you¡¯re at the annex building tomorrow, you have to give Raon and Sylvia a word of blessing. It¡¯s a must!¡± Sheryl raised her head sharply with her arms crossed, saying that refusal wasn¡¯t allowed. ¡°My lord?¡± Sheryl red fiercely as she met Glenn¡¯s eyes, asking for a response. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn had no choice but to nod at Sheryl. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± * * * The next evening. Sylvia and the maids were standing in front of the entrance. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Helen was walking around and wiping the floors nonstop. She still seemed to be insecure even though she¡¯d been cleaning all day long. ¡°You can take it easy, though.¡± Rimmer had arrived in advance, and he tilted his head slightly while leaning against the wall. ¡°The head of house doesn¡¯t really care about cleaning anyway. Hees to my office sometimes, and he doesn¡¯t even say anything.¡± He shook his finger, telling her to stop wasting her energy. ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s given up on your dirtiness, not because he doesn¡¯t care.¡± The Gambling Monster frowned at Rimmer, telling him to stop saying stupid shit. ¡°Hah, this geezer doesn¡¯t know anything. I¡¯m the only person our head of house trusts.¡± ¡°You are the only person that he beats up to his heart¡¯s content, not trusts.¡± Raon was watching their argument when he noticed a heavy presence approaching the entrance. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± Rimmer and the Gambling Monster also noticed his energy and straightened their postures. ¡°He¡¯sing.¡± Sylvia and the maids straightened their backs at Raon¡¯s warning. Tick. The clock pointed at 7 o¡¯clock, and the knock could be heard from the entrance. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sylvia slowly exhaled and opened the door, and Roenn lowered his head. ¡°Thank you for inviting us.¡± He stepped aside, and Glenn made his entrance, his dazzling blond hair swept back. ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± After Sylvia¡¯s greeting, everyone in the annex building bowed to Glenn. ¡°That¡¯s enough for the greetings.¡± Glenn shook his hand to stop them from kneeling. He looked at Sylvia for a moment to confirm her condition and nodded. ¡°The energy center has properly settled in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, my lord.¡± Sylvia smiled calmly while praising Glenn. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Glenn replied bluntly and shook his head. He briefly nodded while looking at Encia, who was standing among the maids. ¡°You¡¯ve aplished something remarkable by crafting the artificial energy center. The head of House Yonaan must be proud of you.¡± ¡°All I did was copy Sir Raon¡¯s original artificial energy center. By the way¡­¡± Encia stuttered nervously and suddenly started to blink, as if in a daze. ¡°I get this impression every time, but even the head of house is damn handsome. A damn handsome elder, that¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Everyone at the entrance¡¯s jaws dropped at her sudden statement about damn handsomeness. ¡°I was wondering how Sir Raon became so damn handsome, but it was because he takes after his grandfather. Blood doesn¡¯t lie¡ª¡± ¡°L-Lady Encia!¡± Raon used footwork to approach Encia and covered her mouth. ¡°......¡± Glenn looked down on Encia with an indescribable gaze. His pupils started to tremble faintly. ¡®He must be angry.¡¯ Since she called him his grandfather, Raon thought he was definitely infuriated. He was contemting what to do when Rimmer stepped forward. ¡°How long are you nning to stay here? Let¡¯s enter already.¡± He hit his thigh with his fist whileining that his legs were hurting. ¡°Pl-pleasee this way.¡± Sylvia didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and raised her hand to point at the dining room. ¡°......¡± Glenn followed Sylvia without even nodding at her while Sheryl and Roenn waved their hands with cheerful smiles on their faces. When Raon entered the dining room, Glenn was sitting at the seat of honor, with Sylvia sitting next to him. She pointed at the seat on the opposite side, urging Raon toe over already and sit down. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon sighed in his mind and sat on the opposite side of Sylvia, which was next to Glenn. The three of them didn¡¯t say anything for a long time. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Rimmer frowned as the suffocating silence continued. ¡°Is this a funeral? Why is everyone so quiet? Wasn¡¯t this a celebration party?¡± ¡°It¡¯s indeed too quiet.¡± The Gambling Monster nodded in agreement with Rimmer. ¡°Huhuhu, it¡¯s only getting started.¡± Roenn smiled gently, telling them to wait a bit more. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sylvia quietly licked her lips, and the maids waiting in the kitchen entered the dining room with food. Every single dish was steaming hot, implying that they¡¯d just beenpleted. The vivid colors and aromas were mouth-watering. Hueeh¡­ Wrath was drooling intensely from his mouth as he examined the dishes one by one. Meet stew, roasted whole pig, fried chicken, beef ribs, andmb chops¡­ Oh? That''s salmon, isn''t it? And there¡¯s both grilled and raw! He dropped his jaw while watching the salmon dishes that Yua was bringing. ¡®I asked them because you wanted to eat them.¡¯ Raon had gotten the ingredients from Dorian and asked Yua to cook while Wrath was sleeping inside the bracelet. Wow! Wrath flew at Yua and started to rub his head against her. You¡¯re the best, Pineapple Girl! ¡®I¡¯m the one who asked her, though!¡¯ Pineapple Girl! ¡®......¡¯ He was onlyplimenting Yua. Raon remembered why he shouldn¡¯t be kind to a doormat. While Raon was arguing with Wrath, the wide rectangr table was filled with dishes. Everyone sitting at the table licked their lips even though they were still nervous. ¡°Amazing, let me try the beef ribs¡­¡± ¡°Stay still!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Rimmer was trying to pick up the fork but had to withdraw after Sheryl smacked the back of his hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sylvia smiled at Sheryl and stood up from her seat. Her lips parted after she looked at everyone, starting from the maid at the very end to Glenn, who was at the seat of honor. ¡°I managed to return to the path of warrior thanks to everyone here.¡± The people sitting at the table looked at Sylvia with different meanings in their gazes. ¡°Thank you, everyone. I never thought I would get to feel this happiness again. I¡¯ll do my best to be a warrior who you won¡¯t regret helping.¡± Sylvia ced her hand on her chest and carefully bowed. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± ¡°It will be so.¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± Sheryl was the first one to apud, and the others also pped their hands and cheered for her. ¡°......¡± Glenn stayed still with his arms crossed without saying or doing anything. ¡°Then let¡¯s start eating before the food gets cold.¡± Sylvia wasn¡¯t surprised despite Glenn¡¯s reaction and gestured with her hand for them to eat with a smile. ¡°Ah, before that, how about having a drink since Raon prepared some liquor?¡± She nced at Raon. ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded then stood up and took out the Perriton ncs that he¡¯d prepared in advance. ¡°Hey! Why are you bringing white wines when we have so many meat dishes?! Stupid kid, you don''t know anything about drinking. The sword is all you are good at¡ªcough!¡± Rimmer bbered, asking for a different drink only to copse after Sheryl hit him on the back of his head. ¡°You are so dead if you open your mouth once more.¡± Sheryl smiled at Raon, telling him to continue. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon groaned quietly and went towards Glenn. ¡°Would you like to have some?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Glenn uncrossed his arms and raised his ss, as if he were telling him to try filling it. Raon focused to the extreme, as if he were facing an enemy, and poured the Perriton nc into Glenn¡¯s ss as carefully as possible. Once the liquor reached half of the ss, Raon stopped and bowed at him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s expression looked slightly brighter, probably because he was holding the liquor he wanted to drink. ¡®He seems to like it.¡¯ Raon breathed out a sigh of relief and filled Sylvia¡¯s ss before heading towards Rimmer and the Gambling Monster. He was going to fill their sses, but he noticed their strange reactions. They were looking at Glenn with furrowed brows. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon looked around while thinking that it was strange, and Glenn was raising his wine ss towards Rimmer and the Gambling Monster. Raon wasn¡¯t too sure, but Glenn somewhat looked like he wasughing at them. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand the situation because none of the three were saying anything. Raon tilted his head, filled Sheryl and Roenn¡¯s sses, and returned to his seat. ¡°Shall we make a toast?¡± Sylvia raised her ss. Everyone else raised their sses after her, but Glenn stayed still. ¡°You need to offer your wishes during a toast.¡± Sheryl smiled lightly and gestured at Sylvia with her eyes. ¡°In that case, to Raon¡¯s happiness!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this your celebration party?¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± Rimmer and the Gambling Monster sighed reluctantly and raised their sses. Sheryl and Roenn also raised their sses while smiling. Glenn secretly raised his ss even though he looked like he wasn¡¯t interested in the toast. He seemed to be ying along with the mood because it was a joyous asion. The sses clinked in the air, and everyone took a sip of Perriton nc. ¡°Hmm? This is pretty good.¡± ¡°White wine¡¯s advantage is its refreshing and crisp vor, but Perriton nc also has the deep vor of red wines. That¡¯s why it can¡¯t possibly be bad.¡± The Gambling Monster finished the ss at once and refilled it on his own. ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy our wonderful dinner.¡± Sylvia spread her arms, signaling the start of the dinner. The King of Essence wants the salmon first! Wrath was frowning from the taste of alcohol and pointed at the salmon with his round finger. Raw salmon¡ªno, grilled salmon! No! Start with the raw salmon! ¡®Ask your pineapple girl to feed you, great sir.¡¯ Raon ignored him, served himself some stew, and started to eat. Hey! Even though he kept arguing with Wrath, the dinner proceeded quietly. Rimmer joked from time to time, and while the Gambling Monster and Sheryl responded to him, Glenn didn¡¯t say anything. As a result, it was pretty much a time of silence. ¡°Would you like some more?¡± Raon raised the Perriton nc while looking at Glenn¡¯s empty ss. ¡°Yes.¡± Glenn briefly nodded and raised his ss. As Raon filled the ss, Glenn¡¯s hand looked like it was shaking slightly. He thought that Glenn might be sensitive to alcohol despite being a transcender, just like Wrath. Raon continued to fill Glenn¡¯s ss whenever it was empty as he continued to eat, and all the Perriton ncs that Dorian gave him were emptied. Hmm! Wrath burped extensively andy down with his belly facing upwards. Th-the King of Essence is satisfied for today! He fell asleep right after. The demon king was really living like a beast who just followed its instincts. ¡°Sylvia.¡± Glenn also wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at Sylvia. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What are you nning to do from now on?¡± Glenn asked the same question that Raon had asked her recently. ¡°I¡¯m nning to stay here.¡± ¡°Are you not going to wield the sword again?¡± ¡°Yes, I will. I¡¯m going to wield the sword. However, I want to protect my people from here instead of bringing fame to the house from outside.¡± Sylvia gave him the exact same answer as she gave to Raon. ¡°Raon said that he would make you a member of the direct line next year. He said that he is going to defeat the Axe King and use all of the achievements he¡¯s been saving up so far.¡± Glenn finished off the remaining Perriton nc in his ss and narrowed his eyes. ¡°I decided to ept that suggestion.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°If you can achieve that, you shall return to the main building.¡± Glenn nodded while moving his gaze from Sylvia to Raon. ¡°M-my lord¡­¡± Sylvia¡¯s lips trembled, showing her surprise at Glenn¡¯s suggestion that she return to the main building. Her red eyes were wavering like the sunset reflected on the ocean. ¡°This dinner was worth my time.¡± Glenn gave the bestpliment in his standard and stood up from his chair. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± ¡°All the dishes were excellent.¡± ¡°I told you, they make good stuff.¡± ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡± Sheryl, Roenn, Rimmer, and the Gambling Monster also stood up after Glenn. Glenn looked at Sylvia then Raon before he left the annex building, and the others followed him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sylvia covered her face with both hands and exhaled deeply. Her twitching shoulders revealed that she was holding back her tears. Raon held her shoulder and bit his lip tightly. The fact that Glenn told her to return to the main building implied that he was going to consider her his daughter once again. Since she heard it directly from him, it was only natural that she couldn¡¯t control her emotions with all her pent-up feelings welling up inside her. Raon stayed there, patting Sylvia¡¯s back for a long time. * * * ¡°You finally said something,¡± Rimmer whistled while looking at Glenn¡¯s back. ¡°I was actually hoping for something gentler, but that¡¯s enough for now¡­ Hmm?¡± He stopped talking and widened his eyes. Glenn was looking back with his eyes curved into a mocking smile. ¡°Huh? Wh-what is that? What¡¯s up with that irritating expression?¡± ¡°He¡¯s also looking at me like that.¡± The Gambling Monster also saw his expression and furrowed his brow. ¡°Hah.¡± Glenn sneered at both of them at once and turned his head without hesitation, as if he were telling them they were mistaken. ¡°W-wait a moment! Are you acting like that because Raon filled your ss first?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­?¡± Rimmer and the Gambling Monster dropped their jaws in bewilderment. ¡°That¡¯s not all. Raon filled my ss ten times total today, while you guys had to fill yours on your own.¡± Glenn looked back once again and snorted. ¡°Wait, that was because you were sitting next to him!¡± ¡°What¡¯s special about filling the ss?!¡± ¡°Losers can keep barking.¡± Glenn shook his hand, treating Rimmer and Gambling Monster as defeated dogs. ¡°Y-you!¡± Rimmer ground his teeth, and Sheryl stopped him. ¡°He finally made some progress today. Put up with him for now.¡± Sheryl shook her head, telling Rimmer to leave him alone for the day. However, Glenn seemed to have no intention of stopping there as he sneered with his eyes once again. ¡°How am I supposed to put up with it when he¡¯s making that expression?! This is so irritating! I¡¯m closer to Raon¡­ Kueeh!¡± Rimmer dashed at Glenn while shouting and got shot down by lightning. ¡°Wh-why are you not doing anything, geezer¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s chin trembled as he looked up to the Gambling Monster, who wasn¡¯t moving from his spot. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be beaten up at my age.¡± The Gambling Monster clicked his tongue while murmuring, ¡®What a stupid guy¡¯. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roennughed gently as if he were enjoying the situation itself and followed everyone. Chapter 554 Chapter 554 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 554 Glenn returned to the audience chamber with a face as bright as the moonlight brushing past the window. The corners of his lips soared to the ceiling, a testament to his good mood. ¡°Do you like it that much?¡± Rimmerughed bitterly at how happy he was. ¡°You could¡¯ve been called ¡®grandfather¡¯ right there if you mustered your courage earlier.¡± He licked his lips while forcibly stretching his hair after getting hit by lightning. ¡°It¡¯s fine to start it now.¡± Sheryl kicked Rimmer¡¯s back and walked up to the tform. ¡°Good job, my lord. If you keep extending your hand like you did today, Sylvia and Raon will be closer to you as well.¡± She smiled with a gentle tone to her voice, contrasting with the day before. ¡°Ahem.¡± Glenn covered his mouth with his hand while pretending to support his chin with it. ¡°Seriously, just smile without reservation! Why are you even pretending now? You were just bragging about your grandson filling your ss first!¡± ¡°Filling my ss first wasn¡¯t the only thing¡­¡± ¡°I know, he also refilled it ten more times. Happy?¡± Rimmer sighed in exhaustion. ¡°That did make me happy, but I¡¯m not smiling because of that.¡± Glenn took his hand off his face like Rimmer asked and deep wells formed near his mouth. ¡°I was smiling because I¡¯m so proud of Raon.¡± He raised his gaze and looked at the silver moonlight. ¡°Even though his diagnosis suggested that he couldn¡¯t be a warrior, he grew up to create his mother¡¯s energy center and even made the preparations to restore her status as a member of the direct line¡ªall by himself. I can¡¯t help smiling because of how praiseworthy he is.¡± ¡°I agree with that.¡± Rimmer swept back his burnt hair and nodded. ¡°No one is as filial as him, and I¡¯m not saying this because he is my disciple.¡± ¡°He makes me want to help him more every time I see him,¡± Sheryl agreed with a peaceful smile on her face. ¡°The same goes for me. Whenever I see him, I want to take care of him even more.¡± Roenn stood next to Sheryl andughed gently. ¡°Hrrm!¡± As Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roennplimented Raon¡¯s personality, Glenn¡¯s mood improved even further and the corners of his lips trembled at the peak of a smile. ¡°Hah.¡± Rimmer chuckled while watching him. ¡®That¡¯s an expression of the highest degree of happiness.¡¯ Glenn himself likely wasn¡¯t aware of it, but the corners of his lips trembled uncontrobly like the wagging tail of a puppy during his happiest moment. ¡®Is he imagining living together with Raon and Sylvia?¡¯ Glenn seemed to already be imagining the future where Raon called him ¡®grandfather¡¯. However, there was still a big mountain to ovee in order to achieve it. ¡°So, what are you nning to do from now on?¡± ¡°Do?¡± Glenn tilted his head, asking what he was talking about. ¡°For Sylvia to be a member of the direct line ande to the main building, Raon needs to defeat the Axe King. If he can¡¯t do that, then everything goes back to point zero. No, Raon is going to die!¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow, asking why he was forgetting the most important part. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know better than me, my lord, but Raon can¡¯t win against the Axe King in his current state. In fact, it would still be difficult even if he became a Grandmaster. Are you nning to teach him yourself, by any chance? That would increase his odds at least.¡± ¡°No.¡± Glenn calmly shook his hand. ¡°Even though I cherish Raon, I can¡¯t give him even more special privileges.¡± ¡°Well, I guess you already did as much as you can do for now.¡± Rimmer nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Then what are you nning to do?¡± ¡°Since a duel to the death seems to have a great deal of potential danger, getting rid of the South-North Union seems to be a better idea.¡± Glenn dered that he was going to destroy the South-North Union as if it were an ant colony. ¡°Whaat¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s mouth widened to the point where his jaw reached the ground. ¡®What is he even saying right now?¡¯ He broke out in cold sweat because of the ridiculous statement, and Glenn called out to Roenn. ¡°Roenn.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Did you manage to locate the South-North Union¡¯s main base?¡± ¡°We managed to find their main base, but the investigation into the South-North Union as a whole isn¡¯t finished yet because they have too many water and mountain hideouts.¡± Roenn lowered his head apologetically. ¡°That¡¯s enough. They are just nobodies who will scatter once the South-North Union¡¯s boss is killed.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you even talking about?!¡± Rimmer barked, raising his chin sharply. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to gain from killing the Axe King that way!¡± ¡°Everything is fine as long as the Axe King is dead, isn¡¯t it?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes were glowing with madness because he wanted to make Sylvia a member of the direct line as fast and as safely as possible. ¡°Huhuhu, I¡¯ll sharpen my de in the meantime.¡± Roenn¡¯s eyes had returned to those of an assassin, a frightening bloodlust leaking from them. ¡°Hey! Say something!¡± Rimmer pushed Sheryl, who was standing next to him, with his elbow. ¡°Why? They¡¯re right. The end justifies the means, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Sheryl nodded, saying that it was the safest method. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right! You¡¯re fucking right!¡± Rimmer violently shook his head while looking at them. ¡°Who the hell is going to acknowledge it if he kills the Axe King that way? It¡¯s only going to end up plummeting the dignity of our house! Leave the South-North Union forter and focus on finding a way to win against the Axe King for now!¡± He pounded his chest, saying that no one was normal around him. ¡°What a shame¡­¡± Glenn licked his lips. He must¡¯ve been serious about attacking the South-North Union for Raon¡¯s sake. ¡°Then we should send him on a mission.¡± ¡°A mission?¡± ¡°Raon is already standing on the Grandmaster¡¯s wall. If he gains more experience in a mission, he might even break through the wall.¡± ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t send him on missions anymore because the previous mission was too dangerous.¡± ¡°Keeping him with me doesn¡¯t help him at all. A flower in a greenhouse can¡¯t withstand a storm, after all. And¡­¡± Glenn nodded lightly. He looked like he¡¯d already made up his mind. ¡°Worst-case scenario, we just need to destroy the South-North Union.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make the preparations.¡± Frightening smiles appeared on Sheryl and Roenn¡¯s faces. They looked like three wolves smiling with amb in front of them. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer clutched his forehead, which was getting heated up. ¡®Howe I¡¯m the only sane person here¡­?¡¯ He gasped at the ridiculous situation, and seriousness returned to Glenn¡¯s expression. ¡®What is he going to say now?¡¯ Rimmer was nervous, worried about what he was going to say, and Glenn¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°House Yonaan¡¯s daughter was very excellent.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She is still young, but she has great eyes for people. She is so cherished by the head of House Yonaan for a good reason.¡± Glenn excessively praised Encia, even more than a warrior at the Grandmaster realm. ¡°That¡¯s true. Crafting an artificial energy center is an extremely difficult¡­¡± ¡°She called me Raon¡¯s grandfather. Damn handsome? I¡¯m not too sure what that means, but it must be apliment.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened. He thought Glenn was talking about the artificial energy center but it was a whole different matter. ¡°It means extremely handsome.¡± Sheryl exined the meaning behind ¡®damn handsome¡¯ with a smile. ¡°Encia uses the word damn handsome whenever she praises Raon¡¯s appearance. I heard that she wanted to use Raon¡¯s face as her signature mark in the future.¡± ¡°What a remarkable youngster!¡± Glenn nodded, admiring her from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Purchase all the artifacts on the market made by Encia and send a message to the head of House Yonaan. Tell her I¡¯d like to see her.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Roenn smiled softly and nodded his head. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rimmer shook his head while watching the scene. ¡®His love for his grandson is bing an incurable disease. Do I seriously need to find another job?¡¯ * * * Sylvia calmly raised her sword. She maintained her posture with her sword above her head for a long time and unleashed her aura. The moment the navy-colored mana seeped into her white de, she swung her de vertically. Whoosh! A powerful wind engulfed the training ground and left a thick trace on the ground. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Why is the wind so powerful when she doesn¡¯t even have the wind attribute?¡± ¡°Is that really a downward shing from a person who stopped wielding her sword for over twenty years?¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane. As expected of our vice division leader¡¯s mother¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen eximed while pausing their own training, amazed by Sylvia¡¯s downward sh. ¡°Stop right there.¡± Raon raised his hand just as Sylvia was about to raise her sword once again while breathing roughly. ¡°Your swordsmanship is too light.¡± Raon came up next to Sylvia and shook his head. ¡°Can you see that the angle of your wrist is ruined, and your ankle is directed inward? It¡¯s because you are rxing your limbs too much that the wind scattered around instead of concentrating.¡± He calmly criticized Sylvia¡¯s swordsmanship, unlike the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡°I-it¡¯s because I¡¯m not used to it yet! No one can be perfect from the beginning!¡± ¡°But I already told you about it in the annex building.¡± ¡°¡­Did you?¡± Sylvia smiled awkwardly and fanned herself with her hand. ¡°Focus and try it again.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She nodded faintly and raised her sword above her head. She shed downwards once again, and while it looked simr to the previous attempt, the strike was faster and more powerful because the power was concentrated. Wham! The ground was significantly dug out, and the white sand underneath was revealed. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°It was too powerful this time.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the destroyed ground. ¡°You dug out the ground because you couldn¡¯t withstand your own power. Your body is going to be ruined if you keep swinging your sword like this.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Rx your shoulders and grip. You aren¡¯t doing theundry right now.¡± He used his scabbard to point out Sylvia¡¯s issues and stepped back. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sylvia nodded and raised her sword. She must¡¯ve weakened her grip and eased the tension in her shoulders, as the tip of the de descended like a living creature. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s clearly different.¡± ¡°Is talent hereditary after all¡­?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen apuded upon seeing Sylvia¡¯s fast improvement. ¡°H-how was it?¡± Sylvia asked Raon, seeming to have regained her confidence. ¡°That wasn¡¯t good either.¡± Raon shook his head regretfully. ¡°You rxed too much and the tip of the de was shaking. We are practicing basic swings right now, not the variable or illusion sword.¡± ¡°Y-yes, we are.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you need to make sure to put enough force on the de and the tip. Why would you weaken itpletely like that? Are you using a whip?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sylvia hung her head powerlessly. ¡°Try it again.¡± Raon raised his hand, saying that she had a long way to go. ¡°Okay.¡± Sylvia raised the sword above her head while heeding Raon¡¯s advice. She pulled her elbow inward to adjust her physical strength and swung her de downward. Whap! The tip of the de fell softly, without shaking. That implied that she¡¯d used an appropriate amount of power. ¡°Ah!¡± Sylvia thought it was pretty good and immediately looked back at Raon. ¡°Not really.¡± However, Raon¡¯s face was still not satisfied. ¡°The tip of the de wasn¡¯t shaking, but it descended too quickly because you were too fixated on that. We are training right now, not fighting. Please focus more.¡± He asked her to do it again, saying that it wasn¡¯t good enough once again. ¡°W-wasn¡¯t that pretty good though?¡± ¡°I know, right? She only started to wield the sword again recently¡­¡± ¡°How long is he nning to continue with the basic techniques¡­?¡± The Light Wind swordsmenmented while watching out for Raon¡¯s mood. ¡°How long are you nning on spectating?¡± Raon turned around and red sideways at the Light Wind division. ¡°Do you want to practice basic techniques for a month?¡± ¡°No! Not at all!¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving!¡± ¡°I-I have lots of training nned for today¡­¡± The Light Wind swordsmen scattered all around the training ground with trembling heads. ¡°Wow, he doesn¡¯t even go easy on his mother¡­¡± Burren eximed as he watched Raon resuming his instruction for Sylvia. ¡°That¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± Martha shook her head while looking at Sylvia¡¯s back. ¡°He¡¯s teaching her properly because she is precious to him.¡± She sighed briefly, bitterness dwelling in her eyes. ¡°Raon, damn handsome today.¡± Runaan nodded in agreement because she also had a painful memory rted to her family. ¡°Do you want to do it as well?¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the three team leaders from afar. ¡°N-not really¡­¡± ¡°That demonic bastard, his hearing is too good¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan went to the indoor training ground while stretching themselves. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sylvia groaned with trembling hands because everyone who could help her was gone. ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer shook his head and put his hand on Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t go too hard on her, do it in modera¡ª¡± ¡°Do you want to join the practice, division leader?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± His jaw dropped and he fell speechless. ¡°If you stay here any longer, I¡¯ll take it as you want to join the training.¡± ¡°W-wait a moment, I¡¯m the division leader¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re joining basic training, is that it?¡± ¡°No! Not at all! Keep up the good work!¡± Rimmer hurriedly shook his head and escaped from Raon¡¯s vision. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re the division leader!¡± Krein shouted in astonishment while looking at Rimmer, who ran away. Rimmer awkwardly scratched the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m also scared of him¡­¡± * * * Two weeks had passed since Sylvia started to wield a sword. Her skills improved drastically every day, but Raon kept shaking his head in dissatisfaction. ¡°Do it again. The aura was disheveled this time.¡± Raon shook his head while pointing at her faintly trembling aura. ¡°Yes.¡± Sylvia nodded and raised her sword. She repeated the basic techniques dozens of times, which consisted of the vertical sh, horizontal sh, diagonal sh, and stab. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the faint radiance reflected in the air. ¡®Talent really doesn¡¯t disappear. She is improving day by day.¡¯ The reason he was pushing Sylvia into a corner was simple. It was because her talent was outstanding. Whenever he criticized one thing, she improved even further than that. It was the reason Raon was continuously helping with her training. He could understand why masters usually wanted an excellent disciple. Even then, continuously criticizing her for two whole weeks is too harsh! Wrath¡¯s lips trembled in terror. Look at her! The area underneath Mom¡¯s eyes has be as dark as charcoal! He frowned while pointing at the dark area under Sylvia¡¯s eyes. ¡®I¡¯m sure my mother understands.¡¯ Even though Sylvia didn¡¯t say anything, she properly epted the training, and that was why they could train together. Raon was sure that she was happy about how fast her skills were improving. You should do it in moderation! How long are you nning to make her practice basic techniques?! Other people aren¡¯t perverts, unlike you! Wrath pointed his finger at Raon, calling him a crazy bastard. Look, no one ising near you anymore! ¡®I told you it¡¯s fine.¡¯ Raon shook his hand at Wrath and walked up to Sylvia. ¡°You have to be precise when you are thinking about the target as you are stabbing. You have to always keep the principle of the precise sword with you.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sylvia responded weakly like a deted balloon and nodded her head. ¡°And the angle is important during a diagonal sh. You need to be certain about where you are cutting¡­¡± As Raon continued to criticize, Sylvia¡¯s face gradually darkened. ¡°H-he is so cruel¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that he was this bad either. He is a monster¡­¡± ¡°R-Raon, damn ugly. No, scary.¡± Even Burren, Martha, and Runaan, who were rooting for Raon at first, shook their heads in fear and left. ¡®They will learn soon enough.¡¯ Once Sylvia¡¯s real skills returned, all those gazes were bound to change. Moreover, he was certain that Sylvia was definitely going to understand him in this situation. ¡°Being fast and powerful isn¡¯t always good when ites to basic techniques. You have to be precise and prudent¡­¡± Just as he was about to give Sylvia more advice, Rimmer kicked the training ground door open and entered. He smiled while shaking a piece of paper in his hand. ¡°I brought you a mission!¡± He shouted for them to rejoice since they¡¯d finally got a mission after such a long time. ¡°A mission?¡± ¡°It took a long time.¡± ¡°I can finally show my skills.¡± ¡°Whoaaa!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen approached Rimmer, curious about what kind of mission it was going to be, when someone cheered loudly from inside. ¡°I¡¯m free! I¡¯m finally freed from this hell!¡± Sylvia raised her arms and shouted loudly towards the sky. Small water drops started to well up in her eyes. The explosive emotion she was showing made her look like a prisoner who managed to escape from prison. Raon lips parted as he stared nkly at Sylvia. ¡°M-mom¡­¡± His jaw dropped, shocked by the fact that she said she was free. Even Mom is sick of your personality¡­ Wrath shook his head while looking at the stunned Raon. Is this the path of the demon god? ¡®Shut up!¡¯ Chapter 555 Chapter 555 Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at Sylvia. On top of shouting she was free, she even raised her arms towards the sky and shouted like a ve that had regained their freedom. ¡®H-how is this happening?¡¯ Raon had never imagined that Sylvia would shout that she was free because she¡¯d been following his training so nicely. He felt like he was having a nightmare. Nightmare? What the heck?! Wrath approached him while ring at him. You were the nightmare for Mom! He shook his head, telling him that he was so bad at reading the mood. Raon had never expected that the cotton candy would tell him that he was bad at reading the mood. He was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t even think straight. ¡°M-mom.¡± Raon raised his trembling finger and called out to Sylvia. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sylvia sighed deeply and looked at Raon. ¡°It was seriously too hard. Training is fine, but do it in moderation!¡± She red at him sideways, telling him that it was so painful to endure his training. ¡°But you like it too, Mom. You even smiled because your skills were improving quickly¡­¡± Raon even called her ¡®mom¡¯ like during his childhood instead of ¡®mother¡¯ because of how shocked he was. ¡°I wasn¡¯t smiling because I was happy. I wasughing bitterly because it was too painful! You can¡¯t read the mood at all, my son!¡± Sylvia furrowed her brow and stomped the ground. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s chin trembled as he observed Sylvia¡¯s frown. ¡°But Mom, you said you wanted to train hard¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would be this hard! I get criticized here all day long, then return to the annex building just to be scolded during the night training! What I want to do is train hard, not to die!¡± She shook her head violently, saying that she would¡¯ve given up a long time ago if Raon weren¡¯t her son. ¡°Wh-what? Were you training even more after that?¡± Burren¡¯s jaw dropped in surprise. ¡°You kept going with another round of training of the same intensity in the annex building? He¡¯s seriously insane¡­¡± Martha also frowned, saying that she never thought he was that bad. ¡°Raon is a demon¡­¡± Runaan¡¯s shoulders trembled, saying that she was afraid of him. ¡°Uhh, I think he¡¯ll shed poison instead of blood if we stab him.¡± Dorian also stepped back in fear. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon bit his lip tightly, unable to argue against the team leaders and Dorian. ¡°M-mom, but your skills have definitely improved. You can¡¯t find anyone who has improved so quickly even among the Six Kings!¡± ¡°I gained those skills by spending my lifespan! I would¡¯ve seriously died if it continued a bit longer!¡± Raon really had no more excuses because Sylvia said that even her lifespan was decreased. Wahahaha! Wrath started tough while covering his belly. The day finally came when your mouth stays shut! It¡¯s even sweeter than mint chocte! He patted Sylvia¡¯s back and bbered at her to continue. ¡°Raon, I¡¯ve stayed in the annex building for over twenty years. I¡¯ve done housework and tended the garden with the maids, but I stopped all activities as a swordswoman.¡± Sylvia raised her unfocused eyes. ¡°After what happened, there¡¯s no way I can follow your training just because I¡¯ve gained an energy center. Improving my skills isn¡¯t the issue here. I¡¯m lucky to have survived at all!¡± She frantically shook her head. Her blonde hair fluttered in the air, messy from the sand. ¡°Wait, you should¡¯ve said something¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t listen even when I said so!¡± ¡°Wh-when¡­?¡± ¡°I asked if we could take a little break, if we could try a different type of training! But you said that the basics are important and forced me to endlessly repeat the basic techniques!¡± Sylvia rapidly twitched her lips as if she¡¯d gained a great chance to vent her frustration. ¡°Moreover, you kept criticizing me withoutplimenting me even once. Do you think you could endure it in my ce?¡± ¡°I like it better though¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Raon scratched his cheek and lowered his voice. His previous life went without saying, and he¡¯d been learning from Glenn or Rimmer, which meant he was almost neverplimented. He just did what he¡¯d always been doing, yet he was being scolded for it. Raon didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m seriously tired now.¡± Sylviay t on the ground. She closed her eyes, saying that she was going to rest for a while. The King of Essence has been telling you this whole time. No one is as crazy as you for training, even in Devildom. Wrath shook his hand, a smile hanging on his lips. Mom! Don¡¯t worry. The King of Essence will take care of you from now on since he is humane. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Raon was extremely frustrated by the fact that he couldn¡¯t refute the demon king calling himself humane while patting Sylvia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I knew it.¡± Rimmer came up next to him and chuckled. ¡°You should¡¯ve given her some freedom just like your great teacher did.¡± He shrugged his shoulders, saying that education nowadays required a mixture of freedom and pressure. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed. He felt suffocated by the fact that he was beingughed at by his master, who just let his students do whatever they wanted. ¡°You are way too strict. People need to be soft sometimes¡­¡± ¡°Please tell us about the mission.¡± ¡°How impatient. It¡¯s not a big mission.¡± Rimmer licked his lips and unfolded the paper with the mission on it. ¡°We¡¯ve got a message from the Sinigan branch. Something that seems to be the South-North Union¡¯s hideout was made in the South, and cases of disappearances have increased. That¡¯s why they want us to investigate it.¡± ¡°South-North Union¡­¡± Unlike the Axe King, it¡¯d been a while since thest time he¡¯d heard about the South-North Union itself. Since they¡¯d been quiet so far, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they were trying to increase the number of hideouts they had. ¡°But the missions our division leader brought us have always been difficult, despite their simple appearance¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, they always became difficult for some reason.¡± ¡°Jinxed.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan furrowed their brows, suspicious of Rimmer¡¯s ability to choose a mission. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped! The upper echelon always takes all the nice and easy missions!¡± Rimmer shook his hand, telling them to make him a pce master if they wanted a good mission. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll depart in three days. It¡¯s not an urgent mission, but make sure to prepare thoroughly. And you should learn some moderation.¡± He patted Raon¡¯s shoulder and left casually. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed while looking at Sylvia, who didn¡¯t even get back up until Rimmer left. She really seemed to be nning to rest like that. ¡°Our demonic vice division leader is going to be quieter from now on.¡± Krein grinned while looking around at the Light Wind swordsmen. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it make you happy to just think about how depressed he is going to be for a while?¡± He shook his head, saying that their training had been too difficult, just like Sylvia¡¯s. ¡°Where¡¯s Lady Encia? I want to keep his shocked face as a photo¡­ Hmm?¡± Krein stopped speaking and tilted his head. The swordsmen were simply standing there without saying anything. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? We won¡¯t have another chance to make fun of him!¡± ¡°L-look behind¡­¡± ¡°Behind? What¡¯s behind¡­ Gasp!¡± He started to turn his head around and suddenly stopped. Raon was breathing fiercely, his red eyes glowing even more intensely than the sun. ¡°S-Sir Raon! I-I was just¡­¡± Krein tried to run away, but Raon grasped his head and forced him to turn his head around. ¡°I have no intention of bing quiet. I do, however, want to make you quiet instead. How about it?¡± He looked around at the Light Wind swordsmen with a frightening smile on his face. ¡°I just need to teach you just like I taught my mother now, right?¡± ¡°Ah, th-that¡¯s physically impossible¡­¡± Krein smiled awkwardly and shook his head. ¡°We aren¡¯t as talented as Lady Sylvia, and we have to prepare for the mission¡­¡± ¡°You only need one hour to prepare.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We will proceed with practicalbat training until we leave for the mission. Of course, you will be facing me, and the first participant will be¡­¡± Raon let his eyes roam over the group, trying to pick his first opponent. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Hieeh!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen stepped back and created an arena around Raon and Krein as if it were a natural thing to do. ¡°Krein, I choose you.¡± Raon bobbed his finger, gesturing for him to attack. ¡°Why is it me again?!¡± * * * ¡°Yaaawn.¡± A woman with narrow eyes yawned widely enough for her mouth to tear while looking at the window, where the dawn breeze was blowing. ¡°Licia, is it that boring?¡± The branch manager with a kind face smiled lightly, sitting at a desk inside. ¡°Being on duty is always boring, but the Sinigan region itself is too uninteresting. The hideout created in the south is way too small, and there¡¯s House Lakion at the east, making everything run fine without me doing anything.¡± The woman called Licia yawned once again and put her chin on the desk. ¡°So that¡¯s why you requested to return at the end of the year.¡± The branch manager put down the book he was reading and shook his head. ¡°The main house is a coldhearted ce, unlike this branch. They won¡¯t even look at you if you fall behind even in the slightest. Stay there for a single week, and you will already miss this boring ce.¡± ¡°I came from the main house too. You are looking down on me too much!¡± Licia pouted while looking at the branch manager. ¡°And the fact that this ce is boring wasn¡¯t the only reason I requested to return.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°The duel to death between the Light Wind vice division leader and the Axe King is going to take ce on the first of the year.¡± She put her hands together while throwing her gaze outside the window. ¡°I¡¯ve seen many handsome men so far in my life, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone like Sir Raon. Imagining him defeating the Axe King with that handsome face makes me just so¡­¡± Licia stared at the moon with a dreamy look in her eyes, as if she were dreaming of Raon cutting off the Axe King¡¯s head. ¡°I might sound like a party pooper, but the Axe King is powerful. He was famous as a powerful axe wielder even before the Light Wind vice division leader was born. I honestly think that it will be difficult for him to win. Getting a draw would be the best oue.¡± ¡°Sir Raon defeated the mad dragon Kaibar. He won¡¯t lose to a human being.¡± ¡°The Axe King is also capable of ying a dragon if he had the opportunity.¡± ¡°Whose side are you on, branch manager?¡± ¡°Of course I want the Light Wind vice division leader to win. I¡¯m just trying to tell you that you shouldn¡¯t underestimate the enemy.¡± The branch manager shook his hand, and the warrior who¡¯d been keeping watch outside entered the room. ¡°Branch manager? We need you toe out.¡± The warrior carefully lowered his head. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The branch manager and Licia stood up and went outside. ¡°A child?¡± A little girl with characteristic red hair was standing behind the warrior with her shoulders hunched. She seemed to be in so much of a hurry that one of her shoes was missing, and her expensive looking clothes had be ragged. ¡°W-wait, you¡¯re¡­¡± The branch manager¡¯s eyes widened upon checking the girl¡¯s face. ¡°Siollen!¡± The little girl was the youngest daughter of House Lakion, Zieghart¡¯s vassal house. He couldn¡¯t be mistaken because he¡¯d greeted her during the head of House Lakion¡¯s birthday in the previous year. ¡°What happened?! Were you attacked or something?¡± The branch manager gasped, unable to understand why House Lakion¡¯s cherished youngest daughter looked like a beggar. ¡°Let¡¯s calm her down for now and ask her.¡± Licia went to the break room, saying that she would bring some warm water. ¡°Yes, we should.¡± ¡°Pl-please deliver my message to Zieghart!¡± The branch manager sighed while nodding his head, and Siollen grabbed his sleeve. ¡°Hmm,e and sit over here.¡± Because Siollen¡¯s legs were trembling, the branch manager made her sit on the sofa at the center of the branch. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you, so tell me slowly.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Siollen clutched her chest and caught her breath. She seemed to have made up her mind as she raised her gaze to meet the branch manager¡¯s eyes. ¡°W-we¡¯ve been getting many cases of disappearance in our house recently. Even the people who¡¯ve been close to me suddenly left the house without even saying goodbye.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The branch manager groaned. Sudden disappearance of house members wasn¡¯t a good sign, especially when there were many of them. ¡°On the other hand, unknown guests keep entering the house to rece the people who¡¯ve left. I looked into it while hiding because I had a bad feeling about it, and they¡­¡± Stollen was about to continue with her trembling voice when¡­ Rumble! The main entrance of the branch was opened violently, and a red-haired middle-aged man entered as if he were walking into his home. He had a golden eyepatch over his left eye, and his remaining eye on the right side was zing with an overwhelming aura. ¡°S-swordsman Beltz?¡± The man who entered the branch was Beltz Lakion, the head of House Lakion¡¯s first son, who was already nominated as the sessor. ¡°Excuse me for my little sister¡¯s intrusion.¡± Beltz politely lowered his head at the branch manager. ¡°She¡¯s been throwing a tantrum recently because she finds her training to be too hard. Please understand her, even if she said something strange.¡± His lips were curved into a gentle smile, unlike the overwhelming aura around his eyes. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Siollen¡¯s hands trembled violently as if she were terrified even though she was looking at her blood-rted brother. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The branch manager held Siollen¡¯s trembling hand and hid her behind his back. ¡°I understand, of course. However, I¡¯m currently having a personal talk with Lady Siollen. Could you wait for a moment?¡± ¡°......¡± Beltz didn¡¯t respond, and his cheerful looking smile turned dark. ¡°You must¡¯ve heard it.¡± ¡°Swordsman Beltz?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± His lips rolled into a smile and he unsheathed the longsword from his back. ¡°Wh-what do you think you are doing?! You are at Zieghart¡¯s branch¡­¡± ¡°So what?¡± Beltz ignored the branch manager and shed down with his longsword like lightning. ¡°Kuh!¡± The branch manager pushed Siollen back to prevent her from getting hit by the sword attack, raising the side of his hand. Even though he was taken by surprise, his aura wasn¡¯t wavering. sh! However, Beltz¡¯s longsword cut through the branch manager¡¯s aura like a piece of paper and even severed his neck. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Br-branch manager!¡± The warriors¡¯ lips trembled upon seeing the branch manager¡¯s head rolling on the ground. Their expressions were filled with disbelief at the situation. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± As Licia brought the tea into the room, she dropped the tray and screamed. ¡°Br-branch manager¡­ Kuh!¡± Licia rapidly came back to her senses and ran inside in order to send an emergency signal to the main house. Beltz seemed to have noticed her intention. He raised his longsword andunched it like a spear. Rumble! The longsword destroyed the wall and cut Licia¡¯s body behind it in half. Rubble stained with blood crumbled pitifully. ¡°My sister.¡± Beltz looked down on Siollen with hispletely emotionless eyes as her pale lips trembled intensely. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault that the people in this branch are dying.¡± With that as thest word, no more voices could be heard from the Sinigan branch. All they had left were screams of despair. * * * Raon left his room at dawn, before sunrise. Just like every other time he went on a mission, Sylvia and the maids were standing in front of the entrance. ¡°Young master, please be careful and return safely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overexert yourself like you did during thest mission.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve dried some beef jerky. Please eat it when you get hungry.¡± Helen and the maids gave him the beef jerky and snacks that they¡¯d prepared, lowering their heads while telling him to have a safe trip. Those parts were the same as every other mission. However, there was one difference. ¡°Raon,e back safely.¡± Even though Sylvia used to be unable to hide her worry whenever he went on a mission, her lips were trembling faintly. ¡°Mother¡­¡± Raon knit his brows upon seeing Sylvia¡¯s lips. ¡°Are you that happy that I¡¯m leaving on a mission?¡± ¡°H-happy? What are you talking about?!¡± Sylvia shook her head violently. ¡°My face is just stiff because I woke up recently.¡± She lifted the corners of her lips with her finger before lowering them again and smiled awkwardly. ¡°I already heard you being happy about it in your room.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Sylvia. ¡®I heard her very clearly.¡¯ He¡¯d heard Sylvia¡¯s cheer at dawn. If he was cultivating his aura, his mana circuits would¡¯ve been messed up and caused him an internal injury. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sylvia rubbed the back of her head, unable to give any excuses. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not soundproof even after the renovation. Maybe we need to call the builder again.¡± She looked around awkwardly. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed while watching Sylvia avert her gaze. He¡¯d previously thought her nagging was annoying, but he felt slightly regretful that she was so happy about his departure. This is so fun. Wrath approached him and patted his shoulder. He never thought that your misery would be so entertaining to watch! ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away and briefly clicked his tongue. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia stepped forward and held his hand. Her lips were curved into a faint smile. ¡°Training with you was really painful, but there were some good parts.¡± ¡°Of course, because your skills rapidly¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± She shook her head firmly. ¡°I could learn how hard you¡¯ve been training and how powerful you¡¯ve be. That¡¯s why I can send you on a mission without any worry.¡± Sylvia caressed Raon¡¯s head, saying that she was just joking. ¡°Come back safely.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Raon smiled faintly and answered Sylvia¡¯s goodbye. ¡°I¡¯m going to check how much you¡¯ve improved after I return.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Sylvia confidently clenched her fist. Raon¡¯s mood finally improved, and he met the eyes of Sylvia and the maids one after the other. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± That was thest thing he said before he left the annex building. He looked at the tip of his fingers, where Sylvia¡¯s warmth still lingered, as he passed by the garden where the greenery of spring had started to sprout. ¡®Forget about the rest. I¡¯m just d that my mother became healthy.¡¯ Sylvia had always been gloomy when her energy center and mana circuits were broken, and she often copsed because she exhausted herself quickly. Watching her being healthy made acquiring the energy center worthwhile. ¡®I¡¯m satisfied with th¡ª¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m really free now! Everyone, shout!¡± ¡°Whoaaaa!¡± Sylvia¡¯s loud shout could be heard from inside the annex building just before Raon left the garden. As if her kind words were nothing but a lie, her loud voice was filled with happiness. ¡°M-mom¡­¡± Raon looked back with trembling lips. Are you really satisfied now? Wrath patted his shoulder with a broad grin on his face. The deep sneer on his face made it look like he wanted to pay back all the grudges he¡¯d been holding so far. It looks like Mom likes the King of Essence more than you, after all! ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond and went to the fifth training ground. His footsteps were as violent as a storm. ¡®I¡¯ll destroy whatever enemy I encounter.¡¯ Who are you going to destroy when it¡¯s just an investigation mission? ¡®Shut up!¡¯ Chapter 556 Chapter 556 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 556 ¡° Haa¡­¡± Krein sighed intensely enough to get rid of the early morning fog. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that he would seriously make us train untilst night. He is way too ruthless.¡± He thumped his shoulder with his weakly clenched fist, murmuring that he wanted to faint. ¡°I know right? I also thought that he would let us go in the afternoon. I never expected that I would have to swing the sword until night.¡± Burren nodded in agreement. His face also showed exhaustion from the training. ¡°How pathetic!¡± Martha knit her brows while looking at Burren and Krein. ¡°What are you going to do if you can¡¯t even endure that much training when you pick up a sword to be a swordsman?¡± She smirked and clicked her tongue in disdain. ¡°Miss Rakshasa, your legs are shaking.¡± Runaan came up next to her before she knew it and poked her thigh with her finger. ¡°Aaack!¡± Since it was the spot where Raon¡¯s sword had smacked the day before, Martha screamed and jolted. ¡°Y-you crazy thing!¡± Martha growled like a hungry beast and extended her hand towards Runaan. ¡°You¡¯re just bluffing.¡± ¡°Do you have a death wish?!¡± Runaan stuck her tongue out and ran away while Martha drew her sword and followed her. ¡°Th-they are brimming with energy even in the morning,¡± Dorian gasped, rubbing the dark bags under his eyes. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. But I¡¯ve gotten somewhat used to it now.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotten used to it?¡± ¡°Yes. When we stayed at mypanyst time, I went through training that could have seriously killed me.¡± ¡°What kind of training can seriously kill you?¡± ¡°He ordered me to climb a cliff and rolled boulders down to it. He even destroyed the entire cliff.¡± His forehead broke out in cold sweat despite the cold weather as he said that he thought he would really go to the afterlife back then. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mark Goetten, who was standing next to him, was also reminded of that time and closed his eyes tightly. ¡°H-how is it in the annex building? Is it also hellish?¡± Burren left Dorian and Mark Goetten trembling in fear and looked at Yua and Yulius instead. ¡°No! He takes good care of us! He does everything we ask.¡± Yua energetically raised her hand and shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s right. He doesn¡¯t say anything in the annex building even if we take a break.¡± Yulius licked his lips as if he wanted it to be the other way around. ¡°Then why does he be a mad dog whenever he is here?¡± Burren shook his head, saying that it was so painful. ¡°It¡¯s going to be seriously exhausting if he starts to rampage again today.¡± ¡°But his mood seemed to have improved yesterday, so he should be fine today. We should have a quiet journ¡ª¡± Dorian was smiling faintly when the training ground¡¯s door was opened and Raon made his entrance. Whir! Even though he didn¡¯t kick the door like Rimmer, the overwhelming pressure emanating from Raon made the Light Wind division unable to take their eyes off him. ¡°H-he looks like he¡¯s in a seriously bad mood. Are you sure his mood was improved?¡± Burren poked Dorian with his elbow and swallowed nervously. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s his state of madness¡­ E-emergency! Emergencyyy!¡± Dorian ran up to the tform while shouting emergency. The other swordsmen also noticed the dangerous atmosphere and quickly lined up in front of the tform. ¡°Uhaha¡­ha! Rimmer, lying on the tform, started to yawn but briskly stood up upon noticing the raging fire in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re here, Si¡ªI mean, you are here.¡± Rimmer unconsciously started to call him Sir, only to barely manage to keep his mouth shut and retain his pride as the division leader. ¡°Division leader, can I lead the swordsmen today?¡± Raon looked at Rimmer fiercely, as if telling him that he wasn¡¯t allowed to refuse. ¡°S-sure.¡± Rimmer nodded like a marite and leaped back. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head at Rimmer politely, then stood in front of the tform. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone is aware, but this mission is a simple investigation. However, a battle might break out if a problem urs during the investigation, and we might fall into a situation that we can¡¯t handle with our might, forcing us to run away like we did before.¡± He continued, meeting the eyes of the swordsmen standing in front of the tform one after the other, ¡°That¡¯s why we are going to practice our footwork at full speed, starting from now until we reach Sinigan. The only time you are allowed to stop moving your feet is when you sleep.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s shoulders trembled upon hearing Raon¡¯s quiet yet frightening voice. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Err.¡± ¡°Are we going through that hellish training again?¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen murmured in disbelief, but they closed their mouths tightly upon seeing the dry looking Raon¡¯s eyes. They looked at Rimmer, their eyes damp, as if they were begging for help. ¡°Ahem! R-Raon? How about we save the training for after we finish the miss¡ª¡± Rimmer reluctantly stepped forward, unable to withstand the gazes from the swordsmen. Just as he was about to suggest saving the training forter, Raon¡¯s eyes sparked crimson. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you were leaving it to me?¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, it was you, division leader, who said that the entirety of life is training. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°Ah, I did say something like that before¡­¡± He smiled awkwardly and returned to his position. He murmured by only moving his lips after that. ¡®I¡¯m also scared of that guy!¡¯ Raon confirmed that Rimmer had shrunk back and looked down upon the Light Wind division once again. ¡°We are doing this to improve your skills. I hope you understand.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The Light Wind division responded as loudly as possible with teary eyes. You are destroying your subordinates instead of your enemies¡­ Wrath sent a round of apuse in admiration. You truly don¡¯t belong to a ce like this! Come to Devildom with the King of Essence! ¡®You go there.¡¯ The King of Essence can¡¯t go even if he wanted to! * * * Raon looked behind him while supporting Yua and Yulius so that they could run faster. ¡°Huaah!¡± ¡°W-we¡¯re really not stopping¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to die.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen were panting in exhaustion while running on a frozenke. It was a natural oue when you considered the fact that the intensive footwork journey started at daybreak and continued until evening, well past noon. ¡°I-is he seriously nning to even skip the meal?¡± ¡°That crazy bastard¡­¡± ¡°Raon, damn ugly today.¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan were also exhaling white puffs of air from exhaustion even though their conditions weren¡¯t as bad as the in swordsmen. Raon chuckled and waved his hand towards the swordsmen behind him. ¡°It¡¯s bearable, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I-I feel like I¡¯m dying.¡± Dorian shook his head while wiping the sweat streaming from his face. ¡°If it¡¯s too hard, eat some beef jerky while running. It will get a bit better.¡± Raon told them to eat on their own and looked away. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± ¡°That guy is an evil fiend¡­¡± ¡°You are the only one who can do that!¡± ¡°How are we even supposed to eat beef jerky while running at this speed? We are only going to bite our tongues!¡± The swordsmen swore at the back of Raon¡¯s head in extremely quiet voices. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer breathed out a sigh of relief while running at the back of the line. ¡°I¡¯m d that I¡¯m his superior, at least.¡± He shook his head while looking at the back of Raon¡¯s head. If he was a in swordsman, he would¡¯ve resigned from the Light Wind division right away. He didn¡¯t expect that he would be so d to be old. ¡®But at least this training isn¡¯t simply painful.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t just pushing the Light Wind division into a corner. As he said, practicing footwork on the way was an excellent way of training that could save time and fill the parts of training that werecking at the same time, since they¡¯d been mostly practicing swordsmanship so far. Rimmer watched Raon and the Light Wind division with a refreshing smile on his face when a cheerful wind blew from the sky. He raised his gaze and saw that a blue hawk was descending like lightning, as if it had found its prey. Whoosh! Rimmer extended his arm without being surprised in the slightest. The hawk rapidly decreased its speed mid-air as if it were pulling a stunt and smoothlynded on his forearm. ¡°A hawk from the Shadow Agents?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the hawk standing on Rimmer¡¯s arm. Considering that the Shadow Agents sent a message when it hadn¡¯t even been a day since their departure, something must¡¯ve happened in Sinigan. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer caressed the hawk¡¯s head before he took out the paper from its leg and started to read. His rxed expression hardened in an instant. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Raon exhaled the rough breath from his lungs and approached Rimmer. ¡°You should read it yourself.¡± Raon spread the paper Rimmer threw at him out. The message was just a single line, but the content was extremely heavy inparison. ¡°The Sinigan branch has been annihted?!¡± The letter was stating that they should go to the Sinigan branch as fast as possible since everyone in the Sinigan branch had died. ¡°Annihted?¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Did the South-North Union attack them?¡± The Light Wind division¡¯s eyes were zing in fury because a branch was also part of Zieghart. ¡°We are changing our approach.¡± Raon used the heat to burn up the letter before he went to stand in front of the Light Wind division. ¡°Decrease the speed from now on and focus on recovering your body and aura. Manage yourselves so that you are always prepared to fight at peak condition.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen didn¡¯t chat orin anymore. They responded firmly and prudently caught their breath as if they were about to fight. Raon gave a nod of satisfaction and took the lead. ¡°We aren¡¯t resting until we reach Sinigan. Let¡¯s go!¡± * * * What remained was a grotesque vige, filled with blood over the fissurednd. It looked like there had been an earthquake. Raon furrowed his brow upon seeing that Sinigan Vige, which once symbolized warmth, had turned into a scene from hell. ¡®The branch wasn¡¯t the only thing that was destroyed.¡¯ On top of the Sinigan branch being destroyed, the entirety of Sinigan Vige was destroyed. There were no corpses in sight, but blood was leaking from every single house and wall that had been destroyed. It almost looked like a battlefield. ¡°This is so cruel¡­¡± Burren¡¯s eyes trembled as he gazed at a well that was stained with blood. The other swordsmen also recognized the gravity of the situation, biting their lips and unable to say anything. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon blew away the scent of blood with his sigh and walked inside. People who seemed to have lost their families were gathered around the vige, and they were unable to enter because swordsmen with fiery eyes were blocking their path. ¡°What are those things?¡± Martha knit her brows while looking at the swordsmen blocking the path. ¡°They are swordsmen from House Lakion.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the red lion emblem engraved on their chests. ¡°This branch and House Lakion are rather close. They must¡¯vee for reinforcement.¡± Lakion was the vassal house located at the east of the Sinigan branch. Raon could guess that they came running to help as soon as they found out about the situation. ¡°Let¡¯s enter.¡± Raon shook his hand towards the Light Wind division and entered the vige. ¡°You are the Light Wind division.¡± House Lakion¡¯s swordsmen lowered their heads upon seeing Zieghart¡¯s emblem. The Shadow Agents must¡¯ve already delivered a message. ¡°What even happened here?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t received urate information yet either. Pleasee inside. We¡¯ll guide you to our division leader.¡± The swordsman raised his hand in a disciplined and respectful manner. Raon nodded his chin and followed the swordsmen into the branch that looked like it had been bombarded. There were lots of people inside, but the most noticeable one was the one-eyed middle-aged man standing at the center. Raon could feel a huge amount of energy from him. ¡°W-wee!¡± The ck haired young man standing next to the middle-aged man came running toward him with a tearful expression on his face. ¡°Greetings, Light Wind division leader! Ah, and the Light Wind vice division leader, too!¡± The ck haired young man lowered his head towards Rimmer and Raon one after the other. ¡°I¡¯m an information agent from the Sinigan branch called Gelf!¡± He introduced himself as Gelf and lowered his head once again. ¡°You managed to survive.¡± Raon breathed out a sigh of relief. It would¡¯ve taken a long time if everyone was dead. That was why he was relieved that one person had survived, at least. ¡°What even happened here?¡± ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not too sure.¡± Gelf swallowed regretfully and shook his head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I delivered a letter to the head of House Lakion ording to the branch manager¡¯s order, and the br-branch was in this state when I returned.¡± The tips of his fingers were trembling as he said that he didn¡¯t know the exact circumstances either. ¡°Then who would he be¡­?¡± Raon turned his gaze and looked at the one-eyed middle-aged man. He came up next to Gelf and lowered his head. ¡°My name is Beltz, from Lakion. I¡¯m ashamed that we couldn¡¯t prevent such a disaster despite living nearby.¡± He couldn¡¯t raise his head, as if he were really sorry about it. ¡®So he is Beltz Lakion.¡¯ Raon had heard about him before. He was a swordsman who had already be the sessor of House Lakion, and he was an unrivaled monster in his area. ¡°Please exin what you know for now.¡± Raon made them stand and told them that they should start by putting the situation together. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure, but the group that we thought were bandits were probably the White Blood Religion.¡± ¡°White Blood Religion?¡± Martha was the first person to react to Gelf. She stepped forward and leaned into Gelf¡¯s space. ¡°What do you mean?! Why are you suddenly mentioning the White Blood Religion?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s what we found out after examining the traces in this ce.¡± Gelf frantically shook his head and stepped back. ¡°All personnel in the branch and residents in the vige have disappeared, but we could only find half of the corpses!¡± He finished his sentence even though his lips were trembling. ¡°Moreover, many corpses left behind had traces of being bitten or being killed cruelly. I-it¡¯s almost the same as the Wh-White Blood Religion¡¯s bloody festival.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Martha frowned while looking at the destroyed buildings of the branch and the vige. Raon gave a small nod while looking at the wall that had copsed towards the inside of the office, and the blood scattered around like a fountain. ¡®White Blood Religion¡­ That might be the case.¡¯ He did think that it might be the White Blood Religion¡¯s doing instead of the South-North Union when he saw the destroyed buildings and scattered blood on the way. However, it was necessary to check the remaining corpses in order to confirm that fact. ¡°Can I see the corpses?¡± ¡°Of course. Pleasee this way.¡± Gelf nodded and went outside the branch. Raon patted Martha¡¯s shoulder, which was trembling in anger, and followed Gelf towards the training ground located outside the branch. A ck tarp was covering the ground, and the fact that it was protruding slightly implied that it was hiding corpses underneath. Raon signaled with his gaze, and Krein and Dorian came forward from behind him to remove the tarp. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± ¡°Those filthy blood demons!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen bit their lips tightly while looking at the corpses that the tarp had been hiding. Lots of corpses were heavily damaged to the point where the swordsmen who had experienced countless battles had difficulty looking at them. A few swordsmen even averted their gazes, unable to look at them. Raon came closer instead and calmly examined the corpses. ¡®It does certainly look like the White Blood Religion¡¯s doing.¡¯ There were almost no corpses that remained intact. The flesh being torn off was average, and many corpses had their limbs cut off or their heads and spines pulled out. It did look simr to the bloody festival, which was a devouring of blood and flesh as an offering to the blood god. Crack! He gritted his back teeth and examined the closest corpse to him. The corpse was a young woman. Her waist was cut apart by something sharp, and her neck looked like it was torn out by a wolf. She had died without even closing her eyes, as if she had perished from a sudden attack. Raon looked at the neck of the corpse and tilted his head. He turned around and looked up at Gelf and Beltz, his eyes full of doubt. ¡°This corpse is strange.¡± Chapter 557 Chapter 557 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 557 ¡°St-strange? What do you mean by that?¡± Gelf¡¯s eyes widened, unsure of what he meant. ¡°......¡± Raon didn¡¯t answer his question, instead looking back. He finished looking at all the other corpses and nodded. ¡®I knew it. It¡¯s the same with all of them.¡¯ The necks and wrists were ripped out violently, as if they were trying to show that they were killed by the blood demons from the White Blood Religion. Raon thought that he would¡¯ve believed it was the White Blood Religion¡¯s doing if he¡¯d examined them carelessly. However, a careful examination allowed him to tell that the perpetrator had made a mistake. ¡®The wounds were made at different times.¡¯ The wounds on the warriors¡¯ wrists and necks, caused by bloodsucking, were inflicted after the fatal wounds¡ªtheir hearts being pulled out or the shes made to their waists. ¡®That doesn¡¯t make any sense. Most of the White Blood Religion¡¯s blood demons suck the blood and devour the flesh of living people.¡¯ The bloody festival of the White Blood Religion was a ceremony where they sacrificed living people to the blood god. That was why drinking fresh blood was mandatory. This meant that they had to drink the blood and devour the flesh of a living person instead of a corpse, but most of the corpse around him had been gnawed after they had perished. ¡®Someone plotted this.¡¯ He could ascertain it once he checked the other corpses after the young woman. ¡®Moreover, the biggest reason is¡­¡¯ Raon used his left hand to stroke the de of Requiem equipped behind him ¡®The de of Requiem didn¡¯t cry.¡¯ The de of Requiem was capable of sensing even the faintest bloody energy that even he couldn¡¯t notice. However, it was only showing its sadness for the deceased¡ªnot anger towards the White Blood Religion. The branch¡¯s personnel weren¡¯t killed by the White Blood Religion, but some unknown perpetrators who had disguised themselves as the White Blood Religion. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Martha nodded after she examined a middle-aged warrior¡¯s corpse. ¡°Those people weren¡¯t killed by the White Blood Religion.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean¡­?¡± Dorian stepped back in surprise. ¡°When the White Blood Religion bastards devour flesh while using their bloody cultivation technique, the veins widen towards the outside so that more blood can gush from them.¡± Martha continued, while pointing at the neck of a corpse, ¡°But all those corpses have their veins shrunken inwards. They might have been bitten off by teeth, but it wasn¡¯t the White Blood Religion¡¯s doing. It was faked.¡± She shook her head in certainty. Raon smiled faintly while watching Martha confidently dere that it wasn¡¯t the White Blood Religion¡¯s doing. ¡®Has she been investigating all along?¡¯ He could guess that Martha had been continuously investigating the White Blood Religion in order to save her mother. That must¡¯ve been why she noticed at a nce that it wasn¡¯t the White Blood Religion¡¯s doing. ¡°She is right.¡± Raon agreed with Martha and looked at Gelf and Beltz. ¡°The blood vessels aren¡¯t the only proof. You can also see that the injuries on their wrists and necks were made after their deaths. The White Blood Religion wouldn¡¯t do that since they suck the blood of the living. This wasn¡¯t done by the White Blood Religion but someone who pretended to be the White Blood Religion.¡± Raon showed everyone that the color inside the wounds on the corpses¡¯ necks and wrists were slightly different. ¡°How did you figure that out?¡± Martha tilted her head, finding it strange that Raon knew about it. ¡°Of course I would know that.¡± Since the White Blood Religion was pretty much their main enemy, a continuous investigation about them was mandatory. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As soon as Martha heard his response, she frowned like she heard something strange and quickly gained distance. ¡°What are you even doing?¡± Raonughed bitterly, and Beltz approached the corpses. Raon could feel a cold and heavy atmosphere around him, as if he were in a bad mood. ¡°......¡± Beltz slowly examined the corpses without saying anything before he stood up. ¡°You seem to be right.¡± He prudently nodded his chin after looking at Raon and Martha one after the other. ¡°I don¡¯t know about their blood vessels because I¡¯ve never encountered the White Blood Religion, but the wounds were clearly made at different times. Someone must¡¯ve tried to pretend that it was the White Blood Religion¡¯s doing.¡± Beltz sighed after he willingly admitted that he was wrong. ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you don¡¯t know if you never faced them.¡± Martha shook her hand, saying that it was fine. She was giving an unusually gentle reaction because Beltz went ahead and acknowledged his mistake. ¡°......¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Beltz making a polite posture towards Martha. ¡®Did he really not notice?¡¯ Beltz¡¯s title was the Sword of Great Wisdom. He had a calm and collected personality, and he was the next head of House Lakion. Raon couldn¡¯t understand how he was deceived by that small trick. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t suspect him unconditionally, but I should be careful¡­ Hmm?¡¯ As he was thinking that he should be careful about him, an inexplicable stench wafted from Beltz. The foul odor was simr to the one creeping up from a pit of umted trash. It stimted his sense of smell and even his soul for a very brief moment before it faded away. ¡®What was that?¡¯ Raon¡¯s eyes widened and he looked at the others. Burren, Martha, and Dorian were peacefully talking with him without noticing anything despite being right next to him. ¡®Am I the only one who noticed that stench?¡¯ The King of Essence noticed it as well. Wrath clicked his tongue with irritated eyes. That was the scent of corrupted demonic energy. ¡®Corrupted demonic energy?¡¯ It¡¯s the foul stench of pure demonic energy, stained and tainted with filth. It¡¯s impossible to distinguish whose energy it was because it¡¯s be too distorted. He rubbed his own nose, saying that it was a filthy stench. ¡®Demonic energy¡­¡¯ The ck Tower and the Demon Reception Society were the only groups who used demonic energy. However, it could be someone else, as they could¡¯ve used something like an artifact covered in demonic energy. ¡®Regardless of the case, we will have to stay alert.¡¯ He examined the corpses once again just in case, but he couldn¡¯t find even the slightest amount of demonic energy. He figured he would have to slowly determine what kind of secret Beltz was hiding. ¡°Sir Gelf.¡± Raon looked at Gelf and asked, ¡°What happened to the southern hideout?¡± ¡°Ah, we got a message earlier, and they apparently ran away after theypletely destroyed the hideout.¡± Gelf responded with dumbfounded eyes. He looked like he still couldn¡¯t believe that the White Blood Religion wasn¡¯t the perpetrator. ¡°We¡¯ll need to start by investigating them.¡± Burren briefly clicked his tongue. He agreed that it was necessary to investigate the hideout, but he had a feeling that they wouldn¡¯t find anything even if they went there. ¡°Let¡¯s return these people to the house first.¡± Raon covered the corpses with the tarp and closed his eyes to pray for their repose. ¡°Yes, we should. That¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± Dorian nodded, agreeing with him. ¡°How abouting to our house after that? There shouldn¡¯t be anywhere to sleep around here.¡± Beltz walked up to Rimmer and invited them to House Lakion in the east. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer seemed to be thinking about something as he licked his lips and raised his gaze. ¡°Raon, what do you think?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Since he was suspicious, watching him more closely was the correct course of action. Raon bit down his lip tightly while looking at the swordsmen from the house who had perished without even closing their eyes. ¡®Regardless of who our opponent is, we¡¯ll make sure to avenge you.¡¯ * * * Raon and the Light Wind division departed from the Sinigan branch after they asked apany that traded with Zieghart to bring the deceased to the house. Since they had examined all of the corpses one by one, they only managed to enter House Lakion when the moon was crawling to the center of the sky. The darkness was engulfing the world like a veil because of thete hour, but the inside of House Lakion was as bright as the day thanks to the numerous light sources. ¡°Wee to Lakion.¡± Beltz nodded politely but not excessively, and the main gate¡ªwhich was bathed in red light¡ªopened. ¡®This house is also tremendous.¡¯ House Lakion was on a whole different scale from the other houses. It almost looked like a royal pce instead of a house. It was smaller than Zieghart, but the buildings and facilities couldn¡¯t bepared to an ordinary house. He followed Beltz and walked down the main avenue, where the swordsmen around them bowed in a disciplined manner. As expected of a house famous for their longsword technique, all of the warriors were emanating sharp and noble pressures. ¡°This is the lord¡¯s manor, where our head of house dwells.¡± Beltz stopped walking in front of a majestic building as tall as a spire, located at the innermost area of the estate. Its shape resembled a longsword piercing the sky. ¡®So it¡¯s this ce¡­¡¯ Raon rubbed his fingers while listening to him. He could feel an energy as powerful as a sharpened de from inside. ¡°Ahem.¡± Beltz briefly cleared his throat and knocked on the door adorned with a drawing of a red lion. ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve brought the guests from Zieghart.¡± ¡°Enter.¡± The voice that immediately responded sounded so heavy that it felt like a weight was attached to it. It sounded like he was talking from right behind the door, but also from the end of a long cave at the same time. ¡°Yes.¡± Beltz nodded, opened the door, and entered the room. Raon nced at the Light Wind division before he followed Beltz into the lord¡¯s manor. The entire lord¡¯s manor seemed to function as an audience chamber, unlike Zieghart, because no other room could be seen. There was only a broad path leading to the tform at the center. Luxurious. The ce felt like the definition of that word. Every single thread of the red carpet felt alive, giving the impression that he was stepping on living grass, and the works of art lined up on the sides seemed priceless at a nce. ¡°Wee.¡± A red haired old man stood up from the tform, which seemed to be made of gold instead of stone. His body wasn¡¯t that big, but his powerful pressure made it feel like a mountain was rising, and his pupils were full of life despite the wrinkles on his face. ¡°I¡¯m the head of Lakion, Huan.¡± Huan Lakion gestured arrogantly with his chin while looking down on the Light Wind division as a whole. ¡°Greetings, head of House Lakion.¡± Raon greeted, and the Light Wind division lowered their heads at Huan after him. ¡°What a joyful asion, to see such tall and heroic figures.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, War Phantom division leader.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow as soon as he heard the name of the War Phantom division ¡°I¡¯m the Light Wind division leader now. Can you call me by the correct title?¡± ¡°Ah, my bad. I¡¯ve gotten too old.¡± Huan Lakionughed loudly and shook his hand. ¡°Which means¡­ are you the Dragon yer?¡± His dark gaze parted from Rimmer and reached Raon. ¡°You are indeed on a different level. To have such power at twenty-one years old, I wouldn¡¯t have believed it if I didn¡¯t see you myself.¡± Huan¡¯s throat was wavering, showing that he was surprised from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Since the Dragon yer and the Sword of Light are visiting us, we shall hold a banquet.¡± He murmured that he was going to prepare some drinks since he couldn¡¯t miss such a joyous asion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon stepped forward and shook his head. ¡°Since we¡¯ve lost our family¡¯s members, we aren¡¯t in a situation to have a drink. Please understand.¡± Raon carefully showed his refusal. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true. I almost made a mistake.¡± Huanughed while pping his own forehead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, old men at this age often end up rambling. I hope you understand.¡± He apologized for his mistake and called for Beltz. ¡°Beltz.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Beltz went onto the tform upon hearing Huan¡¯s call. ¡°How did it go? Was it the White Blood Religion who attacked the Sinigan branch?¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Yes. We found this out thanks to the swordsman Raon and the swordswoman Martha¡­¡± He reported everything that happened in Sinigan to Huan. ¡°You fool!¡± Huan violently ground his teeth and pped Beltz¡¯s cheek. With the sound of a bursting drum, blood sttered from Beltz¡¯s mouth and seeped into the red carpet. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even figure that out! How could you humiliate us in front of our guests?!¡± Beltz turned his head and Huan pped his cheek a few more times while shouting. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Huan and Beltz. ¡®The general opinion about him is that he is powerful but has a violent and thoughtless personality. It was also noted that, interestingly enough, he is well aware of his own limitations.¡¯ The man called Huan was exactly how the report from the ck Market and the Shadow Agents¡¯ information described. However, Raon still hadn¡¯t expected him to humiliate his sessor, Beltz, by using violence in front of the Light Wind division, who were outsiders. He was even more thoughtless than expected. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the unnecessary trouble caused by him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Beltz was hanging his head, and Raon shook his head while looking at his back. ¡°I must¡¯ve kept you here for too long when you must be tired. Rest well for today.¡± Huan unfurrowed his brow and shook his hand towards the butler behind him. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± The butler quietly bowed before he opened the lord¡¯s manor¡¯s door to guide the Light Wind division outside. ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± The Light Wind division couldn¡¯t say anything because of the awkward atmosphere and followed the butler, leaving the audience chamber. Raon furtively turned his head before he left. Huan and Beltz were standing front to back, not facing each other or saying anything. ¡®The rtionship between those two¡­¡¯ * * * ¡°Wow.¡± Rimmer stretched while burying his back into the sofa inside the auxiliary building''s lobby. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since thest time I was here.¡± ¡°Have you been here before?¡± Krein curiously went next to Rimmer. ¡°Yes. I came here once when we subjugated them.¡± ¡°Subjugate? Does that mean that you fought against Lakion?¡± ¡°Yes. It was in the days where our head of house didn¡¯t have any wrinkles on his face.¡± Rimmer chuckled and nodded his head. ¡°Lakion had started their rise back then. They were brimming with confidence, and they were located in the same area as us. That¡¯s why we often had to sh against each other. A frontal war broke out in the end, and we won it, taking them as our vassal house.¡± Even though it was his experience, he exined as casually as if he were reading it from a history book. ¡°It¡¯s remarkable that they were kept alive.¡± Martha tilted her head, showing that she¡¯d never heard about it before. ¡°It was because Lakion was powerful, and they didn¡¯t use any weird tricks. Our head of house must¡¯ve liked the fact that they always fought head-on.¡± Rimmer rolled his eyes upwards as he thought about that time in the past. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know that.¡± The swordsman gasped. They seemed to have thought that Lakion would¡¯ve obviously volunteered to obey Zieghart. ¡°By the way, is Sir Beltz going to be okay? The head of Lakion seemed to be extremely angry¡­¡± Dorian swallowed nervously, worried about Beltz. ¡°He is so unreasonable.¡± Martha also furrowed her brow, showing that she didn¡¯t expect Beltz to be pped. ¡°Ugly.¡± Runaan murmured that she didn¡¯t like Huan and red with her nk eyes. ¡°He was way too violent, unlike Sir Beltz.¡± ¡°I know, right? How could he hit his son while we were watching¡­?¡± ¡°He seemed to be the type of person who doesn''t hold back their anger.¡± On top of the team leaders, everyone in the Light Wind division insulted the head of Lakion and pitied Beltz. Raon narrowed his eyes while listening to how everyone agreed that Beltz was pitiful while the head of Lakion was violent. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, was he trying to get this reaction from us?¡¯ It¡¯s only temporary, but the Light Wind division was focused on Beltz and Huan instead of Zieghart¡¯s branch. Raon was even getting the impression that Huan pped Beltz on purpose, to show them that he was a violent and thoughtless head of house. p! Raon lightly pped his hands to gather the Light Wind division¡¯s attention. ¡°You did well today. Since you must¡¯ve been shocked, you can go to your rooms and rest.¡± ¡°A-are we really resting?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°I know, right? I thought we were going to have to train again today¡­¡± The swordsmen widened their eyes, saying that they didn¡¯t expect Raon to tell them to rest. ¡°Do you want to?¡± ¡°Haap!¡± ¡°N-no!¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving now!¡± Raon tilted his head while asking if they wanted to train, and the swordsmen rapidly shook their heads and ran into their rooms. ¡°Team leaders, stay with me.¡± Raon made Burren, Martha, and Runaan stay on the sofa, creating an aura barrier. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Burren tilted his head, asking why he only made them stay. ¡°House Lakion is a bit suspicious.¡± Raon told the team leaders everything he¡¯d been thinking so far. ¡°Truthfully, the Sinigan branch should¡¯ve been originally constructed in order to watch out for House Lakion¡ªeven if it became pointless as time passed because House Lakion became quiet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Rimmer nodded with a look of surprise in his eyes. ¡°As soon as we subjugated House Lakion, we built the branch to watch out for them. It¡¯s been forgotten now because House Lakion hasn¡¯t done anything in the dozens of years after that. How did you even figure that out?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s only natural.¡± Raon lowered his hand, saying that it wasn¡¯t anything special. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that House Lakion would be the first one to be suspected if the branch was attacked?¡± Burren squinted while looking at Raon. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because that¡¯s the normal conclusion that many people think that House Lakion isn¡¯t the perpetrator. You all are the best example of that. None of you suspected House Lakion.¡± Raon calmly shook his head. ¡°Most importantly, I¡¯m concerned about the fact that Beltz Lakion failed to recognize that the wounds weren¡¯t from the White Blood Religion.¡± Even though he didn¡¯t know much about the White Blood Religion, Raon couldn¡¯t understand how he missed the fact that the wounds were made at drastically different times. The demonic energy was of course the biggest reason why he suspected him, but he didn¡¯t mention it because he was the only one who noticed it. ¡°The head of Lakion looked like he just had a bad personality. I can¡¯t believe that a person who ps his son in front of the guests would plot something like that.¡± Martha twisted her lips, saying that the head of Lakion looked like a simpleton. ¡°That might be an act, too.¡± Raon looked at the three team leaders one after the other and tapped the table with his finger. ¡°And most importantly, the traitors don¡¯t have much time.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have much time?¡± ¡°Yes. You should know that we recently filtered out the traitors in our house, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Since we cleaned up inside the house, everyone knows that the vassal housese next. They might have plotted something in their impatience, and the branch found out, which made them decide to attack it.¡± It was still unknown what exactly happened, and there was no proof that Lakion was the perpetrator, but there were enough reasons to suspect them. ¡°Then why did wee all the way here? It might be dangerous,¡± Runaan asked, the question reasonable despite her nk eyes. ¡°It might indeed be dangerous. However¡­¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile as if he¡¯s been waiting for that question. ¡°Some things can only be figured out after wee here.¡± Food! As soon as he made that deration, Wrath suddenly woke up while drooling from his mouth. Since we haven¡¯t eaten anything all day long, let¡¯s start by eating! That¡¯s the most important task! ¡®¡­Please just sleep.¡¯ Chapter 558 Chapter 558 House Lakion Lord¡¯s Manor ¡°Are you okay?¡± Huan asked as he looked at Beltz¡¯s torn cheek with a worried expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯s just a superficial wound. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Beltz wiped away the blood flowing from his cheek and shook his head. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have been deceived if we didn¡¯t go this far.¡± He briefly exhaled, while looking down on the empty carpet. ¡°Yes. Fortunately, it looks like we averted the crisis,¡± Huan said as he nodded gently, as if his fiery pressure had never happened. ¡°It¡¯s too early to be relieved.¡± Beltz furrowed his brow while grabbing his left wrist. ¡°Raon Zieghart and the Sword of Rakshasa noticed that the White Blood Religion wasn¡¯t the perpetrator right after they saw the corpses in the Sinigan branch. They are extremely insightful, so they must still suspect us.¡±¡°They probably do, but they won¡¯t find anything.¡± Huan and Bletz casually continued their conversation as if they¡¯d already expected that the Light Wind division would notice that the White Blood Religion didn¡¯t attack the Sinigan branch. ¡°Since there are no clues, they will suspect us and the five demons, and even start to think that there¡¯s an unknown enemy. They¡¯ll fall into a swamp of thoughts. In the end, they will simply end up as our sacrifices.¡± ¡°By sacrifices, you mean¡­¡± Beltz tilted his head, showing that he couldn¡¯t understand what he meant by sacrifice. ¡°I told them that the Light Wind division is visiting us, and he said he will personally arrive.¡± Huan leaned back in his chair and curved his lips into a smile. ¡°I thought Siollen ruined the n we¡¯ve been preparing for dozens of years, but this is even better. We will take this opportunity to get rid of our humiliating role as a vassal house.¡± ¡°I respect your will, father. However, it¡¯s a bit regrettable.¡± Beltz briefly clicked his tongue while looking up into the air. ¡°It¡¯s true that the preparations aren¡¯t perfect, but we can¡¯t wait forever. Since all Five Demons are restraining Zieghart right now, this is the perfect time to proceed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± He slowly shook his head at Huan. ¡°If this was going to happen anyway, I should¡¯ve stopped them from bringing the corpses in Sinigan to Zieghart.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Because we could¡¯ve used those corpses to fill Kriatus¡¯s stomach.¡± ¡°Kuhahahaha!¡± Huanughed like a madman and patted Beltz¡¯s back. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how you should think as Huan¡¯s son, as Lakion¡¯s sessor.¡± His gentle smile was unbefitting of his appearance, showing that he was truly satisfied with Beltz¡¯s statement. ¡°But feeding the blood of those vermin to it won¡¯t achieve any impactful growth for Kriatus. It¡¯s soon going to devour the flesh and drink the blood of the Sword of Light and the Dragon yer, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Huan shook his hand, telling him to look forward to it. ¡°When are we getting started?¡± ¡°He said that he was going to head this way immediately, so everything will be over by tomorrow evening.¡± He tapped on the throne''s armrest with his finger and curved his lips into an evil smile. ¡°Watch Siollen carefully until then and make sure that she doesn¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll never be able to escape since I¡¯ve dispatched Basion.¡± ¡°My second son is way too aggressive. I¡¯m worried about what he will do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go see.¡± ¡°Yes. The one who will be the head of Lakion needs to know everything at all times.¡± Huan finished talking and looked out the window. His lips curved into a frightening smile as he watched the moon floating in the sky. ¡°Our Lakion is going to rise on its own soon enough.¡± * * * Raon looked around after he put on a mask. ¡°Oh...¡± Dorian blinked, in a daze. He was with him because he used the same room. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, so I leave it to you in the meantime.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Dorian took a human-sized doll wearing a blond wig from his belly pocket. He put the doll in Raon¡¯s bed, covered it with the nket, and gave him a thumbs up. ¡°It¡¯s perfect, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s perfect indeed, but why do you even have a doll like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a necess¡ª¡± ¡°Whatever, stop it.¡± Raon couldn¡¯t understand how far his concept of ¡®necessity¡¯ stretched. Raon rapidly shook his head, opened the window slightly, and escaped through the small opening. The things you were looking for, you might be able to find them in his pocket. Wrath gasped, dumbfounded by Dorian¡¯s belly pocket. ¡®That might be true.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and nodded. He felt like he could just ask him to give him a dragon heart, and Dorian would take it out of his belly pocket while saying that it was a necessity. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the mansion on the opposite side from above the auxiliary building¡¯s roof. ¡®I knew it, they are observing us.¡¯ He could feel the presence of people observing the auxiliary building from the mansion¡¯s window. Since he escaped from the window while their gazes were elsewhere, none of them had noticed Raon¡¯s presence. Raon concealed himself inside the shadow of the night and headed to the lord¡¯s manor, where he¡¯d met Huan. Huan and Beltz were nowhere to be seen because it was early in the morning, and the warriors standing guard were ring around with straight postures. ¡®Let¡¯s start here.¡¯ He used the Snow Flower¡¯s Veil on top of minimizing his presence to start probing into House Lakion. He investigated how many people were on guard, where they were guarding, and which area was the most defended before he returned to the lord¡¯s manor. ¡®How strange.¡¯ Even though he¡¯d thoroughly searched House Lakion, he couldn¡¯t find any demonic energy, blood energy, or anything special like a formation. It was apletely ordinary house of warriors that was simply rather powerful. Raon leaned his back against a wall where the moonlight didn¡¯t reach and bit his lip. ¡®I couldn¡¯t have been mistaken about that demonic energy¡­¡¯ The stench of corrupted demonic energy that he¡¯d felt from Beltz was the real deal. Even though he couldn¡¯t sense it, there was definitely something inside the house that was spreading the demonic energy. ¡®Shall I look for it tomorrow?¡¯ The sun was going to rise in a few hours. He started to think that he should stop for the time being and resume the next dawn. ¡®No. I can¡¯t drag this out when I have no idea what Lakion is nning.¡¯ Nothing was determined yet¡ªthe rtionship between Huan and Beltz, what they were plotting, and the perpetrator of the attack on the Sinigan branch. Since he couldn¡¯t predict how the situation was going to unfold, gathering information as fast as possible was the right course of action. Raon climbed the high and straight pir of the lord¡¯s manor. He looked down on the entirety of House Lakion from the highest spot. ¡®I couldn¡¯t find it in the buildings, gardens,kes, or facilities. Then where could it be¡­?¡¯ He looked around and noticed a small mountain to the east, adjacent to House Lakion¡¯s territory. ¡®A mountain? Is it private property? In that case, it would be the best location¡­¡¯ Since it was right next to the house and no one lived around it, it was the perfect ce to hide something. It was going to take a long time to search the entire mountain, but Raon estimated that he could return by sunrise if he moved quickly. Raon made up his mind and went over the Lakion¡¯s wall to head towards the mountain. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Once he reached the base of the mountain, a terrible stench simr to sewage stimted his soul. ¡®This stench¡­¡¯ It was weaker than the stench he¡¯d gotten from Beltz the day before, but it had almost the exact same nature. It was definitely corrupted demonic energy. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ ...... Raon called for Wrath, but he didn¡¯t respond. He seemed to have fallen asleep already. He was seriously useless when it counted. Raon frowned because of the stench and climbed the mountain. The scent of the corrupted demonic energy originated from a boulder located halfway up the mountain. ¡®This ce¡­¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the boulder. The stench was endlessly leaking from it, but he couldn¡¯t feel any mana. However, his assassin''s eyes were grasping something. ¡®The color of the soil differs very slightly.¡¯ The soil surrounding the boulder was a shade different from elsewhere. It must¡¯ve been the result of the boulder¡¯s movement pushing up the soil. ¡®Which means it¡¯s a mechanism.¡¯ Considering the fact that he couldn¡¯t sense any mana at all, it must¡¯ve been a device made purely of machines. ¡®Shall I go back?¡¯ He managed to learn where to touch to move it after a close examination of the boulder. However, the ones inside might notice his presence if he opened the path. That was why he couldn¡¯t hastily decide to enter. Raon jumped down from the boulder and climbed a tree nearby. Someone was bound to enter, so he figured it would be best to wait until that happened. He waited about an hour on the tree before he sensed a presence from above the mountain instead of underneath. His presence was almost perfectly concealed, but he couldn¡¯t hide from Raon¡¯s aura perception since he was using the Perception of the Snow Flower. Raon waited while holding his breath, and a bulky man wearing a robe quietly came down from the mountain and stood in front of the boulder. Raon furrowed his brow while looking at his back. ¡®Beltz Lakion?¡¯ His entire body was covered by his robes, but he was Beltz Lakion. Even though he was hiding his presence, there was no way Raon wouldn¡¯t recognize him since he¡¯d only met him the day before. Sssh. He seemed to have noticed that the soil around the boulder had different colors. He carefully mixed the soil with his hand and put his finger into the hole carved at the edge of the boulder. Sssh! The boulder was smoothly pushed away, and a hole leading inside opened up. As Raon expected, it was a mechanism that didn¡¯t use any mana at all. Raon followed Beltz like a shadow as he entered the hole. ¡®This is terrible¡­¡¯ The stench was even worse inside. Raon could guess that they¡¯d used some kind of sorcery or magic to keep the demonic energy inside, then used the mechanism to keep intruders at bay. ¡®They are extremely meticulous.¡¯ Even though it was in their own home, they spared no effort in making it covert. It was clear that they were no ordinary people, just like he¡¯d expected. Raon went down while only stepping on the stairs that Beltz stepped on, and he could see a cavern illuminated by vivid yellow lighting. There were a significant number of rooms connected to the cavern. The sound of breathing could be heard from inside, and the stench of corrupted demonic energy was leaking from their breath. ¡®What are they even doing here?¡¯ Raon followed Beltz while wondering about what they were doing with the corrupted demonic energy and how they were controlling it. Beltz was walking towards the biggest door at the center of the cavern as if he weren¡¯t interested in anything else. Wham. Once he opened the door, a ce that looked like it was covered in red paint was revealed. * * * A little girl wearing ragged clothes was bound by chains in the dusty corner, and a middle-aged woman was floating in the air, tied with thin threads like a marite. ¡°Huh? Beltz, you¡¯re here.¡± The young man who was tearing off the middle-aged woman¡¯s flesh raised his chin sharply. ¡°Huff¡­¡± The middle-aged woman¡¯s flesh was torn off, but she bit her lip to the point of bleeding to swallow her scream¡ªprobably because of the girl in the corner. ¡°Basion, what are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s boring to just take care of a child. I was having some fun to relieve my boredom.¡± The young man called Basion flicked his finger tounch the flesh and blood from his hand. The flesh flew at the little girl and dropped at her feet. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I told you to simply observe Siollen.¡± Beltz furrowed his brow while looking at the little girl, who was groaning. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything after I saw the blood yesterday. You should understand this much.¡± Basionined and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°......¡± Beltz looked at Basion for a moment before he approached Siollen, who was tied up in a corner. ¡°B-Beltz! Please, I beg you! Let my nanny go!¡± Siollen didn¡¯t even care about herself. She went on her knees in front of Beltz, pleading for him to save her nanny, who was tied up by threads. ¡°I¡¯ll never do it ever again! I won¡¯t do anything, so please!¡± ¡°Actions have consequences.¡± Beltz calmly shook his head. ¡°If you didn¡¯t go to the Sinigan branch, no one in there would¡¯ve died and your nanny wouldn¡¯t have ended up in that state. It¡¯s all your fault.¡± ¡°B-Beltz¡­¡± Siollen¡¯s lips trembled, terrified by Beltz¡¯s emotionless eyes. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. If you hadn¡¯t done anything, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to waste my time here.¡± Basion frowned and shook his hand. ¡°But you are rather lucky. I would¡¯ve cut your head off already if you weren¡¯t my little sister.¡± He mimed drawing a line on his neck with his hand as if it were a shame that he couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Basion.¡± Beltz turned around and looked down at Basion. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s men are on the move. Don¡¯t leave this ce for a while.¡± ¡°Why do I have to stay in here like a mole? It¡¯s boring!¡± ¡°Just endure it a bit longer. What you want is going to happen soon.¡± ¡°Huh? Really?¡± ¡°Our father made up his mind. Even that person is going to arrive soon.¡± ¡°Finally! Are we removing that dirty title of vassal house?!¡± A grotesqueugh leaked from Basion as he said that he was looking forward to it. ¡°If you understand, stay quiet.¡± Beltz grabbed the doorknob. He turned around to briefly look at Siollen, then he opened the door and left the room. ¡°Too bad for you.¡± Basion approached Siollen with heavy and shuffling steps. ¡°My youngest sister, you must¡¯ve been waiting for those bastards from Zieghart, but it looks like our father is nning to offer them as sacrifices.¡± He caressed Siollen¡¯s cheek and rolled his lips into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s all over now, and you are also going to be like me soon enough.¡± Basion licked his lips while looking at Siollen, madness leaking from his eyes. ¡°You¡¯d better get used to it in advance because the family you used to know doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡± He sneered at his little sister before he went outside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry......¡± Siollen lowered her head and the tears that she¡¯d been suppressing flowed from her eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, my Lady.¡± Her nanny, who was tied by threads, twitched her dry lips. ¡°You were trying to do the right thing. I¡¯m fine, so please steady your heart.¡± The nanny forced herself to smile while looking at Siollen. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Siollen¡¯s hands were shaking uncontrobly. The shackle binding her wrist trembled, making a faint sound echo throughout the room. ¡®If only I didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡¯ It was because she went to the Sinigan branch that everyone who¡¯d helped her escape had died and her nanny was being tortured, her flesh being torn off. She even wanted to end her own life because she felt guilty for the death of everyone in the Sinigan branch. ¡°Sniff......¡± Siollen scratched the ground with her bloody nails when a man wearing a ck mask emerged from the shadow behind the door. His nonchnt eyes were revealed, his finger ced in front of his mouth. * * * Raon created a thin aura barrier to prevent Basion from hearing them and walked up to the two. ¡°Ah......¡± ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± Siollen simply groaned, and her nanny barely managed to open her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m from Zieghart.¡± Raon took out the tablet with Zieghart¡¯s emblem on it and showed it to them. ¡°Ah, aah¡­¡± The nanny let the tears that she¡¯d been suppressing for the sake of the girl fall, exhaling her desperate breath. ¡°Please, please save ourdy!¡± Raon looked at the girl who was shackled by chains while listening to the nanny. ¡®Is she the one who delivered the information to the Sinigan branch?¡¯ Raon managed to acquire a significant amount of information from the conversation between Beltz and Basion. That girl was called Siollen, and she was the little sister of the two. She seemed to be the one who tried to reveal Lakion¡¯s evil deeds to the Sinigan branch. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on here.¡± Raon went on one knee and met Siollen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Uhhh......¡± Siollen¡¯s shoulders trembled, overwhelmed by emotions, but she realized that she didn¡¯t have much time and immediately nodded. ¡°O-our house has joined forces with the Holy Sword Alliance.¡± ¡°Holy Sword Alliance?¡± Raon frowned while looking at Siollen. ¡®Is she really mentioning the Holy Sword Alliance now?¡¯ He¡¯d thought that it was obviously the ck Tower that was backing them up because of the demonic energy filling the space. That was why the name of Holy Sword Alliance waspletely unexpected. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the Holy Sword Alliance. Our house changed after their swordsman visited us and gave a sword to my father.¡± ¡°What do you mean by changed?¡± ¡°The swordsmen who couldn¡¯t recklessly swing their swords at people started tomit murder for no reason. Th-they only focus on swords, and getting stronger is their only concern. They arepletely uninterested in other matters.¡± Siollen forcibly opened her trembling lips and continued. ¡°The people who didn¡¯t change like that disappeared overnight, and people whose faces I don¡¯t know reced them. My home is gradually bing apletely unknown ce¡­¡± ¡°Is that why you went to the Sinigan branch?¡± ¡°I-I was trying to tell them that the Holy Sword Alliance was behind it, but everyone¡­ Everyone was killed¡­¡± She lowered her head while telling him about how Beltz went to the Sinigan branch to destroy them. The girl couldn¡¯t even make a sound as her mind cried in despair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have gone to them. It¡¯s because of me that they¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Raon shook his head while holding Siollen¡¯s shoulders, which were trembling so violently that it made him anxious. ¡°You did nothing wrong,¡± He said, observing the demonic energy emerging from other rooms at the same time. ¡®Is their demonic energy influenced by that sword?¡¯ A sword that created corrupted demonic energy. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to call it a demonic sword. ¡®But why did they give a sword like that to them?¡¯ Since the Holy Sword Alliance was a group of insane sword demons who only cared about gaining powerful swordsmanships and swords, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to possess a sword like that. However, Raon couldn¡¯t understand why they would ever give it to House Lakion. ¡®Considering the fact that he said that person ising, they might be a trade.¡¯ Who was backing House Lakion and what they were doing were revealed, but it seemed difficult to resolve the issue. ¡®No, there¡¯s an easy way to resolve it.¡¯ Considering what Beltz has said, Huan seemed to be nning to hand over the Light Wind division to the Holy Sword Alliance. That meant he just needed to take over the house as quickly as possible and make a trap to attack the Holy Sword Alliance when they arrived. That should create the best results without taking any damage. ¡°Where is the sword that the Holy Sword Alliance gave them?¡± ¡°It disappeared after I saw it, and I don¡¯t know where it is. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon put his hand on Siollen¡¯s head and smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t be able to rescue you right now. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow morning. Can you endure it?¡± Since the Light Wind division wasn¡¯t aware of the situation either, taking action right away wasn¡¯t a good decision. The best course of action was to finish the preparations perfectly and take action while the enemy was unprepared. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but......¡± Siollen bit her lip while looking at her nanny. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can endure it.¡± The nanny smiled awkwardly and nodded her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, so please endure.¡± Raon nodded at them and hid away in the darkness. His eyes glowed red as he left the room filled with demonic energy. ¡®I have much to do.¡¯ * * * The next day. Huan Lakion frowned while sitting on his throne. ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ Most of the warriors in the house were gathered in the lord¡¯s manor in the morning because Rimmer suddenly asked him to summon everyone in the house. ¡°Since it was Rimmer¡¯s request instead of Raon Zieghart, it shouldn¡¯t be a big deal.¡± Beltz calmly shook his head. ¡°Even though his energy center was repaired, he¡¯s still living like a punk. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s only going to say stupid shit like he did yesterday.¡± ¡°The Sword of Light¡¯s craftiness is second to none. We need to be careful. Did you check on Siollen and Basion?¡± ¡°Yes, they both haven¡¯t moved from there.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Huan furrowed his brow and lightly drank the tea on the table. ¡°The day is near. We only need to endure a bit more, so be careful with your actions and words.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± Beltz nodded, and a knock could be heard from the audience chamber¡¯s door. ¡°Enter.¡± Huan nodded. The lord¡¯s manor¡¯s door opened up, and the Light Wind division and Rimmer made their entrances. The swordsmen¡¯s eyes were shining dangerously, like generals on a battlefield. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Even though Rimmer and most of the Light Wind swordsmen could be seen, Raon Zieghart and another person were missing. ¡°Why are you missing people after asking us to gather every¡ª¡± ¡°We found the culprit.¡± Rimmer cut Huan off and smiled cheerfully. ¡°Culprit¡­?¡± ¡°Culprit?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the culprit that we were all looking for. We found out about the evil fiends who attacked the Sinigan branch and killed countless people.¡± His eyes were brimming with confidence as he advanced through the central path, acting as if he¡¯d figured out the truth behind the incident. ¡°Who is it?¡± Huan suppressed his pounding heart and asked the question with bloodshot eyes. ¡°The son of a bitch who caused this is¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s smile deepened. Just as he was about to open his mouth, a huge vibration urred from the eastern mountain of House Lakion. Whaaam! A huge sound of explosion followed, and everyone inside the audience chamber looked in that direction. ¡°What is that?!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve unleashed a mad dog.¡± Rimmer bared his white teeth while looking up at Huan. ¡°He will bring the perpetrator soon enough. Of course......¡± ¡®I can¡¯t guarantee his life.¡¯ Chapter 559 Chapter 559 Raon activated the mechanism attached to the boulder. Therge boulder that looked like a turtle¡¯s head was pushed away soundlessly, and the path leading underground opened. Raon inhaled the cold air of daybreak and set foot into the hole that was as dark as the abyss without hesitation. He descended by only stepping on the stairs that Beltz had stepped on, and the vivid yellow lighting seeped into the cold ground just like at dawn. However, there was one difference. It was the presence of the Lakion¡¯s swordsmen. The swordsmen blocked his path, revealing the crimson demonic energy in their eyes. ¡®It¡¯s meaningless, though.¡¯ Raon surrounded himself with the darkness of the cavern as if he were wearing a robe, walked past the swordsmen, and stood in front of the door at the center leading to the room where Basion was staying. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°No one ising down even though the door opened.¡±The Lakion swordsmen spread their aura perception to examine the surroundings, but none of them managed to find Raon¡¯s presence. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The middle-aged man who seemed to have the highest rank among them frowned and knocked on the door of Basion¡¯s room. Knock knock. The door opened as soon as the two knocks ended, and Huan Lakion¡¯s second son, Basion, came out. ¡°What?!¡± Basion squinted while wiping the blood off his cheek. Raon looked inside the room through the gap in the door when he came out. Siollen was limp on the ground with bruises on her forearm and thigh while her nanny had lost a significant amount of flesh on her shoulder, as if she had been bitten by a beast. They weren¡¯t moving in the slightest, and their extremely faint breathing implied that they were both unconscious. It can¡¯t be. Did he seriously beat up a child? Wrath furrowed his brow in disbelief. ¡®Moreover, he only hit the parts that can be hidden with clothes, so he won¡¯t be found out.¡¯ He needs to die! Does he have nothing better to do than beat up a child?! ¡®I agree with you for once.¡¯ Raon forcibly suppressed his boiling anger and strained his finger. ¡°Why are you knocking on my door?! Who¡¯s here?!¡± Basion looked at the stairs while shouting. He was apparently also aware of the fact that the boulder path had opened. ¡°Th-the door is open but no one came down.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?¡± He twisted his lips and took a step out of his room. Whir! The moment Basion took his second step, Raon used his clenched fist to smack Basion¡¯s face. Smaaack! With the sound of a boulder shattering, Basion¡¯s face twisted and he mmed into the wall. ¡°Huaah¡­¡± Raon grabbed Basion by his cor as he let out a painful groan and unsheathed the de of Requiem with his left hand to cut off his arm. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Basion¡¯s right arm, which had tried to counter by reflex, dropped onto the cold ground, and he let out a screeching scream. ¡°Wh-who are you?!¡± ¡°Do you really believe you¡¯ll be fine after doing this in Lakion?!¡± ¡°Let him go right now!¡± Lakion¡¯s swordsmen red at him while unleashing their demonic energies above their shoulders. ¡°Shut up,¡± Raon quietly dered while pointing the de of Requiem at Basion¡¯s neck. ¡°If you mouth off or twitch a single finger, your master is going to die.¡± He made a small cut on Basion¡¯s throat while threatening them. Red blood started to soak the de of Requiem. Raon was forcing the evil fiends who had given up on being humans to realize that he was the one in charge, not Basion. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Basion touched his severed shoulder with his left hand and ground his teeth violently. ¡°D-do you believe that I¡¯d yield to a petty threat like that?¡± Probably because he was possessed by demonic energy, new flesh was sprouting from his shoulder. ¡°Attack him! He can¡¯t kill me anyway! Cut his head off right now!¡± Basion shouted for them to attack Raon without minding him. Cring! Lakion¡¯s swordsmen dashed forward as soon as they heard the order, unleashing their sword strikes. Their des surrounded by dark demonic energy were rushing towards Raon hungrily. Raon wielded the de of Requiem in reverse grip and mmed it into Basion¡¯s spine. Crack! The shattering sound of bone echoed throughout the cavern, and Basion fell to the ground powerlessly. Clench. The moment the swords of Lakion¡¯s swordsmen were right in front of his neck, Raon clenched Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt with his right hand. The crimson light emanating from the tip of his fingers ruthlessly tore apart the des that were zing with demonic energy. Whaaam! A tremendous explosion urred, and the attack of the demonic energy and House Lakion¡¯s swordsmen turned into ash before it subsided. Rumble! The cavern¡¯s ceiling copsed because of the tremendous power of his strike and warm sunlight crept into the underground that only had experienced the yellow lighting so far. ¡°Wh-who are you¡­?¡± Basion could only tremble his lips because the impact on his spine had paralyzed his entire body. He couldn¡¯t even budge a finger. ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t kill you?¡± Raon met Basion¡¯s eyes and took off the mask covering his face. ¡°Bl-blond hair and red eyes. Raon Zieghart? Why are you here¡­?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you about my name. Why did you think that I wouldn¡¯t kill you? Because of the hostages?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not going to kill you yet. I need that demonic energy surrounding you.¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile while watching Basion¡¯s shoulder, which was regenerating as he spoke. ¡°However, once you are no longer of use to me, your head will roll.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯d better keep your mouth shut if you want to live a bit longer.¡± Raon stepped on Basion¡¯s head and entered the room. He treated the nanny with the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld first because her injuries were more severe, then he approached Siollen. ¡°Sw-swordsman, you¡¯re really Raon Zieghart?¡± Siollen had woken up because of the sound of the explosion and asked about his identity with trembling eyelids. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded after he easily destroyed the chains squeezing into her arms and legs, ¡°Can you stand up?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Siollen nodded and stood up while putting her hand on the wall. She sank to the ground once again because she¡¯d been kneeling for so long, but she stood back up right away. ¡°I¡¯m going to fight against your house from now on. House Lakion¡¯s sins need to be thoroughly exposed if we want to avoid the fight escting any further.¡± Raon lowered his heavy gaze to meet Siollen¡¯s transparent eyes. ¡°Can you take up that task? I¡¯m well aware that it¡¯s a difficult one, so I¡¯m not going to force you. However, we should be able to reduce the casualties if you step up.¡± Since he kept Basion alive, he could create some proof somehow. But if Siollen exined the circumstances herself, she should be able to awaken the warriors who weren¡¯t engulfed by the demonic energy yet. However, she had witnessed the deaths of the people in the Sinigan branch, and she¡¯d been locked in a room to be tortured. That was why Raon understood if she didn¡¯t want to do it. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Please let me do it!¡± Siollen nodded while looking at her nanny, who still hadn¡¯t woken up, and Basion, who had copsed on the ground. ¡°In return, can you save our house?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled quietly while listening to Siollen¡¯s teary voice. ¡®Even people like them are family to her.¡¯ Even though she was afraid of her father and brothers, she still wanted to save them. The reason she tried to deliver the situation of her house to the Sinigan branch must¡¯ve been because she wanted her family to stay as it was. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Raon nodded without telling her for sure. ¡°I-is it over?¡± Dorian had been waiting at the base of the mountain, but he must¡¯vee up after hearing the explosion. He was watching from above the copsed ceiling with trembling eyebrows. ¡°I thought there was andslide¡­¡± ¡°Come down.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± As soon as Doriannded in the cavern, he pinched his nose and furrowed his brow. ¡°Aww, this ce is really filled with a strange odor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the stench of demonic energy.¡± Raon opened the door to the room next to the one where Siollen was locked in. People wearing House Lakion¡¯s martial uniform were piled up in a corner with no signs of life. ¡®Those cruel bastards¡­¡¯ Considering the fact that the corpses werepletely dried up, evencking any flesh, their vitality must¡¯ve been drained. Raon walked to the center of the cavern, which was connected to multiple rooms. The deepest and most intense stench of demonic energy wasing from below. Whaam! Raon stomped the ground, and the ground exploded into pieces, revealing the lower area. Some kind of tree root was embedded upside down on the ground, emitting an intense stench of demonic energy. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ Hmm? Raon was rubbing his fingers because he couldn¡¯t tell what it was, and Wrath¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing the tree root. Why is the Life-Sapping Tree root in a ce like this? ¡®Life-Sapping Tree?¡¯ It¡¯s unsure why only the root is here, but this is a tree from Devildom. It quietly digs into the ground and sucks all the nutrients up like a hungry demon. It has a voracious appetite, and not even monsters live around a Life-Sapping Tree. He snorted, saying that he didn¡¯t like it because it reminded him of Gluttony. ¡®Did they gather the demonic energy by offering people up as sacrifices to this root?¡¯ However, Raon couldn¡¯t feel that much demonic energy from the tree itself. It just had an intense stench. ¡°Dorian, take this with you.¡± Even though the demonic energy wasn¡¯t intense, the lingering scent of demonic energy could be proof. That was why Raon threw the Life-Sapping Tree root to Dorian. ¡°Uheh!¡± Dorian managed to catch the root with only his fingernails, probably because he was afraid of it. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Basion was lying in front of the door, and Raon picked him up by the hair. ¡°Kuh, what do I even need to get ready for¡­?¡± ¡°You must be already aware. Why are you even asking?¡± Raon¡¯s lips twisted as he looked into Basion¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡°Get ready to lose everything you had.¡± * * * Whaam! Huan Lakion kicked the tform and ran out of the lord¡¯s manor. Beltz and the other executives followed him outside. ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening there¡­?¡± ¡°Why is smoke rising from Bekin Mountain?¡± House Lakion¡¯s swordsmen¡¯s lips trembled as they watched the gray smoke rising from halfway up Bekin Mountain in the east. ¡°You bastard! What have you done?!¡± Huan turned around and red at Rimmer, who was slowly walking out. Murderous intent was leaking from his dark eyes in a frightening manner. ¡°Are you finally revealing your true nature? The demonic energy is leaking from your eyes.¡± ¡°Wh-what? Nonsense!¡± Huan¡¯s lips trembled in panic even more than when the mountain exploded. It wasn¡¯t just him. The executives protecting him from his side were also emanating an eerie light from their eyes. ¡°Ah, I was just kidding.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders, saying that he must¡¯ve been mistaken. ¡°But why are you panicking so hard? Just tell me it¡¯s not if it isn''t demonic energy.¡± He raised his chin sharply, a sneer hanging from his lips. ¡°Your filthy mouth is going to kill you one day.¡± ¡°That might be true. But you are going to go before I do, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Beltz!¡± Huan turned his head and called for Beltz, as if he didn¡¯t want to deal with him anymore. ¡°Yes.¡± Beltz knelt in front of Huan upon hearing his violent voice. ¡°Go there and check, find out what happened!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to go.¡± Rimmer cheerfully shook his hand. ¡°Our mad dog should being this way with a bone in his mouth.¡± ¡°¡­Raon Zieghart?¡± Huan bit his lip, realizing who that mad dog was referring to. ¡°Oh, speak of the mad dog and he shall appear.¡± Rimmer smiled cheerfully and raised his finger. Everyone could see that Raon was running towards the lord¡¯s manor while stepping onto the rooftops one after the other. ¡°H-he seems to be carrying a person.¡± ¡°Huh? Th-that person!¡± ¡°Basion! It¡¯s Sir Basion!¡± Lakion¡¯s swordsmen widened their eyes upon realizing that Raon was carrying Basion. Thud! As everyone reacted in surprise, Raon lightly kicked the wall andnded in front of Huan. ¡°Hey, you¡¯rete. The guests have been waiting.¡± Rimmer put his hands on his waist and frowned at him. ¡°There were lots of things to find.¡± Raon responded and tapped on Basion¡¯s head. ¡°B-Basion¡­¡± Huan bit his lip while looking at his second son, whose arm was torn off and who couldn¡¯t even stand properly. ¡°What have you done?!¡± ¡°Even for Zieghart, this kind of violence can¡¯t be forgiven!¡± ¡°Unforgivable!¡± Lakion¡¯s swordsmen unsheathed their swords and unleashed their bloodlust as if they were going to attack at any moment. ¡°I¡¯m fine with a fight.¡± Rimmer smoothly gripped the hilt of his sword, and the Light Wind division managed the distance, prepared to get into formation at any moment while unleashing their sharp pressures. ¡°Since I couldn¡¯t see your second young master, I wondered about it and looked for him. I found him hiding underground like a mole.¡± Raon lifted Basion to let him meet Huan¡¯s eyes. ¡°F-father¡­¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Huan barked, ring. ¡°What do you think you are doing?! Do you even realize the consequences of your actions¡ª¡± ¡°It will be your death.¡± Raon cut Huan off as if he were shing with a sword. ¡°Your second son has been caught. How long are you nning to keep up the act?¡± Raon sneered and twisted Basion¡¯s left arm. With the sound of smashing bones, his arm went limp like a marite without a string. ¡°Kuaah!¡± Basion¡¯s shoulder trembled as he screamed. His smashed spine must¡¯ve regenerated with demonic energy, as his senses had returned to a certain extent. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Huan could only bite his lip, unable to respond. He wasn¡¯t the only one. Beltz and the other swordsmen also remained quiet. Unlike House Sullion, where Syria was the only one who¡¯d gone crazy, most of the people in House Lakion were plotting it together. ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡± ¡°Stop humiliating our lord!¡± ¡°What has the second young master even done?!¡± However, the warriors who weren¡¯t chosen by Huan because they were too young or old were proudly raising their voices,pletely ignorant of the situation. ¡°I¡¯ll have to tell you, since some of you don¡¯t know about it.¡± Raon smiled while meeting the heated gazes of the swordsmen. ¡°This man¡ªno, not only him. Your head of house, Huan Lakion, and the executives in front of you allied with the Holy Sword Alliance and sacrificed the warriors of the house to the demonic sword.¡± ¡°B-bullshit! It¡¯splete nonsense!¡± ¡°Yes! There¡¯s no reason for our house to ally with the Holy Sword Alliance!¡± ¡°Bring proof!¡± Since they¡¯d never imagined such an usation, their confident voices subsided as if they were buried under mud. ¡°You should know once you see this.¡± Raon turned Basion¡¯s body around to show them his shoulder, the one that was torn apart. The demonic energy eating his body was forcibly regenerating his arm. ¡°Regeneration? No, that¡¯s demonic energy¡­¡± ¡°Th-then what he just said is all¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± Raon nodded in response to the warriors. ¡°The assault on the Sinigan branch, the sudden appearance of bandits, and the disappearance of the main executives of the house who were killed afterwards¡­¡± Raon raised his index finger and pointed at Huan Lakion. ¡°Were all done by your head of house and the executives.¡± As soon as he finished talking, Lakion¡¯s swordsmen looked at Huan. Their eyes had lost their trust, wavering like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean. ¡°Un-unbelievable!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s possible that you covered him with demonic energy!¡± However, many people were still unable to believe him. ¡°M-my lord!¡± ¡°He is lying, right?¡± ¡°Please tell us!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you believe your lord?¡± Beltz stepped forward and revealed the unyielding look in his eyes. ¡°Trust him. Who is going to trust our lord if we don¡¯t trust him?¡± He shouted at them to trust their lord, saying that Zieghart was trying to divide Lakion. ¡°I don¡¯t even need to refute that,¡± Huan lied without even batting an eye. ¡°It¡¯s all his doing, and he is trying to me it on us.¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± ¡°They call you the White Sword Dragon and Dragon yer, but you are just a bastard possessed by demon!¡± ¡°He is an enemy! We need to kill him right away!¡± The swordsmen understood with their heads that Huan was lying, but they still shouted, unable to ept it with their hearts. ¡°Yes, I knew this was going to happen.¡± Raon chuckled and nodded his head. Since Huan was their head of house with a good reputation, it was only natural that they couldn¡¯t easily ept it. ¡°Come out now.¡± Raon bobbed his hand behind him, and Dorian came forward with Siollen. ¡°Ldy?¡± ¡°Even ourdy was captured¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Siollen shook her head firmly and took a step forward. ¡°I was captured by my second brother, not the swordsman Raon. What happened was¡­¡± She disclosed everything that happened to her so far with everyone in House Lakion gathered around her. Funnily enough, her miserable appearance added weight to her testimony. ¡°M-my lord.¡± ¡°How could this happen?!¡± ¡°Please say something!¡± ¡°......¡± Huan lowered his head, not responding to them. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He exhaled violently and raised his gaze. His eyes were glowing ck, looking like they were covered by rain clouds. ¡°My lord?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Huan calmly extended his hand, and the chests of the swordsmen who were asking for the truth suddenly exploded, a dark sphere being sucked into his hand. It was a lump of corrupted demonic energy. It put off an extreme stench. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°M-my lord¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± The swordsmen couldn¡¯t even close their eyes as they copsed, unable to believe that they were dying like that. ¡°Your deaths shall be the foundation for Lakion to stand upon.¡± Huan gave them a heavy nod, as if he were serious about it. ¡°Impressive. I heard that the most frightening part about Raon Zieghart was his mental prowess instead of his sword. It was true.¡± He wrinkled the corners of his eyes, while looking up to Raon. ¡°However, you don¡¯t know anything about me. You don¡¯t understand how I¡¯ve been living, nor how I¡¯ve been enduring so far!¡± Huan shouted toward the sky as if he were yelling at the world instead of Raon. ¡°I am not wrong.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon looked at Huan in disbelief. ¡°Do you know how a vassal house lives?¡± Huan giggled while sweeping his hair back. ¡°A vassal house. It¡¯s adorned with pretty words, but it¡¯s pretty much a ve. We are just dogs who have toe running to Zieghart whenever we are called.¡± He continued while scratching the back of his hand with his nails. ¡°Zieghart took over Lakion when I became the sessor. Do you understand what that means? This house has never been mine. I¡¯m the head of house, yet Glenn Zieghart is above me!¡± Huan stoppedughing and clenched his fist. ¡°That humiliation. Do you understand the humiliation of being crushed under someone else from the start?!¡± ¡°I do.¡± Raon calmly shook his head. ¡°Even with the same achievements, you are looked down upon, and even if you didn¡¯t do anything, people sneer andugh at you. I know what kind of life that is.¡± Raon was humiliated countless times as he lived as a coteral who was born from the direct line. Even though he had the position as the vice division leader, the direct lines still looked down on him and revealed their distaste towards him. That was why he could fully understand what Huan was talking about. ¡°But so what?¡± ¡°What?¡± Huan¡¯s eyes widened because of the unexpected response. ¡°If you wanted to ovee those humiliating gazes and that mockery, you should¡¯ve done it with your own power. Instead, you borrowed someone else¡¯s power, and the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s demonic sword on top of that!¡± Raon rolled his lips into a cold sneer. ¡°You haven¡¯t escaped from Zieghart to stand alone. You simply decided to wag your tail at the Holy Sword Alliance instead of Zieghart.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Huan¡¯s throat trembled intensely, unable to respond. He must¡¯ve already thought about it before. ¡°Try wagging your tail at me. Maybe I¡¯ll give you a sword technique.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± He leaned forward and screeched. ¡°D-dad.¡± Siollen looked at Huan with her hands put together. ¡°Please stop it. Just stop now!¡± The little girl realized that this was thest chance she had and ran forward in order to stop her father from straying onto the wrong path. ¡°Siollen.¡± Huan¡¯s head briefly trembled. ¡°It¡¯s you. You ruined everything. It¡¯s all your fault.¡± ¡°D-dad?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been born!¡± He extended his hand while grinding his teeth. The dark demonic energy and aura condensed into a sphere, rushing towards Siollen¡¯s chest. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siollen didn¡¯t even dare to dodge the dark current rushing towards her, freezing on the spot. She closed her eyes, realizing that death was approaching her. However, she didn¡¯t feel any pain. She opened her eyes upon feeling a heat seeping over her shoulders, quelling her trembling. Instead, she saw Raon¡¯s back, his dark coat fluttering behind him. ¡°S-Sir Raon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon turned around and smiled bitterly. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to grant your request,¡± he said, lightly tapping on Siollen¡¯s neck. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He caught Siollen as she fainted with a quiet groan and handed her over to Dorian. ¡°I leave her to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll protect her no matter what.¡± Dorian nodded, an unusual determination in his eyes. Raon bit his lip tightly while looking at his trembling hand. ¡®He wasn¡¯t just threatening.¡¯ Huan was seriously trying to kill Siollen a moment ago. If he¡¯d been careless, he would¡¯ve seen such a little girl disappear without leaving any trace. The anger that he¡¯d been forcibly suppressing started to rage uncontrobly. ¡°F-father.¡± Basion extended his left arm, which had regained sensation, towards Huan. ¡°Save me, please¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You are never going to die because you inherited my power. I¡¯ll definitely save¡­¡± Raon raised his right hand and snapped Basion¡¯s neck as he listened to Huan. Crack! With the sound of twisting bones, the light faded from Basion¡¯s eyes. Since Raon cut off the line of demonic energy with the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld, Basion couldn¡¯t regenerate anymore and immediately perished. ¡°B-Basion!¡± Huan¡¯s chin trembled upon witnessing Basion¡¯s death. ¡°I took care of your son since the world doesn¡¯t need him.¡± Raon smiled coldly while brushing off his hands. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me.¡± ¡°H-how dare you!¡± He extended his hand towards the ground, Thend fissured like a spider web and a strangely shaped sword with dozens of des extending from it like a tree root was pulled out. The de had a frighteningly dark color, and it retained its grainy texture as if it were made of wood. ¡®Is that the demonic sword?¡¯ He must¡¯ve been hiding the demonic sword deep underground in order to hide the stench of demonic energy. ¡®But it almost looks like it¡¯s made of wood.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t almost look like it. It¡¯s actually made of wood. ¡®What?¡¯ They fed human vitality to the Life-Sapping Tree root that you saw earlier, and the demonic energy is being released through that stem. What an interesting way of using it. Wrath quietly eximed, saying that he didn¡¯t expect to see such a way of using the Life-Sapping Tree. Rumble! Huan stabbed the sky with the demonic sword, and dark liquid gushed from the fissured ground to darken the sky andnd. It was an eerie phenomenon perfectly befitting the name of a demonic sword. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who is enhanced by the power of the demonic sword, Kriatus. None of you will manage to survive!¡± Just like Huan said, powerful pressures burst from the swordsmen standing behind him. The demonic energies inside their bodies seeped into their aura. The power gushing from them as a result was on a whole different level. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°What? What is that crazy demonic sword¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Not only the in swordsmen, but even the team leaders like Burren, Martha, and Runaan bit their lips, frightened by the demonic energy. Wham! Raon stomped the ground. Crimson mes burst from his feet and scorched the darkenednd. ¡°Light Wind division, listen.¡± Noble waves of energy spread from him, fending off the intense demonic energy and illuminating the area with a clear radiance. ¡°For the sin of colluding with enemy forces, murdering members of their family, andmitting human sacrifices, the head of House Lakion and all their executives will be executed.¡± ¡°I hear and I obey!¡± The Light Wind division was terrified by the demonic energy, but they held their swords upside down to perform a sword salute, then roared to push back the darkness. Raon nodded, showing that he would be counting on them, before he advanced forward. The me bursting from under his feet started to fade away, frightened by the darkness. ¡°I¡¯ll make you realize the insignificance of the power obtained by abandoning your family, throwing away your pride, and making your own house fall to a ruin.¡± Raon mmed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem into the ground. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± His quiet voice tore apart the space smeared with demonic energy and manifested the red sword and the blue sword into the world. ¡°Divine and Demonic Harmony.¡± Just like the dawn where the sun and moon cross each other, the golden veil engulfed Raon to drive away the abominable darkness. ¡°Let¡¯s begin¡­¡± Raon raised the divine sword. He pointed it at Huan, his eyes even redder than the me burning on the de. ¡°¡­the execution.¡± Chapter 560 Chapter 560 ¡°Open formation!¡± Burren¡¯s ringing voice echoed out, and the Light Wind division activated the Large Light Wind Formation from where they stood. Since the individual prowess of the swordsmen had improved, and their soul levels had awakened after they faced death, the wave of energy spreading from Large Light Wind Formation was sturdier than ever. ¡°Wipe out the demonized humans undermining Zieghart!¡± Martha stepped forward and activated Berserk. The Light Wind¡¯s first team supported her from behind, and the Large Light Wind Formation became a single spear aimed to pierce through the Lakion¡¯s swordsmen violently. The Light Wind division advanced like a storm, their eyes not reflecting even a shred of fear. Whaaam! The Light Wind division¡¯s red current shed head-on against the demonic energy of Lakion¡¯s swordsmen and dramatically erged the fissure on the ground. ¡°Damn it¡­¡±Beltz Lakion bit his lip tightly as he noticed the expressions of his subordinates freezing. He entrusted his body to the demonic energy and was about to shake the center of the Large Light Wind Formation when a green wind blew in to block his path. aang! Holding a sword with a leaf-shaped handguard, Rimmer easily fended off Beltz¡¯s longsword and shook his finger left and right. ¡°How could you ignore me?¡± Rimmer smiled cheerfully and kicked Beltz¡¯s abdomen. Whaack! With the sound of a rubber ball bursting, Beltz was sent flying and rolled on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m the Light Wind division leader, not that arrogant kid!¡± Rimmer raised his thumb and pointed at himself. ¡°Since he took the most delicious part, I¡¯m going to mess you up instead.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± He revealed the ferocious look in his eyes as he looked at Beltz, who groaned in pain. ¡°The Sword of Light¡­¡± Beltz bit his lip to the point of bleeding and raised his longsword, demonic energy bursting around it. ¡°Lakion is the owner of thisnd!¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± Red lightning sparked from Rimmer¡¯s hand and dug into the green wind. ¡°It had to be the Holy Sword Alliance of all groups. You made an irreversible mistake.¡± He shed at Beltz¡¯s demonic energy, the wind and lightning forming a harmony around his de. Whaaam! Crimson lightning and dark demonic energy exploded in a matter of seconds, creating a thick smoke in the air. Whaam! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps after he confirmed that the battle between the Light Wind division and House Lakion had started. He scratched thend with the divine sword¡¯s me and the demonic sword¡¯s frost, and the evil energy covering thend exploded with a scream. ¡°The rumor about you reaching the Sword Field Creation was true. However¡­¡± Huan bit his lip and raised the demonic sword Kriatus. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless in front of this demonic sword!¡± The demonic energy raging around the demonic sword was dense enough to make a person¡¯s skin tingle. He seemed to have awakened the demonic sword¡¯s power by reabsorbing the demonic energy that he¡¯d imbued on his subordinates a moment ago. Whoosh! Huan Lakion thrust the demonic sword with a sharp, decisive motion. The demonic energy emanating from the twelve tips of the des curved like flowing water, rushing towards Raon¡¯s heart. The movement gave the impression that the attack itself was alive. Whir! Raon concentrated his aura into the mana circuits in his left leg. He advanced through the fissurednd with the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step and raised the divine sword in his right hand. The red de soared in a semi-circr trajectory to block the dark radiance. Whaaam! The divine sword and the demonic sword shed, their mes and demonic energy colliding. The resulting explosion sounded as though tens of thousands of people were screaming simultaneously. Spark! The red de and the dark depeted without yielding an inch, and purple sparks covered the entire surrounding area. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± Huan shoved his demonic sword forward, his eyes glowing ck. His attack became unbearably heavy, as if the souls of the deceased were dwelling in it. ¡°You will pay thoroughly for killing my son!¡± ¡°Apparently, your daughter isn¡¯t precious to you.¡± Raon twisted his lips and lowered his gaze. ¡°Siollen is a failure! She is just a traitor who abandoned her family!¡± ¡°Siollen mustered her courage in order to save you.¡± Raon thrust his demonic sword while eximing in anger. The me and frost crossed diagonally and started to push back the demonic energy of the demonic sword Kriatus. ¡°You are the one who refused her hand when she did her best until the end to save Lakion.¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile while meeting Huan¡¯s ck eyes between their swords. ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret it even after your death.¡± As he made his deration, the energy that had been umting between the swords couldn¡¯t be suppressed anymore and burst in a huge explosion. Their vision turned dark, and an eerie darkness emerged. Thud! Raon advanced through the pitch-ck darkness while using the divine and demonic swords as amp. He felt like the Supreme Harmony Steps were giving him red and blue wings behind his back, as he became even faster after he¡®d learned the space sword. Raon caught up to Huan before he could reorganize himself after he stepped back, thrusting the divine and demonic swords like a dancer¡¯s beautiful routine. Whaaap! A flower bud of me emerged from the red de, and flower petals of frost scattered from the blue de. It was the me Spirit, activated through the divine and demonic swords. The flower petals left the des like cherry blossoms after the spring and suddenly descended. More than hundreds of pieces of astral energy surrounded Huan from all directions. Whaaam! The moment Raon lowered the divine and demonic swords, the descending flower petals floated back up as if they were revived and unleashed a storm of fire and ice. ¡°Kuh!¡± Huan furrowed his brow and rapidly bent the demonic sword to the right. The twelve tips of the de vibrated as if they were alive and unleashed a tidal wave of demonic energy. Wham! Wham! The me Spirit¡¯s storm and the demonic energy¡¯s tidal wave covered the entire sky andnd, causing countless explosions. Raon leaped into an explosion that could even destroy an aura shield. As he increased his speed, his vision was narrowed but Huan¡¯s demonic energy could be felt vividly. The roar of a ferocious beast was rampaging from the des of the divine and demonic swords. He was unleashing the Fangs of Insanity with two swords. The principles of twin swords that he¡¯d learned from Sheryl had further evolved to ferociously scatter the me and frost. Whaaam! The tremendous power dwelling on the two des managed to tear apart the sticky demonic energy and descended toward Huan¡¯s chest. However, Huan¡¯s confusion didn¡¯tst long, befitting a warrior who¡¯d been leading a vassal house. He gained distance as if he were sliding and shook his demonic sword like a fan. Whir! The fog of demonic energy thickened and averted the trajectory of the divine and demonic swords. He wasn¡¯t simply using the demonic sword¡¯s power. The principles of swordsmanship were dwelling in it properly. He was definitely not an opponent to be looked down upon. ¡®However¡­ His swordsmanship isn¡¯t well bnced.¡¯ Because the demonic sword¡¯s power was too explosive, his swordsmanship and aura couldn¡¯t extend as they should. Raon could guess that targeting that gap was the best strategy. Cring! Raon leaned forward and shed upwards with the two swords. He advanced like a charging bison to pierce through the center of the demonic energy rushing toward him. Whaaam! He rotated the me and frost counterclockwise and unraveled the concentrated demonic energy. The dark de of the demonic sword Kriatus was revealed as if it had been stripped naked. ¡®Now!¡¯ Raon tightened his grip on the divine and demonic swords and pressed upon the curved de of the demonic sword Kriatus. aaang! The red and blue des shed head on against the dark de, and a tremendous shockwave engulfed the surrounding area once again. ¡°Kuuh¡­¡± Huan¡¯s trembling fingers suggested that he didn¡¯t expect his demonic energy to be destroyed so easily. ¡°Curse you, Zieghart! Curse you, Sword Field Creation!¡± He screamed and twisted his wrist. The fifth and the seventh edges of the demonic sword vibrated fiercely and fended off the divine and demonic swords. However, an opening was created because of thatrge move. Raon tried to stab his divine sword into that opening, and Huan recklessly stomped the ground. Whaam! A tremendous amount of demonic energy struck down, causing thend to tremor and the ground to fissure rapidly all around. Raon advanced while stepping onto the crumblingnd like a stone bridge, but Huan had used the rebound from swinging his demonic sword to gain distance. ¡°You are the one who are going to regret it!¡± He twisted his lips and shed horizontally with his demonic sword. The dark attack briskly appeared before the sound could be heard. The deadly de that was the shape of a crescent moon was rushing towards Raon¡¯s neck. Cring! Raon raised the divine and demonic swords into a cross shape. The lines of me and frost were extended, grinding the de of demonic energy into a powder. Raon hid in the cloud of dust surging from the explosion and pierced Huan¡¯s left side. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± Huan hurriedly tried to escape, but Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to barge into his space and swing down the divine sword while stabbing with the demonic sword. Whaaam! The crimson de tore off the unprepared twelfth edge of Kriatus and the blue awl pierced into Huan¡¯s side. * * * Psssh! Huan¡¯s face rapidly turned pale because of his first deep injury. ¡°Did you challenge Zieghart with only that much power?¡± Raon walked up to Huan with twisted lips. He kicked Kriatus¡¯s broken de and tilted his head. ¡°B-but how?! How are you unaffected by the demonic energy?!¡± Huan¡¯s chin trembled, unable to understand the situation. ¡°Your flesh should be rotting just from being exposed to the demonic energy. How can you be unscathed?!¡± He even gave up on his elegant way of speaking as the head of house, throwing a tantrum like a child. ¡°Because you were too weak.¡± Raon shook his head while looking at the dark demonic energy emanating from Kriatus. He already had some resistance to demonic energy, and he was erasing the intruding demonic energy with Divinity Blooming from the Underworld. That was why the demonic sword¡¯s energy couldn¡¯t affect him in the slightest. ¡°Im-impossible¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. We haven¡¯t even gotten started yet.¡± Crimson lightning sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes as he dashed towards Huan. He extended his right foot while driving away the demonic energy, and Huan mmed the ground with the demonic sword Kriatus. A fog of demonic energy surged to block his path. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to run away.¡± Raon bit his lip, cut off the demonic energy, and followed Huan¡¯s presence. ¡°Huh?¡± Raon was running through the gap inside the demonic energy but suddenly stopped. He fell speechless at the ridiculous sight. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Huan stabbed the chests of his subordinates who possessed demonic energy instead of attacking Raon. ¡°Ack¡­¡± ¡°M-my lord!¡± ¡°Why are you attacking us¡­?¡± Lakion¡¯s swordsmen gazed at the demonic sword¡¯s de piercing through their hearts, their chins trembling intensely. Their bloodshot eyes expressed their realization of his betrayal. Whir! Eleven des pierced through twelve people¡¯s chests and started to refill the demonic energy in the demonic sword. What an irredeemable piece of trash! Wrath stood up, ghastly fire raging from his eyes. Instead of trying to save his subordinates, did he seriously just kill them to extract the demonic energy?! How could trash like that even exist in this world?! He was seriously angry at Huan¡¯s action because he cherished his subordinates more than anyone else. Kill him right now! Tear him into pieces! ¡®I was nning to do so even if you didn¡¯t ask.¡¯ Raon severed the fog of demonic energy and approached Huan. ¡°I-it¡¯s because I don¡¯t have enough power! I just need more power!¡± Huan¡¯s eyes had zed over as if he had already lost his sanity. The Lakion swordsmen who¡¯d been stabbed with the demonic sword lost their flesh and blood before they could even take a single breath, turning into a state even worse than a zombie before they were mmed into the ground. Rumble! A majestic amount of demonic energy zed from the demonic sword Kriatus, creating a dark sun. ¡°Aaaack!¡± ¡°M-my lord¡­¡± ¡°Wh-why are you doing this to us?!¡± The powerful wave emanating from the dark sun caused the Lakion swordsmen around him to turn into a pool of blood and disappear. As the people possessing demonic energy perished, the dark sun zed more and more intensely. ¡®I can¡¯t let it continue.¡¯ Raon bit his lip and entered the dark sun¡¯s area of influence. ¡°Withdraw, everyone!¡± Raon ordered a retreat to avoid harming the Light Wind division and dashed towards Huan. The demonic energy stuck to him like a swamp as he approached Huan. His fingers trembled and his mana circuits shrunk from the intense flow of demonic energy, slowing down the movement of his aura, but Raon still advanced like a raging bull. ¡°Die!¡± Huan shed down with the demonic sword Kriatus, the dark sun floating above him. The tremendous heat removed the atmosphere and twisted the space. Raon used the rebound of his advance to unleash the Crimson sh with the divine sword and activated Frost Pond with the demonic sword. Both swords were attacking. His determination to kill Huan without caring about defense was dwelling in his attack. Crack! The heat and coldness shed against the demonic energy, and the sky andnd trembled. A gray tornado surged from between the des and sucked everything towards it. Cring! In the midst of the pressure, where it was difficult to move even a single finger, Raon twisted the divine and demonic swords. Clear wind surged between the heat and coldness,bining the two separate energies into a single line. Whaaam! The wave of me and frost surged explosively, and Huan¡¯s hand trembled intensely, his demonic sword on the verge of breaking as it got pushed back. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Huan let out a shout of concentration that sounded like a scream and mustered his strength to clench the grip of the demonic sword. Probably thanks to his instincts as a warrior that he¡¯d honed over time, a profound principle of swordsmanship engulfed his sword. The powerful and precise movement was characteristic of the longsword technique. ¡°It¡¯s toote to finally learn your lesson.¡± Raon released his wrath. The energies of the divine and demonic swords surged with a majestic light, like the final embers igniting into a zing fire. Wham! Huan couldn¡¯t withstand that power and stepped back. Raon took that opportunity to stomp the ground with his left foot and thrust the divine and demonic swords that he¡¯d pulled back. The me Dragon Art was activated through the two swords at once. The breaths of a fire dragon and a water dragon shed against the sun that zed with demonic energy. The terrifying explosion engulfed the entire area ahead of him, and the demonic barrier shattered into pieces as a result as the five edges of the demonic sword Kriatus crumbled into powder. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Huan faltered and fell backwards. His shabby face looked like he¡¯d gotten twenty years older at least in an instant. ¡°Father!¡± Even though Beltz Lakion had lost his left arm against Rimmer, he ran towards Huan without hesitation. However. Even though his first son came running at him by risking his life, Huan stabbed his stomach with the demonic sword. ¡°F-father? What is¡­?¡± ¡°Thank you. You saved me.¡± The fall of the warrior who¡¯d lived with a sense of inferiority for his entire life was even worse than the fiends who were born as demonized humans. ¡°Fath¡­¡± Beltz copsed, his skin drying like a rice field during a drought. Even his eyes melted down, and he couldn¡¯t take his gaze off of Huan even after his death. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Huan stood back up with a face that had regained his youth. His pressure was even more powerful in the beginning, probably because he¡¯d devoured Beltz, who had the biggest amount of demonic energy. ¡°Is this the life you wanted?¡± Raon bit down his lip tightly. ¡°Allying with the Holy Sword Alliance, entrusting your soul to the demonic sword, and even killing your son with your own hand. What are you even trying to achieve with that?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Huan roared like a beast and raised the demonic sword Kriatus. ¡°I¡¯ll avenge my children!¡± Even his brain must¡¯ve been taken over by demonic energy. He shed down with the demonic sword Kriatus while iming that he was taking revenge for Beltz, who he¡¯d killed himself. The principles of his longsword technique merged with the explosive power of the demonic energy and unleashed a dark wave capable of melting everything on contact. ¡°I will deny your choice.¡± Raon extended his left foot to the front and bent his knee. He pulled the divine sword behind his right shoulder and the demonic sword behind the right side of his waist, focusing all of his remaining energy. The divine sword¡¯s me and the demonic sword¡¯s frost slowly subsided, zing faintly like an ember. Cring! The moment the tidal wave from the demonic sword brushed past his hair, Raon added rotation and pressure to the power he¡¯d mustered from all the way under his feet and made it explode at the tip of his hand. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy. Sixth form, Divine and Demonic Harmony¡¯s Combined Technique Red-Blue Invincible Sword. The extremelypressed energies of the divine and demonic swords exploded in an instant, ruthlessly shredding the wave of demonic energy. Whaaaaam! Raon advanced towards the center of the demonic energy, where a path was created like the eye of a storm. With the heat and coldness gradually subsiding, the two swords severed the demonic sword and cut off Huan¡¯s arms. ¡°Cough!¡± ck blood gushed from Huan¡¯s shoulders as he copsed. His ck eyes were trembling endlessly, filled with terror and astonishment. Raon trampled upon the demonic sword Kriatus and approached Huan. The Sword Field Creation was undone because he ran out of power, but it didn¡¯t really matter. Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem were still sharp enough. Smack! Raon mmed Heavenly Drive down into Huan¡¯s shoulder. Rip! He unleashed the crimson me covering the silver de, scorching Huan¡¯s demonic energy, flesh, and blood. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± Huan frantically shook his head and screamed because of the terrible pain. ¡°W-wait! I¡¯ll tell you! I¡¯ll say who we made the deal with, and why we¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any information from someone like you.¡± Raon took the de of Requiem in reverse grip with his left hand and mmed it into Huan¡¯s shoulder. The bright yellow ghastly energy arose like a mirage and started to pull out all the demonic energy from Huan¡¯s body while maintaining his breathing. ¡°Aaaaaack!¡± Huan started to rampage with his eyes rolled back because of the pain, which felt like his flesh and veins were being pulled from his body, but he couldn¡¯t move an inch from the spot because of Heavenly Drive piercing his shoulder. ¡°Pl-please! Please stop! Kill me instead¡­¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Raon tilted his head while looking down on Huan with emotionless eyes. ¡°I said I¡¯d make you regret it even after your death. This is only the start.¡± He just stood there and watched until all of the blood vessels in Huan¡¯s body ruptured. ¡°Auuh¡­¡± Huan closed his eyes, terrified by Raon¡¯s red eyes staring at him even more than the pain of all his demonic energy being sucked out of him. All he could do was to let out a ragged scream. ¡°What a terrible end for the famous head of Lakion.¡± ¡°Just cutting his head off is too good for a trash like him. He needs to experience as much pain as possible before he dies.¡± ¡°......¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan nodded their heads, agreeing that Huan shouldn¡¯t be allowed to have an easy death. ¡°Kneel!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over. Abandon your weapons.¡± ¡°Everyone who is still holding a weapon will be in.¡± The battle paused, and the Light Wind division took away Lakion swordsmen¡¯s weapons before making them kneel. ¡°Having a good leader makesbat easy.¡± ¡°Even though the situation went wrong, he took advantage of it to finish the battle. He¡¯s an amazing guy.¡± ¡°None of us seem to be injured. What a perfect victory.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen smiled at Raon, thinking that they managed to destroy House Lakion without taking much damage. ¡°L-leader?¡± Rimmer was standing there in confusion after he suddenly lost his opponent, and he just blinked his eyes. ¡°Err¡­ I¡¯m your leader though.¡± He bobbed his finger towards them, but no one looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m the division leader! Don¡¯t tell me you are already thinking that Raon is the division leader! Please say you aren¡¯t. Guys?¡± No one responded once again, and Rimmer¡¯s voice echoed in vain. ¡°Y-you bastards!¡± Chapter 561 Chapter 561 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 561 Smaack! Martha was standing in front of a middle-aged man who seemed to be Lakion¡¯s executive, mming her scabbard into his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be relieved just because you¡¯re still alive.¡± He was kneeling on the ground, and she grabbed him by his hair to raise his head, ring at him ferociously. ¡°There¡¯s nothing stopping us from killing you at any moment. Not after betraying Zieghart by allying yourselves with the Holy Sword Alliance.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Whether or not you keep your head depends on how useful your mouth is. I rmend you think carefully.¡± Lakion¡¯s executive swallowed nervously, his shoulders trembling upon hearing Martha¡¯s frightening voice. ¡°Where is the Holy Sword Alliance?¡± ¡°Who did you make the deal with?¡± ¡°What the hell is that demonic sword?!¡± It wasn¡¯t just her. Every swordsman of the Light Wind division had swordsmen from Lakion kneeling in front of them, gathering information. ¡°......¡± Runaan was standing slightly away, watching the Light Wind division and Lakion¡¯s swordsmen nkly just in case someone tried to escape. ¡°Haa.¡± Rimmer sighed while leaning against the half-destroyed wall of the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°This is why it¡¯s pointless to be nice to people.¡± ¡°When were you ever nice to us?¡± Burren red at him sideways even though he hadn¡¯t reacted to him at all so far. ¡°You¡¯ve always had us practicing on our own while you went off to y. What have you ever done for us?¡± He snorted at his ridiculous im. ¡°When you think about it, you¡¯ve always gone out gambling while leaving Raon to deal with everything. It¡¯s been like that since we were the Light Wind squad.¡± Krein came up next to Burren and calmly nodded his head. ¡°I think we see the Gambling Monster in the training ground more often than our division leader nowadays.¡± Dorian also furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer¡¯s clean skin, which looked like it had never been exposed to sunlight. ¡°Puppet division leader.¡± Runaan briefly shook her head while looking at Rimmer. ¡°P-puppet division leader is too mean! It¡¯s not¡­¡± Rimmer tried to refute her words, only to interrupt himself. ¡°Wait! That means that you¡¯ve kept quiet even though you could hear me all along!¡± He blinked his eyes in disbelief. ¡°How arrogant! How could you not respond to your division leader?!¡± Rimmer raised his fist as if he was going to rush at them at any moment, only to furrow his brow. ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Confess already!¡± ¡°You have nothing to gain from keeping your mouth shut!¡± Burren, Krein, and Dorian started to beat up the demonized humans that were on their knees, pretending that they were deaf once again. ¡°Puppet division leader.¡± However, Runaan murmured puppet division leader once again with nk eyes, as if she were asking what he was going to do about it. ¡°Haa, those guys¡­¡± Rimmer sighed deeply and shook his head. His eyes, which resembled leaves under rainfall, grew thoughtful. ¡®Yes, you don¡¯t need to look at me.¡¯ His lips curved into a faint smile as he watched the Light Wind division treat Raon as their division leader. ¡®Because there is no guarantee that I¡¯ll still be around after I aplish my revenge.¡¯ Even though the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword had lost his right arm and wielded his sword with his left arm, he¡¯d managed to recover most of his former prowess. During the previous sh, Rimmer could¡¯ve lost to him if Sheryl hadn¡¯t been around. He had to risk his life in order to kill the man who had be a monster once again. ¡®It¡¯ll make it easier if I prepare for the farewell in advance.¡¯ Rimmer looked up to the sky, which had cleared after the demonic energy had dissipated, and closed his eyes. ¡®By the way, I wonder which one is going toe.¡¯ Raon had told him that the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons were going to arrive the same day after listening to the conversation between Beltz and Basion. If he could figure out which one was going toe, it would be extremely helpful for the uing battle. ¡®If the Master of the Wise Dragon Swordes here, it will be an opportunity, but a crisis at the same time.¡¯ The best oue would be to kill him once he arrived, but he was also afraid that he might lose the Light Wind division because of how powerful he was. ¡®If the same thing happens¡­ No, let¡¯s not think about it.¡¯ Rimmer shook his head to empty his mind of those harsh memories and called out to Raon. ¡°Raon, stop doing that and get some information out of him! I know you¡¯re angry, but we should still get what we can!¡± * * * ¡°Understood.¡± Raon briefly nodded at Rimmer, then looked down at Huan with emotionless eyes. ¡®The division leader is right.¡¯ His anger was quelled as he watched Huan suffer in pain. Since he gave him enough pain, it was time to get some information out of him. ¡®However¡­ It feels a bit off.¡¯ The fight against Huan was intense and dangerous. It was a hard fight, one where he could have lost his life from a single strike, but Huan wasn¡¯t that powerful¡ªespecially considering how famous Lakion was for their longsword techniques, and that the demonic sword was added into the mix. Even though Raon¡¯s might and sword field had improved, it was still a bit strange. But at the same time, it didn¡¯t feel like Huan was still secretly plotting anything. After all, he was clearly afraid of Raon and couldn¡¯t even meet his eyes. Raon licked his lips slightly and twisted Heavenly Drive, which was embedded in Huan¡¯s shoulder. Crack! With the sound of crushing bones, Huan¡¯s body trembled. His eyes were shut tight. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Raon red at him while forcibly opening his eyelids. ¡°When are the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance set to arrive?¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Huan immediately opened his dry lips because he was terrified and in pain. He was the ugliest human being so far. ¡°Th-they will be here around evening. They always visit after sunset.¡± He shook his head, saying that the Holy Sword Alliance never visited before sunset. ¡°Evening¡­¡± Raon nodded while looking at the withered corpses of Beltz and Basion. ¡®It¡¯s the same as what I heard at dawn.¡¯ Beltz had told Basion that the Holy Sword Alliance was going to visit him around the evening. Raon judged that Huan wasn¡¯t lying, considering that conversation. ¡®We need to prepare quickly.¡¯ They needed to wrap things up quickly and recover their stamina and aura in preparation for trapping the Holy Sword Alliance. There was no time to waste. ¡°Who is supposed toe from the Holy Sword Alliance?¡± ¡°Th-that person is¡­¡± Huan was about to speak, but his entire body suddenly spasmed. He drooled nonstop from his mouth, and a huge amount of demonic energy started to seep from his pores. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± Raon stepped back, Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem in his hands. The huge amount of energy undting around him made the demonic energy the de of Requiem had extracted look like a joke inparison. The demonic sword! Wrath was lying on the ground, but he suddenly stood up and shouted. ¡®Demonic sword?¡¯ As soon as Raon heard it, he looked at Kriatus. Even though its twelve edges had been destroyed, the demonic sword was floating in the air, emitting an eerie vibration. That demonic sword is targeting the children! You need to stop it immediately! Wrath noticed that the demonic sword was targeting the Light Wind division and hurriedly pointed his hand. Raon¡¯s gaze followed Wrath¡¯s hand. The Light Wind division was standing nkly in surprise, staring at how the demonic energy was welling up on the ground once again. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon tried to move, but his legs briefly spasmed. His condition wasn¡¯t good because of the aftereffects of using the Sword Field Creation and Wrath Release, but he still used the Supreme Harmony Steps to run toward the Light Wind division. ¡°Stay back, everyone!¡± ¡°Get away from the demonic energy!¡± As soon as Raon shouted at them to get away, Rimmer also came running by riding the wind. He must¡¯ve also noticed the evil energy inside the demonic energy. Cring! However, the Light Wind division reacted toote, which was an obvious oue. The deadly de of demonic energy was already right under their feet. In the split second even shorter than a single breath, Raonmunicated with Rimmer through their gazes. Raon moved to the right as Rimmer dashed from the left, both unleashing their sword strikes at the des of demonic energy surging from the ground. Whaaam! Fire and wind engulfed by the principle of the space sword covered the ground and destroyed all of the des of demonic energy trying to kill the Light Wind division. However, the demonic sword¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t over yet. Thest de hiding at the deepest part of the swamp of demonic energy emergedter than the others, rushing towards Raon¡¯s heart. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Raon bit his lip, feeling a chill run down his spine. ¡®I can¡¯t dodge this.¡¯ His aura and body were reacting toote because he¡¯d used such a big move while in an exhausted state. He could tell that he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid a fatal wound even if he forcibly turned his body. Moreover, Yua and Yulius were behind him. Since it was absolutely impossible for them to avoid that attack, he had to block it somehow. Raon braced for death and raised his sword just as a powerful wind blew from the left side. Rimmer had arrived next to him like a ray of light, creating space between them. Pssh! Even then, Raon wasn¡¯t able topletely avoid an injury. A handful of flesh was dug out of his side, and Rimmer¡¯s forearm was also injured. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Rimmer cut the flesh from his forearm, where the demonic energy was seeping into. It was a barbaric method, but it was still the best way to prevent the demonic energy¡¯s intrusion in that situation. ¡°Are you alright?¡± He walked up to Raon while holding his forearm, which was gushing blood. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon gritted his teeth and nodded. ck blood was flowing from the injury on his waist. That implied that the demonic energy had already entered into his flesh. He wanted to heal himself with the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld, but he barely had any left after using it during the battle. ¡®It¡¯s even more powerful than during the fight against Huan.¡¯ The attack managed to tear the ck Dragon Coat and reach his body. He really could have died if it weren¡¯t for Rimmer. You idiot. Wrath shook his head at his pathetic performance. How could you get injured while trying to save your subordinates?! He shook his head in frustration. However, he stopped there because he knew that Raon was exhausted. ¡°That must¡¯ve been the real body.¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the demonic sword, which was slowly floating. The hilt must¡¯ve been the main body of the demonic sword instead of the twelve des. ¡®This must¡¯ve been the reason for the sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu that I felt when I saw Huan.¡¯ He thought it was strange that Huan was weaker than expected even though he was holding a demonic sword, and it was because the demonic sword was the main body, not Huan. ¡°Y-young master¡­¡± ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± Yua and Yulius, who were standing right behind him, walked up to him with trembling lips. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon smiled faintly at them. ¡°Vice division leader¡­¡± ¡°Th-the injury is severe¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me and stay back.¡± Raon shook his hand to tell the Light Wind division to stay far away and looked at the demonic sword that was floating on its own. ¡°Haa.¡± Rimmer sighed quietly whileing next to him. ¡°I thought it was strange that it ended so quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to leave it to you since you¡¯ve been idle so far.¡± Raon shook his head while clutching his waist. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s time for the great division leader to¡­¡± ¡°You only care about your own safety, just like always.¡± The quiet voice came from above the copsed ceiling of the lord¡¯s manor, violently cutting off Rimmer¡¯s words. ¡°That voice¡­¡± Raon raised his trembling gaze. A middle-aged man with his hair neatly swept back like a man of letters was stroking his beard with his left hand¡ªhis only hand. The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. He was the master of the sword that had appeared in Banneret, the city of the Five Divine Orders. The young man standing next to the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was also someone that Raon was bound to recognize. Cloud, the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master. He was the man whom Raon had no choice but to spare even though he could have killed him. His eyes were full of malice as he looked at Raon, a new arm attached to his shoulder. ¡°Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, was it your doing?¡± Rimmer ground his teeth to the point that a cracking sound could be heard while looking up at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°You¡¯ve fallen low, to participate in such a nasty n.¡± ¡°Nasty? I¡¯m a sword of the Holy Sword Alliance. A sword doesn¡¯t need a personal opinion. However¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword shook his head. ¡°I just want to kill you now, regardless of the order.¡± He opened his left hand and the demonic sword Kriatus flew towards him, smoothly entering his grasp. Crack! The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword snapped the few remaining des of Kriatus. He stroked the hilt, and a de of light wrapped in darkness surged from the hole where the de used to be embedded. With the zing demonic energy around the de, it was sparkling smoothly¡ªto a frightening extent. ¡°Beautiful.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword rolled his lips into a smile while looking at the de of demonic energy. His dignified expression turned evil. ¡°This is the true awakening of the demonic sword Kriatus. What you fought was nothing but its shell.¡± He raised the violently zing demonic sword and pointed it at Rimmer. ¡°M-Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡­¡± Huan extended his hand towards the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, ck blood gushing from him. ¡°S-save¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll save you.¡± As soon as the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword nodded, Huan turned into a lump of blood and subsided. The demonic sword Kriatus emanated even more intense demonic energy after it drank the blood of its original owner, ¡°Good job. Kriatus awakened faster thanks to you.¡± He smiled gently while looking up at the demonic sword¡¯s de. ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to this now.¡± ¡°Master of the Wise Dragon Sword!¡± Rimmer¡¯s hand holding the sword was trembling intensely, his once calm expression dark. There was one more person who couldn¡¯t hold back his anger. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± Cloud clenched his fist to the point of bleeding and red at Raon. ¡°I¡¯ve returned to snap your neck!¡± He unsheathed his sword with his right arm and gave an eerieugh. ¡°You begged for your life while crying back then. Are you acting all strong now?¡± Raon circted the Ring of Fire at the maximum output. He forcibly suppressed the demonic energy entering his body and sneered at him. ¡°The only reason you are still alive is thanks to your master.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Where did you get that arm? I¡¯m pretty sure Ipletely ground it into powder.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Raon had turned Cloud¡¯s right arm into ash so that it couldn¡¯t be reattached. Considering the fact that the color of its skin was slightly different, it seemed to be another person¡¯s arm or an artifact. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you. You are the one person I¡¯m going to kill at all costs!¡± ¡°I think I heard that line before.¡± Raon sighed briefly and raised Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡®This is no good.¡¯ The wave of energying from Cloud was even more powerful than before, probably because of his new arm. Since Raon couldn¡¯t use the Sword Field Creation and his condition wasn¡¯t good either, it was really the worst situation he could get. Whir! The sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance knelt behind Cloud and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Every single one of them were powerful warriors. A difficult fight was awaiting the Light Wind division, too. ¡®But there¡¯s still hope if we can drag out this fight.¡¯ Right after hearing the conversation between Beltz and Basion, Raon contacted the house to request reinforcements. If the message was delivered properly, people were going toe from Zieghart. He just had tost until they arrived somehow. ¡°This reminds me of the past.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword bobbed his finger. ¡°You couldn¡¯t protect your subordinates back then, either. You survived alone, clinging to your life tenaciously. I wonder what¡¯s going to happen this time?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°History repeats itself, but you won¡¯t be able to survive this time.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± An explosive pressure burst from Rimmer as if he were going to attack at any moment. ¡°Division leader.¡± Raon called out to Rimmer, but he couldn¡¯t hear him because he was engulfed by his anger at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°Division leader!¡± Raon raised his voice and kicked Rimmer¡¯s ass. ¡°Ack¡­¡± ¡°Come back to your senses.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened as Raon grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s return together.¡± At those words, the anger reflected in Rimmer¡¯s eyes subsided. ¡°Yes, we will.¡± Rimmer caught his breath and nodded. ¡°By the way, who taught you to kick my ass?¡± ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t copy other things she does. She is a weirdo.¡± He smiled faintly while talking shit about Sheryl. ¡°It won¡¯t change anything.¡± Veins bulged on the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s forehead, irritated by the fact that Rimmer¡¯s anger had subsided. Raon narrowed his eyes while observing the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s expression. ¡®I knew it. He¡¯s the one who broke our division leader¡¯s energy center.¡¯ Judging from the conversation, he could guess that he¡¯d killed Rimmer¡¯s subordinates and destroyed his energy center, while Rimmer had cut off his arm. That incident must¡¯ve been what made Rimmer sozy, even though he used to have a noble enough personality to be called the Sword of Light. ¡°Kill them all.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword gestured with his hand, and the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance charged toward the Light Wind division. ¡°No one is allowed to pass!¡± Rimmer stepped forward and unsheathed his sword. His de, engulfed by storming wind was about to y the sword demons when the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword took action. aang! The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword blocked Rimmer¡¯s path with Kriatus, which was engulfed in zing demonic energy, and rolled his lips into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s impossible with your power.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not up to you to decide.¡± Rimmer smiled, red lightning welling up from his silver de. ¡°The lightning of the Destructive King of the North. I¡¯ve seen it before.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s different from back then.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the lightning twisted like a chain and emanated a powerful light. Whaaam! Rimmer raised his sword, engulfed by a red storm, and his eyes sparked with a deadly light. ¡°I will end our bitter feud here today.¡± Chapter 562 Chapter 562 Rimmer unleashed the barren wind of the northern sea. It advanced violently, like a leaf in a storm, and pierced through the air like red lightning, aimed at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s heart. Whaaap! The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword clenched the hand holding the demonic sword Kriatus, raising a curvature on the demonic energy. aang! A powerful shockwave engulfed the surroundings from the sh between the red lightning and the ck demonic energy. Rumble! The Light Wind division and the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance around Rimmer and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword were bounced back regardless of their will and rolled on the ground. ¡°¡­Astral sphere?¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword furrowed his brow while watching the red current dwelling on Rimmer¡¯s sword.¡°Did you really reach the astral sphere in that short amount of time?¡± ¡°Why are you even surprised? Have you never seen an astral sphere before?¡± Rimmer rolled his lips into a smile while looking at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s crumpled brow. ¡°You are recovering quickly indeed. But it¡¯s all pointless.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword nodded briefly and rapidly bent his wrist, holding the demonic sword to the right. The de of demonic energy bent like a whip and smashed at Rimmer¡¯s back. It was an entric move, attacking his opponent¡¯s back while standing in front of them. ¡°That¡¯s not up to you to decide. It¡¯s up to me!¡± Rimmer went into the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s space instead, unleashing the green wind. The astral sphere that was only dwelling at the tip of his de spread through the flow of the wind to be a shield defending his back. ang! The de of demonic energy fell towards him fiercely, but it couldn¡¯t break through the thickyer of aura and dissipated in vain. ¡°Tsk.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword briefly clicked his tongue because he didn¡¯t think that Rimmer would fend off his surprise attack so easily. ¡°I already know that you are underhanded despite your appearance.¡± Rimmer casually swirled his sword and sneered. ¡®Yes, I know that better than anyone else.¡¯ The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword gave off a civilized impression, much like a priest, but he was actually a schemer harboring thousands of snakes in his mind. He wasn¡¯t an easy opponent, both in swordsmanship and psychological warfare. ¡®I can¡¯t be careless at all to begin with because of that damned demonic energy.¡¯ The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s sword strikes were dangerous, but the demonic energy emerging from the demonic sword Kriatus was a huge threat by itself. ¡®Those below the Master¡¯s realm won¡¯t even be able to approach.¡¯ The demonic sword was dominating the space by scattering the demonic energy all around, to allies and enemies alike. Since he wasn¡¯t confident he could perfectly fend off the demonic energy while fighting, it was severely limiting his moves. However, he couldn¡¯t run away or withdraw. Regardless of his revenge, he needed to quickly y the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword for the sake of Raon and the Light Wind division behind him. Whaaam! Rimmer used his footwork violently, advancing toward the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. The way he rushed while being surrounded by wind and lightning looked like a divine dragon strolling in the sky. ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient. The battle is only getting started.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword twisted his lips and unleashed an astral sphere with the demonic sword¡¯s me. The wave spread around the astral sphere in concentric circles, turning the darknd upside down and making the atmosphere scream in pain. ¡°No, this is the end!¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t stop his advance even though he saw the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s powerful astral sphere. He dashed even faster and unleashed his majestic strike. ¡°You idiot!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword didn¡¯t run away either, thrusting his de towards Rimmer¡¯s neck. Whaaam! The gray current bursting from the sh between the wind-lightning astral sphere and the astral sphere of demonic energy engulfed the entirety of House Lakion. * * * Raon squinted while watching the wave created by Rimmer and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s sh. ¡®Is he going tost?¡¯ Rimmer had no resistance against demonic energy, and he couldn¡¯t keep his sanity because of his anger towards the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Even though his might was getting close to his original realm, Raon couldn¡¯t guarantee his victory. Cring! He was furrowing his brow because of theplicated situation when Cloud rushed from the left side and swung his sword. It was an attack with fast and drastic variation. His versatile sword had improved even more than in their previous encounter. Raon bit his lip while observing the trajectory of his de rushing at his chest. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t sh against it.¡¯ An astral sphere was clearly dwelling on Cloud¡¯s de. If he shed against it in his current condition, he was definitely going to get an internal injury that he couldn¡¯t easily recover from. Thud! Raon turned his ankle diagonally and used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step. Like coral moving ording to the ocean¡¯s flow, he used the power of Cloud¡¯s attack to withdraw instead of pushing it back. He could feel that Cloud¡¯s de was brushing past the ck Dragon Coat. ¡°Where are you looking at?! I¡¯m your opponent!¡± Cloud followed while grinding his teeth. His footwork was fast and full of variety. He seemed to be nning to push him into a corner without giving any room to counterattack. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive and furrowed his brow. ¡®He¡¯s right. This is no time to be concerned about others.¡¯ He had already spent most of his stamina and aura, and he was severely injured on top of that. Since Cloud was powerful enough that he would¡¯ve needed to risk his life even in his best condition, being fully focused on him couldn¡¯t even guarantee his victory. Cring! Cloud¡¯s sword extended like a ray of light. The single tip divided into dozens like the sunlight reflected on ake and rushed towards the vitals all around his body. ¡®Illusion sword, straight sword, and severing sword after that.¡¯ Since Cloud was learning the versatile sword, every single principle was as powerful as other warrior¡¯s special techniques. It was difficult to block, but avoiding it was even more difficult. Raon stopped breathing and set foot into the radiant wave of the attack. He made the seven rings of fire resonate at once, and the world slowed down as if time had stopped. The radiance rushing towards his brow was reflecting his own appearance. With his focus reaching the extremity, he could even feel the breath of his opponent. Cring! He tilted his neck to the left to dodge the attack trying to pierce his head, and he covered Heavenly Drive with a thinyer of aura to deflect the sh targeting his waist. A chill ran down his spine every time Cloud¡¯s attack brushed past him. Focus wasn¡¯t unlimited. He couldn¡¯t keep it up for long. ¡°You are just a sitting duck when you can¡¯t use that great Sword Field Creation!¡± Cloud sneered at him and tried to overwhelm him with sheer power. Instead of usingplicated techniques, he charged like a boar while simply surrounding his de with principles. ¡®A wise decision.¡¯ He didn¡¯t forget the previous duel where all his techniques were countered, instead fully focusing on power by simplifying the technique as much as possible. Such a method was difficult to deal with. ¡®Should I ask Wrath for help?¡¯ It should be possible to recover his stamina and aura by making a trade with Wrath. However, he would have to ept a lot more wrath than before because he¡¯d gotten stronger. It was already getting difficult to control the wrath. Receiving more could prove dangerous. ¡®Moreover, there is another enemy to deal with.¡¯ Since he might have to fight the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword afterwards, it was necessary to ovee the situation by himself instead of getting Wrath to help him. Wrath was also watching him quietly, believing that Raon could deal with it on his own. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can keep dodging!¡± Cloud kept swinging his sword with simple principles in his attacks. However, it was still fast and precise despite being simple, making every single attack difficult to avoid. ¡®It¡¯s still a sword technique even though there are fewer principles. There must be a gap to break through.¡¯ As expected of a high ss swordsman, every single attack from Cloud incorporated profound principles despite looking simple. That flow needed to be analyzed. Whir! Raon even activated the Evil Eye of Wrath and the Perception of the Snow Flower on top of the Ring of Fire, observing the flow of the aura Cloud was creating. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Cloud¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t made of sheer power. He was using a technique that was making it ordinary by simplifying the versatile sword to the extreme. ¡®Did he learn it from the Holy Sword Alliance master? No, it feels a bit different.¡¯ He was still using the versatile sword, but it felt like its nature was different from before. However, the flow felt strangely familiar. Whoosh! Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the ferocious advance of Cloud¡¯s attack. ¡®Right waist.¡¯ The astral sphere was approaching his left shoulder, but it seemed to be targeting the right side of his waist instead. Just as Raon figured, Cloud rotated the tip of his de towards the right side of his waist. Since he managed to predict it correctly, he gained some room for movement. Cring! Raon deflected Cloud¡¯s sword and pierced into his space to sh down with the de of Requiem. The ghastly de cut through Cloud¡¯s aura and injured his thigh. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± Since Cloud didn¡¯t think that he would get injured, his eyes widened and he started to attack again. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly and stepped back. Of course, his gaze was still fixated on Cloud¡¯s sword and aura. ¡®Is iting to the center this time?¡¯ Cloud had removed the variation and was targeting his sr plexus with sheer power and speed. ¡®No, there¡¯s more to it.¡¯ The Ring of Fire rotated painfully and examined the movement of the tip of Cloud¡¯s de until the very end. The honest strike rapidly bent to the left. He was nning to cut his heart in a single strike. Raon bent his waist backwards while standing. He lowered himself until his back became parallel to thend and shed upwards with Heavenly Drive on the rebound. Psssh! Heavenly Drive¡¯s de cut through Cloud¡¯s chest this time. Red blood started to leak from his chest. ¡®Shallow.¡¯ The demonic energy seeping into his waist was disturbing his movement, and he didn¡¯t manage to achieve the normal result. Raon clicked his tongue in regret. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Cloud shook the blood off with his hand and violently ground his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s that person¡¯s technique, so how?!¡± His trembling pupils showed his disbelief at the fact that the attack with simplified principles was countered. ¡®That person?¡¯ Raon thought about how Cloud said ¡®that person¡¯. ¡®Did he not learn it from the Alliance master?¡¯ Since he said ¡®that person¡¯ instead of his master or the alliance master, he must¡¯ve learned it from another person. ¡®Who could that be¡­?¡¯ ¡°That damned talent of yours!¡± Cloud dashed forward while exploding with the anger he¡¯d been suppressing. Whaaam! The astral sphere spread around in all directions, copsing thend and twisting the sky. ¡®Shoulder!¡¯ As soon as Raon dodged the attack trying to tear off his shoulder, an astral sphere rushed at him from the left. ¡®I can¡¯t dodge this.¡¯ Raon twisted his body and swung down Heavenly Drive in a crescent trajectory. He dodged and deflected at the same time, but Cloud¡¯s de violently pulled the flesh from his thigh. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ He endured the pain that made him want to sink to the ground and mmed forward with the de of Requiem, which he was holding in reverse grip in his left hand. Whack! The glowing de of ghastly energy cut through Cloud¡¯s aura and sliced his shoulder. ¡°Die!¡± Cloud ignored the pain in his shoulder and rushed at him while screaming. Raon¡¯s legs wavered, and the de with zing astral energy brushed past his neck. Red blood scattered into the air. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon didn¡¯t panic even though death was right under his nose. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ Cloud¡¯s technique was stupidly violent, but the flow hadn¡¯t changed that much. The blueprint to defeat him was slowly filling out as he fought. Raon forgot the pain in his waist and thigh, focusing solely on Cloud¡¯s sword with all his senses. ¡®Left shoulder, right waist, right ankle, neck!¡¯ The flow of Cloud¡¯s technique could be read more and more clearly. His swordsmanship became faster than before, but it was easier to dodge. Raon didn¡¯t move his entire body to dodge anymore, only withdrawing a short distance with the part Cloud was targeting to save his stamina and aura. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Cloud took a step back with trembling lips. ¡°How are you even dodging that?!¡± He screamed, unable to understand how it was even happening. ¡°You haven¡¯t advanced even a single step since that day.¡± Raon rolled his lips into a smile, realizing that the end was near. ¡°You would¡¯ve been defeated in a single strike if I was in a good condition.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Cloud thrust his de, unleashing all of his remaining aura as if he¡¯d lost his sanity. The astral sphere dwelling at the tip of his sword pounded violently and created a storming aura all around Raon. It was an unsophisticated but effective attack that didn¡¯t leave any room for dodging. Whaaam! Raon didn¡¯t withdraw even though the astral sphere was approaching him while turning thend upside down. ¡®The opportunity is finally here.¡¯ It would look like he was bound to die from a spectator¡¯s perspective, but it was the only chance that he¡¯d been waiting for. ¡®Because his energy is dispersed.¡¯ The astral sphere was an advanced technique consisting of concentrating astral energy to make it more destructive. With the concentration being decreased in return for increasing the area, the power of the astral energy itself was bound to be weaker. Raon advanced in order to harvest the fruit after a long period of patience. He pulled his remaining aura upwards into his upper energy center and opened the sword field once again. Momentary Sword Field Creation Divine and Demonic Harmony. Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem evaporated, and divine and demonic des surged from his grasp instead. Raon stepped forward before the two swords were perfectly materialized. ¡®I can¡¯tplete the swords now.¡¯ His condition was pretty much the worst. It was impossible to use the Sword Field Creation again in that state. In fact, the sun and moon weren¡¯t rising above his head, nor were the swords engulfed in me and frost. The divine and demonic swords couldn¡¯t bepleted, but it didn¡¯t matter. The des were still sharp enough. Golden lightning zed from Raon¡¯s hands. The power of his soul pushed back the wave of Cloud¡¯s energy and created a void boundary where swords could sh. ¡°Sw-Sword Field Creation? No, this is¡­¡± Haughty des were revealed from the swords crossing towards Cloud, whose eyes were trembling in panic. The noble divine sword and the frightening demonic sword harmonized with each other into a single technique. ¡°I won¡¯t lose a second time!¡± Cloud hurriedly condensed his energy into an astral sphere again and leaped towards Raon. His sword was undeniably powerful even though he was panicking. ¡®However¡­ I¡¯ve already finished analyzing your swordsmanship.¡¯ The single line created by the divine and demonic swords twisted the flow of the astral sphere and carved a red line on Cloud¡¯s neck. ¡°I-I¡¯m not done yet¡­¡± Cloud¡¯s shoulders trembled as he clutched his severed neck in disbelief before he finally fell backward. He looked up to Raon with bloodshot eyes until his head dropped. ¡°Not killing you back then was the correct choice.¡± Raon¡¯s lips twitched as he dropped the disappearing divine and demonic swords. ¡°I managed to improve again thanks to you.¡± He delivered the final words to Cloud, who couldn¡¯t listen to him anymore, and leaned forward in order to pick up the two swords that he¡¯d dropped. ¡°Cough!¡± He suddenly started to cough up ck blood while trying to pick up the swords. Overexerting himself to muster his aura had made the demonic energy intrude even further into his body, shaking his organs. ¡®Sword Field Creation thatsts for a second¡­¡¯ He had to sacrifice a lot for it, but it had allowed him to win. If he hadn¡¯t made that decision, Cloud would be the one standing in front of him. Raon clutched his throbbing chest and raised his gaze. ¡®I need to make the decision now¡­¡¯ Chapter 563 Chapter 563 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 563 The battle between the Light Wind division and the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance came to a halt, as if they¡¯d been doused in cold water. ¡°S-Sir Cloud!¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡± ¡°D-did Sir Cloud really die?¡± The sword demons¡¯ chins trembled, as they couldn¡¯t believe the fact that Cloud, the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance master, was defeated by Raon in his injured state. ¡°Hah! That bastard¡¯s seriously insane!¡± Martha gasped in disbelief. ¡®How could he defeat another Grandmaster after using the Sword Field Creation during his previous fight?!¡¯ Insane was the only word to describe him. It was impossible to understand this existence called Raon Zieghart, whether she saw him from up close or far away. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to finish his fight before us.¡± Burren raised his fist while looking back at Raon. ¡®He really did a great job.¡¯ Raon was in the biggest crisis on that battlefield. He had already spent most of his aura using the Sword Field Creation, and he was even injured. That was why his victory seemed unlikely, but Raon managed topletely clear that doubt by cutting off Cloud¡¯s head. Burren felt like he just wasted his time worrying about Raon at that point. ¡°Vice division leader!¡± ¡°I believed in you all along!¡± ¡°Leave the remaining sword demons to us!¡± Dorian and the Light Wind swordsmen also smiled in excitement, waving their hands at Raon. However, Runaan¡¯s purple eyes were directed at the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance instead of Raon. sh! The coldness welling up from Snow Flower sliced into the chest of a sword demon and pierced their heart. ¡°Cough¡­¡± The attack froze the sword demon¡¯s woundpletely and took their life. ¡°This isn¡¯t time to rest yet.¡± Runaan briefly nodded at the Light Wind division and moved towards the next opponent. She wasn¡¯t acting like that because she wasn¡¯t worried about Raon¡ªit was because shepletely trusted him. ¡°Did Runaan really just say something right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, and it makes me angry!¡± Burren and Martha also started to y the sword demons without saving up their aura, realizing that the tide of the battle had shifted towards the Light Wind division. ¡°Haa.¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes curved into a smile as he swept his sweat-drenched hair back. ¡°It looks like we won the fight between the rising stars.¡± He giggled while looking back and forth between Cloud, whose head was rolling, and Raon, who was standing proudly. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword furrowed his brow, showing that even he hadn¡¯t anticipated Cloud¡¯s defeat. ¡°I guess it shouldn¡¯t matter since you are going to die here anyway.¡± ¡°Right, it doesn''t matter.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword regained hisposure in the span of a single breath and shook his head. ¡°Because Raon Zieghart is no longer in this battle anyway.¡± He narrowed his eyes while watching Raon cough up ck blood. ¡°The alliance master won¡¯t say anything as long as I kill you right here and bring Raon back with me.¡± ¡°You want to bring Raon back?¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow, questioning what he meant by that. ¡°The alliance master desires his talent. It will be helpful for him to ascend even higher.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword callously ran his mouth, implying that Raon would be used as a test subject. ¡°Whatplete nonsense.¡± A frightening wind blew above Rimmer¡¯s de. ¡®I knew it. He still hasn¡¯t given up on taking Raon away.¡¯ The Holy Sword Alliance had begun targeting Raon in Banneret, the city of Five Divine Orders. Rimmer could guess that they weren¡¯t driven by simple curiosity. ¡®I need to finish this fight as fast as possible.¡¯ He was feeling a slight pain inside because he¡¯d been stopping the demonic sword Kriatus¡¯s demonic energy from reaching the Light Wind division and Raon. Since Raon¡¯s fight, the one he¡¯d been worried about the most, hade to an end, quickly putting an end to the fight was the correct course of action. ¡°Sword Field Creation.¡± Rimmer raised his sword towards the rainstorm in the sky. ¡°Song of Wind and Lightning.¡± A ferocious voice simr to the growl of a beast resounded from high up in the sky all the way to the end of thend. Rumble! The heavens and earth trembled, unleashing relentless storms and lightning. In the midst of the boundary of the sword, where the mana itself was being eroded away, Rimmer¡¯s blue eyes sparked blue. The majestic wave of energy spreading from him gave the impression that he¡¯d returned to his prime, back when he was called the Sword of Light. ¡°Yes. It wouldn¡¯t be fun to kill you if you couldn¡¯t even do that much.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword calmly nodded his head and pointed the demonic sword Kriatus at Rimmer. Crack! The demonic sword¡¯s red eyes emerged from the trembling violently de. A menacing wave of demonic energy surged from the bloodshot eyes and covered the surrounding area. The rampage of the demonic energy distorted the space in a vertical line. ¡°Let¡¯s start the second round.¡± * * * Raon wiped away the ck blood soaking his lips. He observed the battlefield while suppressing the urge to faint from the pain caused by his internal injury and the demonic energy. ¡®Our division leader opened his sword field.¡¯ Rimmer had stopped worrying about him and was fighting against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword at full power. Neither of them was gaining an inch from the close battle, but the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword seemed to have the upper hand because he was using demonic energy. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped, I guess. After all, he¡¯s been protecting me and the Light Wind division.¡¯ The demonic sword Kriatus was a terrible sword that spread demonic energy to the entire area instead of just its opponent. Since Rimmer had spread an aura barrier in order to stop it from reaching the Light Wind division while facing the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, he¡¯d been at a disadvantage all along. He looked like he would be fixated on his opponent, devoured by his wrath, but he can do it when ites down to it. Wrathplimented Rimmer for the first time, surprised by his decision. ¡®I know, right?¡¯ Raon bit his lip and nodded. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ He wanted to help Rimmer, but he was going to be reduced to dust the moment their waves of mana reached him. Staying out of it was the best way to help. ¡®How about this side¡­?¡¯ He looked at the Light Wind division fighting behind Rimmer and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. While the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance were more numerous, the Light Wind division was slightly more powerful. They were pretty much equally matched, but Raon could guess that they were going to win eventually since Runaan and Mark Goetten managed to break the bnce. ¡®But it¡¯s all over if our division leader loses his fight.¡¯ Even if the Light Wind division managed to y the sword demons, the situation would be over if Rimmer lost against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Since Rimmer was still protecting the Light Wind division as he fought, defeating the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword seemed unlikely. ¡®Their fight is probably going to end with our division leader¡¯s death or the deaths of both sides.¡¯ There were two choices Raon could make in that situation. The first was to leave the rest to Rimmer and retreat with the Light Wind division. Since Rimmer was being hindered by the Light Wind division, it would be beneficial for both sides. However, there might be other sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance in the vicinity, and there was a high risk of falling into a dangerous situation since Raon wasn¡¯t going to be helpful at all. The second andst method was to surpass the wall. He¡¯d gained a clue for enlightenment during the fight against Cloud. If he could grasp the faint martial principle that was tickling his brain, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to surpass the wall toward Grandmaster right there. Since the enlightenment might disappear if more time passed, it was a great opportunity at the same time. However, he couldn¡¯t easily decide to take the second choice because his condition was pretty much the worst and the enemy was right in front of him. ¡®It must be the only way.¡¯ Raon finished his brief contemtion and mustered the small amount of his aura that had recovered. He sent an aura message to Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Mark Goetten. [Listen without looking towards me.] The team leaders and Mark Goetten flinched slightly, but they kept swinging their swords. [I¡¯m going to surpass the wall.] The trembling from the team leaders and Mark Goetten intensified. [You crazy bastard! What the hell are you even talking about?!] Martha couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and yelled through an aura message. [Huh!] Burren was also dumbfounded and gasped. [Hide somewhere else at least if you¡¯re going to do it!] [The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword or other enemies might follow me if I move. It¡¯s better to push through the enlightenment while pretending to be incapacitated.] The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword wasn¡¯t an idiot. He was definitely going to follow if he moved away, so staying there while pretending he couldn¡¯t take action was the best thing to do. [Mhm.] Runaan replied firmly, showing her trust in him as she drove her opponent into a corner. [Don¡¯t worry, we will protect you with our lives.] Mark Goetten¡¯s voice was also filled with trust as he nodded. Raon looked at Rimmer¡¯s back for thest time before he took out his subspace pocket. He took out the Ocean Soul¡¯s leaf and two elixirs that he¡¯d gotten from Glenn. He wrapped the Ocean Soul¡¯s leaf around the red pill that radiated heat and the blue pill that radiated cold and put it inside his mouth. Whap! Since all of them were highest-grade elixirs, they melted down into a liquid as soon as they touched his tongue and went down his throat. Explosive heat and freezing coldness struck him at the same time. The pain was intense because he was in the possible worst condition, but it quickly subsided, probably from the Ocean Soul¡¯s effect. ¡®Haa¡­ I need to take it slow.¡¯ If they found out that he was trying to break through the wall, the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and the sword demons were going to attack him like crazy. He had to put his enlightenment together under the pretense of simple cultivation. Raon closed his eyes while standing. He controlled the Ring of Fire to spread the energy of the elixirs filling his mana circuits all around his body. Rumble! The energy of the elixirs dashing through his mana circuits gathered at his middle energy center and erupted like a volcano. The powerful, high-purity energy stopped the demonic energy from tearing apart his body and drove it into a corner. The heated energy of his middle energy center slowly rose through his mana circuits and reached his upper energy center. The heat and coldness spread around like fireworks upon reaching the top, and the faint enlightenment he¡¯d gained from defeating Cloud shone clearly. His mental world opened up. His aura perception, which he¡¯d spread around to sense the outside reaction, subsided on its own as the world solely focused on himself was revealed. ¡®It¡¯s better this way.¡¯ Since he¡¯d started cultivating, a dyed reaction was inevitable. It was better to enter the trance and surpass the wall as quickly as possible. ¡®It changed a lot.¡¯ His mental world had be wider than before, but it still maintained the same appearance of a grave of swords, countless des embedded in the ground. As Raon watched the divine and demonic swords, which were the only ones floating in the air, someone¡¯s hand grabbed a sword embedded in the ground. ¡®That¡¯s¡­ me.¡¯ His young self, wearing a training outfit, pulled out a training sword from his mental world and started to practice basic techniques. Next up was a taller version of himself. He took a training sword and practiced the Star Connecting Sword. The next Raon unleashed the Fangs of Insanity, another Raon activated the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s sword technique, and there was even a Raon who demonstrated the Raon Zieghart-style sword art that he¡¯d created himself. As many Raons as the swords appeared to demonstrate the sword techniques. ¡®No, that¡¯s not all there is.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the techniques that he¡¯d used before. Even the sword techniques that his opponents had used in previous battles were reenacted in his mental world. He remembered the conversation he¡¯d had with the Sword Demon and Glenn in the past as he watched that scene. ¡°What is a sword, you ask? A sword is simply a sword. It¡¯s not anythingplicated,¡± Glenn said. ¡°Your head of house is right. The more you think of it asplicated, the more difficult the sword bes. Even the versatile sword is no different from the others,¡± the Sword Demon stated. ¡°But if you want to advance even higher, you need to have an appropriate reason for learning and using the sword technique. You need to wrap it with your will.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t frown so much. It¡¯s not that hard. The answer is always inside you.¡± They gave him a simr response, as if they¡¯d learned the same martial art. ¡®Answer.¡¯ Raon watched the swordsmanship of his other selves to obtain the answer that he couldn¡¯t find back then. Every single one was shy and powerful. It looked like they could cut through anything in the world, the principles being fully incorporated into them. However, he noticed a strange thing as he continued to observe. Every technique except for the basic techniques functioned separately from each other. Just as chains can¡¯t function if they¡¯re separated from each other, he couldn¡¯t feel any connection between the sword techniques. ¡®Is it because I learned too many sword techniques? No, that¡¯s not it.¡¯ Learning many different techniques was fine. The issue was the fact that he¡¯d increased the number without having a definitive will. He hadn¡¯t realized it when the swords were embedded in the ground, but he could see the issue as he pulled them out and demonstrated. The reason he couldn¡¯t reach the Grandmaster¡¯s realm despite having gained lots of enlightenment and having enough aura was because his mental world wasn¡¯t organized yet. ¡®Moreover¡­ I couldn¡¯t incorporate a proper will into my swordsmanship yet.¡¯ He¡¯d been fighting with momentary reactions instead of thinking about what he wanted to achieve and what he wanted to gain. That implied that he hadn¡¯t changed that much from the child Raon who was practicing basic techniques. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon slowly raised his gaze. The dark fog faded away, and seven red rings were revealed. Probably because his mind was wavering, the rings of fire were looking twisted as well. ¡®My starting point.¡¯ It was time to return to the starting point, the Ring of Fire, andplete the eighth ring in order to put the enlightenment together. ¡®Let¡¯s start with removing the demonic energy¡­ No, I don¡¯t need to remove it.¡¯ Because his mind had cleared, he managed to get a new idea. ¡®I don¡¯t have any demonic energy, but I have the authorities of demon kings, which are superior to them.¡¯ Raon clenched his back teeth while looking up at the seven rings rotating in the air. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ * * * Wham! Wham! The light saber of wind and lightning in Rimmer¡¯s hand shed against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s light saber of demonic energy, endlessly bombarding the area with rays of light likeets. Rimmer severed the space amid waves of mana, shaking the heavens and earth. The tip of his de rotated counter-clockwise and unleashed countless lightning storms. The beautiful and explosive sight made him look like he¡¯d recovered his prowess from his prime. Whir! The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword raised the demonic sword Kriatus diagonally. The extremely concentrated demonic energy twisted the sky and advanced relentlessly. The dazzling light shed against the dark light, causing a tremendous shockwave to burst out all around. The entirend trembled, and the entirety of House Lakion vibrated as if it were about to copse. Rimmer turned around mid-air and rushed toward the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword from the left. He raised the de of wind towards the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s neck. However, the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword had already predicted Rimmer¡¯s movement. He nted the demonic sword Kriatus diagonally to create a shield of demonic energy. aaang! The powerful wave of the wind and lightning de gnawed into the light saber of demonic energy, but it didn¡¯t manage to break through it. The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was still superior in terms of power alone. Whir! The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword extended the demonic sword Kriatus, and the demonic energy surged from its rotating tip into nine different directions. The demonic energy curved like a whip and ruthlessly mmed down upon the area. Wham! Wham! Thend turned dark as if it had been poisoned upon being smacked by the demonic energy. It was a fatal attack, capable of killing the opponent in a single strike. Rimmer surrounded himself with wind and withdrew to the right. He gave up on counterattack and focused on evasion so that he wouldn¡¯t waste any energy. However, the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword flew at Rimmer even faster and shed down with Kriatus. He seemed to have no intention of leaving him with a choice. ¡°Kuh!¡± Rimmer frowned because of the demonic de surrounding him like a birdcage. ¡®So annoying!¡¯ He bit his lip and advanced towards the demonic de closing in on him. sh! The light saber of lightning managed to cut off two bits of demonic energy, but the seven other des entangled with each other like a whirlwind and dashed towards his heart. As the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s demonic sword kneaded the darkness, Rimmer dashed towards it and thrust the de made of concentrated wind and lightning energy. Rumble! Red and green radiance stormed around Rimmer¡¯s sword of light, but the darkness of the demonic sword Kriatus couldn¡¯t be cut off, even though it seemed close. ¡°Dark Blood.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword pulled the demonic sword Kriatus to the left. The de, which only had the length of a longsword, extended endlessly and became a greatsword suitable for a divine general from heaven. The descent of the de that glowed a darkish red looked like it was trying to cut down the entire world. Rimmer raised his sword of light while sensing that his sword field was narrowing. The light from his de spread to the front and created a majestic storm of light. Whaaam! A bottomless pit appeared on the ground as Rimmer and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword were pushed back, dragging their feet. Spit. Rimmer spat out the ck blood welling in his mouth and furrowed his brow. ¡®This is going to be difficult¡­¡¯ The demonic energy spreading from the demonic sword Kriatus was bing more and more powerful, as if it were limitless. The difort in his stomach made him want to throw up, and his fingertips were trembling. Since the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword had been relying on the demonic sword, he didn¡¯t even spend that much aura. As a result, the situation was getting more and more dire. ¡®Should I let the youngsters escape, at least?¡¯ Rimmer started to contemte whether he should save the Light Wind division and bring the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword to the grave with him when the man suddenly sneered. ¡°You seem to have a lot on your mind.¡± He raised his chin sharply while digging out thend with the demonic sword Kriatus. ¡°Are you nning to let your subordinates escape? Well, while that would be a wise decision since you can¡¯t defeat me before your Sword Field Creation runs out, the Light Wind division hasn¡¯t finished their battle, and Raon Zieghart can¡¯t help you. Even contemting that is meaningless.¡± He pointed left and right with his chin. ¡°This entire area is already surrounded. The only choices you have are to die here with them, or die here yourself while letting the others die out there.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword smiled, showing his confidence at the encirclement. ¡°I told you already, you aren¡¯t capable of saving others. You can¡¯t even save yourself anymore.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± A frightening gleam filled Rimmer¡¯s eyes. His reason disappeared and crimson fury reced it. ¡°This is where you end¡­ Huh?¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword suddenly stopped speaking. His eyes were trembling faintly. ¡°What¡­?¡± Rimmer turned to see where he was looking. Raon used to be faltering as if he were going to copse at any moment, but he was slowly floating into the air. ¡®N-no way, is he really¡­ trying to break through the wall right here?¡¯ What Raon was showing was the phenomenon right before breaking through a wall. ¡®How the hell is he so bold?!¡¯ He was trying to break through the wall in the middle of a battlefield. Even the biggest madman in the continent wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. ¡°What the¡­?¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword also noticed that fact and ground his teeth. ¡°Catch him! Drag him down right now!¡± On the other hand, Rimmer shook his hand towards the Light Wind division. ¡°Stop them! Stop them no matter what!¡± Chapter 564 Cliiing! The Ring of Fire was being molded in a semicircle but crumbled like a leaf as soon as it touched the fifth ring. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled in frustration while looking at the remains of the shattered ring. ¡®As expected, this isn¡¯t easy.¡¯ It was necessary to create a new ring while the pre-existing rings were rotating in order to increase the number of rings of fire. It was easy to create a new ring when there was only one or two and all he needed was enough mana. However, the more the number of rings increased, the more drastically the difficulty increased. He had seven rings total, and their rotation speed had also increased. That was why he could barely find any room to create a new ring. ¡®It¡¯s difficult, but I still need to do it. There¡¯s no other way.¡¯The only way to ovee that hopeless situation was to create the eighth ring and break through the wall. He had toplete the ring even if he had to spend all the mana that he¡¯d gained with the elixirs. Raon gathered high-purity mana and concentrated it around his heart. He controlled the mana as carefully as extracting a thread out of a cocoon and started to mold a new ring of fire. Cliiing! However, the new ring collided with the second ring and shattered into pieces before it even became a semi-circle. ¡®Again.¡¯ There was no time to despair from the failure. He extracted another thread of mana and continued his challenge. Cliing! The seventh ring barged in as soon as he started to mold it and destroyed the mana. ¡®Again.¡¯ ¡®Again.¡¯ ¡®Again.¡¯ He continued the challenge nonstop, but the trajectories of the rings of fire¡¯s rotations were way too erratic, and he couldn¡¯t find the way at all. He even started to think that it might be a better idea to just fight to death against a Grandmaster. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon raised his gaze. He let out a dejectedugh while looking at the rings rotating in his mental world. ¡°You are so cold to the newbie.¡± The seven rings of fire weren¡¯t opening the gate. It was as if they were defending an impregnable fortress. They rotated with a frightening speed and splendor, crushing all of the lines of mana approaching them as if they were saying that they didn¡¯t need a new ring. ¡®Keep destroying it. Let¡¯s see who wins.¡¯ The flow of time in the mental world was different from reality. Molding the ring of fire in the mental world was such a rare opportunity that he couldn¡¯t miss. ¡®Then let¡¯s try again¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Raon started to pull out the mana to mold another ring but suddenly stopped. ¡®How are they still here?¡¯ His countless selves were still demonstrating swordsmanships while holding the swords in his mental world. The scene that gave the enlightenment usually disappeared after giving the enlightenment. That was why it was strange that they remained. Raon scattered the mana he was condensing and observed the versions of himself who were swinging their swords. The child Raon was focused on basic techniques, the boy Raon was concentrating on making a sword of his own, while the youngster Raon desired a more advanced technique. Although they were demonstrating different sword techniques, there was onemon aspect for all of them. Regardless of the time, he had always practiced swordsmanship using everything he had. It seemed to be the result of always going all-out in his training ever since his childhood. Never give up. That was one thing he was confident at doing. ¡®There¡¯s no time to waste.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and was about to start making the ring of fire, only to suddenly stop. ¡®Wait a moment¡­ Did my swordsmanship really not incorporate anything so far?¡¯ He raised his gaze once again. He couldn¡¯t believe the fact that his sword wasn¡¯t incorporating anything even though he¡¯d been working so hard on swinging the sword from his childhood until his adulthood. ¡®Sword¡­¡¯ The moment he saw the boy who was demonstrating the iplete Fangs of Insanity with Heavenly Drive in his hand, Raon remembered the conversation with Vulcan that he¡¯d forgotten. ¡°What is your objective?¡± ¡°I want to be a swordsman who won¡¯t be defeated by anyone or any situation.¡± Revenge against Derus wasn¡¯t his only wish. He had expressed his will to be a swordsman who wouldn¡¯t be defeated by anyone in order to achieve his objective. It was because his will was always alive in his heart that he''d always swung his sword to the best of his ability. The power called ¡®will¡¯ manifests once the power of the soul dwells inside the determination. Raon realized that he¡¯d always had the determination to be aplished by the will. ¡°Learning various andplicated techniques is fine. However, there needs to be a meaning behind using those techniques.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that hard. The answer is always inside you.¡± His conversation with the Sword Demon and Glenn could be heard once again in his mind, and the mental world came to a halt. The versions of himself during his childhood, adulthood, and even from the day before embedded their swords back into the ground. They nodded faintly, as if they were saying that they delivered the message they came to tell, and scattered away like smoke. Creak! The seven rings of fire slowly came to a halt. They opened the path with a majestic me, as if they were waiting for the new ring¡¯s arrival. Raon raised his finger in fascination. He moved the mana that emanated a golden glow to create a new line among the rings of fire. The most beautiful circle in the world was drawn, and his mental world started to tremble. Raon closed his eyes, feeling the intense heat from the eight rings. He entered an even deeper trance in the midst of the darkening world. * * * ¡°Stop them at all costs!¡± ¡°Drag him down no matter what!¡± Obviously, the Light Wind division was the first to react to Rimmer and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s shouts. Since the team leaders and Mark Goetten were already aware of Raon¡¯s condition, they leaped towards him before even thinking. ¡°Light Wind division, follow up as fast as possible!¡± Burren called out the order to the confused Light Wind division and ground his teeth toward Raon, who was floating in the air. ¡°You said you were doing it in secret. Why are you advertising that you¡¯re in a trance now?! You crazy bastard!¡± Despite swearing at him, he used his footwork with a desperate expression on his face. ¡°I knew this was going to happen.¡± Marthaughed bitterly and shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no way that crazy bastard isn¡¯t going to start trouble!¡± Sheughed cheerfully instead and raised her sword from the north. Burren followed behind her and blocked the southern path. ¡°Raon with eyes and mouth closed. Damn handsome.¡± Runaan nodded nkly and stood to the east. ¡°Huhu.¡± Mark Goetten smiled faintly and stood to the west. ¡°Why are you evenughing?!¡± ¡°The fact that our vice division leader entered the trance right here shows how much he is counting on us. I¡¯m just d about that fact.¡± ¡°......¡± The three team leaders didn¡¯t say anything. They simply stared at the approaching enemies with serious eyes. ¡°Wh-what the hell is going on?!¡± ¡°Why is he floating in the air?!¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me he actually entered a trance right now?! What the hell is that boldness?!¡± ¡°I heard he killed a dragon, and now he is bing a dragon himself. Is he ascending now?¡± The Light Wind division managed to arrive before the sword demons but still gasped at the ridiculous situation. ¡°Open formation!¡± Burren shouted. The Light Wind division surrounded Raon to create the Large Light Wind Formation. The wave of energy emanating from the swordsmen was sturdier than ever, as if they had neverined. ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°Break through them!¡± ¡°Kill them all!¡± The Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons finally arrived and unleashed their deadly attacks, but the wall of aura created by the Light Wind division didn¡¯t waver in the slightest. ¡°What are you doing?! Push them! Just touch him at least!¡± the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword shouted in frustration. ¡°Raon Zieghart can¡¯t do anything right now!¡± ¡°Ignore the Light Wind division! Launch an aura de at Raon!¡± ¡°Avenge Lord Cloud¡¯s death!¡± The sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance were encouraged by the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and charged at Raon, but the Light Wind division¡¯s spirit was even greater. The swordsmen focused on defense to protect Raon without a care for their own lives. ¡°Hold the line!¡± ¡°Never let them break through.¡± ¡°It¡¯s our victory once this damn bastard wakes up! Protect him with your lives!¡± The Light Wind division fortified their defense upon hearing Burren, Runaan, and Martha¡¯s shouts. The sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance continued their straight and destructive attacks but scattered their own blood on thend instead from counterattacks. Whir! The Light Wind division¡¯s aura converged at the center, tightening the Light Wind division even further, when eight rings floated above Raon¡¯s head. The rotating rings, aze with powerful mes, looked like every single one of them was alive. They started to seep into the area around Raon¡¯s heart. ¡°Wh-what the hell is that¡­?¡± ¡°me?¡± Both the Light Wind division and the sword demons stopped breathing upon witnessing that strange scene. However, Raon¡¯s change wasn¡¯t over. Three flowers bloomed above his head this time. The flower on the left was red and vibrant while the flower on the right was blue and elegant. Thest flower blooming at the center was small, but it was shining most brilliantly, radiating a gold color. The flower petals fluttered delicately, as if coated in morning dew, before they released a faint fragrance alongside a mysterious light. ¡°No!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword ground his teeth violently and kicked off mid-air. ¡®He surpassed the Grandmaster¡¯s wall!¡¯ The three flowers were the phenomenon of aura representing the three energy centers, and the fact that they¡¯d bloomed implied that his lower energy center, middle energy center, and upper energy center were connected. He¡¯d thought Raon was in the process of breaking through the wall, but he was gravely mistaken. The madman had broken through the Grandmaster¡¯s wall in that short time period and was advancing even further. The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword thrust the demonic sword Kriatus in order to cut through the Light Wind division. As the demonic sword¡¯s de was unleashed in a ming pir, a cold wind blew and blocked its path. aang! Rimmer¡¯s sword of light fended off the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s demonic sword, creating powerful lightning in the air. The exploding lightning strikes incinerated the demonic energy as it scattered. ¡°I¡¯m your opponent. Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Stay out of my way!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword furrowed his brow and swung the demonic sword Kriatus at a frightening speed. Both the power and speed had increased drastically, implying that he¡¯d been hiding his strength so far. aang! Rimmer extended the light saber of wind and lightning to block the demonic sword¡¯s trajectory, but his wrist was shaking hard, to the point of breaking. ¡®Damn it¡­ Has he been saving his power?¡¯ Because Rimmer had already spent more than 30% of his aura to protect Raon and Light Wind division from the demonic energy, he didn¡¯t have enough energy left to fend off the attack. Even his internal injury had worsened, causing searing pain in his chest, as if it were about to break. ¡®I need to hold him back even if I die.¡¯ The demonic energy¡¯s influence was reduced drastically by the wind and lightning engulfing the sword field. He couldn¡¯t let the sword field be deactivated¡ªeven if he had to die for it. ¡°Fuck off!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword rapidly bent the demonic sword, showing his impatience. The demonic energy wavered like the ocean¡¯s tide and rushed towards the Light Wind division. ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to fuck off!¡± Rimmer crushed the ground heavily and unleashed a tornado of wind and lightning. The storm rising around the sword of light shed against the wave of demonic energy. Whaaam! The demonic energy and lightning devoured each other, filling the sky andnd with intense sparks. ¡°I¡¯ll never let you past me!¡± Rimmer wiped the ck blood flowing from his mouth away and bared his white teeth. ¡°Protect? Do you really believe someone like you can do that?¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword wielded the demonic sword Kriatus at waist height and curled his lips into a smile. ¡°You survived by killing your subordinates. Who do you think you¡¯re protecting now?¡± Theposure was gone from his expression as heunched the sword. Once the demonic sword Kriatus left its owner¡¯s hand, it strolled into the air like a living creature and unleashed dozens of lines of demonic energy at Rimmer. Every single one of them was a powerful attack, capable of instantly killing its opponent. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Rimmer pointed at the demonic sword Kriatus floating in the air with his light saber of wind and lightning. The wind and lightning spread around in the shape of a fan, tearing through all the approaching streams of demonic energy. Whir! The demonic sword Kriatus resonated as if it didn¡¯t like the oue before it was sucked into the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s hand. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Rimmer coughed up ck blood, his hand trembling intensely. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ The internal injury he¡¯d been suppressing had worsened. Considering the fact that even pieces of his organs could be found in the blood, he really wasn¡¯t going tost that long. He wanted to circte his aura, but he couldn¡¯t afford such a luxury because the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s deadly eyes were fixated on him. Wham! Wham! Rimmer¡¯s chin trembled as he cut through the rampaging wave of demonic energy. His mind was growing hazy. He was really at his limit. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to kill me?¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword sneered, his eyes turning red. ¡°Is giving up on killing me and trying to stand on my way your definition of revenge?¡± He forcibly rolled his lips into a smile, his face pale. He was definitely frustrated at the situation. ¡°Your subordinates died because of how pitiful you are. And¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword licked his dry lips while looking at Rimmer¡¯s reddening eyes. ¡°They are also going to die now because you are their superior!¡± He thrust the demonic sword without any preliminary movement. The demonic energy advanced like a ray of light toward Raon at the center of the Light Wind formation. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Rimmer bit his lip and used footwork. He rushed towards the demonic energy from its right side and unleashed a strike of wind and lightning. Whaaam! Rimmer mmed into the ground at the explosion of demonic energy. His strike was shattered into pieces, but the Light Wind division waspletely unharmed thanks to his quick decision. The Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons around them were killed instead. ¡°You keep interfering¡­!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword bit his lip while looking at Rimmer¡¯sposed eyes, which revealed that he wasn¡¯t yielding to his provocation. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Rimmer stood up with difficulty and nodded. ¡°They died because of me. I yielded to your trivial provocation and got everyone killed.¡± He raised his sword with trembling hands and showed a bitter look in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s why I won¡¯t yield this time. You won¡¯ty a finger on them until I¡¯m dead.¡± Rimmer raised his lightning-infused sword and pointed it at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. His hands weren¡¯t shaking anymore. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s serene expression twisted like a fiend¡¯s. ¡°Alright. If you desire death that much, I¡¯ll start by cutting out your stomach!¡± He advanced violently and scattered the demonic energy. The demonic energy materialized into sharp pieces and turned into a raging destorm. Rimmer shed upwards with the sword of light, his feet rooted into the ground. The light converging at the center of the light exploded, cutting through the sky and quelling the destorm. Whaaaam! Huge explosions that crushed the area urred one after the other from the sh between demonic energy and lightning. However, while the demonic energy from Kriatus was getting more and more powerful, Rimmer¡¯s lightning energy was bing fainter, the flow being interrupted. The area of his sword field has also decreased, and there wasn¡¯t much space he could control anymore. The end was near. Rimmer bit his lip in despair just the three flowers blooming on Raon¡¯s head turned into lights of respective colors and were sucked into his nose. ¡°Damn it!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword realized that he really had no more time left. He held the demonic sword Kriatus with both hands and raised it above his head. Rumble! The demonic de surged to reach the sky and spread around its extremely ominous wave of energy. The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword concentrated the demonic energy to the extreme and unleashed the astral sphere as if he were releasing all of the demonic sword¡¯s energy at once. ¡°Try blocking it if you can!¡± The demonic sword fell from the sky at his sneering words. The astral sphere of demonic energy was zing like a dark sun, pushing itself into the sword field and creating a tremendous wave of power. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer bit his lip while looking at the astral sphere approaching him. ¡®I can kill him.¡¯ The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was too excited, fully focused on his attack while overlooking his defense. It was possible to cut his head off and achieve his revenge. He could avenge his subordinates with his own hands. However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the descending de. Raon and everyone in the Light Wind division were going to die in return for his revenge. ¡®This goes without saying¡­¡¯ Just as he was about to take action to save the Light Wind division, the faces of the deceased shed before his eyes. The eyes flooding his mind were from those idiots who were worried about him even though the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was tearing their hearts out. Their blood-soaked eyes stared at him, seeming to ask him to avenge them. Rimmer closed his eyes. He would never get another chance to take his revenge if he chose the Light Wind division. Even if the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword died, revenge wouldn¡¯t be achieved with his own hands. He could feel in his soul that his lifelong ambition would nevere true. Rimmer slowly opened his eyes. The faces of dead subordinates were still floating in front of him. He smiled and greeted them with his eyes. ¡®There¡¯s no way you would make such an expression. I¡¯ll save your juniors no matter what.¡¯ Step. Rimmer made up his mind and raised his sword of light while stepping towards the astral sphere without hesitation. ¡°I told you! You have to ovee me first!¡± The lightning energy zing around the de subsidedpletely and a thick wind reced it. The wave of wind stretched from below and created a study wall. The sound disappeared and a windless area was formed. It was the Eye of the Storm instead of the Song of Wind and Lightning. The sword field had transformed, reverting to its essence and focusing solely on one objective. The exceedingly noble wall of wind blocked the de of demonic energy. Whaaam! The astral sphere that zed with darkness was unable to reach its target and faded away in vain. The wall of wind copsed after it achieved its goal. It could be called the defender¡¯s victory, but Rimmer¡¯s sword couldn¡¯t stay in his hand anymore. Cling! He coughed up blood while clutching his right arm, which was torn off. ¡°You¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s eyes widened, showing his surprise at how Rimmer managed to defend against it. ¡°Haha.¡± Rimmer forced himself tough and shook his head. ¡°I told you, you won¡¯t get past me¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s over for you!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword ignored Rimmer and dashed at the Light Wind division. Just as his demonic sword was about to stab Krein, who was standing at the very front, Rimmer stood in front of him once again. Whack! Rimmer grinned while blocking the demonic sword Kriatus with his body. ¡°Are you deaf? You have to kill me first.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll kill you if you want it that much!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was about to cause an explosion from the de stabbing Rimmer¡¯s body. Whaaam! A huge me burst from the center of the Light Wind division. The fire raged as powerfully as the primordial me, then spread in all directions to incinerate the demonic energy. Step. In the midst of the firestorm, a golden shadow approached and held the demonic sword piercing through Rimmer¡¯s abdomen. Whaap! The intense me tore off the demonic de and sealed Rimmer¡¯s wound. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Rimmer fell backwards and the golden shadow supported his back. ¡°Y-you¡¯rete.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I overslept a little.¡± Raon smiled faintly as his appearance was revealed in the midst of the subsiding me. ¡°Leave it to me now.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Rimmerughed bitterly as he realized that Raon was returning what he¡¯d told him in front of the Blood Raving Demon and closed his eyes. ¡°I leave him to you.¡± Raon carefully carried Rimmer and entrusted him to Dorian. ¡°Y-you bastard¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword took a step back, realizing that Raon¡¯s pressure had changed drastically. ¡°Even if you became a Grandmaster, it won¡¯t change anything! Because I¡¯m¡ª¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond to him and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. A thousand mes were connected to each other and reached the sky. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Ten Thousand mes. Golden Void Infusion. Raon¡¯s eyes turned golden, and the god of me dwelled in them. Chapter 565 As soon as Raon opened his eyes, he realized his world had changed. Grandmaster. He could feel through his skin that he¡¯d set foot into the extremely advanced realm that was rare even among the Six Kings. His body felt heavy, as if he were drowning in an abyss. It was difficult to move his limbs¡ªlike boulders were attached to them. However, the flow of the world was even slower and heavier. It must¡¯ve been the realm faced by a Grandmaster when they fully unleashed their will. Have you lost your mind? Wrath jumped out of the bracelet and red at him. What kind of goofball falls into a trance in the middle of a battlefield? Just how strong are your nerves?! He shook his head, shouting that it was such a ridiculous thing to do. How the hell does someone like this manage to break through the wall?! This is so unfair! ¡®I¡¯ll y with youter, so be quiet for now.¡¯Raon left Wrath alone as he kept yelling and met the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s distorted eyes. ¡®He is powerful.¡¯ The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, the demonic sword Kriatus in hand, seemed to have transcended the very concept of being powerful. However, Raon could see a path to victory thanks to Rimmer having decreased his demonic energy and aura by holding him back until the very end. ¡®I need to finish him off right now.¡¯ Raon could feel that his current prowess couldn¡¯t be maintained. It was necessary to y the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword before his awakened state ended. Whap! He murmured the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s lines engraved in his head and raised Heavenly Drive. The me pir connecting heaven and earth divided into eighteen, surrounding the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. It was a me prison possessing the power of the astral sphere in every single pir. ¡°It¡¯s just some mes!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword swung the demonic sword Kriatus to escape from the Golden Void Infusion¡¯s heat, but the eighteen pirs of mes devoured the demonic energy and intensified even further. ¡°What the¡­?!¡± He shed downwards violently, unable to understand how the mes were devouring the demonic energy. Kriatus unleashed an explosive amount of demonic energy, but the mes didn¡¯t extinguish. Raon reduced the range of the prison through his will and watched calmly. ¡®This is the Golden Void Infusion.¡¯ The Golden Void Infusion wasn¡¯t a simple attack or defense. It was a peculiar technique that consisted of creating a prison with high resistance to demonic energy. It was a technique used by the Zieghart ancestor during his battle against the mysterious man with the white iris and ck sclera, and Raon hadn¡¯t expected to use it so quickly. Whaaam! The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword realized that the Golden Void Infusion was resistant to demonic energy. He unleashed arge amount of his own aura over the demonic energy to cut through the prison bars of fire. A violent explosion urred from the concentrated aura, and the Golden Void Infusion trembled intensely. ¡°Damn it!¡± He jumped at the small area where a child could barely pass through. He seemed to be trying to escape from the Golden Void Infusion even if he ended up being burned in the process. ¡°Pay the rent before you go.¡± Raon narrowed the bars as the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword tried to escape. Whaaap! The mes rapidly narrowed and left a deep burn on the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s leg and waist. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword ground his teeth violently while looking at the crimson burn engraved on him like a ve brand. His furrowed brow was showing no sign of easing under the intense pain. ¡°Wh-what have you done?!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡± Raon pointed Heavenly Drive at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s eyes and shook his head. ¡°Huh! What arrogance from just a scratch! The fight is only getting started!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword felt humiliated by the fact that he lost the contest of spirit, unleashing a wave of energy powerful enough to distort the atmosphere. ¡°There were two scratches. Can¡¯t you even count?¡± Raon deflected the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s fighting spirit and raised his finger to point at his burns on his waist and leg. ¡°Shut up!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword raised his demonic sword, his frightening eyes ring at Raon. ¡°You are just a rookie at the starting line!¡± The demonic energy and aura burst from his dark de at the same time, scattering the frightening darkness around him. ¡°I¡¯m not at the starting line. I¡¯m at the finishing line, where your head is going to roll.¡± Raon curled his lips into a smile and lifted Heavenly Drive. The mes flowing along the de concentrated at the tip, creating a sphere of light as brilliant as the sun. It was the astral sphere, the technique reserved for Grandmasters was finally in his grasp. ¡°I told you to shut up.¡± ¡°Then stop talking to me.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth already!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword couldn¡¯t withstand his anger anymore and thrust the demonic sword Kriatus. The astral sphere of demonic energy rotated at a shocking speed and twisted the space. Cliaaag! Raon shoved Heavenly Drive into the whirling demonic energy rushing towards him. The astral sphere engulfed in crimson light pushed itself into the darkness. Whaaam! Thend between them turned upside down, and the dark sky was split apart from the sh between the astral spheres of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and demonic energy. Behind the descending surface of thend, Raon pierced into the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s space. The me engulfing his silver de cut through the demonic energy and advanced even further, incorporating his will to never be defeated. ¡°Hmh!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword bit his lip to the point of bleeding while being pushed back from the sh. ¡°How is this happening¡­?¡± He red at Raon with wide eyes, unable to believe the fact that he was losing a contest of sheer power. Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to catch up to him. He advanced through the wind as if Rimmer were pushing his back and unleashed the me Spirit. Whaaap! A red-stained tree blossomed from the tip of his de. Branches stretched towards the sky as if they had experienced all emotions of life in a split second, and countless petals descended from them. There were hundreds, no, thousands of pieces of mes. They incorporated Raon¡¯s will and carved a crimson path. The beautiful me petals became a scorching heat that engulfed the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°This much is nothing!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword roared and raised the demonic sword¡¯s de. Kriatus revealed its thick branch as if it had returned to being the Life-Sapping Tree of Devildom before bing a sword, scattering its darkened leaves. Whaaam! The ck leaves unleashed by Kriatus¡¯s de started to crush the red petals of the me Spirit. If it had been the me Spirit of the past, the flower petals would¡¯ve subsided. However, that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. The divided petals gathered once again and formed a second storm. ¡°Th-this is¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s eyes became twisted. He tried to thrust the demonic sword once again as the gathered petals advanced while dancing with each other. The red petals incinerated the ck leaves and fell upon the branch created by the demonic sword Kriatus. Whaaam! The red petals decorated the dark tree to create a frightening beauty, and then a tremendous amount of heat exploded to violently tear through the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s demonic energy and aura. ¡°Kuh!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword wasn¡¯t in good condition once he managed to break out of the red heat. His cloak was tattered and severe burns were marring his face and his left arm. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± He bit his lip while looking down at his arm, which was severely burned. ¡°H-how?! Who the hell are you, that you can bring forth so much power right after you surpassed the wall?!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword dashed, yelling at the iprehensible situation. It almost looked like a devil was possessing his elegant face. ¡°It¡¯s not just my power.¡± Raon calmly responded and shed upwards with a sparkling me. The space touched by the de was connected into one, and a single wall surged from the ground. Whaaam! The rampart created by the Firewall perfectly blocked the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s astral sphere. ¡°A-a wall of the astral sphere?¡± Raon pierced into the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s space in the midst of his panic. He shed deep into him, Heavenly Drive surrounded by the Firewall¡¯s me like a scabbard. ¡°How dare you!¡± As expected of a warrior at the Grandmaster¡¯s realm, the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword immediately reacted, creating a shield of astral sphere with his demonic sword. Raon finished the sh with a line of heat reflected on Heavenly Drive as if he didn¡¯t care about his defense. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Thousand mes. Crimson sh * * * The line of heat dwelling on the de narrowed to a thickness even thinner than a thread, twisting the space as it passed. aash! The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s shield of astral sphere was cut apart slightly. It wasn¡¯t because of his mistake. The Crimson sh, incorporating the principles of the space sword, had cut apart the astral sphere. ¡°No!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword hurriedly tried to consolidate the astral sphere, but Raon¡¯s strike had already passed by his chest. Psssh! The red blood evaporated from the heat before evening out into the world, and an excruciating burn was etched on the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s chest. ¡°H-how¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword stepped backward, his trembling hand clutching his chest. Wham! Raon stomped the ground with his left foot, thrusting Heavenly Drive, which he¡¯d pulled backward. The me at the tip of the de swirled, forming the shape of a me dragon. A breath of fire was released from the jaw, opened widely enough to devour the world. Whaaam! The me Dragon Art. The fire dragon¡¯s roar erupted, melting the ground where the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was standing into ava field. ck smoke rose from it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the faint golden me emerging from Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. ¡®Is this the true power of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation?¡¯ The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation was already powerful when it was just at the Hundred mes level, but the power was on a whole different level at a Thousand mes. He could guess that the Zieghart ancestor had created the technique based on Grandmaster¡¯s realm. ¡®I want to maintain this feeling.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t be able to return to that realm for a while once it came to an end. It was necessary to make his body learn the sensation in order to elerate the process. Hey! Wrath briskly shoved his face onto him. The King of Essence¡¯s techniques are the same! You couldn¡¯t use them properly so far because you were too weak! You should be able to somewhat copy them now! He imed that his techniques were better and even taught him how to use them. ¡°Huuh¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword exhaled roughly while escaping from thend scorched in ck. His cloak waspletely incinerated without even a single piece left, and his body was covered with orange burns that looked like crawling worms. ¡°It¡¯s hot, isn¡¯t it?¡± Raon sneered and extended his hand towards the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. He opened his hand as if he were going to grasp his head and unleashed cier. The Monarch of Wrath¡¯s ultimate technique. Silver-White Aurora. Blue radiance sparkled from his hand, spreading out like a deer¡¯s horn. By the time the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword witnessed that light, the blue coldness was already engulfing him. Psssh! The des of frost pierced into the burns, and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s injuries turned deathly ck. Whaaam! The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword used his footwork to the best of his ability, but the Silver-White Aurora followed him like a leech, causing a tremendous pressure to his legs. ¡°Get off me already!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword couldn¡¯t withstand it anymore and unleashed a storm of demonic energy by mming the demonic sword into the ground. However, even the demonic energy froze under the onught of ice, limiting his movement to the extreme. Raon¡¯s legs surged with immense power. He dashed forward, causing the ground to burst, and reached the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s right side. His left hand was extended without hesitation, a blue radiance gathered around it. The Monarch of Wrath¡¯s ultimate technique. Silver Moon Demonic Veil. The sphere floating between his hand and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s right shoulder was shattered, causing a wave of extreme coldness spread around it. Whaaam! An ultimate technique unique to Raon was unleashed, different from Wrath¡¯s Silver Moon Demonic Veil, and the right side of the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s upper body waspletely frozen. ¡°Cough!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword stepped back while coughing up blood and tried to remove the Silver Moon Demonic Veil¡¯s ice with the demonic energy¡¯s fire, but the frost never faded away. Uhehehehe! Wrath grinned while shaking his round fist. See? That is the King of Essence¡¯s technique! Your meager me is no match for it! He stretched his lips, saying that cier was better than the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. ¡®You are so simple¡­¡¯ He used to criticize him for copying in the past, but he wasplimenting instead for copying better. Raon couldn¡¯t understand what he even wanted anymore. ¡°I-impossible. You just became a Grandmaster, so how¡­?¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword removed the ice shards from his body along with strips of flesh, his trembling lips turning blue. ¡°You still don¡¯t understand.¡± Raon looked at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword with a gaze of disdain. ¡°It¡¯s more like you¡¯ve grown weaker rather than I¡¯m growing stronger.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Did you feel anything during your fight against our division leader?¡± Raon confidently turned around with the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword in front of him. He bit his lip while looking at Rimmer, who could be dead or alive. ¡°Our division leader let you spread the demonic energy on purpose to waste the power of your demonic sword and your aura. He even confined the demonic energy in his body at the end while he copsed.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯splexion turned pale. His eyes trembled as he looked at Rimmer. ¡°He never fights without reason. He calcted everything and created this path.¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s face, which was turning darker and darker. ¡®There should be no reason to tell him the most important part.¡¯ He raised Heavenly Drive. Golden radiance burst from the silver-gray de. Auspicious energy, like the dawn¡¯s light opening the sky, spread out in all directions. ¡°We are the only ones who are allowed to make fun of our division leader. He isn¡¯t someone that you canugh at or look down upon.¡± He grasped the small amount of awakening remaining in him and advanced toward the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°Rimmer! You disgusting bastard!¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword dashed while screaming. The world itself was quaking, implying that he must¡¯ve mustered all his energy in addition to the demonic sword Kriatus. Raon drew out his aura while walking into the rampaging demonic energy. The sturdiness of his middle energy center was added to the aura surging from his lower energy center, and the will of his upper energy center surrounded it. Once the aura passed through the three energy centers, it became a golden me that soaked the de of Heavenly Drive. Before anyone could speak a word, Raon and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword shoved their crimson strike and dark strike toward each other. Whaaam! The frontal sh between Heavenly Drive and the demonic sword created a fissure in the space, connecting the sky and thend. Immeasurable shockwaves urred one after the other from the sh between powers and advanced martial arts. The surface of thend was overturned, and the trees were rooted out. They seemed to be equally matched, but the winner was quickly revealed. Crack! The demonic sword Kriatus¡¯s hilt crumbled along with all of the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s power, and the de of demonic energy scattered around. ¡°Wh-why is the demonic sword¡­¡± He looked at the crumbling hilt of the demonic sword with trembling eyes. ¡°It¡¯s because of the seed nted by our division leader, the one you called stupid.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword shouldn¡¯t have noticed because he was mentally driven into a corner, but Rimmer had inserted wind into the demonic sword¡¯s de to create a small twist. The seed that he¡¯d left behind had carved the path to cut off the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s head. ¡°W-wait!¡± Raon ignored his desperate shout and pushed Heavenly Drive towards him. The golden me devoured the demonic energy and zed even more powerfully. The small sun rising from the tip of his de spread its majestic light towards the center of the scattering demonic energy. Whaaam! Along with a tremendous impact, the buildings in House Lakion copsed like dominoes and ck smoke rose all the way to the sky. Whoosh! Raon lowered Heavenly Drive, and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword could be seen with his upper bodypletely separated from his lower body. He was barely alive thanks to the demonic sword, which was about to break. ¡°H-how could a rookie like him¡­¡± ¡°You lost. No¡­¡± Raon pointed at Rimmer with his chin while looking down on the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, who was about to die. ¡°It¡¯s our victory.¡± Chapter 566 Revenge was a constant shadow in my thoughts. Even while I was raising the Light Wind division, my desire for vengeance against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword never faded away. Even amid happiness, joy, anger, and growing affection, revenge remained with me like an ever-present shadow. It couldn¡¯t be helped, as I had lost people who were even closer than family to me. Once I realized that I couldn¡¯t give up on my revenge against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and the Holy Sword Alliance, I started to prepare. I swore to the deceased that I would kill the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword even if I had to sacrifice my life in return. However, I was unable to achieve that pledge. I encountered the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword like I¡¯d been dreaming of, but I couldn¡¯t fight with my life on the line. I was fully focused on stopping him, prioritizing the living instead of the ones I killed.I was really d that no one had died. I had no regrets. However, the sense of guilt was weighing heavily on my shoulders. I immediately went to the grave of the deceased after I returned to the house. I shouted that I was sorry, that there was no other choice. I swore once again that I was definitely going to kill the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword with my own hands, with my life on the line the next time I met him. After that day, I distanced myself from Raon and the Light Wind division little by little. I rarely came to the training ground or helped with their training so that the Light Wind division would still be fine, centered around Raon even after I was gone. I borrowed the personal training ground of the head of house and only focused on my training. I abandoned the Eye of the Storm that had a good bnce between attack and defense. I focused all my efforts on polishing the Song of Wind and Lightning, which was more powerful in attack, in order to sharpen the fangs to bite the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s throat. I thought I could finally throw away everything and solely focus on revenge. However, I was unable to go all out against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword once again. I resolved myself to cut off the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s head without caring about what happened to the Light Wind division, but I ended up spending arge amount of aura in order to protect them instead. I should feel guilty towards the deceased, but I was strangely feeling at ease. As if my soul were released from the binding of thorny vines, I could move my body more freely. I realized that it was because my end was near. Understanding that it was my final moments, I was nning to tell Raon to escape with everyone and put an end to my fight, but that damn bastard went ahead and did it. He fell into a trance in the middle of a battlefield. It was a madness that even Glenn wouldn¡¯t be able to do. In the end, my n to take down the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword with me waspletely shattered. I couldn¡¯t run away or put an end to the fight. I had to use all of my power to protect Raon and the Light Wind division. However, I had a final opportunity in the midst of that chaotic battle. The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword panicked because Raon was about to awaken and focused all of his power in the direction of the Light Wind. And an opening was revealed. It was fatal enough to cut off his head and take away his life. However, if I attacked that opening, Raon and the Light Wind division were going to die without even leaving a bone behind. A split-second decision? No, I didn¡¯t even decide. My body was blocking the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s path before I even started to think. I removed the Song of Wind and Lightning that I¡¯d been polishing in order to kill him and activated the Eye of the Storm in order to protect everyone. I didn¡¯t regret being unable to achieve vengeance at all. All I was thinking about was protecting the ones behind me. I took the demonic energy into my body in order to save them and even shoved the energy of wind into the demonic sword. I thought it was enough. I closed my eyes, resolving myself to kneeling in front of mypanions in the afterlife for being unable to achieve vengeance. And as I was prepared to die¡­ That damn Raon stopped the demonic sword. His faint golden eyes, mysterious and elegant, were crushing the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Raon smiled, saying that he waste because he overslept. That was my line. My disciple¡¯s back was broader than ever as he advanced while stating the line that I said when I stopped the Blood Raving Demon¡¯s attack. Even Glenn was no match for him even though I¡¯d entrusted my future to him. Raon was powerful. Since he had just awakened, he even used the techniques that he normally couldn¡¯t use and drove the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword into a corner. That child¡ªno, my king who used to be a child¡ªseemed to be ascending the stairs to the throne, wearing royal robes and a crown. I couldn¡¯t avenge them myself, but I thought it was worth taking the demonic energy in to head to my demise. Unfortunately, there was no sense of relief. After all, I wanted to kill the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword myself instead of leaving it to someone else. I never wanted revenge achieved by someone else. Just as I was thinking about that, Raon defeated the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword with his faint golden me. ¡°You lost. No, it¡¯s our victory.¡± I felt like my soul was saved by that short sentence, by his firm deration. Tears flowed from my eyes before I knew it. I felt like my body and mind, which had always been with the deceased, were awakened from the nightmare. There was no regret. I didn¡¯t even need to beg for forgiveness from mypanions in the afterlife anymore. Instead, I could tell them that my disciple achieved revenge alongside me. I closed my eyes. The excessive demonic energy that I absorbed was filling my entire body. Since even the Ragged Saint Federick wouldn¡¯t be able to save me, I didn¡¯t even want to live anymore. I opened my eyes once again and looked at the Light Wind division one after the other. As I was saying farewell with my eyes to the youngsters that I¡¯d raised ever since their childhood, I could hear heavy footsteps. It was Raon. He returned after the battle and was looking down at me with blurry eyes. Was this the final farewell? I wanted to exchange a heartfelt farewell before my death. ¡°R-Raon. Thank you. It¡¯s all thanks to you that I¡­¡± I raised my head and parted my dry lips when Raon suddenly furrowed his brow. ¡°Stop exaggerating and wake up already.¡± You bastard! * * * Raon bit his lip while looking at Rimmer¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡®This is no good.¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s entire body was tainted by the demonic energy. He could die at any moment, and his body was rapidly losing its vitality. ¡°This is bad. The demonic energy has spread all the way to his organs on top of his mana circuits.¡± Martha had analyzed Rimmer¡¯s condition in that short time. She must¡¯ve been continuing her medical studies all along. ¡°Can you save him?¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± Burren and Runaan¡¯s fingers were trembling nervously. ¡°Vice division leader¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him die like this!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let him go like this! He should die by getting beaten up in a gambling house instead!¡± The Light Wind division fell on their knees and lowered their heads, shouting that they didn¡¯t want Rimmer to die like that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can save him.¡± Raon nodded and examined Rimmer¡¯s condition. Like Martha had said, he could feel the stench of demonic energy even from his organs. What do you think a brat like you can even do? Wrath shook his hand, saying that it was impossible for him. Stop giving them false hope and give your body to the King of Essence. The demonic energy will withdraw on its own upon facing him. He might survive if he is lucky! ¡®......¡¯ Raon didn¡¯t respond to Wrath and simply stared at him. Wh-why are you looking?! ¡®You are the giving doormat indeed.¡¯ D-doormat? You damn bastard! Raon pushed Wrath away as he started to rage and ced his hand on the left side of Rimmer¡¯s chest. He unleashed the energy of wrath dwelling at the bottom of his soul and shoved it into Rimmer¡¯s body. Uack! Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped in his surprise at how he started to use the wrath. ¡®I knew it, this is the right answer.¡¯ He¡¯d realized during his trance that demonic energy was powerless in front of the demon king¡¯s authority. Raon figured that he could drive away the demonic energy filling Rimmer¡¯s body by using that rtionship. ¡°Hey, you shitty bastard. Let me die in peace at lea¡ªcough!¡± Raon plugged Rimmer¡¯s bbering mouth and kept inserting the energy of wrath. Whir! The moment the authority of wrath entered Rimmer¡¯s body, the demonic energy corrupting his body trembled in fear and scattered in all directions. Just as Raon had expected, the demonic energy waspletely submissive when faced with the authority of the demon king. ¡°Kuh!¡± Rimmer¡¯s chest jolted as if he were unable to breathe. His face turned pale, and blue veins showed up on his face. ¡°Wh-what are you even doing right now?!¡± Martha was startled, but she could only stomp her feet in frustration, unable to stop him recklessly. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his hand towards her and the Light Wind division, telling them to trust him, and spread the energy of wrath inside Rimmer from his heart. ¡®Eat it all up.¡¯ The energy of wrath moved on its own and started to devour the demonic energy inside Rimmer¡¯s body and mana circuits, as if it were disgusted by the fact that demonic energy dared to exist in its domain. However, it didn¡¯t go well all the time. The energies of wrath sometimes rushed towards a spot where the demonic energy was hiding and ended up with too much concentration in an area. ¡°Aaaaah! My hand! My only hand left!¡± Rimmer¡¯s left hand swelled up like a rubber ball filled with air to the point of bursting. It looked like the hand of a giant. ¡°Ah, wait a moment.¡± Raon calmly nodded and extracted the wrath from his hand. However, he did it too quickly, and Rimmer¡¯s right leg inted like a building¡¯s pir. ¡°Ah, was it the wrong spot?¡± ¡°You crazy disciple! Do it right! I¡¯m not your toy!¡± Rimmer yelled with trembling shoulders. He looked like he even forgot the pain from the demonic energy. ¡°Just stay still!¡± ¡°Mmmm!¡± Raon shoved his scabbard into Rimmer¡¯s mouth and focused once again. He rapidly circted the wrath concentrated in his right leg and erased all of the demonic energy in his body, even the pieces hiding in corners. He used his aura to scan Rimmer¡¯s body just in case, but he couldn¡¯t find any stench of demonic energy anymore. ¡®It¡¯s done. I just need to recover it now¡­¡¯ He was about to throw away the demonic energy and recover the wrath but suddenly stopped. ¡®No, I don¡¯t need to throw it away.¡¯ Raon took back the wrath and even the demonic energy that was corrupting Rimmer¡¯s body. Ring! The demonic energy tried to rampage as soon as it entered Raon¡¯s body, but the energies of Wrath, Sloth, and Envy immediately moved to surround the demonic energy. Rumble! The demonic energy was beaten down by the authority of the three monarchs and turned over a new leaf, transforming into pure mana. It flowed through his mana circuits once before settling in his energy center. What¡­? Wrath¡¯s head trembled in disbelief. Why is it moving on its own when the King of Essence didn¡¯t order anything?! He red at the wrath that returned after saving Rimmer. ¡®I can also control it to a certain extent now.¡¯ He¡¯d gained better control over it, probably because he¡¯d be a Grandmaster. He could guess that it wouldn¡¯t be too dangerous as long as he doesn¡¯tpletely let it take over his body like during the fight against Syria. ¡°Ack! I¡¯m dying! My subordinate is killing me!¡± Rimmer screamed while thrashing around. ¡°Even when I¡¯m dying, he has to torture me before I die! What is life!¡± He shouted that he was going to die, his voice energetic, unlike before. ¡°I think you are alive now, not dead.¡± Burren tilted his head while looking at Rimmer. ¡°Wh-what?! The demonic energy is all gone!¡± Martha examined Rimmer, her jaw dropping as she eximed that it couldn¡¯t be happening. ¡°What did you do?!¡± Her eyes were screaming as she asked how he removed the demonic energy so quickly. ¡°Stand up.¡± Runaan poked Rimmer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How am I supposed to stand up? I¡¯m dying from the pain¡­ Huh?¡± Rimmer continued to thrash, only to suddenly stop. ¡°Why¡­ why does it not hurt anymore?¡± His lips trembled as he realized the excruciating pain in his bones, flesh, and organs had vanished. ¡°Hey, what did you do?! How did you remove the demonic energy with aura?!¡± Rimmer extended his left hand in disbelief. ¡°......¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the only arm he had left, but Rimmer didn¡¯t seem to care about it at all. He just kept asking how he removed the demonic energy. ¡°Because you were just exaggerating it. You weren¡¯t really going to die to begin with.¡± Raon shook his hand dismissively, hiding his sorrowful expression. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t exaggerating! I was really going to die!¡± ¡°Sure, of course you were.¡± Raon nodded and helped Rimmer stand up. ¡°You should witness thest moments of your archenemy.¡± He supported Rimmer and brought him to the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, who was on hisst breath. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Just as Rimmer was about to talk to the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, Raon raised his hand. ¡°Let me go first.¡± ¡°Why would you even bring me if you were going to do this¡­?¡± Raon ignored Rimmer and looked down upon the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°I-I¡¯m not going to say anything.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword shook his head with trembling pupils. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not looking for an answer from you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did the Holy Sword Alliance, ck Tower, and the White Blood Religion form an alliance?¡± The trembling of the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s pupils halted for a moment. ¡°I knew it.¡± The Six Kings and the Five Demons looked like they were allies, but they simply gathered to hold each other in check withouting to a proper agreement. Raon had his suspicions when the ck Tower attacked Cameloon and the Holy Sword Alliance and the White Blood Religion attacked Banneret. His reaction confirmed that these three groups had formed an alliance, at least for the time being. ¡°ck Tower and the White Blood Religion? You¡¯ve fallen so low,¡± Rimmer murmured weakly. ¡°Sh-shut up.¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword confirmed that Raon¡¯s guess was correct by telling Rimmer to shut up. ¡°Anyway, I can finally be honest now.¡± Rimmer pushed Raon away and stood on his own. His legs were shaking, but he somehow managed to keep standing and calmly looked down on the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°I¡¯m the loser of our previous battle. I lost all my subordinates and my energy center was broken, but you only lost your arm. I admit it. It was your victory.¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword swallowed nervously, unable to understand what Rimmer was trying to say. ¡°But this time is different. While you were recovering your strength¡­¡± Rimmer held Raon¡¯s shoulder with his left arm. ¡°I¡¯ve been raising this monstrous disciple. Since he was the one who destroyed you, we are the winner of this fight.¡± He must¡¯ve been impressed by how Raon said it was ¡®our¡¯ victory. He smiled faintly while repeating the same thing. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword bit his lip with a frustrated and sorrowful expression. ¡°I-it¡¯s meaningless since it wasn¡¯t done with your own hands¡­¡± ¡°It is meaningful. You can raise a disciple too if you have a problem with it! Look at how you ended up, an old man iling about while trying to recover your power. Serves you right!¡± Rimmerughed at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword with a broad grin on his face. He looked like he would have danced if he were in better condition. ¡°Dying in a ce where no one prays for your repose, it¡¯s such a fitting end for you.¡± Rimmer smiled brightly. He looked like he finally had no more regrets left. ¡°Y-you damn bastard¡­¡± The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword slowly drew hisst breath with bloodshot eyes. His expression was even more twisted than when he¡¯d lost against Raon. ¡°Get lost. Go to hell.¡± Rimmer watched the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword for a while after he perished and sat on the ground. He stroked the part where his right arm used to exist and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon blinked while meeting Rimmer¡¯s eyes. ¡°Thank you. I feel much better now.¡± Rimmer sighed deeply and looked up to the clear sky. ¡°Thank you for saving them. I wouldn¡¯t have felt this way if a single one of them ended up dead. I¡¯m really relieved.¡± ¡°Can you say that kind of thing, division leader?¡± ¡°What did you even think of me?!¡± ¡°But there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°We¡¯re relieved because you¡¯ve survived with us, division leader.¡± Raon turned Rimmer around to make him look at the Light Wind division. Everyone was smiling in agreement. ¡°There¡¯s no escape!¡± ¡°Help us with our training one by one to make up for skipping it so far.¡± ¡°Lazybones.¡± ¡°Gambling addict!¡± ¡°Penniless!¡± ¡°Dirt poor!¡± ¡°Trash of Zieghart!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen called Rimmer by his nicknames with smiles on their faces. It looked like they¡¯d known about Rimmer¡¯s circumstances all along. ¡°Trash? Who said that?!¡± Rimmer ground his teeth violently while looking for the one who called him trash. Raon smiled faintly while watching Rimmer¡¯s rampage as he chased after the Light Wind division. ¡®It¡¯s all over now¡­¡¯ Ugh¡­ Raon was smiling in satisfaction when he noticed that Wrath was looking around with an extremely serious expression on his face. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you need a restroom?¡¯ What are you even talking about?! It¡¯sing soon! It¡¯sing! Raon spread his aura perception, frightened by his shout. However, he couldn¡¯t sense anything even after he spread his mana for a long time. ¡®What¡¯sing?¡¯ It¡¯sing! It¡¯s happening! It¡¯s close to us right now! Wrath didn¡¯t respond and crouched like a feline targeting its prey. ¡®Did you eat something bad or what?¡¯ Raon murmured that he was acting strange when messages appeared in the air. [You¡¯ve reached the Grandmaster¡¯s realm.] [You¡¯ve revealed your¡­] [All stats¡­] Messages came up one after the other and blocked his vision. Kuaaah! Wrath immediately screamed and jolted into the air. It¡¯s here! The demon has arrived! Get lost! Raon blinked in confusion while watching the cotton candy il in the air. ¡®But you are the king of those demons¡­¡¯ Chapter 567 Because Wrath kept going berserk, Raon smacked Wrath¡¯s forehead with the back of his hand and checked his messages. [You¡¯ve reached the Grandmaster¡¯s realm.] [You¡¯ve revealed your madness by entering a trance in the middle of a battle.] [All stats have increased by 40.] [You¡¯ve achieved the feat Youngest Grandmaster in the continent.> [The soul level increases drastically.] [Your mastery of all martial arts has increased significantly.] It looked like going into a trance to break through the wall in the middle of a battlefield allowed him to gain even more stats than just bing a Grandmaster. ¡®40 points? That¡¯s insane.¡¯It was a ridiculous amount, even if he was on the receiving end. But that wasn¡¯t even the best part. ¡®Your mastery of all martial arts has increased.¡¯ He was surprised that the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s techniques and Wrath¡¯s ultimate techniques were a lot more powerful than he was expecting, and he wasn¡¯t just imagining it. He could guess that the increase in mastery had drastically improved the power of his swordsmanship and aura. Damn it! Wrath suddenly raised his head as Raon was reading the messages with a faint smile on his face. You should take away his points for doing something crazy! Why are you giving him even more?! You stupid doormat! He clutched his head and shouted, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand the system. Moreover, you didn¡¯t even get permission from its owner! Why are you giving it away on your own ord?! Wrath swung his round fist towards the system that gave out the rewards. The next messages appeared right away, as if it were responding to him. [Ring of Fire has reached Eight-Stars.] [All stats have increased by 10.] [The regeneration of your body and aura has increased drastically.] [Your upper energy center has expanded. The will infused in your aura will be more powerful.] [A special ability may awaken.] They were the rewards gained from reaching Eight-Stars with the Ring of Fire. The drastic increase in his body and aura¡¯s regeneration seemed to be because he imagined an undefeatable warrior and an inextinguishable me in his mental world. Raon closed his eyes and observed inside him. ¡®Indeed¡­ It¡¯s regenerating a lot faster than before.¡¯ His energy center had bepletely empty after the fight to the death against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, and his aura was recovering at an unprecedented rate. It looked like the Ring of Fire¡¯s effect hadbined with Sloth¡¯s regeneration, causing his healing to reach unbelievable levels. Kyaaah! As soon as Raon smiled while feeling his energy center getting gradually heavier, he could hear a scream from Wrath that sounded like a cat. Is the King of Essence a sitting duck at this point? Why are you giving him another stat? Regeneration? He¡¯s not going to die anyway! He doesn¡¯t even need any regeneration! Screw the will! Wrath was arguing against every single line at that point. Of course, no one was listening to hisints. Raon checked thest message, ignoring Wrath, whose nonexistent fur seemed to be bristling. ¡®What¡¯s this special ability?¡¯ He was aware that his upper energy center had expanded since his mental world had erged. However, he couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what that special ability was about. How do you not even know that?! Wrath clicked his tongue and turned his head. The wall that you¡¯ve surpassed is the realm as a living being. You¡¯ve transcended humanity to a certain extent, so you might gain an ability ordingly. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ How could an idiot who doesn¡¯t even know that fact be the one taking away the King of Essence¡¯s stats?! This is so frustrating he could die! He pounded his chest, saying that he seriously missed those stats. He wasn¡¯t pounding that hard, though, probably because it hurt. ¡®So, what¡¯s this ability?¡¯ How is the King of Essence supposed to know?! It depends on what kind of person you are, and it¡¯s unknown when it will activate! It might never happen at all! Wrath snorted, saying it depended on the individual. ¡®So in the end, you don¡¯t know anything either.¡¯ You need to shut your mouth! Raon easily dodged Wrath¡¯s fist just as the next set of messages appeared. [Backstab has increased in rank.] [Divinity Blooming from the Underworld has increased in rank.] [Aura of Death Resistance has increased in rank.] [Evil Eye of Wrath has increased in rank.] [Magic Armor of Snow Flower has increased in rank.] Thest messages announced that his traits had ranked up. The traits that he¡¯d used a lot during the previous battle had gained one rank each. Bulllllllllshit! Wrath couldn¡¯t withstand it anymore and started to swear. Are we at the bead ice cream shop right now? You¡¯re giving him all different vors! Moreover, you are giving away the most delicious stuff, like mint chocte! ¡®Hmm, but mint chocte isn¡¯t exactly tasty¡­¡¯ You shut up! And you answer me right now, damn system! He shouted, but the system proudly disappeared, as if it were saying that its job was over. Ugh, my bones feel so cold¡­ Wrath¡¯s plump body trembled as he murmured that he was feeling cold despite being the demon king of frost. ¡®Co-cold?¡¯ There¡¯s seriously no joy in life because everything keeps being taken away. Raon felt sorry for him for some reason and approached Wrath while scratching his head. ¡®Shall I buy you some bead ice cream after we return? How about three sets?¡¯ Even though he said he would buy some bead ice cream, Wrath unexpectedly kept murmuring to himself instead of looking at him. ¡®Is he really upset?¡¯ Raon licked his lip and focused on listening to Wrath. Which vor would be the best here? Something that everyone would agree is the best choice. ¡®......¡¯ He wasn¡¯t upset or angry. He was simply focused on choosing the ice cream vor. ¡®I¡¯m so tired of him¡­¡¯ Raon sighed and looked around. ¡°Why are youughing to yourself?¡± Rimmer shook his hand while letting out a smallugh. ¡°Did I?¡± ¡°Yes, you smiled then frowned while looking into thin air. Did you find something?¡± He furrowed his brow while examining the spot where Wrath and messages used to be. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m just a bit tired.¡± Raon smiled awkwardly and scratched his cheek. ¡°Yes, he must be tired. After all, we had multiple battles in a row.¡± Burren nodded, saying that it was nothing special since he could see Wrath. He moved his mouth to silently tell Raon that the spirit was cute. ¡®He¡¯s not cute¡­¡¯ Raon wanted to shout that he¡¯s just a food waster of a demon king, but he suppressed his urge. ¡°Well, I guess you are.¡± Rimmer casually nodded. Raon couldn¡¯t help looking at his empty right shoulder. His chest felt tight, as if he had indigestion. ¡°Division leader.¡± Raon stood in front of Rimmer and looked into his eyes. ¡°What are you going to do about your arm?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Rimmer smiled awkwardly while touching his right shoulder with his left hand. ¡°Should I just retire?¡± His casual voice sounded like he was having a trivial conversation. ¡°Retire¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been working for Zieghart for quite a while. Moreover, I was a division leader, then became an instructor, and returned to being a division leader. I should be able to get quite a lot of severance pay and pension.¡± Rimmer waved his left hand with a bright smile on his face. ¡°I could buy a home in a bustling district andmute to the gambling house. Doesn¡¯t that sound fun?¡± He rubbed his fingers. It was difficult to tell if he was being serious or joking. ¡°In fact, it might be unexpected, but there are quite a lot of gamblers who are missing an arm or an ear. I think it will serve as an advantage when bing a pro. What do you think?¡± ¡°A-are you serious about that?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes trembled in panic. ¡°You are going to lose all your severance pay the day of your retirement. It¡¯s not even an option!¡± Martha couldn¡¯t be as harsh as always, so she simply bit her lip. ¡°......¡± Runaan quietly looked at Rimmer, showing that she would understand him no matter what decision he made. ¡°Stop with your bullshit!¡± ¡°Your severance pay will be gone once you pay back the money you¡¯ve borrowed from us. You can¡¯t leave us now!¡± ¡°Stay in the Light Wind division forever and pay back your debt!¡± ¡°You have to work for your whole life!¡± Dorian and the Light Wind division shouted, saying that they wouldn¡¯t allow Rimmer to retire. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Rimmer could only let out a small sigh while looking at the Light Wind division. It looked like he couldn¡¯t refuse because the ones that he¡¯s been watching ever since their childhood were asking him to stay. ¡°Division leader.¡± Raon took another step towards Rimmer, who was lowering his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to ept it if you really want to retire. However¡­¡± He calmly shifted his gaze to Rimmer¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°If it¡¯s because of your arm, there might be a solution.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Rimmer clenched the hand holding his shoulder and raised his gaze. ¡°I noticed that Cloud¡¯s arm was a bit strange.¡± Raon walked up to Cloud¡¯s corpse and touched his right arm. It had the softness and heat of skin, but the touch was different from a person¡¯s arm. It was an artifact, just like Raon had guessed in the beginning. Crack! The artifact arm was easily pulled out, probably because Cloud was already dead. ¡®Does it use mana?¡¯ It seemed to be using a method that consisted of shoving an artificial vein simr to a mana circuit to the shoulder. It couldn¡¯t be used as it was, but he could guess that Encia would be able to make a new one if he gave it to her. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Rimmer frowned intensely while looking at the artificial arm. ¡°I-I have mysophobia. I¡¯d rather live without it.¡± He spouted some bullshit about having mysophobia despite living in a dumpster. ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting that you use this one. The arm¡¯s length should be different anyway.¡± Raon shook his head while lowering the artificial arm. ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Lady Encia might be able to make a new one if we bring this to her.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true. That geniusdy even managed to make an artificial energy center.¡± Rimmer nodded, saying that it seemed possible. ¡°Indeed, those gamblers that were missing a hand were wearing a prosthetic hand. It looks cooler that way.¡± He grinned happily. He seemed to be imagining himself gambling with an artificial arm. Did you really need to make an arm for him? Wrath shook his head at his hopeless behavior. ¡®I¡¯m also regretting bringing it up.¡¯ While Raon was contemting whether he should agree with Wrath or not, Rimmer scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Actually, half of my life was all about revenge.¡± He smiled even though the look in his eyes was so different from revenge. ¡°Since it was achieved thanks to you, I¡¯m not too sure what to do in the future.¡± Rimmer briefly licked his lips while looking at his empty right shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about wielding a sword with my left hand without getting an arm, or just helping you from the shadows, or really retiring.¡± He looked like he hadn¡¯t really made up his mind yet as he sighed quietly. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to be hasty, so take your time thinking about it.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Raon nodded and waved his hand towards the Light Wind division. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap it up for now. Since something else might happen, we¡¯ll wrap things up as fast as possible and get out of here.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Light Wind division answered before they started to move, and Wrath was staring into the air. It¡¯sing. ¡®What¡¯sing now? Another message? ...... Wrath narrowed his eyes without responding to him. He has changed a little. ¡®What are you even talking about?¡¯ Raon looked in the direction where Wrath was staring at and suddenly stopped. Something huge was really approaching from afar. Whir! By the time he sensed that fact, a white haired old man was already floating in the air. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the old man. An imposing frame, eyes as sharp as a sharpened de, and aid-back aura that didn¡¯t match his appearance. There was no mistake. ¡°Sir Rector?¡± * * * The white haired old man was the Sword Demon Rector, who was extremely familiar. Raon¡¯s lips parted because he hadn¡¯t expected that he would encounter him there. ¡°How did you get here?¡± Raon smiled dly. However, the Sword Demon simply stared at Cloud and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s corpses without responding to him. ¡°Ah, they are sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance. They tried to take over House Lakion and ended up fighting us.¡± Since there were plenty of corpses in the area, Raon briefly exined the situation to ease his suspicion. ¡°......¡± However, Rector didn¡¯t react at all. He simply examined the corpses of the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s swordsmen. ¡°Sir Rector?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve be a Grandmaster.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Sir Rector.¡± Raon nodded with a smile. He wasn¡¯t just saying it out of courtesy. He was sincerely expressing his gratitude. It was all thanks to the conversation between the Sword Demon and Glenn that he managed to quickly break through the wall and be a Grandmaster. ¡°I see.¡± The Sword Demon calmly nodded and raised his gaze. His emotionless eyes lookedpletely empty, without any sign of joy over their reunion. However, a faint and inscrutable light was glowing inside that emptiness. Raon swallowed nervously while looking into the Sword Demon¡¯s eyes. ¡®But why¡­?¡¯ He¡¯d thought that the Sword Demon would be d about him bing a Grandmaster, as if it were his own business. Instead, he lookedpletely unconcerned and disinterested. ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel right.¡¯ Raon was about to spread his aura perception in order to check if he was really the Sword Demon when the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s swordsmennded behind him. ¡°Sir Rector! They are from the Holy Sword Alliance!¡± Raon pointed at them, but Rector held his position without withdrawing or looking back. The Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons didn¡¯t move from behind Rector either. They almost looked like they were protecting him instead of attacking him. ¡°N-no way ¡­¡± ¡°It came down to this after all.¡± Rectornded on the ground with a cold expression. The frightening atmosphere around him could freeze the bone and flesh just from approaching. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡­¡± Rimmer stepped forward instead of Raon, who was staring with trembling hands. ¡°Yes.¡± The Sword Demon calmly nodded. ¡°I¡¯m the Master of the Bloody Sword of the Holy Sword Alliance.¡± He disclosed the fact that he was from the Holy Sword Alliance and unleashed the bloodlust in his gaze. Looking at his bloody eyes made a chill run down the spine. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-what did he just say?¡± ¡°Holy Sword Alliance? The Sword Demon?¡± The Light Wind swordsmen¡¯s eyes were also trembling in disbelief because they¡¯d spent a significant amount of time with him. ¡°Hey, old man.¡± Rimmer twisted his lips while using his left hand to point at Rector. ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?! Why did you suddenly decide to join the Holy Sword Alliance?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t join them.¡± The Sword Demon responded without even batting an eye. ¡°I was from the Holy Sword Alliance from the very beginning.¡± ¡°......¡± Raon clenched his fist to the point of bleeding while looking at Cloud¡¯s corpse. ¡®The one he mentioned was Sir Rector.¡¯ When Cloud shouted about why his swordsmanship wasn¡¯t working against him, he was talking about the Sword Demon. Raon could finally understand why his techniques felt familiar. ¡®Because I also learned from him.¡¯ Since they¡¯d learned the sword from the same person, he was used to Cloud¡¯s simplified versatile sword. ¡°So why the hell did you approach us when you were from the Holy Sword Alliance?! You were being sincere back then!¡± Rimmer shouted, his face red. He was as angry as when he was facing the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, implying that he had also taken a liking to the Sword Demon. ¡°Is there any reason I should answer your question?¡± Rector coldly shook his head. He extended his hand, and the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons surrounded the Light Wind division. ¡°Out of respect for our past, I¡¯ll quickly put an end to this.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°One problem after another!¡± The Light Wind division trembled furiously from the betrayal, but they still gathered to the center to activate the Light Wind Formation. However, the formation couldn¡¯t be perfectlypleted because they were exhausted both mentally and physically. Shring! Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and stood in front of the Light Wind division. ¡®We can¡¯t win against them.¡¯ It was different from the battle against the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Even if he still had the awakened state from back then, and even if he were in his best condition both in terms of aura and stamina, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fend off a single strike from Rector. The situation was pretty much over already. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand. The Holy Sword Alliance and Zieghart are enemies. Why did you teach me swordsmanship?¡± Raon asked the question not only because he had to buy some time, but also because he was really curious about it. ¡°It was just entertainment.¡± Rector shook his head with a voice devoid of any emotion. ¡°......¡± Raon bit his lip while observing Rector¡¯s coldplexion. ¡®There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true.¡¯ Rector had taught him sincerely. His gestures were always made with his best efforts, and he strived to teach him as much as possible. It could be understandable if there were another reason, but saying that it was just entertainment made no sense. However, the reason wasn¡¯t important for the time being. Rector was approaching in order to attack them himself. ¡°The alliance master will be satisfied if I return with you, who became a Grandmaster at twenty-one years old.¡± Hmm¡­ Raon looked at Wrath. He was just scratching his chin while staying unexpectedly quiet. ¡®Should I borrow Wrath¡¯s power right now? No, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯ His identity might be found out, and he couldn¡¯t tell what kind of aftereffect he was going to suffer if he used the Demon King¡¯s Advent once again. It had to be kept as thest resort. Letting Wrath take over his body wasn¡¯t an eptable choice either. He would ughter everyone in the area if he did. ¡®I¡¯ll let them take me. That¡¯s the best choice.¡¯ Since Rector wanted to take him to the Holy Sword Alliance, that implied that he had no intention of killing him. Since he could release Wrath once he arrived at the Holy Sword Alliance, Raon decided to follow him. Raon made up his mind and nodded. ¡°Are you going to let the Light Wind division go if I follow you?¡± ¡°The other ones should be meaningless.¡± Rector nodded without even looking at Rimmer and the Light Wind division. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°What kind of stupid shit is that?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it! Never!¡± ¡°Raon.¡± Rimmer, Martha, Burren, and Runaan stepped forward while breaking the sword formation, but Raon shook his hand to stop them. ¡°Stay back. They aren¡¯t nning to kill me since they want to take me with them.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to die, but we don¡¯t know what they are going to do to you!¡± ¡°Seriously, you¡­¡± ¡°This is an order from the temporary division leader. Stay back.¡± Raon ordered the Light Wind division to stay back and returned Heavenly Drive to its scabbard. ¡°A wise decision.¡± Rectorughed weakly and extended his hand. When his hand covered his vision, Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem with his left hand. ang! He thrust his sword, maximizing the Backstab¡¯s efficiency, but the zing ghastly energy around the de of Requiem was pushed back before it could cut through Rector¡¯s skin. ¡°Yes, Raon Zieghart should act like that.¡± Rector smiled as if he were expecting him to do so. He easily fended off the de of Requiem and extended his hand once again. The principle of versatile sword was dwelling in his hand even though it was a simple thrust. It was impossible to avoid or block. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Raon was looking at the approaching hand while biting his lip. Rip! The space between Raon and Rector was cleaved open deeply, and a tremendous amount of aura surged from it. The de tearing the space apart¡­ there was no way Raon wouldn¡¯t recognize that attack. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Stay away from my nephew!¡± Rector stepped back with a furrowed brow as hair the color of sunset wavered from the severed space. ¡°You damn geezer!¡± Chapter 568 Chapter 568 ¡°Is that Aries Zieghart?¡± Rector clicked his tongue in regret while looking at Aries standing in his way. ¡°No, it¡¯s not just you.¡± He flicked his eyes to the right while facing Aries. ¡°Huh?¡± Aries narrowed her eyes while pushing Rector¡¯s hand away with her sword. ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s dogs are only good at using a sword and have no quality for gathering information. How did you even figure out my name?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯d recognize the Pirate King from the Five Divine Orders.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the Pirate King!¡±She clenched her back teeth and stabbed her sword towards the left side of Rector¡¯s chest. Cring! Rector swung his right hand in a semi-circle. The side of his hand struck down as beautifully as the setting moon and redirected Aries¡¯s strike. The mysterious flow had removed the aura itself. Whaaam! With the trajectory being altered, Aries¡¯s attack smashed the ground and created a crack of a terrifying size. Whoosh! ck smoke surged from the ground and created a thin wall between Aries and Rector. ¡°How did you get here, Lady Aries¡­?¡± Raon swallowed nervously while watching Aries fix the grip of her sword. ¡°......¡± Aries didn¡¯t respond. She was spreading her frightening pressure around herself while ring at the smoke, showing her animosity towards Rector. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have spoken to her during a fight.¡¯ You really can¡¯t read the mood! Raon acknowledged his mistake and was about to step back when Wrath shook his finger. ¡®What?¡¯ It¡¯s not because you talked to her during a fight. It¡¯s because you used the wrong title! ¡®Title¡­¡¯ Something came up in Raon¡¯s mind, but he doubted it was the reason why. However, he still tried to call her by that title just in case. ¡°Auntie.¡± ¡°Yes! My nephew!¡± Aries immediately turned her head and smiled energetically. She looked like a whole different person from when she was showing her bloodlust towards Rector. ¡°H-how did you get here?¡± Raon unconsciously stuttered because it¡¯d been a while since thest time he¡¯d experienced that excessive reaction from Aries. ¡°I reluctantly returned to the house because they kept calling me over and over, but you weren¡¯t there anymore. I was waiting for you so I could see you before I went back, and I heard that the Light Wind division sent a request for reinforcements. That¡¯s why I immediately came running.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon fell speechless for a moment while meeting Aries¡¯s confident gaze. ¡®She acted so quickly.¡¯ Raon could guess that Aries had ignored Glenn¡¯s order and came running on her own ord. Just like her first impression, she seemed to be living as she pleased as a free spirit, regardless of Zieghart. ¡°Aunt¡­ Yes, you must be his aunt.¡± Rector nodded calmly after observing Raon and Aries one after the other. The look in his eyes had be even darker. ¡°What, are you jealous?¡± Aries curled her lips into a smile and tilted her head. ¡°I guess you would be. You would also brag about him everywhere if your nephew became a Grandmaster at twenty-one years old.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± ¡°Why were you trying to take him if it isn¡¯t the case?¡± ¡°......¡± Rector didn¡¯t respond and revealed a frightening gaze. His eyes were as dry as the desert, reminding Raon of the situation a moment ago. ¡®By the way¡­ couldn¡¯t he have just caught me a moment ago?¡¯ Since Raon was extremely close to Rector when he tried to take him by surprise with the de of Requiem, Rector should¡¯ve been able to catch him just by clenching his fingers. Even though Aries used the space sword, Rector should¡¯ve been faster. Raon almost felt like Rector had let him go on purpose. You guessed right. Wrath nodded while looking at Rector. That geezer didn¡¯t catch you on purpose. ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯ Raon weakly bit his lip while looking at Rector. He was certain of it because Wrath had agreed. He wasn¡¯t too sure why, but Rector must¡¯ve let him go on purpose. ¡®And the look in his eyes is a bit strange too.¡¯ Raon could tell because he was taught by Rector one-on-one. The man who personally demonstrated swordsmanship and exined for him still remained in eyes that seemed to be coated by a dry storm. Moreover, Raon suspected that he was rted to his father. He could guess that there must¡¯ve been some interference for such a drastic change to ur. ¡®Brainwashing? Or did someone get his weakness?¡¯ He¡¯d never heard that it was possible to brainwash a Transcender, but it seemed more usible because of how strange the situation was. ¡°Sir Rector, what even happened to you? If you were brainwashed or someone discovered your weakness¡­¡± ¡°Brainwashed?¡± Rector¡¯s cold gaze was directed at him. ¡°Do you really believe that a Transcender can be brainwashed?¡± His slightly curling lips curved into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m in the Holy Sword Alliance of my free will.¡± Rector confidently dered and unsheathed his sword. It was painful to watch the sword that used to teach him be directed at him instead. ¡®Is this another form of our bond¡­?¡¯ If it were in his previous life when he lived as an assassin, he would¡¯ve thrust his sword at Rector without feeling anything. However, since he¡¯d learned about bonding with people, he couldn¡¯t simply show his animosity towards him. Knowing the rtionship between people wasn¡¯t always advantageous. ¡°Rector.¡± Aries nodded while licking her dry lips. ¡°Yes, you are the Sword Demon. The great Sword Demon was from the Holy Sword Alliance. All of the reputation you¡¯ve gained so far will be utterly tarnished.¡± ¡°The reputation discussed by the others holds no importance.¡± Rector proudly raised his gaze, showing that he wasn¡¯t ashamed of himself. His sword incorporated his will and radiated in a dignified manner. ¡°What truly matters is the meaning I hold.¡± ¡°Even a wretched person can utter good words.¡± Aries chuckled, returned her sword to its scabbard, and lowered her posture. She seemed to be nning to use a sword draw to cut through the space and gain the upper hand in an instant. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯d better finish this quickly, both for you and me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°His grandfather is going to arrive soon. You know who he is, don¡¯t you?¡± She smiled while pointing at Raon. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon''s eyes widened. She seemed to be trying to deceive him just like she did against the dragon lord, but it wasn¡¯t going to work against Rector. ¡°Indeed, that might be the case.¡± However, Rector briefly nodded, showing that he believed her despite Raon¡¯s expectations, and raised his sword. The sword was approaching as slowly as a crawling turtle, but it looked extremely huge at the same time. Rumble! It felt like the entirend¡ªand even the world¡ªwas being stabbed by the sword. Raon¡¯s back was drenched in cold sweat as he watched the almost wless versatile sword executed by their enemy. ¡®Is this the true versatile sword?¡¯ The rings of fire rotated by themselves and analyzed the principles of Rector¡¯s versatile sword. Heavy sword, soft sword, slow sword, illusion sword, severing sword, and destructive sword. All of those principles created a beautiful harmony like the instruments of an orchestra, and a power exceeding the realm of swordsmanship was unleashed from it. Wham! Aries drew her sword while crushing thend with her left foot. The sword cut through the space along with a dazzling light and smacked into Rector¡¯s attack. aang! The thunderous sound of impact sounded like it was a sh between pirs instead of swords, and the wave of aura overturned thend. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he witnessed that terrifying scene. ¡®I can¡¯t step back. I need to stay here.¡¯ He had to maintain his distance from Aries in order to take Rector by surprise. However, he was more fixated at observing the sequence of Rector¡¯s artistic attacks rather than the surprise attack. Raon thought to himself that he must¡¯ve be a real swordsman, to be still focused on improving his swordsmanship even when his life was in danger. Cring! Aries took a step back from Rector and thrust the sword that she had pulled back. The space in front of Rector¡¯s chest opened up and the sword strike surged from it like lightning. However, Rector turned his shoulder and easily dodged it as if he already knew where her attack was going tond. He was reading the flow of the battle. ¡®As expected¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Rector¡¯sposed expression. ¡®He has the upper hand.¡¯ Even though they had both reached transcendence, Rector was superior to Aries. ¡°Are you sure you can take your time like that? His grandfather is going to arrive if you waste more time.¡± Aries bobbed her finger in provocation. She seemed to be trying to make Rector impatient enough to create an opening. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rector¡¯splexion remainedpletely unaffected as he scattered the light from his sword. The glowing light extended from his rotating wrist and pierced into Aries¡¯s distance in an instant. It was another sh through the space, distinct from the space sword from Aries. ¡°Tsk.¡± Aries clicked her tongue, clenched her sword with two hands, and swung it upwards diagonally. The formless aura twisted, pushing forward a wall capable of blocking the space. Aries¡¯s sword barrier shed against Rector¡¯s strike in the midst of the fissured space. aang! A tremendous shockwave erupted from inside the fissure, and the thin lines of the crack thickened before they tore apart. Thud! The intense wave of will spread around, copsing thend and creating a tornado falling from the sky, which seemed to have been crushed. Cring! Rector and Aries kept attacking each other from inside the tornado, which was the result of the sh between their wills. They seemed equally matched at first, but Aries was actually being pushed back little by little. However, she didn¡¯t withdraw even when she was injured, thrusting her sword even more fiercely. She fought Rector head-on, as if she were really trying to buy time for Glenn¡¯s arrival. Whaaam! Heaven and earth trembled from the showdown between Transcenders. Thend was dug out over and over, with no room left for fissures, creating a bottomless pit as a faint red light radiated from the split sky. Aries and Rector kept crossing their swords nonstop in the midst of the destroyed space and fissures. They were giving the impression that they had infinite auras, and their breathing was endless. However, Rector¡¯s sword rapidly bent and changed the trajectory. The de extended like lightning, engulfed by a movebining attack and defense. aang! Aries¡¯s sword was blocked, unable to advance any further. All directions where she could advance were blocked by Rector¡¯s will. It was literally a prison of will. Raon¡¯s fingertips were shaking as he witnessed how Rector¡¯s sword changed from a frail wind to a fiery lightning. ¡®This is strange¡­¡¯ Even though he¡¯d be a Grandmaster, it should¡¯ve been impossible for him to see so much from a battle between Transcenders. In fact, the space sword executed by Aries was beyond his understanding, and he couldn¡¯t grasp that much from it. However, Rector¡¯s sword was straight and honest, just like when he was sparring against him to teach him. Raon was reminded of his previous teachings, and he could feel through his skin how to achieve the versatile sword. ¡°Your talent is excellent. However¡­¡± Rector lowered his sword and shook his head. ¡°You are still inexperienced.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still in my prime, unlike you!¡± Aries curled her red lips into a smile and twisted open the prison of will. She thrust her de until the end while bleeding from not only her limbs but also her lips, managing to free herself from Rector¡¯s powerful shackle. ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to it since I¡¯ve seen enough of your skills.¡± Rector calmly nodded and raised his sword. He pointed the tip of his de at Aries, and it looked like he was the only one who existed in the world for a moment. The absolute presence emanating from him made him look like he had be a sword itself. ¡°You didn¡¯t get old just by idling around.¡± Aries bit her lip tightly, realizing that she was at a disadvantage. She clenched her sword with both hands tightly and unleashed a space sh, cutting down the aura itself. Whaaam! The majestic de that even managed to cut through the mad dragon Kaibar was tearing through Rector¡¯s space. Rector retained hisposure as if he had anticipated she would do at least that much and extended his sword, imbued with the principles of the versatile sword. The sublime light was about to fill the entire space, and Raon made his move. Raon drew Heavenly Drive from its scabbard, channeling the martial principle of the profoundly advanced realm. Raon Zieghart Style Swordy Fourth Form Blue Rain. The de surging by gnawing off the scabbard unleashed a distant sword resonance. The blue sound became a de and pierced into Rector¡¯s ears. However, he wasn¡¯t the only one who seized the opportunity for a surprise attack. Whaaam! Crimson beams stretched out one after the other from behind the copsed wall of the lord¡¯s manor. An old woman¡¯s mask was revealed above the fluttering robe, glowing radiantly. It was Merlin. He wasn¡¯t sure when she had started to prepare her spells, but her magic rushed to Rector¡¯s right side like a ray of light. Baaaang! A tremendous storm of light surged from Rector¡¯s spot upon taking Aries, Raon, and Merlin¡¯s attacks from three directions. The spells and sword strikes erupted one after the other and countless rays soared to the sky. ¡°Are we made for each other?¡± Merlin rolled her lips into a faint smile. ¡°Our timing was perfectly synchronized.¡± She raised her chin with an unusually seductive voice. ¡°Merlin?¡± Aries furrowed her brow while looking at Merlin. ¡°Why did that madwoman do this?¡± She shook her head, unable to understand the situation. ¡°She must be targeting me as well.¡± Raon shook his head while sticking next to Aries. ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to this situation for now.¡± ¡°Yes, we should.¡± Aries shook her hand, calling the wind to drive the sandstorm away. Whoosh! Rector hadn¡¯t moved an inch from the spot he had been standing. His clothes were slightly scorched and torn, but the damage he took didn¡¯t seem to be noticeable. However, a faint wound was created on his right shoulder, which Merlin had attacked. ¡°The timing of your surprise attack and the sharpness of your de¡­ You¡¯ve improved a lotpared to before.¡± Rector looked his way. His frightening gaze felt like he was about to stab his neck at any moment, but it also gave him the impression that he was proud of him. Raon started to think that he was going insane. ¡°And Merlin, was that surprise attack the Fallen¡¯s intention?¡± ¡°No, I just came out because you made me angry by trying to take Raon Zieghart away.¡± ¡°One Transcender and two Grandmasters¡­¡± He nodded while wiping away the blood flowing from his shoulder. ¡°It might take some time, but it won¡¯t be too bad.¡± ¡°Master of the Bloody Sword.¡± Just as Rector was about to make another move, the middle-aged man who seemed to be in charge of the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s sword demons approached him and quietly whispered to him. ¡°We need to withdraw.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The alliance master said it already. We can¡¯t sh against him right now.¡± The middle-aged man shook his head while mentioning the alliance master¡¯s name. ¡°Tsk.¡± Rector clicked his tongue in displeasure and sheathed his sword. ¡°You won¡¯t get another chance like this.¡± ¡°Hah, keep talking.¡± Aries furrowed her brow and shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re just running away because his grandfather ising. Why are you even bbering so much?¡± She snickered, immediately noticing who the middle-aged man was referring to. ¡°......¡± Rector didn¡¯t respond to her and looked at Raon instead. He met his eyes for an extremely brief period of time before he disappeared. ¡°......¡± Raon felt nauseous as he thought about Rector¡¯s cold and emotionless eyes. ¡®It¡¯s clear. He wanted to say something to me.¡¯ Rector might be in the Holy Sword Alliance because he really wanted to be there, but he still wanted to say something to him. Raon had a feeling that he¡¯de with the intention of teaching him and warning him to begin with. Moreover, it would be hisst lesson. ¡®What could it be?¡¯ * * * Rector stopped following the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance. ¡°Master of the Bloody Sword?¡± ¡°Go ahead and report. I¡¯m going to treat my injuries before I go.¡± He shook his head while pointing at his ear, where blood suddenly started to flow. ¡°Hmm, understood.¡± The middle-aged man nodded and went ahead with his subordinates to leave the forest. ¡°He really¡­¡± ¡°Master.¡± Mustan came walking from the deeper part of the forest while Rector was smiling. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mustan bit his lip. His eyes were clear, unlike before. ¡°¡­has an unbelievable talent.¡± Rector wiped away the blood flowing from his ear and murmured that Raon was impressive. A genuine smile appeared on his face for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I was asking if your mind is alright, master.¡± Mustan lowered his gaze with a gloomy expression as if he were fully aware of his circumstances. ¡°......¡± Rector didn¡¯t respond. He slowly raised his gaze and looked up at the clear sky. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I¡¯m alright or not. I¡¯m just doing what I have to do.¡± He sighed briefly. ¡°But it would be better to tell Sir Raon about it.¡± ¡°No.¡± Rector firmly shook his head. ¡°His radiance will fade if I¡¯m involved with him. I¡¯m tired of feeling regret. I¡¯ll be satisfied with protecting him from the shadows.¡± He smiled, showing that he¡¯d already made up his mind. ¡°You said that you can also do anything for Raon, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then follow me.¡± Rector held Mustan¡¯s shoulder and stood up. ¡°Since the path opened up from today¡¯s incident, the end should being soon.¡± Chapter 569 Raon chewed his lip while looking in the direction Rector had left. ¡®I don¡¯t understand what he¡¯s thinking.¡¯ Rector wanted to deliver a message but didn¡¯t seem to want to at the same time. It just didn¡¯t make any sense, but Raon really felt it that way. His gaze was as dry as desert at first, but moisture appeared in the end. Considering the fact that he still showed the flow of the versatile sword like he was teaching him even during the fight against Aries, he must¡¯ve visited in order to finish the lesson that couldn¡¯t be concluded. ¡®It sounds insane even though I came up with it.¡¯ Rector was there to kidnap him and had revealed that he was from the Holy Sword Alliance. Saying that he was there to teach him was just so absurd. Raon considered himself to be level-headed, but he couldn¡¯t help thinking like that. ¡®Is this what they call making excuses for myself.?¡¯ He felt like his mind was unreasonably trying to think positively because he didn¡¯t want to believe that Rector had betrayed him.¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled to spit out the confusion in his mind and went towards Aries. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°That geezer, he wasn¡¯t going all out.¡± Aries furrowed her brow while returning her sword to the scabbard. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the Sword Demon. He could¡¯ve cut an arm off at least if he wanted, but he just went easy on me and left.¡± She was also aware of the fact that Rector hadn¡¯t been going all out. ¡°I was underestimating him a bit, but the continent is vast.¡± Aries looked up to the sky, which had regained its blue color, and shifted her gaze to the copsed lord¡¯s manor. She tapped on her scabbard while looking at Merlin, who was being friendly, as if she were an ally. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for your help, but you are also going after my nephew, right?¡± ¡°Yes, and?¡± Merlin confidently nodded while meeting Aries¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve never seen a kidnapper act so confident before.¡± Aries gasped at her ridiculous behavior. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not going to kidnap him anymore. I know it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Then why did you disturb the Sword Demon?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s annoying when someone else takes what¡¯s yours.¡± Merlin casually shook her hand as if it were an obvious answer. The ck robe surrounding her was sparkling like a mirage. ¡°I¡¯lle backter when I have a chance.¡± ¡°Who told you that you could leave?¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Aries drew her sword at the speed of light before Raon could even stop her. Her sword strike had already reached Merlin before the de was even revealedpletely. Whaaap! However, Merlin became blurry and faded away without being injured in the slightest. It was apparently not her main body. ¡°Is it an illusion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simr to that.¡± Merlin poked her tongue out at Aries as if she were making fun of her. ¡°See youter.¡± She waved her hand at Raon and turned into bubbles, disappearing. ¡°Tsk, that damned magic.¡± Aries murmured in displeasure and returned her sword to its scabbard. Don¡¯t let your guard down! Wrath suddenly raised his head even though he¡¯d been hiding in fear ever since Merlin¡¯s appearance. There¡¯s no way that mad human would¡¯ve left just like that! She must be hiding somewhere and watching us! ¡®That sounds right¡­¡¯ It seemed likely. Raon had the feeling that Merlin would end up possessing another animal to watch them. ¡°How did this even happen?¡± Rimmer walked up to them with a furrowed brow. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like the type of person who would betray us¡­¡± He sighed. It looked like he couldn¡¯t believe that Rector was a part of the Holy Sword Alliance either. ¡°Your arm¡­¡± Aries finally noticed that Rimmer¡¯s right arm was gone. Her eyes widened. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯ve just invested it for the future.¡± Rimmer chuckled and shook his left hand. ¡°Future?¡± ¡°Our division leader lost his arm while protecting us.¡± Raon rubbed his fingertips while looking at Rimmer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°While protecting you?¡± Aries let her eyes flick between them, asking for an exnation. ¡°This crazy bastard went into a trance in the middle of a battlefield.¡± ¡°But that can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s not like you can enter a trance just because you want to.¡± ¡°He can do it on purpose.¡± Rimmer shook his head, and Aries¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon scratched his head and nodded. ¡°I had to take the gamble because we were going to be annihted otherwise.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Aries gasped in surprise. ¡°Does that mean that you awakened after entering the trance in the middle of a battlefield and defeated all the remaining ones afterwards?¡± ¡°It¡¯s close to that.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± She eximed loudly and stretched her arms. ¡°That¡¯s my nephew for you! Yes, a Zieghart has to be crazy enough to do that once we wield a sword!¡± Aries kept praising him and hugged him, either because Raon was the one who did it or because the results were good. ¡°Argh, w-wait a moment.¡± Raon struggled and tried to escape, but Aries didn¡¯t let him go and rubbed her cheek on him. The nauseous feeling subsided, probably because of the pure scent of the ocean that was unique to her. ¡°Auntie! Stop it!¡± ¡°Alright, nephew!¡± Aries finally stopped trapping him with her arms after he called her auntie. ¡°Yeah, you should call me auntie. I worked so hard to get you used to saying it, so why did you return to saying Lady Aries again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to use that title inside the house.¡± ¡°Who even stopped you? I¡¯ll beat them all up!¡± ¡°The head of house¡­¡± ¡°......¡± Aries swallowed nervously and shook her head. ¡°H-he is allowed to do that. Because he is my father.¡± She smiled awkwardly while unusually referring to Glenn as her father. ¡°Greetings, Lady Aries Zieghart.¡± The Light Wind swordsmen bowed at Aries. Since Aries didn¡¯t hold a rank in Zieghart, they showed their courtesy while calling her by her name. ¡°Why are you acting so stiff between family members?¡± Aries smiled cheerfully and shook her hand. ¡°Just take it easy and call me Aries. Ah, now that I think about it, I should have a niece and another nephew among you.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m Burren Zieghart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Martha! I respect you!¡± Burren awkwardly came forth, and Martha quickly jumped out with sparkling eyes, probably because she¡¯d witnessed her power. ¡°Yes, my niece and nephew. Nice to meet you!¡± Aries smiled deeply while hugging Burren and Martha. ¡°You aren¡¯t any less impressive than Raon. You are both Masters at your age! That¡¯s way faster than me!¡± She patted their heads, impressed about their skills. ¡°......¡± Runaan, who was the only one left alone, stood there nkly for a while before she went towards Aries to hug her on her own. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± Even Aries was surprised by Runaan¡¯s action and looked at her with trembling eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Runaan Sullion.¡± ¡°Ah, you are Rokan¡¯s daughter!¡± She smiled while calling Rokan by his name. ¡°Yeah, youe here, too! No,e here, everyone!¡± Aries exchanged greetings with everyone in the Light Wind division and lightened the heavy atmosphere. Thanks to her friendly and cool personality, the mood quickly brightened. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Aries furrowed her brow and shifted her gaze. ¡°What rtionship did you have with the Sword Demon?¡± She brought up the most sensitive topic after she greeted everyone. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Since everyone in the Light Wind division had received swordsmanship lessons from the Sword Demon and grew close to him, they just lowered their heads, unable to say anything. ¡°Sir Rector gave us various lessons.¡± Raon let out a small sigh and opened his mouth. ¡°When we went to House Arianne in the past¡­¡± He told her about how they met the Sword Demon and how they¡¯ve gotten along after that. ¡°I see.¡± Aries nodded, understanding why the mood was so gloomy. Unexpectedly, she didn¡¯tfort them or try to encourage them. She seemed to be keeping quiet because she wasn¡¯t there to experience it. She was an adult who knew exactly when to act and when to not. ¡°Hey, you, we need to talk.¡± ¡°Huh? Why me?! I¡¯m a patient!¡± Aries waved her hand at the Light Wind division and dragged Rimmer away. ¡°The Sword Demon is from the Holy Sword Alliance. How did this happen?¡± Burren exhaled his frustration while watching Rimmer being dragged away on the ground. ¡°He said it was entertainment! He was toying with us!¡± Martha bit her lip tightly, frustrated by the fact that she¡¯d developed any affection towards the Sword Demon. ¡°......¡± Runaan quietly stared at the sky without saying anything. She seemed to be taking it even more seriously than others because of what had happened with Syria. ¡°What do you think, vice division leader? Did he really betray us?¡± Dorian anxiously took out a snack from his belly pocket and ate it with a trembling chin. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡± Raon weakly shook his head, unlike his usual attitude. He couldn¡¯t say anything because he was even more shocked than the Light Wind division. ¡°But one thing is certain. Sir Rector is our enemy, and you should make sure to remember that fact.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The Light Wind division slowly nodded. It was a weak response, but Raon didn¡¯t scold them. ¡°Let¡¯s report for now.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Raon extended his hand, and Dorian took out a report paper and gave it to him. He took five more seconds than usual to take it out, implying that he was also feeling extremely tired. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon patted Dorian¡¯s shoulder and put his pen on the report. He contemted what to write, then wrote everything that had happened during the mission, tearing off the part about the Sword Demon at the end. ¡®I want to tell him about this personally.¡¯ Glenn had also gotten close to Rector whilepeting with the swordsmanship lessons. Since Raon had seen them talking to each other quite oftenter, he didn¡¯t want to convey it through a letter. ¡®Instead¡­¡¯ He wrote something that he normally wouldn¡¯t write on the back of the paper before he returned it to Dorian. ¡°I¡¯ll send it right now.¡± Dorian gave Siollen, who he¡¯d been carrying on his back, to Krein before he put the report inside an envelope and prepared to send it to the house. Raon sighed quietly while watching Siollen, who had a tense expression on her face even during her sleep. ¡®I think I can understand the pain you are feeling, even though it¡¯s just a small portion.¡¯ * * * Chad, the leader of Shadow Agents, hurriedly ran to the audience chamber¡¯s door and knocked. ¡°My lord!¡± The door opened before the knocking sound even resounded inside the room, and Roenn¡¯s faintly smiling face appeared. ¡°Please enter.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Chad lowered his head to Roenn and entered the audience chamber. Glenn was sitting on the throne, his legs were shaking and a frown on his face, implying that he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. It felt like the entire lord¡¯s manor was vibrating along with the shaking of his leg. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Glenn raised his eyes, urging him to state his business. ¡°W-we¡¯ve received news from the Light Wind vice division leader.¡± ¡°What?¡± Chad took out the envelope from his inner pocket and crimson vitality welled up in Glenn¡¯s eyes. His back parted from the throne as he cheerfully waved his hand. ¡°Are the youngsters alright?¡± ¡°Yes. Some of them are severely injured, but there are no fatalities. However, there was an issue in the process¡­¡± ¡°Issue?¡± ¡°Yes. The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and Cloud, who seemed to be responsible for the matter with the Holy Sword Alliance, arrived faster than anticipated. The battle against them broke out right away¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn frowned, finding that Chad was reading the report too slowly. ¡°Can¡¯t you read a bit faster?¡± ¡°Ah, I-I¡¯ll read faster!¡± Chad nervously wiped his forehead and ended up dropping his sweat on the report. ¡°Oh!¡± Glenn extended his hand in surprise, and the report left Chad¡¯s hand. It was sucked into Glenn¡¯s grasp. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Glenn evaporated the sweat on the report and red furiously at Chad. ¡®How could he let his dirty sweat get on this precious report?¡¯ It was rare for Raon to write the report instead of Rimmer. Glenn was furious at Chad because he dared get his sweat on a report that needed to be treasured for their entire life. However, he couldn¡¯t show that on the outside, so he simply frowned and read the report. Raon¡¯s writing was calm and objective. They tried to prevent House Lakion¡¯s betrayal in advance, but Huan didn¡¯t yield and they had to execute many warriors on the spot. They defeated the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword who came after that, and all of that was written in hisposed writing. ¡®He cut out the rotten sprout that I should¡¯ve severed.¡¯ Dozens of years had passed since Zieghart¡¯s advance came to a halt. It could be called obvious that there were issues inside and out. He was nning on examining the vassal houses one after the other since he had finished cleaning up the interior, but Raon had taken care of it as if he were saying that he didn¡¯t need to do so. Calling him praiseworthy was far too insufficient when to capture the magnitude of his achievement. ¡°It¡¯s an amazing achievement.¡± Chad furtively raised his head. ¡°If House Lakion kept hiding their ns, they would have stabbed us in the back eventually. Since he managed to stop them before it happened, it¡¯s a feat far better than excellent.¡± ¡°The same went for House Sullion. If it weren¡¯t for the young master Raon, Syria would¡¯ve taken over the house by now,¡± Roenn added. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Glenn nodded with an ambiguous look in his eyes since he couldn¡¯t tantly be happy about it. ¡°Anyway, Rimmer must be feeling better now.¡± He briefly nodded while thinking that Rimmer¡¯s revenge was finally over, instead of about Raon. ¡°Indeed.¡± Roenn nodded as well, a faint smile on his face. ¡°I wonder if he is going to return to his previous self now.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure about that. He¡¯s fallen way too low¡­¡± ¡°E-erm¡­¡± Chad raised his hand, his face red. ¡°Did you check the back of the page, by any chance?¡± ¡°The back?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a line written on the back.¡± He gave a big nod, saying that he should definitely check it out. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn flipped the report. His lips trembled intensely upon reading the single line written on the back. ¡°Gr-Grandmaster? He became a Grandmaster?!¡± Glenn briskly stood up while crushing the throne¡¯s armrest in the process. ¡°Huhu¡­¡± Roenn was also surprised, and his gentleughter suddenly stopped. ¡°Damn it!¡± Glenn stomped the ground so powerfully that the tform was on the verge of being destroyed. ¡°Hieeh!¡± Chad quickly gained distance in surprise. ¡®Wh-why is he reacting like that?¡¯ He¡¯d told him because he thought Glenn would be happy about it, yet he was unexpectedly furious. ¡®Doesn¡¯t he cherish the Light Wind vice division leader?¡¯ He watched Glenn while thinking that it was strange when the man¡¯s lips slowly parted. ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t time for it yet, but he already surpassed the wall! And I couldn¡¯t even witness it!¡± Glenn crushed the only armrest left on the throne into powder, venting that he¡¯d missed the moment Raon surpassed the wall. Crack! Red lightning urred on its own and surrounded the tform. It looked like a crimson storm was about to rage soon enough. ¡°Aries! If it wasn¡¯t for her, I would¡¯ve seen him surpass the wall!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Chad¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡®That¡¯s the reason?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t because Glenn wasn¡¯t happy about Raon bing a Grandmaster¡ªhe was just extremely sad that he couldn¡¯t witness it himself. ¡®I should stop thinking. I just need to get on Raon Zieghart¡¯s good side.¡¯ Chad clenched his fist, resolving to prepare a grand greeting for Raon and the Light Wind division. * * * Raon went to Siollen¡¯s room upon hearing that she had woken up. ¡°S-Sir Raon!¡± Siollen rolled from her bed but immediately stood up and ran towards him. The bruises on her thighs and forearms stood out painfully, the deep color impossible to miss. ¡°What happened to Daddy and my brothers?¡± The girl was looking for her father and brothers even though she had just woken up after being tortured. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed quietly and went on one knee to meet Siollen¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I did my best, but I couldn¡¯t keep my promise.¡± ¡°......¡± Siollen gulped and sank down so that she was sitting. ¡°Th-then¡­¡± ¡°The energy of their demonic sword had reached all the way to their brains, and there was no other way.¡± Huan Lakion had be insane enough to absorb the lives of his subordinates, and even his own sons and daughter. Even if he could return to the past, killing him would¡¯ve been the only choice. ¡°Actually¡­¡± Siollen grasped the carpet with her small fist, her eyelids trembling in sadness. ¡°I knew it happened as soon as I woke up¡ªthat the result was different from my wish.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I still had some hope, just in case, but the bad feeling never misses.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, you said you did your best.¡± The girl forced herself to smile and shook her head. ¡°What is going to happen to me now?¡± Siollen raised her trembling eyes. Rather than fear, sadness was deeply engraved in them. ¡°Since I¡¯m the daughter of a house of traitors, am I going to be locked in Zieghart¡¯s prison?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± Raon shook his head. Glenn in his current state was never going to do such a thing, and Raon would stop him even if he did. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Siollen lowered her head to put her thoughts together for a moment before she raised it back up. ¡°I¡¯d like to protect this house.¡± ¡°This house?¡± ¡°Yes. Because It¡¯s the ce I lived with my dad, mom, and brothers.¡± The girl bit her lip, saying that she wanted to protect her memories with her family at least. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly. ¡®Can she do it?¡¯ About half of House Lakion¡¯s warriors had survived, but nothing guaranteed that they were going to follow Siollen. Even if they did, it was going to be a difficult path for a child. ¡°It will be difficult.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Siollen confidently raised her head, showing that she had already made up her mind. Her straight and clear eyes showed that she had already hardened her determination. ¡®Well, she was the child who tried to disclose the wrongdoings inside her house.¡¯ She was the one who went to the Zieghart branch and exposed her family¡¯s disgrace in order to save them. Raon could guess that she was fully capable of oveing the difficulty of reviving her house. ¡°Thene to Zieghart with me.¡± ¡°To Zieghart?¡± ¡°Yes. You will have to meet the head of our house.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He is a wise man.¡± ¡°I-I understand.¡± Siollen clenched her small fist and nodded. ¡°We are going to leave tomorrow, so rest for now.¡± Raon told Siollen to rest and left her room. She is so praiseworthy even though she is so small! Wrath sniffled. There are crazy people around here like you, but there are also praiseworthy children like her. The King of Essence can¡¯t bring himself to hate this ce because of them! It would¡¯ve been better if he was simplyplimenting her, but he was also criticizing Raon at the same time, his eyes teary. ¡®Yes, children should be more unreasonable at her age.¡¯ Raon could finally understand why Sylvia didn¡¯t want him to mature so quickly. Raon sighed briefly while looking up at the dark night sky. ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯ The injuries weren¡¯t that severe, but he felt mentally exhausted because of Rector¡¯s betrayal. He missed his home and wanted to see Sylvia and the people in the annex building. ¡®And him.¡¯ Interestingly enough, he even wanted to see Glenn. He wanted to hear him say ¡®good job¡¯ with his cold voice. ¡°I want to see all of them.¡± Raon was smiling awkwardly just as the bushes on the right side of the lodgings started to rustle and a roon came out, pointing at itself. ¡°Talking about me?¡± ¡°......¡± Raon closed his eyes tightly. Chapter 570 Raon lifted his trembling eyelids. ¡®I wasn¡¯t dreaming after all.¡¯ A roon with a few leaves on its forehead was standing confidently, as if it were a human being, and was staring at him. ¡®Wrath, you were right.¡¯ Raon tapped on Wrath, who had perfectly predicted that situation. ¡®Wrath?¡¯ Uaah¡­ Wrath dropped to the ground with a groan that sounded like he¡¯d been stabbed by a de. He must¡¯ve been too surprised by Merlin¡¯s appearance and lost consciousness. ¡®A human being managed to make a demon king faint¡­¡¯Raon picked Wrath up and put him on his shoulder while shaking his head. ¡°Come this way for now.¡± Raon gestured with his hand at Merlin, then went into the lord¡¯s manor, where the debris remained. He created an aura barrier to prevent others from hearing them and sat on a chair that was in rtively better condition. ¡°I love this kind of consideration.¡± Merlin smiled happily while sitting on the chair on his opposite side. ¡°Anyway, have you been around all this time?¡± ¡°Yes. Why would I leave when you are staying here?¡± She elegantly swept her hair back, responding like it was an obvious question. She seemed to be forgetting the fact that she looked like a roon. ¡°I should be thanking you before anything else. Thank you for stopping Sir Rector.¡± Raon lowered his head at Merlin. ¡®It would¡¯ve been a lot more difficult if Merlin wasn¡¯t here.¡¯ It was thanks to Merlin¡¯s appearance that the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s executive told Rector to return. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that she¡¯d saved everyone. ¡°There¡¯s no need for thanks between us.¡± Merlin waved her furry hand, telling him that he shouldn¡¯t be thanking her. ¡®Between us¡­¡¯ Raon wanted to ask what exactly their rtionship was, but something else took priority. ¡°Is it really fine for you to act like this?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while touching the throne¡¯s armrest. ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You disturbed the White Blood Religion in Banneret and you stood in the Holy Sword Alliance¡¯s way this time. Isn¡¯t there going to be an issue from Eden?¡± ¡°No.¡± She shook her head so firmly that Raon was confused for worrying about her. ¡°I¡¯ve always done whatever I wanted even before I met you. They shouldn¡¯t say anything, they¡¯ll just think that the crazy woman did something crazy again.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Aah, this is so nice. Because you are worried about me, it¡¯s sending shivers through me¡­¡± Merlin blushed while stroking her arms. Raon never expected to see a blushing roon in his lifetime. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t really matter even if it bes problematic. I can just leave Eden if that happens. The only reason I¡¯m in Eden right now is because it¡¯s helpful to you.¡± She shook her hand, saying that she wasn¡¯t interested in the restoration that Eden was trying to achieve at all. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.¡± Raon sighed and pointed at her head. ¡°The Fallen or other executives from Eden might have ced some restrictions on you.¡± ¡°Yes, they did.¡± Merlin nodded with a faint smile. ¡°But I removed them.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Merlin, who was smiling calmly. ¡°I-it was ced by the Fallen, right?¡± ¡°Yes. It took a long time because it was almost unrecognizable andplicated, but I managed to remove it in the end.¡± Merlin was full of surprises the more he talked to her. ¡°Was it something like brainwashing?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t brainwashing. It was a restriction that made me unconsciously unable to lie.¡± She told him how it worked, but he couldn¡¯t really understand it because it was magic. ¡®She removed the Fallen¡¯s spell. Impressive. But¡­ was it really the only one? It¡¯s the Fallen we are dealing with.¡¯ The Fallen was the leader of Eden, and he was one of the best magicians and sorcerers in the entire continent. Raon didn¡¯t think that a person like him would¡¯ve only ced a single restriction on her. ¡®Because he gives off a simr feeling to Derus.¡¯ The same thing had happened in his previous life. He¡¯d been waiting for the day when he could leave House Robert without taking any countermeasures because he was satisfied by the fact that the brainwashing was removed. However, Derus had been reading all of his thoughts through the rage worm, which could even read the emotions of its host, and had taken the initiative. Since the Fallen wasn¡¯t an easy opponent either, it required the utmost attention. ¡°There might be another restriction than that spell, so take a day to look into yourself thoroughly. Not just your head, but also your heart and organs. He might have ced a rage worm in you.¡± Raon advised Merlin with the lesson from his previous life. ¡®Did I talk too much?¡¯ He felt like it coulde off as an unnecessary meddling because he even said something unnecessary. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll do it!¡± However, Merlin smiled cheerfully and nodded, showing that it made her happy instead. She seemed to be extremely happy about it. ¡°You should be careful too. Three out of the five demons are targeting you.¡± Merlin tapped on his hand, telling him to be careful as well. ¡°I heard the White Blood Religion, Holy Sword Alliance, and the ck Tower have formed an alliance. Is that true?¡± Raon tapped the armrest with his finger, stating the names of the three Five Demons that she¡¯d mentioned. ¡°It should be true. I¡¯m not exactly sure about the White Blood Religion, but I heard that the Holy Sword Alliance master had a meeting with the ck Tower¡¯s master.¡± Merlin nodded with a peaceful expression on her face. ¡°So it did happen.¡± He¡¯d guessed it from the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s reaction, but the Holy Sword Alliance and the ck Tower had really formed an alliance. He could guess that a drastic change was about to ur in the continent. ¡°How about your faction, Eden?¡± ¡°It looks like we aren''t really nning on cooperating with others.¡± Merlin slowly shook her head. ¡°The Fallen and the other executives are solely fixated on the restoration. The same goes for the Heavenly Demon, and there seems to be no reason for them to ally with others as a result. However¡­¡± She raised her hand and tapped on her cheek. ¡°They might take advantage of an incident caused by the others.¡± ¡°In the end, Eden also requires attention.¡± ¡°Yes. The Fallen is waiting for the Holy Sword Alliance, the White Blood Religion, and the ck Tower to sh with the Six Kings. He will be trying to fulfill his ns in the process.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that n?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Merlin shrugged her shoulders, saying that the Fallen was the only one who knew his n. ¡°Oh, right! I should¡¯ve congratted you earlier. Congrattions on bing a Grandmaster!¡± Merlin suddenly pped her hands and shouted her congrattions for him bing a Grandmaster. Raon thought that she was seriously unpredictable. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Raon chuckled. Merlin ended up being the first one to congratte him for bing a Grandmaster somehow. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to reach transcendence.¡± Merlin¡¯s sparkling eyes showed that she believed in it from the bottom of heart. However, she couldn¡¯t ovee the animal instinct and started to scratch her belly. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t understand why happy moments pass by so quickly. I need to leave now.¡± Raon swallowed nervously, his gaze fixated at Merlin¡¯s mouth. ¡®Is it food this time? Or brushing furs?¡¯ Since he had no idea what the roon was going to ask, he felt as nervous as during a battle. ¡°This one wants to try out a hot spring.¡± ¡°H-hot spring¡­?¡± Raon¡¯s head became empty because of thepletely unexpected word. ¡°Give this one a bath!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Raon tried to stop her, but Merlin was already gone and the roon that was left behind was moving on all fours, unlike her. ¡°Kyuu.¡± The roon tapped on his ankle with its plump hand, urging him to make the hot spring already. ¡®Do I really need to dig out the ground and heat the water in the middle of night¡­?¡¯ Raon closed his eyes once again tightly. * * * Since it was an important matter, the Light Wind division quickly returned to the house without even having a proper rest after the intense battle. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Zieghart¡¯s main gate, which was fully open. ¡®Why is the gate open?¡¯ It was rare for Zieghart¡¯s main gate to be open. Even for the members of the house, they needed to get their identity checked before the gate opened. Raon could guess that something must¡¯ve happened. Raon walked up to the main gate while trying to guess what kind of incident there was, and the externalmander, Illiune, came out at lightning speed. For some reason, a bruise had darkened the area around his left eye. ¡°Wee back!¡± Illiune gave a 90 degree bow towards Aries. ¡°Yeah, externalmander. Keep up with your good work.¡± Aries smiled cheerfully and lightly patted Illiune¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yes!¡± Illiune merely trembled his shoulders without straightening his back. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon gasped while watching that scene. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ As the externalmander, Illiune had always acted proudly even towards the powerful people from the outside, yet he was crouching like a roly poly for some reason. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯ve had a few arguments before.¡± Aries chuckled, noticing the confused gaze from Raon. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just an argument. Didn¡¯t you one-sidedly beat him up back then?¡± Rimmer shook his head while scratching his scalp with his left hand. ¡°If I remember correctly, you broke all of his limbs, and he had to be hospitalized for over two months. Considering the bruise around his eye, you must¡¯ve beaten him up again.¡± He briefly clicked his tongue while describing the matter from their past in detail. ¡°Shut your mouth¡­ Huh?¡± Illiune frowned at Rimmer and suddenly widened his eyes. ¡°Your arm!¡± His lips trembled as he looked at the empty sleeve of Rimmer¡¯s right arm. ¡°Well, it just happened.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly, saying that it was better than dying. ¡°You crazy bastard! How can you say that?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Everyone with a bright future waiting for them survived. One of them even managed to surpass the wall.¡± He closed his eyes, saying that he was satisfied with Raon and the Light Wind division¡¯s survival. ¡°Hmm.¡± Illiune saw Raon, who was standing behind Rimmer. His eyes were trembling just like when he was facing Aries. ¡°Did he really be a Grandmaster?¡± He fell speechless for a moment in disbelief. ¡°I can remember the day he left this gate as a trainee as if it were yesterday, but he is already a Grandmaster. Calling him a monster isn¡¯t enough to describe him.¡± ¡°I was just lucky.¡± ¡°Luck can bring you to the Master¡¯s realm, but you can¡¯t be a Grandmaster that way.¡± Illiune straightened his back and pulled his chin towards him. ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard to look after this idiot. Wee back.¡± He ced his hand on his chest and saluted in Zieghart¡¯s way. Raon swallowed nervously while receiving his disciplined greeting. ¡°Externalmander?¡± Illiune had been somewhat polite after he¡¯d be the vice division leader, but it was the first time he had shown such extreme courtesy. ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly and gripped Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Because this is the position you are in right now.¡± He murmured that he could look forward to interesting things happening in the future. ¡°By the way, who were you referring to when you said idiot?¡± Rimmer asked, making Raon and Illiune look at him at the same time. ¡°Y-you damn bastards! Why am I an idiot?!¡± He started to rampage, but Aries stomped the ground powerfully. ¡°Come here already! Our head of house is waiting for us!¡± Aries raised her fist, saying that she was going to drag them along if they didn¡¯t start running right away. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon walked through the central avenue with Rimmer, whose face had turned red. ¡°It¡¯s Lady Aries¡­¡± ¡°She has a whole different pressure around her.¡± ¡°Even the division leader¡ªno, even the pce masters are no match for her¡­¡± The Zieghart swordsmen passing by the avenue could only admire as they witnessed Aries. However, she wasn¡¯t the only person that they were admiring. ¡°I-is that really Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°The atmosphere around him haspletely changed.¡± ¡°He really did be a Grandmaster¡­¡± ¡°Th-then he must¡¯ve defeated the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword too!¡± ¡°A twenty-one-year-old Grandmaster? It¡¯spletely unprecedented.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d he¡¯s from our house. If he were from another house or kingdom, I would¡¯ve been so jealous I could die.¡± Raon lowered his eyebrows slightly while listening to the intense reactions from the swordsmen. ¡®Their reactions are different from before.¡¯ There were many asions when the swordsmen were surprised or admiring when he returned from a mission in the past. However, the direct lines or those who followed them were always ring at him with jealousy and hatred, yet it didn¡¯t exist at all anymore. Every single swordsman on the avenue was watching him in awe. It¡¯s only natural. Wrath nodded while looking down on the swordsmen. Humans and demons alike will simply be filled with awe, unable to even muster jealousy in the face of such overwhelming power and talent. They won¡¯t even be able to see you as the same kind of existence as them anymore. Wrath pped his hands, saying that there were going to be way less people bold enough to defy him in the future. ¡®I see.¡¯ Raon headed to the lord¡¯s manor, realizing that a lot had changed not only in the world inside him but also outside. ¡°Wee.¡± Roenn was in front of the lord¡¯s manor to receive him. He lowered his head at Aries and briefly closed his mouth upon seeing Rimmer. ¡°¡­Thank you for your work.¡± Roenn greeted Rimmer and Raon with his eyes one after the other before he guided them to the audience chamber. The audience chamber¡¯s door was wide open, just like Zieghart¡¯s main gate, and the executives that had influence inside the house were standing on both sides of the red carpet at the center. Glenn Zieghart was sitting on the tform at the center of it all, his gaze filled with emptiness and his chin supported with his hand. ¡°The Light Wind division haspleted the mission and returned.¡± Since Rimmer was injured, Raon walked up to the tform and went on his knees as the temporary division leader. Everyone in the Light Wind division knelt after him and lowered their heads. ¡°Raise your heads.¡± Glenn calmly nodded, then frowned upon seeing Rimmer¡¯s right sleeve. ¡°Light Wind division leader, what happened to your arm?¡± ¡°My skills werecking.¡± Rimmer lowered his head, saying that his own skills were insufficient instead of giving any excuses in front of Glenn. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon raised his gaze upon hearing his call. ¡°There are some contents that weren¡¯t written on the report.¡± Raon stated the thought that he had when he wrote the report. ¡°Aries.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You were acting like you were going to solve everything, so howe you couldn¡¯t even stop that from happening?¡± Glenn furrowed his brow at Aries this time. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Auntie¡¯s fault.¡± Raon stepped up in order to stop him from reprimanding Aries. ¡°Auntie?¡± Karoon dragged out the word ¡®auntie¡¯ powerfully. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at Karoon. ¡®How could I make such a mistake¡­?¡¯ The word unconsciously came out because Aries had been threatening him into calling her auntie all along on the way back. ¡°Did you just call her your aunt?¡± Karoon curled his lips into a smile as if he¡¯d received a perfect opportunity to criticize him. ¡°Who is your auntie here?! Know your ce, you donkey!¡± ¡°Hey.¡± When he took the opportunity to pressure him, Aries went up to Karoon and raised her chin. ¡°Shut your mouth if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± Aries red at Karoon like a ferocious, agitated beast. ¡°It¡¯s me who wanted to be called auntie. Why are you trying to fuck with that?!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Karoon couldn¡¯t even close his mouth because of the frightening wave of energy emanating from Aries, standing there with a trembling chin. ¡°Hey, Aries.¡± Denier observed the lord¡¯s manor, which had fallen quiet, and lowered his voice. ¡°We are in front of our lord. We should watch our words¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told him to shut his mouth instead of telling him to shut the fuck up! Fight me if you have a problem!¡± ¡°......¡± The lord¡¯s manor became even quieter. Chapter 571 ¡°Kuh!¡± Karoon was unable to open his mouth again. ring at Aries was all he could do. The way he was biting his lip suggested that he was forcing himself to suppress his frustration. ¡°Aries¡­¡± Denier quickly shook his head. He put his hands together, murmuring for her to please hold back. ¡°Hmm!¡± Balder tightly closed his mouth, only looking in front of him, afraid that her fury would reach him. ¡°If any of you open your mouth from now on, we¡¯ll have a duel to the death. Get it?¡± Aries looked at Karoon, Denier, and Balder one after the other and raised her chin. ¡°Hmm¡­¡±Even though the pce masters were well known for their prowess, they closed their mouths, showing that they didn¡¯t want a duel to the death against a Transcender. Aries sessfully silenced her brothers before she returned to Raon¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯m calling my nephew ¡®my nephew¡¯. Come out if you have an issue with that. I¡¯ll dly take you on.¡± She bobbed her finger, telling even the other executives toin if they wanted. Obviously, no one raised their hand. ¡°None? Then if anyone stops him from calling me aunt in the future¡­¡± ¡°Eh, Lady Aries.¡± Raon stopped Aries and pointed above the tform. Glenn had his hand raised in an extremely casual manner. ¡°Aries Zieghart.¡± Glenn looked down upon Aires with his eyes filled with vanity. ¡°You still haven¡¯t lost your reckless demeanor even with age.¡± ¡°Haa, I knew this was going to happen.¡± Aries exhaled quietly and raised her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware why there¡¯s a separation between the direct line and coteral. I do agree that it¡¯s necessary. However, the situation has changed now.¡± She confidently straightened her back, showing that she didn¡¯t want to yield to Glenn either. ¡°Raon should¡¯ve been a part of the direct line to begin with, and he¡¯s proven that he deserved to be a member of the direct line.¡± Aries took another step towards Glenn and raised her voice. ¡°He became a Grandmaster at twenty-one years old, he¡¯s in the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple, and he¡¯s even killed the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Even a person from the outside could have be a part of the direct line with those achievements. Why does Raon have to receive such a strict treatment?¡± ¡°L-Lady Aries!¡± Raon extended his hand in an attempt to stop her, but she advanced even further. ¡°What if Raon decides to leave to a different faction? Every single faction is going to wee him¡ªthe Six Kings, Five Demons, and the Five Divine Orders alike. Will you regret it after he is gone?¡± Aries¡¯s eyes reflected her sorrow as she nced back at Raon. ¡°Of course, he isn¡¯t going to leave Zieghart. However, he deserves to be treated ording to his achievements and skills!¡± She snorted lightheartedly, as if she¡¯d said everything she wanted. ¡°You make a good point.¡± Glenn calmly nodded at Aries. ¡°However, you were acting up even more than the Light Wind vice division leader, and I hadn¡¯t heard what he¡¯s achieved yet.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Aries scratched the back of her head and fell back, feeling awkward about stepping up even more than the Light Wind division. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°State what the Light Wind division has done.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon nodded and stepped forward. ¡°We suspected House Lakion as soon as we arrived at the Sinigan branch. A close examination of the corpses at the destroyed branch allowed us to tell that it wasn¡¯t the White Blood Religion¡¯s doing, and¡­¡± He told everyone in the audience chamber about what happened after they arrived at the Sinigan branch until the moment he killed the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. ¡°D-did he just say he fell into a trance in the middle of a battlefield?¡± ¡°He is insane. No, is that precisely the reason why he managed to reach that realm?¡± ¡°How could a youngster be so bold¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m d he didn¡¯t join us. It would¡¯ve been impossible to handle him.¡± ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple and even the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. He¡¯s achieved great deeds once again¡­¡± The executives gasped while admiring every single one of Raon and the Light Wind division¡¯s achievements. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m the only person who can handle this crazy guy.¡± Rimmer smiled cheerfully, enjoying their exmations. ¡°Excellent.¡± Glenn nodded, covering his mouth with the hand that used to support his chin. ¡°Revealing the sin of House Lakion to stop their wrongdoing, ying the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, and bing a Grandmaster at your young age. Every single one is a great achievement, eachcking any w.¡± He stared at Raon while acknowledging his achievements. His hand covering his mouth looked like it was trembling intensely. ¡°My lord.¡± Raon stepped forward and lowered his head. ¡°It was all thanks to this child that we managed to reveal the sin of House Lakion.¡± Siollen was with Dorian, and Raon called her toe next to him. ¡°If Siollen hadn¡¯t mustered the courage two whole times, House Lakion would¡¯ve managed to hide their ns all along and attacked us from the behind in the end.¡± Raon smiled faintly while patting Siollen¡¯s back. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her face was pale from her nerves, but her redplexion returned. ¡°Indeed.¡± Glenn briefly nodded while looking at Siollen. His voice sounded slightly softer. ¡°E-excuse me!¡± Siollen went on her knees and lowered her head. ¡°I have a request I¡¯d like to ma-make!¡± She mmed her head on the ground while biting her lip. ¡°You don¡¯t need to act so polite. Stand up.¡± Glenn casually shook his hand, and Siollen¡¯s head was raised in a natural manner. ¡°What¡¯s your request?¡± ¡°Pl-please allow me to manage House Lakion!¡± Siollen repeated what she¡¯d told Raon when she was bedridden. ¡°We¡¯ll support Zieghart, and make sure this kind of thing never happens again. Please!¡± Glenn didn¡¯t respond to her and looked at Raon. ¡°Who managed to survive from House Lakion?¡± ¡°About two-fifths of the previous members survived. They aren¡¯t that powerful, but they are highly loyal to the house.¡± Raon emphasized the fact that they were useful people in order to support Siollen. ¡°Management of a house isn¡¯t something that a child can do.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow slightly while looking back at Siollen. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°However.¡± Siollen¡¯s expression started to harden when Glenn¡¯s voice continued. ¡°If she showed her determination even when her family was torturing her, she can¡¯t be considered a child anymore.¡± He nodded while meeting Siollen¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll be watching for a while.¡± ¡°Th-thank you! Thank you!¡± Siollen mmed her forehead on the ground to the point where it made a thudding sound. ¡°Y-you can stand up now.¡± Raon forcibly dragged Siollen back because she was still crouching like arva. ¡°It¡¯s all concluded now, right?¡± Aries shook her hand with a bright smile on her face, d about the matter being nicely concluded. ¡°Since the matter in House Lakion is solved, Raon will be my nephew from now on and¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Glenn shifted his gaze to Aries and shook his head. ¡°Whaat?¡± Aries widened her eyes in disbelief. ¡°Please learn when to stop! It¡¯s not even that important that he is a direct line or a coteral!¡± ¡°Even though he¡¯s gained enough achievements to be a part of the direct line, the Light Wind vice division leader is currently a coteral. That title can¡¯t be allowed until he bes a member of the direct line.¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°But¡ª!¡± ¡°Aries Zieghart. Even though you don¡¯t hold any rank at the moment, your name is engraved at the highest position in Zieghart. What do you think other people are going to say if you break that rule when you should be setting an example?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Aries couldn¡¯t refute his words and simply furrowed her brow. She didn¡¯t think he was wrong even though it was frustrating to admit. ¡°If you want him to call you aunt, let him do it after he bes a part of the direct line.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re making him into a member of the direct line right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case either.¡± ¡°Argh, why?!¡± She stomped on the ground powerfully and raised her voice. ¡°He will be a part of the direct line at the first of the next year.¡± ¡°The first of next year?¡± Aries tilted her head, unable to understand him. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Raon stood next to Aries and nodded. ¡°Our lord promised to restore my mother¡¯s status as part of the direct line if I manage to win the duel to death against the Axe King next year.¡± ¡°The Axe King¡­¡± Aries furrowed her brow while looking at Raon. ¡°The Axe King isn¡¯t an easy opponent! You might really die from it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fully aware.¡± Raon smiled calmly. He was well aware of how powerful the Axe King was because he¡¯d crossed des with him before. ¡°Even though the situation has changed, I don¡¯t want to break the condition that I¡¯ve decided upon already. I¡¯d like to defeat the Axe King and bring fame to the house in order to restore my mother¡¯s status as a member of the direct line with my own power.¡± Raon¡¯s statement about the pledge he¡¯d made with Glenn sounded like a deration to everyone. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°......¡± Karoon furrowed his brow, showing his displeasure about that promise itself, while Denier stared at Raon with an expressionless, doll-like face. ¡°Ooh!¡± Balder widened his eyes, taking a liking to his confident demeanor. ¡°Gaaah!¡± Aries screamed and hugged Raon tightly. ¡°What should I do?! He is such a good guy! How was a man like this born from my house?¡± She rubbed her cheek against Raon¡¯s while saying that he really was Sylvia¡¯s son. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat loudly, as if he were telling her to get off him. ¡°But he is so praiseworthy!¡± Aries even ignored Glenn¡¯s frightening pressure and hugged Raon even more tightly. ¡°Behave yourself!¡± ¡°Argh, why are you doing this?!¡± On top of frowning, Glenn even used his will to separate Raon and Aries. Rimmer and Roenn met each other¡¯s eyes while looking at Glenn¡¯s disgruntled expression. ¡®He is acting like that right now because he is jealous of her being called his aunt and hugging him, right?¡± ¡®Huhuhu.¡¯ * * * Once the situation calmed down to a certain extent, Raon went in front of Glenn once again. ¡°There¡¯s something I couldn¡¯t report yet.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°When we were reorganizing ourselves after we¡¯d in the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, another person from the Holy Sword Alliance attacked us.¡± ¡°Who was that?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly and closed his eyes. He parted his lips, thinking about Rector¡¯s eyes, which were as dry as the sand in a desert. ¡°Rector, the Master of the Bloody Sword. He is the person we¡¯ve been calling the Sword Demon.¡± Once the name of ¡®Sword Demon Rector¡¯ was mentioned, the slightly hectic atmosphere in the lord¡¯s manor fell quiet once again. ¡°¡­He was from the Holy Sword Alliance?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes widened for the first time that Raon had ever seen, showing that it was also unexpected for him. ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Raon nodded while biting his lip because he was still unable to believe that fact either. ¡°He introduced himself as the Master of the Bloody Sword of the Holy Sword Alliance and attacked us.¡± ¡°......¡± Glenn closed his eyes and buried his back into the throne upon hearing the definitive response. It looked like his face was suddenly filled with exhaustion. ¡°Th-the Sword Demon is from the Holy Sword Alliance!?¡± ¡°But the Sword Demon is a Transcender! Does that mean the Holy Sword Alliance has another Transcender now?!¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Why did he even join the Holy Sword Alliance?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t join. He said that he was with the Holy Sword Alliance from the beginning.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why was he doing all of those good deeds if that were true?!¡± The executives also turned pale upon hearing that the Sword Demon was from the Holy Sword Alliance. Glenn opened his eyes after a long time and asked, ¡°What did he say to you?¡± ¡°He said that the Holy Sword Alliance master would be satisfied if he brought me with him, since the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and Cloud had died.¡± ¡°Did he try to kidnap you?¡± ¡°Yes. Lady Aries arrived at the right moment and stopped him, but he tried to take me away.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn looked at Aries for a moment and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Which means that the Sword Demon Rector is our enemy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Glenn sounded somewhat ambiguous. Raon didn¡¯t respond right away, and he thought about Rector¡¯s eyes and the swordsmanship he¡¯d demonstrated for him. ¡®He did want to deliver some message. But¡­ It doesn¡¯t change the fact that he is from the Holy Sword Alliance. He might have different intentions, but it¡¯s not something I should say here.¡¯ The personal impression he had from Rector wasn¡¯t something that he should be stating in an official meeting. ¡°Right. He is an enemy.¡± Raon nodded heavily while looking at Glenn. ¡°And there¡¯s one more thing. The ck Tower, the Holy Sword Alliance, and the White Blood Religion seemed to have formed an alliance.¡± ¡°Alliance?¡± ¡°Yes. ording to what the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and Rector said¡­¡± Raon told Glenn and the executives about what Raon had predicted from the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword¡¯s words. ¡°See? How could you leave him as a coteral when he brings such important information to us?¡± Ariesplimented his ability to gather information, saddened by the fact that he couldn¡¯t be a part of the direct line right away. ¡°Good job. You¡¯ve brought a lot for us.¡± Glenn gestured with his hand while nodding his head, and Roenn went up to the tform with arge te on his hands. ¡°Raon Zieghart,e up here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon nodded and went up to the tform. ¡°For the great achievement of stopping House Lakion¡¯s misdeeds and ying the Holy Sword Alliance master¡¯s disciple and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, a golden tablet and an additional reward will be bestowed.¡± Glenn took a golden tablet and a red box from the te Roenn was holding and handed them over. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head while epting the golden tablet and the box. However, it didn¡¯t put him in a good mood, unlike the other times. ¡®Because rewards aren¡¯t what I want right now.¡¯ Raon went down from the tform without showing the bitter emotion welling up in his chest. * * * The lord¡¯s manor fell quiet after the Light Wind division and the executives left. ¡°Haa.¡± Rimmer sighed briefly while leaning back against a pir. ¡°You should¡¯ve just taken it, it was a great opportunity!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Glenn was lost in thoughts and slowly shifted his gaze. ¡°What else? It¡¯s obviously about Raon. You should¡¯ve just made him into a member of the direct line when Aries stepped up!¡± Rimmer pounded his chest with his left hand to express his frustration. ¡°Even Karoon and Balder shut their mouths because they were afraid of Aries. That was a perfect opportunity.¡± ¡°I already said that I¡¯ve already made a promise with him.¡± Glenn firmly shook his head. ¡°Moreover, making him a member of the direct line by borrowing Aries¡¯s power isn¡¯t a good decision. He needs to be a part of the direct line with his own power for Sylvia and the people in the annex building to live in peace.¡± He stared at Rimmer with serious eyes. ¡°If I restored Raon¡¯s status right now, his great achievements would be overshadowed, and more people wouldin that he became a part of the direct line with Aries¡¯s influence.¡± Glenn was certain about his decision, as if he¡¯d already imagined all kinds of futures. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn nodded his head with a faintugh. ¡°I agree. If Sir Raon became a part of the direct line today, his close rtionship with Lady Aries would¡¯ve stood out more than the fact that he became a Grandmaster.¡± He smiled, saying that it was better for Raon to be a part of the direct line with his duel against the Axe King. ¡°Moreover¡­¡± Glenn furiously clenched his back teeth and raised his gaze fiercely. ¡°The first title he should call after he bes a part of the direct line is grandfather, not aunt!¡± He red at the spot where Aries used to stand, saying that he couldn¡¯t yield on that. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Rimmer closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°You should¡¯ve just acted like that in front of him. It would¡¯ve been over already if you did!¡± He shook his head, saying that it was such a shame. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn smiled gently, showing that he agreed with Rimmer this time. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Glenn nced at Rimmer with a furrowed brow. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Rimmer licked his lips and scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. What shall I do¡­?¡± He shook his head, showing that he hadn¡¯t made up his mind yet. ¡°But there¡¯s something more important than that.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How much pension and severance pay do I get? I need to know that to make my decision¡ª¡± Rimmer started to speak with a broad grin on his face, and Glenn raised his finger. Spark! Violent lightning burst from above Rimmer¡¯s head. ¡°Wait, I was just saying that! I was kidding!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn couldn¡¯t bring himself to beat him up because he was a patient and removed the lightning with a frown on his face. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about visiting my homnd for now.¡± ¡°Your homnd?¡± ¡°Yes. I should return this sword now, after all.¡± Rimmer tapped on the sword hanging around his waist. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn calmly nodded. He seemed to be ready to ept any decision Rimmer was going to make. ¡°Alright, have a nice stroll.¡± He dered, then he stood up from the throne and went down the tform. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Rimmer asked, and Glenn calmly shook his head. ¡°A ce I need to go.¡± * * * ¡°¡­That¡¯s what happened.¡± Raon returned to the annex building and told Sylvia about everything that had happened so far. ¡°I see.¡± Sylvia sighed quietly while looking at Raon. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion about this?¡± ¡°You said that Sir Rector let you go even though he could have caught you, right?¡± ¡°That was my impression.¡± ¡°Then I think he does have a message to deliver.¡± She nodded while maintaining a calm expression on her face. ¡°I told you before that I think he is rted to your father.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°He might have visited you there because he knows the rtionship between you and your father. He might have been warning you to be careful in the future.¡± ¡°Warning¡­¡± It was true that Rector had allowed him to know that the Holy Sword Alliance, the ck Tower, and the White Blood Religion had formed an alliance, and that all three of them were targeting him. ¡°However, I¡¯m saying this because I have a good impression of him. The reality might be different, so you should be careful.¡± ¡°Yes, I should.¡± Raon nodded while holding Sylvia¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ve worked so hard. Go back and rest for now.¡± Sylvia waved her hand with a smile even though she looked tired. ¡°You should rest as well, Mother.¡± Raon lowered his head at Sylvia, then left her room. He returned to his room and sat on the ground. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡®I¡¯m so tired.¡¯ He was unable to sort out his feelings because of the encounter with Rector. He would¡¯ve learned to be careful if he was clearly a traitor, but he couldn¡¯t make up his mind at all because he couldn¡¯t tell what Rector wanted. Hmm¡­ Wrath furrowed his brow while watching Raon contemte the matter. Even the King of Essence can¡¯t tell for sure about this, despite how humane he is. He clicked his tongue, saying that humans were soplicated. ¡°I know, right?¡± Raon sighed while lying down on the ground instead of going onto the bed. ¡°Interpersonal rtionships are soplicated,¡± he brieflyined, and then arge shadow filled the window. Raon raised his gaze, and Glenn was gesturing with his hand for him toe out with a ferocious look on his face. ¡°Gasp¡­¡± Raon briskly stood up and went outside. ¡®Is he here to give me the reward that he couldn¡¯t give in the audience chamber?¡¯ Glenn had visited him at night many times before to give him additional rewards to make up for thecking rewards in the audience chamber. However, Raon didn¡¯t have high expectations for it as he followed Glenn because he wanted mental stability rather than material rewards like that. He reached the annex building¡¯ske with slightly exhausted steps, and Glenn turned around. He gently nodded while looking at him. ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard on you.¡± Chapter 572 Chapter 572 Whaam! Karoon stomped the ground violently. His irritation and rage spread with the resonance to make the main building¡¯s garden tremble. ¡°Damn it!¡± He violently ground his teeth, still frustrated after he stomped on the ground over and over. ¡°Calm down a little.¡± Balder sighed and went up next to Karoon. ¡°I feel shitty, too, but it couldn¡¯t be helped this time. There¡¯s no way they wouldn¡¯t be nice to someone who became a Grandmaster and beheaded the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword at twenty-one years old.¡± He furrowed his brow, saying that he should be able to understand. ¡°Feeling shitty, you said?¡±Karoon twisted his lips while ring at Balder. ¡°You spineless fool. Wipe that smile off your face and try saying that again.¡± ¡°Err, hmm¡­¡± Balder hurriedly touched the sides of his lips. ¡°Have you still not learned your lesson after you got humiliated so much by that young bastard?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true¡­¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a good thing that the house became more famous and we have a rising star. However!¡± Karoon bit his lip tightly and continued. ¡°He is Raon, the coteral. He is a monkey whose bloodline we don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, he is already out of our reach.¡± ¡°Out of our reach?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t keep him in our grasp and order him around. He is an enemy that we have topete with for the position of head of house. Have you still not realized that fact?¡± He tapped on his head with his finger, telling him to think about how Glenn and Aries were caring for Raon. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why¡­¡± Balder¡¯s lips trembled, finally understanding the sense of crisis. ¡°I-it¡¯s not toote to take action¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s already toote.¡± Denier came out from behind the bushes in the garden and casually shook his hand. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard the rumor that our father personally taught Raon swordsmanship, didn¡¯t you? That was true. Moreover, he¡¯s been teaching him for quite a long time.¡± Denier leaned his back against a pir in the garden while letting out a faintugh. ¡°I warned you. Our father has already been viewing Raon as a sessor candidate.¡± ¡°Wa-wait! He is far too young for that!¡± Balder shook his head, saying that it didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°It¡¯s Raon we are talking about, not Sylvia! How could we evenpete with a nephew for the head position?!¡± ¡°He might like him even more precisely because he is young. He is the youngest Grandmaster in the continent, and he has built a good amount of reputation. The poprity and awareness of our house should increase quite a lot if Raon bes the head. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea.¡± Denier nonchntly shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Considering the fact that he brought up the duel to death against the Axe King, I think he is probably going to take Raon into the direct line at the beginning of next year and dere him the sessor right after. What do you think about it, Karoon?¡± ¡°......¡± Karoon didn¡¯t respond to Denier¡¯s question and simply looked at him with a frown. ¡°Why are you ring at me so hard? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m Raon.¡± Denier chuckled and turned around. ¡°What I''m trying to tell you is that you shouldn¡¯t touch Raon for no reason and awaken the beehive. You know that no one can stop Aries if she starts to rampage. Let¡¯s live quietly.¡± He casually shook his hand and left the garden. ¡®Denier¡­¡¯ Karoon furrowed his brow while looking at Denier, who disappeared into the darkness. ¡®What are you thinking?¡¯ * * * Raon¡¯s fingertips trembled as he saw Glenn¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®It must¡¯ve been hard for me, he said¡­¡¯ Anyone could say that, but no one did for him. Glenn¡¯s short sentence had melted the dark lump blocking his mind. ¡®So that was what I wanted to hear all along.¡¯ Raon finally realized why he didn¡¯t really feel happy when he was rewarded with a golden tablet and additional rewards from Glenn in lord¡¯s manor. He realized that he wanted mental stability rather than a materialistic reward. ¡®I¡¯ve be weaker. No, this might be human, not weak.¡¯ In his previous life as an assassin, he pretty much lived as a marite controlled by strings, killing whoever he was asked to kill and kidnapping whoever he was asked to kidnap. Since he¡¯d been living as a hunting dog on a leash, he never had any room to feel betrayal. Even when he was killed by Derus while preparing to run away after he removed the brainwashing using Ring of Fire, he didn¡¯t feel betrayed because he didn¡¯t trust him to begin with. He was just furious. However, his new life was different. He¡¯d encountered many people, and he¡¯d shared his affection and his mind with them. Rector was one of them. Raon treated him like his own grandfather and learned swordsmanship and life from him. That was why his betrayal stabbed him even more deeply and painfully. ¡°You are rather blessed with people.¡± Glenn calmly shifted his gaze. His calm voice continued as he stared at theke. ¡°The children who bullied you during your childhood repented from the bottom of their hearts and became your subordinates who can support you now, and your master became a superior who can risk his life for your sake. No matter what you be, their feelings towards you aren¡¯t going to change. It goes without saying for the people in the annex building.¡± ¡°......¡± Raon gave a small nod. As he said, the Light Wind division¡ªincluding Burren and Martha¡ªhad begged for forgiveness for their immature mistakes in their childhood, and Rimmer had made a training regime appropriate for each person despite beingzy. His family in the annex building, including Sylvia and Helen, were also going to be with him for the entire life, so it wasn¡¯t really wrong to say that he was blessed with people. ¡°The reason why you are struggling right now is because you are feeling betrayed for the first time at the hand of someone that you cared about and considered yourself having a good rtionship with. If such a thing ends as a betrayal, it is bound to be painful.¡± Glenn nodded, showing that he could understand Raon¡¯s feelings. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while feeling like Glenn¡¯s back, which had always felt so far away, had gotten a bit closer. ¡®This is unexpected.¡¯ He¡¯d thought that Glenn would simply scold him, but he was unexpectedlyforting him. ¡°Not everyone who approached you favorably can be good people. There aren¡¯t many people like Balder, who shows everything he is thinking on the outside.¡± It felt like Glenn¡¯s voice wasughing faintly when he used Balder as an example. ¡°Follow me.¡± He gestured with his finger and went over theke towards the North Grave Mountain. Even though he looked like he was simply walking, he was advancing as if he¡¯d transcended space, making it impossible to catch up to him. Glenn¡¯s steps came to a halt at a wide open area at the entrance of the North Grave Mountain. Snap. He took a small branch from the bushes and gestured at Raon with his chin. ¡°Draw your sword.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When your mind is cluttered, it¡¯s best to move your body without any thoughts.¡± Glenn raised the branch and pointed it at him like a sword. ¡°Show me what kind of will you embraced to reach Grandmaster.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon clenched Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt and looked at the branch Glenn was holding. A few leaves were shaking in the night wind. ¡®Is he having a spar for me?¡¯ He¡¯d been taught by Glenn multiple times before, but they¡¯d never crossed des before. It was truly a great opportunity for him. ¡°Since I was told to empty my thoughts, is it alright to go all out?¡± ¡°It would be meaningless if you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡± Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem with trembling hands. ¡°I¡¯m attacking now.¡± He held the two swords in a reverse grip, mming them on the ground to unleash his mental world. The heat and coldness emerging from his lower energy center rose past his middle energy center and reached his upper energy center. His vision turned white, and his mental world was unleashed towards the world, having be even sturdier and sharper than the previous sword fields. An unfamiliar golden sun and silver moon rose from behind him. The golden light of the sun seeped into the divine sword grasped in his right hand, and the silver moonlight dwelled upon the demonic sword surging from his left hand. Thanks to the growth in his upper energy center that happened as he became a Grandmaster, the divine and demonic swords had gone through another change. ¡°It has an impressive appearance at least.¡± Glenn nodded, his lips showing hisposure. ¡°Come.¡± Raon dashed toward Glenn from the front, using Glenn¡¯s voice as the signal. He advanced quickly enough for the grass on the ground to be rooted out and poured out the divine sword¡¯s me and the demonic sword¡¯s frost. The two swords, engulfed in principles of the twin sword technique, bent downwards, causing a powerful shockwave to ur. Shh! Even though the fire and ice were covering his entire vision, Glenn held out the thin branch, which looked like even a child could break it. Whaaam! Tremendous explosions urred one after the other, turning the bushes and trees around them to dust, but Glenn¡¯s branch wasn¡¯t wavering in the slightest. It was difficult to believe even though it was unfolding right in front of his eyes. ¡°The power is pretty decent, at least. Keep going.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon stomped with his left foot and pierced towards Glenn from the left side. ¡®An ordinary attack isn¡¯t going to work.¡¯ It was impossible to break through Glenn¡¯s defense from the front. It was necessary to aim for a spot where he wouldn¡¯t be able to defend. Cring! He used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step. He moved to Glenn¡¯s right from behind, as naturally as flowing water, and executed the Crimson sh and Front Pond at the same time. The crimson line of heat and the blue de advanced towards Glenn from his blind spot with a dy between them. ¡°The fight is over the moment you stop thinking.¡± Glenn smiled faintly and raised the branch vertically. With a simple swing of the branch, he fended off the Crimson sh that was advancing first and also blocked the two des of Frost Pond piercing through the air at him from behind. ¡®I don¡¯t even understand what he did or how he did it.¡¯ Raon felt like the time was flowing differently for him. Raon bit his lip and executed the Supreme Harmony Steps. He advanced by folding the space and stabbed his divine and demonic swords from right under his nose. The me and frost dwelling on the tips of the des spread around like a kaleidoscope and engulfed Glenn¡¯s body. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Thousand mes. Thirty-Six Crimson sh He activated the move that stabbed from thirty-six directions at once with two swords. The outrageous strike that attacked from seventy-two directions in total was rushing towards Glenn¡¯s vitals all around his body. ¡°You¡¯ve be more at ease with moving your hands. Both your speed and power have improved.¡± Glenn brieflyplimented the technique that he¡¯d criticized in the past and shook his branch. A faint yet sturdy wind spread around, and easily broke the flow of the Thirty-Six Crimson sh. Rumble! Raon gritted his teeth and forced his legs to avoid being pushed back by the wind that felt like it was even pushing his soul, not just his body. The me and frost emerging from the divine and demonic swords became more intense, as if they were responding to his will. aang! Raon entered Glenn¡¯s frontal space once again and swung the divine and demonic swords upward toward the branch. The two des scratched the ground and soared to smash the two ends of the branch. However, the branch didn¡¯t waver in the slightest even though Raon was unleashing his full power. ¡°Let¡¯s get a bit more violent.¡± Glenn turned his wrist faintly. Crimson lightning emerged from the branch and pressured the divine sword¡¯s me and the demonic sword¡¯s frost. Zap! However, the me and frost didn¡¯t lose their light even though they were being one-sidedly pushed back by the intense lightning energy. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn slowly nodded while looking down at the divine and demonic swords. It felt like his eyes were sparkling faintly. ¡°Your choice was to never be defeated. You wanted to be a sword that never breaks.¡± He noticed what kind of will Raon had utilized to be the Grandmaster after only crossing des a few times. ¡°Then attack me harder so that your me won¡¯t be extinguished.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Raon rushed at him while letting out a loud shout of concentration. The demonic sword caught up to the trajectory of the divine sword¡¯s advance and unleashed red and blue astral spheres. Whaaam! The two astral spheres spread their dazzling radiance and advanced towards Glenn. He smiled faintly, facing an intense wave of power that was violently carving thend. ¡°Your swordsmanship is somewhat organized now.¡± Glenn casually swung down the branch like a child¡¯s y. A red wave urred from the tip of the slightly wavering branch and blocked the two spheres of light. Whaaam! The astral spheres of the divine and demonic swords couldn¡¯t even reach Glenn and disappeared in front of the wavering leaf. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Since Raon was expecting it to happen, he exhaled and raised his des again. He took a step towards Glenn, activating the me Dragon Art with the divine sword and unleashing the me Spirit with the demonic sword. Swaaaa! The moment the blue-colored me Spirit blocked Glenn¡¯s back, the me Dragon Art burst forth. Glenn smiled faintly upon seeing the golden me and extended his branch. Whaaam! The me dragon¡¯s roar disappeared in vain, unable to break through the trajectory of the leaves. Cring! Raon moved to Glenn¡¯s right side, taking advantage of the me Dragon Art¡¯s heat haze. He approached him and shoved thest de of the Divine and Demonic Harmony at him. Raon Zieghart Style ¡ª Sixth Form Divine and Demonic Harmony Combination Technique Red-Blue Invincible Sword The luminance of me and frost cutting through the sky andnd engulfed Glenn. ¡°It¡¯s a nice sword.¡± Glenn eximed faintly for the first time and raised his branch. The crimson lightning surging from the center of the branch shed against the Red-Blue Invincible Sword¡¯s flow. aaang! The tremendous sh between the lightning energy against the me and frost shook thend beneath them, but the ground where Glenn was standing wasn¡¯t shaking in the slightest. However, a single leaf dropped to the ground while swaying left and right from the branch he was holding. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raonughed bitterly and sank to the ground. ¡®I only got a single leaf.¡¯ He could onlyugh because a single leaf was all he managed to take off with his best efforts. It¡¯s not only a single leaf. ¡®What do you mean by that? It means that you¡¯ve managed to do it in your own way. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Unexpectedly, Wrath didn¡¯tugh at him, murmuring something that Raon couldn¡¯t understand exactly. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn stared at the fallen leaf before he went to the bushes. He returned the branch he¡¯d broken to the spot it was originally and rubbed his fingers, reattaching the branch as if it was never broken to begin with. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted before he knew it because he¡¯d never expected that the broken branch would be reattached. ¡°If there are swords that can kill, there are also swords that can save. I¡¯ve only recently been enlightened on how to do it, so don¡¯t be so surprised.¡± Glenn lightly tapped on the branch that had returned to the original and looked at Raon. ¡°So, are you feeling better now?¡± ¡°What? Ah, yes¡­¡± Raon nodded nkly. ¡®I¡¯dpletely forgotten about it.¡¯ He forgot about Rector while he was sparring against Glenn, and he felt refreshed, as if his frustrated mind had returned to normal. ¡°You think too much. You need to empty your head from time to time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying this because you manage to sort out your feelings.¡± Glenn briefly clicked his tongue and looked up to the night sky. ¡°About Rector, I didn¡¯t see him either as the type of person who would betray people.¡± Glenn shook his head, saying that it was a bit regrettable. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Raon briefly raised his hand while looking at Glenn. ¡°I have something I¡¯d like to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Raon told him about what Rector had done and the situation back then. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn didn¡¯t brush it off as nonsense and nodded peacefully instead. ¡°I¡¯ve taken notice. However, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that he is our enemy.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°In that case, that¡¯s fine.¡± He nodded and turned around. ¡°I¡¯m taking my leave now.¡± ¡°Th-thank you for today.¡± Raon bowed at Glenn sincerely. ¡°I was just rewarding you for your achievements from this mission.¡± Glenn left towards the main building, leaving behind a slightly coldhearted voice. ¡°Haa¡­¡± As soon as Glenn couldn¡¯t be seen anymore, Raony down on the ground and exhaled in a refreshed manner. The ground was harder than his room, but his mind was at ease. ¡°This is nice.¡± * * * Glenn didn¡¯t immediately return to the lord¡¯s manor. He was watching Raon while leaning his back against a tree rising midway up in the North Grave Mountain. ¡°It must be painful.¡± Raon didn¡¯t even understand why he was having such a hard and painful time. He pretended to be coldhearted, but he¡¯d grown up while sharing affection with people. That was why Rector¡¯s betrayal must¡¯ve affected him even more strongly and deeply. ¡®Not everyone is a good person. And not everyone is evil either.¡¯ Glenn had prepared that meeting in order to prevent Raon from distancing himself from the others. He was d to see that Raon had somewhat vented out his emotions. ¡®You should be able to ovee it.¡¯ Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at a fallen leaf near Raon¡¯s feet. ¡®By the way¡­ The sword field he created is really outrageous.¡¯ Raon¡¯s sword field was beyond his expectations. The power, durability, and sustainability were extremely high, and the biggest advantage was that it was still iplete. ¡®No, rather than iplete, it should be said that it can grow.¡¯ Raon¡¯s sword field perfectly incorporated his mental world. That implied that his sword field was going to grow ording to the growth of his upper energy center. Raon¡¯s sword field truly had infinite potential. In fact, Raon¡¯s sword field had improved during the spar itself. The proof was the fact that the branch had lost a leaf even though Glenn had been maintaining its shape with his will matching Raon¡¯s estimated output. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Glenn closed his eyes. ¡®That golden me.¡¯ The me from Raon¡¯s sword had a faint golden radiance in the midst of the red glow. It was the golden me that had only appeared once even in the long history of Zieghart. The me of the founding head was seeping into Raon¡¯s soul. ¡°The path of domination isn¡¯t the one that suits you.¡± Glenn slowly raised his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯ll take all of the malice and disgrace with me. So, Raon, you¡­¡± He smiled, gazing at Raon with his red eyes where his tender affection was showing up ¡°¡­shall walk the righteous path.¡± Chapter 573 Raon watched the stars for a long time while lying on the ground, and then he finally stood up. He¡¯d spent most of his stamina and aura during the spar against Glenn, but mysteriously enough, his mind was extremely clear. ¡®What a nice feeling.¡¯ The lump pressing upon his chest waspletely gone, too. It brought a smile to his face because he felt like he¡¯d returned to the time before seeing Rector at House Lakion. Really? Wrath jolted up like a firecracker and shoved his face onto him. ¡®What?¡¯ Has your mood really improved? ¡®It has, but why?¡¯In that case, the King of Essence has something to tell you! His navy colored eyes were glowing in a serious light. ¡®Something to tell me¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously while watching the grave look in Wrath¡¯s eyes. He was a bit nervous because of how serious the cotton candy had suddenly be. ¡®I¡¯m listening.¡¯ You bastard¡­ Wrath furrowed his brow, raising his round fist. You didn¡¯t keep your promise about buying ice cream for the King of Essence as soon as we returned to the house! ¡®......¡¯ Raon¡¯s red eyes turned cold, as if the heat suddenly left them. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Why are you looking at him like that?! You are the one who promised! ¡®I did indeed promise, but why are you talking about it now? Moreover, why do you look so serious, you food waster!¡¯ F-food waster?! Wrath sharply raised his head, with lips trembling intensely. How dare you call the monarch of Devildom a food waster! The King of Essence has been looking forward to that promise! He barked in frustration. ¡®He¡¯s been looking forward to it?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wrath, who had be a strawberry vored cotton candy because of his flushed face. ¡®Has he been suppressing the urge so far?¡¯ When he thought about it, Wrath had only brought up the ice cream after asking if he was in a better mood. ¡®I guess he would¡¯ve started to whine about buying the ice cream right away normally, judging from what he¡¯s done in the past.¡¯ Wrath hadn¡¯t even said a single word about ice cream after the encounter with Rector. It must¡¯ve been his consideration for Raon, whose feelings were hurt. ¡®Is Wrath also changing?¡¯ His rtionship with people wasn¡¯t the only thing that was changing over time and through bonds. His rtionship with Wrath was also changing little by little. ¡°I get it.¡± Raon chuckled and stood up. He shook the dust from his clothes and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go a soon as possible tomorrow.¡± Huh¡­? Wrath¡¯s eyes resembled those of a surprised rabbit. ¡®Why are you surprised? You were the one who wanted to go.¡¯ Howe you¡¯re listening to him right away when you always love to do the opposite? ¡®It¡¯s gotta be like this sometimes.¡¯ You finally turned over a new leaf! That was a great decision! The King of Essence shall allow you to serve him if you keep being obedient in the future! ¡®I¡¯m not buying it.¡¯ Raon casually shook his hand and returned to the annex building. He was trying to quietly enter through the back door leading to the kitchen because of howte it was, but he could feel someone¡¯s presence in the darkness. ¡°Huh?! Sir Damn Handsome!¡± Encia had disclosed her identity with that single phrase. She nodded at him, holding a piece of bread in her mouth. Raon could guess that she hade out because she got hungry during her research. ¡°When did youe back? Sir Damn Handsome?¡± It wasn¡¯t even ¡®the damn handsome Raon¡¯ anymore. He¡¯d be just ¡®damn handsome¡¯. She wasn¡¯t even using his name anymore. ¡°I arrived today. It¡¯s only been a few hours.¡± ¡°Argh! I didn¡¯t even realize you¡¯d returned because I was too focused on my research! I¡¯m such an idiot!¡± Encia mmed her forehead on the table in frustration. ¡°How could I miss the opportunity to watch Sir Raon for multiple hours?! I should just die!¡± ¡°Pl-please stop.¡± Raon gulped and grabbed Encia¡¯s shoulder. He had the same feeling every single time, but she really was difficult to deal with. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Encia blinked, the bread still held in her mouth. Even though there was a stream of blood flowing from her forehead, she simply stared at Raon without caring about it at all. ¡°Did you dye your hair, Sir Raon?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Your blond hair seemed to have gotten slightly more vibrant.¡± She murmured that there was no doubt about it and took out a thick booklet from her clothes. Upon opening it, pictures of Raon were visible, organized by date. ¡°Ugh.¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he saw countless pictures of himself. ¡®This is a bit scary¡­¡¯ A chill ran down his spine because he¡¯d never expected that she would¡¯ve taken so many pictures. Sh-she¡¯s going to be like that madwoman at this rate! The seed of obsession is spouting right now! Wrath averted his gaze, saying that a new spout was about to rise. ¡°I was right! Your hair color has be more vibrant!¡± Encia handed out the picture from before he left for the mission, telling him to check it out. ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Raon simply nodded because he honestly couldn¡¯t tell the difference. ¡°But how did this happen? Why did his blond hair be more vibrant? Is he bing even more damn handsome? But he¡¯s going to transcend humanity if he bes even more handsome than right now.¡± Encia smiled happily, saying that she got some great material. Raon licked his lips while watching Encia, who was absorbed in her own world. ¡®I was nning to tell her tomorrow, but this is a good asion.¡¯ He walked up to Encia and lowered his head. ¡°I have a request I¡¯d like to make of Lady Encia.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always ready!¡± She immediately epted without even asking what kind of request it was. ¡°Do you recognize this, by any chance?¡± Raon took out the artificial arm artifact that Cloud had been wearing. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Encia¡¯s gaze parted from Raon for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s an artifact that can be used as a prosthetic. It was made recently, rather than being an ancient item.¡± ¡°Recently?¡± ¡°Yes. The materials and methods used to make it are recent stuff. It must¡¯ve been made by a skilled crafter.¡± She smiled, saying that the one who made the arm must¡¯ve been famous. ¡°In that case, is it possible to craft this artifact, matching the size of another person?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be an easy task.¡± Encia clicked her tongue without taking her eyes off of the artificial arm. ¡°What do you mean by not being easy?¡± ¡°It can hardly be used in this state. It strains the wearer, so I¡¯ll need topletely remake the blueprint.¡± She frowned, saying that it wasn¡¯t intended to be used for a long time to begin with. ¡°Moreover, it requires natural materials since it needs to touch the arm. I think it¡¯s going to take some time to acquire them¡­¡± Even though she was saying that the materials were difficult to acquire, her sparkling eyes revealed that she was interested in the task. ¡°By the way, who is going to use this?¡± ¡°Sir Rimmer is.¡± ¡°What?¡± Encia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Something happened during the mission.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± She nodded without asking about it any further. ¡°I think I need to meet with Sir Rimmer before I can decide.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be taking this one to analyze.¡± Encia looked like her entire attention was focused on the artificial arm. She returned to her room without even taking the bread she¡¯d been eating. ¡®She¡¯s amazing.¡¯ She was usually yful and called him by that strange title, ¡®damn handsome¡¯, but she was extremely serious when it came to her work. There was a lot to learn from her in various ways. Raon cleaned up the slightly messy kitchen before he returned to his room. Knock knock knock. He was preparing his clothes so that he could wash himself when heard the three knocks from the door. ¡°Enter.¡± Since there was only one person who knocked three times, he told her to enter. Judiel carefully opened the door then entered the room and lowered her head. ¡°Nothing unusual happened, right?¡± ¡°Nothing special happened until now.¡± ¡°Are you implying that something is happening now?¡± ¡°Yes. I got a message from the Central Martial Pce a moment ago.¡± ¡°It must be about me.¡± Raon nodded with a cheerful smile on his face. ¡°Indeed. However, there was also another request.¡± Judiel briefly shook her head. ¡°Another request?¡± ¡°I was ordered to report even the slightest thing I¡¯ve learned about the Wise Martial Pce.¡± ¡°Wise Martial Pce¡­¡± Raon lowered his head and furrowed his brow. ¡°Wise Martial Pce has Denier Zieghart as the pce master.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Why is he suddenly asking you to investigate them?¡± Karoon¡¯s eyes were frighteningly cold when he left the audience chamber. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he would suddenly start gathering information about the Wise Martial Pce even though his anger was directed at him. ¡°Denier Zieghart¡­¡± Denier had never caused an issue or said anything strange. He didn¡¯t exactly take good care of Raon or Sylvia, but he didn¡¯t look down on them, unlike the others. However, the look in his eyes strangely reminded him of Derus Robert. ¡°Shall I investigate it?¡± ¡°Yes. But you should be careful. I don¡¯t think we should rashly approach this matter.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯m also going to adjust ordingly when I write the report about you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Then have a good rest.¡± Judiel lowered her head and stood up. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon stopped Judiel as she was about to leave. ¡°Any information about your brother?¡± ¡°¡­Not yet.¡± Judiel shook her head withposed eyes. ¡°My lord.¡± She turned back and lowered her head. ¡°I believe we don¡¯t need to continue the investigation into my brother.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Considering the fact that we still can¡¯t find him even with the ck Market¡¯s power, it¡¯s probably toote.¡± Judiel continued with a simr expression as when she was making the report, as if she had lost all her emotions. ¡°It¡¯s getting a lot pricier and moreplicated to search. I believe it¡¯s better to give up¡­¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Raon asked while looking at Judiel¡¯s darkened eyes. ¡°......¡± Judiel¡¯s fingers trembled as she remained silent. ¡°To be honest, I wanted to find your brother in the past because you became my subordinate. It was just a condition to take you in, without any emotion involved. However¡­¡± Raon smiled faintly as he saw that Judiel¡¯s eyelids had started to tremble. ¡°I now want you to be reunited with your brother from the bottom of my heart.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. Since he was learning about rtionships like family, masters, and friends, the promise with Judiel had a different value to him. He wanted to find her brother no matter what, unlike before. ¡°Don¡¯t give up before me.¡± Raon held Judiel¡¯s shoulder. He didn¡¯t put any force on it, but he wanted to deliver warmth to show his sincerity. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Judiel lowered her head with trembling shoulders. It felt like she was revealing her emotions for the first time since she¡¯d entered the room. ¡°Thank you.¡± Judiel thanked him without raising her head and left the room. Even a bastard like you is bing more human. Wrath nodded with a grumpy look on his face, but he also seemed to be proud of him. ¡®I¡¯ve always been a human.¡¯ Only your appearance is human. Your insides have always been even more evil than a demon¡¯s! ¡®Well, I guess I wasn¡¯t that human so far.¡¯ Like he said, he couldn¡¯t cast off the shadow of his previous self as an assassin in the beginning. However, the shadow of his previous life was fading away as he encountered various people. ¡®I¡¯m going to change even more in the future.¡¯ Do you want the King of Essence to tell you how to be more human? ¡®Is there a method like that?¡¯ Nothing is impossible in the world. Wrath raised his chin sharply with a grin on his face. ¡®What is it?¡¯ It¡¯s the promise! ¡®Promise?¡¯ Indeed. You only be a true human by keeping your promises. That means you should offer ice cream to the King of Essence right now and¡ªcough! Raon kicked Wrath away and sighed. ¡®I¡¯m so tired of him¡­¡¯ * * * Raon took a bite of the mint chocte ice cream, leaning his back against the annex building¡¯s wall. Whoaaa! Wrath clutched his plump cheeks and eximed, looking like melting cotton candy. This is happiness! This is life! The King of Essence is going to open an ice cream shop as soon as he returns to Devildom! He clenched his fist, saying that he was going to open a thousand stores. ¡®You can do that if you want¡­¡¯ Raon put down the empty ice cream box and shifted his gaze to Encia and Rimmer, who were to his right. ¡°Hnnng¡­¡± Encia groaned as if she were suffering from a tooth cavity while staring at Rimmer. Raon had brought him because she¡¯d said that she needed to see the target before crafting the artificial arm, but she was only staring at his face instead of his arm. ¡°He is definitely handsome, but this is a bit ambiguous.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Rimmer blinked with a sour expression on his face. ¡°Because Sir Raon became even more handsome, even an elf isn¡¯t leaving a deep impression anymore.¡± Encia briefly licked her lips, saying that his face paled inparison. ¡°That¡¯s such nonsense!¡± Rimmer couldn¡¯t withstand it anymore and briskly stood up. ¡°How could I becking when I¡¯m the most handsome man in the Blossom Branch n! It can¡¯t be! I was even called the most handsome man in Seipia!¡± He shook his head, saying that there was no other elf more handsome than himself. ¡°But Sir Raon is the best in the continent. Even the best among the elves is no match for him.¡± Encia shook her finger, saying that they couldn¡¯t even be considered on the same line. ¡°Moreover, long hair isn¡¯t to my liking.¡± ¡°I-I pity you for not realizing the greatness of long hair!¡± ¡°What kind of greatness? It¡¯s in obvious that you didn¡¯t cut it because you¡¯re toozy.¡± ¡°Kuah¡­¡± His lips trembled as he stroked his unkempt hair. What are they even talking about right now? ¡®I don¡¯t know either.¡¯ Raon shook his head. He¡¯d brought Rimmer over so that she could examine his arm. He couldn¡¯t understand why she was suddenly evaluating his appearance. Moreover, his own name was mentioned from time to time, which made him embarrassed. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Raon sighed and walked up to Encia and Rimmer. ¡°Hey, Raon. She is weird! She¡¯s always been weird, but she¡¯s be even weirder!¡± Rimmer frantically shook his head, saying that Encia must¡¯ve seriously gone insane. ¡°Sir Raon, he passes for now.¡± ¡°He passes for now?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not too sure about his appearance, but I¡¯ll consider his rtionship with you and make it for him.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Rimmer jolted while screaming. ¡°What are you not sure about with my appearance?! No one has ever said that to me in my entire life!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone has to be like thatpared to Sir Raon.¡± ¡°You damned Raon worshiper¡­¡± ¡°Oh my, thank you for thepliment.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯tplimenting you!¡± Neither the elf bragging about his appearance or Encia, who was giving a failing grade to the elf, seemed normal at all. ¡°Excuse me, weren¡¯t you going to make him an arm? Why aren¡¯t you looking at his shoulder¡­?¡± ¡°Because inspiration is important when ites to a task like this. Sir Rimmer¡¯s appearance is exactly on the borderline¡­¡± ¡°B-borderline¡­¡± Rimmer sank to the ground as if he were truly shocked by her words. ¡°M-my face is only on the borderline?!¡± He must¡¯ve been rather confident in his appearance. His hands were trembling, his eyes falling into despair. ¡°But didn¡¯t you do it right away when I made the request about my mother?¡± Raon walked up to Encia, who was touching the artificial arm. ¡°Because the two of you are damn beautiful and damn handsome. It¡¯s not even a question!¡± Encia shook her head, saying that requests for damn handsome and damn beautiful people had to be granted even if she had to interrupt the task she¡¯d been doing. ¡°Hmm, I understand. So he still passes in the end, right?¡± Raon quickly tried to conclude the conversation because it was falling into confusion. ¡°Yes! It¡¯s a bit ambiguous, but I¡¯ll do it for Sir Raon!¡± Encia killed Rimmer once again and nodded. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Rimmery t on the ground. His face was as pale as paper. This is so regrettable! She should¡¯ve seen the King of Essence¡¯s face since she likes handsomeness so much! Wrath furrowed his brow, saying that he wanted to have a contest of appearance. You could¡¯ve experienced humiliation in the face of the King of Essence¡¯s appearance! ¡®I don¡¯t even understand why I should feel frustrated about it¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head and walked up to Rimmer. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never felt so humiliated¡­¡± Rimmer grasped the soil with trembling shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ve never lost in terms of appearance!¡± He violently ground his teeth, showing that he was seriously frustrated. ¡°Don¡¯t mind such a trivial matter¡­¡± ¡°Huh?! Stay still, just like that!¡± While Raon was trying tofort Rimmer, Encia raised her camera. Click! She took a photo of Raon and Rimmer and smiled cheerfully. ¡°Wow, when the damn handsome is next to an ambiguous person, he looks even more handsome! Is this what they call contrast?¡± Encia gave Raon one of the two photos that fell from the camera. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon scratched his chin while looking at the photo of himself and Rimmer. It might be because she kept calling him damn handsome so much, but Rimmer did look slightlycking inparison. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer raised his head with difficulty to look at the photo, then he went limp like a jellyfish. ¡°I want to die. It hurts even more than when I lost my arm. I should¡¯ve just died back then!¡± He closed his eyes, saying that he couldn¡¯t even refute it. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to wipe my ass because I don¡¯t have my right arm, I¡¯m not even getting a pension or severance pay, and now I¡¯m ugly¡­¡± ¡°D-division leader, cheer up.¡± Raon went to Rimmer and massaged his shoulder. He would¡¯ve normally ignored him, but he tried tofort him because his condition seemed serious. ¡°Do you want to borrow some money? Or do you have anything you want to eat? Just tell me anything.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Rimmer¡¯s left hand clenched Raon¡¯s wrist tightly. ¡°You just told me to say anything I want, didn¡¯t you?¡± Rimmer stood up with a grin on his face. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Then go on a journey with me. Of course, you will be funding it.¡± ¡°What? Where do you suddenly want to go¡­?¡± Raon was shocked by the fact that he was trying to shift the traveling expenses onto him, but he had another question that took priority. ¡°To Seipia, the holy ground of the remaining elves in the continent.¡± He grinned while shaking his hand. ¡°There¡¯s something you would like over there.¡± Chapter 574 Raon blinked in the face of Rimmer¡¯s smile. ¡°Why are you suddenly talking about Seipia?¡± Seipia was the holy ground and homnd of every elf. Since it was a ce that humans weren¡¯t even allowed to enter, Raon couldn¡¯t tell whether Rimmer was joking or being serious. ¡°It¡¯s not a sudden decision.¡± Rimmer tapped on the sword hanging around his waist. The leaf-shaped handguard wavered slightly. ¡°I figured it¡¯s about time I returned this sword.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s your cherished sword.¡± Even when he got stripped naked by a gambling house, he didn¡¯t use his sword as coteral. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he wanted to return that excellent sword, one that didn¡¯t lose to Heavenly Drive or Heavenly Tremor. ¡°This isn¡¯t mine.¡±Rimmer smiled bitterly while looking down at the sword. ¡°This is a divine relic of our n, and I just took it with me.¡± ¡°D-divine relic¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously while examining the sword once again. ¡®Did he steal it?¡¯ Raon could imagine Rimmer¡¯s face as he secretly ran from his n after stealing the divine relic. ¡°You just thought that I stole it, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s not the case, so erase that thought right now.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°I got permission, of course!¡± Rimmer stomped the ground, asking what he took him for. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°I was normal back then!¡± Fortunately, he seemed to be aware that he¡¯d be abnormal. ¡°Then why are you returning it now?¡± ¡°Because my arm is like this now.¡± Rimmer touched his right shoulder with his left hand. ¡°Whether I get a new arm or wield the sword with my left arm, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m entitled to keep this sword.¡± He smiled, saying that he wanted to return it since his small lingering attachment was gone. ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± ¡°I told you, it¡¯s a divine relic. A divine relic should be used by an appropriate wielder.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I was nning to head home at some point anyway. It¡¯s been a long time since thest time I¡¯ve been there.¡± Rimmer firmly shook his head, showing that he¡¯d already decided. ¡°Understood. Have a nice journey. I¡¯ll take care of the Light Wind division in the meantime.¡± Raon politely bowed at Rimmer and turned around. ¡°Wait! You are supposed toe with me!¡± Rimmer grabbed his wrist once again, asking what he was even talking about. ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°Are you going to send off a patient on his own?¡± He hunched his shoulders while touching his empty sleeve. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon rubbed his forehead with his palm and let out a sigh. ¡°But Sepia is the holy ground of elves. How am I even supposed to go there when I¡¯m a human?¡± The only humans who could enter Seipia were the ones who had special rtionships with elves from that ce. It was obvious he would be immediately driven out. ¡°I¡¯m an elf, and I¡¯m from there! Moreover, you are my disciple and I¡¯m your master. You are obviously allowed to enter!¡± Rimmer¡¯s brow furrowed as he shouted, asking why he was even worried about that. ¡°Weren¡¯t you expelled from there?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t! I was the definition of a noble elf when I lived there!¡± He shouted once again that he was normal back then. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Raon nodded, having no other choice. Rimmer wouldn¡¯t get beaten up randomly, but he figured it¡¯d be better to follow just in case. ¡°I knew it! That¡¯s my disciple for you!¡± Rimmer hit his knee with his left hand, saying that it was a great decision. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the thing that I would like?¡± ¡°You like peculiar and weird food, don¡¯t you? Like the mint chocte you had earlier.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Damn Shitty Ears! Raon was about to tell him that he actually didn¡¯t like it when Wrath, who¡¯d been yawning, suddenly jolted. You just have bad taste! You don¡¯t understand the refreshing and sweet taste of mint chocte. How dare you run your mouth now?! What are you waiting for? p Shitty Ears¡¯ cheeks! He was even more furious than when he himself was insulted and started to rampage. ¡®Now that I think about it, it¡¯s understandable that he sees me that way.¡¯ He¡¯d been eating strange food pretty much every day because of Wrath. It wasn¡¯t strange for others to consider him to have entric tastes. ¡°There are lots of peculiar and delicious food in Seipia.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t elves usually eat uncooked vegetables and fruits?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an ancient story. Of course, some of them eat like that, but there are quite a lot of recipes.¡± He grinned, saying that there was a lot of entric food. What are you waiting for?! Wrath quickly shook his hand as if he¡¯d never gotten angry. Let¡¯s go! The King of Essence wants to try out the food of those shitty ears! He is getting the feeling that it will be to his liking! He nodded so hard that his chin fat started to shake, telling him that he had to go with Rimmer no matter what. ¡°Ah! You like Nadine bread too, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, I find it pretty decent.¡± Raon nodded since Nadine bread was really his preference. ¡°The one who invented that bread is in Seipia.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders, asking if it made him curious. N-Nadine bread? Wrath sharpened his eyes, intense murderous intent emanating from him. He has to die. The King of Essence is going to kill that demon who inflicted the terrifying pain of rubber on him! Let¡¯s go right now! But you said you were going to like it a moment ago¡­¡¯ * * * Encia calmly nodded after she took the measures of Rimmer¡¯s arm and shoulder. ¡°It will take some time, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡± She wrote down what she¡¯d confirmed while examining his shoulder on her notepad. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled the moment he saw Encia¡¯s notepad. ¡®She has my photo there, too¡­¡¯ Arge photo of his face was engraved on the cover of the notepad Encia was holding. Raon couldn¡¯t even look at it because it was so embarrassing. ¡°By the way, are you heading to Seipia?¡± ¡°Yes, I think I¡¯ll be going there.¡± Raon nodded. ¡°In that case, could you bring back a piece of the world tree by any chance? Like a leaf or a branch. A root is also fine.¡± ¡°Why do you need a piece of the world tree?¡± ¡°As I said before, I need a material that properly incorporates the energy of nature in order to avoid burdening the wearer of the prosthetic arm. I believe the world tree should do the job.¡± ¡°I think it will be difficult¡­¡± The world tree was pretty much like a mother to the elves. Since they guarded it day and night all year long, Raon thought it would be difficult to take anything from it. ¡°It should be impossible to take from the world tree because its leaves and branches are managed by the council of elders. You never hear about pieces of the world tree circting outside, do you?¡± Rimmer licked his lips, saying that it would be difficult to acquire. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°But, well, we could just steal it, I think.¡± He rubbed his fingers, saying that they could steal it in the worst case. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped. He was shocked by the fact that an elf had just suggested stealing a piece of the world tree. ¡­Is it really okay for him to be like that? Even Wrath worried about Rimmer¡¯s mentality despite being a demon king. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped if we can¡¯t get it. We¡¯ll acquire something else. Don¡¯t push yourselves so much.¡± Encia smiled gently, as if she were trying to relieve Rimmer. ¡°Why are you being so kind to me now?¡± Rimmer blinked while looking at Encia. ¡°I was just joking because you seemed to be in a bad mood earlier.¡± Encia shook her head, telling him not to keep it in his mind. ¡°Right? I knew it! There¡¯s no way my appearance would be ambiguous!¡± Rimmer recovered his confidence about his appearance and smiled cheerfully. ¡°Yes, you are damn handsome.¡± ¡°I knew it! My face actually doesn¡¯t even lose to Raon¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a firefly next to the sun. It can¡¯t even bepared.¡± Enciapletely stopped smiling and gazed at him coldly. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips trembled in fear. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. I need to make the preparations.¡± Encia went into the annex building with the ice cream that Raon gave her as a present, saying that she was going to make the blueprint already. ¡°I-it hurts. It hurts so much because she was so serious about thest thing she said¡­¡± Rimmer let out a painful groan, clutching his chest with his left hand. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while observing Yua, who jumped upon seeing the ice cream Encia was holding. ¡°By the way, elves are good singers, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Most of them are.¡± Rimmer slowly nodded. ¡°Then how about taking Yua with us? She could learn something from them.¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s a good idea.¡± He bobbed his finger, saying that it would be nice. ¡°Then when are we leaving?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to dy, so let¡¯s leave in two days.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Rimmer was right. Since the next mission could happen at any moment, Raon figured that it would be better to return quickly, before the vacation ended. ¡°Then see you in front of the lord¡¯s manor in the morning in two days.¡± Rimmer cheerfully shook his left hand and left the annex building¡¯s garden. Raon sighed while watching his right sleeve flutter in the wind. ¡®I hope everything goes well, regardless of the case.¡¯ Grrr¡­ Raon briefly licked his lips when he heard a groan from Wrath. That person is going to die! He needs to die no matter what! That¡¯s his only goal right now! ¡®......¡¯ ¡®Why are you acting like that? So scary.¡¯ * * * ¡°Huaaah!¡± Burren sighed in exhaustion while putting down his training sword. ¡°That damned bastard, I thought I caught up to him a little, but he went up to the sky now.¡± He frowned while looking up at the blue sky. ¡°Wow. You¡¯re thinking the same thing as me for once.¡± Martha leaned her back against a wall and swept her sweat-drenched hair back. ¡°I finally became a Master to be on the same level as him, and now he¡¯s gone to an unreachable ce.¡± She clenched her fist, murmuring that it was irritating. ¡°The interesting thing is that I¡¯m not jealous of him even though I¡¯m frustrated.¡± Burren lowered his gaze and chuckled. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped. After all, he must be training as we speak.¡± Martha nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Runaan swallowed the bead ice cream she was holding and shook her head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He had ice cream with me this morning.¡± She bobbed her finger, saying that Raon had bought that ice cream for her. ¡°That¡¯s so unexpected. He even calctes what he eats, but he actually likes ice cream.¡± Burren tilted his head, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Raon is simr to me.¡± Runaan blinked, saying that she liked that part about him. ¡°Regardless of everything else, the fact that I¡¯m even losing to that idiot is so irritating¡­¡± Martha furrowed her brow while looking at Runaan. ¡°Heh.¡± Runaan stared at Martha nkly, then raised the corners of her lips. Her eyes weren¡¯t smiling, but she only moved her lips, turning her face into an eerie smile. ¡°Guuh¡­¡± Martha clenched her fist and trembled. ¡°I¡¯m going to catch up. I¡¯ll catch up no matter what, even if I have to train all night long!¡± She turned her head, saying that she was never going to lose. ¡°Now that I think about it, who is going to help us with evening training now?¡± Burren brought it up as if he¡¯d just remembered. ¡°Training?¡± ¡°It should be difficult for the division leader to help us now.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true.¡± Martha nodded heavily. ¡°The Gambling Monster and Raon teach us from dawn until afternoon, so we can¡¯t exactly ask them to help in the evening as well¡­¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, we¡¯ll have to train by ourselves¡­¡± ¡°Can I help you with that?¡± While Burren and Martha were contemting the matter, a gentle voice came from the training ground door. Creak! The training ground door was opened and Denier Zieghart nodded at them. ¡°Father?¡± Martha¡¯s eyes became as round as a rabbit¡¯s. ¡°What brings you here¡­?¡± ¡°I came to find you because you didn¡¯te back for the meal.¡± Denier smiled faintly and waved his hand. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I had an appointment¡­¡± Martha scratched her head, saying that she¡¯d just remembered. ¡°It¡¯s fine. But I heard you needed someone to help with your evening training. Am I right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°If it¡¯s fine with you, I¡¯m fine with helping you in the evenings.¡± He nodded, saying that he could make time for them if they wanted. ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a difficult task. Of course, I can¡¯t do it when I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good enough!¡± Burren swallowed nervously and parted his lips. ¡°Is it really fine? You have a lot of work to do nowadays.¡± Martha looked at Denier worriedly, asking if he wasn¡¯t overworking himself. ¡°Making that much time for my daughter and nephew isn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡± Denier patted Martha¡¯s head, telling her not to worry about him. ¡°I¡¯ll help you reach even higher.¡± * * * Daybreak, two dayster Raon entered the audience chamber with Rimmer. Since the division leader and the vice division leader were leaving at the same time, they needed to get permission from the head of house beforehand. ¡°Greetings, my lord.¡± ¡°Stand up.¡± Glenn roughly shook his hand as if he couldn¡¯t be bothered with greetings. ¡°So, I heard you are going to Seipia.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon straightened his back and nodded. ¡°Since it might be difficult for the Light Wind division leader to go there alone, I¡¯d like to guard him on the way.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± A faint light glowed from Glenn¡¯s emotionless eyes. ¡°The timing isn¡¯t bad since there won¡¯t be any missions for you for a while. However¡­¡± He continued while ring at Rimmer. ¡°Can you even enter Seipia? Weren¡¯t you expelled?¡± ¡°Haa¡­ You¡¯re asking the exact same question just because you¡¯re from the same bloodline.¡± Rimmer shook his head and stepped forward. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expelled! I left of my own free will!¡± ¡°Same bloodline?¡± ¡°This guy said the exact same thing as you just now!¡± He frowned and pointed at Raon. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn covered his mouth with his hand, which used to support his chin, and nodded his head. His left leg suddenly started to shake violently. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped because you always do the strangest things.¡± ¡°Anyway, I wasn¡¯t expelled. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, saying that he just needed to show his face. That was enough to enter Seipia. ¡°I understand. It¡¯s fine if you can enter.¡± Glenn slowly shifted his gaze and looked at Raon. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Seipia isn¡¯t an ordinary city. It¡¯s the holy ground of elves. You should be careful with how you behave, as Zieghart¡¯s executive.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± It was a long way of saying it, but the meaning was simple. He was asking him to stop Rimmer from doing anything strange. ¡°And¡­¡± Glenn briefly closed his eyes before opening them again, then continued. ¡°Since you became a Grandmaster, you won¡¯t experience much physical change anymore. The important thing from now on is enlightenment and your mental world, so you should see and experience as many things as possible.¡± He gave out sincere advice with a cold voice. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Raon politely lowered his head with his hand on his chest. ¡°You can leave now.¡± Glenn shook his hand, showing that he was done talking. Raon lowered his head, and just as he was about to leave the audience chamber, the door opened violently. Whaam! It was Aries. She shoved her head inside before the door even finished opening. ¡°Are you going to Seipia? Let me join!¡± She nodded her head, saying that she wanted to go together. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± Glenn furrowed his brow and shook his head. ¡°I told you to write all the reports that you haven''t done so far.¡± ¡°Argh, how am I supposed to write all that? That¡¯s twenty years¡¯ worth of reports!¡± ¡°It¡¯s your fault for postponing your work. You won¡¯t go anywhere until you are done with that.¡± He furrowed his brow, saying that she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. ¡°Raon! Please tell Father that you want to go with me! I¡¯m going to die from old age if I stay here!¡± Aries grabbed Raon¡¯s sleeve with a trembling hand. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes and rapidly wracked his brain. ¡®If I go there with Lady Aries¡­¡¯ He could imagine the world tree being cut into half and falling with Aries smiling in front of it. The scene of the elves attacking them with their faces twisted like evil fiends followed. Cold sweat flowed down his spine. They weren¡¯t going to get killed by enemies if Aries was with them, but he was getting a premonition that the elves were going to shoot them with their bows. Raon confidently shook his head while looking at Aries. ¡°No thanks.¡± * * * ¡°Have you finally arrived?¡± ¡°Young master!¡± When Raon left the lord¡¯s manor, Dorian, who was eating a round snack, and Yua waved their hands at him. ¡°I heard about Yuaing with us, but Dorian is alsoing?¡± Rimmer tilted his head while looking at Dorian. ¡°We need to carry the bag since we are going to travel.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders, saying that it was an obvious question. ¡°Err¡­¡± Rimmerughed bitterly. ¡°People call me crazy, but from what I see, you are the real crazy one¡­¡± He shook his head while looking at Raon. ¡°I¡¯m used to it.¡± Dorian smiled, telling him not to mind it. ¡°I¡¯m already getting tired even before the departure. Let¡¯s go already.¡± ¡°Young master Raon!¡± Rimmer went ahead, urging them to leave, when Roenn¡¯s voice could be heard from behind. ¡°Sir Roenn?¡± Roenn quickly came up to him and handed him a luxurious pouch. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± ¡°He said to buy some gifts on the way to Rimmer¡¯s homnd.¡± He smiled gently, saying that Glenn gave it to them. ¡°Oh!¡± Rimmer grinned happily while looking at the full pouch. ¡®I knew it was going to work.¡¯ Rimmer had told Glenn that he had the same bloodline as Raon on purpose, and he guessed that it was the reason he was getting all that money. He could imagine the corners of Glenn¡¯s lips soaring to the sky, his legs shaking. ¡°Tell him that I¡¯m thankful¡­¡± Rimmer extended his hand, but Roenn pulled back the pouch. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°He said to entrust it to Sir Raon instead of Sir Rimmer.¡± He gave the pouch to Raon, saying that it was Glenn¡¯s order. ¡°Understood. I¡¯m only going to use it for buying gifts.¡± Raon lowered his head and epted the pouch from Roenn. ¡°Haa, what a stingy lord¡­¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue and shook his head. However, the faint smile around his mouth showed that he was in a good mood. ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t give it to you no matter what you tell me.¡± Raon shook his head at Rimmer and put the gold pouch in his pocket. ¡°That¡¯s not it. It¡¯s about what the head of house said earlier.¡± ¡°About gaining experience?¡± ¡°Yes. You might be able to see an arrow flying in the air once you get there.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t arrows normally fly in the air?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true.¡± Rimmer blinked in a daze. ¡°What are you even trying to tell me?¡± ¡°Let me say it again.¡± He curled his lips into a smile while drawing the trajectory of an arrow with his finger. ¡°You¡¯ll see an arrow that can fly freely in the air once we get there.¡± Chapter 575 Aries looked above the tform, her shoulders hanging down in depression. ¡°Can¡¯t you just let me go? I¡¯ll never get another opportunity to visit Seipia.¡± She put her hands together, saying that she wanted to leave on another journey. ¡°I told you already. You aren¡¯t allowed to set a single foot outside the house until you finish the work that you¡¯ve been postponing.¡± Glenn shook his head firmly, offering no chance at negotiation. ¡°I¡¯m not asking this because I want to y around.¡± Aries furrowed her brow, pointing at the door where Raon and Rimmer had just left with her thumb. ¡°What are you going to do if someone kidnaps our Raon, the genius of the century? It will be toote when that happens!¡± She confidently pounded her chest, dering that she was going to guard him.¡°I don¡¯t want to make even Seipia into our enemy because of you.¡± Glenn shook his hand, saying that it would be annoying to increase their enemies. ¡°Why would they be our enemy? I¡¯m just going there to spectate! I¡¯ll be as quiet as a doll!¡± ¡°Yeah, you are definitely going to be quiet in that exclusive society.¡± He snorted, saying that he¡¯d rather trust Rimmer. ¡°Moreover, Rimmer is just visiting his homnd. He¡¯s not going to Seipia as Zieghart¡¯s envoy. Their journey won¡¯t even be known to the outside world, so there¡¯s no need to worry about it.¡± ¡°But there might be another spy!¡± Aries frowned, stomping on the ground to the point where the entire audience chamber trembled. ¡°The case with Syria Sullion was better because he was the only one who went insane, but when it came to Lakion, the entire house was rebelling against us. There might be more people like them inside the house!¡± She exhaled fiercely, showing that she was really worried about Raon. ¡°Father, you should be well aware of why there are so many squeaking rats inside Zieghart. It¡¯s all because of you. You should¡¯ve kept pressuring them since you made them submit with your power, but you gave them the chance to raise their heads.¡± Aries red at him with a critical gaze. ¡°You should¡¯ve regted the inside of the house, not just the Five Demons!¡± ¡°You are right for once.¡± Glenn calmly nodded even though he heard all the harsh criticism. ¡°The scars engraved during the time I was walking the path of conqueror have finally opened up. It¡¯s indeed my fault, just like you said.¡± ¡°Father?¡± Aries¡¯s eyes widened, surprised by Glenn¡¯s peaceful reaction. ¡°However, we started searching for the spies a while ago. We¡¯ve already finished investigating the interior, and we¡¯ve started checking out the vassal houses, so the results should be out soon.¡± Glenn continued while looking at Aries with serious eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Raon. I¡¯ll be taking all the malice directed at Zieghart with me.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Aries¡¯s lips parted, but she couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Why are you so surprised after telling the truth?¡± Glenn supported his chin with his fist, letting out a hollowugh. ¡®Yes, she is right.¡¯ When he was consumed by the darkness, he¡¯d developed all the rules and order with sheer power. Those who defied were beheaded, and those who refused were annihted. Since he¡¯d lived as a demon dominated by power, it was only natural that his wrongdoings were returning as a de. However, that malice only needed to be directed at him. He didn¡¯t want to cause any more harm to Raon and the other youngsters. ¡°You feel¡­¡± Aries stared at Glenn with a softened expression. ¡°Different.¡± ¡°Am I different?¡± ¡°Yes. It feels like you¡¯ve returned to the time before Sylvia was born.¡± She smiled faintly, saying that he reminded her of the past that she couldn¡¯t even remember too well because it was such a long time ago. ¡°It¡¯s just an impression.¡± Glenn shook his hand, saying that it wasn¡¯t true. ¡°No, I¡¯m right.¡± Aries briskly raised her head. ¡°My father in the past would¡¯ve shouted at me to leave after hearing what I said instead of acknowledging it.¡± ¡°......¡± Glenn buried his back into the throne instead of answering her. ¡®Indeed, I would¡¯ve done that.¡¯ When he was engulfed in darkness, he¡¯d never listened to the other people¡¯s advice and simply advanced while looking forward. He¡¯d gained a lot in the process, but he¡¯d also lost a lot. Creak. As the father and the daughter were meeting each other¡¯s eyes, the audience chamber¡¯s door opened and Roenn made his entrance. ¡°I¡¯ve delivered it to him.¡± Roenn bowed at Glenn, then stood next to Aries. ¡°Did you give it to Raon?¡± Glenn asked the most important part first. ¡°Yes, I gave it to Sir Raon.¡± Roenn smiled, saying that he gave it to Raon. ¡°Ahem! Good job.¡± Glenn curled his lips into a satisfied smile and nodded slightly. ¡°Hmm, I can tell who brought about this change in you, Father.¡± Aries smiled faintly while looking up at Glenn with an entertained gaze. ¡°Father, I believe that it¡¯s never toote. Let¡¯s just do it and regret itter.¡± She clenched her fist as she spoke a line that perfectly reflected her personality. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± ¡°I know you do!¡± Aries narrowed her eyes as if she were reading Glenn¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Contemtion should be short! We must take action quickly, you know?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking my leave now.¡± ¡°Aries.¡± She shook her hand, and just as she was about to leave the audience chamber, Glenn squinted. ¡°If you run away from the house to follow Raon, you will be done ying pirate.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Aries smiled awkwardly while turning her trembling head around. ¡°You became even faster at noticing it¡­¡± * * * ¡°So neat.¡± Rimmer whistled while entering the restaurant. ¡°Indeed. The food smells nice as well.¡± Dorian smiled while sniffing. ¡°It¡¯s because they use high-quality butter. They must¡¯ve mixed something into the milk¡­¡± Yua quickly blinked, interested in the restaurant¡¯s food. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down for now.¡± Raon sighed after making them take a seat since they kept saying whatever they wanted. Since each of them had strong personalities, they would talk endlessly if he didn¡¯t do anything to interrupt them. ¡°Haa, sleeping outside really isn¡¯t ideal.¡± Rimmer clicked his tongue while massaging his right shoulder with his left hand. ¡°Let¡¯s find lodgings in this vige for tonight.¡± ¡°Why are you exaggerating so much? It¡¯s only been two days.¡± Raon shook his head, sitting on the opposite side of Rimmer. ¡°Dorian¡¯s tent and sleeping bag don¡¯t lose to even a high-quality inn.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Dorian widened his eyes and smiled brightly at beingplimented. ¡°Yes, it was thanks to you that I once again slept soundly yesterday.¡± Dorian had taken out an alreadypleted tent from his belly pocket, one that didn¡¯t even need to be set up, and even made a firece for cooking. To be honest, it was even morefortable and nicer than most of the high-quality inns. ¡°Well, they are necessities.¡± Dorian shook his hand, saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. It was true that tent and fire were necessities during a journey, but just taking out apleted tent and a firece was still a mystery. ¡°Then let¡¯s think about our lodgingster and order the food for now. What should we get? Since we have a lot of money, shall we order everything?¡± Rimmer licked his lips, spreading out the menu that the waiter had brought them. He was already acting like the money Glenn had given them was meant for him. ¡°I¡¯d like this meat pie and pizza.¡± Yua orderedmon dishes, saying that they allowed her to tell the cook¡¯s skills. ¡°I already have enough in my pocket though¡­¡± Dorian took out the forks and knives used for eating outdoors and ced them on the table. It looked like the earlierpliment had made him happy. ¡°......¡± The waiter started to stare at him as if he were seeing a madman. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon rubbed his temple while looking at the three people who started to say whatever they wanted again. ¡®This is exhausting¡­¡¯ He sighed while thinking that things were so hectic just as a blue cotton candy jolted up from the ice flower bracelet. What are you waiting for?! Order food right now! ¡®There¡¯s nothing special that I want to eat.¡¯ Your mouth doesn¡¯t even matter! The King of Essence is the one who wants the food! Order everything on the menu! Wrath extended his round hand, telling him to order all the dishes. ¡®We can¡¯t even eat them all.¡¯ You should be aware by now! The King of Essence will only be satisfied after eating everything he wants! ¡®Be quiet before I eat Nadine bread inside a restaurant.¡¯ Haap! As soon as the Nadine bread was mentioned, Wrath closed his mouth tightly. Argh, he needs to die. He will be killed no matter what! Cursing leaked from Wrath¡¯s tightly closed lips. He must¡¯ve been talking about the creator of Nadine bread who supposedly lives in Seipia. ¡°Division leader.¡± Raon called out to Rimmer, who had already finished ordering. ¡°Is the Nadine bread¡¯s creator really an elf?¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to believe, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rimmer nodded while handing over the menu to Dorian. ¡°It¡¯s already surprising enough that elven food spread to the human world, but the fact that it¡¯s Nadine bread feels the most surprising.¡± ¡°There¡¯s actually a story behind it.¡± ¡°A story?¡± ¡°The one who made Nadine bread had to do it in order to survive.¡± He smiled, saying that he was an interesting guy. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± Just as Raon was about to ask about it once again, he heard his name mentioned by the people at the table next to them. ¡°Did you hear the rumor that Raon Zieghart became a Grandmaster?¡± ¡°Huh? I heard that he was called ¡®Dragon yer¡¯ after killing the mad dragon Kaibar. Is he a Grandmaster now?¡± Raon furtively turned his head. Two middle-aged men in mercenary outfits were having a conversation while drinking beer. ¡°Tsk tsk, you are sote with the news. That happened a long time ago!¡± The balding mercenary clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°You know about House Lakion, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Zieghart¡¯s vassal house, famous for their longsword skills.¡± The goateed mercenary put down his beer ss and blinked. ¡°Yes. That prestigious house allied with the Holy Sword Alliance and prepared to attack Zieghart¡­¡± It was unknown how he¡¯d learned about it, but the balding mercenary knew everything that had happened in House Lakion. However, the Sword Demon wasn¡¯t mentioned, probably because the story about him hadn¡¯t spread yet. ¡°Did you just say that he really managed to break through the wall and be a Grandmaster? It¡¯s already surprising enough that he was bold enough to enter a trance on the battlefield! I honestly can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± The goateed mercenary gasped, his hand trembling on the beer ss. ¡°Whether you believe it or not, it¡¯s true that Raon Zieghart became a Grandmaster. The rumor has already spread all over!¡± ¡°How old is Raon Zieghart now?¡± ¡°Twenty-one, I think.¡± ¡°It would be the youngest in history if he became a Master at twenty-one years old, but Grandmaster? I can¡¯t even see him as a human being like us at this point¡­¡± ¡°He has the most unprecedented talent in history. Moreover, he even has a righteous personality. I heard there are even some books that track his actions. I can¡¯t even be jealous at this point.¡± ¡°I heard he has an outrageous appearance. What was he called again? Damn handsome?¡± ¡°The world is so damn unfair. Let¡¯s just drink!¡± The mercenaries raised their beer sses, saying that they should just drink. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while shifting his gaze away from the mercenaries. ¡®What a strange feeling.¡¯ It was refreshing to hear random people talking about him when he wasn¡¯t even in Zieghart¡¯s domain. He didn¡¯t really feel anything when other people told him he was famous, but the conversation between the mercenaries made him realize just how famous he¡¯d gotten. ¡°It¡¯s fun, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rimmer grinned while drinking the beer that came out before the dishes. ¡°Bing stronger means bing famous at the same time. Your name has now spread all around the continent, not just Zieghart. People are going to pay attention to you regardless of what you are doing. That¡¯s how fame works.¡± He shook his finger, saying that it would be like that for the rest of his life. In fact, his name was being mentioned at other tables as well. ¡°Your reputation is better than anyone else¡¯s in Zieghart. You should be proud of it since it¡¯s a good thing.¡± Rimmer smiled, saying that he should enjoy the moment. ¡°I¡¯m jealous¡­¡± Dorian scratched his belly pocket with his lips parted. ¡°No one knows my name even though I also want to be famous!¡± He sighed, saying that he needed to quickly reach Master. ¡°You can do it!¡± Yua smiled cheerfully and encouraged him with an energetic voice like always. Ugh¡­ Wrath furrowed his brow while going around the tables. You damned humans! Worship the King of Essence instead of a greenhorn like this! He shouted, angered by the fact that his name wasn¡¯t being mentioned anywhere. It can¡¯t stay like this! The King of Essence needs to advent once again and strike fear into every human on the continent¡ª ¡°The food is ready.¡± Time to eat! Wrath was frowning, but he smiled brightly and wagged his tail as soon as the waiter brought out the food. ¡®What fear¡­?¡¯ * * * Raon raised his gaze in front of the world of greenery. Everything in front of him was glowing green. The trees seemed to be shaking their hands towards the sky, with bushes and grass filling the space between them. Raon could understand why it was called the Great Forest. ¡°Wow,¡± Yua eximed while looking around the Great Forest. ¡°Is this Seipia?¡± ¡°This is the great forest, and Seipia is inside it.¡± Rimmer patted Yua¡¯s head with a faint smile on his face. Raon spread his aura perception towards the inside of the forest, but it was difficult to control his aura because the density of mana was too high in the forest. ¡®There¡¯s an issue with the aura, but I just don¡¯t really feel anything.¡¯ Raon was expecting some kind of hidden formation or barrier inside the Great Forest, but it seemed to be no different from an ordinary forest. ¡°Is there nothing like a barrier?¡± ¡°There is.¡± Rimmer shook his head. ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t feel anything though¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a naturalbyrinth.¡± ¡°Naturalbyrinth?¡± ¡°Yes. Because elves are capable ofmunicating with nature a little.¡± He smiled, saying that the forest itself was the rampart and the eyes of the elves. ¡°Can you do it too, division leader?¡± Dorian tilted his head while looking at Rimmer. ¡°Of course I can!¡± ¡°But howe I¡¯ve never seen you do that before?¡± ¡°Huh? Hmm. I forgot.¡± Rimmerughed awkwardly, saying that he¡¯d been forgetting that he was an elf. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Raon sighed while watching Rimmer scratch the back of his head. Are you sure you can count on Shitty Ears and enter this ce? Wrath furrowed his brow, saying that even he was getting worried. ¡®I¡¯m not sure either at this point¡­¡¯ However, there was no other choice since he¡¯d already arrived. He had to follow that scatterbrained elf. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s enter.¡± Rimmer chuckled and extended his hand, dividing the bushes to create a path. ¡°Wow! You are really an elf, division leader!¡± Yua jumped, admiring the sight. ¡°I thought you were a human with long ears!¡± ¡°I told you that I really am an elf. Have you seen a human this handsome?¡± ¡°Sir Raon.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Rimmer couldn¡¯t refute her and went inside the forest. Whap! Even children couldn¡¯t pass through the dense trees and bushes, but they were pulled apart at Rimmer¡¯s hand gesture, creating space for people to pass. Rimmer looked like an elf for the first time. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the swaying bushes and trees. ¡®It¡¯s not done with mana.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t because the forest recognized Rimmer¡¯s mana. It had noticed the elven blood in Rimmer and opened the path for him. They walked for a long time while observing the new and mysterious sight, and a small presence could be felt from the front. The sound was simr to a small animal passing by or the wind brushing past the bushes, but Raon could sense a lot more mana than that. The presence was from an elf, simr to Rimmer. ¡°They finally appeared.¡± Rimmer seemed to have noticed the elven presence. He stopped walking and looked at the thick bramble that wasn¡¯t opening up. ¡°Don¡¯t approach any further.¡± A woman¡¯s voice, devoid of any emotion, could be heard from the other side of the bramble. ¡°Outsiders aren¡¯t currently allowed to enter. Please go back.¡± She showed her intention to attack if they approached any further, her voice as cold as the wind on the northern sea. Why are all the shitty ears so insolent?! Wrath violently ground his teeth while ring at the other side of the bramble. How dare they stand on the King of Essence¡¯s path?! Kill them all right now! ¡®Do you think I would do that?¡¯ Then do all that shit with fire that you love to do! He shouted at Raon to burn the forest up. He must¡¯ve developed a hatred towards elves because of Rimmer. ¡°Do you not know me?¡± Rimmer casually shook his hand and approached the bramble. ¡°I¡­¡± Just as he was trying to walk even closer, an arrow was fired from the bramble and got stuck on the ground. Psssh! The arrow embedded on the ground was vibrating intensely, showing that it was fired with tremendous strength. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer swallowed nervously while looking at the arrow on the ground. ¡°I-I guess you don¡¯t know me.¡± He smiled awkwardly while wiping the sweat flowing from his forehead. ¡°Please don¡¯t approach. You seem to be an elf born from the outside. If you weren¡¯t an elf, that arrow would¡¯ve pierced your neck instead.¡± The voice flowing out from the other side of the bramble sounded even colder than before. ¡°Well, I guess they would¡¯ve changed the guardians since a long time has passed. I¡¯m not an outsider. I was born in Seipia.¡± Rimmer shook his head and took another step forward. ¡°Stop lying. There¡¯s no way an elf born from Seipia wouldn¡¯t know that we are in a crucial moment¡­¡± ¡°You recognize this sword even though you don¡¯t recognize me, right?¡± He cut her off and tapped on the sword hanging around his waist. ¡°......¡± The bramble remained silent for a while. Then¡ª Pssh! The arrow brushed past Rimmer¡¯s earlobe, even faster and more dangerous than before. ¡°He is the one who plundered the holy relic! Everyone, attack!¡± Along with the female elf¡¯s frightening voice, dozens of arrows emerged from the bramble at the same time. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Rimmer stepped back while freaking out. ¡°I knew this was going to happen.¡± Raon violently ground his teeth while standing in front of Rimmer to defend him. ¡°What have you even been doing with your life?!¡± Chapter 576 ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so bored¡­¡± Aries mmed the desk with her fist and sighed deeply. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to be stuck in here!¡± She chewed on her lip while watching the warm sunlight shining down on the window. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn ced a teacup and some snacks on Aries¡¯s desk with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°You should be able to finish the task soon enough.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot more left to do! I can¡¯t even see the end!¡± ¡°There¡¯s the saying that the beginning is half of the whole. You¡¯ve already done more than half.¡±¡°Haa, you are even more hateful than my father sometimes, Roenn.¡± Aries bluntly red at him sideways but still ate the snack he¡¯d brought for her. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn simply smiled as if he found her cute regardless of what she did. ¡°Are there any messages from Raon?¡± ¡°He sent a message saying that they should reach Seipia at around noon today.¡± ¡°Noon today?¡± Aries squinted while looking at the sun that had moved slightly away from the center of the sky. ¡°Then they should¡¯ve already entered Seipia.¡± ¡°They probably did.¡± ¡°Arrrgh!¡± Aries screamed, wildly ruffling her sunset-colored hair. ¡°I should¡¯ve been there with them! It was a rare opportunity to visit Seipia as a guest!¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± ¡°Do you have anything else other than thatughter?¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Roenn changed theughing sound ording to Aries¡¯s request. ¡°That¡¯s even worse!¡± Aries mmed her head on the desk, saying that she was going nuts. ¡°Raon should be getting a warm reception from the elves by now. He must be having fruit wine and sightseeing around the world tree. It must be nice¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably the case. Sir Rimmer¡¯s position in Seipia seemed to be quite high, after all.¡± ¡°Yes. I think he said that his rank was simr to a noble. That¡¯s why he kept acting elegant when I first saw him and looked so annoying. The way he acts like an idiot now is way better than that.¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn nodded and expressed his agreement. ¡°Roenn, do you have anything interesting?¡± Aries asked Roenn while rubbing her forehead on the desk. She looked like she really didn¡¯t want to work. ¡°Hmm. Young Master Burren, Lady Martha, and Lady Runaan have recently been trained by the Wise Martial Pce Master.¡± Roenn brought out a topic that Aries might be interested in. ¡°Huh? Really?¡± Aries briskly raised her head. ¡°Is Denier really helping their training?!¡± ¡°Indeed. They are so passionate, trying to catch up to Sir Raon.¡± ¡°That sounds interesting. Shall I check them out?¡± She licked her lip, interested in the story. ¡°If I manage to raise their realms by one step per person, Raon will probably call me auntie and jump into my embrace as soon as he returns, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°You should finish your work for the day if you want to be called aunt.¡± Roenn put down a new batch of documents on Aries¡¯s desk. ¡°Roenn, I¡¯m really going to die at this rate¡­¡± Aries grabbed Roenn¡¯s sleeve with teary eyes. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn rapidly pulled his hand away and quickly escaped from Aries. He looked coldhearted. ¡°Roenn, you really have changed a lot. You weren¡¯t like this in the past!¡± ¡°People are bound to change.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s true. I saw that my father and the others have also changed. It¡¯s all because of Raon, right?¡± ¡°Not entirely because of him, but it¡¯s true that he had a significant influence.¡± He smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°I feel like his real talent is his charm and ability to attract people, not his martial art.¡± Aries closed her eyes faintly before opening them again, her lips curved into a gentle smile. ¡°I wanted to travel with my charming nephew. What a shame¡­¡± She sighed deeply while picking up the pen. ¡°Your auntie will be working hard, so you should enjoy it at least.¡± * * * ¡°You said that fun times awaited us here!¡± Raon ground his teeth while creating a semi-circr sword barrier with Heavenly Drive. ¡°You said that you¡¯d been living like an ordinary elf in your homnd!¡± Raon had expected it to happen, but the circumstances had also surpassed his expectations at the same time. It was so irritating that he couldn¡¯t stop himself from yelling at Rimmer. ¡°Why did you even steal the divine relic?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t steal it! I really got it fair and square!¡± Rimmer frantically shook his head, saying that it never happened. Wahahahaha! Wrath burst out intoughter while covering his belly. He seemed to be enjoying the situation. The King of Essence knew this was going to happen. Why would you even believe anything Shitty Ears said? Even Greed would be more trustworthy! ¡®Shut up!¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept giggling and focused on the arrows rushing at him. aang! The sword barrier created by the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation shed against the arrow. Each time the arrowhead hit the barrier, it felt like a lump of metal was smacking it. ¡®How is this even an arrow?!¡¯ The heavy attack felt like he was getting hit by a spear that was thrown with aura rather than arrows. Since the arrowhead seemed to be made from wood instead of steel, he was curious about how it could be so powerful. Whir! The elves hiding behind the bramble apparently didn¡¯t have any intention of talking to them anymore, as they kept shooting the arrows one after the other. ng! ng! Raon rotated the sword barrier to fend off all the arrows before he red at Rimmer. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with their reaction?! You said that we would be weed!¡± Raon honestly didn¡¯t believe that they would be weed, but he had never imagined being attacked at the entrance. ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening either¡­¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t even wipe the cold sweat flowing from his forehead while saying that he was also surprised. ¡°Haa, we shouldn¡¯t have believed him to begin with. We should¡¯ve just left him behind.¡± Dorian sighed while saying that they should¡¯ve left Rimmer in Zieghart even though they were heading to his homnd. ¡°Are we going to be unable to enter?¡± Yua¡¯s lips trembled in disbelief because they suddenly became intruders right off the bat. ¡°Keep shooting!¡± With the voice of the female elf, which had be even sharper, arrows were fired at them. The energy dwelling on the arrows was rotating even faster and more powerfully than before, trying to break through the sword barrier. ¡®The power on those arrows is on a whole different level indeed.¡¯ He¡¯d seen countless archers in various battlefields, but it was his first time facing such an advanced archery. Raon intensified the me of his sword barrier and carefully observed the arrows rushing towards him. ¡®They aren¡¯t shooting with sheer strength.¡¯ The elves were pulling the bowstrings with profound principles of martial arts. Swiftness, sharpness, and heaviness were dwelling on those arrows, and that was why it felt like he was getting hit by a huge lump of metal each time. The female elf who was ordering the others had the best skill in archery among them. She seemed to be equivalent to a Master swordsman at least. ¡®She can incorporate the principles of the Master realm on arrows. That¡¯s interesting.¡¯ His heart started to pound because of the unexpected encounter with a new flow of martial arts. Argh! The madartian is getting started again! Wrath shook his head with a furrowed brow. ¡®What is a madartian?¡¯ A madman for martial arts! It¡¯s you! ¡®You¡¯re really good at creating strange words.¡¯ Raon chuckled and focused on the arrows once again. ¡®They are making it so nice to observe.¡¯ The elves were shooting the arrows intending to neutralize instead of kill. As a result, Raon could easily observe the arrows. ¡®The misunderstanding can be solvedter.¡¯ He could neutralize the elves at any moment by using his power, but he preferred to widen his mental world by observing their archery. Raon removed the sword barrier and fended off the approaching arrows directly with his sword. aang! The moment Heavenly Drive¡¯s de shed against the arrowhead, the power and principle dwelling on the arrow pierced deep into his hand. ¡®The swiftness and heaviness are properly incorporated. Moreover, variation was added on top this time.¡¯ The arrow couldn¡¯t freely fly into the air like Rimmer had described, but the principles dwelling in the arrows were good enough to learn from them. ng! ng! Raon focused on the elven arrows raining down from all directions, his lips curved into a smile. He polished his swordsmanship by fending off the fast arrows with a heavy sword, heavy arrows with a soft sword, and variable arrows with a severing sword. After he continued to defend for a while, the arrows suddenly stoppeding at once. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon furrowed his brow while lowering Heavenly Drive. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to shoot more?¡± ¡°Try thinking in their stead. Would you want to keep shooting arrows at a pervert who is fending them off with a smile?¡± Rimmer shook his head and stepped forward. ¡°I-I¡¯m not a pervert!¡± ¡°You are the biggest pervert when ites to the martial arts.¡± He shook his hand in disgust and stood in front of the bramble once again. ¡°Let me say this again. Seipia is my homnd, and I rightfully obtained this divine relic through proper procedures. I definitely didn¡¯t steal it.¡± Rimmer confidently announced that he was innocent. ¡°How am I supposed to believe you?¡± The voiceing from behind the bramble sounded a bit softer. ¡°Your heads would be rolling as soon as you encountered him if we came here with malicious intent.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders while pointing at Raon. ¡°You can tell that much, can¡¯t you?¡± The silence continued for a moment before the bramble split apart and the elf hiding behind it was revealed. She was a beauty, her green hair looking like the personification of the forest and her attractive blue eyes reflecting the sky. Her nose wasn¡¯t too high, nor her eyes that big, but the harmony in her facial features formed a natural beauty. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Leiran.¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m familiar with that name. Are you from the Cotton Branch n, by any chance?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I am.¡± The elf nodded faintly, introducing herself as Leiran. ¡°I went to watch when I heard the rumor that an extremely cute baby was born from there. You grew up nicely.¡± Rimmer smiled, saying that he was d to see her grow up so beautifully. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Rimmer. You can call the old man Sterin if you can¡¯t believe me. That geezer will definitely¡­¡± When Rimmer was trying to ask her to call someone, but the elf who¡¯d been listening to him suddenly pulled her bowstring. It was a dangerous attack, intending to kill him for the first time so far. Crack! Raon extended his left hand and destroyed the arrow trying to reach Rimmer with his bare hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to call him by his name!¡± It wasn¡¯t just her, but every elf around them was showing their murderous intent. Raon became curious about who Sterin was. ¡°Who did you just name?¡± ¡°The boss of Seipia.¡± ¡°This damn guy!¡± Raon tightly closed his eyes. He could understand why the elves were trying to kill him. It was the same asing to Zieghart and calling Glenn a geezer. He couldn¡¯t evenin even if he¡¯d died. ¡°I¡¯m allowed to call him that, though¡­¡± Rimmer blinked, unable to understand what he¡¯d even done wrong. ¡°Stop it right there and don¡¯t speak anymore, division leader.¡± Raon covered Rimmer¡¯s mouth and lowered his head at Leiran. ¡°I apologize for what he said just now. He is just a bit stupid and he didn¡¯t mean any harm. Please understand him. We¡¯ve said this before, but we aren¡¯t thieves or intruders. We just need to solve the misunderstanding¡­¡± ¡°What misunderstanding are you talking about?¡± A cold voice was carried by a wind blowing from afar. The moment the quiet atmosphere started to rampage, an elf giving off a cold impression flew from above the trees rising at the right side, his long blue hair fluttering in the wind. ¡°Ah!¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips curved into a smile, showing that he recognized him. ¡°We¡¯re good now! Someone I know came out!¡± He shouted that there was no need to worry anymore and waved his hand toward the blue-haired elf. ¡°Erian! It¡¯s me! You know me, right?¡± The elf called Erian quietly nodded. ¡°The plunderer of the divine relic.¡± However, the voice that followed was as cold as winter. ¡°I knew it¡­¡± ¡°I expected it to be the case.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an idiot for trusting you.¡± Raon, Dorian, and Yua¡¯s cold gazes were fixated on Rimmer. ¡°Wh-what are you even talking about?! You were there to watch when I received this sword!¡± Rimmer rapidly shook his head, to the point where his facial features became undistinguishable. ¡°This sword wasn¡¯t given to you, it was lent to you. Since you never returned after taking the divine relic outside, you are just a thief.¡± Erian drew his sword from his waist. His bloodlust was emerging from the blue aura rising from his wrist. aash! Just as the strike of the cold wind started to descend toward Rimmer¡¯s head, Raon made his move. Thud! Raon violently kicked the ground and smacked Erian¡¯s de. aang! The wind bursting from the sh between the des shook the forest violently. ¡°Hmph!¡± Erian snorted and nimbly spun around. He kept his bnce midair like a bird and connected into a downward sh. ¡®The movement of his body is so free.¡¯ He seemed to be using the wind in a different way than Rimmer. Raon drew two lines with Heavenly Drive while feeling the flow of wind of Erian¡¯s movement with his skin. The me welling up from between the lines turned into a circr shape and created a shield of fire. Whaaam! Erian¡¯s de of wind was unable to break through the Firewall and disappeared as a warm wind. ¡°Tsk.¡± Erian furrowed his brow and withdrew. He seemed to be annoyed by the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rimmer grinned and raised his left hand. ¡°I¡¯m the one who taught him!¡± He still couldn¡¯t understand the situation and curved his lips into a smile. ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Erian kicked the fissurednd with a frown on his face. His movement was swift and full of variety. Raon could smell the blood from his practical strike. Many lives must¡¯ve perished from his de. Raon bent his knee and pushed it ahead slightly. He leaned forward and unsheathed Heavenly Drive, which he¡¯d pulled back to the left side. The silver de dashed ahead, and a blue de of coldness followed up like a shadow. aang! The first de of the Frost Pond fended off Erian¡¯s sword, and the de of frost following right after rushed towards his shoulder. ¡°Haap!¡± Erian¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected attack from the de of coldness, but he used that movement from before to ride the wind and leap backward. Psssh! However, the de of coldness had already brushed past his shoulder, creating a small scratch. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Erian twisted his lips while looking at the wound on his shoulder. ¡°Alright.¡± He raised his finger like a bird¡¯s w to press upon the wound and raised his chin. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the death of your disciple if that¡¯s what you desire.¡± Erian murmured that it was all their fault and put his hands together. Whaap! A powerful wind undted around him, to the point where it was difficult to open their eyes. The green sphere floating in the air was shining majestically and spread its huge wings. ¡®What is that?¡¯ Raon forced his eyes open while sensing the powerful wave of mana. A gigantic body was floating under the blue sky. A hawk. The hawk was huge enough to be called a drake, and it was breathing in the blue wind. Kieeeeh! The green hawk unleashed its terrifying roar towards the world. It was so powerful that the entire forest seemed to be shaking. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a spirit, and the highest tier spirit at that.¡± Rimmer gasped while looking at Erian. ¡°I thought he would¡¯ve gotten stronger, but I didn¡¯t expect him to summon the highest tier spirit¡­¡± He shook his head, saying that they were in huge trouble. ¡°The highest tier spirit can even fight against a Grandmaster.¡± ¡°That seems to be the case¡­¡± Raon nodded faintly. Just as Rimmer was saying, the highest tier spirit¡¯s energy was as powerful as a Grandmaster¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t an opponent that he could easily win against. ¡°It¡¯s toote for regrets.¡± Erian snorted and pointed his finger at Raon and Rimmer. ¡°Tear them to pieces!¡± ¡°It looks fun.¡± Raon stepped forward while licking his lips, and the highest-tier spirit remained immobile, as if it didn¡¯t hear Erian¡¯s order. Shoosh! It wasn¡¯t actually immobile. It was furtively moving backward by riding the wind. ¡°What are you waiting for?! Attack them right now!¡± ¡°Kieeeh!¡± Erian pointed with his finger once again, but the highest-tier spirit just leaped back and hid behind a tree. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Kieeh¡­¡± Raon tilted his head at the strange behavior, and the highest-tier spirit lowered its head while trembling in fear. It was the submissive posture that could often be seen in animals. ¡°Wh-what?! What have you done to my spirit?!¡± Erian¡¯s chin trembled in panic. He went to the spirit and tried to talk to it, but the spirit never stood up. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Raon thought it was a strange situation and turned his head around, and that was when he saw Wrath picking his nose. What¡¯chu looking at?¡± Chapter 577 Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wrath, who was floating nkly in the air. ¡®That highest-tier spirit over there¡­ Is it afraid because of you?¡¯ Hmm? Wrath tilted his head while scratching his plump belly. He stared nkly at the demoralized highest-tier spirit and loudly pped his hands. Th-that¡¯s right! That bird must be shrinking because it is intimidated by the King of Essence¡¯s dignity. ¡®......¡¯ Judging from Wrath¡¯s reaction, he hadn¡¯t intentionally revealed his presence. The highest-tier spirit must¡¯ve sensed something about Wrath on its own. Since spirits are the closest existences to nature, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it sensed the King of Essence¡¯s dignity! Wrath giggled, saying that he¡¯d finally gotten someone to notice him.¡®Have you also been to the spiritual realm before?¡¯ It was a long time ago, but he¡¯s been there before. ¡®Th-then have you ever tried eating a spirit?¡¯ Why are you asking the obvious question? It was chewy and tasty. Wrath licked his lips, saying that it was a delicious food. Green spirits tasted like green grapes, while the red spirits tasted like strawberries. ¡®I didn¡¯t want to know about how the spirits tasted!¡¯ Raon pressed his temple while biting his lip. ¡®This is happening because of that!¡¯ The highest-tier spirit must¡¯ve been terrified because it remembered how Wrath ate all those spirits. ¡®This is no good¡­¡¯ Raon had heard that the spirit and its summoner could somewhat share their emotions even though they couldn¡¯t exactlymunicate. If the highest-tier spirit told him about the demon king, everyone with him could end up dying. There¡¯s no way. The King of Essence went there when the fire and water spirit kings were in the spiritual realm. A young spirit like that wouldn¡¯t even have seen him. Wrath shook his head, saying that the highest-tier spirit must not have seen him. It simply surrendered to the King of Essence¡¯s presence! He smiled happily, saying that everyone should worship him. ¡®It would be nice if that were the case, but we should prepare for the worst-case scenario. The moment they mention the demon king¡­ I need to kill all the elves.¡¯ He felt bad for Rimmer, but he had no other choice than killing them all if they talked about the demon king. Raon clenched Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt and bent his knee. He prepared to dash at any moment when Erian raised his head sharply. ¡°What?¡± He widened his eyes in disbelief while looking at Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®Did he find out?¡¯ Raon tightly bit his lip and prepared to use the Supreme Harmony Step when Erian opened his mouth one again. ¡°A-a great existence?!¡± His chin trembled as he murmured ¡®great existence¡¯ instead of ¡®demon king¡¯. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Raon stopped himself from hurriedly dashing towards him and widened his eyes. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Great existence?¡¯ Raon was even more confused than Erian at the sudden mention of a great existence when he expected him to say the demon king. ¡°Great existence, did you mean the spirit king by any chance?¡± Kieeh. The highest-tier wind spirit shook its head faintly. It didn¡¯t seem to be sure either. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Erian raised his trembling chin, the hand holding his sword trembling as well. ¡°Human! Did you make a contract with the spirit king?¡± His eyes were wavering intensely in disbelief. ¡°¡­¡± Raon blinked nkly while looking at Erian. ¡®What is he even talking about¡­?¡¯ His lips unconsciously parted because he couldn¡¯t understand the situation at all. ¡°Spirit king?¡± The voice came from Leiran behind them. ¡°I can¡¯t even sense the faintest energy of spirit from that human.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s the spirit king! The spirit king is a transcended existence among the spirits! It¡¯s only natural that we can¡¯t sense their energy!¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no way. The two current spirit kings can¡¯te outside because they have to maintain the spiritual realm.¡± ¡°Then they must be a newly born spirit king. The fire or ice spirit that¡¯s soon going to be the spirit king must¡¯ve taken a liking to that human!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± ¡°Why would that be impossible? Don¡¯t try to understand the great ones with that small brain of yours!¡± Leiran shook her head in disbelief, but Erian was certain of his thoughts and closed his eyes tightly. ¡°When did you even make a contract with a spirit king? That¡¯s my disciple for you!¡± Rimmer walked up to him while blinking. Raon couldn¡¯t understand why even he was being deceived. ¡°Spirit king?! Is it fire or water?¡± Dorian snorted in excitement and asked whether it was the fire spirit king or the water spirit king. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case though¡­¡± Yua was the only one who tilted her head, finding it strange. What¡¯s wrong with those scatterbrains?! Wrath flew towards them and yelled. How dare youpare the King of Essence to a mere spirit! Do you have a death wish?! Kieeh¡­ Wrath was enraged and started to rampage, and the highest-tier spirit was intimidated, closed its eyes, and crammed its head into the ground. Raon caught his breath while looking at the messy situation. ¡®I¡¯m starting to get a grasp of this situation.¡¯ The highest-tier spirit didn¡¯t remember Wrath for his feast in the spiritual realm. It had just noticed his intense coldness and the tremendous power of his soul and considered him to be a great existence. It must''ve happened because spirits were the closest existences to nature. ¡®It¡¯s not the worst case, but it¡¯s not that good either.¡¯ The worst-case scenario was averted since the fact that he was a demon king wasn¡¯t revealed, but it wasn¡¯t advantageous for him to be called a contractor of the spirit king. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not a contractor of the spirit king. This is my first time seeing a spirit. There must be a misunderstand¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Eria rapidly nodded as if there was an important point being made that allowed him to understand. ¡°Spirit kings don¡¯t make contracts with people who¡¯ve already made a contract with another spirit. An existence that is ready to be a new king must be watching you for sure!¡± He bit his lip, saying that a spirit king would soon speak to him. He didn¡¯t even listen to others anymore, focused on his own world of thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s normal for him to not listen because he¡¯s always lived in a world of his own.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, saying that it should¡¯ve been noticeable from the first encounter. ¡°That seems to be the case¡­¡± Raon nervously chewed his lip. ¡®This is driving me nuts¡­¡¯ Heughed bitterly at the ridiculous situation and remembered what Wrath had told him a moment ago. ¡®But what does it mean that the fire and water spirit kings are missing?¡¯ Do you not know about it? Those two disappeared from the spiritual realm a long time ago. Wrath calmly nodded. ¡®Why?¡¯ The rumors said that they had a duel to the death and died together, but he has no idea if that¡¯s true. He shook his hand, saying that he wasn¡¯t interested in those who were weaker than himself. ¡®Is it normal for the spiritual realm to be maintained when the spirit kings are missing?¡¯ It¡¯s because the earth and wind spirit kings are working themselves to the bone. Moreover, another one joined them, too. ¡®Another one?¡¯ Raon was about to ask who that was when Erian¡¯s lips parted once again. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you like this since you are going to make a contract with the spirit king.¡± Erian returned his sword to the scabbard and also returned the highest-tier wind spirit to the spiritual realm. ¡°Follow me.¡± He gestured with his finger, telling him that he would guide him to Seipia. ¡°How could you do that?¡± Leiran blocked his way, her hand holding a bow. ¡°Even if that human is a contractor of the spirit king, we can¡¯t let them enter Seipia at the moment.¡± She shook her head, saying that it was impossible to let outsiders enter at that important period of time. ¡°He is a contractor of the spirit king that hasn¡¯t appeared for hundreds of years. Moreover¡­¡± Erian furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer. ¡°We also need to deal with his issue. Bringing them with us for now is the correct course of action.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility for it.¡± He shook his hand, telling them to follow, confident that Raon was the spirit king¡¯s contractor. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m really benefiting from my great disciple.¡± Rimmer patted Raon¡¯s shoulder with a grin on his face, saying that it was nice he didn¡¯t have to fight. Raon clutched his forehead while looking at Rimmer. ¡®You shouldn¡¯t be smiling right now, you dimwit!¡¯ * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± A red-haired elf with the faintest trace of his long life engraved on his face stroked his chin. ¡°The one who left home is finally returning.¡± ¡°What?¡± A female elf who was only poking her head out from the nket furtively raised her head. Her tinum blonde hair flowed down softly like spring water. ¡°Wh-who ising?¡± Her red lips trembled anxiously instead of being interested. ¡°Your brother.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The blonde-haired elf pricked her ears like a rabbit. However, her upper body still didn¡¯te out from under the nket. ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes. But it looks like his nature has changed a bit.¡± The red-haired elf smiled faintly and looked at the female elf. ¡°Siyan. Don¡¯t you want to meet your brother?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The female elf called Siyan secretly moved her legs and went into her nket like a turtle. ¡°I-it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°What¡¯s embarrassing about seeing your family after a long time?¡± ¡°Because a long time has passed¡­¡± ¡°Time doesn¡¯t matter when ites to family.¡± The red-haired elf patted Siyan¡¯s head and shook his head. ¡°Hmm? There are three humansing with him.¡± ¡°H-humans?¡± ¡°He is extremely powerful. He still seems young, but he is already a Grandmaster. What an outrageous talent.¡± The red-haired elf eximed, surprised from the bottom of his heart. ¡°What do you think? Won¡¯t youe with me to greet them?¡± ¡°......¡± Siyan didn¡¯t respond to the red-haired elf and simply blinked under the nket. ¡°I-I¡¯ll stay here¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The red-haired elf sighed briefly and raised his gaze. The wrinkles around his eyes were shaking. ¡°Siyan, we don¡¯t have much time left anymore.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I can do it this time, but it might really be impossible next time. You should brace yourself.¡± ¡°I-I understand.¡± Siyan¡¯s shrinking voice could be heard from the nket. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll head out now.¡± The red-haired elf casually shook his hand and left the room. ¡°......¡± Siyan was still inside the nket, not even making the sound of breathing. Once the sound of the red-haired elf¡¯s footsteps as he left the area could be heard, she finally took off the nket and went outside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I didn¡¯t want to be born as a high elf either.¡± Siyan sighed deeply and shook her head. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯mpletely ipetent, even worse than an ordinary elf¡­¡± She picked up a book next to the bed, her shoulders slumped. Siyan murmured that she wanted to live an ordinary life and opened the book. The clean cover implied that it was a new book, and the name of Raon Zieghart was engraved on it. ¡°I want to be Raon Zieghart, too¡­¡± * * * Raon narrowed his eyes as he followed Erian. ¡®He feels like a real elf.¡¯ Unlike Rimmer, Erian was opening the path in the forest just by walking. Rimmer was more powerful in terms of might, but Erian seemed to have more affinity with nature. Raon flicked his eyes to the side upon feeling a gaze stinging him and saw that Leiran was tantly staring at him. Her eyes were filled with suspicion, wondering whether he was really the spirit king¡¯s contractor. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Raon awkwardly shook his hand while looking at Leiran. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forgot that staring is rude for humans.¡± Leiran admitted her mistake and politely lowered her head. ¡°But is it really true that you are a contractor of a spirit ki¡ª¡± ¡°I told you he is.¡± Erian furrowed his brow while looking back at Leiran. ¡°Do you not believe me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to believe this time.¡± Leiran was directly telling her superior that she couldn¡¯t believe it. Elves were indeed different. ¡°Hmph. You will find out soon enough. Let¡¯s see who is right.¡± He is a yes-forcer. Wrath ground his teeth while ring at Erian. ¡®Yes-forcer?¡¯ He only epts a yes as an answer. He¡¯s the perfect example of a dogmatic old man! His clenched fist started to tremble as he said that he was getting more and more irritated from watching him. ¡°That¡¯s true. We will find outter.¡± Leiran apologetically lowered her head at Raon. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his head and furrowed his brow. ¡®I¡¯m going nuts. How am I supposed to solve this misunderstanding?¡¯ Let the King of Essence advent right now! Wrath pounded his chest, saying that he would solve the issue for him. Once all the elves living here are frozen alive, no one would dare topare the great King of Essence to a mere spirit! He let out a frighteningugh, saying that he was going to turn all the elves in the area into frozen statues. ¡®I already have too much to think about, so please stay quiet.¡¯ No! Hand over your body! ¡®Just go in there!¡¯ Raon was shoving Wrath into the bracelet when Erian stopped walking. ¡°This is Seipia.¡± Raon raised his gaze, and a world of greenery filled his vision. The lively trees and grass under the golden sunlight descending from the sky made it look like a world that didn¡¯t exist in reality. There were as many trees and bushes as in the Great Forest, but it didn¡¯t feel confusing or stuffed because the paths were properly carved. ¡®Do they live in trees?¡¯ It looked like the elves lived in trees just like squirrels. However, there were asionally buildings that seemed to be made by humans, probably because humans sometimes came to visit. ¡®So this is the reason why the purity of mana is so high.¡¯ Raon could guess that the mana¡¯s purity was a lot higher than the outside because the elves lived with nature without destroying it. ¡®I can¡¯t see the world tree anywhere.¡¯ Even though it was a huge tree that supposedly reached the sky, it couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere. It was probably hidden behind a barrier. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Dorian was only blinking his eyes in surprise, and Yua smiled brightly upon feeling the high density of mana. Raon licked his lips while observing deeper into Seipia. ¡®There¡¯s no humans around.¡¯ He¡¯d heard that there was some human traffic in Seipia, but he couldn¡¯t see a single one around. He guessed that it was because of that important thing happening in Seipia that Leiran had mentioned. ¡°This ce hasn¡¯t changed.¡± Rimmer watched Seipia with a nostalgic gaze. ¡°You seem to have changed a lot.¡± Erian furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer. ¡°Because the world changes non-stop.¡± Rimmer smiled while meeting Erian¡¯s ferocious gaze. ¡°Keep guiding us already.¡± ¡°What an annoying man.¡± Erian twisted his lips and went into Seipia. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°¡­Rimmer?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Sir Rimmer.¡± ¡°Did he finally return?¡± The elves inside Seipia recognized Rimmer and widened their eyes. No one was drastically surprised, probably as an elven characteristic, but they clearly recognized Rimmer. ¡°I thought he died.¡± ¡°I think he lost his right arm¡­¡± ¡°I heard he ran away because of the sword. Why did he even return?¡± ¡°Hmm, is it because of that?¡± ¡°But Sir Rimmer isn¡¯t a high elf.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with those humans? Why are they here now¡­?¡± Elves stopped walking and carefully spoke to each other while watching Rimmer. ¡°Long time no see! How have you been, everyone?¡± Rimmer cheerfully waved his hand towards the elves. ¡°Wh-why is he acting like that?¡± ¡°He is behaving like a human¡­¡± ¡°Sir Rimmer used to be so noble. Why is he speaking like that¡­?¡± ¡°His outfit is strange too.¡± ¡°Is he tainted by humanity?¡± The elves watched Rimmer with twitching eyes because of his frivolous tone. Raon furrowed his brow while watching Rimmer¡¯s back. ¡®Seriously, this elf, what kind of life has he been leading?¡¯ Judging from the reaction of the elves, it must¡¯ve been true that Rimmer used to be calm in the past. It was getting more and more difficult to guess Rimmer¡¯s personality. ¡°We are going to meet Lord Sterin. You should brace yourself.¡± Erian red coldly at Rimmer and hastened his steps. ¡°Brace for what?¡± Rimmer snorted and followed Erian. ¡®Sterin¡­ He must be a high elf.¡¯ Sterin was the elf Rimmer had mentioned, supposedly the leader of the elves. Raon was curious about how powerful he was, and what kind of spirit he could summon. The path narrowed and encounters with elves became scarcer as they followed Erian. It was interesting because paths usually became flush with more people around when it came to meeting a human leader. ¡°Here we are.¡± Erian stopped walking in front of arge fir tree with an old door embedded on it. It was arge tree, but Raon couldn¡¯t believe that it was the dwelling of the leader of an entire race. ¡°Stop acting so frivolously and show some courtesy.¡± Erian stroked his scabbard, implying that he would kill him if he said anything strange. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, telling him to enter already. Knock Knock. Erian clicked his tongue and knocked on the door attached to the tree. ¡°Guardian, we have visitors¡­¡± ¡°Enter.¡± A quiet voice could be heard from inside the tree before he finished exining the circumstances. The silvery voice was enough to put the body and mind at ease. ¡°Yes.¡± Erian carefully opened the door and entered. The interior was more spacious than it looked, but it was still surprisingly humble. It didn¡¯t look like the residence of the guardian of an entire race. However, it was understandable at the same time, because the race in question was elven. A red-haired elf was lying back in a rocking chair made of vines. His gaze resembled Rimmer¡¯s, and he lifted his upper body, wrinkles appearing around his eyes. ¡®Is he the guardian of the elves?¡¯ He was in the same domain as Glenn and the Holy Sword Alliance master, but his nature waspletely different. Unlike those two, who showed their presences towards the world, the elf in front of him was blending into the world. He must¡¯ve achieved a unique realm where nature dwelled in his mind. ¡°Rimmer, you are sote¡ª¡± Sterin looked at Rimmer with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Grandfather!¡± Rimmer ran towards Sterin and hugged him tightly. ¡°Huh? Rimmer?¡± Sterin¡¯s chin trembled in surprise at being suddenly hugged by Rimmer. ¡®Wow, is he the leader¡¯s descendant as well?¡¯ Raon¡¯s jaw dropped in surprise. ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Erian furrowed his brow while forcibly pulling Rimmer off him. ¡°His return isn¡¯t even the important part right now. A contractor of the long-lost spirit king has appeared!¡± He pushed Rimmer to the back and pointed at Raon. ¡°You all¡­¡± Sterin furrowed his brow while looking back and forth between Rimmer and Erian. ¡°Are you possessed by Satan?¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 578 ¡°Wow!¡± Rimmer curled his lips into a smile while looking at Sterin. ¡°It really hits me that I¡¯m back home when you call me possessed by Satan, grandfather.¡± He smiled broadly, saying that he felt like he¡¯d returned to his childhood. ¡°Satan?¡± Raon murmured the word Satan. He could understand that it didn¡¯t mean anything good, but he couldn¡¯t tell exactly what it meant. ¡°Do you not know about Satan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Raon looked behind him and saw that Dorian and Yua were also shaking their heads, showing that they didn¡¯t know.¡°Well, I guess the name would¡¯ve been forgotten a long time ago among humans.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, saying that it was understandable. ¡°Satan is one of the monarchs of Devildom. He is in charge of wrath, among the seven deadly sins.¡± ¡°Wr-wrath?¡± ¡°Yes. He was called Satan, which meant he was the adversary of God and the heavenly realm. It¡¯s been a long time since his previous appearance, but he is often used to frighten the children because of how violent and impulsive he was. Like, ¡®Satan wille to get you¡¯, for example.¡± He chuckled, saying that Sterin often mentioned that name. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Raon bit his trembling lip and turned his eyes towards Wrath. ¡®Were you called Satan before?¡¯ There was a time when humans called him that. Wrath nodded his bby chin, murmuring that there was a time like that. ¡®Satan, the adversary of God and the heavenly realm¡­¡¯ Wrath had been insulting the heavenly realm and God all the time, saying that he wanted to fight them. Judging from the madness he showed, he was indeed suited to being called the adversary of God. But violent and impulsive?! The King of Essence has always been level-headed, reasonable, and beautiful! His fist trembled as he rambled some nonsense. ¡®Satan, out of all demon kings in existence¡­¡¯ Raon gulped nervously and looked at Sterin, the protector of the elves. He was thinking that Sterin might have noticed Wrath¡¯s presence when he said ¡®Satan¡¯. That was why he¡¯d started to feel nervous once again. ¡°Amazing.¡± However, the first thing Sterin said was apliment, despite his expectations. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a human like you before, who possesses mana with even higher purity than elves.¡± His eyes glimmered faintly, showing that he was seriously impressed. ¡°What¡¯s even more interesting is your soul level. I can sense a lofty level that can¡¯t be reached in your current realm. It¡¯s strange because it almost feels like someone else is intertwined with you.¡± Sterin muttered as if he was bewitched by something while meeting Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°......¡± Raon clenched his fist while listening to Sterin. ¡®Is he capable of sensing Wrath¡¯s existence because he is a high elf?¡¯ Let alone the White Blood religious leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master, even Glenn hadn¡¯t noticed Wrath¡¯s existence. Raon could guess that it wasn¡¯t because of his realm but because he was a high elf that he could sense Wrath¡¯s existence. ¡°I told you already!¡± Erian swung his fist wildly. ¡°That human must¡¯ve been chosen by the spirit king!¡± ¡°Spirit king. Are you saying that he was chosen by fire or water?¡± ¡°Yes. You must be able to sense it even better than me, protector. Look at the pure energy of fire and water dwelling in his energy center!¡± He shouted, still certain about his thoughts. Raon wanted to beg him to just stay quiet. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sterin nodded, stroking his chin like a habit. ¡°Whether it¡¯s the spirit king or not, we should greet each other first. My name is Sterin, I¡¯m the protector of Seipia.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve introduced myself first.¡± Raon ced his hand on his chest and politely lowered his head. ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart, the Light Wind vice division leader from Zieghart.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sterin widened his eyes while looking at Raon. ¡°Did you just say that you are Raon Zieghart?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°The Dragon yer, Raon Zieghart. Yes. You deserve to have a name like that at least, with your power and soul level.¡± He quietly eximed, saying that he could finally understand it. ¡°Awesome, isn¡¯t he? I¡¯ve raised him ever since he was a baby!¡± Rimmer wrapped his arm around Raon¡¯s neck with a grin on his face. ¡°¡­Awesome?¡± Sterin furrowed his brow, showing that he couldn¡¯t get used to Rimmer¡¯s frivolous tone. ¡°Are you really Rimmer?¡± ¡°Come on, why are you doing this to me? I¡¯m the grandson who you personally raised, grandfather!¡± Rimmer put his hands around his waist, asking whether he should take off his pants. ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± Sterin watched Rimmer¡¯s fluttering right sleeve for a while before he shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t get used to it because you¡¯ve changed far too much.¡± He sighed once again and looked at Raon. ¡°I believe there were some issues on your way here. Let me apologize in their stead. They must¡¯ve been on their high alert because we are about to deal with an important matter.¡± Sterin closed his eyes, saying that they were rude to the guests. ¡°It¡¯s fine since no one was injured. But what would that important matter be¡­?¡± Erian and Leiran had also mentioned that it was an important period, and the fact that he couldn¡¯t see a single human in Seipia implied that they had a really important mattering up soon. ¡°We are preparing for the purification ritual.¡± ¡°Purification ritual?¡± ¡°Just as the trees purify the atmosphere by absorbing polluted air, the world tree absorbs harmful energy from the world and purifies it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer had talked about it before. Raon had thought he was exaggerating about it, but it was apparently true. ¡°But even for the world tree, it¡¯s impossible to purify all of the evil energy all around the continent on its own. The high elves resonate with the world tree once every twenty years to eliminate the impurities, and that is called the elven purification ritual.¡± Sterin briefly exined the purification ritual. It seemed to be a consideration towards Rimmer¡¯s disciple. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s true!¡± Rimmer eximed and raised his left fist. ¡°It was time for the purification ritual! I can finally understand why that happened!¡± He nodded, saying that he could understand why the guardians stopped his entry. ¡°......¡± Sterin closed his mouth and red fiercely at Rimmer. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°What?¡± Rimmer blinked, wondering what he was talking about. ¡°There¡¯s no way an elf from Seipia would forget about the purification ritual.¡± Sterin unleashed his dangerously sharp will, thinking that Rimmer was possessed by something. It looked like he was about to cut him down if he gave a wrong answer. ¡°The first sword technique I learned from you was the Meteor Sword. I still remember how you taught me the foundations under the world tree. What are you even talking about?!¡± Rimmer told Sterin about their shared memories one after the other while raising a finger each time. ¡°Then you really are¡­¡± Sterin¡¯s lips trembled as he stared at Rimmer. Raon had never expected an elf, and a high elf at that, to panic so hard. ¡°Grandfather, you know, your grandson became a small¡­ no¡­¡± Rimmerughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. ¡°A huge degenerate.¡± ¡°......¡± Sterin¡¯s throat wavered violently. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ He is seriously insane. Raon and Wrath shook their heads at the same time. * * * ¡°Ahem.¡± Sterin closed his mouth and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was a bit surprised because he changed so much¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Raon shook his head. Anyone would be surprised if their polite grandson turned into that. He could perfectly understand him. ¡°So, did youe all the way here to guard Rimmer?¡± ¡°Yes. I followed just in case, and I was surprised to find out that there was such an important event like the purification ritual taking ce.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s that idiot¡¯s fault for forgetting about it.¡± ¡°Grandfather! How could you call your grandson an idiot?!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sterin had gotten used to him already in that short time period and started to treat Rimmer just like Glenn did. ¡°Ah! Now that I think about it!¡± Rimmer nonchntly walked up to Sterin. ¡°Why am I known as the thief of the divine relic?!¡± He furrowed his brow, lifting the sword hanging around his waist in front of Sterin. ¡°That sword.¡± Sterin narrowed his eyes and looked at the sword Rimmer was holding. ¡°I gave it to you because I wanted you to be the head of the guardians. Since you left Seipia soon after you received the sword, you are obviously treated as a thief.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯de back soon, but you lived with the humans instead and even became a degenerate, as you described it. I¡¯m going to meet the head of Zieghart at some point.¡± Sterin touched the red bow hanging on the wall, saying that he would have to visit Zieghart after the purification ritual. ¡°That sounds fun.¡± Rimmer licked his lips as if he¡¯d forgotten that he was the source of the entire problem. He was seriously hopeless, although it was nothing new to Raon since he¡¯d been thinking that ever since he was a trainee. ¡°Protector.¡± Raon lowered his head, interfering in the conversation between Rimmer and Sterin. ¡°Our division leader came to return that sword.¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Rimmer confidently nodded and held out the sword to Sterin. ¡°Return it?¡± ¡°Yes. I figured I don¡¯t deserve to use the divine relic of our tribe with an arm like this.¡± He smiled faintly while looking at his empty right shoulder. ¡°How did you lose that arm?¡± ¡°......¡± Rimmer didn¡¯t respond right away but looked at Raon, Dorian, and Yua behind him one after the other with a faint blue glow in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve entrusted it to the future.¡± ¡°Do you have any regrets about that decision?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Sterin seemed to have guessed the circumstances and calmly nodded. ¡°You feel a bit more like the grandson in my memory.¡± He called out to Erian, his tense lips turning into a thin smile. ¡°Erian.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Cancel the bounty on Rimmer.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Erian looked at Rimmer for a moment, then nodded his head. There seemed to be something he wanted to say, but he just obeyed the protector¡¯s order. ¡°Protector. What are you going to do with that human? He¡¯s definitely going to be the spirit king¡¯s contractor.¡± He still hadn¡¯t given up on iming that Raon was going to be the spirit king¡¯s contractor. ¡°A spirit king that hasn¡¯t even been born yet choosing their contractor has never happened before.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s also unprecedented for the fire and water spirit kings to be gone for such a long time.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sterin stroked his chin and stared at Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Have you ever heard someone¡¯s voice or felt some intense energy of nature by any chance?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while meeting Sterin¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®I have, and it happens every day.¡¯ The cotton candy demon king was right next to him, but he simply shook his head since he couldn¡¯t tell him about him. ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°You heard him. There¡¯s no way a human would be the contractor of the spirit king.¡± Leiran firmly shook her head. ¡°I think so too. But it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to test him out.¡± ¡°Protector?¡± She widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°Since even I can¡¯t summon a spirit king¡­¡± Sterin raised his hand and a red cat emerged from his hand. Every part of its body, from its prickling ears to its wagging tail, was engulfed in orange mes. ¡®This cat¡­¡¯ It was small in size, but its energy was even more powerful than Erian¡¯s highest-tier spirit. It seemed to be a highest-tier fire spirit. Nya¡­Hiss! The cat started to yawn, but it leaped back and trembled in fear as soon as it met Raon¡¯s eyes. It lowered its upper body to stay on guard, but it couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and showed its belly. It was the submissive posture of feline animals. ¡°Hah?¡± Leiran gasped while looking at the highest-tier fire spirit showing its white belly. Even her firm eyes started to tremble. ¡°I was right! There¡¯s no way Lord Sterin¡¯s spirit would act like that! He¡¯s definitely the spirit king¡¯s contractor!¡± Erian pounded his chest, saying that he was right. ¡°A lofty existence that can¡¯t be even looked at¡­¡± Sterin unsummoned the terrified cat spirit and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not certain that it¡¯s because of the spirit king, but one thing we know is that you are special.¡± He nodded seriously, saying that he had to believe it to a certain extent. This is so frustrating! It¡¯s not the spirit king but a monarch of Devildom! You stupid shitty ears! Wrath frantically shook his head, irritated by how he kept beingpared to a spirit king. ¡°If you have really been chosen by the spirit king, then it greatly concerns our n as well. Can we meet again after the purification ritual?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Treat them as the n¡¯s most honored guests.¡± Sterin shook his head, announcing the best treatment for everyone, not just Raon. ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Erian gave a big nod, and Leiran murmured her response with a doubtful expression on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Just keep doing what you¡¯ve been doing. He has something to learn from you, grandfather.¡± Rimmer walked up to Sterin and shook his head. ¡°Learn from me?¡± ¡°Yes. I wanted my grandfather to show him the spiritual arrow.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sterin stroked his chin while looking at Raon. ¡°There¡¯s no reason not to since he is your disciple. But not right now. The purification ritual takes priority.¡± ¡°Hmm? Isn¡¯t Siyan supposed to be doing the purification ritual?¡± Rimmer tilted his head while mentioning someone¡¯s name. ¡°She isn¡¯t ready yet.¡± ¡°What? But she¡¯s already old enough¡­¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped since she still hasn¡¯t managed the resonance.¡± Sterin shook his head with a slightly exhausted face. ¡°I would scold her if she didn¡¯t make the effort, but she¡¯s been practicing every day yet still fails. I can¡¯t even say anything to her anymore.¡± He shook his head, saying that it was regrettable. ¡°Th-then¡­¡± ¡°Yes. She shuts herself in the room even more and neveres out.¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Rimmer rubbed his forehead, his eyes showing his worry for the first time. ¡°Who is Siyan?¡± Raon mentioned the name, and Rimmer turned his head with a furrowed brow. ¡°She is my sister. She is the one who made the Nadine bread that you like so much.¡± ¡°What does it mean that she¡¯s nevering out?¡± ¡°She made the Nadine bread so that she never needed toe outside.¡± So it¡¯s her! Go there right now and beat her to death! Wrath started to yell while swinging his round fist like an iron club. ¡°If she made the Nadine bread so she would never need toe outside, then¡­¡± Raon pushed Wrath away as his lips parted speechlessly. ¡°Yes.¡± Rimmer shook his head and sighed. ¡°She is a jobless shut-in.¡± * * * ¡°When is the second volumeing out? It would be nice to have the part where he ys the dragon.¡± Siyan exhaled in excitement after reading thest page of the book, TheBiography of Raon Zieghart. ¡°He is so cool. How can he be so good at everything?¡± She blushed while covering her face with the book. ¡®It must be because of his talent. He has the best talent among the humans.¡¯ Siyan put down the book with a bit more sorrow in her eyes. ¡°And I don¡¯t have any talent¡­¡± She pouted for a while before she came down from the bed. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Siyan slowly took a breath and closed her eyes. Mana as pure as ake that was never tainted by human touch started to flow in her breath. Whir! The blue mana rampaged sedately, advancing toward her upper energy center before suddenly getting cut off as if blocked by a dam. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Siyan bit her lip and opened her eyes. ¡®I failed again¡­¡¯ High elves had a few abilities that normal elves couldn¡¯t have. The most important among them was the resonance, which consisted of merging themselves into nature. Performing the resonance was necessary to be a full-fledged high elf, and it was a prerequisite to purifying the world tree. However, Siyan had still not managed it. ¡®Why can¡¯t I do it even though I¡¯m a high elf, too?¡¯ She¡¯d heard that her grandfather and the other high elves could do it naturally from the moment of their births. However, she was still unable tomunicate with the world even though she¡¯d be an adult a long time ago. She had been training tirelessly since childhood, attempting to replicate her grandfather''s breathing, but the path remained closed to her. The res of the other elves gradually became intense, and she had stopped leaving her room dozens of years ago already. ¡°Why am I the only one who can¡¯t do it?!¡± Siyan raised her hands and shouted. ¡°I want to be praised by people and be the center of attention, too. Why am I the only one who is so bad?¡± She mmed the ground, revealing her worldly desires, unbefitting of a high elf. ¡°I wonder if this ever happened to Raon Zieghart? I doubt it.¡± Siyan watched her golden hair flowing down like sand and bit her lip. ¡°I didn¡¯t end up as a high elf because I wanted to be¡­¡± ¡°Siyan! You¡¯re inside, right?¡± Just as her intense inferiorityplex was being shown, a cheerful voice that felt refreshing to hear came from the door. ¡°R-Rimmer?¡± The way he was talking was quite different from before, but it was clearly Rimmer¡¯s voice. ¡°I knew you were here. I¡¯ming in!¡± ¡°W-wait! Don¡¯te in!¡± ¡°Why are you acting so distant between us? I¡¯ming in!¡± ¡°Aaah!¡± Siyan climbed back to the bed and covered herself with the nket. Crack! Rimmer destroyed the bar locking the door and entered the room. ¡°I-I told you to note in! Get out!¡± Siyan screamed, only her eyes showing from under the nket. ¡°You¡¯re so mean to your brother, especially after not seeing each other for so long.¡± Rimmer licked his lips sadly. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. It was just too sudden¡­¡± Siyan raised her blue eyes slightly. ¡°Is that so? I cane inside now, right?¡± ¡°A-about that¡­ Ah?¡± She found a blond-haired human with wide eyes standing next to Rimmer, who was smiling. Plop! Siyan went deeper into the nket like a mole and started to tremble. ¡°Wh-who is that human?!¡± ¡°He is my disciple. I brought him here because he took an interest in the bread you made.¡± ¡°Br-bread?¡± ¡°The Nadine bread.¡± Rimmer grinned, saying that he was such a strange guy. Raon took a step ahead and lowered his head. ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°H!¡± It was a short introduction, but she made a suffocating sound from under the nket. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart? Really?¡± Siyan furtively poked her head out. Her blonde hair flowed down the nket like a living creature. ¡°The damn handsome?¡± ¡°Yes, the damn¡­ Huh?¡± Raon started to respond but could only blink his eyes. ¡®What is she even saying? Why is she suddenly saying damn handsome now?¡¯ His brain started to malfunction because it waspletely unexpected that an elf would call him ¡®damn handsome¡¯. Raon lowered his gaze while gasping and saw that his name was engraved on a thick book under the bed. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ He opened the book. ¡®The Biography of Raon Zieghart¡¯ was written on the first page, and the author¡¯s name was written right below it, which was¡­ ¡®Encia Yonaan¡­¡¯ Encia¡¯s name was confidently engraved as the author, and the mark that she¡¯d previously gotten his permission to use was underneath, showing that it was an authentic book that was made with Raon¡¯s permission. ¡®That woman¡­¡¯ Raon closed her eyes tightly, the hands holding the book trembling in shock. ¡®How far is she nning to go?!¡¯ Chapter 579 Raon furrowed his brow deeply as he looked at the book with his name on it. ¡®I remember it now. Those mercenaries at the restaurant also mentioned a book.¡¯ The mercenaries he¡¯d encountered at a restaurant on the way to Seipia had mentioned that a book named after him was published. ¡®This is the book they were talking about. But when did she even make this?¡¯ Encia had asked to use his face as her signature mark when she¡¯d made Sylvia¡¯s energy center. Since it was pretty recent, Raon couldn¡¯t understand how the book was already published. ¡®Considering the thickness, it should¡¯ve been impossible to make this even with magic¡­ Ah! I get it now.¡¯ Encia hadn¡¯t started to write the book after getting permission for her signature mark. She had already finished the book and got permission afterward. ¡®That¡¯s why she told me she¡¯d give me a share for the portrait rights¡­¡¯Raon didn¡¯t want it, but Encia had insisted on giving him the money, and the book must¡¯ve been the reason why. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. ¡®Her proactiveness is inhuman.¡¯ Raon got the impression that Encia could even surpass Merlin. ¡°Wh-why are you with Sir Raon the damn handsome now right?¡± Siyan raised her trembling eyes as Raon sighed in shock. ¡°Hmm?¡± Rimmer tilted his head while looking at Siyan. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the book you were reading have information about Raon?¡± ¡°I-it does¡­¡± ¡°Then you should know that I¡¯m Raon¡¯s master, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?! Sir Raon the damn handsome became powerful on his own! He doesn¡¯t have anything like a master!¡± Siyan raised her voice slightly, telling him to stop his nonsense. ¡°You are the one who is saying nonsense. I¡¯m the one who raised him!¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow while looking down at the nket that was covering Siyan. ¡°No! Sir Raon is a genius who was already proficient with swordsmanship from the moment of his birth!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one like that in the world! Listen! Raon over there is my disciple, who I¡¯ve raised ever since he was a baby, and he is my subordinate now!¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while listening to the conversation between the siblings. ¡®If she didn¡¯t write about the division leader being my master, what else did she even write?¡¯ Raon turned the page with a trembling hand. He was practically turning a page per second, but he could understand the content thanks to the Ring of Fire. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s written in there? Does it mention my name?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Dorian and Yua leaned forward, curious about the book. ¡°......¡± Raon finished reading the book in no time and remained quiet, his shoulders trembling. ¡®This is a hymn. Not a hymn for humans, but a hymn for Raon.¡¯ Everything inside the book started with Raon and ended with Raon. His actions and the events were true, but Raon was literally an omnipotent god in the process. Rimmer didn¡¯t even appear, the three team leaders appeared as a distraction that simply got in his way while Dorian was simply called a portable pocket,pletely skipping his name. Yua managed to appear, probably because she¡¯d left a favorable impression on Encia, but she¡¯d only appeared once. ¡°Y-you do appear.¡± Raon awkwardly nodded at Dorian and Yua before turning thest page of the book. ¡°Aah¡­¡± He unconsciously groaned upon seeing thest page. 1. The round pebble Raon Zieghart threw toward the sky is now called the moon. 2. It¡¯s incorrect to say that Raon Zieghart learns swordsmanship. Swordsmanship was born for Raon Zieghart. 3. Raon Zieghart doesn¡¯t bother with having a home. This is because the entire world is his home. 4. Raon Zieghart can burn fire and freeze ice. Madness simr to that was written all over the page. Raon couldn¡¯t bring himself to read any further and closed the book. W-were you the one who made the moon?! But when? How?! Wrath¡¯s eyes trembled as he looked at Raon. He seemed to believe the content of the book. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon could only sigh because he felt too exhausted to respond. ¡®I need to burn them.¡¯ He decided to erase the book¡¯s existence from the face of the world, even if he had to spend his entire fortune. ¡°Y-you are really Sir Raon the damn handsome, right?¡± Siyan¡¯s trembling voice could be heard from the nket. It looked like she had no intention of showing herself¡ªbut then, she was introduced as a jobless shut-in. All he could tell was her hair color, thanks to a few strands peeking out from the nket. ¡°I¡¯m not damn handsome, but I¡¯m Raon.¡± Raon nodded while looking at Siyan¡¯s nket. ¡°I-I¡¯m your fan. Sir Raon the damn handsome.¡± Siyan called him damn handsome once again and poked her eyes out. Her blue eyes, reminiscent of a cloudless sky, shimmered faintly. ¡°Thank you. And you can remove the damn handsome part.¡± ¡°But the book mentioned that I always have to add the damn handsome¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t trust this book. It¡¯s a lie 90% of the time.¡± Raon shook his head while returning the book to Siyan. ¡°J-just like it¡¯s written in the book, you even have a humble personality.¡± Siyan trusted the book instead of Raon himself, as if she were alreadypletely brainwashed by it. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ Haa¡­¡± Raon¡¯s fingers trembled. It was tooplicated to exin. He couldn¡¯t do anything but sigh. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet you.¡± Only her hand poked out of the nket slightly to ept the book. The back of her hand was so white that it almost looked transparent. That suggested that she hadn¡¯t left her home in a really long time. ¡°Hey, Siyan. Aren¡¯t you being a little too indifferent to your brother when we¡¯ve finally been reunited?¡± Rimmer shook his head, saying that she was being too mean. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just too hectic right now¡­ R-Rimmer! Your arm!¡± Siyan¡¯s nket started to shake violently. ¡°This one? I invested it for the future.¡± Rimmer winked towards Raon. He must¡¯ve taken a liking to what he¡¯d said to Sterin. ¡°Was it for Sir Raon?¡± ¡°Yes. I worked pretty hard to save him.¡± ¡°D-didn¡¯t it hurt?¡± ¡°It''s fine now because I received proper first aid after it was cut off.¡± He tapped on the nket where Siyan¡¯s head was located. ¡°Rimmer.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Rimmer blinked upon hearing Siyan¡¯s energetic voice. ¡°Sir Raon is the best blue chip that you can find! You will definitely get a huge return!¡± She waved her hand outside the nket, saying that it was an excellent choice. ¡°Err, yes¡­¡± Rimmer nodded nkly because her reaction waspletely unexpected. ¡°Are you okay, Sir Raon the damn handsome?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get any serious injuries thanks to our division leader.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that!¡± Siyan hesitated for a moment before she opened her mouth again. ¡°Err, Sir Raon the damn handsome, can I ask a question?¡± ¡°You can, as long as you skip that damn handsome part.¡± Raon sighed briefly and nodded. ¡°Wh-what would you have done if you had no talent in swordsmanship?¡± ¡°Talent?¡± He was a bit confused because it was an unexpected question. ¡°I-I was born as a high elf, but I don¡¯t have the talent high elves should possess. I¡¯m not as good as the other elves either, because I¡¯m not good at fighting, or summoning spirits, or controlling aura. They call me a high elf that is even more ipetent than a bug¡­¡± Siyan murmured that all she could do was to breathe while hiding under the nket. Her voice sounded slightly teary. ¡°You are good at shooting arrows. Weren¡¯t you always spot on?¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s the point of archery when I can¡¯t even use aura? And it¡¯s been too long since thest time I used a bow¡­¡± She stared at the bow hanging on the wall for a moment before she buried her face into the bed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon briefly licked his lips. ¡®It¡¯s a difficult question.¡¯ Even though she was a fan, the fact that she was asking a question like that during their first encounter implied that she was mentally driven into a corner. Raon wanted to help her because Siyan had mustered her courage, regardless of the fact that she was his fan or that she was Rimmer¡¯s sister. However, there was something he needed to know before answering her question. ¡°Since Lady Siyan is a high elf, does that mean that you are also a high elf, division leader?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Rimmer casually shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s decided whether we are a high elf or not at the moment of birth. It was passed down from my grandfather to Siyan, but the high elf of the next generation can be someone from another n. It¡¯s different every time.¡± He shrugged his shoulders, saying that the heavens decided who got to be the high elf. ¡°And only two high elves can exist at the same time. My grandfather and Siyan are the only high elves in Seipia right now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon bit his lip slightly. ¡®It¡¯s understandable that she feels pressured if there are only two high elves. Moreover, we don¡¯t know when Sterin will depart.¡¯ Judging from the wrinkles on Sterin¡¯s face, it could be assumed that he didn¡¯t have that long to live. Siyan was the only high elf except for him, and she couldn¡¯t do her job as she should. It was only natural that she and the people around her were feeling the pressure. ¡®I feel sorry for her.¡¯ Raon thought about the answer to Siyan¡¯s question and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have a goal, I would¡¯ve lived an ordinary life without wielding a sword. However, if I had something to achieve, I would¡¯ve wielded the sword, even without any talent.¡± ¡°Until the very end?¡± ¡°Yes. I would¡¯ve never given up.¡± He didn¡¯t tell her the details, but he responded to her question sincerely. ¡°Siyan, I don¡¯t know what you read in that book, but it¡¯s true that Raon is brimming with talent.¡± ¡°I knew it¡­¡± ¡°However.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly and sat on Siyan¡¯s bed. ¡°He made more effort than anyone else I¡¯ve seen so far. He was the first toe to the training ground and thest one to leave. I can guarantee that no one around his age has trained more than him.¡± He tapped on the nket, saying that Raon¡¯s might was the result of his desperate efforts, even surpassing his talent. ¡°He¡¯s right. Sir Raon has been a monster who only had training in his mind ever since the first time I met him.¡± ¡°He does nothing but train even at home!¡± Dorian and Yua also told her that Raon¡¯s efforts were the real talent he had. ¡°B-but the book says that he can replicate any sword technique just from seeing it¡­¡± ¡°I can replicate it, but it¡¯s just a stunt rather than real swordsmanship. Training is the only way to increase a person¡¯s realm.¡± Raon nodded while looking at Siyan¡¯s shoulders, which were trembling under the nket. ¡°Effort¡­¡± Siyan¡¯s voice sounded gloomy, but felt a bit brighter than before. ¡°You can give up if it¡¯s too hard on you.¡± Rimmer chuckled while patting Siyan¡¯s head. ¡°G-give up? Then who is supposed to purify the world tree?!¡± ¡°Just leave it to the next high elf.¡± He shook his head, telling her to take it easy. ¡°Since our grandfather has been purifying the world tree like a mysophobe so far, it¡¯s going tost at least forty years after his death. It should be enough time for a new high elf to be born, right?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Siyan. The world is vast, and there are lots of things you can do. Don¡¯t give up on yourself because you¡¯re too fixated on your duty.¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips were curved into a gentle smile, showing his genuine concern about his younger sister. Raon rubbed the part under his ear white watching Siyan tremble under the nket without saying anything. ¡®She has a high sense of duty.¡¯ As soon as Rimmer told her to give up, Siyan started to talk about purifying the world tree. That implied that she hadn¡¯t forgotten about her duty even though the other elves were looking down on her. ¡°I¡¯m hesitant to say this since I don¡¯t know much about elven society, but¡­¡± Raon continued while looking at the blue eyes glowing under the nket. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what expressions the elves who¡¯ve been looking down on you will make once they see how much you¡¯ve changed? I bet they would stare with their mouths wide open, unable to find what to say.¡± Raon remembered the expressions of astonishment that the other children had made when he was a trainee. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siyan¡¯s eyes trembled, excited just from thinking about it. ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t work out after you really did your best, giving up is still an option. The important part here is that you have to admit that you¡¯ve really done everything you could. Because even if you manage to deceive others, you can¡¯t deceive yourself.¡± ¡°Do my best¡­¡± Siyan murmured about doing her best under the nket. ¡°And Lady Siyan, it¡¯s not like you are bad at everything.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I heard you created the Nadine bread. I like it a lot. And I know another person who likes it.¡± Raon smiled faintly while thinking about Glenn. ¡°Yes. You haven¡¯t tested the limit of your abilities yet. Think about it carefully.¡± Rimmer weakly pressed on Siyan¡¯s head before he stood up from the bed. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving now so you can rest.¡± He gestured with his hand for them to leave. ¡°......¡± Siyan wasn¡¯t saying anything. ¡°I¡¯m taking my leave as well.¡± ¡°Th-thank you!¡± Raon started to leave after Rimmer, and Siyan¡¯s voice could be heard from the nket. The higher pitch of her voice showed that she¡¯d mustered some courage. ¡°Wow, this difference in treatment is so painful, both in Zieghart and here.¡± Rimmer murmured in irritation, but his lips were still smiling as he left. ¡°Have a good rest.¡± Raon chuckled and looked to the right while following Rimmer outside. ¡®By the way¡­¡¯ Raon lowered his eyebrows while looking at Wrath, who was floating in the air, clutching his chin. ¡®Why are you so quiet?¡¯ Wrath was being strangely quiet even though he wanted to beat Siyan to death as soon as he saw her. That high elf girl that you met a moment ago. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Wrath furrowed his brow while looking behind him. She is blocked. * * * Siyan crawled like a turtle toe outside the nket after everyone was gone. ¡°I see. Even the damn handsome Raon, I mean, Sir Raon is the same¡­¡± ¡®He didn¡¯t reach his current position with just talent.¡¯ In reality, Raon possessed a spirit that was on a whole different level from the others. She¡¯d thought he was just like the book described him because his presence naturally attracted her attention, but she learned that he¡¯d gone through lots of difficulties as well. ¡°My best effort¡­¡± She did make an effort. She was quite certain that she spent a lot more time practicing resonance than the other elves did practicing their aura and spirit summoning. However, she couldn¡¯t answer for sure whether it was her best effort or not. She waszy sometimes, she was distracted by how other elves saw her, and there was even a time when she just kept sleeping, giving up on it entirely. ¡°He said that I can¡¯t deceive myself even though I can deceive others.¡± He was right. The time she¡¯s wasted remained perfectly clear in her memory. ¡°I should try a bit more¡­¡± Since Raon had be her idol as she read the book about him, his advice made her not want to give up anymore, and she wanted to keep trying a bit more. To be honest, she really wanted everyone to pay attention to her and praise her. Siyan came down from the bed and closed her eyes. ¡®I don¡¯t have the courage to go outside yet though.¡¯ She hugged the Biography of Raon Zieghart tightly with both hands and focused her mind to merge with the world. * * * Raon smiled faintly while looking around the lodgings assigned for them. ¡°It¡¯s no different from lodgings for humans.¡± Erian gave them a building that was used by humans before. It put him at ease, but also a bit regrettable because he wanted to experience living in a tree house. Raon unpacked his belongings and left the lodgings. He looked around because he wanted to feel the high-purity mana of Seipia more deeply and noticed that the elves started to stop in their tracks one by one. ¡°Is it that a human?¡± ¡°How can a human possess such high-purity mana¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s even cleaner than ours. He¡¯s practically a spirit.¡± ¡°Is he really the spirit king¡¯s contractor, like Sir Erian imed?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s the contractor or not, but I can tell that it¡¯s at least a possibility.¡± The elves eximed or looked at him with admiration. ¡°Nonsense. Why would a spirit king ever make a contract with a human?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve never heard about a human being bing a spirit king¡¯s contractor. They would need to be an elf for that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand Sir Erian. Why did he look so d¡­?¡± A few elves were shaking their heads, brushing it off as nonsense. Raon honestly felt thankful to them. ¡®I knew it, it was because of that elf.¡¯ Considering the fact that they were mentioning Erian, that blockheaded elf must¡¯ve spread the story about the spirit king all around Seipia. ¡®Seriously, everyone around our division leader is abnormal.¡¯ Raon shook his head and walked away to avoid the attention of the elves. As he walked towards a ce where the elves couldn¡¯t see him, he found himself in front of a small open space. ¡®Is it a training ground?¡¯ Judging from the arrows and wooden swords around it, it seemed to be an elven training ground, designed to practice archery and swordsmanship. ¡®Training grounds put me at ease, regardless of the location.¡¯ That¡¯s only true for you, who is crazy for training. Wrath furrowed his brow while ring at Raon. Stop being pathetic and return already. The King of Essence is hungry right now! He licked his lips, saying that he wanted to try out the entric food that Rimmer had mentioned. ¡®First¡­¡¯ Raon grabbed Wrath¡¯s tail and pulled him in front of his eyes. ¡®What did you mean by that when you said that Lady Siyan is blocked earlier?¡¯ She¡¯s blocked because she¡¯s blocked. ¡®I¡¯m asking for a further exnation.¡¯ The part you call the upper energy center ispletely blocked in that high elf girl. ¡®It¡¯s normally blocked, isn¡¯t it? It opens up naturally when you reach a higher realm.¡¯ The path towards the upper energy center was normally blocked from the moment of birth. It was also true for Raon, and he¡¯d managed to open that passage upon bing a Grandmaster. Indeed. But in her case, she has something else other than just her wall. ¡®What else?¡¯ Even the King of Essence doesn¡¯t know what exactly it is. But one thing that¡¯s certain is that something thick and dense is blocking the path. ¡®Then why did Sir Sterin not realize that fact?¡¯ He must¡¯ve thought that it was a natural urrence, since she must¡¯ve been born that way. Moreover, that old high elf is unable to see the same thing as the King of Essence. Wrath raised his nose, saying that he was on a higher level. ¡®So it¡¯s blocked for her¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head while stroking his chin. ¡®She seemed to be in a lot of pain.¡¯ He could somewhat understand her because he had the experience of receiving simr attention as he grew up as a coteral in Zieghart. Rimmer was also worried about her, to the point where he¡¯d stopped smiling as soon as he¡¯d left her room. That was why Raon wanted to help her if he could. ¡®Upper energy center¡­ Hmm?¡¯ As he was contemting the matter, he suddenly heard the sound of a sharp wind inside the forest on the right. Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive before he even started to think. The sword barrier settled in despite the urgency of the situation. He thought he would be able to defend no matter what tried to attack him. However. aang! The sword barrier crumbled like a sandcastle, and a white arrow broke into the boundary. Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem with his left hand and erected the Firewall. Whaaap! The shield of me surged like moonlight and blocked the arrow¡¯s trajectory. Pssh! However, the arrow moved like a living creature, soaring towards his right shoulder instead of the left shoulder that was defended by the Firewall. aang! Raon hurriedly recovered the de of Requiem and barely managed to fend off the arrow. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± He felt an intense numbing pain in his hand. The power dwelling on the arrow was even stronger than a Grandmaster¡¯s. Whir! Moreover, the arrow had only bounced off slightly, quickly returning with a sharp momentum. ¡°This arrow¡­¡± ¡°That was pretty good.¡± The forest split apart and Sterin appeared from where the arrow hade from. His tall height and confident steps were extremely simr to Rimmer¡¯s. ¡°Why did the protector¡­?¡± ¡°Since you gave strength to my granddaughter, who has been sitting in despair, I¡¯ll have to give you a small return.¡± Sterin gestured with his chin, and the white arrow floating in the air was sucked towards his hand. ¡°You said you wanted to gain some inspiration from the spiritual arrow, didn¡¯t you?¡± An arrogant smile appeared on his face as he ced an arrow on the bowstring. ¡°Take it, if you can.¡± Chapter 580 Chapter 580 Raon swallowed nervously while watching Sterin¡¯s bowstring grow taunt. ¡®Take it if I can, which means¡­ Is he going to give me a lesson?¡¯ Considering what he¡¯d said, he seemed to be nning to show his archery rather than picking a fight. He must¡¯ve liked Raon¡¯s advice to Siyan a lot since he was immediately giving him a lesson instead of after the purification ceremony, which was what he¡¯d said before. ¡°The archery I use is called the Sentient Arrow. However¡­¡± Sterin pulled the bowstring until midway and stopped with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Humans call the Sentient Arrow, the Dancing Arrow.¡± ¡°Dancing Arrow¡­¡± Dancing Arrow was the pinnacle of archery, allowing the archer to freely control the arrow¡¯s trajectory ording to their will. Raon¡¯s heart raced with excitement, nearly bursting with joy at the thought of witnessing this transcended martial art equivalent to the Dancing Sword. ¡°Get ready.¡± Sterin looked at him, his rxed body showing that he would wait until he was ready. However, the sharpness of the arrow on the bowstring was frightening enough to send a chill down his spine. ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯ Fighting against a Transcender, and one who uses a bow at that, was an extremely rare opportunity. The experience from the new martial art was going to widen his mental world even further. ¡®We are at point-nk distance, but I shouldn¡¯t consider that an advantage.¡¯ Swordsman would normally have the advantage if they were fighting an archer from point nk range, but it didn¡¯t apply to Sterin since he could use the Dancing Arrow. It was best to assume that he was at a huge disadvantage. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Raon nodded while imagining a method to defend against Sterin¡¯s arrow. ¡°That was a fast preparation. Is it because you are young?¡± Sterin slightly tilted his head backward and pulled the bowstring to its limit. The moment the string sounded like it was about to break, a chill ran down his spine. ¡®The atmosphere around him has changed.¡¯ Even though Sterin had been acting nonchntly so far, the sharp pressure overflowing from him almost felt malevolent. It seemed to be his true appearance during battle. His hair was standing on end just from meeting Sterin¡¯s eyes. Raon felt like he was being crushed by an overwhelming pressure, transcending the concept of power. ¡®I can¡¯t yield now.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t gain anything if he was already defeated. He made the rings of fire resonate with each other, drawing out a spirit that surpassed his limit. Whir! Raon raised Heavenly Drive to mid-height without even thinking about wiping away the cold sweat flowing down from his forehead. The subtle sword resonance was easing the tension in his body slightly. ¡°I like the look in your eyes.¡± Sterin nodded in satisfaction and casually released the bowstring. The fired arrow was right under his nose before he knew it. It was even faster than sound, making him even think that magic was applied ¡®Right waist!¡¯ The fortunate part was that he could tell the target location thanks to the bloodlusting from the arrow. Cring! Raon pulled Heavenly Drive to the right to block the arrow¡¯s path. ¡®Huh?¡¯ However, Sterin¡¯s arrowpletely stopped in front of his waist, remaining immobile. It should¡¯ve been impossible for an arrow flying even faster than sound to be immobilizedpletely, but Sterin¡¯s prowess had made it happen. Whoosh! Sterin¡¯s arrow started to move once again the moment Heavenly Drive shed the thin air. The white arrow rushed towards his stomach even faster than when it¡¯d left the bowstring. ¡®He got me!¡¯ Raon pushed the ground with the back of his foot and activated the Supreme Harmony Steps. But of course, the arrow was rushing towards his chest faster than he was moving backwards. ¡®I managed to buy some time at least.¡¯ He thrust the de of Requiem in a reverse grip during the short time period that he¡¯d earned through footwork. Cring! The de of Requiem blocked the white arrow¡¯s trajectory with a blue glow on the de, but Sterin changed the direction of the arrow once again to attack another vital area. ¡®I expected this much.¡¯ The de of frost following the de of Requiem changed its trajectory and smacked the center of the arrow. aang! A tearing pain could be felt in his hand even though it hit the arrow¡¯s shaft instead of the head. Raon noticed that the entire arrow was being protected by a powerful aura. ¡°Hmph!¡± Sterin¡¯s mouth let out a small exmation. ¡°Two attacks with a single swing. That was pretty good.¡± He evaluated the Frost Pond with a rxed smile. The arrow vibrating in the air floated gently and returned to Sterin. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the bloodlust would be used to confuse the senses.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Sterin notch the arrow once again. ¡°So you were serious when you said to take it if I could.¡± Sterin¡¯s lesson wasn¡¯t as kind as the Sword Demon¡¯s. It was a coldhearted lesson where he could only learn what he could. ¡°What you obtain easily is easily gone.¡± Sterin briefly nodded. The arrow trembled as if it were responding to his sharpened will. ¡°Since you understand now, are you ready to get serious?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon nodded and dashed right after, thrusting the de of Requiem from behind. The sphere of aura emanating from the tip of the de opened its dark jaw and unleashed its me breath. Whaaam! The crimson me wavered majestically. It looked like it was about to incinerate Sterin and the entire Great Forest altogether. ¡°Your control of output is stillcking.¡± The moment Sterin was about to fire the arrow with a coldugh, Raon twisted the me Dragon Art¡¯s flow. Whir! He concentrated the heat spreading in a fan shape into a single line charging towards Sterin¡¯s chest. ¡°So it¡¯s deception against deception.¡± Sterin¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change as he released the arrow. The white arrow turned into a white ray of light and charged towards the me Dragon Art. Whaaam! The sh between the white radiance and the fire breath caused a tremendous shockwave that spread in all directions. However, the me Dragon Art didn¡¯tst long before it started to subside. Raon furrowed his brow while watching the weakening me. ¡®It¡¯s not because the me Dragon Art is weak. It¡¯s because the protector¡¯s realm is much higher than mine.¡¯ Instead of destroying with sheer power, Sterin had pierced the me Dragon Art¡¯s weakness by altering the arrow¡¯s trajectory. There was a lot to learn from the fight. Whaaam! In the end, the me Dragon Artpletely faded away, unable to withstand Sterin¡¯s arrow. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly and fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive. ¡®I need to watch properly. After all, I¡¯m not here to win against a Transcender.¡¯ The reason he was wielding his sword was to gain inspiration from the Dancing Arrow. Focusing on the fight was important, but he had to remember that objective. ¡®How is that arrow moving as he pleases?¡¯ Sterin and the Holy Sword Alliance master were capable of manipting their arrow and sword at will. Since it wasn¡¯t a technique that could be used automatically upon bing a Transcender, there must¡¯ve been a special method for it. Whir! He maximized the resonance between the eight rings and even activated the Evil Eye of Wrath and the Perception of the Snow Flower. His soul reached an extreme level, causing his perception of time to slow down. ¡®A bit more¡­¡¯ Even though the fiery approach of the arrow was about to break through his forehead, Raon increased his focus even further. Whir! The pain in his upper energy center was causing an extreme headache, but his focus increased endlessly. The world gradually came to a standstill, leaving only the arrow and himself in that moment. Raon leaned backward in order to dodge the approaching arrow. Pssh! However, Sterin¡¯s arrow brushed past his right cheek by slightly changing its trajectory as if it were expecting his movement. Raon increased his focus even more, fueled by the slight pain on his cheek. He could even see his own face reflected on the red blood scattering in the air. ¡®Not enough¡­ Hmm?¡¯ * * * By the time the intense vibration of the rings of fire felt like they were about to shatter, Raon could see some kind of a white line passing by his blood. ¡®An illusion? No, it¡¯s not an illusion. It¡¯s connected to the arrow.¡¯ The faint wavering he saw was the white line that was advancing along the same direction as the trajectory of the white arrow from a moment ago. ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ He looked ahead once again. The thin line connected to the white arrow was starting from Sterin. ¡®I get it now!¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously and narrowed his eyes. ¡®That line is the protector¡¯s will.¡¯ The will was the power of determination to achieve something. Sterin¡¯s will of transcendence was freely manipting the arrow. ¡®The power of will is boundless.¡¯ It was an unexpected finding, since Raon had thought that the will only served to add power and pressure. Raon understood that it was the reason warriors who couldn¡¯t control the will would never be able to prevail against a warrior who could. Of course. Wrath briefly nodded. The path of will and the mental world is infinite. The same goes for the King of Essence¡¯s techniques, which require the use of will to reach their full potential. His eyes twitched as he exined that Raon¡¯s strength had increased upon bing a Grandmaster because his previously inexperienced control of will had finally gained proper power. ¡®Thank you for your advice.¡¯ I-it¡¯s not advice! The King of Essence was simply teaching you a little because your foolishness was frustrating to watch! Wrath shook his hand, telling him to stop saying nonsense. Raon chuckled and focused on Sterin¡¯s arrow once again. No, he was fully focused on his will. Whoosh! He could feel that Sterin¡¯s arrow that had gone behind his back was rotating towards him, aiming for an attack from behind. Raon stepped aside to the left and thrust Heavenly Drive. A red wall of me was created, but the white arrow easily pierced through an opening and rushed inside. Just as the arrow approached him like lightning, heunched the de of Requiem that he had been holding weakly. Whaaam! The de of Requiem was engulfed in the principles of dagger throw and advanced white spreading its powerful ghastly energy around. However, Sterin slightly altered the trajectory of the arrow to dodge the de of Requiem and pierced into his distance. ¡®Just as I expected.¡¯ He¡¯d incorporated his will into the de of Requiem because he knew Sterin was going to do that. Zap! He felt an intense pain in his head, as he had never attempted the transition of will before. It felt as if his entire upper energy center was on the verge of destruction. ¡®But I still need to continue¡­¡¯ The intense pain was a rebound for trying to perform more than what he was capable of. He was definitely overexerting himself, but it was a pain that needed to be endured in order to take something, just as Sterin had described. ¡®Go down! Go down and fend off the arrow!¡¯ The moment Raon haphazardly unleashed the lines of his will, one of them was connected to the de of Requiem, creating a small radiance in the air. Whaaack! The moment he could feel that he¡¯d be one with the sword, the de of Requiem dropped like a marite without strings to smack the arrow shaft. It was possible because the de of Requiem had a will in itself. Gasp! Wrath widened his eyes at the unexpected result. Whir! The white arrow was visibly faltering, showing that Sterin was also surprised by it. However, his arrow floated back up as if it had never faltered and started to fly towards Raon¡¯s chest once again. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon was unable to move even though he could see the arrow approaching him. His willpower was at its limit because he¡¯d expanded all his will a moment ago. The arrow flew towards him as if it were going to kill him, but it stopped right under his nose with a faint vibration. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon raised his head while catching his breath. Sterin¡¯s eyes were wavering noticeably, just like the arrow controlled by him. ¡°Did you¡­¡± He parted his trembling lips. ¡°¡­Just manipte the sword with your will?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not too sure either. I just wanted to try it out¡­¡± It was true. Raon wasn¡¯t too sure what he¡¯d done because he was in a trance. One thing he could tell was that the de of Requiem had helped him. Whir. Sterin bobbed his finger. The white arrow was sucked into his grasp. ¡°What did you feel from me?¡± ¡°It looked like the arrow was connected to the protector with a thin thread. I could feel your will from that thread¡­¡± Raon told him about what he¡¯d felt a moment ago honestly. ¡°So you saw it instead of feeling it.¡± Sterinughed bitterly while holding the arrow in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve heard plenty about monsters and geniuses emerging on the continent, but most of them fell within the realm of expectation. Now, I¡¯m finally witnessing the real deal.¡± He shook his head, showing that he was seriously surprised by him. ¡°Then it¡¯s really¡­¡± ¡°Yes. The archery called Sentient Arrow is based on will and the mental world.¡± Sterin tapped on his temple with his finger. ¡°The more you develop your upper energy center, the more freely you can use the Sentient Arrow. It¡¯s intriguing because, although your upper energy center is more advanced than your might, it still isn''t sufficient to fully execute the Sentient Arrow.¡± He narrowed his eyes, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°It must be thanks to this sword.¡± Raon gently caressed the de of Requiem. ¡°It must¡¯ve followed my will because they were originally good people even though they¡¯ve became a possessed de now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also aware that your possessed de grasped your will. I was talking about how your will managed to reach the possessed de.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that part.¡± ¡°Your answer makes it even clearer that you are a monster,¡± Sterin dered firmly and brought his hand to his inner pocket. He took out a red fruit that looked like a cherry and threw it at Raon. ¡°Eat it. It will quickly heal your internal injuries.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon epted the fruit with both hands and lowered his head. ¡°I told you to take what you can get, but I didn¡¯t expect you to actually get something.¡± Sterin chuckled and turned around. ¡°It might be a good idea.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The world tree¡¯s purification ritual will be carried out tomorrow and the day after. You shoulde with Rimmer.¡± That was thest thing he said before he returned along the forest path he¡¯de from. Whoosh. As Sterin moved further away, the forest grew denser, restoring the original scenery. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed deeply andy t on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m so exhausted. But¡­¡± ¡®It was fun.¡¯ Encountering a new martial art was always exciting. It felt so refreshing, as if he¡¯d received all of the inspiration that he should¡¯ve gotten when he¡¯d be a Grandmaster at once. He was exhausted both physically and mentally, to the point that he couldn¡¯t even budge a finger, but he almost wanted to stand up right away and start swinging his sword. ¡®Moreover¡­ I can see the world tree.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t expecting to see the world tree at all even though he was visiting Seipia. It felt like another great opportunity since he¡¯d thought they would never show it to a human. ¡®I wonder how big it is.¡¯ Raon Zieghart. Raon was smiling while thinking about the world tree when Wrath slowly approached him. He had a rather serious look on his face. This is an important suggestion. ¡®Suggestion?¡¯ Indeed. The King of Essence will grant any of your wishes, so¡­ Raon was nervous because it was unusual for him to say such a thing. Let¡¯s try eating the world tree¡¯s fruit, just a single one. The King of Essence is so curious about the taste that it¡¯s driving him mad! Wrath wriggled his chubby finger, saying that it should be fine if he secretly tasted a single one. ¡®I knew it. Do you want to see me being chased around by the elves for the rest of my life?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t even a leaf but a fruit. The elves would clearly be his worst enemies, and he would have to avoid their arrows for the rest of his life. Even if you be a fugitive, you¡¯d still be the winner if you got to eat a fruit, right? ¡°......¡± Raon closed his eyes tightly upon seeing that Wrath was drooling nonstop. ¡®Come here, demon god. I need to see your face. Why did you make this food waster into the monarch of wrath?!¡¯ The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 581 Chapter 581 Raon sighed deeply as he looked at the de of Requiem on the ground. ¡®Float.¡¯ He tried to move the de of Requiem with the will in his upper energy center, but the de remainedpletely still¡ªas if it were questioning what he thought he was doing. Whir! He also tried to increase the power of his soul by making the rings of fire resonate just like during the spar against Sterin, but the de of Requiem didn¡¯t even shake in the slightest, instead making a small sword resonance as if it were telling him that it tickled. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Raon groaned in despair while putting both his hands on the ground. ¡®Why is it not working?¡¯ To capture the essence of his inspiration from the spar, Raon had dedicated himself to practicing the infusion of his will into the de of Requiem ever since returning to the lodging. However, despite his efforts, the de remainedpletely motionless, refusing to float or respond in any way.Do you want the King of Essence to tell you why it¡¯s not working? Wrath secretly approached him and grabbed his shoulder. Since his hand was so plump, it felt like soft rubber was touching him. ¡®Why is it not working?¡¯ The reason is simple! Wrath confidently raised his fist. It¡¯s not working because you are hungry! ¡®......¡¯ A human¡¯s power normallyes from the stomach. There¡¯s no way you can muster any power since you haven''t eaten anything since you got here! Wrath bbered that he should go eat already, talking about a human¡¯s power despite being a demon king. He was a really consistent demon king at least. Raon wanted to call him the demon king of consistency. ¡®This is so tiring¡­¡¯ It¡¯s true! Just try believing in the King of Essence! ¡®Please go away.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he continued to struggle. Just as he was about to focus his will once again, his door was opened violently. Whaam! The foot that seemed to have kicked the door strode into the room. ¡°Division leader¡­¡± Raon shook his head upon seeing that Rimmer was still kicking the door even at his home. He realized that Rimmer was someone else who was really consistent. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet, right?¡± Rimmer ced the tray he was holding on his left hand onto the table next to the bed. ¡°They don¡¯t provide you with food here. You have to find it yourself.¡± He grinned, saying that he¡¯d already delivered a meal to Dorian and Yua. Ooh! Wrath eximed while looking at the silver dome covering the tray. What happened to you, Shitty Ears? Did you finally learn your lesson? He licked his lips while observing the tray from various angles. ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± Raon stood up and bowed at Rimmer. ¡°You won¡¯t get this luxury anymore starting from tomorrow. By the way¡­¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes while examining Raon from top to bottom. ¡°Why do you look so exhausted?¡± ¡°I had a spar against the protector just now.¡± ¡°Spar, that¡¯s nice. Huh? A spar?¡± His eyes widened, surprised by the fact that he had a spar against Sterin. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You were right, division leader. The protector¡¯s archery was on a whole different level. It was a great experience.¡± Raon briefly exined the spar he had with Sterin. ¡°Huh! He gave you a lesson and even told you toe to see the world tree!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°My grandpa doesn¡¯t even teach the guardians himself. What did you do?¡± Rimmer gasped, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Show me the fruit that Grandpa gave you.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Raon took out the red fruit, which he hadn¡¯t eaten yet, and handed it over. ¡°This is the Sylvan Stream berry.¡± ¡°Sylvan Stream berry?¡± ¡°The area around the world tree is influenced by the spiritual realm, and trees growing there are something between nts and mythical creatures. Since the fruit is taken from the trees that have the most energy of nature, it should be more effective than most elixirs.¡± He gave a thumbs up, saying that it was the best when it came to recovery even though it didn¡¯t drastically increase the amount of aura. ¡°Can I really ept such a precious thing?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the issue when he wants to give it to you? You should give it to me if you don¡¯t want it.¡± Rimmer extended his hand, saying that he would take it in his stead. ¡°No thanks.¡± Raon shook his head and pulled the Sylvan Stream berry behind his back. ¡°Now that I think about it, you are so popr among grandfathers.¡± Rimmerughed, saying that it was interesting. ¡°Am I?¡± ¡°Yes. The old man saint likes you, and the same goes for the old man Sword Demon. Well, it¡¯s a bit awkward now, but when he saw you for the first time, he immediately wanted to teach you, and our head of house also likes you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡± Raon calmly shook his head. He might be right about the others, but Glenn only gave him the evaluation befitting his achievements. Their rtionship had improved, but Raon didn¡¯t think he would have any personal affection towards him. ¡°You still don¡¯t know,¡± Rimmer sighed, kicking the ground weakly. ¡°The rtionship between me and my grandpa is how you should be with your grandfather. You saw how I jumped in his arms as soon as I saw him, right?¡± He made a hugging posture, telling Raon to jump in Glenn¡¯s arms as soon as he returned to Zieghart. ¡°Do you want me to die or something?¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer¡¯s smile. ¡®My head would roll the moment I did that.¡¯ Even if he tried to jump in his arms, he would fall to his knees the moment he saw Glenn¡¯s frightening expression. ¡°It¡¯s true though¡­¡± ¡°Stop saying strange things. Where have you been, division leader?¡± He was curious about why Rimmer didn¡¯t know about the spar against Sterin since the other elves should¡¯ve been aware of it because of how loud it was. ¡°I went outside for a moment because Erian said that something strange happened outside.¡± Rimmer nodded to confirm his suspicion. ¡°What would be that strange thing¡­?¡± ¡°There was a report that the wild animals in the great forest were standing in front of Seipia¡¯s entrance.¡± ¡°Animals?¡± ¡°Yes. They should normally be unable to sense anything because of the barrier, but they were standing like they wanted to enter. Isn¡¯t it strange?¡± ¡°I-it is.¡± A certain woman came into Raon¡¯s mind upon hearing that animals wanted to enter Seipia. ¡®That shouldn¡¯t be the case. Even for her, it should be impossible toe here.¡¯ Th-the King of Essence thinks she is the one. Wrath shook his head with a trembling chin. It¡¯s that madwoman¡¯s doing! He shook his head, saying that there was no way the animals would suddenly start acting strangely like that. ¡°Now that I think about it, there are no animals here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s a barrier around Seipia that only allows those who are invited by an elf through.¡± Rimmer pointed at the sky with his finger, saying that it was that dazzling barrier of light that they¡¯d seen when they first came to Seipia. ¡°Considering the fact that the animals dispersed when we went outside, it shouldn¡¯t be a big deal.¡± He smiled, saying that even the animals must¡¯ve noticed the tense atmosphere because the purification ritual was approaching. ¡°I-I see.¡± If it really was Merlin¡¯s doing, she would give up on that method and find another way no matter what. Raon decided that he would go outside to check if it was Merlin¡¯s doing after the purification ritual. ¡°So, what¡¯s your impression about Seipia?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mysterious ce, a lot more than I thought. However¡­¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°The elves were unexpectedly interested in humans and others.¡± They weren¡¯t troublemakers like Rimmer, but a few elves felt simr to chatty humans. ¡°You are talking about how they spread the rumor about you and Siyan, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Rimmer peacefully nodded without refuting it. ¡°I noticed that too. They seem much more curious about what others are doing than before. I almost thought I was in a human vige.¡± He shook his head, saying that they were a lot more curious about others than when he used to live in Seipia. ¡°Is it because they¡¯ve had rtions with humans?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons, and another one is that some elves started to leave.¡± ¡°They left?¡± ¡°Yes. There are quite a few of them who couldn¡¯t put up with life in Seipia and leftpletely. They¡¯ve changed the mood quite a lot.¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow slightly, implying that it wasn¡¯t a good memory. ¡°But many elves are still just focused on themselves, with nature as their friend.¡± He smiled faintly, saying that the elves would never fully be like humans. ¡°Ah, we kept the food waiting for too long.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, telling him to eat while it was still hot. The King of Essence has a feeling that he brought an apple pie that suits his taste! Wrath had been moving restlessly in front of the tray and gulped in excitement. ¡°Thank you. But what¡¯s is the meal?¡± Raon nodded at Rimmer and took off the silver dome covering the tray. ¡°Hmm?¡± Uuh¡­ Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped upon seeing the te. The reason his joy turned into horror was simple. It was because two brown breads were ced on the white te. Na-Nadine bread¡­ ¡°You should try out the original version since you came so far.¡± Rimmer smiled, saying that the original should have a different taste. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Raon blinked while picking up one of the Nadine breads. ¡®I¡¯m fine with it, but¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t mind it because he honestly liked the Nadine bread, but he could easily guess what Wrath would be looking like since he¡¯d been looking forward to the meal so much. The King of Essence will kill them! Wrath raised his head, his body trembling in anger. He will kill those shitty ears, brother and sister alike! ¡®Calm down a bit.¡¯ Raon put pressure on Wrath with the Ring of Fire and shook his head. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to really like it. You should have proper meals starting from tomorrow.¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders and left while closing the door behind him. Where do you think you are running?! Come back here right now! Wrath floundered his limbs, a ghastly blue fire zing from his eyes. He seemed to be seriously angry. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Raon took a bite of the Nadine bread right away in order to calm Wrath down. It was warm because it was recently baked, but it still had the same rubber taste and texture as the other Nadine breads. Gaaah! Wrath started to have a seizure and went limp like a deted balloon. H-how is it even possible for warm bread to be so disgusting¡­? The way he panted made it look like he was about to die. It¡¯s truly the food of evil fiends¡­ Wrath mmed his head on the ground, saying that he couldn¡¯t live with it anymore. ¡®It¡¯s pretty good though.¡¯ It was a bit tastier than the cold version. It tasted like heated rubber. Th-the King of Essence has a request. ¡°What request?¡¯ Raon shifted his gaze at Wrath while chewing the half-eaten Nadine bread. Eat that fruit from earlier at least¡­ Wrath put his hands together, asking him to eat the Sylvan Stream berry to cleanse the taste. ¡®Hmm, I guess I should, since I need to heal my internal injury¡­¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t ignore Wrath¡¯s googly eyes, which looked like a cat¡¯s, and put the berry he¡¯d received from Sterin into his mouth. A refreshing sweetness simr to a mix between cherry and strawberry cleansed his rubber-filled mouth. I-it¡¯s sweet¡­ Wrath sank to the ground and nodded. Thank you. He sniffled. It was pretty much the first time he¡¯d thanked him. ¡®It wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡¯ Just as Raon was about to shake his head, messages appeared in front of his eyes. [You¡¯ve been thanked by Wrath.] [All stats have increased by 2.] ¡®There are rewards for this?¡¯ Raon was staring at the messages, thinking that it was surprising, when he heard the sound of Wrath mming his head onto the ground. ...... Wrath stared nkly at the message for a bit before he started to clutch his own neck with his hands. He¡¯d rather die! He doesn¡¯t want Nadine bread anymore! There¡¯s no reason to live! Raon shook his head while taking a bite of the second Nadine bread. ¡®You can¡¯t die like that¡­¡¯ Dead! * * * Siyan raised her eyebrows and bit her red lip. ¡°It¡¯s not working after all.¡± She tried to achieve resonance with the method her grandfather had taught her, but her mind couldn¡¯t escape from her shabby body, like a tightly sealed water bottle. She had a faint hope that she might be able to change after Raon had advised her, but the miracle didn¡¯t happen. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Siyan buried her exhausted face in the nket. Her blond hair swept up like a small tidal wave. ¡®Best efforts¡­¡¯ She¡¯d been making an effort, even though it was honestly not her best. She¡¯d been practicing the resonance whenever she had time because she wanted to be praised by everyone for being a high elf like her grandfather. However, the world had never opened the door to her. She even started to wonder if it was even possible to achieve resonance. ¡®It¡¯s so tiring. It¡¯s exhausting, but¡­¡¯ Siyan clenched her fist. She lifted herself, veins showing up on her pale hand. ¡®I¡¯m still going to do it.¡¯ She would¡¯ve normally given up at that point, thinking that it wasn¡¯t going to work anyway, andy down on the bed to sink into her delusion of being praised by everyone. However, she wanted to try a bit more because of her encounter with Raon. Siyan opened her eyes again, and just as she was about to start practicing the resonance, a blunt knocking sound could be heard from the door. There was only one person who knocked like that. ¡°Y-you can enter.¡± She murmured for him to enter, covering half of her face with the nket. Sterin carefully entered and sat on the chair next to the bed. ¡°It¡¯s about that human you called amazing.¡± He smiled deeply with his arms crossed. ¡°He is seriously outrageous.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Siyan¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing Sterin¡¯s smile. She¡¯d never seen her grandfatherpliment another person like that. ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes. I could feel that he was born with talent and that he¡¯s been swinging his sword endlessly. He was a real swordsman, one I haven¡¯t seen in a while.¡± ¡°Right? That¡¯s what I told you!¡± She lifted the nket and got up as if she were the one who was being praised. ¡°The damn handsome Raon can burn fire and freeze ice!¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know about that. However.¡± Sterin shook his hand to stop her granddaughter¡¯s nonsense. ¡°I told him toe to the purification ritual.¡± ¡°T-to the purification ritual?¡± ¡°I figured it would be nice to help him if I can since he is Rimmer¡¯s disciple. So¡­¡± He uncrossed his arms and held Siyan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Won¡¯t youe with us, too?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± She had actually refused when she was asked before. She wanted to stay in her room because she didn¡¯t want to encounter the other elves, but the news about Rimmer and Raon¡¯s participation gave her courage for some reason. Siyan nodded unnoticeably, covering her face with the nket. ¡°I-I¡¯ll go.¡± * * * Raon lowered his head towards a blue-haired elf. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± The elf nodded at Yua even though her heavy gaze looked like she wouldn¡¯t budge even if the entire world copsed. She was a musician introduced to him by Rimmer, and her skills were among the best in Seipia. Raon was visiting her personally to entrust Yua¡¯s lessons to her. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best too!¡± Yua clenched both her fists and even furrowed her brow. It was cute how her twin tails were fluttering into the air. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be back soon, so wait for me.¡± Raon patted Yua¡¯s head and turned around. ¡°What about me?¡± Dorian asked what he should be doing with sparkling eyes. ¡°As for you¡­¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t really think about it.¡¯ Raon licked his lips and pointed at Yua. ¡°Observe Yua to see if she is learning properly. Make sure she doesn¡¯t mess around.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorian nodded, raising his hand as if he were saluting. ¡®I¡¯m d it worked.¡¯ Raon shook his head and went towards Rimmer, who¡¯d been waiting behind them. ¡°You really are a demon.¡± He shuddered, murmuring that he was scared. ¡°I can¡¯t be as bad as you, division leader.¡± Raon shook his head in return. ¡°Let¡¯s go already if you are done. The geezer should be waiting for us.¡± Rimmer quickly stepped away, saying that Sterin ced great importance on keeping the time. ¡°Did you hear the rumor? I heard that the human over there earned the right to see the world tree.¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable. He is the spirit king¡¯s contractor, after all.¡± ¡°Well, I guess he isn¡¯t exactly unrted to the world tree if he really is going to make a contract with the spirit king.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the first time a human being has ever gotten to see the world tree?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the first. I heard someone has done that before¡­¡± The elves started to murmur between them while looking at Raon and Rimmer, who were passing by. Those shitty ears! Wrath barked at the elves. The King of Essence is the Monarch of Wrath, not a mere spirit king! He frantically shook his hand, shouting at them to stopparing him to a spirit king. ¡®Yes, that¡¯s true.¡¯ Raon chuckled while watching Wrath yell at them. Because of the doormat called Wrath sticking to him, the spirit king would run away even if it came to him. He could guess that he wouldn¡¯t be the spirit king¡¯s contractor even if he were chosen by one. He ignored the elves who kept bbering about whatever they wanted and followed Rimmer. They reached the protector Sterin¡¯s home soon enough. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Sterin casually raised his hand. He was already outside the house, leaning his back against a tree. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Rimmer tilted his head while pointing at something that waspletely wrapped up with a nket. ¡°What else? It¡¯s your sister.¡± ¡°Ack¡­¡± Sterin poked it with his finger and the nket shivered. ¡°Siyan? Why are you covered in a nket even when you¡¯re outside?!¡± ¡°I-I feel better this way. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Even her face was covered in the nket, and only her voice could be heard. ¡°Are you suffering from an illness where you are going to die if youe out of the nket or what?¡± Rimmer briefly clicked his tongue and walked up to Siyan. ¡°D-don¡¯t mind me¡­¡± Siyan¡¯s voice was even smaller than the day before, probably because she was outside her room. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Please stop.¡± Raon grabbed Rimmer¡¯s shoulder. ¡®She must¡¯ve mustered her courage to do that.¡¯ Siyan wasn¡¯t really interested in the world tree¡¯s purification the day before. Whether she came out to watch the purification ritual or for another reason, it was praiseworthy enough that she¡¯d stepped outside at all. ¡°H-hello, Sir Raon the damn handsome.¡± Siyan lowered her head, still covered in the nket. Raon could only see the top of her blonde hair. ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Raon awkwardly nodded. ¡®Why does she keep saying that damn handsome stuff even though she is shy about everything else?¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t understand her, but he didn¡¯t point it out because he didn¡¯t want to scare her. ¡°Grandpa, I heard you had a round with Raon two days ago, right?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes twitched as he looked at Sterin. ¡°So how was it? My disciple is pretty good, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sterin calmly nodded. However, the surprise still remained in his eyes. ¡°He was too good to be your disciple.¡± ¡°Ooh!¡± Rimmer twisted his body as if he wereplimented instead. ¡°I knew that so-called monsters sometimes emerge from the human world, but he''s on another level. He almost makes me think that the gods and demon kings made a mistake.¡± Sterin described the surprise he¡¯d felt during the spar. It was a mistake indeed. Wrath gave a big nod of approval. He''s a demon who will bring hell wherever he goes! He murmured that he wanted to bring him to Devildom one day and cause a huge mess. ¡°I thought the same from the first time I saw him.¡± Rimmer nodded proudly. ¡°He¡¯ll be a big shot.¡± He grinned, saying that his insight deserved to be praised. ¡°That¡¯s enough talking. Let¡¯s go in.¡± Sterin watched Raon for a moment, then gestured with his chin. Raon licked his lips while thinking about what Sterin had just said. ¡®Go in?¡¯ He found it strange that he¡¯d said to go inside somewhere instead of heading to the World Tree¡¯s location. However, he wasn¡¯t lying about that. Sterin ced his hand on his tree house, and the atmosphere started to waver as if it became ake, a path made of blue light forming. As if everything he¡¯d seen from Seipia was just an illusion, the greenery turned blue and translucent leaves filled his vision. A green wind tousled his hair, blue water droplets moistened his skin, and the yellow earth brought a gentle sense offort. Lastly, the heated me left a handprint on the atmosphere, dancing along his breath. Raon looked at the circr path of blue light, his fingers trembling in surprise. He could see a tree. It was so massive that it couldn''t be fully taken in with just one nce. The majestic roots looked like it was spreading throughout the entire continent, the trunk was so thick that even if everyone in Zieghart gathered, they wouldn¡¯t be able to encircle it, and it was so high that he couldn¡¯t see the end of it even if he looked upward, as if it was a pir supporting the sky. Transparent leaves attached to the countless branches were fluttering in the air to wee their arrival, giving off a mysterious and otherworldly impression. Saying that it was beautiful wasn¡¯t enough to describe the world tree. ¡®Is this the world tree, Adrian¡­?¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously and walked into the blue path. ¡®By the way, is that a burn mark?¡¯ Raon thought it was strange as he looked at the slightly scorched area on the world tree¡¯s right side. Whaaap! The Ring of Fire started to rampage on its own, and his vision turned crimson. Chapter 582 Chapter 582 A huge ming snake that could even be called a dragon was coiling around the world tree. The bountiful greennd was covered with elven corpses, and the cloudless blue sky looked like it was about to shatter with the dark fissures on it. Elves fired their white arrows and summoned powerful spirits, but the ming snake ignored all of them and shoved its red fangs into the world tree. Whaaam! The wall of mana protecting the world tree was shattered into pieces as crimson me started to rage, igniting from the right side of the trunk. As despair started to fill the eyes of the elves, a high elf with a simr appearance to Sterin stepped forward. He looked tired, implying that he¡¯d had other fights beforehand, but his gaze remained ferocious. The high elf¡¯s arrow advanced like lightning and pierced the snake¡¯s mouth, which was burning the world tree. The ming snake screamed and was pulled away from the world tree for the first time.However, the lingering me was still burning the world tree inside and out. Just as the high elf was about to approach the world tree to extinguish the fire, a red-haired viin with spiral horns on his forehead appeared from a rift in the air. The viin stood in the high elf¡¯s way, unleashing crimson me just like the snake had done. The high elf furrowed his brow and fired a white arrow at the viin. However, the arrow was unable to break through the viin¡¯s me and melted in the air. Humans with simr outfits to the red-haired viin appeared from the same rift, attacking the elves and supporting the ming snake. The huge snake raised itself back up, coiling around the world tree powerfully, and shoved its fangs into it. The me engulfing the world tree became even more intense, as if red ink was added to it. The high elf was already tired from his first appearance, and his impatience over the death of his kin led to him sumbing to the viin''s strike. It was just a single mistake, but the result was terrible. The high elf copsed, a dark hole in his stomach. The red-haired viin gave the dying high elf a mocking smile, then he started to walk toward the world tree. His subordinates were shooting the fire in all directions as if they were trying to incinerate the entire area, not just the world tree. Crack! By the time thend, once brimming with the energy of nature, transformed into a scene of wailing hell, the dark sky split open and mes rained down, dazzling like the sun. The golden me advanced along with a majestic wind and swallowed the crimson me scorching thend and the viin¡¯s subordinates at once. A swordsman d in silver armornded on the fissurednd of darkness. His back was familiar. He was Zieghart¡¯s ancestor. He pointed his sword at the viin without saying anything. The viin¡¯sposure disappeared, and his lips twisted. The red-haired viin thrust his me-covered hand, just like how he¡¯d killed the high elf. However, his attack was on a whole different level from before. Ten fireballs burst out in the air and fell towards the ancestor¡¯s head like meteorites. Zieghart¡¯s ancestor didn¡¯t even look at the fireballs falling towards him. He solely focused on the viin and gently opened the hand holding his sword. Whaaam! Once the sword left his hand, it became a golden ray to pierce the viin¡¯s heart, even destroying the red snake¡¯s head before piercing into the world tree¡¯s center. Raon could see it. It was the sword maniption. The principle of destruction was dwelling in the ancestor¡¯s will, manipting the sword. The viin looked at the hole in his chest in disbelief before he copsed, and the ming snake also writhed in pain without its head before it scattered like dust. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The ancestor muttered that he hade toote, apologizing to the dead elves, and he approached the world tree. He furrowed his brow while looking at the darkened trunk and roots of the world tree, implying that it was dying. ¡°It won¡¯t be able to survive at this rate.¡± The world tree had indeed taken too much damage. It could regenerate if only the outside had been burned, but the snake had even burned the inside by making a hole in the world tree with its fangs. It looked like it wouldn¡¯t be able to survive as it was. ¡°This must be another act of fate.¡± The ancestor closed his eyes before opening them again, taking out a red bead and a blue bead from an object that seemed to be a subspace pocket. Actually, Raon couldn¡¯t tell if they were beads or not. They could be eggs or jewels for all he knew. However, the pure energy of nature overflowing from them was something that he¡¯d never experienced before. The ancestor ced the beads in the holes made by the snake¡¯s fangs one after the other and used the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me to plug the holes. ¡°Survive.¡± He looked upwards and gently caressed the world tree. Whir! The world tree responded to the ancestor¡¯s thought with a small resonance, its branches and leaves swinging in the air. The translucent leaves that had managed to survive the battle fluttered softly in the air. The ancestor caressed the world tree for a long time, then he finally stood up and turned around. His red eyes were wavering violently, as if he¡¯d been looking at Raon all along. The moment Raon leaned forward to see the ancestor¡¯s face more closely, the Ring of Fire resonated once again and his vision turned dark. * * * ¡°¡­on. Raon!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon¡¯s head trembled faintly upon hearing someone calling him. ¡°Did you not sleep yesterday? Why are you dozing off while standing?¡± Rimmer chuckled, asking why he was standing nkly like Runaan. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Raon shook his head while wiping away the cold sweat flowing from his forehead. Where did you go this time? Wrath red sideways while sticking to his shoulder. ¡®I just went to see my ancestor.¡¯ Bullshit again! It was an honest answer, but Wrath obviously didn¡¯t believe him and briskly turned his head. Raon chuckled and looked at the world tree. It had grown to be even more majestic than before, as if it had never been set aze, and Raon realized once again how great his ancestor was. ¡®By the way¡­ who was that viin?¡¯ Those strange men appeared every time he saw his ancestor¡¯s memories. The reversal of the ck and white in their eyes made them look like demons, but their energies were unmistakably human. ¡®And what were those beads?¡¯ The power of his ancestor and the beads must¡¯ve saved the world tree and made it grow even bigger. Raon became curious about what those beads were. ¡®I wonder if they are still in there?¡¯ Since the beads were left behind by Zieghart¡¯s ancestor and the world tree had already managed to survive, Raon wanted to take them if possible. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He could hear Rimmer¡¯s sigh as he contemted how to find those beads. ¡°The stubborn old men are here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The old men over there are the ssic stubborn old elves.¡± Rimmer raised his finger and pointed at the elves on the other side of the world tree. The eleven old elves had wrinkles on their faces just like Sterin, and young elves wearing guardian outfits were standing in a formation behind them. ¡°Who are they¡­?¡± ¡°They are the elders.¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow while looking at the elves walking towards them. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Siyan let out a brief groan and started to tremble upon hearing that elders were present. Those elders must¡¯ve been the ones who¡¯d been nagging and humiliating her so far. ¡°Greetings, protector.¡± The blond-haired elf standing at the center bowed at Sterin. ¡°Did youe in advance to prepare for the ritual?¡± Sterin nodded, thanking them for helping out with the purification ritual. ¡°It¡¯s our job. However¡­¡± The blond-haired elf shifted his gaze to Raon. ¡°Why is there a human here?¡± He wasn¡¯t simply questioning. He even showed his anger at the sight of him. ¡°This is the holy ground of elves. Humans aren¡¯t allowed to enter.¡± ¡°It will be fine because that human will be the spirit king¡¯s contractor.¡± The answer came from Erian, who was standing behind the elders, instead of Rimmer or Sterin. He raised his fist, still iming that Raon was the spirit king¡¯s contractor. ¡°Erian.¡± ¡°Yes, head elder.¡± Erian confidently lowered his head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you. Keep your mouth shut.¡± ¡°I-I beg your pardon.¡± Erian flinched upon hearing the head elder¡¯s frightening voice and stepped back. ¡°Protector.¡± The head elder briefly clicked his tongue and looked at Sterin once again. ¡°Let me ask again. Why was a human allowed to enter this holy ground?¡± He red coldly, asking what Sterin was even thinking. ¡°You should be well aware that humans tried to burn the world tree!¡± ¡°Are you trying to tell me that he should be treated the same as the humans who¡¯ve attacked Seipia?¡± Sterin responded calmly and narrowed his eyes. ¡°He is no different from them! Because he is a human just like them!¡± The head elder shouted in irritation, but his eyes were still glowing coldly. ¡°All I¡¯ve learned from our ancestors is that humans almost burnt the world tree!¡± He pointed at the right side of the world tree¡¯s trunk, where the scorching trace remained. ¡°The head elder is right.¡± ¡°Humans shouldn¡¯t be allowed to set foot into the holy ground.¡± ¡°Please get him out right now!¡± ¡°Protector!¡± The other elders shook their heads, showing their refusal. Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the stubborn lips of the elders. ¡®He didn¡¯t leave any record.¡¯ Inside the memory he¡¯d seen, Zieghart¡¯s ancestor had left without meeting anyone after reviving the world tree. It looked like history didn¡¯t record the fact that he¡¯d saved the world tree. ¡°Protector, we agreed to trade with humans because of your request, but we can never allow humans to approach the world tree!¡± The head elder blocked the path and confidently straightened his back. Raon could guess from their conversation that Sterin must¡¯ve made a deal with the council of elders to establish trades with humans. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The area around Sterin¡¯s eyes wrinkled because of the unexpected disturbance. ¡°That¡¯s so heartless.¡± Rimmer came up next to Sterin and shook his head. ¡°He is my disciple. That should be good enough to¡­¡± ¡°You are also problematic.¡± The head elder shifted his gaze to Rimmer, a frown around his mouth. ¡°You became a punk from human influence. How dare you run your mouth here?¡± He red at Rimmer even more sharply than he¡¯d done towards Raon. ¡°You damn geezer! Do you want to find out how a punk really behaves?¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± As Rimmer started to have a fit of anger, Sterin stepped forward. ¡°Do you all agree with him?¡± ¡°We do.¡± The elders stood behind the head elder, supporting his opinion. ¡°And¡­¡± The head elder furrowed his brow while looking at Siyan, who was standing next to Raon. ¡°How could you attend to this holy ce with an appearance like that? Lady Siyan, I¡¯m curious how much you are going to ruin the dignity of elves.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Siyan trembled because of his sharp voice and pressure. ¡°For now, please send out that human and Rimmer from this ce. And Lady Siyan won¡¯t be allowed to enter in that state.¡± The trembling of Siyan¡¯s shoulders intensified as the head elder red more and more fiercely. ¡°Are you suggesting we should fight over it now?¡± Sterin was also getting irritated and raised his chin with a frightening pressure emanating from him. ¡°Of course not. Everything is for the prosperity of the elves. Please reconsider.¡± The head elder shook his hand and took a step back. ¡°Please reconsider!¡± However, the other elders and elves who followed his opinion were standing their ground without stepping back. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Division leader.¡± Sterin weakly bit his lip while looking at the elves, and Raon shook his hand towards Rimmer. ¡°Protector is equivalent to a head of house or a king for humans, right?¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± ¡°But there are so many people who look down on the king here.¡± Because Raon was speaking in a high-pitched voice and a mocking tone, the elders and Sterin shifted their gazes at him. ¡°What did you say just now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± Raon took a step forward and curled his lips into a smile. ¡°The protector told me that he¡¯d show me the world tree two days ago. Since the other elves were aware of that fact, there¡¯s no way the elders like you didn¡¯t know about it. However, instead ofining about it right away, you are blocking the path when we are already here. If this doesn¡¯t show that you are looking down on the protector, then what would?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± The elders were unable to refute his words and averted their gazes. ¡°Even the humans you so despise put aside their factional disputes when they have outside guests, striving to present their better selves. Yet the elves are only showing their ugly side to their human guest, despite how great they im to be.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. We¡­¡± ¡°Aah, I actually don¡¯t really care.¡± Raon cut off the head elder. It¡¯s here! The special technique, Cut Him Off! Wrath furrowed his brow while looking at Raon. This is the most irritating special technique he has! He bit his lip, saying that cutting them off before they could even justify themselves was the most irritating thing to do. ¡°More than anything else, what you just said was soughable.¡± ¡°Laughable?¡± The head elder furrowed his brow deeply. The pressure extending from him was so sharp that it felt like it could mutte his body. ¡°You won¡¯t be treated as a guest anymore if you cannot justify yourself.¡± His frown showed that he was infuriated. ¡°Head elder!¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± As Sterin was trying to stop him, Rimmer raised his hand. ¡°Believe in him, he must have a n.¡± Rimmer smiled, saying that Raon never acted thoughtlessly. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right.¡± Siyan murmured that they should believe in him, saying that she read it from the book. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sterin listened to his grandchildren and stepped back with his arms crossed. ¡°Because, you know, did someone guarantee that the world tree belongs to the elves or something? In my opinion, the world tree is going to like me more than you.¡± ¡°You arepletely insane. I¡¯ve been serving the world tree ever since I was a baby. I¡¯m not a high elf, but I¡¯ve dedicated my entire life to the world tree. How dare you spout such arrogance?!¡± The head elder sneered, saying that it wasplete bullshit. ¡°The world tree closed its heart for centuries after it was burnt by humans.¡± He turned around and walked towards the world tree. ¡°However, it started to open its heart around a hundred years ago thanks to the efforts of countless elves.¡± The head elder ced his hand on the world tree, and the branches fluttered into the air to spread its pure mana. The bountiful mana spreading around made it feel like the entire world had changed. ¡°Are you saying that you can handle the world tree better than me?¡± He shook his head, telling him to stop his nonsense. ¡°You¡¯d better leave right now¡­¡± ¡°Then how about making a bet with me?¡± ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon stood in front of the head elder and looked up at the world tree. He nodded while looking at the tree that was killed by humans and was saved by a human. ¡°What are you going to do if I make the world tree react even more strongly than you?¡± ¡°Hah!¡± The head elder eximed, treating it as a ridiculous im. ¡°You are insane¡­¡± ¡°This is the first time you have seen the world tree. Why are you even bluffing?¡± ¡°I heard he is the Dragon yer who killed Kaibar, but he¡¯s just a madman.¡± The other elders and elves were also dumbfounded by his suggestion and furrowed their brows. ¡°If I lose the bet, I¡¯ll take Sir Rimmer and never return.¡± Raon smiled faintly, telling them that he¡¯d leave just like they wanted. ¡°Hey, hey! Why am I included in the bet?!¡± Rimmer shook his head in surprise even though he¡¯d told Sterin to believe in him. However, Sterin didn¡¯t say anything, showing that he was going to keep trusting him. ¡°You will keep your word, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Alright. If the world tree epts you, I¡¯ll grant every wish you have.¡± The head elder twisted his lips, saying that the world tree was never going to ept a human. ¡°I have two conditions. The first one is to get some Sylvan Stream berries.¡± ¡°Just another greedy human.¡± The head elder snorted, saying that it was nothing unexpected. ¡°And the second one is for you and the elders to kneel in front of me, Lady Siyan, and the protector to apologize for your disrespect.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± The elders widened their eyes, surprised at his unexpected request. ¡°That sounds good.¡± The head elder shook his head with his lips curled into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not going to happen anyway, so make whatever request you want to.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be adding anotherter.¡± Raon raised his finger, murmuring that it was a perfect setup. ¡°¡­Wh-what about me?¡± Rimmer tilted his head while looking at Raon and the elders. Raon had mentioned everyone else¡¯s names, but his name was missing. Raon confidently walked up to the world tree. He went to the right side where the color hadn¡¯tpletely returned yet and touched the part where Zieghart¡¯s ancestor had inserted the beads and caressed. ¡®Humans tried to kill you, but it was also human who saved you.¡¯ Raon activated the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Ring of Fire and gently stroked the part where holes had been made so that the world tree would recall the memory from that time. However, the world tree remainedpletely immobile. It looked like it didn¡¯t remember yet. ¡°But of course.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way the world tree would ept a mere human.¡± ¡°Rimmer, get ready to leave.¡± The elders and the elves sneered upon seeing that the world tree wasn¡¯t reacting at all. ¡°Protector, it¡¯s truly regrettable.¡± The head elder raised his chin with his lips curved into a crescent shape despite his words. ¡°It looked like you cherished that human, but he failed to seize your consideration because of his own greed. That''s human nature.¡± ¡°......¡± Sterin simply stared at Raon¡¯s back without saying anything. ¡°Hey.¡± The head elder¡¯s smile deepened as he shook his hand. The guardians standing behind him stepped forward. ¡°Get that human, Rimmer, and Lady Siyan out of here. As for that human and Rimmer, just expel them from Seipia¡­¡± He continued with a sneer, but a translucent leaf descended from the sky while fluttering in the air. ¡°Hmm?¡± The moment the head elder looked up, the world tree shook its branches, bursting forth with majestic energy as if wings were spreading from it. The world tree¡¯s resonance spread around like a clear sword resonance and soared all the way to the end of the sky, filled with nostalgia and gratitude. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening?!¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°What a beautiful resonance of the world tree¡­¡± The elves widened their mouths to the point of tearing as they sensed the world tree''s radiant blue wave shining more brilliantly than ever. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The head elder¡¯s wide eyes looked like they were about to pop out, and Raon turned around. ¡°What are you waiting for? You aren¡¯t on your knees.¡± He curled his lips into a slight smile and gestured toward him with his chin. ¡°Kneel.¡± Chapter 583 Raon raised his head with a smile. The world tree was scattering the pure energy of nature while waving its branches as if it were greeting him. ¡®Thank you for remembering.¡¯ Raon was certain of it the moment he saw his ancestor¡¯s memory. Since the world tree was a mystical creature, it must¡¯ve remembered how his ancestor had saved its life. The world tree seemed to be a bit confused at first because it didn¡¯t react right away. Still, it remembered as soon as the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy broke through the exterior and entered the interior, showing its delight and gratitude through a huge flow of mana. The tremendous wave of emotions spreading from the world tree even pulled his heartstrings. ¡°H-how is this happening¡­?¡± The head elder¡¯s chin trembled, his face pale. ¡°Im-impossible!¡±¡°How could it react like that towards a human¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the world tree so lively before¡­¡± ¡°A-am I dreaming right now?¡± The elders and the other elves were also shocked by the unexpected situation and simply stood there, blinking. ¡°Wow, how did you do this?¡± Rimmer was also surprised. He swallowed nervously while looking at the world tree¡¯s branches waving at them. ¡°I told you! That human is the spirit king¡¯s contractor!¡± Erian raised his hands, saying that he believed in him all along. He was even crazier than Rimmer. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Sterin stepped up next to Raon and spoke with a voice that was one pitch higher than usual. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The others shouldn¡¯t have noticed, but the world tree is thanking you right now.¡± He looked up to the world tree, his eyes trembling so hard that they looked like they were spasming. ¡°Why is the world tree thanking you even though it has never seen you before?¡± Sterin¡¯s gaze came back down. He narrowed his eyes, showing that he couldn¡¯t understand the situation. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking it was strange ever since you confidently suggested the bet. Have you met the world tree before?¡± ¡°No, this is my first encounter with it.¡± Raon shook his head while touching the world tree¡¯s exterior. ¡°Then how¡­?¡± ¡°The world tree is expressing its gratitude towards Zieghart¡¯s swordsman, not towards me.¡± ¡°¡­Zieghart¡¯s swordsman?¡± ¡°Yes. This is a record I read from a book of martial arts in Zieghart¡­¡± Raon told everyone about his ancestor¡¯s memory while iming that he¡¯d read it from a book. ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe it!¡± The head elder shook his head, shouting that it was a lie. ¡°The world tree was revived thanks to the devotion of the elves, not by a human¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you see this.¡± Raon stroked the part where his ancestor had filled the holes, his hand zing with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat. Even though it was on fire, the world tree radiated an even more intense sense of joy through its mana. The nostalgic and sweet fragrance of mana brought a smile to Raon¡¯s face. ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°I can feel it too. The world tree is shouting in gratitude right now¡­¡± ¡°W-was it really Zieghart who helped it?¡± The elves were feeling the world tree¡¯s intense emotions, their lips trembling. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Sterin gasped and clutched his forehead. ¡°I see, that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking that someone else had helped back then because there were too many strange things in the records, and this answers my question.¡± He walked up to Raon and held his hands tightly. His sincerity seeped into the hands along with his warmth. ¡°Your ancestor was the one who saved the world tree.¡± Sterin nodded, saying that he could finally understand the entire situation. Raon curled his lips into a smile while watching the head elder and the elders tremble in frustration. ¡®It worked.¡¯ If he¡¯d told them the story right off the bat, he would¡¯ve been called insane and driven out. However, the head elder had prepared the scene, and the world tree showed an intense reaction. As a result, none of the elves could suspect him anymore. ¡®I can fully extort them now.¡¯ Even with the bet, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get everything he wanted from the head elder since he was in Seipia, but he could expect more rewards than promised because of the story of his ancestor. ¡®And he¡¯s not going to stop calling me the spirit king¡¯s contractor anymore.¡¯ Raon looked at Erian with a smile. He returned it with an even deeper smile while giving him a thumbs up. ¡°There was a good reason why you became the spirit king¡¯s contractor! The world is a fair ce, after all!¡± Erian seemed to still believe that he was the spirit king¡¯s contractor. It was just hopeless at this point how single-minded he was. ¡°No one is going to suspect you after seeing how happy the world tree is.¡± Sterin looked up at the world tree for a while and calmly nodded. He leaned forward, putting his hands together in front of his chest. ¡°Seipia''s protector greets the descendant of our benefactor.¡± ¡°Greetings to the descendant of our benefactor.¡± Not just Sterin, but even the elves who were surrounding the world tree were bowing at him in unison with the exact same posture. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this.¡± Raon shook his hand. He immediately pulled Sterin to make him stand back up, as he hadn¡¯t brought up the story about the ancestor to get thanked by them. ¡°It was our ancestor¡¯s doing, not mine.¡± ¡°But that ancestor isn¡¯t alive anymore. You have to ept our gratitude instead.¡± Sterin shook his head, saying that elves could also feel gratitude. ¡°It¡¯s really fine. It¡¯s not the gratitude I want¡­¡± Raon locked his lips and looked at the head elder, who was the only person who didn¡¯t lower his head. ¡°I just want him to apologize.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± The head elder trembled violently, to the point where his shoulders looked like they were about to tear apart. ¡°Not only did you look down on the descendant of our benefactor, but even tried to drive him away¡­¡± Rimmer shook his head while looking at the head elder. ¡°You should¡¯ve held back a little.¡± He clicked his tongue, saying that he was humiliating the entire elven tribe. Raon walked up to the head elder and tilted his chin. ¡°Are you deaf or something? I told you to kneel. Why are you still standing?¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe it!¡± The head elder shook his head while biting his lip. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that a human saved the world tr¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t believe it.¡± Raon cut the head elder off and calmly nodded. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The head elder widened his eyes, surprised by how easily Raon epted it. ¡°I¡¯m telling you to kneel. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe it or not.¡± Raon curled his lips into a smile while pointing his finger at the ground. ¡°Because you have to kneel regardless of if I¡¯m the descendant of your benefactor or not. Don¡¯t tell me the head elder of the great elven tribe wants to break his promise now?¡± ¡°B-by the way, why are you being so rude now?¡± ¡°Because you were rude to me first.¡± It wasughable that he cared about courtesy now, but Raon politely answered his question. He has a thing for rudeness! Wrath shook his head, saying that he had seen it happen enough times before. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The head elder looked around with a red face, looking like he was about to suffocate. However, the other elders and the elves weren¡¯t standing behind him anymore. ¡°Where is the man who said that he would grant any of my wishes?¡± Raon asked andughed at him. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m doing it!¡± The head elder murmured that elves didn¡¯t lie, unlike humans, and went on his trembling knees. ¡°Are you satisfied now¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head and called Sterin and Siyan next to him. ¡°My condition was that you kneel and apologize to the three of us. You should sincerely beg for forgiveness from each of us.¡± Raon looked down on the head elder with his arms crossed. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The head elder stayed with his head lowered for a long time, and then he finally turned towards Sterin, who was standing on the right side. ¡°Pr-protector. I apologize for my rudeness.¡± He lowered his head with his voice trembling intensely. ¡°You need to control your temper a bit.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°I ept the apology.¡± Sterin frowned, but still epted the head elder¡¯s apology. It was a reaction befitting his noble personality. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The head elder sighed deeply and looked at Siyan, who was standing on the left side. ¡°Lady Siyan. I¡¯m sorry I called you unsightly.¡± He lowered his head at Siyan as well and asked for forgiveness. ¡°I-it¡¯s fine.¡± Siyan nodded, still covered in the nket. Raon had thought that she would feel ufortable because of her personality, but her voice felt strangely lively. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now.¡± Raon pointed at him with his chin, telling him to go for it. ¡°Guh¡­¡± The head elder let out a suffocating groan and looked up to Raon, who was standing at the center. ¡°I-I was rude to you. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Unlike when he was asking for forgiveness from Sterin and Siyan, he only nodded his head slightly instead of lowering it, and his mumbled voice was difficult to understand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Why are you standing up now when you didn¡¯t even apologize properly?¡± The head elder tried to stand up while letting out a sigh, but Raon pressed upon his shoulder. ¡°What are you talking about?! I apologized properly just now!¡± He unleashed his fiery pressure and argued that it wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°Unlike when you apologized to the protector, you didn¡¯t even lower your head and your voice was too quiet.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I told you to sincerely beg for forgiveness, didn¡¯t I? I didn¡¯t feel any sincerity there.¡± Raon bobbed his finger while easily brushing off the head elder¡¯s fiery wave of energy. ¡°You can¡¯t even apologize properly when you said you would do anything I wanted.¡± ¡°Raon is right about this.¡± Sterin nodded while looking at the head elder. ¡°You did clearly mention that you¡¯d do anything he wanted. It¡¯s a pledge that you never should¡¯ve made, but you have to keep it now.¡± He raised his hand and pointed at the elves watching the scene. He was asking him to keep his dignity in front of his family. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The head elder saw how they were looking at him with serious eyes and fell on his knee again. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I was rude to you.¡± He lowered his head seriously and didn¡¯t mumble either, just like when he¡¯d apologized to Sterin. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± Sterin and Rimmer peacefully nodded their chins and acknowledged his apology. ¡°Then¡­¡± Just as the head elder was about to stand back up, Raon held his shoulder again. ¡°I don¡¯t like it. Do it again.¡± Raon pointed at him with his chin, saying that it wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Argh! I didn¡¯t lower my voice and properly lowered my head just like you requested!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me what kind of rudeness youmitted. Have you ever written a formal apology?¡± He¡¯d only mentioned that he was rude, without saying what he¡¯d done exactly. There was no reason to ept it since the most important part was missing. ¡°Formal apology¡­¡± The head elder¡¯s hand trembled as he knelt again. ¡°I-I looked down on you just because you are a human and treated you like a sinner. I apologize for my rudeness.¡± He had to apologize three whole times. ¡°This is enough, right?¡± ¡°Your angle wasn¡¯t right when you lowered your head.¡± Raon shook his hand, telling him that he still had a long way to go. ¡°Aah¡­¡± ¡°Whoa¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s insane.¡± Despair filled the head elder¡¯s eyes, and the other elves turned pale. Everyone had realized that he was dealing with an insane human. Raon made the head elder apologize six times total before he helped him to stand. ¡°I-is it okay now?¡± The head elder panted with a face that looked at least 100 years older than before. ¡°You didn¡¯t give me the Sylvan Stream berry yet.¡± Raon shook his head and extended his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll send it to your lodgings.¡± The head elder shook his head, saying that he wouldn¡¯t deceive him with that. ¡°Then give me a hundred of them. Thanks.¡± Raon causally nodded. ¡°H-hundred?! What are you even saying now?!¡± The head elder was turning around but suddenly shouted when he heard it. ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± ¡°Why is it a hundred berries now?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s always been a hundred in my mind.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say that part. It¡¯s toote to¡­¡± ¡°I just didn¡¯t say it because you told me you¡¯d grant any of my requests.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders, pointing at the head elder with his finger. ¡°Guh¡­¡± The head elder chewed his lip, unable to refute what he said. What he¡¯d said was returning to bite him. ¡°Send me a hundred of them. Don¡¯t even miss a single one.¡± Raon cheerfully waved his hand at the head elder, whose face waspletely red. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to get a hundred of them, but he was determined to get at least two for each member of the Light Wind division. ¡°I told you that you were going to learn how a real punk behaves, didn¡¯t I?¡± Rimmer came forward and pointed at Raon. ¡°He¡¯s the real punk. The biggest punk in the human realm!¡± He giggled, telling the elves to behave themselves. It¡¯s not just the human realm. He¡¯s the biggest punk of all dimensions. Wrath ground his teeth violently while watching the scene. A punk like that doesn¡¯t even exist in Devildom! * * * The head elder copsed with a face as pale as a corpse and had to be supported by the other elves to leave. Raon licked his lips while watching the head elder getting further away. ¡®What shall I use thest request for?¡¯ You already pulled off his skin and separated the flesh from his bows, yet you still want to boil his bones. Wrath shook his head, saying that it was such a cruel treatment. ¡®That¡¯s the best way to eat a fish.¡¯ Raon tapped on Wrath with his forearm, saying that he should already be aware. By the way, how did you learn that your ancestor saved the world tree? ¡®I told you already, I saw my ancestor.¡¯ Huh¡­? Wrath blinked and shoved his face onto him. W-were you serious about it? ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Raon shrugged his shoulders and examined the world tree. ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯ There was a mark of the ancestor¡¯s sword, right above the plugged hole. ¡®He was using sword maniption.¡¯ His sword maniption was different from both the Holy Sword Alliance master and Sterin¡¯s techniques. Raon couldn¡¯t exin it, but there seemed to be some special power behind it. ¡®If it¡¯s the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s sword technique, I should be able to use it one day.¡¯ Raon ced his hand on the plugged hole while thinking about the future. Whir! The world tree resounded like a sword, expressing its joy. ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°The world tree is happy whenever that human touches it!¡± ¡°He must really be a descendant of our benefactor.¡± ¡°A human that makes the world tree respond. This will make a huge fuss.¡± Most of the elves around him were now treating him as a benefactor. Raon felt slightly embarrassed because he wasn¡¯t trying to cause that reaction. ¡®I was just trying to crush the head elder and make them stop calling me the spirit king¡¯s contractor, but I only added more strange rumors to the mix. But I¡¯m d I can touch the world tree now without any issues.¡¯ No one was stopping him from touching the world tree as much as he wanted anymore because he was the descendant of the benefactor. Raon used that opportunity to shove the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s energy into the world tree. ¡®It must be in here.¡¯ The ancestor must¡¯ve inserted the beads around that part. He believed he could find them if he searched properly. However, he couldn¡¯t find any special energy inside the world tree even after he searched for a long time with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and cier¡¯s coldness. He could sense a small remnant of fire and water, but the huge energy he¡¯d seen in the memory waspletely gone. Raon furrowed his brow and looked up at the world tree. ¡®Did they be the world tree¡¯s nutrients entirely?¡¯ Since hundreds of years¡ªor even a thousand¡ªmight have passed since then, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if the energy of the beads werepletely absorbed. ¡®It¡¯s a bit disappointing.¡¯ Raon briefly clicked his tongue and took his hand off the world tree. ¡°Hmm?¡± When he turned around, he noticed that Siyan was looking at the world tree¡¯s trunk. ¡°This ce¡­¡± One of her pupils was half-revealed, as she pointed at the world tree¡¯s bark where Raon¡¯s hand had been ced until a moment ago. ¡°Ah, should I move away?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. This ce¡­¡± Raon was about to withdraw, but Siyan shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been here often with my mom.¡± Her voice sounded lonely. ¡®Mom¡­¡¯ Rimmer had never gone to meet family members other than Sterin and Siyan. Raon hadn¡¯t asked about it because he had a bad feeling about it, and the other family members¡ªincluding their parents¡ªmust¡¯ve parted from the world already. ¡°I heard that when my mom became pregnant with me, she came here often to enjoy the world tree¡¯s wind.¡± Siyan leaned her back against the plugged hole, still covered in the nket. ¡°I feel at ease whenever I¡¯m here.¡± She murmured that she couldn¡¯t go there too often because of the other people¡¯s gazes. ¡°I see.¡± Raon started to nod but stopped. ¡®Wait a moment¡­¡¯ The conversation made him remember something. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ What do you want? Wrath was yawning and ascended while wriggling upon hearing the call. ¡®You said before that Lady Siyan has been blocked by something thick and dense ever since her birth, right?¡¯ Indeed. He furrowed his brow, displeased by how he was making him repeat himself. ¡®Then it¡¯s possible.¡¯ Raon walked up to Siyan and extended his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but would you allow me to examine you, Lady Siyan?¡± Chapter 584 Chapter 584 Siyan was looking at Raon through the hole in her nket, her jaw dropping. ¡°Whaat?!¡± She trembled, not even realizing what sound she was even making because of how surprised she was. ¡®E-examine me? Why?¡¯ Siyan¡¯s lips trembled as she checked her limbs hidden inside the nket. ¡®Do I stink or something? Or does he not want to be with me because I¡¯m too ugly?¡¯ She was getting all kinds of ideas because Raon suddenly wanted to examine her. She was standing there with a trembling chin because she had no idea how to react, and Raon continued. ¡°I can¡¯t tell for sure, but I might be able to slightly improve your condition, Lady Siyan.¡± ¡°M-my condition¡­?¡± ¡°You said that you couldn¡¯t achieve resonance, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I still can¡¯t¡­¡± Siyan nodded while ncing furtively at Raon. ¡°I¡¯d like to examine why it¡¯s not working.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Siyan. ¡®It¡¯s fully possible.¡¯ Siyan had mentioned that her mother came to that location when she was pregnant with her, and Wrath had said that her passage towards the upper energy center had been blocked from the moment of her birth. It wasn¡¯t certain, but Raon had the feeling that the energy of Zieghart¡¯s ancestor¡¯s beads was absorbed into her. ¡®Because she is a high elf.¡¯ High elves were close to nature, as much as the world tree. If Siyan was a special entity even among them, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for the energy that nurtured the world tree to be transferred into her. ¡°Wh-what shall I do then? Shall I take off my clothes?¡± ¡°¡­No, just give me your hand.¡± ¡°Huff! I-I understand.¡± Siyan wriggled for a long time inside her nket, and then she extended her trembling hand. Raon had seen many female hands before, but he¡¯d never seen such a white, transparent hand. It looked like it had never been exposed to sunlight. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Raon held Siyan¡¯s hand and was about to use the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, but her hand jolted like she was being electrocuted before he even injected the aura into her. ¡°Lady Siyan? Are you sick or something by any chance?¡± ¡°N-not at all!¡± Siyan rapidly shook her head. ¡®I can¡¯t tell him that I¡¯m nervous!¡¯ It was the first time in her life that she was holding hands with someone other than her family members, and she was doing it with her idol, Raon. She felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest and start to dance. Raon held her hand tightly to reassure her and shoved the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s energies into her mana circuits at the same time. Since he¡¯d learned about the mana circuits inside an elven body when he was treating Rimmer, he quickly managed to find the path. ¡®It¡¯s so clean.¡¯ Siyan''s energy center was as pure as a newborn baby¡¯s, without even the smallest trace of waste, and her mana circuits were so expansive that they rivaled a Grandmaster like himself. Being born with a body like that was nothing short of being called a blessing. ¡®It¡¯s a mystery that she can¡¯t use the aura with a body like this.¡¯ Raon briefly licked his lips and examined Siyan¡¯s middle energy center. The middle energy center was as clean as the lower energy center, but it was practically undeveloped because her realm was too low. Lastly, Raon started to move his aura toward the upper energy center, but he suddenly encountered a part where the mana circuit waspletely blocked. It was as if a huge boulder was in the way. ¡®It¡¯s hardenedpletely.¡¯ It was an important mana circuit that was blocked from the moment of birth for elves and humans alike, and it only opened up upon bing Grandmaster. That was why it was normal to be blocked, and Raon couldn¡¯t feel any other peculiarities either. It was an area that other people shouldn¡¯t touch, but Raon believed in Wrath and shoved two lines of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s energies into it. Whir! It should¡¯ve been impossible to break through the passage unless the owner of the body did it after being enlightened, but mysteriously enough, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and cier¡¯s coldness pierced through the opening and seeped inside. ¡®Was it really not natural?¡¯ Raon was about to insert a bit more energy while thinking that the hypothesis was confirmed when Rimmer¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Raon! Siyan! Come over here. It¡¯s getting started now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow, recovered his aura and released Siyan¡¯s hand. ¡°H-how was it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure yet. Can I try again after the purification ritual?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Siyan nodded along with the nket with a voice that sounded like it was vibrating. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head and went towards Rimmer and Sterin¡¯s location. Siyan rubbed the area above her sr plexus while watching Raon¡¯s back as he walked ahead of her. ¡®It¡¯s warm¡­ And it was cool at the same time.¡¯ She followed Raon with her hands sped together, as if she wanted to hold onto the warmth she¡¯d felt for the first time in such a long time. * * * Once they reached the center of the world tree, he could see that the elves were spreading their sharp pressures around them as if they were going to war. ¡°Come this way.¡± Sterin waved his hand, telling him toe closer. ¡°Yes.¡± Raon walked up to Sterin along with Siyan. ¡°Listen carefully, both of you.¡± Sterin pointed at his ear, emphasizing the importance. He seemed to really be treating him as Seipia¡¯s benefactor. ¡°Resonance is the action of merging the mind into the world. However, if you unify your mind into the world¡­¡± His voice became frighteningly cold. ¡°You are most likely going to die.¡± ¡°Die?¡± ¡°Yes. Since the mind is far too smallpared to the huge world, it¡¯s impossible to be one. However, you can make it possible by shrinking the target of the merge.¡± ¡°Shrink the target¡­¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it remind you of a certain realm for swordsmen like you?¡± ¡°Are you talking about the Unification with the de?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Sterin nodded calmly. ¡°High elves like me are born with the ability to resonate with the world tree.¡± He shook his head, saying that he could resonate with the world tree not because of his training, but because he was born with that ability. ¡°However, it would be regrettable to only use the resonance for the purification ritual. The technique that was created as a result is¡­¡± ¡°The Sentient Arrow.¡± ¡°It looks like you finally understand it.¡± Sterin¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile. ¡°You can¡¯t be one with the world tree, but you might be able to learn the flow of the resonance.¡± He nodded at Raon. It looked like he wished for Raon to learn something from him. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± Sterin leaned his back against the world tree and closed his eyes. His constant breathing slowly subsided, and his presence started to rage like a powerful me, spreading throughout the forest. Sterin¡¯s soul level increased endlessly, as if it transcended the limit of his physical body. By the time it became huge enough to cover the world tree, his breathing suddenly stopped. ¡®He¡¯s dead¡ªno, he isn¡¯t.¡¯ The moment Raon thought Sterin was dead, green light radiated from the world tree, which used to be engulfed in a faint blue glimmer. The noble yet gentle power of Sterin¡¯s soul was wavering at the center of the world tree. Raon lowered his gaze and looked at Sterin. His physical body was still there, but the soul that should¡¯ve been inside it couldn¡¯t be sensed. ¡°The purification ritual has started! Stand on guard, everyone!¡± The head elder shook his head, having recovered hisplexion slightly, and the elves encircled the world tree with cold pressures emanating from them. The head elder was a stubborn old man, but he really did seem to care about the world of elves. Raon activated the Ring of Fire and looked up to the world tree once again. ¡®So this is resonance.¡¯ Just like how a swordsman bes one with their sword, Sterin had left his body to be one with the world tree. ¡®Unification with the de. Be one with the de¡­¡¯ Thinking about the Unification with the de reminded him of the spar against Sterin from two days ago. The moment he¡¯d thought he didn¡¯t want to let the spar end like that while throwing the de of Requiem, the dagger had grasped his will and obeyed his order to descend. ¡®I finally understand it now.¡¯ He could get a faint taste of the sword maniption because his unyielding will was united with the de of Requiem¡¯s unyielding will. Raon¡¯s eyes started to lose focus as if he were dreaming, and he quietly followed the trace of Sterin¡¯s soul. ¡°S-Sir Raon¡­ Ah?¡± Siyan tried to speak to Raon but was stopped by Rimmer. ¡°Rimmer?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t touch him right now.¡± Rimmer ced his finger on his lips while pointing at Raon¡¯s blurry eyes, which made it look like he was dreaming. ¡°He is in a trance.¡± ¡°Tr-trance?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an important opportunity that other people might not even experience a single time in their entire lifetime, but this damned bastard gets it as often as he poops.¡± He brought Siyan to the side, telling her not to touch Raon in that state. Whaaap! Even the world tree seemed to be trying to protect him. It spread its branches to cover the sunlight pouring down from the sky. ¡°......¡± The head elder and the elders simply watched with furrowed brows even though they were aware that Raon was in a trance. Rimmer chuckled while watching the behavior of the head elder and the elders. ¡®They aren¡¯tpletely rotten at least.¡¯ He was nning to give them a good beating if they tried to disturb Raon, but fortunately, they weren¡¯t trying to make any moves. Rimmer shifted his gaze back to Raon with a smile on his face, and a certain cotton candy was wailing alone, unnoticed by everyone else. Damn it! Wrath yelled towards the sky. Why is he cherished everywhere he goes?! Why is he always happy when the King of Essence suffers and loses his stats every single time? He frantically shook his hands because the world was too shitty to live in. The King of Essence wants to be happy too! And¡­ He shouted the most important thing in the end. He left without eating again! * * * Siyan bit her lip tightly while watching Raon in a trance. ¡®Sir Raon is really amazing.¡¯ He was enlightened the moment he saw the resonance for the first time and entered a trance. It would¡¯ve been unimaginable for herself, since she had no talent. ¡®The content of the book underestimated his ability.¡¯ She¡¯d thought that the Biography of Raon Zieghart was a bit exaggerated, but Raon was even better than that. The fact that he was greeted by the world tree and made the head elder kneel in front of him proved the fact that he was a monster far surpassing human limits. ¡®I need to protect him.¡¯ She was watching him from some distance so that Raon wouldn¡¯t be hindered, and she could hear the voices of the other elves. ¡°That human was enlightened the moment he saw the ritual. Howe Lady Siyan never improves?¡± ¡°I know, right? She joins the purification ritual every single time, but she still hasn''t achieved resonance¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the world tree going to be in danger once Lord Sterin perishes?¡± ¡°Why did we even get a high elf like her¡­?¡± The elders and the elves blindly criticized Siyan. They looked like they didn¡¯t even care whether she could hear them or not. ¡°The world tree¡¯s future is so gloomy. It might be better to ask that human¡­¡± ¡°How about you shut up?¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow, ring at the elves. ¡°Why are you even running your mouths when the ritual isn¡¯t evenpleted yet? Shut up and focus on guarding.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The elves averted their gazes, afraid of Rimmer. However, they still murmured that they weren¡¯t exactly wrong. ¡°You bastards¡­¡± Rimmer spat onto the ground and was about to walk towards the elves when Siyan grabbed his sleeve. ¡°Rimmer, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I really am.¡± Siyan shook her head, telling him not to do it. ¡°I¡¯m used to it. And they aren¡¯t exactly wrong either.¡± It was harsh, but they weren¡¯t exactly wrong. Once Sterin was gone, there would be no elf left to perform the purification ritual. ¡®I really am useless.¡¯ The elves were right. Raon was enlightened after seeing it only once, but she hadn¡¯t obtained anything after joining the purification rituals every single time. It wasn¡¯t even a problem with talent anymore. She was convinced that she was born with nothing to begin with. ¡®But I won¡¯t give up this time.¡¯ Since Raon had told her that he was in his current position because he didn¡¯t give up, she didn¡¯t want to surrender just yet. Siyan went to the world tree¡¯s trunk where she¡¯d felt the wind along with her mother and leaned her back towards it. She closed her eyes and exhaled the breathing of resonance taught by her grandfather. ¡®Hmm? It feels a bit different.¡¯ Mysteriously enough, she felt like her body and mind were lighter than usual. ¡®I hope I¡¯m not just imagining it.¡¯ Siyan closed her eyes, a faint smile on her face. A red and blue haze danced on her sr plexus, which was slowly ascending and descending. * * * Raon smiled faintly while raising his eyebrows. ¡®I can understand it a little now.¡¯ Thanks to watching Sterin¡¯s resonance, Raon started to get a grasp on what it means to be one with the sword. He couldn¡¯t do the Unification with the de right away, but he¡¯d gained a foothold to reach it. Raon lifted his gaze and noticed that the world tree was still swaying its branches in the same ce as before he entered the trance, and Sterin sat nearby with the same appearance. ¡®It unexpectedly didn¡¯t take that long.¡¯ It didn¡¯t take that long? Raon curiously tilted his head, and Wrath shoved his depressed face against him. Did you just say it didn¡¯t take that long after you just stood there nkly for a whole day? Have you really lost it now?! Wrath grabbed him by his cor and started to shake, telling him to get a grip already. The King of Essence is so hungry! ¡®A whole day?¡¯ Raon realized that he felt like not much time had passed because 24 hours had passed. ¡®It was longer than expected, then.¡¯ Raon chuckled, and Rimmer walked up to him while waving his hand. ¡°You seriously do it all the time.¡± He sighed, but his lips were curved into a smile. ¡°How do you even get into a trance as often as eating?¡± ¡°I was just lucky.¡± ¡°I wonder when I¡¯ll ever be lucky.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, murmuring that it was annoying. ¡°So, did you gain anything?¡± ¡°I just got a rough picture about the unification.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± He nodded, saying that it was plenty. ¡°Then let¡¯s leave.¡± ¡°Leave?¡± ¡°Grandpa is fully into the purification ritual now because a day has passed. He will stay like that for at least two weeks, so we don¡¯t need to wait for him.¡± Rimmer gestured with his hand that they should leave since the elders and the other elves would be protecting him. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You are a guest and a benefactor. You don¡¯t need to stand guard.¡± He grabbed him by his shoulder and dragged him away, saying that there was no need to worry about him. Siyan wriggled from the side and stood up as well. ¡°Are you alright, Lady Siyan?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Siyan slowly nodded. She sounded slightly enervated. Rimmer stared at Siyan for a moment, then ced his hand onto the air like when Sterin had opened the space they were in. Whir! A green light split the space, and Sterin''s tree house, which they had passed by during their entrance, appeared. ¡°I-I¡¯ll be taking my leave now¡­¡± Siyan nodded at them and ran towards her home as soon as they left the world tree¡¯s space. Raon thought once again that she could move so nimbly even though she was covered in a nket. ¡°Why is she acting like that?¡± ¡°Something happened to make her that way.¡± Rimmer briefly sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll be sending her off, so you can return to your lodgings. Let¡¯s eat together shortly.¡± He mimed picking up a fork, then followed Siyan. ¡®What happened?¡¯ While you were in a trance, the other shitty ears started to talk shit about that elf girl. Wrath nodded with a frown. ¡®Talk shit?¡¯ They were bbering about why she couldn¡¯t achieve the resonance despite watching the ritual countless times when you fell into a trance right off the bat. He twisted his lips, saying that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to like the shitty ears. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while watching Siyan¡¯s back. ¡®I wanted to confirm it properly.¡¯ He wanted to check if the wall blocking the path towards Siyan¡¯s upper energy center was the wall of realm that everyone had or the energy of the beads that leaked from the world tree. However, since he had no other choice, he had to save it forter. Screw all that and go eat something already! We starved for a whole day! ¡®How about some Nadine bread since we starved for a whole day?¡¯ A-are you seriously trying to kill the King of Essence?! His intestines are going to be screwed up if you eat it right now! Wrath shook his head, telling him toe back to his senses already. ¡®I get it, I get it.¡¯ Raon chucked and nodded. ¡®I¡¯ll eat the elven food that you want this time.¡¯ Oh? Why are you being so nice? ¡®It¡¯s time for it.¡¯ Wrath despised Siyan for creating the Nadine bread, but he defended her instead upon learning that the other elves were harassing her because of her talent. Raon wanted to be nice to him because of the human side that he showed. Raon walked while talking to Wrath and reached his lodgings in no time. He couldn¡¯t sense Yua and Dorian¡¯s presences, allowing him to guess that they were still learning music. He grabbed the doorknob to wait inside, and the bushes on the right side started to sway, a small fox popping out from it. ¡°Fox?¡± ¡®Is it even possible for a fox to be in here?¡¯ Rimmer had mentioned that the only creatures that were allowed to enter were those who were invited by elves. It implied that the fox couldn¡¯t possibly be a wild animal. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Hieeeh! Wrath was smiling cheerfully while thinking about the elven food they were about to have, but he moved away while freaking out. The madwoman! It must be the madwoman! Raon swallowed nervously while thinking the same thing, and the fox suddenly spoke humannguage. ¡°Raon!¡± As expected, the baby fox was Merlin, but her voice was unusually urgent. ¡°Leave this ce right now!¡± Chapter 585 Chapter 585 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 585 Raon blinked while looking down at the baby fox. ¡°Leave this ce?¡± ¡°Yes! Right now!¡± The baby fox shouted, scratching the ground with its front paw. ¡®It¡¯s Merlin, right¡­?¡¯ Merlin would¡¯ve normally said that she wanted to see him as soon as they met, but she was telling him to leave Seipia instead. Raon swallowed nervously because of the unknown tension. ¡°Exin to me what¡¯s happen¡ª¡± Raon was about to ask Merlin, but he could sense the presence of elves behind him. Their voices were getting louder and louder, implying that they wereing towards him. ¡°Let¡¯s go in for now¡­ Huh?¡± Raon was trying to pick up the baby fox before entering the lodgings but stopped. He couldn¡¯t grab the baby fox possessed by Merlin. It was as if it were an illusion. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t observed it properly because he was surprised that Merlin managed to enter the area, but the baby fox didn¡¯t have any presence as a living creature at all. It almost looked like a spirit. ¡°Oh no, the time is¡­ Anyway, leave right now! Return to Zieg¡ª¡± Merlin became faint smoke and scattered away before she could finish what she was trying to say. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Merlin, who scattered away. ¡®Did she look like that because she had to break through the barrier?¡¯ Raon turned his head to ask Wrath about it. Blurr¡­ He was foaming from his mouth, surprised by Merlin¡¯s appearance. He was seriously useless. ¡®It must¡¯ve been because of the barrier.¡¯ Both Rimmer and Erian had mentioned that only the ones invited by elves could enter Seipia. Breaking the barrier would be a different story, but quietly breaching it should¡¯ve been impossible in such a short time, even for Merlin. Considering the fact that the bush had moved on its own, he could guess that she¡¯d turned an animal into a spirit. ¡®She must¡¯ve disappeared because she ran out of energy¡­ That¡¯s amazing.¡¯ Her magic skills and obsession, which allowed her to create a new method to bypass Seipia¡¯s barrier, were frightening and amazing at the same time. ¡®But¡­ Why did she tell me to leave? Are the Five Demons attacking?¡¯ That was the only thing he could think of. It was most likely a threat from Eden among the Five Demons. ¡®Even for Eden, attacking Seipia would be¡­ Ah!¡¯ Raon bit his lip tightly and clenched his fist. ¡®No way, are they attacking because it¡¯s during the purification ritual? No, it must be part of their n.¡¯ The fact that they were attacking the day after Sterin started the purification ritual implied that they knew the timing. They were confident in their victory as long as Sterin was out of the picture. Raon quickly put his thoughts together and headed towards the lodgings of the guardians, where Leiran was staying. He opened the door and entered, and guardians who were about to start eating looked at him. They were ring at him sharply, maybe because he¡¯d disturbed their meal or because they were too focused on guard duty. Hmm! Wrath recovered from his unconsciousness and poked his head out while sniffing into the air. Food? Raon walked towards Leiran and Erian¡¯s table, ignoring Wrath and the res of the elves. ¡°Raon. Do you want to eat as well? I can prepare the meal for you since you are the spirit king¡¯s contractor.¡± Erian gave him a seat while even calling him by his name. ¡°That¡¯s not it. Did anything strange happen in Seipia¡¯s outskirts?¡± ¡°Outskirts? Are you talking about the great forest?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I went to scout a moment ago, but there was nothing special.¡± He shook his head, saying that he¡¯d gone to scout before eating. ¡°Can you check it out one more time by any chance?¡± ¡°Sir Raon.¡± Leiran shook her head and stood up. She was ring fiercely at him. ¡°We¡¯ve been guarding the protector until he started the ritual properly, even scouted the great forest before we returned. We are finally having a rest and eating for the first time after two days. How could you disturb¡­¡± ¡°Raon, is that an instinct as the spirit king¡¯s contractor?¡± Erian put down the fork he was holding and cut Leiran off. ¡°Sir Erian!¡± ¡°Shut up. He didn¡¯t eat or sleep, just like us.¡± Leiran red at him sideways, asking why he was acting like that, but Erian murmured that Raon was in the same situation as them. ¡°The spirit king¡­¡± Raon weakly bit his lip while meeting Erian¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®He¡¯s still going for it.¡¯ Erian was way too single-minded. However, he had to go as far as taking advantage of that because of the urgency of the situation. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s my instinct.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Erian nodded and stood up from the seat. ¡°We¡¯ll need to check it out since you said that.¡± ¡°Sir Erian!¡± ¡°Follow me, everyone.¡± He bobbed his finger, telling Leiran and the other subordinates that the meal would be saved forter. The elves stared at Erian for a moment, then stood up from their seats. They weren¡¯t even showing theirints on their faces, allowing him to guess how Erian usually treated his subordinates. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Erian, who was taking the lead in leaving the lodgings. ¡®Is he an unexpectedly nice guy?¡¯ Raon had thought he was some crazy guy when Erian started to attack right off the bat, but he seemed to have some good parts about him. Look at that! Wrath extended his plump hand, looking at the fruit pie that Erian had put down while eating. Give it to the King of Essence if you aren¡¯t going to eat it! His belly is reaching his back because he hasn¡¯t had anything for two days! ¡®¡­Of course not.¡¯ If he ate their food after stopping their meal, being called crazy wasn¡¯t all he was going to get. He couldn¡¯t touch it no matter what, even if he was about to starve to death. The King of Essence will take responsibility! Let¡¯s just take a bite¡­ ¡®Follow me.¡¯ Raon grabbed Wrath by his head as he kept struggling and followed Erian. * * * ¡°Siyan!¡± Rimmer knocked on Siyan¡¯s home and shouted at her to open the door. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to sleep! You should leave!¡± Siyan shouted, leaning her back against the door to prevent Rimmer from entering. ¡°S-Sir Raon must be hungry! You should go to him and make a meal for him!¡± ¡°He¡¯d not a child, he can take care of himself. Open the door!¡± Rimmer raised his voice, telling her that he was going barge in if she didn¡¯t open. ¡°I-I¡¯m taking off my clothes to wash myself!¡± Siyan shook her head, telling him that he must not enter. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer stopped moving his hand and stepped away from the door. It would¡¯ve been fine if they were children, but since they¡¯d be adults a long time ago, he couldn¡¯t just open the door. ¡°Siyan.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind them.¡± Rimmer continued while facing the door, which looked so light even though his sister was leaning her back against it. ¡°Rambling without thinking is their specialty. I don¡¯t understand why they took after humans in that aspect despite hating them.¡± His fist trembled as he ranted that it was regrettable that he couldn¡¯t fight them because Raon was in a trance. ¡°I know.¡± Siyan bit her lip as her back parted from the door. ¡°But they weren¡¯t exactly wrong.¡± She murmured quietly so that Rimmer couldn¡¯t hear her. A high elf that was even worse than a normal elf. An ipetent person, one born with a w. It made her extremely angry to hear that, but the fact that she couldn¡¯t refute them was even more frustrating. ¡®I wasn¡¯t born like this because I wanted to be.¡¯ She would¡¯ve understood if she wasn¡¯t chosen by the world tree because of herziness andck of effort, but she simply didn¡¯t have the talent from the moment of her birth. The fact that she was treated that way solely because of her talent, despite it being neither her fault nor anyone else''s, was bothughable and awful. ¡°Siyan¡­¡± ¡°Rimmer, leave.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m really fine. Go make the meal for Sir Raon.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°I have this for me.¡± Siyan opened the door slightly and showed him a loaf of Nadine bread. ¡°Hah.¡± Rimmer sighed while looking at the Nadine bread. ¡°Yeah. You created that so that you won¡¯t have to go outside.¡± He briefly nodded and turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow with Raon.¡± Siyan took off the nket that was covering her as soon as Rimmer¡¯s footsteps faded away. The part that used to touch her face was slightly wet. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She shook her head after wiping away the tears around her eyes with the back of her hand. ¡®It didn¡¯t work.¡¯ When she saw Raon being enlightened, she got the motivation to practice the resonance. However, the world still didn¡¯t open the path for her. But she wasn¡¯t disappointed or anything. ¡®Because reality is different from heroic tales.¡¯ She has liked heroic tales ever since her childhood. Protagonists of books or tales of heroes always emerge victorious by easily oveing a crisis and gaining countless achievements. People say that they never gave up and earned their victory. ¡®However¡­¡¯ How much they suffered in the process and how hard they worked wasn¡¯t usually passed down. The world only focused on the part after their sess without caring about their efforts and suffering. That was what she¡¯d learned fromparing Raon inside the book and Raon in real life. The Biography of Raon Zieghart stated that he easily defeated every enemy he encountered, but Raon¡¯s hands and arms were covered in scars. She couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of pain he¡¯d been fighting against to reach his current position, and how much effort he¡¯d made to be a Grandmaster. ¡®I don¡¯t want to say anything cringy like ¡®I won¡¯t give up no matter what.¡¯ But¡­ I want to try as much as I can, at least.¡¯ She wanted to strive as much as she could, to see the people who had been criticizing her kneel before her, to borrow Raon¡¯s words. Siyan closed her eyes while sitting on the ground. Warmth and coldness were flowing from her breath, just like a breeze spreading deep into the underground. * * * ¡°I¡¯ll check the area to the west.¡± Raon turned towards the right side as soon as he left Seipia¡¯s barrier. ¡°The great forest hasplicated paths. You might be unable to return.¡± Erian furrowed his brow and expressed his concern. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I remember the path I took before.¡± ¡°As expected of the spirit king¡¯s contractor!¡± ¡°......¡± No matter how Raon thought about it, he couldn¡¯t understand how it was rted to the spirit king. ¡°Anyway, I have a bad feeling about this, so let¡¯s send a signal as soon as a problem urs instead of fighting.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll check out the east. Leiran, you should head to the south.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Leiran briefly nodded and immediately left to the south. She seemed full ofints, but she was focusing on the work once she was outside. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Raon said goodbye to Erian with his eyes and used the Supreme Harmony Steps to the right. He stopped his advance once Erian and Leiran¡¯s presencepletely disappeared. ¡°Merlin. Merlin!¡± Raon quietly called Merlin¡¯s name since she should¡¯ve been in the area. However, she didn¡¯t appear for a long time even though he¡¯d thought she would pop out right away. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while walking to the west. ¡®Did she really overexert herself?¡¯ Considering her usual actions, Raon thought that she most likely fell unconscious because she went too hard on sneaking into the barrier. ¡®Then I need to find it myself, I guess.¡¯ Raon sighed briefly and activated the Ring of Fire and cier at the same time. Whir! His aura perception, which had further improved upon bing a Grandmaster, spread around in all directions through the Perception of the Snow Flower. His senses, capable of feeling the movements of animals, insects, and even nts, were engulfing the great forest, but he didn¡¯t notice any ominous energy or the presence of humans. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ There¡¯s nothing! Wrath shook his head. Our meal was disturbed for no reason even though there¡¯s nothing around here! He violently ground his teeth,ining that something always happened when they were about to eat. ¡®Really?¡¯ Have you ever seen the King of Essence lie about anything? Go back and eat already since there¡¯s nothing here! Since Wrath was practically an automatic detector, there really shouldn¡¯t be anything threatening in the area. ¡°But let¡¯s continue a bit more¡­¡± Raon thought that he must¡¯ve grown to trust Merlin a lot. He believed in Wrath, but he even checked the north before he returned to Seipia¡¯s entrance, just in case enemies appeared through teleportation. Erian, Leiran, and the guardians had already returned and were waiting for him. ¡°You came back early.¡± ¡°Elves are connected to the forest, and the forest tells us about the issue even if we don¡¯t examine everything.¡± Leiran shook her head, saying that it was as simple as breathing for humans. Raon nodded while looking at her. ¡®I guess that¡¯s true¡­¡¯ When he¡¯d arrived in the great forest, Leiran and the guardians were waiting for them. That was why Raon could guess that she wasn¡¯t wrong about it. ¡°How was it? Did you find anything?¡± ¡°There was nothing.¡± ¡°Your expression doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Erian gave a small nod at Raon. ¡°Do you really have such a bad feeling about it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He shifted his gaze towards Leiran and gestured with his finger. ¡°Enhance the exterior defenses as well.¡± ¡°What? But it¡¯s already been enhanced enough. Moreover, we are missing lots of members because they are guarding the world tree¡­¡± ¡°They will get there in no time anyway if they manage to break through this ce. Just do as you are ordered.¡± ¡°Sir Erian. No, brother!¡± Leiran couldn¡¯t withstand it anymore and grabbed Erian¡¯s sleeve. ¡®Brother?¡¯ Raon blinked while looking at them. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ The names Leiran and Erian were quite simr, and he¡¯d noticed some strangeness in their conversation. It must¡¯ve been because they were siblings. ¡°I told you to not call me that while we¡¯re on duty.¡± ¡°But you are going too far. Why do you trust that human so¡ª¡± ¡°Regardless of him being human, there¡¯s nothing for us to lose from fortifying our defenses. It¡¯s just a bit painful. ept it.¡± He shook his hand, saying that he would take responsibility and be the first one to keep watch. ¡°Tsk.¡± Leiran clicked her tongue while looking back at Raon. The other guardians following her didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood either. Raon licked his lips while looking at Erian¡¯s back as he returned to Seipia. ¡®His first impression was the worst, but he¡¯s perfectly fine inside. He¡¯s unexpectedly solid.¡¯ Leaving Seipia was even less an option after seeing him act like that. He wanted to help him no matter what if a huge problem was about to ur. The King of Essence¡¯s stomach isn¡¯t fine at all! Go back already and start to eat! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon briefly licked his lips while looking up to the sky, which was growing darker. ¡®I should send a message to Lady Aries at least.¡¯ Even if Merlin was wrong, Aries would stille for sightseeing. Raon decided to ask Dorian to send a message as soon as he returned. Filling the King of Essence¡¯s stomach takes priority! ¡®......¡¯ Stop ignoring him! * * * The golden glow of the evening was seeping into the training ground in the Wise Martial Pce. Denier was watching Martha, Burren, and Runaan¡¯s training with his hands sped behind his back. ¡°Martha, I apud your courage for always taking the initiative, but it¡¯s meaningless if you don¡¯t think about what happens afterward. The enemy isn¡¯t a training dummy.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Martha epted Denier¡¯s teaching in an instant and raised her sword towards the direction where the enemy¡¯s counterattack coulde from. ¡°Burren, you have a well-bnced attack and defense. You are an all-rounder who isn¡¯t biased to any side. However, that¡¯s not always an advantage. You should create a weapon that can finish off your opponent for sure.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Burren pricked up his ears so that he wouldn¡¯t miss anything from Denier¡¯s advice. ¡°Runaan, you are the opposite case from Martha. You are too focused on defense, and your attack is weak. Since not all battles consist of protecting people, you should try out a more offensive sword stance.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Runaan gave out a cheerful response with a serious tone and added sharpness to her thrust. ¡°Martha. You should lower your upper body a bit more when you use that technique. The enemy might counterattack¡­¡± It was when Denier returned to Martha and fixed her posture¡­ Whaam! The training ground¡¯s door opened up while swaying violently, to the point of breaking, and Aries made her entrance. ¡°I heard you are training. Let me join.¡± Aries quickly came in between the four like when she was joining a gamble. ¡°Lady Aries! You are always wee!¡± Martha went to Aries and looked at her with her eyes sparkling like ck pearls. ¡°A-are you really going to guide us, Lady Aries?¡± Burren was also surprised and dropped his jaw. ¡°Aunt.¡± Aries wrinkled her nose while looking at them. ¡°I told you to call me auntie¡­¡± ¡°Auntie.¡± Runaan was the first one to follow her instructions instead of Martha and Burren. She jumped into Aries¡¯s arms and shouted auntie again. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Aries swallowed nervously while looking at Runaan. ¡°You should just call me aunt as well.¡± She smiled awkwardly and patted Runaan¡¯s head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m also going to help you a little since it looks fun.¡± Aries went next to Denier and bobbed her finger as if she didn¡¯t really care about other people¡¯s opinions. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Burren, Martha, and Runaan turned their heads towards Denier, who had been teaching them so far. ¡°Try it.¡± Denier blinked, showing that he was fine with it. Burren, Martha, and Runaan demonstrated the swordsmanship that they¡¯d been practicing, and Aries calmly watched them, unlike her violent entrance. ¡°Martha. You have a simr personality to me. You are the type of person who impatiently draws the sword, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Martha nodded happily. ¡°That wild personality can be disadvantageous, but you just need to ovee the shorings, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°How do I ovee them?¡± ¡°Spar with me.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± She widened her eyes because of the unexpected suggestion of sparring against her. ¡°Next.¡± After Aries advised Martha, she looked at Burren. ¡°Your issue is that you think too much. You also need lots of experience to fix that. It¡¯s decided. You are sparring with me!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Burren also dropped his jaw. ¡°Runaan is too kind. Your swordsmanship puts others before you. You need to be a bit more selfish. Therefore, you are sparring with me!¡± Aries smiled cheerfully, saying that all three of them were going to spar with her. ¡°We are going to start sparring right away, so prepare yourselves as if you are facing a real battle.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She bobbed her finger, and Burren, Martha, and Runaan ran to the changing room in order to put on their equipment. ¡°Aries.¡± Denier walked up to Aries and narrowed his eyes. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t normally take care of youngsters. You even neglected your son¡­¡± ¡°I neglected him because he¡¯s my son. My niece and nephew are cute.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense is that¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough about me. What are you thinking?¡± A frightening glow sparked from Aries¡¯s smiling eyes. ¡°Because you aren¡¯t the type of person who takes care of youngsters either.¡± Chapter 586 Chapter 586 ¡°What are you saying?¡± Denier asked,pletely calm. ¡°What else? I¡¯m talking about you.¡± Aries chuckled and leaned her back against a wall. ¡°Karoon is a greedy bastard who¡¯d rather destroy a treasure that he can¡¯t have. He might even set fire to Zieghart if he can¡¯t be the head of house.¡± ¡°......¡± Denier stared at Aries without saying anything. ¡°Balder is a loyal man who is simple and stupid. He cherishes the house, and he can ept anyone as the head of house as long as Zieghart can further develop,¡± Aries continued while tossing her hair over her shoulder. ¡°Sylvia is a courageous coward. I still think that she¡¯s amazing for making a decision that even I couldn¡¯t make.¡± She even brought up Sylvia¡¯s name, and then she looked at Denier. ¡°Lastly, you are a bystander. You don¡¯t get involved in anything, and you never waste your feelings in any situation. To be honest, I¡¯m still not sure what you are thinking.¡± ¡°A bystander¡­¡± Denier¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile. ¡°Are you not?¡± ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s an appropriate title for me. You¡¯ve unexpectedly been watching us properly.¡± ¡°Because you are my younger siblings, after all.¡± Aries¡¯s voice sounded like it wasing from far away for some reason. ¡°Is that why you find it strange that a bystander is taking care of the youngsters?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°People are bound to change. You should know that better than anyone else.¡± ¡°Yes, people do change. That¡¯s what I thought when you took Martha in as your stepdaughter.¡± She calmly nodded. ¡°But you¡¯ve pretty much neglected Martha after making her your stepdaughter. You seemed to be helping her somehow from the shadows, but it wasn¡¯t exactly visible.¡± Aries furrowed his brow while looking at Denier¡¯s clean hand. ¡°You didn¡¯t even teach Martha that often, did you?¡± ¡°If I said I didn¡¯t have the time, it wouldn¡¯t be convincing, right?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± She furrowed her brow, saying that it was such nonsense. ¡°I¡¯m rather surprised. I thought you were focused on ying pirate.¡± ¡°Because these aren¡¯t the only eyes I have.¡± Aries pointed at her eyes. ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯ve always been different from how you looked.¡± ¡°Stop that. What are you thinking? Why are you acting up now, abandoning your position as a bystander?¡± ¡°I already told you. I¡¯m also changing a little. I just wanted to help them when I heard that they were training right after they returned from a mission.¡± Denier shook his hands, telling her not to misunderstand his intentions. ¡°You are going to die if I find you doing something strange, understood?¡± Aries took Denier¡¯s leash with her cold and frightening voice. Her pressure was crushing the space, making her seem like she¡¯d be apletely different person from a moment ago. ¡°That¡¯s such a mean thing to say to your younger brother.¡± ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°No, you will. However¡­¡± Denier casually shrugged off the heavy pressure from Aries and threw a faint smile at her. ¡°I¡¯d like you to trust me a little. Despite how I may seem, I never do anything that can be harmful to Zieghart. I was even the one who found all the spies inside the house.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why this fist isn¡¯t punching you right now.¡± Aries briefly clicked her tongue and shook her right fist. ¡°This reminds me of the old days. I was beaten so many times back then.¡± Denier smiled faintly while looking at Aries¡¯s fist. ¡°Lady Aries!¡± ¡°We¡¯re ready!¡± Martha and Burren were calling out to Aries after they got all their equipment. ¡°Say auntie!¡± ¡°Auntie!¡± Runaan was the first one to call her auntie once again. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s just cheerful or insane.¡± Aries shook her head and parted her back from the wall. ¡°This is myst warning. Don¡¯t harm the youngsters, and don¡¯t cause any unnecessary issues.¡± ¡°This conversation is going nowhere.¡± Denier sighed and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°Aries.¡± Aries snorted and started to walk towards Burren, Martha, and Runaan when Denier quietly called out to her from behind. ¡°You know how you evaluated us just now? Karoon is a tyrant, Balder is loyal, and Sylvia is a coward.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Then what about you?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m a crazy bitch.¡± Aries raised her voice while pointing at herself with her thumb. ¡°If I was stronger than our father, I would¡¯ve taken away his position as the head of house.¡± ¡°I thought you would. That¡¯s perfect.¡± Denier smiled cheerfully and nodded his head. ¡°Is that an insult or apliment?¡± ¡°It¡¯s apliment.¡± ¡°Even the way you smile is unpleasant.¡± ¡°Aries.¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°You¡¯d better not be solely focused on me.¡± Denier shook his head with a voice filled with warning. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°......¡± He quietly stared at Aries without responding. ¡°Tsk.¡± Aries red at Denier for a while, then clicked her tongue and turned around. Her steps were wavering slightly as she approached the Light Wind division¡¯s team leaders. ¡°I really don¡¯t like him.¡± * * * ¡°She needs to be a musician!¡± The elf was pointing at Yua with her eyes shaking uncontrobly, as if she were possessed by a ghost. Her previous appearance, with that heavy gaze that even the world¡¯s destruction wouldn¡¯t be able to shake, was nowhere to be found. ¡°Her hearing, voice, and technique¡ªshe is a natural in every aspect! It was decided from the moment of her birth that she had to be a musician!¡± She shook her head, saying that Yua¡¯s path was that of a musician instead of a warrior. ¡°Your name is Lady Saira, right?¡± Raon called her name while shaking his hand to calm her down. ¡°Yes!¡± Saira raised her voice with a big nod. ¡°I¡¯m also aware of Yua¡¯s talents.¡± He was of course aware that Yua had special talents since she was good enough to be targeted by Eden as the siren¡¯s vessel. However, he didn¡¯t expect that a musician who was outstanding even among the elves would praise her so much. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t aware.¡± Saira firmly shook her head. ¡°Let alone humans, she is unmatched even among the elves.¡± ¡°Even you, Lady Saira?¡± ¡°I¡¯m even worse than the dirt under her toenail!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± She bit her lip, saying that it would be rude topare. ¡°Ahem!¡± Yua¡¯s nose raised and she cleared her throat. She was apparently happy about thepliment despite how excessive it was. It was cute how she scratched her head, seeming to be slightly embarrassed. ¡°Then what are you suggesting?¡± ¡°She needs to be taught here. I want to pass down everything to her.¡± Saira clenched her fist, saying that she wanted to raise Yua as the best musician. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at Saira¡¯s fist, which was close enough to punch his chin. ¡®I¡¯m d that she¡¯splimenting Yua¡¯s talent, but¡­ Leaving her here would be too sudden.¡¯ Since he was recing Yua¡¯s grandfather as her guardian, it wasn¡¯t an easy decision to make. ¡°Yua, what¡¯s your opinion?¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not too sure. I like swordsmanship, but I also like singing and ying instruments.¡± Yua shook her head, saying that she wanted to do all of them. ¡°Let¡¯s decideter, since we will be staying here for a bit longer.¡± ¡°Uhh, what a waste of time¡­¡± Saira¡¯s shoulders trembled, showing that she wanted to just keep teaching her all night long. ¡°Then can I keep her with me during her stay, at least?¡± She lowered her head, begging for permission. Raon was surprised because she looked far different from their first encounter. ¡°That¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°Then sure!¡± Yua raised her hand, saying that she wanted to learn more about how to y the grass pipe. ¡°Then let¡¯s go right now! I¡¯ll even make your food!¡± Saira took Yua and ran towards her home before Raon could even stop her. ¡°She looks just like me.¡± Rimmer came out from the kitchen with a tray on his hand and smiled faintly while looking at Saira and Yua¡¯s backs. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I also worked pretty hard to get you.¡± Rimmer raised his eyebrows slightly while cing the food on the table. ¡°¡­Did you?¡± Raon couldn¡¯t remember anything about Rimmer¡¯s hard work, but he didn¡¯t bother toment. ¡°What about me?¡± Dorian raised his finger, asking how it was with him. ¡°Y-you too. You were also an important recruit. The Light Wind division wouldn¡¯t be the way it is right now without you as the quartermaster!¡± Rimmer forced a smile upon himself while spouting an obvious lie. ¡°I knew it!¡± However, Dorian was d to hear that and nodded vigorously. Raon started to think that he shouldn¡¯t be a merchant even though he was the Sephiapany¡¯s sessor. Hueh! Wrath darted his tongue out while looking at the dishesid out on the table. F-food! And all of the dishes are new! He gulped loudly, showing that he liked the elven dishes. ¡®They are new indeed.¡¯ There was a pie containing fruits, but it didn¡¯t look like flour was used to make it, judging from the color and fragrance. Rather than using bread, it looked more like the fruit was puffed up. Pick up your fork already! Start by taking a bite of that pie! ¡®Alright, wait a moment.¡¯ Raon picked up the fork while calming down Wrath, who was even more impatient than usual. He poked the pie and brought it to his mouth when frightening energy ran down his spine. ¡°Hmm?¡± Rimmer stood up with wide eyes, having felt the same thing. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the matter, you two?¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Raon couldn¡¯t answer Dorian¡¯s question and ran outside the lodgings with Rimmer. Rip! The night sky was opening up. Seipia¡¯s barrier was protected by the world tree¡¯s power, but it was torn apart like a piece of paper and scattered into the air. However, it didn¡¯t feel like someone had torn it apart. It looked more like the barrier disappeared naturally because a long time had passed. ¡°Dorian. Take care of Yua.¡± Raon put on the ck Dragon Coat that he¡¯d left aside and shook his hand at Dorian. ¡°Division leader, please go to the world tree right now. You need to protect the protector.¡± ¡°What about you?!¡± ¡°As for me¡­¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at Seipia¡¯s entrance, which was being clearly revealed as if the barrier had never existed. ¡°I should go over there.¡± Merlin had told him to escape, but many elves were standing guard in the great forest at his request. He couldn¡¯t just leave them behind and run away. Thud! Raon violently kicked the ground while looking at the great forest, where a fire was gradually spreading. Damn it! Why does something happen every time the King of Essence tries to eat something?! You damned heavens! Stop with your unreasonable bullshit! Raon dashed even faster into the great forest, fueled by Wrath¡¯s cry of despair. * * * ¡°I feel like dying from continuously standing guard without even resting.¡± A blue-haired elf let out a sigh while looking at the forest, which was getting darker. ¡°Why does Sir Erian even trust that human so much?¡± a green-haired elf muttered, a small scar around his eye as he furrowed his brow. ¡°He¡¯s supposed to be the spirit king¡¯s contractor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even possible. He would¡¯ve summoned the spirit king the moment he saw the world tree if he was really the spirit king¡¯s contractor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it either. But what can we do when the head of the guardians ims it to be true?¡± The blue-haired elf clicked his tongue and showed his frustration. ¡°Haa, doesn¡¯t that human just dislike us?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that he probably just wanted to make us suffer. Why would enemies even appear right now?¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, he looked pretty close to Lady Siyan¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! He¡¯s taking revenge because we made fun of Lady Si¡ª¡± ¡°Are you supposed to be chatting right now?¡± Leiran had returned from scouting the area and furrowed her brow while looking at the guardians standing at the entrance. ¡°L-Lady Leiran.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°We were ordered to be here by Sir Erian, not by that human. Resign from being a guardian if you don¡¯t want to obey.¡± The elves broke out in cold sweat because of her coldhearted deration. ¡°N-not at all!¡± ¡°We have noints!¡± The elves shook their heads, straightened their backs, and looked ahead without being distracted. Leiran sighed in her mind while looking at the elves. ¡®It¡¯s understandable.¡¯ They normally should¡¯ve rested for half a day at least, but they had to immediately return to guard duty because of Raon¡¯s request. It was understandable that the guardians wouldin. ¡®Even I am angry.¡¯ She could ept the guard duty, but the fact that a human caused it was making her angry. However, she had to obey because Erian was the one who made the decision, just like she¡¯d told the others. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Leiran was shaking her head with her eyes closed when she suddenly sensed the presence of her kin on the passage in the great forest connected to Seipia. ¡®Whose energy is this?¡¯ The energy was definitely from her kin, but it was a dreary mana that she¡¯d never felt before. Moreover, the presence wasing from where she¡¯d just scouted. She couldn¡¯t understand what was happening because there was definitely no one when she checked. Just as Leiran started to carefully raise her bow, the barrier right next to her easily dissipated like a rubber band being snapped. Whaaam! It wasn¡¯t only happening from the front. The firstyer of the barrier surrounding Seipia waspletely undone, revealing the world of the elves hidden inside the great forest. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± ¡°Why did the barrier just disappear?!¡± The guarding elves¡¯ lips trembled in surprise. ¡°Maintain your position here.¡± ¡°Leiran, you should stand by as well.¡± Leiran swallowed nervously and notched an arrow on her bowstring when Erian came forward. He looked at the bushes in front of him with his hand ced on the hilt of his sword. Shhh! Along with a gloomy sound simr to a ghost brushing past thend, the bushes opened up by themselves and people covered in ck robes appeared. ¡°Who are you?¡± Erian immediately unsheathed his sword and red at the ck robed people. ¡°Did you already forget about us? It hasn¡¯t even been that long.¡± The one at the center with a slender body took off her robe and threw it away. She was a female elf, her eyes glowing yellow with radiant blonde hair that contrasted against her ashen skin, which looked like it had been dampened by rain. The others also took off their robes. All of them were beautiful elves with pointy ears, but their skin was strangely dark gray or ck. ¡°C-Cassandra¡­¡± Erian¡¯s lips trembled in disbelief as he looked at the elf with ashen skin. ¡°Wh-who is she?¡± Leiran asked, and Erian shifted his trembling gaze. ¡°The deserters. They are the ones who left Seipia. However¡­¡± He swallowed nervously, saying that he¡¯d never seen someone¡¯s skin color change into that. ¡°D-deserters¡­¡± Leiran¡¯s fingers trembled as she looked at Cassandra. ¡®Are they the deserters from that time¡­?¡¯ She¡¯d heard that some elves had left Seipia after a difference in opinion before she was born. She couldn¡¯t understand why they suddenly appeared and dispelled the barrier because she¡¯d heard that the protector had let them go without harming them. ¡°What are you nning with your sudden appearance?¡± Erian bit his lip while looking at Cassandra. ¡°You should be aware that you survived thanks to the protector. Why did you return and remove the barrier?¡± ¡°We came to express our gratitude to him.¡± Cassandra casually swayed her hand and nodded her head. ¡°Because he is too good to live in this cruel world. We should send him off quickly.¡± She tantly revealed that the protector was their target. ¡°Do you even think that¡¯s possible? The protector will be here at any moment!¡± ¡°While doing the purification ritual at the same time?¡± Cassandra curled her lips into a broad smile. ¡°We already know everything. Erian, did you forget that I used to be your superior?¡± ¡°......¡± Erian bit his lip without responding. Like he¡¯d expected, they were targeting the moment when the protector was performing the purification ritual. ¡°I¡¯m different from before. I¡¯m going to stop you!¡± ¡°That sounds fun, but there¡¯s no time to waste, so¡­¡± Cassandra snapped her fingers, and elves with ashen skin standing behind her shattered a spherical object. tter! The ray of light emerging from the sphere soared to the sky, and a huge magic circle appeared on the ground that wasn¡¯t protected by the barrier anymore. Roaaar! A wave of crimson me burst from the magic circle, spread in all directions, and started to burn the forest. ¡°Come forth!¡± Erian extended his hand to the front and summoned the highest-tier wind spirit. The spirit spread its wings like a soaring bird and tried to suppress the me with a powerful wind, but it was pushed back by the wave of fire instead and mmed onto the ground. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± Even though wind didn¡¯t have a great affinity against fire, it still should¡¯ve been possible to control the air to stop the fire from spreading for a moment. However, the crimson me ignored the very concept of wind and kept spreading around. It was so powerful that all the bushes and trees around Seipia was burning. ¡°Did you think you could stop the crimson me with a weak wind like that?¡± Along with a voice filled with mockery, the me raging towards the sky started to form a human shape. Whir! A sturdy figure was formed, its body as massive as a mountain with fists asrge as boulders. A spiral horn grew from the center of its forehead and crimson light sparked from inside a helmet that looked like a lizard. Rumble! The wind spirit waspletely intimidated with trembling wings, just like when it faced Raon, because of the tremendous wave of power disyed by the man wearing the lizard helmet. ¡°Crimson me¡­?¡± Erian¡¯s lips trembled as he looked at the helmet covering his head. ¡®The face of a lizard, a single horn and crimson me¡­¡¯ It would¡¯ve been a different story if it only had one of those aspects, but there was only one existence in the world that had all those three characteristics. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ Ifrit?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Cassandra nodded while snapping her fingers. ¡°The fire spirit king that you¡¯ve been missing so much has returned.¡± ¡°Why is Ifrit in Eden?!¡± ¡°Because this is where I belong.¡± The man wearing Ifrit¡¯s helmet extended his hand to the front. The crimson me looked like it broke out from his palm and attacked Erian and the elves. ¡°Kuh!¡± Erian bit his lip while looking at the fire tornado rushing towards him. ¡®I can keep fighting if I dodge this.¡¯ Even though he was wearing Ifrit¡¯s helmet, his pressure felt like he hadn''t reached transcendence yet. Erian could tell that he would be able to hold him back if he dodged the attack. However, his sister and the other elves were going to die the moment he dodged it, and Seipia¡¯s entrance would be blocked, turning it into an inferno. The attack needed to be blocked no matter what. Whaaam! Erian mmed his trembling leg into the ground and thrust his sword to the front. ¡°Stand up!¡± He extended his hand towards the highest-tier spirit that was being crushed by the enemy¡¯s pressure. His desperate shout reached it, and the spirit stood up while struggling to unleash a powerful wind. Swaaaa! The tremendous storm of fire came to a halt in front of the de of wind. Even though it was the worst situation, he was enduring it with the power of his determination. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°Ack¡­¡± However, two elves who were further away to the side melted because the me was too powerful. ¡°Leiran¡­¡± Erian called Leiran¡¯s name as if he was coughing out blood. ¡°C-call the elders and Raon, and evacuate everyone¡­¡± ¡°Er-Erian¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, so hurry up!¡± The determination in his gaze was telling her that he was prepared to die. ¡°R-retreat, everyone!¡± Leiran ordered the guardians to retreat and turned around. She mustered her strength on her faltering legs and ran towards Seipia. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡®I got my brother killed.¡¯ If only she¡¯d properly listened to Raon¡¯s advice, if she¡¯d examined everything until the very end, if she¡¯d scouted all the way outside the great forest, her brother wouldn¡¯t have needed to stop the enemies like that. She regretted it so much that she wanted to kill her previous self from a few hours ago, who was looking down on Raon just because he was a human. Whaap! Leiran was running towards Seipia with her vision turning blurry as a clear and warm wind blew against her from the opposite direction. The wind brushed past her and kept advancing without losing its fragrance in the midst of the heat burning the entire surrounding. Leiran put her hands together while looking at the back of the wind. ¡®Please¡­¡¯ * * * Erian¡¯s hands trembled as he blocked the me. ¡®It¡¯s so powerful¡­¡¯ The burns had spread on his arms from blocking the crimson me, so much so that his flesh had started to crumble. He felt dizzy from the intense pain, to the point where he could copse at any moment. However, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to copse. He had to buy as much time as possible for the others to prepare. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please hold out.¡± Kieeh. He forced a smile on his face while meeting the eyes of the spirit that was gradually shrinking. The spirit cried quietly, as if it was telling him that it was okay. Whack! He was holding out by mustering all his strength as arrows flew at him from left and right to pierce through both feet. ¡°Ack!¡± Erian lost the bnce and leaned forward. He couldn¡¯t move his arm anymore, implying that the arrows were smeared with a paralyzing poison. ¡°You are taking too much time.¡± Cassandra curled her lips into a smile and shook her head. ¡°We are busy, you know.¡± She nodded her chin at the Ifrit, asking him to finish him off. ¡°Hmph. I never needed your help.¡± The man wearing Ifrit''s helmet snapped his fingers, shattering Erian''s wind and de and engulfing him in mes. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Erianughed bitterly while looking at the me prison blocking him from all directions. ¡®Is this how I die¡­?¡¯ ¡®But it¡¯s okay.¡¯ ¡®He is going to save Seipia.¡¯ Since Raon was the spirit king¡¯s contractor, he was definitely going to save Seipia. ¡®I leave it to you¡­¡¯ Erian believed in Raon and looked at the sky, which was the only direction that wasn¡¯t surrounded. Silver-white radiance like the moon covered the sky, contrasting with the me engulfing the great forest. Whaaam! A ck coat fluttered elegantly in the air in the midst of the frozen world, where the scorched trees, gray smoke seeping into the sky, and even the enemy¡¯s proud crimson me were transformed into ice. ¡°You¡¯ve done well tost this long. From here on¡­¡± After those red eyes examined Erian, they turned to the front, covered in a frightening glow. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± Chapter 587 Chapter 587 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 587 Siyan raised her faintly trembling eyebrows. Although her blue eyes had always been gloomy, they were expressing an emotion of delight. ¡®I-it¡¯s different.¡¯ During her resonance practice a moment ago, she¡¯d felt like she had be one with the world. It onlysted for a split second, but something inside her felt different. ¡®The gap must¡¯ve widened.¡¯ A small fissure was created on the imprable wall that had always blocked the path of her soul. She had the feeling that she couldbine her will with the world if she kept digging into that gap. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Siyan sighed and tilted towards the floor. ¡®I¡¯ve finally reached it.¡¯ She¡¯d been walking in an endless dark cave for her entire life. She mustered her strength to keep walking forward, despairing at the neverending cave, and it felt like she had finally seen the light leading to the exit. Her body feltpletely exhausted, to the point where it felt painful to just lie down on the ground. ¡®So it works in the end as long as I never give up¡­¡¯ To be honest, she had practically given up already, but she managed to harden her resolution for thest time thanks to her idol, Raon. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that her achievement was all thanks to him. ¡®I¡¯m going to tell him tomorrow, as soon as possible¡­ Ah.¡¯ Siyan heaved a sigh of relief while thinking about Raon and suddenly stopped. ¡®Now that I think about it, I have the impression that I sensed his energy¡­¡¯ She could feel a warmth and a breeziness simr to Raon¡¯s aura from inside the fissure of the wall blocking the path of her soul. ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ Raon had injected his aura into her and examined her mana circuits, saying that he could change her state. The remaining aura from back then must¡¯ve broken the wall that was confining her soul. Siyan put her hands together and smiled faintly. ¡®It was thanks to Sir Raon¡­¡¯ She thought to herself that she would thank him when she met him the next day and was about to stand up. ¡°Siyan! Come out!¡± The door shook violently to the point of breaking, and Rimmer¡¯s shout could be heard. His voice was impatient, unlike during his previous visit. ¡°R-Rimmer?¡± Siyan instinctively realized that a huge problem had urred and opened the door. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Come out right now! The barrier is broken!¡± ¡°The barrier?¡± Siyan looked up to the sky, following Rimmer¡¯s gaze. The world tree¡¯s barrier that concealed Seipia inside the great forest was fading away. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening¡­?¡± Even though she¡¯d thought the sturdy barrier would never break, it was shattered into pieces way too easily and was scattering away. ¡°There¡¯s no time to admire it.¡± Rimmer wrapped his left arm around Siyan¡¯s waist as she stared at it nkly and ran towards Sterin¡¯s home. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on right now?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either yet.¡± He examined the copsing barrier while advancing even faster, as if he were trying to cool down from the heat spreading throughout the forest. ¡®It¡¯s not just the entrance. It¡¯s being breached from all directions. Moreover, it¡¯s happening naturally, not by force.¡¯ He could guess that his kin must¡¯ve been breaking the barrier. ¡®Are there traitors even in Seipia?¡¯ He quickly came to a conclusion as Sterin¡¯s house came into view. Rimmer immediately opened a gap into the barrier that was concealing the world tree. Rimmer gestured at Siyan with his chin while looking at the gap that was radiating blue lights as it opened up. ¡°You should stay right next to the world tree.¡± The world tree¡¯s barrier had a far higher durability than Seipia¡¯s barrier. Since the elders and guardians were guarding the inside to protect Sterin, it could be called the safest ce in Seipia. ¡°Rimmer!¡± As soon as he opened the path towards the world tree, the head elder came running outside. ¡°What¡¯s happening right now?!¡± ¡°There must be a traitor.¡± ¡°Tr-traitor?¡± ¡°Considering they opened the barrier and set fire as soon as Grandpa went into the ritual, there must be a traitor from the n.¡± Rimmer told him about the conclusion he¡¯d reached on the way. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s highly likely indeed.¡± Despite being a stubborn old man, the head elder quickly epted Rimmer¡¯s opinion. ¡°Ha¡­¡± He bit his lip while looking at Sterin¡¯s body, which waspletely immobile. ¡°We need to evacuate all the elves in Seipia to this ce.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± The head elder firmly shook his head. "You''re the one who mentioned a traitor. If we allow everyone in without knowing who the traitor is, it could lead to harming to the protector or the world tree, and the situation could spiral beyond our control." ¡°Then are you going to leave them like this and let everyone burn to death?¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow while looking at the head elder. ¡°I¡¯ll stop it from happening, so just let them enter for now!¡± ¡°You might endanger your grandfather!¡± ¡°Grandpa would¡¯ve done the same thing as me!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The head elder didn¡¯t refute his words, thinking that he was right, but he didn¡¯t say that he would allow them to enter either. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Since it was a difficult choice, Rimmer couldn¡¯t argue the matter easily. Silence continued for a moment, and an arrow flew towards them and got stuck on the ground near their feet. ¡°That¡¯s Leiran¡¯s arrow.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s her¡­¡± Rimmer spread the paper that was folded around the arrow. Information about the situation was written in red letters that were most likely written in blood. ¡°The traitor wasn¡¯t from the inside!¡± Rimmer clenched his fist upon reading that the deserters had removed the barrier. ¡°Head elder.¡± ¡°Haa¡­ take all our kin inside Seipia to the second barrier. Do it right now!¡± ¡°Head elder?¡± The other elders widened their eyes in surprise upon hearing the head elder¡¯s order. ¡°Even for the deserters, it won¡¯t be easy to remove the barrier protecting the world tree. Fighting them alongside the world tree¡¯s power inside the barrier is the best course of action.¡± ¡°You are finally saying something right.¡± Rimmer gave a big nod and snapped his fingers. ¡°What are you waiting for? Run out there and bring everyone!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± He ordered the guardians who were standing there nkly to move, and they nodded before running outside the barrier. ¡°R-Rimmer! Where¡¯s Sir Raon?¡± Siyan crawled up to him with trembling legs and asked about Raon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Rimmer pointed at the fierce mes surrounding Seipia''s entrance. A silver light spread across the sky, instantly freezing the fire and smoke threatening to consume the entire forest, turning them into statues in a moment. ¡°He isn¡¯t going to die.¡± * * * Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the enemies in front of him. ¡®So it was Eden¡¯s doing after all.¡¯ The man wearing the crimson me like a coat was equipped with a single-horned lizard¡¯s helmet. Eden¡¯s demons were the only ones crazy enough to wear those helmets, which portrayed monsters vividly. ¡®He¡¯s powerful.¡¯ Even though Raon had be a Grandmaster, the opponent¡¯s pressure even surpassed it. It felt like his skin was burning from the intense hit, breaking through the fire resistance. ¡®It would already be difficult enough if he was alone, yet¡­¡¯ Raon frowned and examined the elves with ashen skin next to Eden¡¯s demon. ¡®There are those strange elves here as well.¡¯ They still retained the elves'' elegant beauty, but their dark gray skin resembled that of corpses, and they were enveloped by a gloomy energy simr to death rather than the vibrant energy of nature. ¡°Y-you arrived so quickly.¡± Raon nced back at Erian''s disjointed voice. His burned arms were covered in sores, and arge hole in his stomach suggested he had been pierced by an arrow. It was surprising that he was even alive in that state. ¡®He tried to protect instead of fighting.¡¯ Erian¡¯s footwork was peculiar. He should¡¯ve been able to run away from the opponents to buy some time even if he couldn¡¯t win against them. The fact that he ended up in that state implied that he fought them head-on in order to protect Seipia¡¯s entrance. His willpower was worthy of admiration. ¡°Erian¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Look at the enemy instead.¡± Erian overcame the pain with willpower and told him to look at the enemy instead of himself. ¡°That helmet is Ifrit¡¯s helmet.¡± ¡°Ifrit¡­?¡± Raon asked with wide eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t Ifrit the fire spirit king?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Erian nodded powerlessly. ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking it, considering that crimson me is capable of burning everything and that helmet¡¯s appearance. It definitely has the power of Ifrit, the fire spirit king.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Raon bit his lip in panic, and the crimson me emerged, breaking through the Silver White Aurora. Hmm¡­ Wrath had been rampaging until a moment ago, shouting that he was hungry, but he started to lick his lips upon seeing the Ifrit¡¯s helmet. It¡¯s indeed the energy of that fire guy. ¡®So it really is the fire spirit king?¡¯ Indeed. However¡­ His lips curved into a mocking sneer. He is way weaker than the original fire guy. It must¡¯ve failed to inherit the power. Raon looked at the Ifrit¡¯s helmet once again upon hearing Wrath¡¯s description. ¡®It¡¯s true¡­¡¯ A spirit king must¡¯ve been a powerful existence even among the Transcenders, yet the enemy in front of him was only at a Grandmaster¡¯s level. He was definitely more powerful than himself, but it was far insufficient to be called the sessor of the fire spirit king¡¯s power. ¡°Crimson me Demon.¡± The elf with ashen skin standing at the center furrowed his brow at Ifrit¡¯s helmet. ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± She shook her head, displeased by the fact that the Crimson me Demon was just standing there. ¡°Then who is that elf?¡± ¡°She is a traitor from Seipia. Her name is Cassandra.¡± Erian violently ground his teeth while ring at Cassandra. ¡°Traitor?¡± ¡°Yes. The deserters who left Seipia in the past because they decided to walk a different path have returned as traitors.¡± Heughed bitterly, saying that he couldn¡¯t have anticipated that they would repay the favor with an act of revenge. ¡®So they are deserters from that story¡­¡¯ Raon remembered how Rimmer had told him about the deserters before the purification ritual. He¡¯d said that they¡¯d left because of a difference in opinion, but even their race seemed to have changed after that. ¡°Crimson me Demon!¡± Cassandra shouted, and the Crimson me Demon¡¯s eyes glimmered, engulfed in the mes of purgatory. ¡°That human is strange.¡± The Crimson me Demon furrowed his brow while looking at Raon. His powerful gaze was trembling. ¡°Strange?¡± ¡°I can feel a huge power inside him, a lot bigger than his own might. Is he really a human?¡± He shook his finger, asking if he was a transformed dragon. ¡°Whether he¡¯s a dragon or not¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way he is a dragon. Because he is the Dragon yer, the one who killed a dragon.¡± While Cassandra was scowling at the Crimson me Demon, a calm voice came from behind him. It was a familiar voice to Raon. A man wearing a red snake¡¯s helmet walked out from the bushes that were turned into ash and fading away. ¡®That helmet¡­¡¯ The helmet had the exact same shape as the Golden Skin Snake, who he¡¯d met when he was kidnapped by Eden, except for the color. It was red instead. ¡°Golden Skin Snake?¡± ¡°The Golden Skin Snake is dead. I¡¯m the Red Demon Snake.¡± He called himself the Red Demon Snake and stood next to the Crimson me Demon. ¡°Leave this to us and go ahead to do your job.¡± The Red Demon Snake raised his finger and pointed at Seipia. The barrier waspletely incinerated, and Seipia¡¯s entrance was fully visible. ¡®Do your job?¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the Crimson me Demon and the Red Demon Snake. ¡®Do they have a specific goal to achieve?¡¯ If they wanted to destroy Seipia, the best method was for the ashen elf, the Crimson me Demon, and the Red Demon Snake to work together to kill Raon. That was why the fact that they were trying to let the Crimson me Demon go ahead implied that they had another n in mind. ¡®In that case, I can¡¯t let him go.¡¯ Raon strained his femoral muscles to advance while leaving a deep footprint on the ground, executing Frost Pond against the Crimson me Demon. The silver de and the de of frost following it up like a shadow were unleashed towards the Crimson me Demon¡¯s neck. aang! The Crimson me Demon created a shield of me from his forearm to block both strikes at once. The sh between fire and ice filled the air with white steam. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± ¡°Where do you think you are going? We aren¡¯t even done with the greetings.¡± Raon stomped the ground with his left foot. The lower body was the core of martial arts. Raon pulled the core strength from bottom to top, connected it to Heavenly Drive¡¯s de, and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art. Cring! A single swing executed all the way from the first to fifth techniques, and blue radiance extended from Heavenly Drive¡¯s de. aang! The dazzling light destroyed the Crimson me Demon¡¯s shield and rushed towards his heart. aang! Just as the de was about to pierce through the heat-reddened skin, Heavenly Drive¡¯s trajectory was pushed to the right. It wasn¡¯t the Crimson me Demon¡¯s doing. The Red Demon Snake and Cassandra had fired an arrow to deflect Heavenly Drive. ¡°Go ahead already. This isn¡¯t the ce you should be right now.¡± The Red Demon Snake shook his hand at the Crimson me Demon, telling him to quickly move on. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him. I¡¯m going to incinerate him once I¡¯m back.¡± The Crimson me Demon stabbed Raon with his deadly re before he started to move towards Seipia. His body advanced at a tremendous speed, engulfed by crimson me. ¡°I told you, you aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step and caught up to the Crimson me Demon. He tried to confine the Crimson me Demon by growing a tree of frost at Heavenly Drive¡¯s tip to execute the me Spirit, but the Red Demon Snake¡¯s sword attack and Cassandra¡¯s arrow destroyed the tree before it was fully grown. Thud! In the end, the Crimson me Demon managed to brush aside the me Spirit and entered Seipia. Tsk. Raon briefly clicked his tongue while looking at the Red Demon Snake and Cassandra. ¡°I don¡¯t really like people with obsession.¡± ¡°We are entrusted with a task. Please go easy on us.¡± ¡°Do you desire death so much?¡± ¡°I do actually want to die, just a little.¡± The Red Demon Snake chuckled and swung his sword. ¡°There¡¯s something you are seriously misunderstanding.¡± Raon walked towards the Red Demon Snake, a red current rising from Heavenly Drive. ¡°Do you really think you can stop me with just the two of you?¡± ¡°Your arrogance reaches the sky.¡± Cassandra furrowed her brow deeply in irritation. ¡°He¡¯s always been like that.¡± The Red Demon Snake shrugged his shoulder and clenched his sword. Judging from how he was speaking, he must¡¯ve been the Golden Skin Snake himself even though his mask was different. ¡°You must¡¯ve gotten full of yourself because you¡¯ve in a dragon, but the Pirate King did everything to begin with¡­¡± The moment the Red Demon Snake started to run his mouth, Raon used the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step. He advanced so quickly that his vision darkened for a moment, and he stabbed Heavenly Drive at mid-height. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Thousand mes. Thirty-Six Crimson sh. The mes engulfed the Red Demon Snake¡¯s body, attacking from thirty-six different directions. The Red Demon Snake¡¯s eyes trembled upon realizing that he had no escape at all, and Cassandra¡¯s hand started to move. She swung the bow without notching an arrow, furiously unleashing a dark energy simr to demonic energy. aang! Thanks to Cassandra¡¯s swift reaction, the Red Demon Snake managed to escape from the Thirty-Six Crimson sh while only getting a cut on his right shoulder and thigh. However, his eyes were spasming as if he were facing death itself. ¡°Hah, you¡¯ve gotten unbelievably stronger even though it hasn¡¯t even been that long.¡± The Red Demon Snake gasped in disbelief. Thud! Raon kicked the ground fiercely, as if he wasn¡¯t even going to give them any time to speak. As the Red Demon Snake stepped backward, Raon followed up from the left and wrapped Heavenly Drive in a scabbard of fire. ¡°Hmph!¡± Cassandra twisted her finger and fired six arrows at once. The arrows were flying while colliding against each other, with aplex trajectory that could hardly be discerned with eyesight. ¡®Her archery is amazing, but¡­ She doesn¡¯t even hold a candle to the protector¡¯s Sentient Arrow.¡¯ Raon made the rings of fire resonate and unsheathed the de of Requiem with his left hand. He unleashed the Firewall with ghastly energy to block the five most dangerous arrows and kicked away thest one with his foot. Thud! He used the rebound from kicking the arrow to reach the Red Demon Snake even faster. ¡°Kuh!¡± The Red Demon Snake executed a stab while panicking. The sword strike tried to pierce his heart sharply, but Raon ignored it and clenched his hand. Raon Zieghart Style. Third Form, Sword¡¯s Silvery Dream. The de shed as distantly as a dream and brushed past the Red Demon Snake¡¯s neck. ¡°Ack¡­¡± The Red Demon Snake clenched his hand around his neck to stop the red line from spreading, but it was impossible to stop the blood from gushing out. Thud! The Red Demon Snake¡¯s body fell backward, separated from the head. ¡°Y-you really became a monster¡­¡± The Red Demon Snake murmured with trembling lips, not losing his smile even though he was dying. ¡°But the n won¡¯t go wrong. This shall be thest time we meet¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± Raon ignored the Red Demon Snake and looked at Cassandra. Crimson lightning sparked from his eyes as he shook the blood from Heavenly Drive. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡± Chapter 588 Chapter 588 ¡°My turn?¡± Cassandra unleashed her dark wave of energy. She looked down on Raon, anger and irritation filling her eyes. ¡°You are too full of yourself after killing a mere mongrel.¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon shook his head, looking at Cassandra, who was growling at him. ¡°I¡¯ve been full of myself from the beginning. After all, this fight was already decided the moment you let the Crimson me Demon go ahead.¡± "That arrogance will be the noose tightening around your neck!" Cassandra raised her left hand, the one that wasn¡¯t holding the bow. She bent her fingers as if she were grabbing the thin air, and dark energy rampaged in between them. Whir!Dark energy that possessed a gloomy radiance burst free, undting like y and eventually taking the shape of a wolf. Raon¡¯s hair stood on end upon seeing the dark me bursting from the wolf¡¯s mane. ¡®A wolf¡­? No, it¡¯s not.¡¯ The ck wolf was showing no signs of life. Its presence was simr to that of a spirit. However, it was emanating intense demonic energy instead of the energy of nature. ¡°A-a darkness spirit?¡± The wolf¡¯s identity was revealed by Erian¡¯s voice behind him. ¡°Darkness spirit? Were there more spirits than the four main attributes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare, but there are spirits that possess attributes different from the four main elements¡­¡± His lips trembled as he murmured that he¡¯d never seen one before either. ¡°But I heard that darkness spirits feed on the contractor¡¯s lifespan¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Cassandra calmly nodded. ¡°I made a contract with this one by offering my lifespan.¡± She red at the world tree, her eyes as cold as the northern wind. ¡°Why would you go that far¡­?¡± ¡°Killing you for us to be true elves is more than enough reason to offer a bit of lifespan.¡± The darkness spirit opened its jaw in response to her fury. Dark demonic energy gushed from its throat like a fountain, bending into a spiral shape. Pssh! The moment Raon withdrew to avoid the wave of demonic energy, Cassandra¡¯s arrow flew towards him. Dark demonic energy was bursting from the arrowhead as well, probably because of the darkness spirit. Whack! Raon fended off Cassandra¡¯s arrow with Heavenly Drive and furrowed his brow. ¡®My hand hurts.¡¯ The demonic energy was extremely dense, as expected of the pure power of a spirit. ¡®Are they both Grandmasters¡­?¡¯ Since both Cassandra and the darkness spirit¡¯s energies were at the Grandmaster level, Raon could guess that he could be the first one to die if he attacked recklessly. ¡®Let¡¯s focus.¡¯ He could sense that the ashen elves who¡¯d gone with the Crimson me Demon were attacking Seipia, but he didn¡¯t look back. ¡®I can¡¯t underestimate either of them.¡¯ He had to focus fully on the battle at hand, which was also more beneficial for Seipia. ¡°Consider it an honor, because this power wasn¡¯t originally prepared for you!¡± Cassandra screamed furiously and fired five arrows at once. Raon was looking at the arrows that were rushing towards him while predicting where he was going to avoid, and the darkness spirit unleashed a gust of demonic energy. Whaaap! Raon created the Firewall to block Cassandra¡¯s arrows and the darkness spirit¡¯s demonic energy. He pierced into Cassandra¡¯s space while the me and demonic energy were shing against each other. ¡°Kuh!¡± Cassandra¡¯s eyes widened, surprised at how fast he made his approach. ¡®I can cut her down right now.¡¯ Just as he was about to swing Heavenly Drive downwards, the darkness spirit appeared as if it had leaped through the space and swung its w. Itsplex trajectory was befitting its appearance as a wolf, and its immense power was reminiscent of the astral sphere. Dodging it first and checking the opponent¡¯s trajectory afterward was the standard reaction, but Raon didn¡¯t have much time. He advanced even further instead of backing off. His left foot, strengthened by the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, stepped forward on the darkenednd. Raon suppressed the demonic energy with his golden me and executed the Fangs of Insanity to stab the darkness spirit¡¯s ws. aash! The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me intensified by devouring the demonic energy, broke through the darkness spirit¡¯s ws, and violently cut through its chest. Kiaaah! The darkness spirit stepped back while screaming, feeling an intense pain. ¡®I¡¯m not done yet.¡¯ Raon followed up against the darkness spirit instead of Cassandra, who had withdrawn far away, and smashed it with Heavenly Drive. The de glowed gold, like the evening glow, and split the spirit¡¯s waist in half. Kieee! It didn¡¯t die right away since it was a spirit, but its energy decreased drastically, implying that it took arge amount of damage. Raon was about to execute the Crimson sh in order to finish it off once and for all when Cassandra¡¯s arrow flew towards him. The wave was on a whole different level from before. He could feel a powerful will to kill from the arrowhead zing in darkness. Raon noticed the power of the arrow and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art with the de of Requiem he was holding in his left hand. ang! The de of ghastly energy summoned an ice tornado to block Cassandra¡¯s arrow. aaang! Raon felt a tearing pain in his hand as if he were blocking a sword strike instead of an arrow. ¡®I¡¯m used to this much pain.¡¯ Raon swung the de of Requiem until the very end without taking a single step back andpletely froze Cassandra¡¯s arrow. Whaam! The arrow froze along with the demonic energy around it and caused a heavy sound upon falling onto the ground. ¡°D-did you just block the Heavy Annihtion Arrow?¡± Cassandra¡¯s eyes widened because she had never expected that he would manage to block her arrow. Kieee! The darkness spirit returned to her side and let out a painful groan. It had be a lot smaller than before. On top of its spiritual body being damaged, it also seemed to be shocked mentally. ¡°With such a sloppy joint attack, it¡¯s better to not even try it.¡± Raon walked towards Cassandra, Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem hanging from his hands. Despite his casual footsteps, his heart was as cold as the northern sea. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off right now.¡± ¡°Finish me off? Do you think someone like you can end me?¡± Cassandra extended her right hand, her murderous intent bursting from her. The darkness spirit went into her grasp and was molded into a new shape. Whir! It wasn¡¯t even an animal. The darkness spirit transformed into an arrow, its pitch-ck color extending from the arrowhead to the fletching. ¡°I wanted to pierce it into the heads of those geezers, but it¡¯s not a bad idea to start with you.¡± Cassandra unleashed all of her energy and notched the darkness spirit transformed into an arrow on the bowstring. Zap! As she pulled the bowstring, a tremendous amount of demonic energy spread around and removed the small amount of bushes and trees that remained. Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the bowstring being pulled to the limit. ¡®What is that?¡¯ Even though it was a delicate arrow that seemed as if a mere touch could shatter it, an ominous aura emanated from it, sending a chill down his spine. Raon nervously licked his dry lips, and Cassandra twisted the bowstring that was pulled all the way back. ¡°Die.¡± With a shout that sounded like the order of a death god, Cassandra fired the darkness spirit transformed into an arrow. The arrow was fired even faster than sound and rushed toward Raon¡¯s sr plexus with a violent rotation. It seemed capable of destroying the entire upper body rather than piercing through his vitals. Rumble! Raon crossed Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier were unleashed to the extreme and radiated majestically as they seeped into the des. ¡®This isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Even though it was the highest output of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier, Raon couldn¡¯t bring himself to think that he could fend off the attack. He instinctively took half a step back. He used the small amount of time he¡¯d gained to execute the newly polished principle of twin swords and smashed the arrow that was right under his nose. aang! Even though he¡¯d braced for impact, he almost groaned from the pain, his shoulders almost feeling like they were being dislocated. Even though she was spending her lifespan, it was unbelievably powerful. It was an arrow of will, intended to kill in a single strike, that she deserved to be proud of. Rip! Raon bit his lip while being pushed back in his standing posture. ¡®I feel like my hands are being torn apart.¡¯ The power in the arrow was so powerful that he couldn¡¯t defeat it. He was confused that an arrow fired from afar could surpass him in strength. ¡®Is it possible to be so powerful just because she used a darkness spirit as an arrow?¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem, which was trembling from the sh. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped¡­¡¯ He wanted to save up on the Wrath Release for the battle against the Crimson me Demon, but he felt like he was going to die before it happened. Raon started to raise his gaze in order to release his wrath but suddenly stopped. ¡®Wait a moment. This arrow¡­ Isn¡¯t it simr to the de of Requiem?¡¯ He had the feeling that the unbelievable power wasing from Cassandra¡¯s will uniting with the darkness spirit, just like how he¡¯d achieved the Unification with the de during his spar against Sterin. ¡®If I¡¯m guessing right¡­ I might be able to do it as well.¡¯ It was a temporary Unification with the de achieved through the weapon¡¯s power. Raon extended his right hand, which was holding the de of Requiem to the front, in order to grasp that flow. Rumble! He felt like his arm was about to fall off from fending off the arrow with Heavenly Drive alone when it was already difficult with both swords, but Raon gritted his teeth and endured it. ¡®de of Requiem, I leave it to you.¡¯ Raon delivered his will into the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy. As he showed his determination to not be defeated, the de of Requiem responded with a clear resonance, as if it understood. Whir! The wills of the sword and its wielder connected into a single line and seeped into the red de to create a magnificent radiance. Raon pulled Heavenly Drive back. The arrow immediately rushed towards him, and Raon shed with the de of Requiem, incorporating theirbined will alongside the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s trajectory. Craaack! Even though Cassandra¡¯s arrow looked unstoppable, it was unable to ovee the de of Requiem¡¯s sharpness, snapping in half and fading away. ¡°Huff!¡± Cassandra dropped her bow and widened her eyes in disbelief. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± Her confusion had reached the level of astonishment. She didn¡¯t even realize that she¡¯d dropped her bow. ¡°Impossible!¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond. He used the explosive power of the aura filling the mana circuits of his lower body and advanced toward her. ¡°Kuh!¡± Cassandra tried to pick up the bow again in her desperate struggle, but Heavenly Drive¡¯s de was already touching her neck. Thwack! Cassandra¡¯s head flew into the air, and her ashen body tilted towards the ground. ¡°Wh-why did such a monster appear now, of all times¡­¡± Cassandra looked up to the world tree in frustration and perished soon after that. With its master gone, the darkness spirit turned into dust and disappeared as if it never existed to begin with. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Erian gasped while looking up at Raon. ¡°H-how much skill have you been hiding?¡± He blinked, surprised at the prowess Raon had just disyed. ¡°Were you hiding your skill all along when you fought against me?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just start a mess in my master¡¯s homnd.¡± ¡°That power, despite your young age. It must be possible because you are the spirit king¡¯s contractor.¡± He was seriously way too single-minded to still be talking about the spirit king. ¡°Stop saying such useless things.¡± Raon shook his head and threw a recovery ointment at Erian. ¡°Apply that to your wounds and follow me. I¡¯ll be going ahead.¡± ¡°Th-thank you. That¡¯s all I can say for now.¡± Raon dashed towards Seipia after seeing Erian nod at him. He was stabilizing his breath so that he could fight at any moment, and a baby fox appeared from the bushes on his right side. ¡°Merlin!¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± Merlin ran all the way in front of him and hung her head. Considering the fact that her voice and condition didn¡¯t look too good, she must¡¯ve spent a lot of power already. ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the Crimson me Demon, right? I might be unable to win on my own, but we can do it together.¡± It was true that the Crimson me Demon was more powerful than Raon, but Rimmer and the other elders were inside Seipia. Raon estimated that they should be able to fend him off without much damage if they justbined their forces. ¡°No, you can¡¯t win.¡± Merlin firmly shook her head. ¡°Because the Crimson me Demon is getting stronger by absorbing the world tree¡¯s energy.¡± She bit her lip tightly and nced at the world tree. ¡°The Crimson me Demon is targeting the world tree itself, not Seipia!¡± * * * Rimmer made the path for the elves to enter the barrier and looked at the great forest. ¡®The fire is spreading too quickly.¡¯ The enemies were burning the entire great forest, not just Seipia¡¯s entrance. He thought that irreparable damage would be done at the rate it was progressing even if they managed to win the battle. ¡®No. I need to think about our n rather than the forest right now.¡¯ The forest was indeed precious for the elves, but it couldn¡¯tpare to the lives of their people. Even if the entire great forest turned to ash, fighting inside the barrier was the best course of action. ¡®We should be able to defend somehow since we have elders with us.¡¯ The great elder and the ten elders were performing a ritual to enhance the world tree¡¯s barrier. As long as the barrier was enhanced, the powerful me wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the world tree. Rimmer flicked his eyes around while double-checking the n and met Siyan¡¯s eyes, covered in a nket. She was still afraid of getting attention despite the situation. ¡®I¡¯ll do my job as her big brother properly after this matter is concluded.¡¯ Rimmer shook his head with a small bit of guilt in his mind, and Dorian came running back from scouting. ¡°D-division leader¡­¡± Dorian reported while panting, his eyes trembling intensely, ¡°Th-the fire ising!¡± ¡°Fire? What are you talking about? Tell me in detail.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really just fire. It¡¯s getting bigger and hotter, and it¡¯s going out of control!¡± He swallowed nervously, saying that Eden¡¯s demons and ashen elves wereing along with the fire. Rimmer furrowed his brow while examining the direction Dorian hade from. ¡°Is it the one who is supposedly wearing Ifrit¡¯s helmet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s him.¡± Leiran came up next to him and nodded. Her eyes started to show her fear. ¡°How powerful is he?¡± ¡°Erian said that he¡¯s at the novice level of Grandmaster.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not too bad¡­¡± He had the overwhelming advantage in terms of affinity, but they had the world tree¡¯s barrier, enhanced by the elder to work with. Rimmer estimated that they could win without much difficulty by dragging him into the barrier to fight. ¡°Prepare for battle, everyone!¡± Rimmer signaled with his hand, and Leiran ordered the guardians to prepare for battle. Every elf in Seipia surrounded the world tree, and a majestic me erased the darkness from the night sky. No, it wasn¡¯t a me. It was a huge human being wrapped in me. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s lips trembled as he gazed at the Crimson me Demon wearing Ifrit¡¯s helmet. ¡®That¡¯s supposed to be a novice-level Grandmaster?!¡¯ It was definitely not at a novice level. It had far surpassed the intermediate realm already. ¡®Is Erian incapable of estimating the opponent¡¯s strength now¡­ Huh?¡¯ Rimmer started to insult Erian in his mind but then noticed the rapid increase in heat and power emanating from Ifrit¡¯s helmet. Whaaam! The barrier protecting the world tree was shrinking from the intense heat, which was capable of even melting the soil, and Ifrit¡¯s helmet was bing more and more powerful. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s chin trembled as he looked at Ifrit¡¯s helmet. ¡®Is he absorbing the world tree¡¯s energy? Then¡­ did ite to Seipia in order to obtain the world tree¡¯s energy, not because of Grandpa?¡¯ p! Rimmer pped his own cheek. ¡®I was wrong!¡¯ He turned around and hurriedly shouted, ¡°Stop enhancing the barrier!¡± The barrier made by the elders was meaningless against that tremendous firepower. It was only going to help him get stronger even faster. Rip! However, it was already toote. The world tree¡¯s barrier was torn apart like a piece of paper, and the head elder and the elders copsed while coughing up blood in the middle of the barrier enhancement ritual. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°H-how¡­?¡± The head elder and the elders muttered with trembling eyes, unable to understand the situation. All of them had gained serious internal injuries and were going to be unable to fight properly. Whaaam! In contrast to them, Ifrit¡¯s helmet was getting more and more powerful, seemingly without any limit. Probably because it absorbed the world tree¡¯s energy from the barrier, it had already surpassed the intermediate realm and had reached the advanced level of Grandmaster. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Rimmer was the only one who couldst even for a moment against a monster like that. He unsheathed his sword with his left hand and stepped forward. Whoosh! Even though the energy of wind was covering him, he felt like he was getting cooked by the heat of the opponent¡¯s breath. ¡°You vermin.¡± Ifrit¡¯s helmet extended his hand towards Rimmer. The space distorted from the sheer heat emanating from the crimson me on his hand. Sword Field Creation. Eye of the Storm. Rimmer immediately activated the Sword Field Creation. He tried to reduce the me by creating a windless area, but the sword field was pushed back entirely by the overwhelming difference in power. Booom! Ifrit casuallyunched a me, and the faint shape of the world tree¡¯s barrier that remained waspletely destroyed. ¡®I was a fool.¡¯ Rimmer clenched his back teeth. ¡®I ended up cutting off my escape route¡­¡¯ But it wasn¡¯t time to regret the past. He had to create an opening somehow. Cring! Rimmer closed the distance to Ifrit from the left and thrust his sword. The wind covering the de started to vibrate and broke through theyer of me. ¡°Hmph!¡± Ifrit¡¯s helmet fended off the de of wind with the back of his hand, snorting at the insignificant attempt. aang! Even though it was an all-out attack, the de was pushed back, faltering like a wet butterfly. ¡®It didn¡¯t work after all. I even practiced using my left hand¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t control the sword as well as he wanted because he was wielding it with his left hand. It was regrettable that he was missing the right arm. ¡°Disappear.¡± Ifrit¡¯s helmet twisted his lips and extended his hand towards the sky. The crimson me unleashed from his hand hailed down from the sky. Whir! Rimmer unleashed all of his remaining energy upon witnessing the crimson me that could even destroy the world tree, let alone himself. Red lightning surged from the weak wind that was about to be extinguished and created a shield, blocking the rain of mes. Whaaam! However, the crimson me devoured even the lightning energy and the wind, intensifying its heat even further. ¡°Leiran!¡± Rimmer called out to Leiran, who was behind him, while still focusing on the me. ¡°Retreat! Run away with everyone!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± Leiran was checking the elders, and her chin trembled upon hearing his order. ¡°You are the only one! Escape with everyone! Save at least one person!¡± Trying to guard the protector and the world tree was meaningless in the face of that overwhelming power. Saving at least one person was more important. The fortunate thing was that Ifrit was still focused on him. She would be able to save a few people if she moved quickly. ¡°A meaningless struggle.¡± Ifrit¡¯s helmet sneered as Rimmer was holding onto thest bit of hope he had. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± Rimmer tried to respond but stopped himself. Eden¡¯s demons and the ashen skinned traitors appeared around the broken barrier and blocked their path. ¡°No one will be able to leave.¡± His voice sounded like a deration. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Rimmer wanted to save at least one person, but even that seemed to be difficult. Because the first move they made was the wrong one, the entire n had gone awry. ¡®Even so¡­ I¡¯ll fight back until the very end.¡¯ Rimmer clenched his sword and focused on his aura. Even though his energy center felt like it was being torn apart, he kept fighting back against the crimson me until the very end. Psssh! However, Ifrit¡¯s crimson me managed to spread its heat all the way to the hilt as it shed against the de. Rimmer felt like his hand was burning. ¡®I need a way. I need to find a way¡­¡¯ His eyes darted around in order to grasp an opportunity somehow. A silver moon and a golden sun rose in the dark sky at the same time. The shadow seeping in between the sun and moon unleashed a red and blue radiance. Whaaam! The Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire, which was spread like wings, started to waver to the point of breaking. Raon¡¯s sword faced Ifrit¡¯s me, engulfed by golden me and silver frost. However, the heated sweat flowing from his forehead implied that he was also having a hard time. ¡°Raon! Step back!¡± Rimmer called Raon¡¯s name with a hoarse voice. ¡°He isn¡¯t an opponent you can deal with!¡± Raon Zieghart was going to be the king in the future. He couldn¡¯t be allowed to die in vain. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t throw away your life here! Leave with Dorian and Yua!¡± ¡°You are right. He isn¡¯t an opponent I can face alone.¡± Strangely, he admitted to the difference in abilities. Rimmer was relieved to hear that. ¡°Since you know, hurry up¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should help me.¡± Silver luminance poured from Raon''s hand as the golden me in his eyes stood in stark contrast to the fire that was slowly fading away. ¡°So that I can defeat him.¡± Chapter 589 Chapter 589 Raon squinted while looking at the Crimson me Demon¡¯s crimson re. ¡®How much energy did he suck from the world tree?¡¯ The Crimson me Demon he was facing was an entirely different existence from the Crimson me Demon he¡¯d fought in the great forest. If he hadn¡¯t created the sword field before facing him, his skin would¡¯ve melted from the powerful heat. ¡®I can¡¯t win against that¡­¡¯ He would¡¯ve been able to fight the Crimson me Demon in the great forest with the Sword Field Creation and Wrath Release, but it was impossible to win against him anymore since he¡¯d devoured the world tree¡¯s energy. That was why he needed help. Alright! The King of Essence will help you! Wrath immediately nodded.Let the King of Essence advent right now since that fire guy is burning up the world tree that should¡¯ve been his nourishment. The King of Essence will turn him into an ice shard! He bobbed his finger, asking Raon to hand over his body already. ¡®I¡¯m not talking about you.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath and turned around. He asked again while looking at Rimmer¡¯s pale face, ¡°You can do it, right?¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Rimmer gasped upon seeing the calmness in Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®He asked me to help him instead of saying that he will help.¡¯ The reason why Raon asked for help was simple. He considered the battle to be his own. It was an expression of his determination that he wasn¡¯t going to withdraw from it and that Rimmer didn¡¯t need to be sorry about it. ¡®Moreover¡­ He is pretty much threatening me.¡¯ Since even a human being was fighting against the threat, he was threatening that an elf shouldn¡¯t idle around as the owner of thatnd. ¡®Seriously, this man¡­¡¯ Raon filled him with admiration every time he saw him. Rimmer felt like he was dealing with a higher existence than himself rather than a subordinate or a disciple. ¡°Of course!¡± Rimmer nodded, suppressing the pain in his abdomen. ¡°But we are both going to die if we don¡¯t finish it quickly. You should be aware of that fact, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at the world tree, where the roots were starting to burn. ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge of the attack, so focus on blocking his me.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Rimmer clenched his leaf-shaped sword, saying that he would do something about it. ¡°Even if two verminbine their focus, they are just vermin in the end.¡± The Crimson me Demon sneered while looking down on Raon and Rimmer. ¡°You should be careful. We might be vermin, but we are poisonous.¡± ¡°You are just a bug!¡± He furrowed his brow and scattered his mes. The moment the mes started to bend like a whip, Raon kicked the ground with the Supreme Harmony Steps. ¡°I¡¯m also confident with fire.¡± He made the rings of fire resonate to the maximum output. He dodged the me whips rushing at him by only using footwork and entered the Crimson me Demon¡¯s space. ¡°Let¡¯s see who burns better.¡± Raon thrust the blue demonic sword in his left hand. With a flickering silver light, the de of frost broke through the wall of me and advanced toward the Crimson me Demon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You said fire.¡± The Crimson me Demon raised his hand while snorting. The me that was severed by the demonic sword was reattached, and a powerful wave urred from it. The heat even managed to break through his six-star Fire Resistance and the ck Dragon Coat¡¯s protection, spreading throughout his body. Raon furrowed his brow, feeling the pain of a burn, and a dark green wind blew from behind him. Whaaap! It was Rimmer. His wind pushed back the Crimson me Demon¡¯s heat and created a path for the sword to pierce into. ¡®He¡¯s so reliable.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t exactly true when he was gambling, but Rimmer was the most trustworthy person Raon knew during a battle. A clear sword resonance spread around from the divine sword in Raon¡¯s right hand. The golden me advanced as powerfully as the sun, violently pushing back the crimson me in the process. The moment the Crimson me Demon¡¯s eyes started to tremble, Raon swung down the demonic sword in his left hand. The de of frost descended as beautifully as the moonlight, brushing past his shoulder. Pssh! Since he wasn¡¯t exactly a spirit, but a human being with spirit¡¯s power, red blood gushed from the deepceration on his shoulder. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Raon shook his finger up and down towards the Crimson me Demon. ¡°You should watch out for poison.¡± ¡°This is just a small scratch. It¡¯s too early for arrogance!¡± The Crimson me Demon twisted his lips and rubbed the wound on his shoulder. An intense me sparked, slowly healing theceration. ¡°Your swords won¡¯t be able to reach me!¡± ¡°It already reached you though.¡± Rimmer tilted his head while pointing at the wound that still remained. ¡°You are rather stupid, aren¡¯t you? You should be saying ¡®You won¡¯t be able to kill me¡¯ in a situation like this.¡± ¡°I know, right? He bluffs too much.¡± Raon followed up with Rimmer, curling his lips into a smile. ¡°Look at how he isn¡¯t even dressed properly. It already shows his mental status.¡± ¡°But why is he still wearing those pants?¡± ¡°He must have no confidence in that part.¡± Rimmer giggled, turning his sword behind his back. ¡°You bastards!¡± The Crimson me Demon looked at his pants for a moment and roared like a beast. The ck Dragon Coat curled up, almost looking like it was melting from the intense heat surging from his upper body. ¡°He¡¯s perfectly excited.¡± Rimmer created a powerful wind, allowing Raon to advance without fearing the heat. Thud! Raon dashed towards the Crimson me Demon, riding Rimmer¡¯s wind, which was pushing his back while suppressing the heat. ¡°Fuck off!¡± The Crimson me Demon extended his thick hand, and the me covering his body surged like a huge whirlwind. Raon set foot into the ming whirlwind, counting on Rimmer, who was supporting him from behind. aang! The de incorporating both me and frost shed against the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire, causing a huge shockwave to spread around. The vibration was so intense that even the world tree was shaking despite how deeply rooted it was. ¡®Is this still not enough¡­?¡¯ The divine and demonic swords were being pushed back by the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire. When the hem of ck Dragon Coat started to burn and turn into ash, a clear wind blew towards him. The wind advanced like a thinly sliced storm, rampaging like a living creature to enhance the divine sword¡¯s me and the demonic sword¡¯s frost while suppressing the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire. ¡°Stop bothering me!¡± The Crimson me Demon shouted in irritation andunched a spear of me towards Rimmer. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ He was still devouring the world tree¡¯s energy to get stronger even as they fought. It was necessary to finish him off once and for all while he was distracted by Rimmer. Raon thrust the demonic sword, concentrating the frost at the tip. It was the monarch of Wrath¡¯s ultimate technique. Snow Flower Demonic Sword Crack! Raon activated the Snow Flower Demonic Palm with a sword,pletely freezing the shield of fire protecting the Crimson me Demon. The silver light shed, dissipating the me while covering their vision as Raon bounced the divine sword with his right hand. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Thousand mes. Golden Void Infusion The divine sword¡¯s de split apart like a bamboo step, forming a prison of golden me. Whaaam! The Crimson me Demon retained hisposure even though he saw the bars of me approaching him. ¡°A weak me like this won¡¯t be able to harm me!¡± He sneered, tearing apart the Golden Void Infusion¡¯s me with his hand. Raon didn¡¯t panic, watching his actions with a smile on his face. He had been waiting for this moment from the beginning. Whaam! Raon released his wrath. Rotating the rings of fire as fast as possible, he executed the most powerful sword technique that he could use. Raon Zieghart Style. Sixth Form, Divine and Demonic Harmony Combination Technique Red-Blue Invincible Sword The divine sword¡¯s me and the demonic sword¡¯s frost burst out alongside a majestic radiance. The two des carried his conviction to cut through the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire and pierced his chest. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± However, the Crimson me Demon didn¡¯t give up on his life easily. mes burst from hiscerated body and pushed back the divine and demonic des. ¡°It¡¯s working! Keep moving forward!¡± Even though the Crimson me Demon¡¯s spear had sliced Rimmer¡¯s waist, he kept sending the wind to enhance the divine and demonic swords, telling him to continue the attack. However, Raon¡¯s expression gradually hardened even though Rimmer¡¯s energy was helping him. ¡®This bastard¡­ He is changing.¡¯ Even though the des were still piercing into the Crimson me Demon¡¯s body, he wasn¡¯t getting the sensation of cutting through a person at all. It was simr to how it felt when he cut through the darkness spirit summoned by Cassandra. He could guess that the Crimson me Demon was bing more and more like a spirit. ¡®I need to finish him off before he changes even more.¡¯ Raon ground his teeth to the point of breaking and unleashed his wrath even more powerfully. It was necessary to put an end to it, even if he had to overexert himself. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± His wrist felt like it was about to snap, but Raon exerted even more force and swung the divine and demonic swords until the very end. The me and frost advanced like lightning, cutting through the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire and tearing his body apart. ¡°It worked!¡± Rimmer shouted excitedly from behind, but Raon couldn¡¯t smile. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± He managed to cut through but he didn¡¯t manage to cut him. The Crimson me Demon had be a spirit entirely, absorbing the energy leaking from the world tree¡¯s roots. Only fire was spreading from his body instead of blood. He must¡¯ve taken arge amount of damage, but it wasn¡¯t a fatal injury at all since his body didn¡¯t have a physical form. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips trembled nervously upon noticing the Crimson me Demon¡¯s state. Raon swallowed nervously as he watched the Crimson me Demon regenerating his body with the me. ¡®He isn¡¯t even the issue. I¡¯m the problem.¡¯ Using the Red-Blue Invincible Sword and Wrath Release consumed arge amount of will and aura. Even the Sword Field wasn¡¯t going tost for long. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Rimmer had also reached his limit. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he could see the end of the battle. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± The Crimson me Demon tilted his chin, gazing at him arrogantly. ¡°You are exhausted, and I¡¯m getting stronger as we speak.¡± He curled his lips into a smile, stroking his chest where theceration waspletely gone. ¡°Despair is all that awaits you.¡± ¡°You are delusional.¡± Raon raised the divine and demonic swords with a grim smile on his face. ¡°Because I¡¯m only getting started now.¡± ¡°You are bluffing¡­¡± ¡°You are going to learn whether I¡¯m bluffing or not.¡± * * * Siyan clenched her fist, watching Raon and Rimmer¡¯s backs as they confronted the huge me. ¡®A-are they winning?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t see it properly, but she could tell that Raon was pressing onto the Crimson me Demon. She felt like they were going to win at this rate. She shifted her gaze to the back. The guardians and the elves were struggling to fend off Eden¡¯s demons and the ashen-skinned elves. More and more elves were copsing because their attacks were bing more and more ferocious. ¡®Just hold on a little longer.¡¯ Raon and Rimmer should be able to kill that monster soon enough and return to help them. The battle was pretty much over as long as that happened. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± Siyan shifted her gaze to the right upon hearing a ringing melody. A twin-tail girl was dashing through the battlefield, spreading her beautiful song. Her song revitalized their allies while confusing their enemies. Her might itself wasn¡¯t that amazing, but her influence was outrageous. The green-haired human who was fighting while protecting the girl was also quite peculiar. He took out ointments and arrows from his belly pocket to hand out to others and cut down the enemies with a fascinating swordsmanship. However, his trembling eyes suggested that he had a cowardly personality despite his prowess. Even so, it never stopped his sword and legs from moving. ¡®Those two humans are¡­¡¯ Dorian and Yua. They were both humans that had arrived with Raon. Let alone standing out in the Biography of Raon Zieghart, their names were barely mentioned. However, they fought on the battlefield, braver than anyone else. ¡®M-me too¡­¡¯ Siyan couldn¡¯t control aura nor summon a spirit, but she was confident in her archery skills. Siyan picked up a wooden bow from the ground. She was trying to help them even a little, and the head elder stopped her hand from the side. ¡°H-head elder.¡± ¡°Lady Siyan¡­¡± The head elder¡¯s eyes glowed fiercely. Siyan closed her eyes tightly, thinking that she was going to be scolded, but his voice was too quiet and powerless. ¡°R-run away.¡± ¡°What?¡± She blinked because his sudden request for her to run away left her dumbfounded. ¡°Wh-what do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°You should run away from here right now.¡± The head elder shook his hand, coughing up blood from his internal injury. ¡°Wh-why would I run away when everyone else is fighting?! Sir Raon is going to arri¡ª¡± ¡°He can¡¯t win.¡± He raised his trembling finger and pointed at the battlefield where Raon and Rimmer were fighting against the Crimson me Demon. ¡°That monster has already absorbed too much energy from the world tree. It¡¯s going to surpass the wall of transcendence in no time¡­¡± ¡°B-but Sir Raon¡­¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t manage to finish him off when he should¡¯ve. The human named Raon is definitely amazing, but his opponent has already surpassed his realm.¡± The head elder sighed deeply, saying that there was no chance of victory. ¡°The world tree¡¯s trunk is already on fire. We have no time. The escape will bepletely blocked if you waste any more time¡­¡± ¡°Th-then you should leave instead of me, head elder!¡± Siyan removed her nket and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s already toote for me. And¡­¡± The head elder stared at Siyan with a serene gaze. ¡°You are the only one who can secure our future, since Lady Siyan is a high elf.¡± ¡°B-but I¡¯m ipetent! I can¡¯t do anything correctly as a high elf¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t do anything correctly. You are the high elf who¡¯s been making more effort than anyone else, and that¡¯s why you have to go.¡± ¡°H-head elder!¡± Siyan unfurrowed her brow because it was her first time hearing a gentle voiceing from the head elder. ¡°Effort? H-how do you know that, head elder?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been watching you.¡± ¡°I-I thought you disliked me.¡± ¡°Why would I dislike you, Lady Siyan?¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± ¡°Why did I look down on you?¡± The head elder smiled faintly while looking at Siyan. His face looked red because the me around them was intensifying. ¡°Did you want me to encourage you or something? You¡¯ve read too many human books, Lady Siyan. We aren¡¯t humans.¡± He calmly shook his head. ¡°And I believe such encouragement is an irresponsible action. Anyone can say that, and even the ones who don¡¯t know anything about the situation can say the same. There¡¯s no meaning nor worth to such words. That¡¯s why all we can do as elves is to watch our kin.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siyan¡¯s lips trembled as she looked at the head elder. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ The head elder had always been strict. He got angry at her for covering herself in a nket and scolded her for speaking strangely. However, he¡¯d always been watching her and never criticized her unreasonably. Unlike the others, he¡¯d never called her ipetent. ¡°L-Lady Siyan. Please escape right now.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t die in a ce like this.¡± ¡°You are the only one who can revive the world tree, Lady Siyan.¡± The other elders stood up while faltering and also voiced their honest concerns. They ran towards the battlefield while bleeding, determined to carve the path for her at the cost of their lives. ¡°Open the path!¡± ¡°Hold on until the end!¡± They weren¡¯t the only ones. The injured elves and guardians were also following the elders. They killed their enemies and opened the path even though their bodies were burning. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Siyan trembled, covering her shoulders with her arms. ¡®What have I even been doing so far?¡¯ She¡¯d thought that every elf other than her grandfather hated her and looked down on her. However, she realized that she was the one who¡¯d ignored the other elves and shut herself in her room. Some of them must¡¯ve really hated her, but so many of her kin were waiting for her to stand back up. ¡°Leiran!¡± ¡°Yes, head elder.¡± Leiran ran up to the head elder with a burn wrapped around her shoulder. ¡°Take Lady Siyan and the humans, and escape to the West.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Leiran stared at the head elder¡¯s eyes for a moment and eventually nodded. ¡°Lady Siyan. No, Siyan. Please survive.¡± The head elder gently stroked Siyan¡¯s head and moved to the west. He violently coughed up blood and unleashed a wave of water, reducing the me scorching thend and driving away the red demons and ashen elves. ¡°Excuse me. We have no time.¡± While Siyan stood there in a daze, Leiran picked her up and dashed to the west, carrying her on her shoulder. Siyan bit her lip while looking at Sterin, who was still resonating with the world tree. ¡®Grandfather. You were right, Grandfather.¡¯ He¡¯d always smiled gently at her, saying that she didn¡¯t need to be so afraid of the world. She wanted to protect him, and every elf that had believed in her. She didn¡¯t want to see anyone else die anymore. ¡°Pleasee this way too, the two of you!¡± Leiran waved her hand towards Dorian and Yua, shouting for them to follow her. Siyan closed her eyes, her blurry vision reflecting the elves getting further away. ¡®I can¡¯t just save myself like this.¡¯ She put her hands together and bit her lip tightly. ¡®Please! Please! If I¡¯m really a high elf, please give me a small miracle at least!¡¯ Siyan¡¯s honest cry of despair connected to the world, and a blue shard started to form around her chest. * * * ¡°Huff.¡± Raon exhaled deeply while fending off the me rushing towards him. ¡®This is the worst.¡¯ The Crimson me Demon grew stronger as its mes spread to the World Tree, making the heat increasingly unbearable. He hadn¡¯t managed to reach transcendence and his martial technique had not drastically improved, but the output was just so powerful that none of his attacks worked anymore. ¡®Even the Sword Field is going to be gone soon¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t maintain the Sword Field for much longer because he¡¯d spent too much energy executing the Red-Blue Invincible Sword. He wouldn¡¯t even be able to face his opponent once the Sword Field was over. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Rimmer¡¯s strikes weren¡¯t carrying the fragrance of wind anymore. He was barely maintaining the Sword Field, and he was in no condition to continue the battle. ¡°Entertain me with your desperate struggle.¡± The Crimson me Demon sneered and extended his hand. Fireballs as powerful as an astral sphere started to rain down like a shower. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Raon spread the divine and demonic swords left and right and activated the me Spirit. A beautiful flower bloomed from the tree, flickering silver as it defended against the Crimson me Demon¡¯s rain of fire. Wham! Wham! Thousands of ice shards and fireballs collided, shaking the world with tremendous force. Thick steam rose from the sh, forming a dense, foggy wall. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t thinking that was the end of it.¡± The Crimson me Demon casually snapped his fingers, and eight fire tornadoes burst out to surround Raon. There was no dy between his attacks, probably because of the world tree¡¯s power. Crack! Raon bit his lip to the point of bleeding and swung up his sword to create a sword barrier. He looked behind him while defending against the fire tornadoes. ¡°Division leader, escape for now!¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Rimmer started to respond but powerlessly fell to his knees. His Sword Field disappearedpletely, and the heat in the surrounding area intensified rapidly. ¡®Oh no¡­¡¯ He must¡¯ve reached his limit because he¡¯d been facing the Crimson me Demon alone before Raon had arrived. He should¡¯ve actually been praised forsting that long. Hmph! Wrath approached while rubbing his nose, an evil smile on his face. You have no other choice anymore! He bobbed his thick finger. Let the King of Essence advent. A fire guy like that will be extinguished in an instant. Wrath shouted at Raon to stab his stomach already since he would have to do it anyway. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon¡¯s feet started to dig into the ground as he got pushed back by the storming fire. He couldn¡¯t figure out any other way to ovee the situation. ¡®Do I have no other choice¡­?¡¯ Regardless of Seipia, it was necessary to kill the opponent in order to save himself, Rimmer, Dorian, and Yua. ¡®Is advent the only way?¡¯ Wrath had told him that the Demon King¡¯s Advent had a low chance of sess, and the side effects would increase the more he used it. If the side effect was even bigger than the previous usage, he might revert to the Master realm. It was also possible to get an irreversible injury. ¡®But I still have to do it.¡¯ Raon turned around the demonic sword¡¯s de. He was about to use that sword to turn his own body into a boundary. Whaaam! A tremendous amount of mana stormed from the world tree¡¯s center. The blue light soaring towards the sky was way too dazzling. The pure water surged as if it hade to life, taking the shape of a giant woman. Her long hair was fluttering like the ocean, and her skin¡ªas transparent as a water drop¡ªwas shining elegantly under the moonlight. The blue goddess who seemed to be the manifestation of beauty extended her hand, and blue rain started to fall from the dry sky, which was filled with nothing but smoke. Swaaa! The sweet taste of rain acted like a fountain of life to save the dying elves and extinguished the me scorching thend. ¡°Wh-why is that bitch even here?!¡± The Crimson me Demon¡¯s chin trembled intensely as he saw the watery woman floating in the air. Arrrgh! Wrath also screamed, gazing at the woman made of water. Why is that water girl appearing right now?! ¡®Water girl¡­?¡¯ Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he looked at the merciful smile of the goddess of water. ¡®Is she the water spirit king?¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously and saw the spirit king again, noticing that she was carrying someone on her palm. It was a blonde-haired elf with a delicate atmosphere around her. Raon had never seen her face before, but he could tell who she was thanks to her temperament. It was Siyan. ¡®Did Lady Siyan summon the spirit king?¡¯ However, a crimson me burst from her chest before he could continue his thought. Whaaap! The energetic and fiery me poured down towards Raon instead of ascending to the sky like the water spirit king. Chapter 590 Chapter 590 Siyan widened her eyes while looking at the gigantic woman who was carrying her. Her energy of water had a lot higher purity than spirits who were already close enough to nature. There was no way she wouldn¡¯t recognize her even though she¡¯d never seen her before. ¡°Th-the water spirit king!¡± The water spirit king smiled gently, confirming her thoughts. Siyan couldn¡¯t tell for sure, but her smile felt bitter and painful for some reason. ¡°Pl-please help us!¡± Siyan grabbed the water spirit king¡¯s finger and went to her knees. ¡°Please! Save everyone!¡± Her wish wasn¡¯t to kill their enemies or to save herself. She wanted to save her kin that she¡¯d been ignoring so far and the family that always believed in her and waited for her. ¡°......¡±The water spirit king stared at Siyan¡¯s eyes for a while and eventually nodded. She extended her hand, and the ashen sky glimmered blue, spreading transparent raindrops around. As the rain that was clear enough to reflect their faces began to fall, life started to return to the dying elves'' expressions. Even the severe burns on the head elder and the other elders who¡¯d sacrificed themselves to carve a path for her started to subside. It wasn¡¯t ordinary water. It was the source of life, the water spirit king¡¯s moon water that was rumored to even revive the deceased¡ªsimr to how Ifrit¡¯s crimson me could incinerate everything. Psssh! The rain of moon water didn¡¯t simply save the elves. It even quenched the inextinguishable crimson me and removed the intense heat. Sterin had been dying from the heat, but his darkplexion had slightly improved. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Siyan sank to her knees from above the water spirit king¡¯s palm and sighed in exhaustion. ¡®I¡¯m so d. I¡¯m really d¡­¡¯ The elves that were on the verge of death were being revived thanks to the moon water. She was happy that she could save her kin rather than the fact that she managed to summon the spirit king. Siyan clutched her excited chest and looked downwards. The elves were all looking at her with wide eyes. They had instinctively recognized the spirit king¡¯s presence. The elves that had been waiting for her and those who had been looking down on her were all trembling in astonishment. The head elder and the elders were astonished and smiling at the same time. Since she¡¯d managed to summon the spirit king after they tried to save her at the cost of their lives, they must¡¯ve been surprised and happy at the same time. ¡®Those are the expressions that I¡¯ve been dreaming about.¡¯ She¡¯d been dreaming about making them surprised like that because she¡¯d thought that everyone looked down on. She¡¯d been thinking that she was going to achieve resonance one day and make fun of them, but she didn¡¯t think like that anymore¡ªnot after the conversation she¡¯d had with the head elder. She was satisfied with the fact that she¡¯d managed to save everyone. Siyan put strength in her trembling legs and stood up. The Crimson me Demon and Raon had also stopped fighting, and they were watching her with widened eyes. Siyan smiled faintly while looking at Raon¡¯s round eyes. ¡®It¡¯s all thanks to you, Sir Raon.¡¯ The reason she could muster the courage without giving up was all thanks to him. If she hadn¡¯t met him, she would still be shaking under her nket. ¡®I¡¯m really thank¡ª¡¯ She was trying to thank him, but the area around her chest started to hurt again, just like when she¡¯d summoned the water spirit king. However, a violent heat could be felt, unlike the previous asion. ¡°Aaack!¡± Siyan couldn¡¯t withstand the boiling heat and let out a scream. A radiance of fire even more powerful than the Crimson me Demon¡¯s was unleashed from her chest and fell towards Raon. * * * Raon narrowed his eyes while touching the crimson me surrounding his body. ¡®It¡¯s not hot.¡¯ The energy of fire had a higher purity than the Crimson me Demon, but he wasn¡¯t feeling the slightest pain. It was warm rather than hot. It felt like a campfire warming up his body. However, the warmth wasn¡¯t the only thing the crimson me was delivering to him. It was shoving a powerful energy of fire into his body, which had lost most of its aura. Rumble! His dried-up mana circuits were refilled with energy, and a powerful me was ignited in his empty energy center. Raon looked at Siyan, who was standing on the water spirit king¡¯s hand. He¡¯d thought that his ancestor¡¯s beads might be inside Siyan¡¯s body, and he must¡¯ve guessed right. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect those beads to be the spirit kings, though¡­¡¯ Raon clenched his fist while looking at the darkening me. ¡®Is the fire spirit king of this generation entering my body?¡¯ Since the previous spirit king was Ifrit, and he¡¯d be Eden''s helmet, Raon could guess that the huge existence entering his body was the new fire spirit king. ¡°Kuh!¡± The Crimson me Demon was also surprised at the unexpected situation and watched with trembling lips. His eyes were zing with madness from behind the helmet. Whaaap! The Crimson me Demon polished his me like a de and thrust it towards Raon, trying to burn him up in an instant. Raon frowned while looking at the ming sword approaching him. ¡®I need to dodge¡­ Hmm?¡¯ He was about to dodge it because he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the strike in his condition, but the new spirit king unleashed its me and created a wall to block it. Whaaam! The crimson de and the crimson wall shed against each other, and crimson me engulfed the surroundings. Fire was trying to spread again to thend that had finally regained its life, but the heat rapidly subsided thanks to the water spirit king¡¯s moon water. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The Crimson me Demon violently ground his teeth, gazing at the two spirit kings that stopped his me. ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Erian finally returned andughed like a madman while looking at Raon. ¡°I told you! He is the spirit king¡¯s contractor! I was right!¡± He tapped on the shoulders of the elves who were watching the scene nkly and shouted that he was right. ¡°I-is this for real? Did the fire spirit king really make a contract with that human?¡± ¡°I-impossible¡­¡± ¡°But look at that crimson me. It¡¯s even more intense than the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire! It¡¯s really the spirit king!¡± ¡°I can understand Lady Siyan, but how could a human be the contractor of a spirit king¡­?¡± The elves were surprised with trembling eyes, unlike Erian. Raon couldn¡¯t afford to care about what the elves were saying. He was busy checking his own condition. ¡®The current spirit king has no sense of reason.¡¯ Unlike the water spirit king who was protecting Siyan, the fire spirit king who had entered his body was acting instinctively, without any proper thought. Raon guessed that it was just born. ¡®Is it because of Zieghart¡¯s ancestor?¡¯ Raon was quite certain that the spirit king was guided to him by the Ring of Fire or the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation that he¡¯d inherited from his ancestor. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ He had practically exhausted his energy, but he could use the spirit king¡¯s energy to keep fighting against the Crimson me Demon. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ Raon bit his lip and raised the divine and demonic swords. He activated the Ring of Fire in order to use the spirit king¡¯s energy of fire as a recement for the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation. Rumble! The rings of fire resonated with each other and naturally started to guide the spirit king¡¯s energy. An extremely cold energy started to flood into him from his left shoulder. How dare you! It was Wrath¡¯s doing. He screamed while raising his plump fist. This weasel belongs to the King of Essence! How dare you try to cut in line when you are just a newborn fire guy! ¡®W-wait a moment!¡¯ Shut up! An uninvited neer needs to be destroyed! Wrath unleashed a tremendous amount of wrath and coldness, saying that he would never allow it. Rumble! The fire spirit king also unleashed even more heat than before, threatened by Wrath¡¯s energy. ¡®Ack¡­¡¯ Wrath¡¯s coldness piercing him from the left and the energy of fire zing from the right started topete, and Raon felt like his energy center was being sliced by a de. Rip! Since the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire was threatening him from the outside while Wrath and the spirit king¡¯s energies shed from the inside, Raon felt like he was going to die both mentally and physically. ¡®It¡¯s so painful that I want to die, but¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip to the point of bleeding and raised his head. ¡®I can use this power.¡¯ He was used to fire thanks to the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and Wrath¡¯s energy even put him at ease. Raon figured that he could use both energies like his own. He rotated the rings of fire that hade to a halt again. He increased his soul level to the limit and took control of the energiespeting in his energy center and mana circuits. He incorporated Wrath¡¯s coldness into the demonic sword zing in his left hand and covered the divine sword flickering in his right hand with the spirit king¡¯s me. Whaaam! The radiating light was at least twice as dazzling as when he created the Sword Field for the first time. It felt like the darkness of the night faded away and the day had returned. Raon curled his lips into a smile while pointing his divine and demonic swords at the Crimson me Demon. His body felt like it was being torn apart by the demon king and the spirit king¡¯s energies, but he smiled without showing it on the outside. ¡°It¡¯s time to end this fight.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The Crimson me Demon violently ground his teeth and unleashed his fiery me. ¡°You are just vermin who''s gotten stronger using someone else¡¯s power!¡± ¡°You''re no different.¡± Raon swung the demonic sword to cut down the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire that was rushing toward him. Whaaam! Even though the crimson me was rumored to be inextinguishable, it disappeared as soon as it touched Wrath¡¯s ice, as if it had never existed. ¡°H-how¡­¡± The Crimson me Demon¡¯s eyes trembled violently as he watched the me. ¡°It¡¯s too early to be surprised.¡± Raon pierced into the Crimson me Demon¡¯s space. He shoved his divine de into the opening there. Psssh! The me, a mixture of a golden and crimson hue, broke through the me shield protecting the Crimson me Demon and stabbed into his shoulder. Rip! It was different from the other time. mes and blood were leaking from his shoulder at the same time even though he¡¯d be a spirit. ¡°Kuh! You bastard!¡± The Crimson me Demon covered his bloody shoulder and stepped back. His bloodlust intensified even further even though his eyes were wavering. Thud! Raon caught up to the Crimson me Demon, stepping upon thend that was scorched ck. ¡°Argh!¡± The Crimson me Demon iled his arms wildly, scattering the me spears. It seemed to be a random attack, but every single me was capable of killing an opponent in an instant. Raon incorporated the principle of the Fangs of Insanity into the divine sword and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art with the demonic sword. The two swords advanced, their trajectoriesbined as a single attack, connecting under the dappling moonlight. Crack! The ming spearheads that the Crimson me Demon had unleashed with his full power were shot down like cherry blossoms and subsided. His weakened me couldn¡¯t even burn the bushes anymore. ¡°Huu¡­¡± The Crimson me Demon ttered his teeth as he watched his me fade away. Raon advanced with the Supreme Harmony Steps without even wasting his time making fun of the Crimson me Demon. ¡®I don¡¯t have enough time.¡¯ The transcendental energy that he was using couldn¡¯t be maintained forever. His willpower was also at its limit, and he could copse at any moment. That was why he had to finish the battle as quickly as possible. aang! He suddenly extended his demonic sword, shing against the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire. As expected of Eden¡¯s demon, he kept sucking the world tree¡¯s energy until the very end and unleashed all of his remaining energy. sh! Raon pulled the demonic sword backward to regain his bnce and shed upwards with the divine sword. mes scratched at thend and ascended to cut through the Crimson me Demon¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The Crimson me Demon raised his hand overhead even though blood was gushing from his stomach. The fireball bursting from his hand rapidly expanded and became a fireball as huge as the sun. Zap! Raon bit his lip while watching the ming sphere getting bigger and bigger. He could hardly approach the Crimson me Demon because of the tremendous heat. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all!¡± The Crimson me Demonunched the huge fireball at once, trying to destroy the world tree itself at the same time as Raon. Thend disappeared as soon as the sphere reached it, and the sky that had cleared up was distorted to the point of shattering. Raon fixed the grip on his swords while watching the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fireball, which was as big as the world tree. ¡®I need to fend it off¡­¡¯ He still had the power of his doormats. In fact, they were still fighting to refill it. Rumble! The fire spirit king¡¯s warm me pushed against his back. Begone already! This is the King of Essence¡¯s food! Wrath, the king of doormats, unleashed frost even more powerful than the fire spirit king. Raon focused those two energies into the divine and demonic swords. Even though he was sending them to the swords instead of taking them upon himself, he felt like his hands were bursting and his bones were breaking. He clenched his wrist, which felt like it was about to shatter, and forced his mana circuits to stabilize before he swung down the divine and demonic swords. Even in that situation, Raon didn¡¯t entrust everything to the power. The Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art¡¯s principles dwelling in the descending des cut through the center of the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fireball. Rumble! Fire devoured fire, and frost tore apart the heat. The power of the Monarch of Wrath and the current fire spirit king even managed to extinguish the Crimson me Demon¡¯s me, which had almost reached transcendence. Crack! Raon could see the Crimson me Demon¡¯s eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out amidst the dying embers of the fireball. It looked like he couldn¡¯t move properly because he¡¯d added too much power into the fireball. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ Raon advanced his exhausted body and thrust the demonic sword towards the Crimson me Demon¡¯s neck. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ But something unexpected happened. His upper energy center closed up from reaching his limit, and the Sword Field was undone. The demonic sword¡¯s long de disappeared, and the thin and short de of Requiem was revealed. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Raon kept extending his arm and shoved aura into the de of Requiem, but the time was too short. The short de of the dagger only managed to slightly brush past the Crimson me Demon¡¯s neck. ¡°¡­It¡¯s my victory in the end!¡± The Crimson me Demon roared, as if he could finally rx, and extended his right hand. Crimson me was unleashed from his huge palm covering his vision. Whaaap! Raon¡¯s breath weakened before his skin turned red from the heat. His willpower was also at the limit, and he couldn¡¯t think straight. He was staring at the storming mes when a sharp sound piercing through the air came from behind him. Psssh! The blue arrow suddenly changed its trajectory from the sky and destroyed the Crimson me Demon¡¯s arm that was approaching him. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± The Crimson me Demon let out an unbefitting scream and stepped back, surprised by the sudden attack. ¡°Do it now!¡± Raon could tell who it was just from hearing the voice. It was Siyan. She was supporting him, having be a true high elf after regaining her confidence. Raon bit his tongue. He stomped the ground with his left foot, steadying his faltering mind, which was about to copse. He incorporated all of the spirit king and Wrath¡¯s energies that were stillpeting against each other into his right hand. Whaam! Raonbined the explosive energy into one. He swung down Heavenly Drive, vibrating to the point of breaking, towards the Crimson me Demon, who had started to run away. Craaack! The Crimson me Demon created a wall of fire to defend himself, but Heavenly Drive¡¯s de¡ªengulfed by me and frost¡ªcut off his head before he could even resist. Chapter 591 Chapter 591 The Crimson me Demon¡¯s transformation into a spirit was undone, and crimson blood gushed from his chest. Tap. Raon dropped Heavenly Drive from his right hand. He had no more strength left to hold the sword. However, the me in the Crimson me Demon¡¯s eyes wasn''t extinguished yet. He seemed to have no intention to give up, even though he was on the verge of death. ¡°Gaaaah!¡± The Crimson me Demon roared loudly and extended his hand towards the world tree instead of Raon. A tremendous heat gushed out of his crimson hand, where his skin waspletely torn off. He had unleashed a crimson me by burning his own life. Rumble! Raon was sent flying to the back as if the heat of the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire had pped his face.You are just a fire guy! Are you looking down on the King of Essence?! ...... Raon wanted to attack back, but his head throbbed as if it were about to split apart, with Wrath and the fire spirit king still fighting against each other. He felt like he was going to faint, but he forced himself to steady his mind because the Crimson me Demon was still alive. Whaaap! Water flowed down elegantly, as if a waterfall appeared from the sky, and blocked the path of the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire. It was the water spirit king¡¯s moon water. ¡°Stop getting in my way!¡± Even though the Crimson me Demon coughed up a dangerous amount of blood, he didn¡¯t withdraw his me. It seemed to be his desperate struggle, since he was going to die anyway if he didn¡¯t do anything. Psssh! His me further intensified and started to evaporate the moon water. ¡®Is the water spirit king really losing?¡¯ Raon shifted his gaze while thinking it was strange, and he could see that Siyan was faltering, unable to stand straight. Blood was flowing down from her nose and mouth. ¡®Is she at her limit? No, I should be saying that it¡¯s strange she managed tost this long.¡¯ Even though Siyan was a high elf, it would be difficult to control the spirit king¡¯s power on her first attempt. She¡¯d already done enough bysting until then. ¡®I need to finish him off.¡¯ Rimmer was unable to move, the head elder and the elders were severely injured, and the other elves couldn¡¯t even get close to him because of the heat. It was up to him to finish the battle. ¡®But what can I do¡­?¡¯ The Sword Field was closed, and he couldn¡¯t even stand straight, let alone swing his sword, because Wrath and the fire spirit king were still fighting. The Crimson me Demon was solely focused on the world tree while ignoring Raon because he was aware of that fact. ¡®Wait a moment¡­ He is ignoring me, right?¡¯ Raon examined the Crimson me Demon, who wasn¡¯t even ncing at him and touched the de of Requiem in his left hand. ¡®I have a way.¡¯ There was thest move he could make to kill the Crimson me Demon. Raon weakened his grip on the de of Requiem and stomped the scorchednd with his right foot. He connected the rebound rising from his ankle to his thigh, waist, and shoulder tounch the de of Requiem in an instant. Psssh! The red de rushed towards the Crimson me Demon¡¯s heart, incorporating the principle of dagger throw instead of aura. ¡°Hmph!¡± The Crimson me Demon only focused on breaking through the water spirit king¡¯s moon water because he noticed that the de of Requiem didn¡¯t have any aura in it. He seemed to think that the de of Requiem wouldn¡¯t even reach him because of the wall of heat. Whoosh! It was also true in reality. The de of Requiem faltered, unable to advance because of the Crimson me Demon¡¯s heat even though it was wrapped in ghastly energy. Raon didn¡¯t do anything even though he saw that the de of Requiem was about to be shot down. He was waiting for the right moment. The Crimson me Demon realized that the de of Requiem wasn¡¯t a threat to him and fully focused on the water spirit king. At that moment, thest ember filled Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡®Now!¡¯ He opened up his upper energy center, which had recovered a little in the meantime. He incorporated his murderous intent to break through the me and kill the Crimson me Demon into the de of Requiem. Whir! Probably because it was such an extreme situation, the de of Requiem¡¯s will connected to his own as if they¡¯d always been together. Raon got the pleasant feeling of a cool wind blowing into his brain, which felt like it was about to be cooked. Whir! The de of Requiem was falling after losing to the heat but it stopped wavering and rose back up. The red de advanced even faster than when it was carrying the astral sphere and broke through the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire. Whack! It all happened in an instant. The de of Requiem shot forward like a ray of light, shattering the Crimson me Demon¡¯s helmet and piercing straight into his skull. ¡°Cough!¡± The Crimson me Demon¡¯s hand fell powerlessly. His life started to fade away when even aceration on his chest couldn¡¯t kill him. ¡°D-Dancing Sword¡­?¡± The Crimson me Demon¡¯s dry lips trembled as he looked at Raon. ¡°You¡¯ve been deceiving me all along¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Raon exhaled roughly and shook his head. ¡°It was a coincidence.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. It was because of the urgency of the situation that he¡¯d managed to connect with the de of Requiem. If it was an ordinary situation, he would¡¯ve failed it 100 times out of 100 attempts. ¡°Uuh¡­¡± The Crimson me Demon fell on his knees and copsed. He twisted his lips while extending his hand towards the world tree. ¡°I-it was within my reach¡­¡± It was thest thing he said before he perished. Raon kept watching him just in case, but he didn¡¯t stand back up. ¡°What a tenacious bastard¡­¡± Raon eximed and fell backward. ¡®I¡¯m really at my limit now.¡¯ He had exhausted everything, his stamina, aura, and willpower alike. He didn¡¯t even have any strength left to keep his eyes open. ¡®They should be able to manage with the rest of the enemies.¡¯ Since he¡¯s in the Red Demon Snake, Cassandra, and even the Crimson me Demon, the elves should be able to take care of the rest. To be honest, he couldn¡¯t be bothered anymore and just wanted to sleep. Because¡­ Alright! If you want to struggle so much, then the King of Essence is just going to devour you! ...... Wrath and the fire spirit king were still fighting inside him. Wrath had the overwhelming advantage in power, but the fire spirit king remained as tenacious as a leech. ¡®Stop fighting, you crazy things¡­ I¡¯m really going to die at this rate!¡¯ * * * Rimmer gasped while crawling towards Raon, who had copsed. ¡°He really did it in the end. What a monster.¡± Raon had managed to cut through the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire and shattered his skull even though he was way more powerful. Even though the fire spirit king and the water spirit king had helped, it was an impossible feat to achieve. ¡®Thest sword technique he did¡­ It was the Dancing Sword¡­¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t have worked if the Crimson me Demon hadn¡¯t let his guard down because of how imperfect it was, but Raon¡¯s dagger definitely followed the flow of Dancing Sword. ¡®It was only recently that Grandpa taught him about the Sentient Arrow. How could he already¡­?¡¯ It hadn¡¯t even been a week since Sterin had shown him the principles of Sentient Arrow. The fact that he¡¯d analyzed that profound principle and made it into his own was shocking. ¡®A monster. No, it¡¯s not even enough to describe him.¡¯ He was called a genius at first, and a monster afterward, but it was still not enough to describe Raon. ¡°Good job.¡± Rimmer managed to approach Raon with lots of difficulty and gently stroked his singed blond hair. ¡°And thank you.¡± Seipia would¡¯ve turned into ashes and Eden would¡¯ve gained a new transcender if it weren¡¯t for Raon. Regardless of the fact that he was his disciple and a subordinate, Rimmer simply felt grateful to Raon. ¡°Sir Raon!¡± He looked behind him upon hearing Siyan¡¯s voice. She was running towards them while wiping her nosebleed with the back of her hand. ¡®Yeah. He¡¯s also a benefactor for her.¡¯ It was all thanks to Raon that Siyan could muster the courage and managed to summon the spirit king. There were so many things to thank him for once he woke up from his slumber. ¡°Siyan, are you o¡ª¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± Shepletely ignored Rimmer, knelt in front of Raon, and started to examine his condition. ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you see how badly injured I am¡­?¡± ¡°You are alive. That¡¯s enough!¡± Siyan murmured that he should just go ahead and apply some ointment or something and grabbed Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°Sir Raon, are you okay?¡± Raon couldn¡¯t respond because he was already unconscious. ¡°What should I do?!¡± Siyan epted some moon water from the water spirit king, which had decreased in size, and poured it into Raon¡¯s mouth. Blood was flowing down from her mouth because of her internal injuries, but her hand never stopped. ¡°Rimmer.¡± The head elder came to them after eliminating the remaining enemies and extended his hand towards Rimmer. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer grabbed the head elder¡¯s injured hand and stood up. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The head elder let out a short exmation while looking at Raon. ¡°What the hell is that monster?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart. He is currently my disciple and my subordinate, but in the future¡­¡± Rimmer smiled faintly while gazing down at Raon, whose eyes remained closed. ¡°He will be the king that I¡¯m going to serve.¡± He called him the king with an unusually serious voice. ¡°I see.¡± The head elder wasn¡¯t surprised, nor did he scold him. He simply nodded, acknowledging that he had the qualities to be the king. ¡°We should probably be included in that serving¡­¡± ¡°I told you!¡± He was briefly catching his breath when Erian came up to them and raised his fist. ¡°That human! He is the spirit king¡¯s contractor!¡± Erian imed that his long faith was finally paid back with a refreshing smile on his face. ¡°Moreover, he even became the savior of elves on top of being the spirit king¡¯s contractor! My intuition is never wrong!¡± He grinned and shook his hand towards Leiran, who was standing there nkly. ¡°Leiran, you didn¡¯t believe in Raon! How do you feel right now?¡± ¡°A-about that¡­¡± Leiran stuttered, unable to respond. ¡°You called me crazy, didn¡¯t you? This is what you call a wise investment!¡± Erian looked thrilled about Raon bing the spirit king¡¯s contractor, even more than about Seipia surviving. Even his personality had changed entirely. ¡°The spiritual realm should be stabilized now since the water spirit king and the fire spirit king were revived¡­¡± ¡°Be quiet already!¡± He raised his voice, and Siyan yelled at him while examining Raon. ¡°L-Lady Siyan?¡± ¡°Sir Raon is in a strange condition.¡± ¡°Strange?¡± Rimmer hurriedly approached Raon. ¡°Heat and coldness are fighting inside Sir Raon. The heat must be the fire spirit king, but what could the other one be?¡± Siyan¡¯s head trembled, saying that she couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°The other one?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a coldness, but it¡¯s even more powerful than Eim¡¯s¡­¡± She shook her head, saying that she could sense an energy even more intense and gigantic than the water spirit king. ¡°I-isn¡¯t it the second water spirit king or something? Or your water spirit king made a contract with him at the same time¡­¡± Erian blinked while looking at Siyan. ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible!¡± Siyan rapidly shook her head and looked at Raon again. ¡°This thing inside Sir Raon¡¯s body is¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Th-the fire spirit king¡¯s energy has suddenly disappeared! Wh-what¡¯s happening?¡± She widened her eyes, unable to understand. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I can¡¯t sense the fire spirit king¡¯s energy anymore.¡± Rimmer and the head elder dropped their jaws, noticing that the spirit king¡¯s energy had disappeared. ¡°Th-then what¡¯s going to happen now? Is Raon in danger?¡± Erian worriedly examined Raon. ¡°No. The coldness is also fading away now, and he¡¯s being stabilized.¡± Siyan shook her head with a sour face. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because the fire spirit king returned to the spiritual realm?¡± Rimmer asked while scratching his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Siyan shook her head while looking at Raon¡¯s face, which seemed to be at ease. ¡°What could¡¯ve happened?¡± * * * Raon lifted his eyelids with difficulty. ¡®Where am I¡­?¡¯ He could see a brown ceiling, resembling finely woven tree trunks. He seemed to be in a different house, one belonging to an elf, instead of the inn where he¡¯d been staying before. ¡®Well, I guess it was burnt up.¡¯ He could guess that he was carried there because everything other than the houses behind the world tree had been turned into ash. ¡®It wasn¡¯t an easy fight.¡¯ The Crimson me Demon was powerful. More precisely, he became powerful. Raon could finally understand how overpowered it was to get stronger while fighting. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Raon clenched his fist, feeling that his strength hadn¡¯tpletely returned yet. ¡®I¡¯ve also gotten stronger thanks to him.¡¯ The duel to the death while using the fire spirit king and Wrath¡¯s power had slightly improved his realm, which had stabilized after he¡¯d reached Grandmaster. It wasn¡¯t just about the realm. The experience of wielding such immense power would undoubtedly prove invaluable in the future when he aimed to reach even greater heights. ¡®Putting that aside¡­¡¯ Raon closed his eyes and examined his condition once again. ¡®The fight in there must¡¯ve concluded now.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t sense Wrath and the fire spirit king¡¯s energies anymore, even though they were still fighting when the Crimson me Demon was defeated. They both seemed to have left. ¡®Wrath must¡¯ve won.¡¯ The fire spirit king was as persistent as a leech, but there was no doubt Wrath would have prevailed in the end because of the overwhelming difference in power. ¡®Wrath.¡¯ What¡¯s shup?¡± Raon called out to Wrath, and he slowly crawled out from the bracelet. ¡®What happened to the fire spirit king?¡¯ What else? He was crushed by the King of Esshence¡¯s dignity. He snorted without looking at Raon. ¡®Did it return to the spiritual realm, then?¡¯ Raon licked his lips. He wanted to see what the fire spirit king looked like. That was why it felt regrettable that it¡¯d left before it happened. ¡­¡­ Wrath didn¡¯t respond, twitching his plump cheeks. ¡®What are you doing by the way?¡¯ Wh-what do you mhean? ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the back of Wrath¡¯s head. His cheek couldn¡¯t stay still for some reason, and his pronunciation was strange. He almost looked like he was eating something. ¡®What are you eating?¡¯ Huff! Wrath covered his mouth with his chubby hands and shook his head as if he had been caught. ¡®Hey.¡¯ Raon grabbed Wrath¡¯s head and turned it around. As expected, he was chewing something in his mouth. An ominous feeling ran down his spine like a burn. ¡®Spit it out.¡¯ Since Wrath had a spiritual body, there was no way he was eating anything ordinary. He was definitely doing something strange. N-no! This is for the King of Essence! Wrath closed his mouth tightly, refusing to spit it out. ¡®Spit it out!¡¯ Raon grabbed Wrath¡¯s mouth. He tried to force it open, but his chin was so strong that Raon couldn¡¯t open it even though he used all his strength. ¡®What are you even eating right now?!¡¯ I-it¡¯s a candy. Wrath shook his hand, telling him not to worry about it since it was just candy. ¡®Candy?¡¯ Indeed. It¡¯s a strawberry-vored candy. Don¡¯t worry about it. ¡®Strawberry vored¡­¡¯ The mention of strawberry vor reminded him of what Wrath had told him before. Green spirits taste like green grapes, and red spirits taste like strawberries. Wrath had said it when he was talking about his visit to the spiritual realm. Raon swallowed nervously and looked at Wrath again. ¡®Hey, d-don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ It¡¯s not true! ¡®What¡¯s not true?!¡¯ Raon gritted his teeth and walked up to Wrath. He forced his mouth open by mustering all his strength. Tap. A crimson candy fell from the slight gap in Wrath¡¯s mouth. The teeth marks all over the candy implied that it had been chewed on many times. ¡®It¡¯s really candy¡­ Huh? mes?¡¯ Raon examined the candy and widened his eyes. A faint ember that was about to be extinguished was zing around the candy. The me felt familiar for some reason. ¡®N-no way¡­¡¯ He shouldn¡¯t be saying no way because he was certain about it. It was the fire spirit king¡¯s energy that had helped him during the battle against the Crimson me Demon. ¡°The spirit king is dead¡­¡± Raon¡¯s lips trembled as he clutched his head. ¡°The spirit king appeared after a thousand years but he died again!¡± That¡¯s why you should¡¯ve fed the King of Essence when he asked¡­ ¡°You food waster!¡± Chapter 592 Chapter 592 Raon couldn¡¯t suppress his anger and smacked Wrath¡¯s head. Whaack! Along with the shattering sound of a rock, Wrath¡¯s face smashed onto the ground. H-how dare you hit the King¡­ ¡°You should be d that I didn¡¯t beat you to death!¡± Raon furiously bared his fangs towards Wrath, who was shaking in anger. Ugh! Wrath was surprised and leaped back while rubbing his face. ¡°Haa¡­¡±Raon sighed and looked at the fire spirit king that Wrath had spat out. He could barely feel any energy of fire, unlike during their first encounter. ¡°How could you kill it as soon as it was born? That¡¯s so mean.¡± Th-the King of Essence warned it so many times to leave! It isn¡¯t his fault that it didn¡¯t listen to him! Wrath shook his head, saying that he¡¯d done nothing wrong. ¡°Even then, you should¡¯ve just beaten him up a little and sent him away. Why did you go so far?¡± The King of Essence was originally nning to just teach it a lesson. ¡°And?¡± Th-the smaller version of the fire guy was glowing weakly like a bead ice cream. It just looked so delicious¡­ Wrath licked his lips, saying that he couldn¡¯t suppress his urge. A-anyway, it¡¯s not the King of Essence¡¯s fault! He was just educating that child who dared to hit a boulder with an egg¡­ ¡°Shut your mouth, unless you want to have nothing but Nadine bread for the rest of your life.¡± Hap! Wrath covered his mouth with both hands and lowered his head onto the floor. Raon couldn¡¯t understand how he was the demon king of wrath when threatening him with food was more effective than pressuring his mind. ¡®What should I do¡­?¡¯ If others found out that the fire spirit king was eaten to death, his achievement of saving the elves would be gone and they might chase him around as an archenemy for the rest of his life. It had to be avoided no matter what. ¡®I¡¯d do anything if I can help it¡­ Hmm?¡¯ Raon examined the fire spirit king while biting his lip and noticed that the ember that was about to be extinguished started to ze extremely faintly. ¡®Is it not dead yet?¡¯ It was faint, but a small ember started to burn again inside the bead. Raon extended his hand towards the fire spirit king¡¯s bead. He could feel a faint but warm energy from it. ¡®I can save it.¡¯ The reason the fire spirit king hade to him was because it had noticed his ancestor¡¯s energy, not because it wanted a contract. Raon guessed that he could save it by using the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and the Ring of Fire. Whir! He purified the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me with the Ring of Fire to create a concentrated me of extreme purity. He carefully grabbed the fire spirit king and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire in between his fingers. Whaap! A light golden me seeped into the fire spirit king, creating a radiance simr to the midday sun meeting the evening sunset. Raon swallowed nervously while watching the fire spirit king¡¯s weak breathing. ¡®It¡¯s being revived.¡¯ The fire spirit king was only the size of a candy, but it was gradually increasing in size, by absorbing the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire. It quickly grew to the size of a child, befitting the power of a king even though he was beaten up by Wrath. ¡®He looks different.¡¯ The fire spirit king looked like a human male, unlike the lizard helmet that the Crimson me Demon was wearing. He was extremely handsome, but his eyebrows were lowered sharply, giving off a fiery impression. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The fire spirit king slowly opened his eyes. He didn¡¯t look like a human or reptile. His sharp and slitted eyes shifted towards them. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon let out a sigh of relief. ¡®I¡¯m saved.¡¯ The fire spirit king¡¯s energy had also returned to being normal. He was really d that he wouldn¡¯t be the archenemy of the elves and the spirits. ¡°Did youe to your senses?¡± ¡°¡­A human?¡± The fire spirit king blinked. He seemed to be unable to understand the situation yet. It wasn¡¯t strange because he just managed to survive being chewed up by a demon king. ¡°That energy is strangely familiar¡­¡± He stood up while meeting Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes. I followed that energy and went to you.¡± The fire spirit king nodded, saying that he was instinctively attracted to Raon. Raon didn¡¯t like hisck of respect, but he overlooked it since he was a spirit king and was confused. ¡°But there was a monster in your body. It was a huge and evil energy that even I, who was born as a king, couldn''t withstand. All I could do was to struggle against it.¡± He hung his head, saying that he¡¯d fought to save Raon but ended up being defeated. The King of Essence isn¡¯t a monster! Wrath had been sulking but he suddenly stood up. He is the monarch of¡­ Haap! Raon hurriedly ran to Wrath and covered his mouth. ¡°......¡± However, the fire spirit king¡¯s eyes were already directed at Wrath. ¡°Huaaah!¡± The fire spirit king trembled like a deer facing a carnivorous beast and frantically retreated. ¡°It¡¯s him! It was him! That monster followed us all the way here!¡± His face turned pale, unbefitting of the fire spirit king. He seemed to be feeling Wrath¡¯s energy instead of seeing him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him.¡± Raon shook his head while bouncing Wrath like a ball. ¡°He can¡¯t do anything in this state.¡± Can¡¯t do anything?! Don¡¯t look down on the King of Ess¡ª ¡°Nadine bread.¡± Haap! Wrath shut his mouth again as soon as Nadine bread was mentioned. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The fire spirit king widened his eyes while watching Wrath, who becamepletely obedient in Raon¡¯s hand. ¡®Wh-what¡­? Why is that monster being so mild?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe that the monster who overwhelmed him, who was born as the fire spirit king, was being stopped by a human. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him.¡± Raon pushed Wrath away and shook his head. ¡°How is your condition?¡± ¡°N-Nadine bread?¡± The fire spirit king shouted Nadine bread, which Raon had mentioned a moment ago. Huh? Wrath shoved his face over Raon¡¯s shoulder and furrowed his brow. Hey! You damned fire guy! Do you seriously have a death wish? If it wasn¡¯t for this weasel, you would¡¯ve been chewed to death by the King of Essence! ¡°Huaaah!¡± The fire spirit king remembered how he was being chewed by Wrath and fell backward while curling up. You need to be eaten to the bones¡­ ¡°Nadine bread.¡± Wrath quickly flew towards the fire spirit king as if he were going to eat him again. However, as soon as Raon shouted ¡°Nadine bread¡±, he suddenly stopped mid-air. Nadine bread¡¯s power even ignored thew of momentum. D-damn it¡­ ¡°I told you to behave yourself.¡± Raon grabbed Wrath¡¯s tail to throw him behind him and walked up to the fire spirit king. ¡°Like I said before, don¡¯t mind him and¡­¡± ¡°Wh-who are you, Great Sir?¡± The fire spirit king straightened his back, treating him with great respect, unlike before. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are definitely human. Could you tell me how you managed to tame that monster?¡± T-tame? Are you seriously insane?! No one in the world can tame the King of¡­ ¡°Tsk!¡± Ugh¡­ Raon clicked his tongue, and Wrath shut his mouth again. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The fire spirit king¡¯s jaw dropped, his head trembling in shock. He seemed to be so shocked that he was terrified. ¡°My name is Raon Zieghart. I¡¯m just an ordinary human.¡± ¡°O-ordinary?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon casually nodded. ¡°You defeated a monster who possesses even more coldness than the water spirit king that was born with me. How could you call yourself ordinary?!¡± The fire spirit king shook his head, saying that he hadmon sense even though he was only born recently. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the fire spirit king¡¯s chin tremble. ¡®Fortunately, he didn¡¯t recognize Wrath.¡¯ It looked like he didn¡¯t figure out Wrath¡¯s identity thanks to hisck of experience, despite being born withmon sense. ¡°Please tell me. How did you make that monster surrender to you?¡± ¡°It was through a battle of willpower.¡± Raon briefly licked his lips and tapped on Wrath¡¯s head. ¡°He attacked with his coldness, and I withstood it with willpower and won.¡± ¡°H-how did you withstand that¡­?¡± The fire spirit king dropped his jaw, amazed by the fact that he¡¯d managed to withstand that soul-shattering pain. ¡°Please tell me if there¡¯s a secret technique for it!¡± ¡°You just have to endure it. There¡¯s no other way.¡± Raon shook his hand, saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Hmph! That human is the most persistent human in the world! Someone like you won¡¯t be able to do it even after your death! Wrath snorted, telling him to not even try it. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The fire spirit king stared at Raon for a long time and mmed his head on the ground while putting his trembling hands on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you!¡± Haah? Wrath made a strange sound, asking what he was even talking about. ¡°I¡¯ve seen from the records that humans serve the person they respect as their older brother. I will serve you as my older brother from now on!¡± The fire spirit king mmed his head onto the ground again and shouted for him to please ept him. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon gasped while looking at the fire spirit king¡¯s trembling head. He figured that it was another doormat behavior of Wrath¡¯s. * * * Raon calmed the fire spirit king down and patted his head. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to be followed by a king like you.¡± The fire spirit king had told him that he¡¯d fought until the end for Raon¡¯s sake. Since he seemed to be a good spirit king, Raon didn¡¯t want to lie to him. ¡°Not at all! The mere fact that you rescued me from that evil fiend¡¯s mouth makes you already entitled to my service!¡± Apparently, the spirit king was making a serious mistake right from the start. ¡°My name is Ifrit! I¡¯ll follow you for the rest of my life, big brother Raon!¡± ¡°Ifrit?¡± Raon furrowed his brow upon hearing the fire spirit king¡¯s name. ¡°But wasn¡¯t the previous spirit king also named Ifrit¡­?¡± ¡°Ifrit means ¡®fire spirit king¡¯. It¡¯s necessary to receive that name to inherit the power.¡± Ifrit nodded, saying that was how spirit kings were always born. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon extended the hand that he had been using to rub his chin and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me. ¡°Does this me remind you of anything by any chance?¡± ¡°It has a nostalgic feeling. The reason I followed you was because I felt that same emotion back then.¡± Ifrit smiled faintly, saying that it was such a mysterious feeling. As Raon had expected, Ifrit hade to him because he mistook his fire for his ancestor¡¯s. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve been connected since our previous lives, big brother.¡± It was interesting how he was talking about nostalgia and previous life when he was born only recently. ¡°Stop with that big brother for now¡­¡± ¡°Let me give a small present to you, big brother.¡± Ifrit raised his finger, and a small ember flew from it to reach Raon¡¯s chest. Whaaap! The warm me spread throughout his body before he could even stop it and seeped into the mana circuits. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Hidden Fire, usually used to raise a contractor.¡± ¡°Hidden Fire?¡± ¡°If you can make that fire into your own, big brother Raon¡¯s fire should be able to reach a new realm.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°The effect will be halved if I exin any further. You must realize it on your own to achieve the original purpose." Ifrit shook his head, saying that it wouldn¡¯t be effective anymore if he exined everything. ¡°I¡¯d like to stay with my big brother, but the spiritual realm is continuously calling me as we speak. It looks like a lot has copsed while me and Eim have been away.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sterin, Erian, and Rimmer also mentioned that the bnce in the spiritual realm was broken because two spirit kings were missing. Raon could guess that the other spirit kings were calling Ifrit. ¡°We shall be able to meet again soon enough.¡± Ifrit politely lowered his head, became a small ember, and disappeared. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed as soon as Ifrit was gone and fell on his ass. ¡®It was so hectic.¡¯ The demon king chewed the fire spirit king in an attempt to eat him, and Raon managed to save the fire spirit king, who now wanted to serve him as an older brother. The situation felt like a dream. Ahem¡­ Wrath approached him with a frown and tapped on his hand. You know it all happened thanks to the King of Essence, right? Someone like you would¡¯ve never be that fire guy¡¯s big brother otherwise. He raised his nose, telling him to feel grateful. ¡°......¡± Raon quietly grabbed Wrath¡¯s head and tail, then stretched him out like he was wringing outundry. Gweeeh! ¡°How long are you going to keep causing issues?!¡± Th-the King of Essence was just trying to protect his home! He shook his head, saying that he was just trying to drive the fire spirit king away since he was an illegal intruder. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon released Wrath and nodded. ¡®He isn¡¯t exactly wrong.¡¯ In Wrath¡¯s perspective, the fire spirit king was the intruder. That was why he must¡¯ve tried his best to save himself and Raon. Of course, he should be still called crazy for trying to eat the spirit king. And. Wrath red at Raon. You¡¯d better stop being so arrogant towards the King of Essence. ¡®Huh?¡¯ The King of Essence has obtained a new power. ¡®New power?¡¯ The King of Essence took that fire guy¡¯s energy in order to win against you, although he normally wouldn¡¯t even have cared about it. Wrath dered, unleashing a crimson me from his plump hand. The King of Essence can even use mes now, on top of coldness¡­ ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon rubbed his temple while looking at Wrath¡¯s confident expression. ¡®What are you even going to do with fire that is weaker than your coldness?¡¯ Huh¡­? ¡®Moreover, I have high fire resistance, too. Do you want to try it?¡¯ Raon shook his finger up and down, telling him to try attacking. Pssh¡­ The me zing on Wrath¡¯s end was extinguished. He sank to the ground, his shoulders trembling in frustration. Damn it¡­ Raon wasughing at his ridiculous behavior when the ground suddenly caved in and a baby fox with dirt all over its fur jumped out. Huaah! The madwoman! Wrath leaped backward in surprise. ¡°Merlin!¡± ¡°You¡¯re safe!¡± Merlin smiled happily and bobbed her front paw. Her voice was livelier than the previous encounter, implying that she had recovered her power. ¡°I¡¯ve been so worried.¡± She murmured that she was sorry because she had no strength left to do anything even though she wanted to. ¡°No, I¡¯m the one who told you not to do anything.¡± Since Eden was the opponent, and someone could be watching from another location, Raon had repeatedly asked Merlin not to take any action. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve gotten better after some rest.¡± Merlin blushed, saying that she was perfectly fine. ¡°How is Eden doing? Did theypletely withdraw?¡± ¡°The operation was prepared for the Crimson me Demon, but he ended up dying. It¡¯s over for them.¡± She nodded, saying that they¡¯d nned the incident to make the Crimson me Demon stronger. ¡°The Fallen must¡¯ve gotten angry.¡± ¡°I think so. He is frowning right now.¡± ¡°H-he is frowning right now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Merlin smiled cheerfully and scratched the ground with her front paw. ¡°We are in the middle of a conference right now.¡± * * * The sky darkened above the blue ocean, where a red sun rose continuously throughout the year. The Fallen was sitting at an antique wooden desk, and he moved his eyes to the right. ¡°¡­So, did all of them end up dying? To Raon Zieghart, at that?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± The Green-Eyed Demon nodded. He was wearing a mask with green eyes drawn on it. ¡°......¡± The Fallen remained silent and tapped the desk with his finger. A mysterious light shimmered on his mask, which was engraved with the face of an extremely handsome young man. ¡°I can understand about the Red Demon Snake. Since he was in charge of the operation, he could¡¯ve died since he wasn¡¯t that powerful. However, Cassandra was a Grandmaster, and I don¡¯t even need to exin about the Crimson me Demon.¡± He continued, sweeping his disheveled hair back, ¡°The Crimson me Demon must¡¯ve reached the advanced Grandmaster¡¯s realm after he absorbed the world tree¡¯s barrier. I can¡¯t believe that Raon Zieghart managed to cut him down.¡± ¡°R-Raon Zieghart wasn¡¯t the only one involved. The high elf Siyan managed to summon the water spirit king even though she was considered ipetent.¡± ¡°A newborn spirit king shouldn¡¯t have been able to think properly. In the end, it was Raon Zieghart who ruined everything.¡± The Fallen¡¯s murderous intent was added to his faint smile. ¡°Hmm, now that I think about it, there was a strange part about it.¡± ¡°Strange part?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart should¡¯ve been a guest in Seipia, but he volunteered to scout the surroundings and appeared on the battlefield even faster than the other guardians.¡± The Green-Eyed Demon lowered his head, saying that he¡¯d found it a bit strange. ¡°......¡± The Fallen stroked his chin and shifted his gaze to the right. ¡°Merlin.¡± His gaze was directed at Merlin, who was sunbathing on the sandy beach. ¡°Do you know anything about this?¡± Merlin¡¯s eyelids were lifted naturally, swept up by his ghastly gaze. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 593 Chapter 593 ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Merlin narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. ¡®Does he suspect me?¡¯ The Fallen spoke to her as soon as Raon¡¯s name was mentioned even though she¡¯d only shown up to the conference. That implied that he was somewhat suspicious of her. She had to ask what he meant before iming she wasn¡¯t rted to the matter. ¡°Because you are still interested in Raon Zieghart.¡± The Fallen continued with a calm voice, as if he didn¡¯t mean anything special by it, ¡°I¡¯m asking what you know about his current state.¡± ¡°Am I interested in Raon Zieghart?¡± Merlin twisted her lips, slightly lifting the edge of her mask. ¡°Are you not?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡±Merlin nodded while giggling. ¡®I should honestly admit it here. A sloppy lie isn¡¯t going to work.¡¯ She had disturbed the Five Demons so many times before to help Raon. There was no way the Fallen wouldn¡¯t be aware of it. ¡°I resolved myself to crush Raon Zieghart¡¯s neck because he devoured Loctar¡¯s soul, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to attack him when I saw him because I could sense Loctar¡¯s fragrance from him.¡± Merlin furrowed her brow and skillfully mixed the truth and lies. ¡°Is that why you disturbed the event prepared by the Holy Sword Alliance, the ck Tower, and the White Blood religion?¡± As expected, the Fallen was aware that she¡¯d shed against those three factions. Not lying to him was the correct move. ¡°Yes. I couldn¡¯t let him die on my watch.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Merlin covered her red lips with the old woman¡¯s mask, saying that there was nothing more about it. ¡°I can somewhat understand you.¡± The Fallen briefly nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Then let me ask again. Do you know anything about how Raon Zieghart managed to take action so quickly in Seipia?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Merlin firmly shook her hand and leaned her back against the sand again. ¡°I only saved Raon Zieghart because I happened to see him. I don¡¯t really follow him around. Moreover¡­¡± She raised her finger and shook it left and right. ¡°How am I supposed to know what he¡¯s doing when I¡¯m right here?¡± ¡°You should be able to use magic like that.¡± ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t really care as long as he doesn¡¯t die on my watch. I¡¯m not that attached to him to the point where I would do such a thing.¡± Merlin closed her eyes, saying that she wouldn¡¯t do it with her personality. ¡°......¡± The Fallen stared down at Merlin¡¯s mask without saying anything. ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s something you would do.¡± He nodded and lightly raised his gaze again. ¡°This matter caused quite a lot of damage.¡± Despite saying that they took a lot of damage, the Fallen¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t gloomy at all. ¡°The Red Demon Snake¡¯s death is a good thing, but Cassandra and the Crimson me Demon¡­ No, regardless of everything, the fact that the Crimson me Demon perished instead of regaining his power is the biggest issue.¡± He weakly tapped on the desk with his long, thin finger. ¡°The Heavenly Demon¡¯s faction is going to put pressure on us.¡± The man wearing a troll shaman¡¯s mask briefly clicked his tongue. ¡°Those damned things. I¡¯m going to twist their necks if theye to us!¡± The woman wearing a griffon¡¯s mask already looked irritated, veins bulging on her neck. ¡°That¡¯s not a big deal. I can nullify it.¡± The Fallen shook his head and looked up to the sky. ¡°The problem is that someone is changing heaven¡¯s flow.¡± ¡°Heaven¡¯s flow¡­?¡± ¡°I read heaven¡¯s flow before we started this incident. The world tree was supposed to burn, the spiritual realm should¡¯ve copsed, and I saw that the Crimson me Demon managed to reach transcendence. However¡­¡± His peaceful gaze turned ice cold. ¡°The result is theplete opposite. The world tree managed to survive, two spirit kings were born, stabilizing the spiritual realm, and the Crimson me Demon perished. The heaven¡¯s flow that I saw was perfectly reversed.¡± The Fallen¡¯s eyes became serious as he supported his chin with his fingers sped together. ¡°There aren¡¯t that many people who can change heaven¡¯s flow. They have to be at transcendence, and the Ten Heavens on top of that, and they even have to sacrifice a lot to achieve it.¡± ¡°D-does that mean that Raon Zieghart has reached transcendence¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± He shook his head. ¡°ording to the information left behind by the Red Demon Snake, or rather I should call him the Blue Lizard Snake, he is still at the entry level of Grandmaster. That¡¯s why this is even more problematic.¡± Deep dimples were carved at the lower part of the Fallen¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Because it implies that Raon Zieghart can change heaven¡¯s flow without reaching transcendence. I wasn¡¯t going to pay much attention to him, but¡­¡± His eyes dropped towards Merlin, a frightening heat emerging from them. ¡°I¡¯ll have to change my mind a little.¡± * * * ¡°¡­That¡¯s what happened!¡± The baby fox raised a hand energetically, as if asking to be praised. ¡°......¡± Raon blinked while looking at the fox kit, which was possessed by Merlin. ¡°But you are under suspicion now!¡± Judging from what the Fallen had said, he was pretty much saying that he would be watching Merlin, even though he hadn¡¯t said it directly. No, he might have already guessed Raon¡¯s rtionship with Merlin with as dangerous as he was. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you care when you know that fact?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you.¡± Merlin gently waved her front paw. ¡°I don¡¯t have any attachment to Eden. It was already the case in the past, and I really don¡¯t care at all anymore.¡± She shook her head, saying that she was only remaining in Eden in order to leak their information. ¡°That¡¯s not even the issue. You¡¯re in danger.¡± ¡°I love it whenever you worry about me. I want to record it.¡± Merlin¡¯s cheeks blushed and she twisted her back feet. Haa, she is seriously insane¡­ Wrath escaped into the ice flower bracelet, saying that he couldn¡¯t watch anymore. ¡°Take it more seriously. You are already in danger.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Merlin casually nodded. ¡°But it was worth taking the risk.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I ended up under suspicion, but I managed to save you in return. I¡¯m satisfied with that.¡± She smiled, saying that it was enough for her. Her bright smile showed that she was serious about it. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raon sighed, clutching his head. He couldn¡¯t scold her anymore after what she said, but he still had to say this. ¡°You did manage to save me, and I¡¯m thankful about it.¡± ¡°Oh my! There¡¯s no need for thanks between us.¡± ¡°But you should care more about yourself now.¡± Raon ignored Merlin and looked into her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t approach me anymore in your main body. You should never do that, even if I¡¯m in danger.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just try. Do it no matter what. And¡­¡± Raon raised his finger and pressed onto the nose of the baby fox. ¡°Make preparations to escape.¡± Judging from the Fallen¡¯s reaction, he might have already started to investigate her. It was extremely important for her to prepare an escape route. ¡°I¡¯ve roughly prepared it, but I¡¯ll make sure to think about it since you said it.¡± Merlin caressed Raon¡¯s hand with her front paw, telling him not to worry about her. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Raon sighed and nodded. ¡°Haa, I¡¯m feeling full at this point because you¡¯re worried about me so much.¡± Merlinughed happily and let out a small burp. The fact that she looked cute because of her appearance as a baby fox made him irritated. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now since I managed to confirm your safety.¡± She looked up to the ceiling reflecting the sunlight, saying that the time was up. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon straightened his back and swallowed nervously. ¡®What is it this time?¡¯ He nervously waited for Merlin to continue, and she swept her front paw into the air. ¡°This one wants to be groomed.¡± ¡°Groomed?¡± ¡°Grooming refers to how animals use their tongue to tidy their fur. They sometimes groom each other as a way of bonding.¡± ¡°T-tongue?¡± Raon¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the baby fox. ¡°This one lost its parents recently, and it¡¯s all alone now. It said that it wants to be groomed, even from a human.¡± Merlin caressed herself, saying that it was a poor child. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon couldn¡¯t refuse after hearing the baby fox¡¯s story. He would have to groom it with not just his tongue but even his heart. Hup! Wrath secretly crawled out and covered his mouth. How pitiful¡­ He said it was pitiful, but Raon had the feeling his lips would be curved into a smile if he took off the hand covering his mouth. ¡°I''ll leave it to you!¡± Merlin waved her hand and left. The ck eyes of the baby fox met his own. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the baby fox. It was even more difficult to refuse after meeting its eyes. ¡°Let me mentally brace myself.¡± Raon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ¡®Let¡¯s just do it ten times. My tongue might get a bit sore, but¡­¡¯ Raon opened his eyes after he prepared his mind, and the baby fox was smiling like a human being. ¡°Huhu.¡± ¡°Merlin!¡± Raon pushed the baby fox away since Merlin¡¯s voice wasing from it. ¡°You are definitely different from other people.¡± Merlin smiled happily, saying that she knew he would do that. ¡°Grooming doesn¡¯t have to be done with your tongue. You can just caress it with your hand.¡± She grinned, saying that his behavior was interesting. ¡°I¡¯ll really leave now.¡± That was thest thing she said, and the baby fox¡¯s eyes glowed with a light brown hue. She really must¡¯ve left this time. The baby fox chittered and approached his knee, rubbing its face against it. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll do it as much as you want.¡± Raon let the baby fox sit on his knee and carefully stroked it from head to tail. Stroke it properly! Tidy every single strand of fur! ¡®I get it, so be quiet please.¡¯ Yip. The baby fox wagged its tail happily, with smiling eyes. ¡®It¡¯s not only good for this guy.¡¯ For some reason, he was also feeling at ease even though he was just caressing the baby fox. Grooming must be giving him peace of mind. Raon stroked the baby fox for a while, and the door was opened, letting Rimmer, Dorian, and Yua enter the room. ¡°Sir Raon! You woke up!¡± Dorian came running, fell onto his knees, and lowered his head. ¡°Does it hurt anywhere?¡± He sniffled, saying that he was worried a lot. ¡°Look at him, I told you there was no need to worry about him. He has a body of steel.¡± Rimmer patted Raon¡¯s shoulder with a grin. ¡°Young master!¡± Yua ran towards Raon, carrying the tray she¡¯d brought with two hands. ¡°Watch out.¡± Raon caught Yua with the hand that was caressing the baby fox. Grr. The baby fox narrowed its eyes, asking what was going on. ¡°Huh? What is that fox?¡± ¡°It was next to me when I woke up.¡± Since he couldn¡¯t tell them that Merlin was possessing it, Raon simply pointed at the hole where the baby fox hade in from. ¡°It must¡¯ve entered through there.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Yua looked at the fox with sparkling eyes. ¡°Do you want to pet it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Raon nodded and picked up the baby fox to give it to Yua. ¡°Good boy.¡± Yua held the baby fox in her arms and caressed it like it was something precious. Raon watched Yua and the fox for a while, then shifted his gaze towards Rimmer. ¡°Is it over now?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me that? You dealt with everything.¡± Rimmer smiled, saying that it was already over when the Crimson me Demon was defeated. ¡°I was asking just in case.¡± ¡°It ended nicely. Grandpa survived, and the world tree has also survived. Some of my kin have died, but it was inevitable.¡± He murmured with a bitter voice that Raon shouldn¡¯t worry about it. ¡°You should eat for now since you must be hungry.¡± Dorian picked up a steamy yellow soup from Yua¡¯s tray and handed it over. It looked like a corn soup with small pieces of bread, and it had no scent whatsoever, which was rather interesting. Ooh! Wrath thoroughly licked his lips while looking at the soup. Soup is great since you¡¯ve been starving this whole time! Eat it right now! ¡®I guess I¡¯m hungry.¡¯ Raon nodded and ate a spoonful of the soup. Even though it had no scent, the taste of rubber spread all around his mouth as soon as he put it in his mouth. Kuaah¡­ ¡°Is this¡­?¡± ¡°The soup is made with Nadine bread.¡± Rimmer smiled while pointing at the soup. ¡°I prepared something that would fill you with a single bite because I figured you wouldn¡¯t be able to eat that much, as your stomach shouldn¡¯t be in good condition.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Raon briefly responded and looked at Wrath. His plump body started to shine red. You damn Eden bastards! Don¡¯t worry! Wrath raised his fists and violently ground his teeth. The King of Essence will annihte all the shitty ears in your stead! ¡®This is pretty good.¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath¡¯s wrath and continued to eat the Nadine bread soup. Gueeh¡­ As soon as the rubber taste seeped into his tongue, Wrath¡¯s wrath was naturally extinguished. This damnednd! He¡¯s nevering back here! * * * ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sterin slowly lifted his eyelids. An intense exhaustion and pain were spreading in his serious eyes. ¡°Protector!¡± ¡°You are awake!¡± The guardians guarding the world tree came running at him. ¡°I did wake up, but I must be toote.¡± Sterin sighed while looking at the scorched roots and trunk of the world tree. ¡°Do you already know what happened?¡± The head elder, who was running the temporary barrier, walked up to Sterin and lowered his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details since I was in resonance. All I could tell was that the word tree was in intense pain.¡± Sterin furrowed his brow, saying that he could feel the burning pain when he was inside the world tree. ¡°Then please allow me to exin.¡± The head elder sighed briefly and sat next to Sterin. ¡°It started with Raon Zieghart. He suggested that we scout the world tree, saying that he had a bad feeling¡­¡± He exined everything that had happened so far to Sterin. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s what happened. The spirit kings¡­¡± Sterin wasn¡¯t too surprised even when he¡¯d heard that Raon and Siyan controlled the spirit kings, implying that he¡¯d somewhat guessed the situation. ¡°We arergely indebted to that youngster.¡± ¡°Indeed. If we take into ount Lady Siyan¡¯s awakening as well, it will be difficult to repay the debt.¡± The head elder nodded in agreement. ¡°You look different somehow.¡± Sterin narrowed his eyes while looking at the head elder. ¡°Because I couldn¡¯t stay the way I was before after what I witnessed.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sterin¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile and he stood up. He almost sank back to the ground, but the head elder supported him. ¡°What is Siyan doing?¡± ¡°She is patrolling around Seipia instead of the protector to remake the world tree¡¯s barrier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I wanted to teach her.¡± He briefly clicked his tongue, indicating his genuine regret about it. ¡°Would you like to check on her?¡± ¡°I would, but I have a task that needs to be done beforehand.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The head elder nodded with a gentle smile on his face, implying that he knew what he meant. ¡°That task has the highest priority.¡± * * * Raon left his room upon hearing that Sterin had awakened. ¡°Is the protector alright?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be surprised to see how fine he is.¡± Rimmer nodded with a grin. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how long my grandpa is going to continue being the protector.¡± He clicked his tongue, saying that he was so tough. Despite what he was saying, Raon could guess that he couldn¡¯t even sleep at night with his worry. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while walking the path leading towards the world tree. ¡®So much has been burnt.¡¯ The path between Seipia and the world tree was full of ash. Even for the elves, it would take a long time to restore the forest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Rimmer shook his hand, noticing his thoughts. ¡°The forest will be revived as long as the elves are here. This much isn¡¯t that difficult to revive.¡± He smiled, saying that he could say that for sure. ¡°You should mind yourself instead. Have you tried the Dancing Sword again?¡± ¡°I did, but it didn¡¯t work. It must¡¯ve been a coincidence after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. If you could do it right away, I would¡¯ve given up on wielding a sword and opened a gambling house instead.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you already open it at this point? You usuallymute to it all week long.¡± ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating!¡± Raon walked while joking with Rimmer, and he reached the world tree before he knew it. However, most of the elves living in Seipia were gathered, instead of just having Sterin there. ¡®What?¡¯ Raon stopped walking, thinking that it was strange. ¡°We aren¡¯t there yet.¡± Rimmer caught Raon¡¯s wrist and dragged him to the center of the world tree. ¡°I¡¯ve brought¡­ I¡¯ve guided him here.¡± He went next to Sterin and grinned at Raon. ¡°You¡¯ve awakened. I¡¯m d to see that.¡± Raon awkwardly lowered his head to Sterin. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to a certain person.¡± Sterin smiled faintly and looked up to the world tree. Even though more than half of the trunk was burnt, it wasn¡¯t enough to truly harm the huge tree. ¡°I felt the burning pain when I was united with the world tree. I was aware that it was caused by an attack from the outside, but it was impossible to get out of the resonance.¡± He briefly clicked his tongue while touching the part that was burnt. ¡°I thought it was all over since even the world tree was being attacked, but I suddenly sensed pure energies of fire and water. They were noticeable even though I was in resonance. It allowed me to grasp onto a faint hope.¡± Sterin¡¯s gaze shifted. It was different from before. He used to see him as a praiseworthy grandson, but his gaze now incorporated his respect directed at someone standing on the same rank as him. He wasn¡¯t the only one. Every elf was looking at him the same way, including the head elder and Erian. ¡°Let me be the first.¡± Rimmer walked up to Raon. He put his left hand onto his right shoulder and went on one knee. ¡°The Blossom Branch n greets our benefactor.¡± ¡°D-division leader?¡± Before Raon could even question him, Erian stepped forward from the left and made the same posture as Rimmer. ¡°The Cotton Branch n greets our benefactor.¡± ¡°The Shiwa Branch n greets our benefactor.¡± ¡°The Maran Flower n greets¡­¡± ¡°The Karan Stem n¡­¡± The n chiefs weren¡¯t simply shouting their words. Their sincerity transferred through their wills and tickled Raon¡¯s heart. ¡°Seipia¡¯s protector greets the benefactor of our tribe.¡± Sterin stepped forward in the end. He also went on his knee and politely lowered his head. His solemn attitude was the same as when he was facing the world tree. The head elders, elders, and every elf standing behind Sterin ced their right hand onto their left shoulder and went on their knees. It was an elven courtesy, only done when they were showing their sincerity. They revealed themselves in a posture as straight as a branch to deliver their honest intentions. The minds of every elf were resonating. The world tree spread its bent branches like wings, scattering transparent leaves into the air. The hundreds of elves raised their voices under the dappling sunlight. ¡°Greetings to the benefactor of our tribe!¡± Chapter 594 Chapter 594 ¡°Haa!¡± Siyan red at Leiran, who was running behind her, as she made her way through the forest. ¡°Why did you not tell me?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disturb you because you were focused on the barrier.¡± Leiran briefly lowered her head, meeting Siyan¡¯s eyes. ¡°You can still talk.¡± Siyan¡¯s red lips pouted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Whatever. Focus on running quickly.¡±She dashed towards the world tree, saying that it was fine as long as she could quickly reach their destination. Leiran narrowed her eyes while looking at the water shoes surrounding Siyan¡¯s feet. ¡®She¡¯s really changed.¡¯ Siyan was originally the least talented elf in Seipia. She was bad atbat, she couldn¡¯t summon any spirits, and she couldn¡¯t even stand in front of others because she was too shy. However, her life hadpletely changed after she¡¯d summoned the water spirit king. Just like when a dam blocking a river is destroyed, she became capable of controlling the mana of nature as if it were her own, she gained a natural talent in martial arts, and her spirit summoning was unmatched in the entirety of Seipia. Not even a week had passed after Eden''s invasion, but no one other than Sterin and the head elder could win against her anymore in Seipia. ¡®She is so respectable.¡¯ Even though Siyan had been looked down upon for her entire life, she¡¯d confidently forgiven her kin who had been humiliating her even after she gained the power and talent. Her mindset itself waspletely extraordinary. However, there were times when Siyan¡¯s wisdom and benevolence wouldpletely break down. ¡®Raon Zieghart.¡¯ Just like what she was doing, she didn¡¯t care about anything else whenever Raon was involved. It was the same when Raon was unconscious, She gathered every precious medical material in Seipia to make them into an elixir to feed him. She almost gave off the impression that the human called Raon was more important than Seipia to her. ¡®Well, it is actually understandable.¡¯ The entirety of Seipia would¡¯ve turned into ash if it weren¡¯t for Raon, so she could at least understand why Siyan cherished Raon so much. ¡°Lady Siyan, please slow down a little. It¡¯s difficult to follow.¡± Leiran smiled faintly as she watched Siyan, who seemed to be riding the wind. ¡°We are almost there! Keep it up for a moment!¡± Even though she encouraged Leiran with her words, she increased the speed even further. She even used the wind spirit to advance and stopped in front of the world tree¡¯s barrier. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hundreds of elves were kneeling in front of Raon and were loudly calling him their benefactor. The letters in the Biography of Raon Zieghart tickled her brain as she faced that majestic scene. Even though she¡¯d never seen those scenes before, she could still imagine them. ¡®I have to write this one.¡¯ The reason she was born was to witness that scene and put it into words. She was feeling a sense of duty. She had to write that part even if she had to bribe the author of the Biography of Raon Zieghart. Siyan clenched her fist, a new resolution in her mind. * * * Raon¡¯s fingers trembled as he watched the elves bowing at him politely. Chills ran down his spine because the sincerity of the elves under the world tree pulled at his heartstrings. ¡®I¡¯m grateful, but this is excessive¡­¡¯ He did y an important role during Eden¡¯s attack, but he definitely didn¡¯t deserve such a huge expression of gratitude. You idiot! Raon was about to shake his hand to refuse when Wrath popped out. Are you going to act humble again, saying that you only did your job? ¡®What?¡¯ Being humble isn¡¯t always a good thing. Wrath raised his plump finger and pointed at the elves. Those shitty ears are serious. If you refuse their gratitude just because you feel ufortable with it, you would be disregarding them. He furrowed his brow, telling him that he shouldn¡¯t disregard their favor. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon looked at the elves again, following Wrath¡¯s finger. Like he¡¯d said, they were simply expressing their gratitude. Refusing it just because he felt ufortable was indeed an act of disrespect and disregard towards them. ¡®Hah, I never thought I would learn something from you.¡¯ The King of Essence has been telling you! He is more human than you! ¡®That might really be true.¡¯ Raon smiled faintly and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s Light Wind vice division leader, Raon Zieghart epts Seipia¡¯s gratitude.¡± Holding the sword in a reverse grip, he pointed the tip towards the ground and pulled the hilt towards the chest. It was the sword salute from Zieghart. He sincerely responded to the sincerity of the elves. Sterin¡¯s lips curved into a smile upon seeing Raon¡¯s polite and confident demeanor. ¡°Thank you for epting our gratitude.¡± Sterin stood up. The other elves raised their heads after him. ¡°That¡¯s rareing from you.¡± Rimmer came up next to Raon and tapped his shoulder. ¡°You always took a step back whenever this kind of thing happened and made it awkward for everyone.¡± He smiled cheerfully, showing that he was in a good mood. ¡°I can¡¯t be the same forever.¡± Hey! You weasel! Wrath barked at him. The King of Essence helped you! Raon nodded while looking at Wrath, who started to rampage. ¡°Someone told me to stop pretending to be humble.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who said that, but they are so right.¡± Rimmer bobbed his hand while giggling. ¡°They must be the type of person who always says the right thing, someone with a cool personality.¡± Ahem! Wrath cleared his throat while looking at Rimmer. Even Shitty Ears can be right sometimes! He grinned in satisfaction. Raon couldn¡¯t understand how a demon king was so weak againstpliments. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Sterin stepped in front of him with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± He thanked him once again and patted his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m also thankful to you.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I only managed to win thanks to your lesson about the Sentient Arrow¡¯s principles, protector.¡± It was true. If his will hadn¡¯t managed to connect with the de of Requiem at the end of the fight, the Crimson me Demon would¡¯ve been the victor instead. ¡°What¡­?¡± Sterin widened his eyes, unable toprehend. ¡°D-did you really achieve that?¡± ¡°I was just lucky.¡± Raon briefly exined the battle he had against the Crimson me Demon. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Sterin¡¯s chin trembled because the exnation had made it even more difficult toprehend. ¡°Even though your will managed to reach the possessed sword, how could a novice Grandmaster achieve the Dancing Sword¡­?¡± ¡°Grandpa, I already told you.¡± Rimmer curled his lips into a smile while looking at Sterin¡¯s eyebrows as they soared upwards. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t judge my disciple withmon sense.¡± He shook his head while patting Raon¡¯s head. ¡°Just like we have high elves among elves, he is a high human. Don¡¯t apply anymon sense to him.¡± ¡°What are you saying now¡­?¡± Raon sighed while looking at Rimmer. ¡°That might be true¡­¡± However, Sterin blinked as if he believed it. That showed how surprised he was by the Dancing Sword. ¡°That¡¯s not true. I¡¯m an ordinary human.¡± Raon quickly shook his hand. ¡°At this point, his nonsense is more believable than a novice Grandmaster using the Dancing Sword,¡± Sterin gasped while pointing at Rimmer. ¡°Moreover, he is the fire spirit king¡¯s contractor! I¡¯m sure there was no human like him in the continent¡¯s history!¡± Erian stepped forward and gave a big nod. He was now talking about the continent¡¯s history. He was as strange as Rimmer. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true.¡± Everyone¡¯s gazes shifted to the right upon hearing the weak voice. Her blond hair, simr to melted sunlight, wavered into the air, and her eyes, as blue as the reflected moonlight, glowed a wistful color. People would fall speechless just from facing her eyes because of her overwhelming beauty. She was outstanding even among the elves, who were considered to be the most beautiful race. ¡°L-Lady Siyan?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Siyan hung her head, blushing. Even though she wasn¡¯t in a nket anymore, her voice was even quieter than before. ¡°You took off the nket now.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s all thanks to you¡­¡± Siyan nodded, still staring at the ground. ¡°Siyan, what did you mean when you said it¡¯s not true?¡± Sterin shook his hand, urging her to continue what she was trying to say. ¡°Ah, Sir Raon isn¡¯t the fire spirit king¡¯s contractor.¡± ¡°Lady Siyan, what do you mean by that?!¡± Erian stomped the ground powerfully in disbelief. ¡°Raon is the fire spirit king¡¯s contractor, regardless of what anyone says! You must¡¯ve also seen him fight alongside the spirit king!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not.¡± Siyan confidently shook her head, unlike when she was talking to Raon. ¡°I heard it from Eim.¡± She raised her trembling gaze and looked at Raon. ¡°Sir Raon is the fire spirit king¡¯s big brother!¡± Everyone under the world tree stopped breathing for a moment upon hearing Siyan¡¯s strange deration. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± ¡°B-big brother? He¡¯s not a contractor but a big brother?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Sterin, Rimmer, and Erian widened their eyes to the ridiculous statement, and Raon closed his eyes tightly. ¡®Please¡­¡¯ He could guess that the strawberry-vored spirit king talked about him in the spiritual realm. ¡°Why is Raon the spirit king¡¯s big brother?¡± Rimmer rapidly blinked, saying that he couldn¡¯t imagine how it happened. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I only heard that Ifrit said he would serve Sir Raon as his big brother as soon as he returned to the spiritual realm¡­¡± Siyan shook her head, saying that even the spirit kings didn¡¯t know the exact reason. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed upon hearing that part. ¡®That¡¯s a relief, at least.¡¯ He was contemting how to exin the presence of Wrath, but Ifrit fortunately hadn¡¯t mentioned the important part. It was actually understandable because he would¡¯ve had to tell them about how he was eaten by Wrath if he wanted to exin the circumstances. It could be called a natural oue in a way. ¡°H-he is his big brother instead of contractor!¡± Erian¡¯s lips trembled as he looked at Raon. ¡°I knew it, my eyes weren¡¯t wrong! I noticed his spirit since the first time we met!¡± He shouted that his sixth sense was the best among the elves. ¡°That¡¯s not the important part right now!¡± The head elder pushed Erian aside and stood in front of Raon. ¡°How did you even be the fire spirit king¡¯s big brother?¡± ¡°Y-yes. Please tell us!¡± ¡°What did you even do?¡± The elders and the elves also swarmed next to him, curious about how it happened. ¡°About that¡­¡± Raon wrinkled his nose and sighed. ¡®How shall I exin this¡­?¡¯ He could never tell them the truth. He tried to muster his thoughts when a dazzling light suddenly sparkled in the sky. Whaaap! The world tree spread its wings of branches, just like during their first encounter. The majestic energy of nature condensed in between the transparent leaves with a dazzling and beautiful radiance. Whir! The sphere of light glimmered like aet, gradually dimming before gently hovering in front of Raon, as if riding on a cloud. Raon instinctively extended his hand, and the clear radiance subsided, revealing a fruit slightly bigger than an apple. ¡®Is this¡­?¡¯ He¡¯s never seen the fruit before. There was some kind of concentric emblem on the peel that looked beautiful andplex, like a piece of art. It had a red color like a strawberry and looked so tasty that it made him want to put it in his mouth right away. The most impressive part was its fragrance. Even though it wasn¡¯t even cut, the sweet and pure fragrance was tickling his nose. ¡°Th-the fruit¡­¡± The head elder¡¯s jaw dropped as he looked at the red fruit. ¡°It¡¯s the world tree¡¯s fruit!¡± ¡°Th-the world tree gave away its fruit¡­¡± ¡°I-is this the world tree¡¯s fruit?¡± It wasn¡¯t just the head elder. Every single elf around him was shocked to see the fruit, their lips trembling. Raon had heard that the world tree¡¯s fruit was an amazing elixir, but it was unexpected that the elves would be so surprised by it. ¡°It¡¯s only natural.¡± Sterin swallowed nervously, looking at the world tree¡¯s fruit. ¡°The world tree¡¯s fruit is rumored to grow once every hundred years, but it¡¯s actually given by the world tree only when it wants to. Since it¡¯s pretty much a divine fruit, it¡¯s not strange at all that they are surprised.¡± He gasped, saying that they should beplimented for not fainting from the sight of it. ¡°Can I really ept such a precious¡ª¡± eeeeeept it! Wrath shouted, almost screaming. ept it no matter what! You stupid weasel! Why are you keeping up with that shitty humble act after everything the King of Essence told you?! He furrowed his brow, saying that Raon shouldn¡¯t ignore the world tree¡¯s favor. ¡®Say that again after wiping the drool from around your mouth.¡¯ Wrath was pretending to advise him even though drool was flooding from his mouth. Haap! He quickly swept away the drool and licked his lips. Anyway, you have to ept it no matter what! Why are you so considerate to others when you keep sucking the King of Essence¡¯s power like an anteater?! Wrath raised his hands, saying that he would curse him forever if he didn¡¯t eat the fruit. ¡°Hah.¡± Sterin shook his head in disbelief. ¡°You must be the only one who can say that with the world tree¡¯s fruit in front of you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s his problem. It¡¯s so frustrating to watch, unbefitting of Zieghart.¡± Rimmer sighed and pushed back the world tree¡¯s fruit that Raon was holding. ¡°This is yours. Since the world tree personally bestowed it upon you, you are the only one entitled to it. Everyone in this ce witnessed that fact.¡± ¡°He is right. Take it.¡± ¡°I have to admit it since it happened right in front of my eyes.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right. Sir Raon has to take it!¡± The head elder, Erian, and Siyan nodded in agreement. Raon smiled faintly while looking at the elves. ¡®Everyone feels like the division leader.¡¯ Even though they¡¯d only met recently, he already felt like he¡¯d gotten closer to them. He could guess that it was because he could feel their emotions thanks to the world tree. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take it gratefully.¡± Raon hugged the world tree¡¯s fruit and lowered his head at Sterin and the elves. Whaaap! The world tree¡¯s branches spread into the sky and started to flutter along the sunlight¡¯s trajectory. It looked like the world tree was smiling happily. Kuhehehehe! Wrathughed frivolously while looking at the world tree¡¯s fruit. World tree¡¯s fruit! It was worthing to this boring ce! Happiness finally arrived after all of that Nadine bread! He was rejoicing as if the world tree¡¯s fruit was already in his mouth. Look at those stupid elves. They must be so jealous right now because this weasel took away their fruit! ¡®I don¡¯t think anyone is thinking like that, though.¡¯ They are just pretending! No one would beughing when someone took what should be theirs! Wrath clicked his tongue, scolding his naivety. Eat it right now before someone takes it away or you lose it! Andugh at the shitty ears that created the Nadine bread! He seemed to despise the elves because of the Nadine bread. ¡®Haa¡­¡¯ Raon sighed while thinking that this demon king was so annoying. [You¡¯ve be the benefactor of the elves.] [You¡¯ve gained the fire spirit king¡¯s respect.] [You¡¯ve achieved a great deed.] [All stats have increased by 25.] The messages appearing in front of his eyes were rewards for the incident. Kuaah¡­ Wrath¡¯s dazzling smile bent into a strange angle. However, more messages wereing. [The Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s mastery has increased.] [cier¡¯s mastery has increased.] [Fire Affinity has increased in rank.] [Fire Resistance has increased in rank.] The second set of messages announced the increase in his mastery of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier. His Fire Affinity and Fire Resistance had gained a whole rank, probably because he had to withstand the Crimson me Demon¡¯s fire. [The title Respected by a Spirit King has been created.] The endless messages finally stopped appearing after the title was created. ¡®I always love this announcement.¡¯ Raon clenched his fist, feeling the sensation of the vitality returning to his body that hadn¡¯tpletely recovered yet. Ugh¡­ Wrath, on the other hand, was on the verge of crying as he watched the messages with a trembling body. ¡®Are you jelly?¡¯ Raon curled his lips into a smile while watching Wrath, who was clutching his stomach with trembling shoulders. Yeah! He¡¯s so jelly he could die! Wrath shouted that he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and attacked him while baring his fangs. Kiaaah! * * * Zieghart Lord¡¯s Manor The master of Shadow Agents, Chad, was looking at the report in his hand with a trembling chin. ¡°I-it says that Eden attacked Seipia. The Crimson me Demon wearing the helmet of the previous fire spirit king came along with the ashen elves who betrayed Seipia¡­¡± He swallowed nervously and read the letters written on the report. ¡°Oh no!¡± Aries clenched her fist and turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll go there!¡± She immediately took a stance to get ready to dash off, saying she was heading straight to Seipia. ¡°He¡¯s not finished yet. Keep reading.¡± Glenn stopped Aries and pointed his chin at Chad to ask him to keep reading the report. ¡°Ah, yes. The Light Wind vice division leader and¡­¡± Chad checked thest part of the report, then recited to them about how Raon managed to save Seipia and even obtained the world tree¡¯s fruit. ¡°Oh hoh!¡± Aries tied up her hair and turned around again. ¡°I need to go right now!¡± ¡°Where are you even going when it¡¯s already over? Eden¡¯s demons won¡¯t be there¡­¡± ¡°They are going to hold a festival because it¡¯s over! Since I¡¯m Raon¡¯s aunt, I should be treated as a national guest!¡± She even used footwork to dash towards the door. ¡°Haa¡­ Roenn.¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn appeared like a ghost and stood in Aries¡¯s way. ¡°Please hold back.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Aries could only frown because she couldn¡¯t bring herself to attack Roenn. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard the elves using the word benefactor. It¡¯s truly a great deed.¡± Sheryl gasped while looking at the report that Chad was holding. ¡°Huhu, he even became the spirit king¡¯s contractor. I can¡¯t even guess how far he is going to reach.¡± Roenn¡¯s face hardened unusually, showing his surprise. ¡°Hmmh¡­¡± The sudden sound of someone holding back theirughter made everyone look above the tform. ¡°Did you hear a strange sound just now?¡± Aries tilted her head in bewilderment. Since everyone except for her was already aware of who¡¯d made thatughing sound, they didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I-I¡¯m surprised by this part.¡± Chad shook his head while pointing at the report. ¡°The world tree personally bestowed a fruit upon him. Since the fact that a human saw the world tree is already a historical moment, he should be the only person who has ever gotten the world tree¡¯s fruit.¡± ¡°He always surpasses our imagination.¡± Roenn nodded in response to Chad¡¯s surprise. ¡°At this point, even diplomacy with the elves should be a possibility.¡± Sheryl smiled, saying that a new path had opened up. ¡°I told you, Raon was born with it. Once he bes the head of house, Zieghart will flourish beyond anything it is today." ¡°Hmmph!¡± As soon as Ariesplimented Raon, that sound of suppressingughter could be heard again. ¡°What?! Who is doing that?! Who else is on the tform?¡± Aries went onto the tform and searched all around it. She blinked, unable to think that the owner of that tform could¡¯ve made that sound. ¡°What are you doing right now? Go down.¡± Glenn removed the hand covering his mouth and frowned at Aries. ¡°I really heard it, though¡­¡± Aries tilted her head, saying that it was strange. ¡°Ahem! Since Raon became the benefactor of the elves, an ordinary reception wouldn¡¯t be suitable, right?¡± Glenn briefly cleared his throat and implied that they should give Raon a warm wee. ¡°O-of course! We should prepare a grand wee!¡± Chad pped his hands, shouting that they should obviously do that. ¡°Indeed. Since Raon¡¯s achievement will be extremely helpful for our diplomacy, we shall treat him ordingly.¡± Sheryl nodded with a refreshing smile on her face. ¡°Huhuhuhu!¡± Roennughed gently, simply enjoying the situation. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go fetch him!¡± Aries nodded and immediately ran towards the door. ¡°Behave yourself already!¡± Chapter 595 Chapter 595 Under the vast branches of the world tree, the elves were gathered in small groups, engaging in light chatter or sipping liquor, their sweet fragrances wafting through the air. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon rubbed the back of his neck while watching the small banquet of the elves. ¡®The mood is so bright.¡¯ He¡¯d decided to participate because he¡¯d heard it was a banquet tofort the deceased, but the elves were drinking fruit wines with faint smiles on their faces. Since Raon had thought it was going to be a funeral, he was a bit confused by the lighthearted atmosphere. Stop minding those trivial details! Wrathnded on his shoulder and looked around rapidly. Getting rid of the food before it gets cold takes priority!He pointed at the table with dishes, urging him to start eating already. ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ Why are youcking in appetite so much? You need to eat a lot to grow taller! ¡®You aren¡¯t my mom¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head, listening to Wrath¡¯sint. The King of Essence is taking care of you in our mom¡¯s stead! ¡®Yeah, yeah.¡¯ Since Wrath had helped during the previous incident, Raon picked up a well-baked pie and put it in his mouth. It was a bit hard, but the nuttiness of the bread and the juiciness of the berry formed a delicious harmony, spreading throughout his mouth. It was giving off a luxurious andforting vor, probably because of the high-quality ingredients used for it. Wow! It¡¯s so sweet! Wrath eximed, clenching his fist tightly. This is it! This taste makes life worth living! He started to dance with his shoulders, his expression filled with happiness that hadn¡¯t been there in a really long time. That one next! That fruit brushed with honey looks tasty! ¡®Seriously.¡¯ Raon chuckled and ate the food that Wrath wanted. Because he kept making so many requests, Raon was starting to get full even though he only tried out one of each food. ¡®Where is the fruit wine?¡¯ He turned his head around, looking for a drink, and he could hear the voices of Rimmer and elven children from under a tree in the right corner. ¡®What is he doing with the children?¡¯ Raon tilted his head and walked up to the area under the tree where Rimmer was located. ¡°When you have five cards with the same pattern like this, it¡¯s called a flush. If you get consecutive numbers on top, it¡¯s called straight flush instead.¡± Rimmer grinned while teaching the children about poker hands. ¡°The probability of getting a flush is less than 0.2%, and the straight flush is only 0.01%. However, it happens unexpectedly often when you are actually in a game. This is the fun part about poker.¡± ¡°......¡± Raon swallowed nervously as he watched Rimmer teach the children about poker. ¡®Seriously, that Shitty Ears¡­¡¯ He unconsciously called him Shitty Ears because of his pathetic demeanor. ¡®At least he seems to be teaching them as a game.¡¯ Raon would¡¯ve kicked him already if he was teaching it about gambling, but Rimmer seemed to be teaching it as a simple game. ¡°Then let¡¯s take them out, everyone.¡± Rimmer taught them a few other hands and snapped his fingers. ¡°Yes.¡± The children nodded and took out some small golden essories and gems from their inner pockets. ¡°Yes! We need those sparkling things to y this game. Let¡¯s try a few games with me and¡­¡± ¡°Stop it, you degenerate!¡± Raon couldn¡¯t withstand it anymore and kicked Rimmer¡¯s back. ¡°Gweh¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t resist the sudden impact, his face smashing into the ground. ¡°Who is it?!¡± Rimmer briskly stood up, soil all over his face. ¡°Who dared to hit the master of the spirit king¡¯s summoner?!¡± ¡°The spirit king¡¯s summoner himself.¡± Raon was ring with a frightening gaze, as if he was about to draw his sword. ¡°Ahahahaha.¡± Rimmerughed awkwardly, walked up to him, and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°W-wee.¡± ¡°What are you doing right now?!¡± Raon sighed while looking at Rimmer¡¯s pale face. ¡°It¡¯s boring for children with only the adults around. I was just ying with them¡­¡± Rimmer shook his head, saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Then what are those golden essories?¡± Raon furrowed his brow, pointing at the gold and gems that the children were holding. ¡°You should be aware, but gems and gold aren¡¯t that precious for elves. Since they aren¡¯t going to use them anyway, it¡¯s better for me to use them since I know how valuable they are¡­¡± Haa! The King of Essence is so tired of that Shitty Ears! Even Wrath was sighing at his ridiculous behavior. It was even more impactful because an exasperating guy was calling another person exasperating. ¡°He is a bad person, so you should never trust him.¡± Raon shook his hand, meeting the children¡¯s eyes. ¡°Return the gold and gems to their original locations.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Since the elven children believed that Raon was the spirit king¡¯s summoner, they nodded with sparkling eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer groaned in pain as Raon watched the children return to their parents. ¡°The goal was right under my nose.¡± ¡°You should be d that I stopped you. If it was the protector who saw you, you would¡¯ve been stabbed by an arrow by now.¡± ¡°Hmm, that might be true.¡± Rimmer nodded, his shoulders trembling in fear. ¡°By the way, the funeral¡¯s atmosphere is rather bright.¡± Raon briefly licked his lips while looking at the funeral again. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the elves be one with nature upon death.¡± The answer came from Leiran, who approached from the left side, instead of Rimmer. She stood next to Rimmer holding two round sses in her hands. ¡°Be one with nature?¡± ¡°Death isn¡¯t considered the end for the elves, but a new start instead. They melt into nature and return to a new life.¡± Leiran exined that the banquet wasn¡¯t a funeral tofort the deceased but a farewell ceremony to say goodbye to their precious ones. ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Rimmer nodded, a faint smile on his face. ¡°Death of kin doesn¡¯t simply mean sadness for the elves.¡± Despite his words that death wasn¡¯t mourned by them, bitterness still lingered in his eyes. ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded faintly, The difference between human and elf beliefs must¡¯ve caused that lighthearted atmosphere at the funeral. ¡°You should also eat something and enjoy it. That¡¯s how wefort the deceased here.¡± Rimmer advised and extended his hand towards Leiran. ¡°You brought that for me, right? Thank you¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Leiran walked past Rimmer and handed a ss to Raon. ¡°This is fruit wine made in the Cotten n. It should help your body with its recovery and exhaustion¡ªnot to mention the excellent taste.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the transparent wine sloshing inside the ss. A pure fragrance was ticking his nose, whether it wasing from Leiran or the wine. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head and epted the ss. ¡°Such a precious wine is wasted on him since he doesn¡¯t even know how to savor the liquor!¡± Rimmer licked his lips in disappointment. ¡°Is it that precious?¡± ¡°Yes. The fruit wine from the Cotton branch is a precious treasure, so rare that even the elves in Seipia can¡¯t easily have it.¡± He shook his hand and urged him to try it out, saying that he would be impressed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon licked his lips while looking at the fruit wine that was as transparent as water. Rimmer¡¯s description made it sound mouthwatering¡­ Raon slowly drank the fruit wine, savoring it as one would with a fine wine. Wow! This vor is insane! ¡®Oh¡­¡¯ A sweet and refreshing taste and fragrance seeped into his tongue and nose. He felt like the wine hadpletely cleaned the lingering greasiness of the various dishes from his mouth. The characteristic sharp and tangy taste of a fruit wine followed right after. The tingling sensation even numbed his tongue slightly, and it had a fantastic taste. The sharp aftertaste was more satisfying than the sweetness of the fruit. Gaaah! However, Wrath faltered while holding the back of his neck. He didn¡¯t seem to enjoy the aftertaste. No! No alcohol! The King of Essence doesn¡¯t like alcohol! He was happily grinning at first from the sweet taste, but he started to wipe his tongue with his hand. Wrath looked like he just didn¡¯t like alcohol at all, just like during the incident with the Gambling Monster. His taste was so childish. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± While Raon was sighing at Wrath, Leiran came in front of him and put her hands together. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. And thank you.¡± She went on her knees and lowered her head as if she had be a human instead of an elf. ¡°What?¡± Raon widened his eyes because the situation was too sudden. ¡°What¡¯s the issue¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize for what happened when you suggested scouting the surrounding area before Eden¡¯s attack. You said that you had a bad feeling about it, but I refused, brushing it off as nonsense.¡± Leiran lowered her head while apologizing. ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel sorry about that.¡± Raon smiled faintly and made Leiran stand up. ¡°Anyone would¡¯ve done the same.¡± It was only natural that he didn¡¯t get a good reaction since he¡¯d suggested they go out scouting just because of the bad feeling he had despite it being the first meal for the guardians after two days of sleepless watch. Erian was the strange one for trusting him right off the bad. There was no reason for Leiran to beg for forgiveness. It would¡¯ve been pathetic to me her for that. ¡°......¡± Leiran bit her lip tightly, gazing at Raon, who was holding her hand to make her stand. ¡®He¡¯spletely different from the humans I¡¯ve seen so far.¡¯ Humans have always tried to benefit from the situation byining about every single detail, but that wasn¡¯t the case for Raon at all. He didn¡¯t try to exaggerate his achievements or brag about them even though he saved the World Tree and Seipia. She was confused because he felt like a whole different existence from the humans in her knowledge. ¡°The wine tasted great. Thank you for the offer.¡± Raon smiled at Leiran and returned the empty ss. ¡°Ah,e to me whenever you want more, since we have plenty.¡± Leiran nodded, saying that she could give him as much of it as he wanted. Raon lowered his head towards Leiran and poked Rimmer¡¯s waist with his elbow. ¡°Division leader, we have somewhere to go together.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Juste and you¡¯ll find out.¡± Raon dragged him towards Sterin, who was sitting under the world tree¡¯s trunk as if he were protecting it. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Sterin nodded his head, holding a small ss in his hand. ¡°How is the banquet? It should be boring, unlike a human event.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine since I don¡¯t usually enjoy banquets anyway.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He smiled faintly, expressing his favor. ¡°By the way, why did you bring that loser with you?¡± Sterin tilted his head at Rimmer, who was just standing there nkly. ¡°How could you call me a loser when I¡¯m your grandson?! That¡¯s so mean!¡± ¡°You are a loser, though. Don¡¯t try to turn the children into degenerates just because you are one.¡± He smacked Rimmer¡¯s forehead. It looked like he¡¯d been watching all along. ¡°Ack!¡± Rimmer fell to the ground, his ss still in his hand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed and took a step towards Sterin. ¡°I have a request.¡± Sterin smiled gently, contrasting with how he looked at Rimmer. ¡°Since you already received the fruit, giving you a branch isn¡¯t even a big deal.¡± As soon as Sterin made the deration, one of the World Tree¡¯s branches descended, glowing with a transparent shimmer that illuminated the night, and seamlesslynded in Raon¡¯s hand. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± Raon widened his eyes, looking at the world tree¡¯s branch that he was given. ¡°It looks like I didn¡¯t even need to answer.¡± He smiled, saying that the world tree didn¡¯t even give away so much to a high elf. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll use it for a good purpose.¡± Good purpose? Wrath furrowed his brow, asking if he was sure about that. ¡®For a purpose that isn¡¯t bad¡­¡¯ Raon changed it a little and patted the world tree. Whir! The world tree stretched its branches as if in joy. Its leaves shimmering in the moonlight danced through the air, creating a mesmerizing scene that resembled the Milky Way. ¡°I thought his character, personality, and skills have been ruined, but¡­¡± Sterin shifted his gaze towards Rimmer after watching the world tree¡¯s reaction. ¡°You¡¯ve brought up a disciple that can make up for all those losses.¡± ¡°He took too much of my luck, making me lose money every single time I gamble.¡± Rimmer briefly clicked his tongue, shaking off the dirt from his hands. ¡°You said you came to return that sword, didn¡¯t you?¡± Sterin licked his lips while looking at the sword still hanging around Rimmer¡¯s waist. ¡°Yes.¡± Rimmer nodded and was about to unequip the sword around his waist, but Sterin shook his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give it back.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You also fought the Crimson me Demon alongside Raon, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I did¡­¡± ¡°Since your determination to wield the sword remains unshaken, there''s no reason to let it go. It seems the sword itself wishes to remain in your hand as well.¡± Sterin shook his head while looking at the faint vibration of the de. ¡°Whether you wield your sword with your left hand, return with a prosthetic arm, or give up¡­¡± Sterin held Rimmer¡¯s right shoulder with a faint smile on his face. ¡°You should decide after you properly examine yourself.¡± He turned around, saying that the sword would be entrusted to him until then. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer sighed deeply and nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Sterin¡¯s eyes became gloomy as he gazed at the sword that had returned to Rimmer¡¯s waist. ¡°There¡¯s someone for you to take with you on your way back to Zieghart.¡± ¡°Someone to take¡­?¡± ¡°We''ve decided to establish some exchanges with Zieghart. Even the elders have given their approval.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great decision!¡± Rimmer hit his knees, smiling brightly. ¡°It will definitely be beneficial since Zieghart is returning to its prime!¡± He raised his hand, saying that it was a great decision. ¡°The envoy is important. Who are you dispatching?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already decided.¡± Sterin smiled faintly once again while looking at Raon. * * * The next evening, Raon was summoned by Sterin and went towards the world tree again. He was expecting Sterin to be the only person there, but the head elder, Rimmer, and Siyan were waiting with him under the world tree. ¡°You are on time.¡± Sterin nodded as a greeting. ¡°Unlike a certain someone.¡± The head elder red sideways at Rimmer. ¡°Ah, stop nagging at me when I was only slightlyte.¡± Rimmer averted his gaze while scratching the back of his head. ¡°S-Sir Raon, good evening¡­¡± Siyan lowered her head,pletely covering her face with her hair. ¡°Why are you all here¡­?¡± Raon tilted his head at the four of them. ¡°It¡¯s because you are going to eat the world tree¡¯s fruit. The fruit can be absorbed the most efficiently under the world tree.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°The four of us will be guarding you, so focus on your cultivation without worrying about anything.¡± ¡°All four of you as guards¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just in case.¡± Sterin nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Isn¡¯t that excessive¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. Because you¡¯ve done far more than that for us.¡± The head elder shook his hand, telling him to skip the formalities and go straight to the point. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s get started right away.¡± Rimmer patted Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I-I¡¯ll protect you at the cost of my life!¡± Siyan¡¯s blue eyes sparkled between her blond hair. She looked like she really was about to sacrifice her life. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± Raon smiled faintly and sat under the world tree¡¯s trunk. He would¡¯ve normally given a humble response, but he decided to ept their favor because of Wrath¡¯s advice. F-finally! Wrath was staring at the world tree¡¯s fruit, his eyes brimming in delight. The King of Essence is finally getting a taste of the sweet juice of that fruit! He sniffled, saying that he was d he stayed with Raon despite the bad treatment he¡¯d been getting. Raon took out the world tree¡¯s fruit, and Rimmer¡¯s lips curled into a deep smile. ¡°It must be delicious for you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± He grinned, urging him to eat it. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯ Raon felt suspicious because of Rimmer. There¡¯s no reason to be anxious! Wrath shook his head. Can¡¯t you sense that sweet fragrance of the fruit? It¡¯s definitely going to be tasty! He shook his plump hand, urging him to eat it. ¡®Alright.¡¯ Raon calmed himself and took a bite of the world tree¡¯s fruit. The fruit¡¯s taste was delivered to the tip of his tongue before he could feel a crunchiness simr to an apple. Sweet¡­ Huh? Wrath widened his eyes, being the first one to notice the taste. Gueeeh! Wh-what is this?! Why does the world tree¡¯s fruit taste like Nadine bread?! ¡®It¡¯s true¡­¡¯ Raon blinked while taking another bite of the world tree¡¯s fruit. Despite the sweet fragrance, the taste was the exact same as Nadine bread, brimming with that rubbery vor. ¡®No, it¡¯s even worse.¡¯ The rubber taste was even more intense than the Nadine bread. He felt like his mouth was full of rubber. Raon widened his eyes in bewilderment, and Rimmer pointed at Siyan while chuckling. ¡°The Nadine bread¡¯s taste is based on the world tree¡¯s fruit. The world tree is actually ssified as a rubber tree.¡± ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Siyan blinked, worried about him. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± Raon nodded. It wasn¡¯t really an issue because he already got used to the Nadine bread¡¯s taste. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for a certain demon king. Ki-kill him¡­ Wrath faltered and copsed to the ground on his face. Just kill the King of Essence already! This is way too unreasonable! Why does the world tree¡¯s fruit taste like rubber?! Spit it out already¡­ He tried to yell at Raon to quickly spit it out, but he had already entered a trance after chewing and swallowing the fruit. Wrath was the only one who was still experiencing that rubber taste. Gaaah! Wrath extended his hand towards the world tree with trembling lips. The King of Essence will definitely burn them up! He will incinerate them all! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 596 Chapter 596 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 596 Raon closed his eyes, feeling like the fruit itself was melting into mana. ¡®Is this the world tree¡¯s fruit? It¡¯s such a great and noble flow. Just like the flowing river, or even the tide of a vast ocean.¡¯ He didn¡¯t even need to guide it in the mana circuits with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation or cier. The fruit¡¯s energy was moving on its own, breathing like a living creature. The first ce the energy seeped into was the burn left by the Crimson me Demon. The external and internal injuries Raon had gotten from his mes werepletely removed, like they were being washed away by water. ¡®How surprising¡­¡¯ He was so shocked that he almost moved his body, which would¡¯ve made him leave his trance. He¡¯d never guessed that it would heal all of his internal and external injuries in an instant. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call it a divine relic instead of an elixir. ¡®I never needed to worry about it.¡¯ He¡¯d thought the fruit might have spoiled because of the intense taste of Nadine bread, but it must¡¯ve been normal to have that rubber taste, just like Rimmer had exined. Whir! After treating all his injuries, the energy of the world tree¡¯s fruit created a huge flow and spread to the mana circuits throughout his body, as if it were announcing that the main event was about to happen. ¡®It doesn¡¯t have any of the four main attributes. It¡¯s the very essence of pure mana.¡¯ No, pure wasn¡¯t enough to describe the energy dwelling inside the fruit. With the refreshing feeling of nature itself, it was the definition of mana, devoid of any foreign substances. The energy of the fruit transformed into the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat and cier¡¯s coldness upon entering his lower energy center, and then it rose through the mana circuits in his abdomen to expand his middle energy center. Raon could feel that the weight gained in his middle energy center was protecting the bnce of his body and mind. However, the fruit¡¯s energy still had more power left. It rose all the way to his upper energy center and added its refreshing energy to his mental world. Raon could feel that his lower energy center, which was what nurtured aura, his upper energy center, which supported his mind, and his middle energy center, which kept the bnce, had all achieved growth. Raon went even deeper into his trance even though the fruit¡¯s energy was getting weaker and weaker. * * * Raon didn¡¯t open his eyes even after he woke up from the trance. He sensed the change inside him along with quiet breathing. ¡®It¡¯s not just my energy centers. Even my mana circuits have expanded.¡¯ The circumference of his mana circuits had increased, allowing him to move more energy even faster in the future. ¡®This is a huge gain.¡¯ Since the battles between extremely powerful warriors were decided in a split second, being able to move his aura a bit faster directly tranted to his prowess. ¡®Moreover, I can naturally sense the presences around me.¡¯ Even though he hadn¡¯t even spread any aura perception, he could sense the presence of the elves around the world tree. He could even sense what they were doing, on top of their existence. He originally needed to spread his aura to the surroundings in order to feel their presence, but that concept itself became pointless. Raon could guess that he could extend his senses even further by using mana. Raon slowly opened his eyes, feeling satisfied with his growth. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He briefly caught his breath, and Rimmer walked up to him with a slightly pale face. ¡°Why did you take so long when you enter trances as often as eating?!¡± Rimmer picked his ear and showed his annoyance. ¡°How long did it take?¡± Raon looked up to the sky. He couldn¡¯t figure out at all how long it took because the sun was in the middle of the sky, just like when he¡¯d started the cultivation. ¡°Three days.¡± Rimmer raised three fingers. ¡°I thought I was going to die from guarding you without even sleeping!¡± He shook his arm, telling him to learn some moderation. ¡°Three days¡­¡± Raon gasped. ¡®Have they been keeping up with that level of alert all along?¡¯ Rimmer, Sterin, and Siyan were guarding him so tightly that it was no exaggeration to call it an irond defense. He could understand Rimmer¡¯s pain since he must¡¯ve been keeping it up for three whole days. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the dy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to apologize.¡± Raon was going to bow, but Sterin walked up to them while shaking his head. ¡°Why are you apologizing when we were the ones who made the suggestion?¡± Sterin furrowed his brow and smacked Rimmer¡¯s forehead. ¡°Ack!¡± Rimmer covered his forehead and stepped backward. ¡°Why did you hit me?!¡± ¡°You should be d I didn¡¯t hit your mouth.¡± ¡°Haa, I get beaten up both here and Zieghart. What is life¡­?¡± Heined and withdrew with swaggering steps. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve absorbed it properly.¡± Sterin smiled faintly, proud of the fact that Raon had properly absorbed the energy of the world tree¡¯s fruit. ¡°Indeed, I can feel the difference.¡± The head elder examined Raon and nodded his head. ¡°Your mana¡¯s purity was already high, but it¡¯s even cleaner now. Even the high elves should be no match anymore.¡± He gasped in disbelief. ¡°S-Sir Raon.¡± Siyan lowered her head, carrying a crow-tit seemingly made of water on her shoulder. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you seem to be struggling, Lady Siyan.¡± Her face was even paler than Rimmer¡¯s, and her forehead was drenched in cold sweat, making her look sickly. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m perfectly fine.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t fine at all.¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes at Siyan. ¡°She kept a highest-tier spirit summoned for three days straight. It¡¯s a madness that even Grandpa can¡¯t perform.¡± He rubbed his temple in circles with his finger, implying she was insane. ¡°I-I¡¯m really fine.¡± Siyan unsummoned the highest-tier spirit right away, showing that she was at her limit despite her words. Herplexion finally started to return to normal. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly and lowered his head towards the four elves. ¡°Thank you.¡± Guarding someone for three days straight without even sleeping was a difficult task, even between close friends. Raon sincerely expressed his gratitude. ¡°I already told you, you don¡¯t need to thank us like that.¡± The head elder shook his head. ¡°Yes, you care too much about courtesy.¡± Rimmer wrinkled his nose while looking at Raon. ¡°I would¡¯ve cut off the world tree and taken half of it if I were you.¡± ¡°Wh-why would you cut off the world tree?!¡± ¡°Because you are the one who protected it and allowed it to remain whole. It¡¯s fine to im that half of the world tree is yours, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon dropped his jaw because his im was far too ridiculous. ¡°You seriously deserve your treatment.¡± Sterin sighed while looking at Rimmer. ¡°S-Sir Raon. I have a simr opinion. The world tree is pretty much yours, Sir Raon!¡± Siyan clenched her fists and nodded. The saying about siblings being simr was true. ¡®But it¡¯s not unpleasant. It actually makes me happy.¡¯ The fact that their bond has gotten strong enough to sincerely care for each other despite being from different races was even more satisfying than getting stronger. He felt like he was really bing a human being. I-it makes you happy? Wrath appeared with a disconnected voice. His skinny and pale cheeks made him look like he was going to faint at any moment. Are you seriously happy right now after you buried the King of Essence in rubber? ¡®I¡¯ve never buried you in rubber, though¡­¡¯ The world tree¡¯s fruit! That terrible taste isn¡¯t fading away! Wrath shouted, almost screaming. Do you realize how much the King of Essence suffered to get rid of that rubber taste?! It tasted like rubber just from breathing, with nose and mouth alike! The rubber! The rubber wouldn¡¯t disappear! He even tasted rubber in his dreams! He ranted that he was almost buried to death by rubber with teary eyes. It could¡¯ve been different if you had some other food, but the rubber taste still¡­ Sniff¡­ ¡®Wow¡­¡¯ Raon swallowed nervously, watching Wrath rub his eyes with the back of his hand. ¡®I-I¡¯ll have some food as soon as we return. I¡¯ll get something delicious.¡¯ He would¡¯ve normally ignored him, but Wrath seemed to be in so much pain that he unconsciously talked about eating. Sniff. Wrath stopped trembling and raised his head once he heard about the food. What¡¯s the menu? ¡®......¡¯ Raon fell speechless because he wasn¡¯t expecting him to ask about the menu in that situation. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go back now since it¡¯s all over.¡± Rimmer smiled faintly, weakly caressing the world tree. ¡°Yes, we do.¡± It was time to return since they¡¯d achieved their initial goal even though they ended up straying far away from it. ¡°That idiot must¡¯ve told you, but we¡¯ve got someone to go with you on your journey back to Zieghart.¡± Sterin stepped aside and raised his hand. ¡°Ah, it must be about the envoy.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her.¡± He pushed Siyan, who was swaying sleepily, forward. ¡°Kyah!¡± Siyan was surprised and jolted like a rabbit. ¡°I was originally nning to visit Zieghart toin about how Rimmer had fallen so low, but it changed into an envoy to express our gratitude thanks to you. I should normally be the one to go, but we are sending Siyan instead because the barrier isn¡¯t settled yet,¡± Sterin exined and pushed Siyan another step further. ¡°There¡¯s also going to be a diplomatic discussion in addition to the expression of gratitude, so it¡¯d be nice if you could help her ordingly.¡± He nodded, saying that Seipia and Zieghart might be able to form a temporary alliance if everything went nicely. Raon looked at Siyan after hearing that from Sterin. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Her shoulders were still trembling, her face covered by her thin blond hair. ¡®I believe she will do just fine when ites down to it, despite how she looks.¡¯ Raon wasn¡¯t exactly worried about her because he¡¯d seen how well Siyan could perform. Raon smiled faintly, meeting Sterin¡¯s worried gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± He epted Sterin¡¯s hand, and the world tree spread its branches as if it were blessing the future of Zieghart and Seipia. Raonughed bitterly while looking up at the world tree. ¡®Now that I look at those branches, I understand why the world tree is a rubber tree.¡¯ He was curious about how the tree was spreading and folding its branches as it pleased, and it was because it was a rubber tree. R-rubber! Where¡¯s the rubber?! Wrath was having a heart attack just from hearing about rubber. ¡°Let¡¯s eat for now and think about the restter. I¡¯m so hungry.¡± Rimmer gestured with his chin, urging him to return. ¡°Since you didn¡¯t eat anything for three days, do you want some Nadine bread so that it won¡¯t agitate your stomach?¡± He bobbed his finger, saying that he¡¯d already asked the other elves to prepare it. Na-Nadine¡­ Grr¡­ Wrath started to shout Nadine bread and fell unconscious while foaming at the mouth. The self-proimed monarch of Wrath must¡¯ve gained a trauma. Raon sighed and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll have something normal today¡­¡± * * * Two dayster. Raon finished his preparation to leave Seipia and left his room. Hell yeah¡­ Wrath raised his fists towards the blue sky. We are finally leaving! We are getting out of this hell that stinks of rubber all day long! He shook his head, saying that he was never going to set foot in Seipia ever again. ¡®Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to burn it up a few days ago?¡¯ It¡¯s not even worth burning or freezing! Wrath ground his teeth, saying that Seipia was the worst ce he had visited so far. ¡®I liked it though.¡¯ He¡¯d gained some battle experience by fighting the Crimson me Demon, became stronger by eating the world tree¡¯s fruit, and even gained a nice rtionship with the elves in Seipia. Since everything was beneficial for him, he felt nice and cozy at Seipia, unlike Wrath. ¡®The food was pretty good, too.¡¯ The only reason you are saying that the food was pretty good is because your tongue is broken! Everything was rubber! Wrath¡¯s shoulders trembled, saying that he still had the rubber taste lingering on his tongue. ¡®Well, you can eat everything you want after we return.¡¯ Then let¡¯s go back already! ¡®So how about having Nadine bread on the way back so we can return even faster?¡¯ Haa! He froze like a white ster figure as soon as Raon mentioned the Nadine bread. We need to eat Nadine bread to go back home faster, but Nadine bread tastes like rubber. But still, it¡¯s better to eat Nadine bread to get rid of this taste lingering on his tongue¡­ Huaah! Wrath kept murmuring about Nadine bread over and over, his eyes practically flipped over. Raon kept walking while making fun of him, and he was at Seipia¡¯s entrance before he knew it. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon widened his eyes. ¡®Why are there so many people?¡¯ He¡¯d thought that only the people he knew woulde out to send him off, but the entrance waspletely full, as if every single elf in Seipia had gathered. ¡°You are finally here!¡± Erian cheerfully raised his hand while looking at him. He was acting like he was facing his best friend. Though, since he was a trustworthy person, Raon thought that it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to really be his friend. ¡°Are you trying to be the protagonist who always arriveste?¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow while looking at Raon. ¡°But you¡¯ve just arrived as well, division leader.¡± Yua blinked while looking at Rimmer. ¡°Yua, you don¡¯t need to say something like that.¡± Rimmer shook his head while giving Yua a slightly strong head pat. ¡°Wee.¡± Dorian grinned, eating a snack that he took out of his belly pocket. ¡°Are you ready to leave?¡± ¡°We are ready, but¡­¡± He looked to the right without finishing his sentence. ¡°We are also ready.¡± Leiran nodded, pointing at Siyan and the five guardians in charge of protecting her. ¡°Ah, hello.¡± Siyan lowered her head, her face hidden in a robe. It looked like her long ears were trembling slightly in her robe. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your cooperation.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll also do my best to make it sessful!¡± ¡°Sessful? Ah, yes, it should be sessful indeed.¡± Raon nodded, thinking that she was motivated about the diplomacy between Seipia and Zieghart. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make it happen.¡± Siyan raised her small fists, saying that she was definitely going to achieve it. ¡°Lady Leiran.¡± Raon called Leiran, who was sticking right next to Siyan. ¡°What about the thing I requested?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve prepared it.¡± She nodded, saying that he didn¡¯t need to worry about it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sterin appeared among the elves and walked towards Raon while he was thanking Leiran. ¡°It looks like everyone is gathered.¡± Sterin started by going in front of Rimmer and furrowed his brow. ¡°You need toe back to your senses.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t drink in broad daylight today though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the issue!¡± Sterin smacked Rimmer¡¯s head and stepped aside. ¡°Siyan.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°You are heading to Zieghart as Seipia¡¯s representative. You should be always mindful of the weight behind your words.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Siyan nodded confidently, unlike when she was talking to Raon. ¡°Leiran, she will be in your care.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll serve Lady Siyan with my life on the line.¡± Leiran nodded heavily, contrasting with Siyan¡¯s response. Sterin nodded his chin in satisfaction and stood in front of Yua. ¡°Was it fun to learn about singing?¡± ¡°It was! ying music with a bow was also fun!¡± ¡°You cane back whenever you want to.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yua answered energetically, and he patted her head before he looked at Dorian. ¡°The trade with the Sephiapany that you mentioned is being considered positively. We will talk in more detail once their personnel arrive here.¡± ¡°Th-thank you!¡± Dorian lowered his head at Sterin. Raon had thought that Dorian wasn¡¯t doing anything as Sephia¡¯s sessor, but he was apparently working on the business as he should. ¡°Seipia won¡¯t forget your help.¡± Sterin went past Dorian and finally faced Raon. ¡°Tell me whenever you need our help. Everyone, including myself, wille to your aid.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°However, we will be helping for Raon, not for Zieghart.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that the entirety of Seipia will be moving to solely assist you.¡± His eyes showed that he was serious about it. The other elves behind him, including the head elder, elders, and Erian, had the same look in their eyes. ¡°The elven race repays favors twice and vengeance tenfold. I¡¯ll be looking forward to your call.¡± Sterin gently patted his head and withdrew. Raon silently bowed at him, sensing the sincerity behind his words. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He was about to turn around to leave Seipia. "May fortune smile upon the journey of our benefactors!" Along with Erian¡¯s silvery voice, the elves ced their left hand on their right shoulder and showed the elven courtesy. ¡°I¡¯lle backter!¡± Raon smiled, responding with a sword salute. The King of Essence won¡¯t being back! But Wrath didn¡¯t want to. * * * Raon entered a human vige after five days of travel. He wanted to spend nights outside until they reached Zieghart because the mysterious atmosphere around the elves, especially Siyan, stood out too much. However, he had to reluctantly enter a pub inside a human vige because Rimmer kept throwing a tantrum. ¡°See? Isn¡¯t it nice to be in human civilization?¡± Rimmer smiled happily, sitting on a chair in the pub. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of cooking grass in a field! I love meat and beds!¡± Raon started to wonder if he was really hearing that from an elf, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue about it. He ignored Rimmer and examined the pub. Most people weren¡¯t really paying attention to them because it wasn¡¯t exactly unusual to see people wearing robes, but a few of them seemed intrigued. Even Rimmer was covering himself in a robe, but they still managed to notice that they were elves. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Their gazes were especially fixated on Siyan and Leiran, and they didn¡¯t seem to have good intentions at all, since they were darting their tongues in and out. Raon chose the dish from the menu while feigning ignorance, and a noble-looking young man walked towards them. ¡°Are you the owner?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are heading to the marine market, right?¡± The young man licked his lips while pointing at Siyan. ¡°Give her to me instead of the market. I¡¯ll pay you even more than the auction since she looks pretty.¡± He bobbed his finger, believing that Siyan was a ve. ¡°What are you doing¡ª¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Leiran was about to angrily stand up, but Raon stopped her and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Market? Owner?¡± He wasn¡¯t just trying to sexually harass her. He was definitely thinking that the elves were ves. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Sterin and Erian had mentioned that there were lots of elves whose corpses couldn¡¯t be found after the attack. Raon had the feeling that they might have been sold to the ve market. Raon stood up and smiled nicely. ¡°How much are you paying?¡± ¡°How much do you want¡ªcough!¡± Raon grabbed his face with his hand and picked him up into the air. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± ¡°We need to talk.¡± Is this how humans hold a conversation? Chapter 597 Chapter 597 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman ¡¶Content Warning - The following chapter contains material that may be harmful or traumatizing to some audiences: very. Reader discretion is strongly advised.¡· Chapter 597 Raon clenched his hand as weakly as if he were grabbing a leaf. ¡°Aaaah!¡± The noble-looking young man had somewhat learned martial arts, but he couldn¡¯t even struggle because of the huge difference in strength and just kept screaming. ¡°A-are you crazy?¡± ¡°Let him go right now!¡± ¡°Do you have a death wish?!¡± The warriors sharing the same table as him came running towards them and drew their swords. Their bloodlust was as sticky as blood, showing that they¡¯d killed many people before. ¡°The other clients are eating.¡± Raon chuckled and pulled the youngster in his hand behind his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go to a quiet ce for our conversation.¡± He threw the guy in his hand to the right wall, where no one was sitting. Whaaam! The arrogant man destroyed the wall with his back and copsed to the ground. ¡°Aaaack!¡± It wasn¡¯t enough to make him faint, but it must¡¯ve been painful enough since he started to scream while rubbing his back on the ground. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re crazy¡­¡± The warriors stood there with trembling chins because of thepletely unexpected situation. Raon ignored the warriors, went over the wall, and grabbed the arrogant man¡¯s head once again. ¡°How dare you?! Who do you think he is?¡± The middle-aged man who seemed to be the boss of the warriors walked up to him with trembling lips. ¡°Who is he?¡± Raon asked, creating an aura barrier to prevent the information from leaking. ¡°He is the second son of House Komarn, the famous family of swordsmen, Lord Makren!¡± The middle-aged man shoved his sword at Raon, telling him to let him go right away if he didn¡¯t want to die. ¡°M-Makren, the second son of House Komarn?¡± Raon¡¯s lips parted upon hearing his identity. ¡°You should know about House Komarn since you are a warrior. Let him down right now if you don¡¯t want to get even your family killed!¡± ¡°Kuhuhu¡­¡± The so-called Makren from house Komarn curled his lips into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s already toote. I¡¯ll have all your families killed, not just yours but also for that man and girl with you!¡± He gave an evil smile full of bloodlust, saying that it was already all over for him. ¡°So scary. But where is Komarn even located?¡± Raon looked at Dorian with a hollowugh. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°You freak!¡± Makren and the middle-aged man¡¯s expressions shifted from sneer to wide-eyed surprise. ¡°It¡¯s a house that newly gained prestige as swordsmen, located slightly south from the center of the continent.¡± Dorian nodded at him while paying the pub¡¯s manager for the damage to the wall. The manager was even smiling, implying that he must¡¯ve paid quite a lot. ¡°Are they powerful?¡± ¡°You should be able to wipe them out on your own, vice division leader.¡± ¡°Wh-what kind of nonsense is that?!¡± Makren barked, calling it impossible. ¡°Kill those arrogant things right now!¡± the middle-aged man shouted, and the warriors charged towards Raon. Cring! Raon turned around without caring about them, and Dorian, Rimmer, and Leiran made the move instead. ¡°Don¡¯t make it annoying. Lower your swords.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill people in other people¡¯s pubs. I¡¯d like your cooperation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡± They unleashed their frightening bloodlust, pointing their swords and bows at warriors¡¯ necks. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t even see them¡­¡± The warriors from House Komarn realized the difference in an instant and put down their swords with trembling hands. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± Makren Komarn asked, his lips trembling in fear. ¡°I¡¯m the one who will be asking questions.¡± Raon smiled faintly and weakly clenched his hand. ¡°Aaaaack!¡± It was enough to make Makren scream like he couldn¡¯t take it anymore, his arms hanging weakly. ¡°What did you mean when you said you would pay more than an auction?¡± ¡°Y-your grip is too strong¡­¡± He begged for him to weaken his grip with trembling lips. Raon weakened his grip slightly to allow him to speak. ¡°I¡¯ll break your skull if you don¡¯t answer properly.¡± ¡°I meant what I said. I was saying that I wanted to buy the elves.¡± ¡°How did you figure them out even though they are wearing robes?¡± ¡°I-it was a bit noticeable because elves started to appear in the marketce.¡± ¡°In the marketce?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s a famous story. Because the great forest was burnt and Seipia¡¯s barrier was destroyed, the injured elves were sold in the auction¡­ Aaack!¡± Raon unconsciously clenched his hand upon hearing that they were sold in the auction. Makren floundered his limbs, shouting that he was going to die. ¡°So, you¡¯re basically telling me that the injured elves are being kidnapped and sold in the auction, right?¡± Raon asked again, summarizing Makren¡¯s response. ¡°I-indeed. Elven ves are extremely rare, but they started to show up in the auction after that incident¡­¡± Makren told him that he¡¯d mistaken Siyan and the other elves for ves because he was on his way to buy ves. Raon furrowed his brow while watching Makren tremble in fear. ¡®This is no good.¡¯ He was hoping that he¡¯d guessed it wrong, but it ended up being right in the worst way possible. ¡°Where¡¯s that marine marketce located?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s at Peren River.¡± ¡°River? It¡¯s not in the ocean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a river connected to Rable River, and it¡¯s practically an ocean because of how wide it is.¡± He even exined without being asked because of how terrified he was. ¡®Rable River¡­¡¯ The South-North Union ruled over Rable River. Raon could guess that the South-North Union was involved with the marine marketce. ¡°Can I join the auction if I head there right now?¡± ¡°I-indeed.¡± ¡°What about the letter of invitation?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have a letter of invitation, don¡¯t you?¡± A ve auction like that didn¡¯t ept random buyers. He must¡¯ve had a letter of invitation to filter special people for entry. ¡°H-here you go¡­¡± Makren took a ck envelope that seemed to devour light from his inner pocket and handed it over. Raon opened it, and the contents invited Makren to the marine marketce. ¡°Those demonic humans!¡± Leiran smashed thend with her clenched fist, unable to withstand her frustration. ¡°Sir Raon.¡± Siyan came towards him and lowered her head. The look in her eyes didn¡¯t disy her usual shyness. ¡°Is it possible to slightly dy the return journey to Zieghart?¡± Even her quiet voice was raging with anger. ¡°Of course. We¡¯ll go.¡± Even Rimmer was coldly showing his murderous intent,cking his usual yful attitude. ¡°Dorian.¡± Raon waved his hand at Dorian while looking at those three elves. ¡°You got the tools for disguise, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course I do. It¡¯s a necessity.¡± Dorian nodded and took out arge box from his belly pocket. ¡°We won¡¯t be suspected if we join the auction by disguising ourselves as them.¡± Raon pointed at the letter of invitation in his hand and the warriors from House Komarn, including Makren. ¡°I¡¯ll rescue the elves, so you should wait outside, Lady Siyan and Lady Leiran¡­¡± ¡°N-no!¡± Leiran firmly shook her head. ¡°Please bring us with you!¡± She went on her knees, pleading with him to allow her to join. ¡°I¡¯d also like to ask the same,¡± Siyan stated, carefully lowering her head from next to Leiran. ¡°Elves will be quickly found out even with a disguise because of their ears.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not an issue.¡± Dorian shook his head and took out a disguise tool designed for elves from the toolbox. It could change the shape of their ears. ¡°Why do you even have that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a necessity.¡± Dorian shook his hand with a grin. What doesn¡¯t count as a necessity to him? ¡®I don¡¯t even know¡­¡¯ * * * Raon, Rimmer, Dorian, Leiran, and Siyan headed to Peren River after disguising themselves. He could see a river as wide as an ocean, just like Makren had described, and a single ship was floating in the middle of it. ¡®Is it the marine marketce?¡¯ Makren had exined that the marine marketce was located on that ship. It looked like an ordinary ship at a nce, but Raon could tell that the flow of mana was slightly distorted after a closer examination with aura perception. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Since he was disguised as Makren Komarn, he arrogantly gestured with his chin and walked towards a boatsman, who had a small boat docked on the gravel. ¡°I want to cross the timeline.¡± He told him the secret code while showing the letter of invitation, and a blue light leaked from his old gaze. ¡®He is powerful.¡¯ Raon could feel that he was at the novice level of Master. The boatsman seemed to be in charge of the first inspection. The boatsman lowered his head, wrinkles forming around his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll guide you very far away.¡± He lifted his hand, gesturing for them to get in the boat. Raon nodded and boarded the old boat. It looked like it would sink at any moment, but it smoothly advanced and reached the ship floating at the center of the river. A ropedder descended from the ship, inviting them to climb. ¡°I¡¯ll climb first.¡± Just as Dorian was about to grab thedder, Raon pped his hand and shook his head. ¡°Stop doing what you aren¡¯t asked.¡± He pushed Dorian aside and climbed onto the ship before him. It was part of the act to mimic Makren¡¯s spoiled attitude. There was nothing out of the ordinary on the ship. A few sailors were cleaning the deck, and a middle-aged sailor who wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt pointed his chin at the cabin for the sailors. ¡°Hmph.¡± Raon snorted and opened the cabin door that the middle-aged man had pointed at. He could see multiple doors on the left and right. The light was off in all of them, and only the central corridor was faintly illuminated. Raon tilted his head because he couldn¡¯t tell where to go, and a man wearing a suit came out from the room on the left, lowering his head at him. ¡°Dear Makren Komarn, wee to the marine marketce.¡± He raised his hand to invite them to enter with his head still lowered. The room looked like an ordinary cabin, but there were stairs at the center, leading downstairs. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°My name is Harry. I¡¯m in charge of guiding Sir Makren today.¡± The suited man introduced himself as Harry and bowed once again. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± He turned around and went down the stairs, inviting them to follow. ¡®Powerful warriors are hiding.¡¯ Warriors were hidden all around the staircase, above, below, to the left, and to the right. Raon confirmed their locations while walking down the stairs since they were rather skilled. Harry opened the curtain after descending by about a floor, and a whole different world appeared. Under the dazzling light of the golden chandelier, people wearing luxurious suits and dresses were having fun gambling. He could see themon games like poker and roulette, but there were also some strange games that he¡¯d never seen before. ¡°It¡¯s a small entertainment prepared for our guests.¡± Harry raised his hand, inviting him to y a round. ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± Raon firmly shook his head. ¡°You are true to your goal.¡± Harry smiled cheerfully and nodded. ¡°What you are looking for is down below.¡± He calmly walked past the casino, implying that they should follow. Raon looked behind him just in case, and Rimmer fortunately wasn¡¯t showing any interest in gambling. It was understandable, as he could be extremely serious when it came down to it. Harry went past a ck door and kept walking down the stairs. He was going even deeper than the path towards the casino. They finally reached their destination after descending about four floors. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Harry opened an antique door that seemed to be made of red leather, and a dark room appeared with faint lightinging from the floor. It had the sameyout as a tiered auditorium, but it was extremely wide and deep. Such a huge lecture hall would only be found in ces like the Magic Tower. ¡®There are so many nasty people here.¡¯ Most of the seats were already taken even though the auction hadn¡¯t even started yet. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± Harry guided them to seat number 253. Raon sat on the luxurious chair with a ck leather back support, and a woman wearing a maid¡¯s outfit came to him to fill his ss. ¡°The auction is going to start in thirty minutes, and the goods that you are looking for will appear in two hours.¡± He smiled deeply, implying that he already knew what Makren was looking for. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°I hope that your stay is pleasant.¡± Raon shook his hand dismissively and Harry quietly stepped back. ¡°We should only need to wait a little while.¡± He created an aura barrier so that no one else could hear them and looked at Leiran and Siyan. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Leiran raised her lowered head, her hand trembling in anger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think I can hold myself back.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can feel the presence of our kin inside.¡± She bit her lip, saying that she¡¯d already noticed the presence of the elves. ¡°......¡± Siyan also sensed it, and her fist was trembling furiously on her knee. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow. ¡®I didn¡¯t mention it to them on purpose¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t told them about the presence of the elves to prevent them from getting angry, but they¡¯d both noticed it on their own. ¡°Stay calm and wait for now.¡± Rimmer closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked as rxed as always, but he seemed to be more infuriated than anyone else in the group. Raon caught his breath and waited for the auction to start. The light on the tform turned on soon enough, and a handsome man wearing a ck tuxedo who exuded a refined aura stepped forward. ¡°Wee to the marine auction. I¡¯m Eren, the auctioneer of the day.¡± He ced his hand on his chest and bowed respectfully. The bidders simply watched the auctioneer without saying anything. ¡°We have a lot of quiet guests today.¡± The auctioneer nodded with a refreshing smile on his face. ¡°Then we should get started right away.¡± He cheerfully pped his hands, and a woman wearing a red dress brought out a small urn from the right side. ¡°We have good stuff from the start.¡± The auctioneer received the urn and ced it on the table at the center. ¡°This urn is called Sionen, an ancient artifact. If you ce fruit or food inside, it imparts a heavenly sweetness to them. Quite peculiar, yes, but it wouldn¡¯t be on this auction if that was its only feature." He carefully put down the urn and raised his finger. ¡°The real draw of the urn Sionen is its ability to enhance the elixirs. The elixir¡¯s effect increases by over 10% if it¡¯s made with this urn. It¡¯s definitely a must-have since elixirs are so rare nowadays.¡± The auctioneer finished the exnation and stepped back behind the urn. ¡°We¡¯ll start the bid at 10 gold. Oh! 100 gold already! Gentleman number 222 called 100 gold!¡± People weren¡¯t too interested at first, but they rapidly raised their hands upon hearing that it could enhance elixirs. Buy it! Wrath briskly stood up and raised his finger like the other bidders. ¡®Why would you even want that? It¡¯s not like you consume elixirs¡­¡¯ It enhances the sweetness! He furrowed his brow, scolding Raon for his idiocy. Say, for example, we ce bead ice cream in there. Just think about it. Imagine how delicious it¡¯s going to be! ¡®......¡¯ Raon realized he was gravely mistaken. He sighed while shaking his head. ¡®Please keep it to yourself for today.¡¯ * * * Raon watched the auction while chatting with Wrath, and the time passed quickly. Tap! Half of the tform¡¯s lighting was suddenly turned off. The remaining lighting also dimmed, creating a strange atmosphere. ¡°I¡¯d like to express our gratitude to the VIPs who are still here.¡± The auctioneer raised the tone of his voice slightly, a faint smile on his face. ¡°We are going to start the special auction, exclusively operated by us.¡± Raon realized that what he¡¯d been waiting for had finally arrived as soon as he heard about the special auction. ¡°Our guests today are lucky because it¡¯s really special.¡± The auctioneer lightly pped his hands twice. ng. Along with the sound of shaking chains, a woman wearing a yellow dress walked out from behind the right side of the curtain. A chain that didn¡¯t match with the dress was hanging from her neck. Her face couldn¡¯t be seen because it was hidden behind a thick veil, but Raon could tell that she was extremely beautiful. ¡°Everyone in this ce should already be aware that there was a huge fire at Seipia recently. And we ¡®happened¡¯ to rescue the injured ones from there.¡± The auctioneer exined while touching the shoulder of the woman wearing the veil. The woman¡¯s shoulders were trembling, showing how frightened she was. ¡°We treated the injured ones, and are even giving them this opportunity to meet great owners. This must be the ideal society, filled with benevolence.¡± The auctioneer shook his finger, babbling some nonsense. ¡°Let me introduce her to you. Her name is Casia, from the Uren Branch n!¡± The auctioneer dered and took off the woman¡¯s veil at the same time. With pointy ears, translucent skin, and fluttering hair, the mesmerizing face of the elf was revealed under the lightning. ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°She really is an elf!¡± ¡°She¡¯s extremely beautiful¡­¡± ¡°It was worth the wait!¡± People¡¯s excitement filled the entire auction house. ¡°She is¡­¡± ¡°Stop it and start the bid already!¡± ¡°Ahaha! How impatient, but fine. The bid will start at 1 gold this time.¡± ¡°1000 gold!¡± Someone even shouted the amount instead of raising their hand. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Siyan and Leiran¡¯s shoulders trembled intensely. They seemed to know the elf named Casia. Blood was streaming down from their lips. They really seemed to be doing their best to hold themselves back. ¡°Wait a bit more, since we don¡¯t know yet how many more they have.¡± Raon created an aura barrier and shook his hand towards them. They nodded heavily in acknowledgment. ¡°The gentleman is so generous! Number 210 won the bid for Casia!¡± Casia¡¯s bidding had already ended in the meantime. She was purchased by an old man with a huge belly for an astronomical price. ¡°It¡¯s too early to be disappointed. No, everyone should be aware, because the auction hasn¡¯t even started yet.¡± The auctioneer chuckled and pped his hands again. Before the two pping sounds even finished echoing, a slightly smaller woman than Casia came out, her face hidden behind a veil just like Casia. ¡°This girl unfortunately lost her parents to the fire. She is looking for new gentle parents.¡± He walked towards her with a grin on his face and took off the veil hiding her face. The female elf trembled, her lips quivering. She had short blonde hair and eyes that curved slightly upwards. ¡°Heirin from the Cotton Branch n is looking for her own¡ª¡± ¡°Heirin!¡± Leiran screamed, unable to hold herself back anymore. Raon was expecting that result from the moment she was introduced to as being from the Cotton Branch n, the same n as Leiran. ¡°L-Leiran¡­¡± Heirin¡¯s pale lips trembled as she looked at Leiran. ¡°You sons of bitches!¡± Leiran drew her bow and spread an intense bloodlust around her. ¡°Oh my, we have some precious guests here.¡± The auctioneer smiled cheerfully without losing hisposure at all. ¡°Items just walked right into our hands! What a beautiful and generous world this is!¡± He snapped his fingers, and warriors hiding all around the auction house jumped out to surround them. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Raon guessed that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to suppress his anger either if the annex building¡¯s maids were being auctioned instead. ¡°Dear elves, we aren¡¯t in Seipia right now. The protector isn¡¯t here to save you.¡± The auctioneer turned his head around with a grin on his face. He seemed to be used to such an urrence. ¡°Every river belongs to the South-North Union. Since you are on a river now, you won¡¯t be able to leave on your own ord.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly and stood up. ¡°Does the South-North Union really own this river? But Zieghart¡¯s domain is right north of it.¡± ¡°You are apparently not an elf but a member of Zieghart.¡± The auctioneer chuckled and nodded his head. ¡°You are right. Zieghart¡¯s domain is right north of it. But that¡¯s the case about thend, and we are on a river right now. Only the South-North Union¡¯s g is embedded on this river¡­¡± ¡°No, this river belongs to Zieghart starting from now.¡± Raon pulled back the hood that had been covering his face. His blond hair cascaded down, and his red eyes gleamed with a fierce light, dispelling the darkness around him. ¡°Because Zieghart is wherever I am.¡± Chapter 598 Chapter 598 ¡°Zieghart is wherever you are?¡± The auctioneer clutched his hair, which was swept back neatly, and burst out inughter. ¡°The arrogance of a madman. Are you named Glenn Zieghart by any chance?¡± He spread his arms, with his voice full of mockery. ¡°I thought it was the Northern Conqueror, too.¡± ¡°You arrogant brat, where do you think you are?¡± ¡°He ispletely insane. I don¡¯t even think he¡¯s from Zieghart.¡± ¡°Get that hindrance out of here and continue the auction already!¡± The bidders swallowed nervously at first but were relieved by the auctioneer¡¯s reaction and sneered at Raon instead. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this ce.¡± Raon ignored the bloodlust directed at him from all around the auction house and shifted his gaze toward Siyan, Rimmer, and Leiran. ¡°The elves are seized behind the tform, so the three of you should rescue them.¡± ¡°A-are you going to be alright on your own?¡± Siyan put her trembling hands together, worried about him. ¡°It would be difficult if I had to neutralize them all, but¡­¡± Raon licked his lips, watching the South-North Union¡¯s warriors closing down the encirclement and the angry auctioneers. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine because they all deserve to die.¡± The people inside the auction were there to buy the elven and human ves. There was no reason to go easy on them because they all deserved to die. ¡°You¡¯d be better off worrying about the sky copsing one day than worrying about that monster.¡± Rimmer stood up and took off his hood. He even removed the tool that was hiding his ears and stepped forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go already. We can¡¯t let our youngsters be humiliated any further.¡± His brow furrowed deeply as he unsheathed his sword with his left hand. ¡°We¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± ¡°Please be careful.¡± Leiran and Siyan were about to follow Rimmer when the South-North Union¡¯s warriors around them thrust their swords and spears, filled with deadly bloodlust. Raon took a step forward and lifted Heavenly Drive. With a faint glimmer of a sh, the warriors blocking their paths were sliced diagonally. Psssh! Blood gushed out, their flesh hitting the floor and scattering red light everywhere. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°D-did they get killed so easily?!¡± Originally, they had believed it would be a minor altercation, but upon realizing that wasn¡¯t the case, they began to tremble as the scent of blood reached their noses. ¡°W-wait!¡± The old man sitting right next to Raon raised his trembling eyes. ¡°A Zieghart with blond hair and red eyes. Can it be¡­?¡± He shouted, almost sounding like he was screaming, because he had finally taken a closer look at Raon thanks to the change in the lightning. ¡°It¡¯s Raon Zieghart!¡± He shouted the name Raon Zieghart, and the entire auction house fell quiet, the heavy silence crushing their shoulders. ¡°R-Raon Zieghart is¡­¡± ¡°Th-the Dragon yer?!¡± ¡°Why is that monster even here¡­?¡± Their faces turned pale even though they¡¯d beenughing at him until a moment ago. ¡°Get moving.¡± Rimmer nodded at Raon¡¯s gesture and dashed below. He smashed the left wall of the tform by kicking it with his wind-covered foot and immediately barged in. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± The smile around the auctioneer¡¯s lips waspletely washed away. ¡°You are entitled to say such a thing since you are called the Dragon yer. However, we are on a river right now.¡± He lowered his eyebrows slightly and raised his hand. The auction house¡¯s door opened violently, and even the South-North Union¡¯s warriors waiting outside ran inside to surround him. ¡°This terrain is the most advantageous to us. Therefore¡­¡± The auctioneer mussed his neat hair, his gaze that of a ferocious beast. ¡°Kill him!¡± He shouted, and the South-North Union¡¯s warriors surrounding him started to attack at once. Raon raised Heavenly Drive, which was tilted towards the ground. A beautiful line was drawn alongside the bloody lighting, cutting through the bloodlust in the auction house. Rip! The South-North Union¡¯s warriors were rushing forward with their swords and spears, but their heads dropped like ripened apples. The sticky sound of blood soaking the ground was all that could be heard. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± The auctioneer sank on his ass, his chin trembling in fear. He wasn¡¯t the only one. Everyone in the auction house was suppressing their breath, unable to budge a finger. Raon stepped over the steaming blood and went down to the tform. The auctioneer¡¯s face gradually became pale as he approached him. ¡°Wh-what are you waiting for?! Stop him! We are all going to die if we don¡¯t do something about him!¡± The auctioneer shouted at the people in the auction house to order their guards to stop Raon. ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°St-stop him!¡± ¡°You should attack him, too!¡± ¡°There will be no issues as long as we get rid of that monster!¡± The auctioneer managed to convince them, and they ordered their guards to block Raon¡¯s path. The remaining warriors from the South-North Union also started to move, and over 100 people were surrounding Raon already. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have you gather on your own ord.¡± Raon unleashed a red wave with Heavenly Drive, a cold smile on his face. The flower petals blooming from the tip of the de fluttered in the air, small embers dwelling inside. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Thousand mes. me Spirit The flower petals of raging me advanced as slowly as dandelion seeds at first, but they suddenly elerated to pierce into the warriors¡¯ chests. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°F-flowers?¡± ¡°Stop him!¡± The warriors returned to their senses and tried to defend by unleashing as much aura as they could, but it was already toote. Whaaam! The me Spirit¡¯s pieces exploded loudly as soon as they reached the warriors¡¯ bodies, incinerating their flesh. ¡°Aaaack!¡± ¡°Cough!¡± It didn¡¯t matter whether they were a novice level Master or intermediate Master. Everyone perished the moment the red de touched them, unable to fend off a single strike. Raon cut down all the warriors and looked around at Dorian. ¡°Block the door.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dorian nodded and stood in front of the auction house¡¯s door. He looked afraid but determined to keep anyone from passing him. Even he¡¯s quite usable now. Wrath chuckled while looking at Dorian. ¡°W-wait a moment!¡± Raon started to walk down towards the tform, and the old man who¡¯d purchased the elf called Casia came towards him and went on his knees. ¡°I-I¡¯m Jisen from House Pensia. We¡¯ve been on good terms with Zieghart for over fifty years¡­¡± ¡°Then that alliance is now over.¡± Raon cut off the head of the pig that was rambling that he was an ally. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Jisen clutched his severed neck in disbelief and tilted towards the ground. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the auction house, and Raon went down onto the tform. ¡°Aah¡­¡± The auctioneer tried to step backward, eyes bloodshot. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anyone with such a nasty way of speaking in a long time.¡± Raon swung his sword with a smile on his face. The dended lightly and cut off both his legs. ¡°Aaaaack!¡± The auctioneer writhed in pain while screaming. ¡°I wanted to cut your mouth off right away, but¡­¡± The auctioneer¡¯s crumpled face was reflected in Raon¡¯s frightening eyes. ¡°We have a lot to talk about.¡± * * * The luxurious room was adorned with the skins of beasts and monsters,id out like decorative ornaments. A young man in a white tiger leather coat licked his lips while checking the pile of gold. ¡°It¡¯s so easy to make moneypared to when I was a bandit.¡± He chuckled, returning the handful of gold into a pouch. ¡°Desire is the best merchandise after all¡­ Hmm?¡± The young man was about to close the pouch but stopped himself and looked upwards. When his gaze began to reflect curiosity, the door opened, and a middle-aged man in a ck suit entered the room. ¡°Sir Raptor! W-we¡¯re in trouble!¡± ¡°I also sense it.¡± Raptor narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixated on the ceiling. ¡°Who was the visitor?¡± ¡°There were elves hidden among the customers! They are currently rampaging inside the auction house.¡± ¡°How did the elves even get here? It would be understandable if they were at the casino, but the auction house should require an invitation letter for entry.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure about that¡­¡± The middle-aged man hung his head, saying that he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll find out after we catch them.¡± Raptor smiled slightly and shook his hand. ¡°Because Eren should take care of them just fine.¡± He injected his aura into the crystal ball ced at the edge of the desk. The transparent sphere turned dark and showed the auction house. ¡°He¡¯s so smart. He is even using the guards that the pigs brought, in addition to ours¡­ Huh?¡± Raptor was casually shaking his finger but suddenly widened his eyes. A man holding a sword was ughtering dozens of people in a single sh. ¡°¡­Is that really an elf?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. There are five of them total, and all of them are elves¡­¡± ¡°No, he isn¡¯t.¡± He firmly shook his head andughed bitterly. ¡°That is Raon Zieghart, not a mere elf.¡± ¡°R-Raon Zieghart¡­?¡± ¡°He is the young monster who killed the mad dragon.¡± Raptor furrowed his brow and lifted the crystal ball. ¡°This is crazy.¡± Thest time he¡¯d seen Raon was when he¡¯d gone to Gazel River with the Axe King. It had only been two years since then, but the monster called Raon Zieghart had grown unbelievably. ¡°It looks like even I can¡¯t win against him¡­¡± He¡¯d also gotten a lot stronger than before, but he didn¡¯t stand a chance against that monster. He could only buy some time at best. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raptor chewed his lip and turned his head. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± He opened the drawer and took out a white paper and a gray paper. They both had a strange glow that looked like they were absorbing the light. Raptor wrote down on the paper that Raon Zieghart had arrived and stared at it for a moment. ¡°Who should I call¡­?¡± He furrowed his brow in contemtion, and Raon turned around after neutralizing and torturing Eren. His lips twitched in his direction, implying that he¡¯d noticed his presence. ¡®That¡¯s where you were.¡¯ Raptor¡¯s chin trembled upon meeting Raon¡¯s red gaze. ¡°I have no time to deliberate.¡± He burned both papers and wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°I just hope that someonees.¡± ¡°S-save me¡­¡± * * * ¡°Have you ever decided not to auction the people who begged for mercy?¡± Raon smiled coldly while watching the auctioneer beg for his life. ¡°I¡­¡± The auctioneer averted his gaze, lips trembling. ¡°Your end was already decided the moment you spoke nonsense about that child who lost her parents.¡± Raon snapped his neck with his hand since death by a sword was too good for him. ¡°Kuah¡­¡± The auctioneer''s body convulsed, sumbing to fear and pain before he perished. By the time Raon put down the auctioneer¡¯s corpse, Rimmer, Siyan, and Leiran came onto the tform. Their clothes were also smeared with blood, implying that they were fully determined to do what they had to. About twenty elves were standing next to them, wearing dresses with thick makeup to match the human preference. They were still beautiful, but it was a sad and bitter sight. ¡°You should go outside before me.¡± Raon shook the blood off his hand and pointed at the door of the auction house. ¡°What about you?¡± Siyan asked, exhaling quietly. ¡°I still have something to take care of.¡± ¡°What could that be?¡± ¡°You are nning to destroy this ce, aren¡¯t you?¡± Rimmer pointed his finger up and down. ¡°You figured me out,¡± Raon chuckled, nodding his head. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m fully aware of your personality.¡± Rimmer chuckled and tapped on his scabbard. ¡°I want to do it myself, but it can¡¯t be helped since I have people to take care of. You can do it instead. Let¡¯s go.¡± He climbed the stairs, holding a small elf in his arms. ¡°Pl-please be careful.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting outside.¡± Siyan and Leiran followed Rimmer, understanding that their priority was to get the elves out. ¡°Dorian.¡± Dorian confidently nodded and came down towards him upon hearing Raon¡¯s call. ¡°Shall I carve the path from the front?¡± ¡°No, take all the money and objects from this ce.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Dorian widened his eyes, unable toprehend what he was talking about. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m going to destroy this ce. Take all the money and auction articles before that happens.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°Leave on your own after getting them all,¡± Raon ordered, smashing the tform with his fist. Whaaam! The floor was destroyed and another casino was revealed. There were no gamblers or dealers around, but the assassins hiding all around the ce dashed towards him. They seemed to be trying to attack while Raon was still in mid-air because he was unable to freely move his body. Raon shed to the right with Heavenly Drive. The tip of the de drew a line like a redet and spread an intense heat. sh! The assassins perished and fell before they could even throw the daggers they¡¯d been hiding. Their wide eyes revealed how surprised they were. Whaaam! Raon stomped the ground powerfully uponnding on the floor. He destroyed the ground once again and went down to the next floor. A man in a white tiger leather coat was sitting at the center of a room that looked messy because of the animal and monster skins disyed all around. His head was covered by a yellow bandana, and his neat forehead was noticeable. ¡°You¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the man¡¯s face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were a bandit?¡± It was Raptor, the South-North Union¡¯s warrior that he¡¯d encountered for the first time during a mission to track down the bandits when he was a trainee, and the second time at Gazel River. ¡°I need to obey my superiors since I¡¯m just a sryman.¡± Raptor chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve enjoyed it fully though.¡± Raon snorted, looking at the luxurious room and the coat made of white tiger leather. ¡°Because everyone likes money.¡± Raptor shook his head while giggling. ¡°But it looks like you¡¯ve been solely focused on strength.¡± His gaze trembled faintly. ¡°You¡¯ve be so powerful that it¡¯s making me speechless. Were you blessed by a demon or something?¡± Raptor¡¯s chin trembled in disbelief. He wasn¡¯t blessed by a demon at all. He extorted a demon king! Wrath shook his head, saying that it was definitely not a blessing. ¡°Let¡¯s stop the meaningless chatter.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive, the blood having evaporated from the de. ¡°You must have an ount book where you wrote down the people who¡¯ve purchased the elves, right?¡± ¡°¡­Why would I have an ount book like that?¡± Raptor¡¯s daring voice became hoarse. ¡°So you have it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s irritating how quickly you noticed.¡± Raptor shook his head, cing his hand on his waist. ¡°Because trash like you never misses the opportunity to seize other people¡¯s weakness.¡± ¡°Yeah, I do have it. I can¡¯t simply give it away, though, since our group is rather trustworthy.¡± He lifted his sword in front of him and bobbed his chin. ¡°I¡¯ll decide after I see how powerful you are.¡± ¡°......¡± Raon didn¡¯t respond, swinging Heavenly Drive in a semi-circle. The de advanced beautifully, unleashing a red wave from it. The profound martial art surpassed the limit and shed in a split second, reaching an extreme speed. sh! The silver de severed Raptor¡¯s right side, reflecting the dazzling lighting from the ceiling. Psssh! Raptor¡¯s right arm was torn off violently, as if a beast had gnawed on it. ¡°Aaack!¡± Raptor screamed one step toote, showing that he hadn¡¯t even managed to sense the attack. ¡°Someone like you could never even dare to judge me.¡± Raon tilted his head, pointing Heavenly Drive¡¯s spotless de toward the ground. ¡°Now, tell me. Where¡¯s the ount book?¡± Chapter 599 Chapter 599 ¡°Hah¡­¡± Raptor gasped as he looked at the space his right arm used to be. ¡®I didn¡¯t even sense it.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t even seen Raon¡¯s attacking. That implied that the difference between them was tremendous. ¡®That strike would¡¯ve killed me if it weren¡¯t for the ount book.¡¯ Raon could¡¯ve gone for his neck or heart instead of his right arm. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he was only alive thanks to Raon¡¯s consideration. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that rumor was true¡­¡¯ He¡¯d simply snorted when he¡¯d heard the rumor that Raon Zieghart had be a Grandmaster, but it was actually true. In fact, the rumor wasn¡¯t even enough to describe him. Raon seemed to have already reached the novice level Grandmaster. ¡°Haa.¡± Raptor bit his lip tightly, meeting Raon¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®Buy time against him? Nonsense.¡¯ It was impossible for a Master to win against a Grandmaster unless they were an unreasonable monster like Raon. Since he was still at the Master¡¯s realm, it was impossible to buy time against Raon. ¡°You really have be aplete monster.¡± Raptor swallowed nervously, stopping the bleeding from his shoulder. Raon didn¡¯t do anything to stop him since he could kill him at any moment if he wanted. ¡°Your childish appearance from our first encounter remains, but your sword is frighteningly sharp.¡± Raon¡¯s face hadn¡¯t changed much since their first encounter, but his swordsmanship was on a different level. He couldn¡¯t even believe that he was a human being at that point. ¡°Did you let me live because of the ount book?¡± Raptor smiled awkwardly, using his left hand to wipe away the blood flowing from his right shoulder. ¡°But what are you going to do with that ount book? Are you going to visit them one by one and recover the elves who have been sold?¡± ¡°What if I am?¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Raptor sneered and raised his head sharply. ¡°Those people are famous all around the continent, unlike those weaklings who cameter on. Some of them are even from the Six Kings and Five Demons. Are you telling me you are going to visit them all?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon calmly nodded as if he didn¡¯t understand what the problem with that was. ¡°I¡¯ll take them back, even if they are from Zieghart, let alone the Six Kings and Five Demons.¡± His unwavering eyes showed that he was telling the truth. Raptor realized that the crazy man in front of him really was nning to recover the elves by visiting everyone on the list. ¡°You¡¯ve be stronger, but you¡¯re still naive. You are just a brat living in a dream.¡± ¡°You might be right. However¡­¡± Raon shook his head at Raptor. ¡°It¡¯s better than a terrified dog with the tail between its legs.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± * * * ¡°Just as I said.¡± Raon briefly licked his lips, looking at Raptor¡¯s bloodshot eyes. ¡°Because you weren¡¯t like this thest time we met.¡± He¡¯s only met Raptor twice so far, but he had the same impression both times. He was a proud and confident warrior. He was alwaysposed and could look at the big picture. He was definitely an enemy, but Raon had thought that he was a man that he could learn from. In fact, it was thanks to his help that he had been able to postpone the duel to the death by three years during the encounter with the Axe King. He¡¯d thought that he was somewhat indebted to him, but Raptor had be a whole different person. He waspletely intimidated, blinded by greed, his pride and confidence nowhere to be seen. ¡°What do you even know about me?!¡± Raptor bared his teeth and gave a grotesqueugh. ¡°ount book? I¡¯m never giving it to you! I won¡¯t give it to you even if you kill me!¡± He grinned, spreading the only arm he had left in a gesture ofplete denial. The malice he was showing made it seem like he¡¯d stepped on andmine. ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t kill you wasn¡¯t because of the ount book but because I thought I was indebted to you.¡± Raon sighed briefly. ¡°What?¡± Raptor widened his eyes, asking what he was talking about. ¡°I would be dead now if you went for the kill back then.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. It was the case during the encounter with the Axe King and also during their first encounter. If he¡¯d tried to attack while ignoring Rimmer¡¯s presence, Raon would¡¯ve died or been seriously injured at best. But he¡¯d remainedposed and even gave him some kind of blessing by telling him to be stronger by their next encounter. Raon had thought he was a rather decent warrior despite being in a den of lunatics like the Five Demons, but he felt enraged to see him again in that state. ¡°Do you remember what you told me back then?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°You said ¡®I look forward to hearing your name in the Terukan Mountains and Rable River.¡± Raon remembered exactly what he¡¯d said because he was impressed by it. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raptor¡¯s lips trembled, finally remembering about it. ¡°So what do you think? Do you hear my name from the Terukan Mountains and Rable River now?¡± ¡°......¡± He clenched his fist, his arm hanging powerlessly at his side. ¡°I kept my promise, but the person who made that promise with me doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡± Raon clenched Heavenly Drive and raised it towards him. ¡°......¡± Raptor was simply standing there with his head lowered towards the ground. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off right here¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the second partition of the bookshelf at the right.¡± He slowly raised his head and pointed at the bookshelf to his right. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The ount book you are looking for is in that bookshelf to the right.¡± Raptor shook his head, wondering why he was surprised at the answer to his question. The desire filling his eyes seemed to have cleared a little. ¡°I have no intention of letting you live even if you tell me about it.¡± He couldn¡¯t forgive him for treating others as ves because he¡¯d lived as a dog on a leash by Derus Robert in his previous life. He was nning to kill the one responsible for it, regardless of who it was. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it so that I could live.¡± Raptor chuckled and shook his head. His characteristic rxed attitude seemed to have returned a little. ¡°I was just reminded of the past.¡± Raon went to the bookshelf that Raptor had mentioned and took a red book from it. He opened the book and could see that every sale in the auction so far was written down. He could read about which elves had been sold and the people who¡¯ve purchased them in the recent records. ¡°You are right about that.¡± Raptor sighed while touching the gold coins on the desk. ¡°I ran away with my tail between my legs and stayed here while licking a bone.¡± He closed his eyes while looking at the dark hole in the ceiling. Raon didn¡¯t know for sure, but he could guess that there¡¯d been an issue inside the South-North Union. ¡°You should keep walking down your path until the very end.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to do it anyway, you don¡¯t need to tell me that.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s Raon Zieghart that I know.¡± Raptor smiled dly and touched his wounded shoulder. ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice if I met you a bit earlier¡­¡± He sat on the ground with a gloomy voice. The aura blocking the injury on his shoulder was suddenly removed and even more blood gushed from it. He¡¯d decided to die on his own terms. ¡°Yo-you should leave quickly. The monster ising to kill you.¡± ¡°Monster?¡± ¡°Do you remember Tyler? The man you killed.¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Raon nodded, thinking about how he¡¯d killed Tyler, the disciple of the South-North Union¡¯s boss, when he was trying to save the Blue Lugh tribe that was being enved by him. ¡°Tyler¡¯s grandfather is a man named Siran. He is the vice elder of the Council of Elders. No, he is actually the head elder now.¡± ¡°Which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes. He ising here.¡± Raptor smiled weakly, advising him to go upstairs quickly. ¡°A-as for the chain binding the elves¡¯ necks, you should inject aura into it and destroy it from the inside. It¡¯s going to explode right away and blow up their necks if you don¡¯t do that.¡± He even gave an unexpected piece of information as a parting gift. ¡°¡­And watch out for Beorn.¡± ¡°Beorn?¡± Raon never got the answer to that question. Raptor closed his eyes with his lips curved into a bitter smile. ¡°......¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Raptor¡¯s corpse. ¡®Beorn?¡¯ He had a bad feeling about that name when he suddenly heard a huge impact from above. ¡®Are they already here?¡¯ * * * Rimmer climbed the stairs that he¡¯d used to enter the marine marketce and returned to the cabin. The South-North Union¡¯s warriors attacked him with their deadly swords and spears as soon as he came out onto the deck, implying that they¡¯d already heard the ruckus. Rimmer used the footwork while holding the child in his arm. He moved to the left by riding the wind and raised his left foot to smack the heads of those rushing towards him. Whack! Whack! The South-North Union¡¯s warriors were sent flying violently and mmed onto the deck, but they immediately stood back up and regained their posture, as sailors could take some hits. ¡°So annoying.¡± Rimmer put the child he was holding down behind him and unsheathed his sword. ¡°Just wait a little. It will be over soon¡ª¡± Rimmer was about to raise his sword in order to cut down the South-North Union¡¯s warriors at once when an explosion urred on the deck and a water giant emerged. Whaaam! The water giant sent all the South-North Union¡¯s warriors flying on the deck with a single swing of its hand. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Siyan blinked while looking at Rimmer, riding on the giant¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m fine thanks to you.¡± Rimmer chuckled and nodded his head. ¡°We are almost there. Just keep it up a bit longer.¡± Siyan made the giant¡¯s hand move the elves hiding underneath onto the deck. ¡°Are we going to wait for Sir Raon here?¡± Leiran was thest one toe out, and she licked her lips while looking in the direction of the auction house. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to stay on the river. As that auctioneer has said, the South-North Union¡¯s pirates are the most proficient when ites to battles on a river.¡± Rimmer shook his head, looking at the grand flow of the river. ¡°It would make it easier for Raon if we left first.¡± ¡°I-I agree.¡± Dorian poked his head out like a mole from a hole that Siyan had made. ¡°You arrived so quickly.¡± ¡°I only needed to run because our division leader and Lady Siyan defeated all the enemies from the front.¡± Dorian thanked them by nodding at them and came onto the deck. ¡°Sir Raon said that he would destroy this entire ship. There¡¯s no reason to wait for him.¡± He pointed at the riverside, suggesting they get out quickly. ¡°Since the elves can walk on the water, let¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t do that.¡± Rimmer sighed and shook his head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That chain is stopping them from using their power.¡± He furrowed his brow, pointing at the chain hanging around an elf¡¯s neck. ¡°I can¡¯t even tell how to remove it because there¡¯s no keyhole and the South-North Union¡¯s warriors said they didn¡¯t know anything about it.¡± ¡°Ah, then¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Siyan snapped her fingers, and a water giant behind her jumped into Peren River. Rumble! The giant increased in size by absorbing the water and spread its hands, wide enough for twenty people to mount. ¡°Get on, everyone.¡± Siyan went ahead onto the giant¡¯s hand and waved her hand. The elves hesitated for a moment but mounted it soon enough. Rimmer smiled deeply as he watched that scene. ¡®She really has changed a lot.¡¯ Siyan didn¡¯t even let a single finger outside her nket in the past because she was afraid of other people¡¯s gazes, but she was guiding people now while confidently showing herself. It was a refreshing sight, and Rimmer felt proud of her at the same time. ¡°Here you go, get up there.¡± Rimmer gave the child next to him to Siyan and was about to go onto the giant¡¯s hand as well. Rumble! A gray warship was charging toward them at a tremendous speed from upstream, where Rable River was located. It wasn¡¯t simply moving with the wind. It seemed to be fueled by mana. ¡°Are their reinforcements already here?!¡± Rimmer twisted his lips and unsheathed his sword once again. He incorporated the wind blowing around the river onto the de and created a wall of astral energy. Whaaam! The blue wall of wind blocked the warship¡¯s path. The ship started to slow, and the old man standing on the sail cast a fishing rod far out. The fishing line extended endlessly and ruthlessly cut through the wall of wind. The warship broke through the wall and continued its charge without decelerating, trying to ram through the water giant. Whaaam! Rimmer and Siyan acted at the same time. They created a new wall by controlling the wind and water as if they¡¯d practiced coordinating their attacks. However, the warship further elerated to crush the wall before it waspleted and shed against the water giant. Whaaam! The upper body of the water giant was destroyed, and the elves on its hand fell powerlessly. ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Since the power of the elves was suppressed by the chain ne, they could only flounder as they fell into the river. ¡°Oh no!¡± Dorian was still on the deck and hurriedly jumped into the river. He took out a small boat from his belly pocket and made it float on the river. ¡°Get on!¡± The boat was rather spacious, and it seemed to be more than enough for all the elves to get on board. ¡°Wh-why does he even have that? Wait, this isn¡¯t the time to ask about that.¡± Rimmer breathed out a sigh of relief and looked at the old man who¡¯d jumped down from the warship. His red skin was quite noticeable, but it was overshadowed by the malice storming powerfully around his eyes. ¡®That old man¡­¡¯ Rimmer had heard about a red-skinned old man using a fishing rod as his main weapon. It must¡¯ve been Siran, South-North Union¡¯s vice-head of the Council of Elders. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the vice-head of the Council to personally arrive.¡± Rimmer twisted his lips, looking at Siran. ¡°You are the Sword of Light from Zieghart.¡± Siran nodded his head while looking at Rimmer. ¡°Is Raon Zieghart still in there? It might be better this way.¡± He weakly shook the fishing rod while ring at Rimmer. ¡°Because I can make him feel the same way I did by killing you all before hees out.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart killed my grandson.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tyler. He was going to grow up into a hero, but he was killed by that evil fiend!¡± Siran raised his fishing rod, shoving his frightening gaze towards him. The tackle was weakly wavering like it was floating on water, but it started to violently rotate. ¡®Astral sphere¡­¡¯ Siran was a Grandmaster, befitting the vice-head of the council of elders. He might becking in stamina because of his old age, but his prowess was extremely powerful. Rimmer furrowed his brow, looking at Siyan behind him. ¡®Siyan shouldn¡¯t be able to summon the spirit king now.¡¯ The four spirit kings had to restore the spiritual realm that was on the verge of destruction and were unable to leave it. ¡®I¡¯m not in a normal state either.¡¯ The injury he¡¯d gained from the battle against the Crimson me Demon was still lingering. He could defeat a Master, but such a powerful warrior was a different story. ¡®Do I have to drag it out?¡¯ Rimmer made up his mind and turned his eyes toward Siyan and Leiran behind him. ¡°Withdraw with everyone. I¡¯ll stop him here, so quickly go to the riverside¡­¡± ¡°How dare you.¡± Siran stomped the ground, and the South-North Union¡¯s warriors jumped out from the gray warship he¡¯de with and surrounded them. They were even more powerful than the warriors in the marine marketce. They seemed to be affiliated with the Council of Elders. ¡°Don¡¯t leave a single one alive. Kill them all,¡± he dered, and the South-North Union¡¯s warriors jumped down onto the river with deadly bloodlust emanating from them. Rimmer bit his lip, watching the South-North Union¡¯s warriors moving towards the boat. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Dorian, Siyan, and Leiran would¡¯ve normally been able to fend them off, but the situation required them to fight while protecting the elves in the water. It wasn¡¯t going to be an easy battle. ¡°You are the first one to go.¡± Siran swung down his fishing rod, showing that he wasn¡¯t going to continue the conversation. The fishing rod rapidly curved as he bent his wrist, unleashing a powerful wave of aura. ¡®Right side!¡¯ Rimmer barely managed to read the direction and created a sword barrier towards the right. aang! A tremendous impact was delivered into his shoulder. Siran was so furious that he was going all out from the beginning, without any hesitation. Rip! The fishing rod itself was blocked by the sword barrier, but the line moved like a living creature and rushed toward his left arm, which was holding his sword. Rimmer could feel the astral sphere storming as it tried to break through the sword barrier. ¡°What an annoying old man!¡± Rimmer clenched his back teeth and tried to kick the fishing line away. However, even the line was sharpened by aura, and his foot was almost injured. ¡®He¡¯s a tricky opponent.¡¯ He felt like he was fighting against three people at once, because the fishing rod, line, and tackle were moving separately. ¡°Gaaah!¡± Siran roared, and the fishing rod rushed at him with tremendous power. His barely-recovered internal injury worsened again, causing Rimmer intense pain. ¡°Take it easy, won¡¯t you?¡± Rimmer smiled, pretending to be reserved without showing that he was internally injured. ¡°You are a sacrifice. The sacrifice to make Raon Zieghart taste hell!¡± Siran¡¯s fishing rod soared violently, surrounded by his intense anger. The astral sphere surrounding the tackle spread around in all directions, attacking Rimmer and even the elves behind him. ¡°Haap!¡± Rimmer turned around mid-air and swung the sword pointing down into an upward sh. A huge power of wind concentrated around him in a circle, blocking Siran¡¯s astral sphere. aang! The defense was sessful, but he could guess that he wasn¡¯t going tost for long because Siran¡¯s energy was way too powerful. He concluded that he would need to create the Sword Field even though it was going to worsen his internal injury. ¡°Sword Field¡­¡± Rimmer started to open the upper energy center in order to use the Sword Field. A majestic red light radiated from the hole in the ship that the water giant had destroyed. Whaaam! A tremendous firestorm surged towards the sky, splitting and exploding the ship that was rooted deeply into the river. Amid the crimson heat incinerating the ship, a pair of eyes sparkled even more intensely than the me. ¡°Raon Zieghart!¡± Siran kicked Rimmer away and dashed towards Raon. aang! Raon casually extended Heavenly Drive and blocked Siran¡¯s fishing rod. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about your face thousands of times. No, tens of thousands of times! You evil fiend!¡± ¡°Are you Tyler¡¯s grandfather?¡± Raon looked at Siran confidently. ¡°He deserved to die.¡± Raon shook his head, meeting the old man¡¯s eyes brimming with madness. ¡°Tyler enved the Blue Lugh tribe in order to glorify himself and rule over their life. He was just trash, not a hero.¡± ¡°Shut up! You are the one who needs to die!¡± Siran showed his anger without hesitation and swung the fishing rod wildly. The river exploded all around as if it were being bombarded. aang! After listening to his anger, Raon unleashed an astral sphere to fend off the fishing rod. ¡°Well, it seems like the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree when ites to bastards." ¡°What?¡± ¡°Since you desire to see your grandson so much, I¡¯ll send you off to the world where trash belongs.¡± Raon raised Heavenly Drive and nodded at him. His red eyes were shining even deeper than the river reflecting the evening glow. ¡°Come at me.¡± Chapter 600 Chapter 600 ¡°He is my guest so please take care of the rear, division leader.¡± Raon raised his finger and pointed at the boat that Dorian and the elves were on. ¡°Alright!¡± Rimmer casually nodded and immediately ran towards the boat. ¡­Is Shitty Ears really your master? ¡®I¡¯m not sure¡­¡¯ Raon thought Rimmer would hesitate a little, but he¡¯d left immediately, without hesitation. He felt once again that he was such an amazing person. ¡®But it¡¯s easier that way¡ªmore than being stubborn about staying.¡¯ Rimmer wasn¡¯t used to wielding a sword with his left arm, and he hadn¡¯tpletely recovered from the battle against the Crimson me Demon. It was better for him to acknowledge his issue and leave than to be stubborn about fighting together. ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Raon shifted his gaze upon hearing Siran¡¯s hoarse voice. ¡°What did you say just now?!¡± ¡°I said I¡¯d send you to your grandson¡¯s side since you wish to see him so much.¡± Raon twisted his lips, gazing at Siran, who was exhaling his murderous intent into his breath. ¡®He is simr to him.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the appearance. Even their trashy personalities were simr. It wasughable that he was confidently swearing revenge even though he should¡¯ve been aware of all the evil deeds his grandsonmitted. ¡®I can¡¯t underestimate his skills though.¡¯ Raon soothed his nervously pounding heart. Siran was a powerful warrior who¡¯d be a Grandmaster long ago, and he used a fishing rod as a weapon. He had to approach carefully since he¡¯d never fought against that weapon before. How pathetic. Wrath furrowed his brow while looking at Raon. Just crush an insignificant creature like him with your finger. ¡®You are the only one who can do that.¡¯ Then do something about it and get rid of him. The King of Essence is hungry! ¡®¡­¡¯ Raon ignored Wrath and focused on Siran¡¯s movements. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Siran showed his bloodshot eyes, exhaling in anger. ¡°I¡¯ll erase you from the face of the world. Not even bones will remain!¡± He roared and dashed towards him. The way he was running on the water was swift and light-footed as a wolf. He seemed to be using footwork designed to move on the surface of water. Cring! Siran cast the gray fishing rod with one hand, as if he were really fishing. His tackle was right under Raon¡¯s nose before he even had the time to breathe. The astral sphere surrounding the tackle rotated rapidly, piercing towards the left side of his chest. Raon held his breath and bent his knees. He unleashed the astral sphere of raging me onto Heavenly Drive¡¯s tip, which hadn¡¯t yet cooled. aang! A circr crater was created on the deep Peren River from the sh between the astral spheres. A huge pir of water surged towards the sky and fell like heavy rain. A silver light sparkled amid the transparent raindrops. A frighteningly sharp astral energy was dwelling at the tip of the hook. Raon unleashed Frost Pond towards the hook cutting through the air. Heavenly Drive¡¯s de fended off the hook, and the icy sh followed towards Siran¡¯s neck. Whaaam! Siran calmly raised his fishing rod and destroyed the de of frost. It was a performance befitting a Grandmaster. ¡®He seems to know about Frost Pond.¡¯ He¡¯d immediately raised his fishing rod to defend himself, as if he were already aware of Frost Pond¡¯s second de. Raon could guess that he had investigated his martial arts. ¡®Well, he did mention that he¡¯d thought about my face tens of thousands of times.¡¯ While his opponent had information about him, he barely knew anything about his opponent and even had to face an unfamiliar weapon like the fishing rod. It wasn¡¯t going to be an easy battle. Cring! Siran swirled the fishing rod, using the movement of his entire body. The tackle and hook rotated above his head, creating a wave on Peren River. The prevalent flow of the river was reversed, unleashing a tremendous amount of bloodlust. He had added his aura to the river. Whir! Raon used the Ring of Fire. The eight rings surrounding his heart resonated with each other, opening the door to his upper energy center. The water drops in the air slowed down to a cial speed, and the water reaching his skin was frighteningly cold. Raon advanced towards Siran in his extreme focus, which was an extremely advanced realm. ¡°How dare you!¡± Siran used his footwork to maintain the distance that was advantageous for the fishing rod and whipped at him with the fishing line. Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps and fended off the fishing line falling towards his shoulder. aang! The huge sound made it feel like it was a sh between boulders even though it was a fishing line and a sword. Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the taut fishing line. ¡®He even incorporated his will into the fishing line in addition to the astral sphere.¡¯ It was a tant emotion, one that couldn¡¯t be mistaken. ¡®Murderous intent. It¡¯s brimming with his murderous intent towards me.¡¯ Warriors usually had a characteristic will depending on how they¡¯d lived. However, Siran had given up on the will that he¡¯d umted as a warrior and reced it with his desire for vengeance. It was simr to a curse, trying to kill his opponent even if he had to die in the process. Whaaap! Raon pushed Siran¡¯s fishing line back with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire and clenched his back teeth. ¡®My will is to never be defeated.¡¯ He should be able to grow even further if he could prevail against the murderous will trying to kill him. ¡°Hmph!¡± Siran decreased the tension himself before the fishing line was snapped. He weakened the line and bounced the tackle at the same time to attack the tendon in Raon¡¯s right arm. Instead of using Heavenly Drive, which was pointed downwards, Raon used his left hand to draw the de of Requiem. He violently smacked the tackle with the ghastly de, which absorbed the frost, and dashed towards Siran. Whaaam! Siran used his footwork to ride upon the river once again to maintain the advantageous distance. ¡®He is fast, but¡­ I¡¯m even faster.¡¯ Raon used Supreme Harmony¡¯s Second Step, destroying the violent flow of water in the process. He took his second step and advanced before the water surging towards the sky even started to fall. His vision darkened because of the rapid eleration. Since the Supreme Harmony Steps was connected to the versatile sword, it became more profound the better his swordsmanship improved. The Supreme Harmony Steps had be so much faster after bing a Grandmaster, to the point that it could be called an evolution. ¡°Kuh!¡± Siran realized that he couldn¡¯t run away and swung his fishing rod with tremendous power. Raon unleashed the Firewall toward the fishing rod that was cutting through the sky and falling towards him. Whaaam! Thepetition between the two huge powers created an immense shockwave engulfing the surrounding area. The huge tidal wave surging towards the sky made it look like the river had be an ocean. Cring! Siran continued his assault, surrounding the tidal wave with his aura. Raon¡¯s vision was filled with the dark wall of water. Raon executed the Crimson sh towards the tidal wave rushing towards him like a giant¡¯s hand. Crack! The red line of heat severed the center of the tidal wave where the aura was concentrated. Siran¡¯s wavering eyes could be seen amid the wave that was being severed like a dream. However, he gained distance again like the experienced warrior he was and swung his fishing rod, which was pulled back to his left side. The hook was extended along the line that cut through the river, spreading its fiery pressure, seemingly capable of crushing a person¡¯s heart. Cring! Raon immediately stabbed the hook with the de of Requiem in his left hand and let the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s aura that he had gathered in his hand¡¯s mana circuits burst. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Thousand mes me Dragon Art A me dragon was born from the fire and let out its majestic roar. The me breath advanced, evaporating the water in the process. Booom! The entire river was shaken from the violent sh between the me Dragon Art and Siran¡¯s watery wave. The water started to flood all around the ce. ¡°Kuh!¡± Siran¡¯s bloodlust intensified and became even colder as his grip on the fishing rod trembled in irritation. Raon bit his lip slightly, meeting Siran¡¯s distorted eyes. ¡®I¡¯ll even defeat your murderous will.¡¯ * * * sh! The South-North Union¡¯s warriors approaching the boat sank under the river, their blood spreading across the surface, unable to fend off Rimmer¡¯s strike. Those who were approaching from the front on the right found their ship wrecked by Siyan¡¯s water spirit before they coulde close. Leiran notched five arrows to her bow and fired them underwater. The South-North Union¡¯s warriors who were approaching from underwater floated onto the surface with arrows stuck in their heads. In the meantime, Dorian used his duck foot-shaped oar to rescue all of the elves drowning in the river. Everyone was so coordinated, without even talking to each other, thanks to having fought together against the Crimson me Demon. ¡°You got them all, right?¡± Rimmer narrowed his eyes, examining the elves on the boat. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve rescued everyone.¡± Leiran nodded, counting the number of the elves. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. I thought we were screwed.¡± Rimmer breathed out a sigh of relief and shifted his gaze upstream. Raon and Siran were fighting like a tiger and a dragon, running on the river as if they were stepping on thend. ¡®What a shame¡­¡¯ Since a powerful warrior using a fishing road was so rare, he regretted that he had to leave him to Raon because of his internal injury. ¡®Wait, did I just think that it was a shame?¡¯ Rimmer widened his eyes, thinking about his previous emotions. ¡®When was thest time I felt this way?¡¯ Even when his energy center was ruined, he¡¯d never thought that it was a shame that he couldn¡¯t fight against powerful warriors anymore. That kind of emotion was something that he had only felt during his childhood. He couldn¡¯t understand why he felt that way out of nowhere. ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯ Rimmer licked his lips, watching Raon¡¯s back as he broke through all of Siran¡¯splicated attacks. ¡®Is it because of his battle?¡¯ He must¡¯ve been excited because Raon had always fought his opponents head-on, without holding back in the slightest, no matter who they were and how powerful they were. Rimmer raised his left hand and touched his right shoulder. To be honest, he didn¡¯t really want to use the prosthetic arm. He¡¯d practiced wielding a sword with his left hand, but he wasn¡¯t too desperate with his training. He¡¯d thought his life as a swordsman was over since his revenge was achieved. However, that extinguished ember started to rise again in his heart as he watched the fight between Siran and Raon after fighting alongside him against the Crimson me Demon. ¡®There was a saying like that¡­¡¯ The one standing above others guides them with their back. Raon had never told him to stand back up. However, he seemed to be telling him to wield the sword again through his actions. ¡®Is he really bing the king¡¯s vessel?¡¯ Rimmer smiled, sittingfortably on the boat. ¡®It¡¯s about time I retire from the front line. However¡­ I shouldn¡¯t live as a worn-out old man.¡¯ * * * Siran empowered his astral sphere by adding aura to the river¡¯s waves. The wave of his aura violently emerged, connecting as fluently as the river. Cring! Raon weakened the grip of his right hand, which was holding Heavenly Drive. He severed the rampaging water ording to its flow and cut down the astral sphere that Siran had created. It was the demonstration of his profound martial art, using his opponent¡¯s power to his advantage. ¡°You arrogant bastard!¡± Siran ground his teeth and made the fishing rod drop suddenly. The rod and the line seemed to bend casually, but an intense bloodlust was emanating from them. The moment the fishing rod fell towards his shoulder, Raon focused the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation on his leg¡¯s mana circuits, which were allowing him to step on the river. He advanced while causing an explosion on the river, leaping into Siran¡¯s space. The aura surged from his lower energy center, connecting to his middle and upper energy centers and unleashing his extensive will. The determination to never be defeated blocked the fishing rod brimming with murderous intent. aang! The fishing rod and line were bounced back violently, but Siran¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t over yet. He simply budged his finger to control the tackle and the hook, aiming a strike at Raon¡¯s back. ¡®I¡¯m used to it now.¡¯ Raon had figured out how Siran was moving as their fight continued. He could tell how he was controlling his aura just from the look in his eyes. Raon folded his shoulder towards his chest to dodge the hook and took another step towards Siran. A thickyer of water surged from the river to block his path, but he tore it apart with the de of Requiem¡¯s ghastly energy. Crack! Heavenly Drive¡¯s de cut into Siran¡¯s chest for the first time. It was a shallow wound, but the area around the cut was scorched dark from the heat. ¡°Kuh!¡± Siran audibly ground his teeth from the intense pain. ¡°You bastard!¡± He withdrew to the left and pulled the fishing rod from behind. Raon fended off the fishing line with the de of Requiem and shed downwards with Heavenly Drive, incorporating the principles of the Fangs of Insanity. aang! Siran¡¯s fishing rod swayed to the point of breaking because it hadn¡¯t received enough momentum. Raon pressured Siran with sheer power, pushing the line with the de of Requiem and the rod with Heavenly Drive. ¡°Kuhuhu.¡± When they were close enough to hear each other¡¯s heartbeats, Siran twisted his lips. ¡°You finally came.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all over now!¡± Siran shouted, forcibly cutting off the fishing line. With the taut line cut, the de of Requiem cut Siran¡¯s waist sharply. ¡®Why did he abandon his weapon?!¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow, and Siran shook the river with the rod, a grin on his face. A sticky bloodlust burst from his old gaze once again. Swaaa! The entire width of Peren River rose, creating the shape of a huge dragon. The water dragon seemed to ascend to the sky and opened its dark jaw. The water dragon fell with tremendous pressure, as if it were trying to destroy the entire river. Every single scale incorporated an intense murderous will. It could explode a person¡¯s body without even leaving a piece of flesh behind just by touching it. ¡®So, this was what he was waiting for.¡¯ Raon had thought that Siran was too agitated, but that wasn¡¯t the case. He¡¯did a trap and was waiting for Raon to take the bait. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Raon was shocked by his patience¡ªit had all been a ruse even though he was facing his grandson¡¯s killer. He deserved to be the head elder of the South-North Union. ¡®But you gave me too much already.¡¯ Siran had given Raon many ideas during their battle. His martial art was thoroughly analyzed thanks to the Ring of Fire being at Eight-Stars and him being at the Grandmaster¡¯s realm. Cring! Raon straightened Heavenly Drive as he gazed at Siran¡¯s water dragon, which was huge enough to hide the sky. He caught his breath, imagining the sword that could destroy the water dragon, the manifestation of Siran¡¯s will. He pressed upon the river with his left foot and extended the de of Requiem upwards from his waist. ¡®A grandson¡­¡¯ The water dragon¡¯s eyes, which were simrly distorted as Siran¡¯s eyes, reminded him strangely of Glenn. ¡®I wonder if he will avenge me if I die here? He probably won¡¯t.¡¯ Even though it was a sudden battle, it was a proper duel. Since Glenn was a warrior by nature, he would ept the result without trying to avenge him. Raon agreed that it was the correct thing to do. Glenn was more suitable for him than Siran. He unleashed the full power of the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier while thinking about Glenn, his sky and his goal. ¡°A river can¡¯t reach the sky.¡± Azure Sky Sword¡¯s fourth technique, Heavenly Luminous sh. The majestic ray radiating from the tip of his sword pierced through the water dragon¡¯s head where it was hiding in the sky. The haughty radiance of the de reached the sky and spread its golden glow. By the time the vast blue light illuminated the world again, a ck axe came flying from the air. ¡®Thats¡­!¡¯ Raon raised the de of Requiem to defend himself, but the axe was falling towards Siran¡¯s head. Whaaam! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 601 Chapter 601 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 601 The fiery axe curved as if it were riding the wind and only left a small scratch on Siran¡¯s forehead before it hit the river. ¡°Kuh!¡± Siran hurriedly used his footwork to gain distance from Raon as soon as the axe scratched his head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow, watching the axe sink under the river. ¡®I reacted toote.¡¯ If the axe had been directed at him, he would¡¯ve easily deflected it and cut off Siran¡¯s head, but the axe was trying to split Siran¡¯s head from the beginning. His reaction was dyed because of the unexpected situation, giving Siran the time to escape. The fact that he¡¯d moved ording to the thrower¡¯s intentions irritated him. Raon looked in the direction the axe hade from. He could see a huge ck ship cutting the vast and deep Peren River in half as it advanced. It was the Misfortune, the South-North Union¡¯s warship that he could never forget. Rumble! A huge presence raged throughout the river from above the Misfortune as it approached while grinding the debris of the marine marketce into small pieces. Whaam! Along with a tremendous sound, loud enough to destroy the deck, an old mannded on the river with a red axe in his hand. The rampaging wave subsided as if it were afraid of his overwhelming pressure, and the whirlpool that could reach the sky calmed down. Raon raised his gaze, feeling the fiery wave of his aura prickling his heart. The white hair that was roughly swept back, the ck coat covered in scars, and the axe shaped like a dragon¡¯s head that glowed with a bloody color. He was the Axe King Roman, who was practically revered as the god of the Rable River. Why is that shitter appearing like the protagonist?!Wrathined in displeasure. Raon was jealous of his boldness andposure at that point. ¡°G-good timing, Roman!¡± Siran quickly nodded, running towards the Axe King. ¡°He¡¯s dangerous! We have to kill him right now instead of waiting until next year!¡± He pointed his finger, asking him to kill Raon before he got any stronger. ¡°......¡± The Axe King stared at Raon instead of responding to Siran. ¡°Has it been two years since then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a bit more than that,¡± Raon sighed while meeting Roman¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re as insolent as before. How could you sigh at people¡¯s faces?¡± Despite what he said, Roman¡¯s lips were curved into a smile. ¡°You made me lose my turn by pretending to attack him.¡± Raon briefly clicked his tongue, shifting his eyes towards Siran. ¡°That was a smart move, despite how you look.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since thest time someoneplimented me.¡± Roman chuckled and nodded his head. ¡°Roman! What are you doing right now?!¡± Siran stood next to Roman and furrowed his brow. ¡°Kill him already! You will never get an opportunity like this again!¡± ¡°Head elder,¡± Roman exhaled in frustration while looking at Siran. ¡°You are being unsightly.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Raptor asked me this when I promised to have a duel to the death with that greenhorn after three years,¡± He continued, meeting Raon¡¯sposed eyes. ¡°He asked what I was going to do if you killed him before the three years were up. Guess my response.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Siran¡¯s lips trembled, implying that he already knew the answer. ¡°I said that I didn¡¯t mind it. If someone like you, who lost your fangs and ws from old age, could kill him, then that was all that he could amount to, and there was no reason to be upset.¡± Roman twisted his lips slightly, meeting Siran¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡°That¡¯s why the opposite is also true.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to help you just because you are at a disadvantage. I¡¯m not a shameless warrior. I¡¯m not unsightly enough to interfere in a duel.¡± He shook his hand, a cold smile on his face. ¡°Keep going. I¡¯ll be the notary of the result.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you even saying?!¡± Siran¡¯s lips trembled as he turned pale at Roman¡¯s reaction. ¡°Just kill him right here and it will be done!¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Roman shrugged his shoulders, as wide as the river. ¡°Our duel to the death takes ce the first day of the next year. A fruit that hasn¡¯t ripened yet is only going to be bitter.¡± He crossed his arms to hug his axe and closed his eyes, showing that he really had no intention of joining the battle. ¡°Roman! You damned bastard!¡± Siran shouted at him, but Roman didn¡¯t open his eyes. ¡°I have a question.¡± Roman slowly raised his eyelids after Raon called out to him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why did you save him if you weren¡¯t trying to interfere with the fight?¡± Roman had rescued Siran a moment ago by using his brain despite his character. Since Raon had thought that they were obviously going to attack together after that, he found it strange that he wasn¡¯t going to join the battle. ¡°It¡¯s a simple question.¡± Roman raised his chin and twitched his lips. ¡°Because I wanted to witness how much stronger you¡¯ve grown.¡± He curled his lips into a smile, saying that was the only reason. ¡°You crazy bastard! If the Union¡¯s boss learns about this fact¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s going topliment me.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°The boss himself gave the order to not touch Raon Zieghart. Since you are the one who disobeyed him, I won¡¯t be criticized for not saving you.¡± Roman shook his head, saying that it was a simple matter. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Siran twisted his lips and stepped backward. He seemed to be nning to run away with his warship because he had no confidence in winning the battle. ¡°Head elder, where are you going?¡± Roman stood in Siran¡¯s way and red fiercely at him. ¡°I¡¯m the notary of this duel to the death. Neither of you is allowed to leave unless the other party is dead.¡± He unleashed his destructive aura, showing that he was serious about being the notary. ¡°You are insane! Stop with the jokes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m always serious.¡± Roman gestured with his chin to urge him to go back to the battle. ¡°I¡¯m never going to forgive you after I return!¡± Intimidated by Roman¡¯s pressure, Siran returned to his position with a quickened breath. ¡°Sure.¡± Roman casually smiled, showing that he didn¡¯t really care. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± He nced at Raon, who was standing in front of Siran. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the scene, so finish him off now.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to trust you?¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Roman. ¡°Are you saying that you can¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Rimmer responded instead of Raon. ¡°You kept attackingst time after I withstood three hits from you, saying that you were excited by it. How are we supposed to trust you when even the duel to the death was established because of your whims?¡± Rimmer violently ground his teeth at Roman. ¡°Where did you sell your arm?¡± Roman narrowed his eyes, looking at Rimmer¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Just answer my question.¡± ¡°This and that are different stories.¡± He nced at Siran and Raon one after the other and twisted his lips. ¡°It¡¯s a duel between an old man who brought his sickly old body to the battlefield to avenge his grandson and a genius who is trying to kill the grandfather after killing his grandson. You won¡¯t get to see a fight like this ever again.¡± Roman stomped the ground violently andughed like a madman. ¡°I¡¯ll never interfere in this battle, and I¡¯ll even escort the winner to their home withoutying a finger on him. I swear on my name as the Axe King.¡± He pounded his chest, saying that he was promising it on his name. ¡°Regardless of his intention, we need to put an end to this.¡± Raon nodded at Rimmer. ¡°Haa, alright,¡± Rimmer sighed, taking a step back. ¡°I¡¯ll stop the Axe King no matter what if he tries to interfere, so focus on finishing Siran off for now.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Rimmer wasn¡¯t in good condition, but he kept his word, unlike Roman. Raon stepped forward while counting on him. Crack! Siran ground his teeth to the point of breaking while ring at Raon. ¡°I¡¯ll split you into pieces, to the point where even the fishes can¡¯t eat you!¡± He lifted his fishing rod. The wave rampaged again, concentrating a huge amount of aura in it. * * * Raon narrowed his eyes, meeting Siran¡¯s bloodshot eyes. ¡®His determination ismendable, at least.¡¯ Siran was aware that he¡¯d already lost the battle. He was creating his will with the determination to avenge his grandson even though his mind had already been defeated. ¡°Haaap!¡± Siran pulled the rod far back and swung it. The fishing line bent like a whip towards Raon¡¯s neck, imbued with an astral sphere. Whir! Raon coated his de with the me zing in his energy center. He shed the fishing line bending towards him with the crimson line of heat. Pssh! The line was as hard as steel, but it was torn apart easily and swayed in the air. Even the tackle and the hook had been disconnected and sank under the water. Raon licked his lips as he watched Siyan start to falter. ¡®As expected, he has weakened.¡¯ Siran¡¯s aura was as powerful as before, but his will to kill him had subsided. It must¡¯ve happened because he¡¯s already experienced defeat. ¡®Even then¡­ I can¡¯t underestimate him.¡¯ A person engulfed in his desire for revenge was capable of anything. It was necessary to focus until the very end instead of celebrating his victory early. Raon added his footwork to the flow of the river. He approached with the fluent steps of the Supreme Harmony¡¯s Third Step and thrust Heavenly Drive towards Siran¡¯s neck. ang! Siran gritted his teeth and raised his rod to defend himself. The scent of blood wasing from his mouth. It was the sign of a serious internal injury. Cring! Raon didn¡¯t miss his opportunity as Siran tried to catch his breath, piercing into his space. ¡°Kuh!¡± Siran hurriedly stepped back and swung his fishing rod. It wasn¡¯t incorporating any strong will, but the amount of aura was overwhelming. ¡®It¡¯s not easy to defeat him.¡¯ Raon clenched Heavenly Drive¡¯s hilt and stomped with his right foot. He silenced the sloshing water and thrust the de of Requiem with his left hand. A white shadow was cast over the red de, surrounding the astral sphere approaching him. Raon Zieghart Style Fifth form, White Shadow sh The White Shadow sh executed with the de of Requiem removed the rampaging astral sphere from the fishing rod. ¡°Huh?¡± Siran widened his eyes in disbelief as his huge astral sphere disappeared in an instant. Cring! Raon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity presented by his confusion and rushed towards him to stab him with the Thirty-Six Crimson sh. The burning de severed Siran¡¯s vitals, attacking from thirty-six different directions in a single move. Pssh! Siran managed to defend his most important vitals¡ªhis heart and neck¡ªbut blood gushed from his other wounds, covering his entire body with blood in an instant. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Siran powerlessly lowered his fishing rod. His pain and despair were obvious in his expression. Raon swung Heavenly Drive down in order to finish him off, and Siran clenched Heavenly Drive with his left hand while grabbing the wrist with his right hand. ¡°I got you!¡± Siran¡¯s lips curled into a deep smile even though a dangerous amount of blood was gushing from his hand. Raon tried to pull the sword and his wrist away, but he couldn¡¯t do it¡ªprobably because he was even using his life force in addition to his aura. ¡°If I can¡¯t kill you, I¡¯ll bring you down with me!¡± Siran¡¯s skin turned a burning crimson color as he dered a suicide attack. His energy center pounded violently, and a tremendous amount of energy started to gush from it. He seemed to be nning to self-destruct by exploding the aura from his energy center. ¡°Did you really believe you could keep living after killing my grandson? I¡¯ll definitely bring you down¡­¡± ¡°I knew you would do that.¡± Raon briefly nodded, looking at Siran¡¯s sneer. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty bad at acting.¡± Siran kept stepping back and showed his weakness even though his eyes were still brimming with his desire for vengeance. Raon wasn¡¯t deceived from the beginning because he¡¯d figured that he was plotting something. Thud! Raon let go of Heavenly Drive and opened his palm. ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± Siyan hurriedly punched with his left hand, and Raon deflected it with his shoulder and thrust his right hand. It was the monarch of Wrath¡¯s ultimate technique. Silver Moon Demonic Veil. Aah! That¡¯s my technique! The silver ray was fired along with a scream from Wrath, and Siran¡¯s body froze the moment it reached him. Crack! Since he had concentrated all his aura into his energy center to self-destruct, hepletely froze, with no way to defend against the Silver Moon Demonic Veil. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯d send you to your grandson.¡± Raon smacked his right arm, which was holding his wrist, while meeting his wavering eyes. ¡°D-di¡­¡± Siyan couldn¡¯t even finish hisst word, freezingpletely and then falling into the river. Raon could see the disbelief, the refusal to recognize his death, in Siran¡¯s eyes. ¡°Be reunited with your grandson in hell.¡± Raon kept watching until Siyan¡¯s cold bodypletely sank under the river. p! p! p! Raon exhaled roughly, and a pping sound as loud as a gong could be heard behind him. Raon turned around and saw that the Axe King Roman was pping his hands with a cheerful smile on his face. ¡°Excellent. It was an amazing mind game.¡± Roman nodded and took a step towards him. ¡°You really didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°I told you, I keep my promises.¡± Roman shook his hand, saying that it was only natural. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly and shook his head, then asked, ¡°Then can I leave now?¡± ¡°Of course. Your fight against the head elder was a fair duel.¡± Roman nodded, saying that he was naturally allowed to leave. ¡°However¡­¡± He uncrossed his arms and clenched the red axe¡¯s handle. ¡°It¡¯s a different story if a new fight breaks out.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I wanted to see a sh of powers, not some mind game.¡± Roman grinned and took another step towards him. It felt like he was advancing several meters per step because of how big he was. ¡°I need to check if your sword is entitled to the duel to death.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Three moves.¡± He raised three fingers from his left hand. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll let you go without doing anything to you if you can take three moves from me.¡± Roman lowered his axe. The water started to boil, probably because the axe¡¯s de touched the surface. ¡°Hah, thatpulsive liar.¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow at Roman. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you keep a promise! Didn¡¯t you swear on your name?!¡± He twisted his lips and clenched his sword, showing that he wanted to fight him himself. ¡°Then don¡¯t call me the Axe King anymore.¡± The Axe King smiled, saying that he would give up on the name that he¡¯d sworn upon. ¡°You son of a¡­¡± ¡°Leave this to me.¡± Raon asked Rimmer to stay back and stepped forward. ¡°You wanted to see my skills, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Indeed. Since there will be countless spectators, we can¡¯t show them a trashy duel.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Raon nodded and fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem. ¡°Then I¡¯m also going to confirm it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Roman frowned, asking what he meant. ¡°If your axe isn¡¯t as heavy as my expectations¡­¡± A crimson lightning sparked from Raon¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to lose your head right here.¡± Chapter 602 Chapter 602 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 602 ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± Romanughed like a madman, covering his forehead with his hand. His aura seeped into his emotions, creating a huge wave on the river. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Raon furrowed his brow because Roman¡¯sughter was resounding too loudly. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, did he be even stronger?¡¯ Roman¡¯s pressure felt even heavier than two years ago on the Rable River. Raon could guess that he had reached an even higher realm unless he was imagining it. ¡°My heart¡¯s started to pound again. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t beughing.¡± Roman lifted the axe that was submerged in the river and rested it on his shoulder. ¡°You are the only ones who interest me, after all.¡± He curled his lips into a smile, ncing at Raon and Rimmer one after the other. ¡°Get ready.¡± Roman fiddled with the shaft of his axe, suggesting that they start the three-strike battle. ¡°I¡¯ll check your skills in only three strikes.¡± ¡°Three strikes? Don¡¯t make meugh.¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at Roman¡¯s eyes, which burned with madness. ¡®He¡¯s definitely going to attack me as soon as the three moves are over.¡¯ Roman easily broke his promises, even throwing away his name as the Axe King. He was most likely going to start an all-out assault as soon as the three-strike battle ended, saying that he was getting excited. ¡®I should save the Sword Field Creation.¡¯ Fending off the three strikes in his usual state and using the Sword Field during the real battle that would follow seemed to be the strategy with the highest chance of survival. Clench. Raon made the rings of fire resonate around his heart. He entered an extremely focused state and unleashed the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier to the maximum output. Rumble! The wave rushing towards him from Roman¡¯s pressure suddenly froze and crumbled into pieces. That implied that his aura wave didn¡¯t lose to the liar¡¯s. ¡°The three-strike battle.¡± Raon calmed his pounding heart and stood in front of Roman. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± * * * Rimmer bit his lip, as he watched Raon as he stood in front of Roman. ¡®This is even worse than thest time.¡¯ Judging from Roman¡¯s behavior so far, he was definitely going to attack after the three-strike battle. ¡®But we still have a way out of this.¡¯ Fortunately, Roman hadn¡¯t brought many subordinates with him. They would be able to escape without many issues as long as Roman was killed. Tsk. Rimmer briefly clicked his tongue and went next to Siyan. ¡°R-Rimmer¡­¡± Siyan seemed to be worried about Raon, her trembling hands sped together in front of her chest. Even though she had absolute trust in Raon, she was still intimidated by Roman¡¯s destructive pressure. ¡°Get ready to fight.¡± ¡°Are you saying that Sir Raon is going to lose¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Rimmer shook his head and red at Roman. ¡°He lies as often as he breathes. He is going to attack even if Raon wins the three-strike battle. You and I have to interfere when that happens.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siyan gave a small nod, showing that she understood. ¡°You can summon a highest-tier spirit, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll summon it right now.¡± She snapped her fingers. The water giant protecting the ship disappeared, and an adorable crow-tit made of water spread its small wings. The crow-titnded on Siyan¡¯s shoulder, chirping with a tremendous amount of mana despite its cute appearance. Rimmer nodded, sensing the huge amount of energy emanating from the crow-tit. ¡®It¡¯s doable.¡¯ Even though she had only recently made the contract, the crow-tit was a highest-tier spirit. It was definitely going to be helpful in the battle against Roman. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Rimmer ced his hand on his hilt and sighed deeply. ¡®It¡¯s sad that all I can do is to watch him.¡¯ Roman seemed to have be even stronger than before, and the one facing him was Raon, his disciple and his subordinate. His own ipetence felt so painful. It made him feel even more bitter than when his fighting ability was impaired from injuring his energy center. ¡®If we manage to survive¡­ I¡¯m going to use that prosthetic arm.¡¯ He was still contemting when Sterin had talked to him, but he made up his mind. He was going to get that prosthetic arm even if he had to beg Encia for it¡ªassuming he returned to Zieghart alive. ¡®So please.¡¯ Rimmer swallowed nervously, looking at Raon¡¯s broad back. ¡®Withstand it.¡¯ * * * ¡°I heard you can use the Sword Field¡­¡± Roman tilted his chin, holding his axe with one hand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to use it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll use it if it¡¯s necessary. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Raon shook his head, meeting Roman¡¯s sparkling eyes. ¡°So arrogant.¡± Roman curled his lips into a deep smile, showing his satisfaction while saying the opposite. Rumble! He lifted his axe towards the sky. His powerful aura seeped into the darkish-red axe de. It sounded like the sky was roaring even though all he was doing was concentrating his energy. ¡°The first strike!¡± With a thunderous shout, Roman¡¯s axe fell towards him. The energy zing on the axe de was emanating a frightening bloody glow. Rumble! Raon clenched his teeth as he watched Roman¡¯s axe descend like lightning. ¡®What is this?!¡¯ Even though the axe was still falling, a tremendous pressure was crushing his body. He felt like his shoulders were being torn off. ¡®I can¡¯t lose in sheer strength.¡¯ The Axe King Roman was an extremely powerful warrior, unmatched in terms of sheer power and spirit. If he already had difficulties fending off the first strike, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to continue the three-strike battle. He had to block it even if he had to muster all his strength. Wham! Raon stomped the river with his left foot and raised Heavenly Drive, which was tilted downwards. He incorporated the principles of the versatile sword from his mental world onto the merciless silver de. The de smacked the crimson axe, wrapped with his will to never be defeated. Whaaam! Even though it was just a sh between a sword and an axe, it sounded like a mountain was copsing. The river flowed backward, as if it were terrified by it, and a dark fissure appeared on the gravel on the riverside. Crack! Raon bit his lip, feeling the intensifying pressure of Roman¡¯s axe. ¡®Has it always been so heavy?¡¯ Roman¡¯s axe felt much heavier than what he¡¯d seen before. He couldn¡¯t even breathe properly. ¡®I need to push it back as fast as possible.¡¯ He added the principle of the severing sword onto Heavenly Drive¡¯s de, which was bending like it was going to snap. He severed every single fiber of energy seeping into the axe and unleashed the highest output of cier. Whaaam! A dark gray light exploded in between the axe de and the sword¡¯s de, and Raon took five steps back as a result. However, Roman was smiling without taking a single step back. ¡°That was pretty good.¡± Roman gave a big nod of satisfaction and pulled the axe downwards. He was going to use the Axe of the Sky-Rendering Surge, a rising sh powerful enough to destroy the sky. Raon furrowed his brow, as he watched the intensifying light on Roman¡¯s axe. ¡®I can¡¯t take it in my current state.¡¯ He wanted to save the Sword Field Creation, but it was impossible to withstand Roman¡¯s second strike in his state. Raon took Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem in a reverse grip and unleashed his mental world. Sword Field Creation Divine and Demonic Harmony Once the Sword Field opened up, the rampaging river calmed and a golden sun rose to the sky with a silver moon. Raon lifted the divine and demonic swords, shining proudly in that silent world. ¡°So this is your Sword Field. I like your quick decision.¡± Roman chuckled and raised his axe. ¡°Your head would¡¯ve been split apart if you kept acting arrogantly.¡± He wrinkled his nose, sounding like he was going easy on him for the first strike. ¡°Axe of the Sky-Rendering Surge. Here ites.¡± A dark-red sphere was condensed above the axe de lowered towards the river. It was smaller than the astral sphere from the first strike, but the frightening pressure tightening the neck implied that even more power waspressed in it. Whaam! Roman stomped with his log-thick leg and swung the axe upwards, showing that he was getting serious. The brutal will to destroy the sky emanated from the axe¡¯s de, zing with a ckish-red light. ¡®This is a battle of will.¡¯ Raon gathered the energy from the mana circuits all around his body and put them into his hands. All the energy of his bodybined into one and became a de of me and frost zing upon the swords. He covered his undefeatable swords with his will to protect his sky. Azure Sky Sword, Second Technique Unreachable Azure Sky He mmed the two swords that were wrapped in a dazzling radiance towards the axe de soaring to split the sky. Whaaam! The frontal sh between the astral spheres created tremendous storms of aura one after the other. The water violently exploded, and even the river bed was exposed, as if the god of the river was enraged. Zap! The sh of wills followed the sh of astral spheres. Roman¡¯s will to destroy everything and Raon¡¯s will to be never defeated started a gruesome war against each other. Boom! The auras tearing each other apart geared together, creating a huge explosion. The powerful light radiating from it made them unable to open their eyes, and the entire river flooded, spreading to the surroundings. Whaam! Roman took a single step back, while Raon took four steps back. Raon looked at Roman, enduring the pan in his grasp. ¡®This confirms my suspicion¡­ He¡¯s gotten even more powerful than two years ago.¡¯ He was aware that Roman hadn¡¯t gone all-out during his three-strike battle against Rimmer two years ago, but his power had ascended to a whole different level. The Axe King Roman had reached a higher realm than two years ago. ¡°You must¡¯ve noticed.¡± Roman calmly nodded, lowering his axe. ¡°You¡¯re right. I managed to reach an even higher realm after that day.¡± ¡°Did you have some special asion?¡± ¡°Yes, I did have a special asion. It was you.¡± He raised his axe and pointed it at Raon and Rimmer one after the other. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mental stimtion contributes a lot more than physical training to increase your realm after you be a Grandmaster. I managed to get even higher thanks to the stimtion of our encounter at the river.¡± Roman clenched the shaft and raised his chin sharply. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you that I¡¯m the way I am right now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The situation was the worst, surpassing his expectations. However, his sword was already drawn and it was impossible to retreat. All he could do was fight to the best of his abilities. ¡°I talked too much during a match.¡± Roman wielded the axe with both hands and pulled it behind his shoulder. A huge astral sphere surged above the darkish red axe de and rotated like a whirlwind. The light flickered in crimson, giving off a frightening impression¡ªas if death itself were dwelling in it. ¡°Revolving Void Axe Strike will be thest one. You will be the victor if you can withstand this.¡± ¡°Stop your bullshit ande at me.¡± Raon held his breath and bobbed his finger. ¡°I really like you!¡± Roman started to swing the axe but suddenly stopped halfway. He used an explosive footwork in that state to get right under his nose and continued the remaining trajectory of the axe. It was an exquisite move, maximizing the aura¡¯s power using the astral sphere and the physical strength. ¡®I already knew about it.¡¯ He would¡¯ve been surprised if it was his first time seeing it, but he¡¯d seen that technique from behind Rimmer¡¯s back in the past. ¡®However¡­ An average technique won¡¯t be able to block it, even if I knew.¡¯ Survival had the highest priority even if he had to show everything he had in return. He decided to show his everything and mustered all of his aura from his energy center. Raon stomped on the river¡¯s surface. He wrapped the demonic sword pulled behind him and the divine sword raised next to his waist in the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation and cier¡¯s energies, which were dashing throughout his body. He swung the divine and demonic swords toward Roman¡¯s attack, which filled his entire vision as it approached. The tremendous heat and coldness burst from his hand and advanced like a storm to empower the two des. A golden glow brushed past Raon¡¯s eyes. The Red-Blue Invincible Sword. The extremely advanced technique that deserved to be called invincible pushed the Axe King¡¯s astral sphere back along with an auspicious radiance. Zap! The dark me and the golden radiancepeted endlessly, surrounded by their respective wills. Rumble! The condensing energy geared into each other, and a destructive light emanated from it. Everything reached by the purple ray disappeared as if it¡¯d never existed to begin with. A huge explosion urred after that, splitting the Peren River apart, and the water fluttered in all directions. The entire river was destroyed. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Raon exhaled roughly, standing at the river bed. Even his head was hurting from the scorching pain in his hands where they were holding the divine and demonic swords. ¡®But I managed to withstand it.¡¯ The Axe King¡¯s attack was way heavier than he¡¯d expected because of how powerful he¡¯d gotten. It was ridiculously powerful and destructive, making him want to praise himself for withstanding it. However, there was no time to rest. He could feel Roman¡¯s presence amid the thick steam and smoke. ¡®The real battle is only getting started.¡¯ Judging from Roman¡¯s personality, he was definitely going to start attacking, saying that he was getting excited. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the battle was just getting started. Raon prepared for the battle while maintaining his breath, and a wind started to blow to remove all the steam and smoke in the area. Roman was smiling at him, having taken two steps back from where he was standing in the beginning. Whir! As expected, he lifted his axe. Raon held his breath and braced himself, but the axe lowered instead of attacking him. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Raon thought it was strange, and huge energies surged from behind. It was Rimmer and Siyan¡¯s. They¡¯ve been gathering their energy all along during the match, and they unleashed their powerful sword strike and spirit magic towards Roman. ¡°Tsk.¡± Roman raised his axe with a furrowed brow and violently fended off Rimmer¡¯s strike and Siyan¡¯s magic. ¡°What are you even doing?¡± ¡°We just went for the preemptive strike since it was obvious you were going to break your promise anyway.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Rimmer shrugged his shoulders and Siyan bit her lip tightly while standing next to him. ¡°Bullshit.¡± Roman snorted and rested his axe on his shoulder. ¡°The three-strike battle is over.¡± He shook his head, saying that he had no intention of continuing the battle. ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with the match. It was so good that it would be fun to have a duel to the death right now. However¡­¡± Roman grinned while looking at the divine and demonic swords zing from Raon¡¯s hands. ¡°You haven¡¯t reached the level I want you to yet. You are going to die if you end up fighting me in that state next year.¡± He extinguished his aura. He really looked like he wasn¡¯t going to continue the battle. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Roman¡¯s serious eyes. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He¡¯d believed that Roman was definitely going to see the end of it since he¡¯d even sold out his name to insist on the three strikes. However, Roman had lowered his axe way too easily. ¡®What is he even thinking¡­? Huh?¡¯ He had an idea as he thought about what Roman had told him. ¡®Was he actually warning me that I¡¯m going to die if I remain in this state until our duel on the first day of next year?¡¯ Roman had only confirmed his ability and never attacked him intending to kill him. Judging from his warning about dying during the next encounter, he must¡¯ve started the three-strike battle to warn him. ¡°Hey, were you warning me just now?¡± ¡°Fishermen sometimes release their catch.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°They release small fish that haven¡¯t grown yet so they can grow bigger. However, it won¡¯t happen more than twice.¡± He touched his axe with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave since I finished saying what I wanted.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Raon stepped forward, stopping Roman who had turned around. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Raptor.¡± Raon furrowed his brow, looking at the location where the marine marketce used to be located. ¡°Why did he fall so low?¡± ¡°¡­I see, so he is dead.¡± Roman followed Raon¡¯s gaze and shook his head. His gaze looked bitter for the first time. ¡°He was devoured by talent.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Raptor was talented enough to be called a genius even though he wasn¡¯t at your level. However, he lost to a talent even better than him during the war between bandit gangs and was devoured.¡± ¡°Did he lose to a person named Beorn?¡± ¡°So you already know that name.¡± He nodded while chuckling. ¡°Beorn used to be Raptor¡¯s subordinate. He was hiding a lot of things. You should be careful about him. Well, you only need to do that if you can stay alive next year,¡± Roman advised, and then he turned around again. ¡°Hey.¡± Raon was watching him with a furrowed brow, and Rimmer came next to him to call out to Roman. ¡°Regardless of the situation, you gave up on your name, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Roman nodded, saying that he didn¡¯t regret it. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make a new nickname for you.¡± Rimmer raised his chin sharply and twisted his lips. ¡°Your new nickname will be Axehole. It means that you are a lying asshole who uses an axe.¡± The serious atmosphere suddenly disappeared from his single line. ¡°......¡± Even Roman furrowed his brow deeply, despite saying that he didn¡¯t regret it. Haa¡­ Wrath shook his head at Rimmer. He¡¯s just a madman no matter how you look at him. Chapter 603 Chapter 603 Raon bit his lip tightly as he watched Rimmer, who was swaying like a delinquent. ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t have minded fighting Roman with his life on the line if he had been alone, but he had people to protect. He couldn¡¯t understand why Rimmer was suddenly picking a fight when Roman had decided to leave quietly. Moreover¡­ Wrath grinned, clutching his reddened face. He became an Axehole. Should it be called a promotion since he went from Axe King to Axehole? ¡®It¡¯s not a promotion! It¡¯s the worst nickname he could give!¡¯ Since Axehole was too shocking as a name, it was going to affect Roman¡¯s reputation. Raon had the feeling that he wasn¡¯t going to withdraw without doing anything. ¡°......¡± Roman¡¯s frightening re suggested that he was about to snap Rimmer¡¯s neck at any moment. ¡°You are going to die one day because of that mouth of yours.¡± ¡°Yes, sure. I¡¯ll die, and you will be the Axeho¡ªmmm!¡± Raon even used the Supreme Harmony Steps to reach Rimmer and cover his mouth. ¡°Please shut your mouth, I beg you.¡± He kicked Rimmer¡¯s waist with his knee to stop him from struggling. ¡°Cough!¡± Rimmer sank to his knees while faltering because of the impact on his waist. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again since that idiot broke the flow.¡± Roman stared at Rimmer for a moment, then shifted his gaze towards Raon. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to get so strong when you mentioned the duel to death two years ago. Your progress leaves me dumbfounded. However¡­¡± He lowered his gaze, spinning the axe with his fingers. ¡°The two years gave me the same opportunity. It¡¯s not enough yet. Climb even higher if you wish to survive.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to die if I manage to survive?¡± ¡°That''s the nature of a duel to the death. One person has to die, and the other can live. It¡¯s a blessing for a warrior to die at the hand of a stronger warrior.¡± A refreshing smile surfaced on Roman¡¯s face as he said that a warrior who died in an all-out battle was a fortunate one. Raon furrowed his brow, watching the smile around Roman¡¯s mouth. ¡®Is this the Axe King Roman¡¯s real personality?¡¯ He¡¯d thought he was out of his mind because he kept breaking his promises, but he hadn''t actually killed anyone in either of their encounters. He didn¡¯t do anything to the weak, giving him a goal for his progress instead. Even though he desired to fight a stronger version of Raon, it definitely did feel like a consideration. He wasn¡¯t a good person, but he couldn¡¯t be defined as evil either. ¡®Humans have so many different faces.¡¯ Raon nodded, enlightened about life rather than martial arts. ¡°See you again on the first day of the next year, Axe King Roman.¡± He was fully aware of Roman¡¯s intention, but he still responded rather politely at his consideration. ¡°It¡¯s a mystery how a monster like that was raised under you.¡± Roman sighed at Rimmer and turned around. ¡°Don¡¯t run away.¡± He boarded the Misfortune and left right away, as if he had nothing left to do. ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Roman was already powerful, but he could be even more powerful before the next year. He needed something more than just effort to defeat him in a head-on battle. ¡®Can I do it? No, I should think about how I will do it.¡¯ The duel to the death couldn¡¯t be canceled anymore at that point. All he had to think about was how to defeat the Axe King Roman. Raon watched the Misfortune getting further away and weakened his grip on Rimmer. ¡°Hey! You Axehole! You are going to die! Raon will kill you!¡± He shouted at Roman, calling him an Axehole as soon as his mouth was freed. Open up his skull to check it out. The King of Essence is guessing that he has thick pasta in ce of his brain. ¡®That might be true.¡¯ Raon sighed and stood in front of Rimmer. ¡°What are you even thinking? Why were you provoking him when he was about to leave?!¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s irritating how he keeps breaking his promises.¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow, looking in the direction where Roman had left. ¡°And since he abandoned his own nickname, I made a new one for him. I deserve his gratitude instead!¡± He shrugged his shoulders, saying that he¡¯d done nothing wrong. ¡®This is exhausting.¡¯ Raon sighed and turned his head. He figured he¡¯d better remove the chain nes while he still had some energy rather than wasting it on a pointless argument with Rimmer. Raon went to the small boat and looked at the small elf wearing a chain ne. She was the girl that Leiran had called Heirin. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± He brought his hand to her neck, and her shoulders trembled in fear. She seemed to be afraid of humans. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Leiran held Heirin¡¯s shoulder and smiled gently. ¡°He is the one who saved you. Believe in me and endure.¡± She had the warmest expression on her face that he¡¯d seen so far. Raon thanked Leiran with his eyes and grabbed Heirin¡¯s ne. He shoved the aura inside it like Raptor had told him, and the ne suddenly broke and dropped on the boat. ¡°Ah!¡± Heirin touched her freed neck with trembling lips. She lowered her head with teary eyes. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Raon patted Heirin¡¯s head and proceeded to the next elf with a ne. That small elf just now should be older than you. ¡®Stop saying things like that¡­¡¯ * * * Siyan breathed out a sigh of relief as she watched Raon remove the nes from the elves. ¡®It¡¯s a relief.¡¯ She¡¯s been worried a lot about the nes even after they¡¯ve managed to rescue her kin, but Raon easily removed them as if she never needed to worry about it. ¡®I would¡¯ve beenpletely powerless today without Sir Raon.¡¯ It was Raon who¡¯d figured out that the auction was happening, and it was thanks to his distraction that they¡¯d safely rescued everyone. Even after they came outside, Raon stopped the powerful opponents on his own and protected everyone. Everyone would¡¯ve been killed if it weren¡¯t for him. Siyan removed the ne from thest elf and blinked while looking at Raon. ¡®Ah! Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ She was in a daze because so many things happened at once, but she realized there were many things to put together. ¡®There were great lines one after the other.¡¯ Raon had spoken great lines every time he opened his mouth, lines that deserved to be treasured as family heirlooms. She considered the words he¡¯d shouted that still lingered in her memory. ¡®First of all, ¡®Zieghart is wherever I am.¡¯ That should be the best one.¡¯ A chill had run down her spine when he¡¯d said that line even though she waspletely worried about her kin. It even made her jolt because she could feel his conviction about Zieghart. ¡®And there were a lot more.¡¯ Siyan immediately took out her notepad and wrote down his actions and lines so that she wouldn¡¯t forget them. ¡®Because I have to write the next volume of the biography.¡¯ She had no intention of letting anyone else write the Seipia chapter of Raon Zieghart¡¯s biography. She wrote down every single detail about it. ¡°¡®Zieghart is wherever I am.¡¯ ¡®You are going to lose your head if your axe isn¡¯t heavy¡¯¡­ Hehehe.¡± Siyan recorded Raon¡¯s actions with a dumb smile on her face. ¡°Lady Siyan?¡± Raon walked up to her upon hearing herughter, which sounded slightly eerie. ¡®Is she feeling sick?¡¯ He checked her out because he was worried that she was making such a strange expression, and she was grinning while writing down what he¡¯d done and said on her notepad. ¡°Hey, you Axehole!¡± Rimmer was still shouting at Roman, calling him the Axehole on the other side. Raon massaged his temple, looking back and forth between Siyan and Rimmer. ¡®Is that entire household the issue?¡¯ * * * Rumble. A heavy tremor spread from the deepest ce of Zieghart¡¯s lord¡¯s manor. ¡°It¡¯s starting again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been quiet for a while, but it has be even worse now.¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s happening because a huge monster was born in the North Grave Mountain.¡± ¡°I heard a mythical creature was born.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an earthquake.¡± Since the swordsmen had gotten used to the earthquakes, they casually chatted while looking up at the trembling ceiling. ¡°Well, it should stop soon enough.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s been happening since the morning¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing bad is going to happen¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± The tremor intensified as if it wereughing at the swordsmen who were underestimating the earthquake. Gray dust fluttered from the ceiling, and the ornaments started to fall. ¡°I-it¡¯s too strong!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the building really going to copse at this rate?¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t even stand straight!¡± The swordsmen swallowed nervously, terrified by the frightening vibration. ¡°It¡¯s not going to copse.¡± By the time the swordsmen turned pale, Chad approached them with calm steps and shook his head. ¡°Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen shouldn¡¯t be afraid of an earthquake like this.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± The swordsmen bowed at Chad, who still lookedposed despite the violent vibration. ¡°It¡¯s going to subside shortly.¡± Chad greeted the swordsmen and opened the audience chamber door. The first thing he saw after entering the room was Glenn¡¯s shaking leg. His leg was shaking so hard that it almost looked like he was going to crush the tform. ¡®He¡¯s getting started again.¡¯ There was only one reason why the Conqueror of the North, often called coldhearted and even cruel, would be shaking his leg so hard. Raon Zieghart. It was because he hadn¡¯t returned when he should have. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn smiled at Glenn with gentleughter. ¡°My lord, please calm down.¡± ¡°Calm down¡­?¡± Glenn furrowed his brow while looking at Roenn. ¡°How am I supposed to calm down when the man who should¡¯ve returned a long time ago is still not here?¡± His leg started to shake even more powerfully, saying that it was impossible to calm down. Rumble! Small dust fluttered from the ceiling and the window even though they were extremely clean because Roenn had been cleaning every day. ¡°He should¡¯ve returned a long time ago, but there¡¯s no news from him. Something must¡¯ve happened to him!¡± Glenn clenched the armrest on his right side with hisrge hand. The armrest had been repaired over twenty times so far, but it turned into scrap metal again. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have sent him with thatzybones!¡± He sighed, saying that he regretted sending him with Rimmer. ¡°M-my lord¡­¡± Chad walked up to Glenn and lowered his head. ¡°He is on his way.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The message has arrived saying that the Light Wind division leader and the vice division leader are on their way. They are expected to be here within an hour.¡± ¡°Why are you saying that sote?!¡± Glenn yelled at Chad. The mana inside the audience chamber started to rampage as if a powerful storm was passing by. ¡°How could you bring such important information sote, despite being the leader of Shadow Agents? What have you been doing so far?! ¡°H-he really appeared out of nowhere. He must¡¯ve been careful because he wasing with the elves.¡± Chad¡¯s shoulders shrunk with his head hanging down like a child being picked on by a delinquent. ¡°Tsk.¡± Glenn stopped shaking his leg and stood up. The tremor that had been engulfing the lord¡¯s manor the whole day finally came to a halt. ¡°Roenn, bring the things we prepared.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roenn went to the room on the right, maintaining a gentle smile on his face. ¡°Leader of Shadow Agents.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°Summon the executives.¡± Glenn bobbed his finger, telling him to call all the executives in the house. ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Chad was about to hurriedly run outside when Glenn shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t call Aries. Leave her alone.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Chad swallowed nervously and turned around. ¡°Lady Aries has already l-left.¡± ¡°Left?¡± ¡°Sh-she ran outside, saying that she was going out to meet Sir Raon.¡± Wham! Glenn mmed his left fist and shattered the left armrest of the throne that had managed to survive. That one had been repaired over thirty times so far. ¡°Howe she got the news before me?!¡± ¡°Sh-she was already in the Shadow Agents headquarters. She ran outside as soon as she heard the news about the Light Wind vice division leader, and she couldn¡¯t be stopped¡­¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Glenn bit his lip in irritation. ¡°Whatever, summon the executives already.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Chad nodded and left the audience chamber. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but sigh from the bottom of his heart. ¡®This is seriously unbearable.¡¯ He felt like his stomach was burning because he¡¯d been getting beaten, stuck in between Aries and Glenn. They were seriously unbearable because they started to throw a fit as soon as Raon was mentioned. ¡®Should I resign?¡¯ He unconsciously sighed because he had never heard about pain like that from the previous leader of Shadow Agents. ¡®I¡¯m so exhausted¡­¡¯ He walked through the lord¡¯s manor¡¯s corridor powerlessly, and the swordsmen he¡¯d encountered on the way came towards him with sparkling eyes. ¡°Sh-Shadow Agent leader!¡± ¡°How did you figure out that the earthquake was going to stop?¡± ¡°Can you read the heaven¡¯s flow¡­?¡± ¡°He is the leader of Shadow Agents! Nothing can escape his eyes in the north!¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± The swordsmenpletely believed what he¡¯d told them before he entered the audience chamber and thought that he¡¯d used some kind of magic. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chad didn¡¯t say anything with a faint smile on his face. He simply nodded at them and passed through the corridor. ¡°He is so humble¡­¡± ¡°As expected of the master of Shadow Agents.¡± The swordsmen even started to admire that behavior. Chad went towards the pces, suppressing hisughter. ¡®Should I put up with it a bit longer?¡¯ * * * Raon sighed briefly, looking at Zieghart¡¯s noble ramparts. ¡®I can finally rest now.¡¯ They¡¯ve been hiding themselves, only picking the difficult paths on purpose to avoid ambushes just in case. Since he couldn¡¯t sleep or eat properly, he was finally reassured after seeing the huge rampart. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should finally be able to rest.¡± He smiled faintly at the elves and started to walk towards the gate when something jumped out from above the ramparts. Thud! A woman approached from the sky like a goat climbing a cliff and spun midair before shended on the ground. She briskly raised her head. Her hair gleamed in the evening glow, highlighting her sharp, cool features. The person standing before him was Aries Zieghart. ¡°L-Lady Aries?¡± ¡°My nephew!¡± Aries hugged Raon with her lips curved into a smile. ¡°Why are you sote?! I¡¯ve been waiting for you every day!¡± She clenched her hands and said that she¡¯d missed him. The gentle fragrance of the ocean wafted from her hair, which was fluttering in the evening glow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Something happened on the way back.¡± Raon smiled awkwardly and shook his head. ¡°Hey.¡± Aries red at Rimmer while still hugging Raon. ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± Rimmer was standing there nkly, but he started to blink, surprised by Aries¡¯s cold pressure. ¡°What¡¯s the point of your existence? You should make sure to send the report at least if you are useless otherwise!¡± ¡°Ah, about that¡­¡± ¡°Your ipetence is mind-blowing. What do you even do? Even the reports are sent by Raon every single time!¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± ¡°Stop talking and do better next time. I¡¯ll kill you if you keep behaving like this.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Shepletely stopped Rimmer from speaking and went towards the elves. She was literally a storm. ¡°Ah, you are Seipia¡¯s envoy. Nice to meet you.¡± Aries smiled cheerfully, as if her frown from a moment ago was just an illusion. The atmosphere changed in an instant because of her excellent beauty. ¡°N-nice to meet you.¡± Siyan nodded towards Aries. She was stuttering a little, but she had improved drasticallypared to the first encounter with Raon. ¡°Wow, your appearance is insane.¡± Aries dropped her jaw, surprised by Siyan¡¯s appearance. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s go in right now. You must be tired from your long journey.¡± She immediately guided the group to the gate, saying that they should go inside right away. ¡°Please stop.¡± Illiune, the externalmander, stopped their entrance, standing in front of the gate. ¡°The elves are wee. But since it¡¯s their first visit, we need to check their identities¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Aries furrowed her brow while looking at Illiune. ¡°What?¡± Illiune flinched and took a step back. ¡°Are you suspecting my Raon¡¯s guests?¡± ¡°It would be the correct thing to do if that idiot over there brought some guests.¡± Aries bit her lip while pointing at Rimmer. ¡°Why me again¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s shoulders drooped after being degraded twice in a row. ¡°But these people are visiting the house in order to express their gratitude towards Raon! Do you seriously want to inspect them now? Do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°I-I know that fact, but it¡¯s just my job¡­¡± ¡°So are you telling me that you don¡¯t trust Raon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­ Ha¡­¡± Illiune shook his head, realizing that he couldn¡¯t talk sense to Aries. ¡°Understood. You may enter.¡± ¡°Good work.¡± Aries waved her hand, urging them to enter. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon sighed and looked at the elves. He was trying to tell them that they should proceed but noticed that Siyan was murmuring something with her notepad in her hand again. ¡°Even inside Zieghart, Sir Raon holds unparalleled trust. He can¡¯t bepared to my insignificant brother¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes tightly upon hearing Siyan¡¯s murmur. ¡®The groundless rumors are going to get even worse now.¡¯ He had a feeling that the nonsensical biography was going to turn into an imusible fantasy novel. Raon shook his head and followed Aries towards the lord¡¯s manor of Zieghart. ¡°Raon.¡± Aries came up next to him and tapped on his shoulder. ¡°What took you so long, by the way?¡± ¡°There were some circumstances.¡± ¡°What circumstances?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk about it in the lord¡¯s manor.¡± ¡°Can you tell me real quick on our way?¡± She separated her fingers slightly, saying that she wanted to hear it in advance. ¡°Hmm, I understand.¡± Raon briefly exined what had happened during his journey. Since it wasn¡¯t a short story, he was already at the audience chamber¡¯s door by the time he finished the tale. ¡°Let¡¯s enter.¡± Aries opened the audience chamber¡¯s door with a strangely bright smile on her face. The executives of the house had gathered in front of the pirs inside the audience chamber, implying that they¡¯d heard about his return. Raon was heading towards the tform under the gazes showing various emotions, but Aries suddenly shouted while stepping forward. ¡°My lord! Don¡¯t scold Raon! He has aplished something great again!" Aries dered that Raon had rescued the kidnapped elves with a bright smile on her face. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed because he had the feeling that she was going to say that. ¡°Greeting, my¡­¡± Raon started to raise his gaze as a greeting and suddenly stopped. Glenn¡¯s red eyes were gazing coldly at him. ¡®What¡¯s happening now¡­?¡¯ Chapter 604 Chapter 604 Aries raised her hand, standing in front of the tform. ¡°Since everyone is busy, I¡¯ll quickly exin¡­¡± ¡°Aries.¡± Glenn looked down upon Aries coldly. ¡°This is an official meeting with other people around us. Keep your mouth shut.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Aries stepped aside from the tform, ncing at the elves standing behind Raon. ¡°Wee, Seipia¡¯s envoy.¡± Glenn nodded his head, looking at the elves standing behind Raon. He unexpectedly showed courtesy towards the guests before hearing the story. ¡°Thank you for the wee.¡± Siyan took a step forward and stood next to Raon as the leader of the envoy. She took off the hood covering her head and bowed at him. ¡°Greetings to the King of the North. I am Siyan, from the Blossom Branch n.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Every executive except for Glenn fell quiet upon seeing Siyan¡¯s face. Lots of them looked like they werepletely mesmerized, unable to take their eyes off her. ¡°I-I¡¯ve heard that the high elves are beautiful, but¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, this is beyond what I expected.¡± ¡°I could even believe that she¡¯s a goddess.¡± ¡°Pull yourselves together. We are in the presence of our lord.¡± Some of them were in a daze, but most of them quickly returned to their senses and averted their gazes. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn narrowed his eyes, more concerned about her introduction than her appearance. ¡°Blossom Branch n. Isn¡¯t that¡­?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Siyan smiled faintly, looking back at Rimmer. ¡°The Light Wind division leader is my older brother.¡± ¡°Hmmh!¡± Rimmer hummed, raising his chin proudly. ¡°I see.¡± Glenn nodded calmly. He seemed to have somewhat expected that to be the case. However, the executives were quietly whispering that they didn¡¯t look simr, and one of them was too ugly inparison. ¡°You must be tired from the long journey, but I¡¯d like you to wait a moment.¡± Glenn briefly nodded at Siyan. ¡°Since the people in this ce don¡¯t even know what happened in Seipia, we need to start by hearing that story.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Siyan stepped back, showing that she was perfectly fine with waiting. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon stepped forward upon hearing the call. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Report what happened in Seipia. Don¡¯t leave out a single detail.¡± ¡°Understood. We originally went to Seipia to return our division leader¡¯s sword. We managed to enter without much issue, and we also managed to meet Sir Sterin, the current protector, without much issue. However, while the elves were performing the ritual¡­¡± Raon exined everything that had happened in Seipia and finally exhaled after he was done. ¡°Eden! Those crazy bastards even appeared at Seipia!¡± ¡°H-he said that he killed the one wearing the fire spirit king¡¯s helmet.¡± ¡°How could he win against an opponent that bes gradually stronger?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the most shocked that he received the world tree¡¯s fruit. I heard that even the high elves can¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable in every single aspect.¡± The executives were gasping, unable to hide their surprise. The direct line¡¯s faction was trying to find fault somehow, but their voices weren¡¯t that loud because Karoon wasn¡¯t present. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the others, but the story about eating the world tree¡¯s fruit seems to be true¡­¡± "His aura has be even tougher. Such drastic growth is unlikely without an elixir of that caliber." ¡°Then did he really win against a monster that bes stronger and stronger?¡± Their lips trembled under the oppressive pressure naturally emanating from Raon. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn simply cleared his throat without stopping their chatter. The corners of his lips were quivering like a leaf fluttering in the air. ¡°I have a question. Was the world tree¡¯s fruit tasty?¡± Aries energetically raised her hand. ¡°It¡­¡± ¡°Aries.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow while looking at Aries. ¡°Argh, why am I getting scolded every single time?!¡± Aries pouted and returned to her position. ¡°So what happened after that?¡± Glenn shook his finger, asking him to talk about why he waste. ¡°We were entangled in a strange incident on our way back to Zieghart.¡± ¡°A strange incident?¡± ¡°Yes. Even though the elves were wearing hoods, a man noticed their identity and asked me to sell them to him. I thought it was strange¡­¡± After the story in Seipia, Raon also told them about how they rescued the elves from the marine marketce. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how the three-strike battle ended, and we returned while concealing ourselves just in case the enemies might be still chasing after us.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Balder gasped in disbelief. ¡°Did you just say you killed Siran? But he is the head elder of the South-North Union.¡± ¡°I just got lucky.¡± Raon nodded calmly. It was true that he¡¯d gotten lucky. He could¡¯ve been the one sinking under the river if Siran was thoroughly prepared for it. ¡°Th-that¡¯s insane¡­¡± ¡°He became a Grandmaster only recently. So how¡­?¡± ¡°Siran can¡¯t be as good as before since he¡¯s gotten older. But even taking that into consideration, it¡¯s still an unbelievable story.¡± The executives were so surprised that they couldn¡¯t close their mouths. ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that he managed to reach the marine marketce just from a small clue in the pub. His intellect is extraordinary.¡± ¡°The three-strike battle against the Axe King is also a big deal. Every single thing he¡¯s done deserves to be called a great achievement.¡± The direct lines shut their mouths, and only the ones favorable to Raon were letting out their surprised voices. ¡°Hmmh!¡± Glenn lifted his left hand and covered his lips, which looked like they were spasming. His hands could be seen trembling instead of his lips. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°L-Lord of Zieghart.¡± Raon said that he was done, and Siyan stepped forward from behind, her hands trembling. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Glenn nodded his chin, inviting her to speak. ¡°Our Seipia considers Sir Raon to be the benefactor of our race for saving the World Tree¡­ or, rather, the entirety of Seipia, and for rescuing our kin in the marine marketce.¡± Siyan lowered her head, meeting Glenn¡¯s heated gaze. ¡°We are also expressing our gratitude to Sir Raon¡¯s faction, Zieghart.¡± ¡°Is that the protector¡¯s will?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the will of our entire tribe, not just the protector.¡± She closed her eyes, saying that it was the will of the entire elven race. ¡°Hmmph! I understand.¡± Glenn¡¯s cheeks became flushed. He must¡¯ve been feeling hot, but he never lowered his hand covering his mouth. ¡°A-and¡­¡± Siyan put her hands together in front of her chest and stepped forward in determination. ¡°There¡¯s something Sir Raon missed in his tale.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes upon hearing her im. ¡®What is she talking about?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t really understand what he¡¯d missed, since he wasn¡¯t trying to hide anything. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Sir Raon became the fire spirit king¡¯s big brother!¡± she dered, and the entire lord¡¯s manor fell silent. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Th-the fire spirit king¡¯s big brother? Not even the contractor?¡± ¡°What did I hear just now? The fire spirit king¡¯s big brother?¡± ¡°Big brother? That¡¯s way too unreasonable¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just the executives. Even Glenn and Roenn widened their eyes because they had received a report in advance about him bing the fire spirit king¡¯s contractor. ¡°I luckily managed to make a contract with the water spirit king thanks to Sir Raon. The water spirit king is the one who told me that Sir Raon became the fire spirit king¡¯s big brother.¡± Her serious expression and voice even silenced the suspicion of the executives. ¡°Ugh!¡± Raon groaned and raised his head. ¡®Why are you talking about that?!¡¯ He looked at Siyan, intending to scold her, but she was twisting her body as if she wanted to beplimented for it. Raon pounded his chest in frustration. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Raon swallowed his sigh and stepped forth. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°¡­I did be his big brother.¡± He nodded since it wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. ¡°Wait, how am I supposed to believe that¡­?¡± ¡°Then are you not going to believe it? It¡¯s the high elf from Seipia who said it!¡± ¡°Moreover, she is the water spirit king¡¯s contractor.¡± ¡°I know, but this is just impossible¡­¡± The executives started to argue, unable to believe this one. ¡°There¡¯s more.¡± Siyan¡¯s lips twitched again, enjoying their reaction as they kept bringing up Raon¡¯s name. ¡°This happened in the marine marketce. The South-North Union¡¯s warriors threatened us while saying that the Peren River didn¡¯t belong to Zieghart or Seipia, and Sir Raon said this to them.¡± She clenched her fists, saying that it was something important. ¡°Zieghart is wherever I am!¡± she confidently dered, and everyone in the audience chamber¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°Uhah¡­¡± Glenn leaned his back towards the throne¡¯s armrest and pulled his head backward as if he were being bounced back by her words. His throat was trembling so intensely that it looked like his uv was about toe out. ¡®Wh-what¡¯s the matter? Why is he reacting like that?¡¯ Raon blinked while watching Glenn¡¯s violent reaction, and the executives started to speak from left and right. ¡°Zieghart is wherever I am? Isn¡¯t he too arrogant?¡± ¡°I know, right? He¡¯s talking like he is the head of house¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not something he should be saying.¡± ¡°Not something he should be saying?¡± Aries lifted her foot and stomped heavily on the audience chamber¡¯s floor. Whaaam! She furrowed her brow, stepping upon the destroyed rubble. ¡°That is what he should be saying!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance. It¡¯s a mindset that every swordsman of Zieghart should have!¡± She clenched her fist, saying that Raon¡¯s confidence shouldn¡¯t strike them as a surprise. ¡°Aries is right about this.¡± Balder nodded even though he¡¯d been staying quiet so far, probably because of Karoon¡¯s absence. ¡°If you go outside as a Zieghart swordsman, you should act confidently¡ªas if the entire continent is ournd. Good job!¡± Balder gave Raon a thumbs up. Raonughed bitterly while looking at Balder. ¡®That man¡­¡¯ He seemed to be serious about hispliment, even if he was going to insult him afterward. It was a mystery, how simple he could be. ¡°I agree with them.¡± Denier looked at Raon with his lips curved into a faint smile. ¡°It wasn¡¯t arrogance. He perfectly showed them what happens to them if they antagonize our Zieghart. In my opinion, he deserves to be praised.¡± He even pped his hands, praising him like Balder had done. ¡°......¡± Aries watched Denier with a furrowed brow, an unpleasant look on her face. ¡°Hmph!¡± Raon looked above the tform upon hearing the small sound of someone clearing his throat. Glenn¡¯s forehead and cheeks werepletely red, as if they were heated up by a fire. He didn¡¯t seem to be in good condition, as his skin was getting more and more cooked. ¡°There¡¯s more. When that head elder of the South-North Union arrived¡­¡± ¡°Lady Siyan.¡± Raon grabbed Siyan¡¯s sleeve and shook his head. ¡°Please stop¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± He was trying to stop her because Glenn didn¡¯t seem to be in good condition, but the person he was worried about raised his hand. ¡°We need to know what you¡¯ve done in order to prepare for the future.¡± He nodded at Siyan, asking her to continue. ¡°You can continue.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Siyan even took out her notepad and started to recite everything she¡¯d written so far. She looked like she¡¯d regained her long-lost confidence with Glenn¡¯s permission. ¡°When Sir Raon encountered the head elder, he told him that he would send him to his grandson¡¯s side¡­¡± Raon closed his eyes as Siyan even increased her voice as if she were reciting a poem. ¡®Since when did she be so confident¡­? Please save me¡­¡¯ * * * Siyan only stepped back after she told them the entire story. Raon was surprised at how much a person could change. After all, she used to be cowardly and shy. Glenn¡¯s head was pulled to the back for a long time, but he finally lowered his gaze again. His eyes looked the same as always, but his hand was still covering his mouth, and the way his hand trembled gave the impression that there was an earthquake. Glenn quietly nodded while looking at Siyan. ¡°Thank you for providing us with the precise facts.¡± ¡°I-it was nothing.¡± Siyan finally returned to her senses. Her head was trembling, her cheeks red. ¡°S-since Sir Raon helped us a lot, our Seipia would like to maintain a good rtionship with Zieghart.¡± She took out Sterin¡¯s letter from her inner pocket. Whir! Glenn lightly moved his chin, and the letter floated from Siyan¡¯s hand, getting sucked into his hand. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn nodded after reading the entire letter. ¡°Alliance¡­¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t suggesting we have an alliance right away. We¡¯d like to start bymunicating with each other.¡± ¡°That is reasonable. We will consider it positively.¡± He carefully folded the letter and put it in his clothes. ¡°Thank you.¡± Siyan lowered her head and stepped back. ¡°Then¡­¡± Glenn¡¯s gaze was directed at Raon. His eyes looked rather unusual, appearing slightly rxed. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gone through a lot.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his head with a faint smile. Hearing such words from the person he admired most instantly erased all his fatigue. ¡°I seem to say this to you every time, but it¡¯s not good to be excessively humble.¡± Glenn shook his head. ¡°You should ept an appropriate value for your great achievement.¡± Not even the direct lines were refuting his words. Saving Seipia and rescuing the kidnapped elves was a great achievement indeed. ¡°Light Wind vice division leader,e onto the tform.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon caught his breath, then went onto the tform in front of Glenn. ¡°For the great achievement of protecting the World Tree and saving the elves, the Light Wind vice division leader will be bestowed with a golden tablet, a highest-ss artifact, and an elixir.¡± Glenn took the golden tablet, high-quality leather gloves, and a wooden box containing an elixir from the te Roenn was holding and handed them to Raon. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon deeply bowed at Glenn after epting his rewards. ¡°Next up is Dorian Sephia.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± Dorian bit his tongue because he hadn¡¯t expected to be called and went onto the tform. ¡°I heard you also contributed to protecting Seipia.¡± ¡°I-I really didn¡¯t do anything special.¡± ¡°You will be bestowed with a silver tablet, a book of martial arts, and an elixir.¡± ¡°Th-thank you! Argh!¡± Dorian blushed because his voice suddenly became hoarse when he was saying thank you. Yua was the next one to be called. ¡°You fully deserve to be rewarded since you fought without being afraid of death despite yourck of skills. You will be bestowed with a fine sword and an elixir.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Yua shouted cheerfully, unlike Dorian. Glenn watched Yua step away from the tform and shifted his gaze towards Siyan. ¡°Since you must be tired of the long journey, we should talk about the future rtionship between Zieghart and Seipia in two days.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± Siyan lowered her head in a rather disciplined manner. ¡°Everyone shall leave.¡± Glenn shook his hand, announcing the end of the conference. The audience chamber¡¯s door opened, and the executives started to leave. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Rimmer stepped forward while blinking. ¡°What about me?! Why am I not getting anything even though I did everything I could?!¡± He shouted, iming that he also deserved a reward, but no one even cared about him because they¡¯d heard too many shocking things. ¡°Listen to me! I contributed a lot, too!¡± * * * Right after the executives were gone, Glenn lowered the hand covering his mouth. The corners of his lips were soaring to the sky, as if they wanted to see how high the stratosphere was. The sharp angle made it look like he was going to have a muscle spasm while smiling. ¡°Did you hear that, everyone?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Roenn took out a notepad from his inner pocket. He started to read it, a broad smile on his face. ¡°Zieghart is wherever I am!¡± ¡°Hmmph!¡± Glennughed in joy, unable to suppress it anymore. ¡°I was also surprised when I heard that.¡± Rimmer chuckled, thinking about the scene in the auction house. ¡°It was the worst situation, but I was encouraged the moment I heard it from Raon.¡± He clenched his fist, saying that he was deeply moved. ¡°Even his mentality must¡¯ve grown, in addition to his vessel as a warrior.¡± Roenn smiled gently, showing that he was proud of Raon. ¡°I agree. Zieghart must hold a significant meaning to him now.¡± Rimmer nodded with a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m more surprised by how he confronted the Axe King.¡± Aries parted her back from the pir with a faint smile on her face. ¡°¡®You will lose your head if your axe isn¡¯t heavy enough.¡¯ Is it even possible to possess that kind of spirit at his age?¡± Her smile looked like she was proud of Raon from the bottom of her heart. ¡°Father.¡± Aries licked her lips and raised her gaze towards Glenn. ¡°Even his mind seems to be qualified now, in addition to his might. What do you think?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You already know what I¡¯m talking about. Why are you asking?¡± She smiled while winking at him. ¡°The sessor.¡± Areis touched her chin while looking at Glenn. ¡°Do you have any intention of making Raon a sessor candidate?¡± Glenn calmly closed his eyes and opened them again while looking at Aries. His lips twitched quietly. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 605 Chapter 605 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 605 ¡°I agree with her.¡± Rimmer raised his left hand, still leaning his back against a pir. ¡°In the past, my personal wish was slightly involved when I said Raon had the qualities of a king, but I believe Raon Zieghart in his current state is fully qualified to be a sessor candidate.¡± His eyes were unusually serious as he stared at Glenn. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roennughed quietly. ¡°His back and shoulder have indeed be a lot broader than before. He seemed suitable to even carry the entire house on his back.¡± He nodded, also agreeing with Aries. ¡°You are right,¡± Glenn calmly responded, as if he were simply stating a fact. ¡°His prowess reached the Grandmaster¡¯s realm at twenty-one years old, he has plenty of achievements frompleting countless missions, and the good deeds he¡¯s done all around the continent brought him fame. He is indeed more than just qualified.¡± The corners of his lips quivered even when heplimented Raon himself. ¡°Moreover, his mindset has no issues either, judging from the head envoy¡¯s testimony.¡± Glenn swallowed nervously while thinking about Siyan¡¯s story. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to say such a thing.¡¯ He had believed that Raon was only attached to the Light Wind division and the annex building without having any special affection towards Zieghart as a whole. That was why his line waspletely beyond imagination. ¡®Zieghart is wherever I am¡­¡¯ It was something that only the ones who loved Zieghart would say. It was heartwarming because he could feel that Raon¡¯s thoughts towards Zieghart had changed. ¡®But it¡¯s a shame. It¡¯s such a shame that I wasn¡¯t there to see him when he said it.¡¯ He wished to have witnessed when Raon dered that Zieghart was wherever he was, and the surprised reaction from the South-North Union weaklings. The fact that he wasn¡¯t there to watch it was such a shame, to the point that he felt like he would regret it for the rest of his life. ¡®¡­Is there anything I can do? Shall I catch a dragon?¡¯ Since an ancient dragon proficient with magic might be able to turn back time, Glenn even thought that he should probably catch one and threaten¡­ or, rather, request that they do it. ¡®It¡¯s extremely unlikely, but just in case¡­¡¯ ¡°Father?¡± While he was contemting which dragon to capture, Aries waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s so rare to see you focused on other thoughts during a conversation.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Glenn cleared his throat and buried his back deep into his throne. ¡°Anyway, what you said means that Raon can be a sessor candidate, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± Glenn firmly shook his head. ¡°He has plenty of qualities, but he isn¡¯t qualified.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Is it about being part of the direct line again? That has nothing to do with being a sessor. There¡¯s no rule stating that the sessor candidate has to be a part of the direct line.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the issue.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Raon still has to confront the Axe King in a duel to death. We can¡¯t proceed with anything unless that issue is resolved.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Aries simply groaned, unable to refute that part. ¡°Rimmer.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rimmer stepped forward upon hearing his call. ¡°Did the Axe King definitely get stronger?¡± ¡°It is. He said so himself.¡± Rimmer briefly sighed and nodded. ¡°His growth seemed to be caused by a mental enlightenment, and Raon apparently served as the ignition.¡± ¡°The duel to the death against Raon must¡¯ve been the fire.¡± Glenn licked his lips, realizing what he meant. ¡°Then it should be difficult for Raon to win against him in his current state.¡± ¡°Then shall I just go ahead and y him?¡± Aries casually turned her wrist, as if it were as simple as killing a chicken. ¡°Huhuhu, I would be better suited for that job.¡± Roenn lowered his head with a gentleugh. ¡°Even though he¡¯s gotten stronger, I can still assassinate him just fine.¡± He rubbed his fingers, saying that all he needed was some time. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea, but¡­¡± Glenn shook his head, looking at their serious eyes. ¡°Just as the Axe King got stronger, the duel to the death should be an opportunity for Raon to grow as well. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± He smiled, showing that he fully trusted Raon, unlike before. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s no fun.¡± Aries shook her head with a furrowed brow. ¡°Since Raon has returned, I should leave after ying around a little¡­¡± She sighed and was about to leave the audience chamber when a knocking sound could be heard from the door. ¡°Who is¡­ Hmm? Raon?¡± Aries opened the door, and Raon showed his face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I returned because I remembered I forgot to deliver something.¡± ¡°Really? Come in!¡± Aries allowed Raon to enter as if it were her own room. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head and walked through the center of the audience chamber. ¡°What did you forget?¡± ¡°A wine.¡± ¡°Wine?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the fruit wine made by the elves. I brought it back because it reminded me of how you talked about liquor, my lord,¡± he exined, taking a brown bottle that seemed to be made of wood from his subspace pocket. ¡°A-about liquor¡­?¡± Glenn asked, his lips quivering intensely. ¡°Yes. Because you wanted some whiskey and wine back then.¡± ¡°Do you really remember that?¡± It was just a trivialment. Well, he did want to have a drink, but it was a long time ago. His heart almost stopped because Raon still remembered that fact, and even brought the extremely precious fruit wine of the elves. ¡°What? Yes, I did. It reminded me of you because it¡¯s difficult to acquire, even though it¡¯s not the exact liquor in question.¡± Raon lowered his head and carefully offered him the bottle. ¡°Hmmh!¡± Glenn¡¯s chin trembled with his hand covering his mouth. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really asking for this¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t think straight because his heart pounded too quickly. He couldn¡¯t even tell what he was saying. ¡°Then do you want me to have it instead?¡± Aries licked her lips and stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll kill¡­¡± Crimson me emanated from his eyes. He looked at his own daughter with murderous intent but managed to stop himself with difficulty. ¡°I-I get it. I was just kidding. It was a joke!¡± Even Aries was terrified by his gaze and stepped back, her hand trembling. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon tilted his head while watching the interaction between Glenn and Aries. ¡°Ahem, I¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± Glenn extended his still-shaking hand and epted the bottle. ¡°I thought you brought it for the Gambling Monster, but was it for the head of house?¡± Rimmer gasped, looking at the bottle. ¡°I¡¯m also going to give one to the Gambling Monster, but I gave one to our lord first.¡± ¡°Hmmph!¡± Glenn clenched the bottle with a strange sound that was somewhere between augh and the clearing of a throat. ¡®I won.¡¯ He was happy that he was the first one to get a present even though Raon only used to give them to the Gambling Monster in the past. He wanted to run to the Gambling Monster right away and brag about it. ¡°My nephew, do I get anything?¡± Aries put her arm around Raon¡¯s shoulder and leaned her head towards him. ¡°Of course you do.¡± Raon smiled faintly and gave another bottle to Aries. ¡°That¡¯s my lovely nephew for you!¡± Aries hugged Raon tightly and lifted the bottle towards Glenn. ¡°Look, I have one too!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Glenn casually snorted. He even looked like he was belittling her. ¡°Wh-what does that expression even mean? It¡¯s so unpleasant for some reason.¡± Aries furrowed her brow upon seeing Glenn¡¯s eyes, which seemed to beughing at her. ¡°Raon!¡± Rimmer went towards Raon and extended his hand. ¡°I also get one, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon was about to give a fruit wine to Rimmer but suddenly stopped. ¡°Ah! My lord.¡± He remembered something and called out to Glenn right away. ¡°There was another thing that I couldn¡¯t say earlier.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°When I was done with the three-strike battle, my division leader gave a new name to the Axe King, calling him the Axehole¡­¡± Raon told him about how Rimmer renamed the Axe King as the Axehole instead. ¡°Ahahahahahaha!¡± Aries fell on her stomach and burst out inughter, unable to hold it back. ¡°Axehole! He¡¯s seriously insane!¡± ¡°......¡± Unlike Aries, who was having fun, Glenn¡¯s serious eyes looked like he wanted to kill Rimmer. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll take care of the issue, so you should return and rest.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon gave a bottle to Rimmer with a cheerful smile on his face and left the audience chamber without hesitation. ¡°I-I¡¯m also going to leave, since I just remembered something that urgently requires my attention.¡± Rimmerughed awkwardly and tried to leave the audience chamber, but Roenn blocked his way. ¡°Erm, could you step aside¡­?¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± ¡°I need to leave.¡± ¡°Huhuhu.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really going to die!¡± ¡°Huhuhu!¡± Roenn never stepped aside, giving a frighteningugh. ¡°Uah¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s chin trembled as he watched the red lightning rise into the air. Rumble! Glenn dered while dropping the red lightning, ¡°I¡¯ll pour that wine on your grave.¡± * * * Raon breathed out a sigh of relief, walking through the lord¡¯s manor¡¯s corridor. ¡®I should thank Lady Leiran.¡¯ He¡¯d only asked for two fruit wines when he tried to get some of them from Leiran, but she had given him ten of them in total, five times more than what he¡¯d asked. There was still going to be a lot left after giving it to the Gambling Monster. He could even have a party in the annex building with them. Don¡¯t even think about drinking! Just go back home already! Wrath popped out from the bracelet and shoved his face onto him. The King of Essence can smell it! Mom must¡¯ve prepared delicious dishes for us! He said with teary eyes that he missed proper dishes that weren¡¯t just beef jerky and bread. Raon wondered if it was really something to cry over, but he didn¡¯t try to pry since he¡¯d seen all kinds of weird thingsing from him. ¡°I¡¯ll cook you something delicious once we are back at the annex building!¡± Yua was smiling cheerfully among the elves. Being able to show that bright expression towards anyone seemed to be a talent, even more important than the musical one. ¡°A-are you done with your business?¡± Siyan walked up to her while blinking. She was stuttering again even though she hadn¡¯t stuttered at all, speaking fluently in the audience chamber. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s go now.¡± Raon nodded and guided the elves toward the annex building. He walked while listening to Yua and Heirin¡¯sughter, and they reached the annex building¡¯s entrance in no time. ¡°That¡¯s the annex building of Zieghart.¡± The annex building was covered in green since spring had visited after the cold winter. ¡°That¡¯s where Sir Raon was born!¡± Siyan took out her notepad and started to write some iprehensible words, drawing like crazy. Since Raon had gotten used to it by then, he simply shook his head and walked towards the annex building. He opened the door and was about to enter when he heard the voices of Sylvia and the maids from theke behind him. He went there instead and saw that every member of the annex building was cleaning the area around theke. ¡°Huh? Young master!¡± Helen blinked while looking at him. ¡°Raon?¡± Sylvia ran towards him with wide eyes, implying that she hadn¡¯t heard the news of his arrival. ¡°When did you even get here?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve arrived a moment ago.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve told me in adva¡ªhmm?¡± Sylvia smiled brightly but suddenly dropped her jaw upon seeing the elves behind him. ¡°Wh-who are they¡­?¡± ¡°They are Seipia¡¯s envoy. They came with me.¡± Raon stepped aside and introduced Siyan and the elves to her. ¡°You are Sir Raon¡¯s mother!¡± Siyan approached without hesitation and held Sylvia¡¯s hand. That strange confidence seemed to fill her mind again, her shyness gone. ¡°What? Ah, yes¡­¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m really thankful to you!¡± ¡°Wh-what are you even thanking me for?¡± Sylvia was flustered, asking her question with trembling eyelids. ¡°Of course! You gave birth to Sir Raon! You¡¯ve brightened this world!¡± Siyan¡¯s blue eyes were sparkling, showing that she was serious about it. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sylvia made an expression towards Raon that seemed to ask, ¡®What did you even do?¡¯. Raon shrugged his shoulders, murmuring that he didn¡¯t know either. ¡°I¡¯m sincerely grateful to you!¡± Siyan gave Sylvia a ny-degree bow. She was being even more polite than when she was facing Glenn. Tap. A book fell from her when she raised her head. It was Raon¡¯s biography. ¡°Ah, excuse me.¡± ¡°Sir Raon!¡± While Siyan picked up the book and stood up, the back door suddenly burst open and Encia rushed outside, her face smeared with ck marks from her work. ¡°Sir Raon the damn handsome, wee ba¡ªhuh?¡± Encia ran with a bright smile on her face, but her eyes widened upon seeing Raon¡¯s biography that Siyan was holding. ¡°Why is an elf here? No, why does an elf have that book?¡± ¡°Do you know this book?¡± Siyan looked at Encia, smiling dly that she recognized it. ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m the author.¡± Encia pounded her chest, saying that she was the author of the book. ¡°I-I¡¯m a big fan of this book!¡± Siyan screamed while hugging Raon¡¯s biography. Her hand was shivering intensely. ¡°Then¡­¡± Encia walked up to Siyan and twitched her lips. ¡°Raon?¡± She sounded like she was testing her, and Siyan responded with a bright smile on her face. ¡°The damn handsome!¡± They didn¡¯t need any words and simply high-fived with both hands. p! Raon closed his eyes tightly as soon as he heard that sound. ¡®The two people who should¡¯ve never met are together now¡­¡¯ He sighed, and Wrath grabbed his hair and started to shake him. The food isn¡¯t ready! Tell them to prepare the food right now! He was getting a headache. He just wanted to sleep. * * * ¡°¡­That¡¯s how we all managed to survive! I wouldn¡¯t be here anymore if it weren¡¯t for Sir Raon!¡± Siyan was telling Sylvia and the maids about what happened so far, standing at the center of arge table in the garden. Even though she was saying it a second time after in the audience chamber, she seemed to be getting more and more energetic instead of being tired. ¡°The next part will be about how Sir Raon rescued my kin, who had been kidnapped.¡± ¡°Wooow!¡± Encia cheered loudly with her feet on the table. Sylvia and the other maids were also looking forward to it, as they raised their hands above their heads and sent a round of apuse. O-one more of that one¡­ Wrath lifted his plump finger and pointed at the meat pie that was almost finished. ¡®Let¡¯s stop now¡­ My stomach is seriously about to burst.¡¯ He had shoved over five meals worth of food into his stomach, granting Wrath¡¯s requests. He wouldn¡¯t even be able to move anymore if he ate any further. Ugh¡­ Wrath licked his lips and shook his head in regret. It can¡¯t be helped. The King of Essence will be satisfied with just some ice cream. ¡®We don¡¯t have any.¡¯ Why not?! Just bring it alread¡ªack! Raon kicked Wrath away as he kept rambling and quietly left the table. Even though the topic of their story was leaving, the annex building¡¯s members were still busy talking about him. Raon shook his head and went to his room. ¡®I¡¯m so tired.¡¯ Reacting to Siyan and the maids and eating the food Wrath requested gave him even more of a headache than a battle. He immediately buried his back into the bed. ¡®The duel to the death¡­¡¯ The duel to the death against the Axe King resurfaced in his mind as his surroundings became quiet. The Axe King was definitely more powerful than himself at the moment. His chance of victory wasn¡¯t that big even if he¡¯d used the Sword Field and released his wrath. The first day of the next year was going to be thest day of his life if he didn¡¯t do anything about it. ¡®Is training the only way?¡¯ Carrying out a mission when there is one and just training to get stronger when there wasn¡¯t seemed to be the only way. Since some of his martial techniques weren¡¯t perfected yet, he needed to polish them as much as possible. Do you want the King of Essence to help you? Wrath yawned and shook his head. With a single flick of his finger, an Axehole like that can be easily ruptured. He grinned, saying that Raon just needed to give up control of his body and he would kill the Axe King for him since he was in a good mood. ¡®I¡¯ll do it myself. I need to defeat him on my own.¡¯ He wanted to defeat him with his own power because the Axe King had given him a chance two whole times. ¡®It should work out somehow if I do my best.¡¯ Raon closed his eyes after putting his thoughts together, only for three knocks toe from the door. ¡°Enter.¡± Raon raised himself up and looked at the door. Judiel entered, bringing warm tea on a small tray. ¡°I¡¯ve brought some tea that can help with digestion since you seemed to be overeating today.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon nodded awkwardly. He¡¯d been eating everything on the table because of Wrath, and she must¡¯ve been watching him. ¡°I didn¡¯t see Karoon today. Where did he go?¡± ¡°He is on a mission. Since he is in the South, it should take some time until he returns.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded and sipped his tea. The difort in the stomach subsided a little thanks to its mild fragrance. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you confronted the Axe King. Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. He was being considerate.¡± ¡°How was he considerate¡­?¡± ¡°He overlooked me.¡± Raon sighed and put down the teacup. ¡°I would¡¯ve died if he¡¯d decided to kill me.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. There¡¯s still half a year left. I¡¯ll just train to the verge of death in the meantime and it should work out somehow.¡± Raon shook his head while looking at Judiel¡¯s worried expression. ¡°Did anything happen here in the meantime?¡± ¡°¡­No, nothing happened.¡± Judiel shook her head, her lips curved into a faint smile. ¡°Yeah. Thank you for your hard work, as always.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll be taking my leave since you must be tired.¡± She lowered her head and left, closing the door in the process. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the door after she left. What¡¯s the matter? ¡®Her smile looked a bit strange just now.¡¯ Was it strange? ¡®Yes, it¡¯s just like in the past¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips while thinking that she was being strange, and a small presence could be felt near the window. He turned his head around and saw that Glenn was already there. ¡°My lord!¡± Raon briskly stood up and opened the window. ¡°Come outside.¡± Glenn gestured with his chin, his eyes remainingposed. ¡°I have something to give you.¡± Chapter 606 Chapter 606 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 606 Raon followed Glenn and entered an open area near the North Grave Mountain¡¯s entrance. Glenn was quietly looking up at the North Grave Mountain, standing at the center of the area. Raon wondered what he was thinking¡ªhis shoulders seemed to be swaying gently under the moonlight. ¡°My lord,¡± Raon called out to Glenn and walked up to him. ¡°What did you mean, you still have more to give me?¡± Glenn had even given him an artifact, an elixir, and a golden tablet. Since it was more than plenty, Raon couldn¡¯t really understand what more he came to give him. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and turned around. His red eyes were as cold as the night wind. ¡°In addition to rescuing the elves at the auction, you even obtained the ount book to save the ones who¡¯ve already been auctioned off. This is going to be extremely helpful in maintaining a good rtionship with Seipia in the future. The artifact and elixir aren¡¯t enough to reward your achievements.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon honestly thought that rescuing the elves and getting the ount book was included in the same matter, but there was no reason to refuse an additional reward. Oh, damn it! Wrath popped out, shaking his fat stomach. Why is he giving you so much stuff? That geezer is extremely soft on the inside despite his coldhearted face. Wrath furrowed his brow, saying that his face was the only scary part about Glenn. ¡®Be quiet since you ate as much as you wanted.¡¯ The King of Essence doesn¡¯t want to be quiet, so¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll take that as you not wanting any ice cream.¡¯ Haap! Wrath shut his mouth and Raon pushed his stomach away before looking at Glenn. ¡°How much have you managed to learn of the Azure Sky Sword?¡± ¡°Up to the fourth technique. Of course, it¡¯s still not perfect.¡± Thanks to the enlightenment he¡¯d gained during the battle against the Crimson me Demon, he¡¯d be capable of using the fourth technique. However, he still couldn¡¯t perfectly disy his will through the sword. ¡°I guessed as much.¡± Glenn simply nodded, having guessed it would be the case. ¡°Come here at this hour starting from tomorrow.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be helping with your training for the next two weeks.¡± He closed his eyes, saying that he would teach him for two weeks as a reward for his achievements. Raon¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡®This reward is even better than an elixir.¡¯ A Master and a Grandmaster saw the worldpletely differently. Since his enlightenment had broadened upon bing a Grandmaster, he could absorb Glenn¡¯s teachings in even more detail. It was a great opportunity for him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head at Glenn sincerely. ¡°Hmmh!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to thank me since I¡¯m just rewarding you for what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°Even so, I believe your teachings surpass my achievements. Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He shook his hand, telling him that he didn¡¯t need to say any further. ¡°Let¡¯s get started quickly. I don¡¯t wish to waste time.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Raon raised his head and went to the center of the area. ¡°You are prepared at least, since you bring your sword with you every time I call for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the natural thing to do as a swordsman.¡± Being called a swordsman pulled his heartstrings slightly. ¡®Swordsman¡­¡¯ He could casually call himself a swordsman now without even thinking about it. He felt like the darkness from his previous life was fading away even more. ¡°Demonstrate all of the sword techniques you¡¯ve learned.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Raon responded calmly and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. He raised the sword overhead and shed down vertically. The wind dwelling on the de cut through the cold atmosphere of the night, drawing a line on the ground that was even thinner than a hair. After the basic sword techniques, he disyed the Fangs of Insanity, the Blizzard Sword Arts, the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s sword techniques, and even the ones he¡¯s created himself, then he clenched Heavenly Drive with both hands. ¡®Thest one is the Azure Sky Sword.¡¯ He added the sturdiness of his middle energy center to the huge amount of auraing from his lower energy center, then unleashed it towards the sky. The four techniques of the Azure Sky Sword were executed one after the other, creating a red and blue radiance in the dark sky. The majestic sight looked like aet soaring into the sky. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn nodded, his expression remaining as cold as in the beginning. ¡°You¡¯ve improved a little. I can feel the will you mentioned before¡ªthat you will never be defeated.¡± Even though he¡¯d gone from a Master to a Grandmaster, it was just a small improvement for him. It was ridiculous, but he had to admit it since Glenn was the one who said it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°However.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes became even colder. ¡°I can see that your sky is limited.¡± ¡°Limited¡­¡± ¡°Even I can see your goal. Don¡¯t take a warrior or a martial art as your goal. Imagine the sky that you want,¡± he advised as he took a step towards him. ¡°What is the sky you¡¯ve been imagining for the Azure Sky Sword?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Raon licked his lips, unable to answer right away. ¡°Say it without hesitating.¡± ¡°¡­You, my lord.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes widened, surprised that his name was unexpectedly mentioned. ¡°It¡¯s when you were using the Azure Sky Sword. No, it¡¯s the swordsmanship you used against the White Blood Religion¡¯s leader and the Fallen when I was kidnapped. I¡¯ve made that into my sky.¡± ¡°Hmmh!¡± Glenn hurriedly turned around. His earlobes were as red as a ripe persimmon. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, then.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change your goal. Just keep going.¡± ¡°But you just told me to change¡­¡± ¡°Stop! It¡¯s too early for you to reach infinity! Just start swinging your sword already!¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Raon tilted his head but still lifted Heavenly Drive. ¡®Even the head of house is whimsical sometimes.¡¯ It¡¯s because he is in his menopause. Wrath nodded, saying that he could understand him. * * * On the tiger boulder at the North Grave Mountain¡¯s midpoint, Rimmer briefly clicked his tongue. He had been turned into a because of the bruises around both his eyes. ¡°The corners of his lips are going to reach the sky.¡± Glenn¡¯s lips were curved to the point that he looked like a madman. His lips were reaching the ears. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand him.¡± He could understand why he was so happy. His precious grandson had told him that he was his sky. ¡°But¡­¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow, watching Glenn¡¯s lips rising higher and higher. ¡°Why is he teaching him personally? He should¡¯ve just let him enter the Chamber of the Self!¡± The Chamber of the Self was inherited from the founding head of Zieghart and allowed a warrior to speak to his own soul. Since Raon was definitely going to gain enlightenment from it, Rimmer couldn¡¯t understand why Glenn was teaching him personally. ¡°Huhuhu.¡± Roenn smiled faintly, standing on the boulder. ¡°He must want to teach him directly.¡± Heughed gently, watching Glenn advise Raon with only his voice, his back turned away from him. ¡°He must want to spend more time with the young master Raon.¡± ¡°Then he should just show it on the outside!¡± Rimmer shook his fist violently. Glenn had turned around as he smiled again. Since everything would be resolved if he just showed that smile to Raon, Rimmer couldn¡¯t understand why he was acting like that. ¡°Moreover, you can only stay in the Chamber of Self for a month. I suspect that he will open up the chamber by the time the winter starts.¡± ¡°So he is using the time as efficiently as possible.¡± Rimmer nodded, watching Raon continuously wield the sword despite being sweaty. ¡®That¡¯s indeed better. After all, he will have more to gain if he enters the Chamber of Self after he gets stronger.¡¯ The Chamber of Self didn¡¯t guarantee an improvement, but most people gain a small enlightenment at least. Since there was more to gain the stronger they were, teaching him before letting him enter the room was a good method. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Roenn looked at Rimmer with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Sir Rimmer, you seemed to have made up your mind.¡± ¡°You are so insightful.¡± Rimmer nodded, grasping his empty right shoulder. ¡°I wanted to open a casino and idle around, but the heat in my heart hasn¡¯t faded away since I saw Raon.¡± He smiled, tapping on the sword hanging around his waist. ¡°Since my life is already ruined, I¡¯d like to use it for Raon and the youngsters.¡± Rimmer closed his lips tightly, looking at the moon above Raon¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll wish for that to happen.¡± Roennughed gently and stood next to Rimmer. They watched Raon and Glenn¡¯s training for a long time without saying anything. * * * Raon left his room before sunrise. Yaawn! Wrath red at him sideways, yawning widely enough for his mouth to tear. You crazy bastard! Which nutcase in the world goes out to train at dawn after training all night long?! He tapped on his shoulder, asking him to sleep. ¡®I don¡¯t have much time left.¡¯ Since he¡¯d reached the Grandmaster¡¯s realm, he might be unable to advance without years of training. He had to practice the sword to the best of his ability while he had the chance. You are going to die while training instead of during a battle! ¡®That would be a happy ending.¡¯ Aaaaack! This is so frustrating! You are always¡­ Hmm? Wrath suddenly stopped raging and started to sniff. L-look at that! His hand trembled as he pointed at a tray on a table in front of the entrance. It smells delicious! Try opening the lid! ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon opened the silver lid covering the tray and found toast with ham, egg, and cheese inside. Hell yeah! Home is really the best! Mom! Wrath shouted for Sylvia upon seeing the still-steaming toast. ¡®This wasn¡¯t made by mom.¡¯ Who else? ¡®Judiel made it.¡¯ Sylvia¡¯s toast included egg and vegetables while Judiel¡¯s toast included egg, ham, and cheese. That was why he could tell that the toast was made by Judiel. ¡®She knows me so well now.¡¯ He could guess that she¡¯d prepared the toast because she expected him to immediately start training again. She¡¯s sharp, probably because she had a difficult childhood. She is nice! Wrath nodded, saying that she was a good girl. ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Raon chuckled and picked up the toast to take a bite. Even the inside is nice and crispy! Yes! This is how bread should be! Nadine bread shouldn¡¯t be called bread! Wrath sniffled, deeply moved by the taste of the toast.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡®I agree, it¡¯s pretty good.¡¯ It was simple food, but it was clear that she put her heart into making it. Raon murmured his gratitude towards Judiel¡¯s room and left the annex building. He immediately went to the fifth training ground, unexpectedly finding someone who¡¯d arrived before him once he opened the door. ¡°You¡¯ve be sozy.¡± Martha furrowed her brow with her arms crossed. ¡°In the past, you would¡¯ve arrived an hour earlier and started to swing the sword already,¡± she snorted, calling him slothful. ¡°I know, right? This is the time he usually scolds us foring toote.¡± Burren nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Zzz¡­¡± Runaan nodded while sitting on the ground. She seemed to be dozing off. ¡°I heard you caused another issue.¡± Martha narrowed his eyes, examining Raon up and down. ¡°How did you end up saving the elven country?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. I heard he was some spirit king¡¯s big brother,¡± Burren gasped, finding it ridiculous as he spoke. ¡°Zzz¡­¡± Runaan was still dozing off. ¡°I got lucky in various ways.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders while looking at them. ¡°That luck again!¡± Martha shook her head, telling him to stop calling it luck. ¡°It¡¯s true. I would¡¯ve never won on my own.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. The Crimson me Demon would¡¯ve killed him without Siyan¡¯s help. ¡°Was it those masked guys again?¡± Martha clenched her fist, thinking about Eden. ¡°By the way, did you get stronger again?¡± Burren tilted his head, checking Raon up and down. ¡°The atmosphere around you feels different¡­¡± ¡°I ate the World Tree¡¯s fruit.¡± ¡°Th-the World Tree¡¯s fruit?¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane. Are you seriously trying to take every single elixir in the continent?¡± Martha blinked in disbelief. ¡°I was curious about that one. Is it tasty?¡± Burren licked his lips, curious about the taste of the world tree¡¯s fruit. ¡°To be honest.¡± Raon closed his eyes, thinking about the taste of the World Tree¡¯s fruit. ¡°It tastes like Nadine bread.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Martha shook her head. ¡°How is that even possible?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it either. There¡¯s no way the World Tree¡¯s fruit would taste like Nadine bread.¡± Burren couldn¡¯t ept it either, his brow furrowing. ¡°Zzzzz!¡± Runaan shook her head to express her denial even though she was dozing off. ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± It was the truth, but Raon gave up on exining it since their expressions made it look like they would never believe him. It¡¯s only natural that they are unable to ept it. Wrath nodded calmly. There¡¯s no way they would believe it since even the King of Essence still can¡¯t believe it after tasting it himself! How is the World Tree a rubber tree? This is way too unreasonable! He wentpletely nuts after a while and shouted that he was going to burn the World Tree. Raon kicked Wrath away and looked at Burren, Martha, and Runaan. ¡°That¡¯s enough about the World Tree. What brought you here at this early hour?¡± ¡°What else? We¡¯ve been training every day at this hour.¡± Martha shook her head, saying that it wasn¡¯t even a question. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve been training every day at this hour ever since you left.¡± Burren smiled, saying that training before sunrise became a daily routine. ¡°Zzz¡­¡± Runaan snored as if she were agreeing with them. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at Burren, Martha, and Runaan one after the other. ¡®They¡¯ve indeed gotten stronger.¡¯ The improvement wasn¡¯t as drastic as his, since he¡¯d eaten the World Tree¡¯s fruit, but he could feel a higher prowess from them. He could tell that they¡¯d been training hard while he was at Seipia. ¡°The Wise Martial Pce master has been helping us with our training in the evening. We learned a lot from him as well.¡± ¡°From Sir Denier?¡± ¡°Yes. My father came to help us every day, and our aunt has been helping us as well.¡± Martha showed an unusually bright smile, saying that Aries¡¯s lessons were so precious. ¡°It¡¯s a great opportunity.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon stroked his chin, thinking about Denier. ¡®Denier¡­¡¯ Unlike Aries, Karoon, and Balder, he could hardly read Denier¡¯s thoughts. ¡®He¡¯s giving off a simr impression as Derus, but I might be wrong.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t done anything suspicious so far, nor picked a fight with him. He didn¡¯t have enough information to judge him yet. ¡®Shall I look into him just in case?¡¯ He figured he should ask Denning Rose to gather information about Denier for him. ¡®But before that¡­ There¡¯s something I need to do.¡¯ Raon¡¯s lips curved into a refreshing smile as he stood in front of Burren, Martha, and Runaan. Pop. Runaan was making a balloon from her nose, but she finally woke up and blinked. ¡°Raon.¡± Apparently, she really had been dozing off. She really looked d to see him. ¡°Let¡¯s eat some ice cream.¡± The first thing she asked about was eating some ice cream. She never changed. ¡°Yeah.¡± Raon calmly nodded. ¡°Oh!¡± Ooh! And of course, the answer came from both Runaan and Wrath. ¡°Of course, it won¡¯t be right now. I need to check first.¡± ¡°Check?¡± ¡°What are you checking?¡± Runaan tilted her head, and Burren did the same. ¡°What else? I¡¯m obviously checking out your skills.¡± Martha stepped back and ced her hand on the hilt of her sword. ¡°Look at his eyes. He¡¯s trying to kill us! Get ready. Now!¡± She shouted with trembling lips. She was already certain that they would have to fight against Raon. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be aware, but we¡¯ve been training hard so far.¡± Runaan walked up to him and widened her purple eyes, saying that they didn¡¯t need to spar. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing the daybreak training and the evening¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already told him about that.¡± Burren sighed and shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s acting like that because he wants to check that out!¡± He understood Raon¡¯s intentions and unsheathed his sword. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Runaan reluctantly lifted Snow Flower, but freezing coldness was emanating from her sword. Raon¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile as he felt the ferocious, sharp, and cold pressures from respectively Martha, Burren, and Runaan. Feeling their sword pressures made him feel at home. ¡°Let¡¯s confirm how much stronger you¡¯ve be.¡± He nodded and stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll let you have a break as soon as yound a hit on me.¡± Raon shook his finger up and down, telling them toe at him. ¡°What if we don¡¯t?¡± Runaan tilted her head. ¡°Then we will keep fighting until you do.¡± Raon licked his lips while facing their trembling eyes. ¡°Just tell us from the beginning that you want to spar all day long!¡± Burren shouted at his ridiculous statement. ¡°You just need tond a hit and you can rest. It¡¯s not that hard.¡± Raon shrugged his shoulders, saying that it was an easy task. ¡°His personality became worse as he became a Grandmaster,¡± Burren sighed. ¡°He¡¯s back. The demon king of training.¡± Martha raised her sword while biting her lip, saying, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll show you that we haven¡¯t been ying around. Die!¡± She charged from the front to thrust her sword while Burren and Runaan rushed from left and right to execute their sword techniques. ¡°It¡¯s time to y.¡± Raon curled his lips into a smile while watching the dazzling attacks of the three team leaders. ¡°All day long.¡± Huh¡­ Wrath shook his head. He¡¯s seriously a pervert, isn¡¯t he? * * * Whaaam! Blue radiance welled up to the dark sky. It was a magnificent sight, looking like a huge hole was made at the center of the sky. Glenn nodded, watching the sky as it appeared to have copsed. ¡°So this is the fifth. Not too bad for two weeks of training.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, my lord.¡± Raon lowered his head at Glenn. "You should be aware that it''s still far from perfect. You''ve only managed to build the framework, so you need to push yourself harder toplete it." ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± Glenn nodded and turned around, having said everything he wanted. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head at Glenn¡¯s back. He waspletely gone by the time he raised his head. ¡®He is like the wind.¡¯ Glenn always came exactly on the appointed time, helping with his training for just two hours and disappearing without a trace. He almost felt like a ghost sometimes. ¡®But it all paid off.¡¯ He could feel that his skills were rapidly increasing as he trained with the Light Wind division from dawn to evening and trained with Glenn at night. The two weeks he¡¯d spent were quite valuable. ¡®It¡¯s a shame now that it¡¯s over.¡¯ It was a bit of pressure to be taught by Glenn, but he was saddened once it was over. ¡®Maybe he will teach me again if I get another achievement.¡¯ He returned to the annex building while thinking about such nonsense, and he heard a small sound from the main entrance. He opened the door and saw that Sylvia was cing toast on the table in front of the door. ¡°Mother?¡± ¡°You returned at the perfect time!¡± Sylvia handed out the toast that she¡¯d ced on the table, saying that he came at a good time. ¡°You should make sure to eat properly since you¡¯ve been training until sote!¡± You are the only one who cares, Mom! Wrath ran at Sylvia with his arms spread. ¡®Get away.¡¯ Raon kicked Wrath away and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m always thankful for the treat. You don¡¯t have to overexert yourself.¡± ¡°A mom caring for her son isn¡¯t called overexerting herself.¡± Sylvia shook her head, saying that it wasn¡¯t an issue. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon received the toast with a faint smile on his face. It was healthy toast, including eggs and vegetables. ¡°Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t seen Judiel recently.¡± He mused, taking a bite of the toast. He hadn¡¯t seen Judiel since the first day of training, when she¡¯d given him the toast. Even though he¡¯d been leaving home at dawn and returning at dawn, it was still a strange thing to happen. ¡°Judiel is on holiday.¡± ¡°Holiday?¡± ¡°Yes. She told me not to tell you about it because you might be concerned. She should be back next week.¡± Sylvia shook her head, saying that Judiel wasn¡¯t in the annex building at the moment. ¡°I see.¡± Raon casually nodded, as if it weren¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Don¡¯t work yourself too hard. Make sure to manage your health.¡± Sylvia told him to finish eating the toast and returned to her room. Raon put down the toast he was eating and went to Judiel¡¯s room instead of his own. Hmm? Where are you going without finishing it?! She is on holiday, she said! ¡®Judiel is pretty much my vassal. It¡¯s a serious matter since she didn¡¯t tell me about her holiday.¡¯ He forced the locked doorknob open and entered her room. It was an extremely simple room. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it waspletely empty. However, it seemed to be how the room always looked rather than because she¡¯d left with her belongings. Raon looked around the empty room and took out a brown piece of paper protruding from the desk drawer. Raon spread the paper, and his eyes distorted fiercely. ¡°This is¡­¡± Chapter 607 Chapter 607 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 607 ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, checking the front and back of the brown paper. What are you doing? Wrath wrinkled his nose while looking down at the paper. Why are you acting so serious for no reason while looking at an empty piece of paper? Go outside already and finish the toast you were eating! He briskly turned his head around, showing that he had no interest in the paper. ¡®Unfortunately, this paper isn¡¯t nk.¡¯ You are delusional. What are you even talking about? Nothing is written on it! Wrath was right, as there were no letters nor drawings on the paper, but it was because it was special paper. ¡®Did you already forget?¡¯ Forget about what? ¡®You¡¯ll understand once you see it.¡¯ Raon left the annex building and stood in front of theke. He lifted the brown piece of paper towards the moon, which was in the middle of the sky because it was past midnight. The faint moonlight brushed past the brown paper, and letters appeared, nearly dancing across the nk page. Ah! Wrath pped his hands loudly, finally realizing it. It was from the first encounter with her! ¡®Correct.¡¯ Raon nodded, lifting the paper above his head so that it would get enough moonlight. ¡®It¡¯s the piece of paper I saw when I learned about Judiel¡¯s identity.¡¯ Back then, Judiel got caught while trying to deliver the information about the annex building to Karoon by making the paper float on theke. He¡¯d pretended to nt a fake rage worm after that and took her as his subordinate after learning her circumstances. ¡®And she is my first subordinate ever.¡¯ The Light Wind division had also be his subordinates, but Judiel was the very first person he¡¯d taken under his wings. He would never abandon her as long as she didn¡¯t betray him. Raon lowered the brown paper upon confirming that no more letters were appearing. The polished writing looked like it was devoid of any emotion. He could feel Judiel¡¯s personality from it. [Sir Raon, you must be the only person who can read this letter.] His name was written on the first line, implying that Judiel had expected that situation. [However, I hope you won¡¯t find this letter.] She hoped I didn¡¯t find it? Raon couldn¡¯t understand why she would leave a letter, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t find it. [Even if I said that I need some time for my personal circumstances, Sir Raon should be able to figure it out. I¡¯ll be honest.] Raon quickly lowered his eyes, thinking that the point wasing. [The ck Market messaged me, saying that they seemed to have found my brother.] Raon bit his lip, looking at Judiel¡¯sposed letter. ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯ The reason Judiel was still alive, why she was working under Karoon, and why she took my hand, was all because of the only blood rtive she had left in the world. He could imagine that situation the moment he¡¯d heard that she went on holiday without telling anything to him. [Please don¡¯t worry about it since it¡¯s not certain yet. I¡¯m just going to confirm if he really is my brother.] He felt like he could hear Judiel¡¯s emotionless voice as she told him not to worry about her. [I have no intention of doing anything right away even if he really is my brother. I¡¯m going to return and tell you about it first, Sir Raon. It will take some time since it¡¯s quite far away. Please wait while focusing on your training. After all, you have something you need to do. Sincerely, Judiel.] In the end, Judiel¡¯s name marked the end of the letter without mentioning the location. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while lowering the letter. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this¡­¡¯ The fact that there was no emotion at all in the letter made him even more worried. ¡®Because she might explode.¡¯ Judiel didn¡¯t usually show her feelings. Since her family had been the only purpose of her life, she could end up doing something without caring about herself once she met her brother. Why did she go on her own? Wrath shook his head, unable to understand. Since you promised her that you would find her brother no matter what, she just needed to ask you. ¡®She didn¡¯t decide not to tell me about it.¡¯ Raon sighed, reading the letter one more time. Then what? ¡®She couldn¡¯t tell me.¡¯ Raon remembered when Judiel hade to his room after his return party. He¡¯d told her that he needed to train in preparation for the duel to the death against the Axe King, and she had cheered for him with a mask on her face, just like during their first encounter. Crack. Raon clenched his fist so powerfully that his hand turned red. ¡°Damn it!¡± Judiel had left alone without saying anything about her brother to avoid disturbing his training. He could finally understand why her reaction felt slightly off. It was because she cared about him more than herself. You idiot! Wrath pointed a finger at him and called him an idiot even though he hadn¡¯t realized it either. ¡®Yes, I¡¯m an idiot. I should¡¯ve visited her.¡¯ He should¡¯ve visited Judiel even though he was reunited with the Light Wind division after a long time and Glenn was training him. His mind was filled with regret. So what are you going to do now? Raon burnt the letter with the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, and his eyes turned serious. ¡®I¡¯m going to follow.¡¯ Regardless of where she¡¯d gone, he had to follow her and bring her brother back. It was the first promise he¡¯d made with another person after bing Raon Zieghart. It was far more important than training. ¡®However, before then¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip slightly, facing the moonlight quietly shining down upon the world. ¡®I need to start by gathering information.¡¯ * * * A dry voice shouted from under a king sea serpent¡¯s skin, its dangerous gaze almost making it look like it was still alive. ¡°Boss!¡± The old man¡¯s skin was dark, as if he had been tanned under the sun for his entire life, and he knelt under the stairs that were covered in the king sea serpent¡¯s skin. ¡°The head elder of the union and a former party boss died! Why are you not doing anything about it?¡± The dark-skinned old man raised his head sharply, shedding tears despite his appearance. ¡°Haa.¡± The eyes of the South-North Union¡¯s boss emerged from the darkness and lowered towards the old man. ¡°Kuyan, you must¡¯ve heard about it as well. The head elder lost a one-on-one duel to the death. What¡¯s even there to take revenge on?¡± The South-North Union¡¯s boss shook his head, shaking the ashes from his cigarette. ¡°Even though we are pirates and bandits, we are still warriors at the core. We can¡¯tin about losing in a proper one-on-one duel.¡± ¡°How could that be? Raon Zieghart was the first to pick a fight with us!¡± The old man called Kuyan furrowed his brow deeply, refusing to ept it. ¡°That¡¯s alsoughable.¡± The South-North Union¡¯s bossughed at his ridiculous argument. ¡°We could¡¯veined if Raon Zieghart came on his own and started to cause issues. But he came with the elves, and the next protector at that. That clearly suggests that they have the right cause in this matter.¡± He touched his blue spear where it was leaning against the wall, murmuring that he was such a lucky guy. ¡°Kuyan. I understand how you feel, but making a move now isn¡¯t a good idea. It¡¯s a shame, but we have to conclude this matter here.¡± The South-North Union¡¯s boss shook his head, telling him not to mention that incident anymore. ¡°Boss!¡± Kuyan raised his head, his face smeared with tears and twisted like a grotesque monster. ¡°Are you afraid of Glenn Zieghart?¡± His lips trembled, as he smashed the floor bare-handedly. ¡°I endured it when Tyler died back then. He was pretty much my grandson as the grandson of my dear friend, but I didn¡¯t say anything because I didn¡¯t want to harm the boss¡¯s dignity as the head elder! But this incident is a different case!¡± Kuyan shouted, his voice rough and dry, like hecked any saliva and was coughing up blood instead. ¡°It¡¯s none other than the head elder of the union! Regardless of whether it was a one-on-one or if they had the right, we still have to take action! Are you trying to forget about Tyler and Siran because you¡¯ve found a new sessor? Or Are you really afraid of Glenn Zieghart?¡± The South-North Union¡¯s boss looked down upon Kuyan silently. His gaze was as emotionless as in the beginning. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of Glenn Zieghart? Kuyan, what about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of him! I don¡¯t care if I end up dying as a result!¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Unfortunately, I¡¯m afraid of him.¡± He extended his long legs while saying that he was afraid and ced them onto the king sea serpent¡¯s skin. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of dying, but I¡¯m afraid of the South-North Union¡¯s downfall.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be too bad if it was just you or me who died as a result. But Zieghart¡¯s sword is brutal and persistent. They will try to get rid of everything in the South-North Union, even if they end up losing their limbs as a result. You should know what happened during the continental war.¡± ¡°......¡± Kuyan couldn¡¯t say anything as he simply stared at the boss. ¡°Just you wait. Roman will avenge Tyler, Raptor, and even Siran¡¯s deaths.¡± The South-North Union¡¯s boss smiled, saying that there wasn¡¯t even a year left. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°I do, but¡­¡± Kuyan bit his lip and raised his head. ¡°I can¡¯tpletely ept it.¡± ¡°Then are you going to attack Zieghart right now or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that stupid. But I¡¯m going to wait.¡± He shook his head and stood up. ¡°Ah.¡± The South-North Union¡¯s boss raised his hand. ¡°Since Siran is dead, take back the head elder¡¯s position.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kuyan quietly lowered his head and left the throne room. He immediately went to the river and made a warship depart, the one that belonged to the Council of Elders. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The sailors steered the boat without saying anything. They advanced through the cold wind of the early morning, and they arrived at Peren River, where Siran and Raptor had perished. ¡°Haa.¡± Kuyan sighed deeply, standing on the river where Siran had died. ¡°I would¡¯ve helped you from the beginning if I had known this was going to happen.¡± He let out a deep, regret-filled sigh once again. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do at the moment.¡± Kuyan shook his head while looking at the dark river reflecting the moonlight. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to let it pass. Wait in hell.¡± He threw his golden fishing rod into the river, stared at it for a long time, then returned to the boat. The boat from the Council of Elders circled the river once tofort Siran¡¯s soul and slowly disappeared. A tall mannded on the dark river after Kuyan was gone. The man with eyes as blue as the moonlight shook his finger, and the river started to boil, making a white skeleton surface. ¡°Do you want to live?¡± The man spoke to the skeleton as if he were talking to a living person. ¡°I like your answer.¡± The skeleton didn¡¯t say anything, but the man giggled. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s impossible to revive a dead person. I would¡¯ve smashed your bones if you said you wanted to live, but you said that you just wanted your revenge. That¡¯s why I like it.¡± The man casually nodded, and the skeleton waspressed into a small size before being absorbed into his hand. ¡°I came here just in case, but this will be interesting material.¡± He threw the skeleton into the air and then caught it like he was ying with a toy before disappearing into the darkness. * * * Cring! Inside the training ground, Heavenly Drive¡¯s de rode the wind and descended upon thend. The tip of the de trembled faintly, splitting the small line on the ground into a fissure. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the sh that had strayed away from its trajectory. ¡®I¡¯m too impatient.¡¯ Even his training wasn¡¯t going so well because he was too worried about Judiel. He even felt like he¡¯d be worse because his mind kept wavering. ¡®It¡¯s still not here yet.¡¯ It had already been almost two days since he¡¯d requested information from the ck Market, but there was still no news from them. He started to imagine bad things. ¡®No, I should focus. I should do what I can for now.¡¯ Raon calmed his mind and was about to raise the sword again when a small bird flew towards him from the sky. Hieeh! Wrath freaked out and sank to the ground as soon as he saw the bird. I-it¡¯s the madwoman! She¡¯s here again! His lips shivered, thinking that it was Merlin. ¡®No, it¡¯s not.¡¯ Raon extended his hand while shaking his head, and the birdnded on his hand. ¡®This little one is a messenger from the ck Market.¡¯ A small piece of paper was folded around the bird. It was a bird from the ck Market, not Merlin. ¡®How pathetic of you.¡¯ Raon chuckled, letting the bird fly away. ¡®What kind of demon king is afraid of a little bird?¡¯ H-he wasn¡¯t afraid! He just thought it was the madwoman. ¡®Sure, mister cowardly demon king.¡¯ It¡¯s not true! Raon ignored Wrath as he started to yell and opened the letter. The contents were simple. It stated that they would be waiting at a ce on Zieghart¡¯s main street. Raon burnt the piece of paper and immediately went towards the mentioned location. He entered a small shop on the corner of themercial district, and he suddenly sensed the intense fragrance of trees. He looked around and noticed wooden sculptures of different sizes were filling the area. Raon went deeper while appreciating the sculptures. He could feel a familiar presence from the manager on the other side of the counter. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± The manager took off the hood she was wearing with a thin voice. She was a woman, the wisdom in her eyes standing out even more than the rosy eyepatch. It was Denning Rose. ¡°Did you personallye here for me?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing Denning Rose. He hadn¡¯t thought she would being, since he¡¯d guessed that she would dispatch an agent. ¡°Of course I did.¡± Denning Rose shook her head, saying that it wasn¡¯t anything special. She took out a green teacup and poured the water that she¡¯d been boiling into it. The calm fragrance emanating from it was soothing his pounding heart.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon took a sip from the steaming tea. The nutty and mild taste remained in his mouth, then itpletely disappeared. Denning Rose must¡¯ve prepared the tea to control his emotions. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the topic since you seem to be in a hurry. The person who¡¯d been contacting us has disappeared, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe she immediately made a move when she heard that her brother was found.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve actually messaged her multiple times when we found someone simr to her brother, but we were mistaken in every case. We must¡¯ve found her real brother this time.¡± Denning Rose was saying that she¡¯d already given Judiel information about her brother before, but she¡¯d responded that they weren¡¯t her brother. ¡°But why would she go on her own¡­?¡± ¡°I believe it¡¯s because she didn¡¯t want to spend my time.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She nodded, immediately realizing the situation. ¡°I¡¯ll start by showing you the document we gave to her.¡± Denning Rose took out an envelope from the drawer and handed it over. Raon opened it up right away and checked the content. [We¡¯ve found a young man in his mid-twenties, brown-haired, blue-eyed with a scar on his forehead near the vige of the Suran tribe.] Raon narrowed his eyes while examining the message. ¡®He might be the one¡­¡¯ Judiel had told him that her brother was named Juvel, he was around 24~25 years old, brown-haired, blue-eyed with a scar on his forehead. Judging from the contents, he was most likely her brother. ¡°But the vige of the Suran tribe is¡­¡± ¡°Yes, the Beast Union.¡± Denning Rose nodded while calling the Beast Union¡¯s name. ¡°The vige is from that faction.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He was wondering because the name sounded familiar, and it was indeed from the Beast Union. ¡®But why is he even there?¡¯ From his knowledge, Karoon was holding both Judiel and her brother¡¯s leashes. Judiel was understandable, but he couldn¡¯t tell why her brother was in the Beast Union. ¡°That vige is rather peculiar, but her brother didn¡¯t seem ordinary either, apparently.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that¡­:?¡± ¡°This is something we¡¯ve figured out after Sir Raon made his request¡­¡± Coldness started to emanate from the only eye Denning Rose had. ¡°That person called Juvel seems to be living the life of an assassin.¡± Chapter 608 Chapter 608 Raon bit his lip tightly, thinking about the meaning behind Denning Rose¡¯s words.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Did you just say that he¡¯s an assassin?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Denning Rose said as she nodded calmly. ¡°The agent dispatched there after Sir Raon made his request was originally an assassin. His skills were quite excellent, at that.¡± Since Denning Rose called him excellent, he must¡¯ve been a famous assassin before he retired. ¡°That agent said that the man who seemed to be Juvel and a few others smelled like assassins.¡± ¡°They smell like assassins¡­¡± Who were the types of people who were the most proficient at recognizing the assassins? Many would think guards do, but it wasn¡¯t actually the case. Since assassins acted in a particr way, assassins were the best at noticing and recognizing other assassins. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon sighed briefly and leaned forward. ¡°Did that agent who used to be an assassin say that Juvel was an assassin?¡± ¡°Yes. He was working as a gatherer but said he seemed to be an assassin. Of course, that isn¡¯t certain since he was making a guess.¡± Denning Rose didn¡¯t even bat an eye while saying that it was a guess. She implied that it was pretty much certain. ¡°And the people around him were also assassins, right?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not the case for everyone, but arge number of them were apparently assassins.¡± She nodded, saying that it wasn¡¯t just a few people. ¡°Which implies that they have a target to kill over there,¡± Raon sighed while touching the heated teacup. ¡°Indeed, that would be the only reason.¡± Denning Rose nodded, saying that she thought the same thing. ¡°Juvel is currently staying in Raven Vige near the Suran tribe. It¡¯s not a big vige, but it¡¯s not exactly small either. He¡¯s considered a viger since he¡¯s been living there for over a year now. Apparently, he even gets invited in by the Suran tribe because they¡¯ve built a friendly rtionship.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon stared at the quiet wave on his tea and tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s rather impressive that you¡¯ve managed to find him since he must¡¯ve been changing his appearance if he¡¯s an assassin.¡± ¡°You apparently don¡¯t know much about the Suran tribe.¡± ¡°All I know is that they have many Beast Union shamans.¡± ¡°Indeed, there are shamans over there. However, a few of them have a special ability.¡± ¡°Special ability?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an ability of the eyes called the Mind¡¯s Eyes.¡± ¡°Mind¡¯s eyes?¡± ¡°They can apparently determine people¡¯s real thoughts.¡± ¡°Could it be a mind-reading ability?¡± Gasp! Wrath widened his eyes and raised his head. ¡®Why are you surprised? Is there nothing like that even in Devildom?¡¯ Wh-what are you even talking about? Even the King of Essence could¡¯ve had an ability like that! He could¡¯ve had it, not that he had it. Even his bluffs were strange, probably because he was a cowardly demon king. It could also be because he rarely lied. ¡°I heard that they used to have a shaman that could read minds hundreds of years ago, but now, they can only see if a person¡¯s appearance is genuine or not. That¡¯s why it¡¯s impossible to conceal your appearance there.¡± Denning Rose shook his head, saying that the mind-reading ability was just a story from legends. Ahem! But of course! Wrath nodded while rolling his eyes. There¡¯s no way a human being would have such an ability! Such an ability shouldn¡¯t even exist in Devildom. How could a mere human¡­ Raon ignored Wrath as he continued to ramble and looked at Denning Rose instead. ¡°So the reason Juvel revealed his appearance was¡­¡± ¡°Yes, he must¡¯ve gone there with his real appearance in order to gain the trust of the shamans who can use the Mind¡¯s Eyes. And that¡¯s how we managed to find him.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon nodded briefly. He could finally understand the entire situation. ¡®It¡¯s even more certain now.¡¯ Living in a vige like Juvel did to gain the trust of the people was called preparation among the assassins. He must¡¯ve gained their favor with the preparation in order to kill someone. ¡®He¡¯s an assassin, of all things¡­¡¯ Judiel¡¯s life was simr to his previous life. The fact that a trashy master was holding their leash, forcing them to do things that they didn¡¯t want was pretty much the same. However, she was better than him since she still had a family, and the fact that she couldn¡¯t escape because of her family made it worse than his previous life. Even though Judiel had helped him a lot, he cherished Judiel mostly because he could see his previous life in her. That was why the fact that her brother was living as an assassin reminded him of Derus Robert, enraging him. ¡®It might be dangerous.¡¯ If he interfered at the wrong moment, he could be used of being an assassin or even get involved in the assassination. ¡®Haa.¡¯ Raon slowly closed his eyes. He could remember Derus¡¯s evil deeds as if they had happened the day before even though twenty years had passed. Even if he aplished his revenge, he would never forget about what he¡¯d done to him. That was why he didn¡¯t want Judiel and her brother to experience the same thing. After all, they were simr to him. ¡®I¡¯m never going to live like him. I need to protect my subordinate.¡¯ He raised his gaze, resolving himself to live differently than Derus, who easily threw away his subordinates. ¡°Lady Judiel hasn¡¯t been seen anywhere yet. It¡¯s possible that she hasn''t arrived at Raven Vige yet, but she might be in disguise or hiding outside the vige.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Raon nodded. Since Judiel was educated as a spy, she was proficient at hiding her presence and had a careful personality even though herbat potential wascking. She wasn¡¯t going to be found easily. ¡°By the way, who is the target of the assassins?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t sure about that either.¡± Denning Rose sighed and shook her head. It was extremely rare for her to say that she didn¡¯t know something. ¡°I¡¯d like to say that it¡¯s just the Suran chief, but we don¡¯t really have any information about them. We don¡¯t even know where the assassins are from either. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s already enough.¡± Raon shook his head. He was already extremely grateful that she¡¯d gathered so much information in such a short amount of time. ¡°Are you heading there?¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Raon emptied the cup and stood up from the seat. An unwavering me sparked in his eyes. ¡°Because my subordinate is involved.¡± * * * Raon finished his preparations to head towards Raven Vige and left his room. ¡°Huh?¡± He encountered Encia and Siyan, who were passing by the corridor, while he was heading to the entrance. ¡°Sir Raon the damn handsome, where are you going?¡± Encia stepped forward and lowered her head. ¡°S-Sir Raon the damn handsome!¡± Siyan also shouted damn handsome as she approached. Are they sisters who lost each other during childhood? Wrath shook his head upon seeing that Siyan and Encia had be even closer than real sisters. ¡®They might be.¡¯ Raon sighed mentally and walked up to them. ¡°I¡¯m nning to train outside the house.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s training.¡± Encia smiled as if she was expecting that answer. ¡°By the way, Sir Raon.¡± She licked her lips and came one step closer. ¡°Can we continue writing the Biography of Raon?¡± ¡°The Biography of Raon¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the iplete books that they were holding in their arms. ¡°We are nning to publicize two more volumes¡ªthe dragon yer part and the Seipia part.¡± Encia smiled, saying that she was even going to make a new cover. It looked like she¡¯d already finished nning. ¡°You are going to do it anyway even if I don¡¯t allow it.¡± Since both Encia and Siyan were as proactive as Merlin in that aspect, they were definitely going to do it anyway whether he stopped them or not. ¡°No, we aren¡¯t going to do it if you don¡¯t want it.¡± Encia shook her head, saying that his opinion had the highest importance since it was a book about him. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then please don¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Encia and Siyan turned pale as soon as he refused. They were staring at him with expressions that suggested the sky was copsing onto them. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon shook his head, unable to meet their eyes. ¡°Do as you wish.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Thank you! Damn handsome!¡± Even though Raon was there in person, they hurriedly ran to the study, excited about making the book. You are going to regret it. Wrath¡¯s eyes were filled with envy despite saying that he would regret it. ¡®I might.¡¯ Raon chuckled and tried to leave the annex building, but Sylvia was standing in front of the stairs at the entrance. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Sylvia walked up to him with a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯m going out to train for a while. It will take a few days.¡± ¡°Alright, have a nice trip.¡± She waved her hand, telling him to do his best. ¡°Send my regards to Judiel.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon immediately turned around upon hearing Judiel¡¯s name. ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been acting strange ever since I told you Judiel was on holiday. There¡¯s no way your mom wouldn¡¯t notice that.¡± Sylvia smiled, telling him that he shouldn¡¯t try to deceive his mom. ¡°She was rather strange from the first time I saw her. She is calm, but she looked like she was being chased by something at the same time. She looked a lot better after she became in charge of you, but she¡¯s been impatient again recently. Is she in danger?¡± ¡°¡­I won¡¯t know until I get there.¡± He didn¡¯t lie to Sylvia since she seemed to be somewhat aware of the situation. ¡°Make sure to bring her back. I¡¯ll prepare delicious food for you.¡± Sylvia smiled, telling him to just bring Judiel back safely. Delicious food? Wrath was yawning in boredom but suddenly straightened his neck upon hearing that. What is that delicious food?! ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Raon lowered his head at Sylvia and turned around. W-wait a moment! Wrath shouted while dashing towards Sylvia. What is that delicious thing? Please just hear what it is! * * * A wall made of monster bones was rising in the middle of a forest, where trees as long as spear shafts and bushes as sharp as spearheads were soaring to reach the sky. A brown-haired young man lowered his head in front of the wall of bones, the beads of sweat forming on his forehead showing his exhaustion. His blue eyes were sparkling despite his shabby outfit. ¡°It¡¯s me, Philip! Please open the door!¡± As he shouted to introduce himself as Philip, a person¡¯s face showed up from behind the wall of bones. The middle-aged man licked his lips. His skin was tanned despite giving a neat impression overall. ¡°Why did you return so early?¡± ¡°It¡¯s important to be on time for an appointment with the chief.¡± Philip scratched his head, smiling like a good guy. ¡°I can¡¯t bring myself to dislike you.¡± The middle-aged man shook his finger after being called the chief, and the wall shifted to create a door where about two people could pass simultaneously. ¡°Thank you.¡± Philip lowered his head again and entered. Small huts shaped like mushrooms were scattered haphazardly about while a tower of bones rose from the center of the vige, tall enough to touch the sky. The color waspletely dark, but it gave off a majestic impression rather than ominous. ¡°Why are you still so curious about it when youe here practically every day? Come this way.¡± The chief shook his hand, and Philip went towards him while gasping. ¡°It feels like that tower is sucking me in whenever I see it. I can¡¯t take my eyes off of it.¡± ¡°You have good eyes for things. Our ancestors will be d.¡± ¡°That tower was built after defeating the monsters who intruded into the vige, right?¡± ¡°Yes. The story says that thousands of them attacked. Our tribe would¡¯ve been annihted if it weren¡¯t for our ancestor, the Lion King.¡± The chief looked up to the tower and smiled faintly. ¡°Such an amazing person.¡± ¡°Stop with ttery and take out the stuff.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ttery though¡­¡± Philip twisted his lips and opened the bag around his waist. Medicinal herbs, poisonous herbs, and flowers of different colors were inside it, and every single one was lively, implying that they were recently harvested. ¡°They are in such great condition, to the point where it¡¯s irritating.¡± The chiefughed bitterly while examining the medicinal and poisonous herbs that Philip had brought. ¡°Howe you manage to find even better ingredients than our tribe? Where do you even gather them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a business secret.¡± Philip smiled, holding a finger up to his lips. ¡°Seriously.¡± The chief was proud of him and patted his head. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll buy them all as the highest quality goods.¡± He nodded and handed a pouch to Philip. The ttering sound of gold coins could be heard from the inside. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± Philip took the pouch and bowed, his head almost reaching the ground. ¡°How about staying overnight? You won¡¯t regret it since we¡¯ve acquired some good meat.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Today is the day I gotta send money to my home.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. It¡¯s already that day.¡± The chief nodded and patted Philip¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is your mother doing better?¡± ¡°......¡± Philip smiled without saying anything. ¡°Alright, you can leave. I¡¯ll prepare dishes that you won¡¯t be able to refuse next time.¡± ¡°Thank you. See you next time!¡± Philip lowered his head and left the vige. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The young man from the Suran tribe with round eyes gasped whileing towards the chief. ¡°He¡¯s an interesting man. He even refused the chief¡¯s invitation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable though.¡± ¡°Well, I guess all his thoughts are shifted towards his mother. That¡¯s why he¡¯s wearing those rags even though he¡¯s making lots of money.¡± ¡°Even though his body is here, his mind is with his mother since she has an incurable illness.¡± The chief clicked his tongue in regret. ¡°You should be nice to him when hees here.¡± ¡°Of course. We even treated him to a meal at our homest time.¡± The young man shook his head, saying that they were already getting along. ¡°Haa.¡± The chief sighed while looking at Philip¡¯s back as it got further away. * * * After Philip left the Suran tribe, he returned to Raven Vige, where he¡¯d been staying for over a year. ¡°Did you already finish your business?¡± ¡°You are so diligent.¡± ¡°I wish my son could be like you.¡± The vigers smiled,plementing Philip. He¡¯d be part of the vigepletely. ¡°Nah, I still have a long way to go.¡± Philip smiled like a nice guy and went towards his home, located on the outskirts of the vige. The moment he opened the door and entered, his expression froze in a frightening manner. ¡°I believe I told you to note during the day.¡± He furrowed his brow, looking at the white-haired middle-aged man sitting in the chair on the right. ¡°Watch your words towards your superior, Number 196.¡± The middle-aged man called him Number 196 with serious eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°How are you doing with the Suran tribe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being invited to their events and homes.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s only natural to gain that much favor in a whole year. Though, the others couldn¡¯t do it.¡± He nodded, telling him he did a good job. ¡°Did you locate them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already done,¡± Philip replied, handing over a piece of paper from his inner pocket. The location of the Suran tribe that he had visited a moment ago was drawn on the paper, and the locations of the traps and spells were written on it. ¡°Then let¡¯s get to work.¡± ¡°Already?¡± Philip widened his eyes, finding it unexpected. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you feel reluctant?¡± The middle-aged man looked coldly at him. ¡°You are an assassin. Affection and rtionships with people arepletely meaningless to you. After all, the Philip in this vige is just a fake.¡± ¡°......¡± Philip bit his lip tightly without responding. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to meet your sister, Juvel?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Juvel furrowed his brow deeply at the mention of his sister. ¡°This mission is the tenth one. You can finally meet your sister after youplete this one.¡± ¡°You said the same thing during the fifth mission, but I couldn¡¯t even see her face!¡± ¡°Aah, it¡¯s true this time.¡± ¡°But¡ª!¡± ¡°Do you want to see her corpse instead? Or there¡¯s also an option of sending your corpse to her. You have a choice.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Juvel¡¯s chin trembled, unable to respond. ¡°How is my sister doing?¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing great of course. You don¡¯t need to worry about her since she¡¯s enjoying her life in a rich household.¡± The middle-aged man shook his head, telling him to stop asking the obvious. ¡°We should finish this matter quickly since we¡¯ve been seeing an unknown gaze recently. Do you remember the target?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Philip bit his lip and lowered his head. His eyes had turned dark and deadpan, unlike when he¡¯d entered the vige. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll start the operation tomorrow, the moonless night.¡± The middle-aged man shook his hand and left Philip¡¯s room. Philip stood there for a long time, as if he¡¯d turned into a statue. * * * Judiel was above a hill where she could see Raven Vige below. She bit her lip while watching Juvel talk to the vigers through Encia¡¯s telescope. ¡®It¡¯s definitely him¡­ Juvel.¡¯ His skin had be a lot rougher and he¡¯d grown into an adult, but she could ascertain it the moment she saw him. He was definitely the only brother she had, Juvel. Most importantly, the scar on his forehead was exactly what she remembered. ¡®Since he got that scar because of me.¡¯ The scar was made when he fell and scratched his forehead on a rock when they were running away together. She could never forget about it, since her mistake was the cause for it. ¡®He¡¯s doing fine.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t tell the exact circumstances nor hear what they were saying since she was watching from afar, but she could at least guess that he was getting along with the vigers. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Judiel bit her lip while gazing down at Juvel. ¡®Why is he even here?¡¯ She had a few hypotheses about it. Karoon might have sold Juvel, Juvel might have escaped, or he could be living in that vige on Karoon¡¯s orders. Regardless of the case, it made her happy to simply see her brother. Since she¡¯d believed he was dead, his energetic smile alone brought warmth to her heart. However, she became slightly greedy as she watched for three days. ¡®What if he is being held hostage with my life, just like what happened to me¡­?¡¯ Just as she¡¯d be a spy in the annex building because of her brother, Juvel could¡¯ve been doing something bad over there because of her life. If that was the case, she couldn¡¯t allow it to continue. Judiel took out a small piece of paper from her inner pocket, wrote down her own name, Juvel¡¯s name, and what they¡¯d told each other right before they got separated and waited until night to go down from the mountain. She carefully entered the vige. She was wearing a robe and hiding her presence, but no one considered her suspicious, probably because outsiders often visited the vige. She was about to shove the piece of paper into Juvel¡¯s window, maintaining the concealment art that she¡¯d learned from when she was educated as a spy. The window opened carefully, and a man wearing a ck mask and ck outfit came out of it. She could immediately tell who he was, upon meeting his blue eyes. ¡°Ju¡ª¡± The moment she tried to call his name, the dagger suddenly emerged from his hand and fell towards Judiel¡¯s forehead. Pssh! Chapter 609 Chapter 609 ¡°¡ªvel?¡± As her faint voice continued, the dagger directed at her forehead suddenly curved. The dagger changed its direction and cut the right side of her hood. He could see blood flowing from her cheek through the gap that was made. However, she only stared at Juvel, not even noticing the cut on her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s Juvel. It really is my brother.¡¯ She could tell just by seeing his eyes. The man in front of her was Juvel, her only brother. ¡°Who are you?¡± Juvel red at her in a frightening manner, pointing his dagger at her neck. ¡°How do you know that name¡­?¡± Just as he was about to shove the dagger even closer, Judiel took off the hood covering her head. ng. The moment her face was revealed, Juvel dropped his dagger from his hand. ¡°J-Judiel¡­?¡± Juvel also noticed that she was his one and only sister the moment he saw her, and his teeth ttered violently. ¡°Are you really my sister?¡± ¡°Juvel.¡± Judiel bit her lip tightly and hugged Juvel. She didn¡¯t care what situation they were in, nor what Juvel was trying to do. The emotions that she¡¯d been continuously holding back for such a long time burst out at once, and she couldn¡¯t control herself anymore. ¡°Juvel, Juvel.¡± She clenched her hands, murmuring her brother¡¯s name over and over. She didn¡¯t want to let him go ever again. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Juvel stroked her back with his trembling hand and closed his eyes. ¡®This is the scent of my sister¡­¡¯ He could smell the same fragrance as the one he¡¯d felt when he slept in his sister¡¯s embrace during childhood. It wasn¡¯t as mild as a flower nor as sweet as a fruit nor as pure as grass. It was a warm fragrance, simr to a nket dried under the sunlight. Tears flowed from his eyes because he¡¯d thought he would never be able to smell that gentle fragrance again. ¡®You¡¯re still alive.¡¯ His division leader had told him that his sister was still alive, but he didn¡¯t trust him. He was still hanging on just in case, and they were unexpectedly reunited. He wanted to stay like that forever, but he unfortunately didn¡¯t have the time for that. ¡°Judiel.¡± Juvel put his mellow mind together and separated himself from Judiel. ¡°Juvel, you really were alive¡­¡± Tears continuously flowed down from Judiel¡¯s eyes, her lips trembling. She seemed unable to control her emotions. ¡°I can¡¯t do this right now.¡± Juvel took the piece of paper that Judiel had dropped. He quietly removed the traces and brought her into his house. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He spread his aura perception to examine the surrounding area and breathed out a sigh of relief after he confirmed that no one was there. ¡®I¡¯m d I prepared in advance before the gathering time.¡¯ It was the day of the assassination, but he still had some time until the gathering. It was a relief that he had some time until then. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Judiel finally returned to her senses and wiped her tears from her eyes, her face flushed. ¡°By the way, what were you trying to do?¡± She swallowed nervously while looking at Juvel¡¯s outfit. ¡°......¡± Juvel took off the mask from his face and bit his lip. ¡®Should I tell her that I¡¯ve been living as an assassin¡­?¡¯ He felt like Judiel would be too sad if he told her that he¡¯d been killing people as an assassin. He didn¡¯t want to make her sister cry anymore. ¡°It¡¯s not time for that right now¡­¡± He tried to change the topic, saying that he had no time for that, but Judiel¡¯s lips twitched once again. ¡°I¡¯ve been living as a spy.¡± ¡°What?¡± Juvel widened his eyes upon hearing that she was a spy. ¡°My job was to live where my superior designated for me, steal their information, and report.¡± Judiel smiled faintly while looking at Juvel. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you were doing, but I didn¡¯t want to extend my life by betraying people who believed in me.¡± She covered her mouth with her trembling hand. ¡°I was trying to kill myself, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it when I thought about you. I received a new mission, thinking that I wanted to see your face onest time, and¡­¡± Judiel¡¯s eyes suddenly cleared. ¡°That¡¯s how I met the person I¡¯m serving now.¡± ¡°Are you serving someone? Is that a different person than the one who made us like this?¡± ¡°He¡¯spletely different. He saved me.¡± She nodded with a smile. Her smile was small but wasing from the bottom of her heart. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°......¡± Judiel simply smiled without responding to him. She didn¡¯t mention Raon¡¯s name since it could be harmful to him if she or Juvel ended up dying there. ¡°What about you? How have you been living?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Juvel swallowed nervously and looked up to the ceiling. He lowered his gaze again and touched the ck night outfit again. ¡°As you can see, I haven¡¯t been leading an ordinary life. You said just now that you wanted to die after seeing me. I was the same.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I thought I should die after seeing if you were still alive.¡± Judiel clenched her fist and listened to her brother without saying anything. ¡°Those bastards said that my sister has been livingfortably in a rich household¡­¡± Juvel furrowed his brow while thinking about the division leader¡¯s sly face. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been living as an assassin. I¡¯ve killed nine people so far, and today is the tenth one. They said they would let me go after the tenth assassination, but it¡¯s never going to happen.¡± He sneered, having already guessed his future. ¡°Today?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the Suran tribe. Killing everyone from there is our mission.¡± ¡°But the Suran tribe is famous even among the Beast Union. How could you¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already finished the preparations. It¡¯s dangerous, but it¡¯s not going to fail.¡± Juvel sighed, saying that there was a n. ¡°Juvel.¡± Judiel stood up and walked up to Juvel. She grabbed his hand and briefly nodded her head. ¡°Let¡¯s run away. There¡¯s no reason to stay here. We just need to escape and we can both survive.¡± ¡°......¡± Juvel didn¡¯t refuse Judiel¡¯s hand but didn¡¯t answer her either. ¡°Juvel?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t go.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om He slowly shook his head. ¡°Arge number of assassins are already hiding around Raven Vige. If we tried to escape, we are going to end up dying before we even leave the vige.¡± Juvel sighed deeply and continued, ¡°It¡¯s a miracle that you managed to get all the way here. They must¡¯ve missed you because they were busy preparing for the mission.¡± Juvel let Judiel¡¯s hand go and touched the wall next to the bed. The wall quietly opened up, and a small space appeared where a person could hide inside. ¡°You should hide here for now and return to where you were once you hear that the forest is on fire.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?! We need to leave together!¡± ¡°I told you, we will be found out if we escape together.¡± He grabbed Judiel¡¯s hand again. He suppressed his tears upon feeling her warmth and forced a smile onto his face. ¡°I¡¯ll look for an opportunity to escape myself, so you should leave before me.¡± Juvel pointed at the mountain that Judiel hade from. ¡°Wait up there. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± ¡°......¡± Judiel didn¡¯t insist anymore. She didn¡¯t want to be separated again, but it wasn¡¯t the time to say such a thing. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± She nodded and sat on the old bed. She patted the spot next to her with her with her hand and curved her lips into a smile, unbefitting of the situation. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the past for a moment.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Juvel couldn¡¯t bring himself to refuse that and sat next to Judiel. ¡°Do you remember how you couldn¡¯t fall asleep back then without resting your head on myp?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you talking about? It never happened!¡± ¡°But you asked me to give you my arm if I didn¡¯t want to give you my knees.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t!¡± The siblings only had a short time, but the smiles on their faces looked deeper than anything else. * * * Colin bowed at a small crystal ball. He was Juvel¡¯s superior and the division leader of Phantom Assassins. ¡°The preparations are done. We¡¯ve deployed all the personnel and concealed the ignition. We can start it exactly at the appointed time.¡± The voice from the crystal ball offered a ¡®good job¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s my job. By the way¡­¡± Colin¡¯s eyes flicked around as he licked his lips. ¡°Are you really going to abandon the entire third team?¡± [They are just pawns that have been raised for a situation like this. It¡¯s pointless to keep them alive since their brains have grown too much. Invest them all into the operation.] The man from the crystal ball clearly refused Colin¡¯s request, to the point where he almost sounded cruel. ¡°Understood.¡± Colin immediately lowered his head since he was aware of the personality of the man on the other side of the crystal ball. [See you soon, then.] ¡°Yes.¡± Colin lowered his head and covered the ball, which wasn¡¯t shining anymore. He reluctantly furrowed his brow, put on his mask, and left the cave where he¡¯d been hiding. ¡°Division leader.¡± The assassins who¡¯d been waiting outside came in front of him and lowered their heads. ¡°What about the signal from the inside?¡± ¡°It hasn''t happened yet.¡± The first team leader, Bern, shook his head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Colin furrowed his brow while looking up to the sky. ¡°I¡¯ll go in to check it out real quick.¡± ¡°But we still have some time left.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m just double-checking for thest time, so don¡¯t mind me and wait.¡± Colin hid inside the shadow and entered the vige. The assassins waiting inside and outside the vige were waiting at the designated spots, implying that they were already ready. He went to Juvel¡¯s home located on the outskirts of the vige, to finish the inspection. He was also using his concealment art in the designated ce just like the others. ¡°Number 196.¡± Colin was about to simply pass by, but he narrowed his eyes and stopped in front of Juvel¡¯s home. ¡°Did you finish your preparations?¡± * * * ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Juvel swallowed nervously because of Colin¡¯s sudden visit. ¡®Why did he suddenly decide toe here?¡¯ The mission was going to start soon. Since Colin had to order everyone from the center, Juvel couldn¡¯t understand why he¡¯de all the way to him. A chill ran down his spine from the anxiety. ¡°Did you set up the firebombs?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done it perfectly. We just need to ignite it, and it should create an infernal cage that no one can escape from.¡± ¡°Good job.¡± Colin nodded and looked at the floor in front of the house strangely. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him? What is he thinking?¡¯ He¡¯d removed all the traces after letting his sister enter the house, yet Colin was smiling as if he knew something. His heart started to pound faster and faster. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and have a short talk about the third team¡¯s n.¡± ¡°What?¡± Juvel narrowed his eyes while looking up at the sky. ¡°But the operation should start soon¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It won¡¯t take that long.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± He calmly nodded to avoid suspicion and entered the room. Colin sat on the chair next to the wall and leaned his back against it just like always. Fortunately, he was on the opposite side of the wall from where Judiel was hiding. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± ¡°Just a little¡­¡± ¡°You are rather cowardly, to be still nervous at the tenth operation.¡± He curled his lips into a sneer. ¡°But you can do it. You haven¡¯t failed so far, after all.¡± ¡°......¡± Juvel didn¡¯t respond, taking a quiet breath to relieve the tension in his heart. ¡°I promise you, this will be thest time. Once this matter is concluded, you should be able to meet your sister.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to trust you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you trust me or not, but¡­¡± Colin¡¯s gaze shifted towards the wall next to Juvel. ¡°Who are you hiding over there?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°I noticed that you¡¯ve hurriedly removed the traces in front of your home.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem with that? Of course I would do that before a mission¡­¡± ¡°No. It would look stranger if you removed your traces from the home where you live.¡± Colin sharply raised his chin and twisted his lips. ¡°And it¡¯s going to burn anyway soon enough. I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t aware, but I found a trace of a woman heading this way among the countless footsteps on the ground. She must have a simr upation to us since the traces were rather faint, but there¡¯s no way I would miss it.¡± He smiled while looking at the wall next to him as if he already knew everything. ¡°Come out.¡± Colin grabbed the dagger¡¯s de with his fingers and pulled it behind his shoulder. ¡°This is yourst warning.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Juvel touched the wall while biting his pale lip. The wall opened up silently, and Judiel came walking out, wearing her robe again. ¡°Who is this woman?¡± Colin grinned while looking at Judiel. ¡°I¡¯m really curious who the woman you brought home is because you¡¯ve never even gotten anywhere close to a woman aftering to this vige.¡± ¡°She is¡­¡± Juvel started to respond and suddenly punched the part right below where he¡¯d touched. He carried Judiel in his arms, and immediately leaped outside the home, breaking through the window. Whaam! Red light sparked from the ceiling and the floor, causing a huge explosion. Juvel and Judiel were sent flying by the explosion¡¯s aftereffects and rolled on the ground. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Judiel looked at him with a trembling chin. ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault. I should¡¯ve taken into consideration that he is perverted enough to even see those traces. No, let¡¯s not talk about it for now.¡± Juvel helped Judiel stand up and shook his head. ¡®I¡¯m d I prepared the fire.¡¯ He had hidden the leftovers after setting them up near the Suran tribe, and it ended up saving his life. But there was no way it was enough to kill Colin. He was definitely going to recollect himself soon enough and chase after them. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have died from that. We need to run away quickly.¡± Even though he was suggesting that they run away, he didn¡¯t seem to know where to go, and he could only bite his lip. ¡°Hey, you said you knew the entire area around the Suran tribe, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let''s go there.¡± Judiel narrowed her eyes while looking at the dark forest. ¡°But there are assassins hiding in the forest path towards the Suran tribe! We are going to get caught before we arrive!¡± ¡°There are even more of them outside. That¡¯s the only ce we can go.¡± She raised her finger and pointed at the bushes, which were pointing at the sky like des. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You said that you know that forest better than anyone. I believe in you.¡± It was a lesson she¡¯d learned from Raon: without taking risks, rewards could not be obtained. It was time to turn the crisis into an opportunity. ¡°That forest is the only way we can survive.¡± * * * Raon furrowed his brow while emerging from the dimensional gate. His head was hurting from using the gate multiple times in a row. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± He was rubbing his temple from the headache when a blue-haired middle-aged man lowered his head at him. The calmness in his eyes was impressive. ¡°I¡¯m a special agent of the ck Market, Liston.¡± Raon could tell that he was the agent who used to be the assassin that Denning Rose had mentioned the moment he saw his sharp gaze. ¡°I¡¯m Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about your great deeds. I¡¯m honored to meet you.¡± Liston smiled in a disciplined manner. ¡°Can we depart right away since we don¡¯t have much time?¡± ¡°What do you mean that there¡¯s not much time¡­?¡± ¡°I saw that the assassins hiding in the vige were getting ready to burn the forest. They are most likely going to make their move today or tomorrow. I wanted to get rid of the mes that they¡¯ve set up, but I couldn¡¯t easily make my move because too many people were watching.¡± ¡°No, that was a good decision.¡± It could be a bigger issue if he recklessly touched it. It was better to let it happen for now and take care of the aftermath. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow deeply. Liston had said it was today or tomorrow, but they seemed to have finished their preparations, implying that they could act at any moment. They had to move as fast as possible to reach Raven Vige. ¡°We really don¡¯t have the time. Let¡¯s depart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m rather confident in my footwork. Are you going to be okay?¡± ¡°Please go at full speed.¡± Liston nodded and softly pushed at thend. Despite the cheerful movement of his legs, his body rushed at a frightening speed. He was indeed fast enough to be proud of his footwork. Thud! Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps while watching Liston¡¯s back. Even though he only took a step, his shoulder was already next to Liston¡¯s. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Listen parted his lips, surprised at how fast Raon was moving. ¡°You can elerate further.¡± Raon nodded, showing that he still had room to spare. ¡°Ugh.¡± Liston bit his lip and increased the speed, but Raon easily caught up to him right away. As he ran with Liston, who was looking more and more dead, he could see that smoke was rising from afar. The vige was being engulfed in a huge me. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s that vige. They¡¯ve already started!¡± Liston widened his eyes to the unexpected situation. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raon didn¡¯t wait for his response and violently kicked the ground. Along with the sound of thend tearing apart, his body dashed forward while distorting the space. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Liston dropped his jaw upon seeing that Raon had literally turned into a red ray of light. ¡°What is that footwork¡­?¡± Raon ignored Liston¡¯s reaction and advanced while crushing the path, reaching Raven Vige¡¯s entrance. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± ¡°F-fire takes priority! Extinguish the fire!¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting water from the river!¡± He thought there might be a scene of ughter, but it wasn¡¯t the case. The vige was on fire all over the ce, and the people were trying to extinguish it. ¡°W-wait! You can¡¯t go that way!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his head at the old man who tried to stand in his way and went into the mes. Upon examining the outskirts of the vige, he could see corpses wearing masks and ck outfits for night activities. They were hit on their chests with a dagger throw, but they hadn¡¯t died instantly, implying that the perpetrator had hesitated. Raon followed the corpses and looked at the forest, where an even bigger fire than the one in the vige was raging. He figured he would need to go there to figure out what was happening. ¡°Huff, huff¡­¡± Liston arrived afterward and panted whileing up next to him. His eyes were filled with astonishment. ¡°Is that the direction of the Suran tribe?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, pointing in the direction where the assassins had moved. It was the location where the biggest me was raging. ¡°Y-yes. It looks like what¡¯s happening is different from our predictions.¡± Liston swallowed nervously while looking at the corpses of the assassins. As he said, the fact that the corpses of the assassins were there was a serious matter. He could ascertain that Judiel and Juvel had been reunited. She is going ham! Wrath grinned, finding it interesting. ¡®They are in there, right?¡¯ Indeed. They are moving together, but they seem to be in a lot of danger. He told him that Judiel was still alive. He must¡¯ve liked her toast a lot. ¡°I¡¯ll be going in there. Please wait here, Sir Liston.¡± Raon caught his breath and walked into the fiery forest. ¡°W-wait!¡± Listen shook his head and stepped forward. ¡°The Suran tribe is extremely vignt. Since the forest is on fire and there are assassins, they are definitely going to antagonize you, Sir Raon. Since you might be attacked from both sides if you get involved now, we should first examine the situation¡­¡± ¡°Not going there right now isn¡¯t a choice for me.¡± Raon gently pushed Liston back. The me raging in his eyes was even more intense than the one in the forest. ¡°Because my subordinate is in there.¡± Chapter 610 Chapter 610 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 610 Crack! Colin ground his teeth, crushing the burn on his cheek. ¡°Where are those bitches?¡± ¡°The fourth and the fifth teams have reached near them.¡± The second team leader of the Phantom Assassin division walked up to him and lowered his head. ¡°You should get moving as well! Tear him apart! Don¡¯t even leave a bone behind!¡± Colin shouted maliciously, and the assassins rapidly dashed forward. ¡°And make the fire even bigger! So that no one can escape!¡± The assassins who stayed behind moved left and right to spread the oil and tore the scroll engraved with fire magic. Whaaap! Crimson mes soared endlessly toward the sky, and the entire forest turned into an inescapable inferno. ¡°Division leader.¡± The second team leader swallowed nervously while looking at the mes, which were getting more and more intense. ¡°Further ahead is the Suran tribe¡¯s domain. Since they should be guarding from the outside because of the mes, I¡¯m afraid they might ept Number 196 under their protection¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± Colin calmly shook his head as if he had never been enraged. ¡°Those damned barbarians cherish the forest more than anything else. Do you think you¡¯d protect an assassin wearing a ck outfit when you are busy extinguishing the mes?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Yes. They will beat him to death the moment they see him.¡± He smiled coldly, as if his anger were just an act. ¡°This is even better.¡± Colin licked his lip, weakly pping the burn on his cheek. ¡°Because our objective isn¡¯t to assassinate the Suran tribe anyway.¡± * * * Raon entered the wall of mes, which were raging strongly enough to block the path. ¡®Where¡¯s Judiel?¡¯ The King of Essence isn¡¯t your subordinate. Wrath twisted his lips into a sneer. He told you that she¡¯s still alive, so find her on your own! He shook his round hand, saying that he¡¯d already given him a hint. ¡®Seriously, he has such a difficult personality.¡¯ Raon frowned and examined the ground. There were marks of blood on the ground, but many of them were burnt, making it difficult to find the direction. He activated the Perception of the Snow Flower and spread his aura perception. Since the forest was vast and a long time had passed, he couldn¡¯t find Judiel or even the assassins. ¡°Ahem.¡± Liston came next to him, fanning himself with his hand. ¡°They¡¯ve set a huge fire. There must¡¯ve been even more embers hidden around than what I saw.¡± He furrowed his brow at the unexpected scale. ¡°Weren¡¯t you waiting outside?¡± ¡°Our Lady asked me to serve Sir Raon until the very end.¡± Liston shook his head, saying that it was Denning Rose¡¯s intentions and not his own. Raon normally would¡¯ve refused his help, but he didn¡¯t say anything because he was running out of time. ¡°We should head to the Suran tribe for now.¡± Liston pointed forward, removing the smoke. ¡°Do you know its location?¡± ¡°I know the direction, but it should take some time to find it because of how the forest ended up.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the forest once again. ¡®Shall I ask Wrath about it?¡¯ He was contemting whether he should throw him some food and obtain information in return. A me of a different color burst from the Ring of Fire where it was rotating around his heart. Whaap! The intense me surged to his upper energy center in an instant, widening his vision field with smoke and fire. He could feel the mes all around the forest as if they were his own breath. He could sense the presence of people from far away that even the Perception of the Snow Flower couldn¡¯t sense. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ The heat was the exact same as the me that he¡¯d felt recently. It was the crimson me that the fire spirit king had left behind. His me had turned into a new sense inside him. Whir! He examined the entire forest using the perception of the crimson me resonating with the Ring of Fire. He could feel that tens, even over a hundred people were moving, spread in a long formation shaped like a wing. ¡®They are the assassins.¡¯ They were rapidly moving while hiding their presence. They were definitely the assassins. ¡®And they are chasing after someone.¡¯ The long formation of the assassins implied that they were chasing someone. He could guess that he would be able to find Judiel by following them. ¡°Sir Raon, this way is¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go this way.¡± ¡°What? But that¡¯s a roundabout way¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s over here.¡± Raon shook his head at Liston and dashed towards the direction where he¡¯d sensed the presence of the assassins. Thud! He used the Supreme Harmony Steps as fast as possible. The mes in the bushes subsided from his movement, which felt like the god of wind was possessing him. ¡°I did hear that he is a monster, but¡­¡± Liston gasped while watching Raon extinguishing the me as he advanced. ¡°He¡¯s even more amazing than I thought, both in terms of might and personality.¡± * * * ¡°Huff!¡± Juvel rapidly turned his head around, the scent of blood mixed into his breath. His stamina was rapidly decreasing because he was running with Judiel on his back after being injured. He would¡¯ve normally arrived near the Suran tribe already, but he still had a long way to go. ¡°Juvel? Are you okay?¡± Judiel asked from his back with a teary voice. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Juvel nodded while looking forward to avoid showing her his exhausted expression. ¡°Let me down. I¡¯ll run on my own from now on.¡± ¡°It¡¯s faster to have me carry you on my back.¡± Juvel shook his head and elerated further. ¡°......¡± Judiel bit her lip, looking at Juvel¡¯s sweat-drenched neck. ¡®Juvel¡­¡¯ The mes engulfing the entire surrounding area made breathing difficult, and since he had to fight the assassins on the way, he was so exhausted that even his breath was faltering. However, his legs never stopped. It looked like he was going to keep running until the moment of his death. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡¯ If she hadn¡¯te down from the hill, Juvel would¡¯ve never ended up in that state. She was so sad and sorry that she¡¯d created the worst situation instead of caring for her brother as an older sister. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. This is actually better.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told you, I was nning to die after meeting you. Since I managed to see you again, I won¡¯t regret it even if I die here.¡± Juvel¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile as he looked back and told her that he was really fine with it. Her little brother, who couldn¡¯t fall asleep without her embrace, had be an extremely reliable person after withstanding all sorts of difficulties on his own. ¡°Yes, the same goes for me.¡± Judiel nodded white clenching her back teeth. ¡°But let¡¯s still live together. I have a lot of things I wanted to show you.¡± By the time she gripped his shoulder tightly, throwing daggers flew towards them from left and right, engulfed by shadow. ¡°Argh! Juvel hurriedly stopped running and dodged the dagger that was right under his nose already. Three assassins blocked their path while he wasn¡¯t advancing. ¡°......¡± The assassins dashed at him with daggers in their hands without even trying to speak. Juvel put Judiel down and leaped towards the assassins. He pulled his shoulder back to dodge the frontmost assassin¡¯s dagger and stomped his foot. Crack! The assassin¡¯s body faltered as his foot dug into the ground, and Juvel pierced his neck with the dagger in his left hand. ¡°Guh¡­¡± While the first assassin was dying, the other two assassins threw daggers from the left and right with furrowed brows. Psh! He deflected five of them and dodged three others, but two of them managed to scratch his thigh. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He bent his knee while letting out a groan, and the assassins took the opportunity to attack him. Thud! Juvel immediately straightened his knee as if he were waiting for that moment and pierced the assassins¡¯ chests. Crack! He used his dagger to pierce the heart of the assassin charging at him from the left. However, the assassin on the right bent his upper body backward and dodged it as if he were expecting his counterattack. Whoosh! The moment he was trying to split Juvel¡¯s skull with the dagger in his right hand, a dark light rushed at him from behind. Whack! The assassin fell backward, a ck dagger stuck in his head. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Judiel¡¯s lips trembled as she lowered her hand after throwing the dagger. ¡°Juvel, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m more worried about¡­¡± Juvel bit his lip while looking at her, more worried by the fact that she¡¯d killed a person than his own injury. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so don¡¯t worry about me. Let¡¯s move on. I¡¯ll be running on my own now.¡± Judiel advanced, pressing her lip with her teeth. ¡°......¡± Juvel clenched his fist while looking at the dead assassins. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± They weren¡¯t exactly hispanions, but they¡¯d shared simr lives. That was why all he could do was apologize. The assassins looked up with clear eyes, as if they could understand him instead of being full of malice, and finally perished. Juvel exhaled roughly and ran towards the Suran tribe¡¯s vige with Judiel. He furrowed deeply his brow while looking backward. ¡®They areing. And the scale is huge, unlike before.¡¯n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Their numbers were endless, implying that all the assassins that had been hiding wereing at once. They were definitely going to die if they caught up to them. ¡°Just a bit more¡­¡± It was a shortcut towards the Suran tribe that no one other than himself was aware of. Just a bit more, and he would be able to see the members of the Suran tribe. But the assassins behind them approached even faster than that. ¡®Please, please!¡¯ He prayed to God even though he¡¯d never done it before and forced his legs, which were getting heavier, onward. That was when he started to see people who were weakening the mes. The chief was taking the lead, and his entire body was blue, implying that he was using sorcery. ¡°Chief!¡± Juvel approached the chief, and one of the tribe¡¯s members threw a wooden spear at him. Pssh! The spear rushed like a ray of light and brushed past his cheek. He could feel a burning pain from it. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer!¡± Even though they¡¯d only recently greeted each other with smiles on their faces, he was ring at him with crimson eyes,pletely enraged. ¡°Philip.¡± The chief came forward and stated Juvel¡¯s fake name. ¡°Chief, please listen to me! This isn¡¯t the time to extinguish the fire!¡± ¡°Then what else are we supposed to be doing?¡± His hollow voice tilted towards him. ¡°Are we supposed to be killing you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I could feel your warmth from the me that burst from here.¡± The chiefughed bitterly and shook his head. ¡°My Mind¡¯s Eyes are special. It¡¯s capable of seeing the warmth of objects. You and your friends were the ones who¡¯ve ignited the me here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Juvel bit his lip, unable to respond. He had indeed set up that me in that location. ¡°Th-that¡¯s true. But there¡¯s something more important right now. The assassins are going to¡­¡± ¡°Are you talking about them?¡± The chief pointed behind him. The dozens of assassins had already caught up, showing their murderous intent from the shadows. ¡°Block our path with the mes and call the assassins. That must¡¯ve been your n.¡± He nodded his head as he watched the intensifying mes. ¡°Is this how you pay us back for our affection and sincerity?¡± Crimson me zed from his eyes, showing that he was enraged from the bottom of his heart. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± He couldn¡¯t do anything other than apologize to him because it was true that he was trying to assassinate the Suran tribe. Since he didn¡¯t really care whether he died or not after meeting his sister, he just wanted to tell them the truth. ¡°You can kill me if you want. However, we need to stop them before¡­¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± ¡°You will be the first one to go!¡± ¡°Philip!¡± Suran¡¯s people yelled at him and showed their murderous intent instead of the chief. They were the ones who were getting along with Juvel the most. ¡°Kill them. Kill them all!¡± The chief raised his trembling hand. The sorcerers and warriors of the tribe dashed towards Judiel and Juvel upon hearing his shout. Ssssh. Assassins also approached Judiel and Juvel, their murderous intent surrounding their daggers and swords. Juvel smiled faintly as he watched the Suran tribe¡¯s warriors run towards him to kill him. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect that I couldn¡¯t even hold a conversation.¡¯ He just needed to say a single line, but they had no intention of letting him speak at all. However, it wasn¡¯tpletely unexpected. It was because of how innocent and kindhearted they were that the betrayal must¡¯ve left such a deep mark on them. ¡®I¡¯m d they weren¡¯t assassinated, at least.¡¯ The Suran tribe was powerful. They weren¡¯t going to be annihted by the Phantom Assassin division in a frontal sh instead of an assassination. ¡°Judiel.¡± Juvel shook his hand backward, releasing Judiel¡¯s hand. ¡°Stay back.¡± ¡°Juvel¡­¡± He pushed Judiel away and came forth. He clenched his daggers on both hands and mustered all of his energy. He couldn¡¯t even block a single assassination technique from the team leaders, nor a single punch from the chief, but he still didn¡¯t withdraw. ¡°Kill the traitor!¡± The Suran tribe and the assassins charged at him at the same time. Juvel clenched his teeth amid the battlefield brimming with malice and murderous intent. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± He shouted while thinking that he wanted to at least protect Judiel no matter what when Judiel stepped up in front of him. ¡°Judiel! Why?!¡± ¡°He has arrived!¡± ¡°What?¡± Judiel put her hands together while looking up at the dark night sky. At that moment, a golden sun and a silver moon rose in the moonless sky. The me and frost flickered proudly and connected themselves with the sun and moon before descending upon thend. Whaaam! The des of me and frost pushed back the Suran tribe and the assassins at the same time. Whoosh! A blond-haired swordsman walked out of the mes. Even the forest fire was being extinguished by its intensity. Everyone was overwhelmed by his eyes, which were zing even more strongly than the sun, and his perfectly polished energy wave. ¡°Stop the battle.¡± His quiet voice flowed towards them, and the light returned to the people who were standing there in a daze. ¡°That coat¡­¡± Suran¡¯s chief recognized Raon¡¯s ck Dragon Coat, his lips trembling. ¡°Judiel.¡± Raon lowered his sword and called out to Judiel, who was standing behind him. ¡°Yes.¡± Judiel came forward and knelt in front of him. ¡°J-Judiel?¡± Juvel¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing Judiel fall to her knees despite the urgency of the situation. ¡°Are you and your brother responsible for this incident?¡± ¡°We are.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Raon calmly nodded. He could roughly understand what kind of situation it was upon hearing that they were responsible. ¡°I¡¯d like to resolve the misunderstanding,¡± he dered, shifting his gaze at the man who seemed to be the Suran tribe¡¯s chief. ¡°Let¡¯s talk¡­¡± ¡°Resolve the misunderstanding?¡± The chief violently ground his teeth to the point of breaking. ¡°I would¡¯ve cut your head off already if it weren¡¯t for your coat. Step back!¡± The extremely fiery look in his eyes implied that he couldn¡¯t think straight anymore. Whir. The assassins¡¯ bloodlust was also prickling their skin, showing that they had no intention of talking either. Whaam! Huge explosions urred one after the other around the Suran vige, ignited by their determination to continue the battle. ¡°Alright.¡± Raon extended the hand holding the divine sword. The me engulfing his surrounding sloshed like a tidal wave and got sucked into his hand. He almost looked like he was dancing with the fire and dominating the me at the same time. Everyone fell silent upon witnessing that mysterious sight, and Raon stepped forward. ¡°The Suran tribe¡¯s anger.¡± He calmly pointed his divine sword at the Suran tribe. ¡°And the malice of the murderous demons. I¡¯ll take both of them onto me.¡± He unleashed a frightening light, pointing the demonic sword at the assassins. Whir! Raon stomped the ground with his left foot. The pressure of a conqueror emanated from the crumblingnd and oppressed the world. ¡°I am Raon of Zieghart.¡± His unyielding determination burst from his divine and demonic swords as mes and frost advanced toward them. ¡°Come at me.¡± Chapter 611 Chapter 611 Juvel swallowed nervously while looking at the man standing in front of Judiel. ¡®Raon Zieghart?¡¯ Raon Zieghart was one of the most famous warriors on the continent. He was a monster who had defeated a Grandmaster and hunted down the mad dragon at a young age, all while he could still be called a rising star. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know about him despite living in the countryside. ¡®The rumors weren¡¯t exaggerated.¡¯ Raon Zieghart¡¯s pressure and might that he was witnessing were beyond imagination. It was difficult to pull himself together even though the pressure wasn¡¯t directed at him. ¡®Moreover¡­¡¯ Juvel raised his gaze with trembling lips. Even though it was supposed to be a moonless night, a sun and a moon had risen at the same time as Raon¡¯s appearance. The radiance descending from the sun and moon filling the dark sky was even more mysterious than his prowess. The excitement made a chill run down his spine just from watching him from behind. It wasn¡¯t just him. Every single warrior and assassin seemed to be crushed under Raon¡¯s presence. ¡®And such a man is my sister¡¯s lord¡­¡¯ Judiel¡¯s reaction was enough for him to realize it. The master she served was the man in front of him, Raon Zieghart. He couldn¡¯t even imagine how she had encountered the Dragon yer even though she used to be a spy. ¡°Ju¡ª¡± Juvel started to call out to Judiel but stopped himself. Theplicated expression on her face couldn¡¯t be described by any word. She was d, sorry, sad, happy, and thankful at the same time. It lookedpletely dark because all of them werebined. ¡°Judiel.¡± ¡°Juvel.¡± Judiel grabbed Juvel¡¯s hand as he stood there, dumbfounded. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine now.¡± She gripped her brother¡¯s hand and showed him a smile of relief that she couldn¡¯t show before. She didn¡¯t look frightened at all even though she was facing the bloodlust of the Suran tribe and the assassins. ¡°Sir Raon is going to protect us.¡± Judiel smiled softly while looking at Raon¡¯s back. She seemed to haveplete trust in Raon. ¡°Let¡¯s wait here.¡± ¡°......¡± Juvel couldn¡¯t say anything. He simply nodded, feeling the warmth of Judiel¡¯s hand. * * * You arrogant bastard! Wrath raised his eyebrows sharply, grabbing Raon¡¯s head. Only the monarchs of Devildom like the King of Essence are allowed to say such an arrogant line! ¡®But you called me the demon king of mockery, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ Screw the demon king of mockery! You are just a brat, still wet behind your ears! ¡®You are so difficult to please.¡¯ Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept wriggling and looked at the middle-aged man who seemed to be the Suran tribe¡¯s chief. ¡°Are you serious about that?¡± The Suran tribe¡¯s chief loudly ground his teeth while ring at him. ¡°Are you seriously trying to fight against all those people? And without anyone to help you?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Raon nodded and took a step forward. ¡°I would¡¯ve normally admired your spirit, but I can¡¯t afford to do that right now!¡± The Suran chief clenched his fist while biting his lip, and blue energy engulfed his body. He looked like a human-shaped light was surrounding him. It was a piece of sorcery called godly possession. ¡°Neutralize him and kill all of the assassins!¡± He dashed at him furiously, looking like he¡¯d lost his sanity. The Suran tribe¡¯s warriors and sorcerers waiting behind him kicked the ground at the same time. Pssh! The assassins threw their daggers from behind. The dark des rushed at him like a ray of light. Whaam! Raon didn¡¯t even look at the daggers. The daggers simply crumbled like pieces of paper from the spacial pressure of the Sword Field Creation. ¡°Huaah!¡± However, the Suran chief¡¯s attack couldn¡¯t be ignored, unlike the daggers. His fist bent into a strange trajectory. It seemed to be targeting his abdomen. Suran tribe¡¯s chief struck with a powerful wind blowing around his fist, and Raon thrust the divine sword towards it. Crack! The shattering sound of steel could be heard from the sh between the divine sword and the fist. ¡®It¡¯s heavy.¡¯ That heavy punch made him feel like his hand was tearing apart. He was powerful enough to be the chief, but Raon had too many things at stake to allow himself to start losing already. Cring! He executed a downward sh with the divine sword, incorporating his indomitable will into his hand. Whaam! The mes zing upon the divine de fell like lightning, pushing back the Suran chief¡¯s fist and body at the same time. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The Suran chief blinked dazedly, surprised by how easily he was pushed back. Whaap! Raon swung the divine sword into a semi-circle, the me emerging from his de concentrating into a circr shape and creating a shield of fire. aang! The Suran tribe¡¯s members unleashed their spells and auras, but theFirewalldidn¡¯t waver in the slightest since it boasted the strongest defense among his techniques. Cring! The assassins took that opportunity to throw their daggers and dash towards him. Dozens of daggers were raining down on him. Cring! Raon lifted the demonic sword, which was tilted downwards. The silver frost emanated from the de and spread around like a mirage. Crack! All the raining daggers were destroyed, and the two assassins at the lead were split in half alongside the daggers in their hands. Craack! It only took two swings of his swords for both the Suran tribe and the assassins to stop moving and stare at him in a daze. Overwhelming was the perfect word to describe the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± The Suran chief didn¡¯t surrender even though he was pushed back by the mes. He clenched his fist again and used his footwork. The Suran members obeyed his order and attacked him at full power. Whaaam! TheFirewallwas shattered into pieces by their powerful assault. ¡°Kuaah!¡± The Suran chief supported himself on his left foot and extended his right foot. The kick aimed at his waist was even sharper than a sword. ¡®He isn¡¯t trying to kill.¡¯ It was a barbaric and advanced martial art with a well-polished trajectory, but the chief was still trying to neutralize him instead of killing him. Since that was the case, he needed to suppress his murderous intent just like he did. ¡®Of course, I can¡¯t just fight half-heartedly either.¡¯ Raon weakened his grip on the divine sword, advancing towards the Suran chief. Cring! The red de trembled faintly, drawing a dreamy line. TheSword¡¯s Silvery Dreamwas executed inside his Sword Field. The me at the tip of the de sparkled brilliantly, cutting through the Suran chief¡¯s flow of mana. Crack! The blue energy surrounding the Suran chief crumbled like a leaf. The godly possession was undone. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Suran chief widened his eyes, unable to believe that the godly possession was undone regardless of his intentions. Rumble! The Suran membersunched their auras and spells instead of the chief, who had stopped moving. The various techniques of the tribal members harmonized with each other, scattering their powerful energy around. Raon pointed the divine sword at the Suran tribe¡¯sbined technique rushing towards him. Ten Thousand mes Cultivation, Thousand mes Golden Void Infusion The cage of fire that specialized in suppressing evil opened its jaw and confined the gathering of the Suran tribe¡¯s auras and spells. Whaaam! The Suran tribe¡¯s aura and spells exploded inside the ming prison, creating dozens ofets in the sky. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s that?!¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡± ¡°H-how are we supposed to break through that¡­?¡± Their eyes trembled as they saw that Raon wasn¡¯t harmed in the slightest, chief and members alike. Shring! However, the murderous intent of the assassins became even deadlier as they approached, as if they were unable to feel fear. Raon shifted his gaze towards the assassins, and the assassins on both sides took out white pieces of paper. They were scrolls enchanted with magic. The assassins tore the scrolls and mes erupted from all directions, encircling Raon and the Suran tribe. The mes even reached above the trees, creating an inescapable inferno. Whir! The ming bricks piled up on top of each other, building a line of fire reaching all the way to the sky. It almost looked like a birdcage. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Huahh¡­¡± ¡°W-we should¡¯ve focused on them first¡­¡± With even the sky covered in mes, even the warriors and the shamans clutched their chests and fell to their knees, showing that they couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless.¡± On the other hand, Raon remained unaffected and lifted the divine sword. He pointed his sword at the mes and the fire all around him was absorbed into his hand. ¡®This ability can also be used like this.¡¯ It was another effect from gaining the fire spirit king Ifrit¡¯s power. He could control mes as he wanted as long as they were weaker than theTen Thousand mes Cultivation. Whaap! Even though it looked like no one could escape from the ming birdcage, it simply subsided. The wall of fire filling their vision waspletely removed, not leaving the smallest ember. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Th-the mes were sucked into his hand!¡± ¡°He almost looked like he was controlling the fire. Was he blessed by the god of fire or something?¡± The Suran chief and members couldn¡¯t close their drooped jaws because Raon even started to look divine. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that monster¡­?¡± Even the assassins who didn¡¯t fear death couldn¡¯t approach anymore, their daggers trembling in their hands. ¡°You can continue. After all, you shouldn¡¯t be satisfied yet.¡± Raon nodded at the Suran chief, telling him to attack as much as he wanted. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The Suran chief red at Raon for a long time and finally sighed. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m fully aware that you were going easy on us. All of us would¡¯ve died if you were fighting seriously. It would be a waste of time to continue this any further.¡± He shook his head, announcing the end of the battle. The Suran members also lowered their weapons and undid their godly possessions. ¡°Tell me what you wanted to say.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll finish the job first.¡± Raon looked at the assassins. They seemed to have no intention of stopping, unlike the Suran tribe. ¡®I was nning to go easy on them, but¡­¡¯ Some of them became assassins on their own ord, but some of them must¡¯ve been simr to Judiel¡¯s brother, who reluctantly became an assassin. He¡¯d cruelly killed the ones taking the lead on purpose, but it wasn¡¯t enough to end the battle. ¡®I should show them the difference in power.¡¯n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Raon pointed the demonic sword at the assassins. The frost dashed upon the de, curved like the crescent moon, and drew a line cutting through thend. Whaaam! White frost covered thend that was once filled with ashes and mes. The tremendous wave of frostpletely froze the legs of the assassins before they could even react. ¡°Gaaah!¡± ¡°Wh-what is this?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even see iting! How¡­?¡± Everyone widened their eyes, stunned that it only took an instant for the ground and their legs to freeze. Raon shifted his gaze toward the Suran chief after confirming that the assassins were perfectly neutralized. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself again. I¡¯m Zieghart¡¯s Light Wind vice division leader, Raon.¡± He lowered his head to the Suran chief, who was watching the scene with wide eyes. ¡°Hmm, I already know that part.¡± The Suran chief awkwardly nodded. ¡°That coat was my big brother¡­ the beast lord¡¯s possession. I heard that he gave it to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I expected.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not the important part right now. Tell me what kind of misunderstanding it was.¡± He nodded, showing that he was willing to listen to anything. He looked like his rage had finally subsided. ¡°Judiel.¡± Judiel stepped forward while holding her brother¡¯s hand upon hearing Raon¡¯s call. ¡°You should exin it to him¡ªtell him how this situation happened.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Judiel nodded and stepped forward. ¡°We are siblings who were separated during childhood. I heard that my brother was here, and¡­¡± * * * ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Colin was watching Raon, who had single-handedly stopped the war, and bit his lip. ¡®Why is that monster even here?!¡¯ The n was pretty muchplete. The situation had be even more perfect after Juvel ran away, but Raon¡¯s appearance had ruined everything. ¡®How is this even possible?¡¯ He had extinguished the fire on his own and even stopped the Suran tribe and the assassins at the same time. It was far too ridiculous no matter how he thought about it. ¡®Moreover¡­ He minimized the bloodshed.¡¯ Not even five assassins had died, and not a single person was injured among the Suran tribe. It implied that Raon¡¯s might was far greater than he saw. ¡®It¡¯ll be all over at this rate.¡¯ The Suran chief was already favorable towards Raon. The situation was leading to the worst oue, the oue where Juvel would live while all of his subordinates would be killed. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ He had to use thest method in order to reverse the situation. ¡°You nted the ember inside the Suran tribe, right?¡± They had set up the embers inside their vige while the sorcerers and warriors were outside. Since the only people left in the vige were mostly old people and children, the Suran tribe was bound to rampage again if it started to burn. ¡°Yes. We received a message that it was properly set up.¡± The second team leader nodded his head. ¡°Alright, ignite it.¡± Colin bobbed his finger, giving the order for the vige to be set on fire. ¡°Understood.¡± The second team leader gave the signal and a huge explosion urred from inside the Suran vige. Whaaam! The mes erupting from a narrow space engulfed the entire vige, zing powerfully. It was a hellish scene that an ordinary person could never survive. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°The children are in there!¡± Suran chief and members screamed and ran towards the vige instead of listening to Judiel. ¡°Alright, now¡­ Huh?¡± Colin¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched the mes soaring toward the sky. A middle-aged man with a sharp look on his face cut down the huge me and evacuated the vigers. ¡°Wh-who the hell is he?!¡± He wasn¡¯t even from the Suran tribe. He couldn¡¯t understand why some random person suddenly popped out and rescued people. ¡°Kill him! Tell them to kill him!¡± Colin yelled while pointing at the blue-haired middle-aged man. ¡°What are you waiting for?! Tell them to kill him right now!¡± However, the second team leader didn¡¯t respond. ¡°What are you doing¡­¡± The second team leader¡¯s head dropped from his body the moment Colin looked back. A pair of crimson eyes filled the background. Shring. Raon turned his head, lowering his sword without the smallest bloodstain in sight. ¡°The little rat was hiding here.¡± Chapter 612

Chapter 612

Liston furrowed his brow as he silently entered the Suran tribe¡¯s vige. ¡®How can he order me around like a subordinate even though we¡¯ve never even met before?¡¯ Raon had told him to go into the vige while he was running towards the battlefield between the Suran tribe and the assassins. He¡¯d exined that there was an ember capable of causing a huge explosion hidden inside the vige, but Liston honestly couldn¡¯t believe it. Hiding an ember outside the vige was possible, but doing it inside wasn¡¯t an easy task at all. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± When he thought about it, Raon didn¡¯t seem to like hispany to begin with. It was the same when he¡¯d followed him into the burning forest. Raon looked like he was asking why he¡¯d followed him there. ¡®But why? Is it because he¡¯s afraid I might leak information about his martial arts?¡¯ He thought it was a reasonable exnation since he was even more insightful than the highest-ranked warriors, as he lived as an assassin and an information agent. ¡®He¡¯s rather narrow-minded.¡¯ Since the ck Market and Zieghart were pretty much allies, it was funny that he even thought about such a thing. ¡®But just in case¡­¡¯ Since there was a small possibility that Raon had dispatched him to the vige to protect it, he was still creating a path for escape. Suddenly, a golden sun and moon rose into the dark sky. ¡®What¡¯s that¡­?¡¯ His lips parted at the ridiculous sight, and a tremendous storm of aura blew from the sun and moon. It was Raon. He was standing in the middle of the battlefield, his swords zing with me and frost, fending off the Suran tribe and the assassins at the same time. He wasn¡¯t using any special techniques or a huge amount of aura. He was simply swinging his sword in an extremely ordinary trajectory, but the godly possession was undone as the assassins were cut apart as easily as paper, unable to even withstand a single strike. In the end, he even froze the ground and dozens of assassins at the same time. It was a truly divine performance. He¡¯d never seen that before despite being on countless battlefields. No one dared to turn their weapons on Raon after that. A few swings of his sword were enough topletely remove the malice and murderous intent from the battlefield. A single monster called Raon Zieghart had ended the war. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ He suddenly realized that someone as powerful as Raon wouldn¡¯t be reluctant to reveal his martial arts. ¡®Which means¡­ is it really going to happen?¡¯ Liston quickly spread his aura perception. He could feel the presence of assassins approaching the vige amid the faint embers. The assassins stopped at some distance and unleashed a faint wave of aura. Once the wave entered the vige, a huge explosion urred. Whaaam! A tremendous wall of me soared to the sky, engulfing the entire vige. He couldn¡¯t even breathe because of the intense heat. The fire prison didn¡¯t allow them to breathe or escape. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Why is there fire here¡­?¡± ¡°Come out, everyone! We¡¯re all going to die if we stay here!¡± The old people remaining in the vige came outside with the children. However, they couldn¡¯t do anything because the fire was too powerful, leaving them biting their lips. Cring! Liston unsheathed the sword from his waist. He carved the path toward the exit that he¡¯d prepared in advance by unleashing the aura and wind from his sword. ¡°Escape this way!¡± he shouted, and the Suran tribe¡¯s seniors and children widened their eyes. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know who you are, but thank you!¡± ¡°Come this way, everyone!¡± ¡°Escape before the fire spreads even more!¡± The tribe¡¯s members suspected him at first, but they figured that an enemy wouldn¡¯t be trying to save them and escaped through the path he¡¯d created. Liston swallowed nervously, watching the seniors and children run outside the vige. ¡®Did this really just happen?! How is it even possible?¡¯ It was understandable that a warrior could end the war on their own. It was also understandable that he¡¯d noticed the presence of the assassins. However, finding the ember waiting for ignition in the vige waspletely iprehensible. It wasn¡¯t even at the level of a monster or a genius. It was truly a divine premonition. Liston shifted his gaze, leaving the vige after everyone else managed to escape. He tried to find Raon, but he was already gone. He only saw the Suran tribe¡¯s warriors and sorcerers running towards the vige, their eyes filled with sadness and anger. However, they stopped ring upon seeing that the vigers were safe and walked towards him. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you very much! You are our benefactor!¡± ¡°How can we repay the favor?¡± The Suran chief and the warriors lowered their heads, expressing their gratitude. ¡°W-wait, I¡­¡± Liston¡¯s fingers trembled as he watched them express their gratitude without the slightest hesitation. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ I¡¯ve never been thanked like this before.¡¯ Since he¡¯d lived as an assassin before bing an information agent, people¡¯s gratitude waspletely new to him. Their sincere gratitude made a strange ticklish sensation well up inside him. It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling, but he had to tell them the truth. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who did it.¡± Liston firmly shook his head. ¡°Sir Raon ordered me to protect the vige just in case.¡± ¡°Hmm, he was the one¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Did he manage to predict all this?¡± The Suran chief groaned and looked back in Raon¡¯s direction. The tribe members also looked for Raon with surprised eyes. Liston shook his head while following their gazes. ¡®He really is so unpredictable.¡¯ * * * Raon licked his lips while looking into the masked assassin¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡®He is their leader.¡¯ All of the assassins were quite powerful, but the one in front of him was the strongest in terms of might. He must¡¯ve been the head of the assassins who nned the incident. ¡°H-how did you get here¡­?¡± ¡°I heard you were called Phantom Assassins division.¡± Judiel had mentioned that Juvel belonged to a team of assassins called Phantom Assassins division. ¡°What¡¯s your goal?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you talking about?!¡± The Phantom Assassin division leader swallowed nervously while stepping backward. ¡°You started a war instead of assassinating. It¡¯s pretty much suicide for assassins to start a head-on assault.¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Phantom Assassins division leader. ¡®They definitely have another goal.¡¯ The assassins normally retreated when their n went awry, but they were attacking like crazy instead. That implied that their goal wasn¡¯t to assassinate the Suran tribe but something else entirely. ¡°Bullshit!¡± the Phantom Assassin division leader shouted, and the hidden assassins started to approach silently. ¡®They are the real ones.¡¯n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Since they could hide their bloodlust and perfectly remove their presence, their skills were at least two levels higher than the previous ones. When you considered the fact that such skilled assassins were staying back in such a ce, it was even more clear that assassinating the Suran tribe wasn¡¯t their goal. Swoosh! Assassins hiding in the darknessunched their daggers. The fast yetplex trajectories piled on top of each other, creating a shape simr to a web. It was an advanced tactic,bining a properly trained dagger throw and countless experiences. ¡®Even so¡­ It¡¯s just meaningless.¡¯ Raon went into the web of daggers that the assassins had thrown. He lifted Heavenly Drive while observing the murderous will formed by the daggers. The de glimmered silver and cut through the darkness. Crack! Heavenly Drive advanced without hesitation, and the web of daggers raining down on him in a de formation was instantly split apart. Raon unsheathed the de of Requiem, watching the assassins¡¯ eyes be distorted. The red de created a clear resonance as it brushed past the scabbard. Whir! It was the technique consisting of piercing the eardrums and destroying the nerves.Blue Rain. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± The assassins dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, feeling the pain of their nerves shattering into pieces. Raon unleashed theTen Thousand mes Cultivation. He engulfed the mes bursting from his energy center around his hand and was about to swing Heavenly Drive when the Phantom Assassin division leader made his move. He casually extended his hand and dozens of daggers incorporating his aura pierced into his space as rays of light. He was indeed skilled enough to be the leader of an assassin division. ¡°Pull yourselves together! He has weakened significantly!¡± the Phantom Assassin division leader shouted while blocking Heavenly Drive¡¯s trajectory. The assassins were dazed by theBlue Rainbut regained their senses and dashed at him again, clenching daggers in their hands. Their footwork was fast. Their daggers were lunging at his neck and heart in the span of a single breath. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly wrong, but¡­¡± Raon chuckled and lowered his eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s not to the point where you can deal with me.¡± Raon widened his vision. He watched the daggers and assassins at the same time and raised Heavenly Drive, which was pulled back to the left. The extremely sharp de was unleashed along the scorched horizon. His ck coat fluttered in the air and the darkness was torn apart. The assassins¡¯ heads were violently pulled from their bodies and rolled on the ground. A single sh had in over ten assassins. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± The Phantom Assassin division leader watched the scene in disbelief with bloodshot eyes. His expression said that he couldn¡¯t believe that the assassins died at the same time even though they wereing from different directions and distances. ¡°I told you.¡± Raon shook his head, walking towards the Phantom Assassin division leader. ¡°You can¡¯t deal with me.¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± The Phantom Assassin division leader used his footwork to move back. His body disappeared in an instant, melting into the darkness. ¡®I need to escape!¡¯ He¡¯d heard that the Sword Field Creation was supposed to spend more than 80% of the user¡¯s aura, but the monster he was facing looked like he wasn¡¯t affected by it at all. It was impossible to defeat him in a frontal sh. He had to escape somehow. He tried to advance, using his footwork as fast as possible, but the view wasn¡¯t changing for some reason. He felt like he wasn¡¯t moving at all. ¡®Wh-what¡¯s happening?¡¯ He looked back with trembling lips and he couldn¡¯t see his legs. Once he realized that fact, his body tilted toward the ground, and an unbearable pain visited him. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± The Phantom Assassin division leader screamed, clutching at the dried grass. He looked at his legs again and saw that the parts under his knees werepletely cut off, crimson blood gushing from them. Step. Raon approached the Phantom Assassin division leader, Heavenly Drive lowered towards the ground. ¡°The only way for a trapped rat to survive is to cut off its own legs.¡± Raon lowered his gaze and met his eyes. ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t be able to survive even without your legs.¡± ¡°Uuh¡­¡± His face was pale from pain and fear. ¡°Tell me.¡± Raon ced his hand on the Phantom Assassin division leader¡¯s back and tilted his chin. ¡°What was your goal?¡± ¡°Huhu¡­¡± The Phantom Assassin division leader raised his gaze with augh that sounded like a groan. ¡°You are going to kill me anyway, right?¡± ¡°Since you are an assassin, you should know that the difference between an easy and difficult death is important.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh, you greenhorn. I¡¯m the one who decides how to die.¡± He grinned with a sneer on his face. ¡°No, your life isn¡¯t up to you to decide.¡± Raon snorted and pulled the Phantom Assassin division leader¡¯s chin down. ¡°Huff¡­¡± ¡°Assassins are always so old-fashioned,¡± he dered, removing the poisonous pill from between his teeth. ¡°H-how did you¡­¡± The Phantom Assassin division leader widened his eyes, shocked by the fact that Raon managed to find the poison hidden in his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s just basic.¡± Raon threw the poison over his shoulder and shook his head. ¡°Since you refused the easy path, I¡¯ll send you off to the difficult path,¡± he dered. He shoved theTen Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s heat andcier¡¯s coldness into his back. Then he spread the two energies and activated the torture method that he¡¯d developed. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Even though the Phantom Assassin division leader could no longer speak due to his stiffened body, he groaned intensely and trembled violently. Veins began to surface in his eyes from the overwhelming pain. Raon shook his hand towards Wrath, sitting on the Phantom Assassin division leader¡¯s back. ¡®Do you wanna bet if he canst for an hour? I¡¯ll buy you a set menu of bead ice cream if you get it right.¡¯ What if he gets it wrong? ¡®How about giving me an all-stat increase?¡¯ That¡¯s not a bad deal. Wrath immediately nodded. Since he is the head of assassins, he should easilyst for an hour at least. He raised his hand, saying that he bet on the mansting over an hour. ¡®Then I¡¯ll bet on himsting less than an hour.¡¯ Raon chuckled and increased the intensity of the torture. You damn scammer! Wrath shouted and grabbed him by his cor. Increasing the intensity is foul y! ¡®But there was no rule against increasing the intensity.¡¯ That should go without saying! ¡®Oh, really? I didn¡¯t know that. I¡¯ll keep that in mind for the next time.¡¯ What the hell is wrong with your personality¡­? Wrath¡¯s jaw dropped in disbelief. ¡°Huaah¡­¡± The Phantom Assassin division leader¡¯s groan sounded like he was about to die, showing that he couldn¡¯t withstand it anymore. His eyes looked like he was willing to say anything as long as the torture was stopped. ¡°You should¡¯ve done that from the beginning.¡± Raon stopped the torture and made him stand. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°C-Colin, my name is Colin.¡± Colin lowered his head with apletely soulless expression. Kuh! You really are the demon king of mockery! Wrath ground his teeth violently in frustration. [You¡¯ve won the bet against Wrath.] As soon as Wrath acknowledged it, the message announced his victory. How are you appearing so quickly when youpletely ignore the King of Essence whenever he calls you? You are really asking to be destroyed¡­ [All stats have increased by 3.] Wrath furrowed his brow when another message appeared. Huh? Why did you get 3 points instead of 1? ¡®We didn¡¯t mention how many points it was going to be. The system just decided on its own ord.¡¯ But it went without saying! It was obviously 1 point! ¡®Oh, really? I¡¯ll tell it to keep that in mind next time.¡¯ Raon waved his hand toward the system that sent the message. This is seriously driving him crazy! Wrath couldn¡¯t suppress his anger anymore and shouted at the sky that it was beingpletely unreasonable. Raon ignored Wrath as he vented his anger and shook his hand toward Colin. ¡°So what was your goal? Don¡¯t try to say that you were going to assassinate the Suran tribe.¡± ¡°I-it was to create a crisis.¡± ¡°Create a crisis?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Colin was about to respond, but a blue light wavered around his heart, cutting his chest open. Pssh! The blood gushing out afterward showed that it was really happening. Raon looked at the man ring at him in a frightening manner behind Colin¡¯s corpse. ¡®Karoon?¡¯ The Central Martial Pce master, Karoon, had appeared even though Raon wasn¡¯t expecting his presence at all. ¡®Why is he even here¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why Karoon was there even though he was supposed to be on a mission. ¡®The reason why he is here¡­ wait! What if Juvel was still under Karoon¡¯s control?¡¯ Raon had thought that Karoon had sold Juvel off to the outside since he¡¯d be an assassin, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. The group of assassins called the Phantom Assassin division could¡¯ve been Karoon¡¯s subordinates. ¡®No, that¡¯s it. Neither Juvel nor Judiel managed to escape from Karoon from the beginning.¡¯ Combining Karoon¡¯s appearance and Colin¡¯s im that he was creating a crisis in the Suran tribe, Raon coulde up with an assumption. ¡®What if Karoon appears when the Suran tribe is about to burn down to death and saves everyone?¡¯ Karoon would be the Beast Union¡¯s benefactor, and it would be a huge achievement in Zieghart. In fact, the assassins attacking the Suran tribe were numerous but not that strong. He must¡¯ve been trying to get an achievement for himself by using them as disposable pawns. ¡®And the reason he is going this far must be because of me.¡¯ Raon had gained so much achievement recently that people often said that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to be a candidate for session. Karoon must¡¯ve felt insecure because of the strange atmosphere in the house and nned it all in order to gain achievement. ¡®Most importantly, he stopped Colin from speaking.¡¯ Karoon had pretty much proven that it was his n by killing Colin in his incapacitated state. ¡°Central Martial Pce master.¡± Raon met Karoon¡¯s frightening eyes, quenching the boiling anger in his mind. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± ¡°I came to check on things because the fire was spreading while on my way back from the mission.¡± It wasn¡¯t a strange answer because he was indeed away from the house for a mission when Raon had returned. ¡°But why did you kill him?¡± ¡°He is an assassin. You can¡¯t underestimate them until they are dead.¡± Karoon shook his head, saying that it was an obvious thing to do. Raon bit his lip as he watched Karoon slowly approach him. ¡®Is he nning to kill me? This is dangerous¡­¡¯ A chill ran down his spine upon seeing Karoon¡¯sposed expression. There was no one other than himself and Karoon around. He had no chance of survival if Karoon started to attack with his Sword Field Creation. ¡®Because I won¡¯t be able to win against him even if I used the Sword Field Creation.¡¯ Karoon was even more powerful than the Axe King. Since Raon would be at a disadvantage even in his best condition, the oue was obvious in his weakened state after using the Sword Field. ¡®Should I run away? No, it will be even more dangerous if I show him my back.¡¯ Karoon had cut Colin down before he even saw iting. His head was going to roll in an instant if he acted recklessly. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± Karoon revealed his icy cold gaze, approaching close enough for his sword to strike. ¡°What did you hear from him?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Raon shook his head, a calm smile on his face. ¡°I see.¡± Karoon¡¯s gaze darkened. He seemed to be nning to put an end to him right there. Raon prepared to defend while clenching Heavenly Drive and the de of Requiem when a huge shadow appeared from the sky. Whaam! A white tiger as big as a house dashed in between the trees and let out a majestic roar. The man riding on its backnded in front of Raon and Karoon. Raon¡¯s hands unconsciously trembled as he witnessed his bulky body, as big as the white tiger, and his destructive pressure crushing all living creatures. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Karoon furrowed his brow and stepped back. It looked like he wasn¡¯t expecting his appearance either. Raon swallowed nervously and called out to the man who came down from the white tiger¡¯s back. ¡°The Beast King?¡± Chapter 613

Chapter 613

Raon lowered his eyebrows as he looked at the gigantic man who¡¯d suddenly appeared. ¡®Why did hee here?¡¯ There was only one man in the world with the ferocity of a wild beast and an overwhelming presence, as if he alone existed in the entire world. It was definitely the Beast King Ogram, the leader of the Beast Union who he¡¯d met during the conference of the Six Kings. However, Ogram should¡¯ve been living in the Union, which was located far away from the Suran tribe. That was why Raon couldn¡¯t understand why he had appeared. ¡®Did you know he wasing?¡¯ Isn¡¯t it obvious? Wrath furrowed his brow, telling him to stop asking obvious questions. ¡®Then why did you not tell me about it?¡¯ Why would the King of Essence tellyou? ¡®You¡¯re sulking.¡¯ Not at all! He briskly turned his head away despite what he said. He was definitely sulking because of the earlier prank. He was too narrow-minded for a demon king. ¡°Raon. And¡­ are you Karoon?¡± Ogram curled his lips into a smile while looking back and forth between Raon and Karoon. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, both of you. By the way¡­¡± He shifted his gaze and furrowed his brow while looking down upon the headless corpses of assassins and the ashen forest. ¡°What happened here?¡± It looked like he hadn¡¯t figured out the situation yet. ¡°Did you not hear anything?¡± Raon blinked while looking at Ogram. He assumed he¡¯de there immediately, without visiting the Suran tribe. ¡°I came here because their situation seemed to be over while the fight was still ongoing here.¡± Ogram confidently shook his head with his arms crossed. His forearms were massive, and the veins bulging on them looked like they were about to burst. ¡°Raon, you tell me. What happened here?¡± Raonughed bitterly in his mind while looking at Ogram, who was standing there confidently. ¡®His personality is so cool that I¡¯m getting cold.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand his personality because giving Raon the ck Dragon Coat shouldn¡¯t be a reason to trust someone when you¡¯d only met them once. That was cool, but Raon thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to do the same. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s fine to hear about it from me? The Suran chief should exin,¡± Raon pointed out. ¡°Are you unaware of the meaning behind that coat?¡± He pointed at the ck Dragon Coat that Raon was wearing. ¡°The fact that I gave you the ck Dragon Coat implies that I trust you. I don¡¯t give my belongings away to just anyone.¡± Ogram curled his lips into a smile while looking at the scales that had appeared on the ck Dragon Coat. ¡°You are even more trustworthy now that the ck Dragon Coat has epted you as its master. Tell me about it already.¡± He nodded, telling him to stop dragging things out and run his mouth already. ¡°......¡± Karoon was silently standing there without saying anything. His murderous gaze had also returned to normal. It looked like he wasn¡¯t going to make a move as long as Ogram was around. ¡®There¡¯s no way he trusts me. Is it because there¡¯s no proof?¡¯ Juvel didn¡¯t know that Karoon was running the Phantom Assassin division, and Judiel was always given orders by her direct superior, not by Karoon himself. Since there was no actual proof that Karoon was behind everything, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to bring up his name. Since he could end up being used instead, it was time to calmly gather the proof and wait until he could finally strike him from behind. Of course, he had no intention of overlooking the incident either. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just tell you about what I know.¡± Raon quietly sighed and stepped forward. ¡°My maid was separated from her younger brother during her childhood. I promised her that I would help her find her brother, and¡­¡± Raon exined everything that had happened so far to Ogram. He only spoke of what he could prove, not offering a single lie. ¡°......¡± Karoon didn¡¯t react at all even though Raon had revealed that Judiel came to him as a spy but was recruited instead. It was definitely because he knew there was no proof. ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I ended up getting rid of the assassins here.¡± ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± Ogram clutched his forehead with his right hand and burst intoughter when Raon finished his story. He felt like his eardrums were about to rupture because of how loud he was even though he wasn¡¯t using his aura. ¡°So you looked for your maid¡¯s brother because of her request and came all the way here to stop the war! I knew my judgment about you wasn¡¯t wrong. The soul of the Beast Union is flowing through your veins!¡± He continuously pounded Raon¡¯s shoulder with his huge hands. Raon frowned before he knew it because it felt like he was being beaten by a hammer. ¡°The soul of the Beast Union?¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°I¡¯m talking about camaraderie! Warriors need to have the camaraderie! I can see the foundation in you!¡± Ogram smashed his own chest with his fist. An ordinary person would have perished from that single strike. ¡°Thank you. It wouldn¡¯t be excessive to say that the Suran tribe is still alive thanks to you.¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t ¡®nothing¡¯ at all! Everyone would¡¯ve died if you hadn¡¯te here!¡± He grabbed his shoulder, telling him to stop acting so humble. ¡°Karoon.¡± ¡°Yes, Union Leader.¡± ¡°As for you, why are you here?¡± ¡°I saw that fire was spreading here and came by on my way back from a mission for the house.¡± Karoon lowered his head, giving the same excuse as before. ¡°Really? Zieghart¡¯s swordsmen are all full of camaraderie!¡± Ogram nodded in satisfaction. Raon quietly raised the corners of his lips while looking at Karoon. Hisposure wasn¡¯t going tost that long. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I also want to hear the story from the men over there.¡± Ogram held Raon¡¯s shoulder and headed towards the vige where the Suran tribe was gathered. The white tiger slowly followed them, as if it could understand what he said. ¡°Karoon, you shoulde as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be returning now since I didn¡¯t really do anything.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Karoon shook his head and tried to leave, but Ogram stopped him. ¡°Even though you didn¡¯t do anything, I¡¯m thankful enough that you came all the way here.¡± Ogram shook his hand towards Karoon, saying that his refusal was denied. ¡°......¡± Karoon furrowed his brow but slowly followed them because he couldn¡¯t go against Ogram. ¡°Brother!¡± As soon as Ogram reached the vige entrance, the Suran chief came running. ¡°What brings you here¡­?¡± ¡°I wanted to quietly have a drink with you, but the forest was in this state.¡± His gentle voice implied that he was close to the Suran chief. ¡°Ah!¡± The Suran chief widened his eyes upon seeing that Raon was caught like a doll next to Ogram. ¡°Benefactor! You are back!¡± He knelt in front of Raon and bent forward until his upper body reached the ground. It almost looked like a scene where the loser submitted the winner. It was a way the Beast Union expressed their sincere gratitude. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this.¡± Raon shook his head. He felt ufortable seeing a person far older than himself kneeling and prostrating at him. ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. Extinguishing the fire all around the forest and getting rid of the assassins is more than enough to earn this.¡± Ogram shook his head, telling him to just ept his gratitude. ¡°That¡¯s not all,¡± the Suran chief said as he firmly shook his head. ¡°What?¡± Ogram furrowed his brow, asking what he was talking about. ¡°In addition to stopping the war, our benefactor even prepared against the trouble that was going to ur inside the vige.¡± The Suran chief pointed at Liston, who was standing there like an idiot. ¡°He dispatched him in preparation for the fire inside the vige. We hadn¡¯t even thought about that part.¡± He told Ogram about how the seniors and children had managed to escape from the burning vige thanks to Raon. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Ogram gasped, shifting his gaze towards Raon. His expression revealed that he hadn¡¯t expected Raon to have done so much. ¡°How did you figure out that they were preparing to set the vige on fire?¡± ¡°I just assumed that they were prepared to do anything after going so far to cause an incident.¡± Raon pretended that it was a guess instead of telling him the fire spirit king¡¯s ability since Karoon was listening to the conversation. ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ogram came up next to Raon and pounded on his back. He was encouraging him, but Raon felt like his bones were being smashed. ¡°You really are something!¡± ¡°Thank you, Benefactor!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the Suran chief. Every member of the Suran tribe went on their knees and got into a posture simr to prostrating. Ogram smiled warmly and looked at Judiel and Juvel, who were standing awkwardly. ¡°Is she your maid?¡± ¡°Yes, she is.¡± Raon nodded while meeting Judiel¡¯s eyes. ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard.¡± Ogram patted Judiel¡¯s back, maintaining the smile on his face. Fortunately, he was patting her weakly since he was aware of his strength. ¡°What? Ah, yes¡­¡± Judiel didn¡¯t really understand but simply nodded to go with the mood. ¡°So, who dispatched your maid as a spy?¡± Ogram asked something he hadn¡¯t asked before after he saw Judiel. ¡°Err¡­¡± Judiel widened her eyes at the unexpected question. ¡°......¡± Raon looked behind him instead of immediately answering his question. He parted his lips after taking a nce at Karoon¡¯s face, which remained expressionless. ¡°It was the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°Central Martial Pce?¡± Ogram stroked his chin and turned his eyes towards Karoon. ¡°Are you the one who runs the Central Martial Pce?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I am.¡± Karoon¡¯s eyes widened and he nodded, pretending that he didn¡¯t know anything about it. ¡°I see, that¡¯s what happened,¡± Ogram chuckled. His hand sparked with a rainbow of color at the same time before he unleashed an extremely swift punch. Cring! Karoon unsheathed his sword and blocked his strike as if he had been expecting that situation. ng! However, Karoon was pushed back by more than ten steps, his sword shaking to the point of breaking, because Ogram was way too strong. ¡°Was it your doing?¡± The frightening light shing from Ogram¡¯s eyes made it look like he almost wanted to kill Karoon. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± Karoon shook his head with such a calm gaze that it even looked cold. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Ogram furrowed his brow and punched Karoon. His fist swelled like a divine general¡¯s attack, creating tremendous pressure and giving the impression that his legs were anchored on the ground. Whaam! With a tremendous impact, Karoon was violently pushed back and fell on one knee. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I really don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± Karoon bit his lip as blood flowed from it, raising his gaze. He was still acting confident. ¡°I don¡¯t think he did it either.¡± Raon calmly shook his head. ¡°The Central Martial Pce master killed the head of the assassins, who waspletely neutralized, because he was worried about me. There¡¯sno waythat a considerate person like him would¡¯ve done such a cruel thing.¡± Raon curled his lips into a smile while looking at Karoon. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Karoon¡¯sposure was broken for the first time. He red at Raon with an extremely murderous gaze. Raon waspletely unaffected because he¡¯d seen that gaze a lot in the lord¡¯s manor. Wow¡­ Wrath¡¯s chin trembled. You¡¯re being so hateful. So hateful that the King of Essence wants to p your cheek! He ground his teeth, saying that Raon was even more hateful than Karoon. ¡°You pest!¡± Ogram understood the meaning behind Raon¡¯s words and powered up his fist, which was only weakly clenched before. The power to destroy heaven was dwelling in his punch, which advanced right away. Such a destructive power could even kill a Grandmaster. Whir! Karoon clenched his teeth and raised his sword. His de created a thick sword barrier made of an astral sphere in front of him, incorporating his powerful will. Whaam! Ogram¡¯s fist ignored Karoon¡¯s sword barrier and mmed into his abdomen without losing momentum at all. With a loud bang, like the tearing of a drum''s skin, a sandstorm erupted as if it were triggered by a bombardment. Whoosh! Ogram shook his hand, and the sandstorm subsided in an instant, revealing Karoon¡¯s appearance. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Karoon was coughing up ck blood, clutching his stomach. He seemed to have gained a serious internal injury from that punch. Raon narrowed his eyes while examining the trajectory of Ogram¡¯s fist instead of Karoon. ¡®Does that attack ignore defense?¡¯ Ogram¡¯s punch had definitely passed through Karoon¡¯s sword barrier. It seemed to be a certain-kill technique that could perfectly deliver his power while ignoring the opponent¡¯s defense. Such an ability waspletely unexpected to him. The martial arts of the continent were vast and boundless indeed. ¡°I want to just kill you right here, but I can¡¯t do that.¡± Ogram furrowed his brow, shaking his fist as if he¡¯d touched something dirty. ¡°But I¡¯ll be personallying to you to kill you once I find the proof.¡± He violently ground his teeth and red at Karoon. He seemed to be thoughtless and acting without thinking about the aftermath, but he definitely nned everything thoroughly. He was indeed suited to be the head of a huge union of the beasts. ¡°Disappear.¡± ¡°It really wasn¡¯t my doing.¡± ¡°Shut up and scram.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Karoon gave Raon a deadly re and eventually turned around, overwhelmed by Ogram¡¯s gaze. ¡°Young master.¡± Judiel came up next to Raon, shoulders trembling. ¡°Is it going to be okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is insurance.¡± ¡°Insurance?¡± ¡°Yes. Since everyone witnessed that I had an issue with the Central Martial Pce, Karoon will be the first one suspected if a problem urs on our way back. He won¡¯t attack us unless he¡¯s actually an idiot like Balder. He will have to protect us instead.¡± Raon chuckled. Karoon must¡¯ve wanted to kill him so much, but he couldn¡¯t do it at the same time. Raon could onlyugh. ¡°Err¡­¡± Judiel nodded, finally understanding the situation. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Liston also understood his meaning and gasped. He had a terrified expression on his face. You sly bastard. Wrath furrowed his brow deeply in displeasure. The King of Essence is sick and tired of your slyness. ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Raon shook his head while chuckling, and Ogram approached him. ¡°Come over here.¡± Ogram grabbed his shoulder again. It felt like a lump of steel was crushing his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s hold a festival since all of this happened!¡± The refreshing smile on his face made it look like his anger had never happened. ¡°What? Festival? We still have things to do. We need to get the captured assassins to confess and deal with the aftermath¡­¡± ¡°Leave that to the underlings! We just need to enjoy it!¡± Ogram forcibly dragged Raon into the Suran tribe¡¯s vige, where the fire had been extinguished. He was so strong that Raon couldn¡¯t resist even with his physical strength. ¡°Call the Union and tell them to bring all the liquor in my warehouse here! Bring all the side dishes, too!¡± Raon furrowed his brow while listening to him shout. ¡®It won¡¯t be easy to escape¡­¡¯ Side dishes! Wrath nodded while licking his lips. Tell him to bring delicious side dishes! ¡®You said you were sick and tired of me a moment ago, right?¡¯ Raon sighed and pped Wrath¡¯s head away. ¡®I¡¯m even more sick and tired of you¡­¡¯ * * * Chad, the leader of Shadow Agents, cheerfully knocked on the audience chamber door. The bright expression on his face suggested that something pleasant had happened. Rumble. The heavy door opened and Roenn lowered his head with his usual smile. ¡°Leader of the Shadow Agents, please enter.¡± He pointed inside, inviting him to enter. ¡°Thank you.¡± Chad greeted Roenn and headed towards the center, stepping upon the audience chamber¡¯s carpet. ¡°Greetings, my lord.¡± He simply lowered his head instead of an official greeting because Glenn disliked it. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Glenn nodded while staring coldly at him. His legs weren¡¯t shaking like before, but he seemed displeased because Raon wasn¡¯t in the house. ¡°Today, the Light Wind¡­¡± ¡°Did Raon finally return?!¡± He hurriedly parted his back from the throne. He looked like he was going to run outside right away. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn leaned against the throne again with a disappointed look in his eyes. ¡°Instead, the Light Wind vice division leader¡­¡± ¡°So it was indeed about Raon!¡± He straightened his back again and leaned forward. He looked like he was going to fall if he leaned any further. ¡°What happened? Stop with the dys and tell me!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve received a report from Sir Raon.¡± ¡°Report?¡± Glenn furrowed his brow, asking what he was even talking about. ¡°Why would he send a report when he went out for training?¡± ¡°It looks like Sir Raon has gained another achievement.¡± Chad took out a white piece of paper from his inner pocket. Whir! Glenn bobbed his finger, and the report was sucked into his grasp. ¡°Ohh!¡± A bright smile appeared on Glenn¡¯s face as he spread the letter out and checked the content. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Chad¡¯s lips parted as he watched the corners of Glenn¡¯s lips reach all the way up to his earlobes. ¡®I didn¡¯t know that it was possible for a person¡¯s expression to change so drastically¡­¡¯ Chapter 614

Chapter 614

¡°What could Raon have done for you to smile like that?¡± Sheryl asked as she smiled faintly while looking up at Glenn. ¡°I know, right?¡± Rimmer nodded his head. ¡°A smile is blooming on his face, almost like Raon watered it or something.¡± He grinned, having roughly guessed what happened. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn cleared his throat and hardened his expression. However, the corners of his lips were twitching, trying to ascend regardless of his intention. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°You say that, but I¡¯ve never seen that expression before.¡± Roenn walked up to the tform with a gentleugh. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Glenn shook his head and furrowed his brow. ¡®Did I show it on the outside?¡¯ He¡¯d thought he was hiding his face with the report, but he must¡¯ve lowered his hands before he knew it because he was so happy about Raon¡¯s deeds. His face heated up from the embarrassment, but he used his aura to cool himself down. ¡°I get it, so just tell us about what Raon did. I¡¯m so curious that it¡¯s getting ticklish.¡± Rimmer shook the dust off from his shoulder with his hand and pointed at the report. ¡°Well, you leave me no other choice since you are so curious about it.¡± Glenn nodded and lifted the report again, but the audience chamber¡¯s door burst open and Aries made her entrance. ¡°Father!¡± she shouted while running to the center. ¡°I heard Raon sent a letter!¡± How she learned about it was a mystery. ¡°How do you even know¡­?¡± Glenn furrowed his brow, unable to understand. ¡°I¡¯ve turned one of the Shadow Agents to my side!¡± Aries smiled, saying that she¡¯d gained an information agent while she was staying with the Shadow Agents. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn turned his head towards Chad, a frightening gaze sparking from his eyes. Hup! Chad froze, shoulders trembling. He even started to hup from nerves. ¡°Stop pressuring the leader of Shadow Agents and read the letter already. It¡¯s that one, right?¡± Aries patted Chad¡¯s head and stepped forward. ¡°Haa.¡± Glenn sighed in resignation and looked at the report. ¡°He said he was heading out to train, but in reality¡­¡± He told them everything about what Raon had done for the Suran tribe. ¡°Seriously, what the hell is he?¡± Ariesughed in disbelief while looking at the report. ¡°Did he stop the war between the Suran tribe and the assassins on his own? Is that even possible?¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Roenn stated, blinking in a daze. ¡°Since not a single person died in the Suran tribe, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call it a great deed.¡± He gave a big nod of approval, showing that he was proud of Raon. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have been an easy task even though he is familiar with the fire. He is seriously so good at surprising me,¡± Sheryl mused with a smile, mostly pleased by the fact that Raon had saved a lot of people. ¡°It¡¯s not that amazing, but I can tell that he worked pretty hard for it.¡± Glenn calmly shook his head. However, the corners of his lips were twitching violently. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m heading out now!¡± Aries raised her hand and immediately turned around. ¡°What? Where are you going?¡± Glenn anxiously wrinkled his nose. ¡°If Raon saved the entirety of the Suran tribe, with his personality the Beast King is definitely going to hold a festival! I¡¯m going to participate in that one!¡± Aries got into a posture to immediately run outside as she dered that she couldn¡¯t bete for it. ¡°Just stay put please!¡± Glenn stopped Aries and looked at the letter again. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ He read thest line of the report again. [I think I¡¯ll be a bitte because the Beast Lord isn¡¯t letting me go. I¡¯m sending the report first.] Raon had written that he was sending the report first because the Beast King Ogram was holding him back. ¡®Are they drinking¡­?¡¯ Imagining him being forced to drink with the Beast King made a hot rage spread throughout his head because even Glenn himself had only drunk with Raon twice. ¡®Should I kill him?¡¯ Glenn was seriously contemting it, and Rimmer widened his eyes upon realizing what he was thinking from his expression. ¡°No! Please hold yourself back too, my lord!¡± * * * In a nameless forest outside the Beast Union, Karoon mmed the dark and hard ground with his fist, trembling furiously. Whaaam! A huge fissure appeared on the ground like an earthquake was urring as his fist pierced into thend. ¡°Those damned bastards!¡± As if it wasn¡¯t enough to vent his anger, he pounded the ground over and over and revealed the anger that he¡¯d been suppressing in front of Ogram. He vented his frustration for a while before he finally lowered his hand as ck blood started to flow from his mouth. However, the forest was already destroyed to the point of no return, left in ruins. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Karoon sank to the destroyednd, wiping the ck blood flowing from his lips. ¡®The pain isn¡¯t decreasing.¡¯ His abdomen was hurting more and more since Ogram had hit him. It was indeed the Beast King¡¯s technique, capable of perfectly shoving damage into a body, breaking through a person¡¯s aura and physical defense. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Karoon furrowed his brow and ced his hand on his abdomen. A clear blue light appeared from his hand, and the blood flowing from his mouth turned red. ¡°Huff.¡± Karoon controlled his breathing for a while before he finally stood up. He straightened his behavior to return to his usual noble self and casually snapped his fingers. ¡°You summoned me, sir?¡± The first secretary of the Central Martial Pce, Maxian, had been hiding. He stepped in front of him to kneel upon hearing the call. ¡°Who has been giving instructions to that woman?¡± ¡°The butler Berif.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be better to make him shut his mouth.¡± Karoon nodded while looking up at the night sky. ¡°Berif won¡¯t open his mouth no matter how he is tortured.¡± Since making him shut his mouth implied killing him, Maxian lowered his head, pleading for Karoon to believe in Berif. ¡°I told you to make him shut his mouth.¡± Karoon¡¯s gaze became frightening enough to suffocate a man. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take measures towards it.¡± Maxian shivered and lowered his head. He was about to leave but stopped himself. ¡°But the issue is going to aggravate if Raon Zieghart already sent the news to the house.¡± ¡°No.¡± Karoon firmly shook his head. ¡°Even if he sent a report, it should be missing anything about me. Raon Zieghart isn¡¯t the type of person who takes action without definitive proof.¡± ¡°But the head of house¡­¡± ¡°Father isn¡¯t the type of person who would take action even if he knew the circumstances. Raon is most likely going to investigate himself after he returns, so cut off all the connections to the spies as soon as you return.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Maxian closed his lips and stepped back. Karoon violently ground his teeth while looking at the darkness of the forest. ¡®Raon Zieghart¡­¡¯ Judging from Judiel¡¯s reaction, Raon must¡¯ve been fully aware that he was the one giving orders to Judiel. The fact that he¡¯d still interfered with the matter was pretty much a deration of war against him. ¡®If you wish to die that much, I¡¯ll oblige you.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t done anything directly to Raon so far. No, he hadn¡¯t even done anythingindirectlyeither. He¡¯d thought that it was meaningless to deal with him. However, Raon had crossed the line. It was time to show him how foolish he was to do that. Crack. Karoon clenched his fist tightly. ¡®I¡¯ll make you regret today¡¯s decision for the rest of your life. No, you won¡¯t even get to regret it.¡¯ * * * Gulp. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the pots of alcohol piling up in front of him. ¡®¡­Are we drinking again? But we already drank so much yesterday.¡¯ Even though they¡¯d emptied ten whole pots from the night before until afternoon, more pots were being delivered from somewhere. Raon couldn¡¯t close his mouth because of how ridiculous it was. ¡®I¡¯m going nuts.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like he was bad at drinking, but he couldn¡¯t hold back his sigh because of the huge quantity. ¡®Moreover, the cotton candy next to me made it even harder.¡¯ Raon looked at Wrath who was snoring on his shoulder. After all, whenever he drank, the cotton candy went¡­ Gueeh! So damn disgusting! Why do humans even drink this shit? Spit it out already! And whenever Raon ate a side dish¡­ Uhehehe! It was so delicious! They¡¯re barbarians, but they are good at cooking, at least! The roasted meat is especially great! And when he started to drink again¡­ You damn drunkard! Stop drinking and eat the side dishes! He would¡¯ve returned to the bracelet and started to sleep if he disliked the alcohol, but he kept bbering without returning because of the side dishes, hurting Raon¡¯s ears the whole time. Oh¡­ As he was thinking, Wrath woke up and darted his tongue in and out, showing that he was clearly thinking about the side dishes from the day before. ¡°What a nice day, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ogram smiled brightly while looking at the Suran chief. ¡°Yes, it is! It¡¯s a good day with good people and good liquor!¡± The Suran chief also had a refreshing smile on his face. He seemed to be in a good mood because the members of the tribe had only been injured. There hadn¡¯t been a single death. ¡°Brother!¡± While Raon wasughing bitterly at the sight of the twenty pots filled with liquor, he heard a familiar voice from the right side. ¡°Hmm?¡± Raon shifted his gaze and saw that a young man even bigger than Ogram was running towards him, carrying pots of liquor in both hands. ¡°Garona?¡± The young man carrying the pots was Garona from the ck Beast Tribe, who he¡¯d fought against during the Six Kings tournament. His body had be even bigger than before. He seemed to be trying to be a dragon himself instead of a dragon yer. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, brother!¡± ¡°Why am I your brother?¡± ¡°We shed our souls against each other in that duel! That¡¯s why we are brothers!¡± Garona smiled, saying that it was just obvious. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon gasped. ¡®He hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡¯ Garona had acknowledged his defeat right after the match and had asked to be brothers, shouting that it was Raon¡¯s victory. He was apparently serious about it, not joking like he¡¯d thought. ¡°Why are you even here? I believe you had some work to do!¡± Ogram furrowed his brow while looking at Garona. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could sit still when my brother saved the Suran tribe! I brought all the alcohol since I heard you wanted it!¡± Garona straightened his back, his confidence brimming from the eyes. ¡°About that¡­ Well done! Come here and drink with us!¡± Raon thought that he would be scolded for skipping work, but Ogramplimented him instead and let him sit next to him. It looked like the Beast Union¡¯s people weren¡¯t just living by their instincts but by reflexes instead. ¡°Take out the side dishes, too!¡± Garona shook his hand, and all kinds of ingredients were unloaded from the beasts. The Beast Union¡¯s cooks started fires here and there in preparation for cooking. Ooh! You are the King of Essence¡¯s brother starting today! Wrath gave a big nod of approval at Garona.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡®It¡¯s so easy to be a brother¡­¡¯ Raon shook his head at his ridiculous statement. They just needed to give him some food to be his subordinate or brother. He couldn¡¯t imagine that a demon king could be any easier than that. ¡°Since another pleasant fellow has joined us, let¡¯s get started again!¡± Ogram raised his cup¡­ or, rather, saucepan of liquor. ¡°Sure! Brother, you should also have some drinks!¡± Garona filled a saucepan that was even bigger than Ogram¡¯s and gave it to Raon. ¡°Since my bro is so broad-minded, your ss needs to be big enough to match!¡± ¡°......¡± Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the drink sloshing like the ocean inside the cup. ¡®Isn¡¯t there anyone who can save me?¡¯ Raon looked around just in case. Judiel and Juvel were busy talking about what happened so far, their shoulders right next to each other, and Liston was having fun talking with the Suran tribe members. ¡°Oh, yes! It was definitely dangerous! It was, but! I wasn¡¯t afraid at all when I thought that I had to save people, I was only fixated on the value of life¡­¡± Raon couldn¡¯t understand how he was so talkative when he used to be an assassin. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon just gave up and lifted the cup that Garona had given to him. Side dish! Start with the side dish! Wrath smiled happily while pointing at the food being disyed in front of the liquor. ¡°Raise your ss!¡± ¡°Drink it!¡± We¡¯re having a festival today! ¡°......¡± Raon closed his eyes tightly while listening to Ogram and Garona¡¯s roars and Wrath¡¯s rampage. ¡®I want to go home¡­¡¯ * * * The drinking party was still going on after two days. Ogram and Garona weren¡¯t getting drunk at all even though they were drinking the alcohol like it was water¡ªor, rather, they were drinking like it was air. They looked like monsters in a different meaning than usual. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon¡¯s shoulders trembled as he put down the empty cup. ¡®It¡¯s getting rather difficult.¡¯ He didn¡¯t get drunk thanks to theRing of Fire, but he felt exhausted just from drinking at that point. Hehe¡­ Wrath was sleeping happily inside the bracelet after he had eaten to his heart¡¯s content. ¡®I also want to stop.¡¯ He wanted to swing his sword because he¡¯d been sitting and doing nothing but drinking. He was craving some action. ¡°Hell yeah.¡± Ogram burped loudly enough to echo throughout thend while putting down his cup. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Garona exhaled roughly with his back leaning against the wall, showing that he was also having a hard time. ¡°Well, then¡­¡± Ogram rotated his shoulder and stood up. ¡®Is it finally over?¡¯ Raon curled his lips. A smile naturally surfaced on his face upon thinking that the drinking party was finally over. Wham! However, Ogram brought over another huge pot. It was the biggest one so far. ¡°Let¡¯s start the second round!¡± ¡°Ahahaha! Sure!¡± Garona smiled happily, as if his exhaustion was just an illusion, and stepped forward. ¡°Brother, you also love the idea, right?¡± He waved his hand, telling Raon to quickly join them. Raon wanted to smack his shining forehead. Raon¡¯s hands trembled with his face turned pale. ¡®Are they seriously drinking even more now?¡¯ They were seriously crazy about alcohol. It looked like they would get along with the Gambling Monster. ¡®Uhh¡­¡¯ Raon stood up while groaning. He had no energy left to stay in that party anymore. ¡°Erm, Beast King.¡± ¡°Just call me big bro!¡± Ogram shook his hand, telling him that it was unnecessary to call him the Beast King. ¡°I¡¯ve been curious about something. Is it okay for me to ask?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± He widely shook his hand, telling him to ask whatever he wanted. ¡°When you punched the Central Martial Pce master for the third time, it looked like you werepletely ignoring his defense. Did I see it right?¡± Raon asked about the most interesting thing that had happened so far to change the situation he was in. ¡°You saw that?¡± Ogram raised his eyebrows, finding it interesting. ¡°It¡¯s a martial art calledTidebreaker, brother,¡± Garona stated, having already finished his drink, and nodded at him. ¡°Tidebreaker?¡± ¡°As you described, it consists of ignoring the opponent¡¯s defense and perfectlynding an attack. I¡¯ve been learning it recently, too.¡± He shook his head, saying that it was an extremely difficult technique. ¡°You are indeed a warrior.¡± Ogram finished his ss and stood up. ¡°Follow me, both of you.¡± He stopped drinking for the first time and went towards a small open area near the vige. Ogram looked behind him and raised his chin sharply. His confidence alone seemed to be the best among the Six Kings. ¡°A fight between warriors consists of trading blows. Whose attack is more powerful and whose defense is more perfect is important for the oue. However¡­¡± Ogram clenched his fist. A colorless atmosphere zed from hisrge fist. ¡°If you can smash your opponent without losing any of your power, you¡¯ll be able to win any battle.¡± He thrust his fist in front of Raon. The punch was as slow as a crawling turtle, but a chill ran down his spine just from watching it. Smack! Raon extended his hand engulfed in aura in order to catch Ogram¡¯s fist. However, Ogram¡¯s fist ignored the aura that was protecting him and delivered a tremendous amount of impact to his hand. Whaam! Raon was unable to keep his bnce, got sent flying to the back, and was mmed onto the ground. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Both his hands ached as if they were being torn apart. It felt like the damage was delivered directly to his flesh and all the way to his soul, breaking through his aura. Even his mind was being blown away alongside his hand. ¡°That¡¯s how theTidebreaker Strikewas created and was improved over time.¡± Ogram opened his clenched fist with a refreshing smile on his face. ¡°What do you think? Do you want to try learning it?¡± Chapter 615

Chapter 615

Raon wiped away the sweat flowing from his forehead and looked at Ogram. His nonchnt expression suggested that he was serious about that offer. ¡®Does he really intend to teach me about that martial art calledTidebreaker?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand why he would teach the Beast King¡¯s extremely advanced martial art to an outsider like himself. ¡®I¡¯m still a stranger to them, even if I helped the Suran tribe.¡¯ Even inside a house of warriors, an advanced technique was only passed down to the direct lines and the coteral with arge number of achievements, and only the worst techniques were taught to the rest. Zieghart wasn¡¯t much different. They sometimes bestowed outsiders with an advanced technique for their achievements, but they never taught them the martial arts learned by the head or the sessor. ¡®Is he seriously teaching me such an advanced technique?¡¯ TheTidebreakermust¡¯ve been one of the ultimate techniques, even for Ogram. Raon couldn¡¯t believe that he was teaching such a special technique from the Beast Union to an outsider. ¡°What you said just now¡­¡± Raon calmed his violently pounding heart and raised his gaze. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Do I look like the type of person who would say it without meaning it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case, but¡­¡± ¡°I know what you are thinking.¡± Ogram curled his lips into a bright smile. ¡°The warriors on this continent try to avoid showing their martial arts. It¡¯s because people will figure out a way to counter them and endanger them as a result.¡± Raon had been feeling it recently. Many people didn¡¯t know aboutFrost Pondbefore, allowing him to easily finish off his opponent with the ice de, but more warriors were defending against the second strike because they were aware thatFrost Pondhad two des total. As Ogram had said, the more the martial art was known, the more people figured out how to defend and counter it. ¡°But what¡¯s the problem with that?¡± Ogram raised his chin sharply and shook his head. ¡°A technique that bes weaker just because it was shown isn¡¯t a powerful technique to begin with. The truly powerful technique can unleash its full power even if the opponent manages to read the flow.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°There are no second chances on the battlefield.¡± The pressure bursting from his serious eyes was powerful enough to crush the heart. ¡°You only have a single chance. You need to finish off your opponent in that single chance in order to survive. TheTidebreaker Strikewas created for that purpose. It won¡¯t be any weaker just because I taught it to you or because I showed it to others.¡± Ogram dered while pounding his chest, ¡°Such a weak technique or weak warriors don¡¯t exist in the Beast Union.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon grasped his trembling wrist. A chill ran down his spine upon hearing that, his hair standing on end. ¡°He¡¯s right. Ultimate power doesn¡¯t weaken just because the others have seen it.¡± Garona nodded without being surprised at all, showing his agreement. That¡¯s a nice thing to say for a muscle pig. Wrath nodded his head. The true power shouldn¡¯t be weakened in any situation. The King of Essence always froze his enemies whether he was amid mes orva fields.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om He was talking too much, but he basically agreed with Ogram. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ Our head of house is also simr to Wrath.¡¯ His goal, Glenn¡¯s swordsmanship, didn¡¯t be any weaker just because other people knew about it. It was literally the sky. Since it consisted of creating that sky with a sword, it was impossible for anyone to deal with it. Wrath was the same. He had always overwhelmed his opponents with the sheer power of frost without using any petty tricks. It looked like no one would be able to win against that tremendous amount of power. Ogram had suggested teaching Raon his martial art because he was as confident as Glenn and Wrath. ¡®In that case¡­¡¯ Raon made up his mind since he realized Ogram¡¯s thoughts and stood in front of him. ¡°Please teach me.¡± Raon straightened his posture and lowered his head at Ogram. ¡°Alright!¡± Ogram gave a big nod of approval, showing that he was expecting that answer. ¡°I thought you might refuse because you were contemting for a long time, but you epted it in the end.¡± ¡°It took some time to understand what you meant.¡± ¡°Understand what?¡± ¡°I understand what you meant when you said that there are no second chances on a battlefield, and also what I need to do.¡± ¡°Wahahaha!¡± He clutched his head and burst out inughter. ¡°Nice, I like it.¡± Ogram lowered his head and touched the hem of Raon¡¯s ck Dragon Coat. ¡°I thought it was an excessive gift for you back then, but it was the ck Dragon Coat that has gained an owner that is too good for it instead.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop with the chatter and get started.¡± He shook his hand, saying that they should stop wasting time. ¡°Tidebreakermeans that you break through the ocean.¡± ¡°Ocean?¡± ¡°Yes. It means that you are smashing your opponent with your fist, breaking through the ocean of their aura.¡± Ogram clenched his fist. His hard fist looked like a single punch would be enough to make an opponent faint. ¡°The precept is simple. You should be able to memorize it as quickly as having a meal.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Raon widened his eyes. He couldn¡¯t believe that the precept of such an advanced martial art could be so simple. [The raging storm over the great ocean and the gentle breeze over the calm coastal waves are both aspects of the same ocean. The ocean, where the sun zes and the moon waxes, is like a mirror reflecting yourself. You have to cleanse your soul for the small ocean inside yourself to open the path for you.] * * * The precept was short indeed, but profound wisdom was dwelling inside. It was easy to understand, but Raon couldn¡¯t be sure that he understood it correctly. ¡°Did you memorize it?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Raon nodded faintly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll teach you how to use it.¡± Ogram clenched his fist again. An achromatic light shed from between his thick fingers. ¡°Why are you clenching your fist to teach me how to use it¡­?¡± Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Ogram¡¯s fist. ¡°I told you, you have to break through the oceans of the opponent and yourself. Every ocean has a different flow and size. That¡¯s why you need countless experiences in order to break through the ocean of aura. And the fastest way to achieve that is¡­¡± Raon could tell what was going to follow without even hearing it. ¡°Hands-on experience!¡± Ogram thrust his clenched fist. The fist rushing toward his abdomen was at least twice as fast as before. ¡°Kuh!¡± Raon created an aura shield with theTen Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s me to block Ogram¡¯s fist. ¡°Wrong!¡± Ogram furrowed his brow and thrust his fist all the way, implying that his response wasn¡¯t the correct answer. Smack! His fist broke through the shield of fire as if it didn¡¯t exist at all and smashed into Raon¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Cough!¡± Raon groaned in pain and mmed onto the ground. ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯ He¡¯d almost fainted. He couldn¡¯t budge a finger because of the tremendous pain he felt. ¡°I didn¡¯t teach you the precept for no reason. You¡¯ll have to feel that pain every single time if you don¡¯t manage to useTidebreakerfor defense.¡± Ogram shook his finger, urging him to stand up. ¡°So when you said you would teach me how to use it¡­¡± ¡°Yes, this is what I meant.¡± Ogram dashed at him with a clenched fist and smiled while showing his teeth. ¡°Because your body will learn it on its own if you keep getting beaten up!¡± Ogram¡¯s fist rushed even faster and more powerfully as he spoke. ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯ Raon bit his lip to the point of bleeding while memorizingTidebreaker¡¯s precept. ¡®Nothing is easy in the world.¡¯ Did you finally realize it? This is nothing in Devildom. When the King of Essence became the monarch of Devildom, he went through even more hardships¡­ ¡®Please shut up!¡¯ * * * The swordsmen¡¯s passions were heating the sand in the fifth training ground. ¡°Runaan!¡± Rimmer walked towards Runaan, who was nodding off at the center of the training ground. ¡°Don¡¯t close your eyes! You are going to fall asleep again, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Nyat really.¡± Runaan shook her head, blinking her vacant eyes. ¡°What does ¡®nyat¡¯ even mean?¡± ¡°I was practicing swordsmanship in my dream.¡± ¡°Dream! You just said in your dream!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, though.¡± She closed her eyes again, showing that she didn¡¯t care about Rimmer¡¯s scolding. ¡°You can leave her alone. She bes stronger for some reason after she sleeps.¡± Burren chuckled while watching Runaan doze off. ¡°It¡¯s so annoying. Is she one of those ¡®I get stronger by sleeping¡¯ types or what?¡± Martha clicked her tongue in displeasure and started her own training. Rimmer listened to them and looked at Runaan again. The way she was nodding off looked like she was dozing, but the aura in her body was diligently moving around, just like during a battle. ¡®Could it be¡­ that she is at the border?¡¯ Runaan¡¯s realm was intermediate Master. Those who progressed quickly could grasp the image of their mental world at that point and that seemed to be the case with Runaan. ¡®It was worth teaching her since her childhood.¡¯ He¡¯d been emphasizing the importance of visualization and imagination to the Light Wind division ever since they were trainees, and his advice seemed to finally be bearing fruit, which filled him with deep emotions. ¡®And Runaan isn¡¯t the only one.¡¯ Burren and Martha had also improved significantly. Not only their might but also their mental fortitude had drastically improved, and they looked like they would reach the intermediate realm soon enough. ¡®The others have also grown a lot.¡¯ Everyone in the Light Wind division had reached the highest level of Expert. Since Dorian and the vice team leaders already had their hands on the wall, they could be Masters at any moment as long as they had an opportunity. Rimmer curled his lips into a smile while observing the Light Wind swordsmen one after the other. ¡®Aren¡¯t we going to be the strongest group at this rate?¡¯ He could imagine the Light Wind division bing even more powerful than a pce despite being a division if they kept getting stronger at the same rate. ¡®They¡¯ve really grown a lot.¡¯ He could remember the first time he¡¯d seen them as children. He was simply trying to realize the dream that was entrusted to him, but his dream had be his own. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Martha furrowed her brow while watching the warm smile on Rimmer¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with our division leader? What¡¯s wrong with that ominous smile?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know.¡± Burren shook his head while scratching his cheek. ¡°He kinda looks like he is trying to borrow money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! He must¡¯ve gambled and lost his money!¡± Martha clicked her tongue, saying that she was going to tell the swordsmen to never lend him the money. ¡°Sir Rimmer!¡± While Rimmer was innocently watching the Light Wind division despite their thoughts, the training ground¡¯s door opened up and Encia entered. ¡°It¡¯splete!¡± She ran up to Rimmer holding a gray prosthetic arm that seemed to be made of steel. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± ¡°What else would it be? It¡¯s obviously your right arm, Sir Rimmer.¡± ¡°Is it alreadyplete?¡± ¡°I already started to prepare before you left for Seipia, after all.¡± Encia smiled, saying that she managed to quickly craft it because she had already finished measuring and making the blueprints when she obtained the world tree¡¯s branch and leaf. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t too motivated to make it, though¡­¡± ¡°I was just kidding.¡± Encia shook her head while tapping on his shoulder. "I¡¯m a crafter. I never do anything halfway, and I don¡¯t joke around when ites to my work." She handed him the prosthetic arm, her gaze brimming with confidence. ¡°Take off your shirt. I¡¯ll put it on for you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips and looked around. Everyone in the Light Wind division had stopped training and was surrounding them. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± He sighed and took off his shirt. He pushed his shoulder forward, which still looked gruesome even though the wounds were healed. Encia calmly examined Rimmer¡¯s shoulder without being concerned at all about the wound. ¡°This prosthetic arm will be connected to your aura and nerves. You will probably feel like your real arm is back.¡± She immediately brought the prosthetic arm to his shoulder, showing her confidence in the artifact that she¡¯d crafted. Some kind of thin cloth attached to the prosthetic arm stuck to Rimmer¡¯s shoulder like rubber and turned the same color as his skin. Whir! The prosthetic arm radiated faintly, and the gray parts of the arm gradually changed to match the color of Rimmer¡¯s skin. It seemed to be a function designed for the user¡¯sfort. Rimmer narrowed his eyes while looking at his tingling shoulder. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ The moment that cloth-looking thing attached to the prosthetic arm touched his skin, he felt like his arm had grown back along with the small pain of a needle stitching his arm. It was a strange sensation, giving the impression that the nerves inside his shoulder were touching the prosthetic arm¡¯s nerves. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ He thought about moving his fingers, and the prosthetic arm¡¯s fingers started to move. He applied more strength than he thought, but the hand was clearly moving ording to his intentions. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Rimmer gasped while watching his hand move as he wanted. ¡®Did she really craft this?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe how realistic it was. He could guess that he could recover his strength from before he lost his arm, even if it wouldn¡¯t be as good as when he was in his prime. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°It looks like a real arm, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°The prosthetic arm¡¯s color changed into the division leader¡¯s skin color.¡± ¡°Th-the fingers are moving!¡± The Light Wind swordsmen also widened their eyes while watching Rimmer¡¯s arm. ¡°But you still have to be careful. It¡¯snota real arm. You also have to practice controlling your aura.¡± Encia told him about what he needed to be careful about while adjusting the prosthetic arm. ¡°It can withstand an aura de without infusing any aura into it, but an astral sphere should be too much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even better than my original arm. It couldn¡¯t withstand an aura de if I didn¡¯t use any aura.¡± Rimmer chuckled and shook his hand. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Encia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s done. How does that feel? Any difort?¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect. It feels like my arm has returned.¡± Rimmer was so surprised by his arm¡¯s return that he couldn¡¯t even afford to joke about it. He smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°You should thank Sir Raon instead. It¡¯s all thanks to the world tree branch and leaf that he brought that the side effects could be decreased and the stability was drastically increased.¡± She smiled, saying that it was all thanks to Raon. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Then keep taking good care of him in the future.¡± Encia shook her hand, saying that it was enough for her. ¡°Of course.¡± Rimmer nodded while clenching his prosthetic hand into a fist. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I intend to do.¡± He nodded, feeling the warmth from his heart instead of his skin. ¡°Because I¡¯ve made up my mind now.¡± ¡°You made up your mind?¡± Encia widened her eyes. ¡°About what?¡± Runaan blinked while looking at Rimmer. ¡°It might be a new resolution to gamble again,¡± Burren said as he smiled while pretending to throw a dice. ¡°It would be funny if he ended up losing that arm at a casino,¡± Martha giggled while responding to Burren. Everyone in the Light Wind division burst out into loudughter while looking at Rimmer and the team leaders. ¡°......¡± Rimmer watched them with a small smile, a mixture of joy, sadness, and anticipation crossing his face. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± * * * Wham! Raon was unable to keep his bnce and sank to the ground. ¡°Ack¡­¡± ¡®It hurts so damn much.¡¯ Copsing didn¡¯t cause that much pain, but his hand felt like it was tearing off after it was hit by Ogram¡¯s fist. His hand would¡¯ve exploded if Ogram had applied a bit more strength to his punch. ¡°Kueeh!¡± Raon looked around upon hearing a scream from the side. Garona was also beaten by Ogram¡¯s fist and was greeting the ground with his face. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon exhaled in exhaustion and stood back up. ¡®It¡¯s not easy.¡¯ TheTidebreaker¡¯s flow demonstrated by Ogram was fundamentally different from any martial art he has learned so far, making it difficult to reenact even with theRing of Fire. He¡¯d been training for a week, and it felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to get a grasp on it even in a hundred days. ¡°I like your tenacity, at least.¡± Ogram¡¯s lips curled into a smile, satisfied by how Raon stood back up right away. ¡°I can understand how you managed to reach that realm at your age.¡± He shifted his gaze towards Garona and furrowed his brow, asking, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stand up?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Garona stood up while clutching his chest where he was punched earlier. ¡°I¡¯ve already taught you everything that needs to be taught.¡± Ogram lifted a ss that he had ced in between the branches. ¡°TheTidebreaker Strikeis a sh of inspiration rather than a martial art. Even a three-year-old could use it if they got it right, but even thirty years of training might be in vain otherwise.¡± He twisted his lips after he finished his ss. ¡°But those who learned it from me shouldn¡¯t have a result like that.¡± Ogram extended his left fist. Colorless radiance flickered violently from the gap in his fist. He smashed Garona with his fist even more powerfully than when he¡¯d hit Karoon. Smaack! Garona was smashed in his face before he could defend himself and mmed onto the ground. His eyes were rolled back, and his breathing came in broken gasps. One could¡¯ve thought he died in that single strike if it weren¡¯t for the intense trembling of his body. ¡°You¡¯re next.¡± Ogram clenched his right fist and moved in front of Raon. Gulp. Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Ogram¡¯s fist, which was radiating more and more intensely. ¡®Should I give up now?¡¯ He had a feeling that the punch wasn¡¯t simply going to break his bones but even burst open his flesh. He was contemting what kind of excuse he should give to stop it when he saw the look in Ogram¡¯s eyes. His eyes were full of trust in him. Raon swallowed the words that he was about to say and regained his posture upon seeing the trust in his eyes. ¡®The Beast King is sharing his precious time with me right now.¡¯ Ogram was teaching him to the best of his ability. A half-hearted attitude or any attempt to waste time would be so rude that he wouldn¡¯t even be able to beg for forgiveness. Wham! Raon stomped the ground and clenched his fists. He increased theRing of Fire¡¯s output to the maximum and even activated thePerception of the Snow Flower. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± ¡°I really like this guy!¡± Ogram gave a big nod of approval and thrust his fist forward. Rumble! The current of air sparkling around the fist was suffocating. The pressure filling his vision was powerful enough to blow his soul away even if he wasn¡¯t using theTidebreaker Strike. ¡®Don¡¯t step back. Watch until the end.¡¯ Raon focused on Ogram¡¯s fist so much that even his eyes became bloodshot, and the flow of time started to slow down. Tidebreaker¡¯s flow very slowly entered his grasp. [The raging storm over the great ocean and the gentle breeze over the calm coastal waves are both aspects of the same ocean.] Raon clenched his right fist while recitingTidebreaker¡¯s precept. He addedTidebreaker¡¯s flow on the fist and thrust it towards Ogram¡¯s punch. Whaaam! It was a sh between fists, but Ogram¡¯sTidebreakerbroke through his wall ofTidebreakerand reached his skin in no time. [The ocean, where the sun zes and the moon waxes, is like a mirror reflecting yourself.] ¡®I have to break it!¡¯ He had to break Ogram¡¯s flow in order to survive, even though it wouldn¡¯t allow him to win. Raon clenched his teeth and gathered his aura again, as it had started to dissipate in vain. The rotation of the rings around the heart elerated even further. The world was turning red because too much blood had rushed to his heart, but he forced himself to focus and recited the final line of the precept. [You have to cleanse your soul for the small ocean inside yourself to open the path for you.] He felt like Ogram and himself were the only ones existing in the world, and he started to see the flow of energy in his fist. ¡®I understand it now. The small ocean inside me is my mental world.¡¯ Tidebreakerwas a martial art that required him to know himself first in order to break through his opponent. Raon clenched his shaking fist while embedding a new sword calledTidebreaker Strikeinto his mental world. ¡°Huh?¡± Ogram¡¯s eyes widened, and Raon thrust his small yet tightly clenched fist towards him. Chapter 616

Chapter 616

The spiral-shaped aura surging from his fist became a thick wall to defend him from the front instead of being wiped out byTidebreaker. Thud! Raon bit his lip, his entire body throbbing like a heart. He could finally understand why Ogram had told him that he could only learnTidebreakerby feeling it with his body. ¡®The essence ofTidebreakerwas inside me all along, not anyone else.¡¯ Tidebreakerwas a mysterious technique that could ignore the opponent¡¯s aura and attack their body directly. He¡¯d thought he naturally had to start by understanding the flow of the opponent¡¯s aura, but that wasn¡¯t the case.Tidebreakerwas a martial art that required him to understand himself before using it. ¡®It was about making a boat.¡¯ Tidebreakerconsisted of building the best boat with his own aura to break through his enemy¡¯s ocean of aura. Whir!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Once he understood the essence ofTidebreaker, the aura zing around his fist intensified. A powerful shockwave urred from the spot where his fist was shing against Ogram¡¯s. Crack! The vibration intensified as if in an earthquake, and a powerful explosion erupted from the gap between their fists. Whaaam! The consecutive shockwaves twisted thend, and the ground trembled violently. A dark, reddish current surged like a tidal wave from the sh between theTidebreakers, threatening to engulf thend until Ogram shook his hand. The gesture was as casual as chasing away a butterfly, but the red current and the tremor disappeared in an instant. Ogram wasn¡¯t using any special techniques. He¡¯d suppressed the shockwave from theTidebreakerswith sheer power. It was an advanced application of aura control, truly befitting a transcender. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon leaned forward and exhaled heavily. He must¡¯ve been too focused, since his body felt weighed down by chunks of steel. ¡°Hah!¡± Raon raised his head upon hearing a dumbfoundedugh. Ogram¡¯s lowered eyes were trembling faintly. ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Ogram swallowed nervously and sharply raised his eyebrows. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking how you managed to achieveTidebreaker.¡± ¡°Did I really useTidebreaker?¡± Raon asked in return, looking at Ogram¡¯s wavering eyes. He¡¯d gained a small enlightenment, but he couldn¡¯t be sure yet. ¡°It was weak, shabby, andpletelycking, but¡­¡± Ogram closed his eyes and opened them again before he continued, ¡°What you used was definitelyTidebreaker.¡± He licked his lips in acknowledgment. ¡°You werepletely clueless until a moment ago. What changed?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I observed myself instead of you, Beast King.¡± Raon raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. ¡°Yourself?¡± ¡°Yes. I kept thinking about the meaning of the precept you taught me because I figured there had to be a meaning behind it.¡± He recited the precept that Ogram had taught him. ¡°¡®You have to cleanse your soul for the small ocean inside yourself to open the path for you.¡¯I haven¡¯t managed topletely decipher it yet, but I understood that the small ocean inside myself is the mental world, at least. That¡¯s why I focused on polishing my will and the aura inside of me rather than breaking through your aura.¡± Raon told him about how he managed to useTidebreaker. ¡°......¡± Raon bit his lip tightly upon seeing that Ogram had fallen speechless. ¡®Should I have held back?¡¯ He¡¯d thought that it would make him happy if he learned quickly because Ogram went out of his way to personally teach him the precept and the utilization, but he was starting to think that he might be displeased because he learned it even faster than Garona, who¡¯d been learning for a long time. That¡¯s obvious! Wrath wrinkled his nose. Even though he was willing to teach you a special technique, there¡¯s no way he would like you when you learned it even faster than his disciple! You idiot! He shook his hand, telling him to stop being so stupid. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Wahahaha!¡± Raon furrowed his brow while listening to Wrath, but Ogram raised his chin sharply and started tough like a madman. ¡°I see, that¡¯s what happened. That¡¯s why you managed to learn it so quickly.¡± A broad smile surfaced on his face as he said that he could finally understand it. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tidebreaker¡¯s enlightenment usuallyes when you¡¯re on the verge of death after getting beaten up over and over again. That was the case for me, and it¡¯s been the case for everyone that I¡¯ve taught so far. He will probably be the same.¡± Ogram¡¯s gaze was directed at Garona, who was still copsed on the ground. ¡°From my knowledge,Tidebreakeris obtained after repeatedly getting beaten up like that, and when the body bes one with the mind. However¡­¡± He gave a big nod while looking at Raon again. ¡°You achieved enlightenment that should¡¯ve required you to be on the verge of death by simply analyzing the precept. I don¡¯t believe in the concept of genius, but it¡¯s a suitable word to describe you.¡± Ogram patted his shoulder, saying that it was an amazing feat. ¡°I said this before, but I can understand now why you are in that position right now. It wasn¡¯t a mere coincidence, as I expected.¡± He extended his hand. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon stared at it nkly, and Ogram shook his hand. ¡°What are you waiting for? Take my hand.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Raon took his hand, and Ogram shook it widely, as if he were shaking the dust off a nket. ¡°Congrattions.¡± There was no malice at all in Ogram¡¯s gaze. He really was just congratting him for learningTidebreaker. ¡®How is this even possible?¡¯ Raon couldn¡¯t believe that a person like him existed. He¡¯d decided to teach his secret technique and simply rejoiced when he learned it faster than Garona. He made no effort to try and restrain him. ¡®Could I do the same thing? Could I teach my secret technique to someone else and rejoice in their sess? Even though he¡¯d be nicer than in his previous life, it was definitely impossible for him. He could feel a vast difference in broad-mindednesspared to Ogram. ¡°Thank you.¡± Raon lowered his head to Ogram with sincerity and respect. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to thank me for.¡± Ogram shook his hand and shifted his gaze. ¡°Just don¡¯t lose while usingTidebreaker. That¡¯s enough for me.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°As ast piece of advice, you shouldn¡¯t useTidebreakeras it is. You should change it to match your style.¡± That was thest thing he said before he walked towards the unconscious Garona, acting as if he had no regrets at all. His cool attitude even felt disappointing. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon watched Ogram¡¯s back for a while and sank down onto the crushednd. It was difficult to stand because of how exhausted he was. ¡®Did I manage to do it in the end?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t grasped it perfectly yet. TheTidebreakerwas a martial art that had to be activated during the split second of a sh against an opponent, which couldn¡¯t be practiced alone. It was going to require countless practices and battle experiences. ¡®But as long as I manage toplete it¡­ I should be able to reach even higher.¡¯ Since he walked his own path as a swordsman, his version ofTidebreakerwould evolve into something entirely different from Ogram¡¯s or the warriors from the Union if he managed to make it his own. ¡®Which technique should Ibine it with?¡¯ He¡¯d learned so many techniques and principles that it was to the point where they couldn¡¯t even be counted on his fingers. Since thebination could make it the strongest but also the weakest, he had to be careful with his choice. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Raon licked his lips in contemtion, and Wrath popped up. Hey! ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Let¡¯s eat already since training is over! You have to make sure to eat every single meal since you are still in your growth period! Wrath licked his lips while saying that he should start eating some proper food since he¡¯d been eating whatever for a while. ¡®Growth period¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t really a great excuse, as his growth period was already over and it would be problematic if he grew even taller. ¡®Seriously, this food waster.¡¯ You didn¡¯t even talk to that kid yet! It would be perfect to chat while eating! Wrath pointed at Juvel and Judiel, who were carefully looking his way. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t been able to have a proper conversation with them yet because Ogram had been holding him hostage since he¡¯d saved the Suran tribe. It was indeed necessary toe to a consensus before they returned to the house. ¡®I never expected you to be helpful.¡¯ What are you even talking about?! Wrath raised his head sharply. The King of Essence is always helping you greatly! ¡®That¡¯s not true. You¡­¡¯ Raon started to shake his head, but¡­ [You¡¯ve learned a Transcender¡¯s martial art faster than anyone else.] [You¡¯ve aplished an impossible achievement.] [All stats have increased by 20.] [The traitFocushas increased in rank.] The message immediately announced the increase in stats from learningTidebreakerand being acknowledged by Ogram. Argh¡­ Wrath¡¯s eyes at the sight of the unexpected message. ¡®Ooh.¡¯ Raon stroked Wrath¡¯s soft back while slowly reading the message. ¡®I misspoke. You really are a big help. You are the giving¡­¡¯ Shut up! * * * The underground cavern was illuminated by soft lighting, simr to the lines connecting constetions. ¡°Hmm.¡± Derus Robert nodded his head, leaning his back against a chair. ¡°So Raon Zieghart is in the Beast Union now.¡± ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Cubara ced her hand on her chest and lowered her head. ¡°They said he stopped the Phantom Assassin division¡¯s attack on the Suran tribe. He also extinguished the fire engulfing the entire forest.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Derus gave a long click of his tongue while gazing down on the cavern. ¡°It was only recently that he rampaged at Seipia, and it¡¯s the Beast Union now. What a busy person he is.¡± ¡°There are rumors that the Beast King personally visited him to express his gratitude.¡± ¡°That should be true and not just a rumor. After all, dignity doesn¡¯t exist for Ogram.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I was wondering why the back of my hand has been aching since a few days ago, but that¡¯s the reason.¡± Derus chuckled while looking at the back of his hand, where his ck leather glove waspletely stuck. "He is roaming around the whole continent as if it is his own backyard." He made an eerie smile that made it look like he was pleased and displeased at the same time. ¡°He is so arrogant.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Cubara¡¯s shoulders trembled as she heard Derus¡¯s deste voice. Her body trembled before she knew it because of the murderous intent and madness dwelling in his voice. ¡°I¡¯d love to interfere with Raon Zieghart, but I have something else to do right now¡­¡± Derus shifted his gaze towards the cavern. His pupilsnded on the children who were swinging their daggers. ¡°How is it proceeding over there?¡± ¡°Only the final step remains. They should be able to wrap it up within a month.¡± Cubara lowered her head, reporting that it was proceeding ording to n. ¡°I¡¯ll be checking at the end, but make sure to thoroughly prepare since this will signal the start of the great n.¡± Derus licked his lips, his eyes as ferocious as when he was listening to the news about Raon. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Cubara looked at Derus calmly despite her passionate response. ¡°You can leave.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± She bowed politely and disappeared into the shadows. Derus Robert rubbed his chin while watching the children swing their daggers with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Raon Zieghart¡­¡± Eden, the White Blood Religion, the South-North Union, the ck Tower, the Holy Sword Alliance, and House Robert. So many groups tried to kill him, but none of them seeded in doing it. There was no way his strength alone allowed his survival. Misfortune was definitely following him. Derus lifted the ss on the table and took a sip. ¡°I¡¯m curious if your luck is still going to do its job within the mes of war.¡± * * * Raon had a simple dinner before heading to Judiel and Juvel. ¡°Young master?¡± Judiel¡¯s eyes widened as she stood up from her seat. ¡°N-nice to meet you,¡± Juvel stammered as he nodded, his eyes trembling like marbles. ¡°Sit down, both of you.¡± Raon shook his finger with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Judiel nodded calmly and took a seat, but Juvel was still standing,pletely flustered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry and sit down.¡± ¡°Ah, hmm.¡± She made Juvel sit next to her and looked at Raon. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be training now?¡± ¡°It ended.¡± Raon shook his head and sat next to Judiel. ¡°But Sir Garona still seems to be training.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t ended for him.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Judiel finally understood what happened and swallowed nervously while looking at Raon. Her expression showed her disbelief at the fact that he managed to learn the technique faster than Garona even though he¡¯d started to learn wayter. ¡°Well, let¡¯s stop talking about training.¡± Raon leaned forward to the table and asked, ¡°Did you have enough time to talk?¡± ¡°Yes. We could talk about all kinds of things, thanks to you.¡± Judiel smiled softly. It wasn¡¯t the forced smile she had before she joined the annex building, nor was it the fake smile she¡¯d been making since she joined the annex building. It was a smileing from the bottom of her heart. ¡°I apologize for beingte with my gratitude!" Juvel stood back up and lowered his head. ¡°Thank you for saving us!¡± He sincerely expressed his gratitude with a trembling voice, unlike Judiel. ¡°It was troublesome indeed because your sister suddenly left,¡± Raon chuckled and nodded his head. ¡°Huah!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Juvel¡¯s shoulders trembled, and Judiel bowed. ¡°I thought I could suppress my urge, but my body moved before I knew it¡­¡± ¡°I was just kidding.¡± Judiel apologized with trembling lips, and Raon shook his hand. ¡°I¡¯m not narrow-minded enough to be incapable of understanding it. And¡­¡± He smiled faintly while looking at the forest, where the greenery was gradually returning. ¡°We managed to save your brother thanks to that. It was dangerous, but the results were good.¡± He was able to defeat the Phantom Assassin division leader and its high-ranking members thanks to Judiel and Juvel escaping to the vige, and he also managed to confirm that Karoon was behind them. Since no one died, the misfortune ended up being a blessing. ¡°Juvel.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You will be joining Zieghart¡¯s annex building alongside Judiel. Your job will be that of a butler and a secret guard. Can you do it?¡± ¡°Hmm, about that¡­¡± Juvel didn¡¯t respond right away, hesitating unexpectedly. ¡°What are you doing? Tell him you will do it already!¡± Judiel pped Juvel¡¯s shoulder, urging him to answer. ¡°W-wouldn¡¯t it be an inconvenience for you and my sister if I went there?¡± Juvel raised his trembling gaze. ¡°Inconvenience?¡± ¡°I already heard about it. My sister and I were sold to Zieghart¡¯s Central Martial Pce, and Karoon Zieghart is the master of that ce. If I¡¯m going to cause trouble for my sister, I¡¯d rather stay alone¡­¡± He shook his head, saying that he couldn¡¯t cause issues for his sister. Raon smiled faintly while looking at the determination in Juvel¡¯s gaze. ¡®Is this how siblings are?¡¯ Even though they were separated a long time ago, they lived for the sake of each other and still worried for each other after they were reunited. Even though they were strangers to him, he could feel a warmth welling up in his heart. Even though he didn¡¯t have any siblings, he could understand what Juvel was thinking because he had his mother and the maids. ¡®I wonder if I would¡¯ve acted the same way if my sister were still alive.¡¯ Sylvia had told him that he used to have a sister, but even her corpse couldn¡¯t be found after Eden got her. Raon thought that they could¡¯ve had a simr rtionship as theirs if his sister were still alive. ¡®It¡¯s meaningless to think about it.¡¯ His current life was already a happy one that he couldn¡¯t have even dreamed about in his previous life. There was no reason to think about something that would never happen. ¡°No,¡± Raon said, shaking his head while looking at Juvel. ¡°If they have any sense, they¡¯ll be unable to harm us.¡± ¡°But what if they make a move behind the scenes¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll haunt him before he makes a move.¡± ¡°Haunt him?¡± ¡°Yes. You should focus on thinking about how to live happily with your sister. After all, that was the promise I made with your sister.¡± ¡°Young master¡­¡± Judiel¡¯s lips trembled as she made an expression that Raon had never seen before. ¡°Leave the rest to me.¡± Raon shook his head, looking at Juvel and Judiel one after the other. Crimson lightning sparked in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll make it so that no one can harm you.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 617 Chapter 617 The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman Chapter 617 Raon finished his preparations to return to the house and left the lodging area. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Judiel and Juvel were sitting under a tree near the lodgings and waiting for him, implying that they¡¯d finished their preparations a long time ago. ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t really bring anything, after all.¡± Judiel smiled faintly while showing him a small package in her hand. Her lively expression made it look like the dam blocking her emotions had broken down when she had met with her brother. ¡°Same goes for me. I only brought my weapon and the night stealth outfit, so I can leave just like this.¡± Juvel smiled awkwardly while pointing at his waist, where a dagger was hidden. ¡°Even your smiles are simr. Is that because you¡¯re siblings? Let¡¯s go.¡± Raon shook his hand towards them and headed to the exit of the vige. He could see the Suran tribe members standing in a line before he could even see the gate. ¡°Chief.¡± Raon went to the Suran chief standing at the center of the tribesmen and lowered his head. ¡°Thank you for everything so far. I had a good rest thanks to you.¡± ¡°Are you sure you rested? I only saw you getting beaten up every day,¡± the chief chuckled while examining him up and down. ¡°That counts as a rest for me.¡± ¡°Your spirit doesn¡¯t lose to anyone. I can still see you in my dreams. I¡¯ll never be able to forget the red eyes that I saw that night.¡± His shoulders trembled as he said that he could still feel Raon¡¯s spirit from when he stopped the conflict. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was an emergency back then¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m thankful to you.¡± The chief grabbed Raon¡¯s hand and shook his head. ¡°I was too agitated back then. Many of us would¡¯ve died if you hadn¡¯t been there.¡± He slowly closed his eyes while delivering his sincere gratitude. ¡°Contact me whenever things get tough. The rest of us will drop everything ande running to you.¡± The Suran chief spread his arms and pointed at all the tribesmen. ¡°What do you¡­?¡± ¡°Our Suran tribe never forgets gratitude and resentment. Since it¡¯s thanks to you that everyone is alive, the entire tribe owes you their lives. We will help you even if we have to risk our lives.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Ask us whenever you need us!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll even stop eating toe for help!¡± ¡°I¡¯m even going to stop pooping!¡± ¡°Just ask us whenever!¡± The Suran tribesmen lifted their clenched fists, showing their determination to help. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go that far. I only came here to look for Judiel¡­¡± ¡°Regardless of the reason, it¡¯s true that you saved us. Don¡¯t feel pressured by it. Lives should be repaid with lives.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon shook his head. Telling him they would risk their lives while saying that he shouldn¡¯t feel pressured made him feel even more pressured. ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± A voiceing from the cafeteria on the right side echoed throughout thend. Ogram kicked the door open and emerged while chewing on a piece of meat the size of a club. ¡°Beast King?¡± Th-that one! Wrath widened his eyes while pointing at Ogram¡¯s meat. The King of Essence also wants to have that meat! He hung onto Raon¡¯s shoulder, telling him that he wanted to voraciously devour the meat like him. ¡®Be quiet please.¡¯ Raon pped Wrath away and looked at Ogram. ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°A favor should indeed be repaid by a favor!¡± Ogram walked up to him after taking a bite from the hunk of meat the size of an adult man¡¯s forearm. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to refuse or feel pressured by it. It¡¯s just a natural return.¡± He patted his shoulder with a refreshing smile on his face. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Garona came up next to Ogram and nodded his head. He was still smiling even though his entire face was bruised. ¡°Our Beast Union is clear when ites to grudges and gratitude, more than any other faction. Since you saved the Suran tribe, it¡¯s only natural for them to risk their lives for you, brother.¡± Raon took a step back and observed the Suran chief and tribesmen. Ogram and Garona were right. Their expressions didn¡¯t look like they were lying. It looked like everyone sincerely wanted to help him, whether in big ways or small. ¡°Of course, the same goes for me! I can sacrifice all my bones and flesh for your sake, brother!¡± Garona pounded his chest and shouted, telling him to call on him whenever he needed something. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that.¡± Raon quickly shook his hands and examined the people standing in front of him. ¡®Did I form another good bond with people?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t his intention, but coincidences happened one after the other to link him with them with a good bond. As Garona said, it would be rude to them if he kept refusing, so he made up his mind and stepped forward. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m grateful for the Suran tribe¡¯s favor.¡± Raon lowered his head while looking at the Suran tribe overall. ¡°Of course! Consider us your brothers!¡± The Suran chief bowed back with a bright smile on his face. Raon shifted his gaze to Juvel after he thanked the Suran tribe. He noticed the meaning behind his gaze and stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Juvel bowed deeply, bending his waist at a 90-degree angle. ¡°I deceived all of you. I have no excuse for that. I¡¯m really sorry!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The Suran chief calmly shook his head. The other tribesmen didn¡¯t show any malice either, watching him peacefully. ¡°What?¡± Juvel¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected answer. ¡°Anyone would¡¯ve done the same if they had a life like yours. Thank you for mustering your courage.¡± The Suran chief walked up to Juvel. ¡°Come back to visit us next time as Juvel instead of Philip.¡± He gently grabbed Juvel¡¯s shoulder as he spoke. ¡°......¡± Juvel bowed once again. His shoulders trembled faintly and rain fell onto the warmnd. ¡°Brother!¡± Garona came up next to Raon and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. ¡°I heard you managed to achieve Tidebreaker. Tell me the secret!¡± He raised his hand and pleaded for it. Such a thing as jealousy didn¡¯t exist at all in his expression. He really was just asking for advice. He was so pure that just looking at him felt calming. ¡°Believe in yourself.¡± Raon gave him the best piece of advice that he could give. Since Tidebreaker required him to realize it by himself, he could end up being unable to learn it for the rest of his life if he advised him more than that. ¡°Myself?¡± Garona tilted his head, showing his confusion. ¡°Brother! Make it easier! I need an easier exna¡ª¡± ¡°You idiot!¡± Ogram smacked Garona¡¯s head as he tried to ask again. ¡°Gueeh!¡± Garona copsed to the ground with a resounding crash, like a massive piece of steel mming down. ¡°That¡¯s good enough as advice. There¡¯s no easy way in this!¡± Ogram furrowed his brow and carried the unconscious Garona on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the opportunity.¡± ¡°If I had to give you ast piece of advice, you sometimes need to pick a more difficult path in order to reach even deeper and further. Don¡¯t end up like this kid. And¡­¡± He took out a yellow piece of paper from his inner pocket. ¡°This is a letter for your head of house. Make sure to show it to him.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He epted Ogram¡¯s letter and put it inside his inner pocket. ¡°You should leave now.¡± He shook his hand wildly, telling him to leave already. Raon bowed at Ogram and turned around. He shook his hand while watching Judiel and Juvel, who were smiling and crying, respectively. ¡°Let¡¯s return to Zieghart.¡± * * * Rimmer unsheathed his sword with his prosthetic hand, standing in the middle of the fifth training ground. The sensation waspletely different from before, yet his mind burned with more passion than ever. He tried to simply swing his sword like when he used a basic technique. The dappling sunlight reflected on the descending de with a beautiful radiance. The gusting wind followed the de and left a deep scar on the ground. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Rimmer licked his lips and incorporated a bit more aura into the prosthetic arm¡¯s mana circuits. The energy of the wind rampaged from his energy center and unleashed a powerful wind from his hand. ¡®This is pretty good. I just need to get used to this sensation, and it should be no different from my previous arm.¡¯ The prosthetic arm crafted by Encia could move as naturally as the arm he had before, and it even amplified the power of his wind. The world tree¡¯s branch inside the arm must¡¯ve been amplifying the energy of the wind. ¡®I never knew that it could feel so good when I¡¯m just using my own arm.¡¯ He never expected that swinging his sword with his arm could bring such a smile to his face. There was a saying that humans needed to experience loss to feel happiness, and it was true. ¡®I could be even stronger rather than maintaining my previous realm.¡¯ Initially, he had resolved himself to not get in the Light Wind division¡¯s way, but ever since getting his prosthetic arm, the path to martial mastery had slowly begun to open up for him. He could sense that, with continued training, he might even surpass the strength he had in his prime. ¡®Life is such a mystery. It never gave this to me when I desired it so much.¡¯ He was ignored when he wanted it, but he could see the light now that he had given up on it. The god of martial arts was so difficult to please. Cring! Rimmer narrowed his eyes and unleashed an explosive burst of wind energy, concentrated in his hand. Whir! A green gale emanated from the silver de, sweeping down from the sky and creating a vivid breeze. It was a gentle wind, cooling the brows of the Light Wind division, which were drenched in sweat. Rimmer lowered his sword and touched the prosthetic arm¡¯s shoulder. It was connected so seamlessly that he didn¡¯t feel any strain at all. It felt like he could keep it on for his entire life. ¡®I¡¯m greatly indebted to them. To both of them.¡¯ He felt nothing but gratitude towards Encia, who¡¯d made the prosthetic arm, and Raon, who didn¡¯t give up on acquiring the materials for the arm. Rimmer returned his sword to its scabbard while contemting what he should do for them. Haa. He was stabilizing his aura while catching his breath when the door opened and Dorian made his entrance. ¡°Sir Raon is returning!¡± Dorian smiled brightly, waving his hand at everyone in the Light Wind division. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips while looking at the sky, which suddenly seemed darker. ¡®I have a feeling he is going to cause a huge mess today for some reason.¡¯ * * * Central Martial Pce Master¡¯s Office A violent knocking sound could be heard from outside the office, which exuded a luxurious and dignified atmosphere. ¡°Enter.¡± Karoon, the Central Martial Pce master, put down his teacup and nodded his head. The door carefully opened, unlike the knocking sound, and his butler entered the room before bowing to him. ¡°Raon Zieghart is returning.¡± ¡°He is ratherte.¡± ¡°There are rumors that the Beast King taught him his martial arts.¡± ¡°He gobbles up everything they give him like a roon.¡± Karoon tapped on the desk with his elongated finger. ¡°I believe you will have to go to the lord¡¯s manor now because of that.¡± ¡°Did the head of house summon us?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Summoning everyone whenever he returns is pretty much a family tradition now.¡± He furrowed his brow in displeasure. ¡°By the way¡­¡± The butler secretly rolled his eyes. ¡°Is it really okay to leave him like that? If Raon Zieghart told him that Judiel was originally from the Central Martial Pce¡­¡± "We''ve already severed all connections and erased all the evidence. It would be pointless even if he tried to make such a im." Karoon calmly shook his head, implying that he¡¯d already double-checked everything. ¡°And this is my guess, but I don¡¯t think he is going to talk about it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Raon Zieghart cherishes his people. He is definitely going to keep quiet about it, as it might end up harming them otherwise.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s proposing a trade with me. He¡¯ll overlook this incident in exchange for me not harming Judiel and her brother. I¡¯m sure he knows what to do since he¡¯s a smart man,¡± he dered with serious eyes, as if he already guessed Raon¡¯s thoughts. Karoon finished the small amount of tea left in his cup and stood up, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I shouldn¡¯t act any differently to show them that there¡¯s no issues.¡± ¡°I will attend to you.¡± The butler opened the door of the office. Karoon put on a fancy uniform embedded with Zieghart¡¯s emblem and left his office. His eyes sparkled in a frightening manner, just like an owl targeting its prey in the darkness. ¡®Raon Zieghart. That¡¯s why you are no match against me.¡¯ * * * Raon turned his eyes to the left while entering the lord¡¯s manor. He was looking at Karoon, who was standing in front of the closest pir to the tform. ¡®He is soposed.¡¯ He was looking forward calmly, implying that he¡¯d decided Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything about it. ¡®Your thoughts are too obvious, and you would typically be correct. After all, that''s the textbook approach if I want to protect Judiel and Juvel. But I¡¯m not an ordinary person.¡¯ He stood at the center of the lord¡¯s manor, resolving himself to smash his irritating face into pieces. ¡°Greetings, my lord.¡± He stood at the center of the lord¡¯s manor and went to his knee while lowering his head. ¡°Greetings, my lord!¡± Judiel and Juvel, who had been following him from behind, lowered their heads. Fortunately, they greeted him without trembling thanks to the prior lessons he had given them. ¡°Rise.¡± Raon raised his head upon hearing Glenn¡¯s call. He lowered his gaze with a hardened expression that looked like he¡¯d be a mannequin. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why did you go all the way to the Suran tribe when you said you¡¯d be training nearby?¡± Glenn nodded, supporting his chin on his fist. ¡®I can understand now what he means.¡¯ The posture and expression he was making implied that he was asking him to tell everyone what happened during his journey. ¡°I¡¯ll exin from the beginning.¡± Raon lowered his head and pointed at Judiel behind him. ¡°I have a personal maid.¡± ¡°My name is Judiel.¡± Judiel stepped up and leaned forward. ¡°She was separated from her younger brother during her childhood. When I learned about that fact, I promised her that I would find him no matter what. I requested that the ck Market look for information and have been waiting for it, and¡­¡± Raon briefly exined what had happened so far. ¡°¡­That¡¯s how we managed to return with both of them.¡± The lord¡¯s manor remained quiet for a moment after he finished his exnation. ¡°Hmm, you made a promise and kept it,¡± Glenn stated calmly, though the corners of his lips trembled as if an earthquake were shaking him. He was probably lost in some strange memory from the past. ¡°It¡¯s very easy to do, but extremely difficult at the same time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Aries energetically raised her hand. "People abandon their promises like trash these days. No one would go so far to keep a promise like he did!" She gave a big nod of approval, showing that she was proud of him. ¡°I personally think that it¡¯s meaningless, but it¡¯s pretty cool indeed.¡± ¡°Yes, it was a demeanor befitting a warrior.¡± ¡°My blood is boiling after hearing that he stopped the assassins and the Suran tribe on his own.¡± The other division leaders and squad leaders also praised him by smiling or giving him a thumbs up. ¡°It was an action befitting a Zieghart¡¯s swordsman! Of course, I wouldn¡¯t have made that promise to begin with!¡± Balder nodded, saying that he wouldn¡¯t have done it even though it was a good thing. ¡°......¡± ¡°Good job, well done.¡± Karoon didn¡¯t say anything, and Denier only showed a small smile. ¡°Ahem! It was indeed a personal matter, but it has to be called an achievement since you made one of the Six Kings indebted to you.¡± Glenn cleared his throat and covered his mouth. Although he was speaking faster, interestingly enough, it didn¡¯t affect his pronunciation. Raon guessed that he was opening his mouth wide. ¡°That¡¯s why Raon Zieghart will be bestowed¡­¡± ¡°My lord.¡± Raon lowered his head, his hand ced on his chest. ¡°I have something else to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I mentioned that my maid was separated from her brother during her childhood.¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± ¡°It happened because of someone¡¯s plot. Sniff!¡± He covered his mouth just like Glenn had done as he spoke. ¡°He is a piece of trash who forced the two affectionate siblings to be separated¡­¡± Raon bit his lip, his face contorting with both anger and sorrow. He mmed his fist into the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. ¡°Sob¡­¡± ¡°Uuu¡­¡± Judiel and Juvel also fell on their knees and started to sob with their heads lowered. ¡°Who did such a thing?!¡± Balder lifted his fist as if he were going to find him right away. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest, but I¡¯ll make sure to take care of him at least!¡± ¡°You¡¯d better stay back because I¡¯m going to kill him,¡± Aries stated as she violently ground her teeth. ¡°Shut your mouths, all of you.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow as he leaned forward. It felt like lightning was striking from his red eyes. ¡°Tell me. Who even did such a thing?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn Raon shifted his gaze towards Karoon while biting his lip as if he were frustrated. Everyone followed his gaze and turned their eyes towards Karoon. Raon twisted his lips while watching Karoon¡¯s eyes, which were rapidly growing distorted. It¡¯s the advent of the demon king of cheekiness¡­ Wrath shook his head while watching Raon going out of his way to narrow his shoulders, which were as wide as the ocean. Just stop wielding a sword and be an actor instead! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 618 Chapter 618 Raon clenched his fist in a way that no one could see. ¡®It worked perfectly. It was worth pushing boundaries with such a long exnation.¡¯ When Glenn had asked about what happened in his journey, he¡¯d vividly exined everything, unlike the other times. He especially slowed down on the parts about how much Judiel missed Juvel and how Juvel had been living to stir the emotions of the executives inside the audience chamber little by little. The executives were as cold as a de, but they slowly got absorbed in Judiel and Juvel¡¯s circumstances before they knew it. Now that he had finished telling them the story, they were getting angry as if it had been their own younger brother who was forced to live in such a way. Judiel and Juvel¡¯s sobbing must¡¯ve served as a hammer to destroy the wall around their emotions. Making them practice acting was so worth it. ¡®Now, as a finishing touch¡­¡¯ Raon lifted his eyes, wavering as if he were terrified, and looked at Karoon. Even he felt like he couldn¡¯t act any better. The eyes of the executives followed his anxious and sorrowful gaze and shifted toward Karoon.¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°C-could it be¡­?¡± ¡°Was it the Central Martial Pce master?¡± ¡°Is this for real¡­?¡± Their lips trembled as they looked back and forth between Raon, who was covering his mouth, and Karoon, whose veins were bulging in his temple. ¡°Grr¡­¡± Karoon bit his lip violently while ring at Raon, who sank to the ground. ¡°Hey.¡± Aries raised her chin sharply, positioning herself to block Karoon¡¯s gaze from reaching Raon. ¡°What did you do?¡± It was a short question, but the frightening note to her voice made a chill run down his spine because of her anger. ¡°Impossible. Did you really do it?¡± Even Balder¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°You went too far! You should¡¯ve known some moderation!¡± He clenched his thick fingers tightly, as if he were about to grab Karoon by the cor. ¡°......¡± Glenn wasn¡¯t doing anything, his lips tightly sealed even though he¡¯d looked like he was going to take action personally. He was just quietly watching Karoon, Aries, and Balder. ¡°He didn¡¯t do it.¡± Raon stood up after reading the atmosphere all around the audience chamber. He shook his head with a teary voice. ¡°He didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°But you looked at Karoon just now!¡± Balder and Aries tilted their heads, wondering what he was talking about. ¡°¡­?¡± Even Karoon¡¯s eyes widened, unable to understand the situation. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Sir Karoon was behind it or not.¡± Raon shook his hand while letting out a sigh, and Judiel came next to him by crawling on her knees. ¡°Juvel was nowhere to be seen when I returned to my senses, and I was already inside the Central Martial Pce. I was educated to be a maid from there.¡± Judiel told them about what had happened in the Central Martial Pce with a teary voice. ¡°Ah, then he probably didn¡¯t do it, right?¡± ¡°I knew it, there¡¯s no way Sir Karoon would do such a thing!¡± ¡°Everyone who suspected him should bow their heads down to the ground!¡± The executives murmured that they were d it wasn¡¯t him, and the direct lines breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°......¡± Karoon furrowed his brow while looking at Raon. His eyes were asking him what he was even thinking. ¡®Are you nervous? I¡¯ll make your worriese true.¡¯ ¡°However!¡± Raon shouted instead of Judiel. ¡°Judiel wasn¡¯t simply educated to be a maid in the Central Martial Pce.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She received maid education during the day, and she was forced to learn how to be a spy at night.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s true.¡± Judiel stuttered on purpose and nodded. ¡°I was taken by force when I was asleep and was taught how to behave as a spy. I learned how to remove my presence, the Distant Hearing Technique to hear sounds from afar, and the Internal Control Technique that allowed me to control a body¡¯s insides. I even had to learn assassination techniques¡­¡± She leaned forward with teary eyes, unable to finish her sentence. ¡°J-Judiel.¡± Juvel wrapped his arm around her shoulder and bit his lip. Every single executive was furrowing their brows. ¡°It¡¯s such a sad story. The sister lived as a spy so that she could see her little brother again, and the brother lived as an assassin in order to save his sister. I don¡¯t know who did this, but they really have a demon¡¯s heart.¡± Raon briefly summarized their lives to wrap it up. ¡°Did that person separate the siblings, raising one as an assassin and the other as a spy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all. They even used them as hostages against each other!¡± ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to just kill them. This isn¡¯t something that a human being should be doing.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Everyone except for the direct lines clenched their fists while looking at Karoon. ¡°......¡± On the other hand, Karoon¡¯s face had turned as dark as charcoal. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask.¡± Raon stepped forward, hiding Judiel behind him. He violently pounded his heart while looking at Karoon. ¡°Why did the Central Martial Pce even raise a spy? And why did you dispatch that spy to the annex building?¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± Aries looked at him in worry. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just want to know why the ones working beneath him had to suffer so much,¡± he dered, then murmured ¡®aunt¡¯ by silently moving his lips. ¡°You son of a jellyfish!¡± Aries roared as soon as she saw the movement of his lips and dashed at Karoon. Swoosh! Karoon rapidly raised his hand to defend himself, but Aries¡¯s fist still managed to brush past his cheek. Blood started to flow from his right cheek. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it.¡± Karoon calmly shook his head. He was so calm that people would believe that he really didn¡¯t do it if they didn¡¯t know the truth. ¡°I also investigated my pce after I heard it from Raon, but the one who did it was already dead.¡± He pushed Aries back while telling her that the butler who¡¯d educated Judiel as a spy had hung himself. Raon chuckled quietly upon hearing Karoon¡¯s voice remainpletely calm. ¡®How unsightly. He is acting exactly the way I expected.¡¯ ¡°That might be true.¡± Raon smiled faintly and shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m still surprised by the fact that Sir Karoon didn¡¯t know that such a thing was happening inside the Central Martial Pce. It¡¯s not like you could be a pce master in name only.¡± ¡°You arrogant¡­¡± Veins bulged violently on his forehead. ¡°How regrettable. There¡¯s no one topensate them for their lives¡­¡± Raon cut Karoon off and held Judiel and Juvel¡¯s shoulders. Wow¡­ Wrath blinked in awe. You¡¯re insane. Your acting is getting better and better! How is this even happening? Your acting improved even more than your swordsmanship! You are a Transcender now! ¡®This isn¡¯t an act since it¡¯s how I really feel.¡¯ Screw that shit! What are you even saying now, after you even gave them an acting lesson? ¡®You¡¯re just imagining things. We¡¯re just telling them how we¡¯re feeling.¡¯ Imagining? Bullshit! You can deceive the others, but the King of Essence won¡¯t be deceived! He will never trust you unless he is blind¡­ ¡®Yeah, sure.¡¯ Raon poked Wrath¡¯s eyes as he kept rambling. Ack! The King of Essence¡¯s eyes! Even in a situation like that, he rolled on the ground while saying the King of Essence¡¯s eyes instead of my eyes. He definitely had a clear ego, at least. Raon pped Wrath away as he kept squirming and gazed upwards at Karoon. ¡°I believe we need to give them a chance for vengeance, even if we have to take out on the butler¡¯s corpse.¡± He curled his lips into a smile while looking at the deep wrinkles on his forehead. * * * Karoon bit his lip while meeting Raon¡¯s confident gaze. ¡®You damned bastard¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought Raon was going to behave as he¡¯d expected when he saw the serious look on his face when he entered the audience chamber. Since he acknowledged his intelligence at least, he believed that an unspoken agreement was formed between them. However, he was gravely mistaken. Raon Zieghart stirred the emotions of everyone inside the audience chamber to turn them to his side and made him into an official viin. ¡®Yes, I missed one thing. He is smart indeed, but he is even more of a nutcase. But even if it¡¯s you, you won¡¯t be able to do anything more than this.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t stop the Central Martial Pce from getting involved because of Judiel, but he would never be able to find proof that he was rted to the matter. ¡®What I need to do is clear.¡¯ Karoon wiped away the blood flowing from his cheek and straightened his back. Then, he just lowered his head at Raon, Judiel, and Juvel. ¡°As the Central Martial Pce master, I offer my apologies to you. Even though I wasn¡¯t involved, I¡¯llpensate you as much as possible as the master of the Central Martial Pce.¡± He acted confidently instead. He dered that he would take some responsibility even though it wasn¡¯t his doing. He captured the gazes of those who didn¡¯tpletely fall to Raon¡¯s words by showing his generosity. ¡°The Central Martial Pce will take responsibility for their lives. Let me apologize once again.¡± Obviously, he didn¡¯t mean that he was going to take good care of Judiel and Juvel. He was threatening that he would take their lives away if Raon kept offending the Central Martial Pce. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon furtively lowered his gaze. He adjusted the angle to show a sneer towards him but not anyone else. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for the offer, but I have no intention of sending them to a ce that raised them as a spy and an assassin. They will be so restless there that they won¡¯t even be able to eat.¡± ¡°She was only educated to be a spy. There was nothing like an assassin.¡± Karoon was unable to suppress his urge and furrowed his lips. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡± Raon calmly nodded his head. His expression and the way he spoke clearly implied that he¡¯d said it on purpose to sound him out. ¡°I must¡¯ve been mistaken because you came near the Suran tribe, pce master.¡± He brought up the Suran tribe while pretending that it was a coincidence with a cheeky look on his face. He was an irritating man. ¡°The Suran tribe?¡± ¡°N-no way, was he there when the assassins attacked?¡± ¡°Then he really¡­¡± ¡°Pce master¡­¡± The executives swallowed nervously because they could get a grasp of the story. Crack. Karoon red at Raon while grinding his teeth. His head was lowered but his lips were curled into a deep smile. ¡®You son of a bitch!¡¯ He wanted to beat him to death immediately, but that was impossible. He had to stay calm as much as possible to escape from such a situation. ¡®It will be fine as long as Father doesn¡¯t do anything.¡¯ Aries was also a danger, but she couldn¡¯t do as she pleased in the manor. He could still live as long as Glenn didn¡¯t act. ¡°This is so frustrating.¡± Karoon shook his head, showing his usual expression and gaze. The others were agitated upon seeing his calm reaction. ¡°I simply went there because I saw that the forest was burning and heard the screams.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what you did.¡± Raon nodded, saying that that was obviously true. ¡®Why is he saying that now?¡¯ A chill ran down his spine upon hearing that Raon was taking his side. That was clearly not a good sign. ¡°You must¡¯ve been so worried. Worried enough to even kill the head of the assassins, who I had perfectly arrested.¡± ¡°Kill the head of the assassins? What do you even mean?¡± Aries asked, shifting his gaze. ¡°When the area around the Suran vige was exploding, I captured the head of assassins, who was hiding nearby, alive. He was about to tell me who was behind the incident, but the Central Martial Pce master suddenly appeared and killed him. Isn¡¯t it a rather curious coincidence? He appeared as if he had been waiting for that moment,¡± Raon murmured, his head still lowered. Everyone could clearly hear him even though he was quiet because his voice was clear and well-pronounced. ¡°I¡¯dpletely immobilized him, but he immediately cut his body apart. He must¡¯ve been seriously worried about me.¡± He licked his lips as he spoke. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The gazes of the executives started to show tant suspicion. Crack. Karoon clenched his fist, his hands hidden behind his back. ¡®You damned fox¡­¡¯ He could¡¯ve reacted if he¡¯d revealed that fact from the beginning, but Raon was telling them about it little by little in order to control their way of thinking and emotions. Their suspicions had grown like a snowball, and it was impossible to deal with anymore. ¡°This is a bitte, but I¡¯d like to express my gratitude again.¡± Raon stood up awkwardly and lowered his head. Karoon could see his lips curving all the way up to his earlobes. He wanted to tear his white neck apart. Cring! Aries unsheathed her sword and dashed at Karoon. ¡°Argh!¡± Even though he was angry, Karoon drew his sword to block Aries¡¯s strike. But his back reached the wall in no time because he was pushed back by sheer strength. ¡°You son of a seaweed. I¡¯m going to kill you right now!¡± Aries engulfed her de with an astral sphere as if she were seriously going to kill him. The current curved towards Karoon¡¯s neck with a frightening radiance. ¡°Stop.¡± Glenn shook his hand for the first time. Aries lowered her sword and turned around upon hearing his quiet voice. ¡°Father! But¡­¡± ¡°I told you to stop.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Aries bit her lip upon facing the coldness in Glenn¡¯s gaze. Glenn closed his eyes while looking at Karoon, who was standing behind Aries. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Karoon rubbed his fingers while looking at Glenn¡¯s face. ¡®I¡¯m going to be punished.¡¯ Glenn wasn¡¯t an idiot. He must¡¯ve noticed faster than anyone else that it was his doing. However, punishing someone like him, who was a sessor candidate and a pce master, was a whole different story. Karoon guessed that he would call himter on privately to punish him. ¡°My lord.¡± Karoon was relieved and lowered his hand just before Raon raised his head. His lips were curved into a faint smile, implying that he had something else up his sleeve. ¡°I have something to give you.¡± * * * Raon briefly nodded while looking at Glenn, who¡¯d stopped the entire situation. ¡®I knew he would do that.¡¯ Even though Glenn had been nice to him recently, it was just because of the rewards he¡¯d earned. It was only natural for him to be nicer to Karoon, since he was his son and the closest one to bing his sessor. That was why he¡¯d stirred the emotions and minds of Aries, Balder, and the other executives first. ¡®This was the n when I was in the Suran tribe. However¡­¡¯ He had gained another weapon. ¡°You have something to give me?¡± Glenn calmly opened his eyes. The coldness in his gaze made him look like a patient who was bound to die. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a letter from the leader of Beast Union for you, my lord.¡± Raon took out Ogram¡¯s letter. ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn simply shook his finger, and the yellow letter floated on its own to enter his grasp. Rustle. Glenn furrowed his brow as soon as he spread out the letter. ¡®That¡¯s bound to happen. After all, the contents of that letter aren¡¯t embellished at all.¡¯ [Glenn Zieghart., You¡¯ve raised your son in a shitty farm plot that can¡¯t even be fertilized. I¡¯ll overlook this matter to let you save face, but there won¡¯t be a next time. However, you don¡¯t need to think that you are indebted to me, because your grandson already paid it back.] Ogram¡¯s daring personality was perfectly apparent in the letter. Glenn was obviously going to furrow his brow upon reading a letter like that. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Glenn quietly exhaled and stood up. He incinerated the letter violently, showing that he¡¯d made up his mind. ¡°I believe I already told you all not to do anything inhumane, at least.¡± The resonance in his voice was as sharp as a de piercing into the heart. ¡°You¡¯ve crossed the line separating humans from demons.¡± With a heavy voice, Glenn stepped down from the tform¡¯s stairs. Every single step made a majestic pressure spread around him, making it feel like the atmosphere was rumbling. What are you even talking about?! Wrath quickly shook his head. That¡¯s not even a demon! It¡¯s just ugly malice! He shook his head, saying that even demons didn¡¯t act like that. ¡°Karoon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Karoon bit his lip to the point of bleeding upon reading how furious Glenn was.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Come forth.¡± Glenn¡¯s eyes glimmered coldly, a fiery intensity burning within them, potent enough to evaporate every drop of blood. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you how to be a human today.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 619 Chapter 619 Raon stood up upon seeing that Glenn was leaving the audience chamber. ¡®Where is he going?¡¯ Glenn suddenly left the audience chamber instead of giving Karoon a punishment. It waspletely unexpected to everyone. ¡®Is he nning to punish him in a different way than I expected?¡¯ Raon had guessed that he would cease the Central Martial Pce¡¯s activities and suspend him from his duty as a punishment. If he had to add, the Central Martial Pce¡¯s achievements and funds would be given to the Light Wind division instead. Since Karoon was the closest to bing the sessor and was pretty much the leader of the direct lines, he¡¯d thought that it would be enough for him. However, Glenn had left the audience chamber while spreading a destructive pressure, implying that he had no intention of letting it end with that. Even he was frightened despite the fact that he wasn¡¯t the one who was going to be punished. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Karoon bit his lip tightly and shifted his gaze. His eyes were as deadly as a de as he red at Judiel and Juvel, one after the other.¡°Just you wait. I won¡¯t let it end like this.¡± That was the only thing he said before he followed Glenn out of the audience chamber. Theposure was gone from his expression, but his unwavering steps remained confident. Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Karoon¡¯s gait, which was calm until the end. ¡®I¡¯m curious about how long you can keep that confidence.¡¯ To begin with, he had no intention of eliminating Karoon with just that. Raon thought that he had to be the one to put an end to Karoon, even if Glenn punished him. After all, his personal revenge was a different matter from the punishment. He was going to personally make the Central Martial Pce kneel in front of him for toying with Judiel and Juvel¡¯s lives and threatening the annex building. ¡°We might have to clean up a corpse today.¡± Aries roughly scratched her head and followed Glenn. ¡°The head of house is extremely angry.¡± Rimmer came up next to him and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not going to end that easily.¡± ¡°Is he actually going to the training ground?¡± Raon raised his head to look at Rimmer. He could guess where Glenn was going after listening to Aries and Rimmer. ¡°Yes. He just dered that he was going to beat up his son.¡± Rimmer casually punched in the air. ¡°It might be quite dangerous, as he is using his fist even though he usually resolves matters with words.¡± Rimmer tapped on his shoulder and left the audience chamber. ¡°Is the head of house going to use his sword¡­?¡± ¡°F-follow them, quick!¡± ¡°How could this happen¡­?¡± ¡°There are so many incidents and idents nowadays.¡± The direct lines and executives also ran outside with pale faces. ¡°Stand up.¡± Raon grabbed Judiel and Juvel¡¯s arms to make them stand since they were confused and were still on their knees. ¡°We should go as well.¡± ¡°I-is this going to be okay?¡± Juvel¡¯s lips were trembling in panic because the situation had gone out of hand. ¡°If this ends up causing an issue for you, young master¡­¡± The same went for Judiel. Her lips were pale from worry. ¡°Save the worries forter. Let¡¯s get moving for now,¡± Raon said as he patted their heads and went ahead. ¡°You can¡¯t miss the spectacle of the man who ruined your lives being thoroughly beaten up. Let¡¯s watch it from the best seat.¡± * * * Glenn slowly closed his eyes, walking towards the training ground behind the lord¡¯s manor. ¡®It¡¯s all my fault.¡¯ Karoon¡¯s personality was ruined because he hadn¡¯t disciplined him when he had to. He¡¯d let Aries and Karoon do whatever they wanted during their childhood, and when they had to be guided to the right path, Glenn was absorbed by darkness¡ªcontrolling himself was all he could manage. He¡¯d missed the time when education was important. That was why Ogram wasn¡¯t exactly wrong when he said that he¡¯d raised his children on a shit-filled farm. Aries had left the house and created a new life for herself thanks to her personality, which craved freedom, but Karoon was different. He gained the trust of others by willingly taking on Aries''s tasks, but at the same time, he had no issue doing the dirty work in the shadows where no one would notice. Glenn hadn¡¯t taken any action against Karoon even though he was fully aware of the situation. Changing him was already a monumental task, but more importantly, it felt absurd to assert authority over him because his ws were mostly his fault. To be honest, he¡¯d thought that it wouldn''t be too bad to have someone like Karoon, since the world was in turmoil. ¡®However¡­ He went too far this time.¡¯ He kidnapped innocent children and raised them as a spy and an assassin, then used them as disposable pawns. It was an unforgivable act. Most importantly, the fact that Raon¡¯s maid had gone through all that irritated him the most. It couldn¡¯t be forgiven with a mild punishment, unlike the other times. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He turned around, standing at the center of the training ground. Karoon was standing in front of him while clenching his back teeth, and Aries and the executives were swallowing nervously, staying back at the outskirts. He would¡¯ve normally sent the executives away for Karoon¡¯s honor, but he figured it would be better to show everyone this time and decided not to say anything to them. Glenn apologized in his mind to Raon, Judiel, and Juvel, who came outter than the others, and shifted his gaze towards Karoon. ¡°Karoon Zieghart.¡± He took a step forward, calling him by his name instead of the title, Central Martial Pce Master. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Karoon lowered his head, calling him by his title instead of father. ¡°There¡¯s a line you cannot cross if you want to live as a human being.¡± Glenn casually shook his hand, and a thin line was engraved on the ground between Karoon and himself. It wasn¡¯t that thick nor too thin, but it was clearly noticeable. ¡°You will either be a human or a demon, depending on whether you cross this line or not.¡± ¡°......¡± Karoon didn¡¯t respond and simply stared at the line on the ground. ¡°The line is easy to recognize. After all, people know perfectly well whether or not they should cross it.¡± Glenn swept his hair back and furrowed his brow. ¡°You crossed the line this time. No, you¡¯ve done it already before.¡± He gazed down upon Karoon, standing in front of the line he¡¯d drawn. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really have scolded you even if you killed them because it was necessary for you. I would¡¯ve overlooked it even if you killed someone from the house because you deemed it necessary. I would¡¯ve covered up for you if you kidnapped a warrior from another faction. None of that means that you¡¯ve crossed the line as a human being. However¡­¡± Glenn clenched his fist and the entire training ground trembled, snapping the line that was drawn on the ground. ¡°You toyed with people¡¯s lives and mocked them. That is something that only gods and demons should do, yet you did it as a human.¡± He put away his coat and unsheathed Heavenly Tremor. A tremendous wave of aura burst out and ck-red lightning sparked in all directions, as if the entire world were shaking. ¡°I want to finish you off right now, but I¡¯ll give you a chance since it was also my fault for being unable to educate you.¡± Glenn casually swung his sword, and another line was drawn on the ground. The line was thinner but longer than before. ¡°I¡¯ll overlook this incident without any punishment if you manage to cross this line, even by a single step. I¡¯ll make sure that no one canin,¡± he dered, lowering Heavenly Tremor. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Karoon gritted his teeth while looking at Glenn. ¡°I don¡¯t go back on my word. If you¡¯re ready, draw your sword.¡± Glenn looked around at the executives around them, showing that he was going to keep his word. Shring. Karoon bit his lip and unsheathed his sword. He immediately unleashed his will and astral sphere to seize the opportunity. ¡°You should go all out, because if you don¡¯t¡­¡± Glenn raised Heavenly Tremor. It pointed high up to pierce the sky, and he immediately swung it down. ¡°You are going to die.¡± The moment his aura gleamed at the tip of the de, a burst of red-ck lightning erupted right in front of Karoon. Whaaam! * * * Raon used the Evil Eye of Wrath to peer through the lightning that obscured his vision. Whaam! Karoon couldn¡¯t keep his bnce and was sent flying as the astral sphere in his control was shattered to pieces like a rag. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Karoon wiped away the blood flowing from his lips with his trembling hands. He was internally injured from fending off a single strike. ¡°Is that all?¡± Glenn turned his head while swinging Heavenly Tremor, which was engulfed in wavering lightning. ¡°Did you really decide to toy with other people¡¯s lives with that skill?¡± ¡°Haap!¡± Karoon inhaled and used his footwork to the right side, where Glenn wasn¡¯t present. He unleashed his sword strike at the lightning in front of him. The noble and disciplined sword technique created an astral sphere to break through the wall of lightning. Cring. He used that momentum to cross the line on the ground, but Glenn unleashed a technique that looked as casual as chasing away a butterfly. Lightning strikes shed one after another from the tip of his de, shattering Karoon¡¯s attack and striking him relentlessly. Whaaam! The shield of the astral sphere covering Karoon¡¯s body was destroyed, and he rolled on the ground like a ball that was kicked away. ¡°Cough!¡± Karoon coughed up blood while looking at the line on the ground, which wasn¡¯t tarnished at all. ¡°Karoon.¡± Glenn lowered Heavenly Tremor and exhaled weakly. ¡°You had the talent in martial arts. If you¡¯d used your time for the martial arts instead, you would¡¯ve reached even higher than Aries by now.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Glenn wasn¡¯t only beating Karoon with his sword but also with his words. ¡°I just wanted to be the head of house!¡± Karoon gritted his teeth and stood up. His teeth lookedpletely red because of the blood. ¡°You could¡¯ve done it. Since Aries wasn¡¯t interested in bing the head of house, you would¡¯ve been the sessor if you managed to reach the same realm as her. However, you¡¯ve shifted your gaze to something other than yourself. You moved toward the darkness instead of taking the shortest path, and that¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t surpass your current realm.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow and met Karoon¡¯s wavering eyes. ¡°If you¡¯d just taken the wrong path, you could have just gone back. However, your sword set foot into the muddy path. It can¡¯t be reversed even if you regret it.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Stand up. What you¡¯ve done cannot be forgiven that easily.¡± He shook his finger, his cold gaze more suitable for facing an enemy than his son. ¡°Because I haven¡¯t even gotten started yet.¡± Lightning fell upon him at the same time as his quiet deration. ¡°Ack!¡± Karoon rolled on the ground in order to dodge the lightning. However, Glenn¡¯s lightning bent in a spiral like a living creature and smashed into Karoon¡¯s waist. Whaaam! Karoon¡¯s body trembled, his waist bent like a nail that was struck by a hammer. Blood continuously gushed from his mouth and waist. Raon¡¯s fingers trembled as he witnessed that scene. ¡®He is serious.¡¯ Karoon was gaining even more internal injuries than external injuries. The mana circuits all around his body were damaged, and his energy center was drastically injured as well. Even if the punishment stopped right there, he would have needed to recover for multiple months, at least. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Karoon stood back up and faced Glenn even though it would¡¯ve been understandable if he stayed on the ground. He was a nasty person, but his pride was worthy of recognition, at least. ¡°Gaaah!¡± He let out a roar and dashed forward. Even though he was bleeding from all over his body because of the ruptured muscles and mana circuits, he still thrust his sword forward. The huge current bursting from the tip of his de was as big as a tidal wave. It was an extremely advanced sword technique that Raon wouldn¡¯t be able to fend off even if he¡¯d gone all out. However, Glenn didn¡¯t waver in the slightest while facing that technique. He raised Heavenly Tremor, his eyes remaining as calm as if he were merely enjoying a quiet teatime. Nothing like the powerful lightning from before existed anymore. It was purely a sword technique. The dignified sword art ascending to the sky wasn¡¯t that shy or heavy. Crack! Karoon¡¯s attack was destroyed, and his sword shattered like ss. Crimson blood gushed from his chest as his eyes widened in disbelief. Raon swallowed nervously while observing Glenn¡¯s sword technique. ¡®It¡¯s the Azure Sky Sword. Moreover, it¡¯s a technique that I haven''t managed to learn yet.¡¯ Glenn had destroyed Karoon¡¯s attack with the Azure Sky Sword¡¯s technique that he¡¯d taught him instead of the lightning technique that he usually used. It couldn¡¯t have been his intention to teach him, but a small enlightenment stimted his brain. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Karoon went on his knees. The way he gasped for breath made it look like he was about to die. ¡®Don¡¯t do that yet.¡¯ Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Karoon. ¡®Stand back up already.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t because he wanted Karoon to die. He just wanted to watch Glenn¡¯s sword technique a bit more. It would be too regrettable if it ended like that since it was even more educational than when he was the sparring opponent. You are seriously a madman¡­ Wrath shook his head in disbelief. Are you seriously still thinking about training in this situation?! He ruffled his hair, shouting at him to stop it already. Raon ignored Wrath¡¯s hand and looked at Karoon, who¡¯d stood back up. After he made his astral sphere explode, he dashed towards the line but got beaten by another Azure Sky Sword technique and copsed on the ground like a scarecrow with broken legs. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Karoon let out a heated groan while clutching his wound, unable to withstand the pain anymore. He bit his lip to the point of bleeding while looking at the line on the ground, which seemed much too far away. ¡°Karoon Zieghart.¡± Glenn shook his head, standing in front of the line that was driving Karoon to despair. ¡°Did you really toy with other people¡¯s lives when you can¡¯t even cross this line?¡± ¡°......¡± Karoon was unable to respond and hung his head. He seemed to be losing consciousness because he¡¯d lost too much blood. ¡°Bring me everything about what you¡¯ve made and done.¡± ¡°¡­U-understood.¡± Karoon nodded while coughing up blood. The ck color of the blood implied that his internal injury had further intensified. ¡°Denier, Balder.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Denier and Balder swallowed nervously and stood in front of Glenn. ¡°Mobilize the Wise Martial Pce and the True Martial Pce to search through the entirety of the Central Martial Pce. Investigate everything about it. Do not miss even the smallest detail.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two quickly responded and lowered their heads. ¡°The Central Martial Pce will cease its operations, and Karoon Zieghart will be suspended. I¡¯m not going to set a duration.¡± The fact that there was no set duration implied that it couldst forever. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Karoon straightened his back and lowered his head even though his pale face looked like he was about to die. Raon thought that he was as good as him in terms of patience alone, considering how he managed to stand back up in his state. ¡°And¡­¡± Glenn returned Heavenly Tremor to the scabbard and lowered his gaze. ¡°Bring everyone that you¡¯ve toyed with and apologize to them personally.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Karoon was unable to respond and simply bit his lip. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, there¡¯s another option. Of course¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± He lowered his head, realizing what the other option would be. Raon narrowed his eyes while examining Karoon¡¯s condition. ¡®He is on the verge of death.¡¯ Glenn had ordered a suspension for an indefinite period of time, but it looked like he wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up even without that. ¡°We are from the Six Kings, not the Five Demons. Don¡¯t cross the line that allows you to remain a human being.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Karoon closed his eyes and copsed before he could even respond to Glenn¡¯sst line. However, thest groan from him sounded like a sneer. ¡°Take him back.¡± Glenn gestured with his hand and the warriors who¡¯d been waiting carried Karoon on their backs, running out of the training ground. ¡°You should also keep this in mind.¡± He shook his head while looking at the executives one after the other. He was continuously telling them to keep the line, as if he were afraid of something. ¡°I knew it. A problem urred as soon as you arrived.¡± Raon was quietly watching Glenn when Rimmer came up to him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The sky suddenly turned dark as soon as I heard about your return. I expected trouble, even though I didn¡¯t expect it to be this big.¡± He curled his lips into a smile while pointing at the sky. ¡°That¡¯s why today is the perfect day.¡± Rimmer chuckled and stood in front of Glenn, who was about to turn around. ¡°I have something to tell you, my lord.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Glenn turned back and looked at Rimmer. ¡°I have actually contemted this a lot. I could be greedy or selfish, but I made up my mind when I saw today¡¯s incident. I believe I can hand it over now.¡± Rimmer went on his knees and ced his prosthetic arm over the left side of his chest. ¡°I¡¯m going to resign as the Light Wind division¡¯s leader today, and¡­¡± He met Glenn¡¯s red eyes, his eyes brimming with conviction. ¡°I rmend Raon Zieghart as the Light Wind division leader.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 620 Chapter 620 ¡°Hmm?¡± Glenn furrowed his brow as if he¡¯d heard an unreasonable request. ¡°Division leader!¡± Raon dashed forward and held Rimmer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What are you even talking about? Why are you handing over the division leader¡¯s spot all of a sudden?¡± Raon had thought that he could return to the annex building and rest assured because the issue with Karoon was resolved, but he was hit with a wave of dizziness because Rimmer suddenly dered he would hand over the division leader position. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± Rimmer grinned while looking back at him. ¡°Since you can even stand up against the Central Martial Pce Master for your maid and her brother, you should be able to protect the Light Wind division against anyone. I believe in you.¡± He nodded heavily, showing that he was serious about it. ¡°But this is still too sudden.¡± Raon bit his lip while looking at Rimmer. Bing the division leader was fine since he was a vice division leader in name only and had been doing the leader¡¯s job anyway. The reason he was panicking wasn¡¯t because of the division leader¡¯s position, but because he had a feeling that Rimmer was nning to leave the Light Wind division.¡°Why are you trying to retire now when you even gained a prosthetic arm? Is there an issue?¡± Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Rimmer¡¯s right arm. ¡°No.¡± Rimmer shook his head while swinging the prosthetic arm like a windmill. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine. It¡¯s even better than my original arm.¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to retire.¡± He smiled while holding Raon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m just going to step back, and you are going to climb in rank. We are only swapping the positions.¡± Rimmer shook his head, saying that he had no intention of leaving the Light Wind division yet. ¡°Why would I resign from this sweet job that pays me even if I don¡¯t do anything?¡± He rubbed his fingers, saying that he still had a lot of debt to pay back. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon nodded his head, acknowledging the calmness in Rimmer¡¯s eyes. ¡®That¡¯s what he was talking about.¡¯ He¡¯d thought that Rimmer was going to leave the Light Wind division, but fortunately, he was only inheriting the division leader¡¯s position. ¡°You¡¯ll make a good division leader.¡± Rimmer patted his shoulder with his left arm, the one made of flesh and blood, instead of his prosthetic arm. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Make Raon Zieghart a division leader?¡± ¡°Well, he ispetent enough for it.¡± ¡°To be honest, he should be even better than Rimmer.¡± The executives were the first ones to react to Rimmer¡¯s suggestion. They nodded, saying that it seemed to be a good idea. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Aries tilted her head in bewilderment. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Raon the Light Wind division leader already, though?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I also thought that Raon was the Light Wind division leader.¡± ¡°I thought he already inherited the position.¡± ¡°Raon even writes the reports, doesn¡¯t he?¡± She wasn¡¯t the only one. The other executives also found it strange and their eyes widened. ¡°What are you talking about?! I¡¯m the Light Wind division leader for now!¡± Rimmer shook his hand, telling them to stop saying nonsense. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sheryl rubbed her chin and came in front of Rimmer. ¡°Who manages the training ground?¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Who assigns tasks to the members?¡± ¡°Raon.¡± ¡°Who sends the progress report during a mission?¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± ¡°What about the reports and financial documents after you return?¡± Sheryl¡¯s voice became lower and lower, showing that she was getting angry as she asked. ¡°R-Raon.¡± Rimmer stuttered in the end. He seemed to have noticed where it was leading. ¡°Can you really call yourself a human being?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an elf though.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Rimmer fell to his knees, but Sheryl kicked him without reserve. ¡°......¡± Glenn stepped aside to give her more room to beat Rimmer up. ¡°B-but that¡¯s the subordinate¡¯s job! I¡¯m doing the division leader¡¯s job perfectly fine!¡± Rimmer shook his head, saying that everything she¡¯d mentioned was the vice division leader¡¯s job. ¡°Then let me ask this time.¡± Aries furrowed her brow and stood on Rimmer¡¯s right side. ¡°Who devises the n before a mission?¡± ¡°Raon, of course!¡± ¡°Who makes the decisions during a mission?¡± ¡°Raon¡­¡± ¡°Who takes care of the enemy¡¯s leader during the battle?¡± ¡°R-Raon, too¡­¡± ¡°Hey! You¡¯re just a parasite!¡± She couldn¡¯t suppress her urge anymore and smashed his head with her fist. Whack! Along with the thundering noise of andslide, Rimmer¡¯s neck sank into his shoulders like a turtle into its shell. ¡°Aack!¡± Rimmer screamed so that she would stop hitting him, but Aries never stopped. ¡°You don¡¯t do anything at all! That¡¯s why everyone thought Raon was the division leader all along!¡± ¡°You¡¯re better off dead!¡± Sheryl ran up to him again and started to stomp on him. ¡°......¡± Glenn stepped back once again, allowing them to step on Rimmer even harder. ¡°Th-that¡¯s why I¡¯m giving him my position!¡± Rimmer shook his hand and managed to escape from Sheryl and Aries¡¯s stomping. ¡°My lord, please say something!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Glenn shook his head with a furrowed brow. ¡°I also thought that Raon was the Light Wind division leader.¡± He seemed to be serious about it, considering that he said it in such a serious situation. ¡°Argh, what the hell?¡± Rimmer shook his head in disbelief. ¡°You can¡¯t be doing this to me, my lord! Do you know how much¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Glenn twisted his lips and unleashed his lightning. Rumble! Rimmer was struck by the lightning and tumbled on the ground, his body charred ck. ¡°You are just a leech wasting a sry.¡± Glenn kicked Rimmer¡¯s charred body away and walked up to Raon. ¡°Raon Zieghart.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°What do you think about it?¡± He lowered his eyebrows, asking if he really could do the division leader¡¯s job. ¡°The Light Wind division is currently the center of attention in the entire continent, not just Zieghart. The team leaders are Masters, and the team members are at the highest level of Expert. Some of them even have the potential of bing Masters soon.¡± Glenn calmly shook his hand. ¡°The attention of the people isn¡¯t always a good thing¡ªthe Light Wind division has made many enemies, too. You can¡¯t hope for someone to save you every single time. Can you be the wall to protect your subordinates even when your life is in danger?¡± Glenn¡¯s question was asking for something even further than the division leader¡¯s job. Raon could feel that he¡¯d been thoroughly watching the Light Wind division. ¡°As you said, the Light Wind division has many enemies. However, I could not call myself a swordsman of Zieghart if I was afraid of the enemies and went into hiding. I¡¯ll create a Light Wind division that terrifies our enemies so that they will avoid us rather than try to fight us,¡± Raon dered, pounding on the left side of his chest with his right fist. ¡°And don¡¯t worry about me protecting my subordinates.¡± Raon smiled while looking at Rimmer, who was trying to stand up while faltering. ¡°That was the one thing I clearly learned.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Glenn looked at Raon and Rimmer one after the other and nodded his head. His face looked slightly more energetic. ¡°You will be a good division leader.¡± Unexpectedly, heplimented him right away and patted his shoulder. Even though it was unexpected, Raon thought it was understandable considering the situation. ¡°Raon Zieghart is hereby appointed as the Light Wind division leader.¡± The executives sent a dignified round of apuse upon hearing Glenn¡¯s deration. ¡°Congrattions.¡± ¡°¡®Gratz.¡± Sheryl and Aries came next to him and smiled faintly. ¡°The appointment was ratherte, considering your abilities.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your cooperation.¡± ¡°See you during the next conference of division leaders.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get to learn how frightening the seniors are.¡± The executives also congratted him with smiles on their faces. The direct lines were simply furrowing their brows without saying anything. ¡°My lord.¡± Raon took a step towards Glenn. ¡°I apologize for my rudeness, but I have a request.¡± ¡°A request?¡± ¡°Yes. Can I request that you protect Judiel and Juvel?¡± ¡°Y-young master!¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine!¡± Judiel and Juvel widened their eyes and shook their hands to his unexpected request. ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Glenn shook his head while looking at those two. ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured by it, not when it is only natural that I do so.¡± He shook his head, saying that they shouldn¡¯t worry about it. ¡°Let¡¯s end today¡¯s meeting here.¡± Glenn turned around, his face drenched in fatigue. ¡°Follow me, all of you.¡± He returned to the lord¡¯s manor, calling for Aries, Balder, and Denier toe with him. ¡°Raon.¡± As soon as Glenn disappeared, Rimmer suddenly stood up and came up next to him. He was spreading a burning scent all around him. ¡°Since you¡¯re a division leader now, I have some things to teach you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°First of all, the financial documents¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been doing it all along though.¡± ¡°Err, then about the reports¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been writing them, too.¡± ¡°Then talk to the head of house from time to time when he is bored¡­¡± ¡°You should keep doing that one.¡± He had nothing helpful to teach him in the end. ¡°I also have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you sure you can withstand my training? Because you¡¯re my subordinate now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened, showing that he hadn¡¯t thought about that part. ¡°The training is a bit too much¡­ Hmm? Wait a moment.¡± He quickly shook his head. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been doing that already? You¡¯ve always called me along with the others and forced me to train.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± Raon nodded. He realized that he¡¯d been the division leader for a long time already. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He sighed because of the ridiculous realization, and Rimmer gave him a thumbs-up with a grin on his face. ¡°It¡¯s so sweet to be a deadweight!¡± ¡°Stop that!¡± Raon couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore and kicked Rimmer. He was seriously asking for a beating. What¡¯s a sweet deadweight? Let¡¯s eat it right away! Wrath suddenly jolted even though he was yawning in boredom. Raon closed his eyes tightly after looking at Rimmer and Wrath. ¡®This is so exhausting¡­¡¯ * * * Raon returned to the annex building with Juvel and Judiel. Sylvia and the maids were already out in the garden, probably because they¡¯d heard the news about his return. ¡°Judiel!¡± Sylvia dashed at them right away and hugged Judiel. ¡°Madam¡­¡± Judiel bit her lip tightly in Sylvia¡¯s embrace. She seemed to be trying to suppress her emotions, but her eyes were bing slightly moist. ¡°I was so worried. You should¡¯ve said something at least before you left.¡± Sylvia hit Judiel¡¯s back with the hand that was hugging her. ¡°But I¡¯m d that you returned safely. Wee back.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Judiel hung her head, repeatedly whispering apologies, and Sylvia''s shoulder gradually grew damp. ¡°Judiel!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Helen, Yua, and the other maids also came running and surrounded Judiel and Sylvia. Rather than asking for her circumstances, they breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that Judiel was safe. ¡°Judiel, where have you been?¡± ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Encia and Siyan also came closer and observed Judiel¡¯splexion. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Juvel grabbed her wrist tightly with his trembling hand while looking at the maids surrounding Judiel. He seemed to be impressed by the fact that so many people were worried about his sister. ¡°Raon.¡± Sylvia raised her gaze while rubbing Judiel¡¯s back. ¡°What even happened? You said you would exin it after you returned.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything like that thou¡ª¡± Tell her that you said you would! You seriously can¡¯t read the mood! Wrath smacked the back of his head. Is he even a human? He should be a demon¡­ He furrowed his brow, calling him so insensitive. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Raon nodded while rubbing the back of his head that was smacked by Wrath. ¡°Then we should stay back for now.¡± Helen was going to return with the other maids, but Sylvia shook her head. ¡°No, let¡¯s listen to him together. There should be no secrets between family.¡± She made everyone sit on the ground in the garden, not leaving out a single person. Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Sylvia. ¡®It looks like she has changed a little. No, that might be my mother¡¯s original personality.¡¯ Sylvia had be more confident and steadfast than before once her energy center had recovered. It was befitting behavior for a Zieghart¡¯s swordsman, like she¡¯d taught him. ¡®Her might has changed even more though.¡¯ She had already recovered to the intermediate Master level. Actually, she was almost at the advanced Master¡¯s realm. Even though the artificial energy center contained as much mana as a Grandmaster, her growth was still extremely fast. He could tell why people were saying that she was the most talented among Glenn¡¯s children. ¡°Tell us about it now.¡± Sylvia looked around at everyone and nodded. ¡°It started quite a long time ago. When Judiel first arrived¡­¡± Raon told everyone in the garden what had happened so far. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± After his story ended, Judiel went on her knees and lowered her head to the ground. ¡°I deceived everyone including you, madam. I really have no excuse¡­¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± Sylvia interrupted her and hugged her again. ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard.¡± Judiel¡¯s shoulders trembled violently upon hearing her gentle voice. The maids didn¡¯t say anything either and joined Sylvia to hug Judiel together. ¡°So you¡¯re Juvel.¡± Sylvia raised her head to look at Juvel with Judiel still in her arms. ¡°N-nice to meet you. I¡¯m¡­¡± Juvel¡¯s lips trembled in panic. ¡°Wee to the annex building.¡± Sylvia smiled brightly at Juvel like a flower under the dappling sunlight. Even though she¡¯d heard that Juvel had been living as an assassin, she wasn¡¯t afraid of or angry at him. She simply epted him. The other maids also smiled to wee Judiel¡¯s little brother. Raon had expected that Sylvia and the maids would ept Juvel and Judiel because of their painful lives, but they were treating them even better than his expectations. Raon was just thankful to them. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Sylvia grabbed Juvel and Judiel¡¯s hands and headed towards the annex building. ¡°We¡¯ve prepared the special treat in the annex building for you!¡± She smiled cheerfully, telling them to wait for just a moment. Food! Special treat! Delicious stuff! Wrath had been expressing his anger with his arms crossed, but he flew towards the annex building faster than anyone else as soon as he heard that it was time to eat. ¡®This is where I feel the most at ease, after all.¡¯ Raon chuckled as he watched Sylvia and the maids from behind, as well as Wrath, who was wagging his tail. Come here already! The King of Essence won¡¯t be able to eat if you don¡¯t! ¡®I¡¯ming.¡¯ * * * The Ragged Saint Federick examined Karoon¡¯s body with a gloomy gaze. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died.¡¯ Glenn had carved a scar that could hardly be healed inside Karoon¡¯s body, as if he was trying to kill him. A slight dy in treatment would have left Karoon crippled or even dead. ¡®Well, it¡¯s understandable though.¡¯ Karoon had done something that a human being should never do. He could feel Glenn¡¯s anguish and pain as he had to drive his son to the verge of death. Federick furrowed his brow and tapped one of Karoon¡¯s vitals with his finger. ck blood oozed from the pores all around Karoon¡¯s body down to his skin, which had turned as red as if it had been burned. He didn¡¯t stop moving his finger even though he was breaking out in cold sweat. His hand kept stimting his mana circuits as if the passage of time didn¡¯t exist anymore, and it only stopped when the dim moonlight shed against the window. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Federick lowered his hand and put the medicine inside Karoon¡¯s mouth. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Karoon slowly opened his eyes after enough time had passed to finish a cup of tea. His groan and trembling lips showed that his pain was intense. ¡°You finally woke up,¡± Federick sighed while touching Karoon¡¯s forehead. ¡°The Saint?¡± ¡°Did you see the road to heaven?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Karoon furrowed his brow upon remembering why he was beaten up by Glenn. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°......¡± He closed his eyes without saying anything. ¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯m not here to me you anyway.¡± Federick examined Karoon¡¯s state once again and shook his head. ¡°Even though you are a Grandmaster, your internal injuries are too severe. A few weeks won¡¯t be enough topletely recover.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± Karoon calmly nodded, implying that he was aware of his own condition. ¡°You¡¯ve escaped the throes of death, but the inside of your body ispletely ragged. Don¡¯t even cultivate your aura for a while.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back at dawn.¡± Federick watched Karoon for a moment then stood up. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°You should rest.¡± He shook his hand and left the medical ward. ¡°Haa.¡± Karoon finally opened his closed eyes. ¡®I still have my aura at least.¡¯ As Federick had said, his energy center and mana circuits had been torn apart like a rag, but it wasn¡¯t impossible for him to recover. It would take a long time, but it seemed possible to recover, at least. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect my father to take action¡­¡¯ He¡¯d thought that he might be severely punished but hadn¡¯t expected him to personally beat him. He figured that he would need to change his predictions of Glenn. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Karoon sighed, and a coquettish voice could be heard from below the hospital bed. Whir. A faint light wavered from the dark shadow, and a man wearing a pure white robe without a speck of dust floated in the air. ¡°You¡­¡± Karoon wasn¡¯t surprised and simply furrowed his brow, implying that he¡¯d seen him before. ¡°You should¡¯ve joined forces with us. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if you did,¡± the robed man sneered while shaking his head. ¡°How did you get in here?¡± ¡°We exist everywhere and nowhere at the same time.¡± The robed man shook his head, showing his refusal to answer his question. ¡°What do you think? How about bing our ally now?¡± He raised his snow-white hand. ¡°If you do, we will get rid of Raon Zieghart and make you the head of Zieghart.¡± ¡°Kah!¡± Karoon sneered while looking at the robed man. ¡°Do you think that vermin like you can do it when you can¡¯t even take advantage of the information I provided?¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. It was because your information was wrong.¡± The robed man shook his head. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve made up your mind now, haven¡¯t you?¡± He extended his transparent hand towards Karoon. ¡°There¡¯s only one way left for you now¡­¡± ¡°Stop with your bullshit and disappear.¡± Karoon red at the robed man with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you desire to be the head of house?¡± ¡°I do. No, I am going to be the head. However, it¡¯s meaningless if I don¡¯t achieve it with my own strength.¡± He violently ground his teeth, like a beast. ¡°It would be difficult in your current state. No, it¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Karoon Zieghart. I might destroy Zieghart myself if I can¡¯t be the head of house, but I have no intention of joining forces with trash from the outside.¡± Karoon clenched his fist despite the weak state of his body, showing his determination to never go back on his word. ¡°Hah.¡± The robed man shook his head. ¡°Seriously, people from Zieghart have too much pride.¡± He extended his hands and brought them together into a chopping motion. ¡°You seriously don¡¯t know your ce when you are just a fly that has lost its wings. A bug that doesn¡¯t know its ce¡­¡± The robed man mmed his hands down at Karoon. ¡°Needs to be stomped to death!¡± At that moment, a red lightning sparked and grasped the robed man¡¯s wrist. Crack! It was Glenn Zieghart. The man who should¡¯ve been in the lord¡¯s manor had smashed the robed man¡¯s wrist all the way to the bones. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t leave the window open.¡± Glenn¡¯s red eyes were oppressing the moonlight seeping through the window. ¡°After all, a bug managed to enter.¡± Chapter 621 Chapter 621 Karoon¡¯s eyes widened at Glenn¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡®Why is my father here¡­?¡¯ His hospital room was located far away from the lord¡¯s manor. He couldn¡¯t understand how he got there, as it should¡¯ve been impossible for him to have noticed that presence from so far away without using aura perception, even for Glenn. ¡°Gaaah!¡± The robed man realized that his wrist and bone were shattered and screamed. ¡°G-Glenn Zieghart! Why are you here?!¡± ¡°You have no right to question me.¡± Glenn punched the robed man in the mouth. Smack!The man¡¯s teeth scattered like corn kernels. Glenn was preventing him from using the poison in his mouth. ¡°Uagh¡­¡± The robed man copsed with a strange groan. He seemed to bepletely incapacitated by the lightning energy that Glenn had shoved into him. ¡°Where did youe from?¡± Glenn made the robed man kneel on the ground and turned his chin. It was a short question, but he could learn a lot from it. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± The robed man simply let out a groan while leaning forward instead of answering his question. ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Glenn nodded, telling him to do as he wished. Crimson lightning sparked, and the robed man started to il his limbs about as if he were having a seizure. ¡°Aargh!¡± A red flower bloomed on the white robe he was wearing. It was his blood flowing from his pores because Glenn¡¯s lightning energy was scorching his entire body. ¡°Huff¡­¡± The robed man couldn¡¯t even breathe properly, gasping for breath with a pale face. Karoon swallowed nervously as he witnessed that scene. ¡®His entire body is being controlled.¡¯ Glenn was putting pressure on his entire body with his lightning energy. Forget moving his fingers, he couldn¡¯t even breathe as he wanted. ¡°You are rather determined for vermin.¡± Glenn nodded his head with an unwavering gaze. ¡°You can try to withstand it if you want to. However, your body isn¡¯t yours anymore.¡± ¡°Kuhuhu.¡± Just as Glenn was about to twist the lightning energy like a wire, the robed man groaned and sneered at the same time. ¡°What do you think is going to happen if it isn¡¯t mine?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Glenn sensed the irregrity and moved his energy rapidly, enhancing the pressure that was controlling him. ¡°Cough!¡± But the man coughed up a dangerous amount of blood, ignoring the intensified suppression. ¡°Y-your time will end soon, Glenn Ziegha¡­¡± The robed man perished after he murmured something iprehensible. ¡°......¡± Glenn wasn¡¯t flustered even though it was an unexpected situation. He calmly extended his hand to cut his man¡¯s chest open. ¡®There was something about him.¡¯ He had stopped the robed man¡¯s aura and muscles perfectly on top of taking out the poison hidden between his teeth. Considering the fact that he¡¯d still perished after that, there was definitely something hidden inside his heart. Psh! Glenn grasped the thing that was showing a small movement inside the robed man¡¯s heart, which was being covered in blood. It was a bug that looked like a centipede, so small that ordinary people couldn¡¯t even see it. However, its teeth were too big inparison, giving it a grotesque appearance. ¡°A rage worm.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow while looking at the worm, which was going limp as it exhausted its strength. The shape was slightly different from the ones he knew of, but the rage worm was the only thing that could be hidden inside the heart. He could guess that the man had perished because of that nasty sorcery. ¡®A group that uses rage worms¡­¡¯ The ck Tower and Eden were the only ones who might use the rage worm among the five demons, but that didn¡¯t guarantee that one of them was the perpetrator. It could be a new group, or the White Blood Religion, judging by the color of the robe. Glenn pushed back the man¡¯s hood. As expected, his face was unfamiliar. Glenn put his corpse down and shifted his gaze towards Karoon, who had be quiet. ¡°F-Father¡­¡± Karoon tried to stand up, but he was unable to move because he had no strength left in his body. ¡°How did you get here?¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± Glenn asked instead of answering. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Karoon shook his head after taking a nce at the robed man¡¯s corpse. ¡°He approached me before and asked for an alliance but I ignored him.¡± ¡°What did he say back then?¡± ¡°¡­He said he would make me the head of house.¡± ¡°Head of house? How?¡± ¡°He said that he would eliminate the sessor candidates one by one.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow because that was enough for him to understand what happened. ¡°Did you sell him information about Raon?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Karoon briefly licked his lips. The fact that he was asking about Raon implied that he¡¯d heard his entire conversation with the man. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± ¡°But it looks like you didn¡¯t give correct information. What¡¯s the reason?¡± ¡°I gave him fake information because I thought figuring out their identity took priority, but they never revealed themselves. They were rather skilled.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you ept the offer of an alliance despite how skilled they are?¡± Glenn asked, gazing down upon Karoon coldly. ¡°I¡­¡± Karoon briefly closed his eyes before opening them again. His distorted face showed that he was in pain just from speaking, but he endured the pain to answer his question. ¡°I¡¯m the Northern Conqueror¡¯s son. While I maymit inhuman acts, I will never do anything to betray Zieghart. Just as I told him, I have no intention of letting outsiders set foot on thisnd, even if it means destroying Zieghart with my own hands.¡± He dered his true intention like a pledge. ¡°......¡± Glenn was speechless. He was still staring at Karoon coldly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°You¡­¡± Just as he was about to speak, Federick violently opened the door and entered. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?! Why is there a corpse here?!¡± Federick shouted in astonishment. ¡°We¡¯ll need to change his room. Move Karoon to somewhere near the main building.¡± Glenn pointed at Karoon¡¯s bed. ¡°Hey! Tell me what happened before you leave! Who is this guy?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a drinkter.¡± He left after only saying that much. Glenn went to Sheryl and Roenn, who¡¯d been waiting outside the hospital room, and handed over the rage worm corpse. ¡°This is¡­¡± Roenn narrowed his eyes while looking at the rage worm that fell into his hand. ¡°It was a peculiar rage worm. Don¡¯t limit yourselves to the Five Demons¡ªinvestigate every single faction that is rumored to use rage worms.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Sheryl and Roenn responded seriously, unlike when they were talking about Raon, and disappeared towards the lord¡¯s manor. ¡°Did you say that my time will be over soon?¡± Glenn touched Heavenly Tremor¡¯s scabbard while ncing towards the annex building. ¡°You will be the first to perish before my time is over.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll make you regret ever making Zieghart your enemy.¡¯ * * * Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive, standing on theke behind the annex building. Just as he was about to raise his sword overhead, Wrath suddenly appeared. Hell yeah! Wrath eximed while rubbing his plump belly. The food at home is the best! He can never get tired of it no matter how many times he has it! Wrath licked his lips thoroughly, saying that he was satisfied with the meal. It would feel like heaven if a bead ice cream was added on top. Didn¡¯t someone promise to give me some delicious things for a while¡­? Wrath rubbed his hands, wanting to be in heaven despite being a demon king. ¡®That wasst time though.¡¯ You are supposed to do it more than once! Keep your promise! ¡®Haa, let¡¯s go to the shop tomorrow.¡¯ Raon quickly shook his hand because he had a feeling that Wrath was going to keep talking all day long if he didn¡¯t do anything about it. Wow! You actually became broad-minded upon being promoted to division leader! You might be a big man once you be a demon king. ¡®That¡¯s never going to happen.¡¯ You never know. Wrath returned to the bracelet, telling him that he¡¯d see him again the next day. Raon shook his head and raised Heavenly Drive above his head. He shed downwards with a soft snap of his wrist. The graceful wind caused by the sword cut through the moon reflected on theke. Cring! The mysterious sight looked like the moon was splitting apart, but Raon shook his head with a furrowed brow. ¡°This isn¡¯t right.¡± Glenn had destroyed Karoon¡¯s advanced attack with a simple swing of his sword, simr to a basic technique. Raon wanted to recreate his prowess, which seemed to merge his emotions and will, but it obviously wasn¡¯t working out too well. ¡®Doing it is indeed different from watching.¡¯ Raon briefly clicked his tongue and rapidly shed upwards. The swing looked like a huge serpent ascending to the sky upon bing a dragon. It was the Azure Sky Sword technique that Glenn had disyed. Cring! The red current ascended along with the de. Its momentum looked like it was going to split the sky apart but faded away eventually. A red trail was left in the air like aet. ¡®This isn¡¯t right either.¡¯ Unlike his sh, Glenn¡¯s sword was so majestic that it looked like it was forging the sky itself. The difference wasughable because it was even greater than the difference between a mighty long spear and a toothpick. ¡®I guess it¡¯s impossible to mimic his move right away after all.¡¯ Even though his mental world had improved and the Ring of Fire was with him, it was impossible to immediately learn a transcender like Glenn¡¯s technique and enlightenment. ¡®Of course, that¡¯s not enough reason to give up.¡¯ Raon¡¯s real weapon wasn¡¯t a talent to copy other people¡¯s moves, but his tenacity to keep trying until he could. He resolved to keep trying until it worked and activated the Azure Sky Sword once again. Cring! He furrowed his brow because the bnce was even worse than his first attempt, then he suddenly heard a heavy voice from behind him. ¡°You lost your posture.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Raon swallowed nervously and turned around. Glenn had arrived before he knew it and was standing in front of theke. ¡°My lord?¡± He hadn¡¯t even noticed his arrival. Raon¡¯s heart pounded even though he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. ¡°Gr-greetings, my lor¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± He was trying to greet him, but Glenn shook his hand and walked onto theke. Even though he was stepping on water, it didn¡¯t even create the smallest wave on the surface. It was as if he were walking on the ground. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°That idiot Ogram said that you¡¯ve repaid my debt in my stead.¡± Glenn furrowed his brow as if it hurt his pride. Raon blinked while looking at Glenn¡¯s serious gaze. ¡®Hmm? It looks like he¡¯s feeling a bit better.¡¯ Glenn¡¯s face was extremely stiff, but he seemed a lot brighter than when he was punishing Karoon before. ¡°What you¡¯ve done is definitely not a simple matter. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if a war broke out between Zieghart and the Beast Union. And you stopped that war.¡± Glenn walked up to him with an expression that could hardly be read and nodded his head. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± He just wanted to save Judiel and Juvel. Raon shook his head since he hadn¡¯t done that for such a great purpose. ¡°The fact remains, even if you act humble.¡± Glenn took a book and a golden tablet from his clothes. ¡°I summarized my interpretation of your sword techniques and the Azure Sky Sword. I wrote down my personal thoughts, so just use it without trying to follow it¡ªno matter what.¡± He handed him the book as he spoke. It was giving off the characteristic scent of a new book, implying that it was recently written. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raon carefully epted the book and opened it. The interpretations of his martial arts were written in beautiful and powerful handwriting, and every single one was extremely detailed. Raon could feel that Glenn had been watching him thoroughly. ¡°Since there isn¡¯t much time left until the duel to death, it should be better to take another look at yourself instead of learning a new sword technique or martial art.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°Ahem, you don¡¯t need to thank me like that. I didn¡¯t make it alone.¡± Glenn shook his head, saying that the leader of Shadow Agents and Sheryl also worked hard on it. ¡°And¡­¡± He slowly turned around. He closed his eyes, stepping on the moon reflected on theke. ¡°Congrattions on bing the division leader.¡± It was thest thing he said before he left theke. Raon lowered his head towards Glenn as he quietly left. The book in his hand felt warm for some reason. * * * Dawn at the fifth training ground was busy, unlike other times. ¡°Did you hear the news?¡± Burren licked his lips while walking up to Martha. ¡°The one about Raon bing the division leader?¡± ¡°So you knew about it.¡± ¡°Of course I did. The entire house is making a fuss about it.¡± Martha shook her head, saying that you had to be deaf not to know about it. ¡°It will be a bit easier for us in the future because thatzy beggar isn¡¯t our division leader anymore.¡± She smiled, saying that the Light Wind Division was finally going to run as it should. ¡°Well, anyone would be better than that division leader,¡± Burren chuckled while looking at the tform where Rimmer usually took a nap. ¡°But doesn¡¯t it feel rather strange? Because the person who''s been training with us all along is bing a division leader¡­¡± Martha smiled faintly, as if she were thinking about the past. ¡°That¡¯s true. He was just a little kid back then¡­¡± Burren rubbed his chin while reminiscing about the past. ¡°By the way¡­¡± He followed Martha¡¯s gaze but suddenly furrowed his brow. ¡°What should we call Raon from now on?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°While he was the vice division leader, we called him by his name and spoke to him casually. He didn¡¯t really mind it either, but now he is a division leader¡­¡± ¡°Why are you even asking?¡± Martha shook her hand as if it were an obvious question. ¡°Naturally, we have to call him the division leader and speak with courtesy.¡± ¡°What?¡± Burren¡¯s eyes widened at Martha¡¯s words. He even gasped because of how strange it was for her to say that since she looked like she was going to hate the idea the most. ¡°The division leader is the position that leads the entire division from the front. Everyone¡¯s lives will be in danger if the line ofmand is broken. We have to treat him ordingly when the other members are watching, although it could be fine when it¡¯s just between us,¡± Martha calmly dered, showing that she¡¯d already made up her mind. ¡°Division Leader Raon?¡± Runaan secretly approached them and nodded. ¡°Yes, call him that from now on.¡± Martha nodded and showed her approval. ¡°Team Leader Miss Rakshasha?¡± Runaan pointed at Martha next, and very slightly raised the corners of her lips. ¡°You damn sleepyhead!¡± Martha violently ground her teeth and dashed at Runaan. ¡°Miss Rakshasa, pwease don¡¯t get angry.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Runaan froze up the ground and leaped backward. Burren narrowed his eyes while watching Martha as she started to rampage. ¡®How unexpected.¡¯ Since Martha had always spoken to Raon casually, Burren had thought that her attitude wouldn¡¯t change even though he had be a division leader. However, she¡¯d dered that they should show their respect towards Raon before anyone else. It made him smile before he knew it because it felt like the child with a bad personality had matured. Wham! As Burren was smiling while watching the small war between Martha and Runaan, the training ground¡¯s door opened and Rimmer entered along with Raon. ¡°Line up!¡± He immediately gathered the Light Wind Division and ran up to the tform. Raon stood at the vice division leader¡¯s position behind the tform and Rimmer stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone has heard about it.¡± He chuckled as he faced the Light Wind Division¡¯s gazes, which seemed to burn red with passion. ¡°The leader of this division changed yesterday.¡± Rimmer calmly examined the team leaders and all the in members one after the other and nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t tell you about it in advance, but I thought it was time for it. Thank you for going through the pain of following this unbefitting division leader so far.¡± ¡°It really was a huge pain,¡± Krein shook his head while looking at Rimmer. ¡°I even want to praise myself for not being influenced by thatziness,¡± Martha said as she looked at Rimmer with a frown. ¡°Hemuted to the gambling house more often than the training ground, after all,¡± Burren sighed. He seemed to be thinking about how he had to visit various gambling houses in order to find Rimmer. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡± Runaan shook her hand, asking them to quickly proceed with it. ¡°You bastards! Can¡¯t you read the mood? You should act nicely at a time like this!¡± Rimmer¡¯s face turned red because he¡¯d imagined a beautiful scene of departure. ¡°How could you have a beautiful departure after everything you¡¯ve done?¡± ¡°And you aren¡¯t even leaving. You are just being demoted to vice division leader.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too good for him? He will be a sry thief since he¡¯ll be paid without doing anything at all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous of his life.¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± Raon stepped forward, stopping the Light Wind Division as they started to rustle. ¡°He might be a sloth, a gambling addict, a drunkard, and a beggar, but he was still our division leader. You should restrain yourselves.¡± ¡°¡­Y-you¡¯re defending me, right?¡± Rimmer clutched his chest as if he were in pain and his lips trembled. ¡°He didn¡¯t work, nor did he train or do any maintenance, but¡­¡± ¡°Stop right there! It hurts!¡± He shook his head with an even more pained expression than when he was beaten up by Glenn. ¡°Division leader.¡± Raon performed the sword salute towards Rimmer with a faint smile on his face. "Thank you for your work so far.¡± "Thank you for your hard work!" Upon hearing his shout, the Light Wind Division also unsheathed their swords and performed a sword salute. The yful atmosphere waspletely gone. The fifth training ground was brimming with courtesy and seriousness. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rimmer looked at the swordsmen one after the other, all of whom used to be his disciples but had be his subordinates. ¡°Thank you for your work, too.¡± He took a step back with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s time for the old man to step back, and for you to greet your new division leader.¡± Rimmer gestured with his hand, and Raon stood at the front of the tform. ¡°I¡¯m the new division leader, Raon Zieghart.¡± Raon performed a sword salute, meeting the Light Wind Division¡¯s eyes, which felt like they were sparkling. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your cooperation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your cooperation, too!¡± The Light Wind Division, including the team leaders shouted loudly and lifted their swords towards Raon. Their voices were at least twice as loud as when they were sending Rimmer off. ¡°¡­I hate you.¡± Rimmer briskly turned his head to show his displeasure. ¡°As the new division leader, my goal is to promote the Light Wind Division into the Light Wind Pce. There will be many difficulties in the future, but I hope that you will follow me well.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Everyone in the Light Wind Division nodded with bright smiles on their faces upon hearing that bing the Light Wind Pce was their goal. ¡°Now then, tomemorate my promotion to division leader¡­¡± ¡°Are we going to dine together?¡± Krein immediately raised his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll be doing a special training.¡± The fifth training ground fell silent upon hearing the following speech. ¡°¡­Training?¡± ¡°In this situation and mood?¡± ¡°Our division leader seriously can¡¯t read the mood.¡± Runaan, Burren, and Martha gasped at once. ¡°This training will be focus enhancement training thatsts for a week, and it will consist of duels in the North Grave Mountain. Let¡¯s start by dividing into the chaser and survivor teams¡­¡± Raon exined the training that he¡¯d prepared. The Light Wind Division gradually turned pale as he continued his exnation. ¡°B-but continuously training for a whole week while even risking our lives in duels is too much!¡± Krein¡¯s eyes trembled in fear. ¡°I-I¡¯ll just kill myself.¡± Dorian took out a steel hammer from his belly pocket. ¡°I agree¡­¡± Burren¡¯s chin trembled violently. ¡°I forgot that he¡¯s a demon!¡± ¡°Moreover, he isn¡¯t an ordinary demon. He is a demon king.¡± ¡°The demon king has returned¡­¡± The Light Wind Division recalled their memories of Raon¡¯s training in the past with trembling chins. ¡°D-Division Leader. Please stop Sir Raon!¡± Dorian put his hands together while looking at Rimmer. ¡°Ahaha.¡± Rimmer quickly shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s the division leader now. I¡¯m taking my leave since I have a lot to do¡­¡± He tried to escape, but Raon blocked his path. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯ll be staying out because I have an appoint¡ª¡± ¡°Everyone in the Light Wind Division has to participate in this training. Naturally, the vice division leader also has to join.¡± Raon grabbed Rimmer¡¯s wrist with a frightening smile on his face. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rimmer gasped while looking at Raon¡¯s hand, which was gripping him like a handcuff. ¡°H-how could that be? I¡¯m the vice division lea¡ª¡± ¡°You saw it happen just now.¡± Raon shook his head with a grin. ¡°The vice division leader will also have to participate in every training session in the future.¡± ¡°W-wait a moment, this isn¡¯t what I wanted! Revert, revert it! I don¡¯t want to be the vice division leader!¡± He wanted to enjoy a sweet life by working as the vice division leader in name only while being paid for it, but he was unexpectedly being dragged into training. ¡°It¡¯s already toote for that.¡± ¡°You damned demooon!¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 622 Chapter 622 Dorian looked at the dark forest while crawling on the ground. He swallowed nervously and moved slowly to avoid making any sounds, moving behind the round boulder resembling a turtle shell. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He leaned against the boulder and exhaled the breath he¡¯d been holding. ¡®I really feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡¯ Dorian shook his head while wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Two days had passed since the focus enhancement training had begun, and he¡¯d experienced death six times in total. Martha had gotten him once, the Gambling Monster caught him once, and the other four times were from encountering Raon. He was beaten like a dog every time he encountered Raon, exhausting him to the point that he couldn¡¯t conceal his presence. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he has a duel to the death scheduled next year.¡¯ It was a mystery that he was going all out in training the Light Wind Division instead of training himself when his duel to the death with the Axe King would happen soon. He had the same impression every time, but Raon waspletely different from a coward like him.¡®It¡¯s not like I can be half-hearted with how hard the division leader is working.¡¯ The reason Raon was using his precious time to focus on the Light Wind Division¡¯s training was simple: it was to increase their survival rate, even if just by a small margin. Dorian was fully aware of that fact, and that was why he couldn¡¯t take the training lightly. ¡®I need to get moving now.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a good idea to stay in the same location for an extended period of time. He started to twitch his ass in order to move after a bit of rest, but a dark shadow was cast on the ground. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Dorian raised his gaze with trembling lips. Two red moons were floating on the boulder. No, they weren¡¯t anything like moons. It was Raon¡¯s red eyes. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± He screamed and tried to run away, but he couldn¡¯t move his body because Raon¡¯s foot was pressing on his shoulder. Smack! Raon thrust his hand into Dorian¡¯s sr plexus without hesitation. ¡°Kuaah¡­¡± Dorian tried to defend with aura, but Raon¡¯s attack broke through his aura and delivered a powerful impact into his body. The strength left his body as if he had been struck by a steel hammer. ¡®Wh-what the hell is this¡­?¡¯ It would¡¯ve been understandable if it broke through his aura, but the way itpletely bypassed his aura was ridiculous. ¡°I¡¯m getting used to it.¡± Raon smiled in satisfaction while looking at his hand as if he were experimenting with something. ¡°Was this the seventh time?¡± ¡°Why do you keep following me¡­?¡± Dorian whined while leaning forward. ¡°Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t here for you this time.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Below here.¡± Raon pointed under the boulder that Dorian had been hiding behind. He smiled faintly and stomped on the ground powerfully. Whaam! With a loud bang that sounded like the mountain was copsing, a huge fissure was created. Rimmer and Krein popped out of the dark hole that was made. ¡°Huff!¡± ¡°H-how¡­?¡± Rimmer and Krein¡¯s jaws dropped as they wondered how he managed to find them when they were hiding underground. ¡°You should sleep quietly. Why were you snoring?¡± Raon shook his head while pointing at the line of the drool flowing from Rimmer¡¯s mouth. ¡°You crazy bastard! Why is your hearing so good?! Are you an elf or something?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m a human.¡± He casually turned his shoulder and unsheathed Heavenly Drive. ¡°Krein, we have no other choice. Let¡¯s fight!¡± ¡°U-understood!¡± ¡°You should be the front liner. I¡¯ll prepare a surprise attack from the back.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Krein bit his lip and stepped forward. His eyes sparkled with resolve. ¡°Haa,¡± Raon sighed after watching Krein¡¯s reaction. ¡°Look behind you.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be deceived by that. I haven¡¯t been idling around so far!¡± Krein showed his determination to fight until the end by clenching his sword with both hands and unleashing his aura to the maximum output. The aura de gathering around his de condensed into a vivid aura thread. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. The elf you are counting on has already escaped.¡± Raon shook his hand. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Krein turned around. His eyes widened upon confirming that Rimmer was nowhere to be seen even though he believed he would defend him like a reliable ally. ¡°You damned el¡ª¡± ¡°But it doesn''t mean that you really should¡¯ve turned around to check.¡± Raon took the opportunity as Krein was looking back to smack his abdomen with the hilt of his de. Smack! Krein mmed onto the ground after he got hit by Heavenly Drive. He screamed, his limbs writhing in pain. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that the vice division leader ran away, but you can¡¯t give up because of that. You should¡¯ve quickly decided between fighting until the end or looking for an opportunity to run away.¡± Raon left a mark on Krein¡¯s forehead showing that he was dead and examined the direction where Rimmer had escaped. He was about to follow the traces when Martha dashed out from the bushes on the right side. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of running away. Come at me!¡± Martha bobbed her finger, looking for a fight. ¡°That personality of yours never changes.¡± Raon chuckled and swirled Heavenly Drive as if he¡¯d been expecting Martha¡¯s appearance. ¡°If you want the penalty that much, I shall give it to you.¡± He raised Heavenly Drive to waist level and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He reached in front of Martha in an instant and unleashed the Fangs of Insanity. The aura surrounding the silver de bared its fangs ferociously, as if it were going to gnaw at Martha¡¯s neck. Cring! Martha read the Fangs of Insanity¡¯s flow and thrust her sword while activating Berserk. ang! A powerful sound burst out from the sh between their swords. Martha unleashed her sh to the best of her ability, but her technique itself was broken, unable to withstand the Ten Thousand mes Cultivation¡¯s fire. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The moment Martha¡¯s sword tilted downwards, a wave of frost gushed from the tree on the left. Whaam! The silver coldness engulfed the entire area and removed the pressure caused by Heavenly Drive. ¡°......¡± Runaan came down from the tree and stood right next to Martha. ¡°I believe I told you that you should work alone.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Raon lowered his eyebrows, igniting the coldness inside Heavenly Drive. ¡°The enemy of an enemy is an ally.¡± Runaan pointed her sword at Raon while saying that she¡¯d just be Martha¡¯s ally. ¡°......¡± Raon stared at Runaan¡¯s beloved sword, Snow Flower, for a moment before he thrust Heavenly Drive backward. ang! Burren was sent flying far away from the Blizzard Sword Art while trying to silently approach. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Burren furrowed his brow while putting his hand on the ground. ¡°Even a surprise attack doesn¡¯t work against him.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up with you now?¡± ¡°I was just trying to block the path.¡± He shook his hand towards Krein and Dorian, suggesting that they should leave quickly. ¡°I see.¡± Raon smiled faintly while looking at Martha, Runaan, and Burren one after the other. ¡®All three of them are fully aware of the meaning of this training.¡¯ The focus enhancement training they were doing wasn¡¯t solely designed to increase their focus and battle experience. It was to make them experience how to move when they had to scatter and escape when they failed a mission, and they were stepping up to buy time for the subordinates to escape. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you for that, but¡­¡± Raon unleashed an astral de even bigger than Burren, Martha, and Runaan¡¯s astral energiesbined on Heavenly Drive and activated the Supreme Harmony Steps. He curled his lips into a smile while looking at the astonishment in their eyes. ¡°I have no intention of going easy on you.¡± * * * Glenn watched Raon and the three team leaders while standing on the tiger boulder. ¡°Huhu¡­¡± Roenn came up next to Glenn andughed heartily. ¡°The first thing he does after bing a division leader is train them. I can¡¯t match up to how consistent he is.¡± He watched gently, showing how proud he was of Raon. ¡°He must be trying to teach them because he has learned it himself.¡± Sherly nodded calmly. ¡°When you said he has learned, you mean¡­¡± ¡°Theck of power.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Raon and the Light Wind Division only managed to survive the few missions they had thanks to a third party¡¯s interference. Since they can¡¯t be lucky all the time, he must be nning on teaching them how to escape when the mission fails.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true indeed.¡± Roenn smiled gently, saying that he could finally understand. ¡°The interesting part is that he cares about the other swordsmen even though he should be fully upied with his own matters. I don¡¯t even understand how bold he is¡­¡± Sheryl furrowed her brow, thinking about the duel to the death with the Axe King. ¡°He is just kind-hearted. He cares more about others than himself, and he cares a lot about hispanions. That¡¯s another unique talent he has. He is just like Lady Sylvia.¡± Roenn gave a big nod of approval in response to Sheryl. ¡°......¡± They both stopped speaking in unison and lifted their gazes above the boulder. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Glenn cleared his throat while blushing. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not as great as you im, but it¡¯s pretty good indeed.¡± The corners of his lips were twitching wildly, soaring towards the sky. ¡°Since he is a division leader now, he needs to have that much sense of responsibility and confidence at least.¡± Glenn kept smiling endlessly while watching Raon with unfocused eyes. ¡°Huhu.¡± Sheryl and Roenn smiled cheerfully while meeting each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°M-my lord!¡± By the time Raon defeated Burren, Runaan, and Martha one after the other, Rimmer climbed above the boulder. ¡°Stop Raon, please! Why do I have to be here?!¡± Rimmer screamed while sweeping back his sweat-drenched bangs. ¡°It was your decision to live as the Light Wind vice division leader, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural for the vice division leader to obey the division leader. What¡¯s the problem?¡± Glenn rubbed his fingers, his gaze looking like he would kill him if Rimmer had a problem with Raon. Crimson lightning was sparking from his grasp. ¡°It¡¯s not that I have a problem with him, but¡­¡± ¡°If you run away from this training, I¡¯ll personally oversee your training for a month.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rimmer furrowed his brow and stepped back the moment he heard Glenn¡¯s deration. ¡°Seriously, the grandfather and the grandson are the exact same! This Zieghart is damned!¡± He shouted that he was sick and tired of it and stepped back. ¡°Ahem!¡± Glenn was still happy even though Zieghart was insulted, and the corners of his lips soared to the sky without reserve. His cheeks were turning even redder. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s eyes widened as he observed Glenn¡¯s smile. ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me, are you happy right now because I said that the grandfather and the grandson are the exact same? I¡¯m going nuts!¡± He shook his head at his ridiculous reaction. ¡°Don¡¯t make any unnecessaryments!¡± Glenn covered his red face and wrinkled his nose. ¡°Take him back down already!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Roenn and Sheryl nodded and grabbed Rimmer¡¯s arms to drag him downwards. ¡°I¡¯m really sick and tired of it!¡± ¡°He said the grandfather and the grandson are the exact same¡­¡± Rimmer kept shouting, but Glenn smiled brightly while looking at his back. ¡°That¡¯s not too bad.¡± * * * Whaaam! Burren, Martha, and Runaan copsed one after the other and mmed onto the ground. ¡°You¡¯ve definitely improved a lotpared to the past.¡± Raon nodded while meeting their distorted eyes. ¡°Ehh¡­¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Runaan, Burren, and Martha could only twitch their fingers while kissing the ground because they didn¡¯t even have any strength left to reply. ¡°But if you end up dying while buying time for escape, the division will suffer a critical loss. You need to keep contemting how to survive the situation,¡± Raon advised them and descended from the mountain in order to find the other Light Wind Division members. When he spread his aura perception in order to sense the swordsmen¡¯s presences, he noticed a very small movement. He waited for a moment because it seemed to be a wild animal, and a golden marten popped out from the bushes. ¡®A marten? Were there martens in this mountain?¡¯ He knew that many kinds of animals lived in the North Grave Mountain, but he¡¯d never seen a marten before. The marten ran towards him without being afraid of humans, as if it had just seen some food. ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ It is indeed the case! Wrath widened his eyes. It¡¯s definitely the madwoman! He screamed and hid away in the ice flower bracelet. ¡°Raon!¡± A coquettish voice came from the marten¡¯s small mouth. It was Merlin, as expected. She smiled cheerfully while straightening her back, and Raon reluctantly found her cute because she looked like a marten. ¡°Haa.¡± Raon created an aura barrier right away to conceal the sound and brought the marten into the bushes. ¡°What brought you here?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re here. And¡­¡± Merlin tilted her head, wondering why he was asking such an obvious question. ¡°I have to congratte you for bing a division leader.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Raon gasped while looking at Merlin¡¯s glowing eyes. He sometimes got this feeling that Merlin was even better with information than the Shadow Agents. ¡°Congrattions on bing a division leader. You can even be the head of house next time!¡± Merlin was talking about bing the head of house as if it were as easy as bing the manager of a bead ice cream shop. Her mindset was seriously too difficult to deal with. ¡°Anyway, thank you.¡± He thanked her because she¡¯de to congratte him. ¡°It¡¯s too early to say that.¡± Merlin took a sparkling golden ring from her fur with a refreshing smile on her face. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a present!¡± ¡°A present?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a present tomemorate your bing a division leader!¡± She nodded while congratting him once again. ¡°I prepared one the same color as your hair.¡± Merlin pointed at his blond hair, which was fluttering in the wind. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon blinked while looking at the golden ring that Merlin had taken out. ¡®Howe Merlin is the first to give me a present?¡¯ Many people congratted him after he became a division leader, but it was the first time he was given a present. He found it stupid but was also thankful to her. However, getting an actual present was a different story from getting information from her, so he couldn¡¯t easily extend his hand. ¡°Take it. It¡¯s not anything too good.¡± Merlin shook the ring, saying that her arm was aching. ¡°Yeah, thank you.¡± Raon epted the ring because he¡¯d heard that it was rude to refuse a present that someone had gone out of their way to prepare, and she¡¯d said that it wasn¡¯t anything too good. Its simple, patternless appearance was to his liking. ¡°I¡¯ll store it properly.¡± ¡°Wear it instead of storing it. It¡¯s an artifact.¡± Merlin smiled while looking at the ring. ¡°Huh? Artifact?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ancient artifact.¡± ¡°But you said that it wasn¡¯t anything too good!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a cheap trinket to me.¡± She shrugged her shoulders while rolling her eyes. ¡°After all, it¡¯s useless for a mage.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s only useful for the warriors. It amplifies the aura that you gather in your hand.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Raon furrowed his brow after trying to shove aura into the ring. ¡®It¡¯s true.¡¯ The aura entering the ring was amplified before it returned. As she said, it was a high-quality artifact that could amplify the aura. ¡®By the way, this¡­ Feels simr to that ring.¡¯ It had a simr shape to the cheap ring that he¡¯d purchased in the ck Market before. He¡¯d left it alone because he hadn¡¯t managed to find how to remove the seal, and Merlin¡¯s ring seemed to be the same thing. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, is it the same seal as that one?¡¯ He figured he would quickly need to find a phoenix. ¡®Regardless of the case, it¡¯s not an ordinary item.¡¯ Raon carefully stored the ring and looked at Merlin. She was just smiling as if she was simply d that he took her present nicely. ¡°How is Eden doing nowadays? Are you doing fine over there?¡± ¡°Nothing special happened for me. I¡¯ve been just wasting my time with missions.¡± ¡°But the Fallen should be suspicious of you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine because he doesn¡¯t tantly annoy me.¡± She shook her hand, saying that he didn¡¯t need to worry about it since she even made a new hole to escape. It looked like she¡¯dpletely lost interest in Eden. ¡°Rather than that, there were a lot of issues in other ces.¡± ¡°Other ces?¡± ¡°Yes. The Five Demons made their move, and many of the neutral factions were ruined. A war could break out at any moment. There was even a rumor recently that the Sword and Saber Sovereign''s grave was found.¡± ¡°The Sword and Saber Sovereign¡¯s grave?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened. What¡¯s a Sword and Saber Sovereign? It sounds delicious. Wrath poked his head out. ¡®It¡¯s not food. It refers to the warrior whopeted for the ce of the strongest in the continent a few hundred years ago. He could use both sword and saber, and I heard he was in the Transcender''s realm with both of them.¡¯ Swords and sabers looked simr, but they werepletely different weapons. Unlike a sword, which was focused around stabs, sabers were specialized in shes. That was why it was difficult to be good at handling both weapons¡ªbut the Sword and Saber Sovereign was rumored to be so proficient in both of them that he could use them like his limbs. His name was still brought up by the people even though hundreds of years had passed, which implied that he must¡¯ve far surpassed the Transcender¡¯s realm. ¡°Yes.¡± Merlin nodded while scratching her side. ¡°The map indicating the location of the Sword and Saber Sovereign is out there. The person called the Shadowless Wanderer apparently has it right now, but I think both the Six Kings and the Five Demons must be chasing after him.¡± She shook her head, showing that she wasn¡¯t really interested in it. ¡°The Shadowless Wanderer¡­¡± ¡°Since I finished what I came to do, I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± Merlin waved her hand, saying that it was time for her to leave. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep watching you, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Raon wanted to tell her that was even more worrying, but he had to shut his mouth because she¡¯d even given him a present. ¡°And as for this one¡­¡± Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Merlin¡¯s mouth. He clenched his fist while wondering what she was going to say, and her lips twitched once again. ¡°It wants you to trim its ws.¡± ¡°Cl-ws?¡± Raon¡¯s eyes widened because it was apletely unexpected request. ¡°It said that its ws are too long and are being a hindrance when it¡¯s hunting. Cut them into a nice shape, trim them, and also color them a bit.¡± ¡®I¡¯m even trimming a marten¡¯s ws now?¡¯ Raon closed his eyes tightly after looking at the marten¡¯s foot. ¡®What is life¡­?¡¯ The North Grave Mountain became peaceful for a while thanks to Merlin and the marten. * * * Raon turned around, standing on the fifth training ground¡¯s tform. ¡®They look like they¡¯re about to die.¡¯ The Light Wind swordsmen had hunched shoulders, with faces that looked like they were about to die¡ªjust like puppies that had been on a day-long walk. ¡°Straighten your backs. It¡¯s over now.¡± ¡°But it took three whole weeks to be over instead of a single week.¡± ¡°You demon king!¡± ¡°You evil¡­¡± Burren and Martha violently ground their teeth, and Runaan sank to the ground while faltering. ¡°What kind of trainingsts for three whole weeks? That fiendish bastard¡­¡± Rimmer alsoy t on the ground with hollowed cheeks. Raon chuckled while looking at the ragged state of the Light Wind Division. As they said, three weeks had passed because he kept extending the training since it was going too well. It was a long and difficult time, but the Light Wind Division became proficient at surprise attacks and running away in addition to fighting from the front after all the experience they¡¯d gained. It was a relief because they became capable of running away from a powerful opponent and looking for an opportunity instead of just fighting head-on. ¡°You¡¯ve done well so far.¡± Raon nodded while looking at the Light Wind Division¡¯s exhausted eyes. ¡°Rest for three days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for rest!¡± ¡°Finally¡­¡± ¡°We can finally escape from the demon!¡± The Light Wind Division roared toward the sky as if they were finally freed from very. ¡°Before that,¡± Raon began as he shook his hand towards the Light Wind Division, who were smiling without exception. ¡°W-wait a moment, is it about another training session?¡± ¡°It could be, since he is a demon.¡± ¡°Yeah, he might tell us that we are going to train since the sun is still in the sky¡­¡± The Light Wind Division looked at the sun in the middle of the sky with trembling lips. ¡°We should eat, at least.¡± Raon pped his hands once again, and people entered from outside the training ground toy out tents and tables, then started to prepare steaming dishes. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± ¡°This is too sudden¡­¡± ¡°You wanted a group dinner, didn¡¯t you?¡± Raon curled his lips into a smile while looking at the Light Wind Division¡¯s surprise. ¡°It¡¯s a reward forpleting the training.¡± Whoaaa! The first shout of joy came from Wrath instead of the Light Wind Division. When did you even prepare all this?! He darted his tongue in and out while looking at the dishes and desserts that were being set under the tent. ¡®While you were asleep.¡¯ You weasel! The King of Essence believed in you all along! Wrath showered him with pointless ttery without taking his eyes off the food. ¡°You¡¯ve done a great job. Eat well and rest well for three days.¡± ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°This is what I like about the new division leader!¡± ¡°He is way better than the stingy previous division leader!¡± The Light Wind Division ran towards the table that was being filled with dishes before they even thanked him. ¡°Did he even bring liquor?¡± ¡°Wow, all of them are high quality!¡± The Gambling Monster and Rimmer went to the liquor and immediately started to drink. ¡°Ice!¡± Runaan ran to the bead ice cream with her purple eyes sparkling faintly and started to dish up as much ice cream as she wanted. ¡°Hmm.¡± Martha went next to Runaan and scratched her head. ¡°Which is the tasty one?¡± She took the initiative to approach her, probably because she was thankful that Runaan had helped her in various ways during the training. ¡°This one.¡± Runaan calmly nodded and gave the green ice cream to Martha. ¡°It has a strange color. Is it really tasty?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Martha tilted her head, showing that she didn¡¯t exactly like the color, but reluctantly took a bite in the end. ¡°Kuh! You damned bitch! How could you feed poison to me?!¡± She charged at Runaan because of the minty taste of the ice cream. ¡°You have bad taste.¡± Runaan shook her head and started to run away once again. ¡°They¡¯re pretty much sisters now.¡± Burren shook his head while watching Runaan and Martha ying tag. Beef Girl has a bad taste. How could she do that to such precious food?! Wrath sighed while looking at the mint chocte ice cream Martha had spat out. ¡®You¡¯re the special ones.¡¯ Raon was smiling while watching the Light Wind Division enjoy the food when Rimmer came up next to him with an entire wine bottle in his hand. ¡°It must¡¯ve been rather costly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Raon shook his hand, saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips and shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s something that I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Division leaders have to attend the executive meeting.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± He¡¯d heard about the conference that decided various matters for the divisions and squads. ¡°I should prepare myself since it¡¯s my first time participating. I¡¯m looking forward to your teaching.¡± ¡°But that meeting¡­¡± Rimmer licked his lips for a moment, then finished the entire bottle before he continued, ¡°is today.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°That executive meeting takes ce today. It starts in three hours.¡± He shook his head while looking up at the sky. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, really.¡± ¡°......¡± E-eat first! Talk about it after eating! Wrath shouted at him to eat, but Raon put down the dish, then closed his eyes before opening them again. ¡°Why are you telling me this sote?¡± ¡°I just remembered.¡± Rimmer yfully raised his chin. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Raon bit his lip and picked up his dish again. ¡°I actually have something to tell you as well.¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± Rimmer shook his head while opening an expensive-looking bottle. ¡°You know that the group meal is usually funded by the one who retires, right?¡± Raon¡¯s lips curved into a sly smile as soon as Rimmer started to drink. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Rimmer¡¯s lips trembled anxiously. The liquor flowed down from his mouth. ¡°All of this food and liquor will be charged to you, vice division leader.¡± Raon shook his hand, and the restaurant¡¯s manager and the pub¡¯s manager gave a thumbs up to Rimmer at the same time. ¡°Wh-why didn¡¯t you tell me about that earlier?¡± ¡°Because you never asked before.¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± Rimmer was about to shout in irritation but bit his lip upon remembering what he¡¯d done. ¡°Stop right there, everyone! Stop eating! Don¡¯t eat anything!¡± He ran to the buffet while shouting. ¡°Do you want to see me washing dishes for the rest of my life?! Stop eating already!¡± ¡°Executive meeting¡­¡± Raon averted his gaze from Rimmer¡¯s desperate struggle and licked his lips. ¡°It sounds fun.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 624 Chapter 624 Aries shook the document in her hand with a bright smile on her face, showing that she was serious about letting him pick the mission he wanted. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Raon pressed on his lips tightly while looking at the document fluttering in the air. ¡®This is embarrassing¡­¡¯ It was the first time in a long time that he¡¯d felt so embarrassed¡ªthest time had been when he was pretending to be a baby with Sylvia. He could feel his face heating up, and he was certain his face would be red if he looked into a mirror. Wow¡­ Wrath¡¯s head also trembled in shock. The King of Essence has seen many unreasonable people before, but she is on a whole different level. She is a huge troublemaker in a different way than Shitty Ears. ¡®Indeed.¡¯ Raon briefly nodded. Those people usually forced others to ept their unreasonable behavior with just their noble bloodline, but Aries was alsopetent on top of her bloodline. Glenn was the only person who could contain her even inside Zieghart, which was one of the Six Kings.¡°Do you want Auntie to pick it for you if you have a hard time choosing?¡± Aries skimmed through the documents she was holding and lifted one of them. ¡°This one looks good. Beggars from the South-North Union are apparently scouting all the way to Parin River in our territory, so go there and mess them up. It will be practice for defeating the Axe King.¡± She smiled, saying that it was a perfect time to send a warning to the South-North Union¡¯s boss and the Axe King. ¡°This one looks nice, too. It says monsters are gathering at the Thonon ins in the northwest. Since the Light Wind Division just went through collective training, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to join arge-scale war. And¡­¡± Aries told him about other contents of the documents, offering to pick nice missions for him. ¡°Err¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Should this really be happening?¡± The executives nkly looked back and forth between Aries and Raon. ¡°Just keep quiet if you don¡¯t want to be bitten by a mad dog.¡± Balder lifted his fist towards the executives, implying that they should shut their mouths. It looked like he didn¡¯t want to increase the number of victims after himself. ¡°Who are you calling a mad dog?!¡± Aries furrowed her brow and smacked Balder¡¯s waist. ¡°Haap!¡± Balder mmed into the ground but rapidly stood back up and made a posture that emphasized his muscles. He seemed to be trying to say that it didn¡¯t hurt thanks to his muscles, but he looked even more miserable as a result. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Raon rubbed his aching temple with his finger. His hand was even trembling because of how embarrassed he was. ¡°Excuse me, Lady Aries.¡± Just as he was trying to tell Aries to please stop, Denier stood up from his seat. ¡°Aries.¡± Denier walked up to Aries and shook his head. ¡°Please calm down. Something like this doesn¡¯t help Raon at all.¡± ¡°Are you also trying to get in his way?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case. As you said, it¡¯s good to be considerate to a new division leader, and it¡¯s totally understandable to let him pick the mission he wants. However¡­¡± He lowered his eyebrows while looking at Raon. ¡°That¡¯s up to Raon to decide. If you feed him everything and pick it for him, it won¡¯t be helpful for his growth at all. It¡¯s not like you can attend every single round table meeting.¡± Regardless of Denier¡¯s usual reputation, what he just said was so reasonable that anyone had to admit it. However, Aries was a free woman who didn¡¯t like reasonable arguments. ¡°Hmm.¡± Aries slowly raised her gaze and looked at Denier. Their pupils looked simr but looked different at the same time. ¡°You are such a smooth talker.¡± She tilted her head and curled her lips into a smile. ¡°Since you are a smooth talker, you must have plenty of desires, too.¡± ¡°A-Aries?¡± Denier blinked, unable to understand what she was talking about. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly wrong. You are actually right. But why does it feel like you are just pretending to be a nice person when you are the one who said it?¡± Aries rotated her shoulder. It looked like she was going to punch him or something. Raon gasped. It would¡¯ve been nice if she listened to Denier and stopped, but Aries seemed to be trying to aggravate the issue, as expected. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Denier reluctantly stepped back and got into a defensive posture. The energy bursting from under his feet made it look like a stone wall was surging from the ground. Rumble! Aries threw the documents behind her and stood up. The powerful pressure zing around her was as ferocious as the god of warriors. ¡®Is this the only way in the end?¡¯ Raon sighed and looked at Aries. He strained his neck and parted his lips. ¡°Auntie.¡± As soon as he called her auntie, the energy wave spreading above her shoulders disappeared at once. ¡°Yes, my nephew!¡± Aries smiled brightly, as if she was never angry at all. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She waved her hand, with her voice brimming with warmth¡ªunlike when she was pressuring Denier. ¡°Wow, look at how her voice has changed. She¡¯s the one who is pretending to be nice.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Balder got kicked on his thigh whileining about Aries. ¡°Cough!¡± He rolled on the ground while clutching his thigh. Apparently, his thigh couldn¡¯t be protected with muscles. ¡°I also agree with the Wise Martial Pce Master.¡± Raon watched Balder rolling on the ground, then lifted his gaze towards Aries. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for your care because I¡¯m new here and don¡¯t even have my predecessor with me, but such special treatment is unnecessary. I want to get a mission fair and square, just like the other executives.¡± He felt sorry for Aries, who was trying to be nice to him, but it was the right thing to do in that situation. ¡°Really? It can¡¯t be helped if that¡¯s what you want.¡± Aries shook her hand and took Balder¡¯s seat again. She didn¡¯t look saddened by his refusal at all¡ªshe actually seemed to like it instead. ¡®Just as I expected.¡¯ He was thinking that Aries was acting even more unreasonably than usual, but she must¡¯ve been hoping that he would stop her. ¡®It must be because of me.¡¯ She must¡¯ve wanted to give the executives a good impression of Raon by showing that he could stop Aries Zieghart and that he got the mission without her help. In short, her goal was to increase his reputation. ¡°Thank you, Raon,¡± Denier nodded faintly at him to thank him for agreeing with him and took his seat. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Balder stood up after rubbing his thigh and stood behind Aries again. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest, but I like that personality of his, at least. A warrior should be like that.¡± He gave him a thumbs up, as if he had forgotten that he¡¯d called him bad-mannered ten minutes ago. He was so simple that it ironically made him difficult to predict. ¡°Then proceed.¡± Aries smiled in satisfaction and gave the documents that she¡¯d thrown away to Chad. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Chad epted the documents with trembling hands, his eyes directed at Raon. The way his fists were clenched made it look like he was resolving himself to something. ¡°Then let¡¯s resume assigning the missions.¡± Chad put the documents together while ncing at Aries. Balder was still standing behind Aries. He was quite special, considering he was still standing when he could¡¯ve taken someone else¡¯s seat. ¡°I won¡¯t offer a long exnation since Lady Aries exined the missions in my stead. Please raise your hands if you want to take the duty of driving the South-North Union away from Parin River.¡± ¡°......¡± It was quiet, even cold. Every single executive was ncing at Raon and Aries, trying to gauge their intentions. Raon closed his eyes and lowered his head. He showed everyone that he wasn¡¯t interested in that mission at all. ¡°Then we¡¯ll take that mission.¡± Lattein, the Warring Sword Division Leader, raised his hand from the right. Since no one was against it, the Warring Sword Division was entrusted with the mission. ¡°The next mission is the extermination of monsters gathering in Thonon ins. Considering that bothrge and small monsters are gathering, we are guessing that a boss-tier monster was born. Raise your hand if you want to take this mission.¡± ¡°......¡± No one raised their hand once again. Raon immediately closed his eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the extermination mission.¡± Trevin raised his hand. No one was against it once again, and the Warring Steel Division was entrusted with the mission.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°I like that this round table meeting is proceeding so quickly. Let¡¯s continue.¡± Chad read the documents one after the other, and the executives started to rx and take the missions one after the other. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s finally this one.¡± Chad lifted the document, a deep well forming around his lips. ¡°This mission is rted to the Sword and Saber Sovereign incident that I mentioned when I was talking about the continent¡¯s situation.¡± He licked his lips while tapping on the document. ¡°We are Zieghart. No martial art in the world can reach our sword, but the White Snake Rain, who is the current holder of the Sword and Saber Sovereign''s location, is currently near Zieghart.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes. He isn¡¯t exactly in our domain, but he is nearby. It could be a huge problem if the grave is discovered in Zieghart territory, so we need to take measures in advance.¡± Chad nodded his head, saying that someone had to decide whether they should recover the map from the White Snake Rain and open the grave or not. ¡°It will be quite a dangerous mission, as you might have to recover the map of the Sword and Saber Sovereign or even enter the grave. If you still want to take the mission, then please raise your hand.¡± ¡°Me!¡± Balder immediately raised his hand. ¡°Our True Martial Pce will be going!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± Deiner sighed, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m going because I want to! I¡¯ll show them that Zieghart is the strongest, not some Sword and Saber Sovereign!¡± Balder clenched his fist, saying that he was going there to beat up the people who wereing to the grave instead of getting the treasure inside it. ¡°We haven¡¯t finished investigating the Central Martial Pce yet. Did you forget our lord¡¯s orders?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Balder finally remembered about the investigation mission and widened his mouth. Once the executives realized that the two pce masters wouldn¡¯t be taking the mission, those who didn¡¯t have any mission yet raised their hands. Raon nodded while watching them. ¡®It¡¯s a natural oue.¡¯ The Sword and Saber Sovereign¡¯s grave was a whole different level from the other missions. If they managed to conquer the grave, they would obtain an iparable amount of fame, wealth, and the Sword and Saber Sovereign¡¯s martial art. It was only natural for them to be interested, even for Zieghart¡¯s executives. Aren¡¯t you going to raise your hand? You wanted to do that one. Wrath tilted his head, wondering what he was doing. ¡°Raon.¡± Aries also urged him to pick that mission by bobbing her finger. Raon licked his lips while looking at the document that Chad was holding instead of Aries. ¡®He said a moment ago that he was in the vicinity of Zieghart.¡¯ Chad had informed them that the White Snake Rain, who had the map indicating the location of the Sword and Saber Sovereign¡¯s grave, was currently on the move near Zieghart¡¯s domain. After pondering about that part, Raon figured that he could go for the Sword and Saber Sovereign¡¯s grave without even taking the mission. ¡®That would be a lot easier.¡¯ In the end, Raon quietly watched the situation without raising his hand. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for the participation of the squad leaders, but this mission is dangerous. I believe it¡¯s best to dispatch at least a division.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°What a shame.¡± ¡°It was a great opportunity.¡± The squad leaders who wanted the mission lowered their hands upon hearing Chad¡¯s advice. There were two executives left in the end. It was Serena, the Void Sword Division Leader, and Dronen, the leader of the Spirit Wolf Division, which was affiliated with the direct lines. Raon had encountered Dronen a lot in the audience chamber, but he¡¯d never talked to him before. He was a man of very few words. ¡°It looks like neither of you is willing to concede. Since it¡¯s an urgent mission, it¡¯s not a good idea to decide with a spar. Let¡¯s decide it with a vote.¡± Chad called their names and started the vote to decide who would take the mission. ¡°Raise your hand if you think that the Void Sword Division should take the mission.¡± ¡°Me!¡± Once Aries supported Serena, most of the neutral executives who were still indecisive raised their hands. ¡°Then the Void Sword Division will be in charge of the mission concerning the Sword and Saber Sovereign''s grave. And¡­ ah!¡± Chad¡¯s shoulders flinched when he turned the page. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I forgot about this mission because so many things happened.¡± He lifted the first document he¡¯d brought up once again. ¡°It¡¯s the mission to scout Zieghart¡¯s domain that I mentioned in the beginning. Raise your hand if you want to take this missi¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Raon immediately stood up and raised his hand. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You want to scout?¡± ¡°Why now?¡± Every single executive sitting around the round table widened their eyes because he volunteered to take the scouting mission that Balder had treated as a chore. ¡°I just thought that I should do what I can for now, just like the Wise Martial Pce Master and the True Martial Pce Master said. Our Light Wind Division will be in charge of scouting as the juniors.¡± ¡°Err¡­ hmm.¡± Balder blinked in surprise upon hearing that Raon was going to do what he¡¯d asked. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t need to do that, though.¡± He took a step away from Aries, worried that he might get another beating. ¡°Just pick what you want to do, as you said befo¡ª¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll slowly scout the area and remind myself about what kind of ce Zieghart is.¡± Raon shook his head and dered that he was going to take that mission. ¡°Wow! I do like your personality, at least!¡± Balder nodded in satisfaction upon seeing that Aries wasn¡¯t taking any action. ¡°Yes, scouting is an important mission, too! Make sure to see through it! I¡¯ll reserve a good mission for you at the next round table. I¡¯ll assign the best one to you.¡± He pounded his chest, telling Raon to count on him. ¡°Huhu.¡± On the other hand, Aries smiled faintly, implying that she¡¯d noticed Raon¡¯s intention behind taking the scouting mission. ¡°......¡± Denier also seemed to have figured out his thoughts as he narrowed his eyes. ¡°As expected, no one is against it. Then the Light Wind Division will be in charge of the scouting mission.¡± Chad nodded after confirming the reactions of the executives at the round table. Raon smiled faintly while looking at the gazes of the executives, which were clearly different from before. * * * ¡°You know, that Raon¡­¡± Balder followed Denier up as he left the round table meeting with a broad smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t you like his personality at least? He used to be an eyesore because of the incident with Raden, but everything he says nowadays is to my liking. I would¡¯ve recruited him to our pce if I¡¯d known.¡± He licked his lips in regret. ¡°I knew it.¡± Denier shook his head while looking at Balder¡¯s smile. ¡°You didn¡¯t manage to read his thoughts.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Why do you think Raon suddenly volunteered for the scouting mission even though he wasn¡¯t really interested in it at first?¡± ¡°He already said the reason. He wants to travel around Zieghart¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± He slowly shook his finger. ¡°It¡¯s because the current holder of the Sword and Saber Sovereign¡¯s map is rather close to Zieghart¡¯s domain.¡± ¡°Which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes. If he is that close, it¡¯s possible for him to look for the Sword and Saber Sovereign''s grave under the pretext of scouting the area. That¡¯s Raon¡¯s n. He created a path that can gain the favor of the executives and also get the actual benefit at the same time.¡± Denierughed bitterly, saying that Raon had excellently analyzed the situation. ¡°In fact, everyone except for you could havee up with that idea. However, Raon was the first one to figure it out and made the decision. I can¡¯t believe that his decision was the fastest, even more than the executives who have participated in the round table dozens of times already.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°The executives probably realized that fact by now and might be thinking that they werepletely yed by him.¡± ¡°That ain¡¯t right.¡± Balder firmly shook his head. ¡°Rather than being yed, they should be thinking that Raon is amazing. After all, he got that mission with his own ability. Complimenting him for that is the right thing to do in this case. Only narrow-minded rats willin that they were yed.¡± He smiled, saying that Raon should be praised for it. ¡°It feels even more regrettable now. Such a smart guy should¡¯ve joined our pce.¡± ¡°You.¡± Denier narrowed his eyes while watching Balder. ¡°Aren¡¯t you jealous of him?¡± ¡°Jealous?¡± ¡°Because Karoon made a big mistake, Raon Zieghart is even more trusted by our father now, and he has be a division leader. If he survives the duel to the death next year, he will probably be a part of the direct line, the Light Wind Division will be a pce, and he will be a sessor candidate just like us. He will be your rival.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Balder scratched his chin with hisrge hand. ¡°I do want to be the head of house. I¡¯d be happy if I could, and I¡¯d do anything for that sake. Well, I won¡¯t do anything, not like him.¡± He must¡¯ve been reminded of Karoon because he looked towards the medical ward. ¡°I might feel jealous and envious of him, but if I couldn¡¯t win against him after I did everything I could, that means that he can make Zieghart even bigger than I ever could. If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t mind yielding the position.¡± Balder shook his head, saying that he could ept anyone as the head of house as long as it was helpful for Zieghart¡¯s development. ¡°......¡± Denier nodded while looking at Balder. ¡°You never change.¡± ¡°Why are you saying that now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that you should stay the way you are.¡± Denier gently patted Balder¡¯s shoulder and returned to the Wise Martial Pce. ¡°Make it easier to understand!¡± Balder furrowed his brow while looking at Denier¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s too hard for me!¡± * * * Two dayster. Raon went to the main street in order to receive the information that he¡¯d requested from the ck Market. He opened an old door at the corner of themercial district and entered the shop. The manager, who was sitting at the counter, took off her hood and lowered her head. It was Denning Rose, wearing an eyepatch with purple rose patterns. ¡°Greetings, Light Wind Division Leader.¡± Denning Rose lowered her head, her lips curved into a small smile. ¡°Why are you suddenly acting like this?¡± Raon looked at Denning Rose awkwardly. ¡°Since you are a division leader now, I need to treat you ordingly.¡± Denning Rose shook her hand, saying that it was the natural thing to do as a merchant. ¡°Congrattions on bing a division leader.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Raon returned the bow and sat on the chair Denning Rose had guided him to. ¡°By the way, you came here personally despite being the branch manager.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural for me toe since it¡¯s your request, division leader.¡± Denning Rose smiled, saying that it was an act of respect for a client. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear from you how you became a division leader, but let¡¯s go straight to business since we don¡¯t have much time. The situation has changed a little.¡± Her single eye glinted, showing how serious she was. ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°White Snake Rain used to have the map for the Sword and Saber Sovereign''s grave until two days ago, but he died and the owner has changed.¡± ¡°Who is the new owner?¡± ¡°The Holy Sword Alliance.¡± Denning Rose¡¯s lips trembled briefly. ¡°The Sword and Saber Sovereign¡¯s map is currently in the Holy Sword Alliance''s possession.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!